GG Fic: Love, Marriage and Moving Vans (6/12)
Title: Love, Marriage and Moving Vans (6/12)
Author: lorelaisquared
Rating: R
Characters: Lorelai, Luke, Sookie, Rory, Emily, Richard, Various Townies
Word Count: 3221
Summary: Sequel to Secret Desires and Nameless Fears. Lots of changes are in store for Stars Hollow's favourite family: Luke and Lorelai finally tie the knot, Rory starts her new job, and someone in town is facing a big move. Second story in the Good Things Come in Threes series.
Authors Note: Once again, real life has interfered with my writing time, but here at last is the next chapter. Now that I'm finally on summer vacation, I'm hoping I can get back to a regular posting schedule. No promises, but I'll try my best.
Special thanks to Jewels12 for always doing 'that thing you do' so very, very well. The title credit goes to her 100%.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3,, Chapter 4,, Chapter 5,
Receptions and Revelations
Lorelai and Luke wove their way through the crowded room, reluctantly greeting eager guests and shaking many hands along the way. After what seemed like hours, they reached their table and Lorelai sighed as she sank into her seat between Luke and Rory. “Food. Gimme. Starving,” she demanded.
“We haven't been served yet,” Rory informed her apologetically. “You could have some veggies while you wait.” She gestured to the crowded plate in the centre of the table.
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. “But you know I don't eat such things,” she whined.
Luke rolled his eyes and reached for a carrot. He took a bite and chewed, with a resounding crunch. “Vegetables won't kill you, you know.”
“That's what you think.” Lorelai poked at a piece of celery with her fork. It bounced slightly and she shuddered, dropping her fork. She turned her attention instead, to the wine glass in front of her that was filled with yellow liquid.
Rory followed her gaze and leaned in. “Apple juice,” she whispered. “I got here early and filled it before anyone could notice.”
“Good thinking.” Lorelai grinned at her daughter. “Have I told you how brilliant you are?”
“Not recently...” Rory trailed off as she noticed a waiter approaching their table with plates. “Oooh, dinner!”
Lorelai's head shot up. “Dinner? Where?” She spotted the waiter and nearly mauled him in an attempt to grasp one of the plates.
Luke restrained her. “For heaven's sake, will you calm down? You're scaring poor Pedro here.” The waiter shot him a grateful glance as he hastily set the plates before Lorelai and Rory and scampered away.
Lorelai wriggled out of Luke's grasp and promptly began to shovel pasta into her mouth, barely bothering to chew. “Slow down, Mom.” Rory shared a disgusted look with Luke. “You'd think she'd never seen food before.”
“No kidding. Remind me again why I married her,” he joked, biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing at the indignant expression on Lorelai's face.
“Because you love her, despite her flair for dramatics and her desire for strong, caffeinated beverages,” Rory responded, taking a bite of her meal.
“Oh, that's right.” He leaned over and kissed Lorelai's temple gently. “Guess I have to keep her then.” His food arrived and he thanked the waiter.
Rory nodded sombrely. “That would be wise, otherwise she might bite you in her sleep.”
Lorelai swallowed a particularly large mouthful of food and joined the conversation. “It's too late for that.” She winked at Luke suggestively.
“Ewwww.” Rory covered her ears. “La, la, la, la, la... I'm not listening to this.”
Lorelai laughed heartily. “You're so easy,” she told her daughter before returning her attention to her food.
xxxxx
After dinner, things were a bit of blur for Luke and Lorelai. Everywhere they went, people seemed to surround them, wanting to congratulate them, to talk to them, to be near them. Luke wondered if this was how celebrities felt, never getting a moment of peace. He was actually relieved when Kirk - who had insisted on being their DJ, whether they paid him or not - announced that it was time for the first dance.
Luke placed his hand in Lorelai's and gently pulled her away from the clutches of Patty and Babette. They reached the dance floor and Luke drew her close, one hand on her waist, the other holding hers. Lorelai smiled up at him and placed her free hand on his shoulder. They were standing so close that she could feel his warm breath against her cheek.
“Hi,” she whispered, starting to sway to the sound of the music.
Luke smiled. “Hi.” He began to lead her, waltzing to the familiar melody that had been playing the very first time they'd danced together at Liz and TJ's wedding.
“It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since our first dance.” She gazed into his eyes as they continued to move in tandem, their feet in perfect rhythm with the music.
“You looked just as beautiful then, as you did the first day I met you,” Luke told her, releasing his hold for a moment to allow her to spin.
She returned to his arms, a slight gleam in her eye. “Did I? I thought I was looking particularly spectacular at that wedding. I wanted you to notice me.”
Luke groaned, a deep, guttural sound that caused Lorelai's stomach to flutter. “I noticed you, all right. I noticed you every day since the day you walked into my diner babbling nonsense about coffee. You're rather difficult to ignore,” he teased.
Lorelai hit his upper arm playfully. “Hey! Be nice, husband, I'm your wife now.”
Luke grinned broadly and pressed her body to his. “You are indeed.” He dipped his head, and brushed her lips in a lingering kiss. “I love you, Lorelai Gilmore,” he breathed when he pulled away.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Luke frowned slightly, perplexed by her response. “For what?”
“For not ignoring me. For not giving up on me. For finally asking me out.” She took a deep breath and continued, words tumbling from her mouth in rapid succession, “A part of me had always wanted that, wanted this.” She gestured to the decorated town square, filled with their family and friends. “Wanted you,” she added in a lower, more suggestive tone. “But something held me back; I don't know what it was, fear maybe? Fear that I'd mess it up, the way I seemed to mess up every relationship I'd ever been in. Fear that I'd lose you, that Rory would lose you. Fear that you didn't feel the same way and I'd get my heart broken. Because, Luke, you've held my heart for a very long time, I just didn't realize it.” She stopped, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Luke tenderly kissed her tears away and pulled her into a tight hug. The waltz had ended and a new song was playing. Other people had joined them on the dance floor and no one seemed to notice that the bride and groom had stopped dancing. Luke rested his chin on the top of her head as he held her. “I promise never to break your heart, Lorelai.”
Lorelai shifted so she could see his face. “You're the best thing to ever happen to me, Luke Danes. I love you.” She placed her hands firmly on his cheeks and brought his lips to hers in a sizzling kiss that caught the attention of their party guests.
They both blushed slightly at the hoots and cheers that greeted them as they resurfaced. Lorelai's embarrassment gave way to laughter. This really was shaping up to be the best day of her life.
xxxxx
Half an hour later, Luke and Lorelai were enjoying a moment of solitude in the gazebo when Emily and Richard approached.
Richard cleared his throat. “We'd like a word, if that's all right.”
Lorelai stiffened, eyeing her parents warily. Luke rubbed her back reassuringly and she relaxed, leaning against him slightly as he addressed her parents, “Sure. Please, have a seat.” Luke indicated the bench beside them.
Once Emily and Richard were settled, Lorelai spoke, “What's this all about, Mom? Dad?”
“We wanted to give you your wedding present in person,” Emily explained.
Richard pulled a large, white envelope out of the inner pocket of his suit and offered it to them. “It's a bit of a time-sensitive matter.”
Lorelai and Luke exchanged a confused look before accepting the envelope from Richard. Luke opened it carefully, pulled out a handful of photographs and handed them to Lorelai. The first picture featured a beautiful, Victorian-style house. It was painted white, with green trim and had large, modern windows and a hand-crafted, wrap-around porch. The second picture showed a expansive, green lawn, dotted with fruit trees. There was a small pond, complete with lily pads in the next picture; and the final photograph showed a large wooden structure that looked like a barn.
Lorelai lowered the photos and fixed her parents with a questioning gaze.
“Now, before you get your nose out of joint and accuse us of interfering, hear us out,” Emily began. “We know that you and Luke have been looking for a new house and that you haven't found anything you like yet. We also know that buying a house is something you want to do on your own. But we know you've been busy with the wedding and with the twins coming, so we decided to keep looking, just in case something good came up. Our Realtor found this place just last week. We've been to see it, and we think it would be perfect for the two of you.”
Richard continued, “It's on the outskirts of Stars Hollow and this is only the second time that this house has been on the market in 100 years. It's got five bedrooms, four and a half baths, with a library, and a sun porch. It's on three acres with a very small fishing hole, which is really a little pond, but it's very charming, and it has stables for horses. It's a sensible home, in good repair, with plenty of space for your growing family. It would be a very wise investment for the two of you.”
Lorelai and Luke gaped at them, stunned. “You want to buy us a house?” Lorelai asked incredulously.
“We'd like to help you buy a house,” Emily corrected. “We know you won't let us buy it for you outright, but we're willing to help you in any way that we can. Because it is such a great place, we've already put in an offer for you, to secure it, but we can withdraw our offer if you don't want the house.”
“We went ahead and set up an appointment for you to look at the house tomorrow morning at eleven,” Richard told them. “You probably want to see it before you make your decision, but there is another couple interested in it, so we do need to know either way, before you leave for your honeymoon.”
Luke nodded. “Of course.” He glanced at Lorelai who was staring attentively at the photograph of the house again. “Is that okay with you?”
Lorelai blinked, and looked up. “It's fine.” She smiled at her parents. “You're right. This place looks perfect for us. I've always wanted to be able to keep horses, and the stables look big enough that we could make a workshop for Luke. I can't wait to see what it looks like inside. Thank you for finding it for us.” Lorelai gave each of her parents a big hug. “Really, thank you.”
It was Emily and Richard's turn to look stunned. They had expected more resistance from both of them, and were happily surprised by Lorelai's response.
“You're not mad?” Emily asked, wide-eyed.
Lorelai laughed. “Not mad at all.”
“It's a very generous and thoughtful gift, Emily. Thank you,” Luke said, taking Lorelai's hand. “We'll give you a call to discuss details after we've seen it tomorrow.”
“Excellent.” Richard smiled. “It looks as though you are being summoned.” He gestured to Sookie who was waving at them frantically with what appeared to be a knife in her hand.
“Oooh, I think it's time for cake. Come on, Luke, I get to feed you.” She raced down the stairs, tugging Luke after her.
“You are not smashing anything in my face,” he grumbled.
“Humph! Spoil sport,” Lorelai accused, sticking her tongue out at him.
“Trouble maker,” he retorted, as they arrived at the cake table.
Lorelai grinned. “Always.”
xxxxx
Sookie's cake was, of course, delicious. Lorelai had thoroughly enjoyed feeding cake to Luke, despite the fact that she had to do it the polite, old fashioned way. Everyone had returned to their seats after that, and Lorelai had quickly filled Rory and Sookie in on the gift from Emily and Richard. Rory flipped through the pictures about ten times, noticing new details every time.
“Can I come look at it with you?” she asked.
“Of course you can,” Luke told her. “It'll be your house too, if we buy it; you should have a say.”
His answer had induced a squeal from Rory and she flipped through the pictures an eleventh time.
Sookie had also been thrilled by the news, practically vibrating with elation. She loved the idea of Luke and Lorelai having a nice, big home to raise their family in.
“This way, you have space if you want more kids,” she informed Lorelai.
“More? Twins isn't enough for you?” Lorelai asked.
“You and Luke are going to make beautiful babies, you should make as many as you can,” Sookie squeaked happily.
Luke choked on his water. “Slow down, Sookie. Let's see how we handle these two first.” He rubbed Lorelai's tummy lovingly.
Lorelai laughed. “You're crazy, you know that?” she told her friend fondly.
“What? I just want you to be happy.” Sookie frowned, her eyes darting to the corner. “What is Taylor doing?”
Luke, Lorelai and Rory followed her gaze to the temporary stage that had been set up next to the gazebo. Taylor was standing at the microphone, yammering on about how Luke and Lorelai were the perfect couple and he'd always known that they would be great for each other.
“Are you kidding me?” Lorelai asked furiously. “Taylor is the one who drew up those charts about who'd take whose side if we broke up. And now he's taking credit for getting us together?”
“I'll handle this,” Luke growled. He stormed over to Taylor and yanked the microphone from his hand.
“Luke, I was just...” Taylor began, backing away from Luke.
“Spouting propaganda that isn't true? We haven't forgotten your pathetic, pink and blue ribbons, you know.”
“I was only...”
“Announcing the real speeches? Thank you, but Kirk is our MC for the evening.” He handed the microphone to a startled looking Kirk as Taylor scuttled off, eager to avoid angering Luke any further.
Luke returned to his seat and promptly groaned as Kirk called TJ to the microphone. “Maybe I should have let Taylor keep talking. Who told TJ he could give a speech?”
“You did, when you made him a groomsman.” Lorelai patted his arm consolingly.
“Only because Liz guilted me into it,” he grumbled.
“Cheer up, at least this is bound to be entertaining.”
She was not wrong. Soon Lorelai was laughing as TJ fumbled his way through an inappropriate speech that alluded to Liz and TJ's sex life far more frequently than anyone needed to hear. Luke was horrified at first, but he soon realized that TJ was only embarrassing himself and he relaxed, letting it go.
TJ's speech was followed by a more sombre one from Jess, in which he thanked his uncle publicly for taking him in and trying so hard to set him on the right path. He praised Luke's taste in women and expressed how happy he was for both of them. Luke wouldn't admit it afterwards, but Lorelai was certain his eyes had filled with unshed tears.
Rory was next, with an elegantly written speech detailing her relationship with her mother and Luke. She spoke of how she saw the love blossoming between them and how happy she was that they had finally found their path to one another. She ended the speech by saying that Luke had always been like a father to her, and she was glad that it was finally official.
Luke swiped a tear from his eye as Lorelai took his hand and squeezed it gently. They both hugged Rory when she returned to the table, blinking back tears of her own.
“Thank you,” Luke said softly. “You've always been like a daughter to me, I'm so glad you feel the same way.”
“You're welcome, Luke. You're a great dad. The twins are going to be so lucky to have you as their father from birth.” She hugged him again and then sat down to listen to Sookie's speech.
Sookie started with her friendship with Lorelai, detailing their years at the Independence Inn together and how she had watched Lorelai grow up with Rory. She talked about the many times she'd pointed out Luke's interest to Lorelai and Lorelai had denied it, brushing it off. Sookie continued, expressing her supreme happiness when they had finally started dating and how thrilled she was for them, now that they were married and starting a family.
“And now you'll have a big, beautiful house to raise those twins of yours in,” Sookie gushed, oblivious to the gasps of shock that were filtering through the audience.
Luke and Lorelai froze, as all eyes turned to them, Sookie's speech long forgotten. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then pandemonium broke out.
Everyone was talking at once. Babette and Miss Patty were whooping with glee, shouting their congratulations and approval. Kirk was trying to work out the significance of Sookie's announcement and was panicking that this meant that Luke and Lorelai were buying the Twickham house after all. Taylor was spouting facts and figures about taxes and baby bonuses and needing to update the sign that stated the population of Stars Hollow.
Amid the chaos, a miserable Sookie wove her way back to the table and slumped into her chair. “I'm so sorry, Lorelai, I was so nervous and it just kinda slipped out.”
“It's okay,” Luke told her, “They had to find out eventually.”
“Besides,” Lorelai added, “At least this way it makes for a memorable story.”
Next Chapter
Author: lorelaisquared
Rating: R
Characters: Lorelai, Luke, Sookie, Rory, Emily, Richard, Various Townies
Word Count: 3221
Summary: Sequel to Secret Desires and Nameless Fears. Lots of changes are in store for Stars Hollow's favourite family: Luke and Lorelai finally tie the knot, Rory starts her new job, and someone in town is facing a big move. Second story in the Good Things Come in Threes series.
Authors Note: Once again, real life has interfered with my writing time, but here at last is the next chapter. Now that I'm finally on summer vacation, I'm hoping I can get back to a regular posting schedule. No promises, but I'll try my best.
Special thanks to Jewels12 for always doing 'that thing you do' so very, very well. The title credit goes to her 100%.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3,, Chapter 4,, Chapter 5,
Receptions and Revelations
Lorelai and Luke wove their way through the crowded room, reluctantly greeting eager guests and shaking many hands along the way. After what seemed like hours, they reached their table and Lorelai sighed as she sank into her seat between Luke and Rory. “Food. Gimme. Starving,” she demanded.
“We haven't been served yet,” Rory informed her apologetically. “You could have some veggies while you wait.” She gestured to the crowded plate in the centre of the table.
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. “But you know I don't eat such things,” she whined.
Luke rolled his eyes and reached for a carrot. He took a bite and chewed, with a resounding crunch. “Vegetables won't kill you, you know.”
“That's what you think.” Lorelai poked at a piece of celery with her fork. It bounced slightly and she shuddered, dropping her fork. She turned her attention instead, to the wine glass in front of her that was filled with yellow liquid.
Rory followed her gaze and leaned in. “Apple juice,” she whispered. “I got here early and filled it before anyone could notice.”
“Good thinking.” Lorelai grinned at her daughter. “Have I told you how brilliant you are?”
“Not recently...” Rory trailed off as she noticed a waiter approaching their table with plates. “Oooh, dinner!”
Lorelai's head shot up. “Dinner? Where?” She spotted the waiter and nearly mauled him in an attempt to grasp one of the plates.
Luke restrained her. “For heaven's sake, will you calm down? You're scaring poor Pedro here.” The waiter shot him a grateful glance as he hastily set the plates before Lorelai and Rory and scampered away.
Lorelai wriggled out of Luke's grasp and promptly began to shovel pasta into her mouth, barely bothering to chew. “Slow down, Mom.” Rory shared a disgusted look with Luke. “You'd think she'd never seen food before.”
“No kidding. Remind me again why I married her,” he joked, biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing at the indignant expression on Lorelai's face.
“Because you love her, despite her flair for dramatics and her desire for strong, caffeinated beverages,” Rory responded, taking a bite of her meal.
“Oh, that's right.” He leaned over and kissed Lorelai's temple gently. “Guess I have to keep her then.” His food arrived and he thanked the waiter.
Rory nodded sombrely. “That would be wise, otherwise she might bite you in her sleep.”
Lorelai swallowed a particularly large mouthful of food and joined the conversation. “It's too late for that.” She winked at Luke suggestively.
“Ewwww.” Rory covered her ears. “La, la, la, la, la... I'm not listening to this.”
Lorelai laughed heartily. “You're so easy,” she told her daughter before returning her attention to her food.
xxxxx
After dinner, things were a bit of blur for Luke and Lorelai. Everywhere they went, people seemed to surround them, wanting to congratulate them, to talk to them, to be near them. Luke wondered if this was how celebrities felt, never getting a moment of peace. He was actually relieved when Kirk - who had insisted on being their DJ, whether they paid him or not - announced that it was time for the first dance.
Luke placed his hand in Lorelai's and gently pulled her away from the clutches of Patty and Babette. They reached the dance floor and Luke drew her close, one hand on her waist, the other holding hers. Lorelai smiled up at him and placed her free hand on his shoulder. They were standing so close that she could feel his warm breath against her cheek.
“Hi,” she whispered, starting to sway to the sound of the music.
Luke smiled. “Hi.” He began to lead her, waltzing to the familiar melody that had been playing the very first time they'd danced together at Liz and TJ's wedding.
“It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since our first dance.” She gazed into his eyes as they continued to move in tandem, their feet in perfect rhythm with the music.
“You looked just as beautiful then, as you did the first day I met you,” Luke told her, releasing his hold for a moment to allow her to spin.
She returned to his arms, a slight gleam in her eye. “Did I? I thought I was looking particularly spectacular at that wedding. I wanted you to notice me.”
Luke groaned, a deep, guttural sound that caused Lorelai's stomach to flutter. “I noticed you, all right. I noticed you every day since the day you walked into my diner babbling nonsense about coffee. You're rather difficult to ignore,” he teased.
Lorelai hit his upper arm playfully. “Hey! Be nice, husband, I'm your wife now.”
Luke grinned broadly and pressed her body to his. “You are indeed.” He dipped his head, and brushed her lips in a lingering kiss. “I love you, Lorelai Gilmore,” he breathed when he pulled away.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Luke frowned slightly, perplexed by her response. “For what?”
“For not ignoring me. For not giving up on me. For finally asking me out.” She took a deep breath and continued, words tumbling from her mouth in rapid succession, “A part of me had always wanted that, wanted this.” She gestured to the decorated town square, filled with their family and friends. “Wanted you,” she added in a lower, more suggestive tone. “But something held me back; I don't know what it was, fear maybe? Fear that I'd mess it up, the way I seemed to mess up every relationship I'd ever been in. Fear that I'd lose you, that Rory would lose you. Fear that you didn't feel the same way and I'd get my heart broken. Because, Luke, you've held my heart for a very long time, I just didn't realize it.” She stopped, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Luke tenderly kissed her tears away and pulled her into a tight hug. The waltz had ended and a new song was playing. Other people had joined them on the dance floor and no one seemed to notice that the bride and groom had stopped dancing. Luke rested his chin on the top of her head as he held her. “I promise never to break your heart, Lorelai.”
Lorelai shifted so she could see his face. “You're the best thing to ever happen to me, Luke Danes. I love you.” She placed her hands firmly on his cheeks and brought his lips to hers in a sizzling kiss that caught the attention of their party guests.
They both blushed slightly at the hoots and cheers that greeted them as they resurfaced. Lorelai's embarrassment gave way to laughter. This really was shaping up to be the best day of her life.
xxxxx
Half an hour later, Luke and Lorelai were enjoying a moment of solitude in the gazebo when Emily and Richard approached.
Richard cleared his throat. “We'd like a word, if that's all right.”
Lorelai stiffened, eyeing her parents warily. Luke rubbed her back reassuringly and she relaxed, leaning against him slightly as he addressed her parents, “Sure. Please, have a seat.” Luke indicated the bench beside them.
Once Emily and Richard were settled, Lorelai spoke, “What's this all about, Mom? Dad?”
“We wanted to give you your wedding present in person,” Emily explained.
Richard pulled a large, white envelope out of the inner pocket of his suit and offered it to them. “It's a bit of a time-sensitive matter.”
Lorelai and Luke exchanged a confused look before accepting the envelope from Richard. Luke opened it carefully, pulled out a handful of photographs and handed them to Lorelai. The first picture featured a beautiful, Victorian-style house. It was painted white, with green trim and had large, modern windows and a hand-crafted, wrap-around porch. The second picture showed a expansive, green lawn, dotted with fruit trees. There was a small pond, complete with lily pads in the next picture; and the final photograph showed a large wooden structure that looked like a barn.
Lorelai lowered the photos and fixed her parents with a questioning gaze.
“Now, before you get your nose out of joint and accuse us of interfering, hear us out,” Emily began. “We know that you and Luke have been looking for a new house and that you haven't found anything you like yet. We also know that buying a house is something you want to do on your own. But we know you've been busy with the wedding and with the twins coming, so we decided to keep looking, just in case something good came up. Our Realtor found this place just last week. We've been to see it, and we think it would be perfect for the two of you.”
Richard continued, “It's on the outskirts of Stars Hollow and this is only the second time that this house has been on the market in 100 years. It's got five bedrooms, four and a half baths, with a library, and a sun porch. It's on three acres with a very small fishing hole, which is really a little pond, but it's very charming, and it has stables for horses. It's a sensible home, in good repair, with plenty of space for your growing family. It would be a very wise investment for the two of you.”
Lorelai and Luke gaped at them, stunned. “You want to buy us a house?” Lorelai asked incredulously.
“We'd like to help you buy a house,” Emily corrected. “We know you won't let us buy it for you outright, but we're willing to help you in any way that we can. Because it is such a great place, we've already put in an offer for you, to secure it, but we can withdraw our offer if you don't want the house.”
“We went ahead and set up an appointment for you to look at the house tomorrow morning at eleven,” Richard told them. “You probably want to see it before you make your decision, but there is another couple interested in it, so we do need to know either way, before you leave for your honeymoon.”
Luke nodded. “Of course.” He glanced at Lorelai who was staring attentively at the photograph of the house again. “Is that okay with you?”
Lorelai blinked, and looked up. “It's fine.” She smiled at her parents. “You're right. This place looks perfect for us. I've always wanted to be able to keep horses, and the stables look big enough that we could make a workshop for Luke. I can't wait to see what it looks like inside. Thank you for finding it for us.” Lorelai gave each of her parents a big hug. “Really, thank you.”
It was Emily and Richard's turn to look stunned. They had expected more resistance from both of them, and were happily surprised by Lorelai's response.
“You're not mad?” Emily asked, wide-eyed.
Lorelai laughed. “Not mad at all.”
“It's a very generous and thoughtful gift, Emily. Thank you,” Luke said, taking Lorelai's hand. “We'll give you a call to discuss details after we've seen it tomorrow.”
“Excellent.” Richard smiled. “It looks as though you are being summoned.” He gestured to Sookie who was waving at them frantically with what appeared to be a knife in her hand.
“Oooh, I think it's time for cake. Come on, Luke, I get to feed you.” She raced down the stairs, tugging Luke after her.
“You are not smashing anything in my face,” he grumbled.
“Humph! Spoil sport,” Lorelai accused, sticking her tongue out at him.
“Trouble maker,” he retorted, as they arrived at the cake table.
Lorelai grinned. “Always.”
xxxxx
Sookie's cake was, of course, delicious. Lorelai had thoroughly enjoyed feeding cake to Luke, despite the fact that she had to do it the polite, old fashioned way. Everyone had returned to their seats after that, and Lorelai had quickly filled Rory and Sookie in on the gift from Emily and Richard. Rory flipped through the pictures about ten times, noticing new details every time.
“Can I come look at it with you?” she asked.
“Of course you can,” Luke told her. “It'll be your house too, if we buy it; you should have a say.”
His answer had induced a squeal from Rory and she flipped through the pictures an eleventh time.
Sookie had also been thrilled by the news, practically vibrating with elation. She loved the idea of Luke and Lorelai having a nice, big home to raise their family in.
“This way, you have space if you want more kids,” she informed Lorelai.
“More? Twins isn't enough for you?” Lorelai asked.
“You and Luke are going to make beautiful babies, you should make as many as you can,” Sookie squeaked happily.
Luke choked on his water. “Slow down, Sookie. Let's see how we handle these two first.” He rubbed Lorelai's tummy lovingly.
Lorelai laughed. “You're crazy, you know that?” she told her friend fondly.
“What? I just want you to be happy.” Sookie frowned, her eyes darting to the corner. “What is Taylor doing?”
Luke, Lorelai and Rory followed her gaze to the temporary stage that had been set up next to the gazebo. Taylor was standing at the microphone, yammering on about how Luke and Lorelai were the perfect couple and he'd always known that they would be great for each other.
“Are you kidding me?” Lorelai asked furiously. “Taylor is the one who drew up those charts about who'd take whose side if we broke up. And now he's taking credit for getting us together?”
“I'll handle this,” Luke growled. He stormed over to Taylor and yanked the microphone from his hand.
“Luke, I was just...” Taylor began, backing away from Luke.
“Spouting propaganda that isn't true? We haven't forgotten your pathetic, pink and blue ribbons, you know.”
“I was only...”
“Announcing the real speeches? Thank you, but Kirk is our MC for the evening.” He handed the microphone to a startled looking Kirk as Taylor scuttled off, eager to avoid angering Luke any further.
Luke returned to his seat and promptly groaned as Kirk called TJ to the microphone. “Maybe I should have let Taylor keep talking. Who told TJ he could give a speech?”
“You did, when you made him a groomsman.” Lorelai patted his arm consolingly.
“Only because Liz guilted me into it,” he grumbled.
“Cheer up, at least this is bound to be entertaining.”
She was not wrong. Soon Lorelai was laughing as TJ fumbled his way through an inappropriate speech that alluded to Liz and TJ's sex life far more frequently than anyone needed to hear. Luke was horrified at first, but he soon realized that TJ was only embarrassing himself and he relaxed, letting it go.
TJ's speech was followed by a more sombre one from Jess, in which he thanked his uncle publicly for taking him in and trying so hard to set him on the right path. He praised Luke's taste in women and expressed how happy he was for both of them. Luke wouldn't admit it afterwards, but Lorelai was certain his eyes had filled with unshed tears.
Rory was next, with an elegantly written speech detailing her relationship with her mother and Luke. She spoke of how she saw the love blossoming between them and how happy she was that they had finally found their path to one another. She ended the speech by saying that Luke had always been like a father to her, and she was glad that it was finally official.
Luke swiped a tear from his eye as Lorelai took his hand and squeezed it gently. They both hugged Rory when she returned to the table, blinking back tears of her own.
“Thank you,” Luke said softly. “You've always been like a daughter to me, I'm so glad you feel the same way.”
“You're welcome, Luke. You're a great dad. The twins are going to be so lucky to have you as their father from birth.” She hugged him again and then sat down to listen to Sookie's speech.
Sookie started with her friendship with Lorelai, detailing their years at the Independence Inn together and how she had watched Lorelai grow up with Rory. She talked about the many times she'd pointed out Luke's interest to Lorelai and Lorelai had denied it, brushing it off. Sookie continued, expressing her supreme happiness when they had finally started dating and how thrilled she was for them, now that they were married and starting a family.
“And now you'll have a big, beautiful house to raise those twins of yours in,” Sookie gushed, oblivious to the gasps of shock that were filtering through the audience.
Luke and Lorelai froze, as all eyes turned to them, Sookie's speech long forgotten. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then pandemonium broke out.
Everyone was talking at once. Babette and Miss Patty were whooping with glee, shouting their congratulations and approval. Kirk was trying to work out the significance of Sookie's announcement and was panicking that this meant that Luke and Lorelai were buying the Twickham house after all. Taylor was spouting facts and figures about taxes and baby bonuses and needing to update the sign that stated the population of Stars Hollow.
Amid the chaos, a miserable Sookie wove her way back to the table and slumped into her chair. “I'm so sorry, Lorelai, I was so nervous and it just kinda slipped out.”
“It's okay,” Luke told her, “They had to find out eventually.”
“Besides,” Lorelai added, “At least this way it makes for a memorable story.”
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