A/N: Sorry sorry, I know it has been way too long since I updated, but it was really hard for me to get this chapter just right. I hope you enjoy it and as always please please please review, and thank you for everyone who has reviewed so far!

Chapter 22

Rory looked around the room; everything looked perfect. The table was set with deep golden yellow china with a thin brown line around the rim, the crisp white napkins had a simple wooden ring around them, and the silver was polished so well that you could see your reflection in the spoon. The centerpieces were gorgeous; the florist had really outdone herself on the cornucopia and the large wooden candlesticks with simple orange candles completed the look.

She had just checked with Rita and dinner was right on track to be ready at 4:30 and the first of the appetizers were coming out of the oven and getting ready to be served by the wait staff. She had decided to go with a full hour of drinks and appetizers before dinner and went very traditional in her choices of sides and dessert; Rita made an Apple, Chocolate, and Pumpkin pie for dessert and Rory couldn't stop thinking about how delicious they were going to be.

She should be happy, she should be excited to have her first thanksgiving in her home with all her family and friends; but she was sad. She was sad that her mother wasn't going to be there with her to share in this occasion. She couldn't remember a time in which they didn't spend this day together, in many ways this holiday was more important than Christmas when she was growing up considering the love affair she and her mom had with food. She thought back to the year that they had four Thanksgiving dinners and for the first time, it didn't make her smile, it made her sad.

She reached for her phone and without thinking she dialed the number that used to be so familiar but had become less familiar in recent months. It rang twice then went to voicemail. She heard her mom's goofy voice in the greeting prompting her to leave a message; instead, her pride swelled within her at the fact that she had been sent to voicemail and instead hit the little red button and threw the phone gracelessly down onto the table next to her. With a huff and a swift hand through her hair she was determined to not think about it. She looked to her right and saw the kids table, sitting there looking exactly like the main table only miniaturized and that brought a smile to her face. Her mind started to wander about how it would be once the twins made their arrival and her house really started to become a home; she really couldn't wait to meet her beautiful little babies. She took one last look around the dining room and then turned swiftly to head up to start getting ready; after all, her guest would be arriving within a few hours and pregnancy was already slowing her down.

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Lorelai was rushing around trying to get everything ready at the Inn for the big Stars Hollow Thanksgiving dinner. This year was going to be one of the biggest years yet and it was being hosted at the Dragonfly Inn; while she was very excited about Thanksgiving, because hello, Pie, she was also struggling with not spending it with Rory.

She still felt guilty for turning down Rory's invitation to dinner at her house; but she just couldn't bring herself to go there and pretend that it was okay with her that Rory was becoming everything that she had ran away from. It was hard to see her turning into everything that Emily had wanted her to be from the time she was born, everything that she had sworn off. Lorelai knew that Rory seemed happy, and that was the hardest part, that her daughter who she had tried to raise in a simpler world away from all the high society drama was happy right smack dab in the middle of it all. She should have known that Rory couldn't keep one foot in and one foot out forever that eventually she would have to choose; but she had hoped that she would choose different.

As she was heading into the kitchen to check with Sookie on some last minute details on the food, she felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket. She pulled out her phone and saw Rory's name and face flashing on her screen; she started to answer it, but then decided she was too busy to deal with either a guilt trip or an argument so she sent it to voicemail instead. She bounded into the kitchen with a fake happy smile and pushed down the pang of guilt she felt and instead poured herself a cup of coffee and started finalizing everything with her eccentric best friend.

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Rory was just putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard the doorbell ring followed by the unmistakable voice of her Grandmother floating through the house. She smiled to herself before walking down and greeting her.

"Good afternoon Grandma how was the drive?" She asked, as she walked into the room "Not too much traffic I hope."

Emily smiled at her beautiful and very pregnant granddaughter and walked over to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek "As good as one can expect. People in this state really don't know how to drive and the traffic was insufferable; never mind all that though, I am here now and in desperate need of a martini." She walked into the front room and to the drink cart and started mixing herself a drink. "You look radiant my dear, absolutely radiant. Pregnancy looks good on you." Emily continued, not missing a beat as she prepared her martini.

"Thank you Grandma" Rory smiled and unconsciously reached down and rubbed her very large stomach. "I feel like a house, but I am sure that by the end I will look back on these times with fondness and wish I were only this size again."

At 28 weeks pregnant with twins, Rory looked the size most women with only one baby look at their 8 month mark, but she held it almost all in her stomach with her arms and legs remaining lean; although she had quite a bit more junk in her trunk to even out the very large belly on the front.

"Well you carry it well, I am sure any woman who sees you is insanely jealous of how wonderful you look." Emily continued on.

"Thank you Grandma, I think I just have good genetics, plus all this healthy food that the babies are craving are helping I am sure." Rory laughed lightly. She still couldn't believe the number of salads and fruits and vegetables as well as baked chicken and fish she had consumed during this pregnancy. She was weary of the fish, but her doctor had assured her that in small amounts and as long as they were well cooked, she had nothing to worry about.

Just then their conversation was cut short by the doorbell, announcing the arrival of the first of their dinner guests. Stephanie and her fiancé made their way into the front room, followed by Logan who had finally pulled himself out of the study where he had been trying to get some work done before the guests arrived. The house quickly filled as all the guests arrived; on cue, the extra wait staff began serving drinks and appetizers.

Finn came bounding over in his typical fashion and engulfed her in a hug "Hello Love! Don't you just look absolutely ravishing, all glowing and full of mommy to be essence." He leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek then turned to Logan "And Logan, old chap you did quite a fine job with our reporter girl here! I can't believe we are going to have two of your offspring gracing us with their presence in just a few short months." He tipped his champagne glass back and downed the last bit of the delicious nectar within.

"Finn, it is my pleasure as always to have you in our humble abode. I do hope you enjoy the salmon puffs, they are to die for." She laughed at their eccentric friend.

"I'll say, I already did Love, and you are most certainly right, they are absolutely divine. Now please tell me that there will be a beautiful red head in attendance for me to declare my undying love for so that I can hope to be half as happy as you and my best mate here." He looked at her with what one may describe as a pouty face, but it was hard to keep a straight face while looking at him, let alone actually feel pity on him.

"I tried mate," Logan said while slinging his arm around his friend's shoulder "but alas, the ol' ball and chain here vetoed it." He smirked and pointed toward Rory "I did try and get you a few red heads on the wait staff though."

"I appreciate it mate." Just then a cute redhead walked by holding a tray of champagne and caught his eye. "Oh, hello love, where have you been all my life?" they could hear him professing as he followed after her.

"Some things never change," she laughed as she watched the slightly surprised waitress start to succumb to the Aussie's charm.

"He may eventually meet the red head of his dreams and settle down." Logan could barely suppress the grin as he thought about his oldest friend as a husband and father.

"Yes, I mean the great Logan Huntzberger managed to be tamed, much to the chagrin of socialites and social climbers everywhere." Rory responded tongue in cheek and was met with his laughter and agreement.

Logan and Rory continued their playful banter and started making the rounds, talking with all their guests and Rory receiving many a compliment on how amazing she looked and how much pregnancy agreed with her. Before they knew it, dinner was being announced and they were all making their way into the dining room.

"Oh, look at this! Isn't this just darling!" She heard Shira exclaim as she walked into the dining room. Rory knew instantly that she was referring to the kids' table. "Oh and this table is gorgeous Rory! You really outdid yourself, you definitely take after your grandmother."

Rory swelled with pride, she had put so much thought and effort into the décor of the dining room and was glad to see that she had impressed her soon to be mother-in-law. She locked eyes with Logan and he gave her one of his big smiles that made her heart flutter.

"Thank you Shira, I used the florist that my grandmother always uses for the centerpieces, she did an amazing job didn't she?"

At that point Honor came over and gave Rory a huge sisterly hug "Oh Rory, I just love the kids' table. That is seriously the most adorable thing I have ever seen! They are so excited. You definitely scored cool Aunt points on this one."

Rory looked over and saw Honor and Paris's kids sitting around the table with looks of awe and wonderment at the fact that not only did they have a cool table just like the adults, but also it was in the same room!

"Yeah Gilmore, you did good." Paris piped in in her typical no nonsense and slightly strained voice. "You're really coming into this whole society wife and mother thing. While normally I would say that you're a sellout, in this case I actually agree with your decision." She continued, with her hands in her pockets and her head slightly nodding up and down as she spoke. Leave it to Paris to be blunt and to the point on the newest situation.

"Thanks Paris, your support means the world to me." Rory responded with a slight eye roll and her typical sarcastic tone when talking to her friend of 18 years. Although the beginning of their relationship was rocky, she couldn't imagine life without Paris in it.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, the conversation was lively and she only had to remind Paris to tone it down about 10 times, which really was some type of record, and tell Finn to watch his language and choices for topic of conversation considering kids were present about a half a dozen times, which was also some type of record. Rory wasn't sure what she was thinking putting those two next to one another at the table, but if she were completely honest, the end result was quite amusing for everyone present. At one point she was pretty sure she heard Finn ask Paris if she had ever considered dying her hair to a beautiful shade of red; to which Paris went on a tirade on the beauty industry and society's antiquated opinions on beauty.

She looked over and saw Logan and Colin in a lively debate over the latest stock market trends and the Presidential election; both of them were supporters of Trump strictly based on their extreme dislike of Hilary Clinton. "I'm just saying, I really wish that Romney would have made an effort this time around, he could have easily stolen the nomination from Trump and sealed a win this time around." She overheard Colin say, obviously not happy with the way the election was turning out. "And another thing! I will pay you $5000 if Trump actually manages to pull this win off!"

"I'll take that bet!" Logan egged him on, just trying to get a rise out of him. "And I am sure Finny boy here would love to have a piece of that action as well, am I right ol' chap?"

With that, Finn's head popped up and a look of relief was on his face as he realized that someone had ended Paris's most recent rant that he was on the receiving end of. "Absolutely mate! Whatever it is, I will bet you double or nothing" Finn replied with absolutely no idea what he was agreeing to.

"You got it mate!" Colin replied in turn.

"Okay, okay, I think that is enough politics at the table" Rory interjected, trying to steer the conversation onto a more light-hearted topic. "In fact," she began, standing up and giving Logan a questioning look, to which he gave her a slight nod. "I think I will take this time to thank you all for coming to our first of many Thanksgiving dinners. Logan and I would also like to take this time to announce the names we have chosen for our little bundles of joy that we will all be meeting in just under 3 months."

Logan stood up next to her and rested his hands on her very swollen stomach. "We have put a lot of thought into the names…" he began but was quickly interrupted by Finn.

"Are you naming him Finneus? Because I think that is just a swell name." Paris shot him a look and pinched his leg under the table, to which he jumped and banged his knee on the underside of the table then looked at her "Well that wasn't very nice now was it love? Why would you do that?" He looked at her with his classic pouty face, but as usual it had absolutely no effect whatsoever on Paris.

"Because, you are being an obnoxious ass and this is supposed to be a special moment, now would you please be quiet?" She responded in her typical fashion, not really needing to raise her voice, but still conveying how scary she could be.

"This woman is quite scary Love" he said looking to Rory "Where did you find her?"

"We have known each other for 14 years Finn! We went to Yale together. Gah! You really need to not drink so much." Paris was getting frustrated, so in true Paris Gellar fashion, she took his drink and downed it so that he couldn't have anymore. "Please Rory, continue, I will keep this one in check." She finished with a glare to Finn, who quickly closed his mouth and folded his hands in his lap.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Logan continued "we have put a lot of thought into these names and we wanted to share them with all of you. Our little boy will be Richard Elias Huntzberger, Eli for short." He then turned and looked to Rory.

"And our little girl is going to be Emily Olivia Huntzberger, Livy for short." She looked around the table and locked eyes with her grandmother "We just really wanted to carry on some family legacy with their names, and I couldn't imagine any better names for our son and daughter." Her pregnancy hormones kicked in, and what would normally be a touching moment in its own right was causing her to cry and get those tingles through her whole body.

"I think those are beautiful names dear, and your grandfather would be so happy to hear you were naming your first son after him." Emily was the first to speak and was having the same reaction as Rory. Time was passing so quickly since she had lost Richard, life had just kept going on and new milestones were being met without him, and it just simply broke her heart in two. She knew he would have been ecstatic to hear that Rory and Logan had reconciled and were having twins, and he would have been to the moon knowing that they were naming their son after him.

"Thank you Grandma, I miss him so much, but this way we have a reminder of him always with us." Rory wiped the tears from her eyes and Logan put his arm around her shoulders in a comforting gesture.

Logan looked over and locked eyes with his grandfather and saw the tears in the corner of his eyes. "It is an honor for you to name your son after me Logan." Elias told him simply "I hope I have left a legacy he will be proud to be named after."

"You have grandfather, and I have no doubt that he will follow in your footsteps." Logan wasn't used to these types of emotions coming from his family, but it was definitely something he could get used to.

"Well, with that. I declare an end to our first annual Huntzberger Thanksgiving dinner. Please feel free to stay and mingle, but don't be surprised if this one here" Logan nodded his head towards Rory with a smile on his face "disappears for a little while, apparently making two babies is quite the hard work and she requires naps in the mid afternoon." Logan held up his glass for a toast "But finally, let us conclude with a toast. To Family and friends that have become family. I am thankful for each of you and am beyond happy with the way this crazy thing called life has turned out."

"To friends and family" everyone echoed and drank their champagne (or sparkling grape juice).

The rest of the evening was spent with many lively conversations and laughter and one short nap by the hostess, which everyone completely supported and understood. It was coming up on 10:00 and Rory was exhausted. "Okay everyone" she stood up and rested the palms of her hands on her lower back as she stretched a little, pushing her stomach forward "I love you all immensely and the guest rooms are ready for anyone who wants to stay, but I am exhausted and going to bed. Goodnight, I will see you in the morning." She turned to Logan and gave him a peck on the lips "please get a final headcount and leave it in the kitchen for Rita in the morning, so she knows how much to cook for breakfast."

"You got it sweetheart" Logan gave her a quick kiss on the lips "I will be up in a little bit, but do you need anything right now?" he reached up and rubbed her belly, something he just couldn't get enough of.

"No, I am fine hun, I am just really tired. I will see you in the morning. Love you" She patted her hand on top of his hand and turned to head up to bed; happy and tired and just a little bit sad that her mother hadn't bothered to call her back or change her mind about coming.