Author's notes: Okay, so I'm home now! And here is the next chapter. Thanks to my reviewers also,

Chloe2007-Yeah, it only felt right to have April attend Yale. Glad you loved the chapter.

Jeremy Shane- Yeah, this won't end overly well with Luke and Lorelai, but divorce is rather unlikely. Hehe, I found your review most interesting, but I can't give much away so you may understand later on.

Kat321- Pepperjack was the first thing that came to mind, glad you liked it too. Even if Lorelai isn't pregnant right now, she will be soon enough cuz yeah...she's not getting any younger...technically speaking.

Chapter fifteen: Family, pt2

Richie sat quietly on his seat in the police car and watched the trees go past outside his window. He bit his lip a little and then snuck a glance towards his mother. Lorelai was sitting the same way Richie was but remained staring outside her window. She didn't look mad, or upset, just…distracted.

Lorelai sighed and glanced over to see her son staring at her nervously.

'You okay hon?' she asked, bringing up a smile.

'I'm fine' Richie said with a shrug. 'Are you okay? Why did…why…' he then went quiet and turned back to his window, feeling he shouldn't talk about it.

Lorelai watched him for another minute but didn't know what to say to him. She sighed again and glanced back outside the window. It made her feel guilty though, that there was such maturity in her son, as if he was growing up faster than he should be…

Rory walked up the front steps of the house and stormed inside, slamming the door shut with her foot as she went.

Luke turned instantly but saw it was Rory and not Lorelai or Richie.

'Ah, hey' he shrugged, acting casual. 'Hungry?' he offered since he was making sandwiches.

'No' Rory snapped, glaring as she sat at the kitchen table and crossed her arms. She uncrossed her arms and then crossed them again.

Luke put the butter knife down and watched Rory for a moment. Not sure if he should say anything but the silence was annoying him.

'Your mother does what when she's pouty' Luke pointed out, using Rory's words of description rather than his own.

'I'm not pouty!' Rory snapped but then rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms. 'Sorry, I am' she said, glancing up at him as he came over. 'Where is mum anyway?' she asked, noticing her absence.

'She's probably still with the police. I bet she's going to marry one of them and then she'll divorce him for another before ditching him for a clown and joining the circus' Luke said. He noticed the weird look Rory was giving him and he realized whom he'd just sounded like. 'I've been married too long' he sighed and sat down, feeling stupid.

'I agree' Rory said. 'But is she really with the police?'

'Yeah, long story' Luke sighed. 'She's not in trouble though'

'Right' Rory frowned and then sat in silence. She was hoping to talk to her mother but Luke looked a bit anxious and weirded out by their silence. 'Ah…I bumped into Logan today'

'What?' Luke glanced up. 'Wow, how long has it been?'

'Two years' Rory sighed. 'I saw him at a conference thing two years ago and things seemed okay; awkward, but okay. And then today I was ordering coffee-'

'Of course' Luke muttered under his breath.

'-And he was just…there' Rory continued as if Luke had said nothing. 'He looked at me and I looked at him and it was just…weird'

'Who?' Lorelai asked as she walked through the front door with Richie.

'Lorelai!' Luke said and got up rather suddenly.

'We were bored, went shopping' Lorelai said as if her abrupt leaving before was nothing. 'So…Rory? Who? A guy?' she grinned teasingly, dumping her shopping bags on the table in front of Rory.

'The guy' Rory sighed but then didn't like how she'd phrased that. 'Logan'

'Oh, that guy!' Lorelai said and sat down, focusing all her attention towards her eldest daughter. 'And? It was weird?' she guessed.

'Yeah, I don't know what I was supposed to do! I mean, do I say "hi" or do I ignore him...or what?!'

Luke sighed as he watched the girls get into a deeper conversation about Logan. He glanced down at Richie and saw his son was carrying his own shopping bag.

Richie reached into his bag and tugged his new t-shirt free. 'Look dad, Metalica!' he grinned, holding the black shirt up that read: "Metalica".

'Goes with the hat' Luke nodded; seeing the black had he'd gotten Richie ages ago. He turned towards Lorelai again and saw her watching him. She quickly turned back to Rory and shrugged at what she was saying.

'Oh my god… I think I still like him' Rory then gasped. 'Oh no!' she then groaned and placed her head against the table loudly.

'Logan or Jamie Fox?' Lorelai teased but Rory gave her a glare. 'Okay! But do you see him often? I mean it has been…two years? Ohh, what if he's stalking you?' she then gasped dramatically.

'You're not helping' Rory stated, glaring at her mother.

'You'll have to take different paths to work; you'll have to get a new key and padlocks, oh and guard dogs. Get one of those cool ones with the pretty collars like on TV…' Lorelai kept going but Rory liked the change of direction.

'Guard dogs aren't poodles' Luke pointed out, rolling his eyes at yet another crazy Lorelai Gilmore moment.

'Luke!' Lorelai said to him in shock. 'Guard dogs need to look presentable'

'While they're chasing people down the street and trying to bite their hands off?' Luke asked and raised an eyebrow but gave up and moved to help Richie with his shirt.

'Exactly, they get a lot of publicity' Lorelai nodded as if it was perfectly normal for a vicious guard dog to wear pink bows and diamond collars.

'I think I'll skip a guard dog' Rory said.

'Ohh, what about a bodyguard? They're cool…like the guys from Men in Black!' Lorelai smirked, making Luke roll his eyes again.

Lorelai glanced towards the alarm clock beside the bed and saw it was almost nine. She sighed and faced the ceiling again, two hands over her stomach. Today had provided her with a good distraction from her thoughts and concerns on the topic of having another child so soon. She still wasn't sure and didn't quite feel comfortable to properly talk about it with Luke yet.

'He's asleep' Luke sighed as he came into the bedroom and climbed into bed beside her.

'Okay' Lorelai nodded. 'Good'

Luke gave her a glance and saw how she was just laying on her back with the covers up to her chin. But her arms were uncovered and she had her hands over her stomach.

'Lorelai?' he asked, not sure if he should hold her hand or what. 'Um, are you okay?'

Lorelai sighed and removed her hands from her stomach. She glanced at Luke and shook her head a little. 'Why was Richie with Jess?'

'Jess came into the diner and Richie wanted to play with him' Luke said truthfully. 'The diner was packed and Jess said he would…' he shrugged.

'So you thought that was okay?' Lorelai frowned. 'I mean...he's Jess!' she sat up, which made Luke sit up as well.

'He's not seventeen anymore' Luke said in his own defense. 'He was only going to be an hour!'

'I know he's not seventeen anymore!' Lorelai said, her tone rising slightly. 'But you honestly thought that our four-year-old son was safe with…Jess?'

Luke opened his mouth to argue back but he chose not to. He saw that Lorelai didn't really look mad, in fact she wasn't even frowning anymore.

'I'm sorry' he told her in annoyance. 'I mean they're cousins and Jess has been different lately but clearly it was a stupid thing to do' he stated and lay back down. Rolling to face away from Lorelai. Luke thought Lorelai would lie back down or say something else but she didn't. He sighed and turned to face her again, seeing that she was just sitting there, staring into darkness.

'Okay, what is going on?' he asked, sitting back up again.

'I'm not tired anymore' Lorelai said and got out of bed. She grabbed a coat from the closet and some comfortable shoes.

'Lorelai!' Luke said but she shook her head at him and left with the keys to the Jeep.

Sookie made her way downstairs, slowly dragging her feet along the way. She yawned again and pulled the front door open. If an axe-murderer had been standing there, she probably would have just invited him inside for tea…that's how sleepy she was.

'Hey Sookie' Lorelai said in an apologetic tone. 'Did I wake you?'

'Hm, let's see…did the sudden phone calls and constant ringing of the doorbell, along with your yelling, awake me? No, I don't think so' she said sarcastically but let Lorelai inside, wrapping her dressing gown closer around herself sleepishly.

'It's hardly ten…what are you doing in bed?' Lorelai asked as she followed Sookie into the kitchen.

'What most people are doing at ten during the night…sleeping' Sookie yawned again and got Lorelai some coffee. 'So why the sudden need to interrupt my sleep on a Saturday night after a very long day of work?'

'Should I have another kid?' Lorelai asked, getting straight to the point.

'Wow' Sookie replied, waking up properly. 'Are you pregnant?'

'No…' Lorelai frowned. 'I don't think so'

'Then, where is this coming from?' Sookie wondered as she passed some coffee to Lorelai.

'I don't know' Lorelai shrugged. 'I've just been thinking about it and…' she sighed, shrugging again. 'I don't know'

'And it couldn't wait until morning because…?' Sookie sat across from her.

Lorelai sipped at her coffee and thought about it for a moment. 'Sookie, Richie's growing up too fast'

'He's a kid, it's what they do' Sookie replied.

'Yeah I know, but not like that' Lorelai said. 'He's…I don't know, wiser? Is that the word? He seems to be too mature, too behaving'

'Ohh. I get it' Sookie nodded. 'Oh yeah, he does' she realized. 'Was he always like that?'

'No' Lorelai shook her head. 'He used to want to get dirty and run around all day. He would get hyped up on sugar and make a mess…he was bored so easily and…' she bit her lip and shook her head. 'Now he's quiet, more understanding. I know Rory was so smart, even at such a young age. I mean she used big words when she was only three and she could read before she was five…but Richie's not just smart, he's sort of…'

'Mature' Sookie nodded. 'And how does this have anything to do with having another kid?'

'Rory and April are older; they're hardly around…Richie needs someone to play with. He spends time with Doula but I don't think he really likes her much'

'I thought you got him a puppy?' Sookie wondered.

'We did…and that's why' Lorelai told her.

'Oh' Sookie's expression changed. 'Ohh!' she nodded seriously. 'I get it now. You think that because Richie is only four and doesn't really have anyone his age to play with that maybe a younger sibling will fix that?'

'Exactly!' Lorelai agreed.

'Do you want another kid?' Sookie asked. She was now fully alert to the situation.

'Maybe' Lorelai shrugged. 'Maybe one more'

'So it's a timing thing?' Sookie realized and Lorelai nodded. 'Okay, well I think it's a good idea. I mean Martha and Davey are close in age and they play together all the time. They're pretty close. I say Richie would do great with a younger brother or sister. But I have a feeling that it's not about Richie'

'What? Of course it's about Richie' Lorelai said defensively. 'What else would it be about?'

'You and Luke' Sookie stated in a matter-of-factly tone. 'Why now? I mean Richie is only four, why not wait until next year? Why are you stressing about this now? What did Luke say about all this?'

'He's fine with it, I think' Lorelai said. 'And I've just noticed how lonely Richie seems'

'Uh-huh' Sookie nodded, not too convinced. 'You and Luke are fine?'

'Of course we are' Lorelai replied but didn't like the look she was getting.

'And you didn't just "disappear" yesterday afternoon?' Sookie wondered. 'Luke called and asked if you were here, he sounded pretty worried'

'That's different, he let Jess take Richie' Lorelai frowned.

'Take him where? What happened?' Sookie grew concerned and panicky.

'Nothing! He's fine, but…I don't know' Lorelai crossed her arms and sighed.

Sookie nodded and recognized Lorelai to be in a pouty mood. 'Does Luke know how you feel about all this? About another baby?'

'Yes' Lorelai said but then thought for a moment. 'I…I think so'

'Have you talked about it or mentioned it?' Sookie wondered but had a feeling it wasn't the first option.

'Is it too soon? To have another kid I mean' Lorelai asked, realizing that she really had to discuss the matter with Luke before making any actual decisions.

'Only if you want to' Sookie replied. 'Talk to Luke'

'I will' Lorelai sighed. 'Some day'

'Talk to Luke' Sookie said again but more firmly.

'Fine!' Lorelai frowned. 'I'll talk to Luke' she rolled her eyes, giving in. 'Thanks Sookie' she added as she got up and headed towards the door.

'Happy to help, but next time…can you have a breakdown a little earlier? I like my sleep' Sookie said, yawning again.

Lorelai snuck back into the bedroom to see Luke was asleep. She crawled into bed and snuggled close to him. He put an arm around her subconsciously and held her close. Lorelai just lay there, feeling very warm and secure. She still didn't know if she wanted another child sooner or later, but Lorelai did know that she was being a bit unfair to Luke. He's done nothing but support her, love her and be there for here whenever she needed him…and she couldn't even talk to him about such a live-altering decision.

Lorelai glanced at the alarm clock and saw it was almost eleven thirty. She sighed and closed her eyes, remembering what it had been like when Richie was born…

Rory and Richie sat at the table and ate their breakfast rather quietly. Both of them felt a little confused and alert to the fact that Luke and Lorelai were acting a bit awkward.

'I'm sorry' Richie said, putting his spoon down.

'For what?' Luke asked, confused.

'I went with Jess' Richie said, thinking it was his fault. 'I'm sorry'

'Oh honey, it's not your fault' Lorelai kissed atop his head. 'You did nothing wrong' she said but then paused. 'Neither did Jess' she admitted. Although she knew he really should have called Luke to say the car had broken down.

'Hey' Rory butted in. 'I think Pepperjack needs some food too, why don't you go feed him Richie?'

'Okay' Richie jumped off his seat and went to find his puppy while dragging the heavy dog food bag behind him.

'Is everything okay?' Rory asked. 'You both seem…tense'

'Everything's fine' Luke shrugged.

'Perfectly fine' Lorelai nodded.

'Which is code for…?' Rory raised an eyebrow. 'I mean, you're both hardly talking and neither of you will look at each other at the same time. What happened?'

Luke glanced at Lorelai since he wasn't exactly sure what was going on between them. He also didn't know if he'd done something or…?

'Oh nothing, I just think I'm pregnant…maybe it's twins' Lorelai said.

'Mum' Rory rolled her eyes.

'I'm serious' Lorelai said in a strong tone and Luke looked at her in alarm.

'What?' he asked.

'Kidding' Lorelai told him, which got another eye-roll from Rory. Lorelai stopped what she was doing and sighed. 'I don't know what's going on' she admitted. 'I'm confused, I'm drifting…I'm turning into Norman Bates!'

'What do you mean?' Rory asked. Luke also stopped cleaning up and glanced at his wife in concern.

Lorelai bit her lip and shrugged. She opened her mouth to reply but then Richie came back into the room.

Lorelai gave both Luke and Rory a "we'll talk about it later" look.

'Okay um, I'm going to meet up with Lane' Rory sighed, getting up from the table and grabbing her coat. 'I'll be back for dinner' she added.

'Bye hon' Lorelai smiled.

'Bye Rory!' Riche waved.

'I better get to the diner' Luke sighed, giving Lorelai a kiss before patting Richie's head a little. 'See you tonight?'

'See you tonight' Lorelai nodded. She watched her daughter and husband leave, but before she could arrange something for her and Richie to do, the phone rang.

Richie glanced up as his mother answered the phone rather boredly but then her expression changed and she seemed very apprehensive.

'Is she okay?' Lorelai asked. 'Oh Christopher!' Lorelai gasped. 'Ah…' she glanced over at Richie for a moment before considering it. Christopher seemed very panicked and upset; Sherry was in the hospital and the doctors can't figure out what is wrong with her.

'She mightn't make it, Lore' Christopher said.

'We'll be right there' Lorelai nodded and hung up the phone.

'Where're we going? What happen?' Richie asked.

'We have to go' Lorelai said, the sense of urgency clear in her tone. 'Get your coat'

Authors notes: There, this is one of my prouder chapters cuz I think I did it really extra-to-character this time, do you agree/disagree? You will find out soon if Lorelai is pregnant or not, but what are your thoughts on the chapter/situation? Please review. I know 30 people get alerts for this fic but I only get 3 or 4 reviews per chapter (which I love, but more than 3 or 4 people read this so...). Please review!

-Mel