Author's Note: Thanks for all of your wonderful feedback! I'm sorry that it's taking so long to update. Stupid school and work getting in the way of writing. And as always, I want to thank my amazing beta xphilehb. She's been so helpful since I started writing this fic.

Lorelai easily fell into a routine with both of her new jobs. She would spend most of her mornings and afternoons at the Inn. Mia was immediately impressed with Lorelai's ability to successfully plan any kind of event that was thrown at her. Lorelai handled everything with such poise, and most importantly, the Inn's customers loved her. She could make even the grumpiest of guests laugh.

In the early mornings and some evenings, Lorelai worked at Luke's. In order not to take away from her time with Rory, he usually had her working the evenings in which Rory had to stay at Chilton to work on the paper or to meet with friends. However, even if she wasn't working, Lorelai often found herself at the diner. Luke had quickly become her and Rory's coffee and meal provider. If Lorelai was being completely honest, Luke had also become her closest friend in Stars Hollow, as evidenced by the fact that she had also taken to going to the diner during many of her breaks at the Inn. No matter how busy the diner was, Luke always found time to stop and chat with Lorelai about her day.

Before long, almost a month had passed since Lorelai and Rory had first moved to Stars Hollow.

One evening, Lorelai was sitting in the diner after her shift had ended. She was drumming her fingers on the counter to the beat of the tune she was humming in her head. She was waiting for Rory to meet her so they could buy junk food for their movie night. Today was the last day of school before the short Thanksgiving break, but Rory's friend Paris had insisted that they stay late to work on the next issue of the Franklin, and knowing Paris, this evening would be a late one. Luke caught her hand, which abruptly stopped the song in her head. "What?" she asked.

"You've been staring off into space for the last ten minutes, and I couldn't get your attention. I even tried coffee." He pointed to the fresh cup of coffee in front of her. "Something the matter?"

"No, I'm just bored," she whined. "I know! You can entertain me. Dance, burger boy!"

He simply rolled his eyes at her.

She pouted. "You're no fun."

Luke leaned against the counter. "What are yours and Rory's plans this week?"

"Let's see... tonight is a movie night, so we will be consuming massive amounts of junk food. Then tomorrow, we're going to knock over a liquor store and follow it up by picking up guys at the gas station," she joked.

"As long as you have a plan." He continued, "I meant for the holiday."

"Oh. Well, I haven't given it much thought actually. We usually went to Chris' parents' and then my parents' dinners, but this year, I don't know. I'm not exactly my mother's favorite person right now, and I'd give anything not to go to her dinner anyway this year."

"Every year, I make a dinner here at the diner for the people who have nowhere else to go. You and Rory could come," he suggested. "If you want to," he added.

"You know? I think I'd like that." She smiled at him. "It wouldn't be too much trouble for you to have us here? Remember, Rory and I eat enough for ten people."

"I feed you both at least once a day," he reminded her. "I always make too much anyway. At least now I won't be sitting on leftovers, because I'll have the human garbage disposals eating right here."

"Don't you know how to turn a lady on."

"I don't see a lady," he teased.

She playfully punched him in the arm. "Watch it there, buddy."

"So you'll be here? Three o'clock?"

"We'll be here," she assured him, watching his lips curve into a smile. She couldn't help but return his grin.

Luke pointed out the window. "I see Rory."

"Finally!" Lorelai cried, leaping off her stool. She waved to Luke before turning to leave.

"Wait," he said, causing her to stop in her steps.

She turned back to face him. "What?"

He pointed to her flannel apron that was left sitting on the stool beside the one she had been seated on. "You know the rules. If you leave it here, I will burn it."

"Isn't that against the 'Flannel Code of Honor'?" she questioned, before picking up her discarded apron and hugging it to her chest. "He didn't mean it, Flanny," she cooed to the apron. She looked back up at Luke. "You hurt her feelings."

"I'm crying on the inside."

"You're mean," she told him before leaving to meet Rory outside.

"Hey Mom," a tired Rory greeted her mother.

"Hey, babe." Lorelai gave her a daughter a quick kiss on the cheek. She wrapped her arm around her Rory's shoulder. "Rough time at the paper?"

"You know how Paris is. Everything must be perfect before we can stop, even though this edition won't go out for another week."

"That girl needs a hobby. Or a pet. Dogs are supposed to lower your stress levels. Maybe one would calm her nerves."

"She'd probably train it to be just as neurotic as her, and no dog deserves to go through that," Rory stated.

"Good point." Lorelai watched as Rory yawned. "Are you still up for our movie night, kid? Or are you going to fall asleep during the first film? You know how I'll cry if you fall asleep while the Oompa Loompas are singing."

"That was one time, and I was six. You'll never let that go, will you?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not a chance. So what's the verdict? Are you up to it?"

Rory's face brightened. "Of course I am!"

Lorelai lead her daughter towards Doose's Market. "So I found someplace for us to eat on Thanksgiving."

Rory turned to face her mother. "Where?"

"Luke's. Apparently, he makes a huge feast every year, and he invited us to come."

"But what about Grandma's dinner?" Rory asked.

"She never really invited us this year," Lorelai informed her daughter.

"She invited us."

"When?" Lorelai inquired. "I would remember the nagging voice of my mother."

"I talked to her this weekend. She said that she was expecting us," Rory told her mother.

"Well, she shouldn't be expecting us this year."

"Mom, we go there every year," Rory pointed out.

"All the more reason not to go," Lorelai assured her.

"Won't she be mad if we miss it?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't care. And to be honest, I don't think that I could really handle Emily at the moment."

"But Mom..."

Lorelai interrupted before her daughter could say anything else. "Rory, I'm not going. But if you really want to go, you can. Their dinner isn't until the evening, so you can have dinner with me at Luke's and then go to theirs. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you," she said curtly.

"I don't want you to be mad at me."

"It's fine, Rory." Lorelai lightened her tone of voice. "I don't want to keep you from your grandparents. You should have dinner with them. I'm just not ready to see them yet. Can you please accept that?" Her daughter gave her a nod. "Now, how about we shop for that junk food that Luke swears will rot out our insides?"

"Can we get some cookie dough?" asked Rory. "We haven't had any in forever."

"Is it even possible to watch Willy Wonka without cookie dough?" Lorelai pondered.

"We wouldn't know."

To be continued. Please review! It brings an extra big smile to my face. :-D