The rest of the week was pretty much the same. Every morning, Lorelai and Rory would rush out the door to Luke's where he had the coffee and a doughnut waiting. Every day, Rory drove them to the hospital where Lorelai was forced to sit still for an entire hour, kept sane only by the conversations with her daughter.

On Thursday, the biopsy went off without a hitch, but Rory still paced the waiting room the entire time. The doctor assured her that it was a simple and very routine procedure, but all she wanted was for it to be over. When she was finally allowed to see Lorelai, she hugged her fiercely, as if she hadn't seen her in years.

Every day after getting back from the hospital, they went to Luke's if only to assure him that they were back alright. Again, he always had coffee waiting, and Lorelai accepted it gratefully. She tried not to look as sad or weak as she was around him, but she suspected that he already knew.

Friday was no exception, though both the Gilmore Girls could sense that today was special, for this was Lorelai's last day of chemo before the surgery. It was only one week and a day before the surgery would be over and done with, God willing, and then they were almost home free. Almost there.

"Mom!" Rory called as she grabbed her shoes and pulled them on as she walked. "Mom! If you don't get down here in the next two minutes, we're not going to have time to stop at Luke's before we head to Hartford!"

"I'm coming!" Lorelai called back as she started to descend the stairs. She was going at a vastly slower pace than her daughter, but she rushed in her own rite. "You know skipping Luke's is not an option."

The week had gone quickly, but as Rory watched her mother step down onto the landing, she knew anyone could tell how poignant the last four days had been.

Lorelai seemed to have aged ten years in only a few days. Her hair was thinning, though not too noticeably so, and the creases in her face seemed to have deepened considerably. She was taking medicines to combat many of the side effects of the treatments such as nausea, but Rory could tell that she was still in pain.

"You ready?" she asked her mother.

"As I'll ever be," Lorelai joked, the same thing she'd said before every treatment.

"Then let's be off!" Rory's eyes shown and they smiled at each other.

Through everything, they'd been holding each other up, keeping spirits high and never letting things get the best of them. It wasn't a perfect system; Rory still worried terribly at Lorelai's dizzy spells and Lorelai had still cried in her sleep most nights, but through everything they knew that they had each other to turn to.

Rory was driving as she'd taken to doing for the time being. They couldn't risk Lorelai getting dizzy or drowsy behind the wheel. When they pulled into Luke's Rory smiled at her mother, who returned it 100 percent. That was one thing about Lorelai that could never be taken away, her smile.

"Luke!" Lorelai called as they pushed open the glass door, but to her surprise, there were already two coffee-filled mugs sitting on the counter. "Wow, what service," she smiled, walking over and plopping down in front of the coffee.

"I wonder where Luke and Jess are," Rory said sitting next to her mother. She looked around at the scarcely filled diner. "I wonder where everyone is."

"People do have lives," Lorelai pointed out. "And though it kills me to admit it, they don't all revolve around me."

"The horror!" Rory mocked.

"Hey," they both looked up to see Luke coming out from the storeroom.

"Hey," the Gilmore girls answered together.

"Where's Jess?" Rory questioned. "He can't still be sleeping."

"No," Luke replied, a somewhat guilty look on his face that Rory didn't understand, "I sent him on a few errands. He should be back in a few minutes."

"Okay," she replied. "So what's up with the empty diner?" she asked looking around. "Where's your morning crowd?"

"I'm sure it's just a lull," he replied quickly. "It'll pick up pretty soon."

"Okay," she said smiling a little at his apprehension. "Are you okay, Luke?"

"Yeah, you're looking a little pale," Lorelai said teasingly. "Got caught doing something Rory shouldn't hear about?"

"Dirty!" Rory said in teasing shock.

"I'm just fine," he replied taking a deep breath. "Rory, would you like breakfast this morning or just the usual doughnut?"

"Glazed please," she replied smiling. "So are you going to the picnic auction tomorrow?"

He just looked at her for a moment. "Rory, who are you talking to?"

"Right," she said. "So I guess that's a no."

"Smart girl."

Rory smirked up at him, then let her grin widen as she saw Jess poke his head out from the curtain. He must have come in through the back door.

"I'll be out in a second," he told her with a smirk. "I just have to run something upstairs." A few minutes later, he emerged from the apartment. "Hi," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips as he put on his apron to begin work. "How are you two this morning?"

"We're pretty good," Rory replied putting her hand around the back of his neck and pulling him down for another kiss. "Much better now."

"Glad I could be of service," he smirked. "Last day of treatment, right?"

"Yeah," she said, a little relief peeking through in her smile. "Last one before surgery at least. She has follow-up therapy just to make sure it's gone, but we're done for now."

"Good to hear," he said. "You guys will be coming back here after, right?"

"Would we ever miss it?" she asked.

"Good," he smiled.

"Hey," she said as he sat on the stool next to her, "are you going to the picnic basket auction tomorrow?"

Jess groaned, rolling his eyes. "You know I hate doing the crazy town stuff."

"But who else is going to buy my basket?" she pouted. "You wouldn't want me to be stuck having lunch with some weird guy like . . . like . . . like Kirk, would you?"

"Who knows?" he replied dryly. "You might hit it off."

"Maybe we will," she laughed. "But then where does that put you?"

He rubbed his chin, assuming a pensive pose. "Well," he said slowly, sighing with resignation, "I guess that puts me at some crazy basket auction buying my girlfriend's basket so she doesn't realize what else is out there and come to her senses."

Rory laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed excitedly. "You are the best boyfriend in the world!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, trying to play like what she said wasn't a big deal. "But you owe me one."

"Name your price," she said, smiling as she pulled away from him.

"How about you just kiss me now and I'll think of something better later," he winked at her.

"So you want a free kiss?" she asked in mock indignation. "That's a mighty lot to ask."

"Fine," he said standing up. "I'll just get to work."

He started to walk away when she grabbed his hand, pulling him back and into a slow, sweet kiss.

"I knew you couldn't resist me," he teased as they separated.

"Okay," she said smiling, "now you can get to work."

"See you later," he kissed her once more before heading to the corner table to take a couple's order.

"Do you guys know how sickening you are?" Rory's attention was diverted as Lorelai's voice broke through her giddy moment.

"Just for your viewing pleasure," she replied as she stood up. "Come on, we have to get going."

Lorelai took one last sip of her coffee before waving a goodbye to Luke and heading out the door with her daughter.

At the hospital, the doctor prepped Lorelai for treatment, as always, but the air seemed lighter. It was more filled with relief than tension that day. It was the last day.

"So this will be your last treatment this week," Dr. Fergus was saying. "Your surgery will be next Saturday, but I want to see you once more on Wednesday for a final checkup."

"No problem," Lorelai said.

"Okay," Dr. Fergus inserted the catheter. "I'll be doing my rounds. You know the drill."

"Thanks, Marti," Lorelai replied, resting back and closing her eyes as the doctor left.

"So," Rory said pulling her chair up next to Lorelai, "which would you like today, Cosmo or People?"

"Before we start in on the People," she said and Rory dropped the Cosmo, "I want to talk to you for a minute."

"Sure," Rory said looking a little worried. "What's up?"

"Well," Lorelai started, "I want you to know something so you never have to question. I am so happy that you're here with me, reading to me and making the time go by light-years quicker, but I never wanted you to see me like this. I never wanted you to have to go through this with me, and that's why I sent you to New York. It wasn't because . . ."

"Mom," Rory interrupted, "It's okay. I don't blame you for sending me to New York. I don't have any deep, psychological abandonment issues or anything. I completely understand."

"You do?" Lorelai asked, her voice showing a hint of trepidation Rory didn't even know was there. "I mean, I would understand if you were . . . I don't know . . . angry or hurt or whatever."

"Mom, I love you," Rory assured her. "At first, I'll admit, I was a little hurt by the fact that you didn't want me with you, and I was afraid that I'd never see you again, but I get it now. I get how hard it is for you to let me and everyone else see you when you're down. I get it."

"Have I told you lately that you're my favorite daughter?" Lorelai smiled, relieved.

"It's one of those things you can't hear enough," Rory replied with a mask of mocking seriousness. "Now, People?"

"Please," Lorelai said leaning back again as her daughter opened the magazine and began to read one of the articles aloud to her.

"So," Rory asked as she drove the two of them back toward Stars Hollow, "what's the plan tonight. I need to cook something for the basket auction tomorrow, but after that, I'm completely free. I told Jess that I wanted to celebrate with you tonight."

"Very cool," Lorelai said. "I'm thinking Al's and 'Willy Wonka.' Of course, no celebration would be complete without double chocolate funky monkey ice cream."

"Agreed," Rory replied. "Sounds like a plan."

"So, this is your last weekend of freedom," Lorelai reminded her daughter. "What are you going to do?"

"Well," Rory said thinking, "tonight I'm celebrating my mother's last round of chemo before surgery. Tomorrow, I'm going to have a picnic with my boyfriend and probably spend some more time with him since he probably feels a little neglected this week. And Sunday, I have no idea. I already have all my school supplies and summer homework taken care of, so I'm pretty much open."

"Sounds like a good weekend," Lorelai said as they passed the 'Welcome to Stars Hollow' sign.

"So, Luke's?" Rory asked, not even needing an answer before parking the car outside the diner.

As they walked in, they didn't notice anything weird at first, other than the fact that the diner was a little more crowded than usual. Patty, Babette, and Morey were sitting in the corner. Kirk was trying to convince Taylor to fix the auction so that he could buy a basket for an amount of money within his allowance. Sookie and Jackson were talking excitedly to Lane at the counter. Jess was reading a book behind the counter and Luke was nowhere to be seen, assumedly in the back.

When the diner patrons saw the Gilmore girls, the whole place quieted in the area of a few seconds, everyone trying not to stare at them and hold back smiles.

"Do I have toilet paper stuck to my shoe?" Lorelai whispered to Rory.

Rory checked quickly. "Nope," she replied. "Anything on my face?"

Lorelai gave her a good look-over. "Negative."

"Then why is everyone staring at us like we were just caught doing something slutty?"

"Do you and Jess have anything you want to tell me?" her mother asked.

"Not that I know of," Rory said. When everyone was still looking at them, she whispered, "Let's ask Jess."

They made their way to the counter, walking close together as if trying to make a smaller target for the crowd's constant stare.

"Jess," Rory whined as they reached him, "why is everyone staring at us? We didn't do anything wrong this time."

Jess looked at his watch. "Hold on," he said not looking away from his wrist. "Three . . . two . . . one . . ."

The lights of the diner went off, dimming the place considerable since the blinds on the windows were suddenly down, blocking out much of the light.

"Okay," Lorelai said into the darkness and complete silence, "what's going on?"

A second later, the lights came back on, and the girls looked around in utter amazement.

The townspeople wore corny party hats and were blowing noisemakers. Someone had let down a sign pinned above the counter reading "Yay Lorelai!" in big, sparkly script. And best of all, Luke was standing in front of them holding a huge cake with layers of chocolate and frosting.

"What is all this?" Lorelai asked, her smile shining from her eyes.

"We figured, after this last week you've been through, you could use a little pick-me-up," he replied, obviously pleased with her reaction as he put the cake down on the counter. "Therefore, a 'Yay Lorelai' party just for you."

"This is the best!" she screamed, throwing her arms around his neck and staying there for a few brief moments before turning her attention to the rest of the crowd. "You guys are the best."

"Wow, Mom," Rory smiled. "A whole party just to cheer you up. You should feel pretty special."

"I do," she replied, tears welling up in her eyes. She felt like she might cry, she was so touched. "I definitely do."

"So then," Miss Patty said standing up, "let the party begin."

They cut the cake and Sookie pulled out snacks and drinks from the back. Music, selected by Lane, was cranked from somewhere and tables were moved aside so everyone could dance. Lorelai took turns dancing with one guy, then the next, then the next. She didn't care who she was dancing with, as long as she was dancing. It felt so good for her to just enjoy herself without having to think of anything else.

Luke watched from the counter, a faint smile playing across his lips as he watched her laugh. She looked so beautiful when she laughed.

"Just ask her to dance," Jess said, startling him a little.

"I don't dance," he replied. "And besides, I don't think . . ."

"Don't," Jess interrupted him. "Think, I mean. You think way too much for your own good."

"That's great advice from the kid who thinks too little," Luke said dryly. "Why aren't you out there dancing with Rory?"

"Because she's having fun with Lorelai right now," he pointed out, looking to where mother and daughter were dancing together. "It's their day, not mine. Rory wanted to spend some time with her mom tonight and I respect that, so I'll let them have their fun before I steal her away."

"So then why should I steal her mother away?" Luke asked, confused.

Jess laughed. "Because you're not spending the entire day with her tomorrow. Or you won't if you don't get your ass over there and ask the woman to dance."

"Jess."

"You know I'm right," Jess pushed. "Now shut up and go over there, or I'm going to have to do the whole, 'So I have a friend, and he likes your friend" thing, and you know I'll be a whole lot cruder than that."

Taking a deep breath, Luke put down the glass of soda he'd been drinking and walked over to where Lorelai was now sitting with Rory and Lane.

"Hey Lorelai," he said scratching the back of his head nervously, and she looked up at his voice.

"Hey Lukey," she smiled, blowing a noisemaker at her. "What's up?"

"How are you feeling?" he said, trying to stall. "I mean, if you're getting tired or anything with the treatment earlier, I can clear everyone out. Just say the word."

"No need," she told him, her smile widening at his concern. "I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. Parties seem to be cathartic."

"Good to know," he said, still looking around awkwardly. "So, do you think you feel good enough to . . . um . . . to uh . . ."

"Luke," Lorelai interrupted, pretty sure she knew where he was going, "would you like to dance."

He smiled, genuinely smiled, and sighed with relief. "Yeah," he said nodding. "That would be great."

Luke offered her his hand and she took it to help herself up. They headed away from the table to the middle of the floor where many other people were already dancing. Just as they were about to start dancing, the song ended and a slower song came over the speakers. Luke looked over to where the stereo was and saw Jess, Lane, and Rory smiling with self-satisfaction.

He was about to tell Lorelai that he wasn't really good at dancing to these kinds of songs when he felt her hands slide around the back of his neck. He looked back at her and saw the amused look on her face.

"I don't bite, you know," she said teasingly. "At least I'll try to refrain unless you step on my feet."

"I'll try not to," he said resting his hands on the small of her back. "I make no promises though."

"Then neither do I," her eyes shown mischievously.

They danced for a little while in silence before she leaned her head on his shoulder. At first, he stiffened, not sure what to do, but after a moment he relaxed. He liked the feel of her there, in his arms. He liked the smell of her hair, the softness of her hands on the back of his neck, the way she played with the little hairs poking out of the back of his baseball hat. He liked holding her. He would have to find a way to thank Jess tomorrow.

Suddenly, he felt her get heavier, her legs giving out under her.

"Lorelai," he said urgently as he tightened his grip on her. "Lorelai, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she said quickly, not pulling her head up from his shoulder. "I'm fine. I just nodded off a little."

"Let's sit down," he said pulling away a little, but she held onto him.

"Just wait until the song ends," she said, her voice almost begging. "Please."

"Okay," he said wrapping his arms tighter around her again. "Whatever you want."

When the song ended, she lifted her head off his shoulder, loosening her grip on him but keeping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for the dance," she said, her eyes shining. "We'll have to do it again some time."

"Anytime," he said, smiling at her again. He didn't remember the last time he'd smiled this much. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his voice turning concerned.

"Yeah," she nodded, finally stepping away from him as if showing him that she could stand on her own. Immediately, his arms felt colder, emptier with her absence. "I'm just tired. I think I'm just going to head home and take a nap. Thank you for all this. It was just what I needed."

"No problem," he replied as they walked off the dance floor. "As always, call me if you need anything."

"Won't hesitate," she said, as if she'd heard it a million times. "Anytime, day or night."

"Exactly," he said. Without thinking, he brushed a tendril of curly hair behind her ear, and then felt incredibly stupid for doing so. "Well," he said, deciding that it was safer to study a stain on the floor than to look at her right then, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"That you will," Lorelai said, noticing his apprehension. She stood up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, surprising him beyond reason. "Bye Luke. Tell Rory I'll see her later."

And with that, she waved to her daughter and headed out into the sunset.

Rory noticed her mom leaving, a little worried at the tired wave she received before Lorelai took her leave. She whispered to Jess that she'd see him later and started toward the door, but before she could leave she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"She's fine," Luke told her, seeing the concern in her eyes. "She was just feeling tired and went home to go to bed. She said she'd see you later."

"She shouldn't be walking home alone," Rory said, her brow crinkling. "As tired as she is, she could pass out or fall and hurt herself. I'm just going to make sure she . . ."

"You stay," he insisted, seeing how upset she was about this. "You stay here and keep my adorable nephew from burning the place down, and I'll make sure she gets home, alright?"

"Thanks, Luke," she gave him an appreciative smile before heading back to Jess and Lane.

"I thought you were leaving," Jess said, confused.

"You trying to get rid of me?" she said with mock offense.

"Yes," he replied smirking. "I was just telling Lane here how perfectly sick of you I'm becoming. Really, I don't know how I'm even standing here looking at you."

"Well, if you want me to go . . ." she replied, turning to leave, trying to hide a smile.

"On the other hand," Jess said, pulling her back by the belt loop on her jeans, "how could I possibly get sick of this?" He turned her around, cupping her face in his hand and pulling her toward him until their lips were just touching, teasing her with wispy kisses.

Rory balled the material of his shirt in her fists, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. A chill ran down her spine as she felt his fingers twine in her hair, tipping her head up to meet his. She felt the skin on her neck burn under his touch, and she couldn't for the life of her remember her own name.

"Ahem," she heard a throat being cleared rather loudly and slowly pulled away from Jess.

They both turned toward Lane, who was trying really hard not to laugh.

"What?" Rory asked, a little worried.

Lane's eyes rolled toward the rest of the room, and Rory finally remembered that there were at least twenty other people in the diner, most of whom were "sneaking" peeks at her and Jess at that moment.

"Too much more of that," Lane whispered with a chuckle, "and you guys are going to have to start charging a cover and hanging a disclaimer outside the door."

Rory blushed about 12 shades of pink, burying her face in Jess's shirt as he said to the rest of the room, "Jeez, people. Take a picture; it lasts longer."

Kirk proceeded to take a snapshot and Jess, in turn, threatened to put the camera in a very unpleasant place. The rest of the spectators just looked on in amusement. When everyone thought Jess was just about ready to jump the counter and tackle Kirk, Rory lifted her head off his chest.

"It's okay," she whispered, reaching up to cradle his face in her hands. "Don't worry about everyone else. Just be here with me."

"Can't I just . . ."

"No fighting," she told him, her voice slow and tolerant as if talking to a small child. "Especially not with Kirk. His life is sad enough as it is without being beaten up by and 17-year-old."

"Fine," he sighed. "You win. No killing the neurotic, crazy person. Though, come to think of it, if I killed him he wouldn't be there to bid on your basket tomorrow. Which would mean that you wouldn't have to worry about being stuck with someone weirder than you, leading me to be off the hook." He smiled his perfect, mischievous smile at her.

"Oh, no," she said firmly. "You are not getting out of this auction tomorrow. You will be there bright and early to buy my basket and have a picnic with me, and that's final."

"Well in that case," he said with a smirk, "I guess I can't argue, now can I?"

"Nope," she smiled. "Arguing with me is like talking to my mother when she hasn't had coffee. Completely pointless and often painful."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said. "You wanna go for a walk or something? Get out of here and away from Kirk and his camera?"

"Sounds good," she chuckled. "Though there's a very good chance he could follow us and spy, just to have something to bring up at the next town meeting."

"Remind me to be extremely afraid of him from now on," Jess said as they headed toward the door. He called to Caesar that he'd be back in fifteen or so and they walked out into the night.

"Lorelai," she heard a voice behind her as she walked. "Lorelai, wait up."

She stopped for a moment, allowing Luke to catch up. "What are you doing here?" she asked him as they fell into step. "Why aren't you watching the diner?"

"Rory was worried," he replied. "She didn't want you walking home alone. I volunteered so she didn't have to leave the party."

"Thanks," she said smiling. "After this week, she deserves to have some fun."

"You've both had a pretty rough week, huh?" he didn't look at her, trying to sound like he wasn't worried.

"It's been hell," she replied, unashamed to voice what he already knew, "but it's over. Just a few more weeks to get through and I can stop listening to her cry herself to sleep." She looked down, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"She'll be okay," Luke offered. "You guys have been through a lot together, starting the day she was born. You got through all that okay; you'll get through this."

"Thanks," she offered him a small smile. "I hope to God you're right."

"She's strong," he told her. "She's strong, just like you. If she's half as strong and stubborn as her mother, she'll be fine."

Lorelai laughed, her fatigue momentarily subsiding. "She's about half as stubborn, and twice as strong. Don't ask me where she got it. That girl's too perfect, I tell ya. Switched at birth or something." They walked slowly up the Gilmore driveway.

"I think it fits about right," he told her, and she looked up to find his eyes staring into hers.

For a moment, it almost scared her. She felt like he was memorizing her, studying her until he knew every curve of her face. It made her feel naked. But it also made her feel warm. He was Luke. He was the man she wasn't supposed to be thinking too hard about. But he was also like a lifeline to her, there whenever, wherever, and however she needed him. He was Luke, and right then she knew exactly what that meant to her.

"You know how much you mean to me, don't you Luke?" she asked, her voice serious as she was sure he'd ever heard it.

"I hold the elixir of life," the corner of his mouth turned up the slightest bit, his voice teasing. "You can't live without me."

"You're right," she told him. "But not for that reason." She heard him take in a sharp breath and could see the confusion in his eyes. "You're one of my best friends, Luke," she said, her voice so low, she didn't even know if he heard her. "You've always been there for me, and something tells me you always will be. And that means the world to me, because I don't know what I'd do without you." She took a deep breath, stepping back as she realized how close they actually were. "I just wanted you to know that."

"Now I do," he said, and she could in his voice how the statement had touched him. "Thank you, Lorelai."

She smiled, closing her eyes as her fatigue found her again, sweeping over her like a tidal wave. "I have to go," she said just above a whisper. "I have to go to bed before I fall asleep right here."

"Come on," Luke said, letting her lean on him as he walked her up the steps and into the house. "Can you make it up the stairs?" he asked her.

"Too tired," she replied. He didn't like the way this had hit her. It worried him. "Just get me to the couch."

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked her as he helped her lie down. "Should I call a doctor or Rory or . . . I don't know, someone?"

"I'll be okay, Luke," she said, already drifting off to sleep. "I just need to get some sleep." He covered her in the afghan lying across the back of the couch, pulling it up over her shoulders. "Thanks. Goodnight, Lukey," she whispered, a smile spreading across her lips as she lapsed into a peaceful sleep.

"Goodnight, Lorelai," he whispered back, placing a soft kiss to her brow before smoothing her hair back one more time and letting himself out of the house.

"Mom! Rory called as she entered the house. "Mom, are you home? You and Luke didn't decide on the way here that you were going to hitchhike to Las Vegas and elope, did you?"

When she didn't receive an answer, she took the stairs as quickly as she could without making too much noise. She didn't want to admit that she was worried, but of course she was. Yes, Luke had promised to get Lorelai home safe, but she wanted to be especially sure. She and Jess had walked around for a while, of course ending up on the bridge where they'd sat and discussed the literary merit of Anne McCaffrey. By the time they were finished, it was pretty late, so she'd headed straight home without checking with Luke. Now she was worried again.

Pushing the door open, Rory let her eyes adjust to the dark just long enough to realize that nobody inhabited the bed. Feeling the knot in her stomach tighten, she hurried downstairs to call Luke.

But when she entered the living room, she stopped in her tracks, letting out a relieved breath. Lorelai lay on the couch, an afghan stretched across her shoulders as she slept peacefully. She was perfectly fine.

Rory sat down on the edge of the couch, just watching her mother for a moment. It would all be over soon: the treatments, the surgery, the endless supply of meds. Just a little while longer and they were home free. She just had to keep telling herself that.

Sighing deeply, Rory stood and took one last look at her mom before heading into the kitchen to prepare their picnics for the next day.

An hour and a half later, two picnic baskets were packed with chicken stir-fry (in honor of her and Jess's first cooking experience together), fruit salad, chips, chocolate cookies for desert, and, of course, coffee in thermoses.

She tucked the baskets into the refrigerator, thoroughly exhausted, and headed for her bedroom when a voice called to her.

"Is that you, Rory?" she heard her mom's voice and turned around.

"Yeah, Mom, it's me," she replied going to her side.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled, her voice soft and heavy with sleep. "When did you get home?"

"A couple hours ago," she replied. "I didn't want to wake you. What are you doing sleeping down here?"

"I was just so tired when I got home," she said. "The stairs looked so . . . tall, so I just crashed here."

"Sounds like a good plan," Rory smiled. "So I'll let you get back to sleep now. I made our baskets for the auction tomorrow, so we're all set."

"Angel child," Lorelai smiled again, already drifting back into sleep. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night."