GLORY DAYS | Luke Danes

EPISODE ZERO: Pre-pilot

Lucy Delaney never believed in fate—at least, not until she found herself driving into Stars Hollow again after more than a decade. The last time she'd been here, she was sixteen, angry at the world, and desperate to escape the suffocating grip of her father's neglect. Now, she's in her late twenties, still angry in some ways, but with a career that let her travel the country on her terms. 

As Lucy drove down an all too familiar road, past the quirky storefronts and the quaint gazebo at the center of town, she felt a strange mix of nostalgia and dread. Her stomach felt as though it was doing backflips.

Her car, a beat-up vintage Mustang she'd bought during her somewhat wilder years, sputtered as she parked outside a small diner she vaguely remembered. The sign above the door read "Luke's," and as she stepped out of the car, Lucy couldn't help but smile. It looked exactly the same as it had all those years ago—like time had frozen in this sleepy little town.

She pushed open the door, the bell above it chiming softly. The diner was bustling with the morning crowd: familiar faces, though most were older now with more wrinkles than she remembered, sipping coffee and chatting about the latest town gossip. The air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and bacon, and for a moment, Lucy felt a pang of homesickness—though not for any place she'd ever called home.

"Be with you in a minute!" a gruff voice called from behind the counter. Lucy froze. She knew that voice. It had matured, deepened with age, but it was unmistakable.

Luke Danes.

Lucy turned to face the counter, where a man in his early-thirties was pouring coffee into a customer's cup. He was tall, with the same rugged, scruffy look he'd had as a young man, though his face was more lined, his expression more guarded. He wore a backward baseball cap and a flannel shirt—practically a uniform for him, if memory served.

As Luke glanced up, their eyes met, and Lucy saw the briefest flicker of recognition in his steely blue gaze. His hand paused mid-pour, and for a split second, the world outside the diner seemed to vanish. It was just the two of them, standing on opposite sides of the counter, connected by the ghosts of the past.

"Lucy?" Luke finally asked, his voice softer, unsure. "Lucy Delaney?"

"Hey, Lucas," she replied, a small, tentative smile curving her lips. "Long time no see."

---

Flashback to the Summer of- 16 years old and full of resentment, Lucy had spent a summer in Stars Hollow that she would never forget. Back then, her father would disappear for days on end, leaving her alone in the trailer they were renting on the outskirts of town. While her father fished, drank, and did whatever it was that men like him did, Lucy would wander through the town, looking for any distraction from the loneliness that clung to her like a shadow.

She remembered the day she first met Luke. His father's hardware store had been her refuge—a place where she could escape the heat and boredom. Luke was a few years older, working the counter while his dad helped customers. He wasn't particularly friendly, but he wasn't rude either. He'd let her linger, browsing the shelves, always aware of her presence but never saying much. Lucy had been drawn to him, in a way she didn't fully understand then. He was quiet, steady—everything her life was not.

One afternoon, while her father was out, Lucy had snuck into the store's backroom, curious about the older boy who seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. She'd found him working on an old radio, his hands deftly fixing the intricate parts. They'd talked—well, she had talked, and he had listened. They never became close, but in those brief moments, she felt seen in a way she hadn't in years.