Back at the baseball field the game was coming towards an end, which meant Luke and Dean had agreed that the next hit won. Luke stepped up to the plate, glancing over at April and giving her a wink. He lifted up his bat then as soon as the ball was pitched to him, he collided with it, sending it out of the park. All three of the girls stood up and cheered for him as he ran around the bases, not stopping till he reached home plate.
Dean walked off the field and over to Rory. "You do know that you are cheering that I lost, right?" He asked.
Rory smiled, looking over at her father as he stood up. "I want you to meet my dad, Christopher."
Dean held his hand and shook Christophers. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Christopher said as Luke walked up behind Dean, patting him on the back.
"Good game, Dean." Luke said, a cocky grin on his face.
"Don't taunt me."
"Well, I thought I would pay you back for saying I couldn't make the ball over the plate."
"You were lucky this time. Next time we play I'll be the one running those bases."
"Yes, while you are chasing after me with the ball, maybe."
Dean smirked back at him. "I gotta go." He said, turning to Christopher. "Nice meeting you." He told him, then they all said goodbye to him before he walked away.
"Your mom hasn't gotten here yet?" Luke asked Rory.
"No, I haven't seen her." Rory said then her cell phone started ringing. She grabbed it out of her jeans pocket and read the caller id. "Speak of the devil." She said, holding the phone out toward Luke. "Here, it's probably for you."
Luke took the cell phone from her and opened it up. "Hello." He said, answering.
"My, my, Rory." Lorelai said from the other line. "What type of supplements have you been taking? Your voice is so manly."
"Are you here yet?"
"Yes, don't you see me standing right beside you?" Lorelai said, sarcastically.
"I guess you're running late."
"I just left the inn, everything took longer than expected."
"You sure you didn't get stuck talking to Sookie?"
"You know me far too well. I should be there in a few minutes."
"Alright, we'll be here."
"Now say, 'bye, hot mama'."
"I will not."
"Fine then, we can use one of the boring ones like you prefer. Bye, hun."
Luke smiled. "Bye, hun." He said, hanging up the phone and handing it back to Rory. "She will be here soon, then we can walk over to the diner for lunch."
"Rory, are you coming too?" April asked.
"Ah," Rory started, glancing over at Christopher.
"You can go. I'll be fine wandering for a while on my own." Christopher told her.
"You can come too." Luke suggested.
"I don't want to intrude."
"You won't be. Besides, if you walk around here alone Miss Patty will make you her next husband."
"I don't know-"
Rory chimed in. "He's not kidding about that. Come with us, for your own safety."
"Okay, I'll come."
"If we have time I could make my chart now." April said.
"Or we could play a little game while we wait." Luke suggested, nodding toward the field.
"Baseball?"
"Yeah, baseball."
"That's not a good idea. I stink at sports."
"So did everyone else playing today."
"You promise not to laugh at me?"
"I promise."
"Rory has to play too."
"Only if he promises not to laugh at me too." Rory said, nodding at Luke.
"I'm not sure I can make that promise, but I'll try." Luke said.
Rory started to follow everybody toward the field when she noticed her dad staying by the bleachers. "Come on, if I have to play, so do you." She said, waving him over.
Once they were all on the field Luke reached into a bag and pulled out a bat before handing it to April. "This is the lightest one I have. It's not too heavy for you, is it?"
"It's fine." April said, swinging it around a little.
Luke bent down next to her and showed her where to grip the bat, then he held it as they did a few practice swings. "Chris, you know how to pitch?" He asked.
"Yeah, somewhat." Christopher replied then Luke grabbed a bucket of baseballs and handed it to him. He took it with him and walked over to the pitching area, setting the bucket by his feet before grabbing one of the balls out. "You ready?"
"Not really." April said, worried.
"Don't worry, we got this." Luke said, smiling as he bent back down to help her swing.
"Okay." April called out, ready for the first pitch. When the ball got near them her dad helped her swing, the both of them hitting the ball and sending it down the field.
Luke helped her hit a few more hits before standing up and backing away from her. "Okay, try it without me now."
April tried swinging at a few different pitches, not being able to hit one by herself. "I told you, I stink at sports."
"You are doing fine, you are just swinging a little too late." Luke told her as Lorelai walked up to the fence behind them, catching his attention. They both smiled at each other before he looked back at his daughter swinging at another pitch. "Okay, that one was a little too late."
"I'm never going to get this, I stink."
"You do not stink. Think of the field like the solar system." Luek said, walking over beside Christopher. "Christopher is Saturn, and you are the sun."
"Luke, you know the solar system?" Lorelai yelled from behind the fence.
"Don't mock me while I'm teaching." Luke said then took a few steps forward. "This is Jupiter." Few more steps. "Mars."
"Make alien sounds!" Lorelai yelled.
"I'm not making alien sounds." He said as he took more steps. "Earth."
"Hey, I've heard of that place."
Luke looked out at Lorelai. "Is this why Rory won't study around you?"
"Yes!" Rory said.
Luke took a few more steps. "Venus." He looked over at Lorelai who was about to open her mouth. "Do not start singing." He warned, then took another step. "This is Mercury. When the ball gets to Mercury, you swing."
"Swing at Mercury, okay." April nodded, holding her bat the way he had taught her again. She watched as the ball started coming her way, swinging once it hit the imaginary mark he had told her to swing at. Her bat collided with the ball, sending it a little past the pitcher's base.
"You did it." Luke cheered, giving her a high five.
"I got it to Neptune!" She said, happily.
"Great job, honey." Anna said.
"It's Rory's turn to try now." April said, handing her the bat.
"Oh, this should be good." Lorelai teased.
"Don't mock so soon. I got the solar system to work with this time." Rory said, stepping up to the plate.
"April, go stand by your mom so you don't get hit." Luke said, gently pushing her away.
"Really?" Rory asked, glaring back at him.
"Just being safe." Luke said, moving back some to give her space to swing.
Rory swung at the first one and missed it. "I swung at Mercury." She said, annoyed.
"You let your arms go limp." He said, walking up beside her. "Keep your arm straight, like this." He explained, mimicking the batting motion with her.
"Got it." Rory said, nodding as he stepped away so she could swing again. This time she hit the ball and it flew past Christopher.
"You made it past Pluto!" April said.
Rory looked back at Lorelai, proudly. "I hit it past Pluto!"
"That was amazing, hun."
"Good job, kid." Christopher said.
Luke picked up another bat and looked back at Lorelai. "You want to try, Lorelai?"
"No, not a chance." Lorelai said, laughing at the very idea.
"Come on, Lor." Christopher said. "Try it."
"It will not end well for anyone involved if I try it."
"I tried it and I share the same athletic genes as you." Rory said.
"I tried and my genes aren't any better." April said, glancing over at Anna. "No offense, mom."
"None taken." Anna said.
"What do you say, Lorelai?" Luke asked.
"Maybe next time."
"Okay." Luke said then turned to Anna. "It's your turn then."
"No way." Anna said, shaking her head. "The last time I played was when I gave you the black eye."
"You gave dad a black eye?" April asked, curiously.
"If I see your elbow coming towards my face, I'll duck." Luke said, holding the bat out to her.
"Go hit it past Pluto, mom." April said, pushing her towards Luke.
"Don't count on it." Anna said as she took the bat from Luke then he stood behind her holding onto her arms and helping her swing.
Christopher looked over at Lorelai, noticing how she was watching their every move.
"Give that a try." Luke said, stepping back as she gave it a shot. On the first swing she managed to hit it about how far Rory had.
"Go, mom!" April cheered.
"You did it." Luke said, smiling over at her. "And no black eye this time."
Lorelai watched them for a second then walked around the fence and onto the field. "I think I'll try it now. You all made it look fun."
"I may have spoken too soon about the black eye." Luke joked.
"Hand me the stick." Lorelai said, taking the bat from Luke before stepping up to the plate.
Luke walked over and stepped behind her, showing her how to swing the same way he had shown Anna. "Just like this." He said, getting ready to step away when she stopped him.
"No, swing with me." Lorelai said as she pulled Luke back to her so he was pressed up against her, much closer than he had gotten before. "It's the only way I'll actually hit the ball."
Rory glanced over at her father, noticing he was staring at them through their whole interaction.
Lorelai smiled over her shoulder at Luke, surprised how unfazed he was getting at her forcing him into public displays of affection. She turned her head back facing forward, gripping the bat tightly. "Ready." She called out. The pitch came their way in a matter of seconds and she felt as Luke used his whole body to help her swing, sending the ball over the fence.
Luke looked out at where the ball had just disappeared into the grass, leaving his arms wrapped around her. "That's a homerun." He said, smiling.
"I'm not so clueless about baseball that I don't know what a homerun is."
"I couldn't be sure." He said with a shrug. "You did call my bat a stick."
"That was amazing!" April said, running over to them.
"It was all Lorelai." Luke said, finally letting go of her and taking a step off to her side.
"Great job, Lorelai."
"Thank you." Lorelai said, rolling her eyes at Luke for lying about it.
"Can we go eat now?" April asked. "I'm getting hungry."
"Me too, all that baseball worked up an appetite." Lorelai said, patting on her stomach.
"Like you needed baseball for that." Luke teased.
"Shush, you."
"Let me grab the equipment then we can go." Luke said, starting to gather up everything.
Christopher walked over to Luke. "Need some help?" He asked.
"Yeah, that would be great." Luke said, then they both picked up a couple bags and started walking back to the group.
"Look at the big strong men, carrying their balls." Lorelai joked.
"Lorelai, seven year old present."
"Dad, I'm old enough to know what baseballs are." April said, making everyone else smile.
"Your dad is so silly sometimes." Lorelai said.
When they all got over to the diner Christopher followed Luke over to the staircase while everyone else stopped at the tables by the window.
"I can get it from here, thank you." Luke told him, taking the bags and running them upstairs.
Christopher walked over to Rory while Lorelai was pushing two of the tables together then they all grabbed a chair and sat down. Lorelai took a seat on the side of Rory that her father wasn't on, leaving a spot between her and April open for Luke. Luke came back downstairs and grabbed a notepad, pen, and a few menus before walking over to them. He handed Anna and Christopher a menu then sat down next to April with another.
"Me and Rory don't get one?" Lorelai asked.
"What do you need a menu for?" Luke asked, looking up from the menu he had just opened for his daughter. "You've had it memorized since ninety-seven."
"It would still be nice to be included."
"Would you like me to go get you menus?"
"Yes, please." She replied, grinning as he handed the menu over to April before he got up and walked away.
April leaned towards Rory, both of them in front of Lorelai as they spoke. "Did you notice the expression change I was telling you about?"
"I did!" Rory said, smiling. "That's the first time I realized it."
"What are you two talking about?" Lorelai asked.
"Don't tell her or he will never live it down."
"Here you go." Luke said as he walked back to the table and handed both the girls a menu, taking a seat again.
"Thank you." Lorelai said, opening up the menu and looking at it a second. She looked towards Rory, a confused expression on her face. "Why'd he give us menus? Everything on here is the same."
Luke stopped pointing out items on April's menu and glanced over at them, exhaling. "There are several other people around, why am I the only one you're harassing?"
"It's because she likes you." April stated, making both of them share an awkward glance.
"What?" Luke asked, looking back at his daughter.
"Mom told me the boy that sits behind me in math class always kicks the back of my chair because he likes me and wants my attention."
"Who is this boy and where can I find him?"
"That's cute." Rory said, smirking. "She has a little boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend." April clarified, sternly. "He doesn't even know how to count to one hundred."
"You shouldn't shoot a guy down based on his ability to count." Lorelai told April. "Luke can only make it to the eighties and I still love him."
"Is that true?" April asked, looking over at her dad.
Luke shook his head. "It's safe to say most things that come out of her mouth are not true."
"You're right." Lorelai said, leaning towards April. "He can make it well into the nineties."
Luke shook his head then stood up. "Is everyone ready to order?" He asked, pulling out his pen and notepad. After they all told him what they wanted he ran the order back to the kitchen, before returning to the table.
"Lorelai, I have the picture of my plant I was telling you about." April said.
"Oh, show me, show me." Lorelai said, excitedly. She waited while April pulled a photo out of her notebook and handed it to her, looking it over. "Wow, they better talk to the school contractors about building a higher ceiling or this is going to grow right through the roof."
Rory glanced over at the photo. "That is way better than the one I grew in school. I believe mine grew to about three inches before it sagged over and died."
"It is the tallest in my class." April said, smiling. "If it's still the tallest by the end of this semester I get a ribbon and a free book certificate."
"You might as well start picking your book now, because this looks like a winner." Lorelai said, handing the picture back to April.
April took the picture from her then held it out to Luke. "This is for you." She said, handing it over to him. "I planted this the day after I met you. It reminds me of how we have grown with time and nurture just like this plant."
"Thank you, sweetie." Luke said, giving her a hug. He looked at the picture, smiling before he put the polaroid into his shirt pocket.
Lorelai smiled at their interaction, placing her hand on top of his and leaning over to talk near his ear. "See, and you thought she wouldn't like you." She whispered. When she pulled away she left her hand on top of his, running her thumb across the top of it. He looked over at her and smiled, turning his hand around and letting hers fall into his to hold. They continued sharing a meaningful look until Christopher's phone started ringing and pulled their attention away from each other. She watched as Christopher grabbed his cell out of his pocket to answer. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, hey, hey, hey, hey!" She said, pointing to the no cell phones sign with her free hand.
Christopher just grinned before answering. "Hello?"
"I tried." Lorelai told Luke.
"Emily!" Christopher said over the phone.
"Emily?" Lorelai asked.
He moved the phone away from his face and whispered, "It's your mother."
"Hi, grandma." Rory yelled towards the phone.
"Ah huh. Well, I'm actually sitting with your girls. Sure." Christopher answered, leaning forward and handed his phone to Lorelai. "She wants to speak to you."
"Mhmm." Lorelai said, putting the phone to her ear. "Hi, mom."
"Lorelai, Christopher is in town!" Emily said happily from the other line.
Lorelai fake gasped. "What?! I didn't know! Although coincidently I'm sitting across an amazing Christopher hologram." She joked.
"Well, I had this wonderful idea. Christopher's parents are in town too, you remember Straub and Francine, don't you?"
"Ah yes, the Schnickelfritzes."
"The who?"
"The Hayden's."
"Well, I called them up and invited them to dinner. They said they are free to join us all on Friday night."
"Join us all?" Lorelai asked, seeing Christopher shake his head no. "I'm not sure Christopher can make it, mom."
"He's still going to be in town Friday, isn't he?"
"I'm not sure. He's got a lot of stuff going on with his new business and all."
"We haven't all been together since the two of you were children, and Straub and Francine haven't seen Rory since she was a baby. Do you not want us all to see each other, Lorelai?"
Lorelai tightened her grip on Luke's hand. "No, mom. That's not what I want."
"Then bring him to dinner."
"I'll let you know, mom. But can I call you later? We're at the diner and they don't allow cell phones in here."
"Lorelai."
"Oh no, Luke's walking towards us. I gotta go before he sees me." Lorelai said then quickly ended the call. "Here's your phone back. I'd put it on silent for a while." She said, handing Christopher his phone.
"You're hurting my hand." Luke whispered.
"Sorry." Lorelai apologized, loosening her grip.
A few moments later the waiter came over and dropped off their food, Lorelai finally letting go of his hand so they could eat. Once they were all finished with their lunch, Luke told them he was going to walk Anna and April back to their car and that he would be home after the dinner rush. They all said their goodbyes as they walked out of the diner, each group going a separate way.
"So, should we head back to the house now?" Rory asked, glancing over at her parents as they walked down the sidewalk.
"We need to stop at the market quick, we ran out of milk this morning." Lorelai said, leading them into Doose's.
Rory looked around the market and noticed Dean stalking shelves, turning back to her parents a second. "I'm gonna go look at some candy. Do you want anything?"
"Candy?" Lorelai asked, glancing over at her daughter's boyfriend. "Do you mean candy candy, or eye candy?"
"So, that's a no on candy for you." She said, backing away from them.
"Twizzlers and Milk Duds, please." Lorelai called out.
Christopher looked over at the young couple as Lorelai grabbed a basket, starting to follow her around the store. "I don't know how I'd ever get used to seeing her with a boyfriend."
"It was strange for me at first too." Lorelai said as she grabbed a couple boxes of protein bars off the shelf. "But Deans a good kid, and he's crazy about her." She said, reaching for a bag of multigrain tortilla chips.
"I'm sorry, protein bars and multigrain chips?" He said, looking at the contents of her basket. "Who are you right now?"
"Luke is a healthy eater." She said, smiling as she grabbed a couple more items for him.
"You haven't converted him to your ways yet?"
"It's kinda been the other way around. He does all the cooking so we've started getting used to a few of the more healthy alternatives." She explained, grabbing a giant bag of mini donuts. She watched him look over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Well, we didn't convert all the way."
Christopher chuckled lightly. "That's quite a guy you got there, Lor."
"Ahh, yes. He's our knight in shining plaid."
"So, what did his daughter mean when she said she met him before she planted that thing?"
"They just met a few weeks ago. Luke didn't even know about her till he ran into them at a store."
"Why didn't Anna tell him about his kid? Was he bad to her or something?"
"No, things with them just didn't work out. She didn't find out she was pregnant till after they broke up."
"But he must have done something wrong for her to think he shouldn't be a part of his kid's life."
"No, not really. She just let her past experience with her dad cloud her decisions, they had a very strained relationship because he never made any attempt at being a father."
"Ahh." Christopher said, nodding to himself as he realized the reason Rory said that he wouldn't be her type. "Well, they seem pretty close for only knowing each other for a few weeks, Luke and his daughter."
"Since the second he found out about her he's made sure to be there as much as possible. They talk on the phone every single day, sometimes more than that when they have something they are excited to tell each other and can't wait. It's adorable." Lorelai said, smiling ear to ear as she thought about it.
"That's nice."
Lorelai noticed the saddened expression on his face, knowing what he was thinking about. "Plus, it helps that she is only seven. It's pretty easy to get them to like you at that age." She said with a chuckle.
Outside in the square Luke had just finished saying goodbye to Anna and April after walking them to their car. He was on his way back to the diner when Andrew called out for him, walking across the street to join him.
"Hey, Luke." Andrew said, stepping over the curb and into the grass.
"Andrew." Luke greeted.
"Heard you had a good game today."
"It was alright. Got a hit in at the end." He said, noticing that the man seemed to have more he wanted to say to him. "What's up?"
"Do you know, is Rory's father mad at me for declining his card? He said he would come back with a different one and he never did."
"What?" Luke asked, confused. "His card, you mean his credit card?"
"Yeah, Rory didn't tell you?" Andrew asked, giving a head shake back. "They were in the store earlier trying to buy the Oxford English Dictionary, but his card didn't work."
"I hadn't heard."
"Well, I set the book aside. It's the last one I have till my next shipment and I didn't want someone else getting it before she did. Could you let him know?"
"Ahh," Luke said, reaching into his pocket and grabbing out his wallet. He pulled a few bills out then held them out to Andrew. "How about you take this for now. Just tell Rory her dad paid for it and I can get it back from him later."
"Alright, I'll let her know." Andrew said, taking the cash from him before walking off.
Inside the market Rory had joined her parents again, the three of them making their way over to the checkout line.
"Hey, Lorelai." Taylor called out, heading towards them.
"Run." Lorelai whispered, pushing the two of them away from her. "It's too late for me, save yourselves."
Rory grabbed her dad's arm, pulling him with her towards the door. Once they were outside they both laughed. "Word to the wise, never let yourself get stuck in a conversation with Taylor." She explained. "They tend to go on and on."
"This whole town is insane."
"Well, it's only fitting that me and mom would live here then." She joked.
Andrew was heading back to his store when he noticed the both of them standing on the sidewalk. "Hey, Rory." He said, walking over to them "The card your dad ran earlier finally went through. We must have been having trouble with our system, but it's all paid for now."
"Really?" Rory said, smiling wide.
"It's behind the counter if you want to go grab it."
"Awesome." She said, looking over at Christopher. "If mom breaks free from Taylor, tell her I'll be right back."
Christopher waited till she ran off then looked back at Andrew. "I'm not sure what's going on, I checked and my card was already over the limit. It's not possible that it worked."
"It's paid for. Don't worry about it." He said, nonchalantly.
"I can't let you pay for it."
"I'm not the one who paid for it." Andrew said, glancing over toward Luke's diner. "I gotta get back to the store. Have a nice evening, Christopher." He said, walking away.
"I have broken free!" Lorelai said, coming out of the market with her bags. "He gave me a very lengthy lecture about keeping my lawn cut at the exact right length. Apparently the whole town will fall into disrepair if it's not a perfect inch and a half height." She ranted before looking around. "You lose our kid?"
"She went to the bookstore to grab a book I bought her."
"I thought your card was declined?"
"Rory told you?"
"No, I heard the whispers around town."
"Andrew said they were just having a problem with their systems earlier. It's covered now."
"Weird, we've never had that problem before." Lorelai said, skeptically. "Well, let's go get her out of there before she starts browsing. We'll never get her home then."
Later that day after the dinner rush, Luke left Caesar in charge of the diner for the evening then headed home for the night. When he stepped inside the place was quiet, so he went further into the house and glanced around, noticing Christopher walking around the living room. "Hey." He said, gesturing around.
"They went to pick up some pies." Christopher said.
"Ah, I should have figured." Luke said, setting down his keys on the desk. "I'm gonna get started on dinner so they have something other than junk in their systems tonight." He said, starting to walk away.
Christopher spoke up, stopping him. "I don't need you to pay for my daughter's book."
Luke turned around, looking back at him with a shrug. "It's fine. Rory doesn't have to know I did." He said, seeing Christopher shake his head before reaching for a folded tee shirt on the table and putting it into his bag. He took a few steps forward, noticing the inside of his bag was packed full. "You're leaving?" He asked in disbelief. "You've been here one night, and now you are leaving?"
"My work called." Christopher said, harshly zipping up the bag. "They need me back right away."
"That's crap." Luke said, angrily. "You don't have to get back to work. And don't you dare try to lie to those girls and say you do."
"What do you expect from me, huh?" Christopher said, turning to face him. "You think because you've heard all the horrible stories about me that you understand what I am going through?"
"I understand that you are leaving, again. I understand that you are not here for them, again. What else do you need me to understand?"
"I can't be here, I tried."
"Woah, twenty-four hours. You tried really hard, didn't you?"
"I'm just not cut out for this. I never have been." He said, looking back to his bag as he velcroed the straps together.
"What changed?" Luke asked, stepping closer to him. "Because for the first time you came here and everyone thought that meant something. Is it because of me? Because I'm with Lorelai?"
"It's not, it's-" He paused, taking in a deep breath. "I don't know what to tell you."
"The truth would be nice."
Christopher turned back to him, a surrendering expression on his face. "My daughter is sixteen years old. She is the same age I was when she was born. And she is so smart and so strong, and she gets that all from Lorelai. She is nothing like me. I missed sixteen birthdays, sixteen Christmas', sixteen years of her life. And I know, I know that is my fault. I was stupid and I thought there was more to life then staying here and being with my family. But I was wrong. And I came here to see if I could make it up to them, but I know it's too late for any of that now."
"You can't be with Lorelai, so you give up on having a relationship with your daughter?"
"I missed my chance, Rory is all grown up now."
"You haven't missed your chance. Rory wants you in her life."
"Why would she want me in her life when she has you? You have always been around. You make her all her meals, you teach her how to play baseball, and buy her books. You are everything to her, and I'm nothing."
"You are her father, me being in her life is never going to change that. She's over the moon that you are here. She spent her whole day dragging you around this crazy town showing you off. And yeah, you haven't shown up for her in a lot of the ways she has needed you to, and maybe because of that you two are never going to be able to have the perfect relationship you are hoping for, but that doesn't mean you give up." He said, pausing a moment. "You have a long history of getting her hopes up then bailing. So, don't this time. Prove to Rory that you can be here, no matter what. Because she's starting to think you don't care about her. And if you stay away long enough, she is gonna start to believe it and never forgive you."
Christopher glanced down at his feet, thinking to himself a second. He ran his hand over his mouth and took a breath before looking at Luke. "Do you really think she could forgive me?"
"Unpack your bag and find out." Luke said, nodding at his duffel bag.
Christopher looked over at it, nodding. "And you are okay with me staying here? This is your house too."
"Lorelai and Rory are like family to me. No matter how awkward it may be, I want them to be happy."
"Okay." Christopher said, grabbing his bag and setting it down on the floor. "I'll pay you back for the book."
"You being here for her is payment enough."
"Thank you." Christopher said, gratefully.
"No problem." Luke said with a nod. "I'm gonna go start dinner. You like pork chops?"
"Yeah." Christopher said, stepping forward. "Mind if I help you? I know the best way to a Gilmore's heart is through food. Might be a good start."
"It is a sure fire way." Luke said, nodding at him to follow him into the kitchen.
Not that long after Lorelai and Rory finally returned home, the both of them walking into the house with pies in hand. They kicked off their shoes as they started sniffing the air.
"Ohh." Lorelai said, excitedly. "Smells like pork chops, mashed potatoes, and sadly some type of vegetable."
"You have a sense of smell that bomb sniffing dogs would be jealous of." Rory said, walking with her into the kitchen. Both their faces turned to surprise when they saw Luke and Christopher standing next to each other in front of the stove, cooking together.
"What is going on in here?" Lorelai asked, setting the pies down on the dining table.
"Making dinner." Luke said, glancing over at her.
"I know what you are doing. But Christopher, are you holding tongs?"
Christopher grinned, clicking the tongs together. "Luke is letting me help."
Lorelai reached out for Luke, setting a hand on his back. "Luke, honey. Please stop teaching people who burn toast to cook dinner. It's not going to end well one of these times."
"He knows what he is doing." Rory said, chiming in. "He taught me to cook without incident, which means he can teach anyone."
"You know how to cook?" Christopher asked.
"Just spaghetti so far."
"She hasn't wanted to test her luck by trying any other dishes yet." Lorelai explained.
"Yeah, we've had spaghetti four times since then."
"And it's even better each time." Luke said, looking over at Christopher. "Flip the chops."
Lorelai looked over at the two of them in amazement, then back at Rory. "It's like the twilight zone in here." She whispered.
"Sit. Food should be done soon." Christopher said, getting the girls to both take their seats while they finished up cooking.
After dinner all four of them gathered in the living room and watched a couple movies. Rory left for her bedroom after the first one, having to get up early in the morning to get ready for school. During the second one Christopher passed out on the couch, leaving Luke and Lorelai venture upstairs afterwards to get ready for bed. They parted ways briefly to change into their pajamas, then met up again in Lorelai's bedroom.
Lorelai pulled aside the blankets on her side of the bed before climbing in, glancing over at Luke while he set the alarm. "Luke?"
"Yeah?" He said, still setting the time he wanted to get up at.
"What did you say to him?" She asked.
Luke set down the clock on the nightstand, looking back at her afterwards. "What do you mean?"
"Christopher, what did you say to him to get him to stay?" She asked, getting a discreet shrug in response. "I've known him a long time. I can tell when he's on the edge of his seat and ready to bolt. I was so sure we would come home and he would have some work related excuse to leave. But then we get here and he's in the kitchen with you, cooking us dinner and suggesting we watch movies together."
"He must have realized it would be a mistake to leave. I didn't say anything to him." Luke said, avoiding eye contact with her.
"I don't think I have to tell you that we've known each other a long time and I know when you're lying. Mostly because you are really bad at it."
Luke exhaled then looked over at her. "He was leaving."
"I knew it." Lorelai said, jumping up from the bed to pace around. "That is just like him. And we all thought he had changed. I can't believe this." She paused. "Wait no, I can believe this. Because it's Christopher after all, and this is what he does!"
"You gotta understand, he wasn't leaving because he doesn't care about Rory. He had just thought he missed his chance to be in her life."
"Now he's got you defending him? That guy never stops." She said, throwing her hands up.
"Lorelai, stop pacing and come sit back down." Luke said, patting on her side of the bed. He waited till she walked back over and sat down before continuing. "You don't know what it is like to be scared you missed your chance. I came home from the store that first day I met April and I planned not to get involved. I thought it wouldn't make sense for me to try and be her father after missing so much of her life already. But really, I was worried that she wouldn't want me to be there."
"It's different with Christopher. He knew he had a daughter and he could have been there."
"He didn't know what he was missing by staying away. He's an idiot for that, but he knows now."
"He only knows because he got you to spell it out for him."
"All I did was tell him it isn't too late to be a part of Rory's life and the only thing he needed to do was try."
"I know you bought that book for her too."
"Money doesn't make a father. He wanted to buy that book for her and that's all that matters."
Lorelai paused for a moment, realizing that everything he said did make sense. "I still can't believe you are going out of your way to defend him." She said, glancing over at him. "Is there anything else you aren't telling me?"
"Like what?" He asked, looking back at her.
"Well, you two looked pretty chummy in the kitchen tonight."
"So?"
"I don't know. I see two men sharing tongs, I start to wonder." She said, smirking at him.
"Geez."
"What, you guys make a very handsome couple."
"I'm going to bed." Luke said, turning away from her and laying down.
"I don't hear you denying it."
"Goodnight, Lorelai." He said, clicking off the light next to him.
"Night, Luke." Lorelai said, smiling to herself before she got back under the covers and went to bed.