6) Happiness (Epilogue)

"Do we dare face the maze again?"

Rory looked up to the sign over the entrance between the one story high walls out of hay bales. With a smile, she looked to Logan and held out her hand. He took it with a matching smile and his fingers slid between hers, clasping firmly on her hand.

"Off we go", he said and drew her with him into Star Hollow's first Thanksgiving maze, the maze for the Spring Festival two years ago being such a success it had now become a quick favorite of her hometown. She was happy to let Logan lead the way. At the moment, too many more important thoughts preoccupied her mind to want to add to that pile by having to choose the way through the maze on top of that. Her free hand moved to her stomach, a movement not going unnoticed.

"Your scar bothering you again?", Logan was quick to ask, as always with a touch of worry in his eyes and voice. The level had tuned down over the months since the fateful rally in San Francisco, but it never completely left and sometimes she wondered if it ever would.

Well, certainly not in the foreseeable future, she thought with a mental sigh. She let her hand fall down and she shook her head, squeezing his hand. "Just thinking about all the things that have changed", she reassured him with a smile.

That it had. Her life had completely turned around once again and this time, she loved all of it, even if it left her feeling slightly nauseous at the mere thought of all that was to come and needed to be decided.

His eyes searched hers a moment longer, before he let go of her hand, but only to put his arm around her waist and hold her close to his side while they continued their way through the maze. "Since our first walk through this maze or since San Francisco?"

He knew her just too well. "Both."

They came to the next crossroad. Rory was about to turn left, when he stopped her by loosely taking her into his arms. She looked up at him, but her smile faded, when she saw the seriousness in his grey-green depths. "What?"

"I promised you something the first time we faced the maze."

He didn't need to remind her of that. It was a bittersweet memory that probably would never fade from her mind. Her joy at the promises his words had evoked in her – followed by the pain when all her hopes for their future shattered when he had walked away from her – were probably ingrained forever in her memory. Which was why she had been very happy last year to dodge coming home for most of her hometown's festivities, including Thanksgiving, working instead. Somehow, even if Logan hadn't attended one or the other, she kept thinking back to those he had. Or how she longed to have the man she loved with her for the new ones, getting to experience them together with him as well. Funny, how this one memory had spoiled all the great ones from her childhood. Luckily, this year, there was no reason to avoid the memories anymore and after working last Thanksgiving, she had no problem to take this year's off in order to come home.

With the man she loved.

"Rory, I'm sorry I didn't stay true to my words then. I promised you to consider you and your needs in my decisions about the future to face whatever lies ahead together, but the first opportunity I got to honor that promise I failed you miserably. I failed us. Destroyed us." There was pain in his eyes that had her snuggling closer to him.

"It wasn't you alone", she reminded him. "I let you go, remember? Instead of trying to talk some sense into you I just turned my back on us too."

"Maybe, but we both know who here fucked it up in the first place." He lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers. "Because of that, we lost fourteen months in which we could have been together. I just hope that today, you know how sorry I am for the pain I pushed us both into." His arms closed more firmly around her, flushing her up close against his strong body. "Just as I hope you trust me when I promise you today the same thing like two years ago: I don't care which of the many job offers you got you accept. New York, Washington, LA, Overseas, it doesn't matter. I'll follow you wherever you want to go."

She sighed. Oh, she knew that. Actually, that was one of the two big questions that made it so hard for her to decide what to do, now America had voted its new President.

After she had been cleared for work she had returned to her job on the campaign tour, much against her family's hopes. But she had to. Not just out of obligation to Hugo and her commitment to cover the campaign. What kind of overseas reporter was she going to be one day if she couldn't face going back to the same work after getting shot? Yes, she was more afraid, especially in the beginning, hating the rallies in big convention centers and stadiums now, always anxiously searching the ranks for another deranged shooter, despite the heightened security. But she managed and after a while, the shadow of the experienced terror had faded, only to return some nights in her dreams. The nightmares had stopped to plague her during so many nights as well, now only rearing their scary heads occasionally, mostly when she was alone and far away from home.

All thanks to Logan. He hadn't left her side since that day. Well, of course only figuratively. He'd gone back to work eventually, once she got released from the hospital. But it didn't matter. Despite the physical distance, he was now always with her. In her mind, in her heart. The first person she talked to every day was Logan, as he was as well the last person she talked to, with countless messages in between, no matter where she was. And when a nightmare woke her up, she didn't hesitate to call home, him always answering to calm her down, no matter what time it was or what he was doing at the moment. With exception for the very first week after the shooting and the surgery, she never had a nightmare while sleeping safely in his arms, only one of many reasons why they tried to get together as often as possible. Whenever he could, he flew to come join her for the weekend while she went home to him whenever there was one of the rare campaign breaks or someone else could cover the trail while she took some days off.

Yeah, home was with him now. She had moved her stuff into his house in Palo Alto, where she had also spent her recovery time, once she had been released from the hospital. Much to her mother's chagrin, but in the end, she hadn't put up that much of a fight as Rory had anticipated. The first few days Lorelai had stayed in Logan's guest room as well, probably to make sure he took good enough care of her. Which he did and had continued to do so ever since. So much so that nowadays, her mom had started to make fun of him on a regular basis. The good kind of fun, like she had with Luke, or her, or her parents. The loving kind of fun. Something, Rory was very much relieved and thankful for, not that she had any doubts that sooner or later, Logan would also win her mom over. Not with his legendary charm, to which one Lorelai Gilmore the second was definitely immune against, but by simply loving and caring for her daughter

Logan put her first. Always. Actually, too many times, to the point of risk losing his job, as she had found out thanks to Colin and Finn after four months of blissfully playing house on cloud ninety-nine with him. That same day she had called Hugo to tell him there had been an emergency and flew home to talk some sense into him. She knew he loved his job. He was not going to lose it over her by missing too often in order to go join her wherever she was at the moment. It took some convincing, but they came to an agreement finally, where he promised to not fly out to her when work didn't allow it while she, after a talk with Hugo, saw to it that she could go home a bit more regularly.

But the tour was over now and if she decided to accept a job offer from the East Coast, then yeah, Logan would have to quit and move to find another job near her. It didn't sit right with her but she also got where his reasoning had come from after his proposal to refuse to go back to a long distance relationship. Today, that wasn't an option for her anymore either. After another half year of just that, she wanted to be able to go home to Logan after her work was done for the day.

"You don't worry about me, you hear me?", Logan cut through her dwelling thoughts. "I'll be fine either way."

She sighed. "Your life is in Palo Alto."

"My life is with you", he interrupted her. "Rory, it's just a job. I can find another one, no problem."

"So can I. The job offers I got from the West Coast are as good as the others." Which was true.

"But it's not one of your dream jobs. Whereas I like my job, but Rory, you know it's not the job I wanted to do all my life. It's fun, yeah, and I've learnt a lot, but I think I'm still searching for that job I want to do for the rest of my life. However, I know exactly who is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, and luckily enough, she's got a big heart and has forgiven me breaking it a few times already, giving me another chance to make her happy." He kissed the tip of her nose. "So will you please stop fretting and stalling time and just secure you one of those incredible jobs offered to you, ideally before they think you're not interested and go hire someone else?"

Yeah, he had a point there, a good one. The thing was, he didn't know all the factors going into that life defining decision yet and boy, was it a kicker. Or a girl, for that matter. It was the main reason why she didn't just take one of the offers where Logan wasn't forced to quit, while at the same time, it gave her pause to grab herself one of those exciting offers she had hoped to get one day all her life.

"I called the Times yesterday. We set up an interview for next Wednesday", she admitted. Despite everything, he was right. There was one thing she had always wanted to do, and now that she got a chance to take another step in just that direction, she was going to give it a shot.

He hugged her, beaming. "Great! About time, Ace. So we'll start looking for apartments in New York right away. The sooner the better, with the market as it is."

She put her hands on his chest. "Woah, Buster, not so fast: First, we wait how the interview will turn out before we go putting down any deposits." But she couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, it proving so much more the difference this time to two years ago than any words he could say.

"Pfft. They'd be crazy not to want you", he said, confidently.

"They already didn't want me once", she reminded him.

"Right, and now look how they come back to you, practically begging you to come work for them instead for the concurrence."

She sighed. Begging was too strong a word. Yeah, they were interested. Funnily, her getting shot in the line of duty so to speak had provoked quite a media interest in her, getting her some invitations for talk shows or interviews. That she declined most of them, only agreeing to do three, had apparently given her further respect, just like her soon return to work. While the hype had died down as the news grew old, the media world didn't forget it. Somehow her getting shot seemed to have been like a trial by fire, as Logan had worded it. Apparently, they knew now she was tough enough to handle the dark side of the not so glamorous job, hence the big interest in securing her talent for themselves. Yeah, it was satisfying. Enormously though. But her priorities had changed, just because of her facing the darkness of almost death and while she still wanted to get into the heat of breaking news and reporting about the big issues of the world as a foreign correspondent, she also needed to have a family and some stability and security. Especially now. With that in mind, all those job offers may soon be taken back once she told them her needs before she accepted anything and they hired someone else than they thought they did. Fact was, there were many damn good journalists out there, many of them with the same exact aspiring goals as she had – and not being as picky as she was, all of them ready to jump into the middle of war or an earthquake zone in order to report about it. Something she was reluctant to do, at least for the next five to seven years minimum. If not forever.

Again her hand moved to touch the scar on her stomach.

"Hey - look at me", Logan prompted her gently but urgently. She looked up. The confidence and love in his eyes nearly choked her up. "Don't worry so much. It's going to be fine, no matter where you end up. You're too good a journalist to not be rocking whatever job you get. If it's not that ultimate one you want - well, I know you won't stop working hard until they have no choice than to promote you time and time again, offering you even better jobs left and right. You get there sooner and later."

Just what she needed to hear. She took a calming breath, lifting her hand to rest it on his chest. He was right. Even if the Times turned her down once again, this was only the beginning of the road, not the end. Besides, San Francisco had taught her a very important lesson, two actually: First, life was unpredictable and too short to be afraid and second-guessing herself all the time. Second, while a successful career was important to her, it was not everything. Some things, or rather, some people were as or even definitely more important than that, the man standing in front of her definitely at the top of that list for now. "We get there", she emphasized, touching his cheek.

"You bet. As I tell you time and time again, you're not getting rid of me anymore."

Yeah. He had no idea just how true his words rang within her right now. Had for a while now, actually, although not as much as since the last couple of days. It had been the first thing he had told her back in the hospital, after her mother had finally left them alone to talk. Followed by his confession about why all her folks thought they were not only back together but engaged even. They still thought so, despite her not wearing a ring. She hadn't seen the point in correcting them when in her heart she knew already that she was going to be with this man for the rest of her life, making him the father of her children, should she still be able to conceive. Well, her mom knew the truth of course, and she suspected Luke and her dad as well, but as far as her grandparents were concerned, she was engaged to Logan. She hadn't confirmed anything, just told them that for now, they had to await the end of the campaign and see what came after that.

That time had come and she had not been surprised to hear many hints dropped at today's Thanksgiving meal by her grandparents. About the perfect seasons for a wedding, venues that were not going to be free much longer, if at all, and of course it was also time to look into caterers as well already. She and Logan had turned a deaf ear to all those hints.

They weren't in a rush, at least not until now. Besides, who needed to still be married in this day and age? Anyway, Logan had made perfectly clear that all he wanted now was to be with her and he couldn't care less if this was with or without a ring and a license, so she didn't have to be afraid of him proposing anytime soon again. Actually, he had vowed not to propose ever again, leaving it up to her if she changed her mind and thought now would be a good time to marry after all. She suspected it had more to do with the horrible way his last attempt had gone than him actually not caring anymore about being married to her or not.

Because deep down, he was more traditional than he liked to think. Otherwise, he would never have bothered actually going to ask Lorelai for her permission the last time. That was fine. As it turned out, Rory found herself being no less traditional than he was. She didn't care about a big wedding or the wedding itself actually, nor about the legal or social status a marriage represented. But she cared about the sense of belonging a marriage represented for her. Seeing this in her grandparent's marriage, but also with her Mom and Luke, Lane and Zack, Sookie and Jackson and even Paris and Doyle who had married the previous year, she just wanted the same sense of companionship and belonging like they had. Plus, on the practical side, some things were just easier and less complicated when you were married, especially once children were involved.

"Rory?" Damn! Quickly looking back to Logan, she saw the small frown between his eyes. "I can't seem to hold your attention lately. You sure everything is all right?"

He was right, her thoughts were a scrambled mess and not just today. They seemed to drift off all the time these past weeks, no matter what she was doing or whom she was talking to. Not exactly a practical thing when your job was to focus and listen most of the time. And she was doing it again, didn't she? She shook her head, annoyed with herself. "Sorry. I guess all this is just freaking me out a little." An understatement if she ever heard one.

Then again, she was allowed to freak out, wasn't she? It wasn't every day you stood at the crossroads of so many possible ways to go, having to work through so many possibilities all at once, facing several life-changing decisions simultaneously. The only sure thing right now in her life was Logan and even with him, so many questions were tied to what he thought and wanted. Because as much as she enjoyed having him giving her free reign over their future – she didn't want to put her needs above his. Since San Francisco, he tended to agree with everything she wanted. It had been nice at first – until it had become deeply annoying. That just wasn't like him. From the first moment they met, he'd always been a leader, daring everyone else to keep up with him. He still was, as much she had learned from his current co-workers. For him to follow her around, not caring about his own job and needs … It was wrong. They needed to find a common ground and make their decisions together.

Now, just how to get past his fear of her leaving him again and having him mutate halfway back to the decisive, determined man she fell in love with, stopping early enough though before he reached that state where he'd been in when he'd given her the ultimatum to marry or break up with him?

Hmm. She may have just the thing to tell him to achieve that goal. Then again, it could backfire horribly and making him even more agreeable than he already was, letting her enslave him completely. She sighed. Oh, how to find the right words?

Sporting a very big frown by now, he turned her chin up so she had to meet his worried eyes. "Out with it, Ace. Something is preoccupying your mind ever since coming back from Washington and I'm tired of worrying about it. Just say it, whatever it is."

Right. Right. This was getting ridiculous. She opened her mouth – and all the words she had prepared and practiced along with all the points she had listed on one of her beloved lists that needed to be addressed when she was ready for her little speech eluded her.

Logan tried hard not to get worried, but his Ace sure started to freak him out, the way she always spaced out on him lately and now, she seemed to have reached a complete blackout, just staring at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, not getting one word out.

What the hell was so difficult to tell him that she'd been avoiding it for days already? He didn't get it. They were in a good place, or so he had thought, talking for months now about their future once she was finished with the campaign trail. He also had believed they had reached a point, where they shared their lives and thoughts with each other, not shying away to discuss any topic, no matter how sensitive or personal it was.

So what had changed all of a sudden? Why was she so reluctant to share the thoughts that troubled her so obviously, with him? Or why shied she away from explaining to him why she hadn't accepted the Times' offer yet? Another thing he didn't get. All her life she hadn't wanted anything else than working for the New York Times. Her world had crushed after they had turned her application down. So what on Earth was she waiting for now? The newly appointed President himself ordering her to go, reassuring her that it was fine for her to leave the campaign team?

He was fine either way, as he had assured her several times. Yeah, he balked a bit at the idea of having to search around for a new job, but what he had told her was true: The job in Palo Alto was a good job, and he enjoyed the work there – but it didn't fill him with passion like hers did Rory. The way he saw it, the move would force him to search within himself the one thing that gave him the same passion and satisfaction. Once he knew what that was, he could start to pursue a career in whatever that was. Until then – there were a lot of other jobs out there that paid well and should occupy his mind enough to not bore him out of his mind. But even if he failed in finding a new job – his current job paid well and he had a few investments in promising new products and internet services going. He could survive a few months without pay, if it were to come to that. Not exactly his first choice of course, but it was good to know.

Rory knew all that, they'd talked about this already, had even estimated already in which price range they had to search in for their new apartment or house, once they knew for sure where Rory was going to work.

As he still assumed that was going to be New York, no matter how hard to get Rory actually played to be, he had already begun his search and had found some suitable objects all over Manhattan but also the boroughs. Actually, he already had an eye on an apartment in Park Slope. It was perhaps a bit too big for them for the moment with five rooms – but the price was reasonable and the neighborhood looked good. He just knew Rory would love the many bookshops and coffee shops close by while he would certainly enjoy the thriving restaurant scene. Besides, it was always good to have enough space from the get go. It saved them having to move again soon in order to get more space. They could use the extra rooms for guests and as their individual offices for now. Who knew, perhaps they would need the extra space soon enough.

While the doctors and later also her gynecologist all thought Rory was probably still able to conceive, they had also been quick to warn her that it could prove difficult – and that the older she and the scarring on her uterus got, the harder it would get. So they had agreed to not wait too long to try to have children. Get their new jobs, get settled, get pregnant, that was the plan at the moment.

Funny how the mere thought of having children at all, least alone well before thirty, had freaked him out until not that long ago. Actually, pretty much until seeing the chosen mother of his children nearly bleeding out in his arms. Since then, especially knowing that time was running out for Rory, he didn't mind the thought at all. Not that he was in a hurry to get there – but he definitely was looking forward to start a family with Rory sometime in the next few years. If they couldn't conceive after all … Well there were enough other possibilities out there nowadays and they had the luxury to be able to afford them all. They'd find a way to get that little family of theirs.

That was, if she still wanted all that. Him. A family. He thought that much was clear by now, if nothing else, but she got him worried there, with her reluctance to talk with him through whatever bothered her. Time to put a stop to that.

The occasional maze visitor had passed them by, but it was quite quiet, even though it definitely wasn't quiet enough for his taste. He quickly looked around, spotting a turn ahead that looked as if it was leading into a dead end. Without further ado he led her towards it. Bingo! Dead End it was. Pushing her into the small alley out of hay, he gathered her back into his arms, once again lifting her chin up to force her to look at him. "Okay, Rory, we're alone now. Please tell me what's going on in that beautiful head of yours."

Her eyes still wide, she nagged at her bottom lip.

"Come on", he encouraged her. "How bad can it be?"

God, he hoped everything was all right. With her, with their relationship.

"I … That is we … I mean you …", she started several times eventually. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. "Do you want to marry me?", she finally blurted out.

He raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback. He thought they had had that conversation already, back when she still had been in the hospital. "Ace, I told you, I don't need to be married to you anymore to happily spend my life with you."

Which was the absolute truth. Well, almost-truth. He didn't need a ring and a license to feel utterly committed to her. He wouldn't mind it either though. Actually, he wouldn't mind it at all. They belonged to each other, no question, so why not make it official, for the whole world to see? Especially for every other man on this planet, he thought with an inner glooming he knew better than to blurt out to her. She didn't appreciate jealousy. Nor did he, but he couldn't help it, not with her. It wasn't a question of trust in her, more a question of distrust in every other hot-blooded man out there who wasn't too young yet to have sexual fantasies or gay. A ring on her finger wasn't a fail-safe as he knew perfectly well, but it couldn't hurt either. Plus, it was just easier in so many things, especially with all the benefits and insurance stuff. He didn't even want to think about the piles of extra forms needed to be filed once they had children, just to make sure he had all the rights as their father as if he were married to their mother. Crazy, but sadly necessary.

So yeah, he knew what he preferred. But he'd learned his lesson.

But now, Rory shook her head that her soft curls were flying. "No, you don't listen. Do you actually want to marry me? Like now? Well, not now now. But soon. Like next week. Or next month. Or next year. Like setting a date, telling everyone, organizing a wedding that our families and friends will attend in the nearby future and settling on a name we both will share for the rest of our lives. That kind of married."

He stilled. She … "Do you even have to ask, Rory?"

She laughed out of obvious nervousness, her lips quivering slightly. "Of course. I mean I think I know where you stand, but with you refusing to propose again to me … Well …"

A happy warmth started to lift his heart along with the corners of his mouth. "So you instead propose to me?" His grin turned wicked. "In that case, where's my ring? Where's my knee fall?" She gave his chest a good punch, but he felt her relax in his arms finally. He laughed, turning it into a deep sigh. "Gotta say, Ace, I know you're a secret soulmate to Mr Burg from the Simpsons, but I hadn't thought you'd be quite such a tightwad to not even buy me a ring for a proper proposal."

Another punch. "Will you stop it and just answer my question?!"

He chuckled, then grew serious. Gathering her closer, he kissed her softly, which by no means meant with less passion. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, nothing could make me happier than to spend the rest of my life as your husband and be the father of your children", he answered straight from the depth of his jubilant heart.

Tears swam in her brilliant blue eyes as she wordlessly kissed him, her deep kiss saying more than enough. When their lips parted, she sighed happily, leaning with her whole weight against him. He held her, never happier than when he could keep her safely in his arms where she belonged to be.

They kept standing there like that for a long while, enjoying the new bonds he could practically feel tying them even closer together, irrevocably.

Eventually, she lifted her head to gaze up at him with a small smile that somehow looked nervous again. "Funny you mentioned that last bit …"

His mind raced. Then froze. His eyes widened as his heart skipped several beats, his arms though automatically tightening their hold on Rory. "You …" His voice died on him. Which was okay, words had been wiped out of his brain anyway.

She nodded, still smiling, still nervous. Shifting his world, changing him with that one, small gesture, like only she could manage and did on a regular basis.

Oh. Oh. Wow. Slowly, he dared to draw his very first breath in this new world, where he wasn't just a man anymore – but a father to be. "Rore …" He still didn't know what to say. So he didn't. At least not with words. Like her before, he let his kiss speak of the magnitude of whirling emotions he felt, too big to press into words. It was probably the most tender kiss he had ever given her, but definitely also the one most filled with love. She understood perfectly, answered equally. It sang in her kiss and the way she snuggled into him afterwards.

God, how he loved this woman. Her and their baby she carried, regardless of only knowing about that little miracle since a few minutes ago. He stroked over her hair, then nudged her to look back up at him. "You okay?", he needed to know.

She sighed, but she was still smiling. "Yeah. I mean I'm freaking out big time here, but that's only normal. Naturally I'm worried. Impending parenthood does that, but also because I have no idea which job offers will still stand once they learn that I'm pregnant and with a baby at home I obviously will also need to have assignments that won't keep me away for too long. That's actually a big worry, so don't you dare quit your job before we know that at least one of us will have a job coming next year."

His mind was back to racing. She was right, the baby changed a lot. But not all that much. He shook his head. "I won't quit until I have a new one lined up if they really withdraw their offers. Which some may do, but Rory, we do live in the twenty-first century, working mothers aren't a new concept anymore, nor a career stopper. I honestly believe that most offers will still stand, even after you tell them. Which, as I may remind you out of principle, you actually would not have to do. I know you will anyway, still." He for his part was more worried about which kind of job she finally ended up. At least she had already said she didn't want to be away from home too often and boy, was he relieved to hear that. They would make it work either way, sure – didn't mean though he wanted her taking on a job that had her more on the road than home. "But no matter what, I'll start looking for a job on the East Coast right away. Palo Alto isn't the place for our child to grow up in. I know you don't want to be that far away from your family and neither do I want that. This child shall know all the love you, me, its grandparents and aunts and all our friends can give it and they almost all still live on this side of the country. Besides, worst case scenario, we still won't have to worry too much, not with the trust funds we both have. I know you don't like using that money, but if it gives us the freedom to solely focus on the need of our baby and us, then it would be stupid to not use that. Not that I think it will come to that." He hesitated, not sure yet how willing he was to make his next offer. Then again, he already knew that answer. For her, and for their child, he was willing to do anything to keep them happy and safe. "Also, if they do question your commitment, you can tell them that your husband is okay to be a stay-at-home dad for a while."

Her eyes widened. "You are?"

He shrugged. "Like I told you: it's time I find out what is the profession that fulfills me and that I'm happy to do for the rest of my working life. Why not do that while I take care of our baby while you follow your dreams? It won't be forever. And there are enough things I can mostly do from home to keep me from going stir crazy. And there is always the option of giving the baby into a day care for at least a day or two. Or we can hire an additional nurse. So yeah, if it comes to that, I'm more than ready to do my share of the childcare. Like said, we live in the twenty-first century after all. There are many solutions at hand. We just have to wait and see how those job interviews go and then, what feels the most right for us before we make any definite decisions. I just want you to know that we have that option."

Tears filled her eyes anew and he saw she was struggling to find words like he had some moments ago. So he returned the favor and simply kissed her, letting her say whatever she needed to say this way. Words were definitely overrated.

"But you're okay?" he whispered afterwards, pressing her close to him, needing her to assure him, already worried out of his mind about her wellbeing. Something he saw a fat chance of changing even for a second during the next seven, eight, nine months. Not that he hadn't been worried before. Seeing the love of your life almost dying in your arms, not knowing for almost two days if she was going to make it or not, did that to you. For a while he had exasperated Rory to no ends with his constant hovering. But now it was different. She was pregnant. Carrying his child. Oh yeah, she was definitely going to be fed up with him again in no time, he predicted. Well, tough. She'd have to simply learn to adapt. After all, she did need to be a lot more careful now.

Already, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, Logan, I'm perfectly fine." She grimaced. "Well, apart from the constant spacing out, being weepy all the time, dead-tired on top of that and oh yeah, feeling nauseous pretty much all the time for at least a week or two now – I'm good."

Right, he had noticed her lack of appetite, but thought it had to do with her worrying about the job offers and everything. Which he guessed was still true. But he should have known it took more than that for a Gilmore Girl to lose her appetite. Hmm. What about coffee? He hadn't noticed her not drinking it anymore, but at the same time, he couldn't remember her still drinking her personal nectar. Well, they'd need to find a substitute for that for the time being. That probably wouldn't be sex though, judging from all the times she had swapped away his hungry hands since coming back from her last trip. Then again, he had started with her breasts like most times and didn't they grow more sensitive during pregnancy? "I should have known", he murmured, before narrowing his eyes at her. "Since when do you know? How?" He thought back, trying to figure out when the fateful lovemaking could have taken place, coming up blank. They usually made love several times each time they met. And since deciding to not wait long anymore they hadn't been especially careful with their birth control. "How far along are you?"

"Not since long. I ran into an old schoolmate from Chilton Monday. She's married to a senator and very pregnant with her second child. We went to have something to drink and soon she was complaining about all the joys of pregnancies. And while she babbled away it suddenly hit me." She smiled ruefully at him. "It was way too close to how I've been feeling lately. So as soon as we said good-bye I went and bought out all the pregnancy tests at the next drug store I could find. They all confirmed what I already knew."

Monday. That had been three days ago! "You should have told me."

But she shook her head. "Not over the phone, Logan. I'd never could have done that to us. And you know I couldn't just drop everything to rush across the country to come tell you."

He sighed. No, that she couldn't, especially as they had already made plans to meet here for Thanksgiving. Still, he wished he could have been with her when she found out. Or that she had at least told him yesterday already when they met. On the other hand, knowing her, she probably had needed some time to wrap her head around it. And of course, to make lists.

"Believe me, I've been bursting to tell you, but I hadn't figured out yet how. I know it's sooner than we expected", she said, as if reading his mind.

"Did you think I'd mind?", he asked, incredulous.

Quickly, she shook her head. "Oh no. Well, let me tell you, it's still nerve wracking to tell your boyfriend that he got you pregnant, no matter how sure I was that you'll be thrilled with the news. But I just needed to wrap my head around it first myself. Oh yeah, and I don't know yet how far along I am. Judging from the symptoms I'm experiencing I think somewhere between weeks five to eight. We'll find out tomorrow. I made a doctor's appointment for eleven o'clock so we can find out together." She kissed him lightly. "See our baby for the first time."

"Oh yes, Rory, that … Wow." The prospect knocked the air out of him. God, he couldn't wait. He just hoped everything was all right. And stayed that way. That damn scarring, as the doctors had warned them, also heightened the risk of a miscarriage. But for now, everything was okay and his life absolutely perfect, with the woman he loved more than life itself in his arms and a date to meet their child for the first time all set up. And afterwards, they needed to start planning their wedding.

His eyes started to twinkle. Drawing his head back, he looked as dejectedly at her as he could fake it. "But I see now why you proposed." Sadly, he shook his head. "Asking me to marry you before telling me that you're pregnant to see if I still take you without the baby in the picture but you … As you haven't even bothered to get me a ring and give me a proper proposal I guess the baby is the only reason you suddenly want to tie the knot, huh?"

First, her eyes widened with shock, but only for a nanosecond before they narrowed and he received another punch. "Don't be ridiculous."

He rubbed the spot where she had punched him and let go of her. Not easily. Right now, all he wanted was to keep her in his arms, right until their baby was born if he could have it his way. But as that was most likely not an option, he better started to get used to it. Besides, he had a very good reason this time. "What? You know how I like to do things all the way and a proposal without a ring or at least a knee fall … It just isn't right."

She confidently patted her belly with both hands. "You're not really expecting the woman you love and is carrying your child, fighting nausea as we speak, to kneel down into the dirt, onto a hard, cold pavement on a freezing November day, just to satisfy your quirks, do you?"

Put it like that … He already could see that he was going to lose a lot of arguments in the months to come. After all, how could a man dare to oppose further, faced with such harsh reminders of the pains his soulmate was going through thanks to his extremely fertile sperm? Fine with him. He wouldn't want to have it any other way and she was actually spot on with her estimation this time as he sure for hell wouldn't let her kneel down and risk getting a cold, now especially. However, the kneeling down wasn't the only thing he had asked for, was it? "I wouldn't dream of it. But to get back to that ring you robbed me off too …"

Rolling her eyes, she turned, ripped a stray of hay out of one of the bales behind her, and before he knew it, she took his hand and tied the stray around his left ring finger. "There you have your ring."

He gaped at her. A hay string? Seriously?

"What?" She shrugged, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "We have a baby on the way. They are expensive. We can't afford more than that, especially considering our unsure job situations."

He opened his mouth. Then, shaking his head, he reached for his wallet. Flipping it open, he held up his black Amex, wordlessly. She crossed her arms. Yeah, he didn't think that would leave a big impression on her. So he shook his head again, reaching for the small, hidden compartment that had been the reason why he had bought this particular wallet. "You know, if you were too cheap to get me a proper ring on my own, you could have at least asked me to borrow mine."

She started to roll her eyes, but then stopped, staring at him. "Wait, are you saying you still have …"

"The engagement ring you refused to put on your finger? No. That one is laying on the bottom of the pacific ever since a few days after you broke my heart", he said simply, without hurt. They were so way past that. He grinned at her. "So naturally, some months later, I went and bought a new one." With that he finally fingered the small ring out of the compartment and held it up to her.

Her eyes big, she stared at him, her mouth wide open. Seeing her stupor, he grinned, then, with a bow, he didn't hesitate for a second to get down onto his knee, on the dirty, cold pavement, offering up the ring in his fingers, with his heart attached to it. "See, Ace, this is how it's done: you have your ring always ready and close-by for whenever you feel your soulmate at last is giving you enough hints, signaling her readiness to actually say yes this time around. Then you kneel down – well okay, you get a pass on that – hold up your ring and then ask the question of all questions: Love of my life, commonly known as Rory Gilmore, will you please marry me at last and spare the baby you carry the confusion of having a different family name than one of its parents?" His voice had gotten huskier, which was ridiculous, after all, she had asked him first, they already were engaged, the hay stray pricking his left hand glaring proof of that. So why was his mouth suddenly dry and his heart pounding in his ears? "When she answers …" He looked up at her, waiting, his heart in his eyes.

"Yes!", she whispered, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

His heart exploded into a joyous sprint and he breathed easier. "You slip the ring you have carefully picked out on her finger …" He slid his ring on her finger, barely trembling when it went over her fingernail, securing it with a long awaited feeling of satisfaction, relief and absolute euphoria at the bottom of her ring finger. She didn't take her eyes off her ring while he slowly stood up. "And that is how a proposal is done properly", he finished huskily. He glanced down at his ring on her finger, holding his own with the stray wrapped around it besides hers, and swallowed.

This ring was very different from the first one he had gotten her, much simpler, but way more delicate. Gone was the big fat diamond, replaced by three precious little sapphires sparkling in the same deep blue her eyes shone when they made love with each other, lining the top of an elegantly swung eight-shaped band of sterling silver. He had seen it by coincidence on one of his business trips, still suffering from his broken heart and her refusal – and yet, maybe a hundred steps past the jewelry shop, he had turned around, went in and bought it. Back then he hadn't been quite sure why. He had already lost most hope of ever reconciling their relationship and still. The second his eyes had fallen on the ring, he had known it was the perfect one for Rory. Far more perfect than the original one he had bought. Perhaps even then he had known that his story with Rory wasn't over yet. That one day, she'd take him back, giving him another shot to do it right this time around. He didn't know, but ever since San Francisco he was so glad he had followed his gut feeling back then, as he had transferred the ring from the bottom of his drawer to his wallet the day he had brought her home from the hospital, always carrying it with him since then, safely away from Rory's prying eyes but still ready for action when the right time came.

"One stone for each break-up in our relationship – and each second chance we gave each other", he explained quietly to her. "The infinity sign to promise you that last time had been the ultimate time if I can help it, for I love you and even when we were apart and broken, all I could think about was you. As I rapidly learned, you've taken my heart to keep it forever, no matter if you cared for it or not. It's yours, for the rest of my life." She looked up at him, with wonder in her teary eyes. He smiled, tenderly stroking her wet cheeks with the back of his hand. She reached up to wrap him into her arms, pressing herself against him as she kissed him, showing him just how deep and final her love for him was.

There was only one word that could barely come close to describe what he was feeling in that moment, holding his beloved Ace and the precious cargo she carried in his arms: perfect, utter, complete happiness.

The End

Auhtor's Note: Yes! The End! At last they reached their happiness! Sorry it took me this many years to get those two last chapters out. I hope this very happy (and fluffy, yeah, guilty as charged, but come on, I shot her in the first chapter!) ending gave you a satifying conclusion to this story - and that you weren't too disappointed that I didn't continue from the last scene but jumped ahead a few months. But I wanted to give them a proper happy end and for that they needed to have a bit time to get to that point. Now let's see what they do in the revival. Hopefully, they see reason and write them what needs to written.

I was gifted by many wonderful reviews for this one. Thank you. For the past ones and for those - hopefully - still to come. It always amazes me how many reviews I still get, even for my old stories. And be assured, while my focus lies on my original stuff, fanfiction is never far from my mind and I love to come back to it when my own characters are behaving impossibly and refuse to be good little charas and do what I want them to do.

Currently, I'm now working on Curveball, so I get to put a 'End' & 'Complete' below that one too soon, but I learned better to make any promises about when I post something. Just know that I haven't forgotten my WIP and still plan to finish them all, be them in this fandom or another.

On a last note, before I finish, let me remind you that this chapter wasn't beta-ed, so all mistakes are mine - and there are bound to be, 'cause English still is not my mother tongue. Hope it's readable anyway.

Okay, that's it. Hope you enjoyed my little version of how, after that unforgivable ending to ROGAN they left us with in season 7, Rory and Logan still found their way back to each other and the happiness they deserved.

Thank you.