Author's Note: It's really hard to say goodbye to this story (which might be why I've been sitting on it for the last few days). It's occupied a significant part of my brain for more than a year now and I've learned so much from writing it. Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and for sticking with my confusing format long past when other writers finished their post-finales (and went on to begin other post-finales). It means a great deal to me to have had all the support and I hope you like the way this wraps up.
KineFille, Lula Bo, and iheartbridges, I really can't thank you all enough for sticking with me (and all of my neuroses) until the bitter end. This really and truly would not have been the same story without you. Thank you so much for having been a part of this.
Luke wakes up the morning after their impromptu engagement with Lorelai snuggled next to him, her breaths still deep and slow, and her lips curved into a relaxed, sleepy smile. Her hands are clasped together in front of her, and he watches as the early morning light glints off the ring on her left hand. He can scarcely believe that, come Saturday, he'll be putting another ring on her finger. Closing his eyes in anticipation - and simultaneously adding wedding rings to the mental to-do list - he lets out a long gratified sigh.
He's still debating whether to pull her into his arms and hug her tight or to let her rest, when her eyes drift lazily open. "Morning," she mumbles, her voice thick with sleep.
"Good morning," he says softly before leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. He pulls back and takes her hands in his, and her drowsy smile grows wider as she glances down to where he is subconsciously running his thumb back and forth across the ring.
"You ready for Saturday?" she asks.
"Absolutely. You?"
"I am. I really, really am," she says, her voice soft and sure. She's been so content to just be these last weeks that he'd worried he might be rushing her, but now, seeing her quiet confidence, it's obvious she's as ready as he is.
"Good," he says, smiling warmly and lifting one hand to run the backs of this fingers along her jawline before letting out a long breath. "Speaking of which, I should get going. In addition to making sure Kirk gets properly fed today, I've got to make a few calls, set up a few things."
Lorelai chuckles. "Look at you, 'Mr. Planning a Wedding in Five Days'."
"There is a lot to do."
"I know. How about I come by the diner for lunch and we make a to-do list that would do Rory proud?"
"Sounds good." He gives her another kiss. "Go back to sleep. You'll need your strength later."
"You mean when I voluntarily call my mother to see if we can stop by to 'tell them something' - like you insisted, I might add," she says, pointing at his chest, "or when I tell Sookie she's got five days to come up with our wedding menu?" Smiling wryly at him, she adds, "Just be glad you're dealing with Kirk instead."
Later that morning, one of the first calls he makes is to Anna, asking if he can stop by to run something by her. It sounds like he's caught her off-guard, but she agrees, and during his mid-morning lull he drives over to her shop in Woodbridge.
It's been a couple of weeks since he'd talked to Anna and floated the idea of switching some of April's weekend days around if necessary. At the time she'd seemed, if not thrilled at the prospect, at least open to the possibility. Now that he's got a specific request, though, he's worried she'll deny him all together, or that in exchange she'll keep April from coming to the Project Runway finale party she's been planning with Lorelai and Rory (which she's really excited about, he grudgingly admits to himself).
Surprisingly, however, she doesn't put up a fight, instead simply stresses the special circumstances of the situation, as if to imply that he shouldn't expect the same kind of flexibility on a regular basis.
He just nods as she glances around her small shop. "Well, I should…" she gestures toward a customer browsing in the corner, "get back to work."
Luke had just nodded. "Of course." He pauses then, smiling. "And Anna? Thank you."
She gives him a small smile and shrugs. "It's not every day you get married."
He thanks her one last time, then walks out the door, relieved at Anna's uncharacteristic willingness to bend and at the way that some of the final obstacles between him and Lorelai are crumbling around them.
By the time he gets back to the diner, it's almost time for lunch. He gets through the busiest part of the rush, then sits down with Lorelai for a few minutes to make their to-do list. Before she leaves she lets him know that they're expected for cocktails with her parents. "But not dinner," she clarifies. "My mother was very clear that they couldn't change their plans for such a last minute request."
He grimaces; even knowing that her parents have been more tolerant of him lately, he's still nervous about making this announcement to them.
Lorelai stands up. "And now, I've got to go. Sookie has gone into super freak-out mode about the wedding dinner. She's been experimenting all morning, and I just know that she's going to accidentally serve balsamic cream sauce over the raspberry truffle cheesecake if I don't get back to watch her."
Knowing Sookie, Luke has no trouble imagining that particular scenario. Laughing, he offers, "You know, if it's too much for her, we can hire another caterer."
"And have her take up voodoo so that she can start practicing on me?" Lorelai jokes. "No thanks." Her expression grows serious. "The thing is, she wants to do it and it's only, what, fourteen people? " She sighs. "But you know Sookie."
"Yeah, I do," he agrees. "So, I'll pick you up at the inn?"
"Sounds good," Lorelai says, leaning in for a kiss before heading out the door. "I'll be the one muttering like Dustin Hoffman in Rainman, practicing comebacks for all of the possible complaints my mother will have."
Luke spends the remainder of the afternoon - when he's not serving a particularly large flood of lunchtime customers - confirming plans with Reverend Skinner, playing phone tag as he attempts to track down Jess, listening to April fret multiple times over the phone about not having anything appropriate to wear, and listening to several rounds of 'Finally!' and 'What took you so long?' when he invites Liz and T.J. When it's time to change and go pick up Lorelai, he's almost relieved to be leaving the diner, even though it means facing Lorelai's parents.
She jokes one last time before getting in the truck that they don't need to do this, that they could call, or email, send a smoke signal even. He just shakes his head while she settles into her seat.
Lorelai is quiet as they set out, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as Luke watches her. He knows she'd never admit to it, but he can see optimism in the nervous smile she gives him when he catches her eye. Her relationship with her parents has bruised her in more ways than one and this time, he thinks, she's hoping for their goodwill, their happiness for her.
Her words come suddenly out of the silence. "She's going to want to plan it, you know." He glances over at her and she's looking at him across her shoulder.
"What's to plan? We've got a few things on our to-do list, but it's not like she can talk Sookie off her ledge."
"Flowers," Lorelai says abruptly.
"What?"
"Flowers."
"But that's not even on our list," he protests.
"Which will make my mother fourteen kinds of crazy." She's still looking at him sideways and her head tips forward a bit as she pauses. "So she can do them." Nodding slightly, she continues speaking, but softly this time, as if she's mumbling to herself. "She'll insist on doing something and this way we won't have to fight about it. She can just do the flowers. Check." She mimics checking something off a list and he sees her let out a breath, relieved to be prepared, with one possible objection already addressed.
It's broken the ice, at least, and so they're able to talk lightly all the way there, Luke filling her in on April's wardrobe concerns and describing Liz's hysterics when he'd told her about the wedding.
When they pull into the driveway and Luke turns off the engine, they both look at each other and take exaggerated breaths before getting out of the truck. Lorelai reaches for his hand as they walk to the door and when he takes it he gives it a squeeze, feeling the sharp stone of her ring and giving her a reassuring smile.
Emily comes to the door herself, ushering them in and handing their coats off to the maid. "There you are," she says, the 'finally' unspoken, though they've arrived at exactly the time specified. "Richard is already in the living room, mixing up the martinis. I'm not sure we have any beer, Luke. We weren't planning on having you two stop by today."
He pauses ever so slightly, because he's never really understood the appeal of a martini, but after one look at Lorelai's tightly clenched fists he decides that he can be assertive about his drink choice another time. "That's fine," he says quickly. "A martini is fine."
There's a short flurry of activity around distributing the drinks and getting everyone settled on chairs and sofas. When everyone is comfortably seated and in possession of a martini, Emily says abruptly, "Well, you had something to tell us, I believe."
Lorelai nods, then glances over at Luke uncertainly before turning back to look at her parents. "Mom, Dad." She takes a breath and continues, "We, Luke and I, I mean, are…we're getting married." Her eyes are anxious, apprehensive as she waits a beat, then goes on, "I know we've been sort of vague about our future, but it's definite now and we have a plan and a time and I know it's late notice, but we really hope you'll be able to come."
Luke recognizes the full-out babble mode that is Lorelai's way of filling empty air when she's tense. She's taking a breath, about to launch into another stream of words, when Emily cuts in. "When?"
Startled, Lorelai looks up, "What?"
Emily asks again, enunciating her words precisely. "When are you getting married?"
Lorelai chuckles uncertainly. "Oh, that would be helpful, wouldn't it? It's Saturday morning," she says, biting her lip as she glances between her parents. Luke gives her hand a reassuring squeeze and she clarifies, "This Saturday."
"That is rather quick," Richard points out.
Emily eyes Luke suspiciously, "There isn't any particular reason you're in a hurry, is there?"
He flushes involuntarily, "No, it's not like that. We-"
"It's just," Lorelai jumps in, "once we decided, there didn't seem to be any point in waiting."
"Except to give you time to plan a proper wedding." Emily sniffs disapprovingly. "But I suppose you're having some sort of bohemian ceremony conducted by someone who's been ordained by the Universal Church of Pop Music?"
"Well, we're going to-" Lorelai starts.
"Oh, I'll read the details when the invitation arrives."
"But there aren't…" Lorelai tries to interject, but Emily appears not to hear her.
"For now, I'll have to start with canceling our plans for Saturday. Richard, it was the Hillborns we were to be dining with at the club, is that correct?"
"Yes," he agrees, "but I'm sure they'll understand our need to reschedule."
Emily sighs. "Of course they will. They're very gracious, but it still won't look good backing out at this late date." Looking back over at her daughter, she asks, "When did you say that invitation would arrive?"
"It just did," Lorelai replies. "I invited you. You're invited. Yay!" She holds her closed fists up in a gesture of celebration, to which Emily shakes her head and Richard sighs.
"It's a wedding, Lorelai," Emily's reaction has got that 'surely I taught you better than this' tone to it. "A printed invitation is customary."
"Mom, there are going to be fourteen people at this wedding, and that includes me and Luke, so it seems ridiculous to get invitations made." Luke can read the agitation in Lorelai's words, can sense the way that her nervousness has shifted over to tightly controlled frustration at her mother's less-than-warm reaction to their announcement. Oddly though, the fact that her parents – and her mother in particular – are acting like their typical selves seems to have made her more confident, determined, at the same time. He reaches up to rest his hand between her shoulder blades, his fingers lightly rubbing the base of her neck.
Emily just shakes her head. "Really, Lorelai, I don't know where you get these ideas about how to run an event.
"Emily," Richard speaks up, his tone soothing, "Lorelai has planned countless parties for the inn. I'm quite sure it will be lovely."
Luke can see Lorelai's tension melt away briefly into a surprised, heartfelt smile. "It will, Dad. Sookie is making all the food, so it will be fabulous. We're going to use the chuppah in the front yard. Rory and April will be there." She looks over at her mother, saying calmly, "And Luke and I would really like it if you and Dad could be there." She glances over at Luke and he nods in agreement.
"Well, of course we'll be there," Emily says, sounding just a bit put upon. After a moment she sighs. "It's so unfortunate that we have this event tonight and can't invite you to stay." It's a less than subtle hint, and Lorelai picks up her purse as if to leave.
Richard looks a little beleaguered at the idea of a night of rubbery chicken and uninspired speeches. "Surely we could miss just this one charity event," he says hopefully. "It's not as though they don't have our money already."
"And leave the table unfilled? Certainly not," Emily protests. "It would be a personal insult to Constance to have our spots empty like that."
"Well, we couldn't have that," Richard says wryly.
"We'll, uh, get going then," Luke says, taking Lorelai's hand. "Thanks for letting us stop by. We just wanted to let you know about the wedding in person."
"Thank you for that," Richard says, reaching to shake Luke's hand.
"Yes, we do appreciate you sharing the news," Emily says in a tone that approaches courteous. As they walk to the front door she can't, however, seem to help adding, "Perhaps it will allow me enough time to figure out what one wears to an impromptu front yard wedding. Please tell me that you will at least have a proper dress."
"Yes, Mom," Lorelai says with a sigh, "I have a dress I think even you will approve of, and Luke is going to wear a suit."
Emily looks a little chastened and Richard jumps in to extend a round of congratulations while Luke just nods and says, "We look forward to seeing you on Saturday."
When they've finished exchanging their goodbyes and the door has closed behind them, Luke wraps his arm around Lorelai's shoulders, tugging her close to him as they head for the car.
All in all, Luke thinks, the gathering has been harder than it should be. Lorelai's parents have seemed so changed lately in their attitude toward the relationship, especially Emily, that he knows Lorelai hoped they'd be able to get past their typical criticism and accept the news warmly. And though she'd put up a strong front inside the house, now that they're alone he can see that the hesitant optimism she'd had on the ride over is gone, leaving her deflated.
In the car, she slumps against the passenger door, still except for the strand of hair that she twirls tightly around her finger. He makes a few attempts to talk to her, but she's close-lipped, not exactly short with him, but definitely reserved. When they pull up to her house, it's the first time in a long time he feels like he has to ask if she wants him to stay. When he does ask, she turns and gives him that sheepish half-smile of hers, as though she's just realized how withdrawn she's been, and at her nod he follows her inside.
They'd intended to do some planning work for the wedding after this dinner, but he's not sure she's in the mood. He asks and, sighing heavily, she agrees, falling down on one end of the couch as he takes a seat on the other end and spreads out a few papers on the coffee table. She's prickly as they work through a few things on the to-do list, impatient. He even suggests postponing their discussion, but that makes her defensive, as if by letting him worry over her, she'd have to admit how much her parents have injured her.
When he's unable to express a preference for one of the five options for the stuffing in the mushroom caps, though, Lorelai snaps back at him, "Are you kidding? It's Sookie. Of course it matters which one. Do I have to pick the whole menu myself? Don't you even care?"
His eyes go wide and his mouth falls open as he tries to stammer out a response, but she beats him to it, instantly regretful. "God, Luke, I'm…that was…I'm sorry. I totally suck."
"You don't suck," he says firmly. "I just…are you okay?"
She waves him off. "I'm fine." He lifts an eyebrow skeptically and she sighs. "I don't know. I knew my mom wasn't going to be thrilled about the whole front yard wedding idea. She's probably still got her heart set on that winter Romanov theme."
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing. I just thought we'd be fighting her off and it turns out she doesn't even care." She slumps further down, her shoulders sagging.
"Hey," he says, reaching to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "she cares. Your dad too."
She eyes him thoughtfully, her lips pursed. "Maybe you're right. I don't know." She shakes off the thought. "It's okay, let's just finish this up. I can firm things up with Sookie tomorrow. What's next on the list?"
"We don't have to do this right now."
"But we're almost done, right? Let's just go ahead."
"If you want." He gives her a questioning look and when she nods, he goes on to the next thing on the list, the ceremony itself.
"So, I talked to Reverend Skinner today about the ceremony, told him we wanted something simple. No long speeches or anything." He looks at her for approval and when she gives a small nod, he continues. "He also gave me some sample vows so that we could choose. I figured we wouldn't want to write our own because…well…you were at Liz and T.J.'s wedding. I mean, if you really wanted to that would be okay, I guess-"
She smiles wearily. "Luke, it's okay. Traditional is fine."
He nods. "There are a few choices there, but the top one is pretty simple," he says, handing her some sheets of paper. "Love. Honor. No 'obey' or anything." She raises her eyebrows and he gives her a knowing grin.
She smirks back at him before turning her attention to the papers she's holding. He watches her flip through them, and then she looks up briefly. "So, you liked the first one?"
"Well," he points at them in turn, "that one seemed too religious – neither of us is that religious, so it seemed like overkill. That one was similar but longer. And that one," he lets out a sigh. "That one is kinda fruity."
She gives a little giggle, then focuses on the top one again, reading more carefully this time. After a moment, he can see her wince, then sigh sadly.
"What's wrong?"
"It's not-" she starts, looking down into her lap.
"What?" he insists, ducking his head in an attempt to meet her eyes.
She lets out a long breath and finally answers, "It's just kind of a big, flashing neon reminder."
"What is? The vows?" He's thoroughly confused.
"There's no 'forsaking all others' in this one. It just made me…" She shrugs. "I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it, but if it's not there, it feels like there's a reason it's not-"
"Lorelai," he cuts in.
"And if it is," she goes on, in spite of him, her words slow and sad, "it's like it's there because it needs to be."
His response is immediate, his words coming out while his hands seek out hers. "I wasn't- That's not-"
"I know, Luke," she says, squeezing his fingers in emphasis. "And it's not-" She huffs out a frustrated breath. "I know you're not trying to make a point. I know it doesn't mean anything, but it's just there, and it makes me remember…reminds me how badly I screwed up."
His heart breaks a little at the helplessness in her expression. "Lorelai," he says softly.
"It's okay, Luke. It happened. It just makes me sad is all."
"No, I mean, it wasn't even about that."
She tilts her head up to look at him curiously. "About what?"
"It wasn't…about…it wasn't about," he takes a breath, then forcibly pushes out the words, "it wasn't about being unfaithful."
She pauses thoughtfully for a long moment, then finally says softly, "We were engaged."
"I don't need to relive it, but it still wasn't about that," he insists.
She doesn't argue – they've been past that for a while now – but her smile is sad. Freeing one hand from hers, he uses it to pull her against his chest. Running his hand through her hair, he repeats, "It wasn't about that." Turning her palm up he stares down at it as his thumb glides along the lines of her hand, and he vaguely remembers that they're supposed to have specific meanings. "It was about you not believing in us, not believing that you deserved it. And I'm the one who did that to you. I did ninety percent of the breaking of us and you keep trying to take all of the responsibility."
"Oh, I think it's more like 70-30 on me," she says brightly, only half teasing.
"Hey," he says, pulling back enough to be able to look her in the eyes. "We're getting married on Saturday. I don't want to talk about what happened months ago."
She smiles, running the fingers of her free hand over his chest. "Neither do I." Dropping her head back against his shoulder, she's quiet for a few minutes as he runs a reassuring hand up and down her spine. When she does speak he can feel her words as soft breaths against his neck. "It's humbling, you know, that you've seen me at my worst and you still want to be with me." His arms tighten around her involuntarily and he opens his mouth to protest, to say something, but her next words are already vibrating against his skin. "I mean, not to get all Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets on you, but you," she lifts her hand to point at his chest, "you make me believe in me, make me think that I can be better."
He's clueless about her movie reference, but the words chase away every last shred of sadness and fill him with warmth and when he answers, his voice is gruff with emotion, "Goes both ways."
"Luke," Lorelai calls, the word drawn out in a plea that needles him in the kitchen while she's still making her way down the hallway from the living room.
He waits to respond until she's turned the corner, planted her hands on her hips and tilted her head in playful accusation. "What?" he asks gruffly, barely glancing up from the small platter of vegetables he's arranging.
"It's about to start. You promised you wouldn't play hermit in the kitchen."
"I'm just working on your end of the bargain." He places the last pieces of cucumber on the plate and waves it toward her.
"Oh, come on. You weren't serious about that?"
"As a heart attack," he says, then smirks. "It's a fair trade."
Her lower lip pokes out in an exaggerated pout. "Didn't you promise the other night that I could have whatever I wanted?"
"You do know that was in regards to the wedding, right?"
"Oh? I didn't realize that was a limited offer."
When he doesn't relent she tries another tack. "Tonight is kind of like my bachelorette party, so it's wedding related…" She gives him a hopeful smile.
"Nice try, but why would I be at your bachelorette party?"
"You're the male entertainment. Oh," she laughs playfully, pointing a finger at his chest, "I've always wanted to see if you could pull off a dirty fireman bit." He groans and she grimaces suddenly, realizing. "Which would be wildly inappropriate with our daughters here. We'll have to save that for another time."
"Or we can just forget you even mentioned it and instead go in the other room and eat these vegetables I just spent the last half hour cutting up," he reasons, in a desperate effort to distract her from thoughts of male entertainment.
It seems to have worked, though. Lorelai's lips curl in distaste as she scans the platter, then looks up at him with one of her charming 'I know ways to make you reconsider' smiles. They're still in a stalemate, staring at each other when Rory sing-songs from the living room, "It's starting."
"Come on, Luke," she pleads again, reaching for his arm to tug him into the other room.
He stands firm, his feet planted to the ground as he holds the vegetables in front of him. "One piece of vegetable for every five minutes."
"But the finale is an hour long," she whines, trying out the patented pout this time. "That's an entire garden worth of veggies."
He shrugs smugly.
"Fine," she says with a huff.
He hands her a carrot. "Paid in advance."
She narrows her eyes, then takes it grumpily as she reaches around and shoves him toward the living room. "Spoilsport."
"Someone has to look out for your arteries."
In reality, his contribution pales in comparison to the orgy of food they've amassed. He swears he can see the coffee table buckling, laden as it is with the unnatural plastic colors of manufactured sugar and nutritionally void starches in every shape and texture.
He heaves a weighty sigh as he pushes aside a waffle sundae tower and a container of beef lo mein to make room for his plate. He watches the girls lift eyebrows across the table at each other before giving him a sympathetic sideways glance and helping themselves to a single vegetable apiece.
It is truly ridiculous, this show they're watching in rapt attention, but as Lorelai snuggles up next to him, a slice of cucumber in one hand and a Twizzler in the other, he thinks maybe he can endure it for her. When he wraps his arm around her shoulder, she smiles up at him briefly, glances over at their daughters, then turns back, leaning in to whisper, "Thank you." He just pulls her tight in response.
It turns out to be the only respite they get, given the way the weekend is approaching, and the way that Emily has decided to insert herself into the planning process after all. In spite of her initial criticism when they'd made their announcement, she'd called the next day insisting that they use her florist. Lorelai had been smug about having predicted her mother so well – and, though she didn't admit it, pleased - until Emily had pressed her about what rental service they were using for the china and linens. Somewhere in the midst of Lorelai's retelling of the details of the back-and-forth with her mother it occurs to Luke that Emily's original reaction to their news may not have been actual disapproval of the wedding, but, more likely, a desire to have been consulted, involved in the planning of the event.
By Thursday night, both Luke and Lorelai collapse into bed, exhausted in their attempts to finalize details and reign in Lorelai's mother. On Friday, they only have time to catch up with each other briefly during the day before Luke has to go pick up April, and even the quiet dinner they'd planned is interrupted by the surprise arrival of Jess and the subsequent negotiations about where he can stay that will keep him as far away from T.J. as possible.
As pleased as he is that Jess has made the trip, he's disappointed that his last moment with Lorelai before their wedding is rushed and frantic with continued last-minute preparations. Frustrated and tired, he snaps back a response after one of Lorelai's overly cheerful requests for coffee as she's about to leave. Her lips draw together in a concerned frown and he's instantly regretful, coming around the counter to pull her close and whisper apologies.
"It's okay, Luke. Just look at it this way: Even if my mother does turn this into some kind of overdone garden party, or Sookie decides the cake is a disaster and throws it away before she has time to make another, twenty four hours from now we will be married and alone in your cabin." She grins at him wickedly. "And I've been working on plans for that myself."
It's immediate, the way that her words calm him, help him put it all into perspective, so that when he tenderly kisses her goodbye it's with nothing but anticipation.
The next morning, Luke is preparing a quick breakfast in his apartment while April complains about being the ugliest wedding attendee ever and Jess remains sacked out on the air mattress they'd pulled out last night. On the verge of a mini-meltdown, April paces the floor, causing Jess to lift his head only long enough for a look of skepticism and horror to cross his face before he buries himself in his pillow again. In the midst of April's complaint about 'bad hair,' Luke's phone rings. Telling his daughter one more time that she's beautiful, he flips open his phone and says with a heavy sigh, "Hello."
"But," April whines, "of course you're going to say that."
"Everything okay there?" he hears Lorelai laugh into his ear.
"Yeah, it's fine. April is just convinced that she looks 'hopelessly dorky,' I think she said, which she doesn't," he adds, flashing his daughter a determined glare. April responds by turning and walking back toward the bathroom, likely for another half-hour of primping.
"Well, being thirteen can do that to a girl. And you are her father…"
"Which means that my opinion is less than worthless."
"Well, pretty much," Lorelai says sympathetically. "If it helps, Rory was the same way when she was thirteen."
"Ah," he says, a little helplessly. "So how are things at your end? Your mother hasn't driven you crazy yet?"
"I wouldn't say that, but I think I've managed to occupy her for a few minutes with making Rory beautiful so that I could sneak off for a breather."
"So, you're hiding on the front porch swing?"
"How did you know?"
"Eh," he says, shrugging, "just a hunch."
"Well, good guess," Lorelai says with a smile in her voice, and he can picture her with one leg tucked under her body and the other foot gently tapping periodically against the porch floorboards.
"So things are going okay over there?"
"As well as can be expected. My mom showed up at the crack of dawn with a hairdresser, going on about how ridiculous it was to still be in my pajamas at 7:00 a.m. if I honestly thought I was getting married before noon."
Luke glances over at the lump on Jess's air mattress and wonders briefly what kind of 'getting ready' regimen Emily has in mind that would require more than a four hour time period. "She brought her own hairdresser?" he asks. "Did you know she was bringing a hairdresser?"
"Well, no, not officially, but it's my mother, so yeah, I guess I kinda did."
He chuckles, but before he can say anything else he hears Emily's voice, clear as day through the phone. "Lorelai, there you are. What are you doing sitting here, when you're not even dressed?"
"Oh my god!" he hears her reply in mock astonishment. "You mean I've been sitting out here naked this whole time? Maybe that pain in my butt actually is a splinter."
"Lorelai," Emily snaps, "you know perfectly well what I mean."
Lorelai sighs into the phone, "I guess I'm being summon- " She breaks off mid-sentence. "Uh, Mom?"
"Yes, Lorelai?" Emily says and, even secondhand, Luke can hear the impatience in her tone.
"Who are those people unloading those…big black cases out of their van?"
Emily responds as if it's completely obvious. "Those are the musicians."
"Musicians?"
"Yes, a wonderful string quartet. They come highly recommended, and they're only available because Florence Madison caught Charles with his secretary and called off their 25th anniversary party."
"But, we-"
"I'm sure you had some great plan to stick a tape in a boom box or something…" Luke can practically see the knowing glare Emily gives her daughter.
"Well, Lane put together a whole selection of music that she was going to play on a stereo she set up for us."
"Recorded music?"
Lorelai just sighs, and says brightly, "So Luke, how do you feel about a string quartet?"
"It's not as though we have a choice, right?" he asks, even as he hears Emily in the background asking where she should have the musicians set up.
"Well no, not unless Florence and Charles suddenly reconcile, and even then I think we'd be up for a fight," she says wryly.
"Lorelai!" Emily's voice is more impatient this time. "If you don't get dressed soon, you'll be getting married in those popcorn pajamas."
To her mother she calls, "Just a second, Mom, then I promise your hairdresser can have her way with me." Luke hears Emily huff off and when Lorelai speaks again, he can tell he's got her all to himself. "Well, you heard her," she says wearily, "I should probably go before she gives up on me and turns Rory into a geisha or something. Besides," she adds conspiratorially, "I have to make myself all pretty for you."
"If I tell you that you're always beautiful, will you believe me?"
"Well," she teases, "I'd probably just assume you were saying it because you have to think that."
He shakes his head. "Well, I for one would marry you no matter what you were wearing, but maybe you should go get ready."
"Okay. Oh, and Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"Lane's working in the diner this morning, right?"
"Yeah," he says curiously, having no idea what Lorelai is getting at, "but she's going home soon to get ready for the wedding."
"Well, I guess you should let her know about the whole string quartet thing, but you should also have her stop upstairs before she leaves."
"Why?"
"April will listen to her." Before he can even sigh, she says, "Just trust me, it's a girl thing."
After securing a promise from Jess not to be late, Luke arrives at Lorelai's house with April to find evidence of Emily's involvement in the planning everywhere. The chuppah is covered in flowers, the one long table (Lorelai had insisted that they all sit at the same table, over her mother's protestations that it was impossible to have proper conversations at a table that big) is dressed to the nines in the finest linen and glassware, and two uniformed waiters are folding the napkins into elegant fans.
April eagerly asks if it's okay to go inside to see Lorelai and he nods, shooing her away when she hesitates to leave him alone. Once she's gone, Luke wanders slowly around the outside of the house, tugging on his suit, his hands more than a little sweaty. It's not long, though, before Reverend Skinner, Jess, Lane and Zach, and then Liz and T.J. arrive to the understated melodies of the string quartet. Soon after, Rory, Emily and April exit the house and head over to the small group scattered in front of the chuppah, as the music transitions to a more traditional wedding processional.
Luke can hear Emily not-so-subtly whisper to Rory, "Are we expected to simply stand here in the grass?"
"It's a short ceremony, Grandma."
"But how hard is it to rent a few extra chairs?"
"Grandma," Rory says, shushing her as she points to where Richard is holding the front door open for Lorelai, "here comes Mom."
He's spent more time imagining this moment than he'd like to admit. It used to be glimpses sometimes, since before they were even a couple. Then they'd gotten engaged and he allowed himself longer looks, indulging himself in the crazy reality that they were actually together, and happy, and going to be married.
After seeing Lorelai in her dress last year, the images had become more specific, more detailed, but this week he's found himself wondering things that guys aren't supposed to admit they care about. Will she straighten her hair or wear it naturally curly? Will it be pulled back in some fancy hairstyle or allowed to fall free around her face? Will she wear a piece of jewelry he's given her, or will her mother talk her into borrowing something extravagant? Will he even be able to notice the alterations Lorelai claims to have made (to symbolize their 'new and improved' relationship) to the dress she'd picked out almost a year ago? What will her expression be as she walks toward him?
As she walks easily with her father to the group gathered near the chuppah, it's the details that hit him first: the way the dress hides whatever footwear she's chosen as it rustles against the grass, the light, lacy veil that trails halfway down her back, the way her loose curls dance around her face, the confident way she holds her father's arm in one hand, and the bouquet in the other hand that trails vine-like strands of tiny yellow flowers. And the dress is different – it's somehow sleeker and simpler, not as frilly and poufy as he remembers. And that seems to fit with the way she's been so content, almost calm, lately.
But when they reach the point where Emily is standing, and Richard gives Lorelai a quick peck on the cheek before she drops his arm, Luke catches her eyes, and they're dancing, bouncing with enthusiasm.
And she's got the biggest, sappiest grin on her face.
And, he realizes a few moments later, so does he.
In that moment he can't really see anything else, can focus only on the curve of her lips, the lift in her cheekbones and the bright blue of her eyes. When she approaches, he reaches a hand to her, and she grasps it tightly, squeezing his fingers together as they turn toward Reverend Skinner.
They've agreed on the barest of ceremonies, just the vows and the exchange of rings, so there's very little introduction. Once Reverend Skinner has said his few brief words about marriage and asked for the support of the family, he asks Luke and Lorelai to face each other and clasp hands.
She looks up at him, radiant, smiling, and he feels flushed all over, constrained by the suit and feverish with nerves. And not because he doesn't want this, but because he's about to say some of the most important words of his life, and after the sadness over the vows discussion, he desperately doesn't want to screw them up.
They'd finally agreed on the first set of vows, the simplest, after Luke threatened to put the two they were deciding between behind his back and make Lorelai choose randomly. The whole incident had made Luke uneasy though, and he'd thought all week about how to change that.
So, when Reverend Skinner nods at him as if checking that he's ready, the nerves hit all over again. He carefully repeats the words they'd agreed upon, then, taking a deep breath, he says the words he'd decided to add after talking to the minister the previous day, "I will do everything in my power to genuinely share my life with you…always."
Lorelai's eyes widen when she notices the change, her smile growing tremulous as her eyes become shiny with tears. Reverend Skinner gives her a moment to compose herself before starting her vows, which she recites confidently. When she finishes, she gestures for him to wait before going on with the ceremony, then turns back to Luke. Holding his gaze solemnly and his hands tightly, she says, "I promise to have faith in us…always."
His first impulse is to pull her into his arms and kiss her, tradition be damned. Instead they share a look of understanding, one that recognizes the commitment they're both making to be better people.
Reverend Skinner startles them both by whispering to Luke about the rings, and it's then that it hits Luke again that there's an audience, which brings back his earlier nervousness. Taking the rings from his pocket sheepishly, he notices his hand shaking as he puts the ring on Lorelai's finger while saying the appropriate words, and he's not surprised to see Lorelai's hands shaking or voice trembling when it's her turn to speak.
As the last words leave her mouth, a single tear slips out of the corner of her eye as if in anticipation of the final words of the ceremony. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may-"
Before he can finish, Luke lifts one hand to her cheek and wraps the other around her waist, pulling her toward him for their first married kiss, barely hearing Reverend Skinner say with a chuckle, "Go right ahead."
It's warm and tender, this kiss, and he wants to lose himself in it, but he remembers their audience, so he drops his hand to her waist, breaking the kiss, but still holding her loosely. She's more reluctant though, her arms snug around his neck, holding her forehead to his. "We're really married," she whispers in awe, before burying her face in his shoulder and hugging him tightly.
He nods, and whispers back, "Yeah, we are." Smiling to himself, he opens his eyes to their new reality, looking out over her shoulder, and then asking in surprise, "Lorelai?"
"Hmm?" she asks, her voice humming against his skin.
"Why is Kirk here?"
"What?" she murmurs softly, seemingly unfazed.
"Kirk," he says dumbly. "At our wedding. Did you invite him? Or the rest of them?"
At this she finally lifts her head from his shoulder and twists around, her eyes widening when she takes in the crowd of people who have gathered behind the small group of invited guests. As though they've been waiting until their presence was known, they erupt into applause, with a few catcalls thrown in for good measure.
Lorelai looks at Luke, her hand over her mouth in bewilderment. "I didn't invite them," she sputters. "What did- How did-"
She's cut off by a tackle hug from her daughter and he can tell that the wedding guest mystery is forgotten, at least for the moment. He watches, chuckling, as Lorelai and Rory squeal happily, then he reaches for April, who has approached them somewhat less rambunctiously than Rory. Looping his arm around April's back, he sweeps her toward him with a smile.
She grins back as she wraps her arms around his neck. "Congratulations, Dad."
"Thank you," he says softly into her hair. "I'm so glad you're here. He tries to express, wonders if she realizes, that he doesn't just mean here in the yard at the wedding, but in his life and as a part of this new family they're creating.
"Me too," she whispers, her arms tightening briefly as if in emphasis, and it makes him think that maybe she does understand everything he's trying to say.
Luke holds on for another moment before letting her go. April's still grinning when Lorelai tugs her over for a hug. They've only just begun their own round of congratulations when Rory throws herself into his arms with unusual abandon, all the more notable for the fact that the hugs they typically share have a tendency toward awkward. "I'm so happy for you two," she exclaims. Pulling back, she looks at him, her head cocked to the side and her eyes lit with awe. "I mean, Luke, do you have any clue how good you are for her?"
He blushes down to his toes, shrugging and staring at the grass in front of his feet. "Aw, Rory you went and made him all bashful," Lorelai teases, reaching to squeeze his hand, with the arm that's not still looped around April's shoulders. Stage-whispering to the girls, she adds, "I'm going to make sure he knows."
Luke hazards a glance up only to catch Rory's raised eyebrow. "Well, good, because I meant it."
He's finally able to mutter, "Thank you, and…your mom…I mean," he sighs with the effort of getting the words out right. "She's good for me too."
April and Rory grins at that, and Rory adds. "I know, and somehow it's only a little bit nauseating."
She seems to sense that they passed embarrassing a few compliments ago are headed straight for Sapsville, so she changes the subject. "So Mom, some party, huh?"
"So, did you do this?" Lorelai asks, narrowing accusatory eyes at her daughter.
Rory shakes her head, but doesn't bother to wipe the amused smile off her face. "Nope."
Lorelai shifts to look at April, who raises her hands in denial. "Don't look at me."
Lorelai's eyebrow is arched in a question as all three girls then train their gazes on Luke. He chokes out a laugh. "Seriously? You think that I invited Taylor and Kirk to my own wedding?"
"So they just showed up?" she asks. He might think that she's annoyed, but for the jumble of wonder, gratitude and, amusement in her expression.
"Well, look who you're talking about," he says dryly. "You think they're really going to ask permission?"
Lorelai just shrugs and grins up at him. "No, of course not. I just can't believe Kirk was here the whole time and nothing fell out of a tree and hit us on the head or something. My mom is probably having a conniption trying to figure out how to feed all of these people and going on about how uncouth it is to show up uninvited. Maybe I should go," she gestures toward her mother, and Luke sees her expression shift from amusement to horror, "rescue her from T.J."
Luke follows Lorelai toward her parents just in time to hear T.J. say, "…shoulda known someone as hot as Lorelai would have such a fine looking mother."
Emily looks appalled and Richard grimaces. Before Luke can jump in to apologize, Lorelai says brightly, "Ah, Mom and Dad, I see you've met Liz and T.J.. Liz is Luke's sister, and T.J. is her husband." Emily just nods knowingly, glancing briefly at Luke. "And, of course, you remember Jess, Liz's son."
"Oh, you know Jess?" Liz crows, ruffling Jess' hair, much to his chagrin, Luke notes with amusement. "I'm so proud of him. He's done so well for himself."
Emily's manages to find her voice. "Yes, he and Rory were…friends when they were in high school. I even once had the pleasure of Jess's company at dinner." She manages to make it sound both insignificant and long past, all the while smiling, if not graciously, at least courteously. Luke can't help but notice unreadable looks passing between Rory and Jess during the whole exchange.
Oblivious to the group dynamics, T.J. nods toward Lorelai's parents. "It's great to meet you, and now that these two are hitched, if you ever need any carpentry projects done around your house, I can give you a family discount."
"Well," Richard says, "that's a generous offer. We'll keep it in mind." Luke marvels that he's able to keep a straight face.
"I'm starting to line up several projects, so don't wait too long," T.J. warns, then glancing around, he adds, "In fact, I'm glad Kirk's here. I need to talk to him about the cabinet he wants me to build for his mother's Precious Moments figurines. We can talk more about your projects when we sit down to eat."
"I'm sure they're looking forward to it," Lorelai says slyly as first T.J., then Liz excuse themselves to find Kirk.
As soon as they're out of earshot, Emily says, "Honestly Lorelai, please tell me that you are not related to that man."
"Mom, not only am I related to him, you are too," Lorelai says with a grin, "which, as he says, qualifies you for the family discount."
"Lorelai," her mother admonishes. "If you honestly think-" She stops herself, shaking her head. "And what are all these people doing here? Did you invite them? You insisted on that ridiculously tiny guest list, and now, how are we going to feed them all?"
"Actually, Mom, I had no idea they were coming, but if you excuse me for a moment, I will track down the likely instigators and have them reported to the etiquette police." Before her mother can respond, Lorelai drags Luke with her to where Babette and Miss Patty stand ogling them.
As they walk toward the pair, Patty croons, "Oh, my dear, you look beautiful. And, Luke," she adds suggestively, "you should definitely wear a suit more often."
He blushes at her tone, but Lorelai speaks up. "Thank you. It's so nice of you to join us," she says a little pointedly.
"Well, doll, you didn't really expect us to miss this, didja?" Babette asks. "Just 'cause you're getting hitched all quick and on the sly don't mean that we're gonna miss it. But you don't have to worry about your fancy party. We brought our own chow." She turns abruptly and screeches, "Morey! It's time to set up the tables."
Morey simply nods, calling out to Kirk and gesturing around to the back of the house. Luke and Lorelai just watch for a moment in astonishment as tables begin appearing, are unfolded and then, just as quickly, covered with platters and dishes of all types.
Luke watches Lorelai glance between the hastily arranged buffet, the two baffled waiters, the exquisitely decorated table, and the string quartet struggling to make their concerto heard over the crowd, and he worries briefly about her reaction. That though she'd downplayed the importance of the wedding details all week, this might be the fiasco that every bride fears.
"Hey," he says softly, slipping his arm around her waist. "Are you okay?"
It's then that she turns and he sees the delighted amusement in her expression. "I can't believe they did this."
"Really?" he asks. "Somehow this surprises me less than I think it should."
Lorelai just laughs and drops her head to his shoulder. It's only a moment though, before he hears Emily's voice behind them, "Lorelai!"
Turning, Lorelai sighs. "Yes, Mom?"
Emily points across the yard. "Do you see what's going on here? These people are ruining your wedding!"
"They're celebrating our wedding," Lorelai answers patiently, her face still lit with a glowing smile.
"There are card tables and potato salad." Emily says this as though they're pulling out kegs of beer and selling hot dogs, though Luke has to admit, that's not out of the realm of possibility with this crowd.
"Yeah, but it looks like Andrew brought his famous scallops wrapped in bacon."
"That man is directing people with a megaphone."
"That's Kirk, Mom. You've met him before. We think he's considering getting the megaphone surgically implanted."
"The string quartet can barely be heard," Emily adds, her last feeble protest coming out as a long sigh.
"Well, maybe they'll have to take it from mezzo piano to fortissimo," Lorelai points out practically, still unable to completely reign in her smile.
Her mother finally huffs with frustration. "Do you even see what is going on here?"
Lorelai leans back into Luke, wrapping his arms around her waist as her voice turns quietly serious. "Luke and I just got married, Mom. And all these people came to celebrate with us."
Emily's expression softens for a moment before she looks over to see the waiters handing out the passed hors d'oeuvres freely and liberally. "They'll never last if they give them to everyone. What are they thinking?" she snaps before rushing off to chastise the waiter.
Lorelai just shakes her head again, then spotting Rory heading toward them across the lawn, tugs at Luke for him to follow her. It should annoy him perhaps, the way that she's dragging him around, but she hasn't let go of him, not really, since they were standing under the chuppah making promises to one another, so he's not complaining.
Rory glances between Emily and Lorelai, eyebrows raised. "Grandma must be thrilled at the way this is turning out."
"Well…" Lorelai says, unable to restrain her grin.
"You just love that it's torturing her, don't you?"
When Lorelai doesn't answer, Luke gives her a playful nudge and tells Rory dryly, "Your mother is certainly getting her share of enjoyment out of the whole situation."
"She wouldn't be my mother if she didn't, I guess."
"Stop that," Lorelai protests. "I'm just having fun at our party." Rory and Luke just nod knowingly as Lorelai points to their table, clearly as a means of distraction, "Hey look, I think we're being summoned for dinner. Now should I seat T.J. across from my mother?" She gives them both a sly grin.
As much fun as she may or may not be having, she does deftly steer her mother and father toward the end of the table with Sookie and Jackson and push Liz and T.J. to seats at the other end, across from Lane and Zach, with the rest of them as a buffer in between.
They eat their fill of Sookie's inspired menu, and a few favorites Lorelai asks the waiters to sneak onto her plate from the alternate buffet. It's not long before the waiters wheel out the most enormous wedding cake Luke has ever seen. Lorelai's eyes are wide and gleeful and Sookie is beaming.
"Sook," Lorelai says, her voice awed, "Did you know about this whole town thing?"
"No. Why?"
"That cake is ginormous."
"It's a wedding cake."
"That is the Sears Tower of wedding cakes. Sookie, I told you we needed a cake for fourteen people."
"Well, it looks like you were wrong," Sookie says with a shrug.
"And somehow you had a premonition that everyone from Bootsie to Babette's gnomes were going to be here?"
"No, but did you seriously think that I was going to make you a wedding cake smaller than the cake I made for Martha's first birthday? Besides, now there's enough for everyone." She gives Lorelai a nervous glance. "Do you like it? I hope you like it. You never told me which was your favorite kind, so I had to make a few different ones." Sookie's enthusiasm bubbles over as she launches into her 'sales pitch.' "I knew there had to be coffee in there somewhere so the bottom one is mocha layers with caramel and crushed espresso beans, the second tier is the summertime cake with lemon curd and raspberries, the third is that s'mores cake - chocolate layers with marshmallow crème, crushed graham crackers and chocolate chips-"
"Sookie," Lorelai cuts in, "it sounds fantastic and looks gorgeous."
"But you didn't even hear the rest. The last one I made just for Luke," she announces, beaming at him. "Carrot cake for the health nut."
It's just like Sookie to think that adding a few carrots into a sugar and fat-filled dessert makes it 'healthy,' but he nods his acknowledgement as Lorelai gives her friend a warm smile. "Sookie, it's beautiful, and you know that I'm going to have to try all four and that they're all going to be amazing. Thank you so much for this, the food, the cake."
"Well, it's about time you had a wedding for me to cook for."
By the time they've finished with their meal and wine and cake and champagne, Lorelai is happily tipsy, more than willing to lean into Luke and drop her head sleepily onto his shoulder. "When do you think you might want to head out?" he whispers into her ear.
"To the cabin," she asks, "so that we can be together and alone? How about soon?"
"Soon sounds good," he agrees.
They make a round of goodbyes before heading toward the house to change, Luke spending an extra few minutes with April while Lorelai says goodbye to Rory and thanks her mother for the help with the wedding.
As they reach the steps, Zach lopes over to them, calling Lorelai's name.
"Yeah," she asks, curious.
"Well, I was wondering…" He stops for a moment, then explains, "I was talking to the band."
"The band?"
He gestures toward the musicians.
"Oh, you mean the string quartet?"
"Yeah, well, Lane and I were talking to them during their break and it turns out that a couple of them are in a band. The dude with the viola plays keyboard and the cello player is a singer." Zach is using his hands for emphasis, the way that he does when he's excited about something, and all Luke can do is share a puzzled look with Lorelai.
"So," Lorelai asks patiently, "what's your question?"
"Well, we were kinda wondering, and it's totally cool if you're not hip to it, but we were kinda thinking that maybe we could jam with them during their next set. But, only if you don't mind, 'cause it's like your day and all." He stops talking and he's got sort of a hopeful puppy dog look.
Lorelai lifts her eyebrow questionably at Luke and he gives a half-hearted shrug. "Sure Zach, have a good time."
His eyes light up. "Thank you. I've got to go home to get my guitar and Lane's drums, but this is going to be awesome."
Luke can see the little smile playing at the corners of Lorelai's lips as Zach goes off to find Lane. "You're just imagining the look on your mother's face when they start playing, aren't you?"
"No!" she insists, but when he levels his gaze on her, she admits with a tiny grin, "Well, maybe a little."
"No wonder you get along with your parents so well," he comments wryly.
"Oh, hush you. Now help me find Rory so that she can get me out of this dress."
"I can help you out of that dress," he whispers suggestively.
"Yes, I'm quite sure you can, but if you do…well, my parents are down here, so…"
"So, I'm helping you find Rory."
"You catch on quick."
Luke changes quickly, then walks out onto the porch to wait for Lorelai. Leaning for a moment against a post he glances around the yard. Across the lawn, Zach has returned and is unloading the instruments. He sets them up as he talks animatedly with the musicians, probably planning out what they're going to play. In the other direction, in Babette's yard, they've pulled out lawn darts and the croquet set. And right in between, Richard and Emily sit near the flower-covered chuppah, sipping coffee from the finest china and talking banquet menus with Sookie.
He's about to sit down on the top porch step when from behind him he hears, "Only in this town would a little front yard wedding turn into this kind of freak show."
Luke turns to see Jess leaning back against the house, the trademark smirk on his face. "Yeah, well…" Luke shrugs, unable to argue the point.
"Guess it's just their way of saying 'it's about time,'" Jess says, lifting a brow knowingly.
"They have too much time on their hands," he grumbles.
"Well, they're right."
Luke narrows his eyes at his nephew, who just cocks his head to the side and says, "I just call 'em as I see 'em."
Folding his arms across his chest, Luke stares at Jess for a long moment then lets out a long sigh. "I'm glad you decided to come."
"Well, couldn't miss seeing you and Lorelai crowned King and Queen of Stars Hollow," Jess says with a sarcastic smirk, clearly avoiding the serious note in Luke's voice.
Keeping his gaze trained on Jess, Luke reiterates, "I appreciate it."
Jess dips his head in acknowledgement and pauses before speaking again. "She's a lucky woman."
"We're both lucky," Luke insists quietly.
"Well…" Giving a slight shrug, Jess says, "I'm just glad you worked everything out." He pauses again. "So you're headed out soon?"
"Yeah." Luke nods. "I'd like to get to the cabin before it gets too late."
"Well then." Jess holds out his hand, but Luke pulls him into a brief hug. When he steps back, Jess adds, "I'll make sure April gets home."
"Good. Thank you. And thanks again for coming."
"Wouldn't have missed it." Jess starts down the stairs, turning back only long enough to add, "Congratulations, Luke."
Luke gives a little wave, then settles down on the top step. A few minutes later he watches Taylor wielding a croquet mallet as he negotiates for space with a group armed with darts. He's chuckling to himself at the image as Lorelai takes a seat next to him. "What?"
"Huh?"
"You were laughing."
"Oh." He waves it off. "It's nothing. Are you sure you want to go?" He points his thumb toward Babette's yard. "They've pulled out all the yard games."
"Well, as much as I love a good round of lawn darts, my husband and I have other plans."
"Yeah?" he teases. "Lucky guy."
"Damn straight."
As they stand, he can see her taking it all in, the whole scene. "Not quite the garden party my mom was going for."
"No, not quite," he agrees. "But good?"
She turns to give him a soft kiss. "It was perfect."
He loops his arm across her shoulders as the first strains of electric guitar drift across the lawn, backed up by the acoustic bass. Zach gives them a thumbs-up and a grin. When the drums kick in Lorelai laughs with delight. "Definitely, the best wedding ever."
fin
Author's Note:
In my original outline this story had an epilogue. When it came time for the L/L Ficathon last summer, though, the scene I had envisioned as the final scene seemed to fit my prompt and so I wrote is as a one-shot. I have always intended to mention it at the end of this chapter (though I didn't think at the time that it would be almost a whole year before I finished this story!), so if you're interested check out Epilogue. At this point I don't think that the tone of Epilogue quite matches the ending of this story, (You were right KinoFille, and my little tweaks did not do justice to your feedback) but I think that the sentiment is still appropriate, if perhaps a little redundant.