Chapter 7: Beaches and Boys

"Why are we going to the beach? It's the middle of winter!" Lorelai felt the need to remind everyone yet again, as Luke pulled the green truck up beside a stretch of beach off Cape Cod.

"Because we need to get out of the house. Besides, beaches are naturally warmer, no matter the season." Luke dryly pointed out.

Rory eyed the waves warily as she stepped out of the car; they were crashing plenty, and looked to be at about high-tide. "Then why are we wearing our bathing suits? We're not going swimming, are we?"

"Hi, I've already seen my baby girls in the hospital; we don't need a repeat where you all get hypothermia," Luke growled. "I just figured... less clothing means more tanning."

Rory grinned and kissed his cheek. "You're too good to us, Daddy Luke!"

"God help me," Luke groaned. But his eyes were twinkling.

Luke's instincts were right. Upon Lorelai starting an impromptu foot race with no warning, Luke's three girls were racing onto the sand, their peals of laughter calling back to him as he trudged after them, carrying all the bags, naturally. He grunted with the effort to heave one tote bag off his shoulder and onto the laid-out towel.

"April, why did you need to bring your science stuff again?"

"The microscope is to observe tiny organisms in the tide pools."

"Uh huh," Luke grunted, holding up a telescope with his eyebrows raised. "And this?"

"OK, that was me!" Rory squeaked, snatching it away.

"So she can keep a lookout for cute boys," Lorelai threw over her shoulder from the lawn chair strategically placed under the umbrella.

Rory gasped. "Spy!" She pointed an accusing finger at her mother.

"Peeping Tom!"

Luke's jaw clenched as his face slowly started to turn purple. "There will be no dating!" he snapped. "From either of you!" pointing between Rory and April.

Rory's jaw dropped. "I'm 21 years old, thank you very much! With a boyfriend. And I've lost my virginity!" She clapped a hand over her mouth at what she just said.

Luke's one eye twitched, as he tried to hold his grumpiness in. Dropping the rest of their gear in a heap at his feet, he promptly did an about-face. "Excuse me while I go track down Dean and kill him."

"Ooh, that's seven shades of red right there!" Lorelai giggled.

"You're enjoying this far too much!" Luke shouted back to her.

Rory rolled his eyes. "Daddy Luke, I'm going to keep dating. Someday, I'll even get married."

Luke jumped about a foot in the air as he spun around. "You will not! I won't let you! And that boy better come to me with a ring and on his hands and knees first!"

Rory's eyebrow quirked. "Or what?"

A pause. And then Luke suddenly stalked towards Rory. Eyes widening in understanding, his stepdaughter tried to dance away.

"No... no... No!" Luke swept Rory off her feet, cradling her like a baby as he sprinted towards the waves. When April tried to stop him, he simply threw her over his shoulder and continued his solid march towards and even into the water. Rory and April screamed, now clinging to him desperately to avoid even getting one toe freezing cold.

"That's what I thought," Luke grunted, racing back out and setting his girls down as he seized a towel.

Lorelai frowned in mock disapproval. "You're an evil, evil Daddy."

"But you love me," Luke pecked his wife's lips once before she could object.

It was a busy first day back to classes for April's 7th grade year at Chilton. She had already made many friends over the past semester, and was looking forward to having many fond memories from this place. Rory was free and eager to give her sister advice about how to navigate these hallowed halls, and the former Valedictorian even admitted she was jealous that April got double the time there than she did.

Clutching her books to her chest, April was on the main staircase, when she bumped into someone.

"Oh, hey! Glad I ran into you!"

April looked up and froze when she saw her crush. Sean Fahey. He had been in a couple of her classes last semester, but this semester, they were on different schedules.

"Hi, Sean," April managed to get out, smiling in a lovesick way.

"How was your winter break?"

"It was good. My family and I went to the beach. I studied the structural make-up of tide-pool organisms," chastising herself as soon as she said it for sounding too nerdy.

Sean blinked once, but then laughed. That was April, and a part of him enjoyed hopelessly trying to catch up to her. Glancing away shyly, the pictures of past Chilton Valedictorians caught his eye, one in particular. "Is that your sister? It looks like she could be."

April nearly laughed when she saw he was pointing to Rory's portrait. "It is, actually. My sister, Rory." At one time, she would have avoided any conversation about her stepsister, but now took Rory's lingering presence at the school as a source of personal pride.

Sean grinned. "Really? I can see the resemblance." This actually made April blush. If her father were here, he would grin smugly and puff out his chest with pride. Oftentimes, people mistook Rory and April for actual sisters. One time, when April was out with Lorelai shopping, a woman stopped them to expressly say, "Your daughter looks exactly like you!"

Sean now suddenly seemed to be very nervous as he got out quite quickly. "I want to ask you something!"

April chuckled nervously. "OK..."

"Would you like to go to a movie with me sometime?"

April nearly fainted dead away. Taking a deep breath, she beamed and nodded. "I'd like that very much! I know a great place."

"Yeah?" Sean's grin nearly broke his face as he leaned against one pillar, trying to act cool. "Where?"

"Read, White and Black Theater, Stars Hollow. Friday night, 7:00. I'll make sure that Kirk lets you in."

"I'll be there," Sean promised.

April moved for the school doors, waiting until she was outside before letting out a squeal.

Friday night, Sean and April strolled back from the theater in Stars Hollow and up the quiet walk in front of Number 37, Maple Street.

"That Kirk is quite a fellow," Sean chuckled in bemusement.

"He is. My daddy has expressed an interest in killing him on a number of occasions."

"And that film... he really made it himself?"

"It's one of his better ones. You haven't lived until you've seen the one about the cat!"

They were on the front porch, with only a single light on. April had timed her date perfectly, for when her family was at her step-grandparents for Friday Night Dinner. Luke and Lorelai were there; Rory, feeling sick, had begged off for the week. At least her sister would be home.

She was thinking so much, that she almost missed it. Sean suddenly bent and kissed her right on the mouth. Not sure what to do, April let her scientific mind shut off and went purely on instinct, leaning in and kissing him back. So there was no miscommunication.

Sean broke the kiss at last, looking oddly relieved. "Good night."

"G... Good night," April stammered with a small smile, still in disbelief. She almost floated in through the front door...

... and nearly got tackled by a squealing Rory. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod! Spill: all of it! Now!"

Squealing, the sisters jumped up and down, scurrying to the couch. All at once, Rory unexpectedly hit her stepsister on the arm.

"Ow! Jeez, what was that for?!"

"You said you were going to the Diner to check if Caesar had closed up!"

"I did... on the way to the Read, White and Black."

Rory shrieked. "I saw it all through the window! Man, what a cutie! The bashful types always are! So: what happened? How did this happen?"

"He asked me out the other day after school." April giggled. "It was funny because we were standing right under your portrait, and he even asked if you and I were related."

"An impeccable transition move," Rory praised.

"We went to see one of Kirk's films, he walked me home. And before I knew it... he kissed me!"

Rory sighed and lunged for the phone. "I gotta tell Mom!"

"No!" April yelped, intercepting her. "Please, don't! She'll tell Daddy, and he'll murder Sean!"

"OK," Rory bargained. "But we can't leave Mom high and dry. She'll keep a secret, and then break it to Daddy Luke gently."

April looked skeptical. "He'll still kill him, though, no matter how much time goes by."

"That's nothing. Your dad beat up my first boyfriend in the street, and then got into a fight with him over a Bop It! And he nearly murdered my third boyfriend when he caught us making out!"

April frowned. "What happened to the second boyfriend?"

"Oh, that was Jess."

"Jess? Jess our-cousin Jess?"

"Yeah."

"Ew." April made a face.

"OK, time for the lovely family of four to get in front of the backdrop!" the photographer corralled.

It was spring time in Stars Hollow... and Lorelai was finally getting around to sending out their months-belated Christmas card. She was largely doing so just to shut her mother up, who had proceeded to arrange for a photographer to come and take the Danes-Gilmore-Nardini family picture.

"All right, so... Mother here, Dad beside her, daughter center left and stepdaughter..."

"Daughter," Rory suddenly interrupted.

The photographer blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm his eldest daughter," Rory firmly repeated.

The photographer rolled with it. "OK, then: and other daughter center right."

As they got into position, Rory glanced to Luke, who she now found was trying not to cry and ruin the shot.

"I want you to drop the step in stepdaughter. Will you have me?" she whispered quietly to him.

Luke gulped heavily. "Of course I will," her father said.