Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is the creation of Amy Sherman Palladio.

Epilogue

Author's Note: Still Rory's narrative. We did a time leap.

Stars Hollow, Connecticut, The Oasis, Thursday, November 16, 2017, 4:00 pm EST

As Rory turned onto her street she saw that the front of their house looked, as usual, like a parking lot. Only not covered with the cars she'd been expecting. While Lucas's Mercedes was in the driveway where she'd left it that morning, it wasn't Carol's Ford Fusion parked behind it. Instead of the car belonging to the nanny, it was Logan's Range Rover. Rory smiled. Apparently someone had come home from London a few days earlier than originally planned.

Rory figured Logan got home and told Carol she could leave early. A hands-on dad, he wasn't afraid to be left alone with Lucas for a few hours. Rory really wasn't surprised that Logan was comfortable with the baby -he really was a kid at heart -but a part of her still marveled at the fact that he changed diapers.

Yes, he cracked kryptonite jokes while he did it, but still he did it. Lucas would grow up not just knowing his parents but knowing both of them took turns cleaning up his kryptonite. When Carol was off-duty, of course.

Rory pulled the Toyota in front of the driveway; they were in for the night so blocking the Range Rover wouldn't be a problem. She had decided to hold onto her hybrid and continued to drive it whenever it was just her going out. It was quick and fuel efficient and easier to navigate on highways and in parking garages.

Grabbing her laptop bag from the passenger seat, Rory climbed out of the car. It was just past four. Glancing up at the house, she couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. The exterior of the Oasis had really come a long way. Decorated with lights, plants and cornucopias, she loved how festive it looked.

Since Rory had wanted the work on the house completed quickly - she had desperately wanted them to be able to spend the holidays -Halloween through New Year's - in Stars Hollow - they'd had Tom and his men working non-stop for months. With the Oasis covered in dust from August through much of October, they had been living at the apartment in Hartford up until the previous week.

As for the Hartford apartment, it's days seemed numbered. They were thinking either an apartment in New York or a house with a yard in one of the Connecticut suburbs. They agreed to back-burner the decision until after the holidays. Logan was keeping the London townhouse so he -they- always had a place there when they needed it. But now he was only there intermittently. A week here. Four days there. He was still wrapping up projects and transitioning responsibilities to other staff. Which is what he had been doing that week.

As Rory made her way to the Oasis's front door her mind returned to where it had been since she left the meeting with her potential literary agent.

Meg Sutton had come highly recommended. While Meg had never worked with Logan, Logan had been introduced to the woman in passing by his literary agent and he'd taken note of her Connecticut location, Yale background, and literary specialties.

Rory found herself grimacing recalling the options the woman had laid out to her.

Sticking with the direction she was heading in-it was a mix of sardonic humor and family pathos. Ending it at her Chilton graduation kept the ending open -and also left it open for follow ups. It could qualify for teen, general audiences -an unforeseen benefit of her waiting until nineteen to have sex.

Or she could make it a full on memoir and carry it forward to the present day. Changing some names, not changing others, she could- not that Meg presented it this way- "cash in" on her new-found Huntzberger "standing." It could be a multi-generational saga of riches-to-rags-to-riches. This seemed too sensationalist and it wasn't the focus she'd taken at all, nor was it the focus she wanted to take.

Oh, yeah. It wouldn't make her seem much like a gold-digger. Not at all.

Shira would have a field day.

Another possibility was to make it a fictionalized account. Borrow elements from her life but keep her story unique. Change parts. Change the ending. Change pieces in the middle. This path would be more work. She'd essentially have to go back and rework everything. But it would justify her desire to take "creative license" in certain areas. Nothing would have to be substantially changed. Just tweaks here and there.

And it would allow her the opportunity to enact several "do-overs." Say the things she wished she'd said back then. There was something very satisfying about the idea of do-overs. Was it the reason fiction writers got into writing fiction to begin with? To finally say the words that were originally left unsaid? Saying the snarky replies that bubbled to the surface five minutes -or five days- too late?

Regardless of this book, she had found herself typing up other ideas -tangential from "the" book but potential plot bunnies for other books. Now she had a reason for them. Maybe the original book could be left in its original form but the plot bunnies it had wrought could be more fiction than fact.

Unlocking the front door, she gently pushed it open. Quiet. Given the time, Lucas should be down for his nap. Logan -Logan should've been in London another two days. He'd given nothing away during their call the previous night. Walking into the beautifully renovated living room she paused at the entry.

My men. Well, the ones here at any rate.

Logan was sprawled on the sofa wearing a t-shirt and work slacks. His dress shirt hung on the back of a chair. His eyes were closed but she knew he was awake by the way his hands were holding the baby. Lucas was lying atop Logan's broad chest. He, she could tell by his rhythmic breathing, was asleep. Suddenly Logan opened his eyes and she saw he was staring at her.

Hearing a whimper she looked down.

My furry brother is here too.

"Hey Paul Anka. What're you doing here?" She kept her voice low, not wanting to awaken Lucas.

"Carol had Lucas at your mom's when I got in. They were having fun so I brought Ole Paul back for a play date."

"Ah. He tired him out."

"They tired each other out."

"That sounds cute. Pictures?"

"There might be a few on my phone. A few more on Carol's and your mom's."

Taking off her coat she made her way into the living room and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. Hearing something rustle in her pocket, she remembered the small present that she'd casually slipped inside her pocket. She had no idea he'd be home. Thankfully she'd gotten it wrapped at the store. Surreptitiously, she palmed the box and made her way over to the sofa.

No better time than the present, right?

"Good." Rory pulled a chair close to the sofa before plopping down on it. "So what're you doing here, Huntzberger? I thought you weren't due back until Saturday?"

"I sensed kryptonite in the air and figured I'd hurry back to save the townspeople from certain olfactory torture."

"Hm-mm. Thanks Superman. Or would that make you Pooperman?"

"Let's go with Superman. I live to serve."

"That's good. It looks like you're serving as a mattress."

"What can I say? Kid got tired. Lightweight. Must be those Gilmore genes."

"Yeah right. Please. If you'd been the one to carry him, I'm sure you wouldn't have left your bedroom for months."

"Ah. Maybe. If I'd had you as my caregiver, definitely."

"He should be sleeping in his overpriced bed."

"I tried to tell him. I think we're gonna have a problem with this one."

"His nap should've started an hour ago."

"Technically, it did. And he's rockin' it."

"Yeah, but you're immobilized."

"You know I embrace my lazy time these days, Ace."

"Back to being a sloth?"

"Is there any other way?"

Although Logan had definitely slowed down since Lucas, since her, since whatever this was they were doing, she doubted he'd ever return to full-out sloth. But he had started to delegate more. And he didn't sweat all the details quite as much. His plan was to do some further redistribution of responsibilities among his relatives that worked at the company once Mitchum stepped down.

"You didn't answer my question. Why're you back early?"

"Where's the fun of being the boss if I can't let myself go early?"

"Still on schedule?"

"It'll all be transferred by March."

"Good."

"Yeah. So how about you? How did it go?"

"Well, Meg laid out three options."

"Lay it on me."

"Stick with the current plan. Teen audience growing up family drama. Leave it as a memoir."

"But that narrows your audience and limits you to non-fiction."

"I don't think it limits -"

"Fine. It gets you categorized as a non-fiction writer."

"I could make it a full-on memoir and carry it forward to the present day."

"And write about how terrific our families get along?"

"Something like that."

"Hm. Yeah. I'm not feeling that one."

"Me either. Third option is to use the story but fictionalize it."

"I vote for that."

"Figured you would. I thought you wanted to be included."

"Changed my mind, Ace."

Rising to her feet, Rory leaned over Logan to look at their son, who had turned his head and now faced the sofa's seat back.

"Why, look at that. He's wide awake." Rory's gaze flitted up to Logan before returning to the infant. "Hi Lucas. You enjoying your Daddy and me time?"

"Come on, kid. Go back to pretending. Daddy wants Mommy's attention."

"You're unbelievable!"

"Maybe. But I was right. I told you he faked it."

"You didn't tell me it was because you trained him to!"

Sliding off the seat, Rory kneeled on the floor beside the sofa. Noticing how tangled up the baby's onsie had gotten she reached over to adjust the sleeve. Watching her son turn his head to face her, she bent down to give him a peck on the cheek.

"Do I get one?" Logan was watching her intently.

God, one of these days I am just going to do it. I will post a #hotdad photo online.

"Sure," she smiled before leaning over to kiss his lips. It felt wonderful but it went a beat too long. She pulled away. "I'm crowding him. This is why you should've put him in his bed."

"Well, I didn't realize this was the reason why. Lesson learned, Chief."

Logan still called her Ace, but he'd taken to calling her Chief as well. He had called her Chief when they had been on the Yale Daily News. She thought it was for that but Logan assured her it was a Get Smart reference. He insisted it was so Lucas and any other 'operatives' that came along understood the pecking order. He referred to himself as the 'Deputy'.

Toying with an idea…Hardly toying. "Idea" was too hypothetical. It wasn't a new idea. It wasn't even new. Just something that she had been thinking a lot about lately. Which is why she picked up the gift.

As for the rest, it was just a matter of hammering out the details.

"Hey."

"Hey what?"

"You still think about us getting married?"

Watching him, she saw the instant seriousness crept into his face, his eyes.

"Only every day, Rory."

Okay. That choked her up a little. He joked around -they both did. But he still had the power to floor her once in a while. Their eyes locked, Rory placed a hand over Logan's where he held onto Lucas.

"Every day?

"Pretty much."

"Ah. So, what do you think?"

"I'm in if you are."

"But how would things change?"

"Who says anything has to change? We already live together. In several homes, on several continents. We have a child. We share a bedroom and a bathroom. I don't think either of us is looking to change any of that though I agree more drawer space in the London en suite would be welcome. I was thinking you might want to redecorate that place a bit when we're done here -"

"Uh, uh, uh -"

"I mean done here. In the States. Not with this house."

"Better. Go on."

"We might want to talk about having a sibling or two for Lucas to help him stay grounded. As you've pointed out, I can't move and him expecting me to be his mattress is slightly obnoxious on his part. Aside from that, I suppose we'd wear matching rings on our left hands."

"That's it? I could keep writing? You'd continue at HPG? I'd participate in random functions once in a while but I could continue to do my own thing?

"Absolutely. You want it in writing?

"You'd do that?"

"In a New York minute, Ace."

"Okay, okay." Rory nodded. "Okay, that's all good. We'd continue to have homes in Stars Hollow, Connecticut or New York and London. It's a bit much – or a lot much – but I guess it's kind of necessary. Obviously we'll have to settle down in one place for the school year when it's time for him to be in school. I'm not sending him to boarding school. I don't care how great the Chinese food is."

"Agreed. No boarding school."

"Right. Right." Nodding, she turned away from Logan and pulled up the small box from where she'd tucked it under the sofa. "Logan Huntzberger, will you marry me?"

Logan's lips spread into what was perhaps the widest smile she'd ever seen on his beautiful face.

"And here I thought I was doing so well as a kept man."

"Logan –"

"Seriously, Ace. I was starting to think you'd never ask."

"So? What do you think?"

"I think you should know my answer. But, in case it's not clear, yes, Ace. I'll marry you." She exhaled loudly. "You seriously think there was a chance I'd say no?"

"Well, we've had a bumpy ride."

"People say that about the Cyclone, Ace. It's still riding strong after a hundred years."

"Yeah, that's true."

"So?"

"So?"

"Any thoughts about a ring?"

"Actually," she brought the box up to where he could see it. "I did think about that."

"You buy yourself an engagement ring, Chief?"

Rory chuckled at the puzzled/annoyed look on his face. He was such a traditionalist at heart.

"No. This is for you."

"Much as I'd love to tear it open, I should probably keep my hands on the kid so he doesn't slide off. Speaking of, I guess maybe I never made this clear; he was pretty much enough of a gift."

"You say that now…"

"I'll say it forever. Or at least until he hits his teens."

"Well, still…I got you a Christmas gift. That I thought would also double as a man engagement ring for when I asked."

"You were planning on asking then?"

"Yeah."

"Change your mind?"

"Coming in. I had it in my pocket. It just seemed silly to wait."

"I could still open it on Christmas Eve? I mean, I'm wearing a t-shirt, Ace. I don't think cufflinks – "

"Yeah. Wait. How'd you know they were cufflinks?" Rory nearly chuckled at the face he made. Silly question. "I should've gotten you a pinky ring. That would've gone well with your t-shirt and biceps. And you never would've guessed. Maybe for an anniversary. Okay. But promise me you'll wear a button-down shirt on Christmas Eve?"

"Promise." Both parents quieted as Lucas lifted his head and rubbed his face back and forth on Logan's t-shirt before settling back down. "Just like his mom. I'm getting you both your own set of handkerchiefs for Christmas."

"He's probably too warm. Sleeping on top of you is like sleeping near a furnace."

"Yeah. I guess you'd know." Logan's eyes didn't move from Rory. "So, speaking of what we were just speaking of –"

"Furnaces? Handkerchiefs?"

"Promises. I got you something too. It's in my right pocket. Why don't you get it?"

"You want me to dig around in your pant pocket?"

"Come on, Ace. I'd do it myself but this kid's a crank like his mom if he doesn't get enough sleep. I think he's settling down again so I really don't want to disturb him."

"You're so full of it."

Lucas had inherited his father's ability to sleep through anything. If Logan somehow jarred Lucas awake by rifling through his pant pocket looking for something Rory had no doubt the boy would fall back asleep immediately.

"Rory. My right pocket. Please."

Rory slowly – teasingly- reached inside Logan's pant pocket. She let her fingers do the walking as she moved them ever so slowly – at a torturous pace. Satisfied at the tormented look on his face, she grinned at him. "Dirty."

"It's gonna get a lot dirtier if you don't pull your hand out."

Logan watched her face -always animated - as her fingers finally grasped the gift. Her eyes went from teasing to nervous to puzzlement as she finally realized it was a jewelry box.

"It looks like a ring box. What is it?"

"Ah. You're gonna have to open it to find out."

"Isn't it a Christmas present? Shouldn't I wait?"

"It's not a Christmas present. That's why it's not wrapped. As for Christmas, I told you. You and the Big Guy are both getting handkerchiefs."

It was obviously a ring. Not a Tiffany's box though. Had Logan been about to propose? But she beat him to it? He promised they'd go at her pace. Sure, they'd never actually had a discussion where it had been stated, "Rory, you ask me when you're ready." But that certainly had been the implicit understanding that she'd been going along with.

"Is this -?"

"Rory, only way to know what it is is to open it. As soon as you do, I can get up and put the Big Guy to bed. And let's face it, the kid really needs his beauty sleep. Too much rough housing."

Rory laughed. "Oh? Who exactly was he rough housing?"

"Ace, stop procrastinating. Just open it."

"Okay." She started to open the box and then stopped. "It's not an engagement ring, right? You promised."

"Promise."

Logan watched as Rory opened the box. Chagrined, she grinned a half smile at him before shaking her head.

"You like?"

"You said it wasn't a ring."

"No. I said it wasn't an engagement ring. That was supposed to be a promise ring, Ace. Now, I guess it could be a place-holder engagement ring. Or it could be the engagement ring. It's not a diamond center but I always liked you in sapphires. It's different from…"

It's different from the other one. The twenty-something ring.

"So you were planning on asking me to go steady, Huntzberger?"

"Kinda. Until you outdid me with the proposal."

"Big of you to admit it."

"I can be big."

"Oh, yes, you can."

"Ace," he chuckled. "Any thoughts to a date?"

"Lots of thoughts."

"Long engagement?"

"I don't think so." They had no reason for delaying things. "How about New Year's Eve?"

That's just weeks away."

"You want a big party?"

"No. I don't need big. It would be nice to have guests available to come though."

As Rory watched, Logan grinned. He looked halfway guilty and halfway victorious.

"What? Logan? Tell me. You have that 'cat-that-ate-the-canary' look."

"I may have already been talking to folks about coming together for New Year's."

"You were? Who?"

"The guys. Some other friends."

"Really? Where?"

"I was thinking New York but if we're doing this instead why don't we bring everyone down here?"

"Ooh. We could get married out at the gazebo. It could be a winter wonderland."

"Cold, Ace. We live in the northeast. Why don't we target having the wedding indoors? We can do something outdoors for the kid's birthday."

"Oh. Yeah. May. Much better for outdoors. But if it's not too cold, we could still do sleigh rides."

"Hey, I'm not saying we can't do it up right in case it's not sub-zero degrees, but we should probably have a contingency plan. I don't think Lucas will care for the cold."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Oh, this'll be fun. A winter wedding. I have a good feeling about this."

"Yeah, me too."

AN: Fini! Yay! Thank you for reading. I know it wasn't much. This chapter was just about tying the loose ends. I hope you enjoyed reading the story at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it. This fic was a lot of fun to write. I am taking a break from fanfic. Thank you again!

03/08/2018