Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Warner Brothers or Dorothy Parker Drank Here or anyone else attached in any way with Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 7 – Putting It Back Together

It was Tuesday morning and Rory was drinking her coffee out on the deck watching a couple of deer chomp away on an azalea. It was peaceful. She enjoyed lazy mornings like this where she had the time to peruse the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the USA Today.

Her mother tended to sleep in. Actually, Lorelai was sleeping a lot lately but that was probably a symptom of her state of mind. Excessive sleeping was a classic sign of depression.

Other than the marathon sleeping and a tendency to be a little more emotional, Lorelai was getting better, stronger. Rory felt that maybe it was time they returned home, back to Stars Hollow.

Around 11:30 AM, Rory decided that her mother had slept long enough. So she headed up to her mother's room and walked in to wake her up. Lorelai wasn't in bed.

From her mother's bathroom, Rory heard sounds of retching.

­­­­­­­­­­The mail had just been delivered to the diner and Luke was sorting through it. Among all of the junk mail, advertisements, and normal bills was a letter from his lawyer. "Oh joy, another $150.00 charged to my account." Luke calculated to himself as he opened the envelope from Kincaid and Friedman.

This was the third letter from his lawyer this week. The first had arrived on Tuesday confirming the results of the DNA testing. Surprise, they had found that he was April's father.

Of course, the laboratory that had performed the test had already sent him the official results which he received on the previous Saturday stating that it was a 99.9 percent probability that he was that father of April Nardini. Luke had paid extra so the results would be ready within 72 hours after the test. Normally, it would have been 8 to 10 days but with the court date quickly approaching, Luke wanted the test results as soon as possible.

The second letter had arrived on Wednesday stating that all pertinent information including the results from the DNA test had been sent to Ms. Anna Nardini's attorney.

Now it was Friday and the third letter. This one stated that Ms. Nardini's attorney had requested a conference regarding Danes vs. Nardini for the following Tuesday at 2:00PM. His attorney wanted to meet with him at 1:00PM on Tuesday to prepare for the conference.

This means that Luke will come face to face with Anna for the first time since the DNA test. Anna had brought April to the laboratory for the test which was a good thing. Evidently it's best if the lab has a sample of the mother's DNA along with the father's and the child's. He wondered if Anna had received a letter stating that it was a 99.9 percent probability that she was April's mother.

Luke figured this was a good sign if her attorney wanted to meet before the court date. Hopefully, they could work out all of the arrangements privately without having to parade their personal business in open court.

Tuesday about a quarter after twelve, Luke was upstairs in his apartment getting ready for the meeting with Anna and the attorneys. He had showered (again) and shaved. Now he was dressing in his charcoal gray suit with his white, silk blend shirt with the French cuffs, and his "power blue" tie (as Lorelai called it). As he dressed, it dawn on him all of the clothing he was wearing (except for his boxers and tee) had been picked out by Lorelai. God he missed her.

He had to admit that he was nervous. He really hoped that Anna would be reasonable but he was afraid that she wouldn't. Why did every thing have to be so complicated?

When he arrived at the offices of Kincaid and Friedman, it was 12:55 PM. Luke hated to be late. Lorelai was always late and she made him late which always annoyed him. Today he wouldn't have minded so much being a little late if it meant that Lorelai was with him.

After going over for the umpteenth time the conditions that he was requesting, Martin Friedman had informed Luke that based on the current Connecticut child support calculation table, he was over paying by $13.50 per month on his support payments. Luke told Martin that he didn't care, the amount he was paying was reasonable. After all, it was for his kid. April could blow the extra $13.50 on a pizza for all he cared.

When Anna and her attorney, a Ms. Sullivan, arrived, both of the women looked him over suggestively. Lorelai always told him that he looked hot when he wore a suit (and then she would either pinch his butt or make some lewd remark). He was secretly flattered that Lorelai liked him in a suit. He wasn't flattered at all by the looks that Anna and her attorney gave him. Instead, it made him even more nervous.

It occurred to Luke that Anna had never seen him dressed up in a suit before. Even so, he wasn't really comfortable with the way that she kept looking at him.

The conference between all of the parties of Danes vs. Nardini went fairly smooth. Anna had once again raised her objection to April being introduced to transient people from Luke's life (transient meaning Lorelai). "Boy," Luke thought, "she sure has a bug up her ass about April spending time with Lorelai."

Luke's attorney had quickly rejected any attempt to include any sort of stipulation in the custody agreement that would restrict Luke from introducing April to whomever he chose. As he stated, Luke was a mature and responsible parent who should be allowed the same freedom as Anna had to determine with whom April could spend time. The matter was dropped.

Anna stipulated that she did not want to continue to receive the child support. She didn't need it and didn't want it. Luke's attorney replied that child support payments were the purview of the child and thus the custodial parent did not have the right of refusal.

A compromise was finally reached where all of the child support payments, including all those already paid, would be put into a Connecticut Higher Education Trust (a.k.a. CHET or a 529 College Savings Plan) to be jointly administered by Anna and Luke. Luke was very pleased with this stipulation.

April had already indicated that she would like to attend MIT. Luke figured that MIT probably cost about the same as Yale. Lorelai had told him that Yale cost over $40,000.00 each year with tuition, room and board, and books (how the hell could one text book cost $175.00, Luke wondered). By the time April was ready for college, he figured it would cost at least $50,000.00. Investing the child support into a trust fund to pay for college would really help.

With the discussion of a few minor details they had an agreement. Anna was to send Luke certain vital information regarding April, such as her social security number, her doctors' name and numbers and a medical history. Luke's attorney would take care of having April's birth certificate amended to show Luke as the father. Anna would be responsible for updating the school and doctor's records to indicate that Luke was April's father and equally responsible for her.

All that was left was to have the judge sign off on the agreement and for it to be officially entered into the records.

Rory had helped Lorelai back to bed after her nausea had subsided. She had gotten her mother a glass of water and a cold cloth for her head. Lorelai looked really pale and miserable.

"Mom, do you think it was the shrimp from last night, because I ate it too?"

"No, I don't think it's the shrimp."

"Do you think you have a fever, because I didn't bring the thermometer?"

"No, I don't have a fever."

Rory looked closely at her mother. The expression on her face was hard to read. Was she sick or scared? To Rory, Lorelai looked kind of freaked out.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Lorelai turned onto her side and looked at her daughter with apprehension in her eyes before she spoke. "I think I'm pregnant."

Rory's eyes widen in disbelief before a big smile spread across her face. She grabbed her mother and gave her a big hug. "Mom really? I mean are you sure?"

Lorelai close her eyes for a moment before she said, "No, not sure but all signs lead that way. I haven't taken a test or anything."

"Well, we need to get you a test." With that Rory started to head out of the door, "I'll be back in 30 minutes or so.Are yougoing to be alright?"

Lorelai smiled a somewhat weak smile as she replied with a simple nod of the head to indicate yes.

Nearly two hours later, Rory and Lorelai were sitting down in the living room of the lodge.

"Mom, let's talk about this. This is good, right? I know the timing might be a little off but you and Luke are going to have a baby. This is a good thing; no it's a terrific thing. This baby will bring you two back together."

"Oh hon, I don't know. With everything that has happened this might be too much for him. I mean he was so freaked when he found out about April. And now we aren't together. I just don't know how he will take it."

"Mom, you're crazy. He'll be thrilled. He told you that he wanted kids. He loves you and he'll want to get married right away. Everything will be as it should be."

"Yeah, I guess." Lorelai said sounding unconvinced.

"So, we need to go back and you need to talk with Luke."

"Yes," Lorelai reluctantly agreed, "it's time to go back home."

Rory left the room for a minute and came back with a pad and pen. "Okay, here's the plan. I think we need to do a little more shopping before we go back. Maybe hit the Outlet Mall one more time for some maternity clothes. Then we drive back to Stars Hollow on Thursday. That evening, you can invite Luke over and then you can tell him. I'll be there with you if you want me to but I kind of think this is something you need to tell him yourself."

Lorelai sighed as she said, "Sure, I guess we have a plan."

"Okay, let's make a list of what you'll need which of course will be overshadowed by what you want. Oh, this is so exciting, Mom!"

Luke got the phone call from his attorney about 1:30 PM on Thursday that the judge had officially signed off on the custody agreement. It was now filed with clerk of records. The court appearance that had been set for tomorrow at 3:00 PM was now officially dismissed.

"Wow!" he thought, "I'm now legally and officially April's father. I can't believe it's done."

Luke felt this tremendous weight lift from his chest. He felt kind of giddy. He really wanted to share this news with someone, well actually only one someone, Lorelai. But he didn't know where she was.

So, without Lorelai to share it with, he just resigned himself not to say anything to anybody. Maybe he and April could have a little celebration tomorrow night. He would call her and see if she wanted to do something special.

Luke went back to wiping the counter for the umpteenth time today. His mind wandered back again to the night that Lorelai had left. If he had just reacted a little quicker when she walked out he could have stopped her. They would have talked it all out that night and she would be here right now. "Please Lorelai," Luke prayed to no one particularly, "please come back."

Just then something caught his eye outside on the street. It looked like a Jeep, her Jeep and yes, SHE was in.

Lorelai had come back. Luke could not be more thrilled or more scared.

Lorelai was trying to figure out what she was feeling now that they were home. If only my life was as simple as Paul Anka's.

His feelings were clearly apparent when the car pulled into the driveway. He was happy to be home. Paul Anka had immediately jumped out of the car and begun the necessary task of marking the yard as "his" territory again. In fact, Lorelai was a little concern that he would completely dehydrate before he finished.

Rory's car had pulled into the drive a few minutes after Lorelai had arrived. Lorelai was still just standing next to the Jeep in a sort of daze. She probably would have continued to stand there indefinitely had Rory not taken charge and forced her in the house.

"When did Rory and I change places?" she wondered. "She's acting like the mom and I'm just the clueless child. I need to snap out of it."

Rory and Lorelai had made a game out of the unpacking. They took great delight in tossing dirty clothes at each other while jamming to latest release from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. All of this silliness had helped Lorelai elevate her mood and she was dealing with the memories much better.

With the unpacking complete and the dirty laundry sorted into various pile strung throughout the house, Lorelai decided to rest before dinner. The emotional roller coaster she had ridden today coupled with the aerobic unpacking had left her exhausted.

Rory was in her room sorting through the boxes that she brought home from New Haven. She needed to organize and file all of her school work. It was quickly becoming apparent that she would have to get more file folders to complete this project.

Since Lorelai was resting, Rory left a note on the coffee pot and headed out to buy supplies. While she was out, she figured that she would pick up dinner.

Rory considered what Lorelai might want for dinner. Actually she knew what she wanted, what they both wanted. So Rory decided to get it.

A little after 6:00 PM on Thursday night the bell over the door of Luke's diner rang. Luke looked up to see Rory enter for the first time in well over a month. He was shocked to say the least.

Rory sauntered up to the counter just as if this was a typical day. Lane, who had spotted Rory as she entered, quickly ran behind the counter to talk with Rory.

They greeted each other warmly and began exchanging gossip and news. After about 10 minutes, Lane asked Rory what she wanted to order. Before Rory had even got even the first word out, Luke handed her a couple of take out orders sacks and said "I know what you want."

Rory smiled and said "Are you sure?"

"It's what you always order on Thursday, two cheeseburgers with extra cheese, no lettuce or tomato, two orders of chili fries, and two apple pies." Then, as he handed her two "to go" cups he added, "Here are your coffees."

Rory looked at Luke with sorrowful compassion and suggested, "Maybe next time it won't be to go."

Softly, Luke replied, "That would be good."

Then Luke turned to Lane and said, "If you want to take off early, that's okay. Just help Rory carry her food home."

Luke stared at the girls as they left, sighed and then went back to work.

Lorelai was up and somewhat rested when Rory came back. She was setting on the sofa sorting through some mail when she heard Rory approach the front door. As the door opened, Lorelai bellowed, "I'm starving!"

"I have brought sustenance! You stay comfy while I get dinner ready. Oh, and say hi to Lane."

"Hi Lorelai!"

"Lane, hi. Come in." hollered Lorelai from her perch on the sofa.

"Can't, got get home to my hubby. We'll catch up this weekend. I am really glad to have you both home. See ya, bye." With that Lane left.

Rory walked into the living room carrying the sacks of food with the coffee. Lorelai looked at the sacks and stated the obvious, "So you went to Luke's."

"Yeah, I was craving a Luke burger and I figured you might be also."

"Did you see him?"

"He was there. He actually cooked the food personally. He had it ready before I even ordered. He knows what we want."

A small smile stole across her face as Lorelai grabbed one of the burgers and tried ask nonchalantly "How is he?"

"Luke-like but sad. I think he lost some weight and he looked tired. He has dark circles under his eyes" and she added silently, "just like you."

Lorelai began devouring her burger and gorging on chili fries. She had to admit, Rory's diner choice was definitely hitting the spot. Even her nausea had vanished.

After they finished eating and the mess was cleared up, Rory sat down next to her mother. "You know, you have to tell him. Why don't you just call him and ask him to stop by after he closes the diner?"

Lorelai shook her head, 'I don't think I can handle it tonight. Give me a couple of days, okay sweetie? I just need a chance to get settled back in around here first. But I promise, I'll tell him soon."

"I'll hold you to that, oh Queen of the Procrastinators!"

Lorelai and Rory settled in to watch TV. Around 8:30 Lorelai declared that she could no longer keep her eyes open and was heading for bed. Rory decided to head into her room also but she planed to stay up and work on her filing.

Lorelai fell immediately asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Then about an hour and a half after she had retired, she woke up.

Ever since Rory had walked into the diner that evening, Luke'smind have been in turmoil.

"Was there some deep significance to Rory coming into the diner? Was she trying to tell him that Lorelai wanted to see him? Maybe she was trying to tell him that Lorelai was over it and just wanted to be friends?" All of these questions rolled over and over in his brain. He had no idea what to do next. It was driving him crazy.

It was now 9:40 PM and the last customer had left over 20 minutes ago. Luke had sent Caesar home over an hour ago. There was no reason to stay open except that he hoped she would come.

Realizing that was a futile dream, he finally gave up about ten minutes before 10:00 PM. He turned the sign to CLOSED and began his normal closing routine. He emptied and cleaned out the coffee pots, wiped down all the tables and counter, and stacked all the chairs. He was in the back getting the bucket and mop when he heard the bell above the door ring.

His heart nearly stopped in anticipation and fear.

Cautiously he came into the dining area. There she was in his diner, standing in front of the door just like he dreamed. Well not exactly like his dream. He always imaged her in her slinky black dress with the high heels that he loved but this was close enough.

Tonight she was standing in the flesh wearing her "Yummy Sushi" pajamas, the ones she always wore when she didn't feel well. Her hair was ina curly mess, just like when she first woke up in the morning.

She simply stood there looking around the diner aimlessly until she spotted him. Her eyes then locked onto his. Neither of them spoke.

He had planned this whole speech in his head for just this moment. Now he couldn't remember one word. So he waited to hear what she wanted to say.

Suddenly it was as though a switch had been flipped and Lorelai began babbling. "I wanted to talk to you, I mean I planned to talk with you but I got tired. And since I am the ordained Queen of Procrastination, I decided to go to bed and sleep instead of talking to you. Which I did. But then, I wasn't, asleep that is. I mean, I don't know, I guess a dream or something woke me and I decided to come here. So here I am. Is it alright?"

With all of the certainty and authority he could muster, Luke replied a definite, "Yes".

He went toward the coffee maker and began to make her a pot of coffee. Just as he started to scoop the grinds into the filter he heard something that he never expected to hear from the lips of Lorelai Gilmore.

"No, I don't want any coffee, thank you."

Luke turned to look at her with astonishment but her face told him nothing.

Then he asked, "Want to go upstairs and talk more comfortably?"

"No, I fine right here."

That was what he was afraid of. Currently she was standing right in front of the door. There was a hint of panic in her eyes and an entire room and counter between them. If he made one wrong step or said one wrong word, she was going to bolt before he could catch her. He could tell that she was as skittish as a trapped cat.

Calmly he began to speak as he cautiously moved slowly from behind the counter and discretely tried to close the gab between them. "Lorelai, I messed up. I was so focused on trying to build a bond with April that I didn't pay attention to how it all affected you. I am so sorry that I hurt you. I wasn't there when you needed me. I didn't intentionally try to hurt you or ignore you but it doesn't make it any less wrong. I love you. You and April are the most important people in my life. I can't loose you. I need you."

Lorelai was just staring into his eyes. She didn't seem to be aware or she didn't care that he was slowly coming closer to her.

Luke continued, "I know that what happened really hurt you. I have no excuse except that I was stupid. I will do anything to try to make that up to you. Right now you probably don't feel you can trust me, but you can. I will prove that to you somehow. I promise I will never hurt you like this again."

Luke had managed to get within five feet of Lorelai. She suddenly seemed to be aware that he had moved closer and Luke sensed that her panic was increasing. He stopped his forward advance toward her and she seemed to calm down a bit.

Lorelai whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "I messed up, too"

"No, this was all my fault." he reaffirmed.

"Luke, I should have talked to you; made you talk to me. I didn't understand what you were going through or what you were thinking. It all was so confusing for me. But I just pretended everything was all right even when it wasn't and that was wrong. I just didn't know what to do."

"You're right, you should have talked me Lorelai but it doesn't change the fact that I messed up. I don't know why I was keeping you away from April. It seems so stupid now but I was confused and insecure and afraid. It wasn't that I didn't trust you; it's just that I didn't trust myself. I didn't want you to see me mess this up with April."

Lorelai bit her lower lip as she tried to process everything. Then she took a deep breathe and said "We have serious communication problems."

"Yes we do but I know that we can fix them. I swear that I will tell you everything, no secrets. I know I swore that before but please give me another chance. I will do this right this time. Just please don't leave me. I need you."

Lorelai's eyes began to tear up and her body started to sway causing Luke to fear that she was about to collapse. He quickly closed the last five feet that separated them and pulled her into his arms. Her body was tense at first but as his arms closed around her, she began to relax and lean into his embrace. He held her tightly in his arms, gently rocking back and forth.

In response to his hug, Lorelai entwined her arms tightly around his back pulling him close to her. "This all feels so familiar and right." she thought as she inhaled deeply the smell of him. "I feel like I have finally come home."

A peaceful smile formed across Luke's face as his left hand cupped the back of her head. With his right hand, he began rubbing her back in a gentle circular motion to soothe away her fears and anxiety. "This is where she belongs." he thought.

Lorelai lifted her head off Luke's shoulder and looked deeply into his clear blue eyes. She saw in those eyes a look of love mixed with raw passion. That look made her melt. S
he tilted her face towards his and he lowered his lips softly onto hers. The touch was electric.

This kiss that started out gentle quickly grew to one of frenzy emotions as their mouths opened to allow their tongues to engage in duel of passion. It was a long hot kiss burning with hunger and deep in ardor. It was both satisfying and totally deficient in quenching the desires building in both of them.

Luke knew that if he didn't end this kiss soon, there would be no stopping for either of them. As much as he burned for her, he knew that now was not the time. Lorelai's emotions were still too fragile. He had to take it slow and rebuild her trust. If he went too fast, he risked shattering her confidence and loosing her completely.

Using all his strength of will, Luke began dialing down the fire in the kiss. Tearing his lips from hers, he moved to kiss her ear. Softly he whispered, "I need to take you home to get some sleep. I think we have talked enough tonight and I know you, you need time to process. I'm not going any place. I will be here for you when you're ready."

Luke turned and pulled her under his arm as he opened the diner door. He kept his arm around her as he walked her home in a companionable silence. At the edge of the steps to her porch, he finally broke the silence. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

A sly smile broke across her face as she teased, "There's a small possibility that Rory and I might make an appearance at the diner for a meal or two, if you're lucky."

After walking her up the steps to the door, Luke turned and kissed her gently goodnight. Lorelai smiled as she said "Goodnight" and opened the door to walk in. Suddenly she froze as though she was trying to make a decision.

Determinedly she turned around and faced Luke with an unreadable look on her face. "I came to the diner tonight to tell you something and I haven't told you yet.

He looked at her with first an amused expression but then he saw the serious look on her face and adjusted his mood appropriately.

After taking a deep breath, she held it for a few seconds before releasing it soundlessly. Lorelai then announced, "Luke I'm pregnant."

With that statement still reverberating in the air, Lorelai went inside, closing and locking the door behind her.

(tbc)