1

Chapter 1: Luke's Story

16 years later……………….

"Heather, it's here! Kirk just delivered the mail." Luke yelled upstairs at his daughter.

Heather came bounding down the stairs toward the sound of her father's voice with a big smile on her face.

"It's here! It's really here?"

"Now you know it's ok if you don't get in, right? I mean you…"

"Dad, I know. Come on let's open it."

" Ms. Danes, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Chilton Academy…"

"Dad, I'm in! We did it."

"I'm so proud of you," he said giving her a big hug.

He stood back, taking a look at the young woman before him. She was everything that he wasn't. He wasn't book smart. She devoured any book that she could get her hands on. In fact, she was reading and understanding books he couldn't understand now when she was in grade school and using big words like existentialism. His Heather. His beautiful, brilliant daughter. But not exactly….

16 years earlier….

"Luke, what is that sound?"

"What sound Liz?" he had said looking at his sister.

"It sounds like a baby crying?"

Luke began to get concerned. If his sister was right, they needed to find the source of the sound as soon as possible. It was a bitter cold winter's night and nothing… no one could…

"Oh my God, Luke!"

"Come here!"

Luke hurried over to where his sister was standing. There in front of her was a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket laying in the gazebo in the middle of Stars Hollow. The poor thing was screaming and crying. Luke hurriedly picked it up, "There there…. It's ok now…"

"Who would do such a despicable thing?"

"I don't know Liz. I don't know…."

16 years later….

Who could abandon a beautiful girl like Heather? She was perfect in every way.

"Dad, what is it?"

"Nothing sweetheart. I'm just so proud of you."

Heather seemed to take her history in stride. Heather had always asked about her biological parents and Luke had finally told her the truth when she was 12. She had cried for a while but then eventually had come to accept it. She had even vowed that one day she would find out the truth. Luke had offered to hire a private investigator to track down her parents. Heather had refused. "Not now. Some day. But not now."

"You're going to Chilton."

"I'm going to Chilton. Dad, you know what this means? This is the first step to going to Yale!"

Heather's lifelong dream was to go to Yale and major in journalism. The prestigious Chilton academy would give her the advantage that she needed.

My daughter an Ivy leaguer….. My daughter…. It still seemed so strange to him…

16 years earlier…..

"Mr. Danes, she's all right."

"Who?"

"The little one you brought in tonight. Frightened, cold, a bit hungry. But perfectly healthy."

"That's good."

"We've called social services. They'll be by to pick her up in the morning and figure out what to do."

He nodded. "What's going to happen to her?"

"Well, she'll probably end up in foster care for now until…"

"Can I take her?"

"What?"

"Just for tonight… I mean.. I don't know somehow I just feel responsible for her, you know?"

The doctor nodded.

And the one night had turned into 16 wonderful years…..

Heather had shown an early love for learning. Luke had always read to her at night before she went to bed and it wasn't long before she wanted to hear something more sophisticated than Dr. Suess. Fortunately, Luke had been dating the local librarian at the time and she had recommended various children's books to continue to stimulate Heather's learning. She was reading well by the age of four and was writing in full sentences in kindergarten while the rest of her classmates were still trying to figure out how to spell their own names. Luke spent any money he could to buy books for his daughter. On Saturdays, they would take the bus into Hartford and spend the entire day at the library. He still remembered the first day that his daughter had glimpsed the stacks and stacks of books there—it was like she had come home at last. Luke was determined to continue challenging his daughter's mind despite his own intellectual shortcomings. He'd never been a terrible student at Stars Hollow High but he had never been on the honor roll either. At his girlfriend's suggestion, he had bought Classical music tapes and played them to Heather. As Heather grew up, she always got top marks in her class but as she reached high school, he began to notice a gradual change in her. She seemed restless—and bored. She continued to bring report cards home with straight As but still there was something wrong. Finally, one day Luke had decided to make an appointment with Heather's guidance counselor to discuss the situation.

"Mr. Danes. I'm so glad you stopped by. Please come in."

"Thank you Ms. Clark."

Ms. Clark gestured for Luke to take a seat.

"Actually I was going to call you to set up an appointment myself. I've been worried about Heather."

"So have I. I'm just not sure what's wrong—her grades are fine but…"

"She's bored Mr. Danes. The coursework here at Stars Hollow High is much too simple for a brilliant mind like hers. She needs something to challenge her—something to stimulate her mind. Something that will help push her to reach her full potential. "

"Do you have something in mind?"

"Actually, I do." Ms. Clark took a brochure out of her folder and handed it to Luke.

"Chilton Academy," he read.

"It's a prestigious high school located in Hartford."

"I think we've driven past there."

"They only accept the brightest students and their goal is to give their students the tools they need to reach their full potentials. Many of the teachers there have masters degrees or even doctorates in their subject areas. Most of the students that excel at Chilton end up at top Ivy League schools---Yale, Harvard, Princeton."

"Sounds expensive."

"It is Mr. Danes. But they offer scholarships. I think that Heather would be an excellent candidate for one of these scholarships."

And she had been. Heather not only was admitted to Chilton but had qualified for a full-ride scholarship. His Heather….. Finally, she was going to be allowed to reach her full potential.