A/N: I want to thank all of you for your great feedback! You rock! Thanks to my beta, R.M. Jackson, for sending me on a search to find out the correct spelling of a word I thought I'd never type. You rock! And thanks to the ladies at BWR for your cheerleading... the chapter you're waiting for will come soon!

The splitting headache that Lorelai was experiencing grew worse as the twins fought in front of her. Why anyone in their right mind would encourage a double wedding for their children was beyond Lorelai. Glancing over at the girls' mother, Lorelai let out a sigh. She knew she was only getting a tiny taste of what their mother had dealt with for her entire life. Standing next to the two arguing sisters, she searched for a welcome excuse to escape.

It didn't even have to be a believable one at this point; Lorelai just needed something to get her through the next few minutes. Her prayers were answered as the telephone rang. Catching the bewildered mother's attention, Lorelai politely excused herself and ran to the desk to get the telephone.

"Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking," Lorelai answered, nearly dropping the phone as she picked it up.

"If verbal ping pong was a sport, I would so try out for it," Rory said from the other line.

Lorelai grinned at the sound of her daughter's voice. She sounded rather perky compared to the encounter in the diner. She tapped Michel on the shoulder, pointing to the arguing twins. As he protested, she shot him an intimidating glare, which sent him off running to assist the two. She leaned against the counter, reveling in her manipulative abilities. "Oh, well, I'll always challenge someone to a game of verbal ping pong; we should start a league. It will be like bowling, only without the funny shoes and the big balls… was that just a little dirty?"

"Try extremely dirty."

"Who did you get into the verbal ping pong match with?"

Rory sighed. "My advisor. I begged for an extension on that little sports deadline. Because, first of all, I'm a quick study, but I freeze up sometimes. Freezing up is not something I want to do. Second, putting all that pressure on Luke isn't fair. Learning any type of sport is a complicated process. You can't just magically expect someone to understand what's going on. So, I got until next Friday because I ended up explaining that I wanted to study for my English exam instead of running a mile."

"And I'm guessing by the 'hey, look at me, I'm about ready to rip off my jersey to expose my bra' tone in your voice that you got your extension?"

"At Chilton, while physical excellence is important, mental excellence is our top priority," Rory said, distorting her voice to sound like that of her advisor. "Therefore, we will allow one week's grace period. But don't think that we'll forget about you, Miss Gilmore."

Lorelai grinned. "Did you start singing the Breakfast Club theme song to assure them that you don't want them to forget you?"

Rory giggled. "Then they would have signed me up for chorus and a sport. I'll quit while I'm ahead."

"Ah, well, I had to ask. I mean, you're quite bold for your first few weeks at Chilton, you could have surprised us all."

"I can be bold when it comes to fair academic assessment. It's something I'm very passionate about."

Lorelai snorted. "Even in your boldness, I bet you had a persuasive speech in the pocket of your blazer in case you got nervous."

"Are you mocking me?" Rory responded sarcastically.

"So what if I am?"

"I had a spare copy in my backpack and I had the original in my hands," she admitted. "In case of an emergency."

Looking over at the temporarily appeased brides, Lorelai giggled. "Jinkies, Fred and Daphne. That's what I thought! The mystery is now solved and we can all sleep tonight knowing that Rory's inner motives have been exposed."

"If it weren't for you meddling kids and your dumb dog, I would have successfully completed my plan," Rory muttered.

"Do you want to go to Luke's for some Scooby Snacks later?" Lorelai queried, sorting through the pile of mail on the desk. The sound of a trip to the diner perked Lorelai up; she wanted a cup of Luke's coffee to get her through the day.

"I'm going to pass," Rory replied. "I have a huge English test to study for. Remember what I told my advisor? That wasn't a lie, you know. I can use this stuff to my advantage without lying."

Lorelai sighed. "You're bold enough to protest, but you're not quite at the lying stage?"

"I suppose," Rory teased.

"Fine, but don't expect to ride in the Mystery Machine if you don't come with me."

"I'll pass," Rory said. "But next time I'll ride with you to the malt shop. Just make Freddy take off that stupid orange scarf thing, it makes him look gay."

"It's an ascot! However, I'll be sure to let Daphne know your opinion."

"Good. Because Freddy's supposed to be Daphne's boyfriend, not Shaggy's. See ya."

"Bye," Lorelai said, hanging up the telephone.

After Lorelai settled more arguments between the feuding brides, reassured their mother that everything would be okay, and found a free moment to escape, the only place she wanted to be was at Luke's. She was starving and seriously contemplating ordering almost everything on the menu.

And the coffee didn't sound so bad, either.

Lorelai finally reached the diner. The bells that rang as she walked through the door were an extremely welcome sound. She took a seat at the counter after taking a look around and finding the diner completely empty. "Oh, I get it. It's a joke. You wanted to annoy me yesterday, but today the diner's a ghost town."

"I don't control where people want to eat and when they want to eat," Luke muttered. "I just serve them when they decide they want to eat something here. What are you ordering?"

Lorelai reached for a menu and swatted Luke's hand with it. "I haven't even thought past the coffee. Which I'm still waiting for, by the way."

"You walked in two seconds ago," Luke replied, motioning to the door.

Lorelai snorted. "Please. You know after all these years that I want my coffee up front. You shouldn't even have to ask me anymore."

Luke turned to the coffee pot, reached for a mug, and filled it to the brim with coffee. He carefully placed it in front of Lorelai, and returned to the coffee pot. He exchanged the fresh pot of coffee for his ordering pad and pencil. "There. You have your coffee, up front. It's a fresh pot, and you have your pick of tables. No one else is here; therefore, I can serve you right away. All you have to do is decide what you want to eat. Are you happy now?"

"I am thrilled," Lorelai said. She scanned the menu, closed it, and placed it in front of her. She ran her hands through her curly hair, deep in thought about her dinner. "You know what? I haven't had this in forever, and it just sounds so good right now. I think I want a meatloaf dinner."

"That's not the special for today," Luke replied without looking up from the ordering pad. "It's Thursday, the special's on the board."

She put the menu down, crossing her arms. "Another thing you should know is that I never go by your daily specials. What baffles me is that you've never cared until now."

"I've always cared," Luke grumbled, writing the order down and tearing it off the pad of paper. "I just didn't say anything until now."

She took a sip of coffee and raised her eyebrows. "It took you years to say something," she said with a nod. "And you're still not forbidding me from actually ordering the delicious meatloaf dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy on the side. Interesting."

"Are you going to shut up anytime soon?" he asked, making the necessary changes and bringing Lorelai's order into the kitchen.

"Think back, all these years…"

"Well, I guess that's a no," he muttered, emerging from the kitchen.

She placed the menu back where it came from and she put her purse on the seat next to her. "I just came by to thank you for offering to help Rory with the sports thing."

"I didn't offer," Luke replied. "You roped me into it."

She grinned. "Well, regardless. You're doing it, and I thank you."

"When are we meeting? Are you going to be able to run after eating a meatloaf dinner?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "Rory got an extension from her advisor. You now have a week to make her the next… insert really good baseball player here."

"I suppose you're going to have to brush up on your sports terminology to enjoy the witty banter while we practice," Luke said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes. "There's plenty of sports movies that I can stick in at anytime. I've seen Space Jam before, you know."

"Well, there will be no animated Looney Tunes animals when we practice."

Lorelai snapped her fingers. "Bugs Bunny really does play all those positions at once in the old cartoon; I just really wanted to see it in real life."

"You must be devastated," Luke said sarcastically.

"Do you have all of the… stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"The… baseball bats, the baseballs, the… whatever else you need for baseball?"

Luke nodded. "I have it taken care of."

"So what does Rory have to do?"

He shrugged. "Show up."

"I'll bet you a million dollars she's already researching," Lorelai insisted. "She'll start spitting out the history of baseball to you when we start practice."

"She can do that," Luke started. "Whatever earns her a good grade."

"Thanks again, Luke," Lorelai said, sipping her coffee. "In case I haven't expressed my gratitude enough. Can we meet you Saturday afternoon at the field?"

He nodded. "Sounds good. I'm going to check on your dinner."

She smiled. In just that short conversation, Luke made quite a few sacrifices for Lorelai. And for Rory. Taking another sip of her coffee, she thought about how glad she was that she trusted Luke enough to let him help Rory.

Lorelai sat at the dinner table that Friday night, trying to figure out just how her mother could be so callous with her maids. She sighed, deciding to chalk it up as one of life's imponderables and move on. The four Gilmores were nearly silent as they ate their dessert until Emily decided to start a new conversation.

"So, Lorelai, how are things at that charming little inn of yours?" she asked.

"They're still charming and little. We're just crossing our fingers it doesn't assert itself and become rude and large," Lorelai teased, not anticipating a response of any kind about her joke. She'd become accustomed to it after the past few Friday night dinners.

"Mom's having a huge wedding there this week," Rory added, trying to help Lorelai's cause.

"Really?"

Lorelai smiled at Rory. She was stunned at the genuinely interested tone in Emily's voice. "Yeah, actually, there are people coming from all over the country."

"Well, isn't that nice?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah."

As they continued to eat their dessert, Lorelai prepared more answers to Emily's questions about the big wedding. After a moment of awkward silence, Emily's questions were directed toward Rory. "Rory, how's Chilton?"

Lorelai sighed in frustration. A civil conversation was abruptly ended, and the frustration on both sides was building. "Okay, done with me now," she muttered, glaring at Emily.

Emily glared at Lorelai from across the table. "I'm sorry, was there more to the story?" she asked condescendingly.

"Uh, Rory has to pick a team sport to play," Lorelai said, once again feeling the tension that Emily's attention brought with it. She felt bad for putting the focus on Rory once again. She shot her daughter an apologetic look and waited for her to respond.

Rory nodded, crossing her legs. "It's a requirement."

"Physical fitness is as important as intellectual fitness. So says Plato and so say I," Richard said with a nod.

Lorelai settled back on the couch and relaxed as the conversation continued. Emily seemed immediately hooked, and she could deal with the abrupt shift in topics so long as things were peaceful.

"What sport are you going to pick?" Emily asked.

"Well," Rory started. "I'm not really the athletic type, but…"

"I told her she should go out for the debating team," Lorelai interjected, taking a sip of her drink.

"It's not a sport," Rory replied.

Lorelai shrugged. "It's the way the Gilmores play."

Emily ignored Lorelai's comment and turned her attention to her granddaughter once again. "So, what are your choices?" she asked.

Rory's eyes widened. "God, there's like a thousand of them: basketball, lacrosse, swimming, track, golf…"

Emily's eyes lit up. "Golf?"

Rory nodded, glancing at Lorelai nervously. "Yeah."

"Well your grandfather is a golf player," Emily said enthusiastically, grinning as she turned to face Rory. She then turned to Richard, who looked just as shocked as Rory did.

"Um, Mom?" Lorelai started, coughing as she choked down some of her dessert. It was time for damage control. She was glad she had roped Luke into helping Rory learn to play baseball, but first she had to convince her parents that it was a genius idea like she thought it was.

Emily went on, seemingly uninterested in Lorelai's concerns. "He plays every week at the club. He could teach you to play like a pro."

Richard cringed. "Emily."

"Why, he could take you there on Sunday. It's perfect," Emily gushed, a grin forming on her face. Lorelai knew that Emily had a plan, an evil plan. It was a double-edged sword for Lorelai. She knew that she would be able to reject her mother's insistence that Rory learn to play golf. But at the same time she knew that she would have to explain that Rory already had someone lined up to help her learn to play a sport. That part could be dangerous.

"It's not something you can teach in an afternoon," Richard replied.

Lorelai nodded. "That's okay. Rory can pick something else," she said quickly, trying to drop the subject. She racked her brain for a new theme of discussion for the night. She was even willing to have the attention turned to her again; anything to spare Rory from the evil plan would be fine.

"Why should she pick something else?" Emily questioned sternly. "She needs to learn a sport and Richard can teach her a sport." She turned her attention to her granddaughter, folded her hands in her lap, and smiled. "You can use your mother's old golf clubs. They're upstairs gathering dust along with the rest of her potential."

Lorelai decided that it was time to explain Rory's choice to play baseball instead. "Mom, Dad, while we, uh, appreciate the offer, Rory's got lessons lined up to learn to play baseball."

"Baseball?" Emily replied, shocked. "What a barbaric sport! Rory could get seriously injured playing baseball! Wasn't there a player who was blinded by a baseball to the eye?"

"That won't happen to Rory," Lorelai said with a nod. "Honestly, Mom, we have it under control."

"And baseball is a boys' sport, Rory. Don't you want to try something that both men and women can play?" Emily continued, ignoring Lorelai's reassurances.

"Baseball and softball aren't that different, Emily," Richard pointed out. "If one can learn to hit a baseball, one can certainly learn to hit a softball. The rules of the game are quite similar. It's not a difficult concept."

"Yeah, Mom, Dad even said it. Rory will be fine," Lorelai said, quickly downing the rest of her dessert.

Emily put down her fork. "Honestly, Lorelai, how do you expect Rory to learn to play baseball in such a short period of time?"

"I got an extension," Rory said sheepishly, looking down at her empty dessert plate.

"She'll be fine. We'll practice with Luke a couple of times before she has to face the firing squad," Lorelai insisted. She could feel her own frustrations and tensions from a stressful day at work bubbling over, and if she wasn't careful, she was going to take it out on her parents.

"Who is Luke?"

She sighed. On second thought, taking it out on her parents didn't sound so bad. "Luke is the guy who owns the diner. He's a good guy, Mom. He's helped us a lot over the years. This is no different."

"I don't even know this man," Emily continued. "What makes you think that a random man off the street is going to know everything there is to know about baseball? Rory's future is at stake here!"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "He's well aware of that, Mom."

"Who's to say this man won't purposely teach Rory incorrectly?"

"Luke's not some vicious person who's looking for revenge," Lorelai shot back. "He's the guy who owns the diner we go to every morning, it's no big deal. He's doing us a huge favor."

"He owns a diner and that automatically makes him knowledgeable about baseball?"

Rory looked up from her plate. "He likes baseball."

"One can be a fan of a sport, but not an expert," Richard interjected. "But fans can also be experts."

Emily looked at Richard. "Whose side are you on?"

Richard pulled out his chair and stood up by the table. "Emily, I didn't see that there was a reason to choose a side. Rory is a bright young lady; she's extremely aware that this physical education requirement is in place for her benefit. And although she is not thrilled with the prospect of learning to play a sport, she has obviously enlisted the help of someone she trusts."

"You're obviously on their side," Emily muttered.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Mom, Luke will be the reason Rory passes this class, like it or not. May we be excused?"

"Have Mira get your coats," Emily replied curtly.

Lorelai put her napkin on the table and turned to Rory. "Hey, if you see Sara in the hallway before I do, would you let her know that we're leaving?"

Rory nodded, walking out of the dining room. Lorelai pushed in her chair and followed closely behind. Her parents didn't understand her reasoning for asking Luke to assist Rory in the sports situation, but Rory was going to earn a passing grade in that class. Lorelai knew Luke was the only person capable of helping her to do so.