A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Please keep them coming. I know this is an
unlikely pairing but I think the two could have a better connection than
what the show portrays. It also looks like this story is going to take a
few chapters to get to the end. The two of them seem the type to resist
change and I foresee some deep discussions taking place before anything
happens. I also don't think Nicole's as bad as or Lorelai's as self-
centered as some fics have them but for the purposes of this story Nicole
is definitely the bad person and Lorelai isn't in the picture either.
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Out of Nowhere
Chapter 2 – Interrogation
"Oh, I wanted to ask you if I could work a few more shifts. The guys and I are hitting a tight spot right now and they're not having much success getting extra time at their jobs."
Lane was hoping he wouldn't use this to change the subject. Any previous reasons she may have had for coming over had been replaced by her concern for Luke. His apartment looked like a war zone. Clothes had been taken out of boxes and piled up on the couch. And it did look like he had been rearranging furniture, everything looked like it was out of place.
She wondered if it was really over between he and Nicole. She certainly hoped it was. She could tell he hadn't been happy for a long time. Ever since he had gotten involved with Nicole to be specific. At first it seemed like he was finally getting over Lorelai and moving on and he seemed to have found someone who was good to him. But if Nicole had cheated on him... that was one of those things you just don't do to someone. Luke was a great guy, he had always been there for her and it bothered her a great deal to see him so upset. Lane heard a noise from the kitchen and turned to see what Luke was doing.
Luke was busy trying to figure out how he was going to get Lane out of his apartment. It was more than a little unusual for him to have a teenaged girl in his apartment at, well, anytime of the day but pretty much never at 11:00 pm. His nervousness was rising as it usually did when he faced something strange and having Lane sitting on his couch and insisting on talking about his relationships was definitely out of the ordinary. He decided to do what he usually did to calm down and fixed something for them to drink.
"Here, you like green tea right?" Luke handed one of the mugs he was carrying to Lane. Hopefully, she'd drink it, they'd make a little small talk, he'd steer her away from the subject of Nicole and she'd go.
"Thanks." Lane took the tea both surprised and pleased that he had noticed what she drank. She had thought he only reserved that kind of attention to Rory or Lorelai. "I'm surprised you remembered that."
"Well, I've known you a long time. And aside from the junk food addiction the Gilmore's have installed in you, you actually have similar tastes to mine." Luke was hoping she would drop it at that. He didn't want to admit to himself much less her that he had been watching her pretty closely ever since she had come to work for him.
She had changed since her mother had made her move out. Less happy and a little more adult than she had been before. He no longer saw her bouncing around with more energy than a hamster on speed like she used to with all of her plans and schemes to get around the strict rules of her mother. He was hoping she would work things out with her mother but he was also proud of her in a way for showing that she could handle life on her own. Her mother had had good intentions but Luke had always wondered if all of those rules would just break her rather than make her a stronger person. He was glad to see she was coming out on the good side of things.
Lane laughed a little at the junk food comment pleased as well to have something in common with him, "There's no way I could keep up with them but I have given it my best shot." She decided to try bringing up his marriage hoping he wouldn't get upset at her prying, "Now stop trying to change the subject. I'm worried about you. What happened with you and Nicole?"
Luke sighed and sat down in an armchair. Apparently his tea ploy hadn't worked. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about this with her but maybe it would do him some good to talk to someone who was outside of the whole mess. Lorelai was too close to the center of things and Rory, well in his heart she was his daughter, no way was he discussing his wife's adultery with her. Lane though, she had the potential to be a friendly ear with no ulterior motives.
"Promise me you won't repeat any of this to Rory?"
Lane didn't mind his request it was no secret she and Rory told each other pretty much everything. But she wanted to reassure him that she could be trusted. "Of course not, Luke I would never tell anyone about you private life. I know how much you dislike being a source of gossip. I just want to be a friendly shoulder that's all."
"Well, you might not have noticed but Nicole and I haven't been getting along too well recently and the other day I found out she was having an affair with some guy. I don't know how long it's been going on and frankly I really don't want to know." Luke stopped, he wasn't used to just bearing his soul to anyone. But Lane seemed to be interested and all he could see on her face was concern for which he was glad. He didn't think he'd be able to handle seeing pity on her face.
"I'm so sorry, Luke. I know that doesn't really help, but I hope you know that it's her loss. You're a great guy and she's a fool to give you up." Lane was having a hard time keeping the anger she felt on Luke's behalf hidden behind her mask of concern. That little bitch, how could she hurt him, Lane was trying to get control of herself. He's the best guy in the world; I would jump at the chance to be with someone like him. Man, if I were a few years older I would definitely have wanted to get his attention.
Luke settled further back into his chair. He was thankful that she seemed to be satisfied with his explanation. Not that the whole affair thing hadn't been the main source of his frustration the last few days but he wasn't sure he was up to explaining all of the complexities of his and Nicole's relationship and Lorelai's part in the whole mess.
"That bitch!" Luke wasn't sure who was surprised at the sudden exclamation, him or Lane who had clapped a hand over mouth seemingly horrified by what she had just said.
He couldn't help the laugh that suddenly rumbled out. He'd had that exact same thought when he'd first realized what was going on.
Lane was trying to come up with someway to apologize. After all, Nicole was still Luke's wife and she didn't know any man who appreciated having his wife called an obscene name. Justified or not.
"Luke, I'm so sorry. I had no right to call her that. It... the thought of what she did just made me so angry."
"It's alright Lane I pretty much had the same reaction. After all, it looks like we'll be getting that divorce now and I'm actually pretty relieved the whole mess is going to be over."
Lane suddenly stood up from the couch she had been sitting on and took the mug of now cold tea from his hands and took it into the kitchen. She really wanted something to do with her hands while she tried to calm down from her embarrassment over what she had said. "Still I shouldn't have said that. Here I've been telling you that you can tell me anything and right when you do I explode."
"It's alright Lane, really. I'm, uh, actually kind of glad you got angry. Makes me think I was right in my reaction." Luke walked over to where Lane was washing the mugs over and over again. "Why don't you let me have those?"
Lane let the mugs go and watched while he set them in the strainer to dry. "Are you going to be alright? With the divorce and everything I mean."
"I think so." Luke turned his head to look at her and decided to be honest, she'd been a good friend so far maybe he could rely on her a bit more. "To be honest, Nicole and I should never have gotten married to begin with. What's that old joke, 'We took a perfectly good relationship and ruined it by getting married'."
Lane was glad he was continuing to talk to her. She had been worried he wouldn't want to after her outburst. Though it was a little strange to her, having an adult conversation with the guy who used to sneak her hot chocolate when her mother wasn't paying attention when she was a child. Things had definitely changed in her world and his too apparently if he was willing to be this open with her. Once again she took notice of how he looked with his hands braced against the kitchen counter looking out through the blinds above the sink. He looks good, was her first thought followed quickly by, don't think about that concentrate on what he needs and that's a friend.
Hoping to hide the blush that had risen in her face she turned to go back into the living room. She tried teasing him a little. "So, I take it that means the hurricane that went through here was actually you just moving back in?"
"Uh, yeah, sorry about the mess. Not too many people come by here this late. Or ever for that matter." Now it was Luke's turn to be embarrassed by what he'd said. He hadn't meant to let that slip out. Though it had always bothered him a little that people didn't really seem to want to just visit him. Usually they had something they wanted him to do or fix. It seemed he was just the ever-present fix-it guy that no one really paid attention to until they needed him. It struck him then just how lonely he was. Life with Nicole in it may not have been ideal but at least someone had sought him out and wanted to spend time with him that didn't involve broken windows or town festivals.
Lane didn't know how to respond to Luke's statement. The way he had ducked his head and was rubbing his neck were sure signs he was a little embarrassed. She hoped it wasn't because he didn't think she would understand.
"Luke, I want you to know that you always have a friend in me if you need one. I know what it's like to be seen as the third wheel so to speak. But everyone needs friends and people to focus on them for themselves and not just as the person who's always on the sidelines. You've been so great helping me with everything and I've felt a little like I was taking advantage of your good nature. So I'm just glad to be whatever kind of friend you need for as long as you need it." Lane had considered telling him he was like a father to her but quickly dismissed the idea.
He hadn't really been a father figure though he had always been there for her when she was young. So many years of listening to her mother tell her that all men were after one thing and that was it had left her with the feeling that all men, Luke included, were not to be trusted. But over the years, realizing that her mother did in fact approve and to some degree even like Luke she had always thought in the back of her mind that he must be special in some way, a better man than most maybe and she had shied away from seeing him as a father and more like the kind of man she would like to be involved with someday.
"Lane I appreciate your friendship, really. And you're right it is important for people to have someone to turn to. And you've never taken advantage of me. I have and will always want to help you anyway I can." Unaccustomed to such long speeches about his feelings like that, Luke was relieved to see Lane smile at him. He wondered if she didn't need the same thing, a friend who was focused on her and wanted to help with her problems. At any rate asking about her would take the interrogation off of him.
"Listen, Lane if there's anything you need to talk about you know you can come tell me right?" Lane nodded her head at that. It would be nice to talk to someone who didn't know all of the details of her life like Rory did. Maybe an outside opinion of what was going on with her mother was what she needed.
"Well, if you don't mind listening to me ramble on and on I guess I would like to talk to someone."
"Ramble away. You've got 'til the diner opens to get it all off of your chest."
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Chapter 3 Coming Soon
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Out of Nowhere
Chapter 2 – Interrogation
"Oh, I wanted to ask you if I could work a few more shifts. The guys and I are hitting a tight spot right now and they're not having much success getting extra time at their jobs."
Lane was hoping he wouldn't use this to change the subject. Any previous reasons she may have had for coming over had been replaced by her concern for Luke. His apartment looked like a war zone. Clothes had been taken out of boxes and piled up on the couch. And it did look like he had been rearranging furniture, everything looked like it was out of place.
She wondered if it was really over between he and Nicole. She certainly hoped it was. She could tell he hadn't been happy for a long time. Ever since he had gotten involved with Nicole to be specific. At first it seemed like he was finally getting over Lorelai and moving on and he seemed to have found someone who was good to him. But if Nicole had cheated on him... that was one of those things you just don't do to someone. Luke was a great guy, he had always been there for her and it bothered her a great deal to see him so upset. Lane heard a noise from the kitchen and turned to see what Luke was doing.
Luke was busy trying to figure out how he was going to get Lane out of his apartment. It was more than a little unusual for him to have a teenaged girl in his apartment at, well, anytime of the day but pretty much never at 11:00 pm. His nervousness was rising as it usually did when he faced something strange and having Lane sitting on his couch and insisting on talking about his relationships was definitely out of the ordinary. He decided to do what he usually did to calm down and fixed something for them to drink.
"Here, you like green tea right?" Luke handed one of the mugs he was carrying to Lane. Hopefully, she'd drink it, they'd make a little small talk, he'd steer her away from the subject of Nicole and she'd go.
"Thanks." Lane took the tea both surprised and pleased that he had noticed what she drank. She had thought he only reserved that kind of attention to Rory or Lorelai. "I'm surprised you remembered that."
"Well, I've known you a long time. And aside from the junk food addiction the Gilmore's have installed in you, you actually have similar tastes to mine." Luke was hoping she would drop it at that. He didn't want to admit to himself much less her that he had been watching her pretty closely ever since she had come to work for him.
She had changed since her mother had made her move out. Less happy and a little more adult than she had been before. He no longer saw her bouncing around with more energy than a hamster on speed like she used to with all of her plans and schemes to get around the strict rules of her mother. He was hoping she would work things out with her mother but he was also proud of her in a way for showing that she could handle life on her own. Her mother had had good intentions but Luke had always wondered if all of those rules would just break her rather than make her a stronger person. He was glad to see she was coming out on the good side of things.
Lane laughed a little at the junk food comment pleased as well to have something in common with him, "There's no way I could keep up with them but I have given it my best shot." She decided to try bringing up his marriage hoping he wouldn't get upset at her prying, "Now stop trying to change the subject. I'm worried about you. What happened with you and Nicole?"
Luke sighed and sat down in an armchair. Apparently his tea ploy hadn't worked. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about this with her but maybe it would do him some good to talk to someone who was outside of the whole mess. Lorelai was too close to the center of things and Rory, well in his heart she was his daughter, no way was he discussing his wife's adultery with her. Lane though, she had the potential to be a friendly ear with no ulterior motives.
"Promise me you won't repeat any of this to Rory?"
Lane didn't mind his request it was no secret she and Rory told each other pretty much everything. But she wanted to reassure him that she could be trusted. "Of course not, Luke I would never tell anyone about you private life. I know how much you dislike being a source of gossip. I just want to be a friendly shoulder that's all."
"Well, you might not have noticed but Nicole and I haven't been getting along too well recently and the other day I found out she was having an affair with some guy. I don't know how long it's been going on and frankly I really don't want to know." Luke stopped, he wasn't used to just bearing his soul to anyone. But Lane seemed to be interested and all he could see on her face was concern for which he was glad. He didn't think he'd be able to handle seeing pity on her face.
"I'm so sorry, Luke. I know that doesn't really help, but I hope you know that it's her loss. You're a great guy and she's a fool to give you up." Lane was having a hard time keeping the anger she felt on Luke's behalf hidden behind her mask of concern. That little bitch, how could she hurt him, Lane was trying to get control of herself. He's the best guy in the world; I would jump at the chance to be with someone like him. Man, if I were a few years older I would definitely have wanted to get his attention.
Luke settled further back into his chair. He was thankful that she seemed to be satisfied with his explanation. Not that the whole affair thing hadn't been the main source of his frustration the last few days but he wasn't sure he was up to explaining all of the complexities of his and Nicole's relationship and Lorelai's part in the whole mess.
"That bitch!" Luke wasn't sure who was surprised at the sudden exclamation, him or Lane who had clapped a hand over mouth seemingly horrified by what she had just said.
He couldn't help the laugh that suddenly rumbled out. He'd had that exact same thought when he'd first realized what was going on.
Lane was trying to come up with someway to apologize. After all, Nicole was still Luke's wife and she didn't know any man who appreciated having his wife called an obscene name. Justified or not.
"Luke, I'm so sorry. I had no right to call her that. It... the thought of what she did just made me so angry."
"It's alright Lane I pretty much had the same reaction. After all, it looks like we'll be getting that divorce now and I'm actually pretty relieved the whole mess is going to be over."
Lane suddenly stood up from the couch she had been sitting on and took the mug of now cold tea from his hands and took it into the kitchen. She really wanted something to do with her hands while she tried to calm down from her embarrassment over what she had said. "Still I shouldn't have said that. Here I've been telling you that you can tell me anything and right when you do I explode."
"It's alright Lane, really. I'm, uh, actually kind of glad you got angry. Makes me think I was right in my reaction." Luke walked over to where Lane was washing the mugs over and over again. "Why don't you let me have those?"
Lane let the mugs go and watched while he set them in the strainer to dry. "Are you going to be alright? With the divorce and everything I mean."
"I think so." Luke turned his head to look at her and decided to be honest, she'd been a good friend so far maybe he could rely on her a bit more. "To be honest, Nicole and I should never have gotten married to begin with. What's that old joke, 'We took a perfectly good relationship and ruined it by getting married'."
Lane was glad he was continuing to talk to her. She had been worried he wouldn't want to after her outburst. Though it was a little strange to her, having an adult conversation with the guy who used to sneak her hot chocolate when her mother wasn't paying attention when she was a child. Things had definitely changed in her world and his too apparently if he was willing to be this open with her. Once again she took notice of how he looked with his hands braced against the kitchen counter looking out through the blinds above the sink. He looks good, was her first thought followed quickly by, don't think about that concentrate on what he needs and that's a friend.
Hoping to hide the blush that had risen in her face she turned to go back into the living room. She tried teasing him a little. "So, I take it that means the hurricane that went through here was actually you just moving back in?"
"Uh, yeah, sorry about the mess. Not too many people come by here this late. Or ever for that matter." Now it was Luke's turn to be embarrassed by what he'd said. He hadn't meant to let that slip out. Though it had always bothered him a little that people didn't really seem to want to just visit him. Usually they had something they wanted him to do or fix. It seemed he was just the ever-present fix-it guy that no one really paid attention to until they needed him. It struck him then just how lonely he was. Life with Nicole in it may not have been ideal but at least someone had sought him out and wanted to spend time with him that didn't involve broken windows or town festivals.
Lane didn't know how to respond to Luke's statement. The way he had ducked his head and was rubbing his neck were sure signs he was a little embarrassed. She hoped it wasn't because he didn't think she would understand.
"Luke, I want you to know that you always have a friend in me if you need one. I know what it's like to be seen as the third wheel so to speak. But everyone needs friends and people to focus on them for themselves and not just as the person who's always on the sidelines. You've been so great helping me with everything and I've felt a little like I was taking advantage of your good nature. So I'm just glad to be whatever kind of friend you need for as long as you need it." Lane had considered telling him he was like a father to her but quickly dismissed the idea.
He hadn't really been a father figure though he had always been there for her when she was young. So many years of listening to her mother tell her that all men were after one thing and that was it had left her with the feeling that all men, Luke included, were not to be trusted. But over the years, realizing that her mother did in fact approve and to some degree even like Luke she had always thought in the back of her mind that he must be special in some way, a better man than most maybe and she had shied away from seeing him as a father and more like the kind of man she would like to be involved with someday.
"Lane I appreciate your friendship, really. And you're right it is important for people to have someone to turn to. And you've never taken advantage of me. I have and will always want to help you anyway I can." Unaccustomed to such long speeches about his feelings like that, Luke was relieved to see Lane smile at him. He wondered if she didn't need the same thing, a friend who was focused on her and wanted to help with her problems. At any rate asking about her would take the interrogation off of him.
"Listen, Lane if there's anything you need to talk about you know you can come tell me right?" Lane nodded her head at that. It would be nice to talk to someone who didn't know all of the details of her life like Rory did. Maybe an outside opinion of what was going on with her mother was what she needed.
"Well, if you don't mind listening to me ramble on and on I guess I would like to talk to someone."
"Ramble away. You've got 'til the diner opens to get it all off of your chest."
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Chapter 3 Coming Soon