10:45PM

"No, Mom, I don't think you understand," Lorelai pleaded while trying to comfort her crying son.

"Honestly, Lorelai. What don't I understand? How you didn't want my help, so now everything is completely wrong?" Emily fired back.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Gilmore…." Honor started.

"Not now, Honor," Shira cut her off.

"Oh, mom, go have another cigarette," Honor bit back.

Rory and Logan were standing on the side of the room watching their families bicker. The evening had been an unmitigated disaster from the beginning. Logan put his arm around Rory's shoulder.

Leaning in closely, he whispered in her ear "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Oh my god, you have no idea," she answered.

Unnoticed, they quickly walked out the front door of the restaurant and climbed into Logan's Porsche, grateful for the escape.

3:26 PM

Rory folded the zip down sweatshirt and put it on top of the bag she was packing. She went over her mental checklist. Toothbrush, check. Shoes, check. Makeup, check. Everything was there, so why did Rory have a foreboding sense of impending doom?

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice Logan come out of the bathroom behind her.

"You ready, Ace?" he asked her as he crossed the room to stand behind her. She smiled at him and turned around to straighten his tie.

"Ready," she said, moving back to her bag and zipping it up.

Logan sat down on the bed to tie his shoes. "Just think, this time tomorrow, you'll be ready to walk down the aisle."

Rory smiled, but Logan noticed that it hadn't gone to her eyes. "What's wrong? Getting cold feet?" he asked.

"No," Rory said. "I just feel like something bad is going to happen."

Logan snorted. "I'd say that's a given," he laughed. "The following people are going to be in the same room: your mother and grandmother, who have the relationship of a cactus and a bear; your divorced parents; your step-father, who once punched your biological father in the face. Paris, who is certifiable. Not to mention my father who is cheating on my mother with a woman younger than me, who wants nothing more than to control every aspect of my life; my sister what has all of the tact of a 300 pound gorilla; my mother who is a stress smoker while pretending that nothing is wrong,; Colin and Finn who are drunk most of the time; and my two year old niece. What could possibly go wrong?"

Rory smiled. "I know. This is going to be a disaster."

"I didn't say that," Logan responded. "We just need to be on our toes."

He fumbled with his cuff links which were in the shape of an ace of hearts. Rory had gotten them for him specifically for the occasion. Rory put her bag on the ground, and put on her shoes.

"Damn, you're hot," he said, looking at her appreciatively. He couldn't help but notice the blush that crept up her neck at his compliment.

"You're not so bad looking yourself," she said, helping him into his jacket.

He turned around and captured her in a tight embrace. He kissed her until she thought her knees might give out before peering deeply into her shinning blue eyes.

"Remember, whatever happens tonight, or tomorrow, or the next 70 years, this is about you and about me. Not them."

Grabbing her back from the floor, he led her down to the waiting car.

5:41 PM

Logan and Luke had already unloaded the car while Rory and Lorelai were walking around the property with Will and the reverend. The six of them were the only people on site for the 6:00 wedding rehearsal. The men joined the group and waited for more people to arrive. As they were casually waiting, Lorelai held everyone's attention with a tale about the time the Reverend Skinner had followed her through the town begging her to be the "woman of questionable morals" for a town function. Rory was grateful that Reverend Green's laughter seemed genuine and he was not offended by her mother's inappropriate joke.

Logan's phone rang. "I love my sister, she's the best. She's cooler than any other girl that I have ever met."

Logan blushed. "It's Honor," he explained to the group. "She likes to change my ring tone when I don't realize she's doing it."

He turned away from the group as he answered the phone. Immediately, he scolded her. "You seriously need to pick a less annoying song," he said. "It's not that I don't love the one hit wonder that is the Julianna Hatfield Three, but that song is ridiculous."

"Logan, we've been in an accident," Honor said, without listening to his rant. "We're ok, but we're going to be a bit late. We're just waiting for the cops to arrive now."

"Mia, is she…." Logan couldn't finish the thought. Noticing the tension in his posture, Rory excused herself from the group and went over to her fiancé. She put her hand on his shoulder where he grabbed it, seeking some support.

"She's fine," Honor said. "We're all fine. Not a scratch among us. The car isn't great, so they'll have to tow it, which means that we're going be there late, but I promise that we will be there as soon as humanly possible."

"I'll come pick you up. Where are you?" he demanded.

"We're on the Merrick, about 15 miles away," she answered. "Logan, Don't. I don't want you to be late for your rehearsal. We can have the cop bring us. Or we'll get a tow-truck. Something. Don't leave your wedding rehearsal to get us."

Still on the phone, but no longer speaking to his sister, Logan turned to Rory. He knew that Honor would be able to hear their conversation.

"Honor and Josh were just in an accident," he started. "Is it ok if I go pick them up, even if that means I'll be late?"

"Why are you still here?" Rory asked. "Go. We'll stall, just be careful."

6:53 PM

"Is everyone here?" the reverend asked Rory. She looked towards the front of the staging area where most of the bridal party had congregated.

"No. We're still waiting on Logan's parents," Rory answered. "I'm so sorry for holding you up."

The kind older gentlemen smiled. Rory noticed the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes.

"You're not holding me up, dear. I just wanted to try to keep to your schedule. You let me know when you're ready and we can begin."

At that moment, Logan appeared from around the corner.

"I can't get ahold of them," he said quietly to Rory. "I've tried their cell phones but they aren't answering."

"What do you want to do?" she asked. "We have 30 people waiting on them. Honor was in a car accident and even she's here, waiting on them."

"Let's wait another 5 minutes and if they don't show, we'll just start without them," Logan decided. He knew his parents would do something, but being an hour late to the rehearsal? He would have never pictured them to stoop so low.

Logan walked back to the group and Paris sidled up to Rory. "So what's with the delay? Have you decided to dump Charlie Sheen and move on to someone else?"

"Paris! Just, ugh!" Rory said in exasperation. "You don't have to be in our wedding if you're so morally opposed to it."

"Despite my personal feelings about Logan, I think you're a good match," Paris said. "I have no moral opposition to your union. If I did, you'd be the first to know."

She gave her friend an awkward hug.

"Ok, so, never hugging again," Paris noted.

"Nope. Never again," Rory agreed. Together, they walked back to join the others.

7:03 PM

"Excuse me, everyone. If I can have your attention," Logan said from the front, effectively cutting down on the side conversations. "I apologize for our late start. We were trying to be sure everyone was here, but the missing people can't be reached, we'll just get started."

Motioning for the reverend to join him, Logan continued his speech. "We're so grateful to everyone for being here. We know this wasn't what was originally planned, but we're so excited to have two celebrations, this being the first, obviously, and the other being in October, which has been so carefully and graciously planned by Emily."

Everyone clapped and turned to the elder Gilmore girl who beamed in the praise. She smiled demurely and Rory swore she saw a small blush creep in. This was one of the many reasons she loved Logan. He had a way of charming even the fiercest of lions. He had certainly done so with Emily this evening.

"I think I speak for Rory as well when I say that the people in this room represent the pillars through which we have grown, both individually and as a couple. We would not be here tonight if not for each and every one of you, and for that, you will never know how grateful we are.

"This is Reverend Green. He will be running the show tonight," Logan continued. "So without further ado, I'll turn things over to him."

The reverend started the rehearsal by lining up the women and the men on opposite sides of the aisle.

After successfully completing the processional, they bridal party took their places at the makeshift altar. Reverend Green was going over the ceremony itinerary when Shira and Mitchum very loudly made their presence known. The wings of the helicopter chopped the air, as hair and clothing was blown about. Rory almost laughed at the shocked look at their faces. They could not believe that the event had started without them.

Logan quickly moved past the crowd of their family and friends to his parents.

"Did you lose your watch?" he asked them, angrily.

"Logan, you started without us?" Shira asked.

"Yes, mom. The rehearsal started at six."

"Oh, well, we're just a few minutes late," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Oh look at Emily. She looks so pretty in that dress."

"Mom!" Logan said, sternly. "You are over an hour late. Honor was in a car accident and she was still earlier than you. This is my wedding rehearsal. It was important for you to be here and on time."

"Really, Logan. This is not the time or the place for that tone. Remember your manners," Shira scolded before she walked off to join the celebrations.

"You could have waited for us, son," Mitchum said quietly to Logan.

"We did. We waited for an hour. There are children here who need to go home to sleep. We couldn't wait any longer," he responded.

"Don't give me that," Mitchum bit back. "Despite your feelings about me, you've upset your mother. She has done nothing but support this family and you, and this is the way you treat her?"

Logan looked at his father incredulously before turning to rejoin his bride at the altar.

8:29 PM

With the rehearsal finally over, everyone headed to dinner at a small Italian Restaurant just outside of Stamford. Since their car had been damaged in the accident, Honor and Josh rode to the rehearsal dinner with Rory and Logan. As soon as the doors to the car shut, Honor started speaking about the audacity of their parents.

"I mean really, you would think that she, of all people, would understand the need for punctuality at an event like this. I know his social graces aren't completely up to par, but she gets it. You can't tell me that she doesn't get it. And to make people wait for over an hour. And do you know what the first thing she said to me was? That my roots needed a touch up. Seriously? Thanks mom."

"He laid into me about hurting our mother, after she's been so supportive of my decisions," Logan interjected. Rory took his free hand and started rubbing soothing circles over his knuckle.

Honor froze with her mouth agape.

"How did you respond?" Josh asked.

"I didn't," Logan responded. "You can't silence crazy."

"You sure you want to follow through with this, Rory?" Honor asked, jokingly. "Last chance to never have to deal with them again."

"Nah," Rory answered. "As long as we all know they're crazy, and as long as our sense of crazy stays in perspective, I'm fine."

10:03PM

A wonderful dinner had been served and the wine was flowing. Rory and Logan stood up to address their guests, choosing at this time, to hand out the small gifts they had gotten their bridal party.

After Logan and Rory were finished, Lorelai stood up and gave a speech, praising her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law. Christopher stood up and said a few kind words, then Emily and Richard toasted to the couple.

After Richard and Emily sat down, Mitchum and Shira stood up and asked for everyone's attention. Logan tried to hold down his panic. He grabbed Rory's hand in anticipation to the spectacle he was sure they were about to make.

"Those of you who know Logan know that I don't have a fantastic relationship with my son," Mitchum said. "It's not too often that I tell him how proud of him I am, but I thought that his occasion was perfect to do so. Logan, I look at what you've made of your life and wish that I was half of the man you are. You are the whole package, son, and with your beautiful bride by your side, you both are unstoppable. Your mother and I are happy to welcome Rory into our family, and happy to present both of you with your wedding present."

Logan smiled, but internally, he was puzzled. First, his father had never been this nice before or said that he was proud of him. Second, they had made it clear that Rory would never be a real Huntzberger.

Crossing to the still seated couple, Mitchum handed Logan a small silver key. "Logan, Rory, we wanted to give you something that has been passed down from every Huntzberger parent to child for generations. We wanted to give you a house."

Logan just blinked at his father. Was he hearing this correctly? He locked eyes with Rory who had tears in her eyes, overwhelmed by the gift. Neither could find the words to express their feelings.

Mitchum chuckled. "It seems as though I have left my son speechless. That's a first," he commented. Everyone laughed.

Logan slowly stood up and made his way around the table to his parents. Rory followed him. The conversations of the crowd resumed allowing the foursome to have a semi-private conversation.

"It's not here, if that's what you're worried about," Shira said. "We know that you have a lovely home in New York. We wanted to give you some place you could get away, so we bought you a home on the Vineyard."

"Don't worry," Mitchum interjected. "It's far away from our place in Gay Head. Your house is in Edgartown, so you won't even have to see us while you're there if you don't want to."

"It has 8 bedrooms. We knew you'd likely have a lot of guests with Rory's family and your combined friends. It's beachfront with a boat slip and boat house. You'll have your own private beach. It's a good place for a family to grow up," Shira explained.

"And you can get your own boat to sink," interjected he gruff voice of Logan's grandfather

"I don't know what to say," Logan said. Hugging his mother, he said "Thank you. I never expected anything like this."

Shira pulled back from his embrace. "That's part of the fun," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

While Logan stepped aside to shake hands with his father, Rory hugged Shira. "This is so above and beyond. I know this means so much to Logan."

"It's for you too, dear," Shira said. "I know we haven't always been the most welcoming, but as of tomorrow, you are officially family. You've found a way to have everything you want and not tear my family apart in the process. I admire you very much for that."

Rory smiled at the older woman before hugging Mitchum. The party resumed around them, but for a moment, the two couples existed in harmony in their own little bubble.

10:36 PM

"Wow, that is quite a gift," Lorelai said as she hip checked her daughter.

"Yes," Rory said. "I'm completely shocked and overwhelmed."

Lorelai looked at her daughter and got an evil grin. "Does it have a moat?" she asked.

"Yes, a large one, with an alligator that eats sassy people," Rory deadpanned.

"That was cool of them," Lorelai said sincerely, nodding towards Shira and Mitchum.

Rory nodded. She turned towards her mother and gave her the patented puzzled face. "Think they have an ulterior motive?"

"Maybe. Or maybe they just wanted to do something nice." said the elder woman

On the other side of the room, Emily was fuming. "The nerve! They gave them a house on the Vineyard knowing that we have a house on the Cape. They're going to take them away. You mark my words, Richard. Now that Rory is a Huntzburger, they're going to try to take her away from us."

"She's not a Huntzberger for another 10 hours, Emily," Richard reminded her. "And you know as well as I do that she isn't going to replace you with Shira."

"You don't know that. You can't know that."

Shira chose that moment to come up to Emily to catch-up. Seeing her approach, Emily plastered on her fake smile.

"Hello, dear. I meant to say earlier how pretty you look this evening," Shira said, kissing Emily on both cheeks.

"Hello Shira," she said. "That's quite a gift you gave the kids."

"Oh, you know, we were picturing all of those summers on the Vineyard."

"I guess it didn't occur to you that we might want them to vacation on the Cape?"

Shira laughed a high, fake laugh. "You'll just have to come to the Vineyard."

Emily gave her a stern look. "We will not be going to the Vineyard, and you weren't so welcoming when you called my granddaughter a gold-digger."

"Now, Emily, this is not the time or the place," Shira warned.

"No? I'm going to make it the time and place. She is our granddaughter. Our family," Emily said.

"And he is my son, Emily. Do you think I'll give up so easily?"

Lorelai noticed the raising of voices from across the room and stepped in to mediate.

"You've never treated him like a son," Emily said.

"Mom," Lorelai said. "Maybe this isn't the time to bring up…"

"No, Lorelai. You have absolutely no room to talk here. You took her away for 16 years. And then you wouldn't even let me help plan her wedding."

"Mom, I had nothing to do with that. Rory wasn't comfortable with the way things were happening, so she decided to hold another wedding, in addition to the one you are throwing her. We're all grateful that you're still throwing her a proper wedding. You and I both know that neither she nor I could plan a society wedding to the extent that you can. But this situation we are in was Rory's idea, not mine."

By now, everyone in the restaurant had stopped and they were watching the exchange.

"I know that wasn't her idea. That is all you!" Emily exclaimed. She had a few more choice words for Lorelai. "You didn't want my help, so now everything is wrong!"

Sensing the tension in the air, Will sought out comfort from his mother. As Lorelai picked him up, he started crying, scared by Emily's raise voice and the argument happening around him. Lorelai picked him up and started rocking him while still arguing with her mother.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Gilmore…." Honor started.

"Not now, Honor," Shira cut her off.

"Oh, mom, go have another cigarette," Honor bit back.

On the other side of the room, Paris suddenly slapped Finn across the cheek. "Back off buck-o," she yelled. "I am not your waitress and I am not just some ass you can grab." Colin stepped in

Rory and Logan were standing on the side of the room watching their wedding party and family fall apart at the seems. The evening had been an unmitigated disaster from the beginning. Logan put his arm around Rory's shoulder.

Leaning in closely, he whispered in her ear "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Oh my god, you have no idea," she answered.

Unnoticed, they quickly walked out the front door of the restaurant and climbed into Logan's Porsche, grateful for the escape.

A/N: An early Thanksgiving treat! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I am thankfful for my awesome readers. Those who have stuck by this story so far. I've never written a full story before, and the reviews every week give me the confidence and drive to write another chapter.

If you leave a review, I'll send you a teaser from the next chapter. It might come late, but that's better than never, right?

Thanks, as always to xshynenstarx for her input and corrections, although I admit that any grammatical errors are my fault and mine alone.

Happy Turkey Day!