AN: Hi. Thanks for the reviews. I love 'em! You guys rock. And I am seriously taking all of your requests into consideration. Enjoy!

"We need to talk."

Luke's head drops. He thought he had made his intentions perfectly clear. Intentions that they both were still trying to regain normal breathing rates from. He knew they needed to talk but her body language was something he was very afraid of.

"Lorel-"

"No, please let me start, because if I hear what you have to say I doubt I'll be able to do this." She looks down, guilt flashing through her eyes as his stomach unsettles further. She plays with the zipper on her hooded sweatshirt, avoiding eye-contact.

He takes a step forward and tries again, "I'm sorry."

She looks up at him and her pained expression stops him in his tracks. Her voice pleads him, "Please don't."

She takes a deep breath. "Last night," He raises his head, interested. She meets his eyes and starts again. "Last night Sookie and I went to a bar." She pauses to take in his expression. He notices. "I know."

"Y-you know?"

"Yeah, you and Sookie went out last night. She told me that this morning." He's exasperated. "What's this all about Lorelai?"

It wasn't relief she felt, it wasn't dread, or even guilt anymore. It was sadness. He stood in front of her, so trusting, vulnerable. It was like she was watching a train hurdling towards his back, and she could only watch it get closer, and no matter how loud she screamed, and cried, or ran and hide, it was going to hit him, hard.

She dug through possible ways to inform her ex-boyfriend that while he was out seeking reconciliation, she was out trying to convince herself to get over him. And a thought from last night came back to her. This time it wasn't expressed in anger, it was quiet and pleading.

"Why didn't you let me talk, apologize, explain?" The desperation hits Luke's ear and he drops his head, "Lorelai."

"I know, I pushed you, but god Luke! None of this should have ever happened!"

They stood in a moment of silence, Luke replaying her words in his head, Lorelai willing her concrete boots to return. His disappointed, hurt, angry face kept flashing through her head. And with every image of his conceived perpetual reactions, it became harder and harder for her to let the words come out. And he began speaking so quietly Lorelai had to wonder if he had been speaking the whole time.

"That's what I was coming to do last night. Talk. Listen." He looks up to her, "And I know I should have tried sooner, but I had just convinced myself that he was right. That maybe we weren't going to end up together, and I figured I was doing us both a favor."

"Well you are more stupid than I thought."

He looks at her and realizes that her cheeks are wet, and god, that she's crying. He takes a few steps towards her and she backs away, her back against the door now. He stops confused.

"What's wrong? Please just...Is everything okay?"

It was D-Day in Lorelai's mind, and tiny soldiers were marching up her throat, and her head was clear, and the words were finally approaching her tongue. The door provided support that she didn't realize she needed, but her mouth opened as she gave one last parting glance at her unsuspecting victim, who's face would later be put on her dating record beside a big red proclamation, smashed too hard on the ink pad, smearing excess ink on the page, reading boldly to anyone that dared peek: "Manslaughter."

"Last night," A heavy pause, a deep breath. She begins to continue, "I-" And a strange vibration hits her leg. She slams her hand on her thigh, confused. Luke follows her hand and seems even more bewildered.

"What?"

Again, the vibration, and Lorelai throws her head in her hands and groans in realization. She pulls her phone from her pocket and explanatorily reveals the phone to Luke. She shakes her head in frustration as she presses "Talk."

"Hello?"

Luke takes this moment to pick his heart up off the floor. In the last thirty seconds he had been hopeful, regretful, curious, foolish, sad, mystified, and then, horrified. He was sure that Lorelai had been showing signs of some sort of mental or physical breakdown when she had suddenly threw her hand on her thigh mid-tearfall. He had nearly called an ambulance because the odd behavior and sudden jolts of motion. Oh, and then he felt stupid. Of course, a phone.

Lorelai starts pacing, wiping furiously at her cheeks. "What?"

Add a cup of surprised.

"They are what!

A spoon full of anxious.

"Who!"

Another dab of curious.

"I'll be right there."

And a gallon of hopeless.

What a sticky mess.

She hung up the phone. "I have to go."

"But-"

"Just wait here, I'll be right back. Please?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Just stay here, please?"

"Just tell me-"

"I can't do this right now! I have to go."

"Well then I'm coming. We are not done!" The words resound in both of their ears as his last proclamation hangs between them. No pun had been intended, but boy was its presence felt in every passing second of silence.

She turns and rushes out of the door. As she descends the stairs she hears him behind her. "Don't follow me!"

"We can walk and talk, please just don't leave like this."

As she rushes out of the diner, he follows. "This isn't really a walk and talk conversation Luke!"

"Where are you going?"

She turns around and huffs. "No one is hurt, or in trouble, and everything is fine, I just have to do something. I'll come to the diner when I'm done!"

"No."

She tries a softer approach, desperate for him to not come with her. He could not come with her. "Please Luke, I swear, just let me do this, and I'll come back and we'll talk. Ten minutes." She begs his eyes and touches his arm softly.

"Ten minutes?" He almost kicked himself for how desperate he sounded.

"Ten or less." She promises.

"Okay. I'll be in the diner." And with that he turns and walks away, defeated.

She watches him go, and almost runs after him, but reminds herself of her purpose. If for no other reason, she had to put a stop to this for her daughter's sake! She quickly walks across the square and to her destination.

She rushes up to Miss. Patty's and pulls the door open causing the entire room to collectively gasp and go eerily quiet. The scene would appear to be any normal town meeting except for the fact that Crazy Carrie stood where Taylor was usually perched. And a movement catches the corner of her eye and she turns to see Rory coming towards her.

She hears whispers and catches a wink from Miss. Patty and can only assume the worst.

"I'm sorry Mom, I tried to stop them."

She turns to the group of nosey townsfolk angrily. "What exactly is going on here?"

Miss. Patty speaks up, "It's nothing to get upset about dear, it's just good old fashioned gossip."

"And we were just getting to the good part!" Someone anonymously yells, voice sounding very much like Gypsy, who was now hiding behind Andrew. Lorelai glares.

"I can't believe this. This is unbelievable."

Taylor, who is sitting on the stage, stands up, "What's unbelievable is how a Star's Hollow business owner, such as yourself, could be so irresponsible!"

"Can it Taylor!" Lorelai shoots her daughter a grateful glance. Taylor stands down.

" Well did everyone get what they came for? I sure feel like this has been a great time. Thanks for the memories." Lorelai spits more sarcasm than your mom.

And she continues, "This is over, go home people! Get a life of your own! This is ov-er. That you would stoop so low as to hold a town meeting to discuss my private life!"

"Well making out in a public bar isn't all that private!" Carrie speaks up and Lorelai's eyes burn into her. She's all ready to pounce until she sees Carrie wink over her shoulder, and her stomach drops followed closely by her shoulders. She turns around slowly, and sees the worst possible scenario. Worse than anger, worse than disappointment, hell, worse than the train, Luke's sorrowful and defeated face.

She closes her eyes slowly, wake-up, as she hears Babette and Miss. Patty ushering everyone out and Rory grabs her hand. She opens her eyes to see Luke's retreating figure.

AN: Can we still be friends? Not done yet: TBC.

And a big shout out to "MadeleineDawn". You make me want to be a better woman!