"I'm sorry," said Luke softly while he gently rubbed Lorelai's back. They were an exhausted but sated pair of limbs as they lay in Luke's bed with nothing but a sheet covering their naked bodies. Luke was on his back with Lorelai sprawled on his chest, her leg thrown over his.

"For what?" mumbled Lorelai, sleep threatening to take over her relaxed body.

"The way I talked to you. I was upset about Christopher calling, but I should have never talked to you the way that I did."

Lorelai opened her heavy-lidded eyes and lifted her head to rest her chin on his chest. She gave him a sleepy smile, "I just assumed the scene that took place a few minutes ago was your way of saying sorry. You know, most people have make-up sex. We tend to have sorry sex which sounds like it would be really bad sex but it's actually really really good-"

Luke cut her off with a gentle, lingering kiss. He pulled back, her face cradled in both of his hands, and stared into her clear, blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Lorelai."

"I know," she said softly before returning to her comfy spot on Luke's chest.

"I'll get that furniture moved out of your bedroom tomorrow before you get home from work," said Luke as he resumed the gentle rubbing on her back.

"Our."

"Hm?"

"Our bedroom," whispered Lorelai unable to hide the smile that spread across her face.

Despite the slight hiccup earlier in the evening, things had been going exceptionally well for the two of them. They were engaged, the remodel on Lorelai's house was finally complete, and soon Luke would finally move in. The only piece to their puzzle that was missing was Rory.

The next morning Lorelai awoke to an empty bed and, from the lack of sounds, an empty apartment. She stretched languidly and turned over to check the time on Luke's clock next to the bed. It was already after 8:00 a.m. and she promised Michel she would be at the inn to help him get the library somewhat organized. She reached down towards the floor and grabbed Luke's discarded flannel from the night before. She sat up, putting her arms through the sleeves, and quickly buttoned a couple of random buttons in the middle of the shirt. She stood and made her way over to the kitchen counter where she noticed a note from Luke on the coffee pot. Coffee is ready to go. I went take care of the old, creepy furniture. See you for lunch -L. She smiled as she set the note aside and flipped on the coffee pot. While her coffee was brewing, she decided to start getting ready for work. Normally, when she planned on staying at the apartment, she packed her work clothes for the next day. Since last night's sleepover was pretty impromptu, she had to make do with what was already there. Luckily she didn't have any meetings planned for today, so a simple V-neck sweater and slacks would work just fine. She quickly dressed just as the coffee pot started to beep. She poured the liquid gold into her travel mug and headed out the door.

Luke was able to get in touch with Slim and Joe, a few of the guys he and Tom had hired to work on the remodel of Lorelai's house. They agreed to meet him at the house around 9:00 a.m. to help haul the furniture back to Luke's storage unit until he could decide what to do with it. He had really hoped that she would love the furniture. It was antique and classic. It reminded him of her inn's decor. It was a family heirloom that he was all too happy to bring into the home that would maybe one day house their family. But, who was he kidding? The bed was nowhere near comfortable and the mirror on the dresser gave off a far from flattering reflection. He got to the house early so he could start disassembling everything. He figured the least amount of work the guys had to do, after being called at the crack of dawn, the better. He used his house key to let himself in. The house was quiet so he figured Lorelai had brought Paul Anka to Babette's before coming to his apartment last night. He set his keys down on the desk by the phone and noticed the answering machine was flashing, indicating a new message. He went to press play but the conversation they had the night before stopped him. No more secrets. We have to tell each other everything. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, considering the history on the topic, but he had to trust her. He had to believe that once she listened to the message that she would fill him in on the content. He turned around and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He had creepy furniture to get rid of.

Lorelai couldn't believe it. Her mother has been AWOL for god knows how long and where does she end up? At a damn hangar where she's attempting to buy a plane. About thirty minutes into her drive she remembered she was supposed to see Luke for lunch today. It was already peak lunch time at the diner but she wanted to call just in case he started to worry.

"Luke's!" barked the man himself as he dropped off a plate to one of the patrons seated at the counter.

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, hey. Are you on your way?"

"No," she answered with a sigh. "And you will never guess why. My mother is in Oxford right now trying to buy a plane like she's Jay-Z or something. So I am on my way there and I'm hoping I can talk her out of it. I'm guessing it has something to do with Rory moving out. I'll hopefully find out more once I get there."

"Well, speaking of bizarre, this kid came in today-"

"Luke, hon, you know I love your how-much-kids-bug-me rants but I'm turning into the hangar now. I'll call you once I know more, okay?"

"Yeah, let me know. Bye."

Lorelai drove back home in a daze. Even after everything, it pained her to see her mother so upset. She knew her daughter wasn't exactly living in squalor inside the pool house. Her parents would always take care of Rory. And Lorelai knew that. But money doesn't buy happiness and that was a feeling Lorelai knew all too well. She never wanted there to be bad blood between her daughter and her parents. As relieved as she was that Rory was out from under their roof, she still wasn't sure what exactly happened that caused Rory to leave without so much as a note. It wasn't like her. Of course, neither was dropping out of Yale. Lorelai shook her head slightly at the thought. She couldn't continue dwelling on the past. Yes, she wanted her daughter out of her parents house and yes, she wanted her back at Yale. One out of two isn't so bad, is it? she thought as she made her way through Stars Hollow. She parked in front of the diner and hopped out of her Jeep.

"Luke?" Lorelai called out into the empty diner. It was almost 5:00 p.m. so the dinner rush had not yet started.

"Hey, Lorelai!" said Caesar cheerfully with his head poked out of the kitchen doorway. "Luke's upstairs. You want some coffee or something?"

"Yes, coffee. Put it in a to-go cup for me, please."

Caesar did what was requested and Lorelai made her way upstairs. The apartment was quiet and she thought for a moment that Caesar must have not seen Luke leave when suddenly he rounded the corner causing Lorelai to jump.

"Oh, God! Don't do that!" cried Lorelai with her hand covering her heart. She took a quick sip of coffee before walking over to the kitchen table to set it down.

"Do what? I was unpacking the clothes I brought over for you. I didn't hear you come in."

"Clothes? For what?" She walked over to Luke and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She made her way over to the overnight bag he packed to make sure he brought over more than just a few bras.

"We have no bedroom furniture at the house now. I just assumed it would be more comfortable to sleep in a bed than on the new sofa." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He twisted off the top and took a long pull from the bottle. After grabbing her coffee off the table, he walked into the bedroom area to watch her sort through the clothes.

"It'll be a while before that sofa is worn in enough to actually sleep on it," said Lorelai distractedly. She pulled out a pair of leggings to change into. It had been a pretty exhausting day and she wanted nothing more than to get comfy and watch some t.v. with her man.

"Everything okay?" asked Luke as he watched her change out of her dress pants with a pensive look on her face.

"I still don't know what happened with Rory. I know she's staying at Lane's which means she's back home just not technically back home, you know? And my mother is upset about the whole thing. I just hope she comes to her senses before my dad sees the bank statements and notices he's the proud owner of a private jet." She laid across the bed on her back and sighed loudly.

"Here," said Luke handing over her coffee. She sat up and took the proffered cup from him.

"How was your day? You mentioned something about a kid earlier." She took a quick sip of coffee, watching him carefully. Something about his demeanor shifted with the mention of a kid.

Luke stood up and immediately started pacing. He had been running the scenario through his mind since the little girl came in the diner earlier that day. He felt deep down that the kid had to have been mistaken. But, even if she was wrong, the girl knew him by name and also where he worked. He stopped pacing and turned to face Lorelai who was looking at him expectantly waiting to be filled in.

He took a deep breath. "This kid came in. A girl, she was a little girl. I mean, not little little. Old enough to ride her bike from Woodbridge. That's where she said she lived. She goes to middle school there and they have a science fair coming up on Thursday and she needed to test my DNA. She said it was for a project to see who her father was and that I was the last stop on her list. And before I knew it, she pulled out a piece of my hair and ran off. I didn't know what to do, so I just stared at the door until I noticed Kirk walking around delivering people's plates."

Lorelai gaped at him with knitted brows. There were very few times in her life when she was at a loss for words and this moment definitely ranked high on the list.

"B-but. Uh, I mean…" she stuttered unable to formulate an actual sentence.

"Pretty much how I'm feeling right about now." He took a seat on the edge of the bed and rested his forearms on his thighs. Lorelai scooted over to him and rubbed gentle circles on his back.

"Could this be true?" she asked softly. She only knew about two of Luke's relationships. They didn't discuss past boyfriends or girlfriends, mainly because Lorelai figured Luke had met nearly all of the serious boyfriends that she's ever had. To her, none of that mattered. A person's past was just that, in the past.

Luke sighed and rested his forehead on the heels of his hands. He shook his head slightly. After a moment he turned and met her gaze. He gave her a half-hearted shrug. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"How will you know? Is she coming back to serve you papers or something? Does the mother want child support?"

"I have no idea, Lorelai. All she mentioned was the science fair. I have a feeling that's all this kid cares about." He downed the rest of his beer and carried it over to the sink to rinse out the bottle.

She followed Luke into the kitchen and pulled out a chair at the table. She sat down and crossed her legs. "What kind of mother lets her daughter ambush multiple men to get their DNA samples? I'm assuming there are multiple men if she's comparing the DNA. Which brings me to the question about what kind of women are in your past?"

He hesitated for a moment, taken aback by her comment and what it seemed like she was insinuating. He pulled a chair out and sat down with his arms crossed over his chest. "You've never asked about any of the women from my past. Just like I never asked about the men you've been with, aside from the ones who are public knowledge."

"Well I never had any reason to ask, Luke. That stuff never mattered to me. Of course, it's a whole new ballgame when a kid comes in and snatches a piece of your hair and then takes off." She noticed he was avoiding her glances and stretched out her foot to gently nudge his leg. "We need to talk about this," said Lorelai softly.

"We don't even know if there's anything to talk about," he said quietly, finally looking up and making eye contact. Luke was definitely a man who liked to be in control of his life. He was a healthy eater. He was always in great, physical shape. He was his own boss. He had complete control over his life. The fact that he could have fathered a child, however, made him feel completely anxious.

Lorelai hesitated before asking the big question, the elephant in the room, the first question that came to mind for both of them. "Who would the mother be?"

As much as he wanted people to believe it, Luke wasn't always the hermit that he portrayed. He had been in two long-term relationships, aside from Lorelai, but before Rachel he dated several women. Nothing serious. Nothing ever worth mentioning. But he was always safe. He kept a condom or two in his wallet at all times. He could never be too careful. That all changed, however, once he and Lorelai started dating. She was on the pill and he trusted her completely. The only time they had to be extra cautious was when she was sick and on antibiotics. He would never want to risk something happening that they weren't ready for. Something like the situation they were currently dealing with. Only, it's not Lorelai, it's someone else.

"Anna," whispered Luke so softly Lorelai barely heard him.

She thought for a moment. She had never once heard him or anyone close to him mention an Anna.

"If the kid is in middle school, she'd be about twelve or thirteen right?" asked Luke. Lorelai nodded her head in confirmation. "If it's true it would be Anna. We dated for a few months before the diner opened. It was supposed to be casual but then she told me she loved me and would call all of the time. I had to break it off for both of our sakes."

Lorelai's stomach clenched. She didn't know why the thought of a woman she had never met was starting to bother her. Especially if it was a woman he had once loved. "Did you love her?" she asked but a part of her didn't want to know the answer.

"No," he answered without hesitation. "It wasn't a good time for me. I was trying to start a new business and she was dealing with the loss of her dad. It was mostly just physical." He cringed at that admission. He wasn't exactly comfortable talking about his previous, sexual conquests.

Lorelai leaned forward and held out her hands for him to take. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her into his lap. "It's okay that you have a past, Luke. I wasn't exactly wearing a chastity belt when we met," she said with a chuckle. Luke gave her a small smile.

"Can we not talk about this anymore? At least until we know for sure," said Luke as he played with the ends of her curls.

"If that's what you want." She made a zipping motion across her lips and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "What did you want to do tomorrow? It's a rare Saturday when we're both actually off."

"I thought maybe we could go pick out a new bedroom set. They have some great places in New Haven." He patted her leg signaling for her to stand up. Once she obliged, he playfully swatted her butt and walked towards his bathroom with her trailing behind him.

"How do you know about these great places in New Haven?" she asked through the closed door of the bathroom.

"I did help furnish the apartment I shared with Nicole," he called out.

"The apartment you didn't even live in," she muttered under her breath just as he opened the bathroom door.

"Are you still on that?" he asked with a smirk.

"Did you wash your hands?" she shot back.

He held them up to her face and she could smell the cucumber melon hand sanitizer she bought to keep in his bathroom.

"So tomorrow is figured out but what about dinner tonight? I kind of just want to stay in. It's been a long day for both of us," she said stepping into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. He immediately encircled her waist and gave the tip of her nose a light kiss.

"I can go downstairs and whip us up something. Any requests?"

"Burger. And fries. And onion rings. And oh! A banana split from Taylor's-"

"I draw the line at going to Taylor's. I'll substitute a pie instead," interrupted Luke in a low, gravelly voice that always made Lorelai melt.

"Deal." Lorelai smiled and leaned in to give him a soft, lingering kiss.

"Hmm," hummed Lorelai indecisively. They were at the third furniture store of the day and had yet to purchase one thing. This was Lorelai's first time purchasing new furniture for her bedroom and she wanted it to be perfect. Luke was no fool. He knew the inner workings of her mind and was being incredibly patient. He always enjoyed shopping with her and this particular trip was providing a nice distraction from thinking about the little frizzy-haired girl with the giant bike helmet.

"What don't you like about this one? You said you wanted a bed with a wooden frame since the one you had before was a metal one," said Luke as he sat down on the bed, testing it's sturdiness.

"I do, but I don't want painted wood. I want more of a natural wood, kind of like the color of the hardwood floor. Ooh! Look at those chairs! That would be nice, huh? A cozy reading chair to put in front of the windows." She made her way to the rows of armchairs at the back of the store. She bounced on a few of them before finally deciding on one with pastel-colored stripes.

Since the chair was the only thing at that store she wanted, they opted to just load it up in the truck instead of paying to have it delivered. Once Luke had the chair strapped down, he lifted the tailgate back up and rounded the truck. He hopped into the driver's seat, thankful Lorelai had already started the engine considering it was late November and freezing outside. He took one more quick glance at their surroundings and backed out of the parking lot. It was already noon so they opted for a quick lunch before resuming their hunt for the perfect bedroom furniture.

"Since New Haven has proven to be a bust, what do you say we try somewhere else? There's a ton of little cafe's off I-91 going toward Hartford or if you'd rather us venture closer to home we could stop in Oxford to eat. When I went out there yesterday, I did notice a few furniture stores off of Hwy 8." Lorelai looked over at Luke awaiting a response but he seemed to be in his own world. She reached over to lightly stroke his arm. "Hon? Are you okay?"

He nodded but couldn't help continuously glaring at his side mirror. "I thought maybe someone was following us but I don't see them anymore."

"What? Why?" She turned in her seat to look behind them but all she could see was the chair they had just purchased. "You don't think someone wanted my chair and they plan on following us and waiting for us to stop so they could snatch it, do you?"

He shot her a doubtful look and turned his attention back on the road. "No, I do not think they want your chair. And yes, we can go to Oxford." He reached over to grab her hand, intertwining their fingers as he drove.

The trip to Oxford was a success. Lorelai finally found the perfect shade of wood for her bed that also came with matching side tables. She used the colors of the armchair as a focal point for the rest of the bedroom decor. They found a white, wicker lounge chair to go next to the armchair and a huge, white armoire. To add a little more color to the room, Lorelai picked out a dark, green dresser with matching oval mirror. The only downfall was that, since it was a Saturday, the furniture wouldn't be delivered until Monday. They drove back into Stars Hollow a few hours later. Lorelai couldn't wait to offload the new chair, so Luke drove straight to the house. He thanked his lucky stars that he decided to put double doors in the bedroom because, otherwise, there was no way that chair would have fit through it. They set it down in front of the middle window and Lorelai immediately climbed on it. She pulled off her boots and sat with her legs crossed like a pretzel, taking in for the first time her completely renovated, empty bedroom. With the creepy furniture removed, she could really start to imagine how everything was going to look in their bedroom. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of all of their belongings mingling in with one another's. For a moment, she was able to forget about her worries regarding Rory and this possible DNA situation.

"What's with the smile?" Luke asked softly as he kneeled down on one knee in front of the chair.

Lorelai shrugged, "Sometimes I just still can't believe that this is all happening. Me, Lorelai 'Emotional Baggage' Gilmore, is about to be sharing a home with a man she plans on marrying. And nothing about that scares me."

"Well believe it, because I'm not going anywhere," he said softly with a smile. He gave her forehead a quick kiss and stood up, pulling her up with him. "I'm gonna go check in at the diner, did you want me to bring you back something?" They made their way downstairs. She sat on the arm of the couch while he pulled on his fingerless gloves.

"I'll take a coffee and maybe some brownies if you have any made. I'm gonna walk over to Babette's and get Paul Anka unless she left a message saying she took him to that new dog park in Woodbury she was telling me about." She stood and walked over to the answering machine and pressed play.

BEEP. "Hey, Sugga! I'm taking Paul Anka to that new dog park I told ya about. We should be back around six o'clock. Bye!"

BEEP. "Hey, Lor. Haven't said that in a while. Anyway, hope you're good. Hope Rory is good. I wanted to talk to you. Nothing terrifying. I think I have good news. In fact, I know I have good news. Anyhow, I'm hoping you'll call me back and maybe we can meet up somewhere so I can fill you in on the details. Okay, bye."

BEEP.

Lorelai slowly lifted her eyes to meet Luke's gaze. She had completely forgotten that Christopher had even called. With everything else going on, he was most definitely an afterthought. They stood in silence for a moment before Luke spoke.

"What do you think he wants?" He leaned against the wall behind the desk with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't know. It could be anything, really. I'm guessing something big since he's reaching out after a whole year of us not speaking to each other." She nervously drummed her fingers on the desk in front of her. She knew eventually they would get past this awkward, Christopher bump in the road but until then she wanted to tread lightly.

"You'll just have to call him and see what he wants," said Luke giving her a small, sympathetic smile.

She exhaled sharply. "I guess, but not today. It was too good of a day to end it with talk of him." She walked over and pulled his arms apart so she could wrap hers around his waist and snuggle into his chest. He hugged her back and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Whatever you decide, just keep me in the loop." He kissed the top of her head and pulled back as she looked up at him. He dipped his head and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'll be back in a little bit."

She nodded and gave him another kiss before he grabbed his keys and headed for the diner.

The next few days seemed to just fly by. Their furniture was delivered first thing Monday morning. Lorelai spent that afternoon and Tuesday morning moving stuff around and reorganizing the bedroom. On Wednesday, she and Sookie sat down and came up with a menu for Thanksgiving. No guests were booked to stay at the inn that day, so Lorelai wanted to take the opportunity to host dinner for their friends and family. By the time Thursday rolled around, Lorelai was exhausted. Her and Luke had barely spent any time together since the weekend and of course Monday night, when she insisted on them christening the new bedroom furniture.

Luke had early deliveries that morning so he was already gone by the time she woke up. She showered and quickly dressed, then headed out the door. She entered the slightly packed diner a few minutes later and made a beeline to an empty stool at the counter. Lane was making the rounds refilling coffee when she noticed Lorelai. She grabbed a cup, filled it with coffee, and slid it in front of her.

"Dish?" asked Lane in a low voice.

"Spill," said Lorelai with intrigue, picking up her coffee cup and taking a quick sip.

"The other day, Rory got a call from this guy. He works at a newspaper. I can't remember the name. But he called to tell her he would give her a reference and since then she's been going there hoping they'll hire her. And I must say, she left the house this morning feeling pretty confident about herself. She was like the old Rory. The Rory before, well, you know."

She exhaled sharply, "Yeah, I do." Lorelai was lost in thought. She wanted nothing more than to call Rory and see what it was she was up to. For Lorelai, it seemed things were starting to look up for her daughter but she wanted Rory to call her and tell her that herself.

"Lane! Order up!" shouted Caesar from the kitchen. Lane walked over and grabbed two plates and hurriedly delivered them to the table in the corner by the window. She checked on the other patrons before returning behind the counter.

"Where's Luke?" asked Lorelai as she motioned to Lane for a refill.

"Oh, his supply order came in today. You know what you want?" She topped off Lorelai's cup and grabbed her order pad.

"Jack omelet and a side of bacon, please. I'll be right back." She stood and made her way towards the store room. She found Luke staring at a jar of pickles, unaware that she had entered the room.

"Should I leave you two alone?" asked Lorelai with a chuckle.

"Oh, hey." He turned back to the box he was unpacking and grabbed another jar.

"Are you okay? You look like you have something on your mind." She grabbed his box cutter and sliced open another box.

"I'm just feeling a little anxious about today. I haven't decided if I want to go down there or not." He sliced the bottom of the box he unloaded and flattened it out.

"What's going on today?" asked Lorelai distractedly as she started shelving some containers of salad dressing. And then it hit her. How could she have forgotten this major event that was coming up? "The science fair. Oh, Luke I'm so sorry. I can't believe I forgot. This week has just been so crazy." She walked over to him and hugged him around the neck. She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "You don't know if you're going? Why the hell not? How could you not want to know?"

He pulled away from her and started pacing around the room. "What if it is me? And I walk in there with all these people judging me and thinking 'What asshole doesn't know he had a kid out there?' and then what? Huh?"

"Luke, you not knowing you possibly had a kid out there all this time does not make you an asshole. Whoever thinks that is the asshole. And if the mother thinks that of you well, that's a whole other issue." She paused for a moment. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Luke exhaled loudly, letting his head fall forward. After a few seconds he finally looked up at her and said, "No. I'll go alone. If I'm gonna be uncomfortable I'd rather you not witness it."

Her chest tightened at the thought of Luke dealing with the news alone. They hadn't yet discussed what would happen if the results were positive and as much as she wanted to be there for him, she had to respect his wishes and not push him.

There was a knock on the door and Lane popped her head in. "Your breakfast is ready, Lorelai."

"Thanks, I'm coming." She waited until Lane closed the door and then turned back to face Luke. "I have a meeting today after lunch. I'll have my cell on me. If you need to talk, please call me. Okay?"

He nodded and she turned to walk towards the door. He grabbed her wrist and spun her back towards him. He captured her lips with his as she brought her arms up and around his neck, deepening the kiss. He walked her backwards without breaking the connection until her back was up against the wall. About a minute into their impromptu make-out session, the door to the store room flew open causing them to break apart like two teenagers caught in the act.

"Lorelai, the diner is for people who are actually dining. I've been waiting ten minutes for a seat and Lane won't let anyone have your stool at the counter," said Kirk, totally oblivious to the scene that was taking place before he barged in.

"Get the hell outta here, Kirk, or you'll be eating your breakfast on the street after I toss you onto it," growled Luke. Without a peep, Kirk quickly backed out of the room.

Lorelai sighed slightly and leaned her head back against the wall. "I better get back out there before Kirk does something gross with my food." She propelled herself off of the wall and stood in front of Luke, forcing him to look her in the eyes. She gave him a small smile which he returned. "I'm here if you need me, Hon." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'll see you later." He watched her walk out of the store room and wished that none of this was happening. Even if the results weren't positive, this whole ordeal had stirred up something inside him. Part of him felt so disappointed in himself that he gave someone the impression he wouldn't want to know that he was a father. The other part of him felt helpless. There was nothing he could do to get the years back that he missed out on. He checked his watch and started counting down the hours until his life may or may not change forever.

A/N: This first chapter is basically missing scenes from 'The Prodigal Daughter Returns'. The next chapter will combine the end of TPDR with 'He's Slippin' 'Em Bread…Dig?' and also the missing month of December from season 6.