Luke and Lorelai looked at each other and sighed.

"Come here, honey," Lorelai said, motioning for Jess to come to her. The little boy ran over to her and she picked him up, setting him in her lap. "What do you mean you don't have a mommy or daddy?"

"Mommy's gone and mes no know my daddy," he said, looking down.

"You have me and your Aunt Lorelai," Luke said, scooting his chair closer to him.

"Worwy has a mommy and daddy," the little boy pointed out.

"Oh honey, you have a mommy and daddy," Lorelai assured him, rubbing his little back soothingly. "They just... are..." Lorelai looked to Luke for help.

"They're just not here right now. But we'll always be here for you, Jess. You'll still see your mommy."

"Where my daddy?" he questioned with a puzzled expression.

It wasn't an easy thing explaining to a three year old that his parents had abandoned him. It was probably one of the hardest things Luke and Lorelai had ever had to do, and it seemed like it was becoming routine. They'd had to explain it to Rory, and now they had to do the same with Jess.

Looking into the angelic boys face with his curly black hair falling into his eyes, Luke scooped Jess into his arms and set him down in his lap. He gently rocked the boy as he tried to find the perfect words that would give him an answer without actually telling him. While he was pondering what to say, Lorelai spoke up.

"Hon, there are going to be some things in life that you won't always understand. I want you to know though that your mommy and daddy do love you very much, just in their own way."

"Will I see mommy again?" he asked, his big brown eyes looking up into Lorelai's. She felt sad just looking into them. They showed hope, desire, and disappointment. So much for a three year old.

"You will sweetie, one of these days we'll take you to see her."

Jess simply nodded, looking down into his lap. Luke stood up and held him.

"Why don't you go watch TV with Rory while I get dinner started? I'm going to make your favorite tonight, worms."

Jess's face brightened up as a smile broke out and he suddenly became enthusiastic.

"Otay!" he said and ran off to the living room once Luke set him down.

Luke sighed as he got out two packages of Top Ramen and began to boil some water. Jess loved Top Ramen, especially the chicken flavored. The first time he asked for them he had called them worms. Luke had been more than confused until he took Jess to the store and had him point out exactly what he was talking about.

"You gonna be ok, babe?" Lorelai asked, coming up behind him and rubbing his back soothingly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I think," he started, pausing to think and then continuing on. "I think I might adopt Jess."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, slightly taken aback.

"Yeah, then I'll be his legal guardian and Liz won't be able to scheme her way into getting him back. He has a better chance of having a good life if he's with me the way things are going now."

"Are you going to talk to Liz about it?"

"Well, I'll have to. I'll need her permission, and if she doesn't give it to me, then I'll just fight for him. There's no way a judge will award her legal guardianship if she hasn't even been there for him the past few months."

"I know this is going to sound crazy and bizarre, and I'm sure I've lost a portion of my sanity for even considering this, but if she isn't willing to cooperate, I could talk to my dad for you. He knows some of the best lawyers in the state and I'm sure he'd help you out if you really need it."

Luke smiled down at her and kissed her forehead, pulling her into an embrace.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"Hmm, I'm sure I've been told once or twice," she said, smiling up at him.

Luke smiled back and kissed her softly.

"Why don't you go into the living room with them and I'll call you guys when dinner is ready?"

"Alright, but hurry! I'm starved."

She pecked him on the lips and then walked out of kitchen and into the living room.

"Hey kiddos. What are you two watching?"

She settled herself on the palet with them and Rory climbed into her lap. Rory leaned back into her mother's chest as Lorelai played with her hair.

"We're watching Charwy Bwown mommy. Snoopy's funny!"

Lorelai smiled down at the smiling girl and kissed the top of her head. Rory then started to scratch and Lorelai held her hands still.

"No scratching, baby. If you both scratch, the itching will get worse. Hold on, I'm going to get the magic pink lotion, ok?"

"I no like the magic pink lotion," Jess grumbled. "Pink is for icky girls."

"Hey! I no icky!" Rory shot at him and stuck her tongue out only to get the gesture returned to her by Jess.

"You two behave. I'll be back in two seconds."

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and started looking through the medicine cabenit.

"Hey, where'd you put the calamine lotion?"

"Oh, I accidentally left it upstairs on the sink counter," he answered, pouring the spaghetti noodles into the boiling water.

Lorelai walked up the stairs, grabbed the bottle off of the sink counter, and walked back down and into the living room.

"Ok, who's going first?"

"Worwy!" Jess said, pointing his finger in Rory's direction.

Lorelai walked over to Rory and sat down, positioning her in a standing position in front of her. She squirted some of the lotion into her palm and lathered it all throughout Rory's arms, legs, and face, careful not to get any in her eyes. Once she was finished with Rory, she pulled Jess over to her and repeated the process.

"Alright, all done. See, that wasn't so bad was it?"

"How come it no bwue? Or wed? I look like a girl." Jess complained.

"It'll turn white when it dries up. You guys want to finish watching Charlie Brown?"

The two nodded their heads and walked over to Lorelai, one sitting on each side of her. She put her arms around the two and leaned her back against the couch. After a while, Luke called them all into the kitchen. Rory and Jess jumped up and raced each other to the kitchen, Lorelai following suit.

"Are we having worms?" Rory asked, eyeing the noodles Luke was dishing out into their bowls.

"Yes we are, the chicken kind," he said and smiled at her knowing she loved them just as much as Jess.

Lorelai got them settled into their booster seats and them handed them their forks and sippy cups. Jess picked up a noodle and hung it over his mouth and slurped it down.

"I'm eating a worm!" He laughed.

Rory giggled and picked up a noodle as well and copied him.

"Hey guys, don't eat with your hands." Lorelai said, laughing in spite of reprimand.

"But it's funner eating with fingers," Jess said and Lorelai just looked at him, giving a small smile as she dished some of the noodles into her own bowl.

Luke joined them with a plate of salad in favor of the worms. Conversation mostly consisted of the days events. Rory and Jess were too enthralled in playing with their dinner than to participate in the conversation with the adults. Their laughter filled the room, easing the tention of earliers situation.

"Are you two kiddos done?" She asked Jess and Rory who nodded.

She took their bowls and set them in the sink along with hers. She got a rag and ran it under some water before going back to the table and wiping Jess and Rory's face and hands. She then took them out of their booster seats and set them down.

"I think it's bedtime," she said, ruffling their hair.

"I not sleepy." Rory said and tried to hide a yawn.

"Me neither." Jess said, stifling his own yawn.

"Uh huh. Come on, hop to it," she smiled and ordered as she led them into Rory's room while Luke started washing the dishes. She got them changed into their pj's, tucked them into bed, and then pulled up a chair beside the bed.

"So what story is it going to be tonight?" She asked them as she sat in a chair.

Rory climbed out of bed and walked over to her bookshelf. She grabbed a book and handed it to Lorelai before burying herself beneath the covers once more. Lorelai turned the book over and saw the title and smiled to herself, Love You Forever. She flipped the book open to the first page and began reading.

"A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be."

A little while later she came to the end of the book.

"And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be."

She ended the last bit softly and then closed the book. She set it back on the shelf and then looked back at the two toddlers whose eyes were drooping.

"If you guys need us we'll be upstairs, ok?" She told them.

"Ok mommy." Rory said.

"I love you guys," she said, kissing them each on the forehead and smiling.

"I wuv you too, mommy." Rory said and smiled back.

"I wuv you, Aunt Lorlai." Jess replied quietly as he dozed off to sleep.

She smiled and got up. She walked over to inn table and plugged in the nightlight and then walked to the door and turned off the lights. She left the room and closed the door half way before walking upstairs and into her room.

Luke was already lying down in bed, hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lorelai asked as she began to change into her pj's.

He seemed slightly startled when she spoke. He hadn't realized she had entered the room. He looked at her and sighed.

"I just don't know if adopting Jess is the right thing to do," he told her.

"And what are your doubts?"

"Well he's still Liz's son. Nothing will change that fact, and she's also my sister. She'll always be in my life as well as Jess's. Jess deserves a mother and Liz is his mother. By adopting him I feel like... like I'm taking that away from him. I mean, maybe I should still give Liz a chance. Maybe she'll straighten up," he explained, yet something in his tone said he was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince Lorelai.

Lorelai gave him a small smile and sat Indian style on the bed beside him.

"Babe, I know that this is a big step for you. Jess is your nephew and you love him, but Liz is still your sister and you love her too. You're afraid that you'll hurt her. You're her big brother, it's natural that you want to protect her from that kind of pain," she said and grabbed his hand. "You're an amazing guy for that and I- you mean even more to me for it."

She took in a deep breath before continuing. She had almost been about to say 'I love you for that' but caught herself last minute. She wanted to say it, she had been for a few weeks now, but under current circumstances it wasn't the right time.

"You have been working so hard to make Jess feel comfortable here. You've taken him in and given him a home and right now he needs you more than anything. I haven't known Liz as long as you have so if you honestly think there might be even a tiny glimmer of hope that she'll come back for them him, then you can hold out. But if you think that this is best for Jess, then do it. By adopting Jess you aren't shutting him out of Liz's life, it just means you're securing a life for him. Don't make a decision tonight, give yourself a few days to think about it. Maybe even talk it over with a lawyer and weigh the pros and cons of it and then make your decision. You know no matter what that I support you."

Luke nodded his head slowly and then brought his gaze up to meet hers. He leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Thank you, for everything."

"Anytime," she said and smiled.

"Come on, let's get some sleep."

Lorelai got under the covers and shifted over to Luke, laying her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep soon after. Luke however remained awake, mulling things over in his mind.