Disclaimer: I do not own anyone who you might recognize. Mickey and Elizabeth are owned by Lindsay.

A/N: I've been remiss in thanking people up to this point. Sarah has been a kick-ass beta-reader on this, as well as many previous stories, so let me now tell her how awesomely she rocks. And Lindsay is the one who came up with this idea and said (very forcefully, I might add), "WRITE!" Thanks for that, LFG.

Later that day Lorelai appeared with bedding, the promised mirror, a bassinet and some welcome chatter. "My friend Sookie, who you'll meet later because she's the chef downstairs, had a baby last fall and he's old enough for a crib now, so you can use this for now. Also, she's going to put together some of Davey's old clothes and toys for you guys, too."

"Wow," Mickey said, a little taken-aback. She clutched Elizabeth in her arms as if she were a teddy bear. Elizabeth squirmed. "I can't believe that. I'll have to thank her when I see her."

Lorelai held her arms out for the baby who willingly went to her. Lifting the baby high up into the air and dropping her down again a few times quickly brought a smile to Elizabeth's face. "You'll see her tomorrow morning. Checkout time is eleven so that's when all the rooms get done. Come to kitchen for breakfast between seven and eight and Sookie will feed you and then if you want to, you can pick up some extra money by helping her out in there. Bring Elizabeth," Lorelai cooed her name and Elizabeth laughed.

"She won't be in the way in a kitchen?" Mickey asked skeptically.

"Nope. Davey's in there most afternoons, so it's so not a problem. Also, I figure you'll bring Elizabeth to each room you do and that way you won't worry about her while you work."

"That's a great idea," Mickey told her with wide eyes. "I never would have thought of that."

"Yeah, well," Lorelai said confidentially, "I've done this before."

Mickey paused and looked up from where she was making the bed. "What do you mean?" she asked as Elizabeth laughed raucously while Lorelai played with her.

"I had a kid when I was sixteen," Lorelai told her kindly as she cuddled Elizabeth.

"You did what?" Mickey gasped and stared at Lorelai stupefied.

"I had a kid," Lorelai said, meeting Mickey's eyes, "when I was sixteen. And I left home shortly thereafter, came to Stars Hollow and got a job as a maid."

Mickey had to shake her head to keep it from flying off. "You're kidding, right?" It was too weird a coincidence, but it did explain the speed with which she'd been hired and the mysterious comment Luke had made about there being history.

"Nope. I had an easier time picking out a name, though." Lorelai told Mickey the story of how she and Rory had come to Stars Hollow and their early years in the potting shed. When she finished they were both sitting on Mickey's bed with Elizabeth in Lorelai's lap.

"That's unbelievable," Mickey said, hardly knowing what to say.

"I know, but sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction," smiled Lorelai.

"Wow," Mickey said. "And you're not close with your parents, either?"

"We're closer than we were when Rory was born, but on a scale of one to ten? I'd say we're at a three and a half," Lorelai said.

"But she's going to Yale? How could they still be mad at you?"

"Rory," Lorelai said with a sigh, "is only the tip of the iceberg."

Mickey's stomach growled just then and Lorelai said, "Are you hungry? Why don't we finish this over some fries at Luke's?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Mickey told her, reaching for Elizabeth.

"You sound hungry to me," Lorelai frowned, relinquishing the baby.

"We ate earlier," Mickey said, averting her eyes.

"Oh, yeah? Whadja have?" Lorelai challenge playfully.

"Elizabeth had milk and I…well, I'm not that hungry."

Lorelai gazed at Mickey thoughtfully and said, "Are you breastfeeding?"

Ew. "Yeah," Mickey admitted blushing a little.

"Well," Lorelai began, "the thing is that unless you eat right, Elizabeth won't be getting any nutrients."

Mickey looked up sharply. "What?"

"Yeah, in order for the milk to be good for her you have to be eating healthy, too," Lorelai explained gently.

"Oh," Mickey said, glancing down at Elizabeth. Healthy was the last thing she'd been eating. "You know," she commented, "everything about this is harder than I thought it was gonna be."

"I hear ya," Lorelai said, tugging a bit on Mickey's long red ponytail. "So let me buy you dinner."

Mickey leaned back and screwed her face up. "I don't know. You've been really generous already. I don't want you to – "

"Hey," Lorelai interrupted. "This isn't for you. It's for Elizabeth."

Mickey considered the offer as she looked at the sleeping Elizabeth. She did look a little pale. And she needed to find a pediatrician or clinic eventually and when she did she didn't want the doctor telling her that her kid was malnourished. "Okay," Mickey finally assented. "But just this once."

Lorelai smiled and said, "We'll see."