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Luke didn’t like Finn. Whenever Luke saw him he was drunk out of his mind, flirting with anything that breathed, and behaving totally inappropriately. But, Rory was smitten. Even more so than she ever was with any of her past boyfriends.
Luke wasn’t entirely sure where or how he and Rory found each other again after her and Logan split, but they did, and the two of them had been together for two whole years since.
Two years steady too, not that on and off she did with Dean and Logan.
And even though he didn’t like Finn, he had learned from the bop-it fiasco, and pretended to like him well enough. The strangest part of it all, was that Lorelai loved him. Thought he was great, and even better for Rory.
One day on the drive home from the annual Gilmore Christmas party, Lorelai pressed into him as to why he didn’t like Finn. Luke had sighed. “I just, don’t like him.”
“But why?” Lorelai was looking at him as if he was crazy.
“I don’t want to see history repeating itself.” Luke finally admitted.
“History?” Lorelai repeated.
“He reminds me of Christopher.” Luke explained. “Not taking anything seriously, partying through life, dragging Rory with him. I’d hate for him to just up and leave Rory in a situation.”
“He reminds you of Christopher ?” Lorelai asked in disbelief. “Not someone else?”
Luke took his eyes off the road and glanced at her. “Who does he remind you of?”
Lorelai watched him for another minute before she shook her head. “No one.”
I.
The first time Luke had ever seen Finn sober was the first time he visited Stars Hollow. Until then, the only times he had ever been around Finn were at Hartford socialite events that Lorelai had dragged him to. Finn had a habit of quickly getting absolutely smashed at these types of events.
It had been a lazy day at the Crap Shack, where both Luke and Lorelai didn’t have to work and were quite happy to just relax on the couch all day. Lorelai had insisted, since it was so close to Christmas, that they had to watch holiday movies all day long as they waited for that year's first snow.
It was coming, Lorelai always knew.
Just an hour or so before the snow was set to arrive, there was a knock at the door. Luke didn’t have to get up to know who it was after Lorelai squealed in surprise. “Rory!”
They got to chatting and Rory admitted to the group that she was upset about missing that year's Christmas Procession, which would be happening in a week's time. Finn had an important business trip in Sydney and Rory had decided that the procession wasn’t more important than being with Finn for the week and a half he would be in Australia.
The whole conversation seemed to put a damper on Rory’s mood. No matter what any of them said, she still seemed disappointed about missing it. When the first snow of the season finally did come, both of the Lorelais jumped up and ran outside for their yearly snow walk.
Leaving Finn and Luke alone.
Suddenly, Finn stood and grabbed the phone, calling Joe’s and ordering three pizzas for them all.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked, annoyed. He had a whole fridge full of food that he could have made.
“Just had an idea.” Was all Finn said as they waited for the pizza.
The fifteen minutes it took for the pizza to be delivered were a bit awkward as both Luke and Finn awkwardly waited. When the pizza did arrive, Finn jumped up, paid, and quickly went to the kitchen.
Out of curiosity, Luke followed. Then he was floored.
The girls got back about five minutes later. Lorelai paused as she hung her wet coat by the door. “I smell pizza!”
“In here.” Luke called from the kitchen, still shocked.
Rory walked in first and for the time since they walked in the door, she smiled so wide it completely overtook her face.
“What did you do?”
Finn handed a plate. “Festive pizza.”
“You made me a Santa pizza?”
“I was more thinking a Santa slice… Come on love, you’re the writer here. Alliteration.” Finn joked as he handed her a piece of pizza with pepperoni arranged to make a hat, olives as eyes, and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on as a beard.
“You made me a Santa slice.” Rory repeated, smiling brightly at him as she ate her pizza. “No one has ever made me something quite this disgusting looking before. I thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
II.
Finn and Rory had gotten an apartment. It was in the outskirts of Hartford, just a twenty minute drive away. A perfect distance, Lorelai had said. Close enough where Rory and Lorelai could see each other everyday, but far enough where Rory had some privacy and could find her own way in the world.
The first time Luke had been to the apartment, Finn had surprised him again. The four adults had been sitting at the island in the kitchen that also counted as a kitchen table when Rory got the call.
“Rory Gilmore.” She answered. Then she frowned. “No, sorry, I’m Lorelai Leigh Gilmore. Rory is a nickname.”
The rest of the table watched in concern as Rory’s face paled and her grip on her cup of water got tighter. “Which hospital did you say? St. Cloud. Alright. Thank you.”
Rory hung up the phone and stood. “Paris was in an accident in Cleveland, Ohio. I’m one of her emergency contacts.”
No one moved for a moment.
Rory started walking around her apartment. “I need to go. I need my keys. It’s going to be like a ten hour drive. Where are my keys?!”
Finn walked up to her and took her keys from her hand. He placed them down on the coffee table and reached for his own. “Come on, I’ll drive you to the airport and get you on Colin’s plane.”
Rory’s eyes shone with tears. “But, we have people.”
Finn rolled his eyes and picked up Rory’s keys again and handed them to Luke. “Wait for the food, pay, and lock up, yeah?”
Luke nodded, getting an odd sense of deja vu.
Finn turned back to Rory. “Come on. I’ll call Colin from the car.”
Rory was halfway out the door when suddenly she turned. “Finn, I’m-”
“I know, let’s go.” He cut her off and placed his arm around her shoulder as he led her out of the apartment to his car, already dialing on his phone.
Luke and Lorelai were left in the apartment alone. Lorelai turned to him after a moment. “Still don’t like him?”
Luke stared at the door they had left through. Why did it all feel so familiar?
III.
Paris ended up being okay. The woman on the phone had made it seem like she was docking on death's door, but in reality she was just a little bumped and bruised. Not much more than a broken arm and a concussion. Thank God.
However, her parents, who had never seemed all that interested in Paris before, suddenly decided that Paris was amazing and needed all the attention they could give her. So for Paris’s twenty-fifth birthday, they decided to throw this huge party.
One that even Luke and Lorelai had been invited to. Lorelai had always liked Paris, well, at least once she had stopped actively antagonizing Rory, so there they were, at this party.
Rory, who had been tasked by Paris’s parents to throw the party (baby steps people. Her parents were trying.) suddenly walked up to them in a panic. “I’m out of ice.”
Lorelai raised an eyebrow. “The catering company doesn't have ice?”
Rory rolled her eyes. “Nope, ran out apparently. Here if I give you some cash will you go grab a few bags?”
Luke practically jumped out of his chair, excited to have an excuse to get out of there. “Yep, let’s go.”
The three made their way to the door, to stop short at the sight. Finn and Colin each holding four bags of ice.
Rory jumped up. “You’re a vision!” Then she turned and poked her head into the main room. “Lane we have more ice!”
Lane, who Rory had hired to help out with running the party, smiled, then jokingly called to the ceiling, “hallelujah.”
“How did you know?” Rory asked.
“Saw that the caterers were running out. And figured even if there was a little more, can never have too much ice.” Finn explained.
Rory smiled and hugged him. “You’re the best.”
Rory led the two boys off to the kitchen where the ice was needed when Emily and Richard walked up behind Luke and Lorelai. Then leaning into Lorelai, Emily smiled. “He has steak eyes too.”
Lorelai snorted into her drink. “Yeah he does.”
IV.
For their third anniversary the young couple were unfortunately apart. Rory couldn’t take time off of the Hartford Gazette because of some parade going on, and Finn was stuck in Australia trying to convince his parents that his younger sister would be a much better replacement for their father than Finn would be.
To feel a little less lonely, Lorelai offered for Rory to spend the week at their house. Although a little full with both Rory and April, Luke couldn’t help but love how great it was to have both girls in the same house. Those two seemed to be getting on like a house and fire. They were always chatting, whispering, gossiping about things going on at school and in their lives.
Lorelai had even turned to him one day and frowned. “I think I’m officially out of the cool kids club. I’m just the mom now.”
Luke just laughed and put his arm around her.
The past few days had been a really good time, and were thankfully distracting Rory from missing Finn.
Until the actual day of the anniversary. They had already called each other and talked for a while, but it just wasn’t the same. It wasn’t until April got home from school that the surprise came.
“Oh my god! Rory come outside!” April called, rushing into the room they were sharing for the week, throwing her stuff down and dragging her sister out the door.
Luke and Lorelai soon joined the girls, staring with their jaws on the floor, as Colin, Robert, and Stehanie were blowing up a bounce house. Just then Rory’s phone rang.
“What do you think, love?” Finn’s voice rang through the speaker.
“I love it!” Rory answered, smiling larger than Luke had seen since Finn had left. “Why?”
“Because, while I know I like to get all melodramatic about things, I don’t want you to be upset. Happy anniversary Rory. I’ll see you in a few days. Now, enjoy the bounce house with your mum and sister.”
Rory hung up after saying goodbye and dragged April over to the castle.
Luke and Lorelai watched as their daughters laughed like crazy. Finally she turned to him. Her eyes flashed from Luke, to something over his shoulder, and back to the castle. Luke followed her gaze over his shoulder to look at the garage.
“What?” Luke asked, wanting to know what connection her mind was making.
Lorelai just smirked. “Nothing, just reminds me of when you built me the ice rink.”
Luke followed her gaze back to the garage, where the kit was stored, and frowned.
She couldn’t be implying… Could she?
V.
Something was happening. Lorelai had come home from work the day before practically bouncing off the walls, but refused to tell him why.
Lane had dragged Rory out for a girls day, something they never did, and now Finn was standing in the town square staring at the diner like it was going to jump up and eat him.
Luke frowned as Finn seemed to be gaining the courage to walk in. Was Luke really that mean to the kid? He had thought that he was doing better than he had with Dean and Logan. And, Luke begrudgingly admitted, over the past year, after really seeing the Finn that Rory saw, Luke had started to actually come to admire the kid.
Finn had shown time and time again that he did actually care for Rory.
And if anyone was going to be good enough for her, then maybe it could be someone who loved Rory as much as Finn did.
Finn finally seemed to gain enough courage to enter after about five minutes of him standing in the square. Luke nodded at him in greeting and placed a menu at the counter, in Rory’s usual spot.
But, Finn didn’t sit down, instead he walked up to the register. “Can we talk in private?”
Luke raised an eyebrow at the young man, nodded and held the curtain open as Finn walked past up to the now office and breakroom.
By the time Luke had caught up to Finn, he was standing in the center of the room looking quite out of place. “So, what can I do for you Finn?”
Finn bit the inside of his cheek for a moment. “I want to ask Rory to marry me.”
Luke felt the air leave his body. No way. Not his little girl. Not Rory. For a fraction of a second, he wanted to yell at Finn, tell him that Rory was too young, still a kid. But, he couldn’t seem to get the words out.
“And I know you don’t like me very much.” Finn continued. “But, I love Rory. I’ve always loved Rory. She is one of a kind. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And I want your blessing before I ask.”
The rushing sound in Luke’s ears finally died down, and he was calm enough to force out the question, “Why you askin’ me?”
“Because, Rory value’s your opinion. If you didn’t like me, then she might not accept me. She loves you, and you love her. You’re an important part of Rory’s family, and while Lorelai was more than happy to give me her blessing, and I’ve never even met her father, I want to go into this knowing that the two most important people in her life approve of us.” Finn answered.
Luke raised his eyebrow again. “I don’t not like you, Finn.”
“But you don’t like me. I get it. I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior in the beginning, but that’s in the past for me.” Finn explained. “I’m finally ready. I’ve got a good job in Hartford. I've convinced my father that my sister would much rather take his place instead of me. I haven’t had a drink in months, not that I’m sure if I did have a problem. But the fact that I’m questioning it makes it a problem enough. And I love her. I am so deeply in love with your daughter.” Finn rambled, finishing with a helpless look on his face.
Luke’s heart, that was finally making its way out of his stomach, skipped a beat when he called Rory his daughter. Because even though she was twenty-five and working with her own apartment. She’d always be his first kid, one of his little girls.
When Luke said nothing, Finn took a deep breath. “And I can prove how in love with her I am.” He took out his wallet and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. “You can’t tell Rory about this, at least not yet. But she gave this to me even before she and Logan were really together.”
Luke looked down at the paper in his hand. It was a gift tag that had probably been around a bottle of wine. In Rory's handwriting a message was written.
No room you’re in is ever boring. Never stop being the amazing original you are. Happy Birthday, Rory Gilmore. (Yes, we have met.)
Then Luke saw it. He saw what Lorelai had been seeing for years now. Finn wasn’t just like Christopher, unreliable and immature. Finn was him. He was Rory’s Luke. The man in her life that was dependable, there, and the one who had been in love with her from the day he’d met her.
The man who did stupid things when she was sad, the one who would drive her to the hospital when she was too overwhelmed, the one who always had just what she needed, the one who built crazy contraptions in their front yard to make her happy, the one who kept memento of when they first met, hoping and praying that she’d look away for her Hartford socialite pretty boy and finally see him.
Luke laughed. He looked up at Finn as if seeing him for the first time. He handed the gift tag to a startled looking Finn and pulled out his own wallet. Holding the horoscope out he watched as Finn gave his own amused bark.
“You have my blessing. Ask her. Just do me a favor.”
Finn raised his eyebrow. “What?”
“When she says yes, actually marry her. Don’t let anything get in the way. Marry her, love her, and make sure she’s in your life.” Luke held out his hand and shook Finn’s.
Later that night, as they were getting ready for bed at home Luke sighed. “He’s not Christopher.”
“No.” Lorelai smirked at him.
“He’s me.”
Lorelai nodded. “Yup.”
Luke closed his eyes and sunk further into his side. “He’s no prince, but at least I know he’ll treat her like a princess.”
Lorelai raised her eyebrow. “Oh really? Is that how you treat me?”
“I try to.” Luke answered simply. He opened an eye to peek at her. “Don’t I?”
Lorelai’s smirk softened. She shuffled so she was resting her head on his chest, allowing his arm to wrap around her. “Usually. But us Gilmore girls don’t like Princes. We’ve dealt with princes before. No, we like our Knights much more.”