Disclaimer- I don't own...blah blah blah....

(This is kinda like an AU.... a cute, but different way of raising Rory...)

Lorelai and Rory have been living in Stars Hollow for about a year...Rory is now 2...Lorelai is 18 and Luke is 20

It is a really cold winter day in Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Rory are walking hand in hand to get to Luke's diner.

The bell rings and Luke looks up already knowing who it is. She comes here every day. Luke waits all morning to see her face, she comes in everyday at 9:18 wearing her blue parka holding her daughters hand. Luke found himself extremely attracted to this girl. She had the most beautiful eyes, gorgeous hair and never let a conversation get boring. To him Lorelai Gilmore was the perfect girl.

"Lukeeee!!!" wailed Rory, pulling away form her mother's hand. He Ran over to the counter and did her best to plop herself onto one of the high stools.

"Hang on there Kiddo." Said Lorelai who gave her daughter a boost and took the seat next to her.

Luke leaned over the counter looking at Rory and Lorelai "How are my two favorite girls?" He asked that every morning, Lorelai just figured he did it for Rory but Luke also intended it a lot toward her.

"I'm fine Lukey! How are you?" Rory asked giggling.

"Better now that you here! What can I get for you today little one?"

"Coffee!!!" said Rory bouncing to her knees on the stool.

"No way Mini-me!" Lorelai exclaimed pushing some of Rory's hair behind her ear. "She'll have apple juice and eggs. I'll have the coffee." Rory furrowed her brow at her mother. Lorelai caved "okay...you can have 2 sips."

"4!" Rory argued

"3..."

"Deal!" Rory exclaimed with a smile on her face.

Luke noticed Lorelai wasn't as peppy as she normally was during the morning. "Lorelai?" he questioned.

"Yeah, What's up Luke?" she answered snapping back into reality.

"You seem distracted, is something wrong?"

"Rory, honey?" Lorelai turned to her daughter

"Yeah?"

"Go wash your hands in the bathroom while I talk to Luke for a second. Then I'll take you to play with Lane."

"Kay..." Rory said as Lorelai helped her off the stool.

When Rory was out of sight Lorelai turned back to Luke. "Luke, I'm in trouble."

"What happened?"

"Last night Mia came in to the shed and told me that it needed to be renovated before the tourists start coming in the spring. So technically, I need to find another place for Rory and I to live. And soon, because we only have 3 days to move out. I don't know what to do. I can't afford to pay for an actual room in the Inn, or another place in this town. And now I think my only option is to go back to Hartford to live with my parents. Which I really don't want to do because ever since I had Rory I had started this whole "independence" thing and if I go crawling back to them now they will stick it to me whenever they can and add it to the ever-so-long list of 'Bad Choices Lorelai Made'."

"Stay here." Luke said very nonchalantly.

"What?" Lorelai replied a little taken back by his response.

"You and Rory. You can stay with me upstairs. There is plenty of room. Stay until you can get back on your feet. Take as long as you need."

"Are you serious?" Lorelai stared at him "I mean we are a lot to handle. Rory wakes up a lot at night and I sing in the shower and we would be a total pain."

"No you won't. I like having you two here." He said "trust me, stay as long as you like."

"Thank you Luke." She said to him going behind the counter to give him a hug. "Thank you so much you don't know what you just did for us."

Just then Rory came out of the bathroom "All done!" she exclaimed running into her mothers arms.

"Hey babe, how would you like to live here with Luke for a while?" Lorelai asked her daughter.

"Party with the burger boy!" she replied. Luke just rolled his eyes. 'Way too much like her mother' he thought.

Lorelai wished she could do something to show Luke how grateful she was. She was going to be homeless. Or worse, be living with her parents. There was something about Luke to her. Something nice. He was always so nice to her, even if they got into the occasional rift, she could always count on Luke to be there at the end of a hard day.