A/N: Fair Readers, pray give me a modicum of leeway on the timeline because ASP had the entire summer of Season Six condensed into Fight Face and The Ungraduate. For the purposes of this story, humor me and let's pretend that Luke & Lorelai tabled the house discussion until later in the summer, Liz and T.J. packed up and hit the Ren-Faire circuit, Paul Anka is still awaiting rescue and T.J. didn't knock a hole into Lorelai's bedroom until sometime in August, okay?
That being said, this is a smutty little post-fic addendum to Seven Weeks. Should only be about three of four chapters at most, but then again, you know how I am… This is dedicated to my Sporking pals and all of those who yearn to see Lorelai tame Luke's dragon… What say you? Huzzah!
They Hatcheth a Plan
Lorelai sat at the table in Luke's apartment doing some paperwork for the inn while she waited for him to close up for the night. She frowned at the invoice in front of her and reached for her cell, but when she flipped it open, she found that she had forgotten to charge it earlier that day and the battery had run down. Tossing the phone aside, Lorelai got up and walked over to snatch the portable phone she had brow beaten Luke into buying from its cradle. She dialed quickly and then rummaged through her bag to find her charger while the phone rang. When she heard the answering machine come on, she glanced at the clock and realized that it was probably bath time in the Belleville household. After the tone she said, "Hey, Sook! Sorry, I didn't realize it was bath and bed time. Um, I just had a question on an invoice from the poultry guy. It seems that Shel is awfully proud of his breasts these days. Not that they're not nice breasts, but, yowza. Um, I'm at Luke's and my cell is charging. Call me back here, or I'll just talk to you about it in the morning. Oh, uh, I meant his apartment," she added quickly before rattling off the phone number and hanging up.
She sat back down and set the invoice from their poultry supplier aside before she continued to sort through the stack. Ten minutes later, the phone rang. Lorelai snatched it from the pile of papers and pressed the on button as she said, "I mean, a breast is a breast is a breast, isn't it? It's not like we're serving Pam Anderson sized portions here."
She heard a giggle on the other end of the line and then a raspy voice asking, "Lorelai?"
"Oh! Liz. Sorry, I thought you were Sookie," Lorelai said with an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry," she said again.
"That's cool, and yes I agree, once you've seen one, you've seen them all. But tell that to a guy, huh?" Liz said with a laugh.
Lorelai giggled and said, "I was talking about chicken breasts. I thought you were Sookie calling me back," she explained. "But, yes, it is true," she conceded. "How are you? And T.J.? And your breasts?" she added with a laugh.
"I'm fine, T.J.'s fantastic, but my breasts?" she said with a sigh. "Well, they're just not as perky as they used to be, ya know?" Liz answered.
"I hear ya," Lorelai answered.
"Please, your breasts are perky," Liz said pointedly.
"Okay, this is just getting weird now," Lorelai said with a chuckle. "Um, Luke's not up here, he's downstairs. Do you want me to get him for you?" she asked.
"Oh, no. This is just our weekly phone call thing," Liz said quickly. "You see, he hates it when I call while he's working, so I call and talk to his machine and tell him what we've been doing, and ask about you guys. Then tomorrow, he'll call while I'm doing my yoga, and leave me a message back," she explained. "It's a system we've perfected. We talk, but we rarely actually talk," Liz said with a laugh. "I think he prefers it that way," she added in a conspiratorial tone.
"Oh," Lorelai said blankly.
"That way, he doesn't have to pretend to be interested in all my stuff, and I don't have to listen to him nag me. It works out well for both of us," Liz assured her.
"He can be a little bossy," Lorelai agreed.
"He means well," Liz said, still quick to defend her big brother to the death.
"Its part of his charm," Lorelai concurred. "Uh, would you like me to hang up so that you can talk to the machine?" she asked.
"Oh no, I'm so glad to get the chance to talk to you," Liz said quickly. "How are the wedding plans coming?" she asked.
"Oh, well, no real plans yet," Lorelai said uncomfortably.
"Ah, just basking in the glow. I get it," Liz said with a nod.
"How are things at the faire?" Lorelai asked.
"Oh, great! T.J. tweaked the booth a little, gave me some more space for bracelets and anklets. Anklets have been really big so far this year," Liz said enthusiastically.
"Really?" Lorelai asked as she tucked the phone under her chin and shuffled through a stack of purchase orders.
"Oh, yeah. I got these really pretty beads, almost like cloisonné, you know. All these blues and greens, they're gorgeous. Anyway, I've been using a lot of those and they've been selling like crazy," she said with an incredulous shake of her head. "Oh, I should save you one. It would so great with your eyes," she gushed.
"Well, I usually don't have my ankles up around me head," Lorelai said in a distracted tone as she stared at an order for new linens. She realized what she had said and then giggled. "Oh, so dirty," she gasped.
Liz laughed and asked, "You need me to have a talk with that brother of mine?"
"Uh, no," Lorelai said firmly. "Do not go there."
Liz laughed and said, "Its such fun talking on the phone to a girl. I never talk on the phone to girls anymore, well, Carrie, but she doesn't count, she's usually yelling at Barry or the kids. And now I'm going to have a sister-in-law," she crowed. "I'm so excited for you! And for Luke, I just know he has to be over the moon," she said affectionately.
"Thanks, Liz," Lorelai said, her tone softening.
"I remember when you came up here last summer. Oh man, Lorelai, I have never seen my big brother so crazy about anyone," she said sincerely.
"Well, he'd better be, the guy said yes," Lorelai tried to joke.
"This is a dream come true for him," Liz said, undeterred. "He wants to marry you. For years, I'll bet," she added. "You know, he may think he is, but there was never a guy who was more perfect for marriage than Luke. He's like a swan," she said simply.
"A swan?" Lorelai asked as she placed the stacks of papers into alternating piles.
"Monogamous, you know," Liz said with a shrug. "Mates for life."
Lorelai frowned and said, "I thought they disproved that."
Liz chuckled and said, "Not in Luke's case."
Lorelai smiled as she said, "He is true blue, isn't he?"
"The bluest," Liz agreed. "Oh and the eyes! Your kids are going to have the most incredible blue eyes," Liz said in a dreamy voice.
"Uh, yeah, well odds are, huh?" Lorelai said as she glanced toward the door nervously.
"Luke is going to be such a great dad," Liz sighed.
Lorelai chuckle and said, "Hey, getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"
"Oh, sorry, yeah I'm like that sometimes," Liz said sheepishly.
"Uh, so, where are you guys?" Lorelai asked, ready to shift the conversation to less personal topics.
"Near Portland. Maine, you know," Liz told her.
"Cool, same place as last time?" Lorelai asked.
"Yep, the schedule's a little wacky this year, though. They have us going down to Portsmouth next and then back up to Bangor, go figure," Liz said incredulously.
"Portsmouth," Lorelai said softly.
Liz smiled as she said, "Oh yeah, that's where you guys met up, isn't it?"
"Yeah, we met there one weekend," Lorelai admitted.
"I remember, because there was no wiping the smile off of Luke's face when he got back. T.J. didn't even get to him, and that's saying a lot," Liz said with a chuckle.
"We had a nice time there," Lorelai said wistfully.
"You should come up while we're there, stay at that inn you stayed at and then come out to the faire for the day," Liz said excitedly.
Lorelai smiled and said, "Oh Liz, I'd love to, but things are really busy right now. I doubt I could get away."
"Yeah. Well, I guess that comes with the territory when you have your own business," Liz said somberly. "I know Luke hardly ever takes any time off. Last summer was the only time I've known him to take more than a day or two away from the diner since he opened it," she said sadly.
Lorelai smiled and said, "How quickly you forget. He went on a cruise with Nicole," she reminded Liz.
Liz laughed and said, "I did forget. That'll show you how real that was, huh," she chortled. "Well, anyway, I probably shouldn't keep you any longer, T.J. will come looking for me soon," Liz added with a smile in her voice.
"I'll tell Luke that you called and give him the update," Lorelai promised.
"I had such a good time talking to you, Lorelai," Liz said in a happy tone.
"Me too, Liz," Lorelai answered sincerely. "You take care of yourselves, okay?" she asked.
"Oh, we will, and each other," Liz added with a chuckle.
"That's what it's all about," Lorelai replied. "Oh, and next time, call him downstairs. I know he likes to talk to you," Lorelai assure Liz.
Liz laughed and said, "Yeah, but he lives in fear of me handing the phone to T.J."
"Well, he'll have to toughen up, then, won't he?" Lorelai asked.
"See ya, Lorelai," Liz said with a laugh.
"Bye, Liz," she said as she hung up and stared at the phone in her hand. She stood up and walked over to the windows, clutching the phone against her chest as she looked out onto the square, watching people stroll along in the waning evening light.
Twenty minutes later, Luke opened the door to find her standing at the windows, watching the passersby below, obviously lost in thought. He walked quietly across the room and stood just behind her as he reached out to touch her shoulder gently and asked, "What's on your mind?"
Lorelai jumped slightly, and then turned, the phone still pressed to her chest. She smiled at him and said, "You, actually."
"Me?" he asked as a smile tugged at the edges of his mouth.
"Yeah, you," she said softly as she reached up on her toes to kiss him sweetly.
When she settled back again, Luke pushed a stray curl behind her ear, tucking it safely in place. "Were you waiting for me to call?" he asked with a nod toward the phone still clutched in her hand.
Lorelai looked down at the phone blankly and then shook her head to clear it. "Oh, no, Liz called. Sorry, I answered your phone. I thought it might be Sookie," she explained quickly.
Luke shrugged and said, "You can answer my phone."
"Yeah, my, uh cell was dead, so I called Sookie to ask her a question and got the machine, so I left her this number. And then, when it rang, I just answered it," she babbled.
"That's fine," Luke said patiently.
Lorelai flashed him a smile and said, "Well, I know that I have permission to move the milk, but I wasn't sure about the phone answering thing. I wouldn't have, if I had thought about it."
Luke nodded and said, "Well, seeing as how my phone will soon be your phone, I think that this falls under the category of no big deal." He looked down at her and asked, "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, giving him that quick smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Luke nodded, but clearly didn't believe her. "What did Liz have to say?" he asked as he took off his cap, tossed it onto the chair, and ran his hand through his hair tiredly.
"Oh, not much, bracelets and anklets are selling big this year. They're heading down to Portsmouth next and then up to Bangor," she reported.
"Portsmouth," Luke said with a small smile.
"Nice town," Lorelai agreed with a gleam in her eye.
"Love that town," Luke agreed as he pulled her into his arms, lifting the phone from her hand and tossing it to the chair beside his hat.
Lorelai slid her hands up his chest and said, "Of course, we didn't see much of it."
"We saw enough," he said gruffly as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly. Luke pulled back and traced his fingertips over her cheek and down to her jaw. "Saw everything that mattered," he said softly.
"True," she agreed.
Luke pulled her close and hugged her tightly, his hands caressing her back gently. "I closed a little early. Thought I'd see if you wanted to get an ice cream cone and take a walk. It looks like a nice night," he said quietly.
"Really?" she asked hopefully, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
"Sure, if you want to. We've both been cooped up all day," he said as he loosened his hold on her.
"That sounds nice," she said as she nuzzled into his neck, unwilling to let go yet.
Luke smiled as he glanced down at her bare feet and said, "Slip your shoes on, and we'll go."
Lorelai nodded and then pressed her lips to his one more time before letting him go. She slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops that she had kicked off earlier and asked, "Two scoops?"
Luke smirked as she followed him to the door, and said, "Don't push it."
"Ah, you want me to have two scoops, that way you can have something to gripe about as you pick at your child sized scoop of vanilla," she said with a cheeky grin as she walked out of the apartment and Luke closed the door after them.
Luke placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her toward the steps and said, "Damn, now you're onto me."
XXXX
That night, Lorelai turned out the bathroom light and walked over to the bed wearing her favorite flannel. "Soon it'll be too warm to wear this," she said as she climbed under the covers.
Luke smiled at her and said, "You're right, you should take it off."
Lorelai burrowed into his shoulder and said, "You romantic devil, you. Sweeping a girl off her feet like that."
Luke turned to look at her and said somberly, "You're right, I need to be better about that."
Lorelai frowned and asked, "About what?"
"You know, uh, romantic stuff," he said as he gestured lamely.
Lorelai's face brightened into a smile as she said, "You are still the only man who ever sent me a ham."
"Yeah, a year ago," he argued.
Lorelai shook her head and said, "You're just fine the way you are." She laced her fingers with his and let hers slide the long length of his hand. "That's what I was thinking about when you came in tonight," she said quietly.
"Ham?" he asked with a laugh.
"No, last summer. And ham," she added with a smile. "All those nights, me here, you there, talking on the phone," Lorelai said softly. "It was..." she trailed off, looking for the right word.
"Torture?" he asked gruffly.
"Perfect in some ways," she answered.
"Perfect?" he asked incredulously. "You're seriously telling me that it was great that I was stuck up in Maine when we had just, you know, started?" he demanded.
"No, not that part," she said as she shook her head. "The talking. I miss the phone calls," she admitted.
Luke blinked in confusion and said, "We're together almost every night."
"I know, I just, it was nice in a way," she struggled to explain. "You know the intimacy of it."
Luke's eyebrows shot up as he said, "We're a lot more intimate now."
"No, not like that," she said, getting frustrated with him.
Luke frowned and said, "Don't get upset, just tell me what you mean."
"I don't know," she said softly. "It was all so new, but not new, you know. It was still me and you, but a whole new kind of me and you," she stumbled as she tried to express her thoughts. "That rush when the phone would ring. Snuggled down in bed, listening to the sound of your voice, trying to picture where you were and what you were doing," she said as she released his hand and leaned up on her elbow to look down at him. "Running all over the place just to steal a few hours together, desperate just to be near each other," she said as she plucked at the soft cotton of his t-shirt.
Luke smiled up at her and said, "That first rush."
"Exactly," she said with a nod. "Every joke is hilarious," she teased gently.
"Every little touch is incredible," Luke answered in a hushed voice. He nodded and said, "Yeah that was nice."
"Its not that things are bad now, they're great," she hastened to assure him.
"I know what you mean," he said as he reached up to brush her hair over her shoulder.
"I love what we are now," she told him sincerely.
Luke smiled and said, "I do too. And I love you more now."
"You do?" she asked softly. "Now that the new has worn off?" she added.
"Definitely," he answered. "That's a part of the whole let's get married thing, isn't it?"
"My life meant nothing to me until you used my toothbrush and I want to die when you die," she said with wide eyed solemnity.
Luke reached up and threaded his hand into her curls as he pulled her down to kiss him. "You are my life," he whispered as his lips brushed over hers.
"So romantic," Lorelai sighed as she pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply.
XXXX
"Thank you so much for coming, you have no idea how much I needed this," Sookie said as she pushed Martha's stroller through the mall.
"I can imagine," Lorelai answered dryly.
"I thought I'd go batty if I didn't get just a little grown up girl time, you know?" Sookie asked.
"Well, you do have your hands full these days," Lorelai said as she nodded toward the stroller.
"I was so excited when Jackson said that he'd take Davy for the day. I can handle this one, she just eats, sleeps and poops," she said with a shrug.
"Where to next?" Lorelai asked as she gestured to the line of stores.
Sookie shook her head and said, "To be honest, I couldn't care less. I'm just happy to be out."
Lorelai pointed to a clothing store and said, "That place looks like it has cute stuff."
"Cute stuff here we come," Sookie giggled as she pointed the stroller toward the entrance to the shop and used it as a battering ram to part the Saturday shopping crowd. She grinned over her shoulder at Lorelai and said, "Sometimes the stroller comes in handy."
They browsed at a leisurely pace as Martha snoozed contentedly. Lorelai was flicking through a rack of skirts when she heard Sookie breathe, "Oh my."
"What?" Lorelai asked as she glanced back over her shoulder.
Sookie pulled a top from the rack and held it up as she said with a laugh, "Prepare yourself, apparently they want us to believe that the wench look is back."
Lorelai turned and saw Sookie holding up a blouse that laced up the front and featured puffy short sleeves that were obviously meant to wear off the shoulder. "Oh my is right," Lorelai said as she reached out to touch the blouse.
Sookie smirked and asked, "Too bad you didn't have this when you went up to that Renaissance Faire in Maine last year, huh?" She placed the offending top back on the rack and giggled as she said, "Luke would have had a stroke."
"Yeah," Lorelai said with a giggle, trying to picture herself in the blouse and coming up with a disturbingly clear image of herself with the laces parted and a coronet of pale yellow silk flowers in her hair, the silky yellow ribbons draped over her shoulder as Luke's dark head bent to kiss the hollow of her throat. "Liz called the other night when I was at Luke's," she told Sookie as she quickly turned back to the skirts, trying to erase the image from her mind.
"Oh? How are they? Are they still doing the faire thing?" Sookie asked.
"Yeah, they're heading to Portsmouth in a couple of weeks," Lorelai told her.
"Portsmouth," Sookie said with a knowing smile.
"Yeah," Lorelai said softly. She turned from the rack to face her friend and said, "It got me thinking, you know, about last summer."
Sookie nodded and said, "You're having that whole 'God, that felt so good thing,' going on."
"Yeah," Lorelai said as she blinked in surprise.
Sookie nodded as she flipped through few more hangers. "Everybody does that," she said confidently.
"They do?" Lorelai asked.
"God, yes. Before this one, every once in a while, I'd call the little Johnson girl over to watch Davy for an hour or so just so I could make Jackson take me to Luke's for dinner. We'd talk and laugh and hold hands, just like we were starting again," she said with a dreamy sigh. She shook her head slightly and said, "Of course, it's never quite the same since I know now that the man has a physical inability to pick up his underwear, but, you know, it's still really good too."
"That's sweet," Lorelai said. "Except for the underwear thing," she added quickly.
Sookie caught the wistful tone in Lorelai's voice and said, "Hey, you should go."
Lorelai frowned and said, "Go where?"
Sookie's eyes widened as the thought took hold. "You should totally go! I mean, there's no reason why you can't," she insisted as she grasped Lorelai's wrist.
"Easy, Hon," Lorelai said as Sookie began to bounce on the balls of her feet. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"You should buy the slutty wench blouse, and take Luke to Portsmouth for a weekend. Ooh! You can stay at that inn you guys stayed at that first weekend," she said excitedly as she nudged Lorelai in the ribs with her elbow. "You can go to the Faire and eat turkey legs, and Luke can show off that muscle man thing with the hammer," she said in a voice tremulous with glee. She clamped her hand over her mouth and squealed as her eyes gleamed with suppressed joy.
"Sookie," Lorelai started to protest.
"It'll be great. Luke can see all of his faire friends again," Sookie said as she danced from foot to foot.
"Okay, that is not going to be a big selling point," Lorelai said dryly.
"He'll love it as long as he's with you," Sookie said, too happy to be deterred. "Picture it, you're wearing that top, Luke's eyes will practically fall out of his head," she added in an undertone. "Oh! And you can take your flower thingy that he won for you and wear it in your hair," she added as she clapped her hands together.
Lorelai blinked in shock as she accurately described the picture that had just flashed through her mind moments before. "Maybe," she murmured in a voice filled with doubt.
"Definitely," Sookie said with a decisive nod. "You guys haven't been away together since he got back. It's time that you took a little romantic trip," she insisted.
"I'm not sure going to the Renaissance Faire is Luke's idea of a romantic weekend," Lorelai said dryly.
"It will be if you're there," Sookie said adamantly. She pulled the blouse from the rack and asked, "Do you honestly think he could resist this?"
Lorelai laughed and joked, "Well, hey, what man could?"
"Try it on," Sookie demanded as she thrust the hanger at Lorelai. "Oh, wait, that's a large," she said as she jerked it back and started to push hangers aside impatiently.
"Sookie," Lorelai tried to interject.
"Here! Perfect," Sookie said as she shoved the blouse into Lorelai's hands and gave her a helpful shove in the direction of the fitting rooms.
Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know if I can even get Luke to go away," as Sookie followed her with the stroller.
Sookie snorted and asked, "Please, when have you ever had trouble getting Luke to do anything?"
"Yeah, but," Lorelai said as she came to an abrupt halt in front of the dressing room door.
Sookie rolled her eyes and said, "Let's leave it up to fate. Try on the blouse. If it looks as sexy on you as I think Luke will think it is, then you go," she bargained.
Lorelai looked down at the blouse with a doubtful frown and said, "Okay, deal."
"Good, now go," Sookie said as she pointed imperiously to the fitting rooms.
Lorelai leaned over Martha's stroller and muttered, "Your Mom is very bossy."
XXXX
Lorelai swung through the door of the diner with an armload of bags as Luke came out of the kitchen with an armload of plates. He paused so that she could peck a quick kiss to his lips and said, "Be back in a minute," as he went to deliver the orders to their respective patrons.
Lorelai dropped the bags next to her usual stool and hopped up onto it with a smile. She had to admit, Sookie had worked her over. Now, she was excited by the prospect of stealing Luke away from Stars Hollow for a weekend. When he rounded the end of the counter, she smiled brightly and said, "Hey, Burger Boy."
"Hey," he said as he approached her slowly. "You look happy. Good day?" he asked with a pleased smile of his own.
"Yeah, we had fun," Lorelai said as she watched him pull out a mug and pour her a cup of coffee. "Wow, didn't even have to beg," she said with an impressed nod.
"Well, what can I say? I missed you today," he said in a low voice.
"I have a proposition for you," she said softly as she leaned forward, propping her elbows on the counter.
"Yes, please," he said with a devilish smile.
"Not that kind of proposition," she said quickly. "Well, that kind too, but later," she amended quickly, sending him an awkward wink.
"Suddenly, you're full of proposals," he teased.
"As long as you keep saying yes," she tossed off with a casual shrug.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
Lorelai looped a finger through the handle of the mug and turned it slowly back and forth on the countertop as she asked, "Would you like to go away with me for a weekend?"
"Yes," he answered with a decisive nod.
"You would?" she asked as she cocked her head in surprise.
"Definitely. Actually, I was thinking about the same thing," he added as he rubbed his hands together gently and then shoved them into the back pockets of his jeans as he rocked back on his heels.
"You were?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said with a small smile. "You're shocked," he said with a laugh.
"Uh, mildly," she admitted as she lifted the mug and took a sip of her coffee.
"Man, I must really suck at this stuff," Luke mumbled. "You keep beating me to everything," he grumbled.
Lorelai shook her head as she swallowed and said, "No, it's just surprising that we were both thinking the same thing."
"So, where were you thinking?" he asked with a jerk of his chin.
"Um, Portsmouth, actually," she confessed.
Luke grinned down at her and said, "Me too."
"You were?" she gasped.
Luke shrugged and said, "Well, we were talking about it the other night, and it got me thinking."
"I love it when you get to thinking," she said with an affectionate smile.
"Yeah, but we'd have to go this weekend, otherwise we run the risk of running into the Ren-Faire freaks, and if Liz knew I was within fifty miles of her and didn't see her, she'd kill me," he said with a shrug.
Lorelai's face fell as she said softly, "Oh, I, um, kind of wanted to go to the faire."
"You do?" Luke asked as he jerked his head back in surprise.
"Well, yeah," she admitted with a shrug. "But we don't have to," she hastened to add.
"You want to, though?" he asked with a concerned frown.
Lorelai shook her head and said quickly, "No, I know it's silly. You'd hate it." She stared at her coffee for a second and then blurted, "Oh, please, Luke, please? I know you think it's freaky, but I have such good memories of that day."
"Okay," he answered with a nod.
"And we can just walk around and do our own thing, we don't have to hang out with Liz and T.J. the whole time," she went on in a rush.
"That's fine if that's what you want to do," he told her.
"And I really want to watch you hit that thing with the big hammer again," she babbled.
"Lorelai, I said okay," he said firmly.
"And I can wear my flowers in my hair. The ones that you won for me, remember? They're hanging over the mirror on my dresser," she went on.
Luke reached out and covered her hand with his as he gave it a squeeze and said loudly, "Lorelai, I said yes."
Behind her, Babette turned to Patty and said in a loud raspy voice, "I thought she'd already proposed and he said yes. Am I missin' somethin' here?"
"I can't believe that they went modern," Patty murmured with a sad shake of her head.
"Pipe down," Luke barked at them. "Mind your own business," he ordered before returning his attention to Lorelai.
"Yes?" she asked hopefully.
Luke nodded and said, "Sure, if that's what you want to do, that's what we'll do."
The smile bloomed over her face again as she said, "You are the perfect man."
Luke grinned and leaned onto the counter as he added, "On one condition."
"Always a catch," Lorelai sighed under her breath. "Okay, what is it?" she asked.
Luke quirked an eyebrow at her as he said, "The first night, we stay at the Sise Inn, but the second night, you're staying in a tent with me."
"A tent?" she asked. "At the fairgrounds?"
Luke nodded and moved in closer as he said in a low deep voice, "It's payback for all of those nights of torment on the phone."
Lorelai blinked as she absorbed his words and whispered, "Okay." Luke smiled at her capitulation, and straightened up with a cocky tilt to his chin. Lorelai shook her head to clear it and flashed him a challenging smile of her own as she said, "But don't be so sure about the payback. I have a few weapons at my disposal," she said with a saucy smile.
Luke's heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the girl he loved so much, standing before him smiling as she hadn't smiled in weeks. "Well then, I guess that this is war." He leaned across the counter and gave her a quick kiss. "Make the reservation for a week from Friday. I'll handle the camping stuff," he told her.
Lorelai beamed at him and asked, "Hey, do you think the guys will play those games and stuff? I really want to see you joust someone."
"There was no jousting," he said dryly. "But, I'm sure it won't be hard to scare up a challenger or two," he said with a smug smile.
"You'll call Liz and tell her we're coming?" Lorelai asked as she took another sip of her coffee and then slid from her stool.
"I will," he said with a nod.
"You coming over tonight?" she asked as she gathered her bags.
Luke nodded again and said, "Caesar's closing, so I should be there in about an hour or so."
Lorelai smiled and said, "Good, 'cause I have another offer to make that I'm pretty sure you won't refuse."
Luke bobbed his head slowly and said, "Be there as soon as I can."
"Bye, Doll," Lorelai called as she headed for the door.
The bells jingled as she pulled the door closed behind her, and Luke clapped his hands together as he turned on his heel and then reached for the phone. He jabbed at the numbers and waited, tapping his foot impatiently as the line rang. "Hey, Liz?" he said when his sister answered. "Yeah, we're coming up," he told her. "Uh huh, yeah she did," he said with a pleased smile. "Okay, you do that, but I want it to be away from the rest of the loonies, you got it?" he asked. "Yeah, okay. Uh huh, can't wait to see you either," he said softly. "Okay, bye, Sis," he said gently before hanging up the phone. He turned suddenly and shot Babette and Patty a quick glare, just to see how fast their heads would swivel. Then, he disappeared into the kitchen, humming under his breath as he pictured his girl with flowers in her hair.