Lorelai POV

As I bent over to put spoiled food in the bin, I spotted something I recognised. Rory's list.

I pulled it out of the trash, and scanned the contents, reminding myself of all the times Chris had let her down. I turned it over, finding another full page of things he did, the last one brand new.

He doesn't care.

I refolded up the list, knowing that it would come in handy with Luke. He had asked for a list of things Christopher didn't do so he could do them instead, even though he had no reason to do so. She's not his daughter and he seemed to have the idea before I even kissed him, so it's not like he thought it would get me in his pants.

I tucked the list into my purse where Rory wouldn't find it, and I poked my head in her room, "I'm off out, will you be okay with Babette?"

She rolled her eyes, "When haven't I been okay with Babette?"

I laughed; she has a point, "Okay, I love you."

I headed for the front door, "There's money on the table for pizza, Babette, and don't forget to order for yourself."

I paused, "Rory is back to sleeping with a nightlight at the moment, the thing with her dad has really messed her up, so don't comment on it if she goes to bed before I'm home."

"I won't sugar, I was there when Luke punched him and I'm not surprised the whole thing has messed her up a bit. Don't worry about her and enjoy your date," She said softly. I hadn't told her I was going on a date but that woman has pretty good instincts. I smiled, thanked her for watching Rory, and left to meet Luke.

I walked up to the restaurant at the same time that Luke did and we chuckled as we said hello.

He was wearing a blue shirt with the first two buttons undone and a nice pair of slacks. It was the first time I had seen him in anything other than plaid, and it suited him. The shirt was hugging him in all of the right places and reminding me of how good his body was.

"After you," He said, his eyes checking me out, much like I just checked him out. I went in ahead of him and he put his hand on my lower back as we stood next to each other, "Reservation under Danes."

We were led to our table, his hand never leaving my back until we were there. He pulled out my chair for me before sitting on his own.

We were left with menus, but Luke didn't look at his – he seemed to know what he was ordering, like he had been here before. He offered a few suggestions, all of which sounded good, but let me make my own decision. When the waiter arrived, we placed our order, and then we started talking. Really talking.

We spoke about work, and Rory, but none of it was forced. We talked about the day we met, and he even showed me the piece of paper with his horoscope on, the one I wrote. We talked about nothing in particular, and everything we could think of. We talked about our families; he talked about his sister Liz and his nephew (who was the same age as Rory), and I admitted that I wasn't a fan of my parents.

Even when food arrived, we ate slowly so we could talk. For once, I didn't just shovel the food down my throat, and I actually enjoyed the meal. I watched his face light up when he spoke about his parents, and I stored away every word for later, hoping to see that face again.

When the date was over, I was disappointed. However, he took my hand and pulled me into a dark alleyway outside of the restaurant, kissing me passionately in a way that he hadn't before. His tongue asked for permission, and I allowed it, fighting for dominance. He tastes incredible and every part of my skin was tingling.

I slipped my hand under his shirt, desperate to feel his skin on mine, and while he kept one hand in my hair, the other was just ghosting over my ass. He pulled a little on my hair, making me moan with delight; quickest way to drive me wild, that is.

With disappointment, I pulled back, "As much as I want more, not tonight. And certainly not in an alleyway."

He chuckled, "Are you opposed to a lake? Or maybe the back of my truck?"

"And I thought I would be the brave one in the bedroom," I teased, surprised by his suggestion.

"Until Rory knows, we can't risk anything so we need to be adventurous if we want to take it further," He whispered, kissing my neck softly.

"Well, I might consider it next time," I say, kissing him one last time, "Goodnight, Luke."

He smiled at me, kind-of adoringly, "Goodnight, Lorelai."

I smiled all the way home, and when I got in, Babette gave me a strange look, "With that hair, I'm surprised you're home this early."

I checked the back of my head, finding a lovely mess left over from my make-out session. I'd forgotten how easily it messed up and that a good make-out session would always leave me looking like I'd had several rounds of mind-blowing sex. I felt my cheeks burning, "It messes up easily, I try not to put out on the first date."

Babette didn't believe me, but she left with no other questions, a big grin on her face. I checked in on Rory who had fallen asleep with Colonel Clucker under her chin and a worn-out book hanging from her hand. I rescued the book from its untimely death and bookmarked it before putting it on her desk. I pulled up her blanket and lightly tucked her in, turning on her nightlight and turning off the main light, and pulling the door to.

I put away the leftover pizza and headed up to bed myself, exhausted from the emotions that had been coursing through me for a little over a week. Rory hasn't been herself since Christopher stood her up and then asked me for money, and then the thing with Luke and sneaking around (for Rory's benefit) has just added too it.

The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out.

AN: I found the date-portion rather difficult to write, apparently dates aren't my forte. I'm hoping it'll get easier with practice, but for now, they'll be more descriptive than anything as I apparently have no idea what I'm doing with that. I would also like suggestions of what to put on Rory's list of things Christopher didn't do. While I have quite a few, I can always do with more, so please drop some suggestions.