Here's your 2nd Chapter. Let me know what you think :D

Chapter 33

Lorelai felt her knees go weak as the judge ruled out her verdict. She should have never doubted Jan and Phineas. The judge had ruled self-defence almost instantly and dismissed the case. Rory's smile lit up the room with the joy it projected. She supposed she'd have to drop the Shawshank bit now though.

Despite the relief, it wasn't over just yet. They had the court hearing tomorrow for Marty. She hoped he'd just plead guilty for a lighter sentence and to stop her kid having to go through with the nightmare of trial but she didn't think they'd get off so lightly.

Next to her she heard Luke sigh heavily and grasp her hand tightly. He was obviously as relieved as she was.

"Never had any doubt. Disgraceful it even managed to get this far." Her dad was saying behind her and she smiled with an eye roll. Of course, her parents had come. As had Jan, Phineas, Josh, Finn, Mia, Colin, Robert, Lanny, Logan, Paris, a few more of Rory's friends that she didn't know, Luke, Christopher, Francine Hayden, Babette, Morey and Miss Patty. Rory's side of the court was full. Marty's side however had one woman who had a pinched look to her face. Lorelai almost, almost felt sorry for her.

"Thank you." Rory said to her lawyer who shook her hand professionally and said something in a low voice that caused Rory to smile.

Rory came round to her crowd of well-wishers and smiled at them all, her cheeks turning a distinct red.

"Party at Miss Pattys!" Babette yelled turning the attention off Rory and on to the small but powerful blonde.

"What the lady said." Rory shrugged heading for the exit. Finn was by her side instantly, his arm wrapping lazily round her shoulders, but Lorelai saw his hand had tightened on her shoulder. Finn might not show it but he was just as relieved as the rest of them.

"A party?" Her mother asked, as though the word itself were distasteful.

"Well, it's worth celebrating." Lorelai shrugged.

"I quite agree. Emily, shall we?" Her dad asked making Lorelai smile again.

"Oh, I suppose so. But we can't stay for long Richard. We have the Trigeminal Neuralgia fundraiser at eight." Her mother said.

"It's barely three in the afternoon Emily. I'm sure we can manage both perfectly fine." Richard said leading his wife after their granddaughter.

Lorelai squeezed Luke's hand as they too headed back for what she was sure to be an entertaining party back at Stars Hollow.

/\\\/\\\

"What the hell even is this place man?" Logan asked Finn as he looked around the crowded room at Miss Patty's.

"This my good sir is Star's Hollow, possibly the craziest and best place on earth." Robert said wrapping an arm around Logan's shoulders.

"There's hay and scarecrows and apples... it's like America threw up on this town." Logan said confused.

"Wait till you meet Kirk." Lanny said with a laugh.

"Who's Kirk?" Logan looked afraid.

"The guy running between the bar and the DJ booth." Finn said with a smile. Logan was in for a culture shock, for all that his best friend rebelled against the dynastic plan, he was born and bred in society and he enjoyed it. Although he protested otherwise Logan was not good at adapting to fit in to 'normal' life.

"I need a drink." Logan sighed.

"Not the punch!" Robert, Lanny and Finn warned together.

"You're warning me off punch?" Logan looked at them all.

"Mate, trust us on this one. Do not drink the punch. I cannot handle the punch." He stated, he'd tried twice now. He learnt from the second time.

Finn looked out to see where Rory was, so far, she'd been surrounded by various people every time he'd sought her out. He'd left her be, this was her party and he'd have all night with her. He saw he grabbing what he assumed she thought was regular punch but was actually founders punch.

"Mates, duty calls." Finn said leaving the guys and heading for his girlfriend who didn't have the highest tolerance for alcohol at the best of times. One cup of that stuff and she'd be a goner. Not the look she was probably going for with her grandparents there.

"Finn!" Rory grinned at him. "I picked the wrong punch." He was apparently too late; she'd been drinking moderately but had decided to down half a cup of punch on top of that.

"That you did love. Let's get you some water." Finn chuckled taking the punch off her.

"Okay. Hey I know what we need for our room. We need a TV!" Rory giggled.

"Where would we fit a TV in our room love?" Finn asked pouring her some water and handing it over.

"On the wall! Me and Paris can put it up or we can hire a guy, then me and you can have movie nights on our own or when you're at a party I can have the TV on so I can sleep. Or if I go out... okay I don't go out very much. This water doesn't taste as nice as the punch." Rory said with a pout.

"Would you like coffee instead love?" Finn asked trying not to laugh.

"Yes! Coffee! I love coffee. And I love you!" Rory said happily.

"I love you too kitten and if you really want, we can get a TV for our room." Finn said kissing her on the head.

"Our room!?" A sharp voice asked from behind them. Finn winced. This wasn't going to go well. And Rory wasn't going to be much help.

"Oops." Rory whispered loudly.

"Emily." Finn turned them both and put on his most charming smile.

"Our room?" Emily repeated looking between Finn and Rory her face angry and pinched her eyes flashing.

"Hi Grandma, are you enjoying the party?" Rory asked and Finn put an arm around her waist as she started swaying. He got another glare for that.

"Rory Gilmore, you will tell me right now what you meant by our room. You and Finnegan have separate rooms, or that was what we were led to believe. I wasn't happy about you in the same apartment, it is not the done thing. But I trusted you, I trusted you both to be responsible and do the right thing and now I overhear that your... your... shacking up!" Emily's voice had got more and more shrill.

"Hey mom? What's going on here?" Lorelai appeared and Finn let out a sigh of relief.

"Did you know about this!?" Emily glared at her daughter now.

"About what?" Lorelai asked still smiling.

"About Rory and this boy." She spat the word boy. "Sharing a room together? Did you know?"

"Ah... well... erm..." Lorelai stuttered.

Yeah, Finn felt that. There was no way to really make it sound better than it was to someone like Emily Gilmore.

"Grandma... yes Finn and me share a room. We did have separate rooms but then Finn's room became the nursery and we decided that it was easier at night-"

Finn dropped his glass by 'accident' before Rory dropped them further in it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Finn said loudly bending down to clear up the mess.

"You can't. I forbid it. You cannot share a room." Emily said stiffly.

"But we do." Rory said and Lorelai looked at her like she had grown another head.

"No. Your Grandfather and I own part of that apartment; you cannot share a room. We forbid it." Emily stated.

"Mom, Rory's twenty-one and Phineas owns some of the building too. I don't think you can stop them." Lorelai said soothingly.

"I certainly can. I will not have Rory having sex and getting pregnant. No!" Emily said.

"Oh no, we aren't pregnant." Rory said and Finn stood up quickly. He did give her water right and not vodka?

"Rory!" He said urgently. "Didn't you need to grab something from Luke's love?"

"Oh yeah... erm... oh yeah! Coffee!" Rory smiled eagerly at him.

"Coffee can wait, we're having a discussion young lady!" Emily barked.

"Oh, okay grandma." Rory said.

Finn looked around for help. He saw Robert and Lanny hanging around talking to Gypsy and Jackson and behind his back he started waving his hand trying to get their attention. Robert noticed first and nodded seeing Finn's not so subtle call for help.

"We are paying for your Yale education and for you to live in a very nice apartment, with security and a pool young lady!" Emily snapped.

"Yes, and I really appreciate it. It's a very nice apartment. I like the sofa, it's really big and the kitchen, but I'm not allowed to cook in it." Rory said still swaying, Lorelai put an arm around her shoulders and looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Emily..." Finn tried, Robert and Lanny were taking their sweet time. Arse's. He'd remember this next time they called for help.

"Finnegan, this is done. This is not right and there is no excuse I could possibly find acceptable for you and Rory to be sharing a room. You're living with a couple having a baby out of wedlock which is bad enough, but at least they're still together and the child will have two parents. But for you two to be sharing a room, to put Rory in the position where that might happen to her. It is not acceptable and it will not happen! I forbid it!" Emily fumed.

"Mom..."

"No Lorelai. I'm going now. But come Friday dinner we will be talking about this. I want a family meeting. Finnegan, I expect you to be present too." Emily demanded then stormed away.

"Well crap." Finn sighed.

"Took the words out of my mouth Aus." Lorelai said watching as her mom left, dragging Richard with her.

"Does that mean we have to go back to separate rooms? Because I like having Finn's clothes in our room, I can borrow his shirts to sleep in and they smell like him when he's not there and he gives these really amazing hugs at night." Rory smiled happily.

Finn was equally amused and touched, he knew he liked sharing a room with her but she wasn't so great at opening up sometimes and hearing all that? It was nice, really nice.

"How much did you have to drink?" Lorelai laughed.

"Erm, a few but then I took the wrong punch." Rory said.

"Oh no." Lorelai said.

"Oh yes." Finn said happily. "I'm going to get her some coffee."

"Mom, Finn doesn't move out of our room does he?" Rory looked at her mom with Bambi eyes.

"Don't worry hon, we'll figure something out." Lorelai said.

Finn walked over to Luke's to get a her a large, strong coffee. There was plenty of time for the party to continue it was barely six and she needed a second wave.

"Everything alright son?" His dad was outside of Miss Pattys leant against the wall of the building.

"Oh, hey. Yeah. Rory got the wrong punch; I'm going to get her some coffee." Finn said nodding to Luke's.

"Good thinking. So, I saw Emily screeching at you, what was that all about?" His father started walking with him to the diner.

"She found out Rory and me share a room." Finn shrugged.

"Ah."

"Yes, she's demanding that we have separate rooms. She's forbidding us from sharing." Finn said.

"Forbidding you?" Phineas smirked.

"Oh yeah. Like I'm fifteen and trying to take the Jag." Finn smiled.

"Can I get a large black coffee please Ceasar?" Finn ordered.

"Coming right up." The man said back cheerfully.

"So what are you going to do?" Finn's dad asked.

"I don't know. What I want to do is say, tough that's what's happening. But that would upset Rory, so I guess that I can say I moved into another room but just not." Finn said taking the coffee from Ceasar and heading back out.

"So, your idea is to lie?" Phineas asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes. You have a better idea?" Finn replied.

"Pointing out that your both adults who live together and love each other?" Phineas suggested.

"So you're bright idea is telling them the truth? I hope you're ready to buy ten cows, two goats and a handful of chickens then father because that will be what happens after that." Finn said looking for Rory.

"I can't say I'm completely enamoured with the idea at the moment. No." Phineas said and Finn could see he was holding back laughter. This whole thing was laughable they were adults, he shouldn't have to explain himself.

"Me either." Finn muttered spotting Rory with Robert and Lanny. Logan was stood talking to Miss Patty, he had a hunted, corned look about him.

"Give it a year or two." His dad said.

"You've bet on this haven't you?" Finn turned to look at his dad with a smirk.

"No! Alright yes." His dad didn't look remorseful.

"Cut me in..." Finn asked.

"Five for either her final year or after. Or I lose five if it's before." Phineas admitted not looking in the least bit ashamed.

"I'm not looking to do it anytime soon; we've only been together a year and a half." Finn said.

"But you will do it one day?" His dad asked curiously.

"Yes. One day I'm going to ask Rory to marry me, I'm going to make her my wife, I'm going to travel the world with her and have kids with her and live happily ever after." Finn told his dad with a smile on his face.

"Tell Josh that for me?" His father asked.

"Another bet?" Finn raised his eyebrows, amused.

"For really nice cigars." His dad smirked. "I won't notice if one or two go missing..."

"You got it. I have no problem declaring my love for kitten. But I do need to get this coffee in her." Finn laughed pointing out where Lanny had grabbed Rory round the shoulder to stop her from tilting too far and falling over.

"You may need more coffee." Phineas pointed out.

/\\\/\\\

"You need a bigger house." Luke told Lorelai as they came downstairs the next morning.

"No, I don't." Lorelai frowned at her boyfriend as she stepped over someone on the stairs, Lanny she thought.

"You have guys sleeping on the stairs." Luke pointed out.

"So, I need less strays, not a bigger house. And it's only one guy, not guy's plural." Lorelai shrugged. She loved this house. It was hers. Worked for, paid for, brought by her. This house was proof that she could do it, all by herself.

"There's three people sleeping in your living room." Luke carried on. Paris was on the couch; Robert was on the floor and another guy Lorelai had no idea the identity of was also on the floor.

"So, I'll get more blankets." Lorelai said passing the sleeping college kids and headed for the kitchen.

"You don't need more blankets; you need more rooms." Luke prodded again.

"The strays aren't always going to be around." Lorelai pointed out. She didn't want to be rattling around in a huge house all by herself. She struggled enough when Rory was at college.

"What about when we have a kid or kids and Rory wants to come home and the strays come with her?" Luke said as Lorelai started a large pot of coffee, snapping a picture of Colin and Finn curled up together on the kitchen floor. She would turn it into a Christmas card for the Morgan's and Rory.

"They won't always come with her." Lorelai pointed out. "She's not Queen B, she doesn't travel with a posse."

"Mia, Colin, the baby, Finn. Apparently, Paris, Robert, Lanny. When those guys get with someone. They've been around all summer." Luke said grabbing coffee cups. "That's not to add Lane who was here constantly and Dave. You need a bigger house."

Luke had a point. They would be married, hopefully soon, they had talked about a kid or maybe kids. And Rory did have a lot of friends who came round and then here was Mia with the baby... But she loved her house. She couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

"And, if we do have kids then it would be nice for them to have a yard to play in, Rory had the whole of the Independence Inn grounds." Luke said starting to pour coffees and two teas.

"You're right but... I love this house. I don't want to move." Lorelai pouted. "I don't want someone else living here and making memories here and changing everything."

"You could always extend to the garage, incorporate that, extend out and up. It'd be a big job but a good contractor could have it up in a month. It'd give you two or three extra bedrooms, make the kitchen bigger so you could get all the layabouts round the table and add another bathroom." Paris said staggering in and sitting herself down at the table. "Please tell me someone got a picture of that." She added pointing behind her at the boys curled up.

"Good morning Paris, of course I did." Lorelai smiled at the girl.

"Paris actually has a point." Luke said thoughtfully.

"Of course, I do. I always have a point." The girl in question frowned at Luke but took a cup of coffee off him.

"We should get someone in to look at that, see how it could work, how much it would cost." Luke said. "And you don't use the garage anyway."

"The band does! We can't just kick them out of their practice space with nowhere else to go!" Lorelai protested.

"They'd find somewhere else." Luke said.

"Morning." Mia groaned dragging herself in, she looked very pregnant that morning, something Lorelai thought would be wise kept to herself. "Did someone get a picture of that mess?"

"Lorelai did." Paris answered her.

"Tea." Luke declared putting it down in front of Mia. "Do you want anything special for breakfast this morning Mia?"

"Nothing I can get here. Just a pop tart please." Mia said with a frown.

"What do you want, we can try to get it hon." Lorelai asked, cravings were great if you could actually get your hands on what you were craving, she imagined it was highly annoying not to be able to eat what you wanted more than anything. Which was mainly the reason she rarely denied herself anything.

"I want Chiko Rolls." Mia said sadly.

"Never heard of it." Lorelai replied.

"I haven't ever seen one here." Mia shrugged.

"What is it, maybe I can make one?" Luke asked with a smile. Lorelai really had lucked out with him, he was one of the good ones, probably the good one.

"They're... hard to explain... basically they're deep-fried cabbage rolls?" Mia said.

"My favourite Aussie, that sounds absolutely disgusting. I want one." It might be just disgusting enough to work, Lorelai pulled out her phone.

"Don't ring Sookie." Luke ordered.

"But..."

"No. Do not ring Sookie, I'll do it. I offered; I'll do it." Luke insisted.

"You're going to make a Chiko roll?" Mia asked incredulously.

"I'm going to see if I can find a recipe for it and give it a go, yeah." Luke shrugged blushing a little.

"Thank you." Mia said quietly and Lorelai saw she was crying.

"Oh hon, what's wrong?" Lorelai asked.

"It's just so nice... I've been wanting Chiko Rolls for weeks!" She wailed waking up Colin and Finn.

"Mia!?" Colin asked worried climbing up from the floor clumsily. "Mia, what's wrong are you in pain?"

"Luke's making Chicken rolls." Lorelai explained to the concerned boyfriend.

"Chiko rolls." Luke corrected.

"Okay...?" Colin looked confused.

"I've been craving them for weeks... and you can't get them here... and Luke's making them!" Mia said between crying.

"Happy tears?" Colin questioned.

"Yes, stupid damn hormones." Mia replied.

"You alright there Grandpa?" Paris asked Finn who was getting up very slowly and with lots of winces.

"I think I'd have been better in a bed." Finn groaned. "Why are we up so early? It's not even lunchtime yet."

"You didn't drink the punch again, did you?" Mia asked still crying.

"No darling I did not. There might have been a few beers and some Tequila that have led to my less than stellar hangover though." Finn said. "Why didn't you say about the rolls? We could have got some."

"From where?" Mia asked.

"I'd have borrowed the jet and popped back to the motherland." Finn said leaning against the wall as there were no chairs free. Yeah maybe Lorelai should think about more room for a bigger table?

"That's stupid and wasteful." Mia argued.

"It is not. Not for you my darling. Anyway I'd have taken angel, we would have had a day on the beach and come back with Chiko Rolls, Tim tams and vegemite." Finn replied pushing away from the wall and helping himself to a coffee.

"You can get Tim tams from some supermarkets." Mia said.

"Is Rory still asleep Mia?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, she's sleeping on the chair in her room." Mia replied.

"Her chair?" Lorelai asked.

"She wanted me to have the bed and she was too sauced to sort out the trundle and I couldn't do it." Mia frowned.

Yeah, maybe talking to an architect wouldn't be such a bad idea?

/\\\/\\\

"This calls for another party!" Finn said getting off the phone with their lawyer.

"No, no more parties." Rory groaned from her bed where she had barely moved all day.

"But this is excellent news love, you celebrate excellent news. And alright news, and questionable news. Now if it's bad news you drink to forget, or commiserate or drown your sorrows." Finn said sitting down next to her.

"No more drinking. Ever." Rory groaned. "Where's everyone else? I've been alone most of the afternoon."

"Paris and Doyle went back to Yale. Logan disappeared last night and no-one has heard from him, Colin's checking in with Miss Patty just to be safe after which him and Mia are going round to Josh's to crash there. Robert and Lanny have gone to the diner for lunch and your mom is out getting tacos." Finn told her. "We really should celebrate. This is fantastic news. No trial, which means we don't have to go back to court."

"It is good news and I didn't think he'd plead guilty. And to know he's off the streets for five years? It's a great feeling. But this hangover is kicking my ass and we still have to face Emily in five days time and we have no clue what to say." Rory said still lying down. Why didn't she look more at what punch she was chugging?

"We say, we're adults and we're very sorry it upsets them but tough." Finn said. "Or we say we like having lots of hot sex and that's kind of hard to do in separate rooms."

"I didn't know things were that bad, honey, I'm so sorry." Rory said pulling a sad face and laying a hand on his arm.

"Huh?"

"Well you must be suicidal to want to say any of that to my Grandma." Rory replied.

"Taco's!" Her mom shouted through the house.

"Oh thank god." Rory groaned dragging herself off the bed, a laughing Finn following her with a hand at the base of her back.