A/N- Clarifying more of the questions! Yeah, I am going to make Luke and Lorelai have kids, but not for a while. I want to establish a relationship with them and Rory, so she'll probably be in her late teens by the time she gets a sibling (though I already have Luke and Lorelai's offspring planned out- names and all). Also, Emily and Richard are coming back very soon... like, scroll down, LOL.

A/N 2- Must I remind you all that I adore the reviews? Keep reviewing, cuz I already know what to write in my next chapter, so it makes me get it into type faster!

Disclaimer- Don't own them. Don't want to. Just want to write for me and the other people who love these shows :-D

Age Three

Kirsten worked busily in the house, trying to forget her worries. Her mother was getting worse, but according to the doctor, if she hadn't had chemo, they would've lost her already. Knowing that if her mother hadn't had the therapy, she would never get to know the boys, Kirsten put on a brave face and accompanied her mother to the doctor, spending as much time with her as she could.

When she wasn't with her mother, however, she was thinking about her mother, so she spent her days busying herself around the house. It was always spotless, and other parents of two-year-olds marveled at the meticulousness of the boys' room, asking who their housekeeper was; Kirsten always blushed when she revealed that she was the one who kept the house so clean.

The times when she was truly happy, and even mildly distracted, was when she was with the boys. Most parents in Newport sent their children to preschool when they were three, but Kirsten felt no need. She was home anyway. Sandy made enough money to support their family. She wanted to bond with the boys and she saw no need for them to bond with strangers at such a young age. She didn't want the relationship with them that little Marissa Cooper had with her mother. Marissa adored Jimmy, her father and the Cohens' neighbor, but was aloof from her mother, wandering away without a goodbye when she was left at the Cohens when Julie needed to go out on the weekend.

Seth and Ryan were growing so fast, and Kirsten was amazed at what they could do now that they were three. They were eager to help around the house, and Kirsten decided that giving them some small jobs and chores would be fun for them, and a good learning experience as well. She allowed them to make their beds in the morning, helped set the table at night, and put the dishes into the sink after dinner. As they were still young for an allowance, Kirsten and Sandy chose to praise them often in addition to adding stickers to a newly-made sticker chart; once they reached thirty stickers for helping around the house, they earned a prize of their choice. They also found that it worked well if the boys chose to misbehave; a threat to lose a sticker was all they needed to listen and become angels again.

Eventually, however (the boys were well-behaved, so threats of losing stickers were few and far-between), Seth and Ryan reached thirty stickers each (Seth reached thirty one morning, while Ryan did that afternoon (there was an incident regarding bath-time in which Ryan chose it was better to hide in the closet than take a bath)) and each chose a prize. Seth decided that he wanted a day at the movies with his father, and Ryan chose a day at the park with his mother. The choice of parent was not theirs- Sandy and Kirsten had decided that they would alternate handling prizes for the boys- it only seemed fair.

However, with this newly-allowed responsibility, the boys craved individuality and freedom. They began complaining when their parents dressed them in similar outfits, as they had done their entire life. While they never wore the exact same outfit, it was generally similar, and the boys suddenly realized the fact. They were soon allowed to pick out their own outfits every day (with Sandy or Kirsten's approval), which quenched their desire to be "grown-ups" slightly, but not overwhelmingly. What the boys really wanted, was to be adults, and to be allowed freedom to do as they chose. Their desire to be adults led to one particularly dangerous incident in the mall.

Kirsten and Sandy had taken the boys shopping, again, for new dress clothes. They were constantly growing out of the ones that Kirsten and Sandy had bought for them, and now that they lived in Newport, they had a charity benefit to attend every other weekend. Bringing the boys with them seemed like a good idea, as they themselves didn't want to be there, it was cheaper than finding a sitter (not to mention the fact that most were already taken by the other Newpsies), and it gave them an excuse to go home early, when the boys became tired. They spent the afternoon in Macy's, giving the boys suit after suit to try on in exchange for the promise of a treat afterwards. While they could get the boys to try the suits on, getting them to stop complaining was another story entirely.

"Daddy, I'm hot!" Ryan whined.

"Mommy, my suit is itchy!" Seth complained.

"I'm hungry!" Ryan added, his eyes pleading with his mother.

"Me too!" Seth added, tugging at the too-big suit jacket that he was wearing.

"I like Seth's suit better!" Ryan pointed at his brother, his lower lip pouting in the hopes of winning his parents' sympathy.

"I like Ryan's suit better!" Seth began to rub at his eyes. As Sandy and Kirsten finally paid for the suits (noting how the boys had perfected the "whining method" they'd created on the day after their second birthday), they made a mental note to make the boys take naps before they went shopping from now on. Suddenly, Sandy grabbed Seth's hand and Kirsten grabbed Ryan's, instructing the boys to hold each others' hand and forming a chain of Cohens. They took the boys to Baskin Robbins, where the boys refused to allow their parents to order for them. After much deliberation, Ryan, who was resting on his father's hip, declared,

"I want chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles... on a cone!" He decided to push his luck, but the attempt didn't escape Sandy, as he quickly retaliated,

"Ryan, no cones. You know the rule. They're way too messy."

"I could give you a cone on top of the ice cream in the cup if you'd like," The teenage boy behind the counter offered.

"Yeah!" Ryan smiled.

"If it's not too much trouble," Sandy shot an appreciative smile at the boy as he turned away to get Ryan's ice cream. Seth, who was perched on his mother's hip, ordered next,

"I want chocolate with chocolate chips... and a cone like Ryan's!" The young boy behind the counter quickly obliged, and soon the family was sitting around, eating their ice cream together in the food court. While the boys craved to be treated like adults, their behavior was that of three-year-olds, as could be expected, including when Seth threw a chocolate chip at Ryan, and Ryan ran an ice-cream covered finger down Seth's neck. The boys giggled and screamed, reveling in the mess that they'd created until their parents threatened to take away stickers. Suddenly, the boys began behaving, prompting an approving "I knew you could be big boys" from their parents.

Proudly, they wiped themselves down and followed Sandy and Kirsten out of the food court and towards the western side of the mall. Their good behavior was short-lived, however, when they spotted a candy store.

"Look, mommy, a candy store!" called an awed Ryan.

"Mommy, daddy, can we go?" added Seth, joining in his brother's plight for more sugar.

"No, boys. You've already had ice cream."

"But we want candy!"

"Ryan, what did I just say?"

"I'm still hungry!"

"Then you'll eat when we get home, Seth."

"But we don't wanna eat when we get home! We wanna eat now and we wanna eat candy!" Seth stamped his foot angrily, screwing his face into a contorted, angry frown, and crossed his arms, planting himself firmly in the middle of the floor.

"Seth Ezekiel!"

"No!"

"What are you saying no to? I haven't said anything that you could say no to yet!"

"No!" He repeated, beginning to cry. His parents could sense a tantrum coming on, and Kirsten stepped forward to deal with it firmly.

"Seth, I do not like this behavior, especially not when we're in such a public place. Stop it right now or you're not playing with any of your toys when we get home."

"No!" This seemed to be the only thing he wanted to say, and Ryan could tell that his brother wasn't making any headway with his parents, so he chose a different course of action. Quickly, silently, her turned on his heel and ran towards the candy store.

"Ryan Nicholas Cohen! Get back here right now!" He heard his father's angry, forceful voice call from behind him, but he was a man on a mission, and nothing would keep him from his candy. He could sense it getting closer as he weaved in and out of the people making their way through the mall. He was about to enter the candy store when suddenly he felt a pair of arms come underneath him and swoop him up. Afraid to look, he stealthily glanced up at the face behind the arms holding him and began to weep silently, much as Seth had done. His father had come to catch him.

Sandy and Kirsten dragged the crying boys to a deserted corner of the mall and sat them down on the floor.

"Ryan and Seth, if you two can't behave, then we can't take you out anymore."

"Fine!" Ryan shot back. Seth rolled his eyes- Ryan needed to give up, and fast.

"Fine! Fine!" Kirsten repeated, "Fine, Ryan. Then that means no more trips to the toy store, no more ice cream, no more going to Discovery Zone and playing there for the afternoon. Instead, daddy and I will go out and have a good time and you and Seth can go spend every day at Marissa's house. And that means staying with Marissa's mommy!" Ryan suddenly calmed and leaned his back against the wall. Sandy took the reins,

"Boys, we know that you can be big boys when you want to be. And you need to be big boys when we leave the house. Can you be big boys?" Both Seth and Ryan nodded and quietly, almost inaudibly, Seth asked,

"Can we go home now?"

"No, Seth, we can't, because Mommy and I still need to go to some other stores. So you and your brother can stand up right now and act like big boys. We'll finish this talk when we get home. Can we trust you to act like big boys for the rest of the day?" The boys both, again, nodded silently, and Sandy finished, "Good. Then let's go. Seth and Ryan, hold hands." He and Kirsten turned and began their way back into the mall, leaving a silent Seth and Ryan marching behind them.

Soon, however, the boys' three-year-old minds took over, and both forgot having been scolded earlier. They laughed and joked as they followed Sandy and Kirsten through the mall and into a third store. Suddenly, Ryan stopped Seth in his tracks; both were staring at the candy store that had caused so much trouble earlier.

"Seth, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Seth paused and considered, then answered,

"That Mommy wouldn't like it if she knew that we play video games every night before bed?" Ryan shook his head.

"No! Look over there!"

"I know, I see it!"

"Let's go," Ryan whispered. Seth seemed shocked,

"Ryan, you heard mommy and daddy!"

"Yeah, they said we should act like big boys. And big boys are allowed to go to the candy store all by themselves! Like those big boys!" Ryan pointed at a group of teenage boys roughhousing near the music store, "See, they don't have their mommies and daddies with them!"

"I guess you're right..."

"So let's go!" Seth seemed suddenly excited by the idea and he and Ryan set off in the direction of the candy store.

Inside the bookstore that the Cohens had entered, Kirsten allowed herself to go back to the children's section, relaxed since she could hear the boys' footsteps behind her. She knelt by the Berenstain Bears books and began speaking,

"Boys, which of these do you have? Do you have The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday? I know you have Too Much Junk Food, but I can't remember which of the other ones you have," no response, "Boys?" She turned around to find a little boy and girl standing next to her, looking at the same books she was. Slightly panicked, she asked them, "Have you two been behind me the whole time?" The children nodded and Kirsten stood up quickly, scanning the aisles for any signs of her sons. She returned to the childrens' eye level and asked, "Were there any little boys near you? One with brown hair and one with yellow hair?" The children shook their heads no. Standing again, she called out their names, and when no one answered, she frantically ran to find Sandy. She found him perusing a Law book and quickly told him, "The boys! They're missing!" He immediately became concerned,

"What do you mean, they're missing?"

"They were behind us before and I thought they were still behind us but it turns out it wasn't them and they're not in here and I don't know where they went!" She looked around, panicked, and Sandy began to call,

"Seth! Ryan! SETH? RYAN? SETH AND RYAN COHEN!" No answer. Sandy grabbed Kirsten's hand and ran to the entrance of the bookstore, scanning the crowds of people for a blonde and brunette head bobbing around. To their dismay, they could see nothing over the people's heads, especially as the boys were still so small. Sandy attempted to gather his thoughts and calm his frenetic wife,

"OK, well let's look. Where would they go first?" They looked around the mall at the stores, and suddenly, Kirsten called,

"Sandy! The candy store!" She and Sandy quickly grabbed each other's hands and ran to the candy store, both finally breathing when they saw the boys standing in the corner of the store, looking at an M&M display.

"My babies!" Kirsten breathed, running over to embrace them tightly.

"Hi, mommy," Ryan said nervously.

"Hi, daddy," Seth said, equally perturbed. Both boys looked at one another with a fearful glance- they'd been caught. Kirsten pulled back and kissed both boys' foreheads. Though they had only been gone for thirty seconds to a minute at most, an overwhelming fear had come over her. She was thrown back to the now-reoccurring dream that plagued her sleep nightly. It always consisted of the boys being taken from her, and once or twice the dream had taken place in a mall similar to this one. She pulled back and wiped tears from her eyes.

"Mommy, what's the matter?" Seth asked.

"Mommy was scared when she couldn't find you guys," Kirsten answered, going in to hug and kiss them each again.

"We didn't mean to scare you, mommy," Ryan stared at his shoes.

"Yeah, we're sorry," Seth seemed similarly interested in his footwear.

"Oh, boys, you don't know the meaning of the word "sorry" yet," Sandy interjected after he, too, hugged the boys, finally able to breathe, knowing they were alright. Ryan and Seth looked at Sandy apologetically, then quickly looked back at the floor, bracing themselves for the lecture they were about to receive.

"Boys, how could you do this? Why did you do this?" His voice was full of frustration and fear, but he kept it at a calm, reprimanding tone. He never lost his temper with Seth and Ryan, and he made it a point to never yell.

"We just wanted to be big boys..." Ryan's voice trailed off.

"You just wanted to be big boys? Well, big boys don't wander off without telling their mommies and daddies."

"We just saw those big boys," Seth attempted to defend himself in a small voice, pointing to the group of teenagers still loitering in the same spot, "And we thought that if they were big boys and so were we, then we could go by ourselves, cuz they were by themselves."

"Seth, that is no excuse. You tell your mother and me whenever you want to go anywhere. If you go by yourselves, you could get hurt or stolen," Kirsten shuddered at the thought, "and we could never, ever lose you. Ever." The boys nodded and Sandy saw Ryan rub at his eye, wiping away a tear. He continued, "When we get home, you both go straight up to your room. No toys, no playing, no TV. Straight upstairs. Got it?" Both boys nodded, and Seth suddenly shook- he was sobbing silently. Suddenly, he reached forward for his father,

"I'm sorry, daddy." He wrapped his arms tightly around him and Sandy hugged back, letting go to allow Seth to go to his mother and to embrace an also-crying Ryan. He picked up his son and turned to face his other, now being held by his mother, and kissed them each on the forehead.

"You know that mommy and I love you, right? And we'd do anything to make sure you guys never got hurt." Seth and Ryan nodded, and both quickly responded,

"We love you, too."

Kirsten held Seth close to her and continually kissed Ryan's forehead for the next thirty seconds, and recalled what could've been. As she watched another young mother pull her son by the wrist and force him out of the store, she couldn't help but remember that Ryan, the son that she loved so much, could've lived in that type of family. From what she could gather from the doctor at the hospital three years earlier, Ryan's birth mother had been an alcoholic prior to finding out she was pregnant; she beat her children and was herself repeatedly abused, and couldn't hold down a job. Kirsten shuddered, reminding herself that no one could touch her boys, as she left the mall and heard the blonde woman behind her screech,

"Let's go, you little piece of crap. Trey, I said let's go!"

And with that, Kirsten took Ryan from Sandy, the two of them and Seth crying silently as they held each other, all remembering that nothing could harm them.

Lorelai woke up to the sound of the alarm and rolled over to find no Luke, but only a note lying on the pillow. She hadn't been expecting her fianceé to be lying next to her, but she had been expecting the note. She read it to herself, smiling from the start,

Lorelai,

There's breakfast for you and Rory in the fridge. If you don't want it, then come down and see me, maybe I can make you two something fresh to eat.

I'm downstairs. Get dressed and come down if you need me for anything.

I love you. Like, a lot. Like, so much. Like, more than you'll ever know.

Love,

Luke

She smiled at their little habits and inside jokes. Nearly every morning since she'd moved into his apartment the month before, he'd gotten up early to open the diner, and every morning that he'd left the bed, he'd written her a note for her to wake up to. She laughed when she read the part where he'd written "I love you. Like, a lot. Like, so much. Like, more than you'll ever know", remembering what had prompted it to be said the first time.

She and Luke had been lying in bed together a week after she'd moved in. Rory was asleep in the Liz's converted playroom that was now Rory's bedroom. They were watching TV, which Luke had brought into the bedroom upon Lorelai's insistence, and Lorelai suddenly muted the sound.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?" She paused for a moment, then blurted out the words that she wanted to say,

"How much do you love me?" She felt like a two-year-old asking these questions, but he quickly retaliated with his own question,

"What do you want me to do now?"

"No... no, nothing. It's just... I've had people tell me that they love me before, but then they abandon me and it makes me nervous sometimes..." He sighed and kissed her forehead,

"You want to know how much I love you?"

"Yeah, like, what amount?" He smiled at her playful innocence,

"Like, a lot." She frowned slightly.

"Well, how much is a lot?"

"Like, so much." Again the frown appeared.

"Meaning?"

"Like, more than you'll ever know. I love you more than anything." She finally smiled, the smile that Luke waited to see every day, and leaned over, kissing him fully on the mouth. When they separated, she answered,

"I love you that much, too."

She stood up and checked on Rory, allowing her to sit and watch TV while she took a shower. She soon finished and dressed in her favorite sweater- a black off-the shoulder one, and a pair of jeans. She smiled, glad that it was her day off from the inn, and planned her day.

She was going to take Rory shopping for a new summer dress, go food shopping, and meet Luke at the park to let Rory play. Then came the part of the day that she dreaded. She had plans to head over to her parents for a bit; Luke had persuaded her to tell them about the wedding.

With both she and Rory fully dressed, Lorelai led the three-year-old downstairs and out in front of the counter. Luke was nowhere to be seen as Lorelai ushered her daughter to the storeroom to find her fianceé. Rory returned soon after, pulling Luke by the index finger, his eyes rolled to the top of his head.

"Hi, honey."

"You know that I was doing something?" He asked, faking annoyance.

"Yes, I do."

"And you know that in order for me to go with you tonight, I need to get everything done and in order here so I can let Caesar close up."

"Yes, I do."

"So, you sent Rory back there to get me because?"

"Because I also know that she has you wrapped around her little finger."

"So do you."

"I know, but I thought I'd let her have a turn." He sighed.

"Good morning." He kissed her lightly on the lips as she answered,

"Good morning." Rory, growing tired with the adult banter, interjected,

"Daddy, I'm hungry."

"Good morning to you, too." He kissed her forehead.

"Good morning. But I'm still hungry."

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Umm... pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, strawberries... and coffee." She quickly added afterwards, hoping maybe he'd get it for her without the words registering in his mind.

"Pick one breakfast food. And no coffee."

"Why not?" She pouted at him and he was instantly reminded of her mother.

"Because you're too young for coffee. And because I don't want you to grow up and be unhealthy."

"But mommy drinks it."

"She shouldn't drink it either, but Mommy's a grown-up. She's old enough to make her own decisions." Rory resigned herself to her fate, exasperatedly exhaling,

"Fiiine... Then I just want Chocolate Chip pancakes." He turned around and returned with a mug and a cup, one filled with coffee for Lorelai and the other with orange juice for Rory.

"Thank you," Both girls said, each beginning to sip their respective beverage.

"Honey, we should get going around 4:30ish today," Luke grunted in acknowledgement, "I put out an outfit for you. Nothing special. Just nothing that has a grease stain on it."

"Shouldn't I wear a suit or that sweater you bought for me last week? I mean, to impress your parents?" Lorelai shook her head defiantly,

"Definitely not. If they can't accept the man I love for who he is, then forget them." He unveiled the smile that was reserved for Lorelai- no one else was able to evoke it in him and he leaned over to kiss her again. Luke gave Rory her pancakes and within twenty minutes, Lorelai and Rory stood to leave.

"Luke?" Lorelai called from the counter, "We're going!" Luke reemerged from the back, wiping his hands with a towel.

"Have fun," He told them, kissing Lorelai one last time and kissing Rory's hair.

"Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Later that day, Luke and Lorelai's truck pulled up in front of the Gilmore mansion.

"Now, remember, I'm going to tell them separately," Lorelai told Luke as they stepped out of the car, "If it goes badly, we give Rory the signal, she coughs and maybe sneezes, and we go home. Whatever happens, remember that I love you and so does Rory." She opened the back door of the car and Luke rolled his eyes at her,

"You're very dramatic."

"I'm very realistic." He sighed.

"Alright, kiss me, because if you're not exaggerating, it may be the last time." Leaning over to kiss him quickly, she picked up Rory, who had fallen asleep on the car ride over.

"See, she gets the idea," Lorelai added as Luke locked the car.

They stood at the door, neither moving, both only breathing heavily.

"I love you," Lorelai repeated as Luke grunted,

"Will you knock already?" Lorelai inhaled deeply and knocked rapidly on the intimidating door. Soon, Lorelai and Luke heard a shrill voice emanating from inside.

"Richard, are you expecting someone?... No, I'm not!... Fine, I'll just get it..." The door flew open and Emily's eyes widened, "Lorelai!" She gasped as she stood, clinging to the door for support, "What... What are you doing here?"

"Hi, mom. Nice to see you, too. Why, yes, Rory has grown!"

"I'm, I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting you. Was I expecting you?"

"No, mom. We just thought we'd... pop by."

"You know, Lorelai, it's rude to just 'pop by'. But it wouldn't kill you to call once in a while. So we can know how you are. And how Rory is." The Emily Lorelai knew and loathed was back, recovered from the shock.

"Rory's fine, mom. Just heavy and asleep. Can I put her down somewhere?"

"Oh, yes. Put her in your room." Lorelai turned to Luke,

"Luke, will you take her up?"

"Sure." Emily seemed to notice the man standing behind her daughter for the first time.

"Hello," She greeted coldly.

"Hi," Luke responded awkwardly, adjusting Rory in his arms.

"Mom, this is Luke," Lorelai offered.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Gilmore."

"Please, it's Emily." Luke knew she didn't mean her friendliness.

"Luke, the room you're looking for is up the hall and to the left. First door."

"Ok." Shooting Emily a half-smile, he climbed the stairs, Rory sleeping soundly in his arms.

"So..." Emily started, deciding that straightforward bluntness was the best path to take, "You're pregnant again?" Shocked, Lorelai's eyes widened and she screamed in retaliation,

"WHAT! NO! No, I'm not! What on earth makes you say that!"

"You show up, you have the 'announcement' look on your face, you have a man with you. It only makes sense."

"I'm not pregnant, mother!"

"Then why are you here?"

"Why do I need a motive?" Emily shrugged and turned her attention away,

"Richard! Come and see who's here!" Luke descended the stair and stood behind Lorelai. This was one scary woman, and he was glad that he had Lorelai to back him up. Richard entered, engrossed in a newspaper, and looked up, surprised,

"Why, Lorelai! It's nice to see you."

"Hi, dad. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Were we expecting you?"

"No, we just thought we'd pop in."

"We?"

"Yeah, dad. Me, Rory, and Luke."

"Luke?" Luke marveled at the fact that these people saw only what they wanted to see as Richard looked up and took notice of the man standing behind his daughter, protectively clutching her hand.

"Luke Danes, sir."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you. Are you and my daughter... together?" Luke was taken aback at his bluntness, but quickly recovered.

"Going on two years, sir."

"Yeah, dad. Luke's my... Luke." She put her left hand on his stomach to calm him. It was then that Emily noticed it. Gleaming, mocking her, staring her straight in the eye. She fell deep into her own thoughts and realized that she couldn't breathe. She coughed, reminding herself that her body needed oxygen. A million questions ran through her head as she decided that she needed to talk to Lorelai privately. As soon as possible.

Bringing herself back to reality, she interjected,

"Richard," they had been engaging in polite chit-chat for five minutes already, "Why don't you go show Luke some of your books in the library?"

"Wonderful idea, Emily." Luke squeezed Lorelai's hand for luck, and she encouraged him with her eyes. The same ones that were the first thing he'd noticed about her. The same ones Rory had. The same ones that, accompanied by a hair flip, could get him to do anything. He followed her father as her mother led her into the living room, the two taking seats opposite each other.

"Mom..." Lorelai started It's now or never, "I actually do have something to tell you," Emily braced herself, as did Lorelai. The similarities were striking. "Luke and I... are getting married." She waited. She waited for the screaming. For the fighting. For the anger. But it didn't come yet.

"How long have you two been dating?" False calm filled the air.

"Two years come October."

"Are you living together?"

"Yes, mom."

"And Rory lives with you?"

"No, mom. She found herself a nice one-bedroom in Soho." Emily chose to move past the sarcasm.

"What does he do?"

"Excuse me?"

"For a living. What does he do?"

"He owns a diner." Emily stood and wandered stoically to the mantle, playing with a picture of Lorelai and Rory. She didn't seem to notice the anguish on Lorelai's face in the picture. "Mom... say something."

"There's nothing for me to say, Lorelai."

"What?"

"I know you. I know you'll be bored by December. Broken up by January. Madly in love with another man by February."

"Excuse me?"

"Lorelai, you run. I know you. You may have your fun with this man now, but eventually, you'll come to your senses and realize that you belong with Christopher." Lorelai took a second to comprehend what her mother had said. Then, inhaling deeply, she shot back,

"Mom, I'm happy! Why can't you be happy for me?"

"Because you don't belong with him. He's not right for you!"

"He's not right for me? He's sweet. He loves me. He loves Rory. He takes care of us. He feeds us. He supports us. Which part of that is not right for me?"

"You belong with Christopher." Her blunt tone took Lorelai by surprise.

"I WHAT? Mother, you don't know me at all!"

"You do. You're supposed to be with the father of your child." Before Lorelai could answer, they heard Rory's anguished cries from upstairs,

"Daddy! Daddy!"

"See, even Rory agrees with me, Lorelai. She wants her father."

"Rory does not agree with you mother," She was quiet for a minute, then continued, "She probably just had a nightmare. She always calls for him when she has a nightmare."

"Well, aren't you going to go to her?"

"She doesn't want me, mom. For some reason, I can never console her after a bad dream. She doesn't calm down."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Lorelai!" Emily bound up the stairs, but slowed down upon hearing a gruff voice singing My Girl tenderly,

Rory's crying subsided and Emily watched through a crack in the door as she lay her head on Luke's chest. It was obvious that he had been holding her, dancing with her, comforting her. She inhaled quickly, shuddering slightly. Emily's heart skipped a beat as she heard Rory say,

"I love you, daddy." She reminded her hear to beat as he kissed her hair, responding,

"I love you, too, princess."

Emily didn't know what to do, so she merely allowed herself to slide down the wall behind the door, sitting on the floor and listening to the conversation between Luke and her granddaughter.

She heard Luke ask Rory what had happened in the nightmare. She listened to the conversation between a stranger and her daughter's daughter.

She heard Rory spill her heart out to Luke, trusting him with her deepest fears. She listened to the conversation between her daughter's child and the man her daughter thought she loved.

She heard Luke console the little girl, assuring her that everything was ok. He and her mommy were there to protect her. There was nothing to worry about. She peeked through the crack in the door.

And as she watched Rory hug Luke and tell him that she loved him again, she watched an interaction between father and daughter, finally resigning to the fact that Lorelai and her granddaughter's father were together. But, of course, she'd never let them know that she understood that. She still, however, didn't consider them a family. She was raised to believe that a family was biological, though adoption did make you part of a family. She didn't believe that this man was right for her daughter, that he was good enough for her, that he was good enough to be Rory's stepfather. Or her father.

Lorelai didn't notice Emily crouched behind the open bedroom door as she appeared at the top of the stairs and passed through the doorway to her former bedroom, shuddering from the wave of memories flowing through her.

"Hi, sweets."

"Mommy!" Rory called, extending her arms to her mother. Lorelai took the little girl from her father and kissed her head, much as Luke had moments before.

"What happened, baby? Did you have a bad dream?" Rory nodded against her mother's shoulder and Luke led them to the bed, all three sitting together.

"But Rory knows," He comforted her again, "That as long as she has mommy and daddy, nothing can hurt her. Right, Ror?" She nodded again and looked up at her mother,

"Mommy, daddy sang to me again." Lorelai smiled at Luke, knowing that he'd only do it for Rory.

"That's because daddy loves you so much. And he knows you feel better when he does."

"Daddy also told you not to tell mommy, Ror," Luke added, knowing he'd be mocked tonight, even though Lorelai adored the way he was with Rory.

"Sorry, daddy."

"Well, since I love you so much, I'll let it slide. This time." He winked at Rory.

"I love you, too, daddy. And I love you, mommy." They made sure that they said it often- Lorelai had grown up in a home where it was said rarely, if ever, and she needed Rory to know that she was loved.

"I love you, too, baby." She kissed Rory's hair again and looked at Luke, whispering to him, "I love you, too."

"Ditto," he responded quietly, and they leaned in and kissed softly.

Emily pulled her head away from the crack in the door and rested it on the wall, finally resigned to the fact that they were a family- one with more love and respect within it than the one she had created.

And as Luke, Lorelai, and Rory made their way downstairs, Emily, knowing her relationship with her daughter wasn't going to change, and that she wasn't going to see her again for a long while, wiped a solitary tear from her cheek, ready to start the fight anew.