Previously:

"I'm sorry I've got to take this"

"Go ahead, I'll be right here, I won't let anything happen to her"

"I know you won't" Lorelai then got up and walked to answer her phone call.

"Hey Mike, what's up"

"You got to get your ass back to New York"

"Excuse me, why?"

"Ted, the new kid who was taking over for you while you were gone, completely screwed up the opening of the New Hotel on 5th Avenue, I need you to come fix it"

"No, I can't come back."

"Lorelai, I need you here and besides this is your job"

"You promised me Mike that I could have one month to get my inn and my personal matters in order, something I've been trying to do for four years"

"Lorelai you're a dam fine consultant, but if you don't get your butt back here and do your job, I'm going to have to let you go, and I really don't want to do that"

"Fine I'll be there in a couple of days, that's the best I can offer, take it or leave it"

"I'll take it, see you in a couple of days Lorelai, I love you doll you know that right"

"Mike, shut up you ass" and with that she hung up the phone. Great, things were crazy as ever and she had to go back to New York. How the hell was she going to tell Luke?

Chapter 6

Lorelai was walking out of Sookie's house. She was headed towards Luke's. He had said goodbye to Laurie earlier so he wasn't expecting Lorelai. She was going to go back to New York without telling him how she really felt but when she went to say goodbye to Sookie, Jackson, Davy and Martha she realized that she still wanted a family after watching them. So Lorelai asked Sookie if she could watch Laurie for ten minutes and she was off. She knew she was taking a risk, that she may not get what she wanted, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She walked into Luke's and it was completely empty. Nobody in sight, until Luke came from the back.

"Hey"

"Hi"

"I thought you left"

"I am, I just forgot to do something"

"What did you forget to do" Luke started to walk over towards her.

"Talk to you"

He was now facing her "We already talked, you said you would call with Laurie's schedule and yours in a couple of days.

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about"

"Oh, alright whatever it is shoot"

"I still love you"

"What" That was definitely not what he thought she was going to say.

"No, don't say anything because if you do I won't be able to get this out. I still love you. I never stopped. I'm probably never going to stop. I know its wrong to drop this on you like this, it's not fair to you but I had to do this. And you know what I don't expect you to feel the same way anymore, you don't have to do or say anything. In fact I don't want you too because I have already changed your life dramatically and you don't need any more to deal with, it's just that I've carried this with me for a long time and I just thought you should know."

"Okay" now it was his turn to talk until she spoke.

"Well I better be going"

"What"

"Thanks for being so understanding"

"Not a problem" Lorelai went over and hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Goodbye Luke" and then she walked out the door and he watched her go… again "Goodbye Lorelai"

Lorelai and Laurie left Stars Hollow that night. Luke stayed behind yet again. He spent the next few days thinking about what Lorelai had said. He wanted to tell her he felt the same way, but she didn't give him the opportunity to. He wished she had because then maybe she wouldn't have left. He wanted her home, he wanted his little girl home, and he had wanted them both home for years, we wanted to go get them, but he didn't have a clue where to look. He knew New York but where in New York, New York was a big city and was broken up into different parts. If he went there he may never find her. He was just going to have to wait for her to make the first step and call, and then he would find some excuse to get her address. Until then he was just going to have to wait and think about what he was going to say to her when he saw her again. Who knew when that was going to be? Her job took over her life. How she balanced taking care of Laurie he'll never know. She amazed him, just like she always had. It was just another thing he loved about her, how great of a mom she was. She may have doubted herself because of what had happened with Rory but he didn't. Rory had screwed up, that was a given, but none of it was Lorelai's fault. He just wished she could see that. While he was walking out of Doses' Market when he bumped into someone, someone who had avoided him ever since she moved back.

"Rory"

"Luke hi"

"Hi how was Europe"

"Same, Europe, old, historical, not America"

"Right"

"How are you"

"Not bad what about you"

"I'm okay"

"That's good, so you just got back?"

"Yeah this morning"

"Wow well um you missed your mom"

"Mom was here?'

"Yeah for about three weeks"

"Three weeks!"

"With Laurie"

"So… you know"

"Yeah… I know"

"Luke I would have told you it's just that she promised me not to and she said she was going to do it herself, I just didn't think it was my place"

"It's fine I mean it explains a lot like why you completely avoided me when you moved back"

"I was afraid I would let it slip"

"It's fine"

"So… mom was here…how is she? did she look good?"

"Your mom always looks good…she says good but"

"You noticed she's different too"

"Yeah"

"Yeah she changed, I don't know why though"

"She misses you"

"Yeah well we talk"

"Not like you used to"

"She didn't support my decisions, if she had things wouldn't have changed" Rory's attitude started to get a little harsh.

"She wanted what was best for you" Luke was getting defensive over Lorelai, hated her relationship with Rory and Rory was acting as if it didn't matter.

"What she thinks is best isn't necessary what is best"

"You hurt her!"

"Yeah! Just like you!" and then they were both silent for a second until Luke spoke

"Your right"

"What?"

"I did hurt her and I have always regretted that, I'll never forgive myself"

Rory couldn't take this anymore, she knew she hurt her mom and talking to Luke a person who for the longest time she considered more of a father than her own, was helping "I have to go"

"Yeah I have to get back to the diner"

"See you around Luke" Rory started to walk away when Luke called out to her

"Don't be a stranger, stop by every once and a while."

Rory then turned around "I will" she then smiled at him and left.

With that they parted and Luke couldn't believe how much Rory had changed. In a way she was all-alone too. She had Lane and that Logan punk but she was basically all alone, just like Lorelai. It broke his heart.

A few days later after he ran into Rory Luke was standing behind the counter when the bell over the diner rang and a familiar voice spoke.

"It's as if I never left" Luke's head immediately went up where he saw Jess. He was still as sarcastic as ever but other than that he was changed. He got his act together, got a GED, was going to collage, owned a couple of bookstores and was working on a book of his own. Jess was living a wonderful life, the kinda life we all expected Rory to have.

"What are you doing here?"

"Picking up a delivery in Hartford for one of my bookstores"

"Don't you have guys that do that?'

"Well I figured it was a good excuse to come by and see you"

"Okay"

"How's it going"

"Alright"

"Anything new happening?"

"Lorelai came home"

"I see"

"But she left"

"Yeah I know"

"You know?"

"I saw her a couple of days ago, taking Laurie to her pre-school"

"Yeah" Luke was quite for a second. It was making Jess nervous. He wasn't sure if he was mad for not telling him about Laurie but he promised Lorelai he wouldn't when she moved to New York. When Jess and ran into Lorelai, it had been a few weeks after Laurie was born. Jess had a job and was just starting to go back to school but he couldn't afford a place to live. Lorelai gave him a room in her place, for free, in exchange letting her to be the one to tell Luke about Laurie when she was ready. He needed a place to stay and Lorelai needed to him to keep her secret. He had to

"Why didn't you tell me?'

"Because she was doing well, and everytime things started to go well for her something else happen. She was actually planning on telling you a long time ago, years ago"

"Years?"

"Yeah, she won't admit it but she hates her job, it takes up to much of her time. And that Mike Armstrong guy, what an ass. He hits on her all the time and asks her out repetitively, even though she won't give him the time of day. And her parents, when her dad was sick, what a wreck, Mike Armstrong wouldn't even give her time off, while she was in Cape Cod she opened another inn. The whole Rory situation, I'm surprised she when gets up in the morning because of her"

"You two are close?"

"I guess you could say that, she helped me out when I needed it"

"She helped you out?"

"A lot gave me a place to stay when I had no money during my first years of school"

"She gave you a place to stay?"

"Yep"

"She had the room"

"Oh yeah, her apartment is huge, that company she works for gave her it furnished and pays her rent. It's a nice place just"

"Not what you expect Lorelai to live in?"

"Exactly"

"So she's still living in that apartment you lived in?"

"Yeah"

"So you have her address?"

"Yeah when you live somewhere for a year and a half you tend to know the address"

"So if I asked you for it"

"I could give it to you" Luke looks at Jess and Jess suddenly gets it. Jess takes a napkin and takes out a pen and writes down her address, then he slides it over to Luke "She lives in lower Manhattan, her apartments on the corner of this street across from one of my bookstores. Her apartment has a Bellman, tell him Jess sent you and he'll let you through. Go to the third floor, take a right and it's the fourth door on your left, 4D.

"Thanks Jess" Luke calls to Caesar "Caesar I'm going out and I don't know when I'm coming back, close tonight and open tomorrow" He turns to Jess "Can you watch him or do you have to get that delivery"

"What delivery?" Luke looks at Jess and realizes there was never a delivery but that he was trying to get the two people who helped him out a chance to be together once again.

"Se ya later Jess" Luke was out the door and in his truck in a heartbeat. Jess whispered to himself "Go get her Uncle Luke" As he watches Luke leave and is looking out the window he sees Rory walking from Lane's and he smiles to himself. He then gets up off of the stool he was sitting on and walks out the door about to go get his girl.

NEXT: Luke arrives in New York and goes to Lorelai's apartment.