Wednesday morning just before ten Lorelai was doing what she could to be ready when Luke came. Her bags were by the door and she was making sure the lights upstairs were off and that she didn't forget anything. She knew he would be there any second so she grabbed a final look in her full length mirror. Obviously she dressed in jeans, she wore her stretchy ones that were perfect for a long car ride AND hugged her in a way she knew Luke would appreciate. She also wore a fitted red sweater with a scoop neckline and sleeves that went over her hand, with holes for her thumbs. She had her green jacket with a large rose on the back waiting with her bags. She chose to wear her black knee high boots as they also went with a skirt she packed.

She had been nervous about this trip until she spoke with Sookie and Rory. They were both happy that she and Luke could at least be friends at this point. Sookie pointed out this was a great way for them to get back together, while Rory was more cautious.

She thought back to their conversation.

"Mom, I know what Sookie told you. But keep your expectations in check. He knows that you slept with and were dating Dad. You know that Dad is a sore spot for him. In fact, what did you tell Dad about all of this?"
"I told your Dad the truth. That coming to him that night was a mistake. I never should have slept with him and that it won't happen again. I told him that if we were ever going to work as a couple it would have happened by now and that it will never happen because it's always going to be Luke that I want, not him."

"Wow, harsh," Rory sighed.

"Is it? I think that the two of us always kept the other on the hook as a safety option. But it hasn't done either of us any good and I do truly believe that if I wanted a relationship with him it would have happened. It's not for a lack of him asking."

"You're right," Rory said with a sad smile. "It just sucks that this realization happened after you hurt Luke so badly. Seriously, I know you want him back, just be careful. He was really hurt."

Lorelai huffed, "You know I didn't just wake up and decide to sleep with your Father for no reason. Sometimes it's like you forget how I was feeling for MONTHS before that happened."

"I know, Mom. I do, I know that you were hurt too. I'm just saying be careful. For both of your sakes. There's been so much crap between you two already!"

"I promise I'll be careful. And YOU promise me that you call me as soon as you land in your mystery location. It must be nice dating someone with a family jet that he can borrow."

"I will. Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Kid. Happy Turkey Day."

There was a knock at the door as Lorelai was coming down the stairs.

"It's open!"

Luke opened the door, shaking his head, "What do I have to say to get you to lock your door?"

"Oh yeah, I heard about the major crime spree going on in The Hollow. I think Taylor said that he found two gum wrappers on main street and one of Babette's gnomes was tipped over again. But since Jess is out of town I think it was just the wind that knocked over Pierpont this time."

He shook his head at her, "Ha ha. I was thinking, should we take your car? You know, in case you want to go shopping on Friday without me, you can't drive a stick."

"Yes I can!"

He just looked at her.

"I mean, if you want to take my car that's fine. I want you to feel like you can ask me to drive if you're tired."

"Okay, yeah. Let's take the Jeep. I'll load the bags in, you LOCK UP!"

She laughed at him as he picked up her bags and left the house. She grabbed two smaller bags and made a big scene about locking the door.

"Yeah, yeah, hurry up," he snickered.

She hurried down the stairs and unlocked the Jeep, so he could load their bags into the back.

"You're still going to drive, right?" She batted her eyes at him.

He shook his head, trying to hide his smile from her. "Yeah, I'm driving. Get in, I've got something I need to grab from my car before we leave."

"HEY SUGAS," Babette called from her porch. She bounded down the steps and rushed over to them. "So you guys patch things up and off on a romantic getaway?"

"We're going to see my family in Emmersville, there's nothing romantic going on, she's just helping me avoid an awkward conversation. Unlike this one that I can't seem to avoid."

"If you're not together, why are you going with him to see his family?" Babette asked Lorelai, choosing to ignore Luke's death stare.

"Because he asked me to," Lorelai said simply. "We were friends first and we'll be friends always."

Babette nodded. "Well I hope you two have fun this weekend and remember that you make a great couple. I could tell you stories about the fights Morey and I have had. But makin' up is the best part!"

Luke laughed.

"You know I'm right," she pointed at Luke. "Anyway, go! Have fun. Say hi to Buddy and Maisy for me. And don't worry, I'll watch the house. Sookie's got Paul Anka?"

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded. "Thanks, Babette. See you in a few days."

"Bye dolls," she waved over her shoulder as she went back to her house.

Once Luke and Lorelai were behind the closed doors of the car Luke laughed, "You know the minute we pull out of here she's going into your house to look for evidence that we're back together, right?"

"I know," she shrugged. "I left some of my lingerie and one of your flannels on my bedroom floor."

"You did not!" He wasn't sure if he was amused or horrified. Truth was he was a mix, leaning more to the amused side.

Her laugh filled the car and he suddenly was flooded with warmth.

"Hey, I brought a photo album for you," he motioned to the back seat.

"For me," she asked, slightly confused.

"It's got pictures of the people you're going to meet. If we were a couple you would know this stuff, so I thought on our way there I can tell you about everyone and you'll have the pictures to know their faces."

A huge smile spread across her face, "That's so sweet. Are there any pictures of you?"

"Maybe one or two," he shrugged.

"Oooh, gimme!" She reached into the backseat and giggled as she pulled the album onto her lap. She ran her hands over the cover, "Where did you have this hiding? I've spent hours in your apartment, I've never seen this before."

"Oh, I got it from Liz. She got sentimental when she was pregnant with Doula. So she pulled boxes out of my storage unit and made us each an album."

"Cool," she said as she opened the book. "So the baseball cap has been your accessory of choice for a very long time, hu?" She was looking at a picture of a pre-teen Luke with a backwards, navy cap, a Boston Red Sox t-shirt and jeans. Beside him was little Liz with two braids and cute sundress. Their parents stood behind them, William looking right into the camera with a proud smile, one arm wrapped around his beautiful wife, his other hand resting on Luke's shoulder.

"That was our last family photo taken before Mom got sick. She had that on her nightstand till the end. She kept telling Liz and I about that day and that's how she wanted us to remember her."

Lorelai's happy go lucky attitude melted away, "Can you tell me about that day? Or is it too painful?"

Luke tilted his head side to side, stretching his muscles. It was a quirk that Lorelai recognized. "Yeah, I can tell you." He cleared his throat. "It was Father's Day. Mom had arranged for the store to be covered, she wanted Dad to have the day off. She woke Liz and I up early and taught us how to make Dad's favourite breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and coffee. We ended up having breakfast in my parents' bed. Then they all came to my softball game and after that lunch at Sniffy's. Dad said it was the perfect day but Mom told him it was only half done. She and Liz went home to cook and bake, while Dad and I went fishing. After dinner -" he paused for a moment and smiled, "Man my Mom could cook!" He was quiet for a moment and then shook his head to bring himself back to the moment, "After dinner we watched Pete's Dragon, which Liz picked because I got to go fishing."

"Wow," Lorelai sighed, "That sounds like a great day."

"It was! It was the best day, both Dad and I thought so. Unfortunately the next day was Monday and Mom's test results came in and our lives were changed forever."

Without thinking, Lorelai touched his arm. She gently stroked from his shoulder to his elbow and back up a few times. It was something she would have done when they were together, when she realized they weren't she pulled her hand back and turned the page in the photo album.

They spend the next hour with her flipping through the book, asking questions and hearing stories. Lorelai loved hearing every story and made sure to pay extra close attention to the ones involving Buddy and Maisy's family.

When the car got quiet, Luke smiled at how comfortable he was feeling around her again. It was the first time since she told him that she slept with Chrsitopher that he felt he could get past it. Being with her felt so right, he finally felt that they still had a chance.

"Okay," she blurted out. "Tell me if I got this all right."

He chuckled, now realizing she was quiet only to absorb all the new information and once she felt she had it, she needed to speak again. He simply motioned for her to go ahead.

"Buddy and Maisy, I know their story from Sniffy's menu. But Maisy knew your Mom in high school and Maisy was the one who introduced your parents. Maisy's Mom and your Grandmother were friends and they wanted to fix up their kids but Maisy had already fallen for Buddy so they all went on a double date."

"You got it."

"Buddy and Maisy got married a month after he graduated with the idea that Maisy would finish college the following year. But she got pregnant with Claudia and then two years later had the twins Leo and Sam. When the twins went to kindergarten Maisy finished college and then got her teaching degree. She was a teacher for a few years but stopped to be at the restaurant full time when business was good enough.

Claudia is a teacher and loves it. She married a fellow teacher she met her first year in the classroom, his name is Daniel and they have two kids, Charlie and Zoey. Charlie is fourteen and very into tech stuff, Zoey is twelve, shy and girly."

"Very girly," Luke added, "She likes tutus, pink and sparkly things."

"Leo and Sam both went to Yale law school, and Sam has his own law practice in New York. Leo, on the other hand, became frustrated practising law and moved home to work at Sniffy's. The idea is he'll take over one day. Sam has been married for just over a year to Lisa, who's a nurse. Leo married a waitress from Sniffy's named Margaret who prefers to be called Maggie. How did I do?"

Luke laughed as he pulled into a parking spot, "Perfect," he smiled. He then motioned to the restaurant he had stopped at, "How did I do? Denny's! Not IHOP, or Waffle House because there IS a difference." He smirked at her after repeating her own words from a road trip long ago back to her.

Lorelai couldn't hide her beaming smile, "You remembered," she whispered.

"How could I forget the hour long speech on the birthplace of the Grand Slam?"