A/N: Well, I didn't do that bad with getting it updated did I? It's been really hectic. You can thank my English teacher for putting on a movie this whole week so I could write. Well, obviously she didn't do it just so I could write, but that's what I did. I tried to incorporate some events that went on in 7.10, but they don't actually occur in the story. Just telling you that I am spoiler-free, so all events that happen in this story I made up. If they end up being similar to the show, well then I guess I'm psychic. Well, now let's finally start, because I know you've been waiting anxiously.
-----------------
"I've done some thinking about our relationship, and I've decided that I may have forced you into marriage too quickly. I figured that our love from all those years would build up each time we were together, but it didn't. Each time we broke up a little piece of our love for each other left and never came back, but we later realized it never would. You will always be in my life Lor, you're the mother of my child, but I don't think we are meant to be married," Chris spoke.
Lorelai looked down at her finger and noticed there was no ring there anymore. She held back the tears that were about to fill her eyes. How could she not have noticed her ring was gone? She didn't say anything to Chris about it though. This was what Lorelai wanted also, but still, she was sad to heat it from him.
"I agree," Lorelai said looking up. Their eyes met and they could see the pain. Not knowing what to say next they sat in silence.
Still in silence, Chris got up and walked towards the stairs. As he reached the staircase Lorelai said, "Wait," Chris turned around, "You don't have to leave right away. I mean, where would you go? Stay. You can sleep on the couch, like old times."
"Ok, thanks," Chris replied. He went to the bedroom to get some things to last the night downstairs.
Lorelai stayed sitting on the couch. What was going on? How could she have screwed up her marriage so fast? Where did she go wrong that caused him to want to divorce her?
When Luke broke up with her, she was down for days. She didn't know how to recover. In the past it had always been her that did the dumping. Now, she knew how Max and Jason and Luke must have felt when they lost her, especially Luke. Luke was her friend long before they started dating. It was hard to believe that she lost one of her best friends because she couldn't make the relationship work.
Luke and Lorelai dated for a year before they got engaged, and then they were going to wait another year to get married, but before they could get there they broke up. Chris and Lorelai had dated several times in the past, but this time they were only together a few months before they got married, and now they were breaking up.
There was a pattern there that was slightly unclear. With both men it did not work out, but each relationship was so different. With Luke it seemed like she waited too long, but with Chris it was too quick. When Lorelai thought about it, she realized there was no such thing as waiting too long. If two people are engaged, then they want to spend the rest of their lives with each other. Therefore, you cannot wait too long to get married, because after you're married it's all the same, except it's ok to have sex and get pregnant, and you support each other financially.
Even if Lorelai and Luke were not meant to be, neither are Chris and Lorelai. Someday she will find the one she loves, the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with, but that person has not shown up yet.
Luke couldn't believe what the lawyer had told him. As April's father her had rights too. His absence during the first twelve years of her life should in no way reflect on him badly. It was Anna's fault for keeping it from him. Shortly after he found out he wanted to have an active role in her life.
He planned to tell the court all of this. Despite the lawyer's lack of confidence in his case, Luke was not going to give up without a fight. You can't lose a case until you try to win it. He would never feel good about his relationship with April if he didn't try to get partial custody.
If he just let her move to New Mexico, he would be losing another person that he loved, and Luke wasn't sure that he could handle that. First Lorelai, now April, what was his life coming to? All the people that he loved were quickly disappearing.
The case was to start in two days. He was surprised that Anna hadn't called him about it yet. Getting a surprise as big as the father of your child is suing for partial custody would definitely lead to a phone call to him. Maybe Anna was just processing. He had to go back to the lawyer's office soon to talk strategy.
He pulled up outside the office and went inside. In the waiting room a familiar face looked up at him. "Anna? What are you doing here?" Luke questioned, caught off guard.
"Well, when your lawyer called, he said you had another appointment today, so I came to talk to you," Anna answered.
"Haven't you ever heard of the phone?"
"Luke, what's going on? You were fine with our arrangement before, why do you want partial custody now?"
"Why? Because you're moving to New Mexico and I could never see my daughter again. You told me when I first found out about April that I was either in or out. Well I choose to be all-in, remember? You can't just take all of that away from me now," Luke answered trying to stay calm because he knew they were in public.
"Mr. Danes and Ms. Nardini, you can go in now," The receptionist called to them. The two of them stopped fighting for the time being.
Luke knocked on the door in front of them to make sure it was all right to go in. A voice from inside stated, "Come in." Luke opened the door and walked inside and Anna followed him. "Ah, Mr. Danes. Thank you for coming. And this must be Ms. Nardini, I was expecting you to come."
"Wait did you tell her to come?" Luke asked.
"No, I did not, but I told her she could come if she wanted to." The lawyer's voice was very monotone, and if Luke wasn't so angered right then, it probably could put him to sleep. "So now let's talk with Ms. Nardini first. Ms. Nardini, what do think of this case?"
"I think this case is a waste of time. April is my daughter. She is my responsibility, and if I say we are moving to New Mexico, she really can't do anything about it. She's still a minor. We are moving not because I want to move, because I don't, but because we need to be with my mother," Anna argued.
"Thank you Anna for your input. Now Mr. Danes would you like to respond to Anna's comment?" The lawyer continued.
"I feel like I'm at marriage counseling," Luke said to the lawyer.
"Please, Mr. Danes, talk to Anna about her comment, we are never going to work this case out if you two don't communicate about it first."
"Ok, fine. Anna, April is not only your daughter. She's mine too. It was your fault that you didn't tell me about it thirteen years ago when you got pregnant, because if you did, I would have been there for you and April. I'm not the kind of guy that just picks up and leaves, and abandons his child. All you had to do was pick up the phone. So now, I'm taking you to court, so I can at least try to win partial custody of my child, because if I don't try I lose anyway." Luke argued. He wanted to win this case so badly he would do anything.
"Thank you Luke for your comment. Now make sure you both show up on Sunday at court. Anna it would be very helpful if you brought April, because we may need to question her. Now I have some people coming in a few minutes, so I need to get ready," The lawyer stated and dismissed them. Both Anna and Luke picked up their things and left.
"Luke," Anna started, "Don't you realize that this case is just going to put you under a lot of stress? Please call it off."
"No Anna. I'm not. I care too much about April to just let her go like this." Luke responded and walked to his car and drove home.
