5.02 A Messenger, Nothing More
Episode addition. Luke and Lorelai 'hook up' later on.
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She looked up at him, her neck resting in the crook of his arm. He was as close as he could be to her, on his side, next to her. The bed was warm, the sheets smooth on their skin. The room was light enough that she could see into his eyes, the corners crinkled into the lines that meant he was smiling. She closed her eyes and breathed in then as his hand continued to gently stroke her belly then move slowly... agonizingly slowly... lower...
"Lorelai?"
She squeezed her eyes more tightly closed.
"Lorelai?"
Why did her neck hurt?
"Lorelai?"
She opened her eyes, lifted her head from her desk and looked up into those same smiling crinkle-edged eyes.
A dream.
"Luke?" she doubled checked groggily.
"Are you okay?" he asked from the other side of the desk where he stood looking down at her.
She rubbed her eyes and leaned back into her chair, arms crossed over her chest. A dream.
"I'm fine. Must've drifted off."
He nodded in concern.
"So, what are you doing here?" she went on brightly, trying to deflect from the sleeping and The Dream and, Oh God, had she drooled? "I thought we were going to meet at The Diner at ten."
"We were," he told her.
"What time is it?" she asked, catching on.
"Eleven."
"What?" she sat up straighter to look at the clock on the wall. "Oh Jeez, I'm sorry Luke." She rubbed her hands at her temples.
"It's okay," he assured her. "Sookie called me to get you."
"She did?"
"She didn't want me to call the house and wake Rory and you left your cell at the front desk."
"Oh. I see."
"Are you all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine. Just tired. I'm sorry I missed our date. Rory fell asleep from the jet lag and... well, everything that's been going on... So I thought I'd get some work done before I came to see you..."
"It's okay, Lorelai, really. Could I walk you home now?"
"That would be great."
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"It's a beautiful night," she said as they stepped out onto the front porch, "The air feels so cool and clean."
"Fall is coming," he agreed and turned to smile at her. She smiled back and he quietly took her hand as they started down the drive.
"So, TJ and Liz are okay?"
"They're doing better. TJ's whine was at full-blown roar by the time I left."
"Good."
Luke eyed her quietly as they walked toward her home in the night light. Half moon, half street lamp.
"Sookie said you've been working too much this summer," he began.
"Yeah well, Sookie's a cheese eater," she groused.
"She didn't rat you out. She's worried about you," he countered.
"Well, I'm fine. Really."
He seemed willing to accept that for the moment.
They continued to make their way, the gravel crunching under their feet as they went.
"Lorelai," he stopped finally and turned to her, "I need to say... Well, there was a lot of talk in The Diner this afternoon..."
She pulled her hand away from his then, crossed her arms over her chest again and looked away, "I heard an owl out here the other night," she said, "At least I think it was an owl. But I kept picturing a little cartoon in a tree wearing a mortar board and trying to count how many licks it takes to get--"
"Lorelai..."
"I know, I know, you heard 'talk'..."
"Not good talk," he told her.
"Was it about us?" she asked hopefully.
He placed his hands gently on her upper arms and willed her to look him in the eye again.
"No," he said.
Lorelai nodded and felt a familiar burning in her eyes.
"Luke, I can't... I can't talk to you about this..."
"Okay," he sighed, "Just... If you need me to do anything... Anything. I'm your man. Am I making my message clear?"
She looked up at him and smiled through her blurry vision, "Loud and clear. You are my man."
"Right."
He pulled her in and slipped an arm around her shoulders then as they made their way down to the street.
And soon they were at her door and kissing softly on the front step. Hands stroking down backs and slipping through hair.
"Will you come in? In the morning? Have breakfast with me?" he finally whispered.
"Yes," she smiled.
"Get some sleep," he told her with one last stroke of his fingers through her hair, before heading back to the diner.
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Wearily he climbed the stairs to his apartment and before long was stretched out on the bed... He'd see her in the morning, he thought with a smile....
His hand slid up the smoothness of her skin... it was softer than he had ever let himself consider... He dared to go further then, gently cupping her breast and bringing his lips down her neck ... He almost came undone as her breathy sigh became a moan... He brought his lips lower then...