AN - Thank you so much everyone:) .
Nancy - Christopher the slime, I like that, and I plan to keep his involvement to the absolute minimum, I never understood the whole going to his house thing, I know that to American's a 2.5 hour drive is like nothing but it just seemed odd me (as a British person, that length of journey requires a full plan including where the services are :P) . In terms of Emily we're still in the horrible period when she and Richard were separated and she seemed at her worst (this is actually addressed in this chapter a bit). The somewhat softer Emily will resurface as the story goes on.
On a side note, does anyone know if we are ever told what Luke's mother was called? I plan to include Maisie and Buddy in the story a bit more as I always thought they were a cute insight to Luke's life. If she doesn't have an official name which do you prefer Molly or Alice?
Here's chapter 3 folks, hope you like it, let me know what you think. x
Chapter 3 - Boundaries breached
Lorelai shook her umbrella with a flourish as she stepped up onto the diner's porch. Distracted by trying to keep the wet umbrella away from her coat and purse she slipped through the door. "Uggh, it's raining gobstoppers out there, it's like a monsoon without the warmth."
"Lorelai!"
Lorelai looked up in surprise as April bounded over to her from a table. She blinked in disbelief before forcing herself to smile so she didn't appear so shocked. "April, Hi!" her smile softened into a more natural one. "Playing hooky?"
"Issues relating to the rain," the little girl told her sagely. "School is shut today because all the toilets are backed up."
"Yuck!" Lorelai grimaced.
"And the store has a leak so I would just be in Mom's way," April smiled. "Can you sit with me?" she looked hopefully up at Lorelai. "It's been ages since I've seen you."
"Er…sure, for a bit. It's a flying visit. Coffee and danish to go but I can spend a couple of minutes with you while I wait for someone to serve me."
"Great!" April smiled and grabbed Lorelai's hand, dragging her to the table where she was stationed. The table was covered in books and a half complete DNA model making kit.
Lorelai smiled at the eleven year old, it had been 2 months since she had last seen the girl, Luke was planning to tell April about their relationship in a few weeks' time. Lorelai glanced over her shoulder to see if Luke had appeared out of the kitchen but he was nowhere and she wasn't really sure how he would want her to interact with April given that she was supposed to be keeping her distance until the big reveal.
"Did you and my Dad have a fight?" April asked bluntly as she settled into her chair.
Lorelai's smile became her nervous facsimile once again and she shook her head.
"So where have you been?" April closed her text book and stared at Lorelai intently. The little girl picked up a notebook and opened it, briefly scanning her notes before peering over the top and studying Lorelai. "It's been ages since I've seen you."
"I've been busy," Lorelai answered quickly bewildered the way the little girl was staring at her like she was. She cast a nervous look over her shoulder. "Have you done away with your Dad and Cesar?"
"Cesar's in the kitchen, Dad's in the back unloading the delivery," April answered as she wrote something in her notebook.
"What are you writing?" Lorelai asked with nervous suspicion as she watched April scribbling furiously in the notebook.
"Just observing the pattern." April closed her notebook/ "Dad said you were busy too, and he did the wide eyes, tense shoulders, hand clappy thing he does when he's lying. Plus I know how much you come in here. It is a break in your well established pattern. Which is unusual, especially for you, normally the only time you don't come in is if you and Dad have been fighting over something. So I have come up with a theory."
"Oh," Despite her nervousness Lorelai raised her eyebrows in amusement at the little girl's very grown up phrasing.
"Well," April took a deep breath. "With the change in your pattern, plus Dad's nervousness especially in relation to Miss Patty, Babette and Kirk whenever I brought you up, which while not unusual, is a clue that something is going on that I am not supposed to know about. My theory is if you two aren't in a fight then it means you are better than friends," April looked at Lorelai expectantly.
As she paused for a response Luke came through from the back, his eyes widening as he took in Lorelai and April sat at the table together and Lorelai's red face. "Hey!"
"Hey!" Lorelai greeted him overly brightly. "I came in for coffee and a danish, April was telling me about her school being closed and the leak at her Mom's store," Lorelai looked nervously at Luke, trying to see if she could change the subject.
"That and I was explaining my theory," April folded her arms across her chest as she regarded the two adults in front of her.
"Your theory," Luke repeated his eyes darting between his daughter and his girlfriend.
"That you and Lorelai are more than just friends," April pressed her lips together as if she was trying not to smile. "So are you more than just friends?"
Luke sighed heavily and looked at Lorelai who gave a tiny shrug telling him it was his decision. He nodded softly knowing that he couldn't tell April no and then a few weeks later tell her yes. He jumped as April gave an excited shriek.
Lorelai grinned as the eleven year old launched herself out of her chair and threw her arms around Luke. A moment later she was hit by the same force as April threw her arms around Lorelai's neck. She accepted the hug, returning it until she felt April pull away.
"That's so great!" April beamed at them, "and I'm not even mad you lied to me Dad," she moved round to her edge of the table and sat back in her chair smiling widely at the adults. "Can you have dinner with us tonight?" she asked Lorelai hopefully.
"Oh April I would love to but I'm having dinner with my mother in Hartford tonight," Lorelai smiled sadly at her, "but next time you're here we can spend as much time together as you want."
"You could come to ours," April shot her a beaming smile. "You can even stay over. Just nothing loud in the bedroom,"
"April!" Luke looked at his daughter in shock his eyes bugging in the sockets.
"Honestly Dad, I'm eleven not six, I know all about sex," she wrinkled her nose in disgust, "I just have no desire to have anything to do with it."
Lorelai chuckled as she took in Luke's pale face, "You might want to keep telling him that," she pointed at Luke smiling warmly at April who giggled in response. Taking pity on her significant other Lorelai changed the subject "Hun can I have coffee please."
"And a danish to go," April completed her order for her. She waited until Luke stumbled off a slightly shocked look on his face. Certain her father was out of earshot she leaned forward and waved her hand encouraging Lorelai to do it also. "I'm really glad you and my Dad are together," she smiled as she whispered. "It's forever, right?"
"I hope so Kid," Lorelai whispered with a soft nod before she shot an appraising look at Luke, "that's the plan."
xXx
"When did you start seeing Luke?" Emily demanded as she thrust Lorelai's drink in her hand.
Lorelai's mouth dropped open and she sent an angry look at her daughter.
"Don't look at me," Rory held up her hand defensively.
"No she didn't tell me," Emily flopped into her seat and stared daggers at her daughter. "Babette did. Your town really should sort out your telephones, she has on more than one occasion answered your phone calls, there is clearly something wrong with your switchboard." She took a sip of her martini. "So?"
"So?" Lorelai repeated taking a sip of her own drink.
Emily sent her an exasperated look. "When did you start seeing Luke?"
"A few months ago," Lorelai gave a resigned sigh.
"So he's the one you wouldn't tell me about?" Emily pouted. "I am assuming this is serious, that you haven't started to try and wriggle your way out of the relationship like you always do."
Lorelai pressed her lips together resisting the urge to scream and yell under her mother's caustic scrutiny.
Getting no response from Lorelai Emily's scowl deepened "I want to meet him, have him come to dinner next week. Rory can't make next week because of a lecture."
"He has April next weekend," Lorelai tried to get Luke out of the invite. Dinner with her increasingly erratic and mean mother was the last thing she wanted to subject him to.
"Who's April?" Emily narrowed her eyes once more.
Lorelai sighed heavily, cursing herself silently as realised she had dropped Luke further into the mire with her mother. "His daughter."
"Luke has a child!" Emily's eyes widened dramatically. She shook her head, her overly coiffured hair barely moving. "Well I want to meet him. Call me tomorrow to arrange something when he is free." She stood up. "I'll get my book so I can let you know when I am available."
Lorelai slumped into the couch as her mother walked away. She looked forlornly at Rory. "So I have to have dinner with her alone next week and subject Luke to dinner with her."
"I have to go to the lecture Mom it's a requirement of my course," Rory gave her a sympathetic smile. "If it makes you feel better I'm having lunch separately with both of them next week, and when I told Grandma I was reviewing a play for the school paper she insisted on coming with me," she checked to see if her Grandmother was returning. "I plan on working on both of them on the getting them back together front."
"Go careful kid," Lorelai forced herself not to scowl as she heard her mother approaching the dining room. "She's on a whole other level of nutty at the moment."
xXx
Rory set her tray down on the table and waited for her grandfather to get situated before she started on her food.
"I wish you would let me take you out to lunch Rory," Richard muttered as he stared down at his plate in disgust. "The food is certainly not the quality it used to be when I was a student here," he gently prodded his lasagne with his fork.
"The pot roast is still amazing, but they only do that on Sunday." Rory told him with a soft smile as she started to cut up her food. "And technically you are taking me out because it's on my meal card. It does taste better than it looks."
Richard took a tentative bite and finding the food to be more appetising then he was anticipating made a noise of agreement.
"Thursday nights are usually good, they usually do a curry, last week was a Thai green chicken and it was amazing!" Rory tried to keep the conversation going. Her grandfather was far less chatty then he used to be, and while he still looked like Richard Gilmore, Rory could see the tired sadness in his eyes that came with the separation from her grandmother.
"You're going out with your Grandma on Thursday aren't you?" Richard looked up from his food.
Rory studied her grandfather as she responded. "We're having lunch and then seeing a matinee of a new play I'm reviewing it for the paper." She tilted her head as she watched the expressions on her grandfather's face as he considered his response, there was hurt and concern and anger, but overwhelmingly confusion as he clearly struggled with his feelings for Emily and the situation they found themselves now in. "I thought maybe we could go out to dinner afterwards. Do you think Grandma would like that?" Rory asked gently as she gauged her grandfather's reaction.
Richard smiled warmly at her. "I think your grandmother would love that. We both adore spending time with you. She would love to spend most of the day with you. Though I wouldn't bring her to the dining hall," he chuckled slightly. "This doesn't really suit her tastes." He reached into his pocket and withdrew her wallet, Rory frowned in confusion as her grandfather withdrew 2 crisp $100 dollar bills from his wallet and slid them across the table to her. "Take her to Zinc, we went there last year and she really enjoyed it."
"Grandpa," Rory shook her head as she stared at the offered money.
"It's a little outside a college student's budget," Richard put his wallet away. "Please let me treat you both, and what you don't spend on the meal spend on yourself. I'm sure there are some books you are wanting," Richard gave her a knowing look.
Rory sighed heavily and took the money carefully putting it in her satchel. "Thank you Grandpa," she smiled gratefully at him.
Richard shook his head to dismiss her thanks. "So what are you reading right now?"
xXx
"So how was it?" Lorelai answered the phone as her daughter's number flashed up on the screen. "Was she as nutty with you as she was with us?"
"Well," Rory answered carefully. "She was very fixated at lunch about Luke and April but after we saw the play and we were in the restaurant she was more like the old Grandma."
"So still judgemental but less crazy," Lorelai surmised.
"Pretty much," Rory sighed, "but she got all defensive at the end when I went to pay and would not stop asking where I got the money from to pay for it. I told her Dad gave it to me, which shut her up but I don't think she believed me," she switched the phone to her other ear as she settled on her bed. "I don't understand why she would be defensive over Grandpa giving me money to pay for the meal, he still pays for everything right? It's not like Grandma has suddenly got a job."
"That's different Hun," Lorelai settled into her couch. "All the stuff at home is obligation, she expects Dad to pay for that and Dad expects to pay for it. Him giving you money to take her out that's something else. I'm not sure what, but in the world of Emily Gilmore it means something," she cleared her throat. "What did she say about Luke and April then?" she frowned at the silent pause from the other end of the phone line. "That bad?"
"I may have done something stupid," Rory admitted softly.
"What?" Lorelai grimaced.
Rory sighed heavily. "Well she was going on and on about how awful Grandpa taking Luke to the club was. How did that go by the way?" she grimaced as Lorelai made a groaning noise down the phone. "That bad, is Luke Ok?"
"I had to pick him up, as well as the actual playing of golf, Dad try to Scotch him to death that and make him franchise the diner," Lorelai grumbled.
"Cool!" Rory smiled. "Could he open one in New Haven?"
"Rory, just no," Lorelai shook her head. "What happened with the stupid thing?"
Rory took a deep breath. "She started asking me about April, but she wouldn't accept she's eleven and she liked science and Grandma kept going on and on about what this meant for you and about how you guys had been evasive about her meeting April at your dinner the other night and what did I know about Anna. I couldn't get out of it, she wouldn't let up. Grandma should have been a prosecutor or something she clearly missed her calling."
Lorelai pulled a face as she began to realise what had happened. "What does she know?"
"That their surname is Nardini and they live in Woodbridge, I may have mentioned the store but I'm not sure," Rory grimaced. "I'm sorry Mom, I didn't realise what she was doing until it was too late." As her mother paused she chewed on her lip. "Are you mad?"
"No," Lorelai shook her head. "This is just my mother with a side order of added crazy."
"Do you think she will do anything?" Rory asked softly.
"I don't know, but I'll let Luke know, he should at least warn Anna." Lorelai made a mental note to be prepared for her dinner with her mother the next night and her meeting with Anna on Saturday morning.
"She's getting worse Mom," Rory whispered sadly. "Grandpa is miserable and lonely and Grandma is just constantly wigging."
"I know."
"Is there really nothing we can do?"
Lorelai sighed heavily. "I'm out of ideas kid, we just have to ride the train and hope it reaches a station and doesn't completely derails."
"Bummer," Rory mumbled childishly, as she picked at the cover on her bed, as she tried to hide her despondency about what was happening with her grandparents.
xXx
Emily pulled herself to her full height as she entered the small store in Woodbridge. She wasn't sure what had possessed her to come to this place but now she was here she knew what she needed to say. A wedge was being forced between her and Lorelai because of this woman and it needed to be addressed. Lorelai kept too many secrets as it was. The entire dinner last night her daughter had been practically dancing from frivolous subject to frivolous subject to keep from talking about Luke and his daughter. Emily pushed the door opened and entered the small artfully cluttered store. She zoned in on Luke's ex in nanoseconds. Luke clearly had a type. She studied the small woman for a moment and caught her eye. A smile flushed across the face of the woman, Anna, Rory had said. It was a smile of customer service not a real one and Emily pressed her lips together.
"Can I help you? The woman took a step closer to her.
"I'm Emily Gilmore," Emily raised her chin, a flush of satisfaction filled her chest as she saw a glimmer of recognition in Anna's bright blue eyes over the name. "We need to talk."
xXx
"So what do we do now?" Lorelai asked as she trotted into Luke's front room. She had spent the day with April and Luke, even taking April for a manicure while Luke had to contend with a delivery. The day had been fun and easy, though Luke looked completely exhausted from trying to keep up with both her and April's rapid chatter.
"I have a shower, and then we watch Bill Nye the Science Guy with hot chocolate," April stated. "It's my Saturday night routine with Dad. It's the episodes about Forests." She glanced towards the window. "Hey Mom's here."
"What?" Luke oved to the window and frowned as he watched an angry looking Anna stomp up the walk. "You forget something?" he asked hopefully.
"Nope," April shook her head with interest before running open to the door. "She looks mad though so I might have forgotten to do something I was supposed to."
Lorelai shot a nervous look at Luke, she could feel the sense of dread that usually accompanied her mother's involvement and she was almost certain that Emily Gilmore had a part in Anna apparent bad mood.
"Hi Mom," April threw the door open and greeted her mother as Anna marched into Luke's house.
"Hi Sweetie, can you go to your room, I need to speak to your Dad and his girlfriend," Anna smoothed her hand over April's head.
April pulled a face, her shoulders tensing and she bounced on her toes slightly, "you're not going to fight are you?"
"No, we're not," Luke answered quickly giving April a reassuring smile. "Why don't you go have your shower, Ok?"
"You promise?" April looked nervously from her mother to her father and back again. "Mom?"
"We're not going to fight, we're just going to talk," Anna told April softly kissing the little girl on her crown, "Go have your shower like your Dad says."
April nodded nervously and reluctantly moved towards the rear of the house looking over her shoulder with apprehension.
When the little girl finally disappeared from view Anna folded her arms and fixed Luke and Lorelai with an angry stare. "Your mother should be committed," she shot at Lorelai.
Lorelai closed her eyes. "Oh God what did she do? Anna whatever it is I'm sorry. She's just…actually I can't even justify my mother, she's always been difficult but right now its ten times worse with my parents being separated. Whatever she did I am so so so so sorry!"
"She came into my store like a crazy person demanding to know why I would prevent her from seeing April seeing as you were now serious with that filthy diner guy," Anna fixed them with an annoyed stare.
"I am so so so so sorry," Lorelai repeated her face flushing red with anger.
"I know you warned me she may call," Anna looked at Luke. "But…that…"
"I am so so so sorry Anna, truly," Lorelai took a step forward. "My Mom gets super possessive over family, it's my fault from when I left home so young so when she thinks she's being frozen out she goes into overdrive. She kept asking about April when Luke met her the other night and again last night, we were evasive to try and keep April out of it but I guess it backfired. I had no idea that she would come to your store."
"Luke, this isn't good." Anna looked at Luke who was stood who with his arms folded his lips pressed into a thin line. "I know you guys are getting serious but I cannot and will not subject April to this. What if she goes to April's school?"
"She wouldn't," Lorelai shook her head. "Anna I am so sorry. I will speak to my mother and tell her too back off. I can't tell you how sorry I am that you had to deal with that."
"I appreciate that," Anna took a calming breath, "and I know this is not your fault, but I need to keep my daughter safe. I can't have this going on in her life, it's unacceptable."
"Lorelai." Luke whispered softly.
Lorelai exhaled sharply as she turned to look at him, she bit the inside of her cheek as she could see what was about to happen. Luke walked slowly towards her and placed his arms on his, gently holding her at her elbows. "You want me to go," she whispered staring at his chest too scared to look at his eyes.
"I'm sorry, we need to discuss this," Luke rubbed her arms comfortingly. "We'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, Ok," he kissed her softly. "April is our priority, you understand that right?"
Lorelai nodded dumbly, all her happiness draining out of her. She stumbled towards the door the cold frigid November air hitting her. She jumped slightly when Luke's hand fell on her shoulder and she turned nervously to look at him.
"We'll figure this out," Luke assured her softly. "It's just all a bit much right now, this thing with your parents. We just need to figure it out," he kissed her softly. "I'll see you tomorrow," he gave her a weak smile and stepped back into the house closing the door behind him.
