Highest Bidder

Inspired by A Year on the Life - Spring

LORELAI: Hey, let's bid.
LUKE: Why?
LORELAI: Basket bidding was part of our early romance.

Description: Lorelai and Luke enjoy their tradition through the years.

Thursday, March 20, 2003

Luke looked out the front window of the diner. The square was already abuzz with activity as a series of events were planned for the annual Spring Festival. Vendors were setting up booths, game stands were going up, and tables were filling the gazebo for the annual basket bidding fundraiser.

It didn't take much to get the people of Stars Hollow to gather. Apparently the first day of spring was as good a reason as any.

It made Luke wish for six more weeks of winter.

"Oh Lucas!" He heard her before he saw her. He hadn't even heard the bells over the door chime to signal her entrance.

"Don't call me that." He silently cursed Mia for putting that name in her head.

"Uh, it's your name, Mr. Grumpy Pants," Lorelai came back, settling on the stool in front of him.

"Don't call me that, either." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the gigantic yellow object she had placed on the counter between them. "What the Hell is this?"

"It's a basket," Lorelai answered plainly.

"I can see that it's a basket. Why is it here."

"Because it needs to be filled," she explained.

"I repeat the question." Lorelai sighed.

"I didn't have time to shop. Can't you just whip something up and stick it in there?"

"I am not filling your basket for you," Luke said, firmly.

"Why not? I'm paying you for it, what do you care?"

"It's the principle of the matter."

"You have a principle against making food and giving it to paying customers? I hate to break it to you, pal, but you might be in the wrong business."

"I have a principle against taking part in these idiotic town events," he clarified.

"You're not taking part, per se. You're just doing what you would be doing anyway."

"Forget it. Get that thing off my counter," he said. Lorelai sighed.

"Fine." She pouted as she grabbed the basket and dropped it on the ground by her feet.

"Thank you," Luke said, with no hint of actual gratitude. "Coffee?" he finally offered.

"Big cup," she responded. Luke grabbed the pot and a mug from under the counter and filled it up for her.

"You eating?"

"Oh, I'm allowed to order food now?" she snarked. Luke rolled his eyes.

"You were always allowed to order food."

"Just as long as it doesn't go in the basket," she sussed out.

"Right," he confirmed.

"Fine. I'll take a burger and fries, and a turkey sandwich, and a couple chocolate chip muffins to go," she ordered. Luke eyed her skeptically.

"This is going in the basket, isn't it?"

"Uh, no, it's leaving this building in a to-go bag, and going back to the inn where I work," she explained.

"Who's the turkey for?"

"Michel," she answered quickly.

"Michel," he mimicked.

"Yes, Michel."

"Michel doesn't eat bread, cheese or meat on Thursdays," Luke riddled off.

"It's a cheat day," she lied. Luke eyed her for a long moment before turning back to the kitchen and putting in the order. "I don't know why you care so much," she said once her food was being made.

"I don't care," Luke argued.

"Uh, clearly you care, but you shouldn't. It's not like I'm dragging you out by your flannel again."

"That remains to be seen."

"Oh come on, Luke, that happened one time, and it was an emergency!" she exclaimed.

"You call that an emergency?" he asked.

"When was the last time Patty tried to set you up," she came back. Luke backed down a little.

"Fine, it was a minor emergency."

"Thank you," she said, pleased to have made her point.

"So who's the lucky guy this year? He's getting real food, so he must be something special," Luke questioned.

"No one in particular."

"No? Not Little Pete from the nursery or the Collins kid? No clogged gutters or unmowed grass to take care of?" Luke teased.

"Not this year. I've got you for all that, and I don't need to bribe you to do it," she answered with a wide grin. Luke huffed a small laugh despite himself.

"So all this effort and no intended victim? What are you doing it for then?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "It's tradition," she answered easily.

"Right, of course." Luke gave her a look to let her know he thought she was crazy, but didn't pursue it further.

"Order's up!" Caesar called from the kitchen. Luke turned back and grabbed the to-go boxes, bringing them around to the counter.

"Here, give me the damn basket," he grumbled. Lorelai perked up.

"You're not gonna make me smuggle it out of here?" she asked.

"Waste of a perfectly good bag," he said. Lorelai picked the basket up and set it on the counter. Luke put the two meals inside, and then grabbed some muffins and brownies for good measure. Lorelai eyed him curiously. "In case the turkey is a bust," he responded to her unasked question. Lorelai smiled at him and set some cash down on the counter.

"Thanks Luke," she said, sincerely.

"Yeah, yeah," he groused. She hit him with another toothy grin and grabbed the basket, skipping to the door to make her exit.

"Way to stand your ground, Danes," he mumbled to himself once she was gone.

XXXX

It was 11:45 promptly when the basket bidding began. Luke knew this, because suddenly all he could hear was Taylor's irritating voice announcing the inane event over a damn megaphone, doing his best impression of an auctioneer despite having exactly no skill in that regard.

The first baskets went quickly. He watched them go from the doorstep of the diner. Luke's had emptied out shortly after breakfast, and with all of the festivities in the town square, he hadn't seen a soul for at least an hour. There were few things he hated more than a lull, especially one without an end in sight.

He watched another couple of baskets go. Low bids - $15 here, $25 there. At this rate the bridge would never get redone.

He knew immediately when Lorelai's basket came up for bidding. It was bright yellow, and he watched her perk up in the crowd as bidding began.

It started low. Five bucks, six. It took ages to get to $12.

He bit back a grin. People knew it was Lorelai's basket, and nobody wanted to eat what she had packed. Stories of stale Twinkies and Pop Tarts must have finally made their way around the basket bidding circuit. Not even the promise of a date with Stars Hollow's most eligible bachelorette could persuade hungry men to buy in.

Luke spared Lorelai a glance. She was obviously put out by the low wagers on behalf of the men of Stars Hollow. Usually she put in a good showing.

He was moving before he made the conscious decision to get in the game.

"$37.50," Luke called out, way overshooting the highest bid. All eyes turned to him, making him immediately uncomfortable. He found Lorelai's gaze in the crowd and saw her look of relief and gratitude, and felt slightly more at ease.

A moment later, Taylor banged his gavel, confirming the sale of Lorelai's basket to Luke, for the second year in a row.

"You didn't have to do that," she said, making her way over to him. Luke shrugged.

"Diner's slow, and you looked like you needed someone to throw you a line," he answered nonchalantly. "Besides I was gonna have turkey for lunch anyway." Lorelai smiled and hooked her arm through his, giving the limb a little hug.

"Thanks for the line," she said quietly, turning her attention back to the bidding. She didn't extricate her arm from his for the rest of the event, as they watched the remaining baskets get sold off.

XXXX

"Are we gonna have this same damn conversation every year?" Luke grumbled as he sat across from Lorelai at a picnic table set up in the square.

"If you insist on sitting on a bench and not on the ground every year, then yes," she came back.

"There's nothing wrong with having a picnic at a picnic table. It's right there in the name!" Luke exclaimed.

"Look around us, Luke. Couples everywhere, eating on blankets on the ground. That's the whole point of a picnic."

"Just be glad someone bought your damn basket." Luke punctuated his point by taking a big bite of his turkey sandwich. Lorelai frowned, but drowned her sorrows with a fry, finding it a fine substitute for actually winning the argument.

"So can I ask you a question?" Lorelai asked after a few moments.

"Shoot."

"Would Nicole have a problem with this, do you think?" she asked. Luke's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would she have a problem with this?"

"I don't know. Just asking,"

"Would the Fish Man have a problem with it?" Luke shot back. Lorelai grinned lightly at the name.

"I doubt Alex would have much to say about it."

"No?" Luke asked. "Your boyfriend doesn't have any problem with you putting up a basket for other men to bid on?"

"He's not my boyfriend," she answered quickly. Luke raised an eyebrow.

"But you're still seeing him, aren't you?"

"Off and on," she said, then thought better of it. "More off than on."

"Oh, sorry," Luke said, feeling a little bad about rubbing it in.

"Don't apologize. I started it," she said with a wave of her hand. Luke frowned.

"I shouldn't have assumed."

"Luke," she said, capturing his attention. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"Well, to answer your question, no, I don't see any reason why it would bother Nicole. She knows we're friends," Luke told her. Lorelai offered a smile.

"Good, I'm glad. I don't want to cause any weirdness for you."

"No weirdness here," he assured her. "And if there was, I can safely say it wouldn't be your fault."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Nothing. Never mind," he shut it down. Lorelai frowned, but didn't push.

"So are things going well with you two?" she asked. Luke shrugged.

"Sure," he said easily. She laughed lightly.

"Clearly it's a love for the ages, with sonnets like that." Luke laughed lightly.

"It's good. Things are good," he came back. Lorelai smiled.

"Good." She went on, "Do you think it's a long-term thing then?"

"It's a little early to say," Luke answered, more openly than even he expected. "I like her though."

"Like, huh?" Lorelai asked. Luke looked at her confusedly.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, not at all. It's just been a while, I thought you might be a little further along than like," she told him.

"It's only been two months," Luke corrected her. Lorelai shrugged.

"That's plenty of time."

"Not for me," Luke responded, a little defensively.

"Sorry, I'm not trying to put you on the spot," Lorelai said amenably. "I'm just curious. Apart from Rachel, I've never seen you in a serious relationship. You loved her, right?"

"That was different."

"How?"

"It just was," he insisted. "I've known Rachel a long time. What we had wasn't new."

"But how long did it take you to fall for her the first time?" Lorelai asked.

"We were kids. Everything happens faster when you're young and stupid," he responded. Lorelai considered this.

"I guess so," she allowed. She waited a beat. "Do you miss her?"

"Rachel?" She nodded. "Nah."

"No?"

Luke shook his head. "I missed her before she came back, but I think we got the closure we both needed last time she was here," he explained.

"Well that's good. There's nothing worse than wanting what you don't have anymore," Lorelai said a little wistfully.

"You thinking about Max, or Rory's dad?" Luke inquired. Lorelai smiled sadly.

"Neither. Both. I don't know," she answered. "With Max, I had this great guy, a truly wonderful guy, who loved me. And when I thought of our future together, it was a nice idea," she said. Luke listened intently as she explained. "But when I pictured my future without him, that was okay too. I think that's when I realized that whatever I felt for him wasn't really love – or at least not strong enough to justify getting married to him. I figure you should probably have a hard time imagining your life without the person you're going to be with forever."

"That seems like a good place to start," Luke agreed. "What about Christopher?"

"Christopher is someone I will always care about," she said softly. "But I've gotten used to what it is, you know? He's got a new baby, a new wife. There's nothing left for us, so I guess I've gotten used to the idea that whatever we had will never be more. And I think I'm okay with that," she explained. Luke nodded his understanding.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry the Fish Man didn't pan out," Luke told her, genuinely. She offered him a small smile.

"For what it's worth," she mimicked. "I hope you get there with Nicole. It's nice to see you happy."

"Thanks."

Lorelai raised her can of soda, gesturing for him to clink his orange juice. "To finding that feeling again," she toasted.

Luke rolled his eyes, but went ahead and tapped his plastic container against her aluminum one.

"To finding that feeling."

Saturday, March 20, 2004

The madness was back, like clockwork. It was the first day of spring, and like always, the square was filling up bright and early for the day's festivities.

It was a little before 8 am when Lorelai buzzed into the diner, wearing jeans and a hoodie with a cap, as if attempting to be incognito.

"Morning," Luke greeted congenially. Lorelai stepped up to the counter but didn't take a seat.

"Hey, Luke. Can I get a coffee and blueberry muffin to go?"

"You late for a meeting or something?" Luke went about filling the order as he spoke.

"No, just too much to do and not enough time to do it," she explained. Luke was becoming familiar with days like these as the renovations on the Dragonfly were in full swing. Lorelai still made time to chat, usually, but she was busier than he'd ever seen her.

"You doing the basket thing this year?" Luke asked, nodding out the window toward the square. Lorelai followed his gaze outside and turned around with a frown.

"Shoot, is that today?" she asked, put out. "I can't; no time. Damn."

"So what's the plan today?" Luke asked, handing over her to-go bag and coffee cup.

"Lock myself up in my house like a hermit until I make all the calls and send all the emails on my list. So I guess I'll see you next year sometime."

"I'll mark it on my calendar." She gave him a smile and dropped a few bills on the counter to pay for her breakfast before heading for the door.

"You do that."

She shot him a quick goodbye over her shoulder before making her escape. Luke couldn't quite account for the disappointment he felt at her leaving. He opted not to look too deeply into it, instead moving down the line to serve the next customer.

XXXX

It was a little after one when Lorelai heard a knock at the front door. She stood up from the kitchen table, her body groaning and creaking as she went. She had been sitting in the same position for over three hours, hunched over her laptop as she contacted dozens of people, sourced countless items for the inn, and looked up beach vacations she was determined to escape to when all was said and done.

She rolled her neck a little to work out the crick in it.

"Ugh. I'm too young to feel like this," she grumbled to herself as she went for the door.

On the other side was Luke, picnic basket in hand. Lorelai smiled at the sight.

"What are you doing here?"

"Thought you could use some lunch." He held up the basket. "You interested?"

"Uh, let me think about that for a second," she teased, stepping aside so he could enter. "What on earth made you do this?"

"Call it temporary insanity." Luke toed off his shoes and headed for the living room, setting the basket on the table and pulling it open. "I've got all the basics. Burger, fries, brownies," he riddled off. Lorelai came around and peered inside the basket. Her smile only grew as she saw the coffee carefully situated in the corner, reinforced by boxes and napkins so it wouldn't tip over.

"Angel," she said as she pulled out the still-warm cup.

"You talking to me or the coffee?" Luke asked, amusedly.

"Take your pick," she told him, before taking a sip from the cup. The sound that came from the depths of her could easily be misconstrued as sexual, if Luke were a lesser man.

"Look, I know you're busy, so I don't have to stay," he hedged.

"No, please stay. I need the break." Luke nodded his agreement.

"So, where do you want to eat?" he asked, looking around. Lorelai grinned and set her coffee down on the table before grabbing a blanket off the back of the sofa and laying it out in front of the fireplace. She gestured to it with a bright smile.

"No," Luke said, firmly.

"Come on, Luke. Look at all the work I did to set this up," she poked.

"You put a blanket on the floor." She grabbed her coffee and the basket and sat down on the blanket.

"I set the stage for a beautiful picnic. Now are you coming or not?" Luke heaved a heavy sigh and unzipped his jacket, tossing it onto the couch before coming to settle on the floor across from her.

"If you tell anyone about this…" he grumbled.

"And ruin your bad boy image? Never!" she exclaimed. Luke rolled his eyes.

"I do not have a bad boy image."

"I beg to differ," Lorelai said, pulling out the boxes of food and laying them on the floor between them. Luke grabbed the one with his chicken salad sandwich and opened it up.

"Whatever," he brushed her off. She smiled and opened up her burger.

"Oh my god, this smells amazing," she moaned.

"Better be worth it for the clogged arteries." Lorelai shrugged, unworried, and took a giant bite, ketchup dribbling down her chin. "Very nice. You learn that in your fancy prep school?" Luke teased. She laughed around her mouthful and wiped the condiment away with a napkin.

"Oh yeah, right up there with how to curtsey and sit in a crinoline," she joked. Luke shook his head amusedly and tucked into his sandwich.

"You didn't really answer me before," she said after another bite.

"About what?"

"Why'd you did this? Are you just taking pity on me now? Because I have to tell you, I find that highly offensive and will do absolutely nothing to discourage this kind of behaviour," she said.

"You seemed a little disappointed about missing the basket thing. I had some time. It's no big deal," he shrugged it off.

"Well, it's a big deal to me. And I appreciate it, really." Luke offered a small smile at that. "Although, I'm thinking this is probably the last time we're gonna get to do this," Lorelai said after a minute. Luke's brow furrowed.

"Why is that?"

"Well, your wife probably won't be too pleased about it, unless she's suddenly joined the Lorelai Gilmore fan club." Luke frowned.

"Lorelai…" he attempted.

"No, really. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just saying."

"Saying what? I'm married, so I can't have friends?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what?" Lorelai sighed, regretting bringing it up.

"I just don't want you to get in trouble with Nicole." Luke bit the inside of his cheek, considering this.

"She doesn't have to know," he finally said.

"Luke…" Lorelai let her next words go unspoken. Luke knew what came next, there was nothing to say to that.

"I'm just tired of having this conversation," he said after a minute. His voice was low, resigned.

"This conversation?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, the Lorelai conversation. With Nicole," he told her. Lorelai slowly nodded as she came to understand his meaning. She knew Nicole had issues with their friendship. He had told her as much, almost a year earlier when the Independence Inn caught fire.

"Has it gotten any better?" Luke huffed a humourless laugh, which Lorelai took as her answer. "Do you think it will?" she ventured.

"In time, maybe. I don't know," he said. He let out a frustrated breath. "I just wish I could convince her there's nothing to worry about."

"Do you think it would help if I talked to her?" Lorelai offered. Luke's eyes widened, before he was suddenly shaking his head vigorously.

"No. No, I don't think that would help at all," he said in a rush, an incredulous laugh leaving his lips.

"Bad idea?" she questioned, an amused smile on her lips. Luke met it with amusement of his own.

"Good intention, bad idea. Thanks though," he told her, before sobering somewhat. "Seriously, you shouldn't worry about this. It's just a thing between us. Nicole will either get over it or she won't. It doesn't change anything here," he said, gesturing between them. Lorelai bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about this for a moment.

"Are you doing anything to make her feel better about it?" she asked.

"What am I gonna do that I haven't already done? I can only tell her how it is so many times," he said, a little defensively.

"What does she want you to do?" Lorelai asked, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer. Luke sighed.

"It doesn't matter. Like I said, being married doesn't mean I can't have friends." Lorelai nodded slowly, allowing this.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've had that conversation a few times myself over the years," she told him. Luke's eyebrows raised.

"What conversation? About us?" he asked. Lorelai nodded.

"Lots of inquiring minds," she told him. Luke frowned, but didn't speak, which only encouraged Lorelai to continue. "Why do you think that is?" she asked.

"Why do people ask about us?" he clarified. She nodded. "Beats me."

"I mean, do you think there's some reason they think that? Are we giving off a vibe or something?"

"A vibe?" Luke repeated. Lorelai shrugged, and he sighed. "I don't think it's our problem what people think of us. We know we're just friends, that's all that matters," he said with a certain amount of finality in his tone.

"It matters a little bit when you're wife is the one asking the question," Lorelai came back. Luke frowned and lowered his head, setting the rest of his sandwich back in the box, his appetite waning. He thought about arguing her point, but realized he really couldn't. When he spoke again, his tone was tinged with regret.

"Yeah. This is probably the last time we're gonna do this," he said slowly. When he looked up, he caught a flash of sadness in Lorelai's gaze that reflected how he was feeling at the prospect of losing their relatively new, but enjoyable tradition – and whatever else might give off those vibes.

"Well then," her voice was a little shaky, but sure. "Guess we'd better make this a good one. You want a beer?" she offered, a sad smile on her lips. Luke shared a similar expression and nodded.

"Beer sounds good."

Sunday, March 20, 2005

There were many upsides to owning her own business, but in Lorelai's mind, the success of the Dragonfly came with one massive downside: time. She didn't have any.

For years she had made it a priority to participate in town events. But because those special events were met with an uptick in visitors to their quaint little town, the inn was always bustling with activity when those significant dates came around.

It was the first day of spring, which meant it was the first day of the Spring Festival, one of Lorelai's favourite town traditions. But the Dragonfly was full, all staff were on duty, and she couldn't possibly take the day off to enjoy it.

There was one tradition she was missing that made her just a little more upset than the others. Granted, she hadn't entered a basket the year prior, but she had come to enjoy her lunch dates with Luke, and this year would have been even more special, because it would mark the first time they were actually dating during the Spring Festival. But alas, no basket, no bidding, no romantic picnic with her handsome boyfriend.

She silently cursed their unlikely first-year success as she flipped to yet another page of their guest book, trying to work out exactly how they had managed to double-book multiple weekends in May and June. She barely noticed when a quiet knock came at the door and Michel poked his head in.

"What's up?" she asked, not looking up from her work.

"That man is here. The flannel man," Michel said, his tone dripping with its usual disdain. Lorelai's brow furrowed.

"Luke's here?" She wracked her brain trying to think if she was expecting him, but was coming up empty.

"Luke. Ranger Bob. Whatever," Michel droned. Lorelai pushed her chair back and stood up, still puzzling over her visitor. She followed Michel out into the lobby where, true to his word, Luke was waiting for her. A grin immediately bloomed on her features when she saw the picnic basket in his hand.

"What's all this?"

"Thought I could steal you away for a quick lunch," he said simply. Lorelai smiled and closed the distance, greeting him with their customary peck on the lips.

"Hi," she greeted properly. Luke offered a small grin in return.

"Hi."

"Ugh," they heard from the front desk behind them.

"Ignore him," Lorelai instructed.

"Was planning on it," Luke confirmed. "So, you wanna go eat in your office?" He gestured down the hall.

"No, I've been holed up in there all day. I need some sunshine. Let's go eat outside."

"Fine by me." Lorelai turned back to the desk.

"I'm going out for half an hour. Let me know if anyone calls for me," she said to Michel.

"I live to do your bidding," he snarked.

"Good!" She turned back to Luke. "Let's go. I'm starving!"

"What else is new?" he teased as they made their way out onto the front porch. "So where do you want to go?"

Lorelai looked around the grounds from her spot on the porch, before an idea came to her. She took hold of Luke's hand and they ventured off.

"I know just the place!"

"Is it far?" Luke grumbled.

"Not far, just a little more private," she explained as she took him down a neatly manicured path behind the stables. They walked through the woods for another fifty yards or so before coming upon a clearing with a small shed and a picturesque view of Potter's Creek.

"What's this? Did I know this was here?" Luke asked.

"It's the potting shed, and apparently not."

"What do you need a potting shed for?"

"For potting things," Lorelai teased, before softening a bit. "And, you know, it's nostalgic. Rory and I lived in the potting shed at the Independence. I just thought it would be a nice reminder of where we came from." Luke offered her a small smile hearing the story.

"Well, I hope you don't plan on housing anyone in that thing, but I suppose it's a nice idea," he allowed.

"Okay, well, here we are," she said with a flourish. "Let's eat."

"Right here?" Luke asked, gesturing to the grassy floor beneath them.

"Right here!" Lorelai exclaimed. She kicked off her pumps and dropped to the ground, straightening the skirt of her royal blue wrap dress over her knees. Luke grumbled his discontent with her choice to eat on the ground, but gave in, settling down across from her and setting the picnic basket between them.

"What'd you bring me?" Lorelai asked, pulling open the top.

"What do I always bring you?" He started pulling out the items in the basket and setting them on the ground between them, gesturing to each container as he riddled off their contents, "Burger, fries, brownies, coffee. Eat it before the ants do."

"Oh come on, it's March. It's too early for ants," Lorelai said, opening up the container that held her burger.

"All the more reason to eat inside. It's cold out here," Luke grumbled. She just shook her head, grinning as she took a big bite of her burger. Not even Luke's customary surliness could put a damper on her mood. In fact, it probably added to the ambiance.

The pair chatted amiably and flirted as they ate their respective meals, taking full advantage of the privacy afforded by their locale. They hadn't seen or heard another soul since stepping off the porch of the Dragonfly, a fact that made them both appreciate their lunch date all the more. It made it sweeter; more intimate.

After they finished up, they cuddled up and lounged for awhile, just enjoying the cool spring breeze, the ducks in the creek and the rustling of the trees that served as a canopy over this spot that was quickly starting to feel like a romantic getaway to the overworked couple.

Settled in between Luke's legs, leaning back against his hard chest, Lorelai was hard-pressed to find any reason to get back to work. The mountains of paperwork stacked on her desk were no competition for the warm body of the wonderful man she was currently snuggled up against.

"I'm pretty sure your half hour is up," Luke said.

"Don't remind me," Lorelai sulked. She sunk further back into his chest to avoid getting up and going back to work, eliciting a small chuckle from the man behind her.

"You're stalling," he said in a low tone, his mouth next to her ear. Lorelai felt a familiar tingle run up her spine at the tone of his voice. It was a tone she mostly heard in the bedroom. She wasn't totally sure if he'd done it on purpose, or if he was just accidentally being sexy as Hell. With Luke, it could go either way.

"You trying to get rid of me?"

"Never." He dropped his lips to her neck, just below her ear, and she had her answer.

Lorelai lolled her head to the side and pulled her hair away to grant him better access as he peppered small kisses along the skin of her neck and behind her ear. She sighed and sunk into the feeling as he brought his left hand to her arm, stroking it up and down gently.

"Thought you were cold," she said softly, a bit of a quiver in her voice.

"Warming up," Luke told her, his lips brushing her skin as he did so. She giggled softly at the faint tickle.

"Luke, we're outside," she protested gently. He brushed his lips against her skin again, so gently that she felt like she might melt under his touch.

"I'm not doing anything," he said with an air of innocence, before pulling the collar of her dress aside by a few inches to kiss the newly exposed skin there.

"You're trouble," she admonished. Luke nipped at the skin, and she moaned lightly, despite herself. With her ass nestled up against Luke's crotch, she could feel that he was more involved in what he was doing that he was letting on.

"Problem?" he asked. His tongue came into play against her sensitive skin, and Lorelai shifted backwards as best she could to provide more pressure against his growing arousal. She grinned to herself when he grunted into her shoulder.

"Not yet, but there will be one if we don't stop," she warned. His hand that had been stroking her arm circled her waist and pulled her back into him a little harder. She could feel his hips starting to move against her backside. Her weak resistance was met with his insistence, and she knew she was a goner.

"I just want the record to show that I tried to be the voice of reason here," Lorelai said, finally, pushing back into his now prominent erection.

"Duly noted."

Lorelai closed her eyes and dropped her head back onto Luke's shoulder as they moved together in a small and intimate dance. Luke's hand smoothed up from her stomach to her chest and he palmed her breasts over her dress. The stimulation was incredibly welcome, but not nearly enough. Luke's teasing had left her desperate for connection, and she needed them to go further, faster.

"Luke," she said in a breath.

"Hmm?" he hummed in her ear, making her want to melt into a puddle at his feet.

"More," was all she could manage. She couldn't see his expression, but she knew him well enough to picture the smirk that was making its way across his face.

"We're outside," he reminded her, amusedly. Lorelai rolled her eyes in frustration, and then spotted the potting shed.

"Let's change that." She was on her feet in an instant. Luke followed her up, and before he could get his balance, his mouth was claimed harshly by Lorelai's, who had apparently reached the limits of her tolerance of teasing. He caught up quickly, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist as she took control of his mouth, filling it with her hard and insistent tongue.

Lorelai moaned as his hands stroked down her back and landed on her ass, grabbing it in handfuls and dragging her centre into his now obvious and straining erection. She let him use her this way for moments more, as with each grind, she became wetter and needier and more ready for him.

"Inside," she mumbled against his mouth. She forced herself away from him and grabbed him by the sleeve of his green jacket, pulling him toward the potting shed. Inside, the small space was cramped with two long tables lining the walls, covered in plants, soil and pots, and a muddy work surface in the middle. Lorelai closed the door behind them and rapidly pushed Luke up against it, reclaiming his mouth in a desperate and needy kiss.

Luke's hands were everywhere as they made out against the door. His groped over her ass and back, and wedged his hands between them to palm her breasts, before sliding down to cup her heated core through her clothes. Lorelai moaned into his mouth and ground down into his hand at the contact she was so ready for.

Her own hands moved quickly between them to his belt. Luke let her at it as she pulled it open, and then made quick work of the button and fly on his jeans. She didn't push them down, instead reaching inside and finding Luke's erection through the hole in his boxers, pulling him out. Luke barely had time to react before she was squatting before him, taking him into her mouth. He groaned at the sudden feeling of her hot lips around him, sucking him in and circling him with her tongue.

Lorelai didn't work on him for long. She didn't have the time, or the desire to prolong their engagement. She just wanted him ready for her, ready to fuck her, ready to take her to the places she needed to go.

Luke had barely gotten a feel for her mouth when she was standing up again and grabbing him by the face, dragging his lips back to her as she backed them toward the table in the centre of the shed.

"How do you want to do this?" Luke asked, looking over the soil-covered table. Lorelai regarded it herself for a moment, considering her options, before she turned to face it, her hands going flat on the surface. She looked at him over her shoulder and cocked an eyebrow, letting him know the decision had been made. It didn't take long for Luke to push her dress up, yank her underwear down to her knees, and bury himself to the hilt inside of her soaking wet core.

The pace they set up was frantic. Their moans reverberated through the small room. Lorelai used the table as leverage to push herself back and meet each of Luke's thrusts as he extricated himself to the tip and then buried himself all the way in stroke after stroke after stroke.

It wasn't going to take long to get her there, Lorelai knew. She was so ready for him, and the feeling of having him inside of her, knowing they really shouldn't be doing this, was doing incredible things to her body. Experiencing Luke losing his composure and not only initiating, but fucking her in a semi-public place was outrageously sexy. She was grateful for the four walls around them that contained most of her cries of pleasure, otherwise she probably would have been heard across the county.

Luke tightened his grasp on Lorelai's hips as he sped up his thrusts. His cock was so hard, and drenched in her juices, and the tightness and warmth of her vagina was doing insane things to him. He was coming up rapidly on his release, and it was all he could do to hold on until she found hers.

"Shit, Lorelai," Luke groaned. He dropped his head to her back between her shoulder blades as he continued to bury himself inside of her.

"Oh yes, Luke," she moaned. "I'm so close. So close. Oh, don't stop," she pled. Luke bit down on his lower lip to distract himself from the overwhelming pleasure he was feeling as he tried to hold out for her.

"Oh god, Lorelai, please," he ground out. "Please, I can't."

At the sound of Luke's strangled pleas, Lorelai reached under her skirt to rub her clit. She just needed a little more. She was right there.

"Ung!" she cried out at first contact. "Fuck!"

She began to shudder almost immediately. Her whole body tensed, and she used two fingers to frantically stroke her clit as she broke apart, her knees weakening as she went. Luke quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her up as he rode her through it, finding his release only seconds after hers began to wane.

Lorelai locked her knees, trying to stay upright as Luke pounded into her as he came, hard, quick grunts falling from his lips, his arms tightening around her, his head driving into her back. He held her so tightly, it almost became hard to breathe, but she could just have easily attributed that to the incredible feelings still working their way through her body as she came down from her climax.

Luke buried himself inside of her one final time before his entire body loosened around her, his arms easing up, his head turning so his cheek away against her back. She felt his cock slip from her soaking core, now slick with both of their releases, and she knew that they would both have trouble walking after this one.

They stayed like that, leaning over the table with Luke's face against her back, for moments longer before Luke hesitantly righted himself and helped Lorelai to do the same. Lorelai smiled as she felt him pulling her underwear back up from her knees, and smoothing her skirt back down. It was always the little things with Luke that reminded her of just how gentle and considerate he could be.

She turned to face him as he tucked himself back into his underwear and refastened his pants and belt. Once finished, he met her gaze with a satisfied, amused, slightly cocky grin.

"You're officially late," he reminded her. She rolled her eyes and moved in, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him tenderly.

"I'm the boss. I get to be late." He smiled into the kiss, and gave her another lingering one before pulling away.

"Let's get you back to work, Boss." He gestured for the door. Lorelai finger-combed her hair as they made their way out of the potting shed.

"Do I look okay?" she asked as they made it back out into the light of day. Luke gave her an appraising look and grimaced.

"Just tell them you got mauled by a wild animal or something," he said, taking in her rumpled dress, grass stained ass and soil-covered palms. Lorelai shot him a glare.

"I did get mauled by a wild animal," she said, pointedly. Luke shrugged with no hint of shame.

"Guess you should have thought twice about eating outside."

Sunday, March 19, 2006

"So, I know this is bad timing, but April's coming by the diner tomorrow," Luke told Lorelai as they were getting into bed. "I know we usually do the picnic thing..."

Lorelai felt her heart sink, but plastered on an understanding smile. "No problem, Hon. We'll just do it next year."

"You sure?" Luke asked, unsurely. Lorelai nodded.

"Totally sure. Enjoy your day with April." He sighed with relief and smiled.

"Have I told you lately how great you are?" She shrugged.

"All part of the job description." She took a look at the clock. "I have to get up early. I should get to sleep." Luke nodded his understanding and leaned over to give her a quick kiss goodnight, before settling onto his side. Lorelai turned off her lamp and did the same, turning away from him so he couldn't see the look of disappointment that settled over her features.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Lorelai sat on a bench in the square watching the silliness unfold around her. The Spring Festival was in full swing and chaos reigned as a group of young men vied for the basket of a beautiful young woman. It was a scene that happened almost every year. These town events were rarely without drama.

She tried to enjoy it; it was all part of the charm. But she couldn't. With her divorce nearly final, and barely a word being spoken between her and the person she used to share this event with, it was just hard to get into the spirit of the thing.

She sighed and pushed herself up from the bench, needing to get back to work. She spared a glance toward the diner and spotted Luke clearing a table by the window. He looked up immediately, as if he could feel her eyes on him.

She raised her hand in a tentative wave. He returned it with a polite smile.

She didn't stick around to see what would happen next. An inn full of guests awaited her.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Lorelai sniffled and wiped at her eyes, trying to clear away the evidence of her tears as she made her way to the front door. She knew she couldn't do much about the puffiness and the blotchy redness on her cheeks, but at the very least, whoever knocked didn't need to be subjected to her snot and tears.

Rory had left that morning. Off to follow Barack Obama around the country. Off to take the world by storm. Off, leaving a weepy mother and a crazy but lovable town in her wake.

Lorelai had done an admirable job keeping herself together over the past few days. To her credit, Rory hadn't witnessed one single tear, or heard one single choked sob escape from her mother. But that all went out the window the moment her daughter made it through the security check at the airport and Lorelai was finally alone with her feelings.

The drive home had taken twice as long as the drive there. She had pulled over at least six times, too overcome by emotion to focus on the road. In retrospect, she should have taken Luke up on his offer to drive them to the airport, but she had done so well in the lead up that she really thought she'd be able to manage.

She was too stubborn for her own good, sometimes.

When she finally made it back to Stars Hollow, she headed straight home, changed into her baggiest sweats, a stained grey hoodie, fuzzy pink slippers, and plunked down on to sofa to watch daytime TV and cry her eyes out.

Her little girl was gone. She knew this day had to come eventually, but nothing could have prepared her for it. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

Lorelai took a deep breath as she approached the door, blinked back the fresh tears in her eyes, and steadied herself. On opening the door, she was not at all surprised to see who was on the other side.

"You doin' okay?" His question was so simple, but she could tell he knew the answer before he asked. She offered an unsteady smile.

"Better than expected. I've only gone through two boxes of tissues," she teased herself. Luke offered a sympathetic smile.

"That's better than I thought," he joked lightly. Lorelai offered a small laugh. "I called Sookie. She said you took the day off."

"Didn't want to scare the guests away with my wailing," she said. "So did you come to make sure I didn't hang myself?"

"That, and I figured you probably haven't eaten since breakfast, so I brought some food." He reached down and picked up a picnic basket that had been set on the ground just out of view. "I figured I had a few years to make up for. Seemed like a good time to start."

A small grin spread across Lorelai's tired features as she took in the basket, and the man. Such a familiar and welcome sight.

"What'd you bring me?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Burger, fries, brownies, coffee," he repeated the well known script. "And a Greek salad. Thought we could start a new tradition."

Lorelai huffed a laugh. "Fat chance."

The pair shared a knowing smile, and she stepped aside, allowing him to enter. It was his first time back in her house since before they had broken up. Something told her, it wouldn't be his last.

A/N – Hope you liked it. Let me know :)

Next Chapter Inspired by Episode 5.17 – Pulp Friction

RORY: What shoes are you wearing?
LORELAI: The pink pumps.
RORY: I like those.
LORELAI: Are they a little too 'come and get it'?
RORY: Don't you want him to come and get it?
LORELAI: Uh, yes, but I want it to be his idea to come and get it. It's not the same if the shoes tell him to 'come and get it'.
RORY: I really, really want to stop saying 'Come and get it'.