Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I don't have to get sued to know that I wouldn't like it.

Author piece: I'm working on this story-type thing that has absolutely nothing to do with fanfic. I've had writer's block for months now, and I have to write something. I have to. It's crazy. So, I keep relying on L/L to keep me going. It's a copout, but it's cool. I'm okay with that :)

I figured my hang-up with Lorelai and Luke of 'Gilmore Girls' would fizzle away quietly with the show's demise. Well, actually, that would have occurred right in the middle of season 6. Badump bum chiiish. Whew, funny. Anyway, I'm still riding the wave. It'll go away eventually, I suppose. And, er uh, I'm working on another fic that will be posted in the near future, hopefully. But, enjoy this one for now!

When His Mind is Made Up Part I
-Seems Like You're Ready-

"Michel, if I tell you one more time to go check in the Fletchers, you will not like the follow-up."

"Oh, please," Michel mumbled as he folded his arms over his chest. "When have I ever liked your follow-up? I'll live," he told Lorelai like he had not a care in the world.

"Well, I'm glad you'll live," she said matching his stance. "Too bad it'll be without income."

He pursed his lips and stared her down. Lorelai looked back at him calmly. Finally, he stomped his foot and spoke so fast that his words didn't sound English. "I told you I do not like them, but still, you don't care. They are old and deaf, and everything I say goes unheard by the two of them. My vocal chords strain in speaking to them, but I doubt you care about that too!"

"Michel, there are guests here, and they can hear you," Lorelai said warningly. He seemed to have no problem straining his chords to throw a hissy fit.

"I don't care! Let them hear. Maybe those with hearing problems will get it checked and fixed before coming up to me!"

Lorelai twisted her lips. She and Michel knew that she would never fire him, but it worked well for them both to keep up the pretense. "This is my very last time telling you. Go back over there, and check in the Fletchers."

Michel rolled his eyes but did not move.

Lorelai leaned close to him. "These are guests, Michel. Guests for our newly established Dragonfly inn. When they're happy, they tell all of their friends and relatives, who may very well have hearing difficulties too, how tolerant and friendly we were. When they do, we grow in popularity, get guests, and earn that beautiful thing that we greedy people like to call money for survival."

He exhaled loudly.

"Now I know that even though I shell out a weekly paycheck to you," Lorelai began sarcastically, "you owe me nothing." She rolled her eyes at his nod of agreement and continued on. "But, I'm going to ask you to dig deep, go over there, turn up the volume, and treat them like you would want someone to treat your grandparents."

He cut his eyes at her. "Why'd you have to bring Nana and Papi into this?" He asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Did it work?"

"I hate you," he said low before walking over to the couple at the desk. Lorelai released an exhausted sigh as she heard Michel's improved interaction with them.

"Another day, another Michel-centered catastrophe avoided," she muttered as she turned and headed toward the kitchen.

She pushed open the door, kept walking as she shared a brief comment with Sookie, then pulled open the back door, all without slowing her pace. Closing the door behind her, she walked over to where Luke stood testing the firmness of the recently tightened railing.

Stopping on the top step, Lorelai looked down at him. "You're a godsend, Luke."

"Yeah, that's what they tell me," he commented as he placed all tools back in his toolbox.

"Thanks so much for fixing this for me."

He looked up at her for a long moment. She smiled and cast her eyes downward at his bright smile. "It was nothing," he finally replied. He was at the bottom of the stairs, and he retrieved his toolbox and took the steps one at a time still looking at Lorelai. "I had some time."

She moved her eyes from him to the banister. "Yeah, I...kind of figured." She looked back at him as he now stood one step below where she did still with a soft gaze. "Thank you," she said again.

"You're welcome."

They stood in silence, Lorelai then feeling nervous and somewhat unsure of herself. She found that she was unable to hold eye contact at all with him. "Okay, well I'm going to get back to work, so..."

"Oh, yeah. I have to get back to the diner," he said switching the toolbox to his other hand. He ascended the last step and stood beside her. He reached a hand across her and softly grazed her arm. "I'll see you later," he said. Lorelai nodded, all words escaping her in that second. He moved around her and walked back inside.

She stood frozen for a full minute before heading back indoors. She stepped inside and closed the door. Her hand still rested on the knob as she looked toward Sookie. "Are you okay?" Sookie asked worriedly.

"He did it again," Lorelai replied.

Sookie moved toward her excitedly. "He did? What happened this time?"

Lorelai crossed her arms lightly and leaned against the door. "That look...he gave me that look...and he sort of ran his hand down my arm," she said quietly as she subtly moved her own hand along the area that he had touched.

"Well, that proves it, Lorelai. He's ready."

"Stop saying that. There is nothing to be ready for."

Sookie nodded happily. "Oh, there's definitely something to be ready for. He's ready to be with you. He's ready to act. He's acting. This is soooo exciting," she said clapping. "How are you going to reciprocate? Ooh, I know! How about you--"

"Sookie, there isn't any reciprocation that's going to happen. Luke is my friend and we're best at that. I don't see anything else happening between us."

"What?" Sookie asked confused. "You can't be serious."

"Yeah. I am."

"What's wrong with Luke?"

"I didn't say anything is wrong with him. He's great. But, we're friends, and we should remain…friends."

Sookie crossed her arms. "So, over the last few days when he was touching you and looking at you with those gorgeous blue eyes of his, you didn't feel anything?" She asked hopefully.

Lorelai closed her eyes and shook her head. "That's not the point, Sookie. I'm not going to chance our friendship."

"Even if it's worth it?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Even if it's worth it," she said softly.

"Well, this sucks," she said sullenly. "And, you're sure about this?"

"I'm sure," Lorelai replied looking down.

"Well...are you gonna tell him to stop?"

Lorelai looked up at her. "Imagine that conversation." She paused, giving her time to do that. "Talk about awkward. Besides, it's not serious enough for me to do anything. I'm not even sure he's trying to start anything between us."

Sookie gave her a knowing look, causing Lorelai to lower her eyes. "I'll, uh, think of something." She moved away from the door and walked toward the main area. "Hopefully," she added in a whisper.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Can I get you anything else?" Luke asked Lorelai as she sat nursing a cup of coffee. She turned attention away from the window.

"No, thanks," she replied with a smile. "Unless, of course, you've recently input a taco bar. I'm craving a burrito like crazy."

He topped off her coffee. "Well, I can't help you there. Anything besides that?"

"Nope."

"You sure?" He asked with a smile.

And, again with the look. Lorelai swallowed but didn't let her nervousness show. "I'm sure," she responded. "But, thanks."

"It's my job," he said winking at her.

She smiled at the gesture, and he turned and left the vicinity. She watched him walk away.

The bell sounded above the door, and Lorelai turned and saw the woman that she was waiting for. Standing up with a wide smile, she called, "Over here."

The lady walked over and took a seat after shaking Lorelai's hand. "Hey, Ms. Gilmore."

"Please, Lorelai," she said. "Call me Lorelai."

"Okay. Lorelai it is. You can call me Tonya." They both smiled and got comfortable in their chairs. "I already have so many ideas of what I would like to do to your office space!" She said excitedly.

"Well, allow me to pick your brain, then," Lorelai said happily.

Lorelai had waited until last to have her office decorated. She wanted it done as a completely separate project without worrying about any sort of a timetable. This was her personal space.

"You really do come highly recommended, and I've seen your work in person, and I loved it," Lorelai said exxageratedly. She smiled wide. "I just want someone who can make my office scream Lorelai. But not loud enough for the guests to hear. It may freak them out a bit."

Tonya laughed. "I completely understand, and I am really looking forward to working with you on this and making it someplace you will love coming to everyday."

"Well, that sounds good to me. Can I see your portfolio?"

Tonya happily pulled it out of her bag and set it in front of Lorelai. Just as she began to speak, Luke approached the table. "Hey," he greeted.

Lorelai looked up at him. "Hey, Luke. This is Tonya. She's going to be the designer for my office at the Dragonfly. Tonya, this is Luke. He's the owner and the maker of the best coffee this side of...pretty much everywhere. He's also a good friend of mine," she said smiling at him briefly.

"Nice to meet you," he said nodding at her.

"You too," Tonya said diverting her eyes to Lorelai.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked.

"Sure, I hear your coffee's pretty good," she said smiling. "That'll be okay for now."

"Okay, one coffee. Lorelai, anything for you?"

"Nothing yet," she said holding up her still full mug.

"Be back in a sec."

He turned and walked away. Lorelai opened the book as she waited for Tonya to resume speaking. She did, but it wasn't about the designs.

"So, are you two involved?" She asked casually.

Lorelai tossed a glance at Luke. "Oh, no! No, I'm single...and he's single. Just two single people walking around...being single."

Tonya laughed. "Really?"

"Yes," Lorelai answered with a smile. She looked back down to the book. "So, in this room here, did you use a--"

"Is there something wrong with him?" She asked looking at Luke out of the corner of her eye. "Promiscuous? Crazy? Abusive?"

Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "No. Of course not."

"Nothing is wrong with him?" She asked doubtfully.

"Uh, well, he has a bit of a flannel fetish, but you kinda get used to it," Lorelai replied, barely able to form a smile at her own joke.

Tonya laughed. "But, other than that...?"

Lorelai shrugged. "He's great."

A surprised look crossed Tonya's face. "So, he's single, and he's sane?" She asked.

Lorelai looked over at him again. "That's the gist," she answered looking back at her.

Tonya turned and caught Lorelai's bewildered expression. "I'm sorry. Am I being completely unprofessional?" She asked genuinely.

Lorelai smiled politely. "No, not completely," she replied with a slight laugh. Tonya covered her face in embarrassment. "Hey," began Lorelai, "don't worry about it. Some things are harder to just turn off. I understand." Tonya took her hands down.

"I'm sorry. Okay, back to business," she said sitting up straight.

Luke came back over. "Here's your coffee," he said as he set it down in front of her. "Let me know if you need anything else," he said to them both before walking away again. Tonya stared after him, and Lorelai fought the urge to ask whether or not she was enjoying the view. She just watched her.

She cleared her throat, gaining Tonya's attention. Smiling, she pointed to where Luke was. "So, you like him?"

"No," she answered quickly. There was a small pause. "Well, I mean he's cute and has a nice voice and an amazing--" She caught Lorelai's eye and stopped.

Lorelai smiled. "An amazing...?"

Tonya collected herself. "He's very attractive," she said smiling hard. Lorelai smiled too, dropping her gaze to her lap. Tonya sat up some. "Are you sure you two aren't--"

Lorelai spoke fast as she waved her hand. "No, we're not. We're friends. Have been friends for years." She paused, her eyes darting off to the side for a split second. "You should ask him out," she said shrugging.

She had no idea where that came from. But, as the words left her mouth, she realized how that was the perfect way to get Luke's attention off of her. Maybe if he spent time with someone else, he'd forget about her.

Tonya chuckled. "No, I couldn't do that."

"Sure, you could. Just go up to him," she said.

She considered Lorelai's words. "And, you think he'll go for it?"

"Why wouldn't he? Look at you," she said motioning toward her.

Tonya smiled and looked in Luke's direction again. "Maybe I will," she said lifting both eyebrows to her. It didn't take long for them to refocus on their task. At least not long for Tonya.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Tonya left the counter and gave Lorelai a subtle thumbs up as she made her way out of the diner.

Lorelai sat back and watched Luke work for a few minutes before she got up and went over to the counter. "Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself. You about to take off too?" He asked. He stopped cleaning and gave Lorelai his full attention.

She sighed. "Yeah, I'm going to the inn for a little while before heading home."

"Okay," he said nodding. He smiled as he lowered his eyes a bit. "I like your top. It's new, right?"

Lorelai looked down at it. "Yeah, sorta. I bought it like three months ago, but I just ripped the tag off today."

"Ah," he said with amusement.

Lorelai smiled. She tried not to dwell on how that observation made her feel. And, the look was still present on his face. It seemed to be the only one she saw when she looked at him now. Best as friends kept running over and over in her mind like a reminder.

"So, uh, Tonya...she was nice, hunh?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, she was okay."

She leaned on the countertop. "So, what happened between the two of you?" She asked. Tonya had come over to the counter and sat talking to him for about ten minutes before leaving.

"Nothing worth discussing," he said lightly.

Lorelai shifted her eyes. She didn't really want to know, but at the same time, the desire to know was strong. She looked back at him. "She likes you, you know."

He released a breath. "Yeah, I know."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she, uh, gave me her number." He looked at Lorelai and she put on a supporting smile. She worked to digest that information. He continued. "Don't worry, I'm not...gonna call her or anything."

'Don't worry??' Lorelai mentally repeated. 'What does that mean?' She knew she had to put a stop to whatever Luke was feeling for her. She had a mental image of remnants of their friendship floating around after having been burnt to a crisp.

"Why not?" She asked with a shrug. Luke looked at her quickly.

He shifted his eyes. "Well, she's...working with you, and...thinking back to the Chilton mom, I--"

Lorelai waved her hand. "That was a long time ago. I'm over that."

"You are?"

"Why wouldn't I be? That was just me being...stupid."

He dropped his eyes. Finally, with a shake of his head, he spoke. "Nah, I don't think--"

"Luke, she's pretty, nice, talented. What's not to like?"

He stared at Lorelai for a moment. He didn't want to start anything with Tonya. She was all of the above, but excuses kept coming to him. Remembering how young she looked, he frowned. "How old is she, anway?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but she said she opened her business right after college, and she's been doing it for just under 15 years, so I'm guessing she's pretty legal."

His eyes connected with hers, and she saw that look emerging yet again. "I still don't think that--"

"I think you should call her," she interrupted quickly. A small knot formed in her stomach as the words left her mouth. Best as friends allowed her to ignore it and make her suggestion seem nothing short of genuine.

She saw his jaw clench. "You do?" He asked tightly.

Lorelai closed her eyes and nodded. "Absolutely. And, the sooner the better. Ask her out and...take her someplace nice."

He looked solemnly at Lorelai's plastered smile. "Okay, I will," he said, holding eye contact.

She broke it. "Good," she said as she slapped her hand down on the counter playfully. "I think you two will really like each other." She paused. "Um, I have to go. So, if I can get a cup of to-go coffee, I will be on my way," she said happily. Luke bent down and grabbed a large cup. He turned to pour the coffee.

Just as he turned, Lorelai's smile slid off of her face, and she closed her eyes briefly. Shaking off her sudden and extremely unwarranted melancholy, she opened her eyes just in time to see him turning back to her. She lifted her eyebrows and smiled wide again. "Thanks," she said taking the coffee cup. She slid him some money. "I'll see ya," she added before turning and leaving.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai didn't stop by the diner for a few days following that visit. The inn was busy, and all of her responsibilities kept her busy. Even with all that was going on, had she wanted to stop by Luke's, she could have very well squeezed it in. But, she hadn't bothered. Her mind was relentless, and every time she thought of how she had initiated the meeting between Luke and Tonya, she felt an ache. Sometimes it was in her stomach and, more often than not, it would trigger head pain. This, however, was not acknowledged by her. She couldn't fathom it and didn't really have much desire to do so.

After four days, she stopped in for a cup of coffee. She realized that in order for her to maintain her cherished friendship with Luke, she had to be around him. It made no sense not to be. She had been seeing Tonya on a very regular basis, and Tonya didn't hesitate to let her know that she and Luke had been talking on the phone frequently in the few short days. She smiled through the conversations because she was happy for Luke. If Tonya was happy, she automatically assumed he was. And, that was definitely something she'd always want for him.

She pushed open the diner's door and walked tiredly over to the counter.

Luke finished serving his customer and came to stand in front of where she was. "Haven't seen you in a while," he mentioned casually.

She placed her purse on the countertop. "Yeah, I've been busy. How've you been?"

"Okay."

Lorelai smiled. "I see you've been taking classes to improve your speech."

"Yeah, but they said I was hopeless."

"I wouldn't say hopeless. Just a challenge." Luke smiled, causing her to. "Can I get a glass of water?"

His smile was replaced with a look of confusion. "Are you okay?"

She rolled her eyes with amusement. "I'm all coffee'd out, believe it or not. I've been at the inn all day, and I was drinking it nonstop since this morning. Water would be much appreciated right about now."

He shook his head. "Water coming up." He got her a glass of it and set it in front of her. "This is the first time ever that I actually don't mind serving you."

Lorelai poked her lip out playfully.

Luke waved his hand. "I mean, that I don't mind serving you your order...'cause it's something halfway good for you." She nodded with a smile at the clarification. Luke looked down at her before continuing. "Of course I like to serve you," he added quietly. She looked up and was met with that look. Her heart made a leap for her throat.

"And...I like to be served, so I guess it works out well," she said jokingly.

He smiled. "I guess we're a perfect match, then."

Her heart bypassed her throat completely and went straight for her eyes. She dropped them to the countertop. A piece of her, a larger piece than she was willing to admit to, felt ecstatic at hearing that her words days before had not changed how he saw her. The rest of her, however, wanted to run away from the situation, scared that something may change for the worse.

She said the first thing that popped into her mind.

"Tonya."

"What?"

"I talked to Tonya," she said quickly. "She said that it's going good with you two."

"Lorelai."

"She likes you, Luke. She really does, and I know you like her too, right?"

He shook his head slowly in exhaustion.

"She said that you're taking her out this Friday. Are you excited?"

Luke looked at her silently. Thoughts flew in and around his mind about why it felt like she was pimping him out. One thing was for sure- he was already tired of it. Luke knew her, more than she knew herself at times, and he never ever thought he would use it against her. But, if she wanted games, games is what he would give her.

"Yeah, I am," he said casually. "I'm looking forward to it."

Lorelai's eyes widened before she caught herself and lowered them to her glass. "Good," she said swallowing.

He shook his head, again, in exhaustion. He wasn't one for games, and he wouldn't even pretend to be cut out for them.

"Lorelai, if you want it to stop, it stops."

"What stops? Tonya?" She asked with nervous laughter.

"No," he answered seriously. "I'm not talking about Tonya."

She shifted her eyes. "Then, what are you talking about? Our friendship? Because that's all we have. Friendship. And...nothing else. So, is that what you mean?" She asked with a dubious expression. It was clear that even though she had asked, she was not interested in hearing the answer. She already knew what he was referring to.

He released a breath, and a sad look crossed his face. "I'm gonna go make you a burger. I'm sure you haven't eaten anything," he said quietly. He gave her one last look before walking away.

Lorelai pursed her lips and watched him leave. "Shit," she whispered as she lowered her gaze.

...TBC...