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

A/N: Only like, two or three chapters left after this one.

Thanks for the wicked awesome reviews (can you tell I'm from MA? Heh).

XXX

Luke looked up from behind the counter as he heard the door open and the little bells jingle. He winced slightly when he saw it was Lorelai; she had been crankier than usual, since it was only a little over a month from her due date.

Kirk had stood and was trying to pass by her. Lorelai looked him up and down with a 'yeah, right' look. "What are you doing, Kirk?"

"I'm, um, trying to leave. I'm supposed to meet Lulu-"

"Yeah, that's great, Kirk. But see, I'm carrying another person, and I'm fat, and extremely uncomfortable, and my husband owns this diner, so don't even try to get past me."

His eyes widening, Kirk took three large steps back, hit another table, and knocked over the person's juice. Luke sighed loudly and went to clean it up as Lorelai sat at a table right near the counter, and Kirk raced out.

"Hit and run," Luke mumbled as he wiped up the juice with a rag. "Hey," he said carefully as he stood near his wife.

"Hello there," she replied. "You know what I want."

Rolling his eyes, Luke shook his head. "Are you sure you don't want something more normal? Not that watermelon and whipped cream with chocolate chips on toast is gross or anything..."

Off her look, Luke went and put the order in to Cesar. He didn't know why he was trying to fight her on these weird cravings.

"Hey hey, big brother!" Luke heard someone yell and turned to find his younger sister Liz entering the diner.

"Liz!" he said in surprise as she came around the counter to hug him. "What're you doing here?"

Luke hadn't seen Liz since Thanksgiving the year before. He and Lorelai had had family and close friends over to their house for a big dinner, and she and TJ had taken time off from their Renaissance Fair circuit to join the group. Now, he realized, that must've been the night his and Lorelai's child was conceived.

Now wondering why he was suddenly reminiscing about that (yet it had been a good night, Luke paid full attention to his sister.

"Oh, well, you know, some stuff. Where's Lorelai?" Liz looked around eagerly, and spotted her sister-in-law, who was enjoying her breakfast.

"Lorelai!" Liz shouted, and the woman in question glanced up and grinned.

"Hey, Liz," she said as she struggled to stand.

Liz shook her head and approached. "Oh, no, let me come to you."

Luke walked over to them as Liz sat down across from his wife. "Where's TJ?" he asked politely; the guy still wasn't his favorite person in the world.

"He's coming, he just had to run an errand." She smiled at the couple. "So, the baby is due soon!"

"Yeah," Lorelai said tiredly. "Thank God."

"I'd give you motherly advice, but God knows I'm not the person who should be giving it. And, well, you've done this before." Liz looked past the couple. "TJ! Over here!"

Luke turned so he could see his brother-in-law. Despite the fact that he and this man weren't the best of friends, Luke had to admit that he seemed to be the best guy his sister had dated and/or married yet. It's really saying something if Liz Danes is married to a guy for three years.

"Hey," Luke said as he stuck his hand out for TJ to shake.

Nodding, TJ accepted the shake, then nodded to Lorelai. "Hey guys, did Lizzy tell you the good news?"

"What news?" Lorelai asked, glancing in between them.

"Well," Liz started slowly. "We're getting a house here in Stars Hollow!"

Eyebrows raising quickly, Luke looked from his sister to her husband. He hadn't thought this would be what they were going to say. For as long as he had known her- and that was her whole life- Liz had been trying to get out of Stars Hollow. Yet now they were moving back.

"That's great!" Lorelai said enthusiastically, then kicked Luke subtly when he didn't respond.

"Wow, uh, why?" He questioned.

"Well, me and TJ are still gonna travel with the circuit, but we both figured that if we're gonna start a family or something, we'd want it to be here. I guess it just took me awhile to realize that. I mean, look at you two," Liz said as she beamed at her brother and sister-in-law.

Finally sighing, Luke hugged his sister. "Congratulations, Liz."

"Yeah, welcome...back, I guess," Lorelai added with a grin.

"So does Jess know?" Luke couldn't help but ask.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, he's gonna come and help move some of our stuff. He's such a good guy now, thanks to you."

Flushing at the compliment, Luke shrugged it off. "I didn't do anything," he said gruffly.

"Aw, look at Luke being modest," Lorelai teased.

"Go back to your breakfast," Luke commanded lightly.

"We've gotta head out," TJ said, looking to Liz. "We've got papers and stuff to sign, and then the house is ours!"

"Yay," Liz said. "See you guys later." And then she and her husband departed.

Luke sunk slowly into the chair across from Lorelai. She looked at him closely. "So, Liz is moving to Stars Hollow."

"That's what I've been told," Luke responded.

XXX

"This is a really nice place," Lorelai said as she took a tour of the house Liz and TJ had bought.

Luke nodded, checking the walls and doors. "Yeah, when was it built?"

"Oh, just ten years ago," Liz told them. "It's kind of small, but we figured we didn't need a big place." She grinned at TJ, who was leaning against a wall and drinking a beer.

"We just gotta move the stuff in, and then we're done," TJ said. "Maybe livin' in the same town will make us closer, eh brother-in-law?"

Luke just let out a fake chuckled, and stood beside Lorelai. "Well, we gotta get going," he said pointedly to his wife.

It wasn't that he didn't like this sister or brother-in-law; no, he loved Liz, stand TJ, to some degree. He just knew that if they stayed here for another five minutes, they'd be roped into helping with something.

Lorelai glanced at Luke, then turned back to Liz and TJ. "Right, dinner with my mother. I guess we'll see you soon."

"Yup!" Liz replied happily. "Good you could check out the place!" she called after them as Luke and Lorelai left.

Once they were inside the car, Lorelai looked to Luke and rolled her eyes. "Could you be more obvious?" She adapted a deep voice, "'Oh, uh, yeah, we gotta go, uh, for, uh, well we gotta go'."

Luke shook his head as they began driving out of Stars Hollow. "Well, we need to get to this dinner, and Rory and Greg are going to be there, and I know how much you miss her..." He was lying.

"What's the real reason you've been so distant with Liz, Luke?"

Damn, she can always see through me, he thought. "It's just...sure, she's moving here now. But what about in five months? Or a year? She's just gonna remember why she desperately wanted to leave in the first place, and then realize she can't stand being here again, and take off, like she's always done. I don't wanna get used to having my little sister here, only to have her leave again." He hadn't expected to be this honest.

"Well, maybe this time will be different," Lorelai said soothingly as she placed a hand on her large stomach. "Maybe she's serious now."

"Maybe."

XXX

"Rory!"

Luke shook his head as they entered the Gilmore mansion. Of course, the first thing Lorelai says is not 'hey', or 'hello', or 'glad to see you all', it's just 'Rory'. He can understand he misses her daughter, but also wants to remind her of manners.

"Mom!" Rory shouted back as the two embraced as if they didn't just see each other three weeks ago.

"Hey, Greg," Luke said as he shook the young man's hand.

"How ya doin', Luke?" Greg responded as he pushed up his glasses.

"Okay," he replied easily.

After also greeting Rory and Emily, the five made their way into the living room. Emily got them all drinks, and sat in one of her expensive chairs that Luke found to be uncomfortable, no matter the price.

"So, how is everyone doing?" she asked, seeming to be really interested. Luke knew she was happier than ever to see her family, since she didn't have Richard anymore.

"Well, Luke's sister is moving to Stars Hollow," Lorelai said.

Rory looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yup, we just saw the house before we came over."

"Well, that's wonderful to have more family near," Emily said.

"Yeah," Luke agreed, still trying to figure out if Liz was staying this time or not.

Emily turned to Rory's boyfriend. "And Greg, your mother told me you got promoted at the editor's company."

"Yes," he confirmed. "Just a week ago, I'm head of the non-fiction department. It's kind of complicated to explain, but it's no big deal."

"It is a big deal," Rory said proudly as she beamed at Greg. "He's just movin' up in the world."

"Well, congratulations. Pretty soon they'll be begging you to run the place," Lorelai said.

A maid appeared in the doorway. "Dinner is ready," she said quietly, and quickly exited. Luke had always felt bad for the maids that had worked for Emily Gilmore.

"Uh, you guys go ahead, I just need to ask Luke something," Greg said, almost nervously.

"Well, no kidnappings or anything," Lorelai responded as she, Rory and Emily began leaving the room, all three confused. "If I find him gone, your ass is mine."

Greg chuckled, still nervously, and kept checking to make sure they were in the dining room. Luke now leaned against one of the walls.

"Uh, you okay?" He asked, having never seen the young man this way.

"Yeah, okay, yeah," Greg replied and stood in front of Luke, then started pacing. He did this three times, before Luke got tired of it.

"Alright, what the hell is going on?"

"Okay, here's the thing," the other man began, finally coming to a halt in front of Luke. "Now, I know you're not Rory's father, but I do know you've been there most of her life, and that she sees you as a father, especially after you and Lorelai got married."

Luke had no clue where he was going with this, but couldn't suppress the slight blush at having been told Rory thought of him as a father-figure for her. "What's your point?"

"Well, alright, here it is. I know this is old fashioned and doesn't really need to be done anymore, but basically...I'm wondering if you'd let me marry Rory." Greg shifted from foot to foot.

His eyes large now, Luke took a moment to comprehend this. This was a very out-of-date thing to do; ask for a girl's hand in marriage from her father (well, father-figure). He tried to imagine his little girl married to the man in front of him, and, almost sadly, he could picture it well. Luke knew these two loved each other, and that they'd be happy. And they were both adults now; both out of college.

Making a decision, Luke sized up Greg. "I want you to realize how great a woman Rory Gilmore is."

"I do," Greg said honestly.

"I know you two have been dating for a few years, and it was good of you to wait until after you were both out of college to ask me."

"I thought it'd be better if we were both out of school."

"Promise me one thing."

Greg seemed to be trying to understand if Luke was saying yes or no. "Anything."

"Promise to take care of her the best you can. I love her like she was my own child, and if anything happens to her, I'm gonna be pissed off."

"I promise."

Luke took a deep breath, then clapped a hand on Greg's shoulder. "You've got my blessing."

Greg's eyes widened, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Luke. It means a lot that you approve. Rory really loves you."

"Well, like I said, I really love her too," Luke responded as gruffly as possible, almost wanting to tear up. I've been spending too much time with Lorelai, he thought.

"Just...don't tell Lorelai," Greg asked.

"I won't. It'll be between us."

As Luke entered the dining room and sat across from his step-daughter, who was laughing at a joke of her mother's obliviously, Luke knew he'd never regret giving Greg permission to marry her.

XXX

"Hey, you came!" Liz shouted above the noise coming from inside her new house.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't miss my sister's 'welcome home' party," Luke replied as he, Lorelai and Rory entered the house.

Liz and TJ had moved everything in a few days after Greg had asked Luke for Rory's hand in marriage. Now, a week later, the town had decided to throw the couple a house-warming party.

"Rory!" Liz said excitedly, pulling her into a hug. "It's so good to see you! Where's that boyfriend of yours?"

"Oh, he had to get home to work."

Rory and Liz had gotten to know each other over the past few years, since Luke and Lorelai had gotten together. They shared the common bond of Jess, who Luke spotted by the food table, being smothered by Miss Patty. He decided he'd say hello to his nephew later, since Rory had just gone over to save him.

Suddenly, Luke felt a hand grab his arm and pull him back outside as Lorelai kept going to sit with Sookie.

"Hey!" he shouted at whoever was abducting him from the party.

"Chill, bro, it's just me," Liz responded in the darkness. She sat him down on the bench that they had put outside of their house.

"What's this about?" Luke asked as he glanced at his sister.

"I just wanted to say thank you." Liz looked forward, to the neighborhood. "I've been spending so many years away from this place, and then you know what I realized?"

"What?"

"I didn't have a reason to stay away anymore. I mean, you're here, and you're the only real bit of family I've got left, except for Jess, but he's in Boston. And Lorelai is here too, and you both are so great, and I just decided that I didn't feel like being away from family anymore."

Luke was surprised at this admittance. "So why are you thanking me?"

"Because," Liz said as if it were obvious. "I've always used you as an example of what I could be. I mean, you're not only my big brother, but you're a great town-figure, and husband, and you're a good father to Rory, and you will be to this kid too. I just wanted some of what you had, and so I thought, where better to find it then where you are? Where we grew up?"

Luke placed an arm around his sister's shoulders. "That means a lot to me, Liz."

"You mean a lot to me. It just took me awhile to figure that out," she said.

They sat in silence, just looking out to the street as the party roared inside. Liz finally stood up.

"Alright, now don't get a big ego or anything. Let's go back to the party."

"Hey, Liz?" Luke stood beside his sister, and hugged her when she turned towards him. "I'm glad you're back here."

"I am too," she agreed.

XXX