Visions of Sugar Cookies Dance through Their Heads

Lorelai and Luke followed the others out of the bakery in a daze of shock. Luke looked around the square and nodded to the Jeep parked near the church. "You think Rory is still at the diner?" he asked.

"Let's go check, and then we'll head home," she said in a tired voice.

They walked over to the diner and found Jess cleaning up the remnants of the wake. "Hey, where'd you guys take off to?" he asked.

"We had to meet with Fran's lawyer," Lorelai said as she slid onto a stool. "Rory go home?" she asked.

"Lane's," Jess answered as he tossed a wad of paper napkins into a trash bag. "What happened to you?" he asked Luke with a smirk.

Luke sank onto the stood next to Lorelai and said, "I own a bakery now."

Jess' head jerked up and he asked, "Come again?"

"Fran left the bakery to Luke," Lorelai explained.

"No!" Jess said softly.

Luke finally cracked a smile and said, "My thought, exactly."

"She left you the bakery?" Jess asked his voice tinged with disbelief. "The whole thing?"

"Yep," Luke said as he fidgeted with the salt and pepper shakers in front of him.

"I think we're in shock," Lorelai said softly.

"She also left Lorelai and Sookie the inn," Luke told his nephew.

"No way!" Jess said shaking his head. "The inn you were going to buy?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded. "She changed her will last week," she explained. "She left the inn to us and the bakery to Luke."

"Wow," Jess said softly. He looked over at Luke and asked, "Are you gonna keep it open?"

Luke blinked and said, "Well, yeah, I guess, I don't know."

"We haven't had time to process it all," Lorelai said quietly.

"I don't know anything about running a bakery," Luke murmured.

Jess studied him carefully and said, "Can't be that different from the diner. Fran had employees doing most of it, didn't she?" he asked.

Luke nodded absently and said, "Yeah, she had been slowing down the last few years."

Jess nodded and said, "Well then, they would probably be happy to know they still have a job."

"Yeah," Luke said staring at the pepper shaker in his hand.

"It's true, babe," Lorelai said softly, capturing Luke's attention with the endearment. She smiled gently and said, "Really, you probably wouldn't have to do much more than sign the checks and keep things moving," she pointed out.

"Yeah," he answered again, taking the information in and adding it to the mix in his head. He looked at Lorelai and asked, "Can we go home?"

"Sure," she said sliding from her stool. "Let me call Rory and see if she is ready to come now, or if she wants me to pick her up later."

Luke looked out at the snowy street and asked, "Do you mind if I walk? I need some fresh air," he explained.

"I don't mind," Lorelai answered, with her hand still on the diner phone. "Do you want company or do you want to be alone?" she asked simply.

"Company," he said without looking up at her.

Lorelai nodded and said, "I'll tell her we'll leave the keys with Jess," as she dialed Lane's number. She relayed the message to Mrs. Kim, slightly relieved not to face Rory's questions yet, and hung up quickly. "All set. You ready?" she asked.

Luke stood up and said to Jess, "I'll check in later."

Jess nodded and said, "Let me know if you need something." He watched Lorelai take Luke's hand and lead him from the diner, clasping it tightly in hers. And, for the first time, Jess could appreciate how good for each other they truly were.

They walked home in silence, their hands firmly attached, their eyes staring straight ahead. They walked through the front door and hung up their coats, dropping their gloves on the table and rubbing their hands together to warm them.

"Do you want a fire?" Luke asked in a raspy voice.

"Would you rather go up and lie down?" she asked in response.

Luke looked blankly around the living room and nodded as he stepped toward the stairs. Lorelai followed him up to their room. By unspoken agreement, they changed out of their funeral clothes and into their comfortable clothes. Lorelai pulled the quilt back on the bed, and they slipped under it to get warm. Luke gathered Lorelai close to him and whispered, "Some week, huh?"

Lorelai chuckled and said, "This time last week, we were signing our lives away to go parasailing."

"Seems so long ago," Luke whispered. "I don't want it to be that long ago," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Oh Luke," Lorelai said sadly as she snuggled into his neck. "Me either."

"I feel like I'm on a roller coaster," he said softly.

"I know what you mean," she answered without lifting her head.

A moment later, she felt something drop into her hair. She looked up and saw the silent tears sliding from the corners of his eyes. Luke made no attempt to wipe them as he turned his head to look at her. "How is it possible to be so happy and so sad at the same time?" he asked.

Lorelai smoothed her fingers over his face, wiping them away for him. "Because you're human," she whispered. She smiled softly and said, "You are a very complex creature, my friend." She searched his eyes and said, "You do know that it's okay to be both, right? I mean, we have had a lot of ups and downs this past two weeks."

Luke lips twisted into a sad smile as he said, "I like the ups."

"Me too," she said as she leaned over to kiss him gently.

Lorelai rested her head on his shoulder again, and Luke wrapped his right arm around her tightly. They were quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Luke's left hand lay against his stomach, his thumb absently stroking the soft cotton of his shirt. Lorelai reached over and stroked the back of his hand, letting her fingers toy with his wedding band as she let her thoughts take shape. Finally, she asked softly, "You do know that Fran leaving this stuff to us was a good thing, right?"

"I know," he whispered back.

"She would be happy to know you're keeping the bakery open," Lorelai told him. "She knew you would."

"I know," he said again.

Lorelai traced her fingertip over his ring and said, "I can help. Mia is closing the inn, Sookie is pregnant, we don't have to do anything with the Dragonfly right away," she mused aloud.

"No," he whispered.

"But I need a job," she said with a smile.

"You'd eat up the profits," he answered, kissing her hair.

"Seriously, Luke," she started to say as she struggled to sit up to look at him.

"No," he said more firmly. When he saw her blink in surprise he said, "I won't let you postpone this. Now is the time," he said seriously.

"But, it doesn't have to start right this minute," she argued.

Luke smiled and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. "Good, 'cause I'm too tired to think," he whispered.

Lorelai's face softened. "Take a nap," she said gently. "You'll feel better later," she assured him.

Luke looked up at her and asked, "Stay with me?"

Lorelai grinned and said, "Planned on it," as she stretched out beside him again.

"We'll talk more later?" he asked.

"We'll talk more later," she answered.

Rumors were flying around town, and Rory had heard them all. Some said Fran had left her entire estate to Luke, and it was worth millions. Some said that Fran had reneged on an agreement to sell the Dragonfly to Lorelai and Sookie. Jess said that neither was true, and that Fran had left the Inn to Lorelai and Sookie and the bakery to Luke, but she had heard two more versions as she walked from the diner to the Jeep. When she arrived home, the house was silent. She saw their coats hanging on the rack. Luke's truck was in the drive. She peered into the kitchen, but saw that no one had disturbed anything since they left for the church that morning. Silently, she crept up the stairs. She sat still on the top step, listening for the sound of voices, or worse, other activities. When she heard none, she tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it. She heard Luke snoring softly, and turned the knob slowly. Rory cautiously cracked the bedroom door and peeped in. They were curled up sound asleep, nestled together like spoons. Luke's hand was draped over Lorelai, and their fingers were tangled together. Rory saw Lorelai's ring glint in the late afternoon light, and smiled softly as she pulled the door closed again, releasing the knob slowly.

She tip toed back downstairs and dialed the diner. When Jess answered she said, "Hey, it's me."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know, they're asleep," she told him.

"Lazy kids," Jess said with a smirk.

Rory laughed and said, "Poor things are worn out." She paused and asked, "You busy there?"

"No, it's been really slow. I guess everyone got enough of the free food, so they don't feel the need to pay for a meal," he said dryly.

"Can you close?" she asked.

"Now?" he asked.

"You expecting a rush later?" she demanded.

"No," he said with a laugh. "I guess I can see if Caesar can handle it for a while, and tell him to close if it doesn't pick up by seven. He can call me if there's a rush," he reasoned. "What were you thinking?" he asked, knowing she had a plan in mind.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I just feel like maybe these last few weeks have been too much, you know?" she asked. "I think maybe it would help if we just ordered pizza, hung out, you know, the four of us. Maybe we can get them to talk it out, use us as sounding boards," she suggested.

"Worth a shot," Jess agreed. "So, when?" he asked.

"I don't know, about an hour, I guess," she said hesitantly.

"I'll pick up the pizza," Jess told her.

"Okay, good, we like…" she began.

"I know the drill. You guys are carnivores, Luke is a herbivore. Salad for him, cheesy bread for you guys, and I fall in the middle," he said with a smirk.

"We have drinks here," Rory said with a smile.

"See you in an hour," Jess said.

"See you soon," Rory agreed as she hung up. She went into the living room and flipped through the channels aimlessly.

"You are going to wear out the batteries," Lorelai said from the steps.

"Hey," Rory said as she turned to smile at her mother. "Good nap?" she asked.

"Yeah, sorry, hard day," she said as she sat down next to Rory.

"The whole town is buzzing," Rory said.

Lorelai laughed and said, "I'll bet. How many versions?" she asked.

"I've heard four or five," Rory answered.

"Hit me with 'em," Lorelai said with a grin.

"Okay, first, Fran had millions and left it all to Luke," Rory tossed out.

"Nope," Lorelai said with a laugh as she shook her head.

"Fran reneged on her deal to sell the Dragonfly to you and Sookie," she tried.

Lorelai made a buzzer noise and said, "Try again."

Rory raised her eyebrows and said, "Fran left everything to the town, with Taylor overseeing it, and you and Luke have to open the Inn and run the bakery under his supervision."

Lorelai snorted and said, "Luke would kill him if I don't get there first, nope."

Rory grinned and said, "I like this one. Fran was having a passionate affair with an unnamed man over forty years her junior, and left him her entire estate so he could move out of his mother's house and start his own employment agency."

"Oh man!" Lorelai said as she doubled over with laughter. "Ew! Kirk and Fran! Poor Fran!" she sputtered.

Rory laughed for a moment, but sobered quickly. "Jess said that she left you guys the inn and Luke the bakery," she said softly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "That boy really needs to work on his story telling skills. His embellishments are sadly lacking."

"Is it true?" Rory asked.

"It's true," Lorelai confirmed.

"Wow," Rory whispered. "So you don't have to pay for the Dragonfly?" she asked, trying to clarify things.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "I am sure that we'll have to pay some kind of inheritance or estate taxes, but buy it, no."

"And the bakery?" Rory asked.

"Luke's," Lorelai confirmed.

Rory's brow creased as she asked, "Isn't that kind of weird?" Seeing Lorelai's expression she added, "I always thought that Luke's and Weston's were competitors or something."

"I guess, but not really," Lorelai said with a shrug. "Fran and Luke were actually fairly close," she said. "Well, as close as Luke lets people get," she conceded.

"How so?" Rory asked.

Lorelai turned to face her daughter and said, "I'm not going to tell you the whole story because, well, its Luke's to tell if he wants to. Let me just say that Fran was close to his parents, and looked out for Luke when he lost them," she explained. Lorelai leaned over conspiratorially and whispered, "She could make Luke eat cookies."

"No!" Rory said with a giggle.

Lorelai nodded sagely and said, "Sugar cookies to be precise." She frowned for a moment and said, "You know, I don't think it was Fran leaving him the bakery that upset him so much, I think it was the sugar cookie recipe she left with the will."

Rory gasped softly and said, "She left him her recipe?"

Lorelai nodded. "I think that really got him. I mean, that really made him realize how much faith she had in him."

"Oh, poor sad Luke," Rory said softly.

"Oh, kid, you have no idea," Lorelai said with a sigh. "Anyway, he is feeling really conflicted right now. We've been so high and low lately, you know?" she asked.

"I know," Rory said. "Mom, I asked Jess to come over tonight. He's bringing pizza, and I thought that maybe between the four of us, we could talk all this out," she said waving her hand wildly. "Maybe I should call him and tell him to stay home," she said nervously. "I don't want to upset Luke any more than he already is," she explained.

Lorelai felt the tears gather in her eyes as she stroked Rory's silky hair. "I think that's a great idea," she whispered.

"You do?" Rory asked as she turned to study Lorelai's face.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Family means a lot to Luke, and we are his family now. The four of us are a family," she said decisively. "We need to figure this out together, because this affects us all."

Jess showed up exactly an hour after Rory called, pizzas in hand. Lorelai went upstairs to check on Luke and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his clasped hands. "Hey, sleep okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said with a sheepish smile. "I haven't napped this much since I was a baby probably."

She walked over to him and pressed his head to her chest, stroked his hair and said, "You're my baby," in a teasing voice.

Luke nuzzled his nose against her breast and said, "Good, 'cause I'm hungry."

"Jess brought over pizzas," she told him.

Luke caught her shirt between his teeth playfully and said, "Not what I had in mind."

Lorelai laughed and said, "I know, but it will have to do. A family meeting has been convened," she told him.

Luke lifted a brow and asked, "Really? Who called it?"

"Who else? Rory," she said with a laugh.

Luke stood up and said, "I guess we know who the head of this household is," with a wry grin.

"Always has been," Lorelai said with a nod. "She'd be tough to depose. She's small, but wiry."

"And sneaky," Luke said as he ran his comb through his sleep rumpled hair and plopped his hat on his head.

"True," Lorelai said as she watched him with a smirk.

"What?" he asked when he saw her face.

Lorelai giggled and asked, "Why do you comb it first?"

Luke shrugged and tossed the comb onto his dresser. "I just do," he said tersely as he walked toward the door, not in the mood to be mocked.

Lorelai caught his arm and turned him toward her. She kissed him tenderly and said, "I think you're adorable."

"I think you're nuts," he responded when she wouldn't release his arm.

"Luke," she said softly. He sighed and looked at her patiently. "I think you're adorable because I adore you," she whispered with a smile.

Luke's expression softened and he said, "I love you too. Now, let's go eat some pizza," he said as he took her hand from his arm and placed it in his.

They walked downstairs and found Rory and Jess bustling around the kitchen, pouring drinks and setting out plates. The pizza boxes were on the counter along with a couple of salads and a double order of cheesy bread. They exchanged greetings and began to fill their plates. Luke opened a salad container and wordlessly forked half of it onto Lorelai's plate. Lorelai retaliated by placing a huge piece of cheesy bread on his. Rory and Jess took in the exchange with amused glances.

They sat down at the table and began to eat. When the meal was about half through, Luke pointed his fork at the salad on Lorelai's plate, and Lorelai pointed her fork wordlessly at Rory's salad less plate. Rory gasped as Luke grabbed the other container and placed some on Rory's plate too. "What's the deal?" she asked, offended that her mother had sold her out.

"We have to eat our vegetables," Lorelai said with a grimace.

"What? Who said?" Rory demanded. Lorelai pointed her fork at Luke and Rory glared at him. She narrowed her eyes and said, "I didn't marry you."

Luke nodded and said, "If you love me, you'll eat it."

Rory gasped and said, "I will not fall victim to your emotional blackmail!"

"You play rough, Luke," Jess said with a laugh as he took a forkful of his own salad.

"It won't hurt you," Luke said gruffly.

Rory stared open mouthed as Lorelai quickly shoveled lettuce into her mouth. She turned to look at Luke and asked, "Is she a robot? Are we moving to Stepford?"

Lorelai snorted and said, "Eat your cheesy bread," to Luke.

Luke looked at the greasy bread with distaste and said, "It's all about trade offs."

"How did I get thrown under the bus?" Rory asked.

Luke took a bite of the bread and grimaced as he chewed. He swallowed and took a sip of his beer. "Your Mom can explain it all later," he said softly.

Lorelai glanced at Rory with pleading eyes, and Rory grudgingly took a bite of salad. When they finished, Rory sat back and said, "So, can I work at Weston's on the weekends?"

Luke blinked at her blunt approach and Jess barked a laugh. "Subtlety, thy name is Gilmore," Jess teased.

Rory looked directly at Luke and asked, "Are we not supposed to talk about it?"

Luke took a drink of his beer and said, "We can talk about it," as he peeled the label from the bottle.

Silence reigned for a moment before Rory said, "I think it's great. I think it's perfect. Who better to take care of Fran's legacy than you two?"

"I think so too," Jess added quietly.

Luke nodded silently as Lorelai said, "Well, the inn thing is all good as far as I'm concerned. The bakery was a bit of a stunner," she said with a smile aimed at Luke.

"To say the least," he said with a chuckle.

Rory tilted her head and said, "Well, you seem to have the least to say about it so far. Care to share your thoughts with the family?" she prodded.

Luke bristled for a moment, but then looked Rory dead in the eye and said, "I'm afraid I'll run it into the ground."

"What?" Lorelai gasped.

"How?" Jess asked.

"I don't think so," Rory said quietly.

"I don't know anything about running a bakery," Luke said plaintively.

Lorelai asked, "Did you have years of diner experience when you opened Luke's?"

Luke shook his head and said, "No, but if I failed, I had failed no one but myself."

Rory crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "So you think by not trying you won't be failing Fran?"

"I never said I wasn't going to do it," Luke said angrily as he stood up and began to pace the kitchen. "I'm going to do it, but I'm not sure how it will work out is all," he said in a softer tone as he took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.

"Okay, that's settled," Rory said with a smile. "Can I work at the bakery on weekends?" she asked again.

Luke turned to stare at her incredulously. "Why would you want to?" he asked.

"Well, I'm going to school this fall and I need some money. Besides, Jess works at the diner. Why can't I be involved in the family businesses too?" she asked.

Luke caught the family part the second time Rory threw it out there, and dropped back into his chair. "You really want to?" he asked skeptically.

When Rory nodded enthusiastically, Lorelai pointed at her and asked indignantly, "How come she gets to work at Weston's and I can't?"

"You have an inn to renovate," Luke reminded her.

"Not yet," she shot back. "Not for a long time," she pouted.

"You'll be plenty busy making that happen," Luke assured her.

"I think we should focus on the diner and the bakery for now," Lorelai said stubbornly.

"I told you before that you are not postponing this," Luke said sternly as Rory and Jess' heads whipped back and forth watching them.

Rory grinned and whispered, "It's like Wimbledon."

"Without the pesky yellow ball," Jess agreed.

"I just don't know if this is the best time to start work on the inn," Lorelai insisted.

Luke ducked his chin, raised his brows and dug in for a fight. "This was the plan all along, Lorelai," he reminded her.

"I know that, but things are different now," she insisted. "We need to talk about…" she started to argue.

"This is non-negotiable," Luke said loudly.

"This is my decision to make," she yelled back.

"The bakery and the diner are my problems to handle!" he shouted.

"You aren't looking at the big picture," she shouted back.

"You are afraid to take the big leap," he accused.

"No I'm not, but now is not the time," she yelled.

"When will it be time?" he demanded.

Lorelai's eyes blazed as she yelled, "When my husband hasn't just been ambushed! When we get used to being married! It's only been ten days!" She stood up and slammed her plate into the sink. She whirled to face him. "When my inn, which used to be my home, hasn't just burned up! Rory is finishing high school! Jess is starting college! My partner is pregnant, and there is a remote possibility that I might be too!" she yelled, effectively silencing the room.

After a moment, Rory asked, "Are you pregnant?"

"Sookie's pregnant?" Jess asked, just starting to catch up.

Luke stood up and walked over to her. He placed his hands gently on her arms and asked softly, "Do you really think that's likely?"

"I don't know," she said softly. "It's possible," she said with a shrug.

Luke looked at her closely and said, "But not probable."

"Probably not," she conceded. "But Luke, even if I'm not now, we want to be, right?" she asked cautiously.

Luke sighed and said, "Right."

"So you have to admit, our plate is a little full right now," she said with a worried frown.

"They're having a baby?" Jess asked Rory.

"Not yet, I don't think," Rory whispered back.

"It's full, but I think we need to figure out what our priorities are," Luke said gently.

"I know what mine is," Lorelai said with a stubborn set of her chin.

"You do?" he asked.

"I told you, I want a baby," she whispered.

"More than your inn?" he asked.

"More than anything," she answered petulantly.

Luke rubbed her arms and said, "We are going to have a baby, Lorelai, but do you really want it right now?"

Lorelai nodded and looked away as tears filled her eyes. "I thought you did too," she whispered.

"I do, I do," he assured her. "I just want to be sure that you're thinking about your decision, and not just reacting emotionally," he explained.

"Let's go in the living room," Rory whispered to Jess. They rose silently and crept from the room.

"Man, you sure know how to stir things up," Jess teased Rory as they sat on the couch.

"It's a talent," Rory said as she kept one ear cocked toward the kitchen for signs of trouble. She flipped on the TV and handed the remote to Jess.

"How can one and possibly two pregnant women renovate an old inn?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"They hire a good contractor, and avoid heavy lifting," he answered. "Have you even talked to Sookie about this?" he asked.

"Not yet," she whispered.

Luke glanced behind him and saw that the kids had vacated the table. He led her to her chair and they sat tiredly. "Okay, you need to talk to Sookie about all of this," Luke said calmly. "You need to make this decision together, and whatever you decide to do, I will support you. If you want to go ahead, we will hire as many people as we need to get the work done. Your loan has been approved, and we can cover any overages out of savings," he said firmly. He took a deep breath and said, "I need to call the Weston's employees and see who plans to stay on. I will figure out what to do once I know what I have to work with."

Lorelai smiled and said, "You can do this, I know you can."

"I hope so," he said worriedly. He reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I do want a baby, Lorelai," he reassured her. "If you are pregnant, I will be the happiest man on Earth. If you aren't, we will have to factor that into whatever decisions we make about the businesses, agreed?" he asked.

"Agreed," she said softly.

"Good," he said with a smile. "I'm sorry I was such an ass," he said softly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't, I don't know, tell you, I guess, what I was thinking about," she said just as softly.

Luke smiled and said, "I'm gonna call Sandy from the bakery and see if she can round everyone else up to meet with me."

"Good idea," Lorelai said with a nod.

"After that, can we agree to table this discussion for a couple of days?" he asked. "Just until I talk to them, sort out some more help at the diner and you talk to Sookie," he said quickly.

"Motion to table this discussion accepted," Lorelai said gravely. "When you get off the phone, do you want to watch a movie, the four of us?" she asked.

"That would be good," Luke said as he pecked her on the lips. "We'd better ask Rory if that would be okay," he teased.

Luke had trouble sleeping that night. Finally, he crept out of bed sometime after two, and padded to the kitchen. He fixed a cup of tea and drummed his fingers against the table idly. He looked around blankly, trying to put his finger on what was bothering him. After a few minutes, he jumped up and walked to the front hall to rummage through the pockets of his overcoat. When he touched the card, he pulled it out and studied it carefully as he walked back into the kitchen. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he started to pull ingredients and cookie sheets from the cabinets. He followed Fran's directions faithfully and dropped rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheets. He slid them into the warm oven and glanced at the clock.

Rory heard Luke moving around in the kitchen and tried to figure out if she should go talk to him. She heard him slide something into the oven and waited to hear what happened next. When she smelled the scent of cookies baking, she smiled softly as she realized what he was doing. She decided to leave him alone, and fell back to sleep with the promise of sugar cookies for breakfast.

At three o'clock, Luke sat down with a warm sugar cookie and a tall glass of milk. As he bit into the cookie, he smiled, knowing he had gotten it right. He finished his cookie in two bites, drained his glass and rinsed it quickly, anxious to crawl back into bed with Lorelai.

Luke had arranged to meet with the bakery staff the Wednesday morning at ten, so Lorelai made her way to the diner at a little before eleven, hoping that he would be back by then. He wasn't officially working that day, but Lorelai knew he would go back to the diner to work while he processed whatever he learned. She slid into a chair by the window and smiled as Jess approached with her coffee. "He back yet?" she asked.

"Nope," Jess answered as he placed her mug in front of her.

Lorelai sulked for a moment and then asked, "When do your classes start?"

"A week from Monday," Jess answered, gazing around the nearly empty diner, and not meeting Lorelai's eyes.

Lorelai watched him for a minute and then asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"What?" he asked, snapping his attention back to Lorelai.

"You, uh, seem to be a little off," she said cautiously.

"Just stuff on my mind," Jess said dismissively. "You hungry?" he asked.

"Silly question," she answered.

"Don't know what I was thinking," Jess said as he dug an order pad out of his pocket.

Lorelai placed her hand on his wrist to stop him and said, "I'll wait a bit, see if Luke shows up."

Jess nodded and said, "Yell if you need anything," as he started toward the kitchen.

Lorelai watched him go and then shouted, "Jess!"

Jess rolled his eyes as he turned back to her and said, "I didn't mean that literally."

Lorelai grinned and said, "Just wanted to see if it would work." She placed her chin in her hand and gazed out at the snow covered square. She was deep in thought when Jess slid into the chair next to her and said, "I don't need to start school right now."

Lorelai jumped and said, "What? Of course you do."

"I can start in the fall, like I would have anyway," Jess said with a shrug. "That way, I can run the diner while Luke gets sorted out with the bakery."

Lorelai shook her head and said, "Jess you're only taking a couple of classes anyway, you need to start. There will be plenty of time for you here as it is."

"I like it," Jess admitted softly.

"What?" Lorelai asked curiously.

"Working here, running this place when Luke isn't here," Jess said without meeting her eyes.

Lorelai smiled and said, "That's great. I know Luke really appreciates having you around to fill in, but that doesn't change the fact that you need to go to school."

"I don't need to," Jess said stubbornly, working his jaw just like his uncle.

"Yes, you do," Lorelai said softly. "Luke would be heartbroken if you didn't at least try it," she said sincerely.

Jess nodded and looked away. "I'm not making any four year commitments," he muttered.

"No one said you had to," Lorelai answered. "But, you need to hold up your end of the deal," she reminded him.

Jess looked down and asked, "Are you really planning on having kids?"

Lorelai blinked and said, "Nice segue," with a laugh. When Jess looked up she said, "Uh, yeah, we are." Jess nodded his understanding and made a move to get up. Lorelai grabbed his wrist again and said, "You know, it won't really change anything. As far as we're concerned," she said waving her hand in a circle meaningfully.

Jess nodded and said, "Okay, good to know," as he walked to the coffee maker and grabbed the pot to refill her mug. "You know, you shouldn't drink coffee if you're trying to get, uh, you know," he said gruffly.

Lorelai smiled softly and said, "I've heard that."

"Bet you have," Jess said with a smirk as he walked away.

Lorelai whiled away ten more minutes before she saw a familiar green army jacket heading toward the diner. She smiled as she watched him approach, head down against the wind, his hands tucked into his pockets for warmth. He opened the door and almost walked right past her before he froze and turned to look at her. "Hey," he said, a genuine smile of pleasure creasing his face. He bent to kiss her hello and asked, "Did I know you were coming in?"

"You should have," she replied with a sassy smile. "I thought that we could have lunch," she said gesturing to the table.

Luke looked around as a few of the early lunch crowd strolled in. "Let me ask Jess if it's okay if we eat upstairs," he said as he spun toward the kitchen. A minute later, he leaned out and called to her, "Burger and fries?"

"Yum!" she called back, rubbing her stomach with exaggerated motions. Luke walked back to the table and sat down to wait for their food. Lorelai looked at him, trying to gauge his mood. "Good meeting?" she asked hopefully.

Luke nodded and said, "Very good. I'll tell you about it up there," as he pointed to the ceiling. "Let's talk about something else now," he said with a smile just for her.

"Like what?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Like how sexy you looked this morning," he whispered.

Lorelai made a shocked face. "Luke Danes! The shakers will hear you," she said as she placed her palms over the top of the salt and pepper shakers.

Luke chuckled and said, "That would be scandalous."

"Sally and Pepe have very tender sensibilities," she said in their defense.

"And you have no sense whatsoever," he shot back.

Lorelai eyed him cautiously and said, "You are in a very good mood."

Luke laughed and said, "I had a nice wake up call."

"Remind me to do that every day," she said with a wink.

Luke laughed and said, "Yeah, at four thirty in the morning."

"Every day that you don't open," she said covering herself.

Luke looked up as Jess jerked his head at him. "Food's ready, let's go up," he said as he went to the counter to collect their plates and two tall glasses of milk.

"Thirsty?" Lorelai asked as she followed him carrying the milk.

"One for me, one for you," Luke said easily.

"Luke, I hate drinking milk," she whined.

"You put it on your cereal," he pointed out.

"I know, but I hate drinking a whole glass of it," she said petulantly. "You're getting a charge out of this thing," she groused as he opened the apartment door.

"I'm trying to make sure you do a little something healthy each day," he answered.

"You're tormenting me," she said with a pout.

"Lorelai, please," he said with a sigh as he placed their plates on the table.

Lorelai grinned and said, "You said I could grumble and complain."

"Are you going to drink it?" he asked.

"I will, but I won't like it," she said as she sat down. "Tonight you're eating pie," she told him.

"Okay," he said with a nod as he picked up his turkey sandwich.

"Chocolate pie," she demanded. "In bed," she added with a smirk.

"I suppose I have to make this pie, too," he grumbled good naturedly.

"Where else would it come from, the pie fairy?" she asked.

Luke smirked and said, "Not one of my favorite nicknames."

"If you like it, there may be some interesting things that can be done with it," she said teasingly.

Luke raised an eyebrow and asked, "You want me to smear pie all over you?"

"I was thinking about you, but you can do me if you want," she offered generously.

"I'd rather just do you without the pie," he answered with a leer.

"There will be pie, how you choose to consume it, that's up to you," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Thanks," he said dryly as he watched her take a huge bite of her burger.

Lorelai chewed thoughtfully and swallowed with a gulp. "Are you going to tell me, or do I have to pry it out of you?" she asked.

Luke toyed with his sandwich and said, "Well, Sandy has been pretty much running the place when Fran wasn't there." He sat back and said, "There are four other employees, including Todd and Ed, the bakers. They work mostly at night, while the store is closed," he explained.

"Makes sense," she said as she popped a fry into her mouth.

Luke nodded and said, "The other two, Lisa and Janine are mainly part-time, one on days, one on evenings."

"I know them, they're nice," Lorelai said with a smile.

Luke said, "Yeah, they all are. Anyway, they were relieved that the bakery was gonna stay open, but I think they are a little unsure about me."

Lorelai laughed and said, "Your reputation precedes you."

Luke smiled and said, "I guess so."

Lorelai nodded and asked, "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Of course," Luke answered as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"Lay low, let Sandy handle things the way they have been for a while," she said gently. "You get familiar with the back office stuff, and let her run the store," she said with a shrug. "That way you all have some time to get used to each other."

"That's what I was thinking, too," he said with a nod.

"Good," Lorelai said as she took another bite of her burger.

Luke mulled it over while he picked at his plate. He took a drink of his milk and asked, "You talk to Sookie yet?"

Lorelai laughed and said, "Yeah, well, I tried."

"What happened?" he asked.

Lorelai made a face and said, "Morning sickness."

"Oh," Luke said softly. "She okay?" he asked.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "She said she would probably be better this afternoon, so I'm gonna go back over there later."

"Good," Luke said lost in thought. "We're you sick with Rory?" he asked abruptly.

"A little," she said remembering. "Mainly just nauseated. I thought I had the stomach flu," she said with a rueful smile.

Luke raised his eyebrows and asked, "For weeks?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "It wasn't every day, and I was only fifteen when I got pregnant," she reminded him.

"That's amazing," he said in a voice filled with awe.

Lorelai laughed and said, "Yes, a banner accomplishment."

Luke winced and said, "You know what I mean, that you did all of that, so young."

"Well, it will certainly be different now," she said with a laugh.

"It will be great," Luke said taking her hand in his.

"Let's see if you think so when my ankles are puffy, I'm covered in stretch marks and my boobs sag," she teased.

"Your body is perfect," he said dismissively.

"I'm not sixteen anymore. I may not, uh, snap back into place," she said as she toyed with a fry.

"And this worries you?" he asked.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Well, sure."

"It shouldn't," he answered.

Lorelai frowned and said, "I would be the mother of your child, not your willing love slave anymore."

"Even more attractive," he said with quiet confidence.

"I hope so," she said with a faint smile. She gazed around the apartment. It was stripped of most of Luke's belongings, but still felt like him. She smiled and said, "Lots of good memories up here."

Luke returned her smile and said, "Yeah, lots."

Lorelai got up and strolled to the door to Luke's old room. She peeked inside and saw only the single bed in the empty room. "Poor sad bed," she said with a pout.

"Well, his big brother moved to our house," Luke said as he got up to peer over her shoulder.

Lorelai glanced up at him and said, "He's probably lonely."

"Ya think?" Luke said with a smirk.

Lorelai tugged at his flannel and said, "We should make him feel loved."

"Uh, this is Jess' place now," Luke pointed out.

"This is your room," she countered.

"My room is your room now," he reminded her, knowing that he would give in.

"I know that, but this is still yours too," she argued. "Come on, Luke. Nothing wrong with a little afternoon delight," she said with a sexy smile, knowing that he would give in.

"Do not sing," he said gruffly as he walked her back toward the single bed.

Lorelai sat down on it heavily and grabbed his shirt in her fists, pulling him down to her. "Make me shut up," she challenged.

Luke grinned wolfishly and said, "Gladly," as he lowered his lips to hers.

When he moved to kiss her neck, pressing her back on the bed, she reached down to stroke him playfully and said, "And we have liftoff." Luke growled in her ear and caught the lobe between his teeth. Lorelai sucked in a breath and then whispered, "Skyrockets in flight!"