Author's Note: at the risk of giving spoilers for this current chapter, this fic is sort of a companion to I drabble I wrote last week, "The Pearl Necklace". You definitely don't have to read it to understand it, but it does fit in here. You'll see when you get to the end.
Rory & April (Part 2)
"Dad loves you too, Rory. You should hear the way he talks about you-I'm not the only one he's proud of. And while I still think Mom was totally wrong about everything, maybe it's also true that Dad wouldn't have been the same with me if he hadn't had the experience with you first."
Despite Rory's initial misgivings, Christmas turns out to be just as magical as Christmases in the past. Though it isn't quite like the Christmases she and her mother had with Mia and Sookie when she was younger and definitely not like her Christmas in London last year, Rory nonetheless finds herself bit by the holiday bug. At her first taste of Luke's pancakes, she finds herself thinking that this Christmas is beginning to move up the ladder considerably.
"This is amazing, Luke," she says, swallowing a bite of pancakes. The taste of the chocolate chips continues to dance in her mouth. "Seriously, I don't know if it's because I've been starved from your pancakes so much on the campaign trail, but these pancakes are really good. You've truly outdone yourself."
Luke smiles. "Thanks, Rory." He turns to April, who is swirling around her sausage links with her fork. "Is your breakfast okay?"
"Huh? Oh, it's fine." April seems startled that Luke asked. "I was just thinking that I'm so glad I'm here for Christmas. There's a reason there's a song called 'White Christmas,' after all. Christmas in New Mexico just wouldn't be the same."
"Well, I'm glad you're happy," Luke says, smiling at her, and April smiles back. Rory feels her heart tugging, and she quickly looks away. You need to be mature about this, she reminds herself, taking another bite of pancake. April and your future sibling are lucky to have Luke as a father. Besides, it's right that Gigi sees Sherry, too. For all that he didn't do, at least your dad didn't walk out and abandon you in the same way Sherry or Jess's dad did.
Lorelai is the only one who does not seem to be following this conversation. She has a stack of both blueberry and chocolate pancakes, on account of her pregnancy cravings for slightly healthier food-not that, in Rory's opinion, the blueberries in the pancakes make the pancakes much healthier. "Hey, you remember that one Christmas Luke left the diner open?" Lorelai asks Rory. "I think it was like the first one after we met, because I don't remember us going to the diner for Christmas the next year."
"Yeah, it definitely was, since I remember you calling me Duke-she used to call me Duke for a while," Luke says, as an aside to April. April looks especially interested. She puts down her fork and looks at Lorelai, giving her almost stepmother her full attention.
"Duke?" she asks.
"Yeah, I thought 'Duke's Diner' had nice alliteration to it," Lorelai says. "I think I started calling him that before I even knew his last name was 'Danes,' and believe me, when I realized it that if his name was 'Duke,' there would have been two alliterations-'Duke Danes' and 'Duke's Diner'-my mind almost exploded."
"She kept talking about it for days," Rory says to April, nodding knowingly. "You're lucky you weren't around."
"Shush you. The point is, before we stopped in, I said to Rory, 'What kind of a man leaves his restaurant open for Christmas?' All that was missing from you was green makeup and those little Grinch ears, though that baseball cap and flannel were a pretty dam good substitute. Then, when we came in and I asked you why you were open, you just looked at me and said, 'Do you want to order or not?' Imagine! You had no Christmas decorations, no tree, nothing! It was blasphemy I tell you…utter blasphemy!"
Luke rolls his eyes. "Yeah, cause every single being on this earth, regardless of their religion, celebrates Christmas."
"Well, excuse me for not noticing the Menorah," Lorelai retorts. "Anyway, when we started home, I turned to Rory and said, 'Can you imagine what kind of childhood Luke must have had?' We spent the car ride theorizing what kind of awful things had turned you off about Christmas."
"Number one on the list was that you were in the living recreation of Ebenezer Scrooge," Rory says, nodding. She and her mother grin when Luke squirms.
"Is there any point to this story?" he says, groaning.
"The point," says Lorelai loudly, touching Luke on the arm, "is that here we are, eleven years later, with both of our lovely girls, an upcoming wedding, and a little baby on the way. You can just call me Cindy-Lou Who, cause babe, that Christmas and this one are night and day."
"Nice story," Luke says, standing up. He surveys their plates. "You want me to get anything out of the way? I know how eager you are for this next part of the morning."
"Present time!" Rory and Lorelai squeal, rushing to the tree in their living room. An amused April follows, a few steps behind them.
Though Rory and April begin sorting through the presents the instant they sit down, Lorelai holds up a hand to stop her. "Lu-uke!" she whines. "It's baby's first Christmas! You have to be here for every moment!"
"It's a Christmas the baby isn't going to even remember," Luke says from the kitchen. Lorelai starts to beg again, and he sighs. "Oh, all right. I guess I can wash the plates later."
"Ah, such a man," Lorelai says, leaning back contently, as Luke appears, grumbling. "Get the timer ready, Rory. Let's see how well we do on this."
"What on earth?" Luke says, but his protests are drowned out after Rory hits the "Start" button and Lorelai shouts for them to begin.
Wrapping paper is discarded everywhere. Though Luke does not succumb to the madness, April, Rory, and Lorelai get into it. Within two minutes and thirty seconds, every present is unwrapped, from sets of earrings and jewelry to Lorelai's new Hello Kitty toaster. "Wow," says Rory, out of breath. "I think we made a world record!"
"Not quite," Lorelai says, producing a small gift from behind her back. With a smile, she hands the gift to Luke. "I got this for the baby. I want you to be one who opens it."
Frowning, Luke begins to open the present. Lorelai, April, and Rory giggle when he takes out a mini baseball cap, almost identical to the one on his head. "Ah, geez," he mutters. Still giggling, Lorelai points to the pink cap on her own head.
"I told you there was a reason I needed a baseball cap!" she says. "Now, we can be the Backwards Baseball Cap Family or the B.B.C.F. for short, and I can officially be Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap!"
April squirms, and Rory feels her own heart sinking. Completely oblivious, Luke shakes his head and plants a peck on Lorelai's lips. Lorelai beams at him, cradling the cap in her hands. Still grinning, she turns to Rory and April, who are looking away. "Now, what do you say we postpone cleaning up the wrapping paper and the big scary kitchen and get ready for ice skating?"
Aprils frowns at her. "You still want to go?"
"Of course I still want to go," Lorelai says, wrinkling her forehead. "We planned it, remember?"
"I know," says April, hesitating. "I just thought, well-"
"We weren't sure you and Luke were still up for watching us skate," Rory interrupts. April shoots her a grateful look, and Rory mouths "You're welcome" back at her.
"I've been looking forward to watching you two skate!" says Lorelai, who has missed the whole exchange. "Now, all we need are your coats and skates, and we're outta here."
Not budging, April looks up at Lorelai. After swaying for a few moments, she begins to speak. "Uh, Lorelai, I know this is completely off-topic, but what am I going to do tomorrow night, during your bachelorette party? Mom mentioned she was really worried about it the other night, and I can't stay with Dad, since he has his bachelor party too. I know that drinking is a hazard while you're pregnant, so that's certainly out of the question, but Mom doesn't feel comfortable with me staying with a bunch of adult women."
Lorelai and Luke exchange looks. "If you want, I can talk to your mom," Lorelai says, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I've guilted people into not bringing booze by playing the pregnancy card, and we were just going to rent out Black, White, and Read and watch a series of movies there…and not graphic movies, either."
"I know, but I'm pretty knowledgeable about what happens at these kinds of events," April says. "There might not be alcohol and the movies might not be inappropriate, but there is still Miss Patty. To be entirely honest, I'm not even sure how comfortable I feel about being at a bachelorette party while she's in attendance. I mean, it would be entertaining, but I don't have much curiosity about Miss Patty's sex life. I was actually thinking of offering to babysit Doula, so Aunt Liz and Uncle T.J. can go out, and then hanging low at either Dad's or your place."
"But honey, I don't want you to be bored by yourself," Lorelai says, frowning. Rory speaks before she has a chance to think about it.
"I'll stay with her." Seeing her mother's and April's wide eyes, she hurriedly attempts to explain. "Well, maybe not the whole night, but I could leave before the end and then help with Doula. I know most of the reason you're planning on not talking about anything too naughty is cause I'll be in attendance. Lane's probably going to duck out early for the twins, and that way I'll get out of your hair too. We can watch movies for the first part, and then, when you're done, you can let Sookie take over and do whatever she wants to do."
Luke, whose face is flaming, leaves the room. "But sweets, you're the maid-of-honor," Lorelai says, unbothered that their bluntness has caused her fiancé to leave. "I don't want you both missing out on my bachelorette party."
"I know, Mom, but I would still be there for the parts I'm comfortable with," Rory says. "I'm inclined to agree with April here, cause I really don't want to hear anything else about Miss Patty's sex life, either. That way, I can be here for the parts I'm comfortable with, and then the real adult party can go underway. April can choose whether she wants to stay for the first part or not."
"You're sure?" Lorelai says, looking at both of them. When they nod, she sighs. "Well, to be honest, that would make me feel a lot better. I don't want to get into trouble with Anna, and you not being alone makes me feel a lot better."
"Well, Mom will be certainly happy to hear about that," April says, nodding. She turns to Rory. "Are you really okay with this? I know how close you and your mom are, and I don't want to intrude."
"April, it's fine," Rory says. "I've been wanting to spend more time with you anyway. We can have a movie night or girl talk or something. Besides, as close as Mom and I are, there are some things I don't want to hear about, either."
"Ah geez," says Luke, from the kitchen. The three laugh and go to the closet to pick up their coats. Confident that she has made the right decision, Rory feels a small smile tugging at her lips.
The first few hours of the bachelorette party go by quickly. They watch American Gigolo (on account of missing the showing at Lane's bachelorette party), Dirty Dancing (for Patrick Swayze eye candy), and Pretty in Pink (as homage to Lorelai's youth). In spite of the "no drinking" rule, Rory catches a few women sneaking sips from flasks. Even Emily, tired from the trip back from the Vineyard, has succumbed to the madness.
"So," Miss Patty says once the last movie is over, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, "anything you want to share, Lorelai?"
"And I think that's my cue to go," Rory says. She kisses her mom on the cheek, before giving a similar peck to Emily. "Bye Mom. Bye Grandma. Try not to do anything that will disturb my future sibling for life."
"Bye Rory!" says Sookie, her voice betraying her intoxication. The next-to-last thing Rory hears before she leaves is Lulu, still speaking in her innocent voice, suggesting a game of Ten Fingers with lemonade, instead of alcohol.
She groans after Miss Patty starts by saying, "I've never made love in the diner's store room." Though she does not look behind her to see whether her mom has put down one finger, the catcalls that follow are answer enough. Now certain she has made the right choice, Rory rushes out of the theatre.
When Rory arrives back at the Crap Shack, she finds April sitting on the couch in the living room, writing something. A sleeping Doula rests in her portable crib, a few feet away. Taking a seat next to April, Rory points to the paper in April's hand. "What are you working on?"
"Oh, I was just working on my speech for the rehearsal dinner," April says, looking up. "Since you, Jess, and Lorelai's dad are making the speeches for the actual wedding party, Aunt Liz and I decided to make ours at the rehearsal dinner. It does fit, cause traditionally the groom's family is supposed to throw the rehearsal dinner." She puts down the piece of paper. "How was the party?"
"Well, if I were you, I'd wait a little to watch American Gigolo," Rory says. "I mean, it's not Showgirls, but I don't think your dad would be comfortable with you seeing full-frontal nudity. You would have been okay with Dirty Dancing and Pretty in Pink, though."
"Oh, yeah, Lorelai had us watch Pretty in Pink at my thirteenth birthday party," April says. They are both silent for a few moments, remembering what transpired between their parents at around the same time.
April speaks up, a little tentatively. "Uh, Rory?"
Rory turns to her. "Yeah, April?"
"Well, I was just having trouble writing my speech." She motions to the piece of paper. "I've researched it, and my favorite wedding speeches have some memory of the bride and groom, but the thing is, I really haven't known Dad that long. I mean, he and Lorelai gave me the whole history of their romance when I visited last summer, but still, the most I have to draw on is how miserable he was without your mom last year. Seeing as Aunt Liz's speech is bound to be embarrassing, I don't want to make Dad sad, too. I was just wondering if you had any tidbits about my dad and your mom that maybe I could add in."
Rory nods, considering this. "Well, to be honest, April, my best tidbit is already in my wedding speech, but I don't think you necessarily need to make your tidbit about both my mom and your dad. For Lane's bachelorette party, I just read a note Lane gave me in fourth grade. You can probably just share a memory with you and your dad or something. I'll bet that's what your aunt will be doing."
April pushes up her glasses. "I know, but I just feel so weird, not having been there for any of that," she says. "Their entire romance lasted eleven years, and that was really ten years, since last year they were in that big fight. When you total it all up, I wasn't even around for a year of that. I was thinking of maybe polling people about Lorelai and my dad and then using the results in my speech." She looks at Rory. "Did you always know your mom and my dad were going to get together?"
"Well, I don't know if I thought about it much when I was younger, but it certainly crossed my mind a couple of times," Rory says. "Mostly, I was just afraid of them breaking up and us not being able to eat at the diner again, but your dad has always been great about not letting his relationship with my mom get in the way of ours. I guess deep down, yeah, I knew something would happen. Your dad was way more open about his pining, but my mom wasn't innocent either. She may have been way more subtle, but I definitely saw her checking him out a few times."
April sighs. "I just wish my mom would have told me about Dad earlier. That way, I could have actually seen their relationship with my very own eyes, and they wouldn't have been apart last year or anything."
"Listen, April," Rory says, remembering what her mother told her about Anna's and April's fight back in October, "I know you're upset with your mom right now, but you can't take this out on her completely. It was our parents' problem to work through, not hers. I was angry at her too, but your mom actually had a few good points. I was sixteen before I ever met one of my mom's boyfriends, and, if you knew the story, that was pretty inevitable, anyway. You can't blame your mom for not wanting you hurt."
"Yeah, but they were engaged," April says, exaggerating the word. "Not introducing me to the random guys she goes out with is one thing, but not letting me get to know my dad's fiancée was different. If it had been up to her, the first time I met Lorelai would have been at the wedding. I mean, can you imagine how awkward that would have been? Watching my dad get married to someone I didn't even know?"
"I guess that might have been awkward," Rory says, trying to lighten up the situation.
"I just miss my mom's and my relationship," April admits, taking on a more serious tone than Rory is used to. "When I was younger, we were as close as Lorelai and you, but ever since Dad's been in my life, things have changed. Moving to New Mexico definitely didn't help either. We don't even really talk anymore-not aside from asking each other how our days went, I mean. I guess being here just makes me remember what I used to have." She shrugs. "You and Lorelai are pretty lucky."
"Aw, April, everyone hits rough patches," Rory says, honestly touched by this statement. "It's true that my mom and I were always close in my childhood, but even we fought from time-to-time. I don't know if you heard about it, but right before you came to Luke, we had a fight where we barely talked for five months. "
"You and Lorelai went five months fighting?" April says, her eyes widening. "That must have been some fight."
"Yeah, it was," Rory says. Looking at April again, it strikes her that now might be the right time to take action. "Hey April, do you mind if I leave for a minute? There's something from my room that I want to show you."
"Sure," says April. She watches as Rory heads to her bedroom and pulls out a piece of jewelry from her jewelry drawer. A few minutes later, she returns, clutching a necklace in her hands.
"This was your grandmother's necklace," Rory says, opening her palm to reveal the pearls. "Your dad gave it to me for my twenty-first birthday. Even though my mom and I were in the middle of the fight at the time, he still gave me a birthday present."
"It's beautiful," April says, staring at the pearls in Rory's hands. Rory takes a deep breath before she next speaks.
"I want you to have this necklace."
It takes a few minutes for April to register the words. "You want to give me the necklace?" she says. When Rory nods, she shakes her head. "Rory, I can't take this. Dad gave it to you, not to me."
"April, this was your granddaughter's," Rory says, her heart rate beginning to increase. "You never knew her, and the least you deserve is a little souvenir from the great woman I'm sure that she was. If Luke had known about you at the time, this would have been yours. You're his daughter, April. You deserve to take this."
She doesn't realize her voice has cracked until she sees the expression on April's face. April's face is filled with the same feelings Rory herself wore only a few minutes before-gratitude, sheepishness, and sympathy. Before Rory can turn away, not used to displaying vulnerability about this particular subject, April speaks.
"You know, I still remember how weird it was the first few days after Dad won the court case," April says, gazing into the distance. "I mean, we were pretty preoccupied packing and starting to say our goodbyes, but it was still weird. She barely even looked at me for a while. I didn't dare mention Dad or even visiting my friends again, cause I knew it would set her off. It wasn't until we came to New Mexico that I overheard her talking to my grandma and figured some things out."
As April turns back to Rory, her voice fills with a matter-of-fact tone typical of April. "My mom made a mistake. That much is obvious. No matter how anti-kid my dad was at the time, things would have been different with his own kid. Except in forms of like, filial cannibalism or something, most species care for their young. That's just a fact. I'm not saying it's not good in some ways that my mom didn't tell him, as hello, our parents are perfect for each other, and I can't imagine how miserable my parents would have been cause I know my dad would have tried to step up and marry her, but when I overheard my mom talking to my grandma, she finally admitted that she had made a mistake. And I guess a big part of that was because of the character reference your mom did for Dad."
April motions to the pearl necklace in Rory's hand. "Dad loves you too, Rory. You should hear the way he talks about you-I'm not the only one he's proud of. And while I still think Mom was totally wrong about everything, maybe it's also true that Dad wouldn't have been the same with me if he hadn't had the experience with you first. I know this is really bordering on Adam Sandler Wedding Singer cheesy, but I know Dad. He doesn't just think of you as the girl who's about to be his stepdaughter. I'll bet if you ask Dad, he'd say that he loves you just as much as the baby and me."
Rory swallows, overcome by April's words. While she didn't tell anyone how jealous of April she was when she first found out about her, inside, she felt the deep pain of someone else having the father that she always wished for. Now, she sees April as the curious, insightful, and funny girl that she is. It occurs to Rory now that April is probably feeling the same way about the new baby as Rory does. Unlike with Gigi, Rory will have another person to mentor her new sibling with-another person who will share the duty of being a role model. She and April will be big sisters together, as well as stepsisters, and she finds herself excited by the thought.
Rory turns to April, trying to scrutinize her face. "Are you sure? Cause if you, you know, change your mind, I'll be happy to share the necklace with you."
"I'm sure," says April in her confident voice. She picks up the piece of paper she was working on. "Hey, I'd really like to watch a movie, but this talk gave me some great ideas for my rehearsal dinner speech. Do you mind if I go ahead and write this speech first, and maybe you can pick out a movie in the meantime?"
"Sure," Rory says, wondering how their conversation has helped April's speech. "I think I have just the movie for us to watch."
Later that night, after watching One Fine Day, April has conked out on the couch. Doula is in Rory's bedroom, so she could continue to sleep without the T.V.'s distraction. Although it is one 'o clock in the morning, the bachelorette party is not over yet. Rory has a nagging feeling that her mother, as probably the only sober person at the party, will be the party's designated driver.
Though she is not sure April will want her speech read, Rory finds herself looking at the folded piece of paper on the coffee table. After a short hesitation, she gives in to temptation and unfolds the piece of paper. She smiles when she begins to read, filled with renewed love for her little stepsister.
Hi, my name is April Nardini, and I'm making this a toast to my dad, Luke Danes, in honor of his marriage. Dad, the day is finally here, and you're getting everything you wanted. I couldn't be happier for you. Congratulations.
As many of you know, I haven't been in my dad's life very long. I only met him two years ago, so I don't know as much about his relationship with Lorelai as the rest of you do. I have, however, heard many stories from the rest of the town, and I have seen with my own eyes my dad and Lorelai in action. I might not have been around for the full eleven years, but I still know that Lorelai and my dad are perfect for each other.
This wedding is also exciting for me personally, because I am going to be gaining a new family. Not only will I have a new sister or brother in a few months, but I will also be gaining a stepmother and stepsister. Lorelai and Rory, I'm so excited that you'll be part of the family. You guys are both so awesome, and I'm totally psyched to be a temporary "Gilmore girl".
Two facts remain. I wish I had met my dad sooner. Along with the rest of you, I also think it's too bad that it's taken eleven years for Dad and Lorelai to have finally reached this happy occassion. But since so far, the only theories about time travel are about traveling thousands of years into the future and not a few into the past, there's really no use dwelling on the past. Either way, I have this to say: Dad, I know waiting sucked, but thanks for stalling enough to allow me to be apart of this day. I'm so glad that I'll get to be here on the happiest day of your life. And while I know admitting it would desperately destroy the whole Grinch attitude Lorelai talks about, I think we'll all see the truth tomorrow.
To my dad and Lorelai, my stepmom-to-be. Congratulations, and may the next eleven years bring just as much joy- but maybe not as many ups and downs-as the first.