Author's Note: I've always wondered why it took Lorelai and Luke so long to meet. Stars Hollow is small enough, you'd think they'd have at least known of one another. So what were they doing those twelve years that they lived in the same town without knowing it?The plan is to have each chapter represent a year, alternating points of view from Lorelai to Luke. Hope you like it!

The First Twelve Years

Chapter One

November 18, 1985

The sign read "Welcome to Stars Hollow." I'd never seen the sign before, or heard of Stars Hollow. That was a part of its charm. I knew as soon as I saw it that this was my stop. I don't know how to explain it, it just felt right. I picked up my things—a baby carrier containing my sleeping daughter and a suitcase just small enough to carry—and got off of the bus.

It really was the cutest little town that I had ever seen. I set down my bag and daughter in the middle of the town square. I was surrounded by shops, and in the center was a gazebo. "This is where we're going to live, Rory," I told my daughter. "What do you think?"

I looked into the baby carrier for Rory's response. She was asleep. Apparently I wasn't going to get much feedback from her. I wished that I could explore the town a little, but I had nowhere to leave my things, and lugging a huge suitcase around the town would not only look conspicuous, but would be rather inconvenient as well.

I wasn't sure what alternative I had. I really didn't know where I was or what I was going to do here. I needed a job and a place to stay. That had to be taken care of by the end of the day, but I didn't know how I could take care of it without first knowing what my options were.

For lack of anything better to do, I dragged my luggage to the nearest curb and started down the sidewalk. I shivered. It was mid-November, and too cold for the sweater I was wearing. I knew I had a heavier jacket in my suitcase, but going through my bag in the middle of the street would have been a little awkward. I cast around, and my gaze fell on the gazebo. It seemed as good a place as any.

Getting my bag and Rory up the gazebo steps proved a bit more challenging than I'd anticipated, but once I managed it I set my things on a bench in such a way that the possibility of anyone sitting on the bench was zero.

As I should have expected, I found that the jacket I was looking for seemed to be buried under everything else in my bag. By the time I found it, the contents of my suitcase were all over the bench. In my jacket-searching frenzy, I didn't notice the boy until he was right behind me.

He was a fairly nerdy-looking guy. He was wearing old jeans and a Star Trek t-shirt, and his hair was slightly unkempt. "Need help?" he asked me.

I was already exasperated, and his watching me wasn't helping. "Do I look like I need help?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied monosyllabically.

I threw several articles of clothing at him. "Hold these," I commanded. I didn't feel the need to be especially polite to this boy. I'd never see him again.

I stuffed random items back into my suitcase, and then turned around to get the rest of my things from him. In one arm he had several sweaters and pairs of pants. In his other hand, I noticed, he was holding one of my bras at arm's length. I noticed he was blushing, and didn't bother to suppress my laugh. I snatched it from him. "Oh come on," I said, still smiling. "You know you liked that."

His face turned a slightly deeper shade of red, and I made up my mind to stop abusing him. He was being nice, after all. As I took the rest of my clothing from him, I once again noted the Star Trek shirt and determined that some degree of verbal taunting was completely called for.

I managed to zip my suitcase after much persuading, but when I turned to thank the boy, I realized he was still holding one of my sweaters. I sighed. "Do you want to wear that?" I asked, exasperated. "Because there's no way I'm unzipping this thing again."

He raised his eyebrows, fully aware that this wasn't a real suggestion. "No," he said.

"Another monosyllable," I observed. "Talk much?"

As he ignored me, I took the sweater from him and laid it over my sleeping daughter as another blanket. "Hey," I asked him," "If I leave this stuff here for a little while, do you think anyone will take it?"

"You kidding me?" he asked rhetorically. "This is Stars Hollow." He stopped, as if this answered the question, but then thought better of it. "Just don't leave it on the bench. If someone wants to sit down, there will be a revolt."

It was the most I'd heard him say so far, so I took his advice. I lifted the stroller off of the bench, and he took my suitcase. He leaned it against a railing, and then turned to indicate Rory, face showing something that looked a little like disgust. "I also recommend you take that with you."

Slightly offended by both the fact that he referred to my daughter as "that" and the idea that he even thought I'd consider leaving her in the gazebo, I unfolded Rory's stroller violently. Carefully, I picked up my sleeping daughter, blankets, sweater and all, and transferred her to the stroller. I turned to look at him pointedly, but he was gone.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Boys," I said aloud.

To my surprise, Rory giggled. Evidently, she was awake.

"Boys, right Rory?" She giggled again. "Ya don't need 'em," I told her. "Remember that when you're my age."

Carefully, I lifted the stroller down the stairs. I made up my mind to walk around the square in order to get to know my surroundings. I walked past an antique store, a collectable shop and a pizza parlor. I noted the name of the pizza parlor. Pete's Pizza. I was sure I'd use it at some point.

I wondered where I could get a cup of coffee. I'd been up late the night before packing, and so far it had been a fairly stressful day. I spotted a bakery beside another collectible shop. They would probably have coffee. I pushed the stroller into the building, and was greeted by an older woman at the counter.

"Good afternoon, ladies," she said, evidently meaning Rory and me. "What can I get for you today?"

"Just a coffee, please," I said.

The woman leaned over the counter to get a better look at Rory. "Isn't she just precious," she said. "Can I give her a cookie?" she wanted to know.

I smiled. "Sure."

"Is she your younger sister?" the woman asked me.

"Um…" I said, not completely sure how, or whether, to tell her the truth. I settled for bluntness. "No. She's my daughter."

"Oh," the lady said, as if it was of no consequence. She handed Rory a cookie. "Chocolate chip okay?"

I smiled. "She loves chocolate chip."

"Wonderful!" the woman said happily. She poured my coffee and set it on the counter. "Are you new in town?"

"We are. Just got here. Less than an hour ago, actually." I took the coffee. "Thanks. How much?"

"Oh, first time customers are on the house," she said with a smile. "Would you like a cookie?"

I had the distinct impression that she was patronizing me, but I really did want a cookie. "Sure," I said.

"Chocolate chip okay for you?"

"Excellent."

She handed me a cookie. "I'm Fran Weston, by the way," she said. "You can call me Fran."

"Thanks, Fran," I said. "I'm Lorelai Gilmore, and this is Rory. We have some more exploring to do, so if you don't mind…" I made a motion toward the door. Fran was a nice lady, but I had little interest in talking to her all day. Besides, I really did need to find a place to stay, at least for the night, before the day was out.

"Oh no, of course not," she said. "It was nice meeting you girls. Hope to see you again soon!"

I smiled at my daughter, happily eating her cookie. "I'm sure you will," I said. "I don't think Rory will let me forget where the lady with the cookies is." Fran smiled as we left the bakery.

As we walked, I noticed a grocery store, which I noted the location of, sure that it would come in handy later, a hardware store, which I immediately put out of my mind, positive I'd never need to know about it, and several more stores specializing in souvenirs and collectors' items. The town seemed exactly what I'd been looking for: completely unlike any place I'd ever been.

I came to a building that seemed separated from the rest of the square. It stood on its own, and had an air of importance about it. It was wood built with an old-fashioned vibe. As I neared it, I read the sign: Miss Patty's School of Ballet. A heavy-set woman stood in the doorway, seeming to alternate between instructing her class and talking with people who walked by.

As I walked by, she stopped me. "Are you new in town?" she wanted to know.

"I am," I told her. "Just got here today."

"Well, welcome to Stars Hollow, dear. I'm Patricia LaCosta. Most people call me Patty."

"Nice to meet you, Patty," I said. "I'm Lorelai Gilmore, and this is Rory."

"She's darling," Patty remarked. "Is she your sister?"

I wondered how many times I was going to have to answer that question. "She's my daughter," I said bluntly, and not without impatience. I was basically expecting to get just as much grief about being a teen mother in this tiny town as I had in my former life of constant judgment. I had taken to expecting hostility even when it wasn't presenting itself.

"Oh. Well, she's beautiful," she said earnestly.

"Thank you."

"Where are you staying?" Patty wanted to know.

"I, um… haven't worked that part out just yet," I admitted uneasily.

"The Independence Inn is down this road and two blocks to the left," she immediately directed me. "The owner's name is Mia. She'll be able to find a place for you, at least for tonight."

I smiled. "Thanks, Patty. I'll do that."

"Sure, darling." She turned back to her class. "Susie, you are a cloud, not a rock. Off the floor."

Patty seemed friendly, if quirky. So far, all of Stars Hollow seemed friendlier than I had anticipated. When I got to the inn Patty had told me about, I found that the owner was no exception. She gave me a room for the night, free of charge, offered me a job as a maid, and told me she'd do whatever she could to help me find a place to stay more permanently.

That night, I watched my daughter sleep in the comfort of the Inn's bedroom. Outside the window, the town was being slowly blanketed in snow. My mind replayed the encounters I'd had with the townspeople over the course of the day. I smiled. Stars Hollow. This was going to work.