Hey, sorry for the delay! It was my birthday at the weekend and then I got busy this week. This is the first time I've been able to sit down and write. So here's the next chapter! :)

Chapter 4

"Aw come on Luke! Paul Anka can tell your fortune! Please come!" Lorelai grinned.

"Yeah Luke, it'll be fun!" Rory grinned.

"Oh yeah sounds like a hoot!" Luke rolled his eyes.

"Grump." Lorelai pouted.

"Spoilsport." Rory played along.

Luke just shook his head but his mouth twitched. He was brought to reality though when the diner door burst open. "Geez what the...Anna?" He exclaimed as he turned round.

"Where is she? Where are you hiding her?" Anna demanded angrily.

"What are you talking about? Where's who?" Luke exclaimed.

"You know who! I know she came here! I told you that you could get to know her and that I'd call." Anna said angrily.

"Anna! I have no idea what you're talking about." Luke tried to stay calm.

"April! She's run away! Where are you hiding her?" Anna demanded.

"Wait what? April's missing?" Luke asked suddenly concerned, glancing at Lorelai and Rory who were also looking concerned.

Anna suddenly calmed down. "She's really not here?" She asked suddenly sounding really worried.

"No. I haven't seen her since Lorelai and I left yours last week. You said you'd call and sort something out with me. Why on earth would I want to hide April from you?" Luke said.

Anna rubbed her hands through her hair and sighed. "We had a fight. About you."

"About me?" Luke asked surprised.

"Yeah..." Anna said quietly. "She kept asking when I was going to call you. I guess I was procrastinating a bit." She admitted giving Luke an apologetic look.

"I figured you were." Luke nodded.

"Anyway, I think April knew that too and she just lost it saying that I never wanted her to get to know you and that it wasn't fair keeping her from you all these years. We said words and I sent her to her room." Anna sighed. "Or at least I thought that was where she was. But when I calmed down and had made dinner, I went to her room and she wasn't there. I panicked and assumed she'd come here." She said. "You've really not seen her?" She asked worried.

"No." Luke said.

"He's telling the truth." Lorelai said. "Me and Rory have been here for about an hour. She's not been here."

"Oh god...then where is she?" Anna exclaimed.

"Have you tried her friends?" Lorelai asked. "Or any other relatives?"

"Yeah that was the first thing I did. So then I came here. I was certain she'd be here. Oh god..." Anna said looking outside where it was turning dark.

"Ok don't worry. We'll find her." Lorelai said. "How about you go home in case she turns up there?" She said.

"No, I need to look for her." Anna exclaimed.

"I get that but she might have calmed down too and headed home. She might worry if you're not there." Lorelai pointed out.

"She's right." Luke said. "You ring round her friends again or anyone you think she might have gone to. We'll look round Stars Hollow in case she did come here."

Anna hesitated but then looked at Luke. "You'll call straight away if you find her?"

"I'll call." Luke promised.

"Ok." Anna said quietly and headed for the door.

"Anna?" Luke said.

"Yeah?"

"We'll find her." Luke said.

Anna nodded and then left.

"Geez..." Luke said rubbing his hand over his cap and grabbing his coat and heading for the door too.

"No wait!" Lorelai suddenly said.

"What?" Luke said confused.

"You need to stay here." Lorelai said.

"What? No, I need to look for April! It's getting dark and cold." Luke exclaimed.

"I know. Rory and I will go and look. You need to stay here in case April does turn up here." Lorelai said.

"But you have the festival and the Paul Anka booth. You've both been looking forward to it." Luke said.

"Forget that. April's way more important than that." Lorelai said.

"But you...you came back to Yale especially for the festival." Luke said to Rory.

"You said April liked books right? I can go check the bookstore." Rory said.

"Rory..." Luke said.

Rory shook her head. "I want to help." She said.

Luke rubbed his hands over his cap again. "Ok thanks. But please..."

"Call you when we find her. Of course." Lorelai assured him.

Luke nodded.

Lorelai gave him a kiss. "She'll be fine ok? We'll find her."

Luke gave her a small smile. "Thanks." He said softly. He then watched them leave and he sat down heavily on one of the chairs. He knew he'd only met April twice but he knew right at that moment in that diner that he would do anything for that girl and he hoped that Lorelai and Rory would find her.


It had been about an hour and Luke still hadn't heard anything from Lorelai or Rory. Anna had rung, nearly in tears, to say that April's friends hadn't heard anything from her and he assured her that April would be fine and that he would ring as soon as he had any news. He started cleaning up the diner to take his mind off everything. He emptied the bins and went to take them round the back to his trash cans. As he got to the back door though, he stopped as he heard some noises from outside.

"Hello?" He said cautiously. He could have sworn he heard some sniffling so he cautiously walked outside. He was surprised to see, sat on the ground leaning against the wall, knees up against her chest with her head in her arms, was April. "April?" He said, feeling his own body relax with relief. "April, we've all been so worried about you." Luke said.

April looked up with her tear-stained face. "How much trouble am I in?" She sniffed.

"Oh April, you're not in trouble. Your mom was worried sick about you. And so was I." Luke said softly. He sighed rubbing his hands through his hair, suddenly feeling awkward. He didn't know how to comfort a crying kid. He quickly texted Anna and Lorelai and then hesitantly walked forward and went and sat next to her. "Your mom said you had a fight..."

April sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Yeah..."She said quietly. She glanced at him. "Did she tell you why?"

"Yeah..." Luke said cautiously.

April sighed. "I know I shouldn't have said some of the things that I did to her but I was angry. I knew she was deliberately putting off calling you. And...it just annoyed me. She'd kept me away from you for 12 years and now that I'd found you, she was still putting it off." She said quietly. She glanced up at him. "I don't get why she would want to keep us apart. It's unfair!"

Luke sighed. "I'm sure your mom was doing what she thought was best." He said not even knowing why he was defending Anna's actions.

"Do you think that? Do you wish I'd never found you?" April asked her eyes widening.

"What? No!" Luke said quickly. He sighed. "April, I'm so glad you found me." He said softly. "I've only met you twice and I already feel like I've know you forever. I'm always going to be here for you."

"Really?" April asked quietly.

"I promise you, April. I'm so glad you've come into my life." Luke said softly. He sighed. "I know what your mom did was wrong. Trust me, I know. But I guess...I can sort of understand it..."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Luke said shifting slightly. "Don't get me wrong, I was angry that she had kept you a secret. I would have been there from the start if I had known about you." He sighed. "But after talking to your mom, I can sort of understand her view. I was a different person back then." He admitted. "I wasn't the hugest fan of kids and your mom found out about you after we've broken up. I can understand why she thought I wouldn't be happy..." He said wincing a bit. "But I wouldn't have been like that with you. With my own kid."

"I know." April said quietly.

"April, you should have seen your mom. I know you two had words but she's been out of her mind with worry about you. She loves you so much." Luke said.

"He's right." A voice said from the doorway.

Luke and April's head whipped round to see Lorelai and Anna standing there.

"Mom..." April said guiltily.

Anna sighed. "What am I going to do with you eh?" She said but her tone wasn't angry.

"I'm sorry..." She said meekly. "I just wanted to see..." April started glancing at Luke. "But then I actually got here and I got nervous and then I got nervous about returning home because I knew you'd be mad."

"It's ok." Anna said.

April rushed to her mom and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry mom. I really never meant to worry you."

"Just promise me you'll never do anything like this again. Ever. You've knocked ten years off my life, kid." Anna said hugging her close.

"I promise." April said.

They all headed back into the diner, Lorelai squeezing Luke's arm as they did.

"I know you think I've been putting off calling Luke." Anna said.

"You have." April said but then stopped. "Sorry..."

"No, you were right." She sighed. "I have been putting it off and I'm sorry. To both of you." She said glancing at Luke too. She looked back at April and took a deep breath. "I know it's been hard for you. All these years, not knowing..."

"No, it's ok." April said. "Uh...Luke explained it a bit to me. I understand a bit better now I think."

"He did?" Anna said surprised.

"Yeah. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been cool to know who he was but I guess I understand it a bit better now..."

Anna sighed. "I was thinking..." She said. "If you still want to, maybe you could come and spend some time with Luke on Saturday." She said taking a deep breath.

"Really?" April asked.

"If you want to?" Anna said.

April glanced at Luke and gave him a shy smile. "Yeah I'd like to." She said.

"Ok, well I guess I'll bring her round about 10 or something?" Anna said glancing at Luke. "Is that ok?"

"Yes. That's fine. That's good." Luke nodded.

"Ok. Well we should get back. Finally have that dinner." Anna joked. "I'll see you both on Saturday."

"See ya on Saturday." Luke smiled. "See ya April. And please, no more running away." He said.

April looked sheepish but took him by surprise by giving him a hug. "Bye." She said.

Luke glanced down at her and awkwardly but happily returned the action. "Bye April." He smiled softly.

Lorelai watched Luke as Anna and April left and she smiled. "It was really sweet seeing you with April out there. You were acting so...well fatherly." She smiled.

"You heard everything?" Luke asked embarrassed.

"Just the end." Lorelai said. She shrugged. "It was still nice. You were good with her." She then smirked. "And there you were thinking you couldn't be a good dad."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah...thanks." He looked around. "Where's Rory?"

"Oh she went ahead to the festival with Paul Anka after I told her you'd found April." She said. "She's manning the booth. I said I'd join her later now we know April's ok. Is that ok?"

"Why don't we go together?" Luke said.

"What? You're actually going to come? What happened to 'it's the stupidest idea of a booth I've ever heard' and 'what sort of crazy town holds a festival every damn week'?" Lorelai grinned excitedly.

Luke smirked but he was happy knowing he'd caused her excitement. "Yeah well, I'm dating this crazy lady and she's really hard to say no to." He joked.

"Really?" Lorelai grinned.

"Plus I love her and if this makes her happy, I'm happy to endure the stupid festival for one evening." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss. "You're so sweet."

"I know." Luke nodded, smirking.

Lorelai laughed. "And modest!"

Luke smirked. "Come on, let's go. I might even let Paul Anka tell my fortune."

Lorelai grinned. "I love you too."

Luke chuckled as Lorelai grabbed his hand and dragged him out excitedly towards the insanity his town had organised. He smiled though as Lorelai started babbling away though about all the stalls and he knew that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

So I hope you liked this! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you think. Your support really does mean so much to me! :)