Disclaimer: I own my Tivo. I own a few DVDs. I own my computer... other than that I own nothing. Well, I own many things, but none of them are also owned by ASP & co.
A/N: So I wrote this one with the first chapter, but decided to split it up. But then I just posted it at the same time, so... enjoy! Again, no BETA, so please excuse the errors.
The fic is based on all spoilers for the finale (yes, I am a spoiler whore). So IF YOU ARE NOT A WHORE (spoiler whore that is) THEN DO NOT READ... I would never want to be the reason you abandoned your anti-spoiler beliefs.

Ch. 2: ...Takes a While

Previously:

"What could possibly be so funny Luke? You can't even be serious about this for one second can you?"

He was smiling like an idiot now. She said she loved me. She loves me because… I'm me. Just Luke Danes. I'm giving, generous, kind… that's just me. And she loves that. And above all that, she thinks I still don't get it! Haha! She thinks I think its all a joke! Haha, if she only knew… But I get her now; I know I was a complete idiot for not talking to you, ok Lorelai? Yeah, man, just say that. And this time how about we give her a real 'I love you' that isn't in the middle of some pathetic rant of yours, okay buddy! Hey wait…

Lorelai suddenly turned around and walked up the stairs, each stomp on the wooden steps louder than the last.

Finally, Luke snapped out of his little party in his head, "Lorelai, wait! Where are you going?" Luke grabbed the very bottom banister and leaned over a bit so he could get a glance of her bedroom through the railing.

"I'm leaving!" Lorelai shouted from her room as she began locating random pieces of clothing she would need for Friday night dinner.

"But… this is your house!"

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Back to Lorelai's reflection.
Her and Luke, fighting in at her house.
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For a second Lorelai stopped, realizing he was right. But then quickly resumed trying to locate her favorite new skirt. God dammit where is that skirt! I just bought it, common… it can't already be lost! I spent forever looking for it… since I saw it on Jessica Simpson in this months InStyle… damn it looked so good on me too…! "Since you obviously cannot be mature about this, then I'm leaving for dinner!"

Luke walked up the stairs slowly, sighing along the way. When he made it to her room he leaned against the doorframe and looked in at the mess. "Lorelai, its only four. You have another two and a half hours before you even have to leave."

But she wasn't paying attention to him anymore. She was looking frantically for her very new, and very expensive skirt. "Where the hell is it? Okay, I brought it home, took it out of the bag, took off my pants, pulled it on…" Lorelai was now doing arm movements to mimick the actions she describes, hoping to remember where she left the skirt.

Luke knew immediately which clothing item she was talking about without her even mentioning it. How could he forget? He was there when she brought it home, took it out of the bag, took off her pants… My new favorite type of foreplay: watching Lorelai try on her new clothes. Although it is a little creepy when she says she wants to 'play fashion show'… Well maybe if I'm just watching then its okay… yup, definitely okay. I gotta remember to never bug her about shopping ever again… Luke walked over to the opposite side of the bed, Lorelai hardly noticed him even enter her room she was so busy, and he grabbed the skirt which was hanging off of the cushiony chair he loved so much in the corner.

"Is this what you're looking for?" he was still smiling.

"Yes," she grabs it from him with a still serious demenor, "Thanks… but Luke I can't talk to you right now when you're like this! I just have to get out of here for a little bit," she was in the process of, once again, taking off her jeans to put on her skirt. But dealing with fashion and emotions with men simultaneously is no easy feat… "I mean… ow… If you are just going to become mute and—ow—sit there, actually—ow—stand there," Luke grabbed her by the waist so she could steady herself… trying to give her space so she could easily speak and change her clothes, but still staying close enough to make it hard for her to be angry with him… "Ok, well um, thanks… just a second there… got it! Okay, now heels I can just sit down for so…" Luke removed his hands and took a step back.

"I just need to go do something… eat ice cream, work, read War and Peace… anything to numb my mind! I just… God, why the hell do I keep saying 'I don't know' today!" she was having trouble with her heel strap and looked down to fix it.

"Um… I don't know?" was all he could say. And it was done with a smile. He was still in his happy state of mind. I can't help it. Damn… this woman, this amazing, sexy, smart, witty woman loves me. The woman I have been in love with, although subconsciously, for the past nine years. She… loves me.

"Oh, okay you don't know either, huh? Well that's inevitable seeing as how you didn't know anything down stairs in our last fruitful conversation… ohhh yeah, all the knowledge we both have about relationships really paid off there! I love you Luke, I don't know what I can do though to show you how much if you don't let down that protective shield you have and talk to me. I have, I let it down! And—I mean, common, we've seen my history—my shield was probably like 50 feet thicker than yours… with huge Dobermans frothing at the mouth, and a mote with flame throwing alligators for some extra protection! You have to talk to me Luke…" she said the last part more slowly.

Lorelai walked up to Luke, not having realized that by the time she was done with that little rant, she had gathered the remaining items she needed, her purse, lipstick, perfume, sweater… She walked up to him and placed a hand on his chest, unconsciously playing with one of the buttons, staring at it so hard she he thought she might burn a hole right though his chest. She spoke quietly, she sounded sad and hopeless, "If we can't do this, break down your shield, and the remaining parts of mine… I'm scared I'll never get to move forward with the only man I've ever loved…"

Luke's eyes widened once more, and the smile that was still remaining on his lips from the last love mentioning, grew ten times brighter than before. He put his large hands around each side of her waist and looked down at Lorelai, begging her to look up at him with her eyes.

Suddenly, he saw her put her forehead to his flannel covered chest. She brought it back up and did it again, harder this time. Crap, crap, crap. Again, good one Lorelai! That wasn't supposed to be out loud you idiot! Wow, maybe you really are turning into Jessica Simpson, not being able to control the idiot things that just fly out of your mouth! And Lorelai repeated the soft bashing of her head into his chest. And on about the fifth time, she stopped and sighed. Then laughed, a drunken giggle.

Luke was utterly bewildered by now. He had never seen her this… raw? This open? He liked it. But right now it was just too much for him. Not that he couldn't handle taking it. Its was just that he couldn't form coherent thoughts, let alone sentences… The whole "she loves me, I love her" concept was playing over and over in his head, washing out all previously learned… everything!

And then she laughed again, but this time it was more of a defeated laugh, "That wasn't supposed to come out," she said shaking her head from side to side, before finally raising it. She couldn't look at Luke though, but focused her gaze on the clock behind him… 4:38. Crap I do still have almost two and a half hours…

"Here I am just saying all this stuff… and you're just… standing there, holding me, but not speaking to me. You help me find my clothes, you remind me that 'oh right!' this is my house, and that I'm two and a half freakin' hours early to Friday night dinner…" she sighs loudly, then turns around and walks toward the door of her room, and begins to head toward the stairs. "You know Luke," she says before she takes her first step down the stairs, turning around to face him, "Sometimes you can't let your actions say the things you are scared to say… actions can only say so much before you actually have to say it for the other person to hear it." And with that she began to walk downstairs, letting her hand hang loose at her side and glide against the railing.

"Lorelai, wait! I love you, I do!" He was now chasing her down the stairs, "Don't leave, I can talk now. I promise I'll talk, not just do that stupid action thing. Yeah, that's it! It was stupid, and I was stupid, and I'm so so sorry. Please just stay, stay at least until you have to go to dinner… until you really have to go to dinner. Just… don't leave me."

Lorelai reached the small table at the end of the stairs. On top, she grabbed her keys and hit the delete button on the answering machine, just a little busy work while Luke worked his way down the stairs and through the nervous rant.

"Lorelai, please, don't-" he was at her side now, but she cut him off and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Luke, stop. I'm not leaving you. I love you," There that was better… but he still looks so scared… "We just need to cool down. I'm going to the Inn. I need to finish up on a few things, but I also need to think. By myself." He looked more worried at this point, not liking the 'by myself' line she just used. But she was determined to get this out, not giving into his puppy eyes, God, his eyes… and he says I give him the pout he can't say no to! What about his puppy eyes? "And you Luke… you need to go back to the diner. You need to go back and tell Ceasar you're taking a break for the rest of the night and then you'll close up, okay? Just go to your apartment, and think about everything we… well I… have said in the past," she glances down at her watch, "Oh… half hour. Then close up, do a little… busy work… and then go to bed. And just watch some baseball or something. Have a beer. Relax. But I really want you just to chill, and think," she took one last breath and took her speech home, "I'm going to go to dinner, I'm going to come back here, and do the same thing. Except I'll probably watch a few episodes of Sex and the City for a little inspiration or something," Luke cocks his eyebrow at her, "What? It inspires the best of us, what can I say?"

Having almost digested it all, Luke swallows, almost hoping that would take care of the small remainders that would just not sink in, "So… am I not seeing you tonight?"

"No. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"And, you'll come to the diner?" he says questionably.

She feels bad that she has made him so vulnerable. "Yes, I will," she responds with a reassuring smile.

"And, we're okay?" he asks slowly.

Sighing, she replies, and takes a step back: "We're us, Luke. We'll always be okay. But we just need to figure out a lot of stuff to see where we can go from here. We need this," she says referring to the small 'quiet time' she has suggested.

"Yeah, um… okay. Tomorrow then?"

She nods at him slightly, and gives him a bittersweet smile before turning and walking out the door. When the door has closed, Luke leans over ever so slightly and picks up his hat that is still placed on the arm of the couch. After securing the blue hat on his head, he walks to the kitchen and opens up the refrigerator to get a bottle of water, before walking out the front door.

He was unsettled. That's for sure… he thought. His only optimistic thought: She loves me, I love her. But he couldn't help but think that, it wasn't just Lorelai, but he too would possibly never be able to move on with the person he loved. As he walked past the chuppah in Lorelai's front yard, he bitterly thought, with an just ounce of sarcasm, I'm good with my tools… why can't I could use Bert to break down that damn protection shield crap!

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Back to Lorelai's meltdown in the car.
A highwhay connecting home and hell.
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Lorelai picked herself up from the steering wheel and focused back on the road. Her tears were gone now, but her cheeks felt stained from them.

"What the hell is wrong with me…" she stated out loud, although no one could hear her in the empty car. Luke has always been there for you, Lorelai. You've known him for almost a decade… probably somewhere deep down inside the psychologically twisted freak show that is your heart and brain, you've been in love with him for maybe 4 of those years. You know how he is, why he is emotionally… handicapped… like you. With everything he's had to go through, his mom, his dad, his sister, and jess, Rachel, and Nicole… being betrayed and left alone… of course he is acting this way. He doesn't want to lose me, but he is scared that any wrong move he makes I'll just ditch him faster than I can say 'coffee, coffee, coffee!' And what did I do! I acted like a complete jerk! Insensative, heartless, bitch! Well, I mean, he was at fault, but so was I, and I just put it all on him for not talking. But I should have known. And if I was communicating to the fullest, just like I accused him of not doing, I would have seen my mistakes.

God! Now that I think about all the silences and goofy smiles and the inability he had to form any complete sentences after… After he said he loved me, and then I told him I loved him… several times. He was just happy, Lorelai! And you yelled at him for smiling! Oh god… I really am turning into my mother…

As soon as she thought that, Lorelai immediately chastised herself. She could not think about that until later. She knew she technically was not supposed to see Luke tonight, but she had to, and he didn't seem like he minded… Maybe he's already thought about it. Well, he probably had something to say at the house when he saiddd he was ready to talk!... Lorelai felt horrible about that.

After straightening out her hair and ruffled clothing, then reapplying the smudged eyeliner and lipstick, she turned on the car and moved back onto the road. The second Lorelai saw the sign "Stars Hollow: 10 miles" right above the sign for "Hartford: 21 miles" thoughts of Rory and the Friday night from hell flooded her mind. So, she blasted the Arcade Fire CD Rory had just burned for her. Memories of that night before the Wedding from hell, My life is so freakin' hellish…, came back to her mind again, so she switched over to Rosmary Clooney, and followed the highway toward "Stars Hollow: next exit" signs… all the while, thoughts of Luke were keeping her from crying, as well as relatively sane.


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