Hey guys, it seems like you want me to continue so I will write for as long as I can. After I wrote this I realized it might be a little sappy but whatever I still like it. And a lot of it I think is important for the continuation of the story. I'll tyr and update soon! Thanks for all the reviews :)
Lorelai woke up the next morning wrapped up the familiar white sheets and plaid comforter on Luke's bed. Her eyes fluttered open only a few times but she still saw that Luke was lying on his side watching her intently. She sighed happily and felt the smile growing on her lips.
"This feels wonderfully familiar…" She mumbled as she reached for him, his warm skin making her heart skip a beat.
He pulled her hands up from his chest to his lips and kissed them gently, "I kept waking up to make sure you were still here. And then I would see the ring on your finger and I knew it was real."
She smiled and scooted closer to him, she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. "It's real. This is happening and you aren't getting rid of me again. So you better decide now if you can actually handle all the crazy. I will warn you though that if you do try and get rid of me I will not take it well and you may wake up with a horse's head in your bed tomorrow morning."
Luke chuckled, "I wasn't aware that you were Italian."
"My Mother had a brief affair while on a trip to Rome. We don't mention it much." She said with a casual shrug.
He laughed again, "You really are insane, you know that right?"
She beamed up at him, "I do. But you do realize YOU asked me to marry you so if I'm insane what does that make you?"
"Hopeless." He said with a smirk, "I apparently find insanity attractive in a woman."
"In any woman?" She said with a raised eyebrow challenging him.
He smirked, "I probably should have stuck with the first wife…"
"Luke!" She squealed slapping his chest before sitting up, pulling the sheet around her. "You jerk!"
He smiled up at her and pulled at her arm, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You know I regretted that marriage more than anything."
She pouted down at him, "You are so mean."
He reached up and pulled her down on the bed, rolling her over so she was underneath him as he hovered over her. "Lorelai…we've talked about this. You know I married her because I thought I'd never be with you…just like what you did with Chris."
She pouted more, "Only yours was actually legal and she actually was Mrs. Danes."
"If we had stayed together she never would have changed her name. It never felt like we were married…it felt like a gigantic mistake. And up until the night I let you go it was the biggest mistake I made. I never loved her; I never could have loved her. Simply because she wasn't you…You will be Mrs. Danes not her," He paused, "That s if you want to take my name…"
She smiled lovingly up at him, "Yes. I want to take your name."
"Yeah?" He said grinning down at her as her words washed over him.
"I want the world to know I am taken by the most amazing man in the world." She said, her eyes and smile beaming up at him. "Mrs. Lorelai Gilmore Danes."
He leaned down and kissed her gently, "God that sounds good…"
She kissed him again, "It sounds perfect."
He smiled again and then rolled on to his side and pulled her up against him, she rested her head on his chest. Her hand slid up around the hard muscles of his stomach and she played with the soft hairs against his chest.
"Think I should head downstairs in your flannel and announce our reengagement?" She teased.
Luke chuckled thinking about the morning after their first date, "I still can't believe you did that…"
"How was I supposed to know the Diner could open without you? It says your name outside on the door doesn't it?" She said lifting her head up to look at him with an exasperated sigh.
He continued to laugh, "You've been to the Diner when I wasn't working. I assumed you would know that it does run without me occasionally."
She rolled her eyes and then leaned her head against his chest again, "Well…whatever. I gave the town a good show."
He groaned, "Don't remind me. Andrew and Kirk kept staring at you like a piece of meat for a week. I wanted to kill them."
She giggled, "Oh let 'em dream…"
"I don't want any man or woman for that matter dreaming about you in any way but especially not in a sexual way. Those are reserved only for me." He said with a stubborn pout.
She smiled and nuzzled her nose against his chest, "You dream about me Burger Boy?"
He groaned as he felt her fingers wander south, "Lorelai I've been dreaming about you for years. No other woman has starred in any of my dreams since the day you walked into the Diner."
"Do you often have dirty dreams about me?" She said lifting her head up again to smile down at him.
He shrugged, "Maybe I do…maybe I don't."
She moaned happily and leaned forward to kiss him, "You should share those dreams with me…I'd be happy to let you live out your fantasies."
"You are my fantasy Lorelai…always have been…always will be." He whispered in a husky but honest voice.
"Smooth talker…" She said with a smile as she leaned down to kiss him again, "Man I love you…"
"Good. Cuz I love you too…" He said holding her face in his hands, "You know, what you said about telling the town…"
She stared down at him, "What about it? Do you not want to tell them?"
He shook his head, "No. That's not it. I want to tell them but I just think we should tell Rory first…and April too."
She smiled, "You're right."
"You should know by now I'm always right…" He teased, tickling her sides.
She rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't go that far…"
He chuckled, "Do you want to tell Rory alone or do you want me to be there? She obviously didn't find out in the ideal way last time…"
She shook her head and sighed sadly, "No…she didn't. But no I don't want to do it alone, I think we should do it together."
"Do you think she will be okay with it? Her approval means a lot to me and I don't want her to think we are moving to fast…" He whispered.
"I don't think she will think that. I think she will be happy for us…she wants me to be happy and she knows you make me happy. And more than that she adores you Luke, you have been such a big part of her life for so long. It didn't just hurt me when we were apart…she missed you too. She just didn't say anything because she knew bringing it up would hurt me…but she really did miss you. I know she did." She said caressing his face softly.
"So you think she'll be happy for us?" He asked nervously.
"Yes. She will be happy for us. Luke she has always wanted you to be a part of our family…she told you that. She knew we were supposed to be together long before I realized it." She said honestly. "She loves you Luke."
"Well I love her too…you know I'd do anything for her." He said honestly.
Lorelai nodded, "I know that. And that makes me love you even more."
He smiled up at her, "Good. So we'll tell her first."
Lorelai nodded, "And what about April? We'll have to tell Anna too…" She paused nervously, "We haven't seen her since all of this happened…"
Luke could sense her fears and insecurities, "I know what you are thinking. But I'm not going to let Anna make the decisions this time around. You are going to be my wife and it doesn't matter what she thinks. You are a part of my life which means you will be a part of April's…don't worry."
She smiled at him, "Okay…" Slowly she lowered her head to his chest again and then lifted her hand to stare at the glistening ring on her finger. "This ring really is beautiful…I just want to stare at it all day."
He smiled and ran a hand down her bare back, "You sure you like it? I can get a new one if you want. I uh…" He cleared his throat nervously, "I threw the old one in the lake when Rory gave it back to me…"
She held him closer, hating that he had felt such pain, "Oh hon…"
"I tried to keep it for awhile but it just hurt to much knowing it wasn't on your finger anymore." He whispered honestly. "So after a few too many beers one night it took a little dip. But I can buy a new one if you want…something more modern."
Lorelai shook her head, "No Luke, this one is perfect. It is so beautiful, and knowing that your Mom wore it makes me love it that much more."
He smiled as he traced circles on her back, "My Dad saved up money for a year to buy that ring."
"I thought you said they only dated for a year before they got engaged?" She said lifting her head to look up at him curiously, "That doesn't make sense…"
Luke smiled, "He knew after their first date that she was the one."
Lorelai unexpectedly felt her eyes well up with tears, "Really?"
He nodded his head proudly, "He said when he dropped her off at home that night he realized he could never spend another night with any other woman. So he went home and started putting money in a jar to save up for the ring."
"Wow…" Lorelai whispered as she lay back down again on his chest, lifting her hand to stare at the ring again she continued to talk. "God I wish I had met your parents…"
Luke felt the lump beginning to grow in his throat, "I wish you could have met them too. They would have loved you…I know they would have."
"I hope so…" She whispered softly, "I would want their approval…"
"They would have thought you were too good for me." He teased trying to hide the emotion in his voice.
Lorelai shook her head, "No way. You're the one that's too good for me."
He lifted his hand from her back to start caressing the back of her head, "I mean it though. They really would have loved you…I wish I could see you with them. That would make me so happy…to have my favorite people all together."
"You miss them everyday don't you…" It was more of a statement than a question.
The lump began to grow in his throat again, "Every minute of everyday…just like I missed you when we weren't together."
"I missed you too…" She said nuzzling his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of him. "I missed you so much Luke…"
He held her close for a few moments in comfortable silence before he started to talk again, "If I asked you to go somewhere with me…would you do it?"
Curiously, she lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest, "It depends. If you ask me to go the gym I can tell you the answer to that will always be no."
Luke chuckled and ran a hand through her dark curls, "Well obviously."
She smiled up at him and ran her hand up his arm as she stared up at him, "But where were you talking about?"
"Well…" He paused and let out a nervous breath, "I totally understand if you think its weird or it makes you uncomfortable…but…I just uh…"
"Hon just ask me…" She said as she reached up to stroke his cheek. "I'd do anything for you."
He licked his lips nervously and continued to twirl her hair, something that always calmed him. "Would you go to the cemetery with me? I don't really like to go…usually just once a year but I don't know…" He shrugged, "I just…I don't know it might be nice to have you there…it would feel like I could introduce you to them. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous because they aren't actually there…you know what never mind." He said pulling away and rolling to his side to try and get up.
"Luke wait…" She grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him back to her but he pulled away, "Stop. Please stop."
He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, hanging his head in shame. "Just forget I even said it okay? It's stupid."
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind and kissed the side of his face. "Luke it is not stupid. Of course I will go with you…I want to meet them. It's not the ideal way but it's the best we can do…you tell me when you want to go and I'm there."
He sighed again and reached up to hold her hands against his chest, "Really?"
She kissed his cheek again, "Really."
He smiled and turned slowly so he could look her in the eye. "Thank you…"
She smiled and held his cheek in her hand as she kissed him gently. "Nothing to thank me for."
He leaned her back against the bed again and held himself above her, "Can we go in a little while? I want to lie here with you for a little while longer…"
"I like the sound of that…" She smiled as he lay beside her and pulled her up against his side and made sure to held her extra close.
An hour later, Luke called Lane and Ceaser and told them to take the day off. He was closing the Diner for the day to spend time with Lorelai. They had eaten breakfast and showered before driving in the truck to the cemetery. Luke parked and then sat for a minute thinking, Lorelai sat patiently waiting until he was ready. After a few minutes, he looked over at her, smiled and then opened the door of the truck. She picked up the flowers she had bought for them to place on the grave and then followed him.
She took his hand as he led her towards a large oak tree that shaded the tombstone of his parents. She felt him tense for only a moment when they stopped in front of it, she studied their names carefully. Then she pulled away slowly and bent down to place the flowers against the cool, grey stone.
Standing back up, she linked her arm with his and waited once more for him to speak, "Uh…hey Mom and Dad. Sorry it's been awhile since I visited last…" He cleared his throat and nervously kicked at the dirt at his feet. "But I…I wanted to introduce you to someone. Someone I think you both would have really liked…in fact I think you would have loved her."
She smiled beside him and squeezed his arm encouragingly; he looked back over at her and smiled softly. "Mom, Dad…this is my fiancé Lorelai. I know you've heard me talk about her before…and I know told you we were engaged before but…" He paused, "I've never brought her here. And…this time around I want to do things differently. I want to share everything with her…something I haven't been able to do before. But…she's the one…she's smart and funny and so incredibly giving. She is an amazing mother and friend, an incredible business woman and she's the only person that has ever been able to pull me out of my shell."
By now, Lorelai was crying, unable to hold back any longer. "I waited a long time to be with her…too long and I don't want to wait anymore. I want to be with her and have a life with her like the two of you had. I wish that you could be here to meet her in person…that would make me so happy. I uh…" He sniffled, trying to hold in his own tears, "I miss you both so much…and I uh…" He coughed softly, "I love you…"
Lorelai wiped her tears away and held him closer; she rested her head against his shoulder and let him think in silence for a few moments. Then she cleared her own throat and turned towards the stone.
"Mr. and Mrs. Danes…I wish I could say this in person…but I want to thank you for raising the most amazing man I have ever known. Even though he pretends to be this tough, uncaring man he is actually the most compassionate man I have ever known. He would do anything for anyone and he never asks for anything in return." She could feel Luke staring at her out of the corner of his eye but she continued to only stare at the stone in front of her. "He took care of me and my daughter for years…he was always there. No matter what happened I knew that I was never alone…I wish I hadn't of wasted so much time trying to pretend I didn't feel the way I do. But…I was afraid." She sniffled again, "And I know that I have made many mistakes...truthfully I'm not even sure I deserve him but I…"
She paused, the lump in her throat was making it hard for her to speak. She took a deep breath and glanced over at him and smiled softly. "I want you to know that I love him more than anything…I have tried to live my life without him but I couldn't do it. And I don't want to do it…your son makes me happier than I ever could have imagined. And I promise…" She turned back to the stone, "I promise that for the rest of my life I will continue to love him…I promise I will take care of him and cherish him everyday until I die. Thank you…thank you for creating such a wonderful man. I don't know what I would do without him…"
When she finished, she turned back towards him and saw the tears welling up in his eyes. She let out a ragged breath and then leaned forward and held his face in her hands, he leaned all the way in and kissed her.
"Thank you for coming with me…" He whispered in a ragged voice.
She rested her forehead against his, "Thank you for wanting to bring me here…"
Luke nodded slowly; he looked back at the tombstone and took a step closer to it. He still held her hand in his as he put his free hand on top of the stone. She studied him carefully, for a moment she thought he was going to say something else. Instead he just rubbed the cool stone for a moment and then cleared his throat and turned back towards her.
"Uh…do you want to drive to go see Rory? Probably better to do this in person. And I'm not sure this can wait until Friday…you know this town. Patty and Babette probably have cameras installed in the Diner and your house to keep tabs on us." He said.
Lorelai smirked, "Dirty…they would totally do that to be able to watch us while we-"
"Don't even finish that sentence." He said holding his hand up, "Couldn't even resist in a cemetery huh?"
She smirked, "You're the one that said something dirty!" She teased.
He turned back to towards the grave, "So that's Lorelai in a nutshell…"
She laughed and playfully punched him in the stomach, "I bet they would have agreed that that one really wasn't my fault…"
Luke smiled and reached for her hand again, "Come on crazy lady…"
She looked over his shoulder, "It was nice to finally meet you Mr. and Mrs. Danes…I meant what I said. I'm going to take care of him…forever."
He beamed down at her and then looked over to where she was looking, "Goodbye Mom and Dad…I'll come again soon."
She took his hand and let him lead her back towards the truck. She knew how emotional it was for him to take her here, and she knew better then to press him to talk about his feelings at the moment. Instead, she sat with him in his truck and sat in the comfortable silence, glad they were finally back on track.
An hour later, they pulled up to Rory's apartment building, Lorelai had called to make sure that she would be home. Lorelai led him up the stairs to Rory's floor and then took a deep breath and knocked on her daughters door.
After a moment, the door opened and Rory smiled at them. "Hey! I didn't realize you were both coming. What a nice surprise, come in!"
Lorelai smiled and took his hand leading him into the apartment, "You're not going to be missing any classes or anything right?"
Rory shook her head, "I only had a 8:30 class today. My seminar was cancelled, so I'm yours for the rest of the day if need be. What's going on?" She asked as they sat down, Luke and Lorelai on the couch and Rory on the love seat across from them.
"Well…we wanted to talk to you about something." Lorelai said pulling at her shirt nervously, "And we wanted to do it in person instead of over the phone…"
"Not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but I am coming home this weekend and I'll see you first at Friday night dinner. What's up? Is everything okay?" Rory asked starting to feel concerned, "Is it something with the case? Did Dad do something?"
Lorelai shook her head and took Luke's hand in hers, letting it rest on her knee. "No. No sweetie everything is okay…" She glanced over at Luke, "Everything is great actually."
Rory watched them for a moment before her face erupted in a smile, "You're engaged…"
Lorelai quickly looked back to her daughter and Luke's eyes widened, "How did you know? I took the ring off before I came in here so it wouldn't tip you off."
Rory's smile grew, "So I'm right? You're engaged?"
Lorelai nodded slowly, "Yes. We're engaged."
Rory squealed and then jumped up off of her seat, she launched herself at the two of them as they tried to catch her. "Whoa!" Luke said.
Lorelai laughed as she held her daughter, "So I guess this means you are okay with this then?"
"Are you kidding?" Rory said pulling back to sit on the coffee table between them, "On every birthday since I was 12 I have wished for the two of you crazy kids to get married! And I mean…I know you were engaged before but things were so different…" She shrugged, "Not just with you guys but with me too…this time I'm here from the beginning and you two are going to get married no matter what. Even if I have to drag you to the alter myself."
Lorelai smiled at her daughter, "I wouldn't worry…I'm not letting him get away this time."
Rory smiled and then turned to the man she had always thought of as a father, "What about you? You going to let her walk away again?"
Luke shook his head, he reached forward and took Rory's hand, they didn't often have much physical contact but he needed to assure her. "Rory…I promise you that this time around things are going to be different. I love your Mom…I've loved her for a very long time…" He smiled at her shyly, "And I love you too…this is all I've ever wanted. I swear to you that this time we are really getting married and I am going to take care of her and you…no matter what."
Rory smiled, "I know…I just wanted to make sure."
"You don't think we're going to fast or anything? I want to make sure that you are totally okay with this." Lorelai said, "Because Luke and I have talked about this and we are going to wait until after the trial but not much longer after that…we really want this. We don't want to wait anymore…we want to start our lives together."
Rory nodded, "I think it will be good to wait until after the trial. You don't want to go into your marriage with this hanging over your heads. You need a clean, fresh start. But no I don't think you should wait much longer than that…you've waited long enough."
"And you'll be my maid of honor of course, right?" Lorelai said with a smile as her eyes shined with tears.
Rory beamed at her Mother, "Well I would hope you wouldn't ask anyone else!"
Lorelai smiled again and leaned forward to hug her daughter, "I love you kiddo."
"I love you too Mom." She said hugging her Mom closely before she pulled away and looked at Luke. "And I…I love you too Luke. I hope you know that."
He smiled and reached for her hand, he squeezed it gently. "I do."
"No see that's what you are supposed to say to Mom when you guys are up on the alter…" Rory teased, she knew these kinds of things were difficult for him.
Lorelai laughed and Luke only shook his head, "God you are so like your mother it's actually terrifying."
Rory smiled and shrugged, "And you get to spend the rest of your life with both of us! Lucky you!"
Luke groaned, "Yeah…lucky me."
Lorelai scoffed and slapped him playfully, "You bet your ass you are lucky! You my friend get to spend the rest of your life with THE Gilmore girls. Luckiest. Man. Alive."
He smirked at them, "I guess I can't really argue with that…"
Rory smiled, "See I know this time around its going to stick." She paused and then looked back at her Mom, "And once this whole trial is behind you…you two are going to have a happy and long life. I know it…"
Lorelai smiled as the tears burned in her eyes again, "I hope you're right kid."
"I know I'm right." She said squeezing Luke's hand and smiling at her Mom, "Because if the two of you do anything to screw this up I'm going to kill you both. Seriously…this is the last chance you guys have…no more screwing around."
Lorelai opened her mouth to respond and Luke glared at her, "Don't you dare say dirty!"
Lorelai frowned, "Fine…I won't but come on…that was so dirty!"
"Mom, I love you guys but I don't want to think about that stuff…okay?" She said with a small laugh, "But yes it was dirty."
"At least you admit it!" Lorelai said pointing a finger at her as she laughed.
"Unbelievable…" Luke said shaking his head as he chuckled.
Rory smiled again and then looked back at her Mom, "Okay so you said you took the ring off. Let me see it! Is it the same one as before?"
Lorelai reached into her pocket and shook her head, "No…apparently that one took a little dip in the lake after you dropped it off at the Diner."
Rory grimaced, "I hated doing that…" She said turning towards Luke, "You know that right? It killed me…"
Luke nodded, "It wasn't my favorite day either…but I know that you had to do it. "
Rory nodded and then turned back to her Mom who pulled her new ring out of her pocket. She watched as Lorelai turned to Luke and handed him the ring, he smirked back at her and took her hand before sliding the ring back on her left ring finger.
"Look at you two…" Rory said smiling, "I haven't seen you guys this happy in a really long time…"
Lorelai turned back to her daughter, "We are happy kid. Really happy…"
Rory nodded and took her mothers hand to admire the ring, "Wow…Luke this is beautiful! When did you buy it?"
"He didn't buy it…" Lorelai said with a happy smile as she turned to her fiancé and beamed up at him.
"It was my mothers…" Luke whispered, he stared only at the ring because he was beginning to feel nervous and overwhelmed by all the emotions of the day.
Rory looked from the ring to Luke, "Oh Luke…"
He sighed, "Liz gave it to me after your mom and I broke up…and I was hoping that someday I'd get to give it to her. For a while there I didn't think it would ever happen but somehow I got lucky and she wanted to give me a second chance."
"It is so beautiful…" Rory said looking back at the ring on her mother's finger, "It's perfect. Absolutely perfect."
"Isn't it?" Lorelai said wiggling her finger happily, "And this one is never, ever coming off!"
"Damn right." Luke mumbled in agreement, he winked at Lorelai when she smiled up at him.
"So now that you told me…whose next on the list? You know if you tell to many people before Grandma and Grandpa she will absolutely freak out. And I know for a fact that Sookie has that cake topper stashed away in her kitchen waiting for you to tell her the wedding's back on. So whose next?"
Lorelai smiled, "I think the next person that needs to know is your future stepsister."
Rory smiled at her Mom and then looked back at Luke, "You uh…you mind if I come with you to tell her? She will be my sister after all…we're all going to be a family."
Lorelai looked at her fiancé and her daughter and waited for Luke to respond, she watch the smile on his face grow. "I would love it if you were there Rory. It would mean a lot to her…and to me."
Rory smiled, "Good." She looked around the apartment, "Well we need to wait until she is out of school obviously. And I'd say I would find us something for lunch to celebrate but I haven't gone shopping in days. So…how about I take you guys out to lunch to celebrate? And then we can go to April's house after school to tell her."
Lorelai looked at Luke, "Are you okay with that hon?"
"I am absolutely okay with that." He said with a reassuring smile which Lorelai happily returned.
They talked for awhile longer before gathering their things and heading out to lunch together.
Later that afternoon, the three of them pulled up out front of Anna's shop. They had called to make sure it was okay that they stop in to talk with her and April. Anna had agreed and promised to make sure April would be there after school.
When they parked, Luke looked over at Lorelai and noticed her smile had disappeared and a look of worry and dread had replaced it. He glanced at Rory in the rearview mirror who smiled showing she understood before she stepped out of the car to give them a minute. Lorelai was so lost in thought she didn't even notice her daughters exit until Luke grabbed her hand.
"I know you are nervous about this but you shouldn't be…I promise things time things are going to be different. No matter what Anna says nothing changes the fact that I love you and we are going to get married." He whispered in a calm, soothing voice.
She turned her head towards him slowly and smiled nervously, "I just love you so much. And I know how important it is for you to have a relationship with April. I don't want to do anything to screw that up for you. I could never live with myself if I ruined that because I would know you would never truly be happy."
"But I can't be happy without you either Lorelai. This last year has proved that. Anna is just going to have to get over her issues with this. I am going to have both you and April in my life no matter what she says." He said reassuringly.
She smiled and nodded her head. "Okay…"
He smiled and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Okay. Come on." He got out of the car and walked to Lorelai's side to open the door for her, she smiled up at him as he took her hand and the three of them walked towards the shop. Anna stood behind the counter and immediately looked up when she heard the door open, April who was standing nearby ran excitedly towards her visitors.
"Hey! I'm so happy to see you guys!" She said hugging both Luke and Lorelai at the same time.
"We're happy to see you too." Lorelai said hugging the young girl back, she glanced nervously at Anna, "I hope we aren't interrupting anything…"
Anna shook her head, but stood up straight and prepared herself for whatever they had to say. "No. She has no planned activities for today. Was there something specific you wanted to discuss or did you just want to say hello?"
Lorelai glanced at Luke to nervous to speak, "Well first of all I should introduce you to Lorelai's daughter Rory…" He looked over at Rory and smiled, "This is Rory Gilmore, Rory this is Anna Nardini, April's Mom."
Rory smiled at the woman who had put a giant wedge between her mother and the man she loved, "It's very nice to meet you."
Anna nodded once, "It's nice to meet you too. April talks about you all the time…it seems she wants to follow in your footsteps and go to Yale now."
Rory smiled at her soon to be stepsister. "Well Yale would be lucky to have her. She is an incredibly smart and gifted young girl. I'd be happy to help her get there anyway I can."
Anna smiled softly. "Thanks."
Luke cleared his throat and put an arm around his daughter before turning back to Anna, "But the real reason we came here is because aside from Rory we wanted you guys to be the first to know that Lorelai and I have decided to get married."
April's face lit up, "Really! Are you serious? This is awesome!"
Anna pressed her lips together, "This wouldn't be the first time you two decided this. How do I know this time it will stick?"
Luke felt Lorelai tense beside him, and he moved his hand from holding hers to wrapping around her shoulders. "Because we know that we can't live without each other. I know you have some issues with my relationship with Lorelai and you seem to think she shouldn't be around April. I understand that you are worried that Lorelai will take your place but that is never going to happen. She would never try and do that, of all the people I know she understands the importance of the mother daughter relationship more than anyone."
Lorelai swallowed hard, "Anna I can understand how uncomfortable all of this. But I just want to be with Luke…and I want to be a part of April's life. She is so important to Luke and that makes her important to me. I want you to know I would do anything for her but I would never ever try and turn her against you. I'd like you and I to be friends even…if that is something you think you could be okay with."
Anna studied Lorelai for a moment before speaking again, "I'm sorry for the problems you have had recently…"
Lorelai nodded once, "Thank you. Luke, Rory and April have been amazing at helping me get through it."
Anna nodded again, "That's good to hear. April said that when you and Luke weren't together anymore you were married to someone else. Rory's father actually…"
Lorelai swallowed hard again, "Yes…although we weren't technically legally married it turns out."
Anna raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Well it's more of a complicated mess then I thought."
Lorelai sighed but she felt Luke squeeze her shoulder to comfort her, "Look Anna I know you probably think I am not a good role model for your daughter. I admit that I have made plenty of mistakes…especially in the last year or so but…" She took a nervous breath, "I just…I'm asking you for a chance. From one single mother to another…I get how hard it is to trust people with your kid. It's like…" She turned to Rory and smiled sadly at her, "It's like you are afraid that she will find something better somewhere else. Or that those other people will break her somehow…I went through all of that with Rory." She turned over to Luke, "And to be honest if I hadn't of had Luke in my life for as long as I did I'm not sure I would have been able to survive."
Luke smiled warmly at her and squeezed her shoulder again, letting her know he was right beside her. She smiled and turned back to Anna and licked her lips before continuing to talk.
"No one can ever take your place Anna. And like I said…I don't want too. I just want to be a part of April's life…in anyway that she wants and in anyway that you will allow. But more than that I want Luke to be happy…and being with his daughter makes him happy. I know you are moving to New Mexico…and that's a whole other issue that needs to be discussed but…" She shrugged her shoulders sadly, "Don't you owe it to your daughter to let her get to know her Dad?"
Anna pursed her lips and then looked down again, "Yes. I do."
Lorelai nodded, "And I am a part of her Dad's life…and you tried to push me out of it for awhile and it worked but…" She glanced back at Luke. "I hope I speak for the both of us when I say that we would rather be in each others lives then try and live apart again."
Luke smiled at her, "You do speak for the both of us." He turned towards Anna, "Anna I don't want to fight with you…I just want to be able to spend time with my daughter. And I want to be able to marry the woman I love…but I can't do both of those things if you keep blocking me at every chance I get. But to be fair…you kept me out of April's life for 12 years…isn't it time you did something for me?"
Anna sighed, "Well its obvious you guys really do love each other…"
"We do. We really do." Luke said pulling Lorelai closer.
Anna sighed and took a moment before she stepped around the counter and walked over to her daughter. She looked at April who looked both nervous and hopeful. She knew how hard it had been for her daughter to not have her father in her life for so long. She constantly asked about who he was and why she wasn't allowed to see him.
She had to admit that since Luke had entered April's life…she had really blossomed as a young girl. She seemed happier and more confident then she ever had before meeting her father. In the last few months she noticed how worried April had been about her father. And deep down Anna knew that she had played a part in the destruction of Luke's relationship.
For awhile she had wondered if it was because she had unresolved feelings for Luke. But…after sometime she realized she didn't, she had just been worried that she would be replaced in her daughters life. That was something she could never handle…but this women before her didn't want to replace her. She knew that now, she understood how hard it was to be a single mother and Anna knew they had a lot more in common then she would like to admit.
And more than that, Anna wanted her daughter to continue to get to know her father. She knew taking her away now would only put a rift between she and her daughter and that was something she couldn't handle.
"Come on Mom…I really like Lorelai and I want to get to know her and Rory more. Besides…no one could ever take your place. You have to know that by now. Its just been you and me for 12 years…I'm not just going to kick you to the curb." Anna said with an eye roll, "Do you really think I could be that mean?"
Anna smiled at her daughter and brushed away some of her thick curls, "No. I don't."
"You promised once I found Dad that you wouldn't keep me from him…and I just want to get to know him more. I don't think I'm asking for a lot." April said with a shrug, "Please don't take him away from me again…"
Anna sighed and turned back to Luke, Lorelai and Rory, "I'm going to call my lawyer first thing I the morning. I have to go to New Mexico no matter what to take care of my Mom…but I don't want April to never see you. We will set up visitation, she can come here on her vacations and any other time when she can get away from school."
April smiled up at her Dad who seemed to be incredibly relieved, "Really?"
Anna nodded, "It's only fair. I realize now that you should have been involved since day one."
"Thank you…" Luke whispered smiling over at his daughter, then he looked over at Lorelai, "And what about Lorelai and Rory? Can April be around them?"
Anna nodded slowly, "Yes…but I would like to be informed about what April is doing with you guys…"
Lorelai nodded, "That's fair."
"And if you two do run into more problems I don't want April to be involved in it. I don't want her to get stuck in the middle." Anna said sternly.
Luke shook his head, "Of course not."
Anna took a deep breath, "Okay then. I promise to not intervene anymore as long as you follow those terms."
They were all quiet for a moment before April spoke up, "So…I can spend time with them together? Not just Dad?"
Anna nodded, "Yes. If that's what you want."
"That's what I want!" April said as her smile grew on her face, "That is definitely what I want!"
Anna smiled, "Okay then…why don't you guys…uh go get an ice cream or something to celebrate. But you have a history test in the morning so you can't be out for to long."
"Thank you Mom!" April said throwing herself at her Mom and hugging her tightly, "You rock!"
Anna blushed, "Okay, okay. Get out of here before I change my mind."
"Thank you Anna…" Luke said smiling at her with so much warmth and sincerity, she had to turn away.
"No problem." Anna said as she cleared her throat, "Uh, see you in about an hour or so. Have fun."
She turned and walked back towards the counter pretending to busy herself with her work. Lorelai knew just how difficult this had to be for, she remembered how hard it was to send Rory off with Christopher and Sherry. Luke, Rory and April began to walk towards the door but she walked towards the counter making Luke stop in his tracks.
Anna's eyes were bright with unshed tears, "Was there something else you needed?"
Lorelai stared at her for a moment, "I want you to know that I will keep her safe."
Anna nodded slowly and looked down trying not to cry, "She's my whole life…"
Lorelai smiled, "I know. And I understand. I promise I won't let anything happen to her. Not on my watch."
Anna lifted her chin slowly and nodded her head once, "Thank you."
Lorelai shook her head, "No…thank you."
Anna smiled and then turned away and Lorelai walked back to Luke who couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. She took his hand in hers and they walked with their girls to the car eager to start the next phase of their life together. Now that they were all together, they just had to make it through the trial and then nothing else could stand in their way.
So what did you think? I hope you liked it, let me know by sending in a review! Up next Lorelai and Luke have a lot of decisions to make about their future and how they want to handle telling the rest of the town not to mention the elder Gilmores. I will try and update as soon as possible!