Hey guys, back with another installment of the Playlist. This one takes part at two different times. The first part is from season one when Lorelai and Max first break up. The second is fast forwarded to Luke and Lorelai's break up in season 5 after Emily and Richard's vow renewal. That part is set after Lorelai calls and leaves a message on his machine. Set to the song "The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind" by Griffin House.

Come on

You don't need to change
A thing about you, babe
I'm telling you from where I sit
You're one of a kind

Relationships I don't know why
They never work out and they make you cry
But the guy that says goodbye to you
Is out of his mind

Well, I've been down and I need your help
I've been feelin' sorry for myself
Don't hesitate to boost my confidence

Well, I've been lost and I need direction
I could use a little love protection
What do you say, honey? Come to my defense

I stand up for you if it's what you need
And I can take a punch, I don't mind to bleed
As long as afterwards you feel bad for me

And you give me all of your attention
I've got deep desire and it needs quenching
I think that's pretty plain for you to see

Well, enough about me and more about you
Because that'd be the gentlemanly thing to do
I hope you like your men sweet and polite

I thought I was done with telling you
But I ain't nearly halfway through
I've got a few more things
I'd like to say to you tonight
Get ready

You don't need to change
A thing about you, babe
I'm telling you from where I sit
You're one of a kind

Relationships I don't know why
They never work out and they make you cry
But the guy that says goodbye to you
Is out of his mind, mind

You always did kinda drive me crazy
And it pissed me off 'cause I let it phase me
But I never wanted my time with you to end

Now I'm back in town for a day or two
Well, mostly I came back just to see you
I am leaving now but I don't want to go

You don't need to change
A thing about you, babe
I'm telling you from where I sit
You're one of a kind

Relationships I don't know why
They never work out, they make you cry
But the guy that says goodbye to you
Is out of his mind


Luke was busy at the Diner. It was dinnertime and on this rainy night it seemed everyone needed something from him. He hustled from table to table trying to keep up. It was his job, and he knew it had to be done. Normally he wouldn't complain but tonight he was annoyed. Lorelai was sitting at the counter, head in her hands poking at her food. She hadn't been in much lately and he was excited to see her back here tonight.

Rory wasn't around and if he was being honest with himself...he always liked to have a little time with Lorelai alone if he could. He pretended not to have a crazy crush on her. Pretended not to hang on every word she said. But at the end of the day when he turned off the lights and walked up to his lonely apartment he knew...he Luke Danes was a sucker in love with Lorelai Gilmore.

Finally as a few tables cashed out, he found a minute to saunter over to the counter right behind her. He began to wipe down the now empty spot beside her; he nodded his head towards her plate and asked, "Something wrong with your burger?"

She poked at it again and looked up at him, "Hm?"

"Your burger." He said resting the rag on the cool counter surface, "You've barely touched it. Normally you scarf it down so fast I have to be on guard to do the Heimlich."

She smiled weakly and looked down at her dinner, "Burger's fine. Guess I'm not that hungry."

Luke narrowed his eyes at her, "Spill it Gilmore."

She looked up at him again with her big blue eyes and a small pout on her face, "Spill what?"

He opened his mouth to respond but someone called his name. He sighed and held up his hand, "Hold that thought. I'll be right back."

Lorelai barely registered that he had left again before looking down at her full plate. Luke finished helping the last two customers and then flipped the closed sign on the front door. He sauntered over to the counter again and stood across from her, "Okay. I'm back."

She stared at him funny for a moment before asking, "What?"

He sighed and stood up straighter, "Okay seriously. What's going on? You're totally out of it."

She put her hands on either side of her plate and shrugged, "Really Luke. I'm fine."

He rolled his eyes, "You didn't ask for coffee when you got here. Ordered a double cheeseburger with onion rings and it's been over an hour and you haven't touched it. Something's wrong with you."

She pulled at her sweater self consciously, "Nothing's wrong with me Luke. I'm just not hungry."

Still not buying it he leaned in and rested his elbows on the counter, "You sick?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Get in a fight with Rory?" Lorelai shook her head again, "Your parents?"

She sighed and pushed her plate away again, "No Luke. Really. I'm good." She started to stand up and he could see tears prickling in her eyes, "Sorry for making you waste food." She opened her wallet, "Next time I'll-"

The words came out of his mouth before he had time to stop himself, "This about a guy?"

She inhaled sharply and sat back down on her stool, "What?"

The way her face flushed and her hands began to shake gave him the answer she wasn't willing to give. He nodded slowly and looked down, afraid to let her see the sadness in his eyes. "It is."

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes before Lorelai whispered, "I got dumped."

Luke lifted his head and stared at her, "You got dumped?"

Her cheeks flushed red and she crossed her arms in front of her, "Yes…"

His mouth hung open for a minute and asked again, "You got dumped?"

She rolled her eyes and went to stand up again, "God Luke, drop it. As if I don't feel shitty enough as it is."

Luke quickly rounded the counter and reached for her arm, stopping her before she went to leave, "Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" He swallowed hard when she looked back at him, those blue eyes full of tears, "I didn't mean anything by it I just...was surprised."

She sniffled slightly and wiped at her eyes, "Surprised?"

There was a million things he wanted to say but didn't seem able to. Mostly because he was sure now wasn't the time. So instead of delving into it, he decided to try and distract her. "You want a drink?"

She sniffled again and looked up at him, "Like an adult drink?"

He rolled his eyes, "No I was gonna warm you up some milk in the back and read you a bedtime story." She stared at him funny and he laughed, "Yes an adult drink. Beer or beer? My only options."

She smiled softly and said, "Beer is fine."

Luke nodded once and gestured for her to sit again. She opted for a seat at one of the tables rather than the counter and waited patiently for Luke to return. He sat beside her and handed her a beer before sliding a piece of pie in front of her. She eyed him wearily and he shrugged, "Don't need you drinking on a totally empty stomach. I figured pie might entice you more than a burger."

She smiled at him as he sat beside her, "Thanks."

He handed her a fork before grabbing his own beer and plopping down beside her, "Don't mention it." He took a swig of his beer as he watched her take a small bite of her pie, "So...you wanna tell me about him?"

She scrunched up her nose, "You don't want to hear about my love life." She rolled her eyes, "Or lack thereof."

While that was technically true, he hated to hear about the guys she dated because none of them were him. But this time around he was curious. He wanted to know what kind of moron would dump a woman like Lorelai Gilmore. Someone missing a few dozen-brain cells in his opinion.

He shrugged, "We're uh...we're friends right?" She looked at him but nodded, "Well...then that's what friends do. Talk about this stuff." He gave him another weary look, "Pretend I'm Sookie."

She smiled and whispered, "My Sookie you certainly grew some facial hair overnight. We might need to get that taken care of…"

He chuckled, "You are so much work, you know that?"

Her smile slipped away and she looked down, poking at her pie again, "Probably why I got dumped."

Luke sighed and leaned against the table, "Lorelai...I didn't mean it like that." When she didn't say anything he cautiously asked, "Was it that teacher from Chilton? The guy I saw you-"

His voice broke off and his cheeks flushed as she looked up at him, "What? You saw us? When?"

Luke cringed slightly and stepped back, "Uh...that night in the snow. When I brought the reenactors coffee. You were going for a walk in the snow...to enjoy your gift." His cheeks burned even more and he looked down, "But I saw you with him…"

Lorelai reached for her beer and brought it to her lips before saying, "He was having car trouble." She took a large gulp of her beer and continued, "And we ran into each other."

He smiled slowly and nodded, still not looking at her, "Small world."

Lorelai took a deep breath, "Yeah well none of it matters now anyway. He decided it was all too complicated. He said he wanted a little breather...a break." She snorted softly as she took another sip of her beer, "But every girl knows that a break means you are definitely broken up. So here we are…"

Luke shook his head, "Well he's an idiot."

Her heart thudded in her chest for a moment before she said, "I probably should have known better. I mean he was Rory's professor...I just got so caught up in the moment. The feeling of someone wanting me. It's been a long time since I felt that…" She said with a little blush, "It's been a long time since I felt anything actually."

"I'll admit that I was a little worried about the whole Rory's teacher thing." He said with a shrug as she looked back at him, "But you can't help who you fall for Lorelai. From my experience, the heart rarely pays attention to what we really want."

She frowned, "Yeah. I suppose that's true."

They sat in silence, contemplating everything as they continued to drink their beers. Lorelai was feeling a little woozy already. She'd barely had anything to eat all day and the alcohol was going straight to her head.

Luke looked at her, "You should eat some of your pie."

She frowned, "Really not hungry."

Luke reached for her beer, "Then I can't let you have anymore of this."

She whimpered and put her hand over his, "Oh but Luke I need the beer. I want the beer. I love the beer."

Her words and her touch sent a shiver through him. His eyes locked with hers and he knew that he couldn't deny her anything. Here he was sitting in his closed Diner with the woman he desired more than anyone. A few more beers would help this heart broken girl to let him in a little...it would be easy. But it wasn't Luke. He could never and would never take advantage of a situation like that with any woman, but especially not Lorelai.

The very thought of hurting her, causing her any type of pain sent daggers straight to his heart. Right now he'd like to go ring this Max guys neck for hurting her. How stupid could that guy be? Sure it was a bit complicated...but if you get a shot with Lorelai Gilmore you take it. And not only do you take it but you hold on for dear life. You bend over backwards to keep her smiling, to keep her happy. Because her happiness would be the key to your happiness.

Her happiness was the key to HIS happiness.

Luke took a deep breath and kept his eyes firmly locked on hers, "Lorelai?"

She felt as though she lost her ability to speak or even breath. Her eyes were glued to his and the feel of his warm arm beneath her arms was making her feel things she didn't think she could ever feel. Swallowing hard she asked, "Yes?"

Sighing heavily, Luke leaned back in his chair and lifted his beer to his lips, "The guy that says goodbye to you is out of his mind."

His words hung between them for a moment as she sat back in her own chair, "What?"

He looked down at the floor, afraid to meet her eyes or she'd surely see right through him, "Max is a fool for letting you go. And if he is stupid enough to walk away then he doesn't deserve you."

In that moment she felt a shift between them. Part of her wanted to reach for him and kiss him. But the other part of her wanted to run and never look back. This man had been there for her since day one. Never asked for anything in return, never expected anything. He was her friend and confidant, her cook, handyman and protector. But could he be more?

Did he want to be more?

Lifting her beer to her lips she whispered, "Thanks Luke…"

He nodded slowly and tilted his beer towards her, "Hey...what are friends for?"

She smiled weakly and watched as he stood up to continue cleaning the empty Diner. She sat there watching him, her mind wandering in a million different directions. What amazed her the most was that for the first time since it had happened...Max wasn't the man on her mind. Instead it was the man with the backwards baseball cap…


Fast Forward 5 years later...

Luke threw open the back door of Lorelai's house after hearing her desperate message on his machine. He had been avoiding her like the plague since their run in at Doose's. Since he had told her he couldn't be in this relationship anymore. He was so damn angry. So damn hurt. But he needed space...he needed to walk away and clear his head. She understood that, right?

But when he heard her voice on the machine, when he felt and sensed the desperation and heartache through the line something in him snapped. None of the other stuff mattered. He had run. Just like he always did. But this time it felt more desperate. When she didn't answer the door he panicked. And when he finally broke into the house, he moved through it on autopilot in search of the blue-eyed brunette who had stolen his heart so many years ago.

By the time he got to her bedroom he was beginning to panic. Where was she? Where the hell was she? Why would she call him in the middle of the night, beg him to come over and then leave? For a fleeting moment he thought maybe she was out...with someone. Someone that wasn't him. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind and took in his surroundings. There was junk food everywhere and a TV set up at the end of her bed.

She was wallowing. Something he had seen her help Rory do before.

Lorelai Gilmore was in full wallow mode.

The only difference this time was that the man she was wallowing over...was him.

Luke swallowed hard and spun on his heel, determined to see her face. Needing to see her face. He stomped down the stairs and burst through the front door in a frantic state. And suddenly there she was.

"Luke." He heard her whisper in shock.

He sighed with relief and asked, "Are you okay?"

She looked nervous as she responded, "Yeah, I -"

His heart was hammering in his chest and he frantically asked, "Sure? I got here, there was no answer."

He heard her sigh and slightly cringe, "You got my message."

He nodded slowly and stepped closer to her, "Yeah, I was home and I couldn't reach the phone, so I ran over here. I knocked, there was no answer, so I tried the loose window, but I fixed that last week, and then I realized I fixed all the stupid ways there were to get in your house, and I broke the back door lock and I ran inside and you weren't there."

Her blue eyes got wide as she mumbled, "Oh, my God."

He shook his head and said calmly, "It's okay, I can fix it."

Her eyes were glistening and the corners of her lips turned down slightly, " I'm so sorry, Luke. I will never do this to you ever again. I am absolutely humiliated. I was hurting, and I knew if I called you you'd come. I never should have done that."

He shook his head again, "It's okay."

"No, it's not okay. It's not okay." Something in her tone of voice startled him and he stepped back slightly, "I am not that girl. I am not the one who cries and falls apart and calls her ex-boyfriend to come and save her." She looked down and didn't notice the pain on his face at the words, 'ex-boyfriend', "Thank you so much for coming, and for breaking my door. You're an amazing guy for doing that." She lifted her hand and held something out to him.

He frowned and took it, "What's that?"

She sighed and looked down, embarrassed to look him in the eye, "It's the tape from your answering machine."

Luke held it against his chest and asked, "From my answering machine?"

She sniffled slightly, "The last crazy thing you will ever have to endure from me, I promise." She waited a moment before lifting her head to say in a soft, pained voice, "I just want you to know that I heard you when you said that you're out. I did. I'm going to respect that from now on."

He stood there, dumbfounded by her words. "Okay." Was the only thing he managed to say.

She tugged at her light sweater and whispered, "You should go. It's cold. I'll be fine."

Luke watched her, he even opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. So she stepped around him and walked up the front steps of her porch. He heard her open the front door. He heard it close behind her but he stood rooted in his spot.

Her words were ringing in his ears. He was playing them over and over again. She had called him her ex-boyfriend. That phrase startled him. Was he her ex? He sighed when he realized that yes, of course he was. In her mind, what he said at Doose's was him breaking up with her. She didn't take it as a little break. She didn't realize he needed time.

Because to her time apart meant they were done. Hadn't she said that to him once? Wasn't it years ago when Max broke up with her? Hadn't she said a break always meant breaking up. For good. For real.

Suddenly he was turning and stomping back up the stairs. He lifted his hand and pounded on the door, the old wood rattled under the intensity. She didn't answer and he started to pound again, just as he was going to yell her name the door flung open. He fell forwards slightly and she gasped, stepping back, "Luke what are you-"

"I think we need to talk." He stammered out quickly.

She frowned and rested her forehead against the edge of the door, unable to meet his eyes, "Luke there's nothing to talk about. You made it perfectly clear how you were feeling at Doose's and I just need to accept that and mo-"

"No. No don't finish that thought." He said quickly, "Because...I don't think I did make myself clear. I don't think you understood what I was saying." He pointed to his chest, "I don't think I understood what I was saying."

Frowning, she turned to him with sad, tired eyes and sighed, "Luke it really doesn't matter. It's done. Okay? I got it. I know I screwed up. I did this. I am-"

"I didn't mean that I wanted out." He blurted out, "I didn't mean that I wanted to be your ex-boyfriend."

She faltered for a moment and shuffled her feet, "Luke I-"

He shook his head and cut her off, "I was just feeling overwhelmed and confused. I needed a minute to think. To catch my breath. To wrap my head around everything. But I didn't mean I was out."

She stared at him for a moment, "You said you couldn't be in this relationship anymore. You said it was too much."

Luke nodded quickly, keeping his eyes trained on hers, "Yes."

She narrowed her eyes and said, "But...Luke that means that you-"

"No. No it doesn't." He said quickly, "It doesn't mean what you think it means."

She stepped back and put her hand on her forehead, "Well in my experience if a guy says something like that it means 'pack your bags sweetheart I'm done with you'…" She growled.

Luke nodded again, "Right. I know. I remember. Max did that."

She stared at him with a puzzled expression again, "Max? What does Max have to do with any of this? I wasn't with him that night I was with-"

Luke closed his eyes and held his hand up, "Yes. I know who you were with. Trust me I know."

Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest, "What the hell are you talking about then?"

"Max." Luke whispered, "Do you remember the first time the two of you broke up? He told you that he needed a break."

Lorelai nodded slowly, "Yeah. I mean...I guess so. But seriously...what does that have to do with this?"

"We sat in the Diner after it happened. I gave you pie and beer because you wouldn't eat anything else. Do you remember that?" He pressed on.

She took a little breath and stood up straighter, "I mean vaguely I think. But...I still don't-"

"Do you remember what I told you that night?" He asked feeling his chance slip away.

She stepped back again and closed her eyes trying to remember, "I...I don't know."

"Remember Lorelai. God please remember." He whispered to her. "I know you do."

She looked up at him and whimpered softly, "Luke please...I'm exhausted. I don't have the strength too-"

"I told you that the guy that said goodbye to you was out of his mind." He blurted out quickly, "Do you remember now?"

Her mouth hung open for a moment as the memory flooded back to her. The feel of his skin under hers as she had reached for her beer. The way he stared at her so intensely. The way his words made her shiver. The way that he had made her forget completely about Max and wonder only about him.

She swallowed hard and whispered, "Yes…"

Luke stepped all the way up to her and said, "I must be out of my mind then."

She shook her head again, "Luke-"

He put his hand up and pressed to fingers to her lips, "No. I know I am. I'm totally out of my mind right now. I have been since your parents party."

She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the way the feel of his fingers on her lips made her feel, "Luke-"

"I was so angry Lorelai. And so hurt. I felt like every damn thing I had ever feared was happening. I felt like you were finally realizing I wasn't good enough for you." He mumbled as he moved his fingers so that his hands could cup her face. "I just...I snapped. And I couldn't process anything. I had to get away...away from all of it. Away from you…"

Her eyes welled up with tears and she tried to look down, "Luke-"

He lifted her face again though and whispered, "But I didn't mean forever. I couldn't mean forever. Because I-"

"I love you." She blurted out without hesitating, "God I love you Luke and I'm so, so incredibly sorry for hurting you."

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat and whispered in a hoarse voice, "Had to beat me to the punch didn't you?" He asked with a little smirk.

She sniffled and rested her hands over his for support, "What?"

He chuckled and pushed back a strand of her loose hair, "I was just about to say I couldn't mean forever because I love you."

She gasped slightly and gripped his arms tighter, "You do?"

Luke nodded slowly, "Of course I do. I kept your damn horoscope in my wallet for 8 years didn't I?"

She gnawed on her lip gently, "I thought that was because you never cleaned out your wallet."

Luke chuckled and rested his forehead against hers, "No...I just wanted you to think that so I didn't look so desperate."

She clung to him and closed her eyes, breathing in all that was Luke Danes, "Luke."

Leaning forward he started to prep kisses on her face, against her cheeks, her nose, forehead, eyelids, chin and finally her mouth. He felt her shudder and heard her gasp when their lips finally met again. She whimpered into his mouth as her arms wound around his waist, he felt her knees wobble and he pulled her even closer. Needing to feel every inch of her that she was willing to give.

As they stumbled backwards into the house, he kicked the door shut behind him and pressed her against the wall. Desire took over everything else and he quickly slid his hands up under her jacket. Before he knew what was happening though, she had wiggled away and he fell forwards, bumping into the wall where her body had been only moments before.

"Lorelai what-" He started but when he turned around he saw that she was standing there broken and afraid. "Lorelai?"

"You can't do this." She said shaking her head quickly, "You need to go."

Luke stood dumbfounded, his mouth hung open, "What?"

"You need to go." She said in a shaky voice, she started to turn away, "Please go Luke."

He stumbled forward and grabbed onto her elbow making her jump, a whimper escaped her lips and he knew she was crying, "What the hell just happened?"

She kept trying to twist away from him, "Luke don't."

"Lorelai what the hell?" He asked again, "Look at me." She continued to twist away from him and he stepped around her so he was facing her, he grabbed both of her arms but made sure he wasn't hurting her, "Hey...hey look at me."

She was fully crying now, she looked at him desperately and whimpered, "Please don't."

Luke took a deep breath and stepped closer to her, "Lorelai I don't want to go."

She whimpered and looked down, "Stop."

"I don't want to be over." He said more sternly but she ignored him, he shook her gently but out of total fear and desperation, "It can't be over."

"You said it was over." She whispered with closed eyes, "You said you wanted out."

He licked his lips and felt his heart slamming against his chest, "I know. I know I did but I didn't mean... " He paused, "I just needed a breather."

She frowned, "Luke this is real life. You can't take time outs."

He stepped back and pulled his cap off his head, running a hand through his hair, "I know. I know alright? But sometimes-" He started pacing in the small space as he tried to think of what to say, "Sometimes I just have to step back. I know that you don't like that but I need time to mull things over. I need to process. You know that about me. I just…" He turned back to her and gave her a hard look, "I was hurt."

The pained look on his face made her heart ache, she stepped back and looked down, clasping her hands in front of her, "I know. I hurt you and I'm so sorry."

Luke nodded and walked closer to her again, "I just felt like every fear I have ever had about us just got thrown in my face. I was standing there in a suit; at this crazy fancy event with all these people I had nothing in common with-"

"Luke…" She said with a little sigh, "It's fin-"

He ignored her and kept talking. "And all of a sudden you told me that you had spent the night with Christopher and-"

"Not spent the night like that…" She mumbled quickly.

"Yes I know. I know." He answered quickly, "But...it was still shocking and I didn't know how to process it. I was trying to just put it out of my mind to get through the party but the next thing I know I'm standing in the hallway with Christopher having a screaming match. With him telling me that you two belong together. Don't you think that I have worried about that forever?"

"I don't want to be with Christopher." She said in a slow even voice.

"But you did." He whispered, "You did for a long time and you can't deny that. I sat back and watched you deal with him breaking your heart every time. And you were devastated. I remember that night with you sitting in the Diner telling me you thought you had the whole package. He was going to be with Sherry and you were so upset."

She sighed and for once wished they weren't such good friends. It would be so much easier if he didn't know her so damn well. Didn't know her history so well.

"Yes. Yes you're right." She said quickly, "But Luke that was so long ago and to be honest…" She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "I realize now that I was more upset for letting myself think I could have that life. It wasn't even about him...I mean yeah at some point I did care about him. We have a kid together he's always going to be there but I don't…" She frowned and shrugged again looking straight at him," I don't love him Luke. In fact I don't think I've ever loved anyone until-"

Her face flushed and she looked away, he stepped up to her and said, "Until what?"

She took a deep breath and looked at him with water filled eyes, "Until you."

He let out a little breath he hadn't realized he was holding it in, "Well then that means something."

A whimper escaped her lips again as she said, "You said you were out."

Luke groaned and reached for her hands, "Lorelai...haven't you ever said or done something in the heat of the moment you didn't really mean?"

"Yeah but…" She looked down, "How do I know you won't do that again and how can you forgive me. And how-"

"Stop." He said quickly holding his hand up, "Do you love me?"

She sighed and nodded, "Yes but-"

"No. No buts. I'm asking if you love me and want to be with me." He said quickly.

She rolled her eyes, "Luke I just called you desperately begging you to come over. I think that proves that yes I want to be with you. But does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters." He said incredulously. "It's all that matters."

She started shaking as she reached for him, "Luke…"

"I waited for so long." He whispered sadly, "I sat back and watched you go from guy to guy wondering if I would ever be good enough for you. And then all of a sudden we were dancing at my sister's wedding and I thought...this is it. This is finally my chance. And it was so good. It was so much better than I ever imagined. And I can't let you go. Alright?" She opened her mouth to protest but he shook his head, "No. I know what I said. Alright? I know what you thought. But I didn't mean forever...I just needed a minute."

"Luke I'm scared." She whispered to him.

He sighed and stepped over to her and placed a hand over her cheek, "So am I. But...I'm more afraid of what happens if I leave here and we don't try again. Because my life isn't even real to me. It's like it doesn't make any sense if you're not there and you're sharing it with me."

She frowned and looked down, "Luke."

"You make me better." He whispered, "Don't you see that? You pull me out of my shell. You make me happy, you make me enjoy life. Without you I'll die alone above the Diner. I'll never step foot out of Stars Hollow. I'll do the same thing everyday. But I need you...I need you to fix it for me. I need you to make things better. I need you to make me better."

"Luke." She tried again but he cut her off again.

"I need you. Alright? I just...I do." He said in a broken voice, "And I'm sorry I walked away. I'm sorry I said what I said but I was just hurt...and I...I wasn't thinking. Please, please don't do this."

She stared at him in silence for a few minutes before leaning forward to hug him. It took him a moment to wrap his mind around what was happening, but after a moment he wrapped his own arms around her and held her tight. He realized quickly that she was crying again. He could feel her hot tears in the crook of his neck. "Lorelai…"

"I was sitting here alone thinking the only person I want to comfort me is Luke. But he doesn't want me." She whimpered. "He hates me and I couldn't even be mad because you have every right to hate me."

Luke smoothed back her hair and kissed the top of her head, "I don't hate you Lorelai. I could never hate you. I was just upset.""

"I don't want to be with Christopher." She said pulling back, "Or anyone else for that matter. I want to be with you Luke. I want a middle. I want our middle." She said clinging to his arms, "I want you to yell at me about the dangers of red meat and coffee. And I want to drag you out of bed in the middle of the night to smell the first snow and even drag you to Town Meeting's just to see that little vein pop out of your forehead when Taylor pisses you off."

Luke chuckled slightly, "Lorelai-"

"I want to make you watch crappy movies and watch you fix every thing that I wind up breaking because we both know I'm a total klutz. And I want to-" Her voice cut off and she stared at him with wide eyes.

He touched her cheek and whispered, "You want what Lorelai?"

She bit her lip and whispered, "I want to marry you…" She shrugged, "You know...when we're ready. I want it all Luke."

He smiled and breathed her in, pulling her flush against his body again, "The whole package."

She nodded quickly, "Yes. The whole package."

"Well in order to get that...I need you to not kick me out." He whispered with a little smile.

She sniffled slightly but laughed, "Luke…"

He tipped her chin up and smiled, "Lorelai...I'm not leaving."

She searched his eyes for a moment and she saw that he was sincere. When she saw that they were on the same page, she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers. She melted into his embrace and Luke wrapped his arms tight around her waist. She breathed him in and then pulled back, just to rest her forehead against his.

"Stay." She whispered, "Please stay."

He smiled and caressed her hips gently, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"I'm so sorry." She said with a small frown, "I never ever want to hurt you."

"I just...I need you to tell me things okay?" He asked, "And I need you to let me process a little."

She nodded, "Okay. I get that."

He sighed and stepped back, "I should probably fix your lock-"

She raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed, "You can't be serious."

He frowned, "What?"

"The lock can wait. Right now we're going upstairs." She said with hands on hips.

Luke smirked at her, "Not sure there's any room on the bed with all those snacks."

Lorelai frowned, "I barely ate any of it...Rory pulled out all the stops too. I felt bad but my heart wasn't in it."

"Then you were sad." Luke whispered in awe, "Nothing comes between you and your red vines."

She blushed and shrugged, "I need you just as much as you need me Luke. I don't like life without you. And I never want to experience it again."

The rawness in her voice cut through him like a knife, "I'll put the towel over the lock and meet you upstairs. It can wait until tomorrow.

"Smart thinking." She said with a smile, "Gives me time to clear the bed." Luke chuckled and started to walk away but she called out to him, "Hey Luke?"

He turned to her slowly, "Hm?"

"Thank you for being the type of guy that would come over here to check on me…" She whispered, "I don't know how much more of this I could have handled."

Luke sighed and walked up to her again, touching her cheek he whispered, "I meant what I said all those years ago. Any guy that would walk away from you would be a fool Lorelai. They'd be out of their mind. I won't make that mistake again."

Pushing up onto her tiptoes she pressed her lips to his, "I love you."

"I love you too." He whispered with a little wink as he stepped back.

Lorelai watched him walk to the kitchen before turning to walk up the stairs. Luke walked to the kitchen and let out a little shaky breath realizing he had almost lost her. After all they had been through...and all the years he had waited...he couldn't just walk away. He'd have to fight even if it was painful at times even if it wasn't the easy way out. She was worth it and he needed her in his life forever. He wouldn't be the fool to walk away again...


Just an idea that popped into my head after the song came on my ipod today. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks guys! :)

Will update again soon when I get inspired!