Author's Note: I meant to post this earlier, but yesterday was my birthday, so I was a bit distracted. Anyway... you all are the best readers. I love reading your feedback. I really need to start using the reply feature and thank you all individually. I will try harder at that. There really needs to be more hours in a day…

Lorelai carefully straightened out her assortment of junk food on the coffee table. Over the years, she had perfected a system of how to arrange the snacks. The items she would eat first were positioned so she could reach them easily. Nodding in approval at her work, she sat back on the couch.

The Christmas tree glistened in the corner, an array of gifts scattered under it. She eyed one particular gift – the gift she had bought for Luke. He would be here any minute. Christopher had invited Rory to spend tonight – Christmas Eve – with him, so she had asked Luke to join her for her Christmas movie marathon. It hadn't taken much for her to get him to agree.

A knock sounded on her front door, and Lorelai raced to open it. "Merry Christmas!" she shouted at Luke as she opened the door to let him in.

"Take it down a notch, would you?" he told her in return. "Where should I put these?" he asked, indicating the bags from the diner he was holding.

"You didn't have to bring food. I have plenty," she informed him as she took one of the bags he was holding and walked into the living room.

"Anything that isn't made ninety percent out of sugar?" he questioned, pointing at her coffee table.

She thought for a moment. "Popcorn," she answered proudly, holding the bowl up.

"You're going to eat some real food first," he told her, slipping off his jacket and folding it over the back of the chair. He took a seat on the couch and began to empty the contents of the bags.

She plopped down next to Luke. "By real food you mean...?"

"Burger and fries. I knew that I wouldn't be able to make you eat anything green."

"Green food is strictly forbidden on movie nights, unless it is in the form of some kind of candy."

"I figured," he said, placing a container of fries in front of her. "So what's first?"

"I have the whole night planned out. First, we will watch The Santa Clause. It's a modern classic with Tim Allen as the jolly old fellow. Then, it's time for Miracle on 34th Street – the old one, not the new one. That will take us until the ten o'clock showing of A Christmas Story on TBS," Lorelai told him. "Ralphie, you'll shoot your eye out," she imitated.

"Don't you own the last one?"

"Of course, but we must watch part of the marathon! It's a tradition."

"Of course," he repeated.

Lorelai started the first movie, and the two sat in silence watching and eating. Lorelai polished off her meal from the diner in no time, and she started in on her pile of junk food. After the second film ended, she switched off the DVD player, so they could watch the movie on TV. "Just in time," she said as the opening sequence began.

Luke felt his eyes drifting close somewhere after the second commercial break. He wasn't used to staying up very late, and he had been up since before sunrise. He struggled to keep his attention on the movie, knowing that Lorelai would never let him hear the end of it if he fell asleep. Glancing over at her, he noticed that she had slouched down into the corner of the couch. Deciding that she couldn't see him, he let his eyes close just for a moment. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

Luke awoke to what he thought was a car door slamming. Lorelai was asleep beside him. She was curled onto her end of the couch, and her legs had made it into his lap. He looked at the TV and saw that the same film was playing; completely forgetting that it was a marathon. Thinking it couldn't be too late, he stayed where he was until he heard the front door open and close. He nearly jumped a mile when he heard her voice. It was only then that he realized it was light out.

"Mom?" Rory's voice called as she entered the living room. "Luke?" she questioned, seeing him trying to get out from under her mother's legs.

"What?" Lorelai asked groggily, feeling his movement.

"We fell asleep," Luke told her as he stood up. He motioned to the television. "How the hell is this movie still on?"

"It's a twenty-four hour marathon," Rory stated.

Lorelai got up off the couch herself, smoothing her rumpled hair. "What time is it?"

"After ten," Rory responded.

"I should get going," Luke said awkwardly, not quite knowing how to react to spending the night – though it was completely innocent – with Lorelai and having her daughter find them. "I need to start the ham." He grabbed his jacket. "I'll see you both later."

After hearing the door shut behind him, Rory said, "So..."

"So, how was your Christmas with your father?" Lorelai inquired, sitting back on the couch. "Those look like quite some gifts there, kid," she observed, pointing at the bags Rory was holding.

Rory sat next to her mother. "Mom, Luke spent the night."

"On the couch. All we did was sleep, honey. I promise you. Nothing happened. Unless you count the fact that I broke rule number fourteen by falling asleep during a classic." Lorelai patted her daughter's knees. "Now what did you get? Mommy's dying to know."

"Well... Dad got me a laptop! Isn't that awesome?"

Lorelai tried to sound excited. "That is!" She and Chris had agreed for years not to get Rory her own computer until she left for college. Apparently, he didn't feel the need to stick to that agreement anymore. "What else?"

"Some clothes and gift cards to bookstores. I am definitely going to have to go shopping this week."

Lorelai nodded. She looked over at the small pile of gifts she had for Rory. They would be nothing compared to the gifts Rory had received from her father. Knowing that she couldn't very well do anything about it now, Lorelai asked Rory, "You ready for some more gifts?" Rory nodded her head enthusiastically, so Lorelai got up and brought the gifts over from under the tree.

Rory tore into the first package, producing a first edition Jane Austen novel. "Wow. Mom, this is gorgeous. How did you even find this? I can't believe you found this!" She tackled her mother in a hug. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it. I know it's not a computer..."

"This is so much better than a computer," Rory assured her. Seeing her mother's doubtful expression, she continued, "You didn't just buy me some expensive gift; you took the time to buy me something that's me. You know? Does that make sense?"

Lorelai smiled. "It does." She pushed the other packages toward her daughter. "You have to open these."

After she finished with her gifts, Rory grabbed the gift she made for her mother. She handed it to Lorelai. "It's nothing big."

Lorelai quickly unwrapped the gift. It was a scrapbook. On the front, in Rory's perfect handwriting, "A New Beginning" was written under a photo of their new house. Lorelai flipped through the book, seeing various photos of the house, her and Rory, and even a few photos of her and Luke. "Rory, I love it." She embraced her daughter tightly. Lorelai thought she understood the meaning of this gift. Rory was trying to tell her she accepted her decision to move on with life, to be happy. And she even thought Rory might have been trying to tell her she was happy too. "It's the best gift I've ever received."

Rory smiled in response when something caught her gaze. Reaching for a tiny package that was on the floor, she asked, "What's this?"

"I don't know," Lorelai said, taking the gift from her daughter. She read out loud the small card that it was attached to it. "Lorelai, I wanted to get you something for Christmas, but I wasn't sure what. I'm not the best at buying gifts – I haven't had much experience with it. I hope that you like this. Luke."

"That's sweet," Rory told her mother.

Lorelai carefully unwrapped the gift. Opening the box, she saw another note with Luke's handwriting. "This is worth five hours of service. No questions asked," she read. "Dirty," she joked. "This was so nice of him," she added in a more serious tone.

"It is," Rory agreed. She pointed under the tree. "You never gave Luke his present either."

"I'll give it to him when we go to the diner for dinner."

Later, the girls headed over to Luke's for Christmas dinner. Much like on Thanksgiving, they kept Luke entertained by their endless conversation, but somehow, they both still managed to eat more food than anyone else. The meal passed quickly, and before long, the diner had begun to empty out. Lorelai hung around until after everyone else had left so she could give Luke his gift. Even Rory had gone across the town square to visit her new friend Lane and exchange gifts.

Luke was busy clearing the tables when Lorelai interrupted him. "Hey, I never got to thank you for your gift earlier."

He stopped what he was doing. "Yeah?"

"I saw the box on my floor this morning. Thank you, Luke."

"I know it's not much, and that I already help fix things, but you can use it for anything you want, and I won't question it," he paused. "God, help me with what you'll come up with."

"It's perfect, Luke. And very thoughtful of you," she reassured him. "Hmm... I wonder what I should have you do. I'm going to have to put a lot of thought into this. I don't want to waste it by having you do something completely unthought out," she teased. He rolled his eyes at her. She took that moment to pull a gift bag out from under the table she had been seated at. "I never got to give you your gift."

He looked at her, surprised. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to." She held out the bag. "Here."

He took the bag and reached inside. He pulled out a blue baseball cap.

"I know you already have one, but it looks like it should have been buried six feet under years ago," she said.

He smiled at her as he took off his old hat and replaced it with the one she bought him.

"It looks good on you," she told him. "Blue is definitely a good color for you."

"Is that so?"

She nodded fervently. "It brings out your eyes," she replied softly. She found herself being wrapped in his strong arms.

"Merry Christmas, Lorelai."

"Merry Christmas, Luke," she sighed into him. Noticing movement outside the window, she peered outside. She broke the embrace and grabbed Luke's hand, pulling him towards the window. She bounced up and down. "It's snowing!" She looked up at him. "Everything magical happens when it snows." Her gaze returned to the fluffy white flakes that were falling gracefully to the ground.

"Yeah, it does," Luke replied, his eyes never leaving Lorelai.

To be continued. Please review! I love feedback.

La prochaine fois: Lorelai receives an unexpected phone call.