Disclaimer: I don't own them and I really don't want them. They really have a mess to fix right now, you know? ASP may be laughing now; laughing her evil, evil laugh but you know what. You don't own shit, ASP. I own a car, a computer, a creative story that doesn't involve sharks, and my own characters that actually are FUNNY! Imagine that, I have it all and you have millions of people hating your guts. Laugh away ASP, laugh away.

Author's Notes: I know I am sorry I haven't updated this in like 2 months. If you guys only knew the summer I had. Seriously, it was bad. I broke up with my boyfriend of like 3 years, I have been perpetually sick with some cold/flu thing that could very well be a superbug here to kill me, and I was in a car accident that I was told I was lucky to survive. I'm serious, the officers told me (after I woke up from being knocked unconscious) that I was lucky to be alive, since the impact from the drunk driver going 45 mph was on the passenger side. LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! So I have been busy.

Here is the next chapter, no the story isn't done yet, and yes there will be one more chapter. I was going to just finish it up here, but I liked how it flowed too much to have it keep going. Thanks to Debbie who showed appropriate concern when she thought I was dead and for giving me time off of my beta duties to finish this. YOU ROCK SISTA FROM ANOTHA MOTHA! The title of this chapter came from a Goo Goo Dolls song called Better Days. It's amazing, go listen to it. I'm sorry again, if anyone is still out there, please review.

Chapter 10: Somehow Stop This Endless Fight

Luke pushed himself past Emily and began walking towards the parlor before Emily regained her senses.

"Did I say you could enter my house? No, I did not. Please leave," she demands, still holding the front door open.

"No," said Luke from the doorway of the parlor.

"Excuse me," Emily said, stunned that this flannel clad, Neanderthal of a man would presume to tell her, Emily Gilmore, no.

"No, I am not leaving until you tell me exactly what your issue is with me. Attempt for once to tell me, to my face, rather than telling your daughter how 'unworthy' I am, how she should never have considered marrying me an option and then trashing the life she made for herself and referring to your granddaughter as a mistake," said Luke, walking into the parlor.

"I never said that," Emily replied, following Luke into her parlor, still hoping to get him to leave.

"Oh, I think you did. In fact, I could probably quote you verbatim. Can I get you a glass of water?" Luke asked, heading towards the drink cart.

"This isn't your house or your family-" Emily began.

"For the love of God Emily, drop the rich woman persona and try to act like a human being who cares about her daughter. Now, I have some things to say to you and I am sure you have things to say to me. Here's your chance."

"I have nothing to say to you. How dare you enter my house, make demands to me, and tell me what I should do. You don't know this family and you have no right to tell me anything…"

Luke got himself a glass of water and went to sit on the couch. He was determined to stay calm and composed during this entire tirade of Emily's. He knew exactly why she didn't want Lorelai to marry him and he knew that whether she approved or not Lorelai would still marry him. The whole purpose of him coming to Emily was for her to get whatever problem she had with him out in the open so that they, the entire Gilmore family and himself included, could finally move past Lorelai leaving Hartford at 17.

"…so please leave now, or I will be forced to call the authorities," Emily finished, still standing at the entrance to the parlor, hoping Luke would finally leave.

"Emily, I didn't listen to a thing you said, but I am sure the words diner, roadkill, and unworthy were in there somewhere. Now will you sit down, I have some things to tell you and I am sure you want to know the date of the wedding. So sit down, let me talk, and you will have your turn for rebuttal."

"I will not-"

Luke stood up from his seat, his temper finally getting the best of him, "SIT DOWN!"

Emily, startled by the anger and frustration evident in his voice, sat with her head still held high. She was a Gilmore after all and wouldn't show a sign of weakness in front of some small town diner owner.

Luke sat down again and took a sip from the glass of water. "I apologize for raising my voice, I didn't want to lose my temper, but Emily you are almost worse than Taylor at annoying me. Now, I would like to know exactly why you don't think I should marry your daughter. Try and not say unworthy or mention my diner in that because we both know that is not the real reason you are so upset that we set a date. So how about you stop being such a snobby bitch and tell me the truth."

Emily was aghast that this diner man, other than his small outburst, could be so calm. Every other time he was in her house, he was more nervous and jittery than a maid. She took a moment to think, to decide if it was worth her time to actually talk to him. Finally, she remembered the look on Lorelai's face, Rory's face, and recalled that her husband has yet to be in the same room with her since that Friday Night Dinner disaster. This Luke may just be the key in getting her girls back and she was finally willing to humiliate herself, in her opinion, and speak to this man who was so close to her girls.

"So Emily, why do you hate the idea of Lorelai marrying me? I am from a good family, I have a stable income, and I can provide for Lorelai and Rory if she wants it. Why are you so against the thought of me and her being together?"

"Well, just to start, you are unkempt, uncouth, and rude. You have no idea how to behave in polite society. Lorelai would never be able to allow you to attend any function that her status demands her to be at," said Emily, picking her usual standard of why Lorelai shouldn't marry Luke.

Luke just ignored her. Richard told him why Emily was so upset that they would be getting married and it had nothing to do with his background or his choice of careers. He sipped his water, put it down on the table, and then faced Emily. "After that Friday Night Dinner where you told Lorelai and Rory that she ruined your life, Lorelai came home and didn't even want coffee. Usually after a Friday Night Dinner, she drinks coffee, decompresses, and uses her humor to defuse all the hurtful remarks that were shot at her. Lately, that wasn't happening and I thought it was because the two of you were finally overcoming all the pain and anger that held you both in the past for so long. That Friday was different. Lorelai didn't want coffee, didn't use her humor, just went up to our room and cried. She cried the entire night about how you would never accept her, her life, or even love her because she couldn't be like you wanted her to be. Now, I know that you love her and that deep down in that wee Grinch heart that you have you even accept her as the person that she is. All those things you said about why I wasn't good enough to marry Lorelai were once the reasons you didn't think we should be together, but I also knew you were looking at a house for us and our family, I know what Lorelai told you that day, and I know why you don't think we should get married. So Emily, let it out. For once, just tell the truth and be honest to someone. Why don't you want us to get married?"

"You don't deserve her," whispered Emily, her shock at his description how her words effecting her daughter apparent.

"Why Emily? Why don't I deserve her?" prodded Luke, determined to finally have it out with Emily.

"YOU LIED TO HER!" shouted Emily, leaping up from her chair. "You were engaged, she planned the wedding, had her dress and yet you still lied! You knew her; you knew she wouldn't care if you had a daughter, a son, or a flock of geese as children. She understood that it was a lot for you to handle, a wedding and finding out you were a father, so she postponed the wedding. Then you left! You weren't there for her; you spent your time dealing with your daughter and your new role at fatherhood while just assuming that Lorelai would always wait for you. SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WAIT! She has waited years, YEARS for you, then when you finally do have her; you toss her aside and kept her out of your life. That is why you don't deserve her, that is why you aren't worthy enough for her," Emily finished, her emotions spent, once again sitting in her chair.

"I know. I did push her aside and wouldn't let her be a part of my life. I did it, I was wrong, and I will live with that for the rest of my life. However Emily, things are different now. Both Lorelai and I are notorious at keeping our problems inside and trying to work them out for ourselves. Our biggest problem wasn't April or the fact that I lied, but that we never told each other what was bothering the other one. We both kept it inside till one of us blew and then we fought. We spent a lot of time talking about it and we both know that we have to try harder. The two independent people that we once were have to mold into two people that depend on the other. I love your daughter Emily, I do, and I am truly, truly sorry for hurting her the way that I did. Now can we please move on from this and start over. I am going to be your son-in-law whether you want me to or not," he said, reaching for the folder he brought in with him, knowing that Emily was going to ask him to prove he loved her daughter.

"How do I know you aren't going to hurt her again? How do you know that you won't need more time and have to postpone this beach wedding that appears to be all the rage," asked Emily, slowly melting towards Luke, but determined to not let him off as easily as Lorelai appeared to have.

"You will just have to trust me. Lorelai does, Rory does, and Richard does, can I add you to that list?" Luke asked, knowing that Emily was going to cave.

"If Lorelai trusts you, then I will have to trust her judgment. I will be watching you though. Remember I am not afraid to speak my mind and if I see you misstep, you can be sure to hear about it."

"Agreed. Now I am sure that you want to know about the wedding. Lorelai mentioned you were upset that it was going to be in Maine?" Luke said, attempting to hide the sarcasm evident in his voice.

Emily stiffened, but remembered the words that Richard shouted at her that Friday night, 'It is her day, Emily, not ours. If she wants to have just family and close friends at her wedding that's fine. If she wants to have her wedding in Antarctica with only penguins in attendance fine. It is her day, she can do what she wants for it and she deserves not to have us interfere.' Emily decided to let it go, yes her family was part of affluent society, but that didn't mean that they had to abide by their every rule. Richard was right, it was Lorelai's day, and Lorelai was never one to want to be part of affluent society. "I didn't get to hear many of the details about it. Could you please explain them to me?"

Luke gave Emily the folder that he had in his hand. "These are our plans, but the dates have changed slightly."

"It's postponed again? I thought you said I could trust you not to hurt my daughter anymore."

"We had planned for October 14th, but there is a very large event at the Dragonfly and while Lorelai could get away, but she doesn't feel comfortable abandoning her staff when they are going to be so busy. Besides Sookie won't be able to leave the kitchen staff with all the catering going on and Lorelai wants her there. I actually have an idea, but am going to need your help to get everything worked out."

Emily looked through the folder, saw the written proposal from Luke about why a small, intimate wedding was right for him and Lorelai, and she read letters that Rory and Richard had both included, begging her to put her pride and social standing aside and do this for Lorelai. Emily teared when she saw the PS Rory included in her letter, saying that she accepted the apology and knew that her grandmother really didn't mean those words. She was touched that Luke would go to this much effort and knew it took a lot for him to come here and confront her.

Emily turned to Luke, smiling, and asked, "So what can I do to help?"


AN: I know I promised like 5 chapters ago that this would be the last one. I know I suck, I deserve to be shot, but don't be too hasty. Remember I have a plan and (yes that is an and) I already have the last chapter done. Just needs to be typed up vs. being on scraps of paper. I am aiming for a September 26th finishing date, because well that day is going to suck. I haven't watched since Feb because I don't mind cutting people or shows out of my life, but I know some people have continued and prayed that it would all be a dream. So I (as well as my twin Debbie) have planned a fiction extravaganza on the 26th. Big Plans people BIG PLANS!