Title: Tea and Sympathy

Author: Gluglug

Spoiler Warning/Timing: Third Season, post "Take the Deviled Eggs"

Rating: PG

Summary: Sherry has given birth and Lorelai is feeling angsty. Guess who offers her a shoulder to cry on?

A/N: I decided to change the ending slightly, due to some great feedback I received from jewls13. I will probably continue writing at some point but want to leave it as a stand alone.

Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all characters are property of The Dubba Dubba Dubba WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Amy Sherman- Palladino. They don't belong to me, just borrowing. =========================================================================

It was Friday night and Lorelai Gilmore fled Boston in her Jeep, she couldn't get out of there fast enough. If she kept at the speed limit she would make it home in under two hours. Twenty four hours ago, Sherry had given birth to her daughter, Gigi. It was a difficult birth, not the easy C-section that was planned. Sherry was going to have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days to recover.

Yesterday, Chris had called asking Rory and Lorelai to be there. In spite of her discomfort, Lorelai drove Rory to Boston so she could meet her baby half-sister. Lorelai tried to push her jealousy and resentment aside and be happy for Rory, Chris and Sherry. After all, the little baby was innocent, and the poor thing would have to grow up named after a film about a French prostitute. She hoped that Gigi would know how lucky she was to have a big sister like Rory.

She thought she would be all right, until she saw the picture she was dreading. Sherry in her hospital bed, looking exhausted but radiant, Chris the proud father, and Rory holding little Gigi in her arms for the first time. The four of them together, they looked like a family in a Norman Rockwell painting. And Lorelai was not in that picture, she was peering through a window at them, feeling like an outsider. The nurse had told her, immediate family only. She felt like crying but kept her tears at bay.

When Rory came out of the room to tell her how cute the baby was, she just hugged her daughter tightly. Rory knew this was very difficult for her mother and told her she could go back to Stars Hollow. Rory planned to stay with Chris for a day or two and help him prepare for the baby's arrival home. So Lorelai left - it was better that way. Better to be alone at home than having to stand by and smile at the happy family picture.

Just after 10, Lorelai took the Stars Hollow exit and drove through the town. She passed the town center and spotted Luke. He must have just closed the diner for the evening and she was surprised to see him walking around. It was a cold mid-November night, crisp and clear. She pulled over and honked at him. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey, Lorelai, you shouldn't be honking this time of night, some folks are trying to sleep."

"Unlike you - aren't you usually hitting the sack about now?"

"I wanted to take a walk, I've been cooped up in the diner today and wanted to look at the stars."

"Star gazing in Stars Hollow?"

"Something like that."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." Luke was always happy when Lorelai wanted to spend time with him. Especially when it was night, under the stars, who knows what could happen?

Lorelai was in no hurry to go home to an empty house and be alone with her bitterness. She parked her jeep on the curb and exited. She joined Luke on the sidewalk. The town center was dark and no one was around.

"So, where were you tonight? Is Rory at home waiting for you?"

"No, she's in Boston with her dad, Sherry and their new baby, Gigi. I just came from the hospital."

"So, Sherry had the baby."

"Yup."

"And she named it after a French prostitute?"

"Yeah, poor kid."

"How are you doing? I mean, I know this must be hard for you."

Luke and Lorelai found a bench and sat down. Luke remembered how upset Lorelai was when she told him about Chris and Sherry and the baby. Sherry had everything Lorelai wanted, well, what Lorelai thought she wanted. At least Luke hoped that's what it was.

"Oh things couldn't be better." She chuckled bitterly. "Tonight was probably one of the strangest nights, I've never felt so isolated. I mean, I was looking at Rory holding the baby, she was in the hospital room with Sherry and Chris. Sherry looked gorgeous, she had that "new mom" glow, Chris was playing the proud and loving dad to the hilt. And Rory, she had the most angelic smile when she saw her new sister, and everyone was just so joyful. And meanwhile, I'm looking at them and I just wanted to scream! Am I a terrible person, Luke?"

He smirked at her. "That's a loaded question." Then he paused and looked at her soberly. "I don't think you're a terrible person for wanting something you can't have. But I know you can rise above that."

"I tried to, I tried so hard. I was fine until I saw the four of them in that room. All I could think about was how wrong the scene was. That it shouldn't have been Sherry in the hospital bed, it should've been me." Lorelai finally let the tears flow that she had been holding back. "Luke, I wanted it to be me!"

Luke pulled Lorelai into his arms. "It's ok, Lorelai, it's ok." Lorelai held onto Luke tightly and he stroked her hair and back as she sobbed. A minute or two later, her tears subsided and she pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Luke. I know you hate it when I cry."

"It's ok. I've seen you cry before, and I'll probably see you cry again. But I hope it's a long time before that happens. I just don't like to see you hurting. Hey, do you want to come upstairs for a bit? I could make you some tea and you can blow your nose."

"I'd like to, but won't Jess mind?"

"He's probably in bed already. He's working the early shift at Wal-mart this weekend."

"Jess is working at Wal-mart? You're kidding. Is that where he got the money to buy the junky jalopy he's been riding around in?"

"Truth is stranger than fiction."

They got up from the bench and started to walk to Luke's apartment.

Lorelai was starting to forget about her day at the hospital. "Hey, I'll let you in on a secret, promise you won't tell Jess."

Luke raised his eyebrows. "What secret?"

"Well, remember a couple of weeks ago, when Jess's car was egged? I have it on good authority that a certain outlaw mother/daughter team may be responsible."

"Ooh -I'm gonna out you at the next town meeting. I'm not really surprised that it was you. And Jess, he kind of had it coming. But I gotta tell you, he is surprising me these days, he's not such a bad kid."

"Well, I think a lot of it has to do with his uncle."

"You give me too much credit."

Luke and Lorelai walked upstairs to his apartment. The place was dark, so Luke flipped on the kitchen light. "Let's keep our voices down, so we don't disturb him." He handed her a tissue box so she could blow her nose.

"So, I'm making you tea. You'll drink it if I go to the trouble?"

"Sure, I'll have some of that chamomile stuff. I think my nerves need it."

Luke put on the kettle and got a mug from his cupboard. "This will be a watershed moment, Lorelai Gilmore drinking tea."

"Well don't get your hopes up. I'm only drinking it because I've had one of the suckiest days of my entire life." She reached for another tissue to wipe her face of the tears. "Although, things don't seem so bad now that I'm here with you."

Here was one of those potentially watershed moments, when Luke never knew what do next, if he only did or said the right thing...<nah, forget it, Lorelai's not ready for that, this is an inappropriate time> A few seconds passed in awkward silence. Luckily the tea kettle whistle saved them, he got up and poured the hot water into a mug and submerged the teabag. He brought it to the table and placed it front of Lorelai.

"Careful, it's hot. You might want to let it cool a bit."

"Thanks." Lorelai blew on her mug and took a small sip. "The tea's not bad." She paused. "You know, I was just thinking about what I said about wanting to be in Sherry's place. I really didn't mean it, I mean I want that happy family picture one day..."

Luke interrupted her. "You mean the whole package?"

She nodded, recalling their conversation in the diner a few months ago. "Yes. But I made a decision 18 years ago not to marry Chris and I still don't regret that. I think what got me was seeing Rory with them. I know it's irrational but I felt in that moment I was losing her. I guess with the prospect of her leaving for college, having this new little sister to love, I feel like she has things in her life that have nothing to do with me. For so long it's been the two of us against the world, and I have to face the fact that she's growing up and doesn't need me anymore."

Luke looked at Lorelai's sad face and handed her the tissue box. "Here you go, just in case." He hoped he could say the right words to make her smile again.

"You know Lorelai, everything you said may be true about Rory, but she'll always need you. You're the closest mother/daughter team I have seen, to the point of freakishness. Sure, Rory's growing up, but she'll always be your daughter and your best friend. I think you know she loves you more than anything in the world."

Lorelai's eyes teared up again but this time she was smiling. "Oh, Luke, you always know exactly what I need to hear." She reached over and took his hand in hers. "How do you always know?"

Again, here was one of those moments. Two in one night and Luke was getting uncomfortable. So he just relied on a familiar line. "Because I know, ok?" As much as he liked holding Lorelai's hand, he knew he wouldn't want to let go if he held on any longer. He pulled his hand away.

Lorelai wished Luke hadn't pulled his hand away. She paused. "Ok, let's see how you do with this one. What am I gonna do when Rory goes to college and I'll be living on my own for the first time?"

Luke smiled. "That's easy. You're going to start focusing on yourself, your dreams. You know, owning your own Inn, starting a Go-Gos cover band and maybe finding some nice guy to settle down with?"

"Hey, that's not so easy. Well, the Inn and the band, a piece of cake. But the nice guy part, I don't know if that's gonna happen. I don't have the best track record, you know. And the last date I went on was pretty painful."

"Was it that Doogie Howser guy or did you wind up going out with Kirk?"

"Neither. I went on a date with an Aryan from Darien that I met at an auction. He was handsome and charming but once we went out all he talked about was his Jaguar, his money and his wine cellar. And to add insult to injury, I was roped into going to a Bowie concert with him. I'm a huge fan but I think I'll never be able to listen to "Space Oddity" again without cringing."

Luke felt a twinge of jealousy but was relieved that it didn't work out and he tried to hide his relief from Lorelai. "My sympathies. Um, so, Lorelai, this nice guy- in your mind's eye, what is he like?"

"Hmm, good question. When I was younger, he had to have a killer record collection, have great hair and make me smile with his wit and personality. Now I'll settle for someone who makes me smile. I guess he would also have to make a heavenly cup of coffee, put up with my endless chatter and be able to shut me up with a great kiss."

"Well, that's a tall order to fill. Where are you going to find a winner like that?"

"Oh, I have a strong feeling that one day in the future when I'm not looking, he'll fall right into my lap." Lorelai gave Luke a knowing look, telling him she wasn't quite ready yet, but she would - someday.

Luke met her gaze and hoped he was reading her right. "Well, I hope to be there to see it happen."

Lorelai looked at her watch, it was almost midnight. "Oh Luke, it's getting late. I should go and let you sleep."

Luke yawned in agreement. "Yeah, it's time for bed, should be a busy day tomorrow."

"With all the driving today, I'm exhausted, so I think I'll be sleeping in tomorrow. But I'll be at the diner for a late brunch. Make me waffles?"

"Waffles, sure."

Lorelai stood up and Luke followed her to the door. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy." She gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, sleep well." With that, Lorelai left the apartment and walked downstairs and back to her Jeep.

Luke shut the door and locked it. As he settled into bed for the night, he had a feeling that he was going to have dreams of falling into Lorelai's lap and shutting her up with kisses.

Lorelai drove home and reflected on the days events. Luke was right, it was time for her to start thinking about her own future and what she wanted. Rory was about to start a new life of her own and it was about time she did, too. She entered her empty house and didn't feel as lonely as she dreaded. She had the whole place to herself that weekend, and plenty of quiet time to dream.
*

As she did almost every single morning of her adult life, Lorelai came into Luke's diner and walked up to the counter needing her morning coffee. But Luke wasn't there waiting for her with a coffee cup and his pot.

He was at the other end of the counter, whispering and laughing with a petite blond woman dressed in a serious navy blue suit. She looked like a thirty-something Reese Witherspoon, cute, whip-smart and very hard to dislike. Luke had been dating her for a few weeks now. Lisa was a property lawyer Taylor hired as his turf war with Luke escalated. Taylor threatened to sue Luke over some zoning issues with the soda shop and hired Lisa to settle the matter.

Once it was settled, Luke found himself so charmed he asked her out. He was tired of waiting around for Lorelai and here was this beautiful, smart, single woman who seemed to be interested in him. Luke never liked lawyers much, but Lisa was changing his mind. She lived nearby, in West Hartford, and now had more than just business to attend to in Stars Hollow. Lisa hated coffee, was a vegetarian and taught yoga on weekends. Lorelai watched as Lisa gave Luke a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the diner.

It peeved Lorelai that he hadn't the courtesy to introduce them. Luke was her friend - didn't friends introduce the people they were dating to their friends? She had after all, introduced Alex to Luke last week, handshakes and everything. Alex was the new guy in Lorelai's life.

Lorelai met him at an entrepreneurial business course she and Sookie were taking to prepare for the opening their Inn. Luke had suggested it to her, he gotten a course catalog in the mail and passed it on to her. Alex was 35, a former dotcom executive who decided to open his own coffee house. He was divorced, loved junk food, pop culture, 80s new wave, and of course coffee. He also looked kind of like Ben Affleck, but not as gangly. On paper, he was the perfect guy for her. He also lived fifteen minutes away, so Lorelai had been spending lots of time with him for the past few weeks as well.

Luke made his way over to Lorelai, he looked happy. She gave him a skeptical look.

"What's that look for?"

"It means I need coffee now."

"Rough night?"

No, actually I had a great night. Alex and I went to see Berlin play last night in Hartford, Terri Nunn looked and sounded fabulous during "Sex."

"Berlin? Nuns? Is this some sick sort of Nazi sex thing?"

"Luke, you are twisted. No, Berlin, the band, you know "Sex," "The Metro," and the love theme from "Top Gun? Damn that Tom Cruise."

"Like I said, some sick sort of Nazi sex thing."

Lorelai was not used to Luke saying the word "sex" this early in the morning. She assumed he must be getting some if he was using the word and he was frown-less. Maybe Lisa had spent the night? Why did she care anyway? If Luke was getting some, she should be happy for him.

"We got home late from the show, that's all. I didn't get to bed until late."

Luke assumed that Alex probably spent the night with Lorelai. They were together almost two months, not that he was keeping track or anything. He knew this was make or break time for Lorelai's boy-toy du jour. Anyway, why did he care, he was dating Lisa. He had his own relationship to focus on.

"So, what can I get you this morning besides your usual caffeine IV?"

Lorelai smiled. "Luke's fluffy pancakes, haven't had them in a while and I miss them."

"Well, I'm sure the pancakes miss you too, I'll be right back."

What? No lectures on her health? No trace of sarcasm? Luke was definitely getting some. Lorelai missed the flannel curmudgeon who used to serve her with a scowl.

He returned with her pancakes and coffee. "Here you are - do you want anything else?"

She took a bite. "Well actually, yeah. What are you doing this Saturday night? I mean you and the woman you're dating that you haven't introduced me to yet?"

Luke shrugged. "I introduced you to Lisa last week."

"That wasn't an introduction. It was a point and wave."

"I'm not going to argue with you about this. Why did you ask about Saturday?"

"I had a brilliant idea."

"Uh-oh."

"Not uh-oh. Since I've never really had the chance to meet your new girlfriend, I thought we should go on a double date. You know, me and Alex, you and Lisa. Some sort of bonding activity. Bowling, maybe? I read in the paper that a new alley opened outside of town that plays 80's music and has UV lighting. Glow in the dark bowling - it'll be fun!"

Luke thought this was a bad idea. It figured that when Lorelai finally asked him out, it was on a double date. He remembered the last time he saw her on a double date. She had been ditched and had to be rescued with a poker game. But he knew that she would whine and beg and embarrass him into saying yes. So he only put up half a fight.

"I'm not crazy about the idea. I'm not much of a bowler, but I'll ask Lisa. If it's ok with her, I guess we'll go. I might make her some food to take-out. Bowling alleys aren't known for the vegetarian cuisine."

"Well, I also read in the review that they sell veggie and turkey burgers along with the pizza, beer and chili fries, so there's something for everyone!"

"I'll ask her and get back to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Sure, I'll ask Alex and we'll confirm plans."

"Alex doesn't know about this yet?"

"No, the idea just came to me. He'll love it. He lets me plan all our dates."

"Well, it's not like you have control issues or anything. Hey, eat your breakfast before it gets cold. I'll talk to you later, I have a diner to run."

Luke headed to another table to take an order. Lorelai smiled to herself as she sipped her coffee. For a minute there, it seemed like the old Luke was back and she was willing to forgive his control issues remark. Maybe he wasn't getting any, after all?
*

It was Saturday night and Lorelai headed to Luke's. The plan was to meet Alex there while Luke closed up early and then they would head to the bowling alley. Lisa was teaching an early evening yoga class and was going to meet them at the alley at nine.

As she walked, she remembered her phone conversation with Alex when they discussed the date. He hadn't been on a double date since his grad school days at Wharton. He used to organize bowling parties for his dot-company and always led the winning team, so he was happy.

One comment bugged her, though. "I knew you were going to suggest a double date sooner or later." What did he mean by that? Two months into the relationship and he could already predict what she would say? Predictable was a patented Gilmore trait that she was desperately trying to shake. She walked into the diner and Luke was doing his usual end of the day receipt tally. Alex had yet to arrive.

Luke looked up and when he heard the door open. She was wearing her blue corduroy shearling jacket and scarf over a purple v-neck sweater with a pair of faded jeans and high heeled black boots. Luke always thought purple was a good color on her - it complemented her pale complexion and bright blue eyes. For a second, he forgot all about Lisa.

"Hey, Lorelai. Your boyfriend's not here yet."

"I have eyes, Luke. Hey, do you have any coffee left?"

"Of course, I saved a pot just for you. I know you can't bowl without caffeine." He poured her a cup and she took a stool near the register. She took a sip and looked at him.

"Luke, am I predictable?"

"Well, you come into the diner almost every morning, the first word out of your mouth is always coffee, you annoy me with your nonsensical stories and schemes, and you're almost always with Rory, so yeah, I'd say you're predictable." He was smirking at her but his tone was affectionate.

"I hate being predictable."

"Being predictable isn't so bad - it can also mean you're reliable, that people can depend on you."

"But it can also mean stuck in a rut, set in your ways, old and boring..."

"You mean, like me."

"Well, now that you mention it..I'm kidding, Luke. You're predictable, but in a good way. Although you really surprised me when you started dating Lisa."

Luke wondered when she would mention her. "Why, you can't picture me with a girlfriend?"

"No, no. I've seen you with Rachel, I know that you are capable of a relationship with a member of the opposite sex, I guess I just didn't picture you with her."

"Who did you picture me with?"

"I don't know, but I never pictured you with a bubbly little blond."

"She's not bubbly, she's friendly. I hate the word "bubbly" so please don't use it again and Lorelai, be nice to her tonight. I'd actually like to not be single again after the date."

"Of course I'll be nice, and you'd better be nice to Alex. I'm planning to put you two together on a team so you can do the male, he-man bonding thing."

"How thoughtful of you. Hey, I assumed you'd want it to be a couple vs. couple thing."

"Oh, we'll do that, too. I have it all planned out - the first game will be you and Lisa against me and Alex. The second game will be girls vs. boys, and the last game we'll switch dates."

Luke looked at her skeptically. "Switch dates? Interesting."

"So I'm not so predictable, then? Although I'm gonna be on every winning team!"

"Little miss competitive wants to win every game? Now I get it. Face it Lorelai, you are predictable." She and Luke laughed.

They didn't know that they were being watched. Alex drove up a few minutes earlier but when he saw Luke and Lorelai through the window he watched them with fascination. Their body language spoke volumes and he had a feeling that they had been a couple at one time or another.

Alex never asked Lorelai straight on what the deal was, but he sensed a lingering attraction. He tried to shake his doubts as he walked into the diner. He really liked Lorelai and wanted to keep seeing her. He hoped his doubts would be laid to rest that night, among other things. Lorelai had been holding out on him. When he learned that she had Rory as a teenager, he assumed that she was easy. But Lorelai told him that she wanted to go slow - she told him that she really liked him and didn't want to rush.

Lorelai jumped a little when she heard the door open and saw Alex. She ran to the door and gave him a kiss. "Hello, Mr. Keaton."

Luke felt uncomfortable watching them play kissy face. He came from behind the counter once Lorelai removed her face from Alex's.

He held out his hand. "Hi Alex, good to see you again, but I thought your last name was Cohen."

Alex shook Luke's hand. "Good to see you, Luke. My name is Cohen, but we both loved "Family Ties" growing up and Lorelai likes to call me "Alex P. Keaton." It's one of our little 80s jokes."

Luke deadpanned, "Well, I guess you should be happy she doesn't call you Trebek."

Alex laughed, "Lorelai, your friend has a sense of humor after all."

Lorelai forced a laugh and noticed Luke's strained expression. "Well, Alex, now that you're here, we should go. Luke's girlfriend is meeting us there."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, she teaches yoga class in Harford at 7, so it's easier for her to go straight from her studio to the bowling alley."

Alex joked. "Yoga, huh? I'm thinking of taking a class - I hear it's a great way to meet women."

Lorelai punched him playfully in the arm. "Stop with the funny, please. Luke, we're going outside - if you get lost, look for Alex's car, he drives a red Ford SUV - it's hard to miss."

"Don't worry, I can find my way. I'll lock up and I'll meet you there." Luke rolled his eyes at them as the left.

So this was the guy she thinks was so great? Luke hated SUVs, especially red ones. As far as he was concerned, they were gas guzzling yuppie mobiles. He would bet on the diner that Alex was one of those people who yapped on their cell phones while driving. It was going to be a long night.

As he drove to the bowling alley trailing behind the SUV, he looked forward to meeting Lisa there. She always had that post yoga glow after class. He wondered if that glow was anything like a post-sex afterglow. They had some hot and heavy make-out sessions in the past few weeks, but he hadn't wanted to rush things. Luke hoped that Lisa would be in the mood tonight, it had been too long since he'd last had sex. He had the apartment to himself and a new mattress to break in. It was fortunate timing that Jess had decided to go see his mom for the weekend.

A few minutes later, Luke watched Alex's SUV pull into the parking lot of Litchfield Lanes and he pulled his pick-up in the adjacent space. Luke rolled his eyes when he saw Alex yapping on his cell phone as he and Lorelai exited. He hadn't even gone around to the other side to open the car door for her.

Luke joined them. He fell in step with Lorelai while Alex argued with his business partner over entertainment options for their coffee house.

"I don't want Jewel like folk singers - I want Culture Club cover bands!"

Lorelai groaned. "He's arguing about what kind of music they should play in the coffee house. I agree with Mark, his business partner, folksingers and coffee houses are like macaroni and cheese, bagels and lox."

"Coffee and donuts?" Luke offered. "A Culture Club cover band? Who'd want to see that?"

"Alex. Although the Boy George wannabe was classic in the "Wedding Singer."

"Didn't see it."

"Ah that's right, I keep forgetting I'm talking to the pop culturally illiterate."

"Hey, I made that Trebek comment."

"Just your feeble attempt at trying to fit in with the cool kids." Her words belied her affectionate tone, and she patted the back of his flannel shirt.

Alex got off his cell phone and Lorelai caught up with him. The three of them entered the alley. Luke was relieved to see Lisa sitting near the shoe rental waiting for him. She was wearing a fitted long sleeved pink t-shirt with black boot cut pants. It showed off her curvy but toned figure. He smiled and put his arms around her and decided to give her a big wet kiss.

"Wow, Luke. Someone is glad to see me."

"It's just that I haven't seen you in three days, Lisa, I've missed you. And you always look so great after yoga."

"Thanks. Class went well tonight, I have some new students, so it was rewarding."

Lorelai and Alex approached them. "Hey, enough with the lovey dovey stuff."

Luke remembered that he was on a double date, so he had to be civil and polite.

"Lisa, this is Alex Cohen and you remember Lorelai Gilmore, from the diner."

Lorelai extended her hand. "Lisa, it's nice to officially meet you. For some reason, Luke's been trying to keep us away from each other. But tonight, you and I are gonna be the best of friends."

Luke was embarrassed and Lisa was a little taken aback by Lorelai's aggressive approach. But she was a lawyer and could think on her feet. She also noticed that Lorelai's date was very cute, he reminded her of Ben Affleck, her favorite actor. She shook Lorelai's hand.

"It's good to finally meet you too. I understand that you and Luke have known each other a long time, I'm gonna be grilling you for all the dirt."

Alex took notice of Lisa, he thought she was really cute. She reminded him of Reese Witherspoon, his favorite actress. He extended his hand to her once she let go of Lorelai's.

"Hi, I'm Alex. It's nice to meet you, Lisa. Has anyone ever told you that you look like Reese Witherspoon?"

"Well, no, but thank you. I just loved her in Legally Blonde and I'm also a lawyer. Has anyone ever told you that you look like Ben Affleck?"

"Well, yeah. Except I'm better looking and I'm not marrying J. Lo." Lisa and Alex laughed.

Luke and Lorelai looked sideways at each other. What the hell was going on with their dates?

The four of them sat down and removed their shoes. Lorelai sat down next to Lisa. She noticed that Lisa had small feet, she wore a size six. Lorelai hated her big feet, she wore a size ten. Of course Lorelai was several inches taller than her but she felt embarrassed asking for such a large shoe size. Lisa had just given the attendant her shoes when Luke noticed Lorelai was stalling and decided it was her turn to be embarrassed.

Luke said in a really loud voice to the shoe attendant, "Oh sir, we need one more pair, a woman's SIZE TEN!" He very well knew Lorelai's shoe size, having had fixed both her ice-skates and her vintage shoe at the dance marathon. Lorelai shot Luke a dirty look as she approached the counter to hand in her shoes. As she put on the bowling shoes, she regretted the fact he knew her so well.

Once they got their assignment, the foursome headed to their lane. Lorelai wondered if this was a bad sign. "Lucky number thirteen."
*

"Lucky number thirteen?" Luke repeated. "Well, Lisa and I have lane number fourteen, so maybe that means the luck is on our side."

Lorelai looked at him. "Not for long, we're going to be switching sides all night. And it doesn't matter what lane I'm in, I plan to prove I'm the best amateur bowler in the state of Connecticut!"

She said to Alex sweetly, "Honey, why don't you go pick out two bowling balls for us? Get me an orange one - it'll clash nicely with my sweater. I swear between these ugly shoes and the orange balls for chicks, bowling alleys were definitely designed by straight guys with no fashion sense."

Alex looked at Luke. "Hey, man - wanna come with?"

Luke nodded and they headed to the bowling ball rack, he wanted to get away from Lorelai's rants for a couple of minutes.

"What did you mean by switching sides?" Lisa asked Lorelai.

"Oh, Luke didn't tell you the plan? We're playing three games tonight. The first game is you and Luke versus me and Alex. The second is us girls against the guys, and the last game we switch dates. I bet you and I will make a great team."

"Switch dates?" At first Lisa didn't think this was such a great idea, she sensed something going on between Luke and Lorelai. She knew they had a shared history but wasn't sure just how much they had shared. But Alex was cute, she wouldn't mind being his partner for a game.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I plan to return Luke to you after I win. He'll be your consolation prize."

"I wouldn't bet on you winning. I was the captain of my sorority's bowling team. But it's been a while, yoga's my primary fitness choice these days. And bowling can ruin a manicure."

"Agreed. Hey, you sure you're name isn't really Elle Woods?"

Lisa laughed at Lorelai's "Legally Blonde" joke as Luke and Alex returned with four bowling balls.

Luke wondered what they were laughing about, he hoped Lorelai wasn't telling Lisa stories about him. He set the balls down on the carousel. "What did I miss?"

Lorelai knew that wary look and teased him. "Oh, I was just telling Lisa about the time you dressed up as Frank'N Furter at the Stars Hollow midnight screening of the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show.' You should've seen Luke's legs in fishnets and heels."

Luke turned thirteen shades of red. "Lisa, don't listen to her. Lorelai's a pathological liar and that's the least of her psychological problems."

Lisa looked disappointed. "So it's not true?"

"No, I never dressed up like that."

"Too bad, I'd love to see you in fishnets and heels." She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss.

Lorelai felt uncomfortable watching them play kissy face, so she turned to the carousel to try out her orange bowling ball.

"Alex, this is the perfect ball for me, it feels like it was made for my hand."

"Um, I think that's the one Luke picked out for Lisa. That's your ball."

Lorelai felt embarrassed. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize." She picked up the other orange ball. "This one's just as good." The truth was it felt a little too lightweight for her but she didn't want to hurt Alex's feelings.

Lorelai turned around and called over to Luke and Lisa who were still kissing. She felt like throwing her bowling ball at them but fought the urge.

"Hey, you both realize you can't bowl with your lips attached like that?"

Lisa heard Lorelai and pulled away from Luke. "Yeah, let the games begin!"

A waitress appeared and asked if they wanted any food or drinks. Luke ordered an iced tea pitcher and two veggie burgers. Alex ordered two pepperoni pizza slices and pitcher of lite beer.

They began to bowl. Lorelai and Alex won the first game easily. Lorelai got several strikes in a row and Alex wasn't too shabby either. Lisa bowled pretty well - after a slow start, she got two strikes and several spares. But Luke wasn't having any fun, he'd always been a bad bowler.

Luke bowled three gutter balls in a row but managed to knock down some pins towards the end. He wasn't the competitive type, but he was having his butt kicked by two women and he was embarrassed. After the game ended, he sat with his face in his hands.

He heard Lorelai's scolding voice. "You're not going to start crying, are you sissy boy? I can't believe you were ever known as Butch Danes!" Luke looked up and glared at her.

Lisa sat down next to him, took his hand and gave him some words of encouragement. "Luke, don't worry, you're just getting warmed up. Why don't you take a break and eat your burger. I ate mine and while it's not as good as the kind you make, you'll need your energy."

Luke nodded at her and walked over to the food. Lorelai was touched by the tender, almost maternal way Lisa handled Luke. She immediately regretted being mean to him.

She sat next to him and took a bite of her pizza. "Hey, Butch."

"I told you never to call me that."

"Sorry, I just wanted to apologize. I got into the competitive spirit and sometimes I go overboard. I know you're not a sissy. I mean you lack bowling skills, but there are worse things.."

He stopped glaring at her and sighed. "You know, I may suck at this game, but I'm not having such a bad time. Lisa's great, huh?"

Lorelei agreed. "Yeah, she's sweet and she really seems to care for you. I take it back, she's not bubbly. I'm looking forward to bonding with her during the next game."

"Hey, just don't tell her any more embarrassing stories about me, ok?"

Lorelai looked over at Alex sipping his beer as Lisa drank her iced tea. They seemed to be having a "getting to know you" chat.

"I can't promise, but I'll try to behave. And look at our dates, they seem to be getting along, too."

After Luke and Lorelai finished their food, it was time for round two. Lisa joined Lorelai on lane thirteen and Alex joined Luke on the other. The ladies beat the guys, although the game was a little closer this time and they won by nine points. Luke's losing streak continued, although he managed to hit more pins this time and not as many gutter balls.

Alex was pissed. "Geez, this the first time I can remember losing at bowling. When I worked at my internet company, I organized company bowling parties. I always won, even when we had those tech losers on the team."

Luke was tired of Alex's condescension. "So you're saying I'm worse than a bunch of geeks?"

Seeing Luke's expression, he backed off. Alex didn't want to get into a confrontation. "No, man, I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to beat Lorelai, she's even more competitive than I am. Bowling's not your game, is it?"

Luke was starting not to hate Alex so much. "I won't win any trophies - that's for sure. And you're right about Lorelai, she's about as competitive as they come. You should've seen her at the dance marathon."

"Yeah, she told me all about it, even the part about you fixing her shoe."

Lorelai saw Luke and Alex talking. It was nice to see them getting along, sort of.

"Hey loser boys, Lisa and I are going to the ladies room to freshen up, we'll be back in a few. And Luke, when I get back, I want to see a major attitude adjustment, we are gonna win that last game!"

Alex laughed. "They're going in there to gossip about us." He paused. "Hey Luke, I want to ask you a question, if I'm out of line, just tell me."

Luke had a feeling he knew what was coming. "What do you want to know?"

"Did you ever date Lorelai?"

"Why, do you need pointers or something?"

"So you did?"

"I was joking. No, we've never dated. She just spends a lot of time in my diner, drinking coffee. We've become friends over the years."

"Well once I open my place, maybe she'll be drinking my coffee all the time instead of yours."

Luke wasn't about to stoop to a coffee pissing contest. "Never happen, unless you plan to open your place on her front lawn."

Alex laughed, a little uncomfortably. He realized he was trying to start a pissing contest and decided to stop when he noticed that Luke didn't seem threatened. That bothered him.

Just then, the ladies returned.

"Good Luck, with the next game, man." Alex shook Luke's hand.

Luke grimaced. "I'll need it."

*

Luke joined Lorelai on lane thirteen for the first time that night. She immediately started in with the pep talk.

"Ok, Luke, don't mean to put any pressure on you, but it's up to you to preserve my honor."

"What honor? Lorelai, it's just a game."

"Just a game, are you kidding? Bowling is an American institution, like apple pie, baseball, and the super-sized menu at McDonalds. It's the salvation of beer guzzling working man. If you don't win, you'll be letting your country down."

"What does patriotism have to do with your over-inflated ego?"

"Luke, America is all about ego, you know competition, success, individualism."

"And that's why two-thirds of this planet hates us."

Lorelai watched as Alex bowled a strike. "Nice move, Keaton! Try beating this!"

She sashayed up to the line and let her ball fly - she hit eight pins and then got the spare. Unfortunately for the next few frames, Luke was only able to hit only a few pins. Although Lorelai was able to compensate for his shortcomings, she wasn't happy and continued to goad him on.

Meanwhile Alex and Lisa were starting to lead them by a few points and their lead grew with every frame. They were laughing and high fiving each other with every strike or spare. If Lorelai didn't know them, she thought they might make a cute couple. What was she thinking, Alex was her boyfriend!

After bowling another strike, she returned to sit beside Luke. They only had a few frames left and he was starting to get that crestfallen look he had at the end of game one. She decided to stop haranguing him and tried another approach.

"Hey, Butch, I have a proposition."

He grimaced. "What do you want?"

"Sorry, couldn't resist. Hey, if you are able to hit more than five pins at a time, I promise you that I will drink decaf every day for a week."

"You're joking."

"Am not, I'm desperate."

"And what will you do for me if I bowl a strike?"

"Whatever you want."

Luke pondered the possibilities. "Well that's motivation enough."

He stood up and picked up his bowling ball. He decided to change his hand position slightly and for the first time that night he felt in complete control. He let the ball fly and held his breath as it sailed down the alley, knocking down nine pins.

Luke couldn't believe it, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him. He pumped his fist in the air, and did one of those stupid dances he had watched everyone else in the alley do.

Lisa stopped flirting with Alex long enough to notice Luke's personal victory. She crossed over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Oh, Luke, I knew you could do it."

As Lorelai watched them she felt a twinge of jealousy. Lisa wasn't the reason that Luke had done well. And besides, it wasn't over yet. He still had to attempt the spare.

"Hey, Luke, not so fast, you still have another pin to knock down."

"Lorelai, as far as I'm concerned, I've won. You're drinking decaf for a whole week!" He looked like a kid at Christmas.

Luke picked up the ball and rolled again. He missed the spare.

"Ah, see? That's what you get for being all cocky."

Alex had momentarily excused himself to go the men's room, so Lisa watched Luke and Lorelai's mock-hostile flirting match. She was so distracted by them that when she took her turn, she only hit one pin. If she hadn't known them, she would've thought they were a married couple.

When Alex returned, he noticed that Lisa hadn't advanced their score much.

"Hey Lisa - what happened?"

She smiled shyly at him. "My good luck charm wasn't here."

He smiled back at her. "Well, I'm here now. Don't worry, we'll beat them."

Lisa really liked Alex, too bad he was wasting his time with Lorelai. His eating habits were disgusting, but there was something about his smile that just got to her. As much as she liked Luke, his smile never melted her heart.

Finally it was down to the deciding frame. Alex and Lisa were leading by three points. Lorelai got up and bowled her final turn, she missed the strike, but picked up the spare.

She returned to her seat and looked defeated. Luke was surprised that she was quiet.

"What no pep talk, no pestering?"

"Luke, I'm trying to be unpredictable."

"Does your proposition still stand?"

"What proposition? You mean the decaf thing?"

"We need a strike to win this thing. You promised me you would do whatever I asked if I got a strike, does it still stand?"

"Well, there's no way you're getting a strike, but yeah, a promise is a promise."

Luke got up and felt more confident than he had all night. He was going to win this. He released the ball and it went straight down the center of the alley. All ten pins went flying.

"YES!" He pumped his fist in the air again, turned around and saw Lorelai's mouth drop. They won!

Lorelai got off her seat and ran straight into Luke's arms. He picked her up and spun her around. They were both so excited, they nearly lost their balance on the smooth alley surface. They caused such a scene that the patrons in surrounding lanes started to applaud.

Meanwhile, Alex and Lisa couldn't believe what was going on. Not only had they lost the game, their respective dates were making a spectacle of themselves. They gave each other a knowing look, perhaps Lorelai's plan to switch sides worked all too well.

When Luke and Lorelai finally came back down to earth, they returned to Alex and Lisa.

"Congratulations, you two." Alex tried to be a good sport. "Hey, we losers are going to return our shoes, we'll meet you by the shoe rental."

"Yeah, congratulations, you both deserve to win." Lisa trailed after Alex.

"Sore losers." Lorelai said as they left.

After they had returned their shoes and paid their bill, the foursome met up at the exit and returned to their original pairings.

Lisa spoke first. "Well, it's been an interesting night, and fun. It was nice meeting you Lorelai and Alex." She smiled pointedly at him.

Alex smiled back. "Yeah, it was fun meeting you, Lisa. Good to see you again Luke."

Lorelai waved good-bye to Luke and Lisa. "See you tomorrow Luke."

Luke watched as Lorelai and Alex left the alley.

Luke turned to his date. "So, Lisa, my truck is parked outside. I know you drove here tonight, but I was hoping you'd want to come back to Stars Hollow with me. My nephew is out of town."

Lisa looked at him, her face sober. "I don't think so, Luke."

Luke was disappointed. "Why, do you have an early yoga class tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm saying no."

Luke could tell by her tone that he was about to be dumped.

"Are you dumping me?"

"I hate using that word, but yeah. Luke, I don't think we should see each other anymore. I really like you, but I think we both know that your heart belongs to someone else."

Luke sighed. He was having déjà vu. He had heard this speech before from Rachel, but this time he was tired of the denial. He remembered how it felt to hold Lorelai tonight - it was a high like no other. She was still under his skin, and no other woman could truly distract him.

"I'm so sorry Lisa. I shouldn't have gotten you mixed up in this."

"It's ok. I had a great time getting to know you, Luke. And tonight, I didn't have such a bad time. I don't know if you noticed but Alex and I really hit it off."

"Yeah, a little. Are you gonna see him again?"

"Well, he's probably breaking up with Lorelai as we speak, so yeah. I gave him my card."

"Wow, you move fast."

Lisa chuckled. "I'm a lawyer, I have to be aggressive."

Luke felt a strange sense of relief. "Well, send me an invitation to your wedding."

"Yeah, I hope you and Lorelai can make it. And send me one to yours, too."

Lisa gave Luke a hug, kissed him goodbye and left the bowling alley.

Luke returned to his truck and started the drive back home. He reflected on what had just happened with Lisa. As breakups went, this one wasn't too bad. He hoped Lorelai's wouldn't be too painful.
*
Once Luke returned to Stars Hollow, he was not so surprised to see Lorelai waiting for him on the steps of the diner. But by the look on her face, he could tell that her split with Alex probably hadn't gone as smoothly as his with Lisa. He exited the truck and as he approached her, he could tell that she had been crying.

Lorelai was relieved to see Luke's truck pull up in front of the diner and even more relieved to see that he was alone. She looked up at him and sighed. "Alex dumped me."

Luke was about to tell her his news but decided to wait. He sat down beside her on the steps.

"I'm sorry, what happened?"

"I'm not sure, he just said that he didn't think it was working out. He gave me the usual "it's not you, it's me" speech. Personally, I think he was after Lisa, I noticed the way he was looking at her. I should've never paired them up during that last game."

"Well, apparently the feeling was mutual. Lisa gave him her card while they were returning their shoes, and it wasn't because he needed legal advice."

"What? How did you find out?"

"Lisa told me."

"What kind of woman makes a move like that on a double date?"

"The kind who just dumped me."

"Oh Luke, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Why? Sometimes two people are just attracted to each other, you can't blame yourself."

"But this was my idea. I knew you weren't crazy about it, but I wouldn't listen, as usual. Luke, if I ever mention the words date and double in the same sentence again, just threaten to replace my coffee with decaf!"

"Well you're already going to be drinking decaf, remember? And I guess you didn't learn a lesson from the last double date you went on."

"Hey, that was different, I just went to help Sookie calm her nerves. And Rune was a blind date. You and Lisa and Alex and I were already coupled up..well, not anymore, now it's just you and me alone again, minus the poker game."

"Being alone isn't the worst thing in the world."

"I know. It's just that I thought with Alex, things were going so well - he was successful, attractive, liked coffee, and actually understood most of my pop culture references. I thought he might be that guy who fell into my lap. You know, I was planning on sleeping with him tonight."

Lorelai wasn't sure why she had just let that last piece of information slip out. There was just something about Luke that made her want to confide in him.

He smirked at her. "I'm filing that under too much information." Well, as long as she was being personal, "You mean you hadn't? You were with him for almost two months."

"Well, Rory is visiting Chris this weekend and I finally had the place to myself. And just because I got pregnant at sixteen doesn't mean I can't keep my knees shut, you know." While they were still on the subject of sex, "Hey, did you and Lisa, you know.."

"Um - no. I'd only been dating her a few weeks but I thought tonight I might, you know, make a move. Jess is visiting Liz and I have the whole place to myself. And I wanted to break in my new mattress." Luke couldn't believe he had just told her that, it must've sounded so cheesy. But since she was confiding in him, he felt it was his turn to share.

Lorelai was surprised. "You bought a new mattress?"

"Well, when I expanded upstairs, I realized I had room for a bigger bed. The old one was hurting my back. And I remembered what you'd said about a single bed."

"No room for commitment?"

Luke turned to face her. "You were right, I was shutting myself off. After Rachel left last time, I was scared of trying again. But Lisa, she started to make me comfortable with the idea again. I thought we might have had a shot."

Lorelai felt responsible for Luke's misfortune. "Well, you can thank me for screwing that one up."

"It's not so bad. I mean, I really liked her, we had a lot in common, but I don't think she was "the one."

"You mean she didn't make your heart go bing-zing-boom?"

"Not really, Bjork." Lorelai looked at him funny - Luke didn't look like he was a fan of the former Sugar Cube. He shrugged, "Jess has been playing that song of hers ever since he and Rory started going out."

"I think it's their song, Rory's been playing it too." She chuckled and then sighed. "Well, I guess Alex didn't really make my heart do the Bjork dance either."

Lorelai shivered and Luke realized that they had been sitting on that step for a while, talking in the cold. It was just after eleven, still kind of early for a Saturday night, so he decided to invite her in.

"Hey, do you want to come upstairs? I could make some tea, it might warm you up."

"Sure, I know you make a great cup of tea. And it'll give me a chance to check out this new bed of yours."

Luke looked at her sideways and wondered if she'd meant that as a come on, maybe his bed would be seeing some action after all? He didn't want to get his hopes up, so he tried to push her comment aside.

Lorelai avoided his gaze, embarrassed that her comment could be construed as a come on. In spite of this, she realized how much she missed spending time with Luke the past couple of months. She hadn't been to his apartment since the night she drove back from Boston, after Sherry had given birth. He had made her some tea and they had one of their heart-to-hearts.

She followed Luke as he went around to the back entrance and they walked upstairs. Once inside, she sat at his kitchen table while Luke went to put on the kettle.

"Hey did you ever think of putting up a temporary wall or something, you know, for privacy?"

"I've considered it, but Jess probably will probably get a place of his own when he graduates, so I didn't bother." He looked at his cupboard, he needed to go food shopping. "All I have is peppermint, is that ok?"

"Sure, that's your favorite tea, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah. It's soothing, non-caffeinated and, hey, it's a breath freshener."

"So it's a kissing tea?"

"I'd never really thought of that, but if you want to look at that way."

Lorelai stood up and approached the new bed. Along with that kissing comment, it seemed to Luke that she was hell bent on elevating the sexual tension between them.

"So this is the bed." Lorelai sat on the edge. "Hey, do you mind if I try it out? I'm thinking of getting a new mattress myself, I've had the same one since Rory and I moved into our house seven years ago." She really hadn't been thinking of buying a new bed, but suddenly it seemed she was in the market.

"Sure go ahead, just take your boots off."

Lorelai removed her boots, lay on the bed and stretched out. "Ah, this is heavenly, no pressure points at all."

Luke tried to focus on the mattress itself and not the woman on top of it. "It's got thousands of tiny coil innersprings but I ordered it with a pillow top. If you want the model number, I can give it to you."

"Thanks, Mr. Sleepy's - does this come in queen?"

"I think so, this one's a full." Luke hoped that Lorelai was going to get off his mattress soon, he couldn't just stand there watching her test it out without wanting to join her.

"Hey, do me a favor and lie next to me? I mean, I want to see if this is comfortable for two people."

She must have been reading his mind, he had been wondering the same thing. Luke took off his shoes and lay down beside her. They were less than a foot apart.

"I don't know if this is big enough for two, I like to move around when I sleep." Lorelai started to demonstrate by turning on her side and extending her arms and legs. Luke felt uneasy with all the contact, but other parts of his body enjoyed feeling her leg slung over his thigh and her arm across his chest.

She propped herself up on her elbow and faced him, her legs still tangled with his. "Luke, what do you think?" She searched his face for a response. "About the size?"

He stared back at her and momentarily lost himself in her gaze. "The size of what?" Luke was embarrassed by his husky tone and Lorelai wondered if she had seen more than a hint of desire in his eyes.

Suddenly, the tea kettle whistled and sent Luke scurrying off the bed and preparing the tea in under 30 seconds. Lorelai sighed and got off the bed. She put on her boots and joined Luke in the kitchen.

Luke was still facing the counter where he had just set two steaming mugs down. He was trying to calm his body and took a few relaxing breaths that Lisa taught him. A moment later, he grabbed the mugs and put them on the table. He looked at Lorelai. "So, did you make up your mind, about the bed?"

"The queen, definitely."

Luke hoped he could forget what just happened (or didn't happen) and grabbed a pen and paper to write down the mattress information. He handed her the paper and tried to change the subject.

"Here you go. I bet you could probably save some money if you look on the Internet."

"Luke, I can't believe I just heard you say 'Internet.' You're usually such a luddite."

"I know, but I'm sure you could find a good deal, I know you're resourceful."

"I'm nothing if not resourceful."

They drank their tea in silence. The bed was sitting in the room like a white elephant, and Lorelai wondered if coming upstairs had been a good idea after all. She didn't want things to get all weird with Luke. But she had enjoyed their little mattress experiment and decided it was something she wanted to experience again. She also couldn't forget their celebratory embrace earlier in the bowling alley. Winning the game was one thing, but being in Luke's arms certainly was the high point.

Lorelai put down her mug. "Luke, you're right about the tea. I feel like I just brushed my teeth." She looked right at him. "Too bad I don't have anyone to kiss tonight."

Luke could see that one coming from a mile away. What was one more little game after tonight's Olympic display? "Hey, my breath is minty fresh, too. Too bad I don't have anyone to kiss, either."

"Well, since it's my fault you don't have someone to kiss, do you think I could make it up to you?"

He raised his eyebrows. "How?"

"I mean, I know I'm not Lisa, but perhaps you wouldn't mind a stand-in mouth to kiss?"

Luke took no time in responding. "OK."

They both stood up from their chairs and met halfway. Without a word, they leaned in and kissed. Their kiss went from chaste and awkward to passionate in a matter of seconds. Luke ran his hands from her waist up her back and into her hair. She was wearing it the way he liked it, loose and wavy, no more Farrah wings. Lorelai's hands followed a similar track up his untucked flannel shirt and through his hair, sending the blue baseball cap flying.

Luke broke the kiss first and leaned his bare forehead against hers. He then took a step back so he could look into her eyes.

"Lorelai, I want you to know that you're definitely not a stand-in."

Lorelai saw the passion in his eyes and she placed a hand on his chest. His heartbeat raced against her fingertips. "Your heart, it's doing the Bjork dance." She paused. "Mine, too."

They both laughed at the realization. A moment later Luke leaned in and kissed her again, this time more slowly and deliberately. When they finally broke apart, they looked towards the bed at the same time.

Lorelai giggled and wondered aloud. "Should we?"

"Well, you did promise me that if I bowled a strike tonight, you'd do whatever I asked."

Lorelai nodded. "I did, didn't I?"

"Lorelai, I want this to happen, but this is a bit much to take in all at once." He had wanted this for a long time, but now that it was happening he felt a little overwhelmed. This was brand new to Lorelai and she was feeling a little overwhelmed, too, so she relied on something familiar.

"I knew you were gonna say that, Luke."

"So, now I'm predictable?"

She smiled. "Afraid so. But don't make me wait too long." He nodded and they headed to the door to say goodnight.

"Luke, I've learned a lot tonight. We're both predictable, you don't suck at bowling and you have good taste in mattresses. Oh and peppermint tea is an aphrodisiac and double dates aren't so bad and..."

"Am I gonna have to threaten you with decaf every time you say 'double date'?"

"Oh, crap."

"You'd better watch what you say around me from now on. I'm gonna be listening a lot more closely."

"Oh good, that means I can annoy you even more with my incessant chatter."

"That's ok, I now have a great way to shut you up." Luke kissed her goodnight and sent her on her way out the door into the cold winter night. He looked around at his empty apartment and thought it might be time to build that temporary wall.
*

"Beep Beep Beep"

Lorelai's Hello Kitty alarm clock woke her from a very pleasant dream. It was noon, and she realized she had slept later than she planned to for a Sunday. Rory was taking the bus back from Boston that evening and she had planned to clean the house before she got home. Luke's diner would only be serving brunch for another hour, she didn't think she'd make it in time.

Ah, Luke. He was the reason she had slept in. His tender kisses and their little mattress game last night gave her plenty of fodder for her dreams. Her snooze alarm kept interrupting her each time she got to a really good part, so she kept going back to sleep in an attempt to continue the dream. She decided that if she was ever going to get to those parts, she'd have to turn the dream into reality someday. As she showered, Lorelai thought of nothing but Luke. Needless to say, her shower lasted much longer than usual.

Lorelai got dressed in her usual Sunday winter outfit, a pair of fleece pants, long sleeve rhinestone t-shirt and matching zippered hoodie sweatshirt. She went down to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee and buttered toast.

As she sipped her coffee, she realized she was glad they hadn't slept together last night. It would've been too much, too soon. Lorelai was still surprised how overwhelmed she felt. Not just the desire, but the way her heart ached for him. Twenty four hours ago, if anyone told her that she was head over heels in love with Luke, she just would've paddled her way up the river Denial. But after her behavior last night on the date, and the kisses in his apartment, she had to admit that there was no turning back.

After her late breakfast, Lorelai opened her closet to get out the vacuum. But her mind wasn't on cleaning, she had to see Luke. She didn't want to wait until tomorrow morning, during the breakfast rush, where things might have a chance to get awkward between them. She wanted to maintain that intimacy before either one had the chance to retreat to their respective corners and try to explain away what had happened.

Lorelai glanced at her watch - it was just after one, perhaps she could catch him after the brunch customers had gone. She looked outside her front door and realized it had snowed overnight. Maybe an inch, not more - it coated her front lawn. She smiled to herself, snow always brought good things. She put on her coat and black Timberland work boots and headed out the door.

Luke had bought her the boots as a present for Christmas. It was kind of a joke, since she was always teasing him about his preference for lumberjack fashion. But she had fallen straight down on her butt in front of the diner in early December because her boots lacked traction. She remembered how embarrassed she was when he gave her an icepack to sit on. She joked that she was going to sue him, so he said he was going to buy her the boots to settle the matter. Luke, being true to his word, did.

She was still breaking them in and thought he might be pleased to see her wearing them. They weren't quite the style she was used to but they were practical and comfortable. As she approached the diner, she was surprised to see it closed. No Luke, no lingering customers. She hoped he hadn't gone fishing.

Lorelai walked around the back entrance and knocked on the door. She hadn't heard footsteps, so when the door opened, it startled her a little. There he was, dressed in his usual uniform, minus the baseball cap and work-boots, she looked at his feet and saw he was in his socks. Her eyes traveled back up to his scruffy face and she couldn't help but smile at him.

He smiled back. "Hey."

She suddenly felt shy. "Hey."

Luke was happy to see her, but hoped they weren't going to be re-enacting a scene from "Rory and Jess - the early years."

"Do you want to come in?"

"Sure."

She followed him upstairs. She then noticed his boots were by the door, she guessed they might've been wet with show. She was in his apartment for the second time in twenty four hours and there was that damn bed of his, tempting her. She noticed that Luke had a tape measure in his hand and had some blueprints on his kitchen table.

"Renovating again?"

"Um, I was thinking about putting up a temporary wall, so I'm taking some measurements and trying to figure out where would be the best place to put it. Once I figure it out, I'll arrange for my contractor to put it up, it shouldn't cost more than five hundred bucks."

"So you're putting up the wall, huh?"

"Well, sometimes Jess plays his music too loud, so it would be nice to have a buffer." He noticed the way she was looking at him and realized he didn't have to use Jess as an excuse anymore. "Oh yeah and for a little privacy, too."

"Good idea, I'm glad you took my suggestion seriously, it shows that you listen to me."

"I did say I was going to listen a lot more closely." He took a step closer and took Lorelai into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss hello.

Ah there it was, that kiss. Luke still tasted like peppermint and Lorelai was starting to get addicted. She pulled back first, relieved that the intimacy was still there. Now that they had the kiss out of the way, she hoped he would be in the mood to talk, so she sat down at the table.

"So did you take a day off, from the diner?"

"No, it was open for breakfast/brunch. Since it snowed last night, it was a little slow. I decided to close until dinner. Hey, did you want coffee?"

"No, I had some at home."

"I might still have a pot downstairs - decaf only."

"It's ok, I'll wait for my decaf detox tomorrow."

Luke came over to the table, pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"So, what can I get you, Ms. Gilmore?"

Lorelai turned to him, she couldn't resist the tender way he was looking at her. "More of Luke?"

They started to kiss again, this time neither pulled back. They stood up and made their way towards the bed. Lorelai pulled Luke on top of her, she enjoyed feeling his weight bearing down on her. Their kisses grew more passionate as he started to unzip her sweatshirt. Lorelai put her hands under his flannel shirt and traced the muscles in his back over his thermal t-shirt.

Luke's eyes traveled the length of the woman beneath him, when he reached her feet, he realized Lorelai hadn't taken off her boots. He had a thing about shoes on the bed and noticed for the first time she was wearing the work boots he bought her for Christmas. He stopped kissing her long enough to say in a husky whisper, "I see you're wearing the boots I got you, would you mind taking them off?"

Lorelai giggled. "Why don't you take them off for me?"

Luke slowly undid the laces of her boots and slipped them off her left foot, then the right. Lorelai wondered if Luke had a foot fetish or something. He had after all, fixed her skates, her shoe at the dance and he ordered her bowling shoes last night. But he didn't linger at her feet and found his way up back to her mouth. She wondered what other pieces of clothing he was planning on removing.

Luke was kissing a trail down her neck and his right hand started to make its way under her t-shirt. Lorelai remembered she hadn't put on a bra today, laundry was another item on her to-do list that had gone out the window. She remembered the reason she came to see him - to talk about them, and how she was feeling. Making out with Luke was nice too, but she had a feeling if they continued, she wouldn't want to stop. She reached under her shirt and entwined the fingers of Luke's right hand with hers just before he got to second base.

His breath was ragged and a trace of disappointment crossed his face. "Are you ok?"

Her breath was also a little ragged. "I'm good, but I think we ought to stop right here. Luke, I'm enjoying this as much as you are but I didn't come here to fool around all afternoon."

He got off her and rolled onto his side of the bed. "Then why did you?" He hoped that didn't sound cross. "I mean, did you want to talk or something?"

Lorelai faced him on the bed. "Yeah, I want to talk." She took the pillow from behind her head and hugged it. "Pillow talk."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm not Rock Hudson and you're definitely not Doris Day."

"Well, I know you're not gay, and I'm definitely not a virgin."

"Are you sure? I thought Rory was the product of an immaculate conception."

Lorelai snorted. "Oh yeah, my child is the second coming of Jesus."

"Will you stop saying words like "coming", please?" Luke was still trying to calm himself after their make-out session.

"You always do that, you tell me not to say something and that only makes me want to say it even more." She paused. "But I understand where you're, ahem, coming from, so I'll stop."

Luke grabbed his pillow and hugged it, so he was mirroring Lorelai. "So what do you want to talk about, Doris?"
*
"Well, Rock.."

Suddenly Lorelai was at a loss for words, a very rare occurrence. How could she tell Luke how she was feeling? She didn't want to scare him with the intensity of her emotions and wanted to be sure that it wasn't just lust that was she was feeling. She looked at Luke's expectant face and then turned to face the ceiling. It might be easier to talk without having to look at his intense gaze.

Luke noticed that she had grown uncomfortable. He hoped that she wasn't changing her mind. He didn't want to things to go back they way they were before last night, he wanted to move forward. Well, she was still lying on his bed, so that was a good sign. Patience was in order.

"Feel free to take your time. I'm not reopening the diner until 5." He looked at his watch. "We have almost three hours, and I'm not going anywhere, you know."

She glanced over - he was still watching her intently. "Three whole hours, huh?"

She pondered the possibilities, but didn't want to go down that road yet. "So you're not going anywhere. You've said that before, but I think I'm starting to understand the meaning of it."

Luke would've nodded but she couldn't see him. He wasn't good at this stuff - talking about feelings, he was better at listening and offering astute observations. "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere - I mean, I don't want to go anywhere, unless you tell me to." This conversation was already making him anxious. He exhaled sharply. "Do you want me to?"

Lorelai heard the anxiety in his voice and immediately turned her attention away from the ceiling to his worried face. "Do I want you to go? Oh Luke, no, of course not. Why would you think that?"

He sighed in relief. "I don't know - I guess I keep thinking that this is all some kind of dream and I'm gonna wake up and you won't be here."

She reached out and took his hand in hers. "Luke, I'm not going anywhere."

He smiled and inched towards her. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

"Glad to hear it." He placed her hand back on the mattress. "Hey, is that what you wanted to tell me?"

She was still looking at him. "I think those few words say a lot of what I'm feeling." She paused. "But there's more I want to say, but I'm afraid that it's gonna come out all wrong."

He chuckled. "You said "come."

She smiled wickedly at him. "Dirty!"

His grin faded and it was time to get serious again. "Lorelai, what are you afraid of? I mean, we've always been pretty frank with each other."

She let go of his hand but still faced him. "But that was before, when we were friends. and now that we're, you know..I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing, that I'll screw this up before we even get started. I've told you before, I don't have this dating thing down. I mean, I couldn't even hang onto Alex for two months...."

This was a minefield but Luke was used to Lorelai's freak-outs. He decided to tread carefully but firmly. "Lorelai, we're still friends, first and always. Second of all, it's entirely possible you'll say the wrong thing - it's ok. Third, the reason you didn't hang on to Alex was that he wasn't the right guy for you."

Luke wasn't finished yet and took a breath. "And dating, do you really think I'm some kind of expert? I mean, I didn't date for long time because I was pining after Rachel. And the only reason I went out with Lisa was to convince myself that I wasn't still in love with you!"

Luke hadn't meant to reveal all of that. But it was out in the open and he couldn't take it back. It was his turn to face the ceiling.

Wow. So it was true. What everyone had said. Lorelai remembered Sookie's words of wisdom from a while ago. <Just look the guy in the eye, it's right there>

"Luke, please look at me?"

He turned to face her and held his breath.

She inched closer to him and took his face in her hands, his stubble was rough against her palm. In the past twenty-four hours, she had seen a range of emotions in Luke's eyes - pain, humor, affection, and passion, to name a few.

But now, she could finally see it. It was right there the whole time and she had never allowed herself to see it. She hadn't been ready before. But now it was right in front of her, as plain as day. Her eyes filled with tears and she was speechless.

Luke saw her tears and let out a shaky breath. "Lorelai, I never thought I'd say this to you, but please say something."

She smiled through her tears. Luke still knew how to inject a little wry humor to release the tension of the moment. But there really was only one thing to say.

"I love you, Luke."

After that, the damn broke. Luke tried to kiss away some of Lorelai's tears but it turned out he was no competition for Kleenex. He went into the bathroom to retrieve the tissue box. While in the bathroom, he remembered that Jess had stocked up on some Trojans with his Wal-Mart discount. <Hey, Luke IF you ever get lucky, you know where these are>

He didn't want to be presumptuous but he also wanted to be prepared. Lorelai and he had another two hours to themselves before the world of coffee and burgers intruded. He returned to the bed and handed her the tissue box, hiding the small packets in his left hand.

She sat up, blew her nose and wiped her eyes. "I must look frightening, worse than Michael Jackson and Jocelyne Wildenstein's hypothetical love child."

Luke grimaced at the notion and sat beside her. "Not at all. Hey, when you love someone, even when they look like crap, they're still the most beautiful thing in the world."

"Oh, Luke, that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard you say." Her tone was sarcastic but affectionate.

He chuckled. "And probably the most romantic thing you'll ever hear me say. Lorelai, you know I'm not the hearts and flowers type."

"Don't worry. You don't even own a vase, so I'm not bringing you any flowers. But you're going to have to learn some things about the art of romance if you ever want to use those condoms you're holding in your hand."

Luke gave her an embarrassed look, how did she know?

"I may be in love, but I'm not blind."

Luke had an idea. "Well, why don't you teach me? We've got time for a few lessons and I'm a quick study."

Lorelai smiled. "Great idea."

She took the packets out of his hand and put them in the pocket of her sweatshirt. She then removed her sweatshirt and hung it on the bed post behind her. "I want to keep these safe, just in case." Lorelai lay back down on the mattress and gave him an expectant look.

"Ok, so where were we?"

Luke lay beside her and tried to remember what they were doing before they had their pillow talk. Lorelai grew impatient, grabbed his right hand and placed it under her shirt. Oh yes, it was all, ahem, coming back to him. When his hand reached its intended destination, Luke looked up at her in surprise.

"Lorelai, you're not wearing a bra."

She rolled her eyes at him and giggled in anticipation. "Such an astute observation. Luke, you are a quick study."

She then took her other hand and pulled him into a deep kiss.

The End