Title- Here Without You

Pairings- Luke and Lorelai (JavaJunkie all the way)

Set in the fourth season, after 'Afterboom' and before 'Luke can see her face'

Summary- Liz has cancer and she and TJ broke up. Who will be her savoir? And how will Lorelai react? It will start out a story then turn into a series of letters and each chapter will be in a different person's point of view.(Luke and Lorelai have been friends for 11 years.)

Disclaimer- If I owned it, there wouldn't even be an April or Christopher.

Chapter 2- Luke (Friday 5 P.M)
After caressing her back and letting her soak my shirt with her tears for the last forty minutes, I finally pushed her back, gently and carefully, to look her in the eyes. Her make-up was running all down her face and her eyes were puffy and red. I hated seeing her like this. It killed me and I just wanted to hug her close and tell her over and over that it would be okay. But, what did I know? I could come back in two years and she could be married. I felt a twinge of jealously and stopped thinking like that.

"I'm sorry," She said, breaking the silence and gesturing to my drenched shirt. I could tell she was a little embarrassed.

I smiled weakly and my put hand to her cheek and stroked it lightly. I don't know what came over me to do this but I didn't know if I would ever get a chance to do this to her again. I felt her lean into my touch and I whispered softly, "It's okay."

She sighed sadly and tiredly, I could tell she needed to rest so I pulled my hand back and she looked at me, I could see fear and what I think was love in her eyes. "You look tired."

"I feel emotionally drained."

"You should go home and take a nap, then."

"I should." She told me, then closed her eyes and curled up in a ball on my couch. She wasn't going home. "But I won't."

I grabbed a blanket and threw it over her and she sighed contently. I noticed she was about to move and get up so I lightly stroked her cheek again, willing her to sleep. "Shh,"

"Luke," She whispered ever so lightly I couldn't tell if I imagined it or not. "Don't leave me, please." Her voice was so desperate, my chest tightened in pain for her. I didn't want to leave but I had to. She knew that.

"I won't right now. Right now I'll stay right here and I won't leave. I promise." I whispered soothingly as she moved closer to me and rested her head on my chest. I continued to rub her back as I thought about what my life would be like without Lorelai Gilmore. My conclusion was that it would suck. And I couldn't tell what was worse, losing my best friend or losing the only woman I truly love.

About an hour later I finally felt her stir. It was weird, having her sleep in my arms, but I felt content, trying not to think about the future, just about her. She looked up and I could tell she was confused about her whereabouts. She looked at me and I watched her as she realized why she was in my apartment, on my couch and in my arms. She looked around and when she didn't find what she was looking for she looked at me and asked groggily, "What time is it?"

I looked at my watch, "About six."

"Okay," she said slowly, nodding her head.

"So," I said, drawing out the word. I didn't know what else to say. She looked horrible. Not in the sense of ugly though, because she was beautiful, even with her tear-stained face, puffy red eyes, and frizzed up hair. She just looked like she was depressed.

"Do you have to go?" She blurted out, startling me.

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Of course I do."

"Couldn't she come here and you could take care of her here?" She reasoned desperately.

I shook my head sadly, "She has a job up in Maine and I need to help out there."

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just, I don't want you to leave me." She said, her voice cracking at the end of her sentence.

"I don't want to leave you," I told her honestly.

"You're going to miss so much," She told me softly. "The opening of the Dragonfly, Rory's second year of college, the first year of my new business, all the town's crazy festivals, who knows, maybe even Kirk and Lulu's wedding."

"That'd be something," I said, chuckling.

She started to laugh to. God I loved her laugh, I was going to miss her so much. "Yeah, it would be. But I won't see you on holidays, Luke. What am I going to do on Thanksgiving?"

"Eat at your parents, Sookie's and Mrs. Kim's." I answered as if it were obvious.

Apparently it was a rhetorical question because she ignored me, "And who will make me a Santa Burger on Christmas?"

"I only did that once." I interjected.

"And who will fix my house up and bring Bert along? Who will buy my basket at the Bid-a-basket auction when I need someone to? Who will serve me my coffee? Who will lend me $30,000 when I need it? Who will let me cry and then comfort me and tell me it will be okay? Who will be my best friend and talk to me when I need someone to talk to? I need you Luke, so much has happened over the years and I have always needed you. What will I do without you?" She asked, breaking down and crying again.

I pulled her head to my chest and whispered soothing words into her ears while rubbing her back gently. I kissed the top of her head without even thinking then told her in a reassuring voice, "When you need your house fixed up, just call someone. I know I hate it but since I won't be around it might be the next best thing. If you need someone to bid on your basket, just ask Al from Al's pancake world, I heard he has a thing for brunettes." I joked.

"Go to Weston's to get coffee, it might not be as good as mine but it'll do. If you need $30,000 again, which I don't think you will, go to your parents it sounds bad but still. I know it's not something you would do but don't have anything else you'd need to pay so much for so it would have to be an emergency. When you need someone to cry to, try to go to Sookie once in a while. And as far as needing your best friend to talk to and help you out, I'm always a phone call away, okay? I'll give you my number and you can call me whenever you need someone to talk to or if you just want to say hi. I need you too, you know. I always have." I squeezed her shoulders a bit and kissed her head one more time.

"I know. Life just won't be the same," She said to me sadly, pulling back from my embrace and resting back on the couch. "I've always had you. Now Rory has Yale, Sookie has Davey and Jackson, my parents are going through a phase in their life. Now you have Liz and I have no one."

"Listen," I said in a stern yet soft voice, and tilted her chin with my finger to look me in the eye. "You'll always have me, only now I just won't be in the same state. You've always had me and probably always will. Soon enough you'll have your own inn and you'll be going crazy with all the guests' requests and stuff and before you know it, this year will have flown by and hopefully I will have returned by then."

"I know,"

"Good. I'll give you my address and my number so you can send me some pictures or detailed descriptions on the inn and the town and Rory and you, okay?"

She nodded solemnly and took my wrist to check the time. "Shit," I heard her mumble to herself before standing up. I looked at her curiously and she told me, "I have Friday night dinner tonight and I really need to clean myself up." She gestured to her wrinkled up outfit and messed up make-up.

"Ahh," I nodded. I knew she didn't want to go, especially tonight after all the crying she did. I stood up and walked over to the door and she followed me. Right before I got to the door I felt her tap my shoulder. I turned around and she hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her and whispered it was going to be alright into her hair before she let go.

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine,"

"I know, I just it really hit me that you were leaving and, I don't know."

"I get it."

"Good."

"Good. Ready to go down there?" I asked warily.

"Yeah." She sighed tiredly and laughed softly. I must have made a strange look so she clarified. "Everyone must have thought we were having crazy 'goodbye sex'."

"Geez." I sighed, looking down uncomfortably.

"Well, once they see me looking like this I think they'll understand." She said with a reassuring smile.

"Let's go." I told her, playfully pushing her out the door.

"Well, unless they think that you're so bad in bed that you made me look like this." She said, gesturing to her face.

I sighed, and shoved her harder. "Go, go, get."

She smiled at me and giggled. "I'm going, I'm going." She said playfully and bounced down the stairs and I swear she had a little extra jaunt in her step.

Authors Note- I know I said I wouldn't be updating often, but this chapter was written already and the other chapter was off to a slow start, but these are the only chapters I have written so don't expect many updates.