The bells jingled above the door to the diner and Luke looked up, surprised that someone was coming in this close to closing. However, he wasn't surprised any longer when he saw who was standing there.

"Rory," he stated. "Hi." He was almost surprised this hadn't happened sooner. It was already July, and he hadn't seen Rory in a long, long time now. Probably since he ran into her in Philly, months ago.

"Hi Luke," she said shyly, giving him a smile nonetheless. "Is it okay that I'm here?"

"What? Yes, of course!" he said, surprised, coming around from the counter.

Rory looked instantly relieved. "Oh, okay, good, I wasn't sure, you know, because of… well, everything and all."

"No, Rory, of course, you're always welcome here. And even if you weren't, it is a place of business. You want to come in, you can come in."

Rory smiled at Luke's nervousness, which made her feel a bit more comfortable, herself. "Okay. Good then. But I only want to be here if it's okay with you."

"It's absolutely okay with me. Can I get you something? Coffee? Pie?"

"It's kind of late for coffee," Rory stated, and Luke momentarily noted how she had been becoming more and more Rory and less a copy of Lorelai lately. Rory drank coffee, but at reasonable times of the day. Rory preferred take out, but could also cook. Rory went to the gym, even if she didn't know what, exactly, to do with herself there yet. "But maybe some pie."

"Sure thing," Luke said, thankful for something to busy himself with and headed behind the counter again. "Apple? Boysenberry?"

"Apple would be perfect," Rory agreed. She watched as Luke put a piece of pie on a plate and placed it in front of her. "I just wanted to come by and say hi," she explained her presence. "I haven't seen you in a while. I'm not home as much lately, and when I am I'm with Mom and we don't really… come here… anymore."

"Yeah, I guess not," Luke agreed, nodding. "It's good to see you though. How's school? You're taking summer school right?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah. Almost done, though, finals this week. I'm just trying to make up that semester I missed before May, so I can graduate on time. I took six classes last semester, so if I complete these two summer school classes successfully and take two more semesters of six classes, I should make it."

Luke let out an impressed breath. " I don't know how you manage pulling stuff like this off. You really are something."

"It's not too bad, actually," Rory said modestly, taking a bite of her pie. "Just as long as I make sure one of the six classes is a somewhat easy one and it's not that much harder than taking only five."

"But you have the paper, too," Luke pointed out.

She shrugged. "Well, the paper's fun for me, so I don't really think of it as work."

Luke nodded. "That makes sense, I guess."

"So," Rory said, pushing a piece of pie around on her plate. "Uh... how's April?" she asked the only conversational question she could think of.

"She's good," Luke said quickly. "She goes to year round school, so she's actually not on summer break or anything right now. She just had a couple weeks off, though."

"That's nice," Rory commented. "And… how are you?'

Luke wasn't as quick to answer this time. "I'm… hanging in there."

Rory nodded in understanding. "I just want you to know, Luke," Rory began, "that I really hate that she did this to you."

"It's okay," Luke insisted. "It wasn't all her fault, first of all, all this, and second of all, I don't want you to be mad at your mother on my account."

"I'm not mad at her only on your account, I'm mad at her for letting herself completely ruin this. It's almost like she had to have the last word or something," Rory said with a shrug. "Like, you hurt her so she had to hurt you worse so she'd be the one who did the hurting, not the one that got hurt. It's that stupid subconscious of hers. Hurting people back when she's been hurt is a defense mechanism she doesn't realize she has." She shrugged and looked down at her plate. "And anyway over all I just hate that this happened. I hate that we can't come here anymore. I hate that I never see you anymore. I hate that Mom, and you I'm sure, are both so miserable."

"Well, that's how life works. It sucks sometimes. We just have to deal with it, get over it, and move on," Luke offered her, clearing a plate left behind from a customer who had just left the counter. "And you're always welcome here, no matter what is going on between your mom and I."

Rory smiled. "I know how you're feeling right now, Luke, I do, I get it. The same thing happened with me and Logan last year," Rory said, putting down her fork in order to focus on the conversation.

"Oh," Luke said, then her frowned, as he hadn't realized that. "Really?"

"We got into this huge fight before we broke up last fall. He thought we were over, as in finished for good, while I just thought it was a fight and we were taking some time apart. So meanwhile he slept with these other girls and I just… I was so hurt when I found out. And even though I said I forgave him and everything, I didn't really for a while. But I did eventually."

Luke sighed. "Well for us, it's… it's too complicated, there's too many issues. And that's not fair to her. I can't do that to her, be with her if I'm not really able to forgive her for what happened."

Rory nodded in complete understanding. "You love her though."

"Yes," he answered immediately.

"Despite what she did."

His answer took a moment to come this time, as if he was embarrassed to admit it. "Yes."

"This is the conclusion I came to with Logan: when you love someone, the goal is to be with them, no matter what, you know? I mean, society these days makes it seem like the right thing to do when someone hurts you is to leave them, discard the thing that causes you pain. But really I just thought screw that, I want to be with him, I'll make it work, I'll figure out how to get past his mistakes, especially since it wasn't like he cheated on me while we were together, over and over behind my back."

"When did you get so grown up?" Luke asked, leaning on the counter in front of her. "Since when do we swap relationship advice and compare problems?"

Rory smiled and shrugged. "Hey, you know we could also swap stories about significant others' parents not thinking you're good enough and not approving of your relationship with their child."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, I guess we could."

"Maybe next time."

"Sounds like a plan."

"But anyway, I didn't come here to try and give you advice," Rory shrugged. "But I am sorry this happened. I feel like it was my fault, somehow."

"How on could this have ever been your fault?" Luke asked, incredulous.

"I don't know, I just… I knew how upset she was, all those months. I knew how much postponing the wedding bothered her and how she wanted to get to know April and I never told her to speak up, really. I just let her go on without saying anything."

"Rory none of this is your fault, at all. It's mine, and it's Lorelai's, and that's it." Rory nodded and was silent. "So Logan… have you talked to him since he left?" Luke asked, changing the subject to something more casual.

"Yeah, we talk a lot. He wants me to come visit after I get out of summer classes, he said he'd pay for the flight and everything since I have no money for that. But I just… I promised Mom I'd spend time with her, she's really lonely."

Luke looked down awkwardly. "Oh."

"Sorry," Rory grimaced. "See, maybe this is why I shouldn't come here," she apologized.

"No, it's okay. I like seeing you, I'm glad you came." He paused for a moment, as a thought occurred to him suddenly. "But Rory, you know… it's okay if you want them back together."

"Who?" she asked with a frown.

"Your mom and your dad." Rory's jaw dropped. "I mean, don't think you have to sympathize with me."

"No, Luke," she said confidently. " I don't want them to get back together. I want Mom to be happy." Rory shrugged. "I mean, biology doesn't make a family. Well, it kind of does, sometimes…" Rory said, thoughtfully, "but not all the time. It's not always what's best. And definitely not in our case."

Luke nodded and realized he didn't have an answer to that. "More pie?"

Rory grinned. "Sure."

She wasn't completely different from Lorelai yet, after all.

xxxxxx

"Hey Mom," Rory greeted after her mother answered the phone.

"Hey you," Lorelai said, excited to hear from her daughter. "So? Summer school done?"

"Sure is," Rory said with a shrug that her mother couldn't see over the phone.

"You don't seem excited about it," Lorelai noted. "What's with the mood?"

"Nothing. I'm in a good mood, really. I just wanted to run an idea by you--"

"Uh oh," Lorelai teased uncomfortably. "Is this an idea like dropping out of Yale was an idea?" she was joking, but she suddenly panicked. What if Rory was going to make a choice like that again? And what if Rory was going to make a choice like that again, and she didn't have Luke around this time, to keep her from completely falling apart?

"No," Rory said with a laugh, which made Lorelai calm down. "I just… I really miss Logan."

"Sure, I get that," Lorelai said, warily. "I completely get that."

"He wants me to come visit him," Rory rushed on. "Said he'd pay for the airfare, which of course, I didn't want to accept, but he insisted on splitting it since it's something for him, too, and he's got plenty of money and he's the one working while I'm still in school… and I just, I really want to go," Rory explained. "I only have the rest of July and the beginning of August before school starts, then who knows when I'll have the chance to see him again. So… I'm going to go."

Lorelai suddenly felt empty. "You're going to go to London?"

"Yes," Rory said. "I really need to see him, Mom. I mean you said you understand, right?"

"I do, I understand," Lorelai agreed. "I'll just miss you that's all."

"I know," Rory said with a sigh. "That's why I feel kind of bad about going."

"No," Lorelai said, even though she couldn't bring herself to completely mean it. "You shouldn't feel bad about going. You need to see Logan." Then she felt like a terrible, selfish mother for wanting her twenty-one year old daughter all to herself and not wanting her to spend time with the guy she was in love with who was across the country and she missed like crazy. Just because she couldn't make her relationship work didn't mean Rory couldn't make her own work. Though the solidarity would have been nice.

"Okay. So I'm thinking of staying a month, maybe five weeks."

"That long?" Lorelai asked, surprised. "Wow."

"Well like I said, I don't know when I'll see him again."

"Huh. That's too bad, I really wanted to spend some time with you this summer."

"You will!" Rory assured her quickly. "When I get back, there'll be a week or so, all for you."

"A week or so?" Lorelai said sarcastically. "Wow, thanks."

"Are you mad at me?" Rory asked, surprised. "I see you all the time, Mom. Logan's in London. I want to spend time with him."

"I know, I understand, Rory. It's just that I thought… before you said when summer school ended you would come spend some time at home."

"That was before I thought I could make this happen," she defended herself. "Why are you trying to make me feel bad for doing this?"

"I'm not!" Lorelai said, wishing she was being more of a supportive mom and less of a needy friend at the moment, but she couldn't seem to change gears. "I was just really looking forward to seeing you for a while."

"Look, you're my mother," Rory said harshly, suddenly irritated. "And Logan's my boyfriend and I'm in love with him and well, sometimes I have to choose, And right now I'm choosing the person I'm in love with."

"I get that. I just thought that maybe you weren't thinking of me as your mother, but as that best friend you've always had. That best friend who misses you and is extremely lonely these days."

"Because of a situation she made all for herself!" Rory spat. "Look, you screwed up, okay? You ruined things with Luke, you slept with someone else. None of that is my fault. You made this big mess, you made yourself lose Luke, you made yourself lonely. So why should I have to suffer because of your lousy choices? Your choices have already lost me a stepfather who I adore and a stepsister I think I really would have liked. So don't make me lose my boyfriend, too."

Lorelai was in shock, surprised that Rory was so angry, surprised at Rory's anger for the loss of Luke in her life, surprised that Rory could be so hurtful. "Fine. Don't worry about me," Lorelai said. "I'm sorry I miss my kid. I'm sorry that I was a little taken aback by you changing the plans you'd made with me for a choice you made in, like, two seconds. Sometimes I forget, you know, that we're not equal, that you're my kid and I'm just your mother. Parents always put their kids as number one, but kids stop caring about their parents after a while. That's just life. I guess the way we've always been kind of made me forget that. So, have fun in London, say hi to Logan for me, and send me a postcard, if you can spare the time."

"I didn't make this choice in two seconds!"

"I don't care, Rory. Making a choice in two seconds is fine--"

"God, Mom, you're being so unfair!" Rory went on. "Have I ever, ever stopped you from ever doing anything with Luke, ever?"

"Well, besides the fact that I went six months without setting a wedding date, waiting for you to decide to speak to me again?"

"Oh, I see. So the fact that you and Luke never got married is my fault. Not yours. Not yours and Luke's for being so stubborn, but mine, because I didn't talk to you those few months. Is that it?"

"I didn't say that, Rory," Lorelai huffed.

"So then let me rephrase. Have I ever intentionally stopped you from being with Luke? No!"

"No, but when you need me I don't abandon you, even if it changes plans with Luke. Like, oh, say the night Luke and I first kissed and I came home to find you in the middle of breaking the seventh commandment."

"Huh. You're one to talk. At least I wasn't the one cheating on the person I was with."

"You know what, forget it. I don't know why I'd even want you around anyway if you're so angry with me for all these things."

"Mom…" Rory said, her voice suddenly softer.

"No, you said it all, I messed up, so now I deserve to be alone. You're right. Have fun in London, maybe call me when you get there just so I know you're safe? If that's not too much to ask, that is," Lorelai said, and hung the phone up angrily.

xxxxxx

After her phone call with Rory, Lorelai felt like she'd lost everyone in her life. Luke hated her for what she'd done. Rory hated her for what she'd done. Half the town was angry with her for what she'd done, even if they didn't say so outwardly. And most of all, she had already hated herself for what she'd done, anyway.

No Luke. No Rory.

What did she have left? What was she going to do with herself this summer, now? Even Sookie was way too busy with her kids and Jackson to have time to hang out. The rest of her summer seemed to be made up of working and walking Paul Anka. Maybe she could finally break some of Paul Anka's quirks. It was about time he stopped fearing newspaper, after all.

Already in a bad mood, and after spending a couple hours inside her house, pouting, she decided it couldn't hurt to take Paul Anka for a walk. Lately she disliked this activity for fear of running into Luke or someone who was deeply on Luke's side of this whole mess, but right now she didn't really care. She had bigger problems with her daughter hating her now, too.

So she got Paul Anka on his leash and they set out on a walk. She walked him around the block, before deciding she wasn't quite ready to go back inside her house and be forced to be grumpy just yet, so she decided to walk Paul Anka through the square.

Which was where she came face to face with Luke.

She was lost in her own thoughts, torn out of them suddenly when Paul Anka started barking incessantly. He didn't bark often, especially for no reason. He seemed to be barking his excited bark, and when she looked up, she saw why. It was because he'd spotted Luke, less than five feet in front of them.

Luke awkwardly froze, and then looked up at Lorelai.

"Guess he's missed you," Lorelai said with a shrug, explaining Paul Anka's behavior.

Luke nodded and bent down to greet the dog, letting him sniff his hand then patted him on the head.

"Hey, Paul Anka," he said. "I know, it's been a long time since I've seen you, too." Paul Anka continued to bark, so Luke patted him on the back a few times until he calmed down.

"Didn't know he was so attached to you," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, me either," Luke agreed, standing up. They stood awkwardly for a few minutes, and then Luke gestured towards the bank. "I, uh, was going in there."

"Oh, right. Well go ahead, don't let us keep you."

Luke nodded, and turned towards the bank.

"What do you think of me?" Lorelai asked suddenly, and Luke turned around.

"What?" he asked with a frown.

"What do you think of me, now? I have to know."

"What do I think of you?" Luke seemed surprised and generally confused, by her question.

"Yes. Rory apparently has been holding in all these horrible feelings about what I did. To you. So if she's that angry, well… I can only imagine what you think of me."

"I really don't…" Luke sighed. "I don't want to have this conversation."

"Because you think I'm horrible, right? You think I'm a whore. You think I'm a witch, with a b. You think I could care less about people's hearts. You think I'm unstable and unable to commit. You think I'm childish and immature and insecure--"

"No," he said suddenly, forcefully. "I don't think any of that. But maybe you do."

"So what do you think of me, then, Luke? Come on, I've already had a bad day, I can take it. I want to know what you think of me now, after making one bad choice in two seconds. Tell me."

"You want to know what I think of you?" he repeated, his voice still forceful. "Okay. Here it is. I think you're amazing. I think you're beautiful. You're beautiful when you wake up, when you're all dressed up, when you're dressed for work, whenever. You're always beautiful. I think you're smart, because God knows the kind of mind it takes to be able to reference some stupid kids cartoon to current politics in the blink of an eye. I think you're funny, even though half the time I act like you're driving me crazy, which, don't get me wrong, you usually are. I think you're the strongest person I know, to have gotten yourself to where you are today in your life and with the inn and to have gotten Rory to where she is today, at Yale and on the road to amazing things, all by yourself. I think you're an amazing mother and that Rory is beyond lucky to have you, and so is Paul Anka even though he's only a dog and not a person, but you still love him in that same unconditional way. I think you're an amazing friend, you're always there when someone needs you. I think you're crazy, but it's part of your charm. I just think you're amazing. That's what I think of you."

Luke's mind was reeling. He hadn't intended for that rant to come out, at all. But one thing he could never stand was Lorelai thinking that she was anything less than she was, especially because everyone had always made her feel that way. And even though she'd hurt him, even though what she'd done should have made him see her in the way she was sure he did, it didn't. She was still the same, amazing, Lorelai she had always been.

Suddenly he recalled his conversation with Rory in the diner not that long ago, and he knew he was wrong. He could forgive her. He could, because she was Lorelai, and because it hadn't been all her fault. In fact, maybe he already had and he just hadn't realized it.

But at this point he was sure Lorelai was done with him. He'd been a huge jerk and had had just as much a part in destroying their relationship. He forgave her, but he doubted she was looking to forgive him anymore, especially after how he'd treated her when he found out about Christopher and when she had come looking for her glasses, as if everything was all her fault.

Lorelai started at him for a moment, taken aback. She blinked a few times, then looked down at the ground and focused on Paul Anka.

"You're the only person who's ever seen me like that," she realized quietly. "Who thinks that I'm amazing for who I am. I'm so sorry I screwed it up. You deserve so much better than me, anyway."

"Funny," he said softly, "because I never wanted better. All I've ever wanted was you."

With that, he turned and went into the bank, causing Paul Anka to give one last bark, apparently sad that he'd left.

"I know how you feel," Lorelai said to Paul Anka softly.

xxxxxx

Lorelai and Paul Anka walked around town aimlessly for a while after their encounter with Luke, until she got the vibe that Paul Anka was tired of walking and wanted to go home.

She dropped Paul Anka off, then decided to go and pick up dinner–rather than have it delivered to the house. That way she had something to do with herself to keep from thinking about all the people she loved that she had let down, all the people that were angry with her for a choice she was already angry with herself about.

When she got home, there was a message on the phone. Sighing, she hit play.

"Mom? It's me," Rory said. "I came by, but you weren't home. Look, I'm on the plane right now," Lorelai raised her eyebrows in shock. "I know, it seems fast, and I know you think I made this choice in two seconds, but Logan got a really good deal on these tickets, they were actually cheaper than if I waited to fly next week. And he is paying for most of the airfare, so I figure I should take the deal. And I didn't make this choice in two seconds, Mom, I've been playing with the idea since… before Logan even left. But I didn't think it would be able to happen, so I never said anything, which I probably should have so you would have had some idea. Anyway, I'm on the plane, and they're about to ban cell phone use, but I had to call really fast. I'm sorry for earlier, I didn't mean what I said… most of it. I was just frustrated, missing Logan, and… I've missed him so much lately, Mom, you know? And I didn't want to feel guilty about finally getting to see him because I was leaving you, which I guess I already kind of did anyway. So I snapped. I'm sorry. I was out of line. You don't deserve to be alone, you know that, right? You don't deserve that at all. Maybe it was partially because I had just seen Luke recently and he… I could see in him what I saw in me after Logan slept with those girls. I was just on edge. I'm sorry. I'll be back on August 17th, and school doesn't start until the 28th, so those are eleven whole days all for you. I don't have to move in anywhere or anything this year, so none of those eleven days will be wasted with anything relating to school. Eleven days is a lot. I promise we'll spend a lot of time together then, okay? Look, I have to go, but I'll call you when I get there, okay? Love you!"

Lorelai sighed. It wasn't about forgiving Rory. Of course she forgave her, and of course she understood why she was going to London. But it was about the selfish part of her that had come out earlier on the phone with Rory (something she never wanted to happen). She was alone. She had no one.

She remembered when summer used to be exciting. When she was a kid, it meant that she had time off of school. When Rory was in school, it meant she got to spend time with Rory, all the time. When Rory went away to college, it meant that Rory came home. Except, it never really worked out that way. After freshman year, she went to Europe with her mother, to get away from her. After sophomore year, she moved in with her grandparents, to get away from her. And now, after her junior year, she was going to London, not to get away from her, but to get to someone else. And after next year… who knew where Rory would be off to, after graduating from Yale.

Suddenly, she realized, she was in the middle of the rest of her life. Rory off doing something exciting, living her own life, making her life into what she wants it to be, while she's here, alone, except for Paul Anka.

A few months ago, the plan had been for Rory to be off doing exciting things, living her own life, while Lorelai was beginning a life with Luke, while Lorelai had Paul Anka and Luke and the family she and Luke were going to start. But not anymore. Rory still had the same exciting future, but all Lorelai had now was what she had right at this moment. No one.

But the thing was, Rory had it right. You grow up, you find someone to spend your life with, you try as hard as you can to make it work. She should be doing the same thing her daughter was, but she wasn't. She hadn't. And now, she was left with a lifetime of days much like this one.

The world wasn't standing still, waiting for her to figure out how to spend the rest of her life. Everyone else was going on with their lives, leaving her alone.

It wasn't really anything to look forward to at all.

xxxxxx

Mid August approached, and Lorelai was no longer going to be alone.

Emily and Richard were back.

She found herself somehow conned right into a Friday Night dinner the first Friday they were back, and she wasn't sure how. She had no obligation to them anymore. Christopher was paying for Yale, not them. Maybe a part of her hadn't tried to get out of it, hadn't resisted their manipulative words, because she was desperate to have company. The only person she saw these days was Sookie, and most of the time that was at the inn. On the rare occasions they did hang out outside of work, Sookie often had one, or two, kids with her which kept her distracted constantly.

But she knew that she was going to have to tell her parents about Luke. The engagement had been broken so long by now that it was almost old news to everyone, and she had stopped having to explain the story over and over. But her parents had been gone, and they still didn't know. She'd forgotten the exact words she'd used to explain why they'd broken up, by now. She had perfected it to an art, before. Using just the right words to keep people from asking questions and to keep her from coming off like the horrible witch in the story.

When she knocked on the door she was greeted by a maid for only a fraction of a second before Emily appeared, shooing the maid off and taking Lorelai's coat and purse herself.

"Lorelai!" she said. "It's wonderful to see you." She paused and looked around. "Is Rory coming separately? I would have thought she would be spending time at home with you."

Lorelai suddenly realized that they had no idea that Rory had gone off to London to visit Logan, either.

"Actually, Mom, she's not spending time at home with me--"

"So she's coming on her own, then?"

"No, actually, Mom, she's not coming at all."

Emily stared at Lorelai for a moment, then laughed. "You're very funny Lorelai. Sometimes you sound so serious."

"I'm not being funny, Mom. I'm not joking, I am serious. Rory's not going to be here tonight, she'd have a hell of a commute in front of her."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Rory's in London, Mom. Visiting Logan."

Emily pursed her lips and studied Lorelai's expression for a moment, before turning on her heels and heading into the other room, leaving Lorelai confused.

"Richard!" Emily called out as Lorelai followed her into the living room, where Richard had just appeared. "Richard, did you know Rory was going to London this summer?"

"Why no, I did not," Richard said with a frown. "But my, what an opportunity."

"She's visiting Logan," Emily told him, disapproval in her voice. "She went across the country to visit a boy."

"Mom…" Lorelai said with a sigh. Her mother could change her opinion on Logan in an instant, it seemed.

"Lorelai, I can't believe you and Rory never told us she was going to London," Richard said with a frown, taking a seat. "I would have liked to give her a little something for her trip."

"I didn't even know myself until about ten minutes before she got on the plane," Lorelai scoffed, and Emily picked up on her tone.

"She didn't ask you? She didn't tell you she was going across the country?" Emily grilled.

"Sure she did. The day she got on the plane."

"That doesn't seem like Rory," Richard noted.

"That doesn't seem like Rory at all," Emily agreed.

"Rory's twenty-one. She wanted to see her boyfriend, who happens to live in London now, so she made it happen."

"But still, why didn't she tell you sooner?" Emily pressed. "Is there something you're not telling us? Are you and Rory not speaking again?"

"God, Mom, no, stop being so dramatic. Rory and I are fine," Lorelai insisted, though they weren't actually completely 'fine.' They had been talking on the phone, and Rory and Lorelai had both apologized for the fight they had had the day Rory left, but something still hung in the air between them. But they were nowhere near as troubled as they had been last summer, which was essentially what her mother was asking. "She just went to go see Logan. I think she was just afraid to tell me."

Emily was nothing if not persistent. "Well why is that?"

"It's a long story," Lorelai said with a sigh, taking a seat on the couch.

"Well, Lorelai," Emily said, sitting down as well, "I should say I'm surprised that you showed up here, of your own free will, for dinner tonight knowing Rory wouldn't be here."

"Actually," Lorelai said, looking down at her dress and picking some lint off. "I need to tell you guys something."

Emily again picked up at the tone in Lorelai's voice, sensing that it was something bad. Her gaze immediately dropped to Lorelai's left hand, which was purposely covered by her right.

"Lorelai, let me see your left hand," Emily suddenly demanded.

"Mom…" Lorelai said softly.

"There's no ring on it, is there?" Emily asked. Lorelai shook her head sadly.

"No. There isn't," Lorelai answered.

"You and Luke broke off the engagement?" Richard piped in, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lorelai admitted. Emily and Richard were silent for a moment as they processed the news.

"Well I certainly didn't see that one coming," Emily said suddenly. "I really thought you would marry him."

"Well, I really wanted to," Lorelai explained with a shrug.

"So what happened?" Emily wanted to know. "Did he break it off with you? Why on Earth would he do that? Does he think you're not good enough for him or something? Why I should--"

"Of course not, Mom," Lorelai interrupted. "Of course he doesn't think that, Luke's not like that."

"So what could have possibly possessed you two to end things?" Emily pressed on. "You were so close, so adamant about marrying him. You didn't even run when he found out he had a daughter. What could have broken the two of you up?"

"I don't want to get into it. It's a long and complex story…"

"I highly doubt that," Emily shot back. " I bet there's one simple answer."

"Can we just drop this, please, okay? It's been months, it's old news, I don't want to bring up all the old feelings again."

"Well, Lorelai," Emily said sincerely, apparently agreeing to stop pressing her, "I'm very sorry to hear the engagement's broken."

"Yes, me too," Richard piped in. "Luke was a fine young man."

Lorelai's jaw dropped. "You're sorry I'm not marrying Luke? You don't like Luke, remember? Remember the whole 'Let's try and break Luke and Lorelai up' fiasco of 2005?"

"That was a long time ago," Emily said with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, as if everyone should know her intentions toward Luke had changed. "You were happy with Luke. I could see that."

"And he is a fine young man, running that business of his the way he does and accepting responsibility for his daughter like he did," Richard added with a nod. "Doesn't play golf too well, but he's a fine man nonetheless."

"Yeah. He is," Lorelai said with a sigh. "So anyway, that's that. No more wedding."

"Oh, Richard!" Emily realized suddenly with a gasp. "The house."

"Ah, yes," Richard realized. "Well, we can always just put it back on the market. Or perhaps we could rent it."

"What house?" Lorelai asked curiously.

"The house for you and Luke," Richard explained. "The one your mother told you about."

"Oh," Lorelai breathed, recalling the house that she had almost forgotten about. "You… you bought it already?"

Emily nodded. "Well, we really thought you two would get married despite everything that's happened lately and we didn't want someone else to sweep it out from under our feet."

Lorelai nodded in understanding. "Oh. Well… thank you, I guess. I'm sorry you're stuck with it now."

"Nonsense," Richard said. "It shouldn't be any trouble. I would hesitate putting it back on the market so soon, though, buyers may think something's wrong with it. Houses that are sold and back on the market so fast don't seem appealing to many."

Emily piped up. "Oh, let's not worry about this now. Lorelai, would you like a drink?"

"Yes, please," Lorelai said with a sigh.

And they didn't bring up Luke for the rest of the night.

tbc…