Meeting Luke 9-

Disclaimer: same as always.

Author's Note: I realize that this might seem a wee bit unrealistic to the untrained eye, however if you could pretend that Lorelai has enough money saved up to get the loan and that now she'll be making enough to make the payments for everything. Or maybe she had some money in a savings account for college and tapped into it without the knowledge of her parents. You all have great imaginations, you can do it, I have faith in you.

~*~

"Sookie, I've got a dilemma." Lorelai pouted as she trudged into the kitchen the next morning.

"What?"

"You know about Mia moving, right?"

Sookie nodded as she stirred a soup.

"Okay, well, I got a promotion because of it, but I'm still sad. How am I supposed to celebrate being promoted?"

Sookie frowned, "I don't know. Just try to think about how you'll be making more money, and you'll be able to afford a house soon; not how Mia's moving all the way across the country."

A grin slowly spread across Lorelai's face, "I'll be able to afford a real house." She gave Sookie a hug, "Sookie! Me and Rory, we're going to have a house!" She squealed.

"Better now?"

Lorelai nodded, "Much better. Thanks Sookie!"

~*~ Later that day…

Lorelai had made several phone calls and was finally going to be able to get a loan for a house. She was excited and couldn't wait for Rory to come home. "Hey Sookie, has Rory been through here?"

"Um, no, I don't think so."

Lorelai frowned, "Okay, thanks. Send her to the shed if you see her."

"Okay." Sookie nodded.

Lorelai walked back out to the lobby, "Hey Sam, have you seen Rory?"

Sam shook his head, "Nope. Haven't been looking though."

"Okay. If you see her, send her to the shed."

"Will do"

"Thanks." Lorelai went out to the front porch to look for her again. Not seeing her, she went around behind the inn and headed toward the shed. Lorelai sat in the shed and thought for a minute, "Where could she be?" The school was only a block away. Rory was always home at the same time everyday. "Luke's!" She had to be at Luke's, it was on the way home, so it only made sense. Lorelai quickly walked to Luke's. Lorelai got there after what seemed like forever and saw Rory sitting at a booth eating a cookie with Jess. Lorelai calmly went over to where they were sitting and sat across from Rory.

"Hi Mommy."

"Hi Rory. Did you tell me you were coming here after school today?"

"Yes. Did you forget?"

"When did you tell me?"

"Yesterday night before bed."

Lorelai ate a piece of Rory's cookie and tried to remember, "oh."

"'Member now?"

Lorelai nodded, "Yep. Sorry. Where's Luke?"

Rory looked at Jess accusingly, "He's in the kitchen cleaning."

Lorelai looked at the two five year olds, "What happened?"

"I was trying to help." Jess answered.

"He dropped a big jar of pickles." Rory added.

Lorelai's jaw dropped and she tried not to laugh. "I'll go see if he needs any help." Lorelai got up and went behind the counter and into the kitchen.

"Back to the booth." Luke ordered, not looking up.

"You want some help?"

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were Jess."

"A common mistake." Lorelai said sarcastically.

"You gonna help?"

"I was going to, but since you thought I was Jess, I might have to drop a jar of pickles."

"Ha ha ha."

Lorelai shrugged, "I thought it was funny. So what exactly happened?"

"I was standing here making a sandwich, then I heard Rory whispering that it was a bad idea and it was too heavy, so of course I turned around and Jess promptly dropped the jar and it shattered."

Lorelai tried not to laugh, "Did you finish fixing the sandwich?"

"Yeah, I should probably get that out there."

"I'll take care of it, you clean up the glass. Where does it go?"

"Guy in the red shirt at the far table by the window."

Lorelai took the sandwich and went out to the diner and gave the man his sandwich. Then she went back to where Jess and Rory were sitting, "Neither of you got any cuts, right?"

The two shook their heads.

"Good."

~*~

"So, I thought boys are stupid." Lorelai started as the two girls walked back to the shed from Luke's.

"They are."

"Really? You and Jess seem to be getting along."

"Jess is different." Rory justified.

"He isn't a boy?"

Rory giggled, "No silly, he's not dumb like the boys at school."

"Ah, the boys at school are dumb."

"Yes. They can't even read 'See Spot Run'."

"Well then, Jess must be a genius compared to them."

She shrugged, "Oh, you looked like you were looking for me when you came to the diner."

"Oh yeah! I nearly forgot! What do you think of a house?"

"We're getting a house?!" Rory asked excitedly.

"Yep. I got the paperwork back today. We can start looking for a real house now."

Rory grinned, and Lorelai wrapped an arm around her as they continued to walk to the shed.

~*~