Disclaimer: These characters are owned by the WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Author's Note: As always, thanks to JeSouhaite for the amazing beta help and to the gang at TWoP for the encouragement.
Luke watched Lorelai at the opposite end of the jewelry booth, where she was packing up jewelry for the night. She looked a little strained. Ever since the call from Rory she had been distant. It was clear that something was bothering her, but she wasn't sharing and he knew better than to push. She'd talk to him when she was ready – he hoped. It was what he thought would make this relationship different for him – and her too. The close friendship they already shared had the potential to bring them closer than he had been with any woman and he suspected closer than Lorelai had been with another man. He wondered if that was making her hesitate to lean on him and let him know what was bothering her. It wasn't that he expected her to share all of the details of Rory's life, but he needed to know that she trusted him enough to tell him when she was hurting.

Lorelai had finished sorting the earrings and walked over to help Luke with the necklaces. "Liz was telling me about the big bash tonight. Is that what you meant when you said that a few people get together after the Faire closes?"

"Well…yeah, I guess."

"I hear that there's singing and dancing. Sounds like your kind of event," she joked, but there was a bitterness in her tone that bothered him.

"I usually eat some food and have a beer and that's about it for me. Do you want to go? If you don't want to, we could do something else."

Lorelai looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable, "No, let's go. When does it start?"

"Usually about an hour after the Faire closes. That's about how long it takes for everyone to get their booths closed down."

After organizing the booth and setting up the tents for the night, Luke and Lorelai headed toward the center of the Faire grounds. Luke watched as Lorelai took in the scene with a skeptical look on her face. Most of the Faire people were there, and though many had taken off their costumes, there were still quite a few dressed in Renaissance garb, TJ included. A couple of industrial size grills had been rolled out and lit. Platters of hamburgers and chicken lay waiting to be cooked as well as a pile of skewered vegetables. One of the Faire people that Luke knew well, Henry, was behind the grill, checking the coals and preparing to cook.

"Luke, they must have known you were coming. They're making vegetables," Lorelai joked.

Henry looked up at her comment and said, "The vegetables were his idea. He made them the first week and they've been on the menu ever since. Hey Luke, are you going to be cooking tonight?"

"I could if you need help, but…" his voice trailed off as he glanced at Lorelai.

Henry nodded and said, "Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. I think that Brian's going to be helping out." Then he looked at Lorelai, "Hi, I'm Henry."

"I'm Lorelai. I'm…visiting Luke," Luke saw something in her eyes then, that distant look he had seen all afternoon, and wondered again what was bothering her. "It's nice to meet you."

Later, after they had eaten their fill and Luke had tried his hardest to get Lorelai to eat a vegetable, he asked, "Do you want another beer?"

"Sure. I'll stay here and guard our log."

When he returned, he was surprised to see Lorelai talking and laughing with a guy. And not just any guy. She had to pick the juggler, the one guy here that he didn't even trust to be alone with his married sister. And she was laughing.

He walked up beside her. "Hey. Here's your drink." He thrust it into her hand, then grabbed her other hand and pulled her up. "We need to go."

They walked a few steps before Lorelai turned on him angrily, "What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"We were talking and you just barged in and-"

"He's a jerk."

"He seemed perfectly friendly."

Why was she arguing with him over this? "Is that why you were flirting with him?"

"What? I was just talking," she protested.

"That's not what he thought."

"What are you talking about?"

"That guy picks up a different woman every night. You couldn't have picked a worse guy to talk to."

"How dare you," Lorelai fumed. "Now you're acting like my jealous boyfriend, but when Annie was flirting with you earlier, you couldn't get out the words to tell her we're together. What's that about?"

The words hit him like a ton of bricks. Her jealousy was so unexpected. "You're jealous of the grog girl? Are you insane?"

"I don't know Luke. Here I am visiting you for the weekend and we're dating, I think. Well, I don't know what we are, but I think we're supposed to be something. So how is it that I find myself wondering if you're even attracted to me?"

He just stared at her, wide-eyed and incredulous. He could see that part of her knew her question was ridiculous, but he could tell that there was another part that wasn't sure. It was the last thing that he would have ever expected this unbelievably gorgeous woman to be insecure about. "Are you serious?"

She didn't have an answer for him. She just looked back at him with those amazing eyes that were tinged with doubt.

He wanted to tell her how ridiculous she was being. He wanted to tell her just how long he had been attracted to her. He wanted to tell her to look in a damn mirror for God's sake. But it wasn't the logical part of her mind that needed convincing. And words had never really been his forte anyway.

He took her hand wordlessly and pulled her gently away from the party, behind the shop that sold wooden swords and shields. He took her beer and his and set them down on the ground next to the building, then stood facing her, his hands brushing down her arms. Her gaze was on him, searching his eyes to find his intent, her own eyes uncertain. He thought again about how he could explain what he felt, but the words wouldn't come. Let your actions speak, right? So he reached for her waist, pulled her tightly to him, and he kissed her, hard and deep and long.

She seemed surprised at first, but he felt her relax, her hands sliding up his chest and around his neck. As her arms held him tighter, the hem of her shirt pulled out of her jeans and his hands brushed her skin. She let out a small gasp and Luke hesitated for a moment before he felt her lean into him. Feeling her acquiescence, he slipped his fingers under her shirt and gently kneaded the small of her back, eliciting a soft moan.

Dear god, he had just made Lorelai moan.

The thought was intoxicating and he reveled in the taste of her kisses and the softness of her skin. After a few minutes, Luke pulled away gently, his thumbs softly caressing her belly, "Are you convinced yet?"

Lorelai gave him a sly smile, "I don't know. I think that I may need a little more evidence before I can be sure." At that she ran her hands over his chest, her touch warm through the thin cotton of his t-shirt. He pulled her closer so that she was pressed tightly against his chest and kissed her again. The kiss was gentle, but quickly turned passionate. Lorelai broke away and ran kisses across his jawbone and down his neck, pushing him against the wall of the shop.

The crush of her breasts against his chest and her hips pressed into his was overwhelming and he whispered, "God, Lorelai." Underneath her shirt, his fingers stroked her back and his thumbs continued to caress her belly. Lorelai's mouth returned to his, her kisses fierce, and Luke felt his hands creeping higher. It wasn't until his thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts and she let out a gasp that he realized what he was doing. My God, I'm feeling her up like a hormonal teenager.

He dropped his hands to her hips and pulled away reluctantly. "So…believe me now?"

"Yeah. Does this mean you want to stop?"

He shook his head "Want to? No. But we probably should. We're acting like a couple of sixteen year olds at the drive-in."

"Nothing wrong with that. At least that way I know you like me."

"Did you really think I didn't?" He couldn't hide the surprise in his voice.

"I just…well, you've been kind of hands-off the whole time I've been here."

"I didn't want to push too fast, make you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm a big girl. Besides, I trust you." She paused for a moment before asking, "Did you really think that I would come here to be with you and flirt with another guy?"

Luke hung his head. She had misunderstood his intentions, but he had questioned her integrity. "Lorelai, I'm so-"

"Don't - I think that we've both been a little on edge. We're still trying to figure out how to be together. I guess I'm just used to guys being more, I don't know…obvious."

"Lorelai, I'm attracted to you…very much, but this…us. I want this to work, so I don't want to rush it. I don't want to rush into…you know."

"Sleeping together?"

"Yeah," he said, looking down sheepishly.

"But you do want to?"

"Didn't we already go through this?" He couldn't believe she was still wondering.

"So…?" But there it was. She was still waiting for answer.

"Yes, but not here on the ground, surrounded by lunatics and 10 feet from Liz and TJ. I want to take you out – just us, and have a real date. Did you think…were you expecting?"

"I'm just not used to having sleepovers with guys I'm not…uh…sleeping with. I didn't know what to expect."

He took her hands in his and said softly, "Lorelai, you know I would never-"

"I know."

He looked down and watched his thumbs draw circles on the backs of her hands. They were silent for several long moments. Eventually he found his voice again, "So…that thing with the grog girls. Was that what was bothering you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been kind of distant all afternoon," he said gently. It seemed like you were upset."

She shrugged. "You didn't seem like you wanted to admit we were together."

"That's all it was about?" He didn't really believe that there wasn't more to it.

"What did you think it was?"

"I thought it might have had something to do with the phone call."

"Oh." She looked down, avoiding his eyes.

He waited, hoping, but somehow knowing that she was still not ready to share that piece of herself. He tried to decide if he should give her an out, to let her know that he wasn't pushing, but she spoke first.

"Why didn't you want to call me your girlfriend?"

"I don't know. It seemed a little presumptuous. I mean…this is new. Besides, girlfriend makes it sound like we're twelve."

"But we are something, right? Is it dating? What is it?"

"Dating sounds kind of…casual, and we haven't actually been on a date yet anyway. Can't we just say that we're together?"

"That's not very specific." She looked at him and he shrugged. "Fine. You do what you want. I'm going to call you my boyfriend, even if it does sound like we're twelve. Unless you want me to say that you're my man-slave." She said the last part with a grin, taunting him.

He looked down at her, worried about the part of her that was still hiding, but relieved to see her smile come back, "I guess I can live with boyfriend, at least until we come up with something better."

"Yay, I have a boyfriend!" Lorelai said with a small squeal.

"Now you do sound like you're twelve."

Lorelai just giggled and looked around for her beer. She picked it up to take a drink then stopped. "Luke, there's some nature crap in my beer."

"Nature crap?" he asked, looking in to see a few bugs floating in her cup. "Oh. Bugs. Do you want to go back, get another one?"

"Sure."

As they walked back, Luke put his arm around her and rested his hand on her hip. As they came back from behind the building, they ran into Liz.

"Hey, where have you guys been? Making out behind the store?" she teased.

Lorelai giggled and Luke felt himself redden.

"Oh my god, you were! Well, I knew it! I knew that my big brother wasn't really that much of a saint."

"What do you mean Liz?" Lorelai asked curiously.

"I couldn't figure out why he didn't show any interest in anyone, no matter how much they tried."

"Tried what? Who tried?" Lorelai sounded anxious.

"Luke had some female admirers," Liz explained.

"Liz," Luke protested. The last thing he needed was for this whole idea to get stirred up again, after they seemed to have resolved it.

Liz waved him off and continued, "But he didn't even seem to notice. I didn't really get it until I caught him sneaking off to make a phone call. On a cell phone. I never thought my Luke of all people would get a cell phone." She looked at Lorelai then. "He didn't tell me until this week that it was you, but I'm not surprised. I've had a feeling about you two."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He gave you the earrings, didn't he?"

"He told me you wanted me to have them."

"That wasn't exactly how the conversation went," Liz said, eying Luke pointedly.

"It was no big deal," he protested.

She shrugged, "If you say so, bro. I was on my way to pee and I better get back to TJ before he starts to think that I ran off with Harold. Hey, Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming. I think he missed you," she said, gesturing at her brother.

"Well, I missed him too," she said, wrapping her arms around one of his and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Great. See what I mean? I'm always right when I get these feelings about something." She said as she hobbled toward the bathroom.

It didn't take Lorelai long, "So what was that about the earrings?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, buddy? Who were they supposed to be for?"

This was dangerous territory. The last thing that he wanted to do was delve into the complexities of his feelings over the past year. "She told me to choose, but she specifically mentioned you by name."

"And you gave them to me," she said, her voice soft. He wondered if, like him, she was thinking and not Nicole.

"I wanted you to have them," he said simply.

"Okay," she said, seeming to accept his answer for now, though there was still a question in her eyes.

That night, when they returned to the tent after their trip to the bathroom, Lorelai took his hand, "You don't have to wait outside tonight. We're both adults." He nodded, and they both ducked inside the tent.

While he propped up a flashlight for them to see by, Lorelai dug through her bags looking for her pajamas, her back to him. Once she found them, she pulled off her shirt. Luke turned his head away and tried to focus on his own clothes.

"Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm having trouble with my bra. Can you undo the clasp for me?"

"Having trouble, huh?"

"Yeah, for some reason I just can't seem to get it loose this time."

"And you need me to do it for you."

"Well, if you would be so kind."

He sat behind her and gently pulled apart the straps and she let them fall down her shoulders. He laid his hands on her shoulder blades and let them slide down her back. Then he rested them back on her shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze as he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Are you trying to test my resolve?"

"Maybe a little. Is it working?"

"Do you really want it to? Here? Now?" It was a tricky question. He didn't know how to respond if she said yes.

She seemed to pause for a moment and Luke held his breath waiting for her response. But she just leaned forward to pick up her t-shirt and pulled it over her head before turning around to face him. "I guess you're right. This probably isn't the best place. I'll just have to wait a little longer to see you shirtless," she said as she trailed her fingers lightly down his chest.

He swallowed thickly, "I guess you will."

She leaned forward to kiss him lightly, then brought her mouth to his ear and whispered, "I'm looking forward to it."

He could only blush in response, then turn around to pull out of his pants and into sweats while Lorelai did the same. They both slipped into their sleeping bags and then turned to face one another. Luke propped his head up on his elbow and reached a finger out to trace a line from her ear down her jawline. He cupped his hand around her cheek and leaned in to give her a soft, lingering kiss.

When he pulled back, she said softly, "Now that was a good night kiss. Good night, Luke."

"Good night, Lorelai."

They both lay quiet for a few minutes, before Lorelai asked, "Luuuuke?"

"What?"

"Do you have to sleep way over there?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're too far away." She wriggled a little closer to him and wrapped her hands around his arm. "You aren't afraid of me are you?"

"That depends. This isn't another ploy to test me, is it?"

"No. I just…It makes me feel better."

"Okay. Come here." He wrapped his arm around her as she settled her head on his shoulder. He had expected the unresolved sexual tension to make it much harder to relax tonight, but for some reason it didn't. It was as though recognizing it had somehow made it easier to deal with. He had been amazed earlier at the strength of her uncertainty about his feelings, though she seemed convinced now. As she nuzzled into his shoulder and placed her arm across his chest, he could feel the tension leaving her body. He felt himself relax as well.

He could feel her voice almost before he could hear it. "I don't know why, it's not really logical, but having you hold me makes me a lot less freaked out by the random animal noises."

Her admission surprised him, and he lifted his head to look her in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me they bothered you?"

"I didn't want to…well…you like camping, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but-"

She interrupted, her voice worried. "Is it okay if I don't like camping?"

Luke smiled in the dark. "I'm not planning more camping trips any time soon. I think I'll have had my fill after this summer."

To be continued