Less Than a Second
Part 2: The Start of a Beautiful Friendship
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Pairing: Lorelai and Luke

Summary: Luke and Lorelai met in Stars Hollow while Lorelai's pregnant with Rory. Sixteen years later, they've found happiness with each other and the entire past (as fans know it) has been changed (for the better, perhaps :). This is a response to a challenge posted on the Luke and Lorelai Fan Fic group at Yahoo.

Rating: PG 13 (to be safe, for now)

Disclaimer: I do not own or in any way have connection to those that do own the Gilmore Girls.

A/N: Time won't really be emphasized much in this story (especially after Rory is born), so don't take it too seriously if I screw up with the months or years or whatever in the following chapters. Thanks. :)
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*6 weeks later*
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Lorelai Gilmore had begun her life in Stars Hollow. She was completely independent of her parents now, her daughter's due date was fast approaching, she had a small place to live (it was a shed behind the Independence Inn, but it was large enough for her and her soon-to-be born daughter), and she had a job. She was working at the inn full time, starting as a desk clerk who merely sorted through the papers, looked up dates for booking, et cetera. It was just a starting job; she hoped to soon advance after her baby was born. She had put in for a few weeks off (maternity leave; that sounded strange to her, Lorelai being only 16, having a full-time job, and taking "maternity leave" soon), after which she could return to work and take care of her baby (the shed was useful in its proximity to her "office"). Overall, she was happy.
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Luke's diner was finally open for business. It opened on August 30, 1984 for customers. His first: Lorelai. He smiled when she entered and made sure to start a pot of coffee.

He'd seen her walk by in the weeks prior. He was surprised she decided to stick around, but happy just the same. She sat down at one of the tables and he presented her with a menu.

"Thank you," she said, with a smile on her face as well.

"Coffee?"

"Of course." She paused, forgetting he didn't know her. "I mean, sure. Thanks." He picked up her mug and filled it almost all the way. She glanced at it. "To the top, please?" She asked, smiling. There was something about that smile that made him completely vulnerable and open to her. Normally, that would have scared him. It did, a little, now that he was thinking about it, but he sort of liked that feeling as well. He didn't even know her, but he was comfortable just standing near her, pouring her coffee as if it were a common practice between them.

He stood, waiting for her order. "Uh...we have danish, too. It's...uh...not on the menu, but I made some this morning. There's...um...strawberry, blueberry, apple, cheese..."

"Ooh, danish! Blueberry please?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." He went to the counter. She watched him as he walked away, really looking at him for the first time. She'd seen him around a little, mostly while he was working on the diner. It had come out well, she surveyed. The man, she thought, had a wonderful overall appearance. He seemed kind of gruff, but friendly. He was a rugged handsome (which was different from the preppy/bad-boy look Christopher had). The flannel shirt was of a different style, but it sort of gave him character as the backwards baseball cap he wore did. Lorelai wouldn't admit it to herself for a long time, but she was initially attracted to him.

He returned with her danish and she took a bite. "You know, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship," she smirked.

He refilled her coffee cup and was about to start some kind of conversation with her but the door opened and brought a slew of customers with the ever-skeptical Kirk and Taylor, who was then a council member (though he was also a mayor-hopeful). Luke waited until they sat before presenting them with menus and asking if they, too, would like coffee.

When Lorelai was finished, she laid down some money and left without Luke even noticing.
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"Hello?" Lorelai answered a phone she'd hooked up in the shed. She had the afternoon off and she was currently alternating between reading a book of baby names and a book about hotel and restaurant management.

"Hello, may I speak to Lorelai Gilmore, please?" A man's voice asked.

"Dad?"

"Yes. Hello, Lorelai." He paused, awkwardly. Lorelai had agreed to call her parents weekly during her first phone call to her father just a few days after she left. She gave them the name of the inn and her phone number there, but this was the first time in the six weeks she'd been in Stars Hollow that her parents had called her. "I was wondering how you were. Did you go to your appointment on Friday?"

"I'm fine and yes, I made my appointment on Friday. I have another in two weeks." She paused. "Is everything okay?"

"Your mother isn't well."

"What's wrong?"

"She...she doesn't know why you left. Neither of us does, really. She was in bed for a month, Lorelai. I worry about her...I'm worried about you." It was one of the only times that Richard Gilmore would tell her how he really felt about something. They hadn't been close-Lorelai wasn't really close to either of her parents-and the obvious distance between them now (among other things) wasn't helping their relationship. It hurt Lorelai to think of her mother as physically ill because she'd left. *Maybe I should go home,* she thought. It was then she realized that she couldn't. In her mind, she wasn't welcome. There was too much pain there. She was happy in this little town with her own life. But how would she tell her father that without hurting him? She couldn't.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know how much this would hurt her. I thought that it would be better for her if I left. I wouldn't be there to be an example of the child her societal friends wanted to avoid."

"Lorelai...is there any possibility of you coming home?"

She shook her head slowly to herself. "I don't think so, dad." She heard him sigh softly.

"If you need anything, you know where to find us..." his voice left off. "We love you, Lorelai. We only wanted what is best for you."

"I know."

"Goodbye."

"Bye." She sighed and opened up her book again.
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A/N: Sorry so short. The next chapter should be up within the next week. Review, please. Thanks! I really appreciate it! :)