A/N: Sorry that took forever. Hopefully worth the wait?

"We'd better find a flower shop, huh?" Lorelai was sitting across the table from Luke, looking up shyly from empty plate.

She motioned to the waitress and requested a phone book, where a florist was quickly located just a few blocks from their hotel.

The check came to the table, and Luke immediately palmed it and slid it next to his plate. "Don't worry about it."

"Luke, no, at least let me pay for half."

"Listen," he said, looking at her steadily. "I figure, after our conversation five minutes ago, this has become our first official date." He tried to restrain his grin. "So there's no way you're paying."

She smiled sweetly at the gesture, ignoring the Gloria Steinem voice in her head.

Lorelai's heart hadn't quite stopped pounding since hearing his declaration. She felt like all the blood in her body had rushed to her face, her palms were sweaty and her cheeks wouldn't stop pulling her mouth into a smile.

She wasn't quite sure what to do with herself, whether to leap across the table and kiss him, or sprint around the block, or stand up on her chair and announce it to the other patrons in the room.

She just… she felt giddy, and giddy that he seemed giddy, too. She decided to just sit tight and preserve the feeling.

Lorelai briefly reflected on the plans she'd carefully set out for the night before, while Luke had been in the shower. She was glad they hadn't panned out; if Rory hadn't called, she knew that they would have unnecessarily over-complicated their relationship.

It was just twelve hours earlier that she had, after a half hour of sitting and reflecting on her feelings for Luke, finally concluded that a decision was absolutely necessary.

She was risking her sanity and overall well-being by not making some sort of move, she thought. At least, if she knew for a fact that he didn't have feelings toward her, she could start working on getting over it.

The second Luke walked out of the bathroom (especially if he was in a towel, she thought) she was going to saunter over, slide the straps of her slip off her shoulders, say something irresistibly sexy and then wrap him into a kiss. She didn't know what she'd say, but sexy quips were her strong suit, and Lorelai felt confident that she could come up with something on the spot.

And once she had him in bed, she figured, he would be completely powerless against her feminine wiles- regardless of how he felt about her emotionally. Universal truth held that dangling a naked woman in front of a sex-starved man was a sure-fire way to get anything you want.

She hadn't wanted a one night stand with him. But, she had thought, if I could have one night with him alone in a bed, I might be able to cajole him into seeing me as more than a friend.

Lorelai had never considered herself particularly experienced with men. She was sure that Luke, with half as many partners, had had ten times more sex than her. Having a kid waiting for you at home didn't allow for many extra-curricular activities, she reflected.

One thing she was certain of, however, was that if she could really take in and relish his body the way she'd wanted to for so long, that he would definitely assume she was experienced. If she could only take control, spend time exploring every curve and crevice, pass the hours just kissing him and teasing him… she knew it would be mind-blowing, regardless of her comparatively meager sexual history.

But now, as she stole a glance at him from across the table, it was different. She didn't need a plan anymore. She knew this was for real. And she knew that she would get to do all of that eventually.

And she would know that his feelings for her were in his heart, not in his pants. She wouldn't have use sex as a way to convince him of anything.

She was grateful to Rory for dismantling her plans.

Because otherwise, if Rory hadn't called, she and Luke would probably still be tangled naked in bed together.

And that was bad because…

well, she couldn't quite remember why, but things had worked themselves out emotionally, and the rest would follow in time.

She realized she'd been staring at Luke's hands for a few minutes, deep in thought. He was giving her a quizzical look. God, she was turned on. This wouldn't do at all.

"I was just thinking about the flowers," she said quickly.

"Uh huh."

"Uh huh what?" she demanded.

"Your face is bright red. What were you really thinking about?"

She gasped. "Luke! Did you think I was thinking dirty thoughts about you?"

Luke looked taken aback. "No, I just… I thought you might be thinking about Mia, and… your face is red, I thought you were upset."

Lorelai smiled at him. "God, you're so sweet. No, I'm good." Her smile brightened as she added, "Really good. Let's go get those flowers taken care of."

As they walked down the street, Lorelai couldn't help but notice Luke's eyes on the water. The Pacific Ocean was spread out before them, palm trees and long piers framing the miles of yellow beach as far as the eye could see. He couldn't help but stare.

"How about we come back after we do the arrangements," Lorelai suggested.

His face softened under the glare of the sun and he glanced down, taking her swinging hand into his.

"I'd like that," he said.

They wound their way through throngs of tourists and locals down on State Street, hands still clasped. When
they finally made it to the open stretch of sand, they both stopped and gazed out.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Luke turned to face Lorelai, who felt his eyes and returned his gaze.

"It's beautiful," she agreed.

He'd trained himself to not stare at her lips when she spoke, or when their faces were close like this. Now, however, he felt free to do it. He was, in fact, in the midst of doing it, when Lorelai suddenly caught him by the shirt and pulled the two of them into one another's arms.

"There, that's better," she said, grinning. She loved the feeling of Luke's veiny forearms curling around her midsection, and tightened her grip on his neck.

"So this is where we kiss, huh?" He said it playfully, but his pounding heart was giving him away.

Lorelai's smoldering eyes were burning into his, and he felt frozen to his spot until she finally closed them and leaned in.

Their lips met in the middle, touching hesitantly at first. His tongue brushed hers softly, as if they were shaking hands, meeting for the first time. The thought made Lorelai suppress a laugh. It was the most gentle kiss she'd ever felt.

His hands squeezed her sides as he pulled back, pressing his forehead into hers. She studied his face from this angle, as it took up her entire field of vision. He had a number of tiny grooves running out from the corners of his eyes, and they creased as he smiled.

Her hands traveled to his face, her thumbs taking up residence on his cheeks, playing with the curls that splayed out from the back of his neck.

Luke's eyes took a moment longer to drift open. He took in her shining eyes and the light freckles sprinkled on her button nose, her long lashes fluttering just centimeters from his. His breath only came back when Lorelai nuzzled his cheek and pulled him in for a hug.

She felt him shiver and clutched him more tightly.

It wasn't an uncommon scene in Santa Barbara, a popular destination for those newly wed, newly engaged, or just newly involved. They looked like any other couple enjoying a day on the beach, and passers-by were oblivious to the all-consuming feelings of passion passing between them.

Not a word was spoken as they walked down to the water, finally settling under the shade of a pier. They leaned back on their elbows, stretched out side by side, waiting for the other to say something.

"Aren't you hot?" Lorelai finally asked, glancing down at his flannel, blue cap and boots. "It's like, 85 degrees."

He gave her a look, then unbuttoned and shrugged off his flannel, revealing an olive green t-shirt.

"Good color," she said, eyeing his well-formed body.

"Thanks."

He sat up, removed his shoes and socks, burying his feet in the sand. Lorelai did the same.

"I could do this all day," she murmured, tipping her face back and taking a deep breath, listening to the waves.

Luke took this opportunity to study her carefully; his eyes traced her delicate neck and collarbone down to the curve of her breasts, taking in her flat stomach and small hips. He couldn't believe that she felt the same way, that could get this lucky.

"Then, let's," he said simply. She turned her head to look at him and smiled. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

As the sun began to sink, Lorelai suggested they take a cab up to Mia's old house, just to make sure that everything was in order for the service, to see if they could help with anything.

They walked back to the hotel to clean up and change, their sandy clothes having taken up the smell of the beach.

Luke was prepared to change into something casual, but Lorelai insisted on his being a bit formal for the family. He ended up in a tie-less, coat-less version of his funeral clothes, Lorelai in a black pantsuit.

"We look like we're from the FBI," Luke remarked.

"We look appropriate," she corrected. "And this way, we won't have to come back to the hotel before we go out tonight."

"Wait, we're going out tonight?"

Lorelai smirked. "It's Friday night, Luke. My parents are 3,000 miles away, I haven't been out on a Friday night since like, the 1800's. We don't have to go salsa dancing or skinny dipping, we can just go to dinner or back down to the beach. It's the principle of the thing." She turned and walked out the door.

Once he got past the words 'skinny dipping,' he swallowed, nodded, and followed after her.

They pulled up to the house around 6:00, getting the address from Donald on the way. Though Lorelai hadn't seen him since the Independence Inn had burned down, he looked as if he'd aged quite a few years. They all hugged, shook hands and were introduced to the dozen close family members milling about their preparations.

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt your dinner," Lorelai said, noting dishes on the table.

"Oh, no, you didn't," Donald assured her. "This food is just for the kids, I don't think any of us adults have had much of an appetite these past few days." He gave her a sad smile, which she returned.

"I was just looking through some old boxes of pictures," he continued. "Sorting some things out. It's been hard, but as you can see, I've got plenty of help. Everyone's really pitched in around here." He gestured to everyone around him.

"Well, Luke and I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need," she said, pursing her lips. "Make sure you're okay."

"That's so sweet of you. But we really do have everything under control. The service is tomorrow, 2:00 at the Holy Cross Church on Milpas. We'll see you there?"

"Of course," she responded, looking at Luke. He just stood awkwardly, hands in his pockets. "We'll be there."

A little girl with big brown eyes waddled up, clutching Donald's leg. He chuckled, rumpling her hair. "Oh, this is my daughter, Rosie. Say hi, Rosie."

"Hi," she said shyly, looking up at Luke and Lorelai.

Lorelai crouched down to Rosie's height, and held out her hand. "Hi Rosie, my name's Lorelai. I'm friends with your dad."

"Are you here for the funeral?" she asked point-blank, eyes still wide.

Lorelai cocked her head, her mouth in a straight line. "Yeah, sweetie, we are. Me and my friend Luke came from all the way from Connecticut to say goodbye to your grandma." Rosie didn't respond. She added, "We all loved her very much."

The little girl stared back at her and nodded. She looked scared, dressed in a simple white pinafore with stains down the front, still grasping her dad's leg. Looking intently at Lorelai, she asked innocently, "What's gonna happen?"

"Come on, kiddo," Donald said, swinging her up into his arms. "Let's go talk, huh?"

Luke glanced at Lorelai, who had cast her eyes down, frowning. He took over, putting one arm around her and extending the other to Donald. "We'll see you tomorrow, then," he said, shaking the man's hand. "Call us if you need anything." Lorelai simply waved unsteadily, and they turned to leave.

"Goodbye!" Rosie called after them.

As they stood outside waiting for their cab, Luke tipped Lorelai's chin up and looked down into her eyes, which were a little wet. "You okay?"

She exhaled and put an arm around him. "Yeah, I'm fine, that kid just got to me. Something about her reminded me of Rory at that age, and… I don't know. I'm okay, though."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"You hungry?"

"I'm hungry." She paused and considered. "And I need a drink."

"I think that can be arranged," he said, kissing her forehead.

Their cab pulled up and they slid inside.

TBC