Author's Note: After an incredibly frustrating bout of writer's block, I finally was able to string enough words together for an update. Thank you for your patience! :)

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Chapter 16

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By the end of April, the Dragonfly Inn renovations were completed. Lorelai and Sookie planned a test run to make sure the building and staff were ready to get up and running by the official opening day in mid-May.

The morning of the test run, after breakfast with Luke and the kids, Lorelai was in the bedroom packing her overnight bag. She was going to spend the day at the inn getting ready for guests and reviewing things with the staff, and Luke was going to come by later with the kids for dinner.

When she was just about done, Luke walked into the bedroom, carrying one kid in each arm. Lorelai smiled when they walked in. "Perfect timing."

"Done packing already?"

"Just about."

Luke put the kids down and shut the bedroom door so they couldn't escape. Josh ran to the basket of toys next to the closet, and Olivia slowly toddled behind him. Luke perched himself on the edge of the bed.

He watched her for a few moments as she adjusted some things in her bag and then zipped it shut. With a deep exhale of breath, she said, "Okay, I think I'm good."

He silently stood up and moved behind her, and gently put his hands on her shoulders. "You are really tense right now," he told her as he started massaging her. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai closed her eyes as she admitted, "I'm nervous. I just want everything to go well and smoothly and I want the food to be amazing and Michel to be friendly to people and everyone to be happy."

"It will go well," he assured her. "You're a pro at running an inn. You're prepared, the inn is ready, the staff is trained, Sookie's food will be amazing, Michel will be... well, he'll be Michel, you can't do much about that, but everything is going to be great."

"I hope you're right," she said, and she turned around to face him with an appreciative smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He gave her a kiss. "I'm looking forward to finally seeing how everything came together after I was banned."

Luke hadn't been to the inn in a few weeks. As the final pieces of furniture and décor started to come in, Lorelai wanted him to wait to see the final product.

Lorelai smiled and shook her head in disbelief. "It looks incredible. You're gonna love it."

"I'm sure I will," he replied sincerely. "What time should we get there?"

"Six o'clock. I picked out their outfits," she said, nodding toward the kids.

"You pick out mine, too?" Luke asked hopefully.

Lorelai smirked. "I think you can manage on your own."

"Are we talking a town meeting or Friday night dinner?" he asked, trying to gauge how fancy the outfit should be.

"Right in the middle," Lorelai confirmed. "But skewed toward Friday night."

"So, nice pants and a sweater?" he suggested.

Lorelai nodded. "Perfect. See, you managed."

"With an assist by my wife," Luke replied, and he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. "My beautiful, talented, successful - "

"Dada!" Josh exclaimed. "Dog!"

Luke glanced over at Josh, proudly holding up a stuffed dog toy. "Right, dog, good job," he said supportively, and then he looked back at Lorelai. "Where was I?"

"You were complimenting me," she replied.

"Right. My talented, successful, smart, beautiful - "

"You said beautiful first last time," Lorelai interrupted, and then in reaction to his raised eyebrow, she quickly added, "Uh, not super important, just pointing it out."

Luke rolled his eyes. "All right, let's sum it up - you're amazing all around, end of talking." He leaned in and kissed her deeply, passionately, and when they separated for breath, they shared a few soft kisses.

"You're amazing, too," she whispered.

Luke squeezed her waist. "You better get going."

Lorelai glanced at the clock and gasped softly. "Oh, shoot, you're right."

"I'll grab the bags and the boy, you grab the girl," Luke said. "Speaking of which, when is our other girl getting there?"

"Rory's meeting me there in an hour," Lorelai confirmed.

They made their way downstairs, and Lorelai said goodbye to the kids in the living room, and then to Luke at the front door. "I'll see you tonight," she said to him. "Call me if you need me."

"We'll be fine here, you concentrate on the inn," he said. "Call me if you forgot anything you need me to bring."

"Okay."

"And good luck... which you don't even need, so you know what? I'm taking it back... that's how confident I am everything will be fine."

Lorelai grinned and leaned in to kiss him. "Bye."

"Bye."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Luke arrived at the inn around dinner time, and Rory walked out of the inn to help him with the kids.

"How's everything going so far?" Luke asked her as they each unbuckled a kid from the backseat. "How's your mom?"

Rory smiled at him. "She's good. Everything's going smoothly, I think. People seem to be having a good time."

Luke felt relieved. "Good. That's good." He lifted Josh from the car and shut the door.

Rory picked up Olivia and the diaper bag before shutting the door, and she started walking toward the inn. "Come on, let's go say hi to Mommy."

Luke grabbed something from the front passenger seat before following her, and Rory glanced back at him. She smiled at the bouquet of flowers he was carrying. "That is very sweet," she commented.

Luke shrugged nonchalantly. "A little congratulations gift."

As they stepped into the inn, Luke's eyes widened. It had changed a lot since his last visit a few weeks ago. He glanced into the reception area, looked up the stairs, checked out the front room. He just stared in awe at how perfectly everything had come together. The furniture, the wallpaper, the décor, all the little touches that made it exactly what she wanted it to be.

"Mom has a table reserved for us in the dining room with 2 high chairs," Rory said.

"Okay. Lead the way."

Luke followed Rory to the table and they got the kids settled. Other guests came over to greet them and chat, and Luke kept looking around for Lorelai. "Do you know where your mom is?" he finally asked Rory.

"I think she's probably in the kitchen," Rory replied. "You can go look for her, I'll stay here with them."

Luke nodded his thanks and stood up from the table. Instead of walking through the dining room, he ducked into the front room and took the long way around to the kitchen.

As he headed down the hall, Lorelai walked out of the kitchen and her eyes lit up when she saw him. "Hey," she greeted him, smiling. "I was just coming to see if you were here. I told Rory to keep an eye out for you."

"She did," he confirmed. "The kids are in the dining room with her." Luke presented her with the bouquet of flowers, and she let out a little gasp. "Congratulations."

"Aw, hon," she said softly as she took the flowers from him. "That was sweet." She smelled the flowers and then leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you."

"Sure. How's everything going?"

Lorelai nodded positively. "It's been good. Taylor's being Taylor, obviously, but it's actually good because I'm going to have guests like Taylor and I need to be prepared for them." She narrowed her eyes as she added, "He said he had breakables in his bag... what would he possibly bring to an overnight stay that's breakable?"

Luke shrugged as he rolled his eyes. "Who knows... his own drinking glasses?"

Lorelai tapped her chin with uncertainty. "Maybe. It's gonna bug me forever if we don't find out." She paused a moment and gestured around them. "So, tell me... what do you think of the place? Do you like it?" she asked hopefully. "Did you get to look around?"

Luke nodded. "A little bit, and it's amazing," he told her, emphasizing the word. "Seriously. All that hard work and time and energy you put into making it perfect paid off big time." He stepped closer to give her a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

Lorelai hugged him back tightly. She always held his opinion very high, and she could feel her nerves dissipating a little. "Thank you," she whispered. She kissed his cheek before pulling back from him. "I'll give you a complete tour after dinner."

"Okay."

Lorelai nodded toward the flowers. "I'm gonna put these in a vase, and I'll get the kids' food. Sookie cooked up some mac and cheese for them and Davey."

"You're gonna eat with us, right?"

"Definitely. I'll meet you over there." She leaned in to kiss him again, smiling as she added, "I'm really glad you're here. You're making me feel calmer."

Luke smiled. "Good. Then I'm doing my job."

. . . . .

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After dinner, as guests mingled and played games, Lorelai showed Luke around the inn. They had Olivia with them, and Jackson had taken Josh and Davey out to see the horses in the stable. After a thorough tour downstairs, she took him upstairs to the guest room she was staying in so he could see how the rooms turned out.

As soon as he walked into the room, his eyes lit up. "Wow. It's beautiful." He walked over to the desk and ran his fingers over the lamp shade. "I remember these."

Lorelai smiled. "You helped pick those lamps out."

"It looks even better in person than in the catalog." He looked around the room, taking it all in. "Everything looks great."

"Really? You're not just saying that?" she asked as she adjusted Olivia on her hip. "Tell me the truth, there's still time to change it before we really open."

Luke shook his head. "Don't change anything."

Lorelai exhaled a deep breath. "Okay. I've been so nervous tonight letting people see what we've been working on. I feel like I've been writing a book for months and I'm finally letting people read it, you know?"

Luke nodded understandingly as he walked over to her. "I know. But your book is amazing."

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you," she said softly before leaning in for a kiss. When she pulled back from him, she looked down at Olivia and ran her hand over her hair. "Hi, baby girl." She leaned down and kissed her head, and then she looked at Luke. "You know, we should get someone to take a family picture of us. We're all dressed up, it would be a cute way to remember the night."

"Yeah, if you want," Luke agreed.

Lorelai paused for a moment, and then shifted topics away from the inn. "So, Rory told me something today."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Good or bad?"

"Good. Unless you hate traveling, then... bad."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "More information, please."

"Well, you know how Chris has been offering her the moon, trying to get her to accept something from him with that money he inherited?"

"Yeah."

"She decided she wants to take a trip with Mark this summer and thinks she might ask Chris to pay for it," Lorelai told him. "An international trip... they're not sure where yet."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"Yeah. And she wanted to make sure I was okay with it before she asked Chris," Lorelai said. "You know, since we were supposed to do more traveling together."

"You will still do it," Luke told her. "We'll make sure you guys get to visit more countries together."

"Yeah, I know, eventually we will," Lorelai agreed. "But if she wants to travel with her boyfriend in the meantime, I'm not gonna tell her not to... I gave her my blessing."

Luke ran his hand over her hair and then pushed it back behind her shoulder, letting his fingers gently graze against her neck. "You sure you're okay with that?"

"I'm totally fine with it," she confirmed. "I was surprised that she came up with the idea, though... she was pretty adamant about not taking money from Chris."

"Yeah, she was."

"But it makes sense for her to pick something like that for him to pay for, you know? It's not something materialistic like a car or a television. It's an experience, it's something educational, something that'll give her memories."

Luke smiled. "Yeah, that's a very Rory thing to do."

Lorelai nodded. "And now I won't feel guilty for making her wait so long for our next trip."

"Yeah. It'll be good." He paused a moment, and then nodded toward Olivia. "We better go get that picture taken before she starts getting cranky for bed."

"Good point," Lorelai said, and she handed Olivia to him. "Here, let me freshen up quickly and then we can head down."

Luke sat with Olivia on the bed while Lorelai walked into the bathroom. She flipped on the light and groaned when she saw herself in the mirror. "Ugh, I look so tired."

"You do not," Luke replied. "You look perfect."

"Perfectly tired, you mean," she corrected him. "But thank you." She touched up her hair and makeup, and then walked out of the bathroom. "All right, all set."

Luke stood up from the bed with the baby and glanced around the room one more time. He looked at Lorelai and shook his head in disbelief. "Did I mention that I'm proud of you?"

Lorelai grinned before gently sucking her bottom lip into her mouth as she nodded. "Yeah, you did."

Luke leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Okay. Just checking."

Lorelai grabbed her camera and they headed downstairs, and a group of guests were chatting at the bottom of the steps. "We have Luke's seal of approval for the bedroom décor," Lorelai announced.

"You have everyone's seal of approval," Rory corrected her. "The rooms are great, Mom."

"Did you get a chance to try out the bed, Luke?" Miss Patty asked with a wink.

As Luke rolled his eyes, Lorelai smirked and glanced at him. "See, that's why I wanted to bring the girl up with us... otherwise there'd be no combating that gossip," she said.

"Smart," Luke muttered, and to make sure it was on record, he leaned toward Miss Patty and declared, "No, I didn't try out the bed... I was observing my wife's amazing handiwork."

"Handiwork you say," Miss Patty replied. "What exactly was she doing with her hands?"

"Geez," Luke groaned. "Were you drinking with dinner?"

Lorelai clasped her hands together. "Okay, enough of the innuendos. We need someone to take a family picture of us out front on the porch. Rory, can you go get Josh?"

"Yup," Rory replied, and she headed out the front door.

Lorelai tapped Luke's hand. "Oh, hey, I want to show you the finished website."

Luke's eyes widened. "Oh, it's finished? I didn't know that."

"Just a few days ago," Lorelai replied, and she led him over to the reception desk. She pulled up the website on the computer and clicked through some of the screens. "See, it has a ton of pictures and list of amenities and directions and all that fun stuff."

"Looks good," Luke said, and then noticed a section labeled Staff. "What's in the Staff section?"

"Our biographies," Lorelai said, and she clicked on it. "Me, Sookie, and Michel... it summarizes our work history and stuff like that. The designer thought it might be a good idea to give people a sense of who we are."

As the website displayed the page, Luke noticed a picture of the three of them and leaned in closer to look at it. "Nice picture."

"Thanks. Do I look mature, professional, and competent?"

"Yup. And hot."

Lorelai smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You're very good for my ego, you know that?"

"Mmhmm."

Rory walked into the reception area with Josh. "The only way I could drag my brother away from the horses was with the promise of candy, so I hope we have some."

"Got an emergency supply in the diaper bag," Lorelai confirmed with a nod, and then she gestured toward the front porch. "Let's go take some pictures out front under the sign."

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A few weeks later, the Dragonfly Inn officially opened for business. For the first few weeks, Lorelai worked extra hours during the day, and they recruited friends to babysit the kids in the afternoons while Luke went to the diner.

Once she was comfortable enough with how things were running at the inn, they were finally able to get back to a normal routine at home. Lorelai worked in the mornings while Luke was home with the kids, and vice versa in the afternoons.

One afternoon in June, Luke was in the kitchen with the kids when Lorelai arrived home. Josh was in his booster seat at the table, Liv was in her high chair, and Luke was making them lunch.

"Mommy's home," Lorelai announced as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," Luke greeted her distractedly from the counter.

"Hi," Lorelai replied, and greeted the kids before walking over to him. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, can you grab plates?" Luke replied.

Lorelai retrieved plates from the cabinet and they served the kids lunch before they started chatting by the sink. Luke recapped the morning at home, and Lorelai filled him in on the happenings at the inn.

"And for the piece de resistance of the day," Lorelai said, stressing her French accent. "I found out some incredibly interesting news."

"What?"

"Well, one of our newly hired kitchen staffers is going to become temporary head chef soon because... get this... Sookie is pregnant."

Luke's eyes widened. "She is? Wow. Did she just find out?"

"Yeah, last night," Lorelai replied, smiling. "She's really happy. I'm so excited for her."

Luke stared at her for a few moments, and then cocked his head to the side. "But..."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I'm trying not to give any buts."

"But you want to," Luke said. "I can see the but on your face."

"That's extremely dirty," Lorelai said with a smirk.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Just get your but out. Come on, it's me... you can say what I know you're thinking."

"Well, why don't you tell me what I'm thinking so I don't have to feel like an awful friend by actually saying it."

"You're thinking that it's not the best timing to switch up the head chef while you're still trying to stabilize things with the inn."

Lorelai groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Ugh, it sounds just as awful and selfish coming from you!"

Luke pulled her hands from her face and squeezed them affectionately. "It'll be fine. You say anything about it to her?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Of course not. I congratulated her, I hugged her, we celebrated with pecan tarts, and then I secretly worried to myself about future logistics when I went back to the front desk."

"Good. I'm sure she realizes the timing isn't the best, and if you point that out, it'll just make her feel bad." He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't overthink it, okay? There's plenty of time for Sookie to train someone to be a perfect replacement. Just be happy for her and Jackson, everything else will be fine."

Lorelai rested her head against his chest as she hugged him back. "Thank you for still liking me when I think crazy things," she said softly.

"Well, if you didn't think crazy things all the time, you wouldn't be the woman I married." He leaned down and kissed the crook of her neck.

Lorelai giggled at the ticklish sensation, and then captured his lips with hers for a quick kiss. "You better get to the diner," she told him, glancing at the clock.

"Yeah, the lunch rush awaits," he agreed. He kissed her again, and then kissed each of the kids on the tops of their heads. "Bye, guys. Be good."

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The summer came and started to fly by like it did every year, and it took some persuading, but Luke convinced Lorelai that they should take a family vacation. He had first suggested a whole week, but with the inn still in its early stages, she told him she couldn't do that.

She did agree to a long weekend, but requested to go somewhere close to home in case she needed to rush back for an emergency. Through a friend, Luke found a beach house to rent just an hour away, and he drove with Lorelai and the two younger kids on a Friday morning in mid-July. It happened to be the same time that Rory was traveling with Mark in Europe, so they weren't able to join them.

They settled in at the house, took the kids to the beach, and then brought them back to the house in the afternoon for a nap. While the kids slept, Lorelai stayed at the house with them while Luke ran out to the supermarket to get some essentials and something to cook for dinner.

Lorelai helped him unload the bags when he got back. "You know, cooking on vacation is not really a vacation for you," she pointed out. "We could've just gotten takeout or gone out to dinner."

Luke shrugged. "It's easier to just cook at home when you've got two very tiny, very picky eaters in the house." He pulled out a bottle of wine and held it up. "I picked this up for later."

Lorelai smiled. "Luke, come on… you know they're picky about their wine, too… this isn't going to pass muster with them."

Luke smirked and set the bottle on the table. "Well, then, hopefully it passes muster with you because someone's gotta drink it."

"It does, thank you," Lorelai confirmed.

"What'd you do while I was gone?" Luke asked her.

A quick look of guilt washed over her face. "Oh, you know, nothing much… just tried to, uh, relax," Lorelai stammered. "That's all."

Luke grabbed some food items and walked over to the fridge to put them away. "Which actually means you did something for work," he concluded.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose and admitted, "Okay, yes, I called to check in with Michel."

As Luke put the food away, he said, "Michel and Sookie both told you they would call you if they needed you for anything this weekend."

"I know, but – "

"And you said you were good with that," Luke continued. "That you would try to disconnect for a few days."

"I know, but the kids were asleep and you were out, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to check in really quick."

Luke walked over to her and glanced down at his watch. "Well, I have to admit, you lasted longer than I thought you would."

Lorelai pouted at him apologetically. "Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad, I just really want you to try to relax this weekend," Luke told her, rubbing her shoulders. "Because the second you get back to Stars Hollow, you're going to go right back into full time work mode, and I want you to have a couple of days without it."

"I know, I'm trying," she told him. "I promise that I'm trying. It's just hard to put it out of my mind."

"I know." He leaned in to kiss her, snaking his arms around her waist to pull her closer. He pulled back enough to mutter, "I guess I'll have to try to distract you better."

Lorelai hummed contently. "Good idea," she muttered against his lips before kissing him again. She ran her hands up the front of his t-shirt, raking her nails gently against his abs and his chest. "Wanna distract me tonight after the kids are in bed?"

"Gladly."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That night in bed, immediately following their distraction activities, Lorelai was lying on top of Luke. He was combing his fingers through her hair while her lips moved across his chest and neck, alternating between gentle kisses and light suction.

As she moved from one spot on his neck to another, she said, "Don't worry, I'm trying not to bruise you." She was well aware of how much her husband hated visible hickeys.

"You can bruise me all you want," he told her. "Just don't stop doing what you're doing yet."

Lorelai smiled and lifted her head to look at him.

"You stopped," he pointed out.

"Temporarily, to look at your handsome face," Lorelai replied, and she ran her finger along his bottom lip. She stared at him for a few moments, her brow furrowed a bit.

"What?" he prompted her. "Why do you look confused?"

"Well, when someone who has been very adamant about not liking something now suddenly says they're okay with it, that makes me wonder what's going on."

"Nothing's going on. People can change," Luke replied with a shrug. "Life is short. There are more important things in the world to worry about than a bruise, so if my wife wants to do something hot that results in one, then I'm gonna support her."

Lorelai grinned at him, and leaned in closer to press a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you, you know that?"

"I love you, too," he replied.

Lorelai traced some circles against his chest with her finger. "When we get home, we need to square up the rest of the plans for Josh's party."

Luke nodded. "I can't believe he's gonna be three next week."

"Yeah, tell me about it… time flies," Lorelai said.

"Jess said he's gonna try to make it," Luke told her.

"I hope he does." Lorelai ran her hand along his cheek. "I know you guys talk on the phone, but I can tell you miss seeing him."

"Yeah, I do," Luke replied. "But he's doing really good there, so that's what matters."

After he'd graduated the year before, Jess continued working in Stars Hollow for a few months. He saved up his money until he could afford a small place in New York where he could pursue some more writing opportunities.

"We have to see what time we can start setting things up at the Stars Hollow pool. And follow up with Taylor and make sure everything's set for the sundae bar. And – "

"Lorelai, let's talk about this stuff tomorrow, okay?" Luke interrupted. "There are certain things and certain people I'd rather not think about when you're naked on top of me."

Lorelai smiled. "Sorry. You want me to get back to the hot necking stuff, don't ya?"

"Kind of, yeah," Luke replied with a nod, and they shared a smile and a kiss before she moved her lips back down to his neck.

. . . . .

. . . . .

The summer came to an end and the Dragonfly was booked solid for autumn with tourists looking to visit New England during peak foliage periods. Rory began her senior year at Yale, and Paris had them on a well-planned schedule to help make the most of their final year of college.

Over the winter, Sookie and Jackson welcomed baby Martha to their family, and Lorelai visited them at their house when they came home from the hospital. To give Lorelai and Sookie some time to chat, Jackson took Davey out to run some errands.

Lorelai was on the couch cradling Martha in her arms, giving Sookie a chance to eat some of Luke's homemade vegetable soup Lorelai had brought over.

"This is so good," Sookie gushed in between spoonfuls. "That man of yours really does know his way around a kitchen."

"He knows his way around a lot of things," Lorelai replied with a nod. "He's multi-talented."

"Is he home with the kids?" Sookie asked.

"Yup. Feeding them soup as we speak," Lorelai replied. "And then probably changing them out of their soup-soaked clothes because those kids are the messiest eaters known to man and even when wearing a bib, still seem to ruin every outfit they own."

Sookie smiled. "Yeah, we can relate to that."

Lorelai looked down at the baby. "You're gonna show them, right? You're going to be a proper, civilized, clean eater, aren't ya?" She sighed softly and looked at Sookie. "She's so cute, Sookie."

"I know," Sookie replied with relief. "We've lucked out twice now. I don't think we're gonna press our luck anymore."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? You guys are done?"

"Well, I am," Sookie said. "Not sure if Jackson is."

Lorelai cringed a little. "Don't you think you should talk about it?"

"I mentioned it briefly in the delivery room as the baby was coming out," Sookie replied. "Literally… the baby was half out of me. I'm not sure if he heard me."

Lorelai smiled. "Well, you might want to bring it up again at a less distracting time."

"I know, I will," Sookie replied with a nod. "Eventually. I figure I have some time. He knows he's not getting anywhere near me anytime soon."

"Good point."

"But enough about that, fill me in on the inn, what's happening there?"

"Everything's great… the occupancy is good, and Manny's doing an excellent job running the kitchen," Lorelai assured her. "There haven't been any complaints about the food, no issues, nothing for you to worry about. He has everything handled."

"You're not just saying that, right? You would tell me?" Sookie asked her.

"Of course I would tell you," Lorelai replied. "If there was an issue with the kitchen, I would tell you about it so you could tell me how to make it better."

Sookie eyed her for a moment, and then exhaled a deep breath. "Okay. I believe you."

Lorelai smirked. "Thank you."

"Now tell me about you," Sookie said. "How are the kids?"

"Rory's good, she's at school and keeping busy," Lorelai replied. "The little ones are also good, and they're keeping us busy with their ridiculously high levels of energy."

"I bet."

"Livvy's birthday is in a couple of weeks, so we've started talking about what we're going to do for that," Lorelai replied.

Sookie gasped. "Oh, my God! I can't believe she's gonna be two already."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "She is. And she's gonna be a sassy one, I can tell."

Sookie smiled. "I wonder where she gets that from."

Lorelai shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no idea. Oh, and to add to the fun, after months of struggling, Josh has finally come around on the concept of trying to use the bathroom, although trying to limit the amount of times I actually say potty in a day has been harder than anticipated."

"Still hate the word?"

"Still hate the word, but it just keeps slipping into my vernacular, and I don't have the energy to fight it anymore."

"I'm so sorry," Sookie said sympathetically.

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Lorelai said sincerely.

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few weeks later at Friday night dinner, Lorelai and Luke were monitoring the kids in separate areas of the living room while still trying to converse with Emily and Richard.

Lorelai was near the staircase watching over Josh as he played with his toy firetruck, and Luke was standing over Olivia as she played with blocks on the floor. They were each playing nicely at the moment, but both kids had proven their ability to go from saintly to mischievous in a matter of seconds.

"So, have you given any thought as to what you're going to do for Rory's graduation?" Emily asked.

Lorelai's eyes widened, surprised by the question. "Uh, no, not really," she replied.

"Well, your father and I would like to host a party for her," Emily offered, and Richard nodded in agreement.

Lorelai glanced across the room at Luke and they shared a look that clearly indicated they were on the same page. The diner, the inn, and two toddlers were draining them of all of their energy, and Emily would have more time and resources to plan a beautiful party for Rory.

"Um, sure, Mom, Dad, that would be nice," Lorelai finally replied. "Thank you."

Emily grinned. "Wonderful," she said, clasping her hands together. "We should start planning it right away."

"Her graduation is months away," Lorelai reminded them.

"Lorelai, for a party as important as a college graduation, all of the details need to be perfect," Emily told her. "Trust me, we need to start soon so we don't feel rushed and risk having an imperfect party."

Lorelai feigned a gasp of horror. "Oh, my God, an imperfect party, what will society think of us?"

Emily ignored her and looked over at Richard. "You know what, we should try to hold it at the Manor, that would be perfect."

"That would be perfect," Richard agreed.

"I'm not sure how many it holds, so try to get us a guest list as soon as you can," Emily said to Lorelai.

"You know, you might want to ask Rory for that," Lorelai suggested. "She's the guest of honor, she should decide who she wants there."

"Good idea," Emily replied, and she looked down at her watch. "She said she'd be 15 minutes late, so she should be here any minute."

"Oh, Emily, we forgot about the cheese," Richard said, snapping his fingers with disappointment.

"Oh, no, the cheese," Emily said with a sigh.

Lorelai was intrigued and she shot an amused look toward Luke before asking her parents, "Uh, what cheese?"

"Your father and I attended a fundraiser this week and we won this basket of gourmet cheeses that we thought would go perfect with drinks tonight," Emily explained. "And we forgot all about it."

"Well, like I always say, it's never too late for cheese," Lorelai said.

"She does say that," Luke confirmed. "More often than you'd think."

"Honestly, I would even be fine if you served the gourmet cheeses for dinner," Lorelai said.

"She would," Luke added. "Big fan of cheese."

Lorelai smiled at him across the room, amused by his comments.

"Well, Luanna will have to slice it, it could take some time," Emily said.

"We'll wait," Lorelai said with a shrug. "Let's not overthink it anymore, you go request the cheese and we'll hold down the fort in here."

Emily stood up from the couch. "All right, I guess I'll go request the cheese."

"Very good," Richard said.

"Can't wait for that cheese," Lorelai said.

As Emily walked out of the room, Lorelai asked Richard, "So, Dad, while Mom's working on the cheese situation, tell us what's new with you?"

"Oh, well, let's see," Richard replied, folding his hands in his lap. "I've recently started a fascinating book about the Battle of Dunkirk."

"Well, that sounds interesting," Lorelai said.

"And your mother and I have secured our usual house in Nantucket for the month of August," Richard said.

"That'll be relaxing, you and Mom soaking up some rays," Lorelai remarked. "Wear sunscreen."

"I can assure you that we are very conscious of the damaging effects of the sun and take every precaution necessary," Richard said.

"Glad to hear that," Lorelai replied. The doorbell rang, and she glanced toward the foyer. "Oh, that's probably Rory. I'll get it." She quickly walked to the front door and pulled it open, greeting Rory with a smile. "Hey."

"Hi, Mom," Rory said as she walked in. "Are they mad that I'm late?"

"Nope." Lorelai lowered her voice. "But they are going to ask you about a guest list for the graduation party they're offering to throw. Oh, and act really excited about cheese. My fun game for the evening is to see how many times we can say the word cheese."

Rory narrowed her eyes. "Okayyyy," she replied confusedly.

Emily was walking down the hall toward them. "Rory, you're here," she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Grandma, sorry I'm late," Rory said apologetically.

"Let's go get you a drink while we're waiting on the cheese," Emily said.

Rory glanced at Lorelai, whose eyes widened with excitement as she gave her a little nod. "Oh, great, I love cheese," Rory said to Emily. "Cheese is delicious."

Lorelai smiled proudly and followed Emily and Rory to the living room. She immediately noticed that Josh had strayed away from his firetruck and was now sitting with Olivia playing with the blocks.

"Are they okay?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"So far," Luke said, and he nodded toward the couch. "I got 'em, you can sit."

As Rory and Lorelai sat down on the couch, Emily poured Rory a drink. Emily brought it to her, then sat back down next to Richard and explained to Rory their intentions to throw her a graduation party.

"Graduating from Yale is a big deal and deserves to be celebrated right," Emily said. "You have worked very hard throughout your entire school career and you deserve an extravagant party to celebrate your accomplishments."

"With all the gourmet cheese you can eat," Lorelai added.

"Lorelai," Emily warned.

"Well, thank you both, that's really nice of you," Rory said appreciatively. "A party would be great."

"So, we'll need to get your guest list as soon as possible, and I'll come up with suggestions for food and the cake, and you can pick what you like," Emily said.

"Okay, sounds good," Rory said. "Thank you." She took a sip of her drink and exhaled a deep breath. "Thinking about graduation already makes me nervous for what comes next. It's so intimidating not knowing what's going to happen or what the future holds."

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Richard said. "An intelligent, ambitious, talented girl like yourself is not going to have any trouble securing whatever job she has her heart on. The future is yours to create whatever path you want to follow, and you are going to do amazing things."

"I second that completely," Lorelai said, raising her glass with one hand as she rubbed Rory's arm with the other.

"Third," Luke said, picking up his drink from the side table next to him.

Emily smiled and raised her glass. "Fourth."

"Cheers to Rory," Richard said, and with that, they sipped their drinks.

As she lowered her glass, Lorelai glanced toward the doorway. "What's taking so long for that cheese?"

. . . . .

. . . . .

Five Years Later - September 1, 2012

. . . . .

Luke stood at the bottom of the living room staircase staring toward the upper floor. "Liv, let's go, we're gonna be late," Luke called up the stairs. "Are you dressed?"

"Yeah, but I can't find my hat," Olivia called.

Lorelai was sitting on the couch with the phone pressed to her ear listening to Emily ramble on, and she covered the mouthpiece to whisper, "It's hanging on the back of her door."

"Check the hook on the back of your door," Luke called back up the stairs.

A few seconds later, Olivia called back, "Found it!"

When Emily finally paused long enough for Lorelai to get a word in, she said into the phone, "Mom, the earliest we can get there is 5, okay? We have things to do today first." She paused a moment to listen to Emily's response, and then replied, "Yes, that will give us plenty of time to take some family pictures before guests arrive. Remember, they're 7 and 9, they know how to smile nicely and pose for pictures on command. And so do I if properly bribed, so have a wad of cash nearby."

Olivia started charging down the steps, announcing, "I'm ready!" She was dressed in her Stars Hollow little league uniform, complete with matching hat.

Luke smiled when she reached the bottom step, and he helped tuck in the front of her shirt into her uniform pants. "Looks good. Your brother's on the porch, you can both get in the car. We'll be out in a minute."

"Okay."

Luke patted her hat as Olivia headed toward the front door, and then he walked over to Lorelai and tapped his watch. "We have to leave," he whispered.

"Mom, I gotta go, the kids have a game," Lorelai said into the phone, and then she rolled her eyes at Emily's response. "Yes, we'll bathe them before we come. Bye, Mom." She hung up the phone with a groan and then stood up from the couch. "Okay, Coach, ready to go."

They drove to the baseball field and unloaded the car. Luke took the kids to the dugout while Lorelai headed over to the bleachers and took a seat. Shortly after, Luke brought the kids onto the field and started throwing ground balls for them to field. Other kids and parents started to arrive, and soon there was a flurry of activity on the field and in the surrounding areas.

"Lorelai, hey," a voice called, and Lorelai glanced over to see Sookie, Jackson, and the kids walking toward the bleachers.

"Hey, Sookie," Lorelai replied, smiling at them. "Hey Coach Jackson, hey kids. How's your pitching arm, Davey?"

"It's strong," Davey replied, patting his arm. "I was practicing my fastballs this morning."

"We better go warm it up some more," Jackson suggested.

"Good luck, guys," Sookie said, and as the boys headed to the field, Sookie and Martha sat on the bleachers with Lorelai. Martha started playing with the doll she'd brought, and Sookie immediately squeezed Lorelai's knee. "It's your special day! Congratulations again."

Lorelai smiled. "You already gushed about it on the phone this morning, you don't have to do it in person, too."

Sookie giggled. "It's just so exciting. Are you ready for the big shindig?"

"I am, and I hear someone has a beautiful dress they're going to be wearing tonight," Lorelai said, lightly patting Martha's head.

"It's purple and sparkly," Martha replied excitedly.

Lorelai smiled at her. "I bet you're going to look beautiful. I can't wait to see it."

"I still can't believe your mom is letting kids come to the party," Sookie said.

"It's the only way we'd let her throw one, and she was very intent on throwing one," Lorelai said. "We filled the guest list with people we wanted there, so I think it'll be really fun."

"And what's the latest on Rory?" Sookie asked. "Still stuck in Denver?"

"Her flight was delayed, but she should still be here in time," Lorelai replied. "She's landing in Hartford later and going right to my parents' house."

"Good, I'm glad she could make it," Sookie said.

"Me, too." Lorelai glanced over toward the snack stand behind home plate. "Ooh, they're open… who wants some junk food?"

"I do, I do," Martha said, waving her hand in the air. It had become a tradition at every game for Lorelai to take Martha over to the snack stand and let her pick out a treat.

Lorelai reached into her purse for her wallet. "You know, I should be excited to come to these games each week to see my kids play and have fun, and to support my husband as coach, but it's just really hard for those things to live up to the excitement of the extremely reasonably priced snack stand filled with everything my heart desires."

Sookie giggled. "I know. It's hard to compete. You're gonna miss it when the season ends."

Lorelai sighed sadly. "I really am." She climbed to the bottom of the bleachers. "Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks," Sookie replied.

"Okay. Let's go, kiddo," Lorelai said as she took Martha's hand.

Lorelai waved to Kirk behind the dugout as Lulu helped him put on his umpire padding. "Hi, guys," she called. "We'll see you at the party later, right?"

"Yes, we're so excited," Lulu called back.

Lorelai and Martha made their purchases at the snack stand and headed back to the bleachers. Lorelai dropped Martha off with Sookie, and then walked over to the fence near the edge of the dugout.

"Hey, Coach, I need you!" she called, resting her arms against the top railing of the fence.

Luke and Jackson were standing near home plate and they both looked over. Jackson said to Luke, "Pretty sure she means you."

Luke smiled and walked over to the fence. "Let me guess, you need money for the snack stand," he greeted her.

Lorelai grinned. "No, I remembered my wallet this time, thank you," she replied, and then held out her hand. "And I bought you some gum because I'm such a thoughtful wife."

Luke smirked as he took the pack of gum from her. "Thanks." He leaned over the fence to give her a quick kiss, and then he turned and pointed to Olivia out in the field throwing a ball around with Josh and a couple of other teammates. "Look at her. Only girl on the team, younger than everyone else, and has fit in perfectly from the very first day." He looked back at Lorelai. "She gets that from you, you know."

"She is like a little me," Lorelai agreed. "Except more active."

"She's fast, too," Luke said with slightly wide eyes. "She's gonna be good at soccer in the fall."

Lorelai grinned at him. "I love how much that you love that you ended up with a daughter who loves sports just as much as your son does."

Luke laughed. "I don't hate it, that's for sure. Although I'm not so sure that having two kids involved with sports was your dream."

"Well, I don't hate coming to games where there is a truly fantastic snack stand and a handsome coach to stare at," Lorelai replied with a shrug.

Luke smiled. "So, it worked out for both of us."

"Yes, it did." Lorelai leaned over the fence to kiss him. "Have a good game."

"Thanks. See you later."

Lorelai walked back over to the bleachers and chatted with Sookie while they waited for the game to start.

. . . . .

. . . . .

After the game, Lorelai, Sookie, and Martha walked from the bleachers over to stand behind the dugout. The kids slowly trickled out first while Luke and Jackson gathered up the baseball equipment to bring home.

"Mommy, did you see me hit the ball?" Olivia asked excitedly.

"I did, it was amazing," Lorelai gushed, giving her a quick hug. She looked over at Josh beside her. "And you, two hits and that fancy double play thing, very cool." She reached into her purse and pulled out two packs of gummi bears. "Here, from the snack stand."

"Thanks," Josh replied as he took one.

"Thank you," Olivia said as she took the other pack, and then she walked over to talk to Martha.

Josh took off his baseball hat and handed it to Lorelai, and she cringed at his sweaty hair. "Ugh, you need a shower the minute we get home," she said.

"Dad said we could stop at the store for a pack of baseball cards," Josh said as he ripped open his gummi bears.

"Oh, good, because the two hundred you have already at home aren't quite enough," Lorelai jokingly replied.

"Did you bring my book?" Josh asked.

"Oh, yeah, hold on." Lorelai reached into her purse and pulled out a Harry Potter book.

"Thanks," he said, taking it from her. "I'm almost done with this one."

"Okay, we'll go to the library this week and see if they have the next one," Lorelai said.

Olivia ran over and tugged on Lorelai's shirt. "Mommy, can Martha come over to play?"

"Not right now, but you're gonna see her at the party tonight," Lorelai reminded her. "You two can play in your room at Grandma and Grandpa's house."

Luke and Jackson finally walked out of the dugout to join them, carrying bags of baseball equipment. "Ready to go?" Luke asked.

"All set," Lorelai replied. Both families walked to the parking lot, and when they reached their cars, Lorelai smiled at Sookie and Jackson. "We'll see you guys tonight."

"Looking forward to it," Sookie replied, giving them a wave.

Luke loaded the bags into the trunk as Lorelai and the kids got into the car.

When Luke was settled in the driver's seat, Lorelai said, "Liv, Daddy promised Josh he could stop for baseball cards. What should we ask Daddy to get us since we don't collect baseball cards?"

"Umm…" Olivia thought for a moment. "Ice cream?"

Lorelai smiled and glanced over at Luke, who rolled his eyes while he was smiling. "She is a mini you, for sure," he said.

"Ice cream it is!" Lorelai announced to the car, excitedly rubbing her hands together.

"Wait, does that mean I don't get ice cream because I'm getting baseball cards?" Josh asked.

"You can have ice cream, too," Lorelai told him.

"Wait, then he gets two things and I only get one thing," Olivia complained.

Luke exhaled a sigh. "You can get something little at the store, too." He glanced at Lorelai. "Look what you started."

"I believe you started it with the baseball cards," Lorelai pointed out.

Luke turned around to face the kids. "Okay, here's the plan... we'll stop at the store for baseball cards and something for Liv, and then go get ice cream," he told them. "But then we need to get home and get ready for the party. And you both need to be on your best behavior tonight at your grandparents' house, got it?"

"Got it," they both replied in unison.

Luke glanced over at Lorelai. "Got it?" he asked her.

Lorelai smirked. "Yes, got it."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That evening, they arrived at Emily and Richard's house and were immediately shuffled upstairs to get changed into their party clothes.

Lorelai was helping Olivia get dressed in her bedroom while Luke was helping Josh in his. There was a knock on Olivia's bedroom door, and Lorelai called, "Come in."

The door slowly opened, and Rory stuck her head into the room. "I hear I made it just in time for family pictures."

Lorelai and Olivia both smiled, and Olivia ran over to her. "Rory!"

"Hey, Livvy," Rory greeted her with a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Olivia replied. "I got a hit in my baseball game today!"

"That's awesome," Rory replied supportively. "I just passed your Dad and Josh going downstairs, they said it was a good game. I want to hear all about it later, okay?"

Lorelai had walked over to them, patiently waiting her turn to hug Rory. She placed her hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Liv, honey, you can go downstairs with Daddy and Josh, okay?"

"Okay." Olivia walked out of the bedroom.

Lorelai grinned at Rory and stepped closer to hug her. "Perfect timing." They embraced tightly, and Lorelai kissed her on the cheek. "How was your flight?"

"It was good, once it finally took off," Rory replied with an exasperated sigh. "I was supposed to land at 10 am, not 5 pm, I feel like we lost a whole day together."

"You're here now," Lorelai said. "And we still have two whole days to catch up."

"I'm just glad I made it in time. I was so worried I was going to miss the party."

Lorelai hugged her again. "It's so good to see you in person and not on the phone or the computer."

"You, too, Mom," Rory said, hugging her mother tighter.

As Lorelai pulled back, she said, "Okay, listen, tomorrow I want to hear all about your travels and what big stories you have coming up, and I want to know if the guy you interviewed in that Ohio story was as eclectic in person as his answers made him seem on paper."

Rory smiled. "I will give you all the details tomorrow."

"Thank you." Lorelai squeezed Rory's hands. "Tonight, we're going to eat, drink, and watch Grandma and Grandpa host a party that is half Stars Hollow, half social elite, and see if either of their heads explode."

"Sounds good."

They went downstairs, and found Luke and the kids in the living room with Emily, Richard, and the photographer, who was waiting for them to pose for pictures. They took a variety of portraits, some of just Luke and Lorelai, some of just the kids, some of the whole family, some with Emily and Richard. Once that was done, they sat and chatted while they waited for the guests to start arriving.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that evening, the house was full of guests enjoying themselves. Having so many people from Stars Hollow there made the party more fun and comfortable than just being surrounded by Emily and Richard's friends. The party spread from inside the house and into the backyard, where there were tables and chairs set up, and a lot of people were outside enjoying the beautiful September weather.

Lorelai and Luke made the rounds together at the beginning of the party as they greeted the guests, and then started mingling separately. While Lorelai was inside, Luke was outside on the patio with Liz.

"I can't believe how tall Doula's getting," Luke said. "She really shot up over the summer."

"I know," Liz said. "I was thinking the same about Josh and Liv. Man, it's so good to see you guys. And Jess, too… he's doing so great."

Liz, TJ, and Doula had been away for most of the summer on the Renaissance Faire circuit, and had come back just in time for the party. Jess had driven in that morning from New York city to their house, and rode with them to the party from Stars Hollow.

"Yeah, I was just talking to him inside for a while, he told me he's working on book number two," Luke said to Liz, smiling proudly. "Can you believe that?"

"I'm so excited for him," Liz said. "He's doing what he loves."

"I personally think New York is a disgusting cesspool, but it seems to be a really good place for him."

Liz laughed and playfully patted her brother on the arm. "Oh, big brother… once a small-town guy, always a small-town guy."

Inside, Lorelai and Sookie were getting refills at the bar. "Do you think we should check on the kids upstairs?" Sookie asked.

"I'm sure my mother has the maid or someone periodically checking on them," Lorelai replied. "There's no way she'd let anyone upstairs without some sort of monitoring in place." She took a large sip of her wine and then moaned happily. "Ahh, that is good."

Rory and Lane walked over to them. "Patty and Babette just asked me if, when I travel for a few weeks and then go back home to Mark in Rhode Island, if we spend the first 24 hours together in the bedroom, and so I'm going to need the drinks to keep on coming."

Lorelai cringed slightly and glanced past her at Patty and Babette across the room. "They've had a few already themselves and don't seem to be stopping, so I would expect the questions to get even more invasive… heads up."

"I'll be sure to steer clear," Rory replied, and then said to the bartender, "White wine, please."

"Oh, Lorelai, before I forget," Lane said. "The band has a gig next Saturday, can we move the kids' drum lessons to Sunday?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, sure. And actually, Luke was thinking about taking them camping Friday night to Saturday, so that works out good."

"Okay, cool," Lane replied. "Josh said he's starting to learn guitar, too."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, Luke's been teaching him. He tried teaching me, too, that didn't work out so well." She glanced across the room and saw Michel talking with some of Emily's friends. "Look at him, fitting right in with the fancy crowd."

"Yeah, I think he's pretending he doesn't know the rest of us," Sookie said.

Emily and Richard walked over to them. "Lorelai, we're planning to do the cake in about 20 minutes," Emily said. "And I would recommend giving a quick little speech thanking your guests."

"Okay, Mom," Lorelai replied, and then she glanced at Richard. "Love that snazzy bowtie, Dad."

Richard adjusted the tie. "Why, thank you. I thought this special occasion called for a new one."

"Your father was just out in the garage showing Gypsy his antique cars," Emily said.

"And then we couldn't get her to come back in," Richard said. "She's still out there looking at them."

Lorelai smiled. "We'll make sure we collect her before we leave and let her know she can't move in."

Emily glanced across the room, and then patted Richard's arm. "Oh, Richard, we should go talk to the Beaumonts about that new neighbor."

"Oh, yes, we should," Richard agreed, and then said to everyone else, "Excuse us."

Emily and Richard walked away, and the rest of them started migrating away from the bar area. They were chatting in a circle near the fireplace, and a few minutes later, Luke walked over and put his hand on Lorelai's back. "Hey."

Lorelai smiled. "Hi. Haven't seen you in a while."

"I know. You want to go get some air with me outside?" Luke asked.

"I'd love to," Sookie replied with a giggle.

Luke smirked. "I meant my wife, but you can join us if you want."

Sookie was smiling as she shrugged it off. "That's okay. You two go on ahead. It's your special day."

Lorelai set her glass down on a nearby table. Luke took her hand and led her through the house to the front door.

"Too many people out back," he told her.

Lorelai smiled. "You want some alone time with your wife… that's so cute."

Luke smiled and led her halfway down the driveway for some privacy. He put his hands on her waist and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back, moaning softly and contently into the kiss before pulling back from him.

"Are you having a good time?" Lorelai asked him. "It's not as stuffy as a usual party here."

"Yeah, it's actually kind of fun," Luke replied. He glanced toward the house… the windows were all lit up from the lights inside and he could see the party guests moving around. He brought his gaze back to Lorelai. "This is a pretty amazing milestone. I'm kind of glad your mom wanted to throw a party to celebrate it."

Lorelai smiled. "Me, too." She took her left hand in his and ran her thumb over his wedding ring. "Can you believe it's been ten years to the day since we stood in our front yard under that chuppah and said 'I do'?"

"Ten years since I saw you in your wedding dress and you took my breath away," Luke replied.

"Ten years since we danced our first dance to Frank Sinatra."

Luke smiled. "Funny you should mention that." He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped on the screen a few times before a song started playing. "Jess helped me download it to my phone."

As Frank Sinatra's All the Way started playing, Lorelai's lips curved into a surprised smile. "Hon…" she said softly, feeling her eyes start to tear up. "Look at you, being Mr. Romance."

Luke slipped the phone into his chest pocket and held out his hand. "May I?"

Lorelai grinned and placed her hand in his. "You may."

They started slow dancing in the middle of the driveway, temporarily forgetting about the house full of friends and family who had gathered to celebrate their ten-year wedding anniversary.

Luke held her tightly against him and she rested her chin against his shoulder, swaying back and forth in the moonlight. When the song ended, they stood hugging each other for a moment before finally pulling back to look at each other.

"I love you," Lorelai said.

"I love you, too," Luke replied. His tone was soft and his eyes were filled with warmth. "And I love you more every single day, Lorelai."

"I know, I can tell," she replied with a smile. She leaned in to kiss him, and then whispered against his lips, "In case I haven't told you lately, you make me really happy."

"Right back at ya," Luke replied before kissing her deeply.

When they separated, Lorelai glanced toward the house and then back at him. "We should get back inside, but we'll continue this lovefest later... and for the next fifty years."

Luke smiled. "Looking forward to it." He took her hand and they headed toward the house to return to their party.

.

. . . . .

The End

. . . . .

.

Author's Note: I'd originally intended to take this story further, but I don't know how productive my writing will be in the upcoming months, and I don't want the story left hanging open forever. So I'm tentatively calling it the end for now, but if my muse strikes in the future, I will add more.

Thank you all for reading, for your reviews and support, and for coming along with me on this trilogy of stories about Luke, Lorelai, and the life and family I wish they'd had. :)