Chapter 4

"Can you believe it? Finn just pours my drink down his throat - all to prove a point! Stupid!" Gigi exclaimed, telling another story in the long line of stories of how she'd gotten together with Finn, as she and Rory strolled through Brisbane, Gigi having taken her sister on a shopping spree around town. She was showing her both the touristy bits and the off-the-beaten path boutiques and vintage stores she herself loved so much.

"That sure sounds like him," Rory commented, raising her eyebrows slightly, while sipping on her iced coffee.

"And then I spent the night at his bedside - in my bed - calling him an ambulance, and making sure he stayed hydrated, while he was drugged up on god-knows-what!" Gigi continued.

"So the drink was spiked? God, what kind of places do you have here!" Rory commented, worriedly.

"Yes, but he was willing to risk his health to save mine. Noone's ever done something like that for me! I still can't believe he did that! I mean that's one way to make a lasting impression," Gigi commented.

"That was really not a smart call," Rory commented, widening her eyes. This certainly sounded like the old Finn for once, and proved to Rory how the man had indeed stayed in some ways just as childish as he'd been in college.

"You think?!" Gigi exclaimed, laughingly. "So, anyways, I ended up being pissed at him for a few days until eventually he came crawling at my door with an apology and Thai food," she added.

Rory casually paused at the model car display window. She was never much for cars, but this display window was set up in a particularly cute way, it almost made her wish she had someone to buy one for. Ever since the talk with Finn the other night, her mind had been circling around Logan and the last time that she'd seen him, and everything relating to him. Maybe in some hypothetical scenario she could've been a mother of two, not one, had things turned out differently?

Rory's phone rang, jolting her out of her thoughts for a moment. It was Jess, but at this moment she really didn't feel like talking to him, assuming he would text if it was anything urgent. Besides, Mil was with Lorelai, and likely it wasn't anything more than some change in his schedule in regards to his book tour. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd barely made it home for Christmas. Rory slipped the phone back in her pocket, waiting to think of other, more pleasant, things. She just didn't want her mood to be pulled down by him, usually getting frustrated by how he felt he could just change things around. It was only as she shook the thought of Jess away from her mind, when she realized she was still staring at the display window, her sight having frozen on one spot, almost unknowingly.

"Um, Rory… I don't think Mil would like these much. Last time I saw her she was all about ponies and princesses," Gigi chimed, reminding Rory who they were shopping for, besides themselves. After all, Christmas was coming, gifts needed buying and Rory hoped to be back home for that to celebrate it with her daughter.

"Yeah, I know. But these are cute," Rory said, noticing one that reminded her of Logan's Porsche 911 that he'd had in college. Everything seemed to be bringing the memory of him back to her - the good and the bad, the good times and the less proud times. A glimpse of the way they'd made out in that car, her stomach feeling all hollow, and the ache for him that traveled through her entire body and pulsated between her legs. Another glimpse of seeing him across a conference hall in Hamburg and how they both instinctively smiled as if their last goodbye at that time, at her graduation, under less than ideal circumstances, had never happened. There was a glimpse of Logan, the corner of his mouth curving upwards ever so slightly, taking a mental snapshot of her with the steampunk hat tilted just right on her head - that was strangely the most bitter sweet of them all. The memories of Logan were all stored in her brain as little clips of silent films, the words having lost their resonance with time.

"Maybe it's time you and Jess have another kid, maybe it'll be a boy?" Gigi hinted in a chipper tone.

"Maybe," Rory chimed a lot less enthusiastically, but indifferently at the same time. She realized there was no sense to talk her sister out of the bubblegum pink bubble of love she was in with Finn. Rory was kind of envious of her even, only wishing she still believed in a happily-ever-after.

"So, what do you think Mil would like - besides ponies and princesses - that is?" Gigi inquired, gesturing towards the toy store, wanting to spoil her niece rotten.

The way Gigi had grown up with money was still sometimes odd for Rory to witness. She was never just the aunt who babysat sometimes to her daughter but the fun aunt who always came with gifts and made sure she was entertained by everything money could buy.

Rory answered her sister with some suggestions, knowing she wouldn't take 'not necessary' as an answer, but didn't really put her mind to it.

They dived into the toy store, opting to casually peruse what was there, but mostly there were very similar things there that Rory had seen stored back home. She wanted to get something special for her girl.

They didn't emerge empty handed from the store. Gigi was always eager to hunt for finds and she was kind of incredible at it, usually wearing a mixture of whatever was trendy and picks from whatever era she felt like it at the time, resulting in something more or less eclectic every time.

In that sense Rory did recognize something very similar in Finn and Gigi - they never cared about what other people thought. They were fun and carefree, taking life with a healthy dose of humor. Maybe they were indeed perfect for each other?

But as the day went on, Rory found something for herself too - a 60s inspired tea-length summer dress that reminded her of a particular look Logan had liked on her. She cursed herself from the moment she picked the item up until she hung it up in her closet that evening, not quite believing she was doing this with this particular agenda. Was it cheating if she wanted him to like the look of her? To see him smile again at the sight of her like he once had?

AN: A short chapter - I know, but since in the next one we'll get to see Logan, it felt like stand alone and gave some background into Rory's situation. Also, don't panic - I am sticking to the present timeline - i.e Rory and Logan haven't seen each-other since 2016, since Mil would have to be older than 4 y.o to be Logan's, so don't jump into conclusions just yet.