It was early afternoon when Lorelai pushed the door to the diner open and stopped suddenly, taking in the unusual quiet of the diner. There weren't any customers lingering, and the counter was all but abandoned. She slowly approached a stool and tossed her bag onto the counter, a slow smile appearing on her face. She stepped around the edge of the counter, a sense of accomplishment washing over her as she reached for a coffee cup and the pot that was simmering behind her. As she poured herself a cup, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself. In the two months since she and Luke had been dating, he hadn't relented on his "no one else behind the counter" rule, and she finally felt like she was getting somewhere as his girlfriend.

"What the hell are you doing?" his voice rang from behind her.

Lorelai turned to smile at him, still clutching the coffee pot in her hand. "Hi, it's nice to see you too," she replied.

"You know the rules, you're not allowed behind the counter," Luke said, grabbing the pot from her hand.

"But I'm the girlfriend."

"A sack of potatoes falls on your head, insurance doesn't care if you're the girlfriend."

"You are storing your potatoes in a very weird place."

"Go. Now."

"Kiss first?" Lorelai requested.

Luke leaned in and pecked her cheek, then pushed her out from behind the counter.

"That's all you got?" Lorelai frowned.

"We're in the diner."

"And there's no one else around," Lorelai commented. "Hey, you actually look nice."

"Thanks, that feels good."

"I mean you're dressed up," Lorelai laughed, taking in his sweater and the absence of his baseball cap. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You're not going on a date with another woman, are you?"

"Yes, it's 2:15 on a Tuesday. I have a date with the bank," Luke replied.

"Right, I forgot," Lorelai nodded. "You're leaving the diner to run by itself?"

"Cesar's in the kitchen," Luke said. "I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Okay," Lorelai said, taking a cup of coffee. "I'll stay here if you don't mind. Michel is acting especially French today, and I don't know how much more curse words I can handle."

"How do you know they were curse words?" Luke asked.

"Well, I organized all the guest reservations by last name, and then asked him to put them in order by date," Lorelai explained. "Then I wanted to see the vein in his forehead, so I switched it and asked him to do it over again. I convinced him that he had only thought he'd put them in order the first time."

"You're evil."

"And you love me," Lorelai smiled up at him.

"God help me, I do," Luke said. He leaned in to kiss her, smiling slightly when she pulled him in for a deeper embrace. "I have to go. Don't go behind the counter."

"As you wish," Lorelai nodded. Luke offered her one last kiss before he walked out of the diner. Lorelai watched him disappear from view and waited a full minute before she stood and hurried behind the counter, turning her back to the door to pour herself another cup of coffee. The bell above the door rang a moment later and she quickly shoved the pot back into its place. "Luke, I swear I wasn't….oh." She turned and smiled slightly when she saw a blonde haired woman standing in the middle of the diner. "Uh…welcome to Luke's." She could at least pretend to know what she was doing. She'd seen Luke serve enough customers over the years.

The woman offered her a nervous smile. "Is Luke here?" she asked.

"No, he had a meeting at the bank," Lorelai explained, a sudden unease washing over her. She knew Luke was devoted to their relationship, but she wasn't sure she liked strange women walking into his restaurant and asking for him.

"What about Jess?" the woman asked.

Lorelai blinked in surprise. "Uh, no, he'd be at school," she said. "Usually where teenagers are in the middle of a weekday afternoon."

"Right," the woman nodded slowly. She looked at Lorelai carefully before she smiled. "You must be the girlfriend. You seem like Luke's type."

Fighting the urge to ask the woman who the hell she was, Lorelai nodded slowly. "That would be me. Lorelai," she said. "Um…Luke's told you about me?"

"Just a little," she said. "I'm his sister, Liz."

Understanding dawned on Lorelai as she smiled widely at Luke's sister. "You're Luke's sister," she repeated. "Jess's mom."

"If I can claim that title," Liz said. "I didn't do a great job taking care of him. I was really young when I had him."

"You're preaching to the choir, sister," Lorelai said, offering Liz a cup of coffee. "I have a seventeen year old daughter."

"From what I hear you handled the challenge of teenage motherhood a lot better than I did," Liz said. "I wasn't as successful as you were."

Lorelai shrugged as she leaned her elbows on the counter. "I did my best," she said. "But Rory's dad…he wasn't around at all. It was hard at the time, but in hindsight I think it would only have complicated things if he'd been involved. Men tend to do that."

Liz nodded slowly. "Jimmy wasn't really reliable either," she said. "I sent Jess here to give him a good role model. He's had some trouble, and Luke has always been there to help me. I figured he might be able to rub off on Jess."

"He's done a great job," Lorelai smiled proudly. "I wasn't sure it was the right thing for him to do, taking in a teenager. We definitely had some bumps in the road, but looking at Jess now, I see what a fantastic job Luke has done helping him."

"I'm glad," Liz said softly. "I know I've been a bad mom, but I do love my son. I want what's best for him, and that's why I sent him here."

"I understand," Lorelai promised. "I think it was very brave. And he'd never admit it, but Luke's enjoyed having him here."

"My brother's a great man," Liz acknowledged. "And you seem nice. I'm glad he has someone."

"I'm glad to have him," Lorelai smiled. "He's been great to me and my daughter, even before we started dating. You should be proud if Jess turns out to be half the man Luke is."

"I will be," Liz nodded.

Before either one of them could continue, the door to the diner opened and Luke stepped in, already rolling his eyes. "Geez, Lorelai, didn't I make myself clear?" he asked, moving around the counter and grasping her shoulders gently, guiding her to the proper side of the counter. "You're not an employee, you're not allowed behind the counter."

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she turned to look at him. "You know, I just got done saying what a great guy you are," she informed him. "Apparently I have to take those comments back."

Luke ignored her and turned back to the counter, his eyes widening when he saw Liz watching the exchange. "Liz?" he asked tentatively.

"Hi big brother," she offered him a smile. "Surprised?"

"Sure am," Luke smiled, moving to hug her tightly. "Does Jess know you're here?"

"Nah, he's in school," Liz said. "I figured I'd come see my favorite brother first. And meet the girlfriend."

Luke smiled as he turned to look at Lorelai, who was chatting away on her cell phone, ignoring his sign as she always did. "What do you think?" he asked softly.

"I think she's perfect," Liz replied. "She really loves you, Luke. I can see it in her eyes."

Luke offered her an embarrassed smile. "She does," he admitted. "She's…pretty special."

"That was Rory," Lorelai said, turning to look at Luke. "She's taking a later bus so she can work on a project at school. But she said she's definitely still interested in experiencing you losing your Princess Bride virginity."

"Geez, Lorelai, do you have to say it like that?" Luke asked.

Lorelai giggled. "Yes, it's fun watching you see ten different shades of red," she replied. "Rory and I have a bet as to which one of us can get you to eleven first."

"I hate you."

"On contraire, I do believe 'love' is the verb you're looking for," Lorelai reminded him as she reached for her purse. "So I'm going to let you guys have some sibling time. You have a lot to talk about. But why don't you come over for dinner tonight? We can talk more then."

"Oh, you don't have to…" Liz started.

"Come on, it will be fun," Lorelai said. "Luke will cook."

"Of course Luke will cook," he interrupted. "It's not like he has a business to run or a restaurant to cook for."

"Please," Lorelai waved a hand in dismissal. "You would have been cooking for me and Rory anyways. Now just add some more meat or whatever for your family. It will be fun!"

"It's going to be busy tonight because there's that high school band concert," Luke countered. "Another time."

"Luke, please?" Lorelai sighed. "When was the last time your sister came to visit? I've always wanted to have a brother or sister, and you have one. Let's make her visit more special than making her sleep in your twin bed in your apartment while you're at work."

"Fine," Luke sighed.

"Yes!" Lorelai smiled triumphantly as she turned to Liz. "Dinner at my house tonight."

"So I've gathered," Liz said with a smile. "I've never seen him give in so easily before. You must really be something."

"Something exasperating," Luke muttered.

"Excuse me, I'm the one who gives you most of your business," Lorelai scoffed. "See how exasperating I am when I stop coming into the diner."

"I could start charging you for all the coffee you drink," Luke countered.

Lorelai sat back in her seat, defeated. She finished her cup a moment later and reached for her bag, preparing to stand. "I'm sure you guys have a lot to catch up on," she said. "I'll leave you to talk. Call me when you're on your way over tonight?"

"I'll walk you out," Luke said, stepping around the counter and placing a hand on the small of her back. She smiled warmly at Liz.

"It was great to meet you," Lorelai said to Liz. "I'm looking forward to dinner. Make sure you think of plenty of embarrassing stories about our Lucas here."

"I've got a lot stored," Liz nodded seriously. "I'm glad to meet you too. Thanks for offering up your house for dinner."

Lorelai smiled as Luke stepped onto the sidewalk with her. "So, this is a surprise, huh?" she asked.

"Definitely," Luke said, running a hand over his chin. "I don't know how Jess is going to react to this."

"Have they talked at all?" Lorelai asked, squinting up at him.

"Only a couple times," Luke sighed. He shook his head before he reached out to rub her arm. "Thanks for welcoming her. It was probably good for her to see someone who doesn't remember everything that happened when she was a teenager."

Lorelai shrugged. "Your sister and I were cut from the same cloth, my friend," she said. "Us teenage moms have to stick together."

Luke didn't respond, but leaned in to kiss her quickly. "I'll see you tonight," he said. "What are the chances that there is actual food at the house?"

"About the same that you're wearing the I love Lorelai boxers I bought you," Lorelai replied.

"I'll stop at the market," Luke sighed. "See you later."

Lorelai reached up to kiss him. "I love you," she whispered before she turned to walk down the street. He watched her go, then turned to walk back into the diner.

XXXXX

"So Jess's mom just…sent him away?" Rory asked later that evening as Lorelai poured some coffee grounds into the filter. "I know he showed up unexpectedly but I never really thought about his mom."

"I guess she was really overwhelmed by being a single mother of a teenager," Lorelai said. "She wanted Jess to have a good male role model so she sent him to Luke."

"I can't believe she could just send him away," Rory whispered, looking down at the table.

"She couldn't provide what he needed, Rory," Lorelai said softly. "Sometimes it's not about what we want as mothers, but what's best for our kids."

Rory looked up at Lorelai with wide eyes, and suddenly she was eight years old again, scared and vulnerable. "Would you ever have sent me away?" she whispered.

Lorelai abandoned her task of making coffee before she pulled Rory tightly into her arms. "Never," she whispered. "You are my best friend, Rory. I knew that it was a challenge, but I never for a second thought of giving you up. You have to know that, honey."

"I do," Rory whispered, hugging Lorelai back tightly. "I just wonder sometimes."

Lorelai pulled back to study her daughter closely. "When have you ever had any reason to wonder about your life?" she asked.

Rory shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know," she whispered.

"Come here," Lorelai grabbed her hand and let her to the living room, settling them both on the couch before she turned to look at her. "Rory, talk to me."

Rory picked at an invisible thread in the pillow she was clutching in her arms. "I guess I never realized how lucky I am," she said. "But hearing about how much Jess's mom struggled and how many girls don't keep their babies, I take for granted the fact that you not only kept me, but gave me an amazing life. I don't know if I've ever said thank you for that. But I never wanted anything different from my life."

"You don't have to say thank you," Lorelai countered. "You're my daughter. That's all there is to it. I wanted the best possible life for you, and I knew that together we could make that happen."

"Dad's dad wanted you to get an abortion," Rory whispered.

Lorelai's heart constricted at the mere thought of being asked to end Rory's life before it began. "He did," she whispered. "But it was never a possibility. Even my parents insisted on that."

"It was really brave of you," Rory said. "I don't know how you did it."

"It was hard," Lorelai admitted. "But I did it because I loved you. From the moment I knew you were alive inside of me, I knew that you were special. That you would be my best friend, and neither one of us would ever be alone."

Rory sighed and leaned her head against Lorelai's shoulder. "I'm glad you were so strong," she whispered. "I can't imagine growing up with Grandma and Grandpa if you hadn't run away."

"And that, my darling daughter, is proof that I love you so much," Lorelai said. "I think my parents would almost have been glad if I'd run away and left you with them. But I wanted better for you, and I knew that I couldn't make it without you."

"So you came to Stars Hollow," Rory smiled.

"I came as far as four dollars would get me on the bus," Lorelai countered. "And the rest is history."

"That it is," Rory smiled as she sat up and looked at Lorelai. "You know you're pretty lucky too, with the way things turned out."

"I am," Lorelai agreed. "I got a good kid."

"Yeah, you could have been stuck with a boy," Rory said in horror.

Lorelai gasped. "Don't even joke about such things," she said. She smiled before she reached out to squeeze Rory's hand. "Don't ever think that I regret having you or keeping you. You're the most important thing in my life. And you always will be. I promise."

Rory nodded slowly. "I know," she said. "That is, until you and Luke have a baby."

Lorelai blinked at her in surprise. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked. "Do you know something I don't?"

"No," Rory shook her head. "But I see things in your future with Luke. Happy, family things."

"We're nowhere near that point," Lorelai said firmly. "Like…we're still getting on the entrance ramp and have a fifty mile drive ahead of us."

"I know," Rory nodded. "But someday you'll be ready to go down the exit ramp."

"If," Lorelai stressed the word, "Luke and I ever have children, they won't replace you. Luke loves you almost as much as I do, and any baby we had would not erase that fact. Even if I have another beautiful daughter, you'll always be my best friend."

Rory smiled slightly. "Thanks, Mom," she whispered. "I love you."

"Love you too, kid," Lorelai smiled. "Now, let's think of some questions we can ask Liz about Luke when he was growing up. I already have to ask her about his Star Trek shirt and former girlfriends. What else do you have? I want to know all the possible geek moments."

"Broken bones," Rory listed on her fingers. "Favorite TV shows. Birthday parties. Oh, and the Jimmy Buffet concerts. School clubs."

"All very good points," Lorelai nodded approvingly. She pushed herself off of the couch as she heard the front door open. She smiled as she walked into the front hall, seeing Luke and Liz both armed with bags from Doose's. "Hey," she said. "Where's Jess?"

Liz averted her gaze to the floor, and Luke shook his head slightly. "He had some stuff to do," he replied. "Wasn't available at the last minute."

"Ah," Lorelai nodded as she reached for Liz's bag. "Well, I'm glad you guys could come. Come on in, and you can meet my daughter. She's got lots of important questions about little boy Luke."

This brought a smile to Liz's face. "Thanks for having us over," she said. "Your house is really great."

"Thanks," Lorelai nodded. "It's perfect for Rory and me. And Luke's improved practically everything for us at one point or another."

"Someone had to do it," Luke shrugged. He placed his bags on the kitchen table and turned to Lorelai. "Did I leave my wallet here last night? I thought I had it this morning, but apparently I didn't. Liz covered the groceries and I want to pay her back."

"If you did it's on your nightstand," Lorelai shrugged, reaching into the fridge for some beer.

"Be right back," Luke nodded before he disappeared into the living room.

"Come meet Rory," Lorelai said, handing Liz a beer and leading her down the hall. "Rory, this is Luke's sister, Liz. Liz, this is my daughter, Rory."

"Hi," Rory stood from the couch and offered Liz a warm smile. "It's great to meet you. Jess and I have spent a lot of time talking about books."

"You too," Liz said. "Your mom's told me a lot about you."

"Yeah, she tends to brag," Rory said embarrassingly.

"Hey, most mothers do," Lorelai said defensively. She looked up at the stairs as she saw Luke descend into the living room. "Find it?"

"Yeah," he said. "Did you know your dresser's a little uneven?"

"Yeah, I had it propped up with an old coffee of Vogue, but I had to look something up," Lorelai replied. "I'll put it back later."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'll fix it tomorrow," he promised. "And I'm assuming that none of you are actually going to help me cook dinner."

"Your assumptions are correct," Lorelai nodded. "Call us when the food is ready."

"I'll come keep you company," Rory said, pushing herself off of the couch as she followed Luke into the kitchen.

Liz smiled as she turned to look at Lorelai. "She's beautiful," she said.

"Thanks," Lorelai said. "I guess I got lucky. She's a really great kid."

"She likes Luke," Liz commented. "I can tell."

Lorelai peeled at the label of her beer. "It must be genetic," she said. "I'm pretty fond of him too."

"I'm glad he has this," Liz said. "A great girlfriend with a daughter he clearly adores. A house, a life outside of the diner. He needs it."

"He does," Lorelai agreed. "He's been a lot less grumpy these past couple months."

"A lot of that was my fault," Liz said softly. "Luke had plans. Big plans, after high school."

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked curiously. "Like what?"

"He wanted to leave," Liz admitted. "Our mom had already died, and he was determined to leave town, go to college and see the world. He even had a track scholarship to Connecticut College. He went for a semester, but then I…I screwed up and made him come home."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Luke quit school when you got pregnant?" she asked.

"It wasn't just that I got pregnant," Liz shook her head. "I wasn't really accepting the responsibility. I wasn't like you, Lorelai. I had Jess and then…went back to my life. I left him with my dad and partied, went out with boys, ran around like nothing had happened. Luke came back to help my dad with the store and with Jess, and to try to take care of me. He was willing to give up his dreams of college for us."

"Wow," Lorelai breathed. "I had no idea."

Liz nodded regretfully. "I left when my dad got sick," she admitted. "He told us he had cancer and Luke…I've never seen him so upset. Even when our mom died, we were kids so we couldn't really process it. But he promised my dad that we would be there, that we would help him through everything. But I couldn't handle it, so I left. I took Jess, and I left in the middle of the night."

"I can relate to that," Lorelai said softly.

"It wasn't fair to Luke," Liz admitted. "I know that now. I left him to take care of our dying father without even saying goodbye. He never got a chance to go to college or leave Stars Hollow. And I'm still the crappy mom who can't take care of her son and needs to call her brother for help."

"Luke would do anything for you," Lorelai said softly. "I know I don't know you that well, but I know that Luke is the most devoted person I know. He'd do anything for the people he loves. And he loves you."

"I just don't know why," Liz said. "I've let him down so many times."

Lorelai's mind flashed back to the moment when she had told Luke that she was planning to marry Max. A similar look of hurt and regret had passed over his face when Christopher had come to town, and Lorelai briefly wondered why she had wasted so much time with other men when Luke had been right there in front of her. "All that matters is the right now," she said to Liz. "It's not too late. With Jess, I mean."

Liz shook her head. "You should have seen the look on his face when he saw me this afternoon," she said. "He hates me. He doesn't want me here."

"He's a teenage boy," Lorelai shrugged. "He hates everyone and everything. But he's also probably a little bit hurt, being uprooted and sent to live with an uncle he barely remembers. Maybe you should prove to him that you're ready, that you're going to be the mom he deserves."

"How do I do that?" Liz asked. "How did you do it?"

"You make a plan," Lorelai said. "Find a place to live, bring him to live with you, and show him stability. Show him that you're not leaving and you want to be involved in his life."

"That's it?" Liz asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "You'd be surprised how much can happen when you live alone with your kid," she said. "A lot of bonding goes on even without the attempts of movie nights and late night talks."

"So you think I should stay?" Liz asked.

"I think you need to do whatever you can to provide for your kid," Lorelai said.

Liz nodded slowly. "Thanks," she said. "I'm really glad I came tonight."

"Me too," Lorelai smiled.

The sound of Rory's laughter came through the hallway and Liz turned to look at Lorelai. "It's nice that she and Luke get along so well," she said.

"It does make my life easier," Lorelai nodded. "Luke's great. Even before we were dating, he let Rory spend hours at the diner while I was working nights because she didn't want to stay at home by herself. She broke her leg a couple months ago and Luke was the one who came to the hospital with me and talked to the doctors. He's been there for every major moment since she was nine."

"I always knew he'd be a good dad," Liz said with a confident nod.

Before Lorelai could contemplate why this topic had come up twice in a single hour, Rory ran into the living room. "Luke says dinner is ready," she reported.

"Thanks, hon," Lorelai nodded. She and Liz walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Luke, this looks amazing."

"Thanks," he said as he sat down beside Lorelai.

"Is this Mom's lasagna recipe?" Liz asked.

"Yeah," Luke nodded. "I've been pulling out some of the old recipes lately."

"My personal favorite was the chicken parmesan," Rory reported.

"The next time there's a birthday you should make sure Luke makes you our mom's birthday breakfast," Liz suggested.

"Birthday breakfast?" Rory asked curiously.

"Luke," Lorelai tapped him on the arm. "My birthday is in two weeks."

"I know."

"So are you going to make me breakfast?"

"I make you breakfast every day."

"I mean a birthday breakfast," Lorelai stipulated.

"I hadn't thought about it," Luke shrugged.

"Come on, Luke," Lorelai said. "At least tell me what it is."

"It's a surprise," he replied.

"I have a source right here," Lorelai said. "Liz will tell me."

"It's no big deal," Luke said.

"You loved it when you were little," Liz countered. Turning to Lorelai and Rory, she said, "every year, our mother would bake us a whole coffee cake on our birthday. When we came downstairs, there would be balloons with our names tied to the plate."

Rory blinked in surprise as she turned to Luke. "You've done that for me," she said.

Luke offered an embarrassed smile. "Like I said, it's no big deal," he said.

"It is a big deal," Lorelai countered. "It's a very big deal."

"It's just a coffee cake and some balloons," he dismissed.

"No," Lorelai said, reaching for his hand. "It's a family tradition. Do you know how much I would love to have a family tradition like that? I mean, other than my recurring desire to stab a flaming needle into an eye every time my mother reminds me how I'm a year older and just as much a disappointment to her as the year before."

Luke shrugged. "It's just a tradition," he said. "I figured I'd pass it on."

"Consider it added to the Gilmore birthday checklist," Lorelai nodded. "It can replace the clown that was arrested during Rory's eighth birthday party."

"Don't ask," Luke advised his sister.

"I won't," Liz replied. "So…I was thinking that I might stick around for awhile."

Luke froze for a moment at the table. "How long is awhile?" he asked. "Until you find somewhere better to be?"

"I won't," Liz promised. "I want to be here, I want to take care of Jess. I'm not going to leave again, Luke."

"Jess can take care of himself," Luke stated. "He's had to do it since he was five years old and you dragged him from city to city without considering what was best for him."

"I know I was a bad mother, but I'm trying…"

"You're too late," Luke snapped. "Jess is almost eighteen, Liz. Now is the time you decide to be a mother?"

Rory leaned closer to Lorelai. "I'm…I'm going to go," she whispered.

Lorelai nodded in understanding and watched as Rory slid into her bedroom. She then turned back to Luke, who was quickly becoming angry. "I don't know what's made things different now," he said. "Jess and I have a routine, he's doing well in school for once. Why would you want to uproot him again in the middle of his senior year of high school?"

"I love him," Liz admitted. "I know it might not seem like it, but I do. And I talked to Lorelai, and she told me how she raised Rory, and I just…I can do it, Luke. I know I can."

"Don't compare yourself to Lorelai," Luke said. "Don't you dare. She took responsibility for her actions. She took her baby and ran away to provide a better life. You took your baby and ran away because you didn't want to see Dad die!"

"I know!" Liz shouted. "I know I was a coward and a bad mother, but now I'm trying to fix it! Can't you give me some credit for that?"

Luke stood and moved towards the back door. "I need some air," he said. "I can't believe I'm hearing this." He disappeared onto the porch and slammed the door behind him, leaving a stunned Lorelai and shamed Liz sitting at the kitchen table.

"I should explain things to him," Liz started to stand.

"Let me," Lorelai pleaded, gesturing for Liz to sit down. "I'll talk to him."

She pulled the back door closed behind her and walked around the porch to see Luke pacing the front yard. "Doing laps?" she suggested as she leaned against the railing.

Luke turned to look up at her in the fading sunlight of the evening. "What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded.

Lorelai straightened her back defensively, taken aback by his accusing tone. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"How could you tell Liz what to do or how to interact with Jess?" Luke asked. "You barely know her, Lorelai!"

"I was trying to help," Lorelai said.

"Well, a lot of help you've given," Luke snapped. "You had no idea what you're talking about. It's not your place to tell her anything!"

"I know where she's coming from, Luke," Lorelai said. "We both had babies when we were teenagers. That's not something most people understand. In fact, it's not something you can understand."

"What I understand," Luke replied as he climbed the steps to face her. "Is that my sister was too busy partying to pay attention to her son. I understand that for five years my dad and I raised Jess, only to have him ripped out of our lives in the middle of the night. I understand that I took him in twelve years later, teenage attitude and all. And I understand that my sister has always cared more about herself than her own kid. Is that anything you can understand?"

"No, but…"

"Then stay out of it!" Luke shouted. "It's none of your business, Lorelai! This is my family, not yours. You have no right to tell Liz that it's okay for her to take Jess. Why would you try to interfere like that?"

"I was trying to help your family," Lorelai defended.

"My family," Luke stressed. "Which has nothing to do with you."

Lorelai felt a stab of pain go through her heart as she processed his words. "I see," she said. Without another word, she turned and walked into her house, locking the door quickly behind her. She ignored Luke's voice telling her they weren't finished and returned to the kitchen, which she was surprised to see was empty. She briefly debated going into Rory's room, but instead decided that she wanted to be alone to think about everything that had transpired.

As she climbed the stairs and settled into her bed, she wondered how her simple conversation with Liz had led to Luke informing her that he did not consider her to be part of his family. It was ridiculous, she knew, because they weren't family. But she had been so quick to accept Luke into her whole life, into her house and her relationship with Rory, that she had thought that he felt the same way.

Apparently she had been mistaken in thinking that he was just as invested as she was in their relationship.

"Mom?" Rory appeared in the doorway as Lorelai tried fruitlessly to wipe the tears from her face. "Luke's on the phone. He sounds weird."

"Tell him I'm tired."

"You don't want to talk to Luke?" The surprise was evident in Rory's voice.

"Rory, I'm tired," Lorelai repeated.

Rory stepped back into the hallway and spoke quietly into the phone before Lorelai felt the mattress dip beside her. "What happened?" she whispered.

"We had a fight," Lorelai said, not wanting to retell the details.

"Okay," Rory said slowly. "But you'll work through it."

Lorelai sighed against her pillow. Luke's pillow, really. He'd slept there last night, and it still smelled like him. "I guess," she said.

"Luke loves you," Rory tried again. "Fights happen."

"Rory," Lorelai whispered, turning over to look at her daughter. "I love you, and I love that you're trying to be here for me right now. But I just need some time, okay? Before we can talk about this I need some time to think about it and figure out what I want to do about it."

"Okay," Rory whispered. She kissed Lorelai's cheek and settled down on the bed with her. Lorelai closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to regain control of her emotions as she feared what could happen tomorrow.

XXXXX

"Don't answer it," Lorelai instructed her daughter as the phone rang.

"Mom," Rory pleaded. "It's been two days. Luke's left about ten messages. You have to talk to him. He sounds sorry, now you need to make the next move."

"I'm not ready," Lorelai replied.

"But…" Rory was interrupted by the answering machine beeping on.

"Hi, it's me again…Luke. Lorelai, I know you're still mad, and I don't blame you. I know I picked a fight and blamed you for things I shouldn't have. But I'm sorry, and I want to talk to you. I want to explain things, to tell you what happened. So just…call me. Please just call me so we can talk like adults and figure this out." He was silent for a moment before he let out a soft breath of air. "I miss you."

The machine beeped off and Rory turned to look at her mother. "Call him," she instructed, holding out the phone.

"Rory, this isn't that simple," Lorelai stated, not looking up from her magazine.

"He's trying to apologize," Rory insisted. "Please, Mom, call him."

"I'll call him when I'm ready."

"I don't blame you for being mad," Rory said. "He said some pretty hurtful things. But he's trying to make things better. Shouldn't you meet him halfway?"

"Rory," Lorelai snapped, a little harsher than she had intended. "Let me handle it."

Rory's eyes widened, and she dropped the phone onto the couch. Lorelai sighed as she looked at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to snap. I just…this is between me and Luke. Can you please just let me handle it?"

Rory nodded slowly. "Fine," she said. "But don't wait too long."

"I won't," Lorelai said. She tossed her magazine onto the coffee table and stood. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Okay," Rory said. "I have to head to the library, so I'll probably be gone when you're done."

"Pizza and a movie tonight?" Lorelai suggested.

"Sure," Rory said. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, hon."

Rory watched as Lorelai ascended the staircase, then quickly grabbed her backpack and ran out the front door. She had an errand to run, but it certainly did not include the library.

XXXXX

Luke's was somewhat quiet when she pushed the door open fifteen minutes later. He was standing with his back to her and she approached the counter carefully, unsure of how much to push him. She sat down on a stool and cleared her throat. "Hi, Luke."

At the sound of her voice, Luke turned quickly and looked down at her with surprise. "Rory," he said. "I uh…is your mom here?"

"No," Rory shook her head. "She's maintaining her status as the most stubborn person in the world."

Luke sighed as he looked down at the counter. "She's still mad, huh?" he asked.

"Definitely still made," Rory confirmed. "But…she misses you."

Luke looked at her carefully for a moment, and she could see the debate in his eyes. "Rory, I don't know…"

"It's okay, you can talk to me," Rory said. "I promise I won't say anything to her if you don't want me to."

Luke shook his head as he leaned against the counter and cross his arms over his chest. "There's a lot about my sister and my family that your mom doesn't know," he admitted. "Not because I don't want her to, just because it's hard for me to talk about. When I found out that she'd been talking to Liz about those things, I just…lost my temper."

"Which you've been known to do," Rory said knowingly.

"She won't take my calls," Luke said. "You're her best friend, Rory. How am I supposed to get through to her?"

"She's hurt," Rory admitted. "That's why she's not answering the phone. But you know my mom. She's dramatic and she'll talk if she's cornered."

"So I have to find a way to make her talk," Luke sighed.

"Yep," Rory stood. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line. I know I'm not really part of the relationship, but I just want my mom to be happy. You make her happy, so I had to at least talk to you."

"Thanks, Rory," Luke nodded. "I'll see you soon."

"Good," Rory nodded as she picked up her backpack. "Bye, Luke." She turned and walked out of the diner, leaving Luke to stare after her with a contemplative expression on his face.

XXXXX

Later that evening, Lorelai stepped onto the porch, a bag of trash clutched in her hand. She shivered as the unseasonal April cold washed over her, wondering what had happened to the warmth of the spring. As she turned to walk down the steps, she stopped short when she saw Luke leaning against his truck.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she walked towards the garbage cans.

"You wouldn't talk to me on the phone, so I'm here," Luke replied. "Lorelai, we need to talk."

"I think I've heard all I need to hear." She abandoned the garbage bag in its can and then moved back to the house. "Go home."

"I'm not going home until we talk."

"Then you've got a long wait ahead of you," Lorelai replied. Without another word, she stormed up the porch steps and slammed the front door behind her, then leaned against it for a long moment. She expected to hear Luke's truck starting, but all she heard was silence. She pushed herself off of the door and into the living room.

"Who were you talking to?" Rory called from where she was studying in the kitchen.

"Luke," Lorelai replied as she picked up the TV remote.

"Luke's here?" Rory asked. "Did you make up?"

"I don't want to hear anything he has to say," Lorelai replied.

"Mom," Rory protested, then trailed off.

Lorelai stared at the TV for an immeasurable amount of time, unable to focus on whatever crime show was working its way through a murder investigation. She could feel Luke's presence in her yard, and she was finding it more and more difficult to fight the urge to talk to him. As hurt as she had been by his words, Lorelai had missed him the past two days. She wasn't sure where she stood with him, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what he had to say. If she ignored his presence, at least she could pretend that their relationship wasn't completely over.

With a sigh, she pushed herself off of the couch and moved to the window, pushing the curtain aside slightly. Luke was sitting on the porch steps, elbows on his knees as he stared out at the yard. She couldn't see the details of his face, but from his posture she could tell that he was willing and ready to sit outside all night. She swallowed hard and moved towards the kitchen, reaching for the teapot and a mug.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked curiously.

"It's cold outside," Lorelai explained as she put the kettle on. "If Luke's going to insist on sitting on our porch all night, he should at least have some tea."

"Oh," a slow smile appeared across Rory's face. "Okay."

She returned to completing her homework, and Lorelai turned back to fixing Luke's tea. She carried it carefully outside and settled herself on the steps beside him. "I thought you might be cold," she said by way of a peace offering.

Luke looked at her in surprise before he reached out to take the offered tea. "Thanks," he said as he took a sip.

Lorelai was silent for a moment as she stared out at the yard, her eyes landing on the chuppah Luke had built her. "It's been weird," she whispered. "The past couple days, not seeing you or talking to you."

"Yeah, it has," Luke agreed. He paused as if contemplating how much to say, then spoke again. "Lorelai, I'm sorry. I had no reason to get mad at you, and you didn't deserve me yelling at you the way I did. Really, I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Lorelai whispered. She was silent for a moment before she said, "It wasn't the yelling."

"What?" Luke looked at her.

"It wasn't the yelling that got me upset," Lorelai clarified. "I mean, it's not an experience that I'd like to repeat, but I can handle yelling. God knows I get enough of it from my mother. But when you said that I shouldn't be involved in anything having to do with your family…that hurt, Luke. More than I can tell you, that hurt my feelings. Because I've let you into my family, and Rory already thinks of you as family, and then you said that I'm not part of your family. I guess we weren't on the same page with that, but to realize it, especially with you being so mad, really sucked."

"I shouldn't have said it," Luke said. There was a long silence and he turned to look at her. "It's not true, you know."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Luke, you don't have to…"

"No, I do," Luke said. He reached tentatively for her hand and she squeezed it tightly to tell him that she wouldn't pull away. "You are my family, Lorelai. You and Rory, you're the best family I have. I'm not saying it because I feel like I have to or because I want to make up with you. The two of you…you're my family. And after wanting it for so long, I'm afraid…" his voice trailed off and Lorelai leaned into him.

"What?" she whispered. "Talk to me, Luke."

Luke sighed as he looked up at the sky. "I'm afraid of losing it," he whispered. "Because I waited for so long, and that was okay because I wasn't sure if I would ever make it here, to being with you and being part of your lives. But now that I know what it's like…to kiss you, to make love to you, to spend time with you and watch Rory grow into an adult…if I lost that, I don't know how I would handle it."

Lorelai nodded slowly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't want to lose it either," she whispered. "But you can't…I can't just be part of your life when it's convenient. If we're going to do this, you have to let me in to everything. Even the scary family stuff."

"I know," Luke nodded, taking a deep breath. "That's why…I've spent this entire day trying to work up the strength to tell you about my family. All of it."

Lorelai inhaled sharply. She knew how guarded Luke was about his family, and although he'd mentioned his parents on occasion, he'd never told her more than a quick memory or two. She knew it had to be extraordinarily difficult for him to work up the courage to tell her about the dark secrets of his past.

"Come on," she said, reaching for his hand. "It's too cold out here. This is a bedroom kind of conversation anyway."

Luke looked at her carefully. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive," Lorelai nodded. "I know how hard it is for you to talk about this stuff, Luke. And I want to know everything about you that you're willing to share. So let's go upstairs and we can be completely alone while we talk."

"Okay," Luke said. He took her hand and followed her inside. Lorelai took his mug and walked into the kitchen, placing it in the sink before she turned to Rory. "Luke and I have a lot to talk about. We're going to go upstairs, so knock first if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure," Rory's eyes traveled quickly to Luke, where he stood beside the staircase. "Good luck."

Lorelai kissed Rory on the cheek before she moved back to Luke. "Okay, let's go," she placed her hands on his shoulders and guided him up the stairs. Once inside her bedroom, she closed the door and sat down on the bed. She leaned against the headboard and pulled her knees up in front of her, staring at Luke expectantly. After a moment, he sat down beside her on the edge of the bed, hands clasped together.

"My mom died when I was twelve," he finally whispered. "Liz was ten. It was summer vacation, and we were coming back from the beach. We'd had a mother and son day, just the two of us, swimming in the waves and throwing a Frisbee around in the sand. It had been a perfect day, just the two of us, and I could remember that on the drive home I was thinking that I wanted to have that kind of day for the rest of my life. But then…everything changed. I didn't know what had happened until it was over, but a drunk driver ran a red light. Slammed right into her side of the car. I saw the blood and tried to help, but…she was gone by the time the ambulance arrived."

"Oh Luke," Lorelai breathed, tears filling her eyes. "I am so sorry you had to experience that."

Luke was absorbed in his memories and didn't seem to hear her words. "My dad did his best after that," he admitted. "I helped out at the store, tried to do everything I could to help Liz become a teenager without the help of her mother. I told myself that I would go to college and experience something exciting, like a career in baseball or a chef in a restaurant in a big city far away. I told myself that as soon as I was eighteen, I would be gone and never look back. And I almost made it. I was halfway through my first semester when my dad called and told me Liz had gotten pregnant. He sounded so…broken, so lost, that I couldn't let him stay here and deal with that all by himself. So I came home and made sure Jimmy wouldn't come around, then watched as Liz seemed to forget the fact that she had a baby. She left Jess at home while she went out and partied with her friends, and just left my dad and me to raise him. My dad was happy to do it. He'd loved having a kid around, and even though he'd wished Liz would take responsibility for her actions, he taught Jess all about tools and fishing and his grandmother…the same things he'd done when I was younger. But then…" Luke inhaled deeply. "Then he got sick. And we told Liz, who just packed up and left. She took Jess and she left, in the middle of the night without a word. That is what killed my dad. Not having her and Jess around to fight for him, I'm convinced that he all but gave up. There were months of hospitals and tests and treatments, and I was the only one who was there to take care of him. Liz didn't even come back for Thanksgiving, and my dad was pretty bad by that point. That's when…well, a couple days later he died. He died and left me alone in the world."

"Luke," Lorelai breathed, the tears streaming down her face plainly now. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry, I hate thinking that you had to go through that."

Luke buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. "I just don't want that to taint the life we have now," he said softly. "You… you know that I don't like to talk about this stuff. I locked all of this away for a long time, because it's too difficult to think about. But these past couple months with you have been so amazing, Lorelai. I have never been happier than I am right now, and I think…when I heard that Liz had been talking to you about this stuff I just lost it. Because I don't want all these demons to scare you away. I don't want to lose you."

"I know you don't like to talk about it," Lorelai said softly. "And it means more to me than you'll ever know that you've let me in and told me all of this. I don't want to lose you either. I'm sorry if I crossed my boundaries talking to Liz about you."

Luke shook his head as he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "You didn't," he said. "I overreacted. I'm glad you feel like you can talk to her."

"It's always interesting to compare notes," Lorelai nodded. "Although, I do find it interesting that you hold so much resentment towards Liz. I mean, I get it, but I just…I wonder if you had known me when I was seventeen if you would have thought the same things about me."

"No," Luke said firmly.

"I did the same thing," Lorelai insisted. "I was an irresponsible teenager, I got pregnant and had a baby. I took her and ran away from my parents. Sounds about the same to me."

"It's not the same," Luke said defensively. "Don't ever think that you and Liz are the same. When you got pregnant, you straightened your life out. You gave up all your dreams of travelling Europe and going to college to make sure your daughter was provided for. And when you ran away, it was to give Rory the best life possible. You took a job as a maid and lived in a potting shed for eight years, all the while raising the best kid I've ever known. What you did was brave and admirable. Liz ran away from a father who had given up everything for her, and dragged her kid from city to city, not thinking about what that did to him. I don't ever want to hear you compare yourself to her again. Maybe you ended up in the same position, but you both dealt with it in very different ways. You're not the same."

Lorelai looked up at him with wide eyes. "Okay," she said. "I won't." She was silent for a moment before she linked her fingers through his. "You know, if Liz hadn't run away, you probably would have left Stars Hollow."

"Probably," he agreed.

"And we'd never had met," Lorelai said carefully. "So…I know it upset you. I know she hurt you when she left, but maybe it was supposed to happen. So you could be sitting here with me."

Luke smiled as he turned to look at her. He reached out and ran a finger over the line of her jaw, his eyes filled with love and admiration. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he murmured. "My beautiful girl."

Lorelai smiled as she closed her eyes and basked in the feeling of Luke's gentle hand on her skin. She loved moments like this, behind closed doors when he was openly tender and compassionate towards her. "I love you," she whispered.

"Lorelai," he whispered her name carefully, as if he were saying it for the first time. "God, I love you too. So much."

Lorelai leaned into his arms. "I missed you," she whispered. "I know it's only been two days and it's totally lame, but…I missed you."

"I missed you too," Luke murmured. "The diner's not the same without your constant yammering."

"We're going to fight again," she breathed. "That's just logic. And we're both stubborn, so let's make a pact."

"A pact?" Luke frowned.

"No more two days without talking to each other," Lorelai said. She swung a leg over his lap and straddled him, cupping his face as she smiled down at him. "We'll fight, we'll cool off, we'll talk and we'll make up. Deal?"

Luke smiled as he leaned up to kiss her. "Deal," he nodded.

"And you know," Lorelai said, removing his baseball hat and tossing it to the floor. "There's only one way to seal a deal like this."

"One way, huh?" Luke asked, flipping her over so she was resting beneath him on the bed. "Can I guess what it is?"

Lorelai smiled as she felt him reach for the buttons on her shirt. "You're doing a great job so far," she said.

Luke smiled as he discarded her shirt and pressed his lips against the soft skin of her stomach. "Rory's downstairs," he murmured.

"So you'll have to be quiet," Lorelai said, her hands moving to pull him back up to her. "Think you can handle it?"

"Oh, I can handle it," Luke nodded, his body covering hers. "The question is, can you?"

Lorelai smiled as she hooked a leg around his waist. "I think you know I can," she murmured.

"Hmmm," Luke nodded, reaching behind her to undo the clasp on her bra. She moaned as he cupped her breast. "What if I do your favorite thing?" he murmured in her ear. "Think you can stay quiet through that?"

Lorelai felt a rush of heat wash over her at the thought of Luke's favorite move, the one that usually left her completely at his mercy. "I'm always up for a challenge," she said, pulling his lips down to hers and kissing him passionately. She could feel him smile through the kiss and felt relieve course through her. She'd hated the past two days, hated not seeing him and not knowing where they stood in their relationship. But now she was back in his arms and everything felt right in the world again.