*The song is by All Saints*

Why did he drag me here? I was happily drinking my coffee and the next thing I know Luke is locking up the store and asking me to come with him. I had no idea where we were going, but now I find myself at the beach, miles from home at midnight. A work and school night to be exact! Rory must be so worried. I know what I�d be like if she was gone for half the night. But wait�I�m her mother aren�t I? I�m supposed to worry.

�We�re here!� he exclaims, stopping me on the edge of a peer.

�We�re where?� I ask, fully aware of the small rhyme I�d just made, causing me to giggle slightly.

�We are standing in my very favourite place. My father used to bring me here as a kid. He loved the beach so much. The salty air, the sound of the waves crashing onto the sand.�

�That�s sweet.� I say in reply to his story.

�I took Rory and Dean here a while ago. They loved it. All Rory could say was how much she wished you were there.�

�Why wasn�t I?� I ask.

�You were with Max.� he says simply. The look in his eyes when he says Max�s name scares me. It�s almost like resentment.

�So we�ve established we�re at the beach.�

�That we are.� He agrees.

�And we�ve established that I�m a blatantly horrible person who neglects her friends because of cute, unassuming males.�

�Yep.� He nods.

�But I still fail to see why we�re here.� I say.

�You�re here because I wanted to share this with someone special.�

�Share the beach?� I ask, becoming confused. A grin spreads over his face and he walks towards some rock pools in the distance. �Luke?� he turns to face me, his eyes bright, his smile wide. He takes my hands in his and looks me in the eyes.

�This place Lorelai is going to be my new home.�

�Luke, you�ve entered some form of alternate reality. Come back, come back!� I wave my hands in front of his face. He glares at me and rolls his eyes.

�I�ve been living and working at that hardware store turn coffee shop for my entire life. I want to follow my dreams now. I�m going to build a place here. A place to live, a place for you to drink coffee.�

�I don�t understand Luke. Explain this to me in no uncertain, unwavering terms. Explain it to me as if I have the mentality of a two year old. And don�t say that I am a two year old.� I stop him from making a small but obvious joke.

�I�m going to open up a shop. Here, on the beach. But I want you to help me.�

�Help you how? �Coz you know I�m always here to drink your coffee. You can rely on me for that.�

�I was thinking about making it an Inn. You doing the Inn stuff; me making the coffee. What do you think?�

�I�I don�t know what to say.�

�Say you�ll do it.� he prompts me.

�Can Suki��

�Of course. Couldn�t do it without her.�

�But Luke, how can you afford this?�

�I�ve got some money saved away. Don�t you worry about a thing. I need you to help with the promotions.�

�Oh I can see it now. Rory and I putting posters up all over town �Come to the L �n� L Inn.�

�L �n� L?�

�Luke and Lorelai.�

�What�s makes you think you get to be in the title?�

�Please?� I pout.

�How can I say no to those eyes?� He sighs, causing a huge smile to spread across my face.

�You�re making my dreams come true Luke!�

�Well you made mine come true.� He says.

�Expound.� I say, wanting to know what he meant.

�You�and Rory. I�ve always wanted to be needed. I�ve always wanted a family�I want to be a father. I know I don�t have that, I probably never will, but at least I have you and Rory. If that�s as close as I�m going to get to the real thing, then I�m a pretty lucky guy.� Tears well up in my eyes as he says this.

�You know Rory always wanted a Dad. And she does somewhat think of you as a father. She�s proud of you.�

�I know.� He smiles, exceedingly happy.

�So I think the front door should go here�the desk here�the kitchen has to be here and it has to be big. Suki can�t work in tight enclosed spaces.�

�Lorelai, don�t you think you�re getting a bit ahead of yourself. I don�t even have the permit approved by the council yet.�

�Oh they�ll approve it.� I say, continuing to walk around the block and evaluate the positioning of things.

�Lorelai.� Luke tries to get my attention. I stop my fussing and turn to face him. �You know I wouldn�t do this with anyone else. Wouldn�t even consider it.�

�Aww�Luke�� I say, walking up to him and wrapping my arms around him. We hold each other for quite a while, feeling secure with each other. No one can hug half as well as Luke can. He�s a detached sort of person. He never lets people know what he�s feeling, he keeps things close. So when you hug him and he hugs you back, you feel special, because you know he means it.

I reach my hands up to touch his face. He has the softest skin. I look deep into his eyes and for the life of me I can�t read them. They never betray him; they never show what he�s feeling.

Without thinking I press my lips to his. Softly we kiss, as if our lives depended on it. I�ve never been kissed so passionately, so lovingly. I can feel all the emotion behind it. The emotion that his eyes refused to show can be felt in that one kiss.

As quickly as I kissed him, our lips part. My mind is reeling; I don�t know how to react. For the first time in my life I�m lost for words.

�Coffee?� he asks, taking my hand and leading me to the car.

�Yes please.� I say, relieved the tension has broken.

�De-cafe.�

�No!� I whine.

�It�ll kill ya.�

�Then why offer it to me?�

�It�s all part of my evil plan.� He smirks as we get in the car and drive away.