Smiling up at her mother, who was doing the last minute touch ups to her hair, Rory smiled. She was waited for today for nearly 10 years. She knew from the beginning that this day would come, but she had no way of knowing at 16 that it would take this long. In her heart of hearts, she knew that they had needed this time to grow apart as well as together.
First it was Jess who needed time to himself to recover from the blows life had dealt him and learn to trust those around him. The woman he should have been able to trust from the get go had been a drug abuser and did nothing to protect him from her abusive exes until the day she sent him to Stars Hollow. For the first time in his live he'd had not one but two people who he could truly rely on, although he didn't really realize it until he was sitting on a beach in Ventura after foolishly running after his father. Even that mistake had proven to be good for him in the end. Seeing that his own father had been able to turn his life around had given Jess the confidence that he could make something of himself. He'd gone on to get his GED, and eventually his associates and bachelor's degrees, double majoring in Literature and Business at Philadelphia University while he wrote and published his books and others at Truncheon.
Jess wasn't the only one who needed to grow up, although Rory had been a mature teenager, she fell of the rails a couple years into going to Yale. Still hurting over Jess' betrayal, she made mistake after mistake, sleeping first with a very married Dean, and then hooking up with and eventually dating Logan. After being dealt a fatal blow by none other than Logan's own father, she stole a yacht and was arrested. Logan who had been in scrapes like this before got off scott free, but Rory had gotten the judge who wanted to make an example out of her and endured her punishment, thankful that all she had to do was community service. She dropped out of Yale around the same time and had moved in with her grandparents, and now understood why her mother had chosen to leave all those years ago. It was then she really started to grow up again, upon completion of her community service in record time and then some her record was expunged.
While all this was happening, Jess returned and had given her one of his first editions of his book The Subsect. He had heard from Luke about what had been going on with her and gave her a piece of his mind. Although others had said the same to her before, it wasn't until he spoke them that she finally returned to Yale, working extra hard to graduate on time. Her life was by no means easy after that, there was the incident with Jess at Truncheon after which she was going to end things with Logan, but his accident delayed that. After a while, she struggled with leaving him, it wasn't until the day of her graduation when he pressed her for an answer to his proposal that she said "No" and allowed him to walk away. She and Jess had reconnected a year later when the Obama campaign trail passed through Philly, they'd been together ever since.
The proposal was so perfectly Jess; he'd been writing a book using their relationship as inspiration. Like last time, she received the first printing of the book, the only one with the dedication reading To my Booktease, will you marry me? Love, your Dodger. Her eyes had teared up as she looked up from the book to find him kneeling before her, a ring in his hand and hope in his eyes. It was the same stone that winked from her left hand today as it caught the light streaming through the windows of the Inn.
As her mother attached the tiara to her head, a tradition that had started when Lorelai agreed to wear Emily's tiara at her own wedding to none other than everyone's favorite diner owner, she felt the butterflies start to awaken in her stomach. Luke knocked on the door to inform them that the limos were waiting to take them to the church, and Lorelai helped her grab the last minute things she needed, including their bouquets. Both matched the bright tea-length, spaghetti strapped Matron of honor dress that hugged her curves, Lane had the same dress in black as her bridesmaid.
The ride to the church was thankfully short, and before she knew it, she was smiling up at the two men who were to escort her down the aisle. The two men she considered to be her fathers, Chris to her left, and Luke who was also serving as Jess' best man to her right. The doors opened as Emily stood, the rest of the congregation following suit. Rory couldn't help but noticed the grin that had spread across Jess' face as she walked toward him. The ceremony past quickly, both speaking their own vows detailing the ups and downs of their relationship and the joy at finding each other over years and many state lines. The moment he slipped the ring on her finger, promising to love her now and forever, tears of joy sprung to her eyes, causing him to quickly grab the handkerchief from his pocket to offer to her.
Her words smooth and sweet as honey washed over him as she slipped the band on his hand, promising to do the same. A cheer went up when Reverend Skinner announced them to finally be husband and wife. Jess wasted no time taking his wife into his arms to claim their first kiss as husband and wife before taking her hand and running down the aisle with her as the good reverend announced them
The reception was held in the town square; it was a beautiful summer's night. The stars shone brightly in the sky, dancing and winking as if only for them. The celestial lights were assisted by twinkle lights that were strung from every light pole and connecting to the gazeebo where Hep Alien had set up their equipment. After pictures were done, and the wedding party which included the Marianos, the Danes, and the VanGurbigs, were announced by Kirk who served as DJ and emcee until Lane and Zach had arrived.
Holding her close, Jess sang softly in her ear as they enjoyed their first dance. It was something she had always loved, something that he wouldn't do for anyone but her. He smiled as she shared father-daughter dances with Luke and Christopher, and she looked on lovingly as he shared a dance with his own mother. Although things weren't perfect, Liz had sought treatment and had been sober for 7 years now, and her relationship was improving with Jess, helped along by the bond they had over Doula.
After dinner was served, the cake cut, and bouquets and garters tossed to the appropriate groups, the happy couple were whisked away in a white limo back to the Dragonfly where they would spend their first night as husband and wife. They had decided early on to wait until they were married to sleep together, although neither were exactly virgins, and the desire and chemistry was most definitely there, they figured they had waited years already, why not wait a little longer until it was official.
Closing the door behind them, Jess claimed her lips. He went at an agonizingly slow pace when helping her out of her dress, to be rewarded by the lacy foundation wear she wore underneath. It took slightly less time to be stripped of his tux as they fell onto the bed. Making love in the moonlight that streamed through the window was more beautiful than anything they'd ever experienced before. They knew it was right, this was their forever.
"Daddy! Watch!" They were two of Jess' favorite words. Looking up from his desk he found his little Lori. Lorelai Elizabeth Mariano had been born exactly nine months to the day after he and Rory had married. She was miniature of her mother from her deep blue eyes down to her pert little nose, to her joyful, and usually talkative personality. The only thing she shared with her father was his hair, and her love of reading, which to be honest came from both of them.
His favorite times now a days were when she'd come bursting into his office at Truncheon to show him the newest dance move she learned at the ballet lessons she'd insisted on taking. He smiled watching the little girl twirl and sway, a tiara on her head, fairy wings on her back, and a leotard complete with a purple tutu completing her ensemble.
"I'm watching, Princess." He grinned at the little girl, "I'll always watch."
"Are you sure you have everything?" Jess asked, taking one last glance through the small dorm room her daughter would be sharing for the remainder of the year.
"Yes, Daddy, I'll be fine." Lori assured him as she gave him and Rory a hug.
"I'm so proud of you." Rory cried, "I still can't believe you are going to Yale, and in my first dorm of all places."
"Great grandma pulled some strings, I think." Lori laughed, "I'll miss you."
"We'll miss you too, Sweets." Rory assured the young woman. "Study hard, and don't forget to come home every weekend."
"Once a month," Lori countered, "I have to have a life, Mom."
"Every other week," Jess counter offered.
"Deal." Lori smiled, hugging her parents one last time. "I love you."
"Love you too." Her parents echoed before returning home to Hartford where they had run Truncheon Two for the past 15 years.
It had been 26 years since their baby girl had been born, and today was the day they gave her away. At least it was to someone they'd considered family, Kwan VanGurbig had fallen, hard, for their daughter in college. Something Lane and Rory found endless joy in. Jess had teared up as he escorted his little princess to the altar where she would be joined to her prince forevermore. The now elderly Reverend Skinner had come out of retirement for the event, said it was his duty after presiding over the last three Danes weddings (Luke's parents had been the first wedding the man had performed as luck would have it).
The father daughter dance had been bitter sweet as Jess and Lori danced to Cinderella, the same song Rory and Luke had danced to just over a quarter century before. Now Jess and Rory were swaying together on the floor. Luke and Lorelai to their right and Kwan and Lori to their left, Zach and Lane where on the other side of the newlyweds. "I wish this could last a hundred more years." Rory whispered to her husband.
"I don't, I want it to last forever." He kissed his wife softly as the stars smiled down on them winking and dancing once again.