THE SECOND SIGN

It amased Lorelai each time she heard Rory say it but she had, she had just spoken her first word, "Mama".

She laughed as she bounced a 12 month old Rory on her knee and watched her clap and smile as she giggled out "Mama" every couple of minutes making Lorelai smile wider and laugh harder at her daughters gleeful look.

"So should we go to Lukes for dinner? Say Mama if you want to." Lorelai said as she smiled down at Rory and nodded her head once as if egging Rory on.

Rory took one look at her mum and smiled and said, "Mama". When Lorelai smiled and laughed Rory clapped her little chubby hands.

Lorelai put Rory's coat on her and walked through the inn with Rory's chubby hands clamped in hers as she tried to walk, having grown a very large and in your face kind of personality over her life so far, she was determined to learn this and Lorelai knew that she would be able to do it soon as she was persistant and could master anything.

When Lorelai and Rory reached the foyer of the Inn they spotted Mia and she obviously spotted them as she came running towards them and scooped Rory up and spun around with her in her arms. Rory giggled with glee but still kept a firm grip on Mia.

When they stopped spinning Lorelai walked over to Rory and said, "Rory." And poked her chest and then when she was sure she had Rory's attention, she poked her own chest and gave Rory a questioning look.

Mia looked at Lorelai and gave her a confused look but Lorelai just put up one finger signaling for Mia to wait and then Lorelai poked her chest once more and waited for Rory. After repeating this twice more she was about to give up when she just smiled at Rory and Rory just smiled back and reached out her arms signaling that she wanted to be held by Lorelai. Lorelai just ignored her, meaningfullt of course until Rory started to get upset and whined out, "Mama."

Mia just smiled and passed Rory over to her mum and laughed as she clapped and bounced in her mothers arms.

This reaction was earned may more times before they eventually reached Lukes, just in time fore the lunch rush.

As they walked in Rory had still been trying to walk on her own but when they saw the rush Lorelai quickly scooped her up and carried he rin, over to the counter. Luke looked up from the counter and smiled at his two favourite girls. When he saw Rory fussing he cleared off a table and ignored the other customers that had been waiting and brought Rory's highchair over to the table and put her in it.

Many of the Stars Hollow citizens had heard the news about Rory's first word so they came up to Lorelai's table and congratulated Rory on herr great achievement. Patty, Babette, Kirk and eastside tilly had just gone back to waiting quietly talking about a metre away from Lorelai and Rory's table when Luke came back over with and order pad to take their orders, Luke and Lorelai had just become engrosed in a conversation about how coffee would kill her and how she should not drink it around Rory because she was a bad influence when Rory started to move her mouth meaningfully. No one noticed as she sat there staring up at Luke trying to form a word. All of a sudden it came out, "Dada". Unfortunately the diner was too loud and Luke didn't flinch from his conversation with Lorelai until there was a slight break in the madness and the diner quieted, although Rory was determined to get his attention and didn't realise this. All of a sudden everyone was shocked when they heard "DADA" screached from Rory. Luke and Lorelai, as well as everyone elses heads snapped to the noise and saw Rory staring up at Luke.

When Rory saw she had Luke's attentiong she started clapping her hands and then repeated herself, "Dada". This time she reached her arms up to Luke. All Luke could do was look from Lorelai's shocked face to one of a pleased one year old. When Rory started becoming impatient she screamed once again, "DADA". Rory thrust her hands higher into the air towards Luke and leaned in his direction, jumping as she did. Luke looked back at Lorelai who shrugged her shoulders at him, clueless as to what to do Luke reached down and picked up the little girl. As he looked at her smiling, on looked all of the gossipers of the town.

Rory grabbed onto the bill of Luke's cap and put it on her head, just as Luke wore it. Rory now coppied her mother from earlier that day and poked herself in the stomach but instead of saying 'Rory' she said something that made the whole town laugh, she said "Dada".

Rory refused to let Luke put her down the entire day so he had to work with her on his hip and sit her on his knee to feed her. Lorelai looked on amased that he hadnt reacted badly and blown up or run away and left her to deal with a crying child. No he had accepted it. She watched as Rory ate with Luke and wore his cap that she wouldn't take off all day.

It was six o'clock and way past Rory's bed time when she finally fell asleep in Lukes arms, they tried to transfer her from Lukes arms to Lorelai's when she realised what time it was but as soon as Rory was in Lorelai's arms she began to fuss and when she opened her eyes and saw that she wasn't in her 'Dada's' arms she started crying and they immediately tranfered her back. When Rory looked up and saw Luke she mutterd a quick "Dada" before drifting back. Lorelai quickly decided that Luke needed to take home and tuck her in as she would wake up if Lorelai tried to take her.

Lorelai lead Luke to the potting shed and started to feel a bit embarassed that she couldn't find a propper home for her and her daughter but Luke didn't seem to notice where they were, he was too busy checking that Rory was still asleep every two seconds. When they got inside Luke ws lead over to Rory's cot by Lorelai and when he placed her in it he took his cap off of her that he hdnt been able to remove all day and tucked her in, only getting a stir out of her when he kissed her forhead softly.

Lorelai looked on that night, with the same love in her heart that she had felt for this man for the last two months. This man was the father that she had always wanted for Rory, No! she realised that he was the Daddy she wanted for Rory. A father is someone that helps with the making of the baby and Rory had one of those but now she needed a Daddy. Lorelai realised in that moment that Rory HAD a daddy, he was the man that bathed her if she got sticky during breakfast and looked after her if Mia and Sookie were busy while her mother worked. He was the man she called "Dada"

That was the sign THAT! Was the isgn that her baby HAD a daddy. That was the second sign!