A.N.: Hey guys, sorry for not updating for such a long time... this chapter is kind of short, but with a lot of fluff - exactly what we need nowadays, right? Have fun reading! Thx for your support.

2024 - Autumn

It was a sunny autumn day. The leaves were getting red and orange and whole Stars Hollow was dipped in a sparkling atmosphere. The morning air was already a bit crispy, but the sun was warming up the ground, birds were singing and chestnuts and oak leaves were decorating the pavements.
Rory Gilmore was sitting at Luke's, which had just opened for her alone. A hot coffee mug in her hand, a smile on her lips. She needed these minutes for herself, reflecting the past, remembering every piece of it. She saw herself as a sixteen year old girl, protected by this city and the people in it, having plans for the future, a mixture of insecurities and excitement. So many things had happened since then. Good things, bad things. Not everything prospered like she thought it would, but that was reality. A small word that is easily to forget when you grow up in Stars Hollow.
She turned 40 two weeks ago. An age that she was a bit afraid of, but to be honest, she was happy with her life. Having two beautiful children, finally a satisfying job and today, she would marry her best friend. Although they knew each other for so many years and lived together for five years, this day was something special.
Jess Mariano. The hoodlum. The bad boy coming from New York to defile the town's princess. The disturbed troublemaker. Runaway. Liar. Rowdy. The one who was able to overcome his mistakes. The author. Hard worker. Source of wisdom. Her kindred spirit. A friend. A father.
All these mixed up feelings came up and Rory was glad that he waited for her. Not pining, but being there, when the time was finally right for both of them.
She sat there, in her wedding dress, with gently curled hair, as she knew he liked them. With her inner eye, she saw him standing behind the corner, seventeen years old, pretending to read a book, but secretly sharing glances with her. A long way down.
Suddenly her cell phone buzzed. A text from Logan. "Hey Ace, it's your big day. I wish you all the best, you deserve it."
Rory smiled. There's a difference between a great love and the right love. Logan was a great love, intense, consuming, challenging. And through Emma, they'll always stay connected.
But the right love was pure, raw, enhancing your life, not asking for anything. She was sure that she found her real and right love, not just today, but many years ago. And it lasted.

"I'm having kind of a deja-vu right now", Jess scoffed at his uncle.
"Stand still and stop mocking me."
Luke was re-adjusting Jess' pocket square. "Yeah, looks good. I'm a pro."
Toddler and baby screaming filled up the space. "Em, don't tickle your brother to death, don't be cruel!", Jess yelled.
"I love them but why again do we have to take care of them right now?", his uncle asked.
"Rory's having a moment. I'm giving her that time."
"You're too good."
"For her? Never."

Many faces. Smiling ones, some with teary eyes. Rory bit her lip as she carefully made her way through the aisle. Not her father nor her step-father walked her to her groom, but her little daughter, seven years of age, with her sunbleached hair, blue eyes and a dress that was competitive to her own. She hold her hand tightly and breathed. This felt right.
She saw him standing there, waiting for them, she saw his smile when he first looked at Emma who certainly smiled back as wide as she could, then, when his eyes locked with her. This felt like home. He's her home.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, I'm taking you today as my wife, as my partner in crime, as my equivalent. Many years ago I was standing in front of you with my heart in my hand, asking you to run away with me. I told you back then that I thought we were supposed to be together, that I felt it the first time I've met you. I was a huge dumbass back then, but I was honest. I truly felt it. You inspired me and I want to pay back for that every day. I promise to always encourage, cherish and love you, when our love is simple and when it is an effort. If you grow weak, I'll be there to fight your battles for you. I promise to be a good Dad to our children, they will always be my priority. Emma and Rick, I vow to you as well: may our family be filled with love and music and books and laughter."

"Jess Mariano... I kinda hate you for your speech, because now I'm getting even more emotional than before and we agreed to stay cool and not cry today. And I've lost it, I totally did. But so what. Today we're writing a new chapter in our book. And you know what? I love our book. It's a bit like the old paperbacks you still have in your back pocket when you leave the house. With donkey ears, some pages are cracked, with a lot of notes and underlined sentences. The favorite words are marked. It's us. And I'm taking you as my husband because I believe in us. I promise to be honest with you, true to you. You're my lifetime partner, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend and a supporting Dad to our kids. You are our hero. Without the cape. I love you."

Later that night, she grabbed his hand and whispered in his ear, that there is one thing he cannot escape from. She wanted to dance with him, their first dance as wife and husband, a long way down. He cringed and tried to pretend to feel sick, but honestly, he couldn't resist Rory's stubborness.
So he felt her hands around his neck, breathed in her smell and instantly calmed down. She was his. Everything's going to be okay. Even a fucking waltz.

The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts, some figures and instructions for dancing

But I,
I love it when you read to me.
And you,
You can read me anything.

The book of love has music in it,
In fact that's where music comes from.
Some of it is just transcendental,
Some of it is just really dumb.

But I,
I love it when you sing to me.
And you,
You can sing me anything.

The book of love is long and boring,
And written very long ago.
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes,
And things we're all too young to know.

But I,
I love it when you give me things.
And you,
You ought to give me wedding rings.

(Rory and Jess' wedding dance, by Gavin James)