AN: This is the last actual chapter – as such, instead of being half Logan half Christopher, it switches back and forth to try to stick to the time line. (I will try to split the content half and half though.)
Logan Huntzberger stared at the closed laptop sitting on his coffee table, and grabbed it quickly, wrenching it open again. He restarted his email program and re-read the most recent email he'd received from Rory Gilmore. Even after two cups of coffee, one of which had a healthy shot of liquor in it, he still couldn't believe the words on the screen in front of him. He rubbed his eyes and stood up. He headed up the stairs to the guest room Finn was sleeping in to get a different perspective.
"Finn! Wake up!" he said loudly as he entered the guest room. Finn was sprawled out on his stomach, sleeping diagonally across the bed.
"Wha?" Finn mumbled rolling towards the sound of Logan's voice.
"Keep your covers on, I don't want to see Finn Jr. this morning," Logan advised him with a laugh.
"What's going on Mate?" Finn asked as he rubbed his eyes and sat up in the bed, holding his covers in place to protect Logan's modesty.
"Have you talked to Rory since you've been here?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" Logan asked in an accusatory voice.
"Yes Mate, I'm sure!" Finn spat back.
"You have to come read this email I got from her."
"Now? It's still light out!"
"Finn!" Logan yelled as he turned around and headed to the bedroom Colin was using to see if he was dressed from his shower.
"I'm coming," Finn grumbled. "There better be coffee and pastries."
"Logan, what's going on?" Colin asked, sticking his head out of the bathroom door before Logan could get to the bedroom.
"I got an email from Rory."
"I'll be right down," Colin told him, and then headed into the bedroom to dress. While Logan waited for Colin and Finn to come downstairs, he poured them each a cup of coffee and set them on the coffee table next to his laptop.
"Well?" Colin said as he entered the room.
"Just read it for yourself." Logan pointed to the open laptop.
Colin sat down and started reading, and by the time he'd finished the email Finn and arrived and started to read. The trio remained silent until Finn had finished reading, and Colin had read it a second time.
"Mate, what's the big deal? This is exactly what you want!" Finn told him.
"I know!" Logan said. "But…" he trailed off.
"It seems wrong," Colin finished.
"Exactly!" Logan began to pace in the living room as his friends occupied the couch. "What if this is like the yacht all over again? What if she's just trying to escape? We know just how well the yacht turned out!"
"Calm down Logan," Finn started, "Love's not the same innocent girl she was two years ago."
"Still, it would really suck to fall back into old patterns only to find out months later that she's miserable," Colin added his two cents.
"What do I do?" Logan asked.
"You have to find out if this is what she really wants, or if this is just a way to get away from the vultures," Colin instructed.
"I still think you should trust her," Finn said.
"I've got to email her back," Logan said, as he continued to pace.
"We'll get out of your way. Come on Finn let's go get some breakfast," Colin replied.
"Thanks."
With his friends gone, Logan sat down in front of his email and hit reply.
To: Rory Gilmore
From: Logan Huntzberger
Re: Decisions
Rory,
I don't know what to say here. Your email is everything I've been waiting for, and yet somehow I feel like it's wrong. Like you're taking the easy way out of a bad situation. I love you. I want to be with you. But I don't want to be your escape route.
Logan read over what he'd written and wondered if it sounded too harsh. He most certainly didn't want to push Rory away, but he knew his heart couldn't take it if he was right, and she was just running away. He knew there was no guarantees in life, even if he and Rory got back together, some day, down the road, they may split again, but he wouldn't walk into a relationship fearing it's failure from the start. He started typing again.
I want us to be together because it's what we both want, and what will be the best for both of us.
The new email indicator chimed, and gave Logan a good reason to distract himself. He was surprised to see Rory's name in his inbox yet again.
To: Logan Huntzberger
From: Rory Gilmore
Re: I wish there was an email recall button
Logan,
I'm sorry to say that I wish I could take my last email back. After sleeping on the situation, I find that things are not nearly so drastic in the morning light. This is not to say that I don't love you. I do. Nor to say that I don't want to be with you… I'm still working on that. I just know that us getting back together can't be a knee-jerk reaction to a shitty situation. I'm sorry if I've hurt you by my actions. Hopefully I'll still see you at the anniversary party.
Love,
Rory
Logan read her email twice, not knowing if he wanted to laugh or cry. He didn't know how long sat and stared at the screen, but he was broken from his thoughts by Finn and Colin returning from breakfast.
"Huntz, we brought you a bagel and cream cheese," Colin said. "You okay there?"
"Got another email from Rory," Logan replied numbly.
"And?" Finn asked anxiously.
"Read it." Logan turned the screen so his friends could read the email, and stood up, taking the bag with his breakfast in it to the kitchen table. He chuckled lightly as he sat down at the table, remembering the last time he'd sat there. Colin, Finn, Stephanie and Honor had been there for an intervention. He sliced the onion bagel in half, and smeared the jalapeno cream cheese on it. He took the first bite and waited for the guys to join him.
"Wow," Colin started as he pulled out the chair across from Logan and settled himself into it.
"Did you already reply to her prior message?" Finn asked.
Logan finished chewing the bite in his mouth before responding. "I was mid response, I used the incoming email as a distraction."
"Well at least you didn't say anything you can't take back," Colin told him.
"So do I respond? Or just let it go and see her at the anniversary party?"
"Her last email didn't really call for a response," Finn pointed out.
"You're not heart broken over her recall email – you were afraid that's what would happen anyhow," Colin reminded him.
"So I just pretend it didn't happen?" Finn and Colin nodded in unison. "We might need to hit the pub a little earlier than usual tonight."
"Can do Mate," Finn replied with a smile, likely eager to try out whatever new moves he could find on Bree anyhow.
"What ever you need man," Colin added supportively.
Christopher Hayden spent the two weeks between his phone call with Lorelai at The Broomstick and the Gilmore's anniversary party in an emotional state of flux. His emotions ranged from blissful and elated – Lorelai loved him, to miserable and insecure –wondering if that love would last? He did his best to go on with his life as usual: get up, take care of Gigi, go to work, come home and spend time with Gigi, but the second that he had a free moment, it was consumed with thoughts of Lorelai.
It was the morning of the party, and Christopher lay in bed, wide awake, at 6:00 am. He berated himself for what felt like the millionth time for insisting that he take some time and think about what she'd said and what those words meant. Christopher was usually a risk taker. Jump on in feet first with out any hesitation. Why was this the one time in his life that he didn't take the risk? Why was this the time he hesitated? He sighed deeply, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and decided he might as well get the day started. His plan for the day was simple, take Gigi to breakfast, get a haircut, pick up his tuxedo from the dry cleaners, and try to remain busy yet relaxed before the party, knowing once he got there he'd be a nervous wreck, at least until he talked to Lorelai. He stood under his shower wracking his brain trying to come up with anything else he needed to do, or could do, that would distract him. There was nothing.
When the water ran cold he toweled off and headed into his closet to find something to wear. He decided to forgo his usual shave and just let the barber do a hot shave when he got his haircut. It was Saturday morning, and he really just wanted to pull on his faded sweats and an undershirt, but since he planned to leave the house, he had to put on actual clothes. He tugged on a pair of semi faded jeans and pulled on the Yale tee shirt Rory bought him the Christmas before. Good enough. By the time he was finished he could hear Gigi stirring in her room.
"Morning Sweetie," he greeted when he opened her door.
She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. "Hi Daddy."
"You want to go out to breakfast this morning?"
"Can we get waffles with whipped cream?" she asked, before answering him.
"I suppose we can do that."
"Yay!" She leapt out of bed ran straight into her closet. It was less than a minute later that she reappeared in a hot pink sweatshirt and purple plaid shorts. The combination was so bright it hurt his eyes.
"That's what you want to wear today G?"
Her face fell. At almost five she was just starting to develop a sense of fashion and dressing herself. "What's wrong with it?"
"It's just a little… bright. But you look fine. Do you want me to put your hair up in a ponytail?"
"Braid!"
"Okay, come here." She grabbed her brush off the dresser and came and stood in front of him. He used the brush to untangle her blonde hair. Once it was de-tangled, he divided it into three sections and braided it. It wasn't a French braid, nor was it particularly pretty, but it would work to keep her hair out of her face, and out of the whipped cream from her breakfast.
"Let's go!" Gigi instructed him eagerly.
They got into the car and Christopher headed into the outskirts of Boston for a family style diner he knew served Belgian waffles with fruit and whipped cream for breakfast.
Breakfast was as delicious as he'd remembered. Gigi had the waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and he had one of those farm style breakfasts that had eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast, along with a steamy cup of hot coffee. Afterwards, he began his errands. Surprisingly, Gigi was patient with the dry cleaner and watched with curiosity as the barber wrapped her father's face in a hot towel, then added a thick layer of fluffy shaving cream, before sharpening his straight razor and beginning the shave.
"Do me next!" she said, when the barber was finished with her father.
"Gigi, girls don't shave their faces," Christopher told her with a laugh.
"Sure, hop up kid," the barber told her. Christopher looked at him with surprise. "I get this all the time."
Gigi hopped up into the chair her father just vacated, and the barber wrapped her face in a warm towel for a few minutes. Then applied a small amount of lotion to her face instead of the shaving cream. "All done," he told her when he'd rubbed all of the lotion in.
"Okay!" she exclaimed happily as she jumped off the chair.
Christopher was grateful that she wasn't demanding that he use the razor on her face as well. "Are you ready to head home?" he asked his daughter.
"You bet! I can't wait to tell Molly."
Christopher chuckled and turned to the barber. "How much do I owe you?"
"It'll be $30.00 for the shave and the haircut."
"What about her?" Christopher asked quietly inclining his head towards Gigi who was now trying to count all of the pink gumballs in the gumball machine.
"Don't worry about it, it was fun," the barber told him.
"Who knows, maybe now we can play barber shop instead of dress up at home," Chris joked. The older man laughed as Chris handed him a pair of twenties. "Keep the change. Come on G, let's get going."
"Can we go shopping instead of home?" she asked.
"What do you want to shop for?"
"Princess stories!" she exclaimed eagerly.
"Sure, we can do that."
After two hours at the bookstore, and a stack of new books later, Gigi was still enamored with the trip to the barbershop. She spent the drive home rubbing her face, then reaching forward from the back seat to rub her fathers face, apparently comparing the relative smoothness. "Wow Daddy, your face is as soft as mine!"
"Is my face usually not soft?" he asked curiously.
"Mostly it's scratchy."
Once he pulled into the garage, Gigi got out of the car and headed into the house to find Molly. When Christopher entered the house he could hear Gigi giving her the play by play of the trip to the barbershop.
"Hey Mr. H, your haircut looks great," Molly commented when he walked past them in the living room.
"Thanks. Apparently my face is now as smooth as Gigi's too." He stopped to talk to them for a moment.
"Do you have everything for your party tonight?" Molly asked.
"Yep. Just picked up the tux."
"We're going to a party?" Gigi asked excitedly.
"No Sweetie, I'm going to a party," Christopher told her gently.
"You get to stay here and have a slumber party with me!" Molly exclaimed feigning enthusiasm.
"But I want to go the party!" Gigi cried.
"It's for grown ups, you can't go."
"Then can I stay up until you come home?" Gigi asked.
"I'm not going to be home until tomorrow," he explained. Christopher knew that one way or another he wouldn't make it home to Boston after the party. If things went well, he'd get to spend some time with Lorelai, if things went poorly, he'd spend the night in a bar drinking his sorrows away.
"Where are you going to sleep?"
"Probably at Grandma Francine's house."
"Can I stay the night at Grandma's house too then?" she asked eagerly.
"Sorry Sweetie, Grandma's going to the party too, so no one will be there to watch you. Besides, I bet Molly has all sorts of fun things planned for you guys to do tonight. I bet you won't even notice that I'm gone."
Molly tried to help him out. "I do have fun things planned for us to do."
"Like what?" Gigi asked suspiciously.
"Well I brought cookie dough so we could make some sugar cookies. I brought some dress up clothes so we can play princess, and I brought some new story books."
Gigi looked slightly more impressed by this, but she didn't seem completely reassured. "Can't you stay home Daddy?"
"I said I was going, so I have to go. You wouldn't like it if I promised you I'd do something, then I didn't, would you?"
"No," she pouted.
"Besides, I may have a surprise for you when I get back," he teased, hoping that Rory would be in town long enough to come see her little sister.
"Really? What?" The pout was gone, and now replaced with a hopeful smile.
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it? Go play with Molly, I'm going to go get ready. I'll come kiss you good bye before I go."
Gigi ran off towards her room to get her toys, but Molly hung back for a moment. "Have you been having any problems with Gigi lately? She's been extra clingy to me," Christopher asked curiously.
"No sir. I mean, lately she's been super excited for you to get home, but other than that, she's the same as ever."
"Okay then. Well I'm going to go get ready."
Christopher hung his tux on the back of his bedroom door, and stripped out of the clothes he'd thrown on earlier. He decided on a quick shower, to get rid of any stray hairs left behind by the barber, then began dressing. He pulled on his socks, boxers, and undershirt, then started digging through the top drawer of his dresser, in search of the box that he kept his studs and cufflinks in. He had more than one set, so he came across several boxes that had been tucked away under his undershirts and handkerchiefs. The first set he came across was the set his mother bought him when he married Sherry. Simple black studs, with matching onyx links. The second set was the set his father bought him when he graduated from college: Princeton orange and black studs with the college emblem on the links. The third set was the set Lorelai bought him for junior prom, skulls on the studs, and the Aerosmith logo etched into the links. He felt around in the drawer to make sure he wasn't missing any, and came up with two more boxes. One was another set of studs and links, the ones his mother gave him after his father's death. The ones his father had worn all of Christopher's life: silver studs and a monogrammed H in the links.
The other box was one he'd forgotten about. He flipped it open to find a cheesy gold band with a large round 'mood stone' attached. He pulled the ring out of the box and polished the band on his undershirt, then, to see if it still worked, he slid the ring onto his finger. It barely fit over the first joint on his pinky, but after sitting there for a little while, the stone began to change from it's original black to a deep bluish-purple color. He smiled at the memory of the ring, and slid it off his finger and back into the box, which he set on top of his dresser.
He finally decided on wearing his father's cuff links and studs. His mother would appreciate the gesture, and while Lorelai would love the skulls and Aerosmith set, Emily would not, and it was Emily's party after all. He pulled on his slacks and his tuxedo shirt. He slid the studs into place with practiced ease, and then moved on to the links. When they were securely in place he tied his tie and slipped on the vest and jacket. He checked himself out in the full length mirror, and deciding he looked okay, slipped the jewelry box from the dresser into his pocket and headed on his way.
He paused outside of Gigi's room, listening to her and Molly play tea party. He opened the door to find Gigi in a pink frilly dress with pearls, heels and a hat on, and Molly in a hat, scarf and gloves. "I'm heading out Gigi, come give me a kiss goodbye."
Gigi jumped up and ran over to him. "You look pretty Daddy!" she told him. "Like a prince!"
"Thanks Gigi," he said, trying not to laugh at his daughter's compliment.
"You look very dashing Mr. H," Molly told him.
"Thanks," he replied dryly. "You two have a good time tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow."
It was the day of the anniversary party, and Logan Huntzberger was sitting in his limo, afraid to get out. He wasn't at the party yet. No, he had just arrived at the restaurant he was due to meet his father at for lunch. He and Mitchum had been doing okay for the last few weeks. Logan was doing his part by answering and returning phone calls and emails, and Mitchum was doing his part by not calling as often as he used to, and not pressuring his son to return to HPG. But that was all over the phone, and Logan was worried that the man he was having lunch with today was not that Mitchum, but the Mitchum who dragged him away from Valentine's Day at Martha's Vineyard with his girlfriend for an unnecessary trip to London. As much as he wanted this new tentative relationship with his father to work, he was expecting the worst.
"We're here Sir," the driver said again. "Did you need help getting out of the car?"
"No. Sorry, I'm going," Logan replied with a sigh. He pushed the door open and stepped out into the humid Hartford air. He looked at the restaurant his father chose, and was glad he'd stopped and changed his clothes after breakfast with the guys. Jeans and a tee shirt would not have fit in at all. Instead he was wearing khakis and a light polo shirt, while he might still be slightly underdressed, that would hopefully be forgiven due to the heat wave.
He walked into the restaurant and glanced around for his father. "May I help you?" the hostess asked in a breathy voice. He looked at her and she batted her eyelashes.
"Huntzberger. There are probably reservations," he told her.
He watched as she ran her finger down a page of reservations. "Oh yes, the rest of your party is here. I'll show you back."
The rest of his party? He followed the hostess with a slight amount of trepidation. As they neared his destination he heard his father's familiar voice.
"The rest of your party Mr. Huntzberger," the hostess told Mitchum when they arrived at the table.
"Hello Son, have a seat," his father instructed. His companion was obscured by the table, as she had bent down for some reason. Logan could tell it was a woman, but just not whom.
"Hey Dad," he said nervously, taking his seat. He watched the back of the woman sitting across from him, waiting for her to sit up.
"Logan, hi!" the voice said from under the table.
"Honor!" he exclaimed, happy to find out who he was dining with. "Why are you under the table?"
"I dropped an earring," she told him. "Got it!" she exclaimed sitting back up.
"I hope you don't mind, I invited your sister," Mitchum said.
"No, that's great." Logan genuinely smiled.
"So how was the flight in?" Mitchum asked.
"Flying commercial is always the same," Logan told him with a shrug.
"So what are you in town for?" Honor asked. "Daddy just invited me to lunch this morning, I didn't even know you'd be here!"
"The Gilmore's Anniversary Party," Logan said as he started studying the menu, suddenly worried about his sister's response.
"Are you and Rory finally working things out?" she asked eagerly.
"I hope so," he admitted.
"Are you and Mom going to the party?" Honor asked her father. Logan waited for the answer, hoping his father had managed to talk his mother out of going.
"Well, that's why I invited you to lunch Honor. I'm trying to help your brother out by getting your mother out of his way, and I'm hoping you'll help too."
Logan couldn't believe his ears, his dad was actually still planning to help him. "So what's the plan?" he asked, trying to cover his surprise.
"Well, I tried just telling your mother that I didn't want to go. But she wants to go. Some new dress to show off or something." Mitchum sighed, and Logan felt the disappointment start to creep in. "So I was thinking that maybe Honor, you and Josh could go in our place."
"How does that keep Mom from going?" Honor asked.
Mitchum coughed. "I've… uhm… *cough, cough*… come down with something," he explained with a smile.
"A cold Dad? Surely Mom will hand you some cough medicine and shove you into your tuxedo," Logan scoffed in response.
"I fully intend for it to be stomach pains, perhaps related to something I ate," Mitchum replied.
Logan burst out laughing, and Honor joined in. Pretty soon Mitchum was laughing too. The sound of his father laughing was sobering. Logan couldn't remember the last time he'd heard his father actually laugh. Usually he chuckled when one of his devious plans was coming together. Or he cackled when he knew something someone else didn't. Or he gave a polite fake laugh when he was supposed to laugh at something. But this was an all out laugh.
"Are you okay Logan?" his father asked, when he'd regained his composure.
"Yeah. I just… I don't think I've ever heard you really laugh," he admitted.
"Oh certainly that's not true."
"No Dad, I think Logan's right, I don't think I've ever heard you laugh either," Honor added.
"Well, then I guess I'll have to consider that going forward. Shall we order?" he asked changing the subject.
The three Huntzbergers looked at their menus and within moments the waitress arrived. Logan ordered a sandwich, Honor ordered a salad, and Mitchum ordered some seafood, because it could potentially be blamed for stomach pains later.
Lunch was filled with polite conversation. Honor filled him in on her life with Josh. Mitchum filled him in on the ongoings at HPG, surprisingly without making a mention of Logan returning, as well as the latest with his grandfather and his mother. In turn Logan told them about California. About his work. About his recent visit with Finn and Colin. And surprisingly, even to himself, about Rory. By the end of lunch, he was almost sad to see them go.
"Tonight," Mitchum started, "Honor, you and Josh should be prepared to go to the Gilmore's. I'll have your mother call you and beg you to go in our place because I'm violently ill."
"And if that doesn't work?" Logan asked.
"Well, if that doesn't work, your mother and I will see you tonight, and you'll know that I tried my damnedest to help you out."
"Okay. Honor I hope to see you tonight. Dad, I hope to see you on my next visit," Logan told them as he stood up. He hugged his sister just in case he didn't see her later, and did the handshake/one-armed hug with his father.
"Good luck tonight, Logan," his father called after him as he headed for the door.
Christopher Hayden parked his car in the assigned lot, which was rapidly filling up, and walked around to the other side to help his mother out of the passenger seat. On the drive over, he'd given Francine the Cliff's Notes version of what was going on with him and Lorelai, and she'd smiled sympathetically and surprisingly offered no advice.
"In case I forgot to mention it earlier, you look lovely tonight Mother," he said as he shut the car door behind her.
"Thank you Dear. It is nice to get out and dress up every once and a while isn't it?"
"I suppose you're right."
They were headed across the parking lot when Francine suddenly slowed down.
"Are you okay?" Christopher asked. While his mother was in good health, his father's death had been quite sudden, and that caused him to worry about his mother going equally as quickly.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "I just wanted to have a bit of a chat with you before we went in."
"We talked in the car."
"Yes I know. And I held my tongue as to your current situation. But the more I think about it, the more I must at least say this one thing."
He sighed deeply, knowing how his mother felt about Lorelai over the years, he wasn't at all sure he wanted to know what the one thing she had to say was. "Go ahead Mother." He tried to refrain from rolling his eyes.
"You and Lorelai belong together."
"Excuse me?" he asked, surprised.
"You do!"
"I think so, but I'm surprised that you do."
"You're like two puzzle pieces though."
"Puzzle pieces?" he said, unsure of her analogy.
"Each of your sides are slightly different, and you keep trying to fit the wrong sides together. If you take your time and work it out slowly, you'll be a perfect fit."
"Ohhh-kay," he said slowly. "Thanks for the advice." He began walking towards the entrance with his mother on his arm.
"You mark my words, you and Lorelai are meant to be," she said again. She smiled at him and they continued towards the doors.
When they stepped into the building the doorman took their coats and directed them into the reception room.
"You go find our seats Mom, I'm going to look around a minute."
"Alright Christopher." He watched as she signed the guest book and picked up her place card with the table number on it before he headed off in the other direction.
It wasn't long before Christopher found himself in the same position he was in exactly three years earlier. Seated on a couch in a random room, with a Scotch in his hand.
"Hey Dad." He looked up when he heard Rory's voice and smiled as she approached him.
"Hey Kid. Looking good," he commented on her outfit. "Glad to see you're getting some use out of your tux."
"Yeah, well, Logan…" she trailed off.
"Is Logan coming tonight?" Christopher asked.
"I don't know." She came over and sat next to him on the couch, and he put an arm around her shoulder.
"Why don't you know?"
"Oh Dad. I screwed up."
"How could you possibly screw up?"
"You know all the problems I've been having on the road right?" she asked, and he nodded in response. "Well, one night, after a really bad day, I emailed Logan and told him that I missed him and that I wanted to quit being on the road and come live with him in Palo Alto."
"Isn't that exactly what he wants?" Christopher asked, slightly confused.
"I don't know. Before he responded, I emailed him again to take it back," she told him quietly. Rory blushed and looked down at her hands.
"Oh Sweetheart," he said consolingly. He pulled her into a full hug.
"And now I don't know if he's still coming, or if he never wants to see me again," she murmured into his chest.
"You haven't heard from him at all since then?"
"Nope."
"What about those friends of his, Colin and Finn?"
"No. I tried to call Finn, but it went straight to voicemail. I didn't leave a message. I don't want to get between Logan and his friends."
"I'm sure he'll show up Rory. He's crazy about you."
"I hope you're right. So how are things with you and Mom?" she asked.
Christopher shrugged in response, not knowing what to tell her. "I may have screwed that up," he finally admitted. "I guess I'll know by the end of the night."
Rory hugged him. "Either way, we'll both be fine, right?" she asked for reassurance.
"Right!" he said with a note of brightness he definitely did not feel.
"Well I suppose we'd better get to the party or Grandma will have our heads," Rory said, extricating herself from her fathers arms and standing up.
"Help your old man up?" he asked, extending his hand to her.
"Sure." She took his hand and pulled him into a standing position.
"Shall we?" He offered her his arm.
"We shall." She took his arm and they headed into the reception.
While they walked towards the reception he decided to ask, "How long are you going to be in town?"
"I'm not sure, probably until Monday morning."
"You want to have lunch tomorrow with your sister? She'd love to see you," he asked trying to fulfill the potential surprise for Gigi.
"Let's see how tonight goes first," she replied with a wink and smile.
Upon entering the room, Christopher searched for Lorelai. Not finding her, he headed towards the table his mother was seated at, with Rory still on his arm. All of the sudden Rory jerked to a halt.
"He's here!" she whispered.
Christopher looked at her, then followed her line of sight to see Logan Huntzberger standing at the bar. "Go get him Kid!"
"Thanks Dad," she replied, as she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "See you later."
He smiled as he watched her walk to Logan, and hoped it would all work out for her. Then he continued to his table to take a seat next to his mother.
Logan Huntzberger felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket as he stepped out of the limousine that had just arrived at the Rose Room. He pulled the phone out to see a text message from his sister Josh and I are on the way! He smiled, grateful that his dad had come through for him, and happy to spend a little more time with his sister.
He entered the building and the doorman directed him to the proper room, as if he didn't already know. He signed the guestbook, and grabbed his place card, but instead of finding his way to his table, he made his way to the bar for a drink instead.
"Can I get a Scotch neat?" he asked the bartender.
"Sure."
As he waited for his drink he sent his father a quick thank you email. The bartender set his drink in front of him, and as he picked it up, he glanced around the room. He saw Rory and her father come in. She was wearing the tuxedo. That had to be a sign. He felt his lips turn upward involuntarily as he took a sip of his drink. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he took another moment to text Colin and Finn and let them know about the development. When he looked up again, he noticed that she was heading straight for him.
When they made eye contact, she smiled a smile that lit her entire face. He couldn't help but grin like a fool in return.
"Glad you could make it," she said casually when she reached him.
"Well, I had such a good time last time I was here that I couldn't resist the chance of a repeat performance," he replied equally casually. "Can I get you a drink?"
"Champagne?" she suggested.
"The whole bottle?"
"Sure, why not."
"Sir, could I get a bottle of champagne please?" he asked the bartender.
"Uh," the bartender stalled.
"Miss Gilmore here is the happy couple's granddaughter, she just wants to do something nice for them," Logan added, hoping to help the bartender along.
"Oh, of course!"
Rory laughed as the bartender handed Logan a bottle of champagne and a pair of flutes. Logan couldn't control himself as his heartbeat accelerated.
"I've missed that sound Ace," he said quietly.
"Should we find our way to a dressing room?" Rory asked him in a husky voice.
"Lead the way."
Logan followed Rory out a side door of the dining room and down the hall into another door which turned out to be a small sitting room.
"I never thought a tuxedo could be so sexy," he told her as the door closed behind them.
"The same could be said about yours Mr. Huntzberger. Are you going to open that champagne?"
"Yes ma'am." Logan set to work opening the bottle with practiced hands. The cork didn't fly off, nor did the bottle overflow.
"I didn't know if you'd be here tonight," Rory said quietly as she accepted the flute of champagne he offered. He leaned against the desk he set the bottle on, while she settled onto the small sofa.
"I told you I'd be here," he said, surprised that she would doubt him.
"But that was before my awful email retraction."
"Truth?" he asked.
She nodded.
"I was grateful to see your retraction."
"What?" she said, almost angrily.
"Hear me out," he started. She nodded again. "When I got your other email, I was so excited, it was exactly what I wanted to hear. But then I got worried. What if this was the yacht all over again? What if you came to live with me, and then resented me for it?"
"I see your point," she admitted, somewhat begrudgingly. "I had those same thoughts myself, which is why I sent the retraction. I can't be mad that you might feel the same way."
They sipped their champagne in silence for a few moments.
"So," Logan started hesitantly, "did you ever make a decision about us?"
Rory chuckled, "I never thought I'd see the great Logan Huntzberger nervous."
He glared at her, and waited for her to answer.
"I think I've made a decision."
"And?" he said anxiously.
"I'm not sure how it's going to work yet, I haven't figured out the logistics or anything, I figure I shouldn't do that part alone."
Was she saying what he thought she was saying? "Rory, I'm sorry, but I need you to say it. I don't want to screw up anything by making assumptions."
"Yes my little work-dork! I want to give us another try!" she finally came out and said it.
He set his glass down and crossed the room, pulling her into his arms roughly.
"Logan, my drink!" she squeaked as he crushed her to his chest. He grabbed the drink from her hand and tossed it aside, not caring about the liquid or the glass. "Logan!" she scolded.
"Don't care right now," he said. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tightly. "I was worried that I'd never get to do this again."
"Oh Logan," she said in her exhale as she wrapped her own arms around him.
He took half a step backwards, and moved his hands to her face so he could kiss her properly. "I love you so much," he whispered into her mouth.
"I love you too."
Christopher Hayden scanned the room for what felt like the hundredth time, looking for Lorelai. He had watched Rory and Logan sneak out a side door with a bottle of champagne and that brought a smile to his face. He wanted his daughter to find happiness.
He made small talk with his mother as he looked around. She told him about the latest Hartford gossip, even if he didn't know the people involved anymore, and he nodded along politely.
"Christopher, why don't you go get another drink dear?" his mother said.
He looked down at the empty glass that he'd been absently swirling the ice around in. "Would you like something?" he asked.
"A white wine spritzer would be lovely," she told him.
He got up and headed to the bar, as he approached, he smelled a familiar odor that caused him to quicken his pace. Aunt Totsie was here. He chuckled to himself at the memory of Gigi's dance recital and promising Lorelai that he would make sure she was Totsie'd twice, and wondered if he'd get a chance to make that happen.
"Can I get a scotch on the rocks and white wine spritzer?" he asked the bartender.
"Sure."
Christopher waited for his drinks and glanced around the room again. Aunt Totsie was coming towards him.
"Christopher, darling! How are you? I'm surprised to see you here," she started as she approached.
"Hey Totsie. How are you?" he said hoping his drinks would arrive so he'd have an excuse to leave before she got close enough to hug him.
"Oh I'm well enough. The arthritis is starting to act up in my knee," she began as many older people do, listing off her ailments.
"Oh look, there's Lorelai," Christopher said aloud as he saw her enter the room. He hadn't meant to say it aloud, but it did manage to redirect Totsie mid course. He grabbed his drinks and headed back to his table. He delivered his mother's drink and sat down to watch as Lorelai tried to escape her Totsie experience.
The remainder of the table had filled up as he watched, and he was soon sucked into conversations with those sitting around him.
"You suck!" he heard an angry voice whisper in his ear.
"Why Totsie, I never thought I'd hear something like that from you," he replied quietly. Lorelai smacked him on the shoulder. "Well I owed you one." He pulled out the chair next to him so she could have a seat. "How'd you get seated at my table?"
"I messed with my mother's seating chart," she admitted with a grin.
"So how have you been?"
"Busy. You?"
"Also busy. And well… distracted," he added.
"Look," Lorelai whispered as she pointed across the room. He followed her finger to find Logan and Rory sneaking back into the room, holding hands and grinning like fools. Rory made eye contact with him and he couldn't help but flash her a thumbs up and big smile. Her grin burst into a full on smile.
"Looks like they made up," he said.
"Looks like."
Before either one of them could say anything else, the sound of a fork tapping on the side of a glass rang out, quieting the entire room. Everyone looked up to find Richard Gilmore standing at the head table.
"Thank you all for coming tonight! This is a very special night to Emily and me and we're so glad all of you could be here to celebrate it with us." Everyone applauded. "And since it is our night, we have decided to do things a little out of order."
The crowd started to murmur, wondering what the etiquette queen Emily Gilmore would do possibly do out of order.
"It's nothing scandalous," Emily chimed in, knowing her contemporaries. "We just thought we'd dance while the wait staff is delivering dinner."
Richard cued the band and some classic standard Christopher couldn't identify started to play. "We'd be honored if all the other happy couples out there would join us for the dance," Richard said before pulling his wife onto the dance floor and into his arms.
Chris watched as several other couples got up to join the dancing, including Rory and Logan.
"Shall we?" he asked Lorelai.
"Really?" Lorelai asked in return.
"Sure. We can talk while we dance." He stood and extended his hand to her. She took it, and he led her onto the dance floor.
They danced the first song in relative silence. "You're pretty good at this," Lorelai said.
"Well, only with you. We have had a lot of practice."
Lorelai laughed lightly, then sobered quickly. "Have you done any thinking since the last time we talked?" she asked quickly.
"Why do you think I've been so distracted lately?"
"And?"
"You were right. We didn't do it right last time. I want one more chance. I want to do it right," he told her. He stopped dancing and pulled the ring box out of his pocket handing it to her.
"Christopher! This is not the right way!" she hissed.
"Would you just open the box?" The crowd around them had stopped dancing and were now staring at the box in Lorelai's hand.
Lorelai gripped the box in one hand, and grabbed Christopher by the other, pulling him out into the hall.
"It's not what you're afraid it is, Lore," he said when they reached some relative privacy.
"Oh," she replied. She opened the box. She pulled out the ring and fingered the stone for a moment before she said anything. "Is this a mood ring?"
"It is."
"I've always wanted one of these!" she exclaimed. "Emily wouldn't let me get one, she said they were tacky."
"I know."
"How long have you had this?" she asked.
"I found it this morning. But I've had it for years."
"Why?" she asked. He could see her eyes brighten with the telltale sign of tears.
"I bought it for you for your 16th birthday, knowing that you wanted one. But before I could give it to you, we found out about Rory, and I thought that any kind of ring at that time would say the wrong thing," he confessed.
"I can't believe you kept it."
He shrugged, and she threw her arms around him.
"So, will you wear my ring?" he asked.
She nodded. He took the ring from her, and slipped it on her right hand, to make sure no one got the wrong idea.
"I love you Lorelai Gilmore," he said as he kissed the back of the hand he'd just put the ring on.
"I love you too," she replied. She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him.
Richard Gilmore pulled his wife a little closer and started to whisper in her ear, "Emily look." She started to turn her head to look but instead Richard spun her around in dance.
Logan and Rory were happily wrapped up in a dance, staring into each others eyes so deeply the room could be on fire around them and they likely wouldn't notice.
"Oh Richard, I'm so happy," Emily told him.
"Look again," he said, spinning her again just in time to see Christopher and Lorelai reenter the room, holding hands and giggling.
"Best. Anniversary. Ever," Emily whispered. "Do you think they can make it work this time?"
"You know what Emily, I really do," Richard told her confidently. "I really do."
The End
AN: So there you have it. Winning Back The Gilmore Girls has finally come to a close.
As usual, I don't own Gilmore Girls, or anything else you recognize.
Please review and tell me what you think - Also, if you'd like an epilogue, I might have one up my sleeve, so leave me your opinion in the review. (Even if your opinion is 'no epilogue'.)
Thank you all so much for reading!
S