The restaurant changed for Patty's studio. Luke who was beginning to get used to those changes wondered why he was there. He didn't remember that something important in his love life happened there. It would have been gross. To be honest, except for the town meetings, nothing really happened at Miss Patty's.

"Okay, now, Rory is thirteen, Rachel is practically forgotten, but the cut is still opened, we're in a town meeting and Taylor, as usual, is… is… you'll see."

Emy seemed tired, event exhausted. Luke was worried for her. How someone who doesn't event exist can be that tired? If someone could explain it to him. He didn't understand anything. But before anything else, he wanted to help the young woman in front of him. He didn't know why, but he wanted to take care of her.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm a bit tired."

"Why?"

"Maybe, you don't know it but it takes energy to do it for you tonight."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"You're not here because you want to."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's my subconscious."

"It doesn't mean that I don't like to see your story with Lorelai".

He grinned. It was true. To see all those events of his life with Lorelai was comforting. But, it was sad too. Knowing you had all those good moments with someone and then lose them, it hurts.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why at Miss Patty's."

"You'll see, we're at a town meeting and as usual Taylor annoys you because of something that doesn't worth be mention for now. So look and enjoy the show."

The meeting had already begun and was full of people. As usual, Lorelai and Rory arrived late, passed Luke and Emy and sat down not far from the younger Luke.

Taylor climbed the platform and began to talk to the crowd.

"Ok, welcome to this town meeting. The first point of this meeting is a request from the City Embellishment Council who is asking to obliged business owners to participate to the decoration for the town festival

"YOU'RE KIDDING" The two Luke gasped.

"Nothing changes" giggled Emy.

"Like I was saying, some of those business owners aren't very active in the organisation of the festival and less in the decoration. So, in a private meeting with the City Embellishment Council, we agreed to ask to this meeting to pass a law to oblige the next business: Luke's dinner, Gypsy's garage, to follow the town decoration rules".

"What is that Taylor? You can't oblige me to do something that I don't want to. I own my business and I run it like I want. If I don't want to put little purple flowers during lilac's festival, it's my business and only mine!"

"Oh no, this is where you're wrong, young man. You own a business and are a member of the Star Hollow chamber of commerce. According to this, each member is a part of a community who TOGETHER decides to take a direction to bring tourism in our town."

"There's no way that I do something I don't want to with MY dinner without MY own PERMISSION which won't happen soon" Luke said standing up.

"That's why that with the chamber of commerce we decided to take an arrangement to bring you to decorate your dinner."

"What if I won't?"

"You'll have to deal with the consequences."

"Which consequences? I'll have to copy 100 times 'I'll do what Taylor Hitler says'."

"Young man, first: you're not funny and second: you could lose your business licence."

"WHAT!?!"

"Oh yeah."

"How… no… You can't, Taylor, you cannot! You don't have the right to do something like that, you can't oblige me to do something I don't want with my business" Luke said with angst.

Luke didn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't remember at all this evening which should have been imprinted in his memory. How could Taylor be a jerk like that? Losing the business licence was the worst thing for Luke, his dinner was all he had. He couldn't risk losing it.

While the crowd was getting more and more angry against Luke, helped by Taylor, Luke heard a voice.

"Enough!"

"What's wrong, Lorelai."

"Taylor, how can you just think about asking something like that to Luke? It's an institution in Star Hollow. Everybody knows it and everybody likes it because Luke's is the only place of the real world that stops this town to fall into the craziness. After all Luke did for you, I can't believe you're able to even think to do something like that to him. I can't believe it. If this meeting continues like this, I'm sorry but I don't want to be a part of it. I'm leaving. Rory, take your coat, we're living."

"You know, Taylor" Babette said. "The doll is right we can't oblige someone to do something he doesn't want to with something he owns, especially when he's a friend."

While the crowd was turning it angst toward Taylor, Luke's heart was beating harder and harder. What Lorelai said really touched him. But, she was looking toward someone else. She was starring at the younger Luke smiling at him and Luke was returning her smile. But his eyes were confused; he didn't seem to know what to think.

Emy had a half grin in her face knowing that her Luke will never be the same.

The meeting finished with a big vote in Luke's favour and people, now, were living Miss Patty's to go to Luke's. The younger Luke got up quickly to join Rory and Lorelai who were going home.

"Lorelai" Luke said catching his breath."

"Yes" She said turning to Luke."

"I … I just… I just wanted to thank you for, you know, for defended me… it was… it was really nice."

"What shouldn't we do for our Luke?"

"Yeah, like that, we'll still be able to have coffee and maybe it'll be free now." Rory said.

"Mmmm free coffee."

"With some pie"

"You really want me to go bankrupt, don't you?"

"Never! Why do you think I defended you tonight?"

"I mean, I could get out of it by myself. You know, it's brave from you to do that; Taylor could have caused trouble to you too."

"But you needed a charitable soul to help you".

"I could have done it by myself."

"We are your knight in shining armour" Rory said.

"No, we're too pretty to be boys"

"Does it mean that Luke has been saved by girls?

"I think so.

"What would he do if we weren't there?

"I'm still here you know? And I repeat, I could have done it by myself.

"He won't be able to go anywhere without us" Lorelai said.

"Yep, he will be our slave and we'll protect him from the mean Taylor.

"If you don't stop right now, I won't give you the coffee I thought to offer to you.

"Free coffee, which knight?

"That's what I thought, come on!" Luke said.

While the three of them were walking toward the dinner, Emy and Luke heard voice behind them.

"They would make a cute couple, don't they" Miss Patty said.

"Who?

"Luke and Lorelai. You saw how she defended him earlier? There's chemistry between those two!

"You saw that too, I could bet twenty bucks that they'll get together one day.

"Better, we could make a pool on when those two get together and the one who betted on the nearest date pick the money!

"Deal, I'll talk about it with Kirk and Taylor tomorrow and we'll organize everything.

"Fine"

Luke didn't believe what he was hearing. How could have he lived all those years in Star Hollow without even heard that its citizens bet on in his love life?

"I remember now".

"I know"

"When we came back in the dinner, they continued to tease me with their knight. I couldn't believe that two people could look like each other that much and how much they could appreciate the life. Those two were able to joke about everything even the worst thing" he said more to himself than Emy.

They walked toward the dinner and watched Luke falling for the girls. They continued to talk until Rory felt asleep on the counter.

Luke took her in his arms and carried her to his truck. Lorelai sat next to him and he brought them home. When they were arrived, they woke up Rory, Lorelai brought her to her room and accompanied Luke to his truck.

Before he climbed in, she hugged him tightly and they thanked each other for everything that had been done this night. Then, Lorelai returned in her home and Luke drove back to the dinner.

In the dinner, Luke climbed the stairs, took a shower and went to bed. He wasn't able to stop moving. Around 1 AM, Luke got up and took a glass of water. After he drank it all, he said to himself: "You've been caught, Danes". He put the glass in the sink and turned back to bed.

While the younger Luke was returning to his bed, the older looked at Emy. Was it possible that…? Emy caught the look and smiled. "You've been caught, Danes" she said before clapping her hands.

TBC

RR, please (puppy eyes)