Hello everyone!

Thanks to everyone that's added an alert, favourite or a review on this story, it is much appreciated. I think I replied to most of the reviews, sorry if I missed you out though. I hope to hear from you again :D

I hope you enjoy this chapter...

"Danes family movie marathon now in session," Lorelai called to Luke and Rory, who were messing around in the kitchen with something or other. "Those two are up to something," she countered.

"They're getting healthy snacks, I think," replied Jess, who was settled on the couch next to his Aunt.

"Waste of time if you ask me, who needs those?"

"I like healthy stuff," Jess shrugged.

"Little weirdo," muttered Lorelai.

"I like candy too," he defended himself. "Can I have some Pringles now?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"You know that's breaking the rules, don't you?"

"What rules?" he asked innocently.

"Jess, Jess, Jess," she said while shaking her head. "You should really come to these things more often. One of the rules is no eating the snacks before the movie starts, cause then you don't have enough to last you till the end."

"Can I just have one?" he begged. Lorelai sighed.

"Fine, just one though," she warned. "And don't tell Rory I let you have it."

"Promise," he smiled as he dug his hand into the tube, pulling out a single sour cream and onion chip.

"You'd better mean that, cause I'll be dead if they find out."

"Find out what?" Luke asked as he entered the room holding a bowl, Rory traipsing along after him.

"Oh nothing," she brushed off. "What's in the bowl?"

"Green salad with Sookie's homemade dressing," he replied, causing Lorelai to shudder.

"God, eat some popcorn once in a while," she muttered. Luke watched Rory settle on the couch next to Jess, then noticed that he'd be squashed up at the opposite side to his wife.

"Am I meant to sit on the floor?" he questioned. "Move over kids." Rory and Jess shuffled along and Luke took up residence next to Lorelai, draping his arm across her shoulders as her head automatically fell onto his.

"Those two are gross," they heard Rory whisper to Jess, and it caused a smile to cross both adults' faces.

"My mom and TJ are like that too," Jess replied.

"It's disgusting," she complained. "They always kiss."

"My ears are burning, are yours honey?" joked Lorelai, prodding Luke in the chest.

"Just a little," he chuckled. "If you both think we're so 'gross' then why don't you go sit in another room?"

"Cause then we'll miss movie night," retorted Rory. "Missing movie night is breaking one of the movie night rules." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Those rules are stupid."

"Lucas!" Lorelai gasped. "I can't believe you would say that."

"Jeez," he complained. "Any sane person would agree with me."

"Wow, you're just full of insults tonight." She narrowed her eyes. "You know what; maybe I don't wanna sit next to someone who can't accept my movie night rules."

"Well maybe you should go sit over there then," he suggested, pointing to the armchair off to the side of the couch.

"Uh, I think you should be the one to move."

"And why would I do that?"

"Cause I was here first!" she argued. "And I'm banishing you from the couch, that's the consequence of mocking the rules." Rory rolled her eyes.

"I don't think..." Luke was cut off abruptly.

"Stop it!" Rory interrupted. "You're acting like five year olds." Lorelai furrowed her brows.

"You two are five year olds," she pointed out.

"Yeah and even we don't act that like," Jess laughed, and Rory joined in.

"Fine, Luke you can stay where you are, if you apologise to me." Luke tutted.

"I apologise," he muttered.

"Hmm that didn't sound very heartfelt," she observed. Luke grabbed the remote and hit play, causing the movie to pop up on their TV.

"Oh look the movie's starting, no talking during the movie remember," he told her with a grin on his face. She knew he was mocking her, so she gave him a funny look then switched her attention to 'Home Alone'.

XXXX

"What time is it?" Lorelai yawned when the credits started.

"Nine thirty," Luke replied. Her head dropped to his shoulder and her eyes fell closed.

"I must be getting old," she said. "The night should be just beginning for me."

"We've turned into typical parents," he nodded. "Our youth disappeared when Rory learned how to walk." Lorelai raised her head to catch a glimpse of the two children, finding them snuggled up together fast asleep.

"We've gotta get Jess home," said Lorelai, smiling at how adorable they were.

"I'll take him," he offered. "I'll get Rory in bed first." They got up from the couch and Lorelai watched Luke carefully lift their daughter to his body, trying her best not to wake her. He carried her through to her room and placed her on her bed, tucking the covers around her the way he knew she liked them. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning to Lorelai. "I'll take Jess round to Liz's then," he said.

"Okay," she kissed him. "Hurry back." Luke smiled and kissed her one more time, before leaving the girls alone. Lorelai approached Rory's bedside and leaned down to kiss her. "Love you, sweets," she whispered.

Once Rory's door had closed behind her, Lorelai trudged upstairs, discarding her clothes as she went. She entered the bathroom, leaving the door open and turned the faucet on the tub, watching the hot water fill the basin. After adding bubbles, she shed her bra and panties and climbed into the steaming tub, settling into pure bliss.

That's where Luke found her a half an hour later.

"Hey, I found clues," he said quietly as he entered the bathroom holding a wad of clothing.

"Huh?" she asked dozily.

"Well I had to follow the clues to find my prize," he explained, perching on the edge of the tub and running his hand through her damp hair.

"Then I guess a congratulations is in order," she chuckled before noting the time. "Do you know what hurry back means? It's almost ten fifteen."

"I know, Liz started talking and she's exactly like you," he said. "Once she starts you can't get her to shut up."

"Hey!" she whined. "I take offense to comments like that." The pout made it onto her face, and Luke's smirk grew.

"You know it's true, stop kidding yourself."

"Fine," she agreed begrudgingly. "Are you gonna join me?" she asked as she ran her hand along his denim clad thigh. He grabbed her hand and examined it.

"Judging by how wrinkled you are, I'd say you've been in there long enough," he told her pointedly, causing Lorelai to roll her eyes.

"You're such a prude," she complained. "Live a little, get all wrinkly with me."

"I'll pass, maybe in my next lifetime, as a fish." She had to laugh at that comment. "I'm gonna go to bed and if you haven't joined me in ten minutes time, I'm falling asleep," he warned her.

"I think I can get dried off in ten minutes," she nodded. Luke turned around from his place by the doorframe and shook his head.

"I wouldn't bother," he replied smoothly before leaving her alone in the bathroom. That got her motivated.

XXXX

"Lorelai!" Sookie squealed a couple of days later as she entered the lobby at the inn.

"Sookie!" she replied, in an equally excited voice. "Why am I excited?"

"Because I'm engaged," she exclaimed, holding her left hand out to show her best friend her ring.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" she shrieked, gaining attention from some guests, and Mia who had appeared from her office at the noise.

"I know," she giggled. "I'm getting married!"

"Sookie, that's wonderful news," Mia said warmly, "I'm very happy for you both."

"Thanks Mia," she smiled.

"When did it happen?" Lorelai questioned.

"Last night, he made dinner and had it ready for when I got home. Obviously he can't cook when I'm there cause I know he's doing it wrong and he locks me out of the kitchen and it bugs me so much, but..."

"Sook, fast forwarding right now," she told her.

"Right, so he made dinner and there were candles and music, it was perfect," she gushed.

"Wow, I can't believe it," she grinned. "I mean it only took the guy four years to pluck up the courage to ask."

"Yeah, for a while I thought he was never gonna propose," she frowned. "But he did! And I'm a fiancée now!" There was a smitten expression on Sookie's face for a while, but it soon turned into panic. "Do you think it's okay to do the catering for your own wedding or do I need to hire someone? Cause I'm sure they'd do it wrong, and I want everything to be perfect..."

"Sook, calm down," soothed Lorelai. "We can get together at lunch and start planning."

"You wanna help me plan?" she asked, touched that Lorelai would even offer.

"Course I do, I've been waiting for this day for years! Plus you helped me plan my wedding so I wanna return the favour."

"Thanks," she smiled, beginning to get emotional. Lorelai pulled her into a hug and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"Come over to the house after work, okay? I'll dig out my old bridal magazines to give us some ideas."

"Okay," she sniffled, pulling out of the hug. "I'm getting married," she said, obviously she was still getting used to the idea.

"I know, hon, and it's gonna be amazing." Sookie nodded and made her way into the kitchen to start her shift for the day, leaving Lorelai and Mia out near the front desk.

"Lorelai, can I talk to you in my office for a minute?" requested Mia. She looked quite serious, and Lorelai immediately began to wonder what she could possibly want to discuss with her.

"Sure Mia," she answered, following the elder woman. "What do you wanna talk about?" They took their seats and Lorelai waited patiently for Mia to get started.

"You've been working here for four years now, Lorelai," she began. You've worked as head maid for two years and you've done an exceptional job at keeping things under control."

"Okay, thanks," she said slowly.

"Laurence is leaving," she stated.

"The...junior manager?" questioned Lorelai, and Mia nodded.

"Yes and I was thinking about hiring someone new to take over," she paused, "But then I thought; I know someone who would be perfect for the job, and they already have some experience working behind the desk." Pause. "But then I'd have to find a new head maid that was as good as the old one..." she trailed off, leaving Lorelai to figure it all out on her own. It took twenty five seconds, but she got there eventually.

"You want me to be a junior manager!" she exclaimed, in complete and utter shock.

"Got it in one," she laughed.

"Oh my god, this is shaping up to be the best day! Sookie's getting married, I got a promotion..."

"There's one problem though," Mia cut through her excitement.

"A problem?" The smiled disappeared from her face for a moment.

"Yes, you see being a manager doesn't just require experience, usually some form of qualification goes with it." Lorelai immediately frowned.

"And I don't have any at all," she said knowingly.

"No, that's why I picked this up for you." Mia opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a pamphlet, handing it over to her young employee.

"GED prep courses," she read aloud.

"I can accept you for the job if you get your GED," she said simply. "There are classes at Hartford Community College on Monday and Wednesday nights, think about it okay?"

"I will," she nodded. "I don't know why I never thought about doing this before."

"That doesn't matter now, it's never too late to go to college," she told her. Lorelai smiled and began flipping through the leaflet. "If you need help with the tuition, I can lend a hand."

"Thank you, but I think we're okay," she answered. "We've been saving for two and a half years, I think we're set."

"That's good to hear, I hated it when you were in trouble."

"Yeah, but we saved a lot of money with my parents buying us the house, and we haven't really spent much in the meantime."

"Great, so you'll get in touch with me when you've decided what you want to do?" she asked hopefully.

"I will, I think I'm gonna go for it but I'll talk to Luke first."

"Okay dear, I look forward to working on your management skills with you," she winked. Lorelai grinned and walked around the desk to envelope Mia in a tight hug.

"I love you so much," she murmured. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

XXXX

"Luke, I'm gonna be a junior manager!" she announced as she entered the diner, her voice drowning out the ringing of the bells above the door.

"Oh congratulations honey," Patty said sincerely.

"Thanks Patty," she grinned.

"Hey, what was that?" asked Luke as he came out of the kitchen. "I heard manager and that was it."

"Hi," she greeted, leaning over the counter to kiss him. "I'm getting promoted to junior manager."

"What? That's great!" he said happily. "When do you start?" Lorelai sighed, while Luke poured her a cup of coffee.

"See that's the thing," she began. "I have to get my GED before Mia can hire me as a manager."

"That's okay," he nodded. "I mean, there are classes you can go to, right?"

"Yeah, Mia gave me this pamphlet about prep courses." She pulled the leaflet out of her purse. "I can take the class at Hartford Community College, twice a week."

"That sounds good," he agreed.

"Yeah, it's $195 for a sixty hour course," she frowned. "Think we can swing it?"

"Of course, it's an important part of your career. That's a good enough reason to dip into the savings," he decided. Lorelai had a distant expression as she looked over the information in the pamphlet. "What's on your mind?" he wondered.

"Oh, I was just thinking, you know, it'll be weird going back to a place of education," she said thoughtfully. "Last time I was in a school I weighed five hundred pounds." Luke smiled.

"So you were one hundred and ten pounds, and Rory was the other three hundred and ninety?" he chuckled.

"No silly, that was my craving for Milk Duds." She took a few gulps of her coffee, before changing the subject entirely. "Hey, so Sookie and Jackson are finally engaged," she said excitedly.

"More good news," commented Luke. "When did that happen?"

"Last night, she told me this morning at work, she's really excited."

"Does that mean I have to wear a suit?" he winced.

"Oh yeah definitely, or maybe even a tux," she teased. Luke growled in frustration then went to refill everyone's coffee. If there was one thing he hated the most, it was wearing anything that wasn't flannel.

XXXX

"Rory, can you get the door please?" Lorelai called downstairs. Rory sighed but went to answer it anyway.

"Hi Sookie!" she greeted excitedly as she swung the door open. She crashed into her surrogate Aunt and wrapped her arms around her middle, causing Sookie to run a hand through the girl's hair lovingly.

"Hey kitten," she cooed. "Where's your mom?"

"Upstairs," she replied, leading Sookie into the living room and settling on the couch. "I don't know what she's doing but she's been up there for ages."

"I'm changing!" came Lorelai's irritated reply.

"So did your mom tell you the news?" she wondered. Rory shook her head confusedly and Sookie's face immediately lit up.

"Jackson and I are getting married," she told her. Rory grinned.

"Cool," she answered. "Do I get to be a bridesmaid for you?"

"Course you do," she said, like it was obvious she would be part of the bridal party.

"And do I get to wear a pretty dress?"

"You bet."

"When?" The questions were getting persistent now.

"I'm not sure yet, sweetie, but your mom and I about to plan that now."

"Okay," she sighed dejectedly.

"Right, I'm here," Lorelai announced as she descended the stairs. She dropped a large pile of magazines on the coffee table, making it land with a thud.

"Wow, that's a lot of magazines," stated Sookie. "Are we really gonna look through all those?"

"It won't be the first time," she laughed. "We must have looked through each of these at least four times already."

"All I can say is we must have had a lot of time on our hands."

"Come on, let's get started," she pushed. Sookie picked up the first magazine from the pile, blowing the dust off the cover.

"They're a little dusty," she commented.

"Oh, they've been in the attic for two and a half years," she brushed off. "Just bash it against the couch before you open it."

"Can I look at one, mommy?" requested Rory, eyeing the pretty flowers on the cover.

"Sure hon, go crazy." She watched her daughter open it to the first page and begin reading the text. She left her to it though; it was a good way for her to practise her reading.

"Ooh, I like this idea," Sookie said thoughtfully, pointing to the page.

"Hmm, too cutesy," she decided. "Too many ribbons."

"Yeah I guess, we'd never be able to afford it anyway."

After looking through six of the magazines, Sookie closed her seventh one halfway through and turned to her best friend. Rory was still reading her first so she wanted to talk to Lorelai while the girl was distracted.

"So, you and Luke have been married for what, two years?" she asked abruptly. Lorelai looked up at her and narrowed her eyes.

"Two and a half, why?" she questioned suspiciously, she almost didn't wanna know.

"Two and a half years is a long time," she nodded. "Especially in a marriage."

"Yeah...what are you getting at?"

"Usually after that amount of time in a marriage, kids have been discussed, conceived even," she winked.

"I'm not pregnant, Sookie," she stated boldly, causing Rory's ears to tune into the conversation. She kept her head in her magazine though.

"But you could be," she whined. "Don't you want more kids?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Luke and I haven't really talked about it."

"That's bull, of course you have," she insisted.

"Sookie," she hushed, gesturing towards Rory. The girl chose that moment to interject.

"Am I getting a brother or sister?" she asked innocently.

"No," snapped Lorelai. "Why don't you go get a snack?"

"Okay," she said in defeat. She got up and left the living room, leaving the adults to talk alone.

"I want more kids," she admitted quietly. "But it's not the right time; Mia just gave me a promotion and I'm taking these GED classes, I don't wanna be pregnant on top of all that."

"Fine," she reluctantly let it go. "But I wanna see some babies coming outta you soon," she warned. Lorelai laughed.

"I'm only twenty one, one kid's enough for now," she told her.

"You don't wanna wait too long, you know, you'll end up having to deal with a stroppy teenager and a screaming baby at the same time. That won't be fun."

"Come on, I can hardly see Rory being a stroppy teenager. I mean, have you met her?"

"You're right, she's a sweetie," she giggled. "You've been very lucky with her.

"Tell me about it."

XXXX

Two weeks later, Luke entered their bedroom to find Lorelai dressed in a dark grey pantsuit.

"You're a bit dressed up aren't you?" he asked her.

"I wanna look professional, Luke," she argued.

"You know everyone will be lazy high school dropouts wearing baggy jeans and baseball caps off to the side," he pointed out.

"Excuse me?" She fingered his own blue baseball cap teasingly.

"Mine's backwards!" he defended himself. "And I'm not a high school dropout."

"I know babe, but I am," she nodded. "And I wanna look like the most professional dropout in the room."

"You'll win that, hands down," he assured her.

"Good." She slipped into her black heels, which she found on sale, then examined her reflection in the mirror. "Do I look acceptable?"

"You look uh, kinda sexy," he admitted shyly, a slight blush making it's way into his cheeks.

"I do?" she went along with it.

"Oh yeah...making me wanna take it right off of you," he whispered. Lorelai giggled.

"You know, we've been married for a couple of years but you still blush when you flirt with me," she teased him. "It's cute."

"I'm not cute," he growled, the moment lost.

"You keep telling yourself that." Before he could retort, she picked up her purse and left the room, leaving him no choice but to follow. "I'd better get going; I don't wanna be late on my first night."

"No, cause you're a professional right?"

"Right," she nodded with a smile. "Rory I'm leaving." They heard the patter of small feet then the girl in question appeared in the foyer.

"Have a good time, mommy," she said as she wrapped her arms around her mother's middle.

"I'll try to babe," she chuckled. "You'd better be in bed by the time I get back."

"I will be," she mumbled. "Bye."

"I'll be back at half nine," she told Luke. "You'd better wait up for me."

"Count on it," he promised before giving her a quick kiss. "Drive safe." Luke and Rory waved to her from the porch, as she got into her 1985 Jeep CJ-7 that Luke had bought her for her twenty-first birthday that year. Luke closed the door behind them and Rory looked up at him expectantly. "What?"

"What are we doing tonight?" she wondered.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I thought we could maybe...bake something, for your mom." Rory's face lit up.

"Yeah, let's do that!" she squealed. "Can we make a cake?"

"I was thinking of cupcakes or brownies," he said. "I'm not doing a whole cake."

"Okay, cupcakes then," she decided. "They're like mini cakes."

"Yes they are," he nodded as they walked through to the kitchen. "Can you remember what we need?"

"Um...cupcake cases," she said wisely."

"They would help," he agreed. "What else?"

"A mixing bowl."

"And..." Rory looked panicked as she tried to remember what else they would require, while Luke sighed to himself. "Think of the ingredients, rather than the equipment." The girl's face lit up and she went into one of the cupboards, pulling out a bag of self-raising flour. "Well done," he praised, "Anything else?"

"Eggs, cause you have to crack it over the bowl," she remembered. Luke nodded and picked a few eggs from the packet, also picking up the other ingredients. Once he'd measured them all out and sifted them into the bowl, Rory jumped on the spot. "Can I help now?" she asked, she'd been bugging him to let her do something since they started but Luke had declined every time.

"Fine," he backed down. "You can mix this together." Rory grinned and climbed up onto her footstool so she could see, as Luke handed her a wooden spoon. "Mix it really well, okay?" She nodded and placed her spoon in the mixture, before whizzing it around quickly causing the bowl to go flying. "Rory," he scolded. "Be careful."

"Sorry daddy," she muttered. Luckily Luke had managed to grab the bowl before anything got spilled and he held onto the sides of it protectively.

"I'll hold it while you mix," he told her. Rory nodded and smiled as the ingredients started to resemble cake mixture.

"Look daddy, I'm doing it!" she exclaimed, grinning proudly. Luke had to smile himself and he gave her a quick pat on the head.

"Yeah, well done Ror," he praised. He watched her for a few moments, marvelling at how well she was growing up. He loved these alone moments with Rory; of course he loved it when Lorelai was there too, but there was something special about the nights when she had to work late and he could spend some valuable bonding time with his daughter.

"I think it's ready," decided Rory, pushing the mixture aside. "Did you put this thingy on?" she asked, as she pointed to the oven. Luke chuckled.

"The oven, you mean?"

"Yeah that," she nodded.

"It's on," he assured her. "First you've gotta help me put the mixture into the cases."

It wasn't long before the mixture was divided into twelve and was rising nicely in the oven. Rory sat in front of it watching them gradually cook, while Luke got to work on washing the dishes.

"They look ready daddy, they're light brown," Rory observed, reaching forward to open the oven door. Luke dried his hands off and turned around just in time to see Rory grasping the door handle.

"Rory stop!" he demanded, rushing over to prevent the little girl from burning herself. "How many times have I told you never to touch the oven when it's on?" He pulled her hands away from it quickly, his heart still hammering loudly in his chest. He thought he was gonna have a panic attack he was that worried.

"Sorry," she apologised quietly as she looked down at the floor.

"Do you know what could have happened if you'd have touched that?"

"I'd burn myself," she answered.

"Right, so never ever do that again, understand?" She nodded in reply, then Luke pointed to their dining table in the middle of the kitchen. "Go sit at the table and wait for the cupcakes to cool down before you touch them."

Rory sighed dejectedly; her dad never let her help with the baking part, it was only the mixing and decorating that he let her do. She waited patiently for the cakes to cool down, before the two started to decorate them together, putting the five year old in a good mood once again.

XXXX

Lorelai stepped out of her first class and headed over to the vending machine in the corridor. She'd been in that classroom for three hours, and she was in desperate need of some sugar. She watched her selection make it's way forward in the machine, before getting stuck right at the last minute before it was about to drop.

"Come on!" she whined in annoyance, giving the thing a small kick. It was a pathetic attempt to get it to work, and she sighed loudly.

"You've just gotta shake it a little," she heard a man's voice behind her. "Can I?" She turned around and saw a young man about a year or so younger than her, gesturing towards the offending machine.

"Oh uh...sure," she shrugged as she stepped aside. He grasped it at both sides and gave it a small shake, watching as her BabyRuth dropped to the bottom.

"There ya go," he said, holding the candy bar out to her.

"Thanks," she replied gratefully

"So...did I just see you in the GED prep class?" he wondered.

"Yeah," she answered. "I'm Lorelai Danes."

"Daniel Atkinson," he introduced himself. They shook hands briefly, before Daniel jumped in with the questioning. "So why didn't you finish high school?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes at the nosy man.

"It's complicated," she shrugged. There was no way she was gonna tell the story to this stranger.

"I see," he nodded. "Uh, are you free now? Cause we could go get a drink..." he trailed off. Lorelai shut her eyes for a moment; she hated it when this happened, she never told Luke about it cause she knew he'd flip out.

"I can't, sorry." She was about to walk away when he spoke again.

"Well...some other time then?" She shook her head slowly.

"I really can't," she insisted, before holding her left hand up in the air and pointing to her rings. "I'm married."

"Oh," he murmured in realisation. "Sorry, I mean...I didn't know."

"It's okay," she ensured. "Don't worry about it." She was gonna walk away this time, but he stopped her again.

"Maybe we could be friends then?" he suggested.

"Of course," she nodded. "I'll see you on Thursday, Daniel." And with that she walked away, with no interruptions this time.

She entered the house just over thirty minutes later, dropping her purse next to the phone and joining Luke on the couch.

"How was class?" he asked, taking in how drained she looked.

"Long," she sighed as she leaned into him slightly. "Now I remember what school was like."

"Apparently your school days are supposed to be the best days of your life," he told her.

"Pfft, who made that theory must have been out of their mind." Luke laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Did Rory get to sleep okay?"

"Yeah, she was in bed by eight," he assured her. "After she made me read two books to her."

"You're just a push over," she teased. "You can't resist the Rory eyes."

"I don't think there are many people that can." Lorelai smiled and patted Luke's knee, as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

"I'm gonna say goodnight, why don't you go warm the bed up for me?" she asked seductively.

"I will, don't take too long though," he warned her. She shook her head then walked through to Rory's room, pushing the door open slowly. She took in the sight of her daughter sleeping soundly with her Sesame Street sheets wrapped around her, and she couldn't help but smile to herself. She made sure she was properly tucked in before leaving a light kiss on her forehead.

"Night honey, I love you," she whispered. She watched her sleep for a few more moments, then got up and left the room, leaving the door open a crack. She immediately noticed the plastic tub sitting on the table, holding the cupcakes Luke and Rory had made earlier. That just made her smile even more.

She entered her and Luke's bedroom ten minutes later after she'd finished in the bathroom, giving him a coy smile as she stepped out of her clothes and climbed into bed in just her underwear.

"What's that grin for?" he wondered suspiciously.

"Are those cupcakes for me?"

"Yeah, we thought it'd be nice to bake you something, and of course Rory jumped at the idea."

"Aw thank you," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "You big softie." Luke groaned.

"I'm not..." he sighed, deciding that if she was still calling him that almost four years after they'd met, then he was never going to get her to stop. Lorelai settled against him and he wrapped his arms around her. There was a silence for a few minutes, where Luke drew slow circles on her back with his fingers, lulling her into a relaxed state.

"Luke?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think we should tell Rory about Christopher," she blurted. Luke's head shot up and Lorelai took the opportunity to turn onto her side so she could look at him.

"You don't?" he questioned.

"Think about it; if we tell her that you're not her real father, it's just gonna mess everything up. I mean, he kidnapped her, set the diner on fire and ended up in jail. Do you really want our daughter hanging around with somebody like that?" Luke ran his hand down her exposed side, taking in what she had just said.

"If it was just up to me then she'd never get to see him at all," he muttered. "But you're right, if we tell her then she's gonna wanna meet him, and then he's gonna wanna take her out places and have her for overnight visits. I really don't want that to happen," he admitted.

"I know," she agreed, hugging him close. "Think about what it might do to the relationship we have with her."

"What do you mean?"

"Well once she finds out that you're not actually her dad, she'll blame us for keeping it from her and she'll hate us," she said sadly.

"She won't hate us," he assured her. "Maybe she'll hate me, but never you."

"It's just a bad idea altogether," she decided. "I love our life how it is, Rory's happy, we're happy, we have no reason to mess all that up."

"Okay then, we'll just forget we ever had this conversation."

"Sounds good to me," she nodded. There was another few minutes of silence, where Lorelai contemplated talking to Luke about a certain subject she and Sookie had discussed briefly a couple of days ago. "Luke?" she asked again. She heard him sigh to himself.

"Yeah?"

"We've been married for a while now," she began. "And um...Sookie started bugging me about something the other day."

"Caesar's been on at me about something too," he said. Her ears perked up.

"Really?" She paused for a moment. "It wouldn't happen to be about...little people, would it?"

"Oh yeah," he nodded. "He's doing my head in about it, sometimes I wonder if he was born a girl." She chuckled.

"Well what do you think about the whole kid thing?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I mean, Rory's great and she's been so easy to raise, but what's to say it's gonna be the same with another kid?"

"That's just a chance you've gotta take," she shrugged. "I...I do want more kids," she admitted. "But maybe now's not the right time, not with my promotion and everything."

"Yeah, I think kids would be good," he said with a smile. "Not way, way in the future, but soon. I don't think Rory should be too old when she gets a little brother or sister." Lorelai turned her head to look at him.

"You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

"It kinda comes with the territory of being married," he said nonchalantly. "Plus, I wanted to be prepared when you brought the subject up."

"How did you know I was gonna mention it?" she asked.

"Cause you're a woman, you all have babies on the brain twenty four seven," he joked, and Lorelai hit him in the chest.

"We do not," she protested. "So what kinda timeframe are we looking at?"

"I don't know, a year, tops?" Her eyes widened slightly, but she found herself nodding her head in agreement.

"Okay, so I'm aiming to get pregnant by next September."

"I guess...it wouldn't be so bad if it happened before," he shrugged. "I mean, if you're okay with that."

"That sounds good," she agreed. "But don't you think we should practice a little first?" Luke caught on to what she meant and he grinned coyly.

"I think that's a very good idea, Mrs Danes." And that's how they spent the rest of their evening.

So, what did you think? Sorry if this took quite a while, I was having writers block and it's only the second chapter! There is no hope whatsoever. Maybe I will be able to write the next one quicker :P

Leave a review if you like :D and thanks again to everyone supporting this story!

Emily.