I don't own Gilmore Girls ... how does so much time pass? I have been working on this for some time and finally hit the next stage in the outline. I researched the campaign trail and newspaper industry and talked with someone with a foundation—trying to make this as realistic as possible. All while sticking with the characters here. This chapter should help set up a framework for the following few chapters. Anticipate long gaps between chapters. Life has gotten messy. It was not as messy as when i was writing Mrs. Huntzberger, but messy.

Last week in November

Rory made her way to New Hampshire. Missing Logan, she texts him

R: "Tell me not to get on that bus."

L: "Can't do that."

R: "Why not?"

L: "Because I can't."

R: "This all sounds vaguely familiar."

L: "It feels familiar."

R: "I don't like it."

L: "Neither do I."

R: " a year."

L: "11/4/2008 on my calendar"

R: "Love you."

L: "Love you, too."

R: "On the bus"

Rory sits in the seat next to MK. Sam and Ezra are behind them, and Katie is getting on. Rory is still lukewarm about how she feels about Katie, but everyone else definitely counts as being friends. Her phone buzzes, and she reads

L: "You never listen to me anyway."

R: "True."

Thinking about a quippy response and realizing that without the vocal inflections, much is lost, her phone starts ringing, a Connecticut number, "Hello, this is Rory."

"Hello, Rory; Mitchum here. How are you?"

"I am fine. This is unexpected. What can I do for you?" Rory's face hardens, and MK mouths, "ok?" A nod yes suffices for the moment.

"Rory, I wanted to apologize for my father, again." Mitchum is sitting in his office looking at a newspaper, "and I need to ask a favor, not family related, journalism request."

She decides to ignore the apology and focus on the request, "Good thing I am a journalist then," she retorts

"The reporter covering Obama for HPG, Katie. Do you know her? Of course you do, the bus is small. Anyway, she has been submitting factual articles, but they are missing the depth – the human perspective depth."

All of Rory's senses tell her to be wary, kind of the spidey sensation, "I was unaware. I haven't read any of her work."

"Don't bother unless you are looking for a schedule – then she is your source." Mitchum sounded annoyed that a HPG reporter was not delivering better content. "Back to my request. I would like you to do an in-depth piece, or pieces, for the Concord paper as a guest journalist, giving a look at how the big issues Obama is focused on relate to the needs and lives of the residents of New Hampshire. Check your email; I had my assistant send you the contact information for the editor, Fleet; he is expecting to hear from and connect you with a local reporter to work with. Before you find a reason to say no, I am doing the same with the Clinton, Biden, Edwards, and Richardson campaigns for the Democrats and all of the Republican candidates. The idea came to me when I listened to you and Logan talking in the waiting room. You have good insights, and I thought that Hillary had this in the bag, but your comments and connections made me realize that Obama might be connecting with the people better. You are my last call; everyone else has agreed."

"When you say everyone? Are the reporters all from the same outlet, Hugo?"

"You got me there. Hugo agreed to the plan and given he has a good nose for sniffing out talented writers."

Rory interrupts, wanting to get off the phone, "I agree Hugo has good instincts. Ok, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Rory."

"You're welcome, bye."

"Goodbye" Mitchum hangs up the phone and puts down the paper. He smiles and picks up the next paper to start reading.

Rory is getting ready to text Logan, when MK pokes her, "what was that? When you answered, you looked like you were heading into battle."

Rory turned to her, "That was me following advice from a very nosy friend."

MK smirked, "What advice would that be?"

"Oh, you know. Network and jump on any opportunities that present themselves," she responded.

"Oh, your brilliant, crack reporter friend," she teases, returning to a serious tone, "Good for you. So, what are you doing?"

Rory breathes deeply, "Going to do some collaborative work with the Concord paper, sort of like what I did for the New York Times and Meet the Press, but smaller. I think my name will be more prominent with this than just a mention."

MK can tell she isn't going to give any more details, "Smart." to the change subject, "How was Thanksgiving?"

"It was good. I saw friends and family. Ate a lot of food, grateful for these cold days and bulky sweaters." She leaves out any mention of being a multi-millionaire and ignores the accounts and accountants for now.

MK puts on a pouty face, "Yeah, right, like you can gain weight."

"True, we Gilmores do have freaky metabolisms." She decides that deflection seems like a good game plan: "How was your Thanksgiving? Hear from Jacob?"

MK looks at Rory funny, "Hear from Jacob, why would I hear from him?"

"I just thought you two hit it off in Cali, and since he gave everyone phones, I know he has your number." She quipped back.

"Nothing from Jacob. Saw all of my family and it was warm at home. Unlike this northern frozen wasteland."

"Oh, you will love it when it snows. Turns into a magical wonderland." Rory reassured her friend. The two women settle back into their seats as the bus starts and drives out to the next meet and greet.

MK pulls out her phone to check if Jacob has texted her. Did Rory know something she didn't?

Rory returns to her phone:

R: "Your dad called; I'm working with a reporter in Concord on a story."

L: "Sounds fishy"

R: "he asked me to collaborate, not eat herring."

L: "Want me to investigate?"

R: "I will call Hugo and confirm his story about hiring multiple reporters on the different campaigns to do this. He can try to bait me."

L: "Worms"

R: "anchovies"

R: "This just doesn't work as well texting."

L: "Agreed, talk tonight"

R: "Love you!"

L: "Love you!"

Rory picks up the itinerary and then immediately grabs her phone.

R: "You are never going to guess where the debate watch party is happening."

L: "Don't keep me waiting."

R: "Everything by Anchovies"

L: "You have amazing powers"

R: "I know."

The debate at Dartmouth was successful for Obama, and Rory connected with the HPG Concord reporter; they did an in-depth "Why Obama is Good for New Hampshire" piece, published and picked up by the other papers in New Hampshire. Obama's poll numbers kept increasing in Iowa and staying steady in New Hampshire. While the articles have been challenging, as the talking points are the same day in and day out, Rory feels she is keeping her articles fresh by finding new perspectives. Plans have been made for her to fly to Chicago on December 1st and meet with Oprah instead of going to Iowa. This way she could get the background and history of why she actively supports Obama. The AP deadline is December 5th so they can have it on the wire for pick-up by the 8th as that is the first planned rally with Oprah in Iowa.

Sitting in the hotel room, she is sharing with MK, Rory is typing up notes she has gathered on Oprah in preparation for the interviews. She is grateful for her overprepare habits as they help to calm her nerves. The door opens, and Rory looks up to see Mary K walking into the room, clearly not looking happy.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"The economy is going south and a bunch of us just got told that we will no longer travel with the campaign. I can only keep my vlog going if I self-fund it and just don't make enough. So, I will still be producing materials but will only be able to travel to select events and work with material that local reporters post. Um, Rory, you might want to check on your status. I heard Sam is also being pulled back by his online paper."

"Oh, no, this is awful. Let me check." Rory opens her email and doesn't see anything. Wondering if it is wise to call him, her phone rings, and Hugo's name is on the screen. She looks at MK, who shrugs her shoulders and pulls her things together to head toward DC instead of Iowa. "Hello, Hugo, this is Rory."

"Hi, Rory; I have to talk to you about our coverage plan." Hugo begins.

I'm glad for the heads up from MK, but still not having had any real time to process, Rory can at least respond, "I have heard there are changes."

"There are. The campaigns are pulling back the number of reporters they are taking with them on their buses due to economic uncertainty. With the internet and ease of getting information, we can rely on fewer reporters to get the needed materials. Right now, you are scheduled to stay on your present itinerary through the first half of December. Oprah is paying your way to cover the stops she makes with Obama so that you will be on the campaign bus and planes; Priyanka will have your itinerary once you are in Chicago. She also told me that they will reimburse the flight to Chicago tonight and make the arrangements while you are traveling and completing the interviews. So, you will travel with Oprah through the 10th. If you are willing, I would like you to go back to Iowa for a town hall on December 13th with Gayle King in Dubuque and then cover the Presidential debate that evening in Johnston. I want to capture any impact from Oprah. After that, I don't see anything on the published schedule that I will need you to attend until the Iowa Caucuses on January 3rd. Of course, you can contact the AP and other papers to offer your services and freelance. I just ask that if you see something that ties into our approach, you give me rights of first refusal."

Rory nods and acknowledges the first refusal request with an "ok."

Hugo continues, "I will be publishing everything you do on Oprah, but I will be picking them up off the AP wire as I won't be the one paying your bills for this coverage. I am sorry, Rory, you're a great storyteller, and I enjoy how you are bringing in all of these different perspectives, but the long primary season and the number of candidates is taking a toll on my budget. To be honest, everyone else covering campaigns for me is also being brought back. Once the Iowa Caucus is over and we are moving into Super Tuesday, I will ask you to pick up the pace again. Definitely plan to cover all the debates, primary election Rallies, and the Democratic National Convention. We will see where Obama is after that. So, that is my news."

"Thanks for calling and talking to me." Rory realizes he could have just sent an email and appreciates that he did call.

"Of course, I'll send you an email with the dates and locations the campaign has shared with me and will highlight the ones I can pay to have you cover. I am sorry, Rory, this is a tough time, and all of the majors are pulling back, too. I keep implementing recommendations from Philip Meyer and his book The Vanishing Newspaper."

"Yeah, I can tell you are taking Meyer's recommendations to heart, Hugo. I will check my email for the itinerary and contact you as things progress. Thank you again for calling me."

"Absolutely, you are one of my best. I am pulling for Obama so I can keep you on staff."

"Thanks, Hugo, that is nice of you."

"Don't stop writing; keep filing stories as you can. I know you have mountains of notes."

"I do, thanks again Hugo. I will stay in touch."

"Take care and enjoy your time with Oprah."

"Will do. Bye."

Rory puts down the phone and slumps in her chair, "Mary Kay."

"Yeah?" MK sits on her bed and looks over.

"You were right; that bus has been disbanded."

"So, what is happening with your piece on Oprah? Is that still happening?"

"It is, that is being funded through the AP and Oprah herself. I am unsure if there is a conflict of interest in my objectivity." Rory knew that this story was not being funded by Hugo, but she had not realized Oprah was funding the travel.

"Rory, covering Oprah's reasons for supporting Obama is not an objective piece; it is a human interest; you are fine having your travel expenses covered by her. She just can't pay for the actual piece that you author. I have done a lot of videos where the subject paid for my travel, but the actual media outlet paid for my content. It is part of how freelancing works."

Rory is wondering if she should use her own money to cover expenses and not worry about the possibility of it looking like there is a conflict of interest. She still hasn't told MK about the money; actually, she hasn't told anyone about the money. There are 10 calls daily from the accounting firms and just as many emails, if not more. Logan even got calls at the house because they thought she might be in California. She never wanted this type of money, which made her uncomfortable. Maybe it is good that she will essentially have most of December off. She can talk with Logan about what to do. She really wishes she could talk to her Mom, but that is clearly a terrible idea, considering how much her mother hates people with money. If there hadn't been a rift after the boat incident, Rory feels certain this would cause one.

MK has finished pulling her stuff together, "So, I have a flight booked to DC tonight. Would you send me anything useful from tomorrow's foreign policy summit? I didn't get an invitation to cover that." She puts her stuff down by the door. "I will see you in South Carolina." Rory stands up and hugs MK. "Don't forget to wave to the little people."

Rory pulls back, "I'll send you my arrival time and book a double room. Make sure you get there early so we can catch up."

MK smiles at her, "You bet! Oh, and if you need more advice on spending Logan's money, I'm your girl."

Rory laughs, "I might be calling you about that."

"Have fun." MK picks up the bags, throws her key card on the credenza, and walks out the door.

Rory looks around the room, your typical Holiday Inn Express. She is sitting on millions of dollars and staying in a Holiday Inn Express; nodding her head, she starts reading the emails from the accountants; maybe a hotel room upgrade might not be so bad.

Logan is sitting in his office; he has just finished texting with Rory about the change in her status for December. He was initially booked with meetings and plans to be working every day for at least 10 hours a day until the week before Christmas. Luke had told him that the bachelor party was being planned for the 26th after the rehearsal dinner. It was going to be another whirlwind week with lots of obligations, and once everyone found out that Rory was not going to be on the campaign trail through the 23rd, he was afraid they would make up for it with family obligations. Honor and Josh had already told him that with Jason's early arrival, they were now expected to be at the HPG Christmas party, and he just had to come. While Logan appreciated his sister's situation, he was still pretty sure that as long as they hid in California, they could escape the HPG party, as that happened on the 15th. Still, the Gilmore party was strategically placed on the 22nd. He turns his chair around and makes eye contact with Tanya, "Hey, do you have time to discuss the schedule changes I am going to need to make for December?"

"Let me know when Rory will be in town, and I will adjust. A lot of the meetings I have on the books can be easily pushed into the new year, and I think most of them will be glad when I call."

"Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. Mr. Huntzberger, I have an appointment and was planning to leave early today; we had it on the calendar. Do you need me to rearrange my schedule?" Tanya, a woman who looks to be in her mid-forties and is dressed casually, asks.

Logan shakes his head as he gets up from the desk, "No, I'm good. Still have a couple of days before she gets back. Hope all goes well at your appointment, and see you tomorrow." He walks past Mandy and asks if she can join him at Jim's conference room; it is not unusual for the three of them to catch up at the end of the day and plan for the next day. Everyone works at stations throughout the large, extremely well-lit space with many windows and skylights. Mandy, Jim, and Logan each have private conference rooms for meetings, so they don't disrupt the more collaborative nature of the work in this space. Logan likes the feel; it reminds him of a busy newsroom.

Sitting down, Logan starts, "Hey guys, so I need to talk to you about being out of the office in December more than I originally planned."

Jim grins, "Anything to do with the lovely Rory?"

"Now that you mention it." Logan smiles back.

"So?" Jim sits down opposite him and next to Mandy.

"The papers are reducing the number of people on the trail and switching to more tag teaming and cooperative efforts until the primary voting starts in January. Ironically, it looks like they will be utilizing the internet and social media."

Mandy leaned forward, giving him a wink, "Good to know that we are enabling you to spend more time with Rory."

Logan smiled, "Yeah, it is good."

Jim pulled his chair forward and put his hands on the table, "So what were you thinking, Logan? I mean, honestly, you practically lived here for the past few months, so in the area of comp time, you could take 6-8 weeks; however, that would be hard on the accounts."

Pulling up his calendar, "Looks like she should be off full-time starting mid-December and then needing to be back in Iowa by the 3rd at the latest."

"Well, then we will consider you working from home starting on the 13th and I'll let you know if there is anything we need you to pay attention to beyond responding to email. Remember, no responses unless it is written directly to you; all cc's are ignored during your Rory time." Jim lightly taps the table, "Oh, and one other thing. How is your relationship with your father and HPG?"

"Um, why do you ask?" Logan gives a skeptical look at the two.

"Well, we would like to get HPG to work with us. It provides a lot of people with access to their local or regional news and we can both get advertising revenue while increasing their readership. You did a great job getting the big news outlets on board. I figured you could get HPG papers, too."

Logan looks uncomfortable, and Jim continues, "Hey, man, no pressure, just do some exploratory stuff for me? And since we are all in here, would you be willing to go to Ireland and Germany in January and February? You can take the lovely Rory with you if she has the time; I have no problem mixing work with pleasure."

"Ireland and Germany, they are very different, is this the international headquarters plan?"

Jim continues, "Yup, Mandy and I scoped out some properties, but you have the business sense and understand the economics of it. We need the best spot to land."

Logan stands as he confirms he would be happy to make the trips. "As long as I can stop in London - visit some friends."

"Absolutely," Jim claps Logan on the back as they exit the conference room.

An announcement is made to the relevant team members to take advantage of Logan while he is in person for the next couple of weeks and be aware that his team will need to pick up the slack going into the holidays.

Logan grins; he is feeling good about the next few weeks and spending time with Rory.

His phone buzzes

R: I'll arrive on the 10th, fly out 12th back on 14th; 13th is rally and debate in Iowa

L: Looking forward to you being home

R: Me too

"Hey, Mom," Rory answers the phone, having just returned to her room at the Four Seasons Chicago, "are you excited less than a month before you are officially Mrs. Danes? Are you going to have Paul Anka be Paul Anka Danes? Oh, is Luke going to adopt me? Then we will all be Danes. How about April? Is she getting in the on the Danes? We could be known as the Danes Dames." Rory laughs at the rhyme. "Are you going with daisies again like you did with Max or switching flowers? A winter wedding, you could go with a greens theme. I wish I were there to help you do all of this. So, have you and Sookie decided on the cake yet?" Rory takes a breath and waits expectantly for a response.

"Victoria"

"Is not a flavor of cake I am familiar with."

"Um, Victoria Belleville, born this morning at 7:40 am, a healthy 7 lbs. 10 oz and 20 inches."

"Oh, that is so exciting! Yeah! Sookie and Victoria. Has she met Davey and Martha yet?"

"I was getting ready to take them to the hospital for the big meet up, but Jackson called and said that everything went so well the doctors are sending the Belleville's home."

"Ah, that is great, the Belleville's will be all together tonight." Rory cooed.

"Yes, they will. And given the arrival of Victoria, the cake will be from Weston's."

"Praline crunch."

"You remember." Lorelai sees Davey coming into the living room.

"How could I forget?"

Lorelai's voice is dreamy as she motions to Davey to leave the room. "Aw, kid, it will be a good cake." Davey is obviously not going to give her any more peace, "Hey, I have to go, I am watching the kids, and Davey just came in and is motioning toward the kitchen. I think he is under the impression I can cook."

"Well, you did just mention cake. Have fun; teach him how to order pizza."

"Will do. Talk soon." Lorelai hangs up and lets Davey grab her by the hand and lead her toward the kitchen, while she brings the phone with her planning to review the take-out menus.

Still barely the 9th of December, Rory let herself into the dark house. She was finally seeing why Logan had never called her when he made the trips from London. There were no assurances that flights would be on time, and the excitement of surprising him was just too intoxicating. The rally in New Hampshire had ended by 9 pm and Oprah had a plane for them to get back to Chicago. When they landed, Rory checked in with American and secured a seat to San Francisco that departed in 30 minutes. She was riding high and felt like she had landed in Oz when it came to how different her life was, and Oprah was her Glinda. They had drafted the piece she would submit to the AP about Oprah's decision to support Obama. Over the last few days, she had learned what it was like to grow up in poverty and felt incredibly grateful for her rich childhood. After the interviews, Rory felt more akin to Obama; they both had grandparents who were there for them and incredible mothers, while their fathers, while consequential, were more so because of their absence than their presence. The house was dark, and while Rory had been thinking about her story and the unique ties she was creating, she was excited to surprise Logan. Walking into the bedroom, she was disappointed to find the bed was empty; picking up her phone, she looked at the time; it was a little after midnight. Maybe not telling Logan about her impending arrival was a bad idea after all. She knew he worked late a lot, but was it midnight late? She put the bag in the closet, got undressed, and headed into the shower to wash away the grime of the day, figuring she would call him if he still weren't home after her shower. Leaving the lights on, she walked into the luxurious bathroom, pulled out a towel, and turned on the water. She emerged 20 minutes later to find a blonde head in the bed reading a book; smiling, she padded to the bed and sat down, reaching over when he caught her hand and pulled her in.

"Ace," he said, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

"Hi," she murmured back, "Surprised?"

"Very." he made it abundantly clear that talking was done; he pulled her on top of him, throwing her towel on the floor.

Rory awoke to the sounds of Margaret in the kitchen making bacon and Logan's arm around her. Snuggling in, she kissed his arm, and he nibbled on her neck. As they spooned Rory became aware that her stomach was growling and felt embarrassed at the noises. Logan didn't mind at all, "Ready to get up? I know it is actually 11 am for you." She kissed him and enjoyed lingering while inhaling the smells from the kitchen.

After a few minutes, she couldn't wait any longer. Pulling the covers back, they got out of bed; Logan started in toward the shower while Rory pulled on sweatpants and a t-shirt; he looked at her, "No shower?"

"I took one last night."

"Um, you are definitely not as clean now as you were then."

"I am definitely hungrier now, and I'm home and anticipate getting dirty again." She leaned over and kissed him.

He turned around and grabbed sweats and a t-shirt, responding to her raised eyebrows, "No sense in wasting water."

Over breakfast, they agreed that the next two days were theirs alone, with no phone calls or emails.

"Ace, I, um, I got one phone call during our alone time."

Wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss, "Only one?" she whispered in his ear.

"Only one that I answered." Logan picked up the mug of coffee and handed it to her.

Accepting the mug, she stepped back and leaned on the island in the kitchen, "Coffee to ease the blow. And who was so important that you had to answer it?"

Sitting on the stool, "Your Grandpa."

She sat down opposite him and grinned, "Oh, that is fine; what did Grandpa want, and why did he call you?" Logan took her hand, "Logan, you are worrying me; what is wrong? Is Grandma ok?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, "Your Grandma is fine. He wanted to talk about the money and have you meet with the financial advisor in person."

She dropped her head to her chest, hair falling down around her face; Logan reached out to tuck some behind her ear. Lifting her head, he saw her looking worried. They had avoided money for the past few days, luxuriating in each other's company. "Ace, you need to understand how this all works. I learned my lesson about taking it for granted. I blew most of my trust fund, and now I am building my way back through this job and looking at potential new endeavors. You need to make a plan for how you want to handle this. I know you have discussed setting up a foundation. But it takes a plan, lawyers, accountants, and administrative people to work. Running a foundation can be a part-time or full-time job, depending on your scope."

Rory looked him in the eye. Realizing that she had no idea what it meant to have money and having gotten some excellent advice from Oprah, she knew she needed time to focus on the next steps. Being rich had always looked so easy and she still was worried about her mother and what to say. "Logan, I know I need to deal with this. I am worried about my mother and her response to my inheritance. Geez, I was worried that people would think I hadn't earned my place in journalism if I were with you. Now, I need to worry that people will think I bought my way to the top. I just want to write and be normal." She took the final swallow from her coffee mug and extended it to him for a refill.

Laughing, he took the mug, "Well, you certainly are getting good at ordering me around."

"Oh, Logan, I didn't mean to."

He leaned forward and kissed her, eyes sparkling, "joking, Ace, joking."

A half smile played on her lips, "Sorry. Ok, let's meet in Hartford on the 14th after I cover the town hall event Obama has with Gayle King and debate in Iowa. We can visit with Jason, talk to Grandpa and I can focus on helping my Mom get ready for the wedding."

Logan nodded and handed her the refilled mug of coffee, "Sounds like a plan."

"Honor, you make motherhood look idyllic." Rory was cooing over Jason snuggled in her arms. She had never expected to be so entranced with her future nephew. She didn't remember being this taken with any babies in the past.

"Honestly, Rory, it helps to have help. I know people do this on their own, but I don't know how. I couldn't imagine never getting sleep or being able to eat a meal. Having a Nanny and housekeeper are truly making it all possible." Honor handed her a cup of coffee and extended her arms, indicating she was ready to take Jason after she observed him rooting. "Here, I need to feed him. It is really nice just having to feed him, snuggle and do the occasional diaper change. Otherwise, the Nanny occupies him when he is fussy just because."

Rory sipped, "I thought you weren't going to have a Nanny."

"So did I, but after his first week of waking every two hours. I relented and accepted the help. She is here at night. I pump, and she feeds him. It is three nights for now. We will switch to her being her during the daytime when he sleeps through the night. Josh is great about getting up on the weekend and taking one other night. That means I only get up one night a week with him." Honor looks at Rory, "It works, and we are both much happier."

Rory nods, "I can see that, and your plan sounds rock solid. Thinking I might copy it someday." Honor gives her a look, and she quickly adds, "In the future, the far, far future."

Logan walks into the dining room, "what is in the far, far future?" he extends his arms for his nephew while kissing Rory.

Honor giggles, handing Jason off, "your babies."

Logan almost drops Jason and looks at Honor, then Rory, "Oh, you are so right about that far, far future thing. I heard him last night and well," looking at his nephew as he settles down, "while you are cute as can be" looking at his sister again, "he has a serious set of lungs on him, and I like my sleep."

Plans for the next few days are clarified; Rory will visit with her Grandfather and the accountants for the money and then head to Stars Hollow to help with the wedding prep. Logan will stay with Honor for a few nights and join Rory in Stars Hollow. He clarified that he needed to take care of a couple of things before joining her.

Rory shifts as she stares at her Grandparents' front door. She is one of them now. Recalling the article she had written about Logan and his friends and how he had reminded her that she was a part of that world. Then she protested. Stars Hollow was very much in her blood, and while she had privilege, she hadn't known what it was like to have money. In her mind, money meant not having a care in the world. But now, it came with responsibilities. Her conversations with Oprah taught her that she had to be careful as there would be false and real friends. There would be demands and expectations, but there would also be opportunities. The opportunity to be generous, but being generous had to be tempered with thoughtfulness. Just throwing money around was gauche. Rory had been trying to think of a way to help Lane and Zack without it being a spectacle. Yesterday, Sophie from the music store called her and said she would sell the store if she still wanted to buy. Rory wanted to talk with her Grandpa about that being a gift for Lane; she could run the music store. Sophie hadn't been able to make enough and pay off the mortgage, but Rory could buy it outright and Lane and Zack would only need to pay taxes. She was hopeful that her Grandpa would agree with her. Smiling with anticipation, she rang the doorbell.

Emily answered the door, "Rory. My Goodness. This is a lovely surprise. Come in, come in. Here, give me your coat." Emily extends her arm to accept Rory's coat and passes it to the maid standing on her left side.

"Hi Grandma, it is good to see you." Rory leans in and hugs her, to which Emily responds with a smile and squeeze in return.

"Shall we go into the living room?" Emily turns on her heel and starts to walk away.

Rory catches up, "Grandma, I think Grandpa expects me. We have a meeting arranged."

"Oh, so you are here to meet with Thomas and Richard. I will let him know you are here. Would you like some coffee? I just took some into your Grandfather's study; I can get you another cup."

They walk to the study and Emily taps on the door, pushing it open and announcing the arrival of Rory. She pushes her in the back and walks away to get the coffee mug.

"Hi, Grandpa." Rory pulls her shoulders back as she walks in and sees the two men discussing business and looking at the computer screens.

"Rory, my dear, how are you?"

Rory grinned, "Well, I'm better than most, not as good as some and annoyed with" Richard joined her. "All"

"Thomas, meet my granddaughter, Rory; she is writing for the Obama campaign." Richard started.

Thomas stands up and extends his hand in greeting, "I believe I read your piece in the Wall Street Journal, and just recently, I read your piece on Oprah supporting Obama. I have to say, you are the only one who gave an in-depth picture that went beyond race. It was an excellent article. I am excited to be working with you. So many young women who come into money only seem interested in clothes and shoes.
I am looking forward to discussing your investment portfolio options."

Rory feels good, "Thank you, Thomas. I worked hard on both pieces and am pleased to hear that you enjoyed them."

He turned to Richard, "Your Granddaughter has me thinking Obama might actually have a shot at the nomination. Really thought it would be another Clinton getting the nod, but she is not as dynamic as Obama. Well, we aren't here to talk politics. Shall we get down to business?"

The three discussed the portfolio, and Thomas agreed to put together a team to work with to create a foundation. They all agreed that investing in the music store was a solid plan, as real estate was never a bad way to go. Thomas suggested she might want to buy additional real estate in Stars Hollow, maybe renting a few properties. He explained that was a way to keep the connection and help the town without handing out money. Plus, she had built-in property managers. Rory appreciated the advice and felt like this was a good start. She hadn't been able to think about ways for investing other than stocks and bonds and liked the idea of giving back to Stars Hollow; plus, she could outbid Taylor now, and that was giving her a sense of power over him she never expected. Rory knew she would ask Lane to take care of the properties she purchased and figure out the best time to tell her mother.

"So, Rory, what do you think?" Richard's voice pierced her thoughts. She turned in her chair.

"Grandpa, I think we have made some real progress and I like the idea of investing in Stars Hollow for now. I still have to decide on the areas I want to support with the foundation. Grandpa, is it ok if I don't tell?" Richard interrupted her, "Thomas, thank you for your time."

He made eye contact and gently closed his eyes, finishing with Thomas, "I think my Granddaughter and I need to finish up here on our own."

Thomas departed with words of thanks and good wishes.

"Rory, I am assuming you were getting ready to say you didn't want to tell your mother. Is that correct?"

"Yes, I feel, well, I feel wrong not telling her, but I also."

"I understand your mother has problems with money. Your Dad and I had already agreed that we would not tell her. I plan to leave her money to expand her Inn and for Luke to expand his diner."

"Grandpa, Luke is not going to expand his diner."

"So, he says, but people change their minds when the money shows up. You are looking at life differently now."

"Yeah, but Luke has enough to expand if he wanted to, and he hasn't. He is content with what he has."

"Well, then he can use it to make renovations or, well, Rory, it doesn't matter. He will get some money and it will be his to do with as he sees fit."

"Thanks, Grandpa. I know your gift will reassure Mom that you have accepted Luke, and that is what will matter most."

"You are wise beyond your years, my dear." Richard put his hands in his lap and gazed lovingly at Rory. "I am proud of you."

"Thanks, Grandpa, and thank you for the guidance and support. I am not sure that investing in Stars Hollow is what you anticipated I would do, but I appreciate that you aren't saying no." Rory was sitting up tall in her chair. A sense of confidence was growing in her. She had thought people would try to control her, but they weren't.

"Rory, you aren't making the same choices I would, but you aren't making bad decisions. We will get you the paperwork for the music store and three houses we saw for sale in the next few days. That way, you can discuss this with your friend Lane and have everything set up before you leave. Shall we go out in the living room and tell your Grandma you are entering the real estate business? And that we aren't discussing this with your mother." Richard was reassuring in his support of her ability to make decisions.

"Grandpa, I will discuss it with Mom at some point. I have to, she is my Mom. Right now, I need to get my footing and decide where to take this. I am also not going to talk with Logan about some of these decisions yet. I asked Logan to give me a couple of days in Stars Hollow before he joins me."

"I think you are being wise. I am here if you need me. Your inheritance is your news to tell, not mine and not your Grandmother's."

They both stood up and walked out to the living room.