Logan's plane had had some technical issues, and had been grounded for 24 hours delaying his flight back home. They'd promised it'd be fixed on time and he'd just and just make it to the Christmas Gala without having to take a commercial flight, so he had waited. He had asked Rory to bring his tux to his Manhattan apartment, agreeing to go from there together. Their media exposure still hadn't worn off completely, or so they were told, having stopped reading it. James and the new guy Marcus kept watch in New Haven, making sure Rory wasn't bothered by unwelcome visitors.
Rory watched the clock tick anxiously moving her gaze from it to the elevator dial indicating which floor it was on, hoping the latter would move sooner than the former. She sat at the kitchen counter already wearing her brand new light blue strapless mermaid dress, her hair braided up and make-up finished half an hour ago by a stylist that had come over to Logan's apartment to do it. She stared at her phone, but there was still no sign of him. Unexpectedly, her phone startled her with a buzz. She didn't want it to be Logan, saying he couldn't make it. And thankfully it was not.
"Finn, what's up? Everything okay with Leah?" she asked.
"Leah just misses you, she wanted to say 'hi'," Finn explained.
"Hi baby!" Rory said switching to Facetime, waving at her.
"Mommy!" Leah exclaimed.
"You look great Rory," Finn added.
"Doesn't get much fancier than this," Rory replied, glancing a view towards the elevator dial again. Still no sign.
"Don't forget your wedding," Finn laughed.
"Oh, right," she said as she patted her forehead for her momentary lapse of memory.
"Mommy looks like a princess, doesn't she?" Finn asked Leah.
"Princess mommy!" she agreed.
"Thank you, you're so sweet," Rory replied, noticing the dial on the elevator had begun to move.
"We're going to go get some dinner now," Finn stated.
"Say hi to Paris for me, and enjoy dinner, Leah! Love you! Bye!" she added, standing up, fixing her dress.
"Now there's a sight for sore eyes," Logan said as he stepped out of the elevator, adding, "and my eyes are indeed sore," laughingly. Almost eight hours of plane air was no joke.
"We've got to hurry, Logan, it's already twenty to seven," Rory said worriedly.
"You forget whose event it is," he said smugly, pulling her close and kissing her. "We'll get there when we get there," he hadded.
"Fine, just go get dressed," she ordered, feeling anxious already. She was conflicted about the event itself. On one hand it would be a great place for mingling - not that she enjoyed it but she knew that she needed to engage in it to resurface herself as an editor and writer instead of a struggling freelancer, there were contacts to be made, plus she'd take any opportunity to spend some time with Logan - in a crowd or not, after having missed him gravely for more than two weeks. On the other hand, she knew there'd be media coverage, even questions on the red carpet, and likely some unpleasant ones. But at least this time, they'd be together.
Logan emerged from the bedroom dressed in his slim black tux and bow, looking handsome as ever.
"Looking presentable," Rory agreed with a smile, adjusting his bow.
"Ace, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened. If I had known, I would've just left. I never wanted you to have to go through that again," Logan said regretfully.
"Logan, I know you didn't do this on purpose. Sure, it didn't feel nice, it doesn't feel nice to think about some other woman from your past showing up like that, but there's not much either of us can do about that. What's important is that you are here," Rory said.
"So we're okay?" he asked hesitantly. He truly hoped there wouldn't be a shred of doubt in her mind.
"We are," she replied, kissing him gently.
"I almost wasn't going to give you these. I actually bought them before it happened, but later it felt a little like guilt present, but I didn't mean them as such. But I see they do match your dress. So up to you, if you're going to wear them or not," Logan said, offering her a small box with rough blue diamond drop earrings.
Rory removed the pearl studs she was wearing, replacing them. "Thank you, Logan," she added, although they both felt it wasn't really needed.
Logan and Rory stepped hand in hand onto the red carpet placed in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, allowing this time the reporters to do their job, walking calmly and taking a few different poses. Rory felt a lot more comfortable next to him, that she had at his wedding almost two years ago, and it showed. She held her head high, shoulders pushed back confidently and actually smiled, feeling indeed a little bit like a princess, as Leah had put it.
They were pointed to their seats at a table located just next to Shira's and Mitchum's, and across the room they waved to Honor and Josh. The family had been scattered in groups of two around the room, as this was in fact a business event.
"Mom, dad," Logan nodded, before taking their seats..
"Good to see you, guys," Mitchum stood to greet, excusing himself straight away to move on to some business partners.
Shira held onto her seat, nursing a glass of champagne, simply nodding in their direction.
"Is she mad or something?" Rory asked Logan quietly.
"Maybe at me? I don't know," he replied, taking her hand.
"Mom, how are you?" he asked as he walked over, grabbing the bull by its horns.
"I'm alright, Logan," Shira replied with a forced smile.
"Mom..," Logan continued demandingly.
"Oh, alright, I spoke to Emily. I understand you've given her the organizing," she said to Rory.
"I have," Rory replied.
"Don't you think it is a little beneath the Huntzberger name to get married in some working class establishment? I mean you could've picked something better certainly," Shira explained.
"Mom," Logan began, hoping he hadn't asked. She hadn't changed a bit. Everything she ever cared about was how people portrayed her, thought and spoke of her. Impressions were everything and inside she was as cold as ice. "I think you owe Rory an apology," he said expectantly.
"Logan!" she exclaimed, "I don't owe anything, you'll see what they'll say, you'll understand," she added, rising from the table and walking out to the hall to chat with some of her acquaintances as if nothing had happened.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present classic Shira Huntzberger," Logan whispered disappointedly. "Sorry about this," he added, saddened by the fact that he had actually hoped for something different.
"It's fine, I never expected her to be on board with that choice. But she'll just have to deal," Rory commented bravely.
"I like your confidence," he commented, giving her a quick kiss.
Rory quickly found some of her old acquaintances herself, and mingled like a fish in water, she finally had some things to show for, even though she knew at least some of those things had come to her thanks to the Huntzberger connection. But that she had stopped caring about. She'd proven herself enough to know that she was actually fairly good at what she did for living and hoping one day to move on to something even better than memoirs and self-help books seemed alluring. Logan did her own mingling, after all many of the visitors were his business partners, but more than anything he enjoyed watching Rory glow. The event flew by with great food, champaign, and dancing. Rory wasn't too sure how she'd manage in her mermaid dress, but Logan gave her no choice in the matter when the music slowed down.
"Ace, will you please dance with me," he begged.
"You know it's been a while since we danced," Rory said, placing her hand on Logan's shoulder.
Logan pulled her a little closer, placing his hand almost entirely around her from the side.
"We did tango in New Hampshire," he added, raising his eyebrow slightly.
"I was actually remembering our first time, at Emily and Richard's vow renewal," Rory explained, blushing softly.
"Ah…," he exclaimed, "that was one hell of night, wasn't it," he smirked.
"I made my first mistake with you that night you know," he continued after a brief pause, apologetically.
Rory glared at him questioningly.
"I should've never doubted us, and in my ability to commit. I just wish I'd saved you from getting hurt. I know now how easy it would've been with you, don't get me wrong, what I mean is that it has never been so effortless to turn down anyone else knowing I have you by my side.
Rory placed her head next to Logan's, feeling his closeness, trying to look up at the same time to hold back her tears.
"Just landed," Paris texted Finn as soon as the no-cell phone sign was turned off.
It had just been five days but it felt like a month.
"Mind if I show up at the airport to meet you?" Finn replied.
"You are already there, aren't you?" she asked. Her kids had seen Finn plenty of times by now, but they'd never been affectionate in front of them.
They came out of the arrivals gate fifteen minutes later, having just their three carry-on bags with them.
Finn stood smiling waiting for them with a large bouquet of white Anemones.
"Welcome back!" he greeted. "Looking exquisite my darling," he added hugging her tightly, waiting for her queue if it was okay to kiss her. It never came, her lips landing on his a second later.
"I missed you," she replied.
"Mommy, yuck," Gabriela said, making a face.
"Are you going to marry Finn?" Timoteo inquired, having a fresh memory of Doyle kissing his new wife at the wedding.
"Timoteo, how about we go home now, I bet you've missed your books," Paris shifted the subject.
"Tacos?" Paris asked, looking at Finn.
