As we step into the dining room, I lean down to her ear. "Happy Thanksgiving pet." I whisper, turning her to face the table in the corner of the room. I watch happily as her eyes light up.

"Is that?" she glances at me with a grin. "Finn, that's my mom and Luke!"

I nod. "So it is. You didn't think I'd let you miss a major holiday with her, did you?"

She breaks away, and as she gets closer, Lorelai stands. "Mini-me!" she cries out.

"Mommy!" they crush together tightly, Lorelai swinging Rory around happily. As they break apart, I feel Rory pull me into the hug. "You're the bestest boyfriend ever." She grins.

"You did do a pretty good job." Lorelai glances up at me before sitting back down. "But I did better." She smiles at Luke, who remained in his chair.

"You couldn't possibly have avoided shouting in the restaurant?" he lifts an eyebrow. "Now the manager will come over and kick us out."

"Not if he wants to keep his job." Rory shrugs, and I sigh.

"You had to mention it." I meet her guilty gaze. "You know, for someone who was so upset with me about it, you're most certainly taking advantage of the situation." I sit next to her and she bites her lower lip.

"What's he talking about?" Lorelai tilts her head to the side.

"Finn bought me the hotel. We had…words about it."

"And then she began to use it to her advantage." I wince as Lorelai's eyes widen. "To be fair, it wasn't a gift so much as a carefully hidden plot against Colin that he inadvertently revealed."

"You plotted against your friend by buying Rory a hotel?" Luke clips.

I shrug. I'm never going to hear the end of this. Ever. "He told me to find a hotel in the tropics that I was willing to spend the weekend at, but I wasn't allowed to own it. As Luke already knows, we brought Lane, and he was hoping to keep the mayhem to a minimum."

Rory snorts. "Yeah, because that worked so well."

"Lane is here?" Lorelai cuts in suddenly, and looks at Luke. "And you knew about this?"

He nods shortly.

"Who's watching the diner?"

"Do we have to do this tonight?" he asks slowly. "You can't wait until morning?"

"You closed the diner?" Lorelai asks incredulously. "How will Kirk survive?"

"Luke's is closed?" Rory cuts in.

Luke sighs. "Liz is watching the diner. Can we move on?"

I'm about to reply when the salad course arrives. "Finn…what is this?" Rory asks, examining her plate carefully.

I shrug. "Are you complaining or asking love?"

"Not sure. What is it?"

"What does it look like?"

"French fries artfully arranged in a mockery of a gourmet salad."

"You would be correct."

"You and Luke both have salads."

I turn to face her. "Love, do you eat salad?"

"Well, no…but why do we have French fries?"

"Because Luke and I both eat salad love. The chef nearly had a heart attack when I told him he wasn't allowed to serve either of you vegetables. Ruined the entire plan he'd created."

I see Lorelai staring at her own plate in a similar manner. "So you did this for us?"

I nod. "I told him to come up with appropriate alternatives. Can I eat my salad yet?" I pick up my fork and stab a piece of lettuce.

Lorelai bends down to get a better look at her plate. "It's incredible."

"Much to pretty to eat." Rory agrees.

"Oh bloody hell." I drop the fork as Luke begins to laugh. "Just eat it! He took pictures before sending it out so you could cherish it forever!"

They seem to accept this, and begin eating. As the meal progresses, I notice Luke fidgeting more. He's going to tip her off. "Luke!" I say to him. "We were discussing the diner earlier. How's business?"

It comes in five minutes. Just breathe mate. If you faint before she gets it she'll never let it go. "Good." He offers slowly. "I have is one customer who shows up every time she gets hungry. Keeps me working pretty steadily." He glances at Lorelai, whose smile has widened.

"Yeah, well, since you give me the coffee for free I have to keep you making money somehow." She shrugs.

The waiter takes our dinner plates away quietly, and as Lorelai and Luke continue talking softly, I lean down to Rory. "When dessert comes, eat slowly." I whisper.

Her eyes betray her confusion. "Why?"

"Just let your mother finish first."

Her eyes snap to mine sharply, and I notice a soft sparkle in the corners. "You're serious?"

I kiss her cheek. "Just eat your dessert slowly love."

A team of waiters approaches the table, placing the large mugs before us. "Giant coffee cups!" Lorelai exclaims, dipping her spoon into the mousse and tasting carefully. "Oh dear god, this is mocha mousse!" As she eats, we all carefully spoon our own; I note clinically that Luke only eats one spoonful. Nerves. "Hey, there's something written on my mug." She says suddenly, reading quickly.

Her eyes shoot sharply to Luke, who shrugs, and pushes back his chair. "You didn't think I'd come all the way to Tahiti just because Finn offered Thanksgiving dinner, did you?" He settles down on his right knee, pulling a simple ring out of his pants. "Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, you are my entire world, and have been for as long as I can remember. You let me help you protect your daughter, and I gave you my heart. Will you marry me?"

I feel Rory reach over and grip my hand tightly, and I squeeze back as Lorelai nods. "Yeah." She whispers. "Yes, yes, YES!" she shouts, flying at him.