Luke emerged from upstairs, following Lorelai until she stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. Lorelai smiled as she turned around to look at Luke. "Well, hello, there handsome," she purred.
"Uh, remember you were going to help me? It's Sunday, what the heck are we getting dressed up for?" Luke asked.
Lorelai shrugged. "You'll see. Come on, get in the Jeep, copperboom!"
"Copperboom?" Luke asked, confused.
She ushered him out the door. "I'll explain after we get this over with, now come on."
Luke obliged, getting in the Jeep and buckling his seatbelt. He looked absently out the passenger window, lost in his own thoughts, until Lorelai finally turned the car off. Luke turned to Lorelai. "What the…"
"I know, I know, Luke, 'why did you bring me to Emily and Richard's house?' Well, the answer's simple. They know a lot of lawyers, and you need a good one. Neither one of us knows what to do, and I'm so…" she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I just want to help, and I'm going to do anything that takes. Even this. Okay?"
Luke sighed, opening the door and getting out of the Jeep. "You do realize they're going to hold this against me, right? And then they're not going to like you very much, and that could be bad. Are you sure?"
Lorelai took the ponytail holder out of her hair, smoothing out her curls. "You're awfully worried, and they're not even your parents."
"They'll be my in laws at some point," Luke grumbled.
"Well, it's better that you give them the impression that you're wanting to do something about it, right? I think they'll respect that part of this situation."
Luke shoved his hands in his pockets, letting out a nervous sigh. "Fine. Are you sure you want to be indebted to them again? I mean, I need the help, but I'm sure I could do something on my own tomorrow."
"Luke," Lorelai said, holding up her hand. "Let me help you. You told me you would, now stick to your word, all right? Jeez."
He waited as Lorelai apologized to the maid for showing up unannounced, and followed her inside. He handed the maid his coat and walked into the living room with Lorelai, where Emily and Richard were sitting, waiting.
"Lorelai, Luke, this is a surprise," Richard said, looking up from his newspaper.
Lorelai let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, we've been getting a lot of those lately. Look, Mom, Dad, we need your help. Do you have some time?"
Emily nodded. "I suppose we should discuss this over lunch. I'll ask Violet how long we should expect to wait," she said. "VIOLET?"
Lorelai sighed. "I apologize for showing up unannounced, but I figured we should get this resolved as soon as possible."
Richard folded his newspaper and stood up to shake Luke's hand. "May I ask what's troubling you?"
"Your meal is ready," Violet announced, disappearing into the dining room.
Richard put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "That was awfully fast. We'll discuss it over some turkey. Do you like turkey, Luke?"
"Sure," Luke replied.
"Good, then we'll have a nice lunch and discuss what's on your mind," Richard said, a little too calmly for Luke.
The four were seated at the table, and Emily turned her attention to Lorelai not long after they began to eat their meal. "Now, what is this trouble you're having? Last I was aware, you were financially stable with Christopher covering the costs of Yale. And I mentioned the potential risks of opening your own inn before…"
"We're not in financial trouble, mother," Lorelai huffed. "This is more… Luke needs a really good lawyer."
Emily looked at Luke. "Are you in some sort of legal trouble, Luke? Lorelai, honestly…"
"Whoa, Mom, way to lay that one on me!" Lorelai shot back defensively.
Luke shook his head. "No, no, I'm not in any legal trouble. I just found out… that I have a twelve year old daughter. Her mother and I were never very serious, and she kept April, my daughter, from me for all of this time. So, I'm trying to step up and take responsibility, and I'd like to speak to someone about where to go from here."
Emily and Richard glanced at each other from across the table. Richard shoveled a bite of turkey in his mouth, surely giving him time to think, and Emily placed her silverware down on her plate, a sign that she was about to explode.
"You have a daughter?" Emily asked.
Luke cleared his throat nervously. "Yes."
"I see. Well. I suppose that is something you two have in common…" Emily started in a haughty tone.
"Mom, that wasn't fair!" Lorelai interrupted. "That's two rude comments in the past five seconds. We come here, to include you and ask for your guidance, yet you go ahead and hang us out to dry!"
"Lorelai," Richard warned.
"Dad, no. I'm trying to stick up for myself, and for Luke and April. Okay? Now Luke warned me that you two might do this, but I decided to come here anyway, because I love Luke and I want him to be able to get to know his daughter. And of course, being the dummy that I am, I thought you would help us out. But if you two are going to act like this, then forget I even asked," Lorelai said, the tone in her voice getting angrier.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Ah, yes, once again, we should have made you a child star, because your ability to act in a dramatic way would be perfect for show business."
Lorelai looked to Luke for some guidance, but Luke sat, watching what went on like it was a tennis match. "Luke?"
"What?" Luke asked. "I asked for her help."
"Unbelievable," Lorelai said, shaking her head and throwing her napkin onto her chair. She walked out of the dining room and into the foyer, grabbing her coat and walking outside.
"Lorelai, honestly, must you be so dramatic?" Emily asked, following her daughter into the foyer.
"Look, Mom, we never should have come here for your help, okay? Come on, Luke, let's go," Lorelai insisted.
Luke looked at Emily, then at Richard, and Lorelai, her arms crossed and her foot tapping at the door. He took a deep breath and politely excused himself from the table. "I'm really sorry," he said. He took his coat and quietly followed Lorelai to the Jeep, fearing what was going to happen next.