AN: You guys! I want to thank all of you who take the time to read my story and tell me how much you appreciate it. I love you guys so much!
So you can't have a post-revival fic without Christmas with the Gilmore's! Not much happens in this chapter but the sub-text is important for something that comes later. So read on for A LOT of Christmas fluff.
On with the show!
Rory was standing in the gazebo looking around Stars Hollow's town square admiring the view. She loved Stars Hollow at Christmas, it always felt like what she imagined Santa's Village to be like. The lights, the decorations, the snow and just the feel in the air provided a Christmas cheer that she had never found anywhere else. There wasn't anything wrong with Christmas in Brooklyn, they were just as festive as the next person, but it just wasn't the same.
"Rory!" Lane shrieked across the square getting her attention.
"Lane!" The two collided in a hug not far from the gazebo. Lane had always been a freakishly fast runner, Rory had never been as fast as Lane and pregnancy didn't help any.
"Oh my god!" Lane yelped when she got a good look at Rory. "You look pregnant! You didn't look like that the last time I saw you!"
"Yeah, I know. I woke up the other day and there it was!" Rory grinned a little as she remembered Logan's excitement over her fuller baby bump.
"So, we know Logan's excited, what else do we know?" Lane asked excitedly.
"Well, his mother is NOT excited and said some nasty things when she found out. Luckily Logan sat her down and actually threatened to cut her off and kick her out of the Hartford House if she didn't behave."
Lane's mouth dropped open in shock when she heard that. "Whoa. Are you kidding?"
"No. The house is in his name. Don't ask, society politics."
"Wow, how'd she take that?"
"Well she asked if we were going to get married as if it was the most ridiculous idea ever, and he said yes."
Lane was stunned by this and gaped like a goldfish for a few seconds. "Lane? Are you in there?"
"Oh my god!" Lane shrieked. "That's amazing! Way to bury the lead! Where's the ring?" Lane demanded as she picked up Rory's hand to look for the ring.
Rory just laughed before answering. "I don't have one yet, He hasn't proposed, but we talked about it and we both want to get married. I just didn't want to rush into anything because of the mess we made." Lane nodded along in agreement after Rory spoke.
"You guys did make a mess, a really big mess, but you're cleaning it up and you deserve to be happy, no matter the size of the mess."
Rory smiled at her friend and then hugged her. "Thanks, Lane."
"So," Lane said conspiratorially when they pulled apart. "How have things been since we last spoke? It feels like forever!"
"Lane," Rory chuckled at her friend's dramatics. "It was less than two weeks since I saw you last. We went further without speaking when I was freelancing."
"True, but still, I want details!"
"Ok, ok. Well, work's been great. I love being in the newsroom again, even if I'm on a different floor, I have one permanent staff member and a potential new hire. I had my first piece published Monday and it got a lot of positive feedback, one of the staff members gave me a bit of a lecture on what type of articles I should write first, and I'm glad I listened to her." At Lane's confused expression Rory elaborated. "I was going to start with a piece about Donald Trump but Charlotte, the Opinions staff writer, suggested I start with something less high profile, and I'm glad I listened to her. I'm finally starting to feel like myself again and I feel like I've been brought back to life."
"That's great Ror. You were drifting there for a while like Paul Walker level drifting, you seem more centred now."
"I feel more centred," Rory said contently.
"Please don't tell me you've turned into a work-o-holic! I want to know about you and Logan." Lane said nearly bouncing with excitement.
"We went out on a date on Friday night." Lane let out a little squeal much to Rory's amusement.
"Somewhere fabulous?"
"It was super sweet. We went to this small romantic restaurant in Greenwich, the food was delicious, we talked and flirted, it was nice. Then we took a carriage ride around Central Park."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I know right," Rory said with a fond smile.
"I've always wanted to do that."
"Me too. The last time I rode in a horse-drawn carriage it didn't go very well, and he said that he hoped that this time I would have better memories of this ride. Which I do, trust me." Lane smirked at that and Rory quickly went to correct her assumption. "Oh, no! That's not what I meant! It was just sweet and romantic. Nothing dirty."
Lane laughed at her friend's horror. "Really, Rory? I thought that being with Logan would loosen you up a bit."
"Anyway!" Rory said, changing the subject. "Oh! I got a new car."
"Really? Awe, poor Betsy."
"It was time. She put herself out to pasture in the middle of my drive home last Friday."
"Oh shit."
"Yeah, I was going to trade her in any way, it was just the final push I needed."
"It was time. Gypsy spent as much time keeping poor Betsy running then your mom's SUV."
"I know, and now that I'll be using it consistently, so I need a car that works."
"Fair enough. So, what are you doing here on the 23rd? I know Lorelai left for Nantucket yesterday, and I thought you'd be heading up there too."
Rory let out a dramatic sigh before speaking. "Since we're spending Christmas with my family, we had to go to the Huntzberger's for dinner tonight."
Lane understood completely. "Zach and I do something similar since we live here and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Mama and Papa, we go to Zach's parents for Christmas dinner. It's not a big deal since they're over in Waterbury."
"At least they're not in Woodbury, Taylor would probably have you all drawn and quartered for having the gull to know people in Woodbury."
Lane laughed at the idea of Taylor being so enraged at the thought of them knowing people in Woodbury. "Don't tell him that Miss Patty is dating the Woodbury dance teacher." Lane said with a smile.
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Since when?"
"We don't know. Mama told me that 'Miss Patty was sinning with Mr. Bobby in their café' I don't know what that means, but with Mama, it can't be any good."
Rory let out peals of laughter at the whole situation. "Oh my god. There's a husband number seven!"
"I can't wait for the wedding!" The two giggled for a bit before speaking. "How was Christmas dinner with the Huntzberger's?"
"Not too bad actually. Honour was hosting it at her house, and everyone was relatively civilized. Shira was forced to be on her best behaviour since she was a guest in someone else's house and Honour is thrilled for Logan and me, I'm actually surprised she didn't trot out wedding plans while we were there." Lane laughed a little at the image before Rory spoke again. "Josh, Honour's husband, was really nice. The best part was to see Logan interacting with his niece and nephews. The boys were playing some crazy game with trucks and dinosaurs that I never fully understood but Logan was down on the floor with them for a while, and this was AFTER he held the baby for twenty minutes. I knew he'd be a good dad, if nothing else it would be so he didn't turn into Mitchum, but I didn't realize how GOOD he was with kids." Lane smiled at Rory and gave her a knowing look as she got lost in the memory of Logan holding his niece. "What?" She said once she realized that Lane was staring at her.
"Your mommy hormones are going wacko."
Rory smirked guiltily, "Yeah, maybe a little."
"Other than that, how was Shira?"
"Oh, the usual, she smoked a pack of cigarettes every time Logan and I acted like a couple."
"So, a pack every 5 minutes?"
Rory smiled a little, they had laid it on a little thick to irritate Shira. "Exactly. The weird part was that Josh was able to handle her. When I first met him, he looked like he was about to be executed, but he managed to keep Shira in line."
Lane nodded in agreement, "It takes time to learn how to deal with the crazy in-laws."
"Well, I'm hoping I'll figure it out sooner rather than later. I took Shira down a peg last time, but I didn't this time. I didn't think I had too, so I left it alone."
"You don't have to go in guns-a-blazin' every time, save it for when you need it. If they know all your tricks, it's not as fun." Lane said with a smile.
"Right, we all need some secrets." Rory grinned when Lane nodded emphatically. "So, we've talked a lot about me, what's going on with you?" Rory said excitedly.
"Well-" Lane then launched into a diatribe about the headaches that come from raising two boys. Rory shook her head and thought about how she couldn't wait for the same chaos to start in her life.
"Rory! Logan! It's so wonderful to see you again!" Emily nearly squealed, startling everyone. Rory laughed at her grandma's excitement and hugged her before Logan took her place and kissed her on the cheek.
"Hi, Grandma. It's good to see you too." Rory was stripping out of her outer layer and was trying to quickly extract herself from the situation. She was exhausted from the long car ride, and for some reason was dizzy, between the two she desperately wanted to lay down and take a nap.
"Hi, Rory." Rory heard Lorelai speak and she knew that she wouldn't be getting her nap any time soon. When Logan noticed what was happening, he quickly went to Rory's side and pulled her close. He knew what happened the last time Rory and Lorelai were in the same room together, and he didn't want Rory to experience that at all, but if Lorelai blew, he was going to support Rory through it.
"Hi, mom," Rory said as pleasantly as possible. She knew that if she dug her heels in and fought her mom too hard they'd have another falling out, and she was trying to avoid that this time.
"Hi, Lorelai," Logan said, deciding to take his lead from Rory. If she wanted to kill her with kindness he was more then willing to help.
Lorelai looked at Logan with disapproval before smiling sadly at her daughter. "Wow, look at you," Lorelai said sadly.
"Oh, I know," Rory said with a smile and tightened her shirt around her middle to show off her baby bump. Logan grinned, he was glad that she was excited to show off her bump and loved when she did. "I've gotten bigger the last few weeks; it was as if I woke up one morning and it was just there. I now know what people mean when they say that they popped. I like it though; people have stopped thinking that I'm just fat."
"How are you feeling?" Lorelai asked sincerely. "I was hungry all the time and would get these splitting headaches. Though I'm not sure if they were from the pregnancy or your grandma yelling at me."
Rory cocked her eyebrows at her mom but decided to ignore the slight dig at Emily. "I'm feeling a lot better than I was. I'm not throwing up every twenty minutes anymore and I don't need to nap so much which is nice."
Lorelai smiled awkwardly; she didn't know how to feel about the fact that she was essentially making small talk with her daughter. She glanced out the window and saw the new SUV sitting out front instead of Rory's old Prius, she knew that Rory's car wasn't reliable anymore, but she didn't like the idea of her trading up as well. "Hey, where's your Prius?" Lorelai tried to say friendly, but it came out snippier than she'd like.
"It's in the shop. It died when I was on my way home from work the other day." Logan looked at Rory confused, and Rory just shook her head, not wanting to get into an argument with her mom about a car on Christmas Eve.
"I guess you finally traded in your Porsche, huh?" Lorelai said condescendingly to Logan.
Logan was startled by the strange turn the conversation took but answered the question, "Yes, I did." Knowing that Rory didn't want to get into with Lorelai he omitted the fact that he traded in his top of the line, two-seater sports car for a more functional BMW Sedan and the SUV parked outside was, in fact, Rory's.
"Finally realized that an expensive car isn't the only way to charm a girl?" Lorelai said patronizingly.
"Mom!" Rory nearly shrieked.
Logan pulled Rory closer and tried to calm her down. "It's fine Rory." Logan looked back at Lorelai. "You're right Lorelai, it's not the only way to charm a girl, but after a point, a sports car like that isn't practical anymore." Logan paused before speaking again. "The majority of my money I inherited; I won't deny it." Lorelai looked at Logan smugly, but Logan spoke before she could say anything. "But I was able to make a lot of money on my own, at my own company and I was the one who brought my family's company back from the edge of oblivion. I worked hard and was able to make my own name for myself. So, yes, I drive an expensive car, I can afford it and I think I deserve it."
Lorelai glared at Logan while Rory was impressed by Logan standing up to her mother. Previously he would have just taken the verbal barrage but this change made her think that he really had what it took to be in this now, if he didn't feel threatened by every half-assed comment she knew that she could trust him.
Rory sighed tiredly then sagged a little against Logan, the exhaustion hitting her full force and Logan shifted all his attention on to her. "Rory, are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I'm just exhausted and the baby is using my bladder as a toy," Rory responded. Logan let out a little chuckle and kissed the top of her head.
"You go and lay down and I'll bring in the luggage, ok?" Rory hummed in agreement before heading to the guest room Emily pointed to.
When Logan headed out to the car Lorelai turned and followed Rory to the bedroom. Lorelai came in as Rory was coming out of the bathroom. She sat down and pulled off her shoes and since she was wearing leggings and an old Yale sweatshirt, she was able to crawl into bed right away.
"Hey, sweets," Lorelai said from the doorway.
"Hi mom," Rory looked at Lorelai confused. "Did you need something?"
Lorelai began to speak then decided against it. She didn't want to get into a fight with her on Christmas Eve, and knowing them it would spill over into Christmas Day and further. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok." She said with a small smile.
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just exhausted. Six hours in a car at 15 weeks pregnant is harder then it sounds." Rory said with a tired smile. Lorelai couldn't help but notice that even in her tired state, Rory was happy.
"Ok, do you need anything?" Lorelai said apprehensively.
"No, thanks though. If I need anything, I'll ask Logan." Lorelai sagged at that comment, she realized that she wasn't the most important person in Rory's life anymore, and that hurt more than anything else.
"Ok, if you hear me yell 'apples' come rescue me from my mother," Lorelai said with a smile.
"Really?" Rory said with mock disbelief.
"Yes! The last time we were alone together I seriously debated setting something on fire."
Rory just shook her head and laughed. "Ok, I'll keep an ear out."
"Just an ear?" Lorelai said hopefully. She hoped that she might be able to convince Rory to come out so that she wouldn't have to be alone with Emily.
"Just an ear," Rory said forcefully. "I'm taking a nap, then I'll run interference with grandma."
Lorelai sighed dramatically, "Alright kid, enjoy your nap, I'll talk to you later."
Rory stared after Lorelai as she left, the conversation had been odd, but she was too exhausted to try and sort it all out. Instead, she snuggled down into the bed to take a long-awaited nap.
Rory and Logan were fast asleep, enjoying the chance to sleep in when suddenly the bedroom door banged open and Lorelai bounced in. "Rory! Wake up! It's Christmas! It's time for presents!" Rory groaned as Lorelai happily yelled some more then came over to try and pull her from the bed to get her downstairs faster. "My god you're heavy! See I told you that healthy food wasn't good for you!" Logan, whose eyes were still closed and pretended to be asleep, smirked at Lorelai's antics.
"Mom," Rory groaned. "Why don't you go start the coffee maker and let Paul Anka out, and I'll be downstairs by the time you have your first cup,"
"Ok!" Lorelai said with a bounce. "Hurry up loin fruit! Paul Anka! Come here baby, mommy's going to take you for a walk so we can open presents!" They heard Lorelai shriek from somewhere in the house.
Rory groaned and buried her face in Logan's chest, while he burst out laughing. "What is so funny?" Rory growled from her position.
"How much coffee does she have in her?"
Rory groaned and checked the time. "None. Luke doesn't let her have any during 'sleeping time'. She gets really hyped up on Christmas morning and bounces through the day even on no coffee."
Logan chuckled a little and pulled her closer. "We'll have to get used to that, any child of ours will bounce their way through Christmas morning too."
Rory smiled a little at the thought of a little girl with blue eyes and blond curls leaping on to their bed on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought her. "As long as they stop before they're fifty, I'm ok with that."
"Rory," Rory hummed in response. "Merry Christmas."
Rory shifted so she could look up at him and smiled. "Merry Christmas Logan."
"And Merry Christmas to you too," Logan said sweetly as he lightly rubbed her belly.
Before Rory could react they heard Lorelai shriek "LOIN FRUIT! LET'S GO! COFFEE'S ON AND PRESENTS AWAIT!" Rory groaned while Logan burst out laughing.
"Did she really get the coffee going and Paul Anka dealt within five minutes?" Logan asked in disbelief.
"Never underestimate the power of Lorelai Gilmore on Christmas morning," Rory stated, which just made Logan laugh harder.
Ten minutes later the two made their way into the living room where Emily and Lorelai were mid-battle. "Lorelai, you can't just go around shrieking at 6 in the morning!"
"Oh, come on, Mom! It's Christmas! And you're normally up by now anyway."
"I may be awake, but no one goes screaming through the house this early unless there's a disaster or you are a small child. You are neither, so stop behaving like a child. And what are you wearing?" Though Emily had essentially given up all parts of society life, she was still dressed the part in a sweater set and trousers. While Lorelai was wearing footsie pyjamas that resembled a festive patchwork quilt.
"It's festive," Lorelai said happily.
"It's crazy."
"Rory!" Lorelai yelped when she spotted Rory and Logan watching the display. "What are you wearing?" Lorelai said confused when she noticed Rory's outfit.
"Sorry mom, they don't make crazy Christmas pyjamas for pregnant women. You'll just have to survive with me in regular pyjamas."
"Merry Christmas Rory," Emily said when she hugged Rory.
"Merry Christmas, Grandma. Are you ok?" Rory asked quietly. This was the first Christmas without Richard and Rory knew that Emily must be hurting.
"I'll be alright. Richard always liked Christmas and he wouldn't want me to be sad the whole day." Emily said with a sad smile. "Also, your mother provides a nice distraction." Rory nodded as they looked over to see Lorelai rummaging under the Christmas tree, picking out her gifts.
"Present time!" Lorelai nearly shrieked from her spot on the floor.
"So," Logan said once he sat down next to Rory. "Are we doing this in an orderly fashion or is it a free-for-all?"
"Organized fashion." Emily said at the same time Lorelai said "Free-for-all!"
Rory sighed while Logan looked at the two elder Gilmore's. "Right, I think a more organized way might be better."
"Oh, come on, Evil Spawn, you don't have a say here." Lorelai snipped at Logan.
"Mom! Be nice." Rory chastised Lorelai. "Considering this is Grandma's house, let's do it her way." Lorelai stared at Rory for a moment before giving in.
Logan smirked as Lorelai calmed down a little and settled into the Christmas morning pandemonium that can't really be avoided no matter how much you try.
"Here you go, Grandma," Rory said as she placed a box in Emily's lap. "Don't shake the box, what's inside will break."
"Oh, Rory. What did you do?" Emily said curiously.
"You're just going to have to open it to see."
Emily opened her present to reveal a lovely set of crystal champagne saucers with a Lismore pattern engraved on the side.
"Oh my god," Emily said softly as her eyes started welling up with tears. "Rory, where did you find these?"
"They aren't the originals; I couldn't figure out where they had gone so I thought a new set would be the next best thing."
"Thank you, Rory."
"What's going on?" Luke said confused.
"Grandma had a set of champagne saucers like those in Hartford and they were a wedding present."
"One of Richard's favourites," Emily added in.
"Grandma got rid of them during her Marie Kondo inspired cleanout. I figured she'd like a replacement set."
"And you were right," Emily said happily. "Thank you so much, Rory." Emily moved to give Rory a bone-crushing hug.
"You're very welcome Grandma."
Lorelai was baffled by the display in front of her. She had assumed that Rory would be as out of her depth as she was in what to get Emily for Christmas. Emily hadn't liked Lorelai's present at all and had scolded her for getting whale themed garbage cans for someone's present. Rory, on the other hand, had seemingly bought the perfect present and Lorelai didn't like that one bit.
Once Grandma and Granddaughter had pulled themselves together Emily handed Rory a present. "Here you go, Rory." The package wasn't very large, but Rory was very curious as to its contents.
"Thanks, Grandma." Rory happily tore into the package to reveal a jewelry case. Rory popped open the lid to reveal a diamond necklace and matching earrings. Rory and Lorelai were speechless, though for very different reasons, and Emily launched into an explanation. "This was the necklace and earrings that you wore at the party that your Grandfather and I had when you were in your second year at Yale."
After a beat of silence, Rory spoke. "The 'Yale Male Party?"
"Wait, you mean the meat market where Dean broke up with you?" Logan interjected.
"Yes, that one!" Emily chirped. Everyone turned and stared at her baffled, but she happily kept talking. "I don't have much use for these anymore and I thought you might like to have them."
"Thanks, Grandma," Rory said haltingly. It wasn't that she didn't like the present, but she wasn't thrilled with the idea of having something to remind her of that strange night.
"Anyway!" Lorelai clapped her hands, breaking the odd feeling that had descended on the group. "My turn!" Lorelai pulled out a flat square package and tore into it, without reading the gift tag.
"OH MY GOD!" Lorelai shrieked. "A Go-Go's album! This is amazing! And it's signed by Belinda! Rory! How'd you find this?!" Lorelai yelled and pulled Rory into a hug, almost knocking her over in the process.
"I found it in a record store in Manhattan. That was actually supposed to be your graduation present, but I lost it on my way home."
"This is awesome, Rory! Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, mom." Rory smiled as she sat down next to Logan and more presents were opened. Rory got a box set of The Office, the British version, from Logan with a whispered promise that better presents were coming. And a brand new messenger bag from Luke, Luke didn't know someone could get so excited over a briefcase from Staples. Logan opened a cute hinged picture frame that he swore was going on his desk at work as soon as he got some pictures to put in the frames Luke got an apron that read 'Kiss the cook' from Lorelai and a new four-slice, commercial pop up toaster from Logan and Rory.
"How'd you know what to get him?" Lorelai whispered to Rory as Luke happily started tinkering with his new toy.
"I called and asked him what he wanted," Rory said like it was the simplest idea on the planet. Lorelai sighed and flopped back a bit.
Logan was handed a stack of three books from Rory that were tied together with a ribbon. "I'm still not smart enough for you?" Logan joked before inspecting the titles. He quickly realized that they were all books for soon to be dads.
"I know you aren't as big on research as I am, but I figured that you'd want some reference material for this," Rory said with an impish grin.
Logan quickly untied the ribbon and scanned the backs of the books. "These are great. Thanks, Ace."
A while later Rory was handed an envelope from Emily and when she opened, she let out a little gasp. "Are you serious?"
"I am. I wasn't able to wrap it and put it under the tree, so I hope that is ok."
"Ok!, Grandma, this is amazing!"
"What? Did you get her a new car?" Lorelai snipped from her space on the couch.
"No, Lorelai. I didn't get her a new car. I don't have space, or the need to keep Richard's entire book collection so I'm giving most of it to Rory. Everything I want to keep I have here so everything else is hers for the taking."
"Wait, so if the collection's not here, where is it?" Logan interjected.
"Storage," Emily said sadly. "The house needed to be emptied, and I didn't want to bring the entire collection here when there was no proper place to put them." She directed her next statement to Rory. "The official gift is the collection but you can take almost anything from the storage locker that you'd like."
Rory smiled sadly and promptly burst into tears. "Thank you, Grandma. Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you trust me with such an important piece of him." She sobbed out before squeezing her Grandma in a tight hug.
"Of course, Rory. He would have wanted you to have it. I don't think he would've trusted anyone else with the books."
Rory eventually calmed down enough to sit down next to Logan and he just held her while she rode out her meltdown.
Once Rory calmed down completely Logan separated himself and pulled a large box towards them. "I've got one last present for you, and I'm really hoping that it doesn't make you cry."
Rory laughed a little before opening the wrapping. "Wait?" Rory said confused. "Is this-"
"Honour swears that this bassinet is a must-have for all new moms. You can put it right next to the bed and it spins, so it can come closer, so you don't have to fumble around trying to get the baby in the middle of the night. It has these mesh walls, so you can see right through it and it vibrates and makes soothing noises that are supposed to keep the baby calm." Rory gaped at Logan amazed that he thought to get something for the baby at this point. Lane practically had to bash Zach's head in before he realized that you can't strap a baby to the roof of the car. "I also did some research and a lot of people agree with Honour. I know I didn't get the most exciting colour, but I figured this way we won't need to exchange it because I bought a blue one instead of a pink one." Logan went to talk some more but was cut off by Rory giving him an enthusiastic kiss. Rory vaguely registered Lorelai making a gross comment and her grandma telling her off, but she didn't care about any of it. All she cared about was this man, who cared enough about her and their baby to buy something that wouldn't be needed for six months but would be a great addition that she probably wouldn't have thought of.
"Thank you. I love it."
"You sure?" Logan said a little concerned.
"Absolutely" Rory smiled then kissed him again, ignoring everything else going on around them.
Rory had rushed off to the washroom and returned in time for Logan to open her last gift to him. "What on earth is this?" Logan said as he dragged the tall and rectangular-shaped package away from the tree.
"Oh, that's my last gift for you."
"What did you do?" Logan asked as he tore away the wrapping to show a painting of a TV set from the 1960s in the corner of a living room with the title screen of The Twilight Zone on the TV. "Ace, this is awesome. Where did you find it?"
"You can find amazing things off the internet," Rory said cryptically. "I thought you could use something to brighten up your office. I know that your dad went towards intimidating with his pictures of Ronald Reagan, George Bush and the newspaper clippings, but I thought you might go for something a little more whimsical." Rory said with a smile.
Logan couldn't help but laugh at Rory's statement. "I love it, thanks Ace."
Once Logan maneuvered the painting out of the way Emily handed a delicately wrapped and flimsy small package. "I found this when I was permanently clearing out the Hartford house, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it, and I did save it for when you got older and now I have a good reason to give it to you."
Rory looked at Emily confused. "Grandma, what are you talking about?"
"Just open it." Emily gestured to the package and Rory removed the delicate tissue paper to reveal a baby-sized white gown with a lace layer, capped sleeves, and a satin ribbon with a white flower with beads in the centre, and a matching bonnet. "What the-?" Rory said baffled.
"It was your Christening outfit. I always planned on giving it to you when you got older so you could use it for your daughter." Rory gently ran her fingers across the delicate lace as Emily spoke. "You don't have to use it for its exact purpose if you don't want to, your mother thought the whole thing was ridiculous, but I couldn't let it waste away."
Rory was tearing up as she inspected the beautiful gown in her lap. This was her child's first gift and the idea that her child was loved and wanted by more than just her filled her with indescribable joy. "Thank you so much, Grandma," Rory said tearfully as she hugged Emily.
"You're very welcome, Rory."
Lorelai watched as her mother and daughter talked happily and Emily told a more in-depth history of the dress. Lorelai couldn't bear to watch so she slipped from the room under the excuse that she needed some more caffeine.
"Rory, this one is for you," Emily said when she picked up the final present, a dense square package wrapped in beautiful silver wrapping paper.
Rory took the offered gift and inspected it looking for the tag when she found it, she smiled at the gifter before speaking. "Another one? Thank you, Logan."
"Open it, Ace. I think you'll like it." Logan said conspiratorially.
Rory looked at Logan suspiciously before opening the present. Pulling back the paper revealed a red leather case with two books inside, both bound in red Morocco leather with gold lettering and small animals along the side.
Rory pulled out one of the books to get a better look, once she read the front page, she looked at Logan in shock. "Oh my god, I can't believe you did this," Rory said in amazement.
"Well, I knew that you always wanted a copy and when I saw these, I knew that you'd love them," Logan said sweetly.
Rory laughed then kissed him quickly with a big grin on her face. "Thank you, Logan," Rory said seriously.
"You're welcome."
Their little moment was broken by Lorelei speaking up. Rory was impressed that she had held her tongue as long as she had. "What'd you get, kid?" Lorelai said without her usual gusto.
Rory grinned and happily displayed the gift for everyone to see. "It's first edition copies of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. These were published in the 1860s, and for them both to be in such good condition is amazing." Rory looked at Logan and silently asked him how he managed to find the books.
"There's a rare book dealer in London who I got to know while I was over there, I gave him a call the week you started at The Post and asked if he had any first editions of Alice in Wonderland. He first gave me a lecture on the difference between a first edition and a first circulated edition, but then he told me that he had a boxed set of both books, and they were both first editions, in near perfect condition and were both beautifully illustrated." Rory flipped through one of the books and was amazed at the quality of the pictures inside.
"This is amazing, thank you so much, Logan," Rory said with a grin.
Before anyone could say anything, Lorelai jumped in, "Wow Logan, that is amazing." Lorelai said snidely. "How much did that cost?"
Rory's eyes went wide at the comment, but Logan refused to back down and answered the question without flinching. "Close to £4,500. That equals about $5,600. Almost mint condition books from the Victorian Era cost quite a bit of money Lorelai."
Lorelai glared at Logan for a minute before turning her attention to Rory. "Why'd he even buy you those? I know you didn't read those books, so I don't understand why you're so excited." Lorelai said confused.
"I did read the books when I was a kid. Grandma gave me a copy when we were at one of her Christmas parties when I was about eight." Lorelai stared dumbfounded at her daughter as she kept speaking. "They quickly became my favourite and I told Logan how much I loved the books and how I always considered them my first real connection to Grandma." Lorelai stared at Rory as she thought back to the day she got her first copy of Alice in Wonderland.
[Flashback]
Rory was hiding in her moms' old room at her grandparent's house. It was their annual Christmas party and as the adults were chatting away and her mom bounced between mocking everyone in sight and the apple tarts, Rory had slipped away to read. She knew that no one would care that she had disappeared, these parties were incredibly boring and once she felt she had appropriately charmed her grandparent's friends, she had snuck off to read. She had brought her worn copy of The Wizard of Oz and was happily reading about Dorothy and the Yellow Brick Road when the bedroom door opened.
"Oh, Rory dear, here you are. I was looking for you." Emily had noticed that Rory had disappeared from the party over half an hour ago and had wanted to make sure that she was alright. "What are you doing?" Emily said calmly. According to Lorelai she was cold and treated everyone like they were the scum of the earth, including her own child, but she had a soft spot for Rory.
"I'm sorry grandma, but I thought that once I'd said hello to everyone I could slip away as long as I didn't disturb anyone. I was going to come down just before 7 and be there for dinner." Rory pleaded.
"It's alright, Rory." Emily glanced towards the television set expecting to see one of Lorelai's old videos playing and was surprised to see it untouched. When she turned back to Rory she realized that there was a book open in her lap. Lorelai hadn't been much of a reader and Emily was pleased to see that Lorelai hadn't passed that on. "I'm surprised you aren't watching TV."
"My mom loves watching TV and movies but I prefer to read. I can take my books anywhere but I can't take a TV with me." Rory said with a smile.
"You're right about that Rory." Emily looked at the worn-out book in Rory's hands and wanted to know more about her granddaughter now that she had a moment alone with her. "What are you reading?"
"Oh!" Rory said excitedly. "It's a great story called The Wizard of Oz. It's about a girl named Dorothy who lives on a farm in Kansas and she dreams of leaving the farm someday, then while she's sleeping a twister lifts her home of the ground and takes it to the land of Oz!" Rory says emphatically, Emily smiled at the girl's enthusiasm and let her ramble. "The house falls and to the Wicked Witch of the East killing her! The Good Witch of the North takes the Wicked Witch's shoes and gives them to Dorothy, who really wants to go home. The Good Witch says she can't help her but knows someone who can. The Great and Powerful Oz! He lives in the Emerald City, but the Good Witch can't go there so she goes with her dog, Toto. They meet a Lion, a tinman and a Scarecrow who all decide to go to see the Wizard who doesn't want to help. He says that if they go and kill the Wicked Witch of the West he'll help, they go off and try to kill her but they get captured instead. Eventually, Dorothy escapes and KILLS the Witch by dumping cold water on her. She frees everyone, including the flying monkeys that captured her, and they all go back to the Emerald City to demand the Wizard help them. But, it turns out the Wizard isn't a wizard and just flew in on a hot air balloon from Nebraska by accident! He says that if they visit the Good Witch of the South, Glinda, she might be able to help. When they get there she tells Dorothy that she can get home if she asks the shoes to take her home and she goes home in three steps, THREE." Rory took a breath and smiled at her amused grandmother. "Have you ever read it, grandma?"
"Yes, I have. A long time ago." Emily said and was thrilled when Rory beamed at her. "Rory, would you like something different to read?"
"Really? I would love something new to read!"
Emily chuckled at Rory's enthusiasm and nodded. "Aright, you wait here and I'll be right back." Rory nodded excitedly before Emily left the room. Emily gracefully made her way back downstairs and mingled her way through the main floor, towards Richards office, she almost got there when she heard the sound of Lorelai giggling. Emily stopped to get a better sense of what her daughter was doing, it didn't take long for to realize that Lorelai was flirting heavily with this man, and even Emily could tell that this wasn't a 'take-me-out-to-dinner-I'd-like-to-get-to-know-you-better' type of flirts, this was an 'I-want-to-take-you-home-then-sneak-you-out-of-my-house-before-my-daughter-wakes-up' flirt. Emily just rolled her eyes realizing that while Lorelai was focused on this man, her daughter had been hiding upstairs for nearly an hour. Emily rolled her eyes and couldn't help but think it was a miracle that Rory hadn't been left in a bucket while Lorelai had been flirting her way backstage. Emily headed into Richard's office, grabbed the book of the shelf and went back upstairs to Rory.
"Here you go," Emily said as she handed a book with a blond girl in a blue dress and white apron, walking through the woods and a rabbit in a green and red suit and a man with a large top hat on the cover.
"Alice in Wonderland?" Rory asked, looking at her grandma in awe.
"It was one of my favourites as a girl, and I think you'll enjoy it. Alice's adventures are similar to Dorothy's."
"Thank you, grandma!" Rory eagerly opened the book and almost started reading before suddenly looking at the time. It dawned on Emily that Rory brought The Wizard of Oz because she'd be less likely to get pulled too far into it and remember to come down to dinner.
"Don't worry, I'll come and get you just before dinner, so you won't miss it. Which will be in about half an hour."
"Thank you, grandma!" Rory quickly hugged Emily before settling herself on the bed again and getting lost in the story of Alice.
"You're welcome, Rory." Emily smiled as she made her way from the room, as she headed back downstairs, she briefly thought that maybe there was hope for her relationship with her granddaughter and that things will be different this time.
[End Flashback]
Lorelai looked over the pile of gifts at her daughter's feet and noticed that her presents stood out from the rest. The Hello Kitty office supplies and the lamp of a dog pooping seemed out of place next to the high-end bassinet, DVDs and first editions that Logan bought her and the diamond earrings, matching necklace, part of Richard's library and Christening outfit that Emily had given her. Even Luke seemed to have read the situation better then she did, and he got Rory a brand new leather messenger bag. It was 30% off at Staples but it still was more fitting than her gifts. She frowned as she realized that Rory was becoming more a part of the world that she had run away from.
"Rory, dear," Emily said suddenly breaking the silence that had descended over everyone. "I read your articles in the Daily Post, they were well done. I'm very proud of you."
"Thank you, grandma," Rory said happily
"You're welcome, Rory. They were well written, well researched and the article on Gene Wilder was very touching. I must say, it took me a minute to find it though."
Logan switched from family man to businessman when he heard this. "Why?" He demanded, it was gentler than Mitchum but it was still a demand. "Was it not laid out properly? Did it get put on the wrong page? Or in the wrong section?" Rory put her hand on Logan's arm to get him to focus, and just like that he slipped back into his family man persona. "I'm sorry Emily. While I was hesitant to go into the family business when I was young, I am very passionate about my work and I want to be a success."
"That's alright, Logan," Emily said. "Richard was passionate as well and he'd often storm into his office, determined to solve a business problem in the middle of dinner if a problem was discovered when he was at home." Emily smiled fondly. "It was laid out perfectly fine, and it was on the front page of the section, exactly where it was supposed to be so don't worry Logan. The reason why I couldn't find it at first was that I was expecting it to be under Rory Gilmore, instead, it was published under R. Hayden. I missed it my first round through, it was a good thing you let me know the title."
Everyone looked at Rory with a combination of shock and confusion. "Sweets, why'd you change your writing name?" Lorelai said harshly. She was glaring at Logan, convinced that it was somehow his fault.
"Yeah, Ace. Why?" Logan said much calmer then Lorelai but still confused.
Rory took a deep breath and launched into her ramble. Logan knew what was about to happen as soon as she went to explain, so he dropped his arm across the back of her chair for support. "Well, I was talking to Josh, the editor in chief, during my first week at the office and I realized after the first staff meeting just how much trouble I was going to have as soon as people realize my connection to you. Everyone was friendly and treated me well enough but they were standoff-ish until I proved myself. I knew that this was just going to get worse once our relationship became public and after Logan and I get married." They heard Lorelai scoff in annoyance at the prospect of them getting married, but Rory decided to ignore it and keep going. "I was talking to Josh and he commented that since I hadn't published anything at the paper yet, I didn't have to use my name in the bylines. I knew that my relationship with Logan would cause me some trouble but this could easily go beyond our office, so I thought using a pseudonym would be a good idea. R. Hayden is close enough that people would still be able to find it if they're looking for my work but is far enough away from my legal name that my professional life can stay slightly separate from private life. The new name will give me a fresh start in journalism, I've been bogged down for so long and my work is tainted by my inconsistent work and inability to land a full-time job, the change lets me gain the type of respect that I wasn't going to get with my old name. Plus, the name I published under before wasn't my legal name anyway so it doesn't matter." Rory tensed a bit as she prepared herself with what she was going to say next. Logan gave her an awkward squeeze when he felt her tense but didn't ask any questions, knowing she was going to continue. "Then when we get married and I change my last name it'll be completely separate and no one will know at first and my work can speak for itself for the most part."
Everyone stared at Rory in shock for a moment, stunned at the bomb she just dropped. To no one's shock, it was Lorelai that spoke first. "You have GOT to be kidding me!" Lorelai hollered breaking the silence. "Rory, what the hell are you thinking! You always said that you'd never change your name if you got married, and now you're doing everything you swore against!"
"No, mom!" Rory cut off Lorelai's tirade before she could get going. "I'm doing everything you swore off! I have nothing against women taking their husband's last name, sure I never thought I'd do it but I want to take his name, I don't want there to be any confusion around who I am to him and our kids. I want us to be seen as a family, and honestly, I just want to do it. I know it's different, and not what you want for me, but this is my decision. So, please just don't mention it anymore." Everyone was amazed at how Rory shut down her mother. Lorelai was a difficult woman to mollify and rarely conceded to anyone, but when she noticed the harsh look she was receiving from Rory and others, she admitted defeat and focused on the food in front of her instead.
The silence stretched on for a few minutes before Logan turned to speak to Rory, he knew that it wasn't quite the right place to bring it up, but after Rory's speech, he couldn't help himself. "You're thinking about changing your name?" Logan asked, baffled.
"Yeah. I know that certain people will expect me to take your last name and that it's expected in society that your wife takes your name, but this isn't about that, not really. The fact that it'll placate some of the more hostile people we interact with is just a bonus. I want to take your name, I like the idea of being Rory Huntzberger. When I thought about the life we'd have when we were in college I secretly thought I'd change my name, this is what I want." Rory was gently rubbing Logan's hand with her thumb trying to soothe his frazzled nerves.
Once Logan got over his shock, he realized he liked the idea of sharing his last name with Rory and their child. He knew it was old-fashioned but he liked the idea of them being 'The Huntzberger's', they had a chance to break a pattern and give their child a family and legacy to be proud of. "Are you sure?" Logan finally said, still a little stunned.
Rory smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm sure."
Logan grinned, pulled her as close as possible and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. He didn't want to make a more intimate public display at Emily Gilmore's dinner table. He didn't care how much she seemed to have mellowed, there were still lines he refused to cross.
Emily smiled at the sweet moment between her granddaughter and soon-to-be-husband, at least if she had any say in the matter, she knew Lorelai was fuming and Emily knew that Rory was going to need someone on her side and happily informed the room of such. "Rory, it's perfectly fine for you to want to take your husband's name. I did, it was the custom at the time but I'm perfectly happy with the choice. I believe your friend Lane also took her husband's last name. Even now, it's very common for women to take their husband's last name. I think you're making a fine choice." Emily smiled and felt some sadness when obvious relief crossed Rory's face.
"Thank you, grandma," Rory said with a smile.
Lorelai couldn't believe what she was hearing, she wanted to argue against what Rory was saying but since she had been shut down once already she didn't want to speak up and risk a real fight between her and Rory. Instead, she slammed down her cutlery and stormed to the guest room she and Luke were staying in.
For the first time in many years, Lorelai left a meal unfinished.
Boxing day was relatively quiet after the adventures of Christmas day. Rory had spent most of the day bouncing between reading her new copies of Alice in Wonderland which she picked up when she needed a break from What to Expect When Your Expecting, she knew that if she was going to do this she was going to need to know more then 'babies cry and poop a lot' so she did what she always did in times of uncertainty, she hit the books. After a few hours of working herself into a near panic, she decided to do a little work. She knew that she wouldn't be able to focus enough to write another piece, so she mostly edited and sorted through the Letters to the Editor that they were able to salvage from Sal's reign.
At around 3 pm, Lorelai insisted that no Christmas was complete without National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Ernest Saves Christmas. Rory thought that watching a movie or two would be a good distraction from her work and her wandering thoughts about babies and childbirth and headed down to the living room. Rory had been surprised that Emily had put a TV in the living room and that Lorelai thought it was a good place to have a movie night. Rory took a look at the Gilmore patented food spread that was laid out and sighed, she didn't feel like tempting her mourning sickness by over-eating junk food.
"What's wrong sweets?" Lorelai chirped when she heard Rory sigh. "Don't tell me you don't have the stomach for our movie night staples."
"Well, we will have dinner in a few hours," Rory stated trying to give Lorelai another reason for her reluctance.
"This coming from the girl who had four thanksgiving dinners! Four! It was a world record for the number of thanksgiving dinners eaten in one day! You can rally!"
"The baby's just not the biggest fan of junk food right now, and I've finally managed to get back on speaking terms with my stomach and I just don't want to tempt fate."
"Stupid Huntzberger blood diluting the gene pool."
"Mom, the gene pool was already diluted, you're not capable of mitosis, you did need some help there."
"Yeah, but you might as well have been my exact copy."
Rory simply sighed and changed the subject. "Anyway, before we get this marathon going, I have some news," Rory stated apprehensively.
"You're moving home?" Lorelai half-joked. "The big city too much for this small-town girl?"
"No, the big city and I are getting along fine, this is about Trix."
"Trix?" Lorelai said confused.
"And dad," Rory said nervously.
"What about your dad?"
"Well, I got a call from a lawyer from the firm that handled grandpa's will and apparently Trix left me quite a bit of money. It was kept separate from grandpa's estate and the lawyer we dealt with was different than the one who handled the will, so it was missed."
"What exactly did she leave you, Rory?" Lorelai said harshly.
"From what I could tell, she left me just about everything, including her house in England," Rory said firmly. She knew Lorelai was close to blowing her lid and she didn't want to get too nervous, as she often did in these situations.
"What did you do?" Lorelai said coldly.
"I accepted it after I had a lawyer friend of mine take a look at the paperwork to make sure it was all above board."
Lorelai stared at Rory for a minute, gaping like a fish, trying to wrap her head around the thought of Rory inheriting a significant amount from Trix. "You said something about your dad too?" Lorelai said haltingly.
"Yeah," Rory said nervously. "I saw him the weekend I told Grandma about the baby and his mom was there, along with Gigi."
"Oh, Rory, what did they do?" Lorelai said angrily. "I wish you'd told me you were meeting with them; I would've talked you out of it. Meeting with those people brings more trouble than a meddling Emily Gilmore." Lorelai was gaining speed to launch into a full-blown Gilmore Girl rant, but before she could get going, Rory cut her off.
"It actually went well."
"You've got to be kidding me." Lorelai scoffed in disbelief.
"I'm not. I had a nice chat with Grandma Hayden, who was very nice and apologized for the way they treated me, and dad was great. He was a little taken aback by the idea of becoming a grandpa, but he came around once he got over the shock."
"Where are the strings, Pinocchio? They would not apologize without strings!"
Rory hesitated for a minute before speaking. "Apparently, they thought that dad followed us to Stars Hollow instead of going to Princeton and blamed us for blowing up their dynastic plan. They realized a year or so after the dinner that would rival cocktail-shrimp hands, that dad had been on the east coast most of the time they thought he was with us and wanted to know more about me. They called grandpa who filled them in on my life up to that point and kept them notified when they asked. They decided that I was worthy of what the Hayden birthright and set up a trust fund for me." Rory said calmer then she anticipated.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Lorelai screeched.
"No, I'm not."
"You cannot accept it. Rory, these people are horrible and manipulative, they're going to force you into some god awful thing if you accept this money. Do you really want Friday night dinner with the Hayden's?"
"Monthly dinners with my dad, sister and grandmother don't sound that bad to me actually."
"Rory! You can't be serious! I can't go to the Hayden's once a month for dinner. Do you have any idea how far Boston is from Stars Hollow?"
"Considering I've made that trip quite a few times, I know that it's exactly two hours and 45 minutes to dad's house from your house." Lorelai's eyes widened in shock at how Rory referred to the crap shack. "And you're not invited to dinner at Grandma Hayden's so, it doesn't matter that you can't get there."
"Rory-" Lorelai started to protest but Rory cut her off.
"You know what mom unless you're going to stop talking so we can watch these movies, I'm going back upstairs because I'm done talking about this with you."
Lorelai stared at Rory in shock as Rory stared her down, forcing her to decide what she wanted to do. In the end, Lorelai reached for the remote and turned on the movie, starting one of the more awkward movie nights in Gilmore Girls' history.
AN: I'm going to leave the poll up for a few more days before I take it down, so if you want to vote this is your last chance!
Review if you please!