SPOILERS - None.
SUMMARY - Same as the other chapters, PG-13
DISCLAIMER - The WB, Amy Sherman-Palladino, et al owns it all.
A/N: When we get to the ceremony, I'm might temporarily leave first person - it's just too damn confusing - so bear with me, folks!
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Chapter Seventeen (Wednesday morning!)
The alarm went off like a blaring siren, and I slept right through it. Luke groggily got up and went around the bed to shut the alarm off, then nudged me - hard. "Huh, what?" I asked, sitting up and running my hands through my hair. I had almost forget where I was for a minute when I saw Luke standing in front of me in his boxers.
"Rise and shine, Jess, it's your wedding day!" he said as he stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
I reached over to the phone and dialed Rory's room number. It rang only once, "Rory Gilmore, soon-to-be-Mariano's room, mother of the bride speaking!" said an energetic voice.
"Geez, Lorelai, have you guys even slept?" I asked, wide eyed. Luke stood in the doorway with an amused look on his face.
"Nope! Hardly a wink! Well, I think there was an hour or two when we might have nodded off, but nothing says wedding day than room service coffee at 4 am!" I could hear Rory in the background humming.
"May I speak to my wife-to-be, please?" I asked, afraid that she would be as wired as her mother. Lorelai just grunted and handed her the phone.
"Hey," she said quietly. Whew, she wasn't bouncing off the walls.
"Hey. Are you still going to marry me this morning?" I teased.
"Yeah, are you going to marry me this morning? Or did one of those strippers change your mind for you?" she teased back.
"Yeah, but they all ended up jumping Luke in our room, so I ended up sleeping in the car." I bantered.
"I heard that!!" Lorelai yelled into the phone and Rory laughed. Fortunately for me, Luke was in the shower and didn't hear it.
"Well, poor baby for having to sleep in the car. Take a shower and get your ass down to the lobby by 6!" Rory demanded.
"Yes ma'am! Just my ass?" I answered with a chuckle. "See you soon, I love you sweetie".
"Love you too," Rory said and hung up the phone.
Luke came out of the bathroom and I carried my white shirt and white pants to steam the wrinkles out while I showered. I shaved quickly and dressed. I walked out of the bathroom and Luke looked at me like a dad would have. "You look great, kid," he said awkwardly. He gestured over to the table, "Lorelai dropped these off for us, she's a wreck!" he laughed. There were two boutonnieres on the table, one with jasmine and roses and the other just jasmine. Luke picked up the one with the roses and pinned it onto me. I stood there feeling a little stupid, but then I pinned Luke's on his collar and he looked as uncomfortable as I was. "Let's go," he said and we walked out the door.
"Oh, here," I said fishing the two rings out of my pocket. "Hang on to these for me." He looked down at them, nodding his approval, and slipped them into his pocket.
We came downstairs and the photographer, videographer, justice of the peace, wedding planner and Lorelai were all standing around Rory. Luke cleared his throat loudly, which echoed in the empty lobby at that hour, causing the videographer to swing his camera around and the photographer to point his camera towards me. Lorelai took an overly gallant side step and 'presented' Rory, who stood before me in a beautiful white lace dress that stopped just below her knees. It was strapless and she wore her hair up, with little curls framing her face. She looked like an angel to me, and I couldn't help but smile at her. I wanted to run to her and spin her in my arms and kiss her, but I knew that it would be frowned upon. I walked up to her and took both of her hands in mine (a little awkward since she was holding her bouquet also) as the camera clicked away. "Ready to get married?" I asked.
"Yeah," she answered quietly. I kept one hand and we walked out of the lobby down the deck area towards the beach. It was still a little dark, the only light coming from small deck lights. As we got to the beach, Rory gave my hand a squeeze and stopped me. I looked at her quizzically, as everyone else stopped behind us. She smiled at me and kicked off her shoes into the sand. I returned the smile with a smirk and a raised eyebrow and kicked my boat shoes off. Everyone else in our group did the same. The photographer took a photo of all the scattered shoes, which I thought was pretty cool.
We walked along the beach to a spot that was illuminated by a wooden arch that was covered with flowers and a few candles in votive holders. A guitarist sat in a folding chair off to the side, playing a light melody. The justice walked over and stood underneath it, gesturing for us to stand before him. Lorelai took her place beside Rory and Luke stood next to me. There was a slight wind and the sun was just starting to rise behind us.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here today to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable state. It is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace." I looked at Lorelai, and she shrugged her shoulders, which caused all of us to laugh a little.
"Will you please, as an expression that your hearts are joined together in love, now please join your hands." I took both her hands in mine again as we looked into each other's eyes, barely hearing the justice.
Jessie James Mariano, [Lorelai snickers, then composes herself], do you take Lorelai Leigh Gilmore to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to her. So long as you both shall live?
I could feel myself choking up but managed to stammer, "I do."
Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, do you take Jessie James Mariano [Lorelai snorts again, this time Luke does a little too], to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him So long as you both shall live?
Rory had to catch her breath a little. "I do." I let out a little 'whew' sound, which made her grin.
"Traditionally, the marking of this event is marked by the exchange of rings. These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken. Jess?" the justice asked. Rory's eyes grew wide. She didn't know about my panicked 'shopping spree'. Luke handed me both rings.
"Rory, I love you. Today is a very special day. Long ago you were just a dream and a prayer. This day like a dream come true the Lord has answered that prayer. For today, I now have the honor of going through time with you. Thank you for being what you are to me. With our future as bright as we want them to be, I will care for you, honor and protect you. I lay down my life for you and will be faithful to you, my friend and my love. Today I give to you me." I placed the ring on her finger alongside her engagement ring and kissed her hand.
With that, Lorelai burst into tears. They were happy tears fortunately. Luke came around behind us to comfort her. Rory looked at her with concern for a moment, but turned her attention back to me.
"I Rory, take you Jess, to be my partner in life. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep, so help me God." I felt a tear form in my eye and prayed for it to disappear, but it didn't. She took the other ring and slipped in onto my hand, then tenderly stroked the side of my face, brushing the tear away.
"The hand which you each offer to the other is an extension of yourselves; just as is the warmth and love which you express to each other. Cherish the touch, for you are touching another life. Be sensitive to its pulse, and try to understand and respect its flow and rhythm, just as you do your own. By the power vested in me by the island of St. Lucia, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
With that we kissed and hugged one another, and the guitarist started to play Cat Steven's "Morning Has Broken," as I had requested. Lorelai, Rory, Luke and I all exchanged hugs and congratulations.
The wedding planner came over to us, "Everyone, please join us on the patio for coffee and refreshments," she motioned over to a table with a beautiful white tablecloth and flower centerpiece, with a silver tea service set upon it. Both Rory and Lorelai's got wide at the mention of coffee, and they both headed for the table, dragging us both by the hands.
"You'll get used to it," Luke said to me with a smirk.
"Huh, we'll have a lifetime to get used to it," I replied with a laugh.
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THE END!! Woo hoo!!! Finally!!!! Did it suck? Should I keep going?
A/N: When we get to the ceremony, I'm might temporarily leave first person - it's just too damn confusing - so bear with me, folks!
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Chapter Seventeen (Wednesday morning!)
The alarm went off like a blaring siren, and I slept right through it. Luke groggily got up and went around the bed to shut the alarm off, then nudged me - hard. "Huh, what?" I asked, sitting up and running my hands through my hair. I had almost forget where I was for a minute when I saw Luke standing in front of me in his boxers.
"Rise and shine, Jess, it's your wedding day!" he said as he stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
I reached over to the phone and dialed Rory's room number. It rang only once, "Rory Gilmore, soon-to-be-Mariano's room, mother of the bride speaking!" said an energetic voice.
"Geez, Lorelai, have you guys even slept?" I asked, wide eyed. Luke stood in the doorway with an amused look on his face.
"Nope! Hardly a wink! Well, I think there was an hour or two when we might have nodded off, but nothing says wedding day than room service coffee at 4 am!" I could hear Rory in the background humming.
"May I speak to my wife-to-be, please?" I asked, afraid that she would be as wired as her mother. Lorelai just grunted and handed her the phone.
"Hey," she said quietly. Whew, she wasn't bouncing off the walls.
"Hey. Are you still going to marry me this morning?" I teased.
"Yeah, are you going to marry me this morning? Or did one of those strippers change your mind for you?" she teased back.
"Yeah, but they all ended up jumping Luke in our room, so I ended up sleeping in the car." I bantered.
"I heard that!!" Lorelai yelled into the phone and Rory laughed. Fortunately for me, Luke was in the shower and didn't hear it.
"Well, poor baby for having to sleep in the car. Take a shower and get your ass down to the lobby by 6!" Rory demanded.
"Yes ma'am! Just my ass?" I answered with a chuckle. "See you soon, I love you sweetie".
"Love you too," Rory said and hung up the phone.
Luke came out of the bathroom and I carried my white shirt and white pants to steam the wrinkles out while I showered. I shaved quickly and dressed. I walked out of the bathroom and Luke looked at me like a dad would have. "You look great, kid," he said awkwardly. He gestured over to the table, "Lorelai dropped these off for us, she's a wreck!" he laughed. There were two boutonnieres on the table, one with jasmine and roses and the other just jasmine. Luke picked up the one with the roses and pinned it onto me. I stood there feeling a little stupid, but then I pinned Luke's on his collar and he looked as uncomfortable as I was. "Let's go," he said and we walked out the door.
"Oh, here," I said fishing the two rings out of my pocket. "Hang on to these for me." He looked down at them, nodding his approval, and slipped them into his pocket.
We came downstairs and the photographer, videographer, justice of the peace, wedding planner and Lorelai were all standing around Rory. Luke cleared his throat loudly, which echoed in the empty lobby at that hour, causing the videographer to swing his camera around and the photographer to point his camera towards me. Lorelai took an overly gallant side step and 'presented' Rory, who stood before me in a beautiful white lace dress that stopped just below her knees. It was strapless and she wore her hair up, with little curls framing her face. She looked like an angel to me, and I couldn't help but smile at her. I wanted to run to her and spin her in my arms and kiss her, but I knew that it would be frowned upon. I walked up to her and took both of her hands in mine (a little awkward since she was holding her bouquet also) as the camera clicked away. "Ready to get married?" I asked.
"Yeah," she answered quietly. I kept one hand and we walked out of the lobby down the deck area towards the beach. It was still a little dark, the only light coming from small deck lights. As we got to the beach, Rory gave my hand a squeeze and stopped me. I looked at her quizzically, as everyone else stopped behind us. She smiled at me and kicked off her shoes into the sand. I returned the smile with a smirk and a raised eyebrow and kicked my boat shoes off. Everyone else in our group did the same. The photographer took a photo of all the scattered shoes, which I thought was pretty cool.
We walked along the beach to a spot that was illuminated by a wooden arch that was covered with flowers and a few candles in votive holders. A guitarist sat in a folding chair off to the side, playing a light melody. The justice walked over and stood underneath it, gesturing for us to stand before him. Lorelai took her place beside Rory and Luke stood next to me. There was a slight wind and the sun was just starting to rise behind us.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here today to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable state. It is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace." I looked at Lorelai, and she shrugged her shoulders, which caused all of us to laugh a little.
"Will you please, as an expression that your hearts are joined together in love, now please join your hands." I took both her hands in mine again as we looked into each other's eyes, barely hearing the justice.
Jessie James Mariano, [Lorelai snickers, then composes herself], do you take Lorelai Leigh Gilmore to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to her. So long as you both shall live?
I could feel myself choking up but managed to stammer, "I do."
Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, do you take Jessie James Mariano [Lorelai snorts again, this time Luke does a little too], to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him So long as you both shall live?
Rory had to catch her breath a little. "I do." I let out a little 'whew' sound, which made her grin.
"Traditionally, the marking of this event is marked by the exchange of rings. These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken. Jess?" the justice asked. Rory's eyes grew wide. She didn't know about my panicked 'shopping spree'. Luke handed me both rings.
"Rory, I love you. Today is a very special day. Long ago you were just a dream and a prayer. This day like a dream come true the Lord has answered that prayer. For today, I now have the honor of going through time with you. Thank you for being what you are to me. With our future as bright as we want them to be, I will care for you, honor and protect you. I lay down my life for you and will be faithful to you, my friend and my love. Today I give to you me." I placed the ring on her finger alongside her engagement ring and kissed her hand.
With that, Lorelai burst into tears. They were happy tears fortunately. Luke came around behind us to comfort her. Rory looked at her with concern for a moment, but turned her attention back to me.
"I Rory, take you Jess, to be my partner in life. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep, so help me God." I felt a tear form in my eye and prayed for it to disappear, but it didn't. She took the other ring and slipped in onto my hand, then tenderly stroked the side of my face, brushing the tear away.
"The hand which you each offer to the other is an extension of yourselves; just as is the warmth and love which you express to each other. Cherish the touch, for you are touching another life. Be sensitive to its pulse, and try to understand and respect its flow and rhythm, just as you do your own. By the power vested in me by the island of St. Lucia, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
With that we kissed and hugged one another, and the guitarist started to play Cat Steven's "Morning Has Broken," as I had requested. Lorelai, Rory, Luke and I all exchanged hugs and congratulations.
The wedding planner came over to us, "Everyone, please join us on the patio for coffee and refreshments," she motioned over to a table with a beautiful white tablecloth and flower centerpiece, with a silver tea service set upon it. Both Rory and Lorelai's got wide at the mention of coffee, and they both headed for the table, dragging us both by the hands.
"You'll get used to it," Luke said to me with a smirk.
"Huh, we'll have a lifetime to get used to it," I replied with a laugh.
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THE END!! Woo hoo!!! Finally!!!! Did it suck? Should I keep going?