Luke watched as Rory refilled the salt and pepper shakers for him later that afternoon when the diner was empty. He was cleaning tables getting ready for the dinner crowd. He had to admit Rory was well behaved. He had only spent a couple days with his daughter and already he was proud of her. He wished he could have been around to see her first smile, hear her first word, her first sentence, all her firsts. He knew he hadn't had a choice in that. Well, he did, but his parents hadn't listened to him when he had said he wanted to stay with Lorelai and marry her. That would have been the right thing to do, at least according to him.
He watched as Rory concentrated on refilling the salt and pepper shakers and putting more packets of sugar in the little bins on the counter and tables. She looked exactly like Lorelai when you first looked at her. But as he studied her some more he started seeing himself in her features. She had his nose, that was for sure. And definitely his eyes. Or were they Lorelai's eyes? It was hard to tell because both he and Lorelai had blue eyes. Oh well, either way she had blue eyes like him. But the way she scrunched up her nose when concentrating really hard? She got that from him. And her uncanny ability to block anything happening around her? Also from him. Yes, if he looked really hard he could see himself in his own daughter. He wished that he could marry Lorelai right now and start having more children with her. Of course, he knew he should wait a few days before asking her out. He already knew where he wanted to take Lorelai on their first date. He even decided that Rory should tag along. He was going to take them to his favorite restauarant: Sniffy's. It was owned by his parent's friends Maisy and Buddy and they were like second parents to him. They even knew how badly he had been wanting to find Lorelai for so many years. When he had first mentioned it to them ten years ago, both Maisy and Buddy had been sympathetic. Afterward Maisy and Buddy had talked to Will and Kelly and tried to convince them that they needed to help their son find Lorelai. It hadn't worked though and he spent years searching for the girl he loved more than anything and his child.
Rory could feel her dad watching and looked up, giving him a smile. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked him.
"Uh, watching you." He hesitated. "Not in a creepy way. I just noticed that we have some similarities."
"Like what?" asked Rory, interested. For years she had known that she looked like her mother. Everyone told herself. But at night when she was alone she always wondered about her father and if she looked anything like him. Now that she had found her father she wanted to get to know him better.
Luke cleared his throat. "Well, we, uh, have the same eyes," he began. "And the way you scrunch up your nose when you're concentrating really hard? I did that too. And the way you block everything that's happening around you? I also do that."
Rory took in everything he said. It was good to know she and Luke had some similarities. She had been a little worried that she had inherited nothing from her father. But hearing what he had just said she felt reassured. "I'm glad I found you," she told him.
"I'm glad I found you, too," he agreed.
Rory looked up at him. "Are you and Mom going to go out?" she asked. "I really want us to be a family. And I really want a little sister please. Though a brother would be okay too. But I really want a little sister."
Luke hesitated. For an almost ten year old she didn't mind voicing her opinions. "I would like to take your Mom out," he admitted. "If it's okay with you."
"Of course it is!" cried Rory. "You're my dad! You and Mom are meant to be together!"
"Well then I guess I'll take your mother out to dinner soon," said Luke.
Rory opened her mouth to say something but Lorelai walked in. She sat down next to Rory and stared at Luke. "I need coffee. Now," she added. "Rory, my love, my favorite daughter, how much do you love me?"
"I'm your only daughter," teased Rory.
"That you know of," joked Lorelai. "Seriously how much do you love me?"
"Um, why?" asked the nine year old curiously.
"Because I need you to get sick so we don't have to go to dinner at my parents' on Friday."
"Uh, no. I like Grandma and Grandpa, remember?" Rory reminded her mother.
Luke gave Lorelai her coffee. "Why do you not wanna go to your parent's house? I thought you got along with them."
"That was before I got pregnant and everything went bad. I left that house when Rory was still a newborn. My mother had promised me that she would help me find you after Rory was born. It never happened. We started fighting and she got a nanny to take care of Rory and I snapped. I left and came here. Now I found you and I'm happy and I don't wanna go because Christopher will be there and I hate him," ranted Lorelai.
"Wait, Christopher is going to be there?" asked Rory.
"Yeah, he is. Oh and Luke you're invited too."
"What?" asked Luke. "I don't think that's a good idea. I haven't seen your parents in ten years. They probably still hate me."
"They don't hate you. They just didn't like the timing everything. I'm the one they hate," said Lorelai. "I ruined their plan for me."
"You still went to college though," Luke reminded her.
"No, I mean yes, I did, but not everything went according to plan," said Lorelai. "Can we change subjects please?"
"What do you and Rory want for supper?" Luke asked, changing the subject like she asked.
"Um, a cheeseburger please. With fries," answered Lorelai.
"I want the same too," said Rory. "With a Coke."
A few minutes later the two of them were eating. Rory wanted to find out more about Luke so she started asking questions. "Mom?" she began. "Does Dad have any sisters or brothers?"
"Yeah, he has a sister. Her name is Liz. Why?" asked Lorelai wanting to know what was going on.
"Do I have any cousins?" Rory asked eating a fry.
"Uh, what's with all the questions about your dad missy?" asked Lorelai.
"I just want to know more about him that's all."
"Well, ask him yourself," said Lorelai. "Hey Luke, does Liz have any kids?"
Luke came over to refill their drinks. "Yeah, his name is Jess. He's about Rory's age. Why? What's going on?"
Lorelai gestured to Rory. "Your daughter here wants to know more about you."
"Hmm she was doing that earlier. She told me she wants a baby sister," said Luke. Since everyone else in the diner had their food Luke sat down with Lorelai and Rory.
Lorelai looked at her daughter. "You want a baby sister?" she asked Rory. "Since when?"
"Since forever," Rory answered. "I've been wanting you and Dad to get married too. So when can you two get married?"
Lorelai choked on her coffee. "Rory! We haven't even gone out yet!"
"But you and Dad used to go out," Rory pointed out.
"Yes," agreed Luke. "Ten years ago. We have to get to know each other again. And I wanna get to know you better. Spend time with you, do things with you."
"Okay," said Rory giving in. She just hoped that they didn't date too long. She wanted to be a family and have her dad around more after not having him in her life for so long.
Luke pointed at the counter behind them. "I gotta get back to work."
Lorelai nodded and watched as he retreated to the store room but she saw him gesture for her to follow him. "I'll be right back," she told Rory getting up and heading to the back. "You gestured?" she said when she found Luke.
Luke came closer to her. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" he asked her.
"Umm, nothing. Why?"
"I want to take you out."
"Really?" she asked interested. "Where to?"
"It'll be a surprise," said Luke.
"Then yeah, I'm free." Lorelai smiled at him, extremely happy. "You don't need time to...?"
Luke shook his head. "No, no time at all. I want to start dating you and getting to know you again. So seven?"
"Sounds like a date," she agreed. "Oh shoot, I'll need a sitter for Rory. Maybe Sookie can babysit."
"Or we can bring Rory with us," suggested Luke. "Or not," he added when he saw the shocked expression on Lorelai's face.
"No, that'd be weird. Our daughter chaperoning our first date? I don't think so," said Lorelai.
"You're right that would be weird," he agreed. "So I'll pick you up at seven?"
"Yes you will," said Lorelai. "I better get back to Rory and head home. It's been a long day."
"Right," he agreed. "See you tomorrow?"
"Yep," she agreed. She walked back out to Rory. "You ready to head home?" she asked her daughter.
"Yeah, I'll just say bye to Dad first," said Rory. After saying goodbye the two of them started for home. "What'd you and Dad talk about?"
"Hmm nothing," said Lorelai, smiling.
"Would nothing happen to be a first date?"
"It just might," said Lorelai excitedly.
"Where's he taking you?" asked Rory.
"What is this? Twenty questions? He said it's a surprise. And Sookie is going to be babysit you tomorrow night," said Lorelai as they walked through the front door.
"It's tomorrow night?" asked Rory heading for her room.
"Yeah. I can't wait. Movie?" asked Lorelai as she headed upstairs to change into her pajamas.
"How about Willy Wonka? We haven't seen it in a while. Oh and The Way We Were," called out Rory from the living room as she picked out the movies.
"Absolutely. I'll get the food. You get the movies set up," said Lorelai coming down.
Later after Rory had gone to bed Lorelai couldn't help but think that everything was going well in her life. Sure it had taken ten years to find Luke her first and only love. But now that he was back in her life she wasn't letting go of him.
