A/N: Thanks for all the fab reviews, peops. Now, this was actually one of the tougher chapters to write and it bothers me still that it's not quite right... Read on and you might notice why!

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

It was getting late when a knock on the door startled Luke half way up the stairs to bed. His father had already turned in for the night, and so he headed back down to see who was visiting at such a late hour. His heart began hammering in his chest when he realised it was likely to be Lorelai. It was five days since she went home to her parents, he wouldn't be surprised if it was her, feeling the need to get away again. There was a real mixed-up combination of emotions going on inside when Luke got the door open and found a different pregnant woman standing on the porch.

"Liz?"

"Hey, big brother!" she greeted him with a grin, throwing her arms around him.

He tried to hug her back, but honestly, Luke had trouble with that now that she was so big. Still, he did his best. For all the worry she gave him and their father, Liz was his little sister and Luke loved her a lot, no matter what.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling away to look her over. "I mean, it's great that you're here but-"

"You didn't get my message?" she checked, frowning some. "Well, darn it, I left a message with your girlfriend when I called the other day."

"Lorelai is not my girlfriend," he said definitely.

"Sure thing, big brother." Liz replied, rolling her eyes. "Well, whatever she is, she answered my call and I asked her to let you and Dad know we'd be coming by in a few days."

"We?" echoed Luke, with a definite sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Sure. Hey, Jimmy! Get yourself in here!" she called out of the door.

Suddenly, there he was. Jimmy Mariano in all his unwashed glory, at least that was how he looked to Luke. As far as he could tell, Liz's so-called fiancé really needed a bar of soap and a serious haircut, but of course, it wasn't his place to say that, especially not now. It was good that Liz was home, especially now she was getting so close to her due date.

"Hey, man," said Jimmy, nodding once as he closed the door behind himself.

"Hey, yourself," Luke replied snippily before turning his attention back to Liz. "So, what is going on? Where have you been? Why are you suddenly back here?"

"Woah, woah, slow down, brother," Liz urged him as he encouraged her into the living room and down onto the couch. "It's hard enough moving around right now without you firing a bunch of questions at me."

She managed to manoeuvre herself down onto the seat, over-sized baby bump and all, then signalled to Jimmy and patted the cushion beside her. He joined her, though he looked awkward and put-out about even being here, truth be told. Luke had an urge to tell him he could leave just as soon as he liked but bit his tongue. He was too glad to have Liz here, safe and sound, to risk having her walk out again before their dad even got a chance to see her.

"You got so big," said Luke pointlessly as he took in the true size of Liz.

"Just five weeks left to go," she noted, one hand on the large roundness of her belly. "I swear, if this kid doesn't come out three feet tall already, I'll be amazed. He's gonna be a big strapping boy, just like his daddy," she said in a babyish voice, looking at Jimmy with the usual adoration.

"Lizzie," he said, shaking his head. "If the kid's lucky he'll look more like you."

"Aww, that's sweet," she said, her hand at his cheek as she kissed him on the lips.

Luke looked away and tried not to get too nauseous, which didn't come easy, truth be told. Thankfully, the moment didn't last too long.

"So, anyway, we had a couple of issues at our new place. Long story short, they kicked us out."

"They kicked a woman who is almost eight months' pregnant out of her home?" Luke gasped. "That's disgusting? What reason did they give?"

"Er, well, it mighta had something to do with us not paying rent this month, or the utilities, or anything," she admitted, smiling yet. "You know how it is, Luke. Jimmy lost one of his jobs and I sure can't work right now. New York is just expensive these days."

"You chose to go there, Liz. You could've stayed here," said Luke pointedly, eyes more on Jimmy than his sister right now. "Nobody made you leave."

"Hey, man, I get that you're mad about Lizzie leaving like she did," said Jimmy then, "but I did not steal her away. She chose to come be with me. I mean, we're having a kid."

"Of course we are and a kid should have two parents if they can," said Liz definitely. "I don't want to be miles and miles away from the man I love, and I sure as hell don't want my son to grow up only seeing his daddy on weekends or holidays or whatever. We wanna be a family. Can't you understand that, Luke?"

Luke heaved a sigh. Of course he could understand that. Family was important to him, as it always had been to their father, and their mother to when she was alive. For all that Luke and William had both taken issue with Liz running away from home, from what they saw as her family, he had to admit, she had at least been running to a kind of family too. Jimmy might be scum in Luke's book, but if he really did want to be with Liz, stand by her and the kid they'd made, he couldn't be all bad.

Of course, thoughts of their situation led Luke's brain right back to Lorelai, her baby, her boyfriend. Not that she and Christopher were exactly together any more, but he was the baby's father. That was a whole other mess that Luke wasn't sure how to deal with. At least where Liz was concerned he had some control, even if only a very little.

"So, anyway," his sister was saying when he next paid attention, "we were thinking maybe the best place for us right now would be here. I mean, this is my home, it can be Jimmy's too, and then when the baby comes... well, eventually, obviously, we'll get a place of our own, but for now, it'd be cool if we crashed in my room, right?"

Luke's mouth opened and closed twice without any sound coming out. Having Liz here, even having her son here when the time came, that would be okay, but Jimmy Mariano too? He wasn't sure if he could stand it. Besides, there was a small part of him that was still holding out hopes of somehow keeping Liz's room free in case Lorelai came back. It didn't seem likely. If she ran from home it would be to Mia now, he supposed, but still.

"Liz, I don't know," he said at last. "I'm not sure how dad is gonna feel about all of this."

"Dad feels just fine about it," said a voice from the stairs.

William descended, wrapped in his dressing down, and immediately Liz fought to get up from the couch to greet him. They met right in front of Luke, throwing out their arms and hugging each other just the best they could in the circumstances.

"Oh, welcome home, Lizzie," said her father, smiling widely.

Honestly, after everything that had gone before, Luke was officially stunned, and yet he supposed he ought to have known this was how it would be if Liz ever brought herself home again. Gone was all shred of the pain and anger she seemed to feel before she ran away. Gone too was all William's worry, doubt, and fear. Father and daughter were reunited and thrilled to be so. As much as it pained Luke to admit it, he was glad to have Liz back too, even if she had brought that waste of space Mariano with her. For as long as they were here, at least he knew his sister and as yet unborn nephew were safe.

"And you know you don't have to worry about what the neighbours will think anymore," said Liz then, more to Luke than her father, they noted. "Me and Jimmy can share a room without anyone batting an eye now."

Her left hand was very much in Luke's face then, showing off a ring that looked like it might've come out of a gumball machine. Knowing Jimmy, there was every chance that it had.

"I know you're engaged, Liz. You told me before," her brother reminded her.

"That's not at engagement ring, silly!" she said, rolling her eyes, but grinning all the same. "It's a wedding band. We got married in New York!"

This was so stupid. Lorelai knew she shouldn't really be here, and yet, she had nowhere else to go. Even if she did, given the choice, she was pretty sure she would pick this house above all others to come visit. It was Sunday, so at least she knew the Danes were likely to be home. It certainly was the perfect day for her to escape without her parents noticing. They had some fancy soiree las night, didn't pour themselves into bed until well past midnight, and they never expected Lorelai to be up early on Sunday because she simply never had been before, not until today.

Her bags had been packed the night before, more carefully than even the last time she made an attempt at escape. She found her chance and she made her exit. This time she definitely wasn't going back, even if things didn't work out with Mr Danes' friend, Mia. Quite honestly, Lorelai wasn't thinking beyond seeing Luke right now. He always seemed to make her feel better about everything, just by being there.

Knocking on the door, she waited impatiently for a response and got a real surprise when it wasn't Luke or William who opened the door.

"Hi," she said the guy stood before her.

"Hey," he replied, looking mildly confused. "Can I help you?"

"Um, I hope so. I'm Lorelai, I'm-"

"Luke's girlfriend," he said suddenly, snapping his fingers. "Come on in."

"Thanks," said Lorelai, doing just that. "Um, I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Jimmy. Liz's boyf- husband," he said, correcting himself at the last moment. "That's taking a little getting used to."

"I'll bet it is," Lorelai agreed, following him through to the living room where Liz was laid out on the couch, looking even more enormously pregnant than Lorelai herself.

"Lorelai's here for Luke," said Jimmy, sitting back down on the couch and lifting Liz's feet into his lap.

"Oh, you're the famous Lorelai!" Liz gasped, eyes getting wider all the time as they ran down Lorelai's body. "Geez, you're-"

"In the same boat you are, yeah," Lorelai confirmed, "but this is not... she's mine, she's not Luke's, in case you were wondering," she explained fast. "Not that I wouldn't... well, I mean, me and Luke, we're friends, that's all."

"Uh-huh," said Liz, nodding like she understood and yet Lorelai would be surprised if she did somehow. "Hey, Luke!" she suddenly bellowed, almost making Lorelai physically jump. "Luke, get down here!" she tried again.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked as he came rushing down the stairs. "Liz, I was trying to..."

"Hey," Lorelai greeted him with a small wave. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything. If you're busy."

"No, I'm not. I'm not busy," he told her, shaking his head. "I didn't know you were here."

"I was just meeting your sister and your... brother-in-law," she said with a look.

"Yeah. Er, we should... you wanna go sit out on the porch? It's warm out there, right?"

"Warm enough," Lorelai agreed quickly, glad as Luke was to escape the house, truth be told. "Wow," she said, the moment they were alone on the porch. "I was so not expecting that."

"Yeah. Liz just showed up Friday night, said she was moving back in and Jimmy too. Apparently, they got married in New York."

"So, I heard, but hey, at least she's here. You know she's safe and everything, that's gotta be something."

"It's something," Luke agreed, gesturing for her to sit down.

He got a real surprise when he realised there was no room for him on the swing seat since the rest of it was filled with three large and heavy-looking bags.

"Yeah," said Lorelai, looking away. "So, I tried talking to Richard about the future. It was weird, he actually seemed to wanna listen. He nodded, he smiled, made all the right noises. It really felt like I was getting through to him."

"But?" Luke prompted the moment she paused.

"But I should've known better," she explained, heaving a sigh. "The truth is, my dad might listen to what I want and say that he gets it, but he doesn't. He still thinks the best thing for me is to marry Christopher, probably because my mom's brain-washed him into believing it, or maybe it was his mom, I don't know," she said, sighing now more time. "His second choice is for me to stay home, raise my kid the same way I was raised, and later, hopefully, reclaim my place in society and marry some guy that doesn't mind the idea of another man's child."

"Was there a third choice?" asked Luke hopefully, though the look on his face suggested he already knew the answer.

"Nope," said Lorelai, popping the p. "It's pretty much his rules or get out. Not that he ever said 'get out' but it was kind of implied, and it was the only option that appealed actually. So, I packed my bags, again, and I left, again, with a note on the table, again. Difference is this time I am 100% not going back there," she said definitely. "I came straight here, blew a big chunk of change I had saved on the cab fare just so I didn't have to struggle with the luggage, and I was really hoping to talk to your dad about his offer from before. You think his friend with the inn will really want me living there and working for her?"

"Mia's a great person," said Luke without pause. "If she told Dad she'd help, she will. In fact, we could go over there right now and see her. Dad's at the store, checking the books and stuff, but I can drive you over, if you want?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Lorelai, smiling widely. "You're very good to me, Luke Danes."

"Yeah, well. You'd do the same for me," he said, reaching for her bags.

"Absolutely," said Lorelai nodding her head. "If you ever get pregnant and run away from home, I am totally there for you."

Luke rolled his eyes but it was clear he was having a tough time keeping a straight face.

"Get in the truck, crazy girl," he told her, laughter beginning to take over.

"Yes, sir," she agreed, heaving herself out of her seat and following him down the driveway.

With Lorelai's bags stowed away in the back, Luke helped her into the passenger side seat of the truck, something that was no easy feat for a girl who was a little over seven months pregnant. He then ran around to the driver's side and hopped in beside her, reminding her to fasten her seat-belt if she could.

"So, Liz is back and actually married to her guy," she said, trying to get the clip of the belt into place and finally managing it. "How's that going?"

"Don't ask," said Luke, starting up the truck. "They've been here all of a day and a half and already I feel like I'm going crazy. I mean, it's great to have Liz back Like you said, at least I know where she is and that she's doing okay, but it's still weird seeing her pregnant, and the fact that she's actually tied herself to that loser Mariano... I want to be happy that she's happy, I really do, but I can't help but think..."

"You can't help but think?" Lorelai prompted when he stopped, almost wishing she hadn't when she saw the look on his face.

He thought Liz had made a mistake, a big one. Lorelai knew it was true because he had said as much. If she were anybody else, Lorelai was pretty sure Luke would say the same about her. What a mess she had made of her life, falling pregnant at fifteen to a guy that she liked well enough but was never really, truly in love with, not the way people were supposed to be if they were going to get married and spend the rest of their lives together.

"I don't know," said Luke eventually. "I guess I just wanted better for Liz than Jimmy Mariano."

"Uh-huh." Lorelai nodded.

Though she didn't entirely believe that was the whole story, she wasn't about to push. Leaving home to start a new life at sixteen and and seven months pregnant was enough to be dealing with for one day without hearing from Luke that he considered her a fool in any way at all. There were differences between her situation and Liz's own, that much was true, but there was a bunch of similarities too. Lorelai just didn't want to think about it right now.

When they arrived at the inn, Luke rushed to help Lorelai down from the truck, just as carefully as he had helped her in. He said they were safe to leave her bags where they were and then walked at her pace into the inn. Lorelai liked the place the moment she laid eyes on it. It had that cute, quaint feeling of Stars Hollow, but it was pretty big and fancy in its way. It also wasn't lost on Lorelai that the place was called the Independence Inn. Certainly, if this Mia person was as kind and helpful to her as William seemed to think, she was bound to find some real independence herself within these walls.

"Lucas!" said a voice, and suddenly Lorelai saw her friend enveloped in the arms of a kind looking older woman.

She definitely looked like someone's aunt, which to Lorelai's mind meant she looked like a mom but a title more glamourous somehow. Immediately, she knew she was meeting Mia.

"Now, this must be Lorelai," she said, smiling widely. "Welcome to the Independence, my dear."

"Thank you," she replied politely. "Er, I'm sorry to just show up like this, but Mr Danes said-"

"Oh, no, don't you worry about that. I've been half-expecting you ever since you went back home, you know," Mia assured her. "William explained everything and I told him, 'William, if that girl needs a place to go, you just send her my way. I'd be more than happy to help her in any way I can.'"

Lorelai was astounded by the kindness she was shown by Mia. She had been fairly stunned by how quick Mr Danes was to take her in and be kind to her, though she supposed she ought to assume that Luke got his decency from somewhere parental. Still, Mia was a surprise. She talked almost as fast as Lorelai could when she got into the swing, and before Lorelai knew where she was she was being offered a job, a home, and a makeshift family right here.

Though Mia insisted that Lorelai ought to be absolutely sure before she made such a move, leaving her family and her real home and all, she was also just as determined that Lorelai would be safe and happy here if she needed to take refuge at the inn.

"Oh, excuse me," she said, suddenly checking her watch and standing up from the table. "I just have to disappear for a few minutes to take care of something, but I'll be back. Order anything you want from the menu, both of you, my treat."

She walked away then and Lorelai shook her head.

"She is amazing."

"Yeah, Mia's pretty special," Luke agreed, checking out what he might get to eat while they were waiting. "She just really cares about people."

"Apparently. She only just met me and I feel like I want her to adopt me."

"She probably would if she could." Luke smiled. "Still, what she said about you being sure-"

"I am sure, Luke," said Lorelai, her hand covering his on the table. "I had to get out of that house and I really, really cannot go back. Thanks to you and your dad and Mia, I guess I don't have to," she said happily, meeting his gaze.

It was so hard to look away, and yet she knew she ought to. Making eyes at Luke really wasn't a smart move right now, she doubted it ever would be, but at least he was her friend. She could use all the friends she could get right now. Lorelai may have escaped her home and thankfully had somewhere to run to, but she was no fool. She knew well enough it was not going to be smooth sailing from here on out, not when her parents realised what was going on.

To Be Continued...