"Hi there." Rory looked up into the warm brown eyes of the man who was unloading her things from the back of what she'd assumed was his truck. They hadn't spoken much during the ride from Hartford as Rory had been looking all around, and taking in the sights. She'd chattered nervously about having been all over the world, but how she'd never even seen Connecticut. Lorelei had humored her.

"Hi," she replied nervously, playing with her uniform's jacket. There had been such a rush to leave Hartford that she'd forgotten to change.

"I'm Luke. I don't know if you caught that..." Rory nodded and smiled, wondering why he was still standing here talking to her while all of her things were already out of the truck.

"I'm Rory." She replied automatically, sticking out her hand and giggling nervously at herself. Of course he knew who she was. Even if he was just the moving man, her mom seemed to be quite a talker, and her name must have slipped out during the 45-minute trip to Hartford. "So do you live around here?" She asked awkwardly, not sure if her etiquette lessons had taught her how to converse with strange moving men. Luke laughed a little, but before he could reply Lorelei came out onto the porch and motioned them both into the house. Rory reached to grab her bags, but Luke gently pushed her hand away, and picked up her things effortlessly. "Come on!" Luke said egging her on with a grin, and Rory ran into the house behind him, laughing all the way.

"I'm so glad to see my two favorite people getting along." Lorelei said, a grin in her voice twenty minutes later. Rory looked up from the cup of coffee she was pouring and grinned puzzledly at her mother. Lorelei walked to Luke, and slipped her arms around his waist. As Rory looked away uncomfortably Luke stiffened and gestured towards Rory. "Hon," Lorelei called, and Rory stopped her pouring and looked at her mother. Lorelei was smiling adoringly at Luke, and motioning for her to join them. Rory felt her stomach drop to her shoes. They were already a family; they didn't need a daughter interfering with their happiness. Why had her mom even come to get her?

"Ror, I know this whole day has been one shock after another, but this is it. I promise. This is Luke. My fiancé. We live together. But he has an apartment above his diner, and he can stay there for a few nights, until you get adjusted..." Get adjusted...? Rory wanted to scream. First, she met her mother after being 14 years away from her, then she left her home, friends, grandparents, for the woman everyone said would break her heart.

"I need-I need to go lay down. Is there somewhere... I could... I could do that?" Lorelei's face contorted with pain for barely a second, but Luke saw it, and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. She bit her lip, and put her arm around Rory's shoulders leading her towards the door right off of the kitchen.

"This is your room. I mean, it doesn't have to be, if you don't want it, but this is the room I always hoped would be yours, if you were to come live with us." Tears filled her eyes. They had a room for her? How long had they been here that they had a room for her? There were so many questions, and she was so tired... they would talk in the morning. She turned, and gave Lorelei the biggest hug she could-trying to express with the motion how much she loved the woman who had rescued her. Lorelei hugged her back, everything in her mind screaming that this was right. Luke stood next to Lorelei, his hand patting Rory's shoulder awkwardly. She flew from her mother's arms, to Luke's providing him with a bone-crushing hug. Luke hugged her back without resolve.

"I know that we're just getting to know each other, but I want you to know, if there is anything that you need, you come to me. Anything." Rory nodded, squeezing him more tightly.

"Thank you both so much." She whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes, and turning towards her new bedroom, and her new life. Luke and Lorelei turned to the living room, giving Rory the space she would need to adjust to her new room. They hadn't even reached the den when they heard Rory's ear shattering scream.