"So, that's Christopher."

"That's Christopher."

"Really? So he's…"

"The guy who impregnated me with Rory, yes."

Luke rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. "Okay, this has taken a very weird turn. I'm going to go call Mia." Luke headed down the hallway to find a pay phone.

Lorelai sat down next to William on a bench outside the courtroom and rested her head against his shoulder. She was exhausted. She'd been working six days a week for the past month, carrying Rory around as she cleaned the guest rooms at the Independence Inn, and she had just survived the most difficult thing she had ever had to do. It had been more difficult than telling her parents she was pregnant at 15 or giving birth by herself at 16 or trusting strangers to take care of her and her daughter. She had just spent an hour answering questions asked by a judge and then listened to that judge terminate Chris' parental rights and declare her legally emancipated from her parents. She was officially, legally a single parent who was free from the control of her own parents. She was sad, angry, confused, stressed, scared, and relieved, but mostly she was exhausted.

L&L L&L L&L

Luke walked back toward where he had left Lorelai and William. He was eager to leave and put the day behind them. It had been hard to listen to Christopher tell the judge he didn't want Rory. It had been harder to listen to Lorelai's parents list their numerous objections to her emancipation. He hated that she'd had to justify every aspect of her life, including her living arrangements, her job, and her relationship with him. She'd done it though. She'd stood there, calmly answering every question the judge asked and defending herself against every objection her parents raised. He was incredibly proud of her.

As he approached the bench where Lorelai and William were waiting, he noticed how exhausted Lorelai looked. She was practically falling asleep where she sat. He decided he'd have to convince her she didn't need to work so hard. What she clearly needed was to get some rest.

Luke stopped in front of Lorelai and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Mia said the babies are doing fine. Apparently, Rory's been an 'absolute angel.' That's a quote."

Lorelai smiled up at him. "Good. I'm glad Rory's not giving Mia a hard time."

"She said she's fine to keep Jess and Rory a little longer. We can go to lunch or we can head home, if you'd like to take a nap instead."

"I just want to see my baby."

"Okay, let's head home." Luke removed his hand from Lorelai's shoulder and held it out to help her as she got up from the bench.

Lorelai took Luke's hand and rose slowly to her feet. Her exhaustion was evident in every move. She continued to hold Luke's hand as they walked out of the courthouse. When they stepped outside, she immediately noticed her parents arguing with their lawyer at the edge of the walkway. She tensed and felt Luke squeeze her hand in an attempt to comfort her. He whispered in her ear, "Just keep walking. They're busy and probably won't even see us."

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed half-heartedly.

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore!"

Lorelai froze momentarily before she let go of Luke's hand and turned to face her mother. Emily was charging toward Lorelai, visibly angry and looking to confront her daughter. Lorelai quickly prepared to face the wrath of Emily Gilmore. She stood up straight with her shoulders back and her chin held high. She relaxed slightly when she felt Luke and William come to stand on either side of her.

Emily came to a stop in front of Lorelai. She glared at Luke and William. "You two can go now."

"No ma'am," William responded.

"We're not leaving unless Lorelai asks us to," Luke explained.

Emily looked at Lorelai pointedly, clearly demanding that she dismiss Luke and William.

"They're staying," Lorelai informed Emily.

Emily glared at Luke and William once more and then focused her attention on Lorelai. "Do you enjoy embarrassing your father and me? Do you ever think about how your actions affect us?"

"It's not about you, Mom."

"Of course not. It's about you. It's always about you. You're too selfish to think about anyone else."

Lorelai shook her head. "It's not about me either."

"Then what is it about, Lorelai?"

"It's about Rory and what's best for her."

"We are what's best for that child," Emily insisted.

Before Lorelai could respond, Richard appeared at Emily's side. "Hello, Lorelai."

"Hi, Dad."

Richard turned to Emily, "It's time to go, Emily."

"Very well."

"I'll wait in the car. Goodbye, Lorelai."

"Bye, Dad."

"We're leaving, Lorelai."

"I know."

"After what you've done, don't think we'll just let you come home when things turn out to be harder than you expect."

"I won't."

"We won't be giving you money either."

"I know."

"Well, then, goodbye, Lorelai."

"Goodbye, Mom."

Lorelai watched her mother walk away and was surprised when she realized there were tears in her eyes. Luke noticed the tears too and pulled her into a tight hug. "It's going to be okay, Lorelai. Everything will work out."

Lorelai nodded against his chest.

"You know what's best for Rory."

Lorelai stepped out of Luke's embrace. "Yes, I do," she agreed with a firm nod.

"Are you ready to go home now?"

"Actually, I've changed my mind. Can we go to lunch first? I just want to calm down a little before I go home to Rory. Dealing with my mother always gets me worked up."

"I understand."

"Thanks, Luke."

"Hey, Dad, change of plans. We're going to lunch."

"Good. Let's go. I'm hungry."

"Where do you want to have lunch, Lorelai?"

"What about that little place we passed on our way into town?"

"The diner?" William clarified.

"Yeah, the diner."

"Sounds good to me."

"Me too."

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Luke and Lorelai settled into one side of a booth at Daisy's Diner while William slid into the seat across from them.

"We're celebrating, so lunch is my treat."

"Thanks, Dad."

"What exactly are we celebrating?"

"We're celebrating you, Lorelai."

"Me? Why?"

"There are a lot of reasons to celebrate you. You've survived your first month at the inn."

"And Mia says you're doing very well," Luke interrupted his father. "She says you're the hardest working employee she's ever had."

"You were just emancipated by your parents," William continued. "You stood up for yourself and Rory against your parents and Christopher."

"You're an amazing mother," Luke added.

Lorelai blushed.

"There are a lot of reasons to celebrate you, Lorelai."

"Thank you, but I wouldn't have been able to do any of those things without the two of you."

Luke took her hand in his. "That's not true. If you had to, you would be able to do all of those things on your own. It just might've taken you a little while longer."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"He's right," William declared confidently.

"I hope so," Lorelai said, her voice barely a whisper. The conversation faded away and the silence quickly became awkward.

"What is everybody ordering?" William asked, breaking the silence.

Lorelai glanced at the menu quickly. "I'll just have a burger and fries."

"Sounds good. I think I'll have the same. I'm also going to order some coffee."

"Oooh! I want coffee too."

"That stuff will kill you."

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Luke. "Spoilsport."

Luke laughed at Lorelai's antics.

"What are you going to order, son?

"A salad."

"The coffee may kill me, but at least it won't turn me into a rabbit first."

"Ha ha," Luke commented drily.

"Behave," William gently scolded. His smirk revealed he was just teasing them.

The waitress appeared and took their orders. After the waitress left to get the coffee, William excused himself to use the restroom. When he was sure his dad would be gone for a few minutes, Luke shifted in his seat to face Lorelai. "We need to talk," he stated bluntly.

Lorelai began to fidget nervously. "Uh, okay."

The waitress reappeared to deliver the coffee. Lorelai took a sip. "Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the camel!" she exclaimed. "That is really bad coffee."

Luke chuckled at her look of disgust. "I told you that stuff would kill you." Lorelai took another sip. "You're really going to keep drinking it?"

"Yes. Coffee is coffee and I need coffee. Is my coffee addiction really what you wanted to talk about?"

"No. I want to talk about your work at the inn."

"I thought Mia said I was doing well?"

"She did. You are. What I mean is that I want to talk about the hours you're working."

"I'm working as many hours as I can, Luke. I only take Saturdays off because Mia insists that I take one day a week off to spend with Rory."

"I think you should take more time off. You've been working yourself to death. You don't need to work overtime every day, Lorelai."

"I know, but I want to save up as much money as possible before I have to cut back on my hours to take my GED course."

"That's good, but you can't work yourself to the point of exhaustion. You'll make yourself sick and then you'll be no good to anyone, especially Rory."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm just asking you to consider cutting back a little. Maybe only work your scheduled shifts. I'm worried about you."

Lorelai sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay. I'll cut back a little, but I don't want to give up all my overtime."

"Thanks, Lorelai."

"You make it sound like I'm doing you a favor."

"You are. Now I can worry about you a little less."

"You don't…" Lorelai started, only to be interrupted by William's return and the arrival of the waitress with their lunches.

"What are we talking about?" William asked.

"Lorelai's decided to cut back her hours at the inn."

"Just a little," Lorelai quickly explained.

"Good. I was beginning to worry about you."

"You were worried about me?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make either of you worry." Lorelai began to play with the napkin in her lap.

"You don't need to apologize, just do a better job taking care of yourself."

"Okay," Lorelai mumbled, but refused to look up.

"Lorelai, honey, look at me," William instructed, his voice taking on a paternal tone. He waited until Lorelai's eyes met his, then continued, "It's our job to worry. That's what families do. They worry about each other."

"Family?"

"Yes, family."

Lorelai smiled brightly. "Thanks, William. I'll try to make you worry less."

"I'd appreciate that." William took a bite of his burger. "This might just be the worst thing I've ever eaten."

Lorelai giggled and took a bite of her own burger. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "It is awful. I thought it was just the coffee that was bad."

William took a drink of his coffee and choked. "That's not coffee. That's motor oil!"

"How's the salad, Luke?"

"Wilted."

"I didn't think it was possible to screw up a salad."

"Me either." Luke picked at his salad, looking for anything that was remotely edible.

"Your food is so much better."

"Thanks, Lorelai, but that isn't really saying much."

"True, but if this place can stay open with awful food and worse coffee, just imagine how well you could do if you opened a diner."

Luke laughed.

"I think she's serious."

"I am definitely serious."

"Me? Open a diner? That's crazy."

"It's just something to think about."