Title: It All Starts With A Kiss
Chapter 18: The Wedding
A/N: Well, this is a great story, and I see no end to it. I believe I'm gonna try to wrap it up soon.
"When's soon?"
"When the big hand hits the 'S' and the little hand hits the 'OON.'"
I know the ending. I know the next coupla chapters. I'm in the know, and you ain't! I'm a wonderful writer, I know.
Anyway....
Okay, you know the drill. I'm fastforwarding, just like usual, only now it's a month. Okay? So, Lorelai's 16 weeks (4 months) pregnant, it's the middle of March, L&L have been engaged for a month with absolutely no talk of wedding plans.
Now, if the story goes the way I think it will, there's gonna be talk of Richard & Emily, Christopher, Liz, Singin' in the Rain, any of the ten Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers movies, Pretty In Pink, Yoko Ono, Ocean's Eleven, George Clooney....Well, you get the idea.
Then again, just because I mentioned these people and things doesn't necesarily(how do you spell that?) mean they're in the story...anyway, now I'm wasting both your and my time. You may now stop paying attention to my ramblings and read my story so you can review and rave about it and make my day. Fine. (Meanie.)
~~~~
"See, I never got that." Lorelai proclaimed through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Never got what?" Sookie asked through an equally popcorn-filled mouth.
"That." Lorelai pointed at her TV screen, where Pretty In Pink was playing. "She's so poor that the rich people with weird names don't pay attention to her, but she's got her own phone, answering machine, and car? That makes no sense."
"I guess not."
"You know what does make sense, though? Hey, hand me that Snickers."
"What?" Sookie asked, handing over the candy.
"What?" Lorelai asked back, confused.
"You said, and I quote, 'you know what does make sense, though?' unquote."
"Ooh, good use of air quotes!"
"Thanks. You were saying?"
"Oh, yeah! Rich people always have weird names. Like the boy named 'Steph', the girl named 'Benny', and 'Blaine.' Ugh! You would not believe how many Blaines I knew in high school."
"How many?"
"Like, uh, like, you would not believe!"
"That many huh?"
"Yeah, that many. I also knew Sissys, and Benedicts, and even one Bermuda."
"Bermuda? Really?"
"Yeah. I tell you, Bermuda Johnson--not a nice girl!"
"Huh. Before or after you made fun of her name?"
"Oh, after. But I don't see what that has to do with it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Rory knows a Lemon."
"Lemon?" Sookie laughed.
"Yeah," Lorelai laughed back, "but they call her 'Lem.'"
"Lem?"
"Lem."
They kept repeating 'Lem' for a few seconds, until the novelty wore off, and they got back to watching the movie.
It was about nine on a Saturday morning. Both Sookie and Lorelai were off, and Jackson and Luke were busy, so it was the perfect day for a girls only movie fest. The pizza place was having a sale, and already Pete was piling up the tips from the girls. Candy at Doose's had been ten percent off, and Taylor was now completely out of chocolate...and popcorn, too, come to think of it. The result was a very full coffee table at Lorelai's house. The girls were sitting behind it, watching the second of their movies, already planning on the next one. (Lorelai wanted George Clooney in Ocean's Eleven, while Sookie was pushing for Fred & Ginger in The Gay Divorcee.)
"I always liked Duckie." Sookie said, referring to Jon Cryer's character in the movie.
"Yeah. He was infatuated with her, and she just left him for Richie Rich." Lorelai agreed, talking about how Molly Ringwald's character didn't realize the Duck-man liked her and headed for Andrew McCarthy instead. "Granted, I did like Andrew McCarthy as Robert Kennedy."
"When was he Robert Kennedy?"
"When Tim Matheson was JFK."
"And when was that?"
"'Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis', a miniseries on CBS a few years ago."
Sookie looked at her blankly.
"You didn't see it? Wait, I've got it somewhere." And Lorelai was off. She ran upstairs to look for something, while Sookie just sat back, took another sip of her Kool-Aid, and watched as Duckie sang to Molly Ringwald and Annie Potts in Annie's record store. Minutes later, Lorelai was back, this time with a video tape in her hand.
"Oh, what's that, sweetie?"
"'Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.' Rory recorded it, because she was just starting at Chilton and they were studying the Kennedys, so she figured this might give her some much needed insight to blow Paris right out of the water."
"Did it work?"
"A little, but she read Jack and Jackie, and that worked more."
"Oh, well. You wanna watch it anyway?"
"Sure! But after the Molly Ringwald movie, cause I like the part where Duckie gets the girl."
"Me, too."
They finished Pretty In Pink, and in the short break they took between the movies to restock on junk food from the pile in the kitchen, Lorelai asked Sookie something that had been nagging her.
"Hey, Sookie?"
"Yeah?"
"How'd you get Jackson to start planning your wedding?"
"Oh, he jumped right in. He really wanted to be a part of it."
"Huh. Okay."
"Why?"
"What? Why what?"
"Why do you wanna know how I got Jackson to start planning our wedding?"
"Oh, cause Luke proposed over a month ago, and I can't get him to talk about it to save my life."
"Well, sweetie, you could do what you do best and barge into the diner, demand he leave, and spend the weekend planning."
"That's a good idea."
"Yeah, I'm just full of 'em."
"Sookie?"
"Lorelai."
"Would you hate me if I went to go do that now?"
"No, of course not! You go get him, girl!"
"Okay! Wait, what time is it?"
"Ten to eleven." Sookie said, glancing at the clock.
"And today's the--"
"Twentieth." Sookie stated promptly.
"Damn."
"Ooh, what's the problem?"
"I have a doctor's appointment in Hartford in twenty minutes."
"That's a problem."
"Quick, help me find a marker!"
"Okay, why?"
"We're making a sign for the diner."
~~~~
Gone Baby
Watchin'
&
Weddin'
Plannin'
"No, Lorelai, I refuse to put that sign up!"
"Oh, come on, Luke! You're closing the diner, anyway."
"No, I'm not closing the diner!"
"Yes, you are. You proposed over a month ago, and you have not uttered one single word since then about getting married! We have to talk about this."
"Okay. Just...not now."
"Yes, now. Everybody out! Finish what you're eating, pay the man, and leave!"
"Lorelai!"
"It's working, isn't it?" Lorelai gestured to the three people already standing in line at the cash register.
"Yeah, but--fine. Everyone, finish, pay, leave!" Luke headed behind the cash register. "Cesar, get the hell outta my kitchen!"
"Luke, I haven't gotten my--"
"Shut up, Kirk. Pay for what you got and leave."
"But--"
"Leave!"
"Fine."
Kirk left, followed by the other patrons. Within five minutes, the entire diner was empty, save Larry, wiping down tables. Luke kicked him out, and he gladly headed home, and Luke finally turned to Lorelai.
"Happy now?"
"Very. Now let's go."
"What? Where are we going now?"
"Hartford. We've got a doctor's appointment."
"When?"
"Oh, five minutes ago."
"What?"
"Move your butt, come on, come on!"
Luke sighed and followed Lorelai out of the diner. He started to lock it, but she stopped him, placed the sign in the window, and told him to continue. There was a slight argument about the sign, which was hilarious to watch--Luke pointing to the sign, his face with that look on it, Lorelai pointing to the sign, her face calm and pouty at the same time--but Luke finally gave in, and they started for Hartford.
~~~~
"Good night, Kathy. See you in the morning." Gene Kelly said.
"Good night, and take care of that throat. You're a big singing star now, remember? This California dew is a little heavier than usual tonight." Debbie Reynolds responded, pulling his collar up to protect him from the falling rain.
"Really? From where I stand the sun is shining all over the place." Gene said seconds before they kissed and she entered her home. He started walking down the street and began to sing and dance.
Rory, sitting on her couch, watched as he launched into the title song from Singin' in the Rain. She grabbed a Kleenex as she felt a sneeze come on, and the sneeze turned into a coughing fit, and Jess entered to see Rory in all her sick splendor.
"Oh, that's what you want your boyfriend to come home too."
"Of course, it'll show you what to expect in twenty years."
"No, that's the cold cream and curlers outfit."
"Oops."
Jess walked over to the couch, dropped his bag, and sat next to Rory. She smiled, and he smiled back. He kissed her, picked up her pillow from behind him, and set it in his lap. She grabbed a few more tissues from the box, dropped the box on the floor, and laid her head on the pillow. Jess smoothed her hair and turned his attention to the TV.
"So, what're we watching?"
"Singin' in the Rain."
"And what could be your reason for watching this movie on your day off?"
"Because you made me go for a walk in the rain, and that's why I've got a day off."
"I thought that might be the reason," Jess laughed and kissed Rory on her cheek. She smiled and then remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, did you get my assignments from my professors?"
"Yes, freak, I did. And they thought I was as strange as you are." Jess got a pile of work from his bag and plopped it on Rory's lap. "Work away."
"Okay." Rory stood up and started to head for the dining table.
"No, don't," Jess laughed. "Watch the movie, rest."
"Oh, all right." Rory settled back into the couch, her head in Jess' lap again. "You're horrible to me, you know."
"I am your horrible boyfriend who makes you rest while you're sick, I know."
Rory sat up to kiss him and then settled back down.
~~~~
"Good afternoon, Lorelai, how are you?"
"Good afternoon, Dr. Goodfellow. I'm fine. Very ready for the first trimester to be over."
"Well, I think you'll get your wish today. You're at exactly sixteen weeks, the start of the second trimester."
"I thought that might happen today."
"Excuse me for breaking up this little chatfest, but what's the significance of the second trimester?" Luke said, sitting off to the side in a chair.
"May I ask who you are, young man?" the older man looked over his glasses at Luke.
"Oh, I'm Luke, the bastard who did that to her, and the guy who's gonna marry her and not make the kid a bastard," he retaliated, pointing at Lorelai.
"Oh, okay. Well, Luke, the significance of the second trimester is that these are the three months in which the morning sickness will hopefully subside, the baby will grow to the point that Lorelai will show, and Lorelai and even others will be able to feel the child kicking."
"Ah, okay. Continue."
"All right. Well, let's crank up the ultrasound and have a look at your baby."
"Okely-dokely." Lorelai said. Luke stood and walked over to her.
"If you say that again, I'm gonna take away your Simpsons watching priveleges," he whispered. She pouted, but nodded.
"Have you ever discussed the possibility of multiple babies?" Dr. Goodfellow asked, staring at the screen that was facing only him.
"Uh, no. What do you mean? Am I having, like, septuplets or something?"
"No, but I believe you're having twins," the doctor said, swinging the screen around to face Luke and Lorelai. He also turned on the sound, and the sound of one heartbeat, and then two filled the air. "See, there's one here," the doctor pointed at the screen, "and another one here."
"Huh."
"Do you know the sexes?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, it's a little hard to tell, but I believe this one's a boy, and this one looks to be a girl."
"Wow."
"So we're having a girl and a boy?" Lorelai asked.
"Looks like it."
"Cool!" Lorelai squealed, before turning to Luke. "Isn't that cool, Luke?"
"Amazing."
~~~~
"Luke and Lorelai." Lorelai suggested.
"No, I'm not naming my kid after me, and you've already got a Lorelai. How about...Nick and Nora."
"Sid and Nancy."
"Sam and Diane."
"Sam and Diane?"
"From Cheers."
"Maybe. Thank you," Lorelai said as Luke held the door open for her. They entered the house, depositing coats near the coat rack, and headed into the living room to collapse on the couch.
"More names?"
"Absolutely," Lorelai answered. "Uh...Joey and Phoebe."
"Ross and Rachel?"
"Monica and Chandler."
"Never."
"Hmmph. Lane and Dave."
"No names of anyone we know."
"Fine. Leopold and Loeb."
"Andrew and Ashley."
"Yuck. George and Ira."
"The Gershwin brothers?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Uh, Tess and Danny."
"When did you watch Ocean's Eleven?"
"Last week when you forced me."
"Right. Brad and Jen."
"Do you really want your kid named after someone whose last name is Pitt?"
"No. Ben and Jen."
"No rhyming names."
"Julia and Danny."
"Who's that?"
"Julia Roberts and her husband Danny Moder."
"Okay, whatever. Alexander and Alexandra."
"That's so cliched. Fred and Ginger."
"Maybe."
"Molly and Tony."
"Maybe."
"Samantha and Jake."
"Do you get all of your ideas from movies and TV?"
"Of course. Where else?"
"I should have guessed." Luke sighed. "I am officially moving that we stop all name calling and begin planning the wedding."
"Ooh, okay! When?"
"Now."
"No, when should we have the wedding? We can either wait a year and have the wedding with little babies and then leave the twins for a week, or we can throw something together in a month or two before I start showing too much."
"Do you think we can throw something together in two months?"
"Sure. Sookie threw her wedding together in three and a half months, and did you see how big that hoopla was?"
"Yeah, okay."
"So, two months from now?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Where?"
"Uh, here?"
"Sure. Front or back yard?"
"Back. Wait, is there enough room?"
"How many people do you think are gonna come?"
"I dunno. Maybe we should make out a list."
"Okay." Lorelai ran to the kitchen, didn't find anything, ran into Rory's room, and returned with a legal pad and a pen. "Now, let's see," she settled into the floor in front of the coffee table, now clear of junk food thanks to Sookie. Luke slid off the couch until he was sitting next to her. "Rory and Jess, Sookie and Jackson," Lorelai wrote the names as she said them. "Any you want to add?"
"No."
"No? What about your sister?"
"Nah, she wouldn't wanna come."
"Well, let's invite her anyway." Lorelai wrote "Liz" on the paper.
"What about your parents?"
"No, I don't wanna invite my parents."
"I'm inviting my sister."
"Ugh, fine." Lorelai wrote "Richard and Emily" down, and then tapped her pen on the paper. "Do you think we should invite the town?"
"Sure. Do that."
Lorelai wrote "Miss Patty, Babette and Morey, Taylor--"
"No, not Taylor. I'm not gonna invite him to my wedding."
"He's gonna hear about it. It's Stars Hollow. And besides, everyone's gonna wanna come. According to Rory, they've been waiting for this for about twenty years."
"We haven't known each other twenty years."
"I'm exaggerating, Luke. I'm prone to do that--I'm off my coffee."
"Ah, that's why."
"Always. Hey, I've got an idea. Let's not do invitations. Let's just tell Miss Patty and Babette when and where, and tell everyone to RSVP."
"Okay, but we're gonna have to send something to Liz and Richard and Emily."
"Darn. Okay, I'll print up a nice invitation for your sister, and then we can go visit my mother and explain the whole wedding thing to her."
"Okay. But, do we have to visit your mother?"
"Yes. You get to meet the insaneness you're marrying into!"
"Yippee."
~~~~
"Cassie, please get Mr. Gilmore for me."
"Yes ma'am, but I'm Annette."
"Whatever. Just get Mr. Gilmore."
The maid nodded and left. The door bell rang.
"Cassie! The door!" Emily got no answer, so she headed for the door herself, muttering, "She's good for nothing, I can't believe she can't answer the door before getting Richard." She pulled the door open to reveal Luke and Lorelai, Lorelai fiddling with the collar on Luke's jacket. "Lorelai!"
"Oh, Mom." Lorelai spun to face her mother. "How are you?" she asked, entering the house, pulling Luke by his hand behind her.
"I'm fine, Lorelai. What are you doing here? And isn't this the diner man?"
"Yes, Mother, this is Luke, my fiancee, and the father of my twins."
"You're having twins?"
"Yep!"
"Really."
"I'm also getting married."
"Oh, and when are you planning on running out of these nuptials?"
"Well, I'm not planning on running, but the wedding's the last Saturday in May, the twenty-ninth."
"Okay."
"And you and Dad are--Dad, hi!"
"Hello, Lorelai," Richard, who had just entered, greeted his daughter. "How are you doing? How's the baby?"
"Oh, it's twins."
"Well, that's wonderful, Lorelai."
"Thank you, Dad. This is my fiancee, Luke."
"Nice to meet you," Richard shook Luke's hand, "and you're the father of the twins, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Well, you're making an honest woman out of my daughter?"
"Yes."
"And she accepted. That's wonderful. When's the blessed event?"
"The wedding's on the twenty-ninth of May, but I'm due the seventh of August."
"Wonderful. Well, Emily, what'd you call me in for?"
"Oh, I don't remember."
"Well, in that case, congratulations Lorelai, Luke. I imagine we'll see you in two months."
"Thanks, Dad."
"No problem, Lorelai. You're my daughter."
"Sometimes I think Mom forgets."
"Oh, I could never forget that."
"See you, Dad." Lorelai waved as she and Luke headed out of the house.
"Well, that was a fun visit." Richard said to Emily. She shook her head and walked off.
"Marie! I need a drink!" Emily called to Annette.
~~~~
"You should wear lavender," Rory said to her mother a month later, holding out a dress in the maternity section.
"That's, like, three sizes too big. I'm only gonna be six months pregnant."
"Yeah, and you're already getting bigger."
"Ugh, I'm gonna be a whale."
"Well, you are having twins."
Lorelai sank into one of the many chairs scattered around this certain section of a Hartford department store. "This is like my dream."
"What dream?"
"Do you remember nothing I tell you?"
"I tune most of it out."
"Remember the dream with the alarm clocks, Luke making breakfast, me pregnant with twins, and the fabulous nightgown?"
"Oh, yeah. It is like your dream."
"Yeah."
"It was a good dream, though, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it was." Lorelai smiled at Rory. "So, you think I should wear lavender?"
"Yeah. You can't wear white, cause, no offense, but anyone can tell you've already slept with Luke."
"Yeah."
"So instead of wearing blue for a boy or pink for a girl, you should wear lavender for both."
"Makes perfect sense."
"Well, I am almost finished with my first year of college."
"That's true."
Mother and daughter smiled at each other, and continued shopping.
~!~!~!Happy Wedding Day!~!~!~
The morning of Saturday, May 29, 2004, the sun shone bright and early. Lorelai, thrilled, excited, and nervous to death, woke at five-thirty, and watched the sun rise while in her wedding dress, a long flowing lavender dress that hardly showed her off. She sat in Rory's room, watching her sleep for over an hour, until she jumped into the bed at seven. Her daughter jumped with the weight of Lorelai, Sam, and Diane, all in one neat little package.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
"You're not kidding." Rory groaned as she sat up. "How long have you been up?"
"An hour and a half."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"And how worn out is your poor wedding dress?"
"Really worn out. I've been wearing it every night for almost a month; after Luke goes to bed, of course."
"Of course. Excited?"
"Out of my mind."
"Nervous?"
"Slightly. I just keep thinking--what if it rains? What if he says no?"
"Neither one of those is going to happen."
"Promise?"
"I promise. Luke would never do that, and I've got a deal with God; he promises to let the rain wait till your first fight."
"That God's a pretty cool guy."
"Isn't he though?"
~~
Luke woke up before the sun, too, and he was so nervous, he went downstairs and made coffee in the diner. He sat there for ten minutes, staring at the cup of coffee he'd poured, and then headed upstairs for Jess' CD player and his CDs. He placed them on the counter, and then flipped through the CD book. He picked one that didn't have an utterly disgusting drawing on it and slipped it into the CD player. He pressed play, and Frank Sinatra blared out of the speakers. Although, Frank Sinatra doesn't blare, he croons. So Jess walked downstairs at six in the morning to Frank crooning about how he's in heaven when they're dancing "Cheek to Cheek." As Jess was watching, Luke reached for the cup of coffee and picked it up.
"Luke?" Jess startled Luke, and he spilled the coffee on himself.
"Dammit!"
"Is that coffee?"
"Yeah." Luke started cleaning the coffee off the floor.
"You're drinking coffee?"
"Well, I don't know. I'm just so damn nervous. Is that normal?"
"Mmm, maybe. You're pledging your love for the rest of your life to this woman; I think you have reason to be nervous."
"Yeah. But I do love her."
"That's a good reason to get married."
"And she's carrying my kids."
"Another good reason."
"Am I really going through with this? Am I really going to marry Lorelai Gilmore, the insane woman I've been madly in love with for years?"
"Yep, I think you are."
"God, that's a sobering thought."
~~
"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, you're getting married in three hours!"
"Sookie St. James Melville, you've been married for two years!"
"Almost."
"Speaking of," Lorelai pulled her best friend into her house and steered her into the kitchen, "when are you gonna have a little Jackson or Sookie?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"
"Soon."
"You're pregnant!"
"What? How do you know that?"
"Because I'm Lorelai, I know these things. You're pregnant and you don't want anyone to know. Well, don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"You can keep a secret?"
"There's a first for everything."
"Even for that?"
"Maybe. Hey, can you go see if Rory needs help with the decorations I'm not allowed to see or touch?"
"Sure." Sookie headed into the backyard. Lorelai watched her go, and then she headed for the phone. She looked around and then took the receiver upstairs into the bathroom and shut the door. She paused, took a deep breath, and dialed a number she hadn't dialed in a long time.
"Hello?"
"Oh, thank God it's you."
"Lor?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, how are you?"
"I'm good, you?"
"I'm okay."
"Sherry and G.G.?"
"Oh, they're good too. Why are you calling?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. "I'm getting married."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah."
"Is he worthy?"
"He makes coffee for a living."
"Ah, very worthy."
"Yeah."
"Did I also hear you're pregnant?"
"Yeah. Rory's pretty good at spreading news."
"With twins?"
"Yep. Sam and Diane."
"So when's the wedding?"
"Eleven."
"Three hours. That's pretty soon."
"Yeah. Four hours from now, I'll be a married woman."
"And will he be Mr. Gilmore or will you be Mrs. somebody?"
"I'll be Mrs. Danes, wife of Luke, owner of Luke's diner."
"Ah, you're marrying Luke."
"Yeah."
"I had a feeling coffee was the only thing that could convince you to stray from me."
"Don't let Mrs. Hayden catch you saying that, she might get jealous."
"Ah, whatever. Listen, I'm glad you're happy."
"Thanks. That means a lot to me. Really."
"I'm thrilled you've found someone to supply you with coffee for the rest of your life."
"So am I."
"I love you, Lorelai. I'm glad you're happy."
"I love you too, Christopher. Me too."
"Bye."
"Bye." Lorelai pressed the off button on the phone and walked out of the bathroom. She'd always love Christopher, and he'd always love her, and they both knew it, but now she felt like she'd had some closure. Now she felt like she was really free to be thrilled about marrying Luke. And Goddammit, she was thrilled to death!!!!!
~~
Lane, Dave, Brian, and Zach were doing a medley of romantic songs as the guests filed into their seats. Then they started playing "The Way You Look Tonight," and Sookie walked down the aisle. She stopped at the end, turned, and stood close to the chuppah. Jess, standing next to Luke, hardly glanced at her, because Rory had started down the aisle. His heart did the now-familiar flip it always did when he saw her, but she looked so beautiful, he lost his breath for a minute or so. She smiled at him, and never took her eyes away from him the whole walk down. She reached her spot next to Sookie, and turned to face Lorelai coming down the aisle. Luke, standing under the chuppah, lost all his breath as Richard led his daughter to Luke. His heart beat out of time, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be regular for a while. He was surprised, then, when he took Lorelai's arm from Richard's, and found his heart beating in time to hers. She smiled at him, and he grinned back. They stood under the chuppah, facing the priest as he started the ceremony.
~~
The wedding went off without a hitch, and before anyone knew it, Lorelai and Luke were headed off for their honeymoon. Everyone left the wedding reception in high spirits, knowing that whatever unrequited crushes they had at the moment, they had hope, because Luke and Lorelai were married, and not only married, they were pregnant, expecting twins! If Luke and Lorelai could do it, it could happen to anyone.
~~~~
Samuel Lucas Danes was born on July 31, 2004, at 8:05:23 in the morning. He was followed by Diane Gilmore Danes fifty-three seconds later, at 8:06:16. Lorelai Danes, the mother, immediately asked for coffee, after being in labor for ten hours and without coffee for almost nine months. Luke Danes, the father, gave it to her, in fear for his arms and legs.
Chapter 18: The Wedding
A/N: Well, this is a great story, and I see no end to it. I believe I'm gonna try to wrap it up soon.
"When's soon?"
"When the big hand hits the 'S' and the little hand hits the 'OON.'"
I know the ending. I know the next coupla chapters. I'm in the know, and you ain't! I'm a wonderful writer, I know.
Anyway....
Okay, you know the drill. I'm fastforwarding, just like usual, only now it's a month. Okay? So, Lorelai's 16 weeks (4 months) pregnant, it's the middle of March, L&L have been engaged for a month with absolutely no talk of wedding plans.
Now, if the story goes the way I think it will, there's gonna be talk of Richard & Emily, Christopher, Liz, Singin' in the Rain, any of the ten Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers movies, Pretty In Pink, Yoko Ono, Ocean's Eleven, George Clooney....Well, you get the idea.
Then again, just because I mentioned these people and things doesn't necesarily(how do you spell that?) mean they're in the story...anyway, now I'm wasting both your and my time. You may now stop paying attention to my ramblings and read my story so you can review and rave about it and make my day. Fine. (Meanie.)
~~~~
"See, I never got that." Lorelai proclaimed through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Never got what?" Sookie asked through an equally popcorn-filled mouth.
"That." Lorelai pointed at her TV screen, where Pretty In Pink was playing. "She's so poor that the rich people with weird names don't pay attention to her, but she's got her own phone, answering machine, and car? That makes no sense."
"I guess not."
"You know what does make sense, though? Hey, hand me that Snickers."
"What?" Sookie asked, handing over the candy.
"What?" Lorelai asked back, confused.
"You said, and I quote, 'you know what does make sense, though?' unquote."
"Ooh, good use of air quotes!"
"Thanks. You were saying?"
"Oh, yeah! Rich people always have weird names. Like the boy named 'Steph', the girl named 'Benny', and 'Blaine.' Ugh! You would not believe how many Blaines I knew in high school."
"How many?"
"Like, uh, like, you would not believe!"
"That many huh?"
"Yeah, that many. I also knew Sissys, and Benedicts, and even one Bermuda."
"Bermuda? Really?"
"Yeah. I tell you, Bermuda Johnson--not a nice girl!"
"Huh. Before or after you made fun of her name?"
"Oh, after. But I don't see what that has to do with it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Rory knows a Lemon."
"Lemon?" Sookie laughed.
"Yeah," Lorelai laughed back, "but they call her 'Lem.'"
"Lem?"
"Lem."
They kept repeating 'Lem' for a few seconds, until the novelty wore off, and they got back to watching the movie.
It was about nine on a Saturday morning. Both Sookie and Lorelai were off, and Jackson and Luke were busy, so it was the perfect day for a girls only movie fest. The pizza place was having a sale, and already Pete was piling up the tips from the girls. Candy at Doose's had been ten percent off, and Taylor was now completely out of chocolate...and popcorn, too, come to think of it. The result was a very full coffee table at Lorelai's house. The girls were sitting behind it, watching the second of their movies, already planning on the next one. (Lorelai wanted George Clooney in Ocean's Eleven, while Sookie was pushing for Fred & Ginger in The Gay Divorcee.)
"I always liked Duckie." Sookie said, referring to Jon Cryer's character in the movie.
"Yeah. He was infatuated with her, and she just left him for Richie Rich." Lorelai agreed, talking about how Molly Ringwald's character didn't realize the Duck-man liked her and headed for Andrew McCarthy instead. "Granted, I did like Andrew McCarthy as Robert Kennedy."
"When was he Robert Kennedy?"
"When Tim Matheson was JFK."
"And when was that?"
"'Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis', a miniseries on CBS a few years ago."
Sookie looked at her blankly.
"You didn't see it? Wait, I've got it somewhere." And Lorelai was off. She ran upstairs to look for something, while Sookie just sat back, took another sip of her Kool-Aid, and watched as Duckie sang to Molly Ringwald and Annie Potts in Annie's record store. Minutes later, Lorelai was back, this time with a video tape in her hand.
"Oh, what's that, sweetie?"
"'Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.' Rory recorded it, because she was just starting at Chilton and they were studying the Kennedys, so she figured this might give her some much needed insight to blow Paris right out of the water."
"Did it work?"
"A little, but she read Jack and Jackie, and that worked more."
"Oh, well. You wanna watch it anyway?"
"Sure! But after the Molly Ringwald movie, cause I like the part where Duckie gets the girl."
"Me, too."
They finished Pretty In Pink, and in the short break they took between the movies to restock on junk food from the pile in the kitchen, Lorelai asked Sookie something that had been nagging her.
"Hey, Sookie?"
"Yeah?"
"How'd you get Jackson to start planning your wedding?"
"Oh, he jumped right in. He really wanted to be a part of it."
"Huh. Okay."
"Why?"
"What? Why what?"
"Why do you wanna know how I got Jackson to start planning our wedding?"
"Oh, cause Luke proposed over a month ago, and I can't get him to talk about it to save my life."
"Well, sweetie, you could do what you do best and barge into the diner, demand he leave, and spend the weekend planning."
"That's a good idea."
"Yeah, I'm just full of 'em."
"Sookie?"
"Lorelai."
"Would you hate me if I went to go do that now?"
"No, of course not! You go get him, girl!"
"Okay! Wait, what time is it?"
"Ten to eleven." Sookie said, glancing at the clock.
"And today's the--"
"Twentieth." Sookie stated promptly.
"Damn."
"Ooh, what's the problem?"
"I have a doctor's appointment in Hartford in twenty minutes."
"That's a problem."
"Quick, help me find a marker!"
"Okay, why?"
"We're making a sign for the diner."
~~~~
Watchin'
&
Weddin'
Plannin'
"No, Lorelai, I refuse to put that sign up!"
"Oh, come on, Luke! You're closing the diner, anyway."
"No, I'm not closing the diner!"
"Yes, you are. You proposed over a month ago, and you have not uttered one single word since then about getting married! We have to talk about this."
"Okay. Just...not now."
"Yes, now. Everybody out! Finish what you're eating, pay the man, and leave!"
"Lorelai!"
"It's working, isn't it?" Lorelai gestured to the three people already standing in line at the cash register.
"Yeah, but--fine. Everyone, finish, pay, leave!" Luke headed behind the cash register. "Cesar, get the hell outta my kitchen!"
"Luke, I haven't gotten my--"
"Shut up, Kirk. Pay for what you got and leave."
"But--"
"Leave!"
"Fine."
Kirk left, followed by the other patrons. Within five minutes, the entire diner was empty, save Larry, wiping down tables. Luke kicked him out, and he gladly headed home, and Luke finally turned to Lorelai.
"Happy now?"
"Very. Now let's go."
"What? Where are we going now?"
"Hartford. We've got a doctor's appointment."
"When?"
"Oh, five minutes ago."
"What?"
"Move your butt, come on, come on!"
Luke sighed and followed Lorelai out of the diner. He started to lock it, but she stopped him, placed the sign in the window, and told him to continue. There was a slight argument about the sign, which was hilarious to watch--Luke pointing to the sign, his face with that look on it, Lorelai pointing to the sign, her face calm and pouty at the same time--but Luke finally gave in, and they started for Hartford.
~~~~
"Good night, Kathy. See you in the morning." Gene Kelly said.
"Good night, and take care of that throat. You're a big singing star now, remember? This California dew is a little heavier than usual tonight." Debbie Reynolds responded, pulling his collar up to protect him from the falling rain.
"Really? From where I stand the sun is shining all over the place." Gene said seconds before they kissed and she entered her home. He started walking down the street and began to sing and dance.
Rory, sitting on her couch, watched as he launched into the title song from Singin' in the Rain. She grabbed a Kleenex as she felt a sneeze come on, and the sneeze turned into a coughing fit, and Jess entered to see Rory in all her sick splendor.
"Oh, that's what you want your boyfriend to come home too."
"Of course, it'll show you what to expect in twenty years."
"No, that's the cold cream and curlers outfit."
"Oops."
Jess walked over to the couch, dropped his bag, and sat next to Rory. She smiled, and he smiled back. He kissed her, picked up her pillow from behind him, and set it in his lap. She grabbed a few more tissues from the box, dropped the box on the floor, and laid her head on the pillow. Jess smoothed her hair and turned his attention to the TV.
"So, what're we watching?"
"Singin' in the Rain."
"And what could be your reason for watching this movie on your day off?"
"Because you made me go for a walk in the rain, and that's why I've got a day off."
"I thought that might be the reason," Jess laughed and kissed Rory on her cheek. She smiled and then remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, did you get my assignments from my professors?"
"Yes, freak, I did. And they thought I was as strange as you are." Jess got a pile of work from his bag and plopped it on Rory's lap. "Work away."
"Okay." Rory stood up and started to head for the dining table.
"No, don't," Jess laughed. "Watch the movie, rest."
"Oh, all right." Rory settled back into the couch, her head in Jess' lap again. "You're horrible to me, you know."
"I am your horrible boyfriend who makes you rest while you're sick, I know."
Rory sat up to kiss him and then settled back down.
~~~~
"Good afternoon, Lorelai, how are you?"
"Good afternoon, Dr. Goodfellow. I'm fine. Very ready for the first trimester to be over."
"Well, I think you'll get your wish today. You're at exactly sixteen weeks, the start of the second trimester."
"I thought that might happen today."
"Excuse me for breaking up this little chatfest, but what's the significance of the second trimester?" Luke said, sitting off to the side in a chair.
"May I ask who you are, young man?" the older man looked over his glasses at Luke.
"Oh, I'm Luke, the bastard who did that to her, and the guy who's gonna marry her and not make the kid a bastard," he retaliated, pointing at Lorelai.
"Oh, okay. Well, Luke, the significance of the second trimester is that these are the three months in which the morning sickness will hopefully subside, the baby will grow to the point that Lorelai will show, and Lorelai and even others will be able to feel the child kicking."
"Ah, okay. Continue."
"All right. Well, let's crank up the ultrasound and have a look at your baby."
"Okely-dokely." Lorelai said. Luke stood and walked over to her.
"If you say that again, I'm gonna take away your Simpsons watching priveleges," he whispered. She pouted, but nodded.
"Have you ever discussed the possibility of multiple babies?" Dr. Goodfellow asked, staring at the screen that was facing only him.
"Uh, no. What do you mean? Am I having, like, septuplets or something?"
"No, but I believe you're having twins," the doctor said, swinging the screen around to face Luke and Lorelai. He also turned on the sound, and the sound of one heartbeat, and then two filled the air. "See, there's one here," the doctor pointed at the screen, "and another one here."
"Huh."
"Do you know the sexes?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, it's a little hard to tell, but I believe this one's a boy, and this one looks to be a girl."
"Wow."
"So we're having a girl and a boy?" Lorelai asked.
"Looks like it."
"Cool!" Lorelai squealed, before turning to Luke. "Isn't that cool, Luke?"
"Amazing."
~~~~
"Luke and Lorelai." Lorelai suggested.
"No, I'm not naming my kid after me, and you've already got a Lorelai. How about...Nick and Nora."
"Sid and Nancy."
"Sam and Diane."
"Sam and Diane?"
"From Cheers."
"Maybe. Thank you," Lorelai said as Luke held the door open for her. They entered the house, depositing coats near the coat rack, and headed into the living room to collapse on the couch.
"More names?"
"Absolutely," Lorelai answered. "Uh...Joey and Phoebe."
"Ross and Rachel?"
"Monica and Chandler."
"Never."
"Hmmph. Lane and Dave."
"No names of anyone we know."
"Fine. Leopold and Loeb."
"Andrew and Ashley."
"Yuck. George and Ira."
"The Gershwin brothers?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Uh, Tess and Danny."
"When did you watch Ocean's Eleven?"
"Last week when you forced me."
"Right. Brad and Jen."
"Do you really want your kid named after someone whose last name is Pitt?"
"No. Ben and Jen."
"No rhyming names."
"Julia and Danny."
"Who's that?"
"Julia Roberts and her husband Danny Moder."
"Okay, whatever. Alexander and Alexandra."
"That's so cliched. Fred and Ginger."
"Maybe."
"Molly and Tony."
"Maybe."
"Samantha and Jake."
"Do you get all of your ideas from movies and TV?"
"Of course. Where else?"
"I should have guessed." Luke sighed. "I am officially moving that we stop all name calling and begin planning the wedding."
"Ooh, okay! When?"
"Now."
"No, when should we have the wedding? We can either wait a year and have the wedding with little babies and then leave the twins for a week, or we can throw something together in a month or two before I start showing too much."
"Do you think we can throw something together in two months?"
"Sure. Sookie threw her wedding together in three and a half months, and did you see how big that hoopla was?"
"Yeah, okay."
"So, two months from now?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Where?"
"Uh, here?"
"Sure. Front or back yard?"
"Back. Wait, is there enough room?"
"How many people do you think are gonna come?"
"I dunno. Maybe we should make out a list."
"Okay." Lorelai ran to the kitchen, didn't find anything, ran into Rory's room, and returned with a legal pad and a pen. "Now, let's see," she settled into the floor in front of the coffee table, now clear of junk food thanks to Sookie. Luke slid off the couch until he was sitting next to her. "Rory and Jess, Sookie and Jackson," Lorelai wrote the names as she said them. "Any you want to add?"
"No."
"No? What about your sister?"
"Nah, she wouldn't wanna come."
"Well, let's invite her anyway." Lorelai wrote "Liz" on the paper.
"What about your parents?"
"No, I don't wanna invite my parents."
"I'm inviting my sister."
"Ugh, fine." Lorelai wrote "Richard and Emily" down, and then tapped her pen on the paper. "Do you think we should invite the town?"
"Sure. Do that."
Lorelai wrote "Miss Patty, Babette and Morey, Taylor--"
"No, not Taylor. I'm not gonna invite him to my wedding."
"He's gonna hear about it. It's Stars Hollow. And besides, everyone's gonna wanna come. According to Rory, they've been waiting for this for about twenty years."
"We haven't known each other twenty years."
"I'm exaggerating, Luke. I'm prone to do that--I'm off my coffee."
"Ah, that's why."
"Always. Hey, I've got an idea. Let's not do invitations. Let's just tell Miss Patty and Babette when and where, and tell everyone to RSVP."
"Okay, but we're gonna have to send something to Liz and Richard and Emily."
"Darn. Okay, I'll print up a nice invitation for your sister, and then we can go visit my mother and explain the whole wedding thing to her."
"Okay. But, do we have to visit your mother?"
"Yes. You get to meet the insaneness you're marrying into!"
"Yippee."
~~~~
"Cassie, please get Mr. Gilmore for me."
"Yes ma'am, but I'm Annette."
"Whatever. Just get Mr. Gilmore."
The maid nodded and left. The door bell rang.
"Cassie! The door!" Emily got no answer, so she headed for the door herself, muttering, "She's good for nothing, I can't believe she can't answer the door before getting Richard." She pulled the door open to reveal Luke and Lorelai, Lorelai fiddling with the collar on Luke's jacket. "Lorelai!"
"Oh, Mom." Lorelai spun to face her mother. "How are you?" she asked, entering the house, pulling Luke by his hand behind her.
"I'm fine, Lorelai. What are you doing here? And isn't this the diner man?"
"Yes, Mother, this is Luke, my fiancee, and the father of my twins."
"You're having twins?"
"Yep!"
"Really."
"I'm also getting married."
"Oh, and when are you planning on running out of these nuptials?"
"Well, I'm not planning on running, but the wedding's the last Saturday in May, the twenty-ninth."
"Okay."
"And you and Dad are--Dad, hi!"
"Hello, Lorelai," Richard, who had just entered, greeted his daughter. "How are you doing? How's the baby?"
"Oh, it's twins."
"Well, that's wonderful, Lorelai."
"Thank you, Dad. This is my fiancee, Luke."
"Nice to meet you," Richard shook Luke's hand, "and you're the father of the twins, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Well, you're making an honest woman out of my daughter?"
"Yes."
"And she accepted. That's wonderful. When's the blessed event?"
"The wedding's on the twenty-ninth of May, but I'm due the seventh of August."
"Wonderful. Well, Emily, what'd you call me in for?"
"Oh, I don't remember."
"Well, in that case, congratulations Lorelai, Luke. I imagine we'll see you in two months."
"Thanks, Dad."
"No problem, Lorelai. You're my daughter."
"Sometimes I think Mom forgets."
"Oh, I could never forget that."
"See you, Dad." Lorelai waved as she and Luke headed out of the house.
"Well, that was a fun visit." Richard said to Emily. She shook her head and walked off.
"Marie! I need a drink!" Emily called to Annette.
~~~~
"You should wear lavender," Rory said to her mother a month later, holding out a dress in the maternity section.
"That's, like, three sizes too big. I'm only gonna be six months pregnant."
"Yeah, and you're already getting bigger."
"Ugh, I'm gonna be a whale."
"Well, you are having twins."
Lorelai sank into one of the many chairs scattered around this certain section of a Hartford department store. "This is like my dream."
"What dream?"
"Do you remember nothing I tell you?"
"I tune most of it out."
"Remember the dream with the alarm clocks, Luke making breakfast, me pregnant with twins, and the fabulous nightgown?"
"Oh, yeah. It is like your dream."
"Yeah."
"It was a good dream, though, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it was." Lorelai smiled at Rory. "So, you think I should wear lavender?"
"Yeah. You can't wear white, cause, no offense, but anyone can tell you've already slept with Luke."
"Yeah."
"So instead of wearing blue for a boy or pink for a girl, you should wear lavender for both."
"Makes perfect sense."
"Well, I am almost finished with my first year of college."
"That's true."
Mother and daughter smiled at each other, and continued shopping.
~!~!~!Happy Wedding Day!~!~!~
The morning of Saturday, May 29, 2004, the sun shone bright and early. Lorelai, thrilled, excited, and nervous to death, woke at five-thirty, and watched the sun rise while in her wedding dress, a long flowing lavender dress that hardly showed her off. She sat in Rory's room, watching her sleep for over an hour, until she jumped into the bed at seven. Her daughter jumped with the weight of Lorelai, Sam, and Diane, all in one neat little package.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
"You're not kidding." Rory groaned as she sat up. "How long have you been up?"
"An hour and a half."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"And how worn out is your poor wedding dress?"
"Really worn out. I've been wearing it every night for almost a month; after Luke goes to bed, of course."
"Of course. Excited?"
"Out of my mind."
"Nervous?"
"Slightly. I just keep thinking--what if it rains? What if he says no?"
"Neither one of those is going to happen."
"Promise?"
"I promise. Luke would never do that, and I've got a deal with God; he promises to let the rain wait till your first fight."
"That God's a pretty cool guy."
"Isn't he though?"
~~
Luke woke up before the sun, too, and he was so nervous, he went downstairs and made coffee in the diner. He sat there for ten minutes, staring at the cup of coffee he'd poured, and then headed upstairs for Jess' CD player and his CDs. He placed them on the counter, and then flipped through the CD book. He picked one that didn't have an utterly disgusting drawing on it and slipped it into the CD player. He pressed play, and Frank Sinatra blared out of the speakers. Although, Frank Sinatra doesn't blare, he croons. So Jess walked downstairs at six in the morning to Frank crooning about how he's in heaven when they're dancing "Cheek to Cheek." As Jess was watching, Luke reached for the cup of coffee and picked it up.
"Luke?" Jess startled Luke, and he spilled the coffee on himself.
"Dammit!"
"Is that coffee?"
"Yeah." Luke started cleaning the coffee off the floor.
"You're drinking coffee?"
"Well, I don't know. I'm just so damn nervous. Is that normal?"
"Mmm, maybe. You're pledging your love for the rest of your life to this woman; I think you have reason to be nervous."
"Yeah. But I do love her."
"That's a good reason to get married."
"And she's carrying my kids."
"Another good reason."
"Am I really going through with this? Am I really going to marry Lorelai Gilmore, the insane woman I've been madly in love with for years?"
"Yep, I think you are."
"God, that's a sobering thought."
~~
"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, you're getting married in three hours!"
"Sookie St. James Melville, you've been married for two years!"
"Almost."
"Speaking of," Lorelai pulled her best friend into her house and steered her into the kitchen, "when are you gonna have a little Jackson or Sookie?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"
"Soon."
"You're pregnant!"
"What? How do you know that?"
"Because I'm Lorelai, I know these things. You're pregnant and you don't want anyone to know. Well, don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"You can keep a secret?"
"There's a first for everything."
"Even for that?"
"Maybe. Hey, can you go see if Rory needs help with the decorations I'm not allowed to see or touch?"
"Sure." Sookie headed into the backyard. Lorelai watched her go, and then she headed for the phone. She looked around and then took the receiver upstairs into the bathroom and shut the door. She paused, took a deep breath, and dialed a number she hadn't dialed in a long time.
"Hello?"
"Oh, thank God it's you."
"Lor?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, how are you?"
"I'm good, you?"
"I'm okay."
"Sherry and G.G.?"
"Oh, they're good too. Why are you calling?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. "I'm getting married."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah."
"Is he worthy?"
"He makes coffee for a living."
"Ah, very worthy."
"Yeah."
"Did I also hear you're pregnant?"
"Yeah. Rory's pretty good at spreading news."
"With twins?"
"Yep. Sam and Diane."
"So when's the wedding?"
"Eleven."
"Three hours. That's pretty soon."
"Yeah. Four hours from now, I'll be a married woman."
"And will he be Mr. Gilmore or will you be Mrs. somebody?"
"I'll be Mrs. Danes, wife of Luke, owner of Luke's diner."
"Ah, you're marrying Luke."
"Yeah."
"I had a feeling coffee was the only thing that could convince you to stray from me."
"Don't let Mrs. Hayden catch you saying that, she might get jealous."
"Ah, whatever. Listen, I'm glad you're happy."
"Thanks. That means a lot to me. Really."
"I'm thrilled you've found someone to supply you with coffee for the rest of your life."
"So am I."
"I love you, Lorelai. I'm glad you're happy."
"I love you too, Christopher. Me too."
"Bye."
"Bye." Lorelai pressed the off button on the phone and walked out of the bathroom. She'd always love Christopher, and he'd always love her, and they both knew it, but now she felt like she'd had some closure. Now she felt like she was really free to be thrilled about marrying Luke. And Goddammit, she was thrilled to death!!!!!
~~
Lane, Dave, Brian, and Zach were doing a medley of romantic songs as the guests filed into their seats. Then they started playing "The Way You Look Tonight," and Sookie walked down the aisle. She stopped at the end, turned, and stood close to the chuppah. Jess, standing next to Luke, hardly glanced at her, because Rory had started down the aisle. His heart did the now-familiar flip it always did when he saw her, but she looked so beautiful, he lost his breath for a minute or so. She smiled at him, and never took her eyes away from him the whole walk down. She reached her spot next to Sookie, and turned to face Lorelai coming down the aisle. Luke, standing under the chuppah, lost all his breath as Richard led his daughter to Luke. His heart beat out of time, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be regular for a while. He was surprised, then, when he took Lorelai's arm from Richard's, and found his heart beating in time to hers. She smiled at him, and he grinned back. They stood under the chuppah, facing the priest as he started the ceremony.
~~
The wedding went off without a hitch, and before anyone knew it, Lorelai and Luke were headed off for their honeymoon. Everyone left the wedding reception in high spirits, knowing that whatever unrequited crushes they had at the moment, they had hope, because Luke and Lorelai were married, and not only married, they were pregnant, expecting twins! If Luke and Lorelai could do it, it could happen to anyone.
~~~~
Samuel Lucas Danes was born on July 31, 2004, at 8:05:23 in the morning. He was followed by Diane Gilmore Danes fifty-three seconds later, at 8:06:16. Lorelai Danes, the mother, immediately asked for coffee, after being in labor for ten hours and without coffee for almost nine months. Luke Danes, the father, gave it to her, in fear for his arms and legs.