A/N: I'm just overwhelmed with the life this story has taken and the response I've gotten from everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews and for reading. And I'm also going to say thank you for pushing the story over the 200 review mark! A milestone! I can't wait to get to the 300 mark.

Anyways…here is another chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own GG or anything related.

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January 15, 1990

We're fifteen days into the new decade and can I just say, it's a bit strange. I mean, it's a new year, a new time of life and here I am, still…well, actually, I'm happy with my life actually. I mean, for the most part how could I not be? My beautiful little girl is thriving, absolutely thriving! She's doing fantastic in school, all of her teachers love her, and she's acing all of her classes.

You know what is even funnier…

She asked me if she could join Miss Patty's dance class this new semester. I was totally thrown off. She's my kid Maddie; I figured she'd get her lack of athletic ability or motivation from me. I hated be forced to do gymnastics when I was younger. I hated anything I was forced to do though.

Maybe if I had wanted to do sport-like activities instead of being forced to do them in that preppy, over the top school I attended for my childhood, I would have liked it.

Yeah right.

I highly doubt that, but I'm not going to keep my kid from doing something she wants. If she wants to dance then I'll let her dance. It's only fair really. Just, she's going to get the things she wants, or at least as much as I can.

And so, I'm going to talk to Miss Patty tomorrow and see what we can work out for her dance lessons. I highly doubt that I'll have any problems working something out with her. She's been begging me to have Rory join dance since she was a baby. Now that she's old enough and wants to dance, I'm not going to stop her.

What kind of mother would I be if I did?

I'd be like my mother. And Maddie that freaks me out more than anything. I don't want to become my mother. I hated my mother growing up; I didn't want to be around her because I didn't like what she wanted me to be. I was never good enough for her or her life and I won't put Rory through that. I promised myself I would never put my child through that.

Rory was trying to talk Jess into taking lessons with her. I would crack up to see Jess, little macho man, in tights doing ballet. I don't think he'll actually do it. There really is no way he'd actually agree to it. But still, it would be funny.

I think the dance class will be good for her though. She needs to meet more friends and broaden her horizons, socially. She hangs around with William, Liz, Jess, and me so much I'm not sure she even really knows how to talk to more people.

I suppose that she talks to this girl at a school named Lane, but their friendship hasn't taken a strong hold yet. I hope it does though, Lane is a good kid and I think it would be good for her to have a really close girl friend. I'll have to try and meet Lane's mom in the next week or so that I can try to arrange something. I know she works at the antiques store. Kim's Antiques, I think is what it is called. I'll check with William tomorrow, or Mia, maybe they'll know.

Other than that things have been fairly low-key around here lately.

Quiet.

And lonely.

I can't believe it. I mean, it's been a month now. A full month and not more than a few scattered phone calls to William letting him know that his son is still alive and kicking. I'm not even sure that Luke is the one making the calls.

I'm trying not to dwell on it though. I spent the weeks after the whole debacle happened wondering about him. Where he was, how he was doing, and all of that. I can't do it anymore. I still care about him and I can't help but think about him, but I can't keep wrapping my heart around him. My heart is already entangled enough with him.

At this point I'm not even sure if he's coming back.

I have to move on, don't I?

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Luke let him collapse onto the bed, his muscles tired from a full day's worth of work. He was glad that he had paid attention in shop class in high school and had done so much work on his own cars over the years. It made finding a job that much easier.

He was still hiding from his life. It was easier this way. It wasn't as painful.

He could continue to hid out and be this person that no one really knew. People didn't ask questions and for that he was grateful.

He had finally pulled his head out of his ass and actually left the room he'd holed up into and decided to finally get a life again. He went out, he worked, and he talked, briefly. He was trying to get himself back to a semi-normal.

He figured that would be the best way to start putting his life, and heart, back together again. Though, he wasn't sure how well it was working so far. He knew that the sunshine and warm weather was a good happy place to be. Who doesn't like sunshine?

Luke sat up and stretched his arms over his head.

They were expecting him for dinner. It was part of their new and revised routine. At least twice a week they'd have dinner, it was their way of making sure he didn't turn into a complete hermit.

She'd hate it if he was late, but she had always been like that. Luke shook his head and got up to take a shower so he could avoid being late.

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January 19, 1990

I'm really trying not to worry about William, but it is getting harder and harder not to. I've been staying here a lot lately, helping out around the house and store. It is so funny to me that even with having our own house we still send most of our time at the Danes'. I'm not complaining though.

Not at all!

Right now I'm working two jobs. I'm still at the Inn working, head maid, but that gives me a lot of down time too. Working in management is such a great feeling. I'm so happy that Mia has given me this chance. She really believes in me and that is amazing.

The second job isn't really like a real job. I mean, I'm working in the hardware store with William and Liz. I'm really just helping out since Luke hasn't been around lately. It isn't anything major. William though, is insistent on paying me, even though I told him I didn't want him to. It doesn't matter though; William will do what he wants. It's hard to convince him otherwise.

That is part of the reason I'm so scared for him. He seems…off his mark. He's always dragging some and seems tired all the time. I'm worried about him. Like I said, I'm really trying not to, but…William doesn't ever really worry about himself, so someone has to.

I just wish I knew what was up with him. I've got to try and find out, but I don't want to pry too much either. He can get defensive. God, I wish Luke was here to talk this over with. He knows his dad more than anyone else; he would be able to help.

I'm worried about him too.

These Danes' men have really captured my heart. What would I do without them? I really hope I never have to find out.

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William placed the phone back on its cradle and sighed. It had been the weekly phone call. One that he expected now and one he couldn't help but be glad to get now. He was glad that Luke was starting to finally mend and only hoped that it meant he'd be returning back to Stars Hollow soon. He missed his son and he knew that he wasn't the only one.

At least he knew that Luke was without that cared about him and that William himself trusted. He wondered how his son got from Long Beach in California to Florida, but that was something to find out another day. He really wasn't worried about that.

He was there, he was safe, and he was starting to get his life back together.

That was all that really mattered.

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Luke smiled when the smell of eggs entered his nose. He was getting spoiled and he knew it. She knew it too, but it didn't bother any of them so he let it be. It felt good to have someone be there to care about him. He was happy that she was so happy now.

They had come a long way since the last time he'd seen her. It felt like a million years ago now.

Luke glared at the clock and knew that he would be expected at the garage soon. Luke couldn't believe how lucky he'd been over the past few weeks. He had no idea what to expect when he boarded the plane in LA headed anywhere but there.

Actually, now that he thought about it, the few hours between when he was left at the altar and actually getting on the plane was still a blur. He had been in a daze and only recently began to actually get out of it.

At first it hadn't been a choice he had. Having your heart break would do that to a guy and has time went on he found that staying in that daze was easier than facing reality.

That was what fueled his intense drinking.

For two straight weeks he was in a continuous drunken state and he couldn't believe the hospitality he'd been greeted with by his old friend and her family. He had been grateful for them every single day, but it wasn't until just after Christmas did he decide to finally get himself put back together.

She helped him realize that was what he really needed to do.

And he wanted to. He did. It was just hard. Luke wasn't one normally for backing down when things got hard, but it was hard for him to care. It was hard for him to make sense of his life and because of that it made it easy to let it slide. It made it easy to not deal with the past.

Even if the past was only a month ago.

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January 20, 1990

I really need to find out where Luke is and get him back here. He needs to be here, with his family, with William.

I know I said I wanted to know what was up with him Maddie, I know that, but…I almost wish I had never answered the phone at the store today. I mean, I'm even more…I can't even think of the right word. Nothing seems to be real right now. I'm in a daze.

I had to act like everything was normal tonight with Rory. I hate lying to her but…William asked me not to say anything yet. I don't know how he expects me to do that though.

How can I not say anything?

Luke and Liz deserve to know what is happening. He is their father.

I would want to know if it were my dad. Even with our messed up relationship. I would still want to know.

It is only fair to them. I mean really.

William…I can't even write the words. I don't want to believe them. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it.

He's sick Maddie. Really, really, sick. And I'm not sure if he'll be able to get better.

It's…cancer.

Cancer Maddie.

And no one knows. Except me and his team of doctors.

Apparently he's had it for awhile now. He's been going through treatments. But, they've stopped working. It's the reason he's been tired and dragging lately. I should have noticed before. I should have pushed harder for more information about this before. I should have done a lot of things.

And now…and now…now it's too late.

Luke needs to be here. He'll never forgive himself if he missed out on the rest of William's life. I know him too well.

I guess I can try and figure out where he might be.

Miss Patty, I'll ask her, she knows everything. Or at least she seems too.

I heard once that she can sometimes overhear phone conversations because of where her house is in proximity to the phone lines. Maybe she's listened in on one of the 'update' phone calls that William has been getting each week.

It never hurts to ask at least.

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A/N: Here you go. Please review.