A/N: I am so so so so sorry for not updating that long again. I know I'm a horrible person. Please forgive me. My first semester was finally over and then I got sick for over a week and then I already had to start my second semester. Which is much easier and I think I have a lot more time to write. Also this wasn't one of the easiest chapters to write, because of all the different characters. And on top of that I just found out that one of our relatives died suddenly, which threw me back for a couple of days.

Anyway I really hope you guys will continue reading my story and tell me what you think. Also I have a little question for you guys. Does anyone have some ideas fornicknames/pet names that Luke could call Lorelai. I know I used Lore which is a bad reminder of someone else we don't want to mention hear, but I also didn't want to sound too mushy. So if you have an idea just leave it in the review. ;) Last but not least, a huge thank you to all of you who have reviewed my last chapter. You guys are awesome.

So now on with the story.

ENJOY and tell me what you think :)

Previously on Family Matters And A New Twist In Life:

"You know he would do anything for his little sister. Even though he doesn't like to admit it, he would do anything for his family." Lorelai told her glancing towards the kitchen where Luke and Jess were now preparing dinner together.

"Well I know someone else he would do anything for…" Liz replied grinning.

"What do you mean?" Lorelai asked her.

"Are you kidding, Lorelai? I've never seen me brother like that. He's a totally different man ever since he had the guts to ask you out."

"You think?" Lorelai asked her, blushing a little.

"I know for sure. I've never seen him that happy before. He really loves you more than anyone else in the world. It seems to be going really well between the two of you, doesn't it?"

Chapter 23 - Thanksgiving part II

"I think it's going very well. I'm really glad that he finally found the guts to ask me out." Lorelai paused for a moment and smiled. "I've never felt like this before, not even with Christopher. I mean Luke's been more like a father to her than Christopher has ever been."

"Rory is like a daughter to Luke, he's so proud of her. His eyes are glowing when he talks about her. Just like when he's talking about you." Liz said and patted Lorelai's knee who slightly blushed.

"I'm so grateful for everything he's done for the two of us. He really helped us out in the beginning and he continues to do so. I don't know what I would do without him."

"Well I think that goes both ways. I thought he was nuts when he got married to Nicole."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Uh, don't remind me of that. I thought I had lost him for good when he told me."

"He's with you now, and that's all the matters."

"Yeah, you're right." Lorelai agreed and smiled at Liz. "God it's so beautiful here." She said looking out the window at the snow covered world around them.

"I know, isn't it great? I love it here. I'm so glad we found this place."

"It really is beautiful, Liz."

"Well you and Luke should visit us more often. I really miss having my big brother around and you, too."

"Aww, maybe we will. We should get out of Stars Hollow more often. I mean not that I don't love it…"

"I know what you mean," Liz interrupted her. "I couldn't stand living there as a kid. It's such a small town."

"Yeah, it is, but that's also one reason why I love it so much. It's like a big family, which was really great when I Rory and I moved there. They welcomed us with open arms and made us feel like a part of the community."

"Yeah, I could imagine it made things a little easier."

"It really did."

Suddenly they heard a big groan coming from the kitchen. "Liz can you please get your annoying husband out of the kitchen?" Luke yelled from the kitchen.

"Oh boy," Liz said and Lorelai chuckled. "Come on TJ, why don't we pick out some wine for later?"

Liz pulled TJ away from the kitchen and went into the basement to get some wine.

"But I just wanted to help him." TJ wined.

"I know, hon, but you know that Luke doesn't like others helping him." she told him on the stairs.

Lorelai got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. "Whatcha cookin' good lookin'?"

Luke rolled his eyes at her. "You know I don't like when you say that." He told her and went back to the stove.

"I know," she said walking up beside him. She slung her arms around his waist and locked her hands at his waist.

Luke put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. "What were you guys talking about?"

"You." she said and grinned up at him.

"Me?" Luke asked her surprised.

"Yeah, you and what a wonderful man you are."

"Oh, that." Luke said and chuckled when Lorelai squeezed his side.

"I'm just going to ignore that. When can we eat? I'm starving."

"Just a couple more minutes. Why don't you go call the kids?"

"The kids? Don't let them hear that." She said giggling.

"You know what I mean." Luke said.

"Yeah, I do. Can I get a kiss before I call them?"

"Always," Luke replied and put both arms around her, pulling her closer to his body in the process.

Lorelai stood on her tiptoes and put her arms behind his neck, gently playing with the curls that stuck out under his baseball cap.

Their lips met in a soft and gently kiss. Luke pulled her even more into his body and deepened the kiss. Lorelai quickly got the message and soon their tongues met in a playful banter. After a few more seconds they pulled apart a little breathless.

"That was…"

"Nice," Lorelai continued his sentence. "I think I'm gonna go call the kids before things get a little out of hand here. She let go of him and turned to walk out of the kitchen, but Luke pulled her back into his arms for another kiss.

"Don't forget that thought," she told him with a grin when they broke apart again.

"Believe me I won't." Luke replied and let go of her.

Lorelai smiled and walked upstairs to get Rory and Jess who were both reading in their rooms.

About an hour later, they were all sitting around the dining room table, well fed and chatting lightly. Jess and Rory were discussing a novel they had recently read; Liz and Lorelai was telling Lorelai about her new jewelry designs and that she had to see them before they went back to Stars Hollow. TJ was talking Luke's ear off about something about their booth at the fair and that he wanted to remodel it. Luke however wasn't really listening to what TJ was saying, because he was too occupied with watching the persons sitting around the table. This was exactly what he had wished for, for many years, his family sitting around a big table enjoying a nice dinner. He was happy that all of them had finally found back together and he was also a little sad that his parents couldn't be part of this moment. His father in particular had always wished for them to be reunited again. And now it had finally become true. Liz had come back, got married to a guy she really seemed to love and would spend more than a couple of months married to. Jess had finished High School and finally seemed to be on the right track and last but not least he himself finally had gotten the woman of his dreams. They weren't married but he was hoping that this would change in the future.

A little later Liz had excused herself and had dragged TJ into the kitchen to clean up and Rory and Jess had gone upstairs to listen to a CD Jess had wanted to show to Rory. This left Luke and Lorelai alone at the dining room table.

Lorelai walked over to Luke and sat down next to him, slinging her arms around his left arms. Luke smiled down at her softly kissed her forehead.

"What were you thinking about?"

"What was I thinking about when?" Luke asked her confused, not knowing what she was referring to.

"After dinner, when TJ was talking to you. You seemed like you were in a different galaxy with your thoughts. It didn't seem like you were really listening to TJ."

"Oh, that. No I wasn't listening to TJ. But it's kinda hard not to drift away from his rambling."

"Yeah, you're right." Lorelai smiled at him. "So, what were you thinking about?" She asked him again.

"Nothing in particular, I was just taking in the scene around me. I think tonight was what my dad had always wished for; his family together at a table enjoying a nice Thanks-giving Dinner. I'm glad that Liz finally found a guy she might be spending the rest of her life with, even though it still gives me the shivers. Jess has finally found out what he wants to do with his life. And I'm glad that I can share all of this with you."

Lorelai smiled at him and pulled him down for a soft kiss. "You big old softy," she told him, caressing his cheek.

"Yeah, well, just don't tell anyone. I have to keep my image." He said smiling back at her.

"My lips are sealed." Lorelai said smiling up at him. She loved this side of Luke that nobody else in Stars Hollow got to see except for her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and stifled a yawn, which didn't go unnoticed by Luke.

"Hey why don't we head upstairs, it's getting kinda late."

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea, I'm pretty tired." She said yawning.

They had been up all day and it was almost eleven o'clock.

Luke and Lorelai got up and brought the rest of their dishes into the kitchen.

"We're gonna head upstairs, now. Someone's getting pretty tired here", Luke said gesturing towards Lorelai who was leaning into him, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"I can see," Liz said smiling at Lorelai. "Hey bro', before you go to bed can I talk to you for a second?" Liz asked her brother.

"Sure. Can you make it upstairs without me?" He asked Lorelai.

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded.

"I'll be up in a minute." He told her and gently kissed her forehead.

"Night." She said to Liz and TJ and dragged her tired body upstairs into their bedroom to get her toothbrush and then into the bathroom to get ready for bed.­

Liz pulled Luke into the study and closed the door behind them.

"Is something wrong, Liz? What's this all about?" Luke wanted to know of his sister a little confused.

Liz shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to talk to you alone for a second. We didn't really have a chance to do that yet, and since you guys are already leaving tomorrow, I thought we could talk a little now. Come on sit down," she said gesturing towards two big armchairs in front of the fireplace that filled the room with a cozy warmth.

They said down in front of the fireplace.

"Did you want to talk about anything in particular?" Luke asked his sister.

"No, I just wanted to see how you were doing. You seem so different than the last time I saw you."

"What do you mean?" Luke looked at her confused.

"I don't know. You just seem so happy. The last time I saw you this happy was when mom and dad were still alive."

"I have been happy since then."

"But not like this. Not before you and Lorelai got together. Not even with Rachel."

"I know, it's so weird. I've never felt like this before. Not with Rachel, not with anyone. Lorelai is so completely different than any other woman I've met before in my life."

Liz had to smile at his confession. "Aww, you really love her don't you?" She said grinning at her brother.

Luke looked up and told his sister seriously "Yeah, I really do. I don't know what I would do without her, you know. She's turned my life upside down, but truth is I can't imagine it any other way."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's the same with TJ. Once you've found the right person, you can't imagine your life without them anymore."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Luke said smiling at his sister.

Liz got up and walked to the big wooden desk in the study and opened a drawer. "You know, there actually was a reason, for why I wanted to talk to you alone." She pulled out a little velvet box along with an envelope, walked back to Luke and handed it to him.

Luke looked at her surprised and a little confused. "What is this, Liz?"

Liz handed him the velvet box. "Open it."

Luke looked at his sister a little perplexed and opened the small box. He drew in a deep breath as soon as he saw what was in it. "That's mom's engagement ring. How did you get this? I thought it got lost."

Liz shook her head and sat down in front of him on the armrest of the armchair. "It didn't get lost; I had it the whole time. Mom gave it to dad before she died, and he gave it to me to hand it to you. Dad wanted this to be a surprise for you, that's why he gave to me and told me that he would haunt me if I would loose it."

Both of them had to laugh at this.

"Mom wanted you to have this, when you had found the right woman to marry, and I think you finally did." Liz smiled at him with tears glistening in her eyes.

"I don't know what to say, Liz. Are you sure that you want me to have it? I mean don't you want to have it?" He asked her still in stunned, but Liz shook her head.

"No, mom wanted you to have this some day. And I want you to have it. Lorelai is the absolutely right person to receive this ring, in my opinion. I mean if you want her to have it. I'm sure she'll appreciate it." Liz told her brother sincerely.

"Wow, I… I don't know what to say Liz." Luke said fighting hard to keep tears from brimming his eyes.

"You don't have to say anything, bro. Just make her happy."

"I will, believe me I will. Thank you so much, Liz." He stood and pulled his little sister into a tight hug. "Thanks," he whispered into her ear again.

"You're welcome." Liz pulled back and wiped away a single tear that had slipped down her cheek. She picked up the envelope she had pulled out with the ring and handed it to Luke.

"Here, mom wanted me to give this to you along with the ring. I don't know what it says, she just told me to give it to you when I gave you the ring."

"Thanks." Luke said even more surprised. It was almost a little too much for him to take in at the moment. He had never expected something like this.

Liz kissed him on the top of his head and left him alone to digest all this.

Luke just sat there in front of the fireplace for another good ten minutes, just staring at the ring and the still sealed enveloped. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what was in that letter right now, or rather if he could deal with what was in that letter right now. He had blocked out pretty much everything from his brain that included his parents, especially his mother. He had never talked about her with anyone else. After a few more minutes he decided not to open the letter right now, but wait until a later time. He wasn't ready to deal with this yet. He put the letter and the box with his mother's ring in his pocket and went upstairs to join Lorelai.

On his way to their bedroom he passed Rory's room where he heard Rory and Jess still talking. He was glad that they were on speaking terms again and that they seemed to have gotten over their problems of the past. He continued walking to their bedroom.

Rory and Jess were both sitting on the bed in Rory's room.

"Soo… this was a nice Thanksgiving." Jess said.

"Yeah it really was." Rory agreed. "Hey when do your classes start again?"

"Monday." Jess said with a sigh.

"Yeah, mine too."

"Hey you should come visit me in New York some time. I could show you around, again." He said with a smile.

Rory had to smile too, remembering her little trip to New York a couple of years ago. "That would be nice."

"Rory…"

"Jess…" they both said at the same time and laughed.

"You go first." Rory told him.

"I'm glad that we got to talk. I'm really sorry about…"

"I know," Rory told him and gently touched his arm. "What do you say we just forget about all this and be friends again?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." Jess told her. "And the offer still stands to show you around the city again."

"I know, and I will take you up on that." Rory replied with a smile.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna head over to my room now, it's getting kinda late." He said gesturing towards the alarm clock on the nightstand.

Rory looked at the alarm in surprise; she couldn't believe that it was past midnight already. "Huh, yeah, you're right."

They both stood up and Rory followed Jess to the door. Before opening the door Jess turned around again and pulled Rory into an embrace, which she gladly returned. She really was glad that they had finally had a chance to talk about everything. After a couple of seconds they both pulled away a little and glanced into each other eyes. Before either of them realized what was happening they were both leaning into each other. Their lips met in a slow and sensual kiss. It was a kiss full of feelings, but both of them knew that it was rather a goodbye kiss than a renewal of their old relationship. After a few more seconds they pulled away and Rory looked down at their entwined hands.

"Jess…" Rory said almost in a whisper.

"I know… goodnight Rory." he said and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

"Goodnight." She said to the now closed door, a single tear rolling down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away and went to get ready for bed.

Luke walked into their bedroom and had to smile at the sight in front of him. Lorelai was lying in bed with her reading glasses still on and a book in her hand sleeping soundly. He quickly went into bathroom to brush his teeth and change into his pj's. Then he walked over to Lorelai's side and gently pulled the book out of her, placing the bookmark on the page where her hand had been and put it on the nightstand. Then he took her reading glasses of and put them on the nightstand on top of the book. After he had switched her light off, he climbed into his side of the bed and turned his light off as well. As soon as he was settled under the covers, Lorelai moved over to him and rested her head on his chest.

"Hey, you've been gone for quite a while. Is everything ok?" She asked him sleepily.

Luke put his arm around her shoulder and gently brushed his fingers over her arm. "Yeah, everything's fine. She just wanted to catch up a little, because we haven't had a chance to do that yet, since we got here."

"Oh, ok." Lorelai said stifling a yawn.

"Go back to sleep." he said and kissed her forehead, but Lorelai had already fallen back asleep.

He pulled the covers over them and pulled Lorelai closer to him, who immediately drew her arm across his chest and snuggled deeper into his shoulder, in her sleep. Luke was lying awake for another half an hour, thinking about the conversation he had had with his sister that evening, until he too fell into a deep sleep.

A/N2: Aaaaannnnddd... that was another chapter. I can tell you it's not easy to write all those characters. I hope you guys liked it. If you did press that little button on the left and REVIEW PLEASE. There are so many people who have me on their alerts list and I don't get even half as many reviews. Which makes me really sad and wonder if people still like my story :(( So if you do like it let me now, this might even help me update a little faster ;)