The next two and a half days passed in a flurry of activity for Luke and Lorelai. Luke talked to Tom about possibly doing more expanding on the house, but he said he wouldn't be able to get over to the house to really start looking at things until the following week, when Luke would be out of town with April, so they set a meeting up for the week after that. Lorelai and Sookie spent what felt like countless hours going over menu options for the wedding while Michel muttered snide comments about how their time could be better spent while they were at work. Both of his bosses reminded him that since they owned the place, they could spend their time however they wanted it as long as it wasn't interfering with the business. Luke and Lorelai consulted Reverend Skinner about performing their ceremony, who agreed, but with the stipulation that they undergo pre-marriage counseling with him once a week before the big day. They'd done their luggage shopping on Wednesday afternoon with Luke grumbling the whole time about the experience and how much stuff cost. They'd also stopped by the travel agency where Lorelai has snagged one of each of the brochures that they had so they could start making honeymoon plans, sparking a rant from Luke about how overpriced hotel rooms were, which delighted Lorelai to no end. Lorelai had made a call to her mother to inform her that there would be one more for dinner on Friday. Richard called Luke and set up their man-date to go to the batting cages while Emily was frequently seen in the company of Kirk or other employees of Stars Hollow Real Estate, leaving Lorelai scratching her head and wondering what her mother was up to, still convinced that she was trying to move to town to be closer to her family. Rory and April called their respective parents frequently during this time to keep them updated on the goings-on in their lives. They'd set up a plan to all have dinner together on Sunday night, the last night before April and Luke had to leave and Lorelai planned a shopping date with Rory for Saturday to keep her occupied while Luke was hanging with her dad and to give them some much needed mother-daughter time. She then planned a separate shopping date with April for Sunday to get her bridesmaid's dress, since the younger girl had been delighted to be asked to be a part of her father's wedding. Luke went back to New Haven on Thursday afternoon, trusty toolbox in hand to start fixing things up around the apartment as he'd promised. Before they knew it, it was Friday evening and they were getting ready for the dinner they'd been dreading all week.

Luke sat on his side of their bed, while waiting for Lorelai and April to finish primping and grumbled, "Can't we skip this? Dinner with your parents it like an experiment in terror."

"And how do you suggest we get out of it without experiencing a terror even worse," Lorelai called from the bathroom.

"I don't know. Tell them you've been having bad bouts with morning sickness all day and you're not feeling up to it."

Lorelai walked out of the bathroom and gaped at him with a look of mock horror on her face."You mean, lie to my parents, your-future in-laws, just to get out of having dinner with them?"

"Uh-huh," he said with a grin, trying to urge her to give in. "It wouldn't really be lying. You have been sick today."
"Yes, but I'm feeling fine now, so it would be a lie and my mother has a finely-tuned lie detector built into her brain."

"You two are something else, the way you bicker," April said as she came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a simple skirt and blouse that she'd brought with her to change into after leaving school since having been informed by her father earlier in the week that casual dress was not allowed at the elder Gilmore house. She'd only worn the outfit once before when she'd had to go to a swim team awards banquet and since then it had been relegated to the back of her closet. She had her hair down which was unusual for her and Lorelai had lent her some jewelry to accessorize her outfit with.

"This is not bickering, this is what we call a lively debate," Lorelai clarified. "Now, come on, you," she said grabbing Luke's hand and attempting to pull him off of their bed. "You know my parents are intolerant if we're late."

"Fine," he said with a scowl as the three of them headed down the stairs and out the door.

When they arrived at the manor, they were ushered into the living room, by yet another nameless maid, where Richard, Emily and Rory were already seated. Richard and Rory were having an animated debate about the political and philosophical undertones of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with sacrificing the good of the one for the good of the many," Richard said. "Suppose a man walks into Times Square on New Year's Eve strapped head to toe with explosives while a throng of party goers are there just to watch to ball drop. Wouldn't you say that merits sacrificing that man's life to save the other lives?"

"Yes, but in a case like what's depicted in the book, there is something wrong with sacrificing the good of the one for the good of the many," Rory argued with her grandfather.

"Then perhaps you disagree with Robin Hood, robbing from the rich to give to the poor," he countered.

"That is a completely different situation, Grandpa. The poor in Robin Hood were starving because of corrupt politicians not unlike the ones Ayn Rand wrote about."

"The politicians in Atlas Shrugged were not corrupt. They were simply trying to create boundaries and limitations."

"You can't put boundaries and limitations on the human mind!"

Emily who'd been watching this discussion with interest interrupted, "Perhaps you could agree to disagree or pick this up at another time," she said when Luke, Lorelai and April walked in. "I'm sure that our new arrivals don't want to join in on this particular discussion," she added with a pointed look directed at Luke, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Actually, I'm kind of with Rory on this one," April said a little hesitantly, not quite sure where she stood with Lorelai's parents.

"You can't be serious!" Richard said to her.

"Richard, why don't you get them some drinks, and you three sit down instead of hovering in the doorway." Richard rose and walked to the bar while Luke and Lorelai sat on the empty love seat together and April sat down.

Rory turned to April and said, "You've read Atlas Shrugged," she questioned her future step-sister.

April nodded, "Last year. I loved the idea that all the creative minds of the world got together to form their own new society when they got fed up with the one they were living in."

Richard shook his head as he heard this, "So you're saying that they were right not to care that the society they left behind started crumbling because of their abandonment of it?"

"Richard, the drinks," Emily reminded.

"Oh, right," he said realizing that he'd momentarily why he left his seat."Your usual, Luke?"

"That'd be fine, Richard," Luke replied.

"Club soda with lime for me, Dad," Lorelai added.

"April," Richard said, "Would you like a coke?"

"Yes, please," she said.

Richard handed each of them their drinks, resumed his seat in the empty chair next to Emily's and turned to April. "So, go on, I'd love to hear what you have to say defending letting an entire society fall apart over selfish motivations."

April shifted a little awkwardly in her seat while Rory jumped on her grandfather's comment. "What about the selfish motivation of the government that drove them to it?"

"The government's motivations were not selfish; they were for the greater good. What was wrong with them wanting to use the talent and creativity of the greater minds to better mankind?"

"That is such a crock!" April said. "They weren't about 'bettering mankind,' especially in the case of Hank Reardon. They discovered his innovation and wanted to exploit it for themselves."

"Thank you," Rory said.

"And furthermore, I never said they were right to let society crumble, but maybe they were justified in doing so. The society that they left behind sure didn't care about them when their businesses were crumbling because of the unfair mandates imposed on them."

"Those 'mandates' as you call them," Richard argued, "were put in place to protect society as a whole so that everyone could have an equal chance to use their collective resources."

"But they weren't 'collective' resources. They were the property o the individuals who created them to do with as they saw fit. But because the people who weren't as creative or smart started crying about how little they had, the government stepped in to give everybody a piece of the pie that somebody else baked!"

Richard laughed at April's way of expressing herself. "Well, Rory I can see you found yourself an ally in your future step-sister, though I don't agree with either one of you. "

Emily laughed at Richard being outnumbered. "Richard. Let it go."

"I will not let it go. Not until these two very opinionated young ladies admit that I'm right."

"Keep dreaming," Rory said. "It's not gonna happen."

Emily spoke up again, "That book has been debated for countless hours in the nearly fifty years since it was written and no one has ever come to complete agreement on it."

"You've never even read it, Emily."

"No, but I have heard you debate it at many a cocktail party over the years and you always say the same things. You never have a new point to add."

This debate continued until the maid announced it was time for dinner. They all walked into the dining room as Richard commented to Luke "That's one bright girl you've got there, Luke."

"Thank you, Richard. She is a pretty smart kid," he replied as they gathered around the dining room table, Richard and Emily taking their usual positions at each end, while Luke and Lorelai sat on one side and Rory and April on the other.

"True, though her political views leave a little something to be desired."

"Hey, the First Amendment guarantees me the right to say whatever is on my mind," April retorted as the maid started bringing in their salads.

"I just had a horrible thought," Lorelai said, "What it Rory got all her brains from Christopher and April got hers from Anna and our kids turn out to be complete dunces?"

Luke laughed and said, "I don't see that happening, but if it does, we'll hire tutors."

"Kids?" Emily questioned. "Are the two of you planning on having more children after this one?" She was still searching for the perfect house for them, but to find it, she needed to know more about what their future needs would be.

Oops, Lorelai thought. "Oh, look the salad's here," she said, diving into her salad to avoid her mother's question since they hadn't yet told anyone about the twins.

Emily turned to Luke and probed further. "Luke, since my daughter's avoiding the question, perhaps you'd be willing to give me a straight answer." She'd wanted to ask him many questions the other day, but didn't feel comfortable doing so while standing in his restaurant. Here in her own home, she felt much more in control.

Luke shifted in his seat a little, and tried to think of the best way to answer, since he and Lorelai had agreed to tell Rory and April about the twins first and they wouldn't be able to do that until Sunday. "Um, well, it is something that we've talked about," he finally said which was the truth, but conveniently left out the fact that they were having more than one child now."

"So, are you saying that you intend to keep my daughter barefoot and pregnant?"

"Mom," Lorelai protested. "Why do you have to phrase it like that? Like the fact that I'm pregnant is all Luke's doing. If Luke and I decide we want more children, that's up to us. Right now we're just trying to get our wedding plans in order and see this pregnancy through to the end."

"Which will be when?"

"Mom, you already know when the wedding is. You've known for months. You helped with the invitations and the guest list, remember?"

"Of course I remember. I'm not senile, for God's sake! I wasn't talking about the wedding. I was talking about the baby? When is the baby due?"

"Oh, November 11th," Lorelai answered.

"November 11th," Richard questioned. "That soon?"

"Yes, Dad, that soon. We went to the doctor on Tuesday and that's what he said. We're about nine weeks into in now."

"Nine weeks?" Emily said and started doing some mental calculations. "That would mean you conceived right around…"

"Valentine's Day weekend, if you must know, Mom."

"Oh my God! "She exclaimed. "That was the weekend you spent at the Huntzberger's place in Martha's Vineyard, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Mom, it was."

"You had sex in someone else's house?"

"Oh, Lord here we go," Lorelai groaned as Luke started fidgeting nervously.

"Emily," Richard broke in. "The when and where of the conception of our grandchild is not really any of our concern."

"But, Richard-"Emily began again, but her husband cut her off.

"I mean it, Emily. Luke and Lorelai are both consenting adults and when and where they choose to have sex is none of our business."

"Can we please curb the sex talk in front of the girls?" Luke requested.

"Yes, please," Rory chimed in. "I really have no desire to know what they were doing in Logan's parents' house."

"I'm right there with you, "April said.

"Speaking of Logan," Richard said, trying to change the subject. "How is young Mr. Huntzberger?"

Uh-oh, Lorelai thought to herself feeling nothing but pity for her daughter knowing that she hadn't yet told her grandparents about the break-up.

Rory hesitated, "Um, the truth is, I really don't know how Logan is, Grandpa. We broke up."

"When did this happen?" her grandfather asked.

"Monday, after I went back to school."

"What?" Emily queried. "Why? You two were so perfect for each other," She turned on Lorelai. "This is your doing, isn't it, Lorelai. One weekend with you and Rory's throwing away a perfectly good relationship. I knew you'd do something like this. You've always hated the Huntzbergers!"

Luke jumped in to defend his fiancée. "Hey, back off! Lorelai didn't make Rory break up with Logan. She did that on her own and I, for one, think she made the right decision!"

"I suppose that you'd prefer to see her dating that unruly nephew of yours again!"

"No! Why would I want that? He broke her heart too! I'm just saying that her relationship with Logan was nowhere near the perfect relationship you thought it was. That stuck-up little bastard cheated on her, with not one, but several of his sister's friends! And as far as Lorelai hating the Huntzbergers, I think she has a right to after what they did to Rory! Weren't they the ones partially responsible for her stealing a yacht and dropping out of Yale and nearly throwing her life away?"

"You're right, Luke. They were," Emily said recalling her cat fight with Shira Huntzberger." I'm sorry, Lorelai. I was just so stunned to hear that Rory broke up with Logan, I wasn't even thinking." She turned to her granddaughter. "Was this what you were talking about the other night regarding the bridesmaids?"

Rory nodded and launched into the whole story, starting with how she'd snuck Jess into her room when he'd shown up at the Gilmores and they talked and how Logan had come home from his trip early acting like a total jerk over her hanging with Jess and ending with their final confrontation the past Monday when she'd moved out of his apartment."The funny thing is, Jess bailed on me in high school, but when I needed a friend the most he was there. He was the one who finally made me realize that I was wasting my life and that I needed to go back to school."

"Ooh," Lorelai said. "Something just hit me. When Luke and I get married you and Jess will be like cousins and you used to date him." Lorelai laughed and then added, "That makes you two kissing cousins, just like Grandma Lorelai and Grandpa Charles."

"Ewww! Ok, first of all, Jess and I dated way before you and Luke were even thinking about dating each other and second of all, even if we were still stating it wouldn't be the same thing as Gran because we're not related by blood."

"Still seems a little creepy to me."

Emily interrupted,"So you were saying that Jess was the one who talked you into going back to school?"

"Yeah, he basically told me that I wasn't being me and I realized then that I'd been running scared because I was afraid of failing and I decided to do something about it."

"It sounds like he's grown up a lot," Emily commented.

"I think a lot of that has to do with Luke's influence."

"Please," Luke protested. "It had nothing to do with me. That kid lived with me for two years and never listened to a damn thing I said the whole time I was his guardian."

"But Luke, the point is you tried. You were the strong male role model that he needed in a time when he needed it the most. Now, look what he's doing? He's published a short novel. Plus the fact that he's got his own business seems like he's following in Uncle Luke's footsteps if you ask me." Rory beamed as Luke blushed.

April could tell her dad was getting a little embarrassed, "So this is my cousin, right? Aunt Liz's son?"

"Yeah," Luke replied. "You'll get to meet him next week when we go on our trip."

"What trip?" Richard asked.

"It's a school thing, "April answered. "My math team made it into the nationals in Philadelphia. Dad's going along as a chaperone."

"Why didn't we know about this?" Richard asked, looking at Luke curiously.

"I figured Lorelai would've told you about it."

"Lorelai, why didn't you tell us about it?"

"I don't know, "Lorelai said. "I just didn't think that was something you guys would care about."

"Of course we care about it. April's going to be a part of our family when you two get married and we'd like to get to know her and part of that is knowing about things like this."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I guess I just thought that with April not being related to you by blood, you wouldn't have an interest."

Richard frowned at his daughter, and then turned his attention back to Luke. "So, tell me about this trip. How long will you be gone?"

"Ten days," Luke said. "We leave Monday morning and get back the following Thursday evening."

"Ten days is a long time to spend away from home. What about the diner?"

"Caesar's got it covered. He's a little nervous about it, but I'm sure he can handle it. He's worked for me a long time and he knows the place almost as well as I do. He knows all the regulars and who the picky eaters are. He'll be fine."

"Hmmm," Richard said thoughtfully not sure he should say what was really on his mind.

Emily picked up on the shift in Richard's mood, "Richard, what is it?"

"Nothing, Emily. I'm fine."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Luke asked . "You got quiet all of a sudden."

"Well, Luke, to be honest I'm a little surprised by this given our talk the other day. I thought you understood the things I was trying to tell you, but apparently I was wrong."

"What things were those?" Lorelai asked overflowing with curiosity. She'd been pestering Luke about what he'd talked with her dad about, but he wouldn't budge.

""Give it up, Lorelai," Luke said to her.

Lorelai pouted a little when her mother spoke up, "Don't feel bad, Lorelai. Your father won't tell me what they talked about in their private little pow-wow either."

"Richard, I did understand what you were trying to tell me and I've been doing my best to live up to your expectations. I don't get where this is coming from."

"I just think that ten days is a long time for you to go running off and leaving my pregnant daughter all alone. Your role in your unborn child's life isn't over just because you've already done you part! Lorelai's going to need all the help she can get from you in the next few months, and this is not a good time for you to be abandoning your responsibility to her."

"Richard Gilmore, you filthy hypocrite!" Emily shouted across the table at him. "You were gone constantly when I was pregnant with Lorelai. You don't know how many times I woke up in the middle of the night sick as a dog, wishing you were there to hold my hand." As she said this, the maid began bringing in dinner plates and clearing their salad plates.

"That was a different situation, Emily. I had no choice but to leave as a part of my job, but this trip he's taking is a completely different matter. This is frivolous!"

"Dad," Lorelai broke in. "Luke is not abandoning me and the trip is not frivolous! He's just going on a field trip with his kid to support her achievement, something that I encouraged and that they've both been looking forward to for a week now. They need this time together as father and daughter."

"And what about the child you're carrying? You don't think this child needs its father too?"

"Yes, Dad, I agree with that, but it's only a week and a half. He's not gonna miss out on that much in that short a time. Besides he's already promised he's going to call me every night, which is ore than Christopher ever did when I was carrying Rory! I was alone through most of my pregnancy with her."

"I'm aware if that, Lorelai. It's no secret that that man has never taken any responsibility for his child whatsoever. I thought Luke was better than that!"

"He is, Dad! I wish you could see that!" As the maid set her plate in front of her, she was overcome with a wave of nausea from the strong smell of the salmon wafting up from it. She made a beeline for the bathroom.

"Lorelai!" Luke called as he jumped out of his seat and went after her.

Rory looked at her grandfather in shock. "Grandpa, you seriously need to get off Luke's back. He's always taken good care of me and Mom and long before they were a couple! Just this week, he drove up to New Haven to comfort me after the break-up with Logan and he came back again to fix things around my apartment so I'd be safe! And he's doing the best he can to be a good father to April even though he's missed out on most of her life!"

"It's true," April agreed. "Things were a little weird at first with me and him, but he's really trying to get to know me and be there for me, even though my mother's been freaking out about it. But he's been standing his ground and not letting her call all the shots. As for the trip, I asked him to go, he didn't volunteer for it. I wanted him to go with me, so that he could see another facet of my life. I've never had a father to be supportive before and I like that he's really making an effort. He didn't have to. My mom made it very clear that she didn't need anything from him, but she didn't stop to consider the fact that I did. I needed my father!"

"Wow," Rory said. "You've pretty much got your dad's ranting thing down pat." The girls looked at each other and laughed. They'd been texting each other since Lorelai had given April Rory's cell number and exchanged stories about the dad they both loved. Rory had told April about the apartment rant and in turn April had told her about his sex rant. April had thanked her for the loan of her clothing and they'd also chatted about their respective parents' upcoming wedding and the idea of the two of them sharing bridesmaidly duties. They were still getting to know each other, but the tension between them had eased quite a bit.

"That must have been awful for you growing up never knowing who your father was," Emily stated. She hadn't really thought about that part of the equation, how a young girl might feel, not knowing where she comes from. She'd thought primarily about how the new knowledge would affect Luke and Lorelai. And of course, she had often speculated about the child's mother, whom she still hadn't met and how any woman could purposely keep a child from knowing her father.

April nodded. "From the time I was eight, I've been asking my mom about my father and she always just blew me off, saying that I was better off without him like he was some kind of deadbeat or pedophile or something. Then when I'd push her on the subject, she'd just act all hurt, like she didn't think she was being a good enough mom or something. So, I finally started doing some investigating of my own. When my mom was busy at the store, I started searching through her old diaries and letters and stuff, trying to find a clue to who my dad was."

"You did this without your mother knowing about it?" Richard inquired.

"Yes, I was afraid if she knew what I was doing, she'd try to talk me out of it and I had to know who my father was. Even when it was done, I didn't completely tell her the truth. I told her I did it just for the science fair, but the truth was I didn't care as much about the fair as I did just having an answer. I wasn't getting my hopes up that my father would want to be a part of my life. It was enough for me just to know, but when he started calling me and asking me to spend time with him, that was amazing to me. I finally found the piece of me that was missing."

"I should go apologize to Luke for overreacting," He said getting up from the table. He walked to the open door of the bathroom and peered inside, seeing Lorelai sitting on the floor in Luke's arms who was rubbing her back. Neither noticed him standing there.

"You think you got it all out?" Luke asked her.

"Yeah, I think so. That fishy smell just hit me all at once and the kids didn't like it one bit."

"I feel like an ass!" he said as he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Why? You've been nothing but supportive through this. You sit with me when I'm sick and hold my hair out of my face, and rub my back and try to comfort me through all of it. You've been great. "

"But it's my fault that you're this sick. I did this to you."

"Hey, don't say that. We did this together, remember? That night in Martha's Vineyard after we had that talk about our wedding?"

"I remember," He said softly blushing slightly.

"I want you to also remember this is something we both wanted. We talked about having kids together the night we got engaged and now we are having kids together, a little sooner than we planned on, and the twin thing was completely unexpected. I was still trying to cope with the idea of having just one baby, but I wouldn't change it. Forget about what my father said. You're an incredible dad and I can't imagine anyone else being the father of my children."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed as she grabbed his hand and laid it on her stomach. "These kids are incredibly lucky to have you as a dad."

Luke smiled. "You think you're ready to get up, now? You're parents are probably wondering what happened to us by now."

"Yeah, I think the nausea has passed."

"Good," He said as he helped her up off the bathroom floor and they walked toward the door and both jumped back upon finding Richard standing there.

"Jeez, Dad! Make a noise or something!"

"I'm sorry," Richard said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"How long have been standing there?"

"A minute or two," He admitted, then addressed his future son-in-law. "Luke, might I have a word with you?"

"Dad, don't," Lorelai pleaded, gripping Luke's hand tightly, worried about what her father might say to Luke after his outburst at the dinner table.

"I came to make peace, Lorelai. Would you excuse us, please?"

She looked at Luke who merely shrugged. "I guess," she said and made her way back to the dining room.

Luke stood there stiffly, not knowing what to say. He'd thought after their talk on Sunday that Richard was beginning to accept him as a prospective son-in-law, but now he had his doubts.

"Luke, "Richard began,"I'm afraid I owe you an apology."

"That's not really necessary. You're Lorelai's father and you have a right to be concerned about her. Having April suddenly appear in my life has taught me a few things about that myself."

"I still want to say I'm sorry. My little temper tantrum out there really has nothing to do with you. I have to admit though, that when Emily first informed me of Lorelai's pregnancy the other night, I wanted to rip you apart with my bare hands for getting my daughter pregnant."

"Jeez," Luke said nervously, backing away from Richard slightly.

"Relax, Luke. The urge passed when Emily very bluntly brought it to my attention that it wasn't you I was angry with. Finding out that Lorelai was once again pregnant out of wedlock brought back all the pain and anger I felt when she was sixteen and how Christopher pretty much abandoned her."

"I thought he was the one who wanted to get married back then," Luke said remembering his argument with Lorelai about the subject.

"He was, but not because he really wanted to. He only proposed to Lorelai because of the pressure he felt from his parents and from Emily and me to do the right thing. When Lorelai turned him down, he pretty much stayed away until Lorelai went into labor. The night Rory was born, Emily and I pushed him into trying again, hoping that Lorelai would've changed her mind now that she was a mother. We were wrong, though. She turned him down once again and then he disappeared and went off to live his own life, doing God knows what. I was so angry with him for deserting my daughter and granddaughter. Even thought Lorelai adamantly refused to marry him, he still should have been there for her and for his child."

"I couldn't agree more," Luke said. "Ever since I found out about April, I've been feeling like a deserter myself because I was never there for her when she was little. It still bothers me that Anna never had any intention of telling me I had a kid. If April hadn't come looking for me, I still wouldn't know she existed."

"What would you have done if you'd known then? Would you have married the woman?"

"I honestly don't know. I was never given the chance to find out. Looking back on everything, I don't think I would have because the issues that broke up our relationship wouldn't have been resolved by getting married out of some sense of obligation. I can tell you one thing for sure; I'd have made damn sure I was there for April for whatever she needed regardless of whether or not her mother and I were together."

"It seems that you're doing that now the best way you can."

"I'm trying, but I have to admit, I'm still a little clueless when it comes to being a dad to an almost teenage daughter."

"Just wait until she starts dating."

"That better not be happening for a long time," Luke said with a smile as he reflected on his very candid discussion with April on the subject of sex.

Richard laughed and said, "Trust me. It will happen sooner than you're ready for it. One day you're going to realize that your little girl isn't a little girl anymore, but a young woman. While we're on the subject of children, did I hear correctly that you and Lorelai are expecting twins?"

"Yeah, about that, could you keep that to yourself for a little while? We just found out Tuesday and we haven't told the girls yet. We wanted to wait and tell them when the four of us could all sit down together and talk about it."

Richard nodded. "I'll keep my mouth shut, though it may put me in the doghouse with Emily if she finds out that I knew before her." He chuckled for a moment before saying, "Come on; let's go rejoin the ladies before they start thinking that we killed each other."

The men returned to the dining room and reclaimed their seats to find the women chatting casually about wedding plans.

"Lorelai's going to take me dress shopping Sunday," April was saying. "Rory's already got her dress. It's this really cool shade of pink. Lorelai showed it to me the other day. Now we're gonna get one for me that matches it."

"That sounds lovely," Emily said. "What shade of pink? Maybe my Chanel suit would be a close enough match that I could wear it to the wedding."

"That suit would be perfect, Mom," Lorelai said. "You look nice in it. You should definitely wear it on our wedding day."

"Good. That's settled. What about your father?"

"What about him?"

"Well, what should he wear?"

Lorelai looked at her mother in confusion. "Mom, you're way more informed about this stuff than I am. Doesn't the father of the bride traditionally wear a tux to match the rest of the wedding party? I mean, if he's going to be walking me down the aisle, he should be coordinated with everyone else."

"You want me to walk you down the aisle?" Richard asked with a smile.

"Of course, Dad. You're my father. Why wouldn't I want you to give me away on my wedding day?"

"Well, you never asked me to, so I didn't know what to think."

"Gee, Dad, I didn't think I had to ask. I thought that was just a given. When your daughter gets married, you walk her down the aisle and give her away, but if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. I can go solo." She was a little hurt, thinking that she needed to ask her own father for his support on her wedding day.

"No, I want to, Lorelai. I just didn't think you wanted me to. You've never been one for following tradition much."

"You don't have you want to do it, if you really don't," she said stiffly. "I know you and mom aren't exactly thrilled with my choice in husbands."

"Lorelai, listen to me, it would give me great pleasure to walk you down the aisle and give you away to the man sitting beside you. It's obvious that he loves you with all his heart, and I have no reservations whatsoever about giving your hand to him."

"Good," Emily said, "Now, that that's settled, I wanted to ask the two of you what you're thinking about regarding your housing situation."

"We've been discussing that," Luke said. "I talked to Tom, the contractor who handled the remodel on the house and we've got a meeting set up for when I get back from Philly to take another look at the house and see if there may be room for more expansion."

"So, you're thinking of staying in the house you're in?" Emily looked a little alarmed at this, since she'd spent most of the past week looking at numerous houses trying to find them one that would be big enough to suit their needs, yet still be a place they would feel comfortable living in.

"It's just one idea. It'd be nice because we both love that house, but it may not be feasible with the way our family is growing. We may need to buy a bigger house."

"So, you've contemplated the idea of possibly moving into as larger home?"

"Yes, Mom," Lorelai answered. "We have. What's your sudden obsession with our living situation?"

"It's not an obsession. Just curiosity," her mother replied.

"Well, you made big with the questions about the house and whether we were staying in Stars Hollow last Saturday and now tonight. That sounds a little like obsession to me," She looked at her mother suspiciously. "Now, what gives?"

Emily looked across the table at her husband as if pleading for help.

"Don't look at me, Emily," Richard said. "This was all your idea."

"What was all Mom's idea?" Lorelai asked. "What's going on? Does this have anything to do with you spending insane amounts of time with Kirk?"

Emily sighed and realized it was time to confess to what she'd been up to. "I've been looking for a house in Stars Hollow," she admitted.

"I knew it! See, Luke?" She said, nudging her fiancé. "What did I tell you?" She turned to her mother and asked. "Why would you do that when you already have a beautiful house?"

"This house shopping I'm doing isn't for me. It's for you."

"Me?"

"Well, the two of you and your family."

"You want to buy us a house?"

"Well, I know you're not going to let me give you a wedding, so I thought a house would do. I was thinking it would make a nice wedding present."

"All that running around Stars Hollow, you were looking for a house for us?" She was touched by the idea that her mother had taken so much time to think about her future with Luke.

"Well of course, you didn't think we wanted to live there, did you? Small-town charm is good for a weekend, Lorelai, but I have no interest in having a next-door neighbor walk in with a pie, wanting to chat. I would kill myself and my neighbors."

Luke laughed at this, as he'd had many moments when he'd wanted to kill one of his neighbors, particularly Taylor. "That's a very nice idea, Emily, but I think we've got it covered."

"Now, Luke, I know you're not the kind of man who willingly takes extravagant gifts from people, but Richard and I really want to do this for you. You need a bigger house, especially if you have more children down the road. Your current home is just not big enough for you."

"Well, I said I've got it covered and I meant it and I'm not sure that I like the insinuation that I'm not capable of providing for my family," Luke said starting to get riled at Emily once again interfering in their lives.

"That wasn't my intention, Luke. I never meant to suggest that you wouldn't be a good provider. When I was in the diner the other day, I saw firsthand how hard you work and how much pride you take in making sure your business runs smoothly. I only wanted to take a little pressure off of the two of you as you start your lives together. You've got so much on your plates right now with April and the baby and planning a wedding, all while still trying to run two businesses. I wanted to take a little of the weight off your shoulders."

"I've got strong shoulders. I can take the weight!"

Lorelai reached for his hand, "Honey, at least think about it for a minute. We don't have to decide anything right this second."

Luke pulled away from her angrily, rose from his seat and said, "What's there to think about? The answer is no! Don't you see, Lorelai? This is just one more of your mother's ways of reminding me that I'm not good enough for you in her eyes!"

Emily rose from the table, livid at Luke for his obstinacy, "That's not what I was trying to do! This wasn't another dig at you! I was trying to help you!"

"Well, I don't want or need your help in caring for my family! I'm a grown man and perfectly capable of doing that all on my own!"

April had watched the drama unfolding around her all night and couldn't take it anymore. She too rose from her seat. "Stop it! All of you!" She shouted, looking around at all of them. "What the hell kind of crazy messed up family am I becoming a part of?" Emily looked stunned at April's outburst and was about to say something when she continued, her finger pointed at Emily. "If all you wanted to do was help you should've said something instead of running around behind Dad and Lorelai's backs and doing this all on your own before you even knew if this was something they wanted!" She turned to her father and said, "And you should learn to stop being so damn stubborn and at least hear what people have to say before you lose your temper and start yelling! Maybe she was just trying to help, but you're so bull-headed, you just blow up and assume you know what people are thinking about without even bothering to listen!"

"See what I mean?" Rory said, "You've got your dad's talent for a good rant," breaking the tension in the room.

April blushed and sat back down, not daring to look at anyone, fearing she'd gone too far. Luke laughed at Rory comparing April's flare-up to one of his own and returned to his seat next to Lorelai.
Richard looked at April and said, "Well, one's things certain, April. With that mouth of yours and your outspoken nature, you're going to fit right in with this crazy messed up family." Even Emily had to laugh at that.

Things at the dinner table calmed down considerably after that, the six of them chatting amiably about the wedding and their family. April expanded more on her math team's upcoming competition and Rory filled them in on her life at school, while Luke and Lorelai related all the details of the busy week they'd had.

After dinner, they all gathered in the living room where Luke had conceded to at least taking a look at the photos Emily had procured of the houses she'd visited, but still unsure of Emily's motivations. He wondered as he looked through the pictures if this was just going to something she could hold over their heads later. "Ok, Emily," He said "Let's say I do agree to let you buy us a new house, I want thing clearly understood."

"I'm listening," She said.

"Keep in mind, I still need some time to think about this. But if, and I'm stressing if, I agree to this, I want it understood that this will be our home and we'll make any further decisions about what goes on in it. That includes any ideas about remodeling, decorating and most important of all, how we raise our children. You'll always be welcome in our home because you're family and the only grandmother my children are going to have, but there will be no meddling. If you do this, you just write the check and you're done."

"I can live with that," Emily said with a hopeful smile.

TBC

AN: I felt the need in this chapter to borrow a little dialogue from "Driving Miss Gilmore" even though it came later in season six because it was relevant to the house conversation, plus the part about Emily killing her neighbors is pretty funny. It 's just a little out of order from the way it was on the show. Next chapter: Luke and Richard at the batting cages.