A/N: Welcome to chapter three of Holes in the Floor of Heaven. Thank you for your reviews. I hope that I am staying true to the characters. Some dialouge is taken from 1-15: Christopher Returns. Enjoy Chapter three in which you get to meet the evil ferret of a fatherwhom I like to call Christopher Hayden. For all of you Chris lovers out there just so you know this is an Anti-Chris story. This will most likely be the only time I ever have him so squarely centered in this story.


Chapter Three: Fights, Families and Fire

It was a crisp, early April morning when Lorelai's phone rang. "I hate you," she mumbled into the phone.

"Lor? It's Chris. Please don't hang up," Christopher said.

"Oh now you call?" Lorelai said, fully awake now. "Only a month after the play. Do you know that your daughter cried herself to sleep that night? It took four pints of chocolate chip cookie ice cream, three peices of cake and three showings of Pretty in Pinkbefore she was finally over the fact that you didn't show! You can't keep doing this to her!"

"I know," Christopher said, quietly. "I wanted to be there Lor. I really did."

"Then where the hell were you?" Lorelai demanded. "You had better have been on your deathbed cause no other excuse will fly with me Christopher. I left you a message that had the date and time on there eight times so you would be sure to hear it at least once."

"I got your message, I was going to come but something came up at the last minute," Christopher began.

"Save it Chris!" Lorelai yelled."You broke your daughter's heart. I don't care if you got tickets to see Elvis himself you should have said 'Sorry your majesty my daughter is in her school play tonight. I'll catch the next one!' But you didn't! I spent Saturday nightand most of Sunday holding a very upset five year old. You want to know what she asked me? 'Why doesn't my daddy love me? Why didn't he come to my play? Am I not good enough for him? Why doesn't he love me?' I had no answers for her Chris! So maybe you have some!"

"I got a new job and I couldn't get away for the weekend. I lobbied so hard to get it off too. Lorelai, you have to believe me. I wanted so much to be there."

"But like so many other times in her life Chris you weren't! I am too mad to even talk to you right now Chris. Goodbye!"

She slammed the phone down and leaned back into her pillows. She looked over at the clock. It was seven thirty. She knew Luke would be up and able to calm her down. She tapped in the numbers to the diner. Three rings and he picked up.

"Luke's," he said.

"Hey Luke, it's me," Lorelai said, trying not to sound too upset.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? You sound upset," Luke said, concerned. "What happened? Is Rory ok? Are you ok?"

"Chris called. About ten minutes ago," she sighed. "He called trying to make an excuse about why he wasn't at Rory's play."

"And what excuse did he have this time?"

"Got a new job and couldn't get the weekend off. I swear he changes jobs faster than Kirk."

"Are you all right? Want me to come over for a little while?"

"You have work to do. I'll be in soon anyway. Since Rory has school soon."

"Ok. I'll see you both soon," he sighed. "Bye Sweetheart."

Luke hung up the phone and sighed. It had been a long month for the Gilmore girls and their diner man. Rory was still depressed about Chris missing the play. He tried everything to lift her spirits. He made her chocolate chip pancakes for three days in a row with no avail. Nothing Luke and Lorelai did seemed to bring Rory out of the funk she was in. Until one afternoon.

Lorelai and Rory were walking from the diner to Doose's. They were in much need of groceries, meaning they were out of Pop Tarts and tater tots. Lorelai heard a car backfire she looked back and saw a junky old Ford Escort clunking up the street. The car parked next to the clock and a door opened. A man got out. Rory looked at the man, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Daddy!" Rory exclaimed, running to the man.

"Christopher," Lorelai sighed.

Rory jumped into her father's arms. Chris swung her around, hugging the little girl close. Lorelai glared over at Christopher. He always did this. He would pick the worst time to come and everything would get messed up. He would make Rory promises that he had no intention of keeping. Lorelai knew that in a few days she would be cradling a sad little girl, telling her that her father was trying and to just give him time.

"Mommy," Rory called to her. "Daddy said he's going to be here all week!"

"That's great sweets. Why don't you go show your dad around the town and then bring him by Luke's and we'll have ice cream," Lorelai suggested.

"Ok Mommy," Rory said, pulling on her father's arm. "Come on Daddy. I want to show you Miss Patty's and Lane's house and..."

Lorelai watched as Rory and Christopher walked away. She turned on her heel and practically ran to the diner. She flew in the door and came to a stop at the counter.

"Caesar, where's Luke?" she asked.

"He went upstairs for a minute," Caesar replied.

"Thanks," she said going up the stairs.

She stopped outside his apartment door and sighed. She rapped on the glass window and waitd for him to come to the door. Normally she would have just gone in, but not today. Today, this moment she needed him to come to her. She needed him to open that door and let her fall into him. She needed him to hold her and soothe away the anger boiling inside her from Christopher just showing up. The door opened and he saw the look on her face and instantly opened his arms to her.

"Sweetheart? What's wrong?" he asked, pulling her inside the apartment. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"He's here. In this town. Being led around by Rory. I can't believe he's here," Lorelai babbled.

"Who's here? Where's Rory?" Luke asked getting concerned.

"Christopher just showed up. No warning, no call. Just like he always does."

"Don't you want him to show up every now and then without you having to threaten bodily harm to him?" Luke asked, rubbing her back.

"But everytime he comes back, he promises Rory that things are going to change, that he's going to be around more. That lasts about three weeks then it's back to six months go by and we hear nothing. Then I go back to hating him and wanting to key his car, which I have done, twice. He still thinks that things can be the way they were when we were sixteen. He hasn't grown up yet."

"I can understand that. Liz is the same way. I worry about Jess a lot," Luke said, referring to his younger sister and her son. "I wish that she would do the same thing."

Lorelai wouldn't admit it to herself but she was falling in love with Luke Danes. She loved that he would hold her and listen to her complaints about Christopher. She loved how he spent so much of his time doing things for her and Rory.

"We should get back downstairs. Rory will be back with him any minute and she'll be expecting ice cream. I know that it will be a stretch for you but please be nice to him," Lorelai said, pulling out of Luke's embrace. "Please for me."

"Of course Sweetheart. I just won't say anything at all."

He pulled her back to him and kissed her gently. She deepened the kiss, pressing herself closer to him. He enveloped her into his arms, never wanting to let go. He promised himself that nothing was ever going to happen to this wonderful, sexy, beautiful woman and her sweet, smart daughter as long as he was alive.

They walked back down to the diner just as Rory and Chris came inside. They sat down at the table in front of the main window. Rory had a smile on her face that stretched from one ear to the other. She was chattering away like she had to tell him everything that had happened in her life in this one moment.

"How was the tour?" Lorelai asked, coming over to the table.

"I had no idea that so many people knew you," Christopher said. "We got stopped every four feet by some other town person. It was nuts."

"Well that's the Hollow for you. What else did you two see?"

"We went by the school, and Miss Patty's and Lane's. Then we came here," Rory said, excitedly.

Luke came by the table and set down three bowls of ice cream. Extra cherries on Lorelai's, extra sprinkles on Rory's and Christopher's was plain. Lorelai shot Luke a pained look and he responed with a squeeze on her shoulder.

"So Chris, what brings you to Connecticut?" Loerlai asked, taking a bite of her ice cream.

"Well with this new job thay have me traveling a lot and this week, the team I'm on has a conference in Hartford," Christopher said. "I figured while I had some free time, I'd stop and surprise the Gilmore girls. I remembered from the school calender you sent me that this week was Rory's spring break from school. So I'm here."

Lorelai kept a staright face. She could read right through Christopher's bullshit. He had a charming quality to him that could get him out of anything. Christopher Hayden was the only guy she knew that could talk his way out of a ticket better than a woman. She was very wary about him being here. Something wasn't right.

"So where are you staying?" Lorelai asked.

"With my parents in Hartford. I should take Rory over to visit them this week. How about that kiddo? You want to go see Grandma and Grandpa Hayden?"

Rory's eyes lit up. She never saw Christopher's parents. She saw Richard and Emily on a semi-regular basis but she had never spent more than a few minutes with Straub and Francine. She met them once when she was three and it was by accident. Lorelai and Rory had attended Richard and Emily's Christmas party and they happened to be there. It was an awkward meeting that Lorelai hated to remember.

"Chris, I don't think that's a good idea. Or at least let me come with you," Lorelai said, wearily. "I don't want her there by herself."

"Sure. Why don't we all go over there Tuesday for dinner," Chris suggested. "I'm sure Mom would love to see how big Rory has gotten."

"Maybe you'll stick around long enough to see Tuesday," Lorelai thought bitterly.

Later after Rory waved her father off with the promise that he would pick her up after school and take her out to lunch, the Gilmore girls headed home. The new message light was blinking on the answering machine. Lorelai hit the button.

"Lorelai it's your mother. Christopher is in town!" Emily's overly happy voice said.

"Yes I know that mother," Lorelai muttered.

"Anyway, I was thinking that we should all have dinner on Friday. I do mean this Friday Lorelai. Not next Friday or the next one. I mean this Friday. Drinks are at 6:30 and dinner will be at 7. I am aware that you are most likely making faces and already thinking of ways to get out of this. Straub and Francine haven't seen Rory since she was a baby and they deserve to at least see her more than they have. Please be there."

Lorelai, in a ture Rory fashion, stuck her tounge out at the answering machine. The Hayden's had never been warm to the fact that Lorelai had gotten pregnant. She really didn't want to go to a dinner where the majority of the topic would be how much of a disappointment both Chris and she were. She certainly did not want her daughter to hear all the things that were going to be said from the four ranking officers of the "I Can't Believe These Two" club.

She wandered into her room and picked up the phone to call the one person that hadn't let her down yet. The one person, who for the last four months had been the best friend she could have asked for, who would drop everything and come sit with her and who was falling in love with her. Her of all people.

Three rings later he picked up.

"Hello?" he asked, sleep still in his voice.

Lorelai mentally kicked herself for not remembering that it was Wednesday and that he had early deliveries in the morning. She had woken him up. "Luke," she said quietly.

"Hey Sweetheart," he said waking up more. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing just wanted to say goodnight," she sighed.

"Liar," he teased. "What's wrong?"

"Emily called. She wants us all, all meaning me, Rory and Christopher, to come over for dinner on Friday for dinner with Chris's parents."

"And is that such a bad thing?"

"Yes it is! It'll be three hours of 'So what have you been doing with your life Lorelai? Other than ruining our son's chances of living the life we had?' And the worst part is Rory will have to hear most of the stuff she has no business knowing about. She doesn't need to know about everything that happened in the past. I don't want her to know that side of them."

"She's going to find out sooner or later, Sweetheart," Luke said.

"But she doesn't need to know at five almost six Luke! I'm not going. I'm not going to put myself through that anymore."

Luke was quiet on the other end. She couldn't be sure of what he was going to say next. "I tell you what. You go to dinner with Chris and Rory and then afterwards, drop Rory off with Mia and you come here. It'll be fine, you'll see."

"I'm going to hold you to that," she said. "I'll let you get back to sleep. See you tomorrow?"

"I'll be the one with the coffee pot. Good night Sweetheart."

"Goodnight Luke," she said with a smile on her face.

The two Gilmore girls and Christopher stood outside the door of the Gilmore mansion. Rory was in a new dress and had her hair pulled back in a headband that matched her dress. Lorelai chose her black dress with the dragonflys on the hem. She wanted to look more grown up for this dinner. She sighed and rang the doorbell. A maid answered and showed them into the foyer. Emily came into the foyer and knelt down to hug Rory.

"Hi Grandma," Rory said cheerfully. "I drew you a picture today in class."

Rory held out a hand-drawn picture of a big house with a little girl out front. On top of the picture Rory had written, "My Grandma's Hose."

"Thank you Rory. It's lovely. I'll be sure to put it someplace special," Emily said. "Richard is in the living room. Won't you come in?"

"Thank you Emily," Christopher said, following her into the living room.

Lorelai sighed, counting the seconds in her head of when she could get out of there and into the arms of Luke. She figured that she and Rory could get out of there in two hours max. She already talked to Mia and she was more than happy to have Rory over for the night. Rory like she was her own grandmother. Rory loved staying with Nanna Mia.

"Richard the girls and Christopher are here," Emily said to the tall man behind the newspaper. "Put your paper down and have a nice visit. It's not everyday we have the girls here on the day the banks and libraries are open."

"That was a little passive-agressive, Mom," Lorelai commented. "Why don't you just come out and say it. We don't visit enough."

Emily grazed over the comment from Lorelai and went over to the drink cart. "Would anyone care for a drink?"

"I'll have a martini Emily," Chris said. "Gin with two olives."

"And for you Lorelai?"

"I'll just have a soda since I have to drive Rory home," Lorelai said. "Do you have any juice or milk for Rory?"

"Oh course. Penny! Please bring a glass of milk for my granddaughter!"

Lorelai reached into her large purse and pulled out a coloring book and some crayons for Rory. As long as Rory had something to occupy herself she may be able to ignore what would be said around her. She hoped that everything would reamin civil and nothing bad would happen. The maid brought in the glass of milk for Rory and then retreated back into the kitchen.

"So Christopher, I hear you have a new job," Richard said.

"That's right sir, I do. I work for a company that manufactuers and sells parts for Apple Computers. The team I'm on now is having a conference and we're hoping to be able to sell our products to other computer companies."

Lorelai swallowed her soda and just kept quiet. The more she didn't say the better things would be. As Christopher was catching up with her father, Lorelai heard the doorbell ring. Parts three and four of the "I Can't Believe These Two" club had arrived. Christopher adjusted his tie and stood to meet his parents. Rory set down her crayons and stood next to her mother.

Rory had only met Straub and Francine Hayden once in her entire life. As they walked into the living room Rory had a bought of shyness and hid behind her mother's legs. Lorelai put a comforting arm over her and mouthed the words "Mia" and "Luke" to her and she smiled.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hayden, it's good to see you again," Lorelai said, warmly. "You remember Rory don't you?"

Lorelai managed to pull Rory out from behind her. "Rory, sweets, these are your Daddy's parents. Straub and Francine."

Rory gave a shy smile and wave. She sat back down at the coffee table and went back to her coloring. The six adults in the room sat staring at each other. The elder Gilmores and the Haydens began talking about their upcoming trips and business. Francine turned to Rory.

"Rory how old are you now?" she asked.

"Five," Rory answered, not looking up.

"What grade are you in now?"

"Kindergarten."

"Are you're grades good?"

"Yes ma'am."

Soon it was quiet in the living room again. Something had to be done. Lorelai wasn't sure of what she should say to draw the attention away from the silence and onto something else. Unfourtantely for her she wasn't the first to say anything. The tresurer of the "What Has Lorelai Done Since Ruining Her Life" club spoke up.

"Tell me Lorelai what have you been doing with your life?" Mr. Hayden asked, curtly.

"Well sir, I work in an inn Stars Hollow, where Rory and I have lived these past five years," Lorelai answered, trying to remain calm.

"Is your life all that you hoped it would be?" he snapped.

"Yes it is," Lorelai answered. Her thoughts turned to a man behind a local diner counter, a lovely woman with an inn who gave her a job and a place to live, and her beautiful little girl.

"Pop please. Let's try to keep it civil," Christopher spoke up.

"If you had attended a university as your parents had planned and as we planned in vain for Christopher, you might have aspired to something more than a blue collared position," Straub continued.

"Dad, don't do this," Christopher begged.

"And I wouldn't give a damn about you derailing your life if you hadn't swept my son along with you!"

Lorelai got down on the floor and took Rory's hand. "Come on honey. You can go play in Mommy's old room. You remember where it is right?"

Lorelai led her daughter up the stairs and the adults seemed to take a minute to catch their breath.

"I'm going to have to echo Christopher's call for civility here. A mutual mistake was make many years ago by these two, but they have come a long way since," Richard said.

"A mutual mistake Richard? This whole evening is ridiculous. We're supposed to sit here like one big happy family and pretend that the damage that was done is over, gone? Our son was bound for Princeton. Every Hayden male attended Princeton including myself, but it all stopped with Christopher. It's a humiliation we've had to live with every day, all because you seduced him into ruining his life. She had that baby and ended his future!"

"Hey!" Lorelai cried.

Richard jumped to his feet and grabbed a hold of Straub's arm. "You recant that Straub!"

"You're spilling my drink!"

"You owe my daughter an apology!" Richard yelled. "How dare you come into my house and insult my daughter!"

"Let go of me!"

Christopher jumped up and got in between them. "Woah, woah what's going on here!"

"Shame on you Straub, shame on you for opening all this up again!"

"Get your purse Francine."

The Hayden's stood up and started for the door. Richard was on their heels still yelling at Straub. "My daughter is very successful at what she does!"

"We're leaving!"

"Your'e not leaving! I'm kicking you out!"

The front door slammed and Rory cringed on the stairs. This wasn't the first time she had heard conversations like these. She knew that her father's parents were not happy that she had come along. She knew that Grandma and Grandpa Gilmore were also not happy about her exsistance. All she knew was that her mother took very good care of her and never let her go without something.

Later that eveing Rory sat in the kitchen at the counter picking on the dinner that no one else was going to eat. She sipped at her glass of soda and sniffled. Her mother and father had vanished somewhere in the house. Emily came into the kitchen and saw her sitting there all by herself.

"Quite a bit of excitement tonight," Emily said sitting next to Rory.

"Do they really hate me?" Rory asked.

"They don't hate you, Rory. They don't like how you came into the world," Emily sighed. "Straub is actually a good man. Very smart. He was one of the top lawyers in his field - a very arcane aspect of International law. And he's always been so active in his community. His charity work has never diminished over the years. Oh let's face it - he's a big ass." Rory giggles. "Rory, I know you heard a lot of talk about various disappointments this evening and I know you've heard a lot of talk about it in the past. But I want to make this very clear - you, young lady, your person and your existance have never ever been - not even for a second -included in that list. Do you understand me?"

Emily placed a loving arm on Rory and tilted the little girl's chin up to face her own eyes. "Never, not even for a second. Your grandfather and I love you very much Rory. You are our precious angel and we never want you to think that you can't come here for anything."

"I love you too Grandma."

Later that night Rory and Lorelai drove home. "Are you ok?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah Mommy. I'm fine. I can't wait to go to Nanna Mia's."

"You know all those crazy people saying those horrible things were directing them at me, not you."

"But they said them because you had me, isn't that right Mom?"

"No they were directing them at me, because I messed up their plans. Plans that came over on the Mayflower."

"They don't want to know me do they?"

"They are just so full of stupid pride and anger that blocks how much they want to know you. It's their loss. And a pretty big one at that."

Lorelai stopped in front of Mia's house. They both climbed out of Lorelai's beat up Accord and gathered up Rory's things for Mia's. They walked together up the walk and Rory beat Lorelai to the door and rang the bell. Mia answered and stepped aside for Rory to run inside.

"Thank you so much for doing this Mia," Lorelai said. "I'll tell you all about what went on later, but right now I just want to get to Luke and just cry."

"I understand perfectly. Don't worry about a thing. Rory's a sweet kid and she'll be fine. Have a nice visit with Luke."

"Bye Rory!" Lorelai called to her daughter. But Rory's attention was already on Mia's new puppy Lancer. Lorelai backed out of Mia's and went back to her car. She drove over to the diner where Luke was waiting upstairs.

He watched from the window as she pulled up in front of the diner. She looked so beautiful walking in the streetlights. She opened the door with the key that he had made just for her and Luke could hear the soft clicking of her heels on the floor. Click-clack, he heard on the wooden stairs leading to his father's old office that he converted to an apartment. As she got closer he set out two wine glasses and poured the wine he bought just for tonight. She knocked on the frosted glass window and waited.

He came to the door and opened it to her. She fell into his arms and started to cry. All the things that Straub said came back to her. Luke gathered her into his arms and led her inside. He sat down in his comfy old chair and held his Sweetheart on his lap and let her cry into him.

"God Luke, I knew it was going to be awful. But even after all this time they still don't want anything to do with Rory or even get to know her. All they see when they look at sweet, kind, caring, Rory, is a mistake. That's all she's ever going to be to them, a mistake. How could anyone think that about their own grandchild? What kind of person makes that their mentality? What has she done wrong?" Lorelai sobbed. "It's not fair. It's just not fair!"

"I know Sweetheart. I know," Luke whispered over and over in her ear. "What can I do to ease this pain?"

"Hold me and never let me go," Lorelai whispered into his chest. "Never let me go."

"You're never getting rid of me. Never," Luke replied, holding her to him.

Like all the other times, Chirstopher was long gone by the time his Tuesday date with Rory came around. His excuse this time: The company wasn't interested in our product si we decided to cut the conference short. I'll make it up to you next time. But his next times are so few and far between that Lorelai never really knows when or wherehe'll show up.

Summer had arrived. Summer and winter always seemed to be Lorelai's favorite times ofthe year. Summer she could go to the lake and get her tan, and in winter she and Rory would set out to build the best snowman in the park. This summer was going to be different. This summer Mia was going to train Lorelai to be thehousekeeping manager. She would be in charge of making the checklistsfor each maid, their schedules and feilding any of their complaints for Mia. It was going to be a little more money and a little more time away from Rory, but it was going to be a good step.

Something was off the night of June 14th when Lorelai went to sleep. She had just hung up the phone with Luke and was settling into her pillowsto read Little Women for the hundreth time. Just as she was about to fall asleep and dream of the giant coffee cups something woke her up. The fire alarm was going off. Rory ran into her mother's room.

"Mommy? Mommy what's going on?" Rory asked, frightened.

"We have to get out of the building Rory," Lorelai said. "Go find your shoes, any shoes and meet me in the living room. Go now!"

Lorelai leaped out of her bed and got down underneath it. She pulled out the purse that had her important papers in it. Rory's birth certificate, their social security cards and emergancy cash. She grabbed the one picture frame that was on her nightstand found her sneakers and ran into the living room. The picture was of her, Rory and Luke outside the school the night of the play. Rory was waiting, holding her stuffed chicken. The smell of smoke was getting stringer. They left the apartment and headed for the stairs. Just as they got out of the building, Lorelai took one look back and saw how close the flames were to the stairs. They gathered with the other people that lived in the building and watched in horror as everything they owned was destroyed.

"Mommy, where are we going to live now?" Rory's small voice asked.

"I don't know sweets," Lorelai replied. "I think for now, we should go to Nanna Mia's."

"Ok Mommy."

Lorelai and Rory held each other's hand and walked down the street to Mia's house. Lorelai knocked lightly on the door and was welcomed warmly by Mia. She set Rory up in the guest room so she could sleep. Mia and Lorelai sat at the kitchen table sipping at a cup of coffee.

"You're more than welcome to stay here until you find another place," Mia said. "I love having you girls here."

"Thank you Mia. You've been so kind.But you know I don't like people takling me in."

As they were talking the phone rang. "Yes she's here," Mia said. "Really Luke where else would she go?"

Mia handed the phone over to Lorelai and left the kitchen to give her some privacy.

"Sweetheart, I heard the sirens and saw where they were going. Are you and Rory all right?" Luke asked, in an almost panicked state.

"We're at Mia's. We're fine. She's going to let us stay with her until I find us somewhere else to go."

"You have somewhere else to go. Here, with me."

"Luke no. I can't do that."

"Why not? Give me one good reason why you and Rory can't come move in here with me," Luke said.

"Luke, I don't want people taking me in. I want to make it on my own."

"Sweetheart, you have been making it on your own for five years. Please do it for yourself. You have needs and I have them too. I need you in my life. I love you Lorelai. Please, please come here."

Lorelai was shocked to hear him say those three words. She knew he meant them. She had never had someone tell her those words and mean them. Chris had said them, once when they were sixteen and it was after they had sex. He had only said it to ensure that she would sleep with him again. But when Luke said them to her she knew that it was the kind of 'I love you' that meant he was going to be with her from that moment to the day she would leave the earth. Luke's 'I love you' was enternal. Nothing would ever change that 'I love you'.

"Lorelai? Sweetheart?"

"Luke, is your apartment even big enough for the three of us and occasionally Lane?" Lorelai asked.

"Is that your way of saying that you're moving in with me?" Luke asked, excitedly.

"I suppose it is," Lorelai sighed. "When do you want us to come by. It's not like we have a lot of stuff to move in."

"If Rory's asleep, stay there tonight and come home first thing in the morning. I can't wait to have you here, Sweetheart. I'll hold to see if you girls are coming now or tomorrow."

Lorelai set the phone down and wandered into the guest room. Rory was sound asleep on her side with Lancer, Mia's Yorkie cuddled into her side. She looked so peaceful that Lorleai didn't have the heart to wake her. She went back to the kitchen and picked the phone back up. "Luke, Rory's sound asleep. I'm going to let her stay here with Mia. We'll be there tomorrow. Oh and Luke?"

"What Sweetheart?" he replied.

"I love you too."

She hung up the phone and knocked on Mia's bedroom door. She peeked her head around the door. "Mia, I'm going to Luke's. We'll be moving in with Luke."

"With Luke?" Mia questioned. "Are you sure honey? You and Rory are welcome to the potting shed again. It still has all the stuff you had in it before."

"No Mia. Thank you though. Luke really wants Rory and I to go there. And to be honest I want to be there with him. I love him."

"I know," Mia replied. "I know you do."

The next morning the Gilmore girls climbed up the stairs behind the curtain of the diner to their new home. With each step Lorelai took she knew from that moment on she would never have to go back down those stairs and back to a stuffy apartment with a grumpy old man as her landlord. She would be in the arms of the man that she had fallen in love with over the past six months. She wouldn't have to cut their nights short because she had to go release the sitter. She and Rory had a place that was theirs and no one was going to take it away from them. Things were going to be fine. She was sure of it.

They stopped outside the door. Lorleai rapped on the frosted glass and waited for Luke to come to the door. He opened the door. He took Lorelai and Rory's hands. He pulled them both into the apartment. Lorelai gasped when she saw how much Luke had changed in such a short time. In the corner closest to the window he set up another bed complete with a curtain for Rory. Sitting on the floor by her bed was stacks and stacks of books. The smile on Rory's face could not be washed away. Almost every book that she had lost in the fire had been replaced.

"Mommy look at all the books!" Rory cried.

"Luke how did you do all this so fast?" Lorelai asked, taking in the rest of the apartment. He had gotten a larger bed than his old double. "How on earth did you get all these books?"

"Called in a few favors," Luke teased. "Andrew, the owner of the bookstore knew how much Rory liked to read and he gave them all to you. What do you think? Could you get used to all this?"

"Yes. Yes I could."

Luke pulled Lorelai into a tight hug and they were soon joined by Rory. She looked up at Luke, with her big blue eyes and smiled. Their new life was about to begin.


A/N: Remember the greatest thing we have been given is the written word. Keep reading and writing! I hope you guys are liking this story. I know it jumps around a bit, but that's how I write my stuff. I know that Luke doesn't call Lorelai anything but Lorelai in the show but I thought that she should have a specail name that is just hers. In the next chapter I'll explain how she got sweetheart. Read and review. Please if you read the chapter make a review even if it's only 'Great job update soon.' Please feel free to review your opinions and comments about the chapter. Crit is what helps a writer grow. Without it we may never know what we are doing wrong or what's not working.

Michaela Martin's quote game. Be the first to reviewwith the correct site of the following Gilmore quote and receive a spoiler for the next chapter! "They're not carrying tar and feathers are they?"