Chapter 14: Secrets

Emily fidgeted in her seat as Richard exchanged the usual pleasantries with Rory and Lorelai over cocktails. "Mom, is everything ok?" Lorelai asked.

"What? Oh, of course, dear," Emily answered distractedly as she worried a pearl on her necklace.

"Yeah, you certainly seem fine," Lorelai muttered as she watched her parents share an all too familiar look. "OK, what's going on?"

"Who said anything was going on?"

"Oh, puh-lease! Change the names to protect the innocent if you must, but give the facts."

"Yeah. We can take the good and the bad," Rory backed her mother up.

"Yes, because there in you have the facts of life," Lorelai chirped.

"Really?" Emily asked as she looked over to her husband. "Do you hear that, Richard? Apparently out lives have been scored by bad TV theme songs."

"Whoa! You know The Facts of Lives theme?" Lorelai questioned, taken aback.

"Well, we don't live under that rock you seem to think we do," Emily replied testily.

"OK, I never. . ."

"Of course you have."

"Fine. Whatever. Just. . . what's going on?" Lorelai asked again, watching as her parents exchanged another all too telling look. "OK, you guys are really starting to scare me."

"Yeah, Grandma. Grandpa. What's going on? Are you two sick or something?" Rory put in.

"No. No. It's nothing like that," Richard quickly reassured.

"Then what is it? You aren't separating again are you? Or getting a divorce for that matter?" Lorelai wondered worriedly.

"No to both," Emily answered as she took a sip of her drink.

"Then what?"

Sighing, Richard rose and went to pour himself another drink, his back to the women in his life. "Fine. Leave it to me to tell them," Emily groused.

"Tell us what?"

"Well, I'm sure you understand by now that when you left with Rory it was quite difficult for us," Emily started.

"Wonderful. Another guilt trip!" Lorelai muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Mom," Rory corrected as anger flashed in Emily's eyes. "Really, Lorelai! For once can you kindly keep your mouth shut so that I can relate the information that you claim you want to know?" the older woman chided.

"I was just. . ." Lorelai started to defend as Richard turned around, his hand wrapped tightly around his full glass. "What your mother is trying to tell you is that some time after you ran off we took in a foster child."

"You what? I wow . . . I certainly wasn't expecting that one."

"We weren't trying to replace you two. It's just. . ." Emily tried to reassure uneasily.

"No. I didn't think. . ." Lorelai answered, not quite true if she was telling the truth or not or if she hasn't had time to wonder at her parents' reasons for taking in another child. "I just, of all the things you could've told me that was probably the last thing I would have thought of," she added as she started to pace. As the news started to sink in, she also started to question: "Why didn't you ever mention this kid before? Why haven't Rory or I met them?"

"By the time you were willing to let us even see you for just the holidays she had a life of her own. Friends, interests, or else. . ." Emily tried to explain, but was unable to give voice to the main reason.

"Or else her so called mother would be in the midst of trying to take her away from us," Richard finished for her.

"But what about later? When Friday night dinners started?" Rory inquired.

"The courts made us relinquish custody of Natalie shortly after her sixteenth birthday. That was about two years before your acceptance into Chilton," Emily answered as she looked into her glass.

"How long did she. . . did you. . .?" Lorelai wondered, still trying to process the news.

"Almost ten years," Richard answered stiffly.

"Oh my G-d," Lorelai sighed slipping to the arm of her mother's chair. "That must have been so hard on you. Especially with the. . . well, I'm sure the timeframe didn't help."

"No, it didn't. And it was," Emily admitted, sharing a painful glance with her husband. One that for once was empty of blame.

"So um. . . why tell us this now?"

"Because Natalie's in trouble and needs all of our help," Richard answered as he crossed to sit next to Rory.

"What kind of trouble?" the young woman asked looking up at her Grandfather.

At Emily's nod, Richard turned the glass in his hand, not surprised when his wife looked away from him. Instinctively, he took a swig from his glass before answering with seeming simplicity: "she's been convicted of a crime she didn't commit."

"What one?" Rory asked innocently.

Definitively, Richard answered with one word: "Murder."

"Whoa, now. . . are you sure she didn't. . . well, you know?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course we are! What kind of question is that?" Emily chided and demanded at the same time.

"A reflexive one, Mom," her daughter answered with a shrug. "I mean, what are we going to be able to do to help? Look for the one armed man?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking," Richard answered as he put his glass down on top of a coaster on the table next to the couch.

"Richard, really!" Emily admonished.

"It's an apt description, all things considered. Although, one handed would be more fitting, don't you agree?" he baited his wife.

"That's in bad taste, and you know it."

"I prefer to look at it as dark humor."

"You want to fill us in on the subtext?" Lorelai interrupted.

"Natalie's husband was killed in a car crash while they were honeymooning in Vegas a little more than a year ago. The only remains they found was his hand," her father explained.

"Ewww," Rory couldn't help but shudder.

"Yeah. Bet Grissom and company could've recovered more," Lorelai couldn't help but crack uneasily.

Glaring at her, Emily picked up from where Richard left off: "at any rate, someone's been gas lighting her with his 'ghost.'"

"Creepy."

"What do the local police say?" Rory asked, her budding reporter's mind kick starting.

"She hasn't told them about that part. She's afraid that it will be used against her," Emily answered.

"Why would it? Wouldn't it raise reasonable doubt?"

"Because of her lawyer."

"Wait a minute, back up. Because of her lawyer!" Lorelai interrupted incredulous.

"Natalie is apparently good friends with this lawyer's gentleman friend, much to the other woman's displeasure. Because of this she offered Natalie an ultimatum: she leaves Landview and never speaks to this man again or she throws the case."

"Which you think she did anyway, because if she had gotten Natalie off, Natalie could've reneged on her part of the deal and then this lawyer's screwed," Lorelai deduced.

"I hate that expression!"

"Well, it fits," she shrugged. "What can we do?"

"Well to start with, you can help us look into her lawyer's background. We've hired a private investigator, but we want him to focus on finding, as you put it, the one armed man," Richard explained.

"How can we help do that?"

"Internet search?" Rory suggested. "Might also be able to access some things from the school's paper archives depending on Flynn's mood."

"A feasible idea," Emily responded. "Although, since it appears that she attended Chilton and is about your age, Lorelai, I thought. . ."

"That I might have known her through one of Christopher's friends," Lorelai finished for her mother.

"Precisely."

"What's her name?"

"Evangeline Wilkinson," Richard replied.

"God what rock did that pariah crawl out from under?" Luke asked from the doorway, his voice dripping with distaste.

"You know of her?"

"Unfortunately," Luke sighed as he crossed the room and stopped to kiss Lorelai's cheek. "Sorry for being late. Kirk wouldn't take a hint, even after being hit by a sledge hammer," he whispered to her.

Raising and eyebrow at her husband, Emily waited for his slight nod before interrupting the two: "can I inquire as to how you know Ms. Wilkinson?" she asked redirected the conversation back to the topic that she and Richard wanted on the table.

Frowning, Luke stared at her: "I'd prefer not to discuss it."

"Luke, it's important," Lorelai prompted.

"Fine. She's the one who first dealt to Liz," he admitted grudgingly.

"She was involved with dealing cards?" Richard mused confused.

"If only if only it were that simple."

"I'm afraid I don't. . ."

"Drugs," Luke answered sharply. "She got my younger sister hooked on drugs."

"I see."

"I bet," Luke sighed as he shifted uncomfortably, wondering just what that bit of news did to the elder Gilmores' judgment of him. "Look, my sister. . . she's. . , well, she's had her problems. Some harder to overcome than others."

"We're not going to judge you or your sister," Emily assured, as Lorelai stared at Luke in bemusement. "Please, tell us more. If there is more."

"There is," he admitted. "Could I have a moment alone with Lorelai first?"

"All right," Richard conceded, recognizing that there was more that was going to be revealed and that the younger man needed to reveal some of it to his daughter first.

Rising, Lorelai followed Luke out of the room in confusion. "What's this all about?" she asked. "I mean, I know Stars Hollow isn't the other side of the world, but it's a hell of a long way for someone to go to sell their goods. I would think the gas would eat into a big part of the profits."

"There are things," he started, running a hand through his hair. "Damn it. You know I thought about telling you this hundreds of times. Never thought it would be like this. That it would come out like this."

"What would? Luke, you're scaring me."

"OK. Here it goes. I didn't exactly have to take out a loan to invest in the Inn. Or a second mortgage either."

"Luke, what are you telling me here?"

"You're not the only one who's turned away from all of this," he responded, gesturing around the foyer with his hand.

"Are you kidding me? I mean. . .the store. . .Snuffy's. . .the story on the menu. . ."

"All what they were- are. My dad. . . well, he walked away from," he paused indicating the house around them with a sweep of his hand before continuing: "because of my mom. He built a life with her in Stars Hollow on his own- on their own. But when my mom got sick. . ." he shrugged. "My grandparents- I don't know. They were what they were. My Dad never. . .he never really got over my mom's death. He let them step in."

"But you.. . .Rachel. . .Liz's friends at the wedding. They were. . . they said. . ."

"Liz did a reverse of Rory. I guess I followed suit. We both went to private schools. Evangeline- she became Liz's 'friend.' Then she got her started. Liz got expelled. But. . . Lorelai, I wouldn't let them hurt Liz. They all wrote her off, but I wouldn't. So I transferred too. I figured I'd be able to watch her more closely if we both went to the same school. Only, my dad got sick and then she got pregnant, and I never. . . I never lived up to. . ." he stopped shaking his head in self disgust.

Lorelai smiled sadly at him as she reached out and cupped his cheek. "Yeah, you did. Take it from someone who knows first hand," she told him as she wrapped her arms around him.

Shaking his head, Luke pulled away from her: "she should've been expelled too. But she was on scholarship and she threatened to sue them for discrimination because of the racial make up of the school. I'm sure you can understand why the school backed down. I mean there wasn't much evidence, and my grandparents refused to press the issue," he added.

"Now she's a lawyer and she's ruining my sister's life. Amazing how that works, isn't it?"

"You're what! Run that by me again?"

"Yeah. Just found out. My parents took in a foster kid. Now she's been convicted of a crime she didn't commit, or so my parents say, and we've been enlisted to help find the one armed or one handed man as the case my well be," she rambled.

"You're joking, right?" Luke asked as he stared at her.

"Nope. Welcome to the Gilmore's very own version of Fraternity Row," she answered.

"How did frat houses get involved in this or do I not even want to know?"

"Not. . . Fraternity Row… old soap opera that was canceled a few years ago. Some show with a talking doll took its time slot."

"Oh Kay. Well, I'll certainly take your word for it."

"Hey, it was historic! One of its lead actresses helped to stop a political coup in real life," she defended as Luke raised and eyebrow and shook his head at her. "What? It really happened!"

"I don't doubt it," he replied unconvinced.

Rolling her eyes, Lorelai gave in: "we should get back in there."

"Yeah, I guess we should."

"Luke, we won't let her get away with this. Not this time," she tried to reassure as she placed a hand on his arm.

"I only wish it were that easy," he sighed. "Come on. Let me tell your parents what I know about her. We'll take it from there."

"OK. Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"We're so going to discuss your withholding of information later."

He froze at that, his eyes dropping to her hand on his arm before raising them back to her face: "does that. . . I mean. . ." he stumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

"It means that I'm going to have to find out what else you're hiding and believe you me, Mr. Danes, I have ways of making you talk."

"Dirty."

"You so hope."

"No, I so know," he laughed as he lent into her and kissed her quickly. "We good?" he asked.

"Always."

"And it doesn't change anything?"

"Well, I might expect a nice evening out, and perhaps you in an actual, you know, suit once in a while, but other than that, nah. You're still the same old Luke."

"Good."

"So let's. . ."

"Yeah."

"You're parents are they gonna. . ."

"Considering their bombshell, I doubt it. Besides they liked you without, so. . ." she shrugged.

"They're not that bad."

"Luke. . ."

"Believe me, my grandparents were a hell of a lot worse. Your parents, they want you to be happy. They want what's best for you. They don't want to own you."

"There were and are times when it sure as hell doesn't seem that way," she replied then stopped and looked at him: "Luke, your grandparents, are they. . ."

"They died a few years ago. Plane crash."

"Would they have. . .well, you know?"

"Your pedigree, yeah. Your spirit, not so much. But that wouldn't have mattered to me."

"Good to know."

"Lorelai."

"Yeah?"

"We can't stall forever."

"I know."

"I'm ready to. . . you know."

"Dirty!"

"Stop that!"

"You're no fun."

"I'll remind you of that later."

"Now who's stalling?" she laughed, kissing him lightly.

Pulling away, he rolled his eyes at her: "let's get this over with."

"Whatever you say."

"Yeah, like that sentiment will last," he teased as he stuck his hands in his pockets and followed her to the door of the living room.

"Like you'd want it to?" she challenged.

"Yeah. Too easy," he agreed as they went into the room.

"Everything ok?" Rory asked them.

"Fine. Where are your grandparents?"

"Grandma's checking on dinner and Grandpa's talking to their PI on the phone in his office."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, um. . ."

"I rather retell it when they're here," Luke answered her unspoken question.

"'Kay," Rory shrugged. "So, um. . . guess we'll just wait then."

"Yeah. Guess we will," Lorelai replied as she sat on the loveseat and pulled Luke down next to her, resting her head on his shoulder as she entwined their fingers. "It's going to be fine."

"Right," he sighed.

"I love you, you know," she whispered, shifting to look at him.

"I know."

"Still all in?"

He smiled at that, "always," he replied kissing her forehead, both ignoring Rory's eye roll as they waited for the next act to play out. . .