A/N: Well, this is a surprise, huh? Who would have expected the stagecoach to finally arrive in Star-Crossed with this chapter riding shotgun? (Yeah, I know you did, PreviouslyAnonymous. Put your hand down.) I have to say, Star-Crossed continues to have a special place in my heart, and apparently in the hearts of quite a few readers, as well. This is the story I definitely get the most PMs about, asking me if I'm ever going to finish it or pleading for a summary of what happens next. (Most messages start out with "I didn't think I'd like this story" or "I left this story of yours for last" and go on to say how they grew to love Lorelai in petticoats and Luke with that shiny badge pinned to his chest.) Anyway, I'm a fan too. I love this story, and I certainly never meant for it to go unfinished for so long. Star-Crossed lives in my brain in a continual loop and often haunts me in my dreams. I hope to alternate working on it with the final chapters of Baby in the Hollow. Please forgive me for the delay. I hope you enjoy! DFC


Previously on Star-Crossed…Lorelai and Rory fought over Rory's desire to take Mr. Hayden up on his offer to visit him in Connecticut. Luke, still smarting over what he'd witnessed at the train depot, informed Lorelai that he was no longer interested in squiring her anywhere. Heartbroken, Lorelai fled to the sanctuary of the boardinghouse, only to have Luke soon follow her there. With kisses of encouragement and pleas to tell him the truth, Lorelai finally succumbed and admitted all. Stunned, she learned that Luke had already surmised her dark secret…and wonder of wonders, didn't care. The new lovebirds were interrupted by a contrite Rory returning home from school, and made promises to see each other the next day, at the Founder's Day celebration…


After Luke left, Lorelai automatically picked up the glass used to toss back several shots of elderberry-flavored courage and slowly headed to the rear of the boardinghouse. Having a task, even such a small one as washing and drying the tiny rose-hued goblet, was a bonus for the moment. She was going to need something else to focus on to get her through the rest of the day. She felt half-dazed from her confession and more than a little giddy from the Sheriff's passionate response to it.

Butterflies swarmed over all of her senses and she paused for a moment, shivering, letting her head rest against the wall as she recovered her equilibrium. Star-Crossed townsfolk were quick to praise their Sheriff's many attributes, but who would have suspected that kissing could easily take the top place in his hierarchy of skills?

"Me," Lorelai whispered to herself. "I knew it." She used the back of her free hand to try and cool down her flaming cheeks and fought down the urge to laugh like a crazy woman. Once back in control, she took one more deep breath and continued on to the kitchen.

She stopped again in the doorway, this time to watch Rory. Her long braid hung down the back of her plaid school dress, and her shoulders hunched as she contently devoured a slab of Sookie's apple pie. From this viewpoint, it was easy to believe that she was a child of six again. Possibly ten, at the most. Her young ears were surely much too tender to hear stories of illegitimacy and runaway daughters.

Tell Rory before she stumbles on the truth herself…She's a smart girl...It could happen any day…Don't delay the inevitable. Luke's recent warnings echoed in her head, making her gasp in dismay. Rory heard and turned around, carelessly brushing away piecrust crumbs.

"Want some?" she offered, her mouth full, motioning at the pie. "You know Sookie left plenty for both of us."

"No, not right now," Lorelai replied, taking the dainty glass over to the sink. Her heart began to pound as she imagined honoring Luke's advice and spilling the truth to Rory right now. Almost in a stupor, she turned and came to the table, taking a seat across from Rory, who looked at her curiously.

"Rory, about…Connecticut. And…and Christopher. And about that life back there…" she floundered, absolutely terrified by what she might be ready to say.

"Yes?" Rory asked eagerly, sitting up straight.

Lorelai looked into Rory's bright blue eyes, so confident and trusting.

Oh, Luke, I want to. I want to tell her. I just…I can't find the words yet, she thought, anguished. She reached for Rory's hand and held it tightly.

"Momma, are you all right?" Rory patted her mother's hand, alarmed by the fierceness of the grip.

Lorelai closed her eyes and tried to find another path. She opened them when a different way to go materialized. She began again, feeling calmer.

"This morning, you said that I treated you like a child."

"Can't we just forget all that?" Rory suggested, cringing.

"Rory, it's all right. Just hear me out."

Rory nodded, still looking apprehensive, but settled back into her chair.

"The problem isn't that I think you're a child, but rather I'm the one who turns into a little girl as soon as I try to talk about Connecticut or my life back there."

"What?" Rory shook her head, confused.

"Sweetie, you hear Connecticut and you imagine adventure and new sights and new friends." Lorelai smiled sadly, determined to get the explanation out. "But to me, that word brings back memories of terrible threats and unbearable sadness and hardened hearts. My reluctance to discuss it with you isn't because I think you're still a little girl. Instead it's because I'm the one who turns back into a scared child whenever I remember those painful days." She forced another smile and cupped her hand around Rory's cheek. "I agree that you should know my history, because it's your history, too. And I hope that you can forgive me, because right now…" She shook her head. "I can't do it yet, Rory. I'm sorry."

Rory's eyes were full of concern for her mother. "No, I should be sorry. I'm sorry you've been carrying around so much unhappiness for so long, and I wasn't even aware."

"I will tell you," Lorelai said contritely. "I promise I will. Just…let me have the summer to prepare, to think about how to explain it all to you. Let's enjoy the summer together and then we'll get you through your last year of schooling, and by next summer maybe nothing will seem so insurmountable. Maybe by then we can…somehow re-establish contact with your grandparents…and maybe plan a trip back East to see them on our own terms. What would you say to that?" Lorelai threw out desperate promises, anything to put off the inevitable.

Now Rory's eyes grew big with delight. "I say that would be tremendous!"

Lorelai slumped back in her seat, overcome with relief, thankful to have negotiated a temporary reprieve. "Then that will be our goal. Next summer in Connecticut."

"I can't even imagine such a thing. Us, traveling!" She shook her head. "My studies might suffer next term as I plan out our trip," she suggested mischievously.

"That better not be the result!" Lorelai threatened with a smile, knowing such a thing would never happen.

Rory picked up her piece of pie and took another bite. Nonchalantly she waved her hand at the petite glass Lorelai had set by the sink. "You were entertaining the Sheriff with elderberry cordial?"

"Um…" Lorelai's head swiveled as she confirmed the presence of the tattletale glass, then uncomfortably turned back to her daughter. "No. Luke didn't – I mean the Sheriff…he didn't want any."

"Huh." Rory bent her head, maybe to study the remaining pie. "Luke," she murmured, just under her breath, sounding amused.

Lorelai suddenly realized that there was something she could tell her daughter, after all. "Yes, Luke," she said, also emphasizing his name.

"And does he call you Lorelai?" Rory demanded impishly.

"As a matter of fact, he does," Lorelai proudly announced, tossing her head.

"Am I to assume that I will be finding him in our parlor much more often?" Rory wanted to know with a smile.

"I think that is highly likely."

"I see." Rory thoughtfully munched her pie. "Poor Mr. Medina," she sighed.

"Mr. Medina might be a talented teacher, but he's a little short-sighted when it comes to understanding how to win a lady's heart," Lorelai scoffed.

Rory's eyebrows arched. "The Sheriff's already won your heart?"

"No! That's not – I didn't mean…!" Flustered, Lorelai tried to backtrack.

"It's the badge, isn't it? It's so shiny!"

Realizing she was only being teased, Lorelai relaxed. "No, it's the whiskers that he can never seem to completely shave off of his face. That's what makes me swoon."

Rory chuckled. "Are you sure it's not the stylish hat? I swear he's worn the same hat for all of the years we've known him."

Lorelai smiled back, confident now. "It's definitely not the dusty old hat."

Rory leaned back in her chair, her eyes warm with affection. "I think it's a good match, Momma."

"You do?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

"I do. It seems like he's been fond of you for some time now."

"You think so?" Lorelai asked, a little surprised.

"Everybody thinks so."

"What does that mean?" she asked, even more surprised.

"Momma! The way you keep track of town gossip, you've never heard all of the speculation about you and the Sheriff?" Rory grinned at her. "Miss Patty and Babette are always quizzing me about what was said anytime they see the two of you together. I think they're always hoping I'd have a salacious bit of information to accidently spill."

"Oh, them!" Lorelai airily waved her hand, dismissing any comments from the town's gossip queens. "They use all of their idle time to sit and match-make. You know it's their hobby."

"But it looks like they got this one right," Rory observed. "Did they?"

Lorelai bit her lip, considering what to say next. "I should probably tell you that tomorrow, for Founder's Day…Luke is going to escort me."

"I see," Rory said gravely.

"And there may be – will probably be – other events that he will take me to as well."

"He'll be calling on you here, I assume?"

"I think there's a good chance." Lorelai took a deep breath. "Rory, are you comfortable with that?"

"How can I be opposed to the Sheriff courting my mother?" she demanded. "He's the Sheriff, for goodness sake!"

Lorelai shook her head and leaned forward to put her hand on Rory's. "You can, of course you can! The most important thing to me is your approval about this!"

"Momma, give me one reason why I wouldn't approve?" Rory shook her head, smiling gently. "He's a good man. He's kind, and brave, and he takes such good care of our town. Plus, more importantly, he cares for you a great deal. I am completely in favor of him courting you."

"No misgivings?"

"None. And there's one more thing, which seals this arrangement even more decisively for me."

"And what's that?"

Rory smoothed her hand over Lorelai's. "It's the fact that you care for him in equal measures." She watched her mother's face. "You do, don't you?"

Lorelai again was taken aback by her response. "It's possible that I hold him in higher regard than he does me."

Rory laughed. "That is most definitely not true!"

"What makes you say that?"

"The look on his face whenever he sees you, of course." Rory patted her hand before leaning back, her arms crossed over her chest, looking happy. "Momma, I like Luke a lot. I always have. I'm pleased that the two of you are finally courting."

"Good," Lorelai breathed out, relieved.

"I mean, it might have much more advantageous for me if you'd decided to throw your lot in with Mr. Hayden, but I can't very well complain about the Sheriff now, can I?" Rory continued to tease, not noticing how Lorelai's face paled at the mention of Christopher's name. "As long as I know you'll have someone to look after you once I go off teaching, I'm pleased. Someone needs to be here, to make sure you don't burn the whole place down and to provide you with some company. The Sheriff will suffice," she summed up, still grinning.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Lorelai said faintly.

"Lorelai Danes sounds quite nice, doesn't it?"

"Now you really are presuming too much."

Rory suddenly looked crestfallen. "Aww, sad."

"What?"

"For the first time we both won't be Lorelai Gilmore."

Lorelai stood up, ready to get back to work. She put her hands on Rory's shoulders as she passed by, giving them a loving squeeze. "I don't think that's anything you need to be concerned about for quite some time."

"That's true," Rory cheekily called after her. "Based upon the slow pace of his courting so far, you could very well be in a rocking chair by the time he proposes!"

Still feeling his kisses on her lips, Lorelai smiled, but wisely kept all comments to herself as she went back to her interrupted mending.


Historically, the weather for Founder's Day varied greatly. This year, however, appeared to be on track for one of the nicest ever. The sky was clear blue, the wind was gentle, and the temperature was slowly rising. Luke looked up at the cloudless sky, smiling in anticipation. For once he was happy to be part of the crowd milling about the square.

He spotted his deputy strolling up from the barbershop and went to meet him. "Dean, you're clear about your duties for today, right?"

Dean sighed. "Yes, although I didn't know babysitting was part of being a lawman," he grumbled.

"You're not babysitting," Luke snapped. "I just want you to keep eyes on one of our citizens."

"Babysitting," Dean complained again.

"Look, you know about the man who entered the boardinghouse and gave Lorelai such a fright. Since then we've found out that he was hired to track them down. I just want to make sure that both of them can enjoy the day without constantly looking back over their shoulders."

"You mean you want to make sure that Lorelai's free to enjoy your company."

"Mrs. Gilmore," Luke corrected, pointing sternly at his deputy.

"Sure did take you a long time to get back after checking on her yesterday," Dean said slyly.

"Dean –" Luke began to rebuke him.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't see her, Luke. Lorelai – Mrs. Gilmore – is a pretty gal, that's for sure. Good-natured, too. It's about time you finally found someone to settle down with."

"Don't be talking nonsense." Luke felt obliged to halt Dean's speculations, although privately he agreed wholeheartedly with everything the young man had said.

"I just don't understand why I'm stuck looking after a kid."

"She's not a…Tell you what. Think of it like this. Our job is to watch over everyone in this township, correct?"

"Yes," Dean grudgingly agreed.

"So it's nothing different than what you'd be normally doing. I'm just asking you to pay closer attention to one particular individual today, due to past circumstances."

"I'd rather pay closer attention to some other people."

"Yes, I'm aware that you'd rather be making time with the young ladies," Luke muttered, losing patience. "Just use your head. Put your training to use today. If you see someone lurking about, someone you don't recognize, that's the time to double-check where Rory is. I'll be watching too, but I want to make sure someone else is aware of the situation, just in case I…I mean, if I should…"

"Get distracted?" Dean suggested, smiling knowingly. "I can see where Lorelai would definitely be a distraction, all right."

"Mrs. –"

"Gilmore. Yes, I know." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Do your job, Dean," Luke snapped, and walked away from his sometimes-insolent second-in-command.

He didn't get far before a commotion from the church ladies' raffle table drew his attention. He hurried over and found several of the women struggling to restrain the oldest of the Banyan boys.

"What's going on?" He put his strong hand on the boy's neck, relieving the out-of-breath ladies from the strain.

"Oh, Sheriff!" Miss Essie pushed a few strands of hair from her flushed face. "Ethan here snuck underneath our table and hid, and as soon as all of our backs were turned, he reached up and tried to make off with a whole roll of raffle tickets."

"And I'm pretty sure his pocket is full of nickels from our cash box, too," Babette said accusingly, pointing at the boy.

Luke forced Ethan to turn towards him. "Is that true?" When he didn't answer, Luke gave him a gentle shake. "Turn your pockets out."

Reluctantly Ethan did as he was told. A handful of nickels fell to the dirt. Luke scooped them up and handed them to Essie. "Does that look like the right amount?"

Essie counted quickly. "Yes, that's probably about what we've taken in so far."

Luke nodded. "You got the tickets back?"

Mrs. Babcock held the roll up, showing him they did.

"So what do you want to do about this?" Luke looked at Miss Essie.

She swallowed hard and looked down, sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Sheriff – and Ethan – but I think we've got to do something this time. We've all looked the other way too many times."

Luke stifled a sigh. "All right then. Off we go, Ethan."

"I'm sorry," Essie whispered, sounding ashamed.

He hadn't taken half a dozen steps with the young perpetrator when Lorelai's beautiful face blinded him to anything else. She had on a golden brown dress crossed with lines of sapphire. The blue matched the ribbons on her bonnet as well as her sparkling eyes. Curls bounced on her neck and her smile was aimed directly at him. Luke was sorely tempted to tell Ethan to hightail it home so that he would then be free to be at her side.

"I see you're dealing with one of those wild desperadoes again, Sheriff," she teased him, grinning from ear to ear.

"I am," he sighed, giving Ethan's neck another slight shake. "You're welcome to walk along to the jail with us, or you can wait right here. I'll be back as soon as I lock him up for the day."

Ethan whimpered, and the grin left Lorelai's face. "You're not serious," she theorized.

"Unfortunately, I am indeed." He began walking again and Lorelai scampered alongside. "A complaint has been made, and I've no choice but to follow the law."

"Luke!" Lorelai grabbed at his arm in an attempt to halt his march to the jail. "He's just a child!"

"I've always said that these three boys would test the patience of a saint, and today that's been proven true," he explained, refusing to slow down. "Miss Essie is the one insisting that Ethan needs to be punished." He glanced over at Lorelai. "I think you'd agree, Miss Essie is probably the closest thing to a saint we've got in this town, isn't she?"

"Well, yes…but…Luke! He's still just a boy!"

Luke pulled himself up, trying to look tougher and more intimidating. "As I recall, you lodged a complaint against him once yourself, didn't you? Wasn't he throwing mud at some of your lodgers?"

"Yes…but…but…" The closer they got to the jail, the more incredulous Lorelai appeared. "Luke, please." She pulled at his arm again. "Look at him," she begged, softly. "He's still such a little boy."

"A little boy who's been warned dozens of times to stop his mischief. It's out of my hands now," Luke said with a shrug. He kept the firm hold on Ethan's neck, guiding him across the street from the jail.

"Wait! Where are you taking me?" Ethan asked fearfully.

"I'm taking you to the jail's annex."

Ethan gasped. "What? You've got so many bad guys locked up that you've got to have extra space?"

"Something like that," Luke agreed blandly. Lorelai, still rushing to keep up with his pace, was beginning to look at him speculatively. He chanced giving her a wink on the sly.

He turned them down the alley by Sniffy's and went directly to the restaurant's back door. "Why don't you wait right here?" he suggested to Lorelai. "I'm going to go in and get the prisoner settled. It shouldn't take me but a minute."

Lorelai looked straight into his eyes, smiling once again. "I wouldn't dare disobey your orders, Sheriff. Everybody knows how fearsome you are."

His own smile answered hers before he remembered that he was supposed to be putting on a show for Ethan's benefit. He shook his head at his easy forgetfulness whenever Lorelai was involved, and then ushered the boy into the restaurant's kitchen.


"Something I can help you with, Mrs. Gilmore?"

Lorelai jumped as the voice interrupted her pleasant daydream. She'd been leaning against the back wall of Sniffy's Restaurant, one finger idly twisting a wayward curl, replaying the recent exchange she'd just had with Luke, savoring the remembered feeling of his arm under her hand, hoping that before the day was done she'd get the chance to share another kiss or two with him. The abrupt call to return to the present was not welcomed by her at all.

"Maisie!" she said, instantly recognizing one of the restaurant's owners. She straightened herself up and pushed the curl back inside her bonnet. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Lorelai." Maisie looked at her curiously. "Did you need to see me about something?"

"Oh, no. No, I'm just…" Lorelai wet her lips, pondering how to explain her presence. "I'm just…waiting."

Maisie's eyebrows arched. "Waiting?"

"Yes." Lorelai nodded emphatically. "For Luke. I mean, for the Sheriff," she added hastily. "He told me to wait here." She cringed, realizing she'd probably already said too much.

Maisie's eyes narrowed as she openly studied Lorelai. "I guess that clears up a few things for me," she muttered a few seconds later, mostly to herself.

Lorelai felt more and more unsettled. "I can go around to the front, if you'd rather I waited there."

"No, if Lucas told you to stay here, then you'd better stay." Maisie continued to regard her.

Although Lorelai was rarely at a loss for words, this situation was proving trying. "It's a lovely day for the celebration, isn't it? Will you get the chance to –?"

"Lucas doesn't flit."

"I…I beg your pardon?"

"Lucas. He doesn't flit."

Lorelai had a sudden ridiculous image of the strong, tough lawman running through a meadow, his outspread arms flapping the way Rory's had when she was a girl playing fairies, and a smile broke over her face. "No, I can't imagine he does."

Maisie tilted her head, still fixing Lorelai with an unyielding stare. "Seems like you might be one to flit, though."

Lorelai sobered instantly as irritation flowed. "Are you accusing me of unfaithful tendencies?" she asked sharply.

Maisie blinked and some of the hardness disappeared. "I'm not accusing you of anything, Lorelai. I know you've been above reproach since you've lived in Star-Crossed, but maybe that's because there's been nothing to tempt you till now. Lucas is dear to me – always has been, but especially since his mother passed. My message to you is this: if you think flitting might be in your future, then Lucas is not the man for you."

Once again Lorelai found herself without words. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she finally managed to voice a one-word reply. "Noted," she said brusquely.

Maisie seemed like she was going to say something else, but the kitchen door opened at that moment and Luke walked out, minus his small prisoner. "Maisie!" he said happily, and stepped over to give the diminutive woman a fond hug.

"A little early for dinner, isn't it?" she said dryly, patting his back.

Luke made a show of looking up at the sun. "Too early for me, anyway. No, I was deputizing your husband for the day."

Maisie snorted a laugh. "Buddy a deputy? He'd be more likely to feed them to death rather than lock them up."

"That's what I'm counting on," Luke said, smiling. He turned to Lorelai, including her in on the joke.

Maisie watched Luke's face as he looked at Lorelai, and her demeanor softened some more. "I'm sure you young folks want to be getting on to the festivities. Shoo, now. Go have fun," she insisted, waving her hands at them. "Come have supper with us sometime soon," she encouraged Luke, as her eyes guiltily flickered over to Lorelai. "Lorelai's welcome to join us too, of course," she amended.

"I usually don't have time to flit anywhere else at suppertime, since I'm busy with my own establishment," Lorelai said frostily. Luke looked at her in surprise, so she made an effort to warm up her response. "Thank you kindly for the invitation, though."

As they began the walk back to the square, Luke glanced at her worriedly. "Was everything OK back there?"

"Yes. Fine," Lorelai stated, still clipping off her words. Hearing herself, she took a breath. "Maisie certainly holds you in high regard."

Luke chuckled. "Yes she does. She was good friends with my mother, and she made sure I knew I had a home there with them, if needed. Or at least a good square meal. She's a kind soul, even if her exterior can be a little rough."

Lorelai briefly closed her eyes, determined not to let anything negative affect her highly anticipated day. "I'm glad to hear that you've had somebody looking out for you. Everyone needs that, don't you think?"

"I do. I see what happens to those who don't."

"So…Tell me about this jail annex you have. Do the town elders know of this?"

"Nope, it's a well-kept secret."

"You think providing young Master Banyan with a decent meal will be enough incentive to stop his criminal inclinations?"

"Well, it's a given that Buddy will feed him, and maybe having a full stomach for once will make Ethan more inclined to follow the rules. But what I'm really hoping is that spending a day in the restaurant, sweeping up and doing some chores, getting a few pennies at the end of the day…" Luke turned towards her and gave her a bashful smile. "I hope it shows him that there's another way his life can go. I hope it gives him some sense of worth. Then maybe he'll be willing to step up and take some responsibility for his little brothers." He shrugged in a self-depreciating sort of way. "And I'm probably just talking nonsense."

Lorelai put her hand on his arm again, and this time he stopped walking and turned to look at her. "I feel the need to apologize to you."

His eyebrows came together in confusion. "What for?"

"For thinking, for even a second, that you'd really lock that boy up in jail."

That made him smile. "Well, I was putting it on pretty thick because I didn't want to tip my hand, even to you. I wanted Ethan to be a little scared about what was going to happen to him."

"But still, I should have known. After all, I know you. I know your character, and how kind and just you are. You'd never do anything like that."

His smile slowly faded as she talked. "I'm not Miss Essie. Don't make me out to be too saint-like. You'll surely be disappointed if you do."

She smiled prettily. "You could never disappoint me."

"Of course I will," he said, with the slightest edge of exasperation in his voice. "I'll do something stupid or say something stupid, and you'll get mad and think I'm an idiot. I've already seen you look at me like that often enough during town meetings."

Her heart felt so full. "Luke, after the generous way you reacted to my news yesterday, you'll never convince me that you are anything less than perfect."

He looked grim. "Don't forget I made you cry first."

"Only because you knew I was deceitful," Lorelai stubbornly refuted.

"Lorelai –"

"Oh, Sheriff, there you are!" Miss Essie rushed up to join them. "It's possible I was too hasty about Ethan Banyan. Is it too late to change my mind?"

Lorelai had removed her hand from Luke's arm and taken a step back as soon as Essie had appeared. Now she smiled reassuringly at the anxious woman. "Don't fret, Essie. Of course our remarkable sheriff knew just how to handle Ethan. The boy is being cared for, and hopefully learning a lesson as well."

Essie sighed in relief, her tense shoulders relaxing. "All's well, then? I'd hate to think that poor Mrs. Banyan had one more thing to worry about because of me."

"For today, all's well," Luke stated.

Essie's quick eyes suddenly went from Luke to Lorelai, the realization hitting her immediately. She began to back away from them, smiling knowingly. "I'll let you – both of you – continue on with your day, then!" She turned and hurried back to the raffle table.

"Guess that news is out," Luke said dryly, watching her scurry off.

"Do you mind?"

In response, Luke offered her his arm. "Not a lick."

She linked her arm through his, adding a squeeze of thanks once she was settled. The smile on her face refused to be tamed.

"What do you want to do first?" Luke asked, as they walked into the bustling square.

Lorelai looked around at all of the offerings. "I think the cakewalk."

"Really?" Even though he sounded doubtful, he nonetheless began to escort her that way. "Why would you want to try your luck on one of those cakes? Surely Sookie would bake you anything you asked for."

"She would," Lorelai agreed. "In fact, she made several of them sitting there on the prize stand."

"Then why try to win one of them?" Luke was clearly puzzled.

Lorelai shrugged, still smiling widely. "It feels like I've earned it more that way."

"Mrs. Gilmore, it's possible you're a little crazy," he observed with a chuckle.

"Then you know all of my secrets," Lorelai said lightly, and gave his arm another squeeze.


In an empty lot across from the square proper, Rory was helping to set up a display for the school. Because Founder's Day was a holiday for all Star-Crossed citizens, students and teachers were free to enjoy the festivities too. Later in the afternoon, the top history scholars would participate in a quiz demonstration, and several of the younger students would recite poems.

"You have an admirer," Madeline announced to Rory, her voice low but definitely not meant to be a whisper.

"What! Who?" Louise instantly dropped the book she was placing on the desk and whipped her head around to peruse the crowd.

"Don't look!" Madeline giggled. She grabbed Louise and forced her to look Rory's way again.

"Are you talking to me?" Rory asked, confused.

"Yes, you little goose! Someone can't take their eyes off of you!"

Rory sighed inwardly. Louise and Madeline were nice enough, but they spent far too much time thinking about and talking about boys. They liked to tease – her, especially. Her preference would have been to spend the day with Lane, but Mrs. Kim wouldn't permit her daughter to attend on her own, which forced Rory to rely on her school friends for company. Which meant, Rory decided with another sigh, she should probably just play along.

"Fine. Who's watching me?" she duly asked.

Madeline giggled again and whispered into Louise's ear.

"No!" Louise cried, her eyes opening wide. She turned stealthily, pretending to reach for another book in the basket behind her. She looked astonished when she turned back. "You lucky, lucky girl," she hissed at Rory.

Rory was already tired of their game. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

Madeline eagerly leaned towards her. "Dreamy Deputy Dean has eyes for you!"

"No he doesn't," Rory automatically denied, but then she looked for him in the crowd anyway.

"Don't look!" both of the other girls shrieked. They came together as one and forcibly turned Rory away.

"He doesn't even know who I am," Rory stated calmly, even though her heart was beating a little bit harder than it had been just moments ago.

"Don't be silly. Everybody in this teeny town knows everybody else," Louise said airily.

"And he wasn't that far ahead of us in school," Madeline reminded her. "Of course he knows who you are."

"I just wish he was watching me so intently," Louise purred. "He is quite the catch."

"An older man," Madeline simpered. "And sooo tall!"

"Not to mention all of that dark hair," Louise added. "He certainly makes that badge look good."

"Will you two stop it?" Rory shook them off and went back to placing the books for the display. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm tired of your jokes at my expense."

"It's not a game," Louise said. "Just do some watching on your own. You'll see we're right."

"Let's just finish our task, shall we?" Rory suggested testily. She waited a full five minutes, until Madeline and Louise were busy discussing the merits of the boys in their grade, before she cautiously turned and scanned the square for the tall frame of the deputy.


"What would you like to do next?" Luke asked. His arm was still free to link with Lorelai's because neither of them had earned a cake at the game.

Her glowing face turned his way and his breath caught in his throat for about the hundredth time that morning. He was convinced he'd never get used to her looking at him like that.

"Win me a prize," she suggested, tugging him over towards the meadow where the games of chance were set up.

"Are you sure?" Luke asked cynically. Although Founder's Day provided a way for the townspeople to support their groups or to show off their talents in various ways, it also lured in a traveling carnival crowd that Luke distrusted. "I'm not so sure about these games. I suspect most of these things are rigged."

"Rigged, schmigged." Lorelai continued to urge him onward until she stopped in front of a tent with stacks of cans lining the shelf along the back canvas. "Although I can't claim to know all of the rules of baseball, I have observed you playing the game numerous times. I believe throwing is your strong suit, and thus, this is your spot." She smiled at him impishly. "Impress me. Win me a prize."

Luke looked at her beautiful face, smiling at him with such admiration. How could he say no when she was looking at him like that?

"Just five cents, a mere nickel, for three throws," the man behind the counter broke into his well-rehearsed spiel. "Step up, win a prize for the beautiful lady."

"All right," Luke capitulated, digging a nickel out of his pocket and laying it on the counter. "What're the rules?"

"Knock down every can in this pyramid, win a prize!" The huckster pointed at the closest grouping before sweeping his arm towards a box of penny candy, then quickly moved on. "Knock down the middle pyramid, win one of these wondrous prizes!" This time he spent a fraction longer pointing out a line of worthless trinkets. "Knock down the back pyramid, win a truly magnificent prize, and…" He paused, winking at Luke. "Maybe win the heart of the beautiful lady, too." He elegantly gestured at the top prizes handsomely displayed from the tent's roof, the shiny items positioned to lure the gullible to the booth.

The man lined up three baseballs on the counter and Luke picked up the first one. He rubbed his thumb over the stitches, then tossed it in his palm a few times, frowning as he did so. Finally he took aim and threw.

The ball missed the mark by a good six inches.

"Aww, too bad! Try again!" the man encouraged him.

The second try was closer, but still a miss.

"Third time's a charm!" the man said smoothly. "You've almost got it!"

The third ball again missed by a wide margin.

The carny scrambled to retrieve the balls and lined them up on the counter for a second time, hoping to entice Luke. "Just another five cents to try again! It usually takes once or twice to get the feel for the game."

"I bet it does," Luke said blandly. "We'll be back a little later."

"I'll hold your spot!" the conman joked.

"Sorry," Lorelai said as they moved off. "I shouldn't have suggested it."

"Not a problem. And I am getting you a prize." He searched through the crowd with purpose, walking quickly.

"No, Luke, don't worry about it. There's no need –" Lorelai stopped talking when she had to hurry her steps to keep up with him.

At the edge of the meadow he stopped. Several men and boys were there, getting ready for a baseball game that would be played later in the day. "Henry, mind if I borrow this?" he asked, scooping up the baseball sitting in the grass.

"'Course not, Sheriff. Just make sure you get it back in time for the game!" Henry chortled good-naturedly. "It's bad enough you're not joining us today, but it would be worse if we were missing the ball too!"

"Thanks. I won't be long." He took Lorelai's hand and rushed them the opposite direction back through the groups of people, until they were once again in front of the throwing booth.

Several young boys were standing in line, trying to scrounge together enough pennies from their pockets to play.

Luke put his hand on the red-blond curls of one of the boys. "Thomas, do you mind if I cut in front of you?"

"Gosh, no, Sheriff!" Thomas and his two friends quickly made room.

The oily smile faded from the carney's face. "Sheriff?"

Luke hooked a thumb under his jacket and slowly revealed the star pinned to his shirt.

"You, uh…You want to try your luck again?" The man was nervous, but still able to bluster.

"Indeed I do." Luke brought out the borrowed baseball, casually tossing it in his hand. "You won't mind if I use my own this time, will you?"

The trickster's face smoldered, but he answered politely. "Go ahead," he sighed.

Luke found another nickel and offered it to him.

"No need," he muttered. "On the house."

"No, I prefer to pay." Luke smacked the coin on the counter, took aim, and hurled the ball at the far pyramid. The cans exploded from the force of the throw, hitting against the canvas with loud thumps before they rained down on the ground. The waiting boys – and Lorelai – all gasped in admiration.

"Pick out whatever you want," Luke instructed her.

She glanced at the proprietor, who nodded dispiritedly. She pointed to a hair comb, which was quickly untied and handed to her.

"You boys still want to play?" Luke asked. They nodded eagerly, ready to see if they could imitate Luke's prowess. He motioned for the man to return the baseball to him, and once he had it back, he passed it on to Thomas. "Here, try it with mine, why don't you?"

"Thanks!" Thomas took aim and the middle pile of cans went flying. The boys shouted and pounded Thomas on the back. They quickly selected a slide whistle from the line of prizes and went on their way.

Luke once again took possession of the real baseball. "I'll be back and forth through here all day," he told the unhappy man. "You might want to spread the word to your buddies," he suggested.

"I'll do that," the man muttered.

Lorelai skittered beside him as they walked away. "Oh my goodness, Luke, that was so exciting!" She could barely contain her delight. "How did you know he was cheating?"

"You mean, besides the fact that I already told you I thought the games were rigged?"

She chuckled and nodded.

"The ball didn't feel right. It was too light and didn't feel balanced in my hand. And then when I took aim and it went so far astray, I knew for sure it was off."

"You are a marvel!" she praised him.

He gestured at her hand. "What treasure did you choose?"

"This. Isn't it pretty?" She showed him the comb carved out of tortoiseshell. A mother-of-pearl inlay made a dragonfly design.

"Very pretty," he agreed, although he knew the only reason he thought so was because it was going to be in her hair.

She pulled at the bow of her bonnet, loosening it, and let it fall down her back, still held around her neck by the blue ribbons. She twisted up a few of her loose curls and pulled them towards the knot of hair on the back of her head, fixing them in place with the new comb. "There. What do you think?" she asked, dipping her head slightly so he could get the best view.

He thought that if the day continued on in this manner he might be dead by the time it was over. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

When he didn't immediately reply, Lorelai looked to see what was wrong. His face must have been broadcasting what he was feeling because hers lost all of the teasing and became tender instead.

Forgetting for a moment where they were, he reached for her. Luckily, at the last moment, their surroundings became clear to him once more. He took one of her hands instead, and throwing away all of his normal caution, he brought it up to his mouth and softly kissed it.

Instead of the loving look he was half-expecting, she appeared anguished. "I'm not a dragonfly!" she declared.

"What?" he asked, confounded once again.

"I'm not a dragonfly! I don't care what Maisie thinks!"

"Maisie?" Noting her continued distress, he led her away from the main part of the square and to a more secluded spot. "What are you talking about? What does Maisie have to do with this?"

"I do like dragonflies," she started to babble. "I think they're beautiful. Their wings have a whole rainbow of color when the sun hits them, and I love watching them fly over the water. They dart –" She caught her breath, looking even more distraught. "But that's not me! I don't intend to flit!"

"You have got to explain what this is about," he said firmly.

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm herself. "Maisie was…trying to make sure I knew how steadfast you are – which of course I know. She was worried that possibly I don't share that characteristic. She warned me that if I was going to flit, I should leave you alone." Her pained blue eyes looked deeply into his.

"I'm not sure I understand what flitting is supposed to mean."

"Flitting." Her hand dipped up and down several times. "From flower to flower. From puddle to puddle." Her voice quavered as she put one of her hands flat on his chest. "From man to man."

He straightened up, outraged. "She had no call to say such a thing to you. She has no right to poke her nose into my life at all, for that matter!"

"But what if she's right?" Lorelai asked in a quiet, miserable voice.

Luke looked at her sharply. "Right about what?"

"Luke, she barely knows me. She has no idea of my past, and yet she felt the need to warn me off you. What if she's right? What if I'm the worst mistake you could make?" She shook her head. "Which is something I've been worried about all along."

He had to take a few moments to fight his initial impulse, which was to go find Maisie and tell her to mind her own business. Once he'd wrestled his anger into submission, he was ready to reassure Lorelai.

"I know that the past few weeks have brought about changes between us – changes for the better, as far as I'm concerned – but that doesn't mean we're newly acquainted. We're not strangers. If you were going to flit, you would have had ample opportunities to do so over the past 16 years. I know your character, Lorelai, a fact I made clear to you yesterday." He paused briefly. "You think a dragonfly is beautiful; I think you're beautiful. To me, that's the only thing you have in common."

Lorelai took in an unsteady breath while searching his face. "Thank you, Luke. Usually I'm not this easily thrown, but what with Christopher's visit having me on edge for so long, and then pouring everything out to you yesterday…I guess it's left me more shaken than I knew. And the idea that I could somehow hurt you terrifies me."

Luke grasped her hand again. "You won't. Or if you do, it'll be because I deserve it."

She smiled and seemed to be shifting back to her normal demeanor. "You? Don't be ridiculous, Sheriff."

"It could be that someone needs to warn you about me," he grumbled.

That made her laugh. "I think I'd need to search far and wide before I could find such a person."

"Might not take as long as you think," he said lightly, but internally he began to make a list of things he suspected he needed to tell her. "What do you say that we put this behind us for now and go back to enjoying the day?"

"Excellent idea." She slipped her arm through his again.

On the way over to the festivities, Lorelai tugged on his arm, and when he looked at her, she looked exceptionally pleased. "So you think I'm beautiful, do you?"


Normally mild-mannered Rory Gilmore was angry. It didn't happen very often, but when it did, it made her fearless.

It made her sneaky, too. She ducked out of sight behind the school's display, used Gypsy's moving buckboard to hide her movements as she crossed the street, then blended in with the 10-member Whitman family to return to the square. When she walked up behind Deputy Forester, she was positive he had no idea where she was.

She waited a moment longer before giving him a sharp tap on his back. When he whirled around and spied her, his shocked face told her everything she needed to know.

"Is there a problem, Deputy?" she asked coldly.

He cleared the surprise from his face and became annoyed. "A problem with what?"

"With me."

He scoffed and shrugged. "I doubt that you could create a problem even if you tried."

"Then why are you watching me?"

Once again his composure slipped, but only for a second. "Why would I waste my time watching you?"

"That's what I'm wondering too. Did you think I'd pilfered something? Did someone make a complaint about me?"

"Don't be silly."

"Then why are you watching me?" she demanded.

Dean sighed. "Because the Sheriff told me to," he grumbled.

"The Sheriff? Why would he…?" Dumbfounded, Rory looked over at the last place where she'd seen her mother and Luke.

"He just wants to make sure you're safe."

Rory started to shake her head. "Why wouldn't I be safe?"

Dean looked uncomfortable. "Because of that man who broke into the boardinghouse a few weeks past."

Now Rory was even more confused. "He was just a drunk who didn't understand directions. Why would he have any bearing on my safety?"

"Maybe you should ask the sheriff that. Or your mother," Dean suggested, shifting his feet. "Look, all I know is I was told to watch you, so that's what I'm doing."

Uncertainty now made Rory hesitant. She looked again out over the square, wondering where her mother was. When she turned back she found that Dean had used her moment of inattention to slip away.

"Don't think you're getting away that easily, Deputy," she muttered angrily to herself. She'd uncover the truth of what was going on yet.


"Dinner time!" Lorelai cried, running over to where Sookie was spreading out a cloth at the edge of the square. Many of the other Founder's Day participants were also getting ready to picnic for the noonday meal.

"Hello, Luke," Jackson said, trying to juggle baby Davey while also helping his wife unpack the food.

"Here, let me!" Lorelai happily snatched Davey out of his father's arms and danced him around, much to the baby's pleasure.

"Have a seat," Sookie suggested, smiling broadly at Luke.

"Oh, I don't think –" Luke began to awkwardly back away.

"Of course you're eating with us," Sookie stated in her no-nonsense, 'this is my kitchen' voice. "I brought plenty along to feed both of you men. Plus Lorelai!" she chuckled. "Have a seat and dig in."

"Well, thank you then." He sat down at the edge of the blanket, deciding that a little social awkwardness was preferable to losing out on Lorelai's company. As soon as he sat, Lorelai joined him, placing Davey between them.

"Drat these skirts," she grumbled, swatting at the framework that kept her dress stylishly full. "I wish the man who invented this contraption would have to wear it for an afternoon."

"Why do you think a man invented it?" Luke asked.

"Anything that makes a woman miserable, you can be sure a man thought it up," Lorelai replied.

"There's nothing that says you have to wear them," Jackson pointed out.

Both Sookie and Lorelai gasped and looked at him in horror. "Of course we do!" Lorelai said.

"Why?" Jackson asked.

"Because we'd rather be uncomfortable than unfashionable, right Sookie?"

"Amen!" Sookie nodded, as she began to pass out sandwiches. "Although…" She glanced conspiratorially at Lorelai. "If you'd stop wearing them, I'd be happy to follow your lead!"

"Let's just pray that the Godey's Lady's Book decrees something more comfortable next year." Lorelai prepared to take a bite of her sandwich when a new thought hit her and she jumped up. "Oh my word, Rory! I need to find her!"

"I'll go," Luke said, starting to get to his feet.

"No, no." Lorelai put her hand on his shoulder and encouraged him to stay put. "It won't take me but a minute." She turned and went up on tiptoe, scanning the crowd. "Oh, there she is!" She waved her arms. "I think she was headed this way anyway."

Rory soon appeared and took her place next to Lorelai. Davey babbled at her, seemingly very pleased to see her.

"Hello, you," she said fondly, tousling his curls. She bumped her shoulder into Lorelai's. "You didn't forget about me, did you Momma?" she asked, keeping her face straight.

"Forget my darling girl? Perish the thought!" Lorelai blustered.

"Uh huh." Smiling, Rory accepted a sandwich from Sookie.

"How's the day been so far? Has it been fun?" Sookie wanted to know, looking at Lorelai and Luke. They both dropped their heads at the same time, hiding big smiles. "My, my. I guess it has," she observed slyly, giving Jackson a look.

"Oh, you know, it's been the usual Founder's Day," Luke said, attempting to seem nonchalant. "At least the weather's nice for this one."

"Luke!" Lorelai seemed chagrined that he was so blasé. "Tell them about the criminal you locked up this morning."

He shook his head, trying to avoid the telling, but Lorelai took it upon herself to describe what had happened earlier. She put quite the dramatic spin on the tale, and by the end of it, everyone was laughing. Even Luke was smiling bashfully.

"Those boys are a menace to the town," Jackson said, nodding at Luke. "I'm in favor of anything that gets even one of them off the streets for a while."

"I saw the two younger ones sitting forlornly on the steps of the church earlier," Sookie added. "I wondered what had taken the wind from their sails."

"What else has happened?" Rory wanted to know. "Anything I should be aware of?" she asked somewhat archly.

"Well…" Lorelai turned her head and pointed to the new comb in her hair.

"Oh, that is beautiful!" Sookie squealed.

"Where did that come from?" Rory questioned, leaning over to get a better view.

"Luke won it from a crooked operator, after he proved that the game was rigged!" This time Lorelai didn't try to push Luke to tell the story himself, she just plunged into an embellished recitation, accompanied by many dramatic hand gestures. Luke sat and quietly ate his sandwich, occasionally shaking his head over her poetic license.

"See!" Jackson excitedly pointed at his wife. "I told you those games were rigged! That's why I couldn't win you a prize last year."

"Dear, that was the fishing game, run by the Ladies' Auxiliary. Your prize fell off the hook, that's all," Sookie patiently explained, patting his hand. "There was nothing sinister about it."

"Maybe," Jackson groused. "It still wouldn't hurt to have the Sheriff nose around behind that fake pond of theirs."

"I'll get right on that," Luke said dryly.

"Maybe you could have your deputy check it out," Rory suggested, that same sour note in her voice. "He doesn't seem to be doing anything else."

Everyone looked at her in surprise, and Luke sat up straighter as a prickle of alarm went through him. "Never mind," she said quickly, reaching for a hardboiled egg, her cheeks flushing under the combined scrutiny. "I was just trying to make sure Luke had more time to enjoy the day."

Lorelai patted her shoulder in gratitude and everyone went back to devouring the food Sookie had prepared. They discussed everything about the festival while they ate, and also took turns keeping Davey corralled and happy. Luke noticed that more often than not, it was Lorelai who picked up the boy, bouncing him on her lap with one hand, eating with the other.

Luke helped pack up when the picnic was over. He was folding the blanket when he saw Lorelai put her arms around Rory.

"It seems as though you have something on your mind," Lorelai said to the girl, searching her face. "Is there?"

For a long moment, Rory studied her mother as well. "You seem to be really happy today, Momma."

Lorelai laughed, that same melodious chuckle he always listened for in Doose's, and Luke went still, waiting to hear her reply.

She put her head against Rory's and hugged her tightly. "Oh, I am, my sweet girl. I'm so happy," she said softly, but he was still able to hear the joy in her words.

"I'm glad," Rory murmured. She hugged her mother back. "You enjoy the rest of the day, then."

"I will. It's been the best day!" Lorelai said brightly, but in the next moment she once again looked at Rory with concern. "There's nothing you want to ask?"

"No," Rory said decisively. "I'm going to go visit with Lane for a little bit before I have to be at the school recitation. You'll be there, won't you?"

"Of course!" Lorelai reassured her, laughing. "Silly goose, as if I'd miss the highlight of the day!"

Rory left and Jackson and Sookie prepared to leave as well. Lorelai gave Davey one last kiss and handed him up to his mother. "I'll be back in time to help with supper," she reminded her.

"Take your time," Sookie said spritely, smiling at Luke instead of Lorelai. "I doubt that we have that many diners tonight."

The buckboard took off down the street. "Where would you like to go now?" he asked Lorelai.

"Let's just stroll around and see what catches our eye."

"Very well." He offered her his arm again and she eagerly settled against his side. He brought his other arm across and put that hand on top on hers, the one which she'd tucked around his arm. She looked at him with that glorious smile, and he smiled too, feeling almost drunk from the very rightness of her being there, from the bliss of the togetherness they were sharing.

Very gently, he explored her hand with his fingertips. "I noticed that you seem quite attached to Sookie and Jackson's little boy."

"Oh, I am, no doubt about that!" she laughed. "I've been there since the first moment of his life. He's such a sweet little fellow."

"I'm sure Sookie appreciates the help with him."

"She does, and I appreciate –" Lorelai abruptly broke off her thought, seeming flustered.

"What?"

She shook her head and slightly turned her face from him. "I appreciate the chance to feel maternal again."

"You're joking. You don't feel maternal with Rory?"

"Oh, of course I do, but…" She laughed, but self-consciously this time. "I can hardly swing Rory around in my arms, or sit in the rocking chair with her and sing her songs. It's been many years since she's fallen asleep in my lap and I could sit there and marvel at her perfect eyelashes, or count her fingers and toes. Davey provides ample opportunities to relive those early days again."

They walked on in silence for a spell. "You'd like to have another child?" Luke finally asked, his voice coming out in a low rumble.

"I…I would," Lorelai said haltingly. "If the right circumstances would ever present themselves to me, I would welcome the chance to have another child."

Luke nodded and they kept on walking, although he was concentrating on her breathing next to him, and the warmth of her hand, rather than the people and activities they were passing.

"And what is your feeling on the matter?" Lorelai asked, breaking into his reverie.

"About…children?"

"Yes. Do you want…would you accept fatherhood?"

All sorts of thoughts and visions tumbled through his head. He remembered what it felt like to hold Davey Bellville; the trusting way the boy had rested against him. He was acutely aware of Lorelai beside him, and he thought about having her as his wife, of being allowed to touch her in the ways that would get her with child. He could almost see Lorelai sitting in a rocking chair, her hair down, holding his baby in her loving arms.

"Luke?" he heard her say. That was when he realized he'd stopped walking, too caught up in his visions. He took a deep breath and tried to muzzle those future dreams and concentrate instead on the here and now.

"I didn't think that would ever be a possibility for me, but perhaps…" He rubbed her hand, his finger catching on the fake wedding band she wore. "If those circumstances would indeed come my way, I'd welcome them as well."

He heard her take in a sharp breath of air, and he squeezed her arm, steadying her.

"It's probably good to talk about such things, isn't it?" she marveled.

"It is," he agreed, and they began to take another turn about the square, blind to everything but the person next to them.


When Rory came of the Kim's house about a half hour later, she immediately saw Dean Forester leaning against the farthest silo at the granary, not even trying to hide himself away. Instantly annoyed, she flew over to confront him.

"I told you to stop watching me!"

"And I told you it was my job."

"I don't care! Stop it!"

"Did you ask Luke or your mother about it?" Dean demanded.

Now Rory was even more annoyed. "No," she said in a huff and began walking towards the center of town.

Dean followed. "Why not?"

"Because –" She thought about the serene, glowingly happy face of her mother. She wasn't about to discuss the reason why with the law enforcement oaf shuffling behind her. "It wasn't the proper time or place," she said haughtily.

"Then I guess you just have to take my word for it." He continued to walk a pace or two behind her.

She whirled around after a half-dozen steps, her hands clenched into fists. "Stop following me!"

"I'm not following you. You're heading to the square. I'm heading to the square. It's just coincidence." He gave her a lazy smile, seemingly proud of his refutation.

That coy smile made her heart thump in a completely different way, which annoyed her even more. "I demand you leave me alone."

The smile left Dean's face. "Look, missy, you are not my boss."

"No, but –"

"Luke Danes is my boss, and he told me to keep you safe today, so that's what I'm doing."

"But –" Rory began again, petulantly.

Dean's posture straightened and he towered over her. "You, little girl, do not scare me. Luke, however, scares me about half the time I'm with him, so until he tells me otherwise, I'm watching you. If you've got a problem with that, then I suggest you go stick your nose back in a book the way you normally would, and ignore whatever else is going on around you."

"At least I read," Rory sniffed, and turned on her heel, once again heading to the square.

Dean grabbed her arm, halting her escape. "You think I can't read?" he asked angrily.

"I don't mean dime novels," Rory said scathingly, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

He planted himself squarely in her path. "I went to the same school you do, you know. Had the same teachers. Did the same assignments. You think I didn't read the same books as you?"

Rory blinked. The intensity on Dean's face arrested her. "I…I guess you probably did," she admitted.

"You bet I did," he grumbled. "Plus, my mother had our house stuffed with books. Reading is not a foreign concept to me."

Shame bit into Rory. She was acutely aware of the badge pinned to his shirt, and she suddenly realized he'd had to prove his ability and cleverness to earn it. "I'm sorry," she conceded. "That wasn't very nice of me, to question your intelligence. I was just angry at being followed."

Dean nodded, accepting her apology. "I'm still going to shadow you today, though."

Rory sighed and once again started to trudge to the square. There didn't appear to be any way to throw off her bodyguard.

"And there's nothing wrong with dime novels," she heard Dean mutter, once again a step behind her.

"Oh, come on!" she scoffed.

"Have you read one?" he questioned, a little belligerently, lengthening his stride so that he was beside her.

"No," she had to admit.

"Then you can't judge, can you?"

"But they're so…so…tawdry. Why waste your time on them?"

"Tawdry!" Dean shook his head. "They've all got the same themes as those fancy bound classics in the library. Honor, and chivalry, and love. It's just that these stories are about actual people; people that lived in our lifetime. The stories are real, and I'd rather read them any day instead of some dusty old made-up tale."

She glanced over at his earnest face. "Well, when you put it like that…maybe there's room for both."

"Tell you what. Let me bring one over to you, and you read it. Give it an honest chance. Then you tell me what you think." He looked at her, the intensity of his belief blazing in his eyes.

Rory was finding it hard to take in a full breath of air. She nodded, trying to swallow away the unsettled feeling dogging her. "I accept your challenge," she managed to say somewhat calmly.

Dean nodded too, and stuck out his huge hand for her to shake. She hesitated for a moment, but finally let her hand get swallowed up in his. Then she forgot that she needed to take her hand back.

"Shouldn't you get up there?" Dean asked, inclining his head towards the school's platform.

"Yes. Yes, I should," Rory said, but still she made no move to leave his company.

Dean looked at her curiously. "You're probably competing in the history quiz, aren't you?"

"No. I'm, uh…" She couldn't think of a good way to explain what she was assigned to do without sounding conceited to his ears. "Usually I…I get the top marks in history, so, uh…" She shook her head. "I'm going to be the judge, in case there's a quarrel about the answer."

To her relief, Dean smiled. "That sounds like a good job for you," he commented. With a cocky grin he left her and stepped back a few yards, crossing his arms over his chest, still watching her.

She almost tripped over nothing when she attempted to step up onto the platform, which caused shy Bradley Langford to come over and give her a hand up. "Thank you," she said, and watched his face turn as red as hers felt.

"Oh yes, somebody's still got eyes for you," Madeline whispered in her ear as everyone took their places.

Trying to get her bearings, Rory looked out over the crowd assembling before them. She easily spotted her mother and Luke. She could only stare at them blankly.

Lorelai frowned. She shrugged and made some gestures, and Rory knew they meant, "Are you all right?" Her mother's concern broke her out of her trance. She nodded and made a goofy face back at Lorelai, their signal that all was well. She watched as her mother laughed and then tugged Luke closer to her, so that she could explain their ways to him.

Mr. Medina said a few words of welcome and introduced the scholars before beginning the quiz. Soon the questions cut through the fog in her head and she turned her attention to George Washington and the Louisiana Purchase and the Battle of 1812. When only four students remained standing and controversy flared over Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, she stepped forward and competently explained why Brad's answer was correct.

When she retreated, her eyes went to Dean instead of to her mother, the way they automatically would have on any other day.

He grinned at her and tipped his hat.

Instead of following the rest of the quiz questions, she wondered how soon he'd bring around the dime novel, because she realized she was really looking forward to reading it. And discussing it. With…him.

She smiled shyly back.


At the end of the school's performance, Lorelai waved to Rory – who seemed oddly distracted – and then took Luke's arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Where to next?" she asked.

Luke took out his pocket watch. After he checked the time, he seemed a little nervous. "I actually made an appointment for you. I hope…" He pressed his lips together for a moment, looking grim. "I hope you don't mind."

"An appointment? For what?" Lorelai walked with him, trusting him, but bewildered all the same.

"There's a photographer in town, and I thought…" He pointed at the tent they were rapidly approaching, at the many pictures displayed on ropes stretched across the heavy canvas. "I thought you might like to have a portrait done."

"Of…of us?" she questioned, her voice quavering a little.

"No." He turned abruptly and waved at someone behind them; his deputy, Lorelai thought. She watched as Dean found Rory in the crowd, said something to her, and started to escort her over to them. Luke turned back to her. "I thought you might like to have a picture of you and Rory."

Her heart melted. "Luke, that's such a sweet thought, but I can't let you do it."

"Why not?"

"It's too extravagant, for one thing."

At first she didn't think he was going to respond. His face took on a far-away look, as if he was momentarily living somewhere else – sometime else, possibly. When he returned to her, returned to their own point in time, he seemed surer of himself.

"Long ago, on another Founder's Day, my mother insisted we all get dressed up and have a family picture taken. I bellyached about it, the way only a boy who'd rather be playing baseball instead of getting dressed up can do. But that same picture sits on my shelf now, and every time I look at it, I'm glad I have it. I'm glad my mother made us do it. I thought maybe it'd mean the same to you."

It seemed as if every time this man opened his mouth or turned those blue eyes her way, she became more smitten. "Your mother sounds very wise," she said with a gentle smile, pausing the conversation for a moment while she strove to make sure that her heart wasn't so very plainly on display.

Luke smiled too. "I didn't think so at the time, but of course I do now."

Lorelai searched for the proper thing to say. "Mia had one taken of us when Rory was around the age of five. You're right; it's one of my prized possessions."

"Then let's add something else to your treasures, what do you say?"

By then Rory was standing beside them, Deputy Forester hovering in the background, so Lorelai decided to let her have the final word. "Rory, how do you feel about having our picture taken today?"

Rory immediately put her hands up to her hair, the universal female reaction to the thought of having a picture taken. "I'm not dressed very fancy today," she protested.

"You look like you," Lorelai observed, "and that means you couldn't look prettier." She turned to Luke, her mind made up. "Yes, I think I'd very much like to have our portrait taken today."

Luke lifted the flap of the tent and all four of them trooped inside. It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the dim light under the canvas.

The photographer asked a few questions and noted something on a paper he pulled from his pocket. Within minutes, Lorelai was seated and Rory was standing behind her. He opened a flap on the tent's roof, allowing sunlight to pour down on his subjects. He poked his head under the flap of fabric behind the camera, checking the placement.

He emerged a moment later, frowning thoughtfully. "Young lady, let's have you bend forward a tad, shall we? Perhaps lean your arms on your mother's shoulders." He watched as Rory tried the new position, looking uncomfortable. "No, let's try something else."

"Name's Jasper Fielding," he said abruptly, striding to join them on the slightly raised platform in the center of the tent. "Should have introduced myself to begin with. On days like this when so many people want a photograph taken, I'm afraid I let the social niceties slip somewhat."

"Quite understandable," Lorelai said, smiling genuinely at the photographer.

The smile seemed to catch Jasper off-guard. His head jerked back and he looked at her with new interest. "Ma'am, would you be amenable about removing your bonnet?"

Lorelai shrugged and reached for the ribbons tied around her neck. "Of course. To be truthful, it's rare that it's on my head properly anyway."

When the bonnet came off, several curls tumbled down her neck. She tried to tuck them back in place, but Jasper intervened. "No, leave them. In fact, if you could loosen a few more, that would be ideal."

Bemused, but still smiling, Lorelai did as he requested.

"Yes," he said under his breath, his eyes darting about her face and moving on to Rory. "Young lady, why don't you simply put your arms around your mother the way you normally would, say if you came home and found her reading in the parlor?"

Rory smiled bashfully but quickly leaned forward and hugged her arms around her mother's shoulders. Instinctively their heads came together, and Lorelai put a loving hand on Rory's arm where it encircled her.

"Yes," Jasper hissed again.

Luke came forward as unobtrusively as possible and picked up Lorelai's bonnet, so it wouldn't have to lie on the floor. She smiled that bright smile at him as he backed away.

The photographer looked between the man and woman in his tent, rapidly assessing. "Sir," he said to Luke, "if you would, please stand just to the right of the camera? Very good." He turned back to Lorelai, quickly smoothing a hair there, fluffing a curl here. "And ma'am, if you will just keep looking at your husband the way you are, we shall all be very pleased with the results, I believe."

"Oh, he's not my husband," Lorelai said immediately, her cheeks flushing.

"Yet," Jasper predicted to himself. He took another few seconds fussing over Rory before almost running back to his camera.

"Don't move," he instructed, from under the covering. "Perfect," he muttered, a moment later.

Rory straightened up and Lorelai made to leave the chair, but Jasper had other ideas.

"If you have a minute to spare, I have a proposition for you," he said, hurrying up to the dais.

Lorelai and Rory stopped and looked at him in surprise, but it was Luke who spoke first. "What sort of proposition?" he wanted to know, as his long legs ate up the distance between the camera and where the girls were stationed. His face was stony as he placed himself between them and the photographer, and once again he made the practiced move to reveal the star pinned to his shirt.

"Nothing untoward, I assure you, Sheriff," Jasper said as quickly as he could. "It's just rare that I have two such lovely subjects in front of my camera. As you saw as you entered my tent, I display many photographs, to show people my skill and hopefully to encourage them to pay for my services. I would love to take a few more pictures of Mrs. Gilmore and her daughter, to use them as advertisements in the future."

"I don't know about that," Luke grumbled, keeping the anxious photographer in his glare. "Lorelai, what do you think?"

She hesitated. "It seems…indiscreet, somehow. To know that people all over will be staring at our faces."

Jasper shook his head. "Ma'am, you can see I run a clean establishment, even if I do travel from town to town. My thought is that most people want a photo of their family; their loved ones, but not many can travel to a city big enough to obtain the services of a photographer. I provide a service, ma'am, an artistic one, if you will. I come to those families and provide their memories. The faces of you and your daughter would merely be beckoning to those other families, allowing them to better imagine their own portraits."

Lorelai looked conflicted, so Jasper sweetened the pot. "Allow me to take a few more pictures of both of you, singularly and together. All at no cost to you, of course. I'll send you copies of all of them in a month or so, whenever I get them printed up."

"Luke? Rory? What do you think?" she asked, weakening.

"It's up to you," Luke said, taking a step back, no longer on guard.

"Mr. Fielding has made his profession sound so noble," Rory said, grinning at him. "I think we should do it."

"All right," Lorelai said, nodding her head decisively. "But on one condition."

"Anything," Jasper said eagerly.

Lorelai glanced at Rory with a hint of worry, met Luke's eyes, and then turned to the photographer with firm resolve. "Our names will not be associated with these photographs in any way. If anyone asks you who we are, you will not give them the slightest bit of an answer. You will not even tell them the name of the town where the photographs were taken. Not even the state in which we reside. Is that clear?"

Jasper bowed slightly. "Perfectly, madam."

"Because if not…" Luke tapped his forefinger against the badge.

"Sheriff, I have no desire to be on the wrong side of the law. Once I send the portraits your way, I'll destroy your names and address. In fact, if you prefer, I could ship the pictures to you directly, sir, and not even take down the ladies' information at all."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Do that," Luke stated.

"Very well." Jasper lost no time springing back to business. "Ladies, let's try something different this time." He removed the chair and posed the girls both standing, Lorelai this time behind Rory, her arms encircling Rory's waist.

Luke walked over to stand beside Dean, who had remained inside the tent, watching the proceedings with great interest.

"She's really pretty, isn't she?" Dean said in a hushed tone, his voice full of admiration.

Swiftly Luke turned, again ready to put his deputy in his place as far as Lorelai was concerned, but he could clearly see that Dean's besotted eyes were focused on Rory, not her mother.

For the first time it came to Luke that having Dean watch over Rory maybe wasn't as smart of an idea as he initially thought it was.


After the photography session they walked about a bit, but soon Lorelai looked over at him with a hint of wistfulness.

"What?" he asked immediately.

"I need to go home for a while," she said apologetically.

His heart sank but he tried not to let it show on his face. "I thought I got you for the whole day," he complained, as playfully as he could.

"I promise faithfully to come back, but I do have my pesky business to run," she informed him solemnly, hiding a smile.

He really didn't want to give her up yet. "Can't Sookie manage it?"

"More hands are needed, I'm afraid – and ones that aren't caked in flour, for most tasks." She flipped up her hands to illustrate her point, and he caught them impulsively, holding them to his chest.

"Let me walk you there," he suggested, the deep timbre of his voice giving away his thoughts.

"No," she said at once, rankling him.

"Why?" he wanted to know, irritated.

"Because then you'd ask to come in."

"So?"

"And then you'd want to follow me around as I tried to do my chores."

He was beginning to smile; he couldn't help it. She just had that effect on him. "Why is that a problem?"

He was still holding her hands to him and now she leaned forward, putting her weight against his chest. "Because, Sheriff, we both know what would happen as soon as you got me alone in the kitchen, or in some other out-of-the-way spot."

There was now a full-on grin on his face. "How do you know that's what I'd do?" he asked, shaking his head.

She came even closer, ready to whisper. "Because that is exactly what I'd do if I didn't want you to leave me."

Luke laughed. "It's possible we're too much alike."

Lorelai looked at him soberly. She freed one hand and brought it to his face. "No, you sweet man, there you are wrong. You are goodness itself, where I…" She shrugged and looked resigned. "That is the opposite of what I am."

The smile left his face. "That is not –˝

"Luke, please, I need to run to the boardinghouse." She smiled prettily. "I promise, I'll be back before they light the bonfire – that is, if you want me to come back?"

"Of course I want you to come back," he all but growled.

"Then let me go, and the sooner I finish my duties the sooner I'll return," she wheedled in her most charming fashion.

He let her go, but not without a furtive glance of longing at her mouth.

"Ah-ah-ah!" She primly wiggled a warning finger at him. "We're not alone in the kitchen yet, you know."

"I know," he grumbled. He settled for a quick kiss to her palm.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised.

Luke watched her scamper off, admiring the figure she cut, while feeling the unease building in him over her words.


Luke tried to find distractions while she was gone. He reminded himself, rather sternly, that he was the Sheriff and that he had duties to attend to as well. He walked through the carnival games again, pausing numerous times to lean against the posts of various booths, watching the proceedings. It was amazing how many prizes were given out while he in attendance. He watched the ending of the baseball game and bought himself a glass of lemonade from the choir ladies. He walked up and down the street a dozen times, but almost always seemed to end up in the same spot, down at the eastern end, watching up the hill towards the boardinghouse.

At suppertime he took himself to Sniffy's, where a suitably clean and humbled Ethan Banyan brought him a cup of tea. "Here ya go, Sheriff, compl'ments of the house," he muttered, before fleeing back to the kitchen. Startled at the turnaround in the wild youngster, he looked up and Maisie waved and smiled at him, justifiably proud of her work.

Finally, just as sparks were beginning to jump from the wood piled up for the bonfire, he saw her rushing back into the square and he hurried just as fast to meet her.

"Oh good! I didn't miss it!" she panted, looking over his shoulder as the fire truly took hold. She easily slipped her arm through his and he then found them a path through the crowd so that they could have a closer view of the proceedings.

Lorelai stared at the fire and he stared at her, mesmerized by the light from the flames playing over her. She'd left her bonnet at home and taken down her hair, letting most of her dark curls hang down to her waist. Only a handful were held away from her face by the new comb. As he continued to watch her, she shivered and pulled her shawl tighter.

"Cold?" he worried, automatically putting his arm around her shoulder in concern, forgetting for a moment how forward the gesture was.

"No." She smiled and settled against him, apparently not troubled about their closeness. "There's just something about a fire that makes you shiver, doesn't it?"

"Maybe because we're used to having a fire when it's cold, so our bodies react as if it was," he suggested, tightening his hold on her just a bit.

"Did you have supper?" she wanted to know next.

He nodded, but before he could say anything else, she continued.

"Oh, I'm so glad! I was angry at myself, after I got home. I realized I should have told you to come on up to the boardinghouse when you got hungry, and I'd feed you."

Luke smiled to himself, liking the sound of that. "I went to Sniffy's," he explained, and then proceeded to tell her about the remarkable change in Ethan he'd witnessed.

Lorelai nodded enthusiastically. "Let me tell you what I observed, which was Maisie and Buddy's wagon heading out of town, with all three Banyan brothers in tow, and a bushel basket full of food, too, it looked like."

He allowed himself a satisfied sigh. "I was hoping that was the way it would go."

They quieted as the mayor stepped forward to give a speech, reminding everyone assembled of the history of their town and eloquently predicting the glowing future that he hoped Star-Crossed would enjoy.

"Do you think that will come true?" Lorelai murmured, somewhat skeptically.

"Probably not." Luke squeezed her shoulders. "But if people are happy here, I don't think much else matters."

"True," she agreed, smiling back at him.

Talented members of the town had assembled before the speech, musical instruments at the ready. Now that the talking was done, they began to play, and soon many couples, old and young, were dancing to their tune.

After a few songs, Luke leaned towards Lorelai. "Would you like to dance?"

She pulled away from him, her mouth dropping open from shock. "You don't dance!"

"I don't?"

"No, you don't! I've attended Founder's Day for years and years, and never once have I seen you dance!" she insisted.

"Just because I haven't danced doesn't mean I can't," he reasonably pointed out.

She looked at him speculatively. "Tonight you wish to dance?"

"I do."

"Why, after all this time?"

"Because I finally found someone I want to dance with."

She smiled, pleased. "And that someone is me?"

"That someone is definitely you."

"Then I would love to dance with you, Sheriff." She held her hand out to him.

He led her to the dance area and put his other hand on her waist. Once he'd caught the rhythm of the waltz he started them circling through the crowd of other dancers.

Soon Lorelai threw back her head and laughed elatedly.

"What's funny?" he wanted to know.

"Look who's been hiding his candle under a bushel," she teased him. "You really can dance!"

"You doubted me?"

Her face lost the teasing smile. "No. Never," she said tenderly. He'd been holding her as close as he could in such a public setting, and now she did her best to move closer still. "This has been the loveliest day," she whispered to him.

"It's been a trying day," he replied, sounding dour.

Her feet stumbled for the first time. "How so?" she asked, obviously apprehensive.

"You've tried my patience, all day."

"I…what? How did I…?"

Seeing that she was genuinely worried, he pulled her close, closer than what he should have, but he no longer cared. "Yesterday," he whispered into her ear. "You told me that I could kiss you whenever I wanted, didn't you?"

She relaxed, seeing now where this was headed. "I do believe I did," she nodded.

"But that hasn't proven true. I've wanted to kiss you all day but haven't been able to once."

"Well, if you had, that certainly would have made Miss Patty's day."

"And mine," Luke confirmed.

Lorelai smiled, that bright, special smile that she seemed to save for him. "Mine, as well."

The song ended and they stopped and stepped back, catching their breath, understanding that they needed to corral their impulses as well.

"Would you like some of the punch?" Luke asked her after a quiet moment.

"No, thank you."

"No? After the way you drank down those shots of cordial yesterday, I thought maybe you liked your spirits."

"No, I think I'm quite lightheaded enough as it is," she laughed.

Standing so close to her yet not touching her was practically killing him. "Would you like to dance again?" he asked, hoping she'd say yes so he could have her in his arms once more.

"Yes," she said, and he wasted no time in whisking her to join the dancers moving round and round the bonfire.


"It's late," Lorelai said.

"I know," Luke grumbled.

The musicians had stopped playing. The bonfire had died down to just the few smoldering stumps left at the base. Most of the townspeople had slipped away to their own homes.

"I need to get back," Lorelai said gently. "I saw Rory wave and head that way some time ago now. It's been the loveliest of days, but unfortunately tomorrow will come just as early as always and expect me to get right back to work."

"I am walking you home," Luke said grumpily.

"I insist upon it," she told him cheerfully.

Once they were out of sight of the main part of town, Lorelai leaned her head upon Luke's shoulder. His arm instantly came around her, holding her closely against him. Joy filled her and she closed her eyes for a brief, sweet moment, savoring the bliss of it all.

When they reached the boardinghouse, she paused, her heart skipping wildly. She hadn't decided where the best place to say goodnight to him was, but she wanted to make sure it was someplace where she could get that kiss she'd been craving all day.

"Lorelai, could we find someplace to talk – privately – for a minute or two?" Luke's hesitant request brought her back to earth.

"You want to talk?"

"For a little bit, yes, if you're not too tired."

"Should I…should I be concerned?" It was too late; she was already scared half to death.

"What? No, of course not!" He shook his head and rubbed his hands over her arms, trying to comfort. "There are just some things been going round my mind today, and I'd like to get them out. We can talk another time, though, if you'd rather."

"No, don't be silly. Of course I want to talk!" She laughed but it didn't come out sounding right to her ears. "You know me. Talk, talk, talk! Sookie says that's all I'm good for some days!"

She opened the gate and took his hand, leading the way. She paused where the path curved to the back door, not sure where to go from there. But then the moon shone on the chuppah in the far corner of the lawn, so the decision was made.

"Watch your step," she warned him. "The moon's fairly bright, but the gophers dig out here occasionally." Even with the worry hanging over her, she couldn't resist a bit of teasing. "I wouldn't want you to break your pretty neck."

"You think my neck's pretty?" he mocked her, but at the same time he squeezed her hand.

"I think all of you is mighty handsome." She took a deep breath before settling herself on the bench. She patted the spot next to her. "What do you have to say?"

He sat down heavily next to her, his hands on his knees.

"Take your time," she said gently, seeing that whatever was on his mind didn't come easy.

Finally, with a despairing sigh, he turned to her. "I've noticed – especially today – that you tend to praise my character and tear down your own. I don't like that, Lorelai. I want you to stop doing it."

Of all the possible topics, this one had never broached her mind. She had no idea how to respond.

"Luke, I'm sorry, but…I'm not sure what you mean."

"You seem to have some misguided idea that I'm unblemished; that I always do the right thing. You make it sound as if I'm above reproach. Meanwhile, you never miss an opportunity to point out your failings."

"But I have failed," Lorelai easily admitted, still puzzled.

He grabbed her hand and held on tightly. "And so have I."

She began to shake her head. "No," she said simply. "At least, not in the way I have."

He groaned, frustrated. "Look at me, Lorelai. I'm a grown man. Do you honestly think I've gone 34 years and done nothing I'm ashamed of?"

"Of course not, but –"

"If nothing else, think on the fact I'm sheriff here. You're not naïve. Do you really think I've managed to stay on the side of the angels during all of the years I've worn this badge? Do you believe I've never looked the other way to allow justice to be done? Do you think I've never crossed a line or two myself?"

His eyes were drilling into hers and she shrank away a small amount, taken aback by his intensity. Rumors and gossip that she'd heard over the years suddenly resurfaced in her brain. "But…but things done in order to protect others, or to eliminate a threat…those can hardly be held against you."

He leaned back, shrugging. "Wrong is wrong. I'm the one who made the choice. For sure that's all on my shoulders come judgment day."

Now that he wasn't directly in her face, she felt calmer and could think more clearly. "I still don't believe that anything necessitated by your job is going to count as a sin, Luke. You're a good man doing a hard job. You're a good sheriff."

"I'm an effective sheriff," he muttered. "The good part is yet to be determined." He sighed again. "Put the job aside. Let's talk about family."

"Your family?"

Luke nodded. "Being around you and Rory has made me think more about my family than I have in years. I've got the memories up in my rooms, different things I saved and carted about. Things that remind me of my parents, like the picture I mentioned today. But they're gone; been gone for a long time, and it never seemed sensible to dwell too much on missing them. But my sister…that's another matter."

Lorelai cast back through their conversations. "You said she left town pretty young?"

"Ran off, most likely following some man she'd been spending too much time with." Luke looked at her then. "I'm also fairly certain she was pregnant when she ran off."

Lorelai sucked in a sharp intake of air.

Luke nodded, watching her. "That's always been my suspicion, anyway. Think on that, Lorelai. She's been gone since I was 18, and I've never even tried to find her. There's a good chance I've got a niece or nephew out there, actual kin, but they might as well be a stranger to me."

"If there was a baby, Luke, and she left…Take it from me, she didn't want to be found."

"Lorelai, you still don't see what I'm getting at. It never crossed my mind to go after her. She left and I ignored everything about it. I was already apprenticing for Sheriff Carlisle at the time. I could have used all sorts of resources to look for her, if I wanted to. I could have hired a detective, even, the way Hayden did. But I didn't. I just turned a blind eye. Now I'm ashamed, just thinking about it."

The wind rustled the budding branches over the chuppah and Lorelai looked up, distracted. A memory from just over a week ago gave her insight.

"I was sitting here with Christopher not that long ago," she told Luke, ignoring the way he grimaced when she said the name. "He told me I'd been selfish."

Luke was incredulous. "You?"

She nodded. "I had the same reaction, and very defensively pointed out everything I gave up to come here with Rory." She hesitated. "But in the days since, I've thought about it quite a bit…and I think he was right."

"You're kidding."

"He said that I was selfish because I took Rory away from him. He never even had a chance to be a father to her. He said I was selfish because Rory could have had a much easier life than the one she's had. And he said I was selfish because I…" She looked down at her hands, not wanting to watch Luke's face. "I left him, too. I denied him the years we should have been together."

"That's what you think?" Luke asked harshly.

She looked at him then, and put a calming hand on his knee. "I think…that Chris sometimes lives in fairy tale land. He wasn't there, and I was faced with a terrible choice. If I stayed, I lost Rory. If I would have gone back to Hartford without her and eventually married him…I think not having her would have destroyed us anyway. And I think I always would have felt as if I belonged somewhere else; doing something else." She smiled, a little sadly. "Should have been with someone else."

He watched her face for a moment before nodding in agreement.

She sat up straight and gave her shoulders a flounce. "Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that until he said those things to me, I never thought of it from any other direction. I saw it as my sacrifice – I was the one giving up everything. I never thought that I was denying Rory a better, easier life. I never thought about Chris left with a million questions and an empty heart. And it's the same with you and your sister, don't you see? You've had your eyes opened to other choices; things you might have done instead. But I don't know if being blind is the same as a failing."

She could see that Luke was seriously considering what she'd said, turning it over and over in his mind.

"You know, if you wanted to look for your sister now, you could. It's not too late to find her and this phantom niece or nephew," she said encouragingly.

"True," he mumbled, still deep in thought. He sighed and blinked, and looked at her bleakly. "Can I tell you the deepest, darkest secret buried in my soul? After that you can decide whether or not I'm worthy of your regard."

"Of course, Luke, you can tell me anything," she said bravely, although the grimness of his countenance was giving her pause. But this was Luke, after all. How terrible could it be?

He launched right in, not giving himself any time to chicken out. "You recall I told you about Rachel, about how she died?"

"Yes," Lorelai whispered.

"I also told you about how terrible the weeks and months before had been, how we'd been arguing bitterly over staying here or traveling the world?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, when she died –" Deep emotion choked his voice off. In sympathy, Lorelai leaned closer and put her arm about his shoulder.

He pulled himself together again. "When I heard she passed, before the grief and guilt could hit…The first thought I had; the very first thing that sprang to mind…was relief."

Lorelai's eyes opened wide and her heart pounded. Surely she had misheard?

"I can see you're shocked, but it's the truth. She was gone and I felt relief. I could stay in Star-Crossed. The fighting was over. I'd won."

Now she squeezed her eyes closed and swallowed hard, trying to adjust to what he'd admitted.

"It only lasted for a second – maybe not even that long. The enormity of what I'd lost broke me down soon enough. I was in sorrow for a long, long time. But to be honest, some of the grief I've felt through the years was because of that first terrible thought. I've never forgotten that I was capable of thinking such an evil thing."

"Oh, Luke. You poor, poor man." She put both arms around him and encouraged him to rest his head against her shoulder as she comforted him. "Suffering from a stray thought for so many years. We've all had them, you know. Maybe they're the devil's way to get us to follow him. But the important thing is that you didn't, you stayed true. You honored Rachel's memory and did so many good things since. A split second's wayward thought hardly makes a dent against all of that."

He pulled away from her arms, but then quickly put his hands on either side of her face, once again looking deeply into her eyes. "Lorelai, have you heard even one thing I've said to you?"

She felt herself melting under his scrutiny, but she managed to nod. "I heard you say that you're flawed." She reached out to caress his face, as well. "And I think…I love you more because of those flaws."

The air seemed to freeze as her unplanned words echoed between them.

Lorelai gasped as the enormity of what she'd just revealed hit her. "And you've just been treated to another one of my flaws," she said quickly, trying to find a way to dilute her unintended confession. "Words sometimes fly from my mouth without thought."

Luke's face remained impassive, unreadable. "Do you mean it?" he demanded, pressing for the truth. "Or were they nothing more than thoughtless words?"

She closed her eyes, mentally cursing her unstoppable tongue. Oh well, in for a penny…

She looked at him and tried to keep her voice steady. "No use denying it now, is there? Yes, Luke, I do love you, flaws and all."

"Yes," Luke hissed triumphantly. "Yes! Lorelai, sweetheart – that's what I meant yesterday, when I said I didn't care about your past." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, beginning to rain kisses upon her. "Your flaws, whatever you think they are – they don't matter to me, either, because I love you, too. I didn't want to say it too soon and scare you off, but I've known how I feel about you for a very long time."

"I'm not scared," Lorelai whispered, although her heart was pounding in a way that almost felt like fear.

"Good. I'm not either." His words stopped as his mouth found other ways to communicate with her.

"Oh, my stars…Luke!" she moaned, as his kisses made her senses spin. She held on to him desperately, half-worried that all of the new sensations bombarding her body were going to make her land on the ground if she didn't.

He tried to pull her onto his lap, but the confined space of the chuppah bench wouldn't allow that. Instead he stood, urging her up with him. From lips to knees, they molded together.

One of his hands drifted upwards, first cradling the back of her head, and then delicately diving underneath her hair to caress her neck and throat. Slowly his fingers moved down, tracing her collarbone, before beginning to explore the skin exposed by scooped neckline of her dress. His roughened fingertips pushed past the pretty border of lace she'd taken such pains to sew around the edge of the bodice and she moaned again, bewitched by the wanton feelings he was stirring within her.

He continued to kiss her urgently and she met each one with her own greedy desire. She could feel him, she realized with a gasp of pleasure. Even through the woven frame and the multiple petticoats she wore to create her fashionable silhouette, she could feel him. And God help her, she wanted to feel more. So much more. Her needy hand itched to travel as well.

Later, she'd never be able to articulate exactly what made her stop. Maybe standing under the structure that had meant so much to Mia acted as some sort of warning. Maybe her subconscious remembered what had happened the last time she let her desires take over. In any case, enough sense emerged from that seemingly bottomless pool of lust to give her strength. She turned her head from his kisses and brought both hands up to his chest. She gave him a feeble push and took one step back, effectively breaking their connection.

"Luke," she said, as a warning. She was gasping for breath and shaking with need.

It took him a few moments longer to get back in control. He reached for her again, breathing hard, obviously not understanding why they were no longer pressed together.

"Luke," she said again, pleading this time.

His eyes opened wide when he realized the liberties he'd just taken with her. He took a sharp breath as he backed another step away. He rubbed at his face as he shook his head. "Geez, Lorelai, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I hope you don't think…" His voice faded away in misery.

"I think…I think that we have some yearnings between us that might be…stronger than what we can handle right now," Lorelai suggested in a quavering voice. The few extra seconds of air and space she'd had were helping her words to return, although she was still trembling.

"I'll say," Luke muttered in agreement. He turned partially away from her, still trying to cool down. "Please…please forgive me. I sincerely meant no offense. I hope you don't think that I was trying in any way to take advantage of you – or your situation, or…"

"It wasn't just you," she reassured him. "I know ladies aren't supposed to say such things, or feel such things, but…" Her breath caught in her throat, remembering. "It wasn't just you," she whispered.

"But still…" He shook his head. "I should have been stronger than that."

Some of Lorelai's spunk returned, and she felt confident enough to scoff. "If you'd been any stronger, I think we would have ended up in a worse situation than where we are right now." He turned to stare at her, slightly shocked, and she gave him a saucy smile.

"True," he chuckled, after a moment's reflection. The wretched look finally left his face. "You do forgive me, then?"

She put a hand out to him and he grasped it, gratefully. "Nothing to forgive," she insisted.

He kissed her hand and she found herself instinctively leaning towards him, the yearning making a strong comeback.

Luke took a deep breath, also feeling the pull. "I think I should walk you to your door now."

Lorelai nodded. "I think you should, too," she said, trying to sound serious.

He offered her his arm in a gentlemanly fashion and they walked cautiously to the back door, avoiding gopher holes, tree roots, and the urge to press their lips together again.

Golden light shone from the kitchen windows, illuminating the back porch, making them more self-conscious about saying their goodbyes.

"Thank you for a perfect day," Lorelai said. "I had the best time."

Luke held her hand, looking ill at ease. "And you're certain that you're not angry with me? Or disillusioned, at least?"

"Not at all." To prove her point, Lorelai leaned towards him and went up on her tiptoes, putting a hand on his shoulder as she gently kissed his mouth. "It's been a wonderful day, Luke. I don't know what was the best part, if it was the picture taking, or the baseball throwing, or just spending the day with you." She smiled. "Or maybe it was learning that you know how to waltz."

"You liked that?" he asked, almost shyly.

"I loved it," she confirmed. "I loved all of it."

"Good. I did too," he said, in that quiet, sure way of his. "And what I said before still stands, too, Lorelai. I love you."

Her head was beginning to spin again, as if she'd sipped at Patty's punch after all. She could only nod, smiling tremulously at him.

"It's all right if I call on you tomorrow?" he wanted to know.

"Of course. Yes, please. Come by whenever you can."

"And the next day?"

She grinned. "Yes."

"And the day after that?"

"I'll be expecting it, by then."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow." He hesitated just slightly before leaning over and kissing her lips softly, keeping himself in check. "Goodnight," he said, swinging her hand once before letting it go.

"Goodnight," she replied, watching as he walked down the steps. "Mind the gopher holes."

He chuckled as he followed the path to the gate.

Lorelai gave a huge, shuddering sigh before opening the door and walking inside. It was going to take her a while to tuck this day into her memory box.

"You're home!"

Rory's bright and unexpected greeting made her jump. "I didn't think you'd still be up," she said, feeling flustered. Quickly she ran her hands over her hair and clothing, hoping she wasn't too disheveled.

"No, I'm not tired at all. Plus, you know, I wanted to see if you'd had a nice time with Sheriff Danes."

Lorelai felt a flush spread over her chest and face. "Yes, we had a very enjoyable day."

"Oh, I'm glad!" Rory said. "Although I was pretty sure you did. You were smiling every time I saw you. Luke was, too."

"Yes, a wonderful day," Lorelai said briskly. "So now to bed?" she urged, not wishing to divulge too much to her daughter about what activities she and Luke had enjoyed during their day…and night.

"Soon," Rory said. "First, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh?" Lorelai looked closer at Rory and blinked in surprise. She seemed…older, somehow. Her face had taken on a womanly beauty instead of mere girlish prettiness. In some mysterious way she now seemed more mature. Lorelai could scarcely believe that this was the same girl she thought too young to hear her dreaded secrets just yesterday morning. What could have happened to change her in the course of a day?

"Yes." Rory nodded seriously and folded her hands in front of her on the table. "You know, Momma, I realized today that we've never really discussed what would happen if a boy wanted to come call on me."

Lorelai stared at Rory, acclimating to the change in her. With some regret, she realized that her relationship with Rory had turned yet another page. It was time to usher her into a more adult world, one with boys and kissing and poor vulnerable hearts. She pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and plopped down on it, momentarily cradling her head in her hands while she thought about what to say.

"All right," she said, resigned to the facts. "Let's talk about that possibility now."


Will the sparks continue to fly between the Sheriff and Lorelai? Will their declarations of love remain true? Will Lorelai eventually regret not telling Rory about her past? Will Rory and Dean come to an agreement about the value of dime novels? Tune in next time for another thrilling episode of the Gilmore Girls in the Old West!