"Was that desert?"

Luke chuckled at Lorelai's question and kissed the top of her head.

"Something like that, yeah."

"Thank you," she whispered, and settled against him. She started to fall asleep, but Luke felt restless and when he had determined that she had drifted off, he pulled his arm free of her and rolled out of bed.

Luke dressed quickly and slipped out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him. Downstairs, he cleaned up the dishes from dinner and then went out to the porch.

There were no clouds tonight, and above him, the sky sparkled with stars. Luke sat on the porch swing and tilted his head up to gaze at them, but his mind was crowded with a million thoughts and he sighed heavily.

"Lorelai, sugar?" came Babette's voice across the lawn.

Luke cursed his luck. He didn't mind Babette, but he had hoped for some time to himself, and now that most certainly wouldn't happen.

"No, it's Luke," he answered.

"Oh, Luke, darlin'. It's a lovely evening, isn't it?"

"It is," he agreed, hoping that she would leave it at that.

"Where's Lorelai this evening?" Babette had crossed the lawn and was coming up the steps of the porch.

"Oh…" Luke cleared his throat. "She's sleeping."

"Already?" Babette looked surprised. She shook her head. "I keep telling that girl she's working too hard. You shouldn't let her work so hard, Luke."

He smiled to himself. "I don't think I could stop her if I tried, Babette."

"And all this nonsense between her and her mother," their neighbor clucked.

Luke shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea how much Lorelai had shared with Babette and he didn't want to divulge private information.

"I think she had to stand up for herself sooner or later," Babette mused. "And what's a better reason than loving you?"

"I don't know," Luke said.

"Of course, she probably feels torn now, what with Rory dating that rich kid. He's a cute one, though. Rory showed me a picture." She grinned proudly.

Luke assumed that she was referring to Logan and nodded noncommittally. He hadn't really paid much attention to who Rory was dating, figuring that she could be trusted to make the right choices for herself.

Even though there had been Jess.

Luke felt a twinge of disloyalty for thinking badly of his nephew, but he also knew that Jess hadn't been good for Rory. Neither had Dean for that matter. He knew that Lorelai worried about the choices that Rory was making now, and he hoped that Lorelai's fears would amount to nothing but that.

"Why would Lorelai feel torn?" he asked Babette.

She shrugged. "I'd imagine Lorelai must have to bite her tongue. It must kill her that Rory is with somebody who comes from a world that Lorelai ran away from herself."

"As long as Rory is happy, that's all that Lorelai wants," Luke said firmly.

"Oh, I know, honey," Babette assured him quickly. "But isn't that why Lorelai agreed to have dinner with her folks tonight?"

"You knew about that?"

"She asked me to come over and help her pick out something to wear."

"Ah." Luke nodded. "Well, I still don't see how that has anything to do with who Rory is dating."

"Oh," Babette went on. "It's not who so much as it that Lorelai might be a little fearful that Rory is attracted by all the glitter."

Luke shook his head.

"That's not Rory."

"Maybe it wasn't Rory, but you didn't see her falling out of that limousine a few months back."

Luke set his jaw. "Lorelai told me about it."

"She really is more worried about that girl than she lets on," Babette sighed. "But you knew that, didn't you?"

Luke didn't reply. He turned his head toward the door.

"I guess I should be calling it a night," he said.

"Oh, right. Right." Babette smiled. "Time for another go, then?"

Luke turned crimson, which Babette noticed, even in the dim light. She cackled.

"Oh, I remember those days. The honeymoon phase, even though the two of you haven't done it up right yet." She looked at him sternly. "Are you ever going to do something about that?"

She didn't wait for an answer. "Anyway, when Morey and I got married, let me tell you! We almost rocked that house off the foundation."

Luke stifled his natural gag reflex, and bid Babette goodnight.

Inside, he locked the doors and started up the stairs, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he almost ran into Lorelai halfway up.

"Babette?" she guessed.

He nodded wearily.

"I heard her say something about her and Morey enjoying their honeymoon," Lorelai giggled.

Luke groaned. "Please. Let's never speak of that again."

Lorelai grinned.

"Poor baby."

"I thought you were asleep." He frowned, wondering how much more Lorelai had overheard.

"I woke up when you got out of bed," she admitted. "What were you doing out there?"

He sighed and followed her back up the stairs.

"Just thinking," he told her as they got back into bed.

She turned to him.

"Oh, yeah? About what?"

"Earlier."

Lorelai frowned. "Luke, I just want to forget that. Please?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to go to dinner at your parents' house?"

She sighed.

"I told you, I knew that it was important to you."

"This wasn't just about me, Lorelai," he said knowingly.

"Okay, then what was it about?" she asked defensively.

"Rory?" He phrased it as a question, so as to not encounter a wall.

"Why Rory?" Lorelai reached over to turn the lamp out, affording her the cover of darkness.

Luke turned the light back on.

"Maybe you feel like she is drawn to that life, and you're afraid of losing her," he guessed.

"That's ridiculous," Lorelai stated.

"Is it?" he questioned her.

She turned out the light again, and he didn't reach across to turn it back on. They lay there in the dark, and it was a long while before either of them fell asleep.