Title: Hindsight
Author: Karleen
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Warner Brothers, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Hofflund/Polone. This was just written for fun.
A/N: Wow, thanks for your reviews. :) I wasn't expecting any more than the number of chapters I have so yeah this is really exciting news. Thanks for taking some time and reading this story that I concocted. Ok, now back to business and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Eight: For What It's Worth, I'll Take The Leap

They sat in silence for a good half an hour, not knowing how to start conversation like they were strangers just meeting for the first time. Lorelai never really spoke about Luke after she told Rory that she knew his whereabouts, but that was it. She didn't even know that her mother was even in contact with him. The fact that he was at their house threw her off even more. However, this was Luke after all. She'd known him since her mother discovered diner.

"Have you eaten yet?" he nodded no. "Would you like some pizza?" she finally asked after being quiet.

"Sure." and as he said this she took out her cell phone and called for delivery.

"I'm sorry for ruining your plans." he said as she closed her phone five minutes later.

"There was no plan, you don't need to apologize."

"So I'm guessing that your mom never told you about this huh?" he pointed to his eyes.

"She mentioned it, but didn't really elaborate." she paused. "How does it.. I mean how are you doing?"

"A little better."

"That's good."

"How have you been?"

"Really busy actually." she could have easily said fine and end their conversation there but she didn't want to. "One of our leads quit a couple of weeks ago and that really threw us off."

"I'm real proud of you." he said softly. "Of what you've accomplished."

"Thank you." she smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't have done it without mom or you."

"Me?" he gulped. "What have I ever done?"

"The question should be, what have you not done?" she removes her hand away slowly. "You were there for us since the day you met us. You were there when mom and I had that stupid separation. You were more of a father figure to me than my dad did. You were always there, and for that I'd always be grateful."

- - - - -

She parked her Jeep in front of the Dragonfly and walked right in the kitchen. Sookie was just about to finish up making her bread doughs when Lorelai walked in the kitchen hurriedly which caused Sookie to drop the dough she was kneading.

"Oh my!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Lorelai, I swear I'm going to drop dead from these surprise visits!"

"Sorry Sook." she went for the dough on the floor but Sookie stopped her.

"It's ok, this was just an extra batch. I'll just throw it away. What are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be at your parent's house?" she dumped the deflated dough in the trash

"I was, but I didn't get to have dinner."

"Man your parents are tough, they sent you back to Stars Hollow without a meal because you broke things off with Christopher?"

"No, but you're on the right track."

"What do you mean?"

She told Sookie the event that happened at the Gilmore's home just a couple of hours ago while she helped her clean up the kitchen.

- - - - -

It was ten o'clock but she figured Luke was still awake and was in the kitchen since he wasn't sitting in the sofa. She passed the living room and went towards the kitchen and saw Rory reading out sports news to Luke but stopped as she saw her mother walk in.

"Rory?" her daughter looked up and gave her a smile.

"Hey mom."

"I thought you were busy tonight."

"I was but I finished earlier than I thought so I came here thinking you were already home."

"I'm sorry it took me longer than I thought to get home. I stopped by to get some food from the inn but I see that you've already eaten."

"Do you want some pizza?" Luke asked.

"Yeah." she grabbed a slice on the counter and sat with them.

Lorelai thanked her for keeping Luke company as she kissed her daughter good bye. Rory drove back to her apartment later that night. Lorelai had yet to fill her in with all the details about everything but she understood why her mother kept this from her all along.

She missed Luke but she could not even begin to comprehend how much her mother did. Cynics might call it a selfish act, she kept him a secret. Hoever, she considered this a sort of healing process for the both of them. He needed someone to look after him and she needed someone to care for her. They didn't need for their affection to be displayed out in the world for everyone to see. They didn't need that pressure. All they needed to know was that they cared for each other. They were there for each other even after everything that had happened.

She witnessed how much the pain affected Luke and her mother. She saw it in his eyes the last time she saw him, the week after that they'd broken up. She saw it in her Lorelai's eyes, through the tears that she cried when realization dawned on her that everything between them was really over.

Rory knew that, they still both carried a sacred place in their hearts for each other. No matter how far they pushed their feelings aside, those feelings wouldn't just dissolve into thin air.

there's always something in the way
there's always something getting through
i hope to lose myself for good
i hope to find it in the end
not in me
in you

Switchfoot- You

to be continued...