Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls, it's characters, settings and story lines are not mine. Please do not sue me, as it would make me very sad that people associated with my favorite show would try to hurt me over something done for fun that I am making no money from. It would also make you very sad because I have no money and you can't get blood from a rock. I borrowed lines from the episodes "Kill Me Now" and "Rory's Birthday Parties" but I gave them back, I promise. Go check! They're there again!

Summary: Lorelai is a bit overly snarky when Luke delivers his little proposal in "Rory's Birthday Parties".

Author's Note: This story was kind of inspired by a story by deepfriedcake. Go read her stuff until you find which one!

I'd Rather

The bells above the diner door jingled as Lorelai staggered into the diner with somewhat less than her usual breeziness. Maybe she was a bit more tired than usual. She slumped onto a stool at the counter and Luke could just tell she was about to launch into another long story about how crazy her day was.
Her days were always crazy. Or maybe she was. That was a thought. He smirked inwardly.

Usually Luke found her exuberance and stories endearing. Everything she told him about was always a little more dramatic than he suspected it was in reality. He would give her a friendly ear and some encouraging words because he couldn't bear to see her upset (what could he say, he just liked to see her happy!) plus a bit of teasing because he liked to get her going as much as she did him.

Today, however Luke just wasn't in the mood to comfort or banter with her. This morning just seemed way longer than most. The damn toaster broke again taking him an hour to fix, and he kept dropping things, including two dozen eggs! He was tired and, if he was honest, a little crankier than usual.

That was why, when Lorelai threw her things next to her at the counter and greeted him, ready for her regular sounding board session, he just said, "Will you marry me?"

Her head shot up, mouth agape. "What!?"

"Just looking for something to shut you up."

She scoffed. "Good! "Cause I'd rather stick something sharp in my ear than marry you."

"Oh."

"I'd rather slide down a banister of razor blades and land in a pool of alcohol."

"Okay."

"I'd rather eat my own hand than marry you."

She was laughing now. "I'd rather get my face surgically altered to look like that lunatic rich lady with the lion head than marry you. I'd rather cut off my head and use it as a punch bowl than marry you."

Finally he couldn't take it. "Fine, Lorelai! I get it! What do you want to eat?"

It came out a little louder than he had intended and a few customers looked over at them. He gave them a forced smile to tell them everything was fine. But, inside everything wasn't fine. He knew she was probably just as cranky as he was and was being overly snarky because of it. But he couldn't help thinking she must have meant what she said on some level. Was the very thought of being with him that repulsive?

Lorelai frowned at him and looked curious, but just placed her order of a burger and fries, plus the necessary coffee, calling him Grumpy McGrumperson or something equally stupid. She was trying to cheer him up with her silliness, but he wasn't having it, especially now.

He tried to just go about his work, to get lost in it and think about other things, but it kept eating at him, making him even more irritable than before.

While he got Lorelai's order ready, he noticed her watching him with even more curiosity as if he were an unusually hard puzzle she needed to solve. He tried to ignore her, but as usual, his eyes were drawn in her direction, like a compass needle to north. Not that that would get him anywhere. He knew that now.

All of a sudden, her eyes went wide as if she just realized something or remembered that one thing she had forgotten. She looked up and met his eyes before he could turn away. Her gaze was shocked and suddenly… worried?

She waved at him and called his name, but he didn't really want to talk to her right then, so he barked an "I'm busy" in her direction. But as always, when Lorelai Gilmore wants to talk, it's only a matter of time before she wears you down or you kill her. And since he, like most others, would not prefer jail...

He slapped his hand on the counter in front of her, startling her and the couple at the table behind her. "What, Lorelai?"

She brought her hand up to cover his. Shocked, he glanced down at their hands on the counter and then back to her. God, those eyes…

"Luke, I'm sorry."

He kept his tone as flat as he felt as he looked back down. "For what?"

Lorelai squeezed his hand. His gaze came back up.

"For what I said before. That I'd rather do all those things. I was remembering some things I said to Rory the other day, and I was being flippant and I had to say something and you know me! I talk and talk and have no idea what I'm saying half the time! I meant to tease you, to get you back for what you said, but I think I hurt you instead. You are my best friend, well after Rory, and I would never, ever want to hurt you. You know that, right? Please know that."

Luke sighed. "Yeah, I think I do."

He lifted his thumb from under her hand and rubbed the back of hers. He looked at their hands together on the counter, but looked up when he heard her take a deep breath. She seemed determined now as she spoke. "And besides, I lied…"

"About what?"

"About what I would rather do."

Now he was confused. She already said she didn't know what she was saying. Unless she did… There was that quote about protesting too much.

Hope crossed his face as he gazed back at her. "Yeah?"

She bit the side of her lower lip as she took another deep breath. "I think I'd only rather do one thing than marry you."

He furrowed his brow. "What's that?"

"I would rather maybe date you first."

He smiled. "You free on Saturday night?"

She smiled then. It was the real, unforced, pure Lorelai smile that never failed to make his knees go a little weak. "Not anymore."

She looked down, looking suddenly a bit shy, and bit her lower lip again.

Luke pulled his hand back slightly, just enough to lace her fingers with his. She gasped and looked at their hands and back up to his face, as if not believing this new intimacy between them. Their eyes met and held this time, just as tightly as their hands.

Author's Note: Please review! This is my first fic, so I really need constructive criticism. For example: "You suck!" IS NOT constructive. "You suck because you use too many commas!" while a bit harsh, IS constructive. Though I hope I don't suck... Thank you so much for reading!