Paradise Found

A tropical locale, two friends and blurred lines. An impromptu vacation prompts a long-awaited change in Luke and Lorelai's relationship. Season 4 AU. Rated M because it's more fun that way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did it would be on HBO or Cinemax at night.


A Stroke of Luck

Lorelai couldn't believe it. Literally didn't believe it until she held the tickets in her hands, supplied by a none-too-friendly front desk attendant at the radio station.

Two plane tickets. Non-refundable. Dominican Republic.

She really couldn't believe it.

She had called on a whim an hour earlier, barely giving it a second thought as she pulled over on the side of the road on her way to the Dragonfly jobsite, punching in the number and waiting to be told, "Better luck next time."

Instead, she got a person on the other end. A real, live, human person who said, "Congratulations, you're caller number seven!"

From there she was ushered on air with Tina Louise and Johnny Locks, the WLT-FM morning show crew, where they named her the winner of their annual "Fun in the Sun" contest. She and a friend would spend a week at a glamourous 5-star resort in Punta Cana: all-inclusive, all expenses paid, all you can eat and drink, all you could ever want out of a vacation… and it was all hers.

She needed this; needed the break and a little time away from her hectic life.

The last few months had been tough on Lorelai, since the closure of the Independence Inn. Renovating the Dragonfly was wearing her down, and the catering gig did nothing to improve her outlook. Not having the kind of help from her best friend and business partner that she expected was making it even harder. Barely seeing her daughter, who was suddenly too busy to even make it home on the weekends, made it damn-near unbearable. To top it all off, it had been the better part of a year since she had gotten laid.

She was broke, tired, lonely and horny. It was a bad combo, and only promised to get worse as the renovations went on.

But she won. She was taking a trip to the Dominican. In two weeks time she would be lounging by the pool, drinking out of a coconut and ogling handsome men in tiny bathing suits. She nearly salivated at the thought.

There was only one problem. One teeny, tiny, barely-even-qualified-as-a-problem, problem. She had an extra ticket, and no one to give it to.

Rory, the obvious choice, was the first to reject her offer. The trip, slated for the first week of December, coincided with two of her final exams.

Sookie, her oldest friend, understandably declined. Davey was barely a month old and could not be without his mother for seven days.

She considered Jason for a hot second, but after being pursued by her father's odd but endearing business partner, she had made the unpredictably mature decision not to date him. Her inner teenager raged against the choice, but she knew that whatever feelings she might have for the man had more to do with irritating her mother than genuine romantic interest, and frankly, she was too busy to waste her time on Mr. Wrong right now.

Everyone else she knew was either happily coupled up, busy, or not someone she wanted to see in a bathing suit. Except for Luke, of course. But even though he was somehow even more painfully single than she was, he would never take a week away from the diner, especially not on the heels of his disastrous cruise and the insanity that followed. Nicole had been back the night of the Festival of Living Art, asking if he wanted to see her again. He'd refused, admitted to her that the reason their marriage didn't work was because they didn't work. She didn't take it well.

He told Lorelai all of this on one of their newly instituted movie nights. Turns out Luke got a little loose lipped when Jose Cuervo was introduced into the mix. She got more than a few blackmail-worthy tidbits out of him that night. It was honestly the highlight of her entire autumn.

But she knew Luke wouldn't go for it, so it wasn't even worth making the offer.

Therefore, she was stuck.

As she walked from the radio station to her car she regarded the tickets, tried to think of who on earth she could invite to come with her. She considered giving them away as a pair, but her stomach twisted at the idea. She really needed this break. She couldn't pass that up.

She went through her mental rolodex: Kirk was in a new relationship with Lulu, and Lorelai really didn't want to take a trip with him anyway. Babette had Morey. Patty had at least three suitors on the line. Gypsy would never close the auto shop, even for a free trip. Emily was just a solid no from the moment her name popped into Lorelai's mind. Andrew, no. Bootsy, no. Michel, hell no. Taylor, for the love of God, no.

She pulled open the door to the Jeep and sat heavily in the seat. She took another glance at the tickets and the unmovable date that seemed to mock her, before dropping them into the envelope with the rest of the trip details, and turning on the car. She needed coffee before she could put any more thought into this.

It only took about twenty minutes to get back to Stars Hollow. Lorelai cruised into the open spot in front of Luke's, grabbed her purse and headed inside.

"Is it true?" She was blindsided the moment she got in the door.

"Is what true, Kirk?"

"Did you really win a trip to the Bahamas?"

"Uh, no. Dominican Republic," she clarified.

"But you did win a trip."

"Yes, Kirk."

"Have you given any thought to who you're bringing? Because I can't help but notice that you're single, and if you were thinking about giving the tickets away, I want to make a case for me and Lulu," he spoke quickly and with intensity. Lorelai blinked at him, momentarily taken aback by the request, but shook her head at her own surprise. This was Kirk, after all.

"I'm not giving the tickets away, Kirk. I'll find someone to come with me."

"And this is your final decision?"

"Yes, Kirk," she said, trying to be patient. If nothing else, Kirk Gleason demanded patience.

"If you change your mind…"

"I won't," she assured him.

"But if you do…"

"Kirk!" Lorelai and Kirk both startled at Luke hollering from behind the counter. "Leave her alone and get out." The younger man's eyes went wide.

"Gotta go. I'm on my second strike. One more and I'm banished for a week," he told Lorelai before making a hasty exit. The bells jingled in his wake and Lorelai turned to look at Luke, amusedly.

"You wouldn't really ban Kirk. He would starve to death sitting on your front stoop," she tutted as she came to sit on the stool in front of him.

"I'll take my chances," Luke grumbled back. He grabbed the coffee pot and filled up a mug for Lorelai. She smiled graciously.

"God bless you," she murmured as she brought the dark, rich liquid to her lips.

"Me or the coffee?" he questioned.

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Hey, do you have any danishes left?"

"Cherry or Apple?"

"Both!" Lorelai exclaimed. Luke hit her with an admonishing glare before retrieving her pastries.

"So it's true?" he asked as he set a plate down in front of her.

"The moon landing? Well, it has its proponents, but I know a Hollywood set when I see one."

He rolled his eyes. "And the other thing?"

Lorelai couldn't contain her smile. "It's true. Six nights, seven days, Punta Cana. I can hear the piña coladas calling my name."

"I think that's considered a form of psychosis."

"All the more reason to spend a week doing absolutely nothing," she shot back. He relented.

"Fair enough." He looked past her and his pleasant demeanour immediately caved. "Oh, come on."

Lorelai turned to look and quickly saw what had grabbed his attention.

"They're still hounding you?" she asked, astonished at the flock of suit-clad middle-aged men crossing the street, heading straight for the diner.

"I don't understand how getting a divorce can take longer than the marriage actually lasted," he ground out. The bells rang and four men stepped inside.

Lorelai dropped her voice as she spoke. "Okay I recognize the Steins and Blodgett. Who's the other guy?"

"That's my lawyer. He's a moron." Lorelai offered him a sympathetic look.

"Mr. Danes, we'll be right over here when you're ready," Stein 1 said as the foursome took their seats.

Lorelai leaned in closer. "Want me to call in a bomb threat?"

"Just a threat? A real friend would blow the place up with them in it," he muttered back.

She shot him an encouraging smile. "You supply the fertilizer and I think we can make that happen."

He offered her a brief, tired grin and rounded the counter to approach the group of men. Lorelai turned her attention to her breakfast, but couldn't help but overhear what was going on behind her.

Ever since Luke turned Nicole down, days like this were becoming more and more frequent. The other lawyers from her firm descended on Luke's and were making his life a living hell. The whole thing was theatre – Luke wasn't asking for anything and neither was Nicole. They were just dragging it out, costing Luke a fortune in legal fees. Lorelai wasn't sure what their endgame was, but if it involved driving the man to drink, she was pretty sure they were more than halfway there.

She ate slowly, wanting to be there for Luke when they were finished. She knew he didn't really have anyone else to confide in. She had been his one and only sounding board from the moment she arrived home from Europe, and she took that role seriously. Luke was a good friend, one of her best, and he needed her even though he would never admit it. Having someone to bounce things off of, vent to and occasionally rant at was necessary when going through a tough time.

In their seven years of friendship, Lorelai had often felt things were uneven; she needed Luke a lot more than he needed her. Now their positions were flipped and she was the kind ear. She intended to live up to her end of the bargain.

It was easily 45 minutes before the quartet of men in expensive suits took their leave. Lorelai's mug had been refilled three times, twice by Caesar, once on her own when no one was looking.

When Luke returned to her, he looked defeated.

"They're not letting up, huh?" Lorelai asked. Luke sighed heavily, leaned on the counter on his forearms and dropped his head.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take." His voice was thick with exhaustion and frustration. He was beaten down, she could see that.

"What do they want from you?"

"Now they're talking about splitting my assets. The diner, my real estate holdings, savings, everything, down the middle."

"What?!" Lorelai exclaimed, much louder than intended. She spared a look around, but the diner was thankfully mostly empty at 10:30 in the morning. "Luke, this is crazy. Is this what Nicole really wants?"

"I don't know what she wants. I don't know why any of this is happening," he told her. "They said they're coming back next week with papers for me to sign. God knows what they'll say. My lawyer's been useless through this whole damn thing. No surprise there, the moment I break down and hire one of those bloodsucking scumbags I get one that doesn't know his head from his ass!"

"Luke," Lorelai spoke soothingly. "You need to talk to Nicole."

"I don't want to talk to her," he spat.

"I know you don't, but that's the only way you're getting out of this. She's upset you wouldn't take her back and she's punishing you for it. That's not how this works, she doesn't get to put your livelihood at risk because of a vendetta. Besides, she's the higher earner between the two of you. Why haven't you gone after her assets?" Lorelai questioned.

"I don't want her assets. I just want out!" Luke exclaimed.

"I know that, and she knows that, which means she thinks she's got the upper hand. Luke, I know you don't want to do this, but if you don't take a harder line here she's going to walk all over you," Lorelai insisted. Luke glared at the counter in front of him, not looking up. Lorelai's voice softened as she went on. "You don't have to actually do it. Just bluff. Tell her your lawyer wants to audit her finances."

"I don't play those games, you know that." Lorelai reached out and put a hand on his forearm. The muscles tensed under her warm palm.

"Luke, you want out, this could be the way. You don't have to follow through with it. Just try."

Luke sighed, broke down a little. His head went lower until it rested on the back of her hand on his arm. Lorelai felt the heat coming from his forehead, and almost wanted to check his temperature to see if he was burning up, but she knew it wasn't a fever, it was anger and desperation.

"I can't do this anymore." His voice was low, barely audible as he spoke into the counter.

Lorelai gave his arm a little squeeze. "I know, Hon. I know."

XXXX

The next week went by in a blur that was becoming all too familiar to Lorelai. She was run ragged with the renovation, being pulled in a million different directions, when all she really wanted was to be able to focus on Luke and her trip. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to make much time for either one, and she was becoming more and more anxious by the day.

With only eight days left until her departure, Lorelai still had no idea who she would be travelling with. She was slowly coming to the realization that her window to find a friend was closing, and she'd more than likely be boarding that plane by herself on December 1st.

Despite her slight trepidation, she was still excited for her vacation, and becoming more-so by the day. She carved out a few hours to shop for bikinis, sundresses and all the other bits and pieces she would need for a week in the sun.

On a whim, she booked a Brazilian wax, figuring even if she didn't have anyone to show off the results to, it couldn't hurt to be ready for a potential hot vacation hook-up. Not that Lorelai was really the hook-up type, but if she didn't get some soon she was pretty sure she'd start growing cobwebs down there.

It was six days after the legal showdown in the diner when Lorelai managed to get Luke alone again, just in time for another movie night. He showed up after 9pm.

"You're late!" Lorelai exclaimed as she opened the door for him. He held up a Luke's bag.

"I know, but I brought you a burger."

"You're trying to bribe me?" He nodded. "Well, at least you known your audience. Come on in." She relieved him of the bag and headed into the living room while he took off his jacket and boots. "So it's been like a year since we talked. What's been going on?"

"It's only been a few days," Luke deadpanned as he came to sit next to her. He turned toward her and rested his elbows on his knees. Lorelai could tell from his demeanour that he intended to talk.

She stopped fiddling with the bag of food and turned to face him.

"What's up?"

Luke took a deep breath before beginning.

"It's over." Lorelai's brow furrowed, and he continued without being asked. "Nicole, the divorce. It's over. I went over there, told her what you told me to say, and she caved. Started crying, telling me she never wanted to do this to me, it was all the other lawyers at her firm. She lost control of the whole thing…"

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "Well, if anybody can pull off the withering damsel schtick, it's Nicole Leahy," she spat. Luke laughed sharply.

"Yeah, right. I once watched that woman threaten a lawsuit over a misplaced salad fork. I don't know who she thinks she's kidding."

"But you said it's over?" Lorelai asked. "What does that mean, exactly."

"She didn't want my lawyer poking around. I wouldn't either, if I had her kind of money. So she caved, said she was pulling back her demands, and we could both sign off on an uncontested dissolution of the marriage."

Lorelai shook her head in awe. "I don't even know what to say. I feel like I've got whiplash."

"I know, me too," Luke said with a little laugh. Lorelai smiled, relieved to see him looking better than he had in weeks.

"So what happens now?"

"Nothing. Blodgett came by yesterday – alone. I signed the papers, and that was it. It's done."

"I can't believe this. I mean… wow!"

"Wow is right," Luke agreed. He sighed, seemed to run out of steam, and sunk back into the couch. "God, I'm exhausted."

"I get it. It's been a helluva few months for you, Hon." She reached out and gave his knee a comforting pat. "But hey, it's over. All of this crap, the bullshit, the lawyers… it's done. You can move on with your life now."

Luke nodded solemnly, but didn't add further commentary.

Lorelai looked over her friend. He did seem completely and thoroughly worn out after his months-long ordeal all because of a stupid, drunken mistake. If anyone deserved a break, it was Luke.

She was speaking before she had time to really consider her next thoughts.

"Luke, I think you should come with me on my trip."

His eyes, which he had closed, popped open, and he eyed her confusedly.

"What?"

Lorelai blinked, tried to catch up with herself, but quickly realized this was the right thing to do. She had to at least make the offer.

"Come with me," she said again. She turned more fully toward him on the couch, bringing her knee up and tucking her ankle under her other leg. "Hon, you need a break. And by the sounds of it, your last attempt at a vacation didn't really pan out." He huffed a small laugh at that, which made her smile. "Come spend a week on the beach with me. No lawyers, no annoying customers. Just the sand between your toes and a cold beer in your hand. Sounds pretty good, right?"

"Are you serious?" he asked. That was better than the firm 'no' Lorelai expected. Emboldened, she went on.

"I'm totally serious. You deserve this. And, well, if you don't go, there's a very good chance I'll be forced to take Kirk. Do you really want to do that to me after my amazing advice got you out of your sham of a marriage?" She punctuated her point with a broad grin that made Luke roll his eyes, but she saw the smile through it.

"Lorelai…" he began.

She held up a hand to cut him off. "Uh uh. Unless the next words out of your mouth are, 'Lorelai, I promise to pack a speedo,' I don't wanna hear 'em."

"I am not packing a speedo," he mumbled, and Lorelai grinned.

"So that's a 'yes' then? You'll come?"

Luke eyed her curiously a moment longer, but she pegged the exact moment he relented.

"I really do need a break." She nodded grandly. Luke shot her an amused, somewhat surprised look, astonished at the words coming out of his own mouth.

"When do we leave?"


A/N – The best ways to hook them up are the ones that are totally unrealistic, right? Lots of good times to come! I hope you liked this. Let me know!