A Tale of Two Letters
"I now have two letters of recommendation to enter into evidence in support of Mr Danes," the judge told those gathered around the large table.
Luke looked around expectantly, and took a deep breath. He wished that Lorelai was there with him. The feeling of her hand on his knee would have been enough to keep him calm during this whole proceeding. It was somewhat comforting, however, to know that she was waiting just down the hall, still there after three hours, and would be there the second this was all over. As he looked past Anna, he saw her rolling her eyes, and stiffened slightly. Trying to ignore her, he concentrated on the judge.
"The first letter is from Elizabeth Danes," the judge continued, and began to read it out.
"Dear Judge,
"What can I say about Luke?
"He's the best big brother a girl could have. All my life, Luke has looked out for me, and looked after me. When our mom died, it was Luke who took over all her duties. He cooked our meals, he kept the house clean, he tried to keep me under control, and he helped dad out with the store. He always put the needs of me and my dad ahead of his own. He supported me when I got pregnant and dropped out of school. He didn't approve, but he kept loving me anyway.
"When dad got sick, it was Luke who nursed him, as well as trying to keep the store running.
"A few years ago, I could no longer look after my son, and Luke took him into his home. He made sure that Jess went to school, and stayed out of trouble – so much better than I could have ever done. Now, Jess runs a successful business, and I am sure that if it wasn't for Luke's support, he never would have made anything of himself.
"I've only seen April once, but the time I did, I could tell that there was a connection between them. I have a sense about these things, and Luke and April were great together.
"I may not know as much about stuff as Luke does, but I do know one thing – Luke is my hero, and I know that if you give him the chance, he can be a hero to April too.
"Thank You, Elizabeth Danes"
Luke let out the breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. He had been worried that Liz would say something stupid. He'd had flashes of the Friends episode Lorelai had made him watch,
when Joey had written a reference that sounded like a child had written it. But what Liz had written had been amazing. He didn't think that she would have said all those nice things about him. He had thought that he had failed with Jess, but the way that Liz told the story, he came off as Superman.
"The next recommendation is from Lorelai Gilmore," the judge said.
Luke glanced over at Anna, in time to see her face cloud over. She looked angry, and whispered something to her lawyer. "We would like to object to this evidence, your honor," the lawyer interrupted.
"On what grounds?" the judge questioned her.
"Ms Gilmore is engaged to the petitioner. She has, in recent times, had verbal conflicts with my client, and so is too biased to be accepted into evidence," the lawyer explained.
"Counsel, this is family court mediation. There are not going to be any unbiased testimonies. Everybody who is involved has some sort of allegiance to one party or the other," the judge dismissed.
"Fine. Thank you, your honor," Anna's lawyer conceded. A pout appeared on Anna's face. Luke made sure to show no emotion, but on the inside, he felt a small sense of satisfaction at seeing Anna being taken down a peg.
"Right," the judge began, and started to read Lorelai's letter.
"To whom it may concern,
"In the nearly ten years that I have known Luke Danes, I have come to know him as an honest and decent man. He's also one of the most kind and caring persons I have ever met.
"I am a single mother, and I raised my daughter by myself, but once Luke Danes became my friend in town, I never really felt alone. What is most impressive about Luke has been his relationship with my daughter, Rory. He's always been there for her no matter what. He was there to celebrate her birthdays, he was there cheering her on at her high school graduation.
"Luke has been sort of a father figure in my daughter's life. With his own daughter, Luke wasn't given the opportunity to be there for her first 12 years, but he should be given that opportunity now.
"Once Luke Danes is in your life, he's in your life forever. I know from personal experience what an amazing gift that is, and not to allow him access to his daughter would be to seriously deprive her of all this man has to offer – and he offers so much.
"Thank you for your time.
"Sincerely, Lorelai Gilmore"
She put down the paper and closed the file.
Anna had been watching Luke's face as Lorelai's letter was being read, and saw the dreamy look, and the smile that slowly crept across his face. The realization that he truly loved this annoying woman took some of her anger away, but she really didn't like the slight pang of jealousy that came over her. What was wrong with her? She didn't want to be with Luke 14 years ago when she had broken up with him, knowing that she was pregnant with April. She also didn't want to be with him now. However, when they had been together, she had longed for him to look at her one tenth of the way he looked at Lorelai. She still longed for someone, anyone, to look at her like that.
The judge informed them that they were going to take a short break in order for her to consider the evidence. They filed out of the room, and Luke headed straight for where Lorelai was waiting. She stood as he approached her, a concerned look on her face.
"How'd it go?" she asked him, as he kissed her cheek and they sat down holding hands.
He nodded slightly. "Okay, I think. Your reference was amazing – Liz's too. I think they really helped me." He absent-mindedly rubbed her leg.
"Don't worry. I get this feeling that you are getting a miracle of 34th Street proportions. That dollar bill is coming your way, my friend."
"Thank you. After me being such a jerk about the whole April thing originally, you've been so great through this whole process."
She looked at him carefully, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, well. Of course. You know I'd do anything for you. And if April is important to you, she's important to me." She sighed and relaxed into him.
Anna was leaning against the wall just outside the door, and sighed as she heard what Lorelai said. Maybe Luke wasn't just fighting to get at her. Maybe it wouldn't be a completely bad thing for April to have a father – as long as it was not at the expense of her own time with her daughter.
When they got called back into the room for the judges' verdict, Anna had prepared herself. She had accepted the fact that Luke was likely to win joint custody – there was no reason for him not to, what with the references and all.
Luke on the other hand, was terrified. If things didn't go well for him today, he may never see his daughter again. It would break his heart.
When the judge began to speak, Luke tensed up. "Obviously, I have looked at all the facts of this case carefully. I have also spoken to April herself, and she speaks highly of both her parents. She has expressed a desire to spend some time with Mr Danes, and I can see no reason for me not to grant this. Mr Danes seems to be extremely capable of being a good father to April. Therefore, on the proviso that the pending paternity test comes back that Mr Danes is, in fact, the father of the minor April Nardini, I suggest that she spend every second holiday in Connecticut with Mr Danes. That is all. Thank you." She stood, and shook hands with those surrounding the table.
Anna turned to Luke. "Okay, Luke. I'm not going to fight you anymore. You can see April. We're still going to be here for two weeks, and after that," she paused, " I'll send her to you for Thanksgiving."
Luke stared at Anna in shock. "Uh... thanks, Anna. You don't need to worry about her. We will take good care of her every second she is away from you."
Anna flinched at the use of 'we', but gave him a weak smile. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the building, her quota for tolerance used up.
Lorelai was waiting for Luke in the hall. When she saw the smile on his face, she burst into a grin, and wrapped her arms around him.
"She's coming for Thanksgiving," he told her.
"Yay!" she squealed, and hugged him closer.
"Now we can concentrate on the wedding," Luke suggested.
"Yay!" she squealed again.
"Should we go home now?" he asked her.
"Yay!" she repeated.