Officially Married - Chapter 16

. . . . .

. . . . .

Early on Tuesday morning, Rory brought Grace over to Luke and Lorelai's house, and then Luke drove Rory to the train station before he headed to the diner. Lorelai took Grace to the inn for a little while, and they mingled with the staff and the guests until she fell asleep. While she napped in her stroller beside her desk, Lorelai did some paperwork in her office.

When Grace woke up, Lorelai brought her back to the house, and Luke met them there. They fed and entertained the baby until she was ready for another nap, and while she slept in the crib in Rory's bedroom, Luke and Lorelai ate lunch together in the kitchen.

When they were finished, Luke stayed home with a sleeping Grace while Lorelai headed to work. When Grace woke up a few hours later, Luke fed and changed her, and then brought her to Lorelai at the spa.

Lorelai was at the reception desk when they arrived, and smiled as she walked over to greet them. "Hey. How was she?"

"She woke up a little moody," Luke replied, glancing down at the baby. "But a little diaper change, a little formula, a little one-on-one time with the squeaky bunny rattle - she snapped out of it."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good." She held out her hands and he passed the baby to her. "Is the stroller out front?"

"Yeah, and the diaper bag. I'll get them." Luke brought them inside and put them in Lorelai's office, and then he headed to the diner.

Lorelai brought Grace to the kitchen, and in a singsong voice, announced, "Sookie, look who's here to see you."

Sookie glanced over from the stove, and gasped when she saw the baby. "There she is, little Gracie-pooh." She wiped her hands on a towel, then walked over to them and started talking to the baby. "How's the cute little girl doing today? Are you gonna hang out at the spa with Aunt Lorelai?"

Lorelai smirked. "You're the only one going along with that."

"It'll catch on," Sookie told her. "Did Luke just drop her off?"

"Yup, after her afternoon siesta," Lorelai replied as she sat down on a stool at the center island. "What smells so good?"

"The blueberry oatmeal almond energy muffins have been a huge hit!" Sookie declared excitedly. "People love them as a post-workout snack, so I'm making up another batch." She checked the timer on the oven. "Few more minutes to go. What time's Rory getting back?"

"Probably around dinner time," Lorelai replied. "She texted a little awhile ago when she was at lunch with her new editor Audrey. Rory said that she's really nice, and that she loves the book and is fascinated by our lives."

Sookie smiled. "We all are. Have they been working on it all day?"

"Yeah, she said they had a really good working session this morning, and then Audrey took her out for lunch," Lorelai said. "They're gonna meet for a little while this afternoon, and then Rory's gonna let us know what train she catches so one of us can grab her from the train station."

"I can't believe that little girl wrote a book," Sookie said, and then she gasped. "Is her picture going to be on the cover? Will I walk into a bookstore and see a row of Rory faces staring at me?" She gasped again. "Ooh, is your picture gonna be on it, too, since it's about both of you?"

Lorelai's eyes widened at the thought, and she shook her head slightly. "I have no idea. I don't think they discussed the cover yet."

"That would be so cool," Sookie said. "Oh, maybe it could be Rory's face on the front and yours on the back, and then when I go into a bookstore, I'll flip some of them over so it's Rory, Lorelai, Rory, Lorelai all the way down the entire row."

Lorelai smiled. "Make sure you take a picture if you do that."

"You got it." The oven timer went off, and Sookie rushed over to take her muffins out. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Lorelai turned Grace around on her lap to face her. "How's my little girl doing?" she cooed. "Do you smell Sookie's muffins? Are you sad that you can't have one? Don't worry, as soon as you're allowed solid food, I'm gonna let you test out all kinds of yummy things." Lorelai glanced over toward Sookie. "Oh, hey, before I forget... Rory's birthday is on the 8th, so Luke and I are throwing a little party for her on Saturday the 7th... you and Jackson and the kids are invited."

"Ooh, fun! We'll be there. What can I bring?"

"Anything your heart desires, but if it's healthy, it needs to taste unhealthy," Lorelai replied.

Sookie giggled. "Got it."

Lorelai stood up. "All right, we're gonna go hang out in my office for a little while until one of us gets cranky." She lifted Grace's hand and waved to Sookie. "See you later, Aunt Sookie."

Sookie grinned and waved back. "Bye, pumpkin."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few hours later, Luke picked up Rory at the train station and they stopped for takeout on the way home. As Luke started to unpack the food in the kitchen, Rory peeked into her old bedroom and found Lorelai changing Grace on the bed.

"Hey, Mom," Rory said, smiling as she walked over to them.

Lorelai smiled. "Hi. How did everything go?"

"Fantastic. I'll tell you about it over dinner." Rory nodded toward the baby. "How was she?"

Lorelai finished snapping Grace's outfit into place and then picked her up from the bed. "An angel," she replied as she turned Grace in her arms to face Rory. "She's fed and changed and I suspect will be dozing off pretty soon."

Rory leaned down so she was eye level with Grace and kissed her on her forehead. "Hi, little girl... I missed you. Were you good for..." She paused a moment and then rolled her eyes as she finished with, "Aunt Lorelai?"

Lorelai gasped excitedly. "Really? We can say it?"

Rory smiled. "I'm just humoring you for today because I'm grateful you spent the entire day with her."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Boo."

"We need an acceptable grandmotherly term soon, or it's gonna end up being Grandma," Rory told her. "Grandma Lorelai and Great Grandma Emily."

Lorelai groaned. "Ugh. There's nothing cool out there that fits me. Nana? No, thanks. Granny? It just sounds so old. Grammy? That's an award for excellence in music."

"So, it's like the best of the best," Rory said. "The Grammy... the most excellent of grandmothers. That's you."

Lorelai smirked. "Nice sell."

"All right, fine... we'll keep brainstorming." Rory leaned in and kissed Grace again on the cheek, then gestured toward the kitchen. "Let me wash the public train bacteria off my hands and then I'll take her."

Lorelai followed Rory into the kitchen. Luke had spread the takeout containers on the table and had gotten out plates and silverware. Lorelai walked over to greet him, and he kissed her on the cheek before leaning down to kiss Grace on hers.

They began to eat dinner at the table with Rory cradling Grace in one arm while she ate, something she'd become very adept at over the past few months. Rory filled them in on her day, and described some of the updates she needed to work on.

"Most of them are pretty easy... places where I need to be a little more detailed, or expand on my thoughts a little more, stuff like that," Rory explained.

"When do they want them done by?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, I'm supposed to email Audrey sections as I complete them, with all of them hopefully being completed by October 27th," Rory replied.

"So, you have a month," Lorelai said. "That's not bad."

"Yeah, and I don't think it'll take me that long," Rory said. "There aren't that many things to update, and like I said, most of them seem pretty easy."

"Famous last words," Lorelai joked.

"Let us know if you need help with her," Luke said, gesturing toward Grace. "We can take her off your hands if you need us to."

Rory smiled. "Thanks. I'll let you know." She took a sip of her drink, and then said, "By the way, I invited Grandma to my birthday party. I wasn't expecting her to make the trip just for that, but just in case she happened to be visiting that weekend, I wanted to let her know."

"And?" Lorelai replied.

"And she won't be here that weekend, but she'll be in Hartford the last two weeks of October," Rory replied. "She wants us all to come over one night for a belated birthday dinner."

"Okay."

"She also wants me to bring Grace over for lunch on Halloween so she can see her first costume."

"Ooh, did you decide on one?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, but it's a surprise," Rory told her. "You'll see it on Halloween."

Lorelai grinned and rubbed her palms together excitedly. "I can't wait."

Grace had fallen asleep in Rory's arms, so she went to put her in the crib. She returned to the table and they ate quietly for a few moments until Lorelai said, "What about a play on Lorelai? Like... Lolo? Lala? Lola? Lai-lai?" She wrinkled her nose. "Those are all too cutesy, right? Ugh, this is hard."

Luke was looking at her with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I think she's throwing out alternative terms for grandmother," Rory deduced.

"Oh, got it," Luke said. "No luck making Aunt Lorelai stick?"

"She says I'm not Grace's aunt," Lorelai said with a frown.

"You're not," Rory confirmed.

"I could be! You know how many times you and I have gotten confused for sisters?"

"Getting confused for sisters and actually being sisters are two different things," Rory said, and then asked Luke, "Luke, do you care what grandfatherly name Grace calls you?"

"Not really," Luke replied.

"See how easygoing Luke is about this?" Rory said to Lorelai. "Look at Luke... be like Luke."

"Yeah, be like me," Luke echoed, smiling at Lorelai across the table.

"This is an important decision," Lorelai said. "This nickname will last the rest of my life."

"You could use that alternate identity we still get mail for once in awhile," Luke suggested. "What is it, Tookie?"

Rory smiled. "You still get mail for that? What about Squeegy?"

"Squeegy seems to have moved away, but we still usually get one or two catalogs for Tookie around the holidays," Lorelai replied.

"Okay, let's go with Tookie," Rory decided.

Lorelai gasped. "I did not agree on Tookie!"

"Seems like the obvious choice," Rory replied. "You already get mail addressed to her."

"It'll be confusing for the baby since there's already a Sookie," Lorelai pointed out. "Sookie, Tookie... it's too close. I think we should probably veto Tookie based on that fact alone."

Rory smirked. "Okay, fine, just go with one of the cutesy ones."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "This is too stressful, I can't make this decision. Gran, Gammy, Gamma... none of those regular terms are me."

"Well, how about this," Rory said. "We'll just let Grace decide when she's old enough to talk."

"So, we won't refer to me as anything until then?" Lorelai asked. "I'll just be the nameless beautiful woman she spends time with? I need some sort of name."

"What about something like... Gams?" Luke suggested. "That's a term for legs, right? Well, you've got great legs."

Lorelai intriguingly raised an eyebrow. "Keep talking."

Luke paused a moment. "That was pretty much the only suggestion I had."

"No, I mean, talk more about my legs," Lorelai encouraged him.

Luke smirked. "They're fantastic legs. Best pair I've ever seen. Always so smooth and... uh... well-moisturized."

Lorelai giggled. "Thanks for noticing."

"Gams," Rory said aloud to test it out. "Gams. It's like a hip version of Gammy."

Lorelai considered it for a moment and then shook her head. "Nope, vetoed... keep looking."

After dinner, as the baby slept in the crib, Lorelai and Rory were talking on the couch in the living room. Luke had recently started building a changing table to put in Rory's old bedroom, and he was out in the garage working on it.

"We're maybe gonna go apple picking this weekend," Lorelai said. "Do you guys wanna come? All of you... Logan, too, if he's visiting."

"That's yours and Luke's Autumn tradition, though," Rory replied. "That's something you guys always do together, just the two of you. You pick apples and come home and bake stuff... you make a whole day of it."

Lorelai shrugged. "So? We can bring you guys in on our tradition."

Rory shook her head. "No. I appreciate it, but I don't want you two to suddenly start turning all of your couple traditions into family events. I just read an article about this."

"About what?"

"About how new grandparents sometimes get a little over-excited about incorporating the new baby into all of these different activities," Rory explained. "But that they should try to make sure they still have their own couple activities, too."

"Don't worry, we -"

"Do not say something dirty right now about your other couple activities," Rory interrupted.

Lorelai smiled. "I wasn't going to. I was going to say that we don't mind including you guys in things. We like having you around."

"And we like it, too," Rory assured her. "And I want us to do family things together. I just don't want all of the things you two used to do alone together to suddenly become group things, and then one day down the road, you realize that you're not spending any time alone with each other."

"Oh, trust me, we -"

"Okay, stop," Rory interrupted. "That one's definitely going to be dirty, I can tell."

Lorelai smirked. "Yeah, it was, sorry. But I understand the point you're trying to make... you want us to maintain a balance of couple activities and family activities."

"Yes, exactly. You guys are grandparents, but you're still your own couple," Rory said. "And you have certain things throughout the year that you always do together and I want you to keep those for yourself."

"Okay, well, how about Luke and I keep the apples for ourselves, but we do something else Autumn-y with you guys?" Lorelai suggested. "Like pumpkin picking."

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that works. Good balance."

"Okay, good." Lorelai patted Rory on the knee. "Thanks for looking out for us."

"Any time."

Lorelai reached for the notebook and pen sitting on the coffee table. "Now, let's go over the prep list for your birthday party."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The night of Rory's birthday party, Lorelai poured some drinks in the kitchen and then headed back to the crowded living room with three cups.

"Clear the way, Stars Hollow's newest wedding planner is coming through," Babette announced as Lorelai walked in.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and handed her a drink. "Stop, I'm not the wedding planner. I'm merely helping Kirk and Lulu try to get organized so they can start planning it themselves." She handed a drink to Gypsy and then to Sookie, then sat down on the couch next to Luke.

"You've met with them three times already to talk about the wedding," Luke pointed out.

"Well, Kirk helped out with ours," Lorelai reminded him. "The least I can do is return the favor. I'm just helping them get a move on things, make some to-do lists, try to settle on a date, formulate a timeline..." She paused a moment and wrinkled her nose. "Oh crap, I think I'm Kirk's wedding planner."

As the crowd laughed, Luke comfortingly put his arm around her. "It's okay, I'm sure he'll get distracted soon and forget he's even engaged."

"Maybe," Lorelai agreed, and then she said to everyone, "Kirk and Lulu are coming later, so nobody say anything about it in front of them." She glanced around the room. "Where's the baby?"

"Thatta way," Babette said, pointing toward the desk behind the couch.

Lorelai turned around and saw Frederick holding Grace. Michel was standing next to him, and they were in a conversation with Logan and Zach.

"I thought they were supposed to have a kid by now," Miss Patty said quietly. "That's what the rumor mill said."

"They're putting it on hold until they're both on board," Lorelai whispered. "Frederick is giving Michel time to come around to the idea." She glanced at the coffee table. "Where's my drink?"

"You finished it," Luke replied, and then offered her his cup. "Here, finish mine."

"Thank you," she replied, then took a sip from the cup. She looked at her watch, and then glanced back at the baby. "She's gonna be hungry soon."

Luke patted her leg and leaned in close to her ear. "Both of her parents are here," he quietly reminded her. "You don't have to be on baby duty tonight."

Lorelai nodded understandingly as she relaxed back against the couch. "Okay, right, got it. Back off, Lorelai. Thank you for keeping me in check."

"You're welcome," he said, giving her knee an affectionate squeeze. "You want some more food? I'm gonna go get a plate."

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, please."

He stood up and walked toward the kitchen as Rory and Lane were returning from it. They sat down in folding chairs across from the couch. "Has anyone seen my boys?" Lane asked.

"They're outside with Jackson and Morey and my kids," Sookie replied. "Jackson's doing some sort of fruit-related experiment."

"Do I wanna know how messy that's gonna be?" Lorelai asked.

Sookie shook her head. "No, you don't, but I told him he's in charge of the cleanup."

Michel walked over and collapsed onto the couch next to Lorelai. "Ugh, I can't pretend to like that baby anymore," he muttered, and then forced a smile across the coffee table at Rory. "Cute kid."

Lorelai nudged him. "Be nice. And you know, I hate to point out the obvious, but this topic is bound to cause some issues between you guys. If he wants a baby, that might not be something he's willing to compromise on."

"Yeah, but he's insisting that since his views changed, that mine will eventually, too," Michel said, glancing back behind him to make sure Frederick was still distracted. "So, he's waiting it out."

"Yeah, but for how long before he gets fed up?"

Michel shrugged. "I have no idea, I guess we'll find out. I need a drink." He stood up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen.

"Hey, Rory... do you have Grace's Halloween costume already?" Gypsy asked. "She would look adorable as a baby mechanic."

"Or a ballerina," Miss Patty said.

"Or a cat," Babette said.

"I already have something for her, but it's a surprise," Rory told them. "I'm gonna bring her to Stars Hollow to trick or treat, though, so we'll try to stop by and see everyone."

Luke returned to the living room with two plates of food and handed one to Lorelai as he sat down next to her. Grace started whimpering behind them, and Lorelai quickly turned around to check on her. "See, she's probably hungry," she said softly to Luke.

He calmly placed his hand on her knee and whispered, "Just wait."

They watched as Logan took the fussing baby from Frederick and walked over to Rory. "I'm gonna change her and make a bottle," Logan said. "The diaper bag's in the bedroom?"

"Yup, it's on the bed," Rory replied. "Do you need some help?"

"Nah, I got it. Be right back." Logan carried Grace toward the bedroom.

Lorelai glanced over at Luke, who was giving her a pointed look. "See?" he whispered, rubbing her knee. "They got it."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Okay, Grammy is officially relaxing and backing off for the evening." She wrinkled her nose and added, "Do we still like that? I keep going back and forth."

They'd been trying out different nicknames every few days to see which one Lorelai liked best. "Think of the award," Luke reminded her. "You teased her for that comparison at first, but it grew on you. Grammy awards are cool... they're classy... they're special."

"Grammy... Grammy Lorelai... Grammy and Grampy," Lorelai muttered to herself. "I'm not sure. It makes us sound a hundred."

"Let's try it for a few more days and see if it grows on you."

They ate their food and joined in on the conversation going on around them, and after a few minutes, Miss Patty suddenly gasped. "Oh, gosh, I just realized... we're only a few weeks away from a very special occasion." She smiled at Lorelai and Luke. "Do you two have any exciting plans for your one-year anniversary? And by exciting, I mean -"

"Oh, we know exactly what you mean," Lorelai quickly interrupted her, and then she smiled at Luke. "And no, we haven't talked about it yet."

"Yeah, not yet," Luke replied. "But we'll figure something out."

"Geez, I can't believe it's almost been a full year," Rory said, and then she paused a moment before adding, "And yet, at the same time, I can't believe it's only been a year."

"Yeah, I think we feel the same way," Lorelai replied, and Luke nodded in agreement.

"There's something kind of magical about that first official year though, huh?" Miss Patty asked with a sly smile.

Lorelai grinned at Luke as she replied, "Yeah... I have to say, it's been pretty amazing."

Luke smiled. "I concur."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Two weeks later, Luke and Lorelai were at home watching a movie, a bowl of popcorn and two glasses of wine on the coffee table in front of them.

There was a knock at the front door, and they glanced at each other before Lorelai paused the movie. "Were we expecting someone or is this an impromptu Saturday night visitor?" she asked.

"Impromptu."

"Hm." Lorelai stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. She pulled it open and smiled when she saw Rory standing on the porch. "Hey, kid," Lorelai greeted her, then called to Luke, "It's Rory."

"Hi, Rory," Luke called from the couch.

"Hey, guys." Rory stepped into the house and shut the door behind her.

"Where's Grace Adler?" Lorelai asked, and then narrowed her eyes. "You didn't leave her in the car, did you?"

"No, she's home with Logan," Rory replied. "He was rocking her when I left, so I'm guessing she's fast asleep by now. Am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope, come in," Lorelai said. They walked to the living room, and as Lorelai sat down on the couch, she asked, "Did I know you were coming over? Because if you told me, I totally forgot and that must mean Mommy's glass of wine is hitting her harder than usual."

Rory smiled and shook her head. "No, I didn't mention it... I just wanted to bring you something." She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a thin rectangular box. As she offered it to Lorelai, she said, "It's not chocolate, don't get your hopes up."

Lorelai smiled as she took the box from her. "Rats." She set the box on her lap and lifted the lid, and her eyes widened at the contents. She lifted her head and brought her gaze to Rory. "Is this..."

"It's officially done," Rory declared. "The book is done. I finished my updates and sent them in earlier this week, and this is the final draft."

Lorelai pulled the manuscript from the box and shook her head in disbelief. "Wow."

"Congratulations," Luke said, and he stood up to hug Rory. "That's amazing."

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said, and he sat back down next to Lorelai.

"Yeah, hon, this is incredible," Lorelai said, smiling up at her. "Really... I'm so proud of you."

Rory smiled. "Thanks, Mom." She gestured to the book. "I want you to read it. I know you didn't want to see it until it was done, but now that it is, it's really important to me that you read it and are okay with it." She looked at Luke and added, "You too, Luke... both of you. And I want your honest opinions."

"I admit, I might be a little biased," Luke said with a smile.

Rory smiled at him, and then glanced at Lorelai, who was staring down at the draft in her hands. "Mom, you okay?"

Lorelai took a few deep breaths, trying to chase away the sudden nervousness she felt, and then she lifted her head and smiled at Rory. "Yup. I'm just taking it all in, how amazing this is. But, uh... I'll try to read it tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Do you want some popcorn?" Lorelai asked, gesturing to the coffee table. "Or a glass of wine?"

"Did you eat dinner?" Luke asked. "I can whip something up for you."

"Oh, no, thanks," Rory said. "I'm actually heading over to see Lane, I just wanted to drop the book off."

"Oh, okay... I'll walk you out." Lorelai put the book on the coffee table and stood up from the couch.

"Night, Luke," Rory said.

"Bye, Rory," he replied. "Have a good night."

Lorelai walked Rory to the front door and hugged her. "Have I mentioned lately that I'm proud of you?"

Rory hugged her back. "Yes, like two minutes ago. That wine's really hitting you hard tonight, huh?"

Lorelai pulled back from her, smiling. "Good night. Have fun with Lane."

"I will, thanks," Rory replied. "Goodnight." Rory walked out, and Lorelai closed the door behind her.

Lorelai slowly walked back to the living room and stopped in front of the coffee table. "So... looks like I've got some plans for tomorrow."

"Looks like it," he agreed.

"I'm nervous," she admitted.

"I know. I could see it on your face the minute you opened that box."

Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She folded her arms across her chest and shifted her feet a little.

Luke eyed her curiously for a moment. "Why aren't you sitting back down?"

"I don't know."

Luke patted the couch cushion beside him. "Come here. You're making me nervous."

"Well, good, we can be nervous together," she said as she sat down next to him.

Luke put his arm around her. "Don't stress about it."

"Luke, there's a book about my life sitting on the coffee table in front of us. How could I not be stressing right now?"

"A book written by someone who loves you," Luke reminded her. "Someone who probably wouldn't have gone out of her way to give it to you as soon as she was done writing it if she thought you'd be upset with it."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "Okay, right, yes, that makes sense, but I'm still nervous."

"Let's finish watching the movie, we'll go to bed, you'll get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow you can tackle that," he said, gesturing to the book.

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

"Actually, you know what," he said as he stood up. "Let's make it easier for you." He grabbed the book from the table, carried it over to the desk, and placed it in the drawer. "Out of sight, out of mind."

Lorelai let out a little laugh. "Have you met me?" she asked him. "In sight once, in mind forever."

Luke sat back down beside her and patted her leg. "Put the movie back on, let Michael Myers distract you for a little while."

"Okay." Lorelai reached for the remote and turned the movie back on, giving a little glance toward the desk before focusing on the television.

. . . . .

. . . . .

When Luke's alarm went off the next morning, he turned it off quickly, and then looked over at Lorelai's side of the bed. It was empty. He glanced toward the bathroom, but the door was wide open and the light was off.

He walked downstairs to look for her and found her at the kitchen table with Rory's book open in front of her, so focused on it that she didn't even notice him walk in.

"Hey," he greeted her softly.

Lorelai lifted her head from the book, revealing her teary eyes. "Oh, hey... good morning."

He walked over and rubbed her shoulder. "When did you come down here?"

Lorelai glanced over at the clock. "About two hours ago."

Luke's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I figured I'd just dive right in. I'm almost done with it." Lorelai sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "It's like trying to read in the middle of a rainstorm, though... I can't stop crying."

"Emotional, huh?"

"Yeah, extremely," Lorelai confirmed. "For me, at least... I'm sure the average reader won't be sobbing through every page like I am. But I'm reading my daughter's personal perspective on things that have happened in our lives... learning what she thought and how she felt about things I've done or said or taught her, and... I don't know. It's overwhelming... it's a lot to take in."

Luke affectionately squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sure." He paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it... are there things that... well, that you wish weren't in there?"

"No, there haven't been any embarrassing personal revelations that are going to prevent me from showing my face in public," Lorelai replied. "At least... not yet."

"That's a plus. And what about your mother? Anything she'll be upset about?"

"She shouldn't be. I mean, it's not anything she doesn't already know," Lorelai replied. "She knows that she and I don't always agree on things or look at situations the same way."

"Yes, she definitely does know that," he agreed.

"Rory talks about how my mom and I are two very different people, but that she always saw a foundation of love there between us... that even though it was a different relationship than what Rory and I have, that she's never had doubts that my mother and I care for each other."

Luke smiled. "That's nice."

"Yeah, it was nice," Lorelai said, and then she sighed a little. "She said similar things about my dad and I, and then talked a little about how close she was to him and what it was like to lose him." Lorelai shook her head a little. "Which was not easy to read, so I can imagine she must've been a mess writing it."

"Yeah, I bet that was tough." Luke leaned down and kissed her on the head. "So... what's the overall consensus?"

Lorelai smiled. "Well, I have a little more to go, but so far... the overall consensus is that my daughter loves and appreciates me."

Luke smiled. "Well, that we already knew."

"Like, a lot, though," Lorelai continued. "I mean, I get rave reviews as a mother in here." She grinned as she added, "You know, you're mentioned in here, too."

A small smile formed on Luke's lips. "Oh, yeah?"

Lorelai nodded. "Mmhmm. And I don't want to spoil it, but our little girl is pretty fond of you."

Luke's smile widened. "That's nice to hear."

"I'm almost done and then you can take your turn with it when you get home tonight, if you want."

Luke nodded. "Okay."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A little while later, shortly after Luke had left for work, Lorelai finished reading. She slowly closed the book and stared down at the title page for a few moments. She wiped her tears and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the emotions rushing through her.

She wanted to call Rory, but after checking the clock and realizing it was still early, she went upstairs and took a long shower. She took her time getting dressed and doing her hair, threw in a load of laundry, and then finally texted Rory and asked her to call her when she had a chance.

Lorelai distracted herself by cleaning the kitchen, and a few minutes went by before the phone rang. She quickly grabbed it from the table, confirmed it was Rory calling, and then answered, "Rory?"

"Yeah... is everything okay?"

"I loved it," Lorelai declared. "I read the whole thing, and I loved it."

"You read the whole thing?" Rory asked incredulously. "Already?"

"Yeah, and I cried like a million times. Honey, it's so beautiful," Lorelai gushed. "You're honest and open and you get personal, but not too personal. And I liked reading your take on the happy memories, but I also loved that you talked about some of the fights we've had, too, and how we worked through them. It was a good balance, showing that even great relationships have stumbling blocks."

"Yeah, I thought that was important. I didn't want to paint this false picture of us never having any arguments."

"You were delicate when it came to the grandparents, which I appreciate." Lorelai paused a moment and swallowed hard. "It must've been hard for you to write about Grandpa."

"Really hard," Rory confirmed. "I had to keep taking breaks when I was writing because I was getting too emotional."

"He would be so incredibly proud of you for this book, honey," Lorelai told her. "He was always so proud of you."

Rory took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "I know he was."

They were both quiet for a moment before Lorelai said, "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I finished. I think Luke's gonna start it tonight."

"Okay. I'm glad you like it... I was nervous about that."

"Love it," Lorelai corrected her. "I love it. It's amazing. You were right... you were meant to write this story. You were supposed to share it with the world."

Rory smiled into the phone. "Thanks, Mom," she said sincerely.

"I'll let you go, but first... how's Grace today?"

"She's good. She slept in a little later, which was nice."

"She's developing more of those Lorelai Gilmore traits every day," Lorelai said.

"Yes, she is."

"Okay, kiss her for me. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Mom."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The following week, on Halloween night, Luke was in the kitchen cooking an early dinner while Lorelai was upstairs putting her costume on. The past few years, she hadn't dressed up too elaborately herself. She'd usually dress up Paul Anka, and then throw on something simple that coordinated with his costume. But this year, for Grace's first Halloween, she decided to go all out. She hadn't told anyone what her costume was, so Luke was curious as to what she'd come downstairs in.

"Okay, you ready?" she called from the bottom of the staircase.

"Yup," he called from the kitchen. He was tending to the fried chicken at the stove, and he glanced expectantly at the kitchen entrance.

Lorelai walked into the room and struck a confident, iconic pose - feet spread, shoulders back, hands on her hips. "Well... what do you think?" she asked.

His eyes widened, and then began to take in the details of her Wonder Woman costume piece by piece. The tiara sitting against her forehead, the form-fitting top that hugged her curves, the cuff around her upper arm, the gauntlets on her wrists, the gold belt sitting at the top of the short blue skirt, the tight knee-high boots.

His eyes moved even slower going back up her body than they did going down, and when he finally met her gaze, he said, "Whoa."

Lorelai grinned. "You like?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied. "Like is an understatement."

"Do I look hot?"

"Very," he said. He turned off the stove and walked over to her, and his hands went to her waist. His thumbs smoothed over the fabric of her top as he pulled her body against his. "Wow."

She rested her hands on his shoulders as her lips met his in a passionate kiss, one that he ended with a groan. "Wait, I have to look at you in this all night and try to control myself?" he asked. "Do you have any idea how hard it's gonna be?"

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile as she teased, "I bet it won't be hard at first, but it'll probably be very hard by the end of the night."

Luke smiled as he glanced back down at the costume again. "You're wearing this to bed, right?"

Lorelai flipped her hair over her shoulder and nonchalantly shrugged. "I don't know, it wouldn't be very comfortable to sleep in."

Luke smirked. "Trust me, you will not be sleeping."

Lorelai giggled as she leaned in to kiss him again. Luke eagerly returned the kiss and he backed her up against the door to Rory's bedroom. His hands began caressing up and down her body, and a few moments later, the doorbell rang and forced them to break apart.

"Ooh, that's probably Rory," Lorelai said excitedly. "Let's go see the baby's costume." She gave him a quick kiss, adding, "Save those thoughts for later."

"Oh, I will," he assured her.

Lorelai grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the foyer. She pulled open the front door and immediately heard Rory's voice say, "Trick or treat!"

Lorelai gasped excitedly when she saw that Grace was wearing the miniature version of Lorelai's Wonder Woman costume. "Oh, my God!"

Rory laughed when she saw Lorelai's matching outfit. "You're twins!"

"We are!" Lorelai exclaimed as she reached for the baby. She kissed her on the cheek and then cooed to her, "We're Wonder Woman twins, little girl."

Rory stepped into the house. "You look great," she said, and then smiled at Luke. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey, Rory," he replied, and then he ran his finger gently against Grace's hand. "Hi, Gracie... I like your costume."

"Like grandmother, like granddaughter," Lorelai said.

"We need to get a picture of this," Rory said.

"Definitely," Lorelai agreed. "What's your costume?"

"Uh, exhausted mother who spent the last few weeks writing during every waking moment when her child was sleeping," Rory replied.

"Ah. You pull it off well," Lorelai declared, and she walked to the living room to sit down with the baby.

Rory and Luke followed her, and Luke sat down beside Lorelai on the couch as Rory sat in the armchair across from them.

Rory rubbed her hands together. "So, speaking of writing... I have some news."

"About the book?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup. They finally decided on a release date." Rory took a deep breath. "They want to put the book out next year... the week before Mother's Day."

Lorelai grinned. "Oh, that's perfect!"

Rory smiled and nodded in agreement. "I thought so, too. We have to finish finalizing the cover in the next few weeks, and then it'll be all ready to print. They're also trying to think up some online promotional giveaways to tie in with Mother's Day... like maybe they'll ask people to submit stories about their moms and then they'll pick a few winners and send them copies of the book... stuff like that."

"They'll give away copies of the book for free?" Luke asked, narrowing his eyes with confusion. "But... then you don't make money on them."

"Well, it gets some copies of the book out there and hopefully the readers will like it and recommend it and it could eventually lead to sales," Rory explained. "They want to try to get some word of mouth going on social media, stuff like that."

"Ah, got it," Luke said, nodding understandingly.

"They also mentioned that they'll arrange for me to do a bunch of interviews leading up to the book release," Rory said. "They said probably a mixture of newspapers, magazines, online websites, on camera interviews, a bunch of different things."

Lorelai smiled. "Really, on camera interviews? So, we might see you chatting with Ellen about your book?"

Rory smiled. "I think they might go smaller, maybe a local news station or something like that, I'm not sure. But they said... if you're up for it, it's totally up to you... that it might be good to include you in some of the interviews with me."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Me in the interviews? But it's your book, you're the author."

"Well, since the book is mostly about us, they think that maybe having both of us out there promoting it and letting people see our dynamic might influence them to go get the book to learn more about us," Rory explained. "But it's totally okay if you don't want to... I told them that you might not like the idea."

"No, it's a good idea, I get it, it makes sense," Lorelai said, and then sighed softly. "I just... I don't know if I want to be all over the internet."

"She doesn't have to decide right now, right?" Luke asked. "She has time to think about it?"

"Yeah, they won't start setting up interviews for a few months," Rory replied. "And if you do one and you don't like it or you're not comfortable, then that's it... you don't have to do anymore. Or if you don't want to do the on-camera ones, maybe just try some print ones. Like I said, it's totally up to you, no pressure at all. You can do none, you can do one, you can do a bunch."

Lorelai mulled it over for a few moments before she finally said, "Okay, yeah... I guess maybe I could try out an interview or two and see how I like it."

Rory's eyes lit up. "Really, you will? Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Lorelai said.

Luke stood up from the couch. "Well, dinner's just about ready. Is Logan coming?"

"He's on his way, but probably won't be here for another hour," Rory replied. "He said to just start trick or treating without him, and he'll text me when he gets to town to see where we are."

Luke nodded. "Okay. Let's eat."

. . . . .

. . . . .

After dinner, they put Grace in her stroller and started to walk the neighborhood. It was chilly out, and Lorelai was wearing a long coat draped over her shoulders to give her some warmth without blocking too much of the outfit.

However, after only a few minutes, Luke noticed she was shivering. "Why don't you just wear it?" he asked.

"Because it's Halloween. I don't wanna look like one of those boring adults walking around all plain and not dressed up," she replied.

"Like me," he supplied.

"And me," Rory added.

"Yes. I'm wearing a costume, I want people to see it," Lorelai said.

"Well, just put the coat on and warm up for a few minutes, then you can take it off and freeze again," Luke said.

"Or we could start heading toward the square so we can stop and get coffee," Lorelai suggested. "That'll warm me up."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Rory said. "I could use some, too."

They headed toward the town square and did some trick or treating in that area, stopping at Luke's for coffee along the way. The area was a flurry of activity, and a lot of townspeople stopped them to say hello and to see the baby's costume.

They stopped by Lane's just as she and the boys were getting ready to start trick or treating themselves, so they tagged along with them.

When Lorelai heard someone call her name from behind them, she grimaced slightly and glanced over at Luke. "That's not Kirk, is it? Because I forgot to respond to his text earlier and he's probably mad at me."

Luke looked behind them and saw Kirk walking toward them with Petal. "It's Kirk, but he doesn't look mad."

Lorelai turned around. "Hey, Kirk," she called.

"Lorelai, hi," Kirk said as he reached them. "Did you get my - "

"I'm so glad we ran into you," she interrupted him. "Because my phone died earlier as I was responding to your text, so I didn't get a chance to tell you that, yes, it's fine if you wanted to wear two undershirts under your wedding tuxedo for an extra layer of sweat protection."

"Oh, my God," Luke muttered under his breath.

"I don't think anyone would notice," Lorelai added reassuringly to Kirk.

Kirk let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good, because the downside of a summer wedding, as you know, is the heat."

"Yes, I do know," Lorelai said with a nod. "But don't you worry, we'll make sure you don't have any visible sweat issues."

"Okay, good. And we're still on for our meeting next week?" Kirk asked.

"Yes, I have it on my calendar, next Wednesday at ten at the inn," Lorelai replied.

"Great. Happy Halloween," Kirk said, nodding to Lorelai and Luke before he started walking Petal down the street.

When he was gone, Lorelai turned to Luke and she playfully nudged his arm. "Stop it."

Luke was smirking as he shook his head. "I said nothing."

"You are saying plenty with that look on your face," she countered.

His smile widened and he reached for her hand. "Come on, Wonder Woman. We're falling behind."

They walked faster to catch up with Rory, Lane, and the kids. Soon, Logan met up with them and they walked around for twenty more minutes before it was time to head back to the house to feed Grace. They said goodbye to Lane and her boys, and started walking home.

When they reached the porch, Logan lifted Grace out of her stroller, and he and Rory walked into the house with her. As Lorelai was about to follow them in, Luke reached for her hand to hold her back on the porch.

She turned around to face him, and he pulled the door closed behind her before leaning in to kiss her. Her surprised reaction quickly melted away and she kissed him back, bringing one hand up to rest against his cheek.

"Mmm," she moaned softly as he deepened the kiss, and was smiling when they finally separated. "What was that?"

Luke glanced down at her costume. "That was the most I can do right now to show you what I think of this outfit."

Lorelai smiled. "Should I pack it for this weekend?"

For their upcoming anniversary weekend, they'd made dinner reservations at a favorite restaurant of theirs half an hour away, and booked a room for the night at the inn next door to it.

"Hmm..." Luke put his hands on her waist and thought for a moment. "What about that red outfit... the silky one with the lace on the top? You haven't worn that one in awhile."

Lorelai grinned. She loved that he paid attention to and remembered specific outfits of hers, even the ones that were hastily removed within minutes of her putting them on. "Ah, yes, I'm familiar with that one. I think I can accommodate your request."

He smiled and kissed her. "Good, thank you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Saturday night, Luke and Lorelai were at their anniversary dinner, and had just been served their salads.

"So, now's the time to air all of your grievances," Lorelai said. "All of the things you hated about this first year of being married, just get it all out."

"Let's see, where should I start?" he jokingly pondered aloud, and then he laughed at the look she gave him. He ate a forkful of salad before adding, "I'm kidding. What's there to hate?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, but if there's anything we want to improve upon in year two, we should discuss it now."

"I can't think of anything," Luke replied. "I think we did pretty damn well at marriage." He looked at her for a second. "Is there something you want to change?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Nope. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that if you had something to get off your chest, I'm all ears."

"I do know that," he assured her. "And you know that about me."

Lorelai nodded. "I do. This was the year of Luke and Lorelai learning that they can - and should - say anything to each other."

"Yeah. And I think we both always knew that, but we still held things back... I don't know why."

"Well, we kicked that bad habit," Lorelai said, smiling as she picked up her wine glass. "To us."

Luke picked up his glass and clinked it against hers. "To us."

As Lorelai set her glass down, she cleared her throat and said, "There is something I wanna talk to you about, though... something we haven't talked about in awhile."

"Okay." Luke's mind started racing to try to figure out what it could be, even though he'd find out in five seconds.

"I think I'm ready to talk about maybe... getting another dog."

Luke's eyes widened at first with surprise, and then his face softened as he asked, "Really? You sure?"

"I've been thinking about Paul Anka a lot," Lorelai said. "Especially on Halloween, which was the first one in twelve years that I wasn't able to pick out some adorable costume for him. And I know he only went along with dressing up the first few years to make me happy, but then he totally came around to the idea and seemed to actually enjoy it."

Luke smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he really did."

Lorelai paused for a moment and swallowed hard. "I don't always wanna talk about how much I miss him because that just makes me sadder, but... I really miss him a lot."

Luke frowned sympathetically and nodded. "I know you do. I do, too."

"But there are a lot of animals out there that need a loving home, you know?" Lorelai continued. "And I think it might be time to put our pet-owning skills to good use again."

"I think so, too," Luke agreed. "If you're ready, then we'll do it. We can visit some shelters or go to those pet adoption fairs or something."

"Really? You're definitely on board?" she asked. "Because I don't want you to do it just for me if you're not into the idea yourself."

"I'm on board." Luke reached across the table for her hand. "It was nice having him in the house, you know? I knew that if I wasn't home, you weren't there all alone. And when you weren't home, I wasn't all alone. It was comforting."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"So, I think it's time," Luke said. "And I know you've also thrown out the cat idea over the years. If you wanted to go that route, or even both routes, we can do that... whatever you want."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side, smiling. "Look at you, all ready to turn our house into a pet hotel."

Luke smiled. "Don't get carried away. I'm just saying, I'm not opposed to having two pets... but two's the limit."

"Got it," Lorelai said. "Well, I say we start with the dog for now, and then if we happen to get the urge to add another pet to the family, we'll discuss it."

"Deal."

Lorelai suddenly let out an excited gasp. "Ooh, what do you think about David Bowie if it's a boy?"

Luke smirked. "Whatever you want."

"We'll see if it fits," Lorelai said. "It might not be a Bowie-looking dog."

"It might not be," Luke agreed. "It might be a Steely Dan or Jimmy Buffet-looking dog."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose and squeezed his hand. "Uh, yeah... we'll play it by ear."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that night, they returned to their room at the inn next door to the restaurant. As Lorelai changed into the red lingerie he had personally requested, Luke undressed down to his boxers, and their anniversary celebration continued for a while in bed.

When they were ready to go to sleep, they got dressed and both went about their normal bedtime routines. As they got into bed, Lorelai glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside him, and then smiled. "Hey, it's past midnight... happy anniversary."

Luke looked behind him to see the clock for himself, then turned back to her with a smile. "Happy anniversary."

They shared a kiss, turned out the light, and got situated in the bed beneath the comforter. He put his arm around her as she cuddled up against him. "So, year one is officially in the books," she said.

Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Yes, it is."

"What do you think, forty-ish more to go?" she asked. "Maybe fifty?"

"Hm, let's shoot for forty and then we'll take it from there," he suggested.

"Okay." Lorelai lifted her head and kissed him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The End

.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for following along with my version of Luke and Lorelai's first year of marriage! Reviews are appreciated, please let me know your thoughts on this story! :)

For anyone interested in upcoming projects, I've recently gotten the urge to revisit and continue my oldest story. So, later this year, once I'm ready to tackle another multi-chapter fic, I'm hoping to introduce a third installment to the "It's Right There" series, picking up after "It's Still There." :)