"I wanna marry you," Luke blurted out.

"What?!" Lorelai gasped. She couldn't stop smiling which surprised her more than it seemed to surprise Luke.

Luke took her by the hand and led her from the kitchen to the couch. They sat down, her staring at the blank TV trying to process everything she was feeling, him facing her watching all the emotions flashing across her face.

"Before you freak out too much, can I say a few things?"

"You haven't said enough?" Lorelai joked.

"Please," he said softly and full of emotion.

Lorelai finally looked at him and smiled, "I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"Yes, we have only been dating for two weeks. Yes, that's an incredibly short amount of time to date someone to then bring up marriage. But it's not like we just met. And if I'm being really honest, I've loved you for a long time. But you have to know, I'm not crazy. I'm not saying I want to throw you on a plane, get you to Vegas and get married. It has just felt so natural and right, me being here with you and Rory, the dinners, the movies, I mean did you see that she hugged me goodnight yesterday? It's like we're already a family. I just want you to know that I'm ready for this, to officially be here for you and for Rory, forever."

Lorelai was silent as Luke spoke, which was a big change from their usual banter. It made Luke slightly uneasy but also let him know how seriously she was taking this.

"I, um, I don't know what to say."

Luke's heart dropped, his fear of going too fast too soon, of scaring her off with his intense feelings seemed to be coming true.

"I feel the same way," she almost whispered.

"What?" Luke asked, cautiously optimistic.

"You're right. When I realized that I love you it wasn't a sudden feeling, it was finally admitting what that feeling was that I felt for you. And we do know each other so well in some aspects. I love that you are coming by here more and Rory loves it too. I was worried that I was lost in new relationship bliss, but Rory is level headed and she mentioned how nice it was having you around. I see it, I see our future."

"So wait? Do you want to get married?"

Lorelai laughed, "Luke Danes, that is not how you are going to propose to me."

It was Luke's turn to laugh, "You're right. You and our future deserve a better start than that. Now that I know you won't go running for the hills if I bring up the topic, I will figure out the perfect time and way to ask you to marry me."

A few weeks later Lorelai was deep in planning mode. She was either in the kitchen with Sookie going over the menu, shopping for clothing options and working with Michel on all the other party details. She was really excited, Mia called to tell her what a great job she was doing on all the plans and that she was going to pay for a professional photographer for the event. The only downside was that because she was so wrapped up in all of this she hadn't seen much of Luke in the past week. But after this weekend, when the Bracebridge dinner was over she would take a few days off and make it up to him.

The morning of the dinner arrived and something that would normally thrill Lorelai made her stomach drop. Stars Hollow was covered in a thick blanket of snow and more was falling from the sky. After looking out the window she rushed to the phone and called Sookie's line at the Inn.

"Independence Inn, Sookie speaking"

"Sook, how's it going over there?"

"Oh Honey," Sookie sighed. "What a morning! My car wouldn't start, Jackson gave me a ride and we almost slid off the road twice. Most of the staff made it in and we have been cooking like mad for hours already and guess what?"

"What?" Lorelai's voice was filled with dread.

"They cancelled."

"No!"

"They're snowed in," Sookied sighed.

"No," Lorelai said with a genuine pout.

"I'm so sad. I have all this food … I guess I can donate it to the church cause thanks to this event we also have an entirely empty Inn."

Lorelai slumped onto her bed and sighed, "This was going to be so much fun. I can't believe the snow, my incredible and magical snow ruined it for us!"

The two friends sat silently on the phone for a moment when Rory knocked on Lorelai's door frame, "Mom? Did you see the snow?" She asked excitedly, knowing that her Mom loved snow.

Lorelai then explained to Rory why she was not happy about it this time and Rory felt so bad for her Mom and Sookie.

"Hey wait," Rory said as her face lit up. "We should still put on the dinner you planned."

"What?"

Rory sat beside her Mom so Sookie would be able to hear through the phone, "We can invite the Town. We can enjoy the dinner and entertainment that you guys planned with our friends!"

"Oh my god!" Sookie said excitedly.

"And since the Inn is empty we can make it a huge friend slumber party!" Lorelai added excitedly, jumping off the bed.

"I didn't think this event could get better, but sharing it with our friends instead of customers? This is great!" Sookie giggled. "I'm hanging up and getting back to cooking and baking. You invite everyone!"

"I'm on it!" Lorelai agreed as she hung up the phone. "I knew snow wouldn't let me down! Get dressed Kid, we're going to Luke's to invite people!"

It was the time for the breakfast rush but it was barely busy at all because of the weather. Luke always thought it was funny that people were taken by surprise when it snowed. As if it didn't happen around the same time every year.

He was wiping down a table and the sound of the bell let him know someone had arrived. When he looked up and saw Lorelai and Rory his smile lit up the room.

"Hey you two, I wasn't sure you'd make it in."

"Winter break starts today and you know there's no way I could keep Mom away from here," Rory said as she sat at her favourite table.

"Plus, we need to talk to people and figure this is the hub of the town," Lorelai added before kissing him hello.

"Yeah, well I hate to disappoint you but it's kind of slow here today. I guess people forget that snow is not that uncommon in Connecticut. Especially in December."

"To be fair this one snuck up on us," Lorelai smiled. She loved his rants, "I didn't even smell this one coming. And it was a big one!"

"Sure. Anyway, what do you need to talk to people about?" Luke asked as he filled their coffee mugs.

"We're having a sleepover and we need to invite everyone," Rory informed him.

"A sleepover?" Luke looked puzzled. "Aren't you a bit old for that?"

"You are NEVER supposed to say that to a woman!" Lorelai snapped playfully.

"Sorry," he headed towards the kitchen, "I thought you had that big event at the Inn."

"The guests got snowed in at the Chicago airport," Lorelai called out. "We were really upset about it. But we have everything and they paid for it already and the Inn is empty because this party booked the whole place. So Sookie is still cooking up a storm and now we can have this evening with the people we love instead of doing all this work for strangers."

As luck would have it Miss Patty and Babette walked in together and Lorelai jumped up. She hurried over to them and filled them in on what she and Sookie wanted to do. Within ten minutes they had a guest list and most of the logistics worked out. They each took a few names of people they would invite and Lorelai rejoined Rory at their table to start on the stack of pancakes Luke had brought for her.

"So Mom?"

"So Rory?"

"I want to ask you a favour," Rory said nervously.

"Shoot."

"Well you know Grandma and Grandpa have been having a hard time lately."

"Roryyyyy" Lorelai whined.

"Come on Mom! You know Grandma was sad that Grandpa didn't want to go away this year. And Grandpa could use a break from work. Please!"

"But I just arranged where everyone is going to sleep. There are no more rooms."

"Really? At Christmas you're going to say there is no room at the Inn?"

"First of all, good one," she chuckled. "Second of all, it's true. Look!" She handed Rory the sheet she had just made with Miss Patty and Babette. Rory looked over the list carefully, desperately trying to find something she could rearrange.

"Ah ha! Got it."

Lorelai sighed, "What?"

"The Kims are out of town and you have them in room four."

"Miss Patty said that the Kims WERE going out of town but their hosts got the flu. They're here."

Rory went back to the list, "Hey! You have Luke in a room by himself."

"Well I didn't think you would want the three of us in a room. Would I share a bed with you or him?"

"I've got it! You share room ten with Luke, give room six to Grandma and Grandpa and I'll sleep on the couch in your office."

"Rory, no."

"You know that couch is more comfortable than most beds. I LOVE that couch."

"It is a great couch," Lorelai conceded.

"Mom?"

"Okay if Luke lets me use his phone I will call Grandma and invite them."

Rory broke out in a huge smile.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Luke would let you do anything!"

"No. Not anything!"

"What are you two fighting about now?" Luke asked as he approached the table.

"Rory here thinks you will let me do anything I want," Lorelai said while shaking her head.

"Yeah, pretty much!" Luke smiled.

Rory laughed, "She just needs to use the phone."

"Sure, go ahead." Luke nodded towards the phone.

"Dammit!" Lorelai groaned and headed to the phone behind the counter.

"Am I in trouble?" Luke asked Rory.
"Oh yeah!" Rory giggled while he refilled her coffee.