Author's Note: This story has sort of been a long time coming and I hope that people enjoy it. Like the summary said this is in essence an alternate take on season 7, focusing mostly on Luke and Lorelai, because as some of you are aware things didn't exactly happen the way shippers would've liked. I know there are tons of them already but I wanted to give it a shot.

Special thanks to my fandom BFF for encouraging me to get this done. I hope it lives up to your expectations. :)

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did I wouldn't need an alternate version of s7 now would I?

With the morning rush over only a few customers remained. Luke was using it as an opportunity to catalog items in the store room until he heard the door opening and a voice that demanded his attention.

"Where is he? Where's Luke?" Lorelai shut the door, storming up to the counter in two quick strides. "Luke, if you're back there I-"

"Easy, Lorelai. I'm right here. What's-"

"You. How could you just punch-" Lorelai held her hands up, mimicking the action as she let out a frustrated sigh. "You punch Christopher in the face and just leave?"

Luke sighed and set the notepad he was using on the counter. As much as he wanted to deny it he had a feeling the moment would come sooner rather than later. "So he told you, huh?"

"Of course he told me. Luke, what on earth would cause you to think that was a good idea?" Lorelai asked, suddenly becoming aware of a guy behind them who seemed particularly interested in their conversation. "Okay, seriously, am I talking to you?"

The guy nearly jumped out of his seat at the frustration in her eyes as she spun to face him. "No. I'll just…get back to my soup."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." She quipped. Frustration and confusion seeped through her every pore but when she turned back to Luke he was already shaking his head. "What? You obviously have something to say, so just say it."

He wanted to and yet at the same time he was acutely aware of where they were and the fact that there were people including Babbette and Miss Patty watching. "Lorelai, look. I'm not going to apologize for something I feel perfectly justified in doing. If this is something you wanna talk about, fine. But not here."

"Okay, fine-" Lorelai began, already on her way to the stairs. She stopped, curtain in hand when she realized he wasn't following her.

"What, now?" Luke asked, exasperated. But she didn't have to answer. If they were going to have this conversation they needed to have it now.

The silence once they entered his apartment was nearly unbearable, both unwilling to go first.

Luke spread his arms in an open gesture. He was at a loss as to what to say or do but knew that something had to happen if they were supposed to move forward. "You said you want to talk. Talk."

Lorelai shook her head and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "What do you want me to say? What you did to Chris was…was childish. I don't know. If you were angry at me for what I did I understand. But you stay. You talk it out with me; yell, push, say things to me, Luke. Not him."

They were standing at a dangerous place. One wrong move and it could go either way. "I don't know what you want me to say. Yeah, I reacted out of anger, but what did you expect me to do?"

"We were going to get married, Luke. I asked you and you said yes. And then you hid April from me and there was this awkward distance. Then we had that fight in front of the diner and we broke up. I overreacted and I was emotional and so many other things-"

"So what you're saying is that there was some excuse for what you did, right? Talk your way out of the blame."

Lorelai's mouth hung open, words unwilling to come forward in her defense. They had fought before; anyone in Stars Hollow could verify that fact. Despite that, they'd always made it work eventually but she had hurt him this time and even though she wasn't the only one at fault everything within her begged that she run in the opposite direction.

"I…should go. I left Michel in charge at the Inn and there's only so much control he can take without letting it go to his head." Lorelai offered as an excuse even if they both knew it was partly a lie. She feigned a sneeze to wipe the tears away from her eyes. "I'll find somewhere else to get coffee. I won't bother you anymore. It'll probably be for the best anyway."

"Lorelai, wait-" Luke called as she opened the door. By the time he got to the stairs she was already running out the door. From her table he saw Miss Patty raising a questioning eyebrow but she apparently intercepted his glare correctly. It simply was not the time to intrude.

Lorelai marched into the kitchen of the Dragonfly a short while later, treating the coffee pot with a bit more force than truly necessary.

"Um…Lorelai? Lorelai, honey if you're not careful you're going to-"

"Break something? Yeah, Sookie, because I feel like breaking something. I mean, really. All I wanted was to talk. That's what started all of this, you know. We didn't talk. And then, well, Chris was there and we talked…or, well, didn't talk depending upon the time of that night. Anyway, Luke just goes over there and punches him and now-"

"Luke hit Chrstopher?" Sookie exclaimed, not realizing until afterward how amused she was by that fact. "Sorry, go on."

Lorelai sighed before taking a deep gulp from her steaming mug. "What I did was wrong. I realize that. But it's not like Luke to take out his frustrations on someone."

"Well, honey, what happened wasn't exactly a normal situation. I'm your friend and I'm on your side in all of this but-" Sookie turned, noting one of the cooks who was standing close by. "I'm sorry, could you give us a minute?"

Lorelai sighed, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. "I know you are Sookie, but I really don't think it's going to work this time. I hurt him. I hurt him and then when I went to talk to him just now I thought that maybe I could fix some of that but clearly my plan didn't work out too well."

Sookie frowned in concern as she moved to stir a pan of sauce sitting on the stove. As much as she wanted to help her friend she had a feeling this wasn't something standing in the kitchen of the Dragonfly would solve. "You went to see him?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" Lorelai exclaimed. "Does anything need to be sliced? Because I could really use a sharp-"

At that moment Michel appeared in the doorway, looking relieved at seeing her. "Oh good. Lorelai, there is a man out here who requires your attention. Apparently the room he was scheduled to stay in has been double-booked. I cannot deal with this anymore so I am sure you see why you are needed."

Lorelai sighed, shaking her head as she headed for the front desk, feeling strangely grateful for the distraction.

Pulling the Jeep in the driveway, Lorelai was already feeling a bit more relaxed and had every intention of going inside, ordering a pizza and relaxing by herself for the evening. That is, until she saw the person perched on her steps.

"What part of me not answering your phone calls a few hours ago did not get through? Christopher, what are you doing here?"

Smiling, Chris stood up from his place on the step and offered her his arm only to feel her push it away. "Look, Lor, I know you're feeling a little guilty about what happened between us the other night but I'm here to tell you there's no need to feel that way."

"Really? And why is that exactly?" Lorelai exclaimed, begging with the tears she felt stinging her eyes and hoping they wouldn't fall.

"Because we can be happy now, Lor. I know this isn't how either of us thought it would happen, but-"

"No." Lorelai replied, leaving little room for argument.

Chris laughed and shook his head, refusing to accept her answer until she heard what he had to say. "I just want you to give us a chance. That's all that I ask. You and I belong together. You know that, right?"

She should have seen it coming and yet standing there in her front yard, worried that Babette or one of her other neighbors could overhear their conversation she wasn't willing to let him win. "I'm only going to say this once so I need you to listen. Okay? What happened between us was not supposed to happen. I needed comfort but I realize now that I shouldn't have gone to see you. So whatever dream you have in your head of us becoming a couple and being a happy family needs to go away, got it?"

"If this is about Luke, you can admit it. He doesn't deserve you."

Lorelai shook her head, heading up the front steps. Sighing, she turned to face him, wanting to make sure her understood. "I'm going inside and you're going home. Good night, Christopher."

With that, she opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it firmly behind her, cutting off contact with the last person she wanted to see. She slipped off her shoes, dropping her purse on the floor, not caring where it landed. Her eyes landed on the phone and for a minute she started walking in that direction until the thought occurred that she couldn't call the one person she wanted to talk with most.

Rory would be more than willing to help or listen if it weren't for the current situation. Sookie had been more than understanding but Lorelai knew her daughter probably wouldn't be as kind.

With nothing else to do she grabbed a pillow from the couch, hugging it tightly to her chest as she settled into the cushions. Everything was falling apart around her and the two people she usually relied on in serious situations had already been or would be damaged by what she'd done. There had to be a way to pick up all the pieces and fix the damage that had been done but she was at a loss of knowing where to start.