Title: Fishing, but for what?
Disclaimer: I wish.
Summary: Unsatisfied with the network's result, I've rewritten the scene with Luke's fishing tutorial.
A/N: I didn't think I'd ever actually get around to writing one of these but I was just so annoyed with the show last night that it spilled out. If I get a good response, I may rewrite the entire second half of the episode. Please let me know if the format is ok. I just typed it in the way I thought it out.
Enjoy.
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Luke and Lorelai stand side by side below her front porch. The are facing a small, blue, inflatable wading pool which has been set up on the snow. Luke is holding a fishing rod.
Luke: OK, now you hold the rod in your right hand like this, with your index finger over the line. Keep you index finger tight; it keeps the line from spinning off the reel. Then you take your left hand and unlock the reel. Bring your rod up to ten o'clock…
Luke demonstrates.
Luke: …snap it forward, and release the line at two o'clock.
The corked hook lands in the middle of the wading pool.
Lorelai: Yay!
Lorelai claps her hands.
Luke: Now you try.
Luke reels the line in and hands the rod to Lorelai
Lorelai: I put my right hand here…
She looks to Luke for reassurance. He nods
Lorelai: …and my finger goes here?
Luke reaches over and adjusts her grip slightly.
Lorelai: I unhook this…. Ah!
The reel spins like crazy, and Luke grabs the rod out of Lorelai's hand.
Luke: (patiently) You have to keep your index finger tight along the rod. If you release the line, that happens.
Luke gestures to the pile of line sitting on top of the snow. He reels it in.
Luke: Alright, let's try this again.
Luke moves to stand just behind Lorelai and takes her hand in his.
Luke: Right hand goes here.
He places her hand around the rod in the correct grip, but does not let go.
Luke: Unlock the reel.
Lorelai unlocks the reel. Luke's hand is still over hers on the fishing rod.
Luke: Bring the rod back to ten o'clock…
Luke guides her arm back, cognizant of her forearm alongside his, despite layers of fabric and winter insulation in-between.
Luke: (Voice faltering a bit) Snap and release.
Nothing happens. Lorelai nudges backwards with her shoulder blade, bumping into Luke's chest.
Lorelai: (faux-annoyed) Lu-uke, you were supposed to release.
Luke straightens up suddenly, and drops his hand from its position over Lorelai's.
Luke: Right. Sorry. I was distracted.
Lorelai: Ooh... Was one of the gnomes moving again?
Luke: What? No. Don't be ridiculous.
Lorelai: What was so distracting then?
Luke: Never mind. Why don't you try one by yourself?
Lorelai is miffed by the abrupt change of subject, but straightens for another attempt, ignoring a flustered Luke who moves to stand beside her again. Lorelai goes through the motions of casting.
Lorelai: OK, so unlock, back, snap, release…
The corked hook lands about three feet behind the pool.
Lorelai: (reeling the line in) Now, see, if we were at the real lake, the little cork, thingy would have actually hit water.
Luke: That was good. Next time, don't snap it quite so hard.
Lorelai: I have to do this again?
Luke: Practice makes perfect.
Lorelai: You sound like my mother.
Luke: Just do it again.
Lorelai: Hmph.
Lorelai casts again and this time the cork lands smack dab in the middle of the pool.
Lorelai: I did it! And on my third try! I told you fishing was my destiny.
Luke reaches down to get his other fishing rod.
Luke: Congratulations.
Standing back up, he looks at Lorelai who is trying very hard not to jump up and down with excitement. He gives her a small smile. She smiles wider. They stand there, two idiots smiling at each other for a few moments longer than is strictly comfortable. Luke is the one who finally breaks the reverie.
Luke: So why are you doing this again?
He casts his line, and his uncorked hook lands in the middle of the pool.
Lorelai: (Shifting uneasily) I told you. Some friends of mine fish and I thought…
Luke: Sookie?
Lorelai: What?
Luke: Does Sookie fish?
Lorelai: No….
Luke: Then who? Rory? Jackson? Michel?
Lorelai bursts out laughing at this last suggestion.
Lorelai: How… (giggling) …absurd!
She mimics Michel's accent.
Lorelai: What? You expect me to feesh? You want me to touch zat? With my bare 'ands?
Luke: (Almost angrily) Then who?
Startled, Lorelai looks up. She searches Luke's glaring face for a moment before she gets it. He knows. Still, she realizes she doesn't want to confirm it. She doesn't want him to know she has a date. Not entirely sure why, she does not stop her mouth from continuing the conversation.
Lorelai: Well, I met this guy…
Luke's face drops, not into sadness, but into the mask Lorelai has come to recognize as the expression he wears when trying to hide pain. Trying to digest this, she babbles on.
Lorelai: And we were talking and he made some comment about camping and fishing and I must have agreed or something because next time I knew he was asking me if I wanted to come along on a fishing trip this weekend and I couldn't tell him I'd lied, so I said yes. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing so Rory checked those books out of the library and then you offered to help and …
Luke: So this is the first date?
Lorelai: Second. The topic came up at this coffee tasting thing he took me to.
Luke stiffens. He wants to scream, "I'm the one who gives you coffee! Me, Luke! Not some other guy!"
Luke: What's his name?
Lorelai blanks for just a second, and clears her throat.
Lorelai: Um… Alex.
Finally, Luke's pain has a name. Alex.
Lorelai: He's opening a chain of coffeeshops with Sookie's friend, Joe. We ran into them when we were taking this class on inns at the learning center. Sookie and Joe started catching up on old times and sort of left us hanging there.
Lorelai's babbling runs down. She wonders what is going on. Why is this conversation so hard? She's only discussing her latest fling with her best friend. So why does Luke seem so upset? Why, for that matter is she getting so upset? She can't figure out why she seems to be making excuses for meeting a perfectly nice guy. It's almost as if…
Luke: You know, It'll be hard to pretend you know how to fish if you don't have your own rod.
Lorelai looks up, her train of thought derailed.
Lorelai: I hadn't thought of that.
She reels in her line.
Luke: You can borrow the one you're holding now, if you want.
Lorelai: Really?
She stands the rod against the porch behind her.
Luke: Yeah, and I have an extra tackle box too, to help the delusion.
Lorelai: Illusion, not delusion.
Luke: I said what I meant.
Luke starts to reel in his line. Lorelai turns to face him.
Lorelai: Thank you.
Luke: It was nothing.
Lorelai: It was a lot more than that.
Lorelai gestures to the paraphernalia scattered across the snow. As her hand completes the gesture, it lands on his upper arm. She feels it tense up, and starts to pull back.
Luke: (Almost, but not quite, huskily) Lorelai…
Something in her snaps at his voice. Lorelai looks up sharply. Everything is different. She can hear with perfect clarity the sound of the trout splashing in the wading pool, and the faint pounding and buzz of construction in the town proper. The snow is a brighter white, the sky is a deeper blue, and Luke's eyes… Luke's eyes… Oh no!
Lorelai: Yes?
It's true. It's true. It's true. The words play over and over in Lorelai's head. "Don't say it!" she begs silently. "Not now!"
Luke: You're welcome.
He moves away and Lorelai's hand drops to her side. Everything is back to normal: colors, sounds, Luke…
Luke begins to gather up the fishing gear.
Luke: Are you going to help me pack up or what?
Lorelai: Uh, sure.
Something inside Lorelai starts to ache as she picks up Luke's spare rod and tackle and carries them to her front porch. She sets them down and cringes. It's going to take a lot more than an Icy Hot Patch to dull this pain.