"Rory's home!"

"Get up Rory!"

Rory felt the bed bouncing all around her as she opened her eyes and sat up in a haze. What a wake up call.

Jumping before her were two 5 year old twin boys, who happened to be her brothers, Alex and Ethan.

"Hey guys," she said groggily. "Give me a hug!"

They quickly obliged before running out of the room, distracted again.

Strange as it was to come to a house of so many boys, she wouldn't trade it for anything.

Outside the room she heard Luke apologizing to an already awake Lorelai.

"Sorry, I couldn't contain them this morning. You'd think they took after their mother and were already on their third cup of coffee."

"It's okay, you'll just pay later."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah..."

"I like the sound of that."

Rory smiled to herself, but instinctively stopped listening.

They had finally gotten it together, so slowly, but now so surely. 8 years ago when she left they were merely back together. In the process of that time, they had fought to find themselves, and their trust, and built a life around it.

Flashbacks flooded her mind of the wedding. Lorelai's custom made white dress, as she floated down the aisle towards Luke, no baseball cap in sight. Grandpa giving her away with such a glimmer in his eye, as he went and took Emily's hand. The hoopa they stood under from so long ago, like a perfect frame. Standing right behind Lorelai, watching Luke beam at her, the way he always had, the way she so deserved. Catching the eye of Jess, watching her watch, standing just behind Luke as his best man, a smile exploding on both their faces. TJ standing behind him, adjusting his pants that he insisted should've been tights. And Sookie behind her, sobbing before anyone ever spoke a word.

It was not June 3rd. It was January, and they had left the church to a beautiful snow falling, everything in place. Even if just for one night.

"Rory!"

"Let's play!"

The voices broke her trip down memory lane, the little miracles that came not long after that fateful day.

"Coming!" she said, getting up to shower.

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"Hey hun, come here for a minute?"

Lorelai pulled Rory aside in the kitchen as Luke chased the boys through the house. Kids brought such life in a time of sadness.

"So, grandma was wondering if you'd write grandpa's obituary for the paper. If it's too much feel free to say..."

"No, of course I will."

Lorelai sighed. "I know he'd be honored," she said, rubbing Rory's shoulder.

"Is there anything else I can help with? I'd like to do something, anything."

"I think that's it. Mom's burying herself in this. She wants everything done even more perfect than usual."

"I bet."

"Yesterday I went with her to pick out flowers, and at least it wasn't underwear. But we went to 10 stores, and I'm pretty sure 3 of them are now going out of business."

Rory nodded. Their coping mechanisms weren't as different as her mom thought.

"I'm sorry, I'm not great with this," Lorelai said as she started to lose it.

Rory wrapped her in a hug. "No one is."

Luke walked in, placing a hand on Rory's shoulder, before awkwardly pulling it away a moment later. The sounds of little feet followed him in like a torpedo.

"Why don't I take them?" Rory offered. "I was going to take a walk around the town anyway."

"That'd be great. Be good you little rascals," Lorelai said, winking at Rory. "Your sister can get pretty routy."

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Walking around town with two tikes trailing was not what Rory had in mind. But the fresh air would do her good.

She ran into lots of "Hi's" that turned to "I'm sorry's." She wasn't surprised everyone knew why she was back.

Taylor offered a discount on week old fruit as his sympathies. Miss Patty offered booze.

Finally she made it to the gazebo and the familiar face she was looking for. She joined Lane on the bench as the twins joined her boys playing in the square. Weirdly enough, her boys were even older than the twins.

"I'm so sorry. It makes me mad because that's obviously not summing it up at all, but I'll still say it. I'm so sorry Rory."

"Thanks."

Lane took her hand for a moment. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better."

"I'm sure. It was such a shock...what exactly happened?"

People meant well. But they just kept reminding her of a reality she couldn't escape.

The moment she'd dwelt on for days came to her like a bad dream that wouldn't go away. A phone call while she was out at dinner. There wasn't even warning. There was nothing left to do. It was done before she ever knew it happened.

"It was a heart attack. I guess they rushed him to the hospital. But it was too late this time."

"Oh man."

Rory bit her lip. "Yeah."

"I didn't think he'd been sick though?"

"I mean he'd had heart problems before...but it just happened. It's so unfair."

"Very unfair. Life can be so uncool sometimes."

They sat in quiet for a moment.

"So, how are things with Jim?"

She was thankful for something different to talk about. She thought of the cute brown haired boy she met at the coffee shop when they went the same time every morning. He was bewildered by her passion for coffee; he was actually there for tea.

"Things are good."

"I'd love to meet him, you know, beyond stalking your pictures online."

"That might be the peak of his best impression," Rory joked.

"Not ready to bring him home to this crazy town?"

"It's not that. I just don't know how serious we are, and this is such a serious situation. I only really thought about my family."

"That totally makes sense. Well, he seems like a nice guy."

"He is."

"And a cute guy."

"He is."

"And like he'd be good in the sack."

"He is," Rory laughed.

"You see where I went with that?"

"I fell right for it. And in front of the children!"

"Oh please. They won't be preoccupied with that subject for a long time."

"I hate to break it to you Lane, but your boys are already 8. Give it a mere 5 years..."

"Don't want to hear it!"

"They'll hide Playboy magazines under the floors in their room."

"Please, they won't be able to pull that pass me."

"Okay Mrs. Kim."

Lane sighed. "At least that's a normal thing to hide."

Rory chuckled a little. "Even after all this time it's still hard to believe you are married, with kids. Maybe in another 5 years it'll sink in."

"Yeah, for me too. But they're my little rock stars. They love to travel in the summers when we can go on tour."

"It was fun to show you guys around New York."

"You're such a local now."

"Well it definitely wasn't always that way," Rory said, thinking of her Chilton ditch day. "But I've managed to find my way around the big apple."

Working at the New York Times as a political reporter was a recently realized dream. And to follow an election with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? She had won the timing lottery after working her way up from the campaign trail following President Obama.

"You know I read all your articles."

"Part of my Stars Hollow fan club huh?"

"Yes. We meet every Tuesday."

They laughed together.

"I'm a fan of yours, always," Rory said. "Thanks for this. I needed it."

"Hey, anytime."

Rory walked off looking up to the sky. She was a writer, with a loss for what to say.