A/N: All of you, I am so terribly sorry. I haven't updated on this story since April and I had this chapter and the next two sitting on my computer since May 2nd. So, once again, I'm really, really sorry.

I hope you can forgive me, though.

This time I decided to skip the whole lyrics thing. It just made the storytelling more confusing. So instead I just wrote this, and hope you will except it as another chapter from me.

Please read and review, thanks.

Chapter 26: Burning white roses and the Ducks

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"Ooh, fancy!" Lorelai exclaimed when they entered the newly renovated café. Mia had insisted upon them going to Woodbury to enjoy a good meal. A young waitress fastened over to them. Her hair was blonde and she smiled broadly when she saw the newly arrived guest.

"Welcome to The Burning Rose. Do you have a reservation?"

"Uh, no," came a quick reply from Mia.

"Very well then, will there be anymore joining your little gathering?" Lorelai shook her head, got a polite nod in response from the young girl, who then lead them to a table in a corner. While walking the short distance Lorelai was suddenly hit by a flashback. The blonde hair, blue shy eyes of a young girl. And a slightly round belly.

"Rory!" she pulled her daughter by her sleeve.

"What?"

"It's Emma, Emma Lair." Suddenly Rory seemed to get the situation. The rebel from a Friday night dinner, how could she have forgotten?

Soon they were all seated by the table and Emma disappeared, just to return with the menus. When she handed one to Lorelai, she paused a little and sent her a questioning glare.

"Nice to see you again, Emma." All eyes went to the waitress. A situation rather similar had happened to Lorelai shortly after she arrived at the Independence Inn. A couple of her father's colleagues and clients had come to the inn to enjoy a weekend of piece and quiet. But instead they ran into the fugitive of Richard and Emily Gilmore, the black sheep of the family. She remembered feeling cornered with all these questions hammering down upon her. She remembered Mia coming to her rescue and from that day she remained in the rooms doing her job, instead of trying to make money by waitressing.

"Lorelai, Rory, so nice to see you again," came a quite formal answer from Emma Lair. Counting back Rory figured out that her son or daughter had to be about four months or so.

"You too. How are you holding up?"

"Great, great. I, uh, live here, above the café actually. Ilsa, the owner, is letting me and Nathan crash here and her youngest daughter Melissa baby-sits him while I work." It seemed like Emma had found the right alternative for her and her baby boy. Lorelai remembered the day she decided to run away from home, it was tough, but she knew that it was the only way to independence.

Both Luke and Mia had been silent the entire time, but suddenly Mia spoke up. "It wouldn't happen to be Ilsa Persson?" Emma nodded confused and Mia clapped her hands in triumph.

"She's a dear old friend of mine. You found yourself a good supervisor. Lorelai, you remember Ilsa, don't you?" And that Lorelai did. It was one of the Wednesday night girls from the old times. Every week Mia had a couple of friends over for dinner and the Swedish Ilsa always attended dinner. So Emma was in good hands, hopefully she would soon be on speaking terms with her parents again and things would work out fine. After all, they had for Lorelai.

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The night came very early that day. The fact that it could be caused by the season never occurred to Lorelai. Darkness fell upon the little town of Stars Hollow and the brightness from the thousands of small lights reflected in the snow. It was a beautiful sight and driving through the square that late made a certain calmness fall among the two passengers in the car. It was the calmness that only snow could bring upon them. A few moments ago they had dropped Mia off at the inn, where she would be staying during her visit in Stars Hollow, that seemed to be running a little further out in the future than she had originally intended. Rory had also joined Mia, since they had a few "things" to discuss. That it concerned the surprise engagement party was only of their knowledge.

In fact, Rory was slightly surprised that the town, including herself, had managed to keep the party a secret for so long. Not even Kirk had blurted anything out. Yet, at least.

The car stopped in front of the diner, slowly pulled up and held still. No one moved or said anything, they just sat there. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Lorelai slowly emerged from the trance. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out in the cold night. Without a word she left Luke in the still warm car, knowing that he would soon follow, even though he wasn't exactly fond of the cold. She walked slowly across the street in the newly fallen layer of white wonder.

Stepping onto the lawn and walking a little further, she heard the expected sound of a door slamming. There in the middle of the square she stopped and turned her face upwards. Above her was the crystal clear sky with all its gleaming and sparkling and the lustrous stars smiling down to her. At the time being it seemed like the whole world was smiling at her. She heard the snow creak under his footsteps and soon she felt his hand on her back. She leaned head back a little further back so it was now resting against his shoulder.

"Geez, it's cold."

"Shh, just enjoy the moment. Please." And he obeyed to her wish. Instead he placed his arms around her to keep her warm and safe, and that she felt. For one long and beautiful moment all cold seemed to disappear and it was just them, the two only existing human beings in the world. A shooting star crossed the sky and Lorelai was about to announce it. But he squeezed her hand and she immediately understood the gesture. He had seen it too. When they finally felt the cold sneak under the coats, they glanced one last time at the sky before turning their faces back to the earth.

For a while they glanced into each others' eyes. Then she brushed her lips lightly over his and he responded quickly, but neither of them dared to deepen the kiss. This moment was a winter bliss of sweetness. Turning away from the square and walking home their frozen bodies were suddenly in very much need of something warm. In Lorelai's case coffee and for Luke it was herbal tea. But they didn't stop by the diner, they just walked out into the night towards the Crap Shack, where Rory would be awaiting their arrival.

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Saturday seemed so arrive a lot quicker than Rory and the town of Stars Hollow had originally anticipated. Miraculously, Friday night dinner had been cancelled the day before, since Richard was abroad and was not arrive before the following day, Saturday to be true. Emily had a DAR function to plan, so she let the two girls off the hook, which seeded to amaze Lorelai. But they were not going to get out of it anyway. Emily insisted upon meeting them for lunch on Saturday. But soon the plans were changed and Rory was going to stay home in the hollow with Mia, while Lorelai and Luke were to attend lunch.

Meanwhile the last preparation for the surprise party kept going. Kirk was walking around with a set of head phones and a walkie-talkie handing out orders to every passing person, whether or not the person was involved in the whole party planning.

The party had been so carefully planned, and yet everything seemed to go wrong. When the green truck was out of sight the sky opened up and snow flakes soon covered the ground again. Within an hour the layer was so thick, that it was almost impossible to move around. Panic stressed them all, especially Sookie who was in charge of the food. The heaters that should have kept the guest warm, were not able to get there. Only two hours away from the guests of honour's arrival nothing had been set up. At last they decided to gather in Miss Patty's to discuss what to do.

"Attention, people, attention!" Slowly the talking decreased into a whisper.

"We are under the pressure of time, people. So what do you propose we do?" No hands were lifted and for a brief moment panic crossed Taylor's face.

"I suppose we then must call the entire thing off."

"Or we could have a snow plough come!"

"Or have the thing another day!"

Suggestions came flying through the air, all worse than the previous one. Taylor tried lower the townsfolk without any luck. At last someone shouted: "Let's have it inside!"

And so it became. Kirk rushed around, but he was ignored by everyone now. An hour and a half passed by quick and before they knew they heard the sound of a car driving through the snow.

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"That woman has got to be under some kind of spell!" Lorelai exclaimed when they pulled up in front of the diner.

"You do know that she's your mother, right?"

"I'm sorry, were you even present at lunch? Because you seemed a little distant." She got a smirk back. The smirk that made her fall in love with him, that made her say "yes" to his proposal. The lunch seemed to last forever and with Emily talking about nothing but the upcoming wedding. New ideas hailed down upon them. The Russian inspired wedding ideas also came on the table nicely arranged in a book with pictures and names of designers. The centrepieces should be white roses and there should be glitter all over according to Emily. Of course they declined right away, but on the other hand it was nice to know that they know had some support from the Gilmores.

"So, what do you wanna do tonight? We could hit the movies." They were standing just outside the diner, but instead of going in it seemed like Luke had other ideas up his sleeve.

"We could.. maybe go for a walk in the snow." By letting her lips brush his lightly, she gave him her answer. The snow was still falling slowly and walking there beside Luke, was the best Lorelai could ever imagine. Her thought drifted back to last winter when her fling with Max started. The snow had been there, yes, and she thought Max might be the guy for her. But now walking there with Luke, she wondered why she had even considered being with someone else. As she had said when the first snow fell, the whole world changed. It became more beautiful, more full of love. The world was nearly perfect. Unfortunately Luke wasn't very fond of the cold, frozen water. But as soon as he had the ring on the finger, that was going to chance.

"Just look at the town. Admit it, it looks absolutely amazing and wonderful and bewitching."

"It doesn't look too bad, I'll give you that." At the same time they passed Miss Patty's, the door was flung open and an entire choir of voices shouted "SURPRISE!"

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"No one seems to know Lorelai better than Luke, well maybe Rory, but they're blood related so… To Lorelai and Luke!" Sookie ended her slightly incoherent speech. But the applause embraced her, and soon Lorelai embraced her best friend as well. This night had evolved into something she would've never expected. In fact it first hit her now, that in just two weeks she was going to get married. A table in the corner was stacked with presents from all and everyone. How people were going to afford an actual wedding gift was a walking mystery. Patty had stolen the scene and was now performing sappy romance songs.

"Come on, Luke. Just one dance!"

"I do not dance."

"You're going to in two weeks anyway. Come on." Finally he gave in and they joined the rest of the twirling couples. Rory was resting her head against Dean's shoulder, Sookie against Jackson's and Patty had found some guy, that could might end up being her next husband. Luke laid a hand on Lorelai's waist and guided her out on the dance floor. They followed the music, the tunes of Babette's voice, since she had now taken the spotlight. Somewhere in the distance a door opened and two people entered the dance studio.

"Oh boy, look what the cat dragged in, Donald and Daisy Duck." There in the doorway was Emily and Richard Gilmore. The small studio got a narrowing glance from them both, and then they spotted Lorelai and Luke.

"This is going to be fun," Lorelai mumbled into Luke's shoulder. She made an effort to drag him away from the dance floor, but the attempt was a doomed failure.

"Lorelai!"

"Mum, dad!" A fake smile appeared on Lorelai's lips.

"You could at least pretend to be happy to see us. Driving all the way to this place in that weather wasn't at all enjoyable." The Gilmores certainly had arrived.

"Why don't we get you a drink?" And before they knew of it, they were standing with a cup of Founder's day punch.

"What on earth is this?"

"Founder's day punch. Taste it, you'll feel so much better." Lorelai quipped and hurried on before her mother could argument on anything. Unfortunately for Luke, he wasn't fast enough, so he was the lucky witness to an Emily out burst.

"You should think they would at least serve the drinks in a proper way. This is a paper cup, for god's sake!"

"Emily, please calm down." Richard tried, effortless.

"They dragged us all the way here to serve us drinks in a paper cup? I don't believe it." And the words kept coming, only to be heard by the deaf ear of Stars Hollow.

"Now people, attention please!" All faces were turned towards Taylor, who had taken place on the small stage.

"I'd like to welcome you all to this little gathering. I must say that the party turned out surprisingly well if we choose to ignore the barbarous snow, that caused a lot of damage to the planning."

"Don't talk bad about the snow, Taylor!" somebody yelled, but the certain someone was ignored.

"And now, on behalf of the town, I'd like to say a few words. This little social event is in honour of our own Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore. Personally I have supported their "interaction" from the very beginning, and I am pleased to announce that they are now settled for further commitment. Commitment to each other through the bonds of marriage. We have all gotten to know these two people, some of us have seen them grow up. Well, Lorelai first joined our community around 16 years ago. We've seen them get involved and we certainly weren't surprised when they announced that they their relationship had evolved into something deeper and more meaningful. So I'm proud to say that they town of Stars Hollow is at your disposal for any further planning of the upcoming wedding."

The applause rose to the air, and Kirk contributed with a loud "bravo!" in between. When it was possible to hear what you said again another person had taken the spotlight on the stage.

"Mom, Luke, first of all congratulations! I'm proud to be the closest witness to this relationship. Never in my life have I seen anything so full of love as what you have. Even though it took you a few years to get here, you made it all the way. I've watched you become friends and then more than that. But the friendship was the beginning to your relationship. When I first came to Stars Hollow I wasn't anything but a baby. For many years me and my mum lived in the potting shed by the Independence Inn, but when I was ten, mom was able to afford a house, a real home for us. One day, soon after we moved in, she came home with this cup of coffee in her hand and a broad smile on her lips. She explained to me that this was the best coffee in the world, and the next day she was going to get a free doughnut. So she did and she also got a close friend. I know it's taken a lot of patience and tolerance from Luke to be around my mother, but they made it. Though their friendship the first two years were based on nicknames, Duke was my mom's favourite. In fact it wasn't before the day I had chicken pox and Luke made me mashed potatoes everyday that she called him Luke. Since that day they became real friends, even though they had their ups and downs." She paused for a moment and glared at her mother. Tears were slowly streaming down her cheeks, but she sent her daughter and encouraging smile.

"I believe we all knew that a day would come where the friendship would turn into something more. And that day came around ten months ago. I was at home when mom storms in and out of the blue announces that she was now involved with Luke. But now they're here today, and I must say that I'm proud and grateful too. My mom gave me life and Luke feeds me, so together they are life itself. To mom and Luke!" Rory raised her glass, as did the rest of the crowd while cheering on Rory's toast. To contribute to the toast, Lorelai kissed Luke lightly. This action was followed by an applause louder than any other that had sounded that night. Even Emily and Richard seemed to be enjoying themselves now.

The rest of the night the music played and people danced continuously through out the night. When the time came to introduce her parents and Mia a slightly awkward silence fell, but it was soon forgotten, at least after a cup of Founder's day punch. Mia promised to send Emily some pictured from the missing years, and that seemed to be they way of getting the two women talking. Lorelai sensed a new side of her mother, a softer and more forgiving side. For the first time she felt like her life-puzzle was finally becoming complete.

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I promise it won't take too long before you will find another chapter to this story. Were getting close to the end, sadly, but true nonetheless. Meanwhile check out my latest video productions on youtube…

for those of you that like Harry Potter, I recently uploaded a new HP story about the death of Lily and James Potter.

Now, take a minute and review. Nothing long demanded, but always appreciated.

Asta