I am so pleased to hear that you're still reading (and enjoying) this story. Thank you so much for all the reviews!
This chapter highlights some moments from April's visit to Stars Hollow. I think I'm in the minority of Gilmore Girls fans in that I actually like April, and think she was an interesting plot twist on the show. HOWEVER it was how Luke handled the entire situation that made me stop watching after season 6. This is my attempt to fix how she was introduced to Lorelai, and a majority of this chapter focuses on the two of them.
Happy reading!
Lorelai stood outside her front door, gaining the courage to walk through. She had called Luke earlier to tell her she was on her way home from Friday Night Dinner and he'd put April on to talk as well. Both father and daughter had sounded happy to be reunited and excited for her to join them. But now she was home and found herself afraid to go inside.
From the corner of her eye she saw the light in Rory's room flip on and knew she had to go inside before someone caught her lurking outside her own house. She pushed the door open and dropped her purse on the ground. "I'm home!" she announced.
"Kitchen!" Luke called back.
"How was…" as she turned towards the kitchen Lorelai collided with a bubbly mass of curly hair and gangly limbs that reached to hug her tightly. "April!"
"Hi, Lorelai!" she said excitedly.
"Oh, sweetie, look at how big you've gotten!" Lorelai exclaimed, taking a step back to take a good look at the teenager. April had certainly grown taller, and she still wore her black rimmed glasses, but her curls were smoother and better maintained. She was smiling brightly, and Lorelai could see bright white teeth that lacked the braces that used to cover them. "You look so beautiful."
"Thanks!" April said, practically bouncing up and down in her spot. "Your house is so cool. I love all of Rory's books!"
Lorelai smiled as she wrapped her arm around April's shoulders and guided her towards the kitchen. "Yes, I'm pretty sure they make up ninety percent of the house's foundation at this point," she said. "Feel free to borrow any of them."
"She won't mind?" April asked.
"Not at all," Lorelai said, smiling at Luke who was closing the fridge. "Hey, you."
"Hey," he surprised her by leaning in for a quick kiss, which she returned gratefully. "How was dinner?"
"Long," Lorelai said. "I knew we were having our guest of honor arrive, and let me tell you, listening to my mother discuss the rare teaspoon collection fundraiser she's organizing was no fun when I knew you two were here partying without me."
April frowned. "That sounds boring anytime," she said.
"You are so your father's daughter," Lorelai informed her. "Hey, you made coffee!"
"Holding up my end of the bargain," Luke said with a smile.
Lorelai smiled as she poured herself a cup, then turned to April. "Come tell me about camp," she said, leading her into the living room. "And make sure you use small words, because it's late."
Luke began to slice the pie he'd made as he heard April launch into a description of her science camp in Boston. He'd heard most of the stories already, and he was happy to give Lorelai a few minutes with April alone. He knew she'd been nervous to have his daughter visit, and his blow up at her earlier in the week hadn't helped the matter.
"…you'll love it," he heard Lorelai say as he entered the room and handed each of them a plate of pie.
"Love what?" he asked, sitting down in the chair by the stairs.
"The boat," April turned to him, her eyes shining. "I really have my own bed?"
"Well, it's a kitchen table most of the time, but it turns into a bed when we need it to," Luke explained.
"I can't wait," April said. "Lorelai said you even wore shorts!"
He turned to eye her warily, and she shrugged as she took another bite of pie. "Good pie," she said enthusiastically.
April giggled at the interaction, then asked, "Where's Rory right now?"
"In the great state of Arizona," Lorelai replied. "She's heading to your state next."
"Does she like it?" April asked. "New Mexico is really different than Connecticut."
"Her job keeps her pretty busy, but they did make a stop at the Grand Canyon," Lorelai said. "Hey, you should e-mail her some good places to eat in Albuquerque. She's determined to prove to this one that his pancakes are the best in the country."
"Oh, they definitely are," April said. "You should sell your recipe, Dad."
"No way, it's a family secret," he said. "Your grandmother taught me. Someday soon I'll teach you."
"Really?" April asked.
"Yeah, but you're sworn to secrecy, no matter how much you're bribed otherwise," Luke said with a pointed look at Lorelai.
She held up her hands innocently in front of her. "Who am I to interfere with tradition?" she asked. "Besides, all I have to do is tell Rory. She'll make the Rory face and you'll give like a house of cards."
"I'm building up an immunity," Luke informed her.
"Sure you are," Lorelai nodded. "That's why there's a box of fudge covered brownies waiting at her hotel in New Mexico."
"She asked politely," Luke replied. "There was no begging or demanding."
"I do not demand!" Lorelai gasped. "I gently suggest if you have time, you can make me food, if you want to."
"Depends on your definition of gently," Luke replied.
April watched the two of them banter back and forth. She'd never seen her father like this, and although he was pretending to tease Lorelai, she could tell that the two of them were just kidding. The smiles on both of their faces told her that things were good between them.
"So I was thinking tomorrow morning we could go check out the Stars Hollow High summer science fair," Lorelai said. "Wow, say that five times fast."
"Science fair?" April's face lit up.
"It looks pretty good, they were judging tonight," Lorelai said. "My personal favorite was a comparison between the caffeine amounts in the coffee at Weston's vs. a certain diner that shall not be named." She glanced at Luke then leaned towards April and whispered loudly, "If the results had been different your dad would have lost his favorite customer."
April giggled. "That's so cool!" she said. "I can't wait to see what kinds of experiments were performed."
"I think they're opening at ten, so we can have a nice long breakfast in town," Lorelai said. "Any suggestions?"
"I have heard wonderful things about Al's Pancake World," April stated.
Lorelai turned to look at Luke with glee. "Hear that, hon?" she asked. "What do you think, care to join us at Al's?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "I'll make breakfast here," he said.
"Oh, even better!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Can we have chocolate chip pancakes?"
"And eggs with bacon?"
"And muffins?"
"Oh, and oatmeal!" April exclaimed.
Lorelai turned to look at her. "We'll work on that," she said.
"I'm taking Paul Anka for a walk," Luke stated, standing and reaching for the dog's leash. As he walked past Lorelai he offered her shoulder a gentle squeeze, and she knew he was thankful she was making April's first night comfortable and enjoyable.
"Thank you," she said, her tone conveying that she was thankful for more than him taking the dog out.
When the door closed behind him, Lorelai turned to April. "So your dad gave you the big tour?" she asked.
"Yeah," April nodded. "Is it okay if I go to bed soon? I'm kind of tired."
"Of course," Lorelai said. "You don't have to ask permission for anything, April. This may not be the home where you spend all your time, but it is your home."
"Thanks, Lorelai," she said.
"Let's get you settled in," Lorelai said. As they walked towards Rory's room, Lorelai put on her tour guide voice. "The fridge is stocked with plenty of cool water, and cookies are stored above the coffee pot. The bathroom is conveniently located at the top of the steps, and clean towels are in the closet. Make sure you ask permission before leaving the premises. We hope you enjoy your stay at Lorelai and Luke's, and please come again soon."
April smiled as she unzipped her suitcase. "I'm really glad I'm here," she said. "I love my dad and all, but that apartment was kind of cramped when I stayed there."
Lorelai sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as April pulled out a set of pajamas. "It is a step up," she agreed. "I'm glad you're both here too. It's about time, huh?"
"I'm so sorry, Lorelai," April blurted out suddenly.
Lorelai tilted her head to the side. "For what?" she asked.
"I'm the reason you and Dad broke up," April murmured, looking down at the floor. "I completely uprooted his entire life, and yours, and I'm so sorry."
"Oh, honey, that's not true at all," Lorelai said, again moved by the way April conducted herself like an adult. She'd obviously been thinking about this for over a year now. "What happened was not your fault at all. Your dad is thrilled to have you in his life, you know that."
"But it ruined your engagement," April said.
"No, we ruined our engagement," Lorelai corrected. "Just because we're grown ups does not mean we're perfect. Nothing that happened was your fault at all, and your dad would be the first person to agree with me."
April sniffled and took her glasses off to wipe her eyes. "I just feel so bad," she said. "You and Dad were supposed to be married by now, and you're not even engaged again!"
"Hey, let us do the worrying, okay?" Lorelai said, reaching out to pull April into a hug. "We're here, we're happy, and that's enough for us for now. You enjoy being a kid, because trust me, it goes too fast."
April hugged her back, and Lorelai rubbed her back gently. A moment later, she pulled back and looked down at April. "Don't worry, sweetie, we're getting it together, okay?" April nodded in understanding, and Lorelai smiled. "Good. Now, put those tears away because we both know your dad will get totally freaked out if he gets back and you're crying."
April laughed through her tears. "That's true," she said.
"How about you go wash your face and brush your teeth?" Lorelai suggested. "While you're doing that, I'll perform your turn down service."
"Thanks," April said, gathering her pajamas in her arms and scurrying towards the stairs.
Lorelai smiled as she reached to lift April's suitcase off the bed and pull her sheets down. Although Rory had been a fairly easy teenager-her dramatic moments had come later, during college-she had had her fair share of typical teenage girl meltdowns. Lorelai had become an expert at managing angry, sad, regretful, and confused teenage tantrums, and she supposed now she was going to have to reach into her old bag of tricks now that April was present.
She looked up when she heard the front door close and met Luke in the kitchen. "Hey."
"Hi," he said, glancing into Rory's room. "Where's April?"
"Brushing her teeth," Lorelai said. She moved to rinse her coffee cup out, asking over her shoulder, "Hey, did she talk to you about us at all?"
"You and me us?" Luke asked.
"Yeah," Lorelai turned to look at him. "She seemed to think that what happened when we broke up was her fault."
"What?" Luke frowned.
"I don't know, we were just talking, and all of a sudden she blurts out that she's sorry and if she hadn't shown up we'd be happily married by now," Lorelai said. "I promised her that it wasn't her fault at all, but maybe you can bring it up with her too? Without telling her I told on her? She probably needs to hear it from you too."
"Sure," Luke reached to squeeze her arm. "Thanks for handling it."
Lorelai shrugged. "Please," she said. "When Rory was fourteen, she cried for three days because she was convinced Al stopped serving pancakes after she skipped Sunday breakfast in favor of one Luke's Diner. Teenage girls don't always think rationally."
"I'm not ready for this," Luke muttered.
"Luckily, you've got me," Lorelai said.
He reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Luckily," he agreed.
She smiled up at him, then looked past him to April. "Hey, sweetie, all ready for your beauty sleep?" she asked.
"Yeah," April said with a nod.
"Alright, well, let me know if you need anything," Lorelai said, stepping past Luke and running her hand over April's arm. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too," April said, flashing Lorelai a grateful smile.
Lorelai disappeared into the living room, and Luke leaned against the doorframe to Rory's room as April stepped inside. "You doing okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, thanks, Dad," April said as she tossed her dirty clothes into her suitcase.
"Okay, well, if you need anything, just let us know," Luke said.
"I will," April said. "Thanks for coming all the way to Boston to pick me up."
"Of course," Luke shrugged.
April stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She buried her head against his chest, and he marveled at how much taller she'd gotten since the last time he'd seen her. "I'm really glad you and Lorelai are working things out," she murmured against his flannel. "She's so great."
"Yeah, she is," Luke said. "And you're sure you're okay staying here? You're not just saying that because you think that's what I want to hear?"
April smiled as she pulled away. "Dad, no offense, but here I don't have to listen to you snore," she said. "And Lorelai's funny. I like it here."
"Good, me too," he said. "And I do not snore."
"Yes you do!" Lorelai's voice called from the living room and April giggled.
"Night, Dad," she said, stepping towards the bed.
"Goodnight, kid."
"Everything okay?" Lorelai asked, looking up from her movie when he entered the living room a moment later.
"Yeah, she seems really glad to be here," Luke nodded.
"I'm glad," Lorelai said. "And it's okay that she and I talked like we did?"
"Of course," Luke said, dropping onto the couch beside her. He rubbed her knee and rested his head against the back of the couch.
"Good," Lorelai said. "It's impressive, how much she thinks about the people around her. When I was fourteen I was hell bent on figuring out how I could sneak out of the house to go drink with my friends."
"Growing up in that house, I don't blame you," Luke replied. "But I guess I never really talked to April like I should have about what happened. I'll try to talk to her while she's here."
"Okay," Lorelai said. She reached to rub his shoulder. "Let's go upstairs, you're going to fall asleep here."
"I'm okay," he murmured.
"Okay, well, I'm going up, and I'm too dainty to carry you, so do what you want," she shrugged as she stood. Luke followed closely behind her, and by the time he entered their bedroom she'd already pulled on a set of summer pajamas. He closed the door and began changing into his own sweats, turning when he saw Lorelai examining him closely.
"What?" he asked self consciously.
"Nothing," she said, sliding into bed. "It's just that this was the first time I've really seen you as an active parent. It's nice."
"I'm still learning," Luke shrugged.
"So am I," Lorelai laughed. "There's no secret, Luke, contrary to what you told me on that carriage ride years ago."
Luke cringed. "I was an idiot," he said.
"No you weren't, you just had no clue what you were doing back then," Lorelai said in a soothing voice.
"Thanks."
She giggled and snuggled close as he slid into his side of the bed. "She adores you, Luke," she murmured. "She's happy you're happy."
"I know," he said. "I couldn't get her to stop talking the entire drive home. God help me when the three of you are in a room together."
"The world may fall off its axis," Lorelai said. "Who would have thought that all the women in your life would be incessant talkers?"
"And eaters," Luke sighed. "That girl has an endless appetite."
"She's growing," Lorelai said. "When Rory went through her last growth spurt I almost went broke trying to feed her."
"Thanks for being so good with April," Luke murmured.
"Thanks for letting me be good with April," Lorelai replied. She leaned in to kiss him. "Goodnight."
"Night," he said, turning his light off and settling against his pillows.
XXXXX
"Luke!" Lorelai admonished the following evening at the eighth hole of the mini golf course. "What are you doing?"
"Golfing?" he suggested, gesturing to the green ball in front of him.
"Yeah, but we're on the eighth hole," Lorelai said. "Everyone knows you can't shoot a straight hole in one on the eighth hole."
"Says who?" Luke asked.
"Statistically speaking, a majority of golf courses make the holes more challenging as they progress," April reported. "It's not exclusive to mini golf, but it's highly improbable that you'll score a hole in one with a direct shot."
"And you don't need another hole where it takes eight putts," Lorelai reminded him.
"I'm trying to focus," Luke said impatiently.
"Right, sorry," Lorelai said. She took a step back and muttered to April, "If he gets this in less than five putts I'll buy you an ice cream."
"Deal," April high fived her.
Luke sighed and turned to glare at them.
"Go Luke!" Lorelai offered him an overenthusiastic thumbs up.
Seven putts later, Luke had scored and trailed behind April and Lorelai with a scowl. "Okay, that puts Lorelai in first, me in second and Dad in last," April reported. "This hole will determine the winner."
"After you," Lorelai said to Luke. "Want a tip?"
"No."
"It's a trap," Lorelai informed him.
"I didn't ask."
"You have to aim for the clown, where it will bounce towards the monkey, and then go directly into the tiger's mouth."
"I can do it," Luke said.
Lorelai raised her eyebrows and stepped back, watching as Luke aimed directly for the tiger's mouth. "Luke, you didn't aim for the clown!" she insisted when the ball fell back down an incline and landed mere inches from where it had started.
He stepped back and gestured to the course. "Care to do better?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "Take notes," she said to April.
She placed her ball on the marker, positioned her club, and tapped the ball towards the clown. Just as she said, it rolled towards the monkey and then changed course towards the tiger, where her ball disappeared.
She gave a triumphant smile to Luke and April, who were both staring at her with impressed expressions on their faces. "I give you Lorelai, daughter of Richard, golfs every weekend, Gilmore," she said with a dramatic bow. "I perfected the art of golf putts by the time I was five. Unfortunately for my dad, it didn't go beyond that."
"Can you show me?" April asked.
"Sure," Lorelai said. "It's nice to know someone around here will listen to me."
Luke rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the feeling of peace that washed over him as he watched Lorelai demonstrate the strategy to April. It had been wonderful spending the day with both of them, and he wondered what the hell he had been so afraid of in the past.
When April followed Lorelai's direction and scored a hole in one, they both squealed and hugged tightly. Although he'd failed miserably at the actual golfing part of the evening, it had been a huge success in terms of seeing Lorelai and April solidify a friendship.
"Okay, Cool Hand, ice cream's on you!" Lorelai called, interrupting his thoughts.
"I never said that," he replied.
"Yeah you did," April replied. "On the way here, Lorelai suggested that the loser buys ice cream, and you said okay."
Lorelai looked down at her with an impressed nod. "I'm going to like having you around," she announced.
Luke shook his head and gestured to the ice cream stand near the parking lot. "One scoop," he insisted.
"Two," Lorelai replied with a pout.
Unable to deny her after how amazing she'd been all day, he relented. "But no toppings," he said.
"Well, duh, I'm going to get the chocolate peanut butter crunch, so the toppings are already inside," Lorelai stated as if it were obvious.
Ten minutes later they were seated on a bench, April in the middle, each enjoying their own ice cream.
"Thanks for today," April said. "It was a lot of fun."
"It was, wasn't it?" Lorelai agreed.
"I'm glad you had fun," Luke said, smiling down at April.
"Are you sure you can't come with us tomorrow, Lorelai?" April asked. "Please?"
Lorelai glanced at Luke, then smiled down at April. "It's not that I don't want to, sweetie, but I've got a lot of work to do at the inn," she said. "Plus, I don't want you to get bored of me too quickly."
Luke shook his head. Lorelai and boring were two words that should never be uttered in the same sentence.
"I'll tell you what, when you get back you can give me a complete play by play," Lorelai said. "And please include an impression of your dad when he finds the present I left on the boat for him."
Luke narrowed his eyes at her. He couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but if she was telling April it was there it must have been daughter friendly at least.
He swallowed his final bite and then turned to April. "Hey, you should call your mom tonight since we won't be able to talk to her when we're on the boat," he said.
"Okay," April nodded. She glanced at Lorelai and asked, "Is it okay to tell her everything we've been doing?"
"Of course," Luke said, resting his arm on the bench behind April and holding his palm out to Lorelai. She mirrored his position and squeezed his hand. "She knows about Lorelai."
"And she's okay with it?" April asked.
"Yes," Luke said firmly. "You don't have to worry about any of that, April. If your mom has a problem, she'll come to me. All you have to do is be you."
"Okay," April said, popping the final piece of her cone into her mouth. "Are we going to stop for movies now?"
Lorelai smiled, remembering her promise to show April a true Gilmore movie night. "How about we start with the greatest movie of all time?" she asked. "Have you ever seen Casablanca?"
"No," April shook her head.
"Well, then, we have work to do," Lorelai said as she stood, putting her hands on April's shoulders. "Let's go!"
XXXXX
The following evening, Lorelai placed her clean plate into the dish drainer and then turned to the empty kitchen, leaning up against the counter for a moment. Luke and April had departed for their boat outing a couple hours before. Despite one last plea from April, she had promised they'd spend time together when she returned. Luke deserved time alone with his daughter, and she was more than happy to let him have it, knowing how much she cherished moments alone with Rory.
But now she was realizing how much she hated her empty house. She couldn't believe that she'd ever lived here alone. Rory's first year at Yale, before Luke had become a presence in the house, had been particularly lonely. Now she felt almost isolated as she listened to the crickets chirping outside.
With a sigh, she poured herself a cup of coffee and dialed Rory's number, not surprised when she received the voicemail. After leaving a quick message, she walked into the living room and found Paul Anka sprawled out on the couch. "Paul Anka, want to go for a walk with Mommy?" she asked excitedly.
The dog lifted his head and stared at her wearily, as if to say, "I know you didn't just wake me up to suggest exercising."
"Well, you are your mother's dog," Lorelai sighed. As she sat down in the armchair, the phone rang and she let out a frustrated sigh. "Every time," she muttered, pushing herself to her feet to answer it.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Oh…hi, Lorelai."
"Hi," she replied uncertainly. "Can I ask who this is?"
"It's Anna," the voice on the other line said after a brief pause.
"Oh," Lorelai cleared her throat. "Hi, Anna. How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. Is April there?"
Lorelai was taken aback. "No, she and Luke went out on the boat," she said with a frown. "She told us she called you last night. They'll be gone for a couple nights."
Anna was silent, then she let out a breath. "I guess I didn't realize they were going overnight," she said. "They'll be back Tuesday?"
"In the afternoon," Lorelai said. "I'll have her call you the second she gets back."
"Okay, thanks," Anna said. "She's doing okay? It's been weeks since I've seen her."
Lorelai felt her heart go out to her, from mother to mother. "She's great," she said sincerely. "April's a really special girl. You should be really proud of her."
"I am," Anna admitted. "I miss her."
"I know the feeling," Lorelai said. "Rory's off traveling the country. I don't even know when I'll see her again."
"Wow, I can't imagine that," Anna murmured. "At least I know when April's coming home, I can look forward to it."
"Thanks for letting her spend an extra week," Lorelai said. "It really means a lot to Luke. He misses her."
"It means a lot to April too," Anna said. She was quiet for a moment before she said, "You know, I apologized to Luke for everything I said and did last year, but I guess I owe you an apology for that too."
"Oh, well…" Lorelai wasn't exactly sure how to respond.
"I really am sorry," Anna said. "But you're a single mom too. I guess it was just the thought of losing April to her long lost father and his fun, trendy fiancé that terrified me."
"I get it," Lorelai said, remembering how she'd felt when Sherry had tried to worm her way into Rory's heart years ago. "But Luke wasn't long lost. He wasn't ever given a chance."
Anna sighed. "I was wrong, I know," she said. "Especially seeing him now. He's an excellent father. And a great guy."
"The best," Lorelai corrected.
"It certainly would have been different if he'd been around," Anna said. "Maybe things could have worked out with us."
Lorelai frowned. She didn't even want to think about a world where Luke had married Anna. "Look, we're here now," she said. "Luke and I are in a good place and April seems really happy. All I want is for you, me, and Luke to agree on some basic ground rules for April. I won't go against anything the two of you decide, but I want to be involved so I know where the boundaries are."
"I know," Anna said. "Just…tell her to call, okay? I miss her."
"She'll call," Lorelai promised. "I'll dial the phone myself if I have to."
"Thanks. Bye, Lorelai."
"Bye," Lorelai said, hanging up the phone and tossing it onto the couch. She crossed her arms over her chest as she contemplated the conversation she'd just had, the time she'd spent with April so far this weekend, and her countless conversations with Luke about their future.
With a decided nod, she ran up the stairs to dig through her make up drawer and retrieve the item she should have returned to Luke weeks ago.
XXXXX
"This boat is so great," April said to Luke as they ate a simple dinner of sandwiches and macaroni salad that evening.
"I'm glad you like it," he said with a nod.
"Maybe next summer we can do that big boat trip," April suggested.
"That would be nice," Luke agreed. He watched April for a moment before he said, "You seemed a little nervous about taking about your mom last night."
April shrugged. "I know you said things are okay, but I don't want to make Lorelai feel bad," she said.
"Lorelai knows you have a mom who loves you," Luke said gently.
"I know, I just wish things were different sometimes," April said.
"Different how?" Luke asked.
"I wish you'd have let me know her sooner," April murmured. "I really like her, Dad. And it's obvious that she makes you happier than I've seen you…ever."
Her comment made him think of Lorelai's observation of how considerate and aware of other people that April was. He certainly hadn't cared about others to this capacity when he was a teenager.
"She does," he said. "But I'm so glad you found me, April, you know that, don't you?"
"Yeah," she said, shoving her macaroni around her plate with her fork. "But I still don't get it. We had so much fun at my birthday party. And then I never saw her again. I guess I felt like maybe it was too much for her, her kid had grown up, she couldn't deal with a bunch of teenage girls running around."
"That is not true at all." Luke said firmly. "Honestly, she'd probably hang out with you and your friends before she spent time with her own friends."
"So then what happened?" April asked.
Luke sighed. "It's complicated," he tried to explain. "But I guess, and it's not your mom's fault either, but I guess we were both a little nervous about Lorelai being part of your life."
"Why?" April asked. "Is it because she had Rory when she was so young? Were you afraid she would be a bad influence?"
Luke frowned. He hadn't realized until now that Lorelai had only been a year older than April when she'd gotten pregnant. "Not at all," he said. "I can't speak for your mom, but I was scared she was going to keep you from me. This was back before I had custody rights."
April sighed as she tossed her fork onto her plate. "The whole thing seems stupid," she informed him.
"The whole thing was stupid," Luke agreed. "But we're here now. You're okay with how things are going with Lorelai? She's sticking around this time."
"I am," April promised. "She's amazing."
"Yeah, she is," Luke agreed with a small smile. He watched as April began to eat again, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
XXXXX
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Luke asked Lorelai a week later as he placed his baseball cap on his head.
Lorelai glared at his reflection in the mirror. "Luke, if you ask me one more time I am putting the chain lock on the house tonight," she threatened. "April and I will be fine."
"I know, but tomorrow's her last day here and I feel badly that I have to work tonight," he said disappointedly.
"She gets it," Lorelai said. "Plus, I already told her that we'd have a girls' night out, and no offense, but you weren't invited anyways."
Luke opened his mouth to respond when April appeared hesitantly in the doorway of their bedroom. "Hey, everything okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she nodded, peering into the room without crossing the threshold.
"You can come in, sweetie, it's okay," Lorelai said with a warm smile.
April stepped into the room, taking in the pictures that lined the walls and Lorelai's shoes that spilled out of the closet, her eyes widening slightly when they landed on the unmade bed. "I was just wondering if you had any extra toothpaste," she said.
"Sure," Luke disappeared into the bathroom and returned a moment later with a new tube of toothpaste. "Keep it."
"Thanks," April said. She retreated down the hall and Luke leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Lorelai's head.
"Take care of her?" he asked.
"I promise her tattoo will be classy."
"And invisible," he requested. "Have fun."
"You too," she said with a smile.
Five minutes later, as she heard the front door close, Lorelai saw April appear in the doorway again. "Hey, you run out of mouthwash this time?" she asked.
"No," April said. "I just thought…"
"Come keep me company," Lorelai said, moving into the bathroom. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."
"Okay," April said. She perched on the edge of the tub and watched curiously as Lorelai slid her glasses off and popped her contacts into her eyes. "Wow, you make it look so easy."
"Years of practice," Lorelai said.
"How old were you when you first got them?" April asked.
"Around your age, actually," Lorelai said. "I think my parents were afraid the glasses weren't ladylike, so they decided it was time."
"Sometimes I wish I could get contacts," April admitted, standing to examine her reflection in the second mirror. She took her glasses off and squinted at her reflection.
"You're beautiful either way," Lorelai assured her. "But talk to your parents, they might be on board with it."
"Will you talk to Dad?" April asked hopefully.
"No way, contacts are out of potential step parent jurisdiction," Lorelai said. She smiled as she handed April a tube of mascara. "I am good for make up and boy talk though."
April nodded and opened the mascara. She toyed with it for a moment before she said, "You had Rory when you were really young."
"Yeah, I did," Lorelai said, swiping her eyelashes with shadow.
"So you probably knew her dad when you were my age, right?"
"We met when we were kids, we were friends for a long time," Lorelai explained. "Why do you ask?"
April was quiet for a moment before she asked, "How old were you when you got your first kiss?"
Lorelai dropped her make up and turned to April, suddenly glad that Luke was nowhere close by for this conversation. "Thirteen," she answered honestly. "Why?"
"Well…there's this boy," April said hesitantly.
"Ah, the weaker species," Lorelai confirmed. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" April asked.
"Boy talk requires a comfy couch, coffee for me, and hot chocolate for you," Lorelai said wisely. Once the hot beverages were poured and they were seated facing each other on the couch, Lorelai asked, "So what's his name?"
"Michael," April murmured.
"And does Michael have anything to do with the hour long phone call that caused you to high tail it far away from your dad last night?" Lorelai asked.
April blushed. "Maybe," she said.
"I figured," Lorelai nodded. "I have a very serious question for you."
April's eyes widened.
Lorelai leaned forward and rested a hand on April's arm. "Is he cute?" she asked in a serious tone.
A small giggled escaped April's lips. "Yeah," she said. "And…he likes me."
"It's a great feeling, isn't it?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, I'm not exactly cool," April murmured.
Lorelai frowned. "That's not true," she said. "And besides, no one's cool when they're trying to impress someone."
"You're always cool."
"Normally, I would completely let you believe that," Lorelai said. "But under the circumstances, I'll enlighten you on my very uncool moves when I started dating a certain father of yours. They're probably the most uncool moves of all time."
"Really?" April asked in surprise.
"Really," Lorelai said. "You can ask him. I ran face first into a door that was being carried into the inn. And I also all but collapsed in the middle of the diner."
April giggled. "You collapsed?" she asked.
"Yep," Lorelai nodded. "He asked if I was okay and my knees completely betrayed me. I'm talking arms flailing, table clearing, and water flying. I'm pretty sure there's still a food stain on the ceiling if you look closely." She made the story a bit more dramatic for April's benefit, but the point remained the same.
"Wow," April said.
"But he was so nice about it," Lorelai continued. "As embarrassed as I was, he didn't make a big deal of it, just got the mop and cleaned it up." Just like he had always done with her emotions, she was now realizing. "If this Michael guy is worthy of you, he won't tease you or call you uncool. We're all idiots when we're in love."
"Thanks, Lorelai," April said. "I can't talk to my mom like this."
"I bet you could," Lorelai said. "Us moms, we like knowing these things about our kids. I think you should tell her."
April shrugged. "Maybe when I get home," she said.
"Hey, why don't I help you put some make up on?" Lorelai suggested. "Since we've got the house to ourselves we can order a pizza and experiment with new looks."
"Sure!" April said.
"Okay, you go pick out some stuff, I'll order the food," Lorelai said. "The make up is in the third drawer under my sink."
April smiled and ran up the stairs. Lorelai sighed as she looked at the ceiling. She and April had created a solid bond in the almost two weeks she'd been visiting, and she felt okay dishing out advice on things like this. She also knew that once Luke was aware of the fact that there was a boy in the picture he'd completely lose it. She'd have to figure out a way to prevent him from flying to New Mexico to threaten the poor kid in person.
After she'd ordered the pizza she joined April upstairs, smiling as she saw her sitting on the end of the bed, looking carefully at something. "Hey, you okay?" she asked.
April jumped and shoved her hands between her knees. "I wasn't snooping," she promised quickly.
"It's not snooping if I told you where the make up is," Lorelai said, eyeing her carefully. "What did you find?"
April bit her bottom lip and held her hand out, nerves in her eyes. "I didn't mean to snoop, I promise!" she insisted.
Lorelai froze when she saw a familiar navy blue box staring up at her from April's palm. How had she forgotten that she'd hidden it under all of her makeup?
"It's okay," she said, taking a seat beside April and taking the box from her hands. "I forgot it was in there."
"Why isn't it in your jewelry box or something?" April asked.
Not wanting to get into the full story and tell her that the ring had been hidden from Christopher, Lorelai shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to see it every day when your dad and I were broken up," she said, which wasn't a lie.
"But you're back together now," April said.
"We are," Lorelai nodded. She turned the box over in her hands, remembering when she'd slipped the ring off her hand and snapped the box shut before she'd driven to Hartford. She hadn't seen the actual ring since.
"So why aren't you wearing it?" April asked.
"We wanted to take our time," Lorelai shrugged. She took a deep breath and cracked the box open, smiling as the diamond twinkled back at her. Luke had done an amazing job picking out the ring, and she'd loved it from the moment she'd seen it. Part of her had expected to be sad at the sight of the ring that had represented their broken relationship. But she instead felt like she was seeing an old friend, one she hadn't realized she'd missed.
"It's so pretty," April murmured.
"For such a manly man, your dad sure can pick out jewelry," Lorelai said. "He always says Liz helps, but I think it's all him,"
"Me too," April nodded. "Can I look at it?"
"Sure," Lorelai pulled the ring out of the box and handed it to April. "Try it on."
April looked at her skeptically, but seeing how serious Lorelai was, she gently slid the ring onto her finger. It was too big, but she held her hand out carefully for inspection anyway. "Wow," she breathed.
Lorelai smiled. "Even girls interested in science can get distracted by diamonds," she commented.
"Here," April said, handing the ring back to her.
"Thanks," Lorelai said, putting it back in the box. The doorbell rang and she turned to April. "Go get the pizza? I'll just put this away. In my jewelry box."
"Sure," April nodded. She bounded down the stairs and Lorelai waited until she heard the door open before she gently slipped the ring onto her finger, tilting her head to the side as she admired it. This was where it belonged.
With a deep breath, she slid the ring off her finger and back into the box. She placed it gently in her jewelry box and turned to the stairs, slowly forming a plan in her head.
XXXXX
"Oxidize," April said proudly, arranging the letter on the Scrabble board the following night.
Luke and Lorelai stared at the board as April added her score to her total. "That puts me ahead by 61 points," she announced.
"I should have seen this coming," Lorelai muttered. "I did raise Rory, after all."
"Hopefully she'll use her knowledge for the greater good, like Rory," Luke sighed.
"It's not that hard," April shrugged.
"Not for you, you're smart," Lorelai retorted.
"So are you!" April laughed.
"Not feeling it at the moment," she sighed as she stood from the kitchen table, running a hand over the back of Luke's hat free head as she moved to the coffee maker. "Anyone need anything?"
"No, I'm good," he said with a smile.
"April?"
"No, thanks, Lorelai."
"Oh, let April take my turn!" Lorelai called as she reached to answer the ringing telephone. "Hello?"
"Hi, Mom!"
"Oh, my favorite daughter, how are you?" Lorelai cooed as she walked towards the living room with her coffee.
"Texas is hot," Rory announced.
"That's the word on the street," Lorelai confirmed. "Got big dinner plans?"
"Some of us our going out for drinks," Rory confirmed.
"Rory, have I taught you nothing?" Lorelai sighed dramatically. "Always carb load before a night of heavy drinking."
"Don't worry, we're stopping for tacos first."
"Good," Lorelai said.
"How's the big visit going?" Rory asked.
Lorelai craned her neck into the kitchen where she saw Luke and April laughing together. "Great, actually," she said. "I can't wait for you to meet April, really meet her. She's kicking our butts at Scrabble."
"Have you started making up words yet?" Rory asked.
"No, but hey, give me a list of smart people words!" Lorelai suggested. "Preferably words with a q, x, r, and l."
"I am not helping you cheat to beat an honest child," Rory said indignantly.
"So mean," Lorelai asked. "You should have been raised better."
"I was perfectly raised, thank you very much."
Lorelai smiled at the compliment, then glanced back into the kitchen. April was staring quizzically at the board, and Luke was watching her with an amused expression on his face. Lorelai quietly slipped out the side door and settled into a chair at the porch table.
"Mom, you there?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, sorry," Lorelai said. "Hey, I want to ask you something."
"Shoot."
"Well, you know things have been going really well with Luke," Lorelai started. "I talked to Grandma and Grandpa, they've promised to mind their own business and be nice to Luke. And April is officially a solid part of our relationship, as are you."
"All very positive," Rory commented.
"So…Luke told me he wants to propose this time," Lorelai said. "But before I jump in I just want to know if you think it's a good idea."
Rory was quiet for a moment, then she asked, "Are we talking as friends or as mother and daughter right now?"
"Uh…both?" Lorelai suggested, suddenly nervous.
"Okay," Rory said. "Well, as your daughter, you have my blessing. Luke's a great guy, and he loves you. He never makes me feel like an afterthought or a way to get to you the way Dad does."
"And what does my best friend think?"
"She thinks that you're happy, which is great," Rory said. "But…there's a history there. A long history."
"Ancient history," Lorelai said. "That is guaranteed not to repeat itself."
"Okay," Rory said. "Mom, I love Luke, you know that. And I love that he makes you happy. But twice now I've seen you completely collapse over a break up with him. If it happens again, I'm not sure what it would do to you."
"Look, I know I've said this before, but we're sure this time, Rory," she murmured. "We hit rock bottom for awhile. And then some more rocks fell on top of us. But we fought through, and now we're good again. Better than we were. I really think this time if we jump, we won't fall."
"It sounds like you've already made up your mind," Rory commented.
"I know what I want," Lorelai said. "But you're still my biggest concern, Rory. I know you're grown up, but if you're not okay with Luke, you need to tell me now."
"No, Mom, I'm fine with it," she said. "He's always been the one."
"Okay," Lorelai said with a smile. "Okay."
"Just tell me yourself this time?" Rory asked.
"During the cigarette," Lorelai said slyly.
"Ew, Mom!" Rory exclaimed. "I don't want to think about that!"
Lorelai giggled and turned her head when she heard the back door open. "Hang on, hon." She lowered the phone to her chest and smiled at Luke. "Hey, is it my turn?"
"Nah, Anna called my cell, so April's talking to her," Luke said. "I just wanted to make sure everything's okay."
"Yeah, just talking to Rory," Lorelai said. She raised the phone back to her ear and said, "Want to say hi to Luke? Both of his girls left him to talk on the phone, you might make him feel special."
Rory laughed. "Sure, put him on," she said. "I'm glad you're happy, Mom."
"Thanks, hon," Lorelai said. "Love you."
"Love you too," Rory said.
Luke smiled as he took the phone from her and sat down beside her. "Hey, Rory, how's it going?"
"Hi, Luke!" Rory said cheerfully. "I heard April's visit is going really well."
"Yeah, I think she's had fun," Luke agreed.
"A little birdy also told me you want to make an honest women out of my mother," Rory continued.
Luke glanced at Lorelai, who was watching him intently. "Uh, well, maybe," he cleared his throat. "How do you feel about that?"
"She loves you a lot," Rory said.
"I know."
"She says things won't get bad again."
"They won't."
Rory was quiet. "Just don't hurt her again," she said gently. "Don't push her away and don't let her pull away."
"I won't."
"Good," Rory nodded. "Then go for it. Preferably between now and Labor Day, because then I get part of the pool."
"The what?" Luke demanded, and Lorelai sat up straighter in her chair.
"Uh, nothing," Rory quickly backtracked.
"Rory, what are you talking about?" Luke demanded.
"What did she say?" Lorelai asked, pulling on his arm. "Rory, what did you say?" she yelled towards the phone.
Rory cleared her throat. "Well…there may…or maybe not be, I don't really know, but there may, possibly be a pool going on around town about when you two are going to get engaged again. Bye."
She hung up before Luke could respond, leaving him staring at the phone before he jumped out of his chair. "I'm going to kill Taylor!" he stated.
"Wow, I really need to start charging you five bucks every time you say that," Lorelai commented.
"There's a pool going around town about when we're going to get engaged again!" he cried, anger building on his face.
Lorelai sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I should have known," she said. "People were minding their own business too much."
"We're moving," Luke informed her. "You're going to sell the inn, I'll sell the diner and we're moving to Kansas. Or California. Somewhere far away from this crazy town."
"Speak for yourself, I love this town," Lorelai said. "Oh, since you're proposing this time, I wonder if they'll let me in on the pool!"
"You are not getting in on it," Luke informed her.
"Why not, it could give us some good money to pay for the wedding," Lorelai replied.
"There is no wedding!" Luke exclaimed.
"Not yet." Lorelai replied with a smile.
"We said we'd talk about it after April leaves," Luke replied.
"No, we said we'd talk about babies after April left," Lorelai corrected.
"So what, you want to just agree we're engaged, right here, right now, no proposal or anything?" Luke asked. "Just a conversation in reaction to a stupid town that can't mind their own business?"
"No," Lorelai conceded.
"Okay," Luke said. "Then be patient."
Lorelai made a face. "I'm not good at that," she informed him.
"You're kidding."
She smiled and leaned towards him. "Can I at least tell you that I'm ready for you to ask?" she asked.
He kissed her softly and patted her hand. "Good," he said. "I wasn't sure how much longer I could have waited."
Lorelai smiled as she slid to sit sideways across his lap. She rested her hands on his chest before she asked, "It wouldn't be much different, would it? Being married?"
"Nah, just a couple rings and different labels," Luke shrugged, running his hand across her thigh slowly.
"Pretty jewelry and calling you my husband are changes I can get on board with," Lorelai murmured before she kissed him again.
XXXXX
"Okay, so you'll call me when you're on board, right?" Luke asked nervously as he looked at the security line at the airport the following morning.
"And when I find Mom," April nodded. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Thanks for everything, Dad. I had so much fun!"
"I'm glad," he said, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "I did too."
"I really love Lorelai," she said, pulling back to smile up at him. "Thanks for letting me spend time with her."
"I'm glad you like her," Luke said. "She had fun too. She asked me to give this to you, I think it's just some stuff to read on the plane." He handed her a shopping bag.
"Teen Vogue and a Sephora catalog?" April laughed. "Well, at least it's not a pirate hat like she left for you on the boat."
Luke shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "She was on her fourth cup of coffee and rambling about make up and girl stuff and I wasn't really following," he said.
"Okay, well I have to go before I miss my plane, but thank her for me," April said, hugging him again. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, April," he said. "I'll see you at Thanksgiving."
"See you then," April said before she turned and dragged her suitcase behind her.
Luke sighed as he watched her walk through security. He knew this was his new normal, that he'd probably never be a full time dad to April, but it still didn't make it easier to watch her go back to her life in New Mexico, an entire country away from him.
When she'd disappeared behind the metal detectors he sighed and turned back to the parking lot, flipping open his phone to call Lorelai. She could always lift him out of a crabby mood, or in this case, a sad one.
"What are you wearing?"
Her sultry greeting immediately did the trick, and he shook his head. She'd known he had been bummed out about April leaving, and had probably been waiting for his call. "Nothing but a baseball cap."
"Hmm, let me see if I can get away to see that," Lorelai said with a smile.
He smiled as he slid into the truck. "I'm just leaving now," he said.
"April got off okay?" she asked, tucking her phone against her shoulder as she shuffled some papers around on the desk.
"Yeah, she's going to call when she gets on the plane," Luke said.
"When she finds Anna too, right?" Lorelai asked.
Luke smiled at her concern. "Then too," he confirmed.
"Good."
"So I was thinking I'd come pick you up, take you out to lunch if you're not busy," Luke offered. He didn't want to go to the diner today.
"Sure, I think I can squeeze you in," Lorelai said. "But hey, could you stop at home first? I left something for you on your dresser. I think you might want it."
Curious, Luke started his truck and pulled through the open parking spot in front of him. "What is it?" he asked.
"You'll know it when you see it," Lorelai said, a smile in her voice. "But hey, are you okay? I know how hard it is to see her off."
"I'm fine," he nodded. "A little down, I guess, but it's only a few months until she's back for Thanksgiving."
"It was good having her here," Lorelai offered.
"It was," Luke said. "We're good, right?"
"Better than good," Lorelai said. "Stop at home and then come by?"
"Sure," he said. "See you in a bit."
"I love you," Lorelai said, plainly and honestly.
"I love you too."
He snapped the phone shut and pressed on the gas, suddenly eager to see what Lorelai had up her sleeve. He should have known she'd have planned something to cheer him up after April left. He only hoped it wasn't some sort of time consuming scavenger hunt that she'd been known to do in the past. At the moment, all he wanted was to see her.
When he pulled up to the house, he all but sprinted inside and up the stairs. His breath caught in his throat when he saw a familiar small dark blue box sitting on his dresser and swallowed hard as he realized what Lorelai was trying to tell him. As he reached for the box, he noticed a piece of paper sitting beside it and picked it up with a laugh. "Lorelai," he muttered under his breath. "Only you."
The small paper was torn out of the newspaper, and under the Scorpio horoscope for the day, she'd scrawled a message of her own in her familiar loopy handwriting.
Today a woman who loves you will buy you lunch.
Give her a ring and she'll stay forever.