Before anything more is said, I have to say thank you to Len for totally making my day. Your review was awesome! And another thing… actually, I'll say it at the end of this chapter cos I don't want to give anything away. Enjoy!!

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CHAPTER 3: Four broken hearts and a forgotten toolbox…

As soon as Luke had left, Lorelai noticed that Bert was still sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Then she remembered what had happened last time… when Luke had come to pick Bert up… and Max had been there. He'd asked him to marry her and the next day she'd said yes. She had to call him and sort everything out before she lead him on again. She didn't love him and she should tell him now rather than later on. Somewhat reluctantly she picked up the phone and dialled his number, surprised that she still remembered it off by heart.

"Hello?" Max answered the phone after only a few rings. Was he expecting her to call? She couldn't really remember very clearly what had happened last time around and began to panic.

"Hi, ah, Max, it's Lorelai. How's it going?" She tried her hardest to sound calm but she was far from calm.

"Lorelai, I was wondering when you'd call." Lorelai tried her hardest to remember what had happened last time. "Are you feeling okay? Did you still want to go to the town meeting?"

Without meaning to say it out loud, Lorelai suddenly cried "Ah HUH!" So that's why he'd been expecting her call. They were going to go to the town meeting together and then Luke was going go home to find out that Rachel was leaving him and the following night, Max would ask Lorelai to marry him.

"Oh, sorry… um, yeah, about that…" Lorelai trailed off. Trying to break up with someone was never easy, but doing it because you knew it was for their own good in the long run without letting them know that you knew was pretty challenging. "I'm sorry, Max, but I don't think it's a good idea."


"What? You've been talking about these town meetings for months. I want to see one for myself." Max had quite obviously missed the point.

"No, Max. I mean us. I don't think we're a good idea." She was close to crying even though she knew it was for the best.

"What? Lorelai, I don't understand." Max had obviously gotten the point this time.

"I can't explain it, but… it's just not going to work out. I'm so sorry. Please, don't call and try to figure this out, it's just not going to work. I'm so sorry," she almost whispered as she hung up the phone.

Even though she knew in her heart of hearts it was for the best, Lorelai felt a tiny piece of her heart crumble.

*******

Luke walked back to the diner after a fairly uneventful town meeting. Lorelai hadn't been there to criticise every little thing Taylor did, so the meeting was nowhere near as amusing as it usually was. As Luke entered the diner, causing the bell above the door to ring, he noticed Rachel standing behind the counter.

"Hey. You didn't miss much. The troubadours argued. Taylor hit a tiny wooden hammer against a desk." Luke gestured with his arms as he explained the goings on of the meeting. "Some festival is planned for next weekend… the usual boring small town stuff…" he trailed off as Rachel came out from behind the counter with two suitcases.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"Yeah." There was an awkward pause before Luke replied "are you gonna tell me why? Oh, no, sorry, I'm sure it's the same excuse as last time. Gotta travel, can't spread roots, must flee from Luke…" Luke gestured madly with his arms, trying to hide his pain.

"That's not it, Luke and deep down you know it. It wasn't working," Rachel paused, looking down, trying not to cry. "You don't love me, Luke. We both know that."

Luke didn't know what to say. She was right, so what could he say?

"Goodbye Luke." Rachel kissed his cheek, picked up her bags and was about to go out the door when she suddenly turned and said "She loves you too, y'know."

For a second Luke looked genuinely puzzled, but then he began slowly shaking his head. Before he could say anything, Rachel interrupted.

"Tell her, okay? If not for you, and for her, do it for me." And with that, she opened the door and left Luke alone in the diner with his thoughts.

*******

The following night, after a long winded conversation with Rory about how much of a cow Paris was, Lorelai heard a knock at the door. She froze – she assumed it would be Max and the horrible proposal would happen all over again, so she sent Rory to open the door.

"Hey, Luke, come on in," Rory said, smiling.

"Thanks." Luke looked confused and quite uncomfortable, and for the life of her, Lorelai couldn't figure out why he was looking this way. And then she remembered Rachel.

"Luke, I'm so sorry!" Forgetting that she shouldn't already know what had happened, Lorelai approached Luke and began to subconsciously rub his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

"What? Lorelai, I just came to pick up my tools. But…" Luke looked far more confused than before, but he shook it off, assuming that Patty or Babette had seen Rachel leave the previous night. He cleared his throat and said in a gruff, slightly annoyed voice, "I take it you heard."

"Ah, yeah…" Lorelai stammered. "Yeah, y'know, Patty…" she lied. She was still rubbing his arm.

"Yeah, well… I guess I'll just get my tools," Luke tried desperately to change the subject.

Rory was coming back into the room when Lorelai replied "Alright. Look after Bert for us, okay?"

Luke and Rory both looked very confused and said simultaneously "Bert?"

"Yeah. Me and Rory called it Bert and said goodnight to it and everything." She smiled widely, amused by Luke's look of slight disgust. But then she noticed that Rory was looking very confused.

"I mean I called it Bert. I did. All me. Yup, crazy ol' Lorelai all on her own…" she tried desperately to close her mouth, but it all just kept coming. "They're coming to take me away hehe…" she sung under her breath.

"Okay, Mom, you've now reached a new level of crazy. I think I'll leave you to handle her, Luke…" Rory smiled and went back to her room.

"Well. I'd better get going…" Luke sighed. He obviously had something on his mind.

"Are you sure? Come on, I'll make you… something… water? Tea? I think that's about as far as my talents go. I make a mean margarita, but I don't picture that as really being your thing." Lorelai smiled as she visualised Luke joining a conga line with a fruit basket on his head and a margarita in his hand.

Luke's head was screaming at him to get out of the Gilmore house before he did something crazy, but before his head could intervene, he noticed his mouth opening and saying "water would be great."

Lorelai smiled at him as she gestured towards the couch. "Sit sit, I'll go get it. It might take me a while to prepare, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

Luke smiled at her, silently thanking her for keeping the conversation light when he knew that in a few minutes it would take a serious turn into a deep and meaningful discussion – something he liked to avoid at all costs.

When Lorelai returned, carrying two bottles of water, Luke was sitting on the sofa with his hands clasped tightly together and resting in his lap.

"Here you go," Lorelai said, passing the bottle to Luke.

"Thanks." Luke opened the bottle and took a sip. He then breathed in deeply before sighing. He then looked down at his hands and said quietly "She's not coming back."

Lorelai's heart broke, seeing Luke so downtrodden. She placed her hand on his forearm and said quietly "I'm so sorry, Luke."

Luke scoffed and shook his head "I don't know why I'm so shocked. This is Rachel we're talking about." He looked back down at his hands.

Lorelai couldn't help herself. She'd wanted to ask him for nearly a year why Rachel had left, but been too afraid to hurt him. "What happened? Why did she leave?"

Without thinking, Luke looked up at her and looked her straight in the eye. He kept looking at her for only a second before quickly looking away. "It was nothing. Just normal Rachel behaviour. She can't stay in the one place for more than a couple of months before she makes up some lame reason to leave."

Lorelai, whose hand was still resting on Luke's arm, began to subconsciously rub his arm supportively. She smiled weakly at him and he returned the smile. They sat there for a few seconds in comfortable silence before Lorelai suddenly said "But that can't have been the only reason. I mean, you're such a great guy, why on earth would she…" Then, without warning, Lorelai remembered the last conversation she'd had with Rachel. Where Rachel had asked Lorelai if she liked Luke… and Lorelai hadn't denied it. That's why she left!

While Lorelai was figuring all this out in her head, Luke was thinking about what Lorelai had just said. She'd called him a great guy. Maybe what Rachel had said wasn't so ridiculous after all… but that thought didn't stay with Luke long. After being in love with Lorelai for so long, Luke had become so used to convincing himself that she would never feel the same way that it'd become something of a reflex. At the faintest glimmer of something more than platonic friendship from Lorelai, Luke would automatically tell himself to stop being such an ass.

When they both had finished mentally abusing themselves, they simultaneously realised that Lorelai's hand was still resting on Luke's arm. At exactly the same time, they pulled away – Lorelai running her hand through her hair and Luke returning his hands to their previous home on his lap. The comfortable silence had suddenly become very uncomfortable, so Luke cleared his throat and pretended that he suddenly had to be somewhere else.

"Yeah, well, I'd better get going. Thanks for the water."

Luke stood up, soon followed by Loreali who was still trying to figure out some witty remark to ease the tension. "It was my pleasure. Water is my speciality after all!" As Luke walked towards the front door, Lorelai widened her eyes, thinking to herself That's the best you could come up with? What's happened to you, Lorelai!?

"And thanks for listening. It was a bit strange for me to be the one talking and for you to be listening, but I think we'll both survive!" Luke gestured with his hands as he spoke and then smiled genuinely at her. Lorelai smiled back before reassuring him "It'll be okay, Luke. I promise." They exchanged caring glances before he opened the front door and left her standing there, thoroughly confused, with Bert at her feet.

*****

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And again, he leaves Bert behind! Len, what I was going to say is Are you psychic? Either that or I'm completely predictable! I just thought that seeing as Lorelai's conversation with Rachel had been different, everything would have changed a little and Rachel's parting words to Luke would also be altered a bit. Anyway, I won't blabber on anymore than I need to. BUT I need to tell you that I won't be updating quite as frequently anymore. I'd already written pretty much up to here before even posting the first chapter, so now I actually have to take the time to write some new material. Bear with me, please! And if you have any suggestions, do suggest them! I'll try my hardest to fit them into the next few chapters. I have an idea where this is going, but any input would be wonderful!