"Whose car is that?" Emily asked as they pulled into the driveway.
"That's Luke's," Rory responded.
They came to a stop and Rory got out of the car. "Thank you for driving me home, Grandma and Grandpa."
"You're welcome, Rory," Richard replied. "Thank you for showing us around tonight. We had a lot of fun."
"I'm so glad! Drive safe! I love you," she said.
"We love you too," Emily responded. "See you next Friday."
"See you then! Bye!" she waved as she skipped toward the house.
Richard turned to Emily. "So...Luke's car? It's nearly 1:00am. Isn't that a little late for visitors?"
"I wouldn't exactly call him a visitor. And look," she said, pointing. "None of the lights are on. They're probably asleep."
It took him a second to realize that Emily knew something he didn't.
"Is his apartment undergoing renovation?" Richard asked, playing dumb.
"No."
"Is it on fire? Being bombed for insects? Infested with rodents? Filled with toxic carbon monoxide? Our daughter sure is generous to lend him her couch in such tragic events."
"Richard, please."
"Is he spending several nights here, establishing a domestic routine with our daughter and granddaughter?" he finally asked.
"All I know is that they are together."
He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand.
"And, before you say anything, you should know that I am in favor of it."
"How on earth could you approve of this, Emily? He owns a diner! He never went to college! He doesn't know how to shave! He is completely unsuitable for our daughter," his voice was now rising.
"You're right. He is completely unsuitable for our daughter. But he is also completely in love with her and she is completely in love with him. And he took care of her, and of Rory, throughout the entire aftermath of the accident. On the outside, he couldn't be more wrong for her. But, on the inside, I don't think there's anyone more right."
"You're serious?" he asked, his expression and voice baffled.
She nodded. "Let's go home."
Inside, Rory walked in to find the house empty and silent. She quietly made her way upstairs and gently opened her mother's bedroom door.
"Mom?" she whispered, smiling at the sight of Luke's arm draped around her mother's waist.
Lorelai's eyes fluttered open and she squinted at the light pouring in from the hallway.
"Rory?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to let you know that I'm home," she said quietly.
"Thank you, hon. Sweet dreams."
"You too," Rory whispered, closing the door.
Lorelai woke up the next morning to find the other side of the bed empty. She sighed as she got up, put on her robe, and walked downstairs.
Luke stood over the stove, bacon crackling, pancakes flipping, hash browns browning, and eggs scrambling. She smelt fresh coffee and heard the sound of the toaster as it popped. Rory was already sitting at the table, finishing off a tall glass of orange juice and then moving on to a large cup of coffee.
She looked up to see Lorelai standing there, watching her, mouthing the words "is this weird?" Rory smiled and shook her head, mouthing "not at all" in response.
Lorelai walked toward the stove and wrapped her arms around his waist, rising onto her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek.
"Good morning," she whispered into his ear.
"Hi," he smiled, turning his head to kiss her her lips softly.
She retracted her arms and walked over to the coffee maker, filling a giant mug to the brim, then walking toward the table, taking a seat next to Rory.
"So, mom?"
"Yeah, kid?"
Rory moved in closer. "Can he like move in?"
Lorelai concealed the shock that she felt at the sound of those words by bringing her mug to her lips and hiding her face. "You would be okay with that?" she whispered back.
"I was joking, I just want this breakfast every day. But, I mean, if that was something you two wanted to do somewhere down the line, yeah, I'd be okay with it."
"Good to know," Lorelai said, nodding.
"But I don't want ugly siblings," she went on.
Luke had to force himself not to turn around and act like he hadn't heard anything while Lorelai could no longer conceal the shock. "Siblings?" she asked, choking on the coffee that she was swallowing.
"Hypothetically, yeah."
Lorelai rose from her seat and grabbed Rory by the wrist, dragging her out of her seat and into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"Jeez, mom, what's wrong?"
"Why are you so okay with all of this?" she asked.
"Am I not supposed to be?" Rory retorted.
"I just," she sighed, trying to calm herself. "We've barely been together a couple of months. I don't want to scare him away. Can you just lay off of the future talk for now?"
"Oh...sure. I'm sorry, mom. I wasn't thinking."
"That's okay," Lorelai responded, walking toward her daughter and wrapping her arms around her.
"But mom?" Rory asked, looking up at her.
"Yeah?"
"Do you want it? You know, the siblings thing?"
"I want it all. More than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life," she said, her face and voice conveying a raw honesty.
"Looks like he better start ring shopping!" Rory whispered in excitement.
"I think we're just going to live in the moment for now, kid. Maybe somewhere down the line. We're just getting to know each other in this new capacity and enjoying ourselves. When the time is right, we'll know."
"Okay," Rory replied, pulling back. "One more thing."
"Yes, sweets?" she asked turning back toward her daughter.
"I just want you to know that I am okay with it. All of it. You and Luke dating, him moving in, you guys getting married, him being my stepdad, you guys having kids. I don't want you to hesitate on starting a life with him for fear of leaving me out. Truth be told, I never really had a dad before Luke came around. I would very much love to be a part of whatever family the two of you become."
Lorelai nearly choked up, her eyes slightly misty. "You are an amazing kid. And you are wise beyond your years. And I love you very much. But you were just a little off with that statement. Because I would very much love for you to be apart of whatever family the three of us become."
Rory smiled back as Lorelai dried her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. Little did they know, Luke had had his ear pressed up to the door throughout the entire conversation.
The following Thursday, the three of them walked into Patty's Dance studio exactly 3 minutes after the Town Meeting had started, disruptively taking their seats next to Sookie and Jackson in the middle row.
"Ah-em," Taylor dramatically cleared his throat.
Not one of them indicated that they'd heard him and he rolled his eyes and proceeded on. Half an hour later, he flipped to the final page of his itinerary and looked up.
"Ah, we've saved the best, and most important, for last. This morning, during my usual coffee and creme brulee at Weston's, Babette walked in to order a cake for Morey's upcoming birthday."
"Tayla! Don't you bring this up, I mean it. Didn't I tell ya that I never meant to tell ya that?" Babette rasped at him.
"You told me you saw the truck late at night and it is my belief that this is a concern for the town!" he said.
"Let them tell us on their own time, Taylor, please," Patty chimed in.
"What on earth is going on?" Jackson asked.
"We think Luke and Lorelai are sleeping together," Kirk finally said, quickly and bluntly.
There was an audible gasp from every single person in the room and all eyes immediately focused on the couple.
"We aren't positive, people. We just have our suspicions," Taylor commented.
Luke and Lorelai stared at each other for several long moments, stunned and speechless. Soon, however, two smiles spread across their faces and he brought hands up to to hold her face, bringing her lips to his and kissing her gently. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers.
"I love you," he said gently, but loud enough for them to hear.
"I love you too," she smiled, the two turning back toward Taylor.
Luke placed his arm around her and pulled her in as she laid her head on his shoulder, the two acting like nothing had happened.
Taylor eventually sighed and banged his gavel on the podium. "Town meeting adjourned."
The people were buzzing as they watched the couple rise from their seats. Luke bent down to grab her purse and handed it to her. After they conquered the crowd through which they encountered several comments and questions from several people, Rory, Lorelai, and Luke had made it to the opposite side of the town square. He slipped his arms around both of their shoulders, Lorelai moving her hand up to lace her fingers through his and reclaiming her head's position on his shoulder.
"So," he said, turning his head to kiss the top of her head. "Do you girls want ice cream or pie?"
Lorelai and Rory craned their necks to look past Luke and at each other. They smiled, each knowing what the other was thinking, then looked back at Luke.
"Both," they said simultaneously.