A/N: Well, all good things must come to an end. This chapter is a little
shorter than the others but I think it sums things up quite nicely. Due to
schedule and VCR conflicts I've yet to see any of the new shows that have
just started airing so I'm hoping I'm not flying in the face of canon just
yet.
I appreciate each and every review, the good and the bad. I really want everyone's opinion on the story as a whole, please.
♠♠♠♠♠
Out of Nowhere
Chapter 6 – Aftermath
Lane opened her eyes surprised to see it was just turning light outside. She realized Luke would already be down in the diner. She wondered how they would react to each other now that it was morning and time to move on. Rolling onto her back her arm reached out and touched another arm. Startling her for a moment, she turned her head to see Luke watching her intently.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"Sleep okay?"
"Yeah, you?"
Luke suddenly smiled at her, "I don't think I've ever slept that well."
Lane laughed relieved the tension that had been growing had been broken. "I wasn't expecting you to still be here. I thought you were opening the diner?"
"I started to get up but decided that I'd much rather stay here. So I called Caesar and had him come in for me." Luke could tell by the look in her eyes Lane was relieved he was still here. He'd been unwilling to leave here to wake up alone. Last night was something he didn't think he would ever be able to forget and he didn't want her thinking he regretted it in the slightest.
He had spent the last couple of hours watching her sleep trying to remember the last time he had felt so at peace with himself. A peace that surprised him for more reasons than one. He had expected to wake up horrified by what he'd done, full of remorse for having taking advantage of a young woman who hadn't known exactly what she was offering. But none of that had happened. There was no remorse or regret. Lane had given him complete acceptance, a rare thing for him to receive. He could honestly say that no other woman he had been with had been so willing to accept him as he was. Lane had relied on him to show her everything, she hadn't been comparing him to others, as he knew Rachel had done and she didn't want him to act differently like Nicole had. He could only hope her reaction would be as good as his, he wasn't sure what he would do if she suddenly decided it had all been a horrible mistake.
Lane was watching Luke watch her. She was glad he had stayed, all of the comfort and passion of the night before would probably have been overshadowed by nerves and tension if he had gone downstairs. At least this way she could see by the smile on his face that he wasn't suffering any regrets. Thank goodness, she didn't know what she would have done if he had decided it had all been a horrible mistake.
"So. Now what?" Lane couldn't help but ask. Last night had been incredible but they had both gone into it knowing it would be a one-time thing.
"I don't know. I don't think I've ever been in this position before." Luke was unsure what to do now that they both knew the other wasn't having any regrets. "Are you sure you're okay with everything?"
"Absolutely okay." She kissed him lightly and decided she should leave on a high note. Lane smiled at Luke then slipped out of the bed reaching for her clothes that were piled on the floor. "I'm going to take a shower and then get home. The guys will hopefully be out to work when I get there."
Luke watched Lane walk into the bathroom a little surprised by her ease with walking around naked in front of him. He got up and went to the kitchen. He looked out the window thinking about all of the things they had discussed the night before. It was morning now, usually things that seemed like a great idea at 2:00 am showed their flaws in the morning but he had to admit everything she had told him still rang true. He did deserve better than what he allowed himself to have. Avoidance wasn't going to solve any of his problems. She had shown him that he had more to offer than he had thought. Maybe it was time he made choices for himself instead of letting others decide for him.
Lane came out of the bathroom still feeling a little proud that she had managed to walk all the way in there without a stitch on without blushing a bright red. She came up behind Luke and slipped her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder.
"I hope you're standing here making plans and not thinking about your inventory or something?" She teased him gently. She wanted him to be happy; he deserved it more so than anyone else she knew. It was time he did something about it. She herself knew she was different today than she had been before. All the things he had said had finally made her realize that she could be herself and her mother's daughter without feeling split in two. Acceptance of others begins with acceptance of yourself. Okay, that's enough Zen for one morning, she thought, that was a little too deep for this time of day.
Luke laughed at her comment. "No inventory I swear." He turned to face her. "How about you?"
"I've got a plan in mind. Not a real complex one but I have faith in it." She smiled at him then reached up and kissed him. "That's the last one of those I'll probably get, huh? Please let me in on what happens?"
"I'm sure you'll pry it out of me somehow. Same goes for you." Luke took her hand in his and followed her to the door. "I'll check in with you later. See how you made out." He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled back at him and turned to go downstairs aiming to slip out the back. He watched her go and knew that someday she was going to be a very bright light in some guy's life. And he had better treat her right or he was going to face Luke's wrath.
♠♠♠♠♠
Lane slowly walked up the familiar path and stopped in front of the door. The scent of wood polish washed over her and an ache formed in her chest. She knocked and waited for the door to open.
"Hi Mama, I want to talk to you about some things and I'm not going anywhere until we come to an understanding."
♠♠♠♠♠
Luke slowly walked up the familiar path and stopped in front of the door. The sound of an eighties rock band drifted out to him and ache formed in his chest. He knocked and waited for the door to open.
"Hi Lorelai, I want to talk to you about some things and I'm not going anywhere until we come to an understanding."
♠♠♠♠♠
The End
I appreciate each and every review, the good and the bad. I really want everyone's opinion on the story as a whole, please.
♠♠♠♠♠
Out of Nowhere
Chapter 6 – Aftermath
Lane opened her eyes surprised to see it was just turning light outside. She realized Luke would already be down in the diner. She wondered how they would react to each other now that it was morning and time to move on. Rolling onto her back her arm reached out and touched another arm. Startling her for a moment, she turned her head to see Luke watching her intently.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"Sleep okay?"
"Yeah, you?"
Luke suddenly smiled at her, "I don't think I've ever slept that well."
Lane laughed relieved the tension that had been growing had been broken. "I wasn't expecting you to still be here. I thought you were opening the diner?"
"I started to get up but decided that I'd much rather stay here. So I called Caesar and had him come in for me." Luke could tell by the look in her eyes Lane was relieved he was still here. He'd been unwilling to leave here to wake up alone. Last night was something he didn't think he would ever be able to forget and he didn't want her thinking he regretted it in the slightest.
He had spent the last couple of hours watching her sleep trying to remember the last time he had felt so at peace with himself. A peace that surprised him for more reasons than one. He had expected to wake up horrified by what he'd done, full of remorse for having taking advantage of a young woman who hadn't known exactly what she was offering. But none of that had happened. There was no remorse or regret. Lane had given him complete acceptance, a rare thing for him to receive. He could honestly say that no other woman he had been with had been so willing to accept him as he was. Lane had relied on him to show her everything, she hadn't been comparing him to others, as he knew Rachel had done and she didn't want him to act differently like Nicole had. He could only hope her reaction would be as good as his, he wasn't sure what he would do if she suddenly decided it had all been a horrible mistake.
Lane was watching Luke watch her. She was glad he had stayed, all of the comfort and passion of the night before would probably have been overshadowed by nerves and tension if he had gone downstairs. At least this way she could see by the smile on his face that he wasn't suffering any regrets. Thank goodness, she didn't know what she would have done if he had decided it had all been a horrible mistake.
"So. Now what?" Lane couldn't help but ask. Last night had been incredible but they had both gone into it knowing it would be a one-time thing.
"I don't know. I don't think I've ever been in this position before." Luke was unsure what to do now that they both knew the other wasn't having any regrets. "Are you sure you're okay with everything?"
"Absolutely okay." She kissed him lightly and decided she should leave on a high note. Lane smiled at Luke then slipped out of the bed reaching for her clothes that were piled on the floor. "I'm going to take a shower and then get home. The guys will hopefully be out to work when I get there."
Luke watched Lane walk into the bathroom a little surprised by her ease with walking around naked in front of him. He got up and went to the kitchen. He looked out the window thinking about all of the things they had discussed the night before. It was morning now, usually things that seemed like a great idea at 2:00 am showed their flaws in the morning but he had to admit everything she had told him still rang true. He did deserve better than what he allowed himself to have. Avoidance wasn't going to solve any of his problems. She had shown him that he had more to offer than he had thought. Maybe it was time he made choices for himself instead of letting others decide for him.
Lane came out of the bathroom still feeling a little proud that she had managed to walk all the way in there without a stitch on without blushing a bright red. She came up behind Luke and slipped her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder.
"I hope you're standing here making plans and not thinking about your inventory or something?" She teased him gently. She wanted him to be happy; he deserved it more so than anyone else she knew. It was time he did something about it. She herself knew she was different today than she had been before. All the things he had said had finally made her realize that she could be herself and her mother's daughter without feeling split in two. Acceptance of others begins with acceptance of yourself. Okay, that's enough Zen for one morning, she thought, that was a little too deep for this time of day.
Luke laughed at her comment. "No inventory I swear." He turned to face her. "How about you?"
"I've got a plan in mind. Not a real complex one but I have faith in it." She smiled at him then reached up and kissed him. "That's the last one of those I'll probably get, huh? Please let me in on what happens?"
"I'm sure you'll pry it out of me somehow. Same goes for you." Luke took her hand in his and followed her to the door. "I'll check in with you later. See how you made out." He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled back at him and turned to go downstairs aiming to slip out the back. He watched her go and knew that someday she was going to be a very bright light in some guy's life. And he had better treat her right or he was going to face Luke's wrath.
♠♠♠♠♠
Lane slowly walked up the familiar path and stopped in front of the door. The scent of wood polish washed over her and an ache formed in her chest. She knocked and waited for the door to open.
"Hi Mama, I want to talk to you about some things and I'm not going anywhere until we come to an understanding."
♠♠♠♠♠
Luke slowly walked up the familiar path and stopped in front of the door. The sound of an eighties rock band drifted out to him and ache formed in his chest. He knocked and waited for the door to open.
"Hi Lorelai, I want to talk to you about some things and I'm not going anywhere until we come to an understanding."
♠♠♠♠♠
The End