Closing the diner on this night in early February had been a solo endeavor, which meant that Luke got home later than what he preferred. As soon as he walked through the front door he saw Lorelai on the couch, her long legs angled across the cushions. She seemed pensive, one hand busy twisting a length of hair, the other holding a pillow against her rounded middle. Much to his surprise, the house was quiet, except for some faint music coming from Rory's room.

He hung up his coat and hat, removed his shoes, then padded across the space to join her. He lifted her legs and sat down with her feet in his lap, immediately beginning to rub them. This act had become their new nightly routine because she was a pregnant lady who spent too much time on her feet and still thought she could wear high heels, and he was the doting husband who'd do anything for his wife, the impractical pregnant lady.

Lorelai moaned happily, wiggling her feet against him.

"Did you eat?"

She sighed. "Yeah, with Sookie, remember?"

"Oh, right! So how was the big reveal?" He smiled, knowing how much she'd been looking forward to sharing the pregnancy news with her best friend.

Lorelai sighed again, in a way that was definitely pensive.

Taken aback, Luke stopped the foot rub. "She wasn't happy?"

"Oh, she's happy for us. She's just sad for her." Lorelai shuffled her feet, reminding him of his job.

"How so?" he wondered, pressing a thumb into her arch.

"Well, you remember, right, what it's like when it seems like everybody else in the world is getting it all, and you're in a sad little corner by yourself, trying to figure out what you're doing wrong?"

Luke didn't have to search too far back in his memory. "Yeah, I seem to recall some years like that."

Lorelai nodded. "That's Sookie right now. She hasn't found her Luke yet. She's living in a crappy apartment because she's barely making a living wage. She doesn't even get to try out her own recipes at the Inn very often. Mind you, I think she's on the cusp of all sorts of amazing things going her way – but right now she's alone and depressed. Meanwhile, here I am, with the best husband ever, a decent house, and a job with a promotion in the wings. And to sprinkle more salt in the wound, I show up pregnant."

"I can't believe she couldn't put her own insecurities aside and be happy for you," Luke snapped, disappointed in Sookie.

"Oh, she did. She was. Don't be hard on her, Luke. She's thrilled for us; she's thrilled she gets to be an auntie again. She's already talking about researching homemade baby food recipes. It was just sort of bittersweet news for her, that's all, and I understand. It made me feel guilty more than anything, I guess."

"Guilty?"

"Because I've got so much. Because I'm so lucky. And maybe I shouldn't go around gloating to my friends, expecting them to automatically be my cheerleaders."

"I don't think you gloat."

Lorelai grinned. "Hello, do you know me or not?"

He grinned back and switched to her other foot. "You don't gloat much," he amended.

She glanced back over her shoulder. "I did tell her about our Rory situation."

"Good," Luke said. "You need somebody else to talk to about it. What'd she say?"

"She was shocked, of course. Nobody believes their sweet Rory can act like this. Sookie said maybe she can plan an afternoon out with her. Maybe telling her some stories about her own brothers and sisters would put things in perspective for her."

"Did she get along with her brothers and sisters?"

"No," Lorelai said, smiling again.

"Then maybe not the best solution."

Lorelai leaned back, closing her eyes, enjoying the foot rub to the hilt. "Oh hey, my mom called today."

"Anything specific?"

"Just to check on me, I guess. I mentioned I was starting to show and now she wants to take me shopping for maternity clothes."

Luke snorted. "Somehow I can't see that working out." Lorelai was surprisingly silent and he looked at her sharply. "You said yes?"

"I said…maybe." She shrugged. "She's been alarmingly nice since she found out about the baby. Maybe a shopping trip where I want to buy jeans and t-shirts and she wants to buy plaid jumpers with big loopy bows at the neck – to be accessorized, of course, with a nice string of pearls – is just what we need to get us back to normal."

"Maybe it is," he laughed.

The pensive look returned to Lorelai's face. "She's just been so happy about the baby coming, and that's a nice change of pace for us. It's been a long, long time since I've done anything that's made my parents happy. I guess I don't mind trying to keep that feeling going for a little while longer."

"No," Luke said gently. "There's nothing wrong with that at all." He saw that Lorelai was suddenly blinking back tears, so he changed tactics. "You know, I think you'd probably rock a nice jumper with a big bow on it."

"Especially if it was plaid, right?"

"Absolutely." He gave a finishing pat to her feet and then moved her legs so he could stand up. "I'm going to the kitchen to find something to eat. You're sure you don't want anything?"

She raised her arms, signaling for him to help her up. "I'll come with you, just to keep you company. And maybe to help you eat up some leftovers."

"Are there any leftovers?"

"We won't know unless we look, will we?" she said briskly. "It'd be a shame if there's nothing and we'd have to order a pizza."

"We're not ordering a pizza," he protested.

Big Pete arrived with a half-tomato, half pepperoni and a double order of garlic knots twenty minutes later.

"Whose idea was this, anyway?" Lorelai complained, struggling to hold open the front door.

"Yours," Luke grumbled, trying to maneuver the large cardboard box in his arms past Lorelai, out the door, and onto the front porch.

"Well, it was a terrible idea," she stated.

"I agree," he said. "Except it has to be done."

"Yeah," she sighed forlornly.

Luke found an empty spot on the porch and added the box to the dozens of others already there. "Let's take a break," he suggested, taking a seat on the steps. He patted the spot beside him.

"Ugh, cold," Lorelai complained, as her bottom landed on the frosty boards.

"Well, it is February," Luke observed dryly.

"You know, this would go twice as fast if you'd just let me carry some of the boxes," she pointed out.

"That's not happening," he insisted.

"What's not happening?" Babette wanted to know, suddenly appearing in front of them. "What are you kids doing, anyway?"

"Cleaning out the extra room upstairs," Lorelai told her. "Hi, Babette!"

"Hi, Doll. What'cha doing that for?"

"Just seemed like it was time." Lorelai grinned at her nosy neighbor.

"You're getting rid of all that junk the Gilberts left up there?" Babette looked at the pile of boxes and other bits and pieces collected on the porch. "Geez Louise, that's gotta be a job and a half. Those people were practically what you call hoarders, I think."

"Hoarders and then some," Luke agreed.

"Why'd you decide to tackle this today?" Babette wondered.

"Time for the town garage sale," Lorelai explained. "They started accepting donations this week."

"And why they have it in the middle of February is beyond me," Luke said, exasperation evident in his voice.

Babette shrugged. "Yeah, I've wondered that too. Guess it's just another one of those Stars Hollow quirks. Or maybe it was the only time during the year Taylor didn't have a festival scheduled for the weekend."

Lorelai snickered in agreement. "Wouldn't surprise me," Luke said.

Babette nodded absently, still looking at the collection of things on the porch. "So why's Luke not letting you carry anything?"

Both Luke and Lorelai startled, surprised to learn that Babette had been listening to their bickering for longer than they realized.

She continued. "Luke doesn't want you carrying any boxes, and you're cleaning out the extra room in the middle of February." She turned and grinned widely at Lorelai. "Stand up, sugar. Let's see what you're hiding."

"I'm not – Babette!" Lorelai blustered.

"Oh yes you are, missy!" She cackled in delight. "You're having a baby, ain't you?"

Lorelai looked over at Luke, resigned, then turned back to Babette, a smile struggling onto her face. "Yeah, we are."

"I knew it! Oh my God, wait 'til I tell Morey!"

"No, Babette –!" Luke sprang off the steps, ready to stop her.

Instead, Lorelai grabbed his arm, halting him. "Luke, it's fine." She stood up, one hand patting her stomach. "It's going to become increasingly obvious, and our families already know. Go ahead, Babette, spread the word."

"Consider it spread, sugar." She nodded, then pointed at them. "You just sit back down and chill out for a minute or two. I'm gonna go rally the troops." She practically sprinted back to her house.

"Troops?" Luke wondered.

"The gnomes? Who knows?" Lorelai shrugged. "Come on, though, I guess we should go fill up some more boxes."

A few minutes later, they heard someone calling up the stairs. "OK if I come up?"

Luke popped out of the spare room and looked over the railing, surprised to see Morey standing at the foot of the stairs. "Sure, come on," he answered, although he wondered why Babette's shy husband was in their house.

When he entered, the amount of items still piled in the room stopped Morey in his tracks, but he soon managed to focus on Lorelai. "I hear congratulations are in order."

Lorelai's smile lit up her face. "Thanks, Morey." She indicated the floor-to-ceiling stack of treasures. "Want to see if you can find something valuable?"

He snorted. "The last thing we need in our house is more tchotchkes. Nope, I'm here to help. Got a box for me to carry down?"

"Oh, Morey, you don't have to do that!" Lorelai protested.

"Yeah, we can handle it," Luke added, never predisposed to accept help.

"I've got my orders," he said calmly. "And there's nothing you can say that supersedes what Babs told me to do. That one ready?" he asked, pointing to a box in a relatively clear part of the room.

"Then, sure. Thanks!" Lorelai capitulated easily.

"More's coming," he added cryptically, leaving the room with the box in his arms.

Luke looked over at Lorelai, frowning. "More's coming? What's that mean?"

"More…stuff?" Lorelai laughed. "Maybe they're moving the garage sale to our front yard for convenience? I have no idea!"

More soon became apparent. First Kirk showed up to help, then Andrew arrived in the bookstore's van to ferry boxes, and five minutes later Miss Patty came with a clipboard and a selection of Weston's doughnuts. Taylor Doose brought his Scout troop and organized a fireman's brigade from the bottom of the steps to the front door. Sookie rushed in with a tray of sandwiches and took over the kitchen, offering coffee and hot chocolate to the volunteer work force.

The commotion finally pulled Rory from her room. "What's going on?" she asked crankily, standing in the upstairs hallway.

Babette gave her an exuberant hug. "We're getting the room cleared out for your new brother or sister!"

Rory pulled away, making a face. "There's too much noise. I'm going to Lane's," she stated.

"No you don't, young lady!" Babette pulled her back. "You've got two long legs, two strong arms, and more energy than the rest of us combined. You go get your shoes on and get back up here to help, pronto. Shame on you, not pitching in to help your mom and Luke. You scoot, now!"

Rory sniffed disdainfully, looking annoyed. But "Fine," she said, aggravated. She went down the stairs, presumably to put on her shoes and join in.

Lorelai looked stunned. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Do what?" Babette looked over at Lorelai, then turned her head back to where Rory had been standing. "Oh, is Rory giving you problems?"

"And then some," Luke said grimly, slapping some tape over a full box.

Babette laughed. "I wondered when that was finally gonna happen."

"What?"

"The attitude. You know, that pre-teen brattiness. You've been awful lucky so far, having such an angel of a little girl. You knew that wasn't gonna last, right?"

"It wasn't?" Lorelai said sadly, shaking her head.

"Nah. I think I drove my sainted mother to drink when I was that age." She zeroed in on Lorelai. "How about you when you were twelve? Perfect kid?"

Lorelai scoffed. "I believe my mother once referred to me as 'demon spawn.'"

"Well, there ya go." Babette chuckled. "You two have always been peas in a pod, you know."

Luke suddenly remembered his sister diving under her bed to hide rather than getting her hair cut, and his dad resorting to pulling her out bodily once his patience had been exhausted. "You think that's what this is?" he questioned Babette.

"Most likely. Or could be she's scared she's never gonna have a life once the new baby gets here, 'cause she's gonna be babysittin' forever."

"Huh," Lorelai said, looking at Luke. He shrugged and nodded back at her, liking the idea that maybe there was hope for their Rory situation after all.

On the Monday after the Great Hoarding Box-Up, as Lorelai now referred to it, Luke happened to glance out of the diner's window while bussing a table and saw Ed Tallman walking down the street. Immediately he dashed to the door.

"Ed!" he yelled down the street. When Ed turned around, Luke waved, then motioned at the diner. "Got time for a cup of coffee on me?"

"Well, when you put it that way!" Ed laughed and began to head back to the diner.

Luke held open the door. "Have a seat wherever you want. As you can see, we're not real busy right now."

"And yet you're giving away free coffee." Ed took a seat at the counter while Luke quickly poured him a mug.

"How have you been?" Luke asked, putting the cup in front of him.

"Not too shabby." Ed blew on the coffee, then took a sip. "How about yourself? How's Lorelai? Is she still putting up with you?"

Luke rocked back on his heels, then looked down at the floor. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What'd you do?" Ed looked at him sharply. "I'll tan your hide if you've done something stupid."

"Hopefully not too stupid." Luke grinned. "But I guess we'll find that out in another five months or so." He took a deep breath, suddenly nervous to tell Ed his big news. "It looks like…Lorelai and I…Well, the thing is, I'm going to be a dad. Sometime in August, most likely."

"Why, Luke!" Ed put down the mug of coffee. "That's just…that's…" Abruptly he reached for Luke's hand, clasping it and then putting his other one on top. "That's wonderful news, son. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Ed."

"Lorelai's OK?"

Luke sighed. "Sometimes she's great, other times she's in the bathroom for half the day."

Ed chuckled. "That sounds about right."

"But the doctor says everything's good so far, everything's on track."

"Always reassuring to hear that." Ed sat back, looking pleased. "You had a good example growing up, Luke. Just follow your dad's lead and you'll do just fine."

Luke felt a familiar lump materialize in his throat, almost making him wish he also had a cup of coffee to swallow it away. "That's what I'm hoping, that some of him rubbed off on me."

"If not, you'll figure it out just fine on your own." Ed graced him with a look of understanding. "I tell you, though, there's nothing better than the first time your own child smiles back at you. Of course, there's nothing more frustrating than dealing with them too, sometimes."

Luke sighed. "Yeah, we've been experiencing that recently."

Ed's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Rory?"

Before Luke could answer, the diner's phone rang. "Anybody want to get that?" Luke yelled back towards the kitchen. When no one answered, and the phone continued to ring, he started towards it. "Guess I'll get it," he remarked to Ed.

"Luke's," he said into the receiver, his normal brief and to-the-point greeting.

There was a slight pause. "Is this Luke?" the caller asked.

"You got him."

"Luke, hi. This is Chris. Chris Hayden."

The phone nearly slipped out of his hand. "Um, hi," he finally managed to say in response.

"Listen, I'm looking for Lorelai."

"Well, she's not here," he said, his eyes rolling involuntarily.

"Where is she then?" Chris asked peevishly. "I've tried the Inn, I've tried the house."

Luke hated to tell him out of sheer pettiness, but yet he knew there was no reason not to give out the information. "She's in Bridgeport today, at some sort of employee relations seminar."

"Oh," Chris said, disappointed. "She's back tonight?"

"Yeah." Luke hesitated. "Should I have her call you or something?"

Silence was the reply, but somehow the silence felt weighted, as if a great deal was not being said.

"Chris?" Luke finally prodded.

"I know it's stupid to talk to you about this," Chris said slowly.

"Talk about what?"

"About the pregnancy. See, knowing that Lorelai is pregnant again – it's really a difficult thing for me to deal with."

"There's nothing you have to deal with. It has nothing to do with you," Luke said bluntly.

"But it feels like it should. It feels like we still had all of this unfinished business, and now this baby has derailed everything."

"What the hell are you talking about? Unfinished business? You had years to settle everything, but you stayed away and let the girls take care of themselves. Your time's passed, buddy. I think Lorelai's made that very clear."

"Yeah, she has, but…"

"But what?"

"I guess I just always thought...You know, that in the future…there'd be a future."

"Oh, for God's sake," Luke muttered, ready to explode. "Quit bellyaching about something that didn't happen and step up and be a father to your daughter!"

"Wait – you want Rory to come live with me?"

"No! Of course I don't want Rory to live with you! What I want is for you to help her! Show her that you're in her corner, make sure she knows you're always going to be there for her, even if you don't always understand her. Right now you could be a hero to her, do you even get that? Christ, you could be a hero to us too, for that matter. Just once, look beyond yourself and what you want and take care of her! Man, this is your chance and you're blowing it, big time."

There was another spell of silence before Chris spoke. "You think that's what Rory wants?"

"For you to be a father to her? Of course she does. Think about it. Didn't you want your dad to spend time with you?"

Chris gave an abrupt, bitter chuckle. "Not particularly, no."

Luke suddenly remembered the less than flattering picture Lorelai had sketched of Christopher's father. "Well, then, step up and be the dad you wish you had."

Chris considered Luke's words for a moment. "Lorelai would be on board with this?"

Luke scoffed. "I don't presume to speak for Lorelai. You'd need to discuss it with her. I'm just giving you my opinion."

"Well, OK." Chris blew out a breath. "I guess I'll call later tonight and talk to her."

"Do that." Luke then had another thought. "A word of advice, though. Make sure it's about Rory, not Lorelai. Trust me, both of them will be able to tell if it's not."

"Yeah, good point." Christopher suddenly laughed. "I guess talking to you about this wasn't so stupid after all."

"That remains to be seen," Luke said grimly, and hung up the phone.

When he turned around, he saw Ed regarding him speculatively from over the rim of the coffee mug.

"Guess that was one of those pesky telephone salesmen, huh?" Ed asked mildly.

"Something like that," Luke sighed, wishing he'd remembered Ed was sitting three feet away from the phone on the wall before he'd unloaded on Christopher.

"Well, sounds like you handled him just fine." He took another sip of coffee before he looked up and smiled at Luke. "I think Lorelai would be proud of how you handled it."

"I hope so." Luke leaned his elbows on the counter and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes.

"You were saying that Rory's giving you some trouble?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so," Luke confirmed, not wanting to go into too much detail.

"Then shipping her off to spread the misery around is a good idea."

Luke shook his head, not understanding. "What?"

"That's what we did, back when Carol was at that God-awful smart mouth stage. Whenever it seemed like her mom or I were about to snap and kill her, we'd ship her off to stay with Maisie's girls for a while. Let them all be crabby together."

A grin broke over Luke's face as the fond memory came to him of pushing Carol into a snowbank after she'd sassed him one time too many. "That work?" he wanted to know.

"It bought us some time. Eventually it passes."

"That's what I hear. Not sure Liz ever grew out of it, though."

"She did all right, now." Ed pointed at him. "Still, let's hope this new little one is a boy. Look how much easier they are to raise."

Luke laughed, the bad mood brought on by Christopher's call dissipating. "A boy would be fine with me, just to see if you're right."

Ed started to get down from the stool, taking one last gulp of coffee. "Tell you what, bring Rory out to the farm some time. I'm sure Clinton would love a good romp around the place with her. Or come spend some time in the wood shop together." He winked. "Mind you, I said wood shop, not the woodshed."

"Thanks, Ed. I might take you up on that."

Ed reached across the counter for another handshake. "Again, Luke, congratulations. This news has made my day. Be sure and give my best regards to Lorelai."

"Will do." Luke watched his dad's friend – his friend too, he realized – leave the diner, feeling a quite a bit better about life in general, and Rory in particular.

They were in the midst of the nightly foot-rubbing routine when the phone rang. Lorelai stretched her arm out behind her, striving to reach the receiver without leaving her spot on the couch, practically standing on her head by the time her fingers connected with the machine.

"For crying out loud," Luke muttered, holding her legs so she wouldn't tumble off. "Would you be careful?"

"Got it!" she announced triumphantly. "Hello!" she trilled into the phone, smiling at Luke.

She sat up straight as the smile left her mouth. "Chris. Hi." She rolled her eyes at Luke, very similar to his response earlier in the day.

"I'm OK," she said tentatively, after listening to him for a minute. "I'm past the first few icky months, so it's getting better." She paused again. "Um, early August, probably. Or maybe late July." She listened, then chuckled. "Yeah, if you could have my own personal ice cream truck delivered to me sometime in June, that would be perfect. Remember how awful the August was when I was pregnant with Rory? Can you imagine how miserable I'm going to be this time?" She smiled, almost fondly, and the familiar pain of jealousy stabbed at Luke.

"No, I'm perfectly OK with a visit," Lorelai continued on with the conversation. "You're sure you're up to it?" She listened, then nodded at Luke. "Either this weekend or the next should be fine. Tell you what, why don't I pass the phone on to Rory and you guys can hash out the details?" She got up from the couch with the cordless phone and headed to Rory's room.

Luke could hear her murmuring an explanation to Rory, and then she came back to join him.

"Well, what do you know? He actually called," she commented to Luke, her eyes held wide open in pretended shock.

"I guess he gets credit for that, at least," Luke said grudgingly.

"You get the credit, babe." She leaned over and kissed him, one of her hands tenderly rubbing his back. "You're the one who put the idea in his mind and convinced him he could do it."

"More like I beat him over the head with it," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai gave a small laugh. "Whatever you want to call it, it worked."

Luke wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. "I just hope it helps."

Help it did, or at least it looked that way. In the days leading up to her weekend with Chris, Rory changed back into a reasonable facsimile of her old self. She went to the bookstore and bought maps and a guidebook, planning out the best route and what to do when she got there. She packed, and then repacked. She worked ahead as much as she could with her assignments, wanting plenty of free time.

Best of all, she at least tolerated baby news. Lorelai chanced showing her the ultrasound picture, and even though she barely glanced at it and sniffed, "Looks like one of those inkblot tests," at least she didn't go running off to her room. It had gotten to the point where even that counted as a win.

The plan was that they would meet halfway to drop Rory off to Chris. She sat between them in the truck, double-checking the map, even occasionally leaning past Luke to see the odometer, making sure they hadn't missed the turn-off.

When they pulled into the designated shopping center, Lorelai pointed at Chris's car already parked there. She looked over at Luke, her eyebrows raised, and he nodded, understanding her unspoken message. So far, so good.

Lorelai got out of the truck first, anxious to stretch her legs. She waved and walked over to meet Chris at his car.

Luke waited beside the truck for Rory to hop out. She reached back in to snag her book bag, but suddenly stopped, breathing shakily.

"Hey, everything OK?" Luke asked kindly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," she said faintly, still stopped in mid-grab.

He tried to put more reassurance into his voice. "You know, don't you, if you get there and it's not the way thought it would be, you can call us. We'll drive right back and get you. And I mean at any time."

Rory took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know." She gave herself a shake, picked up the bag, and turned to face him. "It's just feels…a little weird. To be going with him."

"Sure," Luke agreed.

"But that doesn't mean I don't want to."

"Totally understand."

She settled the pack against her shoulders, holding onto the straps. "And it's just an overnight, basically," she added, sounding as if she was convincing herself.

"Right, we'll see you tomorrow night in Hartford." Christopher was going to go see his mother after dropping Rory off at the Gilmore's.

"So it's fine," she said staunchly.

Luke nodded and went to the back of the truck to pull out her suitcase. Rory shut the truck's door and they began to walk over to where Chris and Lorelai were chatting, but before they reached them, Rory suddenly turned and threw her arms around him.

"Rory?" He hugged her tightly, but he wasn't sure what was behind her unexpected show of affection.

She looked up at him, her eyes damp. She opened her mouth, tried to say something, but after a few seconds she shook her head, gave him another hug, and then trudged resolutely over to her father.

"Hey, kiddo!" Chris greeted her. He opened the truck of his car so Luke could deposit Rory's suitcase there.

Rory swallowed hard before cautiously leaning against Lorelai.

"Have fun, sweetie!" Lorelai told her, giving her a hug and a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll miss you, but I can't wait to hear what adventures you have with your dad!" She smiled, determined to be cheerful.

Rory bent her head and snuggled against her mother for a long moment. "Bye, Mom," she said quietly, and then moved to get into Christopher's car.

Their drive home was nothing like Luke thought it might be. He'd worried that Lorelai would be anxious and depressed, having turned Rory over to Chris for basically the first time. But instead, she was upbeat. She turned the radio up and sang along to nearly every song, bouncing in her seat, making him laugh at her theatrics. They talked about anything they wanted, and especially about the baby. They stopped for lunch at a Chili's, relaxed and content, taking their time as they picked apart their Awesome Blossom.

After lunch, they walked into a Babies R Us that shared the same parking lot as the restaurant. They bought a package of light blankets that Lorelai said were 'receiving blankets' with puppies and kittens printed on them, something called 'sock rattles,' a package of sleepers that could be worn by boys or girls, as well as a bouncy seat. And it was Lorelai who laughingly pushed him to the checkout lane, insisting they shouldn't buy anything else for the time being.

When they got home, Luke put his arms around her waist, swaying them back and forth. "Since it seems like you feel pretty good –"

"So do you," she purred back to him.

"– and I arranged to take the whole day off, what do you say we go over to Sniffy's for dinner?"

"Yes!" She clapped her hands.

"We haven't really celebrated the baby yet," he pointed out.

"And I can't think of a better place to celebrate than Sniffy's," she said approvingly.

"So why don't you go put on the cute dress your mom bought you, the one with the bow at the neck…"

"As long as you wear the sweater vest she bought for you, that's fine with me."

Luke made a face. "On second thought, wear whatever you want."

"You mean, wear whatever I can still fit into."

"It doesn't matter what you wear, you'll always be the most beautiful woman in the room."

"Wow, somebody is certainly going overboard with his praise. Possibly because he likes the newly expanded assets?" She waved a hand at her chest.

"New, old…I love every inch of you. Always will," he whispered to her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"And I love every inch of you too," she responded. A split second later she startled and briefly slapped a hand over her mouth before bursting into laughter. "Holy cow, that was so dirty! And I wasn't even trying!"

Luke laughed too, shaking his head. "Go get ready. I'll call and make sure they have a table for us."

"I predict they can squeeze us in," Lorelai said as she started up the stairs. "Even if they were booked solid, I bet Maisie would make Buddy bring in an extra table for her Lucas."

"Stop," he said, looking for the phone.

"I will not." Now upstairs, she leaned over the railing to smile down at him. "I think it's nice how much affection they have for you. I think everyone should adore you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered, pretending not to care. But inside his chest, his heart was glowing from the sure knowledge that he was loved.

"Hey, you two! About time you got here!" Maisie flapped a stack of menus at the assigned hostess, shooing her away. Somehow she managed to get an arm around each of them, hugging them both at the same time, despite the relatively short length of said arms. "Buddy!" she hollered towards the kitchen.

"You come right on over here," she said, leading them to a table in a more secluded corner. "Lorelai, you look just as pretty as you did on your wedding day."

"Thanks, Maisie," Lorelai beamed back at the petite proprietress. She'd settled on wearing a short black skirt and a filmy sort of top that hovered lightly over her hips. Without knowing Lorelai's usual preferences in clothing, her choices for tonight wouldn't have caused a second glance.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Danes!" Buddy appeared, carrying an ice bucket and a long-necked green bottle. "Welcome!"

At the sight of the bottle, Luke and Lorelai exchanged a worried look. "I'm not sure we're in the mood for champagne," Luke began, trying to extricate them from the proffered alcohol.

"Oh, it's all right. This you can have," Buddy said confidently. He pulled the bottle out far enough so that Luke could see the label.

"Sparkling cider," Luke said, wincing.

"Someone spilled the beans," Lorelai said grimly.

"We may have heard rumors," Maisie said, grinning.

"We're so sorry," Lorelai began, sounding distraught. "We wanted to be able to tell you in person."

"And tonight's the first night we've felt like going out," Luke tried to explain.

"No apology needed, missy." Unbidden, Maisie put her hand on Lorelai's stomach, patting it tenderly. "We're just tickled pink for you."

"We are indeed." Buddy looped an arm around Luke's shoulders in a paternal fashion. "Welcome to fatherhood, Luke. Enjoy the ride – it gets wild from here on!"

"Sit, sit," Maisie insisted. "Get off your feet whenever you can," she instructed Lorelai.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Lorelai slid into the banquette.

"We heard that Rory's been leading you on a merry chase," Maisie added, looking sympathetic.

"Also true," Luke sighed.

"Where is she tonight?" Maisie wondered.

"With her father for the weekend," Lorelai said.

"Really?" Maisie looked surprised. "Well, that's probably for the best. Give her somebody else to bedevil. Some new perspectives. Might be just what she needs."

Might be just what we need, Luke thought to himself.

"Let's get you something to eat," Buddy suggested.

Maisie bent down to peer at Lorelai. "Have you got any cravings? Or anything that sends you running to the bathroom? We'll want to avoid that."

"Yes, please!" Lorelai was once again laughing. "But tonight, everything sounds good, so go ahead, surprise me!"

"You got it, toots!" Maisie turned to Buddy, beginning to instruct him as they walked towards the kitchen. "I figured we'd do the…"

"With a soup," he agreed.

"Not the salad?" Maisie questioned.

"Not if we do the fried," Buddy said, and Maisie nodded as if it all made perfect sense.

"They're the best," Lorelai said wistfully, watching them walk away.

"Some of the best, anyway," Luke agreed, reaching across the table to take her hand.

The hostess appeared beside them with a basket of warm bread. "Congratulations," she said, and proceeded to pour them each a glass of the sparkling nonalcoholic beverage.

They walked up the steps to the porch, still basking in the afterglow of their celebration at Sniffy's. It had been a charmed night. The food was excellent, as always, and Maisie and Buddy were their usual unrepentant selves. They'd even convinced Luke to let Lorelai lead him to the dance floor, and much to his surprise, that had been the highlight of the night, even more so than the toasts to the baby made by everyone in attendance.

Apparently Lorelai felt the same way, because she pressed herself against him from behind, her arms around his waist, still humming and moving slightly to the music they'd danced to. To say she was distracting him from unlocking the door was putting it mildly.

Finally he concentrated enough to get the key to turn and they entered the darkened house. Lorelai kept her arms around him. She was wearing heels high enough to allow her to kiss his neck, with only a slight forward tilt of her head.

"I feel great," she murmured.

"I'm glad." He patted her hands, which were still clasped in front of him.

"I don't think you understand. I feel really great." Her hands slid downwards, with purposeful intent.

A moan nearly strangled him. "God…Lorelai," he managed to choke out, as she caressed him with an even firmer touch.

"Mmm, what was I saying earlier, about every inch of you?" Her voice was sultry, her breath hot and moist on his neck.

"Sweetheart, are you –" He had to stop talking when his eyes nearly rolled back in his head from the pleasure. He swallowed hard, trying to find some way back to normal speech. "You're sure you feel like doing this?"

He almost moaned again, this time from disappointment, when she released her hold on him. She turned him around to face her, entwining her arms around his neck. He put his hands flat on the small of her back and pressed her tight against him, desperate for that intimate connection with her to continue.

"I know this past month or so has been a crazy rollercoaster ride," Lorelai said. "The baby's interrupted our sexy times more often than I can count, either because I got queasy or had to jump up and go pee right in the middle of things." She brought her hands down, slowly massaging his back as she went, moving past his belt and finally molding her palms over his ass. She pressed harder, insuring that their bodies were as joined as they could be, save for the few flimsy layers of clothing serving as barriers. "But tonight I feel amazing," she continued, somewhat breathlessly. "You feel amazing. And I need my amazing husband to do absolutely amazing things to me."

Luke kissed her, granting permission for his mouth and tongue and lips to give her a preview of what some of those amazing things were going to be. She kissed him back with the same level of desire, ramping up his need to get her under him immediately, if not sooner. He nudged her blindly towards the stairs.

She tore her mouth away from his for a brief second. "The house is ours. We can stay right here."

"Nope." He hated to stop the kissing, but he needed to talk…and maybe take in a deep breath of air, too, now that he thought about it. "Too many windows."

"It's dark," Lorelai observed, trying to persuade him through touch as well as with her words. "Nobody can see."

"No, I want you upstairs." He skillfully kneaded her through her silky blouse, making her gasp and throw back her head. "I need you on the bed, so I can do all of those amazing things you want me to do."

"OK, you've convinced me." She took his hand and rushed towards the stairs.

She was a tread or two ahead of him on the steps, her delectable bottom in front of his eyes. Without thought he slipped his free under up under her skirt, squeezing and teasing.

The unexpected rush of sensations made her feet tangle. Instantly Luke caught her and held her steady.

"Just…just let me get upstairs, OK, lover?" she said, breathing hard.

"Sorry." He buried his face in her hair and curved his hand over the small rounded part of her middle. "That was stupid."

"No, no, it's fine. Don't think about that." She pulled him up the remaining stairs, then turned to meet him at the top, immediately starting to kiss him again. "Think about this instead."

He walked her backwards down the hall and into their room. They kicked off shoes before Luke grabbed the hem of her blouse and pulled it off over her head. He quickly released her bra.

"You're right. I do like the newly expanded assets." He bent his head, giving her something to moan about.

A few minutes later, having achieved the flat surface of the bed, he took the time to gaze at her body. "Dear God, you are beautiful," he murmured, nearly overcome by his feelings for her. "So damn beautiful."

"Stop gawking," she complained, writhing with impatience. "Do those amazing things you promised me."

"Yes ma'am," he laughed, happy to comply. Soon he forgot all about the baby, all about his self-imposed warnings to be gentle and cautious and slow. The only things that existed in the whole of the universe was her and his love for her and the need they both had to bring that love to completion.

Later, sated and loose-limbed, he held her safe in his arms once again as their breathing and heartbeats slowed.

Eventually Lorelai sighed with satisfaction. "Mmm, I think that more than lived up to the amazing label."

"I concur," Luke said lazily.

"This has been a wonderful day."

"It has," he agreed again.

"You know…" she began, but then stopped and seemed to be collecting her thoughts. "Ever since I became a mom, I've listened to all of these other moms complain about their kids, and talk about how great it was to get rid of them for a day, or even a couple of hours, and I never understood. I mean, I loved being with Rory. She's always been my best friend, and spending time with her was the most fun thing ever. I hated when she started school, because that cut into our time together."

Luke smiled, listening to her. "You two have always been a team."

"Right." He felt her nodding. "But today…not having her around today…I finally understand what those other moms were talking about. I feel guilty as hell, but having a day without her was absolutely wonderful."

"She has been a pill," he said as neutrally as possible.

"Anyway, I hope that this weekend gives her a break, too. I hope that when she comes home she's become more aware that her life is still good, even if there is a baby coming."

Luke took some time to think about what he wanted to say. "I hope so, too, but Lorelai…this snotty stuff from her has got to stop. I agree, we can't make her be happy, but I'm tired of hearing her disrespect you. I'm tired of tip-toeing around her. I'm tired of constantly feeling like our house is a battleground, her against us. We've got to come up with some sort of solution to make this work for all of us."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe a lesson in basic civility, if nothing else?"

Lorelai chuckled mirthlessly. "Well, I certainly know all about those frosty, polite smiles. Guess I can teach her."

He shrugged. "And maybe you're right. Maybe she'll come home a changed girl."

Lorelai yawned. "How sad is it that Christopher is our one last hope?"

They snuggled together, drifting towards sleep.

"Stop it," Lorelai said, a few minutes later.

"Stop what?"

"Stop jiggling me."

"I'm not jiggling you."

"Yes you are! Stop it! I'm trying to sleep."

"Lorelai, believe me, I have no strength left to 'jiggle' you."

"Then what –" She went still.

"What?" Luke pushed up to one elbow.

She continued to lie motionless as he became more alarmed by the second. "Lorelai, what?"

"Oh, Luke…it's…it's the baby," she whispered.

"What?" he demanded harshly, trying to roll her over. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She flopped over on her back, and he could see her eyes shining up at him. "The baby's moving, Luke. Kicking. I…I can feel it," she said, her voice full of wonder.

The news knocked him speechless.

"Here." She took his hand and pressed it hard right above her pubic bone. "It's really, really light…I doubt that you can feel…"

He tried as hard as he could, but all he could feel was her soft skin.

Lorelai sighed. "I think she went back to sleep. She'll get stronger, though. Maybe strong enough that next time Daddy can feel."

"Do you think the lovemaking bothered him?" Luke asked worriedly.

"Probably not. I think she's pretty well insulated in there." Lorelai turned to face him. "It's more likely she's been moving and kicking for a while, but this was the first time I was still and quiet enough to sense it."

Luke reached out to stroke her hair. "Wow," he said, which sounded like the most inadequate response ever, considering the marvel that had just occurred.

"I know, right?" Lorelai laughed. "Perfect way to end this wonderful day, huh?"

Luke pulled her to him and held her against his chest. "I know you're pregnant –"

"Uh, yeah!" Lorelai cut in.

"I mean, of course I've known that. I know there's a baby. But to be aware that he's moving around, and…and alive…" He paused, trying to stumble upon what he wanted to say. "It just makes it all about a thousand times more real, doesn't it?"

Lorelai laughed and snuggled up against him. "It doesn't get any more real than this. Or any better."

"I love you," he whispered to her. He continued to hold her close long after she fell asleep, more determined than ever to find a way to get their family back on the right track.

The next evening they arrived at the Gilmore's precisely at 6:30. Lorelai had been so antsy to see Rory that she'd practically pushed them out the door, guaranteeing them an on-time arrival.

"Where's my girl?" Lorelai playfully demanded, as soon as the maid opened the front door.

Emily quickly walked into the entry, looking concerned. "She's upstairs, lying down in your room."

"Why? What's wrong?" Lorelai wanted to know immediately. She started for the stairs, but Emily stopped her.

"She says she's got a headache. I just checked on her and she's asleep. It might be best to let her be for right now."

Lorelai nodded, even though she looked incredibly disappointed. "Do you really think that's what it is? Or do you think the visit with Christopher tanked?"

Emily appeared conflicted. "Christopher was practically giddy when he brought her in. He couldn't stop talking about how much fun they'd had; what all they'd seen in the city, and Rory seemed to be of the same mind. But then as soon as he left, she sort of…deflated. Not long after that, she said the ride home had given her a headache, and asked if it was OK to go lie down. I said yes, of course."

"Did she take any aspirin?" Luke asked, always the practical one.

Emily smacked a hand against her forehead. "I'm an idiot. I didn't even think to offer any."

"If she fell asleep, that's probably the best thing for her," he commented.

"Well, let's go ahead and eat our dinner," Emily suggested. "It's almost ready. Once we're finished, we can see how she's doing. Maybe she'll feel better after her nap. I'll tell Ursula to keep her meal warm, in case she feels like eating later."

The dinner was pleasant with just the four adults. Luke had a hard time believing that this was the same Emily Gilmore who had terrorized her daughter for so many years. Lorelai's pregnancy had certainly softened up her brittle edges. She questioned them about the baby things they'd purchased over the weekend, wanting to know every detail, and eagerly asked what else they needed.

"Everything about having a baby has changed so much, even since you had Rory," she commented as they left the table.

"Well, you still get fatter and fatter as the weeks go by!" Lorelai laughed, lighting patting her stomach. "That hasn't changed."

"Oh, I wanted to show you this." Emily went over to a long box, yellowed with age, which was sitting on the coffee table. "This is another thing that doesn't change." She opened the box and carefully folded back the tissue paper protecting the contents.

"I remember these!" Lorelai smiled, bending over to gently touch the small garments. "These were Gran's, right?"

"And mine," Richard reminded her.

"And yours, as well." Emily smiled too.

Lorelai removed the top gown, exposing the one below. "Oh, this is the one that Rory wore!" She lovingly caressed the seed pearls stitched around the bodice of the tiny white dress.

"I wanted to get them out and see if they needed cleaned or repaired," Emily explained.

"In case you wanted to use any of them," Richard added. "But only if you want."

Lorelai looked at Luke, her mouth pursed in a sardonic smile. "Well, formal christenings aren't up my alley, normally, but…" She longingly fingered the exquisite little gown. "It might be nice, to do something a little traditional after the baby gets here. Luke, what do you think?"

What did he think? He thought anything that brought Lorelai and her parents closer together was a win, that's what he thought. Nevertheless, he dutifully came over to examine the delicate garments.

"They're a little…frilly, aren't they?"

"They're handstitched," Emily informed him. "Imported from France."

"But what if he's a boy?"

Richard looked at him askance. "Christening gowns know no gender, Luke. That one you're holding is mine, I'll have you know. As it was my father's before me."

"It was modeled on the one Queen Victoria dressed Prince Edward in for his christening," Emily said, going on with the history lesson.

"Wait. Edward. Wasn't he the playboy?" Lorelai asked. "Maybe not the best role model."

"What are you doing?" a plaintive voice asked from the doorway.

"Rory!" Lorelai rushed to her daughter's side. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" She wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, drawing her close.

"Better, kinda." Rory yawned, still half-asleep. She put her arms around Lorelai and leaned into her, letting her head rest against her mom's shoulder.

"Aww, poor thing." Lorelai pushed back Rory's hair and put a soothing hand on her forehead. "Mean old headache got you, huh?"

"Yeah, Dad's car is weird. It was like I had to hold my head all wrong, or something," she complained. "My neck got this kink in it."

"Rory, would you like your dinner now?" Emily asked.

Rory straightened up at her grandmother's voice, and her arm accidentally brushed against the small mound of baby underneath Lorelai's sweater. She jumped away as if she'd been burned.

"No," she said brusquely.

"You might feel better if you eat," Luke suggested, hoping against hope that she'd go back to hugging her mom again. He'd give practically anything to see that look of contentment return to Lorelai's face.

Rory focused on him, instantly zeroing in on the petite gown still in his hands. She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just want to go home," she sullenly insisted.

"That might be for the best," Richard said amiably. He got up and walked over to Rory, patting her shoulder affectionately when he passed her. "There's nothing like getting in your own bed to put those aches and pains in their place. Let me get your coats."

Soon they were in the truck, ready to head to Stars Hollow. "You had a good time with your dad?" Lorelai asked.

"Can we not talk about it tonight?" Rory grumbled. "I just want to go back to sleep."

"Sure, sweetie," Lorelai said with a sigh. "Here. Lean your head on me and close your eyes."

At first Luke thought she was going to snub Lorelai's offer, but after a few moments of consideration, she did indeed curl up against her mother, soon closing her sad eyes.

Lorelai looked at him with her own sad eyes, giving a slight shrug before she put an arm around Rory.

There seemed nothing else he could do except to drive them safely home.

The next morning at breakfast, Rory was a little bit more social. Between eating bites of scrambled egg she answered questions about her visit with her father, and even offered up several stories about where they ate their meals and how the Fox Books in Christopher's neighborhood differed from the one in Hartford. She wasn't effusive, but she wasn't shutting them out, either.

Luke glanced at the clock. "You've got about five minutes before you need to head out. Is everything in your bookbag?"

She nodded, quickly shoving some more toast in her mouth.

"So, Rory…" Lorelai said slowly. She looked at Luke for moral support. "There's something I'd like to share with you."

"Yeah? What?"

"Something pretty major happened over the weekend." Lorelai smiled bravely. "I felt the baby kick for the first time."

"Eww, gross!" Rory looked horrified. "Why would you tell me something like that?"

"Because it's a big deal; a big milestone in the baby's development. I didn't want to leave you out of the news."

"Leave me out," she grumbled. "Please."

Lorelai sighed and looked at Luke again. He nodded encouragingly.

"I've got another doctor's appointment coming up later this week. We thought maybe you'd like to come along with us this time."

"No," she said coolly, downing her orange juice.

"That way you could ask the doctor any questions you might have. And it's pretty neat, hearing the baby's heartbeat. I'm sure it'd be OK if I wrote you a note to get out of school for the appointment."

"I said no." Rory got to her feet, annoyed. "No way am I missing any school because of this stupid baby!"

Luke's patience, long at the breaking point, finally disintegrated. "Rory!" he thundered, taking a step towards her from the sink.

She turned around to face him. "What?" she asked, but weirdly, she didn't seem to be mad. Instead she seemed almost…eager?

Before Luke could spend any time pondering her expression, Lorelai spoke up. "Luke," she interjected, not as a warning, but as a plea instead.

Rory was still watching him intently. It was almost as if she was holding her breath.

"I…I just thought…" He rubbed his forehead, unsure of how to backtrack after his explosion. "I wondered if you'd like to stop by the diner after school today, the way you used to."

"Why?" she asked, slightly suspicious.

"I've been thinking about adding a couple of new dishes to the menu. I wondered if you'd like to give me a hand. You could taste-test, even if you don't want to help me cook them."

She looked intrigued. "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

"OK, then, I'll see you after school." Luke was alarmed at how easily he was able to voice a lie when it was necessary.

Rory actually smiled. "Yeah, see you after school." Her smile faded as she looked at her mother. "Bye," she said quietly. She put on her coat and mittens, picked up her schoolbag, and exited through the back door.

"Luke, thank you." Lorelai held out her hand to him, squeezing his gratefully when he took hers. "I know this isn't the way you think we should handle her, but giving her more time is just the only solution I've got."

"Well, you are her mom," he said lightly. He bent to give her a kiss. "But I'm your husband," he reminded himself.

Later that afternoon, Luke stood outside of the diner, waiting for Rory. He was outside partially because it was one of those rare late February days when full sunshine made it seem milder and more spring-like than it actually was. The other reason was that he didn't wholly believe that Rory would show up.

However, a minute later he spotted her walking down the street with Lane. The girls said goodbye to each other and then Rory skipped across the street to the diner, her coat unbuttoned due to the uptick in temperature.

"What are you doing out here?" she greeted him, smiling widely.

"Felt good to stretch my legs, get some fresh air," he replied. He held open the door for her. "How was school?"

"Same old, same old," she shrugged, taking off her coat and laying her stuff down on a table. "Stupid boys, mean girls. Teachers trying to hold it all together."

While she talked, Luke turned his back to her. He flipped the diner's sign to 'closed.' He turned the lock and put down the blinds.

"What's going on?" Rory asked sharply.

"We need to have a talk," Luke said quietly. He sat down at one of the tables.

"You can't make me," she said belligerently.

"No. I can't," he agreed. "But I hope you still have enough respect for me that you'll agree to do it anyway."

After a moment of indecision, she wiped her palms against her jeans before slowly joining him at the table. She pushed her hair back behind her ears, not looking at him.

"We should have done this weeks ago, but your mom wanted you to work it out on your own. And frankly…" Luke smiled sadly. "I really didn't want to hear you tell me that I wasn't your real dad if I tried to force the issue."

Rory bent her head closer to the table and mumbled something.

"What?" Luke asked, straining his ears.

She already looked close to tears. "Nothing," she insisted.

"So…Rory." He tried to find the best way to get their dialog started. "I love you, you know. And I love your mom, very much. You two are the most important people in the world to me, and more than anything, I want both of you to be happy. But as you well know, right now none of us are happy. Your mom's sad, you're angry, and I'm miserable."

She raised stricken eyes to his face.

"It seems to me that we need to figure out how to get all of us happy again." He cleared his throat, wishing he could avoid the next sentence. "And if that means letting you go live with your dad, then that's what we need to do."

Her tears came even closer to the surface. "Dad doesn't have room for me."

Luke frowned. "Well, maybe we could help him find something bigger –"

"I don't mean just in his apartment! I mean anywhere!" She sniffled. "He doesn't have room for me anywhere."

"OK," Luke said, keeping his voice calm. "But if that's what you want –"

"That's not what I want!"

"Then what do you want?"

She wiped away the first tear that had spilled over her cheek. "I want things to go back to the way they were!"

Luke shook his head. "There's no way to do that. This baby's coming."

"Oh, I guess I know that!" she said hotly, swiping at her eyes.

"Rory, like it or not, your mom's already nurturing the baby. That's her job right now. And it's taken me longer than it should have to realize that as much as I want to take care of you, it's my job to protect your mom, too. The doctor's started to be concerned about her blood pressure, she says it looks like there's too much stress in her life." He looked levelly at Rory. "Gee, I wonder where that's coming from?"

She bent her head as the tears fell faster.

"Tell me what we can do," Luke begged, leaning forward in his seat. "Tell me how we can make this better."

Rory's shoulders were shaking with sobs. "I'm stuck!" she wailed.

"Stuck?"

"There's…there's all this…this meanness…" She gasped for breath between sobs and tried to articulate her feelings. "It's like there's nothing in me…except meanness…and every time I open my mouth…all of the terrible things…just flow out of me! I can't stop them. I'm stuck, and I don't know what to do to get unstuck!" She tearfully looked at Luke, her mouth quivering.

He snatched some napkins out of the dispenser and handed them to her so she could wipe her face. "If you're stuck and can't stop it, can you at least tell me how it got started? What caused all of the meanness?"

"It started…" Her shoulders heaved again, and she grabbed some more napkins to deal with the tears. "It started because it's so unfair!" she cried.

"What's unfair?"

"You! This! Everything!"

"I'm unfair?" Luke was putting every bit of concentration he had into understanding her. "Why am I unfair?"

"Because you're supposed to be mine!"

"Your what?"

"My dad!"

Thunderstruck, Luke felt his mouth pop open. "Rory, we…we talked about this. I'll be…whatever you want me to be to you, as long as I don't get in the way of you and Christopher."

Rory didn't appear to be listening. "But instead, you and Mom went ahead and decided to have this real family, and it's not fair! I didn't even get to enjoy having you at all!" She looked at him accusingly.

Luke sat back in his chair, trying to pull his thoughts together. "How much do you know about the…the birds and the bees stuff?"

She shrugged. "Enough to get by, I guess."

"Then you know, don't you, that babies aren't always exactly planned?"

"Luke," she scoffed, and pointed at herself. "I've known that all my life."

He threw up his hands. "Well then, I guess you've already got something in common with your new brother or sister."

"Wait. Are you saying…?" She stared at Luke as she considered his statement. "You mean, you and Mom didn't deliberately…?" She waved her hands at him vaguely, as her cheeks pinked up. "It wasn't planned?"

He shook his head. "This baby snuck up on all of us. A complete surprise." He took a deep breath. "We've all had to get used to the idea."

The news seemed to erase most of her tears and any desire to fight. "Oh," she said slowly, still staring at him. "Then I guess…that makes a big difference, doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry," Luke said sincerely. "I thought – we both assumed, I guess – that you knew that."

Rory took in a big, quivering breath of air. "I see how you and Mom are. You're so close. It's like she gives you all the special looks now; that the two of you have your own jokes and code words and things. All of the stuff that she used to do with me, she does with you now. And I guess…it made me sort of…well, jealous."

Luke winced. "Rory, neither of us want you to feel like that."

"No, no, it's OK. I get it. I mean, you guys are married and it should be that way, right?"

"Not if you feel left out," Luke said firmly.

"Anyway, I guess that's why I thought that the baby was just the next thing on your married list."

Luke couldn't choke back a laugh. "No, that wasn't even close to the top of the list."

Rory blinked and suddenly her eyes looked kind and sympathetic in a way he hadn't seen for months. "But you and Mom are OK about the baby coming now, aren't you? You're excited about it? Because that would be terrible, to be a kid you didn't want."

"We want the baby," he assured her. "It was a shock, but we're pretty excited about it now."

"Good," Rory said, relieved.

He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his. "We've already got a 'real' family, Rory. You, and your mom, and me. That's real, and the baby just gets added into it. I don't want you to think for even a second that there's any difference going on there." He lightly shook her hands. "Legally, I can't take the 'step' away from 'father.' That's what I am to you. But between us we can remove it, if that's what you want. Personally, I've thought of you as my Rory, my girl, for a long time. Maybe I haven't consciously used the word 'daughter,' but those terms feel like the same thing, don't they? I don't think there's any way I could stop thinking of you as anything other than mine now. That's just the way it is."

Rory released a deep sigh. "I've thought about calling you...the – the d-word."

Luke quirked an eyebrow. "Dummy?"

She didn't smile. "Dad," she said softly. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Not a bit."

"Then…maybe I'll give it a try sometime."

"Whenever you want." He was so happy to be able to share a smile with her again.

"OK." She collapsed back into the chair with relief.

Luke settled into his seat, crossing his arms. "So. What do you need to do next?"

Her guilty eyes leaped back to his face. "Find some way to get Mom to forgive me."

He grinned again. "You really think that's going to be hard?"

She groaned, putting her hands over her face. "I've said such terrible things to her. I've been the worst kid ever. I don't know why she would forgive me."

"She loves you, Rory. Of course she's going to forgive you," he pointed out patiently.

"But I'm scared," she whispered. "I don't know how to even start."

"Then practice on me," he suggested as kindly as he could.

The knowledge seemed to pour over her that she'd hurt him too, and she looked horrified. "Oh, Luke, I'm…" Tears once again shone in her eyes. She started to speak, but when the words didn't come easily, she got out of her chair and came over to where he was sitting. She put her arms around him in a tentative hug, but once he hugged her back she nearly choked him. "Luke, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I know you are." He patted her back comfortingly.

Eventually she gave a huge sigh and went back to her seat. Two more crumpled napkins were added to her growing collection.

"Is the meanness gone?" Luke wanted to know.

"Yeah, I think so."

"If it comes back, you know what to do now, right?"

Rory looked at him a little blankly.

"You come talk to one of us. Tell us what you're upset about. Give us a chance to explain it to you."

She nodded seriously, but in another moment, mischief took over her features. "And you know what to do too, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Geez, Luke. I'm a kid; you're the adult. You should have never let me get away with it."

A laugh sputtered out of him. "I kept trying to tell Lorelai that."

At the mention of her mother's name, Rory sobered up again. "Would you show me the picture of the baby? The inkblot one? I really wanted to look at it the other day, but…" Ashamed, she looked down at the table.

"Evil Rory wouldn't let you?" Luke suggested.

Her head shot back up. "Evil Rory?"

"That's what we were calling you. We kept hoping that Sweet Rory would eventually make a comeback."

She chuckled. "Anyway, will you show me the picture again? I know it's right there on the fridge, but I wouldn't let myself look at it."

Luke folded his hands on the table. "No."

"Oh!" Her eyes grew wide in surprise, and then her mouth drooped in sadness. "OK, I understand."

Luke leaned across the table and tapped her arm. "You ask your mother. She's the one who deserves the joy of showing you the ultrasound picture."

Rory nodded, but looked more and more nervous. "I still feel like I should do more than just say 'I'm sorry' to her."

"That's all she needs," Luke stated.

"But it's so lame." She suddenly brightened as an idea blossomed. "Wait, could we give her a party?"

"A party?"

"Yes! You know she loves parties!"

"She does, but parties take time to organize, and I don't want her waiting any longer to get this settled. In fact, I'm tempted to take you over to the Inn right now, to put her mind at ease faster."

"No!" Rory shook her head frantically. "Luke, please, I need some time to decide what to say to her so she'll believe how sorry I am. She deserves a really good apology."

"Well…I guess I can't argue with that."

"She deserves a party. An "I'm Sorry" party!"

"Rory, no."

"It doesn't have to be anything crazy, Luke. If you could bring home something special for dinner, I'll take care of everything else. I promise!"

"Like what?" he wanted to know, still skeptical.

"I've got some money. I'll get a cake from Fran and ask her to write something special on it. And I'll decorate the house somehow. Mom loves balloons and streamers."

He was still inclined to say no. "Who all is coming to this party?"

"Just us."

"Then I don't understand what the purpose of it is."

"It's…" Rory faded off and seemed to be reevaluating. "I guess it's really just a way for me to sort of ease into it." She rubbed her hands together apprehensively. "I'm really nervous about this, Luke. I don't know what to say to her. I'm really scared that maybe…she hates me now."

Luke shook his head. "Rory, trust me, this is going to be the happiest day of her life."

"Happier than your wedding day?"

He grinned. "OK, one of her happiest days."

"You'll let me do the party?" Rory asked quickly, jumping in to take advantage of his good mood.

"As long as it's nothing more than what you've already said. A cake and some decorations, and I'll bring us home something to eat."

"Deal," she said, sticking out her hand.

Luke took her hand but didn't shake it. "And you tell her the second she gets home. No dragging this out."

Rory gulped. "OK," she said meekly.

"Then I'll agree to it." He solemnly shook her hand.

"I'd better get busy." She got up and started to put her coat on.

"And I'd better get the diner opened back up." Luke headed towards the door.

Rory gave him a hug as she left. "Thanks for helping to kill the meanness."

He squeezed her shoulders. "Good to have your sweet self back."

"Can you bring home lasagna?"

"If I have time. If not, it'll be meatloaf, OK?"

"Yeah, that will work too. Mom loves meatloaf."

"She does indeed." He put his hand on top of her head. "She loves you, too," he reminded her.

"I hope so," she murmured, still worried. Then she squared her shoulders and gave him a smile. "I'll see you at home."

"You bet." He opened the door and stepped outside with her, this time fully enjoying the unexpectedly nice day as he watched her scurry down the street towards Weston's.

The weather had turned cooler by evening, but Luke still decided to wait on the front porch for Lorelai to come home. When her car came down the street, he went to greet her in front of the garage.

She pushed open the driver's side door and he took her arms, helping to pull her to her feet.

"You look happy. Did you do something slutty?" she teased, circling her arms around his neck.

"Not since Saturday," he said, trying harder to get his poker face in place.

She laughed and gave him a kiss.

"What are you doing home, anyway? I thought you were closing tonight," Lorelai commented, as they walked up to the porch arm-in-arm.

"I'm going to go back to close. Just taking a dinner break."

"Ooh, does that mean there's already dinner inside?" she asked eagerly.

"It's possible." He held open the door so she could enter ahead of him. He couldn't wait to see her reaction.

Her mouth dropped open at the streamers and shiny balloons hanging in the entrance to the living room. "What's all this?" She pushed through and looked at the twinkle lights and construction paper hearts lining the fireplace. "Did you do this? Is it like a second Valentine's Day or something?"

Luke shook his head and silently pointed to a cake sitting on the coffee table. Lorelai looked at him a trifle suspiciously, but hurried over to examine the treasure from Weston's.

A girl's face, of which it could charitably be said looked something like Rory's, was drawn in icing on the cake's top. Blue icing tears dripped down her face. Sorry-sorry-sorry was piped in purple buttercream all around the edge.

Lorelai gasped. "What is this?"

"Rory!" Luke said loudly. "Your mom's home."

Rory appeared, nervously holding a stack of poster board in her arms.

"Rory, what –?"

Rory put up a finger, indicating for her mom to wait. Then, with a deep breath and an anxious look at Luke, she flipped over the first piece of thin white cardboard.

Mom, I'm sorry

I know I've been a brat

"What is going on?" Lorelai was still shaking her head, mystified.

Rory held up the second poster.

But I hope you can forgive me

For all of that

"Oh, Rory," Lorelai whispered, as the realization set in.

I know I've been a pill

But I hope you won't cut me out of the will

Lorelai laughed, almost tearfully. "There's no money, kid, so there's no will. Hate to break it to you like this. Your best bet is to suck up to Grandma and Grandpa."

I love you a lot

I love the baby too

I hope you and Luke

Won't make me go live in a zoo

"Never," Lorelai promised.

I promise I'll be nice

I promise I'll be kind

I promise I'll be the best big sister

You will ever find

"I know you will!" Although still smiling, Lorelai was openly wiping her eyes.

Rory held up the last piece of posterboard. A big red heart encircled the words Forgive me, please?

"Of course, baby. Of course!" Lorelai sped across the room to her daughter, arms open.

They hugged and laughed and cried, swaying slightly in their happy exuberance.

Luke could hear an occasional word or sometimes a fragment of one, but he didn't interfere until the swaying got more pronounced and he worried that Lorelai would be the one who ended up on the floor. That was when he went over and gently nudged them towards the couch.

"What brought on this change of heart?" Lorelai wanted to know, still holding Rory close. She smiled at Luke as if she already knew.

Rory pulled away from her mom long enough to smile at Luke too. "Evil Rory is gone," she joked.

Lorelai briefly frowned. "You know about Evil Rory?"

Luke put up his hands, ready to deflect whatever criticism was coming.

"Yep, but she's gone, and all of the bad feelings I had are gone, and it all makes so much more sense now that I've talked to Luke."

"Is that right?" Lorelai said appraisingly.

"Yeah, he really helped me to get some things straightened out."

"I think I should head back to the diner," Luke said quickly.

"Aww, do you have to?" Rory complained. "There's meatloaf!"

"Actually, there's lasagna."

Rory looked at him adoringly. "You made lasagna after all?"

Luke started to inch towards the door. "There's salad in the refrigerator, too. It would be really nice if both of you would eat some of it."

"Oh! The refrigerator!" Rory jumped up from the couch and ran to the kitchen as if on an important mission.

"You don't want to stay?" Lorelai asked, hurriedly following him to the door.

"Seems like this should be your time with her," Luke observed, pausing long enough to smile nervously at her.

She put a hand on her arm. "So you talked to her, huh?"

"Look, I know you didn't want me to, and if you're mad –"

"I'm not mad."

Luke had to swallow down the rest of his explanation. "You're not?"

"Hard to be mad when it worked." She pulled him towards her for a kiss. "But I would like to hear about it later."

"She was ready for this to be over, that's the main thing. I just gave her an opening." He hugged her and gave her another quick kiss. "Have Rory tell you the rest," he suggested, nodding towards where Rory was just re-entering the room, the ultrasound picture in her hand. "I suspect you're going to have a lot to talk about."

Lorelai kissed him again. "Thanks," she whispered. "Hurry home."

At the door, Luke took one last look back at the girls, now cuddled together on the couch, looking at the inkblot picture of the baby. With a pang, he remembered another night, not that long ago, when he'd wanted to stay there with them so badly instead of facing his lonely apartment. Now this was his home, there was a spot for him on the couch with them, and he'd be back to join them as soon as he shut down the diner. Life was pretty damn good.

"Hey, Dummy!" Rory called out to him, breaking his reverie. She was grinning from ear to ear. "See you later!"

"Rory!" Lorelai admonished, aghast.

"No, it's OK," Luke said, chuckling. "It's like a code word between us. Don't worry, I know what she means."

He rushed to the diner, determined to get through the closing routine faster than he ever had before.

"I need to show you something," Rory said a few weeks later, climbing up on a stool at the counter. Stopping by the diner after school had once again become part of her daily routine.

"Sure, just let me finish up a patty melt in the kitchen and I'll be right back," Luke promised, picking up a bin of dirty dishes to take to the back with him.

"OK, what's up?" he asked, after the plate of melted cheese over a ground beef patty and a generous order of fries had been delivered to Andrew.

"I've got an idea." Rory pulled a folded piece of paper out of her coat pocket. "I saw this in a woodworking magazine at the library, and I made a copy of it." She carefully unfolded it and turned it so he could see it clearly.

"It's…a cradle?" Luke tilted his head, trying to judge how it was made.

"Yeah, a cradle that looks like a giant crescent moon! Isn't it adorable?"

Luke shrugged. "It's OK, I guess."

Rory shook her head at him. "Pretend you're Mom. Now look at it again."

He laughed; made a show of covering his eyes with his hands and then pulling them away in wide amazement. "You're right. She'd go nuts over it." He flipped the paper over. "Where are the directions?"

"I only had a dime with me so I couldn't copy more pages. I thought maybe you'd come with me to the library sometime so I could show you the plans."

Luke had a sudden vision of the cradle sitting in the newly emptied room upstairs, a ray of afternoon sun making the stained finish gleam. He could almost see the tiny curly-headed occupant asleep within it. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Let's see what it would take to make one."

"Yay!" Rory clapped her hands, beaming. "And I can help make it, right?"

"You want to?"

"Luke! Yes!" She sounded aggrieved. "It was my idea."

He bit down on his lips to stifle his smile. The construction of the cradle would be a thousand times more fun with her as his helper.

"Do you think we can get it done by Mom's birthday?"

"Hard to tell," Luke said, glancing at the picture again. "Until I see the plans, it's hard to know how long it might take."

"I thought it would be really neat to make it a birthday surprise."

"We've got…what? Three weeks? We might really have to hustle to make it happen, then."

"Can we go over to the library right away?" Rory bounced on the stool, anxious to get started.

"Pretty soon. Let me take care of some things first. Why don't you have a snack and then I'll take a break and we'll go over."

"Bring dimes," Rory told him seriously.

Luke tapped a finger against the Xeroxed page. "It doesn't look like they used a very good quality of wood. I think we can do better than that."

"And paint it pink."

He snorted. "We are not painting it pink."

"She needs a pink cradle, Luke."

"He would rather have a handsomely stained cradle that brings out the natural beauty of the wood."

"Girls like pink," Rory insisted, an impish grin on her face. She had sided with her mother on the still-to-be-determined sex of the baby.

"You just wait until they finally get a clear view on the ultrasound. I'm going to be so vindicated." In truth, Luke didn't care one way or another. It was just fun to needle the girls sometime.

"Whatever. In the meantime, I'll take a doughnut with sprinkles and a glass of chocolate milk while I'm waiting."

"Cheese and crackers and a glass of apple juice coming right up."

They smiled at each other like the co-conspirators they were.

"This does not look like the way to a fancy restaurant," Lorelai observed as they turned down the lane leading to the Tallman farm.

"I don't believe we ever said we were taking you to a fancy restaurant," Luke refuted, doing his best to miss the biggest ruts in the drive. He didn't want to jostle Lorelai and the baby at all if he could help it.

"You told me we were going out for a birthday surprise. What sort of birthday surprise doesn't include a meal?"

Rory shook her head. "Not everything's about food, Mom."

Lorelai scoffed and patted her rounded belly. "Tell that to this one."

"There might be food a little bit later on. There's just another surprise first." Luke tried to placate her as he parked as close as he could to the barn housing the wood shop.

"We're not that far from Sniffy's," Lorelai pointed out broodingly.

"Wow, Luke, I didn't realize that. Did you?" Rory leaned past her mother to catch his eye and wink at him.

"Darn," Luke said blandly. "Wish I had thought of that. We could have made reservations."

"Ordered a cake," Rory added.

"Asked other people to join us."

"Too bad," Rory sighed.

"Yeah. Maybe next year." He quickly kissed Lorelai's cheek before exiting the truck. He waved at Ed Tallman, who was walking down the path from the house to join them.

Rory jumped down from the cab and also waved at Ed before turning to give her mom a hand.

"Here, let me," Luke said, hurrying around to the passenger side so he could be the one to help Lorelai down.

"Luke, I'm fine," she said impatiently.

"I know, but you've got on heels and it's mostly gravel here," he said, justifying his caution.

"Lorelai, don't you just look like a rose ready to bloom," Ed said gallantly.

"I feel more like a watermelon ready to pop," Lorelai disputed with a smile. "And I've still got better than three months to go. I don't even want to think what that's going to be like."

"I imagine your devoted crew here will look after you."

"Oh, you know that's true!" She laughed and put an arm around Rory. "I can't get rid of them. They just follow me around all day and night, doing my bidding."

"Let me be useful too." Ed walked over to the door leading to the workshop and held it open.

Luke made sure that Lorelai stepped up over the threshold, and his strong arm around her waist helped her navigate down the narrow passageway to the back of the barn.

"Luke, I really can walk on my own." She was starting to sound annoyed.

"I know, but you said just the other day how this lump of baby is throwing off your balance, and I'm not letting you fall down, especially not on your birthday."

Her eyes rolled. "I'm not going to fall down," she grumbled. But then she leaned a little closer to him and whispered. "Unless somebody is doing something they shouldn't be doing on the stairs."

Luke was the one who then lost his footing, and Lorelai had to steady him. "Ha!" she crowed, delighted.

He shook his head and tried to ignore his literal misstep. "Ed and Rory, why don't you go ahead and open up the door to the shop and turn on the light?"

While they hurried to do as he asked, he stopped Lorelai beside the door and moved in front of her. "We weren't able to wrap it, so we're going to have to be a little creative here." He held her forearms in order to lead her, and then walked backwards, blocking her view until they were far enough inside the workshop. "Happy birthday," he said, leaning forward to give her a kiss. Then he stepped out of the way.

At first she frowned, not comprehending. "It's a model of the Death Star?"

"No!" Rory giggled. She ran over and grabbed her mother's hand, bringing her in for a closer look from a slightly different angle. She reached up for the tip on one side of the crescent moon and pulled, causing it to gently rock back and forth.

"Oh my God! It's a cradle?" Lorelai's face lit up in amazed delight. She ran her hands over the burnished wood and bent down to examine the small mattress tucked into the box-like bed sandwiched between the two sides of the moon. "You guys! This is the most awesome thing ever!"

"You like it?" Rory asked shyly.

"I love it! The baby will, too." She walked around it, looking over all of the details. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Yes, that's why we had to make it," Rory said, a little flippantly.

"I can't believe you made this."

"They did a great job, didn't they?" Ed said, sounding as proud as if he'd had a hand in the creation himself.

Rory poked a finger through one of the cut-out stars scattered at the top of the cradle. "I did this one all by myself."

Lorelai stopped and stared at her daughter. "Are you serious?"

"You bet I'm serious! I decided where it should go, and I traced out the design, then I cut it out, and then I sanded all of the edges so it was nice and smooth." She rubbed her finger all over the 5-pointed star to emphasize her carpentry skills.

"That's amazing. I can't believe you –" The end of Lorelai's sentence stalled as she blinked back tears. She touched the beautiful cradle reverently, then spread her arms out around it, almost as if she was giving it a hug. "This is just…the best thing…" She wiped away a few tears, her emotions overcoming her. "Just knowing that the two of you made this together, for the baby…" She turned and looked lovingly at her husband and her daughter, as more tears flowed. "It's the best thing ever!"

Luke couldn't stand to see her cry, not even happy tears. He quickly came to her side and gave her a hug.

"You're the best." She kissed him, smiling and crying at the same time. She let him go and reached for Rory. "You're the best, too," she said, hugging her tightly for a long moment.

"Ed, don't think you're getting out of this lovefest." Lorelai walked over and hugged him as well. "You're the best too, you know."

"We are all exceptional, it's true," Ed laughed, patting her shoulder.

"Oh my gosh, I'm a mess," Lorelai murmured, fighting to get her composure back. Ed offered her his handkerchief.

Luke came to stand beside her again, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Our only problem is that we haven't quite figured out how to get it home yet."

"It can't come home?" Lorelai asked, baffled.

"Oh, it can. It will. It's just not the easiest thing to transport."

"It's too wide to lay flat in the truck bed," Rory explained.

"We'll probably have to strap it down somehow." Luke shrugged. "Don't worry, we'll get it home, even if I have to rent a U-Haul to do it. Besides, it's not quite ready yet. I still want to give it another coat of varnish first."

"Oh, I was going to ask about that," Lorelai said seriously. "What if we painted it instead?"

"Pink!" Rory piped up, and she and Lorelai exchanged high-fives.

"Paint is non-negotiable," Luke said firmly. "This is the best grade of walnut I could find. We spent a week sanding it to bring out the grain and to get the surface to this satin perfection. No paint is ever coming near this."

Lorelai turned to Rory. "Maybe we could just do some swirls and spots around the stars?"

"No," Luke once again decreed. "No paint. Ever."

"I thought this was my present," Lorelai said frostily. "I don't get a say?"

"It is your present," Luke had to agree, "but as the craftsman who made it –"

Lorelai talked right over him. "Then the birthday girl wants you to take a paintbrush –"

"Lorelai," Luke groaned.

"Mom," Rory worriedly interjected.

"Take a paintbrush and sign your names somewhere on this amazing piece of craftsmanship," Lorelai finished up, smoothing her hands over the edge of the closest crescent.

"Our names?"

"Yes." Lorelai nodded decisively. "I want all of the Danes and Gilmore babies who will be rocked in this cradle for generations to come to know that it was made by the two of you."

"Oh, well, then I guess…" Luke reconsidered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess that would be OK. Rory? Does that sound OK to you?"

"I think that's nice," she agreed. "I like the idea of my little sister maybe tracing over my name with her finger someday."

"Brother," Luke corrected, half-heartedly.

Lorelai hugged Rory again. "Or maybe your own little girl, someday."

Rory's eyes grew big. "Wow," she said, looking at the cradle. "Then I'm glad we didn't take any shortcuts, Luke. I'm glad we used both wood glue and screws when we put it together."

All three adults chuckled. "Me too," Luke agreed.

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, I believe it's time to find this mama-to-be some food." Ed looked around at all of them. "Isn't that right?"

"You're coming too?" Lorelai asked happily.

"Wouldn't miss it," Ed confirmed. "Tell you what, Rory, why don't you ride along with me and help me navigate the back way to Sniffy's, and that way your mom and dad can –" He cut himself off, looking embarrassed. "Oops," he muttered.

"Nah, that's OK," Rory said, with a shrug and a smile. "That's mostly the way I think of them too."

"Well then," Ed said, after a small pause, "I guess life's pretty good for you all, isn't it?"

Lorelai nodded madly, tears once again shining in her eyes. It looked to Luke as if she wanted to say something but didn't trust herself to get the words out, so he leaped into the breach. "It's not bad," he agreed, smiling at Rory.

"You two go on and get out of here," Ed suggested. "Rory and I will lock up and meet you at the restaurant."

"Sounds like a great plan," Lorelai said, once again under control. She went over to pet the cradle goodbye. "See you at the Crapshack soon," she promised it.

Luke helped Lorelai out of the barn and saw her safely up into the truck's cab. Once he was in his seat, instead of starting up the motor, he turned towards her, reaching to take her hand. "I realized earlier today that a year ago tonight, I got to make love to you for the first time."

"And the second time. And the third time, if I recall correctly," she slyly reminded him. "Best birthday present ever." She leaned over for a kiss.

"Better than the cradle?" he wanted to know.

"I love the cradle, but…yes," she laughed. Their hands were still clasped, and she raised them now and placed them against her heart. "There's so much I want to say, but I'd do so at the risk of crying off the little bit of mascara still left on my eyelashes."

"Better not do that, then. Your mom would surely notice."

"You invited my parents?"

"It seemed like the family thing to do," Luke said dryly. "Plus, Rory wanted them there."

Lorelai sighed theatrically. "One way or another, that girl will be the death of me yet." She smiled sheepishly. "It's good you included them, though," she admitted, before sighing and squeezing his hand, the one that was still held over her heart. "All of those things I don't dare say…you know what they are, right?"

He kissed her again. "I do."

"I mean, all of the mushy stuff, about how much I love you, and what an amazing man you are, and how I must be the absolutely luckiest woman on earth…"

"I know," he confirmed, taking her in his arms. "I feel the exact same way," he said softly.

"You feel like you're the luckiest woman on earth?"

"This isn't the time to quibble over semantics," he muttered, and gave her a kiss that plainly told her of everything in his heart.

The baby kicked against him, reminding him that right now they had other obligations to see to.

"All right, all right," he said, patting the baby back. He gave Lorelai one last quick, sweet kiss, and then fired up the truck to head to her birthday dinner.

"Make sure you look surprised when we get there," he warned her, and she laughed as they drove away.