Author's Note: This picks up at the post-engagement kiss that Luke and Lorelai share in the kitchen in the Fall episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

. . . . .

Officially Engaged

. . . . .

As their lips separated, their arms remained wrapped around each other in a warm embrace. Luke gently ran his hands up and down her back. "I missed you," he said.

"I missed you, too," Lorelai replied, hugging him a little tighter.

"I really thought I was losing you," Luke admitted, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "I thought we were done."

Lorelai pulled back from the hug to look into his eyes, and she frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry about that."

Luke nodded. "I know."

"I just really needed to do this," she continued.

"I know."

"I needed to get away from everything and clear my head and just figure things out."

"I know," he assured her. "I know you did. It's okay, I'm just glad you figured out what you needed to figure out."

Lorelai took his hands in hers and she squeezed them. "I want us to be partners, Luke. Like, 'full time, share everything, meld our two separate lives into one' type of partners, okay?"

Luke squeezed her hands back. "I want that, too."

"I don't know why we weren't already doing that," Lorelai said, shaking her head sadly. "I'm not sure why things stayed the same for so long without really evolving more."

"Because we had a rhythm," Luke guessed with a shrug. "We found something that worked for us and we didn't have a need to change it."

"I'm ready for it to change, but are you? We have to both be ready."

"I'm ready," Luke confirmed.

Lorelai nibbled nervously on her lip for a moment. "This means that our families come together, too," she pointed out. "That means April's not just yours and Rory's not just mine... they're both ours." She cocked her head to the side. "Are you gonna be able to do that, to let me in like that?"

"Of course I am," he told her sincerely, moving his hands up to her shoulders. "I'll do whatever you want, Lorelai... you just need to tell me what you want." He shook his head slightly. "That's one of the issues we have… communicating hasn't always been our strong point."

"I know," she agreed with a nod. "We'll work on it and we'll get better."

"Yes, we will." Luke ran his fingers through the strands of hair hanging over her shoulder. "I love you."

"Yeah, you made that pretty clear with that speech of yours." Lorelai smiled as she moved in closer to him. "I love you, too."

She brought her hands up to his face, cradling it gently in her hands, and she pressed her lips to his. The kiss quickly deepened with passion and intensity, and when they finally separated for air, Luke asked her, "You wanna go upstairs?"

"So I can take a nice hot shower, yes," Lorelai replied.

Luke smirked. "That's not exactly what I meant."

Lorelai smiled and pulled off her hat, tossing it on the kitchen table. "I know what you meant, but before I get anywhere near our bed, I need to get this smell off of me."

"I really don't smell anything," he told her honestly.

"I do," she replied, making a face down at her body. "I smell like trees and dirt and nature and airplanes, and I feel gross. I just need to take a shower in my own bathroom and scrub myself clean with my own body wash, and then, I promise, I'm all yours." She placed her hands on his arms and squeezed his biceps. "Think you can wait a little bit longer for your future wife to get cleaned up?" she asked with a smile.

Luke smiled. "I like the sound of that."

"Me, too."

Luke nodded his head toward the living room. "Go ahead, take your time… I'll wait."

Lorelai kissed him. "Meet me up there in a little while." Luke nodded and she walked past him out of the kitchen, stopping to greet Paul Anka before she headed upstairs.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Half an hour later, Luke went up to the bedroom with two glasses of champagne and set them down on the table by the window. Her clothes were scattered on the floor, and he gathered them up and dropped them into the hamper.

He heard the shower still going in the bathroom, and he leaned his head through the partially-open door. "Can I come in?" he called loudly so she could hear him over the sound of the running water.

"Yeah," she called back.

Luke walked into the bathroom, noticing the lacy lingerie she'd planned to wear after her shower sitting on the counter next to the sink. He smiled as he smoothed his hand over the fabric, and then walked over to the shower.

"How's it going?" he called.

Lorelai pulled open the shower curtain, a defeated frown on her face. "I can't make it go away. This is apparently just my new smell now."

"I didn't smell anything," he reminded her. "Maybe the smell isn't on your body, maybe it's in your nose."

Lorelai looked thoughtful for a moment, sniffing a few times as she considered the possibility. "Maybe…"

"Or it's all in your head," Luke added, then he beckoned her toward him with a nod. "Come on out."

"Come on in," she countered.

Luke paused a moment, unsure if she was being serious. "What?"

Lorelai grabbed the bottle of body wash and shook it toward him. "My last attempt at eliminating the smell will be a good, thorough lathering from the strongest hands I know." She pushed open the curtain a little more and pouted slightly. "Can you please help me?"

Luke undressed and joined her in the shower, flinching as the scalding water hit his skin. "Geez, were you trying to burn the smell off?" he asked.

"Kind of, yeah," she admitted, then turned the water temperature down a little. She popped open the lid of the lavender-scented body wash. "Hands, please."

Luke held out his hands and Lorelai poured a generous amount into his palms, then returned the bottle to the shelf in the corner of the shower. She turned around so her back was to him and she pulled her hair forward over her shoulders.

Luke rubbed his hands together to create some lather, then pressed them to her back. He smoothed them up and down her back and arms, applying strong pressure to try to give her the deep scrub she thought would do the trick.

"Legs, too?" he asked her.

"Everything," she replied, glancing back at him over her shoulder. "Do you need more soap?"

Luke nodded, and she poured more into his hands, then resumed her position facing away from him. He lathered up the soap in his hands, then wrapped them around one of her thighs and slid his hands down her leg and back up again a few times. He repeated the process on her other leg, then turned her around and ran his hands over her stomach, shoulders, and chest.

Watching him finish up, the only thought in Lorelai's mind was how lucky she was to have him. It wasn't a new thought, it was something she'd always known, but this simple moment was just another reaffirmation.

He hadn't presumed that her invitation into the shower was for anything more than to help wash her. He had complete access to her naked body, yet he had carefully avoided any and all erogenous zones. His only priority at the moment was to make her feel clean and comfortable.

This was a man who loved her more than anything in the world and who would always put her needs above his own. This was the man she was always meant to call her husband.

"You ready to rinse off?" Luke calmly asked, jogging her from the daze she'd fallen into.

Lorelai nodded. He had been standing between her and the shower head while he lathered her up, blocking the water from her. They switched places and the water cascaded over her, quickly washing away all of Luke's soapy handiwork.

Lorelai turned to face him, letting the water rinse off any lingering suds on the back of her. She sniffed her arm, then held it out to him. "Well?"

Luke leaned into it and took a deep breath. "It just smells like the soap to me, whatever that flowery flavor is."

"You swear?" Lorelai asked him seriously. "You promise that you don't smell anything disgusting, and you promise that if you did, you would tell me?"

"Yes, I promise all of that," he replied with a nod. "I don't smell anything bad at all."

"Okay." Lorelai exhaled a sigh, then she smiled appreciatively at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lorelai turned the water off, and they stepped out of the shower. Luke grabbed two towels from the rack and handed one to her.

As they began drying off, Lorelai nodded toward the lingerie on the counter. "I was gonna put that on," she said, then wrinkled her nose. "Should I even bother, or does it seem silly getting dressed now after you just rubbed me down from head to toe?"

Luke shrugged. "It's up to you, but I certainly wouldn't complain about seeing you in it."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay."

Luke wrapped his towel around his waist. "I'll let you finish up in here… take your time."

He walked out of the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him. He retrieved a clean pair of boxers from his dresser and pulled them on, then tossed his towel into the hamper. He wandered over to the window and sat down in an armchair to wait for her.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she presented herself with some playful jazz hands. "Tada," she announced in a singsong voice.

Her black lingerie top was lacy at the chest with sheer fabric flowing down to her thighs, covering the matching black panties she wore underneath. Her hair was still damp, the long, loose waves hanging beautifully over her shoulders. She'd applied a bit of makeup and a spritz of perfume, and was happy to feel sexy again for the first time in days.

Luke was smiling as he stood up and walked over to her. "Wow. You look beautiful." He rested his hands on her waist and kissed her gently.

Lorelai suddenly pulled back from the kiss. "Oh, wait, hold that thought." She walked over to her vanity and picked up the engagement ring she'd taken off before her shower. She slipped it back onto her finger and walked over to him. "Okay, now we can properly consummate the engagement."

Luke smirked and nodded toward the champagne. "You wanna toast?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Luke picked up the glasses and handed one to her. "To us," he said, raising his glass.

"To us." Lorelai clinked her glass to his, and they sipped their champagne. "Mmm, that's good."

"Mmhmm," he agreed, the taste having grown on him a little over the years, and he stepped closer to her. His arm slipped around her waist and he pressed his lips to hers.

They stood kissing tenderly for a few moments before setting their glasses down and moving to the bed. Lorelai situated herself on her back, her head resting against the pillow. Luke lay on his side next to her, propped up on his elbow.

He traced a finger up and down her arm. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Me, too." Lorelai patted the mattress. "Feels good to be in our bed again." She put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him closer to kiss him, then smiled. "With you."

"I hated sleeping in it without you," Luke admitted. "And it was only a few days… I can't imagine how it would've felt after three weeks." He slipped his hand beneath her lingerie and began gently rubbing her stomach. "It was hard, but it was also good, you know? Because it made me really think about stuff that I might not have thought about otherwise."

Lorelai affectionately rubbed her palm against his cheek. "Oh, yeah? What'd you think about?"

"About you, about us, about our life." Luke closed his eyes for a moment, and as they opened, he shook his head slightly. "About how you're everything to me, and how I'd be completely lost without you."

Lorelai smiled. "So, it looks like we had similar revelations over the past few days."

"So it seems."

"That definitely calls for a celebration."

Luke leaned in closer and brushed his lips against hers. "I'd say so," he said softly.

"So, let's celebrate," she purred, and then cradled his neck in her hands as she pressed her lips to his.

The kiss quickly grew more heated as his tongue parted her lips and eased into her mouth. Luke ran his hand slowly up from her stomach to her chest. His hand began massaging her breasts as they kissed fervently, breaking occasionally for breath.

Eventually, he pushed her top down a little and his mouth showered her chest with attention as his hand moved downward. He began to caress her thighs, letting his fingers teasingly graze against the front of her panties as he moved from leg to leg. Her arousal was growing quickly and her body was starting to throb, and she urged him on with satisfied whimpers as she combed her fingers through his hair.

Luke lifted his head from her chest to watch her reaction as he slid his hand beneath the lacy fabric of her panties. Lorelai hummed approvingly as he began to rub her, relieved that her aching sex was finally getting some direct contact. "Oh, my God," she groaned, leaning her head back against the pillow. "That feels good."

He slipped a finger inside of her to test her wetness, and a pleased smile fell on his lips at just how ready she was for him. Lorelai rocked slightly against his hand, searching for more friction, and sighed when he moved it away.

He pulled her underwear down her legs, then shed his boxers and moved his body over hers. She pressed her palms to his shoulders and smoothed them down over his chest and stomach, letting them come to rest at his waist. He guided himself to her opening, and there was a mutual groan of pleasure as he slid his length into her.

Luke leaned down to kiss her lips, then her neck and chest, giving her a few moments to adjust to him. He met her gaze with a warm smile. "You good?"

Lorelai's eyes were filled with love and desire as she smiled back at him, giving him a little nod. "I'm good."

He began rocking his body against hers, slow and gentle to start, and every thrust made her groan with pleasure. He gradually picked up the pace, moving deeper inside of her, and her moans grew louder and longer.

Lorelai was meeting him thrust for thrust as her hands glided over the firm muscles of his back. "Oh, Luke," she'd softly moan every few moments, and the contentment in her voice and on her face sent shivers down his spine. Nothing turned him on more than giving her pleasure.

He had a pretty consistent track record of ensuring her climax always preceded his, so he slowed down when he felt himself getting too close. He focused on helping her find her release, and then increased the pace of his thrusts again until he found his own.

He collapsed on top of her with a grunt, panting heavily to catch his breath. Lorelai ran her hands over his back and nuzzled her face against his neck, kissing it softly until he rolled off of her.

As he fell onto the mattress next to her, she rolled onto her side to face him and ran her hand over his chest. "So, with that, now we're officially engaged," she declared.

Luke amusedly raised an eyebrow. "That was the last step needed to make it official?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yup. Anyone can just throw a ring on and say they're engaged, but when you throw a ring on and then follow it up with some sensual lovemaking, you really mean it."

Luke smirked at her. "Whatever you say."

He slipped his arm behind her back and pulled her closer. She rested her chin on his chest with a content sigh. They were both quiet for a few moments, and then she lifted her head to look at him. He was staring pensively toward the window.

Lorelai gently rubbed his arm as she quietly asked, "Hon? You okay?"

Luke shook himself out of his daze and slowly brought his gaze to her. "Did you ever think that I was taking you for granted?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes with confusion. "What?"

"Because if it ever came across that way, you need to tell me so I can make sure you don't feel like that again."

"Luke, I've never thought that," she told him, still confused. "What's going through your head right now?"

He shrugged slightly. "When I thought you were leaving, when I thought there'd be no more us, I started thinking about what I could've done differently, what I did wrong, stuff like that. And I kept thinking that maybe I didn't show you enough how important you are to me."

Lorelai sat up next to him and shook her head. "Okay, first of all, that's not true, and secondly, you didn't do anything wrong," she firmly insisted. "Neither one of us is solely the reason for whatever was or wasn't working smoothly between us… it's both of us. Some things we're pretty good at, other things we can improve on. We just need to work together instead of separately… we need to get more in sync." She let out a soft sigh and quietly added, "We need to be more like… my parents."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "That's not a sentence you hear every day. Or ever."

"I know, but it's true," Lorelai said with a nod. "They were a team, you know? They shared everything, they knew everything about each other, they didn't hide things." She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "That's what I want us to have, Luke. That type of marriage where we could go on a game show and finish each other's sentences about any stupid thing they ask us, and win that all-expenses-paid vacation to Hawaii because we are so amazingly in tune with each other. I want that."

"We will have that," Luke assured her as he sat up next to her. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll have." He squeezed her hand, adding, "We're not too far off from that, Lorelai. We do know each other pretty damn well… we're not strangers."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "I know, but I don't know if we'd win the game show. Sometimes we're more like two halves of an orange rather than one whole orange, you know? We fit together, we make up a whole one when we're next to each other, but it's not one hundred percent whole because there's that little line down the middle where we were sliced in half, and sometimes things get lost in there."

"Well, maybe that's how it used to be, but that's over," he declared, talking animatedly with his hands. "From now on, we're gonna be a whole orange. The line is gone, nothing is slicing us in half, we're staying a solid orange. We'll share everything, we'll talk about everything, there's nowhere for anything to get lost… okay?" He reached for her hand again and squeezed it, reassuringly adding, "We got this."

Lorelai smiled widely at the unyielding confidence he had, and she nodded. "Okay." She pondered for a moment, then hopefully asked, "Can I make up some practice game show questions just to see how good we'd be?"

"Yes. And if we're not good, we'll just have to keep working on it." Luke lay back down against his pillow and patted his chest. "Come here."

Lorelai snuggled up against him, resting her head on his chest. As his arm wrapped around her, she exhaled a soft sigh. "I'm starving."

"I'll make you something," he offered. "We'll have a late dinner and you can tell me about your trip."

"Okay." Lorelai was quiet for a second, then lifted her head to look at him. "Just to get this out of the way now… in the interest of full disclosure, I did try to flirt with a park ranger so he would let me hike without seeing my permit. But it got me nowhere, the hiking clothes must not have been appealing enough."

Luke smirked and kissed her forehead. "Well, I think you look great in 'em."

Lorelai giggled. "Gee, I wonder why. How's that old saying go… the couple that dresses in plaid together, stays together?"

Luke snorted a laugh. "Yeah, something like that."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him before settling her head back down against his chest. "Five minute power nap before dinner?"

"Okay."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Author's note: Thanks for reading! :) For now, this is just a one-shot, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of adding more to it in the future when inspiration hits…