Epilogue – But, what about our happy ending?

Anna paced around her house, waiting and trying to calm her racing heart. Ever since Luke had called and told her he was going away for two weeks and that when he returned he would have some news that would affect their relationship, she could hardly sleep. She had suddenly felt like a teenager waiting to hear from her crush. And then when he had called today and told her he needed to see her, her heart had practically leapt out of her chest. 'This is it,' she thought. This is where Luke came over and told her he had finally left that Lorelai person and he wanted to get back together, that all her plans and dreams had finally been realized.

Just then, Anna heard the sound of Luke's old truck pull into the driveway. Though she wanted to run out the door to meet him, she walked slowly as to not appear too eager. There would be time enough for that later, she thought slyly. As she walked down the porch steps, she saw Luke getting out of his truck, looking as handsome as ever, but as he came closer, Anna saw that there was something different about him. Whenever she had seen him during the past few months, he had always appeared on edge and stressed out. Now he looked tan, well-rested, and . . . happy.

"Hey, Anna," Luke called out in his deep voice that had always made Anna a little weak-kneed.

"Hi, Luke," Anna returned. "I see you made it back from your vacation safe and sound. How was your trip?"

A smile crossed Luke's face, making him even more handsome. "It was even better than I had hoped." He paused for a moment. "That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Anna fought the urge to run to Luke and throw her arms around him. "Why don't we go sit on the porch and you can tell me all about it." As she led Luke to the porch, she asked, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thanks," Luke said as he sat down on one of the wicker chairs that were scattered all along the porch. Then without waiting for Anna to sit, he continued, "I guess the best way to start is to come right out and say it. Lorelai and I are no longer engaged."

As Anna sat down, she reached out to pat Luke's arm. Trying to sound sympathetic, she replied, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm not."

At Luke's direct response, Anna felt her hopes increase even farther. This was exactly what she had been hoping for. Again, she tried to convey a sense of compassion, though inside she was jumping for joy. "Well, as long as you are all right with it."

"Don't you want to know why Lorelai and I aren't engaged anymore?" Luke asked.

"Only if you want to tell me. But, Luke, may I say something first?"

"Go ahead."

"I never really liked Lorelai," Anna admitted, feeling good that she could finally express her true feelings towards Luke's fiancée or, should she say, former fiancée.

"Why not? It's not like you even knew her. You only met her the one time," Luke inquired as he turned to face Anna.

"I knew enough. I know her family is extremely wealthy and she grew up in the Hartford social scene. She got pregnant at 16 and then ran away from home. She's bounced from relationship to relationship, was engaged once before – to her daughter's teacher, no less – and also dated her father's business partner, all before she started dating you. And I think I recall hearing that several Stars Hollow citizens were against the two of you forming a relationship. Her daughter got arrested last year for stealing a yacht. A yacht! Then said daughter dropped out of college to organize a whole bunch of snotty D.A.R. functions. Luke, this woman was just trouble waiting to happen. She comes from a whole other world than me and you are used to and I don't think either her or her daughter would have been a good influence on ours. That's why I told her I didn't want her to be around April until after you two got married. I figured it would never get to that point because you would finally come to your senses. Thankfully you have, so now we can all move forward," Anna explained, glad Luke had finally seen the kind of woman that Lorelai Gilmore was. Man, even her name bugged Anna. What kind of name was Lorelai anyway? It just reeked of money and privilege. It was so much better for Luke to see now that he had been trying to date out of his league. Anna was so caught up in her musings, she didn't notice the anger starting to build in Luke's eyes.

"How do you know all of that? I never told you?" Luke demanded.

Anna waved her hand dismissively. "I had a friend check up on her for me. I just wanted to see what kind of person would be spending time around my daughter."

"You mean OUR daughter. And I frankly find it very insulting that you didn't think you could trust my judgment," Luke said as he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"It wasn't that I didn't think I could trust you," Anna said, using her mom tone that said she was just doing what she thought was best. "I just thought that someone who was outside of the situation might be able to give me a more objective take on it."

"Well, your friend did a lousy job of reporting back," Luke tossed back.

Anna was getting a little frustrated with Luke's attitude. She could not understand why he was getting angry with her. "Why are you getting so upset? You can't deny any of what I said is true."

"I'm not trying to deny it, and neither would Lorelai, but none of it expresses who she REALLY is. Yes, she grew up surrounded by money and privilege, but she hated it. She never felt like she fit in there because all she wanted was a normal life with parents who cared about her hopes and dreams and not about keeping up appearances. Yes, she got pregnant at 16, something she would be the first to caution and advise against. She ran away from home at 17 to give her daughter a chance to live her own life, to choose her own path without having it mandated by the Hartford society set. Lorelai worked her way up to managing a very successful inn, the same inn she started out working as a maid in. She dreamed, though, of owning her own inn, which she now does and it's even more successful than the one she managed. Rory, her daughter, grew up healthy and happy and, yes, at age 20 made a poor choice in judgment, but she learned from her mistakes. She is now back at school and has since become the editor of one of the top college papers in the nation. Lorelai instilled Rory with the desire to learn, compassion, strength of character, a strong work ethic, and the ability to dream. Lorelai herself is one of the most caring, amazing people I know and our daughter would be privileged to grow up to be anything like her," Luke said.

Anna just sat there steaming at Luke's words. How dare he say he wanted HER daughter to grow up to be anything like that woman. "If she is so wonderful, why did you break up with her?"

"I never said I did," Luke replied.

It was at that moment Anna noticed the almost smug look on Luke's face. Something wasn't right here and she was beginning to suspect her dreams were about to be shattered – again. "But you said you two were no longer engaged."

"That's right, we're not. Because I finally came to my senses and married her."

And then the other shoe dropped, the fat lady sang, and the screen faded to black. For a moment Anna couldn't breathe. Married? Luke had married her. The thing she had been fearing and dreading would happen actually had. "But what about OUR happy ending?" she inquired, almost in a whisper.

"Whose happy ending? Yours and mine? You lost out on that 13 plus years ago when I walked in on you with those guys you picked up from the bar. You talk about Lorelai bouncing from guy to guy, but at least it wasn't all at once. I know why you didn't bother to tell me about April back then and it was because you couldn't tell exactly who the father was," Luke said, the anger clear in his voice.

Clenching her jaw, Anna seethed, "Well, if you hadn't been so wrapped up in your work then maybe I wouldn't have had to go elsewhere."

"I was trying to start a new business. You knew that when we started dating so don't put your inability to commit to only one guy on me. I didn't cause you to cheat. You did that all on your own."

Anna took a deep breath to calm herself down. Luke was right. She had no excuse for how she behaved back then, but she had learned her lesson and changed. "You're right and I'm sorry, both for yelling and for how I treated you back then. There was no excuse for my actions. But I've changed a lot since them. Can't we leave all that in the past and start over again?" She hated that she could hear the pleading in her own voice.

Luke just shook his head. "No, we can't. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, ten years ago a gorgeous brunette walked in my diner and asked for coffee."

Watching the wistful smile that crossed Luke's face, Anna knew she had truly lost him. It was then she noticed the gold band that adorned the ring finger of Luke's left hand – the final nail in the coffin. "That long, huh?"

Nodding, Luke answered, "Yeah, that long." He reached into the pocket of his plaid shirt and pulled out what looked like a small card. As he handed it to Anna, he said, "This is actually why I came over. I wanted to invite you and April personally."

Anna looked at the card Luke had handed her. It read:

Luke and Lorelai Danes ask you to join

them in celebrating their recent marriage.

Since so many of their friends and

family could not attend the actual

wedding ceremony, they will be holding

a vow renewal ceremony on the steps

of The Dragonfly Inn. A reception on

the Stars Hollow town square will follow.

Date: July 1st

Time: Noon

"Exactly how committed are you both to this marriage if you already have to hold a vow renewal?" Anna asked, knowing she sounded like a spoiled child who had not gotten her way.

In a controlled tone, Luke replied, "We are both extremely committed to our marriage, but there are a lot of people who wanted to see Lorelai and I get married. Who have, for some reason, been waiting for us to, so we decided to renew our vows."

"How thoughtful," Anna tossed back in an obviously sarcastic tone. "But not to point out the obvious, but why didn't you just invite them all to the actual ceremony?"

"Because Lorelai and I got married in Las Vegas. That's where I've been. Well, there and several other places."

A sudden, almost horrific thought crossed Anna's mind. Why had Luke and Lorelai gotten married so quickly? Was it because they wanted to or because they felt they needed to due to other certain events? She was almost afraid to ask, but she had to know. "Why Vegas and why elope? Is there any certain reason you felt you needed to do that?"

"Not that it would really be any of your business, but no other reason than we didn't want to wait to get married."

"Wow, a Vegas wedding. How classy. Was Elvis there?"

Again, Luke didn't take the bait. "Lorelai said it was everything she had ever dreamed of and that was what was important. No one else's opinion matters to me." He paused for a moment. "Lorelai and I want April to be a part of the vow renewal ceremony."

"Absolutely not! My daughter will NOT be attending."

Luke jumped out of his chair. "You keep saying your daughter, but you seem to forget she's my daughter, too. You can't keep shutting me out of decisions or make them for me." Again, he paused for a moment. Finally, he said, "I want joint custody."

This caused Anna to stand up. "You want WHAT!"

"I want joint custody," Luke repeated.

"Over my dead body. You will never get any control over my child," Anna practically screamed, not believing what she was hearing.

"Anna, I'm not trying to take April away from you. I just want to be able to see her, on my own terms, and to have her spend time with the people in my life who are important to me and not have you yell at me for supposedly ruining her life," Luke replied in a surprisingly calm tone.

This only made Anna even angrier. "No, you just want to take her from me and turn her into another Lorelai. Well, I won't allow it."

"Then you will be hearing from my lawyer," Luke said as he walked down the porch steps and out to his truck. He opened the door, and then turned back to Anna. "I had really hoped it wouldn't come to this. And I'm sorry if I somehow gave you the impression that my feelings were something other than they really are. I love Lorelai. I have for years and that's never going to change."

As Luke got into his truck and drove away, Anna broke down into sobs, knowing that she was the only one to blame for throwing all her chances with Luke away thirteen years ago.

- - - - - -

Luke drove up the driveway to his house. He still couldn't get over the fact he actually owned a house. But today the trill of home ownership and arriving at said home was dulled by his fight with Anna. He knew it had been a bit cruel to bait her like he had, but he had to see if Lorelai had been right in her assessment about Anna's motives. Obviously she had been. He could not believe Anna had thought they would ever get back together. That bridge had been burned a long, long time ago and it wasn't one he EVER wanted to rebuild. And now, to top it all off, he had to find a lawyer. Man, he hated lawyers.

Sighing, Luke opened the front door and walked into the house. All he wanted to do was grab a beer, sit down, and forget today ever happened. But it appeared someone else had other ideas because he was suddenly greeted by a beautiful brunette wrapping their arms around him and whispering in his ear, "Welcome home, babe." Luke's day all at once didn't seem nearly as bad. Then it got even better when Lorelai began to kiss him. He enthusiastically returned the kiss. After several long moments, he pulled away, but still kept his wife in his arms. "That was a very nice way to be welcomed home."

Lorelai laughed softly. "Well, Donna Reed would have been waiting with a martini in hand, but if I did that, I wouldn't have been able to wrap both arms around you."

Kissing Lorelai again, Luke replied, "I would rather have you over a martini any day. Of course, I really don't like martinis, so . . ."

Lorelai playfully swatted Luke's arm. "Mean." She then paused. "Okay, spill."

"Spill what?"

"The reason the Mr. Grumpy look is back. You haven't made that face since before we got married, so I know something's happened."

Knowing Lorelai would just bug him until he told her what was wrong, Luke said, "I went to see Anna today."

Nodding, Lorelai moved from the circle of Luke's arms and led him to the couch. After they had sat down, she said, "I stopped by the diner on my way home from the inn and when you weren't there, I figured that's where you had gone. I take it things didn't go well."

"That would be an understatement," Luke snorted. "You were right, but the way."

"Of course I was. I always am," Lorelai replied, in a teasing tone. "But what about?"

"Anna wanted to get back together."

"Oh."

Something in the tone of Lorelai's voice caused Luke to look at her. He could se the fear in her eyes, but he could also tell she was trying to hide it. He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. With the other hand, he gently ran it down her face. "Hey, Mrs. Danes, I believe I told you once that was a non-issue for me. That is never going to happen, EVER. I told Anna the same thing. When she asked my why it wouldn't, I told her because 10 years ago a gorgeous brunette walked into my diner, demanded coffee, and somehow left with both coffee and my heart."

Lorelai gave Luke a bright smile, but was quiet for a moment. "And to think I almost went to Weston's that day."

"I'm glad you didn't, but I know we would have met anyhow, someway. The entire town knew we were, and are, meant to be together. Anna just needs to realize that as well."

"I guess she didn't offer any heartfelt congratulations when you told her we got married."

"No, not really. Remember the level TJ said that Liz's voice gets when she's mad, I think Anna topped it. Oh, and she thought the whole vow renewal idea was a sign we were less than committed during our first ceremony," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Like we care what she thinks, anyway."

"She's not going to keep April away from the ceremony, is she?" Lorelai asked.

"She's said she's going to try." Luke paused for a moment, debating with himself on how to bring up the whole joint custody issue. It was something he and Lorelai hadn't discussed. He hoped she wouldn't be mad at him for making the decision without talking to her first, especially since he had recommitted to his promise of being totally honest and upfront with her. "Um, Lorelai, I told Anna I want joint custody. It was something that just slipped out, but it's what I want." He was startled when Lorelai suddenly stood up. "Lorelai?"

Lorelai grabbed something from off her desk and walked back over to the couch. As she said down, she said, "I figured you would eventually come to that decision. I mean, I just assumed that was one of the reasons you agreed to us taking this house. Anyway, I know how much you hate lawyers, even more so after Nicole, but I figured we would need one. I hope you don't mind, but I talked to my dad. Here."

Luke took the piece of paper Lorelai held out to him. On it was written a name and a phone number. "What's this?"

"It's the name and number of the best family lawyer in Hartford. He specializes in joint custody cases," Lorelai replied softly. "I called him this morning and spoke with him, just about the basics. If you decide you want to go with him, all you have to do is call him and go over the rest of the details."

Luke just sat there, stunned. Why did the world have to keep reminding him that he really didn't deserve a woman this incredible? "I can't believe you did this, Lorelai."

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have just went ahead and . . ."

Realizing Lorelai misunderstood him, Luke put his finger over her lips. "I'm not mad. I'm just sitting here wondering how a jerk like me managed to get someone as amazing as you. Thank you for understanding and for taking care of this."

"You're welcome, but don't you EVER put yourself down in or out of my presence again. You are a wonderful, incredible man, Luke Danes. I consider myself to be the lucky one," Lorelai said as she cupped Luke's face with her hand.

Repeating the gesture, Luke said, "Maybe we are both the lucky ones." He then leaned over and kissed Lorelai. "So, where do we go from here?"

"I know where I'd like to go," Lorelai said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

As much as Luke wanted to take Lorelai straight upstairs, he knew they needed to get this worked out first. "Lorelai," he said in his gruff, warning tone.

Lorelai just laughed. "Oh, that's not what you meant. So sorry." Then a thoughtful look crossed her face. "I think we need to finish moving in here as soon as possible, that way we can show we'll have plenty of room for April when she stays with us. I'm sure they will need financial statements and any criminal records. We also might want to start collecting come character witnesses. Thankfully that one won't be any problem. Most of the town would be willing to help on that one."

"You've been watching 'Law and Order' again, haven't you?" Luke teased.

Lorelai laughed again. "No, it was 'Without a Trace'."

Luke chuckled as well, and then sighed. "I just wish all this wasn't so hard. Part of me wishes I had never found out about April since finding out about her has caused so much trouble, not only this whole thing with Anna, but between me and you as well," he said as he leaned forward on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees. "Man, I'm horrible."

Lorelai began to rub her hand up and down Luke's back. "Luke, you are not horrible. You are only human and it's an understandable reaction. I would think something is wrong only if you didn't feel that way. You aren't saying that you hate April, just the situation in which she was introduced into your life. You lived for over thirteen years thinking your life was one way only to suddenly find out, totally out of the blue, that it was partly a lie and a lie you weren't even responsible for telling."

"Am I doing the right thing?"

As if sensing how hard it had been for Luke to ask that question, Lorelai moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Laying her head on his shoulder, she said, "All you are trying to do is welcome your daughter into your life, to try and share it with her. You are trying to step up and be April's father, something you were robbed of for all those years."

Luke just sat there for a moment, thinking. How would his life have changed if he had found out earlier about April? What if Anna had told him when she had gotten pregnant? Would he have gone against his better judgment and renewed a relationship with her because they were going to have a child? Would he have still met Lorelai? And if he had, how would his having a child affect their relationship? How would it have affected his relationship with Rory? Would he have looked at her as a daughter figure if he had already known he had one? There were just too many what ifs, how abouts, and would haves. Then he thought of one more. What if this was the way things were supposed to have gone? Maybe he was exactly where he was supposed to be. "Lorelai, I don't know how my life might have changed if I had found out earlier about April, but I do know if this is what it took to get me and you to this point, then it is all worth it."

"I love you, Luke Danes."

Looking over at Lorelai, Luke could see the tears in her eyes, but the smile on her face showed him that she was happy. "I love you, too, Lorelai Danes."

Lorelai's smile only grew. "I am never going to get tired of hearing myself called that. It just sounds right."

Moving closer, Luke said, "I'll agree to that." And then he kissed her.

The end . . . for now.

Author's Note: If the epilogue's title made anyone think that Luke and Lorelai would not stay happy, I'm sorry. I actually did it on purpose as an attention grabber. I'm not sorry, however, for breaking Anna's heart. The more I watch the show in reruns, the more I can't stand her. I know Luke is a bit out of character during his interaction with Anna, but I wanted him to FINALLY stand up for Lorelai and to make Anna realize that it was truly over between the two of them. Anna will make an appearance in the next two sequels, though more so in the second story than in the third. Another person who likes to cause havoc will also appear. I'm also thinking of having another ghost of relationships past pop up, but only if it feels right for the story, which right now it appears that it just might. But don't worry. I'm not going to have Jason suddenly show up during the vow renewal to declare his love for Lorelai or anything like that. That would be a little too soap opera for me. I'll leave that to the writers of the show. ; )

I wanted to thank everyone who has been following this story. At last count I've had over 8,500 hits. (It looks like less because when I took off the chapter that just contained an author's note, some of the hit counts were removed.) That is far beyond my wildest imagination. I never thought anything I wrote would garner that much attention. And to everyone who has sent me a review, I want to send a special thank you. You'll never know how much your words of encouragement meant to me. They kept me going when I wanted to give up on this story. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! I'll see you all again soon!