A/N: A little bit of a different take on the story of Luke and Lorelai. The newcomer is based loosely on me, but really is more of a plot device than a character.

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It was many years ago that I first came to Star's Hollow. I was starting a new job in Hartford, but decided to live in nearby Star's Hollow. I'd grown up in a small town, and had no desire to stop living in one. It took me about a week to move all my stuff in. I saw curious townspeople pass me by from time to time, watching me with interest. I was an unknown to them. A wild card. Little did they know I was from a town where we all used to do the same thing.

At first, I knew almost no one in Star's Hollow. It took some time for me to adjust to the new job, and I spent most of my time at the office. Finally, I was blessed with a bit of vacation time and decided to spend it getting better acquainted with my brand-new small-town home.

I started off with the stores, just wandering in and out, taking in the general rhythm of the town. It was peaceful and sweet, like something you'd read about in a fairy tale. It just seemed to move a little slower there than anywhere else in the world. To this day, I'm not sure where it comes from, but the magic of Star's Hollow is one of a kind. Once you're part of it, it'll never stop being part of you.

During my wandering, I heard about a town meeting, which was apparently considered prime entertainment around the town. Having nothing better to do, I decided to attend. I walked into what appeared to be a very old dance studio. I found out later that it was owned by a young woman whose family had been in Star's Hollow for many generations. I took my seat at the back of the meeting, not wanting to attract too much attention to myself, being the newcomer and all.

Entertaining didn't begin to cover it. The town meeting covered topics from fundraisers to festivals and everything in between. Everyone gave their two cents without even waiting to be acknowledged. I had a good time, and was sorry when it was over. The big doors were rolled open again, and I exited through the doors into the warm summer breeze.

"You're new around here, aren't you?" Asked a young Asian-looking girl.

"Yes. I moved from Michigan a few weeks ago. Any idea where I could get a decent cup of coffee around here?"

"Have you tried Luke's?"

"No. Where's that?"

"C'mon." She smiled. "I'll take you there."

"So do you know this Luke?" I asked, figuring the place was some sort of town hotspot.

"No." She replied, laughing a little.

"Is Luke an actual person, or is that just some town quirk?" I wondered.

"There was a Luke. He started the business a long time ago. Before that, it was a hardware store. It belonged to his dad."

"Really?" I was intrigued.

"I'm really surprised you haven't heard this story. You've been here about a month, right?"

"About that, yeah."

"Usually, people hear the story right away."

"Well, I haven't been around much. I work in Hartford, and it's been keeping me pretty busy."

"Oh, well in that case, sit back and relax." She laughed, leading me to a gazebo in the center of town, "'Cause it's gonna be a great story."