A/N Hi everyone! This is my AU take on 90's era Luke, Lorelai, Rory, and the gang + the introduction of some OC along the way. I hope you all enjoy the slow burn, secrets revealed, and blossoming relationship between our dear L/L. Enjoy the ride...

"Coffee, coffee, coffee!" Lorelai exclaimed in a huff, whipping open the door to the diner in haste to get out of the sweltering summer heat.

The bells above the door rang out signifying her arrival, but Luke felt her presence approaching from the sidewalk. He stopped trying to figure out how he could sense her arrival each and every time she burst through that damn door, and always in a dramatic flourish.

With his back turned to her, he held up a hand to silently acknowledge her as he tended to the table in front of him.

He heard her let out a groan, and imagined her pillowy pink lips quirked into a tiny frown, her brow furrowed in annoyance as she loudly plopped herself down onto a stool–the one in front of the register, he presumed. The corners of his own mouth turned up in the faintest of smirks, getting too much enjoyment out of making her sit down, shut up, and wait her turn as he scribbled down the Cobb Salad and unsweetened iced tea that Miss Patty just ordered.

"Luuuuuke," He heard her call his name again, it came out all long and breathy. Loudly, he heard her drop something onto the countertop in front of her.

Whatever wacky accessory or too tiny purse she carried that day.

Miss Patty's innuendo flew right over his head, he was too busy counting down in his head, he made it 10 more seconds, before finally spinning around and meeting those bright blue eyes with a pointed glare, "Junkie," he muttered.

He skirted the edge of the counter and with one hand, reached for the full carafe of coffee, grabbing a mug with the other as he quickly filled it to the brim with her beloved brew.

Sliding it in front of her, he stood there, folding his arms across his chest as she brought the oversized mug to her lips for a long sip, "Angel," she said with a sugary sweet smile before taking another sip, her eyes closing in relief.

"You've got wings, baby."

He quirked an eyebrow, "You do realize it's 103 degrees outside."

She cocked her head to the side and gave him her best flirty smile, "You know what goes great with coffee?"

"No," He said with a curt shake of his head, turning around to grab an order from the kitchen.

Lorelai's eyes followed him as he went to deliver Miss Patty's lunch, "You're not even going to guess?"

"Doesn't matter, I know it's somethin' disgusting."

Luke stalked back behind the counter and grabbed the carafe, wordlessly filling her mug back up to the top.

She smiled, "You got any ice cream back there?"

He looked up at her from under his lashes and Lorelai felt her heart do that flutter it sometimes did when he looked at her like that, looked at her like she was the only person in the room, hell, the universe.

"I've still got those industrial sized containers of chocolate and vanilla from two weeks ago. Y'know when you and Rory conned me into making you ice cream sandwiches for a week."

"And what a week it was," She said dreamily.

"Until you got sick all over the floor back there on day 5," He hitched a thumb towards the restroom towards the back of the diner.

She grimaced, "Not one of my finest moments, but I did break my personal record that night."

He gave her an impressed nod, "6 in one sitting," He drummed his hands on the countertop, "You're a biological miracle."

She gave him a dazzling smile, "So, you've got the coffee," She said with a nod towards the coffee set up behind him, "And you've got plenty of ice cream," She said, gesturing towards the kitchen.

"I do," He said, narrowing his eyes at her, just waiting to see where her mind was going next.

"How about a nice refreshing coffee milkshake?"

He sighed and lowered his head, tucking his chin against his chest. After a beat, he lifted his eyes again, meeting her dancing ones.

"Pleaaaaase?"

5-4-3-, he counted down in his head, testing his resolve, knowing he'd break but just waiting to see if she'd pull out another weapon in her arsenal.

She jutted out her bottom lip.

The pout.

One side of Luke's mouth quirked into the tiniest hint of a smile, and Lorelai felt that pesky flutter once again. She cleared her throat and cocked her head to the side, motioning towards the coffee maker. She watched him spin around on his heel and blindly reaching for the pot before stomping back into the kitchen to make her milkshake.

"Don't forget the extra whipped cream!" She exclaimed, happily kicking her legs back and forth as she awaited her treat.

Lorelai was sipping happily on her coffee milkshake, twirling the plastic straw around in the tall glass and making sure every last drop was consumed. It was almost closing now and the diner was nearly empty save for a few tables. She watched Luke silently as he worked, completely swept up in a silent dance. Picking up plates, taking orders, delivering food, refilling drinks, clearing off tables, without even the slightest of pause.

The sound of the bells above the door jolted out of her thoughts. A guy she'd never seen before, around 30 years old she assumed, marched into the diner, spotting Luke immediately.

"Are you Luke? Luke Danes? The Luke Danes?"

She spun around in her seat, taking her almost-empty milkshake with her as she eyed the scene in front of her.

Luke looked up at the foreign man and eyed him questioningly, his arms laden with dirty dishes, "Who wants to know?"

"You are! You're Luke Danes! Wow, I can't believe it's true, you're him, you're here," The man sputtered out nervously.

"Yes, we've established my name, it's even on the door. Look, you gonna order or just stand there all night?"

The man looked at Luke, shell-shocked, "Uh, um, can I, can I have your autograph?"

Luke visibly stiffened and walked back behind the counter, tossing the dishes into the bin underneath, "Kitchen's about to close up. You either order or get outta here."

"Ok, um, I'm staying in town for a few days I guess I'll, um, be back, um, when you're open," The man spun around and left the diner in a whoosh, the bells jangling wildly with his exit.

"What was that about?" Lorelai asked with a chuckle.

Luke eyed her curiously, "What?"

"Luke, can I have your autograph?" She said, putting her hand up to her mouth in mock surprise. She giggled and slurped down the rest of her milkshake, setting the empty glass onto the countertop, "Oh please, Luke, I mean, Luke Danes, The Luke Danes."

Luke picked up the empty glass and tossed it into the bin below the countertop, praying she'd stop there.

"What? Was there some sort of Burger Cook Off or French Fry Convention that I missed? What was with that guy?"

Luke shrugged, he was half relieved and half annoyed at her bit, "What, you're not used to all the loons who hang out in this town by now? How the hell do I know what he was talkin' about."

She looked at him warily for a beat. She almost pushed the issue further, but then he spoke up again.

"You done?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I should head back."

He nodded and wiped down the counter, deep in thought.

"Hey Luke?"

He looked up and met her eyes, searching them for a second, almost getting completely lost in them.

Lorelai broke their gaze to reach into her tiny pink handbag, pulling out a few dollars and sliding them across the counter, "Thanks for my milkshake. It really hit the spot."

He nodded, a feeling of relief flooding his veins when he realized she wasn't going to press him further, "Night, Lorelai," he said softly.

That damn flutter.

She gave him a soft smile of her own, hitched up her bag and tossed her hair back over her shoulder in one fluid motion, before turning around and pulling the door open, stepping out into the warm summer evening.

Lorelai flew into the kitchen at the Inn the next afternoon calling out Sookie's name and begging for a hit of caffeine.

"There's a fresh pot on!" She heard her best friend exclaim from the other side of the kitchen.

"I love how you support my habit Sook, you wouldn't believe how much of a hard time Luke gave me yesterday. It was worse than normal!" Lorelai exclaimed as she poured a mug filled to the brim, "Oh and that reminds me, I have got to tell you what happened at the diner last night!" She took a long sip before following the telltale clanging of pots and pans Sookie's workstation.

Sookie let out a tired sigh and continued quickly chopping the vegetables on the large cutting board in front of her, not even noticing when Lorelai sidled up beside her, hopping up onto the counter across from Sookie's workstation and sipped her coffee.

"You ok there, Sook?"

"Huh?" Sookie looked up and met Lorelai's concerned gaze, "Oh, yeah, I'm good, I just really want this salad to be a hit during the lunch rush."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose but tried to cover it up by giving her friend and encouraging smile, "Everything you make is amazing, you have nothing to worry about."

Sookie gave her a grateful smile with her dimples showing through, "It's my first weekend at the Inn as Head Chef while Marcel is out on vacation, so I just want it to go off without a hitch."

"You're gonna do great," Lorelai said with a confident nod.

Moments later, one of the waiters came into the kitchen to grab the salad orders Sookie had just finished preparing.

Sookie threw down her dish towel and turned towards her friend, "Ok I'm all yours now, what's up!"

Lorelai set her empty mug next to her and sighed, "It was the weirdest thing, I was at Luke's, it was close to closing time and this guy rushed in and starts begging Luke for his autograph!"

Lorelai paused for reaction, but when Sookie busied herself with folding and refolding the towel in front of her, she frowned.

"Sook, did you hear me? Autograph? Luke?"

Sookie finally met Lorelai's eyes and sputtered out, "Uh, yeah, wow, weird!"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her best friend, "What am I missing here?"

"Well, um, what did Luke say?"

"He hardly said a thing, he asked the guy if he was going to order anything and then practically threw him out."

Sookie sighed, she knew her friend wasn't going to give up until she heard the truth.

Lorelai looked at her expectantly, "Am I gonna have to waterboard you for the missing clues here, Sook?"

"Well," She said, dragging out the last few syllables in the word, "You really didn't know?"

"Know what?"

Sookie rolled her eyes, "Lorelai! Luke used to play baseball."

Lorelai looked at her friend with a blank stare, but wound her hand in a circular motion, willing her to keep going.

"Luke used to play professional baseball. Like, big time baseball."

"Really?" Lorelai said in surprise, "When?"

Sookie shrugged her shoulders, "Um, a few years ago, he was pretty good, well, no, he was pretty great. Won all types of awards and accolades. He played for the Boston Red Sox."

"Luke lived in Boston?" Lorelai asked, her eyes wide with surprise at all of this new information.

We've known each other for 2 years now, how did I not know any of this? God, I don't really know anything about Mr. Backwards Baseball Cap, do I?

Sookie nodded her head, "Oh yeah, he got recruited right out of high school! It was so exciting, probably the most exciting thing to happen to this town," she chuckled, "He was so, well, you know Luke."

Do I?

"He was all gruff and humble, not really willing to take any props or anything besides a few claps on the back. But that's Luke I guess, nothing really fazes him."

"Hmph," Lorelai grunted, sounding a little too much like the man in question, "What happened? Why is this suddenly a town secret?"

Sookie chuckled, "It's not a town secret, it's just something the town doesn't really talk about much anymore."

"Why not? I mean you just said it was like the biggest news to happen to the town in, and I quote, forever, right?"

Sookie gave her a sad smile and moved to lean against the counter opposite Lorelai, "Luke doesn't like to talk about it. He quit the league at what was probably just the height of his career."

"Um," Lorelai said, sensing the sad undertones to her friend's voice, "Do you know why?"

"Luke's dad got sick. He spent his break between seasons here in Stars Hollow taking care of him, but a few months later, William passed away. And Luke just never went back. He stayed in town, closed up the hardware store, and eventually ended up opening the diner."

Lorelai let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding, "I had no idea," she breathed out clutching her stomach.

"Oh Sweetie, how could you? It's not like you and Rory tune into ESPN or anything."

"I should have known, I should have, oh god, and I teased him, Sook, last night, after that guy left, I teased him about the autograph," Lorelai said in a panic, hopping down off of the counter to pace around the kitchen, muttering under her breath at how stupid and crazy she must have sounded.

Sookie watched the scene in front of her curiously, "Lorelai,"

"I said something about burger conventions, or was it french fries?" Lorelai continued in a panic.

"Lorelai," Sookie tried again, a little stronger.

"I should go over there, shouldn't I? Or maybe I should give him some space, space is good, Luke like's space… Ooh! I could tell him I'm quitting coffee, that might show him that I'm really serious…" She paused as if seriously considering this, "Oh I can't do that!"

"Lorelai!" Sookie exclaimed.

Lorelai whipped her head around, her mouth gaped open in shock at her friend's outburst.

Sookie walked over, raising an eyebrow, "Is there any other reason for this little outburst?"

Lorelai shook her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you never act like this, you say crazy things all the time, this is the first time I've seen you all," Sookie gestured at her, "All, you know," she lowered her voice, "Upset."

"Of course I'm upset! I'm very upset, Sookie. I upset Luke."

"How do you know you even upset him? You just told me he barely said a word, Luke barely says a word to anyone anyways."

Lorelai looked affronted, "Yes he does!"

Sookie rolled her eyes playfully, "Yeah, maybe to you."

"Luke doesn't need words, he says things without you know, actually saying them."

"Uh huh," Sookie said knowingly, "Just what is going on with the two of you anyways?"

"What do you mean," She folded her arms across her chest self consciously, "Luke and I are friends."

At least I think we're friends. Are we friends? Friends tell each other things. Friends share things. Things about their past. Things about, oh, I don't know, being a superstar baseball player.