Chapter Seven

The Golden Ticket

Dear Wally,

I know I keep telling you this everytime I write to you, but I can't help it. I miss you. I will keep telling you that in every letter up until you are home with us again. Misses Hodges and I have been walking through town almost every night and they're just now starting on the decorations for spring. Mr. Woods, our town selectman, is handling it all wrong. I can't explain on paper what he's exactly doing, but you will get a chance to see it first hand. I know you will. Our son or daughter is getting bigger with each step that I take and each piece of pie that Sandra gives me. I want to make the biggest prediction and guess that over baby is a boy. Misses Hodges and Haley, out newest next door neighbor, have told me often that if I think it's a boy, then it most likely is. I can just imagine him looking like you – with a full head of dark hair and those illuminating emerald eyes. I would fall in love all over again. Come Home Soon, Wally. I miss you.

Love Always,

Elisabeth

In the ten minutes that had passed since Logan had driven them away from the diner, Rory had done nothing but stare at the dashboard in front of her. And all of the time, all she could think about was how this article that she had presented to Doyle and had took her three tries and numerous Gilmore glares for him to say yes to; this article that was due in approximately a week was not even close to being done – even with Logan's help. She had been in possession of the letters for more than a month – Elisabeth had been haunting her since Christmas and they still had next to nothing. Wally, although presumed to be some kind of war hero by all those involved with the letters, was still last name-less and a mystery within himself. Blinking her eyes once at the sound of Logan turning his Porsche's engine off, Rory took a deep breath and was ready to just give up on the article. And she was more than certain that she would be doing fillers and be Doyle's gopher for the rest of her journalism career. Goodbye Christiane Amanpour.

Not quite ready to go inside and get started on that sugar induced coma that she had planned with a dose of Gene Wilder and a bit of Molly Ringwald thrown in just for mocking purposes, she sat in the passenger seat and waited for Logan to make the first move, if he had one. Looking over to her left, Rory peered at his profile, smirking as he crinkled his nose and a more confused expression came on his face. It was a funny expression that she didn't know what was for until she followed his gaze over to the front of Babette and Morey's. And that was all she needed to know before the small chuckle escaped her lips. Even without looking back at him, she knew the one question that was running through his mind.

"36."

Logan broke his gaze from the exterior of the neighboring home to look at her clutching onto her purse with her other hand on the door release. "What?" he asked.

"36," she stated again and smirked over at him, seeing a more confused look on his face. "Gnomes. Would you like formal introductions?"

"Um…"

"Babette has a gnome fetish; has names and pedigrees for all of them," Rory went on, watching as Logan's face got lighter like he thought she was joking again. "I'm not kidding."

"I didn't say you were," he let out a small chuckle as they both started to get out of the car at last, "I just think it's funny that your neighbors are more outlandish than Finn," Logan finished off, catching up beside her as they both ascended the two small steps up her porch to the white house that looked like it had been plucked out of an episode of The Waltons.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Rory muttered under her breath as she swung open the door without digging under the decorative turtle that was only there for decoration and to be their not-so-secret hiding place for the extra key.

Logan didn't follow her in right away. Trying to process her gnome-obsessed neighbor, her caffeine-high mom and leaving door unlocked, he was starting to see the relevance of her outpatient clinic line that she had pointed out before they had left Yale.

"You leave your door unlocked?" He yelled into the home as he entered the home and shut the door behind him, not sure of whether to lock it or not. Standing in the foyer and waiting for her voice to resonate throughout the smaller home built for two, he noticed his surroundings more. This was her home; an actual home. Neither he nor Honor ever had that. Sure, they had a mother, father and grandfather around them, but he would hardly call them parents or their fortress-like mansion with too many rooms to count, a home. Rory had a home – one that he could only dream of. His eyes roamed around the small space to the pictures and mementos that caught his eyes – snapshots of the Lorelai's at parties, outside their home and some mementos from Rory's elementary days. There was a big sheet of green construction paper with her name on it in bright blue paint. Next to her name were a mess of colors that formed into a painting of the house and two brunettes. Logan smiled at the sight and couldn't imagine how like would be if he had grown up like Rory and her mom. It would be different, that's for certain. Sometimes he could imagine it but most time he couldn't. Not with Mitchum Huntzberger as a father. Glancing back towards the opening towards the front hallway, Logan was curious as to where his Elisabeth might have gone.

"You leave your door unlocked?" He yelled again, hoping for an answer this time around and some indication as to her whereabouts in the house.

"It's a small town Logan, the only person who breaks into our house is Kirk and that's all because he has this weird sleep walking syndrome and he breaks into everyone's house."

Logan poked his head around and into the hallway, spotting her frame disappearing into yet another room. Not wanting to lose sight of her again, he followed her into the room and wasn't really surprised at what he saw – Yale memorabilia, books, a tiny twin bed. It all screamed Rory and while not an exact replica of her dorm, was pretty close in likeness. His eyes shifted around and once he spotted her searching through her sock drawer that was bulging at the seems. Stepping lightly further into the room, he noticed that her feet were bare and her skirt had been changed to a loose pair of pajama pants with Curious George™ images floating around the light blue color of them.

"Who's Kirk?" he asked in the middle of his observation.

"Town Millionaire. Don't worry, you'll probably see him tomorrow. I can guarantee it."

"Can you?"

"I can," she confirmed, turning around to face him and pulling her soft curls up into a ponytail all in one movement. She looked relaxed, despite all that had happened tonight. "Want some?"

Logan stopped in his tracks and turned his eyes back to her again from wandering off, relieved and just a tiny bit confused to find her holding another set of pajama pants and t-shirt. Clearing his throat, he had to ask just to clarify everything, "Excuse me?"

"Do you want some? Pajamas? And I already know where your mind went, so let's not get started on that conversation."

"Really, do you?"

"Yes, Logan, I do," the tone of her voice changed and Logan loved it. He loved teasing her, knowing that eight times out of ten it would go in his favor. She dropped the clothes on top of her bed and twirled back around, heading back to that famous sock drawer that held her multicolored stripped toe socks that he remembered seeing her in one day at her dorm. "Do you want them or not?" Her tone again changed to something just around annoyed and he couldn't help but gloat.

"Want what?"

"Logan!"

"Oh, you mean these?" Logan picked up the pair of orange, turtle embroidered pants, pulling them up to his waist to humor both her and him. "I would be risking a lot if I actually put these on Ace."

"Like what?"

"Oh, let's see, like my reputation…" Logan trailed off, foreseeing how she could use this to her advantage. "How do I know you won't take pictures and blackmail me for something you really want? I do have my manhood to protect."

"Okay," she leaned up against her dresser and started again, "one, your reputation could never be ruined and I'm not even going to venture into anything concerning your manhood. Two, if you don't put those on, you'll be sleeping in the clothes you have on because you are not stripping in my bed and three, it's called trust."

"In your bed?"

"I'm upstairs tonight. You're in here."

"Alright, but you're forgetting something Ace."

"What's that?"

"I'm not wearing these, I cannot be seen anywhere wearing orange pants. That's Finn's thing."

Rory couldn't believe her ears. He was bring ridiculous and so what if his manhood got damaged by him wearing orange pants with turtles all over them? He had to sleep in something. Rolling her eyes, she had to comment, there was no other choice.

"Please, this, from a guy, who not two hours ago looked like he could give the real Marilyn Monroe a run for her money? Yea, that's rich."

"I'm still passing."

"I'm sure you are," Rory let out a deep sigh and walked out of the room, yelling behind her, "Come on!"

Tossing the turtle orange pants back on her bed, Logan followed her into the kitchen where she had been waiting for him. Rory instantly grabbed his wrist and pulled him out into their very-lived in living room. His eyes wandered again for a moment, soaking in his surroundings before she waved the remote control in front in his face.

"Good, I've got your attention now. Logan, this is Sid. Sid, this is Logan. Sid loves me and if you press all the right buttons and turn on Willy Wonka, Sid will love you too."

"Your remote's name is Sid?"

"Mom calls him something else, but it'd be too much for your virgin ears," she let out a half smiles, knowing she'd won this battle and clapped her hands over her head, slowly turning back towards the kitchen and yelled, "Chop! Chop!"

"Is that a hint?" He threw in just so she could smile more.

"Something like that."

One hour, twenty minutes, two bags of popcorn, two large cherry sodas and numerous other sugary candies later, they were both on their last limb. Rory had rewound the DVD twice, wanting to see all the oompa-loompa parts again – in honor of Lorelai, she claimed. And Logan let her. He honestly didn't mind and it didn't look like he was going to last much long with the way that they were going. He was tired, she was tired and both of them were feeling the after effects of Wally and Elisabeth, instead of the sugar and chocolate that they both had equally shared in. His attention shuffled as she turned the DVD off and surfed right on over to the George Burns Show, almost muting the program altogether.

"We need to go to bed," he suggested first, watching her eyes slip in and out of slumber.

"No," she slowly turned her head and shook it against the comfy-ness of the couch. "No bed. Couch good."

"Bed more comfortable."

"Couch good."

"You're stubborn."

"I'm a Gilmore Girl, get used to it," she spat back, winning this round of their on-going debate.

The silence had started to kick in then with only the sound of Gracie and George's banter faintly going on in the background. Rory let her eyes slip close as she barely saw Logan turn his head towards her. She could feel him staring at her without looking at him with eyes open and it wasn't that she didn't care, it was just that she didn't want to open her eyes back up. She was tired – both with the general day and with chasing Wally and Elisabeth around. And just like he could read her mind, Logan broke the comfortable silence between them.

"Rory…" His voice was sleepy too and when she didn't answer right away, he called her again, "Ace…."

"Hmmm?" she answered, smiling to herself about his nickname for her with her eyes still closed.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For us not finding Elisabeth right away or anything from Luke."

"Don't be sorry," she told him, covering his middle arm with her cooler hand.

"I can't not be sorry, Ace," Logan started out, watching a loose piece of hair fall from her ponytail. Fighting the urge to reach out and tuck it back behind her hair, Logan concentrated on just her hand on his arm; the feeling was not like any other he had felt and looking back up to her face, he knew why. "We've been chasing the both of them for weeks and what do we have to show for it besides fifty-odd some letters and one last name?"

"Logan," her calm voice stopped him from going further into his own rant on why they hadn't found anything thus far and also gave him a chance to breathe, looking back to her hand that hadn't moved an inch since she set it there. He felt her fingers butterfly over his skin and he bit his tongue and took a deep breath to distract his mind from the feelings that wanted to resurface, against his will.

"Logan, don't worry about it. We'll find something," she confirmed as he looked towards her to see a sliver of her blue eyes slip behind her drooping eyelids. "I promise."

"Okay," Logan paused, watching her head drop back on the back of the couch. Reaching for the quilt that lay over on the other side of her, Logan watched her body move slightly towards him. "So, bed now?" He suggested, smiling all the way and hoping she would crack out one too.

"Couch," she paused as Logan moved his arm a bit so she was now leaning comfortably on his arm. "Couch good."

Yes, the couch was good.

Coffee was good. Is was so good that Luke let her have two full cups this morning and sent her on her way with three more – one for Rory, one for Logan and one more for her – each of them clearly marked so she wouldn't get confused and drink all three of them on her way there. Lorelai was peppy today and was heading towards her front door, her gaze slightly distracted by the black foreign automobile that looked so out of place in this tiny town. Especially compared to her trusty old Jeep and Morey's excuse for a motorcycle.

Continuing on her path towards the closed white door that she prayed was open because she couldn't multi-task at this moment in time, Lorelai pushed the door open and was almost ready to blurt out a quirky pop culture reference about Central Perk when another one took its place just by looking into the living room. Setting the coffees with the carrier on the table in front of the couch and silently moving to see the scene before her, Lorelai brought her hand to her chest and muttered to herself, "Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause would be proud."

Logan was in the corner in a sitting position, his left arm on the armrest and his right over the slumping shoulder of her daughter. Rory took up the whole couch, with the quilt that Mia had made for her when they had just moved into the house was spread over her with just a square of it on Logan's leg.

"This would be such a Charmed moment if Rory would share that quilt and you two had a son who came from the future to warn you that your other son is going to turn evil and is trying to get you to have sex because if you don't, he might never be born," Lorelai paused as she was about to wake on of them up," and I am not Drew Fuller."

Gently shaking her soft khaki pants on Logan, Lorelai didn't have to wait long for him to stir from his slumber, unlike Leo and Piper and very unlike Rory, who she knew from years of experience that it would take more than a cold bucket of water to wake her. Logan blinked his eyes open at the touch of her hand and looked around his surroundings, not remembering where he was at the moment. Straightening up on the couch a bit, he felt the weight to his right, turning back to her mother with the same questioning and piercing blue eyes as he had seen before in her daughter. Stumbling for an excuse of some kind of believability, Logan fumbled with his words, trying to explain that nothing happened, but they weren't coming. He had never been in this situation before and didn't know the first thing on how to handle it. Lorelai could see both confusion and worry in his eyes, and with his thoughts in a rollercoaster, she couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Logan…" she called his name right when he regained his ability to speak.

"Nothing happened, I swear. We got to the house and she made me push Sid's buttons while she changed into Curious George™ and I was out here…"

"You haven't ever been in this situation before have you?"

"That obvious?" Logan breathed out and moved a bit, wanting Rory to wake up soon to bail him out of this situation. He was used to this at all.

"Yeah, it's obvious. And if you're trying to wake her up, that's the wrong way."

"How do you wake her up?"

"Gilmore Rule number 60: Tips on How to wake a Gilmore Girl up without having to reassemble yourself. One: call Paris, or Two: the elixir of life," Lorelai held out the extra large cup of coffee and let it wave under her daughter's nose, "Watch and learn."

Lorelai waved it again and Logan watched with interest. Rory's nose twitched once or twice before her arm moved out to take the cup of coffee out of Lorelai's hand. Lorelai, knowing her daughter, inside and out, snatched it away before she could take it.

"You're taking notes, right?" Lorelai directed towards Logan and listened as something along the lines of a growl came out of Rory's lips.

"Was that a growl?" Logan asked, somewhat amused.

"Sounded like it," Lorelai answered, waving the coffee in front of her nose and swipping it away just as quickly again.

"You're both mean," Rory said in mumbles as she braced herself to get up from her comfortable position on the couch next to Logan.

"She lives! She lives! Hallelujah she lives!" Lorelai jumped up from the table and shouted.

Logan smirked at Lorelai as she shouted and pulled his gaze back to Rory who was still resting comfortably on his right arm, with no intention of moving. Lorelai came back around and crouch down to Rory's level, staring at her straight in the eye. "It's almost noon."

"Your point?" Rory grunted, still in her position on the couch.

"It's noon and Saturday."

"Scones?"

"Sookie is most definitely on a scone kick, so I want you up and the both of you at the DragonFly to continue your sugar induced comas by," Lorelai turned to check the clock on the wall whose cuckoo bird was about to come out and announce the time any minute, "let's say one thirty," she said, turning back to see Rory finally get the strength to sit up. "Think you can do that?"

Before Rory could answer, Logan did for the both of them. "We can do that. Right, Ace?" He glanced over to his side only to see she was already up and heading down the hallway towards either the bathroom or her room. "Should I take that as a yes?"

"Probably," Lorelai answered, handing him the other cup of coffee with his name on it which had cooled by now. "So, nothing happened?"

"Thanks and yes, nothing happened."

"Positive?"

"100"

"Good."

There was a short silent period before Lorelai got up from her seat on the coffee table and looked down at him for a brief moment as he mimicked her and stood tall.

"Okay, so I'm off to my Inn. She has a twenty minute time limit in the shower and she'll give you directions to the Inn."

"Sounds good."

"I'm not sure if I like you yet," she said truthfully.

"Understandable. Daughter brings Richie Rich home to renegade heiress mother, I get it."

"You know about me?"

"You're a legend."

"Nice to know."

Lorelai left a few minutes later, leaving him with more than a few tips on how to handle Rory when she got out of the shower and a few more for dealing with Babette when they were ready to come over to the Inn. Logan bit his tongue and held in his laughter as she backed out of the gravel driveway in that trusty old Jeep Jim, as Rory told him the night before as they were treating themselves to a sugar coma. Going back inside to hear if Rory was out of the shower yet, which she wasn't, Logan ventured into the kitchen for a reason that he didn't know of until he found himself picking out the coffee container amidst the junk food emporium that exploded there last night.

Logan smirked as he remembered her outburst about not finding the Skittles midway through the chocolate factory tour. And she must've really wanted those Skittles by looking around the three-walled space. Pressing the 'brew' button on the coffee maker to brew the coffee he didn't realize he was making, Logan heard the shower turn off and he was almost giddy inside – hoping to catch a glimpse of her in a thin towel or lack thereof would do just fine too.

Wiping the thought out of his mind and reminding himself that he can't be thinking these things about this girl, he picked up on the faint footsteps that were slowly stepping down the hallway.

"Logan?" Her voice caught him from behind as the two tall cups were placed on the counter. "Logan, what are you doing?"

He didn't turn towards her. If he turned towards her, that would mean him dropping his jaw and breaking all the rules he had set for himself about Rory. This would mean his eyes going wide and him struggling to get one word out of his mouth. Instead, he just answered her slowly. "Making coffee. The one's from Luke's that your mom left are cold. Hot coffee is better, yes?"

"Um, yeah. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now go get changed."

"Be right back," she said, not waiting around for him to answer and went into her bedroom to change into something other than the slinky white towel that he caught a glimpse of.

This girl is going to be the death of me, Logan thought to himself as her door shut close and the coffee maker buzzed at him. With his hands on the edge of the counter, it was only a few more seconds before she emerged from beyond the door. This time he looked fully at her, knowing she was in something other than the little white towel. With a pair of blue jeans rounding her subtle curves and a royal ruby top that dipped down to just the right place in her chest not revealing too much or too little, she still took his breath away and this was all with just coming out of the room with a pair of socks in her mouth while she run her hands through her damp hair and rumbled it up a bit, creating the curls that he had come to like on her more than the straight style she liked to sport.

"How's that coffee coming?" she asked, pulling on her one short white sock and hinting over towards him.

"It's done. Would you like some?"

"That shouldn't even be something you ask a girl like me."

"I gotta hear it."

"Yes, I want it."

"How much?" he asked, seeing her snarl up towards him as she pulled on her other sock and starred him down.

"You're not seriously asking me that."

"I am. How much?"

"Don't make me hurt you," she threatened and then continued, proving the point that you should never keep a Gilmore from her coffee, "it's Saturday, almost one o'clock, I'm tired, slept next to you on the couch last night…"

"That's not my fault," he butted in.

"And if you seriously think that I won't jump over this table and pounce you just for an 8 ounce cup of coffee, you are seriously mistaken."

"Really?"

"Really," she said with one of her serious faces that he had been acquainted with on more than one occasion. "Coffee now," another demand escaped her lips before she pulled it into a wide smile, "please."

Now, he couldn't resist her. Handing her the warm cup, she yanked it away and he swore he could see a comparison between her and Finn when any kind of alcohol was placed in front of him. She breathed in the aroma and held it in her hands, soaking up what her mother deemed the elixir of life before looking back up at him and taking the conversation in a whole different direction.

"So, you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did alright," he admitted to her, keeping in the pure truth of the situation in his thoughts. "You?"

Rory looked up at him then, debating wheteher to give him the 'yes –I've-never-slept-better-in-my-entire-life' line or just the 'okay' line. Setting the nearly empty coffee cup on the table's edge, she decided on the in-between line. "Pretty good. So, you think you're up for another sugar coma?"

"Is there a right answer to that?" He spat back, taking the cup with his and over to the kitchen sink.

"Not really, but I can tell you that you're actually going to like this one."

The DragonFly Inn was nestled cozy and comfortable into the wood with no name. The Elder Lorelai's second child and Stars Hollow's newest pride and joy was in a word – packed. Rory had been to the Inn on Saturday on countless occasions and recalling each and every one of those in her mind as they approached the small sized lot, she had never seen it like this. Presuming that is was all because of Sookie's All-You-Can-Eat-Scone-Saturday Fest going on, Rory immediately told Logan to take the back road so they could do two things – one was avoid Michel at the front desk at all costs and the other was so they could actually get out without having every one of the actual paying customers move their cars.

Pointing this way and that way towards the closest possible spot next to her mother's Jeep in the back, Rory slid out of the tiny Porsche before Logan even had an opportunity to turn the engine off. Up the stairs, she headed towards Lorelai and Sookie, who were squealing like fan girls because of their crowd compared to Luke's, whose was on the low side when she and Logan had passed by about five minutes or so ago.

"You're here!" Sookie screamed and halted production on the scone assembly line but only for a second. "First, look at my customers," Sookie pushed Rory towards the swinging door so she could see the dining room packed and twirled her around once again. "Second, where's your hunk?"

"Hunk?" Rory questioned before taking a scone off the plate Taylor was carrying out to a table that she didn't really care about. Right then and there, all she cared about was that scone and possibly a cup of coffee that she knew Manny would be getting for her. The last time she was here, Manny had learned his lesson in withholding coffee from her.

"Yeah, your mom mentioned something about you being Holly Marie Combs and him being Brian Krause. Speaking of, I just watched that episode the other day. I think I'm going to divorce Jackson and take Brian for myself. He is so hunky."

"Sookie?"

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I think she's talking about me," Logan popped out from nowhere and startled Rory a bit before Lorelai joined them again with coffee cups and no Manny tagging along with her.

"I'd have to agree. I mean, I did tell her he was a hunk. Don't you think he's a hunk Rory?" Lorelai started to tease, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks arising.

Taking the coffee cup from her mother's hands, Rory decided to ignore her comment and proceeded to introduce her hunk, no, Logan to Sookie, the four star CIA chef who also served on council as her mother's best friend and self-appointed aunt to Rory. "Sookie, Logan. Logan, Sookie. Scones now?"

"That's it? That's an introduction?"

"Are you kidding me? It's more an introduction than the one you gave Jason," Rory spat back at the not-much-taller brunette standing beside Logan.

"Here's a real introduction," Lorelai set her coffee mug down on the stainless steel island and cleared her throat, her arm sliding around the back of Logan and pulling him closer into the group of girls. "Sookie, I would like you to meet Logan Huntzberger. Logan here volunteered himself to help Rory with the letters and this is the Logan that I found her asleep with on the couch this morning even though the night before I told her about the rule again because I'm her mother and I have to."

Sookie looked between the Gilmore girls and could just imagine the smoke coming out of their ears and World War III erupting in her kitchen right when the most successful of Saturday Scone Days was going on. Instantly pulling Logan away, she let them go at it and led Logan out of the kitchen, grabbing a plate of scones on the way and they traveled their way down the hallway.

Logan wasn't sure exactly what to say to the chef who was by the looks of it, five months pregnant and waddling the whole time. So, he came up with the classic line of hello for her. "Nice to meet you."

"You too. Did you know about the rule?" Sookie asked, venturing into unknown territory that she hadn't dared before.

"Miss Gilmore had mentioned something of it last night, but I guess it slipped the both of our minds when the sugar cut off our circulation and Rory showed no sign of moving from the couch," he explained as Sookie's face was lit with enlightenment.

"You guys watched Willy Wonka, didn't you?"

"Her choice."

"Yeah, the sugar from both the movie and their cupboards will send you into a coma. It's nice to meet you too, Logan. I'm Sookie St. James," she properly introduced herself, predicting that the girls would be simmering down by now after a quick spat of wits that they usually had when the rule was mentioned and lead him further down the hallway towards Lorelai's office. "So, you're here because of the letters, right?"

"Yeah. We kind of had a breakthrough last night only to have an anvil fall in front of us again when Rory played twenty questions with Luke."

"Did you find Elisabeth?" Sookie twirled around a moment after opening the wood door with her eyes spread wide and the hint of a smile emerging on her apple round face.

Logan smirked at her energy for a project that was literally driving him and Rory half insane. The letters seemed to be the object of everyone's interests these days – his, Rory's, her mother's and now even her mom's best friend. "Um, not quite. We have a last name to Elisabeth but Luke wasn't able to tell us anything. I guess he's lived here his whole life, but he didn't remember anything."

"Really? That's wonderful!" She beamed as stomping footsteps stopped in the doorway and he looked over to see Rory with her arms crossed and a slight frown on her face.

"You took my scones," Rory grunted and came all the way in the office, taking the plate from Sookie and slumping down on the small leather sofa pushed against the wall. Popping half of one into her mouth all at once, Logan was impressed. Not everyone could do that and still have Rory's figure. "I thought you tamed her," she directed towards Sookie.

"Sorry, hon, that's your area. I'm just one half of the people who feed her," Sookie pointed out and collapsed in the leather chair across from the couch while Logan remained standing, waiting for something else to happen. "So, tell me about Elisabeth now."

"Quick question Ace, does everyone know about these letters?"

"Just about," she answered quickly, setting the plate on the table in front of her and bringing her legs up to sit Indian style on the sofa. "All except the illusive Miss Patty, who, if she would ever stay in one place for a given set of days, we could track down and close this case of the hopeful romantic Elisabeth."

"Have you tried Taylor yet?" Sookie mentioned, grabbing a scone for herself and the unborn child she was carrying around in her round stomach.

"Taylor?" Rory raised her eyebrows as Logan leaned back on the cherry finished desk and listened in on Sookie's suggestion. "Why would I go to Taylor?"

"Remember when Jackson was voted town selectman? You know, before he got sick of it and quit?"

"I think everyone does. He used Davey to get our votes, which I have to admit, swayed me to vote for him."

"You can't go wrong with a baby," Sookie added on before continuing on her Taylor suggestion. "When Jackson was town selectman he was in charge of everything."

"Wait a minute, town selectman?" Logan asked, but was ignored in an instant as Rory and Sookie faded him out and continued just between them like he wasn't there.

"Everything?"

"Everything," Sookie paused, raising her eyebrows slightly, praying that Rory caught on to her subtlety, but she was a tad slow today. Presuming that it was because of the sugar coma from last night, Sookie told her. "Censuses."

"Censuses?"

"Logs, records, huge green books on all of the residents since The Civil War. Possibly even some before that since you know Taylor keeps bragging how there were others before then."

"Censuses," Rory caught on then, her eyes becoming wider as Lorelai joined them after dealing with Michel's damage control at the front desk. "Those would probably tell us about Elisabeth, if there was anything there," Rory paused and looked over at Logan who just shrugged his shoulders before answering her.

"It's worth a shot Ace."

"Plus, Taylor has been itching for a good Gilmore threat. It's been a while since your mom here gave him one."

"Not true! I just gave him one….oh, yea, it has been a while," Lorelai quickly changed her mind to objecting to Sookie's claim. "Give him the one with the…"

"Oooooo, that one's a good one. Or the…" Rory finished her mom's sentence for her and Lorelai did the same for hers. Their little blowout about the rule a few minutes ago was now erased from the both of their minds and they were thinking the same things about how to threaten Taylor to hand over the censuses without any sound.

"Oh yes, use that one," Lorelai pointed out as Logan pushed himself off of the desk and stood side by side with Rory as she stood up and stopped in front of the girls. "Logan, remember to pay attention too."

"Yes, you'll get great tips to add to that Gilmore Girl Handbook," Sookie added on.

"Any idea where they sell copies?"

"Rory, no."

"Taylor, please."

"They're not allowed outside of the town perimeters. No, I'm sorry."

"Please Taylor. And when's the last time they were ever out of that cabinet? They look old and musty and I think you could do without just one or two for a week or so," Rory suggested, looking at the sage-y green books that held the town's citizens records for the past 100 or so years. She looked back at Taylor for a moment while Logan hung back, watching her in action and silently taking notes for his own personal reference.

"Rory…"

"Taylor," her voice resorted back to that little girl voice that Taylor was used to and batted her eyes, making them rounder and innocent in that way that she knew Taylor couldn't resist. "Please?"

"That's a threat?" Logan muttered under his breath, low enough for Rory to hear and for Taylor, the town selectman that he hadn't been formerly introduced to, pick up the end of it.

"Did I hear threat?"

"Thanks Logan," Rory gave him a mini-glare before going off on Taylor. Logan stood back and just watched her, still taking notes and trying not to be impressed but he was.

Who knew that this girl in her petite frame could say all those things and make this sixty-some year old man who had complete rule over the tiny town, twitch and become speechless? He knew he liked her for a reason, although this was not the true reason he did, it sure added to it. Smirking as he heard the last words of I swear I'll do it, come out of her mouth, he wasn't quite sure she did the part of giving him a good threat. But of course, the look on his face told a different story.

Taylor took a heavy breath and gave into the girl who won everyone's heart, jingling the keys in his hand as a sign that she had won…this round anyhow. "You have a week. No more, no less. Understand?"

"Understood. Thank you Taylor."

Once Taylor handed over not two or three censuses but nine instead and setting them in the back trunk of his Porsche, Logan leaned back against his trunk and looked over at her brushing her loose hairs out of her face.

"You know, maybe I should get you to make my threats for me," he suggested, slightly playing with her.

"With what? Your line?"

"One, not everything Stephanie tells you is true, especially about that line and two, if I had one, I'm sure you could make them back down."

"Logan, don't flatter yourself. If you want to cut that line, which there is one, down to say, the size of the St. Lawrence Seaway, you can do it yourself," Rory patted his shoulder twice and left him behind, trading in the cool air for the warm interior of the car.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he watched her swiftly slide into the passenger seat and he revealed to only himself that, "I might just do that."

Author's Note: I am so so so so so so so sorry that it took this long to get this chapter up, but there was good reason! It was Taylor and Sookie's fault! Told you it was a good reason. No, but, really, this chapter gave me a heap of trouble and I really had to do my research with the upcoming chapters too. So that's my real reason. Reviews are love :D