A/N: Hello everyone! I've gotten to the point that I don't want to put author's notes before my chapters, but with this chapter, I think it is justified. For a while now, many of you have been asking for a scene like this, and I am happy to report that it is finally time! For what, you ask? Well just read it and find out! It took me a long time to edit this chapter, but I got it just like I want it! I hope you enjoy!

CHAPTER 31: Syrup Struggle + Snow Surprise = Something New

"Luke, please!"

"Why the hell are you getting mad about this? Why does it matter what shelf the syrup is on, Lorelai?" Luke questioned, throwing his arms out in frustration.

"It just does!" Taking a deep breath, Lorelai caught sight of Rory running around the living room and knew it was not the best time for them to fight it out. "Look, just put it back on the top shelf, please. We can't get into this now."

Confusion crinkled his eyes as he looked at her imploringly. "Can't get into what? This doesn't even make any sense!"

"Luke…" she pled, "Please. We'll talk about it later."

"Fine." Opening the fridge, he moved the syrup bottle from the bottom shelf to the top. "There. It's on the top shelf and your breakfast is ready, so I'm headed out. I'll come over tonight when I get off." Shaking his head, he slammed the door shut.

Waking with a start, Lorelai shot up in bed. Turning to her right, she saw Luke on his side facing away from her. It was hard to believe that the fight had only happened this morning. Luke had to close the diner because Caesar couldn't make it in, and much to his dismay, when he arrived back at the Gilmore home, Lorelai was already snug in bed asleep, or so he thought. Doing her best to keep her breathing even, she had listened to the sounds of him moving around the room getting ready for bed. She didn't move a muscle when he planted a kiss to her head before falling asleep himself. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what. Her mind had been spinning all day, just as it was now.

"That fight… that stupid fight…" she thought. Ever since Rachel left, she couldn't stop thinking about her future with Luke. "I know I love him, and I know he loves me, but are we ready to go further? Fighting over the syrup was petty, but I was just confused over whether I'm ready to share with him… share not just myself and Rory but the mundane, everyday stuff, like sharing a fridge, too. I'm not crazy…"

"I'm not crazy, right?" She whispered softly into the air. Tired of being tired, she breathed in deeply, trying to fall back asleep… but something stopped her. Taking another deep breath, she smiled. "I smell snow." Turning over to face Luke, she began nudging him softly. "Hey. Wake up."

Stirring from his sleep, he mumbled a barely recognizable, "Huh?"

"Wake up."

"No," Luke groaned as he nuzzled back into his pillow.

Pulling the covers, she lowered them slightly off of him. "Come on, you're missing it."

"Is 'it' sleep? Because you'd be right?" he responded, not budging from his spot.

Hooking her hand in his arm, Lorelai pulled him back onto her with a smile. "Smell the air, smell it."

"It smells cold."

In one motion, she ripped the covers from the rest of him and pulled harder. "Come on."

"What, no! It's freezing," Luke complained as she pulled him to the edge of the bed.

"Come on!"

His feet finally hitting the floor, Luke grunted. "The floor's cold."

"Geez! You're obsessed with the cold."

"Because it's cold!"

"I know."

As she pulled him out the door of her bedroom, he growled with disapproval. With a teasing lilt in her voice, she mimicked him, pulling him downstairs to go outside in what she knew would soon be a snow-covered yard.

The flakes she predicted were no where to be seen, so Luke grumbled as they walked down the stairs of the porch. "I'm turning numb."

"Keep moving."

"Are my feet still attached to my body or did they snap off coming down the stairs?"

Looking back, she caught sight of his feet and answered a plain, "They're still there."

"Why are we out here?"

Dragging him along to the middle of the yard, she stopped and smiled. "Take a deep breath."

"What?"

"Do it."

"Okay."

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai whispered loudly, "Oh, yeah. I smell snow."

Unsure whether this was just some sort of sleep induced hallucination or not, Luke questioned with a disbelieving, "What?"

"It's coming. I always know. I can smell it, and I'm never wrong."

"It wasn't in the forecast."

With a happy sigh, a dreamy look took over her face. "It's just my favorite time of the year. The whole world changes color."

Tensing as the slightly cold breeze hit his face, Luke frowned, "I think I'm blacking out."

Unfazed by his disbelief, Lorelai continued. "Flakes, flurries, swirls, crystals, whatever form it comes in. I'll take it. We go back, snow and me. We have a beautiful history."

"Saw two forecasts, there was no mention of snow. Cold, but no snow." Shoving his hands deeper in his pockets, Luke looked over at her warily, and saw her bright smile as she welcomed the snow.

"Sleigh rides, ice skating, snowball fights. I'll even take curling. God, I love curling!" she exclaimed.

Still trying to be the voice of reason, he informed her grumbling, "Lance Cranston on Channel 6 said it would be dry. Kimmy Liston, Live at 5, same thing. No snow, nothing."

"Hot cocoa, hot toddies. Snow walks with Rory! Best time of the year!"

"Jimmy Mountain in Accu-Chopper One said it would be weeks before…" Before he could finish, Luke stopped and looked up as the snow began to fall. Feeling himself being tugged, he moved closer to her as he groused, "Lance and Kimmy are idiots."

Though it didn't seem possible, Lorelai's smile grew wider as she looked up at the sky with him. "Welcome, friend."

As the flakes fell around them in the middle of the yard, Lorelai shifted her eyes from the skies to Luke, who was clearly freezing, yet was still out there just to make her happy. His hair was sleep rumpled; his jacket, dusted with flakes, was only partially zipped over his long-sleeved pajama top because of the hasty pace she forced him to put it on. His face was tensed, trying to bare the cold flakes that were quickly falling. But he was still out there. Her grumbly, grumpy, half asleep diner man was still out in the snow with her.

The smile that was seemingly stuck on her face faltered. She suddenly realized that they wouldn't be able to do this again unless he happened to be spending the night… and she didn't like that. She didn't like that he wouldn't be there to walk in 3 am snow. She didn't like that he wouldn't be there to tell her she was crazy and still follow along anyway. She didn't like that he wouldn't be there for anything… everything. Suddenly, syrup being on the bottom shelf seemed like a good idea, because she wanted him there, changes and all. "Hey baby?"

Taking immediate notice of their barely used pet name, Luke looked over at her. "Yeah?"

Running her hand up and down his side, she bit her lower lip and spoke hesitantly. "Can we talk… when we get back inside?"

"Uh, sure…" Quickly, his mind began to turn. If he remembered right, it wasn't like Lorelai to want to be awake at this hour any longer than necessary. "Something's got to be up."

"Let's walk first," she whispered, interrupting his wild thoughts and tightening her grip around him.

Slowly, they walked around the yard, front and back, taking in the winter wonderland that was swiftly forming. Before long, Luke found himself seated on the couch on the porch, Lorelai curled into his side.

"You better not be falling asleep on me," he groused, a teasing lilt in his voice. "It's too damn cold to be sitting out here all night."

"You and the cold," she murmured into his shoulder. Pulling back, she looked up at him with a small smile and planted a soft, lingering kiss on his lips, sending a chill through him that wasn't because of the cold that surrounded them. "I can keep you warm if you want."

"You seriously aren't trying to seduce me in 15-degree weather…"

Shaking her head, she laughed softly. "No, no seducing. Only kissing," she whispered as she brought her lips back to his.

After a few minutes, Lorelai pulled her lips from his and shivered, nuzzling into his neck.

Chuckling as she tried to move closer, her hands now burrowed under his coat and around his back, Luke shook his head. "Come on… let's go back in. I told you it was too cold."

Tightening her grip on him, she answered, "Not yet. Just another minute."

One more minute turned into ten where they just sat in silence, cuddled close, Luke's hand tracing patterns up and down her back and Lorelai's mind whirling, preparing for the talk she was about to initiate.

Planting a kiss to his neck she confirmed, "Okay, I'm ready."

Slowly but surely, they stood up and strolled into the house, shedding their jackets at the rack.

"I still feel bad for not waking her up," Lorelai confessed, casting her eyes towards Rory's room as they approached the stairs.

"The snow will be there tomorrow," Luke reassured her, holding out his hand. "You guys can go and walk in it then… come on."

Taking his hand, she pulled him behind her upstairs to her bed, bringing him down with her as she sat on it. Sitting at the end, Lorelai crossed her legs Indian style as Luke leaned back against the headboard.

From his point of view, Luke could tell that what she was wanting to discuss was riding heavily on her mind. "Hey…"

Looking up, she met his gaze. "What?"

"C'mere," he called with a flick of his head.

Grinning, she crawled over to him. "I can never say no when you do that." Making herself comfortable, she leaned back on his shoulder and sighed softly. "So…"

"So…" he answered, clearing his throat awkwardly as his fingers curled around her side.

Not looking up at him, she started, "I'm sure you've noticed that I've been a little weird the past few days… well, weirder than usual."

"I have." He agreed, waiting for her to divulge more.

"I figured…" Picking at the lint on his shirt for a minute, she looked up at him, her guilt evident in her eyes. "I'm sorry… I mean, I'm sorry for picking that fight this morning."

"It's alright. I just didn't realize that the syrup in the fridge meant so much to you."

"That's the thing," she sighed, "It doesn't… I just got spooked."

Luke's hand that was trailing up and down her side froze. "I understand."

Cocking her head to the side, she frowned. "You do?"

"I realized after I left that I did the same thing with Rachel once over the milk."

"So you understand why I did it?"

"Maybe…" Bringing his eyes to hers hesitantly, Luke licked his suddenly dry lips. "I freaked out because things were changing and I didn't want them to… Do you not want something to change?"

Seeing the fear in his eyes, Lorelai spoke to reassure him quickly. "That's not it… well, it kind of is, but it's not at the same time… That's why I wanted to talk."

Releasing the breath he didn't realize he was holding, Luke questioned, "Okay… so why are you…spooked, as you put it?"

"Us."

Frowning, he shook his head. "Lorelai, I'm going to need more than that."

"Us, Luke," she insisted. "I've been thinking about questions like "What do we do next?" "Do we need to change things?" "Where are we headed?" "What is our goal?" You know… all that stuff. We've done all the fun dating stuff, but we really haven't talked about the important things, and it's all the important things that have been on my mind lately."

Unable to decide whether to be relieved that it wasn't something worse or worried about where the conversation was going, he prodded further, "What brought this on?"

"A lot of things," she shook her head. "I've been thinking about it since Rory's party when I talked to my mother, but talking to Rachel before she left kind of acted like the last straw." Deciding quickly that it was now or never, Lorelai took a deep breath and spoke quietly. "Luke, where do you see this going?"

"What do you mean?"

Gaining a bit more confidence, she spoke a little louder. "I mean, what do you see for the future?"

"What do I see?" He clarified.

"Yes… I want to know, what do you see in our future? Do you see us getting engaged? Married? Having a family?"

"Um, yeah…" Running his fingers through his still damp hair, Luke sighed. In all honesty, he wasn't expecting to have this conversation so out of the blue. Looking her dead in the eye, he confirmed, "I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about any of that. Have you?"

"I have… Luke, the 22-year-old in me is saying, 'Lorelai, why are you in this relationship? This is serious, and you're only 22. Are you really ready to settle for one person this early on?' And then I began to think…"

His jaw working as she spoke, Luke suddenly cut her off. "Please tell me that you didn't wake me up in the middle of the night to end this."

"Luke, no. I…"

Not hearing her words, he jumped up and began pacing. "Lorelai, I thought we were doing great! I mean, aside from this morning and a few other times, we've been fine." As spoke and got more worked up, his passion peeked though, but his voice remained low in acknowledgement to Rory being downstairs. "You said you were all in; we took the jump! I love you, and I love Rory. You can't expect me to just change all of this and go back to the way it was before just because you think you're too young for this! I'm only 26, but I'm all in."

Hearing how serious he was warmed her heart, but she couldn't help but wear an amused look on her face. "Are you done?"

Finally noticing her relaxed appearance, Luke sat down, a slightly embarrassed look emerging on his face. "Yes."

Shifting slowly, Lorelai moved into his lap, wrapping her arms loosely around his shoulders. "Luke, you didn't let me finish." She smiled. "The 22-year-old in me says this is too soon, but when I got to thinking, I realized that I am not a normal 22-year-old. Nothing about my life has been normal. I got pregnant at 15, had a kid at 16, and moved out and held a full-time job by 17. Right now, I am completely in love with you, Luke, and I don't ever see that changing. I'm not suggesting that we get married tomorrow or anything, because even though I'm not normal, I'm not crazy." She laughed lightly. "But, I need to tell you that I am 100% in this for the long run with you." Taking a deep, shaky breath, Lorelai's voice grew softer. "With you, and Rory, and whoever else may come along… if that's okay with you. And if you happened to want to ask a certain question in the future, that I am definitely expecting you to ask, I would say yes."

His eyes growing wider as she spoke, Luke sat still, absorbing her words. This was not what he expected to hear. Marriage and kids was something they hadn't discussed. Knowing how scary it was for her to admit, and actually hearing her say that she wanted to marry him in the future, shot happiness through is body. "Really?"

Nodding with a wide smile, she agreed. "Really."

"Well, now I feel like an ass."

"Well, at least you're a cute ass… and you have one too." Running her hands down his back, she squeezed him for emphasis.

"I'm not cute," he frowned, "Men aren't cute."

"My man is."

Not breaking, he looked at her sternly.

Lorelai met his look with one of her own. They sat that way for about a minute until her lips twitched slowly into a smile.

Unable to help himself, Luke chuckled. "You know, you need to work on your scowl. Make it more convincing."

Shoving his shoulder playfully, she laughed along with him. "Hey! Not everyone can be as grumpy as you."

"Well, at least you tried." He grinned. Clearing his throat, he continued, "So, uh, for the record, this is it for me too. Me, you, and Rory… and whoever else may come along."

"Yeah, this is it." Lorelai agreed, leaning in for a lingering kiss. "So, I also wanted to talk about one more thing."

"I'll do my best not to freak out on you this time," Luke teased.

"It's okay. It's fun to watch when you're flustered… So, we've established our love and all that good stuff, and I know I said no marriage right away, but I think there is one thing that we should do soon."

"And that is?"

Taking his hands in hers, she smiled. "Luke, I want you to move in."

Not expecting that, Luke's breath caught in his throat. "Lorelai, I… I don't know." He stuttered.

"I figured you would be hesitant, but look at it this way…You lived with us for about a month when Rachel was here, so you moving in permanently wouldn't be that much of a stretch," she explained, hoping that he would understand.

"But that was different. I didn't have anywhere else to stay."

"Oh please," Lorelai smiled, waving her hand carelessly. "You spent the night all the time even before Rachel was here, and even the nights you didn't you usually came and made dinner or watched a movie with us."

"But those weren't permanent. This is a big deal."

"I know…" Taking a second to gather her thoughts, Lorelai looked back at him, love evident in her eyes. "Luke, I'm ready. I'm ready to share this bed with you, share the bathroom with you, share the kitchen with you... share anything. I'll share every part of this place with you. If that means letting you put the syrup wherever the hell you please, then I'm ready."

Smiling, Luke placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I love you… and I'm ready for that too, but I have one more concern… What about Rory?"

"Like always, I love that you're thinking about her. That means the world to me… But Rory will be fine. She loves having you here, and I'm sure she wouldn't be opposed to having you read to her every night instead of on occasion."

"So, you're sure you want to do this…"

"I am. In fact..." Wiggling off of his lap, Lorelai walked over to her vanity to dig through her drawer. Finally finding what she wanted, she walked back and knelt on one knee in front of Luke. With a wide grin, she spoke eagerly, "Lucas William Danes, will you move in with me?"

Chuckling, Luke smiled one of those smiles. The one wide, toothy smile that he really only showed her. "Are you serious?"

"I am never nothing but serious."

"I've already got a key to the house."

Shoving his knee, she laughed. "Stop being logical! You're killing the moment!"

"Fine…" Taking the key from her, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Yes, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, I'll move in with you."

"I love you burger boy."

Shaking his head at her and still laughing slightly, he answered, "I love you too, crazy lady."

Standing up, Lorelai brought her body back beside his on the bed and her lips back to his. As per usual, they fell quickly into the kiss. Slowly, one of his hands found rest on her cheek, tilting her head back and drawing her deeper.

"Are you trying to seduce me," she questioned, recalling his words from earlier as his lips trailed across her jaw and down her neck.

"It's not cold anymore," Luke murmured, nibbling at her quickly heating skin.

Before her mind became too cloudy to think, she whispered, "Rory's downstairs."

"She'll be downstairs when I move in too."

Tugging lightly at his hair, Lorelai got him to look up at her with eyes darkened with desire. Raising her eyebrows, she questioned, "You're serious?"

"I'm serious if you are," he spoke lowly inching towards her.

"You have no idea." With a light push on his chest, Luke fell back and moved to the center of the bed. Crawling up, Lorelai hovered over him, her lips teasing his. "I told you good things happen when it snows."

"Hey, hon. Sleep well," Lorelai questioned as Rory walked out of her room later that morning.

"Mhmmm," she replied softly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Shuffling over, she climbed into her mother's lap, leaning her head on her shoulder.

Running her fingers up and down her back, Lorelai pulled Rory closer. "Still half asleep, huh?"

"Yeah," Rory whispered.

"That's too bad… Someone left a surprise for you outside, but you may be too tired to see it."

Immediately perking up, Rory looked at Lorelai. "Surprise?"

"Yeah, go look out the window."

Hopping off of her lap, Rory dashed to her room, a happy squeal escaping her lips as she ran back into the kitchen. "Snow, Mommy! It's snow!"

"I know! I saw!" Lorelai exclaimed, as Rory's enthusiasm caused her heart to leap. "I was thinking that we can get all bundled up, walk around and play in the square, and then go to Luke's for breakfast and hot chocolate. What do you think?"

"Let's do it," Rory agreed excitedly, running back into her room to get dressed.

Twenty minutes later and three layers of clothing heavier, Lorelai and Rory were out the door. Holding hands, they strolled slowly down the road, admiring the snow-covered town.

"Hey, Rory?"

"Yeah," Rory answered, looking up at her mother expectantly, not deterred by her slightly hesitant tone.

"I've got something I want to ask you."

"Okay!"

"So, Luke and I have been boyfriend and girlfriend for a long time now, and I like him a lot."

"Me too." Rory smiled in agreement.

"Good, that's good… So, you know that he's been spending the night a lot, but we were thinking about changing that. How would you feel if he moved in with me and you?"

Gasping, Rory looked up at Lorelai with a wide-open mouth. "Daddy Luke is moving in?"

Smiling at her reaction, Lorelai responded, "If that's okay with you."

"Can he sleep in my room? It will be like a sleep over!" Rory prodded innocently.

Laughing, Lorelai shook her head. "Actually, sweets, he'll be bunking it out with me, but I bet if you try, you can probably convince him to build a fort in the living room for us all to sleep in every once in a while."

"I want to build a fort! Do you think he will make breakfast for us every day, too?"

"When he can, I bet he will." Happy with Rory's thrilled reaction, Lorelai couldn't wait to reach the diner to tell Luke the good news.

As she saw the square approaching, the extent of the snow that fell came into view. "Look at all the snow around the gazebo, Rory. I bet we could make a great snowman."

Looking up at her with bright eyes, Rory bounced eagerly on the balls of her feet. "Can we?"

Taking in her daughter's clothes, Lorelai knew they would be good for another fifteen minutes or so in the snow. "Sure, why not."

Releasing Lorelai's hand, Rory ran over towards the gazebo. "Come on, Mommy! I know the perfect spot!"

Shedding their coats as they came in, Lorelai and Rory were faced with a diner that was much more packed than usual. "I guess everyone else came here to warm up too," Lorelai spoke, her eyes scanning the room for an open spot.

"There's a table," Rory answered, pointing to a table on the other side of the room. Her coat slightly dragging the ground, she ran over to claim the seats.

When she finally caught up to Rory and sat down, Lorelai looked over to the counter, catching sight of the special board. "Luke's special omelet… That is brand new."

"What about French toast," Rory questioned.

"I don't know, hon. I guess Daddy Luke is deciding to change a lot. We'll just have to let the French toast go."

"What can I get ya," Luke interrupted normally as he approached the table.

Arching a brow at him, Lorelai countered, "You have a new special…"

"Yes, I do."

"Nice," Lorelai agreed, a slightly naughty grin appearing on her face. "What is the special omelet?"

Before she could even think about ordering it, he cut her off. "You won't like it."

"Okay, first," Lorelai counted on her fingers, "How do you know? Second, why would you even make something that I don't like? Isn't that against some kind of couple rule?"

Rolling his eyes, Luke shook his head. "Because I know you, so I know you won't like it… And just because I make it doesn't mean you have to like it. I have other customers too."

"Alright, Mr. I-Know-Everything, can I at least hear what it is?"

Already knowing that she would pester him further if he didn't tell her, Luke conceded. "Fine. It's three eggs with bits of bacon."

"I like bacon."

"Cubed tomatoes."

"Sounds good."

"Swiss cheese and a dash of oregano."

Grinning, she looked over at Rory. "A dash he says."

With an eye roll, he looked at her seriously. "I've got other customers here."

Not even pretending to ponder the idea like she normally would, Lorelai nodded. "I'm gonna go with the special omelet."

"Okay…"

"With a side of bacon."

Looking back up from his order pad, Luke frowned. "There's bacon in the omelet."

"Oh, then skip the bacon."

"Hold the bacon."

"Can I get jack cheese," she questioned, trying to hold back a smile.

"On the side?"

"Instead of Swiss… Swiss is so stringy."

Realizing what she was doing, Luke shook his head. "Fine, Jack cheese."

"Also, I think I'm allergic to oregano, so hold that, too, and some coffee."

Taking a deep breath, he confirmed. "So, just the eggs, tomatoes, and jack cheese?"

"Not too many tomatoes," she pushed further.

"Light on the tomatoes."

"Very light." Holding up her fingers to show him, she continued, "Just a teeny-tiny amount, practically none."

"I'm skipping the tomatoes. It's an omelet with jack cheese."

"Perfect."

"You did this on purpose," Luke frowned. "You're lucky I love you."

"Yes, I am," Lorelai grinned.

"I want French toast!" Rory interjected with a smile of her own.

"You got it, Rory," he called as he wrote it down. "See." Jerking his chin towards Rory, he spoke to Lorelai. "She makes it easier."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that." She answered, a playful gleam in her eye.

Finishing writing down their order, Luke began to walk away, but before he could get far, he was stopped.

"Hey, babe, one more thing."

Sighing, he looked back at Lorelai and pointed at her. "If you want to change one more thing on your omelet, I will give you decaf."

With wide eyes, she gasped, feigning shock. "That's mean!" Reaching out her hand, she waited for him to take it. When he finally did, she smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not changing anything. I just wanted to let you know that we are good to go with the whole moving thing. The one sitting next to me is over the moon about it."

His frustration quickly leaving, a smile tugged at his lips. "Really?"

"Yep," Lorelai nodded. "We talked it out this morning. Isn't that right, Rory?"

"Mhmmm!" She agreed. Rising up on her knees in her chair, she looked up at Luke. "When are you coming?"

Thinking on his schedule, he looked back at Lorelai. "I have the morning to late afternoon shift tomorrow, so we may have to wait until next weekend."

Shrugging nonchalantly, she answered, "I guess that's okay. You already have some stuff at the house anyway, so we can wait until then to move you in completely."

Both of them smiled at how everything was coming together.

"Alright," Luke confirmed, "It sounds like a plan." Planting a chaste kiss on her lips, he nodded. "I'm gonna go put your orders in and I'll be back with a coffee and a hot chocolate."

"I can't wait to have this kind of service at home," Lorelai said as she winked at Rory. "We made a good choice."

"It's move in day," Rory yelled as she jumped on top of Lorelai, just as she did the day they moved into the house. As Lorelai suspected, Rory's extreme excitement hadn't changed since she found out Luke was moving in.

Stretching, she looked over at the clock to see the 9:30 time. "You waited longer this time. Thanks, kid." She smiled. "Luke will start bringing his stuff over about 12:00 so we better get ready so I can take you to Lane's in a little bit."

"Okay!" As she jumped off the bed and left the room, Lorelai heard the sound of Rory's footsteps as she took off down the stairs and back to her room.

Looking around the room, Lorelai took in what would probably be the last time this room was all her own. Of course, since Luke had been spending the night, his clothes and stuff had slowly intertwined with hers. A few of his flannels hung in her closet and some of his jeans laid folded in a drawer, and his toiletries took up a shelf in the medicine cabinet. Even a blanket from his place had somehow made its way over and was now draped over the end of the bed. The room really hadn't just been hers in a long time. "Maybe this won't be won't be so scary after all," she whispered into the air wearing a smile.

After dropping Rory off, she pulled back into the driveway. Grabbing her purse from the passenger seat, she looked up into the rearview mirror to see Luke pull in behind her, his truck bed filled with various boxes and items.

Hopping out quickly, Lorelai walked over to his door and pulled it open. "Well, hello weary traveler. Are you looking for somewhere to stay?"

"Damn, I was looking for some place normal, but I guess I pulled into the loony bin instead," he deadpanned.

"You know, if you keep saying that we're crazy, one day you're going to realize that by hanging out with us, you're just as crazy."

"Let me know when that happens, and I'll start looking for the guys with the big butterfly nets to come take me," he teased as he stood up out of the cab.

Just like that, she turned the teasing off. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she spoke a light, "Hey."

"Hi." He grinned, dropping a chaste kiss to her lips. "Hi Babette," He called out loudly over hoer shoulder, the old lady waving back from her open window with a phone pressed to her ear. "Not only am I going to be watched at my diner, but I'm going to be watched at home too."

"Don't worry," Lorelai winked, patting his chest. "Unless you plan of having your way with me in the middle of the yard, the only thing she'll see is you coming and going."

"I don't think that will be a problem."

Looking around him, she took in the various things he brought. "That's really all you brought?" She questioned, gesturing to the actually scarcely filled truck bed.

Turning to look with her, he nodded. "Oh, yeah. I left some stuff at the apartment, but none of it was very important to have here. This is all I really need."

"Huh, well this won't take as long as I thought." Taking his hand in hers and squeezing it, she pulled him with her. "Let's get this show on the road."

A few hours later, Luke walked upstairs into the bedroom with his last box. Knocking on the door frame as he entered, he called, "This is it… are you sure you don't want to change your mind."

Looking up from the small box of clothes she was unpacking, Lorelai shook her head. "I'm sure… And you know you don't have to knock anymore. It's not my room… It's ours."

"Ours," he repeated, dropping the box on the floor and walking over to her. Planting a soft kiss to her forehead, he sat down beside her. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too…" she grinned. As she folded a t-shirt from the pile she had put on the other side of her, she continued, "By the way, speaking of the room being ours now, I wanted to talk about Rory."

"What about her?"

"Well, since we've lived here, we've pretty much had an open-door policy. I mean we've shared a bed for most of her life so far, so her coming in at night and hopping in bed with me is something that happens from time to time. But just like the nights you were here, she knows she needs to knock now before she opens the door." Laughing slightly, she went on, "I don't want her seeing anything that might scar her for life."

Wincing, Luke shook his head. "I don't even want to think about that."

"I know…" She wrinkled her nose along with him. "But that's why I made sure we talked about it. She hasn't had them in a while, but there are times where she has had consecutive nightmares, and she would usually jump in without second thought."

"You know, she can still do that, right? I mean, the bed might be a little tight with all three of us, but I can move to the couch if I have to…"

Shaking her head, she planted a light kiss on his lips. "I love that you would do that, but I'm sure this bed will be big enough if the time comes."

"If you say so…"

Patting his thigh, Lorelai stood up, taking his hands in hers. "Come one. We've done enough unpacking for right now. Let's take a break."

Giving in, Luke followed behind her, their joined hands coming to rest in the small of her back. "What are we doing?"

"We are going downstairs, and we are going to eat a snack. I'm thinking ice cream."

Rolling his eyes, he frowned, though she couldn't see him. "So, by we, you mean you…"

"No, I mean we…" she laughed. "You know, babe, I could hear your eyes rolling."

Chuckling, he swatted at her as they reached the landing. "Yeah, well what's new."

Turning to face him, she walked backwards into the kitchen, tilting her head to one side and wearing a naughty smile. "Maybe one day you'll roll them hard enough and find a brain back there."

"You're just full of it today."

"No…" she countered, happiness filling her voice. "I'm just happy."

"Good… Me too."

Catching the pile of mail he brought in out of the corner of his eye as she disappeared into the kitchen, Luke grabbed it, bringing the various envelopes and ads with him. "Here," he placed the pile down in front of her. "I went ahead and got the mail out of the mailbox when I came in with the last box. When was the last time you got your mail?"

Licking the ice cream off of the spoon she already filled, Lorelai smiled. "Look at you, already being domestic." Picking it up, she flipped through it as he rummaged through the fridge for a snack for himself. Her eyes trailed across the card she held in her hands, and the happiness that filled her was quickly replaced with irritation. "What the hell!"

"What?" Luke jumped, slamming his head on the top of the fridge. "Shit that hurt!" Rubbing the back of his head as he stood up straight, he murmured under his breath. "Just like the first time we met."

Not deterred by his mumbling, she held up her hand as she kept reading. "December 8th? Damnit, Christopher!"

It wasn't jealousy that gripped him. The tone of her voice stirred something else within him: anger. Knowing that Christopher obviously did something wrong, he walked over to Lorelai cautiously. "Lorelai, what did he do?"

"Ugh, he pisses me off so much!" Holding out the card to him, she frowned. "He seriously can't even remember his own daughter's birthday! It's not like I didn't try to call him and remind him to call her on her birthday. I tried to call the last number I had for him, but it gave me a different number. When I called that one, it was disconnected, as usual! I never thought he'd actually forget, though!"

Taking the card from her hand, Luke read the hastily drawn scrawl.

Hello from London,

Happy Birthday kiddo! I hope this card arrives on time for your birthday on the 8th. It's hard to believe that you're 6 already! How did you get so big? I'll be back in Connecticut in January, so get ready to see me!

-Dad

Trying not to believe what he ready, Luke questioned, "How do you know he didn't send this in October and it's just getting here now?"

"Look at the date at the top left-hand corner."

"12/01/90… Piece of shit," he grumbled as he handed the card back to her. Walking over, he stood in front of the sink looking out the window as thought after thought about Christopher flew through his head.

"Praise the Lord for Rachel," Lorelai sighed, her voice filled with relief.

Looking back to her, Luke tilted his head questioningly. Those were the last words he expected to hear in this situation. "What?"

Holding up the post card that was further down the pile, Lorelai smiled. "Rachel… she sent a postcard. It doesn't mention anything about Rory's birthday, and she did what she promised by sending one. Rory is going to be ecstatic. This card could not have come at a better time," she answered, her smile growing wider as she spoke.

"It has been about a week, like she promised. Maybe Rory will take his card better if she sees Rachel's after."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

Bursting through the door, Rory sprinted to the couch and jumped at Luke. "You're here!"

Laughing at her excitement, Luke answered, "I am here. I'm here for good. You okay with that?"

Nodding wildly, she squeezed his neck in a hug. "Yeah! We get breakfast in our kitchen now!"

Lorelai laughed from the living room doorway as Luke smirked over his shoulder at her. "Apparently cooking is all I am good for."

"At least you know your strengths… Speaking of food, is dinner ready?"

"It's on the stove, ready to be eaten."

Smiling she planted a kiss to his head as she walked by. "You're such a good provider."

As they all filed into the kitchen, Lorelai saw the mail pile on the center of the table, reminding her of the cards she found there earlier today. Her attitude quickly growing somber, she grabbed the two cards from the top. "Uh, Rory. Something came for you today."

Walking over and taking her seat at the table, Rory leaned forward on her knees trying to catch a glimpse of what Lorelai had in her hands. "Really? What is it?"

Placing the post cards down on the table in front of her, Lorelai pushed one closer to her. "This is a post card from your dad."

"Cool!" After she took it from her mother's hand, she read it. "My birthday was a long time ago… October 8th," Rory spoke, looking up at Lorelai curiously.

"I know, hon. Maybe it just took a long time to get here," she responded with Luke's original reasoning, hoping Rory didn't note the date in the corner.

"Maybe." Laying the card down, Rory continued. "He was in London. Where is that?"

"That's in England," Lorelai answered slowly, trying to gage her daughter's reaction. Much to her dismay, Rory didn't really show much emotion.

Looking at the second card sitting on the table, Rory prodded, "Is that from dad too?"

"Actually," Lorelai answered, pushing it over to her, "That one is from Rachel."

"She sent me a post card?" Rory exclaimed, immediately perking up with a bright smile appearing on her face. "She promised, and she sent one! I'm gonna read it!"

Lorelai watched as Rory's eyes danced across the card.

"She's in a place called Sal-va-dor," Rory sounded out. "She said the food is good, but she misses the triple chocolate M&M milkshake! My milkshake!"

It was at this moment that Lorelai really couldn't be more thankful for Rachel. Luke was moved in, and Rory was happy. "I'll have to thank her later," she thought. Pulled from her thoughts from Rory's talk about milkshakes, she smiled. "That's great, hon. Why don't you go put them on your postcard board?"

"Okay!"

When she was gone from the room, Lorelai turned to Luke who was hovering in the doorway. "Chris screwed up, but Rachel saved the day. I'm just glad there were no tears."

Nodding back, Luke agreed. "Me too… I still hate the guy. He needs a good beating."

"Believe me, no one wants to whack Chris more than I do, but I can't. He's still her dad."

"Yeah, well, he has a shitty way of showing it," Luke growled.

"Luke," she sighed. Walking over to him she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against the wall of his chest. "He pisses me off too, but there's nothing I can do. I gave him a piece of my mind the last time I saw him; you were there. He has to make the choice to see her himself."

His hands coming to rest on her back, he traced small circles, trying to relieve the anger that was in him. "Right now, he's making the wrong choice."

"I agree, but all I can do is be here for Rory. I can't control him."

"I know," he answered, planting a kiss to her hair. "He's still a jackass, though."

Laughing against his shoulder, Lorelai smiled. "He is that." Squeezing his waist, she leaned back, pulling him with her. "Come on. Let's not let him ruin our night. Tonight, is your first official dinner as a resident of this house."

"I'm pretty sure I've eaten her before," Luke deadpanned as he walked over to the stove to prepare the plates.

"Yeah, but not living here," she countered. "You've been officially inducted into the Gilmore girl household, and if you haven't noticed, it's a pretty exclusive place. It's hard to get into. It's a good thing we like you so much."

"I like you guys, too," he agreed, looking over at her with a genuine smile. "A lot."

A/N pt 2: So, did you guys enjoy it! They finally moved in together! I hope I did the scene justice for you guys.

I didn't want to make the note too long at the top, but I did want to mention one important thing. A few weeks back, this story crossed over 100 favorites, 200 follows, and 250 comments! I want to thank you guys sooooooo much for the follows, favorites, and reviews. I notice and appreciate EVERY single one of them, and I couldn't be happier that y'all enjoy my writing.

xoxo explosivesky