Luke and Lorelai were waiting in the white limousine until they received furter instructions to enter The Hartford Club. They had just returned from a photo session with Ellen, their wedding photographer. Ellen took photos of Luke and Lorelai and their wedding party in front of the gazebo, and then she photographed the two of them alone in front of Luke's Diner, The Dragonfly Inn, The Crap Shack, and Luke's favorite place, by the lake. There was one set of photos of Luke and Lorelai standing on the docks, just about where Luke pushed Jess into the lake a few years earlier. Luke felt that those were the best of the bunch. This winter, the weather had been too mild for the lake to freeze over, so the water was as still and glimmering as he'd ever seen it, and there were brilliant reflections glittering off the water. He could watch Lorelai in the reflections as the photos were taken. Lorelai's favorites photos were those of the two of them snuggled together in their limousine. But that wasn't Luke's ideal location for formal photos.

Lorelai had removed her veil and wore only her tiara, allowing her shiny, full, dark curls to flow down past her shoulders and breasts. She relaxed her back against Luke, as he cradled her in the crook of his right arm.

Luke kissed her forehead. "It would be nice if we had a half hour to ourselves in here."

"Don't get too comfortable right now. We'll probably have no more than ten minutes to wait in here."

Luke took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, I know that."

"Oh, come on, Luke. This is our party. It'll be over before you know it! All these people are in there to celebrate with us."

"Just give me a couple of minutes," Luke answered, closing his eyes and wrapping both his arms around Lorelai. She had on a new perfume that made her smell like budding Jasmine flowers. Lorelai was so surprised when she found out how much Luke loved the scent of wet Jasmine trees. Was it so out of character for him to love the fragrance of certain flowers? Luke grew up with Jasmine shrubs commonplace in his neighborhood. Even his parents had Jasmine in their yard. Once Lorelai learnt about his fascination with the flower, she bought a custom-blended perfume that smelled like budding Jasmine flowers. No fragrance she ever wore smelled badly to Luke, and he liked any perfume she wore. But Luke was especially touched that Lorelai purchased this fragrance especially for him.

"So did we decide if I should change my name legally?" She asked.

"I think we left it that you'd do whatever you wanted. You're my wife whether you choose to be Mrs. Danes or not," Luke responded, still keeping his eyes shut and trying to relax for as long as possible before they were called into the reception.

"I guess that would make me Mrs. Danes to many people anyway."

"That would."

"Mrs. Danes. Mrs. Lorelai Gilmore Danes. Mrs. Lorelai Victoria Danes. Lorelai Danes."

"You can always be Lorelai Gilmore Danes. Then you could decide if you wanted to hyphenate the two last names."

"No, I definitely don't want to hyphenate the names, but I do like going by Lorelai Gilmore Danes, so people in business can still recognize that it's me."

"You can continue being Lorelai Gilmore in the hotel or hospitality industry, that would be perfectly fine with me."

"It would be too confusing to be Lorelai Gilmore in my professional life and Lorelai Danes in my personal life. Then I'd have to develop two completely different personas, and it's difficult enough keeping up with one persona."

"Tell me about it."

Lorelai jabbed her elbow into Luke's stomach making him groan. "Hey, you need to be nice to me. It's my wedding day!"

Luke finally opened his eyes and looking into his smiling wife's eyes, answered, "It's my wedding day too."

"Yes, but I'm the bride."

"And I'm the groom. Every bit as essential as the bride."

"Not if I was marrying my lesbian lover. I could be marrying my Portia di Rossi!"

"Yes, well, that's not the case, and in the state of Connecticut, that wouldn't be happening at this moment in time."

"Hmm!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the window. Lorelai rolled down the window to see Michel standing by the limousine. He looked as he always did for wedding receptions that they had at the inn. He wore his favorite dark gray, pinstripe suit, lavender dress shirt, and a purple, black and red tie.

"Well?" Lorelai asked.

In his thick, French accent, Michel responded, "You'd think if one was a server at a place like the Hartford Club, there'd be a certain level of professionalism, but they all ignore my requests as if I were a mosquito in a haystack!"

"Michel, I may still be your boss, but I'm also a bride today. Therefore, I shouldn't have to hear your complaints. Besides, your responsibilities of overseeing the planning of the wedding are now over. Your role is now being a guest – an AGREEABLE guest. So let's all just enjoy the party. Now, are they ready for us inside?"

"Yes, they are. And it's freezing out here!"

"Well, it's February, and you're out here without a coat, so you should be cold."

Thomas, the chauffeur, opened the car door and helped Lorelai out of the car. Lorelai and Luke thanked him for his help and headed inside. A red carpet had been rolled out from the curb, up the main stairs to the front doors of the club. Once they entered the building, Michel led them through the grand front entrance with its high ceilings and beautifully ornate columns and trim. Luke and Lorelai walked hand-in-hand through the large double doors into their reception hall to everyone's applause. Even though there were only a hundred or so guests in the room, the roar of the applause sounded like an auditorium full of people, or that was what it sounded like to Luke. Lorelai raised their joined hands above their heads, which reminded him of Olympic gold medalists winning their race. He smiled and hoped that the bright lights would soon not focus on their movements.

Finally, when the lights dimmed, Luke observed that the room was decorated to look like they were having their reception outside in the snow-covered, Stars Hollow's Town Square. He knew that was what Lorelai had tried to recreate. There was one half of the gazebo that he built and others painted jutting out from the wall as they came in, and the band was set up in and around the gazebo. A white-tiled dance floor was positioned in front of the gazebo and man-made snow particles were sprinkled generously throughout the room. Silver stars of varying sizes were hung from the ceiling, and they reminded Luke of decorations for Stars Hollows' Star Light Festival. Wooden benches and iron lampposts were placed near the gazebo and scattered around the room. Ten large round dining tables were situated along the perimeter of the dance floor. Each table was set with navy velvet tablecloths. At the center of each table, there were round, mirrored placemats and large, glass cylindrical vases that held four- to five-foot, white birch branches with triangular, glass votives containing lit white candles suspended. The finishing touch was the white rose petals that were sprinkled around the mirrored centerpieces.

Luke was surprised when the band began playing the music to "I Finally Found Someone." That was the song that he personally chose since he felt the lyrics fit their story so perfectly. But Lorelai kept going back and forth between this song and the "Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop" song. The "Coffee Shop" song fit their situation well too, and he thought it was this song that Lorelai decided would provide the music for their first dance as a married couple. But she must have changed her mind – again!

Lorelai leaned into Luke and whispered, "They'll play the 'Coffee Shop' song later, and we'll dance to that too. I just figured a Barbra Streisand/Bryan Adams duet was more dramatic to make our entrance."

"It always was my first choice."

"Aww, my sentimental husband. Are you gonna start going soft and gooey on me? Won't I have any rants tonight?"

"You'll have a lifetime full of rants. Today's not a day for ranting though, it's the most sentimental day of our lives."

The leader of the band, a man that looked like a young Lou Rawls, announced, "Now for the bride and groom to dance their first dance as husband and wife. Luke, Lorelai, will you please make your way to the dance floor?"

Then the lyrics came and Luke and Lorelai walked onto the dance floor. The female and male singers voiced the lyrics loud and dramatically, which seemed to do justice to Babs and Bryan's version. Luke knew Lorelai probably coached them on that detail.

I finally found someone, that knocks me off my feet
I finally found the one, that makes me feel complete
We started over coffee, we started out as friends
It's funny how from simple things, the best things begin

This time it's different, dah dah dah dah
It's all because of you, dah dah dah dah
It's better than it's ever been
'Cause we can talk it through
Oohh, my favorite line was "Can I call you sometime?"
It's all you had to say to take my breath away

This is it, oh, I finally found someone
Someone to share my life
I finally found the one, to be with every night
'Cause whatever I do, it's just got to be you
My life has just begun
I finally found someone, ooh, someone
I finally found someone, oooh

Luke held Lorelai and danced to the music, concentrating on the lyrics and finding himself choking back the tears. He didn't want to cry, but the moment was really too much for him. Here he was dancing with the woman that made his grandest dream a reality to a song that spoke of their personal story. He looked over at Lorelai and tears were streaming from her eyes too. It didn't matter that there was a room full of people; he just had to kiss her. As they continued to dance ever so slowly, he kissed her. She held onto him as tightly as he held onto her. She was now his wife, his partner, forever. He knew that if he had never gotten Lorelai back, he would have never had the chance to experience this happiness. His brief, weird marriage to Nicole was never meant to last. Actually, he never intended to marry at all, until some bright, blue-eyed gypsy zoomed into his diner one day asking for coffee. Then, ever since that day, he wanted to spend everyday of his life looking at that face. And he had to be the one who married her. It might have taken him eight years to ask her out, but it had to be her.

Did I keep you waiting, I didn't mind
I apologize, baby, that's fine
I would wait forever just to know you were mine
And I love your hair, sure it looks fine
I love what you wear, isn't it the time?
You're exceptional, I can't wait for the rest of my life

This is it, oh, I finally found someone
Someone to share my life
I finally found the one, to be with every night
'Cause whatever I do, it's just got to be you
My life has just begun
I finally found someone, ooh, someone
I finally found someone, oooh

Whatever I do, it's just got to be you
My life has just begun
I finally found someone

The song ended and there was a pause. Luke and Lorelai stopped dancing and stood still. Everyone in the hall stood, cheered for the new couple and showered them with a long loud round of applause.

When the sound of the applause died, the band leader announced, "For all of you out there who are young at heart and in love with their partner, please get up and join the host and hostess in another slow, romantic song."

Several couples – including Sookie and Jackson, Babette and Morey, Lane and Zach, Lulu and Kirk, and even Emily and Richard – came up to join the couple. The song was "Kiss the Girl."

After the second song, Luke and Lorelai went around the room to greet everyone. Their guests all raved about how beautiful they both looked. Most people were surprised how elegant and dapper Luke looked.

"Honey," Babette said. "As gorgeous and sexy as you are, 'elegant' was not word that came to my mind when I thought of Luke Danes. But now, I'll always have a picture in my head of this day, how you look now, and it's nothing short of elegant in a Cary Grant, Montgomery Clift kind of way."

"Oooh!" Lorelai exclaimed as she leaned into Luke. "Two of my all time favorite actors!" Then she kissed his cheek.

"Are we embarrassing you, Sweetheart?" Babette examined him.

"No more than usual," Luke answered.

Everybody within an earshot laughed - Babette, Morey, Lorelai, Miss Patty, Gypsy, Kirk, Lulu, and even Taylor.

After Luke and Lorelai did their best going around to every table and greeting their guests, they sat down at their table in between Rory and Jess. Rory sat beside Logan, Jess sat next to Liz and T.J. and Emily and Richard were seated opposite the bride and groom. As everyone ate their first course of a cranberry sorbet, they all talked about Rory's travels across the U.S.

"I really do love the adventure side of it all. No two places are exactly the same," Rory commented. "Some of the other journalists think I'm crazy. They think we don't see enough of the cities to note the cultural differences, but I like to see what I can find. I do a bit more exploring when I can get away."

"That can get dangerous – a young woman exploring an unknown city on her own," Logan commented.

"I can take care of myself," Rory responded.

"Typical independent woman response," Logan replied.

"If she says she can handle herself, I trust that she can," Jess interjected.

"Rory's a very capable young woman," Richard chimed in, commenting on his granddaughter. "But a young woman in a strange city should never feel overly confident about traveling through an unknown city on her own."

"Richard's right," Emily added. "Yet, I saw Rory handle herself throughout Europe, and she did just fine on the afternoons when I rested in our hotel rooms."

"She has always been capable of doing anything that she puts her mind to," Lorelai stuck up for her daughter as well.

"Well, I know I've always been capable of seeing an unknown city on my own. And, Grandpa, you don't have to worry that I take a non-chalant attitude walking the streets that are unfamiliar to me. What I meant when I said I could take care of myself is that I know some self-defense moves that could help me protect myself, need be."

"Self-defense?" Emily asked. "That doesn't sound very ladylike, Rory."

"Grandma, I only need to use it in situations that call for it. I don't go around making the self-defense moves on a regular basis. And I only practice them during my daily cla*s."

"Your daily cla*s?" Emily asked.

"I've mentioned my Tai chi cla*s that I've been taking to you and Grandpa."

"I do recall that," Emily answered, nodding.

"That sounds amazing, Rory!" Liz exclaimed. "How are you able to take Tai Chi cla*s while you're traveling from city to city?"

"One of my fellow journalists initiated a Tai Chi cla*s on the road. And while much of the Tai Chi we do is for health benefits, some of the moves have definitely been for self-defense."

"Good for you, Rory!" Luke replied. "It sounds like you're really doing something that's healthy and beneficial for you! Something you'd never learn from your mother!"

"Hey! You can't say things like that to me today!" Lorelai responded. "You're supposed to do nothing but praise and adore me all evening."

Luke took Lorelai's hand and kissed it softly. He then gently massaged her hand as he answered. "You're absolutely right. Have I told you how unbelievably beautiful you look today?"

Lorelai smiled tilting her head as she gazed over at her new husband. "Yes, you have. But you can keeping telling me over and over again."

"Aren't you both so sweet," Liz answered. "My big brother's finally a happily, settled married man. Congrats, Bro!"

"Thanks, Sis."

"I think it's time to chime the glasses," Liz suggested, "and get a good kiss out of you two!" Liz raised one of her wine glasses and her larger fork, and she was about to chime the fork against the glass when Luke stopped her.

"Please, let's not do that! I have my young, impressionable daughter sitting at the table."

"Dad! I've seen you and Lorelai kiss before. Besides, I'm almost fifteen. I think I'm beyond the impressionable age period."

"You're most definitely not beyond the impressionable age period! You've got years to go until I say you're out of the impressionable age period! In fact, until you're an adult and living on your own, you'll remain at an impressionable age!"

"Dad!"

"Do you hear me, Young Lady? Even if you don't agree with me, please just humor me and agree with me."

April sighed, glancing around the table. "Fine, Dad. I'm still as impressionable as young tadpole learning how to hop around the lilipond."

Luke nodded his head and smiled. "Thank you."

"And you're welcome!" April said. "Excuse me a moment," she added, before getting up to leave the table.

"Aw, Luke, you embarrassed the poor girl," Liz remarked.

"Humiliated is more like it," T.J. added.

"She'll get over it," Luke responded.

"Rory," Liz continued, "if you don't mind, would you tell us more about these Tai Chi cla*ses your taking? I'd love to know how you manage them on the road."

"Sure, I'd be happy to tell you more about it, Liz," Rory answered.

"It still sounds a bit unreal to me to hear my daughter talking about doing regular exercise," Lorelai said. "I know I've known about you doing this. But seeing you stick to it- it's almost a miracle. And now you know self-defense moves too! Now that's nothing short of interesting!"

"A miracle, Mom? No, if you did regular exercise, that would be a near miracle. My trying to participate in exercising with my fellow colleagues, that may just be interesting, as you put it… Now to answer your question, Liz, a fellow journalist, lost a lot of weight from Tai Chi, and it has been her form of exercise and stress-relief ever since. She also met her future husband when she started."

"You're just as lean as your mother, Rory," T.J. said. "You don't need to lose any weight. We'll hardly be able to see you if you become any thinner."

"Thank you, T.J., but I don't necessarily do it to lose weight. In the beginning, Jahara was doing it by herself, and she asked me to join her just for the company. I figured it would be a good first step to making friends with my fellow journalists. Plus, I felt bad with idea of letting her exercise alone day in and day out for the length of our assignment. So, in the mornings or evenings, whenever we could fit it in, we'd have a cla*s about five or six days a week. She's really a great teacher. It's been so much fun. Now there are about nine of us who do it regularly, and many of us will go eat a huge meal afterwards if we have nothing scheduled immediately following the cla*s."

"Jess did some kind of martial arts when he was an adolescent in New York," Luke commented. "Right?"

"That's right!" Liz exclaimed. "All the young boys in our neighborhood were in to the martial arts, so I pushed Jess for about a year or two to take those cla*ses. Financially, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with the money for them, but fortunately, they let us pay on a sliding scale. But then I was out of work for a while and just couldn't afford it at all, so Jess had to stop."

"Yeah, that's exactly why I stopped going!" Jess commented. "It was a money issue."

"I take it you're saying it wasn't a money issue?" T.J. asked.

"The kids who were in the cla*s were morons. None of them ever in their pathetic lives picked up a book to read. I just got tired of Mom trying to get me to like it. She was trying to get me to be more social with the rich kids. I had my group of friends, and none of them took Tai Kwan Do."

"Those kids weren't from rich families!" Liz interjected. "Most those kids lived in our area and had small, dingy apartments where the musty smell never left, just like we did," Liz answered. "The only difference was that either they had both parents, or the fathers were involved in the kids' lives, and at least one parent in each household had a steady job."

"It sounds to me like your mom just wanted the best for you," Logan commented.

"Yeah, well, you know what they say about good intentions," Jess answered.

"I just love doing the Tai Chi," Rory continued. "I don't know how Tai Kwan Do might differ, but it's such a great way to escape from stress and life and work, and I don't exactly have a sanctuary being on the road, so the cla*ses and exercise has become my oasis."

"But you'll still have your chili fries and coffee as a late night snack, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course, Mom! I haven't gone completely Zen and granola on you, I promise."

Lorelai sighed. "That's good."

"You don't usually hear a mother encourage her daughter to eat junk food and worry about their children exercising regularly," Luke said.

"What happened to you adoring me all night?"

Luke sighed and nodded. "You're right. It won't happen again. I promise."

"Thank you!" Lorelai answered Luke and turned her attention to her daughter. "Besides, I just want to make sure she hasn't completely changed personalities on me. Otherwise, I'd be very suspect that either my very brilliant, precious daughter underwent a lobotomy or she was kidnapped and this individual was sent in her place… Hey, weren't you wearing a different dress at the ceremony?"

"Yes, Mom, I was. But I'm the same person, thank you very much! And it was your idea that my dress transform into a completely different dress for the reception!" Rory added. She now wore an ivory lace attachment to the bodice of the navy satin dress, so that most of her cleavage was now covered and made the dress look more Victorian than Louis XIV risqué, and the large, cumbersome skirt had been removed to reveal a new straight, narrow skirt of the same satin fabric.

April returned back to the table in one big swoosh, and she was completely out of breath. "I know you all know this quite well, but I just have to say it again. Kirk's very weird!"

"You think?" Jess asked.

"I definitely do," April responded.

"What did he do now?" Luke asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"He's saying that in the last few weeks, he's had the feeling that someone was watching his every move. Kirk feels there's some young kid out there who wants to mimic his life. Apparently, this person likes what he sees and wants to follow in Kirk's footsteps."

"Who does he think this young guy is?" Rory asked.

"He doesn't know," April continued, "but he wishes the kid would just show his face, and then he could take him under his wing."

"Oy yoy yoy!" Luke remarked.

"Tell me about it!" April said. "Kirk said the kid could then mimic everything he does for real, except for anything that's related to Lulu, of course. But even with that, Kirk said he can give tips on how to get and keep a girl like Lulu."

"Kirk barely knows how he got Lulu," Luke commented. "I saw their first date. He was as dumbfounded as was I by what Lulu saw in him. He doesn't have a clue!"

"Does any guy know how he got so lucky to get the love of their lives?" T.J. asked, looking at Liz. "It's usually by some God-given miracle that such a beautiful woman would consider the poor shlub."

"You're very sweet, My Love," Liz said. "But it's still your turn to wake up with Doula tomorrow morning."

"That's not what I was getting at, at all!" T.J. exclaimed, sounding a bit bruised by Liz's response.

"Really beautifully said, T.J.," Logan responded.

"Thanks, man," T.J. responded. "Gosh, women! You try to be everything they want, but sometimes, you still end up in the doghouse. And you don't know what you did wrong!"

"I guess they have their reasons," Logan added, looking at Rory.

"They certainly do," Jess chimed in, looking from Logan to Rory.

Rory started to slouch down in her seat, not looking at Logan or Jess; instead she gave her mother a blank stare.

Luke asked, "Hey, Rory, would you dance with me? I love this song." He really did not have any strong feelings one way or the other to "I Heard It Through The Grapevine."

"Dance with my new stepfather? I would love to!" Rory answered, jumping out of her seat.

Before he could get up, Lorelai kissed Luke briefly. He knew she was grateful for his coming to Rory's rescue like that.

"Jess, would you dance with me?" Liz asked.

"Maybe later," Jess answered.

"Jess, go dance with your mother," Lorelai remarked.

Before Jess could respond, Logan jumped in, "If it's okay with you, I would love to dance with you, Liz."

"Thanks, Logan, that would be great!" Liz responded.

Lorelai looked at Jess who was not saying anything. "Wait, Logan! I'll dance with you. Jess, get up and dance with your mother – now!" Jess just looked at her. She knew he wanted to say something to her. Lorelai remembered the rude, teenage punk who told her off in her own house when she last tried to butt into his life six years ago when he first moved to Stars Hollow. Lorelai assumed he was remembering that moment too as he stared at her intently. But he was older and hopefully more mature and knew better to tick off a bride at her own wedding.

Without saying a word, Jess got up and went over to his mother. Liz laughed looking quite thrilled with the outcome, hugged her son and said, "You'll see, it won't be the horrible torture you're anticipating."

Jess gave his mother a brief smirk as he walked her out onto the dance floor.

Lorelai shook her head. She was now related to the guy and probably would see him on occasions for the rest of her life. Logan came over and helped Lorelai out of her chair. "That was very gallant of you, Logan, to try to smooth things out between mother and son."As they walked onto the dance floor right near where Luke and Rory danced, the male singer started singing Sly & the Family Stone's "Family Affair." There were quite a few couples on the dance floor. On the other side of the large, white vinyl square, Miss Patty was supposedly dancing with Taylor, but she had her eyes closed and was swaying to music as if she were not a guest at a wedding in 2008, but rather at a dance rehearsal in 1968.

Logan remarked, "I wasn't so much trying to save Jess' ass as trying to bring some harmony to the table. I was taught always to be the diplomat. Trust me, in my family, I know about tense moments, and it's always best to walk away or find a way to ease the tension."

They started to dance to the music. "I know all about family tension myself, except my inclination's to bring the uncomfortable matter to the surface. If there's a subtly grey elephant in the room, I'd go in there and paint it fire-engine red! On the other hand, the rest of my family likes to ignore any tension and not dwell on unpleasant matters. They try to throw a chenille blanket over the elephant."

"Maybe that's why our parents got along so well for all those years, my parents like to cause the tension and your parents ignore it."

Lorelai nodded her head. "Yes, that could be how they remained friends, until the whole fiasco when your mother flat out said that Rory wasn't good enough for you, and your father crushed my daughter's spirit telling her she didn't have what it took to be a journalist!"

"Yeah, well, your parents certainly put my parents in their place."

"That they did," Lorelai responded.

"It would've been interesting being a fly on the wall to witness either of those conversations."

"Absolutely! I would've loved to have access to a Chinese potion that helps one be invisible and witness conversations or events that would've otherwise been unattainable," Lorelai replied.

Logan laughed. "What movie's that from? It does sound familiar."

"That's from Woody Allen's 'Alice.'"

"That's right… 'Alice'… My parents are idiots. They don't know Rory well enough to know of the spectacular individual she is now and the kind of woman she'll become. I know she'll do great things."

"That she will… So what exactly are your intentions with Rory?"

"Completely honorable. You should know that since I did ask you for her hand in marriage."

Lorelai squinted her eyes and shook her head. "Let's get serious for a minute."

Logan sighed. "Okay. We're friends. We speak regularly about every ten days or two weeks, something like that."

"How'd that happen?"

"She didn't tell you that we started speaking again?"

"No, she didn't."

"I thought she tells you everything."

"I think she's mentioned to me once that she spoke to you some time around Thanksgiving."

"That's when we started speaking again."

"Why?"

"Why what? Why did we start speaking again? Do you not want me speaking to your daughter?"

"Logan."

"Why – I don't know. I think I was the one who called her first. I just missed her and regretted how we left things. She seemed glad that I called. She said she was afraid that I would hate her forever."

"What do you want to have happen now?"

Logan shrugged. "I do still love Rory. There's not much I can do about that. I know she's not ready to settle down and move to one location just because I happen to be there."

"No, she's not," Lorelai confirmed.

"And I'm not in a position to be able to follow her either. I'm just starting to get my bearings on my own too. When she and I broke up after she said 'no' to my marriage proposal, I reacted badly. It had to be all or nothing. Somehow, I had it in my mind how everything should unfold, and I never shared that vision with Rory until I sprung the proposal and my view of our future on her. I was furious that she screwed up my vision."

"Maybe there could have been some kind of happy medium that could've been met."

"Are you saying that you think Rory and I belong together?"

Lorelai shook her head. "I'm not saying that at all. I just know that you and Rory seemed happy together for the most part. You both had growing up to do and a lot to learn, but you seemed to grow together and separately while still remaining together. It seemed that here she was this woman you wanted to marry, then, all of sudden, when she didn't have quite the same vision you had, you walked away."

"That's how we react in my family when things don't go our way - we storm out of the room or the yard, in this case."

"Thank you for being honest with me."

Logan smiled. "It wasn't right that I just made all these plans for us without discussing them with her. I totally didn't take into consideration what she wanted and needed. Just a few weeks before I put this whole plan together, I told to her to plan whatever she wanted and I would work my future plans around her. Well, that's exactly what I didn't do."

"I know all about doing what you shouldn't do," Lorelai responded. "We all make tons and tons of mistakes in our lifetime. I'm told that's how we gain wisdom."

Logan smiled as the song ended and they stopped dancing. They went back to the table and joined everyone in their second course of Shrimp and Lobster Cocktail.

Luke told everyone the story of the Valentine's Day when Logan made lobster for him, Lorelai and Rory, and it was the first time he had ever had lobster. It was one of the most amazing foods he had ever had. Logan made it perfectly.

"The first food I knew how to cook was lobster," Logan added. "Most the men in my family wouldn't know how to boil an egg, but they knew how to grill lobsters just right on the barbie," Logan finished in his best 'Crocodile Dundee' accent.

"Luke promised me back then we would have lobster at our wedding," Lorelai chimed in, "so we had to make sure it got on the menu today. It was more of a challenge than you think. We had to accomplish this without the budget getting out of hand and having everyone cracking open their own lobster while in their nice clothes."

"And of course, getting fresh lobster in the middle of winter could also be a challenge," Luke added.

"That's nonsense!" Emily exclaimed. "This is New England! You can get lobster any time of year!"

"That's true," April commented. "Mom and I would go to Cape Cod for Christmas when I was little and we always had great lobster there."

"You would go to the Cape in December?" Rory asked. "Isn't that a bit out of season?"

"Exactly! That's why my mother loved it. My uncle's in-laws live in Sandwich, which is at the very beginning of the Cape. And we would have Christmas Eve and Christmas with them out there. For a few days after that, my mom would close her store, and we would spend a few days touring through the rest of the main island, and even take a ferry out to Nantucket, which was my favorite. The year round population of the entire Nantucket Island is about 10,000, and in the summer months, it goes up to 50,000. The main island of the Cape has a year round population of 230,000 from the fifteen towns that make up the Cape."

"What's it like spending Christmas on the Cape?" Rory asked.

"It's wonderful and quaint. Very New England in an Italian-American kind of way, if you ask me. My uncle's in-laws own a big fish and seafood emporium out there, and being off the boat Italians, their Christmas Eves are very traditional with an all-out fish and seafood feast. Lobster Fra Diablo is my favorite."

"Do you think you could get us an invitation to that Christmas Eve dinner?" Lorelai asked. "I love Italian feasts!"

April smiled. "I can see what I can do about that. Lately, though, mom and I haven't gone so regularly out there for Christmas, especially now that we live across the country! I'd love to do it this year, though, if possible."

"A few years back at the Independence Inn when Sookie had just come back from a three-week Italian cooking course, she cooked all these amazing authentic Italian dishes," Lorelai shared. "There's an entire week in the summer that's dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which is the Saint's day dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and many places have Italian feasts all week. The Independence Inn joined that tradition with Sookie making these elaborate Italian meals!" Lorelai turned to Luke and suggested, "Hey, maybe you and I can just go to Italy for a three-week eating course!"

"Sure, sounds perfectly reasonable. Maybe we can plan something after our two week honeymoon in Hawaii," Luke remarked.

"Spring's an idyllic time to go to Italy," Emily replied.

"I think Luke was kidding, Mom," Lorelai added.

"I understand, Lorelai. But it's still a wonderful time to go to Italy. Yet, it's also very expensive to go to Italy any time between April and September."

"We wouldn't be expecting to go first clas*s Mom," Lorelai answered.

"I just loved Italy in the summer when Rory and I went a few years back."

Rory smiled. "It was really a fantastic trip, Grandma."

"I've only been to Italy in the summer," Logan shared. "The sea in Sardinia is the bluest blue I've ever seen. And off of Capri, you've got the Blue Grotto. I particularly love the Italian Riviera. It's less condensed than the French Riviera and just a little more exclusive. Of course, Hotel du Cap in Antibes is as blissful and serene as any place on the Italian coast."

"Hotel du Cap's a very special place," Richard added. "The last few times Emily and I've been there, we've seen celebrities. We sat right next to Robert De Niro in the dining room a couple of times and saw him out by the pool. Emily had to contain herself to not ask for an autograph."

"Richard! I did no such thing! I wasn't the one ogling over the beautiful African-American model he was with."

"That would've been Naomi Campbell, Mom," Lorelai chimed in.

"She was stunning, I have to admit," Richard added.

"Well, if one believes what one reads in the magazines," Lorelai replied. "Naomi may be beautiful but she appears to be a bit of a crazy biatch."

"Lorelai!" Emily exclaimed.

"I was actually being tactful, Mom. The rags make her out to be quite a high-strung psycho. By the way, she and De Niro are no longer together."

One set of servers were discreetly taking away guests' second course plates and another set of servers were asking the guests if they wanted the beef entrée, or the fish or vegetarian options. The choice was a Garlic Crusted Tenderloin of Beef with Wild Mushroom Port Wine Demi-Glace, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Sauté of Winter Vegetables with Fresh Herb Garni or for the non-meat eaters, there was Asian Roasted Sea Bass with the same accompaniments as the beef, or Vegetable Pasta Pinwheels drizzled with Smoked Mozzarella Sauce joined by Assorted Baby Greens tossed with Herb Vinaigrette.

"I just love the food here," Emily commented as her Beef Tenderloin was placed in front of her.

Luke noted around the table and at other tables that most people did choose the beef entrée, just as Lorelai predicted. There were the one or two people per table who went with either the fish or the pasta choice. This surprised Luke very much. He had suggested that they give people a choice on the reply card whether they wanted a beef, fish or vegetarian entrée. He himself preferred the sea bass. Originally, Lorelai had said that she wanted one entrée – the Beef Tenderloin, and for anyone who was a true vegetarian or does not eat beef, there would be the pasta choice. She did not want to have the choice given to people on the reply card. Let them be surprised by what is offered. However, Emily and Luke separately tried to convince her to offer a fish option. Emily kept repeating to her how she knew very well that her father could not eat red meat anymore. Fish was the ideal option for Richard; and Luke himself would most often choose a fish option on any menu. While Lorelai did relent and allow a fish option, she still insisted that there not be a choice given on the reply cards. She was certain that most people would still choose the beef and only a handful of people would choose one of the alternative options. It looked like she was right, once again.

While the guests ate their food, the music was subdued and stuck to old standards such as "Somewhere over the Rainbow," "The Circle Game," "Carolina on My Mind," and "How Sweet It Is."

A little while later came, "Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop." This was Luke and Lorelai's cue to dance again. After a minute or two of just the bride and groom dancing, others joined them, including Rory and Jess.

I think that possibly, maybe I'm fallin' for you
Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you
I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down
I wanna come to
I think that possibly, maybe I'm fallin' for you

No one understands me quite like you do
Through all of the shadowy corners of me

I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew
I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew

"So what's the deal with Jess and Rory?" Luke asked.

"From what I gathered from Rory last night, she's confused. She cares about Jess and their relationship hasn't remained completely platonic, but she still loves Logan. She's not sure she wants to be with Logan, or Jess, for that matter. She doesn't seem to want to make a decision about either of them right now."

Luke nodded his head. "That daughter of yours, and now my step-daughter, has a good head on her shoulders. She's smart and will make the right decision for her, I've no doubt."

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"See, I told you we would be able to get both songs in tonight," Lorelai said.

"I had no doubt you'd find a way," Luke answered as he held her and danced to the music. He wondered how many couples fall in love over time spent in a coffee shop.

"Are you glad I did?" Lorelai asked.

Luke smiled. "Absolutely."

Lorelai beamed. "You know, there's a lot of work that goes into a reception to make it work for everyone – the bride and groom, the families, and then the guests. But as I always tell the brides and grooms that I plan weddings for, the night's really about them. That's great if the guests enjoy themselves too. But it has to be your night. So for me, this night, this whole reception is what would work for us."

"This night is about us," Luke replied. "We're here dancing to this song that should have been made specifically for you and me, in this room that has been transformed to look like the town where we feel at home and where we fell in love."

"Of course, it was important to me that my father be allowed to have a meal he can enjoy, but the only reason I relented to serving fish was because it was what you wanted. I knew you would want fish, and this day was more than what I wanted and thought was appropriate. It would be what would make you happiest. And it was something I could easily compromise on once I stopped tripping over my own stubborn ideas."

"You stubborn? Nah. I thought your Miss Flexibility."

"Ha ha. And it's Mrs. Flexibility to you."

"Well, I thank you for going against your natural selection, and let me have my fish entrée."

"You're welcome. You give me so much of yourself. Whenever it's possible, you go out of your way to make me happy in the biggest or littlest way. I just want you to know that I want to do the same thing in our life together. Whatever little thing I can do to make your life a little better, I want to do it."

Luke closed his eyes and held Lorelai tighter. "You standing next to me for the rest of my life, that's already making my life happier than I ever thought possible. There's no way I'd be anywhere near this happy without you in my life. I love doing anything I can to make you happy because seeing you laugh or smile brightens my world. It's second nature for me to please you, because it only makes my life more meaningful."

If I didn't know you, I'd rather not know
If I couldn't have you, I'd rather be alone

Lorelai moved slightly away from Luke so that she could look at him. She smiled at him and kissed him.

I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew
I never knew just what it was
About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew

All of the while

All of the while

IT WAS YOU.

© E.S.A. 2008