* * * * *
Lorelai stood silently in the doorway for a while, watching as Luke slipped on his jeans and tee shirt from last night. "Morning, sleepy."
"Hey." He looked up, noticing her for the first time. She looked rumpled and beautiful, dressed in a pair of pajama pants, blue with rubber duckies printed on them, and a tiny tank top, and over the tank top was his old gray flannel shirt. Her fingers barely peeked out from under the cuffs, but it hung on her like it belonged there. He felt ridiculously proud. "I can't believe you woke up before me."
"Must be leftover adrenaline." She waggled her eyebrows. "You know, from all the sex."
He nodded, trying not to grin. Trying to be cool. "I seem to recall."
"Here, I brought you something."
He eyed the offering skeptically. "What is it?"
"It's the heart's blood of our enemies, to seal our dark union."
"You sacrificed Taylor and you didn't wake me up for it?"
"He struggled. It wasn't pretty. I thought it too much for your delicate sensibilities." He took the mug from her warm hands, running his fingers over hers more than was necessary for the exchange of a beverage. He knew exactly the necessary amount from his long history with her. Another tiny barrier crossed.
"It's green tea," she explained.
"In the ceramic head of a cartoon monkey."
"It's Mojo Jojo." They sat on the edge of the bed; Lorelai folded her legs under her and leaned on him. "I picked him out especially for you. He's disgruntled."
He took an experimental sip. Surprised, he confirmed, "It is green tea."
"You didn't really think it was the heart's blood of our enemies, did you? Because I don't have that kind of time. It's such a hassle, you've got to lay down the tarps, and bless the ceremonial daggers -"
"Where did you get green tea?"
"Rory bought some when she was home over Christmas. Her roommate got her into it. That girl's a bad influence. She'll deny it, but I swear I caught Rory making eyes at a box of kashi last time we went to the market," she said darkly.
"The horror."
"This is what I said."
She scooted around behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He set down the tea and held her hands in his now warm ones. "I love your back," she said into the soft cotton covering his shoulders. He didn't answer, only stroked her palm with his thumb. "Now you're supposed to say, 'I love your front'," she teased.
"I thought that came across pretty well last night."
"Mm, true. Actions speak louder. How long were you saving up that particular speech, oh man of few words?"
He half-laughed, half-sighed, and she felt his back rise and fall with his breath. "You have no idea."
She tightened her embrace a little, and said softly, "I'm sorry about that."
"About what?"
"That I had no idea."
He shrugged. "You were busy."
"Right, busy entertaining the town with my wacky romantic misadventures. And then there was that leisurely cruise by the pyramids I took."
"What?"
"Pyramids. Egypt. De-Nile."
"Ah."
Her voice took on an anxious note. "I mean, it's not like I didn't... it's not like I just suddenly... you know?"
"I know," he reassured her. He shifted so that they faced each other, and brushed some hair off her face. "It was just... a timing thing. I always figured, if it was going to happen, it would just happen."
"Guess you were right." She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his.
"Yeah." He smiled. "Surprised the hell out of me, too."
"I love surprises."
They kissed, their first morning after kiss. It was soft and unhurried, and she smiled to realize he must have hit the Scope in the medicine cabinet. "Sorry," she said when they pulled apart. "Stinky morning breath."
He kissed her again, and said, "This one time we'll let it slide."
"Be right back." She sprang up from the bed, headed for the bathroom.
"Lorelai, you don't have to--"
"No, now it's all I can think about," she said, smacking her mouth a few times. "Blech. Don't go anywhere."
He chuckled and fell back onto the mattress. "Wasn't planning to." But he'd have to eventually. Soon. He'd have to go to work, talk to people, act as if this were a normal day; as if it wasn't The Day After His First Night With Lorelai.
Before he could contemplate this any further she came bounding into the room waving a toothbrush. "Luke! Luke!" She skidded to a stop in front of the bed, grabbed his hand and pulled him upright.
"What?"
She bounced giddily on the balls of her feet. "Did you look outside?" She backed toward the window, dragging him along by the forearm. "Did you see?" Lorelai pulled the curtain aside with a flourish.
"It's snowing."
"Yes!" She watched enraptured as it fell. "It's snowing just for me." Beaming, she turned to him. "For us."
"It's too warm to stick, you know. It'll all be gone before noon," he said, but he was smiling.
"Oh, shut up and enjoy the pretty visual." She relaxed against him, and he simply held her as they watched the flakes drift to the ground. After a few minutes she spoke again, seeming to have used the silence to gather her thoughts. "I thought this would be weird. I woke up, and when I saw you were still asleep I went downstairs because I think I panicked a little. I didn't know what I was going to say to you. Last night it seemed easy, but today for some reason I expected it to be awkward because... you know. It's us. We're us. And this is new for us. It's... different."
"Definitely different." He tried not to tense up, worried where she was going with this.
"And it kind of makes everything different. The whole world. I feel like the sky should be a different color. So I thought it might be, well, weird. I didn't know how I'd handle it. You may not have noticed this, but I sometimes don't react well to change."
"So far you've handled it pretty well."
"That's because it's not like I thought it would be. As soon as I stepped into this room and I saw you... not weird at all."
"Oh," he said, relieved. "That's good."
"That's very good. What about you?" She turned to see his face.
"Is it weird for me?"
"Uh huh."
"It's... nice."
"Nice? That's it?"
"It's very nice."
"I'll accept that answer because I know that it's Luke-speak for 'I melt in your presence, you have fulfilled my every longing, your beauty takes my very breath away.'"
He smirked, kissed her temple. "Hey, all I got was 'not weird.'"
"How about happy?" she asked sincerely. "Not weird and very happy."
"I'll take that." He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek, and they kissed leisurely.
Lorelai sighed, contented, and settled into his arms. "You know, I hear different is the new normal."
"Meaning..."
"Meaning, I wouldn't mind if this happened again. Often. Regularly, even. That's what all of this means, right? That we're together now?"
He decided to tread carefully. "If you want."
"No!" She smacked him lightly on the chest. "Not 'if I want.' You're supposed to say, 'Yes, dammit, and even if you freak out, and get scared and try to make a run for it, I'm not going to let you, little missy, because we are together now.'"
"I'm supposed to call you 'little missy'?"
"Well, no, but the other stuff. It's more the spirit of the thing."
"Are you going to freak out and make a run for it?"
"I have no plans to, but you never know with me." She frowned a little and picked at the fraying cuff of the shirt she wore.
"Lorelai." He gently lifted her chin until she met his eyes.
"Hmm?"
"We are together now," he stated firmly.
Cradling his face, she kissed him softly. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
A few minutes later they stood on her front porch. "You really have to go to work?"
"Yes. So do you."
"Damn. Kiss me goodbye."
Luke looked around warily. "The neighbors..."
"Who do you think I live next to, Gladys Kravitz? It's cold out here, kiss me goodbye." She grabbed the collar of his jacket and drew him to her. When they parted, they were both smiling.
"So..." he started, backing toward the steps, "I'll see you later, then? I mean, you'll stop by, right? For, uh, for coffee?"
"Look at you, all cute and stammering all of a sudden."
He rolled his eyes. "Lorelai."
"Try and keep me away."
"I wouldn't dare. I'd fear for my life."
"Damn straight."
"So... later, then."
"Watch the stairs, there."
"What? Oh. Yeah." He took the stairs quickly, then turned around again to look at her. "I, uh... what I said last night... we don't have to bring that up again if you don't want to..."
"Luke."
"Yeah?"
"Me too."
"Yeah?"
"'Yeah,'" she mimicked.
"Okay," he nodded.
"You're smiling again," she told him as he walked to his truck. "Better watch that, someone might think you're happy." As he started up the engine she called to him, "I'm keeping the shirt!"
When the truck was out of sight she ducked into the house and sprinted to the phone. Her bunny slippers slipped on the wood floor and she collapsed onto the couch, hit speed dial, and toyed impatiently with the buttons of her new shirt. "Ring, ring, come on, it's seven o'clock already, sensible people are awake to answer the--Rory! Time to wake up, hon. Mommy's got news."