Force of habit compelled Lorelai to glance in through the guestroom's open door as she trundled by with her cleaning cart. She was almost past the room before her brain registered that it was Liz sitting on the unmade bed, staring aimlessly out of the window. Right away she backed up and entered the room.

"Liz! What's going on? Chop-chop, lady! You need to get this room turned over!" Lorelai grabbed a couple of pillows from the bed and began to strip the cases off.

Liz slowly turned around to look at her. "Oh, yeah. Right," she said, but made no move to help.

"Liz! Come on! Get a move on." Lorelai finally focused on her friend's brooding face. "What's the matter? Are you sick? Do you need to go home?"

"I'm fine," Liz said flatly. "I'm just…" She sighed, returned to staring out the window, and absently began to twirl the short layers of her hair around her fingers.

"Oh my God." Lorelai stopped her efficient cleaning routine, Liz's mannerisms finally making sense. "You're daydreaming about a guy."

"No, no, I'm…" Liz scooted around on the bed to face Lorelai, a sudden smile ending her half-hearted denial. "Yeah. There's a guy."

"In that case, tell me everything," Lorelai demanded. "But work while you're telling."

Liz chuckled and got to her feet, grabbing for the fresh sheets at the same time. "His name is Oliver."

"Good name."

"Good everything."

"Ooh, you've already checked?" Lorelai teased her.

"Didn't have to. I've known him since fifth grade. He's still the same, just a lot taller than he used to be."

"Come on, girl, details! Spill them!"

"I always thought he was super cute. He's got this reddish-brown, absolutely straight hair. His bangs were constantly in his eyes, and he was always shaking them back out of the way, like this." She leaned her head backwards, shook it side to side, then took her hand and pushed back her own bangs. "Then, in seventh grade, he got glasses, the kind that darken up in the sunlight. He'd push the glasses up on his head, kind of like a headband, to keep his hair back."

"Wow, he does sound like a catch. No wonder you were smitten."

"Oh, yeah, I was always giggling like a maniac if he was anywhere around, hoping that maybe he'd notice me, but we were in completely different groups. He was insanely smart, and I was in the hopeless losers' clique."

"Stop running yourself down."

"No running needed. 100% true. Oliver is the kind of guy who would have been president of the miniature rocket builders' club, if Stars Hollow High would have had one. I was in the group that always smelled vaguely like pot and prayed that their grades were just good enough to get a diploma handed to them at graduation."

Lorelai sighed as she tucked in the sheets, knowing it was useless to try and change Liz's view of herself.

"Anyway, we ran into each other at Doose's last night."

"Ah. The town hot spot. You party girl, you."

"Yeah." Liz grinned, then shrugged. "I was there to grab another package of string cheese for Jess, since that's all he wants to eat this month, and he was there for fabric softener."

"Kismet."

"I was speeding down the laundry detergent aisle, trying to get home in time to watch Cheers, and I practically rear-ended this pokey shopper who got in my way."

"Oliver, I assume."

"Yeah." Liz grinned again. "I was so surprised to see him. He's been away at some college in the Midwest forever, getting a landscape architecture degree. His parents own the lawn and garden place right outside of town."

"Oh, do you mean Barfield's Fields? Mia hires them every spring, to deliver the mulch for the inn."

"Right, that's his family. Now that he's home, they're going to expand their business and offer a planning service, too. Oliver has all sorts of ideas to lure in more clients."

"I bet you ended up missing Cheers after all."

"I did, and I don't even care."

"Lots of talking in the laundry aisle, huh?"

"At first, it was all me. I was so shocked to have him standing there in front of me, like this ghost of crushes past. I just blabbed whatever came to mind. Including…" Liz grimaced. "The fact that I used to have a crush on him."

"Oh, Liz!"

"Yeah, I know. But it turned out OK. He manned up and admitted he'd had one on me, too."

Lorelai squealed involuntarily, then slapped a hand across her mouth. "That's fantastic!" she whispered enthusiastically.

"I know!" Liz grinned as widely as possible. "Turns out both of us had the same belief, that we were too opposite in every way to appeal to the other. Plus, I was too good at that 'I'll totally ignore him so he'll see how much I'm secretly into him' thing that girls do."

Lorelai laughed. "Why do we always think that will work?" She shook her head, remembering her own cool walks down the school hallways. "Did he ask you out?"

"Sorta."

"What's sorta?"

"He mentioned movies, he mentioned food, he brought up the weekend."

"That doesn't sound tentative to me! Did you say yes? Of course you said yes, right?"

"Sorta."

"Liz!" Lorelai was running out of patience.

"I said yes, but now I'm…sort of…rethinking it."

"Are you kidding me? Why?"

"Well…" Liz stopped straightening and dusting the credenza and turned around to lean a hip against it. She ran the dusting cloth through her fingers, watching it as she slowly spoke. "You don't date."

"I don't – What are you talking about? Of course I date! Besides, what does super cute Oliver asking you out have to do with whether or not I date?"

"When do you date? Because you haven't gone out since I've known you."

Lorelai opened her mouth, drew in a breath…and then discovered she didn't have a reply for that. "OK, so it's been a while," she grumbled. "But you've seen Rory, you even talked to her drunken father on the phone at Christmas. There's proof of my former dating life."

Liz tilted her head and regarded her as if she was a science experiment. "Have you dated at all since you had Rory?"

"Yes," she replied curtly, out of sorts from being grilled. "That year I was still at home I went out, mainly to irritate my mother – and sometimes Chris – but yes, I dated."

"But since then? Since you've lived here?"

"No, because I had Rory to take care of!"

"And because you're perfect."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open again. Assuming that Liz had to be teasing her, she started to laugh.

Liz was not teasing. "My dad sure thinks you're perfect."

Lorelai stopped laughing. "He does not! He knows me too well to think that."

"Well, he thinks you're the perfect mother."

Lorelai could only shake her head. "That's ridiculous."

Liz plopped down on the freshly made bed, her shoulders hunched. "I've been a terrible mother."

"That's even more ridiculous." Deciding that job duties dropped to second place when confronted with her friend's misery, Lorelai sat down beside her and put an arm around her. "Jess is lucky to have you as his mom. I'm lucky to have you watching my kid. You're wonderful with them."

"I love Jess," Liz said softly.

"Of course you do!"

"You know that first moment? When they finally come out, and the nurse hands them to you? And they're all gloppy and splotchy and screaming?"

"Yeah."

"And you try to figure out how to hold this loud, squirming mass of baby, and finally, you get them pressed up against you, and then your heart…" Liz threw her arms out wide. "It just expands, and takes them in, and you know, that forever on, they'll be right there in your heart with you. That's how much you love them."

"Yes," Lorelai agreed softly, placing her hand on top of Liz's.

"That's how I feel with Jess. I love him so much. I want so much for him. But there were times when I wasn't a good mom. There were times when I was a terrible mother."

"All moms have bad days."

"That's not what I'm talking about. These were…bad years, back in New York. I loved him, but I resented him sometimes, too. I was young. I wanted my own life back. I didn't want to be tied down just because I had a kid. Sometimes I didn't care who I left him with, I wanted out so badly. I didn't care if he saw the guys I brought home. I didn't care if I came home drunk. I only cared that I got some fun."

Lorelai quietly contemplated how to respond. "I'm not going to judge you on stuff you did before I knew you. All I can say is that I trust you with my own kid. That should tell you how good of a mother I think you are."

"Oh, Lorelai, think! Think back to the first day you found out about me!"

Lorelai shook her head, mystified. "You helped me bandage Rory's knee."

"No, not that day! The day I couldn't even be bothered to watch and make sure Jess stayed in the Beauty Supply store!"

"Oh…well…" She had forgotten that. Or pushed it aside, more accurately. Buried it under all of the good stuff that had happened since.

"I lied to you within the first ten minutes I knew you! I told you I didn't know how Jess got out of the store, but that's not true. Of course I knew. It was because I wasn't doing the one thing I should have been. I wasn't watching him. Carrie and I were laughing, cracking each other up the way we always did. She wanted me to go into the back with her, because she had a joint in her purse. I didn't take a hit – at least I was smart enough not to do that, but it was like old times anyway. I honestly forgot all about Jess. When we finally came out front again, and he wasn't there –" Liz covered her face with her hands, anguished. "I thought I was going to die. I didn't – I didn't know what to do. I ran outside, then ran up and down the street, screaming for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere. Then, out of instinct, I went to my dad, to beg for help. And there he was. Jess. Safe. Playing at that little table in the front window of the store. I ended up dropping to my knees and bawling my eyes out, I was so thankful I hadn't lost him. That's when Dad came over and got down on the floor beside me. He didn't yell at me, or lecture me about how terrible I was, the way I thought he would. Instead, he just said, 'Remember today, Elizabeth. Remember how you're feeling right now. Don't ever let it get to this point again.'"

Lorelai patted her knee sympathetically. "You must have been terrified."

"Terrified doesn't even scratch the surface."

"Look, it happens. I lost Rory shopping in Hartford one day. One second she was right beside me, the next second she was gone. By the time I'd fought through the fear enough to rationally think about what to do, the store was already paging that a little girl had been found in the coat department. I couldn't get there fast enough. I burst into tears as soon as I saw her, so I understand how you felt."

"But that was an accident. Mine was…because I'm a goof. A bad mom."

"Liz, you are not." Lorelai shook her head. "Besides, I just don't see what mothering skills have to do with going out with a cute guy."

"Because I've been trying to imitate you."

Lorelai snorted. "Well, there's a colossally bad idea."

"No, it's worked great. I saw right away how you were with Rory. It was like you were having such a fun time with her. Like you didn't mind the mom part. And the more I hung out with you, I found out that I didn't mind it, either. Being a mom with you was easy. It was like we were sharing the hard part of being single moms. And everything got more fun, the more we shared."

"I totally agree."

"And my new imitation life was going great, until last night, when Oliver came into the picture. Up until then, I just did whatever you did. But now I don't know what to do, because you don't date."

Lorelai groaned in frustration. "Will you stop saying that?"

"But you don't, so maybe I shouldn't either. I shouldn't do anything except be Jess's mom."

"Liz. Sweetie. Listen to me." Lorelai turned and grasped Liz's hands in hers. "I don't date because there's no one I want to date. I'd rather stay home and play tents with Rory and read stories. But I assure you, if the right guy ever asks me out again, I promise I will jump at the chance to date."

Liz frowned as she absorbed that statement. "So…the right guy has already asked you out once?"

Lorelai grabbed a breath and momentarily squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. Why did she so often forget that Liz had the annoying ability to pick up on the one thing she most wanted to keep buried? "No, I mean if the guy, the right guy should ask me. If my cute Oliver should appear and ask me out, I'd go. Which is what you should do, too."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely." Lorelai nodded emphatically. "Call him on your break and make definite plans for the weekend."

"Maybe you're right, but that leads right into another problem. I'm afraid that Dad might blow up at me if I ask him to watch Jess while I go out. With – you know – a guy."

"I don't believe that for a minute. And anyway, it's a moot point. There's no reason to ask your dad because I'm babysitting Jess on your date night."

"You'd do that?"

"Try and stop me."

Liz smiled, relief written all over her face. "Well, then, I guess you've convinced me. I will go on a date with Oliver."

"Wonderful. Glad that's settled." Lorelai got up and started for the door, anxious to retrieve her cart and catch up on her list of rooms to clean. "You're OK to finish up in here now, right?"

"Yeah, I'm good now. I'll work super-fast to catch up."

Lorelai stopped and pointed at Liz. "There is one thing about the date, though."

"What?"

"I will be there to meet this guy on first date night. You need my approval before I'll let you go out with him. Cute floppy hair only gets him so far."

"Deal," Liz chuckled, and quickly began to empty the trash cans.

Lorelai's babysitting services weren't needed after all. Will had no issue with watching Jess while Liz enjoyed a well-deserved night out, but Lorelai made sure she was at the house on first date night anyway. She still wanted to lay eyes on this guy before Liz left with him.

She sat on the floor, supervising the kids' PlayDoh usage, waiting for her turn to be introduced.

"Oliver, you probably already know my dad, right?"

"Of course. Good to see you, Mr. Danes."

"Wow, Oliver, it's been a long time." Will got up to shake hands. "I bet your folks are happy to have you back home again."

Oliver chuckled, a warm, easy laugh. "My dad's just glad he's got another body to help with the spring crush. My mom though – yeah, she's pretty content to have me underfoot until I can find my own place."

"And this is my brother, Luke. You remember him from school, don't you?"

"The legendary Butch Danes? I was in awe."

Lorelai snapped to attention. "Butch?" she mouthed at Luke, absolutely delighted at that piece of information.

He rolled his eyes at her, before reaching out to quickly shake Oliver's hand. "Whatever awe there might have been has long since left the building. Hey, Oliver. Welcome back to Stars Hollow." He returned his attention to the textbook in his lap.

Liz directed Oliver to the kids. "This is my Jess, and this is Rory."

Jess and Rory regarded him with equal parts shyness and suspicion. They didn't want him to interrupt their playtime any more than what he already had. Rory held a pink PlayDoh snake up to him, probably hoping that was enough to make him go away.

"Why, thank you," he said. "My, what an unusual species. Is it poisonous?" he asked, examining it in detail. He brought it closer to his face, then pretended to make it hiss. Nervously, he dropped it back down on the table. "I think you'd better keep it," he said, and Rory giggled. She picked it up and made it hiss at Jess, who was not amused.

"And this is Lorelai."

Lorelai got to her feet. "At last we meet."

He smiled at her. "I've heard an awful lot about you."

"Only believe half of it." She tilted her head, studying him. "I'm disappointed you're not wearing the trademarked sun-darkening glasses."

His smile got bigger. "Contacts," he said, pointing at his eyes. He glanced over at Liz, then dipped his head closer to Lorelai, and dropped his voice into a stage whisper. "She liked the glasses?"

"Oh, yeah. Apparently they were your main claim to fame."

"Hmm. Maybe it's time for an optometrist appointment."

"Couldn't hurt."

"Thanks for the tip."

Introductions over, Liz grabbed her jacket and then came over to Jess. "Grandpa's putting you to bed tonight, Jess. I'll see you in the morning, OK? Be good." She bent over and smooched the top of his head about six times. "Love you, sweetie." She joined Oliver at the door. "Thanks for babysitting, gang," she said, looking back over her shoulder.

"Have a good time," Will said pleasantly.

"Nice to see you all," Oliver said.

Lorelai gave Liz a discreet thumbs-up before she went out the door.

Once they were gone, Lorelai held up more fingers.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…eight!" Rory counted, delighted to have a chance to practice her numbers.

"Eight what?" Luke grumbled, trying to stay focused on the chapter he was reading.

"I give him an eight out of ten."

"Seriously? You're rating this guy?"

"Of course I am. Liz expects us to dissect him while they're gone."

Luke scowled, but after a moment said "Five."

"Five? Why such a low score? He's not a five!" Lorelai protested.

"Five isn't low. It's average. It's like a C. He's going to need to prove he's better than that."

"Six," Will said.

"Six!" Lorelai's voice was shrill. "Will, come on! Back me up here."

Regretfully, he shook his head. "Sorry, I have to side with Luke. He seems nice, I'll give you that, and I've known his family for ages, but that means nothing when it comes to him personally. The only reason I'm boosting him to six is because so far he seems the exact opposite of Jimmy Mariano, and that's worth at least a couple of points."

Luke snorted in agreement. "Amen to that."

Lorelai glared at them both, then cut her eyes towards Jess. "You two need to stop saying things like that."

Will and Luke looked surprised, then guilty.

"These guys are little sponges, you know?" She tousled both dark heads at the table beside her. "Don't say anything you don't want repeated back later."

"I get what you're saying," Will sighed, "but it's hard when the guy in question was such a – such a…"

"J-E-R-K," Luke muttered.

"J-E-R-K!" Rory proudly recited.

"I rest my case," Lorelai said. She was still miffed that they didn't see Oliver's good points. "I wish Rachel was here. She'd agree that Oliver's a solid eight."

"If there's a second date, she can weigh in on his magnificence then," Luke told her. "But if I know Rachel, she'll need some convincing, too."

There was a second date. And a third. And a fourth. Soon after that, Oliver claimed an occasional spot at the dinner table, or showed up to watch TV with them later in the evening. When the spring weather grew warmer, he and Liz would disappear out onto the front porch, to sit on the swing together. And when the "Stars Hollow Easter Eggs-stravaganza!" took over the town square, Liz asked Oliver to go with her and Jess.

Jess returned with a stick of cotton candy in one hand and contentedly holding Oliver's hand with his other.

"Nine," Rachel said definitively, once Liz and Oliver had stepped outside to say a private goodnight.

"Yes!" Lorelai gave her a high-five.

"Seven," Will said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Six-and-a-half," Luke conceded.

"Men," Lorelai scolded. "You just don't understand the scoring criteria."

Will pointed at Rory, who was happily smearing her share of Jess's cotton candy over her face, trying to get the wispy strands into her mouth. "You wait until she's old enough to date. Then you'll never give a guy anything over a five again."

Lorelai looked stricken, as if such a thought had never entered her mind before. "But that – that's way in the future."

"And the future will be here before you know it," Will gently cautioned her. "It happened to me, and – although I hate to be the bearer of bad news – it will happen to you, too."

Looking troubled, Lorelai walked over, picked up her sticky daughter, and sat down, taking the opportunity to cuddle her on her lap while she still could.

"Lorelai, I have a proposition for you!"

"Liz, that's hardly appropriate. What would Oliver say?"

Liz chuckled. "It's OK, it's his idea!"

Lorelai glanced over to make sure the kids were wholly involved with a Sesame Street rerun on TV. "It's not something kinky, is it?" she joked, keeping her voice low.

"Not unless there's something dirty about double dating."

"No. Nuh-uh. Nope," Lorelai immediately responded, shuddering at the very idea.

"Lorelai, come on! It'll be fun! You were just saying the other day how we don't get to spend enough time together now. This gives us a night to hang out, plus you get free pizza and a movie! Win-win in every way!"

"No," Lorelai enunciated clearly.

"Come on, why not?"

"Because double dates are the worst. You and Oliver will be all lovey-dovey in a corner somewhere, while I'll be awkwardly trying to make conversation with a guy I've barely met."

Liz laughed. "Right. Like there's ever been a time when you couldn't talk to someone you just met."

From across the room, Luke grunted in what sounded like agreement.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Look, I'd love to go, but I've already scheduled a root canal for that night, and I've really been looking forward to it."

"You know what I think is strange?" Rachel spoke up from the dining room table, where she was sorting through a stack of prints. "You're arguing against going on the date itself, but you haven't even asked about the guy. Aren't you the least bit curious about him?"

"Good point!" Liz bobbed her head enthusiastically. "Let me tell you about the guy."

"Must you?"

"It's Oliver's cousin Ben. He's a year younger than Oliver and just as cute. He's in accounting – which I know sounds dull – but trust me, he's got a great sense of humor. I really think you two would hit it off."

"Of course we will. I'll go pick out the silverware pattern right now."

Rachel turned around in her seat. "Wait a minute, are you talking about Benny Shepherd? Isn't he related to Oliver?"

"Well, no one calls him Benny anymore, but yeah, that's him."

Rachel got up and joined them on the couch. "He is great, Lorelai! I used to volunteer as a summer camp counselor, and Benny – Ben, sorry – was one of my junior helpers. He's a super nice guy."

Lorelai stared at Rachel. "You mean he was a nice guy. Junior helper? Seriously, how long has it been since you've been around him?"

"A while," Rachel conceded. "But you know how it is, you hear things. And rumor has it, he hasn't changed a bit. Still a real sweetheart."

"If he's such a catch, why is he available for a double date?"

"Why are you?" Liz shot back. "Oliver said he went through a bad breakup a few months ago. He's just starting to dip his toes back into the dating world again."

"Oh, great. Sign me up to be the rebound."

"Lorelai –!" Liz began, exasperated, but Rachel talked over her.

"Look, I know it's scary, putting yourself out there, trying to connect with someone again. It's hard, and no one likes going in blind, but what else are you going to do? If you try, then at least there's a chance to meet someone great. The worst that could happen is confirmation to wait for someone better to come along, but you're not going to know unless you try. It's just one date. You should go," Rachel said insistently. "What's so terrible about giving this certified nice guy a try?"

Her insistence made Lorelai remember Luke's comment about Rachel and bullying. She glanced over at him, wondering if his silence meant he thought she should go, too.

"For crying out loud." It was like her inner thoughts had somehow been transmitted to him. "Leave Lorelai alone. If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to go." He looked up briefly from his text. "Leave her be."

She beamed him a grateful smile, then brought her attention back to Rachel in time to see a slew of emotions flash across her face. Worry. Suspicion. Maybe even a hint of jealousy. Lorelai held her breath as she rapidly analyzed what she'd seen.

"I'll go," she said quickly, reversing her stance.

"You will?" Liz asked, delighted.

"You will?" Rachel asked, surprised at her sudden capitulation.

"Why?" Luke demanded to know.

"The free pizza sold me. I'm not passing that up." She bit her bottom lip. "Provided I can make some sort of arrangements for Rory." She was already regretting an evening spent away from her.

"Luke and I will watch the kids," Rachel volunteered.

"We will?" Luke questioned, frowning.

Rachel shot him a look. "We will," she said firmly.

"Guess we will," he said mildly, and returned to the review questions at the end of the chapter.

"I'm going to go call Oliver right now!" Liz made a dash for the phone in the kitchen.

"Woo-hoo. Double-date." Lorelai raised her hands up in the air, not able to project even pretended enthusiasm. "Yay."

"I want to meet this guy," Luke said, standing in the hallway.

Liz glanced over at him while curling her hair in front of the bathroom mirror. "Why?"

"Why do you think?" Luke snapped, already out of patience.

She studied him briefly before turning back to regard the curl she'd just formed. She wrapped another section of hair around the curling wand before speaking. "If they both come into the house, then sure. Otherwise, forget it. I'm not going out to the car and dragging him in here like he's been summoned to the principal's office."

Rachel, who'd been playing with Jess in his room, stepped into the hall to join the discussion. "This isn't your responsibility," she warned him. "You're not the date police."

He turned to glare at her. "You think it's OK to just throw Lorelai at this guy without checking him out at all?"

"Geez, Luke!" Liz slammed the curling iron down. "Lorelai is my best friend in the entire world! Do you really think I'd let her go out with a guy I didn't like and think worthy of her? Do you think I'd make her spend a night with a creep? Just how awful do you think I am?"

Luke realized he'd crossed a line and needed to back down. "That's not – that's not what I'm saying," he blustered.

"Yeah, you are," Liz insisted, and Rachel nodded in agreement.

"Fine. Think what you like," he said, and went into the living room to sulk like the grown man he was.

As it turned out, both guys did come into the house to collect Liz, so Luke got to meet Ben after all. He sized up the young man standing beside him: his height, his tailored shirt, his groomed dark hair and moustache. He noted the way Ben's mouth turned up in a ready smile and the way his dark eyes practically sparkled, as if he was just waiting for the rest of the room to get the joke. Luke sighed as he realized he already knew someone else with eyes and a mouth like that.

Maybe Liz knew what she was doing, after all.

Since Mia had managed to convince Lorelai to let her watch Rory for the evening, three-fourths of the double-date crew got into Oliver's car and drove to the inn to pick up Lorelai at her place.

Just like a real date.

Which – Luke had to acknowledge – was exactly what it was.

Luke and Rachel played car garage with Jess for a bit, then let him have a half hour of TV time before bed.

"I'll handle it," Luke told her, guiding Jess towards his room.

"Thanks," she said. She grabbed a magazine and stretched out on the couch. "Night, Jess!"

"Time to pick up the toys," Luke said, and led by example. Once he and Jess had the floor mostly clear of playthings, he helped Jess put on his pajamas. Moving him into the bathroom, he monitored the amount of toothpaste on the brush and supervised the brushing of the teeth.

Back in Jess's room, he helped get the little boy under the covers. He turned off the overhead light but left the bedside lamp on for reading stories. As always, Big Bird's Day on the Farm was one of the three Jess selected. Stifling a sigh, Luke began to read yet again about Ruthie and Floyd.

At the end of the last book, he turned off the lamp, although some light from the hallway still spilled into the room. "Goodnight, buddy," Luke said, pulling the covers up around him as Jess settled on his pillow, his eyes already going closed. "Sleep tight."

Jess grabbed his hand before he could step away. "Sing me the song."

"You know I don't sing."

His eyes stayed closed, but Jess grinned. "Yes, you do."

"Go to sleep, kid."

"After you sing the song."

Resigned, Luke put his head down close to Jess's, deeply regretting the first time he'd given in. "Christopher Robin and I walked along, under branches lit up by the moon, posing our questions to Owl and Eeyore, as our days disappeared all too soon…" He sang the words in a whisper, letting them drop peacefully into Jess's ear. Even after Jess's grip relaxed the hold on his fingers, Luke felt duty-bound to finish out the entire song. "So help me if you can, I've got to get back to the house at Pooh Corner by one…"

He kissed Jess's forehead and tucked the blankets in one more time. At the doorway, he turned to watch his sleeping nephew for a few quiet moments, Lorelai's habit having also become his.

He jumped to find Rachel waiting out in the hall. "What?" he whispered, annoyed that she'd startled him.

She shook her head. "We've never talked about it, have we?"

"About what?"

"About why you never sing to me," she said dryly. She quickly continued on before he could get overly embarrassed. "About kids. Do you want to have kids?"

"With you?" The unexpected topic panicked him and made him blurt out the first words he thought of.

"Unless there's something else I should know," she replied, in that same dry tone. She looked in at Jess, then pulled his door almost shut. "You're really good with him. Rory, too." She led them into the living room, taking back her spot on the couch.

He sat down next to her, warily. "I've learned," he acknowledged. "I just do what I see their moms do."

"And you're a natural at it. Gentle. Soothing." She looked at him steadily. "So back to the question. Do you want kids?"

He wasn't sure why he felt so exposed. "It's not something I've given much thought to. I mean, I guess. You know, someday. Kids would be nice." He drew in an extra breath and tried to settle his nerves. "Someday."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I feel the same way, but my someday is pretty far out in the future. Are you OK with that?"

"How far out are we talking here?"

Rachel picked up the magazine she'd been reading and nervously ruffled the pages. "I don't know. This is sort of an unexplored area with me, too." She took a deep breath of her own. "I suppose a lot depends on what happens with us next, but no matter what…" She turned to look at him. "I know I'm not ready to do the mom thing yet. There's so much more I want to see and do before I settle down, and…well, that's something you should know before we talk about our future."

"That's fine," he said quickly. "I'm not ready to start a family either. We need to figure out a bunch of other stuff before that happens."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

She turned her focus over to the muted TV. "I don't know. Just sometimes, you really seem to…to relish your time with the kids. I thought maybe you were seeing yourself with some of our own."

"No," Luke said simply.

She took an easier breath. "OK, then."

He watched her for a few more seconds. "We're good?"

"We're good."

He looked at the kitchen. "I was going to make some popcorn after Dad got home from his meeting, but do you want some now?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

He got up from the couch. "Want a beer, too?"

"Yes, definitely."

In the kitchen, he threw a bag of popcorn into the microwave and punched in the code. He folded his arms across his chest and banished all thoughts about babies and kids and relationships as far away as possible, the way he always did with things he preferred not to think too much about. He definitely didn't want to examine why the whole discussion he'd just had with Rachel had flustered him so much. Things were fine. They were good. No reason to upset their whole dynamic by looking too closely at what he really wanted.

He mindlessly watched the microwave turn, still humming the song about Christopher Robin and Pooh under his breath.

Lorelai opened the door to the potting shed as quietly as possible and stepped inside.

"Welcome home!" Mia whispered. She put down the book she'd been reading and got up from the rocking chair. "Did you have a good time?"

Lorelai nodded, but her attention was focused on the bed, where she could just make out a child-size lump in the middle. "Rory's asleep?"

"Yes, she went down about 8:30."

"Any problems?"

"With that little angel? Of course not."

"Occasionally I might dispute the angel part, but I'm glad you think so." She took off her coat and hung it on one of the pegs next to the door.

Mia came over to stand beside her, the better to have a quiet recap. "The date went well?"

Lorelai tried to keep her smile somewhat subdued. "Yeah. It was…fun."

"Was it now?" Mia examined Lorelai's face, her own smile breaking out at what she saw there. "Better than you expected, was it?"

"Well, since I was expecting a night of sheer torture, anything short of that would qualify as better. But yeah – I admit it – I had fun." She grinned openly. "I guess I'd sort of forgotten how dating works. It was nice, sitting there and bantering with a couple of guys. Sharing pizza. Talking about a movie afterwards." She made a rueful face. "Go ahead, you can tell me you told me so."

Mia shook her head. "Too many other things to talk about instead. You liked Ben?"

"There's nothing not to like. He's sweet, and cute, and very funny. He and Oliver have this great relationship, full of shared jokes and teasing – sort of like what Liz and I have. The four of us made a good group." She paused for a moment, shaking her head at herself. "I don't know what I was so worried about. It's not a lifetime commitment. It's just a date."

"Do you think there will be a second date?" Mia asked eagerly.

Again, Lorelai couldn't keep the pleased smile to herself. "It's already planned."

A week and a day later, Lorelai was again in the backseat of Oliver's car, laughing with the other three as they zoomed through one topic after another. They were about twenty minutes from Stars Hollow, driving along a back road, heading to some restaurant that Ben and Oliver refused to name, preferring to surprise the girls once they got there.

Then Liz's delighted hoot sounded from the front seat. "I know where we are! I know where you're taking us!" She swiveled her head, trying to see Lorelai behind her. "You know, too! Look outside."

Lorelai hadn't really cared where they were going. She was content to let the guys have their surprise. She knew it would be a fun night, no matter where they ended up, even if the food was terrible. But now, under Liz's urging, she put her face to the window, and found out that she did recognize the landscape. "Sniffy's!" she cheered.

"You know it?" Oliver asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"Only since I was born," Liz replied, patting his shoulder.

"I've only been here once," Lorelai told Ben, semi-apologetically. "Will brought us all here for dinner one night. The food was some of the best I've ever had. I can't wait to try it again."

Ben lowered his head, trying to see out through the windshield, to judge where they were. "I haven't been here, but I've heard great things about it. Oliver's parents were raving about it."

"I sure hope we get a better waiter than the one we had last time," Liz commented, winking at Lorelai.

"Oh yeah, me too. He was the worst," Lorelai played along.

They found a place to park in the crowded lot. As soon as they walked inside, Maisie tackled the girls. "You should have told me you were coming!" she chastised them, in the midst of her bear hugs of welcome. "I would have put aside the best table for you!"

"Maisie, you can't fool me. Every table is the best one!" Liz laughed, then quickly introduced the guys to her.

"Date night!" Maisie's strident voice announced that fact to the dining room at large. "Isn't that fun! Here, let's get you settled," she said, and steered them towards a table.

They chatted as they looked over the menus. "Oh no," Liz said, looking up. "It's that same terrible waiter. Sorry, guys."

Luke gave her a look that would have killed anyone but a sister. She chuckled at his obvious displeasure.

"Drinks?" he asked, as soon as everyone had said hello. His pen hovered over the order pad.

The other three ordered drinks from the bar. Lorelai gave him her best sultry look. "A martini," she said, her voice husky. "Stirred – not shaken."

He didn't say anything, but his face clearly told her he was not amused.

"I didn't know your brother worked here," Oliver said, as soon as Luke had left their table.

"Since January," Liz said, and explained about Luke's classes and his desire to see if restaurant work was really going to be his life's calling.

He returned with their drinks. In front of Lorelai he sat a Shirley Temple, complete with a small bowl of extra cherries. If he thought that was going to somehow humiliate her, he was wrong.

She bounced in her seat excitedly and immediately threw a cherry into her mouth. "You just made my night," she told him, chomping away.

Lorelai soon noticed that Ben seemed subdued, but then, she barely knew him. "Rough week?" she asked him, eating another cherry. "Want one?" she asked, offering the dish to him. In her world, maraschino cherries solved most problems.

"Yeah, kind of rough," he hedged. He shook his head at the proffered cherries. "I think those are meant for you."

"Hey, when you're the mother of a three-year-old, you get used to sharing everything."

He gave her something of a cryptic look. "I was never very good at sharing, I'm afraid."

She grinned at him. "I'll send you to nursery school with Rory for a few days. They'll hammer that lesson home right quick!"

Before they could order, Luke returned with a platter of fried ravioli appetizers. "Compliments of Maisie," he explained. He put his hand on Lorelai's shoulder as he leaned in to place the dish in the center of their table. "Enjoy." He gave her shoulder a squeeze as he turned to leave.

"Tell Maisie thank you!" Liz called after him. "Yum!" she said, motioning for the others to dig in.

Ben got quieter as the other three got louder. As their meal continued, Liz and Lorelai wasted no opportunity to tease Luke, and in return, he brought bigger portions and more treats to their table, most of which seemed to end up closest to Lorelai.

Towards the end of the meal, Lorelai boldly reached out to tug on his apron strings. All the wait staff wore khaki bib aprons over their black slacks and white shirts. "This is a great look on you. I like it when my guys look domesticated."

Fed up, Luke spun around and smacked her hand away, harder than what he'd intended.

"Ow!" she complained, trying to shake away the sting.

His face changed in an instant, from irritated to repentant. "Sorry," he said, reaching for her hand. He held it for just a moment, rubbing his thumb over her skin soothingly. "Sorry," he said again, sincerely, before walking away. A plate of cheesecake bites soon appeared as a further apology.

At one point, Buddy came out of the kitchen to say hello and they told him how fantastic their meal was. Maisie hugged them all as they left. Lorelai looked around before stepping out the door, and finally spotted Luke watching them from a far corner of the room. She waved gaily at him. Even blew him some kisses, in true Rory-style.

Lorelai was in high spirits on the way home, so much so that Oliver finally turned around to see her. "How much booze was in that Shirley Temple, anyway?" he teased her. "Settle down back there!"

The car stopped in the turnaround by the potting shed, and Ben helped Lorelai out of the car. As they walked around to the door, where they'd say goodnight, Lorelai was practically skipping in anticipation. Last week, Ben had given her a warm hug and a friendly kiss to her forehead. Those sweet, platonic gestures had been enough to awaken something in her that she hadn't even realized she'd been missing. It had been a long time since she'd been kissed, and she was hoping to rectify that deficit tonight. She would not say no to a few kisses by the front door.

Instead, Ben stepped away from her and looked down at his feet. "I wish you would have told me," he said, sounding so disappointed.

"Told you what?" Lorelai wondered, mystified.

"About Luke."

"About him working there? I would have, if I would have known we were heading to Sniffy's, but you guys wanted to keep it a surprise," she protested.

He shook his head. "Not that. About the two of you."

"The two of us…what?"

"That you're…you know. A thing."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "We are not…a – a thing!" she sputtered.

"Right."

"We're not!" She tugged at his arm. "You've met Rachel – you know Rachel! She and Luke are the thing!"

"Sure. Whatever you've decided to tell yourself. Although, I can't believe that Rachel is OK with it."

"There's nothing to be OK about! Luke's in love with Rachel! I'm just his sister's annoying friend!"

"You're sure about that?"

"Of course I am!"

Dejectedly, he stuffed his hands inside his jacket pockets. "Look, I'll take the blame. I'll say that I wasn't ready to date again after all." He gave her a sad, reproachful look and began to back away. "I just wish you would have been honest with me."

Stunned, she began to follow him around the side of the shed. "I have been honest!" He continued walking back to the car. "Ben!" she yelled at him, in disbelief. "Ben!"

But he didn't come back.

Which meant still no kisses for her.

"Hey, pal. I've got more guy-related problems," Liz said, a few weeks later.

"Shoot." Lorelai shut the door to her locker in the maid's area. She and Liz had just changed out of their uniforms, in preparation to pick up the kids from nursery school. "Let's hear all your sordid tales. God knows I don't have any to share."

Liz looked pained. "I'm sorry. That was thoughtless. I'm still so angry at Ben for dumping you!"

"He didn't dump me. There were only two dates. Two dates doesn't qualify as a dumping." She sighed. Ben had been good to his word and kept the truth about their 'breakup' to himself. Even though what he thought was 'the truth' was not, in fact, true. "So what's up?"

"Oliver has tickets for us to go see Journey next weekend."

"Ooh, awesome! Why's that a problem?"

"It's in New York."

"OK," Lorelai shrugged.

"He wants us to stay over."

"Oh!" Lorelai suddenly saw all the issues inherent with that. "And you're not sure you're ready?" she asked sympathetically.

Now Liz looked confused. "For Journey? Well, they're not my faves, but the concert should be fun, you know?"

"No, I mean, about staying over." When Liz still looked doubtful, she elaborated. "About taking your relationship to the next level. It's a big deal, I understand."

Liz's face split into a smile, as she finally got what Lorelai meant. "No, that's cool. We hit that 'next level' quite a while ago. Hit it good, as a matter of fact."

"You did?" Lorelai glared at her friend. "And you didn't tell me?"

Liz shrugged. "I figured you knew."

"How would I know?" Lorelai said peevishly. "And how did you manage it? How do you – where do you – how does that work?" she demanded.

Liz threw back her head and laughed. "I promise to give you all the secrets about 'how to have sex in spite of having kids underfoot' as soon as you need to know!"

"Fine, fine, you'll never have to tell me anything then," she grumbled. "So what is the problem?"

"Just what I said. It's overnight, so essentially it's the whole weekend. How can I ask my dad and Luke to take care of Jess for the whole weekend?"

"Did you forget? I'm always on board to watch Jess. He'll come stay with us in the exotic locale of the potting shed."

"I can't ask you to do that, Lorelai. Not for the whole weekend! What about work?"

"You're not asking, I'm offering. It's a done deal. Rory will be thrilled. And as for work, we'll go talk to Mia right now. We'll get it on the schedule." She took Liz's arm, then stopped. "Well, maybe not right now, since we have to pick up the kids. But this afternoon, first thing."

"Tell you what, since I can't pay you, I'll leave you my car while I'm gone. You can buzz around town all you want."

"With two kids in tow. Sounds like a blast! I'll take them to all the hot spots. They're old enough for K.C.'s, right?"

"They'd probably let the kids in before they would you."

"Hey, that hurts." Lorelai stood up tall and straightened her hair. "OK, so no shots with the kiddies. Don't worry, I'll figure out some other way for us to have fun. You just run off to the concert in the big city and have lots of hot sex with your boyfriend."

Liz giggled as she poked her in the ribs. "Don't think I won't," she assured her.

"And then you'll tell me all about it," Lorelai prompted. "But bring along some educational posters. It's been so long I've probably forgotten the important parts."

"Hey, I've got a return for you," Lorelai said Sunday evening, opening the door to the Danes' kitchen and ushering both kids in.

Jess galloped to the living room entrance. "Mom!" he bellowed.

"Shi – Crap!" Luke sputtered, catching himself in time. He left the hamburger browning on the stove and rushed over to Jess. "Mom's not here yet, buddy. She will be soon, though."

Lorelai joined them and helped the kids take off their jackets. "Weren't they supposed to be back by now?"

"Yeah, but Liz called a little bit ago. Said they were stuck in construction traffic somewhere."

"Hmm. Do we believe that?"

"Maybe. I'd say there's about a 50% chance it's true." Luke headed back to the stove. "Although I believe Liz a lot more now than I used to."

"That's good," Lorelai murmured. She straightened up, still holding the jackets, and regarded the antsy kids. "How about if I put on a movie for you guys to watch while we're waiting for Mommy?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jess cheered.

"Lady anna Tramp!" Rory voted.

Luke heard the TV turn on, and then he heard the tape get pushed into the VCR. Soon Disney music was serenading throughout the house.

Lorelai came back into the kitchen to pick up Jess's overnight case, but she stopped to sniff the cooking aromas. "What are you making?"

"Just tacos. I thought that would be a good thing for tonight, because we can eat now, and it won't be that hard for Liz and Oliver to pull out the leftovers when they finally get here."

"True, if they don't stop and get something on their way home."

"In that case, more for us."

"Yay," Lorelai said, but she sounded subdued. "I'll go get the sombreros."

Luke thought she'd left the kitchen, but when he moved to the sink, ready to drain the ground beef, he saw that she was leaning against the doorway, watching the kids. The look on her face was sad and thoughtful in a way he'd never observed before.

"What's got you all melancholy?" he asked, the question a little on the mocking side. He'd found that cloaking everything he said to her in a teasing or sarcastic tone insured that nothing could be taken too seriously.

She pulled away from the wall immediately, looking self-conscious. "Nothing," she lied.

"You might as well tell me."

"It's stupid."

"That's never stopped you before."

She gave him a look that let him know he'd hurt her feelings. "What's wrong?" he asked, letting his genuine concern color the words. "Did Jess give you a hard time?"

"No, he was a blast, as always." Her lips twisted into a rueful smile. "Although, did you know? There are some difference between boys and girls."

"I'd heard the rumors," he commented, as he carefully poured the grease into a tin can.

"Those two played with the same toys, in the same locations, all day. But at bedtime, Rory was mostly immaculate, and Jess was absolutely filthy. It was like he'd summoned all the dirt in the house to him. Like Pigpen in Charlie Brown."

Luke chuckled. He wiped off the edge of the skillet, then returned it to the stove, ready to add in the taco seasoning.

"And of course," Lorelai continued, "everything he picked up became a car. Or a gun."

"Or a firetruck."

"Actually, there were a lot of tanks over the weekend."

"Really? Don't tell me his interests are changing."

"Maybe. Anyway, I borrowed one of the roll-away cots from the inn for the weekend, and the kids helped me to get it open and made up for him. They were fascinated by the whole process. And then…Rory threw a fit when she found out it was for Jess. She wanted to sleep on the cot."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah, no kidding." Lorelai folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorway again. "Finally I thought, they're both so little yet, what difference does it make? So I put Jess at the head and Rory at the foot, and covered them up in the middle with the blankets. They couldn't stop giggling at how silly that was. I had to read about a thousand books before they conked out for the night."

"How many times did you have to read about Big Bird going to the farm?"

"Three, at least. I think I could recite the whole thing by heart."

"I hate Ruthie and Floyd, and whoever thought writing that book was a good idea."

"Oh, it's not so bad." Lorelai turned to look in at the kids again, with such an longing, poignant look on her face that Luke felt it in his heart.

"So no real bedtime trouble, huh?" He grabbed a towel to wipe off his hands.

"No."

"Then what's with the melancholy?" He asked it kindly this time and walked over to stand opposite her.

"I've had Jess at my house plenty, you know. I've watched the two of them play together so many times. But there was just something about having them there, together, asleep…" Her voice trailed off.

"Yeah? What?"

"I guess…I'd never thought about it. Having two. I'd never once considered that I might want to have another baby someday."

Luke sucked in a breath, not quite knowing where this was going.

"Rory…I mean, she just happened, you know? Boom! There she was. She filled my entire life. She still fills every minute. I do nothing but take care of her and make a life for us. That's what my big fancy five-year plan is about, doing the stuff to make sure we're OK. I mean, how could I possibly fit another baby in there, too? There's no way!"

"Right," Luke murmured, cautiously.

"But when I stood there last night, watching them…" She let out a shaky sigh. "It hit me that another baby – someday – is exactly what I do want. I want Rory to have a brother or a sister. I grew up as an only child and hated it. I don't want her to grow up the same way."

"As long as she's got you for a mother she's never going to be an only child," Luke said, trying to lean back into the teasing.

"I'll grow up someday," she grumbled, glaring at him. She soon smiled a bit, but the underlying sadness remained. "How about you? Have you thought about kids?"

"I think they're sticky and a lot of trouble," he grumbled, the way he used to.

"You don't want kids?" she asked, pinning him to the spot with big, wide-open blue eyes.

Those eyes didn't permit him to shy away from the question. "I want kids," he answered immediately and honestly.

"You'll have them long before I will," she said despondently. "You and Rachel will have a houseful before I even get us moved out of the potting shed."

"Don't be too sure. Rachel has her own five-year plan," he muttered. "But, so what if kids are far into the future? Eventually it'll happen, right?"

"But that's the thing. Far ahead means Rory is growing up more. It means she'll be the big sister, not the playmate. I want her to have the fun of hide'n'seek and make-believe, of growing up with her brother or sister. The way she has with Jess this past year. But when I look into the future, I see it's just the two of us still. I've got to get us into a better place first, and that means nonstop work, and some kind of a degree to get a better job. There's no time left over to find a guy and plan out a pregnancy. The whole idea of another baby is ridiculous. It's not going to happen, no matter how much I might want it to." She drew in a trembling breath. "And…I know…I know now…I do want it to happen," she whispered.

Stunned, Luke watched as she blinked back some tears. Her shoulders slumped and she looked so downhearted that he felt actual pain from seeing her like that. He didn't quite understand the whole emotional reaction she'd experienced, but nevertheless, it broke through his protective layers of caution and touched his heart. It made him do the only thing he could. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

She soon relaxed into him and rubbed her face against his chest, searching for comfort. "It's OK," he whispered, patting her head. "No matter what happens, it's going to be OK."

From the living room, he could hear Tramp trying to convince Lady to run off with him.

"I know," Lorelai whispered back to him. "And I'm fine, really. I just got drawn into the sad side last night and I can't seem to shake it."

He pulled back a small distance, so he could look at her. Which was a mistake, because that meant her mesmerizing eyes immediately drew him in. Drowning there in her eyes, he wanted nothing more than to be the one to make the sad disappear. Wanted that more than anything else he'd ever wished for. He put his hand against her cheek, unable to look away from her gorgeous, sad eyes. His brain raced to find some words that might solve her sadness and his secret desire all at the same time.

He was semi-aware of the kitchen door opening. In some small part of his consciousness, he knew someone else was now in the kitchen with them, but he was so caught up in what he was feeling that he didn't care. In this fraught moment, nothing else mattered. He kept his arm around Lorelai and continued to brush his fingers across her face. He pushed back her hair, in a tender, loving gesture. At that moment, it mattered none to him who saw him do it.

Will Danes cleared his throat. "Um…hi there, kids. Everything OK here?"

Startled, Lorelai jumped out of Luke's arms. "Will! Hi! Yes, of course, everything's fine!"

Luke felt his dad watching him as he went back to the stove, picked up the spoon, and stirred the steaming taco filling.

"So, uh…what's going on?" Will asked, sounding more curious than confrontational.

Lorelai tried to sound bubbly. "It's just me, being silly. I got all caught up in the fact that Rory's growing up faster than I want her to, and I had a little mini-meltdown. Luke was offering to sneak her some coffee, to maybe stunt her growth."

"Yeah, those darn kids. They just insist on growing up, no matter what you do," Will commiserated.

"I'm learning that the hard way, I guess." Lorelai picked up Jess's small suitcase again. "I'm going to go check on the kiddos and put this away." She sped out of the room.

Will hung up his jacket on a hook by the back door. "Everything's really OK, son?" he asked quietly.

"Fine," Luke said curtly. "Just feels like I've got two crazy sisters to take care of now, instead of one."

His dad didn't say anything at first. He walked across the kitchen and peeked in at the kids tumbling around on the sofa. "I think we're all aware that Lorelai isn't your sister," he finally observed, in a tone that said more than the words did.

"She might as well be," Luke argued, feeling sweat beading on his forehead, and not from the heat of the stove.

"Maybe," Will replied, rather distractedly. He then seemed to shift his focus. "Liz isn't back yet?"

"On the way. We're not holding dinner for them, though."

"OK. I'm going to go get changed. Maybe tussle with the kids a bit." He scratched his fingers through his hair, seeming indecisive. "Let me know if you ever want to…" Will stopped the sentence abruptly. "Um, if you need any help with dinner," he then offered lamely, to Luke's immense relief.

Luke breathed in deeply. "Sure, I'll yell when it's ready. I figure we'll eat in in the kitchen tonight."

"Sounds good." Will then left the room, and chopping vegetables became Luke's only focus.

A few days later, Luke was in his room, feeling kind of stupid. He was on the bed, his back against the headboard, a textbook open against his raised knees. Although he'd discovered through trial and error that this was still the best place in the house to get some studying done, he was somewhat ashamed that nothing much had changed in his life since high school. With a sigh he fingered the pages of the four chapters he needed to read before class tomorrow.

He heard footsteps padding down the hall, and his dad stuck his head in through the door. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"Dinner." He then inclined his head towards the thick book. "Studying."

"Ah. Well, I don't want to interrupt."

"No, what is it? What do you need?" he asked, hoping his annoyance didn't show.

"It's turned into a pretty nice day. Really feels like spring, doesn't it? I was thinking I might work on the boat some after dinner. Would you want to help?"

Luke bit back a groan. The weight of all of the assignments looming over the few remaining weeks before finals felt suffocating. But then he glanced out of his window. It was a beautiful day. And his dad asked so little of him, really.

"Sure, Dad. Looks like a good night to get the boat in shape."

Will beamed at him. "I think this will be our year. I really do."

Luke gave a tight smile and nodded. Years ago, when his dad had first brought home the boat, he'd been excited, picturing lots of father and son fishing trips. He thought that maybe they'd even let Liz come along sometime, as long as she didn't scream too much about the worms. Then they'd had their first excursion, which had resulted in no fish and continual bailing. Eventually, he'd understood that the boat was just a project for his dad; something to fill the time that otherwise would be spent sitting around, missing Luke's mom. He understood it even better now, after the aimless years he'd recently experienced, trying to find anything to fill the empty spot where the love of his life should have been.

"I'm just making pasta tonight, and a salad. Some of that frozen tortellini that Jess likes."

Will grinned. "Jess isn't the only one who likes that stuff."

"I don't think Lorelai and Rory are coming over, so it'll be just us. Help me clean up afterwards and we can get to the boat faster."

"You got it." Will smiled again. "I'm going to get changed," he said, and headed to his room.

Resigned to having a different night than the one he'd planned, Luke marked his spot in the book and got off the bed. He guessed he could always stay up late to read the chapters.

Pulling open the garage doors and seeing the sheer bulk of the boat was always a shock, no matter how many times Luke had done it. The wooden hull took up every bit of free space inside the structure. Many times, especially during the winter, Luke had bitten his tongue to keep from saying something about how nice it would be to have a garage to park in. So far, he'd always managed to keep his sarcastic comments to himself.

Will turned on the lights and got out the supplies, putting the sandpaper where they could both reach it. Will liked to work on the outside of the boat, where he could occasionally use the power sander, making broad swipes against the curved boards. Luke swung his legs inside the boat, where he'd work on the more exacting needs of the interior. He no longer worried about how good of a job he did. He understood that their purpose was not to make the boat seaworthy.

They worked in silence for a while, the scritch-scratch of the sandpaper the only sound.

"How's school going?" Will asked, after a few minutes.

"Fine."

"Grades OK?"

Luke thought about admitting he had all A's so far, but for some reason, he didn't. "Yeah. We'll see how finals go."

"When's that?"

"About three weeks."

"Wow, the semester went fast."

"Tell me about it."

"Do you think you'll sign up for more?"

Luke hesitated. "I'd like to. I guess we'll have to see what happens."

"What happens? You mean with your final grades?"

"No…" He creased a small piece of sandpaper, tearing it off to fit into the sanding block he was using. "To see…what Rachel wants to do."

He was aware that his dad stopped working and was staring at him with a frown. "Is she getting restless?"

"No. Well…yeah, probably. We just…" He sighed. Normally they didn't go near his love life. "Once classes are over, we're supposed to figure out what's going to happen next."

"But things between you…they're good?"

"Sure." Luke shrugged, refusing to look at his dad. "Great."

They both put a lot of effort into sanding for a spell, ignoring what had been said. Or not said. But finally Will gave up on the pretense. "I guess I'm just confused."

"About what?"

"About you and Rachel, and whatever's going on with the two of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I haven't really observed any forward progress in your relationship. And I haven't seen any signs that either of you want things to change, either."

"Well, that's what we're going to discuss next month, about how things are going to progress," Luke said coolly, hoping his tone was enough to get his dad to back off. "And what you've seen isn't our whole relationship. We're not under your eye all the time, you know."

Sandpaper scratched again.

"Damn it, Luke." Will stood up, peering over the hull at him. "I'm just going to say it, and then you can tell me to mind my own business."

"Ah, geez," Luke muttered, staring down at the deck, bracing himself.

"What I saw between you and Lorelai the other day, right there in the kitchen, contained more affection than what I've seen between you and Rachel since she's come back home."

Luke decided to go with a strong Rachel defense, ignoring the whole Lorelai issue. "Dad, seriously – you want me kissing Rachel in front of you all the time? That would make you happy?"

Will colored slightly. "No, of course not. But I understand – I remember – how desire sometimes stomps all over common sense. It wouldn't shock me to see you two in an occasional clinch, but I don't. I can't tell you how many times I've already stumbled on Liz and Oliver having a lengthy goodnight."

"Don't say that," Luke groaned, waving a hand before his face. "I don't need to know that."

"You and your sister – as always – are two completely different people. I learned a long time ago not to expect any similarities between you. But in this area, there should be. When you're with the woman you love, you can't be expected to behave all the time, no matter who else is in the room." Will paused. "Which brings us back to the kitchen, and what I saw between you and Lorelai."

For the first time, Luke felt panic instead of irritation. "She explained that to you. Having Jess with her for the weekend, and seeing how Rory's growing up, it made her feel lonely and a little depressed. She was sad and emotional, and I listened to her. I was someone she could talk to, and I ended up offering her some brotherly affection."

Will scoffed. "It didn't look too brotherly from where I was standing."

"Dad, geez." Luke sat down in the captain's seat. "You've got to understand. Rachel knows about everything I did while she was gone."

"I should hope so. I'd assumed you'd told her."

"Didn't have to. Her mom, her friends – random people on the street – everyone made sure she knew."

"Oh." Will looked taken aback. "She only found out once she came home?"

"She knew most of it while she was still gone, but certain people in town have relished filling in the gaps for her since she's been home."

"I see." Will drew in a breath of air. "I'm sorry, son."

Luke shrugged. "It's my own fault. But you can see why Rachel isn't exactly so sure about me anymore. You can see why she's hesitant to move forward."

"But since she's been back, you've been toeing the line. Except for…" Will trailed off uncomfortably.

"Which is why I don't need you putting any ideas into Rachel's head. Especially things that aren't there. Things that aren't true. Brotherly affection, Dad. I promise you, that's all you saw."

Will backed off the questioning. He went to the open garage door and looked out on the darkening evening. "Did you know that your mom and Uncle Louie were an item at one time?"

Luke felt his gag reflex activate. He stood up in the boat to stare at the back of his Dad's head. "What?" He had to have heard it wrong. "What are you talking about?"

His dad turned around, a pensive smile on his face. "We saw her at the same time, Louie and me. After school, walking by the drugstore. She was the new girl that year. I took one look at her and I was just…" Will sighed, shook his head. "Head over heels, after the first look. Louie saw her too, and he was the senior, the football star. I was the runt sophomore. He walked up to her, all assured swagger, and asked her out. She saw the shoulders, the letter jacket, and said yes." Will paused again, seeing a highlight reel in his memory. "They dated, oh, probably about six months."

"Dad!" Luke had never felt so sickened.

Will chuckled. "Don't be so scandalized. Dating was a little different, back in my day. Oh, I'm sure Louie tried some things, but I have complete confidence that Katie blocked him at every turn."

"O-kay," Luke mumbled, still half-nauseous.

"Anyway, that was six months of me always managing to be around, showing her my own version of brotherly affection. One day I was finally brave enough to let it slip to her about how I really felt, and not too much later, they broke up, and she started dating the other Danes boy."

"I can't believe this is the first I've ever heard of this."

"It was quite the talk of the town, at the time."

"I bet."

Will slowly made his way back to the boat. "Someday, will Rachel be my daughter-in-law?"

"I think…we'll be together in some form. I'm not sure that marriage is exactly what Rachel's looking for." Luke blew out a breath of air. "I'll know more after we have our talk next month."

"But Luke, seriously, you think she's going to be content, staying here in Stars Hollow?"

"I don't know. We're going to have to work something out about that. And don't ask me what. I just don't know."

"What do you want out of this?"

"I want Rachel to be happy. I don't want her to regret that she came back. I don't want her to think that giving me another chance was a bad idea."

"So, Rachel being happy. That's it? That's enough to make you happy?"

"Shouldn't it be?" he asked, sounding more belligerent than he'd intended.

Again, Will looked thoughtful, and slightly sad. "Yeah, it should. If the woman you love is happy, you should be the happiest guy in the world. But I'm just not sure that's going to be enough, because –"

"Don't say it," Luke warned, through clenched teeth.

"Luke, I have to say it. You're my boy. And a bad break-up now is still a hundred times better than ending up in divorce court a few years down the road."

"Well, gee, Dad, thanks for that vote of confidence!" He jumped out of the boat, propelled by anger.

"Luke, listen to me, please." Will grabbed his arm. "I saw you. I saw your face. I saw her face. You can't…you can't disguise those feelings, son, no matter how hard you try."

"I don't have any choice." Luke took a ragged breath. "I'm the one who caused this, who foolishly thought –" He caught himself, stopped himself from saying too much. "I'm the one who begged Rachel to come back. This is on me. I promised her she wouldn't be sorry. I'm going to do my best to live up to her expectations of me."

"Regardless of your feelings?"

"Oh, dear God, it's come to this? I'm standing in the garage, talking about feelings with my dad?" Luke huffed out an incredulous breath. "Look, as long as Lorelai's happy, I'll be –" This time, he wasn't able to catch his words fast enough, and he stopped cold, without a clue how to take back what had just spilled out of his mouth.

He finally got himself under control and looked at his dad. Will was biting his lips, doing his best not to gloat that Luke had just made his point for him.

"Look," Luke then said, trying to sound calm. "I admit, Lorelai is wonderful. Wonderful. I'm not going to try and deny that. She's wonderful, and I am…really fond of her. And if…if circumstances had been different, then maybe…who knows? But Rachel's here, and I've promised her that I'm here for her. I'm not going back on that. I'm not going back on my word."

Will studied him for a long moment. "All right, Luke, I'm not going to dispute that. I know you're a man of your word, and I'm proud of you for that."

"Good," Luke mumbled. He nodded and took a step towards the door.

"Wait," Will said. "Promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Before you and Rachel make it official, promise me you'll talk to Lorelai first."

"What? No. No way in hell. Why would I do that?"

"Blame it on me. Tell her that some deluded old man thinks she has…" Will paused, stifling a grin. "Feelings for you." He shrugged, looking pleased. "If she says no, then you're free and clear to stick with Rachel."

"Dad. I can assure you, she has no feelings for me." Luke paused, trying to think of some other argument to supplement that statement. "Or, let me put it this way. She doesn't feel anything different for me than what I do for her."

Will's face lit up with merriment. "Exactly."

Luke groaned in frustration. "Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to stir up – I always thought you liked Rachel!"

"This has nothing to do with Rachel, who is a wonderful woman in her own right. This is about what I've seen on your face when you look at Lorelai; what I've seen when she's looked at you. Sometimes…sometimes things just change, Luke. Whether we want them to or not, they change. And life gets bad if you ignore what's changed."

"Nothing has changed. And you're cracked."

"Possibly," Will agreed, without any rancor. "Just promise me that before you get down on one knee with Rachel you'll talk to Lorelai."

"Dad…" Luke shook his head, not able to even contemplate how much it would cost him to do such a thing.

"Luke, it's not that big of a deal. I just want you to have the same opportunity that your mom had. I want you to be able to change your mind, if you want to." He tilted his head, considering. "Or for Lorelai to tell you that maybe she's changed her mind."

"Lorelai will never change her mind," he muttered, thinking that comment was strictly for his own ears.

"If nothing's changed, well then, I'll welcome Rachel as my daughter-in-law with open arms."

Luke's brain bounced from open arms to Journey to concert to Liz to Jess to Rory and ended up, as usual, at Lorelai. He once again saw those huge soulful eyes of hers; those eyes that had sucked him in and destroyed any plausible deniability he could have once used to refute his dad.

With real effort, he forced his thoughts away from his favorite sapphire eyes. "Dad, you know the details about Lorelai's life as well as I do. She has everything set up the way she wants it. Everything is arranged so that Rory is secure. So that Lorelai doesn't have to worry. She doesn't want a guy to come along and mess up their lives. She doesn't want Rachel's brother, or Oliver's cousin, or even Rory's dad to enter the picture and interrupt what she's built up. And most definitely, she doesn't want me there, either. She's fine just the way she is."

"That's true," Will nodded, "for now. Until things change for her – or for you."

"You're not going to drop this, are you?" Luke growled.

"Yes, I am. This is the only time I'm bringing it up. After tonight, it's all up to you. That's why I want to hear you promise that you'll talk to Lorelai before you cement things with Rachel. Once you walk out of this garage tonight, the topic's closed, as far as I'm concerned."

Luke stared stubbornly at his dad. His dad stared back at him, just as stubbornly, with 25 years of fatherhood backing him up.

"Fine! I promise!" Luke spat out, then turned on his heel and stalked out of the garage.

"You won't be sorry!" his dad called after him.

Hearing the pleased tone in his dad's voice only served to make Luke more peeved.

Author's Chat: Yes, it's an odd day to post, but then, it's an odd day no matter how you look at it. Eledgy, my good-hearted beta, urged me to post today, to give everyone something else to focus on. And since this chapter is so bloody looooong, you've got plenty here to distract you. If you still find yourself stressed and anxious, you can imagine Luke Danes crooning House at Pooh Corner into your ear. See? I am good for something! Take care, everyone.