A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I had to wait for my friend's wedding for some inspiration for this one. And I had to wait for the madness that comes with being someone's maid of honor to be over and done with. As always, thank you to all who reviewed and will continue to review.

Disclaimer: Ditto.

Ch. 9- Wedding Daze

Lorelai had been pacing around her living room for 45 minutes, pausing every so often to peer out her window down the street. Attempts by Luke to convince her that pacing would not make her daughter arrive early did nothing to dissuade her. She hadn't seen her only child since Christmas and was anxiously awaiting her arrival. So when she saw the car pulling into the driveway fifteen minutes prior to the estimated time, she ran out the door and into the driveway, causing the driver of the car to have to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting her. Laughing, she ran to the passenger side door and yanked it open.

"Rory!" she exclaimed, pulling her daughter out of the car into a hug.

"Mom! I missed you! Are you ready for tomorrow?" she asked as they walked arm-in-arm toward the house.

Jess rolled his eyes at the retreating women and pulled the rest of the way into the driveway. He began gathering the luggage from the trunk of his car. He had woken up early to drive to D.C. to pick up his girlfriend and bring her home for the weekend. He gave his uncle a grateful smile as he emerged from the house to help bring the bags inside.

"How was the trip?" Luke asked his nephew, grabbing the bags Jess had left behind.

"Long, but good. I was secretly glad she couldn't get a direct flight to Hartford. It was nice to have some alone time with her before the madness begins. How are you holding up? Feeling the need to run yet?"

"I'm actually holding up well. Everything has been going smoothly and I really haven't had to do anything. Sookie says I have no say in the proceedings. She's back on her BFOTB kick."

"BFOTB?" Jess questioned, amused.

"Best friend of the bride. She says that the groom is just supposed to show up and do as I'm told. Lorelai asks my opinion when she's not around, though. She says this wedding is going to be bigger and better than the one she originally planned. I'm just glad you guys are finally here. Lorelai was driving me crazy pacing all morning."

"We're glad to be here, too. It's all Rory's been talking about for weeks. She's been bummed she hasn't been able to be here until now. Apparently she plans to make up for that tonight with the bachelorette party. She's expecting me to take you out, too."

"Of course she is. Like mother, like daughter" he replied as they entered the house and dropped off Rory's bags in her room.

Rory had determined to devote herself to her mother until she was safely on route to her honeymoon. She did take time to steal some kisses from Jess when she made coffee runs at Luke's throughout the day, but other than that, she was glued to her mother's side. She and Sookie pampered Lorelai with a complete spa day before dressing her up in a bride-to-be sash with matching veiled tiara and whisking her off to a nightclub in Hartford. They managed to surprise her and the rest of the guests with naughty party favors that made Babette howl with laughter and Miss Patty reminisce about each of her former husbands in turn. Several drinks later, Rory decided it was time to get her mother home. It would never do to have a hung-over bride who couldn't walk down the aisle without stumbling. Rory helped her mom up the stairs to her bed and brought several bottles of water, Advil, and the box of imported chocolates she had received as an early wedding present from some distant relative. Lorelai decided that it would relax her more if Rory told her about how her relationship with Jess was going, so Rory began telling her about all the times he came to visit her in the past few months while she was on the road. She started with the most recent visits, saving the California tale for last.

"So Logan found out where you'd be and tried to get you back?" Lorelai asked incredulously when Rory was finished with her story.

"Yeah, it was weird. I mean, for the first few months I was gone, I would have given anything for him to realize that he was an idiot and come back to me. But when I saw him, I just wanted to run away" Rory stated simply.

"Well, you have Jess now. You don't want to be with Logan anymore. It's a good thing if you don't get butterflies when you see him now, right?"

"Yeah, it's a good thing, but it was weird. I wasn't hoping that he would want me back, and then when he said he did I just felt uncomfortable. And then Jess came in. I thought he was going to freak out, but he was so calm and acted like he had no doubt that it was him I wanted and not Logan. Since when is he the mature one?" Rory asked with a slight pout.

"You know, I was kind of hoping he would take Logan down a notch or two. I mean, coming to see you with no warning and just expecting you to take him back like nothing had ever happened. Like that was going to work after all this time" Lorelai scoffed.

"Well, it might have if I didn't have Jess back, although maybe not with the lack of butterflies and all. Either way, I'm glad things worked out the way they did. I never did stop loving Jess. I mean, I loved Logan when we were together, but even when Jess and I were apart, seeing him always gave me butterflies. There's always been a connection between us, like we're drawn together. Kind of like you and Luke. No matter what happens, it's always there, even when you're trying to be just friends. You know, I'm really glad you two are finally getting married. Tomorrow is going to be amazing." Rory said, starting to drift off to sleep near the end of her ramble.

"I'm happy, too, kid. For both of us. I love you" she said allowing her eyes to finally close.

"I love you, too, Mom" Rory replied before falling into a peaceful sleep.

The next day was chaotic to say the least. Lorelai and Rory had to fend off all the attendants Emily had brought with her to make sure they looked perfect together. Lorelai did take her mother's suggestion from years ago; however, and wore a small tiara in her hair above the veil that draped down the back of her head. The new dress was even more perfect than the dress she had found previously and it had not been the first one she saw. Lorelai thought that was a good sign because it didn't seem too easy this go around. Between the hair and make-up and calming of nerves, the day went by in a blur. Suddenly, everyone was lined up, ready to make their entrance. The men took their places first, Luke was followed by Jess and Jackson. All three men turned toward where the women would enter with stoic expressions. Sookie walked down the aisle first, sobbing uncontrollably, which caused half the audience to begin doing the same. When it was Rory's turn to walk, she calmly strode forward, willing herself not to slip into hysterics like everyone else. When she got close enough to see that Luke had a single tear rolling down his cheek and he hadn't even seen his bride yet, Rory felt silent tears of her own escaping her eyes. Finally the wedding march sounded and Lorelai emerged looking radiant in her new and improved gown. Richard took her arm and led her toward Luke slowly. At the end of the aisle, Richard was asked to give his daughter away. He did so reluctantly, not because he disapproved (they were long past that), but because this was the first time she had asked to be let go instead of simply running off. Rory's tears began flowing stronger as she watched her grandfather embrace her mother and place a kiss on the top of her head before giving her hand to Luke, who took it like it was a life-line.

The ceremony was short and traditional, but it was perfect. Soon the happy couple was declared legal and strolling back down the aisle arm in arm with enormous grins on their faces. It was then time for Rory to make her way back down the aisle. It was the first time she allowed herself to look at Jess, when they locked arms and began walking. He looked amazing in a tux. She was extremely self-conscious of how her make-up must look with all the tears streaking down her face, but from the way Jess looked at her she felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. When they completed their mission, Jess turned toward her and kissed her.

"I love you, Rory. Now go see your mom" he instructed with a grin.

"I love you, too. And thanks" she replied while running from his arms and leaping into her mother's awaiting embrace.

"Mom! You did it!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

"Yes, we did kiddo! And I didn't even trip" Lorelai laughed back.

"Congratulations, Luke" Rory said, releasing her mother and giving her new step-father a hug.

"Thanks, Rory. You look beautiful. I think Jess nearly fainted when he first saw you. I'm really glad you're both here."

With this comment, Rory scanned the crowd to see where Jess had run off to. She saw him standing against the gazebo in the town square, watching the commotion from a safe distance away. She made her way to him and greeted him again with a kiss. Several members of the town turned to stare at the young couple, but Rory didn't care. She wanted to spend a little time alone with Jess before they were escorted away to get pictures taken. She thought back to how angry she had been the first time her mother got married and she hadn't been able to be there. She was, in that moment, very glad her parents had gotten divorced. She had always wanted to see her mother get married, and somehow it was easier to picture her mother standing next to Luke in a white dress than her father. Seeing it in person cemented the imagined images. She had known from the first time Lorelai and Luke dated that they fit together perfectly. Just like part of her had always known that she fit perfectly with Jess. All too soon, the whisking away began and they were posed like dolls for an hour long photo-shoot. Emily had insisted on hiring a professional photographer and Lorelai had given in surprisingly easily. Of course, everyone wanted a documentation of this day. It was the culmination of so much and deserved to be preserved in photo-form, as her mother put it. After the litany of pictures, Jess and Rory headed to the reception together, taking the very scenic route to give themselves yet some more alone time. It seemed they couldn't get enough of each other.

A/N: Hope you liked my attempt at the wedding scene. I'm a little wedding-ed out right now, so sorry if it seemed a bit rushed. Two friends and my big sister in one year. I feel like Katherine Heigl, only it's 3 dresses and so far, they aren't hideous, so I guess I have some good friends. Anywho let me know what you think and I'll get started on the reception chapter.