Lorelai sat silently as Luke ranted on and on about his plans to keep Rory from quitting Yale, but she barely heard him. Her mind was racing in a hundred different directions. But they all ended up in the same place:

". . . And if worse comes to worst, we will drive her to school every day and we will follow her to class and camp out there to make sure she goes."

Lorelai's attention went back to what Luke was saying. At first that sentence didn't make any sense, but her mind began to put together what he had said before and she realized he was more upset about it than she was.

As he finished his tirade, the realization came to her – this was the man she had waited her whole life for. He would always be there for her, and for Rory, no matter how bad or how crazy things got. She could always, ALWAYS count on him, and she would NOT lose him.

". . . she is not quitting school! This was her dream. I am not going to let this happen!"

Luke paused to take a breath, then saw that Lorelai had an odd look on her face; one he had never seen before.

"What?" he asked.

"Luke, will you marry me?"

Luke was stunned.

"What?"

"I said, will you marry me?"

Luke's jaw dropped.

"I need to call Taylor."

Now it was Lorelai who was stunned.

"That's not exactly the response I expected. What, you have to get Taylor's permission?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You just said you have to call Taylor. What does he have to do with anything?"

"Well, you see, Taylor and I . . . ."

"Luke! I don't want to hear about Taylor Doose! Look, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Just . . . just forget I said anything at all. I'm just upset about Rory. Never mind, just . . . never mind."

Lorelai stood up to leave.

"No! Wait! Where are you going? We have to make plans, we have things to discuss, we can't just leave it like this!"

"Like what? I ask you to marry me and you say you have to call Taylor?"

"But I told you that afterward."

"After what?"

"After I said yes."

"Luke, you never said yes. You never said anything! You just got all these weird looks on your face, then you said you had to call Taylor."

"No! I said yes!"

"No, you didn't. I can assure you that you didn't!"

"I swear I did. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Well, then I'm saying it now -- yes, I will marry you, Lorelai. Of course I will. Why do you think I . . . ?"

"You what?"

"Why I just bought the Twickham house? For us – for you and me, and Rory, and, you know, for the . . . ."

"Oh my God! So THAT'S what that was all about – the kids! And that's why you freaked when I told you about Mike Armstrong. Luke, I never had any intention on selling the inn! The Dragonfly is my home. Stars Hollow is my home. Rory is my home. YOU are my home!"

"Oh. Well, that's a relief, but I still need to call Taylor."

"What on earth for?"

"Well, when you were talking about all that traveling,  I thought you would  be leaving and if you weren't going to be here, I didn't want it. So I told him to forget about the house."

Lorelai put her arms around Luke's neck and kissed him.

"Luke, I love that you did that, buying the house, and I love that you wanted it for us. But did you ever think that I might not want to move? When I asked you to marry me, I just naturally thought we would live in my house."

"But -- you said it was a beautiful house."

"Yes, I did. And it is. But so is mine. And it's where Rory and I have lived and laughed and cried for the past ten years. We've got so many great memories there. I really wish you had discussed it with me first."

"But, I . . . I just thought . . . ."

"No, Luke, you didn't think, you assumed. You just assumed that I would marry you, and you assumed I would move out of my house, out of my and Rory's house, without a second thought."

"But it's a great house."

"I know that. But so is mine."

Luke sat down at the table and Lorelai sat down across from him. He wasn't sure what to say next.

"You asked me to marry you."

It was as if he finally realized what had happened.

"Yes, I did."

"And I said yes."

"Yes, you did."

"So -- we're really going to do this?"

"Unless one of us backs out."

"Okay . . . Okay, then."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Lorelai was waiting patiently, waiting for Luke to realize what this meant to him, to both of them.

Twice Luke opened his mouth to say something, then didn't.

"You want some coffee?" he finally got out.

"I would love some coffee. You wouldn't happen to have something to put in it, would you? Something strong?"

"I don't think so, but I can make strong, extra strong coffee."

"That would be fine."

But Luke still sat there.

"Luke? You know we're not getting married tomorrow, if that's what you're worried about. There are still a lot other things going on right now, things we need to take care of."

"Yeah, I know. I'm still trying to . . . so, we're getting married?"

"That's what we've been talking about. Even though things are crazy right now, you are the only sane thing in my life."

"I always thought I'd be the one to ask you, not . . . the other way around."

"Well, so did I, but sometimes things don't work out exactly like we think they will. Rory, as a case in point. But you know, you can still ask me. I can guarantee you that I'll say yes."

Luke almost did, but thought it would sound silly, right now. Instead he asked again, forgetting he already had, "You want some coffee?"

"I'll get it. You sit."

Lorelai went behind the counter and began brewing a  pot of very strong coffee.

Luke walked to the counter and sat down on one of the stools.

"Donut?" Lorelai asked as she took the lid off to get one for herself.

"No thanks."

After she poured herself a cup of coffee, Lorelai went back around to sit next to Luke.

"Lorelai, does anyone else know about you and me, you know, about us getting married?"

"Not unless there are microphones hidden in here someplace."

"No, no microphones. You're sure you didn't say anything to anyone?"

"Luke, it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to you. I came in here because you are the only one I have, the only person I knew I could count on. And up until five seconds before it happened, I didn't know I was going to ask you. It just . . . came out."

"Lorelai, I have to tell you, all of this – Rory, Yale, you, me, us getting married – it's kind of thrown me for a loop."

"You can always change you mind."

"No! There's no way I'm changing my mind. This is what I want, what I've wanted for I don't know how long. I just have to get used to the idea, that's all."

Lorelai finished the cup of coffee and poured herself a second.

"Are we going to tell anyone?" Luke asked.

"I suppose, eventually. You don't want anyone to know?"

"No, that's not it. I want everyone to know! But, what about Rory? When are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know. Right now we aren't speaking."

"Maybe if you told her it might help patch things up between you two."

"It certainly couldn't hurt, but right now, this thing with Yale is the big issue. That, and her going to my parents behind my back. I can't believe she DID that!"

Lorelai's voice was starting to crack. The anger, frustration, and pain she held inside was coming to the surface. Luke put one hand on her shoulder in support. Then in the next instant she was in his arms, her fingers digging into his back as she cried into his shoulder.

After several minutes Lorelai's sobbing slowly ended.

"You okay?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded, still not trusting her voice.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I had a donut, remember?"

"You mean the one with one bite taken out of it? When did you eat?"

"I don't remember, this morning sometime."

"You need something. What can I make for you?"

"I really don't want anything."

"Well, either you tell me what you want, or I'm going to fix you something healthy. One or the other, but you ARE going to eat something."

"Are you going to be this bossy after we're married?"

"Probably."

"You men are all alike. I guess I'll have the usual."

"Okay, cheeseburger and chili fries – you want cheese on those fries?"

"Sure, why not go all the way?"

Lorelai went behind the counter to pour another cup of coffee while Luke went into the kitchen.

Despite insisting she wasn't hungry it didn't take Lorelai ten minutes to polish off the meal. Afterward, Luke put a slice of strawberry pie in front of her.

"Ooh, pie! You are going to be a good husband, bossy or not."

Luke didn't answer, but just smiled.

They sat next to each other on the stools making small talk. Neither wanted to bring up the reason Lorelai came into the diner.

After a while, Luke could tell that the coffee wasn't doing its job.

"You look exhausted."

"I am." Lorelai answered. "I guess I should go home and go to bed."

"Don't do that. Stay here tonight. You're too tired to drive back, and you shouldn't be alone."

"You're right, I am. But you do realize all I want is about 36 hours of uninterrupted sleep."

"That's fine with me."

They got up from the stools, and then were each other's arms again.

They stood there a few seconds when the bell on the door of the diner rang twice as the door opened and closed.

"Lorelai!"

Both Luke and Lorelai were momentarily speechless.

Then Lorelai exclaimed, "Christopher!"

Luke immediately pushed his way past Lorelai, pointing at the door, and advancing on Christopher.

"You get the HELL out of my diner! Right now!"

Christopher backed away, his hands up in front of him, until he bumped into the door.

"Now wait a minute!" Christopher said. "I didn't come here to start anything. Rory called me."

Lorelai got between Luke and Christopher and put one hand against Luke's chest.

"Luke! Wait, please. Did you say Rory called you?"

"Yeah! An hour or two ago. She said something about quitting Yale and then hung up. And after I found a babysitter for Gigi, I drove to your parents' house, but the lights were off. Then I went to your house, but obviously you weren't home, so I drove by here and saw your Jeep. Lorelai, what the Hell's going on?"

"Rory quit school. She said she's not going back next year."

"But why? She was doing so good!"

"It's a long, involved story and right now I just don’t feel like going into it."

"Then let me follow you home and we can talk about it there."

"She's staying here tonight!" Luke interrupted.

"I was talking to Lorelai!"

"Stop it! Both of you! Christopher, we will talk about it tomorrow. We WILL, I promise you, but not tonight."

"But why can't we go to your house? Why do you have to stay here?"

"Because we're getting married!" Luke blurted out. "That's why!"

Christopher looked at Luke then at Lorelai to see if he was making it up, but the look on her face told him it was true.

"So, what? I'm supposed to drive back to Hartford this late at night to try to find a hotel room?"

"No," Lorelai said. "We've got a couple of empty rooms at the Dragonfly. You can stay there tonight. I'll call the night manager to tell him you're coming and to give you a room, no charge, and breakfast. I'll be there about eight o'clock, and we can talk then. I'll fill you in on everything."

It wasn't what he wanted to do, but it was either that or drive back to Hartford.

"You'll be there at eight?"

"Yes, Christopher, eight o'clock. Now go on over there and I'll make the call."

Christopher gave Luke a hard look then left the diner. Lorelai barely had time to turn around when Luke was handing her the phone and dialing the number.

"Hey," Lorelai said. "It's me, Lorelai. Look, I'm sending someone over there. His name is Christopher Hayden. I want you to give him a room for tonight, and breakfast tomorrow. Hayden – H-a-y-d-e-n. Yes, and it's on us. Because he's Rory's dad, that's why. Okay. I'll be in about eight."

Lorelai handed Luke the phone.

"Well, there goes my thirty-six hours of uninterrupted sleep."

"You probably wouldn't have slept more than thirty hours anyway.

Lorelai chuckled, and walked to the door, locked it, turned over the Open/Closed sign, and flipped off the light. She then picked up her purse and her coat, and Luke took her hand and they started up the stairs.

"You do know you told Christopher we're getting married, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know. Might as well get the ball rolling."

Inside the apartment, Luke let Lorelai into the bathroom first. By the time he was finished in there, she was asleep. Luke got into bed with her and she rolled over into his arms, still sleeping.

Luke turned off the bedside lamp, then kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight . . . Mrs. Danes," he whispered. A half a minute later he was asleep.

The next morning the alarm went off at five. Luke got out of bed and got dressed without waking Lorelai. At seven, he took a cup of coffee upstairs to her.

He sat the cup on the nightstand, and gently shook Lorelai.

"Hey, time to get up."

Lorelai stretched, then pulled the covers over her head.

"It's seven o'clock."

Lorelai pulled the covers down past her eyes just far enough to give Luke a mean look.

"You lie! I just fell asleep."

Luke waved the cup of coffee in front of her. She reluctantly dropped the blankets to her waist and took the cup.

"I've got to get back downstairs. I'll make breakfast for you. Anything special?"

"Cheese omelet with extra sharp cheddar, sausage, bacon, and home fries. But I need to take a shower first. I know I have some clothes here. So, I'll be down in a half hour."

Luke kissed her and stood up to leave.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"You're okay with me seeing Christopher?"

"Yeah, I guess. I know you guys need to talk about Rory. Just – let me know what's going on."

"Of course. You know I will."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

When Lorelai got downstairs, Luke had her breakfast ready, but it was the middle of the breakfast rush and she had to sit at the counter. After she finished eating, Luke put the last slice of strawberry pie in front of her.

"You don't have to bribe me with pie. We'll be talking about Rory, and that's all."

"I know, but I just want to get rid of it. I think the expiration date passed last month."

"Funny. You're a real funny guy."

But she ate it, and had another cup of coffee.

"It's ten after eight." Luke reminded her.

"I know. I'm in no hurry."

At eight twenty-five, Lorelai kissed Luke goodbye and left the diner.

Lorelai got to the Dragonfly at 8:30. Christopher was sitting impatiently in the dining room. When he saw her come in, he met her halfway.

"I thought you said you'd be here at eight!"

"I guess I lost track of time. But I'm here now."

"So what's going on?"

"Look, I've got some things I need to take care of right now. Why don't you go back into the dining room and I'll be in there just as soon as I can."

"Lorelai, I thought you said we were going to talk."

"We are! But I've got a business here, and every morning I have things I have to do. I need to call in Sookie's grocery orders for tomorrow. And I have to call the linen guy, and call about the feed for the horses, and sign off on the night staff. I promise you, we'll talk. Just let me get these things done first."

He knew he had no choice.

"I'll be in here."

Lorelai watched as he walked back into the dining room. She still hadn't forgiven him for trying to come between her and Luke, and she didn't mind being a little bitchy to him -- a little Lorelai punishment.

An hour later Lorelai finally walked into the dining room and sat down at Christopher's table.

"How was the room?"

"The room was fine."

"And breakfast?"

"Breakfast was fine. The room was fine! The coffee was fine! The chairs are fine! Everything's fine! NOW, will you tell me what the Hell's going on with my daughter?"

"Do you know the Huntzbergers?"

"I've heard of them."

"Well, Rory's dating, going out with, sleeping with, Logan Huntzberger. You remember Logan, the kid we caught Rory making out with? Well, let me tell you, they are not nice people -- not Logan, not his dad, not his mother, not his grandfather. None of them!"

For the next forty five minutes Lorelai talked nonstop about everything that had happened with Rory and the Huntzbergers, starting when they caught Rory and Logan together the night Emily and Richard renewed their wedding vows, right up to Rory moving into the pool house.

"And there it is," Lorelai finished up. "My parents stabbed me in the back and Rory's not going back to Yale."

"I can't believe this. Not Rory. That's not her at all! Maybe I can talk some sense into her."

"Be my guest. Right now she and I aren't talking. But maybe since she's mad at me that means she's not quite so mad at you. Give it a shot. But don't forget, she's got Emily and Richard on her side. So you'll probably have to get past them before you can get to Rory."

"I can call her cell phone."

"If she'll answer it when she sees the call's from you. But like I said, give it your best shot."

They were both quiet for a few seconds.

"You're really going to marry this guy?"

"Yes, I am."

"Set the date yet?"

"No, it just happened -- recently."

"So, he popped the question and you said yes, just like that?"

"Actually, I asked him, and he said yes, just like that."

"You – asked – him?"

"Just like that."

Christopher stood up. Lorelai stayed seated.

"Well, thanks for the room, and the breakfast, and for filling me in on – everything. I think I'll go by your parent's house. Maybe I can talk to them, or Rory."

"Well, good luck with that. You'll call me, let me know how it went?"

"Sure."

Christopher leaned down and kissed Lorelai on the cheek, then left.

Lorelai took out her cell phone and called the diner.

"Hey, it's me . . . ."

Even though Saturday was her day off, Lorelai spent the rest of the morning catching up on payroll, talking to a few salesmen, calling suppliers and vendors, and walking around the property, something she enjoyed doing but rarely had time for during the week. And then she got the phone call from Christopher.

It was a little past one when Lorelai went into the diner. Less than half the tables were occupied, the lunch rush was ending.

"Hey!" Luke called out when he saw her. "Want some . . . ?"

Before he could finish his question, Lorelai went past him straight to the stairs leading up to his apartment. From the look she gave him, he knew something was terribly wrong.

"Caesar, I'm going upstairs for a few minutes."

Then Luke followed her up to the apartment.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"I got a call from Christopher a little while ago. He went to see Rory."

"So, what happened?"

"Apparently, he now thinks Rory quitting Yale isn't such a bad idea."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Quite sure. He said that after talking to Rory, he now better understands her reluctance to continue studying journalism, and thinks that maybe her taking some time off isn't so bad after all."

"What a jerk! Doesn't ANYBODY understand how she's jeopardizing her future?"

"Obviously not, except for you and me -- and Sookie. At least she agrees with us."

Luke shook his head in disbelief.

"And then he handed the phone to Rory."

"And?"

"He told her about us getting married."

"How did she take it?"

"I'll let you be the judge. As I recall it, the conversation went something like – 'Dad told me you asked Luke to marry you I think that's really great I'm happy for you guys Gotta go See ya.' "

"She said that? 'Gotta go. See ya' ?"

"Not in those exact words, but she might as well have."

"So, nothing from your mother. I mean, I'm sure she knows, right?"

"Probably. But now that Christopher is back to being their number one son, why bother? They have Rory, and Christopher has Rory, and I don't! That's what they wanted anyway."

Luke was speechless, he had no idea what to say to make things better. A small tear trickled down Lorelai's cheek and she was biting her lower lip. There was more, he could tell.

"What else?"

"Nothing, there's nothing else."

"Come on, Lorelai, there's something you're not telling me. What is it?"

"You don't want to hear it."

"I want to hear it, so tell me."

"I – I was thinking about . . . Max."

"Max!"

"And Dean."

Luke was thoroughly confused.

"What about – Max and Dean?"

"I was just remembering back when Max first asked me to marry him. I'm sure you remember all the daisies."

"I remember." Luke wasn't happy with the way this was starting off.

"Well, at the same time, Rory and Dean had just made up, and everything was going so great! And then after you ranted on about where Max and I were going to live, and where we were going to do our banking, and the kids and everything, I called him from my parents' house and that's when I said yes, and Rory and I were laughing and squealing and, God, we were so happy! But now things couldn't be worse. Rory and I aren't talking, Emily and Richard have their claws in her. Nothing's going like it's supposed to. It's all I can do to keep from crying every time I think about it, and I'm so miserable and . . . ."

Suddenly Lorelai realize what she had said, and saw hurt in Luke's eyes.

"Oh God, Luke! I didn't mean it like that, I swear I didn't! I said it all wrong."

"It's okay," Luke said but Lorelai could hear the pain in his voice.

"No, Luke, It ISN'T okay. It was a horrible thing to say!"

Lorelai put her hands on both sides of his face so he would have to look her straight in the eyes.

"I love you, Luke! And I want to marry you, and I want to have your kids, and I want us to grow old together, and I want us to die together. But I miss Rory so much! I want us to be together, and I want us to be happy. I want us to be a family!"

Luke put his arms around her and pulled her to him in a loving embrace.

"So do I," he said softly. "So do I."

After a few minutes, Lorelai backed away so they could look at each other.

"I'll tell you what," he said. "After we get this mess straightened out, we'll go away somewhere, just the three of us – Canada, Florida, California, anywhere you want."

Lorelai sniffed, "That'd be great, that'd be really great."

Lorelai wiped away the last remaining tear on her cheek.

"Since we're talking about going away, do you think you could get away from the diner for the rest of the day? I'd really like it if we could just go somewhere, away from here, away from everything and everybody for a while."

"Sure. No problem. Caesar can handle it. Give me a half hour and we'll go. You want to stay up here?"

"Yeah, maybe I'll lie down while I'm waiting."

"I'll be back before you know it."

When Luke came back upstairs forty-five minutes later, Lorelai was asleep. He quietly took a shower, shaved and got dressed before he woke her up.

"How long was I asleep?"

"About an hour. We had one more small rush. Are you okay?"

"I've got a headache. Any aspirin up here?"

"In the medicine cabinet. Want me to get 'em for you?"

"No, I'll get them. I want to wash my face anyway."

When Lorelai came out of the bathroom Luke was sitting at the table drinking a glass of orange juice.

"I'm ready when you are," she told him.

"Before we go, you should know that I talked to Taylor, about the house."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I still wanted it."

Lorelai didn't answer.

"Now, I know how you feel about me buying it without asking you, but like you said, we aren't getting married tomorrow. Maybe after you've had time to think about it, you might change your mind. And if you don't, I'm pretty sure I know someone who'll take it off my hands."

Lorelai put out one hand to pull him up so they could go.

"Before we get started to wherever we're going, why don't we stop by your new house?"

"You want to?"

"Sure, why not? I'd like to take look at it."

"But you've already seen it."

"Yes, but I've always thought of it as old man Twickham's house, and then as the museum. I never even considered it as someplace I might want to live one day. I'd like to look at it again, just to see what kind of potential it has, like I did with the old Dragonfly."

Luke didn't say anything, but Lorelai knew he was pleased.

Before going inside, Lorelai wanted to walk around the outside of the house to see it from all sides.

Inside, everything relating to the museum had already been taken out and every room echoed with their footsteps and voices.

"Nice big living room," Lorelai commented.

"Want to see the kitchen? I'm thinking about remodeling it and getting rid of the old sink, stove and refrigerator and going with all new cabinets and floor."

"Right, like I'd really spend a lot of time in THERE!" Lorelai joked, but she still went to see it. "Wow, old man Twickham must have bought all this in an antique shop when they built the house."

They wandered around upstairs, and Luke said he could put in a second floor bathroom by taking part of one of the bedrooms.

"It doesn't matter if it's smaller. We can always use it for a nursery," Lorelai said.

She actually thought it was a pretty good idea, and she hoped this would help to undo the hurt she had caused him earlier. 

"Yes we could," Luke agreed. 

Everything seemed to be working out just like he wanted it to.

They went back downstairs and out to the front porch.

"So what do you think?" Luke asked hopefully.

"It definitely has potential. I could see us living here, but Rory would have to agree to it as well."

"That goes without saying."

They got back in Luke's truck.

"So, where do you want to go?"

Lorelai didn't answer him, but just sat there, thinking.

After almost a minute had passed, Luke asked her again.

"I want to go to Hartford."

This time it was Luke who didn't say anything.

"Did you hear me? I said I want to go to Hartford."

"I heard. But I don't think you want to do that."

"Of course I do. I want to go get my kid!"

"Do you really think she'd come with us?"

"She'll come. Now are you going to drive me or do I have to walk back to the diner and get my car?"

"Lorelai, will you just stop and think about this?"

"Fine!" Lorelai said, and got out of the truck.

Luke got out and rushed over to block her way.

"Lorelai . . . ."

"Get out of my way, Luke. I mean it! I'm going after Rory and no one, not even you, is going to stop me."

"What are you going to do, hog tie her and drag her out of your parents' house?"

"If I have to."

"You're not thinking straight. If you go barging in there, you'll just make things worse. Like it or not, we're going to have to give Rory some time. She's going to have to come to you. If you force the issue now . . . ."

"Since when are you on HER side?"

"I'm not on her side, I'm on yours. I'm always on your side. But going off half cocked isn't going to solve anything."

"Luke, I want my kid back! I want Rory with me, with ME, not with those Gilmores, and damned sure not with Christopher!"

"Neither do I. But Rory has to make that decision on her own."

"You don't understand. They have her! She's a prisoner!"

"She is not a prisoner. She went to them on her own."

Lorelai went around Luke and continued on to the diner with Luke following after.

"Lorelai, wait! Will you wait a minute?"

But she ignored him. Luke looked back at his truck parked in front of the house. He had left the keys in it. Should he stay with Lorelai or go back for his truck? He chose to stay with Lorelai.

When she got to her Jeep, Lorelai got in and started the engine.

"Are you coming?"

Luke got in with her.

During the thirty-minute drive to her parents' house, Luke tried talking Lorelai out of it, but her mind was made up.

She pulled up in the driveway and immediately got out and started ringing the bell over and over.

Emily answered the door.

"Lorelai! What are you doing here?"

"Where's Rory?"

"She's not here."

Lorelai pushed past Emily.

"Rory?"

"Lorelai, I told you she isn't here."

Lorelai walked through the house out to the patio, calling Rory's name over and over.

Emily chased after her, leaving the front door open. Luke looked inside then cautiously followed Emily.

Lorelai went into the pool house.

"RORY!"

Lorelai went back to the patio where Emily was waiting.

"Where is she? What did you do with her?"

"I didn't do anything with her. She's with Christopher."

"I can't believe you did this. You've done some mean, vindictive things to me in the past, but I never thought you'd go this far. You couldn't stand it because Luke and I got back together, so you decided to get between Rory and me! What a vile, hateful woman you are!"

"You have no right to talk to me like that! Whatever goes on between you and that man is of no concern of mine. But Rory IS! You all but threw her out of your house, and when she felt she had no place to go, WE took her in! WE made sure she had a decent roof over her head, and WE gave her someplace she felt safe and WANTED! Which is a lot more than she got from YOU!"

Lorelai had no comeback argument. There was nothing she could say, so she went quietly back inside. Emily then noticed that Luke was on the patio with them. She gave him a short, harsh look then followed after Lorelai and Luke followed her.

Lorelai went through the house and out the front door. Emily stood there waiting for Luke then closed the door behind them.

When Luke got to the Jeep, Lorelai was already in the driver's seat. He climbed in beside her.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed, then hit the steering wheel with both hands in frustration.

After a few seconds she dug down in her purse and took out her cell phone and punched in Rory's number. After four rings, her voice mail cut in.

Lorelai cut the connection.

"Lorelai, can I make a suggestion?"

Lorelai looked at him.

"So, suggest."

"Now I know this sounds crazy, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but maybe you should call Logan."

"What! You're right, that IS crazy. He's the one who got Rory mixed up in all this in the first place!"

"I know that. But so far we haven't heard anything about him. Does he even know that Rory's quit Yale?"

"I don't know. Probably not."

"I don't like him, not even a little bit, but from what I've seen, he does seem to care about Rory, and maybe right now he's the only one who can get through to her."

Lorelai realized Luke was right. She should have thought of that herself. She gave him a small smile.

"I think we're going to make a good team. Now, if I only had his number . . . ."

"You don't know anyone who does?"

"Well, he was on the paper with Rory and Paris, maybe Paris has it. I think I have her number."

Lorelai scrolled down the names until Paris' name came up. She called her.

"Paris, hi. This is Lorelai … Good, I'm good … Oh, Rory's fine. She's spending some time with her dad and little sister. And how are you? … Well, that's great. Look, the reason I'm calling is I was wondering if you have Logan's number … Well, I'm just getting her voice mail, but I really need to talk to him … Well, is there anyone you know who might have it? … Can you try for me? … Thanks, I really appreciate it … Yeah, thanks."

"She doesn't have it?"

"No, but she said Doyle, her boyfriend, might. He's the paper's editor and she said there's a good chance he would. She's going to call him then call me back."

They sat in silence for a few minutes until the phone rang.

"Hello … He did? Great! … What is it? Wait a minute … Luke, I need a pen."

"I don't have a pen. You always assume . . . ."

Lorelai gave Luke a quick, irritated look.

"Hang on, Paris, I need to get something to write with."

Lorelai dug down in her purse and found one in the bottom.

"Okay, what is it?"

Lorelai wrote the number on the palm of her hand.

"Okay, got it. Thanks, really. Oh, and why don’t you give Rory a call sometime? I'm sure she'd like to hear from you. And thanks again. You have a great summer. 'Bye."

"Well, here goes nothing."

Lorelai dialed the number.

"Hello," a woman said.

"Is this Logan's cell phone?"

"Yes it is. Who is this?

"Is Logan there?"

"No. Who did you say you were?"

"I’m Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore's mother. Who is this?"

"I'm Honor, Logan's sister. What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to Logan. Are you sure he's not there?"

"He's not here. He's always leaving his phone laying around and I found it."

"When you see him, will you ask him to call me? It's important. It's about Rory."

"I guess I can. I'll save your number and tell him when he comes to get his phone."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"So, now what?" Luke asked.

"I guess we go home."

Lorelai started the Jeep and pulled out of driveway. A few minutes later she turned onto the road back to Stars Hollow.

"Changed my mind. No matter where I go, I'm still going to be thinking about Rory."

Luke expected Lorelai to take him back to his truck, but instead she drove straight to her house.

She got out without saying a word to him and he followed her to the house.

"Would this really be such a bad place to live?" Lorelai asked when they got to the porch.

"No, not at all. And after all the work I've done here, it feels like it's partly my home, too."

Lorelai unlocked the front door.

"Coming in?" she asked.

"I really need to get back to my truck. I left the keys in it. And I should get back to the diner. The Saturday night rush has probably already started."

"You want me to drive you?"

"It's only ten minutes away. I can walk."

"If you're not too tired, would you mind coming back after you close up?"

"I can do that."

"But if you're too tired, I'll understand."

"I'll be here, ten-thirty, eleven at the latest. You'll be up?"

"I will if I know you're coming."

"Then I'll see you later."

Luke turned to go, but Lorelai put her arms around his neck and they kissed.

When they broke apart, neither spoke, but let their eyes express how each other felt.

Lorelai went inside and checked for any messages; there were none.

She kicked off her shoes then went into the kitchen and got a beer out of the refrigerator. She went back into the living room and turned on the TV and sat down on the couch.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the front door.

"You forget something?" she yelled out, thinking it was Luke. When there was no answer, she went to the door and opened it..

"What the hell do you want?"

"Lorelai, we need to talk."

"Oh, I think you said all I need to hear."

"What was I supposed to say? Rory was standing right there."

"Where is she, by the way? Mom said she was with you."

"She's with Gigi. I told her I had some business to take care of."

"Then I suggest you go back and tell her your business has been taken care of."

"Can't we even . . . ?"

She shut the door in his face.

"Lorelai! Do you have any idea how much Rory is hurting?"

Those were the magic words. Lorelai opened the door to let Christopher come in.

He walked into the living room and saw her beer on the coffee table.

"Any more of those?"

"In the fridge."

Lorelai picked up the bottle and followed him into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

Christopher got himself a beer from the refrigerator, another for Lorelai, and then sat down across from her.

For a half minute neither spoke.

"Lorelai, we need to figure out someway to get you and Rory back together."

"As if I didn't know that?"

"The thing is, you did it all wrong. You never should have come down on her like you did."

"All I said was that she wasn't going to quit Yale and end up working at the book store."

"But maybe she needs the time off to decide what she wants to do. It seems like if we give her some space, then maybe by the time the fall semester starts she might be more inclined to go back."

"You keep saying 'if' and 'maybe' and 'might.' That's not good enough! She HAS to go back to school! She HAS to have more than I did, DO more than I did! She's so smart and, up until that bastard Mitchum Huntzberger shot her down, she knew exactly what she wanted and where she was going."

"Then we have to make sure that happens, but it's going to take both of us. Right now, she trusts me, she thinks I want exactly what she does, and we need for her to keep thinking that until we can make her understand how important it is for her to go back in the fall. And I think the only way is for us, you and me and Rory, to spend some time together. But you're going to have to lighten up on her. I'm pretty sure can arranged for the three, four, of us to, I don't know, go out to eat, take some kind of road trip, whatever. But right now, it has to be on HER terms – no talking about Yale or going back to school or her future plans."

As much as she hated to admit it, Lorelai realized he was making some kind of sense. Christopher was with her, and she wasn't, and like it or not, he was her ticket back to Rory.

"You know," Christopher continued. "She really would have liked to have heard about you and – Luke, from you."

"How did she take it? I know what she said over the phone, but other than wanting to hang up as soon as she could . . . ."

"Mixed emotions. When I first told her, she didn't say much about it, and there wasn't much expression on her face, but after talking to you she said she didn't feel well and excused herself."

Lorelai bit the inside of her bottom lip, fighting back the tears.

Christopher got two more beers for them.

.........

Luke got to Lorelai's a little before eleven. He pulled up behind the unfamiliar car, wondering who was there. He went up to the front door, then couldn't decide whether he should knock or just go in. He started to knock, but then stopped. He could barely hear voices. One was Lorelai's and the other was a man's.

Luke went back down the front steps and walked around to the back porch. He quietly went to the kitchen door and saw Lorelai and Christopher sitting at the table, at least eight empty beer bottles were between them. He couldn't see Christopher's face, but from the expressions on Lorelai's face and her tone of voice, they seemed to be getting along pretty good, too damned good.

Luke left the porch and went back to his truck. He got in and started the engine.

"I wonder how long it's going to be before they break out the tequila," he said bitterly, then drove off.

"Eight's just a little bit early to drive all the way to Hartford just for breakfast."

"Then how about an early lunch? Say about eleven?"

"Well, that's a little better. ELEVEN?" Lorelai suddenly felt a surge of panic. "Oh, my God, what time is it?"

"Almost midnight. Why?"

"Luke said he was going to be here by eleven."

"Maybe he changed his mind."

"Or maybe he saw your car and decided not to come in. Oh God, I can just imagine what he's thinking. I need to explain this to him."

"Lorelai, focus here. Are you going to meet us for lunch or not?"

"What? Sure, I guess. Christopher, I have to go, and you have to go."

"So now this Luke is more important than Rory?"

"What? How can you say a thing like that? How can you even THINK that?"

"Well, it seems to me all of a sudden you're running after this guy and you've forgotten all about Rory. Are you going to be there or should we just forget about it?"

"NO! Yes, I'll be there!"

"Do you even know where the place is?"

"I can find it! I'll be there, Palmer's, at eleven o'clock."

Lorelai grabbed her purse and rushed herself and Christopher out of her house.

When she got to the diner, all the lights were out. Lorelai got the spare key from above the door and let herself inside. She climbed the stairs to Luke's apartment; that door was unlocked. She went in and walked over to the bed where Luke was sleeping.

Lorelai turned on the bedside lamp then sat on the side of the bed.

"Luke, wake up."

"What do you want?" he said without moving.

"I want to say I'm sorry. I know you know Christopher was there. But I swear, I didn't know he was coming over."

Luke turned over and squinted up at the light.

"Finished off that bottle of tequila already?"

Lorelai felt a momentary flash of anger and stood up.

"You're never going to forget that, are you? And you're never going to let me forget it. Is this how it's always going to be, every time Christopher's name is mentioned you throw that in my face?"

"All I know is that he was there and you two were looking pretty chummy."

"He said Rory was hurting, just like I am, and he wants to help us get back together."

"I'm sure he does. He's a real swell guy, a real humanitarian."

"Luke, don't be like that. I know Chris hasn't been such a great guy lately, but he's trying to do something good here."

"And you believe that – he has nothing on his mind but getting you two back together? No other agenda, no ulterior motive? Come on, Lorelai, we both know better than that!"

"Okay, maybe he does, I don't know, but right now he holds the trump card. If I want to see Rory I have to play along with him."

"Go home, Lorelai, it's late and I have to get up early."

"Luke, please . . . ."

Luke turned off the light and rolled over away from Lorelai. She started to go, but hesitated.

For almost a minute Lorelai stood in the dark trying to decide what to do or say.

"Just so you'll know, I'm meeting Christopher, and Rory, for lunch tomorrow in Hartford."

"You're still here?"

"No," Lorelai answered sadly. "I guess I'm not."

Lorelai walked back down the stairs and left the diner. By the time she got to her Jeep she was angry.

She was angry at Luke for not realizing how much she missed Rory and how badly she wanted her back in her life.

She was angry at Christopher for putting her in the position of hurting Luke, again.

And she was angry at herself for not being able to think of something, anything, so she wouldn't have to play Christopher's game.

………

The next morning she arrive at the restaurant at 10:45. When she went in, she saw Christopher sitting alone at a table. Gigi was in a highchair beside him.

"Where's Rory?"

"She'll be along a little later."

"What do you mean? I thought she was with you."

"She was, but she wanted me to drop her off at your parents' so she could take a shower and change clothes."

Lorelai wasn't sure if she believed him.

"Come on, Lorelai, sit down. She'll BE here."

Lorelai sat across from Christopher, and away from Gigi. She didn't want to be distracted by this little girl who reminded her so much of Rory when she was that age.

"So, did you and – Luke patch things up?"

"We're good."

Lorelai flagged down a waitress and ordered coffee.

"How long did she say she'd be?" Lorelai asked.

"She didn't, but you know how women are, takes them forever to get ready."

"Not Rory. I've never seen anyone so punctual, so obsessed with being on time. When is she coming?"

"Would you like me to call her?"

"Actually, I would."

"Sure. No problem."

Christopher took out his cell phone and called Rory's. After a few rings he hung up.

"Not answering, she must have it turned off. I'll try Emily."

"Hello."

"Emily, this is Christopher, is Rory there?"

"No. She said there were a couple of books she forgot to get from her dorm room. I thought she said she told you, but I'll tell her you called when she gets back."

"That's okay, thanks. I'll just call back later. You have a good day."

"Well?"

"Emily said Rory told her she wasn't feeling very well and wanted to lay down for a while."

"So -- she's not coming."

"Not right now, but she might a little later."

"Then I guess there's no reason for me to be here, is there?"

Lorelai gathered her things to leave.

"Lorelai, you're already here, so you might as well eat something. Maybe by the time we finish lunch she'll show up. Unless you'd rather not wait for her."

Lorelai took a deep, frustrated breath.

"Fine. I'll eat and I'll wait."

Christopher watched as Lorelai carried Gigi back from the Ladies' room. She had spilled a drink and he ended up making it worse as he tried to clean it off her dress with just a napkin.

"Nothing like a mother's touch," he commented, and smiled as Lorelai put Gigi back in the high chair.

"She'll be fine. Happens all the time."

"Well, I appreciate it. Sometimes I forget how demanding, and messy, little girls can be."

"Yeah, I guess so. Look, thanks for lunch. It was very good."

"Well, I always thought a good steak and a baked potato was better than a cheeseburger any day. But you're not leaving, are you?"

"I might as well. It doesn't look like Rory's coming."

"You can't wait a little longer? It's only been about forty-five minutes."

"I should be going."

Just then, Christopher's phone rang.

"Hello. Rory! Hi!"

"Grandma said you called. I just got back, so what's up?"

"Well, Gigi and I are here at Palmer's eating lunch."

"That sounds nice."

"Your mom's here, and if you feel up to, why don't you come on by, have a bite to eat?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea right now."

"She'd love to see you."

"That's . . . I don't think I want to."

"She misses you."

"I miss her too, but right now it's just too soon."

"Well, then what about dinner? I was thinking possibly the Ritz-Maria. Maybe around seven? I could pick you up about six, six-thirty."

"That sounds really great, but I really don't want to go."

"Well, okay, no problem."

"I'll talk to you later. Kiss Gigi for me."

Rory killed the connection.

"Sure." Christopher continued. "Then we'll meet you there about seven. You drive safely Kiddo, and buckle up."

Christopher put his phone away.

"Rory said she'd rather drive, but she'll meet us there at seven."

"Christopher! You didn't even give me a chance to say if I wanted to go!"

"But I thought you wanted to spend some time with Rory. I'm sorry, I just thought . . . Look, I'll call her back and cancel it."

"No, don't do that. I'll be there. It's expensive as Hell, you know that, don't you?"

"I know, but I figure this is a special occasion."

"I'm paying for mine."

"Okay, if you want to. But lunch is on me since Rory bailed on us."

"All right. So, thanks again. But I really have to go."

"See you at seven."

Lorelai gave him a weak smile, said good bye to Gigi and left.

……….

"Was that your father?" Emily asked.

"Yes. He and Gigi are at Palmer's, with Mom. He wanted me to come have lunch with them, but I said no."

"Well, that's certainly your choice."

"Then he wanted me to have dinner with them tonight at the Ritz-Maria, but I told him I didn't want to do that either."

"The Ritz-Maria! My goodness, your grandfather and I haven't been there in ages! It's such a nice place, too. The food is just fabulous and the atmosphere is simply marvelous!"

"Then why don't we go? Wouldn't it be nice to go out to eat for a change?"

"Yes, it surely would! Your grandfather won't be home until six-thirty, so I'll call and make reservations for the three of us for seven-thirty."

……………..

Lorelai's first stop once she got back to Stars Hollow was the diner.

Luke was carrying dirty dishes back to the kitchen.

"Hi." Lorelai said as she got to the counter.

Luke looked at her but didn't answer.

"I had lunch with Christopher, but Rory didn't show up."

"And you're surprised?"

"Christopher talked to her, she wasn't feeling well."

"Uh HUH! And you believed him?"

"Why would he lie?"

"You're right, why WOULD he?"

"Luke, you're making more out of this than there is."

"Maybe I am, but maybe not."

"Anyway, since she couldn't make it for lunch, we're going to have dinner together, tonight."

Lorelai took a breath before she continued.

"At the Ritz-Maria."

"Pretty pricey joint."

"Christopher just thought it would be a good place for the three of us to get together and have a nice dinner."

"I’m sure he did. You ought to wear that blue dress you wore at you parents' wedding thing. I'm sure he'd like that, you know, just in case Rory mysteriously can't make it again."

"Luke, will you STOP it? I'm trying to be up front with you about all this. Why are you making it so hard?"

"If you can't see what's going on, then there's nothing I can say that will make the slightest bit of difference."

Lorelai bit her tongue rather than get into an argument.

"Fine. Be that way."

Lorelai left the diner, angry again.

A Bite In The Ass

Lorelai walked into the restaurant at 7:10. She gave the maître d' Christopher's name and she was led to his table.

 "Where's Gigi?"

 "I got the woman next door to baby sit. She's really good with her."

 "And where's Rory?"

 "She called me just as I got here, she got tied up with Emily and is running a little late."

"Then why don't you call her, just to see when she'll be getting here?"

"I can't, at least not inside the building. They have a block on all cell phones. That's one of the great things about this place."

"I see."

"I ordered you a martini, unless you’d rather have wine."

"No, a martini's fine."

"Do you want some kind of appetizer?"

"No. I'll wait until Rory gets here."

"You look really great tonight, not that you don't look great any time."

"Yeah, well, thanks."

"I know I didn't say anything before, but you've done a terrific job with the Dragonfly. I  am very impressed, and very proud of you!"

"Well, thanks again. It's hard work, but I like it."

"You never were afraid of hard work. That's one of the things I always loved about you."

"Chris, let's cut to the chase. Is Rory really coming, or is this just something you made up to get me to have dinner with you?"

"Rory's coming, Lorelai, I swear! Trust me, she IS coming."

Lorelai started to argue back when she saw Rory walk in, but before she could say anything, she also saw Emily and Richard.

"Why are my parents with Rory?"

"WHAT?" Christopher was stunned. "I – I don't know. I don't understand."

"Well, neither do I. But I'm going to find out."

"Lorelai, wait! You don't want to make a scene. Maybe Rory misunderstood me, or . . . ."

"Or? Come on Christopher – or what?"

"Why don't you stay here and I'll go find out what's going on?"

"Why don't we BOTH go?"

"Lorelai, I don't think that's a very good idea – you don't want to confront all three of them, not in here. Things are still very volatile between all of you."

But Lorelai had already gotten up and headed in the direction they went.

The three of them were already seated when Lorelai found them.

"Mom! What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I'd drop by to see why you brought THEM when you were supposed to be having dinner with your father and me."

"I never said I was going to have dinner with you."

"Well, according to your father you were!"

"Lorelai!" Richard said quietly, but intensely. "This is neither the time nor the place for one of your tantrums. Please sit down!"

"No, Dad I will NOT sit down! And I'm talking to my daughter, not you. Rory, why would your father lie to me about you having dinner with us, especially since you bailed on us at lunch?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I never said I was going to have lunch. I had to go back to Yale to get some books I left. I did call him when I got back, and he did invite me to eat lunch with you guys, and to dinner, but I said no to both."

"Well, then it appears that your loving father lied to you as well as me! He told me the three of us were going to eat lunch at Palmer's, and when you didn't show up because you weren't feeling well, you agreed to have dinner with us here."

"He said that? But why?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious, now. I should have listened to Luke, he knew what Christopher was doing all along."

"Where is Dad? Is he here now?"

"He's supposed to be, unless he took off when he realized all his lies were coming back to bite him in the ass."

"Lorelai!" Emily said, "This is no place for your gutter language!"

"You're right, and this is no place for me, either."

Lorelai turned to leave, but Rory grabbed her hand.

"Mom, don't leave! Stay? Have dinner with us? Please? PLEASE?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

Lorelai was trying hard to keep her tears in check, but she saw that Rory's eyes also were glistening with unshed tears.

Still clutching her mother's hand, Rory turned to her grandparents.

"Grandma, Grandpa, make her stay."

"Lorelai," Emily said, trying to be insistent without raising her voice. "You are making a scene! Not only are you embarrassing me, but your father, yourself, AND your daughter! Please sit down!"

The very last thing Lorelai wanted to do was sit at the same table with her parents. But seeing the desperate look on Rory's face, she knew she could not walk away from her daughter.

"Okay, I'll stay. But I need to . . . fix my make up. I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you," Rory said as she got up. "Mine need fixing, too. Excuse me, Grandma, Grandpa."  

 Do you have any idea what you're asking?

 Lorelai and Rory went to the Ladies' Room, trying not to walk too fast. The door hadn't completely close before they were holding each other so tightly both had trouble breathing.

 "Oh, Rory! I missed you so!  I love you so much."

 "Me, too! Me too!"

 The Ladies' Room attendant picked up a box of tissues to have them ready when they were needed.

 "I don't want to fight with you, EVER again!"

 "Me neither!"

 They held onto each other for several minutes, neither trying to stop their tears.

 When they finally broke the embrace, they took the tissues.

 "How've you been?" Lorelai asked.

 "I've been okay, not good, but okay. You?"

 "Sad. Miserable. Depressed."

 "I lied. I haven't been okay. I've tried not to let Grandma know how unhappy I've been, but I've cried myself to sleep every night."

 "So have I."

 They suddenly stopped talking, there was so much they wanted to say to each other, but didn't know how to start.

 "I guess we should fix our faces and get back to the table."

 "I guess we should."

 A few minutes later their make up had been repaired.

 "Mom?"

 "Yes, daughter of mine?"

 "Before we go back out there, there's something I have to tell you."

 "What is it?"

 "I think I want to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's a little while longer."

 Lorelai felt a stab of anguish go through her.

 "But why? I thought we were okay?"

 "We are! It's just . . . well, I like staying there. I have plenty of room, I have my privacy, and the swimming pool is right outside my front door, and it is summer."

 "I see."

"But it's not like we're not going to see each other! It'll be just like when I was in school. I can come home Friday nights and stay until Monday morning."

"I suppose."

"I mean, you'll be working during the day, so we wouldn't see each other that much, anyway."

"I guess not."

"And I'll tell you what, I'll come home every Wednesday evening and we can make it a movie night, or a junk food night, or whatever kind of night you want it to be, just the two of us. And I'll spend the night and when you go to work I'll go back to Hartford. How does that sound?"

"That sounds just fine."

 It really didn't, but Lorelai knew if she wanted Rory back she would have to make compromises.

 Lorelai started to open the door but Rory stopped her.

 "Mom, there's one more thing. And I know this is going to be hard for you, but I really, really want you to do this for me."

 Lorelai sighed. "What is it?"

 "Well, I overheard Grandma telling Grandpa about that big fight you guys had when you came looking for me. And I know you don't realize it, but you really hurt Grandma's feelings. And I was hoping that would tell her you're sorry."

 "Oh, Rory! Do you have any idea what you're asking?"

"Yes, I do. And I know it'll be hard. But you don't have to fawn, just a simple 'I'm sorry' will do. Mom, things are going to be tense enough out there as it is, and I really want us to enjoy the evening. Please? Just one little 'I'm sorry' and it'll all be over."

Lorelai took a couple of breaths before she answered.

 "Okay. Fine. I'll say I'm sorry if you'll come home and spend the night with me tonight."

 "You've got a deal!"

 Lorelai handed the attendant a ten-dollar bill as they left the Ladies' Room.

 When they got back to the table, it was evident Emily was irritated she had to wait so long for them.

 "Well, it took you long enough!"

 "We had a lot of making up – make up -- to take care of." Lorelai answered.

 "Have you guys ordered yet?" Rory asked.

 "No," Richard said. "We were waiting on you two."

 "Richard, see if you can get our waiter's attention." Emily said impatiently.

 "Mom?"

 "Yes, Lorelai."

 "Before we order, I just want to say I'm sorry for the things I said to you the other day. I was upset and angry. And I know that's no excuse for talking to you the way I did, so I want to apologize."

 Emily looked at Lorelai, stunned. She never expected to hear that. Then she glanced at Rory and the look on her face told Emily it was she who had initiated the apology. But Lorelai did sound sincere, and like Lorelai was with Rory, she couldn't deny her granddaughter.

 "Very, well, Lorelai. I accept you apology."

 "Thank you,"  Lorelai said humbly.

 She looked at Rory, and was rewarded with a warm, grateful smile.

 "While we were waiting for you, the waiter came by. He recommended either the lobster or the prime rib." Richard said.

 "Rory, I have an idea!" Lorelai said. "You get the lobster and I'll get the prime rib and we'll share."

 "Lorelai, this is NOT the kind of establishment where you eat off each other's plates!"

 "Oh, right." Then she leaned over to Rory  and said in a loud whisper, "Save some for the doggy bag."

 "You, too!" Rory whispered back.

 "Okay."

 Emily shook her head in exasperation but decided not to make an issue out of it.

Chapter Ten

No Junk Food At Grandma's

After dessert, Richard ordered brandy all around except for Rory, who asked for another glass of iced tea.

"Did Rory tell you she starts work tomorrow morning?" Richard asked Lorelai.

"Uh, no. We haven't talked much lately."

"Well, I was talking to Charlie Newman about Rory's situation . . . ."

"Her lawyer?"

"Yes, and not only is he going to represent her when she goes to court, but he said he thinks he can find some work for her in his office. Now, most of the support work is done by paralegals, but they always need someone to research case files and to look up things in all those law books he has, and he thinks Rory would fit in perfectly."

"Oh." Lorelai answered, a little surprised.

 "Is that what you want to do – go into law?" she asked Rory.

"I don't know, but I might like it, you never know."

"So, what time does she have to be there?"

"Around eight I would imagine."

"Well, Rory is going to spend the night with me tonight, but I'll make sure I'll have her at your house in time to get to Charlie's by eight."

"You're spending the night with your mother?" Emily asked Rory.

"Yeah, we just want to hang out. You don't mind, do you?"

"Oh, no, of course not, if that's what you want to do."

"It's just for tonight." Lorelai assured her. "But we won't have that much time if we stay here any longer, so would it be all right with you if we left now? It's after nine, and by the time we get home it will be almost ten."

"Well, I suppose we're finished as well. Richard you're paying for Lorelai's I assume."

"Yes, of course, Emily."

"Well," Lorelai said. "Thank you for dinner, and I will see you all . . . later."

"Good night, Lorelai, Rory."

"Goodnight, Grandma, and you too Grandpa. Thank you so much, everything was really great."

As they walked toward the  door, Lorelai glanced at the table where she and Christopher had been sitting, then put her arm around Rory as they left the restaurant.

"Man, I don't believe that!" Lorelai said. "NO doggy bags!"

"I know. It seems weird, doesn't it?"

"Do you think Emily saw us switch plates?"

"Probably, not much gets by HER."

"I guess she didn't want to make a scene. Prim and proper to the very end."

……….

Half an hour later they arrived in Stars Hollow.

"Before we go home, I want to stop by the diner. This mess with Christopher really caused some problems between Luke and me, and I want apologize to him as well."

"It'll be good to see him again. I missed him."

"He missed you too, Hon. We all did."

Lorelai parked in front of the diner. The chairs were already stacked on the tables. Luke often closed early on Sunday nights. They could see him sweeping the floor.

"Hey, Luke!" Rory said as they went in.

"Rory, Hey! Lorelai. I see the dinner was successful," Luke replied, then he looked through the window.

"It's just the two of us," Lorelai said.  

Just then, Rory's cell phone rang. She expected Luke to tell her to take it outside, but he didn't. But when she saw who was calling, she excused herself and left the diner.

"Who do you think that is?" Luke asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say Logan."

"Did he ever call you back?"

"Never did. I guess he's calling Rory now to find out what's up."

"So, you and Rory are back together?"

"Yes and no. Rory decided she likes living right next to a swimming pool, so she's going to be staying with my parents a little while longer."

"I see. Coffee?"

"Umm, sure, why not?"

Lorelai sat at the counter while Luke put on a fresh pot.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know how sorry I am for everything -- all this crap with Christopher. You were right about him. He was more interested in trying to get us back together than he was with getting Rory and me to make up."

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

"But how did you know?"

"Because that's the kind of guy he is."

"He lied to both of us, me and Rory. I really thought I knew him, but I guess not. So, are we okay?"  

"Sure, just as long as he's gone."

"He's gone -- far, far away gone. Just as soon as he realized his lies were coming back to him, he disappeared."

"Then we're good. So, what about you and Rory? Have you two got everything worked out?"

"Not really, but right now we just want to hang out,  watch movies,  eat junk food. . . ."

". . . Have coffee at Luke's," Rory added as she walked back into the diner.

 "You want a donut with the coffee?" Luke asked. 

Before Rory could answer, Lorelai asked her, "So, who was on the phone?"  

"It was Logan. He said you called him. Any particular reason why you'd do that?"

"I didn't know if he knew the situation, but I thought maybe you two could talk about it since it was his dad that started all this."

"Well, he still doesn't know. Maybe I'll tell him later. Unless you tell him first!"

Sensing the rising tension, Luke cut in.

"So, I hear you're still going to be staying at your grandparents' a little while longer, something about a swimming pool?"

"Yep, might as well take advantage of it."

"But you'll still be coming home on the weekends, won't you?"

"Oh, sure. No  junk food at Grandma's, or Movie Night. And I miss seeing Lane, and listening to Miss Patty's gossip. And of course I miss being with Mom, and seeing you, and eating breakfast here."

"So I guess things are getting back to normal?" Luke said to both of them.

 "Yep, pretty much," Lorelai said.  "Although . . . ."

 She turned to look at Rory.

 "Rory, there IS something I have to say that you need to hear."

 "What is it?" Rory answered with a touch of worry in her voice.

Lorelai stroked her daughter's hair and gave her a warm, tender smile. She then turned to Luke with the same loving smile.

 After a few seconds he had a feeling what was next and he smiled back at her.

 "Luke, will you marry me?"  

 ~~ The End ~~