Disclaimer: Characters and setting belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, et al.
Fire and Ice
The air was crisp, and cold- the scent of snow, and fire, and ice filled the noses of the Stars Hollow residents who were wandering around the green on that clear, starry night.
Near the bonfire, people could be seen holding onto their loved ones, clutching cups of hot chocolate in their hands, rose-color evident on their cheeks.
The Firelight Festival was an event that Lorelai looked forward to every year. She and Rory had never missed it once since they had lived in Stars Hollow. Some years it snowed, some years it didn't, but the festival was such a magical event in itself, with its bonfire, and twinkle lights, and hanging silver star-lanterns, that it didn't really matter if there wasn't snow.
This year, Lorelai had been very disappointed to hear that Rory couldn't attend with her:
"Mom, I'm sorry, but I'm overrun with schoolwork, and this article for the paper is due tomorrow."
"No, I understand," Lorelai sighed dramatically, "You're just too busy to spend time with Mommy."
Rory could almost hear her mother pouting through the phone. "Believe me, I'd be there if I could. It's killing me that I might miss another opportunity to see Kirk get his eyebrows burned off in the bonfire, but unless you want me to fail out of Yale, I'm not going to be able to make it to the Firelight Festival this year."
Lorelai sighed, "Fine. Work hard, don't forget to take a break once in a while, and I'll talk to you later, hon."
"Bye, Mom"
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The fire was warm, and glowy, and threw a delicate light over everything surrounding it, creating a romantic atmosphere that Luke and Lorelai couldn't help but fall into together. They stood in silence, hand in hand, watching the hypnotic movements of the flames, and remembering last year's festival. Luke could never forget the look of wonder on Lorelai's face when he had given her those earrings. She had looked like a child on Christmas morning who had just received a gift that she had been wanting more than anything else. He also could never forget that look of disappointment in her eyes when he had told her that the earrings were from Liz; not from him. At the time, he shrugged it off, but now when he thinks back to it, he's sure that her disappointment was in the fact that the earrings weren't from him. And that her wide-eyed wonderment when he first gave them to her was because she had thought that he was giving them to her as some kind of special gift; It wasn't what they were, but who they were from, and what it potentially might mean.
Of course he hadn't told her the whole truth, which was that Liz had given him the option of giving them to his wife at the time, or to Lorelai, and he had chosen Lorelai. It was one small detail that might have made a large difference in their relationship, but a difference they weren't quite ready for at the time.
Lorelai was also lost in thoughts of the same event. When Luke had placed those earrings in her hand a year earlier, she wasn't sure what to think. Her heartbeat had quickened, and she remembered searching his face for what it could mean. Was he trying to tell her something with this gift? Luke wasn't normally one to give gifts. Beautiful, shiny jewelry gifts, at that. Then she remembered the sinking feeling in her stomach when he had told her that Liz was actually the one who wanted her to have them. But like any of her other feelings for Luke at the time, she quickly stored that feeling of disappointment away in a blue plastic bin in the back of her mind, only now reaching into that bin, pulling it out, and confronting it.
Lorelai, feeling so grateful that the stars aligned for them, and that she was now Luke's and Luke was now hers, reached her arm around Luke's waist and tugged him a little closer to her. He responded by dipping his head down and kissing her forehead softly.
She was wearing those earrings now. Put them on especially for him, and wondered if he had noticed.
A small smile crept across Luke's face when he thought about the fact that Lorelai had been wearing those same earrings tonight when he picked her up. She was wearing the matching necklace, too.
They glanced over at each other at the same time, then. Their eyes met, and held each others' gaze for a moment until Luke spoke up, softly.
"I was just thinking about last year's festival."
Lorelai smiled, "Mmm. Me too." Her eyes sparkled.
He tightened his arm around her waist then, as they turned back towards the dancing fire, just as they had done a year earlier. The difference was that a year earlier, Luke couldn't put his arm around her like that. Now he could, and he smiled to himself again. So did Lorelai.