AN: Thank you all for the encouragement. I am bummed that we are reaching the end of this story, but I'm also excited and as I mentioned, it will leave me open to a sequel. So please, read, review, enjoy. And know that my other authors in the fandom who you know I adore are super busy and working their butts off to get quality content out to you guys, so be patient with all of us. I will also add, for the next little bit I will not be "rotating" through my stories, this means you may get multiple chapters in a row of the same story. I'm just going to go where my muse takes me. Happy Labour Day weekend!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls

Chapter Nineteen

Rory looked at him, her feet frozen in place as she listened to him. "Logan…no," she told him, closing her eyes and shaking her head as he spoke. "I cannot do that. It isn't fair, and it isn't fair to her. Everyone would be looking for us to throw down or rumble or have a catfight. I don't know, something dramatic…"

"Do you plan to throw down," Logan used air quotes around the words, "with my ex-wife at Lily's dance recital?"

"No, I don't, but…god…how do you have a meeting? How do you have a meeting that I don't have if it is so important?" She countered even though she knew that as CEO and President there were plenty of meetings that were incredibly important that she was not privy to. It was the middle of May now and things had been progressing smoothly. The kids had been getting along well, and while there had been no more blowups between Logan and Noah, Rory had noticed that her daughter had shown a bit more interest in Wes whenever he happened to be around. He however wasn't around often, or wasn't around while Emma was often because Noah had seemingly morphed into big brother mode overnight trying to run interference. "Is Abigail bringing her boyfriend?"

"You mean Tom Hanks?" Logan grinned. He knew it was childish but he still found it hilarious that has wife had upgraded with Tom freaking Hanks the baby doctor. "Look, I know it's not what we had planned, but if you take the car, go pick up Em at school, I will drive there and be there as soon as I can. Then tomorrow we have dinner at your grandparents, and Emma is spending the weekend?"

Rory nodded her head, apparently this conversation was as good as over. She knew it was. She knew that for all she might be stomping her feet, she would go and behave appropriately for the sake of Emma and Lily and of course for Abigail. The truth was, it was selfish of Rory to even spend a moment thinking of her own feelings on this encounter. Rory had created this awkwardness, not Abigail. So the fact that Abigail had graciously encouraged them to come said a lot about the woman. "You owe me," Rory walked towards him and kissed him gently. "Tomorrow."

"Yes dear," Logan nodded as he watched Rory walk out of the room, her high heels clipping on the floor beneath her.

Rory made her way to the elevator and to her office, "Parker," she exhaled. "I am leaving, can you forward me any calls? I will be back in the office in the morning, and you and I have lunch," she continued. They were supposed to have had lunch twice in the last two weeks but both times had been cancelled, once because Parker had wedding stuff to do, and the other time because Rory had to have an impromptu meeting with her lawyer.

"We don't have to do lunch," Parker told her.

"Parker…you get married in two weeks and you are off in a week. We are having lunch and it will be on company time and company money and we are going to enjoy ourselves. Understood?"

"If you insist," Parker smiled widely. "I forgot to ask, how did things go with the lawyer?"

Rory shrugged as the pair walked into her office and Rory began packing her things. "Dean is doing well…he wanted things to be reviewed earlier, but…we talked about it and we decided no," she explained. She was proud of the progress Dean had made, but it was still too soon for her. She wasn't willing to take a risk with her daughter. She would take a risk on the stock market, she would take risks with herself…she couldn't do that with her daughter. "So we've got another three months until we are back in the realm of considering him having unsupervised visitation."

"How do you feel about that?" Parker asked. He didn't know exactly what had happened between Rory and Dean but he knew something had happened and he knew that he worried about Rory and Emma both.

She shrugged her shoulders as her purse went up on her shoulder. "He is her Dad. I would never want to keep her from him…I've had to, but I hope he is going to keep doing better and maybe one day this will be a non issue…or less of an issue. I don't think it will ever be a non issue. It's one of those things…you can't unring the bell. He," she licked her lips, "he made some really poor choices and I can give him the benefit of the doubt to try to get help, but it will never not have happened. You just can't go back."

"I'm sorry," Parker exhaled. "That you guys have to deal with this."

"Don't apologize Parker," she told him seriously. Rory didn't want anyone to have pity on her. She knew that she wasn't responsible for Dean and his behaviour, but she did have some responsibility for how they ended up where they were. "I made mistakes, and…well…with hindsight, I would do a lot of it differently. And for starters, that would be being smart, like you and not getting married fresh out of college, experiencing life on my own… the list goes on." Rory walked to the door and smiled at him, "see you tomorrow."

Rory walked out of the office and to the waiting car. She was relieved that she knew Emma would be attending this and therefore her daughter had appropriate clothes to change into at school. Rory was stuck wearing the draped silk dress she had worn to work that morning, and while it was nice, and it was certainly expensive…she wasn't sure how she was going to fit in here. Rory picked up Emma and the two caught up on their day on the 40 minute drive to the theatre where the recital was being held. Rory's stomach was in knots as they walked up the steps. They weren't late, they were right on time, but Rory wasn't exactly sure what the protocol was as she saw Noah, his mother and an unfamiliar man. The last time Rory had seen Abigail she had long blonde hair, hair that she could and would effortlessly tie into a knot on the top of her head…this time though it was short. Rory was instantly a little bit envious of the fact that Abigail could so easily pull off the bob she was now wearing along with a red lace top, Rory knew from a recent shopping trip to Neiman Marcus that it was Valentino and a pair of dark jeans that it looked like she had painted on. Abigail looked stunning.

"Mom, there's Noah," Emma tugged at Rory's arm, "we should go say hi."

Rory cringed inwardly. Obviously Emma was incredibly aware of the logistics of the affair for Rory, Dean and her, but she wasn't nearly as aware of the logistics on the other side of it. "We'll go say hi, but Noah is with his Mom, and we don't want to bug them." They walked slowly towards Noah and Abigail, Rory had no idea what to say when they got there. She was relieved when Emma simply launched into conversation with Noah as if they hadn't seen each other just a few days earlier. "You look amazing Abigail," Rory smiled after the women had said hello to each other, "your hair is shorter? Did you cut it?"

Abigail nodded her head and smiled politely, Rory noticed the enormous diamond studs in her ears and suddenly was very aware of her own naked ears. "I actually donated it to this cause that turns it into wigs for cancer patients. My…well, Tom, the man I'm dating, he's around here somewhere, but he's a paediatric oncologist so he got me involved in it," she explained. "I mean, I can just grow it back and it'll be a nice fresh look for summer. The new me," she smiled politely. "I love your dress. Did you just come from work?"

"I did," Rory nodded. "Did Logan get in touch? He said he would call. He got stuck in a meeting, so he'll be here soon."

"Well it wouldn't be the first recital he has missed for things coming up at the office," Abigail told her pointedly as the dark haired man Rory had seen before walked up and looped his arm around her waist, "Rory this is Tom Hanks, he's my boyfriend. Tom, darling, this is Rory Gilmore. She and Logan are seeing each other."

"Nice to meet you," Tom extended his hand to Rory who shook it politely. "Our Lily was pretty excited to have your daughter come. She speaks so highly of her."

"Thank you," Rory smiled, the first genuine smile since she had arrived, "Em, this is Abigail, you remember, Noah and Lily's Mom, and this is her boyfriend, Tom…he's a doctor."

"Hi," Emma smiled awkwardly, "I like your shirt," she looked at Abigail.

"Oh thank you," Abigail responded warmly, "I haven't seen you since you were just a little girl. I'm so thrilled that you and Lily have each other. Tom is right, she has been so excited that you were coming today. I know she'll be disappointed that her father is delayed, but having you here will make all the difference," Abigail paused and looked at Rory, "both of you."

"Abigail before things start," Rory exhaled and then they were interrupted by the lights flashing to indicate it was time to take their seats. "Or maybe after…I would really like to talk to you."

Abigail pursed her lips and smiled, "why don't we go sit down?" She suggested, "you and I can talk another time. Not here, not with," she looked around them, "all of the eyes."

"Of course," Rory nodded, "we'll," she looked at her daughter and nodded, "find a seat."

"Don't be silly," Abigail smiled, again, it was a genuine smile. It was a woman who was trying to do the right thing for the sake of her daughter, "sit with us. We'll save a seat for Logan on the end so he can sneak in."

"You're sure? It's really no problem for us to just sit…" she vaguely gestured as they began following the crowd into the auditorium.

"It's best for Lily," Abigail stated simply.

The group of five walked and found seats, Rory was thankful that Noah and Lily were at least between the adults, and Tom was on the other side of Noah so there was more of a barrier. She appreciated Abigail though, her grace, her willingness to put everything else aside for the sake of her daughter even though this must've been terrible for her. Of course Rory knew that Logan had missed recitals in the past. She hadn't known when it was happening, but she had found out after that more than once he had been late to those events in order to spend time with her. To think that he had missed out on something like this for his own daughter to simply get time with her…it wasn't something shew was proud of.

Rory was thankful when Logan managed to arrive before Lily went on, he missed a few performances, but it wasn't like he was really looking to watch other kids dance. "What did I miss?" Logan asked as he slipped into his seat and gave Rory a kiss on the cheek. He had managed to secure a dozen roses on his way over and Rory had to assume its was Jenna who made that happen.

"Lily is in two more," Rory told him, "say hi to Abigail. Her boyfriend is here. Tom."

Logan leaned forward and hissed quietly at Abigail to get her attention, they both waved at each other and then Logan made eye contact with Noah who looked genuinely happy to see his father. "I swear, hockey is more fun," Logan whispered to Rory who did her best to keep a straight face and her eyes on the dancers in front of them. "Oh come on," Logan whispered with a playful tone, "I am way more fun to talk to…"

"Stop it," Rory told him sternly, the same way she had when he had tried to play footsies with her in a meeting a few days prior.

Logan relented and paid attention to the dancers. It seemed to take forever for Lily to be performing, but once he saw her, his entire face lit up as he watched her dance. He reached for Rory's hand and gave it a squeeze as they watched and at one point made eye contact with Abigail who was visibly emotional watching Lily. Maybe it was how well she danced, maybe it was how happy the little girl looked, or maybe it was that this was the first thing they had truly managed to do together as their little modern family. When the recital ended and they all filed out, Logan introduced himself to Tom who seemed like a good guy. He really seemed nothing like Abigail's type from what he had known, but maybe that was the point. She probably wanted the opposite of Logan Huntzberger, and the dark haired, olive skinned, baby doctor certainly fit that bill. Logan stood proudly as he waited for his daughter to come out and he was relieved when Lily's first stop was with him, "you did great Lily bean," he presented her with the flowers and Lily grinned widely. "Thank you for coming Daddy, and Rory," Lily looked at Rory with the same big smile.

"This is my first dance recital," Rory admitted. Emma had never danced. Swim meets she had been to dozens of, but this was a first for her. "I was very impressed."

"Where else would I be?" Logan hugged her once more, "go say hi to Mom and your friends."

Lily smiled once more and then turned to find her mother. Noah and Emma were talking a few feet away and Abigail and Tom had put some distance between themselves, Rory and Logan. "So," Rory smiled, "you made it."

"Sorry I was late," Logan kissed her temple. "You know how it is."

"I do know how it is," Rory exhaled. "I also cannot believe that it's almost the summer," she continued, "I am very much looking forward to being off with you for a bit."

Logan grinned, "I'm looking forward to it too. Two weeks at the Vineyard, it will be perfect."

Rory nodded her head as Logan pulled her in for a hug. "You should ask Lily what they're doing for dinner tonight. Maybe you can join them? Em and I can go back to the city, you can hang out with the kids?"

"You sure?" Logan swallowed. He had become a lot more comfortable with spending time with just his kids in the past couple of months, and while he had become more comfortable with it, his kids seemed to become more and more comfortable with being with him and Rory. It was one of the many things that Rory had obviously been right about when she was making suggestions.

Rory nodded her head, "I think it would mean a lot to Lily."

"What about Tom?" Logan grumbled loud enough only for Rory to hear.

"He seems nice," Rory challenged him, "he's smart, obviously…the whole doctor thing. He's very good looking, he seems nice and your kids like him."

"Good looking? Really?"

"Oh you never though Abigail would end up with a guy who didn't look like he was fresh out of a GQ spread, did you?"

"I mean, one can hope. I obviously upgraded," he added, he didn't want Rory to think he was jealous, he wasn't, it was just strange for him. He knew that the strangeness was hypocritical as he stood there with his own girlfriend. "But she could've downgraded. I run newspapers…he saves children!"

xxx

"Are you sure this is alright?" Logan looked down at himself as they stood in front of Emily Gilmore's home.

"Can you change anything about it now?" Rory asked him seriously, putting her hands on his shoulders and giving him a quick kiss. He was wearing khakis and a polo shirt, he looked more than fine for Friday night dinner, but he had gotten himself worked up the entire drive to Hartford. "You look fine. You don't have to worry, and I will mention, you asked to do this."

"Well I couldn't make the birthday party," Logan referred to Lorelai's birthday party a month prior where he was called out of town three days beforehand. "I have an Hermes scarf for your grandmother and a wallet for your mom."

"You don't need to buy their affection," Rory told him, "just relax."

"Emma is already inside?"

Rory nodded and put her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to calm him down, "Emma is inside, it is fine."

"Ok," Logan nodded. "I don't know…I don't know why I'm nervous. I just…"

"I get it," Rory told him. She had seen his sister a few times and while she didn't think that Logan would break up with her because of disapproval, it made things easier when everyone got along. The pair walked to the door and Logan leaned forward to ring the doorbell. He was pleasantly surprised when Emma swung the door open, "hey kid," Rory smiled.

"Hey Mom, Logan," Emma grinned, "come on, Grandma won't stop talking and grandpa says he's going to leave her here if she doesn't keep quiet."

"Sounds like Grandpa," Rory laughed and led Logan into the living room. "Grandma," Rory kissed her grandmother on the cheek once Emily had passed Lorelai and Luke their drinks. "So nice to see you, you look beautiful. You…you remember Logan Huntzberger?"

"Why of course I do," Emily smiled and kissed his cheek politely. "I do understand my granddaughter has been living with you for nearly six months so I suppose it is about time we see each other properly, wouldn't you say Rory?"

Rory grimaced at the comment, "we've had very busy schedules," she explained, "and with the kids and everything else…we're very sorry Grandma, but I can assure you that Logan has been itching to get over here."

"Well hopefully that itch can be treated," Lorelai chimed in and interrupted the awkward moment, "Lorelai Gilmore," she extended her hand to Logan, "mother of this dazzling specimen that you are…seeing. And this mighty fine, not itchy at all creature," she nodded back towards Luke who was now glaring at her, "is my husband Luke Danes."

"It's really nice to finally meet you," Logan kissed Lorelai on the cheek and then shook Luke's hand, "like Rory said…between work and our work trips and the kids and their schedules, sometimes it can be hard to get everything in."

"Of course a man like yourself, running such a large organization…your time is precious." Emily walked back to the bar cart and directed her focus to Logan and Rory, "what can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have a white wine please," Rory smiled at her grandmother.

"A scotch would be great Emily. Thank you." He watched for a moment while Emily poured the drinks and waited for her to sit down, "I actually brought you both a gift. Sorry Luke, I wasn't really sure how interested you would be in the places I went in Paris."

"Probably right about that," Luke nodded.

"A present?" Lorelai put her hand on her chest and grinned, "for me?"

"Well I missed your birthday, and I know Ace here told me that she put my name on a card, but I was very sorry I couldn't make it," Logan handed Lorelai the impeccably wrapped box and then turned to Emily, "and thank you for having me today. I…well, I can understand that this has been a tough few months on everyone."

"Thank you Logan," Emily took the box and smiled, "it is very gracious of you to think of us."

"Can we open them?" Lorelai grinned.

"Not now Lorelai," Emily gave her daughter a look somewhere between frustration and disgust, as though her daughter hadn't been raised to know the appropriate time and place to open a gift. "Well, how was the drive? It must be awful having to get out of the city on a Friday night? And picking up Emma in Long Island…"

Rory shrugged her shoulders, "we left work early and took Logan's car, worked from the car…managed to get here on time."

"Well that must be convenient. Working in the car…your grandfather wouldn't even be able to imagine that. Lorelai do you remember when Digger used to take calls from his car? Your father was absolutely appalled. Now here you are telling me that you can just work from a car. Like we're living in the future!"

"You know Mom, I'm sure if Dad were doing this, you would be ready to kill him because he would never stop working," Lorelai countered. "Remember how mad you used to be when he would take calls through dinner?"

"Well that would just be poor manners," Emily bristled.

"Unfortunately for our line of work, the news never sleeps," Logan admitted. "But I think we're getting better at the whole leaving work at work thing, wouldn't you say, Ror?"

Rory nodded and shrugged her shoulders, "the better judge of that might be Emma…"

Emma glared at her mother for putting her in the spotlight, "you don't work late as much."

"Well it also helps that she's - " Lorelai began and then cut herself off, "not got as much of a commute," she changed her course on what she was originally going to say.

"Yes, the lack of commute certainly helps," she admitted. "Did I tell you guys we think we've found a new place that we like?" Rory changed the subject, "we are going to see it again tomorrow. We went with the kids the other day."

"It is absolutely absurd how long it has taken the two of you to find a place that is large enough for your family. And what if you decide to have more children, what will you do then? You couldn't possibly live in a three bedroom."

Rory felt her cheeks flush and Logan's face went white as a ghost as he heard her. Rory immediately looked at Emma who looked horrified and then to her mother who looked amused, step-father who seemed disgusted and then back to her Grandmother who seemed completely unaware of why what she had said might have been inappropriate. "We will not be needing anymore bedrooms, I can assure you of that. Other than for guests? I suppose overnight guests. But that would be it. Nothing else happening…here."

"Well you certainly can't be sure," Emily brushed her off. "You'll probably need six bedrooms to be safe."

"Emma, can you please go to the kitchen and get a soda," Rory gritted her teeth, "now!" Rory waited until Emma walked out of the room and looked at her grandmother. "Grandma," she exhaled, "I would really prefer if we did not discuss Logan and I having more children in front of Emma."

"So there's a chance?" Emily looked at Rory with a grin.

"No, there is no chance, for multiple reasons, none of which I am looking to discuss with you, or tonight, or near my daughter."

"I'm going to check on Emma," Logan stood up a moment later and by the time he got to the kitchen which Rory had pointed to, he could hear louder and louder voices, "hey," he smiled as he saw Emma sitting at the island in Emily's newly renovated kitchen. "That was weird."

Emma nodded and took a sip of her Coke, "is it mean if I don't want you and my Mom to have any kids?"

Logan shook his head and sat down next to her, "no, it's not. But…the truth is, your Mom and I aren't going to have any kids. We have kids. We have three kids and we're happy like that."

"You're not just saying that?" Emma asked.

Logan shook his head, "why would I lie about it? I mean…we've been living together for a bit now you and I, and I think we get along, right?" Emma nodded and smiled in response, "so lying to you…and lying to you about something this big…it would destroy that trust. I don't want that. I want us to get along. I want you to trust me."

"I trust you," Emma nodded. "Do you think they'll stop fighting soon?"

"They're not fighting," Logan assured her despite the still raised voices, "they're just…passionately giving their opinions."

"That is what my Mom used to say when my Dad would yell…"

Logan felt like he had been punched in the fut. Emma had made so much progress with her counsellor and by having healthier boundaries with her father. One of the most obvious signs of that progress for Logan to see was that Emma willingly talked about living with Dean and some of the difficulty, and she also talked about the progress that Dean seemed to be making during their supervised visits. "Well, I promise they aren't fighting. Your Mom is probably just telling them not to talk about her and I having another kid because it's awkward for you, and it's awkward for me, and it's awkward for her."

"Do you think you and my Mom will get married?" Emma asked him. "I mean…you've been together for a while, right? Like…when you were both still married…"

Logan took a moment to gather a response. He wished he had brought his drink with him, but that ship had sailed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I mean…your mom is still legally married, so that slows things down. What do you think about us getting married?"

It was Emma now who took a moment to think, "would it change anything? I mean…I think a long time ago, before they got married…my parents loved each other."

"You don't think they loved each other while they were married?" Logan asked. Sure he knew that things had been rough for a while, obviously he knew that, but he also had known Rory for long enough to know that there was a time when she had been in love with her husband. "I've known your parents for a long time, and I know that things got complicated and…foggy there for a while, and I know I had a part in that, but Emma…there were happy times too."

"I guess," Emma shrugged. "So you don't know if you want to marry my mom?"

Logan nodded his head, "I don't know if we want to get married. But I know that we're happy, and I know that we love each other, and we love our kids and that isn't going to change if we get married. We want to spend the rest of our lives together."

It was a moment before they were interrupted by Lorelai poking her head in the kitchen, "coast is clear. My Mom has promised not to talk about reproductive organs for the rest of the meal. Come on Emmie."

"Thanks," Logan smiled as the pair got off their chairs and followed Lorelai. For her part, she mumbled an apology for her mother and by the time Logan and Emma returned to the room, Rory was talking about the apartment they were seriously considering buying. "Did she tell you about the squash courts?" Logan interjected when the opportunity arose.

"There are squash courts?" Emily looked absolutely amazed, "in an apartment building? I've heard of them at private residences, and of course in those condominiums in Los Angeles and Florida…"

"Believe it or not, buildings in Manhattan do have amenities," Rory laughed. "We all really liked it, right Em?"

"You should see the room that would be mine. It has its own bathroom and a big closet, and it is right across the hall from the room that Lily would have."

"Well that will be fun for you two," Emily nodded, "and Mom would have a closet that is bigger than my room at Dad's house."

"It is not," Rory shook her head, "but it is big," she admitted.

"Well have you had someone do an inspection on the unit? I remember your grandfather used to have horrible stories about people not getting work checked…"

"We don't own the building grandma, just the interior. I can assure you the work is up to snuff."

"And how many bedrooms?"

"Five," Rory answered, "there is plenty of space for everyone. I think the kids really liked it?"

"Yup," Emma grinned.

"And will you have a cohabitation agreement? Am I allowed to ask that? I mean, after everything else that has gone on I would think it is prudent…"

"Yes Emily," Logan spoke when he saw how visibly annoyed Rory was, "we will have something drafted to protect our interests moving forward."

"Does buying this new asset impact anything else?" Emily asked pointedly, obviously thinking that Emma wouldn't know that she was thinking about the divorce settlement.

"Nope," Rory answered, her voice firm in hopes that Emily would drop it.

"Well that sounds lovely. When would you move in if you get it?" Emily sensed that she had overstepped again and reigned it back in.

"Hopefully a month or so, maybe less. It's…well, it's vacant and so we could get it pretty quickly. Then I would sell the place we're in now."

"You wouldn't keep it as an investment?" Lorelai asked. She really didn't know much about real estate, but owning property in the Upper East Side certainly sounded like a smart investment, at least that is what Million Dollar Listing New York had taught her. "I mean…I'm no Ryan Serhant, but I think there is like…a rental market or whatever?"

Logan looked at Rory and shrugged, they hadn't really thought about it but he supposed that was an option. "I'll have to look into it, but…you're right, it's probably an idea worth pursuing."

The rest of the evening went well. There were uncomfortable moments which was to be expected, but even if Rory hadn't exactly been rushing to have this gathering, she was glad it was done, and she knew that it gave Logan a sense of comfort in terms of their relationship. Emma was spending the rest of the weekend with Lorelai and Luke, it would include a supervised visit with Dean as well, and Rory and Logan would get to enjoy their first kid-free weekend in a while.

"What time do we go look at the apartment?" Rory asked as they walked into their apartment and she put her purse on the counter before searching the fridge for a piece of cake that was leftover from Emma deciding a couple of days earlier that she wanted to make a cake.

"After lunch," Logan answered vaguely as he joined her at the counter and smiled as she offered him a forkful of the chocolate dessert. "We just ate…"

"The cake will go bad…well…not bad, but stale. It will be stale and no one likes stale cake."

"We could freeze it?" Logan suggested only to receive a look that was somewhere between confusion and disgust. "Or we can eat it…even though we're not hungry."

"You know," Rory leaned forward and kissed him, a bit of chocolate cake remaining on her lips, "you would think you hadn't known me for years based on how shocked you still are by my eating habits."

"I just keep hoping they'll change and stop looking like that of a college boy and start seeming like the kind of food a human eats…"

"Who are you kidding," Rory joked, "Finn never ate like this."

"Finn has a very refined pallet."

"And so do I," Rory punctuated her last statement as she popped another bite in her mouth. "And I say let them eat cake."