Disclaimer:  I don't own anything but the story idea.

~~

A few weeks later, on a Friday afternoon, Lorelai met her mother at a little bistro in Hartford.

After they'd ordered Emily said happily, "Isn't this nice?  Mother and daughter lunching together."

Lorelai stared at Emily uncertainly.  "Yeah," she agreed with hesitation.  "It's great."

"So," said Emily pleasantly. 

"So," replied Lorelai.

"How's Luke?"

"He's good."

"Good.  I'm glad to hear it."

Lorelai nodded, unsure what to say next.

"You know," continued Emily.  "Your father and I like him very much."

Lorelai nodded and said, "Oh?"

"Yes.  We didn't really get a chance to get to know Matt – "

"Max," corrected Lorelai.

"Max, sorry," acknowledged Emily.  "And," she continued, "you almost married him."

"Yep," agreed Lorelai.  "I almost married him."

"Have you and Luke thought at all about marriage?"

Lorelai thought about her honeymoon remark and said, "Not really…why do you ask?"

"Just making conversation."

The air between them felt very stiff and heavy, as if they were each on opposite sides of a foggy river.  They could see one another and hear one another, but they just couldn't connect.  There was too much history.  Too many hurt feelings and missed opportunities.

The silence was deafening.

Finally Lorelai said, "I really am glad that you and Dad like Luke.  He means a lot to me."

"We could tell," smiled Emily.

"You…could?" Lorelai stuttered, staring at her mother.

"The way you are around him.  The way you behave and look at each other.  We can tell that you mean a lot to each other."

"Oh."  Lorelai suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable to know that her mother could read her emotions so clearly.  It was unnerving.

"And it's obvious that Rory likes him a great deal as well," Emily continued.  "I think you've made an excellent choice."

This assumption proved to be too much for Lorelai.  "Choice?  Mom, there's been no choice made.  We're seeing each other.  That's it.  So, I'm sorry if for the first time in my life you finally approve of a choice that I've made because I now have to break it to you that it isn't a choice, okay?"

"Well," said Emily stiffly, "You've chosen to see him.  You've chosen to sleep with him, I'm sure.  You've probably chosen to incorporate him into your relationship with Rory.  I'd say those are all choices."

"Fine!" said Lorelai losing patience.  "Whatever.  You've made your point."

"I just don't understand," said Emily, now hurt.  "Why is my approval so unnecessary?  Why do you feel that making me happy would be the same as cutting off your right arm?"

"I don't know, Mom.  Maybe because you have never, ever, made me feel like anything I've ever done was adequate.  I have always been the disappointment."  Lorelai took a breath and couldn't believe what came out of her mouth next.  "You know, it's really too bad that you and Dad never had more kids because then you might have gotten that perfect daughter to be proud of, to love unconditionally, to enjoy.  It's a good thing you've got Rory."  Lorelai was shaking.  She had never just come right out and said it the way if felt before.  "It's ironic, isn't," she hissed. "The one thing that you've always believed to be my biggest mistake is the one thing you love best about me."

Before Emily could form an answer the waiter brought them their entrees.   When he left Emily sighed and said softly, "I don't understand you sometimes."

Lorelai scoffed, "Yeah, well, the feeling is mutual."  She pushed her plate away.  "I think I better go."

"Your food just got here."

Lorelai pulled out her wallet and threw a ten and a twenty on the table.  "Good bye, Mom."  Lorelai roughly pulled her jacket on as she left the restaurant and jogged to the jeep where she sat for five minutes, crying, before she could drive home.

~~

Lorelai drove straight to the Dragonfly where Sookie was overseeing the decorators finish the last bit of work.  They were having the Grand Opening party that evening and were already booked for the weekend.  Guests would start arriving tomorrow afternoon.

Lorelai parked and trudged into the lobby where she spent the next several hours working with Michel and Sookie to make sure that everything was perfect.  Every room had the right number of beds, sheets, pillows, towels, desks and all the other accoutrements.  By the time people starting arriving for their party she was exhausted.

Looking for a quiet place to sit for a moment, she walked behind the front desk to the door of her office and pushed the door closed behind her.  She turned on the light and sank into the leather chair behind her desk, which was already cluttered with papers.  She was trying to work herself into distraction, but she couldn't.  She couldn't believe what she'd said to her mother.  She couldn't believe that her mother hadn't answered her, and had just stared at her.  She sniffled.  The woman wouldn't make her cry again.  God help her, if it was the last thing she did, she was going to be the life of this party tonight. 

There was a soft knock at the door and she answered it with a despondent, "Come in."

The door opened and Luke entered and closed it behind him.  "I'd like to see the manager," he said.  "I heard she's hot."

She smiled, stood up and crossed to room to him.  He held her for a moment and she buried her face into his suit coat.  "Do you want to talk about it?"  He knew she'd had the infamous lunch date with Emily that day and had thought of her several times and wondered how it had gone.

She shook her head and pulled away enough to look up into his face.  "No," she said softly.

He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead.  "Do you want to just go home?  You can say you have a headache, you know.  You don't have to deal with all those people out there."

She shook her head again and said, "No.  I invited them.  Thank you, though."  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"Let me know if you change your mind," he said.  She nodded and they left her office.

In the lobby and bar area it was as if the entire town had arrived all at once.  Lorelai and Sookie, their significant others, and staff talked and mingled with the townies, recounted stories of the reconstruction, laughed, joked, and generally had a great time.  Lorelai forced herself to put Emily out of her head.

When they arrived back at Lorelai's that night the two fell into bed, both exhausted.  In the dark, Lorelai lay on her side facing Luke and he ran a finger up and down her bare arm.  "How does it feel to be a success?" he asked.

"Frightening," she answered. 

He chuckled, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin.  "That's all?  Just frightening?"

She thought for a moment and said, "I'm actually not sure what was more frightening.  Watching a drunken Taylor fight Kirk over who gets to walk Miss Patty home or having to listen to Babette argue with Morey over who deserves to be in the jazz hall of fame, should there ever be a jazz hall of fame, heroin addition not withstanding."

"At least there was no mention of us 'getting it on,'" Luke smiled

Lorelai groaned.  "Yes, but Taylor's passionate overtures to 'get it on' with Patty?  Just as upsetting."

"Do you think anyone will remember tomorrow morning?"  Luke moved his fingers up to her temple and stroked her hairline.

"I hope not.  I still can't believe it's really happening."

"Believe it," he said firmly.

She smiled through the dark at him.  "Is this what it was like when you opened the diner?"

He shrugged.  "Not really.  I did most of the renovations myself.  When I opened, I just unlocked the door one morning."

"Just you?"

"Just me," he answered quietly.

She pondered this and told him,  "I'm glad it's not just me."

"You've got Sookie."

"That's not what I mean.  I'm glad that you're here.  I'm glad I can share this with you.  I'm glad you're in my life and not just as my coffee supplier."

"I'm glad, too."

She kissed him.  Her hand found the bottom of his t-shirt and she pushed it up, running a hand over his bare stomach.  She could feel the muscles contract under the pads of her fingers and she smiled against his mouth.

~~

A/N:  Mad props go to my brand new beta-reader Jade-Tessier.  If you liked this chapter, it was probably because of a suggestion she made, so go ahead and send a shout-out her way.  Go on.  You can do it.  Press the review button there and when your raving about the story idea, characters, and dialogue, add a little som'm-som'm for my girl J-T.  You know you want you.