Chapter 2

She could swear her heart was pounding right out of her chest and surely everyone in her proximity could hear the erratic rhythm pulsing loudly in her own eardrums, drowning out any noise around her. The blood rushed from her head and she suddenly felt overheated, dizzy, like her knees could fail her any given second. Her hand instinctively reached out in search of something to steady herself with and connected with the cool wrought iron of a patio dining chair. She gripped the cool iron as tightly as she could, her knuckles turning impossibly whiter than her already naturally translucent skin. Her blue eyes filled with moisture and sweat beaded her pale, freckled forehead. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, willing herself to remain upright, trying in vain to slow her heartbeat. What on earth was he doing in here? Last she knew, he only came to New York when he traveled stateside. Over the last few years, she'd imagined countless scenarios in which they'd encounter each other once again, but those scenarios never included Hayden being present. She was ill prepared for the absolute shock of seeing him on the other side of that glass window, easily chatting with a beautiful blonde woman whom she was almost certain was his sister, Honor, while Rory and their son he did not know even existed stood just on the other side of that glass, not even thirty feet away. "Breathe, Rory, breathe. You have to pull it together," she mentally instructed herself. He must be visiting Honor and her family. Oh God, was his wife here, too? If she came face to face with Odette, a woman she'd never met in person, a woman who existed only in wedding announcements and news articles that had shattered Rory's heart to pieces many times, she would die on this very spot. A fresh wave of intense panic overtook her as she gripped the chair even tighter, and just as she thought she would indeed pass out, her half-sister materialized in front of her, offering a chilled glass of champagne.

"Dad asked me to bring this to you. Is my favorite little nephew still hunting eggs...Rory, are you feeling alright? You don't look well," Gigi's concerned voice and the warm, dry hand she placed on Rory's arm brought her back momentarily. She took another deep breath and managed a half smile. She couldn't hide this from Gigi, she needed an ally to ensure that Logan did not cross paths with Hayden. She released her grip from the chair, straightened her posture, smoothed her hands over her pale blue eyelet sheath dress and took one more deep, shaky breath. She looked her 16 year old half-sister in the eye and said quietly, "Hayden's father is here." Gigi's own blue eyes widened in shock and her pretty pink lips formed a perfect "O" upon registering what her older sister was saying to her. Even the teenaged Gigi was made aware of the circumstances surrounding Hayden's paternity, and why Rory was adamant about raising him on her own with his father none the wiser. She found Rory's choice unsettling, wondering what it would have been like had her own mother made a similar call, but ultimately it wasn't her place to offer an opinion, however mature she might be for her age. She was a more than a bit wiser and worldly than the average American teenager, having elected to spend her high school years in Paris with her mother after spending almost all her childhood summers there. She traveled to the States during every school break to see Christopher and she and Rory had developed a stronger sisterly bond as she had become more mature. They shared a love of literature and travel, and these commonalities had resulted in many long conversations, emails, and texts. She adored being an aunt to Hayden, and delighted in all the pictures and stories Rory sent to her.

"What...wait...how is that...I mean...shit," Gigi's response was every bit as American and ineloquent as she presently felt. She liked to believe that she'd acquired the cool cosmopolitan veneer of a true Parisian, but she was completely rattled by this turn of events. She couldn't even fathom how Rory must feel right now. She inhaled deeply. "Okay. Has he seen you? Where exactly is he right now? What should we do?"

Rory, keeping her back to the window, lest he were to glance out at the wrong moment and catch sight of her, subtly inclined her head toward the banquet room on the other side of the glass. "He's in there. Second table closest to the window, standing next to the blonde in the floral sheath. Light suit, lavender shirt, blonde hair, smile identical to Hayden's." Gigi looked over Rory's shoulder and identified the man in question. At that very moment, the animated blonde woman next to him must have said something quite funny, because a huge smile broke out across his face as he tilted his head back to laugh.

"Shit!" Gigi exclaimed once more. "Sweet Jesus, Rory, Hayden looks exactly like him!"

"I know, I know," Rory groaned, once agin feeling the panic and nausea rise up through her body. "He cannot see us together, Gi, there's no way he won't figure it out. I've got to get Hayden out of here."

They both turned their attention back to the toddler playing in the grass. Hayden was squatted down next to his basket, pilfering through his colorful plastic loot, trying to open the eggs to see what sugary goodies hid within. He looked up and saw his mother and his aunt watching him. He immediately stood up on his sweet, chubby legs and held out a bright pink egg. "Wook! Auntie Gi! I dot you a pink one cuz you wuv pink!" He smiled brilliantly, a smile identical to the one on she'd just seen grace the face of his unknowing father. He hurried toward Gigi and threw his arms around her legs, before turning to his mother and doing the same. Rory looked down at his innocent face and for a moment her panic subsided. No matter what happened, she would always be grateful that Logan gave her their son. She couldn't imagine loving anyone or anything more than she loved Hayden. When she found out she was pregnant with a boy, she'd been completely thrown, as if the pregnancy itself wasn't enough of a surprise already. She'd only ever lived with one man and that man was his father. She'd just assumed she would have a baby girl, a miniature of herself that she would know precisely how to raise. A little boy was another unexpected curveball. From the second he was born, all her insecurities vanished and she vowed to do anything in her power to keep him safe and loved. As it turned out, the loving him part was effortless, but keeping him safe was another matter entirely. Although he wasn't quite three, she suspected he'd inherited his father's daredevil streak. He was a ball of pure unbridled energy and no obstacle, no matter how substantial, could slow him down. His preferred speed was a manic race and he would climb any height and barrel right through anything standing in his way. He loved his Spider Man costume, another work of art from his Lola, and he spent many hours leaping off of and scaling the furniture and staircase. It was a completely new world for both Rory and Lorelai. Luke, or "Papa Wuke" as Hayden called him, took his grandson's antics much more in stride, assuring their ladies that this was indeed perfectly normal. At the end of the day, though, he was a mama's boy at heart, and he loved nothing more than to curl up with Rory and be read story after story until his big blue eyes couldn't stay open a second longer.

"Mama! Wook! What that bunny doing?" her son's excited voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up to see that a large, upright, mobile white bunny, or more accurately a country club employee in a bunny costume, had appeared on the lawn to greet the children. Rory personally found the Easter Bunny quite creepy, and Hayden's furrowed brow and apprehensive expression indicated that he shared his mother's sentiments. She looked up from her son to share this observation with GiGi just in time to see the look of panic and horror frozen on GiGi's face as she once again stared into the banquet room. "He's headed this way!" she hissed to Rory. Rorysbhead whipped around. Sure enough, a blonde haired girl of about ten, bearing a striking resemblance to Honor, was leading Logan by the hand toward one of the several sets of French doors leading to the outdoor patio. Her own face now mirrored her sister's panic. She looked down at Hayden still wrapped around her legs and then back up at GiGi.

"Crap, what do we do?" She looked at the 16 year old GiGi helplessly.

GiGi seemingly collected her wits (at least one of them had to) and reached for her nephew's hand, "Hayden, do you want to go meet the Easter Bunny?"

"No! He scawy!" He clung tighter to his mother.

"How about we just go watch him take pictures with the other kids? You don't have to get close to him unless you want to. He's a very nice bunny, and he left all these eggs especially for you!"

Hayden seemed to think this over. He released Rory's legs and reached his arms up toward his pretty young aunt. GiGi swung him up onto her hip and he rested his golden head in the crook of her shoulder, still unsure about this alleged friendly bunny. Rory reached out to smooth his hair as GiGi walked as quickly as she could in her wedge sandals toward the lawn and the gaggle kids surrounding the bunny.

Rory subtly turned to glance toward the patio doors, just as the father of her child stepped through onto the patio. She quickly turned away and inhaled sharply, silently thanking GiGi for her quick thinking, as Hayden was now well out of Logan's line of sight. Suddenly remembering the glass of champagne GiGi had set on the table next to them, she promptly grabbed the glass and with a flick of her wrist, downed its slightly warm contents. It hit her empty stomach and immediately went to her head. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "Okay, we can do this, he is hasn't seen us. Just stay calm," she thought to herself.

"Rory."

She froze, glass still in hand. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. Her wide blue eyes flew open.

"Logan."