After the examination, which proved to be uncomfortable for both Luke and Lorelai, Dr. Tompkins turned on the ultrasound machine. "Everything looks good, so we'll take a look and see if we can get a heartbeat," he explained.

Lorelai looked over at Luke, who was standing across the room from the examining table, his hands shoved in his pockets. He was staring at the machine, head tilted to the side as if he was trying to see something on the fuzzy screen.

"Luke," she said softly, reaching out to him. "Come here."

Luke looked at her for a moment, but he was at her side, holding her hand in a split second. Lorelai smiled slightly at him, then they both turned their attention back to the machine.

"Alright, this might be cold," Dr. Tompkins said, squeezing gel onto Lorelai's slightly rounded belly. Lorelai gasped and squeezed Luke's hand a little tighter when she felt the coldness, but when Dr. Tompkins began running the wand over her belly, she began to calm down.

When Dr. Tompkins froze the wand on Lorelai's belly, a loud thumping echoed throughout the room. He turned to the couple and asked, "Do you hear that?"

Luke and Lorelai both nodded.

"That's your baby's heartbeat," Dr. Tompkins said gently.

Lorelai looked up at Luke, who had an expression on his face that she had never seen before. He looked happy, but at the same time, she could see him trying to hold back tears. She reached up and touched his cheek gently, meeting his eyes.

A moment later, they both turned their attention back to the machine when Dr. Tompkins said, "Look right there." He pointed to a tiny spot on the screen. "That's your baby."

"Oh my God," Lorelai muttered. She tightened her grip on Luke's hand as she felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. Luke stood, frozen as he looked at his tiny baby for the first time, safe in its mother's womb.

Dr. Tompkins smiled as he froze the screen and said gently, "I'll give you two a moment." He stood and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.

As soon as they were alone, Lorelai turned to Luke and whispered, "Thank you."

"No," Luke said, shaking his head. "Thank you. Lorelai…this is just…the most amazing thing I've ever been apart of. Thank so much for letting me be here."

Lorelai opened her mouth to say something, but the door opened and Dr. Tompkins walked back in. Luke pulled away from Lorelai, both of them disappointed.

"Here are the pictures," Dr. Tompkins said, handing them to Lorelai. "You can stop in the waiting room to make your next appointment, about six weeks from now."

Lorelai hopped off the table and turned to Luke as the door closed. "So…do you want to come with me to make the appointment?" she asked. "That way you can be there too."

"Okay," Luke replied. "Maybe after we can grab a bite to eat or something."

Lorelai shrugged. "I have the jeep here," she said. "So it wouldn't really work."

Luke nodded, then reached for the door knob. "Okay," he said softly. "Well, I guess we'll just go back home."

"Sure," Lorelai said softly.

They made their appointment, at a time when both Lorelai and Luke could get off from the inn and the diner, and Luke walked Lorelai to her car. As she rummaged in her purse for her keys, Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat.

"Uh…look, Lorelai. I just want you to know that…well, if you need anything, call me," he said softly. "I know that I screwed things up, but…I still care about you. And not just because of the baby. I'll always love you, no matter what, and well…I just want you to be able to call me if you need help."

Lorelai stared up at him, too shocked to say anything. Rarely, even in their most intimate moments, had Luke expressed his feelings so openly. Now, here he was, doing it in the middle of the parking lot of the doctor who was caring for their baby.

"Luke…" she said softly. She took a deep breath. "Maybe you could come over sometime, and we could just talk about everything. Calmly, like adults."

Luke felt his heart leap. Maybe it wasn't too late for them after all.

"I'd like that," he said. "I'd like that a lot."

Their eyes met, and for a moment, Luke thought that she was going to reach up to kiss him. But then the moment was over and she was turning to get into the car.

"So…thanks for coming," Lorelai said. "I'm glad you were here."

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Luke said honestly before he closed the door. He walked over to the tuck and got in, following Lorelai home.

XXXXX

When Lorelai got back to the house, she dropped her purse in the corner, kicked off her shoes, and collapsed onto the couch. She thought about everything that had happened to her in the past couple hours. Despite the obvious joy of seeing her baby for the first time, she felt a mix of emotions.

She and Luke. Where did they stand? What exactly were they to each other? There had been so many moments where she thought she was going to give up and throw herself into his arms, but she hadn't.

She loved him. He loved her. They were having a baby together. This was the only things that she was sure of. But if she knew these things, why did anything else matter? Shouldn't they be together and work everything out as a couple.

Lorelai rolled onto her back and grabbed a pillow, burying her face in it as she let out a frustrated scream.

XXXXX

It was Friday afternoon, and Luke was cleaning the diner after the lunch rush. When the bells over the diner rang, he looked up and saw Lorelai walking towards him

"Hi," she said. "Listen…Rory's staying at Yale this weekend, so I was just wondering…maybe you'd want to come over tonight and we could watch a movie and have that talk. I mean… you don't have to, if you have plans already, but I just thought if you still wanted to…"

"I'll be there," Luke said quickly. "And I'll bring dinner."

Lorelai nodded, unable to disguise her pleasure. "Okay," she said softly. "I'll see you tonight."

As she turned and walked out of the diner, Luke stood in the middle of the room and watched her, daring to hope that maybe things would work out between them.

XXXXXX

Lorelai was standing in her bedroom at five thirty that night, squeezing in her belly as she stood in front of the mirror and tried to zip her jeans. She let out a frustrated yell as she discarded yet another pair of pants, searching for her jeans with the most give.

When she finally was dressed, she made sure that her hair was curled just right and applied more make up. She wanted to look nice for Luke, and she wanted to be ready when he got here.

She was descending the stairs as the door bell rang and she smiled to herself. Luke knew to be five minutes late, and she was actually ready before quarter after. They knew each other well, and she liked that.

"Hey Luke," she said with a smile as she opened the door. "How was the rest of the day at the diner?"

"It was fine," Luke replied. "Nothing too exciting."

Lorelai nodded. "Come in," she said. "You don't have to be shy here."

Luke smiled as he followed her to the couch in the living room. "I brought you a cheeseburger and fries," he said, setting the bag from the diner on the table. "But I'm only going to let you eat it if you eat the salad first."

Lorelai scowled, but she took the salad and the fork that Luke was holding out to her. "Fine," she snapped.

Luke smiled in amusement as he watched Lorelai shove a bite of salad in her mouth. "It's really not that bad," he said.

"I hope you know that I'm doing this for the baby and not you," Lorelai replied.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, it felt like they were back to their normal, bantering selves. Then Lorelai turned away and continued eating.

After they were done with their food, Lorelai turned to Luke and looked at him carefully.

"What?" Luke asked, a little uncomfortable under her glare.

"I'm giving you your chance to explain," Lorelai said simply.

Luke looked at her for a moment before he sighed and leaned back into the couch cushions. "Rory came into the diner one morning, all excited about planning a wedding for you…us. She showed me the scrapbook the two of you had made and said that she was sure that this was what you wanted. At first I thought that you would want to plan your own wedding, but then I thought that maybe it was a little better of an idea, if you were getting what you wanted, for you to be under as little stress as possible. So I said yes. And Rory called this wedding planner, telling Sookie to keep you occupied at the inn. So I figured we could meet in my apartment since at the time it was my office, and she and Rory began talking about all kinds of things…floral arrangements, dresses, china patterns…and I was just kind of there. Rory's cell phone rang, and this wedding planner…she was asking me all these questions, about you and Rory, and the baby. Then…I don't even really know how it happened. I just…Lorelai, you have to know that I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to know that."

Lorelai looked at him closely for a moment. "But you did," she said softly. "Luke, you left me. And when you left me, I felt weaker than I ever had before. Even when I was pregnant with Rory…I handled that better than I handled you walking out on me."

Luke sighed and leaned back into the couch. "I guess you're right," he said. "But I didn't mean what I said that day. In Doose's…I just needed some time to think things through."

Lorelai nodded. "I know," she said softly. "But I know that I'll always care about you. No matter what. You're the father of my baby. And…more than that too. God, I will never forget how terrified I was when I saw your truck get hit. I thought you were gone for good."

"I'm here, Lorelai," Luke said softly. "And I know you're upset with me. But I'm not going anywhere."

Lorelai swallowed hard. "I need time, Luke," she said. "I can't promise you anything right now."

Luke looked down at his hands, folded gently in his lap. "Okay," he said softly.

"So…do you want to watch a movie now?" Lorelai asked.

"Actually…I have deliveries tomorrow," Luke replied, standing and reaching for his jacket.

"Oh," Lorelai said, disappointed. "Well, I'll see you later then?"

Luke nodded as he began walking towards the door. "Yeah," he said. "Listen…if anything happens, you know with the baby…well, I want to know. Even if you just feel like your ankles are starting to swell, well, I want to be involved in this pregnancy."

Lorelai nodded, then lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry if I'm hurting you," she said. "I just…I can't be fully committed to this right now. I need to know that you're really all in."

Luke looked at her for a moment, then decided to take a risk. He leaned forward and cupped her face in his hands, then kissed her, hard and deep. Lorelai was surprised at first, but she quickly responded, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Just as the passion was escalating, Luke broke off the kiss and smiled slightly at her.

"Remember that," he said, before turning and walking out the door.

Lorelai watched Luke as he walked to his truck, reliving the kiss that had just happened. She felt a shiver run down her spine, and she knew now what she had to do.

XXXXX

The next afternoon, Luke paced the floor of his apartment, wondering if he was doing the right thing. He was taking a huge risk, he knew that; Lorelai had told him less than twenty four hours ago that she wasn't ready for a commitment. But she had kissed him back, he knew that much.

He walked over to the sink and looked out the window, smiling as he looked at the people setting up the town square. He had hired them all in confidence, and he knew that the rest of the town was wondering what the hell was going on. Taylor had stormed into the diner that morning and demanded to know who was holding a town event without his permission. Luke had played dumb, then enjoyed seeing Taylor steaming mad.

Now, an hour away from putting his plan into action, Luke tapped his hands nervously against the counter, wondering why time was suddenly going slower.

There was a knock at the door, and he turned to see Liz opening the door. She looked at him with a frown as she walked in.

"Hi big brother," she said. "What was the big emergency that I had to come all the way down here from Maine for? And why are you wearing a tuxedo?"

Luke smiled. "I need your help," he said simply.

XXXXX

Lorelai hadn't been out of her house all day, and she didn't know about the mystery event being planned in the town square. She was sitting on the couch watching a movie, eating chocolate as she watching old movies on the American Movie Channel. When the front door opened, she craned her neck to see who was there.

"Mom?" Rory called frantically. "Where are you?"

"Right here," Lorelai replied. "What's wrong? Why are you home?"

"Luke called," Rory replied. "He said that I needed to come home right away. What's wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

Lorelai pulled on Rory's hand, forcing her to sit down on the couch. "I'm fine," she said. "The baby's fine. Why did Luke call you?"

"He told me to come home," Rory replied. "Mom, what's going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Lorelai replied. She grabbed her phone and dialed Luke's apartment.

"Hello?"

"Liz?" Lorelai asked. "I didn't know that you were visiting. How long have you been here?"

"Not long," Liz replied. "Listen, Lorelai…there's something going on here, and I think Luke needs you."

Lorelai sat up straighter on the couch. "What happened?" she asked, feeling her heart skip a beat.

"Just…get down here," Liz replied. "As quickly as possible."

Lorelai hung up the phone and stood, searching for her shoes.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked.

"Luke," Lorelai replied. "Something happened with Luke, he needs me."

"I'm coming too," Rory replied. She stood and followed Lorelai out the front door, and they got into the jeep.

When Lorelai parked across the street from the diner, she and Rory looked carefully at the crowd of curious townspeople that had gathered in the town square.

"What's going on?" Rory asked. "You didn't tell me about any town events this weekend."

"I didn't know that there was anything either," Lorelai said distractedly, looking up at the windows of Luke's apartment. "Come on, I want to see what's wrong with Luke."

Rory followed Lorelai into the diner, and they both stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw there.

The Luke's that they had been going to for the past ten years was completely unrecognizable. There were tablecloths on the tables, and in the center of each one was a single red rose next to a candle. Lorelai looked around, searching for some sign as to what was going on. When Luke came down the stairs wearing a tuxedo, she frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

Luke smiled as he walked over to her. He brought a hand out from behind his back and handed her a single red rose. Lorelai took it hesitantly, still wondering what was going on. "Luke, what is this?" she asked.

Without a word, Luke pulled out a box and opened it to reveal the engagement ring that she had worn a month before, more beautiful than ever.

"I love you, Lorelai," he said. "And…I know that I screwed things up. This is my way of making things right and showing you that I'm ready to commit to you, to us, forever."

Lorelai looked at him, tears starting to fill her eyes. "Outside," she said softly. "Is that?"

"Our wedding," Luke replied. "No one knows. I've been working for weeks, trying to give you everything that you wanted. And I want to show you that I'm ready now, to marry you and be with you for the rest of my life."

Lorelai's hands shook as she reached out to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. Luke brought his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against his body as she held onto him tightly.

After what seemed like forever, Lorelai finally lifted her head and whispered in his ear, "Yes."

Luke pulled back and looked at her, reading her eyes as if asking her if she was sure.

"I love you," Lorelai continued. "And you love me. So what else matters? I want to marry you right now."

Luke let out a deep sigh of relief as he leaned down and kissed her, softly and gently. "God, I love you."

Lorelai smiled. "So, are you going to put the ring on my finger or what?"

Luke took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Lorelai's finger, brushing a kiss over her knuckles as he did so.

After a moment, Lorelai turned to Rory, who was still standing in the doorway. She had watched the entire scene play out before her with tears streaming down her face. "Mom," she said softly. "You're getting married!"

Lorelai smiled as she stepping out of Luke's embrace and hugged Rory tightly. "I'm glad he called you," she said softly. "We can't have a wedding without a maid of honor."

Rory hugged Lorelai back tightly. After a moment, Luke cleared his throat. "Uh…Liz is upstairs," he said. "She has the dresses that I ordered for you guys."

Lorelai looked up at him. "How did you get our measurements?" she asked.

"Well, I know your measurements pretty well," he said. "I mean, your height and everything. And at the last doctor's appointment they measured your stomach…so I'm just hoping that it will still fit."

Lorelai reached up to kiss him. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," Luke replied. "Now go get ready."

Lorelai took Rory's hand and they walked up the stairs, giggling as they realized that they were about to get ready for Lorelai's wedding.