Come Back
By Michaela

The Disclaimer: I pretty much own nothing except the first 4 seasons on DVD and a particularly obsessive collage in my closet. But even those pictures don’t belong to me.

A/N: my first FanFic.. I'm just starting with a ONESHOT because my writing is a little rusty and with school taking up so much time, I'm not sure I could stick for pumping out new chapters in one story. If you like it, let me know. If you don't, let me know. I appreciate any and all feedback.

After the embarrassing encounter with Luke on her front porch, Lorelai had done the only thing that made sense. She went back upstairs to dwell on what had just happened. It was clearly obvious to her.. and to him.. that she was not "fine" as she had said. Her eyes were dull, her cheeks were rough with dried tears, and her hair hadn't been brushed all day.

Sighing, she sat on the bed looking around her room, unsure of how she was supposed to be feeling. She wanted to call Rory and tell her to come back and that she needed her there. But as she was reaching for the phone, she realized it wasn't her daughter she truly wanted to call.

Placing her head in her hands for a moment to think, she was suddenly struck with the overwhelming feeling of suffocation. Everywhere she looked, she felt Luke. Everything in her room was a cruel reminder of him. The bed he'd slept in, outfits he had loved, a dresser he had repaired…

She stood up and went downstairs, hoping to get rid of this feeling. As expected, she was wrong. The couch they sat on was there...the TV they watched, a blanket they'd used together, the bathroom where there was his toothpaste and his extra toothbrush...

Lorelai couldn't take it any longer. She was sick of crying and quite frankly, she had begun to feel pathetic. Luke was just a boyfriend, and guy who had broken her heart. But even as she was thinking this, she knew it wasn't true. Luke was so much more than that. It was clearly obvious to everyone, especially to Lorelai. It was just as she had told Rory...Luke was the one. Just before her parent's vow renewal she had told her mother she might like to be married. But that was before…everything.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and found the broken lock on her kitchen table. A fresh set of frustrated and angry tears began to form. Her vision blurred and she blinked furiously, trying to stop the inevitable. Looking in the cabinets of the and under the sink, she picked up what she was looking for. A cardboard box.

She picked up the lock and threw it in the box. Opening the fridge, she decided she only needed to put in one healthy food item, not all. Silently, she grabbed a pack of carrots and tossed them in. Everything else she threw in the trash can. After cleaning out anything that reminded her of him in that room, she headed back to the living room. She picked up the blanket and set it in the box.

Ten minutes later, she was back in her room. She walked over to her dresser and picked up a picture. She sighed, remembering the day it was taken. Kirk had just bought a fancy new camera and was taking pictures of everyone (and everything) he could. Lorelai and Luke were standing behind the counter at the diner. In one hand, she had a cup of coffee and the other was around Luke's waist. Her happiness was clearly evident in her smile, as Luke's annoyance was in his scowl. But he had agreed to let Kirk take the picture, only because Lorelai had wanted it. His hand was around her waist and opposing hand held the coffee pot.

Letting out another sigh, Lorelai put the picture in the box.

When everything had been put away, she set the box next to her bed. Shutting off the light, and climbing under the covers, she allowed herself to think of him. The tears came once again, and this time she didn't try to stop them. She just laid there in the dark, wondering what would happen next. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

Ring! Ring!

Groaning and wincing at the pain in her head, Lorelai groggily opened one eye. The clock on the dresser told her it was 3:27 AM.

“ Hello?”

“Um.. Lorelai?” the voice ventured.

Recognizing who it was instantly, she became wide awake. “Luke?”

“Yeah…”

“Umm, what can I do for you?”

“Uhh..Is it okay if I come over? Just for a second. I need to talk to you.”

“Well, uh, okay. Sure. Come over.”

Hanging up the phone, Lorelai was filled with confusion.Her head was pounded from the crying she had done earlier, her nose was stuffy, and her hair resembled that of a rat’s nest. Sighing, she went downstairs to answer the door.

Luke was a little astounded by what he saw. It has only been a matter of hours since he last saw her, but she looked even worse. She already had bags under her eyes, which were red-rimmed and exhausted looking. Her mouth was turned into a frown and her shoulders sagged with grief. Despite all this, she was Lorelai Gilmore, and she tried her best to keep up the appearance of being “fine.”

He stood nervously there, on the porch, with his hands deep in his pockets. His usual green jacket was zipped and buttoned, due to the brisk fall air. His trademark ballcap was backwards on his head. He didn’t realize that they’d been standing there for a while in silence until she spoke.

“Luke..do you wanna, um, come inside?” She kept her face expressionless so she wouldn’t betray her emotions.

Yes. “No, I, uh, just wanted to tell you something.”

”..Okayy..”

A couple of moments went by and he didn’t say anything. He didn’t know where to start and his frustration with himself was growing. Finally, he just blurted it out. “I didn’t mean it.”

Finally Lorelai’s face registered some emotion. Surprise and confusion, with a tiny mix of hope. “Mean..what?”

“I didn’t mean for us to break up. That’s not what I want. I just.. I needed time to think about things and I couldn’t do that with you pushing me and trying to explain things. I needed time and space to register everything. I got a little, uh, rash, back at Doose’s. I don’t want to break up. That’s not what I intended. I, uh.. I love you, Lorelai.”

After listening to his speech, she allowed herself a small grin. Subconsciously she became aware of her disheveled appearance. Luke, on the other hand, didn’t even notice.

“I love you too Luke,” she whispered, “I’m so, so sorry.”

He moved towards her and tentatively put his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She raised her hands to his chest, then put them around his neck. Their faces were centimeters apart when he finally pressed his lips with hers. She responded immediately, kissing him back. When they were out of breath, she shut the door.

Turning back to Luke she allowed him to pull her closer. Closing her eyes, she whispered in his ear “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”