I don’t own Gilmore Girls...however, my birthday is coming up, and if any kind soul would like to give me ownership rights, I would be more than grateful. Until then... :) Chapter titles and lines in this chapter are from Far Away by Nickelback.

On my knees, I’ll ask

Last chance for one last dance

‘Cause with you I’d withstand

All of hell to hold your hand

Lorelai speared a carrot with her fork and popped it into her mouth, the clinking of silverware against china reminding everyone of the ever-present silence.

“So, Grandpa,” Rory said, “How’ve you been?”

“Fine,” Richard said. Rory shrugged at Lorelai, mouthing, I tried.

“Hey, so Mom, anything new happening at the DAR?”

“No.” Lorelai and Rory exchanged glances.

“Is there dessert?”

“Yes.” Do it, Lorelai mouthed at Rory, who shook her head. Lorelai kicked her under the table.

“Ow!” she exclaimed.

“What is it?” Emily asked.

“Um, Grandma, Grandpa, I have...news.” They put down their forks. “O...kay. So, I would have told you this earlier but you left right after my graduation ceremony and just got back yesterday, so...here goes. Logan and I are...engaged.” Dead silence. “To be married.” Emily and Richard looked at each other and then smiled.

“Congratulations!” Emily exclaimed.

“Oh, this is wonderful.”

“I must call the girls in the DAR!”

“Wait!” Rory interrupted. “There’s more news.”

“Oh, good god, you’re pregnant,” Emily said.

“No. I got a job at the New York Times.”

“Congratulations!” Emily exclaimed.

“Oh, this is wonderful.”

“I must call the girls in the DAR!” Lorelai stifled a laugh. “And so good of you, too, to tell us before the wedding,” Emily added, glaring at Lorelai.

“So, I heard there was dessert?” she asked loudly. Emily got up to check on it and Richard went to take a call. Again, the thought hit Lorelai that her daughter would be married before she was. Except now...she wasn’t sure. It was late August, and tonight was a bittersweet night. It was the anniversary of her breakup with Luke. But, hopefully, it would be the anniversary of their reunion as well. She had it all planned. She was even wearing the same turquoise dress. She would go to the diner, and she knew what she was going to say, something that let him know she was ready, but also would bring back nostalgic memories. She was nervous, but was pretty sure she had been reading his signals correctly. He had been shooting her looks at the diner, smiling more often, opening up more. It was time.

I’d give it all

I’d give for us

Give anything but I won’t give up

‘Cause you know, you know, you know

She had it planned down to the last second. She watched through the window of the diner until he was talking to a customer, and walked in, grabbing his arm and pulling him outside, dragging him to the gazebo.

“Lorelai! What the - ?” he looked at her. “Whoa.”

“Deja vu much?”

“Completely. What are you...?”

“It’s the night.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s time. I’ve read the signals, I know you’re ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“To start again, to make it work. I know you’re over it, which means we can start again.”

“I - I am, but - ”

“I said I wouldn’t push you. I’m not pushing you. Just...think, for a second. It’s the perfect day. Exactly one year. We finally have a chance at a do-over. So, what do you say? Now or never?” He looked at her for a long moment, and then he kissed her. Not a peck this time but a real kiss. Her arm wrapped around his neck; an old instinct, and his went around the small of her back, pulling her towards him. They only broke the kiss to start it again, reacquainting themselves with each other. Her hand went to his face, his shoulder, his back, interlocking with his hand, remembering all the places where they just fit, where it worked. It was the perfect moment in every way, on the perfect day, the perfect mix of nostalgia and euphoria.

I wanted, I wanted you to stay

I needed, I need to hear you say

That I love you, I have loved you all along

And I forgive you, for being away for far too long

So keep breathing, ‘cause I’m not leaving you anymore

Believe it, hold on to me and never let me go

Her eyelids fluttered open and she blinked a couple times, registering her surroundings. She was in her bedroom. She had no memory of getting to her bedroom, but she was in her bedroom. Correction - she had no memory of getting home. Getting to her bedroom had been a clumsy stumble up the stairs, arms entwined, lips locked together...

Oh.

The memories from the night before rushed back in a wave of such complete comfort and happiness it made her shudder. The arm flung over her waist was Luke’s. The body behind hers was Luke’s. The person who had caused her lips to feel so swollen was Luke. A smile spread across her face as she remembered the night before.

Somehow they had stopped kissing long enough to make it back to her house; how they managed to sit in a car and not be all over each other was beyond her. She remembered getting out of the car and, like magnets, crashing against each other, somehow getting inside, slowly getting upstairs using hands to steady themselves against the wall, hands pulling off shirts and undoing dresses...she had no doubt there wasn’t a trail of clothes coming up the stairs, and was glad Rory had gone back to school. The rest of the night was a blissful memory, one where their lips hardly left each other’s, where their hands moved to all the old places where they just molded - hips, arms, jaws, legs, backs...they reconnected.

She rolled over to face him, stretching her legs. She saw him slowly waking up.

“Hey,” she half-whispered, running one hand through his hair and letting it rest on his shoulder. He blinked a couple of times.

“Jeez,” he murmured. “Haven’t been here in a long time.”

“Too long,” she corrected. He chuckled, kissing her already-swollen lips, but it didn’t hurt. It felt wonderful. “Mmm. I’ve missed that.”

“You have no idea.” They kissed again. It seemed to be some kind of disorder, that they couldn’t stop touching each other. They kissed for a while, as if making up for the months without it.

Keep breathing, ‘cause I’m not leaving you anymore

Believe it, hold on to me and never let me go

Keep breathing, hold on to me and never let me go

“We’re going to make it work this time,” she said, her forehead resting against his. “No more cheating or lying, this is it.”

“This is it,” he repeated.

“We’re going to do it.”

“We’re going to do everything.”

“June third?”

“June third.”

Keep breathing

Hold on to me and never let me go

The End!