Luke's had been closed for the holidays - a rare event, but the people of Stars Hollow really had no say in the matter, unlike some years when he'd desperately tried to keep it open by their request. But now, the first day back, as Caesar had ended up with a broken arm - clearly having had too much time on his hands thanks to three days off, it was all hands on deck and little extra, including Luke himself. The diner was bustling with people, many of them familiar faces.
"Lane, you seriously don't mind helping out like this?" Luke asked him, having in passing mentioned to Lane that they were short staffed the next couple of weeks and she had offered to help out.
"It's not a problem, it's just a couple of shifts a week, gets me out of the house and who's going to argue with some extra money. Steve and Kwan are having a very loud phase at the moment. Zach taught them how to play the keyboard… it's not going as well as he hoped," Lane explained.
"Well I appreciate the help, I'll try to pop by Caesar's later and take him some soup or something," Luke noted.
"What can I get you?" Luke asked a random customer.
"Two eggs with bacon, coffee," the man requested.
"Coming right up," he replied, in a way having missed this, and went back to get the customer a coffee cup and filled it.
"Luke, honey, could I get some of that cherry pie," Ms. Patty, who was sitting next to Kirk, asked.
"Sure thing," he replied.
"How was Rory? Haven't seen much of her…," Ms. Patty said as Luke returned with her pie, knowing that that's where Luke had been for Christmas this year.
"Oh well, you know, she's busy with the kids. They're growing fast," he summed it up.
"Luke, I've been meaning to ask you - you know I'm selling my studio," she began. "I have a potential buyer but he says that the place is a dump and basically wants to tear it down and build something on its place. Sure, he'll have to get it past Taylor first," Ms. Patty explained with some doubt in her tone. "But we were just wondering maybe you wouldn't mind if we moved the town meetings into the diner? It would make the most sense - it's right across the street," she added.
Luke certainly didn't like the idea of anyone building anything across the street. Especially if it was anything higher, or contained even more people. He didn't need more customers, he didn't need construction noise nor the dust that would mean he'd have to worry about cleaning his windows more often. But at this point he also wasn't going to buy the place off her hands just so it would stay the same either. He had expenses, potentially new ones coming once they finally got the decision on Leo. That date was today, and he was on edge as it was, having also heard from Jess how Leo was fretting about it too.
"I don't know, you know how I feel about these things," Luke groaned.
"Well if not here, maybe you could have a word with that nephew of your's?" Ms. Patty continued.
"You mean have it at the bookstore?" Luke eyed her sceptically.
"You know… if Taylor is so worried about the location, he's just going to have to ask Jess himself," Luke replied smugly, already becoming distracted as he noticed Lorelai walking across the street in a feisty step.
Ms. Patty sighed audibly, knowing that was going to be trickier to arrange.
"Hi, any news?" he managed to ask Lorelai as the shopkeeper's bell chimed and the woman stepped in. But she wouldn't reply, clearly looking emotional.
Lorelai, dressed in her pink coat, pulled Luke by the hand out the door, without his coat.
"Lorelai, what…?" he complained, only managing to cast a look back towards Lane indicating he was going out for a moment. "Can I at least get my coat?" he inquired, as Lorelai dragged him down the street towards Apparatus Bay, but it went to deaf ears.
During the free days, such as today with the schools still closed Doula, feeling like she no longer wanted to be stuck in the house, and also Leo, who had preferred to go to Jess' than sit at the diner or at the Inn all day, both sat at one of the sectional couches at the back of Apparatus Bay reading while Jess was packing up the orders they'd gotten over the holidays. Jokingly Jess was beginning to feel like the place was becoming a library.
Jess had gotten Leo some graphic novels for Christmas to help him start reading more and more freely, realizing that it was more about focusing than having actual problems reading texts. Hence starting with smaller texts, in his mind, was the way to ease him into it and show him how stories could be great fun.
He then noticed Lorelai and Luke, who was being tugged after her without his winter coat, walking into the store. Thankfully there were no other customers at that point, which was a relief, him knowing well enough that something was up.
"Hey," Jess managed to say.
Lorelai was out of breath, clearly not really up for the speed-walk she'd just made and leaned her hands on her knees for a moment.
"Lorelai, what?" Luke asked her again.
"We got it. The custody," she breathed, a broad smile casting on her lips.
"We did?" Luke confirmed, the look of relief overcoming him.
"You did?" Leo and Jess said almost in unison.
The boy's eyes lit up and he rushed to hug Lorelai, and the hug was joined by Luke.
"What's all that commotion?" Celeste asked from upstairs.
"They got custody," Jess explained.
Celeste picked up Evie and came hastily downstairs to congratulate.
After hugging Luke and Lorelai, the boy wanted to offer a hug to Jess and he did, Lorelai making a 'Aww' face.
"The question of supervised visitation rights will be discussed a year from now," Lorelai listed, and in a way she felt good with that, giving Leo's aunt the goal to better herself if she truly wanted to yet leaving them with full custody.
"Congratulations!" Doula said, now also standing up and getting to be part of the excitement.
"I think this calls for a celebration?" Celeste noted.
"It does. But first I've got to call Rory," Lorelai said.
Paris was walking down the Chilton stairs, the two-hundred-year-old marble under her feet and her hand on the Robert Frost donated bannister rich in carvings. Oddly enough she was back in her old uniform - not her greatest look, but for a second there she patted herself on the back for still fitting in it.
The place seemed secluded, or so she thought.
As she reached the hallway the black and white checkered floor clinked under her heels. Looking down for a moment she was confused as to why she was wearing her best heels, simple yet elegant black pumps that she had three pairs of. But no matter the reason, they made her feel powerful. That until she heard the giggle from one of the janitor's closets that is.
Tristian, dressed in his high school uniform, having not aged a day, emerged from the closet back first, some giggling girl following him, only noticing her once he turned around. The girl had long dark hair that came down to her lower back, only pinned back by the ears. Their lips were red from the makeout session they'd just had.
Paris didn't quite recognize the girl at first, the long hair seeming so uncharacteristic of her. But then she realized that she was just staring at the younger version of Vikki, not that she'd ever seen a photograph of her from those times.
"Paris, can I talk to you for a sec?" Tristan then asked, as Vikki, also for some reason dressed in a Chilton uniform, headed down the hall. Paris's gaze followed her curiously, wondering where she was going, struggling to give Tristan her full attention.
"What?" she asked eventually, recalling that this was how he'd begun to ask her out.
She could hear the mumble of Madeline and Louise in her ears - "Tristan usually likes his girls bad. You are so far from Tristan's type…"
Tristan began to speak but his voice was muffled, she could see his mouth move and despite being fairly good at reading lips, the message just didn't reach her.
"I got to go," Paris replied, and headed down the hall instead.
She was almost half way down the hall, following Vikki when she noticed her stop and glanced back over her shoulder. But strangely enough she wasn't glancing at Tristan, but her. Her deep eyes drilled into her and she could feel herself swallowing as if not really having any control over her actions at all.
Paris woke in a state of confusion, having dozed off on her living room couch while reading. The kids were upstairs asleep, so was the nanny, just a lonely floor lamp illuminating the room.
She'd already tried an entire afternoon to somehow slip Chilton into the casual discussions she'd had had with Vikki at lunch and as they were both getting ready to leave work. But she just couldn't think of anything that would sound natural. They hadn't spoken about schools at all, much rather about politics, books and medical advancements. The truth was, she really didn't want to speak about high school, she'd hated high school, no matter how much she'd tried to convince herself otherwise for years. And this made bringing it up so much more challenging.
It was a moment later that she realized she didn't want to bring up Tristan at all. And the reasons being that he felt insignificant - surprising herself by the indifference she now felt towards him. She didn't want him anymore.
"I think I want her..," Paris mumbled to herself in astonishment.
Rory didn't waste any time and dug into Jess' book the moment he'd sent it over. She'd read it over for the first time in one sitting. That's what was so easy with Jess' writing - they weren't overly lengthy, but they were better if taken piece by piece, layers and layers unraveling as one began to grasp the deeper meaning. She truly loved it. But she didn't just love it - it moved her deeply, causing her to shed a few tears as she fully understood the demons two of her best friends had been and still were battling. It took Rory a while to distance her from the anger she felt - it was unfair, that two people that had been through so much already, were still getting hits now, and to actually begin to read the text professionally. But so on identities blurred and words, syntax and pace took priority.
"You know, you have that look," Logan said as he had observed Rory frown at the text in front of her.
"What look?" Rory said, looking up from her brand new laptop that she was putting to good use.
"Like you want to finish this in one go," he said, approaching her, hands tucked in his pockets. Rory's study was on the fourth floor, across the hall from the gameroom and next to the walk in wardrobe.
"I don't, it's too good to be rushed," Rory replied.
"The kids are asleep," Logan shared, having taken the week he was at home to spend time with the kids as much as he could.
"Good," Rory sighed.
"I just wanted you to know what if you feel you need to work, I won't hold you back - whatever amount or project that is," Logan added.
"No, I've decided. No university, I've burnt that bridge anyways now," she said, recalling the not ideal conversation she'd had with her supervisor just before Christmas. She pretty much had said that she was open for co-operation but wouldn't be dedicating herself to a fixed contract any time soon. She had made the decision that only privliged people could make, not making her feel particularily good about it.
"I didn't mean that.. Just this… and whatever is next," Logan said, gesturing at the text in front of her.
"I know," she said.
Logan smiled smugly, loving how she knew that he would, feeling her trust in him.
"Once Owen gets more into it, I think he had some really good ideas about developing academic publishing. I'm not sure how realistic it is, but I think that's what I want to do. No rush but... " she explained, continuing to explain to him about the idea in more detail as Owen had explained it to her after the interview when she'd gone for lunch with Owen.
"You know that is something you could do with me, it wouldn't have to be Owen," Logan suggested. "I know we haven't worked a lot together, but you know we worked well when we did," he added.
"I guess…," Rory replied, a little sceptical on how that'd work. Logan to her was always the salesman, the executive - but not really the researcher, though she knew he could do it.
"Let Owen do his thing in London. I'm here. I want a project. I want a project with you," Logan continued, speaking with some determination.
Rory eyed him sceptically. "What's this about Logan?" she asked.
"Nothing," Logan shrugged.
"Logan..," she replied, tilting her head, not believing him.
"I overheard you on the phone yesterday," Logan confessed, knowing that look.
"So what is this? Jealousy?" Rory inquired.
"So what if it is..," he shrugged again, trying to make it sound like something completely normal. "I just want us to be present, in mind. That we're not just discussing the logistic of the kids and... trust me I don't have any complaints about our sex life… it's just..," he tried to make his point.
"So what you're essentially saying is that you miss me?" Rory suggested hopefully, casting a hesitant smile on her lips.
"Yes, I miss you. I miss time with just you. Talking. And not just about what we are doing or what we want to be doing. I want those conversations that kept us up in Hamburg. I want to explore the world like we explored all the places in London I'd never been to. I want you to want to do projects with me," he explained, expressively.
"You know there's nothing for you to be jealous of, right?" Rory assured, rising to stand and holding his upper arms, assuringly. The kiss with Owen, years ago, seemed to be forgotten, but apparently it wasn't, even though he hadn't made a big deal of it at the time. It was a tiny crack in their joint fabric that made him fearful, even if he always didn't admit it to himself.
Logan was clearly battling something within, and Rory could tell.
"Logan, there's nothing for you to worry about. It was just an idea. If you don't like it, then I won't do it. Besides there's at least half a year until I'll probably do anything," Rory assured.
"And then I'll just be the villain," Logan sighed.
Rory wanted to assure him again that that wasn't the case, but Logan spoke first.
"I put work first. I'm sorry. And now I feel horrible for leaving yet again…," Logan said.
"We've talked about this. Sure, these were not my favourite months, apart like this…," she began. "But you can't beat yourself up for this, it had to be done. We talked about this," she added, repeating what she'd said before. Rory knew that this was largely about him comparing himself to his father again - the absent hours having left a permanent mark.
"I'm not going anywhere, I promise," she added, clinging onto his neck and placing her forehead onto his.
She could see sadness in his eyes. The past few months he'd been lonely, deeply lonely, in London all by himself, despite calling on a daily basis. What he didn't show, was that he was also still damaged by the mugging that had taken place nearly half a year ago. The feeling that someone could just take from him like that, threaten him like that, leaving him far more insecure than he let on.
Rory kissed him, assuring him once more, "I love you," doing the only thing she could think of.