A/N: You guys are fantastic with the reviews! I know that so far the story is sad, but I promise, it will get better. I have some plans with it, but not too many (I let the characters lead me). Keep reviewing and I promise, I'll keep writing.

Rory looked over at the red numbers flashing on the cow clock next to her bed. 2:33. Only four minutes after the last time she checked. After Rory had locked up the diner, she'd come home to an empty house. She curled up on her bed and grabbed one of her favorite books off the shelf: Pride and Prejudice. She started to read, engaged by the handsome Mr. Darcy. She had always thought that the relationship of Darcy and Elizabeth was quite like the one of her own mother and Luke. Luke being a crude jerk more than half the time, and Lorelai being the wild, carefree young woman that fell for him. Because, honestly, Rory thought the only woman that could ever put up with Luke was Lorelai.

Lydia had just run away when Luke came home. Rory stopped reading and glanced at the clock. 12:10. He and her mother had been talking for a long time; Rory hoped they'd come to at least some sort of agreement. She sat silently on her bed and listened as Luke threw his keys on the table, opened and closed the refrigerator, and climbed the stairs. She knew her mother hadn't come home with him; Luke had opened and closed the door much too soon to get the two beers they would need. And of course, Lorelai was much too loud to go unnoticed. And Rory hadn't got her nightly kiss and random story. She'd decided to stay up and wait for her mom, after all, Lorelai wasn't the type to just not come home.

Rory continued reading for another hour or two, but eventually she found that she was getting too weary to keep up with the old English. She slid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. All of her Harvard posters, several pictures of her and her friends, random letters and wedding invitations, and brochures and mementos from her many road trips with her mother adorned the ceiling. She decided to go to sleep, but every few minutes she'd find herself looking over at the cow clock and wondering where in the world Lorelai was. Rory knew Lorelai never stayed with Sookie overnight, but she knew there was nowhere else she would stay. And she knew that Lorelai wouldn't leave town without her best friend. And so, at 2:57, Rory finally fell asleep.

Rory awoke the next morning nearly falling off the bed. Half her body was hanging off the side of the bed and the pillow from under her head was half-gone. The blanket was completely gone. She looked over and saw her mother sleeping, a worried look on her face. She wondered what time her mother had slipped in, and why she'd come and laid down in her room. She pulled herself back on the bed and turned to face Lorelai. Always a light sleeper, Lorelai turned in her sleep with every move that her daughter made.

"How dare you…" Lorelai muttered.

"What?"

"How dare you wake up a sleeping woman. I need my beauty sleep, kid." Lorelai replied, opening her eyes. "You make me so old."

Rory laughed. "How dare you! You pushed me off my own bed and took my covers and my pillows."

Lorelai replied with her motherly tone. "I bought the bed. And the pillows. And the blanket. It's mine."

Rory groaned. She knew that reply. "Mom, why aren't you in your room? I mean, the room that you normally sleep in?"

"Luke wasn't smart enough to sleep on the damn sofa," Lorelai replied. "And I'm not a couch kind of girl. Unless of course I fell asleep there with Ben & Jerry's in my hand and a movie still blazing on TV."

"What happened last night, Mom? I waited up for you until almost 3 AM and you still weren't back…." Rory trailed, eyeing her mom.

"Luke and I had a fight. I went over to Sookie's to talk. Sorry I worried you," Lorelai said.

"What was the fight about? Are you and Luke okay? Are you okay?" Rory asked, concerned.

"Rory, I don't want to talk about this right now," Lorelai rolled over.

"But Mom I-" Rory said quickly.

"You're the kid, I'm the mom. I don't want to talk about this," Lorleai said and rolled over and went back to sleep. Rory sighed and got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. On the fridge was a note from Luke.

Rory,

Call your Mom. Make sure she's okay. Stop by the diner and let me know if you won't be home tonight so I don't worry about you. See if you can get your Mom home, too. I think she's at Sookie's. See you later, kid.

Luke.

Rory laughed. So typically Luke. She had known the man since she was young and he'd always been more than just Luke to her. They say that girls look to date men like their dads, but Rory had never looked to date a man like Christopher. She didn't want anything to do with a high-class, well-groomed, deadbeat like her father. Instead, she liked a gruff man in flannel with a baseball cap and a sense of humor. She had never said the f word with Luke, but she felt it. Every now and then, it seemed to want to escape her tongue, but she could never let herself say it. Father was such a personal word. She wasn't sure how he would take it, and she wasn't sure if her mother was ready for her to say it. Rory and Lorelai both knew that Luke was really the only father Rory had, but Lorelai was hard-headed when it came to Rory knowing that Chris was, and always would be, her biological father.

Rory scribbled out a quick note to her mother and left it in the place of Luke's. She quickly changed and headed out the door towards the diner, eager to help the father she never had.

She opened the door to the diner and sat down at the counter. "What can I get you, Rory?" Luke's voice overpowered her thoughts.

"Chai?" Rory said.

Luke looked at her. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Rory Gilmore?"

"Luke..." Rory groaned. "I want chai tea." Luke looked at her strangely and brought her a chai tea.

"Why the sudden change?" Luke asked.

"Because tonight when Mom asks if I went to the diner for coffee I can honestly say no," Rory replied. "She's at home. Sleeping in my bed."

"Oh," Luke replied. "Good."

"Things didn't go so well last night?" Rory asked, worried. "What was she so upset about?"

Luke looked around to make sure nobody was listening. Then he realized nobody was there. "She wants a baby."

"And…" Rory said, wondering where the problem lied.

"I can't have a kid, Rory." Luke said, scratching his head.

"Well, why not? Mom would be there to help you and I would be too. And you won't mind sticky hands when it's your own kid. And I bet it will be a boy, you can see him grow up and be just like you and--," Luke cut her off.

"No, Rory. I can't have kids." Luke said, staring her in the eye.

"What do you mean, you can't have kids?" Rory asked, still not getting it.

"When I was in high school, I ran track…" Luke started to explain.

"Oh my gosh," Rory said covering her face. "Please don't tell me this. Eww."

Luke shrugged. "You asked."

"You didn't tell Mom you can't have kids? Luke, that's kind of important, don't you think?" Rory asked.

"I didn't think it would be a problem. She's always said you're the perfect child. She could never be happier. I didn't think she wanted any more kids. I didn't think it would be a problem. Why bring it up? I didn't want things to be weird," Luke said.

"Oh." Rory said, watching Luke, both of them oblivious to the door opening behind them. "Luke, you really should tell her."

"Tell me what?" Lorelai appeared behind Rory, her hands on her hip. She walked up to the counter and sat down, grabbing Rory's mug out of her hand. She started to gulp it before spitting it out.

"Damn, Rory! What the hell are you drinking?"