A/N: Look at all the happy, happy reviewers! You guys are great - thank you so much :) Now, since y'all seem so sure our trio are going to end up at Yale together, well, I can't really deny you the truth any longer...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 27

"And you're sure about this?"

"Mom, for the four hundred and eighty seventh time, yes, I am absolutely sure," said Rory, sounding just as exasperated as she felt on hearing that same question again. "It's been three days now since I made the decision. We did all the pro-con lists, I discussed it with you, I discussed it with Jess and Paris, and the choice was made. I want to go to Yale."

She knew she shouldn't be so surprised that Lorelai was struggling with the concept of her going to a different school. Rory had been talking about going to Harvard for as long as she could remember, probably longer. It was always the dream, even if she couldn't really explain why that was. Looking at it logically, she was just as lucky to get into Princeton or Yale and the education she gained in either place was bound to be equally as good. All three Ivy League schools had excellent facilities, great teachers, and Rory had to give them all due consideration. In the end, the decision was shockingly easy. The pro-con lists put Yale ahead by a mile, not least because it would mean that Rory was close to her family and friends. When she realised not only was her mom okay with it but that Paris and Jess were pretty much settled on going to Yale too, it was a done deal. Now all that was left to do was tell the grandparents.

"I just wanted to check one more time," said Lorelai. "Because once you tell Richard and Emily there can be no back-tracking, no changing of the mind. This decision will be set in stone, like literally, a man will be in the corner with a chisel and a hammer putting it into granite so this precious, precious moment can be saved for all of eternity."

"Wouldn't a photograph or even video footage be better for that?" asked Rory, ringing the bell.

"Sure, if you want to be logical," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure when I told Yale I accepted their offer, that was when the deal was done."

"Oh, please!" Lorelai scoffed. "That could be undone way more easily than telling your grandparents you switched allegiance back to Harvard."

Rory was prevented from arguing that point at all as the maid opened the door and ushered them inside. Their coats were barely off when a ringing started up in her purse and Rory scrambled to switch off her phone. She noticed as she did so that it was Luigi's calling. That had to be about the world's biggest pizza idea she had for her mom's birthday, but now was so not the time to talk about it.

"Who was that?" asked Lorelai curiously. "There's no way Jess is dumb enough to call you during Friday Night Dinner. He loves you too much to risk the public flogging that is the punishment for such a crime."

"It was nobody," she said quickly, as they moved through to the living room.

"Rory, Lorelai," Richard greeted them happily. "Come in, sit down. I was just making drinks."

"That's great, Dad," his daughter told him, taking a seat on the couch. "We should have something to toast with, because our Rory has an announcement to make, and this one you're actually going to like!"

"You can stop smiling like that every time you look at me," said Jess, looking sideways at Luke and noticing his uncle was grinning, again. "It's weird."

"You'd rather I was glaring at you? Maybe throwing things?" asked Luke, all full of sarcasm that Jess chose to ignore.

"Actually, yes," he replied easily. "That would be closer to what I'm used to."

Luke winced at those words and let Jess go when he walked away through the curtain behind the counter. He knew his nephew wasn't accusing him of being a bad parental figure, but things had been very different with Liz and her many suitors, for lack of a better term. Jess had suffered too long in that kind of environment, and sure, he could joke about it now, but that didn't make it right.

Looking around the diner at the distinct lack of customers, Luke slammed his hand down on the counter and turned towards the kitchen.

"Caesar, you're in charge!" he called to the cook before hurrying up the stairs behind Jess.

Honestly, when he got there, Luke wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he felt the need to say something. It must've shown on his face that he didn't know what that something was when he got into the apartment, because Jess called him on it.

"So, now what? Less proud, more mad again?"

"Jess." Luke sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "I'm not... I'm sorry," he said eventually.

"For what?" his nephew asked, putting the book he had only just picked up to read onto the bed in front of him.

"For... everything," Luke said eventually, adjusting his hat twice. "I just... You gotta understand that I had no idea how bad things got for you and your mom. I mean, she's Liz, she was never going to be the world's best mother. That's not something I like to say about my sister, but it is what it is."

"Ain't that the truth?" Jess muttered.

"The point is, I probably should've done something sooner. I should've got you out of that situation, brought you here. I don't know, something."

"Did I say I wanted you to?" asked Jess, feeling a little confused by this whole conversation that seemed to have come entirely out of left field. "I didn't need a hero to come save me, Luke. Not that I'm not grateful for the whole letting me come live with you thing after Lizzie's last marriage fell apart, plus all this cash you're spending... I'm grateful," he stated for the record. "But I'm not crying over the fact you didn't swoop in sooner, okay?"

"I know that." Luke nodded, dragging over a chair to sit by Jess' bed. "See, the thing is, I just think you deserve this, y'know? You deserved better when you were a little kid, and I'm trying here. I'm trying to make up for some of that by getting you into Chilton and being supportive of you going to Yale. I don't want you to have the life me and Liz had. I want better for you."

Jess looked everywhere but at his uncle. Possibly the only thing tougher to handle than letting Paris be his sister all the time, was letting Luke be the kind of parent he had always dreamed of but never dared to hope he would ever actually have. Luke was his uncle, but he wanted to do everything a dad should. All types of support were accounted for, from financial to emotional, and everything in between. Jess never had that until he came here, and no matter how long it lasted, he never seemed to get used to it or learn how to deal with it.

"For what it's worth, I want better for me too," he admitted, looking down at where his fingers picked at a loose thread on the blanket. "Not that I think things are so bad for you. You got your own business and everything, a girlfriend, friends. You're not doing so bad."

"No, I guess I'm not," Luke agreed. "But you can do so much, Jess. You've got the kind of brains to be a lawyer or a doctor or whatever you want to be, and I'm not saying you have to be one of those things, but at least this way you're not wasting your potential. So many doors will be open to you because of Chilton and Yale. I can't help it, that thought makes me very happy for you."

Jess appreciated the sentiment, he genuinely did, he just didn't know how to say or show it too well. It was still so strange to have people who cared this much. With Paris at least it was a two way thing. She needed him as much as he needed her most of the time. Luke just wanted to be the good guy, the father figure. Jess never came close to having a dependable adult in his life before. Even after more than eighteen months of Luke being there for him, and coming on for a year of living with him, Jess just hadn't quite gotten used to this yet.

"I'm sorry too," he said eventually, echoing Luke's original sentiment from a few minutes ago. "I guess I'm just not used to the whole being proud of me thing. Y'know, people actually wanting me to be all I can be, or whatever," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's not your fault."

Luke nodded that he understood and laid a hand on Jess' shoulder.

"You did good, kid," he told him definitely. "Get used to people telling you that's a great thing, 'cause I'm pretty sure its going to happen a lot in your life."

Jess smiled at that, he couldn't help it.

"Thanks, Uncle Luke," he said, without sarcasm or irony of any kind. "I mean it."

"You're welcome, son."

"I still can't believe it," said Lorelai as she Rory came into the diner. "I mean, I knew they were going to be psyched about the whole Yale thing, that was a given, but then for Dad to pull me into his office and hand me that cheque? Wow!"

"You two look weirdly happy given where you just came from," said Luke, going over to the table where the girls were now sat.

"Check this out," said Lorleai, handing him a folded piece of paper from her purse. "I am practically a Rockerfeller, darling."

Luke let out a whistle as he read the figure on the cheque in his hands.

"Seventy five thousand dollars?" he said in a low voice, mindful of the other customers hearing. "Where did you get this?"

"It's mine," Lorelai explained. "Apparently, my father invested some money in my name the day I was born, and now, on the occasion of my birthday - or close enough - I am worth this much money!" she said, plucking the cheque from his hands and displaying it proudly. "I'm rich, baby cakes!" she said, grinning all over her face.

Luke was trying to work through the shock and was about to question the choice of nickname that Lorelai just used for him when her cell rang loudly. Consulting the screen, she declared it was Sookie, and Luke pointing towards the door actually worked this time as she hurried outside to take her call.

"Wow!" he said, shaking his head as he thought again of the huge number on the cheque she just showed him.

"I know," Rory agreed. "As birthday gifts go it's kind of a doozy. It's going to blow my whole world's largest pizza idea right out of the water."

"No, of course it won't. It couldn't," Luke assured her. "Your mom will love that, mostly because you thought of it. Money's great, but it's the thoughtful things that really count," he promised.

"I like to think so," Rory agreed with a smile.

Luke smiled back and then gestured towards the counter.

"I'll go get you two some coffee to start and then you can order when your mom gets back."

"Sounds good."

His plan was a little derailed when he turned and found Jess heading over with two mugs and the coffee pot, so he left his nephew to deal with drinks for the Gilmore girls instead.

"Hey," said Jess, kissing Rory hello before pouring the coffee. "You okay?"

"Better than okay," she assured him. "Grandpa was so happy about me going to Yale. Grandma too, actually."

"Your grandma was happy? As in she actually smiled?" Jess checked. "Huh. I thought they'd have to use electrodes."

"Probably on you," she told him, smirking the way he usually did.

"Ouch!" he replied, though he was smiling too - it was a pretty decent burn. "Y'know Luke is practically giddy about me going to college," he said then, rolling his eyes like it was just so tiresome. "I guess it doesn't suck to have someone actually care about that kind of thing, but he's a little overly smiley for my taste."

"He'll calm down when the novelty wears off," Rory assured him. "Honestly? I don't exactly hate that you'll be there with me this Fall. Pretty sure Paris is happy enough for three people too. She really bounced back after the whole Harvard thing."

"Be grateful you didn't see her last weekend," Jess advised. "It was not pretty."

"But big brother fixed everything," said Rory, reaching for him and pulling him down into the seat beside her, her arms around his neck. "Did I tell you how great I think you are for being there for her like that?"

"Remind me how that went again," he urged her, happy enough when she pulled him into a kiss.

They parted pretty fast when the door opened and Lorelai returned then. She pretended not to notice the embrace then thanked Jess for her coffee, sitting down at the table and taking a long drink from her cup.

"What did I miss?" she asked Rory, as Jess excused himself back to the counter. "Apart from the tongue action."

"Not much," Rory promised, ignoring the pointed comment. "Is Sookie okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Lorelai assured her. "Just inn stuff. There's still so much to do to fix the place up post-fire, but hey, we'll get there."

"I know you will." Rory smiled. "And hey, lots to look forward to. Somebody has a birthday coming up."

"Oh yeah, baby!" Lorelai declared, doing a happy chair-dance, which stopped abruptly when Luke arrived back at the table. "Wow, that look should be on a greeting card," she told him, sarcasm in full evidence.

"What do you want to eat, Crazy Lady?" he asked her.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully, putting her elbow on the table and her chin on her hand, leaning his way some. "How 'bout something that comes with a side order of sugar?" she suggested, pouting deliberately.

Luke rolled his eyes but nevertheless leant down to kiss her briefly on the lips.

"How about you actually order some food now and we'll talk about the rest later?" he offered.

"Ooh, promises, promises!" she said, giggling like a girl half her age. "What do you say, babe?" she asked Rory then. "Burgers and fries?"

"Sounds good," she agreed, making the order official.

Luke walked away to get their food and Lorelai suddenly squealed out of nowhere, clapping her hands together madly.

"We've got seventy five thousand dollars!" she told Rory happily. "Best Friday Night Dinner ever!"

"I'll drink to that!" Rory laughed, lifting her coffee mug to clink against her mother's own.

This week really had turned out pretty good in the end.

To Be Continued...