ACT III Series Finale
INT. LUKE'S DINER
RORY rushes into the diner, looking for a knife to cut the cake. Just as she rushes behind the counter, JESS comes down the stairs and nearly runs into her.
RORY
(surprised)
Whoa, hi.
JESS
Hi, yourself.
RORY
What are you doing here?
JESS
Well, I heard you were graduating, so I thought I would stop by.
RORY
'Stop by'? I thought you were living in Philadelphia.
JESS
Yeah, I do… I just wanted to tell you, I think it's great you got your dream.
RORY
(frowning)
Not exactly.
JESS
(shocked)
You graduated from Yale!
RORY
(angrily)
Yeah, but what good is that if no one wants to hire me?
JESS
Rory, you are going to get a great job.
RORY
(bitter)
Not at the New York Times.
JESS
Screw the New York Times! There are other places to work; better places.
RORY
That's what Logan said, but—
JESS
Logan? You're still dating that prick?!
RORY
No, we…just broke up. He wanted to get married and…I couldn't.
JESS
You weren't meant to be a Stepford wife. And if he wouldn't wait for you, then he's an idiot. A guy should be willing to wait a hundred years for you.
RORY
What?
JESS
Rory, I've been in Philadelphia for two years. The same place. I have an apartment, a cat—
RORY
You have a cat?
JESS
Well, it's my roommate's. I'm just saying; I'm not going anywhere. The publishing stuff is going great; we're putting out three titles this year. We're making money. And I want you to know, I'll be waiting for you. If you change your mind and wanna give us a go… I mean, we need an editor. (JESS half-smiles) My grammar sucks.
RORY
(cautious)
Jess—
JESS
I'm not gonna force you this time. Rory, I get you. You need your time. You need your plans. And that's okay. But just—make sure what you do is what you want.
JESS offers a hug and RORY accepts, while looking touched.
JESS
(Whispers)
And if you decide you don't need to be dodging shrapnel to get your Pulitzer, you let me know.
RORY
(quietly)
Thanks.
JESS
(JESS gives RORY a quick kiss on the cheek)
Enjoy your party, Rory.
JESS begins walking toward the door.
RORY
Dodger! (JESS turns around) Maybe you should stay for some cake.
EXT. STAR'S HALLOW—Near gazebo
LUKE and LORELAI stand together
LORELAI
(looking around at decorations)
Luke, this is just amazing!
LUKE
(embarrassed)
It's nothing. Rory deserves it. She's a great kid.
LORELAI
I know. (sees JESS and RORY exit LUKE'S DINER and walk over to the cake table) Is that Jess?!
LUKE
Yeah, he's in town for a couple of days. He wanted to congratulate Rory.
LORELAI
(suspicious)
Congratulate?
LUKE
Jess has really changed, you know. He's grown up. I think he knows what he wants now.
EXT. STAR'S HALLOW—near cake table
JESS and RORY are getting slices of cake.
JESS
Special Topics in Calamity Physics?
RORY
(while cutting the cake)
Nope.
JESS
(desperate)
Kite Runner? You've got to have read that!
RORY
(laughing)
I have copy—I was just so busy!
JESS
Jeez, were they teaching you anything?
RORY
(waves the knife in her hand)
Yes, with textbooks!
JESS
That's it. Tomorrow, we're going to a bookstore.
RORY
(laughs and hands him a piece of cake)
Fine.
EXT. STAR'S HALLOW—Near gazebo
LORELAI is busy watching JESS and RORY and doesn't notice that LUKE has gotten down onto his knee. Slowly realizing that he stopped talking, she looks and jumps in surprise.
LUKE
(takes her hand)
Lorelai Gilmore, you are a beautiful…wonderful…amazing woman—
LORELAI
'Perfect.' You forgot 'perfect.'
LUKE
(annoyed)
Lorelai!
LORELAI
Oh, sorry. Continue.
LUKE
I love you. I always have and I always will. You are the light in my life and when you're gone, nothing's the same. I can't lose you, again. (pauses, getting choked up) And I know I can be a Scrooge—
LORELAI
If I had a nickel for every 'bah-humbug'…
LUKE
--but we can make it work. I know we can.
LORELAI
(serious)
November fourteenth.
LUKE
(confused)
What?
LORELAI
November fourteenth. It was the first day we met; my first day in Star's Hallow. I think it's the perfect day.
LUKE
(overwhelmed)
For—for—our—
LORELAI
(smiling)
Yes.
LUKE and LORELAI embrace and begin to kiss.
EXT. STAR'S HALLOW—front of Dosey's
MISS PATTY, TAYLOR, KIRK, and LULU are talking. BABBET runs up.
BABBET
Luke and Lorelai—they're back together!
MISS PATTY
What?
BABBET
They're necking over there like a couple 'a teenagers.
TAYLOR
(angrily)
Public displays of affection are simple not acceptable. I should go over there and tell those two to—
MISS PATTY
(running a hand down TAYLOR'S face)
Doll, you're just saying that because it's never you.
TAYLOR is entranced for a moment; MISS PATTY and BABBET walk away, laughing. TAYLOR, recovering, chases after them.
TAYLOR
That's not the point! What if there children were around? They would be damaged!
KIRK
(shocked)
Luke beat me, again? Dammit!
(checks his pockets)
Mom locked the ring in the safe but—
(quickly gets onto his knee)
Lulu, will you marry me?
LULU
(giddy)
Yes! Of course!
LULU hugs KIRK. Pull back to show Stars Hallow square.
INT. GILMORE HOUSE
The next morning, LORELAI walks into the house through the back door. RORY is pulling a box of Pop-tarts out from the cupboards. LORELAI holds two cups of coffee from Luke's.
RORY
Someone missed her curfew.
LORELAI
You were out pretty late, too.
RORY
(surprised; takes a cup of coffee)
How do you know that?
LORELAI
(dead-pan)
GPS. I implanted a tracking device under your skin while you were sleeping.
RORY
Mom!
LORELAI
We were upstairs. I could hear you two gossiping like schoolgirls.
RORY
(takes a sip of the cup)
We were not.
LORELAI
(does a mock-Rory voice) Gilbert Grape. (does mock-Jess voice) The Libertine. It shows his range. (mock-Rory voice) He played a drunk rake who died of syphilis. (normal voice) And what about poor Cap'n Jack?
RORY
First of all, Pirates of the Caribbean is a glorified comic book movie and, second of all, we did not argue about Johnny Depp!
LORELAI
(fake Captain Jack voice) Stop blowing holes in my ship!
RORY
So, you and Luke…?
LORELAI shows off her ring.
RORY
Oh my gosh, Mom!
(RORY hugs LORELAI)
LORELAI
November fourteenth.
RORY
(nostalgic)
The day.
LORELAI
The day. (pauses, takes sip of coffee, frowns and shakes empty cup) Oh, it's all gone. You up for Luke's?
RORY
Yeah.
RORY and LORELAI start walking toward the door
RORY
But no jokes about Jess.
LORELAI
(in fake-Jess voice as she leaves)
Never.
RORY
(laughing, walks out the door)
Mom!
QUE theme music and pan Gilmore house and Star's Hallow as RORY and LORELAI walk toward Luke's.
The End.