On the afternoon of the Tuesday before Labor Day, Luke entered the Independence Inn looking for Lorelai. He held tightly to Jess and Rory's hands and led them toward the front desk where Mia was working. When the kids saw Mia, they pulled free of Luke's hands and took off running, screaming, "Mia! Mia! Mia!"

Hearing her name, Mia looked up from her paperwork and smiled when she saw Jess and Rory running toward her. She stepped out from behind the desk and crouched down to catch the kids as they hurled themselves into her arms. "How are my two favorite people?" Mia cooed, hugging Jess and Rory close while they giggled happily. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Shopping with Daddy," answered Rory at the exact moment that Luke came to stand in front of them.

Mia looked up at Luke with a grin. "Oh, really?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, and we need Lorelai," Luke said. "Is she almost ready to go?"

"I think so." Mia stood up, holding Jess and Rory's hands. "Why are you going shopping?"

"The kids start preschool next week and we need to get their school supplies. Lorelai also wants to get them new outfits for their first day."

Skeptical, Mia asked, "You're going shopping for new school clothes? Willingly?"

"Lorelai thought it was something we should do as a family," Luke admitted, shrugging helplessly.

"She can be very persuasive," Mia said with a knowing smile.

"Yes, she can." A dreamy look crossed his face as he started to think about all the different ways Lorelai used to persuade him to do things he wouldn't do otherwise. Shaking off his daydream, he added, "And when persuasion doesn't work, she pouts."

"Which gets you to do what she wants anyway."

"Not always," Luke said defensively, scowling at Mia. Mia merely smirked and quirked an eyebrow, a clear indication she knew he was lying. "Okay, fine, the pout works most of the time."

"Oh, please, Lucas. Don't pretend it bothers you."

"What doesn't bother you?" asked Lorelai, having heard only the very end of the conversation as she joined them.

Luke kissed her cheek. "You."

"I'm glad. If I did, we'd really be in trouble."

"I'm sure we'd figure it out. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Jess and Rory are you ready to go shopping?"

Jess nodded. "Uh huh."

"Okay, say goodbye to Mia."

"Bye, Mia," Jess and Rory chorused obediently.

Mia knelt down to give them another hug. "Have fun shopping." As the kids stepped away to take hold of Luke's hands, Mia stood up and gave Lorelai a quick hug. "Go easy on Luke. He hasn't been clothes shopping since high school."

Lorelai laughed. "I guess we'll have to get him something too."

"Ah geez."

"You'll be fine, Lucas," Mia said, patting his arm encouragingly.

"Yeah, Lucas, you'll be fine," echoed Lorelai.

"If you two are going to gang up on me, we're leaving." Luke started walking away with Jess and Rory.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "Bye, Mia. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Lorelai."

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At a department store at the mall in Hartford, Lorelai browsed rack after rack of frilly dresses. Nearby, Luke leaned against a wall with his arms folded across his chest. Jess and Rory sat at Luke's feet passing a ball back and forth. Luke was glad he had thought to snag the ball from the toy department to entertain the kids. Unfortunately, there was nothing to entertain him and he was growing increasingly bored. "Lorelai," he groaned.

Lorelai pulled a dress off the rack and held it up for Luke to see. "What about this one?"

"It looks just like the last five."

"No, it doesn't."

"Please, explain the difference."

"Most obviously, they've all been different colors. This one is pink." She waved the dress at him. "See?"

"I see. What else is different about this one?"

"It has lace. The blue one had teddy bears. The yellow one had a bow. The purple…"

"Stop," Luke begged, cutting her off. "I get it."

"So, which one do you like?"

"I don't know. Rory, which dress do you like?"

Without looking up, Rory answered, "Gween."

"Did you even look at the dresses?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, Mommy."

"Okay. Green it is." She returned the pink dress to the rack and grabbed the green one.

"Good. We're done?" Luke asked hopefully.

"No. We've barely started. We still have to shop for Jess and get something for you."

"We can get something for Jess, but we are not shopping for me," Luke declared emphatically.

"Whatever you say," she replied noncommittally. "Come on, guys. Let's go find Jess some new clothes." Jess and Rory clambered to their feet and followed Lorelai to the racks of little boy clothes.

"Lorelai," Luke called after them, his voice tight with an unstated warning.

Ignoring Luke's protest, Lorelai ran her fingers through Jess' hair, combing it away from his face, and asked, "What color shirt do you want?"

After taking several moments to consider his options, Jess stated, "Want wed and boo."

Realizing that Lorelai had every intention of ignoring him, Luke resigned himself to an afternoon of shopping. He stooped to pick up the ball the kids had abandoned and trailed after his family to aid in the search for Jess' red and blue shirt.

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Hours later, at another store in the mall, Luke stood in the middle of an aisle surrounded by dozens of different types of crayons, markers, and colored pencils waiting for Lorelai to choose Jess and Rory's school supplies. He held several bags full of clothes, including Rory's green dress, Jess' red and blue shirt, and two flannel shirts for himself. Growing impatient, he asked, "How long is this going to take? They can't need much. They're going to draw and eat paste."

With wry humor, Lorelai answered, "So they'll need lots of crayons and extra glue." She selected three boxes of crayons off a nearby shelf and held them up one by one for Luke's inspection. "What do you think? Pastel, hot fluorescent, or gem tones?"

"What happened to regular crayons?"

"Where is the fun in that?"

Luke shook his head in dismay. "Of course, regular crayons aren't fun. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Me either." She tossed all three boxes into the basket she held and started grabbing more boxes off the shelf. "We'll get some of each. We'll get some regular crayons too. Just for you."

"Gee, thanks," Luke replied sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Lorelai quipped with a wide smile. "Let's go find the glue sticks. Some for art and some for snack."

"Ah geez."

"We can leave after we get glue sticks," she cajoled him into cooperating.

Charging ahead of Lorelai with renewed enthusiasm for their shopping, Luke said, "Come on, let's go!"

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A week after they had purchased Jess and Rory's school supplies in Hartford, Luke and Lorelai sat on the living room floor packing two little backpacks full of crayons, glue sticks, and other random items that Lorelai had insisted were necessities. It wasn't long before Lorelai slipped the last pack of crayons into Rory's pink backpack, zipped it shut, and set it next to the blue backpack that Luke had packed for Jess. Then, she started to cry. "I can't believe my babies are going to school," she wailed. Shocked by Lorelai's outburst, Luke was unable to do anything more than gawk at his wife.

William observed Luke and Lorelai from where he was sitting on the couch watching the late night news. Chuckling, he told Luke, "Don't worry. She'll be fine. This is just what mother's do." He turned off the television and stood up to leave the room.

Turning to his father in desperation, Luke begged, "Don't leave. How do I make her stop crying?"

"You'll figure it out. I'm going to bed. Good night." He left the room while Luke stared at him in disbelief.

"They're supposed to stay little," whimpered Lorelai, drawing Luke's attention back to her.

Attempting to soothe her, Luke pulled her into his lap and said, "They are little, Lorelai. They're only three and four."

"But they're leaving us!"

"To go to school. This is a good thing." He kissed her temple and lightly stroked her back.

Lorelai buried her face against Luke's chest and let her tears soak his shirt. Anxiously, she twisted the soft flannel in her hands. "I know, but it's too soon. They're not ready."

"Yes, they are. They're smart kids."

"I know," she grudgingly conceded, her tears slowing.

"And they only have school in the mornings. They'll be back with us by lunchtime every day."

"I know," she said again, nodding against his chest.

"It's going to be okay. They're going to love school."

Sniffling, Lorelai pulled away from Luke's chest, but only far enough to be able to meet his gaze. She had finally stopped crying, but her lower lip was still trembling when she asked, "Do you promise?"

Gently cupping Lorelai's face in his hands, Luke brushed his thumbs across her cheeks to wipe away the tears still lingering there. "I promise."

With a deep, shuddering breath, Lorelai said, "Okay." She slowly loosened her grip on his shirt and smoothed away the wrinkles she had caused.

Luke dropped his hands to Lorelai's shoulders and let them slide down her arms to her wrists. He took her hands in his, forcing her to stop fussing with his shirt. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"For now. I'll probably be a mess after we drop them off tomorrow."

"I'll make sure we have plenty of tissues."

"Good idea."

"Thanks. Here's another one: let's go to bed."

Laughing, Lorelai crawled out of Luke's lap and stood up. She held one hand out to Luke and helped him to his feet. "Come on, old man. It's past your bedtime," she teased.

Reacting with lightening speed, Luke pulled Lorelai into his arms and wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her tightly against his body. "Old, huh?" He tickled her until she squealed, then paused to let her catch her breath. "Still think I'm old?"

Even thought she was struggling to breathe through her laughter, Lorelai was unwilling to let Luke declare his victory so easily. "Yes," she said, panting.

Luke resumed tickling her while she twisted and pushed against him. "How about now?" he asked when Lorelai broke free.

Holding up her hands to guard against further tickling, Lorelai backed away from Luke, gasping for air as her laughter slowed. "I guess maybe you're not that old."

"That's better," Luke said with a firm nod. "But we really should get to bed. It's late and we have a big day tomorrow."

Lorelai groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Sorry."

"You'll have to find a new way to distract me," she told him suggestively.

"I think I can handle that. Let's go upstairs and I'll show you how distracting I can be."

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The next morning Luke and Lorelai woke up early to get Jess and Rory ready for their first day of school. They rolled out of bed and wearily trudged to Jess and Rory's room where they found the kids curled up together on Rory's bed. "Oh, Luke, look how cute they are!"

Lorelai had spoken so softly that Luke could barely hear her. When he finally figured out what she had said, he replied, "It looks like they had a hard time falling asleep last night."

"Yeah. I wonder if they were nervous or excited."

"Probably a little of both."

"They're so adorable. I hate to wake them up."

"I know, but we have to," Luke stated in a gentle, but firm tone. Seeing that Lorelai was starting to pout, he quickly added, "They have to go to school, Lorelai."

"I know," Lorelai sighed in exasperation as she moved to sit down on the edge of the bed next to Jess. With one hand she rubbed Jess' back in slow, steady circles and mimicked the motion on Rory's back with the other hand. "Jess, Rory, it's time to wake up," she sang quietly.

Jess resisted waking up by burying his head in the pillow and clinging more tightly to the flannel blanket he still slept with every night. In contrast, Rory was immediately awake and sitting up in bed. Bouncing and squirming in excitement, she asked, "Is it today?"

"It's today," Luke answered, chuckling at Rory's enthusiasm.

Rory started to shake Jess' shoulder. "It's school day!"

The mention of school caught Jess' attention and he was suddenly awake. "School?" he asked, looking at Lorelai for confirmation.

"That's right," confirmed Lorelai. "It's your first day of school, so you have to get up now."

"Okay, Mommy." He crawled out from under the blankets and into Lorelai's lap.

"That's better," Lorelai said, hugging Jess. "How about I help you two get dressed while Daddy makes breakfast?"

Rory looked at Luke with wide, hopeful eyes and asked, "Pancakes?"

"I think I can manage that."

"Luke, they'll get their school clothes messy."

"No, they won't."

"Have you ever seen them eat pancakes?"

"Yes, and I have a plan. Their school clothes won't get messy. Trust me."

"Okay, but if they ruin their school clothes before they ever get to school…" Lorelai let the warning trail off, so Luke could interpret the implied threat.

Luke rolled his eyes at Lorelai's attempt to be menacing and left the room saying, "I got it. Don't worry."

After sticking her tongue out at Luke's back, Lorelai helped Jess and Rory to the floor and then went to the closet to get their clothes. "So, what do you want to wear today?"

Rory groaned, "Mommy." She rolled her eyes in the same way she often saw her father do in response to her mother's antics.

"I'm just kidding," Lorelai assured Rory as she grabbed the hangers holding the proper outfits.

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Luke had just placed the last glass of orange juice on the table when Lorelai and the kids walked into the kitchen. They had all gotten dressed and Lorelai had pulled Rory's hair back into two French braids. Smiling, Luke told them, "You're right on time. Breakfast is ready."

Jess and Rory tried to run to the table, but Lorelai grabbed their hands and held on tight, forcing them to come to an abrupt stop. She stepped forward so that Jess and Rory were standing on either side of her. "Great. Let's see this grand plan to keep their clothes clean."

"It's actually a very simple plan." He whipped two large, white dish towels off his shoulder and held them up for Lorelai to see. "Bibs. And rolling up their sleeves."

"Okay," Lorelai sighed. Kneeling down, she started to roll up Rory's sleeves. "This better work."

"It will. Come here, Jess." Luke quickly tied one of the dish towels around Jess' neck. "Now go see Mommy. Rory, come here." He tied the other dish towel around Rory's neck and helped her into her chair while Lorelai rolled up Jess's sleeves.

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After breakfast, Luke and Lorelai washed syrup from Jess and Rory's faces and hands, untied the dish towel bibs from their necks, and straightened their sleeves. When Lorelai was satisfied that the kids were clean, Luke announced, "It's time to go to school."

"Yay!" Jess and Rory cheered, racing toward the front door.

"You need to put your shoes on!" Lorelai called after them. To Luke, she added, "Do you want to get your dad and the camera while I get their backpacks and tie their shoes?"

"Sure," he agreed readily, pausing to give her a quick kiss before heading upstairs.

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It didn't take long to make the short walk to the school. Outside the school, Lorelai made Jess and Rory pose for picture after picture, sometimes with Luke, William, or herself. At one point, Luke had opened his mouth to protest the number of pictures that Lorelai was taking, but before he could speak, William stepped close to him and muttered, "Don't. It's not worth it." Taking his father's advice, Luke shut his mouth and let Lorelai finish the roll of film.

When the camera signaled that she had reached the end of the roll of film, Lorelai huffed in disgust. She dropped the camera into her purse and began fussing over Jess and Rory. The kids stood still while Lorelai adjusted their clothes and smoothed their hair.

Luke allowed Lorelai's fretting to continue for a few minutes before looking at his dad and raised one eyebrow, silently asking whether he should say something. William nodded his approval, so Luke said, "It's time, Lorelai. We have to take them to their classroom." Pouting, Lorelai glared at Lorelai over her shoulder. "I'm serious, Lorelai. They're going to be late."

"Fine," she moaned.

Having decided to wait outside while Luke and Lorelai took the kids to their classroom, William gave Jess and Rory a quick hug and went to sit down on a nearby bench. He waved as Lorelai took the kids by their hands and led the way to the school with Jess and Rory skipping along next to her.

Inside the school, Luke took the lead because he knew his way around the building since it was the same school he had attended as a child. At the classroom door they were greeted by the teacher, a woman Luke had thought was old when he was in her class and who he was surprised to see was still teaching. She showed them where Jess and Rory could put their backpacks and where they would sit, then left them to say goodbye while she went to greet the next student.

"We're going to leave now," Luke informed the kids as he bent down and held his arms open to receive the usual goodbye hugs.

Jess went willingly into his father's arms, but Rory hesitated. "You're leaving?" she asked incredulously, a look of betrayal crossing her face.

A sudden stab of guilt caused Lorelai to inhale sharply, but she quickly regained control of her emotions and picked Rory up to hold her close. "We have to leave, but Jess will be here."

"Want Mommy to stay."

"I have to go, so that you can learn lots."

"No."

"You'll be okay and you can tell Daddy and me everything you learn when we pick you up for lunch."

"No, Mommy."

"I bet you could find some books around here somewhere."

"Books?"

"Yep, but you have to say goodbye to us before you can go read."

Rory reluctantly agreed and hugged Lorelai. "Bye bye, Mommy."

"Bye, Rory. I love you." Lorelai kissed Rory's cheek and set her back on the floor. Rory hugged her father while Lorelai said goodbye to Jess.

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Luke had to drag Lorelai out of the classroom and back to their house. The moment the door was closed Lorelai turned to Luke with an accusatory glare. Luke looked to his father for help, but William had fled to the kitchen. Swallowing hard against the rising fear, he asked, "Everything okay?"

"No! Everything is not okay. You said they were ready. You promised it would be okay, but did you see Rory's face? She's not ready."

"She is ready. She was just nervous." It was clear that Lorelai didn't believe him, so Luke continued, "I bet that when we go to pick them up, she won't want to come home."

"Don't say that! She has to come home!" cried Lorelai, tears forming in her eyes and threatening to run down her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath and gathering his patience, Luke calmly said, "Of course, she's going to come home. The point is that she's going to love school."

Lorelai sniffled and wiped away her tears. "She better or I'm never sending her back."

"She will," he assured her again. "And when she does, I'll take everyone out to lunch to celebrate."

"Sounds like a plan, but now you need to find a way to distract me until we can pick them up."

Grinning, Luke stepped close to her and rested his hands on her hips. "I found an effective way of distracting you last night. I think I'll try it again," he said before kissing her.