(A/N: Okay, so there is one little spoiler thing in here that I have read is going to take place in the new season, about where Rory goes over the summer, so if you don't want any of that, don't read on...if you just don't care and are seriously having Gilmore withdrawal and just need to read something, go ahead..read on...not much goes on here, but there are some cute little lines, so I think...) (Oh, I keep forgetting this at the beginning...I don't own Gilmore Girls. Sad, but true.)

Chapter 14: Family Reunions and Other Matters

Walking along the familiar road surface toward her house Lorelai found herself distracted by the thoughts running through her head. First, there was Luke. Wow, she thought silently to herself as she retraced the romantic moment they had just shared. Her mind started to wander to thoughts of what might have happened had Jess not interrupted them. Shaking her head in disbelief at her own thoughts she brought herself back to reality. Running through the list of things that she knew she had to do today, she was immediately brought back to her daughter. Immediately a pang of guilt sank in as she realized that in the midst of her newfound feelings for Luke, she had forgotten about her daughter and what she must be going through at this very moment. Lorelai secretly hoped that Rory would wallow some this time, and really let it all out. She had tried to explain this to her in the past, but there was a stubborn sense of self-will about her daughter that reminded her all to well of herself at that age. As proud as she was at the fact that Rory really had a good head on her shoulders and could keep control of herself at all times, she wondered if this would come back to haunt her later on. She didn't have time to dwell on this as she found herself now hurrying back to her house.

As Lorelai entered the front door, she froze in silent amazement at what she saw in front of her.

Christopher. And Rory?

Lorelai watched as the father of her only child now sat with their daughter, stroking her hair, comforting her. For the first time, Lorelai had no words. She just stood there and silently watched this father-daughter exchange.

After a few minutes, Lorelai quietly walked over to the couch and sat down next to Rory, still buried in her father's arms. She draped a motherly arm over her daughter and began to rub her back. Rory looked up, eyes red from crying, and immediately turned to hug her mother.

Christopher: "I guess I should go now?" He asked quietly, already expecting the answer while hoping for another.

Lorelai (whispering): "No, Chris, stay. We need you right now. Rory needs you." Lorelai hugged Rory even tighter.

Rory was lost in a thousand thoughts as she sobbed into her father's loving arms. She felt this surreal feeling come over her. As if she was cast into one of her dreams where her father had always been there to comfort her, drill her boyfriends with pointless questions and had never really left them after all. Yes, that was it, she must be dreaming... Wait, is that Mom? Mom and Dad, both here, sitting on the same couch, helping me, together? Yes, this must be a dream. Yet, it all seems so real. She looked up from her sobs into her mother's eyes and saw nothing but love. She looked over into her father's eyes and saw the same thing. For the first time in her young life, she truly felt like she had been raised by the traditional nuclear family she had always hoped to someday have.

Rory: "Mom?" her words trailing off as she tried to gain hold of her thoughts and bring herself back to reality.

Lorelai: "It's okay, sweetie, just let it all out, we can talk later...." (To Christopher): "Can you order a pizza with everything? I think that it is just what the doctor ordered."

Christopher: "Pizza?" He asked, obviously confused.

Lorelai (whispering): "Wallowing food.....if you could pick up some ice cream and a chick flick at the movie store, that would be great too...."

Christopher leaves the house for the movie store and market, glancing over his shoulder as he exits at the family that could've been his...was his? This was strange, he thought to himself. How was this going to work?

Lorelai (after a few moments of silence): "Rory? Do you want to talk about it?"

Rory (lifting her tear stained face, brushing back her hair): "I think I really just need to get away."

Lorelai: "Where?" she softly asked, silently hoping it wasn't to Europe with Emily...

Rory: "You aren't going to like this but I think I would really like to go to Europe with Grandma. I loved it there last summer. I just felt so...different....like there was always something new to experience each day... I'd really like to experience that again, get some new perspective on what I want out of my life...and maybe it would be good for Grandma too..."

Lorelai: "Perspective? With Emily Gilmore right next to you, dragging you to a zillion stuffy museums and high tea, fighting with concierge's at fancy hotels...."

Rory: "Mom.... I won't go if you don't want me to, but please don't do this. Grandma means well and I really think that getting distance from here will help. I mean, it's not forever, right? And, how bad could staying in a fancy Paris hotel be? We did decide that once was more than enough as far as the hostels went, right?"

Lorelai was silent for a moment as she thought about spending the summer without her daughter. She had just spent an entire year without Rory's constant presence, a first in their mother-daughter relationship. She was really looking forward to spending time with her daughter this summer, and yet another thought flashed through her mind: maybe things really do happen for a reason. Maybe this was the opportunity to look at her life as well... I mean, Rory had three more years at Yale, but then what? Of course, she would be graduating, getting a job, moving to her first apartment....there were innumerable questions and opportunities waiting out there for her daughter, but what about her? And then there was Luke. Could this summer be meant just for them? Oh, the possibilities were endless of what could develop there. Lorelai snapped back to reality when she realized that Rory was looking at her waving a hand in her face.

Rory: "Hello???? Mom, where did you go?"

Lorelai (smiling): "Sorry sweetie... Of course you can go to Europe this summer.... I will totally expect a phone call every day though to account for your whereabouts just to make sure high society isn't sucking you into their evil ways."

Rory (laughing now): "You bet. Though... I expect that from the expression on your face high society sucking me into its evil ways wasn't the only thing on your mind...."

Lorelai (tossing a pillow at her daughter with laughter): "You are picking up on the Gilmore way, better be careful or I might re-think my decision to send you away with Emily. I think you are being sucked in right now. I have no look on my face!"

Rory: "Mom, seriously, don't freak out this time, okay? I really like Luke a lot and I know you do too," Rory said this solemnly and with a straight face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at the Diner...

Luke: "So, you're really back are you? You need a place to stay or what?"

Jess (shrugging his shoulders): "Maybe a couple days..."

Luke: "Jess, about Rory, I think she is going to need some time to sort things out right now."

Jess: "Since when did you become the Rory expert, huh? She called me. That's why I'm here. Why does everyone think I am out to get her anyway? I'm not going to run away this time!"

Luke: "Jess, a lot has changed since you left. Rory has changed. You have changed. Give it time."

Jess (letting this sink in): "So how about you and Lorelai...when did that happen?" Jess asked, changing the subject.

Luke (flustered): "Well, ah – uh..." Luke cleared his throat, unable to think of what to say. He'd prefer the Rory topic right now to trying to explain to his rebellious nephew his feelings for Lorelai.

Jess: "Don't get all choked up there Uncle Luke, the whole town already knows you love her...."

Luke: "They - ah - know? What? Did you hear something? What do you know?"

Jess: "Calm down, the only person I heard it from was Rory...she said you and Lorelai were making out on the porch of the Dragonfly Inn last night."

Luke: "We were not making out!"

Jess: "Come on...don't deny it Uncle Luke, I have to say, it's about damn time!"

Luke: "And quit saying "Uncle" like that!"

Jess: "Like what, Uncle Luke?"

Luke: "Like it's some kind of disease or something! Now, if you are going to stay here there will be no sarcastic comments about Lorelai and myself, no spreading this around town. No one else knows yet, except Rory apparently, and I kind of figured she would be the first to know..."

Jess (cutting his uncle off in mid-sentence): "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me Uncle Luke. I better get upstairs and catch some shut eye, I have been up half the night, you know? Oh, of course, you have too...."

Jess gave that sarcastically sweet smile of his and exited the diner up to the apartment above.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

5:00 PM The Same Day

The phone in the diner was ringing incessantly off the hook. The diner was overcrowded, Lane had called in sick, and Caesar was being unusually slow this evening. Where did all these people come from anyway? Luke thought to himself as he took a food order from an older couple who had very specific dietary needs. Why eat out if you have special diet needs? He wondered this to himself as he took an order for a steak and cheese, minus the cheese, minus the peppers and minus the onions. Muttering under his breath he was able to run back to the phone just in time to pick it up and realize that the answering machine upstairs had beaten him to the punch.

And where was Jess, anyway? He had promised to come back and help with the dinner rush when Lane called in sick.

"Hey, this is a recording. Leave a message. Or don't. Whatever."

Luke grimaced when he heard his voice from the recording. He really needed to change that message. Hopefully, the other person would start actually leaving the message so that he could let them know that he really did pick up the phone.

Lorelai: "Luke? Are you there? Pick up!"

Luke: "Lorelai?" The sound of her voice immediately sent shivers down his spine. He didn't realize how much he had missed her until he heard her voice on the other end."

Lorelai: "Yup, it's me. So are you still up to braving the movie theater crowd tonight? I'm at the inn right now but I think I can get away around 8 ish."

Luke: "You're at the inn?" Luke asked increduously.

Lorelai: "Yeah, you know, it's that building with lots of rooms on the edge of town, that I run, and, oh yeah, you stayed there last night....or did you forget what you did last night, again? How many times have I told you, two drinks are your limit,"she said with a hurried but playful sigh.

Luke: "Lorelai...." now it was his turn to sigh. "I just thought you would be spending the rest of the day with Rory, that's all."

Lorelai: "Well, her dad is with her for the rest of the day. They are taking over movie night tonight at the house so I thought I would escape to a movie outside of this town of ours for a while. What do you say? I mean, this was your idea..."

Luke: "Sure. You want me to pick you up at the inn?"

Lorelai: "That, my friend, sounds just crazy enough to work. See you then." And with that Lorelai hung up the phone and Luke continued on with the craziness of the dinner rush.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(A/N: I just wanted to try to keep this going, I will write about the movie date in the next chapter...)