CHAPTER 21: Trees & Roots
A few weeks passed after the ill-fated Huntzberger family dinner.
After a few weeks of house-hunting, Logan had found, chosen and bought a house on the outskirts of Stars Hollow. As a local, Rory had debated that he was a bit too close to Woodbridge and a little too far from Stars Hollow, but Logan didn't seem to mind. His house was a little way out from the town, just past the Dragonfly Inn.
The whole process had taken a couple of weeks. Starting with the house-hunting, then packing up his old life and his old penthouse to relocate to Stars Hollow. Consequently Logan's boxes have only just arrived after getting the keys to his place two days ago.
While the house isn't as new and modern as Logan would have liked and in comparison to what he is used to, but after trawling the housing market of the small town, he quickly learned that there isn't much in that way at all. A house built ten-to-fifteen years ago is considered as 'new' by the town's standards.
The house is two-storey with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, with two larger bedrooms for himself and for Elle -if she's ever wanting to stay over-, along with a bedroom set aside for guests and a small study for Logan.
On the bottom storey of the house, the entrance opens into the large living area which Logan had personalised with his leather couches, large flat-screen TV and surround sound unit which moved with him from his previous apartment.
The lounge room led into the recently-renovated kitchen through a large, arched, open doorway. The dark marble bench tops complement the pine of the benches, the dark grey splashback and steel detailing and handles.
Another archway leads to the dining room from the kitchen which includes the large double-doors that lead to the outdoor deck and large backyard. While the dining room is clearly intended for a large, opulent dining setting, Logan's four-seater from his bachelor pad doesn't quite look the part in the room.
Also on the bottom storey is a bathroom and two of the four bedrooms, with both Logan's office and guest room located downstairs. The remaining two bedrooms, Logan and Elle's were both larger in size, complete with ensuite bathrooms and small decks overlooking the backyard.
#
Logan is standing there contently waiting for the ring of the school bell, outside Stars Hollow Elementary School, waiting for his daughter to suddenly appear.
Maybe he'll get bored of waiting after a week or so, but in this moment right now, Logan is thrilled by the opportunity to pick Elleigh up from school. It's something so small, but it's something that really holds a lot of importance to him and it's something that means a lot.
The reason why Logan had moved to Stars Hollow was to be closer to his daughter. Consequently, an important part of being a part of her life for him means picking her up from school as often as he can around his work and spending time together after school. He wants to hear all about her day and he wants to take her out on little daddy-daughter dates for after-school snacks or to take her places like the library, the bookstore or even just home to help her with her homework.
After arriving far earlier and waiting far longer than he needed to, when Logan finally sees the familiar little blonde girl across the school yard he can't help but notice how her face instantly lights up and how her pace picks up to hurry over to him.
Rory and Logan hadn't told Elle that he would be picking her up from school today -and from now on- to give her a little surprise.
"Dad! You're here!"
Ever since the night at his parents' house, Elle has taken to calling him 'dad' instead of 'Logan'. However, no matter how many times he hears the simple title from his daughter, he never tires of her calling him that.
"Hey missy! How was your day?" Logan asks as she reaches him, the two sharing a quick hug. "How does an after-school snack at Luke's sound, Nance?"
While Elle's nickname isn't quite at 'Ace' level yet, 'Nance' had stuck and is quickly becoming Logan's pet name for the youngest Gilmore girl in reference to her little Nancy Drew stunt that lead to tracking him down in New York.
"Yeah! It's Danish day, dad!" Elle approves, responding enthusiastically to her father's idea.
After he offers to carry her schoolbag, the father and daughter walk through the town to reach Luke's Diner which is located on the other side of the town square from Elle's school.
The short walk gave Logan the opportunity to ask the little girl every question that he could think of about her day, listening intently to every detail. He knows all about what subjects she had, the fact that Steve is in her bad books at the moment while she and Kwan are a bit tighter, joining forces against him. He knows all about her teacher and exactly what Elle likes and dislikes about Mr. Alexei. He knows what day her next test is. He knows what her homework for tonight is.
... All in all, Logan loves knowing every little detail that is significant to her about her day.
Once they reach Luke's Diner and as soon as the door to the diner is opened, Elle rushes inside and races behind the counter for a hug.
"Grandpa Butch!" Elle exclaims excitedly. "How are you?"
Luke had been having a bad day. Most days are bad days for gruff, Luke, yet, the second that his granddaughter is there, smiling in front of him, it all seems a whole lot better.
"Good, good Elle... How are you sweets?"
"Good! Dad picked me up from school and brought me over for danishes. It's Danish Day!"
At the mention of the other man, Luke looks over to where Elle's now finding a table in the diner, suddenly catching sight of the young male hovering behind her. The two men hold a hand up at each other in a small, motionless and silent wave.
The seat that Elleigh picks looks out the window of the diner, with a view out on the main street.
However, the innocent nine-year-old makes the mistake of choosing the table that also happens to be closest to the town gossips, Miss Patty and Babette where they are catching up for a coffee and chat.
"Patty! That's Rory's baby-daddy! Elle's father! Remember him from her college days? Lovely young man... Morey and I met him at the Hay-fever Maze."
Logan listens intently at the close conversation seeing as he's already heard both his and his daughter's name pop up so far. Mind you, with Babette's 'whisper' that doubles as a yell, you really don't need to be listening in that closely to hear her...
"Such a good looking young man... What a dishy daddy he is! Rory has good taste. He reminds me of my first husband..."
Logan has to hold in a laugh as he listens to the commentary about himself.
Then, looking over to his daughter, Logan notices the look on Elle's face as they sit at the tables together. The expression on the nine-year-old's face at hearing about her father in this manner really is the polar opposite to the dreamy looks that Babette and Miss Patty are wearing. The poor girl looks disgusted and Logan has to stop himself from laughing out loud, instead allowing a big smirk to spread over his face.
"Should we get takeaway danishes?"
She nods enthusiastically at the suggestion and within seconds the two are up and out of their seats, back at the counter and asking for takeaway.
#
Later that day and after work had finished for the day, Rory made her way over to her ex's new house to collect Elle. Even though Elle has a room for her things and a room to call her own at her father's house, she isn't quite ready for sleepovers with him just yet.
When Logan and Elle hear the knock at the front door, they are sitting on his lounge, with two disposable Luke's cups and two empty takeaway bags being the only evidence and remains of their after-school snack that Logan had insisted on both overpaying and over-tipping for.
Before being interrupted, the two have almost finished the movie that they had been watching together over the afternoon. Logan sacrificed himself and his own preferences, agreeing to watch 'High School Musical' with Elle.
"Keep watching, sweetie. I'll get it" Logan says, jumping up and off the couch from where he'd been slouched next to his daughter to answer the front door.
He's not surprised when he opens the door to find his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child, standing on the other side of it.
"Hey... How'd you guys go?"
"Good. I took her to Luke's for an after-school snack, but we ended up getting takeaway so that our poor girl wouldn't be subjected to anymore mental scarring at hearing what a 'dishy daddy' I am."
Rory laughs, but she doesn't admit that it's not wrong...
"Miss Patty and Babette...?"
"Yep... You should have seen the look on her face. Poor Elleigh looked nauseated. So yeah, we abandoned that ship and came back here instead. We're just about finished watching 'High School Musical'."
Rory smiles at the recount. "Go Wildcats... You're a good dad, watching that with her."
"Yeah, well many, many years ago I learnt not to get in the way of a Gilmore girl and her movie preferences."
Rory laughs lightly as Logan ushers her inside, offering her to come in.
"Come in. I want to show you something, Ace."
Although it's beginning to get dark outside, Logan grabs a hold of Rory's hand –whether he should or not is another matter- and presses a finger to his lips to convey the fact to be quiet before leading her further through his home and then outside.
"Don't get me wrong, I was interested in seeing your place, but um, Logan, you know I don't have the deepest love, respect or interest in the outdoors. I'd rather see the inside."
"Shhh. There's something of interest outside, too. You're not going to believe it..."
Logan keeps leading an increasingly curious Rory across the decking in the backyard, then onto the grass and into the furthest corner of the backyard.
She looks to Logan, following where his eyes are intently fixed, grinning at the inanimate object in front of them.
"Okay..." Rory says coyly. It's not really okay. She has no idea what they are supposed to be looking at, or why it's of such great interest.
"Do you know what it is?" Logan asks noticing her vagueness and lack of response.
Rory just shakes her head in response. Should she know what it is?
"It's a tree, Ace... An avocado tree" Logan says, erupting into laughter as he looks at the same tree that looks like it's doing anything but thriving in its cooler environment. "The last owner planted it a couple months before they left. Can you believe that?!"
Suddenly, he penny drops and the realisation of the particular tree, the particular type of tree and its significance from nearly ten years ago strikes Rory as she joins Logan in laughing at the irony of it all.
"Well, Palo Alto might not have meant to be, but apparently the guacamole was..."
As they stand there laughing together at the tree in front of them, Rory and Logan are oblivious to the fact that they are still holding hands from when Logan had used it as his means to get her to follow him outside... They are just as oblivious to that fact that as they are to the fact that the movie had finished just minutes ago and Elle had gone off looking for them...
And, they are also oblivious to the fact that that's when she spotted them on the other side of the backyard, laughing together from where she stands on the deck watching them...
Standing there watching her mother and father, Elle doesn't draw attention to herself or the fact that the movie has finished.
Instead, Elleigh just stands there. She stays there smiling as she watches her parents laughing together in front of what her dad had told her was an avocado tree earlier in the day, for goodness knows what reason.
She doesn't interrupt and she doesn't alert them, instead choosing to just stand there and watch. After all that any kid wants is to see their parents' happy together... right?
Big thank you to everyone who left a review on the last chapter. Sorry that this one is a little slower to come. As always, life just gets busy... I hope you enjoyed this one and I'd love to see what you thought on Logan's developing relationships with both Elle and Rory.
Next chapter: Logan's first town meeting and the return of the LDB boys!