DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GILMORE GIRLS

The tents had started going up an hour ago as the party wound to a close and people prepared to call it a night. Sean had fallen asleep by the radio, and had been given new facial features with a Sharpie marker. He was woken promptly by a crackling on the communications device. He listened intently and made a beeline for Logan and Rory's tent, which they were about to enter.

"Logan!" yelled Sean, stumbling and breathless.

Logan stopped, his hand on Rory's shoulder, halfway through a laugh procured by something Finn had said. He turned half-heartedly to Sean. "What's up, Seany?"

"I just got a call. Base camp got word from your emergency contact that you need to get home as soon as humanly possible."

Logan's hand dropped and he turned to face Sean full on, fire in his eyes. "My mother called? What's wrong?"

Rory was alarmed, watching the dialogue go back and forth between her husband and Sean.

"Apparently Honor's gone into labor. The helicopter's waiting at the mouth of the cave to take you to the commercial airport and catch the next plane back to the States."

Logan took one look at Rory, but she didn't need any convincing. They were going to be there for Honor, even if they showed up three days late.

"Great, Sean, thanks so much. I trust you guys can handle cleanup in the morning, and we'll call you when we get to the hospital."

Sean nodded and gave a slightly inebriated salute as Rory and Logan prepared to traverse their way out of the cave.

Rory and Logan stumbled into the hospital in Hartford, ragged and exhausted. They hadn't showered or changed clothes since leaving Mexico, although they had been able to catch a little bit of sleep, so they were somewhat alert and ready to face the overwhelming crowd of family.

Josh, looking just as haggard, jumped up from his seat. "You guys made it," he said with relief.

Logan smiled. "Of course, we wouldn't miss this for the world. Although I was sure we wouldn't make it for the birth but…"

"You have no idea. She's been in labor for over twelve hours. I'm sure she's about to go insane, but it's no walk in the park for me either. I'm catching five minutes of sleep before I go back into her room. I already had to remove my tie and rings—she used both as torture devices in a way only Honor could." Josh offered a sheepish, defeated smile, underneath which was absolute elation and fear at his impending stint as a dad.

Logan laughed. "Actually, I have a pretty good idea. We did grow up together. Let me go check in on her, give you a few more minutes reprieve."

"Thank you," Josh said, sinking back down onto the grungy upholstery.

"Logan, I'm gonna go find us some coffee. I'll meet you in Honor's room. Does anybody else want anything?"

Shira and an assortment of Honor's friends had nodded off and failed to awaken when Rory and Logan arrived. Her question unanswered, Rory disappeared into the white maze of the hospital in search of fuel, and Logan went to find Honor.

"Hey there," Logan said, putting on that effortless smirk of his. A nurse was just leaving Honor's room after checking up on her. The nurse appeared traumatized, and closed the door against Honor's wrath with a loud slam. Logan sat down next to Honor's bed and took her hand in his.

"Thank God you're here. I almost killed everybody else, there wouldn't be anyone left," Honor said with a sulk.

"You can't get rid of them that easily. They're sleeping in the waiting room."

"I've pulled you away from your trip," Honor said with a pout.

"What? No you didn't. I wouldn't have missed this for anything, not even an invitation to the White House. How're you doing?"

Honor sighed. "I'm doing fine except that my son doesn't seem to want to make an appearance."

"How much longer do they expect this to go on?"

Honor shrugged, her exhaustion showing in the sagging skin around her eyes. "It'll feel shorter now that you're here."

"Knock knock," Rory said, rapping her knuckles against the door before entering and handing Logan a cup of coffee.

"Rory! My favorite sister-in-law! I'm so glad you're here!"

"Of course!" Rory said, coming around the other side of the bed to give Honor a kiss on the cheek. "I'm your only sister-in-law. But you'll forgive me if I leave now. Logan can tell you the story of when Sookie went into labor. Let's just say she fared better than I did."

Logan chuckled as Rory hightailed it out of the room. He turned to Honor. "She's not good in hospitals. Or around blood. Or needles. Or spiders."

"Nothing gross. Got it. It should be fun for you when she's in this bed."

Logan tried not to let the smile he had from the easy banter between him and his sister fall too far down his face. But Honor was no fool.

"What?" she said, her brow creasing suddenly.

Logan shook his head. "It's not important now."

Honor rolled her eyes. "Logan. I have nowhere to be. You have nowhere to be. I need a distraction, and you have something on your mind. Spill."

"The topic has come up, of course it has. But as of right now, Rory's not really all that eager to have kids and—"

"—And that's all you've wanted since you're fifteen years old. I know. But you can't expect her to jump into something like this. You're both very young, Logan. You started your life young. When the time is right for both of you, she'll come around. You have to believe that."

Logan nodded somberly. "I do. It's just hard sometimes. Watching Josh go through this whole thing…I guess I'm jealous."

"Normally I would agree with you, but I don't see much to be jealous about yet," Josh said, entering the room. Logan moved so Josh could sit next to Honor.

"No, I guess not yet. Well, we'll be in the waiting room. I love you, sis."

"Love you too," Honor replied, as Josh tepidly took her hand, afraid of the pain it could instill.

Logan joined his mother and wife among the other anxious families of various patients, and nodded off to sleep.

"Logan!" Shira hissed. She was trying to shake her son awake for various reasons, the least of which was his snoring that was beginning to disturb others in the waiting room. He woke up with a start, accidentally tossing Rory's head off his shoulder, where it had fallen in exhaustion a few hours ago.

"What? I'm up, I'm up," he said drowsily. He looked around at the empty seats where his family and friends had been sitting. "Where is everyone?"

Shira smiled. "They're in Honor's room. He's here."

With the revelation that Josh and Honor's son had finally come into this world, Logan jumped out of his seat and dashed to meet his nephew.

Rory smiled and turned to Shira. "He's so excited about being an uncle. It's all he's been talking about for the last few months. He's worse than a pregnant woman around baby clothes."

Shira nodded. "He was always good with the little kids at family gatherings. He liked entertaining them much more than being at the adult table. It explains a lot about his personality."

"That it does," Rory consented. "So, what's his name?"

"Connor," Shira said, leading Rory to Honor's room. "After someone on Josh's side of the family."

Rory stopped just inside the doorjamb, not wanting to crowd the room that was filled with Honor's friends and immediate family. Logan was holding Connor in his arms. She smiled. The last time she had seen him so unadulteratedly happy was on their wedding day.

"I think I'm gonna head straight to bed," Logan said, yawning as they entered their house later that evening.

"I'll be up in a minute. I never heard back from Steph after we told them we made it home so I want to check the answering machine."

Logan nodded and went upstairs. Rory went into the kitchen, but the only messages were from her mom and grandma. It wasn't that late, but she was too exhausted to call them back so she followed Logan upstairs.

They had both changed quickly, and Logan was already reclined on the pillows, adorned in reading glasses, but he was nodding off in front of his computer. Rory moved the covers on her side of the bed and got under the cool sheets. "Logan," she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Are you awake?"

"Barely."

Rory stayed quiet for a moment, debating if now was the moment to bring this up, but the more time that passed, the odder it would be. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Logan was alert now. "Sorry for what?"

Rory played nervously with the top sheet in her hand. "You looked so happy today. Tired, but so, so happy when you were holding Connor. The last time I saw you that happy was on our wedding day, and I feel like I'm failing you if you're not that happy every single day. I think part of it is that I want to wait a little bit longer before we start trying to have kids, and I know what a huge deal that is to you, but—"

"Rory," he cut her off. He sighed, because he knew he hadn't been making it any easier on her with constant hints and nudges, especially over the past few months. "I should be the one apologizing. It doesn't matter to me. I know that I've been so overly excited about becoming an uncle, but when you're ready, you'll be ready, and then you won't resent me for forcing you through the whole experience. All I ask is that you keep me in the loop and talk to me about what you're feeling. But honestly, seeing Josh today, and after talking to Honor, I don't blame you for not wanting to dive in headfirst. When you jump, I jump, Jack. Remember?"

"I remember," she said with a smile. "I just don't want you to resent me for wanting to wait."

"I don't. I never could. If at the end of my years all I have is you, then that will still be enough."

Rory closed Logan's laptop and took his glasses off his face, reaching across him to put them on the nightstand and turn off the light. "You're a good one, Logan Huntzberger," she said, settling close to his chest for some much needed rest. "Love you."

"Love you too, Ace." He threaded his fingers through her hair. She was drifting off to sleep, a place Logan had thought he'd already be, but what Rory said had struck a chord. He knew he could never resent her—of that he was sure, but he didn't know for how long her could keep pretending that it didn't matter to him when and if they started a family. He was left with this to ponder as his deep thoughts drove him to the limits of his wakeful exhaustion, and he finally succumbed to sleep.

A/N: Hey everyone! Just a short update to hold you over. The good news is that after spring break, the rest of the semester will be over in a flash and I'll have more time to write over the summer. Thank you for being patient and sticking with this. This story is very important to me, and I look forward to reading your reviews every day - they keep me going! Happy reading!