Christmas 2016

Rory paced around Luke's old apartment above the diner. When she found out she was pregnant, Luke insisted she move in there, at no cost to her. She'd been waiting to hear back from several publishers about her book. Today, the biggest publisher was supposed to call her, and they'd made it sound as if they were going to offer her a deal. They were supposed to call at two, and it was already a quarter past three. Her nerves were getting the best of her because her livelihood depended on this book deal. She knew there was no way she could raise the baby without any sort of help and wasn't sure she wanted to face a future dependent on other people's money.

Decorating for Christmas had helped distract her for the early part of the day, but the apartment was tiny and she didn't have many decorations. Rory looked around and was pleased with her holiday décor. She looked at the clock. It was now half-past three.

Are they ever going to call? She wondered.

Then, as if on cue, her phone rang on the table. She jumped and immediately went over to it, looking at the caller ID. Pausing, she took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Hello. This is Rory Gilmore," she said trying to hide the trembling in her voice. She was beyond shaking with anxiety.

"Rory, this is James with Penguin. I believe we spoke last week," the gruff voice said on the other end.

"Yes, James. I recall," she replied nervously.

"I've called to discuss the terms of your contract. We would normally do this in person, but I won't be around next week because of the holiday," he said.

Oh, my god! Rory squealed in her head.

"I understand," she said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

James went on to lay out the terms of Rory's contract. They were basic, common elements that she had expected after reading up on publishing contracts. He explained that this was a verbal agreement for the time being until she could come in and sign off on the paperwork. It would allow her time to read through the terms and consult a lawyer if she desired. Before hanging up, she made an appointment to go to their offices in Hartford after the first of the year.

"Thank you very much, James," Rory said.

"We look forward to seeing you in January. I'm sure we will see great things from you!"

She ended the call and waited a moment before she started jumping up and down while cheering. A minute later there was a frantic knock on the door, followed by Luke flinging open the door to see Rory dancing about.

"Luke!" she said surprised by his sudden arrival.

"Rory, geez, you scared the hell out of me! I thought something happened to you and you were hurt," he replied sounding relieved.

"No, I just got some really good news. That's all. I was doing a happy dance," she explained.

"Are you sure that's ok in your condition?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Luke. It was just a little bouncing. This thing is barely the size of a kidney bean. I doubt there's much harm a little jumping can do," Rory replied.

"What's your good news?"

"You'll find out at dinner tonight," she replied. "We're still on, aren't we?"

"Yes, I'm bringing the burgers and fries," Luke said.

The pair stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes. "Well, I'd better get back downstairs before Cesar gives out the Wi-Fi password! He's got too much sympathy for those damn laptoppers."

"Bye, Luke," she called as he left, closing the door behind him.


Logan looked at himself in the mirror. Staring back at his reflection, he wondered who that person was looking back. Who was this handsome, intelligent, blonde-haired man in the black and white tuxedo that was topped off with a bright pink tie and matching pocket square? He despised the color pink, but his fiancé, Odette, had insisted it be one of their wedding colors. After all, it matched the obnoxious pink color of her bridesmaids' dresses. It also suited her over-the-top personality. It was easier to concede wedding colors, as well as most other details, to her rather than fight over everything. The wedding was all about her, as he was reminded time and time again. He'd much rather be wearing all black as a sign of mourning for his impending funeral. His transformation into his father would be complete by the end of the night.

In just a few hours, he'd be a married man. He still couldn't believe the family merger was taking place, and worse still, that he was going along with it. He didn't want to be married out of obligation. Sure, Odette was beautiful, but that's all she had going for her. She could hardly carry on a conversation unless it included designers or the latest in celebrity gossip. She could throw an amazing party, but that's where her skills ended. She barely graduated from The Sorbonne, and he was sure that her acceptance and grades were bought by her father, who was a prestigious alumnus.

I don't love her. I've never loved her, and will never love her. The only way to tolerate her is with plenty of scotch. At this rate, I'll end up like Finn and drunk most of the time, Logan thought. Why do I let my father run my life? How am I so incapable of finding a suitable mate in his eyes? Things were great with Rory! He only forced Odette on me to try to keep me away from her.

"Why the hell am I doing this?" He wondered aloud.

"Why are you doing this, Mate?" Finn asked in return.

"Oh, I didn't know anyone else was in here," Logan replied sounding slightly embarrassed his best friend heard him. He'd been trying to pretend he was fine with it, but Finn knew better than that.

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Why are you marrying the Parisian Princess?" Finn questioned.

"Because it's the business merger my father negotiated for me to ensure I follow his plan," he replied with a sad tone.

"Since when do you follow the Dark Lord's plan?"

"I don't know," Logan said. "I do enjoy the perks that come with the paycheck."

"You're far too valuable for him to fire you. You practically run the company as it is," Finn explained.

"Too late to do anything about it now," Logan lamented to his best man. "Everyone's here and everything is all set up."

"It's never too late, Logan," Finn said and handed him a slip of paper with an address. "Just go to her."

Logan knew he wasn't talking about Odette. He was talking about Rory, the love of his life, and the woman who said goodbye to him eighty-two days and eight hours ago (not that he was counting). She'd made her decision and he wanted to respect that, but he didn't know how he was going to live his life without her. It had been the longest eleven weeks of his life hoping that she'd come back. There had been no sign of her during that time, and he doubted there ever would be. He was resigned to the fact that his life was going to carry on despite her absence. He'd thrown himself into his work in an attempt to forget his own pain.

"I wish I could, Finn. I wish I could," he bemoaned.

"What's stopping you?"

"Familial duty," Logan replied bluntly.

"Is that all? You've bucked the system before. Do it again, Mate! Stand up for yourself and the woman you love! Isn't she worth it?" he asked quietly.

"A million times over," he said.

"Then I said fuck the Dark Lord and the Parisian Princess!" Finn said emphatically.

His friend's words resonated with him, but he felt that he was trapped in something he couldn't change even if he wanted to. He felt like a prince fulfilling familial duty rather than following his heart. He was constantly aware of the consequences for disobedience and tried to come to terms with his fate.

Logan gave one more look in the mirror to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. He wanted to avoid any extra contact with Odette. He cringed whenever she'd try to 'fix' something about his clothes, especially in public. She only did it to tell the world that he was her territory, her property. He grabbed his glass, refilled it with scotch, and drank it down in one swallow.

There was a knock at the door, and it opened slightly.

"Time for pictures," the planner called through the crack.

He sighed audibly. Here goes nothing, he thought on his way out the door.


Rory arrived at her mother's just before seven. She stood at the door for a minute feeling awkward. It felt weird having her own place and not knowing the proper protocol for going to Lorelai's as a guest. Was she supposed to ring the doorbell, walk in, or ring the bell and then walk in? This time, she rang the doorbell, and when no one answered, she rang a second time. After a few minutes of standing in the cold, she tentatively opened the door.

"Mom?" she called out. She was a little taken aback by the rabbi shaking and singing. She'd forgotten it was right there as she went inside.

"In the kitchen," Lorelai called back.

"Why didn't you answer the door?" Rory asked once she could see her mother.

"Because I knew it was you. Let's just get this straight for future visits. You don't need to ring the doorbell or knock. It will always be your house, so just walk in like you would if you lived here," she answered.

"Ok, good. It was just getting weird and I didn't know if I should ring the bell, or whatever since I've moved out," Rory replied.

"So, did they call?" she asked impatiently.

"You'll have to wait for Luke," she said with a smile.

"They did call! You got the deal, didn't you?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Like I said, you'll have to wait for Luke!" she replied with a grin that answered her mother's question.

The coffee pot beeped to let them know it was done brewing. The smell was intoxicating to Rory as she'd had to cut back on real coffee. She's never thought that decaf was real coffee because she didn't understand the point until now. She'd had to severely limit her caffeine intake since her first doctor appointment. She had no idea what it would be like, and as it turns out, cutting back on caffeine that much was not a pleasant experience.

"Coffee?" Lorelai asked her daughter and started pouring a cup before she could answer.

"I probably shouldn't, Mom," she replied. "I've already had one cup today."

"I don't think a second will kill anyone. Besides, you turned out fine, and we're celebrating, right?"

"Not until Luke gets here!" Rory chastised once again.

"I'm here, so you can do whatever it is you couldn't do until I got here," Luke called from the foyer.

"Damn!" Rory lamented.

"Spill!" Lorelai ordered.

"If you must know, Penguin called today and offered me a contract!" Rory said with a squeal.

"I knew it!" Lorelai replied. "See, we are celebrating!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing, Rory? You already had one cup earlier today. You know you shouldn't be doing that," Luke warned and shifted his gaze to Lorelai. "She shouldn't be doing that."

"Luke, it's not like I'm doing it all of the time. I'm a big girl, and I'd like to celebrate by having a second cup of coffee," she replied sternly.

"Fine, but if the kid comes out addicted to coffee, I won't be your dealer!"

Rory and Lorelai broke out in a fit of laughter.

"You make it sound like she can't go to the store and buy coffee there for herself," Lorelai suggested.

"You know what I mean. I won't be bringing it upstairs to you in the morning," he said.

"He delivers you coffee in the morning? Why don't you deliver for me?" she said sounding hurt by his delivery service to her pregnant daughter.

"Mom, it's just been a few times. It's no big deal," Rory explained.

"I deliver your food, Lorelai," he retorted and held up the bags of food from the diner. "What's more important, food or coffee?"

The question elicited another round of laughter from mother and daughter.

"I forgot who I'm talking to," Luke said with a chuckle.

The family settled down at the kitchen table to eat their dinner. They discussed more details about Rory's new adventure in the literary world. Although Lorelai had been against her idea initially, she'd come around and was even excited to hear her take on their life. She couldn't have been more proud of her daughter for forging her own path and stepping out of her comfort zone. Now, everything seemed even more imperative with the baby thrown into the equation. It was Lorelai's idea for Rory to move into the apartment above the diner, but her daughter thought it was Luke's doing. If his wife hadn't suggested it, he would have offered, so it wasn't a complete lie.

Once dinner was over, they moved into the living room to watch a movie. Before it was half over, Rory was already asleep, and Luke followed quickly after. Lorelai stayed awake for the remainder, and then cleaned up the mess from earlier. He was on one end of the couch, and her daughter had a pillow propped under her head at the other.

"Rory," Lorelai said gently shaking her daughter.

"But I want more coffee!" she replied and came to reality. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry you can't get more coffee in your dreams," she said apologetically.

"Oh, sorry. Did I doze off again?" Rory asked.

"Yes, but I figured I'd wake you up to see if you wanted to go back to your place. I can give you a ride," Lorelai offered.

"That would be great!"

After she arrived back at her new home, Rory immediately went upstairs and crashed on her bed. She could finally fall asleep with a happy feeling, knowing that things were starting to turn in the right direction.


Logan took his place at the front of the church. Odette insisted they get married in a church because she was overly concerned with appearing more religious. He figured that weekly trips to religious services would be next on her list to help their 'brand' as she called it. He could count the number of times he'd been to church in any given year on one hand. His family had more of a biannual church attendance record. He certainly wasn't looking forward to that.

A moment later, Finn joined him on the first step by the altar.

He must have grabbed a quick scotch before joining me, Logan thought. Wish I had done the same thing!

Finn noticed his friend deep in thought. He knew his mind wasn't on the wedding, and it was only on Rory. It was his fault that his friend's mind was strictly on her, and not on Odette. He didn't feel the slightest bit guilty for it either.

"Just go," he whispered to Logan. "Go to her! Mother is worth the fight!"

His friend's words were echoing in his mind. He'd dreamed of fleeing the oppression of his family's obligations and going to the woman he loved, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't know what was holding him back, or why he simply couldn't do it. A thousand times he'd imagined running off with Rory and living the life he'd always wanted. He didn't care if he was working for his dad, he just wanted to be able to go home to a woman he loved and a life that made him happy. Odette made him want to drink and not come home. He didn't like that version of himself or the 'Mitchum" version as he often referred to it.

He was brought back to reality by the noise of everyone standing as the bride entered the sanctuary. She started marching down the aisle in her very expensive designer dress, and a bouquet of flowers that cost more than the salary of a worker in an undeveloped country. He started to think this whole wedding was a big waste of money and time. It wasn't a real wedding, and no one cared a thing for the other. The only thing Odette cared for was herself and her status. Logan was just a big trophy for her and her family, as his wealth far exceeded their own.

When Odette arrived at the front of the church, she waited for Logan to join her. He was still lost in thought until he got a little nudge from Finn. Go to her, Logan heard his friend's words. He looked around a bit and realized he was supposed to join his fiancé for the vows. He flashed his million-dollar smile and joined her in front of the altar.

The service continued on with the reading of scriptures and musicians honoring the couple by singing and playing songs of their choosing. Logan found himself getting bored quickly, and his thoughts soon drifted back to this favorite blue-eyed beauty. He went through the motions without a second thought. Suddenly, things go very quiet, and all eyes were on him. His face went flush as he looked around for any indicator of the situation.

Finn was handing him the ring and Odette had already put his wedding band on his finger. Oh, shit, he thought. I'm supposed to be reciting my vows. What the hell am I supposed to do? I've been standing here thinking about another woman the entire time. I can't marry this woman. I don't care how beautiful or rich she is. She will only make me miserable. He heard a soft voice behind him.

"Go to her, Mate!"

After a few seconds, Logan left his position next to Odette. He walked out of the sanctuary through the side door. He heard his fiancé calling out to him.

"Where are you going? You can't leave me here like this! It's humiliating! Get back here, Logan!"

"Logan Huntzberger, you get your ass back here right now!" Mitchum's voice joined that of Odette in the noise that followed him.

"Oh, I'm sure he's just got cold feet," Logan's mother, Shira, chimed in with a sugary sweet tone. "Logan, Honey, just come back here, and let's talk about it."

He just kept going, without a look back or a second thought.

He made it back to the pre-wedding dressing room in record time. After slipping out of the monkey suit, he retrieved his regular clothes. He hastily put them on, grabbed his bag, and made fast tracks for his car. Before he left, he took off the ring and left it sitting on the table in the middle of the room.

Finn wasn't far behind him, as he sprinted to catch up.

"Hold up," he called just before Logan got into his car. "Move over. I'm driving!"


After celebrating Christmas Eve with her mom and Luke, Rory began the walk back to her apartment. She loved the peaceful bliss that had settled on Stars Hollow that evening. The town was quiet and twinkling, thanks to the thousands of lights Taylor insisted on putting up each year. It made the snow glisten. The crisp, cool air was invigorating for the exhausted thirty-three-year-old pregnant woman. She reveled in the fact that her hometown looked a bit like a snow globe with its gazebo glowing in the middle.

As she walked toward the center of town, she began to think about how she was finally getting onto the right track, even though there was a major complication in the form of a baby growing inside of her. At first, she was completely freaked out, but after a chat with Lorelai, she felt a bit better about the prospect of becoming a single mother. By the time she'd mustered up the courage to tell Logan, she realized his wedding was less than a week away, so she opted to keep him out of it. She didn't want her child to have to deal with a father figure coming in and out like hers had done.

Rory stopped to grab a copy of the holiday edition of her beloved Gazette. The same poem graced its cover every year, and this was no exception. She went up into the gazebo and brushed off the bench. She sat down with her hot cocoa and the paper. There was enough light for her to read through the poem. For some reason, it really struck a nerve, and she nearly started crying. She managed to bring herself out of it quickly and was suddenly aware of how chilled she had become in the few minutes she'd been sitting there.

On her way back to the diner, Rory thought she saw someone sitting on the front steps of the diner. Who in the world would be here, and on Christmas Eve? She wondered. Everyone she knew had plans with their loved ones. When she got closer, she realized that she shouldn't have wondered at all. It was Logan Huntzberger. He looked downtrodden, which wasn't a look she was used to seeing from him.

As she neared, his head perked up, looking around to see where the noise was coming from. He stood up and the look of defeat disappeared as his face lit up like the gazebo. Logan's eyes crinkled as he smiled in Rory's direction.

A warmth tingled through her body when they locked eyes. She hadn't expected to see him ever again, but now that he was standing in front of her, she never wanted him to leave. Rory practically leaped into his arms. They stood by the diner's steps, just enjoying each other's embrace. Neither had to say a single thing in that moment.

When Logan took a slight step back, Rory noticed the snow that had started to fall all around them. Her mother had always told her that the most wonderful things happened with the snow, and she'd never fully believed it until now. She looked back at the man who was now kneeling before her with a small, velvet box that was opened to her. Her heart skipped a beat seeing the ring inside.

"Merry Christmas, Ace!"