It's here! It's here! It's here!
"It's really here, Lorelai!" Sookie finally squealed it out loud.
"I know," said Lorelai, and she put her arm around her friend's shoulders and squeezed.
They were standing on the front step of The Dragonfly.
The gleaming, new and improved, clean-wood-smelling Dragonfly.
It was finished.
The windows sparkled, the paint shone, the shutters were hanging at sharp right angles.
Finally it was finished!
(Well, except for the second sealing of the bathroom grout; the unpacking and placing of all the lamps and bulbs for the lamps, oh and chandeliers, too; hanging the towels in the bathrooms; putting flowers in the vases—not to be done until opening day, anyway; unpacking and cataloguing the flatware; and about a thousand other little details...)
Other than that, The Dragonfly was completely finished!
They were currently watching the unloading of her crown jewel: The enormous fan-shaped stained glass window to go above the front door.
"It's so beautiful!" Sookie squeaked again and clapped like a child too.
Lorelai tried to remain cool, but, couldn't deny the importance of the moment.
She didn't want to, anyway. She had waited so long. And though it was not as dramatic as the birth of her child, it was nevertheless a birth.
Here was the long-sought dream coming to fruition. She had indeed labored for it. Having cried and shouted, despaired, and been angry with loved ones along the way. It had been wonderful and horribly hard, just as giving birth is. But they were here now, and she for one was stronger for it.
That was the beginning of the next chapter of her life sitting out there in a small flatbed truck, about to be fork-lifted over and placed atop the front door.
She was proud and thrilled at once.
And to perfect the moment, she watched Rory's car pull into the circular gravel drive. To lessen the perfection, Paris got out with her.
The girls watched the three men at the truck struggle with the restraints holding the stained glass piece in place, then walked over to Sookie and Lorelai.
"Join our hug, gals!" said Sookie happily.
Rory stepped to the other side of Lorelai and slid her slim arm around her mother's waist. Paris walked awkwardly to Rory and finally decided to just link her arm through that of her friend.
They all stood and admired in silence for a moment.
"Oh Mom, it's beautiful!"
"I know," nodded Lorelai as she gazed at the piece. "The artist did a wonderful job. I didn't think it would make me feel so emotional—just looking at it, I mean."
And all four women squeezed their arms just a little tighter around one another.
"It looks just like the trees around Stars' Hollow, and right there's the bridge over the lake, and a dragonfly! How did she get the colors of the dragonfly's wings like that? They're almost iiridescent." awed Rory as took in the wonderful scenic glass.
"She layered the colors somehow."
"Wow."
"Yeah."
And they gazed a moment longer.
"If we stand like this much longer, I call Carrie!" said Lorelai finally.
"Miranda!" said Paris immediately.
"Ooo! I want to be the one who has all the kinky sex," said Sookie.
"You guys are certifiable, you know that don't you?" said Rory.
"Ah, loosen up, Mary," said Paris.
"That's Charlotte."
And thus the moment was over.
"So Paris, it's nice to see you," said Lorelai.
"I hope you don't mind my coming along with Rory," said Paris.
"No, not at all, as long as you understand that once on the property you are eligible for labor conscription."
"I have no problem with that at all. I was foreperson of a Habitat for Humanity team for three consecutive summers," Paris assured her. "In fact I only have a few more hours to complete before I'm eligible for my welding certification."
"Well, that's very... Flashdance of you, I suppose," said a startled Lorelai as she turned to her daughter with raised brows.
"Tell you later," mouthed Rory.
Lorelai nodded.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Half an hour later found Paris laying out an improved organizational system for the various pantries, as an extremely impressed Sookie started dinner for them all.
While upstairs Lorelai and Rory were on their hands and knees sponging the grout sealant onto the decorative tiles in the bathroom.
"Thank God, I couldn't afford to put all the tile in I wanted to," grunted Lorelai.
"I can't believe you did all the first coats yourself," said Rory.
"When this is over, I am so returning to my natural disposition."
"Lazy?"
"You got it, sister-friend."
"So what's up with Paris?" asked Lorelai as she moved around the base of the pedestal sink.
"Two things primarily. The first being the continuation of the fan fiction brouhaha with Tanna."
"Tanna's standing up to her, huh?"
"Yes. She is of the 'If you can't say something nice...' camp."
"Right. But we all know that Paris lives in a kind of boot camp hell where people gleefully scream at each other to motivate improvement."
"Correct," confirmed Rory. "Paris' position is that the button at the bottom of the page says 'Review' not 'Brown Nose'."
"Poor Tanna. What's the second thing?"
"Asher had some mild angina and was at the hospital, and has subsequently gone to stay with his daughter to rest and have some more out-patient testing."
"Okay, a nineteen year old should just not be with someone who is old enough for angina."
"Yeah well, tell that to Paris."
After this they worked quietly for a few more moments.
"Mom?" began Rory bravely then. She had, after all, been considering this for awhile now.
"Yes?"
"You want us to be able to talk about everything, right?"she asked seriously.
"You're scaring me a little here, Rory," said Lorelai turning around to peer at her.
"Do you or do you not want us to be able to talk about everything?"
"Well, of course I do. But I thought we did---do talk about everything. I mean I know I've been
pretty wrapped up finishing the Inn, but... Rory, has something happened?" Lorelai put down her
sponge and scooted over to sit in front of Rory.
Rory turned around to face her.
"Nothing has happened to me, Mom. But something has happened to you, and if you want us to talk about everything, that needs to work both ways."
"Me? What do you want to talk about?"
"It's just whenever I bring it up, you shut me out, and I don't want you to shut me out any more. I mean, I know you're probably shutting me out because you've got this Herculean Denial thing
going on, and therefore don't even know what you're feeling yourself. But I think I can't let you do that any more. I think we need to talk."
"I'm getting a little freaked out here, Rory. What is it you want to talk about? Is this about your grandmother?..." asked Lorelai.
"No. It's about Luke. More specifically, You and Luke..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Emily Gilmore sighed as she pulled into the town square of Star's Hollow.
She still didn't really know what she was going to do. Lorelai would not respond well to any sort of maneuvering. She'd almost ferreted out her hand completely at the Stiles dinner.
Lorelai did not respond well to direct confrontation, either.
Truth was, Lorelai did not respond well no matter how Emily approached her, and that was the simple truth of it. Lorelai only wanted her mother in her life on her own terms. And this had been the source of all discord, since the beginning.
Well, that and the fact that they seemed to appreciate completely opposite things in life.
She parked and walked over to Luke's diner.
Her agenda was not specific, but she was thinking about talking to Luke first. She entered and walked over to the counter where Lane was ringing up an early dinner customer. Emily selected a stool and sat primly as she waited for her to finish.
Lane came over as soon as she spotted her.
"Mrs. Gilmore, how nice to see you," said Lane trying not to sound surprised.
"Hello, Lane. May I have a cup of coffee with cream, please?"
"Of course. Coming right up!"
Lane set a mug before Emily and filled it to capacity and set a small cream pitcher down as well.
"May I get you anything else?" asked Lane.
"No thank you," said Emily into her sip. Goodness, but Luke's coffee was delicious.
"Is Luke here?" she finally added casually then.
Lane began wiping the counter.
"No, his sister got married this morning so he's probably still at the reception. I'm not sure when he's getting back."
"Lane, I want to apologize to you for the frightful scene at our home the night you came to dinner."
"That's okay, Mrs. Gilmore. Since Dynasty went off the air almost before I was born, I now feel up to snuff."
"Lane, you've lived here all your life, haven't you?" Emily went on thoughtfully.
Lane nodded, "Just about. Rory and I met in kindergarten."
"I want you to understand that I'm not asking you this next question out of some sort of prurient curiosity..."
"Okay," said Lane suddenly a little nervous.
"But, how long has Luke known Lorelai and Rory?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"And so," concluded Lorelai, "I don't know what else to say."
"You mean other than you kissed again this morning, and you liked it, but don't know what it means," summarized Rory.
"I've always driven him nuts. He's always yelling at me."
"And doing everything for you..."
"And doing everything for me..." nodded Lorelai. "I just don't want to think about it. There is a lot to be lost."
"You have to think about it, Mom. There's a lot to be gained."
Lorelai looked at her daughter who seemed so suddenly grown up, and her eyes began to mist.
"I am so proud of you, you know that don't you?"
"I do. And I want you to be happy."
"I am, honey. I am happy."
"I think you need to consider expanding your horizons."
"To include Luke?"
"To include Luke," nodded Rory. "And if you do, we both know that it's not just dating. It's Luke. And that means something more."
"Man, you learned a lot at Yale!"
"Mom, just promise me to think about it all in a calm, rational way."
"And how do you go about that, exactly?" asked Lorelai with a furrowed brow.
"Mom, I'm serious..."
"I know you are. I just never thought you'd consider Luke for us, in that way."
Rory shrugged, "He's always sort of been there 'in that way' for us, in a 'family way' that is."
"I don't know if I'm grown up enough to... I don't know... let my worlds melt together like that, I guess. He means so much as my friend..."
Lorelai felt a little raw admitting all this to the daughter she was supposed to protect.
And wasn't part of that protection not admitting fears like this?
"Mom, you just have to decide to be, that's all. Decide to face it, and see what it is."
Lorelai stared at her daughter, amazed by her strength.
"Just face it, Miss Paraphrasing Nike-ad?"
"Yes, Mom. You can, you know. You can do anything." said Rory with conviction.
Lorelai looked down at her rubber gloves, loving her daughter so much, but just as certain that she was wrong about this. Face it? Face.'It'. huh. Do not want to think about it, she closed her eyes. Do not want to think about it...
"Lorelai!" both women turned their heads toward the door in time to see Frank the carpenter walking down the hall.
"Over here, Frank!" Lorelai called him back.
"Oh, hey!" said Frank as he turned and walked into the bathroom where Lorelai and Rory still sat on the floor. "Look, we've screwed up. I didn't bring enough caulk to fill in around the window."
"Okay," said Lorelai."What does that mean?"
"Well, we pretty much need it. It's a foam we place around the window to seal it. So we're going to head out, grab some dinner, pick up some more, and come back to finish up framing it into place."
"All right Frank, Where is the window now?"
"It's in place, above the door. We've shimmed it in pretty good and, barring a serious earthquake, it will be fine until we get back."
"Okay. Thanks, Frank. We'll see you later."
Before Frank turned to leave he added, "Sookie wants you to come down and eat, your dinner is ready."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"...And then Kirk yells 'Huzza!' and I about wet my pants!" Lorelai added as she and Rory descended the main stair case into The Dragonfly's Great Room.
"Oh, man," laughed Rory. "I miss everything good," and then, "Hey!" as she plowed into Lorelai's back because she had stopped in front of her so suddenly.
"Hello, Mom," said Lorelai quietly.
Rory peeked over her mother's shoulder to see that indeed Emily was standing just inside the front door.
The evening light cast a golden glow about the room.
Emily and Lorelai looked at one another evenly.
"Hello, Lorelai. The stained glass above the door is exquisite. It really is. It's rare to see that naive quality in such a large piece. Especially when it's been rendered so finely. You must give me the artist's name."
Lorelai stepped to the foot of the stairs, Rory trailing behind.
"Mom, I know you didn't come all the way out here just to look at our new window. What's going on? Have you left Dad again?"
Lorelai was feeling the old anger return and was struggling to keep it down.
"No, Lorelai, your father and I are just fine, thank you," said Emily. "I came to talk to you."
"I don't really have time to talk right now. I'm very busy getting the Inn ready. We've only got four days left until the opening."
"Yes, I know," Emily nodded calmly. "Your father and I are still planning on coming if that is all right with you."
"Suit yourself, Mom." shrugged Lorelai and looked away.
"I'm glad you're coming, Grandma," said Rory, trying not to wither under her mother's accusatory Brown Noser glare.
Emily smiled, "Thank you, Rory."
Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at her mother.
"All right, Mom, what do you want to talk about? I think now I'm quite curious to hear what you could possibly have to say."
Emily stepped a little closer to her girls and lifted her chin, "Well, frankly, Lorelai, I came to apologize."
"Unh huh," said Lorelai suspiciously, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Truly, Lorelai, that is it. I should not have set up that ridiculous dinner in the first place."
"That's right Mom, you shouldn't have."
"I should not have been meddling with your private life that way. But, I hope you know that it was only because I care."
Lorelai was trying not to soften, she knew this ploy of old. Emily lures you in, then snap! You're down for the count before you know it.
Lorelai paused a moment before speaking.
"I could never understand why you think you can manipulate things in this world, Mom. But, I confess that I truly do not get this one at all. I mean you've been doing nothing but railing against Jason since the beginning, and then suddenly you are welcoming him into the family? I just don't get it..."
Emily looked at Lorelai without responding.
"It just doesn't make sense..." continued Lorelai, trying to puzzle through. "I mean, one minute, you laugh hysterically at the idea of us being together... And then suddenly you are having Happy Family Dinner for all of us, with a cake and..."
Lorelai pause here and looked again at her uncharacteristically silent mother.
"Unless... Oh, no... You wouldn't... You wouldn't.... I didn't even think...."
Emily flinched microscopically, but it was enough.
"OH MY GOD! You did, didn't you!" yelled Lorelai.
"You did it precisely so I would freak out and break up with him! You weren't welcoming the Stiles at all. You weren't approving. You knew what you were doing all along..."
Lorelai began to pace in front of her mother, not even noticing the small audience her scene was gathering.
"I can not fricking believe this! You don't like Jason and you know me so damn well! So you stage your own little community theater production of 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' to scare the hell out of me and break us up.... Go ahead, Emily. Go ahead and deny it! I would love to see your song and dance for this one!"
Lorelai placed her hands on her hips, eyes ablaze, and faced her mother down.
"I don't deny it," said Emily mildly.
Lorelai was too floored to respond.
"Mom, please," she heard Rory implore, trying to douse the flames.
Lorelai turned to her daughter, "No, Rory, this is not okay. This is not love. This is not what families should do to one another."
And Rory couldn't say anything to that.
"Mom," said Lorelai stepping in closer to her mother. "I don't know who the hell you think you are..."
"I am your mother, Lorelai," said Emily...
"I am the only one you have. I don't do things the way you want me to. I know that. You have been sneering at me about my ways since you were five. But, here I am! And it's my job to do what's best for you. And I'm not going to change. And, whatever you believe, I did do it because I love you.
Now Lord knows, I've done many wrong things in my life, but there have been a few times when I have known with absolute bone-chilling certainty when I was right.
The first was when I met your father. I knew that I had to do what was necessary to be with him.
The most recent was this thing with you and Jason. It's not that I knew so much that he was wrong, though I did. It's that I finally knew what, or who rather, was right, with that same absolute certainty.
And so, I had to do something, because clearly you weren't going to."
Emily finished this in a position mirroring Lorelai's: Hands on hips, face lifted, staring straight back at her daughter.
"You are crazy," said Lorelai, coldly calm now. "I think I could almost laugh at how crazy this is. All right," she added throwing her hands up. "I gotta hear this... I'll bite: Just who is it you are so
'bone-chillingly certain' should be with me? Huh, Mom? Who? I think we'd all like to know!"
She gestured to where Sookie and Paris were cowering in fascination by the dining room archway.
Emily crossed her arms and just looked at her daughter.
"Who is it, Mom? Who am I meant to be with? Because I'm not getting any younger here..." said Lorelai leaning in.
And then it began...the understanding dawning on her slowly like a sip of whisky burns down your throat. And when the liquor had trickled all the way down, she digested it for a moment and looked at her mother in wonder.
"Mom," she said quietly. "You've been to Luke's. I smell his coffee... You've been drinking his coffee..."
She was feeling a little weak now.
No, no, no...
Why?
Things were just starting to come to light and she could remember the soft kiss so vividly.
Why would her mother want to ruin everything?
"Lorelai..." began Emily quietly. "I know you don't want to know what I think..."
"You're right, Mom. I don't..." said Lorelai turning and walking away.
Emily followed her, "Luke's a good man, Lorelai. I think he loves you. And do you know how much local real estate he owns?'
Lorelai whirled back at Emily, "What?!"
"Jason had him checked out..." Emily began to elaborate.
"What the hell?!"
All of the women turned their heads at this sudden bellow in a male voice.
Luke was standing just inside the front door.
"What the hell did that guy do, Emily?" he walked towards her purposefully.
Lorelai didn't know how much he had overheard. She wasn't even sure she cared right now.
"Could you repeat that, Emily? I'm not sure I heard you correctly. You say that Jason checked me out?" he asked furiously.
Emily was a little rattled now, but she stood her ground.
"Idiot that he is, Luke, he does care for Lorelai. After she babbled about kissing you. He had you checked out."
"He needed to know that I was good enough, is that it?"
"It's not something you should take personally, Luke."
"Stop it! All of you! Just stop it!" Rory cried out. "I can't stand this anymore!"
Everyone turned in surprise to look at her.
"We all care about each other here! Or are supposed to!" Rory turned to her grandmother, "Grandma, you should not have done this. You just should not have done it! You're going to ruin it all now! They were finally getting there... Oh, I can't believe this..."
Rory was crying now. She turned from them all and ran to the front door, pulled it open and slammed it behind her and headed to her car.
And they all watched in slow motion as it happened.
No one moving until the actual crash jolted them out of the strange trance.
Then they moved as one through the door and out onto the porch.
And there it lay, the stained glass window, broken in several pieces, with Rory standing aghast before it at the foot of the stairs, her mouth hanging open...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Paris Gellar strode with her usual rapid efficiency down the back steps, past the kitchen garden and to the teak bench under the cherry tree where Lorelai and Rory sat huddled with their arms around each other.
Rory was understandably wretched, and Lorelai who was walling everything off with accustomed skill, just focused on comforting her daughter.
"All right, ladies," said Paris professionally as she flipped open a notebook she carried.
"Here's the status report: I found the artist's name and number in your book, Lorelai. I tracked her down to a conference in the Hamptons where she is this evening's keynote speaker. I made her understand the immediacy of need here. My father's corporate helicopter will rendevous with her in eighty-seven minutes and fly her to a private landing field just outside Stars' Hollow, which belongs to an old friend of Richard's, at which time some geek named Kirk, whose reliability I have been assured of despite my doubts, will pick her up and bring her here to assess the damage," she lifted her eyes from her notes to add commentary here...
There was no way in hell she could fly commercial with all the tools she'll need to repair the window, and it would have taken too long anyway.
Paris returned to her notebook, "I have made a reservation for her—an executive suite with complimentary fruit basket—at the Hilton on the highway to Hartford, where Emily will drop her on the way home. Kirk will pick her up again in the morning and bring her back to do the final consult with Frank and his team so, by my estimation, after calculating her work rate against that of the damage, the window should be repaired and replaced by five forty-five tomorrow evening at the latest. At that time Kirk will return her to the helicopter which will then take her home."
She snapped her notebook shut then and took a breath.
Lorelai and Rory just stared at her.
"Paris, I–I don't know what to say..."
"Don't say anything. I am happy to do it. It was no problem, just called in a few favors, that's all..."
And with that Lorelai and Rory stood and hugged Paris fiercely.
"Hey," protested Paris. "There's no need to..." and they all fell over in a tangled hug on the ground.
"Thanks, Paris, I really mean it," added Rory, her eyes still ringed in red.
Paris shrugged as she sat up and dusted herself off. She wasn't going to look them in the eye. She didn't want to get all weepy too.
"Isn't that what friends do for each other?" she asked looking down.
Lorelai and Rory looked at one another in amazement and threw themselves on Paris again.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Meanwhile Luke had turned on all the exterior lights and was kneeling before the broken window, trying to fit the pieces together like a puzzle.
"Will she be able to repair it?" he heard a voice from behind him.
"I think so," he said. "There really isn't that much glass broken, most of the damage happened at the solder joins which should be easy enough. It'll take quite a few hours, though. Man, it just fell flat like a giant pancake. Thank God it didn't happen a second earlier or Rory would have been right under it," he looked up at a pale Emily who only nodded weakly.
Then she crossed to a nearby rocking chair and sat down.
"Luke," she finally said, "I meant no harm."
He got up and walked to stand in front of her.
"She's a grown woman, Emily. You shouldn't have..."
"Years you two have been dancing around each other, Luke, years..."
"Emily..." Luke warned.
Emily sighed and nodded.
"Where are they now?" he asked her.
"They're in the back garden. I don't think either of us are too popular right now," she answered.
Luke nodded.
"According to Paris I need to wait to drive the artist back to the hotel," she added.
"Yeah, I'm going to wait too. Normally I'd trust Frank and his guys, but they shouldn't have gone away and left that thing just shimmed into place like that."
And so he sat on the rocker next to her.
"Sookie's gone home to the baby," added Emily finally.
And they sat in the quiet evening then, waiting for Kirk to bring the artist, each lost in their own thoughts.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So, I'm confused here: Does Emily want you to Bella Wilfer or Elinor Dashwood on the Luke thing?" asked Paris.
"Huh?" asked Lorelai a little indelicately.
"That's a good question," chimed in Rory.
The three women were sitting together on the teak bench, watching the stars and waiting for the stained glass artist to arrive.
"What's a good question?" asked Lorelai.
"What Grandma really wants for you," said Rory simply. "Paris was comparing two opposing motives for love and marriage by using representative characters from English literature who made those different choices."
"Oh, for Pete's sake, would you two climb down out of the frickin' ivory tower for a minute and join the rest of us on earth? If you're gonna discuss my life, keep it on the eighth grade level!" snapped Lorelai.
"Mom, Grandma said she was sure, about Luke I mean," Rory began tentatively.
"Grandma was also sure that girls who wore pearls and twinsets don't get themselves knocked up at sixteen. Apparently they teach that as a birth control method in Swiss finishing schools," countered Lorelai.
"Haven't you ever been sure about anything, Mom?"
"You. I was sure about having you."
"What about Luke?" returned Rory.
"Well, I was always sure that I wanted his friendship," said Lorelai getting uncomfortable with the direction this discussion was taking.
"I was sure that I was going to Harvard," reflected Paris.
The other two just looked at her.
"What? I'm just saying..." shrugged Paris.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A short while later Lorelai walked into the Inn's kitchen seeking coffee and found Luke there making it.
Yet again, she thought.
"Hey, did you know that the correct form is 'An hotel' and not 'A hotel'," she asked him by way of greeting.
"Can't say I did," he replied as he switched on the maker.
"Yeah, I've been spending too much time with those little Ivy Leaguers out there. They are discussing my life like it's some kind of English novel, when in fact it feels like just about the crappiest soap opera ever written."
Luke didn't really know how to respond to this.
"How's Rory?" he asked as he got mugs down from the cupboard.
"She feels responsible for the whole thing, poor kid. But she's doing better now because apparently Paris has some sort of super human powers at moving heaven and earth to get things fixed."
"She is the damndest kid," agreed Luke.
They paused awkwardly here.
"Lorelai..." he began.
"Not now, Luke," she looked at him.
But Luke, his mission set, would not be put off.
"I didn't hear everything," he pressed on. "I mean I heard a lot," he shifted uncomfortably.
"Luke, I'm so sorry."
"It wasn't you."
She nodded and gratefully accepted the mug he offered.
They stood in silence again until Luke had a worrisome thought.
"Hey, did she tell you about Nicole? Because I was gonna do that myself."
Lorelai felt a little sick, "Nicole? Are you and she...?"
"What? No! It's just that your Dad's cousin has hired her to contest your grandmother's will. I wanted you to know that I didn't know about it until after the fact."
"Oh, okay..." said Lorelai, not knowing what to feel or where to look.
"I mean I told her when I saw her that you didn't know, and that it wouldn't matter between you and I..."
And suddenly Lorelai felt overwhelmed beyond anything she'd experienced before.
"Luke, please stop talking! I am unable to process anything else tonight... I just can't... I need to step away from it all... And, when did you see Nicole?! Augh! It doesn't matter. I just can't do this anymore. Not tonight!"
"Lorelai, don't..."
"Don't what?" she asked weakly.
"Don't shut me out. Not this time. I want to try. I really want to try."
And that was the straw. The last little straw. The back-breaking, it's-just-too-much straw.
"Oh I see! I get it!" she yelled. "Just because you've gotten off the ass you've sat on for years, I'm supposed to just jump up and down is that it?" snapped Lorelai.
When did her head start aching?
"Damn it, Luke! I've got four thousand dollars of broken glass on the front porch and people coming. People who expect to stay in this Inn. You know, with beds to sleep on, and no broken glass to walk over. And then there's my mother! My mother, Luke...."
"I know! I know! That's my point! I don't want you to let her dictate to you..." he tried, knowing desperately that he was only digging a hole in sand.
"Have I ever let my mother dictate anything to me?"
Lorelai's eyes were steely now.
"No, but you'd back away from something, even if it was right, just to spite her!"
He had to say it.
Even though it was clearly the final nail in his coffin.
"Oh okay, well thanks for making that clear, Luke! Thanks for your confidence in my ability to make my own----"
"---Lorelai, Kirk just arrived with the artist!" she heard Emily interrupt from the front door then.
With one last withering look at Luke, she stalked out of the kitchen.
Luke sighed heavily and followed.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was nearly one o'clock in the morning by the time the group at the Inn had broken up.
Luke, who'd had no further words with Lorelai, was fed up.
He climbed into his truck without a backward glance and headed down the highway.
How could it possibly work? Was he crazy for even thinking it?
And he was tired and angry and right back in the familiar territory of not knowing the status of anything. This thing had been bouncing out of control for too long.
He hated out of control
He really, really wanted normal life back.
And with that he stepped angrily on the accelerator.
Only to hear the answering call of a police siren behind him.
Sonofabitch.
He pulled over and waited as Hank Cooper walked up to his window.
"Hey, Luke. Have you been drinking?"
"What? No!"
"Just thought maybe... with your sister's wedding and all..." said Coop as he flipped open his notebook.
"You're not really going to give me a ticket, are you?" growled Luke.
"Yes, Luke, I am. We're friends, but you were going twenty-five miles an hour over the speed limit, pal. Not cool. License and registration, please."
Luke whipped out his wallet and popped open his glove box and handed them over.
As Coop walked back to the patrol car to write him up, he leaned out the window and yelled,
"No more free doughnuts for you, Copper!"
Coop chuckled and went about his job.
Luke turned back around in the cab.
The day had started hopefully enough.
Okay, not really.
The wedding and reception had been awful. Everything at the Inn had been awful, but this morning he had kissed her. It hadn't been some hasty thing, it had been him making a decision like a man and leaning in to kiss her. And she had responded and that had been great...
His eye landed on something on the floor then.
He switched on the cab light and bent down to retrieve it. It was the picture of his parents Mrs. Cassinni had given him. Must have fallen out of the glove box. Damn, he had forgotten. He was supposed to get copies made...
He looked at their smiling faces, their arms around each other. And he tried again to remember his mother, and of course did remember his Dad... And he remembered that one of the chief regrets his father'd had at his death was that he'd only been with the woman he'd loved for such a brief time.
Luke sighed then as he watched Coop in the rear view mirror returning to give him his ticket.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sunday morning found Lorelai at the Inn, finishing up the grout sealing in the bathrooms, whilethe glass artist and the carpenters finished working on the window below.
Rory and Paris had driven back to Yale that morning and she hadn't spoken to her mother at all since their fight the night before.
Wasn't about to, either, damn it.
And then she remembered something from the chaos of the night before...
Had Emily had actually said that she loved her?
Lorelai honestly could not remember her mother ever having said that before.
She must have at some point, she reasoned. She'd never really doubted that her parents loved her. It just really wasn't a key component of high WASP culture—expressing the tender emotions. What she did know, what they had told her in countless ways, including the actual words, was that she had repeatedly disappointed them.
Lorelai sighed. She was exhausted.
She tried again to focus on her work. Which tile had she started on again? The third? or the fourth?
But her mind kept reliving the scene from just hours before, dwelling especially on the more painful bits of the evening.
She knew that she wouldn't see Luke today. Sunday was the busiest day at the diner. She didn't really want to see him, anyway.
Only she did.
Gah! I don't want to think about it, she thought, and dabbed angrily at the poor defenseless fourth tile with her sponge...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And then Monday and Tuesday rolled right on by as if she still didn't have a million things to do.
"The chocolate mints! How could you have forgotten to order the chocolate mints?!" wailed Michel Tuesday afternoon as they did the final set out of the rooms, "I told you expressly about the place that makes sweet little mints in any shape you want. You just get on their website and order. We could have had little chocolate Dragonflies by now..."
"Okay, that sounds a little gross," said Lorelai. "Just get over it, Michel, and go out and get regular Andes. I'll order the others. We just won't have them for the opening."
Lorelai was in Full Practicality Mode now.
The opening party was only twenty-four hours away, and she saw no sleep in her foreseeable future.
For his part Luke did not find Sunday, Monday or Tuesday moving any faster than normal. In fact, just the opposite. He must have picked up the phone and slammed it down a hundred times.
He did a re-check of his inventory Monday evening just to occupy himself until finally, on Wednesday, during the morning lull, he actually got into his truck to head over to The Dragonfly.
He stopped at Kim's Antiques instead.
He jingled through the door and looked around.
He could remember back when the Sanderson sisters lived here. But that was a long time ago now.
Gettin' old, Danes.
"Hello, Luke," said Mrs. Kim crisply as she emerged from the kitchen. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hey, Mrs. Kim. I need a couple of picture frames. I thought maybe you would have something nice, for my sister and nephew."
"What size are the pictures?"
He pulled one out of the envelope, he'd picked up at the photo shop earlier.
"Hmm," she appraised, "Very handsome couple, though I disapprove of young girls wearing spaghetti straps," commented Mrs. Kim...
"Follow me please," she went on."I just picked up quite a few pieces at an estate sale upstate. Silver jewelry, a tea set, and so forth. And several picture frames. Bakelite is very trendy right now and therefore overpriced, and of course silver is always a classic, but it requires polishing. Your family doesn't seem the polishing kind. May I suggest Mother-of-Pearl? Beautiful and economical, and I believe the next cutting edge of HGTV-viewing collectors everywhere."
And with that she led him to an assortment of frames arranged atop her new jewelry display case.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wednesday, May 5
"Okay Michel, You climb the ladder and I will hand you the lanterns," Lorelai took hold at the bottom to steady it.
"No way. I am not climbing the ladder."
"Michel, we agreed that we wanted old-fashioned paper lanterns hanging in the trees around the Inn for the opening..."
"Yes, yes, they are very romantic, I agree..."
"Pretty, glowing, nighttime lights in the fragrant, Springtime, budding trees..."
"Yes, very Saturday Evening Post. But I did not agree to climb into a tree to hang them!" said Michel petulantly.
"Fine! Fine! I'll do it," Lorelai moved to switch places with him. "Just hold the ladder steady."
"You don't trust me."
"You say that like I'm supposed to respond somehow."
Lorelai began climbing the ladder. Once she was up in the tree, she lifted a leg over a branch, straddling it, and carefully righting herself.
"All right, Michel, hand me the first string of lanterns," she called over her shoulder, waiting with outreached hand...
Nothing.
"Michel?!"
Still nothing.
"Stop fooling around and hand me the lanterns!" she turned her head to look down through the branches.
"He left," said a face suddenly close to hers.
Lorelai yelped and lost her balance. Luke reached over the branch and grabbed her waist with his right arm, steadying them with his left, from his perch atop the ladder.
"Jeez, Luke, you scared the life out of me!" said Lorelai, panting and holding on to his shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing up in this tree?" demanded Luke.
"Looking for Knuckle-backed Cuckoos—What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Knuckle-backed Cuckoos?"
"I'm exhausted. My hyperbole is weak."
"Cuckoos don't have knuckles."
Lorelai just looked at him. "Okay, weak and biologically implausible then."
Luke tried a different tack, "You should have gotten someone to do this for you. Are you trying to break your neck?"
"Yes, Luke, that was my brilliant plan all along—to dramatically break my neck the night before the Inn's opening," Lorelai snapped.
They looked at one another, both irritated and glad to see each other at once.
"Luke, what are you doing here?" Lorelai finally asked.
"Were we supposed to keep ignoring each other forever?" he returned.
"It seemed to be working..." shrugged Lorelai, looking away.
"Well, it wasn't for me. Not any more," said Luke quietly.
She turned back and they stared at each other again. The awareness of his arm around her, and hers around him, heightened.
Lorelai tried to ignore the good Luke smell coming with his closeness. She'd missed it.
"Oh, Luke..." she sighed.
"I know," he agreed.
"Lorelai, would you please come explain to this imbecile about that lamps!" they heard Michel whine from below.
"Michel, I'm hanging the lanterns now!" she called back. "You and Kirk work it out yourselves."
She looked back at Luke. He could see the exhaustion in her face.
"Go on down," he told her. "I'll do it."
"Luke, no..." she protested.
"Go," he repeated and climbed down the ladder so that she could descend after him.
"I swear to God, Michel, if you and Kirk do not learn to get along with one another, I will institute a time-out chair in the lobby..." he heard her mutter as she stomped back to the Inn.
The rest of the afternoon Luke and Lorelai spent in the half dozen most prominent trees on the Inn's grounds. They'd sent Kirk to fetch another ladder and were cutting their time in half, tackling trees individually.
"I've never been so glad to be tall in my life!" Lorelai yelled to Luke from the Oak and stretched far above herself to clip another paper lantern to a branch.
"I can't believe you hired Kirk to be your housekeeper!" Luke returned from the Elm as he wrapped a cord around the trunk to attach another string.
It took several hours and it was hot, muggy work.
"It's supposed to be spring, not feel like August," complained Lorelai as they both collapsed on the lawn afterwards.
"Yeah, it's too early to be so hot," agreed Luke.
"Thank you so much, Luke. For everything. The lights will be so beautiful tomorrow night.
You've put up with a lot from the Gilmores. You're a great friend!"
He looked at her lying next to him on the grass, little curls of hair stuck to her forehead, her face flushed.
"Friend?" he asked.
She looked back at him, "Of course...And this is beyond Mega Man Protein Powder-Thank You friendship, Luke. Seriously."
Luke digested that a moment.
"I better get back for the dinner rush," he said then and got up to leave.
"Oh, okay..."
Lorelai watched his truck pull out of the drive from her position on the grass and then closed her eyes and leaned back again.
Damn.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"What the hell?" Lorelai jolted upright in bed.
"What was that?" She leaned over and looked at her clock; Twelve-thirty-seven, it glowed back at her in the dark.
And then she heard it again. Thunder, followed by a flash of light, followed by the cessation of electricity (if the darkening of her clock was any indicator) and then...
Yep, sure enough, the beginning of the biggest, fattest, loudest raindrops she'd every heard.
"Oh shit! The paper lanterns!"
Lorelai ran downstairs, grabbed her purse and was in the jeep before the next flash of lightning.
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn...
She drove through rivers it seemed before getting to The Dragonfly.
She parked and ran to get a ladder from behind the building and dragged it to the Oak she had been in earlier that afternoon.
If she could just get them all down before they were soaked, she could dry them, and then re-hang them before the party tomorrow... Or, today, actually, she grimaced.
She leaned the ladder against the Oak and started climbing, just as the lightning flashed and thunder boomed again.
Once she was in the tree, she began to frantically unclip the already soggy lanterns from the branches.
Damn, damn, damn, damn...
And then she felt the ladder move beneath her.
She pushed her soaking hair out of her eyes, and looked down into Luke's face on the bottom-most rungs.
"Oh, Luke, thank God! Please help me... I think if I save them, I can dry them and put them back up..." she called down.
"Lorelai, would you get out of the fucking tree!" he yelled back over the rain.
She looked down at him, "I just..."
"No! Get down now! You are on a metal ladder in a tree in a lightning storm! Get your ass down here before you get barbecued!"
Lorelai climbed down, and Luke quickly lay the metal ladder on the ground away from the tree.
Lorelai bent at the waist, placed her hands on her knees and turned away from Luke.
He walked the few paces to stand behind her.
He could hear her making gasping noises.
Oh, God, he thought, she's finally breaking down.
She's finally worked herself into the ground.
He watched as her shoulders hitched in the pouring rain.
"Lorelai, don't..." he said, " Don't cry..." he walked closer to her and placed a hand on her heaving back.
To his surprise she fell down onto her knees and rolled over on her back.
And then he saw... that she was laughing.
She was laughing herself silly. She was giggling and guffawing uncontrollably.
Oh Jeez, he thought, this is worse than I expected.
"Oh, Lu-Lu-Lu..." she couldn't even say his name, she was laughing so hard. He looked so serious—Couldn't he see how funny this was?
"Lorelai, you're scaring me..." he said, and her laughter began to dissipate as she tried to breathe.
"I'm all right, Luke, really," she tried to reassure through gulps of air.
He didn't look convinced.
"Oh, come on," she was breathless and smiling now. "I'm lying here in the mud and it's pouring rain and I nearly fried myself and you saved me again—and it's HYSTERICAL!"
And she pitched off into another fit of laughter.
He watched her rolling and snorting on the ground and finally shook his head and smiled a little too.
"Oh, that's better," approved Lorelai and reached her hand up to him.
He thought she just wanted a hand up, but she pulled him down next to her instead.
And that is how Luke found himself lying next to Lorelai in the mud, in the rain, at one o'clock in the morning.
She smiled at him and he at her and with just that between them, they reached for one another. He scooped his arms quickly around her waist and lay above her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned into his eyes.
"You are the best friend," she said.
"If you call me friend again, I'm gonna throttle you," he growled, suddenly very aware just how wet her tank top was.
"But you are, you are my friend..." she said and pulled his face to hers.
She kept her eyes open this time as their lips met and couldn't remember later who began the nibbling or opened widest first...
But it didn't matter. Because they were pressed so tightly against one another, she now as aware of his wet sweat pants as he was of her clinging top, as they kissed and suckled hungrily, happily, in the rain.
Until the lightning cracked above them again.
Damn.
They broke apart.
"We've got to get inside," he said.
"Not into my new Inn, we don't," she said. "Not after we've been rolling in the mud!"
He groaned and stood up, dragging her with him, "Come on," he said and pulled her toward his truck.
They didn't say a word as they drove back into town, though Luke did steal a glance at Lorelai.
Her arms were wrapped around her chest and she was shivering, but her face was lit with a beautiful smile.
And it had been a long time since he'd seen that.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Once inside the diner, they hurried up the steps to his apartment.
He stepped quickly over to the kitchen, found a candle in a drawer, lit it, and then took her silently by the hand and led her into the bathroom.
Once there, he bent to retrieve a clean towel from under the sink, stood, handed it to her then made to leave.
She placed her cold hand on his forearm and looked him in the eye.
"Don't leave," she said, looking beautiful and certain and a little scared all at once.
Luke swallowed and looked back, "Are you sure?"
She nodded and pulled him back into the room, "Yep."
The candle next to the sink flickered a little.
Luke reached into the shower and turned on the hot water and without the electric exhaust fan running, the bathroom was soon steamy and warm.
They stood looking at each other.
Lorelai smiled, "I have been running away, you were right."
Luke nodded, "And I've been sitting on my ass... But lately I've been trying... I mean I made the decision, I really did."
It was her turn to nod, "I know."
He cupped her face in his hands then and kissed her softly.
Lorelai smiled and returned it with more strength.
Then she took a step away from him and looked him in the eye. She crossed her arms before herself and pulled the soaking tank top up over her head, dropped it on the floor, then stood for a moment for him to look at her.
He did.
And he caught his breath at the sight.
Imagination was a good thing, but the reality...
"God, you're beautiful," he breathed.
"A little muddy, too," she smiled and bent to slip her pants and underwear off in one swoop.
She stood in the steamy room nude before him now.
He expelled a breath then reached a hand to her throat and stroked it gently, lightly, with the tips of his fingers then trailed down to her breast, caressing it gently, watching the dark center pucker.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
He grew bolder then and lifted his other hand and reached to feel the weight of her breasts and the softness of their tender undersides.
She opened her eyes and reached down for the hem of his t-shirt then and lifted it gently up and, over his head, then dropped it onto the pile of gathering clothes on the floor.
She took in the sight of his chest then.
"You're beautiful too," she whispered, and then, "Come here."
She took his hand and led him the few steps to the mirror. She reached forward and wiped the steam away with her hand, then drew him close behind her. She could feel his arousal against the parting of her buttocks.
"Look," she said. "Look at us, we're finally here."
He stood behind her and looked at their reflection in the candle-lit steamy bathroom.
Her white skin shone.
He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against his bare chest, meeting her eyes in the mirror.
"I'm in love with you, you know that, don't you?" he said.
She felt her eyes sting a little and nodded because she didn't think she could actually speak.
She turned to look at him directly and breathed, "Luke, I'm a little scared... Not of you, not of this... but of... I don't know... Something."
"Me too," he said. "But glad."
He reached around and stroked her silky back and right before he could kiss her again, she whispered, "I love you, too."
They both opened their eyes in surprise at that and then laughed a little.
"I didn't know I did," she told him in wonder. "But, God, I--I do."
He nodded, unable to speak for the relief of it.
And then they began to kiss again, only this time when she broke away from his lips, she kissed down his chest, and across his abdomen, her fingers splayed and caressing the whole while until she met the waistband of his sweat pants.
She knelt before him then, pulling them down for him to kick off.
Then she looked up at him and smiled.
And they began their night here.
They stroked and kissed and suckled one another.
And it wasn't with the awkwardness new partners usually have about the condoms and such. It was with the comfort and deep understanding andhumortoothat had its beginnings in friendship. And that made it all the more. That made it all the more about the love, and about expressing it for the one who so fills your heart that you only want to give and give.
They showered and laughed then and slipped on flannel shirts, taking their little candle with them, to have tea (thank god for gas stoves), and talk about it all.
About the hesitations and the fights and the wanting and, most importantly, the future.
And soon they were in Luke's bed beginning again.
Coupling and thrusting and filling one another full.
And finally as they lay watching the rain against the window, Lorelai sat up and looked at Luke.
"I'm sure," she said definitively. "I am sure about you. Just like my mother said, damn it."
He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her, "I am too."
"I mean I never was before, you know. Because I didn't know how it felt. But now I do, this is it," she told him in amazement.
"This is it," he agreed and kissed her.
They broke apart and looked at one another.
"Luke, what happens now? I mean we've know each other for year... Where do we go now?" she asked, her eyes round with uncertainty.
He smiled, "Well, that depends on how sure you are..." and then he rolled her right under him again.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was getting light out.
They hadn't slept much at all.
They sat at Luke's table in sweats and flannel shirts grinning at each other over coffee like a couple of fools.
"I better not have any hickeys," she smiled at him. "I have to wear a pretty low-cut dress this evening."
"How low-cut?" he smiled back.
"Umm," she reflected. "Low enough to give my mom an eye twitch, but not low enough to give Kirk an eye-full," she concluded.
"Are you still sure about all this?" he asked.
"I could not possibly be more sure," she assured him.
"Good. I'll have to close the diner today to get everything done," his heart skipped a little.
"We're crazy, you know," said Lorelai.
"Yep," agreed Luke happily.
"You better get me back to my jeep now, or they'll stop the presses to re-write us as the cover story."
He nodded and got up with her.
Once in the truck on the way back to The Dragonfly, Lorelai snuggled against Luke, her head on his shoulder.
"Oh man, I hate to ask Taylor for favors," he groused.
Lorelai smiled, "Aren't I worth it?"
"Absolutely," he said and pulled into the Inn's drive.
She kissed him quickly, "You'll pick me up later?"
"If I can wait that long," and he leaned in to kiss her hungrily, she returned this advance with just as much passion.
"I love you," she said then, all shyness over the words now gone.
"And, God help me, but I love you too."
That made her laugh.
"I'll call Rory as soon as she's awake," she told him before getting out and walking to her jeep, grinning and hugging herself the whole way.
He watched her get in before driving off himself and then allowed himself, for perhaps the first time in his life, to be absolutely and completely happy.
And sure that their decision was right.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lorelai spent the day at the Inn, taking care of all the last minute details and emergencies, as Sookie cooked and Kirk and Michel drilled the wait-staff and maids.
They had no guests booked until the next night. The evening's party was a private one for all those who had helped realize The Dragonfly.
Lorelai worked on the flower arrangements for the dining and buffet tables, as well as the guest and public rooms. And later she paused a moment to gaze again upon the stained glass above the door.
The rain had ceased now, and the sunlight was shining brightly through the window, casting a colorful copy of itself upon the polished wood floor of the entry.
She sighed and smiled at it all.
By five that evening she was back at her house getting hurriedly ready for the evening.
When the doorbell rang, she tromped down in a robe to answer it. Luke stood before her in his dark suit and blue shirt looking and smelling wonderful.
"Hey," he said a bit shyly. "I've missed you. Are we still on for tonight?"
"I have no intention of running anywhere except after you for a long, long time," she smiled.
He looked considerably relieved and even slightly sappy with happiness which made her laugh.
"You aren't dressed yet," he observed. "You don't want to be late for your big night."
She nodded as he stepped in.
"I'll be ready in a minute. I just can't get this damn paint spot off my wrist," she complained, rubbing at it. "I did some touching up today."
He looked down at the wrist she held before him and at the small mark of blue paint on it.
"I think I have just the thing," he said and reached into his pocket.
He withdrew a small velvet bag and loosened the drawstrings. He took out a wide hammered silver cuff bracelet, simple and devoid of decoration.
"Oh, Luke," breathed Lorelai, "You shouldn't have..."
"Yeah, well," he smiled as he slipped it on her arm and squeezed it closed. "I got it at Mrs. Kim's. It's old. I was going to give it to you later. I mean the occasion does call for a gift, but I think you need it now. Besides I heard it on good authority that you needed a bracelet just like this."
She cocked her brow at that.
But sure enough it covered the paint mark perfectly and when he looked back into her eyes, they were full of tears.
"Don't cry, Lorelai," he said and took her into his arms.
"I'm just happy."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lorelai walked about greeting friends.
It was close to seven now and the Great Room was almost completely full.
She waved at Tom and the crew across the way, as well as Lindsay, Dean and Lane by the window. Miss Patty and Babbette were in deep conversation on one of the settles.
And she couldn't seem to stop with the smiling already.
She looked over at Luke who was taking the full brunt of Taylor's animated conversation and chuckled a little.
She watched as the waiters circulated with trays of appetizers and glasses of wine. People were laughing and smiling and talking all around her.
It felt good.
Then she turned then to see Rory coming in the door, Paris trailing behind.
Mother and daughter grinned at each other and ran to meet in a hug.
"Oh, Mom, I'm so excited! And look at you!" Lorelai stepped away to pivot, showing off her short silver halter dress, "You look beautiful, and so does the Inn!" Rory breathed then, and leaned in to whisper, "I just can't believe it!"
"I know! Me either!" laughed Lorelai. "Look what Luke gave me," she displayed her bracelet.
"Ooo! Pretty!" awed Rory.
Luke joined them now.
"I will be under Taylor's thumb for the rest of my life, I only just got away. Hey, Rory..." he went on, but didn't finish when she crushed him into a fierce hug.
"I'm so glad, Luke," she told him.
Luke nodded, flushed and tugged at his ear a little, "Yeah, me too."
Lorelai and Rory laughed.
"Don't say it," he warned.
They looked appropriately innocent, "Say what?" asked Lorelai.
"How cute I am or something stupid like that."
Lorelia feigned shock, "All this time I've known you, I never knew you to have such an ego."
"I didn't know you thought of yourself as cute either, Luke," smiled Rory. "So why are you going to be under Taylor's thumb, anyway?" she asked curiously.
"We needed him—to cut red tape," smiled Lorelai.
Rory nodded in understanding.
Lorelai looked over at the door then.
"There's Emily and Richard, Rory, I think you better go meet them."
"Okay, but you'll talk to them later, right?" checked Rory.
"Yes. But not until later. Because I wouldn't miss that for the world."
Just then they were all interrupted by Sookie who was tapping a spoon against a glass for attention, as she stood before the fireplace.
Lorelai looked at Luke then, "Are you still sure?" she whispered.
"God, yes," he answered.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," began Sookie, "On behalf of Lorelai, Michel and myself, I'd like to welcome you to the official opening of The Dragonfly Inn!"
The crowd clapped and cheered at that.
"We wanted to thank you for all of the hard work in helping us realize our dream. Lorelai and I are so proud and happy to see this day and I would like to ask Lorelai to come up here now!"
Lorelai obliged amid further clapping.
"Lorelai," began Sookie as her friend took her place next to her. "You did all the hard part of this project. You fought and cajoled and ran yourself ragged getting it done. I am so grateful for you. You took on the lion's share of work after Davey was born, and we just would not have made it without you..."
Both Sookie and Lorelai were tearing up now.
"You are just my dearest friend in the world," she concluded. "Would everyone please raise your glass and join me, 'To Friendship!'"
"To Friendship!" echoed the assembly and took healthy swallows of wine.
Lorelai stepped forward now, "Thank you," she began, "I would also like to express how grateful I am to all of you who helped us realize this dream. Whether you hammered nails or folded towels or were there in a crisis," she looked at Luke here. "Please know that you have our deepest appreciation and... love, really. And now I'd like to ask Reverend Skinner to come forward to say a few words before we all go in to dinner and dancing."
Reverend Skinner dutifully stepped forward to speak, "Lorelai and Sookie are indeed very grateful for your friendship and fellowship this evening and look at it as a kind of blessing on their new Inn. But Lorelai has an additional blessing in mind for this evening that she would like all of you to partake in. Luke," he called, "Would you step forward, please?"
Luke came through the crowd to stand next to Lorelai and Rory joined them as well.
She then turned to a flower arrangement behind her and quickly plucked three white roses from a vase.
She handed one to Sookie and one to her mother, keeping the third for herself.
An excited mumbling began in the room as the significance of this gesture dawned upon some and was then hastily explained to those still in the dark
"Dearly beloved," began Reverend Skinner, reading from the small black volume he'd taken from his pocket...
Emily gasped audibly which was not at all lost on either Luke or Lorelai as they grinned at each other.
And so they were married.
They exchanged bands, and said the traditional words and kissed, and then it was over and some were laughing and others dabbing at their eyes.
"You got 'em all, Mom!" laughed Rory.
Lorelai nodded and grinned at that.
Rory reached out to hug them both and then looked at Luke, "You're my step-dad now! I love that!"
He smiled down at her, "Yeah, I guess that means I'll have to eat the cost of your doughnut and coffee habit. Good thing you don't live around here anymore," he groused.
But they hugged again.
"Oh, my God!"
They all turned to Sookie who had been shocked into silence until this very moment.
"Is this for real, Lorelai?" she demanded.
Luke and Lorelai exchanged amused looks.
"Yes, it's for real, Sookie. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but I didn't want you to freak ou-..."
"Oh, my God! A cake! You need a cake! I'm going to the kitchen to make you a cake!"
Sookie turned to leave. Lorelai grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back.
"No, Sookie, we just want you to enjoy it with us. We don't need a cake."
"Well, I have got some cupcakes in the refrigerator," Sookie gave in reluctantly.
Lorelai nodded, "Good girl. Just add a mug of coffee to that and you have the world's happiest bride before you now."
Sookie hugged her fiercely, "I am so happy for you, honey."
"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore!"
Here we go, thought Lorelai, as she turned to face her parents.
"Hello, Mom, Dad, I'm glad you could come," she smiled and linked her arm through Luke's.
"Lorelai..."
Emily was absolutely flabbergasted.
"Yes, Mom?" asked Lorelai. "You did say Luke was the one, right?"
Emily nodded mutely.
"Well, you were right so I decided to take your good advice."
"B-but..."
Emily didn't know where to begin.
"Congratulations, Luke," said Richard reaching out to shake his hand.
"Thank you, Richard," replied Luke.
"I hope you'll be very happy, Lorelai," said her father.
He then leaned down to kiss her forehead which surprised and touched her at once.
"Say something, Grandma!" laughed Rory.
"This is so sudden..." said Emily weakly.
Lorelai nodded, "Yes, it is sudden."
She looked up at Luke then who nodded in agreement.
"Eight years of sudden," he agreed.
"W-where are you going to live?" she finally demanded.
"At my house..."-----"At Lorelai's..." They said together.
"Are you changing your name?"
"No..."----"Don't really see the point in that..." They responded in tandem again.
"What about children?" Emily was getting irritated now.
Luke and Lorelai grinned at each other.
"Maybe," they both shrugged at once and then started to laugh.
"What about a honeymoon?" Emily was really pissed now.
"What do you say, Luke?" Lorelai asked him in seriousness.
"My cabin after the spring tourists are gone?" he asked her thoughtfully.
"Will you catch, clean and cook the fish while I swim and read trashy novels?" she returned.
"Sure."
"Okay, then."
They both looked expectantly back at Emily, as if waiting for further questions.
"You didn't even have a veil..." she finally let out, clearly deflated.
Lorelai leaned in to her mother, "My head's too big for one," she said conspiratorially.
"Come along, Emily, these two need to thank their guests and I hear there's a great jazz band after dinner," Richard rubbed his hands together happily. "I feel like dancing tonight! Will you save me one, Lorelai?" he asked over his shoulder as he led a muttering Emily into the dining room.
"Absolutely, Dad!" she called back.
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It was very late now, but many were still swaying to the soft music, including Luke and Lorelai.
"I think everyone had a good time," she said into his shoulder.
"Umm hmm," he agreed breathing in her hair.
"We can go up to the 'Luke' room in a little while," she giggled suddenly.
"What the hell is the 'Luke' room?" he asked looking down at her.
"One of the guest rooms upstairs," she explained. "After you lent me the money, I decorated one of the guest rooms with plaid and flannel and fishy things."
"You're kidding," he laughed.
"Nope, it was the least I could do."
Rory came up to them then, "Mom, sorry to interrupt but Grandma and Grandpa are leaving."
Lorelai nodded and she and Luke and Rory, her family now, she thought happily for the first time, walked over to the elder Gilmores at the edge of the room.
"It was a beautiful wedding, Lorelai," said Richard. "I will send your gift by mail."
"That's not necessary, Dad," said Lorelai. "I'm just glad you could come."
She turned to her mother then.
"I don't know what to say, Lorelai," began Emily. "Except of course that I'm sure you'll be very happy."
"That's all I want you to say, Mom," said Lorelai sincerely.
"And I love you," she slurred then too, her acceptance of the situation clearly worn down by a good quantity of alcohol.
Lorelai took it gratefully any way, "I love you too, Mom," she said softly.
"And you've done a wonderful job on the Inn. I'm proud of you."
Lorelai was overwhelmed by all this from her mother.
"Thank you, Mom."
"But why the hell didn't you think to put paper lanterns in the trees outside, though?! Now that would have been the perfect touch...! Honestly, Lorelai, you've got to think about the details..." Emily hollered then, her breath fiery with gin.
"Come on, Grandma!" said Rory hurriedly as she and Richard ushered her out to the door.
"D-did she just say what I thought she did?!" asked Luke, eyes ablaze.
"Yes dear, but don't worry she won't remember a word of it tomorrow," said Lorelai, stiff-arming her palm into the middle of his chest to prevent him from going after Emily.
"Let's dance some more," she pushed him backwards out onto the dance floor.
"I can't believe she said that!" he began to rant. "Doesn't she know that we were in those damn trees for hours! That you...---"
Lorelai grabbed his face and kissed him into silence.
"Welcome to the family, Luke," she said and nestled in to finish their dance.