Eloping is in the Question
Preface: It has been four months since things with Lorelai and Rory got back to normal. Richard had accepted that Lorelai is getting married. Emily hasn't. Lorelai is tired of it and comes up with a plan.
Luke and Lorelai were snuggled close together on the couch watch "Casablanca" for the 50th time. Lorelai was thinking about the first time she watched this with Luke. It was on movie night when he was still married to Nicole but grumpy about his divorce. He was married to the lawyer. She couldn't stand that thought. She wanted to be married to him.
Then her genius sprung.
"Luke." She whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Is this crazy wedding that mother has taken over, but really doesn't want to happen, something you had your heart on?"
"Are you saying you don't want to get married?" he asked in panic.
"What? Of course I wanna get married!" she exclaimed
"Then why are you talking about not wanting it?" he replied with confusion.
"I mean not wanting the huge ceremony with 500 people you don't even know and eating food you can barely choke down."
"I promised you, you could have any wedding you wanted. Then your parents offered to pick up the tab and you let your mother gown to tinsel town. If you don't want her to plan the whole thing, just tell her no."
"She's planning this wedding to make herself look good. To make herself look like she's being the perfect mother planning and paying for her daughter's "dream wedding". But it's not my dream wedding."
"Then tell her that and plan your own."
"I only want to marry you, the rest can get flushed down the toilet, as long as I'm you're wife at the end of the day."
"Then we'll have something small, here."
"How about Niagara falls?"
"What? That's not toned down." Luke was just bewildered now. She was making no sense. But then again this was the crazy Lorelai he fell in love with.
"No I mean you, me, Rory and a few other very close people in Niagara Falls-"
"-Because there are wedding chapels in Niagara Falls."
"Yes." She answered confidently.
Luke thought about this for a bout three whole seconds before he said "Let's do it."
"Really?"
"It's perfect we can invite a few people have a nice honeymoon and the people we invite can be on vacation."
"Wait."
"What's wrong?"
"Can I still wear my dress? I mean I bought it and had it fitted and it's beautiful and I still wanna get to wear it." She pleaded.
"Oh course. Just because we're eloping doesn't mean it has be trashy. I'll still wear a suit if you want." He offered.
"Really?" Lorelai asked like her heart was melting.
"Yeah." He answered sincerely.
She just hugged close and squealed with joy while they watched the rest of the movie. As the credits rolled by, Luke stirred from his slumber and realized he had dozed off in the middle and so had Lorelai. Trying not to disturb her he picked her up bridal style and carried her up the stairs. While he carried his light-as-a feather fiancée up the stairs he thought of how he would soon carry he like this on there wedding night.
"Hmmm" she stirred as he laid her down as gently as possible.
"Shhhh, go to dreamland." He whispered as he lay down next to her and fell asleep himself.
The next morning the sun started streaming through the window and it awoke Luke slowly. He noticed Lorelai's side of the bed was empty and it was Saturday. Then he took one stiff and smelled the world's strong coffee. He knew she was awake but he didn't know why. It was Saturday and 8:37 AM, why would she be awake? Luke made his way downstairs to find Lorelai very perky (she obviously had a lot of coffee) and the kitchen table covered in Niagara Falls printouts and lots of lists.
"Hey you're up!" She greeted perkily.
"Yeah. I can't remember the last time you got up before me."
"Maybe when I was throwing up from the food poisoning I got from the German sausages at Al's?"
"Probably. What are you doing up so early?"
"Planning!" she annunciated.
"Aren't elopements supposed to be spontaneous?"
"Yes, but those only work out nice on television." She picked up her pad and started scribbling more things down. "So I wanna ask Rory, Sookie, and Jackson to come. How about you?"
"Well my sister will kill me if I don't invite her. And of course she'll have to bring TJ."
"Of course. How about Jess?"
"I hadn't thought about it."
"Well he's your nephew and he is one of factors in getting Rory's head back on straight."
"That sounds like a good idea. If he'll come that is."
"Oh come on I think he owes you a couple."
"Let's just give him enough notice so that he can get all the way here from Philly and get enough time off."
"No problem. So now the only question is when we wanna do it, I can book reservations at hotel for us."
"Don't you wanna invite your parents?"
"Like they'd even come."
"At least invite them." He pleaded
"Eloping is like, a sin in their world. Everyone they know is supposed to see this, they'll never show up."
"How about you just invite them, that way they can't say you didn't include them in this." He offered.
"That sounds reasonable." She considered "Now how fancy of a hotel do you wanna stay in? Three star? Five start? Flea bit?"
"Anything you want." He grasped her hands and put them around his waist as she replied "That's a dangerous offer."
"Don't worry I know." He softly laughed as he gave her long good morning kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered "Does three weeks from today work for you?"
"Perfect" he smiled and pulled her into a tight hug as he kissed her deeply once again.
A week later they had made all the phone called and booked the largest honeymoon sweet in Niagara Falls. Everything was ready except, the elder gilmores were still not old what was going.
On the couch, Lorelai nervously sat with the cordless phone in her hand, trying over and over to dial her parent's entire phone number without hanging up. Finally after about 13 dialing attempts and two pep talks from Luke with promises of multiple cups of coffee Lorelai finally dialed all 7 digits of her parent's house number and her a very annoyed but feminine "Hello?"
"Hi, mom, how are you?"
"Well Lorelai actually I wanted to talked to you about the linens for your wedding. Do you like soft cream or off white for the table cloths?"
"Well actually I wanted to discuss something else about the wedding with you."
"What?"
"Well I was wondering what you think of Niagara Falls?"
"For your honeymoon, Lorelai that's a weekend trip not a celebration of your marriage."
"Actually Luke and I have decided to turn the wedding in to a week vacation/celebration of our marriage."
"Excuse me?" she was appalled.
"We are having a small ceremony in Niagara Falls, on the American side of course and we wanted to let you know it's in two weeks and we've looked up a nice hotel you guys can stay and you can enjoy yourselves while we do too."
"Is this some kind of a joke? You don't get married in a cheap chapel, you have a real ceremony where everyone can come. How do you expect 500 people to get to Niagara Falls in two weeks?"
"We don't. Just me, Luke, Rory, Sookie, Jackson, Jess, Liz, TJ, you, and Dad."
"Ten people is not a real wedding."
"It's my wedding, are you coming?"
"I'm coming to your real wedding, at the Blue Room in Hartford with all of our friends."
"Well don't expect there to be an actual wedding unless you and Dad plan on renewing your wedding vows…again. Bye."
Emily was shocked that her daughter was planning on having a quickie wedding and even more shocked that she hung up on her own mother.
Meanwhile Lorelai walked into the bedroom where Luke was laying in his pajamas. The sad look on her face told him everything he needed to know. That her parents didn't want to come.
"I'm sorry."
"Well apparently the wedding se planned will still go on even if we're not there."
"What you're parents gonna renew their wedding vows again?"
She just giggled and snuggled into his shoulder as he turned out the lights and they wet to sleep.
Two days before the trip and everyone was excited. Jess had come to town and Liz and TJ took a break from the faire. Sookie and Jackson dropped the kids off at their grandparents so they could have a relaxing but romantic weekend together. Rory could barely keep her mouth shut but had to because the town couldn't know. Hard think to keep secret living next door to Babette. Unfortunately there was no word from Richard or Emily and that nearly brought Lorelai to tears so she called her father to ask if at least he was coming.
Ring, ring, ring. "Hello." Richard answered.
"Hey Dad."
"Well hello Lorelai what can I do for you?"
"Well I was just wondering if you were coming to my wedding."
"Of course I'm coming to your wedding, I plan on walking you down that isle in three months."
"Wait, three months? Mom didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what? Your not running away again are you because I know you love Luke."
"Dad Luke and I are running away together. We are having a small ceremony with a few friends in Niagara Falls, didn't Mom tell you?"
"Your mother knew?"
"Yes I called her almost to weeks ago to tell her about it and asked you both to come. She kinda freaked and said she would be going to my wedding at the Blue Room, which by the way is off."
"She never mentioned damn thing! I have to talk to her now! I'll call you back." Then he hung up.
"Emily!" no answer "Emily!" no answer. He wandered around the house until he heard a "What Richard!"
"Lorelai just called to ask if I was coming to her wedding in Niagara Falls and when I was bewildered she politely informed me that she called you two weeks ago to RSVP."
"She is not getting married there."
"She said she is and I am not going to miss it."
"Her wedding will be in the Blue Room in the city."
"Well you go on believing that but my pride is not going to make me miss my only daughter's wedding. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to get the particulars on when to be there."
With that Emily was left standing heartbroken.
Luke, Lorelai and everyone left for Niagara Falls on Friday morning to get there by late afternoon.
On the car ride their Luke and Lorelai had a life changing converstion.
"Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"You know how you said you wanted kids?"
"Yeah?"
"When do you want one?"
"Lorelai are you…"
"Oh no! I'm not, I was just wondering when you wanted to have a baby. Cause I was just wanted to ask if I should take my pill tomorrow."
"Well you could always skip the pill and I'll leave the you-know-whats in here and we could see what happens."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really" he reassured
"Good cause I could really use a good reason to eat and apple."
Around five everyone arrived at the Ritz Carlton in Niagara Falls. Luke and Lorelai had the honeymoon suite but went by the classic rule of not sleeping together the night before the wedding, so Lorelai and Rory stayed in the suite, which Luke insisted they do, while Luke slept in the room that would later be for Rory. No sign of Richard or Emily was in sight. Lorelai was a bit worried because Richard announced he was coming.
With just hours till the ceremony all the men gathered in Jess's room while the women congregated in the honeymoon suite.
"Oh Lorelai, you look beautiful." Sookie began to tear up.
"That dress is perfect Mom." Rory added.
The dress was a pure silk off white dress that dipped low in the back had a full skirt of tulle. There was delicate embroidery on the front that sparkled to match the tiara on her veil less head. She had a bouquet of delicate pink roses that she held at her waist. The pink matched the powder pink bridesmaid's dresses that Sookie and Rory wore.
The men were just as busy getting ready as the dress suits-not tuxes-went on and shoes were shined. The suits were all black with gold ties and pink corsages to match the bridesmaid's dresses. They were all ready and Luke had the rings Liz had made when she first found out about the event.
The men and women in different cars traveled to a small chapel-yes it cost $29.95-that was decorated with beautiful lights and flowers and smelled like a fresh spring garden.
As they arrived Luke went straight to the end of the isle without seeing Lorelai's dress and saw something he never thought he'd see. Emily Gilmore sitting the front row. Little did he know Lorelai' father was on the bride's waiting room where she saw himand began to cry.
"Daddy! You're here."
"Of course I'm here, I wouldn't miss my daughter's wedding for anything in the world."
"Is Mom here?"
"She's in the front row."
"Good." She replied relieved as "Here Comes the Bride" began to play.
As Lorelai always dreamed her father walked her down the isle and married the man of her dreams. She loved Luke unconditionally and always would. He was her best friend and her lover, plus he was about to be her husband. In 3, 2, 1, she heard, "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride." Any they kissed deep passionate and long.
They decided just to have a nice dinner at a nice restaurant Rory found in the zigat guide. Thank goodness for Paris' obsession with zigats. After the meal and all the embarrassing speeches from Jess and Rory about Luke and Lorelai being in love forever, everyone retreated. Most went out explore the night sights. But for the newlyweds sights were the last thing their minds as Luke carried Lorelai into the huge honeymoon suite. The last comprehendible words spoken before the door click shut were from Lorelai as she said, "I hope baby likes the way its going to be made." The she giggled and the hotel room door was locked for 18 hours.
The End