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

Author's Note: Huge thanks to JeSouhaite for being such a patient beta. This was pretty rough and she helped me smooth the edges

Lorelai woke the next morning to the sound of Luke's measured breathing. He was lying on his side facing her with his arm across her waist. She could feel the barest tickle of his breath on her cheek. It would be quite an intimate moment if they weren't in separate sleeping bags, she thought, stifling a chuckle. She brushed her fingers across the back of his hand and intertwined her fingers with his before turning his hand so that she could run her thumb back and forth across his palm. His skin was soft and warm and she realized that in spite of the innocence of the sleeping arrangements, she hadn't felt this close to a man in a long time.

She tried to remember the last time that she had woken up next to someone. Between the oddity that was Jason and her strict rules separating her dating life and her home life with Rory, there had been few opportunities. There was that trip to New York with Alex and maybe a few other times. She thought waking up with Luke here should feel unusual, a little weird. She was surprised to realize that it didn't. This felt different. He was different. First of all, with any other man she had been with, they would have had sex by now. It wasn't that she wasn't ready or didn't want to be with him because Godshe wanted to. It was that it mattered to him where and how it happened. That they mattered to him.

Lorelai had never really put a great deal of thought into sex. It was fun. It happened when it happened, with men she was attracted to who were attracted to her. With men she cared about. But she had cared about those men in a superficial way, and she had kept them at arms length. Luke was different. She could never keep him at arms length, and she was starting to realize that she didn't want to. It was why, even though she had tested him, she was secretly pleased to find out that it mattered to him when and where they would make love for the first time. Because sex with Luke was going to be different. It was going to matter.

She could tell when Luke woke because he squeezed her fingers gently. She turned to look at him as he propped his head up on his elbow and smiled at her. "Hey, good morning." His voice was soft and gentle.

"Good morning," she said, glancing up at him briefly before the intensity of his gaze turned her eyes down.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just…been a long time since I woke up next to a guy."

She couldn't help but notice the look of surprise that flashed across his face before it changed to concern. "But…this is okay, right?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile.

"Do you want some coffee? I could go make some." He started to sit up.

"That would be great. But wait, before you get up," Lorelai reached for his shoulder and leaned in for a gentle kiss. He ran his fingers down her cheek as she pulled away. "I just wanted to give you a proper good morning kiss."

Luke smiled. "I appreciate it. Now coffee?"

"You certainly know the magic words. Wait for me, though. I want to see the camp stove in action." He chuckled as he pulled on his shoes, "I'll just get it started up."

Lorelai slipped on her shoes and started to reach for a sweatshirt from her bag, before spotting Luke's flannel lying at the end of his sleeping bag. It seemed appropriate to wear his shirt now that he was officially her 'boyfriend,' whether he liked that word or not.

He looked up when she ducked out of the tent. "Hey, that's my shirt."

"I know, but doesn't it look good on me?"

"I'm sure that almost anything would look better with you in it, but isn't it a little early in the relationship for you to be stealing my clothes?"

"I think it's just the right time, now that you're my boyfriend," she teased, drawing out the word.

"You're not going to make me regret that conversation, are you?"

"Oh most definitely," Lorelai took a seat next to him on one of the overturned logs that served as primitive benches all over the faire grounds. She gestured toward the metal contraption in front of her, "So this is it?"

"This is it."

"It's small."

"Well it works. After the coffee is done, I'll make some pancakes."

"You can do that?" She knew she wasn't really surprised that it was possible but rather at the realization that though Luke often made her breakfast, she loved the thought of him cooking breakfast after waking up next to her.

"Yes, the wonders of cooking do work outside the confines of the diner," he said dryly.

"Well good. I can't wait."

"Let me guess, you're starving?"

"Of course." She grinned as she snuggled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder as his arm held her around her waist. "This is nice."

"You do know that we're still camping, right?"

"Yeah. Somehow, in spite of that, it's still nice." It really was. It felt comfortable to be here with Luke. They felt comfortable

Lorelai studied the Faire map, trying to decide where to start their day. "Hey, Luke. There's this whole section we missed yesterday."

"Are you sure? It seemed like we saw everything."

"No, I would have remembered the fudge stand. Let's go over here. I want to make sure I don't miss anything."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want that," Luke said sarcastically.

"There it is," Lorelai said excitedly as they walked into the unexplored corner of the faire ground. "We have to-" She stopped suddenly and pointed beyond the fudge stand. "Oh Luke look, it's one of those games where you hit the hammer and ring the bell. This is your opportunity to show off your strength and manliness."

"You have got to be joking."

"No, it's what you're supposed to do when you're at the Faire with a girl. You have to show off and win her things. Come on Luke, please? Besides," she said, lowering her voice as she turned to face him, "I'd just love to see you show off your muscles. Please?"

"Fine," he grumped

"Ooh yay!" she squealed, jumping up and pulling him toward the game.

The attendant smiled at them, "Luke! How are you? I heard you had a visitor. So…this is your girlfriend?"

Luke looked down for a moment, then at her and said, "Yeah…this is Lorelai. Lorelai, this is George."

Lorelai flashed Luke a smile in recognition of his admission and then turned to say, "Nice to meet you George."

"Nice to meet you. So she dragged you over here, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You know, Luke has been getting in some practice over here after hours," George said, looking at Lorelai.

"Really?" Lorelai was intrigued.

"It's nothing. Just a couple of times when we've been hanging out after the Faire closes," Luke protested.

"Alright. Well, let's see it. Oh, wait. I think that flannel shirt is going to get in your way. Let's get that off." She started to unbutton the shirt.

"Lorelai!" Luke protested, "I am not taking off my shirt."

"But how else am I going to see your muscles?"

He just glared at her. "Do you want me to do this or not?"

"Fine. But it's just not going to be the same." Lorelai tried to pout, but was foiled by a grin she just couldn't hide.

"Okay, now that that humiliation is over, what next?" Luke asked as they walked back toward the center of the Faire.

"Well, there's that toy sword store. Do you want to go sneak around back and make out?"

"Jeez Lorelai." Luke glanced around, as if to make sure no one had overheard her.

"What do you expect after such an amazing display of testosterone?"

"If I remember correctly it was you who insisted that I pound that ridiculous hammer. Oh, don't even-"

"Dirty!"

He rolled his eyes, "You never stop, do you?"

"Nope, not really. Do you think you can put up with me?" she teased.

"Do I really have a choice?" he asked, trying to sound exasperated, but not really succeeding.

"No. You're stuck with me," she said, grinning up at him.

"I guess I'll have to make do then," he said, lowering his voice and leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"The joust is about to start. We missed it yesterday. Would you like to…"

"Yeah, but let's get some food first."

"But, of course."

After they had gone through their traditional arguments about food choices, they settled down on the grass, and Lorelai surveyed the scene, "We need to pick a side to cheer for."

Luke smirked at her, "You know it's pretend, right?"

"Oh, so what?"

"Fine, how about green?"

"Mmm, I don't like green. You go for green, I'll go for blue."

"Okay," he replied with a sly grin.

Lorelai just looked at him curiously and continued eating. They sat companionably, watching as the green and blue-clad knights mounted their horses and began some practice runs.

After a few minutes, Luke asked tentatively, "Lorelai?'

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay with you and Rory?"

Lorelai tensed and felt her chest tighten, wondering what had made him ask now, when he had been so carefully avoiding the question all weekend. It made her wonder if this was what he expected now that they were 'officially' a couple. She had been so comfortable, gradually adapting to the combination of boyfriend Luke and friend Luke, but still not totally sure how they fit together.

"Are you asking as my boyfriend or as my friend?'

He looked confused at the question. "Does it matter?" He paused as if waiting for a response, but then continued when she stayed silent. "I'm asking as the guy who's known you and Rory for the better part of ten years and wants to know if there is anything he can do to help."

His words touched her. "It helps that you're asking." She paused, knowing he was hoping for more. Her solution was to temporarily deflect his larger question, "Hey, that green guy just jabbed that blue one with the stick and made him fall off his horse."

Luke looked at her for a moment, trying to cover his disappointment. He might have been able to fool others, but she could see him evaluating, trying to decide if he should push. He didn't. "It's a joust, Lorelai. That's sort of the point."

"It just doesn't seem fair." She smiled teasingly, but then looked down to avoid his eyes. She wondered if she should leave it there. It was safer that way, and she knew he would let her. As if to reinforce that thought, Luke reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly. She looked at him and saw only compassion in his eyes and knew then that he wasn't 'the boyfriend' or 'the friend.' He was simply Luke. She looked up to watch the joust, feeling his eyes on her. Gradually the tension of the moment passed and though they were quiet, it felt like the expectation was gone.

Lorelai breathed a small sigh of relief, but found herself wondering if she had just let an important moment pass. Luke was here, offering his support with no pressure. Though she hated to admit it, even to herself, she was tired of pretending that everything was fine. This wasn't the kind of thing she had been able to share with Sookie. There would have been too many questions. Sookie would have pushed without meaning to push. Somehow she knew that she could trust Luke not to. She thought for a few moments then looked sideways at him. "Why did you ask?"

He looked confused for a moment, but then realized what she meant. "The expression on your face every time her name comes up… and that phone call yesterday. You talk longer on the phone to people who are trying to sell you things."

His simple observations overwhelmed her and she rested her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to make you upset."

"You didn't." She glanced sideways at him. "I want to talk to you, and I would if I could, but I can't. It's personal to Rory. I can't betray her confidence."

"I would never ask you to," he said with quiet assurance.

That earned him a soft smile.

"Lorelai…?"

"Yeah?"

"Is she okay?" She knew Luke wasn't trying to pry, and that his question came from genuine concern for her and Rory.

"She is, I think. I'm just not sure that she and I are." That was the piece of it that hurt so much and it helped that he didn't say anything. He just waited to see if she would continue. "Rory did something and it really disappointed me. We fought. She said she hated me. Luke, she has never said anything like that before."

"You know she didn't mean it."

"Do I?" She paused for a moment, looking at him, then sighed. "Yeah, I do. It still doesn't change the fact that she said it, that she left the country angry with me. I can feel her slipping away from me."

"She'll come back."

"How do you know?"

"I have never known two people as close as you. You've spent years building that relationship. You are her role model, her friend, and her mother. That can't be taken away overnight."

"I hope you're right, because I miss her so much." She could feel her voice cracking. Luke wrapped his arm around her tightly and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not pushing."

His response was to give her a soft smile and another squeeze, before directing her attention to the jousting field. "Hey, they're about to do the last round."

A few minutes later, they were gathering their trash from lunch and walking away from the field. "Oh, man. Can't believe green won. That's so not fair." She saw Luke trying to hide a grin.

"What?"

"Green always wins in the morning. Blue wins in the afternoon."

Luke smiled at the look of shock on Lorelai's face. "How could you not tell me?"

"Now where's the fun in that?"

She just gave him a gentle slap on his arm and they continued walking, no particular destination in mind.

Luke interrupted the silence. "Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"Does Rory know…about us?" His voice dropped at the end of his question.

"She knew about the wedding and the movie."

"Really? So you did know…" His voice became teasing.

"Just that something might be going on. I really wasn't sure." She paused for a moment. "She doesn't know about…the test run."

He nodded.

"I wasn't hiding it. I didn't want to hide it. I went home that night to find her…and…" her voice grew pained, "she left the next day."

Luke nodded again, and the expression on his face was that of understanding, as if her explanation had filled in some blanks for him. "I wish I could have been there for you."

"You have been." Just as he had always been there for her. Why had it taken her so long to figure out that he was still the same Luke she had always relied on? That even though they were changing, he hadn't changed at all?

"I wish I didn't have to go so soon, but I told Michel that I'd be back by seven to relieve him at the inn."

"I'm just glad you were able to get away for the weekend."

"So am I. Really glad." She snaked her hands around his neck and pulled him in for a long kiss. When she pulled back, she said, "I have something for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah." She turned to pull a toy wooden sword out of her bag and tucked it into Luke's belt. "It's just a memento of our first real make-out session. So you won't forget."

"As if I ever could."

"So, how much longer?"

"I think about three weeks."

"Three weeks?" she whined. "I don't want to wait – Oh God I just had a really bad flashback to WB teen angst"

"Huh?"

"This show that Rory and Lane loved. Joey and Dawson. Joey and Pacey. It was years of will-they, won't they? Will it be her first love – the boy across the creek, or the gruff but far sexier boy she always fought with? God it was nauseating." Luke just looked at her like she had three heads. "Oh, Joey was a girl. That can be confusing sometimes."

"Yeah, that's the thing that was bothering me," he said sarcastically.

"Okay, well flashback over."

"And you're reminded of this, why?"

"The theme song. I don't want to wait for our lives to be over, I want to know right now what will it be…"

Luke cut off her singing. "Now who was it that was addicted to this show?"

"Oh stop it. You're missing the point anyway."

"There was a point?" Luke asked dryly.

"Yeah. I'm going to miss you," Lorelai said, all hint of teasing gone.

"Me too. I'm really glad you came."

"So am I," she said as she held his face in her hands and kissed him softly, letting her lips linger on his. She pulled back slowly and got into the jeep, rolling down the window before shutting the door, "Will you call me at the inn tonight?" She reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his.

"Of course. Bye Lorelai," he said, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go.

"Bye Luke." She pulled away slowly, reluctant to leave now that they were just figuring out how to be comfortable together. The only thing pulling her back to Stars Hollow right now was obligation. She wasn't looking forward to three more weeks without Luke and the continued wall of silence between her and Rory.

Looking in her rearview mirror, Lorelai was not surprised to see Luke standing where she had left him, his hands in his back pockets. As she stopped just before turning the corner, she stuck her arm out the door and waved, already looking forward to his phone call.

To be continued