Authors Note:  First off, thank you SOO much for the incredible feedback!! It mean's a lot to me and you guys are all so sweet! :) Please keep doin' so! Second- Here's the 4th chapter. It's a little hazy and not so well on details until we actually get to the party. As you'll read, you'll notice I didn't really have a lot of Rachel in this chapter. I didn't want that in there just for the purpose of the story. And also, I'm not sure what a drunk Luke would be like, really. (This isn't how I'd think he'd be.) And I'm not sure what would get him drunk, or how many drink's he'd have to consume, so this is all sorta practical. I'm sure he wouldn't be as weird as I've made him, since we've seen him in Nag Hammadi...but this is just how he is for the story. Things might seem wrong, or out of character, but I guess this isn't an ordinary story! I don't think this is how it'd go, but it's just my little idea of fun. Enjoy and please review! Let me know what you guys think!

Disclaimer: Gilmore girls belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino.  All that is mine is this weird idea.

"He always wanted to admit his feelings...just not this way.  But with her, any way would work."

Chapter 4: Drinking Will Do That To You

At around noon, Luke and Lorelai were already headed out to shop for a gift for Rachel and Robert. They were driving in a small little town that surprisingly resembled Stars Hollow. Just by the look of it, that is. They hadn't been talking much...but that was okay.  Luke was concentrating on driving, while Lorelai gazed out the window thinking about God knows what.

"So did I kick or bite you last night?"

"Not that I know of...did you sleep okay after your rendezvous at 4 AM?"

"I just went to the bathroom."

"What was your dream about?" He asked quickly while they were still on the topic.

Lorelai's cheeks reddened slightly. She felt stupid if she told him that she had another dream about them being married. So, she lied her way through it.

"Just that Rory was moving far, far away. It's one of those things that makes you wake up...well for me at least."

"Oh...gotcha."

And that was the end of that. They spent the majority of their afternoon shopping around little towns surrounding the large city. After they got the engagement present, they went to a little diner for lunch called Lucy's. They walked in and after Lorelai studied the environment for a minute, she whispered to Luke.

"This is freaky. It's just like your diner."

He glanced around and raised his eyebrows. "Not really."

They sat at the counter. A perky girl walked out from the kitchen wearing a striped button up shirt. Lorelai stole a glance at Luke which pretty much read, 'told ya so!' Even if it was stripes...

"Can I start you off with a drink?"

"Coffee for me. Tea for him." He looked over at her and smiled in admiration. It's funny how much you know about one person. It's almost scary that you know somebody that well...as friends at least.

When the girl brought back their drinks, Lorelai took a sip of coffee and abruptly threw it down, coughing slightly.

"This is nothing like the diner."

"Exactly." He said sipping his tea.

After some persuading, Lorelai convinced Luke to go shopping with her. It was a successful day, and Lorelai was on a roll. When Luke finally got her to give up her shopping spree, she agreed and they headed back to the hotel. It was already almost 5.

"How can it be so late?" She asked, surprised.

"Well, maybe your endless hours of shopping had something to do it." Luke said dryly.

"Hey, look where we are now mister. They obviously weren't endless." She said matter-of-factly.

They spent about an hour watching TV and talking before Luke realized that he was with Lorelai. She obviously needed her time to get ready, and they should probably leave a little early, in case there was traffic.

"It's almost 6. I'm going in the shower."

Lorelai jumped up. "Oh! I'm going in the shower too!"

"Lorelai, you are not going in the shower with me."

"Don't sound so cocky. I'm aware of that. I'm saying that you should hurry because I take a long time. And then, getting dressed is going to be a big deal, and hair, and makeup, and..."

"I'm going in now."

He took the quickest shower Lorelai ever witnessed. Therefore, she took an extra long shower; making up for the lost minutes Luke missed out on, and then slipped on her dress after messing around with her hair and makeup. Luke got dressed in his 'matching' shirt, black pants, coat, and a tie. Lorelai took his arm and guided him to the bathroom. She linked her arm through his, as she looked at them in the mirror.

"We are adorable!" Lorelai screeched in excitement.

"You look great." He said, checking her out through the mirror.

"We almost look too good together. What if people mistake us for brother and sister?"

Luke rolled his eyes and began to walk away. "I don't think they will."

"What if they think we're married?"

"Then they think were married."

"What if they think we hate each other?"

"Then they think we hate each other." He was stuck in her trance. "Wait no, why would we come together if we hate each other?"

"What if they thought we were the new Bennifer?"

"The new what?"

"Never mind, let's go. We don't want to be late."

They headed out the door and pulled into the place 5 minutes to seven. The valet guys insisted on parking for them.  Lorelai had no fuss with that although Luke on the other hand did. They walked up the stairs, and Lorelai grabbed onto Luke's arm, once again linking hers through his. She turned to him and smiled, "ready?"

"Yup."

They walked into the building, and there was a little lobby and a sign that said RACHEL AND ROBERT'S PARTY, and an arrow pointing to the right. They began walking, but stopped when they saw a coat room. Lorelai threw her coat on a hanger, grabbed the ticket and shoved it in her purse. They walked into a room filled already with lots of people. The lights were dimmed down, and there was man playing the piano in the corner. Servers were walking around with trays of appetizers.

"Wow, this is nice." Lorelai said looking around the room.

"Yeah. It is." Luke was impatiently looking around the room for Rachel. And then he spotted her, and suddenly it seemed like he was in love with her all over again. He turned to Lorelai standing right next to him, smiling slightly to herself. 'Nope,' he sighed. 'It's not Rachel.'

"Lorelai! Luke!" Rachel screamed from across the room, rapidly walking towards them. She gave Lorelai a huge hug, and she gave Luke an equivalent one with a peck on the cheek. They gave her the gift, and talked for a little while before meeting Robert. He was a tall, attractive guy. At least Lorelai thought so. And you could tell that they were really in love. They were very close and always laughing at each others comments when sometimes Luke and Lorelai exchanged confused looks. But it was cute, they were happy, and that was good. Luke was jealous though, and Lorelai could tell by the way he was looking at him. He dismissed himself to get a drink while she watched him down a drink quicker than anyone ever before.

"What's the matter?" She asked accusingly.

"What make's you think something's the matter?"

"You just seemed a little feisty back there."

"I was not being feisty."

"Okay, you weren't being feisty. Anyways, you okay?" She said, reaching out to put her hand on his arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just going to get another drink."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and went to talk to Rachel again. She watched Luke from the corner of her eye for about 20 minutes while he sat at a table fumbling with his hands and occasionally mumbling things to himself. She looked a little worried. He was...I don't know? Drunk? You could say so.

After appetizers were finished being served and a speech was made, dancing began. It seemed like everybody but Luke and Lorelai were dancing. This night was turning out unusually odd...There wasn't much communication with Rachel and Luke. She was pretty busy being occupied the whole time but you could tell she'd try to make an effort to talk to him, where he just stood there making no effort whatsoever.

Luke looked across the table at Lorelai and watched her as she admired all the dancing couples on the dance floor. "Wanna dance?" Luke said, getting up and holding his hand out to Lorelai.

She looked up at him, surprised and smiled. "Uhm, sure..."

They went out to the dance floor and Luke practically slumped his body against Lorelai's, making sure not to fall over. He had way too much to drink, and Lorelai knew it. 'Why is he acting so weird all of a sudden?' She wondered. And then she began to think how hard it would be for her to show up at Max's engagement party. Luke must have been feeling pretty low which explains the lack of interest in everything except the liquor stand.

As the song came to end, she held his hand and walked him back to this seat, where he sat content, and staring at his plate like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. 'Why did I have to screw things up with Rachel? Why was I stupid? And hell with Rachel, but Nicole too? Nicole's great. And now, here I am slowly screwing up the shred of something I have with Lorelai.' He walked over to a table and got another drink.

Dinner was being served, and Lorelai talked with the two other couples sitting at there table, where as Luke said not a word. When they finished dinner, Rachel made an announcement for everybody to join them out on the dance floor before dessert. The song Wonderful Tonight started blasting through the speakers.

"Hey, hey, hey! Lorelai, what do you say we go dance? You like this song, right? I remember you saying you like this song. It's one of those Lorelai facts I keep in the back of my head." Luke's voice suddenly got loud, and embarrassing. Lorelai knew he was trashed.

She looked at him, with begging eyes that screamed shut up. But then she felt bad for the guy. She knew he'd been under a lot of stress lately, so she took his offering hand and led them out to the dance floor. He held her close to his face. She was a little uncomfortable, but didn't say anything about it. Luke looked deep into her eyes.

"You're so beautiful." He said pretty quietly.

Lorelai shook her head a little. "Thanks."

"No really Lorelai, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful woman than you in my life! You are so beautiful that it's scary."

"I–I know, you said that already. Thanks." She said trying to calm him down, his voice was rising even a little louder.

He leaned in and whispered into her ear. "You know, when I was with Rachel, she made me so happy. I thought she was the greatest thing that ever happened to me." He paused before leaning into her ear again. "Then I met you." He said laughing.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. She knew that he was just drunk, and that he didn't mean anything. "She looks happy, doesn't she?" He asked her, glancing over at Rachel and Robert dancing.

"Yeah, she looks happy."

"I wish I could be that happy, ya know? I was...I was happy I guess. But then I screwed things up with Nicole. I'm such an idiot. Really, I am. I'm the worst with love. And then there's you. I've lost count how many time's I've messed up with you."

"Luke, you're not the worst with love. You made–hell... make Rachel and Nicole so happy. Me too, you're the greatest friend someone could have."

"But guess what Lorelai?" He said, looking into her eyes. "I'm not the only stupid one!" He said knowingly.

Lorelai smiled at him sympathetically, "I know you're not." She said lightly patting him on the back.

"But guess who else is stupid?"

"Who?"

"You! You, Lorelai Gilmore are stupid." Lorelai rolled her eyes, and glared at him. 'He's just messed up right now, don't take it personally Lorelai.' She thought to herself. "You my friend...you are stupid. You always complain to me about how you want a partner in life...somebody to be with. Well guess what, I'm right here. I've always been here, and you are just too stupid to see it! Because you're scared to admit your feelings to me...and you're scared to see my feelings for you. But, I'm not scared, am I? Nope, not scared at all or else I wouldn't be telling you this right now. You on the other hand...you're scared. You're in denial. You're too stubborn to realize any feelings you have for me. 'Mom! It's Luke!' 'Which is her way of saying she's not on a date!' Remember that, huh? Yeah, I must have felt pretty small. And I did, but I didn't let you see it because I didn't want to make you feel bad...feel bad for hurting me, and that's because I love ya. Hell Lorelai–I love you probably more than anybody I've ever loved in my life. And there's one thing I've always wanted to do..." He leaned in closer to Lorelai and tightly pressed his lips against her, and after a second pulled away. His voice raising again, "That! That is what I've always wanted to do, and hell I've done it."

Lorelai's eyes widened, and mouth dropped. 'What was that? Why did he just kiss me?' She was confused. She didn't know what to think...she had no time to think about things, though. All she could concentrate was getting Luke back to the hotel. "Let's get you outside! You need fresh air."

He started laughing, as if this was all a game. "You're so beautiful!" She started to walk even quicker. "Isn't she so beautiful everybody?" He asked the people surrounding the door. 'My God, enough with the beautifuls already.' She thought.

She dragged him out the door and sat him on a bench. She started pacing back and forth in front of him.

"What do you think you were doing in there? Besides screaming at the top of your lungs? And what is all that crap you said back there about? What has come over you, Luke?  Besides the amount of alcohol you've consumed."

He sighed and put his head in his hands-- his head spinning in circles. "I messed up with Rachel. I messed up with Nicole. And now I've messed up with you. I've messed up with Lorelai. Lorelai Gilmore...yes, I've messed up with her. What time is it? Is it late? I think we should get back...I've got to open the diner. Yeah, and I don't think we have enough bread. I don't know when the delivery guy is coming."

When his exciting rant came to an end, she placed her hands on his shoulders. "STAY....stay, right here. Stay."

She quickly ran into the party and dragged Rachel to the corner, explaining what happened. She apologized, and told her that she had to go and that she'd call her when the time was right. She headed back outside with her coat and purse, and saw Luke sitting on the bench. 'Thank God.' She thought.

"Come on, let's get out of here! We're going back to the hotel."

Not only was Lorelai mad and embarrassed...she was confused. What was all that talk about? Really, does he mean it? 'He must.' She walked him back to the car, and quickly drove back to the hotel. She helped him up the stairs, and to their room where he collapsed straight on the bed, taking up most of the room. She stole the top comforter from him, and placed it on the ground with a pillow. 'There's no way I'm getting smothered by Luke tonight.'

He was snoring the second she walked out of the bathroom in her night gown. She adjusted on the floor and thought about things. 'Damnit, Luke.'

She lied on the ground thinking, for what seemed like forever...eyes wide open. 'What happened with us tonight? Was that stuff true...about always having feelings for me? Saying he loves me...kissing me? It can't be. It really can't be. It was just the alcohol. Yeah, Lorelai...just the alcohol, it happens to the best of us. Oh who am I kidding? He's asked me out before...too bad Mrs. Kim interrupted us. What am I saying...too bad? It's not like I could ever date Luke. Could I? No...He's my best friend. The one stable thing in my life. The one person I know will always be there. He's the greatest...always helping when he can...and he care's about Rory and me. I couldn't risk losing that Luke. What if something bad happens? I'd never be able to look at him the same way. Plus, you're a fool when it comes to love, Lorelai. Look at what happened with Max. And Christopher...twice. I can't imagine breaking Luke's heart...what am I taking about? It's not like we're dating, so I don't have to worry about any of this. I just need sleep. Yeah, sleep. Goodnight Luke thoughts.' She closed her eyes, but moments later, opened them up. 'But that kiss. Sure it was short...but that kiss...shocking. I didn't know my body could...never mind.'

She finally fell asleep, dreading the waking hours...when she'd have to face Luke and explain what happened last night...unless he remembered...which he might...

Different, I know. Unusual too but that's how it goes. I tried to make the impression that Luke was so upset because he's a sucka with love! Haha, I don't know if that's how it came off to you guys, but I hope it did.  Please review!

Teaser: Chapter 5-As Long As You Finally Know
'Oh my, it wasn't a dream was it.'
Neither said a word the ride home.
'Come by tonight. Maybe we should talk.'
Her first thought...no.

Expect Chapter 4 by Wednesday! :) Please review!