Luke's Diner
The sign on the diner reads closed and the lights are off. Luke stands at the counter going through receipts, somehow able to read them in the dark, although it's also likely he's just flipping through them without reading them, finding he still can't concentrate. There's a knock on the door and Luke shakes his head, not looking up, thinking it's Lorelai. The knock repeats causing Luke to look up, deciding he'll just tell Lorelai to go away. But his visitor isn't Lorelai, it's Christopher. Luke's expression turns stony as he tries to decide what to do.
Finally, Luke walks over and opens the door. "She's not here," Luke says coldly. Christopher straightens up.
"That's fine, I came to see you," Christopher replies. Luke stares at him for a moment, checking to see if this is some kind of a joke. Chris watches Luke, a hopeful expression on his face. Finally Luke steps aside letting Christopher walk in the diner. Chris glances around as if he's never been to the diner before.
"Did I ever tell you that you remind me of Eddie Haskell?" Luke cracks as he walks back to the counter, leaving the diner door open. Christopher rolls his eyes. "You're a…" Luke pauses, looking up, thinking. "Smooth guy, that's how they call it, right? A smooth guy." Luke shakes his head.
"Look, I know we're not going to be friends, but I just wanted you to know, nothing happened between me and Lorelai," Chris says.
"I know," Luke replies.
"Well paint me confused, I thought Rory said you were angry that she had come to see me." Luke sighs.
"I know that nothing happened between you and Lorelai. It never will again," Luke repeats stoically, still flipping through the receipts.
"Then I don't get it."
"That does not surprise me," Luke responds, emphasizing the word 'that'. Christopher takes a deep breath and lets it out loudly. Luke looks up at Chris with one eye. "You've got some nerve coming here, you know that?"
"Nerve? I was trying to help, make peace between you and Lorelai! I thought I was doing you a favor."
"Yeah, right, okay," Luke grunts, going back to his work.
"Did I ever tell you that you remind me of Jethro Bodine?" Chris responds. When Luke glares at him, Chris smirks.
"Wow, I can see why Rory's glad to have you out of her life," Luke responds. Christopher narrows his eyes.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Chris says evenly. Luke puts down his work and rests both of his hands on the edge of the counter.
"Don't I? She gave you an endless supply of chances. She allowed you to come back into her life and hurt her and her mother time and time again because you were her father. Until the day you actually laid a hand on her mother, you had her. Completely. But Rory's a smart girl. She knows right from wrong. She knows that a father is someone who's always there, and you never were."
"So you thought that you would just replace me in their lives just do everything right and then they would instantly fall for you. I get it, I get it."
"No, what I did was be there for them, which is more than you ever attempted, even when you were engaged to Lorelai. I was there the day that Rory got into Chilton. I was there the day she graduated from Chilton. I was there the day she got her first A minus, the day she was sick with pneumonia and Lorelai was stuck at the inn and the day that she got her first kiss. I was there. Me." Christopher just stands there, dumbfounded. "And I was there for Lorelai. I was there the day that you destroyed her physically and emotionally."
"She forgave me," Chris responds. Luke looks at Chris like he's an idiot. He walks around the counter to stand a few feet away from Chris.
"But she never got over it. She's still hurting, deep down inside, she's still scared. And she'll never let you know it."
"She seems fine."
"Then you don't know Lorelai." Christopher scoffs.
"And I suppose you're going to tell me that you know her so well, better than someone who's been through everything with her," Chris retorts.
"I know that Lorelai's not as strong as she appears to be. It's a front she puts up. A wall. Because she wants everyone to see her as Mara Jade, but really she's human. She keeps everything inside. So what you think can't hurt her, really does," Luke informs Chris.
"It's been a year, Luke. You can stop holding it over my head. She's fine," Chris maintains.
"She's not fine and you're delusional," Luke spits back, trying to stay in control as he takes a step closer to Chris. "You hurt her. She's amazing. And you just… Sure she does stupid things sometimes but she's still wonderful. And you… you… almost…" Luke shakes his head, stopping himself a foot away from Chris. "After I picked her up from Boston that night, after she told me what happened..." Luke glares at Christopher, his eyes glittering. "I wanted to…" He takes a deep breath. "You should leave. Leave now."
"You wanted to what? I almost what, Luke?" Christopher asks, almost baiting him, still entirely lost at what Luke's been getting at this whole time. Luke quickly reaches out, grabbing Chris's neck, just under his chin.
"You could have killed her!" Luke shouts and then shakes Chris off.
"Hey!" Chris yells back when Luke removes his hand. He lunges at Luke, who is prepared and blocks Chris away, but Chris doesn't give up and lunges again. This time Luke gives in and soon there are punches being thrown and arms failing as Rory walks in the door, pushing the twins in a double stroller.
"Guys!" Rory yells. "Luke! Chris!" They don't respond. "Dad!" Suddenly the both step away from each other. They both slowly turn and look at her. "What on earth is going on here?" Luke slides a glance over at Christopher, who looks down. Chris wipes his hand past the corner of his lip and sees the blood on his hand.
"I – uh – I came to explain things to Luke, just let him know that nothing happened between me and Lorelai," Chris says. Rory raises an eyebrow, glancing at Luke, who grits his teeth and then looks down at the ground, ashamed that Rory had to witness this. "I was trying to help."
"Just get out," Luke says coldly, not even glancing at Chris as he walks behind the counter. Chris looks at Rory and then Luke.
"Okay, fine, I'll call you later, Ror," Chris says. Rory stares at him, but doesn't nod. Chris leaves. Rory looks over at Luke, who glances up at Chris as he leaves and then over at Rory.
"Are you finished, Rocky?" Rory asks Luke. He sighs.
"Sorry," Luke says. Rory shakes her head.
"He deserved it," Rory responds.
"Rory, he's still your father. I don't care if you call him Dad, I don't care if you call him at all, but he's still your father and your mother wants to you to be able to have a relationship with him if you want."
"I know." Rory fixes her hair behind her ears and smiles. "I brought the twins over." Luke walks over from behind the counter.
"Well, hey guys, did you have fun with your big sister?" Luke asks the twins, squatting in front of the stroller. He tickles Liam's stomach, bringing a smile to Liam's face. "Yeah?" He unbuckles Olivia, lifting her out of the chair. "She has her smile," Luke says softly. He looks over at Rory. "And yours."
"Dad, I know you miss her," Rory says. Luke gives her a look. "This is ridiculous, you both want to be together."
"Rory, I don't want to talk about it."
"You two are the most stubborn people I've ever met!" Rory exclaims, picking up Liam out of the stroller. She follows Luke up the back into the apartment. They put the twins in the playpen. "Dad, look at these two. Look at what you two can do together."
"Well, look what Michael Tell and Patty Duke did together and he's crazy," Luke replies. Rory rolls her eyes.
"Fine, I need to get back to Yale, I have a week more of classes before finals. I hope you two have fun being stubborn and lonely," Rory responds, throwing up her arms. She bends over the playpen. "Be good guys, make sure the spit up goes right on Mom's new pink shirt." She stands and turns to walk out and stops looking back at Luke. "All I'm saying is, you look like crap and if you look like that, you probably feel like that. And I'm not going to lie and say Mom's not feeling the same." She walks out. Luke shakes his head. He bends over the playpen.
"You two know if you spit up on that shirt, your Mom is gonna blame me," he tells them. He rubs his hand over his face. "Your sister's right, you know. I feel like crap and I miss her so much." He reaches out and cups Olivia's cheek. "And you two are so much like her." He smiles softly. "But you don't know how much it hurts when I can't trust her and how much it hurts that I know I'll never be enough for her."