Guys I am so so sorry that it's been so long since the last update. My life is a bit of a mess right now and I don't have a ton of writing time to spare. But thank you for sticking with me and the absolutely amazing response to the previous chapter, I'm so thankful for you lovely readers.
The night before Halloween Rory drives into Stars Hollow with a box of old leather bound books sitting in the passenger seat.
It's been two weeks since the night of Emily's breakdown and she hasn't had the chance to see her mom since then. The morning after their night of remembrance Emily had seemed to be back to her usual self, though considering that she excels at putting up a façade it's hard to tell how well she's actually handling it. As for her grandma now knowing about her and Logan being back together, she surprisingly hasn't had much to say about it, at least not to her, although she did mention that she's more than ready to go back into the ring with Shira if need be. Rory appreciates the sentiment but mostly she's hoping it won't be necessary. As far as she knows his parents are still in the dark about their involvement, but she wouldn't be surprised to find out otherwise, news travels fast in their world.
As for Rory and Logan, they haven't been able to spend much time together these past two weeks. With Logan's company making all these changes and political scandals happening left and right the two of them have been tied to their work lately, only able to catch each other with short phone calls, or if they're lucky, a nice dinner in. Last Sunday night he'd treated her to the quiet night in that they'd originally planned for her birthday. She'd hung out at the bar in his kitchen while he'd cooked for her; he'd been a good cook the last time they'd dated but he was great now, apparently he'd taken to the food channel on nights when he couldn't sleep. It had been nice to just hang out in private, it had felt just like old times. But with the exception of that dinner their face-to-face time has been practically nonexistent lately.
Thankfully they have plans to rectify that this weekend. Stars Hollow is putting on it's very first Halloween festival, something Rory is still having a hard time believing, and the two of them will both be attending. Which is why she's finally pulling up to Luke's. She gets out of the car and takes a minute to shake off the stiffness that settled during the drive and then makes her way to the diner.
She's intercepted by Ms. Patty and Babette before she can make it to the door.
"Rory!" Ms. Patty calls from down the sidewalk.
"Hey, doll," Babette adds once they've reached her.
"Hey Babette, Ms. Patty."
"How ya doing, sugar?" Babette asks.
"I'm good," Rory says with a nod.
"Are you home for the festival?" Ms. Patty asks as she fixes the scarf around her neck, the fall chill has begun to set in and Patty is swathed in layers of bright patterns.
"Of course."
Babette and Ms. Patty exchange a quick glance and Rory already knows she doesn't want to hear whatever they're about to tell her. Nothing good ever comes from those two teaming up.
"You know there are going to be some very nice young men there tomorrow," Ms. Patty hedges and Rory bites back a groan while Babette nods along. "We'd be happy to introduce you to them. There are a couple we think you'd really like," she adds in a suggestive tone.
"That's very nice of you," Rory starts in the most pleasant tone she can manage, "but it's really not necessary."
"Are you sure, hun? We've got some real hunks lined up," Babette tells her excitedly.
"And even a few intellectuals," Ms. Patty counters.
Rory looks towards the diner desperately hoping that her mom will see her and come to her rescue, if anyone knows how to handle this situation it's Lorelai. Sadly her mom has her back to the windows and can't see Rory floundering on the sidewalk.
"Really, I'm sure they're all very nice, but I'm fine."
Another glance passes between the two of them, they stare at Rory again, and then Babette's eyes widen comically. She nudges Patty in the side until she's got her full attention.
"She's got that look, Patty." Her tone suggests that it's not a good look to have.
"What look?" Ms. Patty asks, looking between the two of them. Rory's just as confused as she is.
"That new love look, you can see it in her eyes," Babette tells them.
Ms. Patty focuses in on her and Rory fights the urge to squirm in front of them.
"You're right," she tells Babette lowly, her eyes never leaving Rory's face. "It's all over her face. We hadn't heard that you were seeing anyone new," she says to Rory.
"Well I-"
"It's not that Scott fella again, is it?" Babette questions before she can really say anything.
Ms. Patty makes a noise of disapproval. "I'd certainly hope not. He was a very bland man, you know he reminded me a bit of my third husband." The way she says it makes it clear that that's not a compliment.
"Yeah, and he never called Paul Anka by his name. He was always calling him Paul, it just wasn't right! That's not his name," Babette adds, her raspy voice getting louder as she talks.
"It's not Scott. Listen, I have to go, but it was nice to see you two," she says quickly before they can get a word in otherwise.
She escapes as quickly as she can and ducks into the diner and to her mom's side at the counter.
"I've officially become you," Rory tells her.
Lorelai jumps a bit in surprise at the sudden appearance but she doesn't miss a beat. "You make it sound like such a bad thing."
"Ms. Patty and Babette just cornered me to try to set me up with eligible young men at tomorrow's festival. I wouldn't be surprised if they're carrying around little pictures of me in their purses."
"Aw honey, don't be ridiculous," Lorelai soothes. "They have pictures on their phones now," she adds with a grin.
Rory glares. "You're awful."
"So what did you tell them?"
"That I wasn't interested, they didn't seem to hear me."
Lorelai looks amused as she grabs Rory a mug and pours her some fresh coffee instead of waiting for Luke to do it for her. "You know telling them that you're otherwise engaged would have put an end to that conversation pretty quickly."
Rory scoffs. "Please. That just would have started a whole other round of questions that I don't feel like spending time answering. Besides, they can find out tomorrow along with everyone else."
Luke comes out from the kitchen then and quickly makes his way over to the girls when he notices Rory.
"Hey, Rory, I didn't know you were here," he says as he walks around the counter to get to them.
Rory hops off the stool and hugs him in greeting. "I just got in," she says once they've let go.
"She would have been her sooner, but Ms. Patty and Babette ambushed her about finding an eligible bachelor."
Luke shakes his head. "Those women are menaces and you don't need to listen to them," Luke tells her, ignoring his wife's obvious amusement at the situation.
Rory smiles at him. "I wasn't planning to."
"Good."
After getting her order Luke heads back into the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone to talk.
"So did you bring the books?" Lorelai asks.
Rory nods. "You promise they won't get ruined or go missing?"
"I promise, no harm will come to your precious books," Lorelai says sagely. "We really need them for the shelves in the library, it's looking pretty good, we just need a some more fillers."
"I still can't believe that a bunch of teenagers overthrew Taylor's fall festival."
Lorelai nods. "It was quite the scene. They walked into the town meeting with a clipboard full of signatures in favor of a Halloween festival, Taylor tried to fight it of course. He went through all the rules and regulations he could think of, but these kids were meticulous. In the end he really had no choice. The haunted house won. Although he is refusing to have anything to do with the preparation, mostly he's been pouting and grumbling around town while everyone sets up. It's going surprisingly smoothly."
With Taylor's strict religious personality, town Halloween festivities had always been vetoed, they were allowed to celebrate on their own and kids could trick-or-treat, but there's never been an actual festival for the holiday. But this year a couple of high school kids had went up against Taylor Doose himself and come out victorious, and Rory for one is pretty excited about the whole thing. The old Twickham house, which is currently empty, is being turned into a haunted house and each room was assigned to different groups of volunteers to be decorated. Lorelai and Sookie, along with their families and some other townies have been busy turning the library into an apothecary. From what she's heard it's all been going great, although Sookie's still pretty bummed about not getting the kitchen.
"So is Logan coming in tonight?" Lorelai asks once Luke has dropped Rory's burger off.
"No, he had some things to take care of at the office so he'll be here in the morning. But I was thinking we'd stay over tomorrow night if that's okay? I just thought this thing might get over pretty late and neither of us would feel like driving into the city at night."
"Of course it's okay. You two could even come have lunch at the Dragonfly on Sunday if you have time," Lorelai suggests.
"That sounds nice. We're having dinner with Honor and Josh Sunday night but we should have plenty of time for lunch." Rescheduling the dinner had taken awhile but they'd managed and hopefully this time everyone will be able to make it.
"That should be fun," Lorelai says in a voice that clearly says she thinks it will be anything but.
Rory gives her a flat look. "Honor's nice, she's nothing like her parent's. It will be fine."
"If you say so," Lorelai concedes and then steals a fry off Rory's plate.
)()(
The next morning is exceptionally chilly, even for late October, and it has Rory digging through her old clothes for something warm when there's a knock at the door. Stumbling out of her closet she peeks out the window and sees Logan's car sitting in the driveway. Still dressed in her pajamas she heads into the kitchen where she can hear Luke and Logan talking in the foyer.
"Hey, you're early!" she accuses when she joins them. She throws her arms around him in a tight embrace, it feels like ages since they've seen each other without a screen between them.
"That's not a problem, is it?" he asks with a grin as he hugs back. They pull apart but he keeps an arm around her shoulders.
"Of course not." Glancing up she realizes that Luke is still standing there now looking a little awkward. "Well, I should probably get ready," she says and slides out of Logan's hold. She steps away and looks at him, giving him the option to follow her or stay with Luke.
"I'll be out here when you're ready," he tells her.
Slightly surprised and a little curious she leaves them to it and decides to go raid her mom's closet instead. Upstairs Lorelai is fixing her hair in the bathroom when she walks in.
"Did I hear Logan?" Lorelai asks when Rory announces herself.
"Yeah, he just got here."
"He's early."
"I know. Hey, I need to borrow some clothes. I was not prepared for this weather."
"Shame on you," Lorelai teases. "Haven't you learned by now that you should be prepared for anything?"
Rory rolls her eyes and helps herself to her mom's closet. "Do you have to go into work today?" she asks while she's searching.
"Just for a bit, I'm on tour duty this morning so I've got to get the guests on the bus and then once we're in town I'm off the hook. I do have to meet up with Sookie later to put the finishing touches on the library before the haunted house opens."
"What time does it open?" she asks as she gauges the thickness of a blue sweater.
"As soon as it's dark," Lorelai replies as she walks out of the bathroom. She walks over to the closet and plucks a red sweater off the hanger. "This one will keep you plenty warm and you'll look totally cute in it," she tells her and extends the garment towards her.
"Thanks."
"No problem." Lorelai kisses her cheek and grabs her coat and purse before heading out the room. "I'll meet up with you later," she calls as she descends the stairs.
Rory finishes getting ready fairly quickly. Her mom is right of course, the red sweater is nice and warm and sufficiently flattering. When she makes it into the living room she finds Logan sitting on the couch and no one else in sight. She leans against the wall of the archway picks at stray pieces of fuzz clinging to her sweater.
"Where's Luke?"
"He just left for the diner a few minutes ago," he tells her.
Rory nods in acknowledgement, she'd expected as much. "What did you two talk about?"
"I offered to show him how to use the app to talk to April. Did you know he still has a flip phone?" Logan asks looking honestly surprised.
Rory laughs. "Honestly I'm just impressed that he even owns a cell phone." She walks over and plops down on the couch, leaning into Logan's side comfortably.
Logan wraps his arm around her again and just stares at her for a moment with that soft look on his face that makes her feel like squirming. "Hey," he murmurs.
"Hey," she says back just as softly.
He pulls her closer to him until his lips are on hers and they kiss lazily on the couch for as long as they please.
"I missed you this week," he tells her once they've separated.
"It was a mutual feeling," she replies. "But we have all weekend to make up for it."
Logan grins. "Looking forward to it."
)()(
Costumes are optional at the festival and they both chose to forego them, mostly because there hadn't been enough time for them to get one. However that doesn't seem to be the case for a lot of the Stars Hollow residents. As they walk hand in hand into the center of town kids dressed as all sorts of characters race around the streets, weaving in and out of booths screaming and laughing as they go. More than a few of the adults seem to be participating as well, and she wonders how Taylor feels about the guys in the reenactment group using their uniforms for a Halloween costume. The Twickham house is a hub of activity when they pass it, people pouring in and out with boxes of props and wardrobe, she can hear Ms. Patty barking instructions from somewhere inside and Babette calling for Morey.
There's a sudden scream followed by a mannequin falling out of a second story window and shattering on the front lawn. A couple teenagers poke their heads out the window before they all turn and stare at the one with a guilty look on her face. Rory can feel Logan laughing next to her and she shakes her head at him.
"I love this town," he says, obviously still amused.
She rolls her eyes and tugs on his hand, leading him away and kicking a piece of the mannequin back into the grass as she goes.
The center of town is decked out in decorations; spider webs covering the gazebo, ghosts hanging from trees, pumpkins everywhere, and one section has been turned into a little cemetery. It's all more cute than scary, this part of the festival being geared to the younger kids and the haunted house for the older ones. There are booths grouped around the square and the smells coming from them are enticing. A multicolored tent is off to one corner with a sign proclaiming it to be the location of a fortune teller, a small stage is set up as well, she knows Lane and the band are performing there later in the evening and there's been talk of some other entertainment from Ms. Patty's dance school.
"This is so much better than a New York party," Logan says as they wander through.
They'd both been invited to more than one party in the city, and while there really is no party quite like a New York City Halloween party, neither of them had really been in the mood for that kind of scene.
"It's pretty cool," Rory agrees, feeling a quiet sense of pride for her town. "Oh, hey, there's Lane and Zack." They weave their way through the crowd and to where the other two are standing near the gazebo.
"Rory!" Lane calls. "I didn't know you were coming."
"It was kind of a last minute thing," she explains. Turning to Logan she says, "You remember Lane and Zack, right?"
He nods and sticks out a hand to Zack. "Of course, how's it going, man?"
They talk to them for a little bit, their kids making a brief appearance before running off with friends. Weston's has a booth set up and they wait in line for the seasonal latte that's mostly artificial flavor and milk with only ten percent coffee but is still totally delicious and worth the Starbucks-esque price. With coffee in hand they find their way to Sookie and Jackson's booth that's practically overflowing with fresh produce and an assortment of baked goods. Sookie is nowhere to be seen, probably still at the inn for the morning, but Jackson greets them amicably and shows off their choices.
They get half a dozen of apple cider donut muffins and find a bench to have breakfast on while people watching. They're halfway through the box when she hears Ms. Patty's voice cut through the crowd.
"Rory!"
"Oh boy, here we go," Rory mutters when she spots her and Babette making their way over. Logan looks at her questioningly but she doesn't have enough time to explain. "I'm sorry in advance," she tells him just as they reach the bench.
"Hey, Babette, Ms. Patty," she says cordially.
"Hey, hun," Ms. Patty says distractedly, her eyes haven't left Logan. "And who might you be?" she asks in that overly flirtatious voice she always uses when introducing herself to a man. She and Babette stare expectantly at him, though Babette has a look on her face like she's trying to remember something.
"Logan Huntzberger," he says as he sets down his coffee cup so he can shake her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"That name sounds very familiar," Ms. Patty muses.
Babette snaps her fingers together suddenly. "I got it! You were the boy she dated at Yale."
"The one that-?" Ms. Patty trails off, looking at Babette beseechingly.
Rory tenses a bit at the question, it's obvious what she's alluding to, but Logan keeps the face of perfect calm.
Babette nods. "Yeah, that one." The two of them step aside for a moment and converse amongst themselves like Rory and Logan aren't sitting right there.
"So, I hope you're prepared for people looking and talking about us all day because within the next ten minutes the whole town is going to know a highly embellished story about us," Rory informs him.
Logan shakes his head with a little grin on his face. "Just like Manhattan."
The ladies rejoin them then, the two of them still looking a little unsure.
"Well it was nice to meet ya," Babette tells him.
Ms. Patty nods along. "And Rory, if you change your mind about what we were talking about last night you know where to find us," she says with a significant look.
Rory, a little taken aback at the comment, shakes her head. "I think I'm good, thanks."
The two ladies share a look and a few shakes of the head before wandering off.
"What did you talk about last night?" Logan asks once they're alone again.
Rory shakes off the surprise of the conversation and grabs another muffin. "Nothing that matters," she tells him.
Logan looks at her like he wants to press the issue further but he lets it slide. "I got the feeling that they're not too thrilled with me," he says instead.
Rory sighs. "They're just overprotective. They're also probably a little bummed that you took the opportunity to play matchmaker away from them."
"Ahh," Logan breathes with a little nod. "Well I can't say I'm sorry about that."
Rory smiles and weaves her fingers through his. "Me neither."
)()(
After eating they end up at the pumpkin painting station. The man in charge is unfamiliar to her, but that's something she finds happening more often every time she comes back to visit.
"Hi, would you two like to participate in the contest?" he asks them. "It's five dollars to enter, pumpkins are sorted by age group," he explains.
"Just painting, no carving?" Rory asks as she eyes the mass of pumpkins laying off to the side.
"We figured it'd be best for everyone if we kept the knives away from the children."
"Smart," Logan comments. "So what do you say, Ace? Wanna paint some pumpkins?"
Rory grins. "My pumpkin is going to be so much better than your pumpkin."
He laughs. "Unless you took art lessons during the past few years I think I've got this handled."
"That's a lot of talk from the guy that consistently lost in Pictionary," she says teasingly, challenging look on her face.
He grins back at her and turns to the man, handing him a ten dollar bill. "You're on, Gilmore."
Picking a pumpkin proves to be a very meticulous task and the two of them probably take more time than is strictly necessary. The sit on opposite sides of a newspaper covered picnic table that has plenty of paint and brushes and get to work on their masterpieces. The noise of the festivities hums around them but they stay fairly quiet other than the occasional jeering. At one point Rory glances up and catches Logan looking at his phone like he's studying something before going back to working on his pumpkin.
"Cheater!" she declares.
Logan shoves his phone back in his pocket and looks at her innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh please. You're totally using a reference and that, my friend, is cheating."
"It's just a little inspiration. I'm expressing my artistic license and making changes," he counters as he reaches for the black paint.
She scoffs. "Nice try. No more phones."
"Fine," he concedes. "I don't need it anyway," he says cockily, "I've got this in the bag."
"We'll just see about that."
)()(
The thing is, neither of them are really brimming with artistic talent, so when they turn their pumpkins around for the big reveal it's not exactly a surprise to find out that they both look pretty awful.
"What is that?" Rory asks as she stares at the black silhouette painted over a blue oval.
"What do mean 'what is that'? It's a haunted house sitting on a hill with a moon in the trees," he explains, pointing at it with a scraggly looking paint brush. "I mean, I kind of messed up the roof and it got a little smudgy around the moon, but it's still recognizable unlike that hot mess there," he says with a gesture at Rory's pumpkin.
Rory gasps in mock offense. "Excuse me. It's obviously a witch on a broom. How could you not see that?"
Logan squints and cocks his head, Rory shakes her head at him.
"Ah, I get it now. I see you went with more of an abstract style. Very daring."
Rory shoves at him. "Oh shut up."
He laughs and wraps his arms around her, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head. "I think we might have to call this one a draw," he says.
She squints up at him. "Please don't tell me that was a pun."
"Oh come on, what do you have against pun humor?"
She shakes her head and gives him her best 'I'm disappointed in you' look. "You're better than this, Huntzberger."
"I'm sorry, I'll try better next time," he says, amusement clear in both her voice and his eyes.
They place their pumpkins on the display table and fill out the little information cards for them before leaving the station and finding something else to do. Logan gets introduced to more members of Stars Hollow, most of them going far more smoothly than earlier, though it's obvious that almost everyone seems to know about their past relationship. They watch a pie eating contest that Logan tries to talk her into, convinced that she could sweep them all under the table. They hit up the squash bowling section where the pins are actual squash and the ball is a pie pumpkin. Rory unexpectedly finds a knack for the game and is the victor by a long shot.
"I think I've found my calling," she says when they're walking away, her prize of a zombie plushie in hand.
Logan nods along. "Oh absolutely, you'd be a hall of famer in no time. They'd name a tournament after you."
"Do they name tournaments after people?"
He shrugs. "Beats me."
)()(
Taking a break from the activities they meet up for lunch with Lorelai at Luke's. They snag a table by the window so they can watch Taylor lurk around the booths and Rory ignores the people whispering around her. Small town gossip is something she definitely hasn't missed living in the city. Disregarding the gossip humming in the background lunch is nice. Luke takes a break for a bit to sit and chat with them. Rory and Logan tell them about their day so far and Lorelai promises to vote for Rory's pumpkin as a show of solidarity. The haunted house preparation is almost done according to her mom, there's still a few people perfecting the rooms, Sookie being one of them, apparently she keeps trying to sneak into the kitchen to make changes. Seeing as Babette, who probably loves Halloween more than anyone else in the town, is in charge of that room it's not exactly going well.
They finish lunch and find their way to the photo booth that's set up in the small cemetery area. She's not even a bit surprised to find out that Kirk has taken up the job of cameraman, apparently he took a photography class down at the rec center one time. It's an experience in itself just to get a picture taken by him, they're posed and directed for a solid five minutes before he even considers picking up the camera. Next to her Logan does his best to hold back his laughter and the look on his face makes her laugh in response; Kirk doesn't find their unprofessionalism amusing. Once they get a picture that's deemed acceptable they're ushered away with a reminder that they can pick the picture up in a few hours. Ms. Patty's class puts on a show of little dancing ghosts and ghouls, it's cute and only vaguely traumatic for the kids involved.
The sun goes down and the haunted house is officially open, the line forms quickly and they take their place in it. Logan stands behind her with his arms wrapped around her middle as she leans against him while they wait. It's cold out but she's perfectly warm and she has a feeling that it has very little to do with the hot apple cider she has in hand. The day has been great, she loves having Logan in the town where she grew up, she likes seeing how much he likes it there, he's not bored with the small town life and he makes an effort to get to know the locals even when they're obviously judging him. And it's so great to finally be able to spend more than just a few short hours with him, to be able to have actual conversations without feeling rushed. In the time that they've spent together they haven't had a day that was just them where they could let loose and just be themselves with each other, just goof around and have fun without worrying about serious talks or being called into work unexpectedly. It feels like a really great step forward in their relationship, it feels a lot like rebuilding what they used to have. Only this time it feels stronger, sturdier, like knocking down a wooden house and rebuilding it with brick and mortar, it's something that's meant to last throughout bad weather. It's a good thought, and that warmth spreads further throughout her body.
Tilting her head back she kisses whatever part of him she can reach easily, in this case it's his jaw. He grins down at her and angles them until her lips are on his and she finds herself grinning into the kiss without meaning to. They kiss until someone behind them clears their throat, breaking apart she sees whoever was behind them cut ahead into the open space that had cleared in front of them. She shrugs, not bothered by being cut in line and goes back to kissing him, this time Logan is the one grinning.
)()(
The haunted house is surprisingly pretty good. It's not the scariest thing she's ever seen, but this is Stars Hollow and she figures there's only so much the townies could get away with before Taylor had an aneurism. Each room has a different theme but they all go together fairly cohesively. There's actors, or rather townspeople in costume, hiding out in each room to jump out and scare passersby, most of the time falling flat and she almost feels the need to pretend to be scared just to make them feel like they're doing a good job. The library has been turned into an apothecary just like her mom had been saying. There's a bunch of jars with unidentified objects floating around in colored water sitting on shelves, she figures that must have been Sookie's part of the decorating, no one else knows as many weird and creepy looking foods as their resident chef. In the fireplace there's a large cauldron with smoke billowing out of it, and spell books littering the table and the shelves- she spots some of the books she leant filling the space amongst them. It's all very impressive and she thinks her mom should be very proud of herself considering how underwhelming her past Halloween experiences have been in comparison to their neighbors.
Logan keeps his hand intertwined with hers throughout the house and chuckles whenever someone manages to make her jump and on the rare occurrence that she lets out a scream he practically cackles. She might be more offended if he didn't end up being the one who was thoroughly freaked out when they make it to a circus themed room, apparently he's not a big fan of clowns. She's not very fond of them either but she's feeling pretty good about herself by the time they make it into the hallway. She smirks at him in the dim green lights and he just shakes her head before tugging her along. In one of the bedrooms they find the mannequin that had taken a dive out the window earlier, it's obviously been hastily pieced back together with glue, giving it that broken porcelain doll look, which is a type of creepy she doesn't think they meant to happen, but it's a nice touch nonetheless.
They make it out of the house without any other real scares and she spots her mom and Luke standing in line.
"I see she wore you down," she says to Luke. He'd been adamant earlier that he wasn't going through the house. They both knew that he was lying of course, whatever Lorelai wants he's more than willing to give it to her if it means making her happy.
Luke sighs at her. "She's relentless."
"I've noticed that about her," Rory agrees with a nod.
"So how was it?" Lorelai asks, blue eyes wide in obvious anticipation, always ready for craziness that town festivities inevitably bring.
"It's pretty cool. Nice job on the library," Logan compliments.
"Yeah, it looks great, mom," Rory agrees.
Lorelai smiles at the two of them. "Thanks guys. But how's the rest of the thing? If I'm paying an admittance fee I better be scared."
Rory shrugs. "About what you'd expect from a Stars Hollow production. Although one of us got a little freaked out in the clown room and it wasn't me," she tells them, shooting Logan a teasing grin.
He narrows his eyes at her and shakes his head. "I have no idea what she's talking about. I'm not the one who was screaming."
"Now we're getting somewhere," Lorelai says with a grin.
"What was that about clowns?" Luke asks, obviously trying to look unaffected but Rory sees the unease under the surface of forced calm.
Lorelai grins at him and weaves her arm through his. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from Bozo."
The line moves forward, allowing the two of them entry and she can hear Luke arguing that he's not afraid as they enter the foyer.
Logan throws his arm around Rory's shoulders and pulls her into his side as they walk back to the center. "So what now?"
"I think the band is going on soon. We should probably head to the stage."
He nods and effortlessly steers them through the crowd, it's thinned out considerably since the sun went down, most parents and the small kids heading out after spending the day here. They stop for some more cider, this batch spiked with a little something extra, before finding a spot to stand by the stage. Hep Alien takes the stage not too long after they're settled and she gets to watch her best friend do what she loves while she's standing there with Logan's arms around her feeling better than she has in years. It's amazing to her how he was able to walk back into her life and turn everything upside down, that after everything they'd been through in the past he still feels so right. Ms. Patty and Babette had talked about Scott and how wrong he'd been and he'd just been the last one in a string of progressively worse choices in men.
She's dated a wide range of men in these past seven years; serious businessmen, relaxed artists, guys who seemed like they never grew out of the frat boy stage, even guys that had reminded her of Logan. And none of them had ever come close to giving her the same sense of comfort and belonging that she gets with him. Being with him is right, she knows this in her soul, it may have taken a long time to get here but she's just happy that it's happening at all. The people in this town may have their own opinions on their relationship, and that's fine, it's their right, but nothing they can say is going to make her give this feeling up. She's in this, she's in it for as long as he'll have her. And maybe that seems rash seeing as they've only been back together for a month, but she knows him, she trusts him, and that's enough for her.
"Thanks for coming," she says during a break between songs.
"Of course, no place I'd rather be."
And isn't it a nice thing to know that the person who makes her feel like this seems to feel the same about her.
)()(
It's late when Lorelai half stumbles her way down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab a drink, and apparently she's not the only one who was brought out by thirst. Logan is already there filling up his own glass.
"We've got to stop meeting like this," she says as she grabs a glass from the cupboard. In the dim lighting she can see him grin in response. "She still up?" she asks with a nod towards Rory's room.
"No, she conked out pretty quickly after we got back."
Lorelai nods, after all the excitement of the day it's understandable that Rory would be out like a light and after she gets a drink she intends to do the same.
"Hey, Lorelai, can I ask you something?" Logan asks hesitantly.
She takes a seat at the small kitchen table and gestures at him to do the same. "Shoot," she says once he's sitting. The last time Logan had asked her something it'd been for her blessing to marry her daughter and she's curious now to see what he's thinking.
"Just, I know you played a part in getting Rory to give me another chance, and I also know that you were never a big fan of me in the past, and I can't help but wonder why you would do that."
Lorelai gives him a small smile. "Rory makes her own decisions," she says.
"True, but she also values your opinion more than anything. If you wanted to you could have steered her away from this."
"Sure, I could have," she admits. Rory is her own person but it's true enough that she has enough sway to influence her decision if she really wanted to be that kind of mother. "But she means more to me than anything else in this world and the most important thing to me is knowing that she's happy. And despite all of the things you two have been through in the past, she's happiest when she's with you, I'm not interested in getting between that." She'd gotten the opportunity today to watch the two of them interact by themselves, she'd gotten to see what they're really like together without the pressure of entertaining others, and it had been a nice confirmation to what she already knew. Rory's happier with Logan than she ever was with any of the other guys she'd brought around; she seems lighter, effervescent even, and if he's the one that makes her like this then so be it.
"It's a fair assessment that you weren't my favorite person back then," she says bluntly and Logan chuckles a bit at this. "But people can change, they can grow. Rory has, she's not the same person she was seven years ago. From what I've seen and heard you're not the same person either, and it wouldn't be fair of me to judge you by your past mistakes."
It's quiet in the kitchen for a moment while he takes in her words before he says, "Thank you, Lorelai, I really appreciate that. I know I messed up a lot back then but I promise you I'm going to do everything I can to make up for that, I just want her to be happy," he says earnestly.
"I know," she says confidently. Logan's brows raise in surprise like he'd been expecting her to argue with him on this a little more. "Because if you break her heart nothing on this earth will be able to protect you," she continues with a saccharine grin.
Logan nods seriously. "Duly noted."
"And you won't just have to worry about me," she adds. "I'm sure you noticed that Rory is very loved by the people in this town and they're incredibly protective of their own."
"I was definitely picking up those vibes earlier," he agrees, this time sounding a little uneasy.
She smiles a genuine smile at him now. "Hey, keep looking at her like she hung the moon and the others will come around in time." She stands up from the table and pats him on the shoulder as she passes by him to head back up the stairs. "You should get some sleep," she says.
He nods and moves to set his glass in the sink. "Goodnight, Lorelai."
"Goodnight, Logan."
Apologies for any typos that snuck through on this one, I was a little rushed during editing. But I hope you all enjoyed a day in Stars Hollow, please let me know your thoughts, and I promise I'll try to have the next one out on time.