A/N: I found this dialogue experiment on my hard drive from about a year ago.

"A Little"

So he's standing there, all dressed up for Rory's graduation, and he's telling me about this wonderful news, this really great news.

"Don't get married," Lorelai interrupts.

"Why do you care?"

"What? No, I don't care. I just. Care."

"Lorelai . . . I tell you I'm getting married, and that's your response? 'Don't get married'? What, you've got some other bride arranged for me, someone on back order from Russia?"

"No, Luke, I just. . . ."

"Do you not like Nicole?"

"No! She's fine."

"You got some dirt on her or something?"

"Of course not –"

"Then why don't you want me to get married? Tell me that, Lorelai."

"I just… don't think it's a good idea."

"So you're telling me to leave my girlfriend, to break any plan I have for the future, any possibility for me not to die alone, and you're not even gonna give me a reason?"

"I didn't say there wasn't a reason – there might be a reason!" She fidgets. "I don't know, I don't know if there's a reason, there might be. But I don't know if there's a reason if I haven't thought about there being a reason, because if I'd thought before that there had been a 'reason', then …."

"Then . . .?"

"Then maybe things would change between us. They might change badly. And anyway, this is silly! This is just a silly conversation, because even if I have 'a reason,' then maybe you don't have a 'reason.'"

"Lorelai." He is close now. "Why wouldn't I," he gestured, aware of the symbolic meaning the word 'reason' had taken on, but unwilling to bring the conversation into focus, "have a 'reason'?"

"Cuz . . . y'know. You make fun of my Powerpuff Girls t-shirts."

"You make fun of my flannel."

"Well, true. But you yell at me for eating junk food."

"You yell at me for eating turkey burgers."

"And you probably think I'm, like, this total flake, 'cause I'm not all 'Free Tibet' or, like, 'overthrow big business and buy an electric car!' and stuff."

"Do you see me hopping a plane to go… I dunno … do missionary work in Timbuktu?"

"Where is Timbucktu? People are always parking there or leaving things there or not doing things because they're happening there, but –"

"Lorelai."

"If there was a reason," Lorelai says, "then at least tell me, would you still ask her to marry you?"

Luke doesn't have an answer.