Chapter 82

December 19th, 2019

Rory was surprisingly nervous stepping into the ceremony hall at Chilton. The room was decorated in rather unoriginal red, green and white holiday themed banners, paper fans, honeycomb paper balls and balloons. Some of it was leftovers from the student's dance they'd had last Friday, some were fresh additions. She'd only been working a couple of months at Chilton with a permanent work contract, having just substituted and done a few in-depth literary seminars until then, and truth be told, she'd been so wrapped up with her prep-work that she'd hardly made acquaintances amongst the other teachers. She'd barely made it to lunch on most days. Even her mother kept nagging her to try to make conversations with some of them, and now here she was - her first time being at a faculty Christmas party, as a teacher, a single parent, a person attempting to make new friends at 35.

Even her red shirt dress, once her lucky dress, that she'd dressed up with jewelry wasn't giving her the boost of encouragement she felt she needed right now. She was still feeling like an imposter in a teacher's position, not quite believing she knew what she was doing. And she was still finding her leverage to being single too, Jess being just on the verge of moving out permanently.

"There you are, Rory darling!" one of the teachers she actually knew, Nora Duncan, one of her grandmother's D.A.R darlings from years ago, who'd retreated to teaching history again after her husband passed, exclaimed, approaching her.

"Hey, Nora," Rory replied, friendlily.

"Now what are you doing here all by yourself, I thought you knew this was a plus one event. Otherwise we'll just end up dancing with each other by the end of the night," Nora chuckled in her British accent. She was still just as bubbly as Rory remembered, and in that sense Rory could tell that she fit well in a classroom.

"What are you going to do - it's just me," Rory shrugged, innocently. Jess was babysitting and not exactly a candidate to bring to something like this anymore, and it was not like she would've brought someone new, a date, to these things out of the blue either.

"Oh, young thing like yourself," Nora continued to blubber, and went on about how if she were her age she would be dating her way through the society circles, which she was already happily introducing to her. Rory knew that the woman was dying to set het up. Thanks to the D.A.R connection Nora also knew that Rory had a baby but never married, which in her world spoke enough without definition that she was never going to marry the baby's father.

Nora continued to introduce Rory around the room of people Rory had seen around school, spoken to a few of them, and most of them just seen at general assemblies or knew by reputation. There was Mr. Mcquire - a classic over-timer, who the students always whined about at recess. Next was Ms. Johns, who taught natural sciences and had a bit of a former hippy look to herself, she talked fast and seemed to the activist of the group - but just too darn preppy for Rory's energy levels. Mrs. Dupont, a French teacher, was the one people referred to as the lazy teacher, without those specific words. He was the one who more than than not resorted to showing students classic French films or reading entertaining French literature, some very much borderline inappropriate, but once it came to drilling his students before finals he knew exactly what to do. There was Hanlin of course, who took over introducing Rory to a few more teachers - Mr. Oakley, a teacher that looked as despot as his reputation preceded him and Mrs. Hartman with her girlfriend, a fellow English teacher Rory already knew best.

There were a couple of people she still hadn't seen, or at least didn't particularily recall - a sturdy man in his 50s, whom she later learned from Nora was called Mr. Underwood, a P.E. teacher, who actually kind of reminded her of Zachary Levi with his height and features, minus the beard. There were a few more younger female teachers with their plus-ones, husbands by the looks of them, and several approaching retirement. It was a pretty big school.

Rory snacked at the home-made puff pastry, skewers and hummus, an drank the boxed wine, which was surprisingly tolerable, continuing to politely nod along the stories the others told each other.

A couple of people joined them a little later, one of them Amy Mahoney, a math teacher who was known as a bit of a celebrity in school - the one who put technology into good use and somehow still managed to come off as trendy, up to date and popular in the end, along with a teacher she hadn't seen before. The man who'd come in with her looked a little like Nicolas Braun - tall and sort of… French... if she were to stereotype.

Rory realized that she must've spent the past few years watching way too many movies, hardly going out at all, between studying, working and babyminding that she kept comparing men to actors or making her muse if the name reminded too much of one or the other series she'd recently watched.

The evening continued with some party games but this meant that Rory was teamed up with Mrs. Hartman, her girlfriend and the mystery man. Rory got to impress them with her knowledge of 80s movies by guessing the emojis listed. She soon also found out that the Nicolas Braun look-alike was a teacher here through teacher exchange and taught art, which explained why Rory hadn't seen him much as the art class was located at the other part of the building accessed through the courtyard. His name was Gabriel Serre, confirming his French connection, though he really was from Montreal. Was it too cliche to like him a little?

They continued with another ice breaker, having to tell two truths and a lie to each other, out of which Rory chose to tell them how she'd once traveled by plane four times in a day (truth), how she'd met Barack Obama (truth) and how she'd skydived, not putting in that much effort into the latter. She did know enough people who had, hence she found it easy to describe.

She was kind of relieved to stop talking when the music teacher put on a standard Christmas playlist and suggested people dance a little. She was a wallflower for quite a while, nursing her wine, already kind of plotting her exit the minute the clock was nine thirty, planning on making some excuse about having to relieve the nanny. She really was in no hurry as Jess was sleeping on the couch that night, one of the last nights he'd be staying over.

"Care for a dance?" Gabriel asked her, when Rory had been five seconds away from opening up the book she'd brought, Jacqueline Woodson's 'Red at the Bon' in some quiet corner.

"Me?" Rory responded, in disbelief. She hadn't really even gone all out that night, and she certainly hadn't planned on this to become an evening for actually meeting someone. She'd worn minimal make up, and her hair was just straight, about shoulder length at the time, feeling like she'd cut it a little too short that summer - her break-up hairdo, which could've gone better.

"Yeah you," Gabriel assured.

Or maybe she just looked like easy pray? She didn't even really care.

The playlist began playing The Drifter's version of 'White Christmas' which proved to be an interesting combination of funny and a few slower moves. And Gabriel certainly knew how to lead. Rory was never very good on her feet - feeling clumsy and most often stepping on the guy's feet, but this guy managed to make the dance enjoyable enough that they danced through the next song too - Kurt Elling's 'Cool Yule'.

There were a few more obligatory games, some more dancing, and a little too much of the boxed wine.

Gabriel wasn't the only man Rory got to dance with that night, the older gentlemen getting a little more courage as the night went on, but soon realized Rory really wasn't much of a dancer. But it was Gabriel, who she kind of felt a little something with - some hint of tension that she hadn't felt in a while. At least she hadn't allowed herself to feel that with Jess in a while.

The time was just past nine thirty, and Rory hadn't even realized it, as she was finally having fun. It was closer to ten when Rory slipped out a minute after Gabriel to explore the art class after he'd suggested it, in which she hadn't been since she'd studied there, making sure she wasn't noticed. She didn't even know what came over her - it was not like thinking clearly-headedly she would ever have considered hooking up with someone at the faculty Christmas party, but obviously she wasn't that clear at that moment. She kept telling herself this was innocent and she genuinely just wanted to go see the art class, Gabriel having told him how the place had been remodeled during the summer.

Gabriel had an old-fashioned record player in the classroom, and he put on one of Jean-Michel Blais' records, some instrumental classical music Rory wasn't quite sure what it was called, definitely creating an interesting mood.

It was kind of romantic even, the moon illuminating the otherwise dark classroom, as the two leaned against the window sill, taking hesitant steps towards each other, Rory giggling a little nervously.

"So you're definitely leaving to Montreal...," Rory felt she needed to ask, after some more small-talk, Rory reminisced about what the classroom had been like back in the day just minutes ago. That was the only thing that made her consider this - she wasn't going to have to see the man around school next semester.

"You want to get rid of me already?" Gabriel asked, huskily.

"No, but you know…," Rory felt she needed to explain, "I don't do this usually," she added, humbly.

"I don't kiss and tell," Gabriel shrugged his shoulders and at that note made a very smooth move to kiss her mere seconds later.

Rory had needed that kiss, that touch at her cheek, her waist, and more... more than she'd realized. A little forbidden, something a little bad for you in theory, doing this at school property and all, not thinking entirely clearly. But the surge of the physical touch did invigorate her, telling her how she was more than just a mother, more than just a teacher - she was a woman too. Feeling that surge gave her some hope that her life wasn't over just yet.


December 17th, 2021

"Logan's here!" Lorelai called upstairs to Rory, who was still getting ready to head out. It was like a scene from some alternate reality - Rory still living at home, and Logan picking her up for a date, or even weirder - for prom.

But this wasn't the crap shack, but Rory's own home, and Lorelai had come over to babysit.

"Five more minutes," came a shout from upstairs.

Em was cuddled up in a comforter at the couch, not paying much attention to Logan other than the casual "hello", and Logan was just sort of left there waiting, while Lorelai was pouring the popcorn into a large bowl, based on the overwhelming scent that invaded Logan's nostrils.

"So, everything's working out for you, Logan?" Lorelai asked, catching Logan a little by surprise as he observed the cartoon on the TV from behind Em, secretly wondering whether the kid was just tired or whether there was actually something to Rory's concern that the girl hadn't commented on her mothers engagement with not so much as one word the entire week.

Logan wasn't even sure if Rory had told her mother, but he kind of assumed she had, but was determined to not let it slip on his account.

"Can't complain," Logan replied, following it up with a polite, "You?" in return.

"Work's alright. Luke's - you know, a stubborn old man" Lorelai said half-jokingly.

Logan wasn't sure if she'd said it because of what Luke had said to Rory or just as something casual, but to not spoil the mood nor go into it in front of Em, he didn't really comment on it.

"Hey," Rory exhaled, as she came down the stairs, certainly dressed up for the occasion.

The Teri Jon dark metallic midi by Rickie Freeman was probably fancier than one was supposed to wear to a faculty Christmas party, but over the years Rory had learned that many of her fellow teachers didn't really hold back either, several older teacher discussing at lunch how it was their one time a year they didn't have to worry about what their adult children thought about their outfits. So she was used to seeing glitter, high slits and other brave, but not tacky, choices from the ladies. And treating this was a worthy cause to dress up was kind of like showing some solidarity in that sense.

Rory wore a pair of black ankle boots, comfortable but still sexy, her hair was pulled up into a semi-casual loose textured bun, a pair of simple white gold stud earrings adding the final dot on the i.

"Hey," Logan said, his appreciative graze speaking for itself already. But nevertheless, he said it - "You look beautiful."

"Wow, you really did go all out, didn't you," Lorelai commented along, not hiding the fact that this was the first time she'd seen her daughter so dressd up in years.

Rory's stern, reprimanding, look at her mother's direction didn't go unnoticed by Logan, but it was not like Rory had anything to be ashamed of.

"Your so shiny, mommy," Em said, climbing out of her comforter and walked up to touch the texture of her dress, having not seen it before.

"I kind of am," Rory chuckled, and thankfully ran her hand over Em's hair.

It was in that moment Lorelai noticed the ring, having before indeed not gotten a chance to notice it.

"Is that?" Lorelai mouthed, almost completely inaudibly from behind Em. Clearly she wasn't unsure if they'd presented the news to Em yet.

Rory nodded and smiled, Logan witnessing the wordless but brief conversation.

"Wow, congrats" Lorelai mouthed, but for once Logan couldn't read anything negative from her.

Logan held back the wide grin that wanted to form on his face, not to outright feel like he'd burst from happiness, and continued to get Rory's coat and held it up for her to put on.

"I'll talk to you later, mom," Rory promised, and crouched down to hug Em goodbye.

Logan led Rory out the door towards his car, deciding to be on his very best society behavior tonight - opening doors, offering his arm, leading her with his hand on the small of her back - all these tiny gestures that Rory had once already gotten so used to around him.

"You know this is kind of the closest I've ever gotten to a prom-like setting?" Rory mentioned, as Logan parked his car at the Chilton parking lot.

"I know," Logan admitted. He'd been unsure whether to bring it up, or perhaps that would've been too close to a Jess-related memory. "I kind of got you this," he suggested, and opened the armrest compartment, exposing a corsage. It didn't scream 'prom', by being something big and flashy. It was just a pearl-accented flower bracelet with small white roses, which could've actually just worked as a bracelet which was why he'd though it'd might work.

"You're kidding?" Rory burst into laughter. It was laughter of contempt or ridicule, far from it - she just couldn't believe he'd actually remembered and thought of it this way.

"You don't have to wear it, just a thought," Logan shrugged, and smiled.

"Of course I'll wear it. I think it's adorable," Rory sighed, and attempted to attach it onto her wrist which was a little tricky because of the coat.

"Here, let me," Logan offered, and made sure the connector was secured.

"Thank you," Rory said, quite liking this little detail, and kissed Logan.

They got out of the car and made their way inside, Rory having already prepared Logan in advance that there might be a few people that knew him inside, D.A.R. circles ran tight unfortunately, but he'd offered to accompany her nonetheless.

The music teacher had changed since two years ago and the current teacher was actually very good at making party playlists, having on top of his classical schooling D.J-d weddings for a living during his college studies. And this was interestingly proving to be yet another interesting event by his selection of 'The Christmas Song' by the Raveonettes as they approached the ceremony hall with a certain childish excitement.


AN: the dress is real, if you want to have a peek. And the last part of this is to be continued.