Wow... I just finished Opportunites, and I'm already back with another story for yet ANOTHER fandom... this is insane. Well, considering it's my last story until I'm done with this semester of school, I figured I'd go out with a bang, so here's my entry for the Fan Fiction Critique Group challenge!

The challenge elements were the following:

1. Must include the phrase: "Do I have to fall asleep..."

2. Must be a minimum of 1000 words

3. Must have a maximum rating of PG 13

4. Must include a fandom you don't normally write for.

5. Must be romance, angst, or humor, or any combo of the three.

I hope you guys enjoy this story, and I know I had one hell of a time writing it. The beginning is slightly confusing, but it was fun to write mainly because it involves Christopher putting himself down in a believable setting.

And now, I'm off to bed so I can go to school tomorrow and not die of exhaustion. ENJOY!

"Do I have to fall asleep, Mommy?" Rory asked, her voice pleading. "Can't I just lay here until Santa comes?"

"No dice, Sweets. You have to go to sleep, otherwise Santa won't be able to come in the house. His magic only works when everyone's asleep." Lorelai hugged her daughter for the hundredth time that evening, praying that she would finally cave and go to sleep.

"Are you sure? Even if I pretend?"

"Sorry, but you have to really be asleep," she said regretfully.

"OK. I'll sleep."

"Goodnight, Rory," she said, kissing Rory on the forehead before lifting the sheets to tuck her in.

"Night, Mommy." The little girl turned on her side, snuggling into the pillow.

Lorelai walked out of her daughter's bedroom and was met by a mysterious figure in her kitchen. "Hey, Lor," the man said softly, apparently aware of the sleeping girl in the other room.

"Chris? What are you doing here?" She was nothing short of shocked at the presence of her ex-boyfriend in her home.

"It's Christmas. I'm here to be with my daughter."

"Since when do you care about Rory?"

"Since my place as her father started to get taken by some guy you hardly even know," he said in an angry whisper.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, lost to the point he was trying to make.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about," he said with a knowing look.

An idea formed in her mind, and she gave her ex an incredulous look. "Who, Luke? Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, you love him, not me. That's why we're divorced."

"Divorced? When were we even married?" She heard the door behind her open, and spun on her heels. Seeing her daughter fully grown, she almost fell over in shock. "Rory, what the…"

"Mom, Dad is right. You belong with Luke, not him."

Lorelai shot straight up, her mind cloudy from the sleep that was suddenly interrupted. She looked around, gathering her surroundings. She was in her bedroom: that much was easy to deduce. The man beside her took a bit of memory to understand. It was Luke. How was it Luke?

Oh, right. The party. The amazing, fantastic, beautiful, under-a-tent because of rain going away party. The one that Luke put together just for Rory. And to make me happy. Because that's what he wanted. To see Rory and me happy.

But that had been almost a year ago. They were officially reengaged, getting married in mere hours. So what was with the dream? Was she having second thoughts? Was she worried about something completely meaningless? Christopher was out of the picture, and there was no chance of him returning.

Maybe the dream was to remind her of what happened to her and Luke's previous plans of marriage. She had screwed up, big time, and needed to do a lot of soul searching before she found herself being drawn right back to Luke. No amount of persuasion was going to convince her she was right with Chris. It was only a matter of time before she was back where she belonged.

She blinked, unclear as to why she was thinking about that. She couldn't deduce why she was even awake, and was now content with the idea of going back to sleep. She needed it, if she was going to be able to walk down the aisle for her wedding. Looking at the clock fleetingly, she whispered, "Fourteen hours," before drifting back into the land of crazy dreaming.

"Rory!" she yelled, in a panic.

"What, Mom? I'm trying to get ready!"

"I can't find my shoes!"

"Did you check your feet?"

Lifting an eyebrow, she check to see if she had, indeed, put her shoes on already, but only found her feet bare. "I'm not wearing them!"

Hearing a loud groan, Lorelai watched as Rory emerged from the bedroom she had disappeared in hours earlier. "Alright, let's hurry this up. I've only got half my make-up on, and I look like Rupaul on crack!"

The older woman laughed at her daughter's unfortunate state of dress (one eyelid shadowed, lipstick not blotted, foundation not blended) before saying, "I'm sorry, Hon. I just don't know what happened to them."

"I think I may have an idea…" Rory said slowly, her eyes drifting to the corner of the living room. She broke out in a mile wide grin before saying, "Speaking of Rupaul… I wonder if he'll start bringing dogs into his act."

Turning in the direction of the younger woman's gaze, Lorelai burst out laughing. In all his eccentric glory, Paul Anka stood with his front paws slipped into the straps of her pure white heels. "Just when I think I've got that dog figured out," she breathed out between howls of laughter. She turned back to 

Rory to find her doubled over in her own fit of hysterics. "OK, go finish getting ready. I'm going to relieve the Queen of her shoes." Rory snorted once before straightening out and walking back to her room, laughing the entire time.

Turning her attention back to the cross-dressing canine, she crossed the room and pulled his paws away from them. Slipping them onto her own feet (after removing the stray drops of drool from each), she spun to face the full length mirror she had bought from Mrs. Kim. Looking at her reflection, she smiled broadly, the realization that she was finally marrying Luke more than she could handle.

"No. You cannot cry. You spent hours on your makeup, and there's no time to reap-" A knock at the door interrupted her personal scorning, and she yelled, "It's unlocked!"

"Lorelai?" came Sookie's excited voice. "I have your something borrowed and something blue!"

"Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to strangle Rory!" she whispered.

"I heard that!" Rory yelled from her bedroom. She came out of the room, her face now even and blended, and said, "And a certain someone may be a little angry if you kill your maid of honor."

"I think Taylor will survive. And I always have a back up, right Sook?"

"No, no, no. You leave me out of it. I will not let you ring me into your conspiracy!" she said, backing away from the playfully bickering mother and daughter.

"Nice try, Mom. But I was talking about Luke. Sometimes I think he loves me more than you do."

"Probably does. But I'm good at faking it, right?"

"Oh, you're a pro!" Rory said sarcastically, giving her mother a playful grin.

"OK, guys. Break it up. It's almost time to go!" Sookie said in a raised voice, forcing Lorelai to look away from her daughter with a goofy grin on her face. "Now here. This is your something borrowed," she said, passing over a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a heart hanging from the chain, "and this is your something blue." Lorelai took a small box from the overwhelming woman, who was practically bursting at the seams with excitement. "It's a pair of earrings that I bought from Luke's sister that I thought would look incredible with your dress."

Opening the box, her jaw dropped in awe at what it held. Two silver hooks held matching blue Ls, framed in silver. Liz's talent never ceased to amaze Lorelai, and she was sure this woman would become famous for her work.

"Alright, it's time," she heard Rory say, and she quickly took out the earrings she already wore and slipped in the new ones.

Giving her broadest, goofiest smile, Lorelai said, "Let's get this show on the road, girls!"

"Hi, Lorelai!" April said excitedly, already in the room where the bridal party met before the big walk down the aisle. She held a basket filled with flower petals ready to be littered amongst the carpet. Lorelai hadn't wanted to make her a flower girl, instead one of her bridesmaids, but April had insisted because it was traditional to have a flower girl in the wedding party.

"Hey, April. You look beautiful," she said honestly, admiring the young woman's light blue gown. It matched the shade of the bridesmaid dresses, but Rory's maid of honor gown was dark blue. It made her look beautiful.

Liz stood from her chair, walking over to Lorelai and giving her a sisterly hug. "I can't believe my big brother's finally marrying you." She pushed her to arms length before saying, "It took you two long enough!"

Lorelai smiled, feeling the pink tinge warming her cheeks. "Yeah, well… I'm glad I actually got here."

A knock at the door was followed by Kirk popping his head into the room with his hand covering his eyes.

"Kirk, what are you doing?" Rory asked, confused.

"It's bad luck to see the bride in her gown before the wedding," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That's for the groom, Kirk," Lorelai replied, chuckling as he removed his hand and gave her a questioning look.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now what is it?" she asked impatiently.

"Oh, it's show time," he stated. "Flower girl's up first."

With that, April hopped out of her seat and raced past Lorelai to the door. Kirk ushered her out the door and then called for each bridesmaid. "Liz, you're walking down with TJ, and Sookie, you're walking down with Jackson."

"No, really, Kirk?" Lorelai asked sarcastically.

"Yes, really," he replied, oblivious to her sarcasm.

"Wait… TJ isn't the best man?" Rory asked. Lorelai's eyes shot to her daughter, and she silently scolded herself for forgetting to tell her daughter who Luke's best man was going to be. "If he's not, then who..."

"And Rory, you're walking down with Jess."

Damn it, Lorelai thought. "Wha-" She caught her daughter's exclamation with her hand, an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Sweets. I forgot to tell you."

"You forgot to tell me that I'd be walking down the aisle with my ex-boyfriend?" she asked in a harsh whisper. "The ex-boyfriend I haven't spoken to in a year? The ex-boyfriend I kissed when I visited him in Philadelphia after I found out Logan cheated on me?"

"Wait, what?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "Looks like I'm not the only one who forgot to share something vital."

"It was nothing," Rory said in an attempt to brush off her slip of the tongue.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"It was a mistake… it didn't mean anything."

"Are you sure about that, Hon?"

"Yes," she stated lamely. "OK, no. I don't know what it meant. But it was a long time ago. He probably forgot about it."

"Chances are, if you're still thinking about it, he's still thinking about it," Lorelai pointed out just before Kirk called for Rory to get into the hall. "Just… act normal. It's not that long a walk. It'll be over before you know it."

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to walk down the aisle with someone you practically hated for a year."

"No, I have to walk down the aisle with two people I hated for most of my life," Lorelai said, dread lacing her tone. Her daughter slumped her shoulders visibly, and only straightened them after exiting the room. The door was propped now, revealing the commotion of the wedding party march. The classical music (provided by Lane Kim) played at a pleasant volume, barely audible from her distance.

"OK, Lorelai. You're up," Kirk said from the doorway, leading her out without physically touching her. She flipped her veil to shield her face, then crossed the threshold into an atmosphere thick with anxiety, and suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

Meeting up with her parents, who stood just outside the door on either side, she gave each of them a small smile through her veil. Emily gave the smallest of smiles, dried tear tracks betraying her otherwise unaffected appearance. Richard was smiling broadly to her left, not afraid to show emotion at this occasion.

And then the walk began. Lorelai's heart pounded in her chest, loud enough that she was sure her mother would turn to her and tell her to 'keep it down, the whole church can hear you're nervous!' and then come up with a plethora of reasons as to why it was incredibly inappropriate to have a heart rate above seventy-five when you're walking down the aisle at a wedding.

However, she and Richard were completely silent. No comments about her makeup or dress or choice of husband: just silence and smiles. As they turned into the aisle, Lorelai noticed Rory and Jess constantly turning their heads to look at each other. At one point, Rory spoke, and Jess replied with his signature sly grin. They spoke back and forth, either exchanging smiles or frowns at each other's comments. When they reached the end of the aisle, Rory moved to stand beside Sookie, and Jess beside Luke.

Luke. Luke was there. Luke was there, and he was smiling. Smiling at her, and she smiled back. He looked incredible, but she wouldn't let on. At least not right away. Instead, she would tease him relentlessly for the way he 'looked' in a penguin suit, and then tell him that he had a nice butt. The standard Lorelai Gilmore treatment.

As she finally reached the altar with her parents, she was shocked when her mother kissed her cheek quickly, then went to sit down. Richard helped her climb the stairs, then gently kissed her hand before stepping down to the bottom of the stairs. It was at the sight of her mother finally letting go of her stoic appearance and crying that Lorelai could no longer hold back her own tears.

"Hi," she heard Luke say, and she turned her head to face him. A knowing smile on his face made her grin through her tears. He could read her so well, and she loved that about their relationship.

"Hi," she replied, blinking away the tears so she could get through the proceedings before completely destroying her makeup. Thank God for waterproof mascara.

"You two ready," the reverend asked, receiving nods from the betrothed. "Alright then. Here we go…"

Taking a deep breath, the reverend began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to witness the joining of two of our most well known citizens, Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore, in holy matrimony.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"Her mother and I do," Richard said proudly before joining his wife in the pew.

"As Luke and Lorelai make their vows, we are privileged to witness the joyous love of two families becoming one. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort, and contentment that is known in the hearts of all God's children, and may Luke and Lorelai both look forward to the each new season of their marriage – just as a child anticipates the coming of summer vacation or winter snow.

"Luke, Lorelai, your love for each other will grow deeper with every passing day, but it's important to remember that your love stands on a foundation of genuine, mutual respect for each other. To truly love another person is to be willing to accept both their strong points and their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect.

"The vows you are about to exchange will serve as a verbal representation of the non-verbal emotions that are as real as anything that can be seen, heard, or touched. It is not the words that you will speak today that will bond you together as one, but the strength of the love and commitment found deep within your souls.

"Let us pray…"

"Where did he get this stuff?" Luke asked in a low whisper.

"Sounds like something off of a soap opera or something," Lorelai replied just as quietly.

"It's so… mushy." Luke winced, causing Lorelai to giggle softly.

"It's a wedding. It's supposed to be mush-" She stopped speaking abruptly when everyone spoke 'Amen' in unison. They returned their attention to the reverend, who gave them a look of mock-contempt at their speaking during his prayer. "Sorry," she said.

"Just don't do it again." Turning his attention to the people in the pews, the reverend said, "The bride and groom have prepared their own vows for us today. Luke, would you like to start?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." There goes Mr. Monosyllabic, Lorelai thought. She gave him a reassuring smile, recognizing the nervous look in his eye. "Lorelai, you know I'm bad with words, but I felt the only way you would truly understand how much I love you would be to write my own vows. Granted, I got a little help, but the words are mostly my own.

"I remember the day I met you. It was one of the busiest days I had ever seen working in the diner, and probably remains the busiest day in the history of it being open. You came in, in a flurry of caffeine withdrawal and pure energy, and wouldn't shut up no matter how many times I told you to wait your turn. When I had almost finally had enough, you asked what my birthday was. And minutes after I told you, you handed me a ripped out newspaper clipping with my horoscope on it. You had written under it: You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she will go away. It gave me the first reason to smile all day. From then on, you seemed to be the only reason I smiled for a long time. And every single person in town figured it out before you. But the happiest day of my life was when you figured it out yourself. You're the woman I'm meant to be with, Lorelai Gilmore. No one has made me feel the way you do, and no one ever could." Turning to the reverend, he said, "I think that's it."

"OK… Lorelai?"

"Um… wow, Luke. I didn't think you had it in you to be so… mushy," she said with a wink. He rolled his eyes, eliciting a giggle from her that brought his eyes back to hers. "So it's my turn, huh?

"I saw this quote from Gilda Radner in one of the magazines I had lying around the house, and I thought it fit us so well. 'I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.'" The words of her quote suddenly sparked a memory from her dream the night before. She fought for the vows she had worked so carefully to put together, but they were lost amongst the words of dream-Chris and dream-Rory. Taking a deep breath, she chose to wing it.

"Last night, I had a very… interesting dream. It had a few people who are very important in my life telling me what I already knew, but probably needed reinforced a time or two outside of my dreams in the past. They told me that you were the only one for me, that we belonged together and that no one else would work. If I hadn't known that before, which I did, then I woke up knowing it for sure. You were there for Rory more than Chris, giving her the father-figure she would've otherwise grown up without. Thanks to you, I was able to raise an awesome daughter, who turned out more normal than her crazy mother. But just as importantly, you were there for me. You helped raise that beautiful, incredible girl over there," she said, gesturing to Rory, who was standing five feet behind her. "Without you and your coffee, I don't know how she would've turned out. And, honestly? I don't want to know. All I know is that I love you for everything you've done for her… for us, and that's never going to change." Giving him the broadest smile that was physically possible for her, she said emphatically, "OK, done!"

"OK, then. Luke, Lorelai. By the power invested in me by the Stars Hollow Covenant Church, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Turning to the groom, he said with a wide grin, "You may now kiss your bride."

Lorelai locked eyes with Luke as he reached for the edge of her veil. He lifted it up and over the glimmering tiara she wore at the crown of her head, smoothing out the edges before moving his hands to her waist at a painfully slow pace (though, in actuality, it only took upwards of five seconds). He then pulled her to him abruptly, crashing his lips into hers for their first kiss as a married couple. She slid her arms around his neck, kissing him with more passion than she thought herself capable of.

The cheers from the guests (particularly that of Babette and Ms. Patty) drew them apart. Lorelai faced the audience with a deep blush warming her cheeks furiously. Tears were now flowing freely, and she knew they were destroying her foundation and blush. She felt a tug at her arm, and realized it was Luke pulling her to stand directly beside him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Luke Danes." With that, they felt a light push from the reverend to get them walking forward.

"Hmm…" she heard Luke hum softly.

"What is it, Hubby?" she asked playfully.

"I just like how Lorelai Danes sounds." He kissed her cheek, draping his arm across her shoulders and pulling her against him.

"Mrs. Lorelai Danes… yeah, I like the sound of that."

A/N: There is the possibility that I will write a second chapter. The only thing is that it will be from the walk down the aisle on, and into the reception. And it will not be from Lorelai's POV. It will more than likely be from Rory's. I say this because this is only a SMALL possibility, and the odds of me doing it are slim to none. I wish I could guarantee it. Honestly, I do. But I can't, only because I have no time. So, for now, this is it. But, you may want to put it on alert, just in case I do post a second chapter. But don't expect it for a REALLY LONG time.

Amanda Ruth, September 04, 2008