Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea.
A/N: As always, thanks go to Jade-Tessier for being such a wonderful editor. Also, thank you to the readers. If you like what you're reading, please review it, even if you only leave a sentence or two. I love hearing what you think (and I always try to take your suggestions), so please let me know.
~~
"So what are you getting Luke for Christmas?" asked Rory her mother one sunny December Saturday a few weeks later. They were in the jeep on their way back to Yale from the hospital. As she spoke, Rory ran her fingertips over the pale skin of her arm, newly removed from its cast.
Lorelai blew her breath out loudly and exclaimed, "I swear, I wish I knew. Power tools? More flannel? Another baseball hat? None of those is right. It's our first Christmas together. What do you think?"
"Hmm, that's a tough one," said Rory slowly. "Did you ask him what he wanted?"
"Yeah," snorted Lorelai. "Get this: he wants nothing."
"Bastard," muttered Rory.
"I know! What kind of an answer is that?" Lorelai was working up a full head of outrage.
"The incorrect kind," answered Rory, rolling her eyes.
"Sing it, sistah," cried Lorelai
"How about a watch?" Rory suggested.
"The watch he has belonged to his father," explained Lorelai. "If he doesn't wear that one, I don't think he'd wear a new one."
"Good point," acknowledged Rory.
Lorelai pulled into a parking space outside of Durfee Hall and they got out and fed the meter. As they walked across the lawn, Rory said, "How about a nice tie?"
Lorelai gave her the stink-eye and replied, "Rory, ties are what you get men when you absolutely can't get them anything else. It's the cop-out gift. I don't want to get him the cop-out gift on our first Christmas."
"Point taken," Rory allowed with a nod.
They entered Rory's suite and flopped on the sofa.
Enjoying the silence, Lorelai finally asked, "Where is everybody?"
"Paris is probably at the library because that's where she always is. Janet is probably out running somewhere, and I never know where Tanna is."
"That was sort of a rhetorical question," said Lorelai philosophically. "I don't really care where anyone else is."
"Heartless woman."
"Sticks and stones."
"Fine," said Rory. "So back to the question at hand."
"Right," agreed Lorelai. "The gift."
"Do you know what he's getting you?" tried Rory.
"I wish. When he said he wanted nothing I tried to make it clear that nothing would not be an acceptable gift for me," Lorelai stated.
"How nice," answered Rory pleasantly.
"I live for others," said Lorelai with a toss of her hair.
~~
At the diner, Sookie sat down at a table with David in his carrier. Luke saw her as he came out of the kitchen and waved, then made his way across the room to her.
"Hey, haven't seen you for a while," he said in greeting.
"I know," she said, smiling "The first few weeks I've just been sort of hibernating with him."
Luke peered into the carrier and tried not to grimace at the pink face. "So this is him, eh?"
"Yep," said Sookie proudly. "This is my David."
"Nice to meet you, kid," said Luke.
David yawned in response.
"How've you been doing?" Sookie inquired.
"Good," he replied. "You know, same old, same old."
"How was Thanksgiving?" asked Sookie nodding her head to encourage him.
"It was fine," said Luke after some consideration. Then, he confided, "I've actually been going to more and more of those dinners and I'm really starting to get to know Richard and Emily."
"Excellent," Sookie smiled. "I'm so glad to hear it."
"So, what can I get you?" asked Luke, thinking about his quickly filling diner.
"I'll have a tuna sandwich with fries and a water," answered Sookie immediately
"Comin' right up," replied Luke as he walked away.
Later, as Sookie was leaving the diner with David, a familiar stranger stepped across his threshold. Luke stood at the counter and watched as the tall, blonde, lithe figure clad in a sharp navy blue pinstripe suit, with a crisp white blouse, strode across his diner and sat at the counter.
"I'll be damned," he said to her.
"You remembered!" she squealed. Her pale topknot belied her childish glee at seeing him again.
"Of course I remembered," he replied, barely aware of anyone else in the diner. Luckily, the lunch crowd was thinning "What are you doing here?"
"I'm up from New York for the day – business in Hartford – and I thought I'd take a little side trip on my way back to the city," explained the aberration.
"How long has it been? Fifteen, twenty years?" Luke was still stunned. Lex had been his first crush. Their families had lived next door to each other and they had been pals when they were small. Her parents had moved to New York when she was thirteen and he was fifteen; just about the time when Luke had started thinking of her differently. They'd never seen each other again. Until now.
"A little more, but let's not think about it," she answered playfully, grimacing at how old they both were now.
"You look great, Lex," he said still unnerved at this turn of events. "You still go by Lex?"
"Of course. In New York how could I not? It's so Superman. Plus, Alexandra is just so long. You know me: go, go, go, stop for nothing. One syllable, cut to the chase, lay it on the table. No frills."
"I remember," he answered, rolling his eyes. "I just can't believe you're here. What are you doing nowadays?"
"Lawyer," she answered immediately. At his scowl, she rejoined, "Environmental Law. I save the earth, or at least try to. And you work here?"
"I own here," he clarified.
"No! That's fantastic." Her crimson lips parted and her white toothpaste commercial teeth opened as she let out a laugh. "I can't believe it! You, an upstanding member of the community! What a hoot!"
She threw her head back and laughed, then put a hand on his arm as it lay on the counter.
Lorelai arrived just in time to witness this last bit. She stepped into the diner, took one look and then introduced her eyebrows to the ceiling.
Luke pulled away from Lex quickly and said with too much cheer, "Hey, Lorelai! I want you to meet someone."
Lorelai walked to the counter and stood one seat down from Lex. "What up, snookums?" she said through her teeth.
"Lorelai, this is Lex. We lived next door to each other before God invented dirt. Her family moved away to New York and this is the first we've seen of each other in almost thirty years. Lex, this is my g- girlfriend, Lorelai."
Lorelai extended her hand to Lex, who took it and shook it. "Nice to meet you," said Lex.
"Same here," responded Lorelai.
"Lex is in environmental law," said Luke trying to cut the tension.
"Boy, you can't seem to get enough of lawyers can you," said Lorelai sweetly.
"Oh, are you a lawyer, too?" asked Lex with interest.
"No," replied Lorelai shortly and with a fake smile.
"Lorelai owns the Dragonfly," supplied Luke.
"Wow! I loved that place as a kid. What happened to Fran Weston?"
"Dead," answered Lorelai, still with the fake smile plastered to her face and a sidelong glance at Luke.
"Oh, what a shame," mourned Lex. "She had the best cupcakes."
"Yeah," agreed Lorelai, taking in Lex's cupcakes and noting with ire that they were at least one cup size bigger than hers.
"Well," began Lex, standing ,"I was only just passing through and thought I'd stop in."
"How did you know to come here?" asked Luke, still completely turned around by the entire affair.
"The hardware sign out front hasn't changed and I thought I'd come in and see if it was still your dad's place. I hadn't planned on stopping at all, just driving through. Lucky it's never changed, huh?" she laughed.
"Lucky," repeated Lorelai.
"I'll have to come back soon and we can all get together and catch up," she said as she made for the door. "It was so good to see you again, Luke. And it was nice to meet you Lori."
"Lorelai," returned Lorelai quickly.
"Oh, my God, I'm sorry," answered Lex, genuinely distressed. "I'm usually really good with names."
"Bye!" Lorelai replied.
After they watched Lex drive away, Lorelai spun on her heel and glared daggers at Luke.
"G- girlfriend?" she raged. "What's the matter? Is it hard to say? Is it something you don't want to say anymore? And who the hell was that Barbie doll? It's like my worst nightmare. The cheerleader from Christmas past is here to steal my boyfriend."
"Calm down," he chided her. "It was exactly what I told you. We were good friends when were little. Her parents moved away. I haven't seen her in ages. She had business in Hartford and thought she'd drive by to see if anything had changed. It was nothing."
"She had her hand on your arm when I got here. That is not nothing. That is the antithesis of nothing. That is very definitely something."
"Well it was nothing to me," replied Luke calmly.
Lorelai shook her head. "Then why did you pull away so fast when I got here, like you knew you were doing something wrong?"
"I was startled that she put her hand there to begin with and then the look on your face made me feel like I was doing something wrong."
"So you admit it!" crowed Lorelai.
"I admit nothing because nothing happened."
Lorelai was silent as she squinted at his face.
"What are you doing?" he asked exasperated.
"I'm looking into your eyes to see if you're lying," she explained.
"I'm not lying. I swear to God. I'm not lying. I'll swear on a stack of bibles if you want. I love you. Only you."
Lorelai exhaled and said, "Honestly, though. I realize that I come with an awful lot of baggage. There are women out there who'd probably make you a lot happier. Women who would eat right and not name inanimate objects. Women who would enjoy batting cages and juice bars."
Luke walked around to her side of the counter and placed one hand on either side of her face, letting the pads of his thumbs slowly stroke her perfect cheekbones before he said, "Lorelai, the only woman I ever want to be with is you."
"Really? Because – "
"Really," he interrupted, firmly.
She could feel his eyes boring into hers and she softened. "Okay," she said softly.
"Now will you freakin' get married?" shouted Patty from across the diner. Unbeknownst to them, an audience had been rapidly forming during their argument.
Lorelai opened her mouth to shout them down but instead, she was stunned into silence when Luke whispered, "How 'bout it?"
"What?" she said breathlessly.
He pushed a hand into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. Then he dropped to one knee. Lorelai held her breath.
