Luke didn't go straight home. He needed to think and this kind of rumination couldn't be done behind the plate glass of the diner windows where he sometimes felt like he existed in a fishbowl or in his empty apartment where the silence closed in on him like the moving walls in an Indiana Jones movie. He needed fresh air to clear his head and uninterrupted time for deliberation.

So he walked.

... and walked. Over the bridge and through the woods to a place only he knew.

This place was full of happier memories of him as a child exploring new worlds with his small hand securely in his mother's safe warm grip. It was a small clearing, nothing special in the light of the day but it had been a place of magic battles, swashbuckling adventures to a young boy and a place of refuge to a troubled lost young man, orphaned too soon and left with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Now it was his favorite place to think. He could sit on the particularly large boulder on the north edge of the clearing and view the world from a comfortable distance. At six it's rough hewn granite mass had been a pirate ship recaptured from greedy bloodstained hands by a strapping young sailor with a wooden sword his father had made out of old fence pickets. Now it was a sort of oversized worry stone that served as a reservoir for so many questions, worries, lamentations, words and thoughts that never bore repeating out loud. If a stone could speak this one would have plenty to tell the world about Luke Danes the child and the man.

He brushed away a layer of snow and settled into his favorite small depression, carved by nature into an inviting seat for weary travelers and returning visitors seeking solace. Closing his eyes he willed away the weight of self-recrimination that sat so heavily on his shoulders. It would do no one good this night to dwell on moments passed, on opportunities missed.

In the stillness he could almost hear his mother's soft soothing voice in his ear whispering of all her hopes for him, love, family, lasting happiness. All the things he'd lost when she and his father had gone. He didn't need to ask what she would have thought of his most recent predicament. She had always thought him too shy for his own good; she had lamented the trait picked up from his father of keeping everyone at arms length with a gruff exterior. She would have teased him about being in denial, gently nudged him towards realization, hugged him when things fell apart and started hatching a new plan for getting her back. There would have been no room in this plan for walking away empty handed. She would have done everything in her power to make sure that her little boy found happiness.

Sometimes he missed his mom so much that his heart ached with it. He liked to think that she had looked down on him over the years and been proud of how he grew up, of the man he became but he had a feeling that this time he had disappointed her. He'd had everything he wanted within his grasp, right there if he'd just reached out but instead he had backed away. He had chickened out. He had fallen prey to the scared little boy inside him that was too afraid to open himself up to love because he feared the potential loss and pain that might be it's companions.

He slouched down against the little ledge of rock behind him and stared hard at the ice slicked ground in front of him, the neat prints left in the snow by his boots looked like sunken stepping stones against the pristine sheet of white. Those tracks led back to uncertainty and confusion and so many things that he couldn't control, but they also led to tomorrow. He couldn't stay here forever, in this safe little protected pocket of memories. Outside this circle of trees life went on, seconds, minutes, hours, days ticked by and he couldn't hide from tomorrow forever. What would tomorrow be like if he didn't reach out and take what he wanted? What would it be like to live his succession of tomorrows in this town; in his diner serving coffee and cheeseburgers to the woman he loved but didn't have the guts to claim as his own? What would tomorrow be like the day Lorelei moved on and found another man who worshipped her for the very air she breathed and he had to stand by and be her friend?

He knew the answer to that one. He'd done just that for too many years. He'd convinced himself that he was a simple man with few needs. He'd told himself that yearning was a weakness and want was a four-letter word not to be uttered in mixed company. All these years he'd strived to have a life that his mother would be proud of, a life his father would respect. But it had all been a lie, he'd been living a half life, convincing himself that the glaring piece that was missing from this puzzle wasn't the thing that would make him whole. It was like building a house but forgetting the roof, you might have the sturdiest structure in the western hemisphere but when it rained you were still going to get wet.

The truth of the matter was he needed love, he yearned for companionship and he wanted, with every cell in his body he wanted. There was only one person who could satisfy that want and he'd known her name for a very long time. It was time he did something about that and finished his dream house once and for all.

This time he walked with purpose in his stride. He had a destination and he wasn't stopping until he reached it.

Or so he thought. A familiar voice stopped him when he would have turned towards the Gilmore house and had him tracing another pair of smaller footsteps back towards the center of town, He heard her before he saw her and a little flame of hope flickered to life in his gut. She had sought him out that had to mean they weren't so far from being on the same wavelength or at least in the same ocean.

She was standing hands on hips, legs spread wide in a stance that said she was ready to take on the world; the streetlights shone down on her and created a halo of soft light around her figure. She would have looked angelic if she weren't standing in the center of a half built boat with yellow rubber boots and a purple hat shouting something that sounded vaguely Elizabethan up at the darkened blank panes of his apartment windows.

As he advanced from a distance she shook her fist and then clutched it to the region over her heart.

When she glanced down at her feet and then bent and came up holding what looked like an ice ball he stepped in to stop her."

" Won't do you much good to throw it when I'm standing right behind you."

She spun so fast she nearly fell flat into the bottom of the boat and stared at Luke as if he was a conjuration of her imagination. "Luke?'

They stood stock still for a long moment before Lorelai regained her wits and let a little wry smile play over her lips. "We're getting really good at this bit tonight, a little more practice and we could take it on the road. The Amazing Lorelai and Luke the Diner Man...I can see it in lights."

Luke rolled his shoulders a little a the tension in his neck and then looked back at her "So, what are you doing here?"

"Well I was doing a little monologue to an apparently empty apartment." She paused and looked up at the window again.

"Romeo and Juliet?" he asked in a curious tone.

She shrugged "Hamlet actually, everyone does the balcony scene. You should be thankful though, I contemplated a serenade, a little John Cusack re-enactment but... well, you've hear me sing...so I went with Shakespeare."

Luke let the corner of his mouth lift in a little smile "I'm sure the neighbors thank you.'

"Not to mention Peter Gabriel."

Luke's forehead wrinkled in confusion and Lorelai answered the implied question "Say Anything, Lloyd Dobler, you know eighties movie where he stands outside with a boom box playing 'In Your Eyes'." She gave up with a wave when no light of recognition dawned in Luke's eyes "No time to waste on your deplorable lack of eighties movie knowledge. Let's move on."

"Okay, what I really meant was what are you doing in the boat." He said gesturing at the half built craft in front of him.

"The boat?" she looked as if she had momentarily forgotten her location and glanced around quickly as if getting her bearings "Oh right the boat." She took a deep breath. "Well Luke, it's like this. I did a lot of thinking about the boat and the pie and backroom betting parlors." He opened his mouth to question her but she continued in a rush of words. "And I came to the conclusion that there was only one thing to do. So I've come to reclaim my property." So saying she plopped down unceremoniously to sit in the middle of the boat as if staging some sort of sit in.

He stared at her for a moment and then found his tongue again "Are you drunk?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

She nodded happily "I hope so, either that of this is the plot from a very bad Chevy Chase movie."

He frowned but then dismissed the comment and went back to the previous remark "What property exactly do you intend to reclaim?"

Lorelai petted the side of the boat absently and continued as if she hadn't heard him "I think I'll name her something pretty like Rose or Ginger."

It dawned on him that she was discussing the watercraft she was currently captaining and the frown deepened "You can't name a boat Ginger."

"Oh and I suppose you have a better idea, you probably want to name it Pequod or Red October or some equally male name."

"Red October was a submarine." He said in a gruff tone.

She looked affronted "Oh pardon me Alex, I wasn't aware that this was a quiz show."

Luke sighed and robbed a hand over his face "Can we just go inside to have this conversation. I hardly think we need to be outside in a blizzard discussing names for the boat."

Lorelai shook her head stubbornly "I won't abandon my ship. I'll have to scuttle it."

Despite him Luke's hands found his hips as he gave her an exasperated look "You're in the middle of Main Street."

She shook her head sadly "you always were to literal for your own good. Now shoo if you're not going to join me... I have riggings to run and oars to pull and counter decks to scrub."

He groaned, "You have no idea what you're talking about do you?"

She sniffed indignantly "Sure I do, I watched The Storm and Master and Commander."

He raised an eyebrow in obvious doubt as to her expertise "Did you actually see anything other than George Clooney and Russell Crowe?"

She gave a little huff and crossed her arms over her chest "Well no, but that's beside the point."

They watched each other for a moment at a momentary impasse and then Luke sighed heavily and started to climb into the boat.

Her eyes narrowed as he threw a leg over the side and came to stand in front of her "I thought you were going inside. I don't need pity company you know; I'm perfectly fine out here with my new friend. It's past your bedtime Lukey, go back to Fluffy and leave me alone."

His jaw flexed and she thought idly that he looked as if he really hated to ask "Fluffy?"

"The comforter, the big squishy one, it looks like a Fluffy." She watched with fascination as the muscle in his lower jaw flexed.

"It's navy blue, how can something navy blue look like a Fluffy?"

"Would you rather it be named Butch after you?" she asked in an insolent tone.

"Funny." He replied with a totally deadpan voice.

She shrugged "Well don't ask me, you think I make up the names for your sexually confused bed linens?"

This raised both eyebrows and then he shook his head in the affirmative "Yes I think you do make them up and I request something other than Fluffy."

She stuck her bottom lip out petulantly "Fine Chairman Mao, I suppose next you're going to tell me that the coffee maker isn't named Clyde either?"

Luke threw up his hands in defeat "I give up, you can name it Muffin or Cookie if you want."

"Now that's just ridiculous, who would ever name a coffee maker after baked goods, that's just asking for a civil war, you start throwing around that kind of unorthodox thinking and pretty soon the boys aren't talking to one another and you've got Armageddon at Luke's." she glanced quickly towards the diner "I just hope they didn't hear you."

He sighed heavily this time and she looked back at him with some concern. "Do you know that you have some sort of tick in your left jaw? You should really have that looked at, could be the first sign of a stroke or something."

Luke settled down next to her and gave her a little sideways look. "You are exasperating."

"Well that there's no use flattering me now, the way I see it were both in the same boat now. If I were you I'd abandon ship before we weigh anchor."

"I think it's way to late for that advice." He paused and looked at her with a sigh, this conversation was not going the way he had envisioned. He squared his shoulders and decided it was about time he took a more active role in steering it. "We need to talk, if you won't come inside then we'll do it here."

Lorelai wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively "Stubborn... I like that in a man."

He skillfully ignored her "So, back to my original question. Why are you out here in the boat..."

Lorelai interrupted "call her Bella, she doesn't like to be referred to as 'the boat'"

This momentarily sidetracked him "Bella? What happened to Rose and Ginger?"

"Too cliché." Lorelai said with a superior sniff.

"Doesn't Bella mean beautiful in Italian or something?"

Actually she'd been thinking of Bela Lugosi when she coined the moniker when the boat was still in its ugly duckling stage but she figured his version was a lot more complimentary. "Yeah... something like that."

He gave her a narrow eyed look "I thought you said it was a ugly behemoth that was an unbecoming shade of puce."

"When did I say that?" Lorelai gave him a look that was all indignant innocence.

Luke's eyes narrowed at her challenge "After the first coat of primer when you said it clashed with the ugly brown of your garage decor. There was a long and painful discussion that ensued about accessorizing your garage."

Lorelai shrugged "What can I say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You shouldn't talk about Bella that way though, how will she ever grow up too be a Swan when you are always undermining her self confidence?"

He gritted his teeth "It's a boat not a teenage girl."

"Oh I suppose next you'll be telling me that boats never grow up." Her tone had turned conversational "You know I never have understood your irrational dislike for witty discourse with stationary objects. Sometimes they really make the best conversationalists."

He sighed in defeat "If I call the damn boat Bella will you answer the question."

"Depends on what it is."

"Why are you out here in Bella yelling at my window?"

She circled the question first "I missed her."

"You missed the boat?" he looked incredulous at the idea.

"Yes." She narrowed her eyes "What? You don't believe me?"

Luke gave her a skeptical look "You realize how ridiculous that sounds for a girl who does nothing but make Gilligan's Island jokes whenever I get out my tools?"

Lorelai shrugged ruefully "I never claimed to be rational, that onus is one you put on yourself, I chose to live with out the fetters of convention." She cast her eyes down at her hands "I missed what the boat meant too."

"What the boat meant?" Now he was lost again.

"To you...to us." Her voice softened a bit on the last syllable.

He was perplexed by this direction of the conversation "I wasn't aware the boat meant anything to you other than a way to keep me busy so that you could watch hours of reruns of that show with the two insane British women."

She gave him a slightly sheepish look "Ab Fab...and you weren't supposed to figure that out...I'll have to be craftier next time, but that's not all it meant."

"Oh really?"

She nodded her head "really... it was about memories and perseverance and building something beautiful. Something that you could come sail away on with me.

His eyes took on a thoughtful expression "You got that from a song didn't you?"

She waved a dismissive hand "Styx but lets not belabor the point." She grasped his hand and drew his attention at last back to thoughts of the evening that had led to this odd conversation. Her eyes were serious now. "I miss you Luke. I don't want this to be the Million Dollar Baby kind of ending I want the happy ending. The Under the Tuscan Sun, I find what I'm looking for when I stop looking for it kind of story."

"What you're looking for." Luke repeated with no inflection "So, I'm the fall back? You've stopped looking and now you accept me as the consolation prize?"

Lorelai closed her eyes in exasperation "No, no, that's not what I meant. I meant that I was so busy trying to figure out what I wanted that I failed to notice that it was right here in front of me all the time. You're the one I want Luke. You and me and Bella and our silly little routines and our bits about coffee and all the times that we are there for each other in good and bad and all sorts of things in between. I miss my best friend."

"So that's all I am? A best friend." He knew he was being stubborn but this was important stuff.

She shook her head "No Luke, your my friend, my confidant, my lover, so many things that it would take a day and a half to list them and I'm a fast talker. Suffice it to say that these past weeks I've realized just how many things you are to me, how many ways you are a part of my life. It's like you have become the stuffing in my Oreo and everyone knows that an Oreo just isn't an Oreo without the stuffing, You take that away and all you're left with is a couple of dry chocolate cookies that even Mrs. Field's would scoff."

Luke looked at her. "So, you realized you were lonely without me and you want to go back to the way things were, back to the comfortable, Luke is always there when I need him routine? I'm not sure I can do that Lorelai. I can't just be your stuffing and not get anything in return."

Lorelai sighed "Should have known better than to use a junk food allegory on a health nut. No, I don't just want you back in the same old comfortable space, I realized that I don't like my life without you in it."

"Lorelai, I've thought about it a lot, I've thought about little else for the last couple weeks. I can't go back to the way it was. I can't go back to not knowing if you will be around for good, if someday you will run and leave me broken. I don't think I could take that."

There was a long silence.

"What if I told you that I won't run?" she asked cautiously.

"I want to believe you." His tone was hopeful but his face said he didn't believe it.

Lorelai considered for a long moment and then grasped his hands in hers hardly noticing the icy chill "What if I told you that I won't run ever?"

Luke looked at his hands and Lorelai sensed impending doom and sped to intercept it. "What if I were to say that I know what I want now."

"You always think you know what you want." He said in a matter of fact tone that stung her with its honesty.

She shook her head and dispelled the last of her own lingering doubt. "No I mean the real kind of knowing." she reached out and put her hand on his chest over his heart feeling it's light rhythm even through the layers of flannel "in here, where there isn't any doubt or questions or hesitation."

He looked in her eyes. It was all there, everything he'd though and felt and denied for so long. Everything he wanted, needed, yearned for. He'd seen a lot of things reflected in those fluid pools over the decade of their acquaintance but he'd never seen this particular look. This look said she was offering him forever and if he took it she would be his. It burned him and chilled him at once and some part of him; the small defensive part that had protected him for so long raised its last red flag "Lorelai... I love you, I've loved you for a very long time, but you know that. What has really changed?"

The silvery blue intensified to a warm encompassing shine and her voice went low and compelling "Everything Luke. Everything has changed." And that was the truth she felt it click into some as yet unfilled corner in deep inside her. She had changed, she was no longer the Lorelai Gilmore who wanted to hit the ground running at even the mention of commitment or hyperventilated at the mention of the future. Blame pumpkin pie or seeing her daughter in love, blame her own mother for her stupid meddling that brought them to this impasse or Sookie with her half-baked plans. Lay the blame where you may, the end result was still the same. She had a decision to make and it was time to fish or cut bait.

Luke started to speak but she stopped him with her next words "Let's get married Luke."

He was speechless "Wh..."

"Marry me Luke." Her voice was stronger now, as everything seemed to click in to place inside her.

"Well...Wait... But..." Luke stuttered is shock the only thing he could think is that this was all happening so fast and so not the way he had pictured it "The guy is supposed to propose."

"Do I look like Mary Sue Traditionalist to you?" she asked with a little smile.

His brow furrowed. "I thought you wanted a proposal to be all flowers and romantic lighting and a string quartet."

She shrugged "Well, I would have brought you a flower but it's the middle of December and even Jackson's mutant Roselips aren't blooming in this snow, the string quartet, the brass band and the town troubadour all seem to be busy at the battle of the bands in the Gilmore garage, as for lighting, well, I'd have to say I think who ever is up in the heavens has done a pretty damn good job, couldn't have done it better myself." She pointed up at the silvery moon just peaking out from behind a bank of clouds and illuminating everything in it's luminescent light.

"You're already are so many things to me Luke. You listen to me when I need to rant and when I need to cry even though I know you hate tears. You drive me to the hospital when my father is ill despite your own ugly memories. You gave me a bed when I needed one, a shoulder to cry on when I was all alone. You have single handedly kept my house from falling down around my ears and helped me build my dream Inn. You've even stood by my side when I was too blind to see what I felt for you. You built me a chupah when I was goign to marry another guy. By god, you even tried to teach me to fish misguided as that effort might have been. If I look at most of my adult life the one constant is you. Through the good, the bad and the ugly, you never ran and you never deserted me. You are my rock. Now I want you to be my husband, my partner for the long haul."

So that's why you want to marry me? Because I'm the constant?"

"No." she paused and her hand floated up to brush his now ten o'clock shadow. "No." this time it was stronger "I want to marry you because you see me. You love me for who I am. You aren't going top try to change me or dress me or make me eat French food. You're the one. You're my Yoko."

"You stole that speech." He said with a little smile.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." She said with a return curving of lips.

"You've got an answer to everything" he shook his head a little at this truth.

"Not everything." Her tone had gone dead serious again and ended almost on a question. Her eyes were steady and shone warmly blue but he felt her hand clutch a little at his as if she were nervous, holding her breath, waiting for him to utter the words that would lead them one direction of the other. Words floated to the top of his mind... 'Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.' And it would, his decision in this moment would make all the difference. He paused for a moment and looked deep at the deep blue that beckoned him like a perfectly pristine lake and in one brave moment he took a breath and dove in.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Lorelai let out a whoosh of breath and the word was filled with relief.

"Okay... on one condition. I get to be John." He let his mouth tip into a smile.

"Move over Sgt. Pepper." She said with an answering grin.

"One other condition, I don't want this to be a big thing, I mean I know your family will be there and my family and some of the town but..." He was already contemplating the circus that this would most likely become.

Lorelai held up a hand to staunch the flow "I know, I know, before the rant starts, this is my preemptive rebuttal. I promise no Aunt Junie or Uncle Momo, no Bette Midler ballads and just to be on the safe side we'll nix the Chicken Kiev. Kirk will not be allowed within a ten-foot radius of a megaphone and there will be no heart shaped cookies at the engagement party. I'll make Sookie bake something suitably masculine. Maybe a hammer or a fish."

"Now you're just being obnoxious."

"Would you love me any other way? But seriously Sookie can make us a cake... I bet she can even make you one out of carrots or some other sort of rabbit food and we already have our religiously inappropriate Chupah, although I think the goat head is still missing, Lane's band can play at my house... what more do we need?" she asked in an excited rush.

"Rings." He said all of a sudden.

Her brow wrinkled in thought "Rings... right. Well, we can always get those later."

"No"

She gave him a surprised look "What do you mean no?"

He spoke excitedly now "I mean no. I already have a ring. In fact I have it right here." He began digging in his pants pocket, as she looked at him with shock plain on her face.

"You do?"

Luke shrugged a little "I did you bring you pumpkin pie, I thought I might have a chance to ask you but as usual Lorelai 'Speed Racer' Gilmore beat me to the punch. I was actually just going back for a second try when I heard you doing your little recital."

Lorelai was stunned for a moment and the words were caught in her throat for a long second "You were going to ask me? To marry you? And you bought a ring?"

"Well, no." he looked a little sheepish.

This brought the confusion back to her face. "No? You weren't going to ask me to marry you?"

"Yes and no."

"Okay, now I'm confused." She said in exasperation.

He tried to explain, "I was going to ask you to marry me but I didn't buy a ring."

"Oh." It was clear from her tone that she still didn't understand.

He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. "It's was my mom's ring."

"OH." She looked at the little box now with wide uncertain eyes.

He opened the little box and looked at it for a long moment before he pulled turned it an placed it in Lorelai's palm. It felt warm from being close to his body. Lorelai drew in a quick shaky breath as she looked at the lovely antiqued gold ring with the perfect oval cut diamond shimmering in the center like a tear drop captured in the moonlight.

Luke looked a little uncomfortable as she reached out with a slightly trembling hand to touch it. "I mean, I just thought it would be nice, I think she would like that you have it..."he trailed off as the silence stretched and then rushed on in a worried tone "If you don't like it, I'll get another one, anything you want, it was just an idea but you don't..."

Her eyes came up and a sheen of moisture sparkled on them making them more beautiful than the sparkle of the most expensive jewel. Her voice was a little throaty when she spoke. "No...it's beautiful"

"Well, it might not fit..." he took it out with a tiny tremor and grabbed her chilled hand. He fumbled a little but then managed to slide it onto her ring finger. Lorelai smiled a little as the circle of gold slid home on her finger and felt strangely warm against her skin despite the arctic conditions.

"Its perfect." She whispered and Luke felt a little catch in his throat as he stared at her hand as well and he heard the lingering whispers of his mother's voice in his ear.

She stared down at it, for once at a loss for words. It was perfect. The ring, the man, the moment, the way her heart suddenly wanted to soar on it's new found wings and her voice wanted to laugh and sing and shout from the rooftops. It was all perfect and all the detours and the wrong turns that they'd taken to get here suddenly melted into the paste.

All these years she'd been so afraid, to give her heart, to take the risk and now that she had she felt safe, secure, unafraid...happy.

She looked up at Luke with her eyes open to the future and she saw there a naked love that spilled from his eyes, flowed through his hands where they met hers and into her, warming her from the inside out.

She felt the tiny flakes of snow falling heavier now around them, the peacefulness that seemed to blanket the quiet town and she went with impulse. She pushed herself up to standing and then offered him her hand with her eyes shining impishly and her mouth curled in a helplessly goofy smile.

"Dance with me Luke Danes."

He could hardly have denied her and put his hand in hers despite a last question "Don't we need music?"

"We've got music in here." She patted her chest over her heart "Who needs a brass band when you can hear Louis Armstrong in stereo."

He rolled his eyes but came chest to chest with her willingly letting one hand wrap around her waist and the other grasp her hand to his heart "You're crazy you know that?" it was said in the most loving tone.

"I blame Melville." She said with a mischievous smile.

"I blame the booze." He said with a little laugh.

"I blame complete, insane, all consuming love." she said with the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.

"I'll dance to that." He breathed, Then he swung her into a deep dip before she could catch her breath or think of any retort and his mouth was descending to her neck, working it's way up to her half parted lips...and it was, just as the song in her head promised... a kiss to build a dream on.

Logan and Rory were deep in the labyrinths created by leaning ladders, sawhorses balancing teetering buckets of paint and milling drunken participants covered in colors usually encountered only in the much-eschewed aisles of a Toys R Us. Despite the fact that the honoree of this little gathering had left in search of her baker extraordinaire a half an hour earlier it appeared that no means aside from excessive force would shoehorn this little band of well wishers out of their ship of dreams. The margaritas were flowing, the paint splattering and they were not going easily into this dark night. They had come to conquer depression and by god they were going to conquer it if it took the last ounce of bubblegum pink paint in Connecticut to do it. Madison County has their bridges and Hartford County was going to have its cheerful multipurpose room if it took them all night to do it. Or at least that was the hue and cry of the last rousing speech that Jackson had given before passing out in Pepto-Bismol pink puddle on the floor.

Rory figured if all else failed they could rent it out as a waiting room for the local psych hospital because it was a certain bet that if it's occupants weren't crazy when they came in they would be by the time they left. Add a few candy strippers in matching uniforms and you had your very own crazy factory.

Speaking of candy strippers... Rory snapped her fingers and turned to Logan triumphantly. "I know...peppermint ice cream. That's what it looks like."

Logan tilted his head and furrowed his brow as he considered the scene. "Nope... I'm sticking with the inside of a seventies brothel designed by Doris Day."

Rory looked skeptical "Hey I liked Doris Day. Besides being relentlessly cheerful doesn't make one insane, just annoying."

"I win anyway. Peppermint ice-cream is just so uninspired." He said with a lofty tone.

"True but you have to admit it is tasty."

"Let me guess, now you're hungry." He said with a laughing tone.

Rory gave him an admiring look "You know Huntzberger I'm almost convinced that you're smarter than you look."

"Keep up the insults Ace and I'm keeping the plan for breaking out of this joint all to myself."

Rory nodded at the entrance to the garage that was currently all but being barricaded by the meddling matrons in triplicate. "You have a plan to get past the Three Fates over there in one piece?"

Logan gave her an arch look "I sense skepticism."

"You're very astute that way."

He looked wounded "You don't think I can do it.'

"You underestimate them. They were distracted before or they never would have let you in so easily."

Logan widened his eyes in mock shock "You're doubting my ability to charm my way past them. Five minutes of the Logan Huntzberger charm and I'll have them eating out of my hand."

"I highly doubt that. Miss Patty wrote the book on seduction." The light of challenge in her eyes was too much to ignore as her tone held certainty of doom. "Tell you what. You get past them without losing any clothing and I'll buy YOU an ice cream."

Logan smirked "I want something better than ice cream."

Rory looked astounded "What's better than ice cream?"

Logan smiled seductively and sidled a step closer "You with a cherry on top."

She flushed and stammered but he cut her off with a hearty kiss that took her deep quicker than she could blink and almost made her forget that most of the town was looking on from the cheap seats.

Sadly the catcalls and clapping broke the spell and she turned an even brighter shade of scarlet and glared at him a little as she caught her breath. "Don't encourage them." She hissed half under her breath.

Logan gave her an unrepentant grin. "Just demonstrating my much belittled talents Ace."

She snorted "Fine Romeo, let's see what you've got."

He smiled broadly the old wolfish smile of the Logan that she had met one day in front of a coffee cart. "Step aside Ace and let me show you how the experts do it."

He strutted towards the entrance to the garage with a cocky grace, agilely avoiding the myriad obstacles littering his path and Rory thought she might have crossed herself if she was Catholic. As it was there was nothing to do but follow him.

She picked her way across the scattered debris and came to stand behind him just as he took Miss Patty's hand and lifted it to his lips. His voice was silky smooth and his smile teasing "Sono onorato per spendere una notte cosí bella nella presenza di una stella cosí bella" I am honored to spend such a lovely night in the presence of such a beautiful star

His Italian dripped flawlessly like warm golden honey from his lips, of course. Rory rolled her eyes, she should have known, after all any good international playboy would have a sexy language under his belt. It was a tool of the trade so to speak.

Miss Patty all but purred in appreciation "Frederico Fellini couldn't have said it better, not that he didn't try that line on me a few times that summer I spent with him in Rome." She shivered delicately and then gave Logan a coquettish wink "Let's just say they don't call it a romance language for nothing." She switched to Italian herself as her lips melted into an adoring smile "Venire la visita me in qualunque momento il mio bel ragazzo." Come visit me anytime my beautiful boy.

He gave a little suggestive eyebrow raise and a hundred watt smile "I'll keep that in mind." Then he turned to Babette who was fanning herself laconically on Miss Patty's left and repeated the hand kissing routine "E lei, la mia signora giusta, era il mio piacere dividere questo luogo magico con lei." And you, my fair lady, it was my pleasure to share this magical place with you

Sookie spoke in a loud whisper to Miss Patty "Okay, I sort of got the first part, something about beauty and stars, anyone who has ever watched a Sophia Loren film could get that much but all I got out of that one was something that sounded like magic."

Babette looked like she'd died and gone to heaven and answered Sookie without breaking eye contact with Logan whom she appeared to be trying to devour visually "It's all Greek to me honey but who the hell cares with an ass like that he could give that David guy a run for his money, the fancy talking is just icing on the cake." There was a flare of something licentious in Babette's eyes and Rory for a moment feared that she would be right after all and a strip show was in the making. She saw a tiny gulp from Logan as Babette appeared to tighten her grip and her other hand crept up to lock onto his arm at the elbow.

Miss Patty chuckled low and deep and sultry and winked at Logan as he tried to extricate his hand that seemed to be turning slightly blue from Babette's clutches and then she set a hand on the overwrought blonde's shoulder. "Now Babette let the poor boy go, what will Morry think?"

Babette shook her head vehemently "He's a free spirit, he'll understand, sometimes one has to give in to one's urges.'

Sookie looked slightly alarmed but Miss Patty remained calm and simply asked an off hand question "I understand urges honey but are you really going to go off and leave all those poor gnomes motherless for the sake of a moment of infatuation?"

Babette's brow wrinkled in obvious painful indecision and Logan managed to slide his hand another inch though he was still not completely free. Finally after a long moment of silence Babette sighed and let him go quickly causing him to nearly stumble backwards into Rory. "Sorry honey, I like you but you're just not worth leaving my family. I'll just have to make due with the memories of these golden moments. I hope you can forget what we had... I think it's for the best."

Logan gave Miss Patty a thankful look but then smiled down at Babette and said in a brave voice "I think my broken heart will mend eventually but I treasure our moments together." He backed up a step and sent a little air kiss to the three ladies "Ciao." He was careful to skirt a few feet away from the group on his way out the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he was free.

Rory followed closely on his heels as he headed out the door and their exchange was whispered while it seemed the whole world watched. Logan gave Rory a slanted look "See I survived, completely intact and with all my clothing still in place." He held out his arms a little as if checking that fact.

Rory laughed lightly "Sure, now you're all bravado and fish tales about how you escaped from JAWS, you can't fool me, I saw that panicked look in there, you thought you were a goner. How do you say 'dead meat' in Italian?"

"Funny, we can sign you up for a stint on Who's Line is it Anyway." When his sarcasm failed to break through Rory's superior smirk he threw up his hands in defeat "Fine, you win. What can I say? I'd really prefer to continue having four limbs for the rest of my natural life and Babette has a surprisingly strong grip for such a small woman."

Rory snickered "Did I forget to leave out the part about her winning the county arm wrestling championship five years running?"

Logan growled a little but couldn't help a little laugh, "You've got an evil streak, and you know that."

Rory shrugged "I've got a well developed survival instinct. You've got to be a little evil to survive Stars Hollow and my mom, the all good get eaten alive."

He stopped at the door to the limo breathing a little easier now that a good fifteen feet of snowy lawn separated him from the man-eaters. He grabbed Rory's hand and spun her around halfway so that she was standing with her back to the car. "Are they still watching?" he asked in a stage whisper.

She craned her neck to look over his shoulder and then nodded "Yep... I think Sookie just got out the binoculars."

He pushed her lightly until her back met the solid side panel of the car and he regained his flirtatious smirk "Good. What'd do you say Ace, should we leave them with an encore?"

Rory let her arms float up and circle his neck as his mouth dropped towards hers. "Might as well go for broke." She mumbled against his mouth and then she forgot where she was, who she was, what she was outside of a pliable warm puddle that molded to him. She thought that she really did love this boy inside and out... and then she ceased to think at all.

They resurfaced after a moment that felt too brief and grinned at each other like idiots before the hooting and cheering finally registered. Logan laughed out loud "I guess that was a crowd pleaser."

Rory smiled and willed her boneless head to raise and take in their surroundings. "I think you got a standing ovation."

Logan let his finger slide down her cheek and rest lightly on her chin "We... Ace, we got a standing ovation, much better show with two of us... a solo act would be silly not to mention criminal in some states."

"Good point." She pushed herself up and away from the car only to linger pulling playfully at the zipper on his jacket "So, you really have to go?"

Logan clasped both her wrists stilling the movements of her fingers and looked down at her "Trust me Ace, I'd much rather stay but my father will have my head if I'm not there soon. Things are tense as they are, I'm not ready for civil war just yet."

She sighed and looked up at him with limpid eyes "Go then, I don't want them to be angry with you."

He shrugged "To late for that preemptive strike but don't worry about me. Go back to your party. I'll see you soon."

She stepped away let him open the car door "Call me sooner."

He slid onto the seat and let her hand trail from his until his lips met her knuckles "Sognerò di lei finché incontriamo ancora il mio amore." I will dream of you until we meet again my love

He looked up into those sapphire pools and felt a little thrum in his heart. She smiled slowly and sweetly until her whole face seemed to bloom with it. "I'll hold you to that promise Huntzberger."

The door closed between them and then limo slid from the curb leaving Rory with her hand slightly outstretched and her heart fluttering. He had called her his love and nothing had ever felt so right.

Logan leaned back and let himself sink into the soft leather knowing that nothing would ever look quite the same after this night. The car seemed to float away from the house and through the town, he noticed things he had never thought to notice before, the beautiful icy sculptures formed by snow melt that had dripped over the eaves of quiet houses, the moonlight a it danced and refracted off the curves of white. They sailed past a couple dancing slowly in a structure that could only be the infamous boat to music only they could hear. Then they were passing the sign, the magical sign that served as portal to this entirely different world that existed right here in Connecticut. As the sign vanished from his view Logan wondered if he had left enough breadcrumbs to ever make his way out of this enchanted forest or whether he ever wanted to.