The "Plan A" We Never Dared to Dream

June 2017

Stars Hollow

Rory arrived at her building to find Logan waiting patiently by the door. "Hey you, welcome back! " she greeted, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek (now Rory and Logan's customary greeting.) "Ready to have me invade your space?" Logan asked brightly.

"Well, it's not like we haven't lived together before."

"Yes, but that was in a different context."

"Sure, but how hard can it be?"

Logan gathered up his belongings and followed Rory inside. With the due date fast approaching, and the idea of anything can happen at any time, Rory and Logan agreed that this would be a good time as any for him to move in. Because of the plan and Logan's intention to take eight weeks off for paternity leave, Logan ended up putting in more hours and traveling than usual the last month. Yesterday he had gotten back from his last business trip from Dallas.

Rory rearranged her apartment so to accommodate him as much as she could. She cleared out a couple of dresser drawers and space in the closet, she made sure to stock the kitchen with his favorite snacks and bought a blender. She also made sure to get his preferred brand of soap, shampoo, and toothpaste and place an extra cup in the bathroom. Not wanting to banish him to the couch, Rory moved in the trundle bed from her room at Luke and Lorelai's house and placed a screen around it for privacy.

Logan realized immediately that living in Stars Hollow would be challenging. Although being a Huntzberger and in the media business has made him a public person, he was no celebrity, so he could go about his everyday life in relative anonymity. This was not the case in Stars Hallow as demonstrated on his first evening there when Rory and Logan went to Luke's for dinner. When they walked in he could have sworn he heard a collective gasp. Stares and whispers seemed to surround him, and he swore that there was a gathering of people staring at them through the window that joined the diner with the ice cream shop. Seeing his discomfort, Rory assured him, "Your imminent arrival has been all the buzz, don't worry, it will all blow over in a week or so."

"I feel like I'm living in a fishbowl," Logan replied self-consciously.

"Think of it has a hazing, only for the weirdest fraternity ever." Rory proposed with a sardonic grin.

"Just as long as there are no coffins or me having to solicit senior citizens for sexual favors."

"No, we just lock you in a room with Ms. Patty for an hour and see if you come out alive."

"Ace! So harsh!"

Rory started to giggle, "As harsh as being blindfolded, taken out into the middle of nowhere where I could not use words with the letter "e" and then being dared to jump off a scaffolding?" she asked brightly.

Happy that she was remembering their beginnings fondly, Logan smiled at her and replied, "Well, at least you got a free dress out of it."

While the adjustment to small-town life was somewhat of a trial, being together made it worth it. By the second day, Logan and Rory had fallen into a routine. Logan would get up first to go running, while Rory would get up a few minutes later to make coffee for herself and a smoothie for him. They would then have a quick breakfast together before going their separate ways. Thanks to Luke, Logan was able to set up a temporary office in the apartment above the diner, while Rory stayed home to work on her book and to help with The Gazette. They always had lunch together be it at Luke's, or the Inn, or with one of them going to their respective workplace with a sandwich. Dinners were pretty much always at the Diner or at Luke and Lorelei's house. Most of the time they were joined by friends or neighbors. Evenings were spent with the two of them together doing a task or two to prepare for the baby or just relaxing by reading or watching TV or a movie. On more than one occasion they found themselves awakened at 2 or 3 am curled up together on the couch after falling asleep with watching TV. "Enjoy the freedom and peace while you can," everyone would tell them with a laugh, "your life will never be the same."

Logan's "hazing" was not as bad as he feared. The first week he had to endure to Taylor's pontificating on the sanctity of family and marriage whenever he was in earshot, while spending an extra hour listening to baby/child rearing book recommendations from Andrew the one day he wandered into the bookstore. A day would not go by without Kirk presenting a sure-fire "investment opportunity of a lifetime", Babette asking him rather inappropriate personal questions, or being checked-out by Ms. Patty. Yet, by the second week, Logan was able to fall into the Stars Hallow rhythm. Kirk and Babette's daily questions subsided, while Andrew backed off once Logan bought a couple of his recommendations. He learned that like him before, Ms. Patty was a shameless yet harmless flirt, while developing (to Rory and Lorelai's amusement and Luke's chagrin) an unlikely budding bromance with Taylor. By the third week, Logan felt he had lived in Star's Hallow his whole life.

On the second Sunday before her due date, Rory and Logan were taking a post-lunch walk when Miss Patty flagged them down. "Hello, there you two. How's it going?"

"Oh, you know, we're doing well. Just impatient and excited."

"Oh, I can imagine. Logan sweetheart, I was wondering if you could help me? Some boxes of costumes were delivered to the studio yesterday when I wasn't there and the delivery person put them in the wrong place. I can't move them because of my knee, could you perhaps lend and strong helping hand?" she asked flirtatiously.

'For you, anything ." Logan replied

"Well if that's your offer..."

Rory and Logan followed Miss Patty to her studio. She opened the door and let them in first. Suddenly the light flipped on and they heard the roar of "SURPRISE!" It took Rory and Logan a minute or two get over the shock. They looked around Miss Patty's studio to see their families and close friends all gathered for a baby shower. They were immediately led to two chairs in the middle of the room, where they sat while Lorelai welcomed them and people began to make speeches. While this happened Rory and Logan surveyed the guest in the room. There, of course, were the Stars Hallow people, along with Sookie and Jackson and Family, Lane Zach and the boys, Mr. and Mrs. Kim, and Brian and Gill and his family. Michele and Fredrick were there also with their daughter Camilla. Emily was there as well, having driven in with Christopher, Francine, and Gigi. April came in from Boston, along with her girlfriend Selah, while Colin and Finn also joined in on the fun. Paris, Doyle and their kids were there along with their surprise guests, Madeline and Louise. Mitchum and Shira, Honor, Josh and their kids, and a number of Logan's other relatives rounded out the crowd.

The party, which lasted the bulk of the afternoon, was filled with food, funny childhood stories of both Rory and Logan, games and activities (including the perennial favorite, painting your own onesie), music and dancing. By the end of the party, the exhausted Rory and Logan went home with every baby item they could use and then some.

Rory groaned as she sat down, "Gawd, I'm am so done with being pregnant. I think I've eaten every spicy food available. I think I have walked more of Stars Hollow this past week than I have my entire life."

"You know there is another way we can induce labor," Logan half-joked as he massaged Rory's feet.

"HA! You touch me and I'll cut you Huntzberger!" She half-joked back, "You're the reason I'm in this situation in the first place!"

Surveying their take from the shower, Logan an Rory laughed. "It looks like a "Babies R Us" exploded in here" Logan marveled.

"I know. Where are we going to put all of this?" Rory wondered.

"Well, for now, we can just box them up. I can take half, and you can take half."

Rory, having been so caught up in their present domestic state, forgot that she and Logan were going their separate ways in a few weeks. The thought made her stomach flutter.

"Yes, we should. Maybe my mom can put them in storage, or maybe we can store them at your parent's house. God knows they have the room."

"Hey, how about Mitchum dancing with Miss Patty and Babette? I wonder if he'll ever recover?" Logan asked.

"He didn't look like he was suffering that much."

"How about Colin and Finn with your friends Madeline and Louise?"

"Oh God, if any love connections come out of that interaction, I think that would be the sign of the apocalypse."

"You should warn Madeline and Louise about them."

"No, I assure you, if there is anyone who needs warning, it's Colin and Finn."

Rory giggled at the thought, then she became serious. "Twelve days," she implored.

"Yep," Logan replied with a sigh.

"How are you feeling?"

"To be honest, it hasn't fully hit me yet. I think it's part denial. If I stopped and really considered the full gravity of what is about to happen I think I might freak out."

"Yes, I get it. One day at a time."

"So do you realize what day it is?"

"It's June 25th."

"Yes, it is. Do you remember what happened two years ago on this very day?" After a minute it dawned on her.

"Oh my God, we reconnected in Hamburg two years ago."

"That we did!"

"Wow," Rory said, remembering the events of that day. "

That was the day that started it all."

Rory let out a little laugh.

"What so funny?" asked Logan

"Bad weather in New York. To think that was the reason why we ran into each other in Hamburg. Can you imagine what life would be like if the weather was clear?"

"You know, I can't imagine. I have no inclination of what life would be like if we didn't run into each other, except I probably would be somewhere miserable as hell."

"Really? You were engaged. Not settled in London with Odette?"

"Ah but remember, Odette left to be with someone else. That situation was out of my hands."

"Oh yes, I forgot...how could I forget..."

"Eh, it was all for the best anyway..." Logan said, looking as though he were replaying a memory in his mind.

Rory watched him for a moment, "Hey, what are you thinking?"

The expression on Logan's face turned from pensive to an embarrassed grin, "I was just thinking about that morning when I came home and walked in on Odette and Benoit in the kitchen."

"That must have been horrible."

"It was quite a shock."

"How did you feel at the time?"

"Shocked, then disbelief, and a bit of relief. And then anger and envy."

"Anger and envy? That Benoit had Odette and you didn't?"

"No. That Benoit knew what he wanted and had the courage to go after it. That took balls you know? I wondered, why couldn't I do that?"

"Well, there were mitigating circumstances..."

"Yea. Anyway, say that things did go as planned. Yes, life would certainly be different, but not better."

"You think so?"

"I do. These past two years have been quite a roller coaster, but I wouldn't have had it any other way if it meant this would happen. I am happy to be here, right now, with you."

Rory smiled at the thought and then looked at Logan and replied, "It's the 'Plan A' we never dared to dream."

Rory and Logan continued to look at each other with deep affection. She felt his one hand wrap around hers, while the other brushed strands of hair away from her face. He thought about how beautiful she was and how badly he wanted to kiss her. He was about to do so when the expression on her face changed to surprise and slight terror.

"Ace? What's wrong?"

"My water just broke."