A/N: This chapter should finish the set up for the story. It's a long one, so bear with me. I hope to be able to incorporate some of Season 3 into upcoming chapters. Thank you for your reviews, I really appreciate your feedback!
Here Comes The Son-In-Law
The following week was a busy one. Rory and Jess both started classes again, and Lorelai was swamped with a convention at the inn. Luke, on the other hand, was feeling a little lonely. He had seen less of Lorelai this week than he had seen all summer, and even less of Rory and Jess. Jess had some new girlfriend, a bottle blonde, who didn't seem to mind indulging in public displays of affection. Rory already had her nose in the books, and was talking about her college applications. He and Lorelai had spent most of Sunday morning in bed, talking, planning, kissing and basking in their newly engaged status. Then Monday came, and nothing. The girls rushed in and out of the diner before he could catch his breath. Lorelai had worked late each day, and called him half asleep each night when she got home. It was Thursday, and he was missing her. He had gotten used to being with her nearly all of the time. Logically, he knew that things would settle down. The convention had broken up last night, and tonight he planned on being at Lorelai's house as soon as he could break free from the diner. But still, Luke was feeling out of sorts.
It had been a bad day already. Dropped plates, spilled drinks, a run in with Taylor about the William's Hardware sign that still hung above the diner, and Kirk with his annoying, endless questions and unsolicited advice had set Luke's nerves on edge. Jess came in from school and gauging his uncle's lousy mood, volunteered to man the counter. Luke decided to head upstairs to grab a sandwich and have some peace and quiet.
Jess was at the counter, unconsciously mimicking Luke's propensity to compulsively clean the counter, when Rory walked in and sat down at a table. He automatically grabbed a mug and the coffee pot, and went over to her. She was pulling stacks of large envelopes from her backpack, and arranging them in some sort of order. Jess glanced down at them, and saw the logos of prestigious universities stamped in the corners of the envelopes. "Applications?" he asked, displaying his familial aversion to using too many words.
Rory looked up, startled, and said "Oh. Hi! Yeah, applications." gesturing to the pile.
Jess smirked and said, "In order of preference?"
"Of course." She retorted, as she sipped her coffee.
Jess pushed nudged the stack to fan them out a bit, noting the logos aloud "Harvard, Yale, Princeton," he listed, then raised his eyebrows, "Boston College? UConn?" he asked.
"Backups." she said shortly. "For the backups."
"Good plan." He approved, nodding.
"Are you applying?" she asked hesitantly, knowing that school was a touchy subject for him.
"Not anywhere like that." He snorted, derisively. She looked up at him, concerned. Jess just shrugged and said "I'm not sure about the whole college thing, you know? I think I might just take some classes at community college and see if I can stomach them any better than high school."
"Oh.' Rory said, relieved that he was even considering college. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Anyway, if I get a hankerin' to go to a frat party, I can always come to visit you, huh 'cuz?" he joked with her.
"Sure." She smiled, "That would be fun."
"Well, I'll let you get to it. Shout if you need a refill." He said before he went to resume his position behind the counter.
Rory worked on filling in the basic information on her applications for a while, leaving the more complicated stuff like the essays for later. She packed up her backpack, and waved to Jess on her way out.
Later that evening, Luke arrived at Lorelai's house after covering the dinner rush. His mood was a little improved by his stint in 'time out' as Jess called it, but he was still feeling antsy. He attributed it to his need for the love of a good woman. He opened the door and called "Hello?"
"We'll be down in a minute!" Lorelai shouted down to him. "Don't look at the living room, it's a mess!" Of course, he looked. She wasn't kidding. There were piles of magazines everywhere. The floor was covered with scraps of paper. There were no less than three pairs of scissors, one on the floor, one on the coffee table, and one poking dangerously from under a pillow on the couch. He moved the pair from the couch, and sat down to observe the war zone.
Lorelai came bounding down the stairs with Rory hot on her heels. "I told you not to look!" she said, a blush tinting her cheeks as she scurried to straighten up the mess.
"It was too late." He said with a sigh. "Anyway, I just wanted to sit down for a while." He smiled at her and caught her by the arm. "Aren't you going to say hello?" he asked.
"Oh! Hello!" she said, bending down to kiss him. "Tired?" she asked.
"Yeah, long day." He replied.
"I'll order a pizza." Rory said, adding some magazines to an already teetering stack on the table.
"That okay, hon?" Lorelai asked him, cocking a brow in his direction. When he nodded, she called to Rory, "Don't forget to get extra cheesy bread!" and she plopped down next to Luke on the couch, removing his cap and brushing her fingers through his hair soothingly.
"What is all this?" he asked, gesturing to the mess.
"Oh. Rory was struck by a fit of organization, and decided that we needed to start my bride book." She said with a grin.
"Bride book?" he asked.
"Yeah." She said lifting a large pink binder from the floor and showing it to him. Sure enough, there in hot pink and purple glitter script were the words 'Bride Book' written on the cover. "It's like a scrapbook you can keep of wedding ideas. Pictures of floral arrangements, dresses and stuff that you like. You can put sample menus or photographer's samples in it. Kind of an idea book, I guess."
"I see." Luke nodded his understanding. He smiled at her tenderly and said "So the planning has begun?"
"Well, not really. I mean, we need to figure out a budget and stuff, that way we can decide what is important to us and work our way back from there." She explained.
"I thought that the getting married part was what was important." He said trying to bait her.
"It is." She said, not rising to the bait. "I just wanted to gather some ideas. I want our day to be really beautiful."
"It will be." He assured her, taking her hand and kissing it.
"Just let me finish straightening this stuff up, and we can just veg out for the rest of the evening. Sound good?" she asked.
"Sounds great." He said resting his head against the back of the couch as she got up to gather her things.
Later that night, having eaten and spent the evening watching TV, joking and laughing with the girls, Luke felt like his life was back in balance again. He smirked at his reflection in the mirror as he got ready for bed. Man, you are pathetic! He mocked himself. Lorelai stepped into the bathroom and caught his amused look. "What's so funny?" she asked, curious.
"I am." He said with a self depreciating smile, "I've been a wreck all week."
"Why?"
"Because I missed you." he said picking up his toothbrush, "We spent so much time together over the summer, I guess I just got used to being with you." He began brushing vigorously, "Now look at me, four days of limited contact, and I can't seem function." He ranted with a mouth full of toothpaste.
"Apparently not." She laughed at him, "Could you please spit before you proclaim your undying love again?"
Embarrassed, Luke rinsed his mouth and stalked into the bedroom in a huff. He crawled into 'his' side of the bed and waited for her to come, pouting. When she finally emerged, scrubbed and brushed, she dove into the bed next to him, and kissed him soundly. "I missed you too. Terribly. All week long, I felt like I had a limb severed." she shook her head said with a rueful grin, "We're both pathetic."
"Well, at least we can be pathetic together." he agreed, pulling her on top of him and kissing her lustily. She trailed off to press hot, wet kisses down the side of his neck, licking and nipping at his skin. His hands were frenzied, trying to touch all of her at once. He tugged her tank top up and over her head, tossing it across the room while his other hand tugged at the elastic of her pajama pants.
Lorelai groaned, raking her nails down his chest, and grabbing the hem of his shirt to pull it off. When she had discarded the offending garment, she attacked again, blazing a line of fiery kisses down his chest and stomach. She licked around his belly button, and he moaned. "Shhh." she warned, "We're not alone anymore."
Luke's eyes popped open wide. He had forgotten that Rory was home. With a grunt of frustration, he pulled her up to him, whispering furiously "We can't do this."
"Oh, yes we can." she contradicted.
"Lorelai," he said, the mortification evident in his voice, but she cut him off.
"Oh no, Luke. It's going to happen sometime. It may as well be now." she said seriously.
"You'll just have to keep it down."
"Me?" he asked indignantly.
"Yes you, Moaning Myrtle." she said reaching down to stroke him through his pants, eliciting another moan. She smirked at him saying, "See what I mean? For such a quiet guy, you sure are loud in the sack."
"So, you're not exactly silent yourself." he accused, squeezing her butt and pulling her against him, causing her to whimper. He grinned, having won his vindication.
"Well, I say that we're doing it." she said as she slithered back down his body, pulling his sweats off as she went. She leaned over him and said, "You'll just have to suck it up and take it like a man!"
The following evening, Luke called to say that he was running late due to a kitchen catastrophe. Lorelai told him that she and Rory would pick him up at the diner, so that he would have time to shower and change for dinner with her parents. Rory was downstairs chatting with Jess, as Lorelai sat on the edge of Luke's bed watching him hurriedly attempt to tie his tie. She loved watching him get ready. I love to watch him move, so graceful for such a manly man. It must be from running track in school. She smiled at the thought. He must have been so hot in high school. I bet all of the girls wanted to date Butch Danes! His muscles were long and lean, rippling beneath his dress shirt as he struggled to get the knot right. Growing frustrated, he growled at her, "Can you help me with this thing, please?"
She stood and sauntered over to him, taking the tie from his hands and undoing the sloppy knot he had tied. "You look so handsome." she said softly. "Whenever I see you in a suit, I just want to unwrap you like a present."
"So, you want me to wear suits all of the time?" he asked, a little irritated.
"What? No!" she protested, "I like you just as you are. Anyway, if you wore them all of the time, it wouldn't be so intriguing for me." she said with a saucy grin. His irritation melted away, and he rested a hand on her hip, watching her intently as she finished knotting the tie for him. She smoothed it down, and patted his chest saying "There you go, handsome, all done."
"Thank you." he said in a raspy voice.
She looked up at him, surprised by his tone, and laughed "Oh, no you don't! Don't go getting all sexy voiced on me now, mister! We're late." she said as she pecked his lips and turned to grab her purse from the bed.
He reached out and smoothed a hand over her ass, getting her attention at once. She whirled around to find him grinning at her devilishly. "Come home with me tonight," he said, "and I'll let you unwrap me."
"Deal." she said decisively, "now get a move on!" she ordered.
"Yes ma'am." he replied as he followed her out of the apartment.
They arrived at the Gilmore mansion five minutes late, and rushed to the door. They heard Emily yell in a disgusted tone "Nevermind! I can answer it myself! Lazy, slow…" she swung the door open and plastered a smile on saying "Come in, come in." as she ushered them inside.
"Sorry we're late, Mom." Lorelai said trying to ward off the attack.
"It's my fault, Emily." Luke stepped in, "I got held up at work. I'm sorry." he apologized.
"Nonsense." Emily said in a breezy tone, "It's only a few minutes." she reassured him. "Besides," she continued as she led them into the living room, "at the pace Esmeralda is moving, we may not get to eat until ten o'clock! Richard," she called "they're here!"
Richard came out of the kitchen holing a bottle of champagne and five flutes. "Good! Congratulations to you both!"
"Oh yes! What was I thinking? Congratulations! May I see the ring?" she asked Lorelai politely. Lorelai held her hand out for them to see, and both Richard and Emily complimented Luke on his good taste in jewelry.
Finally, Richard said, "Well, enough standing around gawking, I have some champagne!" he said holding up the bottle.
"Oh, goody." Luke said under his breath.
Trying not to laugh, Lorelai covered for him, speaking loudly "Thanks Dad! Oooh, the good stuff!" she said appreciatively as she saw the label. "Better than the stuff you get at Doose's" she whispered to Luke.
"Of course it's the good stuff!" Richard replied jovially, "It's not every day a man can toast his daughter on her engagement!" he said as her poured the wine. He handed them each a glass, and raised his, "To Lorelai and Luke, we wish you great happiness." he said sincerely. They all sipped the sparkling wine, and even Luke had to admit that it was indeed better than the stuff you bought at Doose's. "Welcome to the family, son." Richard said, slapping Luke on the back.
Luke jerked a bit from the unexpected contact, but smiled fully and said "Thank you. I appreciate that."
"Come now," Emily said gesturing to the sofa, "Let's sit and relax for a moment before dinner." When they were all settled in their seats, she leaned forward and said, "Have you given any thought to a date yet?"
"Well," Lorelai tried to answer cautiously, "we have decided that we would like to get married this winter."
"This winter?" Emily asked, taken by surprise. "So soon? Can you plan a proper wedding in such a short time?"
Lorelai looked at Luke uncomfortably, but his eyes were fixed on his glass. She glanced at Rory for support, but she was studying the pattern in the carpet as if there would be a test on it. She took a deep breath and answered, "Sure. I mean, we don't plan to have a huge wedding, anyway, so it won't be too difficult to get it all pulled together."
Emily fixed her daughter with a hard stare and asked "How many are you planning to invite?"
Knowing it was a loaded question, Lorelai hesitated. Suddenly, Luke jumped to her rescue with the skill of a diplomat. "Well Emily," he said in reasonable tone, "we haven't determined the number yet. It will be mainly our friends from Stars Hollow, and of course your family and close friends. I don't have very much family left, so my side will be pretty empty." he said with a small laugh, "We just don't want it to be a big production. I guess what I am trying to say, is that we want it to be more personal, more intimate." he finished quietly.
Nodding her understanding, Emily backed down for the moment. "Do you know where you would like to have it?" she asked, trying to glean more information from her daughter.
Lorelai thought for a moment and said "I guess that we might have it at the inn. It will be winter time, so that rules out an outdoor wedding…" she trailed off as she suddenly remembered something, and grabbed Luke's arm with a gasp. "The chuppa!" she blurted.
He looked at her questioningly, and she continued "If we get married indoors, we can't use the chuppa!" she cried.
"A chuppa?" Emily asked, confused, "Are you Jewish?" she asked Luke, who shook his head in response, his eyes fixed on Lorelai's distressed face.
"No!" she tried to explain, becoming more and more agitated, "Luke carved this beautiful chuppa for me. It's gorgeous! It has grapes and leaves and a goat." she rambled, "He made it himself, hand carved all of the figures." she said proudly, "If we get married inside, we can't use it!" she said.
"Why would he make you a chuppa?" Richard wondered aloud.
"I made it for her when she was going to marry Max." Luke stated quietly. Emily's eyes flashed to Luke, and suddenly she understood. "Lorelai," he said softly, "if you want to use the chuppa, we'll use it. If I have to, I'll take it apart and put it back together again inside. We'll figure it out." He said rubbing her hand between his.
She looked at him soulfully and said "We have to use it. You made it for me. You are the one I was meant to stand under it with. We have to use it."
He nodded slowly, and said "Then we'll use it." with conviction. Rory looked at Luke with blatant admiration, smiling with relief that this was, indeed, the man for her mother.
Just then, Esmeralda appeared and announced that dinner was ready. As if by unspoken agreement, there was no wedding discussion at the table. They chatted amicably through the meal, asking about Rory's classes and about business at the inn and the diner. Emily tried to get Luke to take more food, but he politely declined. "You eat like a bird." She commented.
"That's how he stays so pretty." Lorelai quipped, batting her eyes at him.
He shot her a glare, and turned to Emily as said "I eat everything in moderation." he explained, "I tend to have several small meals throughout the day, that way, I'm not inclined to binge, like some people I know." he said pointedly. Lorelai and Rory both grinned sheepishly. "The food was delicious, though. Your chef is very talented." Luke complimented, sealing his place in Emily's good graces.
"Luke, my boy," Richard said pushing his chair back from the table, "there's a cigar in my study with my name on it. Please join me for a brandy, I would like to chat with you."
"But Richard, he hasn't even had dessert yet!" Emily protested.
"That's okay, Mom," Lorelai stepped in, "Luke doesn't eat very many sweets, 'refined sugar is bad for you!' isn't it darling?" she mimicked him mercilessly.
He glared at her, then turned to Emily and said "I'm afraid she's right, I don't have much of a sweet tooth. I'm sure Lorelai would be more than happy to eat my share. Thank you, though." Luke smiled politely as he rose to join Richard, shooting Lorelai a wary glance as he followed the older man to his study.
As they walked away, Emily wondered aloud "Is he human?"
"No, Mom," Lorelai replied cheekily, "he's a god."
"Well he certainly has willpower." Emily said admiringly, "but it's his loss, I have fondue!" she said happily.
"Oooh! Chocolate?" Rory asked excitedly.
"Of course!" Emily scoffed as she called for the maid to bring the dessert.
"Hey, Mom?" Lorelai asked tentatively, "Can I show you something while we have our dessert?"
"Why certainly, Lorelai." Emily replied, riddled with curiosity.
"Hey babe," Lorelai called to Rory, "would you get my book out of the car?" she asked.
Rory jumped up from the table and went to get the book.
"A book?" Emily asked.
"Yes," Lorelai replied, "my Bride Book. It's like an idea book for the wedding and stuff. I thought you might like to look at some of it."
Delighted to be included, Emily smiled and said "I'd love to."
The three Gilmore women poured over the pictures that Lorelai and Rory had been collecting and placing in the book. Rory had even inserted dividers into the binder, labeled with different categories like floral, bridal gowns, and such. They dipped fruit and marshmallows into the chocolate, and compared and contrasted centerpieces. They debated the merits of various favors for the guests. They struggled with the whole veil versus tiara question again, and when they came to the section with the gowns, Emily grew misty just looking at the pictures torn from magazines. Rory excused herself to go to the restroom, as Emily sat at the table staring transfixed at the book. Without lifting her head she said "He adores you."
"Yes, he does." Lorelai answered softly.
Emily looked at her daughter and said "He has loved you for a long time, hasn't he?"
Lorelai laughed nervously and asked "Why do you say that?"
Emily smirked at her and said "Come now, Lorelai. He carved a chuppa for you to marry another man under."
Lorelai ducked her head and simply said "Yes."
Emily waited for her daughter to meet her eyes and said "You are a very lucky woman, Lorelai, to be loved like that."
"Yes, I am." Lorelai admitted humbly. Rory reappeared, and caught the end of the conversation as she slid back into her chair.
Emily looked at her daughter and grand daughter carefully and said, "Luke is a very lucky man, too. He has managed to win the hearts of not only one, but two Gilmore women, I dare say."
Rory grinned at her Grandmother remembering another night when she warned Emily about messing with Luke. "Yeah," she said with a casual shrug, "we like him." And they returned to their perusal of the book.
"Trust me, Mom." Lorelai said with a smile, "Soon you will be telling him that he's too good for me."
Once Richard had poured Luke a snifter of cognac, and settled himself in his own chair, he smiled and said "Thank you."
"For what?" Luke asked perplexed.
"For asking Lorelai to call her mother. You didn't forget, and I won't forget that." Richard assured him.
"Well, it was the right thing to do, and she knew that too." Luke said simply.
Richard laughed and said "Don't be so humble! I know what a mule Lorelai can be when she digs her heels in. But you," he paused to toast Luke with his snifter, "you were able to convince her. My hat is off to you." Luke chuckled and stared at his glass. "And now," Richard said leaning forward, "now we come to another sticky wicket."
"What do you mean?" Luke asked, wondering where this was going to lead to.
"I mean, my boy, the wedding." Richard sat back and eyed Luke carefully, "Traditionally, the bride's family pays for the wedding, and we would be happy to do so." He held a hand up to ward off Luke's objections. "I know, I know. Lorelai won't want to take our money. I've heard that song before." he said ruefully.
Luke tried to figure out how he could get out of this conversation without offending Richard. He had come to genuinely like the man, and despite his faults and machinations, he respected him. He decided to tread very carefully. "Well, Richard, that tradition was established when people married at a younger age. Neither Lorelai nor I are twenty anymore. I appreciate your offer, but I think at this point in our lives, both of us would be uncomfortable accepting your money."
"I understand." Richard said with a nod, "Will you allow me this? If you decide that you would like to do something, but it does not fit within your budget for the wedding, would you please come to me? Emily and I would love to help in any way that we can, no strings attached." he assured Luke.
"Yes sir." Luke agreed, "We will."
"Good! Good. That's good." Richard said relieved.
Luke recalled his meeting with Richard in the garage when the older man kept uttering the same words, and had to take a sip from his snifter in order to hide his chuckle. Thankfully, talk turned to cars, and both men found themselves relaxing for the first time that evening.
Closing the bride book, Emily looked at her daughter solemnly. "Lorelai, may I ask you one favor?"
Uh oh, here it comes. Lorelai and Rory both thought as they exchanged a glance. "Sure, Mom." she answered cautiously.
"Would you consider, just consider, allowing your father and I to pay for your wedding gown?" she asked.
"My gown?" Lorelai repeated, her mind racing with the possible pitfalls to agreeing to the offer.
"Yes." Emily said, rushing to convince her daughter, "It can be completely of your choosing. Any gown you want. I know that you won't allow us to pay for the wedding," she said struggling to keep the defensiveness out of her voice, "But, I ask you to just think about this. It would mean a great deal to your father and to me."
"Okay Mom," Lorelai answered, "Let me talk it over with Luke. I mean, we haven't even set a budget yet, so we will talk about it, and I will let you know, okay?"
Rory sighed with relief as Emily nodded distractedly, and opened the book to the Bridal Gown section again. She traced a finger over the gown in a picture with a dreamy expression and said softly, "You are going to make a beautiful bride, Lorelai. Simply beautiful." she sighed.