I am completely loving all the positive reviews for this story! Thank you so much to everyone who is reading. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and writing it is taking away some of the anxiety of waiting until November.
Just an FYI: This chapter has some steamy, emotional, probably unrealistic sex in it. But hey, they deserve it at this point.
There's still a lot left to tell in this story, so I hope you're still along for the ride!
"This is ridiculous," Lorelai muttered as she stood in front of her mirror, examining her reflection. She'd bought a new dress for tonight, crimson red and tight, with thin straps covering her shoulders. Her hair was curled around her shoulders, the way she knew Luke liked it best, and her favorite black strappy heels were already on her feet. She'd perfectly applied her blush rose lipstick, but she couldn't shake the nerves running through her body.
"It's just Luke," she muttered. "You've done this a thousand times with Luke."
Somehow, knowing that they'd fully committed to their relationship without any exceptions put more pressure on this. They weren't engaged again, but tonight was about celebrating their accomplishments in fixing everything that had gone wrong. She was more than happy to wait for him to propose this time. As long as he didn't take too long.
Lorelai turned to look at the clock, smiling slightly as she noticed that it was already 7:15. Luke knew better than to arrive when he'd said he would. In fact, knowing Luke, he'd probably told her to be ready half an hour before he actually wanted to leave.
She reached for her purse and did one last sweep around her room. The candles were scattered about, ready to be lit, her laundry had been shoved into the hamper, and the bed was neatly made. Everything would be in place for the second part of the evening, which, if she was honest with herself, was what she was most excited about.
She walked down the stairs and checked Paul Anka's food and water supply, then decided to wait for Luke on the porch.
Just as she was opening the door, she saw him pull up. A smile graced her lips as she saw him climb out. "I was just starting to wonder if you'd bailed," she informed him.
"I know better than to show up at seven," he laughed, stopping in front of her.
"I still don't get why you had to 'pick me up,'" Lorelai said. "You live here."
He smiled as he pulled her closer. "Letting my actions speak," he murmured.
She sighed happily as she kissed him. "Keep them talking," she requested.
From behind his back, Luke produced a bouquet of summer wildflowers and held it out in front of her. She smiled and took them, holding them up to her nose before she tilted her head to the side, looking up at him. "Am I still the only girl you've bought flowers for?" she asked teasingly.
"Well, I did buy April some sunflowers after the last swim meet I went to," he admitted with mock gravity.
Lorelai sighed dramatically. "I guess I can share you with her," she consented. "Let me bring these inside and then we can go."
Ten minutes later, Lorelai looked over at Luke from across the bench seat of the truck. "It's not weird this time," she commented.
"Hmm?" he asked, glancing at her before returning his attention to the road.
"Our first date, Luke picks Lorelai up, awkward conversation ensues, bit we had going," Lorelai explained. "We did well this time."
He reached for her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, not letting go once he'd lowered it. "We've come a long way," he said.
"Yeah, I guess we have," Lorelai said. "Hey Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if I'd come to town more when I first moved here?" she asked. "If we'd met earlier or started dating earlier?"
"Honestly? I don't think we would have worked," Luke said.
"Really?" Lorelai asked, trying not to let herself feel hurt until she heard him explain his thoughts.
"No, you had Rory and you were working overnights at the inn," he said. "I was still getting my feet on the ground with the diner, and…I don't know, we were still pretty young back then. We needed that time."
"I guess we did," Lorelai said. "I never asked you why you finally decided it was the right time. To ask me to Liz's wedding."
"I guess I just realized that you were there, I wanted to spend more time with you, and I never got tired of being around you," he said, trying to get through this conversation without mentioning the book she'd mocked. "We were both single, Rory was on her own, the time just seemed right."
"Were you scared of Rory or something?" Lorelai asked, not accusingly, just curiously, as she studied him closely.
"What?" Luke asked.
"You keep saying it was best for Rory that we weren't together when she was growing up," Lorelai pointed out. "I'm just trying to figure out why."
"I wasn't scared of her, I just knew that you were all she had," Luke said. "That was before you started spending time with your parents, so they were still all but strangers to her. She needed you then. Not that she doesn't anymore, but she needed you differently then, I guess. I didn't want to ruin that."
"That makes sense," Lorelai said. "I guess that's why I had that no guys in the house rule until you came along."
"Lorelai," he said. "We're here now. We know where we want the future to go. The past is the past, and we're letting go of it. Let's enjoy tonight."
She smiled softly and squeezed his hand. "I can do that," she said. "But let's not let go of all of the past, okay? We have some pretty good memories too."
"That we do," Luke said, pulling the truck to a stop. He shut off the engine and opened his car door, but staying in place when he noticed that Lorelai had frozen as she stared out the windshield. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Do they hate me?" she whispered.
"What?" he asked.
"Buddy and Maisie," she waved a hand to Sniffy's. "Do they hate me for what I did to you? Because I can't go in there if they do."
"Oh, Lorelai, no," he said. "If anything they were upset with me. Maisie took it upon herself to tell me multiple times what an idiot I was for keeping April hidden."
Lorelai nodded and then put on her brave face. "Okay," she said.
He squeezed her hand, then moved to her side of the truck to help her down. "I am not drinking champagne though," he informed her as they walked inside.
"Good luck with that," Lorelai said beneath her breath.
"Lorelai!" Maisie came breezing out of the kitchen, practically pushing Luke out of the way to embrace her. "Oh, sweetheart, it's so good to see you back here!"
"It's good to be back," Lorelai said as she returned the hug.
"Now, I kept telling Lucas how ridiculous his behavior was," Maisie continued, leading Lorelai to their usual booth. "I'm glad to see he's finally come around."
"Me too," Lorelai said.
"I'll have Theresa bring you some champagne," Maisie said. "No beer for you, Lucas, don't even bother trying."
"Yeah, Lucas," Lorelai added unnecessarily.
Luke rolled his eyes as he slid into the table and muttered something about 'bossy women.'
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Lorelai said, watching as their champagne was poured. When they each had a full glass, Luke tilted his towards her.
"To you."
"No," Lorelai shook her head. "To us."
He smiled and clinked his glass against hers before they each took a sip. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"The first time you brought me here," she said. "When it all started, really started. I knew I wanted it, but when we came here and you could remember every single detail of how we'd first met, I just realized exactly how much it meant to you that we worked out. And now, here were are, against all odds, in the exact same position."
"That's one promise I don't mind you breaking," Luke informed her. "I'll keep giving you coffee if you don't go away."
"Deal," Lorelai said. She was quiet for a moment before she asked quietly, "What did you do with it?"
"With what?" Luke asked.
"The horoscope," Lorelai murmured.
Luke looked at her for a moment before he said, "I kept it."
"Luke," she sighed, shaking her head. "It's okay, I can take it."
Without a word, Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out his walled, reaching for the well worn piece of paper she'd scribbled on ten years ago. She smiled as she held the small piece of paper gingerly, tracing her finger over the words. "I didn't want to get rid of it, because no matter what had happened eventually, we had a wonderful friendship for years. And when we were together, it was really good at first. I didn't want to forget that it had happened, even if it did all go to hell eventually."
She smiled softly. "You're a great guy, Luke Danes," she said as she handed the horoscope back to him.
"I try," he shrugged, tucking the horoscope back into its rightful place in his wallet.
"I wish I remembered that day," she said.
"Well, judging by the sheer speed at which you moved, it's entirely possible that you were in and out of the diner before you even processed being there," Luke replied.
She smiled and took a sip of her champagne. "I guess I must have started taking Rory there, but the first thing I really remember is when we came in for hot chocolate before we went ice skating for the first time."
"She was nervous, and you were excited," Luke remembered. "You told her it was okay if she was a little excited too."
"And then you made the mistake of telling her you used to play hockey," Lorelai said. "She begged you to go until you said yes. She didn't let go of your hands the whole time. She trusted you."
"She let go eventually," Luke said. "She just needed time."
"And time can be good," Lorelai offered him a wide smile as she held her glass up to his. "Look what time brought us."
"It got us here," Luke replied, tapping her glass against his with a knowing smile.
XXXXXX
"Thank you, good sir," Lorelai smiled as Luke opened the passenger door of his truck and offered her his hand to help her step down. "And thanks for dinner."
He grinned at her as they climbed the porch steps. "My pleasure," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist as she reached to unlock the door.
"Luke," she breathed, pausing her motions as he leaned down to nuzzle her neck.
"Hmm," he sighed, using his nose to push her hair out of the way and then suck gently on the spot where her neck met her shoulder.
"I can't…oh…" she leaned back into his embrace, sighing in pleasure as he nibbled gently at her skin, then soothed it with his tongue. "Luke, inside…"
He pressed a final kiss to the spot and stepped back, allowing her to open the door. Her fingers shook as she reached for the lock, and the second they were inside, Luke had her in his arms again, kissing her passionately.
She slammed the door shut behind her, and she briefly flashed back to the time when he'd charged through her front door, kissing her with the same emotion he was now. They hadn't managed to talk or even make it upstairs that night, choosing to instead to pour their emotions into two rounds of intense make up sex on her living room floor. Now, things were different, and she gently reached out to rub his shoulder before she pulled back from his kiss.
"Meet me upstairs in ten minutes," she requested.
He was panting hard, and shook his head as he reached for her. "Please, Lorelai…" he said in a low voice.
"Ten minutes," she insisted.
He nodded and reached out to touch her cheek. "At least leave the dress on? I've been thinking about taking it off of you all night."
"Make it five then," she said. She ran into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses, and then scurried past him up the stairs.
Five long minutes later, Luke appeared in the doorway and let out a breath as he saw Lorelai, standing in the middle of the candlelit bedroom, two glasses of champagne in her hands. Her heels had been kicked off, but her dress remained untouched, as promised. She was smiling more brightly than he'd ever seen her smile, and he instantly felt drawn to her. Stepping inside and accepting her glass of champagne, he offered her a genuine smile of his own. He pulled her close with his free hand and she smiled slightly.
"To you," Lorelai whispered, holding the glass up.
"To you," Luke clinked his glass against hers.
"To us," she said, her eyes searching his.
"To our future," he replied.
Lorelai reached for his free hand with her own and held up her glass again. "To our girls," she said, her gaze locked on his.
Her choice of pronouns made him nearly choke on emotion. "To our girls," he repeated, loving the way it sounded.
Lorelai took a sip of her champagne and then searched his gaze carefully. "I missed you so much," she admitted.
"Oh, Lorelai," he breathed. "So much."
She set their glasses on the dresser and then stepped towards him, pressing her body tightly against his. "Forever," she whispered, pressing her lips up to his, her kiss filled with emotion and desire.
"Forever," he breathed against her lips.
As they kissed, they slowly began to shed their clothing. Luke's hands moved to the zipper on Lorelai's dress, and he took his time pulling it down, allowing his thumb to trail the seam along her spine. When he reached the small of her back, Lorelai abandoned her task of untucking Luke's sweater as anticipation swept over her body.
"Oh my god," she breathed, the simple touch of his finger on her spine sending chills throughout her body. "Luke…"
He watched as she tilted her head back, enjoying the sensation. Her long hair brushed along his forearm, and suddenly he felt himself want nothing more than to bring her complete and utter pleasure. Abandoning his own desires for the moment, he reached up to push the straps of her dress over her shoulders. His hands trailed down her arms as he gently peeled the dress from her body, revealing the red bra and underwear that she knew drove him crazy. As Luke's hands moved to her hips to push the material down her legs, her body began to shake and she reached desperately for a handful of his sweater.
She made quick work of the offending piece of clothing before she moved to his belt, tracing an affectionate finger over the worn black leather. It pleased her to know that he wore the things she took the time to buy for him. She quickly unbuttoned his pants, offering him a sly smile as she eased the zipper down.
While Luke kicked his pants aside, Lorelai moved to the bed, situating herself against the pillows and pulling Luke on top of her. He kissed her deeply, one hand lacing through her hair as the other smoothed up and down her side. They stayed in that position, enjoying the closeness of simply being together.
Finally, Lorelai gently pushed Luke forward and met his gaze, nodding her head the slightest bit. It was all he needed to pull her forward and unsnap her bra, tossing it quickly to the floor. Lorelai bit her lower lip as she watched him look at her closely, taking her in all over again. When he reached down to trace a single finger over the curve of her breast, she sighed and leaned back into the pillows, letting his touch send jolts of electricity across her skin.
Eventually, Luke worked his way down her stomach and ran his fingers over the red lace that covered the most sensitive part of her body. She bit her lower lip and watched as Luke traced the outline of her panties, his eyes growing darker as he took in the moisture soaking through the fabric. "Luke," she gasped, rocking her hips slightly. "Please."
He silently hooked his fingers over the band, his eyes meeting hers as he pulled the fabric away. Lorelai could feel his warm hands touching her legs on the way down and it was almost enough to make her lose control. "It's okay," he murmured, sensing her need for release.
She shook her head through her panting. "But you…"
"I'll be fine," he promised, dropping her panties on the floor and sitting back to admire her. She was trembling with anticipation, her eyes locked on his as a fine sheen of perspiration began to cover her body. He swallowed hard, then reached out to run his finger over her calf. "Let go."
"I…" Lorelai tried to fight the urge. He was barely touching her, and somehow she had never felt more sexy or beautiful than she did in that moment. "I don't…"
Luke reached up to gently stroke her thigh before he move his entire hand to smooth over her stomach. "Let go and you'll have me," he murmured.
His low voice, full of desire and need pushed her to the edge and she tilted her head back, arching her hips up with a soft moan. Luke trailed his hands over her body, unable to keep them to himself as she gave into her pleasure.
When she'd come down and could focus, she relaxed against the pillows and looked up at him, her breathing heavy. "Please, Luke," she whispered, reaching out to him.
He wasted no time in stripping out of his boxers and resting his body on top of hers. She held his face in her hands as she pulled him in for a deep kiss, loving the feeling of being completely surrounded by him. He pulled back and raised himself above her, his eyes locked on hers as he slowly eased himself into her.
She sighed in pleasure at the sensation, and he watched as her face began to flush. "Oh my god," she breathed when he was buried inside of her. He remained in place for a long moment, taking in every sensation of what it finally felt like to be with her in this way again.
"I missed you," he whispered against the skin of her neck.
"I'm so glad," she whispered. "That you're back here with me."
He lifted his head then and met her gaze. She nodded and arched her hips against his, and he began slowly rocking in and out of her. They were uncharacteristically quiet as they both basked in the sensation of being together. Lorelai's head fell back against the pillows as her body stretched beneath him, but neither of them felt any sense of urgency. Instead, they fulfilled an unspoken agreement to make this moment last as long as possible.
Eventually, though, Luke couldn't hold himself back any longer. As he reached down to gently stroke Lorelai at the spot where their bodies were connected, Lorelai's hands fell from his back to the sheets, breaking the silence with a loud moan. "Luke….oh, yes!"
He could feel her tightening around him and allowed himself to fall with her. He rocked into her one last time and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Lorelai's body, warm and perfect, arching into his. With one last pleasured moan she relaxed beneath him and he collapsed on top of her, resting his head in her neck before he pressed a soft kiss to her skin and shifted them so she was nestled into his arms, their legs tangling together.
"Wow," Lorelai finally whispered into his shoulder.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll second that."
She reached for his hand, tracing her fingers over it lightly. "It's not just my imagination, right?" she asked. "It's better than it was before?"
"Maybe we're…I don't know, more aware of each other or something," he reached down to push a strand of sweat soaked hair off of her face. "We know what we have to lose."
She smiled and turned her head, pressing a kiss to his hand. She then pressed a series of kisses to his shoulder before she slid out of bed.
"Where are you going?" he frowned.
She returned to the bed with their champagne glasses and the half full bottle. "Sustenance for round two," she explained.
"I hate champagne."
"And yet you willingly drank quite a bit of it tonight," she said with an appreciative smile. "Any particular reason for that?"
"We were toasting things," Luke shrugged.
A mischievous smile appeared across her face. "That's how you want to play this, huh? Okay, well, here's to the greatest sex of our lives, which happened to occur mere minutes ago in this very spot."
"I'll drink double to that," he said, clinking his glass against hers.
She laughed and took a sip. "Let's make sure we don't lose this," she said. "This happy, back together, looking forward to everything bubble. I mean, sure, there are going to be fights and some times will be better than others, that's life. But I just…when we do fight, let's promise to remember this moment, right now, how perfect everything is."
"I will," he nodded. "We will."
"Good," she said with a happy sigh.
"Get over here," Luke said, opening his arm up to her. She obeyed, quickly sliding into her place beside him and tossing one leg over his. She took another sip of champagne, then used her free hand to trace over the hand that was resting on her stomach.
"We fit so well together," she murmured. "Not just…intimately, but even this. I always noticed how perfectly our hands fit together. You have nice hands."
He watched her closely as she looked down at her. "You just like them because they make you coffee," he teased.
She giggled, but shook her head. "No, I like them because they're strong, but can still be so gentle. I think your hands are my favorite part of you. Or, well, second favorite," she added with a smirk.
Luke took a sip of champagne and then turned to set his glass on the night table, doing the same with hers before he leaned in to kiss her deeply. "Your eyes," he said. "They always tell me what you're feeling."
"Oh yeah?" Lorelai asked, meeting his gaze. "What am I feeling right now?"
"Like…I should kiss you again," he murmured as he kissed her, leaning her back against the pillows.
"Hmmm, okay."
He pressed her into the mattress, his kisses becoming more intense as he brought a hand between her legs, feeling that she was already ready to take him again. "Lorelai," he said, his voice gruff with need.
"Please," she said, nodding desperately. "I need you, Luke."
The desire in her voice matched his own, and he effortlessly shifted to slide into her. She threw her head back with pleasure at the sensation and moaned his name loudly. "Keep saying my name," he urged her as he began to stroke in and out of her.
"Luke," she gasped, her leg wrapping around his waist. "Oh my god, Luke…" Her cries of pleasure urged him to move faster and he thrust quickly into her, taking in every sensation as she writhed beneath him. "Luke, yes, Luke, please…"
His name escaping from her lips as she began to peak sent him over the edge and he gripped her hips tightly as he felt himself spill into her. Her response was to cry out in a mix between a moan and a scream, and he couldn't help feeling a sense of smug, manly pride that he was the one who was able to take her to such heights of pleasure.
As he slid off of her to rest his head against his own pillow, Lorelai turned to look at him with a smile on her face. "You're really not messing around with this whole make up sex thing, are you?" she asked.
"Sorry," he said, turning on his side to face her. "I know that was a little more intense that time around."
"Don't apologize," Lorelai said, turning onto her own side. "As soon as my strength returns, I'll repay the favor. Don't expect much sleep tonight, Cool Hand, I've got big plans for us. Think you can handle it?"
"I think I'm okay with that."
XXXXX
Lorelai felt herself slowly becoming aware of her surroundings as her she felt warm fingers running up and down her spine. She smiled slightly as she remembered the events of the night before, but kept her eyes closed, curious to see what Luke's next actions would be. He pressed a soft kiss to her bare shoulder and then ran his hand down her arm and she felt him leaning over her and tried to suppress the happy smile that was threatening to appear on her lips, wanting to pretend she was asleep for a bit longer.
"I know you're awake, beautiful girl."
She couldn't help but beam at his compliment, and she turned over to look at him. He was smiling back at her, but she couldn't resist a little early morning teasing. "Beautiful, hmm? Are you sure you're not just sweet talking me to get me into bed?"
"Too late for that," he laughed. "And I'm going to be better about complimenting you. It's part of me making sure we work this time."
"I could get on board with that," Lorelai said. "Although right now I don't feel very beautiful, sex hair and no make up."
"Trust me, it's a good look for you," Luke promised. "Breakfast?"
For the first time, Lorelai noticed the food sitting on the dresser and raised her eyebrows. "Breakfast in bed?" she asked. "Why, Luke Danes, are you trying to seduce me? Trying to recreate last night?"
"Nope, just trying to make getting you out of bed easier," Luke said. "This way, you're fed and caffeinated before you have to set foot on the ground."
Lorelai narrowed her eyes as she sat up and took the offered cup of coffee. "You want to get me out of bed?" she asked. "Hon, do I to remind you want happened in this bed last night? Oh, unless you want me to get into the shower, because that would be so hot."
He patted her leg but shook his head. "Another time. I have plans for today."
"Plans?" she asked. "I thought we were spending the day together."
"Plans for both of us," he explained, handing her a plate of eggs and bacon. "Eat up."
"What do these plans entail exactly?" Lorelai asked.
"Surprise."
She pouted slightly. "How about a hint?" she asked.
He thought for a moment before he said, "We'll be alone."
"I like that. What else?"
Luke shook his head as he stood and reached into the closet, pulling out a shopping bag. "You do realize how much work you are, don't you?" he asked.
"Oh, present!" Lorelai exclaimed, setting her mug down and reaching for it. "Give me! I love random presents!"
Luke tossed the bag to her. "You'll wear this," he said.
"New clothes, my favorite!" she said, a happy smile on her face as she opened the bag. "Oh my god, you bought me a bathing suit?" She pulled out a black bikini, trimmed with turquoise on the sides. "I so wish I could have seen you making this purchase."
"It was no big deal," he said. "Kirk helped me."
Lorelai froze and turned to stare at him. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"Nope, he was very impressed when he learned your bra size. He asked if I thought you could give Lulu tips."
"Lucas, if you are telling the truth you will never see me in this or anything like it ever again," she warned.
He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I'm kidding," he said.
Lorelai groaned as she threw the bikini top at him. "You're mean," she informed him. "I can't believe you did that."
"Do you really think I'd discuss your bra size with Kirk, or anyone else for that matter?" he asked.
"You better not," she muttered. "I'm not sure if I want to go anywhere with you after that stunt."
"I'm sorry," he said, holding the bikini top out to her.
"What's in it for me?" she asked.
"Coffee."
She held up her mug and rolled her eyes. "Not good enough," she told him.
"What if I tell you where we're going?"
Lorelai's expressed brightened. "I'm listening."
"Bridgeport."
"Bridgeport?" Lorelai scrunched her nose. "What's in…oh! Your boat!"
"Smart as well as pretty."
"Wow, you're just letting those compliments flow, I like it."
"Let's go so we can spend more time on the water," he said, pushing her covers off of her. "It takes a bit to get there."
"You're really taking me to your boat?" she called as she walked into the bathroom.
"I figured it was time," he said, moving towards the closet.
"I'm so excited," Lorelai said, appearing in the doorway. "How do I look?"
Luke turned to look at her, his jaw dropping at how perfectly the bathing suit had fit. He'd been doubtful as to whether he could trust his sister with this task, but she had clearly succeeded. Lorelai looked amazing.
"I'll take the drooling as a positive sign," she said, pulling a pair of shorts out of her dresser. "Snap out of it, Cool Hand, otherwise I won't trust you to drive the boat."
He cleared his throat and shook his head, staring down at the floor as his hands moved to his hips. "Wow."
"Impressed with yourself, are you?" she asked, pulling her hair out of the collar of her t-shirt. "Are we going overnight?"
"I thought we could," he said, now able to think clearly without the bikini distracting him. "Unless you don't want to."
"No, I want to," she said. "In the sound, right? So land's not far either way?"
"I do know what I'm doing," he informed her.
"Yeah, but you're so distracted by my youthful beauty that you were momentarily paralyzed a few minutes ago. You might run us into an iceberg."
"I think we're safe."
"That's what the captain of the Titanic said," Lorelai replied. "And probably Gilligan too, although I'd certainly prefer his situation."
"Make sure you pack a sweatshirt, it will get cold on the water."
"Got it," Lorelai nodded. "Oh! Look!"
Luke watched as she dug through her closet for a moment, and when she stood he rolled his eyes at the item she was holding out in front of her. "You are not bringing those."
"Why not?" she frowned.
"Because you'll look ridiculous."
"I need them!"
"No you don't."
"But, Luke, they're boat shoes!"
"No, they're boots and it's the middle of summer," he replied. "You'll get hot and then whine all day about how hot your feet are, and suddenly it will be my fault that you wore them. Let's just skip that step and not bring the boots."
"Please, Luke!" she begged. "I won't complain, I promise!"
"No."
She frowned. "You're the one who insisted you buy them for me," she said.
"Funny, that's not how I remember it," he said. "I remember having to order them so you'd stop making out with a magazine in my restaurant."
"See if I'll ever make out with you again," she muttered under her breath.
Luke ignored her and held out a tube of sunscreen. "Bring a hat too," he told her.
"No hat, no shoes."
Luke rolled his eyes and zipped his bag. "Do whatever you want," he said. "And don't take too long."
Lorelai squealed and hugged the boots close to her. "Hear that boys, you're finally getting your sea legs!" she said to the yellow work boots.
Luke passed her and muttered some thing about "a year and a half" and "too much money." Lorelai smiled as she watched him walk out of the room. As wonderful as it was to see Luke share more of himself with her and let her see his different sides, sometimes it was still nice to see the grumpy man she'd known for years make an appearance. And, of course, it was fun to push his buttons sometimes.
She stashed the boots in an overnight bag and collected some essential items before she bounded down the stairs to see Luke waiting with a thermos for her. "My favorite sight," she sighed, accepting the coffee.
"Did you bring sandals too?" he asked, eyeing her carefully.
"Yes, Captain Practical, I have sandals," Lorelai said. "I'm not completely insane."
"Well, that's debatable."
"I so walked right into that."
"Okay, you have coffee, you have your insane boat shoes, I have sunscreen and food, we're good to go," Luke said, leading her to the door.
"Hey, do you have a captain's hat?" Lorelai asked.
"No." He tossed his bag in the back and then reached for hers.
"Can I call you Captain?"
"No." He opened the passenger door and gently shoved her inside.
"Am I your first mate?"
"No."
"How about co-captain?"
"No."
"Your whore?"
He glared at her. "Don't call yourself that."
"What, every good pirate captain needs a whore to fulfill his needs."
"My needs are met just fine."
"Fine," she sighed. "Hey, is your boat still nameless?"
"Yeah," he said. "Can't think of anything good."
Lorelai nodded solemnly. "Let me get to know her and we'll see what she thinks."
"Whatever you say."
Lorelai reached over to pat his leg. "You're learning well, hon," she informed him.
XXXXX
"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…"
Luke turned to stare at Lorelai as she cheerfully sang the theme song to Gilligan's Island from the passenger side of his truck an hour later. "You do realize how that boat trip ended, right?" he asked.
"Yes, and you know that it has been my lifelong goal to have my own television show," Lorelai replied. "I figure this is my perfect opportunity."
"We're not going to get stranded on an island."
"I don't think that was their intention either."
"It was a TV show."
"Exactly!" Lorelai said. "Think about it, when we get stranded, I'll be in charge of creating make up out of the indigenous island plants and you can be in charge of making the coconut phone."
He shook his head as he pulled off the highway. "You're talking even more than usual today," he observed. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Lorelai said. "I'm just having a little PTSD flashback here."
"What?" Luke frowned, glancing over at her. "What are you talking about?"
Lorelai shifted in her seat. "I had to pick Rory up in jail in Bridgeport," she reminded him gently.
"Oh," he said. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking…"
"No, it's not your fault at all," she said. "I can't avoid the place forever. And this way I'll have good boat memories."
"I can't imagine how scary that was," Luke sympathized. "I've had to do it enough times for Liz, I can't imagine doing it as a parent."
"Well, hopefully April won't take after Rory in that particular regard," Lorelai said.
Luke frowned. "I still don't like that Logan kid," he stated.
"Well, he's history now, so you can channel that anger towards Taylor," Lorelai said. "Or save it up for when April starts dating."
"She's never going to date."
"Sure she's not."
"She's not even interested in boys."
"Of course not."
"She'd tell me."
"Uh huh."
He turned to look at her. "You know something," he accused.
"I know nothing," she said, holding up her hands innocently. "I just know that eventually it's going to happen."
"I'm not ready for that," he admitted.
"Me either, and my kid's been dating for years," Lorelai replied. "It's okay, I'll help you get through it."
"How did you get through it?" he asked.
"By raising a daughter so perfect and beautiful that the entire town looked out for her and warned all the boys in town not to hurt her," Lorelai replied. "Don't you remember fighting Dean in the street?"
"He wasn't good enough for her either."
"Uh huh, and Jess was?" Lorelai asked.
"No, I told him to stay away too."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Luke shrugged. "I'm proud of who Jess has become, but back then he had a lot of issues. He broke Rory's heart, and I don't really think he meant to. But I told him to stay away so she wouldn't have to relive all that."
Lorelai smiled softly at him. "I think April will be fine," she said softly. "I hated seeing Rory hurt, but we both know that we have to have a little heartbreak before we can really understand happiness."
"Well, she's not going on a date until she's done with college, so it's not a problem for now," Luke declared.
"Sure, Butch."
He pulled into the marina's parking lot and turned to look at her. "Go use the bathroom," he told her.
"What?" she asked.
"Last chance before you have to use the one on the boat," he explained.
Lorelai's eyes widened and he shook his head as she headed towards the public restrooms. He gathered their bags and coolers together in the back of the truck, handing Lorelai her bag when she returned to him. "Ready?"
"Yes," she said, reaching for one of the coolers. "Hey, is that your boat?"
"No."
"How about that one?"
"No."
She took a few steps before she pointed to another boat. "Is that your boat?"
"No."
"Well, I know it's not that one," she said, pointing to a long, sleek boat at the far end of the dock, far larger than what she had been expecting.
"It is."
"What?" she stopped in her tracks. "That's your boat?"
"Yeah," he said, tossing his bag on board and then climbing aboard himself.
"Are you sure, or am I going to have to call Rory to bail me out of jail for boat theft in some sort of reverse time warp?" Lorelai asked, her feet planted firmly on the dock.
"Lorelai, it's my boat," he laughed. "Let me help you up."
"Hang on," she said, stepping back. Luke was standing near the wheel, and a small table and sitting area sat behind him. Ahead of him was a long deck with padded benches, and there were a couple steps to an inside area. "It's like the other one finally hit puberty."
He shook his head and held his hands out to her. "I'm going to leave without you."
"You will not."
Luke shrugged and reached for the ropes holding the boat to the dock, causing Lorelai to scramble towards him. "Okay, I give, don't leave me," she begged. She handed him her bags and then took his outstretched hands. She stepped on the edge of the boat and allowed him to pull her on board, leaving one hand in his as she took in her surroundings. "Wow, it's a real boat," she murmured, taking in the navigational tools and equipment.
"It is," Luke confirmed.
Lorelai examined the benches that lined the side of the boat before she turned to the stairs. "Your cabin, my captain?"
He nodded and walked down ahead of her. "Watch your head."
She followed him, taking in the small kitchenette to the right and a booth table to the left. "That turns into a sleeping area if necessary." He led her to a small door to the left. "Sleeping area." Lorelai smiled as she took in the tiny room with a double bed and not a lot of room for much else. "And here's the bathroom."
"The head," Lorelai corrected. "What, I know things!" she added at Luke's impressed expression. She peeked around him and nodded at the toilet, small sink, and tiny shower stall. "It's a real toilet."
"What were you expecting?" he asked as they walked back towards the deck.
"I don't know, a hole in the floor with fish swimming underneath?" Lorelai suggested, earning her an eye roll.
"Okay, I'm going to get us out of the marina. Can you help with the ropes?" he asked. "It's not hard."
"Sure, just show me what to do."
Ten minutes later they were cruising through Long Island Sound, picking up speed as they left the marina behind them. Lorelai smiled softly as she watched Luke through her sunglasses as he stood behind the wheel, taking in how much more relaxed he seemed. He'd exchanged his usual outfit for a short sleeved button down and a pair of khaki shorts-which she had been sure to mock him for four times already-and seemed more free somehow. He was wearing sunglasses to ward off the bright summer sun, and she could almost see what he would have looked like twenty years ago.
With a smile, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "Hi," she whispered in his ear.
"Hey," he said, turning his head to where her chin was resting on his shoulder. "You doing okay?"
"More than okay," she said. "I love it out here."
"Good," he rubbed her arm gently.
She remained silent for a moment, enjoying the peaceful feeling of being entirely alone with Luke out on the water. "Hey, can you put that on autopilot or something?" she asked, pushing her hair out of her face.
"In a bit, I want to get out of the more congested area first," he said.
"Okay," Lorelai said, letting go of him and taking a step back.
"Where are you going?" he frowned.
Lorelai tilted her sunglasses down and peered at him over the top of the frames. "Distracting you," she replied. She then tugged her shirt over her head and slid off her shorts, sliding past him towards the back, clad only in her bikini. "And working on my tan."
Smiling, Luke shook his head softly and continued to maneuver the boat out of marina traffic. When they were a safe distance from other boats, Luke turned off the engine and allowed the boat to float gently before he turned to Lorelai.
She was stretched out on the back bench, her body long and lean in the perfect bathing suit. Her eyes were closed, her face tilted to the sun, sunglasses off and hands at her sides. As he stared at her, he couldn't believe his incredible luck that not only had he found this woman, but that she had fought hell and high water to become his.
"Like what you see, Captain?" she didn't turn to look at him or even open her eyes, but he knew she could feel his gaze. She always could.
"It's a beautiful view," he agreed, stepping closer.
She smiled, but still didn't change positions.
He nudged her feet with his knee. "Got room for me there?"
"No way, too comfortable," she replied.
Smirking, Luke changed position so he was standing directly over her. She propped herself up on her elbows and squinted up at him. "You're blocking my sun."
"Are you going to make room?"
Lorelai sighed dramatically and sat up, gesturing to the bench. The second he'd sat down, Lorelai's head was resting in his lap and her face was again tilted toward the sun.
"Tell me you at least put sunscreen on," he requested, his hand running over her windblown hair as it spread out over his legs.
"Yes, I have no desire for my skin to ever get wrinkly," Lorelai replied. "Just enjoying the feeling."
"It's nice," Luke agreed.
"Have you come out here a lot?" she asked.
"Last summer, yeah," Luke said. "I needed it."
"And this summer?"
He brushed a hand over her forehead. "I have better things to do."
Her smile widened, but she said, "I still want you to do the things you like."
"I'm doing it."
"Seriously, Luke," she said. "I know we've been here before, but I want you to do your things. And I'll work harder to try the things you like."
"Yeah, it seems like you're having a really rough time with that at the moment."
She laughed, but she reached to take his free hand and lace their fingers together. "Thanks for bringing me here," she said.
"You're the only girl I've ever brought on a boat," he promised.
"Good, because I am the queen of your world."
He ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "Someday we'll let the princesses come aboard," he said.
"Your princess definitely," Lorelai said. "Mine may take some convincing. And by some, I mean if given the choice between riding a horse or getting on a boat, she'd probably choose the horse."
"We'll work on her," Luke promised.
Lorelai didn't comment, and they both remained silent for a few minutes. "This is the definition of heaven," Lorelai finally murmured. "You should have done this years ago."
"It's because of you, you know," he told her. "When you bought the other boat and put it in your garage, that's when I realized how I should start working on it. And that evolved into me buying this boat."
"I was just trying to help," Lorelai replied.
"And if you hadn't done that, we probably wouldn't be sitting here right now."
"Which would be a complete tragedy," Lorelai confirmed.
"It does feel pretty damn good," he admitted.
"I can see why you like it out here," she said. "It suits you."
"And you."
"You're just saying that because I'm in a bathing suit."
"No argument here."
"Hey Luke?"
"Hmmm?"
"Is there such thing as boating under the influence?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Because I'm currently thinking the only thing that could make this better is a margarita," Lorelai sighed.
"Can I offer you beer instead?"
"Maybe after lunch," she conceded. "God, I'm so relaxed."
"I'm glad, you deserve it."
"So do you," she murmured. "We've been through a lot."
"And we're better for it."
"We are," she said, pressing a kiss to his hand. "I like that I feel like your friend again. We're us, a better us, and the friendship that started it all hasn't disappeared."
"I like that too," he said. "Thanks for including me in the Rory stuff."
"Thanks for including me in the April stuff."
"Hey, can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"Anything."
"Are you ready to get married?"
Lorelai was still for a moment before she sat up quickly, turning to face him with wide eyes. "What?"
"I'm not asking," he said quickly. "I mean, I'm not proposing. I just want to know…where we stand. I don't want to put pressure on it, so if you're not ready be honest. Or if you are, or if you don't want to answer, that's okay too."
Lorelai nodded slowly. "You want to ask this time?" she asked.
"You stole my thunder last time."
"Sorry," she muttered.
"Don't be, it was perfect," he said.
She nodded and pulled her sunglasses back down over her eyes. She glanced around at the coast for a moment before she said, "I'm going to be honest, but you have to promise you're not going to take it the wrong way or throw me overboard or anything."
Luke felt a pit forming in his stomach, but he nodded. "I'll keep you dry and standing," he nodded.
Lorelai inhaled deeply. "Okay," she said, more to herself than to him. "I do want to marry you, Luke. And I love how far we've come over the past couple months, and I can see our future together really clearly. But I think our past, even though we've decided to forgive ourselves and each other, tells us that we have to really look at our lives, not just jump in, consequences be damned. And before I will truly be ready to marry you, I have to spend time with April. With you and without you. I need her to accept me."
"We've been over this, I thought we were past it," he said.
"We are," she nodded. "But Luke, I don't know her."
"Are you afraid you're not going to like her?" Luke asked, anger starting to build up inside of him.
"No, no, that's not it at all!" Lorelai said quickly. "But I can't agree to anything with you without knowing how she feels about me. I have to know that this is going to work. And work well."
"She does love you," Luke insisted.
"Luke, she loved the birthday party," Lorelai corrected. "And the three minute phone conversations we've had. We've never spent time together, not really. Try to think of it from my perspective. If you hadn't known Rory when she was growing up, and we'd started dating, but she was at Yale and you'd never had a chance to talk to her. Would you be happy agreeing to marry me if you didn't know her?"
Luke sighed, defeated. "No, I guess not," he said.
"Please understand, it's not a no," she said.
"I didn't ask anything."
"I mean, it's not a no, I'll never be ready for you to ask," Lorelai said. "It's a someday, when I know April and she knows me, we can revisit the idea. Okay?"
"Okay," he agreed.
"I still love you," she offered.
He offered her a sad side smile. "I love you too."
"Please don't let this ruin the day," Lorelai said. "After last night and this morning, it's been so perfect. Please, let's just get back to the lying in the sun and talking about happy things. Tools, boats, burgers."
Luke cracked a smile. "Do you think those are my only topics of conversation?" he asked in amusement.
"Well, we could discuss the Breakfast Club and how Molly Ringwald totally should have gotten an Oscar, but I don't think you'd be up for that."
"Definitely not."
"Or we could talk about…how Rory's going to have another article published this week. Her second solo one."
A proud smile came across Luke's face. "I'm glad, they're good articles," he said.
"They are," she said. "She must have had an excellent upbringing."
"I know for a fact that she did," he said, resting his hand on her knee in a silent move of forgiveness.
Lorelai smiled as she leaned in to kiss him, then pulled back. "Ugh, I could totally go for some red vines right now," she said. "We should have stopped at the store."
Luke offered her a smirk, then stood. He reached for a brown paper bag from Doose's and silently handed it to her. Curiously, she opened it and laughed when she saw Pop Tarts, instant coffee, and red vines looking up at her.
"It's been ten years, Lorelai," he said. "Do you really think I'd bring you out on the ocean without a healthy supply of junk food and coffee?"
"You are a smart man," she informed him. "And my favorite man in the world!"
Luke sighed as he dropped onto the bench beside her. "How do you feel about the top five?" he asked, pretending to think critically.
Lorelai gasped in pretend horror. "I'm number five?" she asked. "I mean, I get those two little brats we call daughters, maybe, maybe being tied for number one, but I should remain a very close second. Almost indeterminable. And you're telling me I'm number five?"
"Well, there's Doula, who by the way, is starting to resemble my side of the family, thank god. I still can't believe TJ's DNA has been passed down."
"Lucky girl," Lorelai confirmed. "But she still shouldn't take my spot."
"And you don't tip as well as Patty and Babette," Luke continued.
"I am so telling them you said that," Lorelai said. "They'll definitely try to tip you more, and not with money, if you know what I mean."
"Aw, jeez."
Lorelai bit the end off a red vine. "Who's your favorite girl?" she asked. "Think carefully, or I'll call Patty right now and tell her you want more tips. And you know she just broke up with Fernando again, so she's extra man hungry."
Luke sighed as he looked at her, perched on her knees beside him. Her sunglasses hid her eyes, but he knew she was happy. And that was all he needed in that moment.
"How about tied for first?" he asked.
"With who, Gypsy?" Lorelai scoffed. "No thanks."
"No, with a budding scientist and a brilliant journalist."
Lorelai sighed dramatically. "I guess I'd be okay with that," she said. "But I'm the captain of Team Luke."
"Noted."
"And you know…since I'm the captain of Team Luke and you're the captain of this unnamed vessel, we might be able to find some fun foreplay out of it."
"Later," Luke promised. "For now, let's enjoy the sun."
Lorelai sighed happily as she resumed her position lying on her back, her head resting on Luke's lap. "I really am happy," she told him.
"Good," he murmured, leaning back against the seat.
"Are you?"
He smiled as he looked at her, stretched out before him, and nodded. "Happier than I've ever been," he confirmed.
XXXXX
"Let's quit our jobs and live on the boat," Lorelai suggested sleepily later that night.
"Okay," Luke agreed, pulling the blankets up over them as they lay together in the small bed.
She sighed contentedly and snuggled closer into his embrace. "The rocking of the boat is putting me to sleep," she admitted.
"It's also the middle of the night."
"That too," she whispered. "Thanks for bringing me out here, Luke. I love it. A lot more than I thought I would."
"I'm glad," he replied.
"We should do it all the time."
"I'd be okay with that."
"You haven't been spending as much time at the diner," she observed.
"Yeah, I delegated some of the management work to Cesar, gave him a nice raise to go with it," Luke said. "He deserves it. And now I have more time for you, and April, when she's here."
"I like having more time with you," she murmured.
"Back at you."
"It's working well, isn't it?"
"I think so."
"Better than last time?"
"At the time I didn't think it was possible, but yes. So much better than last time."
"Good," she said, pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"I'm getting sleepy."
"Go to sleep, Lorelai."
She snuggled further into his arms and he smiled softly, looking down at her as her breathing started to even out. It wasn't often that she fell asleep before he did, and he found himself enjoying the feel of her body relaxing against his, her breaths soft against his chest. She was beautiful all the time, but when she slept she seemed more innocent and vulnerable, and he loved seeing her like this. He brushed some hair out of her face and ran his thumb over her cheek.
"I hope you're ready soon," he murmured before he settled back against the pillows, submitting to sleep himself.