A/N- This chapter was one of my favorites to write so far. I think Lit and JavaJunkie alike have a lot in here. Anyway, I anxiously await feedback on this (in-my-opinion) pivotal chapter, so please read and review! I'm dying to hear what you think. I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of its characters or concepts but I love them more than anything I do own, I'm pretty sure.


Chapter 75

Lorelai and Rory walked slowly towards the Inn, laughing hysterically.

"So she really…"

"Fembot. Complete, full-on fembot, but without the awesome weaponry."

"Wow, I'm so surprised," Lorelai deadpanned.

"Matt's a nice guy," Rory defended, "He just…"

"Chooses booty over brains?"

"Seriously Mom?" Rory groaned as they approached the door. Lorelai reached for the key as she smirked.

"It was too easy," Lorelai continued as she opened the door, "It was like oh my god!"

"Who are you, LC?" Rory asked, confused, as she followed Lorelai inside. Lorelai's arm stopped her as she looked in front of her. "Oh my god!"

In front of them stood Sookie, Jackson, and Michel, as well as Luke and Jess. The entry table held three different types of cookies and fresh banana and zucchini breads, as well as a new, gorgeous vase of fresh flowers. When Lorelai had left, her usual vase of tasteful flowers had been shattered, probably just collateral damage from the criminal rushing out. A new guestbook lay open, the pen next to it, to replace the one that had been found on the ground next to the shards of glass with water damage. And above their heads were string lights, everywhere, dazzling white.

"I knew you were about to decorate for Christmas," Luke smiled as Lorelai looked at him in awe. She began to walk forward. The banister of the staircase was wrapped in tinsel and garlands. She turned around and noticed a sprig of mistletoe hanging above the doorway, and another few above the other entryways of the various rooms of the inn. Lorelai inhaled deeply and walked into the dining room, Rory, Jess and Luke following close behind her.

There were Christmas centerpieces on the tables (miniature trees, ornamented and tinseled), as well as a small tray of three Christmas cookies on each of them ("A prototype!" Sookie rushed to add, running over, causing Lorelai to smirk and hold back a laugh). Each table was also covered in a gorgeous white tablecloth sprinkled with tasteful fake snow. The lights in this room set off an ambient glow, as did the number of varied ivy and cranberry candles that were lit and burning dimly on the side.

Lorelai looked back at Luke in disbelief before starting to walk back into the main lobby. Rory began to turn to walk with them. Jess grabbed her wrist and she turned her head rapidly to face him, confused.

"They're still warm," he grinned, handing her a snowflake-shaped cookie. She smiled back at him and took the cookie with her other hand, allowing him to lead her into the next room to catch up with the others.

When Lorelai finally reached the lobby she stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Luke, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. Through her open office door she could see that the floor was clear of all of the mess, her files had been returned to their cabinets, and that the cabinets had new locks. Her desk had been cleared and a jar of candy canes was resting next to her replaced computer. Another tray of Christmas cookies sat on the other side of it. The front desk, which had been strewn with literally about a hundred pieces of paper only the day before, was clear. The drawers that had been jammed open or thrown to the floor had been replaced and re-entered, and string lights hung from the front edge of it. A brand new snow globe with a gazebo in the center lay next to Lorelai's computer, which had been reconnected and repaired. The message pad had been replaced with one shaped like a holiday peppermint.

"I didn't choose that," Luke hastened to correct, "That was Sookie. And Jess."

"We said we'd never speak of it," Jess glared at Luke darkly, and Rory stifled a giggle, her hand closing around Jess' tightly. He squeezed back. Lorelai laughed out loud.

"There are candy canes in the pencil cups!" she exclaimed, "And more cookies!"

"Yes, somehow I guessed you liked cookies," Luke rolled his eyes. Lorelai turned to him, her eyes shining. She took his hand in her own. "Show me the rest."

He smiled at her, his eyes bright, and pulled her toward the main living room. There she saw the Christmas tree.

"Oh my gosh," Lorelai breathed, almost reverently. The thing was at least four feet taller than any tree they'd had before and was real, as she could tell from the scent of pine that was hanging in the air. The entire thing was strung in hundreds of tiny white lights and was decorated in all white ornaments. It looked like a blizzard had come into the Inn. On top was not the star that had been there, but an angel that she'd never seen before.

"It was my mom's," Luke told her softly, so the others couldn't hear. She turned to him, amazed.

"But…"

"We're family, Lorelai. I know you and Rory have your special one that you have at home, but I thought…for here…"

"It's perfect, Luke. Everything is perfect."

He smiled, and it took everything he had not to kiss her right there. But that would come later.

"There's more." She grinned.

"Of course there is," she shook her head, "There always is with you?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Only for the rest of us men that are mere mortals," Jess joked to Rory. She met his eyes and grinned.

"Don't think for a second you are getting away with acting like you're innocent in all of this," she accused, her cheeks flushed. "And mere might not be the word I'd use."

"Care to enlighten me with your impressive vocabulary?" he cocked an eyebrow and she smirked.

"I would but I wouldn't want to inflate your already engorged head."

"And just when I thought you could be nice."

"It comes and goes."

Luke started back outside with Lorelai and they walked around to the side, Jess and Rory following a couple feet behind. The cold air was biting but none of them felt a thing.

"Rory!" Lorelai squealed, turning, "Look!" She pointed at the stables. They were lit with Christmas lights too, as were the front (Jess had surreptitiously slipped the switch on as they walked out). Above them on a board was painted, "Reindeer Lodging" in beautiful lettering. A rack of sleds stood next to the stables. And further off Lorelai saw an ice rink, just like the one Luke had built at her house.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if it's a liability, or if the guests can really use it, I just thought…"

"It's amazing," Lorelai smiled, "They'll love it. I love it."

"And…there's a little more," Luke admitted, "Jess, you want to take Rory inside and help get dinner ready?"

"Dinner?"

"Sookie kind of...did her thing."

"I'll bet you asked her to."

"I might have."

"We'll see you guys in a bit," Jess nodded at Luke, his eyes quickly asking a question. Luke smiled and gave a slight nod. Jess bit his lip to stop himself from grinning and quickly turned, leading Rory back to the house.

"Luke…"

"Follow me."

He led her past the stables and around to the back of the Dragonfly. When they finally reached their destination he stopped and they stared at the object in front of them.

"Luke, I thought you…"

"I kept it," he admitted, "I couldn't get rid of it. Because when we were standing under it I knew…exactly what I know now. What it was really meant for. What I realized I'd known since the goddamn moment you first accosted me in my diner."

Lorelai's eyes widened. She turned away from the chuppah to face him.

"Lorelai, you know I love you. You've always known. And I know it's taken me a long time to get there, to the place where I actually…follow through. But it's always been right with you. Always. No matter what's happened between us, I never doubted that when I ended up being with someone, for the long haul, it'd be you."

"Now I'm not good at any of this, so I'm sorry. It's probably good you did this the first time, because I sure feel like I'm making a complete ass of myself here…you're the one who's good with words. And emotions. And saying what you feel. But for me, it's really simple. When I met you, I knew wanted to be the one to make your coffee every morning from then on. And ever since I made this chuppah, I knew I wanted to stand under it with you, and then spend the rest of my life building other things to make you as happy as this did. So, Lorelai…"

"Yes, Luke?" she smiled through the tears now streaming down her face. He bent down on one knee.

"Will you stand under that chuppah, with me? Will you let me make you coffee every morning for the rest of our lives? Lorelai Gilmore, Will you marry me?"

"Yes." Lorelai nodded, finally breaking down into full out sobs of joy, "Yes, of course, Luke. Yes, I'll marry you. Yes."

And he pulled her underneath the chuppah and kissed her as the snow began to fall overhead.