Lorelai and Rachel lay on the bed, their bodies snuggling against each other. Rachel's fingertips were slowly sliding up and down Lorelai's arm, a soft, caressing feeling that made Lorelai feel warm inside. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as her head rested against Rachel's chest. They lay there for several minutes in silence before either of them spoke.

"Lorelai?" Rachel said.

"Hmm?" Lorelai answered, her eyes still closed.

"How do you think Rory's gonna take all this?" Rachel asked.

Lorelai opened her eyes and was quiet for a moment. Finally she said, "I have no idea. I've been thinking about how I should tell her. Do you think we should tell her together?"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "I don't exactly have prior experience with this sort of thing, but I'll come with you if you want me to. But... is she gonna be... I don't know, mad at me or something?"

Lorelai picked up her head to look at Rachel. "Why would she be mad at you?"

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just worried that she won't accept this... accept me. And, you know, I know how close you guys are, and I just keep thinking that - "

"Hey, hey, hey," Lorelai interrupted. She sat up on the bed and adjusted her towel. "I see what you're getting at. Yes, Rory and I are close. Yes, I would do anything in the world for her. Yes, I would even sit through an episode of "Three Sisters" with her if she wanted me to. But even if she doesn't accept this at first, it's not going to change the way that I feel about you. Trust me. Okay?"

Rachel smiled and nodded. She sat up on the bed next to Lorelai and leaned in to kiss her. She pulled her lips away, then wrapped her arms around Lorelai's waist. Lorelai returned the hug. As she pulled away, she climbed off the bed and started gathering her clothes.

"Are you leaving?" Rachel asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, I should get home. Rory'll be home soon."

As Lorelai took her clothes into the bathroom to change, Rachel removed her own clothes from the bureau and got dressed also. She was combing her hair at the vanity when Lorelai walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later.

"I hung up the towel on the shower rod to dry," Lorelai said. She sat down at the edge of the bed.

"Thanks," Rachel said. She continued combing her hair as Lorelai watched her. As she placed the comb down on the table, she turned around to face Lorelai. Rachel smiled. "What are you doing?"

Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "Just watching you. You're so graceful all the time, even when you comb your hair. You remind me of Marsha Brady, how she slowly pulled her brush through each strand like a zillion times, making sure it was perfect and soft and beautiful." Lorelai laughed.

Rachel smiled. "I guess that's a compliment?"

Lorelai gasped. "Hon, it's an honor to be compared with Marsha Brady."

Rachel laughed. "Okay, then thank you."

Lorelai smiled. "You're welcome." She stood up and picked up her purse. "I'll try to call you later tonight, okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Okay." She stood up and walked Lorelai to the door. She kissed her goodbye, and as she pulled her lips away, she said, "I love you."

Lorelai smiled. "Love you too." A chill ran through her body as she said the words. She hadn't said those words to someone with such confidence in a very long time. She pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway. "Bye."

"See you later," Rachel said. She smiled to herself before slowly shutting the door.

* * * * *

Lorelai arrived home and went up to her room to change out of her work clothes. She walked down a few minutes later and started making some coffee. As she was pouring herself some, Rory arrived home from school and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Mom," Rory said, greeting her with a kiss.

"Hey, how was your day?" Lorelai asked.

Rory walked into her bedroom and put her bookbag down "Ah, not bad. I have to ask you something though."

"Ooh, go ahead." Lorelai took out another mug and poured some coffee for Rory. She brought them to the table and sat down. A few seconds later, Rory came out of her room and sat down. She took a sip of the coffee. "Mmm, thanks. Okay, now don't freak out."

Lorelai grimaced. "Not a good way to start a conversation, hon."

Rory smiled. "Sorry. Okay, I was -"

"You want a tattoo!" Lorelai interrupted. She sighed. "Okay, but only if I get to pick it out and you get it right on your forehead."

Rory shook her head. "No, Mom, I just -"

"Ooh!" Lorelai interrupted. "I know! You want to – "

"Hello!" Rory interrupted, laughing. "Let me talk please!"

Lorelai pouted. "Fine, go ahead."

"Thank you," Rory said. "Now, remember I told you about my biology presentation on Friday?" Lorelai nodded. "Okay, well, we're gonna meet a few more times this week to put it all together, and we decided that we should meet early on Friday morning to run through it one final time before we present it. Okay, so I was thinking that since Grandma made that new room for me and everything, that maybe I could stay there on Thursday night so I could be closer to the school on Friday morning."

Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah. See, it would be a lot easier for me. I wouldn't have to get up as early on Friday, and I mean, I won't have to carry my project on the bus, and... what do you say?"

Lorelai made a face. "Aww, Rory. But that room has boy band posters in it! What if you get used to them and then you come home and start getting all crazed over N'Sync and then I'll be forced to put you in an institution."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom, I promise you I won't even look at the posters. I'll keep my eyes closed at all times." She paused. "But listen, I won't go if you don't want me to. I was just thinking that it would be a lot easier for me."

Lorelai smiled. "Oh yeah, nice guilt trip there. Fine, go, leave me all alone. I'll be fine."

Rory smiled. "Really?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. But you call your Grandma and ask her, don't make me do it. I know she'll be all, 'Oh Lorelai, I knew this room would come in handy,' blah blah blah." Lorelai made a face.

Rory smiled and stood up. "Okay. Thanks Mom." Rory walked into the living room to the phone. Lorelai sipped her coffee as she tried to listen to Rory's phone call, but she couldn't really make out what was being said. Finally, Rory walked back into the kitchen. "She said it's fine."

Lorelai smirked. "Of course she did. It's her dream to think that you want to stay with her instead of me for a night."

"Tsk, Mom, don't be bitter," Rory said. "Think of it this way: I'm simply using them. I'm using the convenience of their house and in no way does it imply that I want to be there instead of here. In fact, I won't even talk to them. I'll ignore them completely."

Lorelai gasped and smiled. "You will? Aww, thank you."

Rory laughed and rolled her eyes. She picked up her coffee mug and walked into her room. Lorelai finished her coffee, then walked into the living room to watch television.

* * * * *

The next morning, Lorelai went to the diner for breakfast. She sat at the counter eating her pancakes, glancing at Luke as he walked from table to table. She hadn't said anything to him besides giving him her order, and she was contemplating whether she should mention Rachel.

He walked over to her and refilled her coffee. "Thanks Luke," Lorelai said. Luke nodded, then turned to place the pot back on the coffee maker. "Luke, I'm sorry about what happened with Rachel."

Luke stood still for a moment with his back to Lorelai, then he turned around and shrugged. "No big deal."

Lorelai looked down at her plate. "I'm just... I know it must be weird with her staying at the inn and all, you know, still in town."

"A little." He glanced down at his pad. "Have you, uh, talked to her?"

"Yeah," Lorelai replied. "We talked a little yesterday."

Luke nodded. "She doing okay?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. But how are you?"

"I'm fine," Luke replied. "I mean, it was, you know, kinda mutual. Or it would've been eventually." He stared at Lorelai for a moment and sighed. "I just... well, you'll see her at the inn right?... Could you maybe tell her something for me?"

Lorelai nodded.

Luke paused a moment. "I don't... I don't want her to feel weird about coming in here, you know? I mean, if she's gonna be staying here in town, then I don't want things to be weird between us. I probably won't see her before you do, but just tell her... not to feel weird."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "I will, Luke. That's really sweet."

Luke nodded. "Plus, I still have a birthday present for her, so tell her to stop by sometime this week. Not that she'll like it since I suck at buying presents, but still."

Lorelai's ears perked up and she narrowed her eyes. "What? Birthday? When's her birthday?"

Luke glanced at Lorelai. "Friday."

Lorelai nodded. "Oh, she didn't mention it. Not that she would've, I guess. I guess it's rude to come out and say, 'Hey, it's my birthday this week'."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, she won't mention it. She hates birthdays. Actually, you know, don't mention that I have a gift for her. Then she probably won't come."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay." She took a sip of coffee. "I have to go." She took out some money and handed it to Luke. "Keep the change. See you later Luke." She grabbed her purse and started walking to the door.

"Thanks. Bye." Luke's voice trailed after her as she walked through the door and over to her jeep.

She drove to the inn and put her stuff down behind the front desk. She wanted to go up and talk to Rachel, but it was only 7:45; she wasn't sure if she'd be up yet. She walked into her office and started going through some papers. The time slowly dragged by, but at 8:30 she decided to go up and see her.

She walked upstairs to Rachel's room and knocked lightly on the door. "Please don't be asleep, please don't be asleep," she repeated quietly to herself. She knocked again and pushed her ear to the door, trying to hear if there was any noise inside. A few seconds later, she heard the doorknob starting to turn, and she quickly picked her head up from the door. Rachel pulled open the door a crack and peeked out. She smiled when she saw Lorelai. "Hey."

"Hey," Lorelai said. "Did I wake you?"

"No, come in." Rachel opened the door and Lorelai stepped into the room. "What's up?"

They walked over to the bed and sat down. Lorelai smiled. "Okay, I have an idea. On Thursday night, Rory's gonna be spending the night at my parents' house. I'll be there all alone, so I was thinking... why don't you come over and we'll hang out?"

Rachel smiled. "Really? She'll be gone the whole night?"

Lorelai nodded and smiled. "You can spend the night."

Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? I mean, what about the neighbors? Someone's bound to notice if I come over at night and leave in the morning."

Lorelai shrugged. "We'll figure something out. But opportunities like Rory sleeping at my parents' house do not come along often. We should take advantage of it."

Rachel smiled. "Okay." She leaned over and kissed Lorelai softly. "It's a date."

"Good," Lorelai said. "Oh, so I was talking to Luke this morning."

Rachel nodded. "How is he?"

"Good, he's doing good," Lorelai said. "But he wanted me to tell you that he wants to stay friends, especially since you're staying in town. He seemed really sincere about it."

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, I'd like to stay friends with him too."

"And he wants you to come to the diner," Lorelai continued. "He doesn't want you to think you have to avoid it. I mean, I don't know how he'll feel about it once we tell him everything, but for now, he doesn't want you to feel weird."

Rachel nodded and sighed. "He's sweet."

Lorelai nodded. She paused for a moment, then she smiled. "He told me a secret about you."

Rachel raised her eyebrows with curiosity. "Oh really? What?"

Lorelai smiled. "Friday's your birthday."

Rachel smiled and wrinkled her nose. "Oh man, why'd he tell you that? Lorelai, please don't make a big deal about it. I hate birthdays."

"Fine, okay, I'll let your birthday pass without any mention of it. Right," Lorelai said sarcastically. She smiled. "Why do you hate them anyway?"

Rachel shrugged. "I hate being the center of attention, people making a fuss over me. I'm kind of quiet and subdued about myself." Then she laughed and said, "Kind of the opposite of you, I suppose."

Lorelai gasped and pretended to be offended. "What? Are you saying that the fact that I try to bring every conversation topic back to myself isn't an attractive quality?"

Rachel smiled. "Of course it is. I love that about you. I love everything about you."

Lorelai smiled. She pressed her lips against Rachel's and kissed her softly. She pulled back and said, "Ditto. I'm still getting you something for your birthday though."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Fine, you're too stubborn for me to try to talk you out of it."

Lorelai laughed. "That's right." She fell back against the bed so she was lying on her back staring at the ceiling. Rachel did the same, then reached down and grasped Lorelai's hand. "Hey, did you watch that "Facts of Life" E! True Hollywood Story a few days ago?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "It was really good. I always loved saying the name Tootie."

Lorelai laughed. They lay on the bed talking for awhile. Lorelai knew that she should get back to work but she couldn't bring herself to get up and leave. Sure, she and Rachel had shared plenty of intimate moments together over the past few weeks, but there was nothing better than just sitting and talking with each other.

After 30 minutes or so, Lorelai finally sat up and said, "I really should get back downstairs. What are you doing today?"

Rachel sat up. "I was thinking if I'm gonna be living here, getting a job might be a good place to start. Or at least a temporary one while I work on my photography."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, that would be good. Good luck with that." She leaned forward and kissed her. "Bye."

"Bye," Rachel said. She sat on the bed and watched as Lorelai stood up and walked out the door.

* * * * *

On Thursday night, Lorelai drove Rory to Hartford and dropped her off at the Gilmore mansion. She arrived home a little past 8 with a pizza, then called Rachel to tell her she was home. She set the table with real plates and glasses, and placed the present she'd bought next to Rachel's plate.

Lorelai walked into the living room and glanced around. Through her open window shade, she could see Morey and Babette in their house sitting on the couch. Lorelai walked over and pulled down the window shade, then started pulling closed all the curtains and shades in the room. As she was finishing pulling the last shade closed, there was a knock at the door.

Lorelai quickly walked to the door and pulled it open, revealing a smiling Rachel holding a small duffel bag. "Hey," Rachel said.

"Hey, come on in," Lorelai said.

Rachel stepped in and placed her bag on the floor as Lorelai closed and locked the front door. Rachel turned towards Lorelai and kissed her, a deep, hungry kiss that stemmed from not seeing Lorelai at all that day. Their lips broke apart and they embraced each other warmly as Lorelai said, "Mmm, I missed you today."

Rachel nodded. "Me too. I've been looking forward to tonight all day. Well, all week, actually." They pulled apart from each other and Lorelai led Rachel by the hand to the kitchen. "Mm, something smells good. Pizza?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, my specialty."

As they walked to the table, Rachel said, "Tsk. Lor, is that a birthday present?"

Lorelai glanced at it. "Uh, nope. It's a, "Happy Thursday" present." Rachel tilted her head and smiled. Lorelai gasped. "What? You don't give presents on random days of the week to the people you love?"

Rachel let out a small laugh, followed by a sigh. "Well, should I open it now?"

Lorelai picked it up and handed it to her. "Sure."

Rachel stared at the box in her hand for a moment before ripping off the silver wrapping paper. She dropped it on the table and slowly pulled the lid off the small box. Nestled inside were two silver hearts on two separate necklace chains. Rachel pulled one out and held it up. Engraved on one side of the heart were the words 'True Love'. Rachel smiled as she stared at it. "Wow... this is really beautiful." Rachel said. "You really didn't have to get me anything, Lor."

Lorelai smiled. "I know. But look." She took out the other one and held it up. "See, it comes as a set of two so that you can wear one and I can wear one, and it'll be like, we're always connected so when we're not with each other, we'll have each other close to our hearts." She paused and laughed. "You know, that sounded less corny in the store."

Rachel laughed. "No, it's not corny. It's great. I love it so much. Thank you." She gave Lorelai a kiss before embracing her tightly. She pulled back and said, "Let's put them on." She handed hers to Lorelai and turned around. Rachel held her hair up out of the way while Lorelai fastened the necklace on, then Rachel did the same for Lorelai. They turned and stared at each other smiling.

Finally Lorelai said, "Okay, should we eat? Pizza's getting cold, and I'm physically suffering from starvation." Rachel nodded and sat down at the table. She took a piece of pizza from the box and put it on Lorelai's plate before taking one for herself. Lorelai took out a bottle of wine from the fridge and opened it, pouring some into each of their glasses. Finally, they both were sitting across from each other, ready to eat.

Half an hour later, after finishing half a bottle of wine and most of the pizza, they both wandered into the living room. Rachel sat down on the couch as Lorelai pushed a movie into the VCR. She turned out the lights and sat down next to Rachel. She picked up the remote and pushed a button, and smiled happily as the beginning of 'Psycho' played across the screen

Rachel laughed. "You picked a nice romantic movie for us to watch together, huh?"

Lorelai looked at her and smiled. "Yup." Lorelai pulled a blanket over them as they sat back and got ready to watch the movie. "Oh by the way, I'm very annoying during movies." Lorelai smiled.

* * * * *

As the movie came to an end, they turned to each other. "Wow," Rachel said. "I appreciated the play by play commentary throughout the movie, thanks."

Lorelai laughed. "I warned you. It's just a little habit I have, sorry. I liked the subtle sighs you kept giving me; that was very polite. You could've just came out and said, 'shut up' like most people do."

Rachel laughed. "Yeah, well I might have to do that next time since the sighs didn't really quiet you down." She leaned over and kissed her. She pulled back and said, "Or I could just do that."

Lorelai smiled. "That would work." She leaned towards her, their opened mouths meeting passionately, enveloping all the oxygen between them. They broke apart breathlessly, both their chests heaving. "Let's go upstairs," Lorelai said. Rachel nodded. Lorelai stood up and walked towards the staircase with Rachel following close behind.

"Oh wait," Rachel said. "Let me get my bag." Lorelai waited on the steps while Rachel retrieved her duffel bag from near the front door. They continued up the stairs and into Lorelai's room. Lorelai flicked on the light, and Rachel dropped her bag down by the door.

"Okay, where were we?" Lorelai asked. Rachel smiled and stepped closer to her, pressing her lips against Lorelai's. Their tongues rhythmically rolled over one another as if they were dancing in their warm, wet mouths. Lorelai used her hands to explore Rachel's body, running her fingers over her back, down her shoulders, across her chest. With their lips still pressed together, Rachel reached for the bottom of Lorelai's shirt.

Lorelai broke the kiss to help her, pulling the shirt off and tossing the shirt to the floor, then quickly removing her bra. Rachel pulled her own shirt over her head and dropped it, then turned around as Lorelai unclasped her bra and slid it off. Rachel turned around and they kissed, their breasts tightly pressing against each other. Lorelai moved her mouth down to Rachel's chest, taking a breast into her mouth and sucking on it lightly. "Mmmm," Rachel moaned. Her breathing became heavy as Lorelai's lips expertly tended to Rachel's sensitive nipple, taking it between her teeth and nipping at it. Rachel clenched her teeth together as the initial pain of each bite converted into extreme eroticism. As Lorelai moved to the other breast, she felt her own sex swelling with arousal.

She continued on Rachel's breasts for another minute, then kissed her way down Rachel's stomach until she was kneeling in front of her. She ran her tongue across Rachel's soft flesh, gingerly placing kisses over her flat midsection. She started unbuttoning Rachel's jeans and pulled them down her legs, coming face to face with Rachel's satin panties. She slowly pulled them down, and Rachel kicked them off. Lorelai leaned back and stared at Rachel's beautiful body. As she started to lean forward towards Rachel's sex, Rachel reached down and put her hand on Lorelai's chin, tipping it up to look at her. Rachel, who was breathing heavy with anticipation, said, "Not yet."

Lorelai stood up, and Rachel kissed her long and deep. Rachel pulled back and removed Lorelai's jeans and panties. She placed her hands on Lorelai's breasts and stroked them softly, and Lorelai felt a pang of arousal every time Rachel's fingers brushed her nipples. Lorelai leaned her head back as Rachel brought her mouth to Lorelai's breasts, moving between the two with a delicate pattern of kissing and sucking that made Lorelai surge with excitement. Rachel started moving downward until her lips were just inches away from Lorelai's gleaming sex. Rachel kissed Lorelai's slit lightly, getting a taste of the juices that had started to drip past Lorelai's swollen lips. Rachel placed small kisses up and down the slit. Lorelai moaned loudly each time she felt Rachel's lips against her, and her sex was practically numb with stimulation.

Rachel stood up and pressed her mouth against Lorelai's, and Lorelai could taste her own juices on Rachel's lips. Lorelai moaned and started grinding herself against Rachel's leg as she yearned for something, anything, to touch her between her legs. Rachel suddenly pulled away from her and said, "Lay on the bed."

Lorelai quickly did so, anticipating that her yearning would soon be fulfilled by Rachel's warm mouth. However, Lorelai watched as Rachel walked over to her duffel bag and unzipped it. She reached inside and pulled something out. Rachel smiled towards Lorelai as she held up a vibrator and waved it in the air. "You ready?" Rachel asked. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Lorelai.

Lorelai nodded eagerly, and Rachel turned the base of the vibrator until a slow humming started. The sound made Lorelai's body quiver with arousal. Rachel placed the tip of the vibrator on Lorelai's mouth, and Lorelai immediately opened her lips to take it in. Lorelai started twirling her tongue around it as Rachel slowly slid it back and forth through Lorelai's lips. Rachel removed it and dragged it down Lorelai's chest, circling her nipples with it. Lorelai's body twitched at the gentle tingling of the vibrator against her nipples. Rachel continued running it down her stomach, down her inner thighs and around her sex, which was still pounding with arousal.

Rachel placed the tip of the vibrator at the top of Lorelai's slit, and ran it gently downwards across the outside of her lips. Lorelai arched her back and let out a groan as the vibrations ran through her body, and in between her deep breathing she begged, "Oh my God. Please... Rach... I need it... "

Finally, Rachel succumbed to Lorelai's pleas and gently inserted the vibrator into Lorelai's opening. Lorelai gasped loudly as she felt it inside of her, the gentle vibrations making her whole body quiver. "Oh God, ugggghhhhh," Lorelai moaned loudly as Rachel pushed the full seven inches into her completely. Lorelai's body was pulsing with pleasure. Rachel stared at the erotic scene of the vibrator sticking out of Lorelai, and immediately felt her own wetness starting to seep down her legs.

Lorelai's moans were constant as the vibrator penetrated her to the hilt. Rachel left it inside of her for a moment before she grabbed the end of the vibrator and pulled it out, then pushed it back in slowly to a much-satisfied look on Lorelai's face. She continued slowly plunging it in and out of Lorelai's wetness, and she watched as Lorelai's naked body writhed on the bed in pleasure. Her pelvis was twisting back and forth, her hips jerking forward, her mouth gaping open as Rachel pumped her with the vibrator. Lorelai clenched the bed sheets tightly in her hands as she rhythmically thrust her pelvis up to meet Rachel's thrusts.

Rachel turned the base of the vibrator so that the vibrations increased. Lorelai responded with approving moans, "Ohhhhhh yes! Ugggghhhh." Her consistent grunts increased dramatically as she approached orgasm and Rachel started thrusting the vibrator into her at a faster pace. Lorelai screamed loudly and her lower body arched tightly in the air as she climaxed, and her muscles tightened around the still-active vibrator inside of her. As her moaning subsided, she lowered herself back down against the bed, and her panting was loud and heavy as the vibrator continued to stimulate her. Her chest heaving, she placed her hands over her face and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Rachel slowly removed the dripping vibrator and turned it off, her own sex now pounding with desire. She dropped it on the bed, then leaned over Lorelai's body to kiss her. They smiled at each other through the kiss. Still catching her breath, Lorelai said, "Wow. I... wow. That was... wow."

Rachel laughed. "That good, huh?" Lorelai smiled and nodded. Rachel leaned in and kissed her again.

Lorelai gently rolled over Rachel's body off of her so that they had switched places, and now Rachel lay on her back while Lorelai lay atop her. Lorelai kissed her deeply before she slid down to the foot of the bed, where she picked up the still wet vibrator and turned it on. She ran it slowly up and down Rachel's swollen lips, smiling as she listened to Rachel's hungry moans. She inserted it into her halfway, letting the slow vibrations stimulate her inner walls. Lorelai titled the vibrator at different angles, using it to massage all around Rachel's deep cavity. Rachel responded with several grunts and moans of pleasure, and the look on her face was one of growing stimulation.

Lorelai pulled the vibrator out and placed the tip directly against Rachel's protruding clit. Rachel's body jerked immediately at the intense vibrations against her most sensitive spot. Her eyes clenched shut as she murmured, "Ugggghhhhh, oh God... yes... keep it there... " Rachel's mouth dropped opened as Lorelai held the vibrator in place. Her inner thighs became weak from the intensity of the stimulation, her pelvis writhing at the strong, constant sensations. Rachel's sudden movements kept pushing the vibrator away, but Lorelai tried as best she could to keep it in place. Rachel's hips were rocking back and forth against the vibrator, and Lorelai could tell that the short moans she was releasing were leading up to a much bigger one.

Sure enough, moments later, Rachel screamed loudly and her body jerked hard towards the vibrator as she reached her peak. Lorelai watched as Rachel's body tightened with pleasure, the sounds of her moaning making Lorelai even more turned on. Her body started relaxing and her moans slowed down to a normal rhythm of heavy breathing. Lorelai removed the vibrator and turned it off. She smiled as she stared at Rachel on the bed with her eyes closed, her chest heaving up and down. Lorelai crawled up next to her and kissed her passionately, then rested her head against the pillow. She clasped her hand around Rachel's, and they lay in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, it's almost midnight," Lorelai finally spoke.

Rachel turned to her and smiled. "Yeah, so?"

Lorelai smiled. "So, I think we should wait until midnight, then do it again for your birthday."

Rachel smiled. "Sounds good to me." She leaned over and kissed her, then rested her head back against the pillow. They lay there on the bed with their fingers entwined, naked except for the identical silver hearts around their necks.

* * * * *

The next morning, Lorelai's alarm woke up the two women well before they were ready to be woken up. Lorelai reached over and groggily turned it off, then rested her head back against the pillow. Rachel lay next to her, her eyes half open trying to adjust to the light. They smiled as they lay staring at each other. Lorelai sighed. "Man, I can't believe it's time to get up already. Didn't we just go to bed?"

Rachel nodded and yawned. "Yeah, well, next time we decide to have a night of passion, maybe it should be on a weekend."

"Good idea." Lorelai smiled and rolled out of bed. "I'm gonna take a quick shower."

Rachel nodded as she closed her eyes again. Lorelai grabbed her robe and walked to the bathroom. She returned 15 minutes later and found Rachel still lying in bed with her eyes closed. She smiled. "Hey sleepyhead, get up."

Rachel slowly opened her eyes and smiled. "I'm up." Rachel propped herself up on her elbow and watched Lorelai get dressed.

As Lorelai finished, she sat down on the bed. "What time do you have work?"

"Not until 10," Rachel said.

Lorelai nodded. "You know, you'll probably see Rory a lot. She goes to the bookstore all the time."

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, maybe I can get her a discount."

Lorelai smiled. "Sure she would love you for it. Okay, I'm gonna go make some coffee." Lorelai stood up and started to walk away, but Rachel reached out and grabbed her hand. Lorelai fell back onto the bed and laughed. "Whoa! You need something?"

Rachel smiled. "I'm ready... .I'm ready to tell them."

A smile formed on Lorelai's lips. "You are? Really?"

Rachel nodded and sat up on the bed. "Yeah. I think we should tell Rory first. I mean, I've been thinking about it, and it really will affect Rory more than Luke. She's family, she'll have to deal with it up close and everything. We should definitely tell her first."

Lorelai nodded. "I agree. We'll do it... today? When she gets home from school?"

Rachel nodded. Lorelai smiled and they kissed softly. "Okay, I'll go make coffee." Lorelai walked down the stairs, thinking about what she would say to Rory, and wondering how exactly she would take the news.

* * * * *

That afternoon, Lorelai and Rachel sat on the couch in the living room waiting for Rory to arrive home from school. They were both nervous about the situation, and had even considered putting it off until another day. But as Rachel pointed out, no matter how long they waited, it would still be hard to do. They just had to suck it up and get it over with.

Shortly before 4 p.m., Rory walked through the front door. "Mom!" she called.

"In here!" Lorelai called back.

Rory walked into the living room. "Hey Mom, guess... " She stopped when she saw Rachel. Rory smiled. "Oh, hey Rachel. I'm sorry, were you guys talking about something?"

Lorelai stood up. "No, we're just hanging out." She walked over and hugged Rory tightly. "How was your day? How was your presentation? No, wait, how was your grandparents' house? Tell me -- no N'Sync obsession right?"

Rory laughed. "No N'Sync obsession, I promise. I didn't even look at the posters. Wait, let me get changed first." Rory carried her bookbag and her duffel bag into her room. Lorelai sat back on the couch next to Rachel. They stared at each other with uncertainty.

A few minutes later Rory walked out, now comfortable in jeans and a T- shirt. She sat down in the armchair and said, "Okay. Oh my God, so last night, it was so weird. Grandma was so obsessive with making sure I was comfortable. She kept asking me if I was hungry or thirsty or if the light bulb was bright enough for me to read in or if the temperature was comfortable -- everything. It was quite amusing, actually." Rory laughed.

Lorelai smiled. "And did you take full advantage of her giving nature? Like say, 'Hey Grandma, a new computer would make me feel more comfortable in this room.'"

Rory rolled her eyes. "No. So then the cook made me like a billion things for breakfast, and the maid put away all of my clothes and made my bed and everything, and then the driver drove me to school. You don't have to do anything yourself in that house. It was kind of nice being pampered - I think I'll have to sleep over every week."

Lorelai gasped. "No, you will not!"

Rory laughed. "Kidding. Just kidding. So then at school we did our presentation and it went really well. Everyone was prepared and it went smoothly. I think we'll probably get an A."

Lorelai smiled. "Aww, honey, that's great. I'm glad everything went so well. "

"Yeah," Rory said. "Everything worked out good." She glanced at Rachel. "So, what are you guys doing?"

Lorelai and Rachel glanced at each other. "Oh, nothing," Lorelai said. "Um, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay, shoot," Rory said, leaning back against the chair and folding her arms across her chest.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Okay, uh, Rory... hmm... okay, you know how like a few years ago, Ellen had that big show where she finally came out of the closet?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah. Didn't she get an award nomination for that one?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. But, um, okay, so you know how on ER they made Dr. Kerry Weaver go through that whole, like, sexual identity storyline thing, and she finally realized that she's gay?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah."

"Umm, okay." Lorelai glanced at the floor uncomfortably. "So, you know how like, on Seinfeld, whenever they talked about someone being gay, they would always say, 'Not that there's anything wrong with that'?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah." She stared at Lorelai with a confused look.

Lorelai sighed. "Rory, do you not see where I'm going with all this?"

Rory laughed. "Not really. You just had a sudden need to talk about shows with gay peop... " Rory stopped talking as she glanced at Rachel. She glanced from Rachel to her mom, then back to Rachel. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait."

"Rory..." Lorelai started.

Rory held up a hand. "Wait, Mom... are you trying to tell me that... you guys..." She waved a finger towards Lorelai and Rachel. "... you're... you're... you know... "

Lorelai gritted her teeth together and nodded slowly.

Rory clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God! Ugh!" She clasped her other hand on top. Her eyes were opened as wide as they could possibly go, and she kept glancing back and forth between Rachel and Lorelai. She was silent for a few seconds before she dropped both of her hands. "Mom, but... what... wh... when did this happen?"

Lorelai glanced at Rachel and smiled awkwardly. "A couple of weeks ago."

Rory stared at them. "You guys have been... a couple for a couple of weeks? Like..." She swallowed hard. "... you guys are... dating?"

Lorelai nodded. "Rory, I know this is hard to hear, but..." She glanced at Rachel and smiled. She clasped her hand around Rachel's and she looked back to Rory. "We love each other."

Rory's mouth opened wide. "Oh my God. You're dead serious about this."

Lorelai and Rachel both nodded.

Rory bit her lip. "Oh my God. Mom, this is so..." Rory suddenly grimaced. "Please don't tell me you guys have... ugh, gross! God." Rory shook her head, as if trying to shake certain images from her mind. She placed both of her hands over her face. "Oh my God."

"Rory, please listen to me. This is for real and it's going to affect you deeply, I know that, so I really need to know how you feel about it. Are you mad?" Lorelai asked.

Rory picked her head up and sighed. "No, I'm not mad. I mean, you can do whatever you want. It's just... it's so weird. I mean, you were practically dating Max a few weeks ago, and now you tell me you're..." She sighed. "It's just shocking and... surprising and... just weird. I mean, what will everyone say about us? Is Rachel gonna live here? Are we gonna be living like My Two Dads or something? What will Grandma say? What about -"

"Rory!" Lorelai cut her off with a laugh. "Calm down. I don't know any of those answers yet. We'll figure out all that stuff later. I just need to know that you understand what's going on, and that you can learn to accept it. And I need you to accept Rachel because she's gonna be in your life now too."

Rory nodded. She was silent for a moment. "I can. I mean, I can't lie to you - I'm still really weirded out by it. But I love you... and I mean, if this is the life that you're choosing... you know, I'll support you."

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you." Lorelai stood up and walked over to hug Rory. They broke apart, and Lorelai walked back over to Rachel and stood next to her. Rory gave them an awkward smile and started to walk slowly towards her room.

"Oh, and Rory..." Lorelai said. "Don't tell anyone yet, okay? You're the only one who knows."

Rory nodded. She walked to her room and shut the door.

Lorelai and Rachel looked at each other. "So." Lorelai said.

"So, that wasn't so bad," Rachel said, standing up and taking one of Lorelai's hands into each of her own.

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, could've been much worse. Did you feel weird? You didn't say much."

Rachel shook her head. "No, you were handling it pretty well, I didn't really have anything to add. I mean, I guess I could've jumped up and screamed 'I love your mother' a bunch of times, but I don't know how that would've looked."

Lorelai laughed. "It would've looked cute. Try that next time." She gave Rachel a kiss. "Okay, so that part's over. I guess next we tell Luke, and then I'm sure it won't be long before everyone knows."

Rachel nodded, then exhaled loudly. "Rory seemed kinda iffy about it."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah she did, but she'll get used to it. Don't worry. She just might've felt even weirder because you were sitting right here. I'll try talking to her later."

Rachel nodded. "Okay. Uh, I should probably go. You're gonna come with me tomorrow to tell Luke, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "Sure." They walked to the front door. "And I'll call you tonight when we get home from dinner."

"Okay." Rachel gave Lorelai a kiss goodbye, then opened the front door and walked out. Lorelai shut the door, then sighed as she walked to Rory's bedroom. She knocked lightly on the door. "Rory? Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Rory's voice called back. Lorelai opened the door and walked inside. Rory was on her bed reading. "What's up?"

Lorelai smiled. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with everything."

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, I'm okay. You know, it's kind of a weird situation for me."

Lorelai nodded. "I know, I totally know, and I understand if you have trouble accepting it. I mean, I hope you will eventually, but I know it'll take some getting used to. Trust me, it took some getting used to for me too."

Rory nodded and stared at her for a moment. "Did Rachel leave?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah." She smiled. "You know, Rachel's really great, Rory. Once you get to know her better, you'll really like her."

"I already do like her, Mom. I swear." She smiled. "And I can already tell that she makes you happy, and that's what's important."

Lorelai leaned over and hugged her. "You're really great, you know that?"

"Yes, I know," Rory said.

Lorelai pulled back, a smile resting on her lips. "Thank you. I'm glad you're okay with this." She stood up. "So, at dinner tonight, don't mention this, okay?"

Rory nodded. "I won't."

Lorelai smiled. She slowly walked out of the bedroom and sat down at the kitchen table, her mind contemplating the worst case scenario about how Luke would react to this. Worst case, she thought, is that he hates us both eternally and we never go to the diner again. Her eyes widened at the thought of never having Luke's coffee again, and she silently prayed that the worst case scenario would not come true.

To be continued...