Disclaimer: This is an original story based upon the characters of Gilmore Girls. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit will be made from this story.

Author's Note: Thanks to all who read and reviewed this last chapter. I appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this next installment.

Author's Note 2: When I first wrote this chapter I was young and dumb and made a mistake. It's bothered me ever since. This edit was to repair that.

If there was one thing that Lorelai Gilmore knew she was not, it was patient when she was worried about someone and her mother had been gone for less than fifteen minutes when she wandered out the door and started looking for her. She found her in the apple orchard, sitting on one of the tree swings, shoes off, dangling her nyloned toes in the tall grass.

"Hey," Lorelai said softly as not to startle her.

Laura looked up and smiled, "Hey Kiddo,"

"May I join you?" Lorelai asked.

"Please," she said.

Lorelai sat down on the next empty swing and the two women just sat in silence for a moment.

"So Mom," Lorelai started, "How's the adjustment going?"

Laura felt her insides jump. It wasn't right to burden her with this. She was Emily Gilmore, it was silly that she would be miserable living the life that had always been hers.

"Just fine," she said, "It's a little overwhelming, but it will just take some time," she mustered the most convincing smile she could, "Really, it's good to be home."

Lorelai stopped moving the swing and just looked at her mother with understanding eyes, "But it's not really home is it?" she said.

Laura opened her mouth to talk, but then stopped—she had her there, it wasn't really home. But there was more there, a deeper truth that she knew Lorelai, a bride to be in two days, completely understood. "Sweetheart," she said, "As long as I am with your father, I am home."

Lorelai smiled, she did understand that feeling, but it didn't do much to relieve the worry she felt.

The rest of the afternoon was very busy and Lorelai was kept up front at the desk most of the day. When she was ready to go home, she found her mother happy in the kitchen intently copying recipes out of Sookie's vast library.

"Hey Honey," she said smiling as Lorelai came into the kitchen. "Sookie has this great recipe for apple dumplings. They sound divine!"

"That's great Mom," Lorelai said glad to see her mother happy. "Are you ready to go?"

She finished writing a few last instructions down on an index card and then put a stack of them in the purse. "Thank you Sookie!" she called as they turned and walked out of the kitchen. She then turned to Lorelai and showed her finds, "I got the recipe for that divine peach soup, turkey pot pie, the apple turnovers and buttermilk scones with raspberry sauce."

"Sookie's scones are a tough act to reproduce Mom," Lorelai said as they walked towards the parking lot.

"I may need lots of pointers," she replied. "Would she mind if I called the inn during the day?"

"I don't think so," Lorelai replied, "You could call her at home too."

Laura shrugged, "I won't be doing it at night time. Just during the day, to give me something to do."

"I bet Dad would love those scones for breakfast."

Laura just shrugged again, "That's what we have the cook for."

Lorelai tried to say something else, but Laura cut her off, "So, should I just follow you over to Luke's?" she asked.

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah, just follow me."

The dinner at Luke's was wonderful, but Laura could feel the awkwardness between her and her soon to be son-in-law still. He was very nice, but the niceness seemed forced somehow.

"Lorelai," Laura said after Luke had brought out their food and gone back in the kitchen. "Is something bothering Luke?"

Lorelai waved her hand, "It's nothing Mom, he's just nervous about the wedding."

Laura narrowed her eyes at her daughter, "Are you sure that's it? There's not something else on his mind?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Just nervous," Lorelai said again, biting into her cheeseburger.

"Lorelai," Laura began again after a minute, "Before…Luke and I, we really didn't along did we."

Lorelai felt her heart beating faster, here it was again, her mother wanting details of her previous life. "Not really Mom, but then again, you didn't really know each other." It wasn't a complete lie, they didn't really know each other. She hoped her mother would drop it at that.

"Oh," Laura said simply and started eating her salad.

Strangely enough, Lorelai was relieved when they left Luke's, she could sense both Luke's and her mother's uncomfortable feelings. She wished her mother had a chance to get to know Luke and wished that Luke could get to know this new facet of her mother. After the wedding, maybe she would have to lock both of them up together for an afternoon.

The awkward feeling seemed to lift when they got home, but Lorelai could tell that something was still troubling her mother as she gave her a tour of the house. She seemed to only pay half attention to the movie, which was a serious indication of something the matter because anyone who could not give total attention to Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca had something seriously wrong with them. Rick and Ilsa had just met for the first time when Lorelai pushed stop and turned to her mother.

"Okay Spill it," she said.

Laura gave her a strange look, "I beg your pardon?"

"Come on Mom, tell me what's the matter."

"Sweetheart, I promise there is nothing wrong."

"Mom, please you can talk to me about anything. You know that."

Laura looked down and traced an outline on the couch with her finger. "I don't want to trouble you, you're getting married in two days," she said.

"Come on Mom, that's what I'm here for," she said, leaning forward to show she was serious.

Laura looked up at her tentively, "You won't say anything to your father?"

"Yeah, I promise."

Laura looked down at her hands and then looked back at her daughter. She brought a hand up to her daughter's cheek and caressed it with her thumb. "I'm so glad I found you Lorelai,"

Lorelai smiled, "Me too…what's up?"

"I guess I'm just feeling a little…useless."

"What do you mean?"

"Your father has insurance, you have the inn, Rory has school, what do I have? Piano and parties are the only things I know Lorelai. Those things made who I am, those things defined me, just like your inn defines you."

"And…"

"I don't have them now, I don't cook my own meals, I don't clean my own house. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love your father and I love being close to you. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do, supposed to be here. I just don't know how…"

To be Emily Gilmore.

She stopped, the unspoken words resonating through out her. She couldn't say it. She couldn't admit she was failing at her resolution to be this girl's mother.

Lorelai reached over and put a hand on her mother's shoulder, "It's alright Mom. It will just take time."

Laura reached put a hand on her daughter's cheek again. "You deserve better Lorelai. You deserve better than me."

"Mom, don't say that," Lorelai protested. If only she knew!

Suddenly Laura's eyes filled with tears that had been threatening to fall for days, and she bit her lower lip trying to get control of her emotions.

"Mom, maybe you can teach piano again, or organize parties. It's not impossible,"

Laura shook her head, "It's not that Lorelai," she said. She stopped again and Lorelai prodded for her to go on.

"I just…have this fear," Laura whispered.

"What?"

"I'm not her," she said quietly, admitting out loud for the first time. "Lorelai...I just...it's your wedding day. You deserve to have your mother here and I'm not her. I don't remember anything..." her voice shook and she closed her eyes, swallowing hard to get back control. Lorelai's only response was to put her around her and pull her to her. Laura rested in her child's embrace.

"Mom..." Lorelai swallowed to trying to regain her own composure. "For a long time I didn't think my mother would be there at my wedding or anything else in my life. Do you think it matters to me that you can't remember my first step? You're here, you're alive, that's all that matters."

The talk did Laura good, and later that night as she left to go back to Hartford she felt happier and ready to try more to fit in her new world. Lorelai stood at the door and waved as her mother drove away, and for the first time in her life felt that she had been let into her mother's secret world, the woman who had firmly stated that a relationship between a mother and daughter was not a best friend relationship. Now, hearing her mother open up, she made up her mind that she was going to help the situation. It hurt her that her mother felt useless, and it broke her heart that she felt like Lorelai wouldn't want her there on her wedding day. Yes, Lorelai thought to herself as she watched the jaguar disappear out of sight, she needed to do something.

It was no surprise to Laura when she pulled into the driveway and saw Richard's tall handsome figure standing in the doorway. How long he had been standing there, waiting for her she could only guess. She wasn't late, but she knew he had been worried nonetheless. He hurried over to the car and opened the door for her as the car came to a stop. "Hey Beautiful," he said.

"Hey yourself Handsome," she said smiling as she took his hand and he helped her out of the car.

"Have a good time?" he asked, as he bent down and kissed her cheek.

"The best," she said and they wrapped their arms around each other and headed into the house.