Luke walked into the Independence Inn and stopped briefly to look around the lobby. Spotting Mia at the front desk, he made his way across the lobby, carefully dodging several guests and an overly aggressive harpist. When he reached the front desk, he waited at one end while Mia stood at the other end, providing an elderly couple with directions to Kim's Antiques. Luke shuddered when the couple also requested directions to Le Chat Club.

Once the couple had left, Mia took the few steps necessary to stand in front of Luke. "Hello, Lucas."

"Hi, Mia."

"If you're looking for Lorelai, she's not here."

"I know. She took Ben and Liam to the pediatrician."

Feigning shock, Mia pressed her palm to the center of her chest and gasped, "Does that mean you're here to see me this time?"

"It does," Luke responded, playing along with Mia's antics. He waited for her to stop laughing before he explained, "I want to ask you for a favor, but I don't want Lorelai to know."

Instantly, Mia became serious. She decided that, whatever favor Luke was about to request, it would best be discussed in private, so she suggested, "Why don't we go to my office?"

"Only if you have the time. If you're busy, I can come back later."

"I'm never too busy for you, Lucas." To prove her point, Mia promptly moved out from behind the front desk and headed for her office, trusting that Luke would follow her. When they were settled in her office, Mia tried to wait patiently for Luke to speak first, but her patience was no match for Luke's stoicism. After several long moments, Mia broke down and asked, "What can I do for you? And why are we keeping it a secret from Lorelai?"

"It's not really a secret. It's more like a surprise," clarified Luke.

"What's the surprise?"

"I want to do something special for Valentine's Day."

This time Mia's shock was real. "That will be a surprise. Don't you usually avoid Valentine's Day because it's a holiday made up by greeting card companies?" Mia grinned as she paraphrased one of Luke's favorite rants and threw his words back at him.

With a heavy sigh, Luke begrudgingly admitted, "Yeah, I do, but Lorelai likes it."

"True, but you two never celebrate, so why is this year different?"

"Hey! We've celebrated. Our first Valentine's Day together we went away for the weekend."

"That's right. I forgot that you celebrated one time five years ago. Which makes me even more curious about why you want to celebrate this year."

"It's been a really long year. The twins were born, Jess and Rory started school, I kinda checked out for a month, and Lorelai's having trouble with her mom again. With all that and about a million other things going on, I just think we need a break. A little time alone."

"That would be the something special that you want to do for Valentine's Day."

Luke nodded, then, realizing that his earlier comments could easily be misinterpreted, he hastily said, "Don't get me wrong, I love the kids, but lately it seems like we haven't had a minute to ourselves."

"And you miss your wife," Mia concluded for him, one side of her mouth pulling up into a knowing smirk.

"I know it's silly. I see her every day."

"It's not silly, Lucas. Life gets crazy, particularly when you have small children, but you and Lorelai have to make time for each other."

Mia's reassurance had an immediate effect on Luke. As the tension eased from his shoulders and he visibly relaxed, he divulged, "That's why I want to take her to the lake cabin like I did for our first Valentine's Day. It would only for one night though. There's no way I could get her to go away for a whole weekend without the kids."

As she carefully considered everything Luke had said, Mia noticed a flaw in his plan and casually pointed out, "You're not going to be able to keep an overnight getaway a secret for long. Not if you want her to actually go with you."

"I'll tell her. I just want to work out all the details first."

"That's much more plausible," acknowledged Mia. "Now, tell me, how do I figure into your plan? You mentioned a favor?"

"Actually, it's two favors. I want to leave on a Saturday and come back on Sunday, so I need to make sure that Lorelai can have a whole weekend off. Obviously not Valentine's weekend, both the inn and the diner will be too busy for us to get away, but maybe the weekend before?"

"That's not a problem. I'll take her off the schedule." After jotting down a quick note to that effect on the pad that she always kept on her desk, Mia looked at Luke expectantly. "What else?"

"Well, um, the second favor is a little, uh, bigger. I was hoping you would help with the kids. Buddy and Maisy have already said they'll help."

"I'd be happy to help with the kids."

"Are you sure? You can think about it."

"I don't need to think about it. I love your kids."

"I know you do, but they can be a handful," Luke cautioned her. "Especially now that the twins are crawling. They're not as easy as Jess and Rory were. They never sit still and they fight over everything."

"Lucas, I've already said yes. Stop trying to talk me out of it."

"I just want you to know what you're getting into."

"I already know what I'm getting into. I see your kids all the time."

"Right. Okay. So, you'll do it?"

"Yes. I'll call Maisy and we'll work it out."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No. All that's left is to get Lorelai on board."

"Somehow, I don't think that will be difficult."

"Probably not," chuckled Luke.

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That night, Luke sat in bed pretending to read a book, but he was really sneaking glances at Lorelai as she moved around the room completing her bedtime routine. When she crawled into bed, Luke closed his book and tossed it onto his nightstand. He shifted into a more reclined position and held one arm out to Lorelai, inviting her to lay against his side.

Lorelai slid across the bed and snuggled into Luke. She tucked her knee between Luke's legs, draped her arm over his waist, and rested her head on his chest. Once she had stopped squirming and seemed to have gotten comfortable, Luke wrapped his arm around her and hugged her tightly for a second before relaxing his hold. Lorelai rubbed her cheek against Luke's chest and nearly purred with contentment. "How's your book?" she asked on a sigh.

"I don't know. I wasn't really reading it."

With her interest piqued, Lorelai propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at Luke. "You were just holding the book? Was it lonely? Or is it kind of like the kids and their blankets? Do you have some sort of unnatural attachment to the book? Should I be worried?"

Luke patiently endured Lorelai's teasing. When she was finished, he told her, "I'm not attached to the book. I got distracted."

Incredulous, Lorelai scoffed, "By what?"

"You."

"Me? I wasn't doing anything."

"You were taking forever to get into bed."

Skeptical, Lorelai glared at Luke and snapped, "What? Like you were waiting for me?"

"Maybe I was," challenged Luke.

A coy smile flitted across Lorelai's face. "Oh? Any particular reason?" she flirted, waggling her eyebrows and running her fingertips lightly across his chest and down his abdomen.

Luke quickly grabbed for her hand to halt her progress. He held her hand firmly against his stomach just above the waistband of his pants as he scolded her. "None of that. At least, not yet."

Lorelai's lower lip jutted out in a pout as she whined, "Why not?"

"Because I was waiting to talk to you."

Defeated, Lorelai laid back down on Luke's chest. "You have got to be the only man in the world who would rather talk."

"I didn't say I would rather talk. I only said that's what I was waiting for."

"Fine," groaned Lorelai, dragging the word out for several extra syllables. "What's so important that we have to talk now?"

"Valentine's Day."

Lorelai was dumbfounded and couldn't stop herself from repeating, "Valentine's Day."

"Mhmm. I was hoping we could go to the cabin next weekend for an early celebration."

"You were hoping what?"

Luke ignored Lorelai's interruption. "I've already made sure we can have the time off work and arranged for the kids to be taken care of. All you have to do is say yes."

"Luke, we can't just go away for the weekend and leave our kids with other people."

"Is that the only thing stopping you from saying yes?"

"It's a pretty big thing."

"But is it the only thing?"

"Yes."

"Then, I guess it's a good thing that I knew you wouldn't want to be away from the kids for a whole weekend, so we're only going away for one night."

"Really?"

"We're set to leave on Saturday and come back on Sunday," confirmed Luke. "What do you say? Will you go?"

"Who's watching our kids?"

"Mia and Buddy and Maisy. Who else?"

"I wanted to be sure it wasn't my parents."

"It's not, so…"

"I'll go." Lorelai wiggled the fingers on the hand that Luke still held securely against his stomach. "Are we done talking now?"

Luke released Lorelai's hand and, when her fingers crept under his waistband, he brought his hand up to her face. As he guided her lips to his, Luke murmured, "We're done."

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As Luke zipped his overnight bag shut, he looked across the room at Lorelai. She was standing in front of the closet and hadn't moved in the last five minutes, causing Luke to try to hurry her along. After clearing his throat to get her attention, he asked, "Are you almost ready? Mia's going to be here any second."

"I'll be ready in a minute," answered Lorelai, waving him away.

Luke didn't quite believe her, but he left the room anyway and made his way downstairs to wait for Mia with the kids. Walking into the living room, he found Jess and Rory sitting on one side of the room quietly working together to build a small city out of Lego bricks. On the other side of the room, the twins were sitting in their playpen, and, despite being surrounded by a dozen toys, were fighting over one tattered stuffed dog. For what felt like the hundredth time that week, he was struck by how different Ben and Liam were from Jess and Rory.

Before Luke could settle the dispute over the stuffed dog, there was a knock at the front door. As he went to open the door for Mia, he continued to marvel at how Jess and Rory almost never fought, but Ben and Liam couldn't seem to stop fighting.

"Hello, Lucas," Mia greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, Mia. Come on in." Luke closed the door behind her, then led her into the living room. While Jess and Rory showed Mia their Lego city, Luke tried to distract Ben and Liam from their fight. He managed to wrangle the stuffed dog out of their hands and dump a box of wooden blocks between them. Ben and Liam could usually play with the blocks without fighting, but, occasionally, they would use the blocks as weapons. "If they start using the blocks to hit each other, take them away," instructed Luke as he turned around to face Mia.

Smiling indulgently, Mia reassured Luke, "I can handle the kids. You don't need to worry about us. Instead, why don't you worry about finding Lorelai. I thought you two would be waiting by the door ready to run out as soon as I got here."

"She's still packing. You'd think we were going away for a week, not one night."

"Maybe she's planning a surprise of her own."

"By staring blankly into our closet?"

"You never know."

"And I'll never find out if she doesn't hurry up."

While Luke and Mia were talking, Lorelai had finished packing and, as she joined them in the living room, she admonished Luke, "Oh, stop complaining. I'm ready."

"Finally! Say goodbye. I want to leave before you decide there's something else you don't need, but want to take."

"Just for that, I'm going to go pack another bag," threatened Lorelai, turning to leave the room. She had only made it a couple of steps when Luke caught her by the hand and tugged her backwards. "Hey!" she yelped in protest.

"Don't even think about it. It's time to leave."

Lorelai ran the fingers of her free hand up Luke's side and over his chest. With a suggestive wink, she crooned, "Somebody's in a hurry."

"Guilty."

"If it's that important to you, I guess I could skip the second bag."

"Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome," Lorelai replied cheekily.

A few minutes later, after giving each of the kids a hug and a kiss, Luke and Lorelai walked out of the house. Lorelai slipped her hand into Luke's and said, "Let's get this show on the road."

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As they pulled up in front of the lake cabin, Luke asked, "Do you think that this time we could eat before we end up spending all day in bed?"

Lorelai smiled at the memory of their first Valentine's Day and the first time they'd had sex. Her smile widened as she recalled how she had been so eager that she had practically thrown herself at Luke. That was the part of their first Valentine's Day that she was most looking forward to recreating, so, shaking her head, she said, "Not a chance."

Understanding that Lorelai's words were as much of a threat as they were a promise, Luke remarked, "I'm not sure whether I should be scared or excited."

"Maybe a little of both."

"Fine," huffed Luke. "As long as it doesn't interfere with what I have planned for dinner."

"Do you have something special planned?"

"We're celebrating Valentine's Day, of course, I have something special planned."

"Fine, I won't mess with your plans, but I think your priorities need work."

Getting out the truck, Luke fired back, "And I think you'll need your strength." He shut the door before Lorelai could respond.

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The moment they entered the cabin, Lorelai disappeared into the bedroom claiming she had a surprise for Luke that she needed to get ready. Luke sat down on the couch to wait. After a while, Lorelai hadn't reappeared and Luke was still sprawled on the couch with his head resting against the back of the couch. He had one arm draped over his eyes and the other flung out to his side. Growing impatient, he shouted, "Lorelai! What is taking you so long?"

From behind the closed bedroom door, Lorelai called back, "I'll be out in a minute. Be patient."

Luke groaned in frustration. "You said we weren't going to wait!"

They lapsed into silence while Lorelai finished preparing her surprise. When she was satisfied that her surprise was ready, she snuck out of the bedroom and crept quietly toward Luke. She stopped in front of Luke and, keeping her voice low in an effort not to startle him, said, "I'm ready."

"Finally!" Luke let the arm that was covering his eyes fall to his side and sat up straighter. His mouth dropped open when he saw her standing between his spread legs. "You changed your clothes. And did your hair."

"I'm so glad you noticed." Taking a step closer, she added, "I also shaved my legs."

Leaning forward, Luke trailed his fingers up Lorelai's calves and over her knees. As his hands slipped underneath the short robe she was wearing, he gently squeezed her smooth, bare thighs. "Yes, you did."

"Are you ready for your surprise?"

"There's more?"

"This is just the beginning. Would you like to see the rest?" offered Lorelai, loosening the knot in the belt of her silk robe.

Luke tightened his grip on Lorelai's thighs and pulled her forward. At the same time, he slid to the edge of his seat. "Yes, please."

Smirking, Lorelai opened her robe and let it fall to the floor revealing skimpy lingerie made of the same blue silk as her robe. "What do you think?"

Luke looked her up and down, admiring how the silk clung to her curves. Licking his lips, he nodded. "You look…amazing. I mean, you always look amazing, but, right now, wow."

Giggling, Lorelai pushed on Luke's shoulders until he reclined against the back of the couch. "I guess that means you like it," she teased as she crawled on top of him and straddled his lap.

Instinctively, Luke shifted his hands to her waist. He let his eyes travel down her body again. As his eyes moved back up her body, so did his hands. Both his eyes and his hands lingered at her breasts. "I really like it," he growled, cupping her breasts in his palms and rubbing his thumbs across her nipples. "Happy Valentine's Day to me."

Lorelai moaned and thrust her hips into Luke's pelvis. "It's about to get happier."

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Thoroughly satisfied and breathing heavily, Lorelai collapsed on top of Luke and laid her head on his shoulder. Between labored breaths, she declared, "We're still amazing."

"Yes, we are," panted Luke, stroking her back.

With a sigh of contentment, Lorelai nuzzled Luke's neck. "Is your Valentine's Day a little happier now?"

"Much happier," Luke agreed, craning his neck at an awkward angle to kiss the top of her head. "But, next time, let's aim for the bedroom," he recommended, letting his head roll back into a more natural position.

Lorelai nipped at Luke's collarbone. "Where's the fun in that?"

"I'm sure we could have plenty of fun and, right about now, we'd definitely be more comfortable."

"I'm perfectly comfortable."

Luke glanced down at her lingerie and his shirt laying on the floor at his feet. He was still wearing his socks and shoes with his jeans and boxers tangled around his ankles. "I'm glad one of is," he snorted.

"Are you complaining about your present?" Lorelai accused, pinching his stomach.

Wincing, Luke swatted her hand away. "I loved my present. You look great in blue. It brings out your eyes."

"You say that every time I wear blue."

"I don't think I say it every time."

Lorelai shrugged. "Maybe not, but you do say it a lot."

"Do you not want me to compliment you?"

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm just glad that you like your present and that I chose the blue instead of the red that the sales lady kept saying was perfect for a Valentine's Day seduction."

"Me too, but you don't need sexy underwear to seduce me."

"I know I don't need it. That's why it's called a present."

Luke kicked off the rest of his clothes. "Well, since I've already played with my present and there's still time before I have to start dinner, why don't I seduce you this time? We're moving to the bedroom though."

"Yes, please!" cheered Lorelai, trying to scramble off Luke's lap

Holding Lorelai in place, Luke stood up with her in his arms. Lorelai squealed and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. As Luke carried her toward the bedroom, he told her, "This time, I'm in charge."