Luke spent the day in Woodbury picking out furniture though his mind was only half on the job. He couldn't get the image or the feeling of her out of his skin. He picked out a bed then a table and 4 chairs. Bought some linen and other household necessities then packed his truck and made his way back to stars hollow. The shop furniture had arrived and was stacked inside the door and he spent the afternoon arranging both that and his own apartment.

At three o clock he went back to Lorelai's house and picked up his belongings then purchased groceries and went home. He showered and changed and started making dinner all the while watching the clock for her arrival. He had left the door to the diner open, hoping he would hear the bells downstairs to give him a final warning. And it worked.

His heart all but exploded at the sound of her approaching his apartment door. She knocked lightly and he hurried over to let her in as he pulled off the striped navy and white apron from around his waist.

"Come in," he pulled the door open and was delighted to see her in something other than her office attire. She was wearing a crimson red blouse over a black flowing skirt that swished around her with every step she took.

"Thanks." She stepped in and marvelled at how different the place looked from the night before. "This looks amazing Luke!" there was a large oak table with 4 chairs around it in the kitchen area. He had put a large double bed over in its usual place and it was currently made up with dark blue sheets and pillows and a deep red duvet cover. A three seater couch was against the far wall with a lamp shade beside it and he had even managed to hang up a few of the photos he had kept in the metal box.

"Thanks, it's not finished yet, I still need to paint it but, it's liveable."

"Here I got you this." She handed him a bag with colourful paper sticking out of the top of it.

"What's this?"

"House warming gift…no joke intended!" she added when he looked up to see if she was joking.

He pulled the paper out of the bag and dropped it onto the floor as he hurried to get to the bottom of the bag and laughed aloud when he saw what was lying there.

"I noticed your other hats were lost in the great fire of oh-two!"

"Thanks."

"Let me," she said as she reached into the bag and pulled out a grey-blue baseball cap with a red B on the front for the red sox. She changed the fastener on it then flipped it round and put it on his head backwards. He dropped the bag he was holding and used both hands to settle it then looked at her for an evaluation.

"Perfect."

"Thanks, I love it. But you shouldn't have. I wanted to treat you tonight."

"Oh stop, it's a house warming gift. I'm allowed." He shrugged and went back to the stove to tend to the food. "It smells delicious. What are you cooking?" She picked up the wrapping and the bag and put it aside as she sat at the table.

"Well I thought about a lovely baked salmon dish with lime and green bean parcels, but then I remembered who I was cooking for and how that healthy stuff might be poison for you, so instead…" He turned to face her holding up a plate and placed it down in front of her. "I made something I knew you'd love. Something I figured you were probably craving since the diner shut down."

"Oh you made me a cheeseburger!" she clapped her hands in delight. Unsure of what he was going to serve she was afraid he would try to feed her some organic fare she was delighted to see her staple favourite on the place in front of her.

"And fries." He put a dish of homemade hand cut fries in the centre of the table then sat next to her and smiled.

"This. Is. Amazing." She dropped her handbag by her feet and without preamble she tucked in. They talked amicably about the furniture in the room, what additions he thought he would add and what colours he might paint it. She suggested yellows and pinks, peaches and greens and he balked at every suggestion. He countered with browns and blues and she waved off his every notion. When they finished eating he cleared their plates then went to the fridge.

"Oh… we get dessert too?"

"Chocolate soufflé with rum sauce." He put the soufflé into the centre of the table and handed her an empty bowl. "Want some?"

"Want all!"

He gave her a generous helping then passed the small jug of rum sauce over as he dished out his own mediocre serving.

"Wow Luke, this is amazing."

"Thanks, you deserve it. You've done so much for me this week."

"Yeah all that roof putting over your head. Really wore me out."

"Don't do that," he said without looking up. "Don't be flippant. You really helped me out this week. I'm not sure what I would have done if you didn't come by the hospital that morning."

"Luke, there's no way I would have left you stranded."

"I know." He poured some rum sauce over his own dessert. "Doesn't mean you don't deserve to be wine, dined and treated well as a form of gratitude."

"Wait… I didn't get any wine, can I get a replay on this? Next time with wine?" She smiled as she caught the look in his eye and waited for him to look up before putting the soufflé into her mouth and slowly dragging the fork out past her lips, knowing full well what he was watching. He let out a laugh and looked away. They finished their soufflés and he deposited their dishes into the sink with the rest.

"So how did you pick you all this furniture?"

"Sorry?"

"Did you move around the couch store, jumping and lying on all the couches?"

"No," he chuckled. "I just went in, saw one l liked. Sat on it. Didn't hate it. Bought it."

"Oh god Luke!" she got up from the table and walked over to the couch to eye it up closer. "How do you know it will stand up to years of wear and tear unless you test it out?" He looked at her with an arched eyebrow as he came up and stood beside her. "That's not what I meant." She added when she caught the curve of a smile haunting his lips.

"Isn't it?"

"God you are so cheesy." She rolled her eyes at him and turned away but he didn't let her. Instead he turned to face her fully, pulled her to face him and kissed her.

Even though she had been expecting him to do that from the very moment she stepped into the apartment she still wasn't quite expecting it when he finally did.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, one low around her waist the other high around her shoulders. He pressed his lips against hers and held her in place for a moment then tilted his head, parted his lips and let his tongue move against her lips. All the while he moved her backwards so she was standing against the wall and used his body to hold her captive. Her breathing was rapid and she opened her mouth to let his tongue caress hers. He bent slightly to pick her up and pressed her back into the wall, this time hooking one of her legs around his hip and held her in place with his lower body. She tossed his hat aside and ran her fingers through his hair in an effort to get closer to him and deepen the kiss.

When he pulled back and broke the kiss, he kept her in place, one hand ran up and down her leg that was around his hip, the other ran along her side from her shoulder to her waist.

"Thank god…" he panted.

"What?"

"I was afraid that after all the build-up…"

"After all the anticipation…"

"It wouldn't live up to the fantasy."

"But it did."

"Yeah, it did."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her again. This time gentler and less insistent. He moved his lips from hers to her jaw, her neck and her ear and she circled his neck, buried one hand in her hair and held her in place.

"Are we gonna make out on your new couch?"

"Shhh."

"Is that what all this waiting was about? You wanted to use me to break in your new furniture?"

He was chuckling as he kissed her and she loved how his body shook against hers. He moved away from her and she moaned at the loss of contact but realised he was guiding her away from the wall and over to the couch. Instead she steered him in the opposite direction and brought him over to the bed.

"Better." She backed him up against the bed and pushed him down so he was sitting down as she stood between his legs. She forced him to lie down then straddled his lap and leaned down to kiss him. Her hair cascaded around his face, closing them in a private enclosure as they kissed. He ran his fingers along her back, cupped her ass and held her tight against him. She moaned into his mouth and squirmed on his lap making his move and squirm beneath her.

"Lorelai," he rolled her over onto her back and lay on his side next to her. His hand was on her stomach, two errant fingers just below the hem of her blouse on her warm skin. "This isn't…this isn't why I brought you here, why I waited to kiss you."

"It's not?"

"No. I didn't want to kiss you while I was staying in your house. I didn't want you to think I expected something from you just because I was sleeping in your bed already."

She chuckled. "Oh Luke," she swatted his shoulder. "You need to relax, you need to stop thinking about everything so much, take your moments when they are offered and run with them, be what may."

"Be what may, huh."

"Yeah, be what may."

He looked down at her soft smile. Leaned into the hand that was cupping his face and turned to kiss her palm then leaned over her fully and kissed her properly. She circled her arms around his neck to make sure he wouldn't roll away. He started to undo her blouse and let it fall open then ran his hand along her skin which felt as warm and soft as he expected.

She reached for his belt and pulled it open then unfastened his jeans and pulled them down along with his boxers.

"Straight for the gold huh?"

"You made me wait yesterday. But today…" she rolled him over onto his back. "Today I'm driving."

He lifted his hips and kicked off his shoes as she dropped his jeans, then stood off him and did something he never thought he would actually see Lorelai Gilmore doing in front of him. She reached up under her skirt, to pull down her pantyhose with a shimmy of her hips and it was almost his undoing.

"C'mere…" he reached out to her and she let her blouse fall off her shoulders as she came back to him and straddled his hips again. He sat up to kiss her but she had other ideas. She pulled his top off over his head forcing him to break his kiss but he snatched her back as quick as he could. He reached behind her back and undid her bra to toss it away as quickly as he could. He lavished attention on one breast with his lips while the other got his hand, then he swapped for another moment. Her hips were moving in a slow rhythm against him and it was all he could take. He held onto her tightly and turned them over so she was lying in the centre of his bed then he bowed his head to kiss her as he slid into her in one smooth motion.

She closed her eyes over and moaned at the sensation of him touching her all over and they stilled all movements for a moment as he tried to regain control. But soon he moved over her again, slow steady strokes matched by the rolling motion of his tongue in her mouth. He slid one hand under her ass to curve her hips and give him better purchase. She locked her legs behind his back and moved with him as best she could but as he quickened the pace she struggled to keep up. A warm tingling sensation built up in her core and irradiated around her whole body, making her lose control of her limbs.

She panted and moaned right into his ear, the rhythmic sounds gnawing away at his resolve and soon he was holding on for dear life as the event itself took over. As her movements became erratic and he felt her pelvic muscles juddering around him he knew he could stop trying to hold on and instead he let go. She loved how his chest rubbed against her, his hair causing friction on her smooth skin. And when he was spent and fell atop her, she welcomed his weight. He lay panting for a while then rolled off her, onto his side and took her with him. Limbs entangled and breath mingling they lay motionless, as they both tried to regain their composure.

"That was not really part of the plan." He admitted after a moment.

"No?"

"No. Definitely not."

"Sorry to screw it all up." She chuckled. "What was the plan?" She rubbed her fingers idly through his hair.

"Cooking you dinner. Then a kiss."

"That was it?" She propped her head up with one hand.

"Yeah."

"Helluva plan there Luke."

"Well I didn't really get past the kiss."

"What? Never?" She moved one of her legs just so, and brushed it over his groin making him jerk away.

"Well, hardly ever!"

"So, we christened the new bed." She said.

"Yeah, looks like we did."

"What's next?"

"Shower?"

"Luke Danes…" She swatted his shoulder with a mock shocked expression on her face then launched herself over him and bolted for the bathroom. "Last one in has to make the coffee."