Chapter One: Isaac Mizrahi

She watched as she disappeared down the corridor, cursed the security regulations and hoped to herself that somewhere out in the big world Rory would find all the things she hoped it held for her. Soon she lost site of her only child, the love of her life, the one thing that made the rest worth while and it really hit her, Rory was gone. Lorelai felt the catch in her breath and a stinging in her chest but managed to choke back the tears. She knew one day she would have to let go, but knowing and doing at this moment seemed so unrelated. All of the phone calls in the world wouldn't fill the hole that was now residing deep in her chest; it was the end of an era. The secret club made only for two now only held one and the loneliness overcame her.

Driving home every song that came on the dial reminded her somehow of Rory, every funny quip the DJ made she tried to memorize so she could tell Rory later. She felt like she just got her back, it was too soon to let her go again. Just as she was about to let the tears finally come her cell phone chirped from her purse. She was so excited hoping it was Rory she accidentally dumped out the entire contents on the passenger seat and floor boards.

"Ahhh.." She complained aloud, searching through the lip gloss and date books, receipts and candy wrappers. "Come on where are you." She said briefly looking back up at the road then continuing her search. The phone chirped again and revealed its new location, just unbearably out of reach on the floor board. Lorelai returned to the task at hand and made her way across the busy traffic way to the shoulder, unbuckled her seat belt and retrieved her cell phone as if it was a long lost treasure. She hastily flipped open the phone and suddenly felt completely justified in her actions when she saw the new messages were both from Rory.

I am about to go on the campaign trail with Obama and all I can think is I miss my mommy.

Read the first. Lorelai smiled. She knew her daughter missed her as well but she also knew that her only born knew her mother well and knew that is was about the time that she would be debating if it was too soon to express her feelings. She smiled as she moved to the second message.

What? No answer? You've forgotten about me already? Made my room into a home gym, donated my books to charity, took my picture off the mantel…

She chuckled. She had her mothers flair for dramatics that was for sure. She quickly messaged back.

Rory, you messaged just in time, you think I should face the treadmill towards the window or the TV, window I might feel like I am going somewhere but TV has a better chance of motivating me.

She chuckled knowing her daughter would read between the lines and hear the "Miss you too kid." In her words.

She didn't hear from Rory again until later that night when she'd gotten settled at the hotel in Des Moines Iowa.

"Hey hon, how was the trip." Lorelai asked choking on emotion once again.

"Good, long, but good. There will be a short orientation session here the next couple of days, just to get us acclimated, learn the rules of the road so to speak, then its off to Nebraska."

"Nebraska huh…" Lorelai said and trailed off.

"You've got nothing for Nebraska do you."

"Nope not a thing…does anything funny ever happen in Nebraska?"

"I'll let you know when I get there." Rory said. They sat on the line silent for a moment, neither sure what to say because they weren't sure what was to come. "Well listen I am wiped out from traveling, I think I am going to hit the hay and curl up with Isaac."

"Mizrahi?" Lorelai joked.

"Nope Babel."

"Awww too bad, I thought you might be able to get me a discount on his shoes."

"If only. Goodnight Mom." Rory said reluctant to hang up the phone.

"Night kid." Lorelai said holding a pause to see if there was more, a plea to let her come home and never let her leave but there was only air.

Lorelai hung up the phone and sat for a while unable to comprehend her new life without Rory. Sure, they had had their time apart, but this was different. This was the start of the rest of Rorys life, adult life away from Lorelai and the cocoon of their sleepy little town. Rory had to make her choices for herself now, for her career, she had to go where she had to in order to follow the dream they had been working toward since she could remember. It was time now to let her fly. And Lorelai had wings of her own to try.

Chapter 2: Monks

It had been two weeks since Rory left. Lorelai was back to her typical manner of coping, making herself so busy she couldn't notice that anything had changed. She got up early to go to work and stayed late, spent time with Sookie, had dinner with Babette and Maury, and of course there was Luke.

Luke allowed Lorelai her space for a couple of days after Rory left, he knew she'd need it. They didn't discuss the matter of "them" or even more importantly that kiss the night of Rorys going away part until he felt like she'd had enough time. He hadn't seen her in the diner and began to worry that maybe, it was a kiss and nothing more. He waited until he knew she'd be home and just stopped by, it was the best way to catch her when she was in ultra fast paced coping mode. Paul Anka barked when he rang the bell. At first she didn't answer, so he rang it again.

"Ok, ok I hear you keep you pants…" she said opening the front door. "On…Luke hi." She never expected to be taken back by the site of him, but still she almost always was.

"I brought beer" Luke said holding up a six pack.

"Who told you the secret password?" Lorelai joked allowing him to pass into the living room.

Luke sat the beer on the coffee table, took out two beers opened them and handed her one.

"Thank you." She said taking the beer. She took a sip and looked around.

"Lor.."

"Lu…" they both began to speak at the same time.

"Go ahead." She said.

"No, you." He persisted.

"Luke…I…I messed up. And I hurt you."

"You're not the only one, I put you off, I didn't make you enough of a part of my life. I got caught up in April and I just…" Luke sighed.

"I know."

"I never meant to hurt you Lorelai."

"And I hate that I hurt you Luke. I really do. I don't know what I was thinking with Chris. When you're upset you shouldn't get married, that isn't how grown ups deal with things Britney Spears maybe, adults no, and I know I was harsh to you and I…" Luke could hear the tone in her voice she was heading for a rant that could possibly last long enough for both of them to turn grey, so he did the only thing he knew to do, he kissed her. She pulled away for a moment and let her hand trace the outline of his face.

"I was hoping you would say that." She said before continuing their kiss.

There was a lot more to talk about, but as far as they were concerned they had a lot of time to do it. And for the last two weeks they had been taking it slow, getting used to the idea again, using caution with their hearts and easing back into a more familiar place. They weren't there yet, but there was potential they both wanted it but they had rushed in twice before, they weren't about to make the same mistake again.

"Lorelai!" Babette shouted as she cross the street towards Lukes diner. Lorelai could hear the heels of Babettes shoes clicking feverishly behind her and turned around.

"Hey Babette."

"Hey Sugah, wow, you were movin so fast…I need a second…" She breathed heavily. "To catch my wind." Lorelai waited. "Ah there it is."

"Are you ok Babette?" Lorelai asked putting her hand on her back.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, I've got great lungs, water aerobics over in Woodbridge every Thursday night, and the instructor, wow, you could bounce a nickel too the moon off that tush of his."

"I will keep that in mind the next time I am planning on sending my spare change to space. Sooooo everything is ok then?"

"Oh yeah I'm fine, but how are you? You doing ok, everything going all right? You've been running around here like a mad woman lately and we all know what that means?"

"What does that mean?"

"Trouble."

"Trouble, Babette I'm fine I'm just keeping busy you know what they say, idle hands and all."

"What about you and Luke, hows things, don't let him break your heart again sugar, no man is worth the heart ache even our Luke, God love him."

"Luke and I are fine. We're going slow, we want it to work, its going to work. At the end of the day, I love him. And for the record I am not innocent in the heart breaking department it wasn't all him."

"Oh honey, its always their fault." Babette said walking away.

Talking with Babette even after all these years often left Lorelai stunned. Today was no different. Lorelai continued her walk to the diner and took a seat at the counter.

"Hey." Luke said nodding in her direction.

"Hey." Lorelai said leaning over the counter for her kiss.

"Hey Luke…you love me right?"

"Coffee will be done in a second I'm not denying you I just have nothing to give you." Luke said picking up an order and placing it in front of Kirk.

"I'm not after coffee that's a real question. You love me right?"

"Of course I do. We discussed this. I'm a fool, you're a fool everyone is a fool, we shouldn't have ever been apart and I love you, you're in my life…what brought this on?"

"Odd run in with Babette, she is afraid we're going to break up again, and I'll be heart broken, and the saga will continue, I think our relationship is getting a little too Peyton Place for everyone around here so I was just making sure, that you love me and this isn't like some cruel experiment like I'm on the Island of Doctor Moreau and you are Doctor Moreau and I am nothing more to you than a test of the animal human."

Luke just looked at Lorelai trying to figure out what the hell just happened and who Doctor Moreau was.

"You have no idea what I am talking about do you?" Lorelai finally said releasing him from his brain bending.

"Not a clue."

"Pay no attention to me."

"You know what they say Lorelai third time is a charm." He said pulling the fresh pot of coffee over and filling her cup. Lorelai smiled and took a sip.

"Yeah, third time is a charm." She repeated trailing off into thought. He always worried when she got quite normally it meant she was over thinking things, normally things concerning him, which meant he had to keep her from being quite at almost all times.

"And besides, this works out or I move to Tibet and become a monk."

"I was a monk once…"Kirk chimed in. "It wasn't for me I have a misshapen head, shaving it caused some major lacerations, the doctors call it a mid-cranial ridge it was brutal and let me tell you the end result, not pretty."

"Wow." Lorelai said not knowing what else to possibly say.

"Yeah, its for the best mother didn't take well to me living at the monastery, no one else will put the cream on her feet at night."

"Whoa Kirk, this is a diner, people come here to eat, no one wants to hear about your mother, or her feet." Luke said pulling Lorelai around the counter and behind the curtain.

"My hero." She chirped once they were free of Kirk.

"How that guy manages to dress himself everyday is really beyond me." Luke said annoyed as ever at Kirk.

"So…did ya bring me back here for a reason?" Lorelai asked.

"If I didn't get away from Kirk soon, I might have killed him." Luke replied. Lorelai fidgeted in front of him.

"Right, so Kirk, is the ooonly reason were back here? You didn't have a master plan?"

"Nope, strictly fight or flight."

"Uh-huh, so it didn't even cross your mind that there are stairs back here?"

"Not on the top of the list no."

"Uh-huh and those stairs lead up to your apartment."

Luke knew where this was going but was having more fun making her work for it.

"Hadn't really thought about it no." He said slipping a finger in the loop holes of her slacks.

"Uh-huh so, you hadn't thought about that up, those stairs and in that apartment, there is a bed, a bed I have not actually seen in a very long time."

"Now that you mention it…no no, wasn't really thinking that sorry." Luke said.

Lorelai knew she was teasing him and he was playing along, but she also knew that she was about to win the teasing war. She had to get back to the Inn.

"Its ok." She said smiling switching from her teasing voice to her normal voice. "I have to get back to the Inn anyway." She said flipping back the curtain and gathering her things to go.

"Oh that is so, not fair, I have a list of things that aren't fair, you know inflation, Bush winning a second term, and finally on the top of the list you…teasing me with…" Luke realized he was no longer behind the protective curtain. "I'll see you tonight." He said as she walked through the door.

"See you tonight." She said with a giggle closing the door behind her. She didn't mean to be an evil woman but now and then she just couldn't help herself.