Hey guys - So this is a short story idea that's been playing around in my mind for awhile. Decided to post the first chapter that I wrote and see what you guys thing. Takes place at the end of season 7 when everyone wants to go to Rory's graduation.

In this version...Rory does in fact get one extra ticket. But there's only one person she wants to give it to. Unfortunately...it would come with a lot of complications. Read to find out! Hint: My stories are always JavaJunkie centric. This one just happens to involve our dear Rory as well. If you enjoy it, I'll keep writing! Thanks!

After leaving the Town Meeting where Lorelai had to break it to the Residents of Stars Hollow that they in fact would not be attending Rory's graduation...she was feeling more than exhausted.

Being tired wasn't unusual for her. Especially not in the last year. Every part of her life seemed to drain her. She'd put the big smile on her face and pretend that she was happy because that was what she was taught to do. But underneath it all she was a ticking time bomb waiting to crack. Walking into the house, she sighed and kicked her heels off by the door.

She walked towards the living room and bent down to pet Paul Anka, "Hey buddy. How are you doing tonight?" When she sat down on the couch he rested his chin on her knee and whimpered, she smiled sadly, "I feel ya man…"

A loud thud echoed throughout the house, which made her sit up straight. There was no one else here. At least there shouldn't be anyone but her…

Another sound started her again, "Hello?"

Another thud and then a muffled, "Aw crap."

"Rory?" Lorelai called recognizing the voice as she stood up, "Are you here?"

Rory's head peeked around the corner of her bedroom door, "Hey Mom. Did I scare you?"

"Did you give me a mild heart attack you mean?" She said with a pointed look, "Yes. Yes you did. What have I told you about doing that to your poor Mommy."

Rory laughed and walked back into her room, "Sorry!"

Lorelai walked towards her daughter's room, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Good to see you too Mom." Rory teased as she looked under her bed for something.

Lorelai smiled and leaned against the doorframe, "Sorry. You know I'm always happy to see you. I'm just surprised, that's all. I figured you'd be out with your friends."

Rory sighed, "Well I was. But then I remembered I left the shoes I wanted to wear to the ceremony here so I dashed home to get them."

"I could have brought them to you." Lorelai said with a shrug, happy for any excuse to get out of the sad and lonely house.

"I know. But I honestly had no idea where I put them." She said glancing around the room, "Hence the frantic search and the bumping into things."

Lorelai smiled, "Oh. Right."

"And…" Rory started as she opened her closet door, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

Something in her daughter's voice sent warning bells to her mind, "Oh?"

Rory peeked curiously at her, "Yeah...something that may be kind of awkward for you."

Lorelai sighed and went to sit on her daughter's bed, "Oh goody. My favorite kind of conversation."

Rory smiled sadly and sat down on the floor by her closet, "I got an extra ticket to Graduation."

Lorelai's eyes widened, "I thought that was like impossible?"

Rory shrugged, "It was impossible to get one for every resident of Stars Hollow yes but...turns out a friend of mine had one extra one."

Lorelai nodded, "Oh. Well that's kind of cool."

Rory glanced down, "Yeah it is because…" She paused for a moment before continuing, "Because the truth is there is one other person that I would really like to be there. Someone I always assumed would be there."

Lorelai frowned, "Who?" Rory looked up at her Mom and gave her a sad look; it was all the information Lorelai needed, "Luke."

Rory nodded slowly, "Yeah...Luke."

Lorelai exhaled slowly and pulled her legs up under herself, "Luke."

Rory sighed and pulled herself up off the ground, "Look I know how incredibly complicated this could be. For so many reasons."

Lorelai smiled sadly, "Many, many reasons."

"I've sort of dealt with one of the big reasons." Rory whispered, her Mom gave her a puzzled look, "I called Dad about it."

Lorelai's eyes widened, "You did?"

Rory nodded, "I did. We had a good conversation actually...he wasn't thrilled at first when I brought it up. But after awhile when he thought about it...he understood my feelings on it. And he decided that if it was what I wanted...and that you were okay with it he would be okay with it too."

Lorelai fidgeted again, "When did your Dad grow up?"

Rory smiled, "Not sure. I was surprised too but also grateful."

Lorelai sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Rory-"

"Look I know." She said sitting down beside her, "I know that your feelings for him are still all muddled. I get that. And I respect that...but Mom he's been such a big part of my life."

Lorelai's eyes burned with tears, "Yes he has."

"I mean he went through the whole me picking a college with us. He endured the pro-con list. He let me study all the time growing up at the Diner. He built my bookshelves so I could have actual copies of all the books I had to read for school." She was rambling now.

Lorelai's heart was pounding away in her chest, she was sure Rory would be able to hear it. She stood up and walked towards the window in her daughter's room, "Yes he did."

"He used to make me my favorite comfort foods when I had big exams at Chilton. And he even shipped them to me at Yale after I left." She said with a smile.

Lorelai turned back to her daughter, "He did?"

"He did." Rory said with a smile, "Always with a little extra pocket cash too…"

Lorelai closed her eyes tight and looked out the window, "Of course he did…"

"He came to my Graduation at Chilton and that meant the world to me. I mean Dad didn't even come that time but Luke was there. He put on a monkey suit and everything." She said with a watery smile.

Lorelai placed a hand over her belly and sighed, feeling the butterflies grow, "Yes he did."

Rory smiled sadly and stood up, she walked over to her Mom, "And he moved me into Yale."

A small whimper escaped her Mother's lips, "And moved your mattress out…"

"And back in again." Rory said with a smile, "And then I'm pretty sure he stored it somewhere until the end of that year too."

Lorelai smiled, "He wouldn't let me burn it."

"Well he didn't want you to go to jail." She said with a little smile, giving her Mom's arm a squeeze.

Lorelai laughed, "No. He didn't…"

"But he told me that if you did go to jail ever...that he'd take care of me." She said with a little smile.

Lorelai laughed, "And he would have."

"He would have." Rory said with a nod in agreement, "He was the Dad that I needed when my real Dad couldn't be there for me."

Another whimper left her lips, "Rory…"

She sighed and turned to her Mom, "If it's too much. If it's too hard I'll understand. But I wanted to really talk to you about it. It would mean a lot to me if he was there…"

Lifting her hand, Lorelai wiped away her tears, "I miss him kid."

"I know." Rory whispered, "You've missed him for a long time. Probably before you two even broke up…"

Lorelai sighed and walked back over to the bed, falling down onto it and staring up at the ceiling, "When did it all get so screwed up?"

Rory frowned and sat beside her, "You both made mistakes. And I've been mad at him for awhile about a lot of things too."

Lorelai turned to look at her daughter, she took her hand and whispered, "He really loves you kid. I hope you know that. No matter what happened between him and I he loves you."

"I know." Rory whispered, "I've always known that. But that doesn't mean that I didn't get hurt in this too."

Lorelai frowned and leaned up to rest on her elbows, "What?"

Rory shrugged, "I wanted you guys to get married...I wanted him to officially be part of this family. And now you guys feel uncomfortable around each other which makes it uncomfortable for me."

"Oh Rory…" She whispered sitting up quickly, it had never occurred to her how much this would impact her daughter too, "God I'm so sor-"

"It weirdly feels like a death. I mean I spent most of my days growing up here in Stars Hollow at the Diner. I saw him all the time. And then one day he was just gone...that's been weird for me Mom. I've tried to hold it together because I know how sad you've been. But it hurt me too." She said sadly.

Lorelai sighed and took her daughter's hand in hers, "I'm so sorry kid. I never thought about how this would impact you. God what is wrong with me?"

Rory smiled and used her other hand to brush back her Mother's hair, "Nothing's wrong with you Mom. You have always put me first. But this time you had to take care of yourself and I get that. This was a big one…"

Lorelai frowned, "It really was…"

"Probably the biggest one." She said with a soft smile.

Lorelai laughed, "I'd say so…"

"The one that a pint of Ice Cream and Judy Garland movies couldn't even fix." Rory said giving her a nudge.

Lorelai sighed and looked over at her daughter, "Hon-"

"If you tell me that you don't want me to do it. If you think you can't handle it…" She shrugged, "Then I will respect that and not ask him."

Her Mother smiled sadly, "You know...the night you dropped out of Yale he told me he'd go drag you back home and drive you to school every morning to force you to go to classes."

"He did?" Rory asked softly, "You never told me that."

Lorelai smiled, "That was the night I asked him to marry me."

Rory smiled and reached her hand out to her, "Oh Mom…"

"I was devastated. And he was standing there wanting to do anything and everything to fix it for me. To fix it for you. And I thought…" Her voice cracked and she shrugged, "I thought this is the man I am supposed to spend the rest of my life with. This is who I need to support me. And without giving it a second thought I asked him to marry me."

Leaning forward, Rory wrapped her arms around her Mother, "You really loved him."

Lorelai buried her nose in the crook of her daughter's neck, "I do love him kid…"

Rory pulled back and whispered, "I know."

Lorelai took a deep breath and reached for her daughter's hands, "You should ask him."

Rory's eyebrow raised, "Really?"

Her Mother smiled and nodded her head, "Really. You're right. He should be there. He's been a huge part of your life hon. And I think he would be honored to have you ask him."

"And...you'd be okay with it?" Rory asked cautiously, "Because if you aren't-"

"This is your big moment kiddo." She said brushing back her daughter's hair, "You've worked so hard for this. Come back from a few struggles...I want it to be everything you dreamed it would be. And if that means having Luke there than you deserve it."

Rory's eyes welled up with tears, "Thank you Mom. That means a lot to me. I know difficult this will be…"

Lorelai smiled and pressed a kiss to her daughter's cheek, "Anything for you sweets."

As her Mom pulled away she whispered, "You know he has to say yes first…"

Lorelai smiled and patted her daughter's hand, "He will."

Rory watched her walk towards the door, "You really think so?"

Lorelai turned back to her and smiled, "Of course. Why wouldn't he?"

Rory shrugged, "Well...you guys aren't together anymore. He doesn't have to do anything for me...not that he ever did before. Besides…now he's got-" She paused and her face flushed, "You know maybe I shouldn't ask him after all."

Lorelai frowned and walked back over to her, "Oh no. Spill the beans. What just happened in that intelligent little head of yours? What were you going to say? He's got...what?"

Rory took a deep breath and looked up at her Mother, "He's got a real daughter now…"

Lorelai sighed and sat back down next to her, "Rory…"

"He's got April. He doesn't need me." Rory said with a shake of her head, "He'll be able to see her graduate and-"

"Hey. Shh…" She whispered wiping at her daughter's tears, "Look at me." Rory hesitated for a moment then looked her Mother in the eye, "Yeah you're right...he does have April. But hon…" She smiled softly, "He had you first."

Rory frowned, "Yeah but-"

"No. No buts." Lorelai said shaking her head, "You may not be his by blood...but you know that deep down he still thinks of you as like a daughter. He adores you honey. And he always will. No matter what. Don't you ever, ever doubt that."

Rory sighed and looked down, "There was part of me that was really jealous of April when I first found out about her. How messed up does that sound? Me, jealous of a kid."

Lorelai smiled, "Wanna know a secret?"

Rory looked up, "What?"

"I was kind of jealous too." She said with a smile, "When he started spending all that time with her I kept thinking...now there's no time for me."

"He doesn't always multitask well." Rory said with a frown.

Lorelai shrugged, "No...that's something he has to work on. But despite that...he's still a really good man. And he will be there if you ask him too. He'd walk through fire for you Rory. All you have to do is ask."

Rory smiled, "And you're sure?"

Lorelai nodded and stood back up, "I'm sure. Go ask him…"

"Okay but I still need my pumps-" Rory started to say.

Lorelai smiled, "There by the door. I wore them today."

Rory frowned, "You little sneak."

"Says the girl wearing my blouse." Lorelai said nodding towards her daughter.

Rory laughed and looked at her shirt, "Hey Mom?"

At the door, she turned and smiled at her daughter, "Yeah?"

"I love you." She whispered softly, "I hope you know that. And me graduating…" She let out a little shaky breath, "None of this would have happened without you."

Lorelai took a deep breath and smiled, "I love you too Rory." She tapped the doorframe, "Now go have fun with your friends. I'll see you tomorrow." She paused for a moment, "Just so you know...Luke works late tonight. Just in case you wanted to run over there on your way out…"

Rory gave her a warm smile and watched as her Mother walked out of the room and wondered how she was able to be as strong as she was. In all her life she had never seen the woman crack. No matter what life through at her, she stood strong and tall and faced it like the superhero she was. She wasn't lying when she said that the only person she thought of giving the extra ticket to was Luke.

But she had hemmed and hawed about the decision for the last 12 hours. Luke had been such a fixture in her life for so long. He was always right there when she needed him most. The idea of him not being at her Graduation broke her heart. So when the extra ticket was offered to her, there was only one obvious choice. The only problem was there were many strings that came attached to it.

Rory often wondered if she was part of the reason it had taken her Mother and Luke so long to really get together. They were both always putting her needs before their own. She remembered telling her Mom that she was worried about them dating. She was worried it wouldn't work out. Because she knew it would hurt all of them...and truthfully she had been right. With a heavy sigh, Rory stood up and wondered how to have this next conversation…

She knew her Mother was right when she said that Luke would do anything for her. But there was also part of her that wondered if it was fair to even ask him to do this. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable. But at the moment...she needed the people she loved most surrounding her. And the day wouldn't feel complete without him.

Getting off the bed, she grabbed her bag from the dresser and made her way towards the front door where her shoes lay discarded by her Mother. She heard the water running upstairs and knew that her Mom had gotten in the shower. As much as she hated to leave her...she knew she had too. Locking the door behind her, she walked outside and out to the car to make the second stop of the night.

At the Diner, it was a slow night. After the town meeting, no one had really come into the Diner as they often did. Luke wondered if it had something to do with the fact that everyone was sad to be missing Rory's graduation. The look on all their faces couldn't come close to how terribly he was feeling.

He knew it was a long shot to be able to go. The mere fact that he had been able to go to her Chilton Graduation had been a miracle to him. The fact that she had wanted him there was even more amazing. Yet here they were all these years later, and the little girl that had stolen his heart was graduating college. Despite some hiccups in the road...she was finally going to graduate.

He was beyond proud of her.

He hoped she knew that. She had to know that, right? He sighed to himself when he realized that he hadn't been able to say that to her. And like her Mother...she wasn't a mind reader. Without saying the words it was hard for someone to understand how he was feeling. Luke wiped down the table and wondered what would've happened if he had married Lorelai on June 3rd like she planned. It wouldn't really be a question of if he got to go to her Graduation or not, would it? He would have been her Stepfather by now.

Another dagger to the heart made him ache when he realized he hadn't just let Lorelai down. He had let Rory down too…

The bell above the Diner door disrupted his thoughts and he glanced up, fully ready to tell whomever it was that he was closing. But his breath caught in his throat when he saw the young woman standing in front of him. She hesitated slightly in the door, wondering if she belonged here anymore. That above everything else broke his heart…

This had been a second home to her for so many years. And now...now she felt out of place.

"Hey…" She whispered softly, "Am I too late for a cup of coffee?"

Luke smiled and turned to grab the pot, "I think there's enough for one cup in here."

Rory smiled and stepped into the Diner, her heels clicking on the floor, reminding him so much of her Mother. How many nights had he been cleaning up after a long exhausting day, did the sound of Lorelai's heels stir something in him? The sound alone eased his tension and worries. Regret piled onto his feelings of failure…

Luke turned back to Rory and plastered a smile on his face as he slid the cup towards her, "Here you go."

She slid onto her favorite stool and reached for the cup, "Thanks."

Luke leaned against the back counter and smiled, "You were the big talk of the Town Meeting you know."

She looked at him over the brim of her cup, "I was?"

Luke nodded, "Yup. Everyone's devastated that they won't get to see the Princess of Stars Hollow Graduate Yale."

She blushed, "The Princess huh?"

"Those were Babette's words. Not mine." He said with a smirk.

She smiled and looked down, "Should have guessed."

"Your Mom let them down easy though." He said with a smile, "But I'm pretty sure I heard Kirk weeping in the back row."

Rory chuckled, "Poor Kirk…"

"I'll give him some extra pancakes in the morning. That will cheer him up." He said with a smile.

Rory laughed and looked back up at him, "I'd appreciate that. Maybe spell out, 'Rory's sorry with blueberries?'"

He smirked, "I'll see what I can do."

She nodded once and put her cup down on the counter, "So…"

He took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest, as if it attempting to keep her from hearing how hard his heart was beating, "So…"

She ran her finger along the top of the cup, something her Mother often did when she was nervous, "I uh...I'm glad I caught you. There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

He shifted slightly, "Oh?"

She gnawed on her lower lip, "It's about my Graduation actually…"

Luke frowned and cocked his head to the side, "Your Graduation?" She nodded, "What about it?" She didn't respond right away, "You are graduating...right?"

Rory smiled, "Oh yeah! Yes. I'm graduating." She said with a chuckle, "Don't worry...I didn't come here to ask you to help me trick Mom into thinking I did or anything. It's really happening despite my little…" She smirked, "My big mistake."

Luke let out a little breath and leaned across the counter to take her hand in his, "Hey kid...we all make mistakes. No matter how old we are...shit happens."

Rory looked up at him and nodded, "So I've come to realize…"

He shrugged, "Look at me...I'm much older than you and still can't seem to get my life together. I mean I lost-" His voice cut off and he stepped back again, afraid to finish his sentence.

Rory didn't need him to continue to know what he was going to say. He was going to allude to losing her Mother. The love of his life. And she knew that she was in fact the love of his life. And he was the love of Lorelai's. There was no denying that. But Rory wondered if love was ever that simple. If you could get past all the bad things and accept them for what they were before moving on. She didn't know...but she hoped you could.

"You know my Mom just told me something interesting." She said staring directly at him.

Luke cleared his throat and looked back at her, "She did? Let me guess...she told you some crazy fact about Bono or she finally beat the record of cups of coffee consumed by one single human being?"

Rory laughed, "No...but I'm sure she surpassed that number long ago." She brushed her hair back and smiled at him, "She told me that when I dropped out of Yale you offered to kidnap me...drag me back home and drive me to school every day to make sure I went to classes."

Luke's face flushed, "Rory…"

She sat up a little straighter, "Is that true?"

He sighed and looked down, "Yeah...it is." He glanced back up at her, "I didn't want to see you give up on your dreams. You'd worked so hard…"

Rory took a deep breath and reached into her bag, "See...that's why I know this is the right decision."

Luke frowned and watched her carefully, "What are you talking about?"

She pulled a rectangular piece of paper from her bag and slid it across the counter towards him; "I may not have been able to score enough tickets for everyone in town. But...I did manage to get one extra ticket."

Luke shook his head, 'Rory I don't understand-"

"It would mean the world to me if you were at my Graduation." She whispered in a raw voice.

Luke took a deep breath and placed a hand over his heart, "Me?"

She nodded slowly as her eyes filled up with tears, "I want the people I love most there. And that list includes you."

He swallowed hard and looked down, "Rory…"

"I know there are complications. I've thought through them all. But I ran it past the two biggest complications and both of them realized how important this was to me and gave me the okay." She said with a sniffle.

"What?" He asked trying to keep up, his mind was spinning as she spoke, "What are you talking about?"

She sighed, "My Dad understands why it is so important to me and said that if it's something I want than he supports me."

Luke's mouth hung open, "He does?"

Rory nodded, "And Mom…" Her voice cracked, she had to take a moment to compose herself, "She knows what it means to me too."

Luke felt a lump growing in his throat, "Rory…"

"See the thing is…" She whimpered softly, "I know that you and Mom aren't together and that breaks my heart. It hurts seeing you both hurt but I…" She cringed slightly before whispering, "I'm hurting too Luke."

He felt his heart ache at his words, "Rory…"

"You have been in my life for so long." She cried, "You've been there for everything. I've always been able to count on you. You were the Dad that I never had growing up…"

He hung his head in shame, "Rory…"

"You moved me into my first day of Yale. And you stored that stupid germ infested mattress." She said with a smirk.

He chuckled, "School wouldn't take it back. I had to pay for it."

She laughed, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yup. It was no big deal though. I didn't-"

"Luke." She said in a soft voice, "Everything you have ever done for me was a big deal. At least to me. Wanna know why?"

He took a deep breath, "Why?"

"Because I always knew that I could count on you." She whispered, "I felt safe with you."

He walked towards the front counter again, "Your Mom and I never thought about how this would change your life too…"

Rory smiled, "Of course you did. Why do you think it took you 8 years to make it work?"

He smirked, "Yeah...that had something to do with it. But there were other reasons too."

Rory nodded, "I know." She reached out for his hand, "And I know now you have a real daughter and-"

"Hey." He said cutting her off, "Wait a second."

"I know you don't' need me." She whispered, "Not that you ever did or anything but I just-" She hiccupped, "Mom says that you still care."

"Of course I do." He said with a frown.

She gazed up at him, "She says that you always will…"

"I always will." He whispered, "Don't you for a second doubt that." When she didn't respond, "God...I really let the ball drop with you and your Mom when April showed up, didn't I?"

Rory shrugged, "It wasn't April's fault."

Luke shook his head, "No. It wasn't. It was mine…"

Rory looked up at him, "Yeah...but from what I understand, we all make mistakes. Even when we are all grown up."

Luke smiled, "I think I've heard that somewhere…"

Rory took a deep breath and went to stand up, "You don't have to give me an answer now. In fact I don't want an answer now."

Luke watched her begin to gather her things, "Rory…"

She shook her head and smiled, "And if you decide that it's just too much...that it's too hard I'll understand that too. I just really wanted to come see you...to ask and to-" Her voice cracked again, "To thank you for always being there for me when I needed you most."

Luke swallowed hard and looked at the young woman before him. It was hard to believe that in the blink of an eye she had turned from a tiny little girl asking him to bury a caterpillar and fix her broken bookshelves, to a strong, confident beautiful Yale graduate. Stepping around the counter he walked over to her and stood in front of her.

Taking her hands in his he whispered, "Just because I have April doesn't mean I love you any less." He reached one hand up to touch her face, "I had you first."

Rory smiled softly through her tears, "Funny...that's what Mom said." She saw his face soften slightly at her words, she smiled and said, "She also told me that you'd be there if I asked you to come." She stepped up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I love you too Luke."

Luke watched s she stepped back and grabbed her bag from the counter, shooting him one last smile before she walked to the door and walked out as quickly as she had come in. Luke stood there in complete shock thinking over everything that had been said. It never occurred to him that Rory would be hurt in all of this too. Why didn't that cross his mind? He was so damn consumed by his anger and pain that he never thought about the young girl he'd cared so deeply for for so many years.

He turned and looked at the counter where the Graduation ticket lay. Picking it up his mind began to race. Of course he wanted to be there. It would be incredible to watch her walk across the stage. He had been an emotional wreck at her High School Graduation, he had no doubt he'd feel that same pride if not more seeing her graduate this time.

But there were complications...so many damn complications.

Yes Christopher and Lorelai had told Rory they would be okay with it. But did they mean that? And would he be okay seeing them both there? Yes he knew they were no longer together...but it still didn't mean it wouldn't stir up a lot of feelings in him.

But suddenly none of that seemed to matter...because the only thing that did matter was Rory.

Maybe it was time to stop being so stubborn, stop being so afraid and act like a man. Slipping the ticket into his front pocket, he went to lock the Diner door, flip off the lights and walk back up to the stairs to his apartment, all the while wondering what to do next.

So...what'd you think? It will probably just be one more chapter...maybe 2 if you guys think I should continue. So let me know! Thanks! :)