A/N: I'm back!!! He-he!! Thank you all for the reviews! I adore getting them. So…I guess that means that I really want you to review! I'm not below begging…just so you know. And building up my ego is never turned away:) Just letting you know. Hope you like this chapter…enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own…

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January 21, 1990

What in the hell am I doing here Maddie? That seems like a fairly easy question to answer and yet I'm completely and totally at a loss. I just…I don't…AH! I can't believe I'm here, in Orlando Florida, at Luke's ex-girlfriends' house, who is now married and pregnant and letting Luke live with them, and I'm here. I can't wrap my mind around it. I know that buying a ticket, getting on a plane, flying for half a day, and then hailing a cab, was going to get me here, but I'm still in shock that I actually did it. And now it's just past mid-night and I'm stuck.

Can you blame me though? Can you Maddie? I'm not one usually for going outside of my bubble too much. I do when I have to, when I'm forced, but…I guess this was one of those times really. I mean, with William so sick and everything, I didn't have a choice if William wasn't going to tell Luke himself. Someone has to tell him…I just get the hard time of actually doing it.

I'm not sure how that conversation is going to go. It makes me nervous to think about really.

God, why am I doing this again?

Right…because I'm in love with him. And the thought of him not being able to spend time with his father before…well, it breaks my heart. I just hopes that he understands my reasoning and concern when I tell him.

And yes, that means I haven't given any inclination to why I showed up here tonight. He's probably pacing his room in complete confusion. I just couldn't tell him right away…

I mean, should I have told him already? Probably. But I couldn't get the words out. They just wouldn't form. No matter how hard I tried.

Rachel has been great though. She's either changed a lot since she left Stars Hollow or everyone painted her in a much more evil way than she actually was…or is. She's been great. She insisted that I stay here while I'm in town instead of some seedy hotel downtown. I'm thankful for that, I really am.

It was really weird when I came in tonight though. Something, something was just weird.

They had obviously talked about me at some point because Rachel was all like…

'You're Lorelai? THE Lorelai?' and Luke's cheeks turned bright pink. That was kinda cute. But, I'm not sure what they had been talking about so that makes me nervous. Luke was pretty quiet all night, letting Rachel and I talk as much as we wanted. Bryan, Rachel's husband, joined in our conversation for awhile, but…it was nice getting to know her. I understand a bit more now why Luke loved her so much. She's

endearing. And I have a feeling that if she still lived in Stars Hollow, whether she was with Luke or not, we'd be great friends.

She just has this air about her. Okay Maddie, I know this is turning into some weird thing, so I'm going to stop now and just move on. But seriously, I have a feeling we'll be good friends before this weekend is over.

Hopefully that is.

But, I mean, I still came here for a purpose and that is what I have to focus on. No matter how much this is going to suck. I just need to suck it up. My return ticket is tucked safely in the front pocket of my suitcase, along with Luke's. I sure hope he ends up using it.

I'd be heartbroken if he didn't.

But, I don't think I can imagine him not coming home with me. It's William after all. They are close and Luke would regret not being there for him. That I'm sure of.

But, I have to admit though he's also hurting. And that might cloud his judgment. I hope it doesn't, but it might.

Sometimes I wish I could just kick Kara in the face. That sounds horribly mean, doesn't it? Well Maddie, I'm not lying when I say it though. I really wish I could.

She'd better never show her face around me again. Things could go down in a not so lady-like manner. I'm pretty sure too that I'd have the back up from a lot of other people. Stars Hollow in general would back me up.

I've cracked a smile for the first time in about twenty four hours just now. Thinking about beating the crap out of Kara…I'm horrible.

All this talk about smack downs is making me thirsty. I think I'm going to go sneak into the kitchen and get something to drink. Let's see how quiet I can be, I don't want to wake anyone up.

Lorelai was quietly padding around the kitchen, trying to find something to drink when the kitchen light clicked on, and her eyes squinted to adjust to the bright lights.

"Oh sorry," Lorelai said as she grinned, her hand caught in mid-grab from the fridge, "I didn't know anyone else was up."

"It's no problem at all," Rachel assured her, "baby here was just getting hungry and Bryan is such a hard sleeper that it is just easier for me to get up and get something myself."

Lorelai chuckled and Rachel joined her at the counter, "having trouble sleeping?"

"I'm a night owl," Lorelai told her with a shrug, "I'm usually up much later than anyone else. I'm used to it by now."

"Oh okay," Rachel said as she dug through the freezer, "ah! Pizza bites, perfect. You want some?"

"No that is okay," Lorelai declined, "I'm just thirsty."

"Well help yourself to anything you want, I'm going to dig in here."

Lorelai couldn't help but giggle and Rachel glanced at the woman from the corner of her eye. She could understand why Luke was infuriated with her. She was beautiful, her dark hair was long and thick and her blue eyes were just breathtaking. Rachel sighed, working on a plan to broach the subject of Luke to her new friend.

"Thank you so much," Lorelai was saying before Rachel could talk again. "For letting me crash here…and for taking care of Luke this past month. I was worried about him."

Rachel said a silent prayer of thanks for Lorelai bringing up the subject on her own before addressing it. "It really wasn't a problem at all. Luke and I have been friends since childhood…"

"It is good that you guys still can be close," Lorelai finished. "I really am."

"You two seem to have gotten pretty close too," Rachel carefully broached. "He talked about you a lot, when I finally was able to get him to talk."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, her eyes focused on the cup in her hands and Rachel knew then that Lorelai shared the same feelings that Luke did. "We really haven't known each other too long…"

"It's been about a year now," Rachel went on, "hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Lorelai affirmed with a quick nod. "He's been a great friend."

"He's always been good at that," Rachel answered with a knowing smile. "Makes it hard to not fall in love with him, huh?"

"Yeah," Lorelai answered without thinking and Rachel didn't try to hide her smirk, "wait, what? I mean…"

"Don't worry about it," Rachel assured her, "your secret is safe with me."

"You could tell? I was that obvious?"

"Don't worry," Rachel insisted, "Luke doesn't have a clue. He's a man; they tend to not be that in-tune to female's feelings unless we bash them over the head with them. Though, you should do that."

"No," Lorelai shook her head, "this whole Kara thing is too fresh for him. I don't want to turn into a rebound girl. I want him to fall for me if that is what he wants…not because I want him too."

"You are very smart," Rachel commented, "he'd be lucky to have you in his life."

"He'll always have me," Lorelai stated simply, "whether it is just friends or more."

Rachel watched as Lorelai just shrugged and headed back up the stairs. She was in awe of this girl, and that was putting it lightly. She'd beat Luke if he ever did anything to hurt her that much she knew. Finishing off the plate of pizza bites she had made she quickly washed her dish and headed back upstairs herself. She was going to do anything she could to convince Luke to go for it with Lorelai and she knew that was going to take some work.

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Luke couldn't sleep all night and at about five he was lying, wide awake, and anxious to move. He finally decided to just go for a run, the only thing that used to be able to calm him down. He slipped on his sneakers, stretched briefly, and then headed out. It felt good to be out on the pavement, running and not allowing himself to think about anything other than the cool air on his face or his breathing. He lost himself in the sport.

He couldn't get Lorelai out of his mind. He couldn't understand how she had found him and what had possessed her to fly down to see him. It just didn't make sense. He couldn't shake the feeling that when they finally got around to talking about it that it would be something hard, and that scared him.

He rounded the corner to the subdivision and came across the playground. It was quiet, deserted, and Luke couldn't help but stroll onto the damp mulch. It had been ages since he'd gone to a park without Jess or Rory at his side and it felt oddly calm to be there at daybreak.

He knew he had to have been out for at least an hour now as the sun was peaking over the horizon. He stretched his legs again before turning around to head back. He needed to find out what Lorelai was doing there and possibly sort out his own feelings.

When he reached Rachel and Bryan's house he smiled when he saw movement in the kitchen. Rachel had always been an early riser; it was something that he'd always wondered about.

"Morning," Rachel greeted without turning around, "how was your run."

"Good," Luke answered with a shrug. "Omelets?"

"Of course," Rachel chuckled, "its Saturday. Bryan and I have plans today with some friends from his work. Will you and Lorelai be okay on your own?"

"Um," Luke hesitated, his hand sub-consciously rubbing the back of his neck. "Well…"

"You'll be fine," Rachel told him, "I'll leave my car so you can show her around. "Find out why she's here…"

"Rach…"

Rachel turned her attention to the stove so Luke couldn't see the smirk on her face. He knew what she was doing and he shook his head in aggravation.

"Rachel?"

"What Luke?"

"I'm not ready for anything."

"I didn't say that had to happen."

"But…"

"Ya'll need to talk, Luke," Rachel went on, "this will give you a chance too. It's just for a few hours this afternoon. You need to talk to her."

"I hate when you're right you know," Luke complained, "it happens way too frequently."

"A woman is always right Luke," Rachel laughed, "and the faster you learn that the better."

"Whatever," Luke groaned and had to laugh himself, "so, do you like her?"

"I do," Rachel assured him. "She is quite the girl. We had a little girl's chat last night too over a midnight snack."

"That is scary," Luke sighed. "What did you talk about?"

"Girl stuff."

"And you aren't going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope," Rachel shook her head, "you don't need to know."

"Fine," Luke shrugged, "I'm going to go get a shower. Have breakfast done before I get back."

"Bossy," Rachel complained, "it'll be done when it's ready. Now shoo!"

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January 21, 1990

I didn't sleep well Maddie. I hate that. But, I guess it was because I kept thinking about Luke and telling him about William and my nerves were on edge. I keep playing it over and over in my head…

And it gets worse and worse by each passing moment.

God, what am I going to do?

I have to tell him. That is why I came. There isn't any other excuse I can give to that. So I have to tell him. He deserves to know though. I mean, I know that he needs to know. I just…

Nobody wants to have to give bad news. Nobody. And that includes me. Especially since it is Luke I have to deliver it to. I'm just going to do it. Next time I see him I'm going to tell him. I just have to do it. It is the only way I'll get the courage to do it.

I'm such a pansy.

And right now…well, I'm sorta okay with that.

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Lorelai sat next to Luke in Rachel's car, the silence starting to get to her, and she anxiously glanced out of the window. They'd been driving for less than ten minutes and already she was ready to claw her way out of the car.

"I'm sorry."

The simple statement caught her by surprise and she turned her head quickly to look at Luke. He was staring out of the front window, his eyes focused on the road ahead.

"I'm sorry," he repeated the words and Lorelai shook her head. "No. Let me finish. I shouldn't have disappeared like that. I wish I wouldn't have…I just needed…"

"Luke."

"I needed to get away. Rachel was the first person I thought of and so I ended up here. But I should have called at least. I should have tried…"

"Luke…"

"But I didn't…"

"Luke, I'm here because of your dad."

The car fell silent again after Lorelai's outburst and Luke turned his head to look at her.

"What?"

"You have to come home Luke," Lorelai continued a tear slipping from her eye. "Your dad is sick. And it's bad."

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A/N: Thanks in advance for all the reviews! I want to see how many we can get…just cause it is fun and I love getting a ton! PLEASE! Thanks!