A/N: Hellooooo readers! Thank you all so very much for your continued interest in this story. We've finally reached the penultimate chapter, so without further ado I present to you the Bounty experience – in technicolor!

Special thanks to Filo, the lady with all the compliments. She's a great beta, too.

April 21, 2004…

When Gypsy arrived at the Crap Shack, she was practically yanked into the house by an overzealous Sookie and Lorelai. It hadn't taken much convincing to get the mechanic to agree to a girls' night out. Rather, it hadn't taken much convincing after Lorelai promised Gypsy her business for the jeep's next three oil changes.

Gypsy looked around in mild amusement. The house had been decorated with a few stray balloons in bright grey and black hues. They were always the colours left behind. Colours that seemed more fitting for a funeral, should a funeral warrant such decorations. But the fact of the matter was, they were still balloons, and balloons were fun, and this night was all about fun. So they hung, in all their bleakness, in random places around the living room.

"What the hell is this?" Gypsy asked, her eyes focusing curiously on the massive pile of movies spread out on the coffee table. "I'm only here for a couple hours, not a lifetime."

Lorelai chuckled. "It's all about the choices, Gypsy."

"We even picked up a copy of G.I. Jane. You like that kind of stuff, don't you?" Sookie asked, hopeful.

"What kind of stuff?" Gypsy pressed.

Sookie flushed. "Oh, you know… tough stuff?"

Gypsy rolled her eyes. "I personally thought Demi was better in Ghost, but G.I. Jane is a pretty decent flick."

Lorelai smirked. "Wow, Gypsy's a total movie buff. Who knew?"

"I live alone," she said by way of explanation.

"I guess we'll have to do this more often then," Lorelai offered.

"I can leave now," Gypsy threatened.

"Once is good," Lorelai rectified. "So, hey, what was in that bag you brought in?"

Gypsy walked into the hall and unzipped her backpack. "Brought some chocolate," she said, carrying several packages with her to the living room.

"Ooh," Lorelai said, smiling in delight. "We have our own Willy Wonka. First the Tootsie Pops, now the chocolate. You are just full of delicious surprises."

"Too bad I live alone," Gypsy replied sardonically.

"Yeah, too bad," Sookie agreed. "Chocolate is a great aphrodisiac." Gypsy snorted.

"So, Sookie and I were thinking we might kick things off with a little Tootsie. You know, Dorothy Michaels," Lorelai said.

Gypsy nodded thoughtfully. "I always thought that Dustin Hoffman looked better as a woman."

Lorelai laughed. "So with you there."

Sookie and Gypsy took a seat on the couch while Lorelai set the movie up. Before sitting herself, she cleared off the coffee table and headed for the kitchen.

"What's she doing now?" Gypsy asked Sookie.

"Snacks," Sookie answered.

"But I brought snacks," Gypsy argued.

Sookie giggled. "You brought an appetizer. Lorelai is bringing out the main course." Just as the words left her mouth, Lorelai reappeared carrying a tray loaded with enough junk food to sink a battleship.

Gypsy stared in wide-eyed amazement. "Um… I retract my previous statement," she said. "I think we should make this movie night thing a tradition."

************

The diner had been uncharacteristically busy for a Wednesday night. Caesar stayed on past his shift and helped Luke to clean up once the final customers were on their way. Luke always appreciated having an extra hand during close. There was nothing he hated more than cleaning up the grease left behind after the pigs had come to the trough.

Another thing he could live without was the music Caesar insisted on playing. Tonight however, Caesar hadn't even bothered to plug in the stereo. He wanted to talk. And so, they talked.

"So, anything happen with Lorelai today?" Caesar asked without hesitation.

"Nothing," Luke sighed. "I don't really know what's going on with her."

"Did you get that self-help book?"

"Yeah, I got it. Damn thing cost me more than this toaster," he muttered, cleaning the aforementioned item.

"Wow," Caesar mused. "Andrew must be making a killing over there." His eyes drifted off in thought. "Wonder if he's hiring."

Luke grunted in response.

"Nah," Caesar continued, "I think I'll stay. It's your soothing voice that keeps me here."

"Caesar, shut up," Luke said with a hint of amusement in his features.

He chuckled. "You got it, Boss."

April 24, 2004…

The end of the week played out much the same as the beginning for Lorelai. She avoided Luke and his establishment like the plague. But she wasn't the least bit surprised when he showed up at the inn on Saturday. She had arrived in the early morning for the much anticipated horse delivery. Once the quadrupeds were safely settled in their new home, she busied herself with a few projects in the main building. When she finally stepped outside again, her breath caught in her throat. He was there. She saw his truck parked out front, and her stomach lurched.

She'd kicked herself countless times for even suggesting it. It had never occurred to her that he'd actually take her up on the offer. When she'd first proposed the idea of horseback riding, a mere five weeks earlier, she was aching for him to accept. Now, as she stood unmoving on the gravel drive, arms wrapped around her waist, she couldn't bear the thought of seeing him. She couldn't face this man anymore. There was no telling what new emotions he would bring out in her.

Her feet moved slowly in the direction of the stables. With every forward motion, came a thousand muddled thoughts, flooding through her mind. A thousand excuses for why she couldn't stay. A thousand reasons for why he shouldn't be there. A thousand scenarios for how badly this would all turn out.

She peered through the outside window, her lips curving into a smile of their own volition as she watched Luke glancing nervously at the horses, on the losing end of a staring contest.

Lorelai walked around to the front of the barn. The broad doors were half-open, so she entered quietly, but not unnoticed.

"Hey," Luke said, smiling.

"Hi." She took slow strides toward him.

"So, these are the horses," he needlessly stated.

She nodded. "Cletus and Desdemona. I see you've been acquainted."

"I'm not so sure they approve of me."

Leaning against the railing beside Luke she muttered, "Must be the plaid."

He chuckled, shifting a little closer to her. "I'll have to remember that for next time."

Her eyes grew wide. "Next time?" she asked in surprise. "I don't… I didn't think…"

"I was just kidding," Luke told her. "So, um, I'm gonna need a little instruction here." He gestured to the horses, still eyeing him curiously.

She couldn't help but smile. "Well, first we better get you a helmet. How about you grab the reins and the bridles while I'm doing that?" He nodded unsurely, looking nervously at the wall of supplies before selecting what he supposed were the proper pieces of equipment.

Lorelai glanced over at him, raising her eyebrows in approval. He smiled in return, clearly pleased with himself. Her eyes remained on his for a fraction too long; her heart started hammering in her chest. She took several deep breaths, trying to regain control of herself. The prospect of horseback riding with Luke had become exciting again. That's when she knew she needed to get out of there.

"I can't do this," she gasped.

Luke frowned. "Oh, is this the wrong equipment?"

"No, I can't do this," she said, gesturing between them. When Luke said nothing in return, she continued, "I thought you guys broke up."

"Huh?"

"You and Nicole."

He put down the equipment he was holding and turned to face her. "Who told you that?"

She mirrored his actions. "It doesn't matter. It's obviously not true!"

"Lorelai, calm down," he pleaded.

"No, I won't calm down! First you get married… on a frigging cruise ship, I might add. And then you say you're getting a divorce. But you don't get one. You try to make things work, you start dating your wife! I won't even tell you how bizarre that is. I'm talking Ripley's brand of bizarre. So you play the marital role for a while… you buy a house, you pretend to move in. And you have people convinced, Luke, you really do. They all start believing in the possibility of Luke table-for-two Danes. But here's the really sick and twisted part. I didn't believe it. I never wanted to believe it."

"Lorelai…"

"No, I refused to believe in your marriage, but as soon as the rumours started circulating, I couldn't wait to believe that you were getting a divorce."

"Please just listen to me for a second–"

"But you're not getting a divorce. You're still with… her. You're still with Nicole."

"Lorelai, I'm not–"

"How can you still be with her, Luke? How can you not know how I feel about you?!"

Silence filled the room the moment the words left her lips, and she instantly regretted them. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Luke, to gauge his reaction. She shook from the emotion she withheld, and cringed at the emotion she exposed. It was then that she finally felt the sting of the cool air that surrounded them. It was then that she realized whatever relationship she once held with this man, would never be the same again.

She closed her eyes when she saw his hand reaching for her, brushing her arm with the barest of touches. And that's when reason came into play. "I'm so sorry," she told him, her eyes still not meeting his. She started backing away, one small step at a time. "I'm so sorry," she said again, her voice quivering.

Luke stood frozen, a look of confusion and pure helplessness on his face. He wanted to tell her to stay. He wanted to scream at her for baffling the hell out of him, yet again. He wanted to hold her, and comfort her, and try to talk some kind of sense into her. But he didn't. He just watched her leave, and he had no idea how relieved she was that he'd allowed her that moment of solitude.

The moments after humiliation are moments better spent alone.

April 27, 2004…

Sookie and Michel resumed Lorelai's duties at the inn like clockwork. Sookie had explained to the Frenchman that he needed to step up to the plate, and for once, he'd complied without objection. Actually, he seemed all too pleased to be in high command. Sookie hadn't been able to unearth the entire story from Lorelai, but she knew things had taken a dramatic turn for the worse, and it pained her to see her friend in such a fragile state.

Around noon hour on Tuesday, Sookie stole herself away to grab a quick bite at Luke's. She expected to see a beaten down man, distressed and miserable… suffering. What she saw instead, was a man overcome with anger. The customers cowered in his presence. Plates were licked clean, despite the fact that the food on them was either undercooked, or charred beyond recognition.

When Luke finally noticed Sookie, a part of his resolve crumbled. She was the closest link he had to Lorelai. He could have blasted her like he had the rest of his patrons over the past few days, but he chose rather to confide in her. He leaned on the counter, she perched on her stool, and they talked. And somehow, by the end of their mostly whispered and all too brief conversation, he was a little surer of himself, and of his next move. He knew he couldn't live like this. He needed to act. It was just a matter of swallowing his pride.

TBC…