A/N: Time to wrap this story up. This chapter and two more and we should be all done, folks. End of the story and end of the series! In the meantime, thanks for the continued reviewage, y'all are too kind :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 30

It had been a hell of week, and the Gilmore girls, plus their significant others, were certainly looking forward to seeing the back of it. Unfortunately, before a fresh new week was able to begin, before the weekend could even be enjoyed, there was one more hurdle to get over - Friday Night Dinner.

"And you just said I'd go?" asked Luke, eyes wide and jaw slack.

"Come on, Luke!" Lorelai huffed. "The last time you were invited and I refused on your behalf, you went a little crazy about it. I figured this time the thing to do was accept."

"You have to admit, that's logical," said Jess from behind his book.

"I certainly thought so," Rory agreed, nodding her head. "Which is why when Grandpa also suggested that you come along, I may have said you'd love to."

Now it was Jess' turn to look shocked and not at all amused. Rory tried her best to lean away from him but the stool would only allow her so much before she would fall off the other side onto the diner floor. Also, hiding in her book wasn't working so well for her as it always seemed to work for her boyfriend.

"I'm going too?" he checked, putting his hand in the way of Rory seeing the words in her novel and pressing the book down onto the counter. "How did that happen?"

"I just told you," she reminded him. "Grandpa decided if Luke was coming with mom to talk about the wedding and stuff then it was only right that I bring you along. I mean, we are the maid of honour and the best man, plus both you and Luke are going to be part of the family after the wedding."

"Please, don't remind me about that part." Jess grimaced, not least because he could do without recalling that he and Rory would technically be part of the same family once her mom became his aunt and his uncle became her step-dad.

"Oh, come on, guys," said Lorelai, rolling her eyes. "Take it like men! It's just one dinner. Me and Rory have to endure this torture every single Friday night."

"Can we also bring Paris?" asked Jess, looking at Luke.

"Yes, we should definitely bring Paris," he agreed, pointing a finger first at Jess and then at Lorelai. "You know, I'll bet she would love to come."

"I doubt Emily is going to go for that at short notice, especially when it's going to make her table uneven."

"Plus, since she and Doyle patched things up they seem to be joined at the hip, or lips, or both," said Rory thoughtfully, trying not to giggle when she saw a shudder of disgust run through Jess. "I doubt she'll want to be anywhere but Yale this weekend."

"Oh, so they did patch things up?" Luke checked. "Last I heard something had gone wrong."

"Something was Paris' brain," Jess explained. "Apparently, Doyle said he loved her and she kinda freaked. It took getting drunk in Florida for her to realise she loved him too."

"Who knew that was the fixer for any and all relationship problems?" said Lorelai, clearly meaning to tease. "Getting drunk in Florida is the new couples therapy," she said with a wink.

"Not funny, Mom," Rory advised her, though she was smiling all the same.

"So, Friday Night Dinner," said Jess clearing his throat. "We've done it before, I figure we can do it again," he said then, looking at Luke.

"Safety in numbers, I guess." His uncle shrugged. "Remind me, do I need a tie?"

"Nope, no ties," Lorelai assured him. "Just put your sexy self in a button-down shirt that isn't plaid and pants that aren't jeans, you'll be good to go."

"Same applies for you," Rory told Jess.

"Huh. You mean I gotta leave my Metallica T-shirt at home?" he asked her, smirking hard.

"Just for one night, I think you'll survive," she told him, kissing his cheek. "You really don't mind coming to dinner, do you?"

"Would I be going if I did?" he asked her, eyes never leaving the page in which he was now once again engrossed. "It's not like I'm doing it because I love you or anything," he said, smirking yet.

"Of course not." Rory smiled too wide. "The thought never entered my head."

She opened up her own book again, scooching a little closer to Jess and laying her head on his shoulder as she got back to reading.

"If they were any cuter I'd throw up," Lorelai whispered to Luke.

"I know, they are almost too adorable," he replied, shaking his head. "Makes me glad to see them back together though."

"Me too."

"You know we can hear you, right?" Jess called from further down the counter. "We're reading but we're not deaf."

"Hey, we're only saying nice things," Lorelai countered. "Be happy about that or I'm telling my mother that you defiled her granddaughter."

"Lorelai!" Luke yelled, making a disgusted face.

She was all innocence as she stared at him.

"What?"

All Rory could do was laugh.


"Well, of course, a proper wedding should be much more meticulously planned and prepared for than this," said Emily, taking a dainty bite of her dinner, "but then Lorelai never has been one to play by anybody's rules."

"No, Mom, I just don't necessarily like to play by society's rules" her daughter corrected. "In the words of Johnny Rotten, I am an anarchist!"

"Lorelai, really," her father scolded. "You are not an anarchist. For one thing I never saw an anarchist with good personal hygiene."

"I always thought you were more David Bowie's 'Rebel, Rebel'," said Rory thoughtfully, staring across the table at her mom. "Except you're definitely a girl."

"If we're going for the revolution, we're women, honey, not girls."

"I stand corrected." Rory smiled, putting another forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"Are you able to keep up with all this back and forth, Luke?" asked Richard curiously. "I confess they quite lose me in all their in-jokes and references."

"I get the gist," said Luke, nodding his head. "If it makes them happy, I just let them do whatever."

"Oh, yes, very wise," Richard agreed. "Always better to keep the ladies happy."

"Amen to that," said Jess, never looking up from his plate.

He had hoped to be involved in conversation as little as possible, and for as long as Emily was getting at Lorelai about her wedding arrangements, he felt pretty safe. Not putting his head above the parapet was working well so far. Unfortunately, he had now actually spoken without prompting and that meant all attention was on him.

"Now, Jess," said Richard looking his way, "how are you doing at Yale? Prospering just as our Rory is, I'm sure."

"It's going okay." Jess nodded. "Er, but honestly, it's not really what I want to do with my life, so I'll be leaving at the end of Freshman year."

Emily's flatware clattering against her plate was accompanied by Luke's doing much the same. Lorelai bit her lip as Rory looked panicked. They were all waiting on Richard's reaction now, expecting some kind of explosion, especially Rory and Lorelai who remembered only too well how dear old grandpa had savaged Dean back in the day for not having any solid future plans.

"I assume you have alternative plans, young man?"

"Yes, sir," said Jess like a reflex, making Rory's mouth drop open even wider. "Er, I've actually been working on a short novel, submitting it to publishers, seeing what happens there. My English professor actually has some contacts she put me on to so it could happen. In the meantime, I'm working in the diner with Luke, looking for additional work, and planning on taking a couple of classes at the community college that might help me out too."

Lorelai's mouth was gaping as wide open as her daughter's by the end of that speech, and Luke's dropped right along with it when he heard Richard's reply.

"Excellent," he said, clapping his hands together. "Well, you certainly seem to have things all figured out, and I'm very interested to hear more about this novel of yours. From what Rory tells me about your extensive reading, I'm certain your writing will be of excellent quality also."

"I'd like to think so," said Jess, smiling genuinely as he went right back to eating.

"Close your mouth, Lorelai, you look like one of those clown games at the fair," said Emily, taking a long drink from her wine glass.

Lorelai couldn't even argue that she was far from the only one gaping at what just happened. She was way too stunned.

"I'm very proud of Jess, Grandpa," said Rory, recovering first from all the shock. "College just isn't for everybody."

"Indeed so." Richard nodded. "You know several of this country's greatest presidents never attended college at all? In any case, change can be a wonderful thing. Now just because my branching out in my own business did not end up being a complete success, that doesn't mean one shouldn't try new things. Look at your mother and her friend with this inn idea. Now, no-one can guarantee that will work out, but it's not stopping them from giving it a try."

"I'm sure it's going to go great," said Luke, squeezing Lorelai's hand.

"Gotta hope so," she agreed, smiling at his supportive gesture and words. "I have to admit, I feel a little overwhelmed with the wedding and the Dragonfly opening only a week apart, but it's a good kind of overwhelmed. All good things all the time."

"We'll make it work," said Rory definitely. "I know Jess and I have school but we will make time to help with the inn and with the wedding. Paris said she would pitch in too, if you need her."

"You guys are the best." Lorelai grinned.

"You know your father and I would help also if we knew what you needed," said Emily, laying her recently retrieved flatware neatly on her empty plate. "I'm sure I've made multiple offers but I was never referred to as being 'the best'."

Lorelai looked at Rory and rolled her eyes just as soon as Emily was distracted in instructing the maid to bring out the dessert. There was still so much of the evening to get through, better to take a deep breath and try not to make too many waves. Of course, since they had all gone to dinner almost specifically to talk about wedding plans, there really was no avoiding the subject. Lorelai held it together fairly well with the help of Luke, Rory, and even Jess. When the evening was finally over, all four of them heaved a group sigh of relief on the doorstep.

"That was... intense," said Jess, shaking his head.

"I cannot believe you got away with telling my grandparents you're dropping out of Yale," said Rory, smiling none the less. "No lecture, no fighting. Amazing!"

"I know!" Lorelai declared, clearly equally as surrpised, albeit pleasantly so. "I almost thought about mentioning the whole thought I was pregnant thing just to see what would happen."

"And that would've been a bad plan," said Luke with a look. "You really think your parents would've taken the possibility of a second out-of-wedlock baby all that well?"

"Well, no, but there is no baby."

"But they might decide to shoot Luke for touching you before the big day," said Jess thoughtfully.

Lorelai and Luke shared a look and then both shook their heads.

"Let's go home," he suggested, ushering everyone into the truck.

They talked some more on the way back to the Hollow and then Jess suggested maybe Luke could drop him and Rory off at the diner before heading on back to the Crap Shack with Lorelai. Nobody had a reason to argue with the plan and the kids were duly left to their own devices.

"At least I taught Rory about safe sex," said Lorelai as Luke drove them towards her home. "Us having a baby would be one thing, I do not want her and Jess getting into that position, not now."

"Believe me, I made sure Jess knows how important it is to... be safe," said Luke firmly but awkwardly - he really was not at all comfortable with that kind of discussion, but it had been necessary.

"You're not disappointed, are you?" said Lorelai then. "About the not-a-baby? I mean, I know we talked about it already and we agreed that it's probably for the best, you know, timing-issues and all, and it is, for the best I mean, but..."

"But you kind of hoped you were pregnant?" said Luke, pulling the truck into the driveway and turning off the engine.

"A little bit, yeah," Lorelai confessed, turning to look at him. "It would be pretty special to know I was having your baby," she said, hand going to his cheek.

"And some day, I would love for that to happen," he told her, turning to kiss her palm. "Now just wasn't the time, but some day, it probably will be."

"And if it's not?"

"If it's not then we'll survive," Luke promised. "We have each other, and Rory and Jess."

"And Paris and Lane," Lorelai added with a smile. "We have a lot of kids somehow."

Luke leaned over, taking her face in his hands and kissing her softly.

"Maybe one day there'll be another one, and maybe there won't, but I'm always gonna love you, Lorelai Gilmore. You know that, right?"

"I know that," she assured him, smiling wide. "I love you too, Luke Danes, and I can't wait to marry you."

To Be Continued...