Lorelai POV

Luke glanced at me as I slowly stood up and then made his way out of the room. I followed behind him, unsure of what he was going to do.

I got to the bottom of the stairs just as Luke hit Chris in the face. As Christopher straightened back up, blood dripping from his nose, he spotted me and went to walk towards me. Luke shoved him backwards, and I decided to step in.

"You need to leave, and you need to never contact Rory and me again," I stated firmly. Chris began to argue, but I cut him off, "No, you don't get a say in this. Last week, she cried for two hours when you didn't show, and this week, she was questioning whether you even love her. You don't get to do that to my daughter."

"She's my daughter, too."

I took a deep breath in, forcing myself not to hit him, "Her having your DNA doesn't make you a father, especially since you can't even show up when you say you're going too!"

He huffed, "I said I'd be here, and I'm here."

"You're 4 hours late, which is not excusable," Tears began to slip down my face, "Please leave and don't ever come back."

I stood very still, terrified to move. Christopher continued protesting, but Luke spoke up, "You heard her; you're doing more damage than good, so leave."

Others in the diner agreed, some even standing up, reminding me that half the town was watching this entire scene. Christopher stormed out, and I turned and buried my head into Luke's chest, completely falling apart.

My daughter no longer has a father.

"Rory, sweetheart, wake up," I murmured, shaking her awake.

She moaned a little, opening her eyes, "Hey."

"Good nap?" I asked, and she nodded, "Good. Luke's making us food downstairs, are you up for something?"

Rory nodded, rubbing her eyes, "I'll try... Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I want to see dad anymore; it never goes well, even when he does show up," Rory told me, and I chuckled a little.

"I've already spoken to your father," I began, "After Luke told me how you were feeling, I decided that it was better for you not to see him anymore. But I'm glad you agree, I didn't like making that decision for you."

"Thanks, Mom."

I helped Rory sort herself out and then we headed down to the diner. Surprisingly, the place was empty, and Luke had switched the sign to closed for some reason, "Luke?"

He poked his head out of the kitchen, "I didn't think you'd want an audience after the day you've both had. Your food will be done in a second."

I was relieved he didn't mention the face-off with Christopher; I wanted to explain that to her as we ate and was hoping no one would mention it. Apparently, Luke decided to be pro-active and completely prevent that from happening until I had a chance to explain myself properly. I was also grateful the small puddle of blood had been mopped up.

He brought out our meals, and I chuckled at what he had. He had decided to do all of Rory's favourites in an attempt to cheer her up. I smiled, the realisation of how much he cared about her settling in my stomach, "Thank you."

I tried to share how grateful I was for everything with those two words, and he smiled at me, squeezing my shoulder as he walked away. As Rory began eating, I started explaining everything that had happened earlier with Chris.

"I'm glad I wasn't there. I wouldn't have been able to agree with that face-to-face, even though it's the right thing," She said between bites when I finished, and I sat back in shock at her adult take on it.

"I sometimes forget that you're only 10 years old," I said with a laugh, and she rolled her eyes at me.

She finished her food before I did and was a little antsy. I tried ignoring her for a while, but gave in, "Why don't you head on home, I'll be there shortly."

She nodded, asked if I'd keep her bag, and was off. I finished shortly after and went up to the counter to pay. However, Luke looked up and said a very stern no before I could even get money out.

"You really care about her, don't you," I said, smiling, "It seems like you care about her almost as much as I do."

He shrugged a little, "Maybe I do."

I went around the counter, emboldened by his response. He was watching me quizzically, trying to figure out what I was up to. I stopped in front of him, putting my hand on his chest, and I reached up to kiss him. He kissed me back for a moment before pulling away.

"Not today; you've had a rough day, and I don't want you doing anything you will regret tomorrow," He murmured.

"I won't regret this, I've wanted this since I met you five years ago," I told him confidently.

He smiled, "So have I, but that doesn't mean you won't regret this. Come to the diner tomorrow evening after closing; we'll talk then."

I nodded, my heart sinking.

I turned to leave, but he pulled me back for one more kiss, "The only reason I'm hesitant is that we have Rory to think about. Not because I don't want to."

I smiled, blushing slightly, "We?"

"She might be yours, but I really do care about her, and I don't want to hurt her because we were careless. She deserves a guy she can rely on. Now go home and enjoy an afternoon with your kid. Oh, and flip the open sign as you leave."

I nodded and silently left, a big smile on my face.

"Rory?" I called as I stepped into the house. I could hear Christopher's voice, which made me angry all over again. I rushed into the living room and found Rory staring and the phone, "Rory?"

She slowly looked up at me, "He called to ask for money. It's why he showed up at the diner today. He really doesn't care about me, does he?"

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as she cried once more, "If that's the case, we don't need him. You don't need him, honey."

"But I want a dad," She cried, "Every kid at school has a father and I don't, and I want one. I don't want to be different."

Luke came into my mind at that moment, reminding me that there is one man who cares about her like Christopher should, but I wasn't sure if I should point it out so I pushed the thought out of my mind, "I think I'd rather you didn't have a dad at all than having one who doesn't care about you at all."

She sniffed and nodded, pulling away from me to wipe her eyes, "Can we watch a movie?"

I chuckled and nodded, "Set the TV up, and I'll get the blankets and snacks."

AN: I had no intention of messing around with Luke and Lorelai. When I first started planning this, I knew I'd have them get together in the first few chapters (with Lorelai spurred on by how much he cares about Rory). I was bored with the 'will they/won't they' in the original show so I'm not playing that game.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and see you next week.