Author's Note: See title and disclaimer in Chapter One. Sorry if this note gets long, I got lots of WONDERFUL reviews and I want to reply a bit. Thank you to Lyka for the suggestions on Nicole. I really don't think she is that bad either, I just don't think she is right for Luke. I am going to read over the transcripts with Nicole and maybe that will help me to get a handle on her. Thank you to Sway for letting me know about my commas. I freely admit I am a freak when it comes to grammar. I always want to get it right, because I have read stories that have bad punctuation and grammar and it ruins the mood for me. I tend to overdo commas so that I don't miss any. A beta-reader would probably help but I want to keep the updates quick. I will try to watch it though, so forgive me if the commas are plentiful. Also, I don't really believe that Lorelai's parents would think she wasn't good enough for Jason but I think Lorelai thinks that. I think they really do love her they just don't know how to show it. Well I can thank the winter gods for giving us a huge snowstorm and even college classes got canceled so I have a couple of days to write, write, write. Also, I got so many reviews in just the last day that I am excited to get going. I don't want to give away what I have planned for the next few chapters, but there will be some more of Nicole and Rory will play a little bigger part. Ok, enough of the rambling. On with the story.....



Chapter 4: The Next Step

A few hours later, Luke and Nicole were seated at dinner. Luke had chosen a nice restaurant that he knew Nicole liked. They had been there many times before. He wasn't sure why he never decided to take her anyplace new. He told himself he was doing it for her sake, not just because it was easier. Going some place she had enjoyed before showed he was thinking of her feelings. Right?

Luke tried to concentrate on what Nicole was saying. Something about one of her cases. She had been talking since they sat down. She usually did. Luke always let her. That was for her sake too right? Luke tried to pay attention. The truth was, he didn't really care about her cases. He cared because she cared, but he mostly thought that they were idiots with idiotic problems. He watched her as she talked. She looked everywhere when she spoke, as if she was telling the story to anyone who was listening and not specifically to Luke. She only even ate between stories. Luke thought of Lorelai scarfing down her burger earlier that day. Nothing kept her from eating. If telling a story was that important she would either eat really fast, or talk with her mouth full. Also, Lorelai looked right at him when she told a story. She watched him, as if his reaction to it was more important than the story itself. When Luke caught himself comparing the two again, he squinted hard at Nicole determined to listen to her story.

Nicole didn't really care that Luke didn't always pay attention. That was how married couples were weren't they? Didn't the husband always have trouble listening to the wife? Things seemed good. They saw each other regularly, though Nicole had to admit, she was usually the one setting things up. Luke probably just needed more time to settle back into the relationship. At least, there hadn't been any more stories about Lorelai. It wasn't that she hated Lorelai. She honestly didn't think Lorelai even knew the way she behaved, but she knew Luke adored her. She wasn't sure how much he adored her but it was more than she liked. She told herself that the reason he didn't talk about Lorelai anymore was that he had realized how much Nicole meant to him and he was concentrating on making her feel good. She decided maybe it was time for something she had been thinking about before they had ever even married.

"Luke, things have been going good lately. Don't you think?" she asked.

"What? Oh yeah, they have," he said, confused at the sudden shift in conversation.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe it would be a good time to move in together."

"Nicole . . . "

"Just a minute," she said, cutting him off. "Before you say anything, let me finish." To Luke she sounded like a lawyer getting ready to plead her case. Wait a minute. She was a lawyer. Taking a breath, Nicole continued.

"It's just that we ARE married and dating seems to be going well, so maybe its time for that next step. And I know that the diner is in Star's Hollow and you will never sell it. That's fine. I'm not asking you to give anything up. We can get a place in Litchfield. It's close enough for both of us to commute. We don't have to get a house or anything. We can just rent an apartment," she said hopefully.

"Nicole, I don't know," Luke said frowning. "It's a little soon."

"It's not that soon. Just think about. Will you?" she said with a pleading look on her face.

"I will THINK about it," Luke said with a sigh.

"Thank you." Nicole smiled at Luke before she began in on another story.



About the same time in Star's Hollow, Lorelai decided that Luke was right and it was better to tell her father soon. She picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Rory?"

"Mom?"

"No, this is the census bureau. We are trying to determine the population of girls named Rory in the U.S." said Lorelai in an official sounding voice. She could practically hear Rory rolling her eyes.

"Mom, come on."

"You are the 301st Rory to call me mom. I will be marking that down."

"I'm hanging up now."

"No wait! Rory, it's me," Lorelai shouted.

"You're kidding," Rory said dryly. "What's up?"

"I need you to call your grandfather for me."

"What?"

"I need you to call and set up a lunch with him as soon as possible. Tell his secretary that it's very important."

"What? Why?"

"Well I have to talk to him, but if my mother finds out she'll want to know why and Luke said I didn't have to tell her," she said quickly, hoping Rory wouldn't ask what was going on, but knowing that she would.

"I will call him on the condition that you tell me exactly what is going on. Right now," said Rory sternly.

"Well you know Jason?" Lorelai began.

"Yeah" Rory prodded.

"You know how he and I have been seeing each other?"

"Yes I do recall that."

"And he works for Grandpa?"

"Yes" Rory said impatiently.

"And Grandpa doesn't know we are dating?" Lorelai stalled.

"Oh god! You're getting married!" Rory exclaimed.

"No!" Lorelai shrieked.

"You're pregnant?" Rory asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Thanks a lot, Rory" said Lorelai, sounding hurt.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that, but I don't know what could be so big that you would be hesitating this much. It must be something bad, right?"

"Jason's working for his father," Lorelai said quickly.

"What?"

"Jason's still working for his father, giving him information about Grandpa." Lorelai said slowly and softly.

"No" Rory gasped.

"Yes"

"How did you find out?"

"I overheard him on the phone."

"Where?"

"At dinner last night." Rory gasped again.

"No! He couldn't even do it on his own time?"

"I never thought of that. Thanks." Lorelai said sarcastically.

"Oh mom, I'm sorry. He's a jerk. It in no way reflects on you," Rory said apologetically.

"Yeah." Lorelai didn't sound convinced.

"So, now you have to tell Grandpa?" Rory tried to change the subject.

"Yeah"

"So how does Luke come into this?"

"I went to Luke's after Jason and I broke up. He came over yesterday and brought me lunch. Then we talked about it and he helped me figure out how to tell him." Lorelai explained.

"That was nice of him." Rory smiled at the thought.

"Yes it was. Hey guess what!"

"What?"

"I fell on him." Lorelai said laughing at the memory.

"You what?"

"Remind me to set up an appointment with that ear specialist. I fell on him. I was hugging him and I lost my balance and I fell and he caught me and we both fell over on the couch." Lorelai said all at once.

"You fell on him?"

"Yes, Rory."

"On purpose?"

"What? No, why would I do that on purpose?"

"The whole damsel-in-distress thing," Rory said, sorry she had asked.

"What?"

"I don't know. He comforts you, brings you food, helps you with your problems. Maybe it was just you wanting Luke to keep taking care of you," Rory said, uneasily.

"You seriously need to drop that psych class." Lorelai said. She knew what Rory was insinuating. She had heard it before and she wasn't in the mood for it tonight.

"I don't take psych, but maybe I should. We could call it the Prince Charming syndrome." She laughed, knowing her mother wouldn't talk about it at the moment.

"Ugh," Lorelai groaned. "I am hanging up now."

"I will call you after I set it up with Grandpa. Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight Rory."