"It's Still There – part 25"

. . . . .

They arrived at Emily and Richard's house and walked up to the front door. Before ringing the doorbell, Lorelai glanced down at Joshua, who was sleeping in the carseat. "Lucky kid. Wish I could sleep during Friday night dinner."

"Well, maybe you should try it," Rory suggested. "I dare you to just go inside and curl up with a blanket on the couch."

Lorelai giggled. "Man, I'd love to see Emily's reaction if I did something like that."

"Yeah, well, try it another time," Luke said. "She might wake Josh up when she starts scolding you." He gestured toward the doorbell. "Someone ring it, please. It's hot out here."

Rory rang the doorbell, and a moment later, Emily opened the door with a wide smile. "There they are, the whole family. Come in, come in."

They walked into the house, and as Luke set the carseat down, Emily leaned over it to look at Joshua. "He's sleeping."

"I see your eyesight's still going strong there, Mom," Lorelai commented.

Emily ignored her and frowned. "Well, I was hoping to hold him for a bit before dinner, but I don't want to wake him up."

"Well, I'm sure you'll get to hold him at some point tonight," Luke said. "He should be up to eat soon."

"Why don't we take him upstairs to the nursery?" Emily suggested. "It'll be nice and quiet up there for him to sleep."

Lorelai glanced around with a shrug. "I think it'll be quiet enough down here for him, unless you were planning on doing a little breakdancing or something."

"Well, he's probably not very comfortable in that carseat," Emily commented. "Let's put him in the crib."

Lorelai shrugged. "He's fine. He sleeps in there a lot. Plus, if we move him out of it, it might wake him up."

Emily sighed with defeat. "Well, fine, he can sleep down here, but don't you at least want to see the room? I mean, we went through all the trouble of creating a nursery just for him, you'd think you'd be interested in taking a look at it."

Lorelai rolled her eyes slightly. "Yes, of course we wanna see it. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it was offensive of me not to request a tour of it immediately upon entering the house. My mistake. Now I know how the procedure works for next time you redecorate a room."

Rory cleared her throat. "So, Grandma. . .where's Grandpa?"

"Smooth transition," Lorelai commented.

"He's in his study finishing up some work," Emily replied. "He insisted that he wouldn't be too much longer." She rubbed her hands together. "Well, let's go upstairs and take a look at the room, shall we?"

"I'll stay down here with Joshua," Rory offered. "I've already seen the nursery."

Luke, Lorelai, and Emily climbed the staircase up to the second floor and headed down the hallway to the guestroom-turned-nursery. "Here we are. . ." Emily smiled as she pushed open the door.

Lorelai and Luke walked into the room, which looked just as Lorelai would have imagined a boy's nursery decorated by her mother would look like – lots of white expensive-looking furniture surrounded by blue walls and a blue carpet.

"Wow. Very nice, Mom," Lorelai commented.

"Yeah, looks great," Luke added.

Emily smiled proudly. "I knew you two would like it."

"It was nice of you to do this," Luke said. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble."

"Oh, nonsense," Emily waved him off. "My grandson deserves his own place when he comes over. Babies need privacy, too, you know."

"Actually, I think giving a baby too much privacy can be qualified as abandonment," Lorelai remarked. "You know, since they can't really do anything on their own and thus need people to help them survive." Emily narrowed her eyes at her, and Lorelai smiled and added, "But the room's really great, Mom. Well done."

"Thank you. Now, let's go back downstairs," Emily said. "I want to introduce you to Lucy."

Lorelai gasped. "Lucy Liu? You got her to come to dinner?"

Before Emily could even ask, Luke rolled his eyes and said, "Ignore her."

Emily nodded understandably and walked out of the room, and Luke and Lorelai followed behind her. "Lucy is the nanny I hired for Friday nights," Emily explained.

Lorelai stopped walking. "What?" She grabbed onto Luke to get him to stop with her.

Emily turned around to face them. "Yes, I thought it would be more convenient if there was someone here to help tend to the baby."

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "Wait, you hired a stranger to come here and watch our son while we're here with him?"

"Don't worry, she had impeccable references, Lorelai," Emily insisted. "She'll be wonderful with Joshua."

Lorelai shook her head. "Um, no, she won't, because she's not coming anywhere near him."

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked. "Of course she is."

"No, she's not, Mom," Lorelai declared loudly.

Luke put his hand on her back. "Lorelai. . ."

"The purpose of Friday night dinners is to spend time together as a family," Lorelai said.

"I know that," Emily interjected.

"And Joshua is part of that family," Lorelai continued. "I'm not gonna send him off to be with some stranger the whole night."

"Well, of course he won't be with her the whole night, Lorelai," Emily said. "Lucy's here just in case you need some extra help. For instance, what if he starts crying while we're eating? Wouldn't it be good to have someone here to take care of him for you?"

"No, it wouldn't, Mom!" Lorelai exclaimed. "It might be hard to comprehend this, but when the baby cries, Luke and I stop whatever it is we're doing and take care of him ourselves. We don't pawn him off to someone else just because it's more convenient."

"You don't have to take that tone, Lorelai," Emily scolded her. "I was only doing this because I thought it would be helpful for you. You don't want the nanny? Fine, I'll go tell her that her services are no longer needed."

"Yes, why don't you go do that," Lorelai replied haughtily. With an annoyed sigh, Emily headed down the hallway and disappeared down the staircase. Lorelai turned to Luke and groaned. "God, I can't believe she did that."

"She thought she was doing something nice."

"No, she thought that we're raising our kid the way she raised me," she retorted. "Letting other people do all the care-taking."

"Having a nanny look after him for an hour a week isn't exactly the same as that, Lorelai."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you taking her side?"

Luke put his hands on her waist. "No, I'm just trying to calm you down before you go further into freak-out mode. It's not that big a deal. She's telling the nanny to leave, just forget about it."

"But the fact that she even – "

Luke interrupted her by pressing his lips against hers. He kissed her softly, then pulled back and repeated, "Just forget about it. The night'll be much easier if you don't think about it or mention it anymore."

"But – "

"Lorelai. . ."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine, but let's say we're eating dinner and Joshua starts crying and my mother makes some stupid comment about how it would be nice if there was a nanny there to help out. . ."

"Then you have my full support to reply with some sort of rude remark."

"Thank you."

"But only if she provokes it. Otherwise, just drop it."

"Fine." Lorelai shook her head slightly toward the ground. "Have I mentioned I don't wanna be here?"

"Yes, you have. Let's go." Luke took her hand and led her back downstairs.

. . . . .

That night, Joshua was sleeping when they arrived home from Friday night dinner. Lorelai gently removed him from his carseat and carried him up to the crib, then walked into the master bedroom where Luke was already changing out of his suit.

Lorelai rummaged through her dresser for some pajamas and started changing. Behind her, Luke said, "Just tell me already."

Lorelai turned around with confusion. "Tell you about what?"

"Whatever's going on that made you act like that tonight."

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai asked. "The night was perfectly fine after the nanny fiasco. My mom didn't bring it up at all."

"Yeah, I know, but she said a couple of other things throughout the night that I was sure you'd respond to sarcastically, but. . .nothing. Practically no smart-ass comments all night. So what's wrong?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Why does something have to be wrong for me to act like a normal proper adult?"

"Because I didn't marry a normal proper adult, I married you," Luke replied. "And when you're not acting like yourself, there's a reason why."

"Yeah, well. . . " Lorelai's voice trailed off and they finished changing in silence. She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail, then stood next to the bed with her hands on her hips.

Luke, standing on the other side of the bed, shrugged toward her. "So. . ."

"Sit down." They both sat on the bed, and she continued, "The nanny thing made me start thinking about what we're gonna do when it's time for me to go back to work." She paused a moment before adding, "If I decide to go back to work."

Luke's eyes widened. "What do you mean, if? You wanna stop working?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, I was thinking about it. I mean, you know I love work, you know I love the inn. . ."

Luke nodded. "I know you do."

"But I was thinking about what it would be like to maybe take a few years off," Lorelai continued. "You know, raise him full time until he starts school."

Luke was clearly surprised by the suggestion. "I never saw you as one to go for the whole 'the husband works while the wife stays at home' image."

"I know, me either," Lorelai admitted. "But the more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea became."

"But when you decide to start work again, you probably won't be able to work at the Independence," Luke pointed out. "They'll have a new manager, they won't need you."

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, then, maybe that'll be when Sookie and I can start working on our own inn." Luke took a deep breath as he drank in the situation, and Lorelai eyed his expression. "What's wrong? You don't exactly look thrilled at the prospect."

"Well. . . I'm just thinking that with Rory in Yale right now, I don't know if it's the best time to cut off half our income."

"Well, then, maybe. . .I don't know. . .maybe I can just work part time so if we do have to put him in day care or something, it'll just be for a few hours a day." Lorelai sighed. "I just. . . I don't want to be away from him all day. I know you probably think that sounds stupid, but. . ."

"There's nothin' stupid about that," Luke assured her, shaking his head. "We'll work it out. Even if. . ." His voice trailed off.

"Even if what?"

Luke was hesitant, but he completed his thought. "Even if we have to borrow money from your parents to help with Yale." Before she could respond, he added, "Yeah, I know you'd probably rather be buried alive than do that, but. . .I don't know, it might be the best option to fall back on."

Lorelai glanced down at the bed, and was quiet for a moment as she fidgeted with the buttons on her pajama top. Finally, she reluctantly muttered, "I guess. . .maybe. . .it's a possibility. . ."

Luke comfortingly rubbed her arm. "Look, we still have awhile before you're supposed to go back to the inn, so we don't have to worry about it just yet." He leaned back against his pillow, and Lorelai snuggled up against him. "We can talk about it some more when it gets closer, we'll figure something out."

"Okay." She was quiet a moment, then looked up at him. "You wouldn't mind, right? I mean, if we had to borrow the money. . ."

He kissed the top of her head. "If that's what you wanna do, that's what we'll do."

. . . . .

On Tuesday afternoon, Lorelai was sitting on the couch holding Joshua when Luke walked through the front door. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"It's okay, our appointments aren't for another twenty minutes," Lorelai replied.

He dropped his keys on the desk, then gestured upstairs. "I'm gonna go change real quick. I'll be right back down."

"Okay."

As Luke went upstairs, Lorelai walked with Joshua to Rory's bedroom, where Rory was organizing piles of things to pack for Yale. "Getting everything ready for your planned escape-from-Mommy day?" Lorelai asked.

Rory turned around. "Yup. What do you think – should I buy my notebooks and pens and folders here, or just buy them when I get there?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Hm, I think they'll probably be cheaper here, but the ones there will probably say Yale on them so you can be all school spirit-y."

"Yeah, but doesn't showing too much school spirit scream 'I'm a big loser whose only interest in life is the school I go to'?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't think so. Unless you shave 'I love Yale' into the back of your head, I think you'll be good."

"Okay." Rory glanced toward the window. "I thought I heard a car door slam before. Is Luke home?"

"Yup. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, all set." Rory walked over and rubbed Joshua's arm. "Hey there, little guy. Are you gonna be good for your dad?"

"I hope so, or else we might get a call in the middle of our facials from Luke screaming at me to get home and take care of the baby." Lorelai kissed Joshua's forehead. "He's never watched him for so long by himself before. I hope he can handle it."

"He'll be fine," Rory assured her. "They'll both be fine."

They heard footsteps on the staircase and the girls walked toward the living room. "Are you ready for me, Daddy?" Lorelai asked in her baby voice.

"Yup." Luke took Joshua from her and held him up at face level. "Hey, buddy. You ready for some male bonding?"

"Gonna drink some beers, scope out some chicks?" Lorelai asked.

"If he's up to it," Luke replied as he rested Joshua against his chest. "Is he ready to eat?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not quite, he should be good for another hour or so. He's tired, though, so if you rock him a little, he'll probably go right to sleep until he's hungry."

Luke nodded. "Okay. Where are you going again?"

"First, facials and haircuts," Rory replied. "Then out to dinner, but we haven't decided on a place yet."

"Oh, and you took Thursday and Friday off, right?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Yup, I'll be home all day both days, so you guys can go out and do whatever you want."

"Cool. Thanks, Luke," Rory said.

"Okay, let's go." Lorelai kissed the back of Joshua's head. "Bye sweetie, I love you." She kissed Luke. "You, too."

"Back at ya."

Lorelai nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment. "You're gonna be okay, right? Call me if you need me. You know, if you can't get him to stop crying or anything like that. . ."

"We'll be fine," Luke assured her, then waved them toward the door. "Go. Have fun."

. . . . .

Later that night, Lorelai and Rory were eating dinner at Teriyaki Joe's, discussing their plans for the rest of the week. "So the strengthening of the mother-daughter bond is on hold for tomorrow, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I'm gonna spend the day with Lane," Rory replied. "But then on Thursday, the strengthening resumes."

"Okay, good. I think we should start off the day by going to that really good pancake place in Southington."

"Ooh, yeah, we haven't been there in so long."

"And then we should do something really adventurous, like go skydiving or bungee jumping or miniature golfing or something."

Rory smiled amusedly. "Miniature golfing is adventurous?"

"Hey, it can get pretty dangerous. . . some people underestimate the velocity of the spinning windmill and they try to touch it and bam – it slices off their hand."

Rory nodded understandably. "Yeah, I've read many an article about that. They should really ban those things."

"Anyway, after that we should hit the mall and buy the rest of your stuff for school, and then come home and eat lots of junk food and watch as many classic movies as we can."

"Sounds like a plan. What about Friday?"

"Well, I was thinking on Friday, maybe you and I could catch a movie or two, and then the four of us could all do something," Lorelai said. "You, me, Luke, Joshua. You know, spend that last day just hanging out together before Friday night dinner. Maybe go to the park or go swimming at the lake."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, that'll be fun."

There was silence for a moment as Lorelai pushed her food aimlessly around her plate. "And then Saturday. . ."

"Yeah. . ." Rory glanced down at her own plate. "It's a big day."

"Sure is," Lorelai agreed. "Are you nervous?"

Rory nodded. "But it's the good kind of nervous."

"Excited-nervous as opposed to scared-nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Good, that's good." They were both quiet for a minute before Lorelai smiled and said, "You know, it's gonna be great, hon. . .going off to college, being on your own for the first time, going through all sorts of new experiences. . ."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, it'll be good."

"I'm sure it'll probably seem a little weird and scary at first, but once you adjust to everything, it'll be great," Lorelai assured her. Rory nodded, and a silence fell over the table as they both thought ahead to what Saturday would be like.

. . . . .

That night, Lorelai and Rory arrived home and headed to their respective bedrooms. As Lorelai climbed the stairs, she heard Luke's voice coming from the nursery, and she walked to the door and peeked inside. The room was dark except for the soft glow of the night-light, and Luke was rocking the baby gently in the rocking chair.

". . .haven't won a World Series since 1916 and everyone always blames it on 'the curse of the Bambino,'" Luke was softly explaining to Joshua. "That's all a load of crap though. There's no such thing as curses. The bottom line is they have some good players, but they just haven't been able to get it all together when they really need to, you know what I mean?" Luke stared down at Joshua for a moment, then added, "By the way, try not to us the phrase 'load of crap' until you're at least eighteen, okay?"

Lorelai smiled to herself and tapped lightly on the door. "Hey. . ."

Luke looked up, slightly startled. "Hey."

Lorelai walked into the room. "He's still awake?"

"He's starting to doze off," Luke replied.

Lorelai sat down on the floor in front of the rocking chair. "Because he's tired or because he's bored by the football conversation?"

"Actually, it was baseball," Luke corrected her.

Lorelai shrugged and waved him off. "Whatever." She patted his leg. "So how was your night? How was he?"

"He was good," Luke replied. "He slept most of the night. Cried a little, but nothing I couldn't handle."

Lorelai smiled. "Good. I was gonna call and check in with you, but Rory convinced me that you were probably fine."

"I told you we would be."

"I know, but it was the first time you've watched him by yourself for such a long period of time," Lorelai reminded him. "You've only ever watched him in short increments, not a big multi-hour span. It can be tough doing that for the first time."

"I guess, but it went fine. How was your night? Get some good quality mother/daughter time in?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded, then told him about her night, as well as the plans for the rest of the week. When she was finished, Luke gently set the sleeping Joshua down in the crib, and the two of them went to their bedroom.

Luke, already dressed in his usual sleepwear of boxers and a T-shirt, got into bed while Lorelai changed. He glanced down at his hand and adjusted his wedding ring. "I can't believe it's been almost a year."

"Hm?" Lorelai glanced over at him, then smiled when she saw what he was referring to. "Yeah, me either. It went by pretty fast, huh?"

"Yeah, it did."

Lorelai finished changing, then climbed into bed next to him. "So what should we do on Monday?"

Luke shrugged as he caressed her leg. "Whatever you want."

"It's whatever we want," Lorelai corrected him. "It's your first wedding anniversary, too. You were under that chuppah with me."

"True."

"Not that that means that whoever was under the chuppah gets to partake in the wedding anniversary celebration though," Lorelai added, "because Reverend Nichols was under it, too, but I think that inviting him over on Monday to help us celebrate might be a little weird."

"Just a little," Luke agreed with a nod.

"So I guess I should rephrase my statement to say, 'You were under that chuppah with me as the person whom I dedicated my life to, and thus, you should also have a say in how we celebrate.' How's that?"

"Much better."

"Thank you. So, any thoughts?"

Luke shook his head. "Not really."

"Hm, me either." Lorelai thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe Reverend Nichols has some suggestions."

Luke smirked. "I think we'll come up with something on our own."

Lorelai nodded and snuggled up against him. "There was this episode of Jerry Springer where this guy said that on one of their anniversaries, his wife brought home this really hot woman so they could celebrate with a threesome."

"Because nothing says 'I love being married to you' better than that."

"My thoughts exactly," Lorelai said. "So just in case you saw that same episode and were maybe wondering if I might do something like that for you, let me just come out and say that I probably won't."

Luke frowned with mock disappointment. "Aw, really – no chance?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Sorry. But, you know, if you ask me nicely enough, I just might one day consider letting you incorporate the blow-up doll of your choice into our bedroom antics."

Luke smiled and kissed her. "Good to know."

. . . . .

On Saturday morning, Joshua was in his stroller on the front porch while Luke, Lorelai, and Rory walked in and out of the house loading Rory's stuff for Yale into the cars. When everything was packed, the three of them gathered around the stroller.

"Okay, we all know what's going on, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup, we've gone over it enough times," Luke replied. "You and Rory are gonna go now and unload the smaller stuff, then go to your orientation meetings."

"Then Sookie will be here at two to watch Joshua, and you can drive up and see the dorm and help us unload the heavier things," Lorelai finished. She glanced at the baby and sighed. "It's his first time with a babysitter. . ."

"He'll be fine," Luke assured her. "He knows Sookie."

"But Sookie hasn't spent much time with kids," Lorelai said nervously.

"Well, you spent an hour on the phone last night telling her everything she'd ever need to know about Joshua's daily routine, so I'm sure she's well prepared," Rory commented.

"Plus, you wrote out that two-page reference guide for her," Luke added.

Lorelai frowned. "Are you two mocking me for trying to make sure my baby's caregiver is well-informed?"

"No, we're saying that you don't have to worry," Luke said. "Now you guys should get going."

"Yeah, let's go, Mom." Rory leaned down in front of the stroller and stroked Joshua's arm. "Bye, Josh. Your big sister's heading off to a big scary place called New Haven, but she'll be back to visit you a lot. You be good." She kissed Joshua on the cheek, then stood up and hugged Luke. "I'll see you in a little while, Luke." She stepped off the porch and headed toward her car.

"See ya." Luke reached for Lorelai's hand and pulled her closer. "Be careful driving. It'll probably be hard to see out the back window with all that stuff piled up."

Lorelai nodded. "I will."

Luke pulled her into a hug and comfortingly rubbed her back. "You're okay, right?"

Lorelai took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Now, anyway. I might have a different answer for you later tonight. Have some Kleenex ready just in case."

"I will." Luke kissed her cheek. "Go on, get going."

. . . . .

That afternoon, Lorelai and Rory were drinking coffee on a bench in the Yale courtyard while they waited for Luke to arrive.

"I still can't believe it," Rory said with disbelief. "Paris as one of my roommates? I never would've imagined that would happen."

"I know, me either," Lorelai said.

"I didn't even know she was going to Yale."

"Well, at least now you know someone here at school," Lorelai pointed out. "I mean, having her around might make the adjustment process a little easier."

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

Lorelai smiled and patted Rory on the knee. "And I'm sure if you ask nicely, she'll share her life coach with you."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Please. Don't get me started on that."

"Hey," a voice called, and they both turned around to see Luke walking toward them.

Lorelai smiled and stood up. "Hey, you."

"Hi, Luke," Rory greeted him.

"Was everything okay with Joshua?" Lorelai asked him. "How was he?"

"He was good," Luke replied. "He was sleeping when Sookie got there."

Lorelai gasped. "And you just left him like that?"

Luke narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

Lorelai frowned. "Because he knows that you were there when he went to sleep, which means that he's gonna wake up expecting to see you, which means he'll be all confused when he sees Sookie there instead."

Luke rolled his eyes. "What would you rather me do, wake him up to personally explain to him that I was leaving and that Sookie'll be there to watch him until I get back?"

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, exactly. That way he won't be surprised."

Luke waved her off. "He'll be fine. How's everything here?"

"Good," Rory replied. "We got most of the stuff moved into the dorm." She grabbed Luke's arm. "And get this – Paris is one of my roommates."

Luke's eyes widened. "Paris from high school?"

"No, Paris Hilton," Lorelai quipped.

"Yes, Paris from high school," Rory said, ignoring Lorelai's interjection. "Not only are we suitemates, we're sharing a bedroom."

Luke smirked. "Wow. That should be. . .uh, interesting."

"To say the least," Rory agreed. She gestured toward the imposing building behind her. "You wanna come see my dorm?"

Luke smiled and nodded. "Absolutely. Lead the way."

. . . . .

A few hours later, after he had helped the girls move the rest of the stuff into the dorm and they'd explored the school grounds a bit, Luke was getting ready to head back home. After he tossed a couple of empty suitcases into the back of the truck, he shut the back door and walked over to where Lorelai and Rory were standing.

"So I probably won't be too much longer," Lorelai said. "We're just gonna get some dinner and organize the room a little more, then I'll be home."

"Take as long as you need," Luke said.

"Call me when you get home, okay?" Lorelai asked. "Just. . . to let me know how Joshua did with Sookie and everything."

Luke nodded. "I will."

"Thanks for all the help, Luke," Rory said. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Luke shifted his feet and cleared his throat. "So. . .you know. . ." He patted Rory affectionately on the shoulder. "Be good. Work hard."

Rory smiled and nodded. "I will." She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And you now have the sole responsibility of keeping Mom out of trouble on a daily basis, so good luck with that."

Luke smiled as he hugged her back. "Thanks."

Rory kissed his cheek before pulling away from him. "Bye, Luke."

"See ya, kid," he replied.

Lorelai put her arm around Rory's shoulder. "Uh, honey, can you give me a minute with Luke?"

"Sure. I'll head back to the room." Rory gave Luke a wave as she turned and headed toward her dorm.

Lorelai watched her walk off, then turned to Luke. "She's scared."

"Scared of what?"

Lorelai gestured around her. "Of all this. Of being here alone, apart from me for the first time."

"Did she say that?"

"I can tell," Lorelai assured him. "So I'm just gonna hang out here with her for awhile, talk to her, make sure she's comfortable with everything before I leave."

Luke nodded, then eyed her for a second. "You doing this for her or for you?"

Lorelai glanced down at the sidewalk, then shrugged a little. "Maybe both."

Luke nodded understandably. "Take your time. Call if you're gonna be really late."

"I will." Lorelai kissed him goodbye, and after watching him drive off, she turned and headed toward the dorm.

. . . . .

That night, Lorelai and Rory walked out of the suite into the hallway of the dorm and headed toward the door to the courtyard. When they reached it, they stopped and turned to each other.

"So. . .this is it," Lorelai said, reaching for Rory's hands. "You good?"

Rory nodded. "I'm good. You good?"

"I'm good." Lorelai cleared her throat. "So. . .you know. . .learn stuff."

"Will do."

"But not all the time," Lorelai continued. "Make sure you squeeze a little fun in there, too."

"I will, I promise."

"But not too much fun," Lorelai quickly added. "I mean, a fair amount of fun, yes, but nothing too crazy, you know. . ."

Rory smiled. "I got it, Mom." She leaned forward and hugged Lorelai tightly. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Lorelai said as she squeezed Rory tighter. She kissed her cheek and pulled back with a reluctant sigh. "Bye, hon."

"Bye, Mom."

Lorelai walked out of the building, looking back once to give Rory a final wave. Rory lingered by the door and watched Lorelai until she disappeared from her view, then slowly headed back to her suite.

. . . . .

A short while later, Lorelai arrived home. Luke was waiting on the couch, and stood up when he heard the front door open. "Hey."

Lorelai walked into the living room and headed right for him, pressing up against his body in a silent request to be held. He complied, embracing her with his strong arms as he kissed the top of her head. "You okay?"

Lorelai sniffled and pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. "I miss her already."

"I know. I do, too."

Lorelai sighed sadly. "Tell me something to make me happy."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, anything."

"Um. . .I love you?" Luke offered.

Lorelai smiled. "That'll work, thank you." She glanced around the room. "Is Josh sleeping?"

"Yeah, I just put him in the crib a few minutes ago."

Lorelai started walking toward the staircase. "I feel like I haven't seen him at all today."

Luke followed her up the stairs and they both walked into the nursery. They stepped up to the crib, and Luke wrapped his arms around Lorelai's waist from behind. "Look at him," Lorelai whispered. "I wonder what he's dreaming about."

"Probably seafood."

Lorelai glanced back at him with a confused look. "What? Why?"

"'Cause when I got home this afternoon, Sookie was in the process of explaining to him how she makes her lobster potpie."

Lorelai smiled, then leaned back against him, relaxing in his embrace as she let out a content sigh. "God, he's so cute. I could stand here and stare at him for hours."

"Well, besides that, what do you wanna do tonight?" Luke asked. "Tired enough to go to sleep yet?"

"Nah, not yet. I think I'm gonna take a bath, then maybe we can watch some tv or something?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Luke kissed the side of her neck, then rubbed her shoulders. "I'll go start the tub for ya. You take a few more minutes of staring-time."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks." Luke left the room, and as she sat down in the rocking chair to watch her son sleep, she wondered what her daughter was doing at that same moment.

After sitting a minute or two in silence, Lorelai heard the phone ring. She jumped up to answer it before it woke up Joshua, quietly pulling the nursery door shut as she left the room. In her bedroom, she picked up the phone and flopped down on the bed. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom."

Lorelai smiled at the sound of Rory's voice. "Hey." Then her smile quickly fell and she became concerned. "Wait, are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine," Rory replied. "I just. . .wanted to make sure you got home okay."

"Yeah, just got here a few minutes ago," Lorelai replied.

"Okay, good. I'm glad the drive home was completed successfully." Rory was quiet a second, then added, "So. . .that's all I wanted to know."

"Hon, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just. . ." Rory sighed. "You know, I missed you. . .and I wanted to say goodnight."

"I miss you, too. I was just thinking about you."

"About where to put my stuff when you turn my bedroom into Joshua's new playroom?"

"Yes, exactly. I was thinking we should just throw it all in the garage. That way you'd still have access to it if you need it, but it wouldn't be in the way."

"Sounds like a good plan."

Lorelai smiled. "Call me tomorrow?"

"Probably multiple times," Rory promised.

"Okay, good. 'Night, hon. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom," Rory replied. "Night."

Lorelai hung up the phone. She stood up and walked toward the closet, stopping briefly to smile at the picture of Rory and her on her dresser before grabbing her robe and heading for the bathroom.

. . . . .

To be continued. . .