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That evening, Rory waits for everyone to go to bed before talking to Emily. She lets her grandmother finish folding her newspaper before saying, "So I hear you talked with Charlotte today."
"Yes. For once, the child looked up from her phone."
"She said you talked about my relationships. And about Dean."
"For a reason. She's started seeing someone."
"Okay, first off, Charlotte and Tyler are barely dating," Rory says angrily, aggravated by the smirk on her grandmother's face. "And secondly, I don't want you talking to Charlotte about stuff like that. I especially don't want you saying bad things about her father."
"I assume you mean Jess."
"Of course I mean Jess," Rory snaps and Emily sighs.
"I merely gave my opinion."
"You should have a better opinion. Jess has been Charlotte's father since before she was even born!"
"I appreciate all he's done. I'm simply sad other things didn't work out."
"Well, I'm not," Rory says stoutly. "We weren't good for each other."
Emily lets out a non-committal sound and Rory goes on, "It's me who talks to Charlotte about things like that. Not you."
"Really? What have you told her?"
"What she needs to know," Rory retorts. "Just because she likes someone doesn't mean it's time to tell her my entire dating history."
"You'd better watch out that her liking someone doesn't turn into something else," Emily cautions. "She's sixteen."
"Exactly! She's a kid!"
"Lorelai was sixteen when she had you. You were sixteen when you stayed out all night with that boy you went to the dance with."
"And nothing happened! We fell asleep!" Rory exclaims, feeling ready to tear her hair out. "I can't win with you!"
"Rory!"
"Well, I can't! First you and Mom tell me I worry too much and now you're acting like I should lock Charlotte up and throw away the key!"
"I'm simply telling you to keep an eye on her and this boy," Emily says. "At sixteen, you can fall in love instantly. Or believe you do, anyway. Do you want her coming home pregnant?"
"That's not going to happen," Rory says and Emily sniffs. "You don't need to worry about it."
"There's a wonderful young minister here. I'm sure I could ask him to talk to Charlotte, if need be."
"No," Rory says firmly. "That's fine."
Emily holds up her hands and Rory sighs. Believing the conversation is over, she's about to say goodnight when her grandmother says, "Why haven't you told Charlotte anyway? About seeing Dean again?"
"There's no need," Rory says, after a pause. She's not proud of it, she adds silently, but Emily gives a knowing look. "She doesn't have to know everything about the past. Goodnight, Grandma."
"Goodnight, dear."
The journey home is relative unstressful, aside from Charlotte feeling seasick, and Rory breathes a sigh of relief when they get home. The next couple of weeks pass quietly. Charlotte goes out for coffee with Tyler twice, wandering around the house with a moony expression, indifferent to her siblings teasing her. Soon it's Rory's birthday, and almost time for Logan to arrive, but Rory tries not to focus on that. Lorelai is throwing a birthday party for her and they're getting ready to go. Rory throws her phone into her purse and calls, "Hey guys! Are you almost ready?"
"Yeah!" Rory hears Richie and Annie call back. Going down the hall, she knocks and pushes open Charlotte's door before stopping in surprise. Her daughter isn't there.
"Charlotte?"
Puzzled, Rory goes downstairs and into the kitchen. Charlotte isn't in there either and Rory is just about to worry when she hears a door open and close and her daughter enters, stopping in surprise. Her cheeks are flushed and she's clutching her phone, which she quickly slips into her pocket.
"Where were you"? Rory asks.
"Nowhere," Charlotte says steadily and then, "I was in the living room."
"Oh. Okay."
Rory looks at her a little longer and Charlotte asks, "So what time are we going?"
"In about ten minutes. Almost ready?"
Charlotte nods, pours herself a tall glass of water and takes a long drink before heading back upstairs. Rory frowns but is interrupted by Jess coming down, her phone in his hand.
"Someone was trying to call you."
"Oh. Thanks."
"What's up?"
"Nothing," Rory says slowly, and then smiles. "Nothing, I'm fine."
"Good." Jess takes her in his arms and kisses her. "Happy Birthday."
"That's like the zillionth time you've said that," Rory laughs and Jess grins. He'd woken her up that morning with kisses, breakfast in bed and a pile of new books tied up with a ribbon.
"Because it's your birthday. Who was calling?"
Rory looks down at her phone, eyes widening in surprise.
"My dad."
Christopher never calls Rory much, and she rarely contacts him either. Rory sees him maybe once a year, and he occasionally remembers the kids' birthdays, and her own.
"I guess I'd better call him back," she says. Jess nods and Rory goes into the kitchen, half hoping her father doesn't answer. He does.
"Hey, kiddo. Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks, Dad," Rory says, a little amused. "You know I'm forty-nine now. Kind of old to be called kiddo."
"Don't remind me," Christopher says, and for once Rory agrees. "But you're still my kiddo."
Rory rolls her eyes at that. His kiddo when it was convenient for him.
"Happy Birthday," Christopher says again. "How's the day going?"
"Fine. I opened my gifts with Jess and the kids and now we're heading to Mom's."
"She's got a big party ready?"
"She always does."
"How is everyone? You guys all good?"
"We're fine," Rory says, tracing a pattern on the floor with her foot. "We saw Emily a few weeks ago."
"Is she as terrifying as ever?"
"You know it."
Christopher chuckles and Rory is just about to politely say goodbye when he says, "So I hear Logan's moving back."
"Who told you that?"
"Your mom."
Rory doesn't know if she's mad or not and says slowly, "Yeah, he is."
"You excited to see him?"
"I'm interested," Rory says, after a pause. "Dad, I have to go."
"Oh. Okay," Christopher says, sounding a little sad. "Happy Birthday, kid. There's a card in the mail."
"Thanks," Rory says. "You didn't have to."
"You're my kid." After realising Rory isn't replying, Christopher says, "I'll let you go. Safe drive."
"Thanks. Bye."
Rory hangs up and walks out to find Jess waiting. He looks at her curiously but all Rory says is, "I'm ready to go."
Lorelai has gone all out for the party. Pink paper lanterns hang off the side of the house and the house is full of balloons and flowers, causing Annie to sneeze. It seems the entirety of Stars Hollow has been invited. Sookie has baked an enormous cake and updates Rory on her kids, who have all moved away now. Between conversation, cake and opening gifts Rory barely has time to take a breath until late in the evening, when Lorelai raises a glass.
"Attention everyone, please. I'd like to make a toast to the reason we're all here, my kid, Rory, who is so much more than my daughter. She's my best friend, confidante and even though she's all grown up and has kids of her own, is still my precious girl. I don't know how I'd have spent the last forty-nine years without her! To Rory!"
"Did you have to add the last part?" Rory groans but she laughs, hugging her mother and kissing her cheek, her birthday crown slipping sideways. Everyone cheers and takes another slice of cake and Rory corrects her crown, giggling as Lorelai addresses her as majesty. As Rory gossips with Lane the party starts winding down, and her friend checks her phone.
"Man, is it that time already?"
"You could stay over if you wanted," Rory offers. "Mom would love it."
"No, I'd better go," Lane says ruefully. "I've got to get up pretty early. But tell me all the details about Logan."
"You already know he's coming," Rory laughs and Lane grins. "Yeah, but I want to know what it's like when you see him. I'm still in shock."
"I promise, no detail left unsaid," Rory says, feeling like a teenager discussing a date. "Though I'm still hoping to get a call saying he isn't coming."
"Aren't you the tiniest bit curious?"
"Maybe a little," Rory confesses. "But it's weird. It's weird for all of us."
Lane nods understandingly, wishes Rory happy birthday once more and waves goodbye. Then Rory says goodbye to Sookie and Michel and notices that the house is empty, and laughs to see Lorelai collapsed on the couch.
"Is it over?"
"They've all gone home, if that's what you mean."
"It is what I mean. Thank God."
"You didn't have to throw such a big party."
"Are you kidding? For your birthday, it has to be big. Oh man, forty-nine. Was it that many moons ago that I was cursing at those nurses and doing what felt like splits on a crate of dynamite?"
"And they say age is just a number," Rory says, moving her mother's feet aside so she can sit. "Did you miss that memo?"
"I'm waiting on the one telling me I can age backward."
"Good luck with that." They laugh a little and then Rory says, "Christopher called earlier."
"He did?"
"Yeah. It was weird."
"Well, at least he remembered your birthday."
"He knew Logan was coming." Rory looks over at Lorelai who's wearing a guilty expression. "Why did you tell him?"
"He emailed me just to talk. He asked about you, and I knew Emily would tell him if I didn't. Your father doesn't have a great track record at remembering dates so I figured it wouldn't matter if I didn't let you know. I didn't want to upset you."
"I'm fine," Rory says roughly and her mother gives her a look. "I just - dammit! I'm forty-nine years old and everyone is acting like I'm still twenty. Or Charlotte's age. I can handle Logan coming back."
"Honey, you could be eighty and it would still feel weird seeing your ex."
"Weird, but I can handle it," Rory insists. "Did you know Emily talked to Charlotte about him? She had the nerve to tell her she was sad things didn't work out between us."
"That's Emily."
"After everything Jess has done!"
"That's Emily," Lorelai says again, making a face. "Where there's money, she's willing to see past flaw."
"And she talked about Dean to Charlotte."
"What? Why?"
"I don't know. She said because Charlotte's seeing Tyler, and wanted to give her advice. Thank God Emily's in Nantucket. Hopefully that was a oneoff thing."
"Is it getting serious between Charlotte and Tyler? Serious for sixteen-year-olds, I mean?"
Rory shrugs. "They've just gone for coffee a few times. I don't know - do you think I should invite him for dinner?"
"You could. Be a chance to scope him out."
"Maybe that'll make Charlotte think it's more serious than it is."
"Sweets, trust me, she'll be doing that by herself. I bet his name is doodled all over her notebooks."
Rory grimaces and says, "Do you think I need to give her a talk? I mean, she's had talks, but maybe I should give her a refresher."
"I don't think you can give too many talks. Just don't invite a minister over."
"Grandma actually asked if I wanted me to ask hers."
"Why am I not surprised?"
Mother and daughter fall into guilty giggles and Jess comes in, plate in hand holding a generous slice of cake.
"Am I missing all the fun?"
"You don't want to know," Lorelai says. "Hey, is that cake?"
"Luke warned me not to come in here," Jess says, backing up, and Rory leaps to her feet.
"Hey, it's my birthday! I demand that you give me the cake!"
They have a late breakfast the next morning and then head back, stopping at Hartford on the way to pay respects to Richard's grave. The next week goes by quickly, too quickly, and Rory is all too aware of the date. On Saturday morning there is a smart knock at the door and Rory opens it, expecting the mailman with the package she ordered. It's not the mailman. Almost fainting in shock, Rory stares up at Logan who grins at her.
"Hey, Rory. Long time, no see. Can I come in?"
Logan waits expectantly, looking smart in a blue shirt and black pants. Rory is aware that her mouth is opening and closing silently and she wipes her hands across her jeans. He doesn't seem much older but there are more lines around his eyes than Rory recalls.
"What are you doing here?"
"I told you I was coming."
"I thought not until evening."
Rory's mind is spinning. Jess is out with Annie and Richie, and Charlotte went for coffee with Ivy.
"Can I come in?" Logan asks again and numbly, Rory nods. "Just for a minute. Everyone's out right now."
"A minute's all I need."
Logan strolls in, looking the same as always, smug and sure of himself. He takes in the house, more messy than Rory initially thought, and the group of family pictures on the walls. On the table is a collection of birthday cards, amongst which the one Christopher promised. It's pink with a picture of a flower on the front, and came with a ten dollar bill, as though Rory were Annie's age. Logan smiles, looking amused, and Rory folds her arms. "What did you need? Coffee? Tea? Water?"
"Water's fine," Logan says and Rory gets him a bottle from the fridge. She watches him drink and says, "You can't be here. I mean it. I need to prepare Charlotte."
Logan's face tightens a little and he says, "What have you told her?"
"I haven't told her anything bad," Rory exclaims. "I haven't told her anything, that's the point! And I need to arrange a real time for you to see her. You can't just show up!"
"Since when are we so formal?"
"We've always been formal over this," Rory insists, standing up straighter. "You need to leave, I mean it, Logan."
"Fine," Logan sighs, and just as Rory gets ready to walk him to the door it opens and they look round.
"Mom?" Charlotte calls. "I want to -"
They don't hear what Charlotte wants. She stops, staring at the pair, and a stunned silence settles over the house.
