Note: Here's a fun chapter- which we needed after that last one, huh?
"Hey, Cathy!" Entering Anna's shop, Lorelai called out a greeting to the young woman standing at the cash register.
"Oh, hi, Lorelai," Cathy responded, putting down the sweater set she'd been refolding. "Hang on a minute and I'll go get Anna."
Lorelai started over to look at a display of purses but halfway across the room was suddenly hit with an attack of nerves and doubt. Luke had called her at the Dragonfly barely 45 minutes ago with the news that he was hung up at the diner and imploring her to go pick up April for her weekly visit with them. Lorelai had hopped into the Jeep at once. Now, however, she was having second thoughts. Luke should have called Anna, she thought, and let her know. This unexpected twist could be just the thing to set Anna off again.
Cathy reappeared and motioned for Lorelai to come over. "Anna's in her office," she told her. "Go on back."
"Sure," Lorelai said, trying to sound cheery. She cautiously made her way down a dim hallway lined with boxes to a small office. She peered inside and Anna waved her in.
"OK," she was saying into a phone. "Just get here as soon as you can." She put down the phone and smiled at Lorelai. "April's running late. She's washing the chlorine off and then she'll head on over."
"Oh," Lorelai said, trying not to sound jittery. "I could just go over and pick her up at the house, if that'd be better." The Nardini's lived in small house just two blocks over from the shop.
"Nah, it won't take her long," Anna replied. "Have a seat."
Lorelai gave her a strained smile and sat in the chair facing the desk. Anna got up and came around to the front of the desk, leaning back against it casually, folding her arms as she did her best to smile back. Lorelai recognized what Anna was doing. She did the same thing when people came into her office to put them at ease, to make it seem less like they'd been summoned to the principal's office.
"Listen, I'm sorry that we didn't give you any warning that I was coming over to pick up April today." Lorelai decided that she should just plunge right in and face her insecurity. "Luke had a busload of Baptists suddenly turn up at the diner and he's short two workers today. I could get away from the Inn, so I came over. I hope that's OK."
Anna sighed and looked down with a frown, scuffling her shoes together. "Look, Lorelai, the crazy lady's been put to rest for the time being, OK?" She looked back up at Lorelai with a tentative smile. "I think we can try to just act normal here, and see where that gets us. I understand that life doesn't always go like you've planned. A little deviation is OK."
Lorelai exhaled in relief. "You know what it's like when you're trying to run a business."
"Boy, do I!" Anna agreed.
An uncomfortable pause filled the room while two sets of eyes darted around, trying to think of something to say next, desperately wishing that April would just appear in the doorway ready to go.
"I talked to April," Anna blurted out.
"I should hope so!" Lorelai said quickly, not quite knowing what she meant.
Anna chuckled. "I mean, we sat down and had a really long, serious talk. And you were right. She knew a lot more than I thought she did. She'd observed a lot more than I thought she had. And none of it was in my favor."
"Oh," Lorelai said, suddenly understanding.
"I don't want her to think I'm standing in her way to have a relationship with her father. And with you," Anna added quickly. "She's old enough to have her own opinions, and like it or not, I've got to give her the chance to express them."
Lorelai was nodding vigorously. "I know, right? Here you've given life to the little bugger, and tried to mold her into your image, and she has the nerve to come up with her own ideas! How warped is that?"
Anna laughed. Actually laughed. "She's still talking about getting to visit with Rory. That trip was the highlight of her summer so far."
"Sorry about that," Lorelai acknowledged. "We didn't know it was going to be such a case of hero worship."
"No, it was really good for her," Anna revealed. "You were also right when you said how similar our lives were. April has always had these dreams about her future, but since she's been with Rory she's confident about making plans. Now it's not just dreams. It's helped her tremendously to see Rory's example of what she can accomplish. April's always had a lot of faith in her abilities, but for the first time she has the conviction that she can have the life she wants. Having Rory as a living, breathing example has been a big boost for her."
"Rory's had some ups and downs." Lorelai felt like she had to caution Anna. "But she's back on track now to reach her goals. We had a bad time last summer, where I really thought I'd lost the girl I knew. But she's back now with a vengeance! But," she leaned forward and whispered, telling secrets, "I still don't really like her boyfriend."
Anna held out her hand. "I don't even want to think about that yet!"
"Yeah, neither does Luke," Lorelai chuckled, "but it'll happen one day. Some floppy-haired charmer will kiss her in the market and…Never mind," she said, quickly, as Anna looked alarmed. She gave out her friendly smile. "We really appreciate you letting her spend so much time with us. You've been very generous." Lorelai wanted Anna to know she was sincere with that sentiment.
"You're welcome. She enjoys Stars Hollow. What festival is it this week?"
Lorelai's eyebrows pulled together, trying to remember. "I think it's some sort of Hawaiian thing. Apparently Stars Hollow has a sister city in Hawaii. Who knew, huh? All I know is that there's a boatload of leis inside Patty's studio. Ha!" Lorelai suddenly cackled. "And if you knew Patty, you'd know there could be several meanings to that!"
Anna nodded, listening carefully. "So why haven't you told her about the baby yet?"
Anna said it so smoothly that it took a few seconds before the words actually sunk into Lorelai's consciousness. Then she gasped while she tried to fumble for a response. "Uh…um, what? I'm sorry, what? What do you mean?" She sat up straighter and tried to tighten up her stomach.
Anna's eyes danced merrily. "Don't worry, you're not showing yet. But you are pregnant, aren't you?"
Lorelai bit at her bottom lip. "Yes," she admitted. "How did you know?"
"When you came to pick her up for the trip to go see Rory, I saw you go over to the display of baby things I had in the window," Anna told her. "I saw you pick up that pink blanket. Maybe it's something only a woman who's been pregnant herself would notice, but there's a difference between picking up a baby thing because it's so cute and cuddly, and picking it up with the idea that you could actually use it."
Lorelai took a deep breath and closed her eyes, nodding in agreement. She opened them and looked at Anna worriedly.
To her surprise, Anna smiled kindly at her. "When are you due?"
A few beats passed before Lorelai decided how to answer. "March," she finally said. She could see Anna considering that. She tensed, waiting for her reply.
"Spring's a nice time to have a baby," was her only comment.
"We…We haven't really told anyone yet," Lorelai said in a rush. "Rory knows, but that's it. We…We had a little scare last week, but we've been to the doctor now, and everything's fine. Actually, we were just to the doctor yesterday. That's one of the reasons why Luke didn't feel right about leaving the diner shorthanded again today."
Anna's eyebrows shot up. "Luke went with you to the doctor?"
"Oh, yeah!" Lorelai laughed. "Luke had a million questions for her! He'd read a couple of the baby books, and he―"
"He read baby books?" Anna's voice turned shrill with incredulity.
"Absolutely," Lorelai said proudly. It suddenly hit her that she sounded like she was bragging, and she remembered all too painfully what it had felt like to hear Sherry carrying on about Chris. "I think it's because he doesn't trust me," she confided, trying to address the issue lightly. "And then, after last week, he was really worried," she added, more seriously.
"You said you had a scare?"
"I really thought it was a miscarriage." Lorelai tried to say that as bravely as possible. "But it wasn't, and everything's fine, but Luke can't get it out of his head. It wouldn't surprise me if he's hired someone to trail me. I fully expect he's got some sort of tracking device on my car!"
They smiled at each other again, and Lorelai looked across the room, nodding briefly. "We'd like to tell April. We just wanted to make sure everything was OK first."
Anna took a deep breath. "You tell her whenever you're ready to."
"Thanks―" Lorelai started to say, just as April burst into the small room.
"Hi, Lorelai!" she said. "Where's Dad?" she asked, looking back down the hallway.
Lorelai's head reared up at once in shock. As far as she knew, April had never called Luke anything besides Luke. She looked at Anna, and saw that her face showed stunned surprise as well.
"He's stuck in the Hollow, making patty melts for a busload of Baptists that rolled in," she said quickly. "Hopefully he'll be able to put on one of his Jimmy Buffet shirts and blend in with everyone else at the festival later on tonight."
April laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, he'll love that!" she agreed.
"Well, you'd better get going," Anna suggested, pushing herself away from her desk. Only Lorelai noticed the uncertainty in the way she tucked back her hair and waited for her daughter to run up and give her a quick kiss goodbye.
"Bye, Mom!" April called, already striding towards the door. "My bag's out here," she told Lorelai, disappearing down the hall.
Lorelai nodded at Anna and was starting out herself when she heard Anna call her name again. She poked her head back into the office.
"I made a mistake, didn't I?" Anna asked, a seldom-heard note of doubt in her voice. "About Luke. I was wrong, wasn't I?"
Lorelai felt fear catch in her throat, but then resolve straightened her shoulders. If she had to fight this woman for the man she loved, she would.
Apparently Anna could see what she was thinking. "No," she said, smiling sadly, "I don't mean wrong about the two of us. There was never anything long-term between us at all. I mean," she paused and sighed deeply. "I was wrong about keeping April from him."
Lorelai looked at her with pity. "Yeah," she said, as gently as she could, "you were."
The 'Taste of the Tropics' Festival was in full-swing. April and Lorelai had already tried pineapple ice cream, guzzled fake pina coladas, purchased silk orchids to wear in their hair, and had taken hula lessons by the time Luke found them out in the square. He put his arm around Lorelai's shoulder, quickly checking to make sure she was feeling OK and not too tired out. He patted April's fly-away hair in greeting.
"Nice flower," he told her with a straight face.
"I don't think orchids actually come in this shade," April explained. "But I'm really into this teal color right now, and Lorelai thought it'd look good on me."
"It does," he agreed, no longer joking. "What's next? Or can we just go home?" he asked hopefully.
"April!"
They all three turned and saw Sarah Rust, the 12-year-old daughter of the man who ran the copy center. She'd befriended April last week in the bookstore when they were both looking at insect books.
"There's a fortune teller here again!" Sarah told April excitedly.
"Can I go?" April asked at once. "I have a theory I want to test out."
"Sure," Luke said. "Maybe you can convince your Aunt Liz it's a racket." He handed April some money and they watched the two girls run across the square.
Lorelai instantly turned to Luke, bouncing excitedly. She started tugging him off to the side, away from the crowd of people.
"I have a surprise for you!" she whispered to him, excitement and nerves making her voice husky.
"Lorelai, honestly!" he growled at her. "I guess I should be flattered, but come on! April's here, and we're in the middle of a damn town festival!"
"No!" she laughed. "And seriously, Luke, do you think I'd really try to…" her voice faded out. "Oh. Well, I guess I have tried to get you to do some pretty outrageous stuff from time to time. But that's not the surprise today!"
"What's going on?" he asked, suspicion and worry fighting for top honors.
"Well, to start with, Anna knows." She surreptitiously placed a hand on her stomach, giving him a significant look.
He understood at once. "You're kidding! How?"
"Apparently I have a tell when I look at baby things."
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Never mind," she said quickly, aware that they could be interrupted at any time. "Anyway, she figured it out and she's fine with it, and she says we can tell April whenever we want to."
"Phew!" Luke breathed out in relief. "I never expected that."
Lorelai nodded vigorously. "And there's something else."
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well, go on."
Suddenly she was shy about revealing it, frightened that either it would mean too much to him, or not enough. Maybe it wasn't her place to tell him at all.
"Lorelai," he prodded, loosing patience.
"OK," she said quickly, making up her mind. "April called you 'Dad' today."
He didn't say anything for a long time. She began to think he hadn't heard her at all.
"What do you mean?" he finally asked, gruffly.
"I mean she burst into the room, looked around for you, and said, 'Where's Dad?'" Lorelai explained. Again she waited for his response. "Has she…Has she called you that before?" she asked, when at long last he hadn't said anything.
She watched his jaw tense. "No," he said shortly. He turned from her, looking back out over the square, his hands on his hips.
"Hey," she said gently, softly stroking his arm.
He turned on her quickly, and she could see the emotion struggling in him then. "Are you sure that's what she said?"
She looked him in the eye. "Yes," she said clearly. "It just sort of popped out of her, like she wasn't even aware of what she said. But Anna and I both heard it."
She continued rubbing his arm and suddenly she felt the tension flow out of him. He leaned over against her.
"This is good, right?" he mumbled against her hair, letting her support more of his weight for a moment.
"This is really good," she agreed, staunchly holding him up.
"OK," he sighed, "that's what I thought."
The pancakes were rapidly cooling on their plates the next morning at breakfast. They were waiting for April to digest the news they'd just given her. She was staring at the syrup bottle while her brain assembled the facts.
"So that means you were already pregnant when you got married," she said thoughtfully, doing the math.
Luke and Lorelai's eyes met across the table.
"Yes," Lorelai answered truthfully, but not without a sigh.
April nodded. "Is that why you got married?"
Luke watched Lorelai's face pucker with pain and he jumped in to save her the explanation. "You know Lorelai and I were mad at each other," he told the girl. "We thought we shouldn't be together. But then the baby happened and it forced us to make up, and that's been a really good thing. If it wasn't for that, it might have taken us a really long time to realize that we need to be together."
"Are you happy about the baby?" she asked then, still trying to figure out the adults' emotions.
"We're really happy about the baby," Lorelai confirmed.
April nodded again, but she put her head down, staring at her hands clasped in her lap. Lorelai and Luke traded worried looks.
"April, sweetie," Lorelai started. "Can you tell us what's bothering you?"
April shrugged, still looking down. "I know kids this has happened to. They get a new brother or sister and they get pushed to the side while everyone oohs and aahs over the baby. I just kinda got used to being here."
"That's not gonna happen," Luke said firmly at the same time Lorelai reached for April's face, tilting it up so she could look into it.
"If you think you're getting out of babysitting, forget it," Lorelai told her seriously, while a smile danced over her mouth.
April smiled shyly. "You'd let me babysit?"
Lorelai scoffed. "Are you kidding? It will be expected!"
"I'd better take one of those classes they're always offering at the Y," April mused. "I've never really wanted to before, but I'll want to be prepared."
"That's a good idea," Lorelai agreed. "Maybe your dad better take it with you," she added, winking at Luke.
"Ha ha," he replied, rolling his eyes.
"So what does Rory think?" April asked anxiously.
Luke and Lorelai smiled at each other. This question they'd anticipated.
"Rory thinks it's great," Luke said.
"Good," April muttered in relief. Once again she stared at the syrup bottle. "So will you have to get those ultrasound tests, where you can see the baby moving and his heart beating and everything?"
"Yep," Lorelai confirmed.
"Can I come?" April asked eagerly. "I'd love to see how they do that! I've read about the procedure, but I can't picture how it really works. Do you think I could come and watch?"
"Well, we'd probably have to clear that with your mom, but…" Lorelai looked at Luke, making a 'what the hell do I say here?' face, but he looked back at her blankly and shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" she said, smiling gamely at the girl.
"Cool." April thought for a few more moments before she attacked her pancakes. "You know," she said, her voice a little muffled from the big bite she'd shoveled in, "I'd just gotten used to the fact that I've got a big sister. And now I'm going to be a big sister, too! That's kinda awesome!"
"Pretty awesome," Lorelai agreed, smiling happily at Luke. She licked some syrup off of her thumb and then dove into her pancakes, too.
Luke was grateful he'd read the baby books and had asked so many questions at the doctor's, because April was full of questions of her own as he drove her back to Woodbridge a little later that morning. Still, he found himself answering more and more with "Ask your mother" or "Ask Lorelai."
At last he turned down the street housing the swimming pool and April spotted Chelsea just getting out of her mom's car. "Just let me out here," she urged, her hand already on the door handle. "Hey, it's OK if I tell people, right?"
"Sure," Luke agreed, pulling the truck over to the curb.
"OK." April jumped out, slinging her small duffel bag across her shoulder. "Bye, Dad," she said, already turning away to run and catch up with her friend. "See you later!"
Luke stared out the windshield, watching April and her friend talk with great animation as they rushed inside the building. He ran his hands over the steering wheel, hearing the words in his head again. Then he reached into his pocket for his phone, so he could share the unbelievable thing that had just happened with Lorelai.
That evening, while he was driving the Jeep, Lorelai reached over for the sixth time to straighten his tie and Luke batted her hand away with more force than he meant to.
"Ow," she complained, rubbing her fingers.
"Sorry," he apologized, reaching over to grab her hand and soothe it with his. "But the outcome of this night isn't going to hinge on whether or not my tie is straight."
"I know," Lorelai agreed. "I'm just really nervous."
"Me, too." He turned down the Gilmore's street and he could feel Lorelai's hand clench under his. "It'll be all right," he attempted to reassure her.
"No, it won't," she muttered. She pulled her hand away and sat up straight as they turned into the driveway. She spied a Prius parked there.
"Rory!" she cried out in delight. She turned to Luke and regarded his smug smile. "Did you know she was going to be here?" she playfully demanded.
"Maybe," he grinned. "There might have been a couple of calls."
She smiled broader. "Did you plan this?"
He shrugged, happy to see her pleased. "I just figured having her here tonight wouldn't hurt. At least we'll have one person on our side."
He accepted Lorelai's quick kiss of thanks while they hurried towards the door.
"Where's my kid?" Lorelai demanded loudly, as soon as they maid opened the door. She rushed in, gasping out "Offspring? Offspring? Where are you?" dramatically.
Rory hurried into the entryway, laughing, her arms outstretched. "Mama!" she cried out.
The two met in a fierce hug, giggling at themselves.
"Honestly, Lorelai, you'd think you hadn't seen her in a month," Emily chastised them. "Which is the truth about your own mother, by the way."
"Hi Mom," Lorelai smiled, her arm still around Rory.
Richard appeared, offering his hand to Luke in greeting. "Come in, come in," he urged.
Luke followed Richard over to the drink cart while the ladies entered more leisurely.
"How was the trip?" Lorelai asked her mother.
"It was fabulous," Emily declared. "I'm so glad we decided to explore America first this summer. There are so many breathtaking things to see out West. The train trip up the coast was incredible. We're really considering an Alaskan cruise next year," she added, reaching for a photo album to show the girls.
Lorelai arched an eyebrow at Luke when her mother mentioned the cruise. The thought of Nicole no longer made her cringe. He glared back at her, which made her grin.
"So, Luke, everything running smoothly with the diner?" Richard asked, pouring an imported ale into a frosted mug for him.
"Pretty good," Luke replied, taking the drink with a nod of thanks. "A couple of my staff were off doing a concert with their band this week, so I ended up working some extra hours. But the summer's always pretty profitable. I hate all of the stupid festivals our town selectman dreams up, but they do pull in the tourists."
"Good, good," Richard said jovially.
Luke looked over at the girls at that moment, and the sight of their dark heads resting against each other while they looked at Emily's trip pictures made him swallow hard. Suddenly he was back to the day they buried Paul Anka with silent, sad Lorelai, and he was still locked in his own prison of pain. He didn't know it had registered on his face until Lorelai excused herself and came to his side.
"Hey, Babe," she said privately to him. "You OK?"
Her loving voice jolted him back to the present. "Fine," he said, still not able to smile convincingly. His fingers kneaded into her shoulder because he desperately needed to feel connected to her for a moment.
"Lorelai!" Richard boomed out, having seen Luke's distress and wanting to help smooth it over. "What can I get you to drink tonight?"
Lorelai shot Luke a look and drew in a sharp breath. They'd discussed possible scenarios, and this had been the most obvious one. She was on.
"Well, Dad," she said, trying to sound like her usual bright self in spite of her nerves, "what can you make me without any actual booze in it?"
Richard looked confused. "You don't want any alcohol?"
"No." Lorelai took another deep breath and let it out. "In fact, you can skip the alcohol for me for the next nine months." She waited a few beats, letting her words sink in. No one spoke. "Because," she added, sounding a little panicked, "what takes nine months, huh?"
The silence stretched out. Richard stared at her, one hand clutching a martini glass and the other stopped in the middle of his reach for the ice bucket.
Emily's voice shattered the quiet. "Lorelai, have you lost your mind?" She took several steps across the room. "Are you determined to never learn from your previous mistakes? You break up, you marry without thought, and now you choose this way to inform us you're pregnant? Pregnant!" She whirled more towards Richard, fuming, then turned again towards Lorelai when her husband didn't respond. "What would possess you to get pregnant this quickly after getting together again?"
"Mom." Lorelai tried to temper her reaction, squeezing her eyes shut against Emily's indignation.
"Wait!" Emily gasped. "When's the baby due?" she asked suspiciously.
Lorelai pressed her lips together, then nodded. They'd discussed this, too, but she wasn't sure until this moment what she was going to answer. "March," she said, a touch of defiance in her tone.
"March!" Emily cried. "I should have known! 22 years and you still haven't learned your lesson! Honestly, Lorelai, is birth control really that hard?"
"Emily!" Richard huffed, trying to set the glass back down.
Emily drew her shoulders back and her face hardened as another dreadful thought flashed through her mental calculations. "This is why you got married!" she speculated. "You were already pregnant!" Her hand swept disdainfully at Luke. "Is it even his?"
"Grandma! That's enough!" Rory cried out sharply, starting across the room.
"Emily!" Richard said warningly again, as his hand fumbled on the drink cart, sending the ice bucket crashing to the floor. Ice cubes bounced and cracked against the hard surface.
"That's it!" Luke's voice roared over everything. He sat his drink down forcefully and put his arm protectively around Lorelai. "I will not stand here any longer and let you―What was that word you used, years ago? Eviscerate," he recalled. "I will not let you eviscerate my wife and insult me and try to imply that this baby is any sort of a mistake." He glared at both Richard and Emily. "Do you have any idea the number of times she stumbled into the diner after one of these dinners and I had to put her back together with coffee and chili fries? Well, no more! This is it! I'm done trying to make you people into a real family! If this is the way you treat each other, I'm glad you don't want me to be a part if it!" He started to hustle Lorelai towards the door.
"Luke, wait!" Richard hopped over the melting ice and rushed to stop them. He put a hand onto each of their arms. "Please, please wait. Please, let's try to discuss this calmly," he implored.
"How?" Lorelai asked him, sounding distressed, and Luke's arm tightened around her even more. "How could we possibly discuss this?"
"Emily," he said then, rushing over to stand in front of his proud wife. "Emily, I do not believe you are seeing the big picture here."
"And what would that be, Richard?" she sneered, tossing her head.
He reached out and grabbed her arm, trying to make her see. "We are going to have another grandchild," he stressed. "And if Luke and Lorelai permit it, we can have another chance at being around while this child grows up. I, for one, would cherish that opportunity." His voice turned softer. "Wouldn't you like that, Emily?"
She blinked. The rigid lines of her face slackened as his implication registered. "I…" she started.
"Doesn't matter." Luke's voice was harsh. "There's nothing you can say tonight that will convince me to let Lorelai stay here and listen to you people anymore. We're going home. If you ever want to try the family thing again, you know where to find us." His arms wrapped around a stunned Lorelai and he whisked her towards the door.
Rory quickly grabbed her purse and followed them.
"Rory, please," Richard pleaded with her.
"No, Grandpa, I'm going home, too," she informed them, digging her car keys out and rushing to the door. She stopped for just a moment and looked back, tossing her own head the way she'd seen her mother and grandmother do so many times over the years. "This baby is my sister or brother," she said, shaking her head sadly at them. "Don't you understand that?" Her voice cracked and she ran for the door.
Outside, Luke was just closing the door on Lorelai's side of the car.
"I'll follow you home," Rory called to him, sprinting over to her Prius.
He nodded and rushed to get in the car himself, never wanting to get away from anything as badly as he did this stern, unforgiving house. He fired up the Jeep and took a moment to look over at Lorelai, who was staring blankly at the glove box, still breathing erratically.
"You gonna be OK?" he asked with real concern, rubbing her leg.
"Sure," she said dully. "I'm fine." She roused herself enough to give him a shaky smile.
He roared out of the driveway, checking to make sure Rory was behind them. The things he'd said and the words they'd said and the awful, barbed feelings from the encounter chased around his head. He kept looking nervously over at Lorelai, who was still sitting as though anchored in cement.
Partway to Stars Hollow, he heard her make a noise. He looked over at her fearfully, afraid that she was crying. He might have just made this whole mess with her parents a thousand times worse than it had been.
"We'll fix this," he promised her. "I'll fix this. I'm not sure how, but…"
Lorelai erupted in the laughter she'd been trying to smother for the last five miles, rocking sideways and wiping the tears escaping down her cheeks.
"What?" he asked, instantly suspicious, although relieved to see her laughing.
Another peal of laughter rolled out of her. "Oh! You!" She fought against the giggles popping out of her. "Coffee and chili fries!" She gulped in some air, sighing with contented exhaustion. "You put me back together with coffee and chili fries," she said weakly, so much tenderness evident in her voice. "You left out the pie," she pointed out, fondly.
"Well…" he glanced at the mirrors, "they didn't need to know all the details."
She sighed again, leaning her face over to nuzzle against his arm. "I love you so much."
He closed his eyes in relief, popping them open the next second in a panic, realizing that he was driving. "I love you too," he murmured, managing to keep his eyes on the road as he dropped a quick kiss to the top of her head.
"So we didn't have dinner," she pointed out a few quiet miles later, still nestled against his arm.
"No, we didn't," he agreed. "We can either go home and see what's in the kitchen, or we can stop at your favorite taco place at the next intersection."
"I'll call Rory," Lorelai said at once, grabbing for the phone in her purse, "and let her know it's taco time!"
The mental fallout from the confrontation at the Gilmore's caused Saturday to drag for all of them. Lorelai pleaded a headache and came home early from the Dragonfly, changing into flannel drawstring pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. She collapsed on the couch, deciding to watch home improvement shows. Or maybe to just nap while pretending to watch neighbors redo each other's homes. Rory watched with her for a while and then moved off to her room to read. Even Luke ditched the diner around 7 P.M., leaving Caesar and a couple of new kids he'd just hired to close up on their own.
"Scoot," he told her, standing in front of the couch.
She made a noise of protest and lifted her upper body enough that he could sit down. As soon as he landed on the cushions with a groan of approval she draped herself over him.
"Hang on," he told her, leaning over to unlace his boots and kick them off. "That's better," he sighed, resting his head on the back of the couch, his arm trailing over her hip.
"Um," she sighed contentedly, snuggling against him.
"Feeling OK?" he mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.
"Uh huh."
He cracked one eye opened and raised his head enough to peer at the TV. "What'cha watchin'?"
"Don't know," she muttered back. "I think Ty's fixing somebody's house."
He stared at the screen for a few seconds longer before his head crashed back against the upholstery again. "Good," he sighed.
They had both nearly fallen asleep when the doorbell made them jump.
"Who's that?" Luke asked suspiciously.
"Don't know," Lorelai sighed, dragging herself off to the foyer.
She pulled open the door and instantly went to high alert status. "Mom! Dad!" She pushed a hand through her wild hair. "What are you doing here?"
They all heard the thud of Luke's feet hitting the floor. His stern face quickly appeared around the corner. His arm went around Lorelai's waist as he pulled her back about a foot, leaving room for him to get between her and her parents. "That's a great question. What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.
Richard turned his palms up in supplication. "Luke, you said if we ever wanted to try 'the family thing' again, we knew where to find you. Well, we certainly do want to try. We're here to apologize, and to ask that you please give us another chance. Please let us have a chance to rectify this."
Lorelai blinked at her father, who for once was not dressed in a suit. His casual pants and a golf shirt made it seem like this was truly an informal visit. Her eyes switched to her mother, who was also dressed down in a relaxed summer pants suit.
All eyes moved to Emily, in fact. She bristled, as though feeling unfairly judged.
"Emily," Richard prodded gently.
She sighed and her shoulders lost their rigid posture. "Lorelai, I'm well-aware that we both try to deny that we are in any way alike. However, we both let words fly out of our mouths indiscriminately. What I said last night was mean-spirited and thoughtless. Since you know what it's like to have said words you regret, I'm hoping that you can find it within yourself to forgive me for them."
All eyes shifted to Lorelai, whose mouth had dropped open in shock. She glanced at Luke.
"Um, sure, Mom," she said, hesitating. "I do know what it feels like to sting people with words. I know what it feels like to regret them later." She cleared her throat. "Uh, why don't you come on in?" she offered, half-heartedly.
Luke shot her a questioning look, but stepped back, welcoming Richard and Emily into their home.
"Sorry it's a mess," Lorelai apologized, quickly grabbing up some debris. "We all just sort of crashed tonight."
"Oh, you have a duck, too," Emily pointed out, sitting down primly in the easy chair.
"Yep, this is Desmond," Lorelai said in introduction, patting his head fondly as she fell back onto the couch. "I noticed the one we brought you wasn't out last night," she observed archly.
"Oh! Well, we just haven't found the right spot for it yet," Emily replied, a little flustered. "I thought perhaps it'd go in your father's study."
Richard regarded Emily with raised eyebrows. "Is that right?" he asked, sounding contemplative.
An awkward pause fell.
Lorelai turned her head. "Rory!" she yelled. "Your grandparents are here! Come join us!"
"Ha! Good one, Mom!" They heard Rory call from back in her room. In another second she appeared in the doorway, chuckling. "Like there's any way they'd be—" She choked off her comment as her wide eyes informed her of their actual presence. "Oh, uh, Grandma! Grandpa! You're here!" She gave Luke a beseeching look as she went to perch on the arm of the couch beside him.
"Rory," Richard greeted her. He leaned a little further forward on his chair, nodding towards her. "We're here to make up for last night. We regret what happened. We want you to know that we do indeed know that it's your little sister or brother that's on the way. We want to be included in that."
Rory's eyes gleamed at her grandfather. She nodded happily at him. Then a frown marred her face. "Grandma?" she asked, her head tilted distrustfully, swinging her head to study her.
Emily looked down as her fingers creased a line down her slacks. "That goes for me, too, Rory," she said at last. Her chin rose up automatically. "It's not easy for me to admit my faults." She cleared her throat. "But I recognize that I was out of line last night. I don't pretend to understand how your mother lives her life, but it's her life, and if she's happy with it…" She trailed off, closing her eyes tightly. "I'll do my best not to interfere," she sighed, resigned.
"Oh!" Rory's eyes were big and round as she looked questioningly at her mother and Luke. "Well, OK, then."
Another awkward pause silenced the room.
"So, tell me, Lorelai, how are you feeling?" Emily asked dutifully.
"Pretty good," Lorelai twisted her hand from side-to-side as she smiled ruefully at her mother. "I've had a little morning sickness. And I'm really tired, you know. But otherwise I've been good."
Luke suddenly sat up, clasping his hand over Lorelai's knee, his face grim. "We thought we'd lost the baby last week," he announced, his voice thick with barely-repressed anger.
"Luke!" Lorelai protested.
"No!" he hissed back at her, his eyes raking over Richard and Emily. "I want them to know this isn't something we're just playing at. I want them to understand what we've been through. I want them to realize that we chose to share our good news with them last night; that it wasn't just some casual piece of gossip!"
Emily grasped the arms of her chair with sudden worry and pulled herself upright. "But you're all right now, Lorelai? Have you seen the doctor? You're sure the baby's OK?"
"Everything's really fine, Mom," Lorelai reassured her, patting Luke's tense leg at the same time. "The doctor gave both of us the thumbs up!"
"Who's your doctor?" Emily demanded. "Are you sure he's reputable? Have you checked his credentials? I'm sure I could call Elizabeth Whitson—she's on the board at Hartford Memorial—and find you a top-notch…" She let her voice trail off as everyone turned their warning gazes on her. She blinked. Eased herself back into her chair. "That is, if you ever need to look for another doctor, I'm sure I could find some recommendations for you."
Lorelai smiled, satisfied. "I'll let you know. Thanks, Mom."
Richard cleared his throat. "Speaking of the baby, there's something we'd like to propose."
"Uh-oh," Lorelai murmured, for Luke's ears. "I knew there was a catch."
"And please, this is just merely an observation on our part," Richard added. "We are not trying in any way to tell you how to arrange your life. We were simply speculating on where you could fit a baby into this house. Have you given that any thought?"
Luke and Lorelai looked at each other. Luke rubbed at his cheek and gave a small shrug before turning to Richard. "We actually discussed it some when we were remodeling the upstairs before. There's a lot of unfinished space up there that's just been used as storage. We went as far as having our contractor draw up some plans, but we decided to just enlarge the bedroom and bathroom up there at that time. We really haven't talked about it any more since then."
"You can just use my room," Rory offered at once.
"No!" Lorelai protested immediately.
"Mom," Rory pointed out, cautiously, "I'm not going to be here for much longer. It'd be fine to change my room into a nursery."
"No!" Lorelai said again, her stubbornness plainly written across her face. "It's your room. It's always gonna be your room! Come on, Rory! Where's your sense of sibling rivalry, huh? You can't just give away your room!"
Luke shook his head at Rory. "We'll come up with some other solution than that," he said firmly.
"And your daughter stays here from time to time as well, correct?" Richard speculated.
"Yeah, April's here about once a week," Lorelai confirmed, wondering if that admission would spark another confrontation with her mother.
"Where does she stay when she's here?" Richard asked.
"She uses my room," Rory said.
"More like she sleeps inside the Rory shrine," Lorelai added.
"What?" Emily asked.
"Nothing," Rory insisted.
Lorelai grinned. "April's a little obsessed with Rory."
"In any case," Richard broke in to get them all back on track, "I think it's obvious you could use some more room here. You need something for the baby and something for April as well."
"We don't want to move," Lorelai said quickly. "We love this house, and it only takes each of us a few minutes to get to work. We really want to stay here."
"We understand that," Richard said gravely. "That's why we're proposing that we fund your upstairs expansion."
"What?" Lorelai was dumbfounded.
Luke was already shaking his head. "That's very generous of you, but—"
Richard cut him off. "Luke, normally my inclination would be to go out and buy some sort of investment in the baby's name. That would usually be my way of showing my excitement at becoming a grandfather again. But we're trying hard here to fit into your lives. We want to do something that would actually benefit you. You say you love this house and you want to stay here. Well, then let us help you get the house ready for the baby. Let us show you that we're pleased that a baby is coming into our lives." Richard stopped for a moment and frankly looked at Luke. "Please let us take part in this. Please let us share in the preparation. We would be very grateful if you'd allow us that."
Luke shut his mouth and stared appraisingly back at Richard. Then he turned and looked at Lorelai, who widened her eyes at him and barely shrugged her shoulders in uncertainty.
"We're going to need to discuss this further," he said then, facing the Gilmores again. "But if we do agree to this, and that's a big 'if,' we're going to have to have some strict guidelines. I mean, we'll want to use our plans, and our contractor. We don't want something over-the-top. We want two bedrooms and another bathroom, period. We don't want to redo the whole house, and we want whatever we do to fit in with everything else."
"Of course," Richard said at once. "You discuss it, and get back with us. I'm sure we can come to terms."
Lorelai bit her lip. "And I'm decorating it, Mom. Not you."
"Of course," Emily managed to say, although it looked like it pained her. "Am I at least permitted to show you some ideas?"
Lorelai playfully tapped her finger against her lips. "Hmmm. I don't know. Maybe we can write up an addendum to our agreement about that."
"Honestly, Lorelai," Emily moaned.
"Why don't I see if I can find us something to snack on?" Luke got up from the sofa. "I'm pretty sure there's some cheese and crackers." He gave a sharp look to both his wife and stepdaughter, who quickly nodded their heads, indicating that they hadn't eaten it all. "I'll just be a minute," he added, heading for the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen he put his face in his hands, breathing hard, listening to the pleasant buzz of conversation sneaking in from the living room. He crossed over to the refrigerator, staring for a moment at the reminder card for Lorelai's next doctor's appointment.
"What a difference a day makes, huh?" he muttered to himself, yanking open the door and starting to search for the cheddar cheese. He hand brushed up against a container of olives, and he pulled them out, too.
They offered us an olive branch, he thought with a smirk. I might as well offer them olives.
Sunday afternoon was not proving to be a busy time at the diner. It was so slow in fact, that Luke left Brian, who'd just returned from Hep Alien's out-of-town gig, in charge with the instructions to call him at home should anyone show up who actually wanted cooked food. Then he sprinted towards the house to spend an hour or so with Lorelai and Rory.
As he cut across the yard he noticed the strange but yet oddly familiar car parked out front. Frowning, he hurried up the stairs and opened the front door.
He heard Lorelai's laughter pealing out immediately, joining a deep female chuckle that he felt he should know, but didn't. Cautiously he poked his head around the corner.
Lorelai and Anna were sitting on the couch together, several shoebox-sized containers between them. They were holding pictures in their hands and looking quite companionable while they continued to chuckle. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"Oh, Luke!" Lorelai looked up and saw him. "Anna stopped by," she told him, stating the obvious.
"Hi, Luke," Anna said soberly.
He merely nodded a greeting.
"She brought us something!" Lorelai announced gaily. "Something for the baby!" She motioned to a large box on the coffee table.
He picked it up, relieved to have something to occupy him. "What is it?" he asked, staring intently at the face of the happy baby on the package.
"It's a Johnny Jump-Up," Anna said. "Well, at least that's what it was called a long time ago. I'm not sure what this one goes by. But April loved it when she was little. I don't know what I would have done without it. It guaranteed I had enough time to make dinner and run a load of laundry every night."
Luke nodded as he skimmed through the instructions. "What does it do?"
"It attaches to a doorframe and then the baby can bounce up and down. It's great exercise for them; keeps 'em happy. And like I said, April loved it. I saw it as I was shopping around today and thought you might need it, once the baby's here," Anna explained.
Luke's head jerked up. "Is that safe?" he frowned.
"They've been around for a lot of years," Lorelai jumped in, smoothing things over. "I'm sure they wouldn't still be on the market if there'd been any problems. Rory never had one because I couldn't very well ask Mia to install one at the Independence, and the doorways in the potting shed weren't tall enough."
Anna gave her a strange look.
"I'll fill you in someday," Lorelai promised.
"Oh." Luke cleared his throat, totally ill-at-ease. "Well, thanks."
"You're welcome." Anna's voice was polite and stiff.
Lorelai flung herself into the breech once again. "And she brought me the tell-tale blanket, too!" She held up an impossibly tiny, fuzzy pink blanket, rubbing it against her cheek.
"What?" Luke asked.
Lorelai smiled at him gently. "This was the blanket that blabbed I was pregnant."
"Oh," Luke said again. He put the box back on the table and jammed his hands into his pockets. "Where's April?" he questioned.
"She went with Chelsea and her parents to the Boston Aquarium," Anna said.
"That's right. I remember now," Luke muttered. He looked desperately at Lorelai.
Lorelai tilted her head back at him, seemingly telling him to be patient. To his surprise, she then turned towards Anna, giving her a look of encouragement. "Go on," she urged her, softly.
Anna clenched her fists and sighed deeply. "This isn't easy," she said to the room at large. She took a moment, staring at her hands.
Finally she looked at Luke. "I cheated you," she said simply. "I didn't realize how much until just recently. I know you won't believe me, but I wasn't trying to hurt you by keeping April from you. I honestly thought I was doing you a favor."
"A favor!" Luke burst out, incensed.
"Wait," Lorelai cautioned him.
Anna squeezed her eyes shut a moment. "Luke, try to remember back to when we were together. Be honest. We had some good times, but it wasn't anything deeper than that. After we broke up, did you ever even think about looking me up again?"
Luke looked down at the toe of his boot, trying to regulate his breathing and his anger. "No," he finally acknowledged.
"And I wasn't pining after you, either," Anna told him. "You didn't want me and I was looking for something more than you," she said bluntly. "When I found out I was pregnant, it was a shock to discover how much I wanted a baby. I knew you didn't, and I was willing to take on the responsibility of it. I didn't see any reason to bother you about it. It was my decision; not yours. I didn't want you to feel obligated towards me or to April. You have to believe me when I say that I was convinced I was doing you a favor by not involving you." Anna's eyes sought his from her seat on the couch.
Luke clenched and unclenched the muscle in his jaw as he tried to make his voice work. "It wasn't fair," he finally told her, the torment he was feeling obvious in his tone.
"No, it wasn't," she agreed sadly. "I made a huge mistake. I cheated you, Luke. I know there's nothing I can do to make it up to you. I just hope that someday you can believe me when I tell you how sorry I am."
"I can't…" He looked off across the room. "I can't do that yet."
"I know," Anna agreed immediately. "I don't expect you to. But I'm going to do my best to make sure you have time with April now. I know it doesn't take away what I cost you, but unfortunately, it's all I've got to offer."
Luke nodded and looked at Lorelai. She was smiling gently at him, her eyes warm with love and understanding for him. She then looked at Anna.
"And there's something else," she delicately reminded her.
"Oh, yeah." Anna pointed at one of the boxes. "I went through a lot of April's pictures and made copies. I know it's not much, but…" Her voice lost steam, unable to convey the apology she wished.
"There's one here where she's baking a cake," Lorelai said brightly, waving the picture at him. "I'm afraid she doesn't have your diner gene, Babe."
He smiled faintly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Lorelai looked at him challengingly and shuffled herself a little closer to Anna on the couch. She patted the spot next to her invitingly. "Come see," she said, her voice filled with encouragement.
"So how old was she here?" Lorelai asked, sharing the photo with Anna.
Anna stopped looking guilty and smiled at the picture of her little girl. "She was about 7. She was fascinated with Alton Brown at that time. She loved to listen to his scientific explanations about what makes food cook the way it does…"
Slowly, Luke made his way to the couch and settled down beside Lorelai. He leaned over her shoulder and she moved the picture so he could see it, too. He studied a 7-year-old April, noticing how much her facial expression in the picture looked just like his mother. He listened to Lorelai asking questions, and he listened to Anna eagerly supplying the answers. And somehow he knew that if he just trusted Lorelai she'd guide him through this hurt and anger to a place where he could enjoy the present without agonizing over the past he'd missed.
Carefully he leaned closer to her under the guise of studying the picture. He rubbed her shoulder the littlest bit. She turned to him, her eyes bright and happy. He smiled at her; gave her her smile, hoping she knew what he was trying to tell her. She smiled even brighter and gave him her endearingly awkward wink. He leaned against her, now able to enjoy what had turned into a special moment.
Sometimes life was pretty good. And this was one of those times.
