Title: Reality Has No Place

Chapter 1: You Were Shoveling Snow

Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the characters or anything.

Author's Note: Okay - This is based on the dream that Ben reveals to Meredith in, The Family Stone. I immediately thought about Lorelai when he was explaining the dream, and, well, Luke and Lorelai make a much nicer couple than Ben and Meredith, so that's were this story is headed.

No more than an hour ago, Lorelai was aimlessly wandering the streets of Star's Hollow, clutching to her pillow tightly.

But she is safe now, thanks to the always dependable Luke Danes.

I should by him a suit of armor, she thinks, or a really big sword - something to go with his savior-like image.

Lorelai walks out of the bathroom and meets Luke in his kitchen, where he hands her a glass of water, "Thanks". The two of them exchange awkward glances when their hands accidently touch, the strange tension had been in the air for a while, now. She pretends to be in oblivion, much like she always does, leaving Luke to feel foolish and alone in the embarrassment.

She turns around and takes a seat on his couch, curling her legs beneath her. He joins her moments later, letting out a deep sigh as he sits, and making sure to leave a good amount of space between them.

She looks at him immediately afterwards, knowing he must be annoyed with her staying here. She hopes that a thousandth 'thank you' won't be overdoing it, "Thanks Luke, again. You know, for taking me in as a refugee."

"Yeah, it's no problem." he glances around the room for a minute and then looks back up at her, "You must be exhausted."

"You know, I'm really not. I'm... strangely exhilarated right now. I mean, even after all the craziness at the inn... and the fire..."

"And the stupid Hatlestads", he points out.

She smiles, "Right, them too..." she lets out a deep breath, "I don't know, I'm happy with the way I handled things. I feel good."

"You did good."

She smiles proudly, "I think so too." she adverts her gaze, and her smile grows wider as she notices something on his right bicep. She leans in a bit closer, and she stares in complete awe, "Oh, my God..."

"What?"

"Butch Danes, you've been keeping secrets."

He narrows his eyes, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You have a tattoo?"

He looks down, discovering that his short sleeve is revealing the small drawing. His face reddens a bit as he replies shyly, "Oh... yeah."

"What is it?" she lifts the sleeve up higher, lightly grazing her fingers against his skin. Luke can feel his stomach doing somersaults at the feel of her light touch. Lorelai notices his change in expression, and can't help but smirk at his uncomfortable squirm.

"It's stupid. My dad had the same thing... sort of a family tradition, I guess."

"When did you get it?"

"I don't know... when I was seventeen..."

She nods and takes her fingers away, "I always wanted a tattoo. I never got the chance, though."

"Why don't you get one now?"

"I'm thirty-five. You don't get a tattoo when you're thirty-five."

"Why not?"

"Because... a tattoo is something you get when you're a teenager, and then you spend the rest of your life regretting it."

"Where is that written?"

She waves her hand, "Oh, in that book."

"What book?"

"You know... that book... about tattoos..."

He rolls his eyes, "I say you get one... you know, if you really want one."

"Maybe I will... does it hurt? I mean, I know it hurts but does it really hurt? I don't have a very high tolerance for pain."

He shrugs his shoulders, "It's not unbearable."

She playfully shoots him a seductive glance, "Do you have any others?"

"Not for your eyes."

Her mouth drops open.

"I'm kidding. I did come pretty close to getting the Tasmanian Devil breaking a baseball bat, though."

She doubles over in laughter, leaning her head into his shoulder, "Seriously?"

"Yup." he chuckles.

She sits back up, "Now, that, would have been a tattoo worth regretting."

"Yeah, I can name a few people who would mock me endlessly."

"Well, not me of course..." she sighs and leans back on the couch, "Man, I really want one."

He starts laughing, "Then get one!"

"I know, I should."

"That's it. I'm taking you. Clear you're schedule."

"Look at you... Mr. My-Body-Is-A-Shrine-Get-That-Burger-Away-From-Me."

"Well, tattoos are the one thing that I don't look down upon. I mean... depending on where they are and... what they are..."

"That's too funny."

"What is?"

"You - having a tattoo! It's just funny... It's not something I'd expect."

He speaks in his gruff tone, "Well, I'm a man of mystery."

She tries to get over how sexy that sounded.

She looks up and smiles at him, catching his gaze. They remain this way for a few moments, until they both become aware of what they're doing. Lorelai is the first to look away, as she puts a strand of hair behind her ear and switches positions on the couch, bringing her knees up to her chest.

The subtle feeling of wanting to be close to Luke was making her uneasy. She'd had the feeling all night, as soon as Nicole called. A pang of jealousy hit Lorelai, she often felt that way whenever Nicole's name came up.

She felt guilty, though, for taking slight pleasure in the fact that Luke had talked about her on his first date with Nicole. She didn't want Luke to struggle in his relationship, she didn't want that at all. She just didn't want anyone else to have him.

She is torn away from her thoughts when Luke speaks again, "I'd offer a movie to watch, but God knows I don't own a single one."

"That's okay. I should probably get to sleep anyway. I have to be up really early tomorrow."

Luke remembers he hasn't turned the alarm clock on yet, and reaches over to it, "What time do you need to be up?"

She groans, "six"

"No problem, I get up at quarter to five every morning."

She looks at him as if he is crazy, "Why?"

"I don't know, to run my business?" he speaks matter-of-factly.

"Well, change businesses." Lorelai's eyes suddenly widen, "Oh, wow, total déjà vu."

He turns to face her, "Really?"

She nods, "It's the alarm clock. I had a dream once that you set eighteen alarm clocks to get me up, which is not a bad way to get me up."

"Where were we?"

"We were, um, at my house." she sits up straight, preparing to tell the story, Luke smiles at that, "I got up, I went downstairs for coffee," she lightly laughs, "and you talked to my stomach."

He narrows his eyes, "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Well, because I was pregnant." he raises an eyebrow as Lorelai finishes, "Twins."

"Mine?"

"What am I, dream tramp? Of course yours."

"We were married?"

"Um, yeah. Did I not mention that?"

"No." he smiles and then looks down before lifting his head back up, "You know, you shouldn't drink coffee when you're pregnant."

"Uh, true."

"It's probably why Rory's a caffeine addict."

"Right, you're right."

"Dream go beyond that?"

"No. Um, you talked to my stomach and then you ki-" she suddenly stops herself and shakes her head, "uh, well, no."

He nods and adverts his gaze, smiling to himself. They remain silent for a while, Lorelai remembering her dream, and Luke trying to picture it. He looks down shyly and then admits, "I had a dream about you too, once."

A smile creeps on her face, "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Was I famous?"

"You were shoveling snow."

"With Richard Gere?"

He ignores this and furrows his eyebrows as he tries to remember the dream, "You weren't... really you, though. You were young."

"Compared to my days playing bingo with Mrs. Slutsky? Gee, thanks."

"You know what I mean."

She smiles and leans her right shoulder against the back of the couch, as she turns the rest of her body to face him, "How old was I?" she doesn't take notice in the fact that their bodies are only a few inches apart.

"I don't know... you were just... a little girl shoveling snow." Lorelai smiles softly, listening to him speak, "And... I was the snow... and you would scoop me up and... no matter where I landed you just kept scooping me and throwing me over you're shoulder..."

She is out of her body for a moment, as she admires the way he speaks with a sort of adoration. She doesn't realize who the adoration is meant for.

"And then..." he pauses for a moment, being drawn back into the dream, "and then you look up at the sky, and the snowflakes are falling on you... and you shine this full-fledged smile, like you couldn't be happier... like you couldn't be more content."

She feels her heart melt at the way a smile plays at his lips. She scans his profile, as he stares blankly ahead of him. She then looks down, and runs her fingers over the blanket's smooth edge. She speaks so softly, she can barely hear herself, "I don't think I could be." she slowly looks up to see that he's turned his head to face her. She immediately looks down again, softly biting her lip out of embarrassment.

His next words leave his lips in a whisper, "Neither could I."

She lifts her head to find that he's moved closer to her. So close, that she can feel his light breath playing at her lips. Her breath hitches, and her eyes flutter shut as he jaggedly whispers her name in a desperate need to feel her. She leans closer, and presses her lips against his, every form of reality having no place in her mind.

She brings her hand to the nape of his neck, as he draws her closer into him, sweeping his hand to her back. The kiss quickly becomes heated as she inhales deeply and pushes her chest up against his.

She captures his bottom lip, and gently sucks it into her mouth, trying to convince herself that this is real. He slips his hand underneath the hem of her shirt, and his fingers softly caress her back, causing her skin to tingle.

The faint sound of a door shutting downstairs can be heard, they pull apart.

He speaks, out of breath, "That's Jess."

She looks up at him, her chest rising and falling as she tries to regulate her breath. She brushes away the few strands of hair that stick to her forehead, and nods. She hesitates before getting up off of the couch, never tearing her eyes away from him. He stares back, revealing the same out-of-body gaze.

Jess enters the room and switches the light off, oblivious to his surroundings. He plops onto his bed, providing the only evidence of presence in the room.

Her eyes remain open as she lay on her back, staring blankly into the darkness, knowing he is doing the same.

She will go to sleep tonight, and dream of him. The truth of their reality and circumstance, having no place in her mind.

TBC

So, the idea kind of just came to me and I wanted to get it out to you guys. It will be updated at a later date, but right now I'm still working on my other story. Please leave a review :) Happy Almost-New Year!