Still breathing hard, Luke flopped onto his back beside me. We laid side by side, trying to catch our breath.

"Amazing," I gasped. I could feel his chuckle rather than hear it, as he slid his arm underneath me, pulling me closer, skin to skin. "It's like you are reading my mind." I looked over at him, and the cocky grin on his face made me want to throw myself on him for more.

"I'm a motivated student," he replied, his voice deeper than usual. Of course, I thought to myself. We've had 4 months to learn each other in this way. I'm the one taking a remedial course. I hoped it hadn't been obvious.

"So what's my best move?" I asked, trying to sound flirty instead of insecure. I shifted to my side, and he turned to face me as well, pulling the sheet up over us and then resting his hand on my hip.

"Oh, hell," he laughed. His thumb started going in circles on my skin. I closed my eyes briefly, luxuriating in my afterglow. He was still grinning when I met his eyes again. "Probably all the insane things you talk me into."

"Insane?" I scoffed. I was trying to pretend I knew exactly what he was talking about while fishing for information. Too bad the Academy wasn't watching, this was the best performance of my life. "It's not that insane," I ventured, hoping he would take it from there.

"The store room in the middle of the day?" he responded, his eyebrow quirked. I laughed. Yeah, that did sound crazy, but also hot. I told him so. He smiled, closing his eyes. I guessed that he was replaying it or at least remembering, because I felt a slight twitch near my leg. I was jealous. I wished I could remember it, too.

"So which insane place has been your favorite so far?" I asked. He shifted onto his back again, his arm still around me. I rested my head on his chest, and let my fingers wander, playing with the dusting of hair over his firm muscles.

"Hmm," he replied, thinking. "That time in your office was pretty amazing, I won't lie." He craned his neck forward to kiss my head, then relaxed back into the pillow. "I don't know if I can choose a favorite, though."

I let the subject drop, unsure how to fish for more information without showing my cards. We laid in his bed in comfortable silence. My body still felt like it was on fire from our encounter. I couldn't believe that less than 24 hours ago, I had been just waking up to this new reality, and now here I was, post-coital with Luke, feeling completely safe and comfortable. It was like we had been together for years. But as amazing as it was, I still didn't feel like it was earned.

"Do you think you can still be you," I began, not exactly sure where I was going with this, "without your memories?"

"Hmm?" he answered, sounding sleepy. I figured I only had a few minutes to make my point before losing him to sleep, so I tried to think fast.

"How much of your personality is built on your memories, and how much is just how you are?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I saw this thing on TV the other day about someone who got clobbered on the head and didn't remember things," I fibbed, trying not to sound nervous. "It got me thinking about personality and memory, and how much we are made of our memories. And how it changes the paths our lives take."

"Oh." We fell into silence again. I began to think he was asleep when he continued, "I think a lot of what happened to me in the past made me how I am now," he said. "But I'd like to think I'd still end up here, with you." I smiled. Good answer, I thought. I began to relax, letting sleep overtake me. Then he snorted, and said, "I wish I could forget that whole being married to Nicole thing, though." My eyes snapped open and sleep suddenly seemed far away. What?

"Hey, Mom! How was talking with Luke?"

"Thanks for giving me the heads up that he was married, Rory! That would have been an important tidbit to know!" It was the next morning, and after a quick breakfast and a perfunctory kiss goodbye, I was heading back to my house to get ready for work. I was feeling both buzzed from my new-to-me relationship high and panic from still feeling like there was so much that I just didn't know.

"Oh yeah, he was married, wasn't he?"

"Gah! Rory!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm going to need to write down some stuff." I heard rustling on the other end of the line. "But other than that, did everything go okay?"

"Yeah, he has no idea. I don't think. I managed to play it pretty cool." I paused, unlocking my front door and going inside. "He showed me the horoscope. I can't believe he was pining for me all those years!"

"We tried to tell you, Mom."

"I know, I know." I dropped my purse on the table by the door and went upstairs. "So I'm heading to the Dragonfly soon. Please tell me Sookie hasn't changed."

"I don't think so. She and Jackson are still married. They seem pretty happy." There was a pause, then, "Oh! Sookie is pregnant again!"

"Again?"

"Oh, you missed Davey. Their son. He just turned one last November."

"Geez. What else?"

"Um, I don't know, Mom, I kind of feel put on the spot. Just try to lay low."

"Today is going to be a mess. Maybe I should just tell Sookie I don't remember anything."

"Do you think that's wise?"

I threw open my closet. I saw lots of things I didn't recognize. "Damn, I have good taste," I said, running my hands through a swath of beautiful fabrics.

"Huh?"

"Looking through my closet now," I said, bending down to look at my shoes. "Gorgeous!" I breathed, fingering some soft leather boots. The body-snatching theory was losing steam; everything in here was exactly my taste.

"Mom! We need to focus on the bigger issues and not your love affair with your clothes. Besides, I have studying I need to get back to." I dropped the boots and turned around. Laying down on the bed, I closed my eyes and tried to figure out the problem at hand.

"Well, I don't see any way around telling Sookie," I said. "I'm assuming there are new employees. And I'm going to have no idea what paperwork I was in the middle of; not that Sookie could help me with that. But if I have questions, I don't see any other option."

"But what if she tells Luke? I mean, you've decided to not tell him, right?" I groaned. This situation was getting to be so complicated. Then Rory said the most unlikely thing I would have ever expected. "What about Michel?"

"What about him?" I answered suspiciously.

"He can be your guide to all things Dragonfly in this strange new world of yours."

"He'll just tell me to go to the hospital and get an MRI."

"Not a bad idea," she shot back. I paused.

"Do you think I should?" Another bubble of panic started in my stomach. "What if I'm not recreating my own personal Memento but instead I have terminal brain cancer? Oh god!" My breaths started to come out in anxious puffs.

"Oh, Mom..." Rory breathed. I could tell the thought hadn't even crossed her mind that there was actually something wrong with me. Maybe she still thought it was some kind of elaborate prank.

"Okay." I took a deep breath, trying to stave off the panic. "One thing at a time. Although I guess my next day off will be spent at Hartford Memorial Oncology."

"I'll come with you," Rory said instantly. "Just tell me when, and I'll be there."

"Oh, kid." Tears stung at my eyes, and I felt a surge of love towards my daughter. Not only was she taking the time to talk me off my many ledges, but she was going to hold my hand while I potentially got the worst news of my life. "I'll let you know," I replied softly. I cleared my throat. "But let's tackle that later. I need to solve my Dragonfly problem first."

I parked the Jeep in the place Rory told me was my usual spot and got out of the car. I was wearing the beautiful leather boots and, underneath my coat, a cute new blazer on top of an older dress. Once again, I was a nervous wreck, but hoped that Rory wasn't steering me wrong with attempting to bring Michel into this ridiculous mess. I had to admit her reasoning was sound. If anyone would be able to help me with the paperwork, it would be Michel. He would also be painfully honest with me about the true state of things, while Sookie would either try to sugarcoat it or just be blissfully unaware. I hoped he wouldn't rat me out.

Michel was at the front desk when I walked in. "Good morning!" I called cheerfully. He barely looked up from what he was doing.

"Morning," he mumbled, twisting the words around in his thick accent.

"Sookie in the kitchen?"

"Most likely."

I stopped by the desk and waited until he looked up. When he did, I smiled brightly, in an attempt to cover up my nervousness. "In about ten minutes, would you mind coming into my office? I have a task I need your help with and I think Sookie might be a little too, uh, disorganized, to be much help." He looked somewhat surprised, but still annoyed, in the way that only Michel can look.

"Fine. But after that I'm taking my ten." I walked past the desk, and found myself in my office. I rustled through some papers, pretending I had intended to go in there, and grabbed a notebook. After I walked past the desk again, I circled around to the hallway. I followed it to the kitchen, and stopped short. I looked around, finally getting a moment to take in everything that we had accomplished without me remembering it. It was breathtaking.

"Lorelai!" Sookie chirped, her arms and half of her face dusted with flour. She was kneading some sort of dough and it smelled amazing. "Coffee is ready!"

"Great!" I replied, trying to look around discreetly for the coffee machine and cups. Thankfully, it wasn't difficult to spot, and the cups were stacked on a shelf above it. I poured myself a cup and inhaled deeply. "Everything going well so far this morning?" I asked.

"Everything's dandy!" she said. "I'm just making some bread for the soup course for tonight's dinner. I was thinking something rich and hearty, especially since it's supposed to dip below freezing tonight."

"Good thinking," I said. Despite the unfamiliar setting, I was happy that our rhythm seemed to be unchanged. "I'm going to get some paperwork done in my office, but I'll be around in a bit." She waved me off, flour swirling around her in a puff.

I made my way back to my office, trying to act like the path I was taking was intentional. I walked around, taking in the decor. Cozy, I thought. Yet another reminder that although I didn't remember it, I had still been me, with the same tastes. I plopped into my desk chair and tapped my keyboard.

"Password?" I groaned. Crap! I was going to have to start guessing. Just as I was about to start trying a variety of Rory's and my birth dates, Michel walked in. "Shut the door, please," I said, forgetting the password conundrum for now.

He gave me a look. "Am I about to be canned?" he asked flatly, pushing the door closed.

"No! No, not at all," I said quickly, smiling in a way I hoped was reassuring. "I have a huge problem and I need your help. But it sounds completely ridiculous, and no one else can know about this." He sat down in the chair on the other side of my desk, folded his hands in his lap, and waited impatiently for me to continue. "Okay, so I'm suffering from some weird sort of memory issues," I began. Off his raised eyebrow, I took a deep breath and continued. "I don't know if it's temporary or what. I'm going to go to a - uh, a specialist, on my next day off. It just started happening yesterday. Now, I don't want anyone to worry, so besides Rory, you are the only person that knows." I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping I looked like I meant business. "That means no one else can know, especially not Sookie. Or Luke."

"You are going to be hiding this from flannel man, who you are supposedly dating?"

"There's no supposedly about it, we are dating," I said firmly. "I just don't want him to worry until I know what's going on." He rolled his eyes.

"So what do you need? What can't you remember? Can you not just keep a date book?"

"So here's the really crazy part." I paused. God, I hated this part the most. "I can't remember the last, uh... the last two..." I shut my eyes then just went for it in a rush. "I can't remember the last two years." When I opened them, Michel was indeed looking at me like I was a crazy person. "I'm going to see that specialist soon, just to rule out any medical issues," I said quickly, "I just need someone to help me get through the day-to-day stuff until then. Stuff like employee's names and where I keep all of our important papers. And," I said, glancing at my computer, "maybe my password? If you know it."

"If this is some kind of twisted joke," he started, when I cut him off.

"No! No joke. Very serious. I probably just hit my head or something. I'm sure it will all come back to me soon enough." He huffed a minute, thinking it over.

"Fine," he said. I started to bounce excitedly in my chair with happiness, but he held up a hand. "But! I have conditions."

"Of course you do," I sighed. I leaned back in my chair. "Go ahead, hit me with it."

"First, I need a raise."

"Michel! I -"

"Hold on, hold on," he interrupted. "Not a huge one, just a little something extra. It isn't cheap to look this good, you know." It was my turn to roll my eyes, but I let him continue. "And I also want more responsibility." Now, that surprised me. My expression must have conveyed my surprise because he smirked. "I'm not an imbecile, you know. I can handle more work than what you give me."

"But you always seem so resistant to actually doing that work," I said, slightly flustered.

"Because I am bored out of my skull," he replied slowly, enunciating the syllables carefully.

I considered his request for a minute or two. Then I nodded decisively. "Fine. You, me, and Sookie will get together next week after I've had time to consider what responsibilities I can shift over to you. This might be good," I mused. "I mean, I have no idea what the workload has been like, but if it's anything like the Independence, maybe this will free me up to other things that can help the Dragonfly."

"Can I take my break now?"

"Help me figure out this password and then I'll cover you at the desk," I countered.

"Inde - uh, Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking."

"Hey," said a gruff voice. I would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Luke! Hi!" I felt a flush of pleasure that he called me. The friendship I remembered didn't involve a lot of phone calls, so this was another new and different side to him that I was learning about.

"When do you finish up tonight?"

I checked my watch. "I can probably leave whenever Michel gets back from his dinner break. He wants more responsibility, so he can handle the desk until the night manager gets here."

"Michel wants more responsibility?"

"I know, huh? Maybe he's been body-snatched, t-" I winced when I almost finished my sentence with "too". I was going to have to more vigilant about potential slip ups. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice.

"I thought maybe we could do something."

"Ooh, like what?"

"How do you feel about roller skating?" My eyes widened and I almost dropped the phone.

"Uh, I'm for it, but I'm trying to scrape my jaw off the floor from you suggesting it."

"Well, I was just passing by this place in Litchfield that also plays terrible 80s movies on screens and it seemed like something you might enjoy."

"Oh, really? Interesting concept."

"Hang on, let me check the hours." I heard something that sounded like a turn signal. "Looks like they are open until 10pm during the week, so we should have plenty of time."

"Wait, where are you?"

"I just told you, in Litchfield." Suddenly it dawned on me.

"You have a cell phone," I said dumbly.

"Yes, I do," he replied warily. Luke Danes with a cell phone. Well, that was yet another sure sign that the apocalypse was nigh. I tried to change the subject.

"So what time are you picking me up?"

"6:30 work for you?"

"I'll be ready to embarrass myself with my unathletic clumsiness!" He chuckled.

After we hung up, I felt a slight thrill. I had a date with Luke! I knew that it wasn't actually our first date, but it was the first date that I was aware of. I felt giddy with happiness, and knew only one way to celebrate - with a cup of coffee. After making sure we weren't expecting any check-ins, I ducked into the kitchen.

As I poured myself a cup, I realized Sookie was staring at me. "What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"You look happy," she observed.

"I have a date with Luke tonight," I said, smiling broadly. "Believe it or not, he's taking me roller skating."

"Luke? Roller skating?" Her eyebrows couldn't get any closer to her hairline, she looked so surprised.

"I know! I was surprised, too!" I leaned forward onto the island, grasping my warm mug between my hands, no doubt a dreamy smile on my face.

"You look like you are still recovering from last night," she said pointedly. I felt a blush creep up my neck.

"What do you mean?"

"All day long, you've had that look."

"What look?"

"That same look you had right after he came back from Maine. Dreamy, far away, and distracted. Rainbows and puppies." Sookie turned back to the stove and stirred something. I shrugged.

"I don't know, it's still pretty new. And Luke is pretty amazing. We had a really great talk last night."

"Talk? So that's what the kids are calling it these days." She gave me a knowing look over her shoulder.

"Sookie!" I blushed again, this time feeling my cheeks burn. "It's not just that, you know."

"One of these days you'll have to give me more than the PG details. I'll crack you yet." I was both relieved and disappointed that I hadn't been sharing all the dirty details with Sookie. Relieved because it would be weird for her to have more knowledge of my sex life than I did, but also disappointing because that meant that it was only between me and Luke, and I definitely couldn't ask him to fill me in.

"Luke's a private person," I said, hoping my tone sounded apologetic. "I'm trying to respect that."

Michel poked his head into the kitchen to announce his return from dinner. I said a quick goodbye to Sookie and happily walked to my Jeep. I had some primping to do.

I leaned my head back against the edge of the bathtub, raising my leg and watching the bubbles slip back into the water. I replayed the last day and a half in my head. It was pretty amazing how easily I had slipped into this role as the girlfriend of Luke Danes. We had always fit into each others' lives pretty well, but I had tried not to imagine how much more we could be. Even aside from how I thought he was more annoyed than enamored by me, taking that next step from friendship to more than friends was terrifying. I hadn't wanted to lose that friendship. But now, after that amazing night, I couldn't believe I had waited so long. Luke in a relationship was still Luke - gruff, yet caring; surly, yet sweet - but dialed up to 11. He was also tender, loving, and unbelievably sexy. I woke up that morning to sweet kisses at my temple, with his voice whispering in my ear that he had to get up to open the diner, but he would see me for breakfast, and to go back to sleep. I had melted into a puddle of sappy goo. Just the memories alone were having an effect on me.

I glanced at the wall clock and then rinsed off. I had 45 minutes to pick the perfect roller skating date outfit that would be suitable for all audiences, but still inspire another ravishing when we were alone. I settled on a flared denim skirt and long sleeved v-neck tee shirt, with some cute Converse sneakers. I was just applying the last of my makeup when I heard his voice from downstairs. At first, I was a little surprised that he didn't knock. Luke always knocked. Shaking my head slightly, I tried to remember that we had been dating for 4 months now, and he was probably getting to be much more comfortable.

I came down the stairs after grabbing my purse, and saw him standing in the living room. "You really should lock your door," he said in greeting.

"Good evening to you, too," I quipped.

"I'm serious," he said.

"Well, wouldn't you rather come right in rather than wait for me to open the door?"

"I can use my key," he said dryly. I stared at him a moment too long, and that concerned look flitted across his face again. "Something wrong?" he asked. I pressed my hand to my forehead, made an excuse about forgetting if I left my curling iron on, and hurried upstairs.

I walked into the bathroom, and looked at myself in the mirror. Stay cool, Gilmore. I squared my shoulders and nodded at my reflection. I needed to keep it together. I was probably going to have random tidbits thrown at me often in the coming days, so I needed to practice my poker face and roll with the punches. When I made it back downstairs, I smiled happily at Luke and asked, "Ready?"

"You bet," he replied, smiling back, as I shrugged into my coat. Outside, he ushered me to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for me. I couldn't help but blush at his gentlemanly behavior. I was learning so much about Luke. As he started the car, he glanced at me quickly. "I'm not going to ask if you've eaten because I assume that even if you have, you'll still be hungry."

"You'd guess right," I said cheerfully. "Are we stopping on the way?"

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "There's plenty of crap food at this place."

"Now you're speaking my language!" He chuckled, pulling the truck out of the driveway and on our way.

"Well, that was a lot of fun," I giggled, as Luke walked me back up to my door. The breeze was crisp and cold, and I hugged my coat tightly against myself. He reached over and pulled me to him, giving me a lingering kiss.

"I'm glad you had a good time," he said in a low voice. We stood facing each other on my front porch, grinning at each other.

"Do you - do you want to come in?" I asked. I felt a little unsure about it, despite having already slept together. It still seemed weird to invite a man into my home.

"I have an early bank meeting in Woodbridge tomorrow," he said, looking disappointed.

"What time is it? I should get up early tomorrow, too." I didn't want him to go. I wanted those arms around me all night, every night. He looked pensive as he mulled it over.

"It's at 8:30. I guess I could stay..." I didn't give him a chance to change his mind. I unlocked the door and pulled him inside. He couldn't help but laugh a little at my eagerness. Once the door was closed, I flung my arms around his neck and tugged him closer for a kiss.

"As much as I would like to continue this," he said between kisses, "I should probably get some sleep."

"Mmm," I mumbled, our lips still connected in a slow, languid dance. He gave one final kiss, then gently pushed me back. His forehead rested against mine.

"Sleep now," he whispered. "We'll pick this up tomorrow."

"I have Friday Night Dinner tomorrow," I reminded him.

"I'll be waiting here with pie," he promised.

My eyes lit up. "Pie! Why didn't you say so?" I grinned flirtatiously. I turned toward the stairs, sashaying a little as I went up. "I'm gonna jump in the shower first," I said as we entered the bedroom. He nodded, stopping at the dresser. I guess he had his own drawer at my place, too. So weird. I stepped into the bathroom, and closed the door.

I adjusted the water, then stripped off my clothes. As I stepped under the hot spray, I felt a little disappointed that my hopes of a ravishing weren't coming true. I tried to remind myself that while it was all new to me, according to Luke we were probably past the honeymoon, tearing-off-our-clothes-constantly phase of our relationship. I squirted my soap onto my sponge and began to brush it across my skin, humming a little bit to myself. Suddenly, the shower curtain pulled open, and Luke stepped in behind me, his gorgeous body completely on display for me to see.

"Well, hello, sailor," I purred, letting my gaze take him from crown to toes. He grinned rakishly, then pulled me closer, our lips crashing together and our bodies colliding. The soap that I hadn't rinsed off glided against our skin, adding even more to the intensity of the moment.

"I was brushing my teeth and I couldn't help myself but come in here," he whispered in my ear, after trailing some kisses from my lips up to my cheeks.

"Oh, someone will be coming," I gasped, feeling his growing arousal against me. He growled in response, and his hands slid from my hips to grasp my ass, then migrated upward to my breasts. He skimmed the sides with his palms and I moaned into his mouth. He turned my body to face the tile wall, moving my wet hair aside to suckle lightly on my neck. His hands started at my shoulders and then slowly moved down my lower back, making my knees weak. I braced myself against the wall to hold myself up. When his hands reached my hips, he grasped one thigh and pulled it up, resting my foot on the edge of the tub. With one hand next to mine on the tile, and the other holding my stomach, he thrust into me suddenly, catching me by surprise. My head fell back against his shoulder, letting him hold up my weight. My body was humming with pleasure as he made each stroke, pulling almost all the way out and then filling me completely in a deliberate rhythm. I moaned loudly, the sound of my voice echoing against the tiles. My climax came suddenly, causing me to contract around him uninhibitedly, extracting his own climax from him.

After we peaked, we slumped against each other, gasping for air. He slowly lowered my leg to the tub floor, gently squeezing and massaging my thigh. When the haze of pleasure lifted, I realized the water had turned cold. Luke realized it at the same time, because he switched the water off then reached for our towels. He kissed my forehead sweetly. "Sorry," he mumbled, as he wrapped the terry cloth around me.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked, shivering slightly. "I wasn't complaining."

"I'm usually better able to control myself," he said, drying off his hair. I couldn't help but gaze at the water droplets that were sliding down his perfect chest. "But it's not easy when you look at me like that," he continued, arching his eyebrow. I tried to look innocent.

"Me? I'm not looking at you any differently!" I squeezed the excess water out of my hair and looked away, so I couldn't give any him more of those looks. Sookie's earlier comments nagged at me. I probably was looking at him differently, because for me this was all new.

"Well something's different," he said, walking into the bedroom. I followed, trying not to stare at him as he dressed in sweats and a tee shirt.

"Different how?" I asked lightly. I pulled out my own pajamas, trying to distract myself.

"I don't know." He sat on the edge of the bed, scratching absently on his neck. "You're more receptive." I looked over at him. He looked sheepish. "Not that you weren't before," he amended quickly. "Just more..."

"More...?" I finished dressing and then flicked on my bedside lamp before turning out the overhead lights. We both climbed into bed. "More what?" I asked, as we faced each other in the dim light.

He looked at me, and I could see he was thinking about how best to phrase whatever he was thinking. I waited patiently, wanting him to feel comfortable to tell me what was on his mind.

"You're just so quick to get... there." His brow furrowed in thought. "I mean, it's great for my ego, don't get me wrong."

"Maybe you're just a fabulous lover," I said flirtatiously, as I reached behind me to turn off the light. As the room fell into darkness, I snuggled closer to him and he wrapped an arm around me. I breathed in the smell of him, enjoying the moment. "Or maybe it's hormones, or something," I murmured sleepily. The roller skating combined with our vigorous showering experience had made me more tired than usual for 10pm at night.

"Are - are you pregnant?" he asked quietly. I sprung up into a sitting position.

"What? No!" He sat up, too, facing me. I could barely make out the outline of his face in the dark. "I've been taking my pill," I assured him. I was glad that I had noticed the package in my purse yesterday morning.

"Oh, okay," he said, sounding slightly reassured. We laid back down on the bed and resumed our position. We were quiet for a moment, and I let my eyes close again. "If you are, now, or in the future," he whispered gruffly, "it will be okay. I'll be here for you. I'm not going anywhere." He kissed my temple tenderly. I smiled to myself, feeling even more safe, wrapped in his arms.

"I'm not pregnant," I said. "But... thanks." He hugged me tighter, and I listened to the sound of his breathing gradually grow deeper, lulling me into a deep and restful sleep.

When I woke up, I moved to my side and watched Luke, still sleeping soundly. I knew it was still early because the room was in the shadowy light before the sun is above the horizon. As right as it felt for Luke and I to be more than friends, it was still a little strange to have a man in my room. He looked so peaceful and relaxed as he slept. While I watched him, my mind began ticking through the list of to-dos for the day. I needed to call some kind of medical professional to get myself checked out, which I was dreading. Michel and I had stuff to go over today for some event that he had mentioned yesterday. And then, tonight, was the big one: Friday Night Dinner. I assumed nothing much had really changed there, despite the separation. My parents didn't change. Rory and I hadn't gotten into too much of the details about why since I was trying to focus on one part of my life at a time, so I hoped that I could get through it without alerting my mother to any problems.

While I was considering that, Luke's eyes blinked open, and he smiled sleepily. He reached his arms around me and pulled me to him, and I snuggled into his chest. "Morning," he said gruffly. "Been awake long?"

"Just a few minutes," I replied. "Thinking about how much I don't want to go to dinner tonight."

"You'll get to see Rory," he reminded me.

"She is the silver lining." I looked up at him. "Were you serious about the pie?"