Luke's Truck

Lorelai and Luke sit in silence as he drives her home from her parents' house. Lorelai keeps glancing out the window, trying to keep the tears inside. Luke glances at her when he can, making sure she's okay. The snow is coming down hard and Luke grips the steering wheel to stay tight in the lines on the road, which is slowly becoming white and icy.

"So, Lucy, how's little Ricky?" Luke asks, breaking the silence. Lorelai turns her gaze away from the window to find Luke watching her.

"She's back in Stars Hallow. My parents dragged her to an interview at Yale last week and she still hasn't forgiven them for it." Luke nods in understanding. "I thought she would have been over at your place." Luke shakes his head.

"No, Jess is still at Walmart, at least he was when I left." Lorelai sighs. "He is good to her, you know." Lorelai nods. She's not convinced but Jess isn't the first thing on her mind right now. They go back to sitting in silence. "If Rory was still at home, where is Chris?" Lorelai shrugs.

"He stayed home with her," she replies after a moment, in almost a whisper. Luke glances over at Lorelai again.

"Did you have a fight?" Lorelai gives Luke a sharp look, but relents, remembering that Luke should still be mad at her but he came to pick her up.

"Kind of. He thought I was going to move to Boston when we got married."

"And you don't want to?"

"Do you want me to?" Lorelai asks, trying to change the topic. She watches him as he considers his answer. Lorelai bites her lower lip, afraid of what he might say after their fight at the Dance Marathon, afraid that he was tired of fighting with her and just wanted to be rid of her for good. "Luke, I'm sorry I yelled at you. You didn't deserve it. I don't know why I do that to you." Luke glances over at her, a soft expression on his face.

"Why didn't you call Chris to come get you?" Lorelai looks down at her hands. She shrugs. "You said you didn't ever want my help again," he reminds her. She shrugs again, a little uncomfortable from Luke's questions.

"I – I don't know," she manages. "But you came," Lorelai notes, finally looking at him again.

"Yeah. I'm like Wile E. Coyote. Same damn cliff every time," Luke grumbles, but he doesn't seem that upset.

"No, it's not the same every time. At least it shouldn't be. I'm sorry Luke, I shouldn't have - and I shouldn't keep attacking you when you try to help. I don't know what I'd do without you," Lorelai finishes quietly. Luke swallows. When he doesn't respond, Lorelai sighs and looks out the window again. "You were right to ask those questions," she whispers, meaing the questions he asked at the dance marathon. Lorelai tears her gaze away from the window and looks softly at Luke. "I just didn't know how to tell you the truth and I didn't want to lie." She reaches over and touches his arm. "Luke…" He glances over at her.

"You were right to get mad," he admits. Shrugging her hand off his arm, Luke removes one of his arms from the steering wheel and takes her hand in his. "I didn't know how to tell you that I don't want you to marry him." Lorelai blushes, suddenly overcome with emotion. Instead of replying instantly, she interlaces their fingers as Luke tries his best to concentrate on driving. They sit like that for almost a minute, just letting the electricity burn between their fingers.

"I wish you had just said that," she whispers. Luke finally loses his concentration and manages to look over at Lorelai, at the expression on her face. She smiles softly at him and he unable to take his eyes off of her.

"I…"

"Luke! The road!" Lorelai exclaims suddenly. She tries to grab the steering wheel as the truck goes careening off the road.

TBC...