A/N: I am so sorry that it took me so long to update. I wanted to be done with this by now, but I guess better late than never. I dedicate this last chapter to all of you, because I'm too tired to remember reviews that meant a lot to me. But, there were a lot of reviews I appreciated so give yourselves a pat on the back.
Chapter 5: Big D, Little D, What begins with D? Danes dressing dapper on a date. D D D.
Lorelai was still in an entirely different world while she meandered through aisles of fabric at the Hartford craft store. Kirk, in a crazy attempt to get into his shepherd character for the Living Nativity, was mangled by a disgruntled ram and destroyed his costume. The entire situation was mockable, as many of Kirk's antics were, but Lorelai was too distracted by the afternoon events to focus on the hilarity. She stood at the long desk, waiting for the fabric to be cut, when a fleece blanket, tied around the edge, caught her eye. She mindlessly wandered over to the blanket, admiring the ties and thumbing the fleece as she hummed to herself. It was funny; she couldn't remember the last time she hummed to herself in public.
"That's a popular item here," the lady cutting her fabric spoke up, making Lorelai jump.
"I'm sorry?"
"The blanket. It's a popular item. A lot of people buy the fleece to make it this time of year. They're pretty easy. I've probably made about twenty now. Good gifts too."
"Really? Is it a no-sew blanket?"
"Oh yeah. That's why kids like to make them." Lorelai turned the blanket over in her hands, examining both sides. Then she got an idea. It was a light bulb moment.
"Do you happen to have any plaid fleece?"
"We have a bunch, actually. The fleece area is right behind all the sewing machines."
"Thanks." Lorelai walked behind the sewing machines and began comparing the plaid fabric, until she found exactly what she was looking for. While the lady cut the fleece to the appropriate length, Lorelai picked up thread and white buttons. She felt quite proud of herself as she walked out of the store with her purchases, glad she had found something special for a man who she now saw in a different, yet spectacular way.
"Rory, I cannot believe you aren't there when your mother is in clothing panic mode. Anyway…uh so I kinda sorta, gah, there's that phrase again, but I kinda have a date with Luke and I don't know what to wear and I could really use your help. I know, know, not a good way for you to find out, but I tried calling you last night and it kept going straight to your voicemail. So, as soon as you leave whatever Christmas dinner my mother has dragged you to, please, please call me. You have an hour before Luke gets here."
With a sigh, Lorelai tossed the cordless phone on to her bed, where it immediately sunk in and became buried by a pile of clothes. She went back to her closet and pulled out a brown skirt and a blue sweater. "Blech!" she spat out and tossed that outfit with the dozens already on her bed. This was harder than she remembered. Jeez, when was the last time I had a date. Christopher? I guess that doesn't really count because we spontaneously slept together. No dates. Oooo, wait, Peyton, I went out with that Peyton guy. That was a disaster. I haven't had a decent date in ages. No wonder I can't find anything to wear. Lorelai pulled more shirts out of her closet, holding them up to her frame one at a time in front of her full-length mirror. With a look of disapproval, she let them fall to the floor and made her way over to the bed, lying over all the clothes.
She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't nervous. She definitely was. This was Luke. Her friend, her pal, her coffee supplier. Now, what was he? Her fella, her man, her boyfriend? God, I still don't know where I stand. Is Luke my boyfriend now? Okay, yes, we briefly talked about it yesterday, but I think the only thing we decided on was going on a date. We kissed, and oh God, that was great, but does that make a relationship? I can't just date Luke here, I have to be committed. If I get scared and break it off, that's it for Luke and me. We won't be able to be friends again. Wow, what if we break up? Jeez, Lorelai, snap out of it! You haven't even gone out on one date and now you are thinking about breaking up. Luke's a great guy, give him a chance. I'm lucky that he wants to even be with me, given my track record.
Lorelai's deep thought process was interrupted by the ringing phone. Thank God, I can think about something else…
"Hello?"
"This is how I find out that you are going on a DATE with LUKE! Over a clothing crisis!"
"Hey hon, speak of the devil."
"Don't 'hey hon' me. You have a date to get ready for. Let's avert the crisis, then you can give me details."
"All the details…" Lorelai asked, in a sing-song voice.
"All but any dirty ones."
"I'll keep that in mind, but those are the best parts."
"What do you have laid out so far?"
"Well, um, my closet. I have nothing to wear," she whined.
"Mom, you have plenty to wear, we just need to focus. Where is Luke taking you?"
"I have no idea. I tried to get it out of him, but he's pretty stubborn when he wants to be."
"And that's new information to you? You've known that about Luke for years."
"Yeah, but now I have new ways of getting this kind of information out of him…"
"Mom, stop! I said no dirty Luke details. I am dating his nephew, you know."
"Whoa, talk about weird mother-daughter activities. I didn't even think about that."
"Well, we have no time for you to fret about it now; we need to get you dressed. What were you thinking about wearing?"
"Uh, a skirt I guess."
"What if you guys go outside? Ooo, he might take you to the festival. You won't be comfortable in a skirt in the cold."
"Yeah, I guess I could wear pants, but Luke has never gone to the festival before."
"Luke didn't give you ay direction?"
"Well, he did say not to be too dressy…"
"Jeans, go with jeans. Your dark ones with the pretty wash."
"And nothing else? I'm sure Luke'll love it."
"No, uh, your green halter. It's Christmas-y and wear your long black pea coat so you'll be warm if you go outside."
"Very nice. It's dressy-cas. Ooo, wait, what about shoes?"
"Um…your black ankle boots."
"Uh…" Lorelai grunted, as she tossed shoes out of the bottom of her closet," I can only find one. What about the black leather round toe heels with the pretty pretty bows."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about those. That'll look nice."
"Have I told you lately that I love you?"
"No, I don't hear it enough from you Rod."
"Well, kid, I guess I'm all set. I already got my hair and make-up done, but the clothing situation was giving me stress."
"I can't believe you re going out on a date with Luke."
"I know, if you told me that I would be going out with Luke two weeks ago, I would've called the guys with the butterfly nets."
"It's not that crazy of an idea."
"Are you kidding me? It's Luke and me. Luke 'I am man in flannel, hear me roar' Danes and Lorelai 'I have so much emotional baggage that I have to pay a fee at airports' Gilmore."
"I've been waiting for you to see Luke in a different light for a long time now."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, Luke's great. He does so much for us, like fixing things around the house or bringing ice to my birthday party. I'm surprised you didn't see it sooner. You guys may be opposites, but you play off each other well. You have chemistry. Luke would be good to you, which is more than I can say for Dad. I think deep down he has always cared deeply about you, even if he denied those feelings for years."
"Wow, I guess I never saw it from that angle before. So, I guess you're okay with me dating Luke?"
"Yeah, of course. I think this will be good for you. Just…don't let him get away too fast."
"I have a feeling that this is going to last for awhile."
"That's good to hear. I want you to be happy. Now, hurry up and get dressed. Luke'll be there soon."
"Thanks, kid. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Love you, Mom. Have fun tonight!"
Lorelai was putting the finishing touches on her hair and make-up when she heard the doorbell ring. She picked up her cell phone and looked at the time. He was ten minutes late. She smiled then tried to compose herself so she wouldn't run down the stairs. Lorelai smoothed her hair then reached for a knob, trying not to appear nervous in front of her date. It was certainly a sight when she opened the door. Luke wore nice black slacks and a crimson plaid shirt, definitely not flannel. The black leather jacket completed the look. Wow, Luke looks hot. Never thought those words would enter my mind before.
"Hey," Luke said, hoping that Lorelai didn't see how anxious he was. It's just Lorelai, it's just Lorelai…
"Hey yourself. You clean up…uh, real nice."
"Yeah, you look…beautiful."
"Thank you," she said genuinely. She never heard those words come out of his mouth and it made her tingle. Luke thinks I look beautiful! "So, uh, what's on the agenda?"
"Well, things didn't go exactly as I planned, but I think I came up with a good alternative."
"Intrigue."
"I think so. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, let me just grab my coat." Luke followed her into the living room, where the coat lay on the banister. The small silver purse waited for her on the desk, and she placed her cell phone and wallet in it. She felt Luke come up behind her.
"You won't need that," he said in a low voice. She turned to face him, his face close to hers. She was tempted to kiss him again, but wasn't sure if it was the right move then. Luke, with a big grin, closed the gap and made the decision for her, wrapping his arms around Lorelai's waist and softly pressing his lips to hers. She gave into his embrace as the kiss became more passionate, maybe a little too passionate. Lorelai slowly broke apart after a few moments.
"Hey," she said shyly, playing with the curls in the back of his cap-less head.
"Hey," he said, tracing circles on her bare back. It feels good to be able to do that after all these years. He felt her shiver in his arms, and he kissed her forehead. "You okay?"
"Mmmmmm," was her only response, as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Should I take that as a yes?" Lorelai tucked her arms under his, so that her hands touched his shoulders.
"Feel…good…" she mumbled into his neck. Luke buried his nose into her hair, letting himself get lost in her curls and sweet smelling shampoo. She was right; it felt good to be in the state that they currently found themselves in. Maybe too good…Is it too soon to be thinking about…Jeez, I can't even say the word in my thoughts. Keep it up and you'll be too turned on to do anything tonight.
"As much as I am not opposed to this," he said quietly, "I think we should go to dinner."
"Yeah," Lorelai responded, inwardly scolding herself for the dirty Luke thoughts running through her head, "Let's go." The pair reluctantly pulled apart and Luke helped her into her coat, trying to ignore the tingle that went up his arm when he brushed her shoulder. Without another word to each other, they made their way to the front door, stopping once to allow Lorelai to pick up her wrapped Christmas gift for Luke. Luke noticed the silver handbag that Lorelai once again held in her hand.
"I told you that you won't need that."
"But, we are going to dinner."
"And we are. Leave it here."
"But I asked you out so I should pay."
"Leave it here, you won't need it."
"But, it's so pretty and the cell phone would be lonely without it and the phone doesn't get along with the shoes," she whined, sticking out her lower lip as Luke held the front door open for her. A gentleman. I guess I should've known that they wear plaid.
"Take the damn bag," he groaned as he led her outside by her elbow over to his truck parked in the drive. He opened the door for her and she slid in. Luke entered on the driver's side and started up the engine. Lorelai couldn't resist any longer.
"So, where are we going?"
"You'll see," he said, concentrating on backing out of her driveway.
"Have you ever known me to be patient?"
Luke sighed, "Humor me."
"Oh come on, Luke. Pleeeeaaaasssseee."
"No, you're going to have to wait." They drove through the neighborhood and took the street that would lead her to town square.
"Are we going to Hartford?" Luke ignored her, "Woodbridge?" He glanced at her with lowered eyebrows. "Litchfield?"
"Lorelai," he said with a slight grumble," If you weren't my date, I would throw you out of the truck." Luke maneuvered through the center of town and parked in his normal spot at the diner.
"Doose's Market. How romantic? You must've read my mind." Luke attempted to ignore her again, not letting her see the grin that crossed his face as he exited the truck and walked over to open Lorelai's door. She was still talking to him, even though he was outside and couldn't hear her.
"Weston's?" she mouthed. "JoJo's?" she asked as he opened the door. "Ooo, are we going to see a movie? Are we going to the festival?" Luke pulled her to him fast and pressed his lips to hers, hard. She stopped talking and softened her stance.
"If I knew that was the only thing to shut you up, I would've tried it a long time ago."
"Hmm, I might not have minded it. Seriously Luke, where are we going?" He said nothing as he took her to the front door of the closed diner and unlocked the door.
"Wait," Luke said before opening the door, "This may sound a little weird, but could you close your eyes."
"Luke, believe me, it's nothing I haven't seen before," Lorelai bluntly stated, gesturing at his crotch for dramatic emphasis. Luke blushed. Smooth Lorelai. It's too soon to make jokes like that.
"Jeez Lorelai," he said in a tone that was both shy and embarrassed.
"Wait a minute, are we going to the diner for our date?" Luke stood in front of the door, arms crossed defensively.
"Keep in mind that I told you that things didn't exactly go as planned for tonight, so I decided to make the best of what I had."
"What happened?"
"Tried to make reservations a couple of restaurants, but they were all booked. Who knew so many people ate out on Christmas Eve. So, here's the next best thing."
"The diner…"
"That's why I want you to close your eyes. I know you have quite an imagination. I once saw you carry on an entire conversation with a French fry. Just…just pretend it's not my diner."
"That's all you had to say. I'm on board, Danes." Lorelai closed her eyes and placed her hand over them. Luke lightly touched her elbow and ushered her through the now open door, glad that she couldn't see the boyish grin that now crossed his face. Lorelai felt tile under her feet. Luke took his hand off her arm and stepped away.
"Can I open my eyes now?"
"No, keep em closed a little longer." She heard Luke walk around the diner, followed by a few clicking noises. At first, she thought he had turned on the lights, but even with her hand over her eyes she could tell that the room was still partially dark.
"Luke?"
"Just a few more seconds."
"I'm starting to believe that you will never let me open them. I don't like mind games."
"Since when?"
"Okay, I don't like when mind games are played on me."
"Better." This time, his voice came from right behind her. Her stomach suddenly had thousands of butterflies. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Lorelai wasn't ready for the sight in front of her. After opening her eyes, her breath caught in her throat as she took in the full view. She turned her head to the left and the right slowly. All the tables and chairs were stacked on the sides of the room, except for a table for two in the center. White Christmas lights were strung around the window frames. A garland adorned the counter. The normal overhead lights were inexplicably dimmed. The solitary table had a deep green table cloth embroidered with poinsettias on the edge. Luke had placed a cluster of three candles in the center of the table, on top of a large, holly-trimmed plate. Smaller matching plates were at each chair, sandwiched between fancy silverware. Definitely not the same as the spoons used in the diner. What surprised Lorelai the most was the small, three foot Christmas tree, twinkling with colored lights and delicate glass ornaments.
"Luke, I…uh…I…wow, I don't know what to say."
"I take it that you like it."
"Everything is…beautiful. I'm speechless." Lorelai's hand covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Yeah, well, I had this stuff just gathering dust in the storage room. Probably hasn't been brought out since my mom was alive. I picked up the lights in Litchfield, and believe it or not, they were on sale. Then, I was walking by the tree lot and the guy had one left and I felt a little bad for him so I bought the tree. Plus, you like Christmas trees."
"I love trees. This must've taken you forever."
"I closed the diner after the lunch rush. I got to kick Taylor out, so that was a bonus." Lorelai still wore a stunned expression. I always knew that, deep down, Luke is a softy, but never in a million years did I think Luke would pull something like this. It's amazing. I can't believe he did all this for me.
"I can't believe you did this for me."
"Lorelai," Luke said softly, his face serious. He took her hand and led her to the counter. She sat down and he sat down beside her, facing her. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Luke's intense blue eyes. "I wanted tonight to be special because this isn't just an ordinary date. This is you and me. I want to make sure we are on the same page here."
"So far so good."
"Jeez, I don't even know where to begin. I'm not always…comfortable in these situations. I'm more of an action guy."
"I believe that qualifies for a 'dirty.'"
"You aren't helping."
"Sorry, I'll let you finish." Lorelai tried to use her humor to mask the anxious thoughts swarming in her head. She didn't want Luke to see that she was afraid of where this conversation could go.
"This think we are doing…I mean, what are we doing?"
"I don't know, I guess, I think we're dating."
"Sounds about right, I guess. Not a word I use very often. It's not in the hermit's handbook." Lorelai smiled at that and lightly squeezed Luke's hand.
"Lorelai," Luke began again, more confidently, "I need you to know that I'm not going into this thing lightly," he paused and she nodded, silently urging his to continue. "It's no secret that you are one of my closest friends, probably one of the few that I talk to on a regular basis. You know I care about you, sometimes more than a good friend should. We can't just jump into this dating thing. It's us. We need to be committed to each other, like we were when we were friends. I guess what I am trying to say is that I'm in Lorelai. I'm all in." Lorelai allowed herself to suck in a breath. "Does that, uh , scare you?" Luke knows me too well…
"I'll admit it; I'm no good with men. I may love them, but somehow things always get screwed up. I don't want to hurt you." Luke nodded and came in closer to her.
"I'm not willing to let you go that easy," he said, then he kissed her softly. Lorelai felt as if her heart was full and on the brink of overflowing as she wrapped her arms around Luke, enjoying his scent and the way he held her close. Luke broke apart slowly.
"So, are we settled then?"
"Yeah, I think we are…Can I get a shirt that says, 'Mr. Backwards Baseball Cap's Girlfriend."
"No."
"Please, or I'll add grumpy somewhere on there."
"No." Lorelai kissed him. "Don't think you can always get your way by kissing me."
"But I can try."
"I don't mind the trying," Luke said smugly before changing the subject, "Hungry?"
"Starved!"
"I'm so full! Why did you let me eat so much?" Lorelai groaned, pushing her fork on the empty plate where her chocolate pecan pie once stood.
"How is this my fault? I didn't ask for thirds on pasta."
"It just is," Lorelai snorted,"Ha, I like having someone to blame now."
"Yeah, it works both ways, you know…So, I guess you are too full for coffee."
"Says who? There's always room for coffee." Luke sighed, and pushed away from the table to start up the pot.
"Oh, hey, I almost forgot about your Christmas gift." Lorelai followed Luke's example and picked up the package that was by her coat. She took her normal seat at the counter.
"You didn't have to get me anything," Luke said his back to her.
"I wanted to. Besides, this screamed you."
"Almost makes me not want to open it. Actually I have something for you too." Luke finished preparing the coffee maker and walked over to the tree, plucking a small wrapped box from the branches. He sat down next to Lorelai at the counter.
"Mine first," Lorelai insisted, thrusting her box at Luke. He started by cautiously lifting a corner, and then followed the seams of the paper to unwrap." It's not a bomb. Could you unwrap any slower?"
"You're a little excited. It's that good, huh?"
"Well, it's no cutting off my hair to buy you a watch chain, but I put some work into it. Just open it."
Luke finished throwing off the last bit of paper, studying the blanket that Lorelai worked on the night before. She had folded it so that the bottom solid color was dominant, except for one corner of plaid, which she folded over the tan solid like a triangle. This was also the corner where Lorelai had stitched Luke's initials and sewn three buttons on each side. The navy, green, tan, and white plaid reminded Lorelai of one of Luke's shirts, which was the exact reason why she bought the buttons. Luke unfolded the blanket, taking a full glance of the plaid front.
"This is really nice."
"Yeah? What does it remind you of?" Luke rubbed his thumb over the fleece.
"Flannel."
"Ah ha. I knew you would think of that."
"You made this?"
"Yes I did. You are one hard person to buy a gift for, by the way. This caught my eye at the craft store and all you have in your apartment are those old, ratty afghans, so I thought this would be nice for you."
"I like it. Thank you. Did you embroider that too?"
"Yes sir. You are touching a Lorelai Gilmore original embroidery." Luke reached over and pecked her on the cheek.
"Thank you. Now you have to open yours." Luke placed the package in her hands. Lorelai thought about opening it slowly, like Luke did with his, but the anticipation tore her up and she dug in, wrapping paper demolished in an instant. She opened the box to find a delicate crystal snowflake ornament. It was beautiful. Lorelai picked it up by the red ribbon that held it up, watching the lights reflect and dance in the crystal.
"Luke, this is beautiful."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes. Next year I'm going to leave the tree blank so this will be the focal point." Luke's mouth turned up into a grin.
"You are not an easy person to shop for either. I was racking my brain all week, then today I was going through my mom's ornaments to put on the tree and this reminded me of you and your snow obsession."
"Wow, I almost feel like I can't accept it, since it belonged to your mother."
"Keep it. It'll look good on your tree."
"Thank you Luke. Merry Christmas." She said, returning his peck.
"Merry Christmas." The coffee hitting the sides of the pot made Lorelai jump. "Put on your coat," Luke said, "We are going to the festival."
"But you hate the festival."
"I've never been."
"Last year, you yelled at Taylor and said, and I quote, 'If you parade that idiotic festival in front of my window one more time, you will get the sh-'"
"I remember what I said. This year I want to go."
"Luke," she said, raising one eyebrow, "We don't have to go."
"Put your coat on." Lorelai smiled at the fact that Luke was willing to go to a town event just because she enjoyed them. Then, a scarier thought crossed her mind."
"The town! What are we going to tell the town?"
"What do you mean? We don't have to tell them anything. We could just let them find out."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'm not looking forward to sex grilling from Patty and Babette."
"Jeez, don't even want to know."
"Don't worry, I'll only tell them good stuff."
"Alright, tonight, let's just keep this dating thing to ourselves."
"Good plan, Stan."
Lorelai and Luke meandered around the festival for about fifteen minutes before she ran out of coffee and warmth. They started out at the Living Nativity under the gazebo, where before Mary suddenly went into labor. Luke tried not to look grossed out, while Lorelai called the ambulance on her cell phone. They tried to pretend that they didn't see the people staring and whispering at them. Sure, they weren't making any contact that suggested that they were now more than friends, but Luke was dressed nice and Lorelai couldn't stop smiling. When Luke started to get irritated with all the chatter, he made a beeline for the egg nog stand.
"Lorelai!" Miss Patty exclaimed, sitting in a chair behind the stand. "I was starting to think that you weren't going to make it tonight. You usually come to these things earlier. My, my Luke, don't you look handsome."
"Jeez," Luke muttered under his breath, "Can I get two cups?"
"What are you two up to?" Miss Patty posed, her curious expression obvious to all.
"Well, Luke made me dinner since Rory and Jess are both gone. We didn't want to spend the night alone."
"I'm sure," Patty stated with raised eyebrows, "Dinner, you say?"
"Well, gotta go," Luke exclaimed a little too loudly, taking the cups and walking away. Lorelai said her goodbyes to Miss Patty and caught up to Luke.
"You weren't kidding about the sex grilling."
"I hate to tell you this hon, but that wasn't anything remotely close to the sex grilling."
"Jeez."
"Have you had enough of the festival?" Luke took a swig of the egg nog.
"No, no, uh, we could stay, if you want."
"That's okay, I've seen enough to report back to Rory. Let's go get my stuff back at the diner and you can walk me home."
"Lorelai, it's freezing out here."
"Yeah, but I feel that certain crispness in the air. It's going to snow tonight."
"It wasn't forecasted."
"Yeah, but what do they got on me?"
"A degree in meteorology."
"You're no fun. Please, walk me home."
"Okay."
"By the way, that egg nog will make you sicker than the Founder's Day Punch."
"Jeez," Luke said and he tossed both cups into the trash.
Lorelai savored the cool air as the rounded the corner to her house. After they left the eyes of the meddling townsfolk at the festival, Luke placed his arm around Lorelai's shoulder to keep her warm on the way to her house. They reached the front steps and Lorelai pulled Luke in for a passionate kiss. Each became more and more heated as hands roamed and moans escaped their lips. Lorelai pulled Luke to the door when he hesitated.
"Lorelai, is this a good idea? I mean, do you think it's too soon for us?" Lorelai thought about this for a second. Normally, she didn't let night go that far after a first date, with the exception of Max. Then again, her and Max didn't have sex that night. Then again, she normally didn't kiss in the first date either, with another exception of Max. Her and Luke had kissed before and after their first date. Luke was different. I can trust Luke. He respects me, which I guess is the big bonus of being friends first. Plus, we've known each other for six years…
"Maybe, but haven't we been waiting for this for six years?" Luke seemed to ponder this a bit before he kissed her hard and pressed her against the door. Lorelai swallowed her nerves and led Luke inside.
Lorelai watched the shadows move across her bedroom wall as she was being lulled to sleep by Luke stroking her arm. There were no regrets. Everything about that night had been right. Amazing, actually. Especially the end…dirty. She lay on Luke's shoulder, her curls wildly spread over his shoulder and chest and their legs tangled under the sheet. Her left arm went across his chest, occasionally brushing the whiskers on his chin. It was funny, she never liked men with facial hair, but Luke's stubble was appealing to her. Luke was in a half sleep, his breathing becoming more and more even and his strokes becoming softer. It felt good to be in his arms. It felt right to be in his arms. For the first time in her life, she lay in her bed next to a man she just made love with and didn't have the urge to go sleep in Rory's room. Luke is different.
Lorelai felt her eyelashes flutter with the coming sleep, but her nose caught a whiff of something in the air. She shot up, suddenly very awake, and scared Luke half to death.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Snow," she simply stated, taking the sheet with her as she got out of her bed.
"Lorelai, bring back the sheet."
"I need it to go open the window."
"I need it to cover up."
"Relax, I know what you look like, though Babette may have a lot to talk about if she's spying into my room with her telescope again." Luke scrambled until he found the comforter on the floor and arranged it around him. Lorelai smiled. So modest… She opened up her window, feeling the blast of fridgid air that hit her face. She sniffed the air. Snow. Leaving the window open, Lorelai went around her room looking for something to wear, deciding on her jeans and Luke's shirt.
"Now what are you doing?" Luke asked, still staring at her from the bed.
"Snow. We're going outside."
"Go ahead, I'll wait here."
"No, you're going with me."
"It's freezing outside. We'll catch pneumonia."
"Wear clothes then." She logically stated, buttoning up Luke's shirt as she looked for a big coat and some slippers.
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"You have my shirt on." Lorelai smiled at him, then grabbed a hoodie out of her closet and took off Luke's shirt.
"So, you're going outside with me then."
"Better then waiting in bed for you."
"Yea!" Lorelai cheered, clapping her hands. Luke got dressed quick, being rushed by the Lorelai who became more excited by the minute. With Luke's hand laced with hers, she raced down the stairs and out the door. She didn't stop running until they reached the middle of her lawn. Lorelai linked her arm in Luke's and waited.
"Where's the snow?"
"Shh…It's coming," Lorelai sounded like a child, her voice in an ecstatic whisper. They waited for a minute. Then another. Luke started to think it was ridiculous to get out of bed for nothing. Then, it happened. One lone flake made a path in the night sky, slowly meandering down to the ground. Lorelai watched it in wonder. The snowflake was followed by two others, and then was followed by its brothers and sisters. Lorelai looked up and watched the flakes swirl and twirl in the air. She grinned like a fox when she felt them get stuck in her hair. Lorelai glanced at Luke to see his reaction, but he was already staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Snow," he said, a tone similar to her earlier one.
"Oh yeah, what about it?"
"I'm starting to think that you were right about good things happening in the snow."
"Yeah?"
"This is definitely a good thing."
"I agree," Lorelai stated. Luke put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. The couple stood outside a bit longer, watching as the snow was starting to accumulate on the ground. When Lorelai shivered, Luke led her back to the house.
"Let's go to sleep."
"We don't have to. Santa already brought me my gift." Lorelai was in a childish wonder as she continued to watch the flurries under her porch. Luke scratched his hair and yawned, but turned to watch her catch a flake with her finger. God, she's beautiful.
"Coming?"
"Yeah, time for bed."
Under the sheets and in a similar position from before the snow expedition, Luke kissed her forehead.
"Merry Christmas Lorelai."
"Merry Christmas." Lorelai stared at the beautiful snowflake ornament that she hung from hook on the window. Gazing beyond it, she could still see the flakes whizzing by. Nothing could've made her night better. She snuggled into Luke, who, in turn, held her tighter and kissed her lips. She looked into his eyes.
"Hey, Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing New Years Eve?"
The End
A/N: Okay, so how was it? Not too sappy, I hope. I think it's a little corny, but I enjoy a good corny moment every once in awhile. So, let me know what you thought about this last chapter and the story overall. I would greatly appreciate it. Oh, and let me thank all my reviewers once again. And thank you, and thank you, and thank you…all of you. This may sound cheesy, but getting reviews is like the highlight of my day. It is my livelihood until I am back at school pouring over the anatomy of speech mechanisms. Do reviews or tough classes sound more fun to you? I thought so…Thank you readers too. You rock my world too.
Well, this is my first official completed story. Never fear, I will finish up "Wonder Woman," this week too. Or I'll try to finish it this week. My laptop is somewhat broken so FedEx is coming to pick it up tomorrow. I want to write more stories after the next one is finished and I am in the process of outlining some write now. I'm hoping to avoid writer's block. My electronics are turning against me, by the way. My iPod, (dear, dear Stella) went bizerk on Christmas Day and I took it to the Apple Store and they had to replace her. Good thing I was still under warranty, but now I have to wait forever for all 5,000 some odd songs to load before Quirdy (that's my laptop) gets shipped off. Okay, it must be late because I'm starting to ramble. Oh my goodness, it's 3:33. I need sleep.
I love you all!