Author's Note: Coming off of my GG premiere high! Hope you are too. I still don't own Gilmore Girls...

Emily's POV

I can recall the exact moment when I finally realized that Luke was exactly who I'd always hoped Lorelai would find. I had come to the conclusion that Lorelai was in love with Luke and nothing would come between them and I had accepted it. Please notice I said accepted it, not I was thrilled with it, I was ecstatic and I couldn't wait to plan to the wedding. I had merely resigned myself to the fact that this was Lorelai's choice.

All of that changed when I finally realized that Luke was not only in love with and devoted to my daughter, but also to my granddaughter. Luke had proven to be dependable and courteous, even at times when I wasn't the most endearing person in the world. He had helped me with an important appointment and we had started over with a clean slate.

I was meeting Lorelai for lunch and I insisted we go to Luke's. Lorelai, always in a habitual state of being late, had called to tell me she would be over in 15 minutes. Not one to wait in my car as she had suggested, I decided to walk to Luke's and wait for her. That's when it happened.

I was walking around the corner when I was noticed a familiar flannel pattern close to the side of the building. I was about to walk over and say hello when I heard muffled voices and it was clear it would not be a good time to interrupt. Instead I stepped back around the corner and tried to decipher who Luke was speaking to in such a threatening tone.

"Look you've got two options here, you can stay the hell away from Rory on your own, or I can help make sure you can't get anywhere near Rory," Luke said menacingly.

"You're crazy you know that?" the voice replied. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"No Dean," Luke replied. 'Dean, of course!' I thought. "You're crazy. First you pulled Rory into a nice little affair while you were separated and then you left her to go back to your wife. That was your choice. Now just as she's moving on you're coming around again. Leave her alone."

Luke was speaking evenly, but I could only imagine the look on his face. He was deadly serious and he wasn't making a request.

"Get away from me man," Dean replied. I distinctly heard a light thud and realized that someone was shoved out of the way. I had a feeling it was Luke from his reply.

"Dean," he said louder than before. "I'm warning you. You've put Rory through enough. I get that she was your first love, but you're married. You went back to Lindsey so you need to stay away from Rory."

"You know I've heard all this from Lorelai and I really don't need to hear it from you. Since the day I moved to this town all I've heard is how Rory's a little princess and I better not hurt her. Well I've got news for you, she hurt me and no one seemed to care. And besides for that I'm not trying to hurt her. I just need to talk to her," Dean ranted.

"Why?" Luke asked. "What's so important that you need to talk to Rory about it? That's why you have a wife. Sorry if she doesn't listen to you or encourage you, but you went back to Lindsey. She's your wife, not Rory."

"Yeah I know and like Lorelai said she'll mow me down in her Jeep if she has too," Dean replied glibly.

"But has it ever occurred to either of you that Rory might want to talk to me?"

"She doesn't" Luke replied flatly. "Trust me, I've talked to her. She wants you to stay away. And also, you might think what Lorelai said is a joke, but remember this. Lorelai is the least of your problems if you mess with Rory. In the good cop/bad cop scenario she is definitely the good cop and I'm the unstable, wild card. Think about it before I see you sniffing around the diner for Rory again," Luke said coolly.

He turned the corner with a satisfied grimace on his face, walking with a sense of purpose. In fact he had such a sense of purpose that he nearly knocked into me.

"Emily," he said started to see me.

"Hello Luke," I replied pleasantly.

"What brings you here?" he asked. He looked shaken to see me. I almost got the feeling that he was nervous that I had overheard his conversation with Dean, which, of course, I had.

"I'm supposed to meet Lorelai for lunch," I replied. "She's running late as usual so I thought I'd take a little walk."

"Oh," he replied scratching the back of his neck and shuffling his feet slightly.

"Although I have to say that I'm glad we see eye to eye now because I'd hate to run into you in a dark alley," I said deadpan.

He looked at me to see if I was joking. I don't know why people do that. I'm very funny and I think it's quite obvious when I'm being humorous, but some people, my daughter for one and Luke for the other can never tell. I decided to let him in on my humor and I smiled. He let out a deep breath and looked utterly relieved.

"So you heard all that then?" he asked.

"Yes I did," I said. "I appreciate you looking after Rory. Her carrying on with Dean is inexcusable, but I'm glad she's finally putting it all behind her. And I'm glad she has someone looking out for her so that she can move on."

He looked embarrassed by my comment or that I'd heard his exchange with Dean. I couldn't be sure which.

"Thanks," he replied.

"You're welcome," I said. "Now, why don't you escort me to the diner and tell me more about this new coffee recipe Lorelai keeps telling me about."

He was modest and sincere in his interaction with Dean and I admire that. He'd always said he loved Rory, but this little incident showed me just how much he cared for her. It proved that his love wasn't just for Lorelai, but that he sincerely cared about my granddaughter. A man's character can be seen in what he does for others. Luke's reaction to finding that I heard his conversation proved to me that he wasn't looking for credit. He wasn't trying to be a hero or protector. He was simply being himself and that made all the difference in my mind.

TBC