"Can I come?"
Luke hesitated.
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Luke had been trying to secure Anna Nardini's confidence over the past few weeks. He still had her words in the back of his mind, the words and attitude and tone when he once, only once, tried to change the plans he'd made with his, no their, kid. The constant specter of her cutting him off from his daughter loomed over him and he made sure his behavior and demeanor were letter-perfect.
April's "Can I come?" posed a dilemma for Luke. He didn't want to expose her to the ugliness of the apparent town meeting. He didn't want her to know that the town was gossiping about her. He didn't want her to hear a woman she did not know defend him and his relationship with her. No kid should be put in that position.
So, coming along was out of the question. That left only the alternative of leaving her in the diner.
However, that too, was out of the question. He had already sent the kitchen help home, and there were no customers. Theoretically, he could lock April in the diner and leave her there, and she'd probably be safe. But what if there was a fire? Or a robbery? Never mind that there hadn't been such events in all the time he had lived in Stars Hollow. He paced the distance between the windows and the counter, and then stopped in his tracks as he shuddered and remembered the fire at the Independence Inn.
Luke could also send April upstairs to his apartment. That posed the same problem as leaving her in the diner. Moreover, the apartment had not been April-proofed. What if she asked about the cinnamon toothpaste shelf, and all the girlie items on that shelf? What about the photos of Lorelai and him? And what if she opened his nightstand drawer and saw his…well…supplies. All this compounded Luke's dilemma.
And then there was another complication on a whole new level: Anna Nardini. What would he say to her if she came early or he was late and she found April had been left alone? Would she ever let April be alone with him again? He could just imagine her ranting at him about how he'd imprisoned her daughter Rapunzel-like up in his dark apartment.
But then, what about Lorelai? He could still hear snippets of the goings-on at the clandestine town meeting. It appeared worse than the time the town had debated their relationship. Lorelai was taking hit after hit and verbally fighting back, but this was his problem, not hers. Words like "day care" and "license" and "tax revenue" and "freak side show" and "that Nardini woman" were bandied about, and Lorelai steadfastly sparred back using words like "responsible" and "private" and "none of anyone's business."
Luke was torn between wanting to do right by the woman he loved, and needing to care for his kid and not antagonize her mom. While he pondered these things, April stood next to him, idly playing with the cords to the blinds, looking at him expectantly. The look in her eyes, and the sound of Lorelai's voice, combined to help him make up his mind.
"Come on, kid, let's go."
April had a wry yet expectant look on her face. She'd wanted to head over to the studio ever since she'd overheard that it was a nexus. That sounded interesting to her, though not in a Captain Kirk meets Captain Picard in that really bad Trek movie kind of way.
"Hold it there, kid." Luke placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Let me get you a flashlight."
Luke disappeared into the storeroom and came back out with the largest flashlight April had ever seen. It was the kind that would have been very useful on the XFiles, she thought.
Luke and his daughter left the diner. As Luke locked the front door, he explained his game plan to April.
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"Listen April, we're going over to what they call a town meeting."
"Cool! You've mentioned them before."
"Only I'm going to ask you not to go in there. They're discussing some pretty adult material there."
April looked very disappointed.
"I just want you to wait outside while I'm in there, OK?"
April nodded, as they crossed the street to the town square.
"I need to help my…friend. When I'm done, I promise you that you can come in and meet everyone in town."
"Sounds like a plan," April added, grabbing Luke's hand and pointing out one of the stars above. "We studied that last year," she proclaimed.
"Really."
"Yeah, really."
Luke looked down at his hand. It was the first time April had grabbed hold of it.
The walk over to Miss Patty's was short. As they neared the door, Luke noticed that Lorelai was standing in front of the assembled people. He felt a mixture of pride in Lorelai and shame in himself for her being in that position.
Turning, he handed the flashlight to April.
"Keep this turned on," he instructed. "I'm just going in for a few minutes, kid, OK?"
April nodded in agreement as Luke took off his flannel shirt and spread it on the ground for her to sit on.
Wearing a grey t-shirt, and no flannel, he walked to the studio door and overheard Lorelai say, "Shut up Taylor. It's a private matter and that's that."
Luke stood in the doorway and glared at Taylor. The room went silent. Yet as much as he wanted to continue to glare at Taylor, his eyes were automatically drawn to Lorelai. She turned, her eyes meeting his. They were blazing, magnificent, yet sad. Looking at her, he suddenly and with clarity knew exactly what he needed to do.
He reached out and took the leash out of her hand; his other arm snaked around her to the small of her back.
"You," he snarled at Taylor, Miss Patty, and Kirk, "I'll deal with later."
Lorelai was still looking at him with what looked like a combination of anger and relief. He firmly guided her out of the building, dragging Paul Anka along with them.
"How did you know?" Lorelai asked with a sigh of relief.
Luke held up his phone.
"But I didn't call you…" Lorelai trailed off as she searched her pockets for her phone.
"Doesn't matter," Luke replied, as he backed her against the wall of Miss Patty's and kissed her. His hand cradled her face and as his thumb stroked along the side of her face, he added, "Go home and get packed."
Lorelai's mouth opened in a perfect "O".
"We're going away for the weekend," Luke supplied, before kissing her once more, "and bring your dress."
"Why is my kid loitering outside this building?"
Luke jumped away from Lorelai. "April," he guiltily exclaimed, turning to the other side of the door where April patiently sat on the grass.
"Anna…" Lorelai whispered, then gasped "Oh no," as Paul Anka broke free.
"Oh my," Kirk added from the doorway, "Luke's having his moment."
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Next: Do they or don't they?