"Mmm. American coffee," Lorelai sipped and closed her eyes, savoring her first cup of Luke's brew in nearly 2 months.

"Not French coffee." Rory countered.

"With French stares."

"Or French words."

"Or French men!" Lorelai's face sprung a pout. "Oh, sad! I want to go back now."

"Ok, just as soon as I finish my coffee and the doctor surgically removes this backpack from my shoulders, which, by the way, will leave me crippled before I even get to Yale."

"I hear they like hunchbacks around Ivy covered walls."

"A tragic story really."

"Anything else?" Luke asked, suddenly at their table.

"Wow. Stealthy." Lorelai looked up, her eyes wide. He hated that. Not really.

Rory smiled, "You're like a S.W.A.T. team member."

"Ooooo." Lorelai's face lit up, "Colin Farrell."

"He's Irish."

"Oh no! Sad again."

"And his model girlfriend just spawned their child."

"Awww. Irish kids."

Luke rolled his eyes. Some things would never change. "Do I need to be standing here?"

The pout returned. "Luke, we've only been back an hour. Pretend you're happy to see us."

"You mean hear you." He paused, "And I am." he fought for the word, "glad you're home."

"I see you still can't say it."

"What?"

"Happy. Fun. Any of those words. There are tapes for that sort of thing. Not to mention Dr. Phil."

"Mom, I'm done." Rory interrupted, "Going to Lane's now." She stood and kissed her mother's cheek.

"Oh, oh! Ok, well, wear the beret, when you present her with all of her bootleg European rock CDs and then gloat when she looks at the picture of us on Abbey Road!!"

"I will do all of those things. See you at home."

Lorelai watched her daughter leave and then turned back to Luke.

"You'd make a nice Greek statue."

"I'm going back to the counter now," he said gruffly.

"Standing there, all stoic with your coffee pot." She got up to follow him, jabbering the whole time, "Of course you'd need some olive branches in your hair and maybe a perm and then some sort of skirt and lace up sandals, but it could work."

Luke was busily working, fiddling with things behind the counter, listening, but trying to seem like he wasn't - just like he always did. When he sensed the rant had come to the part where she generally expected a comment, he placed his hands on the counter and squared himself to face her.

"So. You had a good time?"

"I thought you'd never ask! How many times does a girl have to name-drop a country to get some sort of response?"

With that, Lorelai launched into her spill about the trip. Luke listened and occasionally laughed (not out loud) at her quirky stories, knowing and fearing the question that would inevitably follow.

"So," she said 20 minutes later, "all in all, I'd highly recommend Europe to the traveling public. My only complaint is those pesky pigeons."

"So you said."

"I think you'd even like it."

He lifted an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing." Her eyes darted, "Just you aren't. you don't seem very."

"Cultured?" He asked flatly.

"Oh, Luke. If you are anything, it's cultured! Come on! Columbian coffee, French fries, dill pickles."

"Dill is not a country."

"Well, I now declare it so!"

He looked at her thoughtfully. "I would like to go some day."

She nodded, thinking this a good segue into the burning question. "Speaking of things we'd like to do. I've never been on a cruise." She looked at him, searching and he hoped he hadn't winced out loud. "How was it?"

He turned away from her, suddenly finding it very hot in the diner. "It was fine."

Lorelai grunted. "Fine? A Caribbean vacation with your girlfriend was just, FINE?" She mocked his emotionless delivery of the word.

"Yeah." He replied, still not looking at her, and very interested in rubbing the glass in his hand until it was sand again.

Different approach, Lorelai thought. "So, where is Nicole?" She hoped she sounded normal asking that.

"She's around."

"Ok." Lorelai sensed she should stop pushing and for once, obeyed, backing toward the doorway. "Well, it's getting late. I better go. Still on London time, you know. So, it's like, what, 3 a.m.?" She ran a hand through her hair and glanced at her watch wondering why she was nervous. "Yep, 3 it is! So, I'm happy we're both back and home and safe and well, I'm just gonna go now."

The door jingled behind her and Lorelai walked home certain that something was going on, but sure she would never know what.