How You Picture Things

Authors Note:First of all to everyone who reviewed you are all my lucky pennies, CoughFriendsRefrenceCough. Seriously, thank you all so much.I love the reviews so keep on doing what you're doing. Chapter 2 is now here so woo hoo for that…

Spoilers: None.

Premise: Set after "Jews and Chinese Food" But before, "So Good Talk." The whole town wants Luke and Lorelai to get back together so they decide to do something about it.

Chapter 2 "Regrets and LSD Trips":

"Don't know why I am still afraid if you weren't real I would make you up." Honey and the Moon, Joseph Arthur

Luke and Lorelai went to the corner of Miss Patty's dance studio and each grabbed a yoga mat. They placed their mats on the floor a respectable distance from each other and eased themselves down to the ground. As they sat neither one of them made an effort to speak. They would occasionally look over at one another but the second they thought the other person might be looking back they would quickly avert their gaze.

And back to the uncomfortable silence. They both thought simultaneously, when it became clear neither of them knew how end the quiet that had taken over the room.

There were so many things Luke wanted to do and say. He felt like a human puzzle and each piece of him had a different idea about what should happen next. His heart wanted to grab Lorelai and kiss her until she couldn't breathe, and forget that they ever broke up. A more emotional part of Luke wanted to scream, yell, and apologize to her all at once. The confused part of Luke wanted to ask Lorelai how things had gotten so completely out of hand? How in the world had they had gotten to the point they were now at? Luke figured that all of his puzzle pieces were too late because it had already been a month since they broke up. Their chance had passed and he just needed to accept that.

Though Lorelai didn't know it her thoughts mirrored Luke's. It was impossible to think of anything but him when he was so close and there was nothing to distract her. She longed for him to kiss her, touch her, and forgive her. At the same time she wanted to yell at him for saying he was 'all in' and then pulling out just when she was catching up to him. She wanted to apologize to him, and have him really hear it and know she was sincere. She figured it was too late for any of that because he was out and that was that.

Despite the internal struggle Luke knew this was probably his last chance to say anything he needed to say to Lorelai. He didn't quite know how to articulate his thoughts but he knew he wanted to say something. Luke was not a man of many words and he wasn't one to bare his soul. However, Luke felt the overwhelming need to let Lorelai know this isn't how he thought things would go. For some unknown reason he needed her to know that he had regrets.

"I just want you to know…." Luke suddenly started and then just as abruptly stopped.

"Know what?" Lorelai asked her interests peeked.

"Never mind," Luke said quickly chickening out.

"Oh okay," Lorelai softly responded.

Old Lorelai would have pressured and pushed and annoyed Old Luke until she wore him down and he answered. Once again Lorelai was reminded that this was post break up New Lorelai and Luke. She didn't know how to act around Luke anymore. The only thing Lorelai knew was that she hated New Lorelai and Luke with everything inside of her.

"No, damn it. I do want you to know something." Luke said with a sense of determination in his voice.

"Okay." Lorelai meekly responded mentally bracing herself for whatever he said next.

"I just wanted you to know that this isn't how I pictured things turning out between us." Luke finally managed to say.

Lorelai was caught off guard. She wasn't sure what she had expected him to say but it wasn't that. She didn't know what to say back to him but decided one lesson learned with Luke was that honesty was always the best policy.

"I know that, Luke. I didn't picture things ending up like this either. I hope that you know that." Lorelai sadly uttered.

Luke and Lorelai looked at each other for a moment directly in the eyes. They wanted the answers to all their problems to be displayed somewhere beneath the surface. Lorelai suddenly looked away. Their gaze was too intense for her. She got no answers from Luke's eyes. His eyes didn't betray him but she wasn't so sure about her own. She felt that by him looking into her eyes she was giving away every secret wish she had about them. Their whole relationship had been a metaphoric game of Texas Hold'em and Lorelai couldn't seem to put on her poker face.

"It's kind of sad, don't you think." Lorelai sardonically started, "I don't know about you, but I really thought that you and I would be different. I mean you could not have been more right for me Luke. Now I know without a doubt that I screw up anything good that comes my way."

"Lorelai, this wasn't all you, I had…" Luke started sympathetically.

He got up from his yoga mat and sat down next to her.

A few tears fell down Lorelai's face and Luke put a hand on her shoulder which she immediately shrugged off. Luke quickly put his hands at his sides a little hurt at being rebuffed.

"No don't. Please don't. Listen to me, I am so selfish. Look at what I am doing. I am not your problem anymore but once again I am trying to lay my issues on you. You're a good man and even now you are being nice, and damn it." Lorelai angrily pronounced through her tears.

"Listen Lorelai, I, we, you," Luke started awkwardly. "I, uh, you will always be my problem."

"I will?" Lorelai asked as she turned her head and looked at Luke through her glassy eyes.

"Yeah," Luke returned simply.

With Lorelai's head turned she and Luke's faces were now just mere inches apart. She moved her eyes downward to his full lips and wanted nothing more then to feel those lips on her own. She briefly thought that even if it were just one last kiss, that would be enough. She would know this time that it would be their last and she would know to memorize every feeling, moment, and touch so the memory would be less likely to fade over time.

Luke looked at Lorelai looking at him and he thought about how easy it would be to lean in and remove the tiny space between them. He missed kissing her and well everything about her so much. Luke thought about how easy it would be change things. All it would take is just a slight half of an inch move to the left and he could once again have Lorelai's lips on his. It was crazy to think that just a half an inch movement and everything would be different.

Lorelai realized that one more kiss from Luke would never be enough. It would just make her want another and another. She had to get it through her head that he had broken up with her and she had promised to respect what he wanted. She couldn't be so close to him fantasizing about things that would never happen.

Lorelai was tired of torturing herself so she slowly turned her head away from Luke's. As she was turning away Lorelai could have sworn she saw through her peripheral vision Luke's head slowly moving towards her. She quickly shook the image out her out of her head. She was such a mess. She wanted him so bad that now she was hallucinating things.

"That note said something about cookies, how about we go find them. I know surprise of all surprises, I am hungry." Lorelai tried to joke.

Luke watched as Lorelai got up and made her way towards the office effectively breaking the moment they were sharing. Luke mentally chastised himself for almost kissing her. It was a good thing Lorelai had moved away because in one more second his lips would have made its way to hers. Why is that a good thing? Another part of Luke's brain screamed. You wanted to kiss her and it didn't happen and that is not a good thing.

"Good Idea." Luke finally managed to reply as he got himself up and trailed after Lorelai.

"They must just think they are so clever. God, I feel like I am in a really messed up version of the Parent Trap."

Luke heard Lorelai say as he made his way into Miss Patty's office.

Lorelai was digging through a big cardboard box with the words Luke and Lorelai written on the side of it.

She turned to look at Luke as she dug through the box.

"How I didn't notice this huge box with my name on it when I was in here earlier I will never understand." Lorelai shook her head as she spoke. Lorelai began to empty the contents of the box as Luke watched. "Will you look at this, candles, chocolate covered strawberries, in a cooler, the infamous cookies, Rosemary Clooney CD, a Barry White CD…"

"There are just so many people to be pissed off at right now. I don't even know where to direct my anger." Luke said as he stepped closer to get his own view of the box.

"Well, here are some places to start." Lorelai noted as turned the bag of cookies over and noticed the signature on them. "Everything is labeled. Cookies and Strawberries courtesy of Sookie and Jackson, Clooney from Babette, Barry White from Kirk, and Candles from Rory…Wait, Oh my god. Even my kid was in on this. This really is the LSD version of the Parent Trap and not even the good one with Hayley Mills; this is the Lindsey Lohan version..."

"You would think that they would want to remain anonymous in this scheme. Only in this town would people proudly announce the fact that they basically kidnapped two people…" Luke began to rant.

All of a sudden Lorelai was a little offended. Was it really that bad for Luke to be here with her? Sure, she was pissed off at the town for doing this but he was so mad. It had been just a second ago when he had told her she would always be his problem. Just a second ago he was being so nice and she had thought that meant something. She knew it wasn't logical to be upset that he was upset, but logic wasn't her strong point. The fact that he was angry at having to be here with her was really beginning to hurt.

"I am going to kill Rory. How could she be in on this? I am her mother. I birthed her. Does that mean nothing? Let me tell you something an easy birth it was not. It was like pushing a Thanksgiving Day Turkey out of your eye socket…" Lorelai angrily ranted.

"Okay, okay that's quite enough of that!" Luke cut her off before he was permanently scared. Luke took his eyes off the box and noticed another pile of things with a yellow post it on it. "Looks like there is more…"

Luke and Lorelai both walked over to the pile. The Yellow post it simply read, "Luke and Lorelai, Enjoy. Miss Patty."

Luke began to go through the contents of the pile. "Two pillows, one blanket, and one of those blow up mattress that blows up on its own…" Luke said in disbelief.

"One blanket…" Lorelai meekly questioned. Wow, Lorelai thought, there is only one good outcome for having one blanket. Clearly, with how upset Luke is with the prospect of staying here with me, it is the only one that will never happen.

Luke turned and looked nervously at Lorelai. "Looks like it."

"Well, no one can say that they weren't thorough." Lorelai softly pronounced.

"That's for sure." Luke replied.

Just when this night couldn't be more awkward, Miss Patty's gift comes into play, Luke thought.

Him and Lorelai were once again staring at each other in the now patented Luke and Lorelai, this is the most uncomfortable thing ever silence. It was a silence they were beginning to perfect.