CHAPTER 38: Valentine's Day

"Luke's"

"Why does everybody and their brother want to come to an inn for Valentine's Day? And why did everyone think that 12:30 in the afternoon and the minutes after were the only times they could call to make a reservation, making me miss my lunch break?" Lorelai sighed, as she edited the reservation book for the third time that afternoon.

Luke opened his mouth to respond, but paused for a second before asking, "Is that rhetorical or am I actually supposed to answer."

"It was rhetorical... I need food." With another sigh, she shifted to whining mode, and Luke smirked, knowing that her bottom lip was probably poking out. "The coffee I had for breakfast is wearing off and I'm getting grouchy."

"Why don't you come to the diner now instead of talking to me on the phone and complaining about how much you want to be at the diner?" He reasoned.

"Because I only have enough time to make this call. In about a minute and a half, I have to meet with the new maid and train her because Mia asked me to since Janie is out today."

Looking around, he took in the slightly busy diner. The lunch rush was heading towards it's end, but it wasn't quite there yet. "Do you want me to bring you something?"

Though he couldn't see her, she bit her lip in contemplation. "Only if it's not busy. I don't want to take you away if you need to be there."

Luke looked at his watch. "I can't get away yet, but it won't be as busy in about 20 minutes. If I cook everything quickly, I can probably be there in a little over half an hour."

"That works perfectly for me," Lorelai spoke brightly, suddenly happy. "I have about a 15-minute break between 1:30 and 1:45, and I can eat then!"

Chuckling at her excitement over something so small, he confirmed, "I'll make sure I get it to you by then, then."

"Thanks, babe. You're the best."

Sure enough, about 40 minutes later at 1:25, Luke marched up the stairs of the inn and entered to see Lorelai standing behind the desk, filling out some sort of form and snacking on what looked like a pack of cookies. "Excuse me. I was looking for my girlfriend. She called me complaining about being starving, but since you've got crackers, there's no way you're her."

Quickly, Lorelai looked up. "Hey!" She exclaimed happily and dropped the cookie onto the wrapper, wiping her hands. "Sorry. I was starting to feel kinda bad and shaky, so I had to get something in me. That was the first cookie though, so you caught me before I stuffed myself."

"Please tell me that is a new pack of cookies and not the old one you have from the movies a few months ago." He frowned.

"Uhhh," She eyed the bag warily as she gazed down at it. Turning it over, she couldn't find a date. "I'm not sure, but they taste fine, so..." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders carelessly.

"Your eating disgusts me."

"And if there's ever a day that it doesn't, I'll be concerned..." Reaching out, she grabbed the bag and looked inside. "Ooo, burger and fries, just what I wanted." With a grin, she pulled out a fry after she stopped digging, popping it in her mouth.

"I figured it was a pretty safe bet since you didnt tell me what you wanted." Luke shrugged

Walking around the desk, she hugged him tightly before pulling back. "Thanks, Luke," she smiled and placed a quick kiss to his lips "I owe you big time."

"I'll add it to the list." He smiled back. Releasing her hips, he looked back at the door. "Well, I guess I better ge-."

"Did you want to join me? I hate that I couldn't come by for lunch to see you longer." She cut him off, her eyes imploring.

Luke knew from the look on her face that it was more than just a question, it was a hopeful question. They hadn't seen as much of each other in the past few days as they wanted. "Do you want me to join you?"

"Will you?"

"Yeah."

Her smile growing even brighter, Lorelai took a hold of his hand and pulled him along behind her. "Come on, I know just the place."

Luke found himself being pulled inside the potting shed to the old couch. "You want to eat in here?" He didn't realize the question came out of his mouth until he heard her start to answer

"Yeah. It's away from everyone, but close enough for me not to have to leave my lunch break early to travel back to the inn." Lorelai dropped the bag on the center cushion and sat next to it, leaning back against the arm to face where he took his seat. "Plus, this couch has never done us wrong, you know?"

His mind flashed back to the night they got together and to the few hot and heavy make out sessions they experienced when Rory wasn't around. "Oh, I know..." he agreed with a smirk. Reaching out, he pulled on her legs, bringing her feet into his lap. Removing her shoes, worked his fingers across her soles and all the way down to her heels.

"Mmmm, that feels nice," Lorelai hummed as she took a bite of her fries. "You cooked me a meal and you're giving me a massage on my break... I think you win my favorite boyfriend of the day award."

Luke snorted a laugh. "What an honor."

"If I were you, I'd sound more excited..." She threw a fry at him. "If you're not careful, you may lose your spot to someone else."

He grabbed the fry from the cushion, and plopped it in his mouth, making her jaw drop. He was about to say something when her eyes grew wide and she jumped up with a scream.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Oh my gosh" she backed away quickly

Luke was scared so bad, his heart felt like it stopped. "Lorelai, what the hell!?" He yelled as he jumped up too, grabbing a hold of her.

She pointed wildly as she spoke frantically. "There's a spider on the couch! It was right next to your head!"

With his heart rate finally coming down, he looked to see the tiny black jumping spider. "You just scared the shit out of me over that spider," He questioned her, his voice laced with disbelief.

"It's so big! Get it out! Get it out!" She took another step back from the couch

Rolling his eyes, Luke reached down and grabbed a napkin from the bag that was now on the floor. "All that over a damn spider," he grumbled as he captured it and took it back outside. He came back in to see Lorelai still eying the couch warily. Shaking his head, he walked over and grabbed her hand. "Sit back down and eat. The spider is gone, and you don't have much time."

Lorelai sat down slowly, still looking around her to make sure there weren't others. She released a loud breath as she grabbed the bag and brought it back to her lap, and Luke brought her feet back to his. "Okay, it's official. You're not boyfriend of the day, you're boyfriend of the year, maybe even the decade."

He chuckled as he watched her hesitantly take a bite of her burger. "If I knew that was all I had to do to win you over, I would have brought a spider in the house a long time ago."

If looks could kill, the glare she shot at him would have done it. Grabbing another fry, she threw it at him again. "And if you ever do, said spider will join you on the couch for a night or two"

Taking in her no-nonsense glare, he raised his hands in surrender and shook his head, "Point taken."

As Lorelai continued to eat, they chatted casually, discussing everything from Rory's latest library pick to the parking dispute between Taylor and Patty's dance studio. Before she knew it, her 15, turned 20, minute lunch break was up. Rising from the couch with a loud groan, she slipped her shoes back on and reached out for Luke, placing a soft kiss to his lips. "Thanks for coming all the way out here and bringing me lunch."

"The whole mile I had to drive to get here was hard. I almost didn't make it," He teased, lacing his fingers through hers.

"I can only imagine the difficulty..." She smiled as she started walking out the door and following the pathway back to the inn. "So, I know you're gonna be home late tonight, but it's not Gilmore Girl movie night without our favorite Danes man... Are you gonna feel up to it, or do you just want us to watch something without you?"

"I wont be tired, but what about Rory? Doesn't she have school in the morning?"

"Yeah, but she doesn't have to watch the whole movie. Just as long as she gets to watch some of it with you there, she'll be happy."

The fact that his presence meant so much to not only Lorelai but Rory as well still brought a smile to his face. "Then go ahead and wait. I'll close as fast as I can..." They made it to the back door where he planted a quick but meaningful kiss on her lips. "Now go work. I'll see you tonight."

Lorelai gave him one last peck. "Thanks again for the lunch date. See you tonight, babe..." She added in with one final squeeze to his hand.

"See you later." After watching her head back inside, he walked around to the front As he was walking to his truck, he heard his name called.

"Lucas!"

Luke turned quickly to see Mia walking towards him. "Hey, Mia."

"It's the middle of the day. What brings you here?"

"Oh, uh, the diner wasn't really full so decided to bring Lorelai some lunch."

She smiled knowingly. "You decided to or Lorelai asked you too?"

Chuckling, he shook his head. "You caught me, she asked me too. She missed her lunch break."

"Again?" Mia frowned. "Im gonna have to talk to her. I hate that she's been so busy this week. I've had some business in Hartford to deal with, so she's been running everything for me…I hope she's not running herself too tired. She's got that gorgeous girl of hers to take care of."

"She seems to be fine... if my opinion means anything," Luke shrugged. "She's a little tired, yeah, but it's nothing she can't handle."

"Well if you say so, then I have to believe it. You can read her better than anyone..." A small smile grew on her face as she took on a mischievous tone in her voice. "Speaking of reading her, you know, Lucas, this Sunday is Valentine's day. Has she dropped any hints for you, son?"

"Mia..." he warned

She raised her hands in surrender. "I'm not meddling, I just wanted to let you know, if you need someone to watch Rory while you to lovebirds have a night out, I'm available. With this crazy week, I'm sure it will be nice for Lorelai to have a night with you."

He thought on it for a second. In his mind, it didn't sound like a bad idea. "That sounds great actually, but she's not my kid to be pawning off."

"Well you talk to Lorelai. A night with Rory every once in a while helps keep me young." She grinned, patting his shoulder. "I'm gonna get inside to try to give Lorelai a break. Let me know what she says."

Shutting the driver's side door of the truck, Luke saw Mia and Rory walking out into yard when he arrived at the house.

Catching sight of him at the same time, Rory gasped. "Daddy Luke!" Releasing Mia's hand, she ran over, her book bag jingling as she moved, and threw herself into a hug. "Hi!"

"Hey, Rory," he smiled, squeezing her back. "Are you ready to spend the night with Mia?"

"Yeah!" She nodded as she answered animatedly, "We're gonna play Candyland and watch The Princess Bride!"

"That sounds great, kid..." Without giving her a reason, Luke stuck out his hand to Rory. Her face immediately crinkled in confusion, making him smile. "Come with me for a second before you leave."

"Okay."

Pulling her along, they walked over to the truck while she questioned, "Daddy Luke, what are we doing?"

Instead of explaining, he opened the passenger door and pulled out a pink and red stuffed bear.

Her hands flying up to her face, Rory gasped, "Is that for me?"

"It is," he nodded as handed it to her. "I know I'm celebrating Valentine's Day with your mom, but I thought you might want something too."

Grabbing it quickly, she squeezed it tightly immediately, then squeezed his leg in another hug. "Thank you, Daddy Luke!"

Unable to help it, he squeezed her back. "You're welcome Rory."

"Can I go show Mommy?" She questioned both adults standing by, her eyes imploring.

"Go ahead, but hurry. I think your mommy and Luke have somewhere to be soon." Mia nodded. Before she could even finish, Rory scrambled back through the yard and up the stairs.

With Rory gone into the house, Mia stepped closer to Luke and looked at him with a grin that made him duck his head. "That was very kind of you."

"Mom used to get stuff like that for me and Liz… I figured Rory might like it." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Chuckling, she agreed. "Well, if you saw the same reaction I did, I think it's safe to say that she did." Growing quiet for a second, she spoke again but more seriously. "We haven't really talked about it in a while, but I just want to let you know that your parents would be proud."

His lips falling into a tight line, Luke tensed. He released a breath slowly as he suddenly became interested in his feet. "I hope so."

Placing a kind hand on his shoulder, she reassured him. "I don't hope, I know, son. Will and Katherine would be happy with how you are now… how you are with Lorelai and Rory."

Clearing his throat, he met her eyes hesitantly. "I wish they could meet them."

Wearing an understand smile, Mia nodded. "They would have loved the girls. Will would have loved Lorelai's humor and Kat would have loved her fierce loyalty to you…" She began as she laughed softly. "And there's no doubt Rory would have them wrapped around her finger like she does you and me, probably even more so."

A grin broke through at her words, and Luke laughed. "I can see that…"

Before she could respond, they were interrupted by the slamming of the front door and the sound of little feet on the steps. "I'm ready!" Rory called as she approached them.

"Alright, say goodbye to Lucas and we'll be on our way, then." Mia smiled.

For the third time since he'd been there, Rory threw her arms around Luke. "By, Daddy Luke! Have fun with Mommy."

"Bye, Rory. I'll see you tomorrow."

After watching them pull away, Luke shook his head to clear it and turned to walk up to the front porch. Walking up the stairs and ringing the door bell, he tugged at his sweater in a last-minute effort to make himself look presentable.

"I still don't know why you insist on picking me up when you already live here..." Lorelai teased as she opened the door, but she quickly stopped. A naughty grin appeared on her face. "You look hot."

Luke couldn't help the cocky smirk that appeared on his face. His eyes trailed her frame as he murmured, "Is that new?"

Looking down at the light pink dress she was wearing, she spun to give him the whole picture. "What? This old thing?"

Shaking his head, he grabbed her by the waist and hauled her up against his body. "You do this every time."

"What?" She questioned as she looked at him with mock innocence.

"You know what..."

Rising on the balls of her feet, she kissed his lips softly. "What can I say, I like to taunt you with my goods."

"Well it's working."

"Mhmmm," Lorelai hummed through the kiss he answered with. Reaching behind her, she laced her fingers through his and pulled back. "Come on. Let's get out of here before I let you change your mind about this date." Not letting go of him, she grabbed her bag and coat and continued talking as they walked down to the truck, "It was nice of Mia to take Rory for the night. It's not every day a girl gets ravished by her man."

"I don't know if you can call this ravishing... it's just dinner," Luke stated plainly, Opening the door for her, he shut it behind her and came back around to the driver seat.

"And "just dinner" is all I want." She countered him as he entered the truck. "It doesn't have to be anything big. I just want a night with you," Smiling wider, she reached over, taking his hand again. "You don't like Valentine's Day anyway."

As he rolled his eyes, he didn't even try to hide his displeasure with the holiday. "Why would I? It's nothing but a con to turn your feelings into profit. All of a sudden, everything you might want to buy for your significant other becomes two times as expensive and two times as cheaply made. Not to mention, restaurants are always running some kind of outrageous deal that looks good but ends up costing you an arm and a leg. And for what? The same kiss at the end of the night that you would receive after any other day?... All I'm saying is that if you really love someone, you should show them without having to have a holiday to tell you to."

"Are you sure that's how you really feel? You don't seem passionate enough," Lorelai teased, her eyebrows raising

Casting his gaze to hers quickly, he saw the light dancing in her eyes and teasing smile laying on her lips. "You know, I could just leave you at home and go to dinner all by myself" grumbled with an immediate frown.

"You could, but you won't," she countered knowingly. "You like me too much."

"I'm not so sure of that at the moment," he mumbled. Taking the turn out of Stars Hollow, they found themselves in silence before Lorelai spoke up again, this time without a teasing tone in her voice

"Hey, Luke?"

"What," he answered plainly, not sparing her a glance.

She laughed softly at his slightly grumpy tone. "No, I'm not teasing..."

He immediately softened a little bit. "Okay...What," he repeated, looking over at her quickly.

Unable to help it, she leaned over and pecked his cheek. "I love you."

The rest of his grumpy facade crumbled quickly as he smiled back. "I love you too."

Unbuckling suddenly, Lorelai slid over to the middle of the seat and immediately re-buckled, setting against his shoulder.

Normally he would yell at her for doing that, but when her arm found its way around his Luke reached around her and pulled her closer. Leaning over quickly but not taking his eyes off the road, he planted a soft kiss to her hair. "Happy Valentine's Day, Lorelai."

Sighing softly, she nuzzled into his neck. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Pulling up into the driveway, Luke turned off the truck and hopped out, going around to open Lorelai's door.

Once her feet hit the ground, she looked up at him with a small smile. "Thanks for the date." She spoke quietly and raised up on the balls of her feet with a small grin. Without notice, he found her lips on his, and they fell into a warm, lingering kiss.

Luke backed her up slowly to the truck door as their kissed deepened. "There's more so don't get too carried away," he murmured, as her lips travelled away from his.

His words took a second to penetrate the cloud of desire that filled her head. Pulling back slowly, she eyed him with a questioning look. "More? What else?"

"You'll find out." Taking her hands in his, he pulled her along behind him and into the house.

"Luke, I said nothing bi-" she started but faltered off as they walked into the candle filled living room to find roaring fire, spread out blankets and piled up pillows, and what looked like supplies for s'mores.

"Don't worry. I'm not trying to burn down the house. I had Sookie come by and set everything up and light the candles and fire about 10 minutes ago."

"The thought didn't even cross my mind," Lorelai answered quietly, stepping into the room. "Luke, this is..."

"If you're going to say it's too much, it's not." He walked up behind her, running his hands up and down her arms.

Turning to him with smile, her arms came to rest around his shoulders as she stepped into his space. "I wasn't... I was gonna say it's perfect. Thank you." Kissing him, she avoided the soft, teasing kisses they normally shared and dove right in.

Taking a moment to get his fill of her, Luke backed her up slowly towards the fire, avoiding the couch easily. Without pulling back, he slipped her jacket from her arms and laid it on the couch. "Come on, lets warm up," he murmured against her lips, in that voice filled with desire that he saved for her.

Breaking the kiss, Lorelai went to sit down, but stopped suddenly. Holding out a finger to him, she kicked off her shoes and stated to rush up the stairs. "Hold that thought."

"Uh, okay."

She wasn't gone long, but when she returned, she was holding a yellow envelope. Noting his narrowed eyes, she plopped down on the blankets and patted the spot beside her to get him to sit. "I got you something, and I want to give it to you before I forget."

"Forget? Why would you f-" Luke started to question her, but her hand, stroking the inseam of his right thigh, caused him to realize. "Oh, right…"

Taking the envelope from her, he opened it up and looked at its contents. Cocking his head at her, he held up the tickets from inside and questioned, "Baseball tickets? Where did you get these?"

"Well, I was talking to Mia about what I wanted to get you, and I thought you might want to go to a baseball game since you haven't gone since we've gotten together." She shrugged. "She mentioned that she had a good friend who has connections to the Red Sox, and apparently, he had tickets for a game against a team called the Yankees that you would want to go to, so he gave them to me for really cheap…" Despite the small smile on his face, she suddenly became nervous. "Is that okay? You are a fan of the Red Sox team, right? Apparently, there's a White Sox team too, but I thought it was the red team that you like. If it's not, I am sure we can do something with the tickets."

Setting the packet to the side, Luke reached out for her and pulled her into his lap. Planting a kiss to her cheek, he smiled at her. "You're rambling…"

"I know," she answered quietly. "Do you like them? Is that the right team?"

"It's the right team…" Grabbing the tickets again, he held up the group of three. "So, since there are three, does that mean you and Rory are going to come with me?"

Looking down bashfully, she nodded. "If you want us to. I know we're not the best sports people, but I thought we could maybe make a family weekend out of it. It's right near our anniversary too, so it's kind of like a combination present for both… I hope you're okay with that."

"That sounds great." Kissing her softly, Luke rested his forehead against hers. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, she exposed the sapphire blue earrings he had given to her that morning that matched the necklace he bought her for Christmas. "And thank you for the earrings again. I love them."

"Good… I'm glad."

Shifting to sit between his legs, she turned and leaned back against him. Falling into comfortable silence, they merely sat and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. After a few minutes, Lorelai looked at the bag of marshmallows resting near her feet. "So," she spoke quietly, "Are those marshmallows there for decoration, or am I allowed to eat one."

Squeezing her side, pushed her forward a little bit, making her laugh. "I know better than to tease you with marshmallows you can't eat… Go ahead and make a s'more. You know you want to."

"Hell yeah, I do," Lorelai smiled. Grabbing the roasting stick that happened to be sitting by the fireplace, she placed the giant marshmallow on the end and roasted it to perfection as she explained, "You know, Luke, I pride myself in being able to make a perfect s'more…"

"I'm sure you do," he smirked with an eye roll. "But you can keep those perfect s'mores to yourself."

Without taking her stick from the fire, Lorelai looked back at him with an arched brow.

Seeing the look on her face, Luke already knew what she wanted to say. Shaking his head, he slumped his shoulders and surrendered. "Fine, I'll try one, but that's the most you're going to get out of me tonight."

"Perfect!" She grinned, talking about his response and the marshmallow she was roasting. Pulling the marshmallow out of the fire, she expertly slid it on to a graham cracker with chocolate laying on it and covered it with another chunk of chocolate and the other cracker she desired. "You see, babe, the key to s'mores is getting the right ratio of chocolate to marshmallow to cracker. Too much of one and not enough of the others makes it taste wrong," she informed him knowingly. Mushing the crackers together, she took a bite of her treat, a soft moan escaping her lips as she chewed.

"Please tell me you don't eat those like that in public," he frowned. Handing her a napkin, he rolled his eyes as she licked her fingers clean instead. "I'm going to have to lock you up to keep you from doing this at the Firelight Festival, aren't I?"

"Lock me up? Kinky…" She countered, flashing him an exaggerated wink. Moving on to another s'more, she held out the second stick resting by the fireplace. "Are you sure you don't want to make your own?"

"I think I'm good," he rolled his eyes. "Just let me know when it's my turn to suffer." Leaning back, he put his arms behind his head and stretched out. With his eyes closed, he listened to her shuffle around, but before he knew it, he was being pulled back up right. "What the hell?" He questioned, his eyes popping open.

Without warning, she brought the snack up and nudged his lips apart, forcing him to begrudgingly take a bite.

Luke grimaced as he chewed. Swallowing, his grimace turned into a frown. "You got that all over my face."

Giggling, she ate the rest of the s'more herself and crawled towards him. "I'm sorry."

Grabbing one of the napkins, he wiped his face "Yeah, right. This is like the night we got together all over again."

She had started to turn back to the fireplace to start another s'more, but at his mention of the night they got together, a naughty grin grew on her face and she looked back at him. "Is it going to have the same results?"

A grin to match hers grew on his lips as he realized her predatory tone. "If you want,"

"I want..." Crawling back over and leaning forward, Lorelai planted her lips to his softly, still tasting the smore on his lips. Pulling back, she hummed and pushed him lightly, making him fall to his back with a quiet "oof." As she moved to straddle his waist, she looked down at him. "I want that, and a little more, if that's okay with you."

His hands immediately fell to her waist; and she made him growl as she wiggled them. "Trust me, that's more than okay."

Walking into the kitchen of the inn the next morning, Lorelai yawned. "Morning Sookie."

"You look tired," Sookie grinned, walking over to her and handing her a coffee cup. "So does that mean you had a good night?"

Hearing the impish tone to her friend's voice, Lorelai shook her head. "It was a great night. For someone who hates Valentine's Day, Luke Danes sure knows how to celebrate it."

Despite the positive answer she gave her, Sookie couldn't help but notice the slight hesitation filling Lorelai's voice. "Did you not have a good time?"

"What do you mean? I just told you it was great…" Lorelai looked at her curiously.

"Yeah, I know that's what you told me, but that less than grand smile on your face and hesitance in your voice tells me otherwise."

Sighing, Lorelai took a seat on a stool and traced the rim of her mug. "I really did have an amazing time. The date was wonderful, the fire and the s'mores were so unexpected, and Luke was perfect."

"But…" Sookie dragged out the word, hoping she would give her more.

Taking a deep breath before speaking, Lorelai answered quietly. "But he didn't propose." Avoiding Sookie's wide eyes, she looked down into her mug and chugged her drink.

Dropping the spoon she had just picked up on to the floor, Sookie quickly turned the burner down on the stove and walked over. 'Did you just say what I think you said?"

"Yes… I said, he didn't propose."

"Oh, Lorelai," She sighed at the frown on her friend's face. Grabbing Lorelai's arm, she pulled her with her into the pantry and made her sit down on the stool. Standing in front of her, she looked her straight in the eye. "Tell me everything."

Thinking back on the end of their night, Lorelai began to explain…

Valentine's Day Night

The sound of their labored breathing combined with the crackling of the roaring fire to fill the room. "I can't believe you were able to distract me from s'mores." She smiled, looking down at Luke from where she still rested on top of him. Sliding off of him, she immediately found his arm around her and curled into his side, nuzzling his neck as she came to rest.

"I guess I just have better things to offer than chocolate and marshmallows," Luke chuckled softly. Stroking up and down her back, he continued. "So this was good? The date?"

"It was better than good," Lorelai whispered, planting a kiss to his chest. "You never cease to amaze me with how great you are at celebrating. For someone who hates holidays, you sure are good at them."

"I think it's just you," he admitted. Leaning his head up, he planted another kiss to her lips before whispering. "I love you."

Unable to hide the smile from her face, Lorelai burrowed deeper into him. "I love you too." While the room fell into almost silence, Lorelai rested her eyes and noted how Luke's breathing began to even out. Chuckling softly, she allowed herself to drift off too, and as she laid there, that feeling from the morning she witnessed Luke and Rory cooking together reappeared. Too worn out to stop it, she let her mind run freely.

On the verge of sleep, realization shot through her. Suddenly, she darted upright, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my gosh," she whispered loudly into the room.

Stirring from his sleep, Luke's grip on her hip tightened. "Okay?" He murmured out, barely conscious.

"I'm fine… it was just a dream that woke me up," she lied.

"M'kay."

Laying back down, Lorelai rubbed a soothing hand over his abdomen, stroking softly in circles til his breathing re-evened out. "I'm glad you're getting some sleep," she whispered, "Because Heaven knows that I'm not going to."

"Sook, do you know what that realization was? I realized that what I was feeling was contentment. I've never felt that before in my life, but somehow, Luke has me feeling that…I'm content with Luke," Lorelai explained. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at her left hand and wiggled her ring finger. "I want to marry Luke… And I finally realized last night that I want it sooner rather than later."

"Lorelai..." Sookie sighed at the frown on her friend's face. "Didn't you say you wanted him to wait?"

"Yes. I'm the one that told him to wait a while...so why am bothered that he did."

"Maybe it's because he's so good at reading your mind and knowing what you want before you do. You are feeling like he should have known."

Laughing shortly, Lorelai shook her head. "Do you know how crazy that makes me sound?"

"Luke's been telling you on the daily that you are," Sookie grinned at Lorelai's eye roll, "But as good as Luke is at knowing you, you know he wouldn't risk making the wrong call on marriage. It's a bit more serious than knowing what you're craving for breakfast."

"You're right…" Standing up, she walked over and grabbed a cookie from the jar on the shelf. Taking a bite, she thought on her own words for a second before continuing. "I guess I would be okay with waiting, but, Sook, now I'm afraid he's going to think I'm not ready for a long time."

"He probably will," Sookie reasoned, "But that's okay because that means he listened to you when you talked about waiting for marriage the first time... If you're really ready, then talk to him."

"I dont want to do that." Lorelai answered her quickly with a shake of her head. "Him proposing is the one thing I want to be a surprise."

Bringing her finger to her lips, Sookie contemplated Lorelai's words for a second before she shrugged. "Well, Luke's a pretty perceptive guy... compared to the rest of the male species at least. Maybe you can drop some hints and he'll pick up on them."

"Hints like what?"

"I dont know. Leave wedding magazines out on the coffee table or something."

"I guess I could do that...I don't know. I'll think of something." Grabbing another cookie, Lorelai walked out and took now empty mug in the sink and turned to leave. "Thanks for listening, Sookie. I've gotta get back to the desk."

"Anytime, Lorelai."

Early the following morning, the bells above the diner door rang, and to Luke's surprise, Sookie walked up to the counter. Dropping the rag he was holding, he cocked his head at her. "Uh, hey, Sookie. Aren't you usually at work by now?"

"Hey Luke. I just wanted to stop by here before I went in," she greeted with a wave of her hand. "Can we talk a minute."

"Um, sure… Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… Everything's fine." Not sure whether she should really be doing this or not, Sookie thought on it for a second, but quickly decided to continue. "I wanted to talk to you about Lorelai…but it's probably better if we…" She faltered off, nodding to the curtain.

"Okay…" After letting Caesar know he would be back, he turned awkwardly back to Sookie and cleared his throat. "Uh, okay. Let's go." Uneasily, Luke walked up to the apartment with Sookie following behind him, and as he closed the door, she took a seat at the kitchen table. Leaning back against the door, he crossed his arms. "So, what's going on?"

Suddenly unsure of herself, Sookie spoke nervously, "Ummm, well, I'm really not sure I should be telling you this, but I thought you might want to know."

"Tell me what? What's going on with Lorelai?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Well…just in case you weren't going to pick up the signs, I thought I'd let you know that Lorelai wants you to propose..." She spoke quickly, trying to get it all out before she could second guess herself.

His eyes widening, Luke froze in place. "What?" Remembering the conversations he and Lorelai had a few months earlier and after, his mind whirled as he tried to figure out if there was a time after that she had told him she wanted a proposal sooner.

"You heard me..."

Taking his cap off, he ran his fingers through is hair. "Oh my g-...You're kidding?"

Shaking her head, Sookie confirmed what she said. "Nope. She's ready... Apparently that's why she was a little distant yesterday morning, if you noticed... She didn't know how to tell you."

"I thought she wanted to wait," Luke continued on his own train of thought, not really paying attention to Sookie's answer. "I mean, she said she would say yes if I asked, but she also said that she wanted to wait a while. Does wait mean something different when women say it? Because wait, in my mind, means I need to hold off a while. It doesn't mean that I should propose less than two months after we talked."

"Luke," Sookie called out forcefully, pulling him abruptly from his rant. "She wasn't ready when you guys talked, but now she is. Yes, it's a little sooner than expected, but you know Lorelai. Sometimes things just click with her out of no where, and other times it takes a lot of thinking and convincing. Apparently marrying you just clicked"

Sighing, he nodded. "You're right. She's like that sometimes..." Looking around aimlessly for a second, he finally focused back on Sookie. "So, you're really not joking? She told you she was ready?"

Trying to keep her lips from perking up, she answered quickly. "Yep. 100% ready when you are."

"Okay...I guess I need to think about the proposal…"

At the sound of the word proposal, Sookie jumped up with a gasp, "Oh, this is so exciting! You and Lorelai are going to get married!" Running over, she wrapped Luke in a hug

"Woah... calm down, Sookie." He chuckled. "I haven't even asked her yet."

Despite his response, her excitement level didn't change. "I know! But it's still so exciting! My best friend is getting married..." Almost in midair, Sookie stopped jumping for a second before she pointed at him quickly. "Don't worry, I won't mention a thing to anyone!"

"Thanks."

Realizing she was still in his personal space she took a step back with a laugh, but didn't stop talking, "So now all you have to do is get the ring and plan the proposal, right?"

"Actually, I already have the ring..." He revealed quietly.

Gasping, her hand came to rest over her mouth.

Chuckling shortly at Sookie's extravagant reaction, Luke walked over to the safe, unlocked it, and pulled out the velvet box. "The diamonds in it were my mom's. I got them reset in a ring when I went to get her necklace for Christmas."

"Oh, Luke! It's beautiful!" Sookie spoke as breathlessly as she looked at the simple, silver band with the large, round cut diamond. Surrounding the middle diamond on each side sat two smaller diamonds.

"You think?" He asked hesitantly

"Oh, I know," she smiled. "Luke, she is going to love it!"

Releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding, Luke shut the box and took it back to the safe. "And you're absolutely sure that she's ready, Sookie?" He questioned one more time.

"I am… That's what she told me yesterday, so unless she has changed her mind, she's 100% ready for you."

Hearing the final confirmation, Luke couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. Clapping his hands together in front of him, he released his breath in a whoosh. "Okay... I guess I better get planning."

A/N: ONE YEAR! It's been a whole year (TO THE DAY) since I started this story, y'all. I've actually had this chapter ready to post for a few days now, but I thought it would be cool to post this today, especially considering the big revelation that happened in the chapter...I can't believe this has gone on as long as it has, and I couldn't be more thankful. Whether you just started reading it or have been with me from the beginning, I am thankful for each and every one of you.

XOXO S