I've been meaning to write this for a while now, ever since the season five finale, actually, but I never got around to it. Now, school has started (yay for Senior year!) and I'm back to procrastinating from my homework. So here it is, short and sweet: How I thought season six should have begun.

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"Luke, will you marry me?"

"What?"

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Lorelai stared at the man in front of her, in awe at how much he cared for not only her, but her daughter as well. She knew that this kind of unconditional love for her and Rory was something that would not be found in many men—hell, it couldn't even be found in Rory's father! She knew now that she had to spend the rest of her life with this man, and was beginning to wonder how it had taken her so long to come to that seemingly glaringly obvious conclusion. Losing a bit of her nerve at having to repeat the question that had already taken so much effort to get out the first time, she took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip.

"Marriage, Luke. Let's get married."

Luke's eyes grew wide for a moment with disbelief as he searched Lorelai's eyes for any sign that perhaps this was some kind of cruel joke—but surely even Lorelai would never joke about something this serious, not with him. Slowly, it began to sink in that she had actually just proposed to him. Lorelai had proposed. To him.

"No." He whispered so softly that Lorelai wasn't sure he had said anything at all, before he repeated it just a bit louder, leaving no doubt in her mind that she was being rejected. The tears that had threatened to spill over during her earlier tirade about her daughter resurfaced as she tried to comprehend the situation. While she had been nervous in asking, she hadn't actually thought he would turn her down!

"No, no, no." Luke kept saying getting louder in shock, and then quieter until it sounded more like he was saying it to himself than actually answering her question.

"Um… okay then," Lorelai struggled to sound sure of herself as she wondered what exactly she was supposed to say in this situation. "Well, then I guess I'll just… go." She stood up and started to head to the door, before she felt his hand grab hold of her wrist, pulling her back to him.

"NO!" He practically shouted at her, a desperate expression written across his face, before his features softened and he took a step closer to her. "No, I meant…" He let go of her arm once he was sure he had her full attention and she wasn't leaving. He reached his hand into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a small box that he hid from her sight as he knelt down on one knee and took hold of her hand.

Lorelai looked down at him in confusion. Is he breaking up with me? Who gets on their knees to break up? Oh, god, I don't want to break up! Why did I have to screw everything up again? What's wrong with me?

Luke smiled slowly as he raised her hand to his lips which only served to further Lorelai's confusion.

"Lorelai, on our first date, I reminded you of the day we met and showed you the horoscope that I've kept in my wallet throughout all these years. When you started coming into the diner on a daily basis I realized, not only were you a terrible cook, but the most beautiful women I've ever met and I knew within a month of meeting you that I could never imagine life without you in it. Months turned to years and I began to have feelings for you that went far beyond the odd friendship we had formed, and it wasn't much longer until I knew I was head over heels in love with you."

At this point, Luke brought the box out and handed it to her as he stood to meet her at eye-level. Lorelai smiled as she understood what was going on, leaving the box closed in her hands, waiting for the words she knew were coming.

"I've always been a pretty anti-social guy, and I never had the guts to tell you anything until my sister's wedding, and when we shared our first kiss on the night of your test-run, I knew for sure that there never was and never could be any woman more perfect for me than you."

He reached up and brushed away the tears falling down her cheeks—tears of joy that replaced the earlier tears of fear and frustration.

"Lorelai Gilmore, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you."

She still had her hands clasped tightly around the box, and he guided his own larger hands to urge her to open it. Lorelai gasped at the beautiful ring inside.

"Will you marry me?" Luke finally asked. Lorelai threw her arms around him and kissed him hard on the mouth before pulling back again shortly after.

"Yes, yes, yes!" And she kissed him again, but this time he pulled back, untangling himself from her arms to retrieve the diamond ring from the box and slide it onto her finger. Once the ring was securely in place, they both threw themselves at each other once again and they made their way slowly to the upstairs apartment, never breaking contact, as the empty ring box clattered to the floor.