May 4, 1990
Luke's Diner

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, the diner was slow, so Luke decided he could take some time to look over the books and finish up his weekly 'Taylor' report for the bureau. He called over his shoulder that Cesar had the floor and headed upstairs to the newly renovated office. He hated living in his parents' old house after his father passed. It seemed so empty without his mother's love and his father's big personality, not to mention between running the diner and doing his official Federal Marshal duties, it just seemed to be easier to find another place to live that was more suitable for his life style but he didn't want to rent either, he hated being indebted to others. Following that logic led him to sell the house and convert his father's old office into a studio apartment just perfect for a bachelor.

Once he sat down at the small oak table that was in the kitchen, it didn't take him long to finalize the books and write out that nothing of note had happened in the past week, or hell in the past three years since he and Taylor Doose had arrived in Stars Hollow. Signing the report and placing it and the books back in the safe with his service weapon, he headed back down stairs. He was just about to head behind the counter when he saw a small girl with light brown hair that had been pulled back into pigtails and pink and purple butterfly wings sitting on the steps leading up to the diner.

He didn't know much about children, too much noise and sticky jam hands kept him from ever getting too close to any, he hadn't even seen his nephew since the day they buried his father. He stood and watched her for a few more moments, realizing quickly that she was crying if the small shakes of her butterfly-winged shoulders were any indication. Not knowing what else to do, he quietly made his way out onto the steps and sat down next to her. "Hey." He said gently, trying not to spook the girl.

"Hi," she responded, wiping her tears before looking back up at the man beside her. Luke was shocked at the piercing blue eyes that met his. He was used to seeing those eyes when Lorelai made her thrice daily jaunts for coffee, but was unprepared to see this wide eyed girl with an exact match.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"No," she responded quietly, shaking her head back and forth emphatically.

"What's your name?"

"Lorelai, Rory, Gilmore"

"Well Lorelai Rory Gilmore," Luke smiled gently down at the girl, "I'm Luke Danes, nice to meet you. What happened that caused you to come crying on my doorstep?"

The little girl simply lifted her left hand and showed him the little green creature she reverently held in her tiny hand. "My caterpillar; he was supposed to make a cocoon and become a butterfly, but he fell trying to make his chrysalis and I think he's dead."

Luke looked thoughtfully at the small creature, taking Rory's small hand in his large one as he made a show of examining the tiny green body. "I think you might be right and I don't know caterpillar CPR." Rory gave him a watery smile at his tiny joke.

What they didn't know was that Lorelai had been walking over to the diner for her mid-afternoon caffeine dosage and had stopped and watched the man deal so gently with her daughter. "So the big bad grizzly is just a teddy bear underneath." She murmured to herself, smiling at the thought as she continued towards the pair quietly so as to not interrupt the moment between the two, struck by how similar his temperament seemed to be to his father. Hard, gruff exterior with a soft interior, she had even noticed on more than one occasion that he had the same eyes as the older Danes man, but with less laugh lines around his stoic, but beautiful, eyes.

"I think I have a small match box in the back that we can put him in." Luke suggested and was rewarded by a big smile from the girl.

"Really?" She asked eagerly. Luke just nodded in the affirmative, causing her to smile even bigger, if that was possible, "Do you think we could give him a proper funeral?"

"I don't see why not." Luke responded thoughtfully as he picked up a small, flat stone from the sidewalk, "I think I have some markers we could use to make him a proper headstone too." Standing up, he offered his hand to the girl, and led her into the diner and got her settled at a table before returning with the stone and a thin sharpie, "Can I trust you to not make a mess all over my tables?" He asked.

"Yes, Mr. Danes, I'll be very careful." Rory confirmed as Luke handed her the pen and went to find the match box he had promised.

A few minutes later, Luke returned downstairs carrying the matchbox and a small trowel. He quickly came to Rory's side, and crouched down, holding the box open so she could place the small body inside. Picking up the box and the small rock he put the trowel in his back pocket and held his hand out to Rory, "Shall we go pay our respects?"

"Yes, we shall," the girl responded smartly, taking his hand. Lorelai was just entering the diner as Luke and Rory were exiting. "Hi Mommy."

"Mommy?" Luke asked a little confused.

"Yes, Rory is my daughter." Lorelai confirmed before looking down at the girl, "Where are you and Luke going, Sweets?"

"We're going to a caterpillar funeral." Rory answered as if this was the only obvious reason for them to be going towards the park with a stone, a match box, and a trowel.

"Oh, of course." Lorelai nodded bumping her forehead with the palm of her hand as if to indicate that it was dumb to not realize this. "Do you mind if I tag along?"

"Sure!" Rory nodded, placing her other hand in her mother's as the trio quietly crossed over to the park and found a small patch just beneath one of the saplings. "I think this is a good place." Rory said, stopping and giving a thoughtful look at the small tree.

"You sure?" Luke asked gently. Rory just nodded as he let go of her hand and, placing the box and stone to the side momentarily, dug a small hole in the ground just big enough to serve as a final resting place for the caterpillar's makeshift coffin. "Do you want to do the honors?"

"Yes please," Rory nodded as she gently lifted the small box and placed it in the ground before covering it with the disturbed earth. "We come today to say good bye to V.H. Caterpillar, he had a short but good life and we will miss him. I'm sure by now Grandpa William has found him a good place to build his chrysalis so he can become a butterfly angel." The small girl wiped a tear from her eye before turning back to Luke, "You can put the stone down now."

Luke was all but willing to comply. Pressing the stone into the ground, he stood up, placed the trowel back in his back pocket and dusted his hands off on his pants before looking at Lorelai and her mini-me daughter. "I don't know about you, but I could use some pie, how about you ladies?"

"Mmmm, pie!" The two said in unison, causing Luke to smile at them. Luke and Lorelai walked back towards the diner with Rory skipping a few feet in front of them, always mindful to stay close per her mother's instructions.

"Thank you," Lorelai said so quietly that Luke almost missed it.

"No problem," he blushed, "I can't bear to see a lady crying, even a little one. I do have a question though, V.H. Caterpillar?"

Lorelai just smiled, "You are clearly not around children enough." She laughed good naturedly, "It stands for Very Hungry Caterpillar, it's a children's book and one of Rory's favorites. Your father actually gave her the book a couple years ago."

"Huh," Luke nodded his understanding and continued with the girls back to the diner. "There's a bathroom right there so you can wash your hands," He informed them, nodding to the small door next to the curtain that lead to the storage room. When the ladies had shut the door behind them, he ran upstairs, taking them two at a time, to put away the small tool and wash his own hands.

Five minutes later the three of them were all seated around a rectangular red table enjoying their slices of apple pie, Rory drinking milk, Luke with an iced tea, and Lorelai with a coffee. They spoke quietly, both girls thanking him for helping them, and him demurring. What they didn't notice was that they were under the watchful eye of Miss Patty and Babette who stood just outside the diner window remarking at what a lovely family they made, even if Luke and Lorelai were too blind to see it.