Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Author's Note: This is just my take on a scenario we have all been waiting too long for.

Those Words

The bell rang and Lorelai yelled, "Come on in, Mom!"

"Lorelai, how can you answer the door that way? It's so improper and what if I had been a burgler or rapist?"

"Mom, I saw you drive up."

"And yet you did not meet me at the door?"

Wow, I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to our lunch together," sighed Lorelai. "I just need to run upstairs and change my skirt. I spilled – you know what? Let's not go there. I'll be right back," she called as she ran up the stairs.

Lorelai shook off her skirt and pulled another out of her closet. She jumped as she heard Emily's voice behind her.

"Is that new?"

"God Mom, you scared the hell out of me! I told you I would be right back."

"That's OK. I just wanted to see if you had done anything new to your room," said Emily as she slowly walked around the room.

"Oh I get it now. Well let me just show you then. Here is the drawer where Luke keeps some extra clothes and if you look in the bathroom, you'll see his toothbrush, razor and a few other things. That's what you were looking for, right? Well, yes he does stay here and -- what?" she asked looking at Emily's amused smile.

"That actually wasn't what I was doing, but thank you for the update. So, Luke does have a razor then?"

Lorelai decided just to ignore that comment but watched as her mother continued to survey the room and then stopped at her dresser and pointed at a wooden jewelry box.

"This is beautiful. Is it new?"

"Luke made that for me for Christmas. He said I was sure to lose something one of these days if I didn't have a way to organize my jewelry."

Emily raised her eyebrows at this, "Well, he does know you well. He really made this? He is quite talented."

"I think that he learned a lot about woodworking from his father."

"They must have been close."

"Yeah, they were," said Lorelai as she turned to hide the sadness on her face, but not before Emily noticed and gave her a thoughtful look. "OK, well I'm dressed. Let's go. I wonder what Sookie's got on the menu today."

"You know, we've eaten at the inn several times. Could we go somewhere different today?"

Sure Mom, but what's wrong with the inn? Sookie would hate to think of you eating elsewhere else."

"Oh, Sookie knows that I love her food, but I think I'd like to go to Luke's today. I haven't been there in a while."

"Are you OK Mom? Have you been possessed by some sort of anti-Emily? You know that Luke's menu consists basically of hamburgers and fries, right? And that people like Kirk and Gypsy go to the diner."

"What's wrong with Kirk and Gypsy?"

"Nothing. They are just not Emily Gilmore type of people."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing Mom. Fine – we'll go to Luke's"

"Good. I'd like to say hello to Luke anyway. It's been a while since I've seen him. I was beginning to wonder if you were still dating him."

"Yes, I'm still dating him." Lorelai couldn't hide a small smile. "I hope you don't mind walking. Since we are going to Luke's, it's not that far and it's pretty warm for February."

As they neared the diner, Emily asked casually, "It sounds like things are getting pretty serious between you and Luke?"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Lorelai, wondering where this was going.

"So what did you give Luke for Christmas?"

"Oh you know, some flannel shirts and a new spatula."

"Lorelai, can you be serious?"

"OK fine, I did give him the flannel shirts and the spatula as a joke, but I also gave him something else."

"Oh?" Emily watched as Lorelai paused, debating whether to share with her mother. "Well?"

"You are going to think it is silly, but Luke had this bag full of every flannel shirt of his that ever lost a button, or had a small tear. I think that he thought he might eventually fix them, but he had never gotten around to it. I was able to convince him to let me take the bag."

"Please don't tell me that you mended his clothes as a Christmas gift."

"No Mom, I did not mend his shirts. I – I used them to make him a quilt. He didn't really have one and--" she stopped when she saw the look on her mothers face. She couldn't quite interpret it. "What? I know it's not classy or expensive, but Luke liked it."

"I'm sure he did. It's a very thoughtful gift." She took in her daughter's surprised look and asked, "Are you in love with him?"

Lorelai just stared at her and stammered, "I—I can't – I haven't--"

"Well, exactly as I would have expected. I shouldn't have expected you to commit to someone or to share your feelings with anyone."

"No, it's not that. Mom, there's something I need to do. I'll meet you at Luke's," Lorelai yelled as she ran toward the diner.

Luke was in the middle of taking an order when Lorelai burst into the diner, grabbed his arm and dragged him into the storeroom. "Lorelai, I was in the middle of an order!" he barked grumpily.

"I'm sorry, but this is important. It couldn't wait." She smiled at him, trying to calm the annoyance in his voice.

He was confused by the urgency in her tone that seemed to contradict the sparkle in her eyes. "It couldn't have waited 30 more seconds so I could finish the order?"

"Andrew can wait a couple of minutes. This is important."

"You said that. So go ahead," he urged impatiently.

"Okay, so my Mom came to meet me for lunch and she followed me upstairs while I changed my skirt and she was snooping around even though she said she wasn't—"

"Your Mom is here? I didn't see her."

"She is on her way. We are going to have lunch, but I ran ahead because I needed to tell you something, so stop interrupting or my brain will get short-circuited and the words won't come out right."

"Fine, go ahead."

"Now I forgot…"

"Your Mom was snooping in the bedroom…"

"Right, so she saw the jewelry box and she wanted to know where I got it and I told her that you made it for me for Christmas and by the way, she really was impressed," Lorelai looked up to see Luke with a small smile. "Anyway, she started to ask questions about us and then on the way here, she asked what I gave you for Christmas, and I told her and was expecting some speech about whatever she felt was improper about me making a quilt out of flannel--"

"Are you going to get to the point soon, because I do have a livelihood waiting behind that door?

"Yes I am but this is the way that it is in my brain and so this is the way that you have to hear it."

"Okay, just go ahead then."

"So, I had just told her about the quilt, expecting that she would think it was ridiculous. But she didn't. She said it sounded like a thoughtful gift. Can you believe she said that?"

"Is that what you came to tell me, that your mother approved of your Christmas gift? Cause I think I could have made Andrew's lunch by now."

"No there's more," Lorelai said as she took a deep breath. "So then she asks me, out of the blue, are you in love with him?" She heard a sharp intake of breath from Luke and continued, "And I realized that I couldn't answer her because--." She stopped when she saw Luke's face fall and said, "No wait. The reason I couldn't answer her is because even though I have loved you for a long time and been falling more and more in love with you every moment I spend with you, I have never said it. And I couldn't say it to my mother before telling you and I couldn't wait one more second to tell you because I should have told you before, and so here goes: Luke Danes, I am totally and completely in love with you. I can't imagine my life without you in it and I just thought it was about time you knew that."

Luke just stood there in stunned silence as Lorelai leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. "Well I know I just sort of dropped that on you and you have customers and stuff so I'll just go find my Mom and let you think on that," she said with a sweet smile as she turned to leave.

"Lorelai, wait," Luke called, his voice catching a bit as he reached for her hand. "I don't need to think about anything. I've been in love with you for so long, but I just couldn't find words that were good enough to tell you how much you mean to me."

"I think that you just did," she said as she looked at him with her blue eyes shining brightly and huge grin on her face. "Aren't we the sappiest looking couple right now?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way," Luke said with a grin as wide as hers, as he took her in his arms and kissed her lovingly.

"Well, my Mom is probably here by now."

"Oh my god, your Mom! What is she going to think?"

"God only knows, but it will be an interesting conversation."

"So you just ran in here to tell him you loved him?"

"Yep."

"And what did he say?"

"Uh, he loves me too," she said smiling.

"As if that were really news," Emily said with a knowing look on her face. Then her tone got slightly more serious, "Lorelai, can you promise me something?"

"What, Mom?"

"When you and Luke get engaged-"

"Mom! Aren't you getting ahead of yourself here? Who said anything about getting engaged?"

Emily just looked at her firmly and repeated, "When you and Luke get engaged, will you please tell me? And I don't mean weeks later. I assume I won't be your first phone call, but I'd like to know before the wedding invitations go out." She then looked Lorelai in the eye and said, "Luke is not naïve enough to give you a jewelry box without some plans to fill it.

Lorelai was about to protest again, but then just stopped and smiled. "Sure Mom, you'll be the second to know."