RNM 6 Christopher! Francine! Emily!

"At least this one knew something about music," sighed Lane, "but my mother rejected him when he changed majors. He's not even in college yet, but because he wants to study business instead of medicine, I'm not allowed to see him again."

"Don't give up hope, I'm sure she'll find someone closer to what you want and what she wants," consoled Rory.

The girls were walking towards Doose's on their way to the ballpark where Rory had promised Dean she would go to watch his softball game. He had at least been kind enough to warn her that she might want a book for the slow times during the game. She had Red Vines and other miscellaneous snacks ready so she wouldn't go hungry between lunch and afternoon coffee with Lorelai and Luke at the diner.

A large noisy motorcycle blew past them and stopped in front of Doose's.

Lane chuckled, "That guy's going to get an earful. That's Taylor's favorite parking space. Definitely not a smart move on his part if he wants to stay in Stars Hollow."

"Yeah, this is going to be good," laughed Rory.

Taylor scurried out of the grocery store, arms waving and talking loudly.

"You can't park here! Get that blighted can of oil off the streets! We aren't a hangout for gangs and hoodlums."

The girls were too far away to hear the motorcyclist's response, but the number of fingers pointed at other peoples' chests and Taylor's body language indicated that the discussion was not going well for either party.

The motorcyclist took off his helmet, preparing to go the next round. Rory looked at him for a moment, then shouted, "Dad!" and started running toward him.

The man turned, ran his fingers through his dishwater blond curls to fluff them up and saw his daughter running toward him. He welcomed her with open arms and a big smile. "Rory!" he exclaimed as he twirled her around before setting her back on the ground.

Taylor was flabbergasted. "Rory, is this ne'er-do-well your father?" he asked.

Rory, focused on smiling at her father, nodded for Taylor.

Holding fast onto his hand, she introduced the two men, who grudgingly decided to call a truce.

"Lane," Rory said excitedly, "This is my dad! Dad, you remember me talking about Lane, right?"

"Oh yeah, sure," he replied, searching his memory for some iota of information that would prove he'd listened. "You guys go to school together, right?"

"Well we did until this year, when Rory transferred to Chilton," said Lane, not fooled by Christopher's parlor trick of guessing the most logical connection. She looked at her watch, then said goodbye, giving Rory a quick hug and waving to her dad before taking off at her usual fast pace.

"I miss her a lot, Dad, but we do get to spend time together on the weekends," Rory said.

"Where's your mom, kid?" Christopher asked casually, having run out of things to discuss with Lane.

"Oh, she's working, won't be available until later. You and I can spend the whole afternoon together! Won't it be great?" Watching the teenager bouncing with happiness, Christopher could see Lorelai in her movements and expression.

"Sure, kid, whaddya want to do? Go for a ride on my Indian Millennium?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she cried. "Can you drive us over to the ballpark?"

Christopher scoffed. "You want to go to a ballpark? You are the most unathletic person I know after your mother."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not playing, Dad. I promised Dean I'd watch his game."

"Who's Dean?" Christopher smirked as he drew the words out in a smarmy tone.

"He's a guy," she said sheepishly, wondering if he was sneering or wheedling.

"You mean your boyfriend?" Christopher teased. "Well, if he's earned your devotion, he must be someone special. Let's go watch him play ball." Keeping his laughing eyes on his daughter, he helped her strap on the helmet and made sure she was holding on tight as they drove off.

At the ballpark, the game was in full swing, so Rory let her dad buy popcorn and drinks to go with the rest of her snack stash and they found seats in the bleachers. Luke was pitching as Dean came to bat.

"OK, Dad, Dean is coming up with the stick," Rory said.

"You mean the bat," corrected Christopher, "and he's coming to the plate."

"There's no plate, just a white thingy," puzzled Rory.

"That's the home plate. So that's your Dean? He's tall," said Christopher. "How do you kiss him?"

"Dad!" exclaimed Rory, embarrassed.

Looking at the bleachers they were sitting in, Christopher continued, "You'd probably have to stand on the second riser here to reach him," and laughed.

Rory began to feel really uncomfortable and wished her mom was there to help change the subject. On the other hand though, she thought, if Mom were here, she'd hardly have a conversation with her dad at all. "That's the way Christopher is," said Lorelai, the last time Rory had asked her about it.

Rory had learned to squeeze the most she could out of her infrequent contacts with her father. She almost always took his phone calls in her room, so she could be sure that he was paying attention to her, and not anyone else. Sometimes when the three of them were together, she suspected Christopher was playing a part to gain Lorelai's approval.

When he did have time for his daughter, he was always entertaining and engaging, but Rory never felt like she could confide in him. For sure, she was not about to confide her mother's secret of the man pitching in the softball game.

Trying to change the subject, yet not betraying information that would end her special time with her dad, Rory said, "That's Luke, throwing the ball."

"Luke? Diner Luke, like you told me about on the phone?" he asked.

"Yeah, we eat there practically every day. His pie is the best."

The conversation lagged a little as the game picked up speed. Christopher tried to explain the rules as the teams played, and while Rory listened attentively, she retained little of what was said, because the conversation between the people near her was far more interesting.

Kevin and Nat, the owners of KC's bar, were seated near them having a conversation about Luke and his new girlfriend. That put Rory in a state, half-listening and half-hoping that they wouldn't mention her mom by name.

"I don't think they're right together," said Natalie, who had seen Lorelai, but didn't know Rory personally, even though everyone in Stars Hollow seemed to know Lorelai's history.

"What, you expect him to keep waiting for Rachel to return? You know she only comes back for an ego boost, then leaves again. She's never going to be serious about him." Kevin loved his wife, but as Nat was a good friend to Rachel, she was blind to her friend's faults.

"I still think they're right for each other," maintained Nat. "His situation now, well, it's just not logical. He doesn't even like kids, Rachel says."

Luke doesn't like kids? I never noticed that. Mom would have certainly brought that up if it were true.

"I didn't like you until a few years ago either, but that changed, didn't it? He loves her kid almost as much as he loves her," said Kevin, facing away from Rory, which made her grateful knowing that he couldn't see her cheeks turn pink. "C'mon, they're finishing the last inning now. Let's go do the shopping before we have to pick up the baby from your mom's," he added, pulling Nat off the bleachers and leaving.

Rory and Christopher stayed a little longer to meet with Dean, chatting about motorcycles and other guy-friendly stuff. Rory was a little surprised when Dean mentioned his motorcycle, since she'd understood from her mother that he'd said he didn't have one. She filed that thought away to process later, maybe do a little fact-checking, like a good reporter should.

Lorelai had settled into a chair at the window of the diner, reading a book while waiting for Luke or Rory to appear after the softball game. She'd taken a few extra minutes at the inn to make sure her makeup and hair was perfect and that there were no undiscovered stains or marks on her snow-white sweater. With no specific plans for that afternoon or evening, she hoped there would be a chance for quality time with both Rory and Luke.

The bells on the door rang yet again, but this time it wasn't a customer. A grassy, sweaty cloud hit Lorelai's nostrils just before she was enveloped in a bear hug by the owner of the cloud. Luke had just enough time to drop a kiss on her cheek before she indignantly pushed him off her, waving her arms in all directions as if she were fighting off a very smelly octopus.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "What ever happened to 'never let them see you sweat,' sportsboy? What a smell!"

"That's the sweet smell of a winner," he chuckled, trying to go in for another kiss, but was even more firmly rebuffed by his girlfriend.

Lorelai put away her book and got another cup of coffee, deciding to wait a few minutes before going up to hopefully surprise Luke in a state somewhere between just out of the shower, yet before the flannel had been firmly buttoned around his chest. A little necking was just what the doctor called for, she figured.

She was crossing the diner going back to her seat when she nearly dropped her cup when she saw who followed Rory into the diner.

"Christopher!" she said, more than a little shocked.

"Hi Lore," he smiled, kissing her full on the lips as Rory watched her parents greet each other.

Pulling him off Lorelai as he began to wrap his arms around her to increase the intimacy of his greeting, Rory dragged Christopher to the table where Lorelai had left her purse and book. She felt obliged to sit with them. An sudden arrival of Christopher was never good news.

"Why are you here, Christopher?" Lorelai asked suspiciously.

"Just checking up on my girls," he said in a tone that showed he was expecting to be richly rewarded for showing up unannounced. "I've got a whole weekend planned for us."

"A weekend? It's already Saturday afternoon," said Lorelai.

"Rory and I were just at the softball game, now I thought I'd take you out and buy you some presents. Rory surely needs a new book or something, and I know how much you love pretty things."

"Pay for Chilton," mumbled Lorelai to herself. It would have been nice if Rory's father had ever stepped up to cover some of the expenses they'd had over the years.

"Why don't you two figure out where you're going this evening? I'll be right back, OK?" Lorelai said, looking at Rory meaningfully. The last thing in the world Lorelai wanted to do was surprise her new boyfriend with an old boyfriend who had waltzed in like he owned the place. Lorelai put her coffee down and went behind the curtain, running up the stairs as fast as her tight jeans would allow.

She closed the door to Luke's apartment just as he came out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. She couldn't resist smiling at the way he always wore a towel, regardless of whether he thought was alone, like now, or coming out of her bathroom knowing she was in the bedroom waiting for him. A crisp white towel was as sexy to her as a flippy skirt was to him.

"Hey," he said, coming over to her and taking her in his arms. Her sweater felt ticklish against his chest as he pressed against her, feeling her respond to the nearly-naked man in front of her.

She snaked her arms around his neck and smiled before she kissed him, showing him how much she had missed him while she worked. "Nice to see you all shiny and pretty," she murmured.

"Is Rory here yet?" Luke asked, estimating his chances of a romantic interlude before Caesar realized he was back from softball.

"Rory! Oh crap!" she exclaimed, remembering that Christopher was here as well. She looked up at Luke with her eyebrows pulled together with worry, uncertain how he would handle this.

"Christopher's here."

"Christopher?" Luke knew the name, but it took a moment before he realized who she was talking about. "Rory's dad Christopher?"

"The very one. Like a tornado, coming out of nowhere, probably going to leave a wake of destruction in his path." She rested her head on his chest, drawing comfort from his strength.

"Oh crap is right," Luke sighed. He'd heard Christopher stories over the years, all of them ending with Rory in tears and Lorelai angry.

"He's here-here." Lorelai's planning brain engaged as she tried to figure out what to do.

"Hear hear?" Luke repeated, confused. "What does that mean?"

"He's downstairs with Rory right now, making plans for this evening. He wants to take us shopping and who knows what else."

Luke tensed. "What do you want to do?" he asked cautiously.

"I don't want to go anywhere with him," she said, "but I think Rory should go if she wants."

"Sounds like a good plan," he said, pulling her tighter for a comforting hug. He uttered those words, but didn't mean them. Without even seeing Christopher, Luke couldn't deny some jealousy over his Gilmore Girls. More than that, though, he wanted to do everything he could to keep them from being hurt again.

Knowing that she had to face Christopher again before Luke came downstairs, Lorelai banged her head on Luke's chest out of frustration. "I'd better go down there before he calls Emily and plans the wedding," she said.

"Is it that bad?" he asked, getting more worried all the time.

"Oh yeah, Emily will get the 'we belong together' bug in her head and Christopher will play along. Someone plays the 'Rory needs both her parents' card and that's when we hit bottom. Someone yells, someone cries and eventually Christopher leaves."

"Hey," he said, looking into her sad eyes. "This time we'll handle it together, OK? You've got me on your side, you know that, right?"

She nodded, adding sadly, "You're probably going to be collateral damage. Just a warning."

"I'm a big boy, I can take it. Let me get dressed and I'll be downstairs in a couple of minutes." He pressed his lips to hers hard, trying to convince her it will go better this time.

Christopher jumped up with his engaging smile and guided Lorelai to a chair next to his. Not letting go of her hand, he gushed, "I just talked to Mom and she's invited us for dinner. Straub's on an international business trip, so we won't see him for a week or more."

"Sounds nice," said Lorelai reluctantly. Looking on the bright side, she said to Rory, "That's a real chance for you to get to know Francine. With Straub in the house, she never got a chance to get to know you."

Rory looked uncertain. First she was already going to have to cancel her date with Dean, now she had to go make small talk with a grandmother she didn't know at all.

Christopher piped up with, "Why don't we stay the night? We can have a sleepover at my parents' house!" He picked up his phone and called his mother back. He slowly made his way to the door due to the noise of the diner.

Rory hissed at her mother, "Mom! I don't know if I can do this! Go to a strange house and spend the whole night there?"

"Don't worry, kid. Francine's the sweetest nonentity on the planet. She won't harm you and I know she's always wanted to get to know you. If it gets really bad, you can just call Grandma and Grandpa and they'll come get you. They live only five minutes away."

"You're not going?" Rory asked, liking the idea of the sleepover less and less.

"No, sweets, you need some one on one time with your dad. I'd just be a distraction." Lorelai remembered the last unpleasantness with Christopher. "Besides, I've got a date with Luke."

"Yes, you do," said the man himself, appearing almost out of nowhere, clean and dressed in fresh clothes. As a defense mechanism against Christopher he wore one of the bank shirts rather than one of his usual worn flannel shirts.

"See, he's all dolled up for me," she giggled, clutching his arm for emotional support. "Babe, it looks like Rory's grandmother has invited her and Christopher to spend the night at her house."

"Are you up for that, Rory?" he asked. His protectiveness mode had kicked in.

"Well, I do want to spend some time with my dad," she began, "But I don't know about the whole night."

"Like I said, Rory, you can always call Emily. Or us," Lorelai said. "We're just a little farther away than your grandparents."

Lorelai's phone rang. "Speak of the devil," she moaned, looking at the display, then up at Luke. "Emily."

"Hi Mom," she answered. "Uh-huh. Yeah. Christopher's here, actually. He and Rory went to a softball game."

Lorelai flipped her hair anxiously and squeezed her eyes shut. "Uh-huh. Actually Christopher already invited Rory to go to Francine's for dinner tonight."

She looked up at the ceiling in frustration.

"Like you said, Straub is an ass. He won't be there, though, he's traveling on business, so it's just Francine. Uh-huh. Yes, Mom. No, Francine is not trying to steal Rory away from you." She rolled her eyes at Rory, who laid her head on her arms in despair.

"Oh, so Dad has a golf league dinner tonight? Well, yes, that may be a good idea, Mom. I'm sure Rory would appreciate your moral support. You'll clear it with Francine? OK, Mom, sounds good. Bye."

She flipped her phone closed and finally released Luke's arm. He winced as he rubbed the dents her fingernails had dug into his skin as she navigated the stormy seas that were Emily Gilmore.

"Grandma's going to join you at Francine's tonight, Rory." Rory breathed a sigh of relief.

Christopher came back inside, tucking his phone into his pocket. "Everything's all set. Mom's really excited. She always wanted to get to know you, kiddo," he said, nudging Rory's elbow.

He looked at Luke. "You must be Luke," he said. Luke nodded.

Christopher continued. "Great. We'll have one coke, two coffees and pie all around. Thanks." Turning to Lorelai, he added suggestively, "I've got a bottle of tequila reserved for us for later tonight." Luke stayed rooted in place.

"Oh, I'm not going. This is daddy-daughter special time," said Lorelai.

"But you have to come," he wheedled. "I thought we would catch up on old times."

"Sorry, I have plans. And I don't need to catch up. I'm good. All caught up."

"Well, cancel your plans. I'm only in town for a few days. C'mon, Lorelai, just you and me, for old time's sake."

"No, I have plans with Luke. My boyfriend Luke." She tried to casually tuck her hand into the crook of Luke's arm, only then discovering that his whole body had tensed as tight as steel. She shoved her hand harder between his elbow and his body until he realized what she was doing. She smiled at Luke, hoping he'd get the message that everything was OK. He patted her hand affectionately as an answer.

"Your … boyfriend? Diner guy?" Christopher looked stunned. Gathering himself together, he turned to Luke and said, "Sorry, man. I didn't know."

"Obviously," replied Luke.

"You guys ought to go see Stars Hollow this afternoon. Rory, why don't you show your dad the sights? Maybe go to Andrew's bookstore, check out the dance class, buy a ceramic unicorn or two," suggested Lorelai, trying to relieve the tension in the room by getting Christopher the hell out of the diner. "Oh, and here, take the keys to the Jeep," she said, grabbing her purse and fumbling for a while, eventually finding the car keys. "You'll want to use the car instead of the motorcycle if you're taking an overnight bag, Rory."

Rory thought this was a great idea and intuitively knew that the best thing for everyone was to separate the men as quickly as possible. "C'mon Dad, let's go to Dean's. I need to tell him that I have to cancel our date so I can go to Hartford with you. Maybe we can get an ice cream or something, OK?" She stood up and pulled on his hand.

"You had a date, too, tonight?" asked Christopher, looking at Rory. Turning back to Lorelai, he said, "I thought you kept your boyfriends separate from Rory's life? This doesn't look very separate to me, guys coming in and out of her life. Is that really good for Rory?"

"The rules changed when Rory was old enough to start dating herself," said Lorelai, her hackles rising. "And it's not guys, it's one guy, Luke. He's been in Rory's life just as long as he's been in mine."

"Lorelai," cautioned Luke, putting his hand on her back. "Let it go."

Ignoring him, she said, "In and out of her life? The only person who goes in and out of her life is you, Christopher! Here one day, gone the next, no forwarding address, no phone number. That's what's not good for Rory, Christopher! That's what tears her up!"

"Yeah? Well, maybe I'm here to fix it this time," Christopher said petulantly. "C'mon, Rory, let's go." He took his daughter's hand and left the diner.

Lorelai and Luke started breathing again, neither knowing when they'd started holding their breath. Both were relieved that the situation hadn't gotten any worse.

"So, that was Christopher," Luke said, giving Lorelai room to say whatever she needed to say.

"Wow. That was highly improbable." Lorelai's eyes grew big. "Outer Limits-y improbable."

"What was improbable?" he asked.

"Us getting what we wanted when it came to Emily and Christopher. Rory gets time with her dad. He didn't drag me into another 'I love you Lore' debacle which lasts all of three days before he disappears again. Emily gets to see just how Christopher behaves as a dad, and I get you. Don't forget the biggest, most unlikely thing of all."

"What's that?" Luke asked.

"You didn't throw me out of the diner when I was on my cell."

Luke looked surprised. He had been so involved in the drama of the moment that he completely forgot his No Cell Phones rule. Covering for his distraction, he said, "It was just a momentary lapse. It won't happen again." Lorelai laughed at his fake stern look, then kissed it away.

"By the way, Outer Limits was reality TV compared to the probability of those things happening all in the same day," said Luke, automatically cleaning up the dishes left on the table by the Gilmores.

"Do you know what's more improbable?" she asked in her familiar bantering voice. "Luke putting Thanksgiving decorations in the diner."

"Lorelai eating tofu."

"Luke drinking coffee."

"Or Lorelai going a day without coffee."

"Luke with a handkerchief."

"Lorelai sitting quietly for five minutes."

"Luke in a Rocky Horror Picture Show costume." She giggled at the thought of Luke in a Frank N. Furter costume, fishnet tights and corset.

"How about either one of you shutting up long enough to take my money?" groused Tom as Luke and Lorelai realized everyone near them in the diner had overheard. "My money's by the till," he said as he left.

Lorelai and Luke found themselves with a free Saturday night now that Rory had gone with Christopher to her grandmother's for the night. Nearly free, at least, because Luke was closing.

Lorelai shuttled back and forth between the Crap Shack and the diner, not quite knowing how she wanted to spend her time until the diner closed. At home, she cleaned up her room and decluttered the living room and the kitchen, knowing that they'd come back here to enjoy the comfort of her home and the freedom to do whatever they wanted when Rory was out of the house. Once that was done, she sat down and tried to take a nap, and then watch a movie, but her mind kept returning to Rory in Hartford with Christopher and their mothers.

Rory's not a baby anymore. She knows her father and has the keys to the Jeep. She can handle herself and knows to ask Emily if a real emergency happens. Funny how I can rely on Mom when it comes to Rory, but not when it comes to me. I wonder if I should have gone with them after all. What are they doing right now?

Giving up on the movie, she decided to return to the diner. She could have dinner, flirt with Luke, and visit with other regulars. Anything to make herself useful. Maybe his books need to be done again. Anything to keep me from checking up on Rory.

"Hi, handsome," she greeted Luke as she came into the diner.

"Back already?" he asked as he juggled plates on the way to a customer's table.

"I figured you couldn't live another moment without me," she smiled. "Anyway, I like looking at you."

Food safely delivered, Luke came over to her and gave her an affectionate kiss, saying, "That's true. Glad you're back."

"What can I do?" she asked. "I need to do something. Rory's with Christopher and her grandmothers, the house is clean, all my movies suck, and I need to do something."

"Pour coffee and greet guests. When that's done, bus tables. There's an apron behind the counter," Luke said hurriedly as he split his attention between the cash register and the orders sitting at the window.

Placing her purse behind the counter, Lorelai began a routine that Luke had asked her to do a couple of times before, a routine which was rapidly becoming familiar to her. She tied the starched white linen apron around her waist, wrapping the long strings around her and tying them in front. She tucked a towel through a couple of the strings, grabbed the coffee and began her rounds.

Her bright smile and engaging wit entertained the customers, at least those who didn't ask for decaf. She would invariably begin an argument about the usefulness of drinking coffee without caffeine, generally only stopped when Luke noticed and redirected her to another customer while he served the decaf with an apology.

Behind the counter, they'd developed a private dance, pretending that the tight space required that they brush up against each other as they moved from one end to the other. It wasn't just desire, though, it was love, true love, which the whole town saw as they watched the lovebirds in action. Lorelai found it 'necessary' to touch Luke on the back as she walked around the same table he was serving. He held on a little too long when their fingers touched as she passed the dirty dishes to him. They searched out each other whenever there was a moment to spare.

He smiled when she did a jig to a customer's cell phone ring tone, getting a smattering of applause when she kicked it up a notch as the poor embarrassed customer fumbled to get his phone opened and answered as he walked out the door. One last jaunt in her step was a gift to Luke's eyes alone as she cleaned the next table.

In spite of the joy she brought to his work, Luke didn't hesitate to direct her outside when her cell phone rang.

"Out!" he demanded when it looked like she was going to flaunt the rule once again. He began to wish he'd been more lenient when he heard who was calling.

"Oh, hi Mom," said Lorelai, closing the door of the diner behind her, dreading the next few minutes.

"Where are you?" Emily demanded.

"Not there, obviously," replied Lorelai.

"Clearly you are not where you should be," complained Emily. "Christopher is here with Rory, and you should be here too."

"No, that's the last place I should be."

"Why?"

"Because Rory needs time with her dad. He needs to get to know her as her father, and not just a playmate who visits every few years. He needs to introduce her to Francine. She needs to know both her grandmothers."

"No, what she needs is for you to grow up and finally marry Christopher so you can be together as a family."

"Me grow up!?" Lorelai almost shouted. "Perhaps you don't remember that I grew up the day the stick turned pink. You know, the day I became your greatest disappointment."

"You certainly didn't listen to me then, but you must listen now. Christopher is here, ready to marry you. You can finally be the family you should be. You don't know what you're missing."

"No, Mom, it's never going to happen. I am never going to marry Christopher. If you're not happy with the way things are this evening, I'll come pick up Rory, and you, Francine and Christopher can spend the rest of your evening in fantasy land."

Emily paused as an idea came into her head.

"Mom? Are you still there?" asked Lorelai.

"You know, Lorelai, you're right. Don't come. We'll be fine." Emily sounded as cool as a cucumber.

"Mom?"

"Goodnight, Lorelai, Rory will be home tomorrow," said Emily as she hung up.

Lorelai stared at the phone, wondering what had just happened.