Disclaimer: I own a lot of stuff. I promise Gilmore Girls isn't included in that stuff, though.

A/N: Hey! I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've gone without putting out something, be it an update or a new story. It feels that way anyway. But this month has kinda zoomed by on me. Anyway, I'm here now. With a complete L/L getting together tale. Hope that makes up for the absence. Fingers crossed. : ) Enjoy!

Taste of Progress

The top of Lorelai's pen continually hit the kitchen table.

Rory listened to the steady drumming for seconds, the sound making its way into her focused mind. Again. Her eyes moved from her notebook up to her mother. Lorelai sat across from her at the kitchen table with her hand propped under her chin as she looked down into her textbook. She gripped her pen, then began to write on her stacked papers. Rory's attention returned to her own work.

Thirty seconds of blissful silence passed. Then, the drumming started back. Rory's eyes slowly went back to her.

"Hey, Buddy Rich, you mind?"

Lorelai looked up with wide eyes. "What?" She asked in innocent confusion. Her pen sat in mid-drum.

"Are you allergic to silence or something?"

She smiled and looked down at her pen. "Was I doing it again?" Rory nodded with slight attitude. "I'm sorry," Lorelai continued. "It's just that it's extremely quiet in here. Like deadly."

"We're both studying, Mom. You for your Business class. And me for History--at a school that has plenty of it. Along with reputation. And upholders of that reputation will not hesitate to send me packing back to Stars Hollow High if I don't keep my grades up. I need peace to learn this stuff."

"Peaceful studying?" Lorelai asked dubiously. "That's like...like...silent movie watching."

"Dream with me, Mom. Dream with me," Rory stated flatly. She turned attention back to her work.

Lorelai's shoulders slumped tiredly. "I'm sorry, Honey. I can't really focus, though. I'm too hungry."

Rory waved a hand toward the refrigerator. "Chinese takeout's in the fridge. You can heat some of that up. Quietly please."

Lorelai threw a look over in that direction. "I don't want takeout." She smiled suddenly. "Hey, do you think Sookie would mind whipping me up a lasagna?"

Rory's eyes lifted. "I'm sure she would be honored to drop everything and jump right on that for you, but Sookie's in New York, remember?"

Lorelai frowned. Sookie had gone to New York for a couple days. Small getaway. Her and Jackson.

"Well, what am I supposed to do for food?"

"Go to Luke's," Rory suggested as she jotted something in her notebook.

Lorelai looked up as she tried to determine her taste for diner food. Finally, she shrugged. "I guess that'll have to do," she said to Rory. "You want to come with?"

"No thanks. You go," she answered as she pulled her book closer.

"You're not hungry?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope. Just determined. Determined to get you to either leave or quiet down so that I can take in something other than your voice."

Lorelai slid her chair back. "Well, it looks like somebody doesn't want the large coffee that her mother was going to be kind enough to bring back."

Rory looked up suddenly, her eyes shifting. "Uh...sorry?" She offered sheepishly.

"Nope, it's too little, too late. You knocked yourself down to a medium, Missy."

"Darn."

Lorelai stood up and walked into the living room where she grabbed her coat and keys. "You sure you're okay? No burger, onion rings, nachos...valium?"

"What was that last thing?" Rory yelled from the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled. "Tattoo!" She yelled back. "Henna. I'm learning a new craft. Just say the word and I'll pick up my kit."

Rory rolled her eyes. She'd heard her clearly before. "Beautiful save, Mom. Really."

"I'm gonna ignore the sarcastic tone and just say in enviable haughtiness...Uh, duh! But thanks for verbalizing."

Rory laughed. "You're welcome. And Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Try to stay gone until chapter 15."

Lorelai's lips fell into a pout, though she was still in the foyer and not in sight. "What chapter are you on now?"

"Six."

"So, time-wise, that's like...?"

"Feel free to have pie. Lots and lots of pie."

"Unngh!" Lorelai grabbed her midsection as her other hand went to the doorknob. "Rory, be careful of where you stick that knife. Goodness."

"I love you!" Rory yelled.

"What Annie Wilkes' school of love did you graduate from?!" She yelled as she pulled the door open. She heard laughter coming from the kitchen, and she shook her head with a smile. "Love ya too, Babe. Study good!" She said loudly.

"I'll try!"

Lorelai stepped out and secured the door behind her.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Stars Hollow's streets were almost barren. Eight o'clock was the time, so it wasn't too unusual for the small town.

Lorelai walked toward the diner. Just as she neared Doose's, she stopped. Her eyes widened, and she slowly began to look around. With great animation, she sniffed the air around her. Something smelled good. Amazing even.

But just like that, it disappeared.

The wind was slowly blowing, and it had carried the scent to her but had stolen it away just as quickly.

She stood in place looking around as if she would pinpoint exactly where it had gone simply through visual search.

"Okay, that was so not cool," she mumbled as she continued to look around. Her stomach grumbled, and she frowned and splayed her fingers over it. "Okay, getting real food now. David Blain-less food," she said quietly as she started moving again.

Her pace quickened. She hopped the concrete steps that led to Luke's and turned the knob, stepping inside.

The diner was relatively quiet. Kirk sat at the counter, Andrew not too far from him, and five other customers were in there as well. Two sat at a center table, a single person at a table in the corner, and a younger couple brought up the other end of the crooked triangle as they sat in another corner. Seven people total, three different conversations, (if Kirk and Andrew's sudden spat could count as one) and Lorelai's voice outshined them all with ease.

"Luke!" She said loudly. "I'm hungry. I want food! Like, pronto, please!"

A figure appeared from behind the kitchen wall, but it wasn't the one that she had been expecting to see. She smiled and leaned on the counter.

"Hey, Caesar. Where's the namesake of this dump?" She asked with a wink.

Caesar smiled. "He's upstairs. Same place he is every Wednesday night."

Lorelai's eyes widened as she smiled suspiciously. "Every Wednesday night, huh?"

"Yup."

"Care to dish?"

He grinned. "Nothing to dish. Or nothing that I'm aware of anyway," he added with a shrug.

Lorelai sighed. "Oh, Caesar. Honey, have I taught you nothing?" She asked, looking at him in exasperation. "Whenever someone, especially Luke , is acting odd, evoking a feeling of confusion or that awful disease known scientifically as out-of-the-loopitis, you never just roll over and accept it!"

"Really?" He asked in amusement.

"No, Fido, you don't." She leaned in. "What you have to do is get all Nancy Drew to his Laird Cregar." She paused. "Well, Luke, unlike Slade, doesn't have the whole 'me against evil' thing going...but the mysterious goings-on of his hump day arouses suspicion and with it, a vast array of possibilities." She waved her hand dismissively. "He brought it on himself. Anyway..."

Kirk looked at her as she spoke. He waited until she was done before he raised his hand timidly as if they were in a classroom setting.

Lorelai saw that action out of the corner of her eye, and when she looked over at him, he slowly lowered his arm. She looked at him for a few seconds in silence. "Did you really just raise your hand, Kirk?"

His eyes went to his hand like he didn't know for sure. "Uh, yeah."

She blinked numerous times as an amused smile formed on her lips. Her eyes still rested on him. "What can I do for you?" She asked sweetly.

"I just had something to input..." He frowned, "...Put in..." He shook his head. "...Something to say. I just had something I wanted to say."

Lorelai motioned toward him. "The floor is yours." She smiled. "I just had it waxed though, so please be careful." Kirk's eyes scanned the floor around his stool, and Lorelai chuckled. "Ignore me. Go ahead," she said with encouragement.

He smiled. Continuing on, he replied, "I wish I could help you out and tell you what he does up there, but unfortunately, Wednesday is meatloaf night, and things tend to pass me by when it's served to me. It gets a lot of my attention."

"Lucky meatloaf," Caesar replied.

"Very lucky," Lorelai agreed with a nod. "You were saying...?"

"Well, I just wanted to share with you what I do know."

She smiled. "Please do."

"He usually makes a trip to Doose's before going up there for a couple of hours. And when he comes in, he always has like one or two full bags of stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Lorelai asked with extreme interest.

Kirk's eyes shifted. "How am I supposed to know?" He asked. "I tried to get close once, but he growled at me the same way that Mother's shih-tzu used to. It was very unnerving."

Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "So, that's your dish? One or two full bags from Doose's with no clue as to what they contained?"

He shrugged. "It's more than you knew before you came in today. That's pretty valuable info, I'd say. That's, of course, if you were to ask me."

"Kirk?"

"Yeah?"

"Remind me not to ask you," she said with a shoulder pat.

He shrugged. "Okay," he said with indifference.

Lorelai turned back to Caesar, and they shared an amused look. "Hey, mind if I go up?"

"That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?" Caesar asked knowingly.

Lorelai was already walking toward the back. "Looks and brains. If Urkel and Clooney had a baby, you'd be it, Hon." She lifted her eyebrows suggestively at him and disappeared behind the curtain.

Caesar smiled. Kirk frowned as he looked at him.

"That couldn't really happen, could it?" He asked after a moment.

Caesar went back into the kitchen without commenting.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai made it to the top of the stairs, and just as she did, the phantom smell from the street re-appeared. She started to sniff the air purposefully. "Oh, you again! Where are you coming fro--?" Her eyes landed on the William's Hardware sign on Luke's door. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously before sniffing the air once again. She took small steps toward the door, and the aroma became stronger. Stopping in front of the door, she placed her hands on her hips. "Are you coming from in there?" She asked the scent out loud. "I can't begin to tell you how rude it is to interfere with a person's normal breathing air, then just as quickly as you com--"

The door opened and Luke appeared on the other side, a look of confusion on his face.

"Hey!" Lorelai greeted brightly, though his sudden appearance had startled her.

Luke looked around her. "Are you out here talking to yourself?" He asked as he returned focus to her.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Of course not, Luke. I'm not craaaazy," she replied as she circled her finger around her ear.

He gave her an obvious look. "Well, who were you talking to?"

Lorelai waved her hand around. "The mean scent." He shook his head slowly. Of course she said it as if expecting him to just know. She continued. "The mean but extremely appealing scent that is..." She stretched her neck, trying to look around him, "...hitting me like a mack truck since you opened the door." She folded her arms and settled her eyes on him. "Are you cooking?" She asked incredulously. "You can cook?"

Luke's expression fell in annoyance. "I own and run a diner, Lorelai." He let the knob go and walked back inside, leaving the door open. Lorelai stood at the threshold looking inside of his apartment, her arms still folded.

Her eyes moved to him once he was standing over the stove. He turned and looked at her briefly. "The apartment's been trained, so I promise it won't bite. You can come in if you want to."

Lorelai let out a breath of relief as she stepped inside. "Oh, thank god! You really have to be careful nowadays, ya know? I was in a Brownstone last week, and the damned thing would not stop humping my leg."

"Must have been a rental," Luke deadpanned. He was turned away from her, tending to something on the stove.

Lorelai closed the door behind her and looked around as she moved fully inside.

"Looking for somebody?" She heard Luke ask. When she looked over at him, his attention wasn't on her, though. She smiled and walked toward the kitchen area.

"No, just making sure I wasn't interrupting anything."

Luke turned away from the counter and swiped his hands together. "Well, you're not." He went to the refrigerator as Lorelai stood by the table. "What are you doing here? Wednesdays are usually you and Rory's private night, isn't it?"

"More specifically, Movie night," she stressed. "You make it sound like Chippendale dancers are involved or something."

He shut the refrigerator door and had a bottle in his hand. A smile adorned his face. "No, I know that's reserved for Thursday afternoons." He winked at her and moved back over to the counter.

Lorelai smiled a little, confusion keeping it at bay. "You're in a good mood," she commented.

"Why do you say that?" He asked over his shoulder.

Her smile widened some. "I don't know. It's pretty obvious." She looked back into the main area, took in the ambiance. There seemed to be ambiance. "Rory and I both have tests coming up, so we decided to push our movie night back one night in order to get some hardcore study time in."

Luke nodded, then chuckled. "But you...?"

She smiled. "...kinda were told to make like a ghost."

"Couldn't handle the quiet, huh?"

"I could handle it just fine. It was actually Rory who couldn't keep it zipped. I finally just decided to--" Luke turned and gave her a knowing look. Lorelai sighed. "I couldn't keep quiet," she admitted. "I've been given a wefruc."

"What the heck is wefruc?"

"It's the opposite of a curfew. I have to wait for her to tell me it's okay to come back. It's like the tamest, most boring version of college door tie-hanging ever."

Luke laughed as he continued to work.

The no longer hidden aroma bathed Lorelai in its richness. And the abundance of it caused her to release a short moan. Luke turned.

"What?" He asked lightly.

She took off her coat and deposited it on one of the chairs. She felt a slight chill and noticed the kitchen window was partially open. The mystery of the vanishing street smell had been solved. "It smells absolutely amazing in here, Luke," she said as she walked over to him. She peeked around him, as well as onto the stove. "I can't believe you're cooking. Really cooking. Like Rachael Ray."

"Yeah, well, we have the same hair stylist. It's only natural that we also have a mutual talent."

Lorelai laughed. "Talent indeed," she said as she crowded his space trying to get a good look at what he was doing.

He looked down his arm and was able to see her head. "Can I help you?"

She smiled and looked up at him. "Who are you cooking for?"

He shook his head at her in amusement as she continued trying to optimize her position. "No one," he answered.

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'no one'? You have to be cooking it for somebody," she said as she stepped away. "You have ambiance for goodness' sake."

Luke stopped and turned. "What ambiance? I do not have ambiance," he retorted.

"You have dimmed lights in the living room--"

"It's a lamp."

"You have music pla--is that Billie Holiday?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Hello, ambiance!"

"I also have a game on over there," he said as he pointed at the muted television. Lorelai glanced back in that direction.

"So? You have to have something to pass time until whoever is showing up here shows up."

"Look Jake Gittes, I told you that I'm not doing this for anyone. There's no one coming. It's just dinner. Now, please cool it with the third degree."

Lorelai looked at him, and Luke rolled his eyes, figuring she wasn't about to pay his request any attention. "So, you like Billie Holiday, hunh?"

He looked at her quickly. She'd actually listened. What a shock.

"Yeah," he answered. "My mom listened to her...loved her actually, and I started finding and playing some of my parent's old records." He looked toward the player and smiled. "You can mock a lot of stuff, but--"

"Oh, I'd never mock Billie Holiday. I couldn't even if I wanted to. She's a legend," she said. "Now, had I walked in, and you were blasting Cheeseburger in Paradise," She laughed as Luke looked away with an eye roll, "...then I'd have to go home and Google ways to mock you in ten more languages."

He shook his head. "Ten more, huh?"

"Yeah, one wouldn't allow you to thoroughly grasp the hugeness of the mock spectrum."

"Am I ever gonna live down the Jimmy Buffett thing?"

"Probably not."

"Thought so." He moved back over to the counter. "So, did you need something or did you come up here just for my company?"

She shrugged and lifted the lid of the pot closest to her on the stove. It was just boiling water. Replacing the lid, she replied, "I came to solve the mystery of your Wednesday night disappearances."

"Me coming up to my apartment does not constitute a disappearance." Luke pulled out a basting brush and lifted the lid to the appliance that sat atop the counter. "And this town, by the way, is too nosy for its own good," he grumbled.

The aroma thickened. "Jesus, Luke, what are you making?" She figured this was what a nasal orgasm felt like.

"Nothing spectacular."

She looked around him again. "Kabobs?"

He nodded. "Steak."

"What is that? Like a George Foreman grill reloaded?"

Luke looked off to the side at her. "Does this look like a George Foreman grill?" He asked as he gestured toward the appliance the kabobs steamed on.

Lorelai smiled. "I know that was you being a smart ass, and this is where I'm supposed to begin to feel foolish for my, dare I say, offensive," she stressed questioningly, "...implication. But, uh...yes, it kind of does look like one."

Luke smiled and shook his head. "No, it's just an indoor grill. Nothing wrong with his brand, but George Foreman had nothing to do with it."

She nodded. Sniffing the air again, she looked at the stove. Seeing the oven light on, she pulled the door open to discover a dish in there as well. "What's in here?" She asked as she closed the door back.

He turned his head toward the stove briefly. "Pear cobbler," he said simply.

Lorelai looked at the back of his head in disbelief. "And you're not making all this for anybody?" She asked in shock.

He shook his head. "Nope."

"Just you?"

"Just me." He looked back at her. "...and you."

Lorelai smiled. "Me?" She asked pointing to herself.

"Yeah, unless you don't want to. I just figured that with all of your hovering, it was only fitting to extend an invitation."

Her hand went to her heart. "And such a gracious one too." Luke chuckled. "I'd love to, but do you have enough?"

"There's always enough. It lasts a few days."

"Okay, let me be more specific. Is there enough for me?"

Luke paused. "That's a good question. Now that I think about it..." He looked back at her and smiled at her smile. "Relax, there's enough."

Lorelai smiled cheekily. "So, I'm invited to dinner?"

"Yeah, you're invited to dinner." He turned around. "But since there's two of us, I guess we better make a couple of place settings. Can you handle that?" He asked her.

"Aw, man! I have to do something?" She asked with a frown. He gave her a look. "I guess I didn't see the fine print," she mumbled playfully.

"I know it's a lot of work to set the table, Lorelai, so if you feel yourself tiring, just take a seat for a few minutes before continuing on," Luke said in sarcasm.

"Seat, my ass. Mariah has set a new precedent. One drop of perspiration, and that gurney will have my name all over it," she replied. Luke smiled as he faced the window. "Hey, you mind if I use your bathroom to wash my hands?"

"No, not at all," he said. He nodded in that direction.

Lorelai left the room and came back in under a minute. She walked over to a random cabinet and started looking for dishes. She opened and closed a couple. When she found the correct one, she pulled down some plates and walked back over to the table with them.

She sighed as she laid them out. "So...?"

The sound of the kabobs sizzling could be heard in her proceeding silence.

"So, what?" Luke asked as he turned the knob on the grill and replaced the lid.

He moved with purpose around the kitchen, working to keep everything orderly as he finished preparation. Lorelai stopped and was looking at him with curiosity. She smiled.

"So, is this like a hobby of yours?"

He paused, and his eyebrows lifted. "Is what a hobby?" He asked.

Lorelai waved a hand toward the stove. "This. Cooking." She smiled widely at him as a corner of his mouth lifted.

"I wouldn't call it a hobby."

"Well, what would you call it? I never even knew you could cook, but you not only can, but as I'm watching you...you seem...I don't know, at ease."

He rolled his eyes. "I am not at ease." The timer on the stove went off. "Cobbler's finished," he said with a sudden smile.

Lorelai laughed.

He picked up an oven mitt and opened the door to the oven. "What are you laughing at?" He asked, his attention on what he was doing.

She shook her head. "You," she said simply.

Luke took the dish out and sat it on a free stove burner. "Thanks," he said sarcastically. "If ever something were to happen to me, you'd definitely be first in line to watch over my self-esteem."

Lorelai chuckled as she started back setting the table. "You know what I mean," she said lightly. "So, you do this every week, cook like this?"

"I try to. 'You don't use it, you lose it', right?"

"That's just in regards to sex."

"No, it's in regards," he stressed, "...to anything that applies. In this case, cooking."

She smiled. "So, cooking is a talent of yours, then," she assumed.

"You can say that."

"So, it's safe to say that it's a hobby. Because you obviously enjoy doing it, so that makes it pretty hobby-friendly in my book."

Luke moved to retrieve a box of pasta. "Why are you fixating on this? I cook for a living, so it really shouldn't be that big of a surprise to find me in the kitchen."

"Well, it is. In this capacity. I've seen you flip burgers and toss salads..." She smiled. "And moving past that ridiculously deserved 'dirty!', I'm gonna leapfrog to my point, which is that this is really cool. I learned something about you. You like to really cook. Not just burgers and fries."

Luke smiled as he placed the noodles in the boiling water.

Lorelai finished up and moved over toward him. She leaned against the counter and watched as he stirred some sauce. "So, what kind of stuff do you make?"

He shrugged. "It varies."

"From what to what?" She asked as she looked up at him.

He glanced at her, noticing that she really appeared interested, and it made him smile. "Well, I try to switch it up. Ya know, change it from week to week. I think the most simple meal would have to be..." He shrugged, "...uh, Paella. It's just fast to make. Or this," he said pointing around him. "This is pretty simple too."

Lorelai looked down at the perfectly browned cobbler, figuring he made it from scratch. "Yeah, a child could do it," she said sarcastically.

He smiled. Placing some parsley on a small cutting board, he quickly minced it. He went on. "But the hardest thing to make was probably some, uh, kinda soy chicken that I made a couple months ago. But that wasn't so much hard as it was just long. Took a long time to marinate." The parsley was chopped in a few short seconds, and he pushed it into a bowl. "Nothing is really hard to make. You just have to put in the time, you know? And plus, the more effort you put in it, the better it feels to have it turn out decently. I never really look at recipes. I mean, I do to get ideas and stuff, but I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the ingredients. I just put in it what I want to."

Lorelai smiled.

"What?" Luke asked, noticing her delightful expression.

She shook her head. "Nothing. That's probably the most I've ever heard you talk."

"No, it's not."

"It is. I mean...just talk. About something good. Like a ramble."

He stopped and met her eyes. "I did not just ramble," he stated like he was replaying his words in his head.

"Sorry to be the breaker of the this news, but Luke, Honey, I do believe you just rambled."

He rolled his eyes back down to the countertop. "Aw, jeez," he mumbled.

Lorelai laughed. "Don't worry, your first one is always a little scary and you may even question whether or not you were any good. But you learned from the best, and yours was very respectable. I'm extremely proud of you."

"Ten bucks if you drop this now."

"Ten fifty," she countered.

"Deal."

She smiled widely. "Unmarked bills only, please."

Luke shook his head.

"You need me to go get your change purse?"

He fought a smile. "No, I don't keep that kind of money on me. I'll have to wire it to you later."

Lorelai paused in thought. "Why don't you pay me in coffee?" She suggested happily.

"Ooh, good suggestion," Luke said matching her enthusiasm.

Lorelai's face and voice fell. "But you won't do it," she assumed.

"Sarcasm drill over. You did great," he remarked. She smiled. "Hey, do you mind grabbing the salad in the refrigerator?"

"Oh, sure," she said lightly as she went around him to the fridge. Pulling out a large container, she held it up over the door. "This it?" She asked.

"Yeah."

She shut the door back and went to set it on the counter. "I don't have to eat this, do I?" She asked of the salad.

Luke laughed. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do...but yes, you have to eat that," he said as he winked at her.

His wink nearly caused her to blush, and she was very aware of that. The brief nervousness led her to just start talking about something. "There's a lot of strings attached to this dinner invite, isn't there? I mean, first I had to set the table, now you're telling me I have to eat a salad. Next thing you know, you'll tell me that I'm not allowed to eat with my fingers. Maybe I need to rethink this whole thing."

Luke smiled in amusement. And Lorelai followed, taking in his reaction. "No, I think you might like this salad," he said.

"And why is that?" She asked doubtfully.

He sighed and turned toward her. "Well, it's got strawberries in it," he said as if he as trying to sell her on it.

"Really?" She asked intrigued. She took the lid off of the bowl and looked into it. "It's pretty. I'll give you that much."

"It's more than pretty, it's good. It's sweet." He paused and looked at her. "You'll like it. That thought actually...came to me when I made it the first time."

"Aw, Luke. A salad made you think of me? That's so...weird. Thank you!"

He rolled his eyes. "Bottom line, eat it. I promise you'll enjoy it."

"Mm hm. Those same words are what caused that schoolteacher in Nevada to get in trouble."

Luke gave her a pointed look, and it all it did was make her laugh. "Anyway," he went on to say, "This is a good, healthy salad, but it doesn't taste all that healthy, so it's right up your alley."

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, this alley is pretty empty...and hungry, so I'm open for anything right now. As long as I have a nice big helping of the whatever caused the street smell," she said pointing to the grill.

"The what?"

"The smell tha--" She waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. Are we ready to eat now?" She asked hopefully.

Her excitement led him to smile and shake his head. "Sure." He turned back to the stove. "Let me just drain these," he said as he retrieved the pot with the noodles.

Lorelai picked up the salad bowl and made her way over to the table.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lying her fork on the dish, Lorelai leaned back in her chair after finishing up her second serving of cobbler.

She smiled as she looked to Luke.

He returned it. "Finished?"

Her eyes rolled back. "That was so good, Luke. Seriously." She looked down at the dishes in the center of the table before looking back at him. "Is it bad that I want to throw up just so I can eat again?"

He frowned. "Yeah, it is. It's also disgusting and a little along the lines of an eating disorder."

Lorelai's hands went to her stomach, and she rubbed over it slowly.

Luke stood up. He seemed to have ten times the energy that Lorelai had at that moment. Probably due to him only eating about a tenth of what she had. He began to clear the plates. "So, I was right about the salad, right?" He asked with a half smile. He already knew the answer. She couldn't hide the fact that she was enjoying it immensely as she ate.

"No, it was horrible," she said with an eye roll.

He laughed. "I'll do better next time."

He took some things to the sink, then came back to gather up more. Lorelai watched him move around with lazy eyes.

"Goodness, I can't remember the last time I was this satisfied," she commented as she shook her head. Her eyes went to Luke's face, and she caught a slow smile. "Oh my god," she said quietly. Luke looked at her.

"What?"

She smiled. "You just thought a dirty comment."

He narrowed his eyes in question. "No, I didn't."

Lorelai spotted some cheek redness. "Oh, you so just did," she said as she sat up fully in her chair. Her eyes were glued to him. "What was it?"

"It was nothing. Because I didn't think anything."

"Of course it had to do with sex, right?" She thought of what she had said.

"I told you--"

"It was either a cocky kind of, 'yeah, I'm responsible for that. Eat your heart out, Whoever,' " she said in a deep voice as she thought of her exes that could fill that space. "Or a 'Give me an hour, and I'll show you satisfied'." She laughed. "Which one was it?"

Luke erected himself and stared at her. "So, have you always thought of me as a dick, or is this just recent?" he asked finding her impression a tad bit humorless.

Her laughter died down as she locked eyes with him. She lowered her eyes and shook her head at her own stupidity. Looking back at him, she replied, "Of course I've never thought that. That was just my...post-appetite...delirium." She smiled when he shook his head. "I'm sorry," she said with sincerity. He nodded. "So, what were you thinking?" She asked fondly.

He looked down, then back at her. "It's not as colorful as yours, but I was just happy...that you liked the food," he ended with shrug.

She smiled briefly before she bit her lip. "That's very colorful, Luke. And I loved the food," she said. He smiled, and she felt immediately better. "And I love even more...that I got to hear you say the word 'dick'," she said with a smile. Her mouth fell open as he gave her a look and walked away. "What?!" She exclaimed. "It's only because it reminded me of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and hearing any part of that title makes me happy! Gosh, Luke, now, who's having nasty thoughts?" Lorelai complained loudly.

Luke nodded as he stood at the sink, turned away from her. "Subject change request."

Lorelai sunk down into her chair and smiled in defeat. "Granted."

He moved back over to her. "Do you want me to fix a plate for Rory? There's plenty left," he said as he looked around.

Lorelai smiled. "Yes, by all means, let's fix a plate for 'Rory'," she said using air quotes.

"I know not even someone as gluttonous as you would take food out of her child's mouth."

Lorelai laughed. "Yeah, you're right. She said she wasn't hungry, but it'll be nice to bring her some of this back for when she is. She'll love it."

Luke went about rounding up the food.

"Thanks, Luke," she added as she looked at him.

He nodded without looking up. "No problem."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai slipped on her jacket. She pulled her hair to the outside and picked up the containers of food that Luke had prepared.

Luke stepped back inside the apartment and closed the door.

"How's the diner?" Lorelai asked.

"Good," he answered. "Everything's all locked up, and Caesar just left."

"So, I'm officially the last unauthorized person in the building, then?"

He smiled. "You're with me, so you have temporary sanction."

"Ooh, where do you hide the coffee? I may as well take advantage of this."

"Okay, authorization just ended. Get out." He said the words seriously, then smiled widely at her dropped jaw.

Lorelai smiled too. "You know what I realized today?"

"What's that?"

"That you're another Sookie. I have two Sookies!"

He rolled his eyes. "No, you have one Sookie. And then, there's me. On a whole other plain."

Lorelai continued. "I have two people in my life who cook just like Emerald! I'll never go hungry," she said in amazement.

"You'd probably gnaw on your own foot before that happened."

"Why would I gnaw on my own foot?" She asked dubiously. "Everyone knows the butt has much more meat to it."

Luke laughed. They were both standing in the middle of the floor, and he walked around her towards the kitchen. He stopped when he got in there. "You finished cleaning up?" He asked as he turned toward her.

She shrugged. "Of course. I only like to be a partial freeloader. Anything over fifty-five percent just flashes 'Loser, Loser, Loser'," she said robotically. She sighed. "It's really uncool."

"Well me and your intact 'cool' title thank you."

"You're very welcome. Thanks for inviting me to stay, Luke," she said seriously.

"It was no big deal, but you're welcome."

"I had a lot of fun too." She paused as they shared a smile. "You're pretty good company there, Mister," she said lightly.

"Yeah, you're not so bad yourself."

"Understated?"

"Of course."

"Better be," she said with a wink. She looked down at the containers in her hands. After a moment, she looked back at him. "So, how long have you been doing this?"

"What, cooking like this?" She nodded. He shrugged and squinted his eyes as he thought for second. "I'd say about eight months," he said unsurely. "Something like that."

"Eight months," she repeated quietly to herself. "And it's always been on Wednesdays?" He nodded. "So, it'll continue to be on Wednesdays?"

"Yeah," he answered slowly, wondering what she was getting at.

Lorelai's eyes fell, again, to the containers with the food. "Rory and I have movie nights on Wednesdays, and it's been like that since she was little."

Luke nodded. "I know."

"We're pretty set on that night." A silence fell over them, and she looked up at him. "Are you?"

His eyes shifted in confusion. "Am I what?"

She smiled. "Are you set on Wednesday nights?" He looked at her, and Lorelai could see he was still lost. "You do this...you cook on Wednesdays, but I just wanted to know how insistent you were about continuing on that day." She looked at him shyly. "Because...I mean, you know, if you wanted to move this to say..." She shrugged, "...Thursdays, then that's a good...day too."

Lorelai diverted her eyes when she saw a small smile fall across his lips. "Why's that a good day?" He asked quietly. He'd already picked up on her meaning, but he asked anyway.

She lifted her eyes back to his. Shrugged again. "Because I'm free."

Luke looked up to the ceiling and nodded slowly. "So...you want to do this with me? Like make it a...thing?" He asked meeting her eyes again.

"Well, it doesn't have to be a 'thing', per say, but yeah...I'd like to. Only if you want to."

He looked at her, his expression bright. "You liked the food that much, huh?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I told you already that it didn't suck." Luke laughed. "Now, what's the verdict?" She asked, all shyness gone.

He looked up in thought. "Well," he began loudly. "I've gotten kind of used to cooking just for myseeelf," he drug out playfully. Lorelai watched his up-turned eyes with a look of amusement. Luke was really quite funny. "I really don't know 'cause, ya know, this is a huge sacrifice for me, and..." He sighed and looked at her. "Can I get back to you on this?" He asked.

She smiled as she looked into his eyes. "Luke," she said simply.

He matched her smile. "We can do it," he finally answered. "Thursday night...nights?" He questioned.

"Nights," she confirmed.

"Nights is plural."

"Pack up. You're moving to the head of the class."

He shook his head. "Okay, Thursday nights it is." He paused. "It'll actually be nice to have someone's opinions besides my own. And I get to feed you something other than fries and burgers, so that's a big plus."

"I'll just nod and make it look like I agree," she said quickly. Then, she smiled and nodded politely.

Luke gave her a forced look of annoyance. "Okay, your welcome has been worn out. Go home to your kid."

"You know what, I don't even know if I'm allowed to go home yet. What time is it?"

"Ten-forty five," he answered.

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, that should be good. At least I hope so." She started to walk toward the entrance. "Pray for me," she said over her shoulder. He nodded and waved to her back.

"See ya."

She pulled open the door and turned toward him, offering him a full smile before she exited.

He returned the smile to the closed door before walking toward his record player where Billie Holiday still sung out in the background. 'The Very Thought of You' came to an end just as he flipped it off.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Thursday number 3:

"Come in!"

Lorelai twisted the knob and came into Luke's apartment. "Hey, Luke," she greeted upon entering.

"Hey!" He said as he walked over and took her coat quickly. Lorelai looked surprised as he pulled it away from her and hung it up. He took her wrist. "Come on. I want you to try something." Lorelai tossed her purse on the table as Luke pulled her behind him.

"Okay, you've obviously forgotten the arm has an attachment. It's called: the rest of me." They reached the kitchen area and he let her go. "God, it smells good in here," she commented as she looked around. "Why am I not surprised?" There was a skillet on the stove, and she lifted the lid and peeked underneath it. "Is this Chicken Parmasean?"

"Yeah, easy night tonight," he said quickly. Lorelai scoffed, but before she got out her proceeding comment, she saw a spoon being lifted to her mouth. "Here, can you taste this?" He asked holding his other hand under the spoon as he waited for her to open her mouth.

"Sure." She parted her lips, and he brought the spoon closer. Sampling the sweet substance, she moaned with appreciation, and Luke smiled, having gotten the confirmation he needed.

"Okay, I--" He got ready to pull away, but Lorelai's hand went around his wrist, and he looked back at her in confusion. He shook his head as he saw her trying to get the rest of it on the spoon. "You truly have no shame, do you?" He asked dully.

"Hm?" She asked looking up at him but continuing to savor.

He laughed. "Nothing. Why don't you just keep this," he said as he let go of the spoon, leaving it hanging from her mouth.

She took hold on the spoon and extracted it as she licked her lips. "What is this exactly?" She asked before sticking it back in her mouth.

"It's just some filling I made to go on top of some cake shells."

Lorelai paused. "Is it healthy?"

He smiled. "Yep." She licked the spoon once more, then frowned before dropping it in the sink. "But you seem to like it, so it's okay, right?"

Lorelai exhaled heavily and walked over to the table where she grabbed her purse to hang by the door. "I suppose so," she finally answered from across the room.

"Good. See, healthy food doesn't necessarily have to be tasteless."

She walked back toward the kitchen. "What are you, praying to Sanirose Orbeta now? Foolish woman and her propaganda. I say health food drools while the artery cloggers rule!" She exclaimed playfully. She came to stand beside Luke as he finished preparing the sweet sauce.

She sighed, settling into position. "How ya doin' today?" She asked him.

He looked at her briefly. "I'm doing fine today," he answered, almost sing-song, as if copying her. "How YOU doin' today?"

Lorelai chuckled. "I'm good. Thanks."

"You're good?" He smiled as he looked at her.

"I'm good."

"You sure?"

She laughed. "I'm sure."

"Because if you're not good, I want you to be able to tell me," he said with a generated grave quality. "That's what I'm here for. To cook for you and to be open to you telling me whether or not you're good."

Lorelai laughed again, and it caused him to smile. This was only their third Thursday doing this, and every time Lorelai brought it to his attention how carefree and light he seemed to be on these nights, he always dismissed the comment as if she was imagining things.

She liked this side of him. It wasn't better, just different. She imagined that this was the side of him that surfaced more with the Rachels in his life. It wasn't for the town to see. When that thought entered her mind, she wondered, if that was true, why she was even witnessing it. She shoved that thought away and offered up a theory. She supposed that Luke's apartment had some sort of a Superman/ Clark Kent effect. The threshold separated the two. And when he stepped over it to go into the world, he was more hard and icy. Still Luke. Still great and very much a dear friend, but more guarded. But after that venture was done, and he stepped back over, there were less worries, more jokes. And more smiles. Still Luke. Just more.

And of course she figured the cooking played a large part. He'd hum as he strained, bop his head to whatever music he had playing, and Lorelai, last week, caught the tail end of what she determined to be a small two-step. But it went away too quickly to tell.

"So, do I have a task, or do I just get to sit and watch you do all the work? 'Cause I actually prefer to--"

"Yeah, I can pretty much guess how that sentence is about to end," he interrupted. "So, I'll just go ahead and answer the question. Set the table, and I'll see if I can put you to work somewhere else after that."

"And if I refuse?" She asked defiantly.

"You go to bed without dinner."

"Oh, Luke, come on. I know you can come more original than that," she urged.

He paused. "I'll, uh, make you scrub the floor--"

"--with a toothbrush? Please. Come with the heavy, evil Stepmother reject."

"Uh...what about standing in the...uh...corner with one foot in the air while--"

"Ooh, kinky."

He rolled his eyes. "Just go set the table."

"What's the magic word?"

"Food."

She moved away quickly. "I'm on it."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Thursday number 6:

"Lorelai, you have got to stop eating that," Luke said with a tired sigh.

"Okay, okay, okay," Lorelai replied quickly. She licked her finger quickly and went back to mixing. "It's so good, though."

"It's also so not ready. You're going to get salmonella poisoning."

"What are the chances of that happening?" She asked as she snuck another taste.

Luke moved toward her. "Okay, that's it. You're off of pudding duty." She turned in the opposite direction in avoidance.

"Listen, I am doing the best I can here, Luke." He rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips after stepping away some. Lorelai brought the bowl back to its original position. "You don't just make chocolate pudding, put coffee in it, of all things, then expect me to not acknowledge that the two best things in the world have joined forces."

"Yeah, what was I thinking? I assumed you actually had self-control. But I guess that's my mistake."

She looked at him for a moment. "It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes." She swiped her finger along the inside of the mixing bowl. "But it's how we learn." She stuck her finger in her mouth and closed her eyes in bliss. Luke used the opportunity to take the bowl away from her.

"Hey!" She exclaimed.

"If I let you keep this, we won't have anything to eat for dessert." He turned away from her and did a small double take when he saw her lip protrude. He rolled his eyes and a smile formed at her pout. "It tastes a lot better when it's finished anyway, so you'll appreciate it." Her sad eyes were on his. "I promise," he added. She could make his heart melt a million times with that look.

She smiled reluctantly. "And you expect me to trust you, you...bowl taker?"

"I would love it if you would," he said as he started to mix.

She paused, rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You know you already have it."

He looked at her again. "What, your trust?"

"What else?" She asked quietly. She started to arrange the custard cups in the pan.

Luke smiled and turned his attention back to the bowl. She glanced at him and looked away.

A short silence followed. "Can I pour?" She asked.

"You can't handle being responsible for the pudding. You've proven that."

"I can pour it," she countered. "It's just the mixing that tempts me."

"No, it's the presence of it that tempts you."

"Come on, Luke. Please. I'll be good."

He hesitated for a long moment before slowly passing her the bowl. "I see any of this going in your mouth, and it's gonna be a main dish of Tofu for the next two weeks."

Lorelai froze, and she had to re-evaluate whether this was a good idea. She determined quickly that it was, and she took it from him with a reassuring, "Okey doke."

When Lorelai had come in earlier, Luke hadn't had anything playing, so she turned on his radio. It was low, but as they stood in the kitchen, Lorelai could hear clearly when ABBA's Dancing Queen started to play. She set the bowl down quickly. Luke's eyes followed her as he wondered what she was doing. She scurried over to the stereo, turning it up about three times as loud.

He looked away in amusement as she tossed her hands in the air and started to dance her way back into the kitchen.

She spun around several times and danced goofily while staring at Luke's profiled grin.

She sung like she was performing. "Friday night and the lights are looooooow. Looking out for a place to gooooooo. Where they play the right music, getting in the swing..." She moved close to Luke, delighting in his near laughter. She placed her hands on his side and laughed as she leaned close to his face. "...Anybody could be that guuuy. Night is young and the music's...hiiiiigh..." She took advantage of the sexy pitch of the last word by turning and playfully sliding her body along his side as he faced the sink.

Luke turned his head to look at her as she dipped down, then came back up. His eyes dropped to where her buttocks was lightly rubbing along the side of his thigh, and he ignored the involuntary lifting of his eyebrows. He set his knife down and looked to the right side of her waist before his finger looped through her empty belt hole. He spun her around as he still faced the sink. She did a 180 and laughed instantly at the unexpected rotate. One of her hands went to his chest. The other to his arm, which had moved to her opposite hip in order to steady her.

He tried to look stern but didn't succeed. "Hey, Dancing Queen, you wanna finish the pudding cups so we can get 'em in the oven sometime tonight?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I think I can handle that."

"Glad to hear it," he replied with a half a smile. She followed his eyes as they dropped back to his task. His hand followed, and she stepped away.

Moving around him, she continued singing with the radio.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Thursday number 9:

"What's the time looking like?"

"Well, I wasn't going to say this out loud, but it looks as if it's put on some weight." Lorelai shrugged. "I'd say about three to three and a half hours worth."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I set myself up for these things. I really do."

She looked over at him, eyes wide. "You blame yourself?! Oh, my god, I totally blame you too! Isn't that freaky?"

"Very," Luke said flatly as he lay on his bed flipping through a magazine. "What time are you going to work tomorrow?"

"Eight!" Lorelai yelled.

"Lorelai, the couch is like six feet away. For the fourth time, you don't have to yell," he said, the magazine blocking his view of her.

She laughed as she lay stretched out on the sofa. "Oh, boy, I have to go," she grumbled.

"Buuuut you can't move," Luke determined, still turning his pages.

"But I can't move," she followed. She rubbed her stomach. "I have a daughter to get home to."

"Mm hm."

"A bed that's missing the warmth I provide it with."

"Mm. Hm."

"A house affectionately known as the crap shack that's missing my presence."

"Mm hm."

"Ooh, a door that's off the hinges. Can you fix that for me?"

"Sure. Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that's good. Thanks. I think my house has low self-esteem. It's kinda just letting itself go."

"And I'm sure you calling the crap shack has not a thing to do with that," he stated in sarcasm.

"Well, I like to call spades spades, you know?" She sighed. There was a brief silence. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you just build me a secret little underground tunnel that leads to my house. That way, when you stuff me with all of this food, I can just kinda crawl back to my part of town."

"Or..."

"Oh, goodness, here comes the 'or'," she mumbled.

Luke smiled. "...you can just walk. Or drive. Or ride a bike. Either way, you can use the on-top-of-the-ground existing pathway."

"No, I think I like my way better."

"But guess which one of us wins."

He heard her blow a raspberry, and he figured that was her very clever comeback. He shook his head, smiling.

"You know, Luke, I never really cared for salmon until tonight. You're like broadening my horizons and stuff."

"Glad to be of service."

"I mean, I love Sookie. She's the best chef in the world. Gourmet all the way. But when she cooks for me, she cooks for me. She'll prepare stuff that she knows that I'll eat. But with you, I don't have much of a choice. Well, I do, but I want to hang out here with you and get a free meal in the process, so I eat it, and it's week eight? Nine?"

Her admission caused a delay in reply. He smiled. "Week ten. Ninth Thursday."

"It's week ten, and not once has my my picky tastes been offended. You should feel quite special."

"Oh, I'm riding the short bus alright," he replied evenly.

"I guess since you know me, you just do a really good job of turning something not very appealing into something that's the equivolence of a three cheese pizza."

"I'm gifted," he deadpanned.

Lorelai rolled her eyes at how he seemed to be paying her very little attention.

The room grew quiet. Luke grunted and tossed his magazine to the bed. "Why in the hell do I keep signing up for these stupid magazines?"

"Because you have a heart. And when those cute little third graders come around with those cute little order sheets, you can only turn away so many of them before you end up signing up for one."

"You're in the same boat, huh?"

"Well, I actually read and enjoy my magazines. I'm subscribed to like 5 of them."

Luke scoffed.

"Which gives me one more thing I have to get home to. I'm coming, Cosmo," she called lazily. "Which is good, 'cause that's like the main objective of the magazine." Luke could tell by her voice that she was drifting off.

"Lorelai, don't go to sleep," he said.

"Oh, I'm not...I'm just...going to sleep for a little while," she mumbled.

"Lorelai!" He called loudly.

Her eyes snapped open. "What? Who speaketh my name so loudly?!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "It be I. Telling you to get up and go home."

She sobbed playfully. "Ah, Jeez, I'm tired."

Luke sighed. "You can sleep right there if you want."

"But--"

"But of course you have to go," he finished knowingly.

"Yes. Luke, I'm in a bind."

"And how lucky am I that I get to sit here and listen to you gripe about it?" He pulled himself off of the bed and went to put on his shoes. He picked up his hat and stuck it on his head, which completed the look since he was still in his jeans and flannel.

He went to the couch and picked up Lorelai's arm and started to tug on it just so she'd know to stand. She opened her eyes and smiled as she stood up. She walked close to him. "Thanks so much, Luke. Just make sure you don't drop me, okay?" She moved into him some more as she tried to position herself to be lifted. Luke backed up, looking at her like she was crazy.

"I'm not about to carry you!" He said.

Her eyes were drooped. "Why not?" She whined.

"Because! I'm not carrying you all the way to your house. Does that sound plausible to you?"

"It sounds beautiful to me!"

Luke stared at her for a moment before speaking. "You know what was discovered recently? It was determined that being extremely drowsy is the same as having like a point eight blood alcohol level. So, you know what, you're drunk right now. That's what you are. And frankly, your ability to think properly has vanished. Get your stuff so I can walk you home," he said as he directed her toward the door.

Lorelai pouted for a second, and in that second Luke almost caved. But then she slowly dragged herself toward the door. "I can't think properly?" She asked.

"No."

"And you can?"

"I'm not all that tired, so yes, I can," he said as he opened the door.

Lorelai turned to face him. "So, if I ask you why you're choosing to walk me all the way home instead of driving me, you'd have a really good reason, right?"

Luke's eyes shifted in thought. He'd forgotten he had a truck. He looked back at Lorelai to find her smiling slowly. He didn't say anything, and her smile widened. She turned to walk down the stairs, happy that she had, in her 'drunken state', gotten the best of him. "That'll teach you not to build my underground tunnel!" She yelled back up the stairs.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

After pulling into Lorelai's yard, Luke walked around the truck and opened the passenger side door. He held it open as he looked at Lorelai.

"Oh, goody," he mumbled. Lorelai had managed to fall asleep in the few seconds that he had taken to come to her side. "Lorelai, wake up," he said as he took her arm and gently pulled to get her out of the truck. She opened her eyes fully and climbed outside.

"Here already?" She asked.

"It's a thirty second trip," he deadpanned.

Once she was on the ground, she leaned against the truck and closed her eyes.

Luke closed the door and looked at her, then at the few steps to the porch. "Come on, Lorelai, it's just a few more steps." He took her hand and then paused as he looked into her face. He'd never seen her sleep before, but he visualized it as he watched her drawn eyelids. It was no surprise it was a beautiful sight, so that wasn't what caused his tiny smile. He smiled as he thought of how he couldn't imagine eight hours of silence coming from her. It was impossible.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she looked down at where he was still holding her hand. He felt her hand squeeze his slightly. "Why the smile?" She asked as she lazily stood up from her lean. Luke remembered his original reason for taking her hand as he helped her by pulling on it.

He shook his head. "Just thinking of how rare it is to see you with a closed mouth." He released her hand.

"And that thought made you smile? So, you don't enjoy my sophisticated ramblings? I'm hurt, Luke."

"Sophisticated ramblings?" He asked dubiously. "You spent over fifteen minutes at dinner tonight talking about the evolution of the television remote."

"Did you not learn something?"

"I learned that you don't have much of a life."

"Well, everybody can't be a club hopper like you, Luke."

He rolled his eyes at her comment. He was walking her to the door, and though he wasn't sure why, it seemed appropriate for some reason. As he climbed the stairs to her house, he realized that he was alone. He turned back to see Lorelai standing at the bottom.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Stairs," she said as she pointed at them.

Luke looked down at them dumbly, then back at her. "I...can see that. And if you climb them, you get rewarded by having access to the inside of your house."

"Luke, I am so not in the mood to climb stairs right now."

He frowned. "Please tell me you're kidding. You're here. You're home. You made it. And you still have something to complain about?"

Lorelai looked around the ground. "I'll just sleep right here. This looks comfy. Stairsless." She started to sit down, and Luke came down and grabbed her elbow before she could.

"You are a true piece of work," he mumbled. He turned his back to her. "Get on."

Lorelai smiled. "Get on your back?" She asked.

"This offer is good for two more seconds, Lorelai. Come on before I rightfully change my mind."

"Okay." She placed her hands on his shoulders and with his help, she climbed onto his back. His backward cap prevented her from laying her head near his shoulder so she slowly turned it to the side. "There. Now you're a B-boy," she said with a wide smile as she got comfortable.

Luke climbed the steps, and when he tried the knob, he found it open. "Lorelai, why is this door unlocked?" He asked as he moved inside.

Her eyes were shut. "Because this is Stars Hollow. It's the place dreams are made of."

"Yeah, I can see the advertisement now. Come to Stars Hollow where you can feel free to live stupidly."

"Remind me to tell Taylor to put you in charge of marketing."

Luke moved easily up the flight of stairs. They spoke quietly, assuming Rory was sleeping. "Seriously, Lorelai, always lock your door. You never know what could happen."

She sighed. "Okay, if it'll help you to rest easier--"

"It would," he said seriously.

"Then, I'll do it," she said convincingly.

"Thank you." He entered Lorelai's bedroom and stopped in the middle of the floor. He stood there for many seconds, noticing she wasn't moving. "I think this is your stop," he said turning his head slightly.

She chuckled. "Ten more minutes."

"No, your quarter ran out. It's time to get off." He said this with absolutely no conviction.

"Your hair smells good," she said quietly.

He smiled. "Thanks." He paused. "Now, about that getting off..." More than he wanted to admit, he hoped she would remain defiant.

"I'm moving, I'm moving," she said as she slid her hands from around his neck and to his shoulders. He let her legs go, and she slid to the floor. She moved around him and threw her purse to the bed. "Happy now?" She asked as she took her coat off and dropped it there as well.

"Thrilled," he replied mildly as he moved his hat back to its proper position.

She started taking off her jewelry. "Okay, I'm gonna take off," said Luke.

She nodded as she looked at him. "Alright."

"Next week same time?"

"Same Bat time, same Bat channel." She laid her watch down on her nightstand and moved her hands to her pants clasp where she unbuttoned it casually.

Luke's eyes widened. "Okay, since you've obviously forgotten that I'm in the room--"

She laughed and sat on her bed. Her ankle went to her lap as she unzipped her boot. "I'm not taking off my pants, Luke. I told you I'm stuffed. Just giving myself some comfort."

He looked down briefly. "Oh."

She laughed again. "Yeah, 'oh'. You'll have to have a whole lot of singles to get the full show," she teased.

He smiled. "Knew I should have stopped at that ATM." She laughed. He shrugged. "Guess I'll know next time."

"Live and learn," she said with a wink.

He tossed her a wave. "I'll see you sometime tomorrow."

"Okay. Get home safe. And thanks...as always."

He shook his head in modesty as he backed out of the door. "I'm locking up on my way out."

"You better."

Luke closed her bedroom door and made his way down the stairs.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Thursday number 13:

"So, what do you guys do exactly?"

"We don't do anything. We just eat dinner," Lorelai answered.

Rory packed up her backpack to take over Dean's house. She'd gotten out of school a couple of hours ago, and she was just packing her homework material. "You know, you never did explain to me how these dinners came about," she said.

"Well, it was kind of accidental. I just caught him one night while he was cooking, and every since then--"

"Your Thursday nights have been off limits," Rory finished.

"I wouldn't say that."

"Wanna catch a movie tonight?" Rory asked quickly.

"Can't, Hon. Let's blow off my mother and do it tomorrow night instead," Lorelai answered casually.

"What about next Thursday?"

"Busy. Let's just set up a string of dates to blow off my mother. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, because that would go over so well with her," Rory answered sarcastically.

"Well, it's good to shake things up sometimes. Ask the creator of Etch-A-Sketch. Bet he'd agree."

"Unwilling to juggle your standing date with Luke, huh?"

"I'm unwilling to juggle my standing date with good food."

"You know what I've noticed?" Rory asked.

"Nope. Now, what are the chances the conversation will just stop right here?"

She smiled. "I've noticed that over the weeks, you've been a lot more made up on your Thursday nights."

"Damn, I knew that tweezing that facial mole was a little over the top."

"Mom."

"What are you talking about, Rory? I come from work, and sometimes I freshen up, but I also do that when going to Grandma and Grandpa's. It's not out of the ordinary."

Rory decided not to argue with her. She zipped up her bag and put her arms through the straps. "Just do me one favor."

"Anything, my little Snuggle Bunny."

Rory stared at her. "Two favors. Do me two favors."

"The first is to never call you that again, isn't it?"

"For the rest of my life, please."

"Done. What's the other?"

Rory sighed. "If ever you see yourself not coming home for the night, just call so I won't worry."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay. Um, may I ask why you think that would happen?"

Rory shrugged. "I'm just saying. Can you do that for me?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Sure...Honey. You know that goes without saying."

"Good." She walked over and kissed her cheek. "See ya later."

Lorelai nodded and watched her leave. Once the door closed, she chuckled to herself and went to change so that she could head over to Luke's.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Thursday number 17:

"Are you sure that's just a roast?" Lorelai closed the oven and turned towards Luke.

He nodded. "Au jus."

"Gosh, that smell makes me want to climb inside the oven and go to sleep."

"If you climbed inside the oven, you'd go to sleep, alright."

Lorelai lifted the lid of the dish on the stove. "Potatoes?" She asked looking back at him.

"Goes best with roast beef."

She frowned and replaced the lid. "Not a fan of potatoes unless they come vegetable oil absorbed."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that."

"But you made them anyway? Goodness, Luke, if you want me to leave, just tell me to leave," she said playfully.

"Dramatics aside, you'll like these potatoes. As with everything else I've made, these were made with you in mind. But healthier."

Luke had proven himself time and time again, so with that, the subject was dropped.

"What's for dessert?"

"Pie."

"What kind?"

"Brandied pumpkin."

Lorelai's eyes went wide with excitement. "Real brandy?"

Luke laughed. "You're not going to taste it. So, don't get too excited there, Otis."

She laughed. "Darn." She walked out of the kitchen. "Going to the restroom. Be right back."

"Okay."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai came back inside the apartment with a can of cream.

"How's everything downstairs? Did Caesar lock up okay?" Luke asked her as she made her way over to the table.

"Nothing appears to have been burnt," she answered with a shrug.

"Always good to hear."

Lorelai went to the refrigerator and pulled out a large slice of pie that she had cut. "Have you eaten any pie?"

He nodded and sat back down at the table. They'd both already eaten. "Yeah, I cut myself a sliver before you came back up." He looked at her plate as she set it on the table. "About 1/6 the size of that," he said as he shook his head.

Lorelai picked up the can. "I still can't believe you made pumpkin pie without an ounce of whipped cream in the apartment."

"Well, it doesn't really need whipped cream."

"Doesn't need it? Luke, please. It's a necessity with pie. It's a good thing you have a diner downstairs." She tore the plastic ring off and squirted some neatly on the top. After taking a bite, her eyes widened and went to him across the table. "Luke, this is delicious!"

He smiled. "Really?"

She ate some more before she was finished chewing. "Oh, god, really!"

He laughed that time. "Glad you like it."

She nodded as she continued to eat. Her eyes went to him. "You want to try it with the whipped cream?"

He shook his head. "No, I've reached my limit."

Lorelai laughed. He had barely eaten anything. She figured it was a wonder he had any body mass at all with the small portions of food he consumed.

She brought the fork to her mouth, and her eyes rested on Luke. He lifted his brows in question, and she smiled. "Have you ever even eaten whipped cream?" She asked.

"Of course."

Lorelai's attention went to her pie for just a second as she took a bite. Then, her focus went back to him. "I can't imagine you eating whipped cream, Luke."

Luke rolled his eyes. "What's there to imagine? It's just eating something. Something ridiculously high in everything the FDA tells us to avoid."

"The best things are."

"Why am I not surprised you'd think that?"

She smiled as she continued to eat. "You know, when Rory was like 5 years old, she had a hard time believing me when I told her that Kermit the frog was unique. She thought that dancing and singing were standard protocol with all of them. It wasn't until I showed her a real frog that she finally realized. All it took was one look at a real one. She screamed bloody murder, by the way. But she finally understood."

He nodded. "Cute story. May I ask the point of it?"

"Sure. My point is that she didn't believe me until I showed her. The proof was in the pudding."

"So, you don't believe that I've eaten whipped cream?"

"Nope."

"And I take it that you actually think I care about your skepticism on this subject."

"Ouch," she said quietly with a sudden pout.

Luke stared at her for a moment. Damn that look. "So, what exactly are you saying, that you want me to eat some?"

She smiled happily. "Please."

Her instant mood change didn't surprise him in the least. "That would only prove that I was willing to eat some. It wouldn't prove that I have eaten some."

Lorelai shrugged. "That'd work for me. I'm easily convincible."

"Can I take a second and comment on how childish this is?"

"Sure." She stood up quickly. "Ooh, second's up." She pulled out the chair beside him and turned it to face him before sitting down. "So, you're gonna eat some for me?"

Luke shrugged and turned his chair towards her some as he sat back comfortably. "Sure."

"Yeah?" She asked gleefully as she reached over and grabbed the can.

He nodded.

"Cool." She shook the can, then handed it to him. "Make me proud."

He exhaled tiredly as he sprayed a little on his finger quickly and stuck it his mouth. There was an instant frown, then a passive shrug. "Happy?"

Lorelai scowled. "Uh...hell no!" She said smartly. She took the can and shook it again, then handed it back to him. "You probably didn't even taste that."

"I tasted it alright. It tasted just like Diabetes."

"Quit being so dramatic. Do it again," she urged lightly.

He growled. "Jeez," he mumbled as he squirted a longer line on his finger. Then, he consumed it.

Lorelai shook her head. "Still not good enough," she said.

"Well, too bad," he replied with a deep frown. "You just said to eat some. And I have."

Lorelai grasped the can and shook it. She tilted her head back and filled her mouth halfway with cream before looking back at Luke. He watched her with no expression. She swallowed all of it, then set the can down. "Now, that's eating whipped cream," she said proudly.

"That was disgusting," he said plainly.

She scoffed. "Oh, I'm disgusting now?!"

"I didn't say you were disgusting. I said that that was disgusting."

She paused. "So...I'm not disgusting?" She asked in direct clarification.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you're not."

"But you would tell me if you really thought that--"

"Lorelai!" He said with annoyance, more at himself for causing her mind to go there. He, of course, thought her to be nowhere near disgusting.

"What? You're the one that said it."

"And now I'm the one that's dropping it." He stood up and moved to the sink.

Lorelai watched him walk away. She stood up slowly and went to join him. She stood off to his left as he stood in front of the running water.

"Need some help?" She asked peacefully.

He glanced at her and looked away with a smile. "No thanks. If you wash my dishes one more time, I might have to start paying you."

She shrugged. "You are cooking for me, Luke. I don't mind washing dishes."

"I know. I just feel like doing something to keep busy."

She nodded her understanding. Luke reached around her for a pot. She moved over some to allow him access, then settled back in place once he had it. Lorelai watched him move some things around in the sink, then she moved her eyes up to his face and stared at his profile for a few long seconds. He turned and caught her gaze, and she just smiled, not bothering to look elsewhere. When she did, it wasn't her shying away.

"Luke, do you think it's weird for a woman to not know how to cook?" She asked thoughtfully.

He frowned. "Why do you say 'a woman'?"

She gave him an obvious look. "Duh. Women are the keepers of the home. Men go out and gather, and women stay and tend to the house. You know what I mean."

"Well, I believe that way of thinking is a bit outdated. I'd just as easily say it's weird for a man to not know how to cook something."

"Hm."

"Why do you ask?" He asked curiously. He chuckled in the next moment. "You think your lack of kitchen skills will keep you from finding somebody to marry?" He laughed again. He looked at Lorelai and found her smiling. Politely. His eyes squinted. "What, you don't really think that, do you?" He asked unfavorably.

She smiled a little more, more at the feeling of slight exposure. "Well, I don't plan to change who I am. I mean, it's a unique quality to barely be able to use a toaster, ya know?"

"You've perfected it."

"I know." She smiled genuinely. "I just...also know that there are certain expectations that come with marriage and stuff."

"What exactly is bringing this on?"

Her lips turned up. "It's just routine. Every so often, I have to stop and analyze my shortcomings so I won't be caught off guard when Emily brings them to my attention."

Luke shook his head. "Somehow I doubt a woman with a chef and a million dollar glass mansion would throw stones on that issue."

Lorelai chuckled lightly. "Yeah, but still."

A small pause followed. Luke busied himself. "Just so you know, you're a great catch. Hopefully, you won't meet and marry anyone who was around for the Great Depression. But even if you did, I doubt their preconceived sexist thoughts would keep them from appreciating what they have in you."

She smiled lazily. "Aw, Luke. Can I pack you up so you can re-play that very sentence tomorrow at Friday night dinner?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sure, just pick up an extra set of D batteries on the way. I may run out of juice mid-sentence," he said in annoyance at being referred to as a thing.

She waved her hand. "No need to. I have plenty of D batteries at home."

"What, you play with toys now?" Luke asked distractedly.

"Yeah, sure. Toys that I keep hidden from pretty much every child in America."

"And on that note..."

Lorelai laughed. "That was a joke, by the way."

He nodded, smiled.

The next few minutes were quiet. He washed a few of the dishes. Lorelai just watched him work as she softly tapped her foot to the the low music that always set the mood for their evenings.

He exhaled tiredly, then looked around her to see if he had left anything out. Spotting a lid, he started to reach for it. Lorelai moved in the wrong direction to get out of his way, and his hand lightly hit her stomach instead.

"Whoops, sorry," she said. She moved the other way, and the same thing happened. She laughed at the aggravated breath he took, then started to move purposefully with his hand to keep him from getting around her. "Which way will she go, uh, uh. Which way will she go..." She sang as she watched his arm movement.

Luke dropped his hand and just stared at her as she continued to sing with downcast eyes. "...nobody will know, uh, uh, which way she will go..."

"You are so annoying," he said calmly.

Lorelai smiled cheekily and looked up at him only to see him coming toward her. Before she could process what he was about to do, she felt his lips on hers.

Her hands went back to the counter as his grasped her sides, pulling her body closer. It wasn't a hard, intense kiss. No, he instead had kissed her like he had every right in the world to do just that. He pulled away after a few short seconds. He slowly released her body then stepped back.

His eyes went to the floor, and he adjusted his hat out of nervous habit. Looking up at Lorelai, he saw just as she opened her eyes. And then there was a stare. Not awkward or tension-filled. Just a stare. Luke cleared his throat lightly, then pointed.

"Can you, uh, hand me the...lid?" He asked quietly.

Lorelai blinked, then nodded. "Sure." She turned a little, picked it up, then passed it to him.

He accepted it with a small smile, then stepped back to the sink.

She looked to be unsure of what to do with her hands next, so she placed them back on the counter.

He washed the lid slowly while Lorelai tossed glances at him. He rinsed it off under the faucet, then placed it neatly in the rack. Completing the 90 degree turn, he advanced upon her again, his eyes on hers. He reached for her hip, and her features displayed relief. She extended her hand and pulled him inward by his flannel.

His arms wrapped around her waist, and she stood on her toes as her hands naturally found a place around his neck.

Luke rubbed her lower back once their tongues began exploration. They kissed for a long moment, and it was only interrupted by the need for air. Lorelai's arm came unlinked, and she touched a hand to his cheek once he started to kiss along her jaw.

"Why in the hell are we just now doing this?" He whispered jaggedly in-between pecks.

"I don't know." She swallowed and moved her fingers throughout his hair. "We'll distribute blame later."

"Looking forward to it." His mouth went back to hers, and he kissed her with a deep intensity that had her moaning uncontrollably.

She pulled away, feeling herself getting weak. "Mind if we move this?" She asked as her hands rubbed the back of his neck.

He shook his head. "Not at all." He supposed she wanted to get horizontal. Or at least he hoped so because he hated to make an incorrect assumption, then have the moment be ruined by her slapping him across the face.

Reversing their positions, he began to back her toward the other end of the apartment as they kissed some more. They reached his bed, and Lorelai latched her body onto his and allowed him to bring his weight down upon her. Instead of the kisses becoming more urgent, they became even slower. More involved.

Lorelai relaxed her body some, and they just slowly moved against one another. Luke rolled onto his side, and she followed, bringing her body to his as she wrapped a leg around his. They kissed sensually, her moans making his seem imperceptible.

Luke moved to lay on his back, and Lorelai came to straddle him. She had on a skirt, and it was now at the most northern region of her thighs as she moved her clothed body with his. His flannel was removed and lay crumpled underneath their bodies.

They continued on this way. The background music went from song to song.

Lorelai whispered Jesus's name, then swallowed before following it with Luke's. "Luke?"

His hand slid along the right side of her thigh, back over her ass, then moved up her side as he grinded slowly on top of her. His mouth was on her neck. She'd been whispering his name for quite a while, so he didn't realize she was actually trying to get his attention this time.

She called him again, more clearly. "Luke?"

He didn't stop. But he did reply. "Yeah?"

Lorelai gently pulled his face up with her hands, and he took hold of one of them and trailed a kiss from her fingers to her wrist on down, and all she could do was smile. She would have never guessed he'd be so attentive, but she definitely found herself needing to re-evaluate. Especially as she felt his mouth move from her arm to her covered breasts. Then the need for re-evaluation was made official as she felt her blouse rise and his wet tongue and lips move down her stomach.

She giggled, then called him again as she looked down at him.

He sighed and put her shirt back down before making his way back up her body. He kissed her lips and moved to the side of her. "Too fast?" He asked as he propped his hand under his head.

Lorelai frowned, then leaned her face so close to his, their lips brushed. "Definitely not," she whispered before kissing him with conviction. Luke slid his arm under her side, pulling her to him even more. Lorelai ended the kiss and leaned her neck towards his lips. Her eyes closed as he sucked her skin. She slid her hands under his shirt and squeezed the muscles in his back. She attempted to speak. "I just...I have to...mak--make a...phone call."

He stopped and pulled back to look at her. "A what?"

She looked dazed. Had to think for a second to get her thoughts back. "A call. To Rory. Before we get too into this," she answered, breathing heavily.

His breaths were dense as well. "Oh," he said in understanding. His lips went to her jaw, and he kissed softly. Her eyes closed again. Luke thought of the already late hour. And as his lips delighted in the newfound feel, he realized how long he could do this. "I guess I have to make a call too."

Lorelai pulled away and smirked. "To who?"

He tried to kiss her again, but she reared back from him some. He rolled his eyes. "Caesar."

She chuckled. "That adoption finally legal?"

Luke growled in frustration as he tried unsuccessfully to get her to bring her skin back to his lips. She laughed as she leaned back in and kissed him slowly. And she pulled away only to lean back in for further indulgence. She broke it and playfully bit his lower lip. She let it go after a moment and made her neck accessible to him once again. "Why are you calling Caesar?" She asked distractedly.

Luke felt as if he could swallow her whole with the sounds she kept making. He could barely think. His mind slipped briefly back to the off-handed conversation that Caesar had initiated a few weeks back. Luke had stood in the diner kitchen looking at him like he was insane as he rambled on about how if ever he needed him to open unexpectedly to just call. No questions asked. This was, of course, preceeded by Caesar's mention of how well Luke and Lorelai seemed to be getting along. He said he envied their 'friendship'. Yes, 'friendship'. He'd even taken the time to use air quotes. How cute.

Luke had dismissed him, giving him a look sprinkled with displeasure and exasperation.

But as Lorelai's skin beneath his tongue established his sense of purpose, he wished he could go back and hug Caesar for offering what he had. He answered Lorelai's question to the best of his ability as his brain seemed to shut down on him. "...Call...him...diner."

There were some words in between there, but Luke didn't think them to be very important when the big picture seemed so much more apparent.

Lorelai smiled. "He's going to open the diner?" She asked with literacy.

He nodded.

She met his lips and moved into him until he rolled on his back. She spent a few seconds straddling him before she pulled away and stepped off the bed, leaving Luke to look at her in confusion. He saw her hurry over to her purse where she grabbed her cell phone. He groaned as he reached over on the nightstand to retrieve his landline.

Lorelai returned to the bed the same way she had exited it. By climbing over him. She lay back on her side and hit her speed dial home. Luke finished dialing and placed the phone to his ear as well just as Lorelai grabbed his shirt and pulled his lips to hers. He smiled as she licked over them like an ice cream cone.

They separated, and their eyes met. They shared a grin as they each waited for an answer on their respective line.

Each of them were about to have someone knowledgeable of their forthcoming act. It'd already been implied both by Caesar and Rory. Simply being in each other's presence at the late hour was like confirmation. And considering who was on the ends of both their lines, they had very little desire to let that be known. It was just too disturbing. They smiled at each other again as if reading that same thought.

Lorelai motioned toward his phone with her eyes. "You gonna lie?" She asked.

Luke smiled wider than she had ever seen him smile. "Like a rug. You?"

"Most definitely. I'm at Sookie's house right now." They both laughed.

Both their lines were answered.

The greetings were simultaneous.

"Hey Caesar."

"Hey Rory, Baby."

Pupils widened and Luke's hand flew to cover Lorelai's mouth and Lorelai's hand went instantly to his. They used those same hands to point accusingly at the other. They both began to stutter, then they rolled off of the bed in opposite directions.

"Uh, no that was nobody," they said together. Their voices still carried.

"Yeah, that was nobody too." It was like all the kissing had meshed together their brains as they kept speaking the very same thing at the very same time.

Lorelai pointed quickly toward the bathroom, and Luke walked inside and closed the door as they continued their conversations separately.

Luke came out a minute later to find Lorelai just ending her call. She closed her phone and met him near the bed.

"That was quick thinking," Luke said as he reached for her.

"What can I say, it's a gift." She slid her top off.

"We got away with it, though."

"I know. We're totally slick." She kissed his lips quickly, then pulled away. "By the way, Rory says hi."

Luke nodded. "So did Caesar. Then, he followed it up with some kind of mating call." They kissed again as Lorelai smiled against his lips.

"Think it'll work?" She asked of the mating call.

He looked down at her black lace bra, then back in her face. "It's looking pretty good."

"I'll say."

They laughed and fell to the mattress.

The next day would be filled with outside questions and interrogations. But the night...well, that was just for them.

-The End-

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