Chapter 89

December 23rd, 2021

It was a morning without the Hello Kitty alarmclock sound. The cool contrast between the outside and the temperature under the covers felt sharp, but just the kind that made one just snuggle into one's pillow more and reconsider the need to get up time and time again. It felt like a holiday. It was only then the realization that it really was one hit her.

What Rory was surprised by as things begun to make a little bit more sense was that unlike her usual position right of Logan, she woke on the left side of the bed. She looked at either side of her, but instead of finding a messy hair of blonde to whose chest she would've liked to snuggle into just for a minute longer, she found a smaller messy hair of brown, Em having claimed her former position in bed. She wondered where Logan was, but as her eyes noted the time - 10.36 AM, she really wasn't too surprised that Logan was no longer in bed. She could only hope this development had been something that had happened in the morning not in the middle of the night, being completely unaware what time Em had crept into their bed.

Her third thought concerned the fact that she couldn't quite recall having put on clothes last night. But she had - at least she was wearing her t-shirt, and if she reached down to check - panties too. Thank god! She could only hope Logan had not been caught butt-naked by Em, but somehow she believed Logan would've made sure of that, considering his worry last night.

It was the next moment as her phone let out a small beep, indicating an incoming call, the ringtone being the one she used during night time from a selected list of numbers - close friends and family. She reached out over Em, involuntarily causing Em to stir but not wake. It was no wonder the girl had slept late, considering it had taken a while to get her to bed in the first place last night.

"Yeah?" Rory picked up her phone in whisper.

"You're really serious about this!?" Paris spoke in an agitated, but not in a huffing, tone. That tone was the norm she expected from Paris, knowing it was just the normal register of her voice.

"Um…," Rory hesitated, her brain being too cloudy to just grasp what Paris was talking about, and pulled hastily on a robe, making a quiet exit. The hallway had already a lingering smell of waffles - definitely not a bad scent to wake up to, explaining well where Logan was.

"New Years Eve…," Paris filled the gap.

"Oh yeah, I mean yeah, I'm serious. I thought we could all use a night out, do something different," Rory explained. She'd texted yesterday during the drive over to Paris her suggestion about getting together with a bunch of friends in Hartford for a night out. She'd been thinking of taking the group to Queen Victoria that was doing a big cabaret, just for fun, maybe booking a table at one of the whiskey parlors and topping the night off with some poker, which she was sure the guys would love. She'd been energized just by thinking about, having not felt like partying much in the past years besides Em's birthdays. In a way she figured it could serve as a celebration of their engagement too.

"But really - Tristan? Are you trying to get me to have another anxiety attack? Remember what happened the last time I thought I saw him?" Paris continued.

"Don't you think you were just overreacting a little that time? You had classic imposter syndrome, you self-diagnosed yourself later, remember? It wasn't a good year… surely you'd feel better if you just got it over with. He really wasn't anything like he was back in high school, he's grown up. And besides, you used to be good friends before it ever got awkward, right?" Rory continued, leaning her back against the white painted wood-paneled hallways wall.

"This is not some elaborate attempt to try something between the two of us is it?" Paris accused Rory, recalling Rory speaking about how Paris could probably use someone more permanent in her life after all these years the last time they'd hung out.

"I wouldn't be inviting him probably at all if he wasn't friends with Logan. Colin and Robert already told me they have their own plans so it just makes sense to make it a bigger crowd. Finn's coming, you two can even drive over from the City together if you want, but I'd count on being the one to drive back the next day, knowing Finn. Lane and Zach are coming too. I promise, it's going to be fun!" Rory encouraged her.

"I'll think about it," Paris replied, still sounding a little unsure. But Rory had a good feeling she'd end up coming despite her hestiance. Besides, she knew Doyled had the kids for the New Year's.

"Just think of that time when Terrance told you you needed to put yourself out there…," Rory encouraged, teasingly.

"And look how well that turned out," Paris complained.

"Not half bad as far as I recall...," Rory chimed in on a positive note. While Paris saw Doyle's existence as an annoyance these days, a crack in her otherwise straight-as-an-arrow path to success, Rory had always envied what they'd had, even if it had come to an end. But so did half the marriages.

Rory felt Logan and her were bulletproof in a way. They'd already been through so much, but despite everything still kept each-other in their hearts. She could only hope they were far from such scenarios and that with the bi-weekly therapist's appointments and doing things more knowingly their odds were good. But she had to admit that this was the first time in her life that she was actually nervous about wanting to do well. The only things she worried about concerning their relationship were the external factors - the curveballs life could throw at them - work or family for example.

It was then Rory heard footsteps approaching from the stairway, and she assumed it was Logan, and said her goodbyes to Paris, agreeing to talk soon again, not bothering with 'Happy holidays' as it wasn't Paris' thing.

Logan approached with cup of coffee in his hand, his own robe hanging loose on his shoulders, much like his Butch Coolidge outfit except in calmer, light, colors, which was an unexpected flashback.

"Thank you," Rory replied with an appreciative smile, accepting the coffee cup, its steam still visible, and enjoyed the way Logan's arms slipped around her.

She blew on the coffee, and took a careful sip.

"We didn't nudge you out of the bed did we?" Rory asked, worriedly.

Logan chuckled lightly. "No," he replied. "I just heard her come into the room and you were sleeping in the middle of the bed anyways so I just scooted over a bit more. I'm not sure if she even noticed me," he explained. Em had simpley snuggled, looking almost completely asleep, into her mother's side, not causing a big shock for the girl by his presence.

Logan hadn't been able to go back to sleep after that though, being a little concerned about this whole new situation. Despite feeling uplifted about Em having admitted to liking him, he was still pretty scared of screwing it up. But he wasn't going to worry Rory with this.

"Mom!?" was the next sound that distracted them, and Logan's immediate response was to take a half a step back and tie the robe around him, having not bothered earlier.

"I'm out here, baby," Rory called out, and took a step back to peek through the door.

"Why don't you two go have waffles," Logan suggested generously, not bothering to mention that he'd made a whole selection of toppings, including whipped cream by hand, having not dared to wake them. "I'll go grab a shower and get dressed," he added, nodding his head towards the bedroom, as Em, her bed-hair and all, emerged from the bedroom with a large yawn.

"Good morning," Em mumbled, and hugged her mum's hips.

"Hey, there," Logan greeted her, while Rory slid her palm over the girl's messy hair. And it was in that moment when Logan first felt something for the girrl, who was like the extension of her mother, looking so much like her. It was not that he just wanted her to like him, and not to screw anything up. But he realized that loving Rory these days was loving the two of them as one. He wasn't quite sure if he could call it love yet, the fatherly kind, assuming that was something that needed to develop, naturally, but he did really care, making him almost regret the plan on going by Jess' request on his arrival.

Logan pushed the thought aside, wanting to respect Jess and differentiate between their different positions in Em's life, and excused himself to go take that shower. He'd figure out the balance in time, he was sure he would.

Em and Rory headed downstairs, the delicious scent of waffels blending with the scent of coffee from Rory's cup in her hand.

"Logan made waffles," Rory told Em, but as if on cue, as they reached downstairs, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Rory figured it was probably just one of the deliveries that she was expecting, having ordered a bunch of Christmas decorations to be dropped off that day. She pulled her robe around her body tightly, expecting it to be chilly outside, and opened the door.

But the sight in front of her made her mouth drop, speechless, only Em's happy squeal, "Grandma Lorela," filling the house. There her mother was - her rolling suitcase next to her, definitely looking like she had left in a hurry, Rory sensing a familiar escaping frenzy in her that she'd seen time and time again. It took her a moment to make sure she was really seeing what she was seeing, but there was no denying - there was just her, no Luke.


AN: A lot of things left hanging in this chapter, I know..

But I am also thinking about setting Paris up with someone - you are free to tell me your suggestions. Tristan, Finn, maybe even Jess? And also... Jess - I want him to find someone, but I am wondering how to do that in an original and at the same time realistic way. Because I don't think he's quite ready for something serious yet...or maybe he is and he's just not showing it. I don't think he'd show up with anyone in Nantucket but in future chapters. What do you think?