"Rory! Lorelai! Come in!" Miss Patty swung open the door. Lorelai and Rory both smiled at the warm welcome and stepped inside. "Oh, Rory you are just such a vision! A perfect likeness of your mother."

"Thanks." Rory smiled.

"I hope you both like pot roast." Miss Patty guided the girls into the dinning area. Taylor, Babbette, and Maury were all sitting at the table.

"Oh, sugar you look wonderful!" Babbette rose from the table and hooked her arms around Lorelai. "It must be all that good London air."

"Honey, I'm sure the air is the same in London as it here." Maury replied. "Lorelai would look wonderful even if she inhaled toxic waste."

Rory smiled at all the strange yet charming compliments her and her mother had received in such a short time. She could tell why Lorelai had missed Stars Hollow is was full of such lively and quirky characters.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Rory asked.

Miss Patty smiled. "Such a polite girl. Sure, you can help me bring out the pot roast." Miss Patty and Rory walked into the kitchen.

"Well, Lorelai aren't you going to sit down?" Taylor asked.

Lorelai smiled. "Sure, Taylor. I just need to go to the restroom first."

"Oh, second door down the hall." Babbette pointed.

"Thanks." Lorelai exited the dinning area.

When the doorbell rang, Miss Patty stuck her head out of the kitchen door. "Babbette would you be a dear and get the door."

Babbette rose from the table and headed towards the door. She opened and Sookie's bright face appeared. Luke was standing by her side, but his face wasn't near as bright.

"Come on in, we're just about to eat." Babbette smiled.

"See, I told you we weren't late." Sookie glanced up at Luke.

Luke and Sookie stepped into the dinning area and each took a seat beside each other.

"Mmm … Something smells heavenly." Sookie inhaled.

"That's Miss Patty's pot roast." Taylor said.

"It's nice to have someone else cooking for a change." Sookie laughed. She glanced around the room. She was confused at why Lorelai or Rory weren't there. Perhaps they were late.

Lorelai opened the bathroom door and headed back down the hall. As she turned the corner to the dinning room she quickly turned back around in shock to see Luke sitting at Miss Patty's table. What on earth was he doing here? Miss Patty failed to mention he would be here, but then again it's Miss Patty. In her mind she's playing match maker. Realizing she couldn't hide out in the hall way all night, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for the encounter.

Luke's head turned and he spotted Lorelai coming around the corner. He was astounded to see she hadn't aged a day. She looked more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. As Lorelai stepped into the dinning room Sookie jumped from the table.

"Lorelai!"

"Sookie!" Lorelai replied as the two embraced. "It's so good to see you."

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Sookie repeated in a very high voice. She continued to hold on to Lorelai for several seconds. "Where's Rory?" she finally asked as she broke away.

"In the kitchen helping Miss Patty." Lorelai smiled.

Sookie glanced back at Luke. He cleared his throat and stood to his feet. "Hi." He said shortly.

"Hey." Lorelai replied a soft tone.

"It's good to see you."

"You too." Lorelai could feel the awkwardness between them. This set up of Miss Patty's had to be just as much an inconvenience for Luke as it was for her.

The kitchen door opened and Miss Patty stepped out holding her pot roast boastfully on her platter. Rory followed out behind her with a large plate of dinner rolls.

"Alright, everybody… eat up!" Miss Patty set the pot roast on the table.

Taylor's mouth was watering as he made himself the first one to dig in. Luke and Sookie both exchanged a look of shock as they realized that this was the girl who had showed up at the diner only hours before.

Rory too had taken notice to the fact that she was now in the same room as the people from the diner. She quickly sat down beside her mother and prayed that they didn't mention seeing her there earlier today. Lorelai would be so angry if she found out Rory had went to diner against Lorelai's directions.

"So, Rory how old are you now?" Maury asked.

"14." Rory answered.

"That's such a good age." Miss Patty smiled as she took a sip of wine.

"You remember?" Taylor asked smirking.

"Unlike you, yes." Miss Patty countered.

"You'll be starting high school then." Babbette concluded. "Stars Hollow has a wonderful high school. Great teachers."

"The best." Taylor added.

Sookie nearly choked on her food. "You're sending Rory to high school here?"

"Well of course, Sookie." Miss Patty laughed. "Where else would Lorelai send her?"

Sookie looked back at Luke. They couldn't have been more blindsided coming into this dinner.

"Oh, Taylor said you bought the house over on Maple Drive." Maury began. "Beautiful piece of property."

"It's perfect for Rory and me." Lorelai glanced back at her daughter.

"Well, if you need any help moving things around, just let me know."

"And I'm great with decorating." Babbette added.

"We'll keep that in mind." Lorelai replied.

"When are you and Sookie going to buy a house together, Luke?" Taylor asked.

Lorelai quickly glanced over at Sookie and Luke. Miss Patty and Babbette both lowered their eyes. They knew that Lorelai finding out about Sookie and Luke from Taylor was definitely the wrong way.

"I mean you guys have been staying in that apartment for months now. People need room to breathe." Taylor took another bite of pot roast. "I'd be out of my wits by now."

Luke was unable to form any words. "We're fine." He finally replied.

"So, Lorelai how do you like the pot roast?" Miss Patty asked as she tried to sway the conversation.

Lorelai didn't reply. She hadn't even heard Miss Patty's question. She had drifted off into thought. Rory gently nudged her mother on the arm. Lorelai's eyes shot to Rory. "What?" she asked as if Rory had just interrupted her during a very important phone call, or a while she was right in the middle of her favorite movie.

"Miss Patty asked you a question." Rory whispered.

Lorelai turned to Miss Patty. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, dear." Miss Patty replied.

Lorelai looked down at her watch. "Wow, you know what we should really get going."

"What? You just got here." Babbette objected.

"I just remembered I have a thing at the inn that I need to be there for."

"The inn?" Babbette asked.

"She got a job there today." Miss Patty informed.

"Thank you so much for inviting us." Lorelai reached out her hand for Rory. "Come on, Rory."

Rory took one final glance around the table and stood up. She knew her mother didn't have anything to do at the inn. Ever since they had came back to Stars Hollow Lorelai had acted in the strangest manner.

Feeling responsible Sookie quickly went after Lorelai.

"Lorelai, wait!" Sookie called as she stopped Lorelai on Miss Patty's sidewalk. "Don't leave."

"Rory, get in the car." Lorelai instructed.

"But…"

"In the car." Lorelai repeated.

Rory sighed and did as she was told. Sookie wrung her hands several times. "Oh, Lorelai please don't be angry."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"No, I'm not." Lorelai stressed.

"I didn't mean for … I never…" Sookie babbled.

"How long?" Lorelai asked.

"How long?"

"How long have you two been together, Sookie?" Lorelai folded her arms.

"A few years." Sookie replied.

"A few? How many is a few? Two, three, four?"

"Six." Sookie finally answered.

Lorelai's mouth hung open. The last thing she ever expected to come back to was a Luke and Sookie relationship. "Are you married?"

"No." Sookie quickly answered. "Please don't think that I was just waiting for it to be over between you and him… I wanted you two together more than anything. I'm the one who told him to go after you at the airport."

"What?" Lorelai asked completely lost.

"But he didn't make it in time." Sookie continued. "Oh, Lorelai, he was devastated when you left. It took years for him to get over you."

"You mean six years." Lorelai bitterly replied.

"What were we supposed to do? You were gone. You left." Tears began to stream down Sookie's face. "You never called… you never wrote… you never came in to visit. Now all of a sudden you're back and apparently you're staying… what did you want us to do while you were gone? We couldn't just stop living."

"You're right, Sookie." Lorelai retorted. "You certainly couldn't just stop living. You and Luke have every right to a relationship."

"Lorelai, just don't be angry and don't hate me."

"I don't hate you, Sookie." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I just… I don't know what I expected." Lorelai threw her arms to the side. "I'm sorry… I just need time to process all of this."

"Maybe we can get some coffee tomorrow and talk about all of this…"

Lorelai shook her head. "Sure... Coffee sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lorelai turned slowly and walked back to the car where Rory was sitting. She had heard most of the argument and was starting to piece together her mother's past.