Disclaimer in first chapter.
Lorelai drummed her fingers against the hard surface of the kitchen table, a few blank sheets of paper sat in front of her. At her feet were several crumbled up pieces of paper with scribbled out remnants of her thoughts that she tried and failed drastically to convey into words. She knew several words, she said many words per day, probably more than the average human and also at a slightly faster pace, yet when she needed to come up with words and form eloquent sentences her mind came up with a big, fat blank. Not a blank exactly since she thought of several other things, like what she wearing, what she needed to pick up from the dry cleaners, for some reason the movie Casablanca, but nothing in the realm of words that would be appropriate for a character reference.
Paul Anka was there to witness the very beginning of her attempts to write but as soon as the first piece of crumbled up paper hit the floor, he scurried out of the room and presumably hid somewhere. She quickly added crumbled up pieces of paper to the long list of things that scared Paul Anka.
Lorelai gasped and began to write something down but she only wrote a few words before she realized they sounded idiotic. Another crumpled up piece of paper hit the floor. She was asked by Luke the day he came home from meeting with his lawyer if she could write him a character reference since one was needed. She readily agreed since she wanted to help him in anyway that she could.
That was a couple of days ago.
Liz wrote a reference as well and had already managed to send it to Luke's lawyer before Lorelai could even come up with an opening sentence. Liz's reference held too many childhood anecdotes that did not need to be shared with anyone, much less a court of law. So Luke's total reliance for a character reference relied solely on Lorelai's shoulders. That's when the pressure really kicked in.
Lorelai realized that her reference, her words, her thoughts, could very well save Luke's relationship with April. But on the more negative side, she realized her words could have the opposite effect and Luke wouldn't gain joint custody like he wanted. She imagined that he would then blame her when he was forbidden to see April and he would leave her all alone where her fate would then be to become one of those cat ladies. She didn't even like cats.
Normally she had plenty to say about Luke and all the amazing things she thought about him but attempting to put those thoughts down into words while trying to avoid writing down too many personal anecdotes was an incredible tough task. Luke deserved a stellar reference letter but she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to write one. She tried to pawn the reference off on Rory since Rory was an amazing writer but Rory refused and told her that this was her task and she believed that she would write a reference letter to end all reference letters.
Lorelai sighed and laid her head down across the table. Maybe, just maybe, she was going a little too far and jumping to the worst conclusion. Her reference wouldn't be the reason that Luke wouldn't gain custody of April because he would definitely gain joint custody, the judge would have to be a complete idiot to side with Anna. She would just remain positive and maybe the words would come to her.
For the moment though, she needed a distraction.
Lorelai lifted her head and pushed away from the table. After a lunch break, she could get back to writing and maybe with enough food in her stomach, her brain could work at full capacity and pump out sentences that would lead to an amazing character reference.
She shuffled over to the refrigerator and surveyed the contents. Besides the takeout containers that were definitely at the point where no human should ever eat them, no matter how hungry or bored, the only food in the fridge had to be cooked and assembled into a meal that she couldn't create. One of the signs that the house was just as much as Luke's as it was hers now, they still had junk food but most of the contents at this point were actually of high food quality. Lorelai quickly tossed out all the old takeout containers, including an empty pizza box, and made the decision that she would have to go out for lunch.
After she slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed her keys, Lorelai headed out the front door with the diner in mind as her lunch destination. However, she stopped in her tracks on the front porch when she noticed her father getting out of his parked car and making his way towards her.
"Hey Dad," Lorelai greeted tentatively as she stepped off the front porch and into the yard, "Did I know you were coming over?" She mentally recalled the past few days but remembered nothing about her father paying a visit to Stars Hollow.
"What, a father can't stop by to visit his daughter?" Richard asked, he stopped in the yard to talk with Lorelai.
"A father can," Lorelai answered, "But I don't think you just ever randomly stopped by for a visit."
"Well I'm here now. I wanted to talk to you," Richard replied, he noted the keys in her hand. "Unless you were headed somewhere then I can just go."
"I was headed to the diner for lunch," Lorelai informed her father. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked although she had an idea what he might want to talk about.
Ever since the lunch with her mother a few days ago that ended with her walking out, she had not accepted any calls from the woman herself. She knew that they were slipping into their old routine but she still wasn't happy with what her mother said and Luke wasn't thrilled at what Emily had to say either when Lorelai told him about the lunch. She also knew that her mother would very well send her father to Stars Hollow to try and talk to her since the phone calls were going unanswered.
Richard clasped his hands together, "Oh good, the diner. I could go for some lunch myself." He nodded his head towards his car, "Come on, get in. I'll drive us."
Lorelai hesitated for just a moment, "You want to eat at the diner?"
"Why not? You and Rory rave about the food there all the time, it's lunchtime, and you were already headed there anyways," Richard replied. "I figured I could just go to lunch with you. Unless there's a reason that you can't have lunch with me today."
Lorelai sorted through an assortment of excuses in her head as to not have lunch with her father but she couldn't think of anything that he wouldn't see right through. The curiosity to see what he needed to talk with her about won out in the end. "Nothing that I can think of."
"Good," Richard smiled, "Let's go."
Lorelai started towards the car at the same time her father did, "I thought you wanted to talk."
Richard got into the car and waited for Lorelai to get into the passenger side before he replied, "I do want to talk with you but I see no reason why we can't talk over lunch. This has to do with Luke too and I'm assuming he's at the diner today, correct?"
Lorelai nodded her head as they began to drive away from the house, "Correct but besides Lane he's the only one there today, Cesar couldn't come in today. I'm pretty sure he won't have time to talk. He's busy."
"Well if he has a moment then I would like to talk with him but I can always do that another time at his convenience. I would like for it to be soon though. I have a few things that I would like to talk with you about as well," Richard replied.
Lorelai furrowed her brow, "What do you need to talk to the both of us about?" she asked. "Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess? I have a whole list of ideas."
"No, Lorelai, I'm not going to make you guess. We'll talk when we get to the diner. This is not really a car conversation."
"But it is a diner conversation?"
"It's a sit down and talk conversation preferably not in a moving vehicle conversation," Richard countered. "I assure you it's nothing to worry about, just something I want to run past you and Luke. If I can't talk to Luke today then I'm sure you can pass along the message."
Lorelai, still skeptical of her father's sudden interest in talking, just nodded her head, "Okay."
After a few minutes drive, Richard pulled his car into an empty parking spot directly in front of the diner. The diner was in the middle of the lunch rush, evident by the sheer number of people and Lane weaving through the people to make sure all the customers were served. Lorelai spotted an empty table in the corner of the diner and quickly pointed her father in that direction.
As they seated themselves, Richard took a moment to glance around the diner that was bustling with people. "Business seems to be good."
"Luke always has good business, especially on the weekends," Lorelai pointed out. "People love the food and the coffee."
"Did I hear coffee?" Lane asked as she approached. She looked down at Lorelai, "Coffee for you? Or should I not even ask at this point?"
"You know me well," Lorelai smiled. "Coffee would be great hon."
Lane turned to Richard, "And for you? Coffee as well?"
"Uh, no thank you. I will take some tea," Richard replied.
"Oh, um Lane this is my father Richard Gilmore, and Dad this is Lane, one of Rory's friends and one of my favorite people," Lorelai said as she introduced to the two people. "I don't remember if you two have met before."
"Nice to meet you sir," Lane said politely and with a smile.
"You as well Lane," Richard replied cordially.
"Can I get you anything else or do you need a moment to decide?" Lane asked. When told that they would like a minute to decide, she nodded, "I'll be right back with your drinks."
"You said she's one of Rory's friends?" Richard asked.
"Yep," Lorelai answered. "They have been friends for most of their lives, I think Lane spent as much time at my house as she did at hers. They're very close."
Richard nodded in response before he picked up the menu on the table and flipped through it occasionally asking Lorelai for her opinion on various dishes that the diner offered. When she said that her usual go-to for lunch or dinner is a cheeseburger and fries, Richard decided he would have the same as long as it was kept a secret between them since Emily wouldn't exactly approve of the diner food. Lane returned seconds later with their drinks and took their orders before she was whisked away once again by other customer's demands.
Lorelai watched her father over the rim of her coffee cup as she took a long sip. She set the coffee down and then crossed her arms on the table, "So Dad what did you want to talk about?"
Richard cleared his throat, "Your mother informed me of the predicament that Luke is in. By extension, what you're involved in as well. She informed me all about Luke and April and Anna."
"Hmm okay," Lorelai replied with a slow nod of her head, "I'm still not exactly sure what you wanted to talk about today."
"I know that your mother said that Luke already has a lawyer and that Luke would prefer to do this on his own but I was thinking that maybe if I just talked to him and to you that maybe I could change his mind," Richard said. "I know some very prominent lawyers. I talked to one that would be willing to take this case on even on short notice. He seems confident he can help win the case."
Lorelai blew out a breath, "I don't know. Luke is set on doing this himself. He already has a lawyer, one that he is happy with. I'm already writing a character reference for him." She shook her head, "I just don't think that he's going to accept your help."
"I can understand why he would not want to accept help, he doesn't seem like the type to openly accept help, not without a little prodding anyways," Richard began, "But I am offering to help. This is not just for Luke, it's for you too."
"Me?" Lorelai questioned.
Richard nodded his head, "Of course Lorelai. All of this that is going on involves you as well. You are a part of Luke's life, whatever the outcome from this, you'll be affected as well. April will be your step-daughter."
"Well I'm aware of that Dad..."
"I wasn't happy with Luke that night you showed up on our doorstep in tears because of what transpired between you two. I was angry that he made you that upset, that upset that you came to your mother and I for help," Richard admitted while Lorelai listened to him quietly. "Your mother had informed me of everything that you two talked about, what happened between you and Luke, I hated that he made you feel that way. I knew that before that night, that he made you very happy, that's why your mother and I were going to buy you that house as a wedding present to show that we were supportive of their marriage."
Lorelai listened to her father, she stayed silent but made sure that he knew she was still listening. At one point, Luke stuck his head out the kitchen when he was told by Lane that Lorelai was here for lunch. She gave him a small wave and smile which he returned before he disappeared back into the busy kitchen to prepare lunch for many of the hunger diner patrons.
"Then, through your mother again, I learned that you two worked things out and Luke was allowing you into his life in ways that he wasn't before," Richard said. "Then I learned of all of this with Anna. Now I have never met the woman but I have to say I'm not very fond of her. It seems as if she's only caused trouble between you and Luke since she came along."
Lorelai let out a small chuckle at her father expressing his disinterest in Anna. She tried not to harshly judge the woman and to understand her point of view so it wouldn't turn into a situation where none of the parents or step-parents could stand being in the same room for one another for a few minutes. Plus she also sympathized with fellow single mothers but the latest developments made her want to express the same disinterest that her father did.
"Luke and I could have both done things differently earlier on," Lorelai admitted. "Not all of that can be placed on Anna."
"But now she's the one that decided to go through with a custody case and is not allowing Luke to be around his daughter," Richard pointed out to which Lorelai nodded that it was true. She is messing with your life just as much as she is with Luke's."
"And April's," Lorelai added on, worried about the young girl that was at the center of the custody battle. "None of this is fair for her."
"You're right," Richard agreed. "None of this is fair for her, Luke, or you Lorelai. I know that actions can sometimes prove different but I am your father and I care very much about what's going on in your life and to see someone messing with your life like this, with your future with Luke, it upsets me. Which is why I want to help Luke out, to help you out, to help both of you through this with the results that you want."
"I know that Dad and when Luke was trying to find a lawyer, I even suggested that we could ask you for help since you probably knew some pretty good lawyers," Lorelai replied, "But Luke is so adamant about doing this himself, he's not the best at accepting help when it's offered."
"Neither are you," Richard pointed out. "You don't like to ask for help for yourself."
"True, I still accept help though, at least sometimes," Lorelai said. "I just want Luke to gain join custody like he wants and I have no doubt that he will because I don't think any judge would side with Anna but at the same time, I'm worried that him refusing help will not work out for him. Then he'll be absolutely crushed."
"I know," Richard acknowledged with a nod. "That's why I'm still offering to help. This man that I know, the one I have lined up to take this case if Luke wants the help, is a real shark of a lawyer. He's never lost a case for a client. He knows what he is doing."
Lorelai gave a small nod of her head in acknowledgment to Lane as she sat down their plates in front of them. She made sure Lane knew that they didn't need anything else before she replied to her father. "I'll talk with Luke. I can't promise anything but I talk to him about this."
"Just call when you do talk to him," Richard replied.
Lorelai promised him that she would though she knew that she would most likely end up talking with her mother before she ever got a chance to talk with her father. She couldn't avoid phone calls with her mother forever and it was just a matter of time before they talked again but for the moment she was still upset with her mother's comments.
As they ate lunch, the conversation was kept fairly light. Lorelai talked of the Inn and how it was doing extremely since Fall was approaching and their reservations were almost at capacity with people wanting to experience the beautiful season in Connecticut. Richard updated her on the latest goings-on with his business as well. Conversation turned to Rory and how she was starting her senior year at Yale soon and how proud Richard was of her. Once their food was gone and conversation had dwindled down, Richard informed Lorelai that he probably needed to leave since he had not informed Emily of where he was going.
"Wait, Dad, can you just sit back down for a minute?" Lorelai asked as soon as Richard made a move to get out of his chair and leave.
Richard sat back down as requested and looked at Lorelai curiously, "What's going on Lorelai?"
"I need a favor," Lorelai requested simply.
"What is it?" Richard asked.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself for what she was about to ask. She knew Luke might not approve since he was more of a private person to most people but it weighed on her mind since her father showed up at her house and during their conversation. She figured that while her father was here in front of her and offering his help, she could at least ask something else of him. It might cause an argument between her and Luke but it was something that she knew would help Luke out even if he couldn't see it.
"The thing is that Luke doesn't have many people that he can talk to," Lorelai started off. "He has friends but no one that he can really sit down with and talk where they can offer advice. He has me and we talk about things but sometimes I think he just needs someone else besides me. Someone that can offer advice from a different point of view."
"Go on," Richard prodded when his daughter fell silent.
"I knew Luke might not accept your help with a lawyer and he probably want even go for what I'm about to suggest but if I can convince him then would you be willing to do it?" Lorelai asked. She quickly continued on when she realized she hadn't asked her father anything. "I mean talk to him, try to give him some advice with what's going on right now. Just be a mentor of sorts, maybe?"
"You want me to talk with Luke?" Richard asked, shocked that his daughter would suggest a thing when usually she tried not to involve them too much in her life.
Lorelai nodded quickly, "I mean you don't have to and Luke might not even go for it, but you're a father and I just think you could maybe offer him some advice that I can't from that viewpoint. I just think that some advice from a fatherly point of view could help him out right now and I can't give him that. But like I said if you don't want to then that's fine I just..."
Richard interjected, "I'll talk with him Lorelai."
"You will?"
"I'll talk with him," Richard reiterated. "If you can get him to come over and talk with me, if he wants to, then I'll talk with him and try to help him out. Just let me know and we can set up a time."
"Thank you Dad," Lorelai smiled.
"Of course Lorelai," Richard replied with a smile as well. He moved to get up once again but turned back to Lorelai, "I have something to ask of you know."
Lorelai sighed, "Naturally."
"Talk to you mother Lorelai," Richard requested. "I know that you have not been answering her phone calls, I know that something happened at that lunch. I don't know what was said or what happened, I just know that she came home that day in a worse mood than she has been in lately. Before then she was happy that you two were getting along better than usual, but lately her mood has been off. She's already fired three maids."
"That's not unusual," Lorelai noted, "That happens with her."
"In one day Lorelai, three different maids in one day," Richard explained. "I have no idea how or why but I know I saw three different maids in one day and every single time your mother complained and then fired them. She gets like this when something goes wrong. I don't know what was said at lunch but just thinking about accepting her calls, okay?"
Lorelai gave a small nod of her head, "Okay."
With that Richard got up to leave after settling the bill with Lorelai in which she insisted that she pay. Richard, however, insisted on leaving a big tip for Lane because of her excellent customer service and the fact that she was one of Rory's friends. Once her father left, Lorelai gathered her things and headed towards the kitchen in the diner. Knowing Luke wouldn't like in there surrounded by everything, she opted on just poking her head in the doorway and calling out for Luke.
"Hey babe," Lorelai greeted when Luke came into view. "Busy day?"
Luke nodded, "Very busy." He leaned against the doorway to talk with Lorelai for a minute, "What was your father doing here?"
Lorelai glanced over her shoulders at the customers still left in the diner before she turned back to Luke, "I'll tell you later, looks like you have plenty of customers to worry about."
"Is everything okay?" Luke asked.
"Everything's fine hon," Lorelai reassured him. She leaned forward and pecked his lips. "I'll see you at home later. Now get back to work, you can let people starve."
Luke chuckled, "See you at home later."
April sat cross-legged on her bed with an open notebook laid out in front of her. To the side of the notebook sat an assortment of pens in various colors all of which had a specific purpose in her note-taking. There were several notes already scribbled down on the page, different color ink linking some of her thoughts to others in her attempt to come up a cohesive argument. Her school was not yet in session, just a few more days to go, but she told her mother that she was working and mapping out how a new year at school would go.
Yet, that was a lie.
In reality she was working much more different. Something that would have a direct impact in more ways than school would in the upcoming weeks. Something that had everything to do with a secret that her mother thought she could keep from her.
After the fight she had with her mother a few days ago about why she couldn't visit her father in Stars Hollow, April decided that she, once again, needed to take things into her own hands and investigate since she was sure that her mother was hiding something from her. With evasive answers and secret phone calls, April knew that there was more going on than her mother was telling her. She just had to get to the bottom of things.
Her investigation only took a matter of hours once she finally got home. All it really took was a thorough investigation of her mom's room, which wasn't the easiest task in the world since her mother liked to leave clothes all over the floor, but once she found locked box on her mother's dresser with it's matching key hidden in a jewelry box, April had her answers.
Inside the box were custody papers, that after April studied them for a while she deduced they were copies and not the actual papers. From what she could understand, her mother wanted sole custody. After a little research on what sole custody meant and what her mother hoped to accomplish, April was not happy in the least bit. Granted it already seemed like her mother had sole custody but that only seemed that way, to her, because she was just getting to know her father after 12 years of not knowing him. She wasn't happy that her mother was doing this to Luke, her father that she wanted to be able to spend more time with and really get to know. She had even considered the possibility, not necessarily soon but one day, where she would spend more than just a few hours with her father, maybe even spend a few days in Stars Hollow overnight. Now it seemed that if this went through then that would not happen.
While her mother was still gone, April called her father and asked him about the papers. Luke didn't want to place all the blame on Anna but assured April that he was fighting back with his own lawyer and that they would definitely be able to spend some time together soon.
When her mother came home from her shop that night, April confronted her about the papers and wanted a reason for why her mother chose to do this. Another argument quickly escalated when Anna tried to convince her daughter what she was doing was best for her even if she couldn't understand. April confessed that she didn't like the idea and that it wasn't what she wanted in her life. She tried to make her mother understand her feelings on the situation but it came pretty clear soon that they were just talking in circles.
Since then, the mother and daughter kept their conversations short since April was still upset with her mother. This was one of the first real fights that they ever had. Which is why April decided to keep the fact from her mother that she met up with a lawyer herself. She just wanted her voice to be heard. She wasn't sure if a lawyer would even listen to her since she was so young but she thought of herself as mature enough for the situation so that is how she presented herself to the lawyer.
The lawyer that April met up with informed her that she could have her voice heard in the custody case it was just a manner of whether or not a judge would take her comments into consideration. While he couldn't do much for her, he advised her to think about what she wanted to say when she would speak to the judge so she would be understand in what she wanted the outcome of the case to be.
Which is what led April to her dutiful note-taking in her room, which had took up most of her day. She decided to keep this from her mother until she came up with what she wanted to say so she could carefully present her ideas to her mother and then maybe she would listen. She wasn't used to keeping things from her mother but thought that it might be the best thing to do, at least for now.
"April, dinner," came her mother's call.
April was broken out of her thoughts by her mother's voice. She glanced over her notes once more and decided that they were coming along well. With notes like hers, the judge would have to listen to her and consider her feelings. She closed the notebook and hid it amongst her school supplies before she exited her room and headed towards the kitchen.
Later that night, Lorelai sat on her couch flipping through the TV channels while Luke sat beside her resting his tired body on her. When she found something suitable to watch, she sat down the remote and gently ran her hand through Luke's hair. The long day at the diner had worn him out but he insisted on sitting down here with her instead of going up to bed. They hadn't talked about why her father was it the diner with her earlier but she figured that she should go ahead and tell him, the sooner the better.
"Luke?" Lorelai called softly, her hand continuing to run through his hair.
"Hmm?" Luke asked, his eyes were closed and he sounded like he was on his way to being asleep.
"Remember how my father was at the diner today?" Lorelai inquired. Luke responded with a nod and asked her what he was doing there today. "He wanted to talk to us about maybe helping you out since he knows some very prominent lawyers."
"I already have a lawyer Lorelai," Luke replied, he shifted his position on the couch but didn't open his eyes.
"I know that hon and I also know that you don't want to accept help from my parents but my dad said he knows a really great lawyer that can take your case, even on short notice," Lorelai informed him. "He's sure that he can help you win joint custody."
"I have a lawyer," he repeated, "I don't need another one."
"Will you at least consider my dad's offer?" Lorelai asked. "He really wants to help and I just want to make sure that everything goes the way that you want. Just consider it, for me."
"Fine."
Lorelai gave a frown at his noncommittal fine, she wasn't sure if he knew what he was agreeing to seeing that she was pretty sure he was almost asleep at this point. She didn't want to push him since he was tired but knew that this needed to be done soon since the court date was right around the corner.
"One more thing babe," Lorelai requested.
Luke yawned, "What?"
"I want you to talk with my dad. I don't mean the sometimes awkward conversations you two stumble through while trying to talk about golf, or your business, or his business, I mean really talk. Just you two, a man-to-man talk," Lorelai answered. "I asked him to talk to you."
That got Luke's attention. He sat up and focused his attention on Lorelai, "What are you talking about?"
"I just think that you need someone else to talk to about this besides me. I can give you all the advice I want on what I think you should do but I just feel like that might not be enough," Lorelai explained. "I think you just need advice from a different point of view, like my dad's. I don't think you fully understand what's going on right now."
"I know what's going on," Luke replied. "I know what Anna is trying to do, I understand everything completely. I know that she's keeping my daughter from me, that she doesn't want you around April, or hell even me at this point. I understand, I don't need your father to tell me what's going on."
"Okay, maybe that was the wrong thing to say but I just..." Lorelai faltered. "I love you and want everything that you want for April, I just think that my dad could help you out. He knows how to deal with things like this."
"He's never had to deal with a custody case."
"No but he's dealt with plenty of lawyers before, he's friends with them," Lorelai replied. "He knows how to deal with them, you don't even like lawyers. Plus he's a dad, granted he had a different style of parenting, but I think that he could offer you a little guidance in that area. Just a man-to-man talk about fatherhood or guidance on how you could handle this or, I don't know I just believe that you could help you out."
Luke couldn't ignore the pleading look in her eyes as she looked at him. He knew that she was only trying to help and that she was serious since she was asking her parents for help, her heart was in a good place. Still he didn't care for the idea of Richard involving himself in the issue even if he was going to be his father-in-law someday. He also wasn't fond of the idea of a man-to-man talk with Richard, he wasn't one to discuss private matters with just anyone. There was too much that he had to think about at this point and as tired as he was, he didn't want to discuss this further.
Luke announced that he was going to bed and headed towards the staircase leaving Lorelai by herself on the couch. She stared after him as he made his way up the staircase with a look on her face that indicated she was confused by his behavior. She expected more of a reaction out of him.
Lorelai hugged a pillow to her chest as she tried to focus on whatever channel she decided to leave the television on but her mind was everywhere else but the program on in front of her.
A/N: While I had the idea of Richard stepping in to help out, I would like to thank junienmomo for the idea of Luke and Richard having a man-to-man talk. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!
As always, reviews are appreciated.
