Chapter 38 Santa is bringing Ms. Lessa coal in her stockings.

After the kids finished wrapping presents, they all sat down to watch a movie. They watched a Miracle on 34th Street on Disney Plus. About mid-way through the movie, they had to pause it. Billy was calling. He and Melissa talked with the boys for a little while. Rory was listening. She had warned Billy about Melissa's attitude about the twins. While they are on the phone with Billy, Lorelai and Luke show up.

After a few snacks, they resumed the movie. Lorelai wanted them to start it over, but Rory vetoed it. "Mom, you are welcome to watch it from the beginning after the boys go to bed." Rory told her

"No Nana, you have to go to sleep when we do," Will said.

"Why do I have to go to bed? I want to stay up all night." Lorelai said with a chuckle, winking at Rory. Chris stood up, "Nana, you can't. Santa Claus won't come if you are awake" Chris looked like he was going to cry.

Logan picked him up and put him in his lap. "Hey, Nana is just playing. She will go to sleep. Santa will come." Then he whispered in his ear. "I think I may have some fairy dust. I will sprinkle her with it so she will go to sleep."

Chris smiled. "Yeah"

"Okay, now that that is settled, Nana will go to sleep. Let's finish watching the movie before it is too late. We still have to set out the cookies and milk for Santa." Rory said as she un-paused the movie.

Rory and Logan were downstairs playing Santa after everyone was asleep. Rory had stockings to fill for everyone that she thought would be coming tomorrow. She had a few extra in case they had stragglers. Logan was getting the Big Wheels out of the office. He had spent a good hour or so putting them together. Logan stepped back to look at the room. The tree was overflowing with gifts.

Rory was still stuffing stockings. "Logan, you need to drink the milk and eat some cookies," Rory told him.

"I would rather drink Scotch. I'm sure Santa would too."

Rory walked over to the plate of cookies and grabbed one as she sat in Logan's lap. "Are you Santa?"

"Ace, I will be whoever you want me to be." He said as he reached up and kissed her.

"EW" they both turned around to see Lorelai standing at the door.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Rory asked.

"I have come to fill stockings," Lorelai said, very proud of herself.

"Mom, I have filled all the stockings. Why don't you wait until we come to your house on the 26th?" Rory said.

Lorelai pouted. "I guess that is a better option."

The next morning, Rory was up early. The boys are still young, but they know not to go downstairs without an adult. She got up and put on her robe. She grabbed a book off her nightstand that she had been reading and sat in her chair by the window to read. She only read two pagers before she heard the boys getting up. She was not sure which one woke first, but she could hear the excitement in their voices. "Logan, time to get up. The boys will be in here any minute." Rory said.

Logan opened his eyes. "What are you doing over there?"

"Waiting for the boys to get up. I have already text mom and Karson. I'm sure one of them is making coffee as we speak." Rory told him. She smiled when she heard little feet on the hardwood floors. Then a small knock on the door.

Before she could answer, Chris said, "Knock harder, like this" KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Come in boys. What's all this commotion about this morning? It is way too early to be up." Rory said with a smile. Both boys came in and jumped on the bed.

"Logan gets up. I think I heard Santa Claus last night. I heard his reindeer on the roof. You didn't forget to put out the fire in the fireplace did you" Will asked.

"Okay, I'm getting up. I'm sure Santa came." Logan said as he sat up on the side of the bed. He had slept in his pajama bottoms, so he got up to get a tee shirt about the same time Lorelai came busting in the door without knocking.

"Woah. Are we doing a striptease?" She asked

"No, I'm just putting my tee-shirt on so we could go down to see if Santa left presents or coal in the stockings." He told her

"Well, I know for a fact that there are presents under the tree. Santa ate all the cookies and drank all the milk." Lorelai said as they were leaving the bedroom to go downstairs with Logan and Rory right behind them.

"I left some cookies; I didn't eat them all" Logan whispered to Rory. She just shrugged her shoulders.

To say the boys were excited would be an understatement. After an hour of playing with the toys that Santa left, Rory told them to come to the kitchen for breakfast. Poppy had been cooking for a while.

After eating breakfast, they went back to the Christmas tree to open presents. Mostly the adults present. Logan got Rory an 18-inch Rose Gold Divas' Dream Necklace from Bvlgari and a Happy Diamonds Joaillerie watch from the Chopard collection. Rory and Logan got Lorelai a grandmother's ring with the twins, and Ashleigh birthstones, and a Blue Sapphire Infinity Swirl Pendant with Diamonds and matching earrings. Rory got Logan a Cartier Ballon Bleu De Cartier Yellow Gold Watch and Creed Aventus Men Eau De Parfum Spray Tenth Anniversary Edition. Logan and Rory gave Luke a Shimano Stella SW Spinning Reel and a Custom Helios 3D 908-4 Artist Collab Fly Rod with a bonefish cruising across the grip. Karson got several items for her Jeep. She got a couple of gift cards to buy her some clothes and Rory and Logan agreed as part of her Christmas, they will redo her apartment in the basement.

Rory suggested Logan help Will and Chris facetime Billy while she and Lorelai picked up the sitting room. Luke was in the kitchen cleaning up and Karson was in her room packing. She was going skiing with some friends for a couple of days.

Rory was telling Lorelai about Shira when Will and Chris came running in yelling. "Mama, Nana, Logan is on the phone with Lessa, and she is yelling. He told us to come in here with you." Both boys were talking over each other.

"Hey," Lorelai said as she grabbed the hands of both twins. "Everything will be okay. Mama will take care of it. You stay with me while Mama goes to see what is wrong" Lorelai told them as Rory left the room.

"What is going on?" Rory asked as she entered the playroom.

Logan held up his hand for Rory to stop. "Melissa, you are blowing this out of proportion. That is not what I said." Logan was talking to Melissa. Rory could hear Melissa answer, but could not understand what she was saying. She stood there waiting. The more she waited the angrier she got. She was not sure why she was getting angry. Logan's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Okay, just have Billy call when he gets back" and close the tablet.

"Logan, what is going on?" Rory asked.

"Billy was not there." He told her.

"You were face timing on his phone. That is the only number for him that the boys have on their iPad." She explained.

"I know. Melissa answered and Will asked to speak to Daddy. Melissa made a smart remark about them talking to her first. Will in turn said, 'Merry Christmas Ms. Lessa'. Melissa mumbled something about my name is Melissa. By this time, I stood up so she could see me. Before I could say anything, Chris said, 'I want to talk to my daddy'. He said it kind of loud. That's when Melissa started yelling, calling them brats and spoiled. I told the boys to go find you. I calmed her down. Billy is not at home. He had a flight last night. She said that he had just landed and would be home soon. She said she had Billy's iPad because hers got wet. I explained to her that she shouldn't be yelling at the boys. I think I made her understand that she was on thin ice with us. She said she will have Billy facetime them when he gets back."

"When he calls, I think I need to talk to him first," Rory said. "I don't think she likes the boys. Billy and I are going to talk before he spends any more time with the boys" Rory and Logan went back downstairs. Lorelai and Luke were helping the boys put together some of their toys.

"Daddy will call you when he gets home. He was at work" Rory told the twins.

"At work. But it is Christmas." Will said.

"I know, but sometimes he has to work on Christmas." Rory told him as she and Lorelai exchanged looks.

It was still early. They were not expecting guests for the open house until 11. Logan told Rory that he was going to visit his mom, but he would be back before the open house. Rory and Luke started making snacks and finger foods to set out for the guest.

Logan returned with Honor in tow about 10:45. Honor told Rory that her crew would be here shortly. Logan went to kiss Rory, then asked if she talked to Billy.

"Yes, I will explain later. The boys talked to him for a good while, showing him what Santa brought." She said, Logan lifted his eyebrow. "I said I will explain later. But the jest of it is Mom and Luke will keep the boys while we are on our honeymoon. Billy agreed."

"Okay, you can tell me about it tonight. I am not trying to rush Christmas, but I cannot wait for our wedding."Logan told her.

The rest of the day had friends and family in and out of the Gilmore Manor. The boys were having a ball playing with what Santa brought. The adults enjoyed each other's company. Mitchum showed up with Jessi. Logan and Honor were enjoying getting to know her.

After everyone left and the place was cleaned up and back to normal, Logan and Rory were lying in bed. "Ace, are you going to tell me about your conversation with Billy? I can tell that something is bothering you. Is it him.?" Logan asked

"I don't know. He told me that Melissa was not there. That she was at her brother's house. He told me that she had a miscarriage and things had been tense when he left to take the flight. She wanted him to stay, but Billy has always been the kind of man that worked on holidays so that his employees could be off." Rory told him. He could hear the worry in her voice.

"Okay, but how did all that turn into Billy not coming to keep the boys for a week while we are on our honeymoon. I was counting on Billy flying them to meet us in California so that we would not have to wait to see them." Logan said thinking out loud.

"I'm going to ask Mom and Luke if they want to join us at Disneyland. I will ask my dad if they can use his plane. I'm sure it will be okay if it is not being used." Rory told him.

"Okay, now back to why Billy is not coming to stay with the boys?" Logan asked.

"Billy said there is a lot of tension between him and Melissa. He said he is sure that they are finished. Donald Trump needs a pilot for a couple of trips. He asked Billy. I think Billy is getting ready to sell. A job as Donald Trump's pilot would be great. I would be less stressed. Billy's oldest son does not want anything to do with Greene Charter. He is living in California going to school. I told Billy to get his life together. He was either going to be in the twin's life or not. This in and out will not happen. I told him that I would not let it happen. He told me to give him some time and he will get back on track."

"Well, I don't want to overstep here. I mean I am not even the stepfather yet, but if he wants to give up his parental rights, I will adopt in a heartbeat." Logan told her.

Rory snuggled up closer to Logan. "And that is why I love you so."