Chapter Three

It had been a week and a half since Lorelai had gotten the call and in some respects it felt like it had been forever ago; that life without Rory had just moved on and daily life had resumed. The town had settled back into its normal routine with the exception that Luke's was still closed and Michel had full control over the inn.

Luke and Lorelai, though, were far from settled into a new routine, they had to settle for living from moment to moment. The couple that, more than once, the town had said could survive anything together, were broken. The death of Rory had never crossed a single person's mind but now that it was in front of them people were starting to wonder how Lorelai and Luke were ever going to pull through this, baby or no baby. People stopped in to see the three of them and the talk around town was that the baby was the only holding together the couple.

"And she's a beautiful baby," Miss Patty informed a group after her first visit.

"She soo good, she hardly cried the entire time I was there to make dinner," Babette adds. "I don't know what Lorelai would do without her." Babette spoke the truth. Lorelai hardly left her room and when she did it was to care for her granddaughter, but more often then not Luke just brought the baby to her.

"Hi sweetie," Luke coos gently at Victoria in her bassinet. Reaching his hand down Victoria grabs onto Luke's finger with a tight grip as she stares back at Luke with baby blue eyes that Luke is sure will turn into her mother and grandmother's trademark blue. "Today's a big day."

Luke had taken to talk to Victoria, conversation was just to much for Lorelai to handle, "we're going to see your mommy's lawyer today and the it's almost like we have to just go on with life without her. She was amazing and the worst thing about losing her is that you'll never have the chance to get to know her." A sob escapes Luke's throat but he regains himself before he starts to completely sob, "why don't we get you a bottle warmed up?" Gently Luke lifts the newborn and cradles her in his arms.

Several minutes pass and once Luke has the bottle warmed up he carried both the baby and bottle up to his and Lorelai's room, "Lore," Luke calls out softly, unsure as to if she is awake or not. "Do you want to feed Victoria?"

Lorelai wasn't sleeping, she rarely slept anymore, and she struggles to sit up, "good morning baby girl." Lorelai accepts bottle and baby and snuggles the later to her chest.

"Sookie said she'd watch Victoria for the day," Luke informs. "I told Sookie we'd drop her off on our way to New York."

"I don't understand why we can't just have her fax us all the papers we'll need."

Luke clears his throat, he'd been the one to speak to Rory's lawyer, "this is what Rory wanted, she spoke with Rory on the day...that..." Luke trails unable to actually say the words, "Rory specifically said that if she wanted us to go to New York to handle the situation with her will."

"Why?" Lorelai questions, "it's not like she was a millionaire or anything," Lorelai kisses Victoria on the forehead.

"I'm going to make you breakfast," Luke informs.

Lorelai glances up, "you're going to cook?" Luke hadn't cooked in days and right now both he and Lorelai needed a distraction from everything surrounding there trip.

Luke nods, "why don't you get in the shower and I'll make us some pancakes? Maybe I'll let Victoria watch so she doesn't inherit the Gilmore inability to cook gene." It was supposed to come out as a joke but Luke hadn't been able to muster it and instead it comes out in a monotone.

Luke sets a plate on pancakes in front of Lorelai but she hardly makes a move to touch them, "Lore, you have to eat something."

"Luke, what happens if for some reason Rory didn't leave Victoria to us?" Lorelai asks softly.

"Of course she did," Luke assures. "It's Rory, who else would she leave the baby to? You're her best friend and her mother. It wouldn't make sense for Rory not to name you Victoria's legal guardian."

"It doesn't make sense for her not to call me while she was in the hospital," Lorelai responds, staring hard at her pancakes, trying not to cry.

"She'll want to eat in another hours," Lorelai states, she'd been nervously talking Sookie through everything that had to be done for Victoria while they were gone for the day. "And then..."

"Lorelai, you wrote everything down," Sookie promises. "She's going to be okay."

"Sookie, she's all I have left," Lorelai's words are tearful as Luke wraps an arm around his wife's waist.

"Lorelai, I've done this before, lots of times," Sookie assures, "I know what I'm doing.

"Maybe we should take her with us," Lorelai bites on her lower lip.

"Victoria will be fine," Luke promises, although he has no more desire to let the baby leave his sight either.

"Thank you for coming," Rory's lawyer, Katie Valentine, stands up and shakes both of their hands. "I know you're going through a hard time right now, but Rory wanted you to come here."

"Why are we here?" Lorelai asks bluntly, her eyes are red and puffy from the tears she had dissolved into 15 minutes before they reached the city.

"I was with Rory at the hospital, she was a good friend of mine," Katie takes a deep breath, they'd known each other since their senior year at Yale and Katie considered Rory one of her best friends.

"You were with her?" Lorelai questions, Luke knowsthatwhatever'scoming Lorelai's going to need the extra support, and he squeezes her hand gently.

Katie nods, "I was with her when she collapsed."

"Why didn't she call me?" Lorelai asks softly.

"She, um," Katie clears her throat, "she didn't want you to think of her in the hospital. She hated the thought of your last memory of her be watching her wheeled into the operating room and then to have a doctor come out and tell you she didn't make it. She loved you more than anyone else in this entire world, except for Victoria, she wanted you to remember her alive and well, not dying."

"She had to have been so scared," Lorelai sobs. "She was always doing that, protecting me out of the hard part of being a mom." It takes nearly 15 minutes for the three of them to regain themselves enough to continue their meeting.

"So why are we here?" Luke asks.

"She wanted me to deliver the news in person."

"What news," Luke asks.

"Who Victoria's father is," Lorelai responds blandly.

Katie nods, "yes." Taking a deep breath Katie continues, "she started feeling really guilty for not telling him in the first place. Before I tell you who he is though I want to tell you what her request was, she wants Victoria's father to be a part of her life. Unless he doesn't want the responsibility, in which case naturally you two are named Victoria's legal guardians."

"Who is he?" Lorelai requests simply.

A.N. I'm evil, I know but I promise on all things that are holy in Gilmore Girl land that in the next chapter you will know who Victoria's father is...so stay tuned, hopefully I'll get the next chapter out soon!