The next day, Lorelai and Rachel met in front of the inn at 10 am. They'd hoped this would be a good time to talk to Luke, since it was sort of in between the morning rush and the lunch time rush. They walked into the diner and saw Luke behind the counter. He looked at them uncomfortably and gave them a nod hello as they walked over to him.

"Hey Luke," Rachel said. "Um, do you think we can go upstairs and talk for a few minutes?" She glanced around the diner. "Maybe you could get someone to cover for a bit?"

Luke glanced suspiciously at the two women. "What's this about?"

"Please Luke, we need to talk," Lorelai said.

Luke sighed. "Hold on." He walked into the kitchen and came out a few seconds later with another man who took over behind the counter. "All right." Luke led them upstairs to the apartment. They walked inside and the women sat down on the couch as Luke perched himself on the edge of his bed. "So, what's going on?"

Lorelai and Rachel looked at each other, and Lorelai gave Rachel an encouraging nod. Rachel turned her head to Luke and said, "Okay, Luke, um, this is kinda hard for us to tell you, but uh... well, as you know, I'm staying in Stars Hollow."

Luke nodded. "Mm hmm."

Rachel nodded. "Right, so, um, okay... well, the reason I'm staying in Stars Hollow is because I kind of... met someone else." She paused, preparing for his reaction.

Luke's face twitched slightly and he inhaled deeply. He held his breath for a second before exhaling. "So you were seeing him while we were still together," he said knowingly.

Rachel bit her lip. "Well, not exactly. I mean, technically that's true, I was seeing someone while we were together." She paused before adding, "But, uh, it wasn't a him."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Rachel glanced at Lorelai quickly before continuing. "Uhhh, well, see the thing is...hmm... " There was a long silence as Rachel searched for the right words.

Lorelai cleared her throat. "Um, the thing is Luke, that me and Rachel are kind of...together now, in that, you know, same-sex, uh, lesbian-type, relationship sort of thing." She bit her lip as she stared at him.

His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. His eyes glanced quickly back and forth between the two women. His breathing was deep as he tried to gather his thoughts. He looked at Lorelai. "You're a... " He looked at Rachel. "And you're a...And you're both. . oh my God!" He stood up and started pacing in front of the bed, his arms tightly locked across his chest. He finally stopped and stared at Rachel. He pursed his lips. "How long have you been gay?"

Rachel shrugged. "Um, I guess 3 or 4 weeks, maybe a little more. I'm not sure."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "So you were gay even before you came back here?"

Rachel sighed. "Not really... I just... when I met Lorelai, I got these feelings and I was trying to figure things out... and I didn't know how to handle things. . And... " She sighed deeply. "Luke, I am so, so sorry. I never expected that this would happen, or that it would... develop into what it is now."

"Oh, and what exactly is it now?" Luke asked with an angry undertone in his voice that was hard not to notice.

Rachel and Lorelai looked at each other. "Well, we're in love, Luke. We love each other," Rachel said.

Luke's eyes widened once again and he scoffed loudly at them. "In love? You're in love? And you guys have... my God." He sat back on his bed and stared at the floor for a moment. "Okay, wait, wait, wait. Let me see if I have this right." He pointed to Rachel. "You, my girlfriend, were not only cheating on me behind my back but you were cheating on me with a woman..." he pointed to Lorelai. ". . who happens to be one of my closest friends?"

Rachel nodded. "That's pretty much it."

"And neither of you saw anything wrong with that?" The tone of Luke's voice conveyed the mixture of anger and embarrassment he was feeling.

"Of course we did, Luke," Rachel said, taking some offense. "We're not that insensitive. Every time we saw each other, your name came up. We knew it was wrong, we knew you'd be hurt, we knew we had to tell you, but we just... didn't know how to. So we waited. And we're both very sorry."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. Her voice was soft and sincere as she said, "Luke, really... we're so sorry. This is the first relationship like this for both of us, and we didn't really know how to... tell people. I think we were both a little scared about how they'd react. I mean, only you and Rory know."

Luke shook his head towards the ground. "Oh God," Luke said. "How did Rory take this?"

"Rory took it fine," Lorelai said. "She's obviously a little wigged by it, of course, but she accepts it." She looked at him hopefully. "And we're hoping that you can too."

Luke stared down at his shoes and sighed.

"Luke, please," Lorelai said. "You don't have to like it, you don't have to encourage it or condone it or whatever. We just... we need for you not to hate us. Please tell us you don't hate us."

Luke was silent as he glanced down at his hands, which he was wringing uncomfortably. He finally stood up and looked at them and said, "I don't hate you. I'm shocked, I'm mad, I'm disappointed ... But I don't hate you."

Lorelai nodded. "Good. Well, we'll start from there. Thanks Luke."

Rachel walked over to Luke and hugged him. "Thank you."

Luke hugged her lightly then pulled away. "Yeah, well, hate doesn't really solve anything, does it?"

Luke was still noticeably uncomfortable with the situation, and Lorelai could see the hurt and confusion in his eyes. She figured that some of it might be feelings of regret as he realized that he would never be able to act on his feelings for Lorelai. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room until Luke finally said, "Well, I better get back downstairs."

"Oh, right," Lorelai said. "We'll get out of your way."

They all walked down into the diner, and Luke immediately walked into the kitchen. Lorelai and Rachel walked back to Lorelai's house talking about Luke. They both agreed that he definitely was having trouble dealing with it, but that he didn't want it to seem that way in front of them.

They walked into the house and found Rory on the phone in the living room. They waved to her and walked into the kitchen, where Lorelai put on a pot of coffee. Rachel sat at the table and started flipping through a magazine.

A few minutes later, as Lorelai was pouring the coffee into mugs, Rory walked in. "Hey Mom, hey Rachel." She gave Lorelai a kiss on the cheek, then brought two of the mugs to the table, placing one in front of Rachel and keeping the other for herself. She took a sip, then asked, "What are you guys up to?"

"We just told Luke about us," Lorelai said as she brought her own mug to the table and sat down.

Rory's eyes widened. "Aw, how'd it go?"

Lorelai shrugged. "He said he would be able to accept it and stuff, but we think it's gonna be harder for him than he's letting on."

Rory nodded. "That's because he has a thing for you."

Lorelai rolled her eyes as Rachel laughed. "See Lor, even Rory knew it. I can't believe you couldn't see it."

"Okay, okay, so I'm blind, I get it," Lorelai said. "I'm just glad it's over. Now we can stop sneaking around."

Rory glanced down at her cup uncomfortably. "So, you're gonna...tell people now?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, we'll tell people like Sookie and stuff, and other people will just find out eventually."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, you and Luke were the only ones we were concerned about telling, and now both of you know. Now whoever knows, knows. No big deal."

Rory nodded. "So it would be okay if I tell Lane, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "Sure, honey, you can tell Lane."

Rory bit her lip. "I hope she's not too weirded out by it. I mean ... what if she's like. .I don't know." She sighed.

"Honey, I don't think Lane would treat you any differently because of this," Lorelai said. She took a sip of coffee. "Mrs. Kim, however, is another story."

Rory's eyes widened. "Oh God, she's gonna freak out."

Lorelai laughed. "Probably."

Rory took one last sip of coffee and stood up. "Well, I'm gonna go over Lane's. I'll see you guys later." Rory walked out the back door, leaving Lorelai and Rachel alone in the kitchen to finish their coffee.

* * * * *

A few days later, Lorelai walked into the inn and went to her office. She put her purse down, then walked into the kitchen to get some coffee. Sookie saw her and immediately walked over to her with an excited look. "Lorelai, what's going on? Is it true?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Is what true?" She started pouring herself some coffee.

Sookie giggled and lowered her voice. "Okay, don't freak out or anything, but there's a rumor going around about you."

Lorelai stopped pouring and stood still. "Uh, what rumor, Sookie?"

Sookie leaned towards Lorelai. "Miss Patty said that she heard that something's up between you and Luke. That now that he's not with Rachel, he finally asked you out." She clapped her hands together with excitement. "Oh God, is it true? Tell me it's true! That'll be so exciting! The two of you, finally together!"

Lorelai laughed at her giddiness. "Oh God, Sookie, sorry to burst your bubble, but that couldn't be farther from the truth."

Sookie frowned. "Aww. So, what is the truth, exactly?" she asked. "Because there are a couple other rumors going around too."

Lorelai stared at Sookie for a moment. "Okay, Sookie, I'll tell you. Be prepared, though, because you're gonna be shocked." Lorelai glanced around at the other chefs in the kitchen. She grabbed Sookie's sleeve. "Come in my office." She pulled Sookie into the lobby and into her office, where she shut and locked the door. "Sit down."

Sookie glanced at her warily, but took a seat.

Lorelai paced in front of her for a few moments. Sookie stared at her expectantly. Finally, Lorelai took a deep breath and said, "Sookie, I'm ...Me and Rachel are seeing each other. Like, we're dating each other." She stared at Sookie with an uncertain nervousness.

Sookie stared at her for a moment wide-eyed, then giggled. She stood up. "Lorelai, you almost had me there. You heard about that rumor, then tried to use it as a joke. Ha ha." She turned around and started for the door.

"It's not a joke Sookie." Lorelai said, a seriousness in her tone that make Sookie stop with her hand on the doorknob.

She turned around slowly. "You're serious?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Me and Rachel have been dating for the past few weeks."

Sookie gasped. "You really are serious. Oh my God." She walked back to the chair and sat down. "But how did this happen? You woke up one day and suddenly you were gay?" She giggled. "Oh, that rhymes. But really, what happened?'

Lorelai sat down behind her desk. "Basically, yeah, that's how it happened. I just started getting these feelings for her, and they sort of culminated into more, and it turned out to be mutual."

Sookie shook her head slightly. "But, I mean, how could you do that to Luke?"

Lorelai sighed. "Please don't remind me of how horrible a friend I've been to Luke."

"Sorry," Sookie said. She stared at Lorelai, not knowing what to say. Finally she asked, "Um, so you guys are dating? Openly dating?"

"Well, not yet. Not too many people know yet." Lorelai stared into the air for a few moments. "But I love her Sookie. I really love her."

Sookie tilted her head and smiled. "You love her?" Lorelai smiled and nodded. Sookie let out a small giggle. "Aww, that's so cute. And you're definitely not one to say that unless you really mean it. No offense, but you're not exactly the queen of commitments."

Lorelai smiled. "I know. Trust me, I know. But this one is different. I don't know, maybe all this time I couldn't commit to a guy because deep down I didn't want to commit to a guy, you know?" She shrugged. "I don't know, but I've never felt like this before Sookie."

Sookie smiled. "Aww honey, that's great. I can't say I'm not shocked, but I mean, I think it's great that you're so happy. Does Rory know?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, she knows. She's a little freaked, but she's accepting it pretty well. And she and Rachel get along great so I think everything will work out."

Sookie smiled. "Well, I think that's great then. Did you tell Luke?

Lorelai nodded. "I think he's the one taking it the hardest."

Sookie nodded. "Yeah, well that's because he has - "

"I know!" Lorelai interrupted, "Don't say it Sookie. I know he has. . .or had, a thing for me."

Sookie nodded. "Okay, sorry." She stood up. "Uh, I better get back to the kitchen."

Lorelai walked over to her and hugged her. "Thanks for your support Sookie."

"You're welcome honey." Sookie smiled and started walking to the door. As she walked out, Lorelai sat back down at her desk and stared at the papers in front of her. She glanced at the clock. 8:30. She picked up the phone and dialed Rachel's room.

"Hello?" Rachel answered.

"Hey, it's me." Lorelai said.

Rachel's voice softened. "Lor, hey. What's up?"

"You have work today, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, 9 to 2," Rachel replied. "Why?"

Lorelai said, "Let's go out for lunch. You know. . like, together."

Rachel paused. "You mean, like, around here?"

Lorelai replied, "There's a bunch of rumors going around, let's put them to rest. Let's go out in public as a couple."

"Sure, okay, we can do that," Rachel agreed.

"Good. Meet me here after work," Lorelai said.

"Okay. Love you," Rachel said.

"Love you too. Bye." Lorelai hung up with a smile on her face. She reached up and fingered the heart around her neck, feeling the engraving. She was more than ready to put the rumors to rest.

* * * * *

Slightly past 2 p.m., Lorelai and Rachel walked out of the inn and headed towards the center of town. As they walked past Doose's Market, Lorelai reached down and laced her fingers through Rachel's as they continued towards Luke's.

They walked into the diner. As the bell above the door rang, Luke looked up and saw them. He watched them sit down at an empty table, then walked over to them and forced a smile. "Hey," he said.

"Hey Luke," Lorelai said.

"Hi Luke, how are you?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, good. I'm good. Uh, how are you guys?" Luke shifted his feet. He obviously was still not comfortable around them.

"Good. We'll have two burgers," Lorelai said. She looked at Rachel. "Wait, you wanted a burger, right?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, but no -"

"Onions," Luke finished knowingly. "No onions."

Rachel smiled up at him. "Right. Thanks." Luke nodded and walked away.

Rachel glanced around, and noticed Patty and Taylor glancing at them from a nearby table. Rachel smiled at Lorelai and nodded her head towards them. "Wonder what they're talking about."

Lorelai glanced at them. "Hmm, I don't know. Come here." Lorelai placed her hand on Rachel's chin and pulled her closer, then softly pressed her lips against Rachel's.

Rachel smiled through the kiss and pulled back. "What are you doing?"

Lorelai smiled. "Just wanted to see their reaction. Look." Rachel turned and saw both Patty and Taylor, as well as several other customers, staring at them with gaping mouths and widened eyes. Lorelai laughed quietly. She saw Miss Patty stand up from her table and walk towards them.

"Hello darlings," Patty said with a smile. "That was quite a public display of affection. So I guess now we know which rumors are true and which are false."

Lorelai smiled. "Yes you do," she said. "Spread the word. Not that that should be a problem though, right?"

Miss Patty laughed. "No, not at all dear. We'll have those rumors cleaned up in no time." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "But dears, I wouldn't act so lovey in front of Luke. He had quite a dejected look on his face when he saw that kiss."

Lorelai bit her lip and glanced toward the counter. "Aw, thanks for the tip."

Patty nodded. "Bye girls." Miss Patty walked back to her table.

Lorelai looked at Rachel. "Eek. Sorry, guess Luke hasn't quite accepted it yet."

"Guess not." Rachel glanced at Luke behind the counter. He walked into the kitchen and came back with two plates. "Oh, I think he's coming." Luke brought the plates to the table and placed them down.

"Thanks Luke," Lorelai said. "Uh, Luke, sorry if that whole kiss thing weirded you out." She looked at him apologetically. "We shouldn't have... I don't know, flaunted everything in front of you."

Luke shook his head. "Nah, it was fine. I'm fine with everything, no problem." He tried to appear calm and convincing, but they could both see past the act.

"No you're not, Luke," Rachel said. "We'll try to chill out around you. Really. We're sorry."

Luke sighed. "I'm fine, really, I swear. You guys should feel comfortable, you know, doing whatever you want. I'm fine. I'm happy that you guys... you know, are happy."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks Luke."

Rachel reached out and patted Luke's hand. "Yeah, thanks."

Luke gave a small smile and nodded at them, then walked back to the counter. Lorelai and Rachel started on their burgers.

* * * * *

It was only a few days before most of the town knew about Lorelai and Rachel, and they initially reacted just how Lorelai thought they would. However, it was only a week or two before things were back to semi-normalcy and the gossip about them had died down. People began to accept their relationship and they felt comfortable showing affection in public. The best part for Lorelai was that Rory had become much more comfortable with Lorelai's new lifestyle.

Two weeks after their first public kiss in Luke's, which started their whole 'coming out' process, Lorelai, Rachel, and Rory were at Lorelai's house watching "The Wizard of Oz". Rachel came over almost every night but she was still living at the inn. She hadn't slept over, and they hadn't even fooled around in Lorelai's house, since that night Rory had been away.

As the movie came to an end, Rory grabbed their cups and brought them into the kitchen. Lorelai followed her with the empty bowls that had contained their junk food snacks. Lorelai said, "Hey, so I'm gonna walk Rachel back to the inn, okay?"

"Okay," Rory said. "And I should expect you back when?"

Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "However long it takes us to - "

Rory held up her hand. "Gross, Mom! Ugh." She made a face.

Lorelai laughed. "Rory, I was going to say, however long it takes us to stop at Luke's for coffee. Should I bring you some?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "No thanks. Last time it took you an hour to, uh, 'get coffee' and you never did bring any coffee." Rory shuddered at the thought. "I'll probably be asleep when you get back." She gave Lorelai a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"Night hon. Love you." Lorelai walked into the living room.

Rachel was sitting on the couch putting on her sneakers. She finished tying them and stood up. "Walking me to the inn?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. Ready?" She reached up and adjusted her ponytail.

Rachel nodded. They walked out the front door. As they walked down the porch steps, Lorelai laced her fingers through Rachel's and they walked slowly to the inn.

They walked through the quiet lobby and up the stairs to room 18. Rachel pulled the key from her pocket and opened the door. She turned to Lorelai and kissed her. She smiled through the kiss and said, "You wanna come in?'

Lorelai smiled. "For future reference, you never have to ask me that." She grabbed Rachel's arm and pulled her into the dark room, slamming the door behind them. Lorelai fell back onto the bed, pulling Rachel on top of her. Their mouths came together aggressively as Lorelai pulled Rachel's body against her tightly. She rolled their bodies over so she was on top, keeping their mouths still together, not interrupting the rhythmic swirling their tongues had began. When the lack of oxygen became unbearable they finally broke apart, both of them heaving to catch their breaths. Seconds later, they pressed their mouths against each other again, picking up right where they'd left off.

Lorelai suddenly pushed herself off the bed and started removing her clothes and shoes, and Rachel did the same. A minute later, they stood there naked in the dark room kissing passionately. The room was filled with sounds of heavy breathing mixed with soft moaning as their hands explored each other's bodies. Their growing mutual arousal was apparent as breasts were caressed, nipples were stimulated, and delicate skin was kissed and massaged by warm fingers.

Lorelai pulled back and placed a finger on Rachel's lips. Rachel immediately wrapped her mouth around the finger and started sucking on it, sliding her wet lips up and down it hungrily. Lorelai removed the finger and slid it down Rachel's chest, down her stomach, and down between her legs. To Rachel's groans of delight, she ran it up and down the outside of Rachel's wet slit a few times, then brought it up to her own lips and sucked the juices off of her finger. "Mmmm," she moaned. "You hungry?"

Rachel smiled and nodded. She slid her own finger down to Lorelai's slit and dipped it deep inside her wetness. Lorelai moaned at the contact and watched as Rachel brought the finger up and sucked the juices from her finger. She wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck as they pressed their lips together, the two flavors of sweet juices mixing in their mouths. As Lorelai brought her hand back down between Rachel's legs, Rachel closed her eyes and started panting heavily. Lorelai swirled two fingers around in Rachel's warm juices, making sure her fingers were well covered. She removed them and rubbed them over Rachel's breasts, making them gleam with wetness.

Rachel leaned her head back and moaned loudly as Lorelai lowered her mouth to Rachel's breasts and started licking them. She sucked the sweet juices off the already-hardened nipples, making sure that no drop was wasted. Rachel's constant moans were making Lorelai's heart race and her sex pound with arousal. "Uggghhh. Oh my God," Rachel muttered. She used her hands to guide Lorelai's face up to hers. She kissed her deeply before pulling back and murmuring, "God, I love you so much."

Lorelai smiled. "I love you too." Lorelai pushed Rachel's hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ears. "God, you're beautiful."

Rachel smiled and kissed Lorelai's neck, taking the soft flesh between her lips and sucking on it gently. She brought her face downward, tending to Lorelai's breasts in the same manner as Lorelai had done to hers moments earlier. Lorelai put both of her hands on the back of Rachel's head, running them through her thick hair as the tip of Rachel's tongue teased her sensitive nipples. Groaning with an almost unbearable arousal, Lorelai pressed her pelvis tightly against Rachel's body.

Rachel brought her head up from Lorelai's chest to her ear and whispered, "Your turn for the bottom." Lorelai smiled. She practically jumped on the bed, stretching out on her back, her entire body quivering with arousal. Rachel climbed on top of her, placing her knees around Lorelai's head. Lorelai stared up at Rachel's sex and licked her own lips hungrily. She wrapped her hands around Rachel's lower back as leverage, and slowly pulled herself up to lick Rachel's beautiful wet slit.

She heard Rachel moan loudly, a sound that was soon muffled as Rachel lowered her mouth between Lorelai's legs. She kissed around her inner thighs gently before running her tongue up and down the slit. They entered each other at the same time, inserting their tongues deep into each other. Rachel's juices were released on contact and started dripping down Lorelai's chin. She delved her tongue in as deep as she could into Rachel's cavity, moving it back and forth rapidly. She paused occasionally to allow moans to escape her lips as Rachel's tongue was pleasuring her in the same way. She jerked her hips as Rachel's tongue had found it's way to Lorelai's clit. She felt Rachel's fingers separating her swollen lips as she lowered her mouth to the clit and started sucking on it mercilessly. Lorelai groaned loudly and clenched her eyes shut as she felt her orgasm building. Her body was pulsing with pleasure but she struggled to concentrate on moving her tongue back and forth ferociously inside of Rachel. She moved her tongue to Rachel's clit, swirling her tongue over it roughly. Rachel responded with a loud groan and a jerk of her hips.

Lorelai's orgasm was now moments away, and her thighs had clamped tightly around Rachel's face. Simultaneously, Lorelai could feel Rachel's thighs starting to shake as she approached her own orgasm. A few swift movements from both of their tongues and they hit their climaxes within seconds of each other, both of their bodies writhing with pleasure and their screams of passion echoing through the dark room.

Rachel rolled off of Lorelai and collapsed on her back. She lay there panting for a moment before she turned her body around and brought her mouth up to Lorelai's. They kissed deeply, their lips still covered in each other's juices. Rachel rested her head against Lorelai's chest. Lorelai grabbed the piece of comforter that was hanging over the bed and pulled it up over them.

A few second later, Lorelai said, "Ugh, I don't want to go to my parents' house tomorrow night."

Rachel laughed. "I don't even want to know why you're thinking of them at a time like this."

"Because," Lorelai said. "I was just thinking that since we're both working tomorrow during the day, we could only see each other at night, but then I remembered that I have to go to my parents' house, so we won't see each other at all."

Rachel paused. "Unless I come with you to your parents' house," she said softly.

Lorelai sighed. "Please not this again, Rach." Rachel didn't say anything. Lorelai lifted Rachel's head up towards her and stared into her eyes. "Rach, I love you so much," she said softly. "But my parents will not care about the fact that I'm in love with you, or about the fact that Rory has accepted us and the town has accepted us and that we are unbelievably happy together. They won't care. They will look at me and they will be ashamed and disappointed. There will be yelling and screaming and... " She sighed. "... and I'm just not ready for it yet."

Rachel nodded. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault." Lorelai kissed her. "It's the Devil's fault for giving birth to them."

Rachel smiled and rested her head back against Lorelai's chest. Lorelai stared up at the ceiling and sighed deeply.

* * * * *

Lorelai and Rory walked up to the Gilmore mansion and rang the bell. A few seconds later, Emily answered the door and invited them in.

"Hello girls. Dinner's ready." Emily smiled and walked into the dining room, leaving them standing by the front door. They glanced at each other and shrugged. They walked into the dining room and took their usual seats.

"Where's Dad?" Lorelai asked, as she lay her napkin in her lap.

"Ah, he's working late at the office," Emily said, smiling. "It's just us girls tonight."

"Oh. Nice," Lorelai said, glancing at Rory. They smiled warily at each other. They began picking at their salads.

Always one who enjoys lively dinner conversations, Emily started asking them about school and work. They answered Emily's questions, then listened as Emily told them about her most recent fundraising benefit. As the main course arrived and they started eating dinner, the conversation repartee was still calm and pleasant, much to Lorelai's surprise.

However, as their dessert dishes were being taken away, she was not prepared for one of Emily's questions.

"Lorelai, that's a lovely necklace. What does it say on it?" She stared at Lorelai with a smile.

Lorelai's eyes widened. She brought her hand up to the heart charm that hung around her neck; the one that she had not taken off since Rachel's birthday, and every Friday dinner had remembered to cover up -- until tonight. "Uh, nothing Mom, it's just a charm," Lorelai stammered. She glanced at Rory, who raised her eyebrows nervously.

Emily eyed it closely. "Oh, it looks like it says something on it." She leaned towards Lorelai and squinted. "No, it most certainly does say something on there." She looked at Lorelai expectantly.

Lorelai ran the charm through her fingers, thinking about what it represented. She smiled and took a deep breath. "True love, Mom. It says true love."

Emily smiled and raised her eyebrows. Lorelai waited patiently for the question she knew would soon follow. "How nice. And is that referring to a certain special someone?"

Lorelai smiled. "Uh, as a matter of fact, it is. Someone that I love very much."

Emily's face softened and she smiled at her daughter. "Why, that's wonderful, Lorelai. Tell me about him." She folded her hands in her lap and leaned back in her chair.

Lorelai glanced at Rory, who gave her a nod of encouragement. "Uhh, well Mom... see, the thing is... hmm, I don't know where to start."

Emily laughed. "Well, you can start with his name."

"Rachel," Lorelai said quickly.

Emily let out a small laugh. "How interesting. I've never known a man named Rachel. Must be a family name," she added knowingly.

"Actually Mom," Lorelai started. "Uhh, actually, Rachel's not a man. Rachel's a woman."

Emily stared at her for a moment. "Excuse me?'

"Rachel's a woman," Lorelai repeated. "I'm dating a woman."

Emily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Lorelai, does everything have to be a big joke with you all the time? If you don't want to tell me about him, then fine. But you don't have to turn everything into a big joke."

Lorelai stared at Emily. "Mom, I swear it's not a joke."

Emily could see by the expression on her face that Lorelai was serious. Emily's eyes widened as she clasped a hand over her mouth. She was silent for a moment before she dropped her hands. Her lips pursed firmly, she said angrily, "Lorelai Gilmore, I cannot believe that you would - "

"Mom!" Lorelai said loudly. "Stop before you say anything else."

Emily gasped and stood up. "I most certainly will not stop. This is my house and I can't believe that you -"

"Grandma!" Rory interrupted. "Calm down, please."

Emily glanced at Rory. "You know about this?" She brought her eyes back to Lorelai. "How could you act that way in front -"

"Grandma!" Rory repeated. "Please, just listen to mom." Emily glanced at Rory's pleading face, then slowly sat back in her chair, her chest heaving as she tried to control herself.

Lorelai shot Rory a thankful look and turned to her mother. "Mom, just please listen. Please sit there for one moment and listen to me. I was absolutely not ready to tell you this tonight, so we're gonna play by ear." She sighed. "Yes, I am in a relationship with another woman. Yes, your only daughter, who disappointed you immensely by having an illegitimate child years ago, is now a lesbian. I understand that, in your eyes, I could not possibly be any more of a failure. But the fact remains that whether or not you accept this or support me, I will still be this way." She paused and smiled. "Mom, I love Rachel. I love her more than you will ever know. Rory knows it, my friends know it, Stars Hollow knows it - and they all have accepted it, and we've gotten so much support from them. And while I'm not counting on it, I'd like to have that same support from you. This is who I am now, Mom." Lorelai sighed. "And if you can't accept me, then maybe it'd be best if you had Friday night dinners without us. We'll figure out another way for Rory to go to Chilton."

Lorelai's heart was pounding a mile a minute as she sat there. Rory stared at her mom with the utmost admiration, proud of the courage she'd just displayed. Emily sat in silence, her face devout of any emotions, her arms folded in her lap, staring at the flower centerpiece on the table. After a few minutes of silence, Lorelai glanced at Rory. "Um, I guess we should go then." Lorelai started to stand up.

"No, don't go," Emily said quietly. She looked down at her hands.

"Well, what's the verdict Mom?" Lorelai asked, settling back into her seat.

Emily brought her face up to look at her daughter. She stared into her eyes for a moment, then lowered her eyes to stare at the heart necklace that started this conversation several minutes ago. Finally, Emily said, "Lorelai, a few moments ago I was ready to say a lot of words that I ... well, that I shouldn't have. However, you are your own person, you are free to live your life however you please. And if this is the life you want to live, and if this if the life that makes you happy, then so be it." She paused and swallowed hard. "You are my daughter. I will accept you as you are, as whatever you want to be."

Lorelai stared at her for a moment in slight shock. Finally she smiled. "Thank you Mother. Thank you." Lorelai looked at Rory and they smiled at each other, sharing a look of relief. Emily looked slightly uncomfortable as she sat there, and Lorelai knew that to her mother, there would always be underlying disappointment regarding Lorelai's life.

"Well, we really should get going." Lorelai said. She stood up and walked over to Emily. She bent down and gave her an uncomfortable hug, "Thank you."

As Lorelai pulled away and started walking to the door with Rory, a small smile played on Emily's lips. She stood up and followed them to the door, opening it for them. "See you next week?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Next week, Mom. Night."

"Night Grandma." Rory said. The girls walked to the jeep. The moment they were inside and the doors were shut, Rory gasped. "I can't believe that."

Lorelai leaned her head against the headrest. "I know. That was the utmost opposite thing I ever thought would happen."

"You were great in there Mom. I was really proud of you." Rory said.

Lorelai looked at her and smiled. "Thank you." She gave her a kiss on the cheek. She exhaled loudly. "Wow. All right, that definitely deserves a celebration. Do you mind if we stop by the inn and get Rachel?"

Rory shook her head. "Nope." Lorelai smiled and drove them back to Stars Hollow.

Forty minutes later, they pulled up to the Independence Inn. Lorelai said, "Wait here. I'll be right back." She quickly walked inside. She scanned the lobby to see if Rachel was reading like she sometimes did while Lorelai was at dinner. She didn't see her. She ran up the stairs and knocked on Rachel's door.

Rachel answered and greeted Lorelai with a smile followed by a look of confusion. "Hey, what's up? I thought you were gonna call when you got home."

Lorelai smiled and threw her arms around Rachel's neck. Rachel laughed and hugged her back. "What happened?"

Lorelai stepped back. "I told my mom."

Rachel gasped. "You did? And?"

Lorelai smiled. "And she said she's going to accept me this way. Accept us. I can totally tell she thinks it's freaky and what not, but still, that's not the point. She said she would accept us."

Rachel smiled. "Oh my God, that's so great!" They pressed their lips against each other and hugged tightly.

"Grab your coat," Lorelai said. "We're celebrating at Luke's. Rory's in the car."

Rachel smiled. She walked to the chair that her coat was draped over and grabbed it. She patted the pocket of her jeans, making sure she had her room key. "Okay. Let's go."

* * * * *

Two weeks later, Lorelai, Rory, and Rachel walked out of Teriyaki Joe's and towards the inn. Just finishing lunch, Lorelai and Rory were heading back to the inn to do some work, and Rachel wanted to develop some pictures. As they reached the inn and walked up the porch steps, Lorelai stopped walking. "Okay, wait."

Rachel turned to look at her. "What?"

Lorelai glanced at Rory. "Uh, wait here," Lorelai said to Rachel.

Rachel nodded as Lorelai took Rory aside and whispered, "Are you sure? Last chance to back down, I won't be mad."

Rory smiled and nodded. "I'm sure Mom. Do it."

Lorelai smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Lorelai walked back over to Rachel and stood in front of her. "Okay, Rach, uh, me and you talked about this a few weeks ago, and I told you that I'd have to talk about it with Rory first, and that I wouldn't do it unless Rory was completely okay with it." Lorelai paused and smiled. "And Rory thought about it and she's completely okay with it, so we think that... you should move in with us." Lorelai stared at Rachel excitedly.

Rachel's mouth fell open a little bit, then a smile fell upon her lips. "Oh my God." She turned around to look at Rory. "Are you sure?"

Rory smiled and nodded. "I'm sure."

Rachel smiled and turned back to Lorelai. "Oh my God!" She wrapped her arms around Lorelai's neck as Lorelai slipped her arms around Rachel's waist, pulling her tightly against her.

They hugged for a moment before Lorelai laughed and asked, "So, uh, that's a yes?"

Rachel pulled back and smiled. "Yes, absolutely." She walked over to Rory and hugged her. "Thanks Rory."

"You're welcome," Rory said, returning the hug. "I'm not calling you Mom though."

Rachel laughed. "Okay." They broke apart and Rachel walked back over to Lorelai and hugged her again.

Lorelai glanced at Rory over Rachel's shoulder and nodded towards the inn's front door. Rory, understanding the 'your mom wants to be alone with her girlfriend' look, nodded and walked inside.

Lorelai waited for the front door to close before she pulled back and looked at Rachel. They were both smiling as Lorelai said, "This is gonna be so great."

Rachel laughed excitedly. "I know! Oh my God, I can't believe it. Wow. I feel like I've been in that tiny room forever."

Lorelai smirked. "Hey, a lot of good memories happened in that room. I may have to close it down completely to all other guests."

Rachel smiled. "Yes, and we should definitely come back and visit it once in awhile."

Lorelai laughed. She stared into Rachel's eyes for a moment and smiled. "I love you."

Rachel tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Love you too."

They leaned their heads towards each other, and their noses and foreheads met. They smiled at each other before pressing their lips together passionately. The light breeze gently blew their hair against their cheeks as they stood on the porch, their arms wrapped comfortably around each other's waists. Lorelai felt a shiver of excitement run through her body.

As the kiss ended, they embraced each other tightly. Lorelai closed her eyes and rested her head against Rachel's shoulder, rubbing her hands up and down Rachel's back affectionately. She thought back to the time when her feelings for Rachel had just begun. At that point she had never thought that they would ever really be together; she thought her feelings would forever be a crush that she never acted upon. She never imagined that Rachel would feel the same way.

But thankfully both of them had decided to act on their feelings, and together they cherished every touch, every breath, every kiss that they shared. And Lorelai had finally discovered that giving someone her love wasn't such a scary thing; not when she had someone like Rachel to share it with.

The End