Luke Danes had always been an early riser. Even as a child, he had been up early, walking through town with his father to help him open his store. As a teenager, he had often risen with the sun for track practice. After high school, he had been busy caring for his sick father and managing the store while attempting to help Liz with her newborn. And then he had opened the diner, which had led him to rise in what most people would consider the middle of the night to receive deliveries and prepare the restaurant for opening.

Since he and Lorelai had been together his habits had changed only slightly. Although she hated waking up, he often woke early to prepare breakfast and get started with his day. Occasionally she had managed to convince him to come back to bed, knowing that he was irresistible to a hair flip and a bright smile. He couldn't remember the last time he had simply laid in bed after waking, but this morning was different. This morning, he would be content if he never left his bed at all.

This morning, he was waking up beside his wife. Lorelai was still sound asleep beside him, her breathing deep and even as she snuggled deeper under the covers, warding the cold winter air away from her still exposed body. She was sleeping in her usual position, one hand resting beside her face on the pillow, the other arm draped over her stomach as she lay on her side, facing him. He felt a tug on his heartstrings as a strand of hair fell into her face, and he gently reached to brush it aside, leaving her face free for him to admire.

With a deep breath, Luke turned onto his side to face her, his hands crushing the pillow underneath his head as he felt an unbelievable surge of pride that he was finally able to call Lorelai Gilmore Danes his wife.

Lorelai Gilmore-Danes, he thought to himself, unable to suppress the smile that came across his face. She'd boasted her new name to him more than once the day before, and he had felt that tidal wave of pride wash over him every time. When he'd proposed, he had assumed Lorelai would keep her name, he hadn't even thought to discuss it with her. And he'd been fine with the thought that she would remain Lorelai Gilmore. But when she'd told him she wanted to add his name to her own, he couldn't deny the happiness he'd felt in the knowledge that she wanted to have his name, for the world to know that she was proud to be his wife and carry his name.

Lorelai shifted slightly in her sleep, unconsciously scooting closer to him and he gently reached out to trace the outline of her jaw. She had always been beautiful to him, but somehow the simple words they had exchanged the evening before had changed everything. Now, as he looked at her, he was looking at his wife. He'd long ago given up on ever even having a chance of having any wife, but here he was, married to the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"That feels good," her voice broke through his thought process, and he ran his hand down her shoulder to reach for her hand, squeezing it softly.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he murmured. "Go back to sleep."

"Can't," Lorelai replied, her eyes still closed.

"Why not?"

"It's hard to sleep when there's a handsome man feeling me up," she sighed as she snuggled closer to him.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No," she shook her head and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "I had a really great dream."

"Tell me about it," Luke requested, his hand moving to stroke her hair lazily.

Lorelai raised her head so their eyes met. "I had a dream that we got married," she whispered. "And then you spent all night making love to me."

Luke pulled her closer and kissed her for a long, lingering kiss before he pulled back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It wasn't a dream," he assured her.

"It really happened," Lorelai smiled happily.

"Otherwise I'm wearing a ring for no good reason."

As If she needed proof, Lorelai tugged his hand from where it rested on the back of her head and smiled as she held it in both of her own. She sat up on her knees as she ran her fingers over his knuckles, then lifted it to her mouth to kiss the spot just below where his ring rested. "I like it," she whispered as she twisted the ring gently on his finger.

"Me too," Luke smiled, his eyes darkening as he watched her examine the new addition to his hand. "Any regrets?"

She lifted her gaze to meet his again, then shook her head. "None," she said confidently. "Luke, last night was so perfect. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect wedding."

"I'm glad," he said, moving his hand to rub her knee through the blankets.

"I like having you here when I wake up," Lorelai said. "You're usually up early, I'm used to waking up by myself. And I get it, you're a morning person. But it's nice having you here."

"I don't know why I haven't done this more," he admitted softly.

"Slept in?" Lorelai suggested.

"Looked at you," Luke corrected. "I mean, really looked at you, and taken the time to appreciate how beautiful you are."

"Keep talking," Lorelai encouraged with a teasing smile.

"You're beautiful," Luke murmured, leaning in to kiss her. "I have a beautiful wife."

Lorelai beamed at his words, shifting so that her body stretched along his, her hands resting on either side of his head. "Say it again," she requested.

"My wife," he said affectionately, his hands moving to her hips to steady her.

"My husband," Lorelai whispered, leaning down to kiss him deeply. When she pulled back for air, she ran her fingers through his hair and asked, "Do you think married sex is as good today as it was yesterday?"

"There's only one way to find out," Luke replied, his voice husky and filled with desire. He pulled Lorelai down for another kiss, only breaking it to flip her onto her back and cover her body with his own.

XXXXX

"Well, I think we can successfully say that married sex only gets better every time we do it," Lorelai commented two hours later as they both stepped out of the shower.

"I think it's sex with you in general," Luke said, handing her a towel before he wrapped one around his own waist.

"Well, we're very hot people," Lorelai conceded. "Should I call Rory or are you planning on ravaging me again?"

"I can wait," Luke promised. "We told her we'd have breakfast with her."

Lorelai sighed dramatically as she reached for her hairbrush. "Damn us for being responsible parents," she said.

"We'll have plenty of time alone over the next couple days," Luke promised her.

"We will," Lorelai nodded. "And that alone time will be spent…where exactly?"

"You'll find out," Luke assured her, pressing a kiss to her cheek before he walked across the hall to their bedroom.

"Luke," she cried, following him and standing in the doorway as he pulled on a pair of jeans. "Tell me."

"No."

"Please?"

"Call Rory."

"Does she know where you're taking me?"

"Yes."

"How come she gets to know?" Lorelai asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because she's my favorite."

"Wow, way to bring a girl's ego down," Lorelai collapsed onto the bed. "You know, I have powers too. The Rory eyes aren't the only thing that make you give in."

"Yeah, yeah, short skirts and the hair flip," Luke waved a hand. "I'm building up an immunity."

"But I need to know what to pack."

"You don't need much," Luke shrugged.

"What kinds of clothes do I need?" Lorelai asked. "Beach, arctic, desert? I need information."

"You don't need clothes," Luke stated as he pulled on a flannel shirt and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "I plan on keeping you naked most of the time," he added, his voice low and filled with desire.

Lorelai swallowed hard at the expression in his eyes, and she met his gaze evenly. "Fine," she said. "But you're not getting any sex until you tell me."

"Fair enough," Luke said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "We're leaving after breakfast with Rory."

He could feel Lorelai staring at him as he left the bedroom and began to descend the stairs. He was just setting foot on the first landing when he heard her call, "If you love me at all, there will be coffee waiting when I get down there!"

As Luke set to work preparing breakfast in the kitchen, he was struck with the normalcy of the routine. He couldn't count the number of times he'd made breakfast for Lorelai and Rory, preparing their favorite foods exactly as they liked it while they'd each prepared for the day in their respective bedrooms. But similar to waking up beside Lorelai this morning, everything felt different today.

"Ah, you do love me," Lorelai sighed happily as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a generous cup of coffee.

"The wedding wasn't proof enough?" Luke asked solemnly.

"Nope."

"Or the wedding night?" Luke turned from the stove to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a toss up," Lorelai shrugged. She leaned against the counter and looked at him carefully for a moment. "Luke?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is it weird?"

"Is what weird?" he asked.

"That we're so happy," she said softly, tracing the rim of her coffee cup with her finger. "I mean, nothing's really changed that much. We had sex, went to sleep, and now you're cooking breakfast. That's been our lives for…ever."

"Not forever," Luke retorted. "You made me wait long enough."

"You know what I mean," Lorelai said. "Nothing's changed. Even if we hadn't gotten married yesterday, we would have probably done exactly the same things we did, right?"

"Probably."

"So why does it feel so different?" Lorelai asked.

"Because it's finally happened," Luke said. "I've wanted this for so long."

"I know," she said softly. "You feel it too, right? How different everything feels?"

Luke was silent for a long moment as he pushed the eggs around the pan. "When you first started coming to Luke's," he finally said. "I didn't really know you, but I could tell things were tight. You'd order meals for Rory and ask for something simple for yourself. So I'd cook extra food for her, more than she would ever eat. And then coming in became part of your routine, and we became friends. I knew your orders backwards and forwards, and I cooked for you guys almost every day. Then we got together, and I moved in. Suddenly, I was still cooking for you every day, but I was here, it was my house too, and I was cooking for us, not just for you. But today…today it feels different."

"It does?" Lorelai asked softly. "How?"

"Because today I'm not cooking for a young single mom who's on a tight budget or for my friend and her kid. I'm not even cooking for my girlfriend and her daughter. Today I'm cooking for my wife and daughter. I've been cooking for you two for years, but today it's different."

Lorelai leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You are so my favorite husband," she informed him.

Luke offered her an affectionate smile, but before he could say anything the front door slammed and Rory's voice called out a greeting.

"Kitchen!" Lorelai called, turning from Luke and taking another sip of her coffee.

"Hi," Rory greeted each of them with a smile.

"There's our favorite daughter," Lorelai said. "Hey, guess what?"

"What?" Rory asked.

"I got married yesterday!"

"So that's what the party was for," Rory played along with a solemn nod. "Good to know."

"And your new dad's kidnapping me," Lorelai added.

"Taking you on a honeymoon," Luke corrected.

"Take a good look at my face, because this may be the last time you see me alive," Lorelai said to Rory.

"Well, you probably provoked him," Rory pointed out as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Whose side are you on?" Lorelai asked.

"Luke's," Rory didn't bother to lie.

"Wow, and I usually have to go to my parents' house to get this kind of treatment," Lorelai commented.

"Sit," Luke pointed at the kitchen table. "Food's ready."

"So," Rory said as she dug into her pancakes. "How long are you going to be gone for?"

"A week," Luke said.

"A week?" Lorelai repeated, looking at him with wide eyes. "Luke, it's sweet and everything, but the inn is…"

"Under construction," Luke said. "I talked to Sookie, it's fine. It's our honeymoon, Lorelai, she gets it."

She looked at him carefully for a moment. "Will you at least give me a hint?" she asked. She leaned towards him and casually flipped her hair over her shoulder, looking at him with wide, pleading eyes.

Luke rolled his eyes and reached for his orange juice. "I'm taking you to Maine," he said.

"Maine?" Lorelai asked. "What's in Maine?"

"My family's cabin," Luke said. "It's on a lake, there's a great town nearby. We used to go there when I was a kid, but I haven't been in awhile."

"Your family has a cabin in Maine?" Lorelai asked. "How did I not know about this before?"

"We weren't married before," Luke shrugged. "And by the way, the hair flip isn't going to work forever."

"You say that now," Lorelai said. "But you cave every time."

"I'll work up the resolve eventually," Luke muttered. He turned to Rory and asked, "You'll be okay here by yourself?"

Rory smiled at his concern. "I'll be fine," she confirmed. "I have to go back to Yale and turn in some papers, but I'll come back in a couple days to make sure Kirk hasn't rewired the electricity or something."

"That would be much appreciated," Luke said with a nod.

"When we come back, we'll decorate for Christmas," Lorelai said. "And hit the mall."

"I love the mall," Rory stated with a nod. She was silent for a moment before she turned to Luke. "I'm really glad you got married. Everything feels complete now. I'm glad you're here, Luke."

He offered her a smile and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "Me too, kid," he said.

"You've been there for us forever," Rory said. "And I…I'm just so happy it's you. You're a better father than my own dad ever was."

Luke nodded quickly as he looked down at his plate. "I'm here, Rory," he promised. "I'm always here."

Lorelai reached to squeeze his hand tightly before she turned to Rory. "You know, it takes a lot to make my husband emotional," she said. "Apparently you have the magic touch."

Rory simply beamed at her, and Lorelai looked at her cautiously. "What?" she asked.

"You called Luke your husband," Rory said.

"Ah, yes," Lorelai nodded as she turned to look at the man in question. "It's a great word, isn't it? I think it's my new favorite."

Rory stood to pour herself another cup of coffee, looking back at the table over her shoulder. "So, Daddy Luke," she said casually. "When am I invited to this cabin in the woods?"

XXXXX

"Who knew Maine was this far away?" Lorelai sighed dramatically six hours later as she tapped her feet impatiently against the dashboard of Luke's truck.

"Everyone who's ever driven to Maine," Luke replied smoothly.

"Well, then count me out," Lorelai sighed. "Seriously, how much longer?"

"About half an hour," Luke said as he pulled off the highway and onto a small back road. "The rest is more scenic."

"I can't believe you won't let me listen to my tunes," Lorelai grumbled. "Seriously, who turns off Bono?"

"I do after two hours of the same CD on repeat," Luke replied. "And you were sleeping anyway."

"Well, I could have listened subconsciously," Lorelai replied. "Bono and I connect on multiple levels."

"Multiple levels, huh?" Luke asked as he eased the truck to a stop at a stop light. He brought his hands together at the top of the steering wheel, the fingers of his right hand absently twisting his wedding ring back and forth. "Do I have to prove myself worthy of your honor?"

"Nah, he's too distracted saving the world," Lorelai replied, smiling as she watched him twist his ring. "I demand a lot of attention."

"You're kidding," Luke said sarcastically, stepping on the gas when the light turned green.

"You're stuck now, mister," Lorelai said. "You're the one who planned the surprise wedding and is a closet mushy romantic. It's too late to back out."

"Don't want to," Luke promised, glancing at her.

"Good," Lorelai said. She fell silent as she looked out the window, watching the snow glazed trees slide by outside. "It's beautiful here."

"I thought you'd like it," he said as he pulled the truck into a parking spot on the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked, glancing around at the small gathering of buildings that took up a single block of the road. "Where's the cabin?"

"Still about fifteen minutes away," Luke said, reaching for his seatbelt. "We need groceries."

Lorelai opened her mouth to protest, but her grumbling stomach stopped her. "Fine," she said, reaching for her own seatbelt. "But let's get easy to prep food. Ice cream, frozen pizza, cookie dough."

"Salad and sandwiches?" Luke suggested. "For me," he clarified at her horrified expression.

"good," Lorelai said, linking her right hand through his left one as they entered the store. "No cooking this week."

"You like when I cook."

"I do," Lorelai nodded, running her thumb over his wedding ring. "But it takes a lot of time. Do you really want to spend our honeymoon cooking?"

"Not particularly," Luke admitted.

"So…easy to prep food," Lorelai said with a confident nod. "I'll make it worth it, I promise."

"You already have," Luke told her honestly.

She smiled up at him, suddenly desperate to be alone for an entire week. "Let's hurry," she suggested.

It took them fifteen minutes to collect their groceries for the week and return to the truck. "I still don't understand why you need whipped cream," Luke stated, depositing their bags into the back of the truck.

"Then you're in for a fun surprise," Lorelai replied. Luke maneuvered the truck back onto the road and she turned to smile at him. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning onto a narrow road that was lined with trees on either side.

"In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really great honeymoon," Lorelai told him honestly.

He shot a smile her way before he returned his gaze to the road. "Me too," he assured her.

"Is that it?" Lorelai asked excitedly as she leaned forward in her seat. Luke turned left and parked beside a modest wooden sign that boasted one word: Danes.

"It is," Luke said. "It's been awhile, so don't judge it right away, okay?"

"I love it," Lorelai said, stepping out of the truck and looking at the one story wooden cabin in front of them. To their left she could see frozen water shimmering in the setting sun, and she took in the tire swing that hung from a tree beside the lake. "Bring me inside."

Luke led her up the few wooden steps to the door and slid a key into the lock. "Go ahead," he said.

"Wow," Lorelai breathed as she stepped inside. It was a typical wooden cabin, with warm oak walls, a high ceiling, and large windows to their left, facing the lake.

"I'll turn the power on," Luke said, stepping around her. "Wait here." He disappeared into a back room, and a moment later she heard a hum click on. "Try the lights?" his voice requested.

Lorelai reached for a lamp that sat on a table beside the door and clicked it on. "Let there be light!" she declared.

Luke appeared a moment later, rubbing his hands together. "It should warm up soon," he said. "I'll start a fire in a few minutes."

"Tour first?" Lorelai requested.

"Sure," Luke said. He pointed to her right. "Kitchen." The kitchen was simple, with a sink and refrigerator the only appliances supplied. Luke pulled a sheet off of the table to reveal a dining set for four. "This is obviously the living room," he gestured to her left. Together they pulled the sheets off of the couch and chairs that were centered around a stone fireplace. "Here's the bathroom," Luke took her hand to show her the small and simple room. "That's the spare bedroom, where Liz and I would sleep. And through here," he said, tugging her through a door in the back right corner of the cabin. "Is our room."

Lorelai looked around with wide eyes, taking in the bed, dressers, and night tables that decorated the room. Luke turned to open another door and pulled a set of blankets and pillows out of a closet. "I should have come up to turn the heat on and get things set up earlier in the week," he said apologetically.

"It's perfect," Lorelai said, reaching to take some of the blankets from his arms. "I can't believe you never told me about this place."

He shrugged, dropping the pillows on a dresser as he reached for the fitted sheet. "It's not a big deal," he said.

"Let me," Lorelai insisted, reaching for the sheet. "I'm the expert."

"Funny, because I don't think I've ever seen our bed actually made."

"I made a living for me and Rory changing sheets for a long time," Lorelai scoffed. "I know how to make a bed. I just choose not to."

"Fine," Luke conceded, stepping back and watching her for a moment. "You're really okay with this?"

"More than okay with it," Lorelai said as she smoothed the sheet before she tucked the final corner in. "It's perfect. Romantic, rustic. And it's in the middle of nowhere, which means we won't get any complaints when I do the tongue thing that makes you scream."

"I don't scream, you scream," Luke scoffed.

"Damn right I do," Lorelai flashed him a flirty smile. "My husband knows how to pleasure me."

Luke stepped forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll go get our bags," he said.

"Good idea," Lorelai nodded. "Then the screaming can start sooner rather than later."

Luke rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, leaving Lorelai to finish making the bed. He returned just as she was placing the final pillow beside the headboard. "Here's your bag."

"Thanks," Lorelai said. "I'll unpack later." She followed Luke into the main area of the cabin and watched as he knelt in front of the fireplace. "Starting a fire?"

"It will warm the place up faster," Luke explained.

"You do your thing," Lorelai walked to the kitchen and pulled the fridge open. "And I'll do mine."

Luke rolled his eyes as he watched her open a bottle of wine. "Glasses are to the left," he said.

"You keep wine glasses here?" Lorelai gasped as she poured herself a glass and then opened a beer for Luke. "Is this where you bring all your women?"

"Only the ones I marry," Luke replied as he stepped back and admired the fire he'd built.

"Good answer," Lorelai smiled as she approached him and handed him his beer. She held her wine glass up and offered him a smile. "Happy honeymoon."

Luke offered her a smile of his own. "I'll drink to that," he said. They each took a sip of their respective drinks and Luke reached his free hand to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. She smiled as she wrapped her free arm around his neck and kissed him deeply.

"So what now?" she asked when they broke apart for air.

Luke turned her towards the couch. "Now," he said. "We do what married people do."

"Hmmm," Lorelai pretended to ponder. "Go buy matching jogging suits?"

"No," Luke said, setting his beer on the end table.

"Have a fancy dinner party and invite our married friends?"

"Definitely not," her wine glass joined his beer.

"Eat dinner at four thirty and go to bed without having sex?" Lorelai asked.

"Quite the opposite," Luke murmured, his lips finding her neck.

"I like the way you think," Lorelai sighed, wrapping her arm around him and leaning back against the couch. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," she whispered. "You know I love you."

Luke lifted his head to meet her gaze. "But?" he prompted.

Lorelai pulled him up to kiss him, her hand stroking his face gently. "Can we save the sex for later?" she whispered. "I know that sounds like something a wife would say after twenty years of marriage, but I just…I want to enjoy you. I know that sounds dirty, and I do want to enjoy the dirty, but I also want to enjoy the normal stuff. The not dirty stuff."

Luke smiled as he kissed her one more time. "Me too," he said.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he said. "It's not all about sex, Lorelai."

"I know," she said, reaching for her wine again. She kicked her shoes off and tucked her feet underneath her before she snuggled into Luke's side. "This place is incredible."

"I love it here," Luke said, wrapping an arm around her and resting his hand on her hip.

"How did your dad find this place?" Lorelai asked.

"He built it," Luke replied. "When he and my mom got married."

"Wow," Lorelai breathed. "So that's where you got your hand crafting skills from?"

"I guess," Luke shrugged. "I helped him make the deck outside. It wasn't there originally, but he let me help one summer. I was sixteen."

"It's a beautiful house," Lorelai said. "And it's part mine now, right?"

"That's not how it works," Luke said.

"But we're married!"

"Yeah, and Liz and I are co-owners," Luke shrugged. "I can add your name to the deed if you want me too."

"My name is on the deed," Lorelai scoffed. "It's on the sign outside."

"What are you talking about?"

"Danes," Lorelai smiled as she looked up at him.

"Ah," Luke nodded in understanding. He rubbed her hip gently and took a sip of his beer. "It's going to take some getting used to."

"Maybe you can say my full name every time you say something to me," Lorelai said.

"I can do that, Lorelai Gilmore Danes."

"Do you think it will ever get less exciting to hear?" Lorelai asked.

"You'll be hearing it for the rest of your life, you may get used to it eventually," Luke said.

"I don't think so," Lorelai said. "I think when I'm ninety years old and they call Lorelai Gilmore Danes to come get her arthritis medicine at the nursing home, I'll still have these butterflies I have when I hear it now."

"I hope so," Luke said. Lorelai looked up at him sternly, and he rolled his eyes. "I hope so, Lorelai Gilmore Danes," he conceded.

"It is a mouthful," Lorelai sighed.

"Which only makes it that much more suitable for you," Luke retorted.

"Hey, I'm your wife now," Lorelai replied him. "There are rules against being mean to me."

"You may be wife, but that doesn't mean we stop arguing," Luke said.

"That's what we do," Lorelai said. "Even before we were together, we mastered the art of arguing."

"And you mastered the art of driving me crazy," Luke teased, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Lorelai twirled her wine in her wine glass slightly. "It's hard to believe it's been less than a year," she said softly. "Since Rory's car accident, since that night you and I really…clicked."

"A year ago I was helping you set up your Christmas tree," Luke murmured.

"And being so gentlemanly about it," Lorelai nodded seriously.

Luke took a sip of his beer and brought it down to rest on his thigh. "I knew that night," he said softly. "When you came to the diner when Rory was in Boston. I knew something had changed, that you were ready."

"I knew too," Lorelai admitted softly. "I don't know what made it different. It wasn't like it was the first time I'd come into the diner and poured my heart out to you."

Luke squeezed her tightly. "It was the first time since you'd gotten over Christopher," he said gently.

"Maybe," Lorelai sighed. "the next day, when you drove us to Boston so I could get to Rory, that's when I knew that I wanted you. I knew something had happened the night before, and I'd even put on my flirting underwear to wear to the diner that day."

"Flirting underwear?" Luke repeated, obviously interested.

"Yeah, the underwear that makes me feel all confident and sexy, even If I know no one else is going to see it," Lorelai explained. "It sounds stupid now, but I picked out the underwear I thought you would like."

Luke cleared his throat and shifted slightly. "Which ones?" he asked.

Lorelai smiled as she nudged him slightly. "Getting the picture right for your fantasy, Danes?" she teased.

"Nah, you're never wearing underwear in my fantasies," he shot back.

"Now there's an idea," Lorelai said. "It was the turquoise bra and lace panties."

"Hmmm," Luke nodded. "You were right."

"It all seems so stupid now," Lorelai said, tracing her finger over his thigh.

"Picking out underwear you think I'd like?" Luke asked. "Because that sounds like a valuable way to spend your time."

"not that," Lorelai said. "All those years I didn't see you. You were right there, and I just didn't see you. Everyone else saw it, how wonderful we'd be together. But I was too stupid to see it."

"You weren't stupid," Luke insisted. "You weren't ready."

"We could have been here so many years ago," Lorelai said softly. "If I'd known when we first met, there never would have been a Rachel or a Max or the disaster that was Christopher a couple years ago."

"But there would have been," Luke murmured. "Rachel still would have come back, and you still would have met Max when Rory started Chilton. Christopher would still have been Rory's dad, coming in and out of your lives."

Lorelai pushed back to look at him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "What are you saying?" she asked.

"I'm saying," Luke leaned forward to kiss her. "That it was worth the wait."

Lorelai offered him a wide smile. "No regrets?" she asked him softly.

"None," he confirmed.

"Good," she said. She settled back down at his side and asked, "What are your plans for this week?"

"This," Luke replied.

"Making up for lost time?" Lorelai asked.

"Something like that," Luke replied.

"I'm good with that," Lorelai said.

"You warm enough?" he asked after a few minutes.

Lorelai nodded and sighed in contentment as she snuggled closer to him. "One of the many benefits of having a hot husband," she said.

Luke pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Sorry there's no TV," he murmured.

"Who needs TV?" Lorelai asked. "I wouldn't want anything to distract us from our honeymoon."

"That would be terrible."

"I did notice one very important thing missing from the kitchen," Lorelai said seriously.

"I brought a spare coffee maker," Luke assured her.

Lorelai laughed as she tilted her head up to him. "You're the best husband I've ever had," she informed him.

"Too bad for the other guys," Luke leaned down to kiss her. She responded eagerly, and he pulled back after a long moment. "You know, there's a bathtub in the bathroom," he murmured.

"That's good," Lorelai nodded. "Because I plan on a lot of physical exertion this week."

Luke leaned forward to kiss her neck. "And with it being our honeymoon," he said. "I may even get in with you."

Lorelai's eyes sparkled as she tilted her head to give him better access. "You hate baths," she commented.

"You're naked and wet," Luke whispered against her skin. "What's not to love?"

"Nothing," Lorelai confirmed. She held his head in place for a long moment before she tugged him back up to her. "Bath or bed?" she asked seriously.

Luke leaned in to kiss her. "Bath," he said. "Then bed."

"This is why I married you," Lorelai giggled as he pulled her to her feet. "You go start it. I promised Rory I'd call, but I forgot."

"Tell her I say hi," Luke said, squeezing her hand as he turned towards the bathroom.

Lorelai slid back down onto the couch as she reached for her cell phone, placing a quick call to Rory. After informing her daughter that they had made it safely to Maine and requesting that she call if she need anything, Lorelai tossed her phone back into her purse and walked toward the bathroom, shedding her clothes as she went.

"Luke?" she asked softly, pushing the door open and stepping into the bathroom. "Hey."

"Hey," he said, looking up at him from where he crouched beside the tub. "Rory's doing okay?"

"Yeah, she tried to hide the rager that's going on at the house, but she forgets that her mother was the definition of teenage rebellion," Lorelai shrugged.

"Lorelai," he warned.

"She's fine, Luke," she smiled, touched at his concern. "She's a big girl."

"I know, but I worry," Luke said.

"She'll be okay," Lorelai confirmed. "And the Rory talk is officially over, because I'm about to get naked, and that's disturbing on a multitude of levels."

"Got it," Luke nodded as he stood. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, watching her carefully. "Well?"

"Well what?" Lorelai frowned, suddenly uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"You said you were going to get naked," Luke said impatiently.

"Oh, right, sorry," Lorelai said. She reached behind her and unsnapped her bra clasp, tossing the garment towards him.

He caught the bra easily and dropped it to the floor. "Still not naked."

"You're awfully impatient for someone who's still wearing all his clothes," Lorelai commented as she stepped out of her underwear and dropped it on the floor.

In one swift move, Luke was in front of her, kissing her deeply, and any desire for talking was forgotten. Lorelai wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as she kissed him back, her mind going blissfully blank as she allowed herself to get lost in her husband.