Chapter 41: Not Yours, Ours

"Alright, you remember the rule, right hon?" Lorelai spoke nonchalantly as they passed another group of townies walking to the diner before taking her to school.

"You and Daddy getting married is a secret until you see Miss Patty. She gets first bibs." Rory answered, reciting the words her mom had told her just before they left the house.

Laughing, Lorelai squeezed the hand of Rory's that she was holding. "Dibs, not bibs, but yes. So, we don't need to say anything about the ring that is in my pocket."

"Okay." Marching up the steps, she opened the door and ran straight into Luke who was walking by. "Hi, Daddy!" She called immediately, giggling as Luke stumbled and caught himself.

Regaining his balance, turned to see her smiling up at him. "Hey, Rory," He answered, unable to keep a smile of his face at hearing her new name for him. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Mhmmm! Can I have eggs and bacon today?" She looked up at him expectantly.

"And orange juice to drink?" He questioned.

"With a bendy straw!" She bartered, plopping into a chair at the nearest empty table

"You got it." Agreeing to her terms, he turned away leaving Lorelai high and dry

Returning a minute or so later with drinks, Luke found Lorelai frowning at him. Reaching over, he sat the cup of orange juice in front of Rory and coffee mug in front of her. "What?"

"What am I, chopped liver?" She groused teasingly, turning her lips up as she plopped into the seat across from Rory.

"I don't normally have to ask you, what you want." Planting a quick kiss to her lips, he smirked. "You'll yell it out to me from across the room before I bring you the wrong thing anyway"

Rolling her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at him. "It's true... But you just think you're so smart."

"When it comes to you, nothing surprises me anymore."

"Would it surprise you if I wanted oatmeal this morning?"

As he pulled the order pad out of his jeans, her words caused him to freeze. "Really?"

"Yeah..." she smirked. "I want oatmeal, but replace the oat and the meal with pancakes, eggs, and bacon."

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe I'll just conveniently forget your replacements and bring you the real thing... I'll be back in a few."

Rising on her knees, Rory leaned over the table and cupped her hands aroumd her mouth. "Mommy am I gonna have to keep this a secret all day?" She whispered. "I'm really excited!"

Smiling, Lorelai leaned forward and followed Rory's motions. "I sure hope not, hon. Maybe if Miss Patty doesn't come in, we'll walk to the studio and tell her."

"Can we do it on the way to school?" She questioned her mother hopefully.

"If I can convince Luke to come with us, you bet. It may take some extra Rory eyes, so be ready."

Appearing suddenly at the side of the table, Luke made them both jump as he bent down and spoke quietly, "What are we whispering about?"

Giggling, Rory leaned over to Luke's ear. "Mommy says I can't talk about you getting married because Miss Patty has first dibs. We have to whisper so no one knows."

"Ahhh, gotcha," He murmured back. Standing up, he looked at Lorelai with a smirk. "You know, considering you normally don't have any concern over how loud you are most days, whispering in here just makes people know that there is something going on."

"And if they ask, I'll tell them to mind their own dang business." At his arched brow, she shrugged. "What, your grumpiness has worn off on me. What can I say?"

"Well, I'm glad it has, because it really isn't any of their damn business." He smiled. Turning to Rory, he questioned, "I forgot to ask, Rory, did you want scrambled eggs or fried eggs?"

"Can I get scrambled? I want to put ketchup on them." She informed him, laughing at his frown.

Looking over to Lorelai, he rolled his eyes. "She thinks most fruits and vegetables are gross, but she likes ketchup on her eggs…You are raising a kid with some strange eating habits."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She smiled, flipping out a careless hand. "I think their just fine. Everyone knows ketchup is ten times better than anything green or leafy."

"Apparently everyone but me, apparently." Shaking his head, he squeezed her hand. "I'm gonna go put that order in. Behave yourself while I'm gone."

"Never," she answered, smiling at his scowl he shot back to her.

As they stood up from their table 20 minutes, Lorelai helped Rory put her coat on. As she slipped her left arm into the sleeve, Lorelai looked over Rory's shoulder to see Patty standing out on the porch of her studio indulging in her morning cigarette.

As Luke walked over to see them out, she grabbed on to his hand. "Hey, Luke?"

Hearing the tone in her voice, he responded with a hesitant, "Yeah?"

Lacing her fingers through his, she turned on her best flirtatious tone. "Do you want to be the best person ever and walk with Rory and me to the school today?"

Sighing, he cocked his head at her wearing a knowing look. "Why would I want to do that?'

"Just because… It doesn't seem too busy in here. I'm sure Caesar could watch the place for a few minutes while you walk with us." Noticeably, she jilted her head towards the window in the direction of the studio.

"The school's not even five minutes away. I'm pretty sure you can make it without me."

"Well, considering that the path to school passes in front of a certain someone's place of business, I thought it might be nice for you to come so that we can tell that certain someone that situation you were telling me about last night." She stressed each "someone", hoping he'd take the hint.

"Someone? Who the hell is…Oh…" Seeing her smile and feeling her run her bare left-hand fingers back and forth through his, he knew immediately what she was implying. "Uh yeah, sure. Just let me tell the kitchen and I'll meet you on the steps."

As soon as the door shut behind Luke, Lorelai spoke dramatically as she nudged Luke's side. "Oh, wow. Is that Miss Patty? I wonder if anyone has any news to share with her."

Looking over to the porch, Luke saw Patty looking at him expectantly as they walked towards her on the sidewalk. "Nope. I can't think of anything." He teased. Feeling Lorelai slap his shoulder, he chuckled, sliding his arm around her and pulling her close. "Yes, there's news. But why don't we let Rory tell her? She looks pretty excited."

As she had been on the walk her, Rory was skipping circles happily around. Hearing Luke's question, she stopped immediately and gasped. "Can I tell her, mommy?!"

Seeing the eagerness in her eyes, Lorelai smiled. "Sure, why not."

"Yay!" Scrambling from in between them, she dropped their hands and ran over and up the steps of the studio. "Hi, Miss Patty!"

"Well, hello dear. You seem awful happy this morning." The older lady grinned

"I am! I'm excited!"

"Is it a special day at school today?"

"No! Mommy is getting married! Daddy asked her to marry him!" She explained giddily, bouncing from foot to foot.

Placing her cigarette in the tray beside her, Patty's eyes widened. "He actually did it." Looking up from Rory to see Luke and Lorelai at the bottom of the stairs, she observed the couple. "I don't see a ring, Lorelai."

Smiling, she reached in her pocket and pulled out the ring, handing it to Luke. "Here, you can have the honor of doing it twice, babe."

Slipping it on the finger, Luke laced his fingers through hers and looked up at Patty. "There you go. You saw it firsthand. Go crazy."

"You dont have to tell me twice," Patty cackled. "Congratulations you three, I'll have everyone knocking at your door within the next hour."

All three of them watched as she scrambled off for the phone. As she had going up them, Rory came bounding back down the stairs.

"It's not a secret now?" She questioned hopefully. "Can I tell Lane at school!"

Looking over at Luke, Lorelai shrugged. "What do you think babe?" At his nod, she smiled and turned back to Rory. "You saw the nod, sweets. We say go for it."

"Okay! Let's go!" Bouncing around in front of them, Rory took off in the direction of the school. Laughing, Luke and Lorelai followed slowly behind.

"Who would have thought she would be just as excited, if not more, than we are," Luke chuckled, watching Rory dance around in front of them.

Smiling, Lorelai burrowed further into his embrace. "I get it…She gets to wear a pretty dress and gains a dad for life. What more could a girl ask for?"

Reaching the end of the sidewalk, Rory turned around and waved her arms dramatically. "Come on slow pokes! I don't have all day!"

"Come on, we better walk faster," Lorelai laughed. "She might explode if she has to wait much longer."

"Alright, here's the plan," Sookie directed, looking in the diner windows to see what tables were available. "I'll go in and snag us a big table while you talk with everyone who undoubtedly will want to see the ring. Once you're done, we'll order our food, and the wedding planning will commence."

"Sounds like you're ready for this, Sook." Lorelai laughed. Grabbing her arm, she pulled her with her up the diner steps. "Just make sure you etch in some time for me to make googly eyes at my man. He's looking extra fine today."

"Oh, of course, that's already included in the time that people are gonna ask to see the ring."

Dropping her coat off at a chair, Lorelai smiled at her friend. "You know me so well."

Shrugging, Sookie waggled her eyebrows. "What can I say, I'm not the BFOTB for no reason."

"Lorelai," Babette called loudly as soon as Lorelai made a move towards the counter.

Stopping at once, she turned to see Babette and Patty looking at her with knowing grins. "Hi, Babette. Hi, Patty." She answered courteously with a small wave.

Waving her arm in invitation, the older lady cackled. "Get your lucky ass over her and show me the ring. I can't believe you were able to snag Luke once and for all. You've made all of us old broads jealous."

Shooting a grin to Luke, who rolled his eyes, she walked over and held out her hand.

"Gah, is just so beautiful, isn't it Patty?"

"Just gorgeous." Miss Patty cooed in agreement. "Almost as gorgeous as the man who put it there."

"Almost," Lorelai laughed as she played along, knowing Luke was listening in. "These diamonds don't compare to what's hiding under that flannel of his."

"Lorelai!" He growled from across the room, throwing them all into a fit of giggles.

"What? It's the truth" She shrugged. "You're hot, babe. You've just got to learn to accept it."

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. "I'm going to the kitchen."

As he departed, Lorelai smiled. "Thank you, ladies. That round of teasing was very fun. If you don't mind, I'm gonna run over to my table. Sookie and I have some planning to do."

"Oh, you go on sweet heart. Just remember we're expecting a good table at the reception." Patty waved her off.

"Of course. Right next to the bar," She laughed. Walking over to take her seat across from Sookie, she sat down in front of the stack of magazines she had already put out. "Alright, I got past the gossip mill and no one else in this room seems remotely interested in talking to me. Are you ready for this?"

"You know I am!" Clapping excitedly, Sookie opened a notebook and grabbed a sparkly pink pen. "So, what are your initial thoughts about your wedding?"

"Well, it should be legal," Lorelai teased.

"L-e-g-a-l." Sookie spelled the word out loud as she wrote it down, making Lorelai laugh. "Good. Okay, and after that?"

"After that, I'm out. I have no ideas," she shrugged.

"Okay, boring! I got it… How about a church wedding?"

Thinking on it for a second, Lorelai tossed her eyes up to the ceiling before shaking her head. "Maybe… I don't know."

"Ooo! A beach wedding, huh? No shoes. Luke can wear shorts…" Sookie faltered off..

"No." Smiling, she looked over at Luke as he walked by. "But I want to be with you when you pitch the shorts idea to Luke."

"Okay… Well, we don't have to decide the venue yet. Let's move on." Opening the magazine across the table from her, Sookie pointed to a few dresses. "I think any of these would look good on you. Any thoughts on the dress?"

"There should be one."

"Okay, doing great here…"

Before she could ask anymore questions, Luke came up to the table with his order pad out. "Are you guys gonna order?"

"Why, do you want to make me something," Lorelai teased, leaning back in her chair. "If you want, you can bring me the largest cup of coffee of all time." At this frown, she laughed. "Or my special mug will do."

"Is that all? It doesn't look like you're gonna eat anything." He stated.

"Oh my gosh." Her jaw dropping, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You want our table, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah… If you haven't noticed, we're swamped." He answered, gesturing to the busy dining room.

"Luke, I'm your fiancée." Lorelai spoke smoothly, reaching out and taking his hand. "That doesn't buy me a little extra time? I'm using it to plan our wedding."

"Well plan it at the counter."

"You want a counter planned wedding? Seriously?"

Opening his mouth to answer, Caesar called out a loud, "order up," and cut him off. "Coming right up." Luke called back. Looking back at Lorelai, he shook his head. "Forget I said anything."

Watching him walk away, Lorelai almost didn't hear Sookie start questioning her again.

"Hey! That's a pretty dress… It's white. You want to wear white, right?"

"Ummm, maybe. I'm not sure," She shrugged, her eyes moving over the choices of dresses that had been placed in front of her. "White is just so… white, you know?"

"So you do or don't want to wear white?"

Overhearing the question as he walked by, Luke stopped in his tracks and turned back to the table. "Of course you're gonna wear white. Brides wear white. That's the rule."

"Says who?" Lorelai countered, arching a brow at him.

"Well, uh, you have to wear white. My mother wore white. Her mother wore white. I'm sure her mother's mother wore white."

"Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke," Sookie interrupted loudly, holding her palm out in front of his face. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're Sookie," He answered plainly. At her frown, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Am I supposed to have a different answer to that question?"

"Today you are. I'm not just Sookie. I'm Sookie BFOTB." She explained poking his chest. "Best Friend of the Bride. It's my responsibility to help plan this event, to talk through all the details, to taste the cake and pick the invitations, and to keep you, the fiancé of the bride, from having to pretend to be interest in things he has no interest in."

"I have an int…" He countered, raising his voice, but she cut him off.

"No you don't!"

"I have an interest, Sookie!"

"But I'm BFOTB! It's not your responsibility!"

"Luke, the turkey melt is up," Caesar called out again, effectively interrupting them for a second time.

Frustrated, Luke ran his hands over his face and sighed. "You know what? Fine. Have fun planning. I've got work to do."

As they continued to plan, or at least Sookie continued to try to plan while Lorelai got more and more confused, occasional visitors to the table would interrupt asking to see the ring, how the proposal happened, and pretty much every other question the human mind could think of. While answering everyone, Lorelai could see the aggravation on Luke's face as the crowd at the diner never seemed to calm down as a result.

"Hey, Sook," Lorelai spoke up, not taking her eyes off Luke, who was intensely scrubbing at the counter.

"Yeah? She answered, looking up from the magazine in front of her.

"I'll be back in a few. I'm gonna take a break to go see my man." Sliding out of her seat, she sauntered up to the counter with a big grin. "Has the crowd gotten to you yet? Am I going to be the only person not thrown out of the diner within the next hour?"

"I might throw you out with them. Then this place would actually be quiet." He answered nonchalantly, Then this place would actually be quiet."

"Haha." Taking a sip of the coffee that had found its way in front of her, she looked up at him with knowing eyes. "You must not hate it too much, because word on the street is that you gave everyone free coffee after I left this morning."

Shrugging, he tried to play it off, but the grin Lorelai wore on her lips caused one to quickly rise on his. "What can I say? We had something worth celebrating." Leaning back against the counter across from her, he watched her for a moment before clearing his throat. "So... uh, were you serious about that whole planning thing?"

Since she had just lifted her mug to her lips, she was unable to answer him but arched a brow in question.

"Are you and Sookie really planning on doing the whole thing yourselves?"

Realizing his question, she swallowed quickly. "Uh, yeah. I guess. I need someone to plan it with, and I figured doing it with her would be cheaper than hiring a planner. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's fine," He answered, looking back down at the counter and wiping it again. "I was just checking. I thought people usually talked to professionals about this stuff too and I didn't know if you were going to do that."

Unable to help it, she narrowed her eyes at him. Part of her wasn't buying his explanation, but she also knew she wouldn't get anything out of him in public. "Okay… Well, I guess I'm gonna go back with Sookie, but make sure to walk by every once in a while." At his curious look, she grinned mischievously. "I like looking at ya."

Rolling his eyes, he leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Behave and try to use your eyes only. I'd rather not have a repeat of dropping plates on the floor because you can't keep your hands to yourself when I walk by."

Returning his kiss, she slid from the stool, her grin still wide. "I make no promises."

Later that week, the newness of the engagement had finally died down some, much to Lorelai's dismay but Luke's happiness. At this moment, unlike the rest of the week, they could finally walk through the town without being stopped every five feet for questions.

"Isn't it such a nice night for a stroll through the square," Lorelai questioned dreamily, holding Rory's hand on one side of her and Luke's on the other.

"It would be if you weren't dragging me to a meeting," Luke groused, rolling his eyes. "Who schedules a town meeting on a Friday night anyway? I can think of a thousand better things to do with my time than listen to Taylor ramble on and on about town parking laws."

"Oh can in, Grumpzilla," She retorted, squeezing his hand. "This is the first meeting you've gone to in over a month. I think you can handle this for a little while."

Rollig his eyes at her, a smirk rose on his lips. "Grumpzilla?"

Shrugging, she smiled. "I figured Señor Grouchy Pants was getting old. It's time for something new."

"And you chose Grumpzilla?"

"I think that's a funny name, Daddy," Rory spoke up happily, looking up at Lorelai with a grin.

"Well, if you like it, hon, I think we'll keep using it," Lorelai agreed. Looking up at Luke again, she noted his frown and laughed. "What? You don't like your new nickname?"

"I prefer the name Luke, if you don't mind." He deadpanned. "Since it is actually my name."

"Actually, your name is really Lucas. I can always start calling you that if you'd like." She grinned, refusing to cower under his glare.

"You're maddening."

Reaching the studio, he found the door already closed and frowned. "I thought you said the meeting started at 6:30."

"Well," She drug out the word dramatically. "It may have started at 6:00 but we really needed snacks. Taylor said tonight's could be a long one, so I wanted to make sure we were prepared."

"Lorelai," Luke sighed, rolling his eyes.

"What? Rory and I got some carrot sticks for you," She answered, gesturing to the food bag Rory was carrying on her back.

Holding up a hand, he shook his head. "I don't need to see. All I'm saying is that Taylor better not say one word about us being late unless he wants to find that bag of carrots flying at his face."

Opening the door quietly, Luke led them into the studio where they found three open seats in the back.

"All those who think Andrew was in the wrong, arms raised." Taylor called from the podium, and several people raised their hands. "Alright, and all those who think that Gypsy was at fault, arms raised." This time even more hands went up. "The majority rules." He commanded, banging his gavel at the verdict. "Gypsy is at fault for the fender bender outside the Stars Hollow Garden Center and shall be responsible for all said damages."

Sitting down in a huff, Gypsy yelled, "Ha! We have got to get a courthouse in this town!"

"Looks like we're here just in time," Lorelai whispered happily as she unzipped the snack bag. "It sounds like this meeting is going to be a good one."

"All right, let's move on to the next order of business for the night… Hmmm," Taylor called, examining the list of topics in front of him. "Oh, yes, a very serious matter has been brought to my attention, and I would like to bring to the floor for discussion the possible negative ramifications of the inn desk manager and diner owner uniting in marriage."

Gasping, Lorelai froze before she could pop an Oreo into her mouth. "That's us!"

Gripping the chair he was sitting in angrily, Luke frowned. "Their talking about us!"

"Now, as you all know, the wedding some of us have feared for some time has emerged, and we need to carefully consider whether or not we can support this," Taylor rambled on, oblivious to the obvious objection by the couple in question.

"Oh my gosh," Lorelai whispered as Luke yelled, "We're sitting right here, Taylor!"

"Yes, we see you, Luke, and as a member of the town, you are welcome to voice your opinion."

"Voice my…"

Banging the gavel, cutting him off, Taylor continued loudly. "I open the floor up for discussion." As the crown murmured amongst themselves and a few hands raised, Taylor shook his head. "All right, I'll start. As everyone knows, this wedding could have serious economic consequences for this town. Each business in this community would no doubt prefer to provide the services for the marriage ceremony but seeing as though we assume the couple's budget wouldn't allow for such things, there is no way to ensure that Stars Hollow business would get an equal cut of revenue generated from this event."

"What the hell is he talking about," Luke exclaimed to Lorelai in disbelief.

"Well, apparently he's not happy with our engagement unless it benefits town business."

Rambling on, Taylor's voice grew louder as the murmurings of the room increased. "Think of the consequences, people! What will happen if some businesses generate 15% of the revenue while others generate a measly 3%. This whole town could go into anarchy. Think of the riots. Since it could be bad for the economy, that means this marriage could be bad for the town, so I vote against the engagement."

"Vote against the… what the hell, Taylor!" Luke yelled, jumping up from his chair.

Being the only person truly listening to Taylor's words, Kirk turned back to Luke. "You know, he's probably right Luke. If the…" At Luke's glare, Kirk cowered back into his seat. "Never mind."

"I think you're overreactin', Taylor," Babette yelled out above the noise of the crowd. "I'm sure all the businesses and stuff will just be happy to see those two getting' married. Who cares about the money."

"Who cares about the money?" He scoffed in response. "Babette, need I remind you that if some stores don't get enough revenue, they could shut down? Town business normally booms with town events. We can allow this wedding to destroy that progress."

"Gosh, this sounds awful," Lorelai spoke just loud enough for Luke to hear her. Tugging on his hand, she got him to look down at her. "What if our wedding kills the town economy? Maybe he has a point."

Dropping back in his seat quickly, he took her hands in his. "No, they don't have a point."

"But how do you know that?'

Staring at her for a second, he shook his head. Unable to help it, he jumped back up and yelled over the crowed, quietening them all at once. "This is crazy! I don't believe that our wedding alone will damage the economy of this town!"

"Well, lucky for you, Luke, I brought charts," Taylor smirked, sliding this posters from behind him.

"You have charts concerning a wedding that hasn't even happened yet? Where the hell could you even get those numbers?"

Holding them up for the town, Taylor pointed to the various line graphs and maps he'd created. Before he could even begin to elaborate, Babette spoke up again. "I think your map's a little off Taylor! There's no way Luke would spend more money at Doose's than at Tim's Butcher shop. I think you're just dreamin'"

"Okay, that's it, I've heard enough." Fed up, Luke stormed up to the stage and yanked the posters out from Taylors hands and turns back to the crowd. "This is my relationship and engagement! Mine, not yours, not yours, not yours!" Turning to Lorelai, he pointed, "Yours!" Throwing the posters to the ground, he looked back to the podium and continued. "But it's sure as hell not yours, Taylor!"

"Yeah!" Turning to the back of the room, Luke saw Rory standing on her chair, her tiny fist raised. "Daddy and Mommy are getting married, Taylor!" She yelled.

Unable to help it, Lorelai broke out into laughter. "You tell em sweets!"

"Luke, you might need to go back their and control your girls." Taylor spoke haughtily, smirking at Luke's tense demeanor.

"And you might want to control yourself before you that gave find's itself being banged on another shiny surface." Luke countered, gesturing to his head.

Rolling his eyes, Taylor refuse to let up. "Fine, but I have to inform you, in the event that the wedding destroying the town economy…"

"It's not going to destroy the town economy, Taylor!"

"But if it does…"

"Fine." Gritting his teeth, Luke stepped up on the stage. "In the case that we somehow screw up the entire town economy, I will find a way to right it with my own money."

"Can we have your word on that?"

"You can have my word and a couple of middle fingers on that." Luke groused, crossing his arms in front of him.

Turning to Patty, Taylor gestured to the pad of paper next to her. "Quickly, get that down. We have his word. Leave out the part about the fingers." At Patty's not, he turned back to the crowd. "All right, people, it seems that the issue of Gilmore and Danes vs. Stars Hollow has been resolved. See you all next week when everyone gets fingerprinted for the government. Meeting adjourned."
As the townspeople filed out, Lorelai, grabbing Rory's hand, walked up and joined Luke near the stage."

"Wow!" She smiled, eyeing Luke up and down. "That was quite the show you put on."

Stepping towards them, he chuckled nervously. "Yeah…. You still in?'

"You bet I am." Planting a kiss to his cheek, she gestured down to Rory and smirked. "So, what did you think of this one's back up? She really rallied behind you, huh?"

"She sure did." Smiling, Luke reached down and picked Rory up, squeezing her tightly and making her laugh. "Thanks, Princess."

"You're welcome! Taylor was being a meanie." She frowned, glaring at the man in question over Luke's shoulder.

Chuckling at her daughter's antics, Lorelai stepped forward and placed a hand on her back. "He was… But you know what, I think that's enough talk about Taylor for one night. What do you say to stopping by the diner and getting some pie as a treat, sweets?"

Perking up, she looked at Luke with wide eyes. "Can we, Daddy?"

"You know what, why not?" He smiled. "I think we deserve it."

"Yay!" Kicking her little feet, she scrambled out of Luke's grasp and ran over to the door. "Come on, Mommy, let's go!"

After their stop for dessert and a long story time, Luke and Lorelai found themselves getting ready for bed after what felt like an eternal night.

Stepping into their room after Luke, Lorelai closed the door behind her and flopped down on the bed heavily. "We've only been engaged for about a week, and I'm already stressed about the wedding."

Concerned, he turned to look at her with a frown. "Has the planning thing with Sookie not gone well?"

"No, it's going fine." Removing her glasses, she dropped them on the night stand and rolled to prop herself up on her elbow and look at him. "There's just so many options, and with Taylor trying to put in his two cents, it's even worse."

"I'll deal with Taylor, don't worry about that." Slipping his flannel and t-shirt over his head, Luke turned to the dresser and shrugged. "But I'm sure whatever you and Sookie come up with for the rest of it will be fine."

Normally his undying belief in her abilities would warm her hard, but she couldn't help but notice the detachment in his voice that wasn't there before… and for some reason, it bothered her. Seeing the slightly tense set of his shoulders, she could tell he had something else to say. "Luke?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Hearing what she thought was a hint of disappointment in his voice, she looked at him curiously and searched through her mind for where his mood had shifted. Fear gripped her heart when she realized that it started when they began discussing wedding planning. Though unsure whether she really wanted to know the answer to her own question, she spoke up quietly. "You still want to get married, don't you?"

"Of course." Shocked to hear her say it, Luke turned to face her, concern etched in his face. "Do you?"

"More than anything." The genuineness in his answer calmed her, but she could still tell something was off. "If it's not out marriage alone, it has to be.." She thought, but it suddenly clicked. "You want to help plan, don't you?"

Shrugging, Luke turned back around to avoid her eyes and slipped his jeans off. "Nah, it's probably best that you guys do it."

"Bullseye." She thought. Deciding to test him, she countered, "So you wouldn't mind If we had orange and magenta as our colors? Maybe some neon yellow tulle lining the isle that we walk?"

"Whatever you want.' He answered nonchalantly.

"No, I don't think so."

At her disagreement, Luke finally turned back around to see her looking at him wearing a wide smirk. "What do you mean, no? Haven't you and Sookie already agreed to plan all this?"

"Nothing's set in stone. Decisions can be changed… Luke, this is our wedding. Our wedding," Lorelai emphasized with a smile. "I only said that I would plan with Sookie because I didn't think you'd want to be involved. If you want to, we'll plan it together, just me and you," She explained. Not wanting him to think she was merely placating him and wasn't being genuine, she added, "Of course, that is if you really want to do it."

Dropping his clothes from the day in the hamper, he walked over to the edge of the bed. "I do… Is that bad?"

Shaking her head adamantly, Lorelai answered, "Of course not! I love that you want to… Plus, we make a damn good team, if I do say so myself."

"What about Sookie?"

"She'll get over it. She still gets to go dress shopping and stuff with me, so she'll still have a role."

Still seeing the hesitance in his eyes, she crawled over to him and sat up on her knees, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her cheek against his now bare shoulder. "Please, please, please, Luke," She whined dramatically.

Unable to help chuckling, he planted a kiss to her forehead. "Lorelai…"

"No, I won't stop!" Squeezing him harder, she began to laugh. "I want you to plan this wedding with me! I need you to plan it with me! The weeding can only reach its highest level of magnificence if you plan it with me," she teased.

Rubbing up and down her back, Luke complied. "Well, if you need it."

"That's right. You're my husband-to-be. You're supposed to fulfill my needs."

"Fine. I'll help," He chuckled. Taking his had off his head, he flipped it around, placed it on her head backwards, and stepped closer to her. "So, are there any other needs that I need to fulfill?"

"Fulfill, dirty!" Lorelai grinned naughtily.

At his arched brow she tapped her chin, mocking deep thought, before smiling. "You know what? As a matter of a fact, there is something you can do for me." Running her hands up his shoulders, she took his face in her hands and brought his lips to hers in a searing kiss. Pulling back, her lips brushed his softly as she whispered, "The fridge handle is wiggling. Think you could fix it?"

Pushing her back on to the bed, Luke made her laugh. Shaking his head, he stepped away from the bed. "You know what? I think I'll go do that now."

Still laughing, Lorelai clapped her hands together in a plea as she spoke dramatically. "Oh no, don't go! How will I live without your love for the next five minutes! I think I'll just die, baby! Surely I'll die!"

"Shhh!" He commanded, not wanting her to wake Rory. Unable to hold back, he chuckled and opened the door. "Maybe while I'm gone you'll learn not to be such a tease."

"No, come back! I've learned my lesson," She pled further, extending her arms out to him.

Shaking his head, Luke shut the door and made his way over to the bed, immediately stretching out over her. "You're a mess. I hope you know that." He pretended to grumble, but no real anger could be found in his voice. "I don't know what to do with you."

"I can think of plenty of things you can do with me, if you'd like suggestions." Lorelai smiled, pecking his nose.

"Oh yeah?" At her nod, Luke ran his hands down her arms, capturing her hands and bringing them up above her head. "I think I'll use my own idea, if that's alright with you."

"I think this thing looks better on you than me," Luke joked, removing his had from her head and tossing it to the floor. With the barrier gone, he began fiddling with her hair, twirling the strands around his finger.

Sighing happily, Lorelai curled up against him, her hand stroking his abdomen absentmindedly. "Mhmm."

"You're quiet… You okay?"

Tilting her head up to look at him, she smiled. "Just content… I don't think that this will ever get old."

"God, I hope not," he agreed, planting a kiss to her head.

Falling back into silence, Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand, lacing her fingers through his and resting it on his stomach. Her ring sparkled, even in the dim lamp light of the room, bringing a smile to her face.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we plan something now?" She whispered, wiggling her ring finger back and forth, drawing his eyes to it.

"Sure."

"When do you want to get married?"

Without hesitation, Luke spoke plainly. "Tomorrow?"

Though she wasn't exactly sure why, Lorelai laughed softly. Rolling over on top of him, she rested her chin on her now folded hands. "I'm being serious."

"So am I." He grinned.

Cocking her head at him, she arched a brow. "You really want to get married tomorrow?"

"I'll marry you any time." He shrugged. "But I want you to have a wedding, and those things take time to plan, don't they?"

"They do, so tomorrow isn't practical… But the sentiment is nice." She smiled, pecking his lips softly. "How do you feel about the end of summer? Around the end of August or early September?"

"Why then?"

"There's too much going on at the end of the year, with yours and Rory's birthdays, Thanksgiving, your dark day, Christmas, and the New Year, but I also don't want to wait until this time next year… And let's be honest, anything earlier might be too soon to get everything together."

It was apparent to him that she had thought long and hard about her answer, and he couldn't deny the logic of it. Brushing a curl out of her face, Luke answered, "I think the end of summer sounds great…" Seeing her immediately wider and brighter smile, he pushed further. "Do you have a date in mind."

"Ummm…" Looking down, Lorelai traced shapes on his chest before speaking up. "September 7th?" At his raised eyebrows, she elaborated further. "I looked at the calendar, and I don't see any kind of conflict with it… I already had this date in mind this morning, but I didn't want to decide it without you. Even with Sookie helping, I didn't want to set the date in stone without your input." She rambled.

"Lorelai…" He spoke up, interrupting her stream of chatter.

Stopping, she noticed the grin on his face. "What?"

"So, September 7th, huh?" He murmured, bringing his arms up around her back, pulling her tighter against him. At her small not, he added. "That's only around six months away."

"I know," She answered, a smile crossing her face to match his. "It's fast."

"Can we plan it in time?"

"As long as you and Rory are there, I don't care about the rest."

Pulling her up to him, Luke brought her in for a long, warm kiss. Pulling back, he caressed he cupped her cheek before whispering. "It's a date."

Lorelai was sure that the happiness that appeared in her eyes was unlike he'd ever seen. Answering him, she returned his kiss gently before squeezing him tight and whispering in his ear. "It's a date."

A/N: There is sooooo much I want to say in this author's note, so buckle up, because it's gonna be a long one...

1. Have any of you had issues uploading to this site? Sometimes I have no issue, and other times, what I upload never appears. I can't tell you how many times I've had to re-upload chapters like this just so people could actually see them. (And yes, before anyone asks, I do wait the "30 minutes" to see if my changes/uploads appear, and a lot of times, they don't.)

2. I really hoped that everyone liked the proposal chapter! There were fewer reviews than I usually get, but I just take that as all of you were so shocked and in love with the scene that you were too overwhelmed to even type! (Seriously, though, I'm not fishing for reviews here. Whether or not y'all comment makes no difference to me because I am gonna write this story either way, but I just like knowing everyone's opinions.)

3. Did anyone else really want to see Luke and Lorelai plan their wedding together in the OG series? I get that Sookie was BFOTB, but I really think that Luke had an interest in planning with Lorelai. That's really where my idea for most of this chapter came from... In all honesty, this is what I wanted to happen with the whole BFOTB thing.

4. I'm toying with the idea of Luke adopting Rory. On one hand, I REALLY don't want to have to keep bringing in everyone's least favorite slimy sperm donor if Luke doesn't adopt Rory, so the adoption idea is appealing. On the other hand, I have a hard time seeing a situation where he-who-shall-not-be-named would give up his parental rights to Luke for adoption. Yes, he didn't want to be an active dad, but he didn't want anyone else to either, and I can't see him giving rights to Luke. What do y'all think?

5. The issue of Emily is also a bit of a sticky situation for me right now. (That's why the whole parent issue wasn't addressed in this chapter.) Once again, on one hand, Emily is an easy drama piece, so keeping her in opposition to Lorelai makes for an easy plot. On the other hand, I really want to have some kind of relationship to develop between Lorelai and Emily so 1) I don't have to keep writing Richard and Emily in opposition to each other (because that honestly didn't happen that often in the real series) and 2) I can bring in the Gilmore's in scenes without writing a whole bunch of arguments. I feel like after a while, only so many "bad" things can be said between Lorelai and her parents in an argument without them becoming repetitive.

If you made it through this note, THANK YOU! This story is hard for me to write sometimes, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope y'all have too.

XOXO S.