Before you begin to read, please note that this story springs from one I've already written, and because of that, you may want to read the original, "Important Answers to Stupid Questions," first. The main thing to know is that within that story, we find out that Luke has a very clear remembrance of the first time he saw Lorelai, but she only has the vaguest recollection of that day. It turns out that Mia was the one to nip what could have been true love in the bud, and we all know how many years it then took before their relationship finally blossomed. The object of this AU story is to expand upon that first memory and see what happens if Luke finds a way to circumvent Mia's objections.

It's important to remember that these are young, still-struggling versions of the fully realized characters that we know and love. Luke is floundering, missing Rachel, and not sure what he wants to do in life. He doesn't want to be that guy who is still trading on his high school glory days, but yet, that's sort of where he is. He's used to things coming too easily to him, such as girls flocking to him, and he's using that adulation to ease the pain of his confusion. The nice guy is there, he's just buried underneath a currently cocky exterior meant to show that he's just fine. Lorelai is only 19, trying to keep it all together, and terrified of failing. She is hyperaware that she is all Rory's got. Occasionally the smart-talking, confident Lorelai that we're used to makes an appearance, but more often, this Lorelai is just trying to keep her head above water. Yes, they are out of character. That's kind of the point! Please be patient as the chapters progress. Hopefully all of us, fictional and nonfictional alike, will be pleased by the end.

As always, thanks for reading!

There She Goes

Luke Danes was bored.

Being bored was nothing new. Luke had been bored for the last few years of his life. Some days, he could almost remember back to when his life had structure. A schedule. Back when there were bats and gloves and set-in-stone practice times. Back when there were classes and homework and a steady girlfriend. Back when any rare leftover time was given to his family's hardware store.

He had a lot of assumptions back then, too. He thought he'd find a job that suited him. Maybe not something powerful or life-affirming, but at least something that would provide some satisfaction and a stable living for the two of them. Preferably something that would take them out of this stifling small town where gossip was the only natural resource.

Instead, the jobs rapidly dried up and the girlfriend took off for greener pastures by herself. It turned out that 'steady' hadn't been part of her job description after all.

Since then, boredom had become his daily companion. The dullness of this day in late July, though, was reaching epic proportions. If I die of boredom, at least that'd be something new, he thought, a grim smile twisting his mouth. He slid his arms through his short-sleeved shirt but didn't bother buttoning it up.

"Where are you going?"

He glanced down at the blonde sprawled attractively on the beach blanket by his feet. "Thought I'd go find Mia. Let her know we're here. Thank her for letting us use the pool today."

Diana lifted her sunglasses and smiled at him. "Don't be too long. I'd hate to have you come back and find your spot taken," she warned him sweetly.

Like I'd care, Luke was startled to hear himself think. "I won't be long," he said out loud.

Once he left the pool area, with its umbrella drinks and loud music and preening girls, he felt better. There was a nice breeze out behind the Independence Inn, and having something to do, even if it was only searching for Mia Holloway, the owner of the inn, was more enjoyable than staying by the pool and pretending to care about his new girlfriend.

He took the path that led past the tennis courts, before it angled up towards the inn's kitchen area. This time of day, he wouldn't be surprised to find Mia supervising dinner prep in the kitchen. If not, he'd pop his head in through some other doors. And if his feet dragged while he was looking, keeping him from returning to the pool, well, all the better.

Just then, a terrifying shriek came over the top of the hill, sliding along with the summer breeze. Luke turned, instantly on guard. Another shriek pierced the air, and without thought, his feet took off running.

Possibly it was a child's cry, but he couldn't be sure. The sound was bouncing around, between the back of the inn and the hill he was climbing, making it difficult to tell where the screams originated. He hoped that once he reached the top, he'd be able to spot whoever was in distress and head in the right direction.

He crested the hill, ashamed to find he was panting. Too many days had passed since he'd included a run on his schedule. His hands rested on his knees and he drew in a few deep breaths, while his eyes searched for the poor kid who was being murdered.

Down at the bottom of the hill, next to the meticulously tended rose garden, was a little girl in bright pink overalls. Instead of being dismembered, she looked to be having the time of her life.

A woman with long, long dark hair had her arms clasped around the little girl's waist and was spinning her around and around and around. The kid was shrieking in delight.

The woman, who was also laughing, stopped the merry-go-round action. She kept hold of the child, but she wobbled a little bit, catching her balance. When she finally came to a complete stop, she was facing in Luke's direction.

Luke again lost his breath. The young woman at the bottom of the hill was gorgeous. Stunning. Possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was slim and tall, her hair nearly reaching to her waist. She was barefoot, and her denim shorts showed off legs that made him dizzy. But her best feature, hands down, was her smile. Even from this distance he could feel the warmth of that smile. How incredible would it be to have that smile focused on him? Immediately, his new goal was to make that wish a reality.

Eagerly, he put a foot on the downward side of the path.

But a hand was suddenly on his arm, preventing him from moving. "Lucas," Mia said, sounding slightly out of breath herself. "What are you doing back here?"

He motioned down the hill. "I heard screaming."

Mia didn't even look. "They're fine."

"Yeah, I can see that now. They're just playing." Greedily, he took in another eyeful of the beautiful woman, who shifted the child on her hip and looked up, as if she'd sensed his presence. "I just thought I'd –"

"They're fine," Mia said again, firmly. She got in front of him and then aggressively moved closer, forcing him to take a few steps backwards. "They don't need an interruption."

He kept having to back down the hill, away from his goal, as Mia advanced. "I wasn't going to interrupt them! I just thought I'd say hi, that's all."

"I assume that you're here with your flavor of the month?" Mia took his arm, turned him around, and began marching him back towards the pool area. "I suggest that you go and check on her, instead."

"Mia, what the hell?" The words burst out of him before he remembered who he was with.

"Lucas," she reprimanded him.

"Sorry," he muttered, and finally managed to loosen her grip on her arm. "I just don't get why you're acting like this."

She sighed and briefly closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, dear, I don't know why either. I guess I'm just tired of seeing you lounging around the pool with yet another girl who means nothing to you. I wish…I do wish you'd find someone special."

He snorted a laugh. "You and me both."

She smiled at him, but it looked sad. "I promised your mother I'd look after you, you know. Lately I feel like I've really fallen down on the job."

A wave of guilt and shame managed to push the unknown dark-haired beauty out of first place in his thoughts, at least momentarily. "That's all on me, Mia. I know I should be doing something real, trying to make a life for myself…but I just can't quite figure out what that is yet."

"You will," she said confidently. For a moment, she laid a loving hand against his cheek, possibly remembering the little boy who used to toddle around after her own two sons, back when her husband was alive to help run the inn, back when her best friend Katie Danes would stop by for a quick chat in the late afternoon, with sweet little Lucas in tow. "If I can help in any way, you know you just have to ask, don't you?"

"Yeah, thanks. I do know that." With distaste, Luke glanced back at the crowded pool area. "I know I'm not going to find whatever it is here at the pool, either. I don't know why I'm so stuck right now."

"Maybe you just need a push in the right direction." Playfully, she shoved at his back, and was rewarded with one of his genuine smiles.

"My dad would say I need my ass kicked. In fact, he has said that. Multiple times."

"You know I don't talk like that," Mia said primly, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

Luke pointed towards the pool. "I'm going to go pry Diana away from the piña coladas and get us out of the way of your paying guests. So, see you later, Mia. Thanks again for putting up with me."

"Any time, dear boy."

For a moment longer, Mia stood and watched Luke walk away, her vision once again alternating between the adorable little boy from her memory and the disappointed, confused man he'd become. She almost ran after him, wanting to offer him a motherly hug and some of the wisdom she'd accumulated on her life's journey. But then she remembered she had two boys of her own to supervise through long-distance, a sprawling colonial-style inn to oversee, dozens of employees to handle, and…one troubled little girl with her own little girl to protect.

Resolutely, she turned toward the kitchen. This, she decided, was not the time to lower her guard.

Luke pulled up in front of Diana's apartment. She got out without turning her head for a kiss. She slammed the car door and stomped up the walk to her entrance.

"Guess we're not making plans for later, huh?" Luke murmured, mildly amused at her snit. He put the car back into drive and continued into the heart of Stars Hollow.

He glanced at his dad's hardware store, feeling the usual stab of guilt. He checked the time, and then pulled over to park along the main street of town. He waited for traffic to pass before making his way into Doose's Market. He grabbed one of the baskets and looked for the ingredients he had in mind: small, red-skinned potatoes, plenty of greens for a sizeable salad, a package of turkey sausages. He wavered, then picked up a carton of beer, too. Alcohol might work as a bribe if his dad figured out he'd substituted turkey in his beloved sausages.

Once home, he fired up the grill in their backyard before tackling the potatoes. He scrubbed them, sliced them up, then drizzled a little olive oil over them. He added just a pinch of salt, some pepper, then decided he'd include some chopped onions as well, to help his dad ignore the skimpy amount of salt and the total lack of butter. Those went into the enclosed grill to cook while he made a salad. Feeling especially creative, he threw some more oil and seasonings into a bottle and vigorously shook it up, making one of his signature dressings to go with it. Finally, he stuck the beers in a cooler and went outside, judging when was the perfect time to add the sausages to the grill by the remaining sunlight in the western sky.

Right on cue, the patio door slid open, and William Danes looked out. "You cooked?"

"I did." Luke opened the grill, letting his dad see what was browning in there.

Will grinned. "I'd say you don't have to do this every night, but damn, does that smell good."

Luke shrugged. "You know I don't mind cooking."

"Lucky for me." Will glanced over his shoulder, into the kitchen. "Let me just wash my hands."

"Grab the salad, OK? I thought we'd eat out here, it's such a nice night." He pointed to the sometimes-wobbly picnic table that had graced their patio for as long as he could remember.

"Always gotta try to get some greens in me, don't you?" Will pretended to grumble before he stepped back inside.

Within minutes they were both chowing down on the meal. Will sighed appreciatively over the first mouthful of beer, although he said nothing derogatory about the healthy substitutions on the table.

"How was the store today?"

"Same as always. People lined up outside the door at 8, waiting for me to open, in a rush to get the materials to fix what broke overnight. Then a big long lull, until it's almost time to close, when they all dash in because they suddenly remembered the other things they need to repair."

Luke smiled. His dad's rants about the buying habits of Stars Hollow residents were a nightly occurrence.

Then the silence stretched out to an awkward length.

Luke sighed, and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "It's OK. You can ask."

"Ask what?" His dad was a lousy liar.

"Ask if I found anything today."

"Luke." Will fiddled with his beer bottle. "I know how it is. I know the economy's tanking right now. I know jobs are few and far between."

"But still…" Luke motioned at himself. "You'd think I could find something," he stated, sounding disgusted.

Will nodded, casually. "That job in Hartford. You're sure you couldn't make it work?"

Luke went still. "Do you need for me to make it work?"

"What?"

"Are we…are we OK? Do I need to –?"

"We're fine," Will said with conviction. "I don't mean that. It's just, well, that was a pretty cushy job, that's all. Maybe you could still ask for it back. It'd give you something to do while you're looking for something else."

For a moment Luke could feel the walls of that beige cubicle closing in around him. He drew the stale air into his lungs and heard the faint strains of Muzak drifting in from the lobby. He recalled the panic he'd experienced after only a week of working there, realizing that every day was going to be the same. The same cubicle, the same air, the same shirt and tie.

"You were always good at numbers, Luke. And you would've had benefits, eventually."

Luke shook his head, hating to disappoint his old man. "It wasn't for me, Dad."

Will smiled, but with regret. "Yeah, I know."

They went back to eating silently, until Will took another swig of beer and then cleared his throat. "Um, if you're interested, I do know about something temporary."

"Yeah? What?"

"Keith Jansen was in today. They've had some major plumbing issues in their downstairs bath. They're thinking that if they have to tear it up, they might as well make some real changes. They're looking for someone to do demo, frame up some new walls, maybe do some tiling. Whatever the plumber can't do. Would you be interested?"

"Sure, I could do that for them. When?"

"I'll call him tomorrow. They need to order the new fixtures, get a plan drawn up. As of now it's all in the 'maybe' stage."

"Well, I'm happy to sign on to help, when they're ready."

"Good. I'll let Keith know," William said, before looking at his watch. "You don't have plans tonight?"

"Nope," Luke said curtly.

Will's head shot up and he grinned. "That sounded definitive."

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, she's pissed at me."

"Remind me. Who's the current she?"

"Diana."

"Ah. Blonde, itty-bitty thing, right? What'd you do to get her pissed?"

"Forced her away from the pool before she was ready to leave."

Will nodded, taking another helping of the potatoes. "Went to the inn again, did you?"

"Yeah," Luke listlessly acknowledged. "Nice day. Seemed like the thing to do."

"Did you tell Mia –"

"Yes, Dad, I thanked Mia for her hospitality." He sighed. "I may not have a job, but I still have manners. You and Mom made sure of that."

"Nothing wrong with manners, son. Someday, good manners might be the one thing that makes an employer pick you instead of someone else."

Luke knew better than to roll his eyes at his dad's platitude. Instead he put the last remaining sausage on Will's plate.

The rest of the night was standard. Will feebly offered to help with dishes, but Luke waved him off and told him to go watch Jeopardy. Once that chore was done, Luke walked around the outside of the house with a hose, giving the plants a drink, and when that was done, he sat on the front porch for a while, staring out at the street as a few cars passed by. Eventually he came inside and watched an episode of Law & Order with his dad. After the credits rolled, he woke Will up, watched him shuffle off to bed, and then he went to bed too. Unlike his dad, he wasn't tired. He'd done nothing during the day to make himself tired. But he went to his room anyway because there wasn't anything else to do.

He turned on some music, at the lowest level possible, not wanting to disturb his father. He laid on his back in the bed, thinking how disgusting it was that he was still in his boyhood bedroom. Sure, the Star Trek posters and model cars had been put away, but it was still the same four walls. He snorted a bit at that thought. He'd been terrified of being stuck in the same cubicle for the rest of his life. What was this, then, if not another manifestation of that same fear?

He'd had some girls in here with him, from time to time. He didn't think his dad knew; he'd been extra-cautious about sneaking them in. Never Rachel, though. She'd absolutely refused to have sex under William Danes' nose. They'd had to be creative in coming up with workable alternatives. Luke closed his eyes and smiled a little bit, remembering some of the wilder solutions.

Finally, he turned off the bedside light and let his mind slip over to what he'd been waiting all evening to consider. The dark-haired beauty romping beside the inn's roses. She'd been in his head since the first moment he'd spied her, but he'd managed to push those legs and that mane of hair and that sizzling smile to the back of his consciousness while he cooked and conversed with his dad. But now, at last, he could let her out to play.

He'd figured out who she was. The whole town knew about the poor young girl Mia had taken in a few years back. The townsfolk were evenly split on whether that made Mia a saint or straight-up delusional. He'd never actually laid eyes on her before, but he was positive that's who she had to be. No wonder Mia had gone into Mama Bear mode. She was always fiercely protective of those she loved.

Luke closed his eyes and reflected again on the few paltry moments he'd had to drool over her. He couldn't wait to get close enough to her to see what color her eyes were. He couldn't wait to experience that smile as it focused on him. He could barely imagine what it would be like to have such a beauty on his arm; to introduce her to everyone…

He frowned. Try as he might, he couldn't recall her name. It was something unusual, he was sure of that. Something almost lyrical.

Oh well, it didn't really matter. He went back to his nighttime daydream. By tomorrow he'd know everything he needed to about her.

Author's Chat: Well, hello! Long virus, no see! I could have sworn that this whole COVID, working from home, if someone breathes on you you might die thing hadn't affected me at all. I was perfectly fine with all of it except that I couldn't write. Scratch that. I wrote. I wrote thousands and thousands of words of crap. New stuff, old stuff, it didn't matter. Crap, crap, and more crap. Eventually I got to the point of wondering if I could write at all and out of desperation begin looking back over some of my previous stories. Of course, that failed as well, since I found all sorts of flaws in the first few stories I looked at. (People liked this crap?! What were they thinking! Etc., etc…) One day I stumbled upon Important Answers to Stupid Questions and fell down the rabbit hole of young, hot Luke spying on young, hot Lorelai and that one scene saved me and brought me back. What, I wondered, would transpire next if that had actually happened? (Yes, actually happened to fictional characters on a TV show. Don't judge, people. You're here reading it.) So there's the background on how this story came to be.

I want to thank Eledgy for being my trusty beta backup and sharing the joy of writing with me. Huge thanks as well to Previously Anonymous who held my hand through my initial doubts and assured me that if people were willing to suspend belief and read Luke Danes Meets His Match, they'd be willing to go along with this story too. (And if this story tanks, you all know who to blame.)

It's good to be back! See you at the next chapter!