Chapter 13: The Offspring
Lorelai had meant well when she decided the Gilmore-Nardini-Danes group should have a quiet lunch at the Dragonfly. But as it happened, Sookie had also decided that Sunday would be a nice day for the Belleville family to stop by, which, as anyone could have guessed, turned into Sookie ordering one of her classic appetizers, only to find a few minor adjustments had been made to the recipe. That had quickly escalated to a shouting match in the kitchen, with Lorelai running in to try and calm everyone down.
In the meantime, Davey had become attached to Rory's side, asking endless questions about her travels, especially about the bus. Martha was acting shy, hiding behind Jackson and making faces over his shoulder at her baby brother. April asked Jackson about his farm, and he was immediately giddy over the rare ability to discuss plant genetics with someone who understood them. Luke chimed in occasionally, but stuck to quietly observing, amused by the endless series of sideshows.
"Daddy, I really haffa go," Martha tugged at Jackson's arm.
"Sweetie, you know where the bathroom is," Jackson motioned toward the restroom. Martha broke into a crying fit, not at all pleased at the idea of going alone. April offered to take her instead, which caused further crying in between bounces and tugs at her father's arm.
"DADDY, PLEASE!" Martha began to screech, resulting in glares from other diners. Jackson cringed and stood, offering Theodore to Luke, "Luke, would you mind hanging onto this one for a minute?"
It was hardly an odd thing for Jackson to ask; Luke had held Theodore several times over the last few weeks, yet he was suddenly very aware of two pairs of eyes on him as he took the sleeping infant. He looked up, and found that April was half out of her seat, seemingly terrified he was going to drop the baby, while Rory - who he knew had overheard many a rant about babies over the years - simply looked amused. He glared at both of them.
"You both realize this is not the first time I've held a baby. I babysat Jess when he was born. I've successfully watched Doula multiple times. I hold, and sometimes even feed, Kwan and Steve. I held Theodore the day he was born, and several times since. I've even been Martha's preferred seat during dinner."
"He still won't let me sit on his lap during dinner, though," he heard Lorelai's voice behind him. She crouched down next to Luke, and offered Theodore her finger. She and Luke both smiled at the baby's contented sigh as he grasped her finger in his sleep.
Rory glanced over at April and wondered if she was thinking the same thing. That they could very well be getting a glimpse into the future. She wondered if this crazy baby boom that Stars Hollow seemed to have experienced over the past year, in addition to the endless comments from Patty and Babette, had been setting off all sorts of alarms on her mother's biological clock. It wasn't something they'd ever discussed in depth, but seeing her mother with Luke and Theo made her curious.
April, however, felt the cold hand of betrayal squeezing her heart once again. It could've been - and should've been - her being held like that by her father. She wondered if Rory had ever felt jealous of her sister, GG. Rory had at least known who her dad was, even if he hadn't been around a lot. She'd seen enough recent photos of the three of them in Rory's room that she knew Rory didn't hate him for being a better father to her sister than he'd been to her. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous over the idea that, if Luke and Lorelai had any kids, they'd know both of their parents, and grow up with them in the same house.
Davey sighed loudly, growing bored with so much attention directed toward his brother, "He farts a lot."
"And so do you, little man," a much calmer Sookie re-entered the room. "Hey, I lost two?" She motioned to Martha and Jackson's empty chairs.
"Restroom," Luke answered, "You want this one back?"
Sookie giggled, "Oh, I don't know, you look pretty happy, you can keep him for awhile longer." She winked at Rory before turning to Lorelai, making no effort to hide what was on her mind.
"Are you planning to go back in there and apologize to Manny?" Lorelai asked, deflecting Sookie's attention from the man with the baby, as she wiggled her finger free from Theodore's grasp and stood, placing her hands on her hips.
"I already did. My reaction was bad, but I still stand by my right to not have my recipes changed," she shot an accusatory look at Luke who, wisely, kept his focus on the now squirming infant in his arms in order to avoid an unending argument over béchamel sauce. Theodore began to fuss a little, and Luke changed the baby's position, which usually worked, but in this case, Theodore was having none of it.
"He's probably hungry," Sookie sighed, noticing the familiar rooting motions her son was making. "Again. And I didn't bring any bottles. Lorelai do you mind if I use your office for a bit to nurse him?"
Lorelai motioned in the direction of her office in response, and returned to eating the lunch she'd barely had a chance to touch as Jackson and Martha reappeared.
"Lorelai, can we please go look at the horses?" Davey asked politely as he gazed out the window to see Cletus and Desdemona's handler lead them across the Dragonfly property.
Before Lorelai could answer, Jackson held out the hand that Martha wasn't clinging to. "Let's let Auntie Lorelai finish more than one bite of food."
Lorelai smiled gratefully. She wouldn't have minded, but another early breakfast that morning meant she was starving by noon.
April perked up, "Dad, do you mind if I go? They were out with guests when Lorelai gave us the tour earlier, and I'd love to see them."
Luke shrugged, "Just make sure you wash your hands when you get back."
April gleefully followed Jackson and the kids out, and Davey quickly began to explain the rules, telling April she needed to pet them gently and stay where they could see her.
Lorelai chuckled, "He hears that every time, I'm not surprised he has the speech memorized." She glanced at Luke and Rory, "Is it just me, or does something go wrong on me every single time I've tried to plan a lunch here?"
Rory shrugged, "Yeah, I think maybe you should stick to dinners. That one where Grandma went after Gran at the Independence Inn seemed to go pretty well. Luke, you never met Gran, did you?"
"No, but I've heard enough stories to be grateful I dodged that bullet."
"She probably wouldn't have minded you," Lorelai replied thoughtfully, "Not sure she would've been okay with you dating her granddaughter, but she held a strong appreciation for anyone dedicated to their job."
"Speaking of dedication, stop looking at the front desk, Michel and Justine seem to have things under control," Luke smirked, poking Lorelai in the arm.
"You're one to talk, Luke 'Counter Wiper' Danes. I haven't seen you so lost since Lane was running the place."
Rory dropped her chin in her hands, smiling at their banter, and, just like old times, settled in to enjoy the show.
"Hey, I admit to that," he quickly surrendered. "I hired on extra people after Zack left, expecting that I'd end up losing a few, and I didn't. Even Cesar has extra help since it turned out Aaron was better in the kitchen than he was at waiting tables. And that's why I get to enjoy a nice lunch out, and I'm not going back until it's time to lock up. The only reason I'm going back at all is because John's taking off early for his anniversary." Luke smirked, "What say you, Lorelai 'Let Me Re-arrange the Books in the Library One More Time' Gilmore?"
Lorelai couldn't help but look guilty. The extra staff she'd hired to cover the Dragonfly in her absence was almost a little too good. And while it turned out to be extremely useful that she'd been around for much of the summer to work on the charity event she'd managed to secure for the fall, outside of that there were times she felt useless being there. "Well, I thought I'd be riding roller coasters around the country. But somehow my kid's hot stuff."
"Hey, don't put that on me. You raised me. If you wanted a coaster riding buddy, you should've bought me comic books instead of novels, kept me at Stars Hollow High instead of letting me go to Chilton, and that whole Yale thing? Who's the one that pushed the pro/con list, huh?" Rory defended herself with a grin. "Besides, there's no reason the two of you couldn't have spent the entire summer on vacation. I mean, except for Luke's adversity to traveling."
"I don't mind traveling," Luke objected, "I was going to take April on that boat trip."
"Yeah, except you were going to spend most of the time on the boat," Rory pointed out. "And you were miserable at Martha's Vineyard last year."
Despite the harshness of Rory's accusation, it was honest, and Lorelai was curious to see Luke's response. The two of them had already talked about it at length, and Luke had felt incredibly guilty that it was yet another thing he'd managed to hurt Lorelai with that year.
After the breakup, she'd offered Rory the necklace Luke had given her, and Rory told her Logan had confessed to helping Luke out. Lorelai wasn't surprised, but it had still added salt to the wound. She hated thinking back to that weekend. The one night and subsequent morning of normalcy hardly made up for Luke's grumpiness; she'd been so angry for letting herself open up to him only to wind up hurt again the second they were back in Stars Hollow.
"I'm sorry, Luke," Rory quickly added, seeing the look on his face. She winced as she spoke, "That wasn't fair, I know you were going through a lot at the time."
"No, don't apologize. I was an ass that weekend, and I owe you a belated apology for that. If that jerk hadn't shown up, I might have been able to redeem myself our last day there. But I was acting ridiculous, and I'm sorry for that."
"Eh, water under the bridge. Mitchum ruins everything. I do miss that house, though," Rory sighed. "I wonder how far it is from the place Grandma and Grandpa are renting. It's a really nice area. I hate that the timing of my article lined up with Grandpa getting cleared to travel. But if they can squeeze in a vacation, there's no reason you two can't."
"I was actually thinking about that earlier," admitted Luke, "Lorelai, we're in a good place to take a week or two off and actually take a vacation together at some point."
"That would be nice," Lorelai agreed.
As she started mulling over the idea, Sookie reappeared with Theo, "Every time I come back, I lose another member of my brood. Now where did all of them run off to?"
"They're with the horses. Of courses, of courses." Lorelai didn't need to look at Luke to know he was rolling his eyes at her pathetic Mr. Ed reference.
"I think we should probably get going. This one's gonna need a diaper change, and it doesn't look like his daddy listened when I asked him to refill the bag," Sookie sighed. "Of course, the other two have been insane today, so it's possible he didn't hear me at all."
Sookie said her goodbyes and left to retrieve the rest of her family. When it became clear they'd long since departed, Luke decided to go pull April away from what he figured was likely becoming a scientific study on horses.
Lorelai watched him leave, her gaze lingering on his retreating form until she was hit by a napkin. She frowned at her daughter and threw it back, hitting Rory square in the face, and adding, "This could get ugly, I suggest you end it there." Rory raised her napkin in surrender as if it were a white flag.
"So, Luke and babies, huh? Never saw that one coming."
"Really?"
"You did? I mean, before April?"
"Well, yeah. We had talked about having a kid or two of our own at some point." Lorelai was surprised this was a topic she and Rory had never talked about much before. Looking back, she realized, the only conversation she'd had with Rory about having kids with Luke was her pregnancy scare, and that hadn't been a particularly positive chat. She cocked her head a little, looking at her daughter curiously, "What's the weird part for you? Luke with any kid, or Luke and I with kids?"
"Neither, really… I mean, I always wondered if it might be a possibility. But I didn't really think about it in specifics too much. And since you'd never brought it up…" Rory shrugged, "Then, Lane mentioned he's amazing with the boys, and the way I saw you two oozing all over Theodore…"
"Ooze?! Gross."
"It was pretty gross," Rory mocked, "You and Luke are oozing all over each other all the time. What was that all about in the diner last night, anyway? It's a good thing we came in when we did, huh?"
"The diner's seen a lot more than-"
"Mom! Stop!"
"You started it."
"Not that. Anyway! It's impressive that you two managed to avoid being a part of this little unexpected baby boom our town has seen," Rory steered the conversation back on topic.
"Weird, isn't it? It'll be funny to see these kids wreaking havoc all over town in a few years," Lorelai shook her head, "In all seriousness, though, I'm incredibly relieved that, after everything that happened, we didn't accidentally bring a baby into our mess of a relationship. I don't think I could've handled that on top of everything else, knowing how things turned out. And now... we are being very careful in case there's something in the water here."
"And you want to be… careful?" Rory prodded.
"Far be it from me to be a traditionalist, but there's something nice about the idea of someone being bound by marriage to sit in the delivery room with you. Plus, if we're keeping score, it would be kinda nice for Luke and I to have at least one kid that was planned, and born to married parents. I won't say it hasn't crossed my mind, especially with all these little ones everywhere, but… I want other things too. Like a lasting relationship."
Lorelai knew she wasn't getting any younger, and the topic of kids was one she'd been working hard to avoid thinking about despite them springing up around her. She still couldn't believe that Lane had managed both marriage and babies before she'd even had a fighting chance at the marriage part. As happy as she was for Lane, there were times it still stung a bit. Luke wasn't the only one to ache over lost time.
"Sometimes you are so wise about all this relationship stuff now, it's scary," Rory teased.
"Well, I think, at this point, I've lived through enough disasters, I might as well learn something from them. I admit, it really is funny to see how comfortable Luke is around babies though, after all those years complaining about them."
"Uh, yeah. I hadn't ever considered that he'd known Jess as a baby, but of course he would've. Jess never really talked about it."
"Jess never really talked."
"Just not to you. Any time he knew someone had a negative opinion of him, he pretty much did everything to encourage it. It drove me nuts."
"Ohhh, you have no idea." Lorelai smirked for a moment, then, thinking of his last email to Luke, smiled a little, "At least he turned things around. He emailed us about your article."
"Emailed us? Ewww, you're oozing again."
"Emailed Luke. No ooze. Luke's afraid of technology, so he says, 'I should check my email.' and I say 'Your laptop is over there.' and then he gives me this look, grabs my laptop, sits next to me, and points at things. Which he could do on his laptop that he bought to keep in touch with his family, but won't. So, I check his email for him when he asks me to, and I end up seeing anything he gets. And, let me tell you, fishing store ads are even more boring than they sound. So this, to me, translates to both of us being emailed whenever someone emails him. It is not oozy, it's Luke being, well, Luke. And as I was saying - Jess said he wasn't at all surprised, and it was a pretty big hit around his shop. You know… you should call him."
"No. I told you what happened… and I hadn't even thought about it again until just recently."
Lorelai nodded, having her own lengthy history of run-ins and awkward conversations with exes, and was quickly distracted as an excited April bounded through the doors, followed by an irritable Luke.
"Lorelai! Duncan said no one's booked for tomorrow and I can totally ride Cletus for as long as I want, but you and my mom and dad have to approve, and Mom already said it's fine as long as you and Dad are okay with it, and there's some paperwork you have that Dad has to sign. Ooh, and Rory, you should come too! Ride Desdemona!"
Lorelai chuckled at April's enthusiasm, and looked past her at Luke as she heard Rory explain to April why she would absolutely not be riding a horse.
Luke sighed, "She texted her mother, and Anna said it's no big deal. I don't wanna be the one to rain on April's parade even though knowingly putting your life in the hands of a four legged animal is insane to me."
"Well, so much for that knight in shining armor fantasy," Lorelai mock-pouted before trying to help April out a little, "You know, they're not racehorses, they're well trained to carry people around at a super slow pace. Not unlike the ones that pulled you on a sleigh around town years ago, whom you liked. I believe the word beautiful was even used. She'll be fine."
Luke didn't look convinced, but his grumpy expression changed to one more resigned to his daughter's fate, and he dropped into his chair next to Lorelai. She patted and rubbed his shoulder in a conciliatory fashion, knowing this was just one in a long line of compromises he'd be making as the parent of a teenager.
She looked over to find Rory glaring at her while continuing to talk to April, "And she told me it just laid down for a nap. It died! I was the last stop en route to the glue factory. And I wound up in a ditch! And stop rolling your eyes over there, Mother, I'm never riding a horse again."
April watched Lane and Rory shuffle out the door, and turned to watch Lorelai and Luke with Kwan and Steve. Once again, she felt her frustration with her mother rising and wondered if it would continue every time she saw her dad with a kid in his arms.
"I think I'm gonna hang out in there for awhile," April motioned toward Rory's room.
Her dad was busy trying to detach Steve's hand from his ear, but she noticed a look of concern cross Lorelai's face.
"April, you want to hold Kwan for a bit?" Lorelai asked, turning the giggling baby toward April.
She faked a smile and held up the CD Lane had just given her, "Nah, that's okay. I want to hear what's on this anyway, and go over some of the stuff from camp. I'll come hang out again before you put them down to sleep, though." Her reasoning didn't change Lorelai's expression, but she let the matter drop.
April walked into the bedroom, leaving the door open so she wasn't putting out that "emo teenager" vibe her mother occasionally accused her of. How her mother had learned the word "emo" she'd never guess, but she really didn't appreciate it. She grabbed her CD player and notebook from her backpack, her phone from her purse, and flopped onto Rory's bed, then flipped open her phone and scrolled through her text messages.
She grinned at the ones from Maya and Kristin, already missing her new friends. The one from Jamie wasn't particularly special, but she felt a little giddy that he'd been keeping in touch. He'd made the freshman cross country team. She replied letting him know she was going to ride a horse. The last text was from her mom.
"Great timing," she muttered, reading the text.
hey kiddo! staples catalog arrived! school supply shopping trip when u get home?
April frowned. She was fourteen, she hardly needed her mother to babysit her while she bought pens.
yep. meeting amanda and kaylee day after i get home.
She didn't actually have plans with them yet, but she knew they'd be up for it. And they'd planned to have lunch to talk about their summer trips anyway. She listened to the conversation from the living room while she waited for her mom's reply.
"So much easier to watch these two at Lane's. Did Rory have this much stuff?" Luke grumbled.
"At my parents' house, she did. And more. But you know Richard and Emily. After that... well, I didn't leave with much. So, no. She had a few toys from the lost and found from the inn, or used ones from thrift shops and yard sales. Mostly, I read to her, though. Library cards were free, and she was pretty mellow. I'd start reading and she'd just stare at me with those big eyes. And, yes, I realize I only have myself to blame for the whole book thing."
April felt her mood worsen. It reminded her too much of her own childhood. She loved listening to her mom read to her, even years after she'd learned how to read on her own.
April snapped her phone shut, threw it back in her purse, and reached for her headphones. She put Lane's CD in her player, and increased the volume. She wasn't even sure how she felt anymore, her emotions ran so hot and cold. One moment she'd miss her mom, and the next she'd be consumed with anger.
Science camp had been a huge relief. She'd been doing her own thing with her own interests and didn't have to worry much about anything else. She'd sent the requisite daily text, and then a longer email every few days. She avoided talking on the phone to her mom as much as possible, claiming it was too loud in the hostel to hear. It wasn't a complete lie. There was always something more fun or interesting to be doing than talking on the phone to parents.
She thought back to her talk with Rory the other day, and the various times she and Lorelai had issues. The difference was that Lorelai and Rory didn't have deep, underlying drama, it was always around certain incidents. April groaned and increased the volume on the CD player a little more to drown out her thoughts, tired of contemplating her relationship with her mother. She rolled onto her stomach and flipped open her notebook, reading through some of the notes she'd taken, nodding her head to the beat of the music.
As she reached the end of the CD, she sensed movement in front of the door and saw Lorelai standing there with Kwan, bouncing him on her hip. April pulled her headphones off and gave her a small smile.
"So, I think we're gonna order pizza for dinner. That sound okay to you? Because there's a million other options..."
"Pizza's good. I like pretty much anything on mine."
"Don't say that so loud, we'll wind up with a bunch of veggie pizzas with extra veggies," Lorelai whispered conspiratorially, pointing toward the kitchen with her thumb. "Bad enough he's throwing together a salad."
"We can balance that out with that garlic cheese bread, though."
"A kid after my own heart," Lorelai grinned. Kwan let out a little squawking noise, dropped his toy, and stretched out his hands toward April. "I think someone wants to say hi."
April moved to a sitting position on the bed, scooting over to make room for Lorelai, who sat and handed Kwan over.
"Hi there, Little Kwan Man," she greeted him, and couldn't help the grin that burst through her face when he squealed and smiled at her.
"A happy baby is an instant mood lifter." Lorelai said softly, reaching out to tickle the bottom of Kwan's foot.
"Yeah," April agreed, "You're a lucky little guy, Kwan, and you know it too, don't you?" Thrilled at being spoken to, Kwan let loose a series of squeals and babbles, blowing raspberries at her, and started to drool. Lorelai handed her the cloth rag she'd had on her shoulder, and April wiped his chin.
Luke appeared in the doorway, Steve in one hand and a phone in the other, "Did we decide?"
Lorelai nodded, "Two of Pete's Pizza Especials, both large, no mushrooms. And an order of garlic cheese bread."
"Uh, with salad and a veggie pizza, don't you think that's a bit much?"
"No. Because we need more leftovers than usual. Hi, there are growing children here," she waved Kwan's hand at Luke.
"I'm not even gonna..." he muttered, shaking his head and walking away. Lorelai grinned widely at April.
"You are exceptionally good at diversion tactics," April said, letting out a small chuckle. "Lorelai, I know we're still getting to know each other, and I don't want to be rude and bring up stuff that's none of my business. But do you mind if I ask you about your parents?"
"Of course not, what do you want to know?"
"When did you start... having issues... with them?"
Lorelai narrowed her eyes a little, having some idea why April was asking. She thought for a moment, "You know, there was always something there, for as far back as I can remember. Keep in mind, the world you grew up in, the world we live in, this is nothing like what I grew up with. Did you ever want to play an instrument when you were little?"
"Yeah, first clarinet, and then I saw my friend's flute and wanted that instead." April smiled wryly, "Neither stuck."
"But your mom let you pick?" April nodded and Lorelai continued, "I wanted to play guitar, but had piano lessons. I was also taking ballet class, but wanted to take tap."
"I wanted to take tap too! Also didn't stick because I was pretty klutzy and couldn't keep time very well."
"But your mom let you decide. I didn't get to do that, I didn't have a choice in most of my clothes, either. I think I went straight from crinoline to plaid private school uniforms. And at some point, I started sneaking jeans and t-shirts in. And, you know, the teen years are hard on everyone. I'm sure you can guess what happened there that might cause a few issues between us."
"Rory."
"Rory," Lorelai smiled fondly, squeezed April's knee, and stood. "Being a kid is hard, but so is being a parent, you know? And no matter how good of a job you think you're doing, something's gonna happen to make you realize you could've done a million things differently. But then you also know that if you had, maybe a million other things would've happened instead."
Kwan fussed a little at the lack of attention, and Lorelai handed him the toy he'd dropped, much to his delight. She gazed around at the select things Rory had chosen to leave up on the walls. Some Yale stuff. A few of her travel posters. Sometimes it felt just like yesterday she'd curled up with Rory in the potting shed behind the Independence Inn, excited to have a little tiny place to call her own. Other times, it seemed like an eternity had passed. She figured Anna probably felt similarly. There were moments, like this one, where she felt a little sorry for the poor woman. Especially seeing what April was going through; as a mother, she knew there was likely equal pain and confusion on Anna's end.
Lorelai reached up and touched the most recent addition to Rory's wall - a goofy photo of the two of them at Rory's graduation from Yale. Emily had directed their pose, and right before the camera could click, they'd bounced out of place with silly expressions. Apparently feeling generous that day, Emily had taken the photo anyway, and even laughed after doing so. It remained one of Lorelai's favorites, not just because of the photo itself, but the memory of the moment.
"It will get better, April. It will. Just keep working on it," she smiled, trying to lighten the mood a little, "You know, things are a lot better with my parents lately. If that can improve, any mother-daughter relationship has a good chance of being repaired."
April nodded, considering Lorelai's words while she continued to play with Kwan. Lorelai moved to the doorway to watch Luke with Steve in the kitchen as he explained, in a goofy tone, the ratio of spinach to chopped vegetables he was using in the salad. She figured Mrs. Kim would highly approve of this particular discussion. Seeing Luke beginning to struggle with a sharp instrument in one hand and a baby in the other, she walked over to take Steve so Luke could chop in peace.
"A bit easier to watch these two with an extra set of hands around," she nodded toward Rory's room as she sat at the table with Steve, bouncing him a little on her knees. "Lane gets help, but for the most part, I really don't know how she manages alone. Not sure what I would've done with two."
"What did you do in your dream?"
Lorelai laughed, caught off guard. She was surprised he remembered her dream from so many years ago. "Eh, never quite got to that part. I woke up after you kissed me goodbye, unborn dream babies still very much unborn."
"See, that's what I thought."
"What?"
"The night you told me about your dream, you conveniently left out the part about me kissing you. Or you tried to, anyway. It was still pretty obvious where you'd cut yourself off."
"Yeah, well, you were with Nicole."
"And if I wasn't with Nicole, would you have told me?" Luke challenged.
"Probably not. Doesn't really matter now, though, does it? I dream about kissing you and then I get to wake up and live it. While I relived DreamLuke's kisses several million times, it doesn't even compare to the real deal." She saw the side of his mouth turn up into a grin, even as he tried to hide it. "You're looking awfully pleased with yourself over there."
"Dunno what you're talking about."
A bit later, April insisted she see her father feed the boys so she could prove he wasn't lying, and offered to hold Kwan while Luke fed Steve. She had Lorelai take a few photos to show Rory later. She'd considered taking a photo with her phone to send to her mother, but decided against it - only because she really wasn't in the mood to communicate with her at all, even if it was to prove a point.
April returned to the bedroom after dinner and decided to put away some of the books she'd acquired at camp that she didn't plan on taking back to New Mexico, and decorate with some of the things she'd bought earlier in the day. Her dad and Lorelai had offered to help, but she shooed them away, wanting to put her own dent in her new little nook. She'd found an older mix CD that Lane had given Rory years ago, put that in Rory's CD player, and had fun dancing around as she worked on the room.
Later, she heard Rory and Lane's voices in the entryway, and decided to greet them, excited to show off the work she'd done. Walking out, she noticed her dad spooned behind Lorelai on the couch, the main menu music of the DVD they'd been watching repeating itself. Rory came up behind her and chuckled, "Oh, those two."
Lane went upstairs to check on the twins while April pulled Rory into their room to show off her handiwork, seeking advice for a few items she thought she might ship back from New Mexico. Lane joined them shortly after, and the three began discussing the mix CD April had found. Rory unearthed a large stack of CDs from a drawer and dropped it on the desk, much to April's delight.
"Have fun," Rory grinned.
"You know, those were meant for listening, not just collecting," Lane put her hands on her hips and frowned at Rory.
"iPod, Lane. I have playlists for each and every one of those. Dad prides himself on the technologically relevant gifts, if you recall."
"Ah, yes, the Sidekick, and that digital camera that caused the wedding speech heard 'round the world," Lane nodded.
"Wedding speech heard round the world?" April asked, looking through the stack of CDs.
"Um, yeah, at Lane's wedding," Rory made an attempt at being vague, shooting a frown at Lane, who looked back apologetically.
"Who gave a crazy speech? Kirk?" April asked, sitting on the bed and leaning back on her elbows.
"Lorelai, actually," Lane replied. "Too much tequila."
"What does a camera have to do with that? Did you record it or something?"
Rory and Lane exchanged another look, and Rory sat next to April on the bed, sighing, "I had pictures on my camera of us in Philadelphia. My mom saw them and realized we'd met, and... she was already feeling a little sensitive because her wedding was still postponed and here Lane was getting married. Add too much tequila, a microphone... and it was pretty bad."
April frowned.
"Hey," Rory said quietly, "Don't worry about it. It's all better now. Just go look on the couch. It's cute. And also completely gross."
April shrugged. "It's still crappy. I have tons of friends with parents and step-parents, and it's not weird. But both of my parents have to go and be stupid about it. I knew it was going to be bad that first day I met Lorelai. I tried to downplay everything, but I knew she was trying not to completely break down in front of this kid she didn't know existed, and Dad was a panicky, nervous wreck when he came back in the diner. My dad is stupid and my mom sucks."
Rory didn't bother trying to correct her. She knew what it was like to feel that kind of anger toward one or both of your parents, and April certainly had every right to be mad at them. She sighed and patted April's leg, "We ordered dessert to go and I couldn't decide so we got a few orders. You want some?" She nodded toward the kitchen. "Seems like it would be a good time for something sweet. And coffee?"
April smiled a little and nodded. Lane jumped up, "I'll go start the coffee and grab the food. We can eat in here so we don't wake sleeping beauty and his princess."
They chuckled as Lane headed into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.
Rory looked over at April, "You okay?"
April nodded, "It's just hard. I hate my mom for never telling my dad about me. I hate my dad for not telling Lorelai, and then never letting us meet. I hate my mom for making him feel like he had to keep me away from Lorelai... it all just makes me really mad sometimes. And things are so weird with my mom right now."
"Things are a little weird with my dad right now, too. Parents suck sometimes."
"Rory, I'm really glad you're here. You're good at the older sister thing."
Rory chuckled, "Well, I don't really know what I did, but I think I just happened to luck out with the younger sister thing."
"Any idea when that's gonna be official? I thought they were back on track, like, really back on track."
"Nope. And Luke's being annoying about the whole thing, too. I just know I'm gonna get a call about an engagement when I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere and wind up with a voicemail I can't access for days. So if you want to know what the deal is, bug him. And then tell me," Rory smirked, and April laughed in response.
Lane returned with a stack of takeout containers, and forks. "I made it half-caf since it's late. Don't ever tell Lorelai, she'll disown me and never watch my kids again. What'd I miss?"
"Debating how long it'll be before I can officially call this one my younger sister."
"Oooh," Lane dug into the mint chocolate cake, "God this is good. Like someone turned Thin Mints into a cake. I think they're being obnoxiously slow for two people who were supposed to be together all along. Your thoughts?"
Rory took a bite of the german chocolate cake with caramel drizzle and sighed appreciatively, "This one's good too. I think this place might have a weird obsession with Girl Scout cookies. This is totally a chocolate cake Samoa. Brilliant. I just hope one of them proposes soon. It makes sense that Luke should do it this time. My mom did it last time, and even as far as those two have come this summer, I still think it would be good for him to be the one to put it out there. And I got him to admit he swiped her ring without her knowing."
April stared at Rory in surprise. "Wow. I feel like I'm a little out of the loop," she traded the brownie she'd taken a few forkfuls of for Lane's cake. "I don't know either of them as well as you two do, but I don't know how it could possibly be too much longer. And I don't know how much longer they can keep up this whole doting on babies thing without wanting one of their own."
Rory nodded, having had similar thoughts earlier, and left to retrieve the coffee. Glancing toward the living room, she saw her mother trying to slowly extricate herself from Luke's arms without waking him. She smothered a giggle at the awkward movements, and went about preparing the coffee. Stirring in the cream and sugar, she looked up to find her mother sniffing the air as she walked into the kitchen.
"Coffee? Without me?"
"It's half-caf. And you were dead asleep five minutes ago."
"Gross. I raised you better than that. How was dinner?"
"Lovely. Lane is an excellent date. We're chowing down on the dessert we brought home if you want some."
"Nah, April bet I couldn't finish the cheese bread and I had to prove her wrong. Possibly regretting that now. I'm gonna go figure out where I dozed off and finish my movie. The boys are upstairs, I haven't heard any noises from them in awhile."
"Yeah, Lane checked on them when we got home and the baby monitor's with her in my room. She'll probably head home in a bit. Is Luke okay down here with his bedroom being borrowed?"
Lorelai nodded, "He's dead to the world. Muttered something about the oven a few minutes ago. I'll pull him from his fascinating kitchen dreams once Lane takes the boys home." She took one last sad look at the coffee maker, "Half-caf is such a tragic thing to wake up to."
"I feel guilty enough giving Luke's daughter half caffeine at this hour as it is." Rory picked up the coffee mugs and Lane's mug of what looked like chamomile tea and headed back to her room. Lane and April were talking about a few of April's friends that Lane had met a few times before.
"Libations for my ladies," Rory announced, "Though, Lane's is just grass steeped in water by the smell of things."
"You'll learn someday, Rory, when you're breastfeeding. There is no greater regret than a caffeinated, grumpy baby. And then multiply that regret by two. What was really weird was the day I drank a ton of iced tea at Luke's while I was pregnant. It was quite the party in there."
Rory grimaced; the idea of something throwing a party inside her abdomen creeped her out.
"Babies are fun, but I think I'd only have one as some kind of science experiment," April said thoughtfully, "Kinda see what the whole experience is like. I think that might be the wrong motivating factor for having a child, though."
Rory nodded, "Yeah, I'm not so sure that's in the cards for me. Pregnancy freaks me out enough without even considering the childbirth aspect. I love you, Lane, but I'm really glad I wasn't there when you went into labor." She retold the story of Sookie going into labor the day she and her mother had arrived to set up for Martha's baby shower.
Lane laughed, "It's really not that bad, you guys. Though I have to admit, if not for those two surprising me, I'm not sure when I would've decided to have kids. Especially if I'd known I'd wind up with twins. So it worked out. And, hey, if Lorelai and Luke have kids, he's already got the whole rushing a woman in labor to the hospital thing down."
"He what?!" April gasped, laughing, "I don't think I ever heard this story."
"I called Zack at Luke's when my water broke, and they both showed up at our place. Zack was freaking out, but Luke was super calm, making sure I was okay, and everything. He wouldn't let Zack drive, so he loaded us both in the truck and drove us to the hospital. Zack's hand was shaking so bad, he couldn't fill out the insurance forms and paperwork, so Luke handled that, too. He even sat with me a few times when Zack had to take a breather. He was great. Then, my mom got there, ready to take care of things, y'know, as Mrs. Kim does, and she was so shocked she just reached over and hugged Luke. My mom does not hug, and Luke's not really known for hugs, so it was one of the most awkward things I've ever seen. Of course, then a contraction hit and she kicked him out of the room until the boys got here," Lane laughed. "He stayed in the waiting room the whole time, though. I'm not sure Zack would've gotten through it otherwise."
April shook her head in amazement, "Okay, watching him hold babies is shocking enough, but... him not freaking out over someone actively giving birth is just too much for me right now."
"Yeah, I was waiting for Lane to get to the punchline the first time I heard that story. It's still weird," Rory finished off the peanut butter brownie, "That was so a Tagalong brownie. I love this place."
The three finished eating the rest of the desserts, and helped Lane load Kwan and Steve into her car. "You sure you're okay getting them back home?" Rory asked, "We wouldn't mind following you and helping."
"No, I'm fine, I promise. I've done it a million times, we've got a whole routine. I appreciate the offer though," Lane smiled, hugging her best friend tightly, "Thank you so much for the night out."
"It'll be our thing," Rory grinned. "When I come home, we get at least one fancy night out, all to ourselves, and we'll snag the younger one for dessert after if she's here," she smiled at April, who looked a little surprised and very pleased to be included.
April headed inside while Rory stood on the porch waving as Lane drove off. She leaned against the porch railing, making sure to securely place each moment of this trip in her memories so she could revisit them when she was so far from home again. She rubbed her bare arms, feeling the chill of the night settling in, a little sad she'd missed all the warm summer evenings in Stars Hollow.
Rory sensed movement behind her, but didn't turn to look, knowing it could only be one person. She smiled as she felt her mother wrap a blanket around her shoulders.
"Starting to cool off a little at night. I can't believe it's almost September already," Lorelai said quietly, "I figured you'd need something to keep you warm if you wanted to stay out here a little longer."
Rory turned to find her mom standing behind her in pajamas. "You joining me?"
"If you don't mind. I sent Luke to bed. He was still talking about that oven, by the way," she sat on the steps and looked over as the light went out in Rory's room. Rory joined her, resting her head on Lorelai's shoulder. She felt her mom's head gently lean against the top of hers, and closed her eyes, remembering a similar moment after they'd first moved into the house. The place was mostly unfurnished then, still unfamiliar, and they'd been missing the summer nights they'd spent outside at the Independence Inn watching fireflies and telling stories.
"I miss this," Rory whispered. "Hanging out with Lane, hanging out with you. I love everything about what I'm doing, but... I have a new appreciation for coming back home. And I feel silly because it's only been two months. But after the last few years... it's really important to me, you know?"
"I do. It's what I always wanted for you. What I've never really had."
"You have to promise me, wherever you and Luke wind up over the next few years, that it has a porch so I can visit and we can pretend no time has passed since the old days at the Independence Inn."
"Wherever we wind up?"
"Mom," Rory chided softly, "This place was great for the two of us. But now there's four of us, and someday, probably more, by the sounds of things."
She felt her mother tense. After a moment, Lorelai whispered, "I don't know. It's the one thing I can't let go of. It's why Luke expanded the bedroom in the first place. The idea of moving was devastating. At the time, it was my only connection to you and we weren't talking, so I needed to have something. And now, you're gone again..."
"We left the shed, though. That has just as many memories. I was just thinking back to the summer nights when it was too hot to be inside, and we'd sit outside the shed with the windows open, waiting for it to cool down."
"You got really good at reading that summer between first and second grade. That was when you started reading me stories instead of the other way around."
"I remember. And dancing with fireflies," Rory smiled. "Is the shed still back there?"
"No, unfortunately. I took a few things from it before it was demolished. I have a frame in my office at the Dragonfly with a bit of the wallpaper... and photos of everything, of course."
"That's good. I'm sad it's gone, though. I don't even know what's over there now."
"Offices, actually. It's really nice. Our lawyer for the Dragonfly just started leasing one of the offices there, so I've been there a few times. It's a little weird to see it as anything but the inn, but it works. The lake and most of the outdoor area they donated back to Stars Hollow as a park. We were supposed to vote on a name at some point, but I'm not sure what happened with that. Taylor probably has some horrible idea up his sleeve. He should just let Mia name it."
Rory felt a small ache in her chest over all the memories from the shed and the inn. Time could be cruel that way, not allowing you to hit the pause button on one specific thing. As often as Stars Hollow felt immune to change, there was always some kind of movement forward. She burrowed closer into her mom's side as Lorelai's arm slipped around her shoulders.
Her mother may not be able to see it now, but Rory knew it was only a matter of time before life's forward momentum affected this place, too. Her house might see a new family someday, and someone else might sit on the porch and make new memories. But for now, Rory could pretend she was ten again, and it was just the two of them.
They stayed outdoors, both eventually burrowing under the blanket Lorelai had brought out, sharing stories and memories of life at the Independence Inn, talking until the sky began to brighten.