Author's Note: First of all, a special thanks to kchocolaterocks for pointing out a few mistakes in the last chapter. I made sure to fix them, so thanks for your help! (: and yes, I agree this storyline does need to slow down a bit.

And also, thank you to everyone who's been reading this so far. Thanks for your suggestions, they are always taken into consideration. (: and I know I keep updating so fast, but I just keep writing and I don't want to forget to put the chapters up sooo....that's why. lol. anyway, here's the 3rd. sorry this chapter and the last have so much dialogue in them..trying to work on that as well. anyway, R&R please!

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It was September 20th, and despite Emily's disappointment, the wedding had been all planned out ahead of time. Now, however, the Gilmores were back from their trip, and were expecting their daughter and her soon to be husband for dinner.

As usual, Lorelai lingered outside the front door for a few moments, contemplating all of the possible evil schemes her mother could be plotting right now. This time, however, she had to add onto that the fact that she was pregnant, and if she didn't tell her mother soon, she would be history. Plus, Luke had threatened that they would not leave until Emily Gilmore knew about the pregnancy, and that meant if he had to tell her himself, he would. She couldn't keep hiding it anymore, after all she didn't have many other loose dresses like the one she was wearing tonight.

"Just knock on the door," Luke said, impatiently.

"No," Lorelai whined. "Let me just savour these last Emily-less moments!"

Luke rolled his eyes and knocked on the door.

Lorelai gasped. "You're horrible! Now I'm not ready to tell her. You can't expect me to tell her, you didn't give me enough time to think about what I'm going to say. Ha!"

"You're telling her," Luke said, simply.

The most recent maid opened the door as Lorelai shot her fiancee a mock angry look. The maid took their clothes and ushered them to the room where cocktails were being poured. And they finally were cocktails again, rather than the mocktails Emily had started to prepare after Richard's heart attack.

"That's a nice ring," Emily said immediately, eyeing her daughter's left hand. She looked up at Luke. "Must have cost a lot of money.."

Lorelai exchanged glances with Luke and then looked ahead at Emily. "Uh, hi, mother?"

Emily ignored her greeting. She let the couple sit down and sip on their drinks for awhile before continuing, "Are the diamonds real, Luke?"

"Of course they're real," He said in an annoyed voice. "I got it from my sister's store."

"Oh so you got it for free, that must be nice," Emily commented.

"I didn't get it for free, I bought it from my sister."

Emily raised her eyebrows. "Hm, your own sister made you pay? She must really be hard on money."

Just as Luke was getting steamed, Richard jumped in. "Emily, isn't dinner almost ready?"

"Oh, yes, I hope you don't mind fish, Luke. I know you don't have any of it at that diner of yours."

"Fish is fine," He said, trying not to lose control.

When they sat down for dinner, Lorelai could tell Emily was in one of her moods. She obviously wasn't pleased at the engagement, but she hadn't expected any more. Well, once again, it was now or never.

"Mom," Lorelai started, pushing her fish around with her fork. "I have something important to tell you."

"Yes?" Emily said, waiting for her to continue.

"I'm...pregnant."

Richard choked on a piece of fish, but Emily just stared blankly at her daughter and smiled.

"That's nice," She replied. "Richard, why don't you tell Lorelai more about our trip, we didn't give her many details."

Lorelai looked at her mother in disbelief. "Mom! I just told you I'm pregnant. I am having a baby, and all you can say is 'that's nice'?"

"Well it is nice, isn't it?" Emily asked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom, it is nice..."

"Well, okay then. I don't see the problem."

Lorelai shook her head. "Excuse me," She said, and got up.

She headed to the bathroom to clear her head. A few moments later, she returned, looking a bit panicked.

"Luke, I need to talk to you for a sec, in...in the other room."

Luke got up, confused, and followed his fiancee into the next room.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, concerned.

Lorelai shook her head. "No. No, everything is definitely not okay. I just, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I just..." She broke off for a moment, and then looked Luke in the eyes. "I just got my period."

Luke's eyes widened. "What? No! But you're pregnant. I mean, are you sure?"

"Uh, Luke, I'm thirty-eight, I think I know a period when I see one."

Luke started pacing. "Right, right. Uh. Wow. What...What do we do?"

"I...I don't know. This has never happened before..."

Luke grabbed Lorelai's hand and pulled her through the dining room. Emily looked at her husband. She stood up and threw her napkin onto the table.

"Where are you going?" She demanded. "Dinner is not over!"

"Yes, Luke, where are we going?" Lorelai asked.

"The hospital," Luke said in a gruff voice.

"The hospital?" Emily echoed. "What do you mean you're going to the hospital?"

Luke helped Lorelai into the passenger's side of the jeep, and he ran and hopped into the driver's side. He sped off toward the nearest hospital.

"Luke," Lorelai said, putting her hand over his. "It's...It's probably too late."

"No." Luke said. "My baby is in there, and if there's anything I can do to keep it that way, I'll do it."

Lorelai blinked, and looked down with a smile. They really were ready. But...what if now there was nothing to be ready for?

Meanwhile, the youngest Gilmore sat in a small waiting room with red carpet and brick walls. She checked her watch. It was seven-thirty, and she was on time for her interview. Rory had to swallow the lump that formed in her throat when she realized that if she were back at home, she'd be at Friday night dinner with her mother, and maybe even Luke. But that was why she was here, to fix that, to get another job and be closer to Stars Hollow. Finally, a woman in a tight black dress opened a door and stepped out. She looked at a clipboard and then back up at Rory.

"Miss Gilmore?" The woman inquired, although Rory was the only person in the room.

Rory nodded, and the woman motioned for her to follow. After standing up and smoothing her dark skirt, she did just that. They walked through a small white hallway, made a few turns, and then arrived at a wooden door. The woman opened the door and allowed Rory to walk past her. A very intelligent looking man in a nice suit greeted Rory. The wooden door shut, and the man began with his questions. Rory answered them to the best of her ability, and when she left, she had a pretty good feeling about it.

Rory showed herself out, and tried to remember the way in which she had come in. She took a left, another left, and then a right and reached a door. Surprised she had actually gone the correct way, she opened the door and entered the room. The door closed behind her and she realized this was not the waiting room she'd left, but instead it was another office. She apologized and went to back out, but stopped short when she realized who was in the chair before her. Her mouth gaped open. The male that sat behind his desk ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Jess?" Rory said, in shock.

He was just about as surprised as she was. "Rory! What are you doing here?"

"I...I was just here for an interview." She looked around, flustered. "Do you...do you work here?"

"Yeah, they read my book and offered me a job for the paper here in Philly." Jess stood up, regaining composure. "Enough about me, how's everything with you?"

"Um, fine," Rory replied.

Jess raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Well, I mean I guess. There's a lot going on lately."

Jess patted the chair in front of his desk. "Wanna talk about it?"

Rory smiled. "I didn't know they hired you as a psychiatrist too," She joked.

"Nah, that's only for the special subscribers," Jess said with a wink. "Now sit."

Rory took a seat, and Jess sat back down in his. Surprisingly, everything just poured out. Rory didn't know why, but she had always been able to trust Jess. He was a good friend, no matter how rarely they got to see each other. She proceeded to tell him about everything- her mother's pregnancy, wanting this job on the Philidelphia paper so she could be closer to home, and finally how she had reluctantly said no to Logan's proposal. By the time she finished, Jess had gotten up and wrapped his arms around her. They were standing up, in an embrace. Jess looked into Rory's sparkling blue eyes and was almost lost there when a loud noise interrupted them. Rory flipped open her phone and answered it. Her jaw dropped.

"Oh my god, is she okay?" Rory asked a frantic sounding Luke. She said a couple quick words, and then hung up.

"What's wrong?" Jess asked, noticeably concerned.

"I need a ride to the hospital in Hartfurd."

The walls were white, the bed was white, the sheets were white, the curtain was white...everything was just so white. But that didn't matter. Luke had really pulled through for Lorelai, no matter what the outcome of the tests was. They wouldn't find that out for about another hour, but the point was that Luke had not only had the courage to bail on dinner with the Gilmores without so much as a goodbye, but he had also not left the hospital room once, though it was now nearly two in the morning.

Luke checked his watch for about the third time in five minutes. He fidgeted a little in his seat, and then looked over at his tired fiancee. She turned her head towards him and smiled. He intertwined his hand with hers, and used the other to brush a stray strand of hair from her forehead. His phone beeped loudly, interrupting their moment.

"It's Rory," He said handing the phone to her.

Lorelai smiled. She didn't know Luke had even been able to get ahold of Rory.

"Hey, hon," Lorelai said in a somewhat faint voice.

Rory's concerned voice came from the other end. "Hey, Mom, how is everything?"

"Very white," Lorelai commented.

Rory replied, "Mom..."

"Well we haven't got the test results back, but wow, Luke went all Dad-mode on me earlier, it was so cute!"

Luke rolled his eyes but smiled, and Lorelai squeezed his hand. She hung up with her daughter as soon as the doctor entered the room. Luke took his phone back. Before the doctor made it all the way through the door, Luke got up and stood beside the bed. He grabbed Lorelai's hand with both of his and looked her directly in the eyes. He noticed they were tearing up a bit, and her face suddenly went blotchy. Lorelai couldn't help crying. This was her baby, Luke's baby. She was going to have a baby with Luke if everything was okay. But what if it wasn't? That would be less complicated, sure, but would it be worth it?

The doctor smiled, but the couple couldn't tell whether it was a good smile, or a sympathetic one.

"Mr. Danes, Miss Gilmore...your baby is going to be fine."

They both breathed out a breath they hadn't even realized they'd been holding in.

The doctor continued, "Miss Gilmore, what you saw wasn't your period, just a bit of spotting. It's not too uncommon, but you do need to be on bed rest for about three weeks. You may get up, but only to use the bathroom, and try to limit it. Being on your feet is not at all good right now. But, if you stay in bed and take the medication we've prescribed you, everything should be fine. Call us immediately if this happens again, or if you feel any cramping. And the good news is, we've seen many of your ultrasounds today, and we can tell you the gender of your baby if you'd like."

Lorelai looked up at Luke as if to say it was his decision. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to know.

Luke shook his head. "No, we want it to be a surprise."

Lorelai smiled, and the doctor nodded her head. When she was free to go, Luke helped her from the bed and into a wheelchair.

At about five in the morning, Lorelai lay in bed at home. She thought about all the men she had had in her life, and how she couldn't have settled with any of them. Not even Christopher. But Luke...Luke was so different. She felt so...In place with him. Everything seemed to fit together, she couldn't describe it. She knew no matter what, he'd always be there for her. She remembered when her father was in the hospital, Luke was there. Rory's high school graduation, Luke was there. Rory's whole childhood, actually, Luke was there. Luke was just always there. Tears filled her eyes, and she smiled. Suddenly the doorbell rang. She heard Luke's footsteps leaving the kitchen, and then she heard the door open. The next sound that came to her ears was the sound of her mother's voice. Lorelai sighed. She pulled the blanket over her face as her mother's footsteps came up the stairs and finally stopped in the doorway of her room.

"Lorelai, don't be silly. I know you're under there," Emily said in an annoyed tone.

"Yes, Mom?" Lorelai said matching the tone. She lifted the sheet over her head. "Is there a reason you're in my house at five in the morning?"

"Is there a reason you left my house without a word last night?"

"Actually, there is. And you would know that if you'd had the decency to follow us to the hospital."

"You leave my house in the middle of dinner, with no explanation of where you're going, and you expect me to just follow you?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Mom, when the only word you hear from us happens to be 'hospital', you can pretty much guess that it can't be too good. If I had waited any longer, I could have had a miscarriage. So if you came here to tell me it was wrong of me to leave in the middle of dinner, you're wasting your time."

Emily stood up straight and frowned. With nothing more to say, she turned and left. To her surprise, another guest entered the room. But this guest was much more pleasant. Lorelai looked up to her doorway and gasped. A smile spread over her face, and she wished she could spring out of bed.

"Don't even move, I'm warning you!" Rory said with a huge smile. She ran to her mother and hugged her.

"Rory! Why are you here?"

Rory faked a frown. "Well I guess I could leave..."

"Oh, hon, you know what I mean!" Lorelai wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter and wished she never had to let go. "How'd you get here?"

"Um, Jess dropped me off..."

"What?" Lorelai asked, confused.

Luke went upstairs and stood in the doorway, "Well I see you're in good hands. I'm gonna head back to the diner for a few more hours if you're okay."

Lorelai smiled. "I'm fine, Luke. Go. You've been helpful enough."

Luke left, and Rory sat on the end of the bed. "So, I have a bit of a surprise," She began.

"You found out who your real mother is?" Lorelai joked.

"No, but thanks for the tip," Rory said with a smile. She turned serious. "I got a new job."

Lorelai wrinkled her forehead. "You've only been working a couple months..."

"I know. But I can't take the constant motels anymore, and it's already been so tough living so far away from everyone. I know what you're thinking, but just hear me out." Lorelai nodded, and Rory continued. "I applied for a job in Philidelphia, working for a major newspaper there, and I had the interview today. They called me back while I was on my way here and told me I got the job. I only have to be at work four days a week, so I figured I could buy an apartment there and come back here for the weekends."

Lorelai sat up with a big smile and embraced her daughter. "Oh Rory, that's great, hon, I've already missed you so much."

Rory just let her mother hug her. They both were quiet for a while, just taking in the moment.

Lorelai looked around. "What'd you do, dump Jess on the side of the road?" She teased.

Rory rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "He went to go see Luke."

"Rory...you do know that Jess is going to be like your cousin when Luke and I are married, right?"

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed.

Lorelai held up her hands in defense. "I'm just saying!"

"We're just friends," Rory said firmly.

"Okay..." Lorelai replied.

"Ice cream?" Rory offered, changing the subject.

"Of course!" Her mother replied.

At about two in the afternoon, Lorelai and her daughter lay in bed watching their favorite movie ever: 'Casa Blanca'. A loud bang on the front door interrupted them. Rory jumped up to answer it, but her mom held out her hand to stop her.

"It's probably just Luke, he'll let himself in."

Rory sat back against the pillows, but as she did, the knocking came again. This time harder and louder.

"Lorelai!" The voice called. "Lorelai, I need to talk to you!"

Rory got up. "Ooh, sounds important! Better go let them in."

Rory smiled all the way down the stairs. She was glad she'd be home again, or at least close. She ran down the rest of the stairs, and jogged to the door. But when she pulled it open, her smile immediately disappeared.