Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is owned by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Warner Bros., and all those other rich, smart people.

A/N: Still in the month of February. This chapter is kind of pointless, but I did it anyway.

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Luke gripped the wooden bed frame, and looked across it to Greg. "Alright, on three. One...two...three."

The two men lifted the frame and began carrying it out of Rory's old room. It was already almost completely bare; the family had spent most of the four days Rory and Greg were in Stars Hollow going through her room and moving things out for the new baby.

"Oh, look at our strong men, doing manly work, while us womenfolk sit and make clothes. Just like the pilgrims intended it," Lorelai said teasingly as the guys went past mother and daughter, who were each knitting a sock.

Rory rolled her eyes. "So much for advancement in the world." She watched sadly as Luke and Greg set her bed frame on the porch.

Luke wiped his hands on his jeans as he walked back inside. "Well, that's the last of it. Wanna take a last look before we move in the crib and stuff?"

Nodding and standing, Rory set down her half-finished baby sock and disappeared into her bedroom. Lorelai watched her daughter intently. Luke took the seat Rory had vacated.

"Greg is just taking the frame apart, and then he's gonna stick it in the truck with the rest of the stuff." He noticed the tears that were threatening to fall from his wife's eyes, an occurrence which had been happening a lot lately. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Lorelai laughed at herself and set down her knitting. "Oh, it's just...when did she become an independent adult? I feel like I missed that whole transition."

Luke didn't want to mention it, but it was the obvious answer. "I'm guessing it was her sophomore year of college." During that year, after the Dean fiasco, Rory had really matured. Luke had once thought that she was the most grown up kid he knew, but after that mess, he'd realized that she was another young adult who wasn't making the adjustments of life too easily.

"I guess you're right," Lorelai said softly.

Rory exited her bedroom and walked over to her mother and step-father as Greg came back inside. "Alright, everything's clear. Me and Greg are gonna take off, 'cause I have this test tomorrow I really need to pass."

Lorelai stood and enveloped her daughter. "Of course you're gonna pass," she said as she kissed the top of Rory's head.

"Bye, Luke," she said and gave him a quick hug. "Take care of this one," she pointed to Lorelai.

"I will. Have a safe drive." He shook Greg's hand. "See you soon, Greg."

"Bye." Lorelai nodded to the young man.

Waving one last time, Rory and Greg left the house. Luke heard the car start and drive away. He put an arm around Lorelai.

"Now we gotta start thinking of how to decorate that room," he said softly, trying to take her attention away from Rory's leave.

XXX

"Auuuuuugh!" Lorelai yelled as she entered the house. Luke, who was painting the walls in the baby's room, poked his head out of the doorway.

"Something wrong?" He asked, almost not wanting the answer.

Lorelai sniffed a few times, then made a face. "Ugh, paint fumes." She set down her purse. "Well, since Rory can't make it, my mother has somehow roped us into going to a dinner party at their house on Friday night."

Luke fully stepped out of the room and into the kitchen. He watched as his wife rummaged through the refrigerator. "How?"

"Oh, she thought it'd be nice for us to socialize with some of their friends, and since she told them that I was pregnant, everyone was just so excited about seeing us that now we have no choice but to go." She slammed the fridge door shut and turned to him. "Luke," she whined. "I don't wanna go."

Luke had to admit, he wasn't exactly looking forward to this either, but far be it for him to do something against Emily Gilmore's wishes. "You're not alone, I'll be there. And, hey, if we get really tired of being there, you can just say you're tired and we have to leave, or you feel sick and want to go home or something."

"Ah, use the pregnancy as an excuse to get out of there. Smart man, I knew I married you for a reason." Lorelai kissed him lightly, then peered into the empty room. "I really like this light blue color we picked out. It's very unisex." She chuckled to herself.

Raising an eyebrow, Luke looked at her. "What's funny?"

"The word 'unisex'."

"Sorry I asked." He walked back into the room and began painting again.

XXX

He had been going to social events hosted by the Gilmore's for years, and yet still, every time Luke felt a bit nervous. He wasn't one of their rich, purebred types. He had no ties to any of these wealthy families at all. Well, except that he was Lorelai Gilmore's husband. But otherwise, he felt out-of-place.

So stepping into the foyer of the Gilmore mansion with Lorelai, Luke was hit once again with how much he wished he were just wearing his flannel, instead of these stuffy clothes. Hell, he'd rather be wearing that itchy wool sweater Lorelai had gotten him a few weeks ago.

Emily rushed ahead of the two into the living room, where Luke spied three other couples and Richard. "Lorelai and Luke are here," she said happily.

Luke didn't remember the exact moment when Emily Gilmore had finally accepted that he was going to be part of their life. Once she did, however, she had taken some time and gotten to know him, and he thought she may even like him a bit. She'd told him early on in his relationship with Lorelai that it was obvious they had liked each other for a long time, and she was happy he was taking such good care of her daughter and granddaughter. That was the first real compliment he'd ever gotten from Lorelai's mother.

Just as they were entering the room, he felt himself being pushed aside by the three other women who were trying to reach his wife.

"Oh, Lorelai, it's so wonderful about your pregnancy!" One of them said.

"I didn't even know you were married!" Another added.

"Does Christopher know?" The third tried to sound sympathetic, but was coming across as nosy. Luke noted that this one looked about their age.

Lorelai blinked, overwhelmed, then plastered a smile on her face. "Yes, he does know," she said as brightly as possible. Emily looked on, obviously pleased.

"Emily, we're going to head into my study for a moment. Business talk and the like," Richard informed his wife, and he and the three other men departed into another room. Luke realized he was the only man left.

The blonde who didn't know who he was walked over to him and shook his hand. "So you're Luke Danes. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Laura Ploust. Lorelai and my daughter go way back."

Having never heard any talk of someone with the last name 'Ploust' from Lorelai, Luke just nodded politely. "Yup, I'm Luke. Good to meet you too."

Emily was getting drinks, and Lorelai already looked ready to choke the women she was talking to. Luke approached.

"Luke!" His wife shouted loudly over the other's talking. She turned to the redhead. "Cassie, this is my husband Luke. Luke, this is my old friend Cassie from school." She said 'old friend' tightly through her teeth.

Cassie sized him up. "Well, aren't you a good man, to make an honest women of our Lorelai. Lord knows Chris never could."

Luke chuckled nervously. Lorelai was standing a bit behind them, and at those words her eyes widened and she was getting ready to throw her water on the other women. Luke subtly shook his head not to.

"I still remember those two from junior high. We were a close-knit group." Still behind her, Lorelai was shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So, are you from Stripes Burrow, too?"

For a minute Luke had no idea what she was talking about. "Uh, you mean Stars Hollow?"

"Sure," Cassie giggled.

"Uh, yeah. Lived there my whole life."

Lorelai rejoined them as Cassie asked, "How long have you two known each other?"

Luke shrugged. "Uh, I met them when Rory was a baby, but we didn't really talk until I opened my diner."

"You have a diner?" Mrs. Ploust asked.

"Yes, he does, and let me tell you, he makes the best coffee," Lorelai said, grinning at Luke. "If it hadn't been for his coffee, I don't think we'd even be friends now."

"Lorelai," her mother said sharply. "You shouldn't be drinking coffee while you're pregnant."

"Uh, I'm not, mom. I'm just saying."

"That poor child will end up with your horrible addiction to the stuff. It's too bad that couldn't be avoided with Rory."

"Oh, how is Rory? I haven't seen her since she was fifteen," the women whose name Luke still didn't know asked.

Lorelai nodded. "She's great."

Emily cut in, always wanting to talk up her granddaughter. "Rory is graduating from Yale this year. She wants to work in journalism."

"That's lovely," Cassie said.

Lorelai took Luke by the elbow as the four other men came back in and joined their wives. She directed him to a corner.

"Is it too soon for that sudden wave of nausea to hit?" She whispered.

"As much as I wanna get out of here, I don't think we can go before dinner. That's too obvious."

Lorelai sighed loudly at Luke's logic. Then she smirked. "Did Cassie really call our town 'Stripes Burrow'?"

"Yeah."

"Huh," she said. "It has a nice ring. Maybe we should ask Taylor at the next meeting if they could change the name."

"Lorelai, Luke," Emily called. "Let's talk more about the baby."

As they walked over, Lorelai hissed, "I never thought my mother would be this excited by me being pregnant." Luke had to agree; he hadn't either. "Time check?" she asked.

"7:43."

Time to put on the act, Luke thought as they came upon the others.

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