A.N: Thank you so much for all your kind reviews! I adore them :) I'm happy to share again a piece of the life of Rory and her family. Enjoy! Lots of love, icecreamincones

2035 - Summer

"Wooohooo, my baby girl is eighteen! Eighteen! Let's fly to Europe and drink some liquor!"
Lorelai entered the Gilmore-Mariano kitchen with loud screaming. "Oh, there's no baby girl."
"Well, I'm still your baby girl, right?" Rory turned around and smiled at her mother.
"Well... kinda." Lorelai didn't seem to be convinced and kissed her daughter's cheek quickly. "Not very nice!", Rory responded.
"Where is she?"
"In her room."
"And you're... cooking?"
Rory laughed. "Mum, will this never stop? I'm cooking, yeah! You know that I like it... Jess taught me so many things. We've attended cooking classes together. I really like it, it's fun."
"You're adopted. I think it's time to face it now."
"Oh boy."
"Who is adopted? Me? Is it not enough to have two Dads and one of them is my Mum's cousin?", a voice appeared.
"Emma Lorelai Gilmore, stop it! He's not my cousin!"
"There's my girl! Happy birthday baby!" Lorelai hugged her granddaughter fiercely. "Let's head to Europe!"
"Drinking liquor and behave badly?"
"Amen sister."
"You two", Rory said while rolling her eyes.
"So", Lorelai continued, "who is coming to the big party today, Em? Matt? Matty Matt? Your Matt?"
"Just family today, Nana. Matt is taking me to a birthday date tomorrow evening."
"Birthday date, huh? Is he himself the present? In his birthday suit? Hah, you get it?"
"I pretend you never said that."

The doorbell rang and Jess opened it. "Well, hello Mr. Smartypants."
"Hello to you, Nicholas Sparks."
Both men grinned at each other. "Come in."
"Dad!", Emma squealed and rushed into the arms of the blonde man. "You made it!"
"F'course, sweetheart. Couldn't miss the day you turning into an adult."
"Yeah, look at me!", she posed in front of him, "old and wise."
"And stupid", came from a snarky voice behind her. Her little brother Rick passed by.
Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm so happy you're here, really." She kissed Logan on the cheek.

All the family sat together at the large wooden table. A lot of chairs, a lot of laughter. Many generations, a family unscripted. Emma watched every single one while she silently enjoyed her cake.
Her parents, her brother, her father, Nana, Grandpa Luke, Auntie Doula, Nana Liz, Sookie, Jackson and their two youngest kids.
She was happy to see all of them in one room. It wasn't always like that. There was a lot of tension going on, although she knew that the adults always wanted to hide it from her. But she wasn't that naive or stupid. She sometimes overheard her parents talking about Logan, how he always supported his daughter financially, but disappointed her and them often on a personal basis. But she wasn't holding a grudge against him. She knew he had his own family, his business and unfortunately also a bad divorce with Odette three years ago. But seeing him now, laughing with the same crinkled eyes as her own, joking with Rick and secretly sharing a smile with her, she was okay with everything.
Emma also watched her Dad Jess with his own mother. He once told her about all the problems and arguments from the past, his bad childhood in New York, how he more or less never felt home, his behaviour. When she looked into his warm brown eyes, who never ever harmed her, she barely couldn't imagine what he experienced and how he changed. And after all these years he made peace with his own mother, although Emma could see from his body language that until today he couldn't fully trust her. She sighed and went into the kitchen to get some cream for her coffee.
"Em, hey. Psh."
She turned around and saw Jess with an amused smirk.
"Yeah?"
"I convinced her."
"What?"
"I. Convinced. Her." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"You... oh my god, really?"
"Shhhh. Don't make a scene."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Best present ever!"
"Hey, you've already started with the presents?" Logan appeared in the doorframe.
Jess and Emma shared a quick glance.
"Umm, no, Dad. S'okay."
"You've got secrets?", Logan asked.
"She's our daughter, of course", Jess answered. He smirked. "Tell him, Em."
The girl sighed. "Well, okay. Dad, I'm gonna get a tattoo."
"Oh, cool. What do you get?"
Emma looked confused. "Oh cool. That's your response?"
Logan laughed. "Well, you're eighteen, sweets. I'm just an old man who has to accept your decisions."
"I'll bet you have one as well", Jess stated. "Frat boys always have some."
"Dude, I'm 52 years old. Thanks for still relating to me as a frat boy."
"You're welcome."
"So?", Emma asked with raised eyebrows.
Logan sighed. "Well, okay. There could be a tiny little tattoo. You know Finn from my stories, I couldn't hold against him."
"Show us!"
"But please, don't show it if it is placed on your butt cheek", Jess whined.
"It's right above."
"Leaving."
Emma laughed at her two fathers. "You're so funny since you get along well."
"We're not getting along well, geez."
"Jess, buddy, don't hurt my feelings!" Logan touched his chest dramatically.
"Just for the record, he's having two tattoos!" Emma pointed at Jess and winked. "He got one while he was drunk, it's a dragon on his shoulder plate. Pretty rad, if you ask me. And five years ago he got 'r²e' inked on his inner arm. Mum always pretends to hate the tattoos, but I think she secretly loves them."
"Stop the tattoo talk right now!" Rory entered the kitchen, shaking her head. "I have to accept it, but that's all."
"You still didn't tell me what you get?", Logan asked, showing his teeth to an angry Rory. "To end the topic", he added quickly.
Emma smiled at Jess. "A small pumpkin on my wrist."
He smiled back and put his arm around her. Never will he forget the moment between them eighteen long years ago.

"Hey little pumpkin, I'm Jess. I'll tell ya, the world you just popped in is not always easy. Not always beautiful. But I promise, I'll do everything to make it easier for you."