Title: Hindsight
Author: Karleen
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Warner Brothers, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Hofflund/Polone. This was just written for fun.

Chapter Ten: I Spelled Wonderful With Won, And I Did

It had been two weeks since they told each other that they were willing to try again, slowly taking small steps to a path they used to be familiar with. She would come by his apartment and bring him his meals, and some times Paul anka for company, just like before. However, once every while she would kiss him softly and he'd give her a smirk.

One night, she was so exhausted from a very busy day that she asked one of her staff, Henry to deliver food to him. Little did she know that the delivery man would come back with Luke twenty minutes later.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as Henry led Luke to her and they walked to her office.

"I.." she helped him sit on the sofa. "I just missed you is all."

"Aww." she ran her fingers against his shaven face, with her help of course.

"I'm sorry to bother you at work."

"You never do." she gave him a quick kiss. "Did you even eat the food that I sent you?"

"I asked Henry to put it in the fridge."

"Are you hungry? I could get Sookie to.."

"No, no I just wanted to be around you. Please just pretend I'm not here, like a fly on the wall."

"Creepy." she joked. "and plus that's really impossible seeing as though there's a handsome man in my office."

"Where?" he asked.

"Right on my desk" referring to the coffee cup on her disheveled desk. "Luke meet my lover Juan Valdez."

"If you could only see my eyes roll." he grunted

"Tomorrow. Your doctor's appointment. I can't wait." she chuckled. "Another eye roll?" he smiled at that.

- - - - -

She had been sitting in the waiting room and as soon as he'd seen her, he smiled. She's even more radiant than he'd remembered her being, more beautiful than he'd ever engrained in his head. She tried not to look as bored as she was but figured if she didn't keep herself occupied, she would fall asleep. She took a pile of magazines from the rack and placed them under her seat as she skimmed through the outdated reading materials. He walked towards her slowly, she had her back to him so she didn't know he was coming.

He felt like he'd finally just woken up from a nightmare as the bandages were slowly peeled off his face. The room was darkened to accommodate his desensitized vision. The doctor carefully checked and tested his reflexes and made sure his pupils dilated properly. His eyelids had recovered immensely but scars were still visible. Luke didn't care, as long as he could see, he was grateful. He was readjusting to light, to being able to see again so the doctor told him to wear sunglasses just in case the rays became too intense for him. He walked out of the room by himself. 'A milestone' he thought then berated himself for a cheesy comment.

"Trying to keep yourself occupied for the big unveiling." he whispered in her ear and startled her and she dropped the week old Entertainment Weekly.

"Shit Luke, you scared me." she turned around. "Oh my god." she gasped as she saw his eyes for the first time through the sunglasses.

"Yeah I know." he sat next to her and held her hand.

"How are you feeling?"

It took him a while to muster his thoughts into words but when he did he summed it all with just one, 'Blessed'. He felt blessed to be able to see again, to appreciate his life once again and most of all to be able to have another chance to be with Lorelai Gilmore, the woman who captured his heart the moment she stepped into the diner, wild eyed begging for coffee.

"You're beautiful."

"Sweety, stop listening to James Blunt." she flashed him a smile and got up.

"Oh geez." he muttered and elicited a laugh from her.

- - - - -

It was his moment to ask, one year after they've reconciled. Sure they had fights and arguments but at least they were open to each other. They let each other in on anything and everything on their minds, the good, bad, and ugly. He even asked her to help him get in touch with April. He hadn't had contact with her and wanted to make amends. He wanted to get to know her, but this time around he wanted Lorelai to be there as well.

He thought about the 'perfect moment' to ask her once and for all to be his wife. He planned to ask her on her birthday. They got home from two separate parties that her parents and Stars Hollow threw for her fortieth birthday. They were both spent after the end of the night that they both fell asleep as they hit the couch. By the time he woke up the next morning, the velvet box was still in his coat pocket. He became too stealth with hiding it that the second time he attempted to 'pop the question', he forgot where he hid the ring. It was in a tin box in his kitchen cupboard behind the copious spices that he used. He found it a week later and decided that he was just going to keep it on hand and not even wait for a moment. He figured that they've waited long enough.

After dinner, Lorelai usually ordered dessert to bring home even if she already complained that he let her eat too much. Of course, he's so used to their banter that he even deemed it normal, for them anyway. That night, she loved the caramel pecan cheesecake so much that she ordered enough to last her a week.

"Where are you going with that box?" he said as she was about to head into her kitchen.

"Getting forks."

"Forks? you know I don't eat that."

"I'm well aware, that's why I didn't order the whole thing."

"Yes but half is just good enough for you?"

"The perfect amount. I'm gonna go put the rest in the fridge."

"Give me, I'll do it. I'll even make you coffee." she smiled, gave him a kiss and handed him the box.

"Perfect man, but not quite as perfect as the oozing caramel and crunchy pecan topping on that cheesecake. Better hurry mister or I'll be tempted to jump you for not giving them to me right away. And I'm not talking about anything sexual here."

"Alright, crazy lady. Put on a movie and I'll be right back." he said as he went to the kitchen and she sat on the couch. He took the cheesecake off the box and placed the contents in the fridge. He tapped his coat pocket and reached in for the velvet box and wrapped it in some napkins and placed it in the cheesecake box. He brewed the coffee and readied a cup for her. He walked back into the living room where he found her sitting on the couch, with her leg on the coffee table. He sat next to her and left the box and mug on the table as he tapped her leg away.

"Hey." she playfully scolded.

"Hey yourself, I didn't want you kicking the coffee off the table and I have to get up and get you a new one."

"Oh you know you love it when I do that." she took her leg off the table and reached for the box. "Where's my fork?"

"In the box." he said as she opened the box and found the crumpled up napkins and looked gave him a look.

"This is just a bunch of napkins! I swear I wasn't kidding about the jumping. Where did you..." he cut her off.

"Will you just look beyond the napkins?" he looked her in the eyes and she obliged.

"Luke..." she said as she saw it and smiled.

"I think you know what I'm about to ask you." She gave him a slight nod. "And as I've told you once, I let my actions speak. That's the romantic way to do this." he smiled, got up and knelt in front of her. "So just in case that doesn't work, I'm going to ask. Will be my wife?"

"Yes." with no hesitation as she felt tears that started to stream down her face. He gave her a smile as he placed the ring on her finger and sat next to her. He kissed her, almost feverishly being in the heat of the moment. She abruptly broke the kiss and looked him in the eyes. "Wait."

"What?" he said as he pulled her waist closer to his.

"Where's my cheesecake?"

"Lorelai." he said in his a serious tone.

"I'm kidding."

"I love you."

"god help you!" she joked and he rolled his eyes and kissed her again, she pulled back. "I love you too."

Epilogue.

Luke rarely took more than a minute to look at himself in the mirror, but when he did his mind certainly wandered. He carefully scanned his face, and touched his scarred eyelids lightly with his left hand. They've healed better than he thought, one could barely even see it nowadays. He glanced at the fact that even if his apartment looked the same as it did a decade ago, he certainly did not remain the same. His scar, a symbolic battle wounds of sorts became a reminder that he'd almost lost everything, his vision, heart and himself. He was given a chance that he never thought he'd gain, he didn't think he could love her more than he does now. He simply smiled as he paused and took a gander at the glimmer of the band on his ring finger as it reflected the light from the window.

"You're up early." he saw her image from the mirror, only in her robe.

"What time is it?" she said sleepily as she rested her head on his back. He slowly turned around.

"Quarter to six."

"That is early." she said as she looked at him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I think I made myself very clear last night." she gave him a smirk.

"That you did." he chuckled and kissed her forehead.

Lorelai Gilmore-Danes, she loved the sound of that and she loves him. She loved him more than she could ever explain. She didn't know exactly when she'd fallen for him, maybe even before she realized she had any kind of romantic feelings for him. She had fallen harder; her feelings sank lower when they were apart, to a point where she was barely herself. That was two years ago, a time she'd rather forget. What's past is past as the saying went, she reminded herself. But without mistakes, she would have led a lackluster life and this certainly was not the case for her. They rose above everything in their way and proved that love prevailed no matter what.

"Would it be wrong to reenact our wedding night over and over?" she asked.

"Make sure you wear the garter." he growled and she laughed.

They've come so far from their humble beginnings. They've experienced how it felt like to love, hurt and lose the other through the course of their courtship, even before they professed their feelings towards one another. Through it all, they still wanted to fight for each other. To have their middle, and figure out the rest of their future together.

and all the roads we have to walk are winding
and all the lights that lead the way of life
there are many things that i'd like to say to you but i don't know how
i said maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me

Ryan Adams- Wonderwall

the end.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and wanting to find out more. I have another fic brewin' in my head so I'll post that when I have enough stuff to write about. Anyway thanks again. :)