Notes:

Thank you to all my reviewers! I'm so glad you're liking this fic!

Amina - Thank you so much for your comliments! Your reivew meant a lot to me! I'm glad you're reading my current fics even though two of them are post-Partings. I promise that after this my next few fics will be not post season 6 fics.

LorLukealways - I hope that was a compliment :)

hollywoodgrl - And you know me and conflict, like a fly to light. Or whatever... Glad you're liking it.

sarahb2007 - Don't think that! Luke and Lorelai will get back together next season! That's why I wrote Reparations! They got together in that one! Yes, this story will have a happy ending. Of course it will, I'm a JavaJunkie!

smileyGGfan - Well, who would you want to be Rory's husband? It's not really important in the whole LL storyline but I could always have Rory just slip it in. I usually pair her with Marty just cuz I don't like to pick between Dean, Jess and Logan and I thought Marty was cute. I think there's more of a concidence than that their daughters are both 14...

I know I'm doing a lot of angsty fics right now but, hey, that's what I was left with with the end of the season. I promise not all of my stories are like this. I'm working on a few things here or there that aren't this way.

Chapter 3: Love, Only Love

The next day Lorelai is standing outside her house just looking at the view. She glances up at the roof and can almost see Luke up there.

She remembers the moment he asked to move in to the house, to make it their house. And she told him to come down off the roof so she can kiss him. Even though, at the time, all that she could concentrate on was the emptiness in her heart because Rory had moved out, she felt it fill just slightly knowing that Luke would be there, that he wanted to be there. She remembers that Luke was the only thing that kept her going during those months without Rory and she'll always be grateful to him for that.

Here? You want to live here?

Sure. I don't have a lot of stuff. We just need a little more closet space, a bigger bathroom, a bigger bedroom.

I always wanted a bigger bedroom!

Well it looks like we can do it!

Well, what about the Twickham House?

Too damn big. We can get along fine here for awhile. Maybe forever. You love this house.

I do love this house!

I know, I figured that out from your sudden interest in laying down tracks and becoming a painter.

Come on down here so I can kiss you! All of you.

And she wonders if there's a Frisbee up there.

"Lorelai! Hey Lorelai!" Babette calls, walking out of her house. Lorelai glances over at her and smiles.

"Hey Babette."

"Wow, Sugar, you do age well. I wish I had just a little bit of what makes your skin so fine."

"Oh, damn, you should have mentioned it earlier, I just gave away my last case of Lorelai Skin Gene Lotion." Babette walks over and hugs Lorelai.

"Man have I missed you Darling. Not that those tenants of yours weren't fantastic. They planted the bulbs I gave them and you should have the beautiful tulips that grew. I tell ya."

"Did they have color coming out of their ying-yang?" Lorelai teases.

"Oh yeah, you should've seen it!" Lorelai laughs. "I just couldn't believe it when Patty told me you had come back. But yet, here you are."

"Surprised?"

"Boy, I almost had a heart attack. You gotta be careful, I coulda sued ya!"

"But you wouldn't do that, would you?" Lorelai asks innocently.

"Not to a sweet girl like you. Maybe someone like that Tilly. She's not to be trusted!" Lorelai's eyes go wide.

"Oh, I'll keep that in mind, Babette," Lorelai says as Sookie pulls up. Lorelai waves to her as Sookie gets out of the car.

"Well I should leave you two girls to your fun. I just wanted to come over and tell ya I missed ya." Lorelai smiles at the word 'girls'.

"Well I missed you too Babette," Lorelai says, hugging Babette again. Sookie walks over.

"You're really going to give this place up?" Babette asks. Lorelai folds her arms over her chest, looking back at the house again. "You can't give this place up, there's too many memories here Lorelai." Lorelai shakes her head.

"But I can't afford to own it anymore," Lorelai says.

"If you moved back here, you could," Sookie tells her. Lorelai purses her lips, seriously beginning to consider the idea. "Come on, Lorelai. You have nothing keeping you back in California except the kids." Lorelai nods, a lump forming in her throat, realizing that hadn't really made much of a life in California to hold onto. But here, in Stars Hollow, there was so much, there were so many people that had made an impression on her life, so many places filled with memories. That's what she couldn't give up. More than this house, which she truly loves, it is this town that would be the hardest thing to leave behind forever.

"Maybe," Lorelai whispers.

"Well I should go, Morey wants to take our new baby, Creamsicle, on a walk." Babette waves and walks away. Sookie touches Lorelai's arm. Lorelai gives Sookie a look.

"You wanna go on a walk?" Sookie asks. "Get away from here?" Lorelai nods. "Come on, let's go watch the parade." Sookie begins to walk away as Lorelai glances back at the house sadly.

"He made an ice rink," Lorelai says softly. Sookie looks at Lorelai curiously, having never heard this story before. "Luke did. I went through this terrible day and announced I hated snow and Luke made me an ice rink. He said he felt that he had made me wage war on snow and he wouldn't want to make me hate something I loved."

"So he made you an ice rink." Lorelai nods.

"He wanted to get me and snow back together." Lorelai sighs remembering that day.

What is this?

It's an ice rink.

An ice rink? How did this happen?

Jack Frost brought it.

Does he look a little like Luke Danes?

A little. Not as handsome.

You made me an ice rink?

It's just a rink in a box. You set it up, you fill it with water, it's not a big deal.

It is a big deal, it's a very big deal.

Sookie watches Lorelai stare at the spot on the ground that once held an ice rink. "I can't give up this house," Lorelai finally decides. "I'll call the kids and get them to fly out here."

"I think you're doing the right thing for all three of you, Lorelai," Sookie says. "They probably need to get away from a place that only reminds them of their father." Lorelai nods and then motions with her head and they begin their walk to town.

"I went to the diner," Lorelai confides. Sookie looks over at her.

"How did that go?" Lorelai shrugs.

"Fine, I guess. I shouldn't have expected everything to be the same fifteen years later. He's moved on. He got married and had a kid."

"Well so did you, two kids actually," Sookie reminds her. Lorelai takes a deep breath letting it out slowly, her mind other places.

"What was she like?" Lorelai asks.

"Who? You mean Mandy?"

"No, his other wife, I course I mean Mandy!" Both of them ignoring the fact that Luke was once married to Nicole.

"She was… amazing."

"Amazing," Lorelai repeats, disbelief in her voice. "That's all you can come up with?" Sookie shrugs. "That's like calling someone nice."

"She was nice too." Lorelai rolls her eyes.

"Yes but not descriptive. Was she like Rachel?" Lorelai asks.

"Oh no, you were more like Rachel," Sookie says, her eyes wide. Lorelai wrinkles her nose in disgust.

"Oh thanks."

"I thought you liked Rachel!"

"She was all right," Lorelai replies half heartedly. Sookie shakes her head.

"You should have listened to me at the Bangles concert," Sookie tells her.

"You were very observant." Lorelai notes

"Ummm… hello? I said you wanted to be with Luke, that's not called being observant that's called being alive." Lorelai sighs, motioning for Sookie to get back on topic. "Mandy was devoted, I think that's the best word for her."

"You mean in the way that Rachel and I weren't?" Lorelai purses her lips. "We both left him, so I guess that would apply."

"No, I mean like she was really devoted. From the moment they got together, she practically lived her life to please him," Sookie says. Lorelai raises an eyebrow.

"And he liked that?" Sookie shrugs.

"I think he appreciated it. I mean she did it because she loved him," Sookie says. Lorelai looks down, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think he liked that he didn't have to work hard to make their relationship work."

"Must have been a relief after me," Lorelai mumbles. Sookie gives her a look. "Do you think he loved her?" Sookie sighs.

"Lorelai, I really couldn't tell you. Did you really love Larry?" Lorelai's eyes go wide as she grows silent. Sookie gives Lorelai a moment to come up with some answer, but sees that Lorelai doesn't really want to talk about that.

She remembers one time telling someone that Luke was the only man she ever loved.

I don't think I ever really loved anyone...until Luke.

She remembers the first time he told her he loved her. She remembers the last time he told her that he loved her. But what hurts most is remembering the last time she had told him that she loved him. She had said it so emphatically, trying to get the point across, trying to make him understand that those were the hardest words she ever had to say but she wanted him to know. He had been the only person to ever make her want to say those words and allow herself to be vulnerable.

Don't you love me?

You know I do.

But I love you Luke. I love you!

And a lump forms in her throat as she thinks about this. Walking away after saying that had been the hardest thing she had ever done.

"So, did I tell you that Davey's planning on going to Ohio State Univeristy next year?" Sookie asks, switching topics, noticing Lorelai drifting away. Lorelai doesn't respond for a moment until she actually hears Sookie's words.

"No. Wow, that's a random university."

"He got a football scholarship."

"Really? Wow, Sookie, that's fantastic. I'm so excited for him!" Lorelai exclaims.

"Yeah, he's really excited."

"Well maybe we should start watching football."

"Maybe we should figure out the rules first," Sookie says and giggles.

"They grow up so fast," Lorelai realizes. Sookie nods.

"I never imagined it, but my baby boy grew up. And Martha's so tall, it's hard to believe she's my daughter."

"Unlike my kids, who all look like carbon copies of myself. I swear, you can't see their fathers in any of them." Sookie frowns.

"Lorelai, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"If you hadn't had Nicolas, if you hadn't gotten pregnant, would you have stayed out there? Would you have married Larry?" Sookie asks. They pause in the town square, waiting for the parade. Lorelai purses her lips, glancing over at the diner, squinting into the sun.

"I didn't marry Larry because I got pregnant with Nicolas," Lorelai says softly.

"But you were pregnant with Nicolas when you got married." Lorelai huffs, looking back over at Sookie.

"Yeah, I was. But that's not why I got married," Lorelai insists. Sookie looks conflicted but shrugs.

"But did you…" Sookie trails off as they hear the music of the parade approaching. Lorelai grabs Sookie's hand and they run over to the sidewalk, clapping and cheering as the parade passes. Lorelai's eyes slowly drift back up to the diner. Luke stands at the window, watching the parade, his hands folded across his chest. His eyes catch Lorelai's for a second and she gives him a slight smile. Luke nods back, a hint of a smile in his eyes, then he turns and walks away.

"This town is our town. This town is so glamorous," Lorelai whispers, tearing her eyes from the diner to watch the apples walking by. Her eyes are misty as she remembers that moment all those years ago, when she thought she finally had it.

The moment when she realized that she was starting something magical, something that might change the rest of her life.

So we'll hook up later, maybe.

We'll hook up later. Definitely.

And though it did change her life, she didn't change with it and the magic disappeared.