Lorelai arranged a selection of snacks on a plate and put on a fresh pot of coffee. Peering through the window, she saw the car pulling onto the drive. Running so fast, she almost tripped over her own feet; she slung herself onto the couch, burying her nose in the nearest magazine.

The door opened.

'Oh hi honey.' She greeted her daughter with fake nonchalance. Disappointment washed over Rory's face. 'Hey mom.'

Lorelai moved her legs for her to sit down.

'What you reading?' Rory read the cover of her mother's magazine. 'Carp fishing. Really mom? Carp fishing'

'Yes. Actually, it's an underestimated pastime. Really rather fascinating . . ' unable to keep up the pretence any longer, she tossed aside the magazine and hugged her.

'My baby! I can't believe that in five days, my baby girl is getting married. Married. I'm going to be a mother-in-law. Then pretty soon I'll be a grandmother; no nana; nanny?; gran? - okay, so we'll fine tune the name later – but there'll be tiny little Rory and Andrew Hamilton's running wild….'

'Kinda can't breathe in here'. Rory struggled free from her mother's grip. 'That's some mean upper body strength you've got there. You been working out?'

'No, but thank you. Coffee?'

She led her daughter through to the kitchen where her spread was waiting. Pop tarts, potato chips, pretzels and a half pack of twizzlers.

'Now where was I? Oh yes, my baby. The baby who I burped, who I bounced on my lap, whose diaper I changed . . '

'I get it, I get it.'

'…who I nursed and gave Tylenol when she was sick, who I taught everything I know about the ways of this world, who I . . .'

'I get it!'

At that moment, Luke fell through the door, laden down with brown paper bags.

'It's okay, I got it!' Seeing his step-daughter his expression changed. 'Rory'.

'Daddy Luke!' she embraced him in a big bear hug. ' You brought food.'

'If you can call it that.' He dumped the bags on the counter.

'It's Al's Food of the World week.' Explained Lorelai.

'Oh, I love Al's Food of the World week!' shrieked Rory helping her mother serve up. 'I mean, where else can you get a Thai-Chinese-Mexican-Indian food. It's fusion cuisine at it's grossest.'

Luke shook his head in mock disgust. He loved his girls.

Not having had seen each other for over two months, they had a lot of catching up to do. So much had happened in Stars Hollow, not least, Lulu giving birth to Kirk Jnr, so called because Kirk had delivered the bouncing baby in the middle of Doose's.

'Oh my!' giggled Rory. 'I really miss this place.'

'Well, maybe you should talk that husband to be of yours into buying a property here. Mommy will need you to help take care of her in her old age.'

'Maybe I shall.' Rory went on to fill them in on her wedding plans. She could hardly believe she was going to be a bride. Her gown was classically simple in ivory, teamed with gold and cream accessories. Very elegant. She was planning to wear her hair tied up a'la Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her bridesmaids would wear pale gold dresses. She couldn't wait to see Martha as flowergirl; and her honorary bridesmaids Sookie's twins Honey and Summer. April took the role of her bridesmaid and Lane was the only choice for her maid of honour.

Lorelai laughed.

'What?'

'Good to have you home kid.'

'It's so good to be home. It's right what they say – there's no place like home'. She hugged her mum.

'Jeez, spare me the mush.' grimaced Luke.

'Too saccharine sweet for ya, huh?' laughed Lorelai bringing him in on the hug. 'He loves it really.'

Rory planted a big kiss on his cheek. 'He lurves us.'

Releasing him from their group hug, Lorelaiclapped excitedly. 'You know what this party needs?'

'Another few people?' deadpanned Luke.

'Champagne. Or sparkling wine, because I think that's all we have, but hey it still has alcohol.' She sped off into the kitchen, closely followed by Rory.

'Can't stand to be apart from me huh?' she joked. Rory's expression was deadly serious, however.

'I need to talk to you'. A million things ran through Lorelai's mind. Surely she would know if she was pregnant. Didn't mothers have some sixth sense about this kind of thing? It wasn't anything bad about the wedding either, maybe it was work. Maybe she had been offered a job miles away.

'It's dad.' Rory began. 'He's not coming to the wedding.'

Lorelai was incensed. How dare he miss his eldest daughter's wedding? Just because she had divorced him, he was taking it out on Rory.

'How do you feel about that?'

Rory shrugged. 'Ok. I mean I guess I always thought there was a chance he wouldn't. '

Loreai was impressed with how her daughter was taking this. She would have screamed and shouted, thrown and kicked had it been her. In fact, there was still a good chance she might if she saw Christopher.

'But, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Well, not the main part anyway.' She twisted her hair around her finger. 'I was thinking of asking Luke if he would give me away?'

Lorelai was touched 'Oh my, Rory, that is an amazing gesture. He would… ask him.'

'You think?'

'My God yes! Luke honey?'

Luke was greeted with a huge grin as he entered the kitchen. Naturally suspicious of anything involving this mother/daughter duo he frowned at them.

'Luke.'

'Rory.'

'Would you, I mean it's okay if you don't want to or something, I won't be upset or insulted, it was just a thought. Just a crazy, out there, way out there thought. Dad's not coming to the wedding . . . '

'The son of a….'

'Luke.'

'Sorry. I'm sorry.'

'Okay, well like I said it's no big deal. In fact now I think of it, I don't think I should even be asking. It's just.'

'Is there a point to this rambling?'

Rory took a deep breath. 'Would you give me away?'

'Wow.'

'Wow?'

'Yeah I mean, yeah.'

Lorelai and Rory let out simultaneous, deafening shrieks.

'Thank you.' mouthed Lorelai as she poured out three glasses of wine.