My Little Girl
It was a quiet, balmy summer evening, just like any other in Stars Hollow. One of its residents, Luke Danes was going through the process of closing his diner for the night. He was currently wiping down the counter, when the little bell over the door chimed, signaling that someone had come in.
"We're closed." He said, without looking up.
"I know, I was just hoping you and I could talk." Luke glanced up at the familiar voice and gave Tristan Dugrey one of his rare smiles.
"Tristan, what brings you to Stars Hollow? We're not having a movie night are we? Lorelai will kill me if I forgot." Luke blanched, knowing how important movie nights were to his wife, since her daughter Rory lived in Providence now and didn't have a lot of time to visit that often.
"No." Tristan shook his head and laughed. "Rory and I decided to pop in and surprise both of you. Rory's with Lorelai at the house, talking about the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, so I thought I'd come here to talk to you instead. My minds too exhausted to try and keep up with them."
Luke chuckled and tossed him a rag. "Well, then can you give a hand and wipe down some of the tables."
Tristan nodded and grinned. "Sure thing."
Luke couldn't help but compare Rory's boyfriend to his predecessor. He knew that had he tossed a rag to Logan Huntzberger, the blonde socialite probably would have been horrified at the thought of physical labor. Though, Logan probably would have stayed with Rory and Lorelai at the house and suffered through their sometimes inane conversations, rather than come to diner and talk to him. Actually, they probably wouldn't have come to visit unplanned at all, as Logan would be too busy whisking Rory off on some reckless adventure with his drunken friends. That had all been well and good in Rory's college days, but they were adults now and it was time to grow up, something Logan had always seemed to have a problem with.
Tristan seemed to be the exact opposite, the only similarities being that they both had blonde hair and came from Hartford society families. Tristan had no problem making spontaneous drives just so Rory could see her mother and Luke, who might as well have been her father after all this time. And, when he did whisk her away it was to Paris, or Rome, Berlin or London, he wanted Rory to see and experience everything she always wanted. He was well-read and the two could hold literary debates that rivaled the ones Rory used to have with Jess. And when they had first come back from Barrack Obama's campaign Tristan had assured both Lorelai and Luke that he wasn't the same egotistical jerk he had been during Rory's days at Chilton.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Luke asked, knowing that he and Tristan got along to the point where the two of them could have a couple beers and watch a ball game while the Gilmore Girls did their thing.
Tristan paused in rubbing at a spot on one of the tables and swallowed nervously. "Rory, actually."
Luke raised and eyebrow and looked over at the blonde youth. Just by looking him and the love struck look in Tristan's eyes and Luke was hit with the realization of what exactly Tristan had come here to talk to him about in private.
Gotta hold on easy as I let you go
Going to tell you how much I love
Though you think you already know
I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped up in pink so soft and warm
You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born
With April, Luke knew that someday a man would come and ask for his blessing in marrying his daughter, but even though he viewed Rory as his own, he was surprised that Tristan stood before him now. Christopher was still in Rory's life, even if it was rather sporadically. Luke had known that Tristan would be "The One" the moment he'd seen them together, by the love that shown in both of them.
"Oh?" Luke felt a newfound appreciation warm through him for Tristan, as the young man straightened and looked him in the eye.
"I'm in love with her, Luke, in a way I've never loved anyone else. She's it for me." Tristan stated firmly.
"I know." And he did, because Luke too loved Rory in a way he never loved anybody else. As a child she had been one of the only people to break through his gruff demeanor. She had wormed her way into his heart and settled herself there.
Beautiful baby from the outside in
Chase your dreams but know the roads will always lead you home again
Go on take on this old world but to me you know you'll always be my little girl
He could still remember a little girl dressed in fairy wings coming around to invite everyone to a caterpillar's funeral and though it was foolish, he had let her take him by the hand and stood stoically as she buried the insect. When she came down with the chicken pox, he had gone to visit that same girl every two hours with a bowl of steaming mash potatoes because that's all she wanted to eat.
With her hair in pigtails, a bright pink helmet on her head and a determined look on her face, he had taught her how to ride a bike. He never missed a birthday or a Christmas. He watched her grow up to look and act more and more like her mother everyday. He had consoled her with coffee and pie over her miserable days at Chilton. He had tried to beat Dean up when he found out he had broken her heart. He had even threatened his own nephew bodily harm should he hurt Rory in any way.
When you were in trouble that crooked little smile could melt my heart of stone
Now look at you-I've turned around and you're almost grown
Sometimes when you're asleep I whisper I love you in the moonlight at your door
As I walk away I hear "Daddy love you more"
He had been honored when Rory had come into the diner one morning, dressed simply in a t-shirt and jeans. She had ordered her usual coffee, then looked up at him with those big blue eyes and invited him to her high school graduation. He'd been baffled, flattered and more than willing to go. Christopher hadn't even been there, he remembered.
When she moved into the dorms at Yale, he had helped her move her mattress in and the old one out. He had schlepped the heavy boxes from his truck and wished her good luck when he left, knowing she didn't really need it. She had conquered and already difficult High school, Yale wouldn't be much different because Rory was determined to take the world by storm and he knew she would.
Beautiful baby from the outside in
Chase your dreams but know the roads will always lead you home again
Go on take on this old world but to me you know you'll always be my little girl
"I plan on talking to Lorelai at some point tonight too, but since you're more her father than Christopher ever was, I wanted to talk to you first." Tristan ran a hand through his hair. "Rory loves you and you mean the world to her, as does your opinion and your blessing. I'd like to ask her to marry me tomorrow night, if that's all right with you?"
Luke stayed silent for a moment. He knew this day would come, from the moment he'd just watched Rory and Tristan dancing together at one of the Gilmore's parties several months prior. Tristan looked at Rory the way he looked at Lorelai. Rory was also the happiest she had ever been with Tristan. Rory was almost perfect in every way and some part of him would always believe that no man was good enough for her, but if it was going to be someone, Luke knew Tristan was the best he was going to get.
Someday some boy will come and ask me for your hand
But I won't say yes to him unless I know
He's the half that makes you whole
He has a poet's soul and the heart of a man's man
But between you and me, he won't be good enough
"You never really needed my blessing. Rory loves you, and that's all you really need, the best gift of all. But, I can't think of a better man, not even my own nephew, who's worthy enough to marry my daughter." It felt strange, but at the same time right to be calling Rory his daughter in that moment. "She's one of the most important people in my life, Tristan, the other two being her mother and April. I trust you to take care of her and keep her happy."
"You know I will, Luke." Tristan shook his hand, then thought better of it and hugged him. "You're wrong, I do need your blessing because if you disapproved, Rory wouldn't marry me, don't underestimate just how important you are to her as well."
"You're a good man, Tristan. Welcome to the family." Luke clapped his back. "As crazy as this family is, it'll be nice to have someone else on my side."
"Thanks Luke." Tristan pulled back and chuckled. "You know, you're approval means a lot to me as well. My father was pretty absent in my life like Christopher. I had my grandfather where Rory had you. Since my grandfather can't be here to give his approval as well, yours is just going to have to count as double."
"Thanks kid." Luke tossed the rags into the kitchen. "What do you say we go and join our Gilmore Girls?"
"Our?" Tristan beamed.
"You're going to be married to one soon enough." The two men walked down the sidewalk companionably, knowing this was a start of a Gilmore Girl's guy's tradition and neither could think of a better man to share it with.
Beautiful baby from the outside in
Chase your dreams but know the roads will always lead you home again
Go on take on this old world but to me you know you'll always be my little girl
A/N: So I loved her first was supposed to originally just be a little oneshot, but all the feedback inspired me to make a little mini series. This is the second installment. The third and final one will be at Rory's wedding. Stay tuned and review.
