Chapter 8: "Please, you're dating my best friend who prior to being with you had a dating history that would rival Miss Patty's, I've got plenty to worry about,"
"Your daughter. I'm your daughter. At least according to my mother, but judging by your shock, she clearly didn't tell you and only told me last night so I understand if you think this is completely insane and I'll happily submit to a DNA test to prove it, but yeah," April said, "I'm your daughter."
"Wow. Uh, I uh," Luke began.
"You okay, Luke?" Rory asked, "You need some water or something?"
"No, I'm good. This is just. Wow, a daughter. You know I thought nothing would surprise me after you told me about you and Riley, but this," Luke said.
"Yeah, I admit it's crazy," April said, "And don't worry, I'm not expecting anything, I've just never known and never really pushed my mom for it, but after hearing from Rory about her and Riley I just had to know."
"So, your mom, Anna; I guess it really has been awhile since I last saw her," Luke said.
"Sixteen years, give or take a few months," April.
"Yeah. I'm sorry that I never…"
"I know. Rory said you're the best and if she thinks so I can only assume you would have been there for me if Mom had told you."
"I would have, absolutely. So what now?"
"For starters we should probably confirm it. I trust my Mom's word on it, but I'd really like to have the science to back it up."
"Okay, yeah, good. That's good. We can do that. Then I suppose I have to tell Lorelai. Man, how am I going to tell her? She's going to freak."
"She'll be surprised, Luke, definitely, but she's not going to freak," Rory told him, "She'll understand as long as you tell her right out. I know she kept the Riley secret far longer than she should have so I understand if you're scared to tell her, but she's your fiancee. She deserves to know."
"I guess you're right. Can you keep this to yourself for now? At least until we have the DNA results. I'll tell her when we have confirmation," Luke said.
"I can do that. Just make sure you tell her," Rory said.
"I will. So April, do you need to go back home right away or did you want to stay and talk? Maybe get to know each other a bit," Luke wondered.
"Maybe some other time, sorry. Since Rory's here there is actually something I wanted to talk to her about, if that's okay with you Rory," April said.
"Sure, no problem. Riley and Mom will be at the inn for the rest of the afternoon so we can go to my house," Rory said.
"Great, thanks. So, Luke, I can call my uncle if that's okay. He runs a lab in Hartford and can run the DNA test," April said.
"That's fine. Just let me know what you need me to do and I'll be there," he said, "It's uh, it was good too meet you. Rory told us a lot about you and you sound like a great kid. I look forward to getting to know you."
"Thanks, Luke. I'll talk to you later, I guess," April said.
"Bye, Luke," Rory said.
"See you, Rory," Luke said before closing the door after they walked out.
As soon as Rory and April left he began pacing the room. He had a daughter. Anna had gotten pregnant and never told him. He knew he wasn't super crazy about kids back then, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have loved his own. He liked Rory just fine when she came around and while Jess was no picnic he had always loved his nephew. April had said she didn't expect anything from him, but that wasn't going to happen. He wanted to know her.
Even though Anna, kept this from the both of them all this time, he never knew her to be a liar so if Anna said April was his, then she was. Though, April had a point, having the DNA test to confirm it was a good idea and when it came back he was going to first tell Lorelai and then make plans to get to know his daughter. He had already missed out on sixteen years of her life. He didn't want to miss anymore.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Rory asked as she and April each took a spot on the living room couch.
"Do you remember when Logan and Tristan came into the library and Tristan called you Mary?" April asked.
"Yeah, why?" Rory wondered.
"You never explained it and I'd like to know," April said.
"It's silly. It's an old nickname from when we went to Chilton. He called me Mary the day he met me and it just stuck," Rory said.
"But, what does it mean? It can't just be because it's close to your actual name?" April asked.
"No, it's not. What's this about, April?"
"There's a guy at school who just transferred. He had his first day a couple of days ago and he well…"
"He calls you Mary."
"Yeah, why? I thought about asking my Mom, but I didn't know if it was some weird private school thing that she wouldn't get and since I heard Tristan call you Mary I figured I'd ask."
"Let me ask you something. Is this boy cute? Popular? He's only been at Chilton a few days, but I'm guessing he already has himself a girlfriend or two, right?"
"Yeah, it's like the moment he walks into a room everyone gravitates towards him and all the girls apparently want to date him. I don't get why he would even bother talking to me, let alone give me a silly nickname."
"April, Tristan called me Mary because he thought I was different from the other girls. I was quiet, studious. I cared more about my grades than wearing the right eyeliner. In essence, he thought I was innocent, which I was."
"So, he called you Mary because he thought you were a virgin?"
"Basically, yeah. He thought I was an innocent little, goody-goody or something and that intrigued him."
"You're saying because Jay thinks I'm a virgin he decided to call me Mary, why? What's the point?"
"He likes you."
"What? He likes me, therefore he teases me with a nickname and makes out with other girls in front of me. That's not liking someone."
"It is to guys like Jay. Tristan did the same thing. Have the two of you ever talked? Had a real conversation?"
"Yeah. He asked if I would help him study since we were both new this year I could help him get caught up, but if all he wants is...I can't…"
"Believe me. It may seem like all he wants is to get with you because you've shown no interest, but trust me, it's just a mask. What he shows everyone on the outside, that's not who he really is."
"It's not?"
"No, he teases you because he likes you, but since you're different from the other girls at Chilton and probably other girls he's met in the past, he doesn't know how to handle it and he acts like an idiot. Tristan did the same thing and it took him getting sent away to military school for me to realize I liked him, too. And even longer for us to finally get together," Rory told her, "I'm not saying you should go out with him, but just talk to him. Really talk to him. Try studying with him, but you set the time and place. He may surprise you."
"I'll think about it. Thanks, Rory. You know you're pretty good at this sister, thing," April said.
"You're welcome," Rory said, "You want to get some coffee before you head back?"
"Sure," April said.
Rory was in the guy's dorm watching a movie with Tristan a few days after finding out that April was Luke's daughter. They went the next day to get the DNA test done, but they were still waiting on the results. It turned out to be a pretty big weekend with the reenactment and Sookie announcing she was pregnant with child number two, now she was glad to be enjoying a free afternoon curled up with her boyfriend since both of their classes were cancelled for the day.
"I blame you for this, Ace!" Logan yelled as he barged into the room, causing Rory and Tristan to quickly separate from each other, thinking it was Riley coming into the dorm.
"Blame me for what, Huntzberger?" Rory asked as she settled back into her spot against Tristan as he placed his arm around her again.
"Thanks to the impromptu visit you arranged, my father decided to check out this year's issues of the paper so far and found I only have one byline," Logan said, "He's insisting I write more."
"And that's my fault?" Rory wondered.
"Well, yeah, you asked him to come here," Logan said.
"True, but you're on the paper. You're the heir to the Huntzberger dynasty, why don't you write more anyway?" Rory asked, "Don't you like it?"
"I do, but I don't want to write just because my father says to. I want to write because I want to. Does that make any sense?" he asked.
"It does to me," Tristan said, "Why do you think I'm here studying to be an architect instead at Princeton studying law? I'm not interested in the future my father wants me to have."
"Is that what it is, Logan? Are you not interested in taking over for your father?" Rory asked.
"Not exactly. I like writing and the idea of owning half the newspapers in the country is exciting. I would just like to do it on my terms instead of his, you know," he said.
"Yeah. I mean. I can't relate, but I get it," Rory said.
"Thanks, but I guess for now I just have to write an article to get him off my back," Logan said.
"I can help if you want. Your father likes me," Rory said, "He even offered me an internship if the sale of the Stamford Eagle Gazette goes through."
"Really? You never mentioned that, Mar," Tristan said, "That's great."
"Yeah, it would be great to work alongside the best man in the business," Rory said, "What do you think?"
"If my father is offering you a chance to work with him, I say take it. He doesn't hand out compliments often and if he thinks you're worth his time than he must really like you," Logan said.
"Good, then if he does buy the paper, I think I'll do it," Rory said.
At that week's Friday Night Dinner, Richard and Emily announced that with their fortieth wedding anniversary approaching and their family all together, they wanted to renew their wedding vows. They still had the holidays coming up, but were in the process of planning and wanted to hold the ceremony just after the new year so Rory and Riley wouldn't be too busy with their second semester. They all thought a vow renewal was a wonderful idea. Emily asked Lorelai and Rory to stand up with her while Richard asked Luke and Riley. Trix had even agreed to come over from England for the event.
Saturday morning while they all ate breakfast at the diner, April came in carrying an envelope that would reveal if she was in fact Luke's daughter.
"Hey, April," Rory said upon seeing her enter the diner. Seeing the envelope in her hand, she knew just why she was here.
"Hi, could we?" April asked, nodding toward the curtain.
"Oh, sure. Hey, Luke. I'm going to borrow your apartment for a minute," Rory said before leading to the apartment behind the curtain.
"Sure, go ahead," Luke said, opening his cash register, "I need to run up and get some singles out of the safe. Can you keep an eye on things for me?"
"Sure," Lorelai said before turning to Riley, "That was weird."
"Yeah, why is April here?" Riley asked, "And why did Luke follow them up? Does he really want to hear girl talk?"
"No idea, kid. Something fishy is definitely going on here," she said as she stood up from the table, "You're in charge. I'm going to go see what's going on."
"It's official," Lorelai heard April say through the door, "The DNA test proved it. I'm your daughter."
"What?" Lorelai yelled as she opened the door upon hearing those words.
"Lorelai!"
"Mom!"
"Did I just hear her right?" Lorelai asked, "You have a daughter?"
"Yes," Luke told her.
"And you knew about this?" Lorelai asked Rory.
"Yes, but," Rory began.
"We'll discuss this later. Why don't you and April go back and join Riley. Luke and I need to talk," Lorelai said.
"Fine, let's go," Rory said.
"Do you think she hates me?" April asked when they made it back downstairs.
"No, of course not. She's surprised, but don't worry. Everything will be fine," Rory said, giving her a hug.
"Thank you," April said.
"Hey, that's what big sisters are for," Rory said as she lead her to her and Riley's table, "Ry will you grab April a cup of coffee."
"Sure, you want anything else. Caesar will make you anything you want," Riley said.
"No thanks, I'm not really hungry," April said.
"So, what's going on?" Riley asked, "You weren't up there very long and the only thing I heard was Mom shouting 'what' before you two came down."
"Go ahead," Rory encouraged April.
"This is what's going on," April said, handing him a copy of the DNA results, she had left the original with Luke.
"This is for real?" Riley asked, "And you knew?"
"She told me when she was here last week. Anna told her, but they wanted to confirm it before telling anyone else," Rory said, "I wanted to tell you, but it wasn't my secret to tell."
"Are you mad?" April asked.
"Mad, no. Definitely surprised, that's for sure, but with you and Rory hitting it off I'd figured you be around more anyway; now there's a familial connection to go along with it. It's cool," he said.
"Really?" April wondered.
"Well, the last thing I need is another little sister driving me crazy and keeping me up at night with worry, but you're pretty cool April," Riley said.
"Thanks, I think," April said.
"Hey, I don't drive you crazy," Rory said, "And what's there to worry about?"
"Please, you're dating my best friend who prior to being with you had a dating history that would rival Miss Patty's, I've got plenty to worry about," Riley said.
"Oh ye of little faith," Rory said, "I'd tell you to stop worrying, but I know you won't."
"Very true, and now that we've added another girl to the family, a teenager no less, I'll worry more," Riley said.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me," April said, "I'm not seeing anyone."
"Maybe not now, but you will and after three years of living with Tristan, I know just the type of guys that go to Chilton," Riley said, "So if you need me to scare any of them off I'll be happy to do it."
"I appreciate that, but I'm good for now," April said.
While the kids were having their discussion downstairs in the diner, Lorelai and Luke were discussing it upstairs.
"So, April, she's…" Lorelai began.
"My daughter, yeah. Just got the DNA results to prove it," Luke said as he handed the paper to her.
"Wow, this is," Lorelai said.
"Crazy?" Luke offered.
"Weird," Lorelai said, "How long have you known about this?"
"A little over a week. I suspected the possibility when Rory said her name at dinner a few weeks ago, but I never imagined Anna would have kept this from me so I let the thought go until April came here telling me," Luke said.
"But, Rory said she didn't know who her father was," Lorelai said.
"She didn't, but after meeting Rory and hearing all her history April got curious and begged Anna to tell her. When she did, she came here looking for me," Luke said, "She told Rory and Rory helped her tell me."
"And when were you planning on telling me about this?" Lorelai asked.
"After we confirmed it. I didn't want to freak you out about me having a teenage daughter I never knew about until I knew for sure she was," Luke said.
"That makes sense. I'm sorry I eavesdropped and burst in on your moment like that," Lorelai said.
"It's fine."
"So, you have a daughter."
"I have a daughter."
"Wow!"
"You're telling me."
"So, what now?"
"Now, I don't really know. I haven't talked to Anna yet, but I'd like to get to know her. April said she's not really expecting anything. She just wanted to know for the sake of knowing."
"That may be true, but I can't imagine she doesn't want to get to know you and the way she and Rory have hit it off, I can't see her staying away from here."
"True. It's good they get along so well already."
"Yeah, it is, after all they're going to be step-sisters. Boy, between this April thing and my parents deciding to renew their vows, I'm glad we're waiting until next year to get married," Lorelai said.
"Me too. It is a lot to process," Luke said.
"Yeah, but now I'll have another daughter to stand up with me," Lorelai said.
"You would really do that?" Luke asked.
"Of course, you're going to include, Riley, aren't you?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah, but I've known Riley for over a year," Luke said.
"And by the time the wedding gets here I'll have known April for just as long. It may be new, but she's your family. She deserves to be part of our wedding," Lorelai said.
"You're amazing, you know that," Luke said, taking her in his arms before kissing her, "I love you.
"I love you, too," Lorelai said, kissing him back, "We should get back downstairs before the whole town starts wondering what we're doing up here."
