July 5

5 Months, 0 Weeks, 4 Days

Size: Sweet Potato

LUKE POV

One thing I didn't expect with the news of the twins hitting the town, was Tom's insistence that he and the crew finish the interior of my house in record speed. Turns out the man is a family man and with the news of Lorelai's pregnancy, Tom threw eight additional men onto the project without charging one extra penny. Even more surprising, not one worker objected to the longer hours. When I pointed out that Lorelai wouldn't be living in this house, and therefore there was no need to rush the job, Tom only smiled. The guys laughed and joked and jostled me around in response, as if they didn't believe me, and told me they knew I was renovating this house to win back my girl and they were happy to be a part of the mission.

The renovation for the entire team became all about winning Lorelai back.

Imagine eighteen burly, manly men, ages eighteen to sixty-five, all twisting and working around each other in a house with power tools, obsessing over whether Lorelai would like this finish or that finish. It wasn't unusual to find a group of men standing around, debating if trim edges cut at a forty-five degree angle should be covered with a bumper so our babies won't fall and hit their head on a corner and bleed to death when they start walking or if they should just go ahead and attach those "baby plug things" (their words, not mine) into the plugs while they're putting on electrical covers to protect little fingers.

I'm not even joking.

Every man has become a romantic and insanely protective of the babies Lorelai's carrying.

It's a good thing I admitted, not only to her, but to myself, that I still love her. Her name is on every man's lips, and granted, most of the time, it's the men reminding me that Lorelai was much prettier jobsite eye candy than I'll ever be (I can't say I disagree) and a much better jobsite "host". My occasional late night burger doesn't quite match up to her daily spoil of Pop Tarts, muffins, pizza, and beer. And the dog show. I have no dog show and therefore, I'm failing them. Though, of course, this conversation only led the men into the backyard where they spent an insane amount of time making up a list of what supplies they needed to purchase to make sure the fence is secured for Paul Anka. The fence was supposed to be the last thing to get fixed on their way out, but, according to the crew it needed to be fixed ASAP because with Lorelai being pregnant, she doesn't need the added stress of worrying about Paul Anka getting out too!

Let me remind you: she doesn't even live here.

For me, the house has never been about Lorelai. Granted, I know for a fact that Lorelai will love the paint colors that now adorn the inside, but I'm also not an idiot. At least when it comes to this. I know Lorelai will never leave her home. As far as I know, she'll probably grow old, pass away, get cremated, and ask for her ashes to be spread around the exterior. She doesn't just love her home, she adores it. It's her safe place and the place where she raised Rory. Even when I voice that truth - Tom only shakes his head and says something about how every inch of this house screams Lorelai and how if there's one house in town that can get Lorelai to move out of her own, it's this one. "It's just up to you to get her here in this house." Once again, his words, not mine.

How the hell they expect me to get her here is beyond me.

When the crew finished the inside work, they all turned their attention to helping move me and April into our new home. With all the boxes already packed up, my lack of sentimental attachment toward physical items, and all of Tom's workers with their pickup trucks - it took us less than half a day to move.

Small towns really will take care of you.

And so, here we are. In a new house with a whole lot of pressure from eighteen men and a general contractor to "get your shit together and get your woman home". Their words, not mine.

After collecting the mail from the mailbox, I make my way back inside. In some ways, it's odd being back in my childhood home, and in other ways, it feels really good. I don't miss my apartment. It feels good to be someplace new, to have more space, to be completely separated from my work.

"I love this house!" April coos happily while hauling a large science book past me and into the living room. If anything, April having more room and privacy is a big plus with this house. Her happiness alone makes the decision to move worth it.

As if that wasn't enough, she's thrilled to become an older sister. With the news of her two little siblings, came a whole plethora of questions surrounding me and Lorelai. My daughter may have only spent part of a day and a night with the woman during her birthday party - but it's become blatantly obvious that she downright adores Lorelai. If that unmasked adoration went home with April the morning after her birthday party, it's no wonder Anna became so upset.

Ever since my fight with Lorelai the other night, I've been different. I've been self-reflective, thoughtful, and sure of what I now want. Everything Lorelai said was true and it was the kick in the ass I needed.

When I stormed into her house, I had meant to wedge another nail between the two of us. The raw honesty of her speech and the obvious pain that draped over every inch of her had been torture to witness as my eyes were opened to the truth. Realizing just how badly I screwed up, was a knife to the gut. Everything I've spent my entire life aiming not to be, I became, and with her no less! Out of every single person in this world, she's the last person I'd ever want to hurt, and it became clear that I wounded her.

I went there with the sole aim of separating us further, and left, determined more than ever to not only get her back, but to become a better man.

Whether I can get her back or not, I dunno, but I'm sure as hell going to try. Yes, yes, she's with him right now, but I figure I just need to wait it out. He'll mess up. And if he doesn't and they miraculously make it and she's happy… well, that's all that matters.

I can be alone.

Her happiness is that important to me.

"I'm glad to hear it," I glance down at the mail and notice all the work bills. "How do you feel about us hanging out back and grilling up a couple turkey burgers for dinner?"

"Great!"

"Okay, give me half an hour for bills and then I'll be ready."

"Works for me," April says from her spot on the couch while flipping open her book. "That'll give me enough time to finish this chapter about whales and their migration movements."

I smile at my daughter before making my way to my office where I spend the next half an hour making sure the diner is on track when the phone rings.

"I got it!" April yells from the other room. "It's probably for me anyway, Marcia is supposed to call!"

I nod to myself and continue working until my teenage daughter rushes into my office, eyes wide and panicked, the phone receiver pressed to her chest so the caller on the other end can't hear the two of us talking.

My stomach drops.

"April, what's wrong?"

"Lorelai's in the hospital."

"Sir? Excuse me, sir!" A firm, blonde nurse stands directly in front of me at the hospital door, doing her best to prevent me from entering the room, but I sidestep her, intent on getting to Lorelai. "You can't just barge into this room! We have protocols and we will contact security if you fail to comply!"

When my eyes land on Lorelai, I'm thankful Lane was available to stop by to hang out with April while I drove to the hospital, because everything else in life flies out the window. She's lying in the hospital bed, the back lifted up, in a light blue hospital gown with an IV running into her wrist and a hydration bag hanging to her left. She's filling out paperwork, clearly okay, and yet, the sight causes me to stall. She looks small swallowed up in the bed, and it scares the shit out of me. Being in a hospital is bad enough, seeing Lorelai in one is torture.

A quick glance around the rest of the room has me nodding faintly at a concerned Rory and looking away from the Gilmores the moment my eyes meet theirs. To say Emily is less than happy to see me would be an understatement. I think she'd be less mortified if a tsunami overtook the hospital than have me here.

But I don't care, Lorelai is here, so I'm here.

Remembering Christopher is now a part of Lorelai's life, I do a quick scan of the room, but, thankfully, he's nowhere in sight.

I can't say I'm surprised, but, on the plus side, maybe I won't have to wait all that long for him to mess up.

"Sir?" The nurse continues on, clearly chagrined, hand still on my chest. "Unless you're family or the father, you can not be in here!"

"I am the father."

Lorelai's eyes pop up in surprise. "Luke? You're here. How did you know I was her-"

"Of course I'm here," I take her in. Her already bright blue eyes pop bluer against the blue of her hospital gown and her dark hair hangs around her shoulders in soft waves. She's okay. "I got here as soon as I heard."

The nurse turns to look at Lorelai. "Is it okay for him to be here?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah, he's fine."

In a show of surrender, the nurse drops her hand from my chest with one last dirty look.

"I won't be any trouble," I reassure her. With a stiff nod, she steps over to check Lorelai's monitor.

Stepping closer to the end of the bed, I give Rory what I hope to be a comforting smile. She's sitting in a casual green summer dress, right next to Lorelai, a worried expression painted across her still youthful face, a hand wrapped protectively over her mother's.

Three walls of the room are painted a crisp, clean off-white while the wall where the bed protrudes from is painted a soft blue in an attempt to be comforting and relaxing. There's loud beeping, tubes and monitors everywhere. Despite the attempt to make the room feel homey, the whole place reeks hospital, which, I guess makes sense considering it is a hospital.

I take a deep breath, fighting my deep laden hatred for this place.

I hate it here.

I hate that Lorelai's here.

In an attempt to make sure I don't run over to Lorelai, haul her over my shoulder fireman style (that probably wouldn't be good for the twins) and haul us both out of here, I shove my hands in my pockets.

"Are you okay?" I lean my head to the side to catch Lorelai's eyes.

Did we scream and yell at each other the other night? Yes, yes, we did. But truth was also spoken, and with that came personal reflection. Considering how Lorelai doesn't seem overly closed off to me, I can tell my declaration of love has softened her somewhat.

"Yeah," She nods. "I'm fin-"

"Who called you?" Emily pounces, rising from her chair to stand between me and Lorelai. "You should not be here!"

"Now Emily, please, be reasonable. Luke has just a right to be here as any one of us-" Richard starts.

"I demand to know who contacted him!" Emily says loudly, turning toward the nurse who is now anxiously glancing between me and Emily. "I can say with certainty this man is not presently on Lorelai's emergency contact list and considering the fact that I most certainly did not call him and my husband absolutely did not call him and Lorelai did not call him-"

"I called him."

The entire room screeches to a standstill and every head, including the nurse's, whips in surprise toward Rory. The young woman swipes her bangs from her eyes. Half of her long brown hair is pulled back and her blue eyes scan the room intelligently before landing on her mother. "I'm sorry Mom, but with Luke being their father and all I just thought he should be here."

With the look the two share, I know for a fact Lorelai told Rory about our fight the other night. There's no doubt about it.

"Please, Mom," Rory whispers quietly, rubbing the back of Lorelai's hand with her thumb. The young woman glances at me. "He's their dad."

Lorelai twists her hand in Rory's and gives it a soft squeeze. "It's alright, hon, you're right," she says before turning and giving her attention to me. "Luke, I'll be fine, I was just dehydrated and got dizzy and Little Miss Worry Wart over here overreacted. You don't need to be worried, Leopold and Loeb are okay too."

The corners of my lips tip up, and Lorelai, not missing one detail, smiles softly in response.

"She's downplaying the entire thing," Rory says dryly as the nurse moves around the room, takes the clipboard from Lorelai, and begins to read through it. "She's dehydrated because she can't keep anything down, liquids or solids. And of course, this means that she's hardly eating and that she and the babies aren't getting any sustenance. Her blood sugars were low and she nearly fainted."

I raise my eyebrows, fraught with concern.

"Hon, I'll be fine," Lorelai insists, patting Rory's knee motherly. "But next time, please just throw me a Snickers bar instead of driving me here and please, whatever you do," she lowers her voice so the Gilmore's can't hear her, though they can. "Don't call your grandparents to meet us here." Rory glares at her as Lorelai goes on before Emily can make a snarky comment, "You kept me sick for months too, and then one day, I could eat again. It's normal."

The nurse by the monitor winces as our eyes connect.

"You're concerned?" I ask.

"That's an understatement," She looks from me to Lorelai. "Given how far along you are and your age-"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Lorelai laughs sarcastically, throwing out her free hand. "Don't start talking to me about age. I'm young! Plus they say age is just a number and you're only as old as you act. Trust me, I'm basically stunted at sixteen."

"Young in years, yes, but when it comes to carrying babies you're at the upper age limit," the nurse says patiently. Lorelai throws her head back against her pillow. "And as such, you are a double high risk pregnancy."

"What do you mean a double high risk pregnancy?" Richard asks, leaning forward in his chair, concerned.

"Twins are automatically considered high risk pregnancies," A salt and pepper hair doctor explains, overhearing the question. He steps into the room and goes directly to the monitor to study it closely. He turns to look at me. "We haven't met. Are you the father?"

"Yes," I extend a hand. "Luke Danes."

He takes my hand in his and looks me in the eye. "It's nice to meet you, Dad, I'm Doctor Jones. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me," He releases my hand, reaches into the pocket of his white coat and pulls out a business card to hand me. "Given Lorelai's age and the fact that she's having twins, we need to keep a close eye on her," Rory moves from her spot when the doctor takes a seat on a rolling stool and rolls toward the right of Lorelai's bed. "That means, more doctor visits to make sure the babies are growing and healthy, making sure to take every prenatal vitamin, getting enough nutrients from food and prioritizing quality sleep. The good news is that Lorelai is now stable. Her blood sugars are level and in an hour she should be fully hydrated." The doctor swivels on his stool and pulls over the ultrasound machine, "Speaking of, I'd like to see how the babies are doing. Now do we want to know the sex of the babies or are you two wanting to keep it a surprise?"

Lorelai and I glance at each other and I nod at her, letting her make the decision though I desperately want to know. Her eyes linger on me, the longest she's looked at me not only since I've been here, but the longest since my declaration of love for her and my admission that I could forgive her. She nods and says, "We want to know so we can stop calling them Thing One and Thing Two."

"I thought they were named Leopold and Loeb?" Rory snarks back.

"It's just a matter of how I'm feeling. Sometimes they're also called Mary-Kate and Ashley."

"Alright, let's see what we have here," the doctor laughs good-naturedly while prepping his equipment.

A few minutes later, and after a bit of adjusting from the doctor, an image of the two babies pop up on the screen. They've grown tremendously since the last time I saw them and I can't help but step in closer with the other Gilmores in an attempt to see the screen more closely. With Rory and the doctor on one side and Emily and Richard on the other, I stand at the end of the bed.

The doctor moves the wand around for a while before landing on one of the babies. The silent anticipation of the room is interrupted by a soft, quiet heartbeat that thumps through the ultrasound machine. Lorelai's eyes find mine, and for the first time in too long, a genuine smile that lights up her eyes passes over her beautiful face. I smile back at her, my heart beating in time to that of our child's, everything in me becoming too much. Every breath in the room holds and every eye is focused on the screen. The sound is life changing. The beat of our child's heartbeat leads the battle cry of my heart to win Lorelai back. Dr. Jones doesn't need long to study the screen before smiling and saying, "It's a girl!"

Rory hoops and hollers, going on and on about how we needed another girl and the Gilmores smile brightly at one another. I swear I saw Richard wipe at one of his eyes. When I look back to Lorelai, her eyes are on me and I smile softly at her, willing her to feel my love for her through the distance between us. I reach forward, wrap a hand over her blanket covered foot and give it a squeeze. Her attention stays focused on me while the doctor moves the wand around again. I stare back, and rub my thumb over her arch and her eyelids flutter in pleasure, so I put more pressure there, noting how it's time to start giving her foot massages. Not sure how I'm going to start doing that, but I guess I'll just add that beneath the impossible tasks of "winning Lorelai back" and "getting Lorelai into my house".

A laugh puffs out from the doctor and our attention turns away from one another to the doctor.

"You're getting one of each!" the doctor laughs, leaning toward the screen for one last glance. "This one is a boy!"

And there they are.

Will and Lilly.

I turn away from the group, suddenly overwhelmed, and squeeze the bridge of my nose in an attempt to get the tears that threatened to form to stop.

There's talking in the background, I can literally hear Emily and Richard and Rory, but I can't focus enough to hear the words. Lorelai is unusually quiet, but before I turned away from her, I watched her eyes pool with tears and I know for a fact this moment is just as emotional for her as it is for me.

"So the good news is that the babies look great and their hearts sound good and strong," the doctor starts.

I turn back toward the group in time to watch Rory curl back up with Lorelai.

"If you're saying there's good news," Lorelai winces. "That means there's bad news too."

The doctor rocks his head side-to-side as if thinking how to present his next line. "I'm not sure it's bad news per se, the thing is that after today's incident, I'd prefer you not live alone."

"I'll move home for the summer," Rory offers without missing a beat.

I didn't even have an opportunity to open my mouth.

Her offer causes every Gilmore in the room to jerk in response.

"Rory, no! Jack, Les, and Davey need their Katherine Plumber in New York!" Lorelai shakes her head adamantly. "You got that summer internship in New York City, you're not giving that up to move home because I'm pregnant. Who knows who you'll meet or what you learn. It's too important."

"But Mom-"

"Rory, no, your mother is correct," Emily says, rising from her chair and walking to Lorelai's bedside. "You have to take that job. You have your whole life and career in front of you."

"But it's not a job, it's just an internship and Mom-"

"Will move in with us." Emily says.

I have never, in the life of me, seen Lorelai look quite as horrified as she looks at this moment.

"Mom!"

"Now hush, Lorelai," Emily says authoritatively, stepping up to her and adjusting the pillow beneath her head, even though it doesn't need to be adjusted. Lorelai glares up at her mom as Emily goes on, "It's for the best, there's always someone present at the house, whether it be me or your father or the maid or the cook. Except this time you will not leave a note saying you've left to have a baby and that you'll see us later. You'll have the best meals prepared for you and if we need to hire a doula, we will."

"A doula is not necessary," the doctor cuts in. "But that sounds like the perfect set up-"

"Work!" Lorelai exclaims in a panic, eyes wide, looking around the room, hands outstretched. "I'm a working woman and I live and work in Stars Hollow, Doctor. Living in Hartford will not work. The drive alon-"

"I'll hire you a driver," Emily says nonchalantly. "It's no big deal."

"So I can be driven around in a hudson commodore and called Miss Daisy? No way!" Dread and horror crosses Lorelai's face about as subtle as an eagle flying across the ocean. She's doing nothing to hide it from her mother or the rest of us in this room. There's clearly something going on between Lorelai and Emily, there always is, but it doesn't take much to see that this solution is not going to work for Lorelai.

This is when I realize, at this very moment, that my chance to make things right with Lorelai is practically being handed to me on a golden platter.

I know how to fix this. How to fix us.

It's a no-brainer.

"She can come live with me."

I don't know who's more surprised by my offer, Lorelai or Rory or the Gilmores. But I do know eighteen workmen and one general contractor would be hooping and hollering behind me at the offer.

"Excuse me?" Emily laughs without missing a beat. "In your filthy apartment over the diner? I'm sure it's mold infested."

"Actually, I've moved," I explain, trying to stay calm. The truth is, I'm tired of the Gilmore's judgment, and now I'm going to stop being a pushover. Hell, what do I care what they think? They've barely acknowledged me today. The Gilmores have another thing coming if they think they're going to have any say in my relationship with my own children or Lorelai. "It's a single family home on the edge of town. There are four bedrooms and two and half bathrooms. It's just a five minute walk from The Dragonfly, less by car. It'll make it easy for Lorelai to get to and from work. I cook, so I can cook her meals and make sure she eats."

Rory's mouth has literally fallen open at the news of me moving. I guess Lorelai hadn't shared that news with her. As for Lorelai, she's staring at me motionlessly. I'm not even sure she's breathing.

"Only if you want to, I mean," I say to Lorelai. "If you don't want to come live with me, that's fine, I'm just offering. Or I can come live with you, if you'd rather stay in your home. I'd just sleep on the couch, that's fine."

"I, I…" Lorelai stutters and shakes her head, obviously confused by what that would mean for us. "I-"

"I'll have to see the place first to make sure it's structurally sound," Richard says, looking to me while sitting up tall, all business. "I'm assuming because it's in Stars Hollow, it's an old home, and old homes are notorious for mold and mildew and asbestos-"

"Dad!"

"I had the entire house tested before I moved in. It's safe and I wouldn't offer it if I thought it was unhealthy for Lorelai and the twins. I have the certificate to prove it."

"Fax it over to my office tonight or in the morning. And insurance?"

"It's insured and I've seen my guy's office. You are more than welcome to read over my insurance policy and come check it out."

"Check what out?" A male voice inquires from behind me.

Dread walks up my spine when I realize who's finally showed up. Lorelai's face falls, her eyes darting from me and then to the person behind me and back to me nervously.

"Christopher!" Emily coos warmly, walking past me, arms open wide. I turn just in time to watch her embrace him into an affectionate hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Rory and Lorelai glance at each other nervously.

"Sorry, I got here as soon as I could. I had to drop Gigi and the Nanny off at the airport," He glances at me briefly, managing to squeeze in a dirty look, before ignoring me completely and making his way to Lorelai. He kisses her easily on the lips before pulling away and pushing a strand of dark hair away from her face. It's my first up-close viewing of the two of them together as a couple, and even though Lorelai is keeping everything on her end brief and emotionless, no doubt due to my presence in the room, the sight is literally killing me.

"Hey Kiddo, you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm a little shook up," Rory says standing from her spot to awkwardly hug Christopher. "But I'm okay."

"Don't worry about Lorelai, she'll be fine. She's a fighter of WWE proportions," He gives her a shoulder little extra squeeze before turning all of his attention to Lorelai. "And you? How are you?"

"Ah, you know, I haven't had to fight a three hundred pound wrestler today, so it's been a walk in the park kind of day for me."

And so, Christopher takes Rory's spot on the bed, leans back into the pillows, wraps an arm around Lorelai's shoulders, and pretends I'm not in the room as Emily recaps the entire day up to the point where the doctor requests that she doesn't live alone.

Minus my offer to have Lorelai stay with me.

"Ah," Christopher says lightly, squeezing her shoulder with a hand, looking down at her as he shifts to cross his ankles, missing how uncomfortable Lorelai is with the entire situation. The woman hasn't spoken or moved since he put his arm around her, or even looked in my direction. "There's an easy solution to this problem. I'll move in with you. I don't need much, just my flat screen and a stereo."

Lorelai's eyes now pop to mine and I fight back the hurt and frustration and disappointment that starts to bubble within me. She doesn't miss it. Her eyes soften and she tries to communicate something to me, but I look away.

"Well, isn't that just perfect!" Emily exclaims happily.

"I'd say so! Problem solved!" Richard laughs, pressing his fingertips together.

It's as if I'm not even in the room.

Or even just offered to take care of her.

Or was just engaged to her not all that long ago.

Or that Lorelai's pregnant with my twins.

I wince at the jovial family scene gathered around Lorelai, each face, other than Rory and Lorelai's, filled with happiness and joy. I can't help but wonder what it would feel like for The Gilmores to have actually approved of me. Would Lorelai and I have actually made it? Would the five of us ever have had one of the moments they're so happily sharing with Christopher?

Doubtful.

With everyone's attention on the couple, I step backwards, out the door.

Once in the hall, I exhale loudly in an attempt to control my frustration of almost having Lorelai close to me only for her to be yanked away. I pull my hat off my head, run a frustrated hand through my hair, and begin to make my way down the hall wondering if I should stay or go.

"Luke! Wait!"

I close my eyes at Rory's voice before turning back around. "Hey, I was just gonna go…" I trail off, trying to come up with a logical excuse, while pointing behind me toward the hallway and putting my hat back on my head. "Get a cup of tea. Want me to bring you back a cup of coffee?"

The young woman before me presses her lips together sympathetically as she takes in my face. For the first time in a long time, I'm unable to hide how I'm really feeling. I exhale again, shoving my hands into my back pockets and looking away from her. The last thing I need to do is break down in front of Rory.

"I'll walk with you," she says graciously, stepping beside me as we follow the red stripe down the hallway. Neither one of us talk for a few seconds until she starts again, "So what are we going to do?"

"About what?"

"About Mom."

I come to a stop and when Rory realizes I'm no longer following her, she makes a sharp turn on her heel until she's facing me. The thing about Rory and Lorelai is that their faces give them away. Standing in front me is a terrified young woman, fearful of the worst.

"Well, the doctor said she's fine and your dad said he'd stay with her."

She looks around awkwardly for a moment before finally setting her blue gaze on me. "Yeah. That's what he says."

There's something in the way she delivers that last line that has me weary. I guess I'm not the only person in the world to see what this guy has a tendency to do to Lorelai. To Emily and Richard, he's the rising sun for Lorelai. The great hope for their wayward lost daughter. To Lorelai he's always been the great 'what if' romance. But Rory? I see that she loves him, yet still sees the truth.

To me, he'll always be the man who wasn't there for Lorelai or Rory. To me, he's the man who waltzes in, only to leave a disaster behind for the girls to sweep up. To me, he's a weasel and I'd love nothing more than to pop his head off his body and launch it into outer space.

"You know your Mom's going to be okay, right?" I ask, reaching out an awkward hand and resting it on her arm. She wraps her arms protectively over her chest, curling into herself, looking down at the ground.

"Luke, I'm so scared," she whispers, her voice cracking.

When she looks up, there are tears spilling from her eyes, and for once, I don't hesitate or wait for her to lean toward me. Instead, I wrap her up in my arms.

"She's downplaying the entire thing," she hiccups into my shirt, her arms still wrapped around herself, as she allows me to hold her. "One minute we were talking and laughing and the next she was reaching out for the couch, saying she just needed a minute, but that minute turned into half an hour and then she nearly fainted."

I suck in a breath, hating her rundown of events. I rub her back comfortingly, wishing there was a way to give her my strength.

"Luke, I need her," she sniffles, pressing her cheek against my chest, as I look back toward Lorelai's room. Nothing can be seen from here.

"I know."

"No, I need her. She's my best friend. I can't live without her," she wipes at another few tears, before pulling away and looking up at me. "I've already decided, I'm going to turn down this internship in New York-"

"What internship?" I ask curiously, stepping away to a waiting area where a box of tissues rest on a coffee table. I pull out a few and hand them to her.

"There's this guy who offered me an in person internship for the summer in his office in New York City," she explains, beginning to walk toward the coffee machine to the side of the waiting room while wiping at her eyes with the tissues. "I would have been overseeing the articles that are emailed in. I'd read them, communicate with the writers, make suggestions and then pass the pieces on to the editor when I feel they're ready. I'd be doing more overseeing than actual writing, but I'd be allowed to write occasionally." We stop in front of the coffee machine. "The boss says their editor is getting antsy to move on and maybe has a year left. And though he didn't say it directly, I can't help but wonder if my internship is really to see if I'd be a good fit for the job."

"Rory! That's amazing! Lorelai's right, there's no way you're giving this up. This could open big doors for yo-"

"But, Mom…"

I shake my head, reach into my pocket, pull out four quarters, insert them into the coffee machine and place a paper cup beneath it. Without needing to be told, she reaches up and presses a button for some sort of mocha concoction that can't be good for her. But I don't say anything. If that's what's going to comfort her, great. I look to her. "Listen, your dad is going to go stay with her-"

"So what?" she asks openly, chagrined. "So what if he's claiming he's going to stay with her? Luke, Mom called him from the car when I was driving her here. He just got here. Listen, I love him, he's my dad but he's not reliable."

"Ro-"

"I called you as soon as I got Mom into a room, knew she was going to be okay and got a moment alone. That was less than an hour ago and you still beat him here and that was you driving from Stars Hollow to Hartford! He was already in Hartford when we called him and I know he dropped Gigi and the nanny off at the airport hours ago. He's not reliable!"

I look around nervously as the coffee machine spits and sputters out the dark sludge. How did I end up here in this heated conversation about Christopher with Rory?

"Listen, you are not giving up that internship, it's too important. Who knows? Maybe next year after you graduate you'll land the job," I lift the cup of coffee from under the machine and hand it over. "Your Dad is going to stay with Lorelai, so she's covered. Despite what people may think, I'm not oblivious, I hear everything at the diner. If I hear that they break up or that he leaves or if he's not around, I will stop everything to go over to her house and make sure she's taken care of, okay?"

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, clearly unconvinced. "You mean, when."

That's exactly what I mean.

But I don't say that.

I sigh loudly. "He's your father. There's always been something tangible between them, maybe this time things will work out for them. Maybe this is what they need to be together."

Her eyes narrow as she stares at me with disbelief. "We both know he's nothing more than a rebound and Mom doesn't want him to move in."

"We don't know that." I inhale at the words, uncomfortable having this conversation with her. "If Lorelai doesn't want something, she'll speak up. Listen, I will know if something is going on and I promise I will step in if Lorelai needs help. When have I ever not been there for you or your Mom?" She sighs in defeat. "You know my word is good, Rory. You need to keep working hard and chasing your dreams. And," I bend my knees slightly to catch her eyes when she looks away unhappily. "Don't you dare let another business tycoon tell you you don't have what it takes to succeed - you hear me?"

This gets a small smile and a nod. I pull her back into a hug and hold her until she pulls back. She lifts the coffee to her lips and takes a long sip before looking up at me. "You promise you'll stop everything and go to her when he's no longer there for her?"

She's not letting her doubt go, and honestly, neither am I.

"I promise."

- Hang in there guys, I promise this is a Java Junkie story :)