Author's Note: Who embarks on another WIP, when she currently has writer's block for her other two ("Where There's A Will" and "Her Father's Second Wife") and is currently working on an original novel AND is uber busy with theatre and schoolwork? Yours truly! The good news is that despite my writer's block for my other stories (which I am really trying hard to overcome!), I have a clear idea of where this one is going, so updates should be pretty regular. Not sure how make chapters this baby will be yet, but I'm thinking about five or six.

Inspiration for this comes from a line in a future chapter in "Where There's a Will," which I have yet to sit down to write: Lorelai asks Christopher if he thinks they would have still had the constant push/pull of their relationship that followed them for over 22 years if Rory had not existed. Being the super JJ fan that I am, this made me wonder if Luke and Lorelai still would have met had Lorelai never moved to Stars Hollow. Writing a story where Rory did not exist was difficult, and I could not bear the fact of Luke having a daughter (even an unknown one) when Lorelai didn't, so I found another way around that that added to Luke's angst at the time.

While I've tried to write this so that only Luke's and Lorelai's lives changed, and that the changes in other people's lives were only as a direct effect of the changes in LL's lives (ie, Emily not being as ashamed of her daughter, since there was no Rory), I'm not sure it completely worked out that way. So if you see something that doesn't quite add up in the GG world in this time or any characters that are acting extremely different, just chuck it up to AU and move on. :)

Title comes from the fact that I like how I got both a message about fate and a famous LL quote in there. It also refers to the fact that although Lorelai "stood still" by not moving to Stars Hollow as she does in GG, she and Luke still managed to find each other.

And now let's end this super long Author's Note and get on with the show!

December 12th, 1992

"Sometimes, perhaps, we are allowed to get lost that we may find the right person to ask directions of." -Robert Brault

The worst part of the day was not the nerves that gripped when he woke up. Instead, it was the cold emptiness that filled him after the bells on his door clanged for the last time, signifying that the last customer had left.

Most people flinched whenever their alarm clock went off, but not Luke Danes. As nerve-wracking as it was to run a diner that he had only opened ten months before, he was able to distract himself by the constant motion put into owning a new business. There at the diner, he was able to hide behind the grimace that had become plastered to his face after his father died; there at the diner, he could pretend that he enjoyed being alone.

During the night, however, he had no means to escape. Without anyone to grunt to, he had no place to hide. Instead, he could only lie there, staring up at the ceiling of his dad's old office, counting ceiling cracks and praying for sleep.

Damn Anna. Damn Rachel.

Sponging the counter, he wondered what it would have been like if things were different: if Anna Nardini had come by the diner a month before to announce that the baby was his. Though Luke had come from a more traditional family, he was in no ways naïve. He and Anna weren't meant for each other, and though he had no doubt he would have tried to do the right thing, both of them would have been destined for lives as single parents.

Still, if that baby had been his, at least he would have had something. Some reminder that his life was not worthless and that he actually had someone to live for besides his needy sister and her son, who was already shaping up to be trouble at the grand age of eight-years-old. True, Luke did not always like kids-he flinched, remembering Anna's words-but this would have been his kid. It would have been different.

But there was no baby Danes now; in a manner of speaking, there was no baby Nardini, either. Instead, she would marry that other putz, and the baby would never know how his or her mother had cheated on him. He would probably not even be aware that there was any man in the world besides his father. And every day of her life, Anna will probably thank God that that kid belonged to him and not to a schmuck like me.

He closed his eyes, willing his thoughts to leave him for the time being. Then, he clenched the sponge and squeezed it with every ounce of strength he had.

Driving through the snow, Lorelai Gilmore found herself remembering another time it had snowed in the past. Back then, she had only been fifteen and had just finished her winter midterms. The drinks, the kissing, the hard floor of the balcony-all of that was a blur. Instead, she distinctly remembered coming inside with Christopher and watching the snow begin to fall.

"Look, Lor," he had softly, pointing to the flakes following onto her balcony. "You remember how you always say that good things happen when it snows? Well, it's snowing now. For us."

"I see that," she said, looking out the window. Christopher kissed her then, but it was not the kind of kiss she had always imagined getting from her lover. Instead, his tongue traveled into her mouth before she even had a chance to respond. It felt like the kiss of someone determined to get into her pants again, not the soft, passionate kiss of someone who loved her.

"God, it's a good thing we beat the snow," he said, stretching.

Huddled under her covers that night, Lorelai had felt herself aching everywhere. Yes, the actual sex had been painful, as she had heard that first times often were, but she also felt another pain that clenched her diaphragm and singed her heart. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She had wanted to rebel and had been fueled by her hormones, yes, but she hadn't meant to take it this far.

All of her life, she had thought that snow was a good thing, a gift just for her. Now, she wondered. Though she knew Christopher had intended his statement about it being "their" snow as romantic, she hadn't interrupted it as such. Instead, with that statement, he had transformed into any other member of the male sex: not her best friend anymore, but a teenage boy, certain that if he could convince his girlfriend that it had been snowing for them, then the sex wouldn't be a one time act.

It had been at that moment that Lorelai Gilmore had known that she and Christopher Hayden could never be best friends again.

Now, as she struggled to drive through the silhouettes of white, tears threatened to blur her vision. She didn't know why she was so upset. She had decided many years ago that though she still enjoyed catching up with Chris from time-to-time, they could never return to the way they had been. For all of his talk about running away to Paris, he was all talk and no action; deep inside of him was a little boy, determined to please his father.

It was not really a surprise that he was now engaged to Celia Balman and would be living the same life he had threatened to run away from. Christopher was many things, but "strong" was not one of them.

She needed someone strong. She needed someone who was made of fire and steel, a determined, yet sympathetic man, who would always be there for her no matter what. Not one of those snobby men her parents kept pushing for her, but a man she found on her own. A man who was different from her, maybe, but who was also fundamentally similar to herself.

For the first time in a long while, Lorelai found herself thinking about the baby that had never been…the tiny embryo that had become a clump of tissues and blood, after only two months inside of her. For those two short days that she had been aware of her pregnancy, she had thought that maybe, just maybe, this was a blessing in disguise. That although she would have to give up Vassar and her childhood, perhaps her trek for the baby's freedom would grant Lorelai her own.

Of course, she had spoken too soon. She was now twenty-four and no closer to being independent than she had been at fifteen. Yes, she was a college graduate who lived on her own, but she was still in her family's clutches. She worked in Hartford because her father's friend had a friend who owned a well-respected hotel, and instead of finding her own job like any other college graduate would have done, she had been forced to use her father's connections. Although she had dated a few men after Christopher, she was always forced to smile at the eligible bachelors her mother arranged for her to meet.

She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that it took her a few moments to notice the yellow, coffee-shaped sign, in the midst of the fairytale town.

When the door had first opened to reveal the brunette beauty with eyes of agate and a coat streaked with ice and snowflakes, he had thought that he was dreaming. He had fallen asleep on the counter, and in his sleep-deprived state, he had conjured up a vision of an exotic angel.

It was only when he noticed her tear stained eyelashes, however, that the realization he was wide awake seeped in. Hastily, he adapted his gruff tone and informed the woman that they were closed.

But instead of responding or turning in the other direction, as Luke had half hoped, the mysterious woman drew closer. At that moment, Luke realized that the reason he had been so drawn to her was because the dark circles under her eyes mirrored his own.

"Please, just give me a cup of coffee," she said, her violet-blue eyes pleading. "I've had a really, really crappy night, and I promise I won't bother you. I just need a cup of coffee. Please."

So Luke did what any other man would do upon being confronted with the most gorgeous woman they had ever seen. He suppressed a sigh, took out a cup, and poured her the remaining coffee.

Now he stood behind the counter, a strange fluttering in his chest. The woman moaned the instant the brown liquid touched her lips, her eyes closing in appreciation. "Oh. My. God. Does Seattle know about you, because seriously, this a thousand times better than anything Starbucks could conjure up."

"I thought you weren't going to bother me," Luke said, before he could stop himself. Realizing that this was the first time he had spoken since she'd sat down, the woman looked at him.

"I wasn't," she said in a careful tone. "Your coffee was just so good I couldn't resist." She studied him closer. "Are you Luke? I managed to make out the sign in the dark, but I expected someone older. And if you're not Luke, I'm curious what Luke is doing which requires you to close the diner." She waggled her eyebrows, and he blushed.

"I'm Luke," he said after a moment. She was still staring at him, and he found himself abandoning his normal use of the monosyllable and elaborating further. "I, uh, just opened this diner about a few months ago, so it's not very old."

"Ah, a new establishment. My dream is to open a hotel, so I imagine I'll be in your position someday." She took another sip of her drink, and he forced himself not to focus on the low-cut nature of her red dress. "You from here originally?"

"Uh, yeah." You don't even know her, Danes. Get a grip.

She nodded. "I'm not, but it looks like a small enough town that you probably know that. Well, I don't even know if small towns are really like that, what with everyone knowing everyone and all. All I have to base that theory on is Mayberry, and let's face it, fictional North Carolina towns which have tiny prisons and sheriffs are probably not that realistic." She grinned, a gesture Luke did not return. "Anyway, I'm Lorelai, Lorelai Gilmore. Seeing as I'm crashing the closing of your establishment, it only seems fitting to introduce myself."

"Luke Danes," he muttered, looking at the counter. She frowned at him.

"You're upset. I mean, I've also gathered that you're monosyllabic and quiet, but beyond that, you seem to be upset about something.

"You don't have to tell me about it," she added, when he did not respond. "As I already mentioned, I haven't had the greatest night, either. You're welcome to sit with me in silence, sharing my misery."

"Where are you from?" he said suddenly. He had expected some surprise from her at the quick change of topic, but instead, she did not even blink.

"Hartford. I mean, I live in Middletown now, but Hartford is where I was born and spend most of my time."

"Oh." So that explained the fancy red dress she was wearing; she was probably one of those Hartford socialite types. "Are you visiting Stars Hollow for the weekend or something?"

She shook her head. "I just had a really crappy night at my parents' Christmas party-don't look at me like that, they always celebrate early. My mother kept bothering me about if I had played the cards right, I could have been the one engage to Christopher, my ex-boyfriend, since he's engaged to someone else now. I got sick of it and started driving, and before I knew it, I'd found myself here. Stars Hollow." She frowned thoughtfully. "That's a beautiful name for a town. It sounds like something right out of a fairytale-a hollow owned by the stars."

Luke was only half listening to the woman's recount of how she had found herself at his diner. His mind had stopped at her implication that she wasn't staying in Stars Hollow. Looking out the snowy window confirmed the worst. "You're going to drive back into that crazy weather?"

This time, she looked taken aback. "Well, yes, but I'm a pretty good driver. I mean, I'm not going to win awards or anything, but I think I can get myself back home."

Even Luke was surprised by the vigor in his next statement. "You're staying here. There's ice on the ground, and the snow's supposed to start falling till the morning. I don't know what they teach in that rich Hartford life of yours, but I'm not going to let you kill yourself on my account. Especially when you probably already drank at this premature Christmas event your parents were hosting." His tone lowered a few degrees in pitch. "I don't care how well they show it, but your parents wouldn't be happy to lose you. I won't have your death on my conscious."

His last comment made the woman sit up straighter. She looked at him, silently daring him to take back his words, but he stared back at her just as fiercely. "And where do you propose I go?" she said, her cheeks flushing. "There's not any hotel in town that would take me at ten-thirty at night, is there?"

Instinctively, he glanced up at the apartment of his diner. The woman was still eyeing him, with as much vigor as before. "I don't know," he admitted, sighing. "Mia-she owns the Independence Inn-would probably be sympathetic, but even driving that short a distance would be risky, and it's not like you should walk in the snow." Her dress definitely wasn't appropriate for the weather. "I don't know if Mia works this late, anyway."

"Then what are you implying?" she asked, crossing her arms. When Luke said nothing, her eyes widened.

"You-you-"

"I nothing!" Luke snapped. The woman continued to scrutinize him, her eyes narrowed. "Look, lady, I know you've been taught in your rich Hartford circle that any blue collar worker is out to take advantage of anyone who just happened to be born with more money, but that's not true. Hell, it's not like I just work here; I own this diner, for God's sake. If you'd spent a day in Stars Hollow before, you'd know that this is the least likely place to find rapists or conmen. Most of the people here leave their doors unlocked, it's so safe. Idiots if you ask me, but that's how they do things." He sighed, calming down a little. "Look, you can risk getting out on the road if you really want to, but if you have any sense at all, you'll spend the night here. Upstairs I have an apartment where I sleep, so if you like, I can just stay down here, while you get your rest or whatever. You're even welcome to lock the door, and I'll give you the key, so you don't have to worry about me breaking in. The lesser of two evils is really up to you."

She sat there, staring at him for a long time. He found himself squirming under the intensity of her gaze. Even his father had not looked at him like this.

When at last she spoke, she did not meet his eyes. "Which game do you want to play: 'Ten Fingers' or 'Truth or Dare'?"

Within the next five minutes in the diner, Luke Danes quickly became aware of an important fact, which would serve him for the rest of his life: when Lorelai Gilmore got an idea in her head, it was almost impossible to stop her.

I can promise you that an update is coming in the very near future. :)