Chapter 30: Patented Luke Danes Date

In the following days, life failed to slow down, and Luke and Lorelai, while able to see each other for nightly dinner, were unable to plan a date for themselves. On Friday morning, Lorelai wanted some time with Luke, and decided that no matter what, this would be the day for it.

Strolling into the diner, she was met with Luke, as usual, cleaning the counter. Looking up, he spoke plainly, "Hey… Did I know you were coming? Where's Rory?"

Without stopping at the counter, she continued towards the storage room, "She's with Mia… You. Me. Storage room, now. We need to talk."

Caught off guard by her demand, he stuttered, "Uh, okay," and followed behind her.

Before he even had a chance to ask what was going on, she spoke. "You don't have anything to do tonight, right?"

"Right…"

"Okay, then don't make any… I'm taking you out."

Slow to catch up, he repeated, "You're taking me out?"

"Yes! Every time you've tried to plan a date, we haven't been able to go for some reason, so I am going to plan it this time."

"Lorelai," Luke sighed, "You don't have to do this."

"Ah…no I don't, but I am," she answered, placing her hands on his shoulders, "The universe has been against us, but I am taking matters into my own hands. Me and you… We're going out tonight." Satisfied with her tiny rant, she leaned on her tip toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Are you sure you can? I am fine with waiting a little while."

With an exasperated groan, she threw her hands out, "Ughh, Luke. You're always waiting on me. I don't want to wait. I want to go on a date."

"I do too, but it's fine."

'Okay," she glared at him, "Do you want to go on a date or not. I have time, and you have time, but you don't seem like you want to go."

Placing a comforting hand on her arm, he spoke compellingly, "Oh believe me, I want to, but I don't want to stress you out by taking up time you don't have or time that you might need to spend with Rory."

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, "I get that… and thank you for caring about my time with Rory, but Luke, we have a relationship too. As hard as it may be to find time, generally an adult relationship calls for dates and alone time. Because of my hectic life, we haven't gotten any of that. Not that I'm desperate or anything, but I just really want to be with you. You and me. Luke and Lorelai. Burger Boy and Crazy Lady," she laughed, "Please, let me take you on a date tonight."

"I'd like that," he answered with a small chuckle. "I'll can meet you at the inn around 6. Is that a good time for you?"

Loosely wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought his lips down to hers. "It's perfect… I've got to get back to work because I told Mia I'd only be gone for a few minutes, but I'll see you later." Before she left the room, she turned back and added, "Oh, and dress casual."

Before he could question further, she scurried out the door.

Almost as soon as Luke stopped knocking, the door to the potting shed was opened, and he was met with Lorelai standing on the other side in a red baseball uniform, dark denim jeans, and tennis shoes. "Luke! How many times have I told you that you don't have to knock anymore? You have a key. Just open the…" she faltered off, noticing his eyes trailing up and down her body. Ducking her head in self-consciousness, she asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Broken from his trance by her questioning, he answered with a shrug, "I've just never seen anyone look so sexy in a baseball jersey." Leaning in, he planted a warm kiss on her lips, "I like it."

"You and your complements," she laughed, backing him out of the doorway and outside. "I've already fallen for you, Burger Boy… You don't have to keep wooing me."

"It's not wooing… It's the truth," he smirked. Finally noticing the writing on the jersey, he questioned curiously, "Wait… Is that mine? Where did you find that?"

Her mischievous smile was enough of an answer for him, but she responded playfully, "Welllll, I may or may not have gotten Patty to see if she could find some ancient baseball memorabilia in the historic boxes of Stars Hollow High… I was lucky enough for her to find a jersey that happened to have your name on it." Turning slowly, she revealed the "DANES" written in bold letters on the back above the number.

Seeing Lorelai's happiness, Luke couldn't help but be amused by her antics, "You're insane, you know that," he asked as he began playing with the buttons of the jersey, "For the record… It looks much better on you than it ever did on me."

"Save the sweet talk for later," she joked as she backed away from his meddling hands, "I have a date planned, and as much as I'd like to jump you right now, I actually want to do this."

Remembering that she hadn't told him of her plans, he prodded, "What exactly are we doing?"

"We are going out for a patented night of Luke Danes romance."

Luke's brow furrowed. "Care to enlighten me on what the hell that is?"

"You know," Lorelai assured and took his hand in hers and leading him to the parking lot. "Juice bar, followed by the batting cages, and possibly a trip to your bachelor pad after," she answered, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I have never been on a date like that."

"Oh please, you, Butch Danes, professional at all things sports related, are telling me that you never took any of your past girls to a batting cage?"

"First, I told you not to call me that… I can't believe the Patty told you about that," he sighed, running his hand over his face. "Secondly, No. I haven't exactly dated girls who are athletic."

Laughing, Lorelai answered, "Well, it looks like you kept your streak up by dating me… But, Luke, I really want to do this. We always do something that I like, so I thought it would be cool to do something you'd like… Even though I'm probably not good at it."

One look in her eyes told him that she was really trying her best to make him happy. Brushing his lips against hers, he pulled her closer. "Thank you… this is really nice. I'll do it, but if you get bored, let me know, and we'll find something else to do."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," she responded as she leaned into his embrace, "Now let's get going. I'm excited to see my super sexy hunk of a boyfriend show off for me.

"Thanks for spoiling me and letting me get this, Luke," Lorelai stated with a wide grin, as Luke sat down a triple chocolate milkshake in front of her. "Who would have thought that they would have milkshakes at a juice bar? I had all intentions of slumming it with you and drinking that healthy junk, but they just so happened to have this wonderful concoction, and I couldn't resist."

Responding with his trademark eyeroll, Luke muttered, "Yeah, who would have thought?" Dropping his straw into his juice, took a drink quickly and continued, "Any chance I can get you to try this?" The scowl that appeared on her face was enough of answer for him. With a slight chuckle, Luke added, "Didn't think so… So how was your week?"

"It's been okay… I'm sorry I haven't had much time to spend with you. Working both of these jobs combined with spending time with Rory barely gives me enough time to sleep at night."

Reaching across the table and taking her hand in his, Luke gave her a reassuring smile, "It's okay. I knew coming into this thing that Rory comes first… Speaking of the two jobs, how is finding a replacement manger going?"

"It's not," Lorelai replied with a groan, "Mia has been interviewing all week, but we still haven't found anyone. The people she's interviewing don't know the first thing about running an inn like the Independence…"

Knowing what her answer would be before he said it, Luke hesitated to respond, but did so anyways. "You know… maybe you could ask Mia for an interview. I'm sure you could do it, and it would be much easier to find another maid."

With a careless swat of her hand, she laughed slightly. "Oh no. I don't have the qualifications. I can do it until she needs me to, but I don't think I'm the one for the job. I'm only a maid."

"Yeah, a maid who has been doing a great job at a position she's never really been trained for. If you can do this well without being prepared, you can definitely do it if she trains you. You're Lorelai Gilmore… You can do it."

While ducking her head, a slight blushed tinged Lorelai's cheeks. "I love that you have that much confidence in me, but I think you may be a little biased."

"I'm not… I know you. You should talk to her."

"I don't know … I guess I'll think about it."

"That's all I'm asking," he smiled.

Suddenly, a giggle escaped Lorelai's lips as she shook her head, "Look at us… Here we are, finally alone, and we are sitting here talking about work. Do you think other couples talk like this?"

Confused by her meaning, he questioned, "Like what?"

"Luke, we've barely been with each other for a few weeks now, and we're talking about work… Next thing you know, we'll be talking about finances or grocery lists. It's not very exciting."

'Lorelai." He sighed her name affectionately. "It doesn't have to be exciting all the time... Believe me, you are exciting enough for me. I never know what to expect from you," he chuckled, "I'm just glad to be here with you."

A wide grin appeared on Lorelai's face. "I'm glad to be with you too…" Leaning over the table, Lorelai kissed him quickly but meaningfully, knowing he wasn't fond of PDA. "So, tell me… how is this whole baseball thing supposed to work?"

Walking hand in and through the parking lot, Lorelai realized she wasn't sure what to do first. "So, I know I had this planned an all, but aside from the directions to get here, I don't know where to go first… Care to take the lead?"

Giving her a quick kiss, Luke responded, "No problem... before we can bat, we have to get our bats and helmets."

Stopping dead in her tracks, Lorelai turned to Luke with wide eyes, "Helmets? Who said anything about helmets? It will mess up my hair!"

With a laugh, Luke pulled her along towards the equipment stand, "Some people don't use them, but it's your first time. You need protection just in case." Seeing the naughty smile appear on her face, Luke cut her off before she could speak up. "Don't even say dirty… It's too easy. Come on, maybe we'll be able to find you something pink."

"Oooo, pink! Pretty! Alright, let's go."

Despite the fact it was a Friday evening, the batting cages were fairly empty, leaving Luke and Lorelai room for their own private area at the end of the cages. After picking out their gear, Luke stepped to the side, away from Lorelai, and tested the weight of his bat with a few swings.

"Luke, are you sure we can't use the same bat? What if I want to share with you?"

Stopping his swings, he turned towards her and answered, "You can't use my bat."

Scoffing, she replied, "And why not?"

"Because, Lorelai, my bat is too big. You have to use a smaller one."

Turning to him with a knowing look, she laughed. "Excuse me, Butch, but I've handled your bigbat perfectly fine before…" Stepping back, she met his embarrassed look with an amused grin, "Who knew baseball was such a dirty sport?"

Shaking his head, he shot back, "Only you would think of it that way… Do you want to go first, or should I?"

"You go first. I'll just sit here on the bleachers and watch you."

While Luke stepped into the cage and prepared to bat, Lorelai couldn't help but marvel at the man, her man, standing in front of her. As each pitch came flying at him, Luke swung with ease, making contact and sending most of them to the back net of the cages. With the next pitch about to come, Lorelai called out, "If I knew you looked this hot playing baseball, I would have planned this a long time ago."

Her words slowly registered with him, and Luke turned to face her just as a pitch flew by, causing him to jump. "Can you save your flirting until I get finished," he grumbled back, "I'd rather not get hit today."

Turning back to bat, Luke finished his turn and walked out and over to Lorelai. As he approached her, he noticed the slight grin on her face. "You thought that was funny, didn't you," he spoke gruffly.

"Come on…it was a little funny," she laughed, "The look on your face when that ball flew by was priceless!"

Rolling his eyes, Luke walked over and grabbed the bat he chose for Lorelai. "Alright. If you think it's so funny, then it's your turn to try."

"But you did so well," she whined, realizing Luke was turning the tables on her, "I don't want to do it! I won't be good at it!"

"Nope! You planned it, you do it."

"If whining doesn't work, then maybe flirting will," she thought. "But Luke," she spoke, as she closed the space between them, "I'm enjoying the view. Watching you be all athletic and manly makes me want to take you right here, right now."

Giving in for a moment, Luke looked around. Noticing that there was no one else around, he brought her in for a heated kiss. "And just looking at you anytime makes me feel that way… By the way, those jeans you're wearing are really working for me." Slowly, his hand began inching lower and lower down her back.

"Are you flirting with me, Butch?"

"And if I was?"

Bringing herself as close as possible, she answered huskily, "I'd say let's leave right now and come back another day." Still holding on to him, Lorelai began backing away from the cages, but she was halted by Luke.

Planting a kiss just below her ear, he whispered, "Nice try… but you still have to bat."

"Ughhh," she exclaimed, pulling herself out of his arms.

"It's not so fun being on the receiving end of the tease, is it," he asked smugly.

After five minutes of negotiation, Lorelai finally set foot into the slow pitch cages. "Luke, are you sure this is safe? I'm not going to get hit, right?"

"As long as you stay in the white box, you'll be okay."

Lorelai slowly eased into the box, and Luke stepped in behind her, helping her get into the proper batting stance. "I can't believe I'm doing this, Luke."

"You'll do fine," he answered in a low, reassuring voice, "Keep your eye on the ball, and I'll help you swing."

Unable to resist because of the position they were in, Lorelai wiggled against him before the first pitch was even launched.

"You keep doing that, and you might end up getting pushed out of the box," Luke grumbled. Turning around, he pushed the button to start. "Okay, the ball is gonna come at you pretty slow, so you'll have time to react. When it gets close to the plate, swing."

The first pitch flew out, and much to Lorelai's dismay, they missed. The same thing occurred for the next few pitches, but eventually, they were able to make contact, and by the end, Lorelai was hitting the ball a decent distance.

"Did you see that Luke," Lorelai exclaimed happily as the last ball bounced along the ground, "Look how far we hit it!"

"I saw," he laughed, "Are you ready to try on your own?"

"Do you think I can do it?"

"I know you can."

Luke quickly exited the cage, and he leaned up against the chain link barrier and called out instructions. "Remember, Lorelai, watch the ball the whole time, and swing when it gets close."

As with her first attempt, she missed the first few pitches, but as the fourth ball approached the plate, she smacked it, and sent it soaring back toward the pitching machine. "Oh my gosh! Luke! Look!"

"Look at you, you're a natural," he chuckled, "Keep going!"

By the time her round had finished, she had successfully hit the rest of the pitches. Running out of the cage, Lorelai dropped her bat to the ground and ran over to Luke at the fence. "Did you see me! I turned into Butch Danes in there!"

"You did great." Leaning down, he brought her lips to his in a soft kiss, "I'm very proud of you."

With a wide smile, she leaned into his chest and spoke happily, "Thank you for helping me… and for coming tonight. It's been a great date."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he answered, trailing his fingers through her hair, "Did you have anything else planned for the night that I don't know about?"

Leaning back, a playful look appeared on her face. "Well, the third portion of the patented Luke Danes date includes a trip to your bachelor pad… Did I do well enough to earn that?"

"I think you did fine…You may have done well enough to reach second base when we get back," Luke answered, teasing her lips with his quickly.

"Damn. Now look who's making baseball a dirty sport."

Brushing his knuckles across her chest at the opening of her shirt, Luke answered quietly, "I think it was you who made it a dirty sport when you decided to wear my uniform like this. I'm fairly certain I buttoned a few more buttons when I used it."

"Well," Lorelai spoke softly as she leaned up towards his ear. Her arms slipped from his neck, and down his back. Sticking her hands in his back pockets, she drew him against her, bringing her body into full contact with his. "I knew my skills in actual baseball wouldn't be too great, but I was hoping that with some incentive, we'd go back to the diner, and you'd at least let me get to third base."

A deep growl bubbled up inside Luke, and it was all he could do not to take her right then and there. Removing Lorelai's hands from him, Luke wordlessly entwined his fingers with hers, leading her hurriedly back to the equipment shack and finally to the Jeep. Once they were settled in the jeep, he turned back to her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. "I think I'd rather go for the home run, if that's all right with you." Pressing his foot to the gas, they sped off out of the parking lot.

A squeal of delight escaped Lorelai's lips as she threw her head back against the seat, "Woohoo! Who knew sports could be so fun!"