Chapter One
"Next stop, Fulton Street Station"
Rory Gilmore glanced up from the book in her lap as the train crawled to a stop next to the train platform. Sighing, she stood up and left the carriage, striding purposefully out of the station to survey Tribeca. She stopped and slipped her phone out of her exquisite pink Birkin bag and replacing it with the book she was holding. She pulled up the maps application and set directions to the office of the New Yorker Magazine head offices, where she was due for an interview in 15 minutes. She had been worried that she'd be late and breathed a sigh of relief seeing that the walk would only be 3 minutes, giving her ample time to grab a quick cup of coffee to boost her confidence before the important meeting. Luck was on her side today, as there was a coffee stand just outside the imposing building that housed the New Yorker offices. As she made her way up towards the 35th floor in the elegant and ornate elevator, she gulped down her coffee, popped a mint tic tac and put a smile on her face, ready to step out into their offices. Flashing a smile at the receptionist as she mentioned her name and impending meeting, Rory felt confident for the first time in a few months now, the nerves settling as she approached the door of Leslie Abernathy, the brilliant editor of The New Yorker culture section.
"Rory Gilmore, I'm Leslie Abernathy, thank you for coming in." The petite woman smiled sincerely as she shook Rory's hand before perching herself on her chair with ease and grace.
"Ms. Abernathy, thank you so much for the opportunity to interview for The New Yorker, it is a dream come true to be sitting here."
Abernathy laughed softly before a serious expression crossed her face. The woman may have been small but her interviewing skills definitely packed a punch and while, at first, Rory was slightly shocked by the woman's intense demeanour, she quickly recovered and she liked to believe that she was on the verge of impressing the woman. The intensity and fervour with which Abernathy discussed the work and dedication of the The New Yorker reminded Rory of her college roommate Paris Gellar, whom she had not spoken to in a few months, whose intensity was second-to-none and got her to the prominent residency she now claimed at Boston General Hospital.
"Well, Miss Gilmore, I think you will make an excellent addition to the culture department here… Don't let me down." Abernathy said, her serious tone undermined by the twinkle of glee in her eye.
"So… I got the job?" Rory asked tentatively, silently chiding herself for sounding like a naive 16 year old again.
The small woman's face broke out into a large smile. "Yes you got the job! Congratulations! Now, we don't need to know until Monday morning, so you can take your time to decide - "
Rory interrupted her as politely as she could manage. "I don't need time, I'll definitely take it." She said, smiling.
"Great! If you report to HR now, you can get the paperwork signed and start work by Monday, if that's okay with you?" Rory nodded, smiling at the notion that she would be working at The New Yorker come Monday.
The two shook hands and Rory made to leave the office, a goofy grin plastered on her face.
"Welcome to the team!" Abernathy called as Rory left the Culture department in search of HR.
An hour later, Rory was allowed to leave the building with her very own ID badge around her neck as well as a hearty cramp in her hand, from all the signatures, to remember the day by. As soon as she left the building, she dialled the number for her mother's phone, anxious to give her the good news.
"Lorelai Gilmore's phone, if you're calling to console me because my only daughter has abandoned me for the big city, please press one."
"Mom?"
"Excuse me, I recognise your voice… you sound like the daughter I once had, before she left me for New York and hasn't called me in 8 days."
"Mom…" Rory chastised, smiling as she stepped into a cab.
"8 days!" Lorelai exclaimed, startling Rory. "We haven't spoken in 8 days! You haven't told me about your life, what you're doing, where you're working, who you're dating - in 8 days!"
"Okay I get it Mom, I'm sorry!" Rory said, chuckling slightly at her mother.
"Well, being the big-hearted and nice person that I am, I will forgive you, the dear fruit of my loins."
"Gee, thanks, I appreciate it." Rory remarked wryly.
"So… what have you called to tell me, sweets? What has happened in the last 8 days of radio silence?"
"Okay hold on to your hat- " She started to say but was interrupted by a fast-talking Lorelai. Rory could practically hear the smirk on her face.
"What if I don't have a hat? Should I get a hat so I can hold it while you tell me your news? Do I even have a hat? Maybe I should go buy a hat…?" Lorelai rambled.
"Mom! I got a job at the New Yorker as the culture staff writer!"
"Oh my god! Why did you let me talk for so long? Congrats honey!"
"Oh yeah, like I could have stopped you." Rory rolled her eyes, struggling to balance her phone while attempting to unlock the door to the apartment she shared with her friend, Pandora Ellsworth.
"Yeah… you're right there. As you know and inherited, there is no stopping the endless and highly entertaining babble that comes out of my mouth. Anyway, we have to celebrate! How about I head to New York tonight and we can hit the town, paint it red, have food and drinks and then pass out on the floor in the kitchen surrounded by chocolate?"
Rory chuckled, "Sounds good, Mom, just call me when you're here. I'm gonna take a shower, see you later."
"Love you sweets."
"Love you too Mom."
Rory dropped her purse onto the couch and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen before heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Just as she was stepping out of the shower, the front door swung open with Dora dropping her handbag, keys and several shopping bags in the front hall.
"I am exhausted!" Dora exclaimed, flinging herself dramatically onto the lumpy but somewhat comfortable red couch that adorned their quirky and mismatched living room.
"Long day of shopping?" Rory asked, stepping out from her room in sweatpants, an extremely large Yale t-shirt she had discovered at the back of her wardrobe and her hair wrapped in a towel.
"Yes, it was positively debilitating." She remarked, faking a high society English accent. "But absolutely amazing." She grinned wickedly.
"And did Jesse enjoy you commandeering his American Express black card?" Rory smirked at the thought of Dora's "boyfriend", despite the fact they refused to admit their relationship status and feelings to anyone.
"I believe so, I did make it worth his while after all." She smirked and winked, letting out a loud cackle before proceeding to devour the bags at her feet.
Dora started flinging the various items of clothing, shoes and lingerie around the room, chattering on about where each item was from, how much it cost, the look on Jesse's face when she picked out certain things from Victoria Secret. Rory made the appropriate comments regarding her impeccable style, chuckled at the thought of Jesse and often left Dora rambling on in order to make and drink copious amounts of coffee.
"So, my mom is headed here later and we were going to grab dinner and then go out, do you want to join us?"
Dora nodded and clapped, "Yay, a night out! Are we celebrating anything special?"
"Oh yeah! I forgot to say earlier, what with the shopping bags and all, I got the culture writing job at the New Yorker." Rory said, smiling.
She grabbed her ID badge from her bag to show Dora. Dora jumped up and squealed, pulling Rory into a hug.
"Congrats! I knew you had it in you! And even more exciting is that we can afford to stay in this lovely lovely apartment together."
"Yeah I'm very happy about that, I was very close to cutting coffee out of my life and, as you well know, depriving a Gilmore girl of coffee is a very dangerous thing to do."
"We should call Shawn and Jesse, maybe they can bring some of their cute friends." Dora winked conspiratorially.
"You're going to ask your boyfriend to bring cute friends for you to hook up with?" Rory asked incredulously, laughing at her friend.
"He's not my boyfriend! We're just…"
"Keeping it casual?" Rory finished for her as Dora nodded, unaware of the unsure look upon her own face. Rory smirked and was about to make a comment when the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of Lorelai Gilmore the 2nd.
"Hello to my favourite daughter!" Lorelai said, hugging her daughter tightly.
"You say that to all your daughters." Rory replied, pouting.
"Yes but this time I mean it." Lorelai grinned. "It's nice to see you! And hi Dora, how are you?"
"Positively darling Lorelai!" Dora drawled in a posh accent before breaking out into a smile and hugging Rory's mother like it was her own. "It's so nice to see you Lorelai! I hope you don't mind me crashing the family celebrations tonight!"
"Dora, you and Rory have been friends for 9 years, you took care of her on the campaign trail and you have pretty things in my size, you're practically family."
"Perfect!" She chirped, skipping down the hall towards her room in order to get ready.
Before long, the three girls were ready. Rory was in a black skater dress that came up just above her knees, wearing her favourite pair of shoes; silver Jimmy Choo heels. Dora, on the other hand, was wearing a silver skirt that left very little to the imagination paired with her signature black velvet heels and a black long sleeve velvet top with a sweetheart neckline. Lorelai had opted for a simpler yet still slightly inappropriate outfit for someone of her age and marital status. As she admired herself in the mirror, wearing very tight-fitting and hip-hugging black jeans with a red lace blouse that had a plunging neckline. The three girls were ready to hit the streets, choosing a burger place a couple blocks away for their evening meal before heading out to Dora and Rory's usual bar to meet up with Shawn and Jesse. Walking into the crowded bar, Dora spotted their friends at a booth in the back and made a beeline straight for them, Lorelai and Rory following close behind. The group greeted each other excitedly and introductions were made to a man and woman that were unfamiliar to Rory, Dora and Lorelai. The man sat next to Jesse and introduced himself as Elliot, a family friend of Jesse's that worked at the same investment firm. He had sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes, a signature smirk plastered on his face as he shook hands with Rory. He reminded Rory, and Lorelai for that matter, of a certain blonde-haired, hazel-eyed boy that she had known in her days at Yale. An image of the smirking Logan Huntzberger flashed quickly in Rory's mind but she shook it out of her head, refusing to think about him and his face, just as she had the past 9 years. Smiling, Rory turned to the other girl at the table. Shawn had his arm strewn loosely around her shoulders and smiled down at her, giving Rory another wistful pang, which she ignored. The girl smiled at Rory warily and introduced herself as Ellie, Shawn's girlfriend of three weeks. As they settled into their seats, all with alcoholic drinks of some sort, the conversation flowed easily, with all of them toasting Rory's success in getting a staff writer position at The New Yorker as well as Lorelai's recent nuptials. Dora and Jesse kept glancing at each other, not realising that the others were smirking and observing them with amusement. As Rory, Lorelai and Shawn knew, that day was their so-called 'anniversary', but as they weren't strictly exclusively or together, they tried not to acknowledge it, but that didn't mean they didn't want to acknowledge it. Rory rolled her eyes at her two friends, wishing they would just get their act together and stop dancing around each other.
"I spot a very attractive girl at the bar, anyone want a drink?" Elliot declared, getting a hearty laugh from those around the table.
"Is she a red-head?" Jesse asked, clearly trying to tease him.
"That was a one-time phase, let it go dude." He said before slipping out the booth and approaching the beautiful blonde girl sipping her drink by the bar.
"Red-heads?" Rory asked, curious as to the context of the joke.
"Elliot had a phase for a few years when we were younger where he would only date red-heads. He refused to date any girl that didn't have red hair. He's over it now apparently." Jesse finished, nodding his head to Elliot and the blonde's impending exit from the bar. Elliot turned as he got to the door, winking at the group and smirking before shrugging on his coat and coasting out the door.
Shawn chuckled and turned to Rory. "That reminds me of that guy you used to tell me about, the drunk Australian that was super into red-heads. Your friend at Yale? What was his name?"
"Finn." Rory said quietly, fiddling with her hands and taking a large sip of her martini. Lorelai looked at her daughter and knew exactly what, or who, she was thinking about. She reached over and grabbed Rory's hand, squeezing lightly, earning a small smile.
"Finn! That was it! He seems like a cool guy. You should invite him out with us one day!" Shawn drank all of his remaining beer, adding to his highly inebriated state.
"Um… We don't really keep in touch…"
"Oh. Never mind then." He said, sighing. He turned to Ellie and leaned down to kiss her on his way to the bar for a new drink, offering to refill the drinks for the table.
"So, Rory, anyone special in your life?" Ellie asked, the wary smile once again appearing on her face.
"Yeah, I have a boyfriend; Jeremy." Rory replied, smiling widely at her, hoping to gain her trust and friendship.
Ellie visibly relaxed and actually smiled at Rory, any trace of wariness immediately disappearing.
"That's wonderful!" She paused, evaluating her enthusiasm. "I mean, that you're all in happy relationships, like I am." She clarified, chuckling nervously.
"We're not in a relationship." Jesse and Dora said simultaneously, trying not to glance at each other.
"Oh. Right. I just assumed, sorry…" She trailed off, thankful for Shawn's return and distraction.
The conversation subsided slightly following the relationships conversation, prompting Dora to slyly leave with Jesse in tow to his apartment and Rory and Lorelai to take leave of the group and head home for one of their patented Gilmore movie nights.
—
"So…Chinese, pizza, twizzlers and Dirty Dancing?" Lorelai asked, holding up the takeout menus and the DVD in question.
"Ooh yes! And Grease too!" Rory called from the kitchen as she grabbed some wine for the two of them.
The two settled on the couch and got to watching their two favourite musical films, laughing and singing along badly. Halfway through a second viewing of Grease, Rory's cellphone rang with an emphatic rendition of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family". Knowing it was her step-sister April, she immediately answered with a smile, setting the phone on speaker so that Lorelai could talk to April as well.
"Hey April, what's up?"
"Hey Rory, um… Could I come over?"
"Now? Is something wrong?" Lorelai asked.
"Oh… Hey Lorelai. Yeah I'm fine, I just really need to talk to someone and get out of here, is that okay?"
"Of course sweetie, come over and we can pig out and talk. I mean, Rory and I already got a head start but I'm sure you can catch up!" Lorelai said, laughing.
"Thank you guys so much!" April hung up the phone promptly which coincidentally coincided with a knock at the door. It was April. April immediately pulled Rory into a hug before pouring herself a glass of wine in the kitchen and then heading over to the couch where Lorelai was currently laying with blankets and pillows galore.
"Woah kid, that's a mighty big glass of wine you got there… What's wrong?" Lorelai commented, eyeing up April's glass of wine. April rolled her eyes and stated that she was in fact over 21 and took a seat.
"It's just… Matthew! He's being so great but so annoying but so clingy but so there for me and I just… don't know what to do!" April drank half the glass, surprising both herself and the Gilmore girls. Matthew Pembley was April's loving and devoted boyfriend of the past 5 years.
"Honey, we're gonna need a bit more than that."
"Well okay, so, the other day I was talking about how busy I was at med-school and how I barely had any time for anything. Which he took to mean I didn't have time for him, which is not what I meant at all! I meant I didn't have time to go to Stars Hollow to visit Dad and you - " She nodded at Lorelai, taking the break as an opportunity to drink more wine. "And see Rory even though we live in the same city and go to New Mexico to see Mom and even see any of my friends. All I do is go to class, come home and see Matthew and then study and repeat. And he just got so mad and we started yelling at each other and it just escalated from there, I don't know what to do!" April was nearly in hysterics by this point, causing both Rory and Lorelai to hug her from each side on the couch.
"April, I'm sure everything's fine, you guys will make up." Rory said soothingly.
"You haven't heard the worst part." April replied, shaking her head slowly and taking in a big gulp of wine. "But, before I tell you, you have to promise to keep it a secret. You can't tell anyone - " She pointed at Rory, who nodded, "And you can't tell Dad." She said to Lorelai. Lorelai took in a sharp breath, hesitation on her face.
April continued on in the silence. "I know, you guys are married and you have a whole 'we have no secrets' thing going on because that's what broke you up the first and second time. But, I just need you to keep this to yourself for a while. I will tell Dad, I will. But right now I need to talk it out with the both you and I can't have Dad knowing and flipping out and clouding my mind, you know?" She looked at both of them meaningfully. "Rory, you're like the sister I never had and I'm so glad I have you in New York. And Lorelai, without my mom near me, you're the next best thing and I just need the two of you to talk to me and advise me and help me and just, not tell Dad. Please?" April breathed in heavily following her diatribe and awaited the answers of the two women.
"Breathe Zsa Zsa Gabor." Lorelai remarked wryly, wrapping her arm around April's shoulders.
"She certainly is a Gilmore girl, isn't she Mom?" Rory said, smiling and joining in the group hug.
"We'll keep your secret. For a while." Lorelai said. "Now spill."
"He… asked me to marry him." Her eyes flitted between the looks of shocks on their faces, smiling sarcastically into her wine glass. "Now, you see my problem!" She exclaimed, downing the rest of her wine in one gulp.
"Maybe… enough wine for now sweetie?" Lorelai guided the glass to the coffee table and took the opportunity to grab the twizzlers on the table, offering one to both her 'daughters'.
"What did you say?" Rory asked tentatively, afraid of both the answer and her step-sister's reaction to the question.
"I told him… I had to think about it. I couldn't answer him and he just looked, so broken. He asked me in the spur of the moment, after our fight about time and being busy and commitment. But, he had a ring, a beautiful ring, hidden in his coat pocket, so clearly he'd been thinking about this for a while right?"
Rory looked at her hands, distracted by April's answer and the memories it stirred up. She couldn't help but think about the one and only proposal she herself had gotten all those years ago. She had said the same thing, she had told him that she'd had to think about it. And he'd looked broken too. That beautiful blond boy, upset and broken by her words. Rory sighed and shook herself out of her reverie, refusing to think about something she'd hidden away in her mind and memories for all these years. She looked at April, grabbed her hand and decided to focus on her step-sister instead.
"What was the ring like?" Lorelai inquired, a curious look on her face. April smiled and pulled a small black velvet box from her pocket to show them. As she opened it, her grin spread and her eyes were twinkling with the sparkle of the 3 carat solitaire diamond with two smaller pear-shaped diamonds on the side.
"Wow." Rory and Lorelai said simultaneously. Lorelai took the ring from April and started comparing it to the 4 carat solitaire diamond and emerald clustered engagement ring Luke had given her after their second reconciliation.
"I like mine better but that sure is a pretty ring."
"Yeah it is…" April said dreamily, staring at the ring in front of her.
"Oh my god. It's the Harlequin romance face! Mom, she has Harlequin romance face!" Rory exclaimed, remembering the 'in-love' face that Paris had dubbed as her 'harlequin romance face' during college.
"Oh my god. She's right! You have Harlequin romance face!" Lorelai agreed, hitting April on the arm.
"Ow! My what? What is a Harlequin romance face?"
"It's the face you get when you're super in love with someone and you're super happy. Like on the cover of a Harlequin romance novel?" Rory clarified, smirking at April's confused and defensive expression.
"You want to say yes, don't you?" Lorelai asked April, her face sympathetic and loving.
"No. Maybe. I don't know!" April buried her face into her hands, groaning as a result of her current situation. "I love him you know?" She whispered to herself.
"Honey, if you want to say yes, you should say yes."
"April, Mom once said to me that with the right person, at the right time, you'll just know. You won't have to hesitate and it won't matter how old you are or who approves or disapproves. What matters is the two of you. If you love each other, if you want to say yes, then say yes. We will support you. Right mom?"
"Of course sweetheart." They hugged each other again and looked at April expectantly, begging for her to decide her fate.
"I… think… I want to say yes. We've been together 5 years and, I think… No, I know, I want to marry him." She said, smiling confidently at both Rory and Lorelai. They all squealed, grinning broadly. Rory went to the kitchen cabinet to grab the bottle of champagne that had been waiting for a special occasion. She popped the cork and squealed again, pouring each of them a large glass of champagne.
"Congrats babe! You know what the next challenge is though right? After deciding to say yes?" April looked at Lorelai quizzically, waiting for her to enlighten her. "Telling your dad!" Lorelai clapped in glee, laughing. April paled and Rory immediately reassured her.
"Don't worry, we will both be there to help you break the news gently to Luke. I'm sure he'll be thrilled! Or… at least, not as murderous, with us in support of this." Rory smiled at April, "It'll be fine, I promise."
"Are you going to call Matthew and tell him now?" Rory questioned, remembering that April's 'fiance' didn't even know that they were engaged.
"No, I'm just going to wait until tomorrow, I want to see his face when I tell him. Can we just drink champagne and watch tv? Can I stay the night as well?"
"Well we're already out of champagne and Dora forgot to pay the cable bill, so how about coffee and Grease instead?"
"Sold!"
The three settled on the couch after Rory brewed coffee, restarting Grease and adding Chicago to their evening's repertoire. They all fell asleep on the couch and woke up with the sun streaming in through the curtains. Rory was shaken awake by a shrill ringing of her phone's Marimba ringtone. In her fatigue, she reached out and attempted to either turn it off or answer it, either one would be acceptable. Somehow she was able to swipe right and groggily said hello into the phone, not bothering to look at the caller ID.
"Rory?" The disapproving voice of Emily Gilmore came through loud and clear, forcing Rory to jump up from the couch, dislodging both April and Lorelai and waking them up. As they got up, seeing that it was Rory's fault that they were awoken so early after their late night, they became indignant and were about to yell at Rory for her sudden jump. She flailed her arms around in a frantic effort to warn Lorelai and April before they said anything to attract the attention of her grandmother.
"Hi Grandma! How are you?" Rory said loudly into the phone, her eyes wide and staring at her crazy mother and step-sister.
April shut up immediately, smirking and sinking into the couch while Lorelai physically flinched from the phone and her daughter, a look of shock on her face.
"Rory, were you still sleeping? At 8:30 in the morning? You're not a child, you shouldn't still be sleeping at this time. Wait, are you sick? Are you depressed? Are you pregnant? Oh my god, please tell me you're not pregnant!" Emily lectured, not letting Rory get a word in edgewise.
"Grandma! No, I'm not sick, I'm not depressed and I'm not pregnant, I promise. I was about to get up but you called before my alarm could ring."
"You weren't going to get up before 8:30, why?" Emily sniffed indignantly.
"I was up late last night, working and then celebrating with some friends."
"Celebrating? Celebrating what?"
"I got the culture writer job at The New Yorker."
"Oh my, that is just wonderful! Congratulations! Now this deserves celebrating, you must come to dinner tonight!"
"Oh… um… Grandma I don't think I can."
"Nonsense, you must. It's Friday and there's something to celebrated, we must have Friday night dinner." Rory could hear Emily's voice change slightly, which was a sure sign that Rory was about to get guilt tripped into whatever it is Emily wanted her to do. "I never get to see you, or your mother, and the house has just been so empty since your grandfather died, God rest his soul. Please, oh please, come join me for dinner this evening?"
Rory sighed, "Okay Grandma, I'll come to dinner tonight."
"Could you maybe get your mother to come too? I just never see her, despite the fact that she lives only 20 minutes away from me - "
Rory cut her off before she could start on another lecture and said she would 'try' to convince her mom, without making any promises, to the distaste of Lorelai sitting on the couch.
"Oh wonderful Rory! I'm so looking forward to seeing you! You can bring anyone you'd like to the dinner this evening, considering it's a special celebration. How about that boyfriend of yours? Or one of your friends? Your mother should bring Luke! And that daughter of his, if he wants?"
"Sure Grandma, I'll ask."
"Wonderful! I'll see you this evening. Bye Rory."
Rory hung up the phone and flopped onto the couch in between April Lorelai, sighing.
"Grandma is exhausting."
"By George, I think she's got it!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"Ha Ha Ha. You know, she wants both of you and Luke, and Jeremy to come?"
"Why does she want me to come?" April scrunched up her nose in confusion.
"I think she's trying a whole nice maternal thing, because you're my step-sister and we're friends as well maybe?"
"Maybe I should, it might be a good opportunity to tell Dad, he'll be too scared of Emily to get mad at me." April smirked, pondering the idea in her mind.
Lorelai looked at April with pride, "This girl thinks big, I like it." She said to Rory, smiling.
—
Hours later, April, Rory and Matthew were standing outside the Gilmore house, waiting for Lorelai and Luke to arrive and accompany them inside. April had told Matthew at lunch that day, after leaving Rory's apartment, that she would accept his proposal. Rory had espoused congratulations and gave hugs when she had picked them up to drive to dinner. Both Matthew and April were nervous about telling Luke the news and were pacing the driveway while Rory was trying to reassure that Luke would be happy about the news, despite not actually believing it herself.
"Hey April, don't forget to take the ring off, you don't want the surprise ruined by your hand." Rory remarked.
"Oh don't worry, it's here." She said, taking a chain out from her button up black silk blouse with the ring secured on the end of it.
"Put it away, they're here." Matthew said, his nerves evident on his face.
Luke's green truck pulled up behind Rory's prius and was barely at a stop before Lorelai was out and bounding towards them.
"You're going to get yourself killed if you jump out before I've stopped!" Luke grumbled, getting out of his truck.
"Eh, I'm fine." Lorelai scoffed, hugging Rory, April and Matthew in turn. Luke hugged Rory and April as well before begrudgingly shaking hands with a visibly shaking Matthew.
They all stood at the door, apprehensive to what awaited them behind the extravagant wood and marble. Rory took the plunge and rang the doorbell, patiently waiting for Emily's appearance.
"Well hello! Come in, come in!" Emily exclaimed, ushering all of them into the foyer. The maid took their bags and coats and led the entire group into the living room for drinks.
"What would everyone like to drink?"
"Martinis for Rory, April and me, please!" Lorelai said.
"A beer would be great, if you have it Emily." Luke replied.
Matthew stayed quiet and mumbled something about being 'fine'.
"Wait, you're drinking a martini?" Luke asked April incredulously as Emily passed the martinis to the girls.
"Yeah?" April questioned, sipping her drink.
"Since when do you drink martinis? Do you drink now? You shouldn't be drinking!" Luke nearly shouted.
"Luke, honey, she's 23." Lorelai said, trying to pacify him.
"Doesn't mean she should be drinking." He grumbled but decided to let the matter job as he saw the logic in what she was saying.
"So, Rory, where's that boyfriend of yours this evening?" Emily asked.
"He… was busy. Sorry, grandma."
"Oh, well that's alright. And April, this is your boyfriend?"
"Yeah, Matthew, sorry I forgot to introduce him properly."
"Oh, that's quite alright. How long have you been together?"
"5 years. Um…" April hesitated, wondering if this was the right moment to bring up her new engagement. She looked to Lorelai and Rory for support and saw them both subtly nodding at her to take the plunge and tell Emily and her dad.
"We're engaged." Matthew blurted out, taking the lead from his fiance.
"You're what?!" Luke shouted, eyes bulging.
"Luke, honey…" Lorelai said, with an hand on his arm, trying to keep him calm.
"Since when? You're 23! You're too young to be engaged! You can't throw your life away for this punk!" Luke spat, standing up from the couch and pointing at Matthew's shrinking form.
"Dad… I'm not too young and I'm not throwing anything away! I love him, we've been together 5 years and us getting married doesn't change the fact that I'm at med-school and that I'm going to become a doctor. Stop freaking out!"
"Sir, I love your daughter - " Matthew started.
Luke cut him off, somewhat more calm. "Shut up punk."
"Luke. Calm down, I know you're upset. But April and Matthew want to do this. They love each other and they want to get married. Everything will be okay." Lorelai said calmly, pulling him back down the couch. It was clear that he was starting to see some logic in what they were saying about the decision.
"I don't like this. Everything's going to change, it's too intense and set in stone, it's not going to be wide-open for you anymore. You're not going to be free." He said.
April started to speak but Rory cut her off, wanting to support her step-sister and having some personal feelings come through from what Luke was saying.
"They love each other. As long as they're together, everything will be okay. Life isn't going to be closed off and it's not that they're not going to be free. As long as they love each other, the whole 'wide-open' thing isn't an issue." They looked at Rory in surprise and were too absorbed in April and Matthew to notice Rory sit down and say to herself, "It never should've been an issue…"
"I think this is wonderful. You've been together 5 years and you clearly love each other dearly. This is wonderful news!" Emily proclaimed.
Luke looked at all of them in disbelief before sighing in resignation. He glared at Matthew and said menacingly, "Don't you dare hurt her."
The dinner went on without anymore hitches, simply congratulations to April on her engagement and Rory's triumph in becoming a staff writer for The New Yorker.
"So… Rory, you and Jeremy have been together for a while now, any thoughts to marriage?" Emily said slyly during the dessert course.
"Grandma, we've only been together 8 months, marriage is definitely not on the table." She replied, focusing intently on her chocolate cake instead of on Grandma's disappointed expression.
Lorelai let out a breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding and was very relieved to hear that her daughter wasn't thinking about marriage with Jeremy. For Lorelai, while Jeremy was a nice enough guy, she didn't really think of him as Rory's 'one'. Luke leaned in to whisper to Lorelai, a smug smile on his face after her visible relief at Rory's lack of impending nuptials.
"See, it's not fun when it's your daughter is it?" He asked her rhetorically.
"Shush you." She said in response.
Another hour later, Friday night dinner was over and the Gilmore-Danes, and Matthew, were leaving the large house. Rory, April and Matthew followed behind Luke's truck to Stars Hollow, deciding last minute to stay there for the night instead for driving back to New York and spending the day in the quaint little town. Rory and April retreated to their recently renovated bedrooms in the garage, giving more space and privacy when they were home while Luke marched Matthew into Rory's old room in the house, the current unofficial guest room, making sure to separate Matthew from his precious daughter.