Author's Note: Here's part 5 of my summer series! Ack, I have to hurry and finish this thing up! In case you were wondering, this story directly follows "Your Uncle's Nephew" in the series, but you definitely need to read all the stories in the series. And if you don't watch "Ed," you should, so sorry if this is sort of confusing. Check out www.stuckeyville.com if you want some back-story to the characters.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with "Gilmore Girls" or "Ed" in any way. Don't sue.

"Are we there yet?" Lorelai asked excitedly.

Ed smiled. "No, it's about fifty more miles."

She groaned. "I cannot wait that long! I cannot wait to see Stuckeybowl and the Pie Shop and meet your friends!"

"I'm glad you're excited now, but don't build everything up too much."

"How can I not, since you spent the last few days telling me how amazing everything and everyone is?" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "It's too late, I am officially pumped to get there!" She glanced out the window, then impatiently looked at her watch. She turned back to Ed. "So are we there yet now?"

"There it is," Ed said as he got out of the car and beheld the Stuckeybowl sign with Lorelai. She was practically jumping up and down.

"It's just like I imagined, except totally different!" She turned to Ed with her hands clasped. "Can we go inside?"

He laughed a little. Seeing Lorelai this giddy and carefree was contagious. "I think we better, since the gang is waiting for us."

"They are?" Lorelai said, as they walked towards the entrance.

"Well, me, but if they knew you were with me, they'd be anxious to meet this mystery woman I've been raving about."

Lorelai smiled. "You've been raving about me?" she asked quietly.

"Believe me, it's not a difficult thing to do," Ed answered, holding the door open for her. Lorelai kept smiling as she walked inside the bowling alley.

"Oh, it's so cool. Very retro," Lorelai complimented as she looked around. She saw the 'Pro Shop' sign above the office door. "Is that your practice?" Lorelai asked as he walked up next to her.

"Yep, that's it."

"It's so cute!" she squealed as she glanced in, then recovered. "I mean, compared to most lawyer's offices. Not that I see many. It looks professional…but cute."

"You're lucky I'm the kind of guy who would take that as a compliment," Ed told her, then noticed Phil walking towards them. "Oh, don't make any sudden movements," he whispered to Lorelai.

"The lord of the manor returns!" Phil greeted.

"Nice to see you too, Phil. And everything is exactly as I left it? Right?" Ed asked warningly. Phil chuckled with amusement.

"Oh, ye of little faith. I changed absolutely nothing, just like you said."

At that moment, a sound that could be interpreted as music erupted throughout the alley. Ed walked farther out and saw on the left side of the alley, a stage had been set up with a banner reading 'Karaoke' over it. Kenny and Shirley were standing on stage with microphones. Kenny waved to Ed as he sang "I've Got You, Babe." Ed cast an accusing glance toward Phil.

"Well, I changed almost absolutely nothing," Phil admitted.

"Phil!" Ed groaned.

"Aw, it's kind of cute," Lorelai said as she watched Shirley imitate Cher. She cringed a little. "In a sad kind of way." She tried to smile at Ed.

"Ed Stevens," a voice came from behind them. They turned, and Ed smiled as he saw Mike walking up. "Long time no see."

"Did ya miss me?" Ed asked.

"I missed whooping your ass on the court every weekend."

"This is Mike, right?" Lorelai broke in.

"Yes, this is Mike Burton. Mike, meet Lorelai Gilmore."

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically. Mike looked rather stunned to see her. "Um, I met Ed in Connecticut, so I decided to tag along to see if this Stuckeyville was for real or not."

"Yeah, he mentioned you," Mike said slowly.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Just mentioned?" she asked, then glanced at Ed. "What happened to the raving?"

Mike laughed. "Oh, there was raving, believe me."

She smiled again. "Good. And I assure you, I am just as charming in person."

Mike looked at Ed, who kept smiling towards Lorelai. "Well, come on. We want to hear about your trip."

"Eddy, you're back!" Nancy exclaimed as they neared the alley where she, Molly, and Sarah were waiting. She stood up to hug him.

"Hey, Nance. How've you been, Molly?" he asked.

Molly tried to smile but looked rather confused. "Great, Ed."

Ed remembered Lorelai was standing next to him. "Oh, guys, I told you about Lorelai. These are my friends, Nancy and Molly," he introduced.

"Hi, it's really nice to meet you," Lorelai said, smiling as she shook their hands. She couldn't help but noticed the looks that the women exchanged, but they put on smiles.

"Yeah, you too," Nancy said as they sat down. "Um, did Ed tell us you were coming?" she asked carefully.

"No, it was a totally spur of the moment thing," Lorelai explained. "I can only stay for a few days; I have to get back to work in a week."

"What do you do?" Mike asked.

"I run an inn."

"It's a great place. Very comfortable, great accommodations," Ed promoted.

"Well, it sounds great," Molly said, smiling towards Ed. "So, we better start a new game. Mike, add Ed and Lorelai to the scoreboard."

The gang seemed very welcoming to Lorelai, which relieved Ed. He had a feeling they'd confront him about the fact that he brought a total stranger home later. But all of them were enjoying the bowling and food.

"I think we need a refill," Ed said, as he went to get another pitcher of beer.

"Yeah, I'll give you a hand," Mike said, following Ed towards the bar.

While Molly bowled, Lorelai watched Nancy feed Sarah. "How old is she?"

"Her second birthday was three months ago," Nancy said proudly.

"Wow. You forget they were ever this small," Lorelai said, letting Sarah clutch her finger.

"Do you have kids?" Nancy asked casually.

Lorelai nodded, smiling. "My daughter, Rory, is in Washington this summer."

"Does her father live there?"

"No, she was elected vice-president at her high school, so she had to go to a leadership camp this summer," Lorelai explained.

"Oh. So she's…how old?" Nancy asked.

Smiling, Lorelai said, "Seventeen." She watched Nancy's jaw drop a little. "I got pregnant when I was sixteen," she added.

"Wow," Nancy finally spoke. "Was that hard?"

"Well, it was no cake walk. But we've made it this far without too many bruises." Lorelai shrugged a little. She noticed Molly had finished her turn. "I guess I'm up." She walked towards the lane. She knew that Nancy had immediately told Molly about Lorelai's confession, but she didn't care. Lorelai found that if she didn't make a fuss over having a teenage daughter, it became less of a subject.

"So was it your idea or her idea?" Mike asked as Ed went behind the snack bar to get some more drinks.

"What?" Ed asked.

"To have her come here. Whose idea what is?"

"If you must know, it was hers," Ed told Mike.

"So what does that mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything. She's on vacation, she wanted to get out of town for a few days."

"What if she goes all "Fatal Attraction" on you and decides to stick around?" Mike asked, somewhat jokingly.

Ed smiled. "I somehow don't think that's going to be an issue; she's got a kid."

"Really?"

Ed nodded. "She's in high school."

"Now you're kidding me. Can you imagine having a teenager?" Mike asked.

"It'd be like having Warren full-time," Ed shuddered a little. "Come on, we better get back over. And don't make a big deal out of it."

"Of course."

"It's your turn, Ed!" Nancy announced cheerily.

"Great. Here you go," Ed said as he handed Lorelai a cup of beer before walking towards the lanes. She smiled a little as she watched him. She'd never gotten to this point in a relationship, of spending time with a guy and his friends. Even with Max, there was always a sort of friendship element that was missing from their relationship. Lorelai already knew that whatever she had with Ed, friendship was the very least.

A ring of her cell phone interrupted her dreamy eyes. She smiled meekly at Ed's friends before answering. "Hello?"

"Mom, are you in Ohio?"

Lorelai smiled instantly. "Hey, kid. Just a sec, I can't hear you." She stood up. "Excuse me for a while, guys. It's Rory." She walked away towards the entrance. "Okay, I can hear you."

"Where are you?"

"Just a bowling alley."

"You went!" Rory squealed.

"I did. I am having so much fun. His friends are really nice." She sighed a little. "I've never gotten a chance to do this."

"Do what?"

"Just hang out with people my age. I mean, besides Sookie. But it's different."

"Cause I'm not there?" Rory asked.

Lorelai frowned. "I'm a bad mother."

"No, you're not. It is completely understandable that you have a desire to recapture a sort of lost youth."

"You've been reading Freud again," Lorelai accused.

Rory giggled. "We had the afternoon off."

"What else did you do today?"

"Oh, after we got back from the Senate, not much. Read a little, wrote some letters, made some phone calls. Paris called me lazy."

"Little does she know that we spend most Saturday afternoons eating junk food and watching Lifetime movies," Lorelai said. She paused. "So, who'd you call?"

"Lane and Grandpa. Did you know he's taking a business trip to Sweden next month?"

"No, that's great, huh? Um, and will there be a letter waiting for me when I return home?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

"No, because I knew it'd just be sitting there. I just wrote Dad today."

"Oh."

"Oh what?" Rory asked.

"Nothing, I just…I think it's my turn to bowl again."

"You…are bowling?" Rory laughed. "I can't believe I'm missing this!"

"Tragic, I know. So, call me here if you need me."

"I will. Have a great time, Mom. I love you."

Lorelai smiled. "Hey, that reminded me of how much I miss you."

"See, you're not a bad mother."

"Love you, sweets."

"Bye."

Ed sat back down after bowling. "Where'd Lorelai go?" he asked.

"Phone call," Mike said.

"From Rory," Molly added.

"Her daughter," Nancy finished.

Ed smiled. "Oh, good. She was a little concerned when she hadn't called earlier today. She's in Washington for the summer," he said casually.

"So you know?" Nancy asked.

"Of course I know; her house is a shrine to Rory, she seems like an amazing kid." He looked up and saw them all exchanging concerned glances. "What?" he asked.

"Ed. A woman with a practically grown daughter followed you home," Mike pointed out candidly.

Ed rolled his eyes. "She did not follow me home. I'm glad Lorelai is here. She shared her life with me in Stars Hollow and I want to do the same for her here."

"What's she escaping from?" Molly asked.

"What?"

"Well, you left to escape Carol; what's her excuse?"

Before Ed could respond, he saw Lorelai walking back over. "Hey," he said, putting on a smile.

"Sorry about that," she said.

Ed waved it off casually. "How's Rory doing?"

"Oh. Fine."

"That's great," Mike said. "Um, Nance, we should get going."

"Oh yeah, it's getting pretty late. It was really nice to meet you, Lorelai," Nancy said as they started packing up.

"Is it really almost midnight?" Molly chuckled, looking at her watch. "Wow, where does the time go? I'll see you later, right?" she said towards Ed.

"You know where to find me," he answered.

"Bye guys," Lorelai said as she watched them walk towards the exit. She smiled rather sadly when Ed turned to look at her. "Was it something I said?" she asked.

Ed shook his head a little. "No, it's not you. It's me," he sighed as he sat down. She sat down next to him, looking concerned. "They're just worried about me getting involved with you."

"Hey, how many times did I try to warn you?" Lorelai asked.

Ed smiled a little. "I know. It's just when I fall for a woman, I fall hard, and I usually end up on my face."

Lorelai tilted her head. "You're falling for me?" she asked softly. Before he could answer, she had leaned over and started kissing him. She pulled away when she heard a faint cough.

"Sorry to interrupt, bosco, but did you want us to close up?" Phil asked, raising an eyebrow towards Lorelai.

"Uh, yes. We should go." Ed took Lorelai's hand and led her out of Stuckeybowl.

"You kids have fun!" Kenny called after.

"Ed, are you okay?" she asked as they were getting into his car.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…we should get some rest."

Lorelai hesitated. "Do you want me to get hotel room?"

"Do you want me to take you to a hotel?" he asked.

"You cannot answer a question with a question like that. Ed, I'd be okay with staying at your place, but only if you want me there."

He nodded as he drove. "Right."

"So I guess this is your house," Lorelai said once Ed stopped the car and was taking the bags out of the trunk.

"Yep. Belonged to Molly's grandfather before he passed away," Ed told her as he walked up to the door. He unlocked the door and went inside. "Welcome to Chez Ed!"

Lorelai glanced around. "It's nice." She watched Ed put their bags on the floor.

"Thank you for coming here," Ed said, smiling, and walking to her. He kissed her, gently pulling her close to him. In a somewhat juvenile manner, they flopped down on the couch to engage in an extremely juvenile make-out session.

"Ed," she said softly as he nuzzled her neck. She heard a muffled response. "Who's Carol?" She felt his kisses stop and watched Ed sit up.

"What?" he asked.

Lorelai pulled herself up a little. "Well, you had mentioned an old high school friend named Carol who went out of town with her boyfriend. But then I heard Molly say something about her to you at the bowling alley. Were you two together at one point?"

Ed sighed. "Um, it's complicated."

"Well. We could either keep making out, with me worried that you're thinking about Carol; or you could tell me what is up," Lorelai offered. "And as great a kisser as you are, I pick option two."

"You think I'm pathetic, don't you?" Ed asked as he sat at the kitchen table while Lorelai made coffee. She turned quickly.

"Of course I don't. It's romantic."

"I need to move on. I have spent two years convincing Carol it had to work with me or convincing myself it wasn't going to work. Now she's off with Dennis, who has probably proposed to her just to spite me, and I'm here crying to you when we could be…well, whatever."

Lorelai sat down. "Ed, listen. I get it. I know what it feels like to have that one person in the back of your mind, but you never let them in at the right moment. Believe me."

"Christopher?" Ed asked, and she nodded. "That's different, you have a child together."

"Then why didn't I marry him when I had the chance?" she asked. "Because it was never right. And even when we both felt it was right, it wasn't. I'm beginning to think that we're not as decided for one another as the fates have been leading us to think. Maybe Carol isn't the one you're supposed to be with."

"Do you believe in that? Fate, I mean."

Lorelai shrugged. "Sometimes. Rory says that there's someone for everyone." Lorelai smiled a little. "Hey, maybe we're meant to be."

Ed smiled a little, leaning on one arm. "Then the fates definitely have a sense of humor. That's part of the reason Molly's so concerned about the two of us. Because I have a history of packing up and changing location based on the fancy of a woman."

"I don't think you can count one instance as 'a history.'"

"When it's as big as buying a bowling alley, it's higher points."

"Did you explain to her that Stars Hollow doesn't have a bowling alley?" Lorelai offered. "Well, maybe we're supposed to help one another realize who we're supposed to be with. There was definitely a purpose for our meeting, Ed Stevens."

Ed reached over and took Lorelai's hand. "Thanks for making me feel better."

"Well, it's what I do," she said contently.