Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: Thank you Kate and thank you Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson for playing Luke and Lorelai so beautifully. Now if Amy would only get them back together we could concentrate on more important things. Like writing their wedding. :)

"Hey Caesar, where's Lane," Luke asked as he wiped down the counter.

"Trying to get her car started. Your girl's helping."

Luke looked out the window to the street and sure enough Lane's ancient VW bug was at the curb with the hood up. He smiled when his wife's face peered around the edge of it.

"Okay Lane, try it again," he heard her voice say.

Lane turned the key and let out a joyful whoop when the engine turned over. Lorelai closed the hood and walked to the driver's side of the car and crouched down.

"That should hold it until Gypsy opens up tomorrow."

"You're an angel, Lorelai. Usual fee?"

"Next Friday? I'll see if I can convince Luke that we need a night to ourselves."

"Call me when you know," Lane smiled. "Tell Luke I'll be back in a minute. I'm gonna take this to Gypsy's now and walk back over."

"You got it," Lorelai smiled, standing up. She watched Lane drive away and turned to back into Luke's. She stopped when she saw Luke watching her. The door was propped open a little to let the soft spring breeze into the diner. She smiled at him and then motioned to the direction Lane had driven and he nodded. Then she pointed to herself and then the gazebo. Getting the message he nodded and signed to her. She smiled and mouthed, 'Me too'. Then she turned and walked across the street. She sat down on the steps of the gazebo and tilted her face to the sun.

She liked the gazebo more now. Since the weather had been nicer she'd taken to sitting out there and just watching the town move around her.

And he watched her. He did that a little more often; he could admit it to himself and on occasion to her. He supposed it was a reflex born of the time he wasn't watching and she slipped away. Funny thing was that if he'd been watching her on the gazebo on another spring day he'd have seen the scene Jackson had told him about.

Lorelai was charging across the town square when Jackson saw her. She looked determined and she was heading straight for Luke's. The man himself was currently on the sidewalk in front of it talking; no make that yelling, at Taylor Doose. Just as Lorelai reached the gazebo she stopped and then she doubled over trying to catch her breath. Jackson headed straight for her.

Jackson put a hand on Lorelai's back and the other one on her shoulder, trying to support her without making a scene, "Lorelai? It's Jackson. I'm gonna sit you down."

"I-my God, what are you wearing?" She demanded to know between pants.

"Clothes later, regular breathing cycles now," he said as he managed to get her seated. "You okay? You need a doctor?"

"I just saw a doctor," Lorelai admitted as her breathing slowed down.

"You okay?"

"Just pregnant," she muttered.

"Didn't see that one coming," he blinked

"Me neither."

"So, why are you-" Jackson stopped when he looked in the direction she'd been heading. "Aha. You didn't tell him yet."

"No," she shook her head.

"And you don't think you want to do it in front of Taylor."

"I don't think I wanna do it at all. I can't do it again Jackson."

"You did a good job with Rory."

"I was an idiot kid who didn't have a clue what she was getting into."

"Well for an idiot kid, you did good."

"Thank you, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"What is it then?"

"The last time I tried to force Luke to talk to me, it got us over with. I tell him I'm gonna have a baby and that's it. He'll come back and I will always know it was by force. I couldn't raise Rory like that and I can't do it to this one."

"Okay, Lorelai, you've got time to make that choice."

Lorelai looked towards Luke's and sighed. "Could you get me something to drink?"

"Lemonade okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Be right back."

In retrospect leaving Lorelai with the sound of her own thoughts was probably not the wisest thing to do, because by the time Jackson got back, Lorelai had a plan brewing.

"Okay, so, I had an idea." She informed him.

"I knew I was gone too long," Jackson shook his head and sat down, giving Lorelai her drink. "What's up?"

"How'd you like to buy me out?"

"For the Dragonfly?"

She nodded.

"Never in a million years."

"Oh c'mon Jackson! I need someone I can trust so I know Sook and Michel are in the right hands. You are the only one I can think of right now. I figure you can do it in monthly installments. But, depending on how much you can afford, I need the first checks to go to Luke to pay him back for his investment. I don't owe him that much more but I figure we can combine the two. And you don't even have to participate in the day-to-day. You can hire someone you like to represent you in that fashion."

"Lorelai, I don't want you to leave Stars Hollow. You're the only one I know who can interpret my wife for me."

"I'll never be farther than a phone call away Jackson," Lorelai promised. "Oh crap! Speaking of Sookie," she retrieved her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She hit a couple of buttons and then waited. "Michel? It's me...You know who it is, stop being you. Put Sookie on," Lorelai rolled her eyes. She directed her next comment to Jackson while she waited, "Why, why do we keep that man around?"

"He always comes through, even if he has to sing Annie to dolls."

Lorelai giggled. "Sook? Hey, I wanted to tell you that I won't be in for the rest of the day. You gonna be okay?...Good...Oh, I'm just hanging around the gazebo with your husband...You heard me...Okay, bring lunch. See you in a few."

"You're a bad woman." He told her.

"Figure I'll get telling her out of the way. I should tell Rory in person. She's coming home tomorrow."

"So, what's the verdict? Are we happy?"

"We were," Lorelai said quietly before looking over at Luke's and then back at Jackson. "You know what? We still are."

"Good. Congratulations Lorelai," Jackson smiled.

"Thank you."

"So, how are you going to convince Rory to stay at Yale?"

"Hmmm. Oh! By telling her if she tries to drop out, I'll break my newly invoked rule of never talking to her grandmother again just this once to tell her that her beloved granddaughter almost had sex at the vow renewal thingie."

"Harsh."

"Effective."

"Speaking of the vow renewal thingie, any word from Rory's donor?"

"Several. But if you mean, have I spoken to him, the answer's no."

"He's done worse than this in the past."

"But I hadn't had someone treating me well in the interim of those times. We got into a bad pattern, and it was tough to break it."

"Rory talk to him?"

"Haven't asked. My dad called me yesterday. He wanted to know how long I was going to skip Friday night dinner."

"Was that an interesting conversation?"

"Not really. I said indefinitely, until Mom apologized for telling Christopher to go after me again, or when Hell froze over. He said I was acting like a child."

"No, that would be your mother."

"See, now that is what I think. Try telling that to Richard Gilmore and having him listen to you." Lorelai sighed and looked over at Luke's again. Luke had gone inside a little while ago after he'd finished arguing with Taylor.

Jackson followed her line of sight. "You could just walk in there and tell him."

Lorelai looked straight out in front of her and shook her head, "No, I can't." She smiled, "Hey Sook."

"Hey. So, what's up? Last I knew you were going to the doctor's. Are you okay?" Sookie sat down on the steps with Lorelai and Jackson and gave her friend a box of food. "It's a burger. I made them for that big meeting that was booked today."

"Thanks," Lorelai opened the box and took a bite. "Mozzarella?"

"Yes. It's a Gourmet Burger."

"It's great," Lorelai smiled.

"So? What's going on? Why are you sitting in the middle of the town with Jackson?"

"I started to hyperventilate and Jackson kept me from passing out."

"Well, why were you hyperventilating? Are you okay? Did the doctor say something? Are you dying?" Sookie's voice was getting shriller with each question.

"Sookie, deep breath. I am not dying."

"Good."

"You and Jackson are going to be godparents," Lorelai said before she bit into her burger again. "This is really good."

"Godparents?"

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded.

"You're-"

"Uh-huh."

"And it's-"

"Yeah."

"Does he-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want him back like that. If he was gonna come home it would've happened already. He's not coming back Sookie, and I'm not going to make him."

"Oh, but he-"

"Yeah," Lorelai looked impossibly sad as she interrupted her friend. "I do too."

Sookie and Jackson exchanged a look before Sookie took her friend's hand. "Anything you need, you got it."

"Thanks."

"Hey Dad? Can I have a cookie?"

Luke looked towards the counter and saw Will smiling hopefully at his dad.

"After dinner okay? Where's your sister?"

"Satch is over with Aunt Sook at the Kim's. She's helping Aunt Sookie find a chair for Uncle Jackson."

Luke rose an eyebrow. Sookie was great with all kids but her knowledge of signing was limited to 'hi' and 'bye'. "That'll probably take a while. Why didn't you go?"

"Shopping's boring," the five year old announced.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Luke smiled at his son.