"Absolutely not!"
Emily huffed, "Calm down, Richard."
"I will not," Richard boomed. "Get her on the phone right now."
"Alright, alright," Emily agreed as she made her way to his bedside. "I will call her now, if you promise to calm down."
Richard took a deep breath and let it out, after he did it two more times, he plastered a fake smile on his face. "There. I'm calm. Would you please get our daughter on the phone now?"
Lorelai was sitting at a table in Luke's Diner with Sookie and Rory. The table was covered with notebooks, loose papers, pens, markers, half empty plates, three oversized mugs and a calendar.
"How about Valentine's Day?" Rory asked.
"That's a Wednesday," Lorelai said incredulously.
"Yeah, well looking at the calendar, the weekends around then are pretty full at the inn."
"What about your Honeymoon? Will you be able to get your money back," Sookie asked Luke as he topped up the coffee mugs.
"We were actually thinking about having the honeymoon first," Lorelai giggled. "That way Luke doesn't have to make any changes to the surprise honeymoon."
"No," Sookie cried. "Trust me, you are going to want to get out of town AFTER the wedding. Just the two of you, your first days as Mr. and Mrs. -"
"Sure. But other things are more important."
Luke was watching from behind the counter, pretending to be busy and pretending to not be disappointed. The phone on the wall rang and he was thankful for a distraction.
"Luke's," he answered.
"Hello Luke, this is Emily Gilmore."
Luke exhaled a small laugh, "Hi Emily," he said loud enough to get Lorelai's attention. All three women at the table turned to look at him. "How are you? How's Richard this morning?"
"Well that's why I called. We're fine, Richard is recovering well according to Dr. Goldstein."
"That's great news," Luke smiled.
"Yes. But he's quite upset about the wedding being postponed. Is Lorelai with you? She didn't answer at the house or her cell phone, so I tried here."
Luke waved Lorelai over, "Yes, she's right here. I'll put her on. Please let me know if I can bring anything for the two of you to eat when we come down later."
"Thank you. I will."
Luke handed the phone to Lorelai across the counter.
"Hi Mom," Lorelai greeted brightly.
"Hello Lorelai," Emily answered.
"No! Let me talk to her," Richard demanded.
"I made all the calls to track her down," Emily snapped. "At least let me say Hello!"
Lorelai tried to stifle her giggle as she heard Emily shout, "Here, take the phone!"
"Hello? Lorelai?" Richard's voice came through the line.
"Hi Dad," Lorelai smiled. "You sound so much better today."
"Thank you," Richard responded. "I am feeling better. And the doctor told me that I will be out of here Monday afternoon at the latest, likely sometime this weekend. I've done two laps of walking the halls and they are very impressed with my progress."
Lorelai sighed and her shoulders relaxed from their tense state. "I'm so glad to hear this, Dad! Rory will be thrilled too."
"Very good," Richard's voice was all business. "What I am calling to say is don't you dare cancel your date with me!"
Lorelai's brow furrowed in confusion, "Our date?"
"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, one of the happiest moments of my life was when you asked me to walk you down the aisle at your wedding. I dreamt about it when you were my little girl. I feared it wouldn't happen when you left us. Then again I feared it when we weren't so kind to Luke in the past. Each step I'm taking in my recovery journey has been with the goal of having you on my arm on January twentieth. Do you really want to take that goalpost away from me?"
"Wow Dad," Lorelai scoffed. "I thought Mom was the Queen of Guilt. Long live the King!"
"Lorelai, I'm serious! You may think I don't pay attention, or that I'm oblivious, but I know how crushed you were when Luke postponed the wedding last year. Please, don't make me responsible for breaking your heart like that again. If you've already cancelled things and lost any money, I will cover all the costs to fix it."
"Okay, okay. Calm down Dad. We'll keep the wedding on the twentieth," she conceded.
Luke's face lit up with a bright smile. Sookie and Rory clinked their mugs together, also smiling widely.
"And don't worry about anything here," she told her Dad. "We were just looking at the calendar, we haven't cancelled anything yet."
"Good," Richard smiled.
"Just promise me one thing," Lorelai said quietly.
"What?"
"You take it easy. Throughout the day, you sit when you need to! We'll be in no rush to get down the aisle. Just walk at whatever pace suits you."
"I promise. But Lorelai, you should know one thing. No matter what my health situation was, I'm planning on walking you down the aisle very slowly. I'm in no rush to give you away."
Tears filled her eyes and flooded down her face, "I love you, Daddy."
"I couldn't love you more if I tried, My Girl."
"See you soon." she whispered and handed Luke the receiver.
Luke took the phone and passed her some napkins.
"Looks like the twentieth it is," she smiled.
XoXoXoXoXoXo
It was Friday January nineteenth and the Dragonfly was a buzz. Those in the wedding party had just finished the brief rehearsal at Luke and Lorelai's new house and had arrived at the Inn to begin the party with those not marching.
Luke's family had settled into their rooms and were now milling around the lounge enjoying the Inn. Buddy, Maisy, Charlie and Zoey were playing a boardgame. Claudia, Lisa, Maggie and Liz were chatting and giggling with Babette and Patty. Danny, Sam, Leo and Morey were being regaled by Jackson on his various produce creations. Richard was chatting with Reverend Skinner and Rabbi Barrans. Emily was having a wonderful conversion with Mrs. Kim. Lane and Zack were in a corner flipping through a book from the Inn that was a biography of Jim Morrison. Sookie was flitting around expertly juggling her Bridesmaid duties and her caterer ones. Richard and Emily had insisted on paying for the rehearsal dinner since Luke and Lorelai wanted to pay for their own wedding. Since this was an Emily Gilmore party, Sookie was told to spare no expense, so the food was not the usual Dragonfly menu causing Sookie to be extra jittery. Michel was doing his best to take on everything that normally fell to Lorelai plus his regular responsibilities. While he normally had the air of a grumpy, uninterested, snob, he did really care for Lorelai and was trying to be the best friend he could possibly be.
Lorelai stood looking into the lounge, watching everyone interacting and having a good time. Luke made his way to her side and slid his arm around her waist.
"Looks like everyone is having a good time," he said softly.
"How do you think my Dad is doing?"
"I've been keeping an eye on him all night," Luke answered close to her ear, "He seems fine. Did you notice anything when you walked down the aisle?"
"No, he was as strong as ever," she admitted.
"Okay, so maybe he's not lying when he says he's feeling great."
"Luke," Rory called from across the room. She and Jess had joined Lane and Zack. "We need you to settle a bet."
Luke squeezed Lorelai's hand, "You coming?"
"Go ahead," she smiled. "I need another minute."
Almost immediately after Luke left her side, Emily took his place.
"Why do you look so worried," Emily asked in a hushed voice.
"I'm fine. Just wanted to take a second and make sure everyone is having a good time."
Emily nodded and smiled, "Rory looks so happy."
Lorelai saw the big smile on her daughter's face, "Oh, well then let me warn you, do not mention your pal Logan to her! They've broken up."
"Oh dear, that's a shame. They made such a gorgeous couple."
"Well apparently he made a few couples with some other gorgeous girls. When they were in London they met up with some of his cohorts and the girls there were all too happy to tell Rory which ones of them had been with Logan and to what extent, if you know what I mean."
"Oh that's awful."
"Yup, all this time while he was in London, Rory was hunkering down with schoolwork and trying to figure out their next steps. Logan was using the time to bag anything that moved."
"The apple certainly doesn't fall far from the tree," Emily murmured.
Lorelai could hold in her laugh at that one.
The dining rooms doors were opened and Sookie invited everyone to take a seat as dinner would be served. The guests were treated to a five course meal that blew them all away. Jackson beamed as Emily commented on how wonderfully fresh the salad tasted when it was the dead of Winter. Richard and Emily were then regaled with the story of Jackson's greenhouse. Jackson told it with pride while Patty and Babette added details about Taylor and his part. Zoey was asking Rory questions about growing up with Lorelai. Sookie, Lane and Lisa were exchanging pregnancy stories and tips. Lorelai was silent for a moment, watching her and Luke's favourite people all getting along.
Luke quietly stood up and kissed Lorelai's cheek, "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"Can't stand to be away from me," he asked and kissed her again. "I won't be long." He hustled away before she could ask any questions. He rushed right out of the front door of the Dragonfly and smiled as the taxi rounded the corner and pulled to a stop in the roundabout. He opened the passenger door and smiled as Mia emerged.
"Lucas, my boy! I'm so happy to see you, especially since I'm seeing you on the night before you marry the most perfect person in the world for you to marry." She pulled him into a bear hug as Howard emerged from the other side of the taxi.
"Oh Mia, I'm so happy you agreed to surprise Lorelai. Now introduce me to this guy who claims to be good enough for you," Luke replied as he released her from the hug.
Howard smirked, "I'm just trying to keep her happy," he said as he extended his hand to Luke.
"Great answer," Luke smiled as he shook Howard's hand.
"Both Lorelai and Rory approved when they came to our wedding," Mia informed him. "Something you neglected to do."
"I will make it up to you, I promise. Name it, and it's yours."
"Tell me one thing, okay two things. Number one, are you happy?"
When Luke smiled it lit up his whole face in a way Mia hadn't seen since his Mother passed away. She cupped his cheek and returned the smile with tears in her eyes, "Well that answers that. Now, number two, have you two talked about babies?"
Luke laughed at her forward question. He was happy to see that she hadn't really changed at all. "If it was up to me, I'd knock her up on our honeymoon."
Mia and Howard laughed.
"That sounds perfect," Mia chuckled.
The trio walked into the inn, Luke's arms around Mia's shoulder. He couldn't stop smiling as Mia went on and on about how beautiful and wonderful the inn was. It was her first time seeing it in person and she was so full of pride. When they reached the dining room Rory saw them first.
"MIA!" Rory screamed, startling the entire room as she ran to hug the woman on Luke's arm.
Mia and Rory hugged, Sookie jumped from her seat to join in. Lorelai got up too, but she glanced at her parents as she did. She noticed them exchanging a look and that both of them seemed upset. She made a mental note to give her parents some special attention after greeting Mia. She joined Sookie and Rory who both kept hugging Mia.
"If I knew all I had to do was marry Luke to get you into town I would have done it years ago," she said by way of greeting. "And I see you brought your handsome husband with you."
Mia pulled away from Rory and smiled at Lorelai with all the love and pride of a Mother. "My sweet Lorelai," she pulled Lorelai into a hug and whispered in her ear, "This place is remarkable. I have never been more proud in my entire life. Look at what you've done."
"Me and Sookie," Lorelai said modestly.
"I spoke with Sookie, she told me this was all you."
The townies all got up to greet Mia who was suddenly the main attraction.
Lorelai glanced at Emily and saw the look on her face. After Richard's heart attack the two of them had gotten a little closer and she was worried Mia's appearance would bring up bad feelings. She slipped away from the group and grabbed a coffee pot from a side table. She filled the mug in front of her Mother, " Dad, would you like more coffee?"
"No thank you, Lorelai," he answered quietly. "So that's Mia?"
Lorelai nodded and then slipped onto the seat beside Emily. She sighed, "Yeah, that's Mia and her husband Howward. She told me she couldn't make it. I guess Luke called and convinced her to make the trip. Are you guys okay?"
"This is your weekend," Emily smiled. "Your friends should be here, we're fine."
"You know this doesn't change anything, right?" Lorelai asked.
"We're fine," Richard stated firmly, reiterating Emily's sentiment.
Lorelai nodded, "Good. I'm glad you're fine. And I want you both to know something." She waited until both of her parents peeled their eyes from Mia and looked at her. "I'm sorry. I was young and didn't handle things well. You two deserved to be Rory's grandparents in all those years and I regret keeping her from you."
"It wasn't just her we missed," Richard said, then swallowed the lump in his throat.
Lorelai tried to blink back the tears that formed. "I know Daddy. Me too." She smiled and then had an idea. "Dad, I know I asked you to walk me down the aisle. But I had an idea that I hope you're okay with. Since I've spent my entire adult life trying to drill in Rory's head that women were just as strong, important and capable as men, I was thinking. Maybe instead of me walking down the aisle on your arm, I could walk down the aisle with my arms linked between both of my parents. Would that be okay?"
Tears flooded Emily's eyes, spilling down her face. Richard looked at his wife's face and then back at Lorelai, "My Girl, it would be an honour to share that moment with the love of my life. And it is only fitting that your Mother is a part of this."
"You don't have to do this," Emily insisted.
"I want you to, I was going to ask you tomorrow when we were getting ready. I know you like tradition and to do things the 'proper way', so I thought if I asked you at the last minute you wouldn't be able to come up with an excuse about Miss Manners or something. I really want you by my side. Will you?"
Emily was stunned by the sincerity in Lorelai's voice. "Yes, of course."
"Thanks," Lorelai leaned in and hugged her Mom.
The rest of the night was filled with laughter, stories and some music. Everyone seemed to have a great time, no one wanted to go, but Lorelai knew her man would be tired of being social. She spotted him in a corner with Howard and Buddy, the two older men chatting away and Luke pretending to pay attention. His eyes met hers and he could no longer even hear what the other men were saying. He excused himself and walked straight to the woman he could never resist.
"Can we leave yet," he asked her hopefully as he gently backed her into the lobby.
"I did book us the cottage for tonight," Lorelai smiled mischievously.
Luke placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer, "You know that I would like nothing more than to go to that cottage with you and -"
"Not sleep?" She teased, then kissed him.
"Lorelai," he growled. "I thought we were supposed to spend tonight apart and then not see each other until the ceremony."
"You don't want to spend one last night with me in sin?"
He laughed, "I'm serious. I assumed you would want to spend tonight at your place with Rory. You're telling me that you two never talked about how you would spend your last night as a single woman?"
"There may be some movies set aside," she confessed.
"Well there you go," Luke nodded. "Go and enjoy your time with her. Because after tonight we're not spending nights apart."
"Ever?"
"Not if I could help it."
"Mom," Rory called from the dining room.
"I'm out here," Lorelai called back.
Rory emerged from the dining room with a tired smile. "Are you two done necking out here? Everyone is ready to head out and they want to say goodnight to the happy couple."
"We weren't necking," Lorelai insisted.
"Sure thing," Rory smiled. "Dad, you might want to wipe the lipstick off for that argument to be convincing."
Luke suddenly blushed and turned away from Rory to wipe his mouth.
XoXoXoXoXoXo
Back at the house, Lorelai and Rory were alone on the couch. The place already felt a little weird with all the pictures gone. A lot of the personal touches were packed or already moved into the new home.
"So when you come back to visit, are you going to stay here or at the new house with us?" Lorelai asked, her voice made the question seem light hearted, but she was really nervous about the answer.
"Come on Mom. When we lived in the potting shed, that was home, it felt every bit as much of a home as this place does. Because of YOU. Home is where you are, Mom."
Lorelai exhaled with relief and hugged her daughter. "I love you Sweets." She leaned back, her hands holding her daughter's face, "Never ever forget that you were my first love. You taught me what true love is, Baby. No matter how long I'm married to Luke, I loved you first. No matter how many kids I have with him, you'll always be my first baby. The one who made me a Mom. I'm so proud of you."
Rory failed at trying to keep the tears from falling, "Mom! Stop. This is supposed to be a fun night. Don't make us cry. We don't need these words. You and I know that no one will ever be able to touch the place in our hearts that we hold for each other. You also know that with the end of my time at Yale coming up, and me heading off to god knows where, it's time for you to settle into your own life. I'm so crazy happy that you and Luke will be married. We both know he's been more of a Dad to me than Chris ever was. I'm excited for you to have kids with him. He deserves to raise a kid and you deserve to have a partner when raising one. Honestly Mom, I'm so happy with all of this."
"Even with seeing Jess?"
"Yeah, we're cool now. Especially when I told him I ended things with Logan. He could never understand why I was with him."
"He's not the only one," Lorelai pretended to mutter.
"I know, I know. But it's done. So lesson learned, I guess."
"I'm sorry, Sweets. It sucks that he hurt you. But I'm really happy you found this out about him now and not after the wedding Mom was planning for the two of you."
Rory rolled her eyes, "She wasn't THAT bad."
Lorelai just laughed.
The two went back to watching Steve Martin try to give his daughter the best wedding ever while struggling to let go of his little girl. They were more quiet than usual when watching a movie and Lorelai actually teared up when "Going to the Chapel" started playing and tried to cover her emotions by saying, "You know, running shoes on your wedding day is not a bad idea."
Rory giggled, "You say that every time we watch this."
"Well it's true!"
When the movie was over and the final Red Vine devoured Rory turned to her Mom. "You should go up and try to get some sleep. I'll clean up down here and then I'm headed to bed."
"Thanks for making my last night as a single lady perfect," Lorelai smiled. "I know you had your hand a little in the rehearsal dinner stuff. You really are the best."
They hugged, Lorelai held on for a beat longer than Rory expected. And then she slowly made her way to her bedroom, grabbed her phone and slid under the covers. Moments like this made Lorelai thankful for April, who had taught Luke how to send and receive text messages.
She typed quickly and sent the message off. Her smile lit up the dark room when he responded.
Lorelai: Are you awake?
Luke: Yeah. If you're finished with your girl time, call me.
She called his number as quickly as possible and smiled when he picked up.
"Hello?" His voice was so sexy she thought about running over to his place that instant. "How was the rest of your night?"
"We just finished the movie. We talked a lot,"
"Shocking," he smirked.
"We talked about you a little," she teased.
"She's so happy we're getting married. She loves you almost as much as I do."
"Well sometimes I like her a little more than I like you, so it's nice to hear she likes me too."
"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be extra nice to me on our wedding day?"
"It's not midnight, so it's not technically the wedding day yet."
"Ha ha. I'm laying here in bed and a minute ago I was wishing you were here. You were so sexy tonight, talking to everyone, smiling, the way you would look at me from across the room. I wanted to jump you. But now you wanna be mean?"
" I'm not trying to be mean. But after tonight you're not getting a bed to yourself, so I was trying to make you appreciate being alone."
"You're a prince," she said dryly.
"I love you, Lorelai. I can't wait to marry you and spend every day driving you crazy and making you happy."
"I love you too, Burger Boy."
"See you tomorrow."
"I'll be the one in the white dress."
"I'll be at the end of the aisle with a ring."
"My Mom would be impressed."
"Good night."
"Good night."