Disclaimer: Still don't own any of it. Still wish I had my own personal Luke.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the kind—and quick!—reviews on Chapter 1. It's especially gratifying that folks I've been reading and enjoying myself have had such nice things to say. This is my first (public) attempt at a fanfic, and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it.

The next morning, Lorelai headed to the diner to check on Luke. Must. Not. Mock, she told herself sternly as she walked through the door. Very serious situation. Luke was standing at the register, looking grumpy and more than a little scruffy—in other words, not much different than he did on a morning that didn't come after a night involving handcuffs—dirty!

Hey," she said as she approached the counter. "How's it feel to be on the outside?" She pulled a sympathetic face. "Are you adjusting okay? 'Cause I heard that some guys, after they do their time, have trouble getting re-oriented into society. Like that old guy in The Shawshank Redemption? He had such a rough time that he--"

Luke just looked at her. "Are you done yet?"

"Almost," she giggled. "Ooh! But Rory said to tell you that next time you decide to get picked up by the fuzz, let her know ahead of time so she can call Johnny Cochran for you."

"You told Rory?!? Aw, jeez. . ."

"Hey. Burger Man of Alcatraz. Relax. She asked me where I was at 1:00 this morning, and I told her I was with you. And since I didn't want my impressionable young daughter to get the wrong idea when I said I was 'with Luke' at 1 AM, I had to tell her the whole story. But trust me, she's totally cool. They're studying 60s radicals in her American history class, and she compared you to Tom Hayden. I don't exactly know who he is, but I'm pretty sure she meant it as a compliment." What Lorelai didn't tell Luke was that they spent much more time talking about the impending Luke/Nicole breakup than they did his jail time.

Luke tried to focus on what Lorelai said after her "with Luke" comment, but the rest was just a blur. When Lorelai finished talking, he knew some kind of response was expected, so he just sighed and shook his head. It was a good, all-purpose, universal Luke gesture, and he figured it would apply to whatever-the-hell it was she'd just said.

"So," she said, shifting into serious mode. "How are things going?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Well, apparently word has gotten out that I was on a drunken, murderous rampage last night."

"Oh, my."

"Oh, yeah. Taylor was at my door first thing, screaming about how I was a bad example to the community and as a business owner I should know better. And Patty's been in here no less than five times, alternating between calling me 'poor dear' and trying to feel my biceps."

Lorelai couldn't help giggling. "Oh, man. You've been getting it from all sides, haven't you?"

"Yup." Suddenly, a sly smile twitched at the corner of his lips. "I did, however, discover one side benefit to this whole Luke 'Mad Dog' Danes thing,."

"Really? What?"

"Watch," he whispered. He walked slowly down to the other end of the counter, where Kirk was busily circling Help Wanted ads. Luke stood in front of him, crossed his arms over his chest, and just watched him. After a second, Kirk looked up to see Luke before him. He turned pale, gulped, and picked up his newspaper. "I have to . . .my girlfriend . . .uh . . ." And with that, he scooted off the chair and out the door.

Lorelai laughed and clapped her hands. "That? Is the coolest thing ever. Hey, can I use you next time Tom goes over budget or over schedule on the Dragonfly?"

"That's what I'm here for." He poured her a cup of coffee.

Lorelai waited for one of Luke's patented anti-Juan Valdez rants. Maybe a round of "Do You Have Any Idea What Caffeine Does to Your Central Nervous System?" Or at least a brief rendition of "This Stuff'll Kill Ya." When none of the typical Luke arguments were forthcoming, she knew he still wasn't quite back to his usual curmudgeonly self. "Okay, really," she said quietly. "How is, you know, everything?"

Luke hesitated, not really wanting to talk about his disintegrating marriage with the woman he . . well, with Lorelai. Aw, suck it up, he thought. The woman bailed you out of jail last night, for cryin' out loud. He looked around to make sure they couldn't be overheard by the few late-morning customers still in the diner. "Well," he sighed. "I talked to Nicole a little while ago."

"And . . .?"

He nodded. "It's a guy in her firm. For a few weeks now."

"Oh, man. I am so sorry, Luke. Really."

"Yeah, well." He gave her a 'whaddaya gonna do?' shrug. "Anyway, I'm going to Litchfield tonight so we can get stuff . . . finalized or whatever, then I think I'm gonna take off for a while. Clear my head."

"Good idea," she nodded. "Go up to your cabin, do that whole Iron John getting-in-touch-with-your-inner-male thing, then come back all rugged and mountain man-y." She looked at his flannel shirt and three-day growth of beard. "Or, at least, you know, more mountain man-y."

"Actually, I'm not going to the cabin. I'm going to New York."

Lorelai nearly choked to keep from spitting out her coffee. "Okay, I think all that LSD my mother claims she didn't do in the '60s is giving me some sort of weird generation-skipping hallucinations. Did you just say you're going to New York?"

"Yeah. Liz called this morning--"

"Boy, you have had a banner day, haven't you?"

Luke chuckled. "Oh, yeah. Anyway, she really wants me to come visit. And since I was, as T.J/Gary/WhateverHisNameIs so finely put it, a 'dick' last time they were here, I thought it might be good to go spend some time with her." He gave a hollow, self-deprecating chuckle. "At least she'll be able to take comfort in the fact that she's not the only screw-up in the family."

"Okay, that's enough. Luke, you are not a screw-up. You are a good guy, and you tried to make the best of a . . . weird situation. You didn't commit adultery, Nicole did. And you know what? It's her loss. You'd sure never cheat on her."

Luke blushed and seemed to have trouble meeting her eye. "No," he said quietly. "I wouldn't."

The silence hung heavy between them for a few seconds. Finally, Lorelai looked at her watch. "Oh, man. If I don't get to the inn soon Michel's gonna pout all day and curse at me in French under his breath." She looked at Luke. "So, look, have a good trip. And try to relax a little, okay?. It's all gonna work out." She slid off her stool. "I'll see you when you get back?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'll probably be gone a week or two. Or as long as I can take it, anyway."

"Well, try not to kill T-Gary-J while you're there."

"I make no promises." He managed to grin. "I'm a dangerous ex-con, remember?"

**************

When Lorelai arrived at the Dragonfly a few minutes later, Michel was standing behind what would soon be a fully operational reservations desk, already in full Michel Pout Mode.

"Good morning, Michel!" Lorelai called with exaggerated, obviously insincere sweetness.

Michel didn't even look up at her. "It is not morning. It is nearly noon. And I refuse to talk to you while the odor of bacon grease and coffee cling to your person like a cheap drugstore perfume. By the way, Sookie has been waiting for you all morning, pacing and panting like an over-eager puppy. She is in the kitchen."

"You know, Michel, if you're this charming and helpful with the customers, we'll be fully booked every weekend. People will come from all over the northeast just to see the Dragonfly's Snooty French Front Desk Guy."

"Do not try to flatter me. Go, find Sookie before she hyperventilates and collapses and I must do her job as well as yours and my own."

Lorelai headed off to the kitchen. She'd barely made it through door before Sookie came bounding up to her.

"So . . .?"

"So . . .I definitely think Nick and Jessica are going to get divorced. I mean, her career is going so much better than his, and he's just too much of a macho man to handle the little wifey outshining him. You totally see the tension every time they're on screen together. It's so sad, too. I used to think they were such a cute couple."

Sookie swatted her on the arm. "C'mon, you know what I mean. Everybody's talking about you and Luke and a fight and jail. Spill it!"

"And just what is 'everybody' saying?"

"Well, actually, there are a couple of different versions going around. Taylor says Luke got into a fight with one of your old boyfriends. Patty says you and Luke were both at Brodie's, and Luke punched out some guy who made a pass at you. Oh, and the Town Troubadour already has a three-minute ballad where you and Luke got into a passionate lover's quarrel and nearly demolished the place. It's really quite touching. Very 'Frankie and Johnny.' "

Lorelai shook her head. "I swear, sometimes living here is like being on some quirky small-town family dramedy on the WB. Okay, first of all, I was not at Brodie's. I was not in the fight. I did not cause the fight. I did not see the fight. I was in no way connected to the fight. Only the aftermath, during which Luke called me at 1AM to bail him out of jail."

"Wow! Luke in jail! Boy, I should have known. It's the quiet ones that have all the repressed passion and energy. So he called you at 1:00 to come bust him out? That's so cool!"

"Yeah, well, it didn't seem very cool at the time. Jason and I were in the middle of . . . anyway, let's just say that the call for help didn't come at the most opportune time." She giggled. "Poor Jason."

Sookie shook her head. "Whoa. Whoa. Hold on just a minute. Are you telling me that you and Jason were . . . and you just took off to go rescue Luke?"

"Well, yeah. What was I supposed to do? He sounded terrible, and he didn't have anyone else to call."

"Uh-huh."

"'Uh-huh, what?'"

"'Uh-huh,' you were in the middle of getting it on with your boyfriend and you ran off to be with Luke at the drop of a hat."

"I did not 'run off to be with Luke.' I went to help a friend. That's all."

"Uh-huh."

"Again with the 'uh-huh.'"

"Sweetie, if you can't see the truth right in front of you . . ."

"Sookie, please do not start that 'Luke and Lorelai' crap again. We are just friends, okay? Just. Friends. I'm thinking of having it tattooed across my forehead. 'Luke and I are Just Friends.' Maybe in a nice purple script with a flower or something."

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, Sook? You've really gotta stop 'uh-huh-ing' me, 'cause it's starting to piss me off. Luke is a married man . . ."

"Not for much longer, from what I hear"

". . .and I have a boyfriend," Lorelai finished, ignoring Sookie's remark.

"Yeah, one who can't even sleep in the same bed as you."

Lorelai groaned and rolled her eyes. "Remind to never give you the intimate details of my love-life again."

"Sorry, honey. Just trying to help."

"Yeah, well, you can help by slipping Michel some Prozac and making me a big pot of coffee." Lorelai sighed as she walked out of the kitchen.

It was going to be a long day.