AN: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in updates. We recently changed our internet package so it was down all week. So, here's another chapter for you now. It's short, but I like it!

Chapter 25: "I love you!"

While Rory and Riley spent Saturday evening hanging out in Luke's apartment above the diner attempting to block out the sound of the bells and then eventually putting them out of commission, Lorelai and Luke were enjoying a nice quiet dinner at Lorelai's. They hadn't had any good alone time with just the two of them since before Luke found out about Rory and Riley so they decided to change that with Luke making her one of his gourmet meals and a lot of talking.

"This is amazing Luke," Lorelai said as she took another bite of her lamb chop, "Boy am I glad you decided to open a diner because if you'd opened a fancy restaurant there would be no need for Sookie and if there's no need for Sookie there's no need for me and since my job skills don't exceed much further than running an inn I would be unemployed and subsequently homeless. So thank you."

"You're welcome," Luke told her, "Happy to help keep you employed and a roof over your head."

"So are you ready to talk about this? We've kind of been avoiding the heavy conversation for days and just sort of been going about as if everything's normal when we know it's not."

"I suppose we've put it off long enough," Luke said.

"I do want to thank you, though, first of all for having my back at the town meeting this morning and for bringing Rory and Riley along. I didn't realize until I saw you all there how much I actually needed the support," Lorelai told him.

"I was happy to do it," he told her, "Besides I'm always on your side Lorelai, always."

"Thank you."

"But just because I'm on your side doesn't mean I wasn't completely pissed off when Rory and Riley came to me and still am a bit. I'm trying not to be because like Rory said when she told me there really is no point in being angry because I can't change anything that's happened. I can only accept it and move on. And I'm trying to. I can accept that you kept this from me because you had to. It's not like you could tell me and not tell Rory."

"That's true," Lorelai said.

"In a way I can accept that you kept this from Rory this whole time because I get that you were young and confused. And at first I was mad because you basically abandoned Riley and kept Rory from her family. Even though it was his choice, too I was mad. I kept thinking about how I would feel if it were me, you know. What if Rachel or some other girl I dated got pregnant and never told me? What if there were a kid who for their entire childhood grew up without a father because the mother didn't want to tell me? I know Rory was happy and content with just you and has liked having me around, but a substitute is not the same as the real thing," Luke said.

"I guess I can understand that. Though I can't imagine someone keeping a kid from you. You're a great guy, Luke and you've always been there for Rory. You'd be an amazing father to your own kid. A woman would have to be crazy not to see that and keep a kid from you," Lorelai told him.

"Thank you. I appreciate that," Luke said.

"And you're right I or rather we, Chris and I both, we were young; we were confused; we weren't thinking long term when we decided to split them up. We were only thinking about what would be easiest at that moment and separating them was unfortunately what we came up with," she told him, "And believe me, it was not an easy decision. I thought about it all the time throughout the pregnancy and almost changed my mind and decided to tell our parents I'd marry Christopher when I was in labor just so I wouldn't have to give up one of my kids, but I knew in the end we wouldn't be happy in that marriage and I didn't want to raise my kids in an environment with two unhappy parents. And I didn't want to pass them back and forth spending every other week or month or whatever at his place and mine."

"I know how hard it was for you to let Riley go. Rory showed me the pictures you took when they were born. That's part of why accepting this has been a lot easier than I first thought. Seeing those pictures I know that you loved Riley as much as Rory and how it killed you to let him go."

"What's the other part?" she questioned.

"Hmm?"

"You said seeing those pictures was part of why accepting this was easier than you thought it would be," Lorelai explained, "So what's the other part that's making it easier to accept?"

"I love you!"

"What?"

"I love you, Lorelai. I think I always have and even though a big part of love is trust and by keeping this from all of us you've damaged that trust; another big part of love is forgiveness," he explained, "And I can forgive you for keeping this a secret all these years because I love you!"

"Oh, Luke," Lorelai began trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall, "I love you, too!"

"So guess what?" Rory asked Riley as they drove back to Yale later Sunday afternoon.

"What?"

"Luke told mom he loved her."

"Really, when?"

"Last night during their dinner. They had a conversation about everything and he told her that forgiving her and accepting the fact she kept you a secret for so long was easier than he first imagined because he loves her."

"Wow, that's great. Did she say it back?"

"Yep."

"And she just told you all this?"

"Yeah, with the obvious exception, we tell each other everything. We always have."

"Really, that explains why she knew me as "naked guy" then. But what about like sex and stuff?" Riley questioned.

"Are you asking because you're curious if we talk about that stuff or do you actually want to know if I'm having sex with your best friend?" Rory asked.

"Both, I guess," he cringed slightly, not wanting to think about his sister and best friend in that capacity.

"Yes, we talk about it. Or we have and will when the time comes. She's always told me she wants to know before I decide to take that step and so far I haven't," Rory told him, "I thought about it with Jess, but the closest we ever came was at that party."

"And you and Tristan haven't…"

"Nope. I'm completely intact, Ry. Don't worry," she told him, "Your best friend hasn't deflowered your baby sister."

"Good!"

"Riley!"

"What, give me a break, okay. I know he's grown up in the time I've known him, but I also know his past so forgive me for being concerned. I know he cares about you, but that doesn't change the fact that he is a lot more experienced than you are. I just don't want you to get hurt, okay," Riley told.

"I know. And I appreciate that, but I'm a big girl, Ry. I can take of myself, but it is good to know that my big brother will be there to help me if I can't."

"Always, Baby Girl," he told her.

AN: Extremely short, I know. I considered just leaving it with the Luke/Lorelai moment, but that would have been really short so I added a little Rory/Riley sibling fluff.