Summer Surprise

by whysoawesome

It's summertime and Luke has a surprise trip in store for Lorelai. Although there may be more than one surprise on this summer adventure.

1. Chapter 1

So far summer in Stars Hollow hasn't been full of ice cream and festivals like Lorelai had hoped, instead rain and wind have dominated the summer days. As much as Lorelai is one to enjoy the cold weather especially if snow is involved, she is starting to get bored with the constant lack of sun, even more now that she's no longer stuck in bed.

Lorelai wakes this morning to the sound of rain hitting the bedroom window. She sighs, stretching her arm to feel the cold sheets beside her. She turns her body towards Luke's side of the bed, cuddling his pillow in the process. Lorelai sinks her face into the pillow, hoping to bury herself in his heart-warming scent.

She's about to start drifting back to sleep when the bedroom door opens. Lorelai doesn't bother moving nor opening her eyes, thinking that Paul Anka had entered on his own as he usually does. It's only when the smell of coffee hits her nose that her eyes open and she looks at the door.

Lorelai gasps as she sees her man holding their wooden bed tray with her favourite breakfast goodies. 'Is that for me?' she asks.

'Nope.' Luke sits on the edge of the bed, the tray on his lap. He cuts one of the pancakes. 'All for me,' he says, pretending he's about to eat the piece he just sliced off.

'Luke!' Lorelai jumps up and hugs him from behind in an attempt to stop him from eating her food.

He moves the fork towards his mouth but changes direction to Lorelai's instead.

She takes the piece of pancake and eats it. 'Yum.' She kisses his scruffy cheek once done. 'Thanks for not eating my breakfast.'

'You're welcome.'

Lorelai opens her mouth, waiting for him to feed her again but after a few seconds of waiting and receiving no pancake, she playfully hits Luke.

'What?' He turns his head towards her.

'Food, please.' She opens her mouth again.

Luke shakes his head but ends up cutting a bit of the pancake and feeding it to her.

'Thank you,' Lorelai mumbles with her mouth full.

'Okay, no more feeding you like I'm some sort of slave.' Luke shuffles so that his back is now leaning against the headboard.

'It's no fun eating if you aren't feeding me.' She pouts for a moment before sitting beside him.

'I'm sure you can find some other way of entertaining yourself,' he says as he places the tray on her lap.

'Yeah, I think that I can.' Lorelai leans in and plants a kiss on his lips.

Paul Anka comes paddling into the room as the two pull away from their kiss. The shaggy dog curls up at the end of the bed.

'Luke, as much as I love breakfast in bed and having you right here, why are you right here and not at work?' she asks him after taking a huge sip of coffee.

'Took the day off,' he says casually as if this happens so often.

'Are you okay?' She places the coffee mug down and puts her hand on his forehead.

Luke moves his head away from Lorelai's hand before saying, 'I'm fine, just thought it would be nice to take a day off and spend it with you.'

'Aw Luke, that's so adorable. My man has missed me.' She grins and then kisses him. 'Thanks for taking some time off for us. It's nice having you here and since I'm off today we can spend all day in bed, doing all sorts of fun things.' She smirks and wiggles her eyebrows at him.

He nods and replies with, 'You're welcome.'

As she continues eating her food, Luke gets up and starts opening drawers and placing some of his clothes into his duffel bag.

'Luke? Are you going somewhere?' Lorelai asks, her voice and face making it apparent that she's confused. She puts the tray on her bedside table and shuffles to the end of the bed to watch Luke.

'Well, as much as staying in bed all day sounds amazing, I have a plan for us.'

'Really? What plan is this?' she asks with childlike curiosity.

'You'll have to wait and see. That's the whole point of it being a surprise.'

'Luke. How long have you known me? Have I ever been one to wait for surprises?'

'No, but I'm not telling you.'

'Luke, Luke, Luke. Please, tell me.'

'Ugh, are you going to be annoying?'

Lorelai nods, 'It might be wise to surrender now. Plus, it'll make it easier to pack things if I know where we're going.'

'No need to pack.' He takes out a bag from the bottom of the wardrobe.

'You packed for me?' She gets out of bed and reaches for the bag, but Luke doesn't let her.

'I didn't. Well, actually I did, but it's all Rory's doing.'

'It is?'

Luke nods.

Lorelai doesn't say anything else, but she has a slightly mischievous look about her. She grabs her phone and then sits back on their bed. She waits for Rory to pick up while Luke continues packing.

'Where are we going?' Lorelai instantly asks the moment the girl answers the phone.

'A "hello" would have been nice,' Rory replies from the other line.

'Hi. So, tell me where we're going.'

'And ruin the surprise? Not going to happen Mum, but I know you'll love it.'

'But I have to know!'

'No, you don't,' both Luke and Rory say at the same time.

'Okay, that was freaky. You and Luke are in such great cahoots that you're even saying the same thing. Who corrupted who?'

Rory ignores the question instead asking, 'Mum, was there any other reason for the call other than to probe me for information?'

'Nope, just to probe.'

'Well, I feel loved.'

'You should, I don't just probe anyone. Plus, Luke is the one that usually does the probing around here.' She turns to him and grins, holding back her laugh at seeing his reaction.

'Lorelai!'

'Ew, Mum, please. Did you have to turn that into something dirty?'

'Um, yes, of course.'

Luke has finished packing and is now leaning on the bathroom door frame, gesturing with his head that he's going to shower.

Lorelai smiles and nods. 'So, you're not going to tell me what you know, kid?'

'Nope. Sorry, Mum. Let Luke surprise you, you'll like it.'

'If I don't, you owe me.'

'Fine. Well...actually before I agree to this, what would I owe you?'

'If Luke isn't planning to kill me wherever he's taking me, and I do come back, you have to come over so we can have a movie night.'

'You know, if you behave, I'll do that anyway.'

'Aw, someone is missing Mummy.'

'Maybe.'

'Me too, sweets.' Lorelai hears the shower. 'I better go. I've got a trip to get ready for.'

'Try enjoying it and don't make him suffer too much.'

'Hey! I'm a delight.'

'That you are, but you know what I mean Mum. Wouldn't want Luke driving you both off a cliff just to stop you.'

'He wouldn't. He loves my crazy badgering.'

Rory chuckles before saying, 'That's true. Don't know how.'

'Mean. What happened to always being on my side?'

'I always am. It's just fun hearing you get all riled up.'

'Well, I would be more riled up if you let me end the call so I can join my man in the shower.'

'Ugh, Mum! Can you not?'

Lorelai laughs. 'Nope. Bye, sweets.' She puts the phone down and gets out of bed. She goes into the bathroom taking her pyjama top off and then slipping into the steamy shower with her guy.

It's been about two hours now. Tunes are playing in the background. Lorelai sips the coffee she made Luke stop for as she watches him drive. The sleeves of his flannel shirt are rolled up, allowing the sun that's seeping into the car to warm his skin. His hands rest lightly on the steering wheel and Lorelai can easily tell just how comfortable he is. Maybe it's because he's driving but she's going to take the credit, because of course her presence is what is making him so relaxed.

The journey has been pleasant so far and Lorelai has only bugged Luke a few times about where they're going. Lorelai reaches for the bag of snacks that's by her feet, grabbing a Twinkie. She's still unsure where they're heading but she doesn't really care, although it's fun annoying Luke. She's enjoying the surprise, most importantly she's enjoying being here with him. The snacks and coffee are a bonus.

'Don't ask. You know what I'm going to say,' Luke says, keeping his eyes on the road but seeing that Lorelai is smirking at him through his peripheral vision.

'I wasn't going to ask that.'

Now Luke turns to her, raising his eyebrow for a second.

'Okay, I was going to ask, but I changed my mind.'

'What's the new question then?'

'Are we close?'

'Almost.'

'Where are we even? I fell asleep and missed all the road signs.' She starts eating her Twinkie.

'Can't tell you yet.'

'Mean,' she mumbles, turning to glance out the window. The world around them is a haze of colours, from the trees to the fields they're passing to the cars following beside them on the motorway. The movement makes Lorelai bring her hand to her belly, suddenly not as peppy as she was before.

'Lorelai, are you okay? Or did the junk finally get to you?' Luke asks her.

'No, never. I'm just a little nauseous.'

'I thought you were feeling better. The cold is gone. No?'

She nods. 'It was better, but I don't know. It might just be the long journey.'

His brows fall the moment Lorelai tells him that.

'Luke,' she says softly, trying to reassure him that his impromptu surprise wasn't a mistake or making her worse. She leans over a little, putting her hand on his arm.

He smiles at her, but asks 'Do you want me to stop somewhere?'

'If we're close then I'll be alright till then.'

Despite Lorelai stating she's fine, her pale complexion shows him that she's worse than she's letting on.

They come up to a rest stop and Luke directs them towards it, parking the car in the designated spot.

'You didn't have to stop on my account,' Lorelai says before taking one last drink from her now cold coffee.

'It's fine, we needed to get gas anyway.'

Lorelai nods and goes out, glad that she's no longer in the slightly stuffy car. She has one hand on her belly as she gestures to the bathroom.

He nods in understanding and walks into the store to grab some things: water, ginger ale and a pack of saltine crackers.

After getting back into the car, the drive to their location isn't very long which Lorelai is happy about.

In front of them is a two-story house. The exterior is white with a light brown roof, complimenting the window frames that outline the big windows. It has a nice front garden with a palm tree right in the middle of it, and from here you can see another peeking from the back of the house.

'Pretty,' Lorelai says. She turns to Luke who's finished parking the car and is now slipping the keys out. 'Are we stopping here?'

'Yep,' Luke answers as he starts leaving the car.

Lorelai follows his lead and then watches him go up to the light grey front door. He pulls the envelope that's stuck on the door knocker and takes out the keys that are in the letter. Luke reads the little note before opening the door and gesturing for her to come. She nods and is about to go grab her bag from the back of Luke's truck to head inside.

'Don't worry about it, I'll bring them in,' Luke says, stopping her.

'Aw, such a gentleman.'

He rolls his eyes at the comment, but smiles.

Lorelai heads to the door, rubbing her hand on Luke's arm and giving him a kiss when she's reached him. 'Thank you, babe.'

He nods and watches her go inside. Luke can hear her gasping excitedly at seeing the inside of the house, but it's the 'Oh my god, there's a pool and look at the beach! So close,' that Lorelai screams which makes him chuckle. He grabs the bags and gets inside.

'Luke!' Lorelai calls out as she slides the glass door and comes back inside from viewing the pool. 'This is incredible. What gave you the idea to come here?'

He shrugs and says, 'I don't know, you had so many summer plans, but you spent most of it stuck in bed. I just thought now that you're a little better you can finally enjoy it.'

She hugs him, letting the embrace be long and meaningful. When Lorelai pulls away, she kisses his cheek. 'Thank you.'

He doesn't feel like the thank you is necessary but he smiles anyway. 'I'll take these upstairs.' He gestures to their bags.

'Oh, I'll come with you. I want to see the rest of this place.'

They both head up, Lorelai helping Luke with the bags as they do. They enter the room.

Lorelai gasps. She lets go of the bag and rushes to the bed. Lorelai jumps onto it and lays down with a sigh, before shouting, 'It's so softable! Luke, I don't think I'll be able to leave it, ever!'

'Wait. Did you just say softable? What the hell does that even mean?'

'Luke, come on, it's clearly a mixture of soft and comfortable.' She shakes her head in pretend disappointment.

'Clearly.' He rolls his eyes. Luke puts their bags onto the side of the room by the wardrobe.

Surprisingly Lorelai finds it in her to get up from the bed to look out the window. 'Oh cool. A balcony.' She opens the door and slips out onto it.

Luke follows her. He stands behind her and wraps his arms around her waist.

'It's a really nice place. I'm glad you decided to do this,' she says as she leans back into his touch. 'How long are we staying?'

'Until the end of the weekend, unless you want to head back earlier?'

'No, the whole weekend sounds lovely, babe.'

Yellow sand greets the sea, and a white almost grey sky scattered with clouds is the backdrop of the sight they're admiring. It makes Luke smile as the salty air mingles with Lorelai's fruity perfume, reminding him that he's lucky to be with the person he loves. He kisses her cheek and holds her a little tighter.

'This feels good,' Lorelai says as she turns around slightly to glance at him.

'Yeah, it does.'

'Could we take a walk down there?'

'Sure. How's your stomach?'

'Better.'

'Do you want me to make us something to eat before we go?'

'Oh, yes, please. Nothing too heavy though.'

'Alright. I'll have a look at what we have here.' He kisses her cheek and then moves back into the room.

Lorelai follows him. She slips out of her shoes and lays on the bed. 'Think I'll stay here and watch something.'

Luke nods and then hands Lorelai the TV remote. 'Enjoy. I'll be back.'

When he returns upstairs after cooking some late lunch, he finds Lorelai curled up on the bed, the remote in her hand, the TV still off. He chuckles to himself. She didn't even make it long enough to watch something. Luke slips out of his shoes and joins her in bed. He sighs at the feeling of being off his feet and on something as soft as this bed.

'Luke?' Lorelai mumbles as she starts waking a little.

'Shhh, go back to sleep.'

'Okay.' She cuddles into him, resting her head on his chest and finding sleep so effortlessly.

Luke takes a moment to just watch her, admiring the way her face has settled. She's beautiful. He kisses her forehead before closing his eyes and starting to nod off himself.

By the time they both wake, it's late afternoon. Lorelai's up first, her stomach growling for something to eat. She slowly moves away from Luke, hoping not to wake him but the moment she hears him mumble something she knows she failed.

'Mm...hey. What time is it?'

'No idea,' Lorelai replies as she gets up from the bed. 'Did you end up making food? I'm starving.'

'Yeah, there's some chicken noodle soup downstairs. I was meant to wake you...but that didn't turn out as planned.' He runs his fingers through his hair while watching her stretch her arms above her head and yawn.

'Do you want me to bring some up to you?' she asks him.

'No, I'll come down.'

She nods and starts walking out of the room, with Luke not far behind.

While she sits on the couch and calls Rory, Luke goes into the kitchen and heats up their forgotten lunch. She's putting her phone away when Luke comes into the living room with two bowls.

'Is everything okay with Rory?' he asks as he sits next to her and gives Lorelai her bowl.

'Yeah, all is good and she's coming next week for a movie night.'

'Because you've behaved so well?'

'Yep.' She grins and then has a spoonful of soup.

Both of them eat while watching Weekend at Bernie's. Soon enough empty bowls of soup are on the coffee table and the movie is coming to an end.

Luke turns to Lorelai and says, 'I hope that didn't give you any ideas.'

'Oh definitely. I was planning on murdering you and then pretending you weren't dead this whole trip just to pick up guys.'

'The only time I'll allow it is if either Taylor or Kirk are annoying me. Then just off me and let me be at peace for once.'

Lorelai chuckles. 'Deal. But will I still get to have dead Luke as my lover?'

'Okay, this took a weird and unsettling turn. Can we talk about something else?'

'You started it.'

Luke just rolls his eyes and asks, 'Do you want more soup, crazy lady?'

'Nope, I'm okay. Thanks, crazy lady's lover.'

He shakes his head as he picks up the bowls from the coffee table. He then goes to the kitchen.

She can hear the rattle of the bowls when she stands. Lorelai leans on the kitchen doorway and says, 'Hey Luke,' in a questionable tone.

'Yeah?'

'Can we still go for that walk?'

'On the beach?' he asks and glances over at her.

Lorelai nods.

'It's almost ten and it's probably freezing at this time.'

'Please,' Lorelai says, emphasising the word and ending it with a pout.

'Fine but go grab your jacket.'

She chuckles. 'Look at papa Luke go.'

He rolls his eyes and places the last spoon into the dishwasher. His back is now turned to Lorelai so she can't see the little smile that's formed on his face.

'I'm ready,' she says when she's slipping her jacket on.

'Come on then.' He reaches out his hand and she happily takes it.

They walk along the beach, stepping on the sand that looks more white from the dark night and the glow of the moon. The waves swish and sway, a soothing sound that Lorelai loves to hear. It settles the little worry in the back of her mind. The sea-salty air freezes the edge of her nose, but Luke's hand keeps hers warm. It all feels perfect and exactly what she needed after endless days stuck in bed.

'Thank you,' she whispers as she rests her head on Luke's shoulder.

He just smiles, happy to know she's enjoying all of this and so is he.

'Can we spend tomorrow at the beach?'

'We can do whatever you want. It's your weekend.'

She shakes her head. 'No, our weekend, babe.'

They sit down for a moment on the sand, looking out at the ocean that gets lost once the lights from the coast aren't able to reach its vastness. They then walk back, but not before grabbing some ice cream from one of the vendors that have their little huts by the beach.

Lorelai paces from the kitchen to the living room, her beach bag on her shoulder. 'Come on, Luke. Hurry. Please,' she says, exaggerating the 'please' as she usually does when she wants to get him to do something for her.

'Don't rush me.'

'Well, you're taking so damn long.' She walks back into the kitchen.

Luke has his back to her as he finishes making some sandwiches for the both of them. He's wearing a forest green t-shirt and swim shorts which Lorelai is admiring. He turns around and says, 'Okay, I'm done now.'

Lorelai grins and claps. 'Yay, finally!'

'I didn't take that long.' He puts the sandwiches into the almost full picnic bag.

'Yeah, you're right, I'm just excited.'

'Oh, really? I hadn't noticed,' he says, rolling his eyes in a playful way.

'You know what I noticed?'

'What?' he asks.

Lorelai takes a step closer to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. 'I love the flannel, but you look really good.' She runs her hand down his arm, feeling her strong man.

Luke tries not to smile but his control slips when he feels her hand. 'You're lucky it's too hot to wear the flannel.'

'Yep.' She leans in and captures his lips with hers, kissing him.

'I thought you were in a hurry to go.'

'I was, but there is always time for this.' She kisses him again.

After the incredible make-out session, Luke and Lorelai head off to the beach, this time not at night but at the peak of the day. The sun is up high and burning anything that dares to not put any sunscreen, and sometimes even those that do. There are a few people already out. Some on towels, others on beach chairs, and a small amount swimming out on the sea. Even with all these people the beach still doesn't feel crowded thanks to its size which makes Luke happy.

'Where do you want to stay?' he asks.

'Hmm, there?' Lorelai points to a free spot that is close to the water but not close enough to get splashed.

'Okay.' Luke nods and they walk towards it. He lays down the towel that Lorelai hands him and helps her with her own. He takes off his t-shirt and places it on the towel. Luke sits down and watches as Lorelai pulls her top off and slips out of her shorts, leaving on her polka dot bikini.

She shoves her clothes into her bag and brings out the sunscreen. Lorelai sprays it over her legs, arms, and chest before handing it to Luke so she can rub it all on.

Luke applies it to himself and once Lorelai sits, he sprays some on her back, being extra slow about massaging it over her.

She turns around, a smirk on her face. 'Thank you, baby.' She kisses his cheek. 'Want me to do yours?'

'If you don't mind.'

She gestures for him to turn around, which he does. Lorelai applies the sunscreen on his back and now it's her time to slowly massage it in. A smile on her face as she enjoys the feeling of his back muscles.

'Lorelai?'

'Hmm...'

'Anymore and we might have to cut our beach time short.'

She giggles and then pulls away, laying down on her beach towel with her back to the sun.

Luke takes out her straw hat from her bag and places it on her head.

Lorelai chuckles and then says, 'Thank you, kind sir.'

He nods as he leans back, his hands behind him keeping him sat up at an angle. Luke's looking out at the waves, enjoying the sounds. He hears some screaming followed by laughter that pulls his attention to the little kids in the water. They're with their parents, throwing a ball in the air. They look like they're having fun with each other. Luke turns to glance at Lorelai and then back at the kids out there.

It's been a few hours of Lorelai turning around every couple of minutes so both sides of her get a piece of the piercing sun, while Luke just looks out thinking about one thing or another. He is about to grab one of the books that Jess recommended he read when Lorelai turns to him.

'Want to swim?' she asks.

'Sure.' He starts to get up and she does the same.

Lorelai discards her hat and heads for the water with Luke not far behind. It's a hot day but as the water hits their feet Lorelai lets out a little squeal.

Luke chuckles. 'You okay there?' he asks as he stops moving to look at her.

'It's cold.'

'I know. It'll get a lot better once you get in completely.'

'You sure?'

'Yeah, come on.' He reaches out his hand for her to take and she gladly holds it. They start taking small steps until their legs are both submerged in the water.

'Okay, it's not so bad.'

'Time to dunk.' Luke pulls on her hand and is about to go down, but Lorelai takes a step back and moves her hand away.

'What? No. I'm not ready yet.'

'Okay, go when you're ready.' Luke smirks and then dives into the water. He starts swimming away from her.

'Wait, you're leaving me? Traitor!' She glances down at the water, looks over at Luke who's now far away and sighs. Lorelai reluctantly dives in and starts swimming after him.

He has now stopped and is waiting for Lorelai to catch up to him. He grins when she bobs up from the water.

Lorelai playfully hits Luke on the arm. 'That's for leaving me.'

'It got you in the water, didn't it?' Luke is sporting a smug smile.

'Yeah, whatever. You still left me.' She pouts.

Luke pulls her to him and kisses her.

'Mm, that's a good way of making it better.' She moves back and splashes water on him. 'But that's nicer.' She giggles.

'Hey!' Luke is about to retaliate but Lorelai starts swimming away. 'Get back here, Gilmore!' He dives into the water and does his best to catch up to her.

Lorelai is back closer to the shore, trying to see if she can spot Luke swimming under the water but she's not sure.

'Is this how they felt in Jaws?' she asks herself as she feels her heart beating a little harder. It's the thrill of being chased. She hears laughter which has her turning to the small boy who's swimming towards an older man that must be his father. Her thoughts linger back to being taught how to swim, not with Richard's help nor Emily's, they're not that type of people. She had an instructor who scared her more than her mother did at that age. It was different with Rory, and Lorelai smiles at that, happy that she was able to make her own daughter's experience better, or at least she hopes that it was. Lorelai is ripped out of her thoughts when she feels something touching her leg, she takes a step back and screams.

Luke pops out of the water and laughs.

'Omg, Luke! You scared me half to death!' She has a hand over her heart, the other resting on her stomach.

He can tell he really scared her and not in a fun way. 'I'm sorry. Are you okay?' he asks and reaches out to stroke her arm.

She takes a deep breath and nods.

'I didn't mean to scare you that bad, I thought you would have noticed me coming.'

'It's okay. I got distracted. My fault.'

'Let's go back to the towel and eat something.'

Lorelai nods and says, You convinced me with food.'

Luke glances over at Lorelai but then his eyes move to the sand he's walking on. His shoulders are slumped as he runs his fingers through his hair with a little sigh.

She catches up to him and loops her arm around his. Lorelai leans in and kisses his cheek. 'I'm okay, babe. Don't worry.'

He nods and smiles. They get to their towels and spend a bit of time drying off. Luke then opens the picnic bag and takes out a Coke for Lorelai and an Iced Tea for himself.

She opens her drink and starts sipping it, all while she watches Luke lay a little kitchen towel down. He places the sandwiches on it. He takes out a few small packets of crisps and a container which he opens to reveal some pieces of fruit.

'Why's this here?' she asks and points at the fruit.

'For you to eat.'

She chuckles. 'Oh Luke, I thought you were wiser than that.'

'I am.' He takes out a little circular container which he opens to reveal melted chocolate.

Lorelai gasps when she realises. You smart ass.' She grabs one of the strawberries and dips it into the chocolate. She takes a bite and eats. 'Mm...yummy.'

Luke is sporting a smug smile. He unwraps one of the sandwiches and starts eating.

She does the same once she's devoured another strawberry with chocolate.

The waves meeting the coast, the people swimming and playing in the water, are all sounds that keep them company as they eat together, happy to be in each other's company.

'Babe, you should put your hat back on. I don't want you to burn your head,' Lorelai tells Luke as she reaches for an apple slice to eat.

Luke nods and grabs his blue baseball cap and puts it on like he always does. He watches Lorelai eat another apple slice, this time not even dipping it into the chocolate. He doesn't want to say anything about it in case she stops eating once she notices how many she's had already.

Lorelai's about to take another out of the container when she asks, 'Aren't you going to have any or is this fruit all for me?'

'I'll take some.' He reaches out and Lorelai gives him an apple slice and some grapes which Luke quickly eats.

Lorelai dips her finger into the chocolate and puts it into her mouth to enjoy some chocolaty goodness.

'Lorelai,' Luke says in a stern voice.

'Yes,' she mumbles.

'That's just for dipping your fruit in, not your finger.'

Lorelai pouts. 'But so yummy.' She's about to dip her finger back in, her eyes on Luke.

'Don't you dare.'

'Oh, but I live on the edge, Danes.' She dips it in and quickly puts the chocolate into her mouth before Luke gets a chance to stop her.

Luke shakes his head and takes the pot of chocolate, putting it back into the picnic bag.

'Hey! Don't, I was enjoying that.'

'You don't deserve it now.'

Lorelai pouts. 'But how am I meant to eat all this fruit?'

'Like normal people, on its own without all the chocolate.'

'But that's no fun. Can I make it up to you?'

'Sure, eat the fruit on its own and I'll consider giving it back.'

'Nope, that's not exactly what I was thinking about doing.' Lorelai leans forward, putting her hand on Luke's neck, her fingers threading into his hair. She moves in and kisses him, taking her time to enjoy the moment.

When they pull apart, Lorelai smiles at Luke. 'So, does that let me have it back?'

'No.' He picks up a strawberry and brings it to her lips. 'But this will. Eat.'

She takes a bite, being slow and seductive with it.

Luke watches and pulls the strawberry away from her once she's bitten it. He eats the rest and puts the green leafy part into the little pile that's collected in the container.

'Another one please,' she requests and then licks her lips.

'Grape or another strawberry?' he asks as he picks up a grape and shows her it.

'Both.' She opens her mouth, and he feeds her the grape.

Luke then grabs another strawberry, and they do the same as before. 'How do I always end up feeding you? It was breakfast yesterday and now this.'

She shrugs. 'You must like it if it keeps happening.' Lorelai grins. 'Thank you.'

'No, I just think you're good at distracting me enough to not realise what I'm really doing.' He smiles, knowing that yes, she's good at the distraction but he does enjoy it too. 'You're welcome, but now you do your own feeding.'

She pouts at first but she does relieve him of his job. She opens up one of the crisp packets and starts eating.

They eat for a bit longer before just spending time on the towel. Lorelai plays with the sand and bugs Luke, who's reading his book. They then go back into the water one more time before they towel dry and head off to the beach house.

Lorelai steps into the shower. The heat from the pouring water is a welcomed feeling, and she happily sighs the moment the hot droplets hit her skin. She tilts her head back; the water starts wetting her hair. Lorelai had begged to shower first. She had a deep need to get all the sand out of her hair, and the feeling of it on her skin wasn't pleasing, she's more than happy to finally be getting a wash.

She reaches for a towel and wraps her hair in it. Lorelai steps out of the shower and takes another towel from the wrack. She starts drying herself with it. Once done, she walks out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She catches herself in the full-length mirror. Lorelai puts her hand on her stomach, her eyes on her reflection.

'I hope Luke's making dinner,' she says as she rubs her stomach and then grabs something to wear from her bag.

Lorelai heads downstairs dressed in dark blue mom jeans and a pink tie-dye tank top, which in her words makes her look casually fabulous. She has her hair out. It's half wet, half dry. She sees Luke sitting on the arm of the couch watching some sort of game.

'Hey, all done?' he asks when she comes into the living room.

'Yep, all done and sand-free,' she says and does a little twirl. 'Are you making dinner because I'm starving?' She emphasises starving just to prove her point.

'I thought you might want to get some takeout while I shower. There are a few selections on the kitchen table. Get whatever you want, on me.'

'That's sweet babe but you paid for this whole place, I'm more than happy to pay for dinner while we're here.'

'But I'm treating you this week.'

'I know and this is my way of thanking you.' She smiles and places her hand on his shoulder. 'Now, go get washed because I need food.'

Luke nods and gets up. 'Okay captain hungry, I'm going.'

Lorelai gives Luke a little peck on his lips before he goes to shower and she heads into the kitchen to order some food for them.

Luke who has finished his shower and is currently sporting his usually flannel outfit is sitting with his girlfriend on the couch. They're waiting for their dinner to arrive.

'What about this movie?' he asks as he points to the movie on the TV with the remote.

'Nah, the other one sounded better.'

'But you said that one sucked.'

'Yeah, I know that's why this one super sucks.'

Luke rolls his eyes and hands the remote to Lorelai. 'Okay, I give up. You browse and pick whatever.'

She giggles. 'You lasted longer than I expected. Very zen of you, Luke.' She leans over and kisses his cheek and gives him back the remote. 'Pick whatever you want babe, I really don't mind. I was just playing.'

'You sure?'

'Yep. As long as it's not that.' She points at the TV.

'Fear enough.'

There's a knock on the door that makes Lorelai say, 'Finally' and jump off the couch quicker than The Flash could. She gets to the door, thanks the delivery person, and happily takes the food they're handing to her. She comes back to the living room with one of the containers already open and a fry in her mouth.

Luke chuckles. 'You really couldn't wait?'

'Nope,' she mumbles as she eats another fry.

'Well, that's attractive. Don't choke.' He reaches out his hand to help her with the bag of food. He takes the other containers out of the bags and places them on the empty coffee table.

They start eating, and Luke puts on the next movie that sounds vaguely interesting.

'Luke,' Lorelai says softly, making him turn his head in her direction.

'Yeah?'

'Do you...do you ever want to have one?'

'One what?'

'A kid,' she says, pointing to the child on the screen.

'Oh.' That's all he says and nothing but the movie fills the silence for a moment.

'Luke?'

'What?'

'You didn't—'

'Yes.'

'Yes, what?'

'Yes, I want kids.'

'With me?' Lorelai asks, somewhat shyly.

'Oh no, there's this woman that comes to the diner every Wednesday and she's got wide hips so I thought I would ask her,' he says sarcastically. 'Yes, of course with you Lorelai. Who else?'

'Well, now I'm worried you would rather have them with this Wednesday girl…'

'No, you're the only person I've ever thought about it with.'

Lorelai can't help but smile at that.

'What about you?' he asks.

'I've thought about them...with you.'

'Okay.'

'Okay,' she says back to him.

Luke turns to the movie but after a few seconds, he faces Lorelai again to ask, 'Why?'

'What?'

'Why did you ask?'

'Oh. Just…' She shrugs.

Luke looks at her, his brows narrow showing his confusion.

Lorelai has her eyes on the TV but it's easy to tell that her thoughts aren't on what's happening on screen.

'Lorelai?'

She turns to him and bites her lower lip. She wants to tell him something, but she can't seem to, or maybe she isn't ready to make the possibility real. 'Can we go on a walk?'

'Sure.' Luke gets up and so does Lorelai.

They're out on the beach, walking the same path they had the other night, but this time there's silence and a weird tension between them.

Luke has his hands shoved into his pockets and Lorelai is walking slightly ahead of him, her eyes on the waves.

She sighs and suddenly turns around to face him. They both stop walking, now facing each other. She folds her arms across her chest but then changes her mind and puts them back down to her side. That doesn't feel right either so she just plays with her hands instead.

Luke chuckles at her fidgeting and reaches out to hold her hands in his. 'Lorelai, just tell me what the hell is going on, and what's got you suddenly all panicked.'

'Not panicked. I just don't know how to say it. The last time I did…, It didn't go so well.'

'The last time?' Luke asks, more confused than ever.

'Yeah... it doesn't matter.' She looks down at their hands joined together and then glances up at him. 'I think I might be pregnant.'

'What? Really?' So many emotions cross Luke's face: confusion, the realisation of what she was actually telling him, and then this rush of excitement he never thought he would get at hearing those words, or at least not before he started dating Lorelai.

'I'm not sure yet, I haven't done any tests or anything like that but...but I'm late and I don't know, I've been feeling weird more than my body coming off the cold. I just have a feeling, which could be wrong. It has before, but I don't know, it could be an option and I think you should know that this could happen because it means big things, but I wasn't sure if you wanted kids and that一'

'Lorelai,' Luke says, stopping her rambling. 'It's okay. Breathe. Please.'

She stops and takes a deep breath. 'I'm okay.'

'Good.'

'You're not mad?'

'Why would I be mad?'

She shrugs in response. Her eyes are on the sand, but Luke guides her view back onto him by nudging her chin with his finger.

'Lorelai, I'm happy. When are you planning on checking?'

'I don't know, it's best we do it away from the hollow or else it'll be front-page news.'

'Yeah, that's the better thing to do.'

'So, you sure you're okay with all this?'

Luke nods. 'I'm more than okay.' He pulls her close to him and gives her a kiss.

'Mm, I'm glad.'

Luke pulls her into a hug, and they stay in the tight embrace for a little while. The sound of the waves meeting the shore is the only company they have.

'Luke…'

'Yeah?' he asks as they pull apart from the hug.

'Want to celebrate with me by doing something crazy?'

'Everything I do with you is crazy.'

Lorelai grins. 'And you love me for it.'

Luke playfully rolls his eyes. 'Go on, what's this crazy thing you want to do to celebrate something we don't know we need to celebrate yet?'

'Let's go skinny dipping.'

'What? No! Never going to happen.' He folds his arms across his chest.

'Please.' She pouts. 'It'll be fun.'

'I think your definition of fun is a lot different to mine.'

Lorelai smirks at him as she starts pulling off her jacket and then off comes her top.

'Lorelai! You're gonna freeze.'

'Maybe, but at least you'll have a lovely view.'

Luke shakes his head. He watches as she strips down realising, she's really going for it. 'I can't believe I'm doing this,' he says as he starts pulling his clothes off too.

'Yes, Luke!' Lorelai giggles with excitement.

'You tell anyone I did this I'll deny it to the end of my day.'

'Wouldn't expect anything less.' She takes Luke's hand once he's done and rushes to the water, this time she knows it's going to be cold but couldn't care less, she just wants to do something stupid, and have fun with the man she loves, the man she may be having a child with.

They get into the water, a squeal from Lorelai and a groan from Luke as they both enter. Lorelai goes for the quick dive and Luke follows.

Luke is the first to pop out of the water. He's standing, the water dancing along his midriff. He runs his hands through his hair and is about to try to find Lorelai when she comes into sight and is soon in front of him. 'Have you had your fun yet?' Luke asks.

'Not yet.'

Really? Because freezing is really fun, isn't it?'

'It may be cold, but I know how to change that.' She shuffles close to him so their bodies are barely a millimetre apart. She brings her hand up to his face and rubs his stubble with it. 'You're hot.' Her lips meet his.

Luke's hands find themselves on her waist as they kiss. The cold is now a long-forgotten thought as all he has in mind is Lorelai, her lips, the feeling of their bodies pressed close together, and their kid potentially growing in her.

When they pull apart, both catching their breath, Lorelai grins at him. 'It worked, right?'

'Yep. But can we get out now?'

Lorelai nods and then gives him a small kiss before taking his hand and leading them out of the water. They find their clothes and put them on.

Luke curses under his breath. The damn sand and clothes being wet are all topics of his profanity, but another kiss from his girl and all that is forgotten too.

They walk back to the house.

With a short towel, Luke dries his hair, making the wet strands slightly fluffy. He grabs the blue t-shirt that has faced the washing machine too many times to be considered a dark colour anymore. He's about to put it on when he stops at hearing Lorelai groaning.

She's already in bed, having been quicker at getting in by abandoning the thought of putting anything on. She points at the t-shirt Luke has in his hand and says, 'You don't need it. I'll keep you nice and warm.'

'If you don't—'

'I will babe, don't you worry,' she quickly says before he even gets a chance to finish.

The t-shirt gets thrown onto the chair by the window. He joins his girl in bed.

Lorelai huddles close to Luke whose arms are now around her body. His hands rest on her stomach. Lorelai smiles. They're not even sure yet but things feel so much better than the first time she was pregnant. She finally has her person. It's perfect.

'This is good…' Lorelai whispers.

Luke smiles and nods. 'Yeah, it is.'

'I know I've said it already but thank you for all this.'

He kisses the back of her neck. 'Just glad to have this time with you.'

'Yeah, me too.' Lorelai turns so she can lay her head on Luke's chest.

'Were you really worried about me being mad or something?' he asks her.

'Not that you would be mad...just that you would freak out and this would make things between us tricky. I love how things are and I didn't want to be the one to screw things up.'

'I love how things are too. I still haven't wrapped my head around all of this. But either way, I'm happy. A kid with you could never screw things up between us.'

She nods. 'I know that now.' Lorelai tilts her head up to kiss his cheek but gets his chin instead. 'I'll buy a test to do tomorrow morning before we leave.'

'Okay, sounds good.'

They soon start drifting off to sleep. Lorelai with her mind on what the future might hold and Luke funny enough, thinking the same thing.

It's early the next morning. Luke's in the bedroom packing up his and Lorelai's things while she's in the bathroom. He's trying to keep busy; doing his best not to think about what Lorelai is doing and what the result might be. He shouldn't be nervous, but he is. Just a little bit. He's folding one of his shirts and placing it into his bag when Lorelai comes out of the bathroom.

She has her hands behind her back and her face is giving nothing away.

'So?'

'Come have a look.'

He goes to her, and she whips out the test from behind her back and asks him, 'Are you ready to be a daddy?'

'More than I realised.' He grins at the sight of the positive result and quickly bear hugs her. 'Lorelai, are you okay?' he asks when he pulls away from her a little and notices that she's crying.

Lorelai nods. 'Yeah, hormones and I'm just happy. With Rory, things were different. I didn't have the support that most mothers-to-be get. I was juggling my parents, school and everything that comes with being a teen mother, and…well you know how Chris took it. I'm glad that I'm finally going to have it all. The whole package'

'I told you that you would.'

She chuckles and wipes her tears with her sleeve. 'Well, actually, you told Mimi, but I get what you mean.' Lorelai leans into his embrace and sighs happily.

'I love you,' he whispers.

She glances up and whispers back those same words. They don't say it to each other often, usually favouring actions over words but there is something so sweet about him saying it now and looking at her with so much love in his eyes.

Luke kisses the top of her head, and they stay in the tight yet comfortable embrace for a moment longer.

Lorelai is the first to move away. She looks at the test in her hand and then at Luke. 'A lot of things are going to change around here. You think you're ready for that?'

'With you Lorelai, I'm ready for anything.'