Insert Strong Bad voice:
Like a Phoenix, from the ashes

...she rises again!
(Hey Tom is this distracting yet?)

Written in the Stars
By Gilmoregirl1979 (the reigning Quote Queen)

Rating: PG-13

Hi this is your friendly disclaimer: Once again, I don't own (DAMN IT!), No Harm No Sue. WE just use the Gilmore Girls dolls during our slumber parties…. It's fun (shirtless Luke: with coffee pouring action, and the "Fry it and Buy it" Luke's Diner Play Set sold separately!)

R/R: yes please I love reviews; I wanna marry them (as previously stated, I have strange passions.)

Summary/ The Q: What if LL hooked up when they first met? What if things had moved … a touch more quickly…?

Luvz: you will receive a gift from an annoying friend today… REVIEW HER FICS and she'll stop nagging.

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Chapter 15:

Friday Night Dinner

On Sunday, Lorelai spent the day with Rory, both girls avoiding the obvious subject of Luke, even when they walked past by his diner. Lorelai noticed that Rory seemed to resist asking her mother to point Luke out. Both girls avoided the taboo topic of what night would serve as the introduction dinner.

"So, how's the floorboard project?" Lorelai asked.

"Slow going; the choir's music isn't really that loud."

"Soo… I noticed you pulled down your school reminders…"

Rory remembered her spur-of-the-moment paper hunt. "Oh, yeah…"

"You know, Taylor already condemned you for littering in the park, I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to get you for doing it in your own room," Psycho cardigan-wearing Gestapo

"When did I…?" and she recalled chucking the hash brown and bag… "Oh no!"

"It's okay…" Lorelai knew her daughter would beat herself up over the neglect for Mother Nature during her emotional outburst; even though she couldn't vote yet, Rory prided herself on being a model citizen at such a young age.

Rory frantically rambled, "But there must have been a fine! Was there a fine…? I'll pay the fine… I'll get a job and pay the fine…"

Lorelai tried to picture what sweatshop would hire her little girl, and drew a blank…and Rory couldn't be a papergirl… she couldn't exactly throw, "It's already been taken care of…"

Rory apologized for her hotheaded display again… and for littering "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. So, were you looking for something? ... With your papers?" Lorelai inquired, wanting to get back to the barren bulletin board.

"Dad's number," Rory confessed.

"Oh, going straight to the source."

"I was upset and I thought for a second that I was Haley Mills … and the call didn't go through… that number was disconnected."

"Again?" Lorelai couldn't believe how much Chris moved around.

"Yeah," Rory said quietly, concerned about her father's whereabouts

Lorelai's own concern began to grow. Sure, she didn't want to be with Chris… but she didn't want any harm to befall him either. Was he the dad of the year? Hell no, but he was the only father Rory was going to have.

"So… what can Luke cook?"

"Anything you like! Do you want something special? I'm sure he'd be happy to make whatever you like…"

"I don't care… when do you want him to come over?" Rory looked up at her mother.

"Well, we can't exactly have company on a school night, and we'd have to spruce the house a bit. Is Friday okay?"

"Sure," Rory agreed, though she was still determined to hate him as much as the impending housework.

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For the following week, the entire town couldn't stop talking about Luke and Lorelai's kiss in the diner and Rory's freak-out in the park. The gossips were busy comparing notes and exchanging versions of the story, happy to correct each other if necessary.

"He wasn't wearing the red flannel; it was the blue and green…"

"I hear they are secretly engaged."

"She hopped up on the counter, I thought they were gonna make love right there!"

It was all Sookie would talk about on Lorelai's breaks. "I'm just so damn happy!" she exclaimed, pouring a mug of coffee for her friend.

"Is it really all over town?" Lorelai asked, accepting the mug.

"It's all anyone can talk about…"

"Man, that Patty is something else…" Lorelai sighed as she took a sip, exhausted from the persistent questioning about her "dreamy" boyfriend.

Even Rory began comparing notes on her own little project. Like any good reporter, she started an interviewing process after school. In protest, Rory avoided the diner to work on her interviews; Taylor was on Monday, Andrew and Gypsy were on Tuesday, Mia was questioned on Thursday, and, if at all possible, she wanted to avoid having to talk to Bootsy and Kirk. They were just weird.

However, the day was Wednesday. Miss Patty was startled before one of her classes when Rory had snuck up behind her. "Oh Rory, have consideration for a woman's heart… what can I help you with today, sweetheart? Were you interested in coming back to dance class?"

"No, thank you. I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Certainly, precious, what is it?" Patty smiled.

"What can you tell me about one Luke Danes?" Rory asked with her pen and notebook at the ready.

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The anticipated Friday night dinner had arrived, and at 7:00 pm, Luke knocked on the Gilmore girls' front door.

"Be nice," Lorelai, warned her daughter, who usually didn't need reminding, though all day Lorelai sensed the dread and frustration in her daughter. Lorelai went to answer the door and Rory crossed her arms, her eyes focused on her shoes as she listened to the adult greetings.

"Hey," Lorelai stepped aside to let Luke in with his bags of supplies for their special meal.

"Hey" Luke breathed a sigh of relief. "Babette was about three steps behind me, ready to grill me for details."

"Aw, sorry about that…"

Rory had decided to tune out the adult chitchat, and now she feared how long her mother would subject her to this loathsome man's company. She read a lot… and learned new words all the time.

"…Well, um, did you find the house okay?" Lorelai tried to remember if there had ever been a man in the house besides the cable guy.

"Yeah … its Stars Hollow, you make four lefts and you're back at the center of town."

Then Lorelai turned her attention to her daughter and introductions. "Rory… this is Luke…"

"Hello Rory…" the deep voice said.

Finally, her mother and Luke addressed her and Rory reluctantly raised her head. However, her scowling face relaxed and her eyes went wide as she met the gaze of the man before her. "You're… Luke?" It was the nice ball-capped man from the diner… sans ball cap. He was Luke? He certainly didn't look like a business owner, every time she had seen him he was in jeans and a plaid shirt; tonight was no exception. Rory knew what a businessman should look like: like her Grandpa Gilmore, with a suit, bow tie and briefcase. She had a clear picture from those brief holiday visits over the years. When your mind is stone bored, you latch on to the strangest details.

"Yeah" he smiled, "it's nice to see you again."

Rory didn't know what to do. She like the ball-capped man from the diner, he gave her chocolate milk on the house, gave Lane advice and tools for the floorboard project… he was nice… but were those gestures just to get on her good side…?

"Do you know each other?" Lorelai asked, looking from one to the other, wondering how that could be, she knew Luke saw them together in the square. But how could they have met?

Rory froze. She was worried she'd get in trouble for going to the diner without her mom's permission, and from her mother's reaction, apparently he hadn't told her about the secret visits to the diner. Then again… Luke didn't know they were supposed to be secret.

"Oh, I've seen her around town… and at a town meeting if I'm not mistaken…" Luke covered with ease.

Maybe… he's not so bad after all. Thankful for the save, but still suspicious of his intentions, Rory mumbled a sheepish "it's nice to meet you."

An awkward silence enveloped the trio.

"Well okay then… um, everyone knows who everyone … is…" Lorelai tried to get the night moving along, "So, what are we having?" she asked Luke.

"I've got it all with me, I started earlier… and I heard you liked pot roast," he addressed Rory again, "and I made some dessert."

"That sounds great," Lorelai smiled. "Um, Rory why don't you help me set the table?"

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Lorelai and Rory had a strict policy no matter what, no secrets. They were best friends first, and mother & daughter second. However, through dinner, Rory began to wonder if her mom and Luke had set up that whole, "I'm Luke, I'm a good guy, I'll help you lie to your mother," bit on purpose to gain her trust, or if it was genuine.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Rory pushed her food around her plate with her fork; it was delicious, but she was too distracted to eat her normal amount at her normal rate, or to even contribute to the adult-dominated conversation, despite their best efforts to include her.

Rory hated to admit it, but everything was nice, even having dinner at the table instead of in front of the TV; Luke's cooking, his efforts to get her to talk to him, the way her mother smiled at Luke, and the food was phenomenal, what she ate of it.

This isn't the way it's supposed to be. He's supposed to … I don't know, be bad… and Dad is supposed to come in and save the day…not that he ever had before.

Luke even helped clean up the dishes, a man willing to do his own dishes, how could he be the bad guy, and he reminded Lorelai of the dessert in the fridge as he got his jacket.

In the foyer, Luke growled, "Well that went well."

"Are you sure you won't stay? Just a little longer… "

"Nah, I feel I've overstayed my welcome…."

"Just give it time." Repeating his words, she kissed him goodnight.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"You bet."

Upon entering the icy kitchen, Lorelai wondered if she'd need a sweater for this conversation.

"Luke made us tiramisu for dessert," Lorelai offered, he is really good at dessert, but Rory seemed to be pouting at the table again. Lorelai tried to get her daughter to smile again, by making the forks do a little Rockette's dance on the table. "T for tiramisu, and tiramisu for me?"

No reaction.

Lorelai held the two forks up helplessly at her sides, "… Tiramisu, two forks, nothing bonds two girls better than coffee-soaked cake."

But Rory's silent treatment continued.

That's it! "Okay, I'll start," and Lorelai sat down at the table with her daughter. "I think dinner was amazing, and I think you were incredibly rude to my guest. You said two sentences to him the whole night. Not even polite 'thank you's' when he passed you the side dishes… which you are constantly reminding me is only polite etiquette." Then Lorelai started kindly begging again, "I'm not asking for you to like him overnight. Just be civil to him. He's trying, really trying and you won't give him a chance. You just hate him because …"

"I don't hate him!" Rory finally said.

"What?"

"I don't … hate… Luke."

"Okay? You could have fooled me!"

"I'm just mad because … I can't hate him…"

"Can't?"

Rory voiced her frustration of the last week "…because everything you say and everything the town says is true. Luke is great, he's super, let's put him on a poster and make him the town mascot."

"Well I don't think he'd like that… Wait, the town?"

"I did a little research," Rory shrugged.

"Really?" Why am I not surprised? Lorelai might get more info about Luke from her daughter than from the source himself. "Like what?"

"Well he was born here, son of William and Katherine, brother of Elizabeth, his high school nickname was Butch, he was the captain of the Stars Hollow track team and lead them to victory in the state finals, didn't go to college because his dad's hardware store was failing and he needed to run the store when his dad became ill and then … passed on," Rory worded delicately. "Luke renovated the store to be a diner, but kept the decor exactly the same, right down to the William's hardware sign above the windows…"

"Okay, okay…" Lorelai interrupted, but finding her daughter's thoroughness sweet. "Does this mean you're … gonna be … more open to the … me …dating Luke …thing?"

"I guess, it's just…" and Rory was frustrated she couldn't put what she was feeling inside into words, but finally got out, "I'm just … mad at Dad."

"I know, Hon, I know. But I like Luke, and he likes me. And I like you and Luke likes you. So if you could find some way to like the both of us …together…"

"I'll try… I can tell… you really like him…"

"You can?"

"The way you look at him… it's just like in the movies."

"Well, I do… like him…"

Rory had to admit, "That was really good pot roast."

"Hey, we have leftovers…" Lorelai offered noticing Rory hadn't eaten much during dinner.

"I want tiramisu now!" Anything to get the coffee her mother loved so much.

That's my girl!

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777777777777777777777777777777 Get up… walk around… 777777777777777777777777777777

777777777777777777777777777777 do a dance, make a sandwich… 777777777777777777777777777777

777777777777777777777777777777yes, I am the Quote Queen! 777777777777777777777777777777

The next day, Lorelai took Rory to Luke's for breakfast. He was a little surprised to see them so soon.

Lorelai was pestering Rory to go up to Luke and apologize for her behavior the night before, to which Rory timidly replied, "I'm picking my moment." She wanted the apology to be on her terms. Ever considerate, she finally found a chance when Luke wasn't very busy. "Luke?"

"Yes Rory," he answered cautiously, not knowing if she was finally ready to throw a fit, in front of all these people.

"Well, I just wanted to say… I'm sorry, about last night."

Relieved, Luke dismissed, "It's okay."

"No it's not. You're a really nice guy, you made an amazing meal, and you were our guest…. and well, you didn't do any thing wrong. … I'm not mad at you, but I was taking some anger out on you and well… I'm sorry," she smiled hopefully.

Luke smiled, "Apology accepted … Hey, since now we are, um, on speaking terms, do you want some chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Trying to bribe me again?"

"I'd say smooth things over, actually."

"Okay, but only if you make some for Mom too."

"You got it."

Rory beamed, feeling much better. "This is the beginning of beautiful friendship," she declared, but paused before she hopped off her stool, "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah"

"Thanks for not telling Mom, about me coming here before," Rory whispered.

"Anytime," he whispered back, still smiling.

With a clear conscience, Rory felt she could truly enjoy her first official Luke's breakfast … with her mom. "Luke? Since we are becoming friends, can I have a coffee now?" Rory flashed her best smile and the puppy dog eyes.

"No, it'll stunt your growth…" Luke warned again.

"Aw, man…" Rory grumbled as she went to wait for breakfast at her mother's table, but still pleased with how well she handled herself.

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"That was all God given talent..." why thank you Luke!
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R/R: PLEASE, I like to better myself. To quote The Princess Bride,
"...Remember this is for posterity, ... so be honest."
Please be specific with R/R; name one (or as many as you can think of or want to mention..…) At least one specific thing you liked

Please! It makes me feel good...inside (Dirty!)

Hence the Rant option below.

Insert Rant here V
A/N: if not completely satisfied with this chapter, please return unused portion for a full refund …