I Think You Broke Him – Chapter 4 – First Leg of the Journey

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Not mine, just amusing myself. I promise to put them back when I'm done.

A/N: More fluff and happy shiny moments. Mostly background info. And I'd like to thank my aussie beta kylie1403 for making sure I didn't make Finn and family into laughable sterotypes. tips hat Thank you, dear.

Despite her moment of panic, Rory was able to get everything together and packed with plenty of time to spare. The call to Lorelai had been full of gushing proclamations, rants about time constraints, threats and promises.

In truth, Lorelai was very excited for Rory. She had all the help she needed to plan the wedding. She figured that holding it at the inn would simply things, and it had. She, Sookie, and, yes, even Michel, worked so well together running the Dragonfly that planning her own wedding went just as smoothly. The added bonus was that she knew exactly what she wanted and was very determined to get it. Besides, Rory would be back in plenty of time for all the last minute preparations.

The flight to Sydney, despite its length, was quite comfortable. Finn entertained her with stories of his friends and family. She was glad to get the background information since she was going to be meeting them very soon. The storytelling was broken up by reading, napping and card-playing. They managed to pass the time easily, as couples in love tend to do. They had actually enjoyed the uninterrupted time together. They didn't get that very often.

When the plane landed, Rory was still trying to shake off the dregs of sleep from her mind. Finn had told her earlier that one of his sisters was to pick them up from the airport. She wanted to be awake and coherent when she met the first of Finn's family.

They made it through customs with little trouble. Now they just needed to find Finn's sister.

"There she is. Meg!"

She turned when she heard her name called. She waved them over to the little area she had staked out while waiting for them. She stood as they approached and gave her brother a bear hug.

"Rory, I'd like you to meet Meg."

They exchanged the usual pleasantries of first meetings. Both had heard so much about the other that they were very excited to finally see the other in person. Meg had brought coffee and snacks for the travelers.

"I figured you'd need the boost after the flight. Rory, I'm so excited that you're here. I've wanted to meet you since my big brother first told me about you."

Finn glanced at Rory and smiled as his sister babbled on.

"Well, come on you two. Let's get your stuff to the car. Everyone's waiting."

Meg grabbed a couple of bags and took off in front of Finn and Rory. Rory grabbed her bags and skittered ahead to catch up with Meg. She had been nervous up until she'd met Meg. Now she was excited. The chance to get all sorts of blackmail information on Finn was too good to pass up.

Finn shook his head as the two exchanged stories about him. Despite carrying two bags apiece they had managed to link arms. He had to smile. Despite the potential trouble this could cause for him, he was very happy to see them getting along.

Of all his sisters, he was closest to Meg. They were only 18 months apart. Despite his young age when she was born, he'd always taken his big brother role very seriously. As they got older they'd banded together against their older sisters. They were loving, but nosy and bossy, and Finn and Meg worked as a team.

Callie and Marsha meant well, but Finn and Meg had lots of fun tag-teaming against the older duo. They stuck together, and when Celia came along they shielded her from the two oldest, as well. That wasn't necessary, it seemed. Celia was the baby and everyone doted on her. Which, in truth, drove her crazy, but she took it all good naturedly. Despite being the baby, she was the most level-headed of the bunch.

Normally, the role of mediator fell to the middle sibling. However, as they got older, Celia began finding herself in the peacemaker position. It was odd, but then so was her family, so she just accepted it. It was easy. She had them all wrapped around her finger. She knew where all their strings were, and she knew just how to pull them; she'd do anything to keep the peace.

Although, at this stage of their lives, it was usually about matchmaking schemes, or keeping mama off their backs about various issues. They were all very busy, but they managed to make time for the family. Sunday dinner was attended faithfully every week.

The only one missing was Finn, who did his best to call when he knew they'd all be around. The time change killed him, though. Luckily, he was usually up partying or with Rory late on Saturday nights. He'd find a quiet spot and speak to each family member in turn.

They'd been looking forward to having him there in person, and he was happy to be returning, as well. He was also excited that Rory had agreed to come with him. He wanted for her to see where he was from and meet his family. It was the same as her bringing him to Stars Hollow. And as far as that went, his family was capable, on a much smaller scale, of course, of exhibiting the same manic craziness that the residents of Rory's hometown regularly displayed. In his family's case, it was due to being a large wealthy family that enjoyed thumbing their noses at what was considered polite and acceptable.

For instance, despite Finn being the only boy, he was not the one that was set to take over the family business. That responsibility was Callie's. She'd spent many happy hours visiting her father at the office when she was young, and she'd never wanted anything other than to follow in his footsteps. Marsha ran the family's vineyard. She had learned everything about that business from her mother, who had stepped in to run things when her own father had retired.

With both family-run businesses well taken care of, there was no pressure on Finn. He was more than welcome to help his sisters, of course, but he was free to pursue his own interests. Compared to the expectations some of his friends back at Yale lived under, his circumstances were ideal. His one effort to follow a family tradition was in his decision to attend Yale. His father and grandfather before him had attended as a way to continue Finn's great-grandfather's legacy.

"You're awfully quiet, big brother. What are you thinking about?" Meg had noticed Finn staring out the passenger window. As they made their way through traffic Rory drifted off despite the coffee and excitement of being in a new place. Finn and Meg had chatted a while before Finn's mind had wandered.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing really. Just thinking that it's nice to be home. It'll give me a chance to catch up, see some old friends, intimidate your boyfriends," he trailed off as he leaned back in his seat and looked sideways at his baby sister.

Meg laughed before she answered her brother, "What makes you think you'll even have the chance? You know one of the reasons I'm happy you brought Rory with you is so you'll mind your own business this visit. God, Finn, the last time you came home you scared off three different guys. I'm hoping this time that you'll be so busy with Rory that you won't have time to worry about my love life."

Finn grinned sheepishly, "Don't worry, kitten. I think on this trip, the only love life I'll worry about is mine." With that, he slipped into the back seat and pulled Rory into his arms.

"Gilmore, wake up. We're almost there," he whispered into her ear.

She blinked and her eyes widened as she woke up.

"I fell asleep? You let me fall asleep?"

"Don't worry. You looked like you needed the nap."

"You ready to meet the rest of the family, Rory?" Meg asked from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I think so," she answered as she smiled bravely for Finn's benefit.

"Don't worry. They already like you. Your only worry should be exploding from the amount of food they're going to push at you. Mom's been baking for three days. When Finn told her you liked pie, she went nuts."

"There's pie?" Rory perked up as Meg pulled into the driveway. Suddenly her nerves left her and her stomach growled. She looked over at Finn with a glint in her eye. "Just show me the way home, honey."

Finn laughed at her Top Gun reference and helped her out of the vehicle. They smiled happily at each other as they walked hand in hand up the path to the front door.