A/N: So here is chapter 2, I really enjoyed writing this one. If the histories of Luke and Lorelai did not happen as it did in the show, I intentionally changed it. I owe 'social suicide' to Motion City Soundtrack.

I went to lie down on my bed to wait for Luke to come. I must have fallen asleep because when I sat up Luke was on my floor looking at my old photo album. I got up to join him. "Having a nice look at my past?"

He looked at me and gestured around the room, "none of this looks like you." He pointed to a picture of me as a very young girl with a dress on with really, really puffy sleeves.

The picture managed to get a grin to escape my lips. A grin that was backed up with a lot of hurt. "It wasn't, I often think of my childhood as a corset; from the outside it looks attractive and good, but it really is just strangling and miserable. But, that's high society for you." I sat down on the floor next to Luke and started going through all my pictures with him. Oddly enough, it did not feel invading, just felt right.

We got to the pictures of me at sixteen. "Did you really come that close to marrying Rory's dad? I always thought you were very opposed to the idea of marriage at that time in your life." I must have given Luke a look that had confusion written all over it, because he pointed to a picture of me in a wedding-look alike dress. All I could do was laugh.

"You're never gonna guess what that dress was…It was my coming out dress. Or at least it would've been if I actually came out. You know, if I did not get blessed with Rory. She really was the blessing in all of this." I flipped the page and pointed to the ultrasound picture of Rory. "I was so happy, so completely thrilled. I was going to have the chance to be the mom to this little baby that I never had. Most of all, I just wanted to share an unconditional love with someone. I was dancing on the inside, unfortunately I had to act depressed and unhappy around everyone. Even Chris wouldn't have been able to understand the happiness dancing inside of me."

Luke looked at me with a look of such complete understanding. "The corset thing again."

Wow. Monosyllabic diner man actually understood, "exactly that."

Luke turned the page of the album again and a strip of photos, from one of those photo booth things, of Chris and me fell out. Luke picked them up, and for some unknown reason I felt embarrassed. They were of Chris and me being all goofy, but Luke knew that I was crazy. He had seen all my sides- my worst, my best, and my in-betweens. And yet, I still felt my cheeks turn red. He looked up at me; "Did you really love him?"

Luke asked this question as if he could not care less about the answer, and yet, somehow I knew my answer mad all the difference in the world. "No…well yes…. Yes, I very much did. But in a 'I'm sixteen-a teenager-have the rest of my life to live responsibly- kind of way. Never a 'I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with this man' love. But I did love him, in a lot of ways I still do. I never quite stopped being that teenager."

Luke gave me a look that told me he did not believe a word of what I had just said. "Lorelai, what do you mean you're still a teenager? You are the best mother in the entire world, and you've raised one hell of a kid. You can make anyone feel better with just one of your grins.

I loved how Luke just said those things like they were absolute truths. No differently than how he would've said the earth was round. Like it was fact, could not be argued. "In some ways, yes, you're right. But I got extremely lucky with Rory. I didn't know the first think about being a parent. I only knew what I didn't want to do, from my parents. But rarely did I have to play the mom card with Ror. But look at me Luke, I'm still running. Just exactly like I was at sixteen. I'm still tied to this world, this house. I'm still trying desperately to escape. I'm still very much sixteen. My fist instincts are still yelling and running. I'm always trying fight and flight at the same time. I'm Peter Pan in Neverland, refusing to grow up."

Luke gave me a look of compassion and flipped the album to a page of me at the hospital with Rory when she was born. Just of Rory, the doctor, and me. "You're not Peter Pan, you're Lorelai Gilmore and you are so far from acting sixteen. Where is your family in this picture?"

"Not there. My parents were at some charity even with their cell phones turned off when their only daughter nine months pregnant. You see it would've been extremely rude if the cell phones ringed during the event, social suicide. And Chris, he was working on some project that if he did not ace, he would have failed high school. His parents were already so mad at him he could not fail school too. So I drove myself to the hospital and had Rory by myself. God, that was dumb. What would've happened if I had gone into labor in the car? I could've killed my kid. God, I was so young and stupid. I don't know how I would've survived if something had happened to Rory. She could've died that night."

Luke swept me into a much-needed hug as I started getting teary-eyed again. "You could've died too. But come on, let's get you home."

I smiled, " you have no idea how good that sounds. And hey, could you not mention the fact that Christopher and my parents weren't at the hospital to Rory? I don't want her to feel any less special or loved."

Luke nodded yes and led me out of the house to his truck. He opened the door for me and drove me back to Stars Hollow. It was a quiet drive, neither of us spoke. But it wasn't a stuffy uncomfortable silence, just one to reflect. A much needed silence. I feel bad for people who can't appreciate a good silence. Most people would think that I couldn't, but every once in a while when it was right, I enjoyed a silence. He stopped the truck outside the diner and asked if I wanted any coffee. "Forget coffee, got anything stronger?"

Luke just started laughing at me and when I sent him a questioning look he explained, "I never thought I'd hear Lorelai Gilmore turn down coffee. But yes, I have beer, but we'll have to drink it in the apartment since the diner doesn't have a liquor license."

Luke led me up the stairs into the apartment and handed me a beer and opened up one for himself. I took a sip and instantly felt the effects. I loosened up and calmed down a bit. "So Luke Danes, we've heard a lot about me tonight, but what about you? What was your childhood like?

Luke looked at me and sat down on the couch next to me. "There is nothing much to tell, really. I spent 90 of my time in this store after my mom died of cancer. My dad really needed the help; he just completely fell apart. He had always been so strong; I hadn't ever expected that to happen. Liz fell apart too. It forced me to step in and be strong. I really resented my father for that. My dad had always been my rock, my support system. My hero, in a lot of ways. And when she died, he just broke. They really shared a lot of love, and it killed him. I regret that I resented my father for that hurt now of course. I wish I had done a better job with my family. I wish I could've prevented Liz from getting pregnant. She was in no shape for motherhood, poor Jess got the short end of the stick. Jess is my nephew. But I spent most of my time in this shop, and then all of it after my father got sick and died. Liz had already taken off with Jess' father Jimmy. He's done now of course, that type never sticks around long. I always thought I'd leave this town, I hated it here. Well, you know how much I hate this town and its craziness."

I put my arm around Luke and looked at him in a new light. All this time I knew him, I never knew he could be so honest-that he had such a history. "Your family was lucky to have you Luke. I know you did everything you could, because your Luke, and that's what you do. But did you really hate this town."

He looked at me with the most honest look I've ever received. "Nah, not really. I could've left, nothing held me here. This was my home though. And I don't hate it. I could never actually leave this town. Now if you let this on to anyone, especially Taylor, I might just have to kill you. Taylor, him, I might hate."

I laughed, because I couldn't help it. "Hey, do you mind if I crash here tonight? Rory's in Boston, and I don't want to be alone."

"No I don't mind, it's fine. You can have the bed I'll take the couch."

"Luke, I don't want to put you out. You've done enough tonight, and I'm not going to steal your bed after all that."

He looked at me unbelievingly. "You're gonna take the couch?"

I laughed. "Hell No! We can share the bed. We are both adults and friends."

Luke smiled at me and gave me a tee shirt and pair of shorts to wear to bed. Once we'd both changed (me in the bathroom of course), we climbed into the bed. The night's events, mine and Luke's stories, circled in my head and I started to cry a little. Luke had been so great tonight. "Hey Luke, thanks for everything." I could hear the tears in my voice and he must have been able to also, because he rolled over to me and put an arm around me. And for the first time all night, I felt okay.