As Luke sits on the bench outside the court room, he tries to remain calm. He's worried that he'll get nothing he wants and he'll never see April again. Anna shows up and sits next to him. She says this is a waste of time, Luke agrees, but then Anna says there's no reason for it. Luke tells her that he had to hire a lawyer, it was the only way he could see his daughter.
"You really think you have a chance?" Anna asks.
"Yeah, well, that's for a judge to decide." Luke responds.
Anna mocks him, calling him a hermit who lives above a diner. "It doesn't exactly paint a picture of "capable father." She says snidely.
"It doesn't matter where I live, and I have been nothing but a good father to April." He tells her.
Anna replies by commenting on his bad history with women, saying he bailed on Lorelai and got divorced in a heartbeat.
"I did not bail on Lorelai." He tells her blatantly. Lorelai is the one who decided to run to Christopher after giving me an ultimatum.
"You have had no long-term relationships, Luke. Why would a judge trust you to have one with April?" Anna replies.
Before Luke can think of a response to that, Anna's lawyer arrives and they go in the court room. Anna's lawyer tries to state her case by declaring the fact that Luke hasn't spent much time with April. Luke's lawyer counters with the fact that Luke made himself available to April as often as she liked. Yeah, I even spent less time with Lorelai and pushed her away so that I could get to know April… Luke points out the fact that Anna had no intention of letting him know he had a daughter. The judge tells both Anna and Luke to let their attorneys speak for them.
However, once Anna's lawyer starts harping on Luke's history, he knows he has to speak up, even if his lawyer or the judge tries to stop him. Luke admits that he's made some mistakes and he may be seen as a hermit, but he tells them that all he wants is to be with April and be her dad, because he knows he will be a good dad. The judge tells him to be quiet and his lawyer apologizes for him. I'm just trying my best to be a good father. That's all. April is all that matters right now.
After that, the judge reads Lorelai's character reference and Luke doesn't take his eyes off her as he hears the words that Lorelai wrote for him:
"To whom it may concern, In the nearly 10 years that I have known Luke Danes, I have come to know him as an honest and decent man. He's also one of the most kind and caring persons I have ever met. I'm a single mother, and I raised my daughter by myself, but once Luke Danes became my friend in this town, I never really felt alone. Luke and I have had our ups and downs over the years, but through it all, his relationship with my daughter, Rory, has never changed. He's always been there for her no matter what. He was there to celebrate her birthdays. He was there cheering her on at her high school graduation. Luke has been a sort of father figure in my daughter's life. With his own daughter, Luke wasn't given the opportunity to be there for her first 12 years, but he should be given that opportunity now. Once Luke Danes is in your life, he is in your life forever. I know from personal experience what an amazing gift that is, and not to allow him access to his daughter would be to seriously deprive her of all this man has to offer, and he offers so much. Thank you for your time. Sincerely,
Lorelai Gilmore."
Luke is amazed. He feels chocked up, feels tears welling up in his eyes. Wow. She wrote all that about me after everything that's happened? Luke doesn't know what to think. He's completely at a loss. He can't help wondering if Lorelai still loves him too.
After a night of almost no sleep, Luke's lawyer calls him with best news. He was awarded shared custody. After he gets off the phone with him, he calls Lorelai, wanting to share the news with her. After all, he probably wouldn't be here without her help. He tells Lorelai that her letter was a big help, which is an understatement, but he didn't know how else to put it. Lorelai tells him that she just wanted to help him and April. Luke tells her how grateful he is. She congratulates him and they hang up. Luke can't keep the smile off his face; he gets to keep his daughter in his life, and it's all thanks to Lorelai, the one woman who he will always love, no matter what.
