How You Picture Things

Authors Note: Well here is chapter 6. It's a little less intense then the previous chapters but hopefully in a good way. Everyone who reviews is awesome and keep on doing what you are doing.

Couple fun things I wanted to respond to from the last set of reviews: I also hate people who answer a question with a question. I never thought about the town might be watching and that would be kind of gross ha ha. I was going for realistic which is why they ended up sleeping together before they talked. Oh and this chapter has no cliffhanger so everyone feel special and loved.

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 6 "From Here to Eternity and the Flintstones":

"Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. Why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard? It's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving, I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together." Better Together, Jack Johnson

Previously on How You Picture Things:

"Did you just say you loved me?" Luke asked shocked.

"Uh maybe," Lorelai said with uncertainty.

"You uh maybe, love me?" Luke asked again still in shock.

Lorelai glanced at Luke's face and the dumfoundedexpression that she saw there made her extremely panicky. In fact she was rapidly reaching a level of nervousness that felt remarkably like what she always assumed a heart attack would be like. She was visibly shaking, her palms were sweating, and her heart was palpitating. She didn't know what else he expected her to say to him. She had just said the scariest three words of her life, and all Luke could do was ask her to say it again without any kind of reciprocity. At the beginning of her confession she had told Luke it was okay if he didn't feel the same way however, now that those words were just hanging out there she really needed to hear him say it back. This just wasn't right, and it wasn't fair, and it was completely freaking Lorelai out.

"You love me?" Luke repeated once again. In Luke's stunned state he was talking more to himself then he was to Lorelai.

"No…" Lorelai unconvincingly replied. She was trying desperately to get some sense of dignity back.

"What?" Luke went from shocked to completely confused, "but you just said…"

"Well, if you heard what I said then why do you keep asking me?" Lorelai returned a bit sharply.

Luke put his hands to his face in frustration. What in the hell is happening. His overly tired brain screamed.

"Are you taking it back?" Luke asked confused.

"I don't know. Should I be taking it back?" Lorelai questioned shakily.

Then finally something clicked in Luke's overcrowded brain and he got what she was doing. Lorelai had said she loved him and all he did was ask her over and over again to repeat it. He hadn't said anything in return. She had just done this huge scary thing, and he was quickly winning the award for world's biggest idiot.

"I don't want you too." Luke honestly replied.

"You don't?" Lorelai said softly.

"No, cause then I am the idiot in love by himself." Luke whispered and grabbed Lorelai's hand.

"You love me?" Lorelai uttered.

"Hey, that's my line." Luke said with a smile. Luke leaned in a placed a light kiss on Lorelai's lips.

"So we love each other." Lorelai beamed.

"Yes we do. I love you Lorelai." Luke said seriously.

"Word of advice next time a girl tells you she loves you for the first time, don't ask questions. Start off with the 'I love you too'. It makes a girl a little crazy to be on that tiny ledge all by herself flailing around…." Lorelai lightly teased.

"I don't plan on ever being in that particular situation again. You are it for me, but thanks for the advice." Luke laughed.

If it was possible at his words Lorelai began to smile even wider. She just stared at him with this huge smile on her face and she couldn't stop it if she had wanted to. She would almost have been embarrassed if an equally huge smile hadn't made its way to Luke's face. They held hands and smiled at each other for a good five minutes without saying a single word to each other.

Luke and Lorelai had never been sappy emotional people. They just weren't the gazing lovingly into their significant others eyes kind of individuals. They had certainly never been those saccharine people with anyone they had dated before each other. Even after they got together they still hadn't been that type of people to be overly fluffy in their relationship. But hearing those words from each other was making them temporarily and fabulously insane. The feeling they both had knowing they were loved by someone that they loved so much was making them want to do completely out of character things.

It made Lorelai want to go out and buy every sugary sweet love song she could find. Suddenly, every ballad that used to make her want to gag was now completely prolific. Every song her and Rory would mercilessly mock she now wished was playing in the background. She was so far gone that she wanted to tell Foreigner that she knew what love was, and it was Luke that had showed her….

As for Luke weird thoughts began to fill his head about romantic walks on the beach and starlit nights with Lorelai. Before, Luke was the kind of guy who would see that famous beach scene in From Here to Eternity and rant about the impracticality of doing it on the beach. All sex on the beach lead to was sand in places sand should never be. It lead to sharp rocks, and shells poking at you, and an intense fear of being bit by some kind of tiny sea creature. But now in Luke's minds eye he was picturing Lorelai running to him on the beach in some kind of gauzy white thing. They would slowly meet each other and he didn't quite know what would happen next. Maybe, he would read her poetry or something isn't that what sappy people did? Maybe, he would just have his way with her that sounded better, a little more Luke like. Somewhere in the back of his mind Luke noted that if he wasn't so happy he would really be scared for himself right about now.

Neither Luke nor Lorelai knew who had started it but suddenly the room was filled with the sounds of their laughter. In fact both of them were laughing so hard that they fell back on to the air mattress with quite a bounce.

Lorelai reached for Luke's hand once more as she spoke through her giggles. "Ya know it's a good thing no one was around to witness that little smile a thon we just had. I mean I think for the first time in my life I actually now know what people meant when they described a smile as a goofy grin. I mean if this goofy grin thing got out you would totally lose all your street cred. Your rep would be ruined and you would be kicked out of every gruff manly man club you belong to."

"Ya good thing, you know how much my reputation means to me. I mean I'd hate for Fred and Barney and the rest of the guys at the lodge to think differently of me…" Luke laughed.

"Flintstones, I am impressed. I commend you on your reference, Luke. I mean seriously awesome ref!" Lorelai Paused before continuing. "If I tell you something will you promise not to judge me?"

"Of course…" Luke said with a little added seriousness in his voice.

"While we were having Smile a thon 2005 I started thinking that maybe all those love songs I had always mocked had some merit…" Lorelai guilty admitted.

"Ya know I would judge you if my thoughts hadn't been equally as lame." Luke laughed relieved at her benign confession.

"Tell me." Lorelai immediately responded.

"Um, no." Luke quickly returned.

"Tell me!" Lorelai ordered.

"No." Luke held firm.

"Come on LUUKKKKEEE!" Lorelai whined.

"Lorelai, no!"

"Pleasssse I told you mine!" Lorelai tried.

"Nope still not going to tell you," Luke decisively said.

"If you loved me…" Lorelai started.

"Don't you think it's a little early to play that card?" Luke said with a laugh.

"Fine don't tell me. It's totally fine. I am so fine with it, I feel like singing one of love songs I was thinking weren't so bad. I know how you love with a lot of 'ooooo''s my voice. In fact I think I will do that great thing I do where I personalize the song to you…." Lorelai mock threatened.

"Please don't…" Luke started.

"I also think I will sing it again to the town when we get out of here tomorrow. You know as like a thank you," She added.

"Lorelai," Luke warned.

As he said her name Lorelai had already began to sing or in this case screech, "Some say love is like a river, Luke! That drowns the tender reed, Luke!"

"Okay jeez stop that immediately and I will tell you." Luke finally relented. He would have done anything to make that noise stop.

"Wise choice grasshopper," Lorelai smiled triumphantly.

"I may have been thinking about us on a beach, like that one movie…" Luke sheepishly admitted.

"Oh wow Luke you got it bad!" Lorelai joked.

"I am not the one singing Bette Midler songs." Luke reminded.

"I don't know what to do with the fact that you knew that was a Bette Midler song." Lorelai laughed.

Luke opened his mouth to speak but Lorelai rolled on top of him and put her hand over his mouth.

"Don't try and explain. I feel it might be best for the both of us if I don't know why you know that particular tidbit." Lorelai amusedly pronounced.

Lorelai swiftly took her hand off of his mouth and immediately replaced it with her lips. Luke and Lorelai began to unhurriedly kiss each other. They kissed slow and sweet. They took their time with each other's mouths making every moment and movement count. The need and hurriedness of their previous kisses that night were gone. What it was replaced with a much gentler more peaceful feeling. Lorelai lightly kissed the corners of Luke's mouth before she pulled away slightly and rested her head on Luke's chest.

Luke loved the feel of Lorelai's body weight on top of his, and the way her dark curly hair was slightly tickling his nose, and how perfectly she fit in to his arms. He just loved the woman he was holding so much that he wanted to make everything at the diner on the house tomorrow as a show of gratitude to the town. The thought was fleeting and was immediately chased out of his head because yes he was happy but he wasn't out of his mind. Grumpy Luke returned to remind him that the town had kidnapped him and Lorelai and they shouldn't be rewarded no matter how pleasant the results.

"Remind me to thank everyone who was in on this scheme when we get out of here tomorrow." Lorelai happily sighed. "Maybe, I will buy Sookie something pretty."

"Actually, it's like two am right now so technically we get out of here today." Luke corrected.

"Would it be weird if I told you I didn't want to leave?" Lorelai quietly asked.

"A little, I mean this mattress and itchy blanket is not exactly the Ritz..." Luke began kidding around.

"I just meant…" Lorelai started to say. She was a little bit sad that he didn't get what she was trying to express.

"I get it, Lorelai. I could stay like this forever." Luke confessed quietly.

Lorelai was amazed that those words had come out of Luke's mouth. She was astonished that the monosyllabic guy she had always known was now the same guy telling her he loved her and the he never wanted to leave. It moved her so much she almost wanted to cry.

"You can be very sweet when you want to be." Lorelai whispered.

"Just don't let it get out. I do have that reputation to protect." Luke said a little sleepily.

"Well, I have known for years…. and so has Rory… and well I think the rest of the town sometimes gets a glimmer…" Lorelai said with a yawn.

Lorelai gently rolled off of Luke's body and began to snuggle against his side. She was still safely in his arms.

"You're babbling…." Luke said in a sleepy voice. "Let's sleep."

"Good Idea." Lorelai yawned and immediately closed her eyes.

Luke's arms tightened around Lorelai's body as he too closed his eyes. Within seconds they both feel into a sound sleep. Despite the uncomfortable mattress and the itchy blanket, the fact that they were wrapped up in each other made for the best night of sleep they had ever had.