Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Mickey, Elizabeth and the story line belong to Lindsay. I just obey her.

Mickey sat in the little room, resting her back against the single pillow on the bed and fed Elizabeth. The first week of breast-feeding had totally grossed her out. Her boobs had always been big, but now they ached when it was time to feed her and they leaked when she cried and they were constantly in her way. Elizabeth liked them, though, and Mickey had eventually gotten used to the whole feeding one's child with one's body thing. Plus it was free, which was a hell of a lot cheaper than formula.

The room Lorelai had led them to was pretty nice even if it was small. The whole third floor was made up of really small rooms which used to be for the servants. At the end of the hall, her end, thank goodness, was a cramped bathroom that the servants had probably all shared. Mickey couldn't even imagine what that must have been like. Maneuvering just herself would be interesting.

The room held a single bed and a dresser. Spartan was too luxurious a word for her surroundings, but Lorelai had left her with the promise of sheets, a bedspread and – heaven – a mirror.

Mickey looked down at Elizabeth who was cupping her mother's chin as she suckled. "I swear, E, you made a really bad choice. I'm going to be a totally sucky mom, I can just tell. No husband, no parents, no friends, not even a high-school degree." Mickey allowed the wave of self-pity to wash over her.

Elizabeth stopped nursing for a moment and smiled up at her. Mickey smiled back and continued. "But I guess a job and place to crash is a good start, huh?"

Elizabeth spit up. "Tell me how you really feel," Mickey muttered, cleaning up the goo with the edge of her t-shirt. She had to get the suitcase from Luke's. Elizabeth needed a change of clothes and Mickey didn't even want to think about what was inside the diaper.

After another burp, Elizabeth was ready to go. Completely sick of the carrier-thing, Mickey decided to haul her kid around the old-fashioned way – with her arms. Hefting the baby up on her hip she made her way downstairs while Elizabeth babbled. She passed Michel, who was still at the front desk, and headed back to the diner.

She found Luke behind the counter again and she approached with a shy smile.

"Hey," he nodded to her.

"Hey." Elizabeth babbled some more. Luke's gaze drifted to the baby and he looked a little afraid.

"Lorelai just called," he told her. "She said she offered you a job and a place to live."

Mickey smiled wider and said, "Yeah, she was really great. I'm actually a little shocked."

"Well, there's a history there," he confided.

"Really?"

Luke nodded again and poured a glass of water for her. "Can I get you anything?"

Mickey's mouth watered, but she shook her head. Once she had her first paycheck she could squander money on food. Until then she needed important stuff like diapers and soap. "We just ate."

"We?" he asked suspiciously.

"We," she confirmed. "But tell me the history."

"I'll let Lorelai tell you – she loves a good story."

Mickey looked behind him and saw the suitcase, safe and sound. "Well, I should grab my bag and head back to the inn then." Elizabeth squealed just then and shook her legs and Luke jumped.

"They sure make a lot of noise, huh?"

"Seriously, I know," Mickey agreed. "I haven't slept the entire way through a night since I left the hospital."

Luke laughed sympathetically. "That's gotta be rough." He took in the drawn face and dark circles under her eyes and said, "Why don't I carry the suitcase back for you? I've gotta talk to Lorelai about something anyway, so I was gonna to stop by tonight. It's no trouble."

Mickey eyed the bag and chewed on her lip. "Really? Shouldn't you stay? What if someone comes in and needs something?"

"Lane is here," he told her. He pointed to a small Asian girl who was taking someone's order on the other side of the room. "She can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Mickey asked, worried.

Elizabeth started fussing and waving her arms around. "Completely sure," he told her. Mickey thought that getting Elizabeth out of the diner as quickly as possible had something to do with his wanting to help, but she wasn't about to turn down his offer.

"Okay," Mickey agreed. "If you're positive."

"Positive," Luke told her as he grasped the case with one hand and called over his shoulder, "Lane, I'm going out but I'll be back."

"Okay," she called back.

Once they were outside and it was just the two of them, Mickey shifted Elizabeth to her other hip and said, "I really appreciate this."

"It's no big deal," Luke assured her. They walked in silence for a moment and then he said, "So where're you from?"

"Litchfield," Mickey told him.

"Your parents still there?"

"Yeah," she answered, an edge to her voice.

"Don't get along?" Luke asked.

"You could say that."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"If you had a daughter," Mickey began, "and she accidentally got pregnant and then didn't tell you because she thought you'd get mad, would you kick her out when the baby came?"

There was a pause. "Um…no. I definitely wouldn't kick her out when the baby came," Luke said. "But lemme guess."

"Yeah," Mickey stated. "A person makes one little mistake." She caught his eye and smiled a little.

Luke chuckled at her sarcasm but then shook his head and said, "Sorry. It can't be easy do go through something like that. Where've you been living?"

"It's so cheesy," she told him. "A half-way house for teen mothers called Safe-Haven." Elizabeth squealed and Mickey said, "I know, I know, cheesy!"

"What about her father?" Luke asked sounding concerned.

"Ugh, he's a jackass. He refused to speak to me after we…you know…." Mickey blushed and looked up to see if he was appalled. He was just looking straight ahead and listening to her, though. "Anyway," she continued. "He wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the school year and then on the last day before summer vacation I finally got up the courage to tell him and he was all, 'Sucks to be you.' Can you believe that?" she asked. "He actually said to me, 'Sucks to be you.' Asshole," she finished under her breath.

"That's terrible," Luke told her. "I'm sorry."

"It is what it is," Mickey said, feeling defeated again.

Luke glanced over and watched the girl struggle with her kid. He had no idea what to say to her and so they finished their walk in silence. When they reached the Dragonfly Luke followed Mickey up the stairs to her room and left the case just inside the door.

"Thanks," Mickey said awkwardly.

"Don't mention it," Luke said with a nod and turned. Then he paused and faced her again and said clumsily, "I think coming here was a good thing. I think you'll be okay now."

Mickey smiled and felt a rush of warmth. "Thank you."

"And I like the name you chose. Elizabeth is my sister's name," Luke confessed.

"Really?" Mickey said in surprise. "What do you call her? I can't think of a nickname from Elizabeth that I like so I've been calling her E."

"We called her Liz."

"Liz," Mickey repeated. Luke was standing in the doorway of her room, looking uncomfortable and too big for the space. "I like that."

"Anyway," he said, "I need to find Lorelai so I'll leave you now."

"Okay," Mickey nodded. "Thanks again. For everything."

"Anytime," Luke said with a short wave.

Mickey watched him walk down the hall and turn for the stairs. He was the first nice guy she'd ever met.