You know the drill....I own nothing....if I did.....well, it would be such a pretty picture!!

A Late Night Call

Lorelai dragged herself up the stairway and into her room. She had been stuck at the inn since seven o'clock that morning and it was now nine-thirty at night. Man this sucks, Friday night, date night, and Luke's still out of town.....one week my ass....it's been several. She turned on the faucet to run a hot bath and she smiled as she thought about their daily phone conversations. Just then the phone rang bringing her out of her stupor.

She groaned thinking it might be Michel yet again with another problem. But she smiled warmly when she picked it up and saw the caller ID.

"Hey, stranger."

"Hey, yourself....and don't rub it in....I'm only here because..."

"I know. I was teasing....but it's Friday night and I'm all alone and ...."

"And I should be there."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

"So how's it going?"

"I'm so busy with the inn. Everything seems to be at a crisis point right now. Can you believe I just got home?"

"So what are you doing right now?"

Lorelai smiled as she watched her tub fill up.....

"Wouldn't you like to know." She answered mysteriously.

"Gotta hot date?"

"Sort of..."

"What?"

"Well, I'm going to ......wait......hey, you're in a hotel room right?"

"Yeah, if you can call it that."

"So you want to play a little game?"

"Lorelai ..."

"Come on Luke, you owe me."

"I guess I do.....what kind of game?"

"Go into your bathroom....."

"Lorelai...."

"Luuke....."

"Okay, I'm in my bathroom."

"Good, now turn on the water in your bathtub, nice and hot."

"O....kay...." Luke answered questioningly.

"I can hear it running. I can't believe you did it."

"Hey, you told me too."

"Okay, now go to the sink area and see if there's a little basket of bathroom stuff."

"Lorelai this isn't the Hilton, believe me."

"Doesn't have to be, even small places offer certain amenities. Just look, please?"

"Okay, you're right – basket full of fruity stuff—shampoo, conditioner, lotion and bubble bath."

Lorelai smiled, "Bingo!"

"Huh?"

"Bubble bath, just what we need."

"What, you want me to bring it home to you?"

"No silly. I want you to take it to the tub and pour it in."

"Lorelai, its green....."

"Nice masculine color."

"And it says its cucumber/melon...."

"Perfect, you like healthy things.'

"Lorelai I can't..."

"Luke, how many weeks have you been gone now?"

"Point taken, I guess I do owe you."

Luke opened the small bottle and added into the flow of the water. He watched the bubbles multiply and the fragrance fill the room. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a bath. He knew he had never taken a bubble bath. God, the things you do for a woman but he smiled when he visualized her face. He did owe her big time. They should be spending this time together not talking on the phone.

Lorelai was doing a little thinking of her own. As she added her own cucumber/melon bubble bath to her tub, she wished they could be taking this bath together.

"Luke, you still there?"

"Yeah, just watching the bubbles and wishing......"

"Wishing what?"

"Oops, have to turn the water off. Hang on."

Lorelai wondered what he had started to say but knew she would never get it out of him now.

"Okay, water's off and the bubbles are threatening to take over the whole damn room. What do you want me to do now?"

"Get in silly."

"Lorelai there isn't enough room with all the bubbles and its all fruity smelling...."

"Might just be changing my mind here. Not so good at the waiting game."

She was playing her trump card yet again and he had asked her to wait. He knew her so well and he knew it was driving her crazy. Hell, it was driving him crazy.

"Okay, I'll get in.....what are you doing by the way?"

Lorelai laughed, "Getting into my own tub.....full of bubbles and my own fruity smelling stuff."

Luke smiled as he slid into the tub. Well, if we can't do this together maybe this substitute won't be so bad.

He heard Lorelai sigh over the phone. "This is nice."

Luke had to admit it was. "Yeah, it is."

"Luke have you ever heard of phone sex?"

"I'm not having phone sex with you. It's gotta be the real thing or nothing."

"I wasn't going to suggest that. What kind of a girl to you think I am? Don't answer that.... I was going to suggest you grab a beer...."

"You couldn't have mentioned that sooner?"

"Grab a beer and light a candle...."

"I don't have a candle...."

"Okay, grab a beer and dim the lights..."

"Lorelai, not the Hilton..."

"Turn off the light then."

Luke laughed as he got out of the tub dripping water across the room and freezing in the process. He got a beer and quickly turned the light out, cursing when his foot hit the side of the tub in the darkened room.

Lorelai heard him get out of the tub, curse a bit, and then get back in. She of course, had already lit her candles and poured a glass of wine....actually she was on her second already.

"Okay, I'm back and injured."

"Sorry."

"All your fault."

"I take no responsibility for your actions."

"Lorelai...."

"Luke...."

They both settled into their separate bathtubs. Lorelai feeling right at home and instantly feeling more relaxed. Luke feeling totally weird and taking longer to adjust. But he did.....

"So how was your day at the inn?"

"Well, I'll just say it started at seven and I didn't get my coffee until ten. And after dealing with Michel and Taylor all day....and I do mean all day.....I got home just a little after nine. So how was your day mister Renaissance Man?"

"Let's just say that fifteen people asked me where my tights were, ten offered to loan me theirs and one woman asked me to father her children."

"Should I be jealous?" Lorelai thought about Crazy Carrie and her sexy outfit.

"Well, maybe... she was taller than I am, weighed probably twice as much and had more chest hair than I do."

Lorelai laughed, "I don't think I want to know how you found out about that last thing."

"Good, because it's not a pretty story. Hey, I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I really thought I'd be back by now."

"Yeah, I was kind of hoping that too. But she's your sister and..."

"The timing is just so bad."

"Its okay (Lorelai thinking that of course it wasn't). I've been really busy at the inn. The diner seems to be doing well so don't worry."

"So I hear. Guess I'm not needed at my own place."

"Sure you are.....but if that changes you can always have a job with me."

"Thanks. I'll remember that."

"Luke its getting late and I think between the wine and the hot bath water I'm about to fall asleep sitting in this tub."

"Okay, you get some rest and I'll call you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Lorelai answered almost wistfully. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Luke reluctantly hung up.

Luke got out of the tub, pulled on his sweats and flipped on the TV to catch the end of the game. It really didn't hold his attention. All he could think about was Lorelai.

Lorelai dragged herself out of her tub and pulled open a drawer to find something to sleep in. She saw a sexy little silky number and quickly pulled it on. If you can't have sex you might as well feel sexy she thought. She got into her bed and wrapped her arms around her pillow and thought of Luke. They had talked every day since he had been gone.....sometimes twice a day. But she was really starting to think they would never be together.

Luke turned off the TV and tried to sleep but it just wasn't going to happen. He finally sat up in his bed and switched the light on.

Lorelai was just drifting off to sleep when she heard the phone ring. She only answered because she was sure it was Rory. She was surprised when she heard Luke's voice again.

"Hey, handsome."

It sounded like a purr to Luke. "I'm coming home!"

"What?"

"I'm coming home....tomorrow....what time do you get off work."

Lorelai thought she must be dreaming but she answered, "Five thirty."

"I'll be there at five thirty-one."

"Or you could wait until five thirty-two."

She was wide awake by now and her heart was racing.

"What about Liz and TJ and the fair...."

"They will just have to handle things. They've had me for weeks. I have a business to run, a life and you and I were just starting to...."

Lorelai waited for the rest of his sentence....and finally he finished it.

"Starting this thing....and I think we have to see where it's going....and the only way we can do that is to actually see each other. Have that second go-round since the first one was so....." Luke hesitated.

"Okay, so you will really be here tomorrow?" Lorelai still couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yep, this is the last night we say goodnight over the phone I promise you."

"All right then. Good night Luke. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Lorelai."

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Drive carefully."

"I will....like a little old lady, I promise." Luke chuckled as he hung up the phone.

Lorelai smiled as she hung up the phone and thought tomorrow night....maybe we won't say goodnight at all.