Dearest readers,

Yes, hi, hello. It is I, your favorite disappointing author. I am so sorry that it has been so long since I've updated. Between school and work and working with music producers in hopes of pursuing my career as a recording artist, I have had little time to write. But I am back now with this and I hope you guys will love it and forgive me for my extended absence. Sending much love to you guys. Your expressions of enjoyment when reading my fics always keeps writing on my to-do list. I'm so glad these stories bring you joy. Without further adieu...Chapter 8: Love and War and Snow. xoxo, GilmoreBenson14

She approached him from behind, giggling as she watched the reenactors make their ways to the town square.

"There goes the fire chief, the police chief, and the one paramedic with a valid license. I feel safe, don't you?"

"Look at them," he gestured. "All relatively intelligent men but there they are, dressed up in costumes, standing out in the snow storm. And for what?" he judged.

"Because," she said. "It's tradition."

"Tradition is a trap. It allows people to stick their heads in the sand. Everything in the past was so quaint, so charming. Times were simpler, kids didn't have sex, neighbors knew each other. It's a freakin' fairytale. Things sucked then too, it just sucked without indoor plumbing." he ranted.

"I think some traditions are nice. Birthdays, holidays, taking a walk in the first snow of the season."

"I didn't get the Hallmark card for that one," he replied.

"When I was 5, I had a really bad ear infection and I had been home in bed for a week. And I was very sad. So I wished really hard that something wonderful would happen to me and I woke up the next morning and it had snowed. And I was sure that some fairy godmother had done it just for me. It was my little present."

"Your parents never explained the concept of weather to you?" he mocked.

"I'm making a point, Mouthy McGee," she rolled her eyes. "Of course, many years later, I realize that, logically, the snow was not there for me personally but, still, when it snows something inside me says 'hey, that's your present.' I don't think it'll ever change."

He nodded, smiling at her youthful and innocent view of the world. She still believed in magic and beauty and it brought a happy warmth to his black and white view of the realistic world.

"My father used to be one of those guys," he said, turning around to face the re-enactors as they took their positions for the night.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Even had his own musket."

"Really?"

"Never had to rent it."

"Where's the musket now?" she asked.

"He was buried with it."

"Wow."

"Yep. He loved that musket," Luke explained.

"That's nice...in a disturbing sort of way."

"Come on in. I'll get you some coffee," he offered after turning back to face her.

"That sounds great," she smiled as she followed him into the diner.

He walked around to the coffee maker and turned it on, filling the pot with a few cups of water and spooning grounds into the filter.

"Cream? Sugar? Black?" he asked, his back turned to her.

"You know what, I'm not so sure I want any."

"But you just said-," he stated, turning around.

"I know. I was just...I don't know. Got any good movies?" she asked.

"Movies?"

"Reels of film, projected onto a screen, actors talk, music plays."

"I know what a movie is."

"So, do you?"

"Do I what?" his brow furrowed.

"Have any good movies?"

"I have a few," he nodded.

"Upstairs?"

"Yeah. Upstairs," he swallowed.

She walked toward the curtain that led to the stairs and started making her way up to his apartment. After turning off the coffee maker, he followed. He stepped in front of her to unlock the door and then gestured inside as she stepped in. He reached to flick on the lights and she saw him from the corner of her eye.

"Leave them off," she said, not bothering to face him.

"Off?"

"You watch movies with the light on?"

"Uh...yeah?"

"Well I don't."

"Oh. Alright. Well, couch is to the right. TV is in front of it."

"I can see that," she laughed.

"Well there's no light in here so…"

"The street lights are beaming through your windows, Luke. What do you mean there's no light?"

"Oh, yeah. You're right."

How long's it gonna take him to catch my drift?

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"I'm good, thanks."

"Alright," he replied, clasping his hands together. "Any specific genre in mind?"

"Something sexy," she answered in a low tone.

"Sexy?"

"Sexy."

"Sexy…," he whispered to himself. "I've got Major League and The Goonies," he laughed.

"Eh."

"Well I don't really have any sexy movi-"

"Then let's make one," she purred, approaching him from behind.

"Make one?" he choked on the words.

"Yes," she answered, her hot breath covering his ear. "Got a camera?"

"In...the...closet…" he struggled.

She stripped naked as she made her way to his closet and turned on the light. She reached up to grab the camera from the top shelf and he watched as the glow of the light highlighted the silhouette of her perfect body, nipples peaking in anticipation. She returned and set the camera on the bench at the foot of his bed, pointing it toward the headboard.

"Ready?" she asked as she pressed the record button and knelt on his mattress, knees wide and sex wet.

"Lorelai."

"Don't think about it."

"I can't not think about it."

"Come here and I'll make you forget," she beckoned.

"I-"

"Do you want to?"

"I-"

"Answer me, Luke."

"Yes."

"Then come here."

He advanced toward her, never breaking eye contact. She pulled him closer once he knelt on the bed and reached for his belt buckle. She worked it loose with her fingers while her gaze stayed locked with his. As she pushed his jeans down, she revealed an obvious desire beneath them. There was no denying that he wanted her. He exhaled in relief as she removed his boxers as well, freeing his aching hardness from the constricting fabric. Her fingers crawled upward, to the top button of his flannel and began undoing them one by one. She worked at a tantalizingly slow pace and knew she was driving him crazy. Pushing the thick shirt off his shoulders, she reached down to the hem of the t-shirt he'd been wearing underneath. She pulled it up and over his head, knocking off his baseball cap in the process. Finally, they were both kneeling on the mattress, facing each other, completely exposed.

"And...action," she whispered.

He turned over and laid on his back, moving her so that she was straddling his face. When her legs were comfortably on either side of his head, he moved his hands to her hips so that he could hold her in place. He moved his mouth up to the slit between her puffy, red folds and licked her hungrily.

"Oh god," she gasped at the very first feeling of contact. She grabbed onto the headboard and held on tight. The sounds of his tongue lapping at her soaking core only aided in her arousal and she felt as though every ounce of blood in her body had rushed to collect between her legs. She began to move, her clit rubbing against the tip of his nose as she ground against his face. Her knuckles began to turn white with tension as her grip on the headboard tightened. She hummed a low moan and she felt him smile against her. Encouraged by her response, he increased his pace until he brought her to a powerful orgasm, her muscles contracting around his tongue that rested just barely inside of her entrance. He took his time tasting her as she rode out the waves of pleasure and all hesitation had been rid of him.

When her panting slowed and her moans quieted, she slid her hips lower, moving her face down to his and placing a searing kiss on his swollen wet lips. She whimpered into his mouth as she tasted herself and then drew back, a devious grin spreading across her face. Before he could question it, she was eye level with his erection and began licking the tip, swallowing the bit of pre-cum she'd caused him to release. He bucked his hips at the sensation of her tongue massaging him and she moved her palms to his thighs, pushing him back down. She moved one hand back up to stroke him as her mouth encircled his tip, slowly moving up and down over it. When a whisper of her name just barely managed to escape the depths of his throat and her teasing lips had become too much for him, she knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"Who can blame him?" she thought.

He grabbed her by the hips and flipped them over so that he was hovering above her. She glided her hands up his arms, stopping briefly to feel the definition of his biceps, then continuing until she snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him down toward her, her eyes begging him to kiss her, to touch her. He claimed her lips with his and demanded entrance into her mouth with his tongue. She responded by parting her lips and he wasted no time exploring her, tasting her, gliding his hungry tongue over every inch of her mouth.

She moved her hips up toward his when the want became all too much to handle and her hand traveled to his, grabbing it and guiding his palm to her left breast in hopes that he would know just what she wanted from him. And he did. He continued to kiss her as she held his face to her own with the arm that was hooked around his neck. His one hand kneaded her breast with the perfect amount of pressure while his other was tangled in her hair. When the need for oxygen forced them to break their kiss, she looked up at him through her long lashes, her eyes begging him to satisfy her most desperate need in that moment. Looking back at her, his eyes reflected an understanding through a color that was dark with desire and, without any spoken word, he replied "yes" to the question she'd never asked. Without breaking eye contact with him, she moved her free hand down and wrapped her fingers around him. He'd grown even bigger than he had been just a few moments before. She loved that she had that effect on him and it only made her want him more. She guided him to her slick center and placed his tip at her ready and waiting entrance. He slid into her slowly, savoring every feeling and ensuring that she was comfortable. When he couldn't move in any further, he stopped, allowing her body to adjust. Opening his eyes, he noticed a faint grimace on her face and his pleasure instantly turned to concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice panicked.

"I'm...mmm...I'm okay. Just give me a second. You're a little...bigger than what I'm used to."

"Hey," he said, moving a finger up and placing it under her chin so that he could raise her face to meet his. "Take all the time you need. I won't move until you say so, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered, hoping the pain would turn to pleasure soon. Very, very, soon.

His hands continued to massage her breasts and he rolled her peaking nipples between the thumb and forefinger of each hand. His hot breath left a trail of moisture along her jaw line as his lips found their way to her earlobe, sucking and biting on it. She remained silent, forcing the pleasurable feelings to overpower the discomfort she felt between her thighs. After a few moments passed, her muscles released their tension and the stretch of her vagina around him stopped stinging. She was wet and ready for him and she let him know with a subtle bucking of her hips. He halted his mouth's efforts on her ear and moved his head to face her, where he was greeted by a sultry smile.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"Are you...um…?"

"Ready? Yes," she replied eagerly.

"Are you sure?"

"Would you just hurry up already?" she urged impatiently, evoking a laugh from him.

He leaned down to kiss her one last time before moving back up and sliding out of her, then back in. Slowly at first, he glided back and forth, acclimating both of them to the incredible sensations that they were feeling. She eventually let out a long, dramatic sigh and forcefully ground her hips up against his. Quickly catching on, he sped up, touching her with his hands, tasting her with his mouth, and filling her with his hardness.

She felt helpless beneath him and surrendered to the pleasure he was bringing her. She closed her eyes and settled her head on the pillow beneath her. Long moans, hums, "oh's", "ah's", "yes's", and gasps of his name escaped her lips, each of them sounding like a prayer as she tightened more and more around him. His pelvic bone ground against her clit, making sure that she felt every bit as pleasured as he did. And, as she reached the edge of ecstasy, he pushed her over it, emptying himself into the depths of her while her muscles clenched around him.

He collapsed on top of her, both of their chests moving quickly up and down as they struggled to catch their breaths. When the intensity of her orgasm faded and her muscles released their grip around him, he slid out and moved to lay to her side. He forced his hand between the mattress and her back, bringing his arms around her and pulling her back toward him until he was comfortably holding her in his strong embrace.

"That was amazing," she whispered, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

"Yeah. It was," he agreed, kissing her hair.

They laid in silence for a few minutes until he moved to get up and shut off the camera that he'd noticed was still at the foot of his bed.

"I forgot about that," she said when he settled back in.

"Me too. The blinking red light caught my attention."

"That meant a lot more to me than I thought it would." His hold on her loosened a bit and an uneasy feeling overcame him. She quickly turned so they were face to face.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just...I don't know. I feel different than I thought I would. Different than I've ever felt with anyone. Different in a way that filming the whole thing almost seems disrespectful to the amazing sex we just had."

"What? You've never had great sex?" he asked.

"I've had good sex that, until about an hour ago, I considered great. But that was just...wow. It's never felt like that before. I don't know why. I don't know how to describe it."

"It's never felt like that for me either," he replied softly.

"It's the strangest feeling."

"Not really."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean that, when you know what the feeling is, it's not that strange."

"Oh?"

"Mhm," he responded.

"Care to share?"

"It just feels like it meant more than most ordinary sex does."

"Yeah, I get that. But why?" she questioned.

"Maybe it's because I wasn't just having sex with you. Maybe it's because I was making love to you."

Her breath hitched in her throat and she was completely taken by the vulnerability he was showing. His honesty challenged her feelings and her thoughts were consumed by memories of him, dating back to the first time they met. He was attractive. She'd known that. He was a great guy. She'd known that too. He cared about her and her kid and would do just about anything for anyone. And he'd just told her he loved her...right?

"I'm sorry," his voice interrupted her thoughts. "I shouldn't have said so much."

"Shh. Just hang on and let me process this," she said, holding up her palm to him.

He nodded moved over to his side of the bed, laying flat on his back and staring up at the ceiling. She did the same and folded her hands over her torso. The clock in his kitchen ticked as time dragged on. Her mind was scattered as she tried to sort through her feelings for him. After nearly an hour had passed, she turned to him and propped herself up on her elbow, resting her head on her hand.

"Did you just tell me you love me?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I think I did."

"Did you mean it?"

"I…"

"Luke…"

"Yes. I meant it."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

"For what?"

"For saying that out loud. Things are going to be weird now. You're probably completely freaked out and I'm sitting here wanting to smack myself for admitting that to you. I spent years not saying anything and having a really great friend and now I ruined it."

"Years?" she asked.

"What?"

"You said years."

"Did I?" he asked, nervous and tired.

"How long have you been in love with me, Luke?"

"Forever," he whispered. There's no going back now. Might as well be honest.

Her heart swelled and her eyes filled with tears. She turned away from him and brought his comforter to her face, sobbing into it.

"Lorelai, no. Please. Please don't cry," he begged.

She sprung up from the bed and began pacing furiously around his small apartment. He watched in confusion until she finally walked to his side of the bed and stood in front of him with her hands on her still bare hips.

"How could you not tell me? How could you just let all of that time go by and be in love with me and not say anything? How could you let me date all of those other guys and just stand by? How could you make my breakfast and pour my coffee every single morning and act completely normal? How? How? How? How? How? How? How?"

"When you love someone, you want everything that is best for them. You're so high above me, Lorelai. I could never be enough for you. I have wanted you, wanted more, for so long. But, more importantly, I didn't want to lose you. You're the most incredible woman I have ever known. You're beautiful and smart and funny and, every time you walk into a room, it lights up. Your eyes sparkle when you smile and your hair moves in one fluid motion every time you turn around. You're there for me when I need a friend and you make me believe in good in the world. I would rather keep my mouth shut and have you in my life than tell you how I feel and lose you completely."

The tears returned and she moved her hands to grab his wrists. She pulled him up so that he was standing in front of her as he tried to figure out what she was doing. She kept her grasp on him while dragging him to his closet and pulled out a heavy worker's boot.

"Put this on," she said.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it, damnit."

Though he didn't understand, he obeyed.

"Now what?" he asked.

She walked over to the video recorder and removed the tape. She placed it on the ground in front of him and stood back up.

"Step on it," she said pointing at it the tape.

He didn't bother asking questions, he just pounded his booted foot to the ground and listened as shattered pieces of plastic flew across the hardwood floor. Next thing he knew, her hands were holding his face and she was pulling his lips down to hers. Moving away after a minute, she looked him in the eyes, smiling as hers sparkled just like he said they did.

"I came in here tonight really lonely and really horny. I can't say that I didn't know how you felt because, now that I've thought about it, I realize that, subconsciously, I did. But I need you to know that I would never intentionally take advantage of you or your feelings. I thought I came in here for casual sex but I think some deep desire sent me in here for more than that. I turned that camera on thinking it meant nothing. So I made you destroy it because what we just did, Luke, it meant everything. Damn you for not letting it slip sooner but thank you for saying something. Thank you for forcing me to confront these feelings and really think about you, about us. People have always told me there is something between us, something more than what we've been acknowledging. And I always brushed it off. But I'm not brushing it off anymore. And making love to you was the most right thing I've felt in a really long time. I don't want to let that go. I don't want to forget it."

"You don't?" he started to light up.

"I think I've been in love with you forever too."

"You don't have to-"

"I know. I want to. I want you," she said softly. "The way you just made me feel, the way you've always made me feel, it means something. Hearing you say you love me tonight just made me stop and take enough time to realize it. And if it doesn't work out, then we'll deal with that then. But what if it does? What if this is what's supposed to happen?" she asked, gesturing between the two of them.

"Don't lower your standards for my sake, Lorelai."

"Lower my standards? I'm climbing a ladder here to reach you. You're amazing. You're beautiful and strong and you try to act cold but you're the most sensitive and caring man I've ever met. You put everyone else before yourself and you've never ever let me down. And neither of us is leaving this apartment until you agree to it. I want to try. I'm ready to try."

"I-"

"Please, Luke. Try with me."

"Let's try," he said, his smile growing almost too wide for his face.

She closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him, his embrace feeling warm and right. She laid her head on his shoulder and his heart skipped a beat when he heard her say "I love you too."