"No. Not kidding." Her lower lip slid out in a pout as she turned to look at him. "It's gorgeous. It could not be gorgeouser."

"That's not a word."

"I can spell it."

"So?"

Lorelai smiled. "If I can spell it, it's a word." She waved her hand back and forth. "Get to sawing, lumberjack-man."

"I'm not cutting that down. It's 20 feet tall."

"Your point?"

"It's big enough to go in the town square, Lorelai. It's not going to fit in your house unless I hack it off about halfway up."

"But it's pretty."

"No."

Her lower lip slipped out again, further this time, and more determined. "Please?"

"No."

She moved closer, her gloved hands settling on his hips as she insinuated herself into the parted fabric of his open coat. Her eyes were wide and shining. "Please?"

"No."

"What if I promise you sexual favors?"

"You give those to me anyway."

"What if I threaten to withhold sexual favors?"

He smiled just as dangerously as she. "You'll have to cut the tree down yourself."

"Hmm."

"You could -" he turned and slipped his arm around her, pulling her closer, "be content with a smaller tree. We could cut it down now instead of arguing…"

"I'm not arguing. I'm discussing."

"Are you willing to concede if things don't go your way?"

"No."

"Then you're arguing." Luke tightened his arm around her shoulders. "Let's cut down a smaller one, take it home, decorate it and then curl up and watch some Christmas movie you've seen more times than any one person should."

She smiled widely. "You said home."

He grinned back in return and nudged her toward a smaller tree. "Come on. I want some hot chocolate…"

"That you're going to make, right?"

"And I want to curl up under the blankets with you."

"Naked, right?"

"When's Rory due home?"

"I'm hoping your asking in an effort to avoid being naked at that time, and not the opposite."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"Naked it is."