Emily looked at her family gathered around the dining room table. They all appeared to be enjoying their meal. However, nobody had said a word since they sat down. Family dinners were still awkward and strained despite having become a regular occurrence that usually happened once a month. Desperate to make conversation, she asked, "How have Jess and Rory been liking preschool? They've been attending for nearly a month, right?"
Lorelai was so surprised that her mother had broken the silence that she choked on her broccoli and dropped her fork. Emily grimaced at her daughter's behavior, but chose not to say anything. After taking several sips of water to clear her throat, Lorelai answered, "They started the Wednesday after Labor Day and, so far, they seem to love school."
"Rory had a little bit of a rough start," Luke added. "But then she found the books."
"I like books," Rory informed her grandmother.
"Me too," declared Jess.
"I'm glad to hear you both like books. A love for reading is very important in a young person's life," Richard stated matter-of-factly. Turning to address Lorelai, he said, "I hope you are encouraging their interest in books."
"We try, Dad. We read with them every chance we get."
"Yeah, Gampa, we wead Charlotte," Rory told Richard.
"She means Charlotte's Web," Luke clarified. "We read a chapter every night before bed."
"I like Wilbur," announced Jess. "He's a piggy."
Richard nodded his approval. "Wilbur's a good little pig and Charlotte's Web is an excellent book. I would also recommend Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan."
"Your father's right," Emily said, feeling the need to reinsert herself into the conversation. "Those are excellent books for children."
"What do you think, guys? Are we taking recommendations?" Jess and Rory nodded enthusiastically causing their parents and grandparents to laugh.
"Good. I'll make a list. Emily, what do you think about adding to their library for Rory's birthday?"
"I think that's a wonderful idea. Speaking of Rory's birthday, what do you have planned to celebrate, Lorelai? It's less than two weeks away."
Luke watched Lorelai closely as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to gauge her reaction to Emily's comment. When she opened her eyes, Lorelai said, "I know when her birthday is, Mom."
"I just want to be sure you don't forget."
"I was there when she was born. I don't think I'll forget."
"There's no need to be sarcastic, Lorelai. I was simply trying to help."
"Sure, you were," Lorelai replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"Well, it's great that we all know when Rory's birthday is," Luke interjected, anxiously trying to ease Lorelai's mounting frustration before she could start a full-blown argument with her mother.
Before either Lorelai or Emily could speak, Richard hastily agreed, "Yes, it is."
"I just want to know if you've made plans for her birthday," Emily stated primly.
Sensing trouble, Richard quickly put down the forkful of food he had been about to eat and said, "Because if you haven't, we would be honored to host a small birthday dinner for her."
After taking another deep, calming breath, Lorelai offered her father a tight smile and said, "Thanks, Dad, but we have made plans. We're going to spend the day together as a family. We're going to go to the library, the bookstore, Weston's Bakery, and, if the weather is nice enough, the park."
Realizing that they were discussing her birthday without her, Rory held up four fingers and proudly said, "I gonna be four."
"Yes, you are," confirmed Luke in the sweet voice he reserved for Jess and Rory. To Richard and Emily, he said, "We're also going to have dinner at Sniffy's Tavern."
"You're going to take the children to a tavern?" Emily asked incredulously.
"Don't worry, Mom. It's a restaurant owned by Luke's parents' best friends."
"Oh," Emily responded, still skeptical.
"We were hoping you would join us for dinner at Sniffy's." Luke offered the invitation cautiously, his eyes darting from Emily to Richard to Lorelai and back to Emily.
"Oh," Emily repeated, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. She looked across the table at Richard and the two seemed to carry on a silent conversation. A moment later, Emily tuned back to Luke, "We'd be delighted."
"Great. We're all meeting at Sniffy's at six on Rory's birthday. I'll give you directions before we leave."
"Perfect," Emily replied, her grin growing impossibly wide.
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On the morning of Rory's birthday, Luke woke up alone. He found Lorelai sleeping with Rory and gently shook her shoulder to wake her up. She buried her face in the pillow and mumbled, "Too early, Luke. Still sleepy."
"You wouldn't still be sleepy if you hadn't insisted on waking up at four."
"It's tradition."
"So is you being overly tired on Rory's birthday."
"Ha ha. Very funny. You don't have to be mean."
"Just making a point."
"I wouldn't be tired if you would let me sleep."
"Sorry, but Jess is going to be hungry soon and we can't have the birthday breakfast without the birthday girl."
"Fine," groaned Lorelai. "We'll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes."
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When Lorelai and Rory finally made it to the kitchen, Jess was sitting at the table eating dry cheerios. Lorelai glared accusingly at Luke. "I thought you were waiting to have breakfast with us?" she demanded, gesturing wildly at Jess.
"We are, but I had to give Jess something to eat. He was about to start chewing on the table legs," Luke joked. He kissed Lorelai's cheek and swung Rory onto his hip. "Happy birthday, Rory."
Rory beamed at him. "Thank you, Daddy!"
"What do you want for your birthday breakfast?"
"Pancakes!"
"Pancakes? Really? What about French toast? Or eggs?"
"Pancakes, Daddy. Pwease," Rory begged, her lower lip sticking out in an exaggerated pout.
Lorelai smirked. "Yeah, Lucas, pancakes. It's tradition."
"How do you figure?"
"We always have pancakes on special days."
"Always," Jess stated emphatically.
With a defeated sigh, Luke conceded, "Pancakes it is."
"Yay!" cheered Lorelai and the kids.
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After racing across the parking lot of Sniffy's Tavern with Rory balanced on her hip and Luke following behind her with Jess, Lorelai was out of breath when she reached the door. She was still panting as they approached the table that had been reserved for Rory's birthday party. Her parents, William, Buddy, Maisy, Mia, and Sookie were already gathered around the table, so Lorelai quickly sat down next to her father and helped Rory settle into the seat on her other side. "Hi, everybody! I'm so sorry we're late."
"When you host a social event, it's polite to be on time," Emily reprimanded Lorelai.
"I said I was sorry," Lorelai responded through clenched teeth.
"Yes, you did," Mia hastily acknowledged, eager to placate Emily and Lorelai. Emily pursed her lips in contempt, but remained silent, so Mia continued, "I'm sure we all know what it's like trying to get anywhere on time with small children. All that matters is that you're here now."
"Thanks, Mia," Lorelai sighed gratefully.
Changing the topic, Luke asked, "Did you get everybody's orders, Buddy?"
"Yes. I ordered your usuals."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. The food should be here in a couple minutes."
"Thank God!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.
Shrugging, Luke explained, "She's hungry."
"She's always hungry," Emily commented dryly.
At the perceived insult, Lorelai's body went rigid with a tension that seemed to radiate off of her in waves. The growing unease and hostility between Emily and Lorelai caused other conversations around the table to slowly die. Luke reached one arm over Jess and Rory to rest his hand on Lorelai's shoulder. He squeezed gently as if to physically restrain her from reacting to her mother's negativity.
Noticing that Emily had drawn the attention of all of the other dinner guests, Richard leaned close to her ear and muttered, "Be nice."
"They should have let us host Rory's birthday," Emily snapped under her breath.
So quietly that Emily could barely hear him, Richard whispered, "Lorelai is letting us into her life. Please be nice. We don't want to push her away."
Annoyed, Emily sniffed in displeasure. For the rest of the evening, she barely spoke. When she did speak, there was an edge of forced politeness in her voice. Despite her mother's frosty attitude, Lorelai was eventually able to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.
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Once they had finished helping Jess and Rory take their baths and change into their pajamas, Luke and Lorelai tucked them into Rory's bed for their bedtime story. Lorelai handed Jess his stuffed lizard and Rory the stuffed chicken, affectionately named Colonel Clucker, that she had received from William as a birthday gift. Rory thumped Colonel Clucker against Inspector Iggie and chirped, "Cluck, cluck!" Hissing playfully, Jess rubbed his lizard against Rory's face.
"That's enough," laughed Lorelai. "It's time to settle down for bed."
"Wead, Mommy."
"Yes, sweet girl, we can read if you're quiet." Heeding their mother's warning, Jess and Rory immediately closed their mouths, pressing their lips together so tightly that they nearly disappeared. Another laugh caught in Lorelai's throat as she carefully crawled over the kids and laid down between them and the wall.
"I guess that works," Luke said, shaking his head. He held up the copies of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan that Rory had received from Richard and Emily and asked, "Rory, which book should we start tonight?"
Rory's brow furrowed and her eyed darted back and forth between the books several times before she pointed at Stuart Little. "The mousie book, pwease."
Sitting down on the foot of the bed, Luke opened the book to the first page. "Is everybody ready?"
"Yes!" chorused Jess and Rory.
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Luke and Lorelai quietly snuck out of the kids' bedroom after reading two chapters of Stuart Little and tucking Jess into his own bed. "Looks like that book is a hit," whispered Lorelai.
"Mhmm," Luke grunted, guiding her down the hall. "We'll have to remember to tell your dad how much they like the book."
Wrinkling her nose in displeasure, Lorelai asked, "You're not planning to see them again anytime soon, are you?"
"I don't know. Maybe," Luke answered as they walked down the stairs. When they reached the living room, he sat on the couch and pulled Lorelai into his lap. "Would that be a problem?"
Shrugging one shoulder, Lorelai mumbled uncertainly, "I guess not." Luke waited patiently for her to elaborate. It only took a few seconds of silence to prompt an explanation. "It's just that we've seen them twice in the past two weeks and my mom hasn't been exactly friendly either time. I'm afraid she's going back to the way things were before she started trying to know us."
"Oh, Lorelai," Luke sympathized, kissing her temple.
"Don't 'Oh, Lorelai,' me. I'm not crazy!"
"I know you're not crazy, but things had been going pretty well with your parents. At least they were until our last couple visits. I don't think we should throw away all the progress we've made in our relationship with them just because your mom has been a little unfriendly lately."
"I hate that I let her get to me," groaned Lorelai, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "She makes me feel like I'm an insecure little kid again. Always desperately trying to earn my mother's approval, but never quite being good enough."
"That's on her, not you. You don't need her approval anyway."
"I know that here," she said, pointing to her head. "But I don't always know that here." She laid her hand over her heart.
"Okay. I hear you," he assured her. He took hold of the hand that was laying over her heart and kissed her fingertips. "I still don't think we should consider your mom a lost cause, but maybe we shouldn't schedule another visit for a little while."
"Really?"
"Really. A little space might be good for everyone."
"Thanks for understanding."
"You're welcome. I'll always be on your side, Lorelai. I just don't want you to give up on your mom too soon."
Lorelai cuddled closer to Luke, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know. Can we maybe see how I feel in a couple months?"
"We can do whatever you want."
Lightly stroking Luke's jaw, Lorelai guided his mouth to her for a tender kiss. "Thank you," she murmured against his lips.