AN: So, with regards to Emily, she does like Luke and is grateful to him raising Rory, she still has the mindset that if Christopher is available, he should be involved. She's also a little bit too believing when it comes to Christopher, which comes back to bite her later. However, we're not quite there yet so I won't say much more.

Lorelai POV

"Why are you attempting to teach our child a game you suck at?" I asked Luke, amused.

He blushed, "Because she needs to join a sport for school and I'm running out of things on that list, so I'm now making this up as I go. And I don't suck."

I raised an eyebrow at him, and he chucked a cushion at me. I chucked it back, sticking my tongue out at him. I then realised what he said, "So you're running out of things on the list?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I've only got about 5 things left on it. It only took me 5 years."

"What was your favourite?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"I can't pick," He admitted, "Teaching her how to ice-skate is pretty high up, as is that road trip we took last year. The father-daughter school dance is one of my favourite memories with her and... I could go on for hours."

It was one of the things I loved about him; while he was generally a man of few words, he could talk about Rory for hours and hours without a problem, and he would do almost anything for her. I knew he struggled with the fact that he didn't get to be her father until she was 10 and it absolutely killed him that he had missed out on her baby years, but it motivated him to make up for everything he missed, along with everything Christopher fucked up.

I curled up with him, resting my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, slightly lifting my top so he could feel my bare skin. He was thinking, I could tell, but I closed my eyes, waiting for him to tell me what was on his mind.

"I'm not going to stop," He murmured, "I might have done almost everything on that list, but I don't want to stop doing those things for her and with her."

I smiled, "I'll have to buy her another journal, then, because her current one is almost full."

I felt him shift, and when I looked up, his confused face reminded me that he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Every time you do something with her, just you and her, she writes about it in this journal. It's almost doubled in size since she brought it, and it's slowly running out of pages. She writes each thing like a story and if there's a photo to go with it, she'll make a copy and attach it to the correct page, even though she also has every single photo in that photo album of hers."

He was quiet for a few minutes, "I didn't realise how much it meant to her."

I chuckled, "It was part of what helped her heal after... after everything that happened. And I know it helped you after both of our miscarriages."

I hated the word, but was getting more comfortable with it. And I wasn't lying; my miscarriages required surgery since both pregnancies were ectopic and once I was home, he would focus on her and pour everything into her. It was his way of coping and it did help him in a big way.

"Do you remember the first time that you found us asleep on the sofa?" He asked, and I nodded; it was about a week after the first miscarriage. They both had refused to share any details at the time.

He smiled sadly, "I couldn't sleep and I knew you needed to rest so I got up. I found Rory in the kitchen; she had been crying because that was the week that Christopher got out of prison, too, and then with the baby... She saw me and tried to pretend that she wasn't upset, even though it was 2 am and there was no way she would have been up if she wasn't upset, and the next thing I know we're both crying. She admitted she hadn't slept properly since he got out because she was scared, and the admission triggered a brief panic attack and once she calmed down, she made me promise not to tell you, I made her sit with me on the couch to watch a film and next thing I know, it's morning."

My heart broke; I had been so wrapped up in my own grief that I had forgotten that my daughter was going through something else, almost completely alone. And while I knew she was safe because part of his parole was to cut all contact (something we had been begging for), it didn't stop her from feeling unsafe.

"Thank you for telling me," I said, "I know you didn't have to."

I woke up the next morning feeling better than I had in a long time. We didn't talk like that very often and often dealt with our things alone. It wasn't a great way of dealing with things, especially if it involved Rory, but its what we unintentionally did.

When I got downstairs, Rory and Luke were just getting ready to leave. Luke shoved a mug of coffee into my hands, kissing my cheek, "I'll drop her back at the Inn once we're done."

I nodded, "Okay, good luck."

They both rolled their eyes, given that neither of them were good at sports, and left me alone with my thoughts, something I was never great with. I opened the single letter that was on the table, the good feeling in my stomach vanishing.

Mrs Gilmore-Danes,

My name is Elaine, and I am Christopher Hayden's parole officer. As you may know, his parole is coming to an end soon, and at the beginning of his parole, your lawyer requested me to contact you with details when it's coming to an end.

His parole officially comes to an end on October 11th. This means he can contact you and your daughter, visit her, and apply for visitation rights.

He attends therapy once a week, along with anger management courses. After he almost lost his temper with me, I reached out to a judge and made sure it was court-mandated. While he seems to be making progress with less violent outbursts, he could still be a risk to your child; I've seen the letters he would send since the prison kept a record and you gave copies to your lawyer, and I wouldn't trust him.

I would advise your child's school not to give any information out unless it's face-to-face and it's you or her adopted father. I would also advise that you keep a closer eye on her than you would normally; I am aware that she will be 16 by the time his parole is up, so this may be difficult, but I would advise this. I would also recommend giving her these details so she can keep herself safe as you will not be with her at all times. She should aim to be with someone at all times and never alone, even in public, just in case.

He is going to reach out. He's already looking into his rights and what he can get, so I want you to have the ability to keep her safe. I have no actual proof that he is dangerous (other than the crime he was incarcerated for) and I shouldn't be sending this letter, but please trust me.

Thank you for reading this letter, and I am very sorry that I cannot legally help you.

Yours sincerely,
Elaine Roberts.

Tears streamed down my face, and my stomach churned like it did when I was scared. I was a lot like Rory in that way. I quickly made my way to the bathroom, dropping the letter as I did.

AN: I know, I'm cruel. What did you think?