Author's Note: Thanks again to my fabulous betas, JeSouhaite and CineFille. Also, since someone asked, the challenge I was given (by iheartbridges after she read A Faire Weekend) was to write a story where Lorelai went overseas to consult and Luke came to visit her.
They had settled into a comfortable routine with their phone calls. Lorelai called Luke from Scotland before she went to bed, which was, most of the time, before the dinner rush began. In the first week many of their conversations focused on relieving her loneliness and insecurity. "I mean Luke, what the hell am I doing here? They didn't send me all this way to show these people how to fold towels. I don't know what I'm supposed to be teaching them." He felt like a broken record reassuring her and telling her that he couldn't wait to see her. And though he kicked himself for not wishing her complete happiness away from him, he loved hearing her say that she missed him and needed him.
This time, it was getting close to dinner rush and people were trickling in when his cell phone finally rang. Luke waved at Caesar and gestured at his phone as he headed for the storeroom. "Hey," he answered with a smile, wondering if she knew how much he looked forward to her calls.
"Hey back. Finally. I'm sorry it's later than usual, I've been wanting to call you all day, but we've been crazy busy." He had gotten used to a more sober Lorelai since she'd left, but now he could tell something was different. She bubbled with enthusiasm as her words danced through the telephone wire.
"You know you can call me anytime. So tell me about your day."
"It's actually been great, even though it's busy. The guests who checked out raved about the food and the hospitality. Mike Armstrong called and said that he'd heard I was doing a great job, and the staff doesn't seem to be afraid of me anymore. I couldn't wait to call you, because I realized that every time I've talked to you I've been complaining and I'm sorry about that." She paused to take a breath, and Luke spoke up.
"You don't need to apologize. That's what I'm here for."
"That's sweet, but I'm not gonna complain today. I wanted to tell you something good. I mean, here I am living a few blocks away from a castle. A castle, Luke. A real castle. And I have this opportunity in front of me and I've been complaining and you shouldn't have to listen to that. So I thought maybe we could start planning all the things that we're going to do when you get here."
Luke listened to her babble on about the sights in Stirling and surrounding areas. He could hear the excitement in her voice and it both relieved and worried him at the same time. The rambling descriptions were amusing and so full of life that he had to smile, even as he worried that she seemed to no longer need his support and encouragement.
His reverie was cut short when she asked him a question. "What do you think about going away for a few days to the Isle of Skye? It's a popular vacation spot – not just for tourists - and the drive out there is supposed to be really beautiful."
"That sounds great, if you can get away," Luke answered hesitantly.
"I think I can swing it. I'm really starting to like it here. Oh and did I tell you about the breakfasts? The breakfasts here are amazing."
Wow, amazing breakfasts too?
As Luke hung up the phone, he felt a sense of dread settle over him, and though he fought it, he couldn't help hearing Dean's words ringing in his ears. This town, it's all you are, and it's not enough. She's going to get bored, and you can't take her anywhere. You're here forever. He knew it was ridiculous to take anything that punk said seriously, but it was hard not to see some truth in the words. It was for that reason, after all, that he had encouraged Lorelai to try the consulting job.
Her proposal had taken him completely by surprise. In a matter of minutes, she went from total despair to whatever it was that had prompted her to ask him to marry her. That was the crux of the issue: he had no idea what made Lorelai ask him in that moment. Though he had happily accepted, and given her the ring he'd been planning to present her with during his own proposal, the question continued to nag at him. Was she feeling lost and out of touch with Rory and therefore holding on to him for safety, or did she really want to spend her life with him?
The question poked at him gently, like a paper cut, for a few days, before turning into a full-fledged infection. They'd had a few blissful days following the proposal. The sparkle returned to Lorelai's eyes and though the situation with Rory weighed her down, he felt as though he could share the burden. On the tail-end of Monday's lunch rush, Lorelai came into the diner literally bursting with news. Her eyes danced and she worked to keep her small smile from becoming a grin, though the hum of nervous energy gave her away.
"What's up with you?" he asked, eyeing her curiously as she took a seat at the counter, folded her arms in front of her and looked up to meet his eyes.
"I just did something and I wanted to come over here and tell you in person, because I thought it would make you happy." The grin had finally forced its way through her attempt to remain subdued.
He eyed her suspiciously. "What did you do?"
"I called Mike Armstrong and told him that I wasn't interested in selling in the inn or consulting. I'm not going anywhere. I'm all yours, baby." She sat there, waiting expectantly for his reaction, looking altogether pleased with herself.
Luke felt a knot of worry in his stomach listening to Lorelai's words. Clearly she was doing this for him, because of his concerns about her taking a job and leaving Stars Hollow, but he couldn't help fearing that she would regret it, that in a few years she would resent him for being the reason she hadn't pushed herself professionally. "Wow. That's big. Are you sure?" He tried to keep his voice light, to hide the turmoil her announcement had instigated.
"Of course I'm sure. I don't want to go anywhere."
She sat there, right in front of him, telling him all she was willing to give up to stay here, and he wished so fervently that he could believe her. "Not even to try it? I thought you liked the idea of traveling."
"Well, it did sound…," she hesitated, her brow wrinkled with confusion. "But, you were the one who didn't want me to. I don't get this. I thought you'd be happy."
"I just want to make sure that you aren't missing out on an amazing opportunity, that you aren't making a quick decision because we got engaged." He chose his words carefully.
"What's wrong with deciding that I want to be here with you?" She gave him a puzzled look.
"What if you wish later that you'd tried it? Didn't you say they'd let you do a trial run of consulting?"
"Well, yeah…" her voice was hesitant. "But Luke, I'm happy here."
"I know," he said, softening a bit. "But I just don't want you to regret not doing it. I'd hate to think that you passed it up because of me, because of us."
"Does that mean you really want me to do this?" asked Lorelai, surprise and uncertainty written all over her face. "After what you said before?"
"I don't want you to miss the chance to do it – if you want to. Do you want to?"
She looked at him, as if evaluating his words, then took a breath and said slowly, "It did sound intriguing…"
The knot in his gut squeezed tighter, even as he said softly but firmly, "Then you should try it." He knew that he sounded far more encouraging than he felt.
A few weeks later, it took all his strength to put her on that plane, to stand there and say goodbye, but he needed to let her do this. He needed to know that he was enough for her - that knowing all of her options, she would choose him. Because when he stood up with her in front of 'God and these witnesses,' he wanted both of them to know that they were in it forever.
Luke pulled up to The Stirling Inn and found it just as Lorelai had described: stately, dignified, and old. There was a small parking lot to the side of the three story stone building. After pulling into a parking spot and turning off the engine, he leaned back in his seat, rubbed his hands across his face and breathed a sigh of relief. The drive from the Edinburgh had been simple, direction-wise, but driving on the left side of the road took more effort than expected. He'd insisted Lorelai didn't need to pick him up, and though she protested, she finally agreed after reluctantly admitting that she'd managed to avoid doing much driving herself.
He entered the crowded lobby of the inn, standing behind a group of people waiting to be seated in the dining room and a few others checking in or out. He saw Lorelai expertly pointing people in the appropriate direction and answering their questions with friendly efficiency. Staying in the background, he was glad to have a moment to quietly observe her. The way that she handled people had always impressed him, but now he saw the confident set of her shoulders and heard the assertive, but friendly, tone in her voice. "We have a reservation for you beginning tomorrow night," Lorelai said to a thin blond woman who held tightly to two young girls. "Is it possible-"
"Oh, but our plans changed, and I called to change the reservation. I know I called…" The woman hesitated, and her voice grew brittle and agitated as realization flashed across her face. "Oh no, I didn't call. I didn't call. What are we going to do? Where are we going to stay? We chose this inn because you had family rooms, but if those aren't available, I don't know…and my husband is already bringing in the bags."
"Well, let's see what we can do for you," Lorelai said, checking the reservation book, "We do have a good-sized room available." She paused for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "I could have a spare mattress set up on the floor-"
"The floor? I don't wanna sleep on the floor!" whined the older of the two girls.
"Oh, Miranda," the woman scolded, embarrassment flooding her face.
Before she had a chance to go on, Lorelai leaned down to the two girls and said conspiratorially, "What if I gave you some extra blankets so you could make a tent? My daughter used to love to do that when she was your age."
"Really?" asked the younger sister. "That sounds great. Come on, Miranda. Let's do it."
The older girl relented and her mother shot Lorelai a grateful look.
"Well, why don't you have a seat in the dining room, and I'll have some tea brought to you while we fix up your room." Lorelai added, gesturing to her right. The trio whispered their thanks and headed toward the dining room.
Lorelai watched them walk away, then sighed and gave a small shake of her head, before glancing toward the front door and spotting Luke. He couldn't help but be pleased to see her entire face light up, eyes wide and smile huge. She rushed across the room, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug before lifting her hands to his face. "It's so good to see you." She reached her fingers around his neck to pull his lips to hers.
He hesitated ever so slightly, glancing quickly around the room. "Uh…Lorelai?"
She followed his gaze to the bellman, who was averting his eyes, and grinned at Luke's shyness. "Oh for God's sake. Fine. Come here."
"Where are we going? Luke asked as she grabbed his hand.
She pulled him to the right through the sitting room and then into a smaller room lined completely with bookshelves and furnished with deep armchairs. "No one ever comes in here. So, where were we?" She leaned in again and kissed him, her lips parting and her fingers running through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist, one hand on the small of her back, the other running up her spine to rest at the base of her neck, tangled in her sweet-scented curls. For long moments, tongues mingled and fingertips caressed. Eventually, Lorelai pulled back and flashed him a content smile, "Welcome to – wait a minute. You brought it, right?"
The sudden concern on her face confused him. "What?"
"Your hat. You're not wearing it."
"Not on the flight."
"Oh, you must be one of those people that thinks you need to look nice when you fly," she teased. "Is that why you're wearing this shirt instead of a flannel?"
He shrugged. "I've never flown overseas before."
"But you brought them, right?" she insisted.
He had to chuckle at the look on her face, "I have plenty of flannel – and my hat."
"Good," she sighed, her breath warm against his lips as her arms tightened around his neck. "So, as I was saying," she mumbled between soft kisses, "welcome to Scotland."
Lorelai got Luke's things settled in her room, found his hat in his carry-on, then took him by the hand and introduced him to the inn's staff. He protested a bit at first, but then secretly thrilled at the pride in her voice as she paraded him around to meet everyone. Though he was still getting used to hearing it, the way the word fiancé rolled off her tongue made him just a tiny bit dizzy.
After a quick lunch, they headed out to see Stirling Castle, which Lorelai insisted was an imperative first stop. "We'll get just enough of a history lesson to understand the significance of all the other local sights."
On their way up the hill, in an attempt to find out more about Lorelai's work at the inn, Luke offered, "Everyone at the inn seems really nice,"
"They are. Everyone here has been amazing. They're so friendly and helpful."
"But not just that - they really look up to you. I mean, how do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"You find a way to fit in everywhere. Like here. You've been here a few weeks and it's like you belong here."
Lorelai reacted almost imperceptibly, a flash of worry crossing her face that was gone before it started. She angled her head toward him, pausing as if to say something, then shrugged. "I don't know."
Luke puzzled over her expression, but then brushed it off, thinking he must have imagined it. "It seems like it's going well, though."
She sighed softly, then continued, the confidence in her voice returning as she described her work. "Yeah, I guess so. I've been working on helping them clarify their job descriptions and spell out their training program. They have a lot of turnover, especially in the summer, and there isn't really an organized way of training new employees. It's also not always clear what someone's job is. And I've been helping them with some more efficient ways of doing things. You know, like reservations, billing and stuff."
"Wow, that's a lot for just a few weeks."
"Maybe. They want me to work on improving the occupancy rate – at least that's the long-term goal for the inn. By the time I leave, I'm supposed to come up with recommendations for increasing the occupancy rate, but I don't really have any specific ideas for that yet, so I started by focusing on the organizational things that I knew how to help with." Luke couldn't help being impressed by the work Lorelai was describing, but was unable to reconcile that with the note of insecurity he heard in her words.
"Well, anything that helps the inn run better will make it better for the guests."
"I know that. I do, but I do need to start focusing on the thing they sent me here to work on."
"Hey," he said, reaching to give her shoulder a supportive squeeze. "You'll figure it out."
"You keep saying that, but what if I'm just not good at this?" She raised her hands, as if to gesture around the town.
"It's running an inn. Of course you're good at it." He struggled to keep from sounding incredulous.
"When did you become such a cheerleader?" she asked, the lightness of her tone not fully masking her annoyance.
"I just believe in you, that's all." His reply was apologetic, though he wasn't sure why he was apologizing.
Her expression softened and she responded with a small smile, "I know you do. I've never figured out exactly what I did to deserve it. But…" she waved away the thought, "I don't want to talk about the inn right now, or anything... I just want to hang out with you and show you the castle. Okay?"
"Of course, whatever you want." He pulled her in closer, giving her shoulder another little squeeze, finding that he didn't mind at all that her response was to wrap her arms around his waist, rest her head on his shoulder and just hold tightly to him for several long moments.
"So what do you think of my castle?"
"Your castle?"
"Yes, well I asked you to join me on the royal chairs, but you refused, so I'll have to rule the country myself."
"I was not about to fight with a six-year-old over who gets to sit in the King's chair," Luke said firmly, with pretended frustration. "Besides, I took your picture, didn't I?"
"Yes you did. Proof of my brief reign." Lorelai looked back, grinning, then pointed, "Hey, there's some great views over there. We can look around and plan our sightseeing."
Whatever you say, " he said, letting her drag him across the plaza to a back garden with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. Her excitement pulled them back into their typical roles, she teasing and playful, and he skeptical and mocking, at least outwardly. Inside, Luke secretly delighted in watching Lorelai return to her animated self. Everything that had happened with Rory, as well as the challenge of consulting, had taken a toll on her confidence, so he gladly listened to her long-winded descriptions and indulged her games.
"So, over there somewhere is Doune Castle. I've been dying to go there, cause that where they shot some of Monty Python's Holy Grail. Somewhere over there is a town with a really historic cathedral. That's the William Wallace monument. There's supposed to be really good views from there too, though I'm not too sure what I think about climbing it."
"Am I supposed to know who William Wallace is?" he asked, trying to remember if he had ever heard the name.
"He's Mel Gibson in Braveheart."
He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Ahh. Of course. There had to be a movie involved. So, what'd Mel Gibson do?"
"He was a big Scottish hero. United the Scots against the British, you know, until they caught him, hung him, beheaded him, and disemboweled him. I'm not sure in what order either. But when I get home we can watch the movie and maybe we'll find out. Between that and the Holy Grail we can have our own little Scottish movie marathon."
"I'm looking forward to it," he said sarcastically.
Their roundabout tour ended in a recreation of a 16th century kitchen. "This is making me hungry. I think that it's time for you to experience Scottish pub food."
"Watching mannequins pretend to cook food, most of which is bloody, by the way, in completely unsanitary conditions, is making you hungry?" he asked in disbelief.
"You should know me better than that by now. Besides, I've been wanting to take you to the local pub. Do you know what the best thing is about pub food? It's all about the pie – shepherd's pie, steak and ale pie, chicken pot pie. There's even a fisherman's pie, just for you." She grinned as he rolled his eyes. "Of course, if you're not in the mood for pie, there's always bangers and mash."
"Bangers and mash? That just sounds…"
"Dirty?" she asked wickedly.
"Well, yeah."
"Good. A perfect start to our evening."
The pub food was indeed good, but between the two beers and jet lag, Luke was starting to feel exhausted, or at the very least, ready for bed. Lorelai had chosen a quiet booth in the corner, joking that it would make it easier to play footsies under the table. In spite of his embarrassment at her mentioning this in front of the hostess, he didn't mind at all when she held his hand throughout much of dinner or absently traced circles with her thumb as her hand rested on his leg. On the walk home he couldn't keep from reaching for her waist, running his thumb back and forth across the small of her back, wanting to continue that physical connection.
When they returned to the room, Luke crossed to the bed where his small suitcase lay, opening it to pull out a few things he'd need before moving it out of the way. Lorelai walked up behind him, leaned on his shoulder and asked, "That's it? How is it possible for you to travel for a week with one bag?
"Do I really need to answer that?"
"Well, no. Your wardrobe doesn't really call for much variation, although," she said, pulling out a few non-flannel shirts and a pair of slacks, "what are these, my friend?"
"Just in case, you know…I thought I could take you to a decent restaurant."
"Awww, you're sweet. And look! You remembered to bring the Monty Python DVD. I've been wanting to watch this ever since I heard about Doune Castle. " She picked up the case and scanned it eagerly, "You know they filmed a bunch of the scenes there. I'm going to take you to-"
Her ramble stopped abruptly as Luke took the DVD gently from her hand, placing it on the suitcase he had already moved from the bed, before turning back and kissing her. "I know, you told me earlier."
"But Luke, I was looking at that," she protested half-heartedly as his lips found her earlobe, jawline, throat and collarbone.
"Hmmm. Should I worry that you're more interested in a movie than…?" he mumbled against her skin.
"Typical guy, always with sex on the mind," she teased.
"You've never seemed to mind before."
She chuckled, but in spite of her mild protests she responded with the same intense ferocity she'd greeted him with earlier, as if she could make up for nearly a month apart by the sheer number of times her lips met his skin.
In the moments afterward, as she lay curled against his side, her still ragged breath warm on his neck, he could feel the tightness in his chest easing. Acting more out of instinct than intention, he wrapped both arms around her, hugged her to him tightly and planted a kiss on the top of her head.
He felt the light brush of breath on his chest as she let out a contented sigh. After a long moment of almost utter stillness, she lifted her head and said softly, "Hey Luke?"
"Yeah?" he asked lazily, opening his eyes to find her looking at him almost solemnly.
"I missed you."
And in spite of how hard he'd been working to be strong, to let her find her way without him pulling her home, her words melted something inside him and the words were out before he could stop them, sounding deep and raw and true, "I missed you too. A lot."
To be continued