It's Always There

by CoffeeDrinker

This is a 2nd sequel to "It's Right There" that picks up a few weeks after the ending of "It's Still There." Lorelai and Luke navigate the ups and downs of domestic life as they raise their fresh kid. :)

15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai and Luke brought Olivia home from the hospital two days after she was born. Over the next few days, friends and neighbors stopped by to meet the newest resident of Stars Hollow. Most generously brought gifts for the kids and meals for the family, which helped save Luke a lot of time in the kitchen.

Luke stayed home from the diner for a week to help things get settled at home. They tried to figure out a new daily routine as they merged Josh's schedule with the baby's. Rory drove home from Yale when she could to visit and spend time with the family.

They had been curious about how Josh would adjust to the baby, but he was surprisingly very open to having a new little human in the house. He would stare at her when she was sleeping just waiting for her to wake up, and would try to bring her toys to cheer her up when she was crying.

. . . . .

. . . . .

One evening in mid-March, Luke and Lorelai took the kids out in the double stroller for an after-dinner walk. They stopped to chat with neighbors along the way, and as they approached the town square, they saw some activity around the gazebo.

"Oh, cute, they're decorating for Easter," Lorelai observed.

"Yup."

"I still have to get Liv an Easter basket," Lorelai replied, and then she nodded toward the craft store where she'd bought Josh's basket the year before. "Oh, hey, let's stop in and see if they have any."

Luke pushed the stroller toward the store, and parked it out front. "You go in, I'll wait out here with them."

Lorelai held out her hand. "Do you have money? I don't have any with me."

Luke pulled his wallet from his back pocket and held it out. She started to take it, but he didn't let go. "You're only going in for a basket," he reminded her.

Lorelai nodded. "Just a basket," she confirmed, and he let go of the wallet. Then she wrinkled her nose and added, "But what if there's a really good sale that would be absolutely ridiculous to turn down?"

"Then be ridiculous and turn it down," Luke replied firmly. "Go check out the baskets, then come back out." He nodded toward the baby, who had fallen asleep. "She's gonna be hungry when she wakes up, we can't be out too long."

"Fiiiine," she reluctantly agreed. "Be right back."

Lorelai went in and purchased a basket, and they started walking down the street. "Oh, I almost forgot, my mom called today," she said. "She asked if we'd be up for resuming Friday night dinners next week. Well, let me rephrase that... she didn't ask so much as remind me that we went back a month after Josh was born, and that Olivia is coming up on her one-month birthday."

"And what did you say?" Luke replied.

"Well, I warned her what it's been like with two kids in the house," Lorelai said. "I told her to be prepared for lots of noise, lots of crying, and for you and I to be very distracted tending to them and trying to keep them calm. I told her we can barely keep an adult conversation going for two minutes without an interruption when they're both awake."

"And what'd she say to that?"

"She said we should come to dinner next week and see how things go," Lorelai replied, and she frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry, I was hoping to push it out further until the kids were like 4 and 5 years old so they'd be easier to manage, but she didn't really take the bait."

Luke smirked. "It's okay. We knew it was coming, and they know it's going to be different with two kids there. We'll go, we'll focus on keeping the kids happy, we'll eat, we'll go home. That's all we can really do."

"Mama!" Josh suddenly yelled with excitement from the stroller. "Mama!"

Luke stopped pushing the stroller so Lorelai could check on him. "What's up, buddy?" Lorelai asked as she squatted beside him.

Josh was pointing down the street, and Lorelai followed his gaze toward a man walking his dog. "Oh, you see a doggy?" Lorelai asked him, smiling. "You're excited, huh? You love doggies." She tapped Josh on the nose. "When you're old enough to help take care of it, maybe we'll get our own doggy."

"Not happening," Luke chimed in.

Lorelai looked up at him with a frown. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want one in the house, dogs are disgusting," Luke flatly replied.

"So are kids, but we have a couple of those in the house," Lorelai pointed out, and then she ran her hand over Josh's hair. "Say bye to the doggy... say bye bye."

Josh waved toward the dog. "Good job," Lorelai said. "We'll go home and read your doggy book."

She stood up and they continued walking. "You know, we can always switch it up with the kids at Friday night dinner," she said to Luke. "If it's too much trying to juggle them both... making sure that Josh doesn't run around and break anything, or the baby doesn't spit up on some expensive fabric... we can alternate. I can take Josh one week and the baby the next, or something like that."

"Let's just see how it goes the first time," Luke said. "It would be nice to be able to do it as a family."

"So we can all suffer together?"

"Yes, exactly," he replied with a smirk. "It'll help us grow stronger as a family unit."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay. We'll see how it goes." She glanced down at the Easter basket in her hand. "Oh, this reminds me, I forgot to mention... Rory and Mark are going away the weekend after Easter to celebrate their one year anniversary."

Luke's eyes widened. "Wow, a year. That went fast."

"Yeah, and she seems happy," Lorelai said. "I had some doubts at the vow renewal when I saw how she was acting around that other Yale kid, but nothing ever came of that. She hasn't mentioned him again."

"Mark's a good kid. Where are they going?"

"She doesn't know yet," Lorelai replied. "He's surprising her, so of course she's freaking out about what to pack. She needs to be prepared for all contingencies, all possible scenarios."

"One wrong outfit and the whole weekend is gone to hell," Luke said knowingly.

"You're mocking, but exactly." Lorelai saw Jess walking out of the bookstore up ahead. "There's Jess." He had visited the house once or twice since the baby came home, but had a busy schedule with work and school, so they hadn't seen him much lately.

Jess was walking toward them and stopped when he reached them. "Hey."

"Hey, Jess," Lorelai greeted him.

"Hey," Luke said. "You just getting off work?"

"Yup. And actually, good timing." Jess leaned down to be at eye level with Josh. "I have something for this guy. Hey, Josh."

Lorelai looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yup." Jess reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a children's book. He handed it to Josh, opened it up, and pushed a button on the first page. A firetruck siren played and Josh smiled excitedly.

"Aw, look at that," Lorelai said, smiling at Josh's excitement. "What do you say, Josh? Say thank you to your favorite cousin."

Josh muttered something incoherent, and Lorelai said, "Good try." She looked at Jess. "Thank you, that's really cute."

"Sure. There's a different sound on each page," Jess explained. "They just came in today, I was stacking 'em on the shelf, thought he might like it."

"Thanks, that was nice," Luke replied.

"Sure. Sorry, didn't really see anything for her," Jess said, nodding toward Olivia.

"Oh, that's okay. They can share it," Lorelai said.

"How's school going?" Luke asked Jess. "You're in the home stretch, right?"

Lorelai gasped. "Oh, right, you're almost done, like done done. We have to do something... maybe a little party?"

"No, no party," Jess replied with an eyeroll. "I'm good."

"We have to do something," Lorelai insisted. "It's an important occasion."

"What about dinner at our house with your mom and TJ and Rory?" Luke suggested. "Completely casual. We won't invite anyone else. Just a little something."

"You don't have to do that. It's not a big deal," Jess said.

"It is a big deal, Jess," Lorelai told him. "You're graduating from college."

"It's a community college," Jess reminded him.

"I graduated from community college," Lorelai said. "It's still a bid deal."

"Yes, it is," Luke said. "You worked hard, you earned a degree. We're proud of you."

"Yes, we are. Come on, we won't even get decorations," Lorelai promised. "It'll just be a casual dinner and dessert, that's it. You won't even be able to tell it's for your graduation, it'll be that boring and vague."

Jess exhaled a deep sigh, knowing they wouldn't give up. "I guess it's the least I can let you do since you did pay for some of it," he muttered.

Lorelai playfully smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh, yeah, I forgot, we could've been laying on that 'we paid for it, let us have you over for dinner' guilt trip."

"I beat you to it," Jess said, and then he shrugged in defeat. "Fine, a small dinner at the house, that's it. I mean it."

Lorelai clapped excitedly. "Yay!"

"She gets overly excited for adults to come over," Luke explained to Jess.

"I can see that," Jess remarked, and then he nodded toward the diner. "I gotta get home. I'll see you guys."

"Okay, thanks for the book," Lorelai said. "We'll figure out a date for the dinner and run it by you."

Jess nodded, and he took a moment to give Josh a pat on his head before he started walking off.

Lorelai smiled at Luke. "He's graduating. That's exciting."

"Yeah. He's come a long way."

"Do you know what his next steps are?" Lorelai asked. "Like what kind of job he wants to get?"

Luke shook his head. "Something with writing, I guess. I'm sure he's got things he's looking into."

As they started walking home, Lorelai said, "Let's see, tonight's game plan... run the dishwasher, throw in a load of laundry because I'm running out of onesies, Josh needs a bath, Liv's gonna be hungry when she wakes up, we'll play for a little, then put 'em to bed, and then I'm gonna try to brush at least half of my teeth before collapsing onto the bathroom floor in an exhausted heap, and then you can carry me to the bed and tuck me in."

Luke nodded. "Okay, so, basically the same plan as last night, and the night before, and the night before that... got it."

Lorelai smiled at him. "Why change a routine that works, am I right?"

. . . . .

. . . . .

One afternoon toward the end of April, Luke was working at the diner when Sookie rushed in. "Luke!" she exclaimed. "Are you here?"

The customers all turned to look at her, and Luke gave a little wave from the counter. "Uh, yeah... right here, Sookie."

Sookie glanced around the crowded diner, and then nodded her head toward the outside. "Um, can I talk to you for a minute privately?" she asked.

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Uh, sure." He asked Caesar to cover for him, and he followed Sookie out onto the sidewalk. "Did Lorelai send you here to find out what I got her for her birthday? Because I'm not telling. I told her she needs to wait and find out on her birthday."

"No, no, not that, not about the birthday," Sookie quickly replied, shaking her head.

"What's up? Everything okay?"

Sookie glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and then she said, "I was just at Weston's and I overheard some information that I don't think anyone else knows."

"What kind of information?"

Sookie leaned in closer to him and whispered, "Fran is in the hospital."

Luke's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't think so," Sookie whispered, shaking her head sadly. "There was a lawyer in there talking to the manager... Fran's second in command. They were reviewing some paperwork, sounded like they were preparing for the worst... like they were signing over the bakery."

"Oh, boy," Luke said with a dejected sigh. "That's tough. Poor Fran."

"Yeah, poor Fran," Sookie agreed, nodding. She stared at Luke for a moment before she added, "But this also means..."

Luke looked confused. "What?"

"This means that the Dragonfly is going to be ownerless soon," Sookie told him.

Luke's eyes widened. "Oh, right, the Dragonfly." He hadn't even realized that's why Sookie was bringing this up; he was focused on Fran herself.

"Unless of course Fran does have plans for it and that lawyer's gonna be signing it over to someone else any minute now," Sookie continued, and then she shook her head. "But I don't think so... it's been abandoned for so long, she was probably only focused on the bakery. I think it's going to be up for grabs, so maybe we can try to buy it, Lorelai and I."

"Right, right, buy it, buy the inn," Luke muttered. "You guys could buy the inn."

There was silence for a few moments as they stared at each other.

"You're thinking the same thing that I'm thinking," Sookie said to him.

"What do you think I'm thinking?" Luke asked her, eyeing her curiously.

"That this is terrible timing," Sookie said with a groan. "Lorelai is still on maternity leave, you guys are still adjusting to the new baby, it's not exactly a great time to start our own inn. Right?"

Luke exhaled a sigh. "Yeah, kind of," he admitted. "That was my first reaction. I just don't want her to get overwhelmed. She's got a lot going on."

"I know. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it before I told her. Do you think it's gonna be too much to throw this at her right now? I mean, I don't want to miss this opportunity, but I don't want to stress her out either."

Luke thought about it some more, and then he realized he was getting ahead of himself. "Actually, no, you know what? Maybe the timing's good."

"Really?" Sookie asked, surprised at how quickly he changed his tune.

"Yeah. Not knowing if you were getting that location or if you'd have to find a new one was kind of an issue hanging over you guys, right? So if the deal goes through, things might actually feel calmer," Luke said. "You don't have to start working on the inn yet, but at least you'll have the location out of the way. And she can focus on the kids and ease back into work in a few weeks, and then you two can start getting a plan together."

Sookie thought that over and then nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that makes sense. Just because we buy it now doesn't mean we need to start working on it yet." She grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Wow. This could work out." She glanced down the street in the direction of the bakery. "Now, we just have to make sure we're the ones that get the inn."

Luke nodded. "Do you know anything about the lawyer, his name or anything?"

"I'll find out," she assured him. "He's probably still in there. I'll go talk to him right now and get his number so we have it just in case." She exhaled a nervous sigh. "I'm not as good at talking people into things as Lorelai is, though."

Luke patted her on the shoulder. "You got this, Sookie. You can do it."

"I can do it," she declared. "Should we tell Lorelai about this or should we hold off?"

"Let's wait and see what happens with Fran," Luke suggested. "No need to put it on Lorelai's radar if it doesn't need to be."

"Okay, good idea," Sookie replied. "I'm going. I'll talk to you later." She started rushing down the street before Luke could even reply.

"Bye," he called after her.

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day, the news that Fran had passed away started to make its way around town. Luke found out while he was at the diner, and he called Sookie to get an update on the situation. Sookie had successfully made arrangements with the lawyer, and Luke invited her to come over that night to tell Lorelai.

When Luke arrived home around dinner time, the baby was awake in the swing in the living room, Josh was shirtless on the floor playing with some toy cars, and Lorelai was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, buddy," Luke greeted Josh as he walked into the living room.

Josh looked up at the sound of his name, and jumped up when he saw Luke. He ran over to him and threw himself against Luke's legs. Luke lifted him up and kissed his cheek. "Hi. Are you all alone, or is your mother somewhere around here?"

Josh looked at Luke confusedly.

"You know, tall, dark hair, blue eyes, helps keep you alive," Luke clarified. "Also known as Mommy... where'd Mommy go?"

Josh glanced toward the staircase and then pointed upstairs. Luke walked over to the steps and called, "Lorelai?"

"Up here," she called back, and a few seconds later, she appeared on the stairs and started heading down toward him. "Hey. How was work?"

"It was good," Luke replied, kissing her hello when she reached him. "How's it going here?"

"It's good." Lorelai undid the gate at the bottom of the stairs and locked it behind her. "Had to get him a fresh shirt," she said, holding up one of Josh's t-shirts. "His sippy cup leaked juice all over."

"I was wondering about the bare-chested look he had going on," Luke said.

"We need to get him some clothes in the next size up," Lorelai said. "He's gonna be growing out of this size soon."

"Uh huh," Luke said unexcitedly, having realized that raising kids meant constantly buying clothes that they grow out of in a few months. He put Josh down before walking over to the swing. He leaned down to get closer to the baby, rubbing his finger over her little hand. "Hi, Liv... are you being good?"

"She's being all right," Lorelai replied. "A little boring. She really needs to work on her conversation skills... I keep asking her questions and I get nothing in return." She put Josh's t-shirt on him, and smoothed out his tasseled hair. "There you go. You wanna play with your airplane?"

"Pane," Josh replied.

"Okay, go get it, go get your airplane," Lorelai said, pointing toward the toy area. As Josh ran over to find it, there was a knock on the front door, and Lorelai called, "Come in if you're not a stranger!"

The front door opened and Sookie's voice announced, "It's me."

"Hi, Sookie," Lorelai called as she walked over to the couch. "We're in the living room."

Sookie shut the front door and walked to the living room. "Hi, guys," she greeted them as she let herself in through the baby gate.

"What brings you here on this lovely evening?" Lorelai asked, and she patted the couch cushion next to her. "Come sit."

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd pop in. How are you guys?" Sookie sat down next to Lorelai, and held up a food container before setting it on the coffee table. "Brought some homemade cookies."

"Thank you. And we're good. I'm exhausted, as usual, but will keep my eyes open for you," Lorelai replied. "Only because you brought cookies."

Sookie giggled. "Thank you." She nodded her head toward Josh with a smile. "Ooh, someone got a haircut... he looks so handsome."

"He does look handsome, doesn't he?" Lorelai replied. "You would've thought we were putting him through a medieval torture device to achieve that handsomeness."

Sookie wrinkled her nose. "Still hates the barber shop, huh?"

"He cried the whole time," Lorelai confirmed. "I have no idea how the barber managed to get such a cute cut in." She patted Sookie's arm. "So, how are you? Everything okay at the inn?"

"Yeah, they're good, everything's good there." Sookie paused for a moment and glanced over at Luke, who gave her a little nod.

Lorelai noticed the exchange and narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Well, see..." Sookie started.

"Here's the thing," Luke said, walking closer to them. He stood beside the coffee table.

Lorelai glanced back and forth between them. "Are you two about to confess an affair to me or something?"

"No, not an affair," Sookie replied.

"Because this can happen after a new baby, the husband feels neglected and starts looking elsewhere for attention," Lorelai continued.

"Will you stop that," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "You know I'm not looking elsewhere for anything."

"Well, then, tell me what's going on," Lorelai said.

"Well, sweetie, you may not have heard, but... Fran died this morning," Sookie told her.

Lorelai's eyes widened and she clutched her chest with her hand. "Oh, no!" she gasped. "That's so sad."

Sookie and Luke both nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is," Sookie said. "Very sad."

"Really sad," Luke added.

Lorelai paused for a moment, looked back and forth between them, and then leaned in to whisper," Did you two have something to do with it?"

Luke's eyes widened. "What? No!"

"Well, I don't know, you're both being weird!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Tell me what's going on."

Sookie explained about how she'd heard of Fran's situation yesterday and had spoken to her lawyer. "And I talked to him again today," Sookie finished. "I told him we were very interested in buying the Dragonfly and wanted to get to him before any other offers came in."

Lorelai waited for her to continue, anxiously prompting her with, "Annnnd..."

Sookie smiled. "And he said there were no plans made for it in her will, so if the check clears, it's all ours."

Lorelai gasped. "Sookie!" She leaned in and threw her arms around her in a tight hug. "Oh, my God!"

"We are so close to owning the Dragonfly!" Sookie squealed, hugging Lorelai back. "Can you believe it?"

"No, I can't!" Lorelai pulled back from the hug and glanced over at Luke. "So, wait, you knew about this?"

"Yeah, I did," he admitted. "But we wanted to tell you together."

"We also wanted to make sure you're okay with it," Sookie hesitantly added, and then paused for a moment before asking, "Are you okay with it?"

Lorelai looked at her with confusion. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? This is what we wanted. I mean, not for Fran to die... God rest her soul... but the Dragonfly is what we wanted."

"Well, you have a lot going on right now," Sookie replied.

"What else do I have going on?" Lorelai asked. "I'm sitting at home every day changing diapers."

"Tsk, you are not just sitting at home," Sookie scolded her. "You just had a baby, you're raising two kids, you're gonna be transitioning back to work soon... it's a lot. You're dealing with a lot emotionally, physically..."

"Yeah, but we're just buying the inn. Buying it now doesn't mean we have to actually start working on it yet," Lorelai said. "We can sit on it for a little while, take our time with the planning before we make any big moves on it."

Sookie smiled and gestured to Luke. "That's pretty much what he said."

"Yes, well, we do think alike," Lorelai said, smiling at him.

They discussed it a little more, and then Sookie headed home. Luke started doing a wooden puzzle with Josh on the couch next to Lorelai.

"I guess I need to get some money from Trix's inn fund," Lorelai said. "I'll have to call my dad and see if he can help with that. I know it has to be approved by a lawyer or something to make sure I'm using it for the inn."

"Yeah." Luke was quiet for a moment as he helped Josh put in some puzzle shapes, and then he looked over at Lorelai. "So, I had a thought..."

"A dirty one?"

"No, a financial one." He paused a moment to watch Josh put the last piece into the puzzle. "Good job. Can you go get another one?" He pointed toward the puzzles on the floor by his toys. "Go get another puzzle."

Josh ran over to his toys, and Luke looked at Lorelai. "So, you have to use all of your grandmother's money toward the inn within three years of her death or you lose it," he said. "That gives you two more years. You'll use a little now to pay for the land, and then you'll put the rest toward remodeling and furnishing it and what not."

"Right," Lorelai said, wondering what he was getting at.

"So, hear me out, I have an idea," Luke started, and then Josh returned with a puzzle. Luke helped him dump out the pieces before he continued talking to Lorelai.

"What if we extend the life of that money a little longer," Luke suggested. "Instead of just asking the lawyers for your half of the money to buy the land, ask for all of it... take the entire cost of the land out of your grandmother's money... yours and Sookie's. You can show your grandmother's lawyer the contract to prove you're spending it all on the land so he can approve it or whatever he has to do."

Lorelai looked confused. "So I pay for the whole thing? What about Sookie's half? She doesn't pay?"

"She pays you, we take her half and put it in our bank account to use later for the inn," he replied. "Or we could set up a new account specifically for the inn, maybe. Then that money won't have any deadline on it, it won't need to be used by a certain date because it's not Trix's money, it's Sookie's. See? That way, you guys won't feel pressure to hurry up and use it if you're getting close to the deadline. It gives you a little bit of a buffer if you need more time. Like maybe you earmark some of that money for emergency repairs in the future or something... now you can use it whenever you need to, not when Trix wants you to."

Lorelai stared at him for a few moments in silence, running through that scenario in her head. She blinked a few times, thought some more, and then declared, "You're a genius."

Luke smirked and tipped his hat. "Thank you."

"Seriously, that is brilliant," Lorelai told him. "It's like washing money in a legal way." She paused a second and asked, "It is legal, right?"

"I think so, but we can run it by your dad to see if he agrees."

"Okay. And I'll talk to Sookie about it and make sure she's okay with that. But seriously, that's a good idea, babe." She held out her hand toward him. "High five."

Luke smiled and clapped his hand against hers.

Lorelai saw Josh looking at them, and she held her hand out toward him. "High five, little man."

Josh lightly tapped Lorelai's hand, and then smiled proudly.

"Good job, buddy," Lorelai gushed, rubbing his hair. She glanced over at the swing where Olivia was starting to fuss. "Oh, your sister looks like she wants to get out. Should we go get her and play with her? Should we go get Livvy?"

Josh nodded and ran over to the swing. He glanced back at Lorelai, waiting for her to follow. "Oh, don't give me that look like I'm a slowpoke," she said as she stood up. "We don't all have your energy."

As Lorelai walked over to the swing, Luke stood up from the couch. "Okay, let me go throw something on for dinner, and then I'll help tame down some of his energy."

"Thank you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Over the next few weeks, Lorelai's maternity leave ended and she returned to the Independence Inn. She and Luke resumed their half-day work schedules, where Luke stayed home with the kids in the mornings, and Lorelai was home in the afternoons.

The purchase of the Dragonfly was finalized, and Lorelai and Sookie officially became the owners. In May, they did a walkthrough with an inspector to get an idea of what types of repairs and upgrades would be needed, but they agreed to hold off on any inn planning until at least after the summer.

But in the middle of July, just a few days before Josh's 2nd birthday, their plans suddenly changed.

Luke and Lorelai were out front with the kids. Lorelai was sitting on the porch with Olivia to keep her out of the sun while Josh was splashing around in his small baby pool on the lawn. Luke was sitting in a lawn chair next to the pool keeping an eye on him.

"We can trade places for awhile if you want," Lorelai offered, noticing his wet clothes. "You're getting the brunt of the water damage."

Luke shrugged. "I don't mind. It'll dry off in the sun." He nodded toward the baby. "How's she doing?"

Lorelai had spread a blanket on the porch with some toys, and Olivia was sitting between Lorelai's legs to help stay upright. She was currently chewing on a cold teething ring fresh from the refrigerator.

Lorelai glanced down at her. "I think she's doing good. Haven't heard any complaints yet."

"Hey, you guys," Babette called from her front yard. She was walking toward them carrying a small brown paper bag.

"Hey, Babette," Lorelai called back.

"Hi, Babette," Luke said. "If you're feeling warm, Josh is offering free splashes to cool you down."

"I might take you up on that later," Babette replied. She handed the bag to Luke. "I was just in town and the Italian ice guy was having a 2-for-1 sale, so I picked up a couple of cups for you guys. Thought Josh might like it, and I don't know if Olivia is old enough yet, but there's two in there for you guys to share, and they threw in some plastic spoons."

"Aw, Babette, that's so nice, thank you," Lorelai said appreciatively from the porch. "And we'll pretend you did it solely for us, and not just to talk to the silver fox Italian ice guy that runs the stand."

Babette gave her a wink. "Hey, a little looking never hurt anyone, right?"

Luke snorted a laugh. "Thanks, Babette. It will not go to waste."

"You wanna come hang out with us?" Lorelai offered.

"Another time, doll," Babette replied. "Morey's got a show tonight, so we're gonna be heading to Stamford in a little while."

"Okay, have fun," Lorelai replied. "Tell him to break a leg."

"And let us know if he has any local gigs coming up," Luke added. "We haven't seen him play in awhile, might be time for a date night."

"I will let you know," Babette said. "I'll see you guys later."

They said goodbye to her as the front door opened and Rory stepped outside.

"Oh, hey there, Rory," Babette said with a wave. "And see you later, Rory." She started walking toward her house.

Rory smiled. "Hi and bye, Babette." She looked at Lorelai amusedly.

"They've got a gig to get to," Lorelai explained. "But I'm excited that someone decided to leave her writing dungeon and join outside family playtime."

"Not for long, sorry... I need to turn this article in by tomorrow," Rory said apologetically. "But as soon as it's done, I'll come hang out."

"I know, I know, the life of an intern desperately trying to impress her supervisor never stops," Lorelai said. "Babette just dropped off some water ice if you want a quick snack break." She noticed the house phone in Rory's hand. "Did someone call?"

"Yeah, Mia called for you, thus prompting me to leave the writing dungeon," Rory replied, and she handed Lorelai the phone. She stepped off the porch and went over to say hi to Josh in the pool.

Lorelai raised an eyebrow and covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "Mia's calling at home on a Sunday afternoon," she said, glancing over at Luke. "That means something's wrong, right?"

Luke shrugged. "Maybe not. Only one way to find out."

Lorelai brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"There she is," Mia replied cheerfully. "How's my favorite manager doing? It's so good to hear your voice, it's been a few weeks."

"You, too, Mia," Lorelai replied. "And I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine. How's that beautiful family of yours?"

"Oh, they're good, and still beautiful," Lorelai replied, glancing around at them as she spoke. "Three healthy kids of various ages and teething levels, and one healthy, hunky, happy husband. Pardon my accidental alliteration."

"Well, I love to hear that, I'm glad you're all doing well," Mia replied. "Listen, I'm sorry to bother you on the weekend, but I have something I wanted to discuss with you."

"Should I be nervous?" Lorelai asked. "Because something tells me I should be."

"Not at all, dear," Mia replied. "Remember I told you last year that I wasn't going to consider any offers on the inn until you and Sookie were ready to start working on your own? Well, I meant that, but one has come up that I want to run by you."

Lorelai listened quietly as Mia told her about a recent offer on the Independence Inn that was not only a higher price than other offers she had gotten, but the potential buyer - an old acquaintance of hers - had expressed an interest to turn the inn into an active adult community.

"That is what made me hesitate on immediately turning down the offer," Mia finished. "This would be a huge benefit for you. You won't have another established inn to compete with for business... your inn will be the only one in town. I haven't gotten any other offers where they wanted to convert the inn to something else, so I wanted to discuss that with you first and see how you felt about it."

"Wow," was the only response Lorelai could muster after listening to Mia. She looked across the yard at Luke and Rory, who were eyeing her with interest waiting to hear what was going on. Rory was eating one of the water ice cups and sharing spoonfuls of it with Josh.

Olivia started to get a little fussy. "Hold on one second, Mia, okay?" Lorelai said into the phone, and then she set it down on the porch. She stood up with the baby and walked over to Luke and Rory, offering the baby to Luke. "Can you hold her for a few minutes while I finish this call?"

"Sure," he replied, taking Olivia from her. "What's going on?"

"Mia has an offer on the Independence Inn that might be too good for us to pass up," Lorelai replied. She rushed back over to the porch, grabbed the phone, and went into the house to concentrate on the conversation.

"Sorry, Mia," she said into the phone. "Had to hand off the baby." She took a deep breath. "Okay, so, I have to talk to Sookie, obviously, but let's just talk through the options for a minute."

"All right."

"Option A is that you pass on this offer and a better or equivalent one comes along down the line and it's happily ever after for everyone," Lorelai said. "Option B is that you pass on this offer and never get another one quite as good and you resent me forever and we all constantly ask ourselves 'what if' for the rest of our lives."

Mia chuckled into the phone. "Oh, stop that. I could never resent you. And this isn't about me... this is about you and Sookie. If you are not ready to start on the Dragonfly yet, then I don't have to take this offer. I'm fine with whatever you choose to do here."

"Well, the Dragonfly is just sitting there waiting for us to start working on it, so maybe this is a sign that it's time," Lorelai said. "I mean, option C is that you take the offer and retire, this guy turns the inn into something else, we open our own inn, and we guarantee a 100 percent share of the hospitality market in Stars Hollow... which sounds pretty amazing."

"Plus, with the extra money he's offering, it allows me to give a little more severance when we have to start letting people go," Mia added, and then she sadly exhaled into the phone. "That's going to be the tough part."

"When do you think that will be?" Lorelai asked. "Hypothetically, if you were to accept the offer, how soon would things start to happen?"

"I told him I would need at least 3 to 4 months, and he seemed open to that," Mia replied. "That'll give us time to notify the staff and let them start looking for other jobs. We have to inform our suppliers, get out of contracts with them, cancel future guest reservations... there's a lot to do. We can't just flip the switch and turn it over right away."

"Right, right," Lorelai said, nodding understandably. "So, hypothetically, we could start working on the Dragonfly construction now, and while that's going on, still work at the Independence Inn and have some income until the holidays. And then that'll close, and by then, it'll probably be time to start focusing on the interior of the Dragonfly, getting all the furniture and little décor details taken care of, which will become its own full time job anyway."

"It does sound like perfect timing," Mia remarked.

"It does," Lorelai agreed. "When do you have to let this guy know your decision?"

"A few days," Mia replied. "So, you talk to Sookie, talk to Luke, Rory, whoever else you want to weigh in on this, and let me know what you think."

"And you're definitely one hundred percent fine either way?" Lorelai asked.

"One hundred percent," Mia confirmed. "It's up to you."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh of relief. "Mia, thank you for letting us have input here. You have no idea what that means to us."

"You're welcome. You ladies have done a lot for me and for the inn, this is the least I can do to repay you."

"Well, you do kind of repay us every two weeks with paychecks," Lorelai reminded her. "So that was a good start."

Mia laughed. "Oh, how I miss you, Lorelai. You go enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and say hello to the family for me."

Lorelai smiled. "I will. Bye."

"Bye."

. . . . .

. . . . .

After discussing the options with each other and their families, Lorelai and Sookie agreed it would be a good idea for Mia to accept the offer. They contacted Tom to start discussing remodeling plans for the Dragonfly, and finally in late August, the construction began.

When Luke and Lorelai arrived at a Friday night dinner in mid-September, they found both kids had fallen asleep in the backseat. Instead of waking them up and dealing with crankiness, Lorelai went inside and Luke stayed in the car with them to see if they might wake up on their own. He turned the radio to a baseball game and relaxed in the front seat, more than happy to postpone his Friday night dinner entrance.

Lorelai and Rory chatted with Emily and Richard in the living room over drinks. They discussed Rory's classes, the construction progress at the Dragonfly, and some of Emily's upcoming DAR functions. Emily mentioned that she'd received a birth announcement in the mail for Chris and Sherry's daughter who was born in August.

"Speaking of which, someone's got a big birthday coming up in a few weeks," Emily said with a smile.

"Yes, someone does," Lorelai agreed.

"Would you like anything special for dinner that Friday?" Emily asked Rory.

"Oh, um, actually Grandma," Rory started, and she glanced at Lorelai.

"We actually have to miss dinner that week, Mom, we're sorry," Lorelai finished for Rory.

"Yeah, sorry Grandma," Rory added.

Emily looked surprise. "Miss dinner the evening before Rory's birthday?" She narrowed her eyes and her tone became indignant. "Are you having a secret party that your own grandparents are not invited to?"

"No, not a party," Rory replied. "We would definitely invite you if there was a party."

"We're actually going away for the weekend, the two of us," Lorelai explained. "We've been planning her 21st birthday trip since she was little. It's really important to us, and we're going to be leaving that Friday, so that's why we won't be here for dinner."

"Well, a birthday trip sounds like a nice way to celebrate," Richard commented.

"Yes, it does, but I'm just sorry we won't see you around your birthday," Emily added. "Where are you two going? What's this big trip you've been planning?"

Lorelai and Rory shared a look, waiting for each other to volunteer the response. Lorelai finally nodded toward Rory, encouraging her to answer.

"Um... Atlantic City," Rory quickly muttered, knowing the reaction it would get.

The shock on Emily and Richard's faces was exactly what the girls were expecting. It was almost amusing, the disappointed looks that were almost bordering on disgust. Lorelai wished she could take a picture.

"Atlantic City?" Richard asked with bewilderment. "Did I hear that correctly?"

"What on earth would possibly motivate you to spend your daughter's momentous birthday in New Jersey?" Emily asked, her voice dripping with disapproval at the idea. "I mean, seriously, Lorelai. This is the trip you've been planning for so long?"

"Yes, because it's her 21st birthday, and you can gamble at 21, and you can drink at 21, and that's a popular place that people go to do those things," Lorelai calmly replied. "So, we came up with this plan a long time ago about how we wanted to celebrate, and now we're going to live it out, just the two of us on a fun girls' trip."

"Let us help you celebrate somewhere nicer," Richard offered to Rory. "We'll pay for a more dignified celebratory trip, you won't be disappointed."

"Yes, please," Emily agreed. "There are so many better, safer, cleaner places to -"

"We're doing Atlantic City, guys," Lorelai interrupted Emily. "You can waste your time trying to talk us out of it, or you can just move on and let us look forward to the thing we've been looking forward to for a decade. It's booked, we're going, we're excited, end of story. You wouldn't want to hinder your granddaughter's enjoyment of her 21st birthday by permanently associating it with your pure utter disappointment, would you? Don't you want to stop now before she holds that grudge against you forever?"

Richard and Emily glanced at each other, exhaling defeated sighs at the same time. "Fine," Richard muttered.

"And Luke is okay with this plan?" Emily asked. "He's fine with you two roaming around a strange city by yourselves? Wouldn't it be safer if he at least came with you?"

"Luke knows we will be extra careful, and no, he can't come because he has two babies he needs to take care of at home," Lorelai replied.

"While their mother is out gallivanting around New Jersey doing God knows what," Emily muttered.

Lorelai had her cell phone out in case Luke needed her, and she quickly picked up the phone. "Oh, look, speaking of Luke, he texted from the car that he needs me. I better go out and check on him."

"Your phone did not go off, Lorelai," Emily said through pursed lips.

"It's on silent, you didn't hear it," Lorelai said as she stood up from the couch. "Be right back." She glanced at Rory. "Tell your grandparents about that new article you're working on for the paper, honey."

Rory frowned at Lorelai for abandoning her. "Mom..."

"Don't worry, they won't berate you after I leave," Lorelai assured her. "They don't want to risk your lifelong resentment."

Lorelai headed outside to check on Luke and the kids. As he saw her approaching, he lowered the driver's window. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hi. Any updates out here?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope, they're still asleep. What's going on in there? You've got an annoyed look on your face.'"

"They asked about Rory's birthday," Lorelai replied.

"Oh, enough said," Luke replied with a knowing nod. "You knew they wouldn't like the Atlantic City plans."

"Yes, I was correct on that front," Lorelai confirmed. "I'm sure my parents are in there right now trying to talk Rory into letting them throw her a proper birthday party."

"Probably. And you left her alone?"

"Yeah, because I knew it was gonna happen, and that Rory would be agreeable to it because she loves to please them, and it's easier for Rory if I'm not in there trying to fight it on her behalf." Lorelai exhaled a deep breath. "Oh, my mom thinks you should come with us to Atlantic City as our bodyguard."

Luke smirked. "She said that?"

"The part about you coming with us," Lorelai replied. "I added the bodyguard part myself."

"Does she want us to just leave the kids home alone?" Luke asked. "I mean, she does realize we have two others, right?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't think she thought that far ahead. I think she just feels it's unsafe for two women to be wandering around a city known for alcohol and gambling." She cocked her head to the side as she added, "Are you worried?"

"Not really," Luke replied. "You're both smart, and you're gonna make smart choices. I don't think you're gonna be walking around completely hammered and oblivious to your surroundings."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Oh, I guess you haven't heard the entire plan yet."

Luke smirked. "Don't even joke. You know I'll follow you around that town with a stroller just to keep an eye on you."

Lorelai smiled. "I know you would," she said softly, and she leaned into the car to kiss him. As she pulled back, she wondered, "Are strollers allowed in casinos?"

"Not really sure," he replied. "We'd have to look into that."

Lorelai glanced into the backseat, and then back at Luke. "And you're not concerned about being home alone with them, right?"

"Nope. We're gonna be fine," he replied confidently. "Liz and TJ are gonna stop by that Saturday and keep us company for a little while, it'll be good." He wanted to make sure she wasn't worried about anything at home. This trip was something they'd been planning for a long time and he wanted her to relax and enjoy her time with Rory.

Lorelai nodded. "Okay. I know it might be a handful. I apologize in advance."

"Don't apologize, I signed up for the parenting gig," he told her. "Plus, you had them yourself when I went camping over the summer, now it's your turn to get away for a few days."

Lorelai smiled, but before she could lean in to kiss him, she heard the front door open. She glanced toward the house and saw Emily standing in the doorway.

"Is everything all right out here?" Emily called.

"Uh, yeah, Mom, I'll be right in," Lorelai called back.

"Hurry up. We're discussing the birthday party we're going to throw Rory here at the house the week after her birthday," Emily called. "You know, to show her how to properly celebrate a milestone birthday."

Lorelai forced a smile in Emily's direction. "Sounds great, Mom."

Emily walked back inside, and Lorelai looked at Luke, who was smirking. "You called it," he said.

"Yup." Lorelai glanced at the house. "I guess I should go back in there." She looked into the backseat. "Let's give them another ten minutes and then we'll try to bring them in, and we'll hope that they wake up in refreshingly charming moods and not as angry zombie children."

Luke checked his watch. "Well, with that short a nap, my money's on the zombie children, but we'll see how it goes."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The last few months of the year seemed to fly by... it was a blur of the kids, work, town events, and holidays. Rory's 21st birthday was celebrated in Atlantic City with Lorelai, followed by an elegant party in Hartford a week later. Two weeks later was Halloween, and then the holiday season crept upon them. They spent Thanksgiving dinner at Emily and Richard's house, and Christmas day at home in pajamas.

The kids were hitting new milestones practically every week. Olivia started crawling and became more of an active playmate for Josh, who was starting to talk more. He loved trying to take care of his sister, and she loved getting attention from her big brother.

The buyer of the Independence Inn had agreed to let them stay open through the first weekend of January so they wouldn't have to cancel their holiday bookings. By then, the staff had been significantly reduced, and every day was more emotional as they neared the closing date.

Luke drove all three kids to visit Lorelai at the inn on the last day to say goodbye. There were a lot of tears as they walked around and were reminded of memories from over the years. They took some pictures, and saved some mementos from around the building. And even though the building would still be there and the memories would still be with her, it was tough for Lorelai to pull out of the parking lot that evening.

The construction on the Dragonfly had come a long way, and the site was starting to really take shape. With Trix's money, they were able to hire two interior designers to help with the planning, ordering, deliveries, and organizing.

However, since every single decision made about the inn had to go through Lorelai and Sookie, they were handling new questions all the time. Sookie took a part-time chef position to bring in some income, so she wasn't always as available as Lorelai, so that left Lorelai handling most of the business decisions. It was exhausting and chaotic at times, but she loved being so involved with everything and building the business from the ground up.

. . . . .

. . . . .

One night in late January, after they'd finally gotten both kids to sleep, Luke was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, and Lorelai was on the bed looking through her day planner. She was making a list of tasks she needed to follow up on at the inn the next day, and when she flipped back a few weeks to remember when they'd ordered the chandelier for the foyer, a realization hit her.

"Oh, my God... oh, my God," she muttered, and she double checked the planner dates, thought for a moment, and then anxiously called, "Luke!"

He stuck his head out of the bathroom. "Yeah?"

Lorelai swallowed hard before replying, "I'm late."

Luke's eyes widened. "What?"

Lorelai held up her planner. "I just realized I'm 3 days late." She sighed and dropped the book on the bed, then covered her face with her hands. "Oh, my God, she's not even a year old yet. We're the couple that has a baby every year and a half?!"

Luke walked out of the bathroom, shaking his head in disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait. How could that even happen? We're always safe."

"Not that time in the shower a few weeks ago," Lorelai reminded him pointedly.

"Yeah, but I pulled out," he countered. "I vividly remember."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and threw up her hands with a groan. "Dude, that's the first thing they teach you in sex education class - that pulling out doesn't work!"

"Okay, yes, I know that, but you're on the pill," Luke reminded her. "So we were covered either way."

Lorelai climbed off the bed because she had a sudden need to start pacing while she ranted. "Yeah, but with how busy things have been, my head has been all over the place and I'm doing things I haven't done before... like forgetting to take my pill, and so I had to double up some days, and at one point I missed a couple days in a row... I don't know what happened but it completely slipped my mind, and I can't remember if that was before or after the shower, and I also can't remember what the rule is about missing pills..." She abruptly stopped walking and looked at him ponderingly. "How long can you go without taking one before it completely screws up the hormone pattern? Two days, three days?"

Luke shook his head with uncertainty. "Couldn't tell ya."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "Okay, well, I don't remember either, so we clearly need to study up on the subject."

"Okay. We'll do that." Luke was trying to stay calm and composed because she was clearly not, and one of them needed to be.

Lorelai resumed anxiously walking back and forth next to the bed. "Maybe it's a fluke... maybe I'm just randomly late, it's happened before... maybe there's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, it's happened before," he remembered.

"But it's also possible that it's not a fluke because we were playing with fire when it came to the roadblocks. Accidentally on my part, but still playing with fire." She stopped in front of him and playfully smacked his chest with both hands. "God, why do you have to be so irresistible that I invite you into the shower for sex and just wing it without extra protection?!"

Luke smiled at that comment as he guided her to sit down at the edge of the bed, and then he sat down beside her. "All right, you need to take a breath. You're freaking out."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Yeah, I'm freaking out! Luke, we have two very tiny kids that take up a lot of time and energy, and I'm trying to open a business that is also taking up a lot of time and energy, so this is not exactly the most ideal time for a pregnancy considering I do not have much time and energy left to give."

"Okay, well, maybe it's not a pregnancy," he said calmly. "Like you said, maybe it's just a fluke. You're under a lot of stress right now, doesn't that mess with your cycle or something? I swear I heard you say that the last time you were late... stress can cause that, right?"

Lorelai confirmed that with a nod. "Yeah, it can... and maybe that's all it is. If we didn't have partially unprotected shower sex, then I would blame the stress without a second thought. But... it's not as clear cut this time, so we just need to be prepared either way."

Luke eyed her for a moment as he realized they needed to have a deeper conversation about this topic. "Let me ask you something, and I want you to be really honest with me."

Lorelai looked at him curiously. "Okay."

"Are you freaking out about this happening now just because of timing, or would you freak out about it happening at all... even in the future?"

Lorelai wasn't expecting that question, and she needed some time to consider it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to imagine the future. The fact of the matter was that she was in her late 30s, she'd had two kids in the past three years, and at this point... she couldn't picture herself having another baby.

Lorelai opened her eyes and looked at Luke. "If I'm being a hundred percent honest... I think I might be done," she said hesitantly.

Luke gave a slow nod to acknowledge her answer. "Okay."

"I mean, I love bringing half-Lorelai/half-Luke babies into the world, and if that's about to happen again, then I will love our little surprise shower-conceived baby with every fiber of my being," Lorelai told him. "But if that's not the case, then... I think I'm okay if our family doesn't grow anymore." She swallowed hard and nodded toward him. "But what about you? And be honest... don't let my answer sway yours, I wanna know what you're feeling about this."

Luke digested her response before he reached for her hand. "Let's put it this way... if I'm being honest, I wouldn't be upset if it did grow, but I wouldn't be upset if it didn't."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Really, you're fine either way?" she asked, and she tilted her head to the side. She seemed unconvinced. "You're not just saying that? Because I feel like you're just saying that."

"I'm not just saying it," he assured her. "I mean it."

"So, you don't have a longing need for more that will end up in you resenting me if we don't have another?"

"Nope." He put his hand on her back and rubbed it gently. "So, if you want us to be done, then... we're done. I'm fine with that... completely fine."

"Okay." Lorelai thought for a moment, and then asked, "What do you think about maybe getting a vasectomy?"

Luke's eyes widened. He didn't see that coming, and he shifted uncomfortably beside her. "Oh, wow... uh..."

Lorelai winced apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just spring that on you. The idea just popped into my head so I blurted it out, as I am one to do with sudden thoughts."

Luke exhaled a deep breath. "A vasectomy. I mean... that's... wow."

"I know it seems like a big step, but maybe it's something worth looking into," Lorelai said. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about being 100 percent careful all the time, you know? It's going to get harder as the kids get older to juggle a million things at once, so eliminating even one worry like that could help with our sanity."

Luke understood her rationale, and he gave her a little nod. "I get it."

Lorelai reached over and squeezed his knee. "It's just a suggestion. I'm not demanding it, I'm not forcing you, I'm not going to blackmail you into it by withholding sex or anything like that. It's completely your decision, not mine. It's just something to consider."

Luke nodded understandingly. "I get it. I'll think about it."

"Okay." Lorelai slowly leaned back until her head hit the mattress. "We're gonna need to get a pregnancy test tomorrow."

Luke leaned back to lie beside her, and he reached over and squeezed her hand. "Okay."

The pregnancy test the next day was negative, but it wasn't until her cycle started the following day that she finally let herself relax about the situation. She and Luke promised each other they'd be extra careful from now on, and she reiterated that the decision to take more extreme measures in the future was up to him.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Over the next few weeks, Lorelai tried to have some semblance of a work/life balance, but it was a struggle sometimes. She focused on Luke and the kids as much as she could when she was home, but typically ended up working at night after the kids went to sleep. Sometimes Luke would help her go through catalogs to try to find perfect lamps and artwork and other furnishings for the inn.

They were still splitting the days with the kids, with Lorelai at the inn in the mornings, and Luke at the diner in the afternoons. But sometimes she needed to be at the inn in the afternoon for meetings or to check on issues, so Luke would adjust his diner shifts around her schedule.

He handled some of the tasks for Olivia's upcoming first birthday party, and took on some of the household chores that Lorelai would usually do. She was overwhelmed, and he didn't mind a little extra housework so that she could spend some extra time with the kids.

He was picking up a lot of slack and he never complained about it, and Lorelai recognized that. She thanked him constantly for all the extra help, and kept reminding him that things would get back to normal in a few months.

A few days before Olivia's first birthday, Lorelai had to drive up to Boston with the designer to look at some furniture and other decor for the inn. Luke took the day off from the diner because she wasn't going to be home in time for him to make his afternoon shift. But that was fine with him, he had plans of his own that day.

As soon as Lorelai left in the morning, Luke called Babette and asked if she could stay with the kids at the house so Luke could run some errands. He was gone for about an hour, and then spent some time working on a surprise for Lorelai.

Around lunch time, he called Lorelai to see how her day was going, and asked what time she would be home. She was still up in the Boston area, but said they would hopefully be back around 3 or 4.

Luke knew she had to go back to the Dragonfly to get her car, and would definitely check in on the construction crew. Luke called and asked Tom to let him know when Lorelai left the inn so he could be ready for her when she got home.

He got the call from Tom around 3. It took him a few minutes to get the kids bundled up, and then they went out front. The yard was covered with a fresh white snowfall from the day before. He spread a blanket on the porch to sit on, and sat the kids on his lap with another blanket draped over them for warmth.

When he heard her car pulling up, he said softly to the kids, "Who's that? Who's coming?"

"Mama," Josh said, pointing toward the car.

"That's right, Mommy's home," Luke said, bouncing him a little on his knee.

Lorelai's eyes widened as she drove up the driveway. She parked the car and climbed out of it, captivated by the sight that greeted her.

"There she is," Luke said. "Can you wave to Mommy?"

Josh waved to her, and Lorelai waved back. "Hi, babies," she called. "I missed you!"

As she walked toward the house, she was staring in awe at the giant ice skating rink that had suddenly appeared in the front yard while she was out. "What is this?" she asked with amazement.

Luke stood up with the kids and walked toward her, meeting her in front of the rink. She took Josh and hugged him. "Hi, sweet boy." She leaned in toward Olivia and kissed her cheek. "Hi, Livvy." And then she looked at Luke with a big smile. "What did you do?"

"We built you an ice rink," Luke replied, nodding toward it. "You haven't really had much time to enjoy your favorite time of year, so we thought you needed to relax and get some outdoor activities in before winter slips away from us."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side, still grinning at him. "Luke, this is amazing." She leaned in to kiss him. "I love it... thank you, hon."

He nodded toward the bench he'd set up next to the rink. "Got some ice skates for us, and something for the kids to ride in."

Lorelai looked down and saw their skates lined up beside the bench, and a little sled with steel blades and raised sides so the kids could sit safely inside to be pulled on the ice.

When Lorelai brought her gaze back to Luke, her eyes were watery. "Luke, this is so sweet and thoughtful and romantic and... just... oh, my God." Her voice trailed off as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Luke stepped closer to her and put a hand on her back. "You okay?"

Lorelai shook her head slightly, and she sat down on the bench. He sat down next to her. Josh climbed down off of Lorelai's lap and started playing in the snow in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked her, shifting the baby to his other arm.

Lorelai swallowed hard and she wiped her eyes. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just... I'm happy," she said, and then took a moment to exhale a deep breath. "I've been so busy and stressed and... I really needed this." She gestured to the ice rink. "And you knew I needed this."

"Yeah, I did."

"You've been so amazing," she said appreciatively, smiling at him adoringly. "Like extra amazing on top of your usual everyday level of amazing. I mean, you jump in to help with the kids and the housework, and you don't make me feel guilty for working late at night or taking a call about the inn during dinner, and..." Lorelai took a deep breath. "The list goes on and on about how you're the most supportive husband anyone could ever have. And trust me when I say that I know how lucky I am to have you." She leaned in to kiss him and then added, "Thank you... I don't know if I say that enough."

"You do, and you're welcome," Luke replied softly, leaning in for another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you," she whispered as she rested her hand on his cheek. "A lot."

Luke leaned in and they shared a deeper kiss that was suddenly interrupted by an energetic little boy.

"Mama!" Josh exclaimed. "Dada!"

Lorelai and Luke both looked at him. He had climbed into the sled and was waiting for someone to pull him. Luke smiled. "You wanna go for a ride, buddy? You have to hold your sister in there, okay?"

Luke nestled Olivia in the sled in front of Josh and wrapped Josh's arms around her. He then secured them both with the seatbelt strap. "There you go, hold her tight, okay?" Luke said, and he sat back down on the bench. "Daddy's gonna pull you as soon as he gets his skates on." He picked up Lorelai's pair and offered them to her. "Here you go."

Luke and Lorelai both changed into their skates, and then Luke lifted the sled with the kids in it and set it on the ice. He helped Lorelai step onto the rink and then he stepped onto it himself. He grabbed the rope of the sled and pulled it behind him as he started skating.

Josh started giggling as they glided on the ice. "You like that, buddy? Is that fun?" Lorelai asked him as she skated beside the sled. "Joshy loves it," she said to Luke. "Now we just have to win Livvy over."

Luke looked back over his shoulder at the kids, and smirked at Liv's confused expression. "Yeah, she doesn't seem so sure yet."

Olivia was hesitant at first with the sledding, but it only took a few minutes for her to come around. They skated in circles around the rink until the kids' bright red cheeks and noses told them it was time to head inside. Josh whined about having to leave the sled, he didn't want to stop playing on the ice.

Once inside, they changed the kids and brought them to the kitchen, settling Josh in his booster seat and Liv in the high chair. They gave them drinks and Cheerios, and once they were content with their snacks, Luke opened the refrigerator to survey dinner choices. "I'm gonna start dinner, and then you can fill me in on your trip to Boston," he said to Lorelai.

Lorelai had propped herself up on the counter beside the sink. "Okay. But can you come here first?" she asked as she beckoned Luke toward her with her finger.

He closed the fridge and walked over to her, and she was smiling as she wrapped her legs around him to hold him close to her. "Hi."

"Hey," Luke replied as he rested his hands on her thighs.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and then slid them to the back of his neck. She stroked it gently with her thumbs as she told him, "That was really fun."

"Yeah, it was," he agreed.

"It made me really happy."

"Good. That was the goal." He leaned in a little closer and added, "That's always the goal."

She kissed him deeply, and then she pulled back with a smile. "I can't believe you built me an ice rink. Who even thinks to do something like that?"

Luke smirked. "My dad did it for me once when I was a kid, so you could say I stole the idea from him."

Lorelai's smile widened. "Really? Those Danes men are a thoughtful lot."

"Yeah, they are," Luke agreed, and he pushed some of her hair back away from her eyes. "I'm glad you like the rink."

"I love it." They smiled at each other for a few seconds, and then a curious expression appeared on Lorelai's face. "What's your dream?" she suddenly asked him.

"Excuse me?" Luke replied, surprised by the question.

"Like, is there something you dream about doing?" she clarified. "Something you want to accomplish someday, like me with opening an inn. Is there a goal like that you want to reach?"

Luke shrugged. "Not really. I wanted to run my own business and be my own boss, and I accomplished that."

Lorelai nodded. "Right."

"Why are you asking?"

"Because you're supporting me as I try to accomplish my dream," Lorelai replied. "And I want to do the same for you if you have something you want to do. If there's a goal or a hobby or something in the back of your head you wanna do, I want you to spend time on it and I'll be the one picking up the slack, okay?"

Luke smiled at her. "Thank you, that's a nice offer. I don't really have anything in mind, though. I'm pretty content with how things are right now."

"Well, maybe you don't have something in mind right now, but maybe you will later," Lorelai said. "One day you'll get an overwhelming desire to become a pianist or to learn French or to write a cookbook or enter a fishing competition... and I want you to tell me, okay?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his forehead. "I want to be able to support you the way you support me."

"You do support me." Luke pressed his lips to hers for a soft kiss. "But I'll let you know if I think of something specific, okay?"

"Okay." She leaned in and hugged him, and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Thanks for building me an ice rink."

"You're welcome."

Lorelai pulled back to look at him, and then nodded toward the kids. "You know, those two are never gonna let you take it down."

Luke smirked. "Guess we've got a new permanent front yard fixture."

Lorelai smiled and nodded in agreement. "Guess so."

. . . . .

. . . . .

To be continued...