Chapter 2: Make a Shed a Home

The sound of birds singing pulled Lorelai out of sleep. That and the wails of her infant, screaming for her morning milk.

"All right, all right..." Lorelai groaned. "Settle down. Here: I've got you..." She half-rolled out of bed before scooping Rory off the mattress. Shuffling into the bathroom, Lorelai got a good look at herself in the mirror. Bedhead, and crumpled clothes.

"Good morning to you, too," she grumbled at her reflection, while she removed her top and bra, allowing Rory to latch onto her breast and begin to suckle. Lorelai hoped the baby would get her fill, and a healthy one at that. Neither had eaten in the last roughly twelve, thirteen hours, and that had been a tense Last Supper of extravagant proportions at her parents' house. In the dead of that very same night, Lorelai had stolen out her window with Rory before hiking to the bus stop and hopping the first one that came along.

Placing Rory back on the bed and taking a quick spray-off, Lorelai changed into some clean clothes before collecting the child and heading downstairs.

The Inn was bustling. Phones rang off the hook at the front desk. Guests checked in or out in a steady stream. A concierge ran past the girls at one point carrying a flower pot. All this bustle, and it was Christmastime. This place does a business, Lorelai mused.

Mia spotted Lorelai just then from across the way, and hurried over. The young teenager was surprised when she was given a hug in greeting.

"Sleep well, child?"

"Yes, thank you. So much." Lorelai expressed as intensely as she could.

Mia smiled in understanding. "And the little kitten?"

Lorelai glanced to Rory and smiled. "She's had her breakfast, so I assume she's happy; she hasn't told me otherwise."

"Well, for you, there might be something in the kitchen. Sookie can whip it up!" Mia pointed down off one hallway past the front desk.

Lorelai nodded and followed the hallway, even as she blinked. Sookie? What a funny name!

Pushing into the kitchen, Lorelai found what looked like a war zone. A war zone which had somehow produced beautiful cakes and sandwiches and a thousand other delights even amidst the chaos. Over at one stove, a plump young woman with flaming red hair had her back to Lorelai, busily working over a pot. She turned around at the door swiping closed.

"You must be the gal Mia took in last night!" Sookie said, running up to Lorelai and shaking her hand. "I'm Sookie!"

Sookie's bubbly exuberance threw Lorelai at first, not to mention that she seemed to already know who she was and why she was there.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lorelai and this is Rory," she gestured.

"Your daughter?!" Sookie squealed. "Oh, aren't you a precious little cherub? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!" She cooed over Rory, who was squirming in Lorelai's arms.

"Mia said you might be able to feed me something? If you can," Lorelai added quickly, not wanting to presume.

"But of course! Sandwich?"

Lorelai nodded.

"What do you want on it?"

"Just a grilled cheese would be lovely."

"Coming right up!"

After finishing her meal, Lorelai headed back out to the front lobby. It was late morning, so the stream of guests had receded somewhat. Approaching the front desk, Lorelai watched Mia conclude a call with a customer before hanging up the phone. The older woman smiled.

"Eaten?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Good. Now... Lorelai, is it? Can I just sit you down and you can tell me what happened?"

No matter where she and Rory had ended up, Lorelai had always intended to answer only the most necessary questions and leave it at that. But something about Mia's demeanor made the young mother open up. She told her everything: of her pregnancy, of her baby's father being pressured into marrying her and then cut off from her when she refused out of independence. Spending the first year of Rory's life with almost no say in how to raise her own child. Finally having enough, she had bolted.

Mia nodded sympathetically. "I'm guessing your mother and father won't take you back."

Lorelai laughed bitterly. "Are you kidding? I'm probably dead to them now. Besides, I don't want to go back. I'm a mother; I have to grow up sometime."

"And you have your pride; I can tell," Mia observed. "Lorelai: how would you like to work here at the Inn? I could only give you the position of bang maid right now, so it doesn't pay much. But..."

She was surprised when Lorelai actually hugged her. "This is more than I could have ever hoped for! I'll work so hard; you won't regret it!"

"I don't think I will," Mia said softly. "You're strong. That much I know. Now, in return, I can renovate the old potting shed in the back so you and..." she fumbled for the baby's name.

"Rory."

"Rory. So you and Rory can have somewhere to live without taking up one of the rooms."

Lorelai burst into tears. The generosity she had stumbled onto by almost happenstance was too overwhelming.

Mia patted her knee. "I'll get my staff to start clearing out the shed." Leaving a still weeping Lorelai by herself to calm down, the manager crossed back to her desk and made a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Luke? It's Mia. Can you come over here sometime this afternoon? And bring your toolbox, all right? Here's what you need to do first..."

By closing time at the end of that very same day, the potting shed had been cleared out. Rocking Rory, Lorelai watched from the Inn's back windows as men carted out bags of soil, garden hoes, and a fully-functioning wheelbarrow through the snow. Mia came up next to her employee-to-be.

"Here are the keys to the shed. You can go on over now and check it out; it should be clear. Can you start first thing tomorrow morning?"

Lorelai nodded. "What time?"

"6 A.M. sharp," Mia ordered. "You can bring Rory along with you, of course, as you make your rounds." She then left to check on the dinner guests over in the next room.

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai shrugged on the overcoat Mia had given her, and trekked the few yards over to the shed. Unlocking it, she found the place spick and span. It was a simple abode, wooden, worthy of a poor girl like herself. Nevertheless, to Lorelai, it felt like a palace.

She smiled down at Rory in her booster seat. "Do you like it, my sweets?"

Rory only cooed and made baby sounds in reply.

Of course, they would be living out of their suitcase for now. Until she got her first paycheck in a few weeks, Lorelai was flat broke - without a penny to her name. It might be even longer before she could buy bigger necessities. Like a bed for her. Or a cradle for Rory. Bathroom... maybe Mia would allow her to use a spare one and shower in the Inn. 75 square feet in area did not leave much room for a shower...

Just then, Lorelai heard a truck pull up right next to the shed. Opening the door, she recognized it as Luke's... who was now unloading supplies from the flatback. The frame of a bed. A small dresser. When Lorelai saw the crib, she lost it.

"Oh my God! How did you...? Why...?"

"Mia's orders," Luke smirked. If that was the best he could do for a smile, Lorelai would take it.

"You didn't!"

"But I did, and that's the end of it," Luke said in an almost paternal way. "We'll start with the crib. Where do you want it?"

Lorelai had never been one for design, since her mother had usually made those kinds of decisions for her. Still, she excitedly directed Luke where to put it in the corner. The dresser was placed opposite it, against the left wall. Then came the framing of the queen-bed, piece by piece. All shuttled in, Luke immediately knelt on the floor and set to work assembling it.

"You don't have to do that..." Lorelai murmured.

"I want to. And where else are you going to sleep? The floor? Or perhaps the crib?" He smirked over to where Rory was already swaddled inside it. "I don't think you and..."

"Rory," Lorelai offered.

"Rory... can both fit."

The assembly did not take long. Lorelai could see why Luke was the owner of a hardware store; he was really good with his hands. It was almost fascinating, watching him work. Lorelai also found it cute to observe Luke glance back at the crib every now and again, making sure he was working quietly enough to not wake Rory.

As soon as the bed was complete, Luke slipped out to his truck and loaded in a mattress, complete with blankets. Lorelai helped him make it up, at her insistence. "You've already done so much! What next?"

"Just this," Luke said. He slung a backpack off of his shoulders and opened the flap. Lorelai stared at the bottles upon bottles of milk.

"Every last one has been heated... for her..." Luke glanced away, back towards the crib, in almost embarrassment. Were his cheeks actually burning?

Lorelai pushed down the lump in her throat. "Thank you, Luke."

And for the first time, Luke genuinely smiled. He stood, hands on his hips, surveying the shed he had transformed into a somewhat respectable home in a matter of hours. "Now all that's left is the bathroom..."

"I swear to God, if you have tiling all ready in that flatbed..." Lorelai warned teasingly.

Luke actually laughed. "I wish!" And he seemed sincere. "And I will. Soon. I can even rig a water heater next to the shed and everything..."

Lorelai touched his arm. "You've already gone above and beyond. Rory and I can manage using the Inn's facilities for now. Thank you." Her eyes threatened to spill over once again, and she squeezed his arm. "Thank you."

Luke smiled again. Lorelai liked his smile. "You're welcome." He headed for the door. For a moment, he paused over Rory's crib, looking like he wanted to say goodbye to her. But, instead he headed out, and Lorelai heard the tires pulling away through the drifts a moment later.

Crossing to the crib, she touched a hand to Rory's cheek, drinking in the sight of her sleeping so peacefully. Then, the young mother crossed to her new bed; she was asleep right after her head hit the pillow.

A/N: Keep reviewing, please!