Welcome, avid readers! This is my first story here on . I read a story very similar to this one on this site and, with the author's permission, decided to revamp it. The original story has been removed since I first read it, so I hope this one will live up to its legacy. Enjoy! Please tell me your thoughts when you finish. I will be more motivated to post more if I know you are reading and enjoying!

Chapter 1

"Coffee. In a vat. Through an IV and directly into my bloodstream." I threw my purse down onto the counter and slumped into a chair. Letting my face fall into my fuzzy gray glove covered hands, I gave the hundredth heavy sigh of the day, and it was only 6 in the evening. Plenty more time for even more heavy sighs.

"Bad day?" Luke asked, as if it wasn't obvious.

"Terrible day. I don't know how we're ever going to make it to opening day. Sookie and I are going to kill each other before we get there."

"I can't imagine you guys ever killing each other," he said as he set down my favorite blue mug in front of me and filled it with the steaming dark liquid that is my life support.

"Oh we would definitely regret it afterwards, however we are both reaching the point where we can't do anything without each other but we can't stand each other either. She thinks I am being too controlling and unsympathetic of her new mom responsibilities, and she keeps dropping the ball on everything she promises to do to help." I removed my gloves, wrapped my hands around the warm ceramic, and brought the cup to my lips. As I drank, the combination of warmth and caffeine slowly brought me back to the land of the sane.

Luke leaned both hands on the counter in front of him and asked in a low voice, "Are you being unsympathetic of her new mom responsibilities?"

"No!" I said in shock that he would really suggest such a thing. I took a moment to think about it and realized I was probably being a little unreasonable. "Okay, maybe I am. But she's starting this business too."

"Yes, she is," Luke agreed with a tilt of the head.

"You've got something else to say, I can tell."

"No, I don't." He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. He reconsidered, "it just seems like you've got something else on your mind. You've been in this mood for a while."

"So suddenly you're an expert on the ever changing moods of Lorelai Gilmore?" I regretted how I said it as soon as the words left my mouth. I could see Luke was taken aback by what I said too.

"No, sorry, I was just trying to help. God knows why," he said, turning around to take care of an elderly couple that had just walked in the door.

"Luke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," I said when he came back. He just stood in front of me, arms crossed, giving me a stern look. I considered telling him what was really on my mind. He was my closest friend after Sookie and Rory. And considering the current state of my relationship with Sookie, and the nature of my frustration being a little more mature than I was willing to share with Rory, I decided confiding in Luke might actually be a good idea.

"Fine. There is something else bothering me." I waited to see if he would relax his defensive pose; he did as soon as I let my guard down. He gave me the one-fingered "hold-on" gesture, turned around to accept a couple plates from Cesar, swiftly delivered them to the table next to the door, and resumed his place across from me behind the counter.

"Go ahead. I'm listening," he said, and I knew he was telling the truth.

I looked down in my lap, trying to decide if I really wanted to bare myself like this to Luke. I wasn't sure what kind of advice he could offer me. But, it might feel nice just to get it off of my chest. "Lately, I've been feeling a little extra lonely. Rory's off at college and Sookie is as happy as can be with her perfect little family, and I'm just sitting at home by myself at night wishing I had someone to care for." I finally tore my eyes away from my lap to see Luke's reaction. His gaze was blank at first glance, but the longer I looked, I could see his calm understanding of the feelings I was trying to express.

"I understand," he finally said. "I didn't know how alone I felt until Jess wasn't here anymore. But I try to stay busy and it keeps my mind off of it."

"Me too. Most nights, I'm so tired after all the work I've been doing for the inn that I can't even think about it. But then there are times where I just can't help it."

"You'll get it, Lorelai. I know I've told you this before. You will find the person you're supposed to find." It was a little shocking to hear Luke be so sentimental, but I found that I really liked it. I smiled back up at him.

"It's not even that, really. I do want a man to depend on, but what I've been thinking about lately is my aging ovaries."

"Oh, geez," he groaned, and stepped back a bit.

"I'm sorry, I just mean that I'm not getting any younger and I would really like another kid or two. I see Sookie with Davey every day and I can't help but feel jealous. Do you ever think about starting a family?"

He considered his answer before saying simply, "I do."

"I think you would be a great dad."

"I'm not so sure." Just then, the dinner rush seemed to suddenly pick back up. A rush of people streamed into the diner and Luke's attention was ripped away. I had a good book and a tub of ice cream waiting for me at home, so I got up from my place at the counter and prepared myself to face the icy wind.

I stopped Luke as he moved between tables before leaving. "Thanks for listening, Luke. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Lorelai."

I drove home without turning the radio on, parked in front of the garage, and walked somberly into the house. After changing into my most unattractive but comfortable pajamas, I grabbed the carton of ice cream from the freezer, a spoon from the drawer, and decided to forgo the bowl altogether. I plopped myself on the couch, threw the ice cream lid on the coffee table, retrieved my book from the floor, and opened it up to where I left off the night before.

For hours, I tried my hardest to focus on the words that Charlotte Bronte had written, but governess Jane just couldn't hold my attention. I found my mind drifting to my conversation with Luke. Who would have guessed that he thought about starting a family too? Any other person who went through what he did with Jess would probably strongly reconsider the idea of bringing more children into the world. But Luke still had the desire.

I could just imagine Luke as a father; he would definitely be the kind of dad who would buy his daughter a doll. Luke with a little girl – the image of a gruff Luke spinning his five year old daughter in the air, her long dark curls flying behind her, was about the most adorable thing I could think of. Wait, no, Luke and his five year old son, in the front yard, tossing a baseball back and forth. That was the about the most adorable thing I could think of.

Suddenly, it hit me; Luke wants to be a father. I want to be a mother. Again. What's stopping us from doing it together? It was the most brilliant idea I ever came up with. We were already friends, we could raise our kids together.

I put my shoes back on and threw my coat over my shoulders, barely taking the time to push my arms through the holes before I rushed out the door again. I didn't realize how late it must have been until I stepped outside. I didn't remember night falling. I must have been day dreaming for hours. I walked as quickly as I could through the streets of Stars Hollow towards Luke's diner. My feet pounding the pavement was the only sound disturbing the still night air. I had one thing on my mind and nothing was stopping me until I got it. I arrived at the diner just in time to see Luke disappearing behind the curtain. With a grin on my face, I rapped my fist on the glass of the door until he turned around to greet me with a questioning look on his face. I couldn't wait to share my brilliant idea with him.

TBC.