A/N: Thanks to everyone who's sticking with me for this story. I want to reassure you, again, that I won't disappoint you guys, as long as you stick with me until the end. I promise that it will be worth it! Thanks to R.M. Jackson for the beta... without you all I'd have is a bunch of awkwardly worded sentences that I'd beat myself up for later! Thanks a million!

Since Christopher arrived in Stars Hollow, Lorelai's life had become a whirlwind. Chris had expressed his desire to become a part of Rory's life, and Lorelai let him in. After all, Chris was Rory's father, right? The door was always open. Lorelai honestly felt that Christopher wanted to try harder. Even though her heart and her common sense were disagreeing, she wanted what was best for Rory. She wasn't sure if Chris was it, but she was willing to give him another shot. He had multiple chances that he had blown before, but maybe this time would be the time when he followed through.

When Emily called Christopher in the diner that day, and he handed her the phone, Lorelai couldn't even begin to imagine what they were planning. Emily went on and on, expressing her desire to have a family dinner that included Straub and Francine. Lorelai second guessed her reluctant approval of the situation, kicking herself for not putting her foot down in that situation. She couldn't sleep the night of the phone call, remembering what happened 16 years ago. Lorelai spent a lot of time trying to convince herself that the situation was better than it seemed. She thought that she was being irrational, overprotective, or even selfish, for letting the situation in the past influence her perceptions of what would happen on Friday night.

And then there was Luke. She noticed the glare that he gave Christopher. She had shrugged it off before, thinking it was because of the 'no cell phones' rule being broken before his eyes. But Lorelai was already second guessing, so she thought more and more about it. Luke was an excellent judge of character. He had been as long as Lorelai knew him. Maybe Luke knew something that she didn't?

She finally decided to give up the worrying and just let it go. It was the only way she was going to figure it out, after all. She had to start trusting Christopher at some point. So she let it happen. She let go of her inhibitions and let Christopher, Straub, and Francine into Rory's life.

And it backfired. Just her luck.

She sat on her parents' balcony, regretting her willingness to trust the Haydens. Leaning her head back against the concrete, she reflected on the events of the night. She hated that it had to end up the way that it did. Lorelai knew she couldn't blame herself entirely. Straub and Francine were extremely closed minded, and made the Gilmores look like saints. She clicked her heel against the side of the balcony, thinking about how her father had spilled the beans on how much she had ruined the family reputation, after asking Straub and Francine to leave. Lorelai bit her lower lip and tried not to cry.

She slammed her palms against the balcony, trying to release some frustration. She was trying to let her frustration go before she drove Rory home. It wasn't Rory's fault. Why should she make Rory feel guilty on the drive home? Lorelai stood up, pacing the balcony again, thinking about how the fight would affect Rory. She was already nervous about seeing Straub and Francine again, and Lorelai essentially forced it.

Lorelai heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around and sighed. It was Christopher. He came toward her and she shook her head. "Chris," she started.

"Interesting night," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Lorelai said with a nod.

"You have plans for the rest of the night?" he asked, the look in his eyes turning devilish as he reached for the hem of her sweater.

Lorelai paused for a moment and then reality hit her like a ton of bricks. She had promised to help Luke paint the diner. "Chris, I have to go," Lorelai said, making her way back inside. "I promised someone I'd help paint tonight."

"Is that what you call it now?" Chris asked with a laugh, putting his hand gently on her arm. "You got a man you're not telling me about? I know how good things can be on their end, I was with you once, but wow, this guy's awfully lucky. You cover for him."

"No, Chris, I'm serious. I have to go," Lorelai insisted, pushing her way through Chris and into the house. She looked at her watch and sighed. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry.

"Mom?" Rory asked.

Lorelai sighed. "Oh, good, sweets, I have to help Luke paint the diner tonight, we're going to blow this popsicle stand."

"Good," Rory said, muttering under her breath. "I'll get my coat. I was ready to blow this popsicle stand an hour ago."

Christopher emerged a moment later. "Wow, you must have been great at hide-and-seek as a kid. I can't really remember if you were or not, which is surprising. But, judging by the stunt that you just pulled, it seems like you would have been."

Lorelai forced a smile. "Christopher, I have to go. It was nice to see you, goodbye," she said, retrieving her coat and her purse as she made her way out to the driveway.

Opening the door to the Jeep, Lorelai let out a sigh. She turned to Rory and groaned as Rory buckled her seatbelt.

"Mom?" Rory asked.

Lorelai started the Jeep. "Yeah, sweets?"

"Are you okay?"

Nodding, Lorelai pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road. "Are you okay? That's the question I should be asking. You know you're not the gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe, right?"

Rory gave a small smile, pulling at her sleeve. "I know," she said softly.

"Because to me, you are the Red Vines on movie night," Lorelai started. "Without them no movie night is complete. Or you are the coffee to my morning. Makes it easier to get through and gives me a boost of energy. Plus, I'm addicted."

"Wow, I've become every food metaphor you can think of, that means love," Rory teased.

Lorelai rolled down the window on the driver's side. "Rory, I'm just making sure that you know that I love you. You're my best friend. Nothing could ever change that. You're a wonderful person, you're succeeding in everything you do, and I am so proud of you. Always remember that, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom," Rory replied, reaching for the radio.

"I feel bad for causing this," Lorelai started. "I mean, I wanted the Haydens to be a part of your life if they wanted to be. You know it's their loss, right?"

Rory nodded. "Grandma told me, and so did you. Not like I needed a reassurance," she said with a shrug.

Lorelai took the exit to Stars Hollow. Emily? She thought about what Emily could possibly have said to Rory while Lorelai was on the balcony trying to cool off. As Lorelai stopped at a red light, she turned to Rory. "I am so sorry that I forced you into this."

Rory shook her head. "Mom, no, it wasn't you. You didn't tie me up and drag me here. I came on my own. I guess a little piece of me wanted to connect with the Haydens like I've clicked with Grandma and Grandpa lately. I mean, I know that Grandma and Grandpa aren't perfect, but I like getting to know them. I figured maybe the Haydens could be the same way. But hey, every rose has its thorn, right?"

"You must be mentally drained, because a Poison reference was probably not your best," Lorelai mused, looking both ways before turning left.

"I don't know," Rory continued. "It was kind of weird sitting in the room and watching them pretend I didn't exist. And watching you and Dad sit together… that was kind of weird too. Is there something going on between you two?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, no, we're good, everything's good, why?"

"Dad looked kind of upset when we left tonight," Rory reasoned. "I mean, he looked like those kids on the spelling bee every year when they get a word wrong."

"He had the spelling bee look of shock?" Lorelai said with a gasp. "Really?"

Rory nodded. "He seemed upset by the whole ordeal. You didn't blame him for what happened with Straub and Francine, did you?"

"No, no, of course not," Lorelai explained. "I just kind of ran out on him when I remembered I had to help Luke paint. I think he thought I had someone else. It was a welcome escape, in my opinion. But no, I wouldn't blame him for what his parents did."

"You rushed away awfully quickly for Luke," Rory pointed out, turning the volume on the radio down. "Is there something going on between you two again?"

Lorelai sighed. "If I had a nickel for every time I wondered that, I'd be able to buy Harvard for you. Not the education, the school. That's how rich I'd be."

"Is there something good going on? Or is it something bad? Do you know that, at least?" Rory pressed.

"Kid, you are becoming a journalist for a reason," Lorelai said with a forced smile. "I don't know, he shared something really personal with me the other day and it seemed like we were having one of those nice moments. But he's Luke, he can also be grumpy."

"I'm definitely aware," Rory grinned. "But at least things are good with you guys. He keeps us in coffee."

Lorelai nodded, thinking of a way to change the subject. "So what are your plans for tonight?" she asked.

Rory shrugged. "I think I'm going to turn in early. It's been a long night."

"I don't blame you," Lorelai replied. "It has been a long night. If you need me, I'm going to be at Luke's. I'm already so unbelievably late for this painting gig as it is."

Rory smiled. "You're going to paint in heels? Wow."

"I can do anything in heels," Lorelai said, pretending to be offended. "Just watch me."

"Don't get any paint on them, you'll be sorry," Rory said, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door. "You sure you don't want me to get you some painting clothes?"

"I'll come back and get them if I need them," Lorelai replied. "Get some sleep. Count those sheep."

"Okay," Rory said. "Goodnight," Rory said, getting out of the Jeep.

Lorelai broke every town law she could to get to Luke's in the same hour in which she had promised to be there. She ran into the diner, watching as Luke spread the tarps over the floor. The look on his face was one of pure frustration. She cringed. He looked like he was ready to throw his paint roller at her for being so late. "Luke!" Lorelai called.

He turned around. "Right on time," he muttered, looking at Lorelai suspiciously.

"What?" Lorelai asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

Luke shook his head, grabbing a bucket of paint and placing it on a nearby table. "No, you don't. I was just… you're going to wear that to paint? You do realize that painting is messy, right?"

She shrugged. "Why not? I like the outfit, and paint washes out."

"That's a recipe for disaster," Luke snorted, handing her a paintbrush.

"Hey," Lorelai said, pointing the paintbrush at Luke. "I can paint naked if I want to. Would you prefer that I paint naked? I'd be happy to oblige."

Luke turned red, looking down at the floor and bending over to adjust a tarp. "Can we just paint, please?" he asked. "Clothed would be preferable."

Lorelai took a deep breath. She had just flirted with Luke. She did the same thing that she thought he had done to her that night. She shrugged it off, figuring that Luke was just sensitive to nakedness jokes. She took off her heels and placed them by the counter. "Okay, now, where do you want me to start? And can we please grab the radio and listen to some music? Please? To avoid the inevitably awkward silence?"

"Awkward silence? You talk enough to avoid it," Luke insisted, pouring some paint into the tray. "You start over there, I'll start over here."

"Over where?" Lorelai asked.

"There," Luke said, pointing to the window. He walked over to Lorelai, carrying a can of paint and a tray. He placed the items on the floor, and sat down on the tarp to open the can for Lorelai.

She looked down at him, feeling incredibly guilty for leaving him hanging. She scratched her head, thinking about what she had been going through for the past few days. Taking a deep breath, she sat next to him, as close as she possibly could. "I'm sorry about being late. I really am," she said, her tone sincere.

"Not like I wasn't prepared for your lack of punctuality anyway," he said, discarding the top of the paint can and placing it on the table as he made his way back to his painting station.

Lorelai nodded in reply, dipping her paint roller into the tray. She knew that she was over an hour late, and that wasn't acceptable. The stinging feeling in her gut remained as she began to paint the wall by the window. She took a deep breath as she pressed the roller against the wall, trying to calm herself down with the repetitive motion. When it became apparent that she was spreading around existing paint instead of covering more of the wall, she reached for the tray and looked over to Luke. The flirting thing was still out in the open, and she didn't get a response. She took a deep breath and tried once again to get Luke's attention. "Do you think I should change?" she asked.

Luke stopped painting and looked at Lorelai. "I tried to tell you that."

"But I think I look good in this, don't you?" she asked.

"Why don't we just paint, and if you get paint on that outfit, don't come crying to me," Luke insisted.

Lorelai put the roller back into the nearby tray. "All right," she said, slightly annoyed. "I'm returning the gesture, don't you get it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Luke barked. The infamous vein was visible, his face had turned a deeper shade of red, and he had discarded his own paint roller to cross his arms in frustration.

"Okay, I get that you're angry that I didn't show up on time. I understand that. I can explain. See, Christopher's Rory's dad, and he's visiting Stars Hollow for the first time," Lorelai started.

Luke cleared his throat. "I noticed."

"So my parents invited Christopher, me and Rory, as well as Christopher's parents, over for dinner. And they basically denied Rory's existence, they paid no attention to her, and they treated her like dirt. There was a huge blowup, Christopher tried to seduce me, and of course, he's the last person I want to see right now," Lorelai explained.

"I'm not angry about your lack of punctuality, Lorelai, that's nothing new," Luke said. "I thought that we just went over this a few minutes ago."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Then why are you angry at me? For the past few days you've been giving me and Christopher dirty looks. You're not going to win Miss Congeniality with that modus operandi any time soon."

"I am not giving anyone dirty looks," Luke said, holding his hands up, almost in a gesture of self-defense. "You're just being dramatic."

She snorted. "I'm crazy and overdramatic. That's always the way it is with you. I'm never normal, sane, or right. Why is that? I mean, a lot of people don't take me seriously anymore, including Christopher's parents, my parents, and a lot of other people. But you? I always thought you'd take me seriously. You always used to. Hell, until a couple of weeks ago, you always told me I was doing okay and that everything would work out. Why the change?"

Luke shook his head. "Nothing's changed, Lorelai."

"Oh, yeah? What about the night in the diner when we chatted until Mrs. Kim interrupted us?"

Luke took off his baseball cap and scratched his head. "What about it?"

"Luke, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Lorelai, one would think that in all the years I've known you, you would realize that I very rarely know what you're talking about," Luke said, his tone changing from anger to surprise. "I've never been very good at reading minds, the connection is fuzzy."

She picked up her shoes from the area by the counter and held them in her hands, prepared to leave if the argument wasn't solved momentarily. "You know what I'm talking about, don't lie. 'We should do this again sometime' meant something, clearly."

"It meant that we should hang out again, Lorelai, you're reading way too far into this," Luke protested.

"You weren't trying to ask me out? Okay, that's fine. Sure. I can deal with that. That was a few days after I broke up with Max; I was probably full of it then. I was still figuring things out, so it would make sense that I could have misinterpreted that. Luke one, Lorelai zero. What about the other day behind the counter? You got me behind that counter for a reason. You know you did," she ranted, dropping her shoes in their original spot once again.

Luke moved the can of paint away from his leg and stepped toward Lorelai. "I wasn't trying to do anything behind the counter. You're crazy."

"I saw the look in your eyes, Luke. Hell, I even felt a little something there. But it's obvious that I'm just crazy, and that's the only reason that this fight is happening. Send me off to the funny farm, but make my straitjacket pretty or I won't stay," she said as tears began to fall down her face. She wiped them with the sleeve of her sweater, throwing herself into a nearby chair and letting out a grunt of frustration.

"Are you crying?" Luke asked, his tone softening.

"No, I'm just a really good actress," Lorelai said sarcastically, standing up and smoothing out her sweater.

"Lorelai," he said. "I'll make you some coffee, we'll talk this out."

She shook her head. "Now you're just trying to appease me, Luke. I was clearly flirting with you a few minutes ago, and you were clearly flirting with me in both of those instances. Don't deny it. I know you're lying."

"I was not flirting with you, and I clearly did not realize that you were flirting with me," Luke replied, handing her a mug of coffee.

Lorelai shook her head and crossed her arms once again. "My making a comment about being naked was clearly flirting with you. As was my comment about whether or not you liked my outfit. I've probably flirted with you subconsciously for awhile now, I've heard that I do that a lot. Or maybe it's just because they all think I'm crazy too."

"Lorelai," Luke shouted.

"You know what? Christopher tried to seduce me tonight. But I gave that up, and I came here to paint with you. I wasn't going to break a promise to someone I called my friend. I figured that maybe tonight we could get somewhere with our relationship. But I guess I turned down my chance to have something wonderful. Luke two, Lorelai zero, you happy now?" she cried, staring at Luke and sniffling.

He stood silently, staring back at her. He scratched the back of his neck. "Uh," he started.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Crazy Lorelai does it again. Forget it, Luke, I'll just go be with someone who isn't afraid to step up and tell someone how he feels," she insisted, walking out the door to the diner and letting it slam behind her.

She didn't get far before realizing that she was barefoot. She walked back to the diner, where Luke was standing outside, holding her shoes. She jerked them out of his hands, slipped them on haphazardly, and made her way back home.

Lorelai felt her anger building with every step she took toward her house. She didn't deserve this. Why was Luke playing mind games with her? It wasn't amusing. She finally reached the Crap Shack and threw the door open, cringing when she remembered that Rory was asleep. She shut the door and discarded her shoes and her purse before throwing herself onto the couch. She pulled out the box of tissues she had started to keep underneath the couch. Grabbing a handful, she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and curled up in it. Her breath caught in her throat and the tears began to fall. Judging by the way she was feeling, she knew that she had really hurt Luke, too.

She blew her nose, throwing the tissue out into the dark living room. Curling her knees close to her chest, she tried to ignore the muscle tension she was feeling. She pulled the blanket closer to her shoulders and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep.

The sound of a motorcycle woke her the next morning. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and trudged to the door. Chris was parked in her driveway. He got off his bike and walked up the porch stairs. As he came closer, Lorelai's eyes widened. She didn't care how terrible that she looked. Letting all of her fears go in a deep breath, she stepped forward, put her hands gently on Christopher's face, and kissed him.