Disclaimer: I still don't own the Gilmore Girls. Although, I wish I owned Luke and Jess.

Chapter 25

Luke and Lorelai walked into the hall and thought they had just stepped out of a time machine. The brigade had gone all out. From the costumes the people were wearing to the band and decorations, everything looked it was taken right out of a history book. Luke and Lorelai dressed their part. Rory spotted them enter the hall and ran over with Logan trailing behind.

"You made it," Rory smiled.

"We said we'd be here didn't we?" Lorelai joked.

"I'm loving the uniform Luke," Logan complimented. "Much better than this all white monkey suit I was stuck in."

"This belonged to my grandfather," Luke said. "It's the only thing I had."

"You guys looked like you stepped off the set of The Notebook," Rory remarked.

"That's what we were shooting for," Lorelai joked. "So, whose ring do we kiss?"

"I'm guessing Don Juan over there," Luke joked, pointing to a man across the room with medals around his neck.

"Guys, stop it," Rory laughed. "This is a very sophisticated event."

"So no big stunt at the end?" Luke asked.

"You know about the stunt?" Logan asked.

"Lorelai made me read that exposé Rory wrote a million times."

"There's no stunt. This party is an ordinary New Years party set in the 1940s or 50s. I never did get the time period confirmation."

"It doesn't make much of a difference wardrobe wise. Well, I hope you two have fun tonight. As for me and Lorelai, the open bar is calling out to us."

"Ok, I'll see you guys later," Rory said. "Have fun."

"Oh, we will," Lorelai said as she hugged Luke's arm. "I'm taking this cool cat to the bar so we can have some real fun when we get home."

"Dirty," Luke smiled.

"Mm. Just you wait big daddy."

"Ok, I'm officially grossed out," Rory said.

"Ah jeez. We're going," Luke laughed. "Come on little lady. Let's get some drinks so you can take advantage of me." He put his arm around Lorelai and took her to the bar.

"Those two are something else," Logan laughed as he and Rory started to walk.

"I wouldn't change them for the world," Rory smiled. "If you had met Luke two years ago, you'd never hear him say anything remotely dirty. Or anything with more than one syllable."

"He's not all that chatty now."

"It's Luke. He cooks food, makes coffee, and loves my mom. There isn't much to talk about. But not Jess. Jess is quiet, but he's always got something to say."

"Why do our conversations always end up about Jess?"

"No they don't."

"Yes Rory, they do. It's like you've got Jess on the mind twenty-four hours a day."

"I do not."

"You're always with him. I see you and Jess is right there."

"He's not like you. He doesn't get along with a lot of people."

"Gee. With his bright personality, I wonder why people hate him."

"Stop it Logan."

"I know he's Luke's nephew and you feel you have an obligation to be nice to him, but I'm your boyfriend. You spend more time with him than you do with me."

"You're being jealous for no reason."

"Have you heard anything I've said? I don't want you spending time with him anymore."

"Who do you think you are? You can't tell me who I can and cannot spend time with!"

"It's either him or me."

"I don't believe you. How could you make me choose between you two? You know what? It doesn't matter." Rory briskly headed for the door.

Logan ran after her. "Rory. Rory! Where do you think you are going? Don't walk out on me!"

"You have no right to ask me to choose between you and my friend. No right Logan!"

"If you realized he was trying to pull one over you, I wouldn't have to."

"You've lost your mind."

"Oh come on. He's only nice to you or when you're around. And that Christmas gift."

"It was thoughtful. It was his grandmother's."

"You don't give a woman jewelry without a motive."

"And how many women have you given jewelry to?"

"Don't turn this around."

"No, you accuse Jess of foul play so I'll accuse you of it too. Before we started dating, it was a well known fact you weren't a one woman man. Why should I believe you've changed just because you said you did?"

"That's not fair."

"It's not fair that you're attacking me about Jess." They were at her car now. She unlocked the doors and got in.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm leaving."

"You can't leave."

"No. I can't deal with you. I can leave and I will." With that, Rory whipped out of her parking space and drove off, leaving Logan by himself in more ways than one.

After wondering around the hall and frequent trips to the bar, Luke and Lorelai returned to their table. Everyone there were members of the Life and Death Brigade. Now they knew how Rory must have felt when she wrote her article. Despite their out of place feeling, they were enjoying themselves. "This is much better than the dance marathons back home," Lorelai joked.

"If Taylor let us put up an open bar, I'd participate," Luke joked.

"I'll bring it up at the next town meeting."

"Hello Lucas," someone said.

Luke's blood ran cold at the sound of that voice. It was all too familiar. He slowly turned his head only to confirm his belief. Lorelai sensed something was wrong and turned around to see who was behind them. An older man stood behind them. There was something about him. Lorelai felt like she had seen or met him somewhere before.

"Do you know him?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course I do," Luke replied as he slowly rose from his seat. "He's my uncle. Lorelai, this is the Colonel, Philip Danes. He's my uncle."

"I'm surprised you're admitting that to other people," Philip said. "Do you know how it feels to find out your only nephew is engaged, but refuses to tell you?"

"I haven't seen you in sixteen years. After Dad died, you refused to have anything to do with me because I didn't want to go to college or join the military. What do you want Colonel?"

Philip laughed to himself. "Do you know where you are? Who these people are?"

"I know where I am and who these people are, but I'm wondering why you do."

"Why shouldn't I? I'm one of them. I am a member of the Life and Death Brigade. Your father should have been too, but he refused the offer. Throughout the four years he studied at Yale, the brigade wanted him to join, but he was too stubborn."

"I didn't know your father went to Yale," Lorelai remarked.

"I'm just as shocked as you are," Luke said. His father, a Yale man?

"William turned them down, but I didn't. I took up their offer. Just like your grandfather did," Philip said. "The original Luke Danes was part of the brigade and now we want his namesake."

"What?"

"My children should have carried on the tradition, but Marc went right into the military and Michelle went against me and attended Harvard. They want you Luke. You're a leader, a true Danes. Proud, headstrong, and respected. We can help you provide your family with everything your heart desires. Years ago, we wanted to help provide for you, give money to send you to the right schools, but William was a very proud man."

"My father was a smart man that was content with what he had and earned every penny in his pocket. I was happy with what my father provided me with and my children will be happy with what I provided them with. I don't belong here. Come on Lorelai, we're leaving."

Jess had just closed the diner and was wiping down the counters when he heard someone knocking on the door. He turned around to see Rory standing outside. He slowly made his way to the door and opened it. "That offer to run away still good?" she asked.
Luke and Lorelai lay half naked in their bed with ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, and whipped cream surrounding them. They couldn't keep their hands off each other since they got home. Then Luke got a wild idea of bringing dessert to the bedroom. Lorelai started to lick the whipped cream in Luke's beard. "You have the greatest ideas," she laughed.

"We never would have done that if you didn't eat so grotesquely," he teased.

He reached to take his hat off, but Lorelai stopped him. "Leave it. It's sexy."

"My grandfather's military hat is sexy?"

"On you it is."

"This bed is really sticky."

"Good, that way I can keep you in it forever."

Luke flipped Lorelai onto her back and reached for the bottle of caramel syrup on the night stand as he kissed her. He pulled back to dribble the syrup over her breasts. "Mm. I love caramel," he teased as he licked the sticky substance off.

"Oh God Luke. You are amazing."

"It's the least I can do after what you did with the whipped cream and chocolate earlier."

"Who needs flavored condoms when you have whipped cream and chocolate syrup?" She pulled him up to her face and kissed him deeply as his hands began to wander again. Suddenly, she heard something downstairs. She pulled back and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he asked.

"I heard something coming from downstairs."

"I didn't hear anything."

"Luke, I swear I heard something." There was another sound. "See! Tell me you didn't hear it."

"Ok, ok. I'll go check what it is."

Luke got out of bed, grabbed his baseball bat, and quietly headed downstairs. Lorelai put on her robe and followed him. As they walked into the foyer, the front door opened and two figures walked into the house.

"I'll just grab some clothes and then we can...ah!" Jess yelled when he spotted Luke's figure with a baseball bat.

"Jess?" Luke called as he slowly lowered the bat. He turned the light on to see the two figures were Jess and Rory. "What the hell are you doing sneaking around in the middle of the night?"

"Rory?" Lorelai called. "I thought you weren't coming home tonight."

"I uh...changed my mind," Rory replied.

"You said you were spending the night at the diner," Luke said to Jess.

"I came home to get some clothes," Jess said. "Speaking of clothes, why aren't you wearing any? Is that ice cream on your chest? And please tell me that's whipped cream on your chin."

Luke looked down and realized he was still shirtless. It wouldn't have matter much if it were a burglar breaking into the house he was confronting, but it was his nephew and future stepdaughter gawking at his state of undress. "It's…it's whipped cream," he stuttered.

Lorelai scooped some of the whipped cream off Luke's chin with her fingers and tasted it. "Yeah, it's whipped cream," she joked. Luke gave her a warning look. "Just making sure."

"And you're wearing costumes," Jess said, pointing to Luke's hat. "I'm blaming you in therapy."

Luke quickly snatched the hat off his head. "What are you guys doing home?" he asked.

"I told you. Getting clothes. We'll be out of your way in a minute," Jess replied. He walked past Luke and Lorelai and headed up to his room.

Rory stood in the foyer with Luke and Lorelai, but couldn't make eye contact with them. It was more than the fact that they had been caught doing something kinky. "Logan and I had a fight," Rory said, knowing Luke and Lorelai wanted to ask her about it. "We had a fight and I left him at the party. I'm pretty sure we broke up too. I really don't want to talk about it so I'm gonna get some stuff and Jess and I will spend the night at the diner." Rory went to her room.

It dawned on Luke and Rory passed him. He knew what had happened between her and Logan. Rather, who.

"I can't believe they broke up," Lorelai said suddenly.

"Don't act so heart broken," Luke bit.

"Whoa. What's with the hostility?"

"You know damn well you're happy about Rory and Logan breaking up. You didn't like Logan and you didn't try very hard to hide that either."

"That's a bold accusation Danes."

"Oh come on! It's the truth and you know it! Just admit it already. You hated Logan."

"I will not admit anything."

"Why didn't you like him? He treated her like a queen. He was good to her. He was better than Dean or Jess or that naked guy Marty ever were."

"Because he's not you! He has money. He comes from a high society family. My parents actually like him. He's a respectable part of society and he goes to Yale. He's exactly the kind of man my parents wanted me to end up with. I don't want Rory to end up with that kind of man." Lorelai suddenly realized who she sounded like. She sounded like her mother.

"I hope you're happy." Luke walked past Lorelai and went upstairs to change the sheets and take a quick shower before going to sleep.

Next time on "Meet Me at the Chuppah": After Richard invites Luke and Lorelai to a day at the club, Emily accuses her husband of having ulterior motives behind his bonding with Luke. Rory tells Jess she wants to start over with him. Lorelai worries when she hears a message left for Luke.

A/N: I was going to bring the Colonel in differently, but I cahnged my mind. I need angst and surprise with a dash of kinkiness. the original of this chapter was quite...graphic. Lol. I would have included the smut, but then the chapter would never have ended. But I think I did a decent job. What do you think?