"Hey you made it." Luke said opening the door to the diner.

"Wow, never seen it so empty." Lorelai joked.

"I just finished closing up. Come on in." Luke closed the door behind her. "Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee." Lorelai smiled.

"Of course." Luke replied.

Lorelai sat down at a table and Luke came over with a warm fresh cup of coffee. He sat down across from her and they sat silent for a moment.

"So..." Luke began, but he didn't get very far.

"You're coffee is really good." Lorelai commented.

"Thanks." Luke replied.

"I mean really good."

"Really, thanks." he smiled.

A long paused passed between them.

"I'm sorry." Luke apologized. "I'm not used to talking to women."

"It's okay. I'm not used to talking to men."

"Well, at least we have one thing in common." Luke joked. Luke pecked his fingers on the table and finally came up with a question. "So, you've not lived here long?" he asked.

"6 years." Lorelai replied.

"Really, I had never seen you until you came into my diner."

"I don't really go to a lot of places, work and home."

"Where do you work?" Luke asked.

"The Independence Inn." Lorelai replied.

"Oh, yeah I've heard of that. Never been there though."

"Oh, well you should come see it sometime."

"I will."

Silence again filled the air as the two set and drowned in hopeless conversation. Lorelai began to gulp her coffee out of nervousness. Luke couldn't think of anything proper to ask, but he did have one question on his mind and with the way the conversation was already going, he figured it couldn't hurt.

"So... we're you ever married?" Luke asked trying to be indirect.

Lorelai cleared her throat. "Once." she replied.

"Rory's father?"

"Yeah."

"You must have been young." Luke noted.

"I was. I was only 16."

"Gee. That had to be rough." Luke went to get the pot of coffee and came back to the table and poured Lorelai another cup.

"Thank you." Lorelai said.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Luke continued.

"We were doomed from the start." Lorelai began. "We were both far too young and far too stubborn to be married. But we had a kid on the way, and it seemed like the right thing to do. We moved to Tennessee after the marriage. We figured if we lived far enough away from our parents everything would turn out okay. Sometimes I think it only made it worse. Chris drank a lot and couldn't keep a steady job. Finally after years of arguing, and fighting I left him. I actually called my parents and told them to come get me and Rory. Then, while I was staying with them, Chris died of alcohol poisoning. Rory and I moved here, and been here ever since." Lorelai was amazed, she had never told anyone that whole story before.

Luke's heart ached for Lorelai. He could tell the pain she had been through, and for some reason or another, all he wanted to do was end it. He had never heard someone express themselves in such a true way. Lorelai was so much different than anyone he had ever met.

"That's an incredible story." Luke said, at a loss for words.

"What about you?" Lorelai asked "What's your history?"

"I don't really have one." Luke sighed as he looked down at the table. "I grew up here. My Pop used to own a hardware store but when he died I decided I'd turn it into a diner."

"You've never been married?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope." Luke replied. "I've never found anyone worth it."

"Sometimes I regret everything about Chris, but there's one thing I'll never regret and that's Rory." Lorelia twirled her finger around the lip of her coffee cup. "Chris was a good guy, he just got involved in bad things."

"Rory's a sweet kid." Luke agreed. "She's not like most the teens around here. She actually has manors and respect."

"Rory's never been like most kids." Lorelai commented. "I suppose it has a lot to do with the way she's been raised."

"You've done a great job." Luke replied.

"Thank you."

The two continued to talk, going deeper and deeper into conversation. Lorelai happened to glance down at her watch and realize it was almost 1:00 am. Suddenly she jumped up from her seat in mid-sentence.

"Oh god! It's almost 1:00am!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I'm sorry Luke, but I have to go."

Luke stood up beside her "I'll walk you home."

"No... It's okay. I drove, so I'll just go..."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive." Lorelai replied as she opened the door. She stopped suddenly and turned. "I had a great time with you tonight Luke." The door to the diner closed.

Lorelai quickly rushed home and turned the key that unlocked her door. The lights were all off and she couldn't hear any type of noises coming from within the house.

"Maybe she's asleep." Lorelai thought, "Maybe she'll never know I was out this late."

As Lorelia was making her way upstairs in hopes of changing into her PJ's she heard Rory's bedroom door open and footsteps coming towards her.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked.

Rory walked into the living room and saw Lorelai standing half way up the stairs.

"Weren't you going to come into my room?" Rory asked.

"Uh... yeah... of course. I was just going to go upstairs first and change." Lorelai stuttered.

"It's late." Rory noted.

"I know." Lorelai said stepping down off the stairs. "Rory, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay out so late. Luke and I got to talking and I lost track of time."

"It's okay." Rory said folding her arms.

"No, it's not okay." Lorelai replied unfolding Rory's arms.

"I'm not going to start doing this, leaving you alone and not coming home til the early morning."

"I know." Rory replied. "It's okay, really. I understand."

Rory turned to walk back in her bedroom.

"Hey." Lorelai called after her. "Can I have a good night kiss?" Lorelai asked.

"Didn't Luke give you one?" Rory asked in a smart aleck voice.

"Rory..." Lorelai spoke stunned and hurt by her daughter's comment.

Rory continued walking until she reached her bedroom. Lorelai followed after her.

"You said all of this was okay." Lorelai began as she stepped foot into Rory's bedroom.

"I never said you staying out later than you promised, and not even telling me when you got home was okay."

"Wow, why do I feel like the daughter here?" Lorelai asked.

"Maybe cause you're acting like one." Rory replied.

"Sweetie, I am truly sorry. Honest." Lorelai took Rory by the arm. "If this is making you uncomfortable, please just tell me."

Rory sighed "I don't mind you dating. I like Luke." Rory said. "But I don't like you staying gone all night, or sneaking in without me knowing."

"You're right." Lorelai replied. "I acted like a child. Rory you come first in my life, if you're not happy, I'm not happy."

"I want you to be happy." Rory said softly.

"I am happy." Lorelai smiled. "I have you, I have a good job, we have this house. We've totally reformed our lives, and we're doing great now."

Rory shook her head in agreement. "You deserved to have a night out. Do you plan on seeing him again?" Rory asked.

"I hope so." Lorelai replied with a grin. "At first we had a hard time talking to each other but then we ended up having one of the best conversations I've ever had."

Rory walked over and laid down on her bed. "I'm glad."

"Me too." Lorelai replied. "So we're good?"

"We're good." Rory confirmed.

"Alright... Good night hun." Lorelai stepped into the doorway.

"Mom." Rory said sleepily.

"Yeah?"

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?" Rory asked.

Lorelai smiled and walked over to her daughter's bed. She leaned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Sleep tight." Lorelai whispered.