A few weeks went by and slowly they worked their way into a comfortable groove. They had both agreed to take things cautiously, afraid to overstep any remaining boundaries the other might have had. Luke had been over to the house a few times for movies and more often than not Lorelai had found herself at the diner past closing. With time, they fell into step with one another and though they still had work to do, both began to feel better about where they were headed. Having been apart for a while, they knew what they'd been without and were afraid to take anything for granted.

With that, Luke found himself at the diner and wiping down the counter as he saw Lorelai hurriedly rushing through the door. He paused in his work, laying the towel down as he watched her sit down on her usual barstool. "I thought you said you were working during lunch today?"

"I was," Lorelai replied, taking a deep breath in an attempt to collect her thoughts. "I am. Well, sort of, but then something happened and I just—"

"Don't worry about it," Luke replied, shaking his head. "I'll get you something to eat. Relax."

"Can't…relax…" Lorelai gratefully took the cup he handed her and took a healthy sip before trying to continue.

"What, did you run here?" Luke asked jokingly. Even though he laughed while he did so, he knew that with her it could very well be possible.

"I would like to begin by saying that I'm sorry. I tried to stop it, I did; I tried coming up with an excuse as to why it was impossible, but they wouldn't take it."

Luke watched her, curious as she fidgeted, easily crumpling a napkin under her grip. He glanced around, grateful that Kirk had left shortly before she came in and that there wasn't anyone else within earshot. "You wanna tell me what's going on here?"

"My parents found out about us, and now they want you to come to dinner on Friday," Lorelai replied. She decided that maybe getting everything out at once was easier. "I'm sorry, Luke. I know that this is something we should've talked about first. I don't want anything to feel weird or rushed, so if this is something you don't feel comfortable with I can tell them we need to reschedule."

If it weren't for how flustered Lorelai looked, he probably would have laughed. Instead he offered a smile and put his hand on top of hers. "Don't worry about it. I'll come."

"You will?" she asked, momentarily taken back. "You do realize what this means, right? You are voluntarily agreeing to waltz directly into the lion's den. Well, not waltz of course, but—" she paused, shaking her head. She offered a shrug. "I guess I was just worried. Rory's at school and the last I heard, she wasn't going to make it, so I just didn't know if it was such a good idea bringing my parents into our bubble."

"We have a bubble?" Luke asked, raising his eyebrow. Before he had a chance to press for any more information, a round of people walked into the diner. He excused himself long enough to take their order. Once he came back he found that she'd emptied her mug, but that it had done nothing to calm her down. "I'll be there," he assured her. "I tell you what. If you stay for just a few, I'll make you a burger. Don't argue with me either and pretend it's not what you want."

Lorelai gasped, pretending to be offended. "Me? I don't recall ever doing any such thing."

"Right, I bet you don't," he replied. "So can you stay for lunch?"

She tilted her head to the side, pretending to mull it over, before finally nodding and shooting a smile his way. "You know me too well, don't you?"

"Sometimes it feels that way," Luke replied, growing cautious as he eyed Patty and Babette walking towards the diner. Their relationship was no longer a secret and he was perfectly fine with it, but the last thing he wanted was for them to be the prime topic of Stars Hollow. He nodded at the ladies as they walked in and seated themselves before turning his attention back to Lorelai. "I'll uh…I'll get that burger started for you," he said before pointing to her cup. "Coffee?"

Shortly after Lorelai left, things at the diner settled down again and Luke had a chance to breathe. A few tables remained, including Miss Patty and Babette who seemed content by themselves. He took the chance to slip behind the curtain, placing a call he felt was important for him to make. Even if she wasn't needed, he couldn't help feeling like it was something he was supposed to do.

"Hello?" he heard her voice sounding somewhat concerned from the other end of the phone. "Luke? Is something wrong with my mom?"

"What?" he replied, settling his forehead on his hand as he realized what the implications of him calling her might be. "Rory, hey. No um…Lorelai's great. She's fine. Listen, I just sort of had a favor to ask you. It's really not a big deal, so if you can't do it I understand, but—"

"You need my help? With what, exactly?" Rory asked, the curiosity evident in her voice. "Does this have to do with April?"

Luke shook his head despite the fact she couldn't see him. When Lorelai had come in, so flustered and worried about Friday Night Dinner and the fact the Gilmores insisted he come, all that he wanted to do was ensure that she feel comfortable about the situation. He thought that maybe if Rory were present, it would make the situation slightly less awkward and perhaps gear some of the conversation in her direction.

"It's just that, well, somehow your grandparents were able to find out your mother and I are seeing each other again. I don't know all the details, what with the way Lorelai came storming in here earlier. All that I know is that we're both expected at Friday dinner at their place, and just—" he paused, finding the right words to ask her difficult to come by.

"How can I help?"

"Could you just be there? I mean, it's not a big deal. I don't know your schedule as much as she does, but if you could I know it'd mean a lot to her." Luke heard the sound of papers shuffling around as he waited for her answer. He hoped he wasn't overstepping bounds just by trying to help.

"Friday actually isn't as bad as I was thinking it would be," Rory replied. Even through the phone she could sense his anxiety about the issue. "You've survived the Gilmores before, you know. We may be borderline crazy, but I'm fairly certain there are worse ways you could be spending your evening." Rory hesitated, hearing nothing but background noise on the other end. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?" Luke replied, peering out from behind the curtain that divided the stairs on which he stood from the rest of the diner, checking to make sure everything was still running smoothly.

"Don't let my grandparents scare you. I'll see you Friday."

The air was chilly as Luke and Lorelai pulled up to the elder Gilmore residence. Fall was settling as expected, and as they climbed out of the truck, a fresh puff of breath curled out in long white wisps. "Last chance, Luke. You can say you caught a cold, and I mean really. What kind of woman would I be if I left you at home to fend for yourself?"

Luke watched as she rubbed her arms for warmth. It was chilly despite the layers they wore. He closed the driver's side door and walked around the front to her side of the truck, placing an arm around her shoulders. "I think it's gonna be fine. Relax," he replied, planting a kiss against her temple and pulling her close.

"Mmm, if you say so," Lorelai replied. They started to walk toward the door until she halted, drawing in the cool night air before slowly exhaling and looking back at him. He was smiling despite the awkward situation they'd soon find themselves in. "You're kind of great Luke Danes, did you know that?"

"Kind of?" Luke chuckled, shaking his head. He looked up in time to see the headlights of Rory's car pulling into the drive. "I got a little surprise for you."

Lorelai turned around, eyes growing wide at the sight of Rory climbing out of the car. "Hey! I thought you said you weren't going to make it?"

"Yeah, well, plans change I guess," Rory replied, giving her a hug. "Can we go inside? I was in a hurry to get here and forgot my jacket."

Lorelai looked at Luke and she grinned. "Thank you," she said.

Dinner went by easier than expected. Emily went on for a little bit about the girls from the DAR and Richard was sure to fill them in on the details of a deal his company was working on.

They hit a hiccup when the cook was late in bringing out the main course, but everything went smoothly afterward. Little mention was made of what they believed to be the real reason for inviting Luke to dinner. Lorelai had caught Emily looking curiously in their direction a few times, but not much about it was said.

Just as they were gathering their things and getting ready to leave, Richard cleared his throat and clapped his hand on Luke's shoulder. He looked at the older man, a confused look plastered on his features, but followed Richard into the other room while Lorelai and Rory walked with Emily down the hall towards the door.

"Anything I can help you with?" Luke asked, rocking back on his heels as he laughed nervously. He and Richard had never had a perfect relationship to say the least, and considering everything he and Lorelai had been through in the past few months, he didn't think her father's opinion of him had improved much.

"Actually, I was hoping that you could," Richard replied with a nod. He took a moment to take Luke's image in. He wasn't exactly in a suit, but considering the fact that he'd traded his usual flannel for a dark dress shirt and slacks, it was clear that he was actually trying to make some sort of impression. "I was hoping to speak to you for a moment regarding your relationship with my daughter."

"Does Lorelai know you're doing this? You know, we should probably get going," Luke said, stuffing one hand into his pocket and pointed toward the hall with the other. "It's a bit of a drive back to the Hollow."

Richard nodded slowly but held out a hand to stop him. "I won't keep you long, I can assure you. I'm aware of the fact you have a business to open in the morning. With that being said, back to the topic at hand; it's no secret that Lorelai has a life separate of her mother and I. She makes every attempt possible to remain independent and to keep her social activities and relationships private."

Luke waited for a minute as he paused. "What are you getting at here?"

"I'm getting at the fact that I care for my daughter despite the distance she herself has chosen to place between us. It's a fact that Lorelai prefers independence. However, I'd like to think that I still know my daughter pretty well. Which means I know that she cares a great deal for you," Richard paused, shifting his feet and casting a meaningful look in his direction. "This relationship between the two of you is not my business, but—"

"Okay, really? Look, all due respect, but if you're going to enter into some spiel about Lorelai and I, then—"

"Then what?" Richard countered, raising an eyebrow as he waited for a response. When Luke didn't respond he simply nodded. He'd known Luke long enough to realize the man simply wasn't comfortable with opening up in the way he was asking him to, but it was something he himself felt the need to ask. "Luke, it's quite obvious that you love my daughter. I'm sincerely happy for the two of you. But what I need to know is if this thing you two have got going is going to last. Because despite anything that might stand between us, Lorelai's happiness is important to me, and I'd hate for anything to interfere with that."

Luke looked back towards the doorway, expecting to see Lorelai standing there patiently or looking for the right moment to interject. What he found instead was a view of the hall, though he heard her voice coming from somewhere just beyond that. He turned his eyes back to Richard and pulled one hand from his pockets to massage the back of his neck, carefully considering his words. "Lorelai and I have made our mistakes in the past…and you're right by the way, this isn't much your business. I love her. Okay? That's the only defense I have. We've both screwed up and done things we regret. But I've lost her before, and you can guarantee I'll do everything I can to make sure that won't happen again. "

"Luke," Lorelai called from the door, her voice little more than a raspy whisper. The way her eyes shifted between the two men suggested she'd heard at least a portion of what he'd said. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and coughed before speaking. "Rory needs to get back to school. She wanted to say goodbye before she does."

"I should probably—" Luke gestured to the door. Richard nodded. "Good bye," he walked toward the hall, saying the same to Emily along the way. Lorelai grabbed his hand as they stepped out into the cold night. They shared their goodbyes with Rory out on the drive before heading to the truck to leave themselves.

Lorelai stopped him, looking back towards the house before pulling on his lapels, bringing him in for a kiss. "We survived."

"Yeah," he replied, reluctant to let her go. "we did."