A/N: This story takes place when Rory is 2 1/2. Lorelai and Christopher live in Stars Hollow together, but they aren't married. They moved there after Rory was born. Lorelai doesn't know Sookie yet, seeing as shes at the Culinary Arts Institute. Luke's dad has passed away and he has already opened the diner, with a lot of help. Luke is 20, Lorelai and Christopher are 18. Also, because Rory is two, she will talk like a two year old, so I wrote the way a two year old would talk.

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Lorelai entered the diner in a coffee frenzy, Rory in her arms. She was running late today and needed to be at the Inn.

"Coffee and two doughnuts to go!" she told Luke.

"You sure are in a hurry." he said, filling a to-go cup with coffee.

"I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!"

Luke rolled his eyes and put two doughnuts in a bag and handed it to her.

"You're the best. Hey, you are still going to be able to watch Rory tonight, right? Chris and I both have to work late again."

"Yeah, bring her by whenever."

"Ok, I'll drop her off around four. Thank you so much Luke. I just hate to keep her at the Inn so late. And now that she's walking, I can't keep her in a stroller for long."

"It's no problem. See you at four."

"Bye." she said and left the diner.

Luke and Lorelai had become good friends over the past two and a half years when she and Chris had moved to Stars Hollow. Chris never really talked to him much, though. Occasionally, Luke would babysit Rory for them whenever they had to work late. He knew they were having financial difficulties, trying their best to save as much as they could and getting extra hours in at work.

Luke wasn't much of a kid person, but it was impossible for anyone to not like Rory. She was a good kid and hardly ever gave anyone any trouble. The most trouble she'd given Luke was when Lorelai had once given her too much candy and Rory had been bouncing off the walls. He adored this child and cared very much for her, as well as for her mother, and he always would.

Lorelai refused to get any help from her parents and didn't want Chris getting help from his parents, either. They both decided that they wanted to raise their daughter differently, away from the snotty society. So after Lorelai had Rory, they moved to Stars Hollow and both got jobs. Lorelai worked at the Independance Inn and Chris at a publishing company. They hadn't gotten married because Lorelai thought that it would just complicate things. They were young, struggling, and being married just wasn't the best thing right now.

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Lorelai sat Rory in her playpen behind the front desk where Mia was.

"Mommy?" Rory asked.

"Yeah sweetie?"

"Me want juice."

"Ok, here you go." Lorelai handed her her sippy cup filled with orange juice. "Mommy's gotta work now, but I'll be back to check on you, ok?"

Rory nodded, sucking on her sippy cup, and Lorelai kissed the top of her head and then went off to tidy up room ten.

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Lorelai was very popular among the town, and they all adored Rory. But Christopher remained a mystery to them. He wasn't that social among them all. Lorelai assumed that he was just busy with work and stressed out a little. She was stressed out too, but that didn't stop her from putting a smile on everyday and walking about as if she had the best life in the world.

She was very proud that she had come this far without any parental help, even though they were struggling. And the brightest light in her life was her daughter, whom she lived for. Her complete interest and focus was on Rory. But Lorelai could tell that this wasn't the life Chris wanted. She had told him that she didn't want him giving up everything just for them. She wanted him to finish school, go to college, start a career. But Chris being Chris ignored her and was now clearly not happy with it all, even though he knew that this was just as much his fault as it was hers.

But Lorelai didn't think of her daughter as a mistake. In fact, she thought of Rory as a blessing. A blessing that helped her get out of the hell hole she was living in. She wouldn't change anything for the world when it came to that little girl.

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"Mia I'm going to take my lunch break now."

"Ok honey, Rory's asleep. Would you like to leave her here?"

"No, no. It's ok. If she wakes up and I'm not there, it might scare her." she said, picking up her daughter carefully so as not to wake her.

She got into her jeep, strapping the sleeping toddler into her carseat, and drove to Luke's. When she got to the diner, she walked in and up to the counter.

"Hey," she whispered, Rory still asleep, "Chilli cheese fries and coffee please!"

"Salad for you, fruit for her. Got it." Luke said, jotting down the order.

"Luuuke!" she whisper-whined, sitting down on a stool.

"You've been working late all week and I know you aren't eating properly, which lowers your energy level. And with all that coffee you drink, you've already knocked off five years off your life. And I know all you give Rory is junk."

"Hey! We do to eat properly! And coffee isn't bad for you."

"Uh-huh. How about some herbal tea instead?"

Lorelai glared at him.

"One salad isn't going to kill you."

"A cup of coffee won't kill you."

"Uh, yeah, it will. Now you're getting a salad, so sit down, shut up, and do you want to put Rory in the play pen?"

"One: I'm already sitting down. Two: it's impossible for me to stay quiet. And three: I should wake her anyway so she can eat." she said, and shook Rory lightly.

Rory rubbed her eyes and opened them.

"Hey kid. You hungry?"

She nodded and yawned. Luke came over and sat a plate of salad, a plate of fruit, and some herbal tea in front of them. Lorelai looked at the food in disgust.

"Are you seriously going to make me eat this?"

"Yup." he said, enjoing watching her pick at the salad with her fork and giving it a funny look.

"You're enjoying every minute of this aren't you?"

"Yup."

"I hate you."

"Well, I was going to give you a slice of pie for dessert, but I guess now I won't." he teased.

"I'm sorry! Please let me have pie!"

"Eat your salad first."

"Fine, fine. You can tell me to eat this, but I doubt Rory will eat that fruit."

"Really? Hey princess," he said to Rory, "I've got some fruit for you."

He handed her a plastic fork and pushed the plate of fruit toward her. Rory smiled and started eating the fruit enthusiastically.

"Yum! Thank oos!" the two year old said to Luke who smiled at Lorelai.

Lorelai gapped at her daughter in horror.

"This is all your doing! You brainwashed my child!"

"You think I was gonna give her the junk you do when I'm watching her?"

"Evil. You've corrupted my daughter's mind."

"Ah jeez. Eat and shut up."

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At four, Lorelai came back to the diner to drop Rory off. Rory ran into the diner and hugged Luke's legs.

"Luuuke! Up!" she held her arms up to him.

"Thanks again Luke." Lorelai said.

"Stop thanking me. I told you it's no problem." he said, picking the little girl up.

"Well I appreciate it. Rory, you be good, ok? I love you."

"Ok mommy. I wuv you toos." she said, her head resting on Luke's shoulder and she waved bye.

Once Lorelai had left, Luke looked at Rory.

"Ok princess, what would you like to do?"

"Book!" she said happily.

"You got it." he took her upstairs and let her pick out a book from the bookshelf. He had kept a few childrens books in his apartment for whenever Liz visited with Jess and let Rory look at them when she stayed with him.

He sat with Rory and watched her look at the pictures, occasionally she would point at one and giggle. Books were the best way to occupy her. Kept her busy for hours.

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Keep reading you guys! It gets even more interesting. Man, this is the present you guys receive for me drinking 6 cups of coffee and not being able to sleep. I've been writing this since 5:40 this morning and now it's 8:41. Well, I've also been working on chapter two. But, for those who read my other fics, don't worry, I haven't abandoned them. I could never do that to you guys! Ok, so there's more to come if I get reviews. I just want to know it's worth to keep writing more.