Lorelai had been dreading this day, yet planning for it just the same. Luke's Dark Day had been a revelation to her the previous year. In one sense, she liked the idea that he too could wallow, albeit in his own way. But he was the person she held closest to her heart after Rory, and his pain was also her pain. She would do anything to help him.
So this year, she resolved to make his Dark Day as easy as possible for him. She awoke at an uncharacteristically early hour and went into the garage. Next to the boat, she placed a thermos of boiling water, some teabags, a mug, and a box of those healthy cardboard-tasting crackers he loved. And a note: "You are not in this alone. Lorelai."
It seemed that Luke had been building up to his Dark Day for a few weeks. Since before Thanksgiving, he'd been increasingly distant and moody. Lorelai, remembering that he needed time to process, let him be, assuming his dark mood would lift after the sun set on his Dark Day.
Lorelai herself planned on spending the Dark Day with Rory, who was taking the day off work. They planned to scout out wedding locations and then kick off the Christmas season by savoring a lovely treat: a bootleg copy a friend of Rory's had videotaped of Patrick Stewart's one-man 'A Christmas Carol'. Both girls loved the movie, and loved Patrick Stewart, and what a treat it would be to see this play! One of Marty's friends had seen the new stage version in London and secretly taped it from the front row. Its illicit nature made Lorelai even more excited about seeing the play.
And so, evening came, and found the girls in the living room, which still had its new-paint aura.
"Mom! I love the new fireplace!" Rory told Lorelai as she reached to the coffee table and grabbed a fistful of potato chips. Her effusiveness was interrupted by Luke's quiet shuffling as he entered the kitchen through the back door.
Rory whispered: "Should we ask him to join us?"
"No, sweetie," Lorelai responded. "Remember that his Dark Day lasts 'til midnight and you might as well call Luke 'Scrooge' today..."
"Bah humbug with a backwards baseball cap," Rory giggled, glancing towards the kitchen to make sure Luke hadn't heard her.
Meanwhile, as the girls listened to Patrick Stewart's sonorous stage voice, Luke went back out to the garage. He gathered his jacket around him to ward off the chill and climbed into the boat. Unlike previous years, his thoughts today had not been wholly consumed by his father, but more by April.
He reached into his pocket and fingered Lorelai's note. He still had no plan for how he was going to broach the subject with Lorelai. She still was so happy about Rory. Yet, it had already been almost a month. Thanksgiving had come and gone and then...Christmas. Would April expect a Christmas gift? Would she shrug one off, or be disappointed if he didn't get her anything. Did he need to send her a dozen gifts to make up for all the Christmases he'd missed?
Bah, humbug! he thought, irritated. Geez, were the girls watching Captain Picard?
Bah humbug indeed. What would he do if Anna did allow him to see April for Christmas? How would he explain things to Lorelai? Surely she'd want to spend time with Rory and him as a...family? He made a mental note to figure out the best way to get together with everyone for the holiday. How had his life become such a mess? Geez, his dad would never have ended up in this kind of mess...