Chapter 3

"I'm gonna go say hi to Dean. Can you get me some coffee and pancakes?" Rory asked as she and Lorelai walked towards Luke's the next morning.

"Sure. Say hi for me," Lorelai replied, watching Rory walk off towards Doose's as she entered the diner. "Hey, Luke," she said as she sat down at the counter.

"Hey. Coffee?" Luke asked, though Lorelai was staring off into space. "Lorelai? Lorelai!"

"Huh? What?"

"I asked if you wanted coffee."

"Oh, yeah... sure," Lorelai said, though still distracted.

Luke pulled out a blue mug and poured her some coffee. Lorelai reached out and took a sip. She set the mug back down and stared into it.

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Is something on your mind?"

"Oh, uh... no."

"Okay..." Luke trailed off. He still wasn't convinced, so he ignored the breakfast rush to be there for her.

"Luke?" Lorelai said, finally looking up at him?

"Yeah?"

"We're friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Could we talk? Upstairs, I mean?" Lorelai requested, almost at a whisper.

"Oh, sure. Follow me." Lorelai got up and grabbed her purse to follow Luke up to his apartment. They walked inside, and Luke motioned for her to join him on the couch. Once they were both settled, Lorelai began.

"I have a secret."

"Okay," Luke said, not quite sure where she was going with this.

"It's a huge secret that only me and Rory know. We've had it for three years."

"Okay." He was still very puzzled.

"Luke, I have a daughter."

"I know. Rory."

"No, Luke. I have another daughter. Her name is Isabelle and she's 3 years old."

"Right, okay. Come on, Lorelai. Stop joking. What's really going on?" Luke asked, genuinely concerned. He knew it must be something big if she was covering it up with a tale like this.

"I'm not joking, Luke. When Rory and I went on vacation 3 years ago, I met this guy names David. I ended up pregnant, so we just decided to stay there until the baby was born, so I planned on just bringing her back here when she was born, but," she stopped and swallowed, struggling to keep the tears at bay. When she was sure she was calm, she continued. "But he loved her so much and he really wanted to keep her. So, I let him." She paused again. "It was the hardest decision I ever had to make, and I regret it ever since." A few tears that she had failed to hide fell down her face. "I kept in touch, and Rory and I talk to her at least five times a week, every week, and we visit as much as we can." She paused once more. "She's the sweetest little girl, Luke."

Luke was in shock. Lorelai has another kid? Oh my God... This is big. This is huge. This is... I wonder if she's addicted to coffee too? "Wow."

"I know. And I got a call a couple days ago saying that something happened to David, and now Izzy's coming to live with us... She's coming home, Luke."

"Well, that's great, but why do you seem so nervous about it?"

"What are people gonna say, Luke? What're they gonna think about me? They'll probably say I'm a horrible person for leaving her behind. But they don't know, Luke. They just don't know," Lorelai said, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. It'll all be okay." Luke held her close as she cried into his chest.

Lorelai still had a lot in her, though. "They don't know how hard it was to leave my daughter in a place 500 miles away from me and Rory. They don't know that I call her and talk to her all the time and that I've been there for every birthday and Christmas and Easter and Labor day... I'm a good mom, Luke. I am... I am."

"I know you are. And I'll personally kick anyone's ass for you who says otherwise."

After a few more minutes of sobbing, Lorelai pulled back and wiped her eyes.

"Thanks, Luke."

"It's no problem."

"No, really, thank you so much. I think I really needed this. I just needed to vent. I mean, I couldn't do it in front of Rory because I need to be strong for her, but... Oh my God, Rory!" Lorelai said, remembering that she was supposed to be having breakfast with her first daughter. "She's probably downstairs, wondering what's going on."

"Right." They walked out the door and back down to the diner.


"What time is it?" Rory asked, looking all around the airport or a clock.

"Around 2:30. She'll be here in a half hour," Lorelai replied, sounding nervous.

"Are you happy?" Rory questioned, knowing that no matter how nervous her mother was, she was still ecstatic that she was finally getting her daughter back.

"Yeah, I'm happy." Lorelai smiled and wrapped her arm around Rory. They walked to the nearest seats and waited for the smallest of their family to arrive.

Forty-five minutes later, after checking that flight had indeed been delayed, and they hadn't gone to the wrong place, a small girl with long, curly, dark hair emerged from the airport gates, tightly gripping the hand of a tall, blonde stewardess.

When Rory and Lorelai saw her, they both ran up to her as fast as they could.

"Mommy!" Isabelle yelled, and she let go of the stewardess' hand and ran up to Lorelai. Lorelai bent down and opened her arms to receive the hug that her daughter was offering.

"I take it this little angel belongs to you?" the stewardess asked, stepping up beside them.

"Yes, she does. Thank you for taking care of her," Rory said. Lorelai and Isabelle were still too caught up in each other to notice.

Once the stewardess had left, Rory bent down with her mother and sister, and wrapped her arms around them both. All three had tears in their eyes.

After a few more minutes of just holding each other, Isabelle said, "Mommy, can we go back to your house now?"

"Of, course, babe. But it's your house too, now." Lorelai said, pulling back. At this, Rory and Isabelle both let go too.

"Oh yeah. I forgot."

"Why don't we go get your stuff and get something to eat, and then we'll go home?"

"It's a plan," Isabelle said, sounding just like her mother. They all walked towards baggage claim and grabbed Izzy's stuff.

About a half hour later, they pulled up outside of Luke's. Lorelai parked the car, but didn't move to get out.

"Mom, what are you waiting for?" Rory asked, as her stomach growled so all three could hear it. Isabelle just giggled.

Lorelai looked towards the diner, specifically at one of the tables. Rory followed her mother's gaze to see Miss Patty and Babette talking (probably gossip) to each other over lunch. Rory understood her mother's concern and offered to stay in the car with her sister while she went in and got some food.

When Lorelai agreed, she hopped out of the car and walked into Luke's, completely ignoring Hello magazine. "Hey, Luke," she said, leaning against the counter.

"Hey. What can I get you?"

"Food for three, to go. So, make it food for six."

Luke nodded, then remembered where Lorelai had been for the past couple hours. He glanced outside and saw Rory sitting in the Jeep, turned around. She was obviously talking to someone. "Is she here?" Luke asked at a whisper. Lorelai had to strain to hear him.

"Yeah, she's here. She's in the back seat. And to tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure how she fit there with all the stuff Rory and I bought today and then all her luggage on top of that."

Luke smiled. He went in the back and got Lorelai her food, boxed it up, and brought it out to her. Lorelai reached in the purse for some money, but Luke put his hand on hers, stopping her. "It's on the house this time… Special day."

"Thanks, Luke."

"No problem."

She turned around to walk out the door, but turned back around at the last minute. She walked back up to a confused Luke and said, "Would you mind, maybe bringing some dinner over later? I don't really want to leave the house once we get there. I'd like to get her settled in."

"Sure."

Lorelai smiled at him, and slowly walked back to her car. She hopped in a drove off, home bound.

Tbc.

I know, I kinda stopped it suddenly, and I didn't make it happen the way I said I would, but I like this better. Did you love it? Hate it? Were you indifferent? Tell me in a review.

Coming up…
Lorelai and Rory and Isabelle are home, at last. What happens when Babette's prying eyes let the whole neighborhood know of their new inhabitant?