-1AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'M SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO BECOME A REALITY. IT WAS THIS TIME LAST YEAR THAT LACEY PM'D ME AND MADE ME REMEMER HOW BADLY I WANTED TO MAKE THIS SEQUEL TO HELPING RORY A REALITY. I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS. I WORKED SUPER HARD ON IT. I TRIED TO MAKE IT INTERESTING AS WELL AS TO WRAP UP A LOT OF STORIES. IT TAKES PLACE SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE LAST CHAPTER. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. - KRISTINE.
RATING: PG
DISLCAIMER: DON'T OWN ANYONE BUT GIGI, JAMES, AND BRIGITTE.
EPILOGUE: SEVEN YEARS LATER
- - -
There were days when Gigi Hayden struggled to remember what her life had been like before she'd fallen head over heels in love with James. It honestly in many ways seemed like a lifetime ago. Now when she ran into old high school friends and they brought up Miles she felt foolish for ever thinking he was the right choice for her. She couldn't believe she'd shed a single tear over him.
Not only had Miles Maxwell been rejected or wait-listed by every Ivy League school he applied to, but by the time his father had been able to pull enough strings to get Princeton to take him, he had managed to get Keaton Somersby pregnant. Instead of going off to college like most of his friends he stayed mostly local and went to work with Keaton's stepfather. The last she'd heard he was married, miserable, and still had a wandering eye. There were rumors that he was sleeping with a pilates instructor at the country club. Suffice to say there was never a moment when Gigi wondered what her life would have been like had he not dumped her three weeks before her ball. In fact she often considered sending him a note thanking him. If it hadn't been for his act of cruelness she'd never have reconnected with James.
Gigi and James both managed to survive AP Physics and graduated as valedictorians of their respective senior classes. They joined each other at Yale and despite Gigi's early concerns going to school together did not in any way strain their relationship or diminish any of the magic. In fact she had probably never needed someone more than she needed James when freshman year at Yale started. That fall when Gigi showed up on Yale's hallowed campus she was joined only by James and Sylvie.
Fallon went to her families' alma mater, Duke and managed to graduate in three years so that the moment she got her diploma she was able to marry Daniel and follow him to Japan where they'd been stationed for the last three years. When they talked it was mostly about sushi and great deals she got at the local commissary. Occasionally the topic of whether or not she was ready to have a family came up. Audrey joined Rafe at Oxford where she spent her days writing poetry and debating the finer points of American football versus soccer. She made a point to come home for the odd weekend, birthday, and holidays, but for the most part lived her life in England.
It had been a difficult adjustment going from three best friends to just one. Luckily James had been there to distract her.
They'd played a lot of golf. Studied a great deal. Made out nearly every chance they got. Spent far too many drunken nights at the pub. Perfected a karaoke performance of "Video Phone" that was a sure fire way to bring down the house. But most importantly they followed in Logan, Colin, Stephanie, and Finn's footsteps by joining the Life and Death Brigade. Stashed in the back of her closet was her gorilla mask which when she was really drunk she occasionally donned.
Gigi did the unthinkable and decided to be a teacher, a public school teacher on top of that. She had the opportunity to return to Chilton as a member of the social sciences department, but turned it down in favor of a challenge. She hadn't exactly picked an inner city school which she was always quick to point out when women at the country club decided to praise her for her "gutsy" career choice. She taught mostly middle class kids the finer points of sociology, anthropology, political science, and international relations. She taught four classes a day, all of which were AP. In addition she sponsored the Model United Nations club as well as the newspaper much to Rory and Logan's delight. To put it mildly she spent her day being extremely nerdy which fit since in the time since high school ended her vision had weakened and she now often wore glasses which James swore were super hot in a kinky librarian way.
James surprised a lot of people including himself when he discovered that he actually did have a passion for architecture. When pressed Josh would admit that his brother was more talented than he was at his age. And boy did Honor press him. Even though he wasn't a boy anymore she still treated him like he was. He'd be lying if he said he didn't occasionally enjoy it.
- - -
"You're late." Was first thing she said the moment he walked into the brownstone they've shared since they decided to move back to Hartford. He'd known the moment he saw it that it was perfect for the two of them. He'd surprised her with it for her birthday.
"I know I'm sorry. My last meeting ran over. They wouldn't stop peppering me with questions."
She stopped touching up her makeup and peeked her head out of the doorway. "Did they like your ideas?"
He nodded enthusiastically.
"Good." She knew he worked very hard to impress his brother. He never wanted anyone to accuse him of resting on his laurels or riding his brother's coattails. "I was late getting home too," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "Model UN ran over."
"Maybe there won't be very much traffic." He said hopefully.
"Maybe," she agreed.
Even though they were both extremely busy 24 year olds who paid their own bills neither wanted to be late for Friday night dinner. Francine and Emily's wrath still terrified them. They both rushed out of the brownstone two minutes later.
- - -
They were only fifteen minutes late which was a miracle considering they left nearly a half an hour later than they normally would have. They exchanged quick hugs with Brigitte who five years later was still dutifully greeting guests at the front door, though now she appreciated more benefits than she originally had. Each year she got a paid vacation as well as having every other Friday off. Being Emily Gilmore's maid wasn't a bad job nowadays.
Gigi grinned when she walked into the parlor and found Holden regaling everyone with a story that she assumed was about his day.
"Aunt Gigi! Uncle James!" he hollered as he charged towards them from across the room. He hugged them both as if he hadn't seen them in months even though he spent the night at their brownstone just last weekend so that Rory and Logan could enjoy a night to themselves.
Holden Beckett Huntzberger was the perfect mix of his parents with a bit of Finn and a dash of Colin thrown in there. Hell there was probably a little bit of everyone thrown in there. At seven years old it was already obvious that he was going to be a heartbreaker just like his father though Rory made him promise not to grow up to be a cad. He agreed and then immediately asked what a cad was.
Rory was now the Editor in Chief at Stripe and had turned it into the magazine for cool kids. All of Gig's kids at school lived for Stripe and her newspaper staff nearly fainted when she took them to the magazines small headquarters. With Margot's help as well as the rest of the family Rory managed to juggle her mom hat, wife hat, and editor hat.
Logan still ran HPG, but had also taken to writing a regular column for the Conscientious American. He rarely traveled because he refused to allow himself to be the kind of father Mitchum had been. He even was the parent most likely to accompany Holden on a field trip and once a month ventured to Holden's exclusive school to handle storybook hour like a devoted parent. It should be noted that he was the only father to do this.
Rory and Logan were still as madly in love as they were in college. Becoming parents had made them closer just like Richard had predicted.
"Sorry we're late." Gigi said as they sat down in their usual spot on the sofa. "My Model UN meeting ran over."
"Don't worry Holden was just entertaining us with a story about show and tell today. Apparently one student brought in one of their mother's magazines." Richard explained with a wicked grin.
Gigi shot Rory a look that asked what was so funny about the catalog. She gasped when Rory mouthed what magazine or rather catalog it was. Victoria's Secret.
"Apparently Tyler forget the comic book he initially intended to bring and grabbed the first interesting thing he could find in the backseat of his mother's car." Logan smirked.
"It wasn't anything like Mommy's magazine." Holden explained. "It was filled with beautiful angels though they weren't dressed anything like the women in the Christmas pageant at church."
"Yes well those angels are a bit more…exotic," Lorelai explained to her adorable grandson, "Than the ones at church."
"Would Aunt Anne Marie dress like that if she were in a Christmas pageant?"
Logan chuckled a bit. Once upon a time the answer might actually have been yes. "Probably not because it's really cold at Christmas time. The Angels in those catalogs are kind of like on vacation."
Holden seemed to ponder whether or not he was willing to buy his father's explanation.
"Those aren't your everyday angels," James added.
"Tell everyone what you brought Holden." Rory instructed her son knowing that it would distract him.
"Oh my gosh it was so cool I brought the golf clubs Aunt Gigi and Uncle James bought me."
Gigi and James had taken it upon themselves to train Holden to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. At first he'd been more interested in playing soccer and tennis, but had quickly come around to the idea when they showed him all of their trophies from their glory days. That much to their glee had changed his mind about a game he originally decreed as being boring.
- - -
"So I ran into Betsy at Nordstrom's today," Emily said innocently as she nibbled on the pork roast she had picked out for tonight's meal. "She asked when the two of you were going to settle down."
"Mom they are settled down," Lorelai pointed out.
"We both know I don't mean cohabitating," Emily countered. "When are you two going to get married."
"You've been together for over seven years now," Francine added as though they needed reminding. "And we aren't getting any younger."
"We'll get married when we're ready. We are happy with how our lives are right now. We don't feel pressured to get married just because all of our friends are."
Ben and Sylvie had gotten married last year in a spectacular ceremony on the beach in Costa Rica. They now lived in New York where Ben was making a name for himself as a surgeon and Sylvie was an accomplished financial advisor.
Conner and Sela had defied the odds and were actually getting married in a few shorts month. They'd gone to separate colleges which somehow actually strengthened their relationship. What used to drive them crazy about the other had become endearing in the years they spent apart.
Everyone it seemed was getting married but Gigi and James and she was okay with that. It wasn't like they weren't already building a life together as it was. They were even thinking about buying a dog together. They'd taken to watching Dogs 101 to find what they were hoping would be the right one for them.
"When would we even have time to plan a wedding?" Gigi asked. "We both have barely enough time for social lives as it is."
"Well I don't see how that's an appropriate excuse because we both know that the two of us would be more than happy to plan the ceremony for you."
"In fact we would prefer it that way." Francine remarked with a grin.
"Sofie apparently said her first word," Logan told the group before the debate got too heated. He could remember a time when it was him and Rory being grilled about their reluctance to tie the knot. He understood what it was to be okay with where you were in the moment, to not feel the need to throw this huge ceremony.
"What was it?"
Rory chuckled at the thought, "Money."
"She is Colin's daughter after all," Lorelai announced jokingly as though there had been some sort of debate about the little girl's paternity.
"Stephanie thought at first she was saying Mommy, but quickly realized that her daughter was talking about cash instead." Logan had almost fallen off of the couch when Colin relayed the story to him.
"What was my first word?" Holden questioned.
"Okay," Rory could still remember just how elated Logan had been when he heard it.
"Okay?" Holden asked.
"Okay." Logan confirmed. "I was leaving for a business trip was terrified of missing your first word. I told you that, "I would see you in three days, okay?" and you grinned back at me and said "Okay" as if it was the most natural thing in the world."
"And somehow I was the one who actually ended up missing your first word," Rory had been furious when Logan ran into the room and told her the good news. "Then again somehow I missed all of your early firsts."
"I'll be right back," James replied as he excused himself from the table.
"Really?" Holden asked in surprise.
"Your first laugh was at a face that I made," Lorelai told the young boy. "It looked a bit like this." She replied as she made the face that years ago had made him giggle.
"Your first steps were taken in my dorm room," Gigi added. "James had called you over to look at something and to our amazement instead of crawling you toddled over to him."
"It's true," James replied as he sat back down at the table.
"And we," Emily said proudly as she gestured between her and Francine, "were the people you smiled at for the first time."
"The cards were stacked against me," Rory joked.
- - -
"I decided to do something special," Emily explained as a small silver covered dish was placed in front of everyone. "Everybody got a different type of desert from this exquisite place I found downtown."
"What'd you get?" Gigi asked as James lifted his lid.
"A tart of some sort," James replied. "You?"
Gigi lifted her lid and gasped when instead of a desert she found a ring as well as a card that said Will you marry me?. She looked up at James and then back down at tray.
"What do you say?" James' heart was beating faster than it would have if he were to try to run a marathon.
"Yes," she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes." She kissed him before punching him hard in the shoulder.
"What was that for?" James asked as he rubbed the sensitive spot where she had hit him.
"For allowing me to go on like a fool about how okay I was in us not being married."
"I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Brigitte and I had been coming up with this for weeks. I actually stopped by your parents today to ask your father for your hand which is why I was late."
"I'll get the champagne!" Francine announced excitedly.
"I'll get the glasses!" Lorelai replied.
"I'll ask Brigitte how she could withhold this from us." Emily was shocked to say the least.
"Can I be your best man?" Holden asked hopefully.
"How about you get to be the ring bearer instead?" Gigi suggested.
"I'd let you be my best man, but I have a feeling Conner would be very mad at me." James explained. "Plus if you're the ring bearer then you get to walk down the aisle with Addie."
Holden brightened at the thought of getting to walk down the aisle with Addie. She was Finn and Anne Marie's youngest daughter and the love of his life. "On second thought I'd much rather be ring bearer."
"I thought as much."
- - -
Six short months after getting engaged at a Friday night dinner all of their friends and family gathered in the large church that Emily and Francine had painstakingly picked out. Sherry hadn't been invited. Gigi had walked down the aisle to the less traditional but equally beautiful Ave Maria in a dressed designed by Stephanie. James had worn his signature Ralph Lauren as picked out by Honor. Holden carried the rings. Addie sprinkled the flowers. Sylvie had been her matron of honor. Conner his best man. Fallon, Rafe, Daniel, and Audrey had flown in from their new International lives to be a part of the festivities. Honor had cried. And so had Emily, Francine, Lorelai, and even if only for a moment Colin, but to this day he swore that he had something in his eye. Eli Rockwell-Kelly no longer a prep school student with a passion for music, but now an accomplished musician had played their wedding reception. He volunteered as a way of saying thanks for setting him up with Matt who had become the top music video director in the industry. As a special gift for Gigi he played his acoustic version of Paper Planes which made him famous on YouTube. Roxanne came as his plus one. The first song they danced to as a married couple was Video Phone as performed by Lane and Dave which made it even better if not weirder. They shoved a mint chocolate chip cake into each other's famous that was made by the guy from Ace of Cakes. Paris sang a touching as well as hilarious version of Thank You For Loving Me. Finn, Anne Marie, Ava, and Addie gave them a puppy as a wedding present, a German Shepherd which Addie appropriately named Asher. Brigitte caught the bouquet. And then the young couple climbed into an old fashioned Rolls Royce and went on to their honeymoon and allowed the rest of the world to read about the festivities in the Hartford Courant as described in vivid detail by Kelly Woo, the young reporter who seven years ago had written about their debutante ball experience for the same paper.
Occasionally they ran into Miles, who Keaton finally divorced after getting tired of his wandering eye. Gigi always made sure to thank him for dumping her.
THE END.
- - -
AUTHOR'S NOTE: AH! IT'S OVER. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. I HOPE IT WAS GOOD. I REALLY TRIED HARD TO MAKE IT GOOD. I WANTED TO INCLUDE A BIT OF EVERYTHING. THANK YOU SO MUCH READING THIS STORY. IT WAS MY LOVECHILD. I'M SORRY I LEFT IT FOR SO LONG. IT'S REALLY HARD TO WRITE AN EPILOGUE. I'M REALLY GOING TO MISS WRITING ABOUT JAMES AND GIGI. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT IF I CAN EVER GET ANOTHER CHAPER OF A SECOND CHANCE AT BEING MRS. HUNTZBERGER TO COME TO FRUITION THAT JAMES AND GIGI MIGHT MAKE AN APPEARANCE THERE. HOW WOULD THAT SOUND? ANYWAY THANKS AGAIN FOR READING. THIS HAS BEEN FUN. - KRISTINE.