"Too early…," Rory groaned in a slightly panicy voice, into her pillow as her brain registred someone's loud voice as it headed down the stairs. "Way too early," she repeated, feeling her heart beating in her chest as if having had a bad dream.
"...this is outrageous. Lorelai, the girl is sixteen. I need to have a word with Rory about how she's living up there!" Emily's voice resonated.
That certainly got Rory's attention. It really didn't sound good.
Emily had been quite late getting to Manhattan, the airport being in chaos due to the plane crash. But with her sympathies going out to the families who'd lost their loved ones on Christmas eve she hadn't really complained at all after having found out what had happened. Lorelai had been forgiving too, for a moment having thought the worse, but as the broken record of her voice had gone off since 7.30, Lorelai was quickly beginning to forget last night's scare altogether.
"She's asleep, you'll talk to her later," Lorelai replied on Rory's behalf.
Rory let out a deep exhale, and turned around in her bed.
Emily said something in return, but Rory could no longer really catch what she'd replied.
Rory lifted her head from her pillow, realizing that Logan was no longer in bed, having been late last night as well but she remembered vividly him slipping into bed last night and some half-dreamy lovemaking. She hadn't imagined that, had she?
Rory stared with some confusion at the cloud-shaped electronic clock that stood at her bedside table. To her surprise it was already 8.35 AM. While Finny may have sometimes slept that late, she was usually used to being woken by either one of the girls at least once around 4 AM and then again generally before 8 - yet she had no recollection of either of those things.
In a momentary confusion about the whereabout of the kids, she rose from the bed and noted her breasts definitely feeling very full, two notable watery stains left on her tank top. She'd begun to wean Emma little by little, but usually had kept up one feed in the afternoon and one at night, simply for convenience, as this way Emma went right back to sleep, while the bottle confused and alerted her. And if she was alert, that usually alerted Leigh too. Not an ideal scenario, and sleep was the most precious currency to a mother of three. And with her having now decided not to go back to work straight away, she really was in no hurry to wean Emma completely any time soon.
She quickly changed the shirt and pulled on a fresh maternity bra, shoving some breast pads into it, and pulled on her silky robe, recalling that she might have to go do some damage control with Emily. She hadn't really been too cautious about G's apartment, having trusted G to simply clear out a few drawers for Emily like they'd agreed. Having Emily Gilmore stay at G's place had seemed like such a good idea, giving her some privacy away from the kid's noise - but maybe she'd been wrong?
Rory emerged from her bedroom, noting in passing that the kid's rooms were empty, doors wide open and she could see Maya had already made the beds. This at least calmed her - they were either with Logan or with Maya, or possibly also with Celeste, knowing how she sometimes liked to help out.
Rory headed downstairs, hearing the annoyed mumble of the elder Gilmore and a clearly tired-sounding whining of her mother, at least a few levels below her.
As she reached the kitchen and dining room floor, Maya had already set the table for breakfast, thankfully. As agreed, it was catered by Magnolia's from around the corner - there were cupcakes, muffins and scones, plus a fruit plate and some eggs, knowing how much grandma loved her tradition of half a grapefruit and a 4 minute egg. The latter being Berta's doing.
"Good morning," Rory said.
"Rory, you're not dressed!" was the only reply she got from Emily.
Lorelai was in the kitchen, the sound of the coffee maker making it very clear what she was doing.
"I'll get dressed in a minute," she said and glanced over the bannister, ignoring Emily for a moment.
Inside she was still looking for her kids, desperately wanting to relieve the pressure by feeding at least one of them.
"There you are," Rory smiled at the team of three downstairs handling the babies.
"Morning," Celeste and Jess said almost in unison.
"Mommy!" Finny exclaimed at the sight of her
"Hi baby!" Rory replied to Finny, nodding to Celeste and Jess casually.
"I thought you could use a little extra sleep," Logan smiled back at her. Celeste and Jess were hanging out with him, Evie pretty much keeping Finny occupied already. The kids were young enough not to know to demand a present just yet, hence they were delaying that part a bit, Logan knowing Rory would want to be there for that part of their morning.
"Aw.. thank you," Rory exhaled, feeling relieved. Logan truly was amazing when he was at home. "Any chance Emma might want to feed?" she asked with some urgency, wondering if they'd given her formula yet.
Rory could sense judgement from the back of head. Emily Gilmore wasn't exactly the person who appreciated public breastfeeding, but Rory wasn't asking her. It was her house, and it was not like she was making her watch.
"She might," Logan replied.
"Oh and Rory, when you're done I need to have a word with you about that boudoir upstairs," Emily noted with a hint of condemnation in her voice, seeing Rory grab a cupcake, without a plate, and head down the stairs.
"Sure, grandma - please help yourself to the breakfast. I'll join you a little later," Rory said in passing, already seeing from Lorelai's eyes the pleading gaze, as she appeared with her cup of coffee from the kitchen, not to leave her alone with her. But as it was just her in the dining room at that moment, Lorelai could tell she had little options but to eat with her.
Luke and Leo were on their way down soon, thankfully, Rory hearing them already. Emily had definitely taken a couple of steps backwards to the old Emily they'd known for the past few years - maybe she was simply bored of the laid back life she'd been living in Nantucket, just like Rory had speculated a few months ago? The difference was that she more often than not spoke her mind these days instead of keeping it to herself.
Rory landed on the couch and greeted her kids one by one, hugging and kissing them. Emma thankfully latched on without objections. She clearly loved the closeness of this, even if she was just extinguishing simply some thirst. Either way - it was better than spending the next twenty minutes pumping.
"I was just telling Logan about the family stuff," Celeste explained.
"Oh yea?" Rory asked, hoping Logan would have some valuable input to this whole thing. She bit into the cupcake she'd brought with her, and Logan helped her peel off the paper, as she was struggling one handedly. She was starving.
Logan continued to explain roughly how he thought the lawyer was a good first step and speculated a little on how easy it really would be to claim to be a citizen who'd lost her biometric travel document. They discussed the taxation implications France had, which didn't sound particularly appealing if she were to want to, say, gift or sell the estates to Celeste Mariano if they turned out to be hers.
"Ah… I just don't want this…, " Celeste groaned at some point. She still also worried about the NDA and whether that was still actually valid, knowing how Henri had been involved in forging signatures. Maybe her mother's signature on that had been forged too? In that case it was also Henri that owed her a hefty sum.
Jess stroked her arm, wanting to sooth her. The stress wasn't good for her - he could tell. She was restless when she slept, her appetite was down. She didn't need this.
"Hey, that's what lawyers are for," Logan added and Jess certainly agreed.
"What it sounds like to me, that they're really just trying to mess with your head," Rory pitched in.
"It really kind of does - I mean I know that they are properties you've liked, loved, but what if that is on purpose. They realized money wasn't a draw for you, so they're trying the sentimental route," Jess added.
"And if they try anything else, the NDA is there to protect you from them too, right?" Logan added.
"It should. Though - wasn't the PI already a breach of it?" Jess pondered.
"Again - something for the lawyers," Logan replied, the two men trying to calm Celeste.
"I don't want some big messy court case with them, we can't afford it," Celeste stated matter of factly.
"There are all sorts of contracts, some lawyers will only get the big bucks if they win. And then it really shouldn't be an issue," Logan said. "If you need money until then, I'll help," he offered, as if it was no big deal.
"Logan, thank you, but I'm pretty sure my mom already thinks I'm squatting here or something, I really don't want to give her the satisfaction...," Celeste replied, the initial relief from seeing her mother after many years beginning to replace with the same distrust she'd carried with her before.
Rory truly felt for Celeste, hoping she'd just be able to leave that mess behind her. She knew she didn't want to keep running, having talked to her last night for a while longer. Right now Rory just wanted her to enjoy the Christmas day to the fullest.
Rory switched Emma over to her other breast, not needing to hide from her friends. In the meanwhile Finny had climbed onto the couch and was observing rather curiously how the baby was feeding. He was adorable with the twins, often trying to care for them in a similar manner like tha adults did - fetching a clean diaper or clothes, pretending to care for them as if they were his babies. It was role play, and while a little less common for boys, they really weren't going to stop him, even having gotten him a baby doll, a toy crib and a stroller to play with.
"Have you guys eaten?" Rory then asked, beginning to crave some more food as Emma had finished and was now on her shoulder for burping.
"Yeah, we did," Celeste replied. "The kids were hungry," she added, hoping Rory wouldn't mind. "But you go, I'll watch the kids," she offered.
"Thanks," she smiled, urging Logan to come up for breakfast with her, missing breakfast with him, already fearing what exactly Emily was planning on talking to her about.
"Oh and Jess, I want to talk to you about your book before you guys go," Rory mentioned, surprising Logan. She wanted to suggest editing the book, at least in part, and while she knew it was probably not exactly in compliance with her 'stay at home' and 'not working' scenario Logan had pictured, she knew that he'd accept it if that's what she wanted to do. But first she needed to get Jess on board of course.
As they reached upstairs, Luke and Leo had already joined the dinner table and almost finished eating and Luke was carrying on a fairly polite conversation with Emily on New England architecture and maritime heritage, with Lorelai attempting to crack a few jokes while trying not to yawn. This was Luke being out of his comfort zone too - even the couple of years they'd kept going to Nantucket to stay with her hadn't made that part much easier for him.
"I should probably go dress first," Rory realized, not wanting to keep pushing Emily's buttons, and hurried up the stairs, knowing that the breakfast table on Christmas day was definitely a place where her grandmother expected to see her fully dressed.
By the time that she returned, dressed in a pair of comfortable but decent pull on pants she often wore at home and a simple sweater, Rory sank down behind the dinner table on one of the chairs, where Logan had already placed a large cup of coffee and a tall glass of water for her. She smiled at him gratefully.
"I'm sorry for the delay, Logan let me sleep in this morning," she said to Emily.
"Rory needed it," Logan said with a smirk, knowing that he'd ended up cutting her sleep short by a few strategic moves.
"You must've gotten in pretty late last night," Lorelai commented.
"That I did," he replied.
"Thank you for breakfast, but I think me and Leo might just go upstairs for a bit to check out some games," Luke said. He knew very little about video games, but as Lorelai had hinted they should save themselves from an embarrassing conversation to come, knowing a few more punchlines to come.
Rory had just taken the first few sips of her coffee, Logan having already nearly finished his, enjoying another half a cup next to her, when Emily spoke.
"I understand that giving me Georgia's apartment to live in was meant well but I just feel I need to mention that it's appalling what liberties Christopher is giving the girl. Live in a tacky boudoir like that? The place is a sex pad and the condoms in her bedside table were clear indication that that is exactly what goes on in there! Everybody knows you either mark the drawers that are free for guests to use or it is just assumed they are the top ones," Emily said, making Rory swallow heavily.
"Grandma, I'm sorry you had to see that. But G is a worldly young woman, this is her first adult apartment. She's mature for her age," Rory fibbed, knowing it was more complexe than that. "Yes, the interior is very dramatic, but that is harmless, really. As for the rest it really is very little concern to dad or to you, we have an understanding," Rory tried to respond calmly.
"There was a fake penis in her bedside table as well, for God's sake!" Emily blurted, clearly being rather upset about the discovery.
Lorelai almost spit her orange juice out at the burst of laughter that wanted to emerge.
Logan couldn't help but to feel a little amused by this, and a little awkward at the same time.
"It's not funny, Lorelai!" Emily scolded her.
"It is…," Lorelai argued, still unable to stop giggling, while Rory tried to maintain a straight face, barely succeeding.
"Grandma, don't you think that it's better she has that than the alternative - bringing guys over? And same goes for the condoms - better be prepared than not - right?" Rory pointed out. She hadn't known about the vibrator, clearly that was what it had been, but that she really did prefer that G had. She was a teenager with needs, clearly - that was the responsible thing to have and use in her case. "She's been very mature about these things and she talks to me," Rory added, surprising Lorelai.
"But does her father know? Her mother?" Emily couldn't believe her ears.
"Dad... unlikely in such detail, her mother - probably," Rory replied. She didn't like discussing G's sex life with her grandmother, but frankly it was a little bit G's fault, having left her intimate things out as publicly.
"Don't you think you should tell them?" Emily huffed.
"Mom, seriously… I know I'm digging my own hole here, but Rory clearly has this under control. Yes, she may not know the etiquette of offering her bedroom for someone as traditional as you, but surely that doesn't mean any of us has the right to meddle," Lorelai pitched in. "This is between Rory and her sister," she emphasized.
"Thank you," Rory replied with a sigh.
"Now can we please just restart this Christmas morning and enjoy the wonderful Christmas wonderland Berta has set up for us downstairs. I bet the kids would love to open their presents and we can forget all about fake penises," Lorelai said, sounding annoyed, unable to hold her tongue. Though this conversation was going to keep her entertained for a while.
"Maya, would you mind telling Luke and Leo upstairs in the game room to come back down," Logan asked the housekeeper.
As everybody gathered downstairs they opened presents that Luke had made sure had made it under the huge Christmas tree that most of them had spent the evening decorating.
Among other thing, there was a beautiful hand knitted throw for Emily, icelandic wool; books for almost everyone like every year; some spa gift certificates for Berta and Maya; Lorelai got home-spa kit with a bathtub caddy, bath salts and champagne; Logan got a new wireless phone and earphone charger add some fancy maple syrup bourbon Emily had found him; Luke got some personalized leather cufflinks, which he wasn't quite sure what to do with, but they did suit him. Celeste gave Rory one of her YSL clutch bags she'd loved and adored since they'd first lived together, having agreed on it beforehand. Celeste got a stack of sex education books Rory had ordered from around the world as a means of wishing she could just have a good laugh when she started thinking more seriously about the class she was going to teach. Evie and Finy got matching toys, just in different color - some new Lego Duplos, Moluk Bilibos and a set to create obsticle course, which they took no time to put into good use. Jess got a rare first edition a book that he'd long wanted to buy.
Rory got Logan a promise of a holiday in the summer, so they'd finally go abroad somewhere with the family and without taking 'no' for an answer she wanted to also bring Celeste, Jess and Evie along. The plan was to go to Mauritius for a proper beach holiday with a private beach.
From Logan Rory got a beautiful silver necklace and a new laptop, Logan saying how this was for new challenges, whatever they were - and that Rory really did appreciate.
"Wait, what does that mean exactly. I thought you were going back to the university?" Lorelai asked, feeling a little confused at Logan's choice of words.
"I actually decided I won't be going back to the university, at least not yet," Rory said.
"What do you mean?" Lorelai continued.
"She'd just taking things easy for a while," Logan stepped in, knowing how Lorelai's words tended to affect Rory.
"I realized that there are ways that enable me to work towards the same goal that doesn't involve teaching, sticking to strict schedules and deadlines. I want to let a couple of idea form, without the added pressure. And then maybe…," she explained, pausing.
"But..," Lorelai wanted to object but was cut short by Celeste.
"Maybe what?" Celeste inquired curiously, hearing about this for the first time as well.
"Maybe I could do the same thing through the HPG," Rory said. "And I also thought, that maybe - maybe I could be a part of editing your book, Jess," she added. What she also was kind of curious to find out was Emily's take on this - she feared Emily might take this some kind of a victory - that she was happy being the society wife, but she didn't say a word.
"Hmm.. that's really not a bad idea, you definitely know the story better than any other editor. Though I'll admit I am a little tempted to take it back to Truncheon if we're going keep paying through the nose for the French lawyers," Jess admitted. He didn't like to admitit, but it was definitely a contributing factor.
"Oh for god's sake," Emily chimed in. "I overheard you discussing this thing you're dealing with earlier, and honestly I think this whole thing is a big mess. I know it's none of my business, but I'm just going to say what I think if you don't mind," she said abruptly. "I don't think lawyers are not going to cut it. They can check the contracts and make agreements but they don't know how this type of things are handled internally. There are social protocols for finding out ulterior motives. It involves talking to the right person in the right way. Sure, you could go to Mitchum, he knows very well how these things work, but I don't think he's viewed very well after what happened with Logan," she added, recalling the fake marriage incident.
"You know, that actually sounds pretty promising...," Logan said.
"Do you know anyone in Paris who could do it?" Celeste inquired, feeling thankful for Emily's input.
"Do I know anyone in Paris, you ask…" Emily laughed. "And as a matter of fact I do and I honestly I could use a trip myself," she added, as if it was no big deal.
AN: This was surprisingly difficult to write. Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!