A/N: Well hello all. Glad to see some familiar reviewers. I love you all, but I dedicate this chapter to Muffin is Injured…a very happy birthday and thanks for liking my disclaimer. Also, to the 'Grinch,' hope I can bring you some Christmas cheer, even though you don't like Christmas.

Chapter 2: Ice Fishing!

Luke was pouring coffee into the yellow mug of a woman wearing a nauseating Christmas tree sweater when Lorelai's tan jeep pulling into a parking spot caught his eye. He straightened and made his way over to the counter knowing she would probably want, no need, a cup of coffee. He got to the island just in time to see Lorelai nearly fall out of the jeep, holding onto her purse. The straps appeared to be twisted around the gear shift and she angrily tugged and struggled, nearly stumbling when they came loose. Then, he watched as she slammed the door repeatedly, each time with more force than before, until it finally securely closed. She scowled and muttered to herself as she walked past the window. Luke had known her long enough to tell when she was in a bad mood even when she tried not to let anyone see it. This mood could be obvious to John Glenn in the space shuttle, a rarely apparent fuming.

Lorelai struggled with the door knob and swung it open fast, nearly hitting herself on the nose. The customers eating their early dinners all became silent and turned to stare at Lorelai. She ignored their pointed glances and made her way over to Luke at the counter. She had already taken one arm out of the jacket, but the other became stuck in the sleeve. Groan turned into a yell as she furiously shook both her arm and her purse until they both fell into a clump on the floor. Luke tried hard to hide his amused expression, but couldn't help it when the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Arrrrrgggghhhhhhhaaaaaa!" Lorelai grumbled loudly, causing one couple to hurriedly leave money on the counter and run out of the diner. She rested her head on her outstretched arm and slapped the table twice.

"I suppose that means you want coffee."

"God, are you seriously going to make me talk?"

"Aren't we jolly today," Luke stated sarcastically as he pushed the ceramic mug over to her. He started to pour, but her hand absently reached for the pot handle and Luke almost spilled.

"Jeez Lorelai, you could've burned yourself. Don't do that!" Lorelai raised up to look at Luke, an expression of seriousness was apparent on her face.

"Go ahead, pour coffee on me. I am numb to the pain." She took a long sip of the coffee, almost downing it in one setting.

"Looks like you've lost the Christmas spirit. You were downright sickening two days ago when you came in singing carols."

"I like to think that I've come down to your level. Now we can bond."

"You think I'm at this level to bond?"

"Jeez, don't be such a Scrooge."

"Hey, was I the one grumbling when I came into the diner?"

"I don't know. I wasn't here when you came into the diner," Lorelai simply stated with a sly smile.

"Jeez," groaned Luke and he walked away to assist a few customers who had walked in during the banter. Lorelai savored the rest of her cup. Coffee was just what she needed today. She had been given a triple blow. First Rory, then Sookie, then the ticket. Normally, she would have been amused, but she didn't feel like laughing. Annoying Luke seemed to be the only thing cheering her up. That's it! Eureka! I would've had dinner with Luke on Christmas Eve anyway. Why don't I ask Luke to spend the day with me? I do enjoy his company, even if most of my habits irritate him. Well, I guess if I invite Luke, I should be nice and invite Jess. I mean, he is Luke's nephew and my daughter's boyfriend. I promised Rory I would give him a chance. What better time? The only time I am joyous to one and all is Christmas.

Luke returned and refilled her coffee cup without jabs, insults, or complaints. Instead, he went into the storeroom and returned with a tin container with 'Pirouette' scrolled across the top. Luke opened the tin without effort and put three cylinder cookies on a napkin and passed them to Lorelai. She caught his eye and smiled.

"Aw, what's this?"

"Cookies. The have some sort of chocolate or hazelnut stuff inside and you are supposed to put it with dessert or coffee. Picked it up at Doose's and decided to save it for a rainy day."

"Thanks. This is truly an Eeyore day for me." Luke looked confused. "Don't tell me that you have never seen or read Winnie the Pooh." Luke continued to stare. "Alright, Eeyore was the gloomy, 'poor me' donkey who always had a rain cloud following him to rain just on him. Rory used to like him the best. I was more of a Tigger girl myself." Luke seemed to get the 'ah' expression, so Lorelai left it at that.

"So, what happened?"

"You automatically assumed something happened? You know what they say about people who assume…"

"I didn't assume," Luke said with a huff, "I insinuated. Besides, you didn't keep it a secret by slamming the jeep door numerous times and attacking your jacket." Lorelai touched her warm cheek.

"Rory left to go to Cape Cod with her grandparents and she won't be back until Christmas Day. I was sad about Rory leaving, but I figured I would still have you and Sookie to spend the days before Christmas with," Luke nodded, eyes urging her to continue, "So I got back to town from Hartford and decided to go see Sookie. Turns out, she forgot to tell me that they are spending the weekend with Jackson's hick family and we won't even be having our big lunch on Christmas Day."

"You're kidding, I can't believe Rory left."

"I was a little shocked at first too, but Emily 'The Godfather' Gilmore enticed her by talking about all the important figures from the different Ivy League schools that would be at the Cape this weekend. She kept saying that it was a 'wonderful opportunity'" Lorelai mocked, doing a nearly flawless Emily.

"Were you invited too?"

"Yes and no. They invited me to be nice, but I think we are still at odds from the bad Thanksgiving dinner. Not sure they really wanted me to come and I can't leave the inn for that long."

"Ah," Luke expressed knowingly, "Why do I get the feeling that Rory and Sookie aren't the only bad things that happened today?" Luke picked up the pot and refilled Lorelai's mug.

"How well you know me…So, on the way over here from Sook's house, I ran a stop sign. The Stars Hollow brigade spotted me and pulled me over. I though it was Jeb, so I opened up my shirt a little. But, turns out it was a new girl, who definitely doesn't harbor same-sex tendencies. Now I must go to uber-boring traffic school some Saturday."

Luke tried not to snicker, he really did. This was too much. He let out a low chuckle and turned his back to Lorelai, digging out more cookies from the tin as a peace offering. The situation was comical, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for his friend. After he passed yet another napkin over to Lorelai, he looked down at her clothing situation. Yep, still unbuttoned. Jeez, Danes, stop staring at her boobs.

"You might want to check the clothing situation," he said for her benefit, using his head to gesture to her chest.

"God, sorry," Lorelai turned to the side and quickly fumbled with the opalescent buttons. Luke went back to serving customers. He surprised her by making her a burger and she chomped it down fast, the cookies from Sookie not leaving enough of a dent in her appetite. Luke kept shooting her disgusted glares and muttering facts about the unhealthy nature of beef, but Lorelai ignored him and ate. Lorelai watched as he handled the dinner rush, not even noticing when she stepped behind the counter and brought the coffee pot closer to her, for easier refill access. She found herself sitting at Luke's longer than normal, practically begging for the company of the diner crowd. She still had yet to ask Luke about Christmas, not quite sure why she had reservations.

The crowd in the diner died down after an hour and Luke was surprised that Lorelai was still sitting at her spot at the counter, downing coffee and happily chattering to Kirk a few stools over. She's talking too fast. Time to take away the coffee.

"LUCAS!" Lorelai squealed when Luke came back behind the counter, "How bout you fill up Mr. Happy Coffee Mug?" She giggled at her own inside joke, then said in almost a whisper, "I named it that because it's yellow." She hit Kirk and started laughing with a wild glint in her eye.

"Okay, first of all, don't call me Lucas. Second of all, where the hell did you get this pot? Third of all, you are not getting anymore coffee. Kirk, what are you looking at?" Kirk cowed away, and scooted down a few stools.

"Luke please, can I please, have some coffee, please please."

"No, you have had way too much and will probably die of a heart attack tonight while you sleep."

"Give me another cup and I'll die happy and won't haunt you when I become a ghost." Luke sighed and turned around to fill Mr. Happy Coffee Mug, but glanced behind his should and made sure that Lorelai wasn't looking. If he didn't know her any better, he would think that she was drunk. The way she teased a very uncomfortable Kirk was funny but borderline flirtatious. She was just extremely hyped on caffeine. He quickly switched the pots and poured decaf into her mug, smoothly passing it over to Lorelai. She was still looking at Kirk when she picked up the mug and brought it to her lips. Before she took a sip, however, she sniffed and practically slammed the ceramic back down on the counter.

"What the hell was that?"

"Coffee."

"No, that was decaf. That is not coffee. That is bastardized coffee. What are you trying to pull, mister?"

"I'm trying to make sure that you don't die before Christmas. Gimme the mug and go home." Lorelai's face instantly changed from mad, to looking like she wanted to ask Luke a favor. Oh boy, what now? I swear she's bipolar.

"What are you and Jess doing Christmas Eve and Day?" she asked, secretly hoping Luke would grunt out 'nothing.' Luke was a little surprised at the question, hoping he didn't disappoint her with his answer.

"Well, Liz called and wanted Jess to go to New York for the holiday. I didn't have anything special planned at the time so I told him to go. He's leaving on the 24th."

"And you?"

Luke sighed, "A few days ago, my friend Ed called and told me that a few people are going ice fishing up in Canada. One of his friends backed out and he invited me to go along," Luke swallowed, "And since Jess was going to be gone, I said yes." A shred of disappointment crossed Lorelai's face for and instant, then was exchanged with curiosity and indignation.

"What the hell is ice fishing?"

"I guess you go out on a frozen pond and sit around and fish from a hole in the ice for hours. I really don't know, I've never been."

"And this is how you want to spend your Christmas?"

"I guess, I didn't have anything else planned."

"What about our traditional Christmas Eve dinner," she muttered under her breath, picking up her stuff from the ground.

"What?" he asked, honestly not hearing what she said, but assuming it had been a jab. Then he remembered that both Rory and Sookie were gone. He had forgotten during the dinner rush. He suddenly felt guilty for leaving her alone, but he wasn't sure why.

"Nothing, I'm just going to go home. Uh, have a good time, um, ice fishing, and I'll see you at New Years Eve, hopefully."

"Lorelai," he called after her, but she ignored him and walked out the door. She backed her jeep out fast and Luke watched as the taillights disappeared down the street.

Lorelai had been home for an hour and was attempting to sew and adjust the costumes for the Living Nativity. She had already pricked herself five times with pins and needles, one made her get a little blood on the "Before Mary" robe. She managed to hide it with her Tide Pen, the greatest invention known to man. Lorelai couldn't concentrate on her work, no matter how hard she tried. Her mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Rory and Sookie. Anger fused inside of her whenever Luke consumed her mind.

What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I mad at Luke? I mean, I shouldn't be mad that he made other plans. It's not like we are dating or anything. God, why did I just think that? Luke and I dating…that's almost a crazy notion. Well, I did have that dream about him this summer, but that didn't mean anything. Right? And so what if Luke, Sookie, and Rory are going somewhere else? I am a single woman! I could go on a date. But…who would I go with. It's not like I have any prospects. I could hit a bar or a club this week and see what happens. God, when was the last time I did that. And, that really doesn't sound like fun anyway. I could call up Babette or Patty or Gypsy. Or Kirk! Great, I'm resorting to spending the night before Christmas with Kirk and his mother. I feel really sad and pathetic right now…

Luke was doing his nightly closing routine, going slowly as he thought about Lorelai. He couldn't shake the guilty feeling that gripped his heart. Why the hell should I feel guilty? I am a single man; I should be allowed to make plans if I want. It's not like Lorelai and I are dating. We are just friends, she can't anchor me down. Wait, why did I just mention dating. Damn subconscious. I can never disconnect Lorelai with thoughts of dating. It's never going to happen. Rachel screwed up any romance brewing between us. Max and Christopher turned Lorelai off other men. I guess there's nothing wrong with just being friends, except the desire to date her is still not a distant memory. Is that why I feel so wrong about going fishing? Is that why the longing to stay in Stars Hollow is greater than any excitement I had about getting out of town? I will never deny that I care about her, even when everyone around me thinks that my feelings go beyond friendship. I won't lie to myself, I had pictured us dating at one point or another, but I rather be friends with her then to not have her at all. Maybe I should stay.

Luke's ranting thoughts were interrupted by the clanging of the diner phone. "Luke's"

"Oh, hi Ed…Yeah, yeah, I'm good…Is that right? I'll have to take a look at it later…Um, hey Ed, mind if I ask you a favor?...Do you know of someone who could take my spot if I couldn't go?"

Lorelai gave up on the costumes after getting off the phone with Rory. She had gotten to Cape Cod safe and was already being dragged to a cocktail party. Lorelai didn't tell her daughter about Sookie and Luke going out of town for Christmas. She had already sounded a little sad and guilty for leaving Lorelai and she felt heartless for a slight desire to want to rub her sadness in. Now, she crashed in front of the TV and channel surfed until she found a game show. Game shows were like a guilty pleasure for her. Lorelai only watched them when Rory was gone because she liked to shout out the answers to the contestants and record her own points. It was Match Game, and she was coming up with the most creative responses to the blanks, sometimes matching the celebrities on the panel.

Right before Gene Rayburn encouraged the winner spinning the wheel, the phone rang and Lorelai rolled off the couch and tumbled toward her desk.

"Hello," she said breathlessly.

"Lorelai? It's Luke."

"Oh hey, look I'm sorry for kinda blowing you off at the diner today. I was feeling sorry for myself because I didn't want to spend Christmas Eve alone, and your leaving was like the last straw for me."

"Oh, well that's okay, I understood. That's not why I called though."

"Okay…"

"Ed just called me about ten minutes ago and said that he was backing out of the trip. He got bronchitis or something like that and he doesn't want to be out in the cold. Since Ed was the only guy I knew, I decided to back out too."

"So, you aren't going to Canada now?"

"Guess not." Lorelai tried to keep her voice even and not show the jubilation that she felt.

"So, this means that you are free Christmas Eve."

"Yep, do you want to have our little dinner still.?"

"What if I already made plans?"

"I don't think you did."

"No, I didn't. I'm glad you backed out. I was considering calling Kirk and spending Christmas with him. I even made a list about the types of gifts that his mother would like."

Lorelai could almost feel Luke smiling; "Desperate?"

"You could say that again."

"Well, now that I have no plans for Christmas Eve, we could plan a night together."

"I suppose that's what single, child-less adults do for Christmas." Lorelai could hardly believe that her luck was turning around

"Okay, we'll talk tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Eager to get off the phone?"

"The game's on."

"Liar, you just don't like to talk on the phone."

"You caught me."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

"What are you? Two?"

"I resent that. My maturity level is at least seven." She smiled as she wrapped the telephone cord around her finger. She hadn't done that since she was fifteen.

"Yeah, that's more like it. I have early deliveries tomorrow, so I should go. Goodnight Lorelai."

"Night, oh wait, Luke?"

"Yeah?" He said, hearing her voice and placing the phone back up to his ear.

"Do you want to help me pick out a Christmas tree tomorrow?"

A/N: I decided to keep my end note short tonight, which I am sure is to the delight to many. Sorry, but I do tend to ramble. Anyway, what did you think? Please review.

I am trying to write as much as possible before Christmas, because I really want to finish before then. I really should've started sooner, but finals got in the way. Good news, though…I ended up getting straight A's this semester, so I'll make the Dean's List again and get to keep my scholarships another semester. I am one happy clam, lemme tell you. Please drop me a line, my reading friends…