Chapter 2: Decisions

Luke Danes kept his hands firmly on the wheel, even as he periodically peered out the window, checking up and down the street as he advanced through the residential neighborhood at a leisurely crawl. He was certain the directions were correct. The directions the little girl, April, had given him at the science fair.

The little girl who was apparently his daughter. His and Anna Nardini's daughter.

It had been about a year after his father had died. Liz and Jess had disappeared again, up to somewhere in New York. Anna had been passing through Stars Hollow, checking out some of the empty properties to see about opening a jewelry store. At that time in the 1990s, Stars Hollow had been pretty off-the-beaten trail, barely worthy of a dot on a map. It still was a sleepy little town, twelve, thirteen years on, but the tax base was growing decently, now more of a satellite town for the bigger hotspots of Hartford and Woodbridge. As he remembered it, Anna came into the Diner (which hadn't been open for very long) and ordered a cup of coffee. Despite his reserved nature, she had gotten him to talk in a way that no person had yet been able to, and that no other woman would do again... except for one. Luke had taken her out to drinks, small meal dates, for several weeks. And every night, he and Anna would return to the Diner and make love, raw and hot, anguished. Pillow talk was like a burst dam, and they began to learn about each other's deepest pains. Both had lost their fathers about the same time, very early on in their lives. Had siblings who were on a different life track, though in Anna's case, her siblings were far more successful than she was. At least that had been her opinion. She had a brother who was a geneticist; that memory had been jogged when April had first appeared in the Diner and mentioned her uncle.

Ultimately, however, the fling hadn't lasted. In the end, Anna had come up empty at finding a suitable storefront, and had moved on. Luke squirmed to think about the relationship now, especially the sex. It wasn't as though he hadn't cared for Anna, he had. Had he loved her? No. Rifling through those memories now made him feel... unfaithful somehow. It had been a time for two lonely people to find some solace in each other.

And April was the result.

There it was! Luke almost overshot the driveway, the tires of his green truck squealing in protest as he made a sharp left, barely making the turn as he inclined up to a quaint little brownstone. Woodbridge was a wealthy municipality, but not in the flaunting, flashy way of nearby Hartford. From the stories that Lorelai had told him, Hartford was like landing on another planet.

Cautiously, Luke approached the front door and knocked. For the first time, he realized that he had come ill-prepared for what he was going to say. He hadn't seen Anna in over a decade. What would they say to each other?

The click of a lock turning jarred Luke from his thoughts, and he straightened. But instead of Anna, a gentleman in glasses appeared before him. A white lab coat was across his shoulders. He looked to be about Luke's age, with the beginning of wrinkles creasing his face.

"April had a feeling you would come. She places strong faith in most people." The man held out his hand. "Dr. Steve Nardini."

"Luke Danes," Luke returned the greeting.

"I'm April's uncle. Come on in."

Luke followed Steve through a eclectic foyer, then turned into a quaint kitchen. It wasn't as homely as Lorelai and Rory's, nor as antiquated in its aesthetics, but it was inviting enough.

"Can I get you anything?" Steve called over his shoulder, as he busied himself over by the coffee pot. Luke noted the more... effeminate way that he held his hands. He said nothing, though. Stars Hollow had its fair share of LGBTQ people. Gypsy had been out for years. Taylor was not, the rumors of his orientation having long swirled. But even the nosy types like Ms. Patty or Babette knew better than to out someone, even a pompous gasbag like Taylor. And really, nobody cared. Lorelai and Rory certainly didn't. Neither had Luke's parents, and that had been at a very different time in history. Luke would follow the example of his loved ones.

"No, thank you," Luke gently declined. Steve poured himself a mug and sat across from the flannel-clad gentleman in front of him. The results of the genetics test had left him surprised... but also pleased and somewhat relieved. He had mentored and guided April closely during the more refined parts of the Procedure, and upon the results coming back...

"I'm glad it turned out to be you," Steve admitted quietly. "The other two men in Anna's life at that time... let's just say she didn't dwell on them as much, and what she did disclose was mostly unflattering. But you... she... she hasn't had one negative thing to say about you."

Luke picked up on the interesting change in tenses, but again, said nothing. Just then, a clattering of feet made him turn around.

And there she was. His child. April broke into a huge grin. "Dad!" She ran into his arms. It was only the second time they had embraced, but Luke put on his best performance by pretending not to be as uncomfortable with his new affection than he actually was. It had taken him years to show affection towards Rory - a young woman who was not even his own daughter. Plus, he did not want Steve to think any less of him if some tension was displayed.

"Hey, kid. Where's your mother?"

He felt her stiffen. Break away from the hug too quickly. Steve was suddenly looking into the contents of his mug like he wanted to drown in it. Luke felt his heart constrict, as several disparate pieces of a puzzle he hadn't known he was putting together started to click into place.

"She's dead."

April's voice was flat, monotone, leaden. She was looking straight at her father, but it seemed to take great effort on her part. In this tableau, for the first time, Luke saw something of himself inside of her. The Danes mentality of putting up walls, masking your emotions and dealing with them internally. In the brief day or two when he and Lorelai had broken up, Luke had drunk himself into his misery. When Rory had gotten into that car crash with Jess, Luke had taken the anger out on his nephew to avoid going crazy with worry about the angelic girl he loved so much.

Steve now broke the silence. "April, mi tesoro, would you mind going upstairs, please? You can watch some TV for a bit, and then start on your homework."

April obeyed. Luke turned back to Steve, curious. Steve chuckled at his inquisitive frown, though it was forced.

"You'll have to forgive me. Some of us in this family are very Italian."

"Is April bilingual? Does she know Italian?" Luke found himself wanting to learn everything he could about his daughter.

"If I had raised her? Oh yes, she would be," Steve rose to wash out his cup. "Anna didn't care for the traditions as much, so she didn't immerse April in that when she was a baby. April knows some small phrases from me, though." A thought coming to him, the scientist fished out his wallet, procuring a small Polaroid. "This is when she was about two."

Luke stared at the image, captivated. It was a snapshot of April toddling along the banks of a lake, trying to chase down some ducks so she could feed them. In the background, Anna's face was frozen in a laugh, her eyes full of love. The Diner owner felt his own eyes swim with tears. How much he had missed... April had been a beautiful baby, no question of that. Just as pretty and enchanting as Rory, if not more so, and Luke had seen pictures of Rory as a baby. His future stepdaughter had looked like a Gerber model.

"Keep it," Steve encouraged. "I have another copy."

His gaze scanning back to Anna, the Anna he had known, Luke felt his heart constrict. "What... what happened?"

Steve sighed, collapsing back into the chair across from Luke. "A few weeks ago, Anna asked me to watch April here while she went to a meeting for jewelry store owners. Something about the laws changing for vendors selling jewelry. It was up north of here. You wouldn't happen to know the shopping center off Glenwood Avenue?"

Luke, in fact, did know the place - as shopping centers go, it was seedier than most. The architecture featured overhanging enclaves, shadowing some corners in darkness at night - a petty criminal or drug addict's paradise. Once, when the Gilmore girls had wanted to go up there and do some shopping, Luke had categorically refused to even let them out of the house unless he went with them. Two pretty young women like Lorelai and Rory - they'd have targets on their backs. Robbery. Or worse. Luke shuddered to think of it.

"As she was leaving, going through the lot to go out, she got carjacked," Steve was saying. "Dragged from the car and shot multiple times. By the time the cops found her..." His voice choked up. "She was gone."

Luke sighed heavily. Poor, poor Anna.

"While we're on the subject, finding you has been a prayer answered. You and I have some decisions to make..."

"Why didn't Anna tell me?" Luke interrupted. He silently chastised himself for the comment. Who was he to presume what Steve knew? But the picture, and the babysitting story, told him that perhaps, in Anna's situation, she would have had to turn to somebody to help raise her baby. Steve, her brother, seemed like an obvious candidate.

Steve breathed out deep through his nose. "Anna always had a very independent streak. You might remember that. A stubborn, strong soul."

Luke chuckled. "That I do. I'm engaged to be married to one."

This peaked Steve's interest, as one eyebrow was sent disappearing into his hairline. "Congratulations. When's the wedding?"

"June 3rd, but it might be postponed."

"Oh?"

Luke paused for a moment, deciding to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to reveal too much, in respect of Lorelai, but if this was going to concern April, Steve probably should know. "My fiancé and... my stepdaughter just reconciled after a brief estrangement. Right around that time, April found me. I'm going to tell them when I get home tonight, but while they were repairing their relationship a couple weeks ago, I didn't want to overwhelm them."

Steve nodded. "I see. How old is your stepdaughter?"

"Rory's 21. But don't worry - she's a lovely girl, and I am sure will be very accepting of April. She came from... a previous relationship of my fiancé's. The father is largely out of the picture."

This made Steve duck his head for a moment. "I'm sorry that you were never informed," he almost whispered.

Luke kept his emotions about that particular wound down, merely shaking his head. "It's not your fault. It was Anna's decision."

Steve now got back to his main points. "Thank you for telling me about your family situation. It's very encouraging."

"Encouraging?" Luke's brow furrowed.

Steve once again looked apologetic, almost sheepish. "You know I will always love April like she's my own," he began. "That little girl has a future in my line of work, and it has been a joy to see. But... I have recently been promoted at my lab. A major project has been assigned to me, which will make me work long nights and sometimes weekends. I wouldn't be home until long after April's back from school. If you were OK with it, if there is a chance for her to grow up in a more complete home, which you seem to have..." and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I would not feel any qualms about ceding guardianship of April over to you."

"So Anna appointed you guardian in her will?"

"She did, yes; I just got off the phone with the executor this morning."

Luke nodded. "That is very... brave and considerate of you, Steve. Thank you. I will have to discuss it with my fiancé and stepdaughter first, but I don't think there would be any issues there."

Steve looked very grateful. "It is such a relief that April will have a stepmother. A sibling for her to play and hang out with."

Luke chuckled. "If my daughter is anything like Rory - and I think she is - they'll lock themselves in the Stars Hollow library all day."

Steve joined in the laughter. "I would love to meet Rory and your fiancé sometime."

"Of course," Luke promised. "And Steve, you know you can see April whenever you want, right?"

"If that's OK...?"

"Absolutely it is!"

"She'll stay with you for now until we can get the legal paperwork drawn up?" Luke asked. "It's just that I have a loft apartment above my diner, and it's small, even for two people. Besides, I don't use it as much anymore since moving in with Lorelai."

Steve waved a hand. "She can stay with me. We will be going out to New Mexico next week, though, just so you're aware. To see her grandmother. She's... ailing. Alzheimer's, you know."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

The two men stood and shook hands. Then, Steve called up the stairs. "April, honey? Can you come here for a moment, please?"

April dutifully rejoined her father and uncle in the kitchen. Steve leaned down so he was eye-level with her. "You'll be staying with me for now, but your father and I have been talking. Eventually, soon, you will be going to Stars Hollow to live with him. But we have some details to iron out first. It won't be for a couple of months. OK?"

"OK," April said simply. Turning, she hugged her father tightly.

"I'll see you soon, kid, I promise," Luke vowed. He didn't want to her let her go, even under the promise that she was about to become a more permanent presence in his life. He shook Steve's hand again. "Steve."

"A pleasure, Luke," the doctor smiled. "April's lucky to have you."

Luke beamed down at his daughter. "The feeling is entirely mutual."