Chapter 18: And I Know What You've Been Through

She was scared, more than the day she told him about Christopher, and more than the day she begged to elope. She knew that this time, if she lost him, there was no turning back. And she knew if she lost him, she would lose everything.

Over the years she had tried to get over that last awful day in Stars Hollow but she can still remember what it had been like the moment she had decided to leave town. Luke's words still rang in her ears as she grabbed her small suitcase and began tossing clothes inside. She was hurting. Her head was pounding. Her ears were ringing. Her stomach was twisting far past ordinary morning sickness. But it was more than that, she could physically feel her heart breaking.

She had always thought that was just a phrase. Something from the movies made up by Capra or Hemingway. But it was real. Because what she had felt for Luke, it had been real. True, she had always believed in fate. She had always believed in things being 'written in the stars' or some all powerful force shifting things, shaping destiny, but love was different. Love was something that she had never begun to comprehend, at least enough to believe that it could ever be a real thing. Christopher. Max. Gabe Sanford. They had all proclaimed their love for her and she had wanted to love each of them, but she knew she didn't. And after Max, she had given up. Rory was enough. Rory was her life, her world. She didn't need anyone. But then she was gone. To Yale. To Europe. Elsewhere.

And right there had been Luke, just as he had been all along. The moment it clicked in her mind, she knew, she felt it in her heart, this one was different. This time she would open her heart. This time she would let him in. This was her soulmate. And it only took a little bit of faith in the fate she had always believed in, to believe that she and Luke were meant to be. They had always been meant to be if they had just seen what was right in front of them.

Look this is not something casual, Luke and me, this is not something we're running into by any means. This has been a long time coming. A long time. This is real.

She can still remember the moment after those words left her mouth, actually hearing the words. It wasn't the first time she had realized it, that she and Luke should have been together long before, that what they had was real, what they had was what little girls dreamed of. But it was the first time she had said it. The first time she had told someone, other than herself, that she knew she and Luke belonged together. She could feel it in her heart. It was a feeling that was hard to describe: warm, full, comforting, secure. Whatever it was, she was sure this was love.

And when she had lost him, it was like a pin poked into a balloon, watching the air slowly drift out. The same had happened to her heart. Everything was spilling out. All those feelings. All that love. All that warmth and safety. And she knew that if she didn't find someone or something to plug that hole, she would end up being deflated and empty. And Luke's angry words, urging her to leave town, ensuring that the sight of her would only cause him more pain, only served to poke more holes in her heart. She needed to get out of there. She needed just a place of solace. Just for a day, an hour. Just long enough to keep her from losing herself.

Larry had done that. He hadn't fixed anything. He hadn't made her heart fill once again. He hadn't made her feel warm or secure or any of that. But he had patched up the holes so that she could just be. She wasn't alive. She wasn't herself. She couldn't feel. But she existed. And she had to. There was Nicolas to consider.

In the past few months, she had gotten all that back. Being with Luke again. Seeing him. Talking to him. Having him support her. Feeling his love and loving him in return. Somehow that ache had lessened. She could feel things again. The sun. The warm air. Life. People all around. She was affected by it, she wasn't just a person moving through space and time, living only for Nicolas and Lucy. She was more than that. She had become herself again, Lorelai Gilmore was resurrected from the dead.

Yet, she could already feel it ending. She already knew his response. She knew him so well.

But again, Sookie had warned her only a few months before that it was important to pull off the band-aid.

And now, it's because of that conversation, that Lorelai opens the door to the diner and walks up to the counter. She's thankfully come just after the lunch rush so things seem to be slowing down. Luke looks over at her and grins, as he sets a plate down in front of a customer. "Hey," Luke greets her warmly. Lorelai flashes him a smile in response and he leans across the counter to kiss her, to which she also responds. "Long time."

"Yeah," Lorelai responds lightly. Luke furrows his eyebrows, concerned.

"You okay?" Luke wonders. Lorelai glances over at Kirk, who sits on the stool nearby, and forces a smile, then she looks back at Luke.

"Hey, can we talk?" she asks.

"Lorelai, what's wrong?" Luke asks, growing more worried by the second, wondering if she was rethinking the last night.

"It's um…" She glances over at Kirk and then shakes her head. "It's, uh, nothing, I just want to… can we talk alone?"

"Are you pregnant?" Kirk asks. Lorelai gives Kirk a strange look. "Hey, that's how Lulu told me she was pregnant with Junior. She couldn't speak in full sentences. She wanted to talk alone."

"Umm… Kirk, wanting to talk alone could encompass a myriad of things, only one of which is pregnancy," Lorelai responds. "Besides, it's a little impossible." She gives Luke a pointed look. "I'm not 35 anymore." Luke nods.

"We won't know until we saw off your legs and count the rings," Luke comments. Lorelai grins, her first real smile since walking in the place.

"So, can we? We can go upstairs, Loren gave me her key," Lorelai says, jingling the key in her hand.

"She what? Where is she?"

"At my place. Luke, seriously." Lorelai gives him a pleading look, to which Luke instantly responds.

"Caesar, I'll be back in a few!" Luke shouts and motions with his head for her to go upstairs. He follows soon after. As Lorelai struggles with the key in the lock, Luke touches her elbow. "Are you sure you're okay?" Lorelai just shakes her head as she works on the lock, finally getting it open. She opens the door, waits for Luke to walk in and closes it behind him.

"Hi," she says and smiles.

"You came here for…?" Luke asks suggestively. Lorelai shakes her head but does lean in and kiss him softly.

"No, actually something more important, just wanted to say hi first," she explains. Luke nods and kisses her again. Lorelai gives into the kiss, letting him deepen the kiss, wanting this one just to last, until she can feel the lump forming in the back of her throat and pulls back, scratching the back of her head and beginning to pace. Luke pushes up his sleeves watching her, knowing she'll talk when she's ready. "Luke," she says, after a moment, stopping and turning to face him, standing a few feet away. "There's something you should know. And I know you're going to hate me after this, but I need to say it because, well mostly because it's out now, but just so you know, I had my reasons for not telling you before." Luke furrows his eyebrows as he tries to follow her line of thought.

"Oh-kay," Luke replies slowly. Lorelai takes a deep breath.

"Luke, Nicolas is your son." She cocks her head, gazing at him timidly, waiting for his certain unhappy response. Luke just stares at her in confusion.

"What?" he asks, as if he didn't hear her. Lorelai sighs.

"When I left fifteen years ago, I was pregnant. Three months pregnant. I didn't know about it when, you know, I, you know, with Christopher. I didn't know. I found out a couple days later. But I was three months pregnant, with Nicolas." Luke stares at her and she's again unsure about whether or not he heard her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Luke asks softly, evenly, pronouncing each word clearly, as if that's what he's concentrating on.

"I tried. I did Luke. The day that I found Anna here, I tried. But I couldn't get the words out before you threw me out. Before you said…" Lorelai takes a deep breath. "Before you told me you never wanted to see me again. When you told me that you'd rather you had never met me. That I fit description of the nymph I was named for, which by the way, I wasn't." Lorelai looks down, twisting her hands in front of her. "I wanted to tell you, but you told me to leave. You told me to never come back. You couldn't look at me. You hated me that much." She shrugs. "It was selfish, I know, but I only did what you told me to do." Luke presses his lips together, not taking his eyes off of her. Lorelai bites her lower lip. And they stand there like that for a bit.

So do you want to hear my explanations, cuz I've got 'em. Explanations, perspectives, apologies, I've got 'em all and I'm dying to share them with you.

I just need some time.

Time –

A little time, to think.

And to process.

Right. I get that. I get that. I just have so much I want to say to you.

Not right now. I need to clear my head.

You'll call me when you're ready?

Yeah.

Okay. Good. Okay. So I should…

Lorelai finally looks back up at him, noticing he hasn't moved. "You want some time don't you?" she asks softly. Luke blinks, the only sign that he's heard her. "Luke?" He nods.

"Yes. Time. To think." Lorelai nods.

"I get that." She swallows, knowing by now that pushing would only hurt her in the long run. "Okay, well I'll go. You know how to…" He nods. "Okay." Lorelai turns and walks out, glancing back at him before she closes the door behind her, but he's still staring at the spot where she had been standing as if she's still standing there. Then she shakes her head and closes the door behind her.

Hours later, Lorelai is sitting on the porch of the Dragonfly, just staring into space. She's been sitting there the entire time, just thinking, or trying not to, trying not to ponder what could be going through Luke's mind. He's going to be angry. He's going to be frustrated. He's going to be sad and annoyed and he's going to end up hating her. She knows all this. And she can't imagine what to do, she can't figure out what she can do to keep things from ending up the way they're headed.

She's not even sure why she ended up here. There were so many places she could have gone. She could have gone to pick up those last few boxes Randy's got saved in San Francisco. She could have gone to DC to see Rory and all the grandchildren. She could have gone home and hid in her room. She could have gone to Hartford to check on her mother. But her feet disconnected and headed her over here.

The scene where it all began. Seventeen years before it was on this porch when she had felt that the entire summation of her relationship with Luke had come to a head. It was the place where the fog in her head had finally cleared and she could see Luke as she had never seen him before. Dependable. Understanding. Comforting. Handsome. She had known all this all along, but staring up at him as he got more and more frustrated with her, as her heart began to thump in her chest, as the air began to get thick with tension, she had finally realized who this man really was.

I'm not taken. We broke up!

Well, he doesn't know that!

Well just calm down!

Aw, I don't want to calm down! I did everything right! I did exactly what the book said!

The book?

I thought we were on track. And now you're standing there looking at me like I'm crazy.

I'm not looking at you like you're crazy!

You know the last time I bought flowers for someone? Never! That's when! A very easy stat to remember!

I loved the flowers!

And when I walked you home after the wedding, there was a moment, I thought there was a moment.

There was! There was a moment. What are you doing?

Would you just stand still? ... What are you doing?

Would you just stand still?

As she steps back, she suddenly realizes that she's stood up off the bench. She's facing exactly the same direction, as if Luke is standing there right in front of her, the tips of his fingers still touching her waist. And she reaches out a hand with just a hope that he'll magically materialize in front of her, praying that her fingers will land on his soft flannel or sweater. But her fingers touch nothing and instantly all her delusions disappear and all she's left cold and empty. Not a soul in the world could touch her now.

Lorelai walks back over to the bench where she left her purse and takes out her cell phone, pressing the first number on speed dial. She lowers herself onto the bench, crossing her legs and leaning slightly over her knees, needing the feel of being tightly wrapped into herself.

"Hey there!" Rory greets her happily. "Didn't think I'd be hearing from you again so soon. You were on cloud nine this morning, didn't think you'd come down from that so quickly." Lorelai takes the phone from her ear, needing a moment to forget that it had just been that morning that everything was perfect.

"Rory," Lorelai says softly, putting the phone back on her ear.

"Mom? Are you all right?" Rory asks, extremely worried at the sad tones of her mother's voice.

"Rory I…" Lorelai swallows, feeling tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "I need to ummm... there's something that you should know."

"What is it Mom? Is it Gramma?"

"No, Hun, no. It's not Gramma. It's…" Lorelai bites her lower lip.

"Is it Luke?" Lorelai presses her lips together, trying so hard to keep her tears from falling that she can't answer. "Mom?"

"It's… when I left… when I got to San Francisco. Rory, I was pregnant. I was already pregnant before I met Larry. Rory, Nicolas is Luke's son." Lorelai sniffs, covering her mouth with her hand as she waits for Rory's response, which doesn't come right away. "Rory, please tell me what you're thinking. Say something."

"I knew," Rory says quietly.

"What?"

"I knew, Mom. I knew. I knew you were pregnant. I knew he was Luke's. But by the time I figured it out, you were already engaged to Larry and it really wasn't my place to do anything about it."

"You knew?" Lorelai gasps.

"Yes, Mom, come on, I knew, you knew I knew. That doesn't mean that I agreed with you not telling Luke, I just… I saw my silence as support and telling him as betrayal. I don't know, Mom. But I knew."

"Oh God," Lorelai moans.

"Does Nicolas know?" Rory asks.

"He does now. Lucy and Loren went through my Luke box and his Lorelai box and they found everything, they know everything. They know about us dating, they know about the engagement and our breakup. They know about Nicolas."

"Do they know about Dad?" Rory wonders. Lorelai nods, remembering the look on the faces of the teenagers when she told them about that.

"Yes," Lorelai affirms quietly.

"And they told Nicolas?"

"Yes."

"And Luke?"

"I just told him," Lorelai admits. She can still see the look on his face. The same as any other time he had gotten angry.

If you hadn't brought him here this wouldn't have happened!

This is my fault?

Yes, this is your fault! You told him to come! You let him stay! Everybody hated him, everybody knew he was trouble but you wouldn't listen and you wouldn't send him home and now my daughter is in the hospital! You kept pushing them together. You asked her to help him study, you knew she'd never say no. I told you it made me nervous. I told you I didn't like it and I should've stopped it right there. But you thought Rory would be good for Jess, nevermind what he'd be for her. That wasn't important at all, was it?

Of course it was important.

Why didn't you put a stop to it at the first sign of trouble? Why didn't you make him leave?

He's my nephew. I had an obligation to take him in, I had an obligation to care for him.

You had an obligation to this town and to me and to Rory. Where are you going?

I have to find out where Jess is.

Well I'll tell you where he's not – he's not in the emergency room having his arm plastered up!

Hey, I am sorry about Rory. You know I care more for her than I do about myself, but at least you know where Rory is and at least you know she's okay. Now, I have to find Jess and I have to make sure he's okay and if that cuts into your screaming time, well that's just too damn bad!

Go to hell!

Right back at ya!

Oh he had hated her that night. The cold look he had given her was as if she meant nothing to him, as if he wished he had never known her. And every time she had remembered that look she had wished she could take that whole night, those few words, back.

"Oh, Rory, you should have seen the look on his face. It was like he didn't see me anymore. It was like he was beyond my existence. He was hurting, more than when I left him after begging him to elope, more than when I told him about sleeping with your dad, more than ever before. I hurt him Rory, and that's the one thing I was trying never to do."

"Wait, first is Nicolas okay?" Rory asks. Lorelai smiles to herself. He had had to check on Jess before letting her go off. Rory had to check on Nicolas.

"Yes. I mean, I don't know. He went to go blow off some steam. He's angry, yes, but I hope he'll realize he had a Dad who loved him so much for fifteen years, so much that he would pretend Nicolas was his. He loved Nicolas as his own."

"I'm sure that's not how Nicky's seeing it right now." Lorelai sighs, looking down at her lap.

"No, probably not," Lorelai agrees. She wipes the tears away from her eyes in the pause.

"What did Luke say?" Rory asks after a moment. Lorelai shakes her head.

"Nothing, he said nothing, Sweets. It was like Charlie Chaplin had moved in. No, more than that. He didn't move. His face was frozen. Like Medusa had gotten to him." Lorelai rests her head in her hand. "I can't believe I did this to him. Again I did this to him. I hurt him. I did it again, my own horrible, vicious circle."

Look, nothing's changed.

Yeah nothing's changed except that you don't live here!

So what?

So? I don't even have your phone number.

I'll give you my phone number.

I don't even know what you live in! An apartment. A trailer. A batcave...

A townhouse.

A townhouse? Sure, cuz when I look at you I think common driveway.

It's fine, you'll come over and see it eventually.

Will I? Will I come over? Because coming over implies we're friends!

We are friends!

No, we're not! We're not friends! Friends tell each other at the least the most basic things like where you live and when you moved away. I thought we were friends but I guess we're not.

Where are you going?

I can't stay!

"Mom," Rory says quietly.

"I hurt him, Rory. He's the equivalent of an antisocial woodsman, no one can get through, no one can hurt him. No one, Rory. No one but me. I was his Achilles heel and I knew it and I used it to my advantage so many times."

"And he forgave you over and over," Rory responds.

"Yes, but last time took fifteen years. I can't do it. I can't wait fifteen years. I already lost my middle with him Rory. We could have had it. We could have had everything but I had to throw all of that away for a night with Christopher." Lorelai scratches her forehead. "I had to lose the only man I ever loved because I couldn't wait for one second to see that he's the only person I could never live without." Lorelai sighs and realized that Rory's not answering. She wonders if she went too far in her rant. "I'm sorry, Ror, I'm sorry to throw all this on you."

"No, Mom, it's fine. I'm just booking a flight," Rory responds.

"A flight?"

"Yeah. Oh, well, I think Marty got my car out of the shop. I'll drive. I'll be there soon."

"No, no Rory. You have work. You have Lily and the twins. You have things to do, places to go, you're Mr. Smith."

"Yes, Mom, I went to Washington. But eventually Mr. Smith went home. And I'm going home. You need me and I'm not taking no for an answer. Remember I'm just as stubborn as you are," Rory insists. Lorelai smiles to herself. "I love you Mom. And Nicolas loves you. And Luke loves you."

"I love you too Kid, more than you'll ever know," Lorelai responds and then hangs up. She puts the phone back in her purse and pushes herself to stand back up. About to start down the steps, she pauses and glances back at the inn.

Luke is my… special friend.

Oh?

I have to tell you, renovating this place has been a real nightmare. I just don't know how I would have gotten through it without him. Have I said thank you later?

Ummm… no.

Oh, well thank you.

You're welcome.

Lorelai shakes her head and turns around to head towards the steps.

"Lorelai!" she hears Sookie call from behind her. Lorelai grimaces but slowly turns around.

"Hi," Lorelai responds weakly.

"I thought that was you. Come in, I've got some new spicy tapioca pudding for you to try!" Sookie exclaims. Lorelai wrinkles her nose in disgust.

"You know, I've often said you're a better chef than Emeril, but at least he doesn't make crazy food," Lorelai crabs.

"Come on!" Sookie reaches out and grabs Lorelai's arm and pulls but Lorelai yanks her arms back. Sookie huffs. "Lorelai!"

"Sorry, Sookie, I have to… I…." Lorelai looks away, her chin trembling.

"Lorelai?" Sookie says softly with concern. "Honey, what's wrong?" Sookie asks, touching Lorelai's arm.

"I… he…" Lorelai takes a deep breath, knowing Sookie will find out soon anyways, and that it would just be easier to tell her now. "Nicolas is Luke's son." Sookie's eyes go wide. "And I just told him. Them. Both of them." Lorelai lets the air out quickly, looking down at the ground.

"And you knew that all along?" Sookie asks. Lorelai nods. "And neither of them had any clue?" Lorelai shakes her head. "Wow." Sookie rubs Lorelai's arm. "So you're having a bit of a day." Lorelai pouts, looking back up at Sookie.

"I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was doing what was best." Lorelai shrugs. "I just try and try to do the right thing. To not make anyone mad. To keep them from hating me and I… I just. I guess, I never know what to do when it comes to Luke. I never know how to keep it all together." Sookie cocks her head, trying to think of the exactly how to respond.

This is not fair!

I have a right to expect a little honesty from my fiancée!

Okay, you want honesty? I'll give you honesty! I hate that bedroom set! It's old and creepy, I hate it!

You told me you loved it.

I have absolutely no memory of coming to your storage unit five years ago and telling you I loved that furniture.

Well thank you very much for your honesty about my grandmother's furniture! Too bad you're not a little more forthcoming about the other men in your life!

Oh my God! Enjoy Wisteria Lane you major drama queen!

I'm done.

Wrap yourself in a towel and trip over a hedge on your way out!

"Yeah, I remember," Sookie agrees. Lorelai smirks, recalling the looks on Sookie's and Jackson's faces. "What can I do Lorelai?" Sookie offers. Lorelai raises an eyebrow.

"That's it?" Lorelai asks in surprise.

"You want me to do a little jig as well?" Lorelai laughs.

"No, it's just that, I lied to you. I lied to everyone. Why are you being nice to me?" Sookie shrugs.

"Because I'm your best friend, that's what best friends do. We're there for each other through the thick and the very very thin." Lorelai throws her arms around Sookie.

"I don't know what I did without you backing me up for fifteen years." Sookie smiles. Lorelai lets go. "Actually, I need you to check on Nicolas. He probably went to find Martha, at least, I'm guessing. He's Luke's and Luke has his patterns, so I'm guessing Nicolas does too. Just watch out for him, you and Martha, he'll come around eventually." Sookie nods. "At least I hope he will."

"He will. You're all he's got," Sookie notes.

"I'm not so sure that's the response I was hoping for." Lorelai sighs, she glances down at her purse. "I have something to do. You mind if I take the rest of today off?"

"No, take a few days off. Is Rory coming?"

"How did you know Rory was coming?" Lorelai asks looking stunned.

"It's not just Luke who's got patterns," Sookie teases.

She pauses for a moment at the door, gathering all her strength before she opens the door that reads William's Hardware. It seems clear to her what she's going to find when she walks inside. She didn't even have to stop and ask before she walked upstairs, she knows he hasn't moved. She wasn't kidding when she told Sookie that he had his patterns.

But after a moment, she gives in and opens the door. Closing it behind her, she keeps her eyes focused on him. She smiles to herself, noticing that she was exactly right about where he would be. He doesn't respond and she's a little thankful for that, not really ready to face him, his sad eyes, his dark face.

Okay see, once we're married, you're not going to be able to run away to your clubhouse anymore. You're going to have to join a rotisserie baseball league like the rest of the men.

And he's in exactly the same place. He's sitting in that chair and she wonders for a moment why Loren never got rid of it. He's got a beer in his left hand, staring straight ahead, lost in space and time as if hearing her words over and over and getting angrier or sadder.

"Hey," she says softly, receiving no response. "Well I know you're no Helen Keller, so I know you can hear me. I – I don't want to push. I just have a few things to say and then, you know, you can do your thing."

Luke doesn't move except to take another long drink of his beer. Lorelai sighs and walks over to the ottoman to sit in front of him, so that at least she can see that he's got some attention focused on her.

"I know you hate me right now and I get that. I really do. I would hate myself too if I was in your place. But I just want to say, Luke, I'm sorry that you're angry, but I'm not sorry I did it. When it came down to it, when Larry offered to raise Nicolas as his, I didn't make my decision on a whim. This was no Losing Isaiah. I thought about it, Luke, and I saw that it came down to you raising your son or my happiness. And Larry was going to be such a good father. Yes, I know to your son, but still… you have to know that he loved Nicolas, that Nicolas had everything he could ever want, except the knowledge that you were his father. So I knew that he would be okay being raised in San Francisco. But when I thought about coming back, all I could see was you being the person you had been during those days in May, and Luke, I know it was selfish, but I couldn't do that to myself again. You don't know what you did to me, how much you hurt me, how I was dying inside. When I went to San Francisco, all I had was the knowledge of the baby inside me, otherwise I was empty. I just… I needed not to hurt anymore and… I know I slept with Christopher, I know I hurt you, but you had hurt me long before that, and you were killing me with that look in your eyes and the bitter words you threw at me during that fight. It came down to two things: your happiness or mine, and for the first time, I chose mine."

Luke finally looks directly at her, taking another drink of his beer.

"I never expected this. I never expected to come back and have a second chance with you. I never expected that I would fall for you all over again. We missed fifteen years. We missed so much. I…" Lorelai furrows her eyebrows, looking down at her hands, again hearing her own voice in her mind.

I'm afraid of this more time stuff. I'm afraid it will take forty years and that's not good. We'll miss our middle. I want a middle.

"I wanted our middle," Lorelai finally whispers as a few stay tears run down her cheek. She begins to cry softly and covers her mouth with her hand, unable to bring her eyes back up to Luke's. Luke watches her, his expression unchanging, unmoved by her tears. She looks back up at him. "We missed it, Luke. We missed our middle. Can we at least get our ending?"

She stands, pacing around the room, shaking her head to regain control of her emotions, shaking her hands to release the tension. As she settles down, she quickly wipes a finger under her nose. Then she walks back to stand on the other side of the ottoman. "We could have had it Luke. We never stopped loving each other. And don't say that you didn't miss me, we named our daughters Loren and Lucy for God's sake! That's not just a coincidence! Everything you told Loren about her mom, that was me wasn't it?" Luke glowers but stares up at her. "It was, Luke, I know it. And you know you could have found me if you really wanted to, you could have talked to Rory or someone or whatever, you could have found out how to get ahold of me but you didn't. And I know you could have because you knew about Larry. You knew about the kids. At least, that I had had kids. We were both so stupid. So stupid. But we can't give up now Luke. We both hurt each other. A lot, I know. But when I gave you that horoscope, that second one, we said no turning back. We weren't going to regret our past mistakes. We were heading forward, giving it one final chance. So this is it, Luke. This is our final chance. And I love you. I do." Luke shakes his head, drinking his beer again.

Lorelai lets out a sigh of relief, having gotten out everything on her mind. She shakes her head. "Okay, well, now you've got your time. So think. Mull. Do what Luke Danes does." She opens her purse and takes out the small jewelry box and lays it on the table next to him. She closes her purse, watching Luke stare at the box, but not move his hand toward it.

Full moon! Moment's here, let's go!

She looks out the window and nods. "Full moon Luke. This is your moment," she says gravely. Then she turns and walks towards the door. She opens it, glancing back at him, seeing him still staring at the ring box. "I love you," she whispers. "I was all in." And as the tears begin to fall again, she quickly leaves, closing the door behind her.