Luke has just made his way behind the counter after flipping the sign on the diner door to "closed" when he heard a light rapping of knuckles on the glass pane. He looked up, starting to reiterate the sign's message, when he saw Rory Gilmore, and she did not look happy. He rushed to the door and opened it right away. Before Luke could even get a word in, Rory started spouting apologies rapid fire.
"Luke, I'm really sorry because I know you're closed and you shouldn't keep the diner open for just me but I didn't know where to go and I saw the diner first-"
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. I'm always open for the Gilmore girls. What's wrong?"
"Dean and I got into a fight. I won't bother you with the details. I would have just gone home but Mom is having a night in with Max-"
Luke's jaw tightened at the mention of Max. How great of a guy could he possibly be if Rory didn't even want to be in the house at the same time that he was? He tuned back into the real world and saw Rory shivering. No surprise, she was wearing some sort of tank-top dress and it was freezing now that the sun had gone down.
"You cold?" Luke asked, reaching for a flannel he had hung in the kitchen.
"No, Luke, really, I'm fine-"
"Don't be ridiculous. Here." He said, extending his arm to her. When she extended hers back, that's when he saw it. The big, angry, red, grip-shaped bruise that took up most of her forearm. He grabbed her wrist lightly, careful to avoid the bruise. Rory gasped.
"Rory. What is that?" Luke asked, already knowing his answer and trying not to let the rage seep through into his voice.
"It's nothing," she says, trying to pull away, but Luke was unrelenting. "We were spinning around like that scene in Titanic, and he just gripped a little too hard I guess."
"Then why's the bruise only on one arm? I might not be a Harvard man but I know what this is about, Rory."
"It was an accident, I swear. We were fighting and I tried to just go away and he grabbed me because he didn't want me to go. That's all it was."
Luke was about to respond when they heard an angry banging on the glass.
"Rory? Rory, I know you're in there. Come out here right now. This conversation isn't over."
Rory took a deep breath and stood up to go, and Luke stepped in front of her.
"Absolutely not young lady. You sit down for right now." Luke made his way to the door, stepping in between it and Dean.
"Go home right now, before I do something I'll regret."
"I'm waiting for Rory."
"Rory's not coming. Go."
"Make me, old man."
Luke wanted nothing more than to knock the kid's lights out and be done with it, but he figured the last thing Rory needed now was more violence. He slipped back into the diner and locked the door, closing all the blinds so Dean couldn't see in. As he turned around, the banging on the glass resumed.
"Rory? Rory, come back out here so we can finish what we started."
Rory, now wearing the flannel over her dress, looked at Luke, her eyes begging for him to provide her with safety or comfort. He gestured for her to come behind the counter, and then he wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to bury her face into his chest.
"Sit, he whispered, and they say on the ground behind the counter, Luke rubbing Rory's back as she tried to calm down through all the noise.
"Rory, come out here right now you bitch!" Dean bellowed.
Luke's jaw tightened so quickly and forcefully that he thought it might break. He stopped rubbing Rory's back.
"He doesn't mean it, he's just mad." Rory whispered.
"It doesn't matter." Luke responded dryly. He wanted to kill the kid, but he knew he couldn't. He also knew what was coming. Just as he expected, Luke heard Taylor's voice coming out from the market.
"Dean, scat! You go home right now before I call the police and have you-"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever old man. I'm going, I'm going."
After a few minutes, the town returned to quiet, and Luke and Rory both let out a breath they didn't know that they were holding.
"Looks like Taylor saved the day," Luke remarked.
"Thank you, Luke."
"Rory, what would've happened if I wasn't here?"
"We just would've talked, I guess."
"He didn't seem in much of a talking mood." Luke said, trying to keep his tone relaxed and calm.
"I know this looks bad but it really isn't what you think it is. He loves me Luke, he really does."
"That doesn't mean he deserves you."
"Luke, he's great. I promise. This is just a big fight that'll blow over.
"If anything like this ever happens again, you come here or you call me, okay?"
"Luke, this isn't going to-"
"Promise me. Just promise me."
"I promise." Rory resigned.
"Come on, I'll drive you home."
"Oh Luke, you really don't have to do that, I can walk-"
"Get in the car. I want to see you get home safe."
Rory followed him to the car and they drove.
"Listen, Rory. I need you to tell your mom about what happened tonight."
"What? Luke, why? I told you this was no big deal."
"If it's really no big deal, you shouldn't have an issue telling the woman you tell everything in the world to. Ror, if you don't tell her, I have to."
"Why?"
"Because if you were my kid and somebody didn't tell me about something like this I would kill them. Your mom needs to know okay?"
"Okay." Rory said, though she was none too pleased about the situation.
"Thank you." Luke said, pulling into her driveway. "Looks like Max is gone."
"Yeah, it does."
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I'll be the one in the Chilton uniform."
"Goodnight, kid."
"Goodnight, Luke."
