"It's us. We're not here. We have a life. Get over it." BEEEP.

"Hi. This is a message for Rory. It's Max Medina calling. I just wanted to say that I talked to Headmaster Charleston or 'El Douché', as he's more affectionately known in the Gilmore household. And he's agreed to let you do some extra credit work to help make up for the missed test today. Now I'm not sure what the extra credit work is yet but it probably will be time-consuming and extremely painful. It will, however, get you back up to where I think you rightly belong, Rory. Don't lose heart. Make this work. And if your mother's listening…Lorelai, it was a pleasure encountering you. I hope it happens again. Anyway, see you in class. Bye."

"Bagged another one, huh?"

She jumped and turned at the startling voice that came from behind her. Her nerves went away as quickly as they'd come on when she realized it was only Luke, standing in the entryway to her home.

"Knock much?"

"Lock much?" he quipped.

She rolled her eyes and turned back around, grabbing the latest copy of Us Weekly off the coffee table and pretending to ignore him. A few long strides had him now standing in front of her, taking the magazine out of her hands.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" she asked, looking up at him with an annoyed glare.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lorelai?"

"I thought I was reading about Brad and Jen's honeymoon but I guess not," she snapped as she crossed her legs, folded her hands in her lap, and leaned back into the couch.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and took a seat next to her, a determined look washing over his face.

"Luke, what's your issue?" she asked, puzzled.

"My issue is you having a thing with Rory's teacher."

She choked on the oxygen she was inhaling. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb, Lorelai. I heard the voice message."

"Pardon my curiosity," she laughed, "but how in the hell does this concern you?"

"It doesn't concern me. It has me concerned. Your daughter just started at a fancy new school and you think one of her first memories of the place should be finding out that her mom is hooking up with her teacher? Are you that desperate?"

"Get out," she said, her voice shaking.

"You know, I've seen you do a lot of stupid things. I've watched you fall for a lot of loser guys. But I never thought you'd go low enough to put your daughter's best interest in jeopardy."

"How dare you come into my home and critique how I raise my daughter?" she asked, her voice rising. "Where the hell is your kid? Where the hell is your girlfriend? That's right. You don't have either. Because you're a pathetic son of a bitch whose negative view of the world will always prevent him from being happy. Get the hell out of my house. Now."

He sprung up off the couch and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Rory emerged from her bedroom and made her way into their living room to find Lorelai sitting on the couch, sobbing into her hands. She took a seat next to her mother and hugged her tightly. When the sobs began to fade, Lorelai sat up straight and looked at her daughter through red, puffy eyes.

"You know he loves you, right?" Rory asked.

"Rory. Max and I haven't even discussed this yet. What makes you think he loves me?"

"I'm not talking about Max," she said gently.

Lorelai took a moment before realizing her daughter was referring to Luke.

"Don't be ridiculous, kid. He's just being a controlling ass."

"Is that really what you think?" Rory asked. "That he's this horrible man who wants nothing but to see you miserable? He's watched you flit from man to man for years. And all he's been able to do is sit back and watch it happen. He's in love with you, mom. The whole town sees it. And I think if you opened your mind to the possibility, you'd realize that you love him too."

"Rory, I—"

"Can you just stop thinking about the weirdness of it for a minute and focus on how you truly feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who's the guy you call when the showerhead is broken? Who's the guy who lectures you on your eating habits but still feeds you whatever you have a taste for on any given day? Who's the guy who worries about you downing pot after pot of coffee, but still makes sure he has a fresh one ready for you? Who's the guy who argues with you constantly but never truly does it out of anger? Who's the guy you seek out when you're sad and need someone to talk to? Who's the guy who would drop anything at any time to be there for you? Is it Dad? Max? Grandpa? Michel? Or is it Luke?"

"Oh my god," she whispered in awe and realization. "He loves me. That flannel-wrapped first-baseman burger-boy is in love with me."

She looked up to find Rory nodding her head.

"You should go talk to him," Rory suggested.

"I don't know, kid. He seemed pretty upset."

"Because it hurts him to see you fawning over some other guy! If you tell him you're willing to give it a shot with him, he'll probably be much more receptive."

"I'm not sure I am willing to give it a shot with him," she replied apprehensively.

"Well maybe if you go to him with an open mind, he'll convince you otherwise. Please, mom. If you're not going to do it for yourself, then do it for me."

"Okay. Fine. I'll go. But I'm not making any promises."

"All I'm asking you to do is try."

"Okay, okay," she said, getting up off the couch. "I'm going."

She slipped into her shoes, tossed her coat over her shoulder, grabbed her keys and headed toward her Jeep. She felt her heart rate increasing rapidly as she got closer and closer to the diner. When she finally arrived, she parked her car out front, straightened her shoulders and headed inside. She looked around but Luke was nowhere to be found. She approached the counter and was greeted by Ceasar.

"Hey, Lorelai! What can I get for you?" he asked, pulling a pen and paper out of his apron's pocket.

"Actually, I'm here to see Luke. Do you know where he is?"

"He left for the weekend," Ceasar replied. "I've got the whole place to myself through Sunday."

Damnit. He left. I ran him out.

"Do you know where he went?" she asked nervously.

"He packed his truck and told me he was going to his lake house up in Vermont."

"Please tell me you have the address."

"I don't have it down here, but I saw a piece of mail on his counter upstairs earlier today that was addressed to the house."

"Well hurry! Go get it!"

"I'm going! I'm going! Yeesh, let a fry cook breathe, why don't ya?"

Ceasar returned with the envelope and she tore it out of his hands. Spinning on her heels, she sprinted to her car and started on her way. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her house.

"Hello?"

"Hey, kid. It's me."

"Uh-oh," Rory said.

"What?"

"That was way too fast, mom. What happened?"

"Nothing yet. Luke drove up to his lake house in Vermont and so I'm going after him. I don't know how long I'll be gone but there's cash in my top right dresser drawer for food and whatever else you might need. I'll call Sookie and ask her to check in on you every now and then. Is that okay?"

"Yes! Yes! That's completely okay! Good luck, mom!" Rory shrieked, enthusiastically.

"Thanks, kid."

She hung up the phone and prepared herself for the long drive ahead.

Meanwhile, Luke was pulling up the long gravel road than ran alongside the crystal clear waters of Harvey's Lake. The drive had been soothing but he still couldn't shake her from his mind.

Why is it that she sees right through me? Why am I not enough? How did I ever trick myself into thinking I might have a shot in hell with her?

He parked his car outside of the beautiful log cabin that his father had built so many years ago. He didn't come here often but, whenever he did, it felt like coming home. He had memories of his childhood here…cooking by the fire with his family, pushing his sister into the lake when she least expected it, and sitting on his dad's lap as he drove the boat out on the water. This was his escape. This was his safe haven.

He unloaded the truck and brought his things into the house, settling into the master bedroom which he had transformed into his own since his parents had died. The house was freezing. Since he hadn't been there in almost 7 months, the heat hadn't been turned on in just as long. He walked downstairs from the loft and adjusted the thermostat, smiling at the buck head that was mounted on the wall. His dad had brought the animal home one summer when he was 9. The meat was the best he'd ever tasted and he'd never seen his father so proud than he did on the day he hunted that buck.

Luke went into the basement to turn the water heater on and gave it some time to activate before going back upstairs and stepping into the shower. He washed away the hurt and anger from the day, as well as the fatigue that the car ride left him with. He threw on a fresh pair of jeans and a clean flannel shirt. Walking downstairs, he slipped on his shoes, grabbed his fishing pole, and headed for the dock.

Two hours later, he returned with a bucket full of trout. He took them to his father's old cutting board in the backyard and fileted each of the fish. He heated the grill and cooked them, taking the completed dinner back into the house on a plate. Once again descending the stairs to the basement, he made his way to the wine cellar, where his mother's collection still stood untouched. He wasn't much of a wine guy but it felt like an appropriate time for it. He opted for a bottle of 1972 Chateau and headed back upstairs. The sun had now set and the moonlight glimmered through the windows of the dining room. He sat back and enjoyed his dinner, until he was interrupted by a set of headlights gliding over the walls of his home.

What on earth? There are no other houses around here. Who the hell is that?

He wiped the corners of his mouth with the napkin that had been in his lap and walked toward the front of the house. He opened the door to see a familiar beige jeep idling in the driveway and a familiar beautiful woman standing outside of it.

"Hi," she said, walking toward him.

"Hey," he replied, a look of confusion written all over his face.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to be so insensitive. I didn't realize that you—I'm just…sorry," she said.

"I was a jerk. You were right to be mad," he said, stunned by the fact that she was there with him.

"Well you were right. I shouldn't be dating Rory's teacher. It's completely inappropriate. Especially since I'm in love with someone else."

Wonderful. She's in love with another guy. I really can't catch a break, can I?

"Well I'm happy for you, whoever you choose."

"Yeah?" she questioned, advancing toward him.

"Yep," he replied, doing his best to hide the pain in his face.

"You're not even going to ask who he is?"

"I'd rather not know. Neither of us wants me freaking out again like I did earlier."

"Understandable. You're going to find out who he is pretty soon anyway," she remarked.

"I am?"

By now she was less than a foot away from him, a glimmer in her eyes that reflected only the love she had finally discovered that she held for him.

"Yeah," she said, reaching up to hold his face in her hands. "You are."

She pulled his face down to hers, kissing him softly. His lips felt like heaven and she finally knew that everyone had been right all along. Just one kiss sent her feeling everything she'd been searching for.

She broke the sweet, innocent kiss and looked up at him through twinkling eyes.

"I love you," she whispered.

"What?"

"I love you, Luke. And if you're willing, I would very much like to give us a chance."

"Us?" he asked, still taken aback.

"I want to be with you."

"You do?"

"Yes," she breathed.

A wave of passion washed over him and he threw caution to the wind, picking her up and allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He held her tightly against him as he carried her into the house, kissing her passionately and with everything he had.

"Do you want to go upstairs?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Please," she whispered.

He carried her into his bedroom, laying her down on the soft sheets of his massive bed. He moved over her, intertwining his fingers with hers. He moved his face down to hers, capturing her lips with his, claiming her as his own. His lips found their way to her ear and he whispered, "Did I mention that I love you too?"

Their lovemaking was slow and sensual. It was new and more profound than either of them had ever felt with any other person. An hour later, she was laying bare in his arms, a thin layer of sweat glistening on her skin, illuminated by the moonlight that shone through the windows.

She turned in his arms to face him.

"Wanna go take a shower?" she asked with a devious grin.

"I do feel rather dirty right now," he winked.

He picked her up off the bed, kissing her wildly. The sensual sweetness was gone and it had been replaced with a deep, primal need to ravage her.

He managed to carry her with only one arm, while slipping the other between them and thrusting two long fingers into the depths of her hot, wet center. She held on tightly around his neck as he reached the shower and turned on the water. Her hand managed to find its way to his hardening shaft and she stroked him quickly, feeling him grow longer and thicker in her hand with every single movement. Foreplay was out of the question and all either of them could think about was being united for the second time that night.

"I need you," she moaned.

"Ditto."

"No, Luke. I need you. Inside me. Now."

The sound of her voice pleading him to be inside of her sent him harder than he'd ever been and he'd never wanted to fulfill a request more. He pressed her up against the tiles on the wall of the shower as she guided his throbbing tip to her entrance.

"Fuck me hard," she commanded.

With those words, he began to thrust wildly up into her, not even noticing the tiredness that his leg muscles were experiencing. All he could focus on was bringing this woman the most pleasure she'd ever felt in her life.

He hit every single one of her most sensitive spots and she groaned loudly as he filled her, stretching her body to accommodate his thick girth.

"Ungggh. Oh Luke. Oh god. That feels so good."

"Mmmm," he agreed, at a complete loss for words.

"Oh! Agh! Yes. Right there. Mmmn mmmn ungh yes. Harder. Oh god. Please," she begged.

Her nails dug into the muscular plains of his upper back as she held onto his shoulders. She leaned her head down to kiss him, engaging his tongue in a heated battle with her own.

"Angghghghngngh," a deep groan came from the depths of her throat and he knew she was close.

"Let go," he whispered.

"With you," she breathed in response.

"I'm right behind you. Come for me, Lorelai."

She screamed at his command as he pumped into her, deep and hard, sending her flying over the edge, his own release following immediately. She collapsed into his embrace as he helped her back onto her own two feet. She stood, hanging around his neck, their bodies moving slowly under the warm, running water. When they finally caught their breaths, she leaned up to kiss him.

"Hey, Luke?" she muttered against his lips.

"Yeah?"

"How do you feel about skinny dipping?"