Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy the ceremony.
"How do I look?" Lorelai asked as she spun around to face Rory.
Rory smiled at her mother who was know standing before her in her wedding dress that she deemed as the perfect dress. "You look beautiful. I would even say that you are the most beautiful bride there ever was."
"Aww," Lorelai said as she stepped forward and wrapped her daughter in a hug. "That's why you're my favorite daughter."
"I bet you say that to all your daughters," Rory replied.
Lorelai laughed and pulled back from the hug. "But I only mean it with you." She moved back to the mirror and quickly brushed a few stray hairs back into place. "Luke said we're supposed to be down there at 7. How much time do we have?"
Rory glanced over at the clock on the table in the room. "We have a little time," she assured her mother. "Are you nervous?"
Lorelai shook her head before she crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Not really. I thought I would be but I'm not nervous. Just ready for this to happen."
Rory smiled and sat down next to her mother. "Well it won't be too much longer and you and Luke will be married."
Lorelai sighed, a smile on her face. "Yeah." She took Rory's hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "You know I could never do this without you by my side. It's one of the reasons that we didn't run away somewhere last night and elope. I wanted you to be here for this."
"I want to be here for this," Rory replied with a smile on her face. She smirked. "Plus I don't know if I could ever forgive you if I wasn't there for your wedding day."
Lorelai just shrugged her shoulders. "You would forgive me because I just happen to be marrying a man who makes the world's best coffee."
Rory laughed. "Yes you are."
Lorelai looked over at the clock and saw that they needed to leave within the next few minutes. "So you have both of the bands?"
Rory nodded. She got up from the bed, walked across the room, and grabbed her clutch from the dresser in the room. She opened it and retrieved her mother's wedding band as well as Luke's. "They are right here," she said before putting the bands back into the clutch.
Lorelai nodded. "Okay, good." She stood up from the bed and smoothed down her dress. "We should probably go ahead and go now."
Rory grinned, "Then let's go get you married."
Lorelai laughed and looped her arm with her daughter's. They exited their room and made their journey through the Inn and outside where the elopement ceremony would take place. Lorelai and Luke discussed a few options about the elopement ceremony with an event planner at the Inn and decided that their ceremony would take place outside in the gazebo that sat out on the beach. It was secluded enough to give them the privacy they wanted for the ceremony. The ceremony was going to be short and simple, and they both wouldn't have it any other way. Luke told Lorelai that he would be waiting in the gazebo for her.
And that's exactly where he was when Lorelai and Rory found their way to the gazebo. He was standing there with the man who would be officiating the ceremony. Lorelai and Rory stopped at the end of the small bridge that sat over the sand and led to the gazebo. As soon as she locked eyes with Luke, a huge smile spread across her face.
"Should I walk ahead of you or what?" Rory asked, she turned to face her mother.
Since their arms were still looped together, Lorelai pulled her daughter close to her side. "You, my dear, are going to walk me down the aisle. Or well bridge, whatever this is. You are walking with me."
The smile on Rory's face matched her mother's, "I will be happy to walk you down the aisle."
Lorelai looked back at the gazebo and at Luke. Luke turned to the man officiating the ceremony who gave him a nod indicating that it was time to begin the ceremony. Luke gave Lorelai the same nod and a smile telling her as well that it was now time to begin.
There was no traditional wedding-march music as Lorelai and Rory walked towards the gazebo, only the soft sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. Not that it mattered to Lorelai because all she could focus on was Luke. Her eyes stay locked on his. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest with every step she took towards Luke. Nerves began to set in the closer she got to Luke but she knew that they were the good kind of nerves. The nerves that people should experience when getting married.
Luke couldn't believe just how lucky he was to be in the position he was in now. Just last night he was at risk for losing Lorelai and now here they were not even a full twenty-four hours later about to get married. He was so incredibly glad that he didn't just let her walk away and that he went after her. Who knows where they would have been if he didn't chase after her. They sure as hell wouldn't be here. Sure, they still had things to figure out but there would be nothing that they couldn't handle together.
His heart caught in his throat as Lorelai neared him. She was the most beautiful bride that he had ever seen. He already saw the dress once before but seeing it in this context was completely different. She was now wearing it just for him, a symbol of the journey that they were about to embark on. She looked even more beautiful in the dress now than she did when he first saw her in it. The smile on his face grew even wider when Lorelai and Rory stopped in front of him.
Rory let go of her Lorelai's arm and held her mother's hand out to Luke. "Your bride," she said with a smile as she looked up at the man in question.
"Thank you," Luke replied with a smile.
Luke took Lorelai's hand in his and directed her to stand directly in front of him while Rory moved to stand on her mother's side. The marriage officiant looked to Luke and Lorelai to see if they were ready to begin. When they both gave a nod of their heads, he began to speak.
"Luke, Lorelai," he addressed the couple. When he noticed the couple both looking in Rory's direction he looked to her, "And um...I'm sorry. I don't know your name. I was only told of the couple."
Rory let out a small giggle. "It's Rory."
The marriage officiant nodded. "Luke, Lorelai, and Rory, we are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, the uniting of two souls in holy matrimony. You are giving recognition to the worth and beauty of love as you join together in the vows of marriage."
Lorelai felt her eyes begin to water as she continued to look up at Luke and as the marriage officiant carried on with the ceremony. She smiled feeling Luke squeeze her hand softly.
"Today your two lives will merge together to form a very beautiful marriage. To make your marriage work, it will take love. Love is the reason that you are here today. Love should be the core of your marriage. But it will also take trust and dedication," the marriage officiant continued. "You will need to stay open with one another, to grow and share your lives together. It will also take faith and commitment to make your marriage work. You will need to hold true to the journey you are pledging today to share together."
Lorelai blinked back tears at just how true the words were. Going forward they were both going to have to be open and allow one another in. It's what she wanted to happen when April came along but Luke didn't let her in. She knew now that things would be different. They were both pledging for things to be different and they would both honor that commitment as they moved forward. Things were beginning to look up for them.
The marriage officiant then turned slightly towards Luke. "Luke, do you take Lorelai to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?"
Luke smiled as he looked at Lorelai. His voice was strong and steady as he uttered the words, "I do." He earned a bright smile from his bride.
"Lorelai," the marriage officiant said as he turned towards Lorelai. "Do you take Luke to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?"
"I do," Lorelai said. When she realized the words came out just as a whisper, she laughed and cleared her throat. "I do," she repeated, this time louder and clearer than before. She, in turn, earned a smile from her groom.
"The rings?" the marriage officiant asked.
"Oh I have those," Rory announced. She retrieved the rings from her clutch and placed them in his outstretched hand.
He handed the small silver band out to Luke. "Repeat after me," he said before reciting the vows that Luke would need to repeat in just a few seconds.
Luke held the ring between his fingers as he repeated the words. "I, Luke Danes, take thee Lorelai Gilmore to be my wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you." He slid the small band onto the finger where her engagement ring sat. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Lorelai grinned now that it was her turn. She held Luke's wedding band as the marriage officiant once again repeated the vows she would promise to Luke. She quickly wiped at a few stray tears that managed to roll down her cheek before she spoke up.
"I, Lorelai Gilmore, take thee Luke Danes to be my husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you." Lorelai easily slid the wedding band onto the correct finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Rory sniffled and wiped away the tears as she watched this wonderful moment. Her mother and Luke looked like the happiest couple in the world as they stood in front of one another, no one speaking except the marriage officiant.
"Lorelai and Luke, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, I now declare you to be Husband and Wife," he declared proudly. "Congratulations, you may kiss your bride."
Luke didn't need to be told twice as he took Lorelai into his arms and kissed her sweetly. Her arm soon wound around his neck, she kissed him back just as sweetly. To the side of them, Rory broke out in enough cheers and applause to sound as if more then just her were actually there. This caused the couple to laugh as they broke apart from one another.
"Congratulations," the marriage officiant offered before leaving the happy couple and Rory to celebrate the good news.
"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Danes," Rory said happily when the couple turned to face her.
"Oh come here you," Lorelai said before she threw her arms around Rory and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I love you sweets."
Rory sniffled again. "I love you too Mom."
After her hug with her mother ended, Rory stepped forward and gave Luke a hug. "Congratulations," she repeated. "And welcome to the family."
Luke chuckled. "Thank you Rory."
Rory pulled back from the hug and produced a digital camera from the clutch in her hands. "Okay now you two smile and act like a happy married couple."
Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelai's waist and pulled her to his side as they smiled and posed for a few pictures. Lorelai smiled and tilted her head back to look up at Luke while Rory continued to snap away pictures. Lorelai cupped the side of his face and turned him towards her. He smiled before pressing his lips to her once again. Rory captured the moment on her camera.
After snapping a few more pictures, Lorelai made sure that she and Rory had pictures together. And even took a few photos of just Rory and Luke. They set the timer on the camera to snap a few photos of the three of them as well. Once they were satisfied that they had enough pictures to put into a scrapbook, they decided that it was time to get changed out of their wedding clothes into something a little more casual and head out to a restaurant to celebrate the marriage.
"So when are you going to tell Grandma and Grandpa that you eloped?" Rory asked later that night as they sat in a restaurant enjoying the dessert that followed their dinner.
Lorelai thought back to the night in the real-estate office with her mother when she admitted that the wedding wasn't going to happen. Emily questioned her about what she meant but Lorelai quickly brushed it off and just said that she needed to get home soon. But now a wedding did happen but not how her mother would have wanted it to happen. She was extremely happy though so she wasn't going to worry too much about Emily's reaction now. Since Emily was willing to buy them a house she could be happy about the news. Then again, she might be upset that she wasn't there and that there was no wedding.
Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I'll tell them sometime soon. Maybe at our next Friday Night dinner."
"That's not for a few weeks," Rory pointed out. "Since they are on vacation."
"Well then maybe I'll call them. They will know soon enough," Lorelai explained. She thought for a moment. "How about this, I'll call them," she looked towards Luke. "Well Luke and I will call them and tell them the news over the phone once we get back in Stars Hollow. That way we can enjoy a few days here on our honeymoon."
"We'll call them when we get back," Luke agreed.
"And what about the town?" Rory asked, a sly grin on her face. "You know that they are going to be upset that they weren't there to see you two get married."
Luke groaned and Lorelai laughed. "We can find a way to make them forgive us. They couldn't stay mad at us for too long, we're fixtures in the community. Both prominent business owners."
"True," Rory agreed, "But you know they liked to be involved in absolutely everything so they are at least going to be a little upset that they weren't there."
"I may have an idea," Luke said drawing the attention of both his newly wedded wife and his now step-daughter.
"And what would this idea be, handsome husband of mine?" Lorelai asked.
"What if we were to have a party or something?" Luke suggested.
"You, Mr. Uber Monk, want to throw a party?" Lorelai asked, she was slightly amused by the situation. "You don't go to many town events and now you want to throw an event for the town?"
"We were going to have a wedding anyways," Luke explained. "This would be something similar just without all the wedding events."
"Hmm," Lorelai pondered. "It couldn't hurt. Throw a party to celebrate with everyone in Stars Hollow, we could do that."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Rory added. "I can help if you need me to help plan."
"We'll talk about it more later. But it does sound like a good idea," Lorelai agreed. She looked expectantly towards Luke. She didn't exactly want to tread those waters right this minute but she couldn't stop herself. "And perhaps we could even invite April to come celebrate with us."
Luke hesitated for just a moment. Since he and Lorelai were now married, Anna should have no problem with April hanging around Lorelai. And if she did, then he would let her know that April was his daughter too. April was now a part of his life and that meant that Lorelai would also be a part of April's life. They would work things out.
When he noticed Lorelai shift her gaze away from him, he noticed that she was trying not to look disappointed that he was taking so long to answer. He placed his fingers on his chin and turned her head towards him.
"We'll invite April. She will need to be there to celebrate with us," Luke said earning a smile of relief from Lorelai.
"You mean it?" Lorelai asked.
Luke nodded. "I definitely mean it," he said confidently. "April will be there. You two can spend some time together."
Rory smiled at her mother and Luke, the dynamics were beginning to shift in their relationship. Luke seemed willing to let Lorelai in on that part of his life that he kept hidden from her for so long now. It was about time. She never liked how unhappy her mother was these past few months, but she felt helpless like she couldn't do anything to remedy the situation. But things were beginning to remedy themselves.
"I think I'm going to head back to the Inn now," Rory announced. "Let you two have some alone time since you are newlyweds and all."
"If you sure," Lorelai replied. She didn't want to be rude and tell Rory to leave but she definitely wanted some alone time with her husband at the moment. "We can all have breakfast tomorrow before you leave."
Rory smiled. "Sounds good. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Once Rory was out of sight, Lorelai leaned closer to Luke. She trailed her hand up and down his thigh, moving higher up his thigh every time. "So Mr. Danes," she whispered in his ear. "As husband and wife, I think we have a little business to take care of tonight. A consummation of the marriage."
Lorelai giggled as Luke all but jumped up from the table and called for their waiter to bring the bill. Once the bill was paid, Luke grabbed Lorelai's hand and led her out of the restaurant. They quickly made their way to his truck and drove to the Inn.
Luke swept Lorelai up into his arms and carried her bridal-style into their room at the Inn. He strode across the room with Lorelai still in his arms. She let out a squeal as Luke dropped her onto the bed. She moved to get off of the bed but Luke hovered above her and gently laid her back down.
"I have something special that I want to change into for our wedding night," Lorelai informed him.
Luke ran his hand up her thigh, the material of her dress bunched up and moved with every motion of his hand. "You can wear it, later. I love this dress on you and I want to be the one to take it off of you."
Lorelai smiled, "I'm glad you approve of it. I bought it with you in mind." She moaned softly as Luke continued his ministrations on her thigh.
Lorelai cupped both sides of his face and pulled him up to her. She kissed him passionately, pouring all the love she felt for Luke into the kiss. They kissed until oxygen became a necessity. Luke began trailing kisses down her neck. He nibbled, licked, and sucked on all her most sensitive spots. She moaned loudly and tilted her head to the side to give him better access.
Luke moved from her neck and feathered kisses on her face before kissing her sweetly on the lips. "Hello Mrs. Danes."
Lorelai smiled brightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. "Hello Mr. Danes." She played with the small curls at the nape of his neck. "We're married now."
Luke grinned. "And I couldn't be happier."
"Me either."
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