❝RACHEL RETURNS❞
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ chapter twenty,
Gilmore Girls — Season One

January 19th, 2001

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

[ LUCY'S POV ]

     THE STORY OF HOW STARS HOLLOW CAME TO BE BEGINS WITH TRUE LOVE. According to the townsfolk, it starts with a beautiful girl from one county, and a handsome boy from another. They meet and they fall in love but they're separated by distance and their parents did not approve, but the young couple dreamed of the day that they could be together. They would write each other beautiful letters of longing and passion, letters full of promises and plans for the future.

     Soon the separation proved too much for either one of them to bear. So one night, cold and black, with no light to guide them, they both snuck out of their homes and ran away as fast as they could. It was so dark that they were both soon lost, and it seemed as if they would never find each other.

     Finally, the girl drops to her knees, tears streaming down her lovely face. And as she's questioning where her love is, a band of stars appear in the sky and the girl follows the path of stars until she finds herself standing right where the town gazebo is today.

     And there waiting for her was her one true love, who had also been led here by the blanket of stars.

     Now to commemorate the day that Stars Hollow came to be, the town hosts a festival that I'm expected to follow through with despite my lack of belief in the romantic story.

"People are insane," Dad says, and I look out the window of the diner to see that people are decorating the town accordingly. "The story of how the town came to be probably involved some crazy kids who escaped an asylum."

     I laugh because his story sounds more realistic. I never did believe in the story, not even as a little girl.

     "I was almost crushed by a paper-mache star," Lorelai Gilmore announces upon entering the diner, and I chuckle. "How's your day?"

     "It's looking pretty good now."

     "Coffee please, and a shot of cynicism," Lorelai begs, and I go to pour her a cup of coffee, stepping past Dad who is just as opposed to this festival as Lorelai apparently.

"Why so cheery?" Dad asks, and Lorelai glares at him, lifting her cup of coffee up to her lips.

"I don't know. I'm just in a mood."

"But there's no particular reason for this mood?"

She shakes her head. "No. You don't believe me?"

"No, I believe you. If you say there's no reason, then there's no reason." There's definitely a reason behind her mood. "Simply nuts."

"Or bipolar. That's very big nowadays," I interject, smiling widely, and Dad chuckles beside me.

We then turn our attention towards Taylor who begins speaking rather loudly to Patty. "No, Patty, you're wrong. They built the fire to throw themselves on it when their families found them."

That sounds drastic...

I sigh. "This story again?"

"Taylor, you're crazy," Patty exclaims. "They built the fire so they could stay warm their first night here!" Since we opened at seven, Patty and Taylor have been arguing over this stupid story. Honestly, neither of them actually know what happened all those centuries ago.

"Patty, I am the recording secretary for the Stars Hollow City Council. I think I know how my town was founded!" I've heard that line already.

Lorelai groans. "Can nobody talk about anything but this stupid festival?" Her voice raises in volume, and everyone turns to look at her, surprised that she was the one to say that. "That came out a lot louder than it was supposed to, didn't it?"

Me and Dad nod. "Yep."

Dad steps away to serve customers while Taylor turns his argument towards Lorelai. "This festival is commemorating the founding of our town, young lady."

"I know, Taylor. I'm sorry," she replies.

"She's bipolar," Dad chimes in, and I chuckle.

"Really? But you're so young," Patty sighs.

"Uh, can I get you two anything else?" Dad asks, and they both shake their heads, and he steps away from the table to rejoin me and Lorelai at the counter.

"I don't know what is wrong with me," Lorelai says, her head falling into her hands. "This is a beautiful festival. People should be enjoying it."

"It's a crazy festival based on a nutty myth about two lunatics who in all probability did not exist." I like my dad's version of the story much better than the one Patty and Taylor tell. "And even if they did exist, they probably dropped dead of diphtheria before age twenty-four," he claims, and Lorelai grins, her hand hitting the table as Dad rambles on. "The town Stars Hollow probably got its name from the local dance-hall prostitute or two rich drunk guys who made up the story to make it look good on a poster."

"You are full of hate and loathing and I love it." I can't believe that Lorelai Gilmore— the one who loves every single festival— is revelling in the hate and loathing.

Dad leans forward on the counter. "It's so good to have someone to share this hate with besides Luce." I don't share the same level of hatred that Dad has but I do enjoy loathing the festival from afar from time to time.

Lorelai laughs. "My pleasure." Dad pours her another cup of coffee, and I look at the clock to see when Addy will show up so we can head to school. Addy is having a private teaching session with Lisa— Tristan's sister— tonight, and Tristan is planning to stop by later to check out the festival... for some reason.

I know that I'll have to bring him to a town festival one day, but I fear he'll run for the hills when he steps foot into the cotton-candy, Founders Day punch, sing-song nightmare that are Stars Hollow festivals.

"Hey, tomorrow, if you have time, I'm planning on despising everyone who says, "Hey, how's it going?" Are you in?"

Dad turns to Lorelai and says, "You're on."

And then, as if on cue, a voice says, "Hey, how's it going?" from behind Lorelai.

"Oh, no, that's just too easy," Lorelai comments, and I laugh. I look up from my cup of coffee to look at the person who has just walked in, and my laugh dies the second I see who the person is.

Alongside me, Dad looks to the woman at the door, and his face flushes white in horror and surprise, and all he can say is, "Rachel."

"Rachel? Your Rachel?" Lorelai looks in between me and Dad, and Dad nods. Lorelai turns in her chair to look at the woman behind her, and she asks, "You're Rachel?"

"Yep, I'm Rachel."

She looks just as beautiful as she did five years ago when I first met her and told her that she was pretty. She's always been beautiful, and she's always carried this energy into a room— an energy that can light up an entire room but also suck the life out of it. I can't believe she's standing here after five years of radio silence.

"What are you— I mean, I thought you were in the Congo or Philadelphia or something." Dad stutters, his face paler than before while I just stare straight at her just in case she disappears. I almost can't believe that she's standing here after five years.

"Actually, though very similar to both the Congo and Philadelphia, I was in the mideast." She's stepping towards the counter and placing her bags down next to Lorelai who also doesn't know what to say.

Dad nods, and he looks towards me, silently begging me to say something, but I'm lost for words. "Hmm. Guess that postcard must have gotten lost," he deadpans, and I glance over at him, surprised by his words.

"Yeah. Yeah, well, things are pretty crazy over there," Rachel claims, but she's never once made an effort to reconnect with my dad. "Not a lot of writing time. But I finished up my assignment. I flew back to Chicago, and I was walking through O'Hare, and I look up, and there's a plane leaving for Hartford in, like, twenty minutes. All of a sudden, I'm on it."

"Nice story," Dad replies bluntly.

I wonder if I can just walk off... Would anyone notice?

"I should've called," Rachel realises, and I open my mouth to agree with her but Dad clasps my shoulder.

"No, you— It's fine," Dad insists, but it's definitely not fine that his ex-girlfriend is here, in our town after five years.

"You look good," Rachel comments.

It's obvious Dad is uncomfortable and he tries to stammer out a response, "Thanks. You, um, you look... You— You, uh, look..."

This feels like deja-vu, and I'm reminded of the time I first met her.

"Hi. My dad thinks you're pretty," I comment, a sweet laugh leaving my mouth.

Dad looks down at me, his lips tightening into something of a smile. My grin is wide and wicked because I want my dad to find somebody, to not be alone, and I can see that he likes this woman.

The woman laughs, her eyes moving from Dad to me. "Really? Well, that's very nice of him. I think your dad is—"

"Pretty, too?" My face beams with excitement.

Rachel smiles widely. "Yes. Pretty," she replies, her voice kind, and I nearly let out a squeal because it's finally happening.

Instead of me coming to my dad's defence, Lorelai says, "He thinks you look good, too." She looks over at Dad. "Right?"

"Right."

"And you do," Lorelai inputs, and Rachel smiles warmly at the woman beside her.

"Thank you."

The two women laugh, and I feel a little awkward standing here, watching my dad's ex bond with the woman he's been secretly in love with for years. This is some crazed story, I swear. "I'm Lorelai," she introduces.

"Oh, yeah, she's Lorelai."

"I'm Luke's friend," she tells her.

"Yeah, she, uh, works at the Independence Inn." I haven't said a word, and I know my dad needs me to say something, but I can't. I'm still at a loss because Rachel is here.

"I run it, actually," Lorelai corrects, and I chuckle awkwardly.

"Sorry, she... runs it," Dad laughs.

"Wow, I love that place. That must be a pretty big job," Rachel says, her face beaming.

"It is. It's crazy. There's always something happening." I find it amusing that my dad's ex and my dad's secret love are bonding. None of this feels real. "Why were you in the mideast?" Lorelai asks, moving the conversation on.

"I was doing a photo story on how Palestinian and Israeli families have been affected by the violence." As a kid, I never did understand what Rachel's job was, but hearing it five years later, I must say that I admire her passion.

Before Lorelai can respond, Dad snatches my arm which catches me off guard entirely. I'm pushed towards Rachel, and I nearly trip over my own feet. "Lucy!" The two women turn to me and Dad, confused. "Lucy. You... you remember my daughter, Lucy. She... she's here."

"Yes, it's nice to see you again, Lucy."

     I need to leave.

     Lorelai picks up her bag, ready to leave, and I may follow her. "I'm gonna go. I have to go sit in a closet or something. So, it was really nice to meet you."

     "Yeah, you too." Lorelai steps away and out the door, and now Rachel is alone with me and Dad who stand next to each other, still taken aback by this. "So... Hi."

     I squirm on the spot, trying to free my arm from my Dad's grip. "Dad," I hiss, and he frees my arm.

     Dad turns to Rachel. "Hi," he responds, and I look over my shoulder at the clock.

     "Uh, I gotta go to school, Dad." I turn to face him, and he looks terrified. I almost feel bad for leaving him. "It was nice seeing you again, Rachel."

     "Yeah, you too, Luce."

     I squeeze my Dad's arm. "I'll see you later. Love you."

     I know he wants me to stay, mainly so I can indulge in the awkward conversation with Rachel, but I'm itching to leave. I need to find Addy and load all the crap onto her. She'll find it hilarious, and she'll be rushing into the diner to reintroduce herself to her, I'm sure.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

I WATCH OUT THE WINDOW OF THE DINER while the Mayor gives the same yearly speech. "People of Stars Hollow and our many friends, it gives me great pleasure to preside over our annual founders' firelight festival for the thirty-second time." Applauses follow, and I'm rolling my eyes with my dad. "Many of true love has had its start right on the spot where I stand. And I don't mind telling you that at this very festival, right by this gazebo, is where I met my own true love, Miss. Dora Braithwaite. We have been married for forty-three years, and it all started right here."

"How can anyone be married for that long," I question, and Addy steps up next to me, leaning her body on a nearby table. The diner has been completely deserted, mainly due to the festivities outside, giving the three of us alone time. "Love is ridiculous."

"You have a boyfriend," Addy replies, and I shrug, not finding that to be an excuse to enjoy these things.

"Yes, I do," I sigh happily. "Speaking of him, he's on his way with Lisa."

"I'm so glad you have a cellphone now." Addy looks towards my dad, grinning widely. "I'm glad Mr. "I hate technology" caved."

Dad glares at Addy. "Quieten down, kid."

Addy and my dad are close in a very strange way. They're basically family who bicker constantly, like two cousins who only see each other every major holiday. It's hard to explain their relationship, but they're close, and it's nice to have my dad be friends with my best friend, especially when said dad hates people.

"Hey, Luke, where's Rachel?" Addy asks, obviously tormenting him because Dad hasn't spoken to Rachel since this morning.

"Get her out of my face," he insists.

"Dad, I think you should go out there and talk to her," I say, leaning against the table with Addy. "It's rude to ignore her, you know."

"Be polite, Grinch." Addy nudges Dad, and he stares down at her. "Oh, come on."

"Dad, go and talk to Rachel. See why she's really here because I guarantee she didn't just instinctively get on that plane." Rachel isn't one to go back to places she ran away from, so there's no way she's here for a good reason. Perhaps she is, but I really don't know if I believe her.

Addy moves away, picks my dad's coat up and off the counter before walking back to him. "Go and be brave, soldier," she says, shoving the jacket into his hands.

"You're insufferable."

"If you don't leave now, I'll keep pestering you until you do." Addy smiles wickedly, and I'm not all that surprised when Dad takes the coat from Addy. He can't say no to her, and he also doesn't want her to chase and pester him.

Dad shrugs his jacket on. "Just one hour," I insist, smiling politely. "Tristan will be here soon, and I better see you talking to Rachel."

"Tristan is not allowed upstairs." Dad points his finger towards me and I nod affirmatively before Dad turns and opens the door, the bell ringing above his head.

"Have fun, Luke!" Addy shouts just as the door shuts. "Oh, aren't I persuading?"

     Me and Addy watch the event unfold outside from the window, and we wait for the goddamn fire to be lit. Of course— like clockwork, every year— they fail to find the lighter, and me and Addy find ourselves growing increasingly bored.

     The fire is still unlit when Tristan and Lisa arrive at the diner. Lisa barrels in, her arms outstretched when she crashes into Addy, and the two share a warming hug.

     I step forward into the comfort of Tristan, my arms cuddling around his torso. It's been a few days since we last saw each only calling each other every other day, and I'm relieved to have him embrace me. He pushes his lips against the side of my head, and I look up to him with a sweet smile on my face. "Hi," I whisper.

He pushes his lips to mine. "Hey."

I hear the faint sounds of gagging behind me, and I turn to find that his little sister is the one behind the noises. "Hey, Lisa," I say.

"You two are gross," she claims, jutting her bottom lip out. "Can we go, Addy?"

"Absolutely." Addy slips her hand into Lisa's, and the little girl pulls her along. "Go have fun, I'll look after her, don't worry."

"I'll swing by at eight-thirty, okay?" Tristan points to his sister who pulls open the door to walk out. "Lisa, be good!"

The door shuts behind the two girls, and me and Tristan are left in the diner. Tristan slides his hand up my back, his hand cupping the back of my neck to pull me towards him. "I am happy to see you," he sighs, pushing our lips together.

"Are you ready for this?" I ask, placing a hand against his chest.

"Ready for a festival? Yeah."

I shake my head. "Are you ready for a Stars Hollow festival?" I correct, and he looks utterly confused.

"Uh, is this is a trick question?"

"A Stars Hollow festival is a whole different kind of experience," I say, and he still remains confused. "I'm just warning you now, 'kay?"

Once I pull my jacket on, I slip my hand into Tristan's and I pull him out of the diner. Even now, the fire isn't lit, and I desperately want it to light because I'm freezing. Tristan moves an arm to rest on my shoulders, and he keeps me close as we walk around the square.

We walk by the Mayor who looks at me and asks, "Are you new?" He asks me that, not Tristan.

"Harry, you've known me since I was born," I inform, and I hear Tristan snicker next to me. "I'm Luke's daughter."

"Luke?" He's known my dad since he was five, meaning he's known me my entire life. He should know who we are, but I think his memory is decaying. Bless.

I sigh, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Retire, Harry," I say softly, brushing by him with Tristan next to me.

We move towards the buffet table, and I point out the Founders Day punch. "This is Miss. Patty's Founders Day punch," I inform, nudging Tristan to look at the strange concoction of alcohol. "It's been used to remove tar from construction sites."

"I'm guessing it's strong."

"Lethal," I correct, and he grins.

"Oh, hey, I have to ask you something." I turn to him, and he takes both my hands. "There's a party on Saturday. It's hosted by one of the girl's I go to school with."

"A Chilton party?" I question.

He nods, and I smile awkwardly because the idea of a party sounds daunting, especially a party with kids I don't even know. "I know it's daunting," he says, reading my mind. "But it'd be nice to have you there, show you off." Terrifying. "You can bring Addy and Nathan if you want?"

"Uh..." I swallow the feeling in my throat.

     The annoying thing about Saturday's is that I also have a dinner with my dad— like always— and I've never skipped one, but maybe I could.

     Do I want to? No. Should I? Maybe.

     So I decide to say, "Yeah, that sounds good."

He pushes a kiss against my head, and I smile warmly. "I can pick you up."

"If Nathan comes, I can ask him."

"Well, let me take you home?" I nod, reaching my hand up and brushing my knuckles against his cheek. "Perfect."

His eyes move from me to my dad who sits with Rachel. "Who's your dad with?"

"Rachel," I tell him. "She's my dad's ex."

His eyes widen. "Oh. That's gotta be awkward, right?" They seem to be having a pleasant-ish conversation, but I also know that my dad is uncomfortable. He doesn't know why Rachel is here, and I know all he wants to do is ask. I hope he gets the closure he deserves. "She nice?"

"Yeah." She honestly is. "I liked her when I was a kid. She liked me. She's probably my favourite ex-girlfriend of my dad's... if that is a thing."

Tristan laughs because having a favourite ex-girlfriend of my dad's sounds a little ridiculous. "Your favourite ex-girlfriend of your dad's?"

"It's sounds silly," I scoff. "But it's true. She was always really nice to me, not that any of the others weren't but..." I shrug, looking over at my dad for a second. "My dad hasn't dated anyone since Rachel. I think she broke his heart, but I was too young to understand."

"You think she's gonna stick around?"

I look back towards Tristan. "Honestly, for my dad's sake, I hope she doesn't, but I can't be sure, you know?"

"Your dad hasn't dated anyone in five years?"

I shake my head. "No, and I think I'm part of the reason. He always says I'm the one he should always focus on, and I feel bad that he always chooses me over anything else."

"Well, he loves you, Luce."

"I know," I sigh, my eyes moving to find that Rachel has moved and Dad is now sitting with the one he really wants. "My God."

Tristan follows my eyes. "Who's that?"

"Lorelai Gilmore— the one my dad actually wants to be with. He's been in love with her for years." Dad denies it obviously, but I know how he really feels towards Lorelai Gilmore. Hell, the entire town knows how my dad feels towards her.

"Gilmore? Like, Rory's mom?"

I nod my head, forgetting for a second that Tristan goes to school with Rory. "The one and only," I say, waving my hand towards them.

"I'm guessing she has no idea how Luke feels."

"You guessed correctly," I laugh, wishing that my dad would just tell her. "One day I'm sure he'll tell her."

"It must be frustrating to like somebody so much and not say anything," Tristan says, and I look up at him sadly, finding that to be true.

I step towards Tristan, wrapping my arm around his torso to pull him along. He wraps his own arm around my shoulders, pulling me flush against him as we walk and gather around the fire that is finally lit. Tents and stalls surround it, but I don't want to move from the comfort of Tristan's arms and the warm fire.

Couples surround us, and I can't believe I'm a couple amongst others. I never imagined that I— Luciana Danes— would be a girl with a boyfriend, one who hasn't let go of me since he arrived. We stand with other couples, gathered around the fire, and for the first time in a long time, I actually believe the story.

I believe in the story of love forming this town, and I believe it because of the boy next to me.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

authors note:

starlight festival >>

also i do like rachel (not with luke) but i kinda like rachel ig

also the dates in this story don't actually correlate with the dates in the series. i don't know exactly what dates things happened in the series so i kinda just make it all up :)

hope u enjoyed this chapter as much as i liked writing it