Routine Examinations May be Required
March 2001
Lorelai slowed, coasting toward the town square and her breathing finally began to regulate. This was all she needed. This town, this place where she felt at home, kept her grounded. Thumper was extracting his revenge on her stomach. She pressed her hand to her roiling belly, sending the rabbit her grandmother had smuggled into the country on dry ice a silent apology for a myriad of injustices. Returning her hand to the wheel, she gripped it tightly, her foot slipping from the accelerator as she spotted the brightly lit diner. Lack of dessert meant more than not having anything sweet to chase away the lingering distaste in her mouth. It also meant no coffee.
Pulling to the curb, she watched as Luke cleared a table, nodding his response to a request from the last occupants of a nearby table. Lorelai killed the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition as she reached for the door handle. It had been a couple of weeks since Rachel blew back into town. It had been a couple of weeks since Lorelai had spoken to Luke on that park bench. Oh, she'd seen him. Daily, as usual. She'd spoken to him. Teasing, as usual. It had been a couple of weeks since Lorelai had been able to swallow that lump that had lodged in her throat. It had been a couple of weeks since things had felt right.
As she walked toward the diner, Lorelai knew that it was entirely possible that things would never feel right again. Her worst nightmares were coming true. She knew this would happen. She knew as she sat on the edge of her mother's sofa, her hands folded in her lap and her pride in tatters, asking her parents for help. The moment the words left her lips, she knew that it was a mistake, but it was a mistake she was willing to make for Rory's sake. I've made mistakes before and managed to survive, she had told herself as bells heralded her arrival, I'll make more, I'm sure.
Lorelai slipped onto her favorite stool, and smiled as Luke stepped out of the kitchen and drew up short. "Hey," she said with a tired smile.
"Hey," Luke answered. "Be with you in a minute," he told her as he nodded to the plate in his hand.
"I'll be here." Lorelai reached for a couple of sugar packets and waved them back and forth, shaking the sugar down to the bottom before pushing them back into their container. She glanced over her shoulder, watching Luke interact with his customers, and smiled again as she quickly turned back the counter.
Luke reappeared, reaching for a mug as he lifted the coffee pot from the burner. "Rough night?" he asked as he poured.
"I look that bad?"
"You look, uh, concerned," he said as he turned to replaced the pot.
Lorelai smiled as she peered down into her mug. "That was a nice way of putting it, thank you." She sat up and looked around. "Where's Rachel?"
"She's upstairs. My bathroom is now a darkroom," he answered with a smirk.
"Ah." Lorelai took a sip of her coffee, and then toyed with the handle on her mug, turning it back and forth on the counter. "Things are good?" she asked cautiously.
Her question seemed to surprise him. Luke stared down at her as he weighed his answer. "Things are… Things are okay," he answered at last. Moving away from her, he walked to the end of the counter and lifted the lid from the pastry display Without asking, he placed a chocolate frosted doughnut on a plate, and then slid it in front of her.
Lorelai smiled at the brightly colored sprinkles that dotted the icing. She looked up into his concerned blue eyes and knew without a doubt that no matter what, letting Luke Danes into her was most definitely not a mistake.
December 1997
It may have been Luke's friendship with Rory that opened that door a crack, but it wasn't the sex that pushed it open wider. It was the scowl. She knew, as she liked to think that very few people knew, that the scowl that turned Luke's mouth down at the corners was not natural for him. It was a part of his armor, something he put on every morning like those ubiquitous flannel shirts and the ever-present backwards baseball cap. His smile, that smile she had seen as he looked up at her from his pillow, that was Luke. Not that he'd ever admit it.
Lorelai appreciated that about him. No one was more adept at donning protective gear than Lorelai Gilmore. A fresh swipe of mascara, a little extra gloss slicked over her lips, and a bright Close Up smile; that was her mask of choice. And without knowing each other very well, other than in the biblical sense, it seemed that they both knew it. Not that either of them would ever own up to it.
It was one of many, many unspoken things that hummed in the air between them. In the months following that night, there were moments when the sexual attraction between them sizzled and arced through the air. In the months following that night, there were also moments when each of them had looked at each other in disgust, obviously wondering what had ever possessed them. But still, that door was open now, and cautiously, almost fearfully, there were moments when each of them peeked inside.
Luke listened when Lorelai sat at his counter bemoaning the trials and tribulations of guiding a young girl through the minefield of middle school. Lorelai smiled encouragingly when he went off on rants about town festivals, the excess of red, white and blue bunting that smothered the town each Independence Day, and the absurdities proudly displayed at town meetings. She teased him, but as she did, her eyes clearly told him that she heard and understood every word he was saying. There was something there. Something indefinable. Something comfortable. Something patently non-sexual, and inevitably morphed into something overtly sexual, causing them both to keep those masks firmly in place.
They didn't talk about it. It was the one topic that was strictly off limits. And without saying so, each of them knew that it would probably happen again. The only question was: which one of them would be the one to crack? To Lorelai's thinking, it wouldn't be her. She'd made the first move, it was his turn. The problem was, months and months passed, and he never made that move.
At first, she thought it was a matter of availability. So, after a couple of months went by without an overture, she started dropping subtle hints about the occasional nights that Rory spent at the Kim's house. Once, she even went so far as to linger in the diner at closing time, talking to him about everything and nothing as he moved through his closing routine, and still, nothing. Lorelai knew that he couldn't be that dense. It had to be something else.
That nagging little voice in her head told her to face up to the facts, the man simply didn't want her. A slightly louder voice in her head, probably her ego, told her that there was no way in hell any man, much less the scruffy diner guy, wouldn't want her. And then, there was that smile. He flashed it at the most unexpected times. Never quite the full wattage; not like that night. It was quicker, shyer, and definitely unassuming. It was almost as deadly as its counterpart. Just when she'd give up, just when she'd surrender to the nagging little voice in her head that insisted he wasn't interested; he'd smile at her and she'd be at the edge of her seat again.
By the time the leaves began to fall, she had given up. By the time the first dusting of snow had covered the ground, she had almost convinced herself that it was better this way. When Mother Nature decided to dump a foot and a half of the white stuff on them the week before Christmas, she stood on her porch watching as Luke shoveled a path from her car to the porch, and thanked God that she hadn't scared him away.
"Do you want some coffee?" she asked as he reached the bottom of the steps.
"Never drink that crap."
"Never?"
"Not if I can help it."
"What do you drink?"
Luke shrugged. "Water, tea, beer," he grunted as he hefted another shovelful of heavy, wet snow.
"I think I have some tea," Lorelai said, her brow furrowed as she mentally scoured her cabinets, trying to remember where she had seen that box of tea bags.
"Yeah?" Luke asked, looking up at her as he leaned on the handle of the shovel.
"I'll go find it," she said decisively, and hurried for the front door.
Luke had finished clearing the steps by the time the front door opened again. "It's chamomile," she told him as she stood in the doorway holding a steaming mug. "Sookie brought it over the last time Rory had a cold." He kicked bottom step with the toes of his boots, and knocked the packed snow from them before climbing the newly cleared steps. "I really appreciate this. I probably would have gotten out there and sprained my whatsis," she told him.
"Hard to get around with a sprained whatsis," he agreed as he reached for the mug she held.
"Don't you want to come in?" she asked, wincing as she heard the disappointment in her own voice. "I mean, you should warm up a little."
Luke glanced down at his boots and the snowy legs of his jeans. "I'm all wet."
Lorelai bit back the urge to cry 'Dirty!' and stepped back into the foyer. "You've seen this place before, there's nothing you can do to make it any crappier," she told him.
Luke unzipped his coat and pulled off his gloves as he followed her into the house, and then immediately bent to unlace his boots. He brushed what snow he could from his jeans as he stepped out of his boots and then straightened up, reaching for the mug as he said, "Thanks."
Lorelai pulled the mug away once more, walking backward toward the kitchen. "Come in," she said with an enticing grin.
Luke narrowed his eyes as he asked, "Why do I feel like I'm walking into a trap."
Lorelai stopped abruptly and held out the mug. "No trap," she said quickly.
Luke took the tea from her and smiled. "That was a joke. Sorry, I didn't give fair warning."
"Yes, you should know by now that you should always preface your jokes with a warning so that your audience knows to insert laugh here," she said, automatically responding to that smile with one of her own. "Sit." Lorelai ordered as she gestured to the kitchen table.
"Will I get a treat?" he muttered as he lowered himself into a chair.
"I'm fresh out of Liva Snaps, but I may have some Mallomars," she answered as she slipped into the chair across from him.
"Better to hold out for the Liva Snap," he mumbled, fixing her with a glare as he took a sip of the tea.
"I really do appreciate this," she babbled, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his steady blue gaze.
"Well, when I heard Rory say something about needing a periscope to get out of the yard before winter was over, I figured you could use a hand."
Lorelai smiled. "She's got your number, you know."
"I know," he answered gruffly, and took another quick sip to hide his discomfort.
"Well, I guess you're not a complete sucker if you know you're being suckered."
"There's some logic for ya." Lorelai leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand as she studied him carefully. Luke shifted in his seat, trying to ignore her, and making it almost a full minute before he cracked. Lorelai tipped her head slightly, watching as he fiddled nervously with the tag on the tea bag and then lifted the mug again, hiding behind it as he asked, "What?"
She had to do it. She just had to ask. "Do you find me attractive?"
Luke's hand jerked and he jumped as the liquid scalded his tongue. He slammed the mug down a little too forcefully, his hand flying to his mouth as he grimaced in pain.
"Oh!" Lorelai cried as she hopped up and reached for the handle on the freezer door. She grabbed an ice cube and hurried over to him. "Here." Luke looked up at her guardedly as he took the ice cube from her hand and then dropped it into his tea. "Oh, I got that for your tongue, uh, your mouth," she rambled. Spinning away from him, she asked, "Do you want another?"
"I find you attractive," he answered, his fingers still pressing his lips, as if he were trying to hold the words back.
Lorelai slowly turned back to him. "You do?"
Luke laughed shortly, his eyes widening in disbelief as he said, "Yeah."
Lorelai nodded silently, her eyes meeting his. "Do you want another ice cube?"
"No."
"You never, after we… I thought we had a good time," she said, twisting her fingers around each other nervously, she dropped back into her chair.
"We did. I did," Luke answered quickly.
"But you," she said leadingly.
Luke blinked rapidly, trying to sift the gist of what she was saying from what she wasn't saying. "I what?"
"You don't want to, uh, again," she said, raising her eyebrows.
"I never said that," he said quickly.
"You never acted like it," she retorted.
"I didn't know how I was supposed to act. You said you had an itch. How was I supposed to know if it was a one time scratch or if you still, um… Aw, geez, this is ridiculous," he said as he lowered his hands to the table and stood up from his chair. "I'm not sure what you want from me, Lorelai."
"I think it was Robin Zander and his friends from Cheap Trick who said it best, I want you to want me, Luke," she said bluntly.
Luke laughed bitterly and threw his hands up in the air as he began to pace the kitchen like a caged animal. He stopped and turned toward her. "Hey, who was the goofy looking singer guy with the glasses?"
"Elvis Costello?"
"No, the 'Pretty Woman' guy," Luke said impatiently.
"Roy Orbison?"
"Yeah. Didn't he have some song like 'You Got It'?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I guess he said it best," he said dismissively.
"You do?"
"I'm not dead." Lorelai smiled her relief as she stood up and blocked his path. Luke planted his hands on his hips and glared down at her. "So, you got what you want. I'm going to go."
Lorelai grabbed his arm to stop him. "Go? Why?"
"Your walk is shoveled, your ego is inflated, and I burned the crap out of my tongue," he said impatiently.
"My ego?"
"I've gotta get back to the diner," he muttered, and pulled his arm away.
Lorelai followed him into the foyer, watching as he stooped to pull his boots back on over his thick socks. "Luke," she began.
"I've spent most of the last decade getting jerked around by one woman, Lorelai, I'm not going to let you do it too," he said firmly.
"I'm not trying to jerk you around," she argued.
"I'm gonna leave the shovel here. I'll come by and get it if I need it," he said as he tied the laces in firm knots and then straightened up, yanking the zipper of his green army coat up to his throat.
"Luke, I'm not trying to jerk you around!"
"It's been almost a year, Lorelai!"
"Eight months," she answered defensively.
"Eight months! And the very next day you were back to calling me Duke."
"I like calling you Duke, it's a pet name," she countered.
"It's annoying and insulting and you damn well know it," he spat.
"I like annoying you. I like getting a rise out of you."
Luke stepped forward, pinning her up against the wall of the entryway with his hands braced on either side of her head. "You do, huh? Well, guess what, you're getting a rise right now. Probably not the one you want, though."
"No," she whispered.
Luke nodded once and then pushed away from the wall. "I'll see you later, Lorelai," he said gruffly, and then left.
They didn't talk about it. Neither of them even alluded to anything being wrong between them. Lorelai avoided the diner for a few days, and then she finally gave in to the lure of a cherry danish. When she walked into the diner that morning, everything looked the same, but somehow everything was different.
She spotted the man in the flannel shirt working his way along the counter, his head down as he refilled coffee mugs without pause, and sidled up to her usual stool.
"Can I have one of those?" she asked in a low voice. Luke's head popped up, and she smiled cautiously. "After all, it is danish day."
He nodded and reached for a mug, filling it with the steaming black brew before turning to retrieve her pastry from the case. "Sorry, I, uh…" he said as he slid the plate in front of her.
Lorelai shook her head quickly, cutting off his apology. "No, Luke, I'm sorry," she said quickly.
Luke lifted his eyebrow at the use of his proper name in a public setting. "Friends?" he asked gruffly.
Lorelai nodded emphatically, pressing her lips together for a moment as she looked up at him. "Yes, Luke, definitely friends."
March 2001
Lorelai picked at the chocolate doughnut. If the look on her face wasn't bad enough, the fact that she wasn't sucking that doughnut down like a Hoover vacuum must have been enough to tell him that something was definitely wrong.
"You wanna, uh, talk about it?" he asked, wincing slightly as the question slipped past his lips.
Lorelai smiled, genuine affection lighting her eyes as she looked up at him. "No, we don't have to," she said softly.
"No, I mean, uh, what's wrong?"
He forced himself to look away as Lorelai plucked another chunk from the hapless doughnut and carried it to her lips. "My grandmother is in town. Not here, Hartford."
"Oh yeah?" he asked as he reached for his trusty towel, feeling more secure with it in his hands.
"I'm named after her. Another Lorelai."
"Wow. Like the world needed another," he teased gruffly.
"I know. We had rabbit for dinner. She brought it with her. From England," she told him, starting and stopping as each tidbit of information passed her lips.
"Really?" he asked. Luke's brow puckered as he tried to puzzle out exactly how someone did that.
"Dry ice," she supplied helpfully.
"Ah."
"My gran, she's, um, formidable," she said slowly, staring into the depths of her coffee mug.
"Must come with the name," he mumbled.
Lorelai smiled as she looked up at him again. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"She's the only person I've ever known who intimidates my mother."
"She must be formidable."
"I know." Lorelai sighed and folded her hands, leaning onto the counter as she shook her head slowly. "I went there expecting to have a little fun, you know? I mean, it's nice to see my mother being the one who's squirming for once."
"But it wasn't fun," he concluded.
Lorelai studied her hands for a moment. "For the last fifteen years I've done everything that I could do to get away from all of that. I wanted, no, I needed to get away from all of that," she said softly. "I needed it for Rory and I needed it for me. More for me," she admitted with a small chuckle.
"There's nothing wrong with that," he said quietly.
"Well, there is and there isn't," she admitted. "I kept her from her grandparents. They adore her, and now that she's getting to know them a little more, I think she likes them a lot too." Lorelai reached for her mug, wrapping her hands around it and cradling it for the warmth. "That was probably wrong, but I didn't think I could take the chance."
"I get it."
Lorelai nodded keeping her eyes downcast. "But now, it's started. I started it, and now I can't stop it," she whispered.
"What's started?"
"The pushing, the pulling, the tug of war, the need to control," she said as she shook her head. "I was right. I mean, for me, I was right to stay away." She looked up at him and blew out a breath. "My grandmother wants to set up a trust fund for Rory. She wants to make sure that Rory's education is taken care of."
"Hey, that's great," Luke said with a nod. "I mean, Harvard's going to be really expensive, and even with the loans and scholarships and stuff…" he trailed off as she continued to shake her head. "What?"
"It's not about the money."
Luke reared back slightly. "It's not?"
"It's about control," she said flatly. "Look at this deal I had to make to even get her into Chilton. My parents put up the money, and Rory and I have to put up with Friday night dinners until were eighty."
"Oh."
"And Gran, she'll do anything to get at my mother." She closed her eyes, and shook off a shudder. "When she first said it, I was blown away. I almost jumped right out of my seat and did a happy dance. And then, well, then I got an earful," she sighed.
"Of what?"
"What this money could mean, the independence it would give Rory," she said, her tone fraught with worry.
"Independence?"
"She wouldn't need me, she wouldn't need my parents," she explained. "Gran couldn't have come up with a better way to torment my mother," she said, shaking her head in wonder. "And, of course, my mother knew just how to get to me."
Luke snorted derisively, capturing her attention. "Families suck."
Lorelai smiled, tickled by his abrupt assessment. "Yes, they do," she agreed gravely.
"But you and Rory, you know you have nothing to worry about there, right?" he said encouragingly.
"I hope not."
"I know not." Luke tossed the towel onto the back counter and leaned against it as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You and Rory, I've never seen a mother and daughter like you two."
"We are very special," she said facetiously.
"You are," he insisted. "You say your parents adore her, but she adores you. I thought I was close to my dad, but you guys blow us out of the water."
"Yeah?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah," he said with a firm nod. "Eat your doughnut. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to."
Lorelai's eyebrows shot up. "That's very fatalistic, even for you."
Luke rolled his eyes. "It's not fate. You get to decide, and when you do, you'll know what's right."
"You seem to have a lot of faith in me," she said with a hollow laugh.
Luke nudged the plate a little closer to her, and then gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I do." He picked up his towel and carried it with him as he went to check on the other table.
April 1998
"I think this may be the best birthday present anyone has ever given me," Lorelai said as she perched on the edge of her bed.
"Yeah, well, it'll never happen again," Luke muttered as he worked to remove her closet door from its hinges.
"No? Why?"
"Because you've been following me around for the last three hours babbling at me," he grumbled.
"But you're mine, I can do whatever I want with you for the next two hours."
"There's a reason why I told you to just make a list," he said as he scowled at the bent hinge. "How did you do this?"
"I'm afraid I can't divulge that information."
Luke rolled his eyes and finished removing the door and the damaged hardware. He knelt on the floor, screwing new hinge plates into the worn wooden door and feeling her eyes on him. "Like what you see?" he growled as he crawled forward to reach the other hinge.
"Very much, but I still think it would have been better if you had gone for the boxers and tool belt combo I requested."
"Next time."
"You said this would never happen again," she retorted with a triumphant smile.
Luke shook his head and applied a little more pressure, bearing down on the screw driver as he tightened the last screw. "And you screw so well," she purred.
"Lorelai," he snapped, his head jerking up.
"What? Look at what an excellent job you've done," she said as he rocked back to sit on his heels.
"You're not funny," he grumbled as he tossed the screwdriver aside and rolled up to his feet.
Lorelai lounged on the bed as he re-aligned the door. He glanced down at the screwdriver on the floor and then back up at the door, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Can you hand me that?" he asked.
"What?"
"The screwdriver," he said as he nodded toward the floor.
Lorelai slipped off of the bed and picked her way carefully to him. "I don't know, wouldn't that violate your house slave rules?"
"I'm non-union, just hand me the damn thing," he told her.
"Here you go, one damn thing," she said flippantly as she offered him the tool.
"Thanks. You can go back to being unhelpful now," he said as he took it from her.
Lorelai perched on the end of the bed, watching as he re-hung the door, moving steadily from one task to the next. "Hey, Luke?" she asked quietly.
"Hmm?"
"You remember that fight we had? Back before Christmas?"
Luke stilled for a second, and then began to twist another screw into place. "Yeah."
"I was thinking about that the other night."
"What about it?"
"Well, I was thinking that maybe I didn't make something clear. I mean, I thought I did at the time, but the other night I was watching something that reminded me, and I thought maybe I didn't," she said, wringing her hands nervously.
"Lorelai, can't we just forget it?" he asked, his voice pleading.
"See, that's the problem, it seems like a shame to just forget it."
"I don't wanna talk about this," he grunted as he forced the last screw into its hole in the doorframe.
"I just, well, I realized that I never really told you that I'm attracted to you too," she went on in a rush. "Still, uh, attracted," she said, slowing as he turned to look at her.
"What are you saying?" he asked quietly.
"I'm not really sure," she admitted. "Maybe that I'd like for that to happen again," she said, her voice rising and making her statement a query.
"Is that a question?"
"I wanted you to make the move."
"What?"
"I was waiting for you to, uh, I did the first time, it was your turn," she justified.
"My turn," he said dumbly. Luke rubbed his jaw, looking at her perched on the end of her bed, clearly awaiting some sort of response from him. "What do you want?" he asked at last.
"I thought I made that part pretty clear," she answered, color rising in her cheeks.
"I mean, from me, from us," he said quickly.
"Oh. Well, um, we're friends and I really want us to stay friends. No matter what," she said, her voice growing more confident as she saw him nodding his agreement. "Maybe we can agree to be a little more than friends, you know, every once in a while, as long as neither of us has someone in the picture."
"Okay," he said slowly. "And if someone comes into the picture?" he asked with a puzzled frown.
"Then we're friends, just friends. But still friends," she added quickly, wanting to emphasize that very important point.
Luke tossed the screwdriver he was holding toward his toolbox and took a step closer to her. "So, let me get this straight. We're friends, but every once in a while, you want to have sex."
Lorelai blinked at his blunt assessment. "Well, okay, yeah," she said at last. "I mean, if you do. I don't want to force you or anything.
Luke snorted and the pressing both hands to his head and fidgeting with his baseball cap. "How does that work?" Lorelai grinned, and Luke knew immediately that he had stepped in it. "You know what I mean," he grumbled.
"I have no idea," she answered, still smiling up at him.
"So we're both clueless," he concluded.
Lorelai shrugged. "Pretty much."
"There should be ground rules," he said, almost to himself.
Lorelai stood up as she nodded enthusiastically. "Oh! Good idea. Okay, first rule, any extracurricular activity should have no bearing on the friend thing," she said, ticking it off on one finger. When he nodded too, she cocked her head and watched him closely. "Rule two, no guilt, no strings or expectations on either side."
"Okay."
Lorelai paused for a moment, slightly taken aback by his ready agreement. She squashed that feeling and waited patiently for him to chime in. "Don't you have any rules?" she prompted, curious.
Luke chewed the inside of his cheek a little. "Um, no head games," he said gruffly. "And you're gonna have to come to me when you want…"
"You said no games. That sounds like a game to me," she objected.
"You have Rory to think about. I can't, I won't know when it's okay…" he stammered. "I'm just telling you now that any time is okay with me, but you're gonna have to tell me when you're free," he said firmly.
"I see."
"Not a game, just a matter of keeping things, you know," he said with a slight shrug.
"Private."
"Right."
"Got it."
"Good," he said with a nod.
"So, we're agreed?" she asked.
"This is so weird," he mumbled as he looked down at his shoes.
Lorelai smiled. "It is a little weird, isn't it?" When he nodded and looked up at her, she shrugged and placed her hand on his chest, feeling the steady strum of his heart. "Rory is at a church retreat with Lane," she told him. "She goes a couple of times a year to prove to Mrs. Kim that she is not completely under the influence of her mother's wicked and wanton ways," she added with a sly smile.
"Oh yeah?" Luke took a step closer, staring down at her as he rested one hand lightly on her hip.
Lorelai closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling the scent of food and sweat and possibly a little after shave. When she opened her eyes again, she saw his smooth, freshly shaven chin, and had a hard time forcing herself to meet his. "She'll be gone all day, but I only have two hours of you left," she whispered.
Luke shook his head and said, "I'll cover those other two hours some other day."
Lorelai nodded, toying with the button on his flannel and staring at his bobbing adam's apple. Finally, she worked up the nerve to look up and meet his eyes. "I want you to want me," she said softly.
Luke nodded as he wet his lips and then lowered them to hers, propelling her back onto the bed with the momentum of his body, and then catching his weight on his hands and knees. Lorelai blinked up at him as he pulled back. "Don't ask if I'm sure, 'cause I'm not sure of anything at all," she said softly.
"Me either."
"I take it back. I'm sure of one thing," she said as her eyes followed her hands to the first button on his shirt.
Luke smiled. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure about that too," he said with a low chuckle. "Is this the wicked and wanton part?" he asked as she began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Yes." Lorelai beamed up at him as she wriggled further up onto the bed, pulling him by his shirt and knocking the cap carelessly from his head. The moment her head hit the pillows, he kissed her deeply, keeping his hands planted on the bed as she quickly opened his shirt and began to push it from his shoulders.
"Be my slave for two more hours, I'll make it worth your while," she said breathlessly as he kissed his way down her neck.
Luke's lips curved as he pressed them to the base of her throat. "I'll work off the clock," he said as he pushed back, rising up on his knees to strip off his shirts and toss them aside. He looked down as she spread her fingers over his chest, caressing him gently. "A year's too long," he said hoarsely.
"Way too long. I waited and waited," Lorelai agreed.
"I didn't know."
"Well, now we have rules, right?" she said softly. "And I get the part about me making the move, I do, but I want you to tell me when you want…"
Luke chuckled as he reached for the hem of her t-shirt. "I'm a guy, Lorelai, look at me cross-eyed and I want you," he teased as he worked the fabric up over her stomach.
"Me, or just any woman?" she asked coyly.
Luke smiled. "You, of course," he said as he pulled the shirt up over her head.
Lorelai frowned as her shirt sailed across the room, slightly disturbed by his glib answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cupped her lace covered breasts in his hands, pushing them up until they spilled over the cups of her bra and all those disquieting thought flew from her head. He lowered his lips to her breasts, kissing his way reverently across the curved tops as he pushed his thumbs under the front clasp of her bra. "Damn, I forgot how good you are at this," she exhaled.
"I haven't forgotten what you feel like," he answered as he opened her bra and took her breasts in his hands. "I haven't forgotten what you taste like," he told her as he lowered his mouth to one pink tipped crest. Her drew on her lightly, but released her as she moaned aloud.
"Nuh," she protested, weaving her fingers into his hair and tugging him back down to her breast.
"I haven't forgotten what you look like," he said with a wicked grin. Luke rolled onto his back, pulling her with him and smiling wider as she scrambled to straddle his hips and pushed herself up.
His smile slowly faded as he looked up at her with heavily lidded eyes as the afternoon sunlight streamed through her sheer curtains. Watching her reaction as he filled his hands with her breasts once more, Luke said softly, "You look beautiful."
Lorelai wet her parted lips as she stared down into his deep blue eyes. "This is gonna be fun, huh Duke?" she said softly.
"Don't start that again," he growled as he opened the button on her jeans.
Lorelai's answering smile was slow and sensuous as she leaned down, her breasts pressing against his bare chest as her lips hovered just above his. "Admit it, Duke, this is going to be fun," she whispered in a low husky voice.
"That's not my name."
Lorelai pressed down, grinding lazily against the straining bulge in his jeans. "You want me to say it, you're gonna have to make me."
Luke surged up off of the pillows, fisting one hand in her thick, dark hair and pulling her head back as he kissed her hungrily, his other hand pressing on her hip as she circled teasingly over him. "This is going to be fun," he told her as his hand slid to her zipper.
Lorelai laughed as he yanked the tab down, cursing mildly as the snug material caught and held. The moment he got them open, Lorelai pushed her jeans and panties down over her hips, smiling at him, her eyes dancing with delight as she rose up and began to wriggle her way out of the constricting denim. When she moved off of the bed to complete the task, Luke tore at his belt and jeans, opening them with equal haste, and pushing them down impatiently. Lorelai made a soft purring noise as his erection sprung free, and Luke paused, looking up at her quizzically. She shrugged as she reached for his boots, and tugged the laces, yanking them none-too-gently from his feet before helping to divest him of the remainder of his clothing.
Luke braced his arms behind him and watched as she knelt on the bed and then slowly crawled back over him. "I like the way you look, Duke, sue me," she said with a sassy grin.
"I've got a better idea," he said as she rose up on her knees, straddling his thighs.
"Yeah?"
"Mm hmm," he answered as he grasped her hips. Sliding down between her legs, he pulled her up until she straddled his head instead.
Lorelai blinked in surprise and then moaned softly as he pulled her down to his eager mouth. His tongue slipped through her folds like quicksilver, leaving a ripple of tremors in its wake. Lorelai melted like putty in his hands, her knees slipping further on the mattress as she sank down onto him. He drew her clit into his mouth and sucked gently, his hands tightening on her as her body twitched and jerked. The soft, tender caress of his lips and the slow, maddening stroke soft his tongue steadily drove her up. He squeezed her smooth, white ass, pulling her down onto him as his tongue pressed deeper into her, thrusting hungrily as she gasped and panted above him. He felt the first swell of her orgasm building, reveled in the rush of heat against his skin and groaned with pleasure as he tasted her climax.
"Oh, Luke," she sighed as she fell forward, pressing her face into the pillows as he continued to gently lap at her folds.
Luke smiled as he pressed his lips to the soft skin of her inner thigh. "That was fun," he said in a deep, hoarse voice.
Lorelai's smile was slow and satisfied as she pushed up with her arms. "Wanna do it again?" she teased.
March 2001
Lorelai wet her finger and pressed it to her empty plate, gathering stray pink, green and yellow sprinkles on the pad and then carrying the renegades to her lips. Luke circled the counter and reached for the coffee pot, refilling her mug without asking.
The bells rang, starling them both, and then immediately began to shake his head. "I'm closed, Kirk," he growled.
"But they're in here," he said as he nodded to the occupied table and then to Lorelai.
"They're finishing up," Luke said sternly.
"Please, Luke? Mother stopped buying Oreos because she thinks they'll make my face break out," Kirk wheedled.
"Isn't she about ten years too late for that?" Luke snarled.
"I need something," Kirk said plaintively.
Luke pointed at the scrawny man and said, "I'll give you a brownie, but you have to take it and get out."
"Oh, thank you, Luke," Kirk said a he rushed to the counter.
"Don't sit down," Luke snapped just before Kirk's butt hit the stool next to Lorelai's.
"Just for a minute?" Kirk asked hopefully.
Luke dropped a brownie into the bag and rolled the top closed. "To go right now, or nothing," he said gruffly.
"I'll take it," Kirk said as he flailed for the bag.
Luke shook his head and walked to the door, opening it wide and holding the bag out over the steps. The minute Kirk chased after it, Luke let go of the bag and shut the door firmly; a forbidding scowl on his face as Kirk plastered his face against the door and shouted his thanks.
"Mean," Lorelai commented.
"Pathetic," Luke responded as he stomped back behind the counter.
Lorelai smiled as she took a sip of her coffee. "And yet, comforting to know that some things never change," she said quietly.
"Not around here," Luke muttered.
"Oh, things change," Lorelai said with a sage nod.
Luke frowned and then moved away, busying himself with refilling the sugar bowls at the other end of the counter. Lorelai watched him for a moment, noting the muscle that jumped in his clenched jaw as his long fingers jammed packet after packet of sugar and sweetener into the containers.
"How are things going?"
Luke shrugged. "Same as always."
"I meant with…" she trailed of, casting a meaningful glance at the ceiling when he looked over at her quizzically.
"Same as always," he answered tersely, and then stalked back to the store room.
When he reappeared with a new box of sweetener packets, Lorelai stood up and slid down a few stools. "Is it weird to talk to me about it? Because, you can, you know," she said in a low voice.
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Luke, Rachel's back."
"Yeah, I noticed. Didn't you hear me say that part about the darkroom?" he answered without looking up.
"Well, how do you, uh, are you okay with that?" she asked. "Obviously you're okay with it," she muttered, answering her own question before he could open his mouth. "I just, you're my friend, I want you to be happy."
Luke looked up then. He turned and stared at her, pinning her to her seat with a penetrating stare. "You do, huh?"
"Well, yeah, we're friends," she answered, holding her hands up helplessly.
"So, if I'm confused or a little, I don't know, out of sorts I can talk to you about it?" he asked, his voice knife edged and clipped.
"Of course you can."
"Hang on," he said as the couple at the table stood up and began to make their way toward the register.
Lorelai watched as he rung up their meal, making begrudging small talk as he made change, and then following them to the door to usher them out. When he turned around with his hands on his hips, she tilted her head and raised one eyebrow questioningly.
"Let me get this straight," he said as he walked slowly toward her. "You want me to talk to you about how I'm feeling about Rachel being back."
"If you want to," she answered, her brow puckering in concern as she saw the flash of anger flicker over his face.
"What do you care?"
"I care."
"No, you don't," he scoffed. Luke turned on his heel and stomped into the kitchen.
"Yes, I do," Lorelai said as she jumped from her stool and hurried around the end of the counter, knowingly breeching the no man's land he had long since established.
Luke planted his hands on the work surface in the center of the kitchen and turned his head to glare at her. "That was you in here a few weeks ago, right?" he demanded.
"What?"
"You were the one that showed up out of the blue wanting me to screw you, weren't you?" he hissed.
"Luke!"
"Well, that's what it was, wasn't it? You didn't want me to kiss you, you didn't want to look at me, I gave you what you wanted and you were gone. And, the minute she walked in the door, you were happy to give me a pass, weren't you?" he accused.
"We said…"
"I know what we said!"
"I don't understand," Lorelai said as she took a step back and planted her hands on her hips. "I thought that we agreed. I thought that, well, there's someone in the picture."
"I don't work that way," he ground out as he pushed away from the counter and whirled on her. "I don't sleep with one woman one night and another the next. Sorry if that screws up your image of Luke's stud service."
"It's not like that," she insisted. "We said we'd be friends no matter what."
Luke clamped his mouth shut as he swallowed hard. "Yeah, that's what we said," he said bitterly. "But I won't be talking to you about Rachel. Do me a favor, don't talk to me about whoever you move on to next."
Lorelai's jaw dropped as her eyes widened. "Go to hell," she hissed between her teeth.
"I'm already there," he shot back as she turned to leave.
"Hey, Lorelai," Rachel called as she walked through the curtain.
"Oh. Hi. I was just leaving," Lorelai said as she snatched her purse from the counter.
"Oh well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Rachel said slowly. "Is Luke back there?"
"Yep," Lorelai said as she jerked the door open. She hesitated for a moment and then turned back to Rachel with a small smile. "Have a good night," she said, trying to force a little friendliness into her voice.
"You too."
Lorelai nodded and then glanced worriedly at the kitchen. "Goodnight, Luke," she called as both an apology and a warning. She smiled at Rachel, hoping to convey a semblance of normalcy, and praying that her voice didn't sound as high pitched and girly to them as it did to her.
Summer 1998
The television droned, but her mind was a million miles away. Actually, it was less than a mile away. Absently, she mopped up the crumbs from her Pop Tart with the tip of one finger and popped it into her mouth. As she pulled her finger from her lips, but all she could see were his eyes, dark and hot as he stared down at her, his thick cock gliding between her lips.
She should have been embarrassed. She should have been insulted. But there was something about Luke, the way he said things or they way he spoke to her; it made her feel appreciated rather than embarrassed. Things were good. They saw each other nearly every day, even if the interaction mainly consisted of ordering on her part, complaining on his part, and a healthy dose of teasing for the both of them.
It wasn't easy to carry on a clandestine affair when there was a fourteen year old girl living in your house. She'd caught Rory watching them more than once, and Lorelai knew that her little girl was anything but stupid. But still, the lure of that forbidden fruit was too much to resist.
It had been a summer of sleepovers. Lorelai was careful to invite Lane to stay as often as Mrs. Kim allowed Rory to spend the night. Sadly, that wasn't nearly often enough for her taste. But still, there were a few nights. The first came in early June. School had just let out for the summer, and Rory and Lane were discovering the joys of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Lorelai stuffed Rory's backpack with contraband CDs, a splitter jack and an extra set of headphones for her old Sony Discman, and tried not to dance with anticipation as she watched her daughter lumber off toward the antiques store.
"Hey, Duke," Lorelai called as she breezed into the diner later that evening. Luke didn't move, he simply lifted his eyes and fired off a glare. She slid onto a stool and grinned at him as she folded her hands atop the counter. "Rory has deserted me for Lane. Whatever shall I do to occupy myself? Duke," she added with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
Luke reached for the coffee pot and a mug. "I'm sure we can think of something," he answered as he poured.
"Ah, you're a good friend," she sighed as she picked up the mug, her lips curving around the rim as she took an appreciative sip.
"I need to close up. You wanna drink that upstairs?" he asked without looking up from the stack of tickets he was sorting.
"Don't mind if I do," she answered pertly as she slid from the stool. Gathering her precious coffee, she sashayed toward the curtain, sending him a flirty smile as she took the keys he pulled from his pocket. "Thanks," she said and then disappeared behind the curtain.
Lorelai ducked her head as she crumbled the paper towel that had held her nine-fifteen snack. She smiled, knowing that she knew now what no one else did. Only she knew that the gruff, grumbly diner man with the fierce scowl and fearsome bark was actually a very kind man with a soft spot for a young girl, and giving lover with an earthy sensuality that could both shock and delight her; and often did. No, the straight laced, square dealing diner man loved to tease, regardless of whether he was giving or receiving, but true to form, he always followed through.
Lorelai wasn't even sure if Luke knew it. It seemed that he had carefully cultivated his image as the town curmudgeon. But she knew that the cranky guy that shouted down the town Selectman for fun and sharpened his tongue on anyone suffering a nitwit moment was could also be almost unbearably tender, and breathtakingly vulnerable. And he laughs. He laughs and he smiles and he talks. Sometimes he says incredibly dirty things in that deep raspy voice. Sometimes he speaks softly, holding her close as they talk about the town and the diner and Rory and life.
That was the most intriguing thing of all. He could laugh and smile and talk. Luke was a guy that you could make stutter and stammer and turn beet red with the slightest of innuendos. But, get him naked, strip him of that flannel shirt and the backwards baseball cap, and you find that he's almost remarkably comfortable in his skin. And what skin it was. Lightly tanned here, pale and white there. Every inch of it stretched taut with an economy that seemed almost typical of the man. But the more she knew about him, the more Lorelai realized that there was nothing typical about Luke Danes.
Of course, she wasn't exactly ranging in the normal zone either. It was a strange thing, to be a thirty year old woman with a half-grown child, and only starting to explore your own sexuality. Sure, back in 1983, she had been one of the experienced girls, but no matter how experienced you think you are at fifteen; at thirty you know that you didn't know squat. And when you've made it to thirty with your most intimate acquaintance being with a toy that was given to you as a gag gift, you know that it's time for something to give. And Luke gave and gave.
He also took. He took with such relish that Lorelai was certain that it was almost a sin just to look into those smoldering blue eyes. Luke appreciated her enthusiasm, even when it was slightly too exuberant. He encouraged her penchant for taking the lead, only feeling the need to exert his own will when she pushed too far, and she always made sure that she pushed too far. After all, what was one more sin piled on top of all the others she had committed over the years?
That night in June, Lorelai stepped into his empty apartment and stripped off her clothes the moment she set her coffee cup down on the table. She left them in a haphazard trail all the way to his bed. When she heard his footsteps hesitate just inside the door, she smiled as she stretched like a cat, displaying herself to her best advantage.
Luke stopped beside the bed and stared down at her with the same look Ralphie Parker had when he unwrapped his Red Rider BB gun. After a moment, he recovered and tossed his hat aside before yanking both of his shirts up over his head. Lorelai smirked as he stripped off the rest of his clothes, and propped herself up on her elbows as she watched the show. He leaned down and kissed her hard before pulling back.
"Next time, I wanna take them off," he said in a low, soft voice. "Part of the fun."
"Sorry, Duke." Luke rolled his eyes as he knelt on the bed and gently motioned for her to roll over onto her stomach. "My apologies," Lorelai murmured. She jumped when she felt his teeth scrape lightly over the tender skin of her ass.
"Don't do it again," he said gruffly.
"Mmm, I won't," she whispered as his long fingers traced the length of her back, his breath warm on her skin as he pressed into her shoulders and then brushed her hair aside.
Luke placed a soft open-mouthed kiss to the nape of her neck and then let his tongue trail slowly down her back. Lorelai shivered when he reached the base of her spine and pressed his tongue to the tiny dip just above the crevice of her ass. "I've thought about you," he said quietly.
Lorelai moaned as she felt his fingertips brush over her sex, knowing that he'd find her almost embarrassingly wet. "Yeah?"
Luke shifted slightly, kneeling between her legs as his tongue started to travel vertebrae by vertebrae back up her spine. His hands slid down to her hips, and he lifted them up off of the bed, his breath hot and fast against her neck as he rubbed his stiff cock against her ass. "You thought about me too," he told her.
"Yes," she hissed.
"Good," he said as he positioned himself at her entrance, and then slowly began to fill her.
Lorelai moaned, and suddenly he was everywhere. His hands cupped her breasts gently and then squeezed them demandingly, teasing her nipples into sharp points as he thrust into her again and again. He pinched one turgid tip between his fingers as his other hand slid down her belly to stroke her clit.
"You're so hot," he whispered.
Lorelai gave a breathy laugh and then said, "You're hot too."
Luke shook his head, teasing her clit with his fingers as his cock filled her again and again. "So hot, tight," he grunted.
"Ohh," Lorelai moaned, catching his meaning as her breath caught in her throat.
"Jesus, I love fucking you," he panted in her ear.
Lorelai felt a surge of pleasure burst deep inside her. Her blood pounded in her ears as she felt the heat rushing between her legs. She cried out softly, and Luke leaned down close to her ear. "Say it," he whispered. "Say it."
"Luke," she moaned as her body spasmed around him.
"Lorelai," he answered as he felt his control snap like a twig.
That night, he had rolled onto his side and gathered her close, showering her face and hair and neck with soft kisses. That night, his fingers traveled over her body, memorizing the texture of her skin as they talked softly. That night, his smiles were plentiful, her laughter coaxed his out to play, and she whispered, moaned and called out his name three more times before slipping away before the light of day.
And so it went, another night a few weeks later, a stray afternoon when she had the day off and Rory was at school, and finally last night.
Last night, she'd lured him up the creaking wooden stairs with her. Last night, she pressed a cold beer from his fridge into his hand and led him to his ancient easy chair. Last night, she pushed on his chest until he dropped down into the chair, and she dropped down onto her knees in front of him.
"What are you doing?" he asked as her busy hands pushed his flannel up over his stomach.
"I'll give you three guesses," she said with a saucy wink.
"Lorelai, you don't have to…" he began, trailing off helplessly as her fingernails scored the denim of his fly.
"I want to. I want you," she said boldly as she unbuckled his belt.
Luke watched her, the beer bottle dangling from his fingers inches above the floor as his elbow slipped from the arm of the chair. He closed his eyes as she opened his jeans, and Lorelai smiled, aroused by his easy capitulation. He raised his hips, allowing her to tug his jeans and underwear down until they bunched just above his knees.
She licked the tip of his cock teasingly, smiling as he twitched and then groaned. "Yeah?" she asked, watching the muscles in his thighs tense as her hot breath teased his erection.
"Oh yeah," he answered as he plunged his free hand into her hair.
"Mmm," she hummed as she brushed her lips over the swollen head. Lorelai looked up at him from under her lashes and saw him watching her with rapt attention. She parted her lips and drew him into her mouth, sucking deeply.
The beer bottle fell from his fingers, spilling over the floor as his other hand flew to her head. "Geez," he gasped.
Inspired by his response, she sucked harder, drawing him deeper into her mouth as his fingers tightened in her hair. "Lorelai," he rasped. Encouraged, she moved faster, her mouth plunging down on him as his legs stiffened, clamping her between them. "Lorelai," he said again, this time gently pulling on her hair, to make her lift up a bit.
A frown creased her brow as he popped from her mouth. "Huh?"
"Easy," he panted.
"What?"
"Oh God," he whispered, as he looked down at her bewildered face. "Gonna go too fast if you do that," he said gruffly.
Lorelai blinked in surprise and then sat back a little. "Uh, sorry," she whispered, color flooding her cheeks.
Luke's fingers massaged her scalp as he refused to let go of her. "No, no," he said as he sat up a little. "Uh, it's just, you feel so good," he said, struggling to find the right words. "I want… I don't want you to stop," he told her, one hand sliding from her hair to her cheek. His thumb brushed over her lower lip as he tipped her head up. "Just, a little slower. Let me enjoy it before you drive me nuts."
"I thought I always drove you nuts," she answered with a ghost of a smile.
"You do," he said with a nod. "You're driving me nuts right now."
Her smile grew as she leaned forward, pressing him back into the chair once more. She lowered her mouth to the tip of his cock and kissed it gently. "Like this?"
"Now you're just being cruel," he grumbled.
Lorelai parted her lips and let them glide gently over the very tip of him and a low hum rumbled in his chest. Slowly, she took him a little deeper, letting her lips travel over his skin and her tongue caress him. "Better?"
"Don't stop," he growled.
"No?" she teased.
"No," he said, pulling her back down as his fingers tightened in her hair. "You started this."
Lorelai smiled and then ran her tongue around him. "I intend to finish it too."
She drew him into her mouth again and began to suck him gently, increasing the pressure as her tempo picked up. Fueled by his ragged breathing, she drew him deeper, letting his groans spur her on. She felt his hands digging into her scalp, and his muscles tense as he gasped her name. She resisted as he tried to push her away, taking him deeper still and she clutched his thighs, her fingernails digging into the taut flesh as he came.
Luke's chest heaved as she pressed her cheek to his thigh. His hands slipped through her hair, stroking it gently as he blinked down at her. She looked up, and when their eyes met, his smile was beatific. She returned it as she sat back on her heels, basking in the glow of his unguarded admiration.
Lorelai's cheeks warmed with the memory, and she knew that no humiliation she might have felt when he stopped her could compare to the pure feminine satisfaction she felt when he smiled like that. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly picked up the remote control. She turned the TV off as she launched herself from the couch, her heart beginning to hammer as she paced the silent living room. Suddenly, Lorelai Gilmore realized just how much trouble she had gotten herself into.
March 2001
She had managed to avoid the diner for three whole days, but Lorelai knew that she couldn't hold out any longer against her daughter's insistence on french toast and crispy bacon. Luckily the place was packed when they got there, and Luke didn't have enough time to mumble more than, "What'll you have?" as he hovered over their table.
She and Rory sat at their table, supplying dialogue for conversations taking place at the other tables as a way to pass the time. When Luke reappeared with their orders, she had almost managed to forget that anything was wrong. And then she saw her eggs ogling her from her plate.
After a minor debate concerning proper egg placement, Luke returned the plate to the kitchen as Rory attacked her french toast.
"So, what time does the judgmental express arrive?" Lorelai asked as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Grandma gets here at noon."
"Hmm."
"Are you sure you won't do lunch?"
"Oh no, I can't, lunch is bad," Lorelai answered too quickly.
Rachel hurried to their table, startling both Lorelai and Rory as she said, "Lorelai, you're here. Good. Don't move," and then hurried away.
"I won't," Lorelai promised, turning to watch the other woman disappear behind the curtain with a puzzled frown.
Rory shrugged as Lorelai turned back to her. "What are you doing at lunch?" she asked pointedly.
"Oh, I have very important things to do."
"Like what?"
"Well, at noon I have to not have lunch with my mother."
"Very nice," Rory muttered.
Rachel began talking even as the approached their table. "So, I'm developing my pictures from the Firelight Festival. Some amazing stuff. And I'm thinking maybe there's a book here, faces of small town America. . ."
"Ah, you should feel safe, you don't live near these people," Lorelai interjected.
"Exactly," Rachel agreed with a grin. "And the very last shot on my roll was this," she announced as she held out an eight by ten print.
The lump in Lorelai's throat rose, making it hard to speak. "Wow. When did you take this?" she murmured as she stared at the picture.
"When you weren't looking," Rachel returned, smiling proudly.
Luke walked over holding her newly rearranged plate and asked, "What's that?"
"Oh, it's a picture of us," Lorelai said as she held up the print for him to see.
"Us?" he asked dumbly.
"Rachel took it," Rory told him.
Rachel nodded. "At the Firelight Festival."
"Oh, sure, yeah," Luke mumbled. He handed Lorelai her plate and said, "So, uh, here's your plate, no eyes."
"Thank you," she said, grateful to hand the photograph back to Rachel.
Rachel stared at the print for a moment and then asked, "Do you wear contacts?"
"Me? No," Lorelai said shaking her head.
"God, you've got amazing eyes," she murmured. "Doesn't she?" she asked, turning to Luke and holding out the picture for him to see.
Luke wet his dry lips and then nodded. "Oh, yeah. Sure, I guess. . . I mean, they're, you know, placed good. . . . symmetrical," he stammered. When all three women turned to look at him with amused smiles, he blew out a breath and said, "I'm gonna get some more coffee."
Rory carefully looked through the stack of photographs Rachel had set on the table. "Oh, wow. Mom, look at this," she said as she handed over one of the prints.
"What is that?" Lorelai asked as she frowned at the dilapidated building.
Rachel cocked her head to see what they were looking at. "It's an old abandoned inn I ran across when I was exploring the other day."
"This is Dragonfly," Lorelai said quietly. "I totally forgot about this place."
"Well, it doesn't look like it's been operational in years," Rachel commented.
Rory peered at the photo again. "Look at all the trees. It's pretty." She jumped as her pager went off. "Oh, I'm buzzing," she said as she dug into her pocket.
"What have I said about buzzing in public?" Lorelai teased.
Rory nodded absently as she read the message. "It's Lane. 911. That's trig. Gotta go."
"Bye," Lorelai called as Rory leapt from her chair. "Take a . . . yeah," she trailed off as her daughter hustled for the door.
"Bye, Rachel," Rory called over her shoulder.
"Bye." Rachel turned back to Lorelai and said, "See, that is one really not annoying kid."
"Yes, she really is not," Lorelai agreed.
"See, I might consider doing the whole mom thing if I could be guaranteed that I could get one just like her."
Lorelai blinked rapidly as she glanced down at her nearly untouched plate. She swallowed the lump in her throat and then forced as smile. "Oh, you can, you just have to go to Sears." She picked up the photo of the Dragonfly Inn and asked, "God, where is this again?"
"Uh, it's kind of behind the mill. You go over the little footbridge with the mean duck family living under it," Rachel explained.
"Yes, the Armbrusters," Lorelai murmured. "Wow, it's really amazing."
"Do you want to see it?" Rachel asked.
"What?"
"The inn. I'm gonna head out that way in a little while."
"Oh, well. . ." Lorelai began to hedge, panic rising in her chest.
"Come on, finish your breakfast. I'll drive us out there," Rachel cajoled.
Luke walked over to the table holding a coffee pot. "Drive her out where?"
Rachel smiled at him and said, "Oh, Lorelai and I are going to cruise the docks."
Lorelai nodded as she looked up at Luke, unable to resist baiting him a little. "Yeah, we're gonna see how many sailors we can get to tattoo our names on their butts."
"So, what do you think?" Rachel persisted, turning her attention back to Lorelai.
"Well, I have to check in at the inn first."
"Well, that's okay. Good. I'll pick you up there," Rachel said with a nod.
Feeling trapped, Lorelai shrugged. "Okay. Good," she agreed at last.
Luke leaned down a little as he asked in a low voice, "So what was all about?"
"Oh nothing. We're just gonna go check out this old inn Rachel found."
"Hmm," he hummed disapprovingly.
"What?"
"Nothing. I didn't know you guys were friends," he answered, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Well we're not really friends. I mean, I don't know her that well. But we're just hanging out. She seems really great, and we're friends," she said cautiously as she gestured to him.
Luke's jaw tightened for a fraction of a second, and then he forced himself to relax. "Oh yeah, she is. She's great. She's just, you know, a lot different from you," he said pointedly.
"'Cause I'm not really great?" she asked.
"No, you're great. Just in a different way."
"In a not really great way?"
"That's not what I meant. The two of you are just completely different people. Both great, but I'm just a little surprised that, you know, you're different types of greatness are, you know, melding and you're comfortably great together," he rambled.
"Is this bothering you?" she asked.
"This conversation? Yes."
"No. Um, the idea of Rachel and I hanging out together. Is there some reason that's weird for you or something?" she asked leadingly.
Luke gaped at her for a moment and then answered in a sarcastic tone, "Why would it be?"
"No reason I can think of," she returned coolly.
"Okay, well then it's not weird."
"Good, well I was just checking."
"Okay, well then, you checked."
"Okay. So are you gonna be pouring that coffee anytime or. . ." she let the question drift off as she gestured to her mug.
Luke shook his head to clear it. "Oh," he grunted as he began to pour.
"I'm glad it's not weird though because," Lorelai frowned as coffee began to spill over the rim of her mug, "that would be bad," she concluded.
"Oh, I'll get a rag," Luke muttered as he rushed for the counter.
Lorelai stared at the coffee pooled on the tabletop as if it held the answers to all of her questions. She jumped slightly as Luke tossed a rag down on top of the small puddle and began to wipe it away.
"I'm sorry about the other night," she said softly, not daring to look up at him.
"Me too."
"I just, maybe it would be easier if I got to know her a little better."
Luke sighed as he straightened up and cleared Rory's plate from the table. "Easier for you or for me?"
"For both of us," she said sincerely as she looked up at him.
Luke shrugged slightly and then murmured, "Doubt it," as he walked away.
tbc