Summary: Logan finds Rory in a library near his home; she has a child with her. Will he take the chance; is the child hers or possibly his? [Logan and Rory]
Disclaimer: As always just my idea of what could have happened.
It Started With Hello
Chapter 6 – Hello America!
The house warming went well with no accidents or fights and their novel approach to the open house was actually applauded by a writer for Sunset magazine as well as Better Homes and Gardens who had been given permission to attend, of course the Gazette gossip page had the best scoop and Ted's wife, Alice, just adored meeting the Huntzbergers. Rory had only met Alice at office Holiday parties in the past and was pleased to see she got them in the spirit of things, she was Alice and her boss was the Mad Hatter from the recent edition with Johnny Depp. Ted accused her of buttering him up with the invitation so he would forget to be angry at her being in DC for a week to make the White House Holiday show that would be taped the first week in December and broadcast on Christmas Eve, she even tipped him to the name of the show before it was anywhere else 'Hello America' with L.L. Hayden.
Thanksgiving was a delight as they celebrated this year in Stars Hollow and Sookie made the most amazing spread, the family had commandeered the Dragon Fly dining room for the event, Lorelai did extend the invitation to guests if they were so inclined, she was the consummate hostess after all. The couple decided to enjoy Dinner with the Hayden clan and then dessert and drinks with the Huntzbergers.
It was December first and Rory was on the HPG jet with the crew of H.A., as they had come to call it and she was reviewing the loose script that had been provided. It was a walkthrough of what Mitchum expected but he wanted it to carry her signature, her voice the charm and grace that was L.L. Hayden with a bit of Garrison Keillor on the side. Rory laughed when the comparison had been made especially since Prairie Home Companion had always been a favorite radio program. She spoke with the cameraman and was given a rundown on how she would be miked, how to determine her marks and so on, making a TV show was so much more work than writing a story, you actually lived it. Her wardrobe had been preapproved by the White House so she and Michelle would complement each other, she would even do some crafts with Malia and Sasha in favor of the year's theme 'Simple Gifts' she would learn to make a magazine tree, she was happy now for all the crafts she enjoyed with her siblings and Lane's kids, she could twist and glue with the best of them.
Rory entered the White House and they were shown around to each room. They filmed the first day just the film crew and Rory describing each tree and the meaning behind them, in all there were 19 they would decide in post which to use for the show, for now she would speak about every one of them. She fell in love with the Booksellers displays dedicated to children and was enamored of the Bo made of 40,000 pipe cleaners. As she walked down the East Colonnade she was awed by the wreaths celebrating America's bounty, and reminded viewers now was the time to share your bounty with others, then joked its tax deductible and this may be your last chance before the 31st. This caused the escort provided to chuckle, the cameraman knew that would be left in. The second day was a shorter shoot a few hours with Malia and Sasha making magazine trees and talking about the gift of giving and the joys of family. She told them about her siblings and the girls shared how much they enjoyed living in the country's Capitol and how interesting it was meeting people from all over the world. It was a charming piece and would be difficult to edit. They had already begun to send out snips on their website as a teaser and there was also a prominent link to 'Toys for Tots' as well as 'Feeding America' encouraging viewers to donate. Wednesday she would meet with Michelle for tea in the Gold room and end Thursday with cocktails with the president and dinner with the family. She was happily surprised when Logan walked in with the President as the cocktail hour began and the Obama's laughed at the enthusiastic greeting she supplied. Dinner was energetic and again the emphasis stayed to enjoying the blessing of family, give of oneself and respect your neighbors. Friday on the plane home Rory was exhausted and more than grateful she would have time to nap before Friday night dinner with the Huntzbergers. She was looking forward to seeing them all and providing each home with a 2010 White House ornament they portrayed the United States Marine Band, Logan had laughed but she thought it would be a nice gift to remember the first show by.
Rory was not often surprised by the antics of her hometown but find that Taylor had rented an giant inflatable screen so the whole town could watch the premiere of 'Hello America' did just that. She had actually received a formal invitation to be their honored guest and Mitchum thought it would be the perfect place to film the premiere as a follow up to her first show. It would also emphasize the message of simplicity. Imagine a whole town sitting around a giant screen to view one of their own visiting the White House, it was publicity gold.
Rory called Taylor and asked if the event could be publicized and Taylor was delighted to accommodate, it was no time at all until the Inn was completely booked and they were referring people to neighboring lodgings. T-shirts were shipped to the Inn as well as mugs, pens and mouse pads all featuring Rory's smiling countenance and the logo for 'H.A.' Mitchum had wanted to give them as gifts but Rory insisted in the spirit of the holiday a donation be requested with all proceeds going to the two charities evenly. Mitchum had to hand it to her, it was a better gesture. He was even more confident America would love this girl and this show would be a huge hit.