"Hey, are you ready to go?" Rory asked, popping her head into Logan's home office.

"Ace," Logan sighed heavily, "I'm just not up to it."

"Logan, come on. It'll be good for you to get out of here for a bit. We won't be home late."

"No. I just – I'm going to stay home. Say hi to Lane and Dave for me."

Rory walked over to Logan's desk and kissed his forehead. "Call Finn."

"Why?"

"Because, if you don't, you're just going to sit here alone all night. It's better to be alone with company."

"I'll think about it," Logan smiled weakly. "Have fun."

"Daddy?"

Logan looked up and saw Hannah standing in the doorway. "Hey Nannah,"

"Why won't you come with us to see Lane and Dave?"

"Daddy's tired, sweetie."

"Oh. Okay," Hannah turned to leave.

"Wait a minute, missy," Logan called to her. "Where's my kiss?"

Hannah ran over to Logan and he leaned forward so she could reach his cheek. "If you're tired, you should go to sleep. Maybe you'll be better tomorrow."

"I love you, Nannah."

"Love you too, Daddy."

When Logan heard the front door lock, he stood up and shut the door of his office and turned out the light. He sat at his desk in the dark for over an hour before pouring himself a strong drink and going to bed.

Rory got home around nine, carrying her sleeping daughter on her hip. She tried to call Logan as she was leaving Stars Hollow, but he didn't answer; she assumed he'd called Finn after all, and perhaps that was why he didn't pick up. But her heart sank a bit when she saw an empty cocktail glass in his office and she caught sight of him fast asleep, laying horizontally on their bed, as if he'd tripped over the bed and fallen asleep.

"Logan," Rory whispered, nudging him awake gently after she'd tucked Hannah in.

"Hey," he yawned. "How was dinner?"

"Good. Lane and Dave say hey. So, you never called Finn, huh?"

"What gave me away?"

"Only one empty cocktail glass in your office and the fact that it's barely past nine and you were passed out."

"I didn't get drunk, Ace. I had one drink. I was tired."

"Logan," Rory whispered, choosing her words carefully, "I know things with you and Mitchum were – complicated. I know you have to grieve. But I also know how easy it is to get so lost, you can barely find your way out. I don't – I don't want you to lose yourself the way – the way I did."

Logan sat up, turned on the bedside lamp and took Rory's hands. "Are you worried that's what will happen?"

"Not yet," she answered quietly. "Just promise me that you'll keep talking to me, okay? You're not alone. If you – if you need help…"

Logan moved his hands to Rory's face and kissed her gently. "I promise you," he said softly, pressing his forehead against hers, "I won't shut out either of my girls. You're my strength, Rory – both of you."

"Hannah missed you tonight. She's worried about you. Do you think we should try and tell her… something?"

"No," Logan said resolutely. "No, Rory, please."

"Okay, then we won't. But we should take her out tomorrow, do something fun, just the three of us."

"Sure. We'll let her pick something she wants to do."

"And then maybe we could invite Finn, Colin and Robert for dinner?"

"All three of them? Plus a six-year-old? That's ambitious of you."

"You need your friends, especially now. Besides, you know I'm going to kick them out no later than ten anyway."

Logan laughed. "I'll call them in the morning."

"Hey, is Jess around?"

Greg looked up.

"I'm sorry, you probably don't remember me, I'm –"

"You're Logan, Rory's partner, right? Yeah, I remember you."

"Really?"

"You were a fixture on like, half the book tour. Trust me," Greg chucked, "I remember you. Anyway – yeah, he and Kathleen are having lunch together in his office. Go on back."

"Perfect. I need to talk to them both, anyway; this makes it so much easier. Thanks, man," Logan smiled appreciatively before heading in the direction of Jess' office. The door was slightly ajar, and he couldn't help but think – the last time he was here, outside Jess' office, neither of them knew which way was up or down. It was simultaneously comforting and disconcerting that while in one way, everything had changed, but for Logan, in this moment, although for entirely different reasons, he still didn't know up from down. He sighed and knocked gently before slowly pushing the door open and clearing his throat, almost sheepishly. "Sorry to interrupt. Greg told me to just come on back here, so I –"

Jess was surprised to see him, but cut his apology short, standing up and brushing the crumbs from his sandwich off his hands. "Don't be silly, we're just eating lunch," he shook his head dismissively as he spoke and extended his hand to Logan. "Hey, I'm sorry about your father. I know he was… not exactly…"

"He was an ass. You can say it, Jess – he really was, especially when it came to the subject of Hannah."

"Even still Logan, our condolences," Jess said sincerely.

"Everything must just feel so much more complicated because of the last few years," Kathleen said, offering a genuinely sympathetic smile.

"Thank you, - both of you," Logan said, offering her a small smile in return. "It means a lot, it really does. But on the 'complicated' note – my sister called me yesterday, apparently there are some issues, problems, confusions, whatever, with my father's will. It's looking increasingly likely that I'll have to go back to London for a few days to talk everything through with the lawyers, executors and the rest of my family. If that's the case – I might miss some of your pre-wedding festivities next week. I will be there from the rehearsal day on; even if it means I fly direct from London to Bend. I just feel bad – we missed your dinner and now I –"

"Oh my God, Logan, do not feel bad," Kathleen implored him.

"She's right, man," Jess agreed. "It's really not a big deal. You have family stuff that requires you to be there. And besides – you said you'd be there for rehearsal day and everything after, which is when all the important stuff happens anyway."

"Rory knows all this, but I wanted to spare her having to explain it, especially with Hannah in toe; she didn't know Mitchum, and she doesn't know he died. And Rory and I want it to stay that way."

"Truer words…" Jess said, his jaw clenching involuntarily.

"Don't worry about it, Logan," Kathleen said softly. "Sort everything out and be with your family. I hope everything goes smoothly."

"Yeah," Logan chuckled bitterly, "we can hope, but if I do have to go to London, it's pretty much guaranteed that 'smoothness' is out of the question."

"I crossed the goddamn Atlantic for this, so can you get to the point? What exactly is the problem?" Logan sighed. He was sitting in Mitchum's solicitor's office in downtown London, Shira on one side of him, Honour on the other.

"As you all can see, I have Mr. Huntzberger's signed will and testament here, dated July 2016. In it, he leaves a great sum of his personal fortune to you sir," the solicitor, Mr. Carter said, nodding to Logan, "he also indicated you as the executor of this will."

"Yeah, so? What's the problem?"

"Mom and I found something," Honour said quietly, "when we were going through his things. It was in a locked file cabinet in his study at the house."

"And by the look on your face, I'm guessing it's not the Holy Grail," Logan said sarcastically.

"It's an updated will – we think."

"And?"

"And… you're not in it."

"I came all the way to London so you could tell me what I already know? My father wanted nothing to do with me. He made that perfectly clear. If you're expecting shock or surprise from me that he cut me out – well, sorry to disappoint."

"Logan," Shira whispered, "it's not –"

"It's not what? That simple? Sure seems pretty clear cut to me."

"He didn't sign it," Honour said, "the updated will – it isn't signed, or dated and there's no directive revoking his 2016 will."

"You can see the position we're in," Mr. Carter sighed. "Mr. Huntzberger clearly drafted this authentically and intentionally; but with no witnesses, date, signature or clear statement renouncing previous wills, therefore indicating that this document is intended to supersede the one I have on file… indeed, I didn't even know this testimony existed until your sister showed it to me."

"So, my father intended to cut me out, but didn't have the guts to pull the trigger. And now you have to decide whether you should do it for him, or else ignore it and follow the instructions of a document that you know is outdated?"

"If he didn't sign it and file it – he held on to it for years, Logan, without validating it, or even telling anyone it existed," Shira said mournfully, grasping Logan's hand, "maybe that means he –"

"It means he was biding time. After he was through calling the love of my life a whore, he was waiting for the day I'd come to my senses and leave her behind – even sue for custody and win- and never look back, he wouldn't have cared, as long as Rory was out of the picture. He was so sure it would happen that he drafted this new will just in case and locked it away. This," he said, taking the new will from Honour, "this is what he was prepared to do. Who knows how long he would've sat on this without doing anything, because he pretty much always got his way, no matter how long it took or who he had to strong-arm to get it. But I can tell you, with certainty, that even if he'd lived another twenty years, he wouldn't have won this one.

"My father and I were estranged for six years before he died, Mr. Carter. He even flew to Connecticut while I was working in California to intimidate my girlfriend and buy her off by providing financial security for my daughter's future, on the condition that she leave me and let me return to the life I was 'meant to have.'

"I know this isn't what you want to hear," Logan sighed, softening his tone and speaking now directly to Shira and Honour, "but nothing was going to change, no matter how long he lived. He didn't sign this new will because he was stubborn, cocky and selfish – not because he secretly regretted how he treated me. I'm sorry, Mom, but things would've continued exactly like they had been for the last six years and eventually, Dad would've admitted it to himself and signed this and revoked all previous wills without looking back."

Honour looked at Logan sadly, and he could tell that she knew he was right.

"Your father was flawed, Logan. I know he treated you badly, but he –" Shira cried, "he loved you."

"He did," Logan nodded, "but as soon as he found out about Hannah, his love became contingent – on winning, on proving to me that my life would be better if I ignored my responsibility to my child. That was never going to change. So, I don't want anything he would've left me before – I'm sorry, I just don't. He doesn't get to have any power over me, any influence in my life – not even from the grave with an outdated will."

Shira continued to cry, because deep down, she too knew Logan was right. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

Logan put his arm around her and tried to soothe her. "It's not your fault," he whispered. "I don't blame you for the way he behaved. We all know how he could be."

"But I should've – if I stood up to him, maybe-"

"Don't do that to yourself, Mom. Please don't."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"I know," Logan sighed deeply and turned his attention to Mr. Carter, taking the unsigned will from Honour and handing it to him. "You have three witnesses here who can verify the authenticity of this unsigned will, and confirm that it accurately reflects my father's wishes at the time of his death, more completely than the outdated will you have on file," he paused to make eye contact with both Honour and Shira, who both whispered 'yes' and nodded in agreement. He tightened his grasp around his mother's shoulder. "Is that good enough, Mr. Carter?"

"Yes, Mr. Huntzberger," Mr. Carter nodded solemnly. "I will need all three of you to sign a sworn statement confirming the veracity of the unsigned will, but," he sighed, "yes, I believe it is."

Logan successfully advocated for himself to be left out of Mitchum's will, which was odd for him to think about objectively, even though he argued for it that way.

Honour knew better than to have expected a different outcome.

Shira was devastated that Logan could argue in favour of Mitchum's utter dismissal of him. Logan knew she was clinging to any hope, no matter how false, that the relationship between father and son was not as fractured as it was – the unsigned will was just a convenient buoy for her to grab onto as the last remnants of the storm slowly passed. But she'd be okay, eventually; Logan hoped he could salvage some kind of relationship with her, over time.

As Logan boarded a flight that would take him from London to Bend, he realized that anyone else in his position would feel betrayed, unloved, angry, sad, bitter… the list went on. But instead of feeling angry, betrayed and bitter, he felt an odd sense of freedom; he still had a lot to work through, but he hadn't realized how much the ongoing tension with Mitchum weighed on him, until he honoured his father's final wish to cut him loose. He was free to grieve the way he needed to, in his own time and then, finally, move forward. And it was this realization – despite everything that had happened over the last six years and the fact that he had just buried his father- that made him smile.

He had a wedding to get to, and plenty of reason to celebrate.