Rory had left LA on the evening of boxing day as the red eye was the only option this close to Christmas, so she left there on Wednesday night and arrived in Sydney at seven am on the Friday. A very tired, but excited Rory bundled out from baggage claim. She was excited to have some warmer weather, see Australia and most of all see Finn. She looked around for him, it took her a minute to spot him as she had overlooked him to start. He was standing there waiting for her with a bunch of helium balloons, stars and hearts in red and blue, with a giant smile on his face as he saw her. They both started to each other as quickly as they could, once they were close enough Rory dropped all pretence of etiquette and ran into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as he picked her up to meet his lips.

Finn pulled back to look into her face, before dropping another kiss to her lips and giving her a squeeze, then he lowered her gently back down to the ground.

"That was quite the hello Kitten, would now be a bad time to tell you my sister came with me to meet you and probably watched that all?"

"She didn't?" Rory asked as her face flushed crimson.

"No she didn't, Kitten, I just wanted to see how red your face would go," Finn said, kissing her cheek and then jumping out of the way before she could smack him on the arm.

"It's a good thing I love you Finnegan Thomas Morgan!"

"I love you too, now come on you must be exhausted after that flight." Finn gave her the balloons, took her luggage in one hand and her hand in the other, and led her out to his car.

"Are we going to your apartment or your parents?" Rory asked, looking at him while biting her lip.

"We are going to mine, I didn't think you would feel comfortable having a daytime nap at my parents while you were jetlagged."

"Sounds good, Finn." Rory climbed into his truck. As she expected he had a pickup there as he did a lot more extreme sports and it was easier for carrying his surfboard and equipment. She was enjoying just looking out the window at all the different buildings as they drove through the city to the apartment. She couldn't see much between the buildings so she had no real concept of their whereabouts. Finn pulled into an underground parking lot of an apartment building, and got Rory's luggage out.

"Time to see my other home, Kitten, I hope you like it," he said as they climbed into the elevator and he pressed the button for the top floor.

"I'm sure I will, Finn."

They got out of the elevator and there were only two doors, he led her towards one of them and opened it. It opened to a burst of light. The walls were all completely floor to ceiling glass, everything was chrome and modern. Rory gravitated straight to the windows to look.

"Oh My God!" she exclaimed.

"Yes Love?" Finn asked pretending to be oblivious

"The view Finn, it's amazing, how do you ever leave here?" The windows looked across the harbour at the Opera House, and the harbour bridge.

"Well sometimes I get to look at pretty things in New York as well, Kitten." he said, pulling her back into his chest. "Come on, let's get you some sleep," walking into the bedroom.

"I'm not so tired, Finn, but maybe I should try laying down," Rory said huskily, looking him up and down, with her tongue peaking out of a corner of her mouth.

"You will be the death of me woman," Finn groaned, pulling her down onto his bed where they proceeded to do anything but sleep for the morning.


Finn's family had agreed that Rory would probably be too tired to do much on Friday when she arrived. So on Saturday Finn drove them towards his parents, where they had brunch and then headed towards the beach with his sister.

Finn helped Rory and Olivia get set up on the beach and then he gave Rory a quick kiss before taking off to the waves with his board.

"It's amazing here, I don't know how you guys all stick it out in the states," Rory said to Olivia as she looked around the beach. "I still can't get over how I was in my coat and scarf three days ago and now I'm on a beach in a bikini."

"You tend to get used to it. What I can't get used to is this puppy of a man my brother has turned into, he is wrapped around your little finger." Olivia stated, watching Rory for her reaction.

"It's pretty mutual, and believe me sometimes I can't believe the same playboy I knew in college is my devoted boyfriend," Rory said, blushing as she realised what she said.

"Oh I'm under no illusions about how he was then. Even Mom will tell you he was a man whore," Olivia said with the brutal honesty only a sibling has.

"So you never wanted to go to Yale Olivia?"

Nope, Culinary school was much more my speed, I loved it, and I don't feel like I missed anything by not having that Ivy experience."

"That's good, It took me until law school to feel much more comfortable in my own skin. I think it was being further from home. Makes me wonder what would have happened had I gone to Harvard for my Undergrad as originally planned."

"Kitten, I did not just hear you say you wished you'd done Harvard as an undergrad, what sacrilege is this!" Finn exclaimed as he came dripping up the beach, he wanted to check they were getting on okay.

"Might have been peaceful, you know stooge free!" Rory said giggling.

"Oh you will pay for that," and with that Finn started to chase her, when he caught her, he picked her up and carried her into the surf before dropping her into the water with a shriek.

"Finn!"

"No you deserved that," he repeated, pulling her against him.

"I did, did i?" she asked.

"You just implied your life would have been better without me." he said with a pout.

"I meant without all the stooges, you're still my favourite one, you know I couldn't live without you," she said, pulling him down for a kiss.

"Break it up you pair!" Olivia shouted from the shore.

The day continued in a similar fashion with the girls continuing to team up to mock Finn.


Finn had planned the days between Rory's arrival and new years carefully to show her as much as he could. They went to the zoo, had supper at the botanical gardens, he took her on a tour of vineyards for a day. He made sure that he took her to Bondi Beach or Lorelai would never forgive him, as to her it was iconic.

New Year's Eve arrived and they spent the day quietly in Finn's apartment as they planned on meeting his family and friends for the evening. Finn's dad was taking his yacht out into the harbour and they were going to have food, drinks and watch the Harbour Bridge firework display.

"This is amazing," Rory said, from her spot in Finn's arms as she looked at all the boats in the harbour, they were all lit up with groups having parties similar to them.

"Yes, this is one of my favourite ways to spend New Years, even when I loved to party I liked this better than going to party on New Years Eve."

"Wow Finn, I think that statement just ruined your reputation." Rory laughed, as he tickled her in response to her gentle mocking.

"Well Miss Gilmore, how does it feel to be on a yacht you didn't steal?"

"Hey I thought we had agreed never to mention that!"

"I made no such agreement!"

"Who stole a yacht?" Olivia asked, coming up upon the tail end of the conversation.

"Young Rory here, did hard time for stealing a boat in college."

"Finn!" Rory tried to stop him, but it was too late, he launched into the full story in that exaggerated way that only he can. By the end the full group on the boat were listening and Rory was hiding her face in embarrassment.

"What you must all think of me," she tried to explain.

Finn stopped her, "What Rory means is she was a goodie goodie in college and by sheer bad luck managed to get caught in her moment of rebellion."

"It's ok Rory, you were an Angel compared to your other half," Charlotte said.

"Believe me, I know, I probably bailed him out more times than you guys can even imagine." Rory answered, thinking back to those three years.

The night continued, Rory got to know some of Finn's extended family that were based in Australia and some of his friends that had joined them for the party. As it got close to midnight, they all moved up to the top deck of the yacht as Finn and Finnegan went around everyone and made sure that they all had fresh, full glasses of champagne.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone on the yacht shouted in unison as the bridge flooded into light as the fireworks started.

"Happy New Year's baby," Finn said to Rory while she was enclosed in his arms.

Happy New Year Finn, I love you," Rory pulled him down to kiss her before she could no longer ignore the sound of the fireworks going off around them.

"I love you too," he whispered as he pulled her against him so they could watch the fireworks, cuddled together in their own little world, while being surrounded by family and friends.


They spent the first day of the year by the pool with Finn's family. Early in the afternoon, Finn told her they had to go, he had somewhere he wanted to show her but they had to go to his house and change first. Finn told her to wear something comfortable but with jeans and to make sure she brought a sweater as it would get colder later. As early evening fell, they piled into Finn's truck and he started driving them out of the city towards Camden.

"Where are we going Finn?"

"It's a surprise."

"Will you ever give a straight answer to that question?"

"Probably not, Kitten, but have there been any bad surprises so far?"

"No, not yet, this could be the first though," she said looking at him mockingly.

"I hope not," he muttered under his breath.

"Where are we, Finn?" She asked as he turned off heading towards some fields.

"You will see when we get there, two minutes."

They pulled into a field, and he stopped his truck. Rory looked around. "Finn, what is that?"

"What do you think it is Rory?"

"It's not."

"It's not what?" he said, openly smirking at her now.

"Is that a hot air balloon?"

"10 points to Gilmore, putting that education to good use."

"Finn!" Rory exclaimed, looking at him earnestly. "We aren't going up in that, are we?"

"That was the plan, unless you really don't want to?" Finn looked at her hesitantly, trying to see now if she was shocked, or really didn't want to go.

"I've always wanted to try this! Thank you!" and with that Rory jumped into his arms as he swung her around.

"Thank God, you scared me there, I thought you hated the idea."

"No I love it, let's go," she started dragging him towards the balloon.

Twenty minutes later, they were in the air floating near the Blue Mountains. Finn had arranged for the flight to be at dusk, so they were floating into the sunset.

"What made you choose a sunset flight, Finn?"

"Well I know my target audience, I would never have got you here in time for a sunrise flight."

"That's true, this is amazing," Rory was hanging over the edge of the balloon, lightly in the circle of Finn's arms, looking out at the scenery. They could see the mountains, vineyards, and even the city off in the distance.

"This is perfect." Rory said, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Rory," Finn started.

"Yes Finn?"

"Rory, the past six months with you have been amazing, you have given me a new lease on life that I didn't even know I needed."

"Me too Finn, you have made me live again, not just work."

"What i'm trying to say Rory is, it's made me realise what I want from life now."

"Finn-"

"Rory, you are amazing, you are smart, thoughtful, I lose myself the second I even glance at those blue eyes. You have made my life better everyday that you have been in it whether it was as a friend back in college, or now as the love of my life. I thank God everyday that we were both on that flight to London at the start of summer. Rory, I love you, I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you, loving you. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Hayden, Rory, Kitten, Will you Marry me?"

"Oh my God Finn," Rory exclaims, she watches him as he drops to one knee, not an easy feat in a swaying basket, and opens a jewellery box to reveal a platinum ring with a princess cut blue diamond in the centre.

"Oh my God."

"Is there another sentence in there?" he asks hesitantly.

"Oh my God, Yes! Yes of course, Yes," she says, jumping into his arms as he stands up. He slid the ring carefully onto her finger, before tenderly tipping her chin and giving her a kiss, pouring all of his love into it.

"I love you, I can't believe you did this." Rory continued, still shocked, "I love the ring, is that a blue diamond?"

"Yes, I couldn't decide between a sapphire and a diamond, so the jeweller showed me this and I was sold. And I knew you would want it to be just us so I thought this was a good way."

"It was perfect, I love you, thank you."

"I love you too."

They settled into each other's arms, and drank champagne that had appeared as if out of nowhere, while enjoying the scenery around them.