Logan's Christmas was a bit different than he had expected. He had been expecting to just spend the Christmas eve and day at Honors but when his parent's found out he was in town, they came back to Hartford and were forcing Honor and her family along with Logan to attend Christmas Eve Dinner at the Huntzberger mansion.

Logan was standing in the foyer while the maids were gathering their coats contemplating if this was a good idea.

"Remind me why I am here again. " Logan sighed

"Because I have to be here. Plus it's Christmas, hopefully it wont be as bad as usual." Honor also hoped that this evening would be over soon as any time spent in this house was always stressful.

"You're lucky your children are cute. They go easy on you since they are obsessed with them. I am the child who left the family company and still have yet to produce an heir." Logan rolled his eyes knowing what his family thought about him. Well everyone but Honor.

Honor sighed knowing the burden her brother was constantly under. "I know but just remember that you are successful and an adult now. They can't control your life anymore."

Logan nodded as he and Honor joined the rest of the family who were already in the sitting room. Josh had already taken Nicholas to a nearby room where they had set up a crib so that Honor could feed him when he woke.

"Logan, Honor. So glad you could join us." Shira exclaimed.

"Mom, Dad, Grandpa. How is everyone doing tonight?" Logan tried to charm his family.

"We're fine, Logan. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes." Shira said as Logan sat down and was handed a drink by one of the maids.

"So Phoebe, how's school?" Mitchum asked in a warm tone. Although he wasn't always present, he adored his grandchildren.

"It's so much fun! And I've made a new friend! We're going to the zoo in two days!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"How nice. Who's your friend? You know you should only be hanging out with certain children." Shira said as if Phoebe would understand why. Shira was obsessed with making sure her grandchildren were raised correctly by Hartford standard.

"His name is Eli! He got me such a cool gift for Christmas and his mommy is really nice!" Phoebe answered unaware of what the second part of Shira's statement meant.

"Who's his mother, sweetie?" Shira prodded.

"umm… Rory!" Phoebe said excitedly that she remembered.

"Oh! What's the last name?" Shira asked concerned that it was the same Rory who had tried to become part of their family.

"You might remember Rory Gilmore. That's her son. His name is Eli Gilmore. They go to school together and have become the best of friends and I am so excited to have Rory back in my life." Honor explained giving her mom a look.

"Gilmore? Well, I had no idea she had a child. Is she married? " Shira had heard rumors of Rory having a baby but did not know who the child's father was. She figured that Rory must have followed in her mother's footsteps, having a child out of wedlock.

"Mom." Logan warned.

"What? I'm just curious. I haven't seen her around the DAR so I assumed she had married and moved away." Shira feigned ignorance.

"She's not married. Eli is a wonderful child and Rory is doing a fabulous job with Eli." Logan said trying to end the conversation.

"You've met him?" Shira said surprised at this revelation.

"I have." Logan said simply.

"When?" Shira questioned wondering just how involved Logan was with Rory Gilmore once again.

"When I have gone to Honor's house and he is over there with Phoebe." Logan said trying to end the conversation and not reveal that he was taking them to the zoo in a couple of days.

Honor understanding what Logan was doing, tried to move the conversation away. "So mom, dad, Grandpa. Where are you going for New Years?"

"Well, your parents are forcing me to join them in the Bahamas. As if I need any more sunlight. I'm old. What do I need to go to the beach for?" Elias replied grumpily.

Before they could respond, the maid entered announcing dinner and they proceeded to the dining room.

Surprisingly dinner ran smoothly until they got to the after dinner drinks.

"Let's stop pretending, Logan. When are you going to accept your place at HPG?" Elias barked.

Logan had expected this from Mitchum but Mitchum had been surprisingly quiet.

"I'm not." Logan said tensely.

"It is your duty. We know you can be successful when you are not distracted by certain people. It is time." Elias continued.

"Don't be silly Logan. Your father will want to retire at some point and this is the family business. It is important to know that HPG is staying in the family." Shira added.

"I'm not being silly mother. I have a successful business going and when the time comes, my father and I can have that conversation but as of the near future, I do not see myself returning to HPG."

"Logan is doing very well and has proven his work ethic, Shira. Let's let him be. It is Christmas after all." Mitchum chimed in surprising everyone and effectively shutting Shira down leaving Logan grateful.

Mitchum had become surprisingly relaxed as he saw what Logan had accomplished on his own and with the arrival of his grandchildren but Logan knew he wanted him at HPG too.

Logan only hoped the night would end soon.


Rory let out a deep breath as she took in the scene from the porch of her mother's house in Stars Hollow. She had always loved Christmas time in the Hollow and this year was no exception. She had somehow woken up early after the amount of sugar they had consumed the previous evening but she relished the quiet of the early Christmas morning with her coffee.

"Hey Kid. What are you doing up so early?" Lorelai startled Rory out of her thoughts as she sat next to her on the swing with her own cup of coffee.

"I always loved Christmas in Stars Hollow. I guess I am just getting some peace and quiet before the festivities continue." Rory admitted.

"That all?" Lorelai questioned

Rory looked confused at her mother, "What else would it be?"

Lorelai let out a dramatic breath, "Oh I don't know. Maybe the reappearance of a certain blond boy."

Rory sighed knowing that she would have to talk about it. "I wasn't necessarily thinking about him at this moment in time."

"But you have been thinking about him? Right?" Lorelai prodded

"I guess it's been hard not to, considering all Eli talks about is our impending visit to the zoo with Logan and Phoebe."

"So… how do you feel about the situation?" Lorelai tried again gently.

"Confused."

"Care to elaborate, kid. I can only read your mind so much." Lorelai joked.

Rory thought about her answer before finally speaking, "I'm confused because my heart is saying one thing but my head is telling me another. He has been trying really hard to be back in my life and I am so appreciative that he has been understanding that I want to take time and just be friends. But even as a friend, he has a way of wooing me like when he helped take care of Eli when he found out I was sick. But then again, he always has this way of swooping in and taking care of things before leaving and breaking my heart. I'm not sure I'm willing to give him more than friendship at the moment considering he might leave again when he decides where he will be located but I don't know how much longer that will work."

"Wow. That was definitely a Gilmore ramble." Lorelai teased before continuing, "Look, kid. Love is unpredictable and crazy and heartbreaking. Look at me and how long it took for me to even fathom the idea of dating Luke or even realizing I had feelings for him. All I'm saying is that I don't want you to miss out on love in the future because of fear. If it's not Logan, it will be someone else and I just want you to know that in the end, the heartbreak will be worth it because it will lead you to who you're supposed to be with… If it's meant to be, you'll find a way to make it work even with distance or any obstacles."

The two Gilmore girls sat in quiet taking in their own revelations as well as taking in the moment of quiet where it was just the two of them again. The quiet only lasted a few minutes as Rory heard a squeal, which signaled Eli had awoken and spotted all of his gifts. Rory couldn't help but smile at his excitement as she made her way back into the house with Lorelai.

"Mommy! Mommy! Santa's brought me presents!" Eli exclaimed as he ran up to Rory and she scooped him up so she was carrying him.

"Did he? Well, should we open them?" Rory teased.

"Yes!" Eli exclaimed loudly before wiggling out of Rory's arms.

"Let's wait until Nana and Pops come back with the coffee." Rory said as her son impatiently waited for their arrival before opening all of the gifts.

This was Rory's favorite holiday for a reason. It always brought out the good in people and she loved seeing the happiness on her son's face whenever he opened a gift or got to have some hot chocolate.

A/N: Next chapter is the day at the zoo! Who's excited?!