When The Day Met The Night

Chapter 13

Growing Up

A/N - Song: Growing Up by Macklemore (feat. Ed Sheeran)

Here we go again - SO SORRY for the bugged out version. I should know not to update something right before I run out the door.

Here it is! Thank you so much for reading! It means a lot that people are still interested in GG/JavaJunkie fic. I'm also really satisfied with where this story went and the writing quality in the end. Thanks again for your support. :)

Also, I'm going to start writing some Arrow fanfic here and on AO3. Feel free to follow me into that fandom if that's your thing.

They say boys don't cry

But your dad has shed a lot of tears

They say I should be a strong man

But baby, I'm still filled with fear

Sometimes I don't know who I am

Sometimes I question why I'm here

I just wanna be a good dad

Will I be I have no idea

Luke was deliriously happy. After the ceremony, they had retreated to the diner for a casual lunch. Lorelai refused to allow Luke to cook or help in any way which resulted in him sitting at a table in his wheelchair with his braced leg propped up. He wore the cap Lorelai had made for him, that read "Just Married" on the back, and a new silver wedding ring on his finger. Just knowing that it linked him to Lorelai, that he always carried that small part of their wedding day with him, made him smile.

He loved Lorelai so much. He was still unsure what he'd done to make her love him, but it didn't matter anymore. They'd just stood up in front of their friends and family and committed to a lifetime together. He had never felt such joy in his life. Moreover, all of a sudden, Luke was a father. Rory had called him 'stepdad' playfully earlier, and although he knew she was joking, it had touched him deep in his heart. He knew if Rory loved him and looked at him as a father figure, he could be a good father to the twins.

How could he be unhappy on this wonderful day? So many of the townsfolk had shown up for him and Lorelai. They were like family and it meant so much to him that they were all there. Sean was also fitting in well, he'd gotten into a pointed argument with Taylor Doose earlier and held his own without flinching. Luke couldn't have been more pleased. At the moment, Sean was sitting between Miss Patty and Babette, blushing as they chatted with him. Luke thought he probably should have warned Sean about getting stuck between those two, considering the pair thought no topic was too indelicate, but Sean seemed to be happy to have the attention.

Lorelai walked out of the kitchen holding a dish filled with chicken tenders balanced partially on her belly and stopped briefly to set them on the counter. Luke had told her going into the kitchen might get her pretty dress dirty, but she just laughed and asked him when she was going to have occasion to wear a maternity wedding gown again. She looked so beautiful standing there with her hands on the counter, her hair framing her face, and her cheeks rosy.

Grabbing his crutches, Luke rose from his wheelchair and hobbled over to Lorelai. He set the crutches aside and pressed himself into her back, wrapping his arms around her belly.

"Mmm," Lorelai murmured. "That's nice."

"Love you," Luke whispered into her ear.

"Me too," Lorelai responded, leaning her head to the side against his. They stood together for a few minutes, watching their friends and family enjoy each others company.

"This is the perfect day," Lorelai said to him. "I wouldn't change a thing."

Behind them, in the kitchen, Caesar dropped a metal tray. As it fell it must have bounced off of another metal surface because it clanged a few times before settling to the ground. Lorelai and most of the people in attendance didn't flinch, but Luke froze. Sean, still situated between Miss Patty and Babette, rose to his feet.

Luke was still wrapped around Lorelai and the babies. He had an intense desire to tighten his grip, to protect them, but he stopped himself from squeezing her. His heart was racing and he started to sweat. Lorelai turned in his arms and put a hand on his cheek.

"Babe?" she asked, clearly concerned. Luke blinked away tears and pressed a fist to his heart. Sean appeared behind him with his wheelchair and put his hand on Luke's shoulder, pushing him down into the seat. Lorelai crouched in front of him.

"Breath, Luke," Sean said quietly. "Just take a few deep breaths."

Luke put his head down and concentrated on breathing. He wished the shaking would stop. He didn't want Lorelai to look at him like that.

"Just need a minute," he told his wife. Sean wheeled him back towards the storage room as Lorelai watched, still crouched down, her face strained with worry.

They say girls shouldn't be tough

And moms should raise their kids at home

But baby, I know that that isn't true

'Cause your momma's the toughest person I know

I wanna raise you to be like her

And watch you show the world how to do it on your own

"You're having a panic attack," Sean told him. They were currently huddled in the storage room and Sean was crouched in front of Luke.

"We can leave if you want," Sean continued. "But there's nothing here to be afraid of."

Luke nodded and continued to concentrate on his breathing.

"This is only temporary, it'll go away soon, okay?"

Luke nodded again, rubbing his hands on his thighs.

"I think Lorelai is pretty worried, is it okay if I get her?" Sean asked him quietly. Luke bobbed his head and Sean disappeared for a minute.

Luke was looking at his hands in his lap and breathing deeply when they returned.

"He's having a panic attack," Sean explained to Lorelai. She moved to kneel in front of Luke as Sean crouched next to her.

"I was just telling Luke that we can leave the diner if he thinks it'll make him feel better. Also, that he's safe here, and that the panic is only temporary."

Lorelai nodded and put her hand on Luke's. "It's safe here, Babe, but we'll do whatever you want."

He gripped her hand hard.

"Let's talk about something," Sean said. He sat back on the floor and crossed his legs. Lorelai followed his cue and sat back as well while still holding Luke's hand.

"Sean, do you like to fish?" Lorelai asked him calmly. Sean nodded and motioned for her to continue. "Luke tried to teach me how to fish once. I had gotten roped into going on a fishing date with a guy because I'd told him that I knew how to fish."

"That guy owned a coffee shop. Lorelai has a type," Luke groused between deep breaths. He squeezed her hand. Lorelai laughed.

"I used to go fly fishing with my old man," Sean told them. "But I was way more interested in casting the fly through the air than catching anything."

"I love fly fishing," Luke cut in. "We could go when the weather warms up. The Farmington River is great for fly fishing. And beer drinking."

"I'd love that," Sean responded.

Luke sat back in his wheelchair and let his head hang back. The shaking has stopped and his heart rate was returning to normal. Sean smiled, stood, and gave Lorelai a hand up.

"I'll let you wheel him out," Sean told her before slipping out the door.

"Okay, babe?" Lorelai asked him.

Luke nodded, gathering his thoughts. "I'm exhausted. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Luke, I vowed to stand by your side in sickness and in health. I'm here for you no matter what."

Luke reached for her hand and nodded, blinking away tears.

"I didn't expect to cry so much today," he confessed, wiping under his eyes.

"Crying is good, baby," she responded quietly. "It helps relieve stress."

Luke closed his eyes and took a calming breath.

"Sean's a good one," Lorelai continued, squeezing his hand. "I'm so grateful to him, not just for saving your life."

"I am, too."

I'm still tryna figure out who I am

I don't wanna mess this up or do this wrong

I'm gonna be there for your first breath

I don't know if I'll be there for your first step

I can promise you that I'll try to work less

Lorelai walked beside Sean as he wheeled Luke back to the house from the diner that night. Lorelai had wanted to do it, but Sean explained pushing him through slush, gravel, and snow was a lot different from pushing him across the diner floor. Lorelai was wearing a white wool jacket, a large fluffy white winter hat, and a giant fluffy white muffler. She loved dressing up in cute winter gear, but let Luke think that she was only wearing a hat at his insistence.

Luke himself was wearing a wool peacoat and a tartan scarf wrapped around his neck and held his crutches flat across his lap. As they approached the steps of their home a few lazy snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Lorelai gasped and looked up.

Smiling to himself, Luke quietly told Sean that they were all set, and sat back to watch his wife. She was smiling up at the sky and spinning in slow lazy circles.

"Beautiful," Luke murmured to himself. He wanted to stand and hold her in the snow but was content to sit back and allow her to enjoy the moment. Besides the one episode, it really had been a perfect day.

I won't spoil you, you can trust that

For your sweet sixteen, you get a bus pass

Had your heart broken, been there, done that

I love you and I can't give you enough of that

"February 21st," Lorelai asked, agitation clear in her voice.

"I know," Luke groused. "It's not the best timing."

"It's the day after we move into the new house, Luke!" Lorelai complained. "We're going to be up to our eyeballs in boxes."

Lorelai was seated cross-legged on the floor in their family room, working on wrapping items in bubble wrap and placing them in boxes. Luke was sitting on the couch, his leg propped up on a chair, folding clothing on his lap before putting everything into another box.

"That's the only date they can do the surgery."

"I know," Lorelai responded. "We have not had the best luck when it comes to these things."

"We'll be okay," Luke reassured her. "I'm sure Sookie will fire up a flare as soon as she finds out."

The Danes crib, which is what Lorelai had taken to calling it over 'the big house', was almost complete. Most of the work that was needed on the third floor would have to wait until Luke was fully healed. To save money, he planned to finish the rest of the renovations himself. Lorelai had originally hoped to move Sean into the third floor apartment, which Rory had graciously agreed to, but in the end he seemed happier with the idea of living above the diner. Sean was also helping Caesar manage Luke's Diner, which came as a great relief to Luke due to him being off his feet.

Lorelai, if she was being honest with herself, was more than happy to receive the news that the house would be ready before the babies came. Her home, which she loved so dearly, was too small for their family. She also knew that it was possible one day down the road that they could decide to have a fourth child. Luke agreed to not sell it, knowing how much her first house meant to her, and instead to rent it out for the time being.

"At least the Danes crib has a full first-floor bathroom so we can set up our bed downstairs for the time being. You won't have to use the stairs after your knee replacement."

"Okay. But would you stop calling the house that?" Luke groused, tossing another folded shirt into his box.

"It's too late, love," Lorelai told him, smiling. "Everyone in town is calling it that now."

Luke sighed and looked at his watch. "Sean will be here soon."

"Oh!" Lorelai put her packing down and struggled to stand. When she finally got up to her feet she heard a car pull into the gravel driveway. "I completely lost track of time, babe."

Lorelai helped Luke rise to his good leg, which was comical in and of itself and handed him his crutches. Sean walked through the front door just as Lorelai was grabbing Luke's army jacket.

"Ready to go, Sarge?" Sean asked, taking in the packing and boxes strewn across the floor. "Want me to help you pack, Lorelai? I've got some time this weekend."

"That would be amazing, Sean," Lorelai told him, smiling. Once Luke got his coat on she kissed him loudly on his stubbled cheek.

"Do I get a kiss, too?" Sean asked flirtatiously.

"Don't hit on my wife," Luke groused to Sean as he hobbled out the door.

"If I was straight you wouldn't stand a chance," Sean responded laughing. "Now let's go get your head shrunk."

Get back to community that raised you up

Read Langston Hughes, I suggest A Raisin in the Sun

Listen to Sam Cooke, a change gon' come

You put the work in, don't worry about the praise, my love

Hospital waiting rooms were probably Lorelai's least favorite place on the entire planet, even more than her parent's dining room. The chairs were always uncomfortable, which was expounded by the fact that Lorelai was six months pregnant and her back was almost constantly aching. It didn't help that the day before they had moved all of their worldly possessions into a new home. Lorelai hadn't been allowed to carry anything but she still managed to exhaust herself in the process. Because Luke hadn't been allowed to help, either, they'd hired movers.

After the movers left all they'd managed to do was set up a temporary bedroom in the family room. Sookie had made the bed for Lorelai just in time for her to lay down in it and take a nap. She'd fallen asleep to the sounds of Luke hobbling around in the kitchen as he unpacked and unloaded things into the cabinets. He wasn't technically supposed to be doing that work, but she'd given up on reminding him of that. They were both pretty stubborn when they dug their heels in. And to be fair, if Sookie or she unpacked the kitchen, Luke would just spend a few hours after he recovered rearranging the entire thing.

I love that man so much, Lorelai thought to herself, rubbing her belly. If anything happens to him… No, she stopped herself. She knew she couldn't go down that train of thought. That way lies madness. She rose to her feet and started to pace in front of the seats, rubbing her lower back.

"You okay, mom?" Rory asked. She'd been sitting to the right of her mother. Sean, sitting to Lorelai's left, was currently leaning back in his seat snoring.

No, she thought, I'm definitely not. She wasn't about to tell Rory that.

"I'll be okay, sweets. I'm going to head over to the vending machines. Want anything?"

Rory shook her head.

After finding a stash of red vines in Lorelai's night side table before the move, Luke had basically banned her from eating any sweets. Which, to be fair, her doctor had also warned her against. But she needed her sugary companions tonight. When she finally reached the vending machine area all they had for licorice was Twizzlers. Disappointed, she grabbed a Twix and ate it before Rory or Sean could come down the hall and catch her. Luke had recruited allies to make sure his wife was eating proper meals.

Since Luke had been back he'd jumped into the role of prospective father with alacrity. He'd consulted on the arrangement of the nursery, discussed further baby names at great length, and read that entire 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' cover to cover. Multiple times. Lorelai herself hadn't bothered to read it. She'd already brought one baby into this word. I'm old hat at this, she thought to herself. Even if all of her knowledge was outdated, Rory had survived into her 20s, her mother had to have done a few things right.

Luke was also attending his group therapy meetings in Hartford five nights a week, Monday through Friday, from 6 to 7:30 pm. Lorelai drove him for the first week, but couldn't stand to be in the car for that long, so Sean took up the mantle. Because Luke couldn't drive, Sean had been borrowing Luke's truck on a regular basis.

Her husband being in Hartford so frequently was starting to wear on Lorelai. She hoped his psychiatrist would eventually reduce his time there. Hopefully before the babies were born because she really needed him at home. She was grateful that Luke was getting the medication and support he needed; the improvement in his attitude was clearly evident. He'd never been great at sharing his feelings or talking through problems, but he'd been able to open up to her about his time with the Army and that meant the world to Lorelai.

Sean had actually given Lorelai a book on how to deal with a spouse with PTSD. That Lorelai had read cover to cover and it helped her immensely when Luke's panic and fear set in. It had only happened a few times since their wedding, but Lorelai was getting better at helping Luke through it. They still had a long road ahead of them. Luke would be in therapy and on medication for a long time, but they had a map and they weren't alone.

"You cheating?" a voice shocked her out of her revery.

Lorelai jumped.

Sean was leaning against a vending machine next to her. Lorelai realized she'd been staring at the sugary snacks for several minutes. She tried not to look guilty but realized the Twix wrapper was still in her hand.

"Caught me," she confessed, letting her head hang in mock sadness.

"I won't tell him," Sean responded and offered her his arm. "Come sit down."

Her back was still aching. Sitting sounded nice. She grabbed his arm and slowly walked back to her chair.

Don't try to change the world, find something that you love

And do it every day

Do that for the rest of your life

And eventually, the world will change

"He looks like a baby," Sookie whispered to Lorelai. They were standing together in the large arched entryway of the family room, watching Luke snooze in bed. They'd gotten home from the hospital a little while before, and Luke had been too tired to do much else. He was currently wearing sweats with one leg cut off above the knee and his standard issue green tee. His knee was bandaged and propped up on a pillow. Luke's arms were splayed to the left and right and the blankets were kicked off. Lorelai put a hand over her heart at the sight of him, utterly spent and completely zonked out.

"He's cute, I think I'll keep him," she said quietly. Lorelai motioned Sookie to the kitchen where she sat at the new large wooden table. Sookie prepared two cups of tea and brought them over before sitting down.

"So, I loaded your freezer with frozen casseroles," Sookie told her. "They should all be Luke approved, but I made sure to include some of your favorites."

"Sook, I don't know what I would have done without you." Lorelai wrapped her hands around her mug. She had no intention of drinking the tea, but was welcomed the warmth.

"You'd do the same for me. Well, you'd have Luke make the casseroles," Sookie told her chuckling.

"He would," Lorelai agreed, smiling. "And he'd complain the entire time."

Lorelai felt a wall inside of her break and suddenly she was weeping. She cried into her mug with her friend beside her rubbing her back. She'd been running since Luke came home, preparing a wedding, moving, and getting ready for surgery, she hadn't really had time to process all of her emotions. They weren't exactly sad tears. It was more of a release. This time she didn't fight it, she let the flood come, and was grateful to have her friend by her side.

I'll be patient, one more month

You'll wrap your fingers round my thumb

Times are changing, I know, but who am I if

I'm the person you become

If I'm still growing up

"Can't we just hire the West girl your mother liked?" Luke groused. Lorelai had put Emily's list of potential nannies on his lap and asked him to look through it with her.

"Can you hear yourself right now?" Lorelai asked him, shocked. She was seated next to him on their giant new reclining sofa. Luke had his leg rest up and his knee was propped up on a pillow. "And besides, woman, not girl."

"Huh?" Luke asked.

"She's a woman," Lorelai clarified. "Not a girl."

"So?" Luke wondered what the big deal was.

"How would you feel if you went to a job interview where people referred to you as that Danes boy?"

"Okay, fine, the West woman, she sounded fine."

"Just look with me, baby," Lorelai wheedled, opening the folder. After a few minutes of perusing the other options, Sara West did seem like the best candidate. She had attended a four-year college, was an amateur novelist, and had been nanny to two previous families who provided glowing reviews.

Lorelai had brought up the subject of Emily and Richard Gilmore paying for a nanny after Luke's surgery. At first, Luke was hesitant about the idea-he didn't like receiving handouts-but he knew this was to support his wife. They would need help with twins, and Luke wouldn't be at 100% when they were born. He agreed to accept this gift, but only temporarily, until he was wholly recovered and could participate fully in parenting.

"So, Sara West, it is..." Lorelai had a feeling that Emily most likely chose weak candidates to reinforce her own preference, but Sara West did genuinely seem like a good pick. "I'll call my mom and ask her to set up an interview."

I recommend that you read The Alchemist

Listen to your teachers, but cheat in calculus

Tell the truth, regardless of the consequence

And every day, give your momma a compliment

"I'm not sure I was really there yet. My head was home with my wife, well she wasn't my wife at the time, but I was still there with her. But then I got into that humvee and before I knew it an IED went off and all of a sudden I was ripped out of that bubble. I realized I could die there. I realized I didn't want to die there."

Luke paused, trying to gather his thoughts. He was seated in a circle of chairs with other military veterans. He hadn't been able to bring himself to speak much about his experience in the Army but finally felt ready. He'd been two weeks out of knee surgery and had taken his first steps in rehab earlier in the day. He figured if he could start walking, he could start talking.

"And then I held a bloody kid in my arms. He was the same age as my step-daughter. And I realized I'd rather die than let that kid die. But he did die. And I realized it wasn't all about me."

His heart started to pound and his hands started to shake. I can do this, he thought to himself.

"I caught another IED a few weeks later. It blew my knee out and cut up my belly. It knocked me unconscious-it was a small mercy because I don't really remember it happening. But if I'm being honest it was a fucking relief that I was the one hit that time. That I didn't have to watch another kid die right in front of me.

"The kid's name was Kevin Michaels and he wanted me to tell his girlfriend Lucy that he was sorry. He was 21 years old and planned to use his GI bill to go to college when his contract was up. Lucy was his high school sweetheart and she'd gotten pregnant when she was 19. Kevin had joined the Army after their baby was born because he wanted to make something of himself. He wanted to show his daughter that her old man was someone she could be proud of. I got to go home but Kevin's daughter doesn't have a father anymore."

Luke's face was wet from tears and he took a moment to wipe at his cheeks with a tissue.

"After talking it through with my wife I realized that I can still honor Kevin's memory. I feel guilty for surviving, but I didn't have anything to do with the bomb going off. I'm not the one that killed Kevin."

Luke stopped talking but he wasn't done sharing. He'd let the flood gates open and didn't want to lose his nerve.

"I…" he began. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I have panic attacks. It's strange. Whenever I hear a loud clang or a pop, like an explosion or gun going off, it makes me jump and my heart pounds. My palms get all sweaty and I feel like I might throw up. PTSD."

Luke paused, choosing his next words carefully. "My wife is pregnant with twins. I was so afraid of coming home to her as this broken person. I've been off my feet since the attack. I was so afraid she wouldn't want this broken shell of a man so I buried everything as deep as I could. I didn't want to be a burden on her.

"Just the thought of her caring for two crying babies and then having to cook and clean for me as well. It made me sick. I was disgusted with myself. And then I realized that I was also hurting her. She was the person I really needed but I was pushing her away."

He drew in a shaky breath. "And when I finally talked to her about it all she was amazing. She reminded me of our wedding vows: in sickness and in health. In my head I automatically tell myself that I don't deserve her, but I'm trying to remind myself that I do deserve her."

I'll be patient, one more month

You'll wrap your fingers round my thumb

Times are changing, I know, but who am I

If I'm the person you become

If I'm still growing up

"Would you please stop?" Luke asked Lorelai desperately. He reached for her phone but she held it out of his range. She pulled back and took another photo of him. Luke grumbled and hobbled away on his crutches.

Lorelai was seated with Rory at their favorite table in Luke's Diner. They'd been there for two hours since Luke started his shift at 8 am. It was his first shift since being back home and Lorelai was more excited than Luke.

"Did you see the way he poured that coffee?" Lorelai said to Rory conspiratorially. Rory nodded sagely and pretended to study Luke's movements.

Luke put the coffee pot down and stared angrily at his wife.

Lorelai put her hands up and smiled. "Fine, fine, we're leaving!"

She struggled to stand, but Luke was by her side in a flash, helping her stand with a hand on her arm and one on her back. Lorelai was eight months pregnant and ready to be done with the whole ordeal.

"Rory, are you driving your mother home?" Luke asked patiently.

"Stop it, we live two blocks from here!"

"Your knees have been bothering you," Luke said patiently.

"I have my car out front," Rory cut in, pointing across the street. She put one hand on Lorelai's arm and steered her toward the door.

Once they made it to Rory's car, Lorelai stood outside the passenger side door looking into the diner as Luke hobbled around on his crutches. "Isn't he so hot?" Lorelai asked wistfully.

"Mom. He's my stepdad. Stop," Rory groused, climbing into her car.

Don't wake your mom up, do yoga, learn 'bout karma

Find God, but leave the dogma

The quickest way to happiness learning to be selfless

Ask more questions, talk about yourself less

It took effort to act calm. To pretend that he actually wanted Lorelai to leave the diner after she'd been sitting there all morning. The truth was that Luke wanted to spend every minute he had by her side. It made him nervous to watch Rory drive off with her. He knew he was being overprotective so he pretended to be the grumpy miserly diner owner. Thankfully he had a job to that provided a nice distraction. After all, he couldn't sit at home all day and let Sean and Caesar run the diner. The twins would be there soon and there would be time enough for that.

"It's so good to see you back, dear," Miss Patty intoned as Luke delivered her food while using only one crutch. "Although, we do enjoy watching Sean serve our meals. He is so roguishly handsome."

"Leave the boy alone, can't you see he's trying to do his job?" Babette joked.

Luke smiled and retreated behind the counter. The phone rang but he ignored it as he entered an order into his cash register. Caesar popped around from the kitchen to answer and immediately handed it off to Luke.

"Yeah?" Luke asked into the phone, barely paying attention.

"It's time," came Lorelai's voice through the line.

"Time? I've got a few more hours left," Luke explained patiently.

"No, Luke, time to go have our babies," Lorelai explained quietly. Luke dropped the phone.

"Caesar!" he yelled. "Lorelai's in labor. I'm out! Call Sean!"

I'll be patient, one more month

You'll wrap your fingers round my thumb

Times are changing, I know, but who am I if

I'm the person you become

If I'm still growing up

Situated on a hospital bed in the maternity ward, Lorelai seemed so calm. Luke knew she'd been there before but it had been over 20 years since Rory was born. It had been a few minutes since the last contraction and the doctors told them the twins were almost ready to come into the world. Luke was beyond nervous.

"Our babies are almost here," Lorelai told him, a tear slipping down her cheek. She reached for his hand. Luke stopped pacing next to her to grab it.

"I can't believe this is happening," Luke told her, trying to steady his breathing.

"You're going to be such a great dad," Lorelai said smiling. The next contraction came and their doctor rushed into the room.

Watch the sunset with best friends from a rooftop

Wear a helmet, don't be stupid, jaywalk, but look before you do it

If it snows, go outside, build a jump, get some help

Get a sled, thrash the hill with your friends, 'til it melts

Go to festivals, camp, fall in love and dance

You're only young once, my loved one, this is your chance

Take risks, 'cause life moves so fast

"She's perfect," Luke told Lorelai, holding his daughter in his arms. Lorelai was sitting on the hospital bed holding their other baby. Luke still had occasional tears streaming down his face. He didn't think they'd ever stop.

"This one is, too," Lorelai said softly. "Sean."

"I don't think she's a Nessa," Luke told his wife, looking down at his daughter.

"Me either," Lorelai agreed, smiling. "Although this one is definitely a Sean."

Luke chuckled.

"What about Mae?" Lorelai asked him. That was another name they had both liked.

Luke shook his head.

"Not quite right."

Lorelai reached her arm out. "Wanna trade?"

Luke smiled and rose. Carefully he set their daughter in Lorelai's free arm and reached for Sean.

Lorelai looked down at their little baby girl. "Hmmm you're right, this one is not a Mae. Are you a Clementine? An Erin? An Amber?"

Luke gentle swayed side to side with Sean in his arms. "No, no, and no," he said, chuckling.

Lorelai gentle caressed the side of her sleeping face. "A Yolanda? An Alexis? A Maisie?"

"Maisie," Luke said softly, looking closely at their daughter.

"She is," Lorelai intoned, smiling wide. "Maisie Danes."

Luke sat down into his chair and exhaled shakily. "Sean, meet your sister, Maisie."

"They're perfect," Lorelai cried.