Disclaimer: These characters are owned by the WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Author's Note: Continued thanks to everyone who has been keeping up with this story and especially those who have reviewed. I really appreciate the feedback. Thanks for the amazing encouragement from everyone in the fan fiction thread of the TWoP forum. Last but certainly not least, thank you to JeSouhaite for beta-reading this fic and giving me such wonderful and helpful feedback as well as unflagging support.

In the days following their talk of marriage and kids, Luke watched Lorelai carefully for signs that she was afraid of this new place in their relationship. It would not have been surprising for her to pull back. This was new territory, for both of them. He noticed, but didn't understand what it meant when she suddenly became a superhuman version of herself. She was always full of energy and life and it was one of the things he loved most about her, but there was a frenzy about her that was new. She stopped by the diner often, but her visits were short stops in between long hours at the inn. No longer did she just relax and drink her coffee or linger over a piece of pie. On nights when he went to her house after a long evening at the diner, he found her deep in the middle of a cleaning project rather than deep in a movie. When he mentioned it to Lorelai, she brushed it off, "Must be the spring air inspiring me to be productive. I'm sure it will pass soon enough." It did seem to, at least a bit, but where the frenzy had been there was still a restlessness that worried him. All he could do was watch and wonder and hope that this wasn't a warning sign of a deeper problem.

Lorelai lay across Luke's couch with her head resting in his lap as they watched an old movie on television. They had picked up the movie in the middle and Luke was having trouble following it, but he was so relieved that Lorelai was finally sitting still that he didn't mind. He unconsciously reached out to pull a lock of hair away from her face and was surprised to hear her voice.

"So… I need to tell you something," she said hesitantly.

"What?" he asked, wondering at her serious tone.

"My mom invited us to dinner."

"What? When?"

"Two weeks from Friday. To celebrate my birthday." She paused a moment, then sat up and turned toward him. "I told her I'd go."

"When did you talk to her?"

"Last week."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" It hurt to think that she was still hiding things from him.

"I wanted to talk to her first and think about it."

"Why?"

"I wanted to make sure that they were going to treat you decently and…I wasn't sure you would want to go."

"Well, your mother and I didn't have the most pleasant conversation the last time I saw her."

"You mean because you finally told her to shove it?" she asked, with a hint of a smile.

He cringed, "Lorelai, I hurt her. I'm not sure I can even face her right now."

"Well, hard as it may be to believe, that may have been the best thing you could have done."

"What?"

"My mother has this weird habit of respecting people who tell her off. Apparently, she was impressed that you stood up for me." When he looked up at her curiously she continued, "That's what Rory said."

"Your family makes absolutely no sense," he said, shaking his head grumpily.

She smiled at that, "You're finally catching on."

"Would you like me to go to the dinner with you?"

Lorelai looked at him thoughtfully, as if weighing her words. "I'd like you to be there," she said slowly, "but only if you're comfortable. She did promise to be on her best behavior, but I don't really trust her, so I totally understand if you don't want to go."

"I'm not as worried about what she does as I am about the way I talked to her."

"And this is what makes you so amazing," she said in awe.

"Huh?"

"My mother has bullied you, ridiculed you and tried to get rid of you and yet you feel bad because you finally had a chance to tell her off and you took it."

"You didn't see her, Lorelai. She's your mother and I made her cry." The image of Lorelai's strong and resilient mother in tears was not easy to forget. He worried about her reaction when she saw him next.

"But apparently, while you were making her cry, you were standing up for me, so it's all good." She said this part with a joking tone, but then got more serious, "So, what should I tell my mom? It's really okay if you don't want to go. I'm sure that there will be other obligatory opportunities in the future, so …"

"But you're going, and it's your birthday?" She nodded and he thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, I'll go."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you'll be there. It's going to be really hard to do this."

"Well, much as I'm not looking forward to seeing your mother again, I'm glad that we're going. She's still your mother."

Lorelai put her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. "I love that that's important to you," she said softly as she leaned in for a gentle kiss.

The bell jingled over the diner door as Rory entered. "Hey Luke."

"Hi Rory. So you managed to get out of Friday night dinner a little early, huh?"

"I told them that you and I needed to plan Mom's birthday."

"And they let you leave early for that?"

"Well, they were pretty happy to find out that both of you are coming to dinner for Mom's birthday, so I guess they were feeling generous. Grandma asked what we were planning. I told her we weren't quite sure yet, but probably a party." Rory's voice softened as she continued, "She made a point of telling me that they didn't expect to be invited. That it would just make Mom uncomfortable and that it was enough that you were coming to dinner."

"She said that?"

"Yeah, but she may have just been trying to keep Grandpa away from Miss Patty."

Luke chuckled at that. "So, a party huh?"

"It doesn't have to be a party."

"For your mother, I actually think it does."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Should I check to see if we can use Miss Patty's place?"

"How about if we did it here?" he offered tentatively.

"In the diner?"

"Yeah."

"But you'd have to close."

"Everyone would be at the party anyway, right?"

"I guess so," Rory said as she surveyed the room.

He watched her look around and asked, "Do you think it will be big enough? We could move some of the tables and chairs to the storeroom. Maybe Lane could DJ? What?" He stopped when he saw the look of surprise on her face.

"I can't believe you're willing to close the diner and move everything around."

"Do you think we shouldn't have it here?"

"No, I think it's perfect. Then it's not just a town thing."

"That's what I was thinking. It'll be our thing." He marveled at how natural it felt to be working on this with Rory.

"Exactly." She stopped for a moment and looked Luke in the eye, "You know, it'll mean a lot to her that you're doing this. She'll love it."

"Good," He smiled at her, then continued, "Let's figure out the rest of the details."

"Well, Sookie offered to help and I know she wants to make a cake," she glanced up at Luke, "if that's okay?"

"Yeah that's great. I can talk to her to figure out the food. I'll be able to get a lot of cooking done during the day if you two wanted to do something together."

"That would be nice, but I don't want you to get stuck doing all the work."

"Actually, I had an idea about that." He looked up at her, suddenly feeling unsure about what he was going to offer. "Why don't the two of you go get manicures, pedicures, whatever else women do at spas. My treat."

"Oh Luke, you don't have to do that. It's too much."

He shrugged. "You and your mom haven't had a chance to hang out much lately, and it's her birthday. Let me do this, unless you don't think it's a good idea," he said nervousness creeping back into his voice.

"It's a great idea. She'll love it. But wait…how does this help you?"

"I'd like to make dinner for her…for the two of us. Do you think you could get the diner set up for the party while we're eating?"

"Yeah, no problem." He watched her as she slowly looked around the diner again. "Hey Luke, can I decorate?"

"As long as its not too fruity – and no pink or blue," he added quickly at the end.

"Got it - no fruity - no pink or blue. So, what was that about getting Lane to DJ?"

"Do you think she would?"

"Of course, but you know if there's music, then dancing is expected."

"Yeah."

"And she's going to want to dance with you."

"I figured."

"You think you can suffer though that?"

"I'll manage. Birthdays only happen once a year, right?"

"Yeah, and I have it on pretty good authority that you can waltz! She was pretty impressed after your sister's wedding last year."

"Really? She told you that?"

"That's when she first told me that there might be something going on with you two."

"So she did know…" he mused as his voice trailed off. He saw Rory looking at him thoughtfully. He looked down at the counter, wishing for a moment that he had a rag – something to do with his hands. "So Rory…your mom and I…are you okay with that?"

"Of course I am Luke. Why do you ask?"

"I just…I'm planning to be around for awhile."

The corners of her mouth turned up then, "I know." Her surety surprised him and it must have showed. "That's what my mom said too."

"Really?"

"She said you weren't going anywhere."

"I'm not."

It looked like Rory was struggling to try to keep from breaking into a wide grin. "So, any plans to make it official?"

He jerked his head up to look at her, taken aback by her directness. She held his gaze, her eyebrows raised and a small smile playing over her lips. "Uh…well, yeah…at some point."

"Okay…good."

"Good?"

"Yes, Luke…really good," she said sincerely, then as if she realized what had just transpired, she looked down shyly. It wasn't until his heart started to slow down that Luke registered how hard it had been beating. Rory broke the silence, "Is there anything else we need to do to plan the party?"

"I think the party's all set, but there is one more thing I wanted to ask you. I'm making something for your mom and I was wondering if you had any pictures of the inn, either during the renovation or after it opened. I have a couple that Rachel took before they bought it, but I'd love a few more, especially if there is a picture of it in the snow."

"Yeah, I'll look. If I can't find something, I'll ask Sookie. What are you making?"

"You'll see in a couple of weeks."

"A surprise, huh?"

"Yeah," he smiled nervously, "I hope she likes it."

Luke arrived at the house to pick Lorelai up for their drive to Hartford. Uneasiness seemed to be following him, though he consciously pushed it away. He walked into the house, calling her name as he entered, expecting her to come tripping down the stairs while pulling on a shoe. He was surprised to see her seated on the couch, wearing her coat and holding her purse. She looked over at him as he entered, but didn't get up.

"Hey, you're here," she said, her voice flat.

"Yeah, you okay?" He moved behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, then leaned over and kissed the top of her head. When she didn't move or respond, he moved around to the other side of the couch and sat next to her, taking her hands in his. "Tell me what's going on."

"Oh, it's nothing. We should go."

She started to stand but he held her hands and repeated, "What's going on?"

"Luke," she started to protest, but he held her gaze and her resolve melted. "I'm afraid of letting them back in."

"Your parents?"

She nodded, then spoke softly, "For so long we just saw each other at holidays. They got to see Rory. We exchanged pleasantries. It was safe. The less I told them about my life the less they had to be disappointed about and we got along fine. Going to them for the money for Chilton – that was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I had to open the door a little. Not too much, I mean the chain was still on, but they could see in." She looked up at him then, as if checking that he understood. He nodded and she continued.

"We went on like that for a while. Eventually, I took off the chain and opened the door a little more and sometimes it opened a little wider and sometimes I closed it again, but not usually for very long. But it's been almost five years and the door's opened wider, never totally open, but I was feeling more comfortable with it. God, I mean between my mother's crazy bachelorette party and talking to her before the vow renewal ceremony, it almost felt like…never mind. Then what happened with Christopher at the vow renewal reminded me about why I had been so careful, why I had kept the door shut so long and why I was so careful when I finally did open it again. I just…I don't trust them…her, anymore. I'm not sure how I'm ever going to be able to trust her again."

He looked at her while she spoke, his heart breaking at her words. He could hear the pain and fear in her voice and it cut through him deeply. Then he heard something else, a wistfulness perhaps. He held her hands gently, circling his thumbs around the backs before putting them together and holding his hands over hers. He felt a lump forming in his throat as her voice broke a bit on the final words. When she finished speaking, he looked up at her and said, "but you want to."

"What?"

"The reason it hurts you so much is that you want to trust her, but you can't."

"I don't want to let her hurt me again."

"I don't either." Taking both of her hands in one of his, he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before putting his palm against her cheek. "I can't promise you that she won't ever hurt you again, but I know she loves you."

"I think I know that now too, thanks to you, but somehow that's not much of a comfort."

"I wish I could do something to make this better, but all I can do is promise you that I will be here for you."

She looked at him then, her eyes wide and serious. "You are too good to me."

"Don't let it get around. I don't want to lose my mystique." He smiled at her and earned a giggle. "Are you ready?" he said more gently.

"Yeah…hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming. I know that it's not going to be a piece of cake for you either, so…well, I appreciate it."

"I know. Let's go."

Lorelai was quiet and pensive on the drive to Hartford, only speaking once to ask the time. "Damn, we're going to be late. Just one more piece of ammunition for her majesty."

They did in fact arrive about ten minutes late, but Emily surprised them by saying, "You must have hit some traffic. Come on in and have a drink. We're glad that both of you could come." At the last she looked at Luke with what looked like a forced smile. He noticed her glancing at his sweater and slacks and was glad that he had taken more care in dressing than he had the last time he had visited this house.

When they went into the living room, Rory jumped up and ran over to give her mother a hug, "Happy Early Birthday."

"You brought your stuff, right, so you can come back and stay tonight?" Lorelai confirmed eagerly.

"Yeah, I can't wait for tomorrow." Her eyes glinted with the surprise she was holding back.

Lorelai smiled then, a genuine smile, and Luke started to relax. Rory gave him a quick hug and peck on the cheek before pulling them both toward the couch.

Richard looked up as they sat down, "Lorelai, Luke, it's good to see you both," he said politely, "What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll take a martini, Dad," Lorelai answered, then glanced at Luke, who nodded, and she added, "Make that two."

After everyone had their drinks, they all sat making polite small talk, which was thankfully centered around Rory and her spring semester at Yale. While carefully avoiding meeting Emily's eyes, Luke silently watched she and Lorelai, both of whom looked tense and nervous. Eventually the conversation drifted to the inn. As Lorelai became the center of attention, she reached over with her right hand and laced her fingers through Luke's left hand. He rubbed his thumb gently over the back of her hand, then gave it an encouraging squeeze. He felt a sudden pang of self-consciousness and looked up to find Emily watching him with an unreadable expression.

Lorelai answered questions about the inn and gradually appeared to grow more comfortable. She proudly shared their high occupancy rates and news about some of the publicity they were getting. Richard asked a few questions about their financial status and looked pleased with her success.

"We just met with our accountant last week and she thinks we may be able to start serving lunch again, at least during the busiest times of the tourist season. We had to cut out lunch about six months ago, but things seem to be looking up. Sookie is thrilled."

Emily nodded in what looked like approval and then turned to Luke, "And how is business at your diner?" Though her tone was polite, she couldn't hide the touch of distaste when she said the word 'diner.'

He was wary of the direct question and tempted to answer as briefly as possible, but decided to make more of an effort. "It's good. Business usually picks up some during this time of year and stays busy into the fall, since there are more tourists, but there's a pretty consistent breakfast and lunch crowd throughout the year."

Lorelai glanced at him and smiled, as if recognizing his effort, then turned to her father. "Dad, I actually had an insurance question for you."

"Certainly, Lorelai."

"Well, I thought I had a pretty good health insurance deal worked out with our insurance company, but they just raised our rates and I was wondering if you have any suggestions. We want to offer competitive benefits, but it's getting harder to afford it."

Both Richard and Emily looked surprised by her question, but Richard answered quickly, "Well, I think there are groups of small businesses that are able to negotiate better rates together than you can get independently. I could look into it for you."

"That would be great."

"I'll make some calls and let you know what I find out early next week."

"Thank you, Dad."

"What about you Luke, do you offer health insurance to your employees?"

Luke was startled by the sudden inclusion in the conversation, "Uh…yes, though it is getting pretty expensive."

"Well, if I find out anything useful for Lorelai, I'll be sure to pass the information along to you as well."

"Thank you. I would appreciate that."

The maid came to let them know that dinner was served and they continued their very polite and very careful conversation over dinner. As they ate, Luke thought about the stilted conversation and tried to figure out what Richard and Emily were thinking.

He was having trouble reading Richard. He wasn't as condescending as he had been during the golf outing, and though the insurance conversation had been friendly, it still wasn't warm. Perhaps wary was the best word to describe the way Richard was looking at him now.

Emily was more complicated. There had been several times that he thought he had seen her start to speak and then stop, as if she were censoring her speech. She was clearly making an effort to avoid insults, but there was something else. Emily was looking at him differently now. There was no longer disdain, but there definitely wasn't acceptance either. He sensed a bit of respect, but it was the respect you gave an adversary. He guessed it was to be expected, given their previous conversation, but it wasn't the type of relationship you hoped for with potential in-laws.

That thought took him by surprise, and yet at the same time it didn't. He had known that the possibility of a future existed with Lorelai, but somehow recently, possibility had turned into probability and 'maybe someday' had turned into 'at some point.' That thought made him glance at Lorelai and give her a private smile. She reached over and gave his knee a squeeze, which for some reason gave him a renewed sense of confidence. It struck him then that perhaps the difference he was feeling wasn't as much a change in Lorelai's parents as it was a change in him. Being with her parents had always made him feel inadequate, because there was a part of him that thought they were right and that at some point she would see what they saw and no longer want him. He knew differently now and something told him that Emily and Richard knew now what he had not known then.

The rest of dinner passed pleasantly enough. After dessert, they moved back into the living room. Richard offered scotch and Luke accepted, while Emily handed a wrapped present to Lorelai. After looking up at her mother, she looked down and played with the ribbon for a moment, before opening the package cautiously. Luke watched as she lifted the lid and revealed a pair of round sapphire drop earrings in a white gold setting and a necklace with a matching pendant. Lorelai looked at them, opening her mouth in surprise, then lifting her head to look at her mother. "Mom! They're beautiful, but this is too much."

"Nonsense, it's your birthday. They'll look beautiful on you. Please don't argue about it."

Lorelai paused and the room was silent, waiting for her response. "You're right. Thank you, Mom."

A few minutes later, Luke saw Richard pull Lorelai aside and they talked briefly before he handed her an envelope. Lorelai bit her lip nervously at the start of their conversation, but as they spoke she relaxed and her expression softened.

After polite goodbyes with friendly but slightly awkward hugs for Lorelai and Rory and a handshake for Luke, they all left and headed for their cars. Rory thanked them for coming before climbing into her car and agreeing to meet Lorelai at home. Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulders and asked, "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm not sure. Who kidnapped my parents and replaced them with those strangely polite people? It was almost freaky enough to make me miss the humiliation and disappointment." He gave her a skeptical glance. "Well, almost."

"They were trying."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Hey, I noticed you talking to your Dad and you were actually smiling."

She chuckled. "He was giving me the classic Richard Gilmore gift."

"What's that?"

"A check."

"Oh, that."

"He thanked me for coming…"

"Yeah?"

"He said it meant a lot to Mom that I came. That she…that they missed me." Her voice grew softer as she spoke. "He wanted to know if I would come again next week."

"And?"

"I told him I wasn't quite ready to go back to the weekly dinner thing yet, that it was going to take more time, but I appreciated them inviting both of us for my birthday." Then she looked up at Luke. "He said it was good to see you again."

"Really?"

When she responded, her voice was soft and sad, "Yeah, well, I can't decide if I believe him or not." Her words revealed how long a road it would be for Lorelai's parents to earn back her trust.

The next night, Luke opened his door at the knock and found Lorelai standing there in a deep blue dress, wearing the new earrings and necklace from her mother and fidgeting nervously with her purse.

"Hey."

"Hey…Happy Birthday." He pulled her in for a kiss, then leaned back to meet her eyes. "You look beautiful." He reached out and touched one of the earrings, then brushed his hand down to the sparkling pendant hanging from her neck. "I like these. They match your eyes."

"Rory talked me into wearing them." She looked up at him shyly, "I wanted to wear the ones you gave me."

"You wear those all the time."

"There's a reason for that," she answered with a smile.

"So, did you and Rory have a good time?"

Her face lit up. "We had the best time! It was amazing. Was that really your idea?"

"Yeah."

"I am suitably impressed."

"I thought that you would enjoy spending some girl time with Rory. Besides, it gave me time to get this ready."

"It smells great and I'm starving."

"Is there ever a time when you aren't starving?"

"Well no, not really. Hey," she said, looking at the table, "you've got ambiance and everything. Check out the candles and the jazz. You're really going all out, aren't you?"

"For you – anything."

"You did not just say that." She paused, looking at him curiously. "Where did this sweet romantic Luke come from?"

"I let him out on special occasions," he said, his voice low and serious. She watched him quietly as he poured a glass of wine and handed it to her. She drank a couple of sips and tapped on her glass nervously while pacing the room. Luke was puzzled by what he recognized as tension or possibly anxiety. He walked over and rubbed his hands up and down her arms and whispered in her ear, "Are you okay? You seem…like nervous or something."

"Maybe a little."

"Why? It's just dinner."

"I know. I guess we just don't do this romantic dinner thing very often. I'm not used to it."

"Maybe we'll have to change that."

"No objections here," she said with a small smile.

Once they started to eat, Lorelai relaxed and told Luke about the day at the spa. Soon they were engaged in their typical banter punctuated periodically with warm smiles.

"So where did you get those tiny little chickens?"

"They were Cornish game hens."

"They were so cute."

"Yes, especially when yours stood up and did a comedy act."

"It's so rare that I have an entire animal on my plate. It was just begging to perform."

"Actually, I think that it was begging to be spared the humiliation."

"Aww, you're just jealous because yours didn't make it through the first audition."

He shook his head in mock frustration and then looked at her warmly, "How was dinner?"

"It was amazing, Luke. Thank you so much for cooking for me."

"Because that's so out of the ordinary."

"No, it was great really. This has been an amazing birthday."

"Well, there is a little more."

"Really? Oooh! Is it dessert?"

"Yeah, but I was running out of room up here, so it's downstairs. Do you want to come with me to get some coffee?"

"Do you really need to ask?" she giggled as she followed him out the door and down the stairs.

As they walked into the diner, they were greeted by a loud "Surprise!" and Luke looked in amazement around the diner. In the short time they had been upstairs, much of the furniture had been moved out of the way and the diner had been decorated with ribbons, streamers and banners in various shades of purple. The counter was filled with food and there was an enormous cake in the center. Most of the town was piled into the diner.

Lorelai's eyes were wide with shock. Rory ran over, "Happy Birthday, Mom!"

"Oh my god! I can't believe I fell for that quiet dinner thing. You guys planned this?" Luke and Rory glanced at each other and nodded. "I had no idea. How did you set this up so quietly?"

"I threatened to withhold cake," Rory grinned

"Well, it worked…This is amazing. Thank you," she said, looking warmly at both Luke and Rory.

"All this cleared out space…It almost looks like a dance floor," she said, smirking at Luke, "Does that mean you're going to dance with me?"

"You might be able to drag me out there a few times, especially if Lane plays something slow."

"We'll make sure of that," said Rory.

Before too long, Lorelai had been pulled onto the dance floor. After several songs, she pleaded for a break and some cake. Eventually she was pressed to open her gifts. Luke stood by and watched her open a strange variety of mostly useless gifts. There were some books and movies, a Hello Kitty watch, as well as a gift certificate for organic lawn maintenance from Kirk. Patty and Babette gave her their gift with a wink and a look that made Luke uneasy. As she pulled lacy lingerie out of the box, she turned and looked at him, giggling. "So, what do you think?" she asked, holding it up. He could feel himself blushing deeply.

Miss Patty glanced at him and said, "Maybe that was more of a gift for both of you."

"Aww jeez, come on. Rory's right there," he gestured in her general direction, though his eyes were glued to the floor.

"Oh, he's shy. It's probably a good idea that we decided to pass on the edible underwear."

Luke groaned and even Lorelai seemed flustered. "Patty! Babette!" Her face had reddened and she was looking at the floor as well.

"Oh come on now doll, we all know you aren't just playing Scrabble every night. We just want to help you keep it interesting," Babette said teasingly.

"Well actually, we've played our share of Scrabble," Lorelai threw in, in an obvious attempt to change the subject. "In fact, Luke is just as competitive as you, Rory, looking in every dictionary in the house before he gives up on his word. Oh…you two should play sometime. That would be a riot, watching the two of you try to out-serious each other-"

She broke off as Luke placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned down to whisper, "I think you have successfully changed the subject. Thank you, by the way." She looked up at him and then narrowed her eyes at Patty and Babette before picking up another package.

She had made her way through the pile of presents, thanked everyone and started to get up when Luke stopped her. "Wait. There's one more…from me." He said softly.

"But Luke, you already did the whole amazing spa thing."

"Well, there's one more thing anyway." He went into the back and brought out a large rectangular package wrapped in brown paper. "Here you go."

"Wow, Luke what is it?"

"A question that will be answered by the simple process of unwrapping it," he answered sarcastically.

She pulled off the paper, glancing at him expectantly as he watched her intently. The wrapping came off to reveal a large ornate wooden picture frame. In the center was a large picture of the Dragonfly taken after the first snowfall. Surrounding it were several smaller pictures of the inn in various stages of construction and a picture from the test run. On the top edge of the frame, The Dragonfly, was carved into the wood and on the bottom of the frame it said A Dream Come True. Luke worked his jaw nervously as he waited for her reaction.

"Luke…it's beautiful." Her voice was full of emotion as she looked at him with amazement. "It's perfect for the sitting room at the inn. I love it!"

He let out a breath of relief and gave a small smile as she turned around and hugged him. Rory walked over to look at the pictures, "This is what you needed the pictures for? It's gorgeous."

Several people came to admire the picture while Lane started up some more music. Rory dragged Lorelai off to dance and Luke was relieved to no longer be the center of attention. He stood and watched as she danced, looking at the light in her eyes and the smile on her lips. She caught him watching and smiled wider. At the end of the song, she came over to him and hugged him, whispering, "Thank you for all of this, the spa, dinner, the party, the picture."

"Are you having a good time?"

"The best."

"Then get back out there. You're fans are waiting."

"But you're just standing here alone."

"I'm watching you. I like seeing you happy." She smiled at him warmly.

"You're amazing, truly amazing. What did I do to deserve you?"

"You exist."

She looked at him then, her eyes wide and liquid, "I love you." Then she kissed him deeply. When she pulled away she teased, "Can we go upstairs later so I can model my new lingerie for you?"

"Come on, don't say stuff like that when Rory is in the same room."

"Aww, it's sweet that you care about that," Lorelai said, "but she's way over there. So what do you think?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I figured that you were going home, since Rory is here."

"Funny you should say that. Rory asked if I minded staying here tonight so that she and Lane could have a slumber party." He looked at her skeptically. "Hey, I wasn't going to argue."

"I know, but isn't it a little weird having her do that for us?"

"Maybe, but I'm going to try to ignore that part and just focus on the fact that I don't have to sleep alone on my birthday." She grinned then kissed him again before he sent her back to her party.

Lane made sure to play a few slow songs, and even a waltz, and Luke was pulled onto the dance floor for every one. He spent the remainder of the night watching Lorelai, marveling at his good fortune.

To be continued