** A Yankee Dandy Gilmore Girl **

Rory has always lived her life by her infamous to-do-list. Suddenly, she realizes that her life's to-do-list is missing two very big items: marriage and motherhood. She also realizes that all the hard work and planning she's put into to reach her number one goal, her career, led her to a job that isn't making her very happy. A trip back to Stars Hollow helps her find the missing pieces of her list and makes her realize she has other options.

Genre: Romance, Drama, Humor
Pairings: Luke/Lorelai, Dean/Rory
Rating: K+1
Disclaimer: Lorelai, Rory, Luke, and Dean and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended.

A/N: Please note, this story does not include any reference to April (think: Judy on Family Matters). In my opinion, her introduction to the show was a cheap tactic (think: Oliver on the Brady Bunch) and was an insult to its viewers.

Rory stared out of her window of the Amtrak train and sighed with relief as she heard the conductor yell out, "Next Stop: Hartford!"

It'd been six months since she'd moved to New York and she'd finally gotten a week off to come home. She'd landed a position at "Forbes" magazine and thrilled as she'd been to get the spot, her duties as a financial reporter were beginning to bore her. Politics and fine literature had always been her first love, but when the employment agency had placed the call to her to let her know that Forbes had made the offer, she knew she'd have to accept it if she wanted to stay in the city and get the invaluable experience that came with it. She'd been searching for work for almost a month and a half and had almost given up when the call came.

She closed her eyes and smiled, remembering it was Friday, knowing that meant she and her mother and Luke would be taking her to her grandparents for dinner. Lorelai and Luke had gotten married right before she'd left for New York and it had been a source of comfort for her to know that Lorelai would have someone in her life since she was moving so far away and that that someone was Luke. As much as she loved her father, Christopher, she'd grown to realize Luke was the better choice for her mother. Luke had a strong paternal instinct and her mother had a lot of little girl left in her that needed the kind of love and understanding that only a man like Luke could give.

The train reached its stop and Rory grabbed her bag from the luggage rack, trudging behind the crowd, impatiently waiting to reach the door.

"Hey, Gilmore!" Lorelai called out, grinning ear to ear like a pixie, with a beaming Luke standing next to her on the train platform as she ran to hug Rory.

"Ribs cracking …. internal organs crushing… can't breathe!" Rory gasped.

Rory stopped in mid-hug and started laughing out loud at Luke as she pointed at him in his designer gray slacks, navy blue cashmere sweater, expensive black boots and stylish leather jacket, "What's this look, Luke? No backwards baseball cap? No flannel shirt? No five o'clock shadow? Did Taylor get the town to vote on a motion to change your look or was this your idea, Mom?"

"As much as I enjoy the prospect of us showing up at the Gilmore mansion looking like Onslow and Daisy in the hopes that one of my mother's neighbors spots us and causes her to have a Hyacinth Bucket meltdown, Luke insisted we look our best when make our announcement tonight."

"Spare me the 'Keeping Up Appearances' references, you know the only BBC comedy I ever watched was 'Fawlty Towers.' What special announcement are you making tonight?"

"Well, Rory I came from the doctor today and I wanted you to be the first to know … we're going to be hearing the sound of little feet pitter-pattering around the Crap Shack and I don't mean the roaches that follow Luke home from the diner every night."

"Eww – Gross! … (then, as Lorelai's message registered) Really?" Rory screamed out excitedly.

"Really!" Lorelai confirmed, her eyes twinkling as she enthusiastically nodded.

"Congratulations, you two. I'm so happy for both of you. Luke, you are going to make a terrific father!"

"Hey! What about me?" Lorelai screeched, doing her famous mock pout.

"You: not such a terrific father – but you will make one hell of a mother – again!"

They pulled into the driveway of the Gilmore mansion and Luke and Lorelai smooched before opening the door of the jeep.

"I will break the news about the baby!" he firmly instructed Lorelai.

"No fair! I wanted to have fun with this. I want to wait until one of those trademark snooty comments comes slithering out of Emily Gilmore's mouth, then zap her with the news and watch her wilt with guilt. Wow! Wilt with guilt. I made a rhyme!"

"You're a poet!" Rory chimed.

"And yet I know it!"

"You two are too much! I'm in real trouble if the next fruit of your loins is another girl!" Luke grunted as he reached out to ring the door bell.