Disclaimer: GG is not mine, don't sue
It always bothered me that the wedding was set without Luke's involvement, so what if that was a mistake...
For my story the sequence of things:
Rory is back on track for Yale, she has a full week of school related talks, and does not have much time to spend in the Hollow, but promises to visit soon for some girl talk.
The science fair that confirms Luke as April's father is on the day of the Perfect Dress
{ ..} thoughts
[..] action while someone is speaking
Rory walks in the diner
RORY: You ordered already?
LORELAI: uh... did I know you were coming today?
RORY: Wedding planning remember? Synchronise watches with my new schedule and hear about your trip with Sookie for inspiration about wedding dresses.
Rory takes her planner out of her bag,
RORY: so due to my hiatus I am going to have to do some catching up with finals at the end of this semester.. That means no wedding in the beginning of June please.. but it would be better to have it at the end of June or even futher into the summer...
I was thinking ...mom?
Lorelai looks at her with horror... {oh my god I forgot to check the date with Rory}
RORY: Were the dresses that bad?
LORELAI: Oh Rory... I have found the perfect dress already [Rory looks sad] and the invitations [Rory looks bewildered] and the venue [Rory starts to look irritated] ….. and everything …. the ..date...
Rory looks almost angry...
RORY: Let me guess, June?
LORELAI: [while cringing] June 3rd but ..
RORY: So my visit here is just to prevent you from having to send me an invitation? Luke? Coffee to go please, I am going to check on Lane..
CEASAR: Luke is not here but I'll get you your coffee, good to see you back here. We all missed you.
x
At the Crap Shack Lorelai was venting about angry Rory
SOOKIE: She is ruining this wedding already
LORELAI: She was so distant, like she was shocked we had everything planned I guess
SOOKIE: She should be glad, with her school and everything there is no time for her to help in the first place.
RORY [who had just walked in]: It would have been nice to be asked to help... And nice to be asked if the date was convenient. But I guess you can do the wedding planning without me.. and the wedding itself well I'll just have to study harder at night or something
LORELAI: Oh sweets, we didn't go to plan the whole thing but it just happened like that, the perfect dress, next door the perfect invitations, the perfect church and the weekend that everybody we know can attend... Are you sure it is not going to be a problem for you, we can postpone..
RORY [seeing her mother is starting to falter and remembering Max]: No it is fine... I will plan my studying around the blessed event plenty of advance warning... you have a date!.
LORELAI: I am going to tell Luke, SO exciting we have a date!
~~~~~~~~~~~~From the episode~~~~~~~~~~~~
LORELAI: June 3rd is the date of our wedding.
LUKE: June 3rd?
LORELAI: Yes. Which is also miraculously a date that absolutely no one in Stars Hollow has a conflict with .
~~~~~~~~~~~~ END EPISODE PART ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke hold his hand up to stop her from talking.
LUKE: Lorelai …. if you wanted to reconsider the proposal, you could have just talked to me in person... This elaborate story in the middle of my diner is just cruel.
Lorelai was stumped ….
LORELAI: What?
LUKE (while grabbing his keys): I would like the ring back before you start looking for a good candidate ….or do you already have one lined up? I can't deal with you … this right now.
He yells to Ceasar that he is going out.
CEASAR: Yep boss, everything under control, just be back before dinner rush.
LORELAI: You going …...[Luke slams the door closed behind him] out?
CEASAR: Hi Lorelai... did you distract Luke so much he didn't get your order .. your usual?
LORELAI distractedly: Yeah... where is he going?
CEASAR: He didn't say. Your order is coming right up.
Lorelai walks dejected home after eating her burger … what is eating Luke?
x
At Lane's
RORY: [venting]: Did she not want me to be involved in the planning of her wedding? There is nothing that involves me.. And I might not even have the time between finals to enjoy it... It would be like dragging me from my books to stand next to her at the altar... And bolting immediately after to get back to studying … I know there are at least 4 exams in the week after June 3rd.
LANE: She didn't want to plan without you there and now she plans it without you ...wait ...June 3rd ? But Luke has his health certificate weekend in Boston then... Mine is 2 weeks earlier and Ceasar has his the first weekend of May, Luke had his postponed because it would be in the weekend of Lorelai's birthday.
RORY: So Luke is not even going to be in town that weekend? How long does he know that?
LANE: Oh weeks if not months, I know he told Lorelai about postponing his because of her birthday and she got all sad because...
RORY: She and I were fighting
LANE: Yeah it was a few days before your birthday.
RORY: So the groom is a no show and her daughter is going to be too distracted to enjoy it... Good planning mom, I need to talk to her
LANE: I think it is more Sookie's planning here.. She was a bit on the tyrannical side, not even wanting Luke to be near when they were discussing the wedding, I had to take their orders and deliver them.
x
RORY: I need to talk to mom AND Sookie. But first Luke
Meanwhile
~~~~~~~~~~~~ from episode PRODIGAL DAUGHTER~~~~~~~~~~~~
(CUT to science fair. Luke walks in and starts looking around the booths. He spots April at her booth reading a book. He walks up to her and notices his picture on the top of the booth is circled while there are two other pictures of two other men who's faces are crossed out. She looks up from her book and notices him)
APRIL: Hi?
LUKE: Hi.
APRIL: What are you doing here?
LUKE: Oh, I just came down to see the potato clock.
APRIL: Hmm.
LUKE: It's amazing a potato can do that.
APRIL: Potatoes are extraordinary.
LUKE: So, I guess, uh...
APRIL: Yeah. It's you.
LUKE: And you're sure?
APRIL: Absolutely. You want to see my report? (gives him the report)
LUKE: Uh, yeah. (he takes it and starts going through it a bit) Oh. It's big. (chuckles a bit) Wow, you...sure wrote a lot of...things here. Hey, wait. There's a word in here I know. (chuckles again a little more nervously) So, you're, uh...smart, huh?
APRIL: I've never been tested.
LUKE: But you...you did all this, so you must be smart. (looks at the cover of the report) April Nardini? So, your last name is Nardini?
APRIL: Yes.
LUKE: So, your mom is... (putting two and two together) Anna.
APRIL: Yes.
LUKE: Oh, Anna. Wow. I haven't seen Anna in...
APRIL: ...about 12 years?
LUKE: Yeah. So, uh...how is she? Is she good?
APRIL: Yes.
LUKE: Well, you know, that's...Anna Nardini. Oh, boy. Uh, I think I...I have to sit down.
APRIL: You want my stool.
LUKE: Yeah, thanks. (April gets up, Luke sits) Thanks...I'm just, uh, a little overwhelmed here.
APRIL: You want a capri sun?
LUKE: No, that's OK. So, I'm your father.
APRIL: Yes.
LUKE: I didn't know about you.
APRIL: I know.
LUKE: If I did, I would have, uh...(some people pass by and notice Luke under his picture. Luke to them) Yeah, it's...it's me. Hi. I...I think I'm better now. (get up from the stool)
APRIL: Are you sure?
LUKE: Yeah. That's fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ END Episode part~~~~~~~~~~~~
LUKE drives back towards the diner but decides to visit Buddy and Maisy first.
SNIFFY's
MAISY: Hi Luke, did we know you were coming? Where is that gorgeous fiancée of yours.
LUKE: Not sure she wants to marry me, but that is not why I am here... [he drops April's report on the table] I have a daughter.
BUDDY: What? How, who, what?
MAISY [while picking up the report]: Nardini? Don't tell me you got together with that controlling wench, I mean you only dated her to forget about Rachel at the time..
LUKE: No, she .. APRIL ... that is my daughter is 12 years old... Anna never told me she was even pregnant.
He continues to tell them the story of how he found out. And after some prodding by Maisy admits he really wants to get to know her.
BUDDY: Now what is it about Lorelai not wanting to marry you? The girl proposed!
LUKE: She went for wedding inspiration this morning and came back with a fully planned wedding …
MAISY: Wow that is fast, and good right?
LUKE: On June 3rd.
BUDDY/MAISY: Oh
LUKE: Yeah.
~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~
Lorelai walks in the diner, and shows Luke the invitation for Rory's birthday party at the Gilmore's.
The phone rings, and Luke gets the news that his request for changing the date of the certificate renewal has been granted, but that it is now set in stone.
Luke tells Lorelai about the plans and the nightmare of planning everybody's shifts around the weekends for his staff and himself, even musing whether or not he has to involve Buddy and Maisy.
Lorelai seems to be listening, but is in fact miles away in her head.
~~~~~end flashback ~~~~~
LUKE: She said it was a date that miraculously "absolutely no one in Stars Hollow has a conflict with." [gesturing the air quotes] Except me... So I told her that I want my ring back before she finds herself someone to stand at the altar with her. And then I had to leave for the science fair to meet April … my daughter.
He looks both happy and angry at the same time.
MAISY [softly]: You have to talk to her Luke, sort it out before you start burning bridges.
x
After spending some time with Buddy and Maisy, Luke decides to return to Stars Hollow, he wants to talk to Lorelai before the dinner rush.
Rory walks home from Lane's when a familiar green truck stops next to her.
LUKE: Hi, Need a ride?
RORY: We need to talk.
To be continued?
