Don't worry if you haven't read Ace is Going to Chilton! While this is the second story of the 'Let's Thank the Vineyard' series, I have included this chapter capturing the important highlights from the first story. If you are looking for a plot point where Logan and Rory get together pretty quickly then I would suggest just starting the series from this story.

However, I would also encourage people to go back and read 'Ace is Going to Chilton' (obviously cause I'm a bit biased) as it goes into all the different dynamics with the characters, as some of these differ from the original series. So it's up to you.

If you are coming from the first story, Welcome Back! Thank you so much for following this series and I hope that you guys are ready for a very dramatic season. You can either use this chapter as a recap or you can go straight on to the first episode if you like, as it has already been uploaded.

Just so people are aware, I do follow the episodes from the original series and so many of the storylines follow on from what happened in the show, it would just depend on the episode.

Anyway here's a quick refresher on what happened in the last story, just to disclaim I own nothing Gilmore Girls related, but I do own all the words that you are about to see.

Previously on Ace is Going to Chilton:

"I'm going to Chilton!" Logan blinks for a second trying to process what Rory just told him, a big smile then breaks out on his face "Congratulations Ror, this really is amazing. Hey look, you're now becoming one of us with your new prestigious school and whatnot". To which Colin pipes in while leaning towards Logan's phone "Yeah not long till we've corrupted you completely Gilmore".

….

Rory sighs looking at Logan, "I know we talk all the time, but it's so much better when you're here. I don't feel like I have to hold back because even the parts I can't explain, you still understand me as you can read me even when words fail"

"That's true, and I get it Ace I do, but I think it will get easier when I'm at Yale next year. I'll be able to visit way more" Logan reasons. Rory agrees with him in his head, but she feels selfish because all she can think about is how that isn't now. After a moment Rory realises that Logan is waiting for her to say something "I can't wait for you to be at Yale" her voice hoarse.

….

Logan then bends down to grab one of the other gifts on the table "This is my actual gift" to which he then hands her a small box.

Rory handles it carefully and pulls at the ribbon that is wrapped beautifully around it, she then pries open the velvet casing and is left gobsmacked by the beautiful silver necklace that she finds inside with a lone pendant on it in the shape of a card with an A on it symbolising the Ace.

….

"Who's Dean?" Logan questions. He then narrows his eyes when Colin looks over at him a bit too quickly when he hears the name.

"The boy Rory is seeing" Lorelai says slowly waiting for an explosion due to the unfamiliarity she can detect in Logan's tone towards the name.

….

"And that's completely understandable" Max agrees with Logan's threat, to which Rory pipes up "No it's not, it's just him trying to give himself self-importance."

"Hey!" Logan protests and turns his attention to her "I have to let it be known to the gentleman in your lives that I will kick their ass if they do something to upset either of you."

….

It is not until two thirds down the page that Lorelai is able to spot what Mr. Peters is talking about.

It reads 'Due to my family name, you would think that I have been imparted with first hand knowledge from many influential individuals. However, it is the likes of an amazing woman known as Lorelai Gilmore that I draw my biggest inspiration. Unlike many around me, I was able to watch as she did the extraordinary thing and walked away from wealth, showing that with perseverance and determination, even when you have to start at the bottom again, you should never sacrifice your morals to be able to gain what you want in life.'

Logan continues with the essay, but Lorelai has to draw a big breath as she becomes teary eyed at this admission.

"Thank you" she whispers while clutching the papers and goes to give them back to him after coughing slightly to try and refocus herself. He holds up a hand to her, "Keep them" he says "I just wanted to show you how much you mean to him."

….

"That might be Josh" Lorelai mumbles, she feels guilty as it was news that Honor had told her the last time they had spoken and she had meant to tell Rory but had obviously got distracted and then forgot.

"Josh, who's Josh?" Rory demands while glancing at her mother, before going back to examine the man, the pair of them laughing at what one of them must have said.

Lorelai gives Rory a nervous smile before answering, "The guy she's been seeing.."

….

Honor tries to refocus the conversation "I really like him, which means that the family clearly has no idea about him, including my brother." she looks at Rory while saying the last part.

Rory puts her hands up in surrender "Hey after the way he was with Dean I don't blame you, so don't worry I won't say anything" to which Lorelai pipes in "Ooh I like the idea that we have a secret that Logan isn't apart of, that boy is always so smug when he knows something that we don't"

….

Dean watches Logan go, he then turns to Colin and comments "He doesn't like me very much, does he?" to which Colin just chuckles in agreement.

"You know," Colin begins, "it's nothing against you. It's because Rory is one of the most important people in Logan's life, if not, the most important person in his life, and so he can be very protective of her." he pauses for a minute, "It will get better, as long as you continue to show how much you care about Rory."

"Right" Dean agrees slowly, "Is he in love with her or something?" he inquires curiously. He's been wondering this since seeing them together yesterday.

"Rory and Logan have loved each other for a very long time" Colin says carefully, skilfully avoiding the 'in love' part, "we have all come to expect the level of closeness that comes between those two, it's nothing new and I advise if you and Rory want to continue with your relationship, that you would find some way to accept it."

….

Lorelai reprimands Logan, "I mean we had a deal, I would always be there for you, as long as you are honest with me. It isn't even that hard of a rule, how can you expect me to be able to protect you and look after you when I don't know all the information? That's the thing, I can't and so funnily enough mister this relationship only works if you let me in. That means telling me when things go wrong or telling me things that are awkward or uncomfortable. That means…"

"Lor, listen!" Logan begs, "Trust me I would have told you, but I couldn't because Rory was there!"

….

The news of Christopher being Rory's father seemed to be known to the two men in the room, but it is Shira's reaction that shows that not everyone knows the whole truth about the Gilmore-Hayden scandal. "Rory is a Hayden?" she shrieks.

….

"Lor come on" Christopher says seriously, looking at Lorelai judgmentally, "I can't be the only one that can see that that boy is in love with our daughter!" he exclaims.

….

"Oh come on Huntz, are you really going to play it off like this? You were clearly jealous of Dean when he first entered the picture, it even created a barrier between you and Rory, and then as soon as she had any trouble with Lorelai or even Dean himself, you were right there offering all this support. You also seemed a bit too happy to be the shoulder to cry on, if anything you reveled in the feeling of Rory wanting you and only you, opening up about things she wouldn't tell anyone else. And don't get me started on your whole freak out about her doing anything with any other guy. I mean she's sixteen for Christ's sake, she's allowed to have sex if she wants to!" Colin rambles passionately, taking a deep breath after that impressive rant before saying, "You may not realise it, but you want both the emotional and the physical side with Rory, you just don't recognise it as you've never wanted that from any other girl before,"

….

"The Huntzbergers are Yale men aren't they?" the oldest Gilmore woman questions the blonde boy. "Uh...yes, they have been for quite a few generations" Logan replies slowly, not sure of where this is going. "And you yourself are planning to go there next year?" Trix inquiries. "That is the plan," Logan offers.

"You see," Trix booms, "This boy understands family loyalty. Rory, you should follow his lead" ….

"So has anything changed between you and Rory to make Colin bring this up?" Honor inquires.

"Uh...no" Logan says unsure and then rolls his eyes at his sister's persistent gaze, "I mean since Colin and I argued, I may have noticed small things about Rory, like how good she smells, or how close we sit next to one another, or how I accidentally kissed her on the cheek only just missing her mouth when dropping her off today, but I would put that down to Colin words getting to me more than anything else"

….

"Why do you think the rent was so low when you first took on the house you are in now?" Mitchum asks her, "I bought it so that you could have a rent to buy contract where you weren't salvaging money every month" he explains. Lorelai's gobsmacked face indicates that she had no clue about the exchange. She starts to stutter a response, but Mitchum holds up his hand, "Don't worry, you still paid full price when you actually bought the property a couple of years later."

….

"That gesture was a long time coming and you completely deserved it. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Shira and I are the best parents in the world, but I have you to thank for how my children have turned out. So to me, paying a small lump sum on a property like that barely scratches the surface of what I should offer you." Mitchum rationalises.

….

"When you're in love with someone" Logan says wistfully, " I would hope they would be the person that you feel so closely linked to. You would go to them with anything that's on your mind. You would never feel judged by them, but at the same time, you would do anything to make them proud every day. You try to show your love in everyday things, not just the big gestures because that's what they deserve. But most importantly, they consume you, I don't mean that you start stalking them or something, I mean that they become a factor that you think about when you make decisions. A person to miss when you aren't together, and you enjoy every moment that you get to spend with them. Never ceasing in conversation and always astounded by their sheer brilliance and radiance. To me, this is what being in love is"

….

It is at that moment that Logan realises, 'Holy shit, I'm in love with my best friend'

'I'm in love with Rory Gilmore!'

….

Looking at the bracelet actually prompts Rory to get up from her bed and make her way over to her jewelry box. It is there that she picks up the necklace that Logan had gifted her on the same day Dean had given her the bracelet.

She strokes the pendant carefully, awed by the thought that he had put into the present, to which Rory is reminded that Logan is always so considerate. The young girl is then slipping on the necklace and is comforted by the weight of it. She absentmindedly grabs hold of the pendant again, and is met with a warm feeling in her chest.

….

When Tristan just looks at her, she reiterates the question to herself more quietly, "Do I want something to happen with Logan?"

Going through her thoughts, Rory then tries to answer Tristan, "I mean the guy's my best friend, he's always there for me when I need him. He's the first person, besides my mom, who I go to with anything. In some circumstances, I even tell him stuff that I can't say to my mom and that's a big deal coming from a Gilmore girl. It's just, I never feel judged by him, like I knew he wasn't happy about the Dean situation but he still made sure that he was someone I could turn to if I ever needed to talk." she gives a small smile as she remembers that conversation, Tristan is just relieved that she finally took a breath, "It works both ways though. As soon as something good happens I want him to be the first person to know, I mean he was the first person I called to tell about this school. We just get each other, you know? Like we always have something to talk about and he always has such good ideas…" It's at this moment that Rory realises how much her ramblings sound like Logan's explanation of what being in love means. She had meant for her rant to show why she and Logan were not meant to be, but somehow she had ended up registering what everyone else could see.

Rory therefore finishes the parts that she missed from his definition, "I love every moment that we get to spend together and I miss him when he's gone… Oh my God!" she exclaims at the end causing Tristan to smirk at her.

….

Dean pipes up, "So, how have you been? How's school? And your mom?"

Happy for something else to focus on, Rory eagerly answers, "Yeah I've been alright. Uh...school's good, I mean as good as Paris allows." this elicits a chuckle from Dean, "and Lorelai is as crazy as ever." she adds at the end.

"Good. That's good" Dean repeats jokingly. Rory can see that Dean is trying to make the conversation less awkward. However, it just shows that the dynamic of their relationship has changed and through this, she is assured by her decision about moving on. While they have easily slipped back into casually chatting, she still sees it for its face value of simple small talk. Rory knows it's wrong, but at this moment she compares the conversation to all the different ones that she has had with Logan. Every single time, she finds that she always prefers the discussion that she had had with the youngest Huntzberger compared to Dean, no matter if it was even a disagreement or an argument that they had been having.

….

"Okay babe," the older Gilmore brings Rory's attention back to her, "I think there is just one question that you are going to have to answer." Rory looks at her mother expectantly, "Are you in love with Logan Huntzberger?"

The younger Gilmore considers this question for a moment, taking out all other thoughts about the technicalities and consequences. She then answers her mother truthfully.

"Yes, yes I am."