A/N: Thanks for all the reviewage, peops. I'm trying to make this story as realistic as I can, which does mean every time Luke and Lorelai seem to get close it kind of doesn't quite happen. Consider that he's 20 and she's 16 and pregnant and you can see the conundrum I've created for myself! lol Oh well, here's some more...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 10

It was so familial, so normal and every day, but Lorelai loved it. Just sitting around in the living room reading her magazine, whilst Luke washed the dishes from dinner and Mr Danes tinkered with the toaster on the coffee table. Honestly, Lorelai was spending as much time watching him fix the appliance as she was reading Elle. It was kind of fascinating actually.

As Sundays went, she certainly hadn't had a bad one here. She watched TV, ate good food, talked with Luke, and just relaxed for a while, without the constant worry or being judged or cast down. It felt good, and she genuinely wished she could stay longer. Tomorrow, however, her parents would come to collect her and she would be back to reality, since she really did have nowhere else to go.

"You want me to take a look at that, Dad?" asked Luke as he came through from the kitchen.

"No, thank you, son," said William, making one further adjustment. "I think..." he said, trying it one more time and smiling widely when the mechanism popped up as it should. "All fixed."

"Cool," said Lorelai, grinning also. "My dad is great at his job and everything, but practical Mr Fix It skills? Nope, not a one."

"Well, we're each skilled in our own ways, I suppose," said William, taking the toaster back to the kitchen, and the tools back to their place too. "You know, Lucas," he said to his son, head firmly in a cupboard even as he spoke. "It would be helpful if you could open up the store tomorrow morning."

"Sure, no problem," Luke agreed easily.

"With that in mind, might be best if you got an early night, don't you think?"

Luke opened his mouth to reply to that question, glancing into the living room where Lorelai was curled into the armchair. He wanted to talk to her some more, spend time whilst he had the chance. Clearly his father was against that idea. It wasn't as if Luke couldn't understand why, but still.

"Yes, sir," he said with a defeated sigh.

William smiled as he watched his son take himself off to bed, wishing Lorelai a goodnight on the way. He was a good boy, sometimes too good. As pleasant a girl as young Lorelai Gilmore seemed to be, William would rather his son didn't make it his life's mission to be her saviour. There had to be another young man more suited to the role, such as the one who was involved in the creation of the child Lorelai carried. Still, William was determined they would be of some use to Lorelai yet.

"I guess I should turn in too," she said as he re-joined her in the living room. "Part of me doesn't want to though. If I go to sleep, tomorrow will come."

"If you don't sleep, it'll still come," William told her what of course she already knew. "Time marches on, whether we want it to or not," he noted, sitting down opposite her. "You just don't want to go home."

"You're smart," she told him, smiling in spite of how true that fact was. "When I ran I meant to be gone for good. Staying here, it's been amazing. Like I can finally breathe, you know? But I can't stay forever, I know that, even if Liz wasn't talking about coming home, which I am totally glad for you that she is. I just... well, honestly, if my home and my family were like this, I never would've left," she said definitely.

That made William smile all the more.

"Lorelai, you know, if you really did want to leave your home, and I'm not suggesting that you should," he told her firmly, "but if the time arose when you felt you must, I would like to think you had somewhere safe and sensible to run too. As you say, it can't really be here. As much as it's been a pleasure to have you stay for the weekend, it wouldn't be practical full-time. However, I have a friend, her name is Mia. She owns an inn here in Stars Hollow."

"The Independence," said Lorelai, nodding her head. "Luke mentioned it before, and Mia too actually."

"She has been sort of an aunt figure in his life," William explained. "She has no children of her own, so she has been known to mother just about any waif and stray that comes her way, not to mention being very kind to even those who have their own parents, like my Lucas and Lizzie. In any case, she is always looking for maids and waitresses, reliable young people to add to her staff."

"Oh, well, that'd be great," said Lorelai, "except... well, would she really want a sixteen-year-old pregnant maid?"

"Perhaps she wouldn't mind, if you could cope," William considered, "but I was thinking maybe after the baby is born" he explained. "It's just something to think about. If you needed somewhere."

He got up from the chair then and turned to the stairs. Lorelai's voice stopped him in his tracks barely two steps away.

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but why would you encourage me to leave home?"

It was a pertinent question and they both knew it, epically given how hurt both William and Luke had been by Liz running away. Maybe it had occurred to all of them by now that as similar as the circumstances of Liz and Lorelai might be, there were plenty of differences too.

"I don't think you need any encouragement, Lorelai," said William then, turning back to look at her. "I think you're a very capable young lady who knows her own mind, and if you're determined to leave home, be it before or after your baby arrives, at least this way you can go somewhere safe and be under the supervision of someone with kindness and good sense," he told her. "I can't ensure all that for my own daughter, she won't allow it, but for you, I have that chance."

Lorelai was so incredibly moved by his kindness, she barely had words. She thought Luke had made her cry earlier, it was nothing compared to how close to sobbing she was now.

"Thank you, Mr Danes," she choked out, reaching for the box on the table and trying to hide her tears in a bundle of tissue.

William came back to her, putting his hand on her back a moment as she cried.

"You're welcome, Lorelai," he told her when the worst of her tears were over. "Now, perhaps you might benefit from getting some sleep too."

"Yeah," she said, swallowing hard, "I think so," she agreed, finding him a watery smile.

She got up from the couch and headed for the stairs, shuffling her way up one more time. It still didn't thrill her to know that tomorrow she was leaving this house. In no time at all, she had come to feel like she belonged here, but at least there was a light at the end of the tunnel now. That wasn't nothing.

"Hello? Hello?" said Luke, frowning when he got no answer. "Liz?" he tried when all he heard was a faint sniffle.

"It's me."

"Lorelai, what's wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned to hear her so upset. "What happened?"

"Nothing that I didn't expect," she explained, swallowing hard. "So much for my mom and all her kind words and concerned looks when we left your place, I should've known it wouldn't last."

Luke closed his eyes and sighed. He'd had a horrible feeling this was going to happen. If he had his way, Lorelai would have stayed there with him and his father, where she was safe and cared for. Not that he thought the great Emily and Richard would actually do Lorelai any real harm, not physically. They just didn't seem to know how to be what she needed. She insisted they loved her, they just didn't get her. Luke felt like he understood her best of anyone lately, though his father had made a good effort too.

"Six hours," he said sadly. "That's all you got before she tore into you?"

"Not even that," Lorelai explained. "She was pretty quiet the whole way home in the car, then when we got here and I asked her if she was ever going to talk to me again, she kind of exploded. My running out was so worrying, so disappointing, so shocking. I clearly hadn't considered her feelings at all," she said acidly. "Of course, the second I suggested she try to see things my way or think about my feelings, well, I may as well have asked her to understand the lyrics of Bowie. Not a chance.

"I really tried, Luke. The last thing your dad said to me before I left, the very last thing, was 'please give them a chance to understand.' I thought, 'You know what? He's right. I should give them a chance. I should be calm and cool, explain how I'm feeling, give them a real chance to get where I'm coming from and be on my side for a change.' For a minute there, I actually thought it was going to work. God, I'm an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot," Luke told her firmly. "That was good advice my dad gave you. He just, he doesn't know your parents."

"He doesn't know my mom," she corrected. "He at least talked to my dad, not that I can imagine him being any more reasonable than Emily."

"Maybe you could give it a try."

"Maybe I should've stayed in Stars Hollow" Lorelai sighed then, undoubtedly looking horribly sad and dejected, Luke was sure as he pictured her. "I know your place wasn't a forever option, but your Aunt Mia-"

"Mia?" Luke echoed, hardly even realising that he had interrupted. "You met Mia?"

"Not yet. Your dad didn't tell you? He talked to Mia about getting me a job and a place to stay at her inn."

"Wow. He didn't tell me. I don't know why he wouldn't."

Luke sat down at the bottom of the stairs, wondering at this particular revelation. He knew his father was being especially kind to Lorelai, no doubt trying to make up for what he saw as his failings with Liz. Still, the idea that he had looked into getting her a place to stay and a job at the Independence, he really hadn't see that coming.

"Anyway, I should've gone for it," Lorelai was saying when he next paid attention to her words. "I can't believe I thought coming back here was a good idea, even for a second."

"I'm pretty sure it's not too late," said Luke softly. "Lorelai, if you need to get out, you can always call me, call us," he amended. "If Mia has said you can go live at the inn then she means it. She's not the kind of person to go back on something like that."

"That's good to know," said Lorelai, sniffling just a little still. "I guess I'll try talking to Richard when he gets home, but I don't know what good it'll do."

"Maybe he'll surprise you."

"Maybe, but I doubt it."

Luke didn't know what else to say to her. Honestly, he was so torn right now. It would be better for Lorelai if her parents could treat her like they should, with care and warmth, supporting her in the decisions instead of always knocking her down and trying to keep her obedient to their wishes. At the same time, if she needed to run, she would run toward him. To Mia, to Stars Hollow, to the Danes family who would always welcome her. Luke couldn't not want that, it was just impossible.

"Lorelai, whatever you need, whenever you need it, I am always here," he promised her, the only words he could think to say in such a moment. "You got that?"

"I got it," she told him, seemingly crying all over again, though Luke had to hope they were at least happy tears now. "You're an amazing guy, Luke Danes. Don't ever doubt that."

"And you're amazing woman, Lorelai Gilmore. Don't let anybody make you think you're not," he replied in kind.

When their call ended, Luke only hoped he had helped Lorelai to find some hope. She had left here with a smile, from what his father had said, albeit Luke suspected it may have been forced. At least if her home life wasn't all it should be from here on out, she had options to consider. For now, that would have to be enough. Luke could do no more, until she asked him.

To Be Continued...