A/N: Um … so this took longer than I'd anticipated. Usual excuses – adulthood, real life, blah, blah, blah … The majority of this chapter has been written up for over a year, but I just couldn't gel it all together.

Also, this ran hella long – apologies. My ability to keep chapter length and pace consistent is non-existent.

Thank you for the reviews and encouraging prompts; whoever is still out there reading this, I hope you like it.

Chapter title from 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran, which has been my Rory and Logan anthem since the first time I heard it.

Part 13

i know we'll be alright this time

Rory refreshes her mail app more times than she can count, cursing the apparent ineptitude of her cell's internet coverage, before she realises that Logan was likely referring to the old school variety of mailbox. The one on her front lawn; that she would have to leave the reception to go and check.

Would that be frowned upon as maid of honour? Abandoning the festivities to go and follow her own romantic melodrama?

Probably. And she has stolen a significant portion of her mother's thunder already today.

Some of the wedding guests are starting to leave and her erratic behaviour is drawing knowing concern from others. ("Are you sure you don't want anything more to eat Rory?") ("Be sure to drink plenty of water before you go to bed tonight won't you dear?")

First the bachelorette party; now this. A new reputation as the town drunk is just what she needs.

She has to pull herself together and stop repeatedly checking her phone screen to reassure herself that what's happened in the last hour has actually occurred.

Time to compartmentalize –

Yes, Logan has apparently sent her an email or a letter or some form of written communication, the contents of which are (and, as is seeming increasingly likely, forever will be) a mystery to her. But she's choosing to assume that said contents are positive.

… Just like the pregnancy tests were.

Yes, she's pregnant and through her avoidance of speaking to Logan, she's become such an inconsolable, neurotic mess that she's blurted out confessions to both her mother and grandmother that she should probably have kept to herself.

She'll blame the hormones, there's got to be some benefits to pregnancy right?

And yes, he is on his way to see her because she called and left him a crazy message where she said very little of any substance except for ordering him to not marry Odette (or anyone but herself).

She has no idea how long she's going to be waiting though, just off a flight from and to where, exactly? She's assuming he's Stateside and when he said 'see you soon' he meant tonight but she's not certain.

Sure, she could text him and ask for clarification but this has all happened so quickly and at this point, all she really wants is to see him face-to-face.

It'll help assure her that this is all happening, that after all the denial, repressed feelings and hidden tears; in the end, it was as simple as her asking him for what she wants.

But for right now, the wedding is starting to wind down and so she joins Lorelai and Emily in saying goodbye to various Gilmore relatives.

They both express concern at the nerves etched on her face and she reassures that she is okay, just tired. They both want to question her further, but she isn't willing to tell them anymore about Logan until she has actually spoken to him herself. Rory promises again that she is fine, and apologises to her mother for being so distracted all day.

She continues to clock watch as she assists with clearing tables, wondering if she will manage to get back to the house and find whatever he has sent before he arrives (he is coming here right? She assumes so.).

And then it hits her – Babette gave her some mail earlier, she assumed it was all cards of congratulations for her mom and Luke but she didn't check it all. She makes her way back to the gift table and rifles through the large accumulation of well-wishes.

There, underneath the previously noticed Mr and Mrs Danes and an ad for a local farmer's market is an envelope addressed to her in Logan's recognisable hand.

She retreats away from the mellowing party to sit on a bench that provides her relative privacy.

Rory gazes at the object in her hand for a full minute before she allows herself to open the envelope.

Inside is a handwritten letter and a computer print-out. She spots Logan's writing again (Dear Rory …) and a lump immediately forms in her throat. She almost doesn't want to let herself believe that this is what she thinks it is; it could be the beginning of her getting everything that she wants and that scares her more than it probably should.

She decides the print-out is unlikely to be too emotionally debilitating so she braves reading it first.

… She's wrong.

It's a copy of the 'Top 10 Things To See And Do In Hamburg' article that he forwarded to her so many moons ago – number 1 is crossed out and scrawled in black ink are the words 'get a second chance with the love of your life'.

Yeah, this definitely feels like the beginning of … everything.

She doesn't even try to stifle her tears, as she frantically readjusts the papers to open the letter fully.

Her heart stops as she begins to read.

Dear Rory,

I don't know exactly how I should start this. Actually I do and I hate the fact that I have to tarnish this letter to you by even mentioning this but I want to be completely clear with you – the engagement is over. It was never what an engagement or marriage should be and it is a mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life. I was cowardly and I should have admitted that before and I'm sorry.

The only person I have ever wanted to marry, is you.

I still mean everything I said that day. I still don't know a lot, and I still know that I love you.

I regret saying it all too soon, without preamble, and I am so sorry for pressuring you. This is my way of letting you know how I feel, without strings, without obligation.

I am so sorry that I pushed the proposal – I don't know exactly what I was thinking. I was scared, I was excited, I felt like I was finally ready for the rest of my life, that I had a life to offer you and I wanted it to start right away.

It killed me when you said 'no', even though I know it was the right thing for you to do, I so desperately wanted you to take a chance with me again.

I have regretted it ever since, I can't believe I wasted so much time not being with you. And now I can't believe how much time we've spent together these past two years without really being together.

So I'm asking for another chance.

You want to jump? We'll jump. You feel like knocking people's hats off? We'll take to the sea.

You want to stay inside, drinking coffee in our pyjamas and review articles that you've already edited to perfection? We can do that too.

When I gave you that rocket, I made you a promise that I would wait 40 years to be with you. I've waited 9.5 years and I'll wait 30.5 more for the chance to be old with you. But I would rather start now and get to grow old with you.

I never believed in true love until I met you but I know now that if you're unbelievably lucky you get to find that person, that one in your life. And you're mine Ace, my one. I adore you Rory, I always have and I always will.

I know that I'm probably too late … but I hope I'm not.

I will love you forever,

Logan.

Rory sobs, she can barely believe the words she's reading – everything she's been waiting to hear for so long – and beams through the tears.

She rereads it a couple of times to convince herself that it's real, basking in the feelings it elicits in her. Joy – that she has a second (or maybe it's the third?) chance with the only man she has ever envisaged a future with. Regret – that she could have had all this years ago if she'd only been half as open and honest as she's been today. Relief – because it feels as if after all the pain and fear and longing, it's finally over now.

Logan pulls up to the side of the road, confused by the obvious signs of a large celebration taking place in the centre of the town on a Sunday night. He's not sure he's going to be able to drive through the square to get to Lorelai's house.

That's if Rory's even there. Whatever this event is, it looks like a pretty big deal and she usually takes part in Stars Hollow festivities if she's at home.

He really should have planned this better, he hasn't even arranged a place to meet her and he can't remember if he told her what time to expect him. He should never have flown commercial and adhered to their 'no phone calls' policy – it'll be strictly private air travel from now on. But then again, he's pretty sure that Rory's voicemail is the best thing he's ever heard in his life so maybe it was worth it.

He takes his chances and presumes that she's not at home, dropping her a quick text explaining that he's just down the street from Miss Patty's but doesn't want to crash the party.

He steps out of the car and takes a few calming breaths. He can't quite believe he's here. The last time he was in Stars Hollow, he thought it might be the start of them getting back on track, but as it turns out it … wasn't. This time feels different though, like it might be the start of something even better.

He only has to wait a few minutes before she emerges round the corner in an evening gown and heels, a shrug around her shoulders hopefully keeping the autumnal chill at bay. His breath hitches at the sight of her and he knows in this instant that he is going to remember exactly how beautiful she looks at this moment for the rest of his life.

She spots him leaning against a car and despite how desperate she has been to see him, to speak to him, to touch him; she is suddenly overcome with an unexpected shyness and stops a few feet away from him.

"Hey." Is all she can manage to articulate.

"Hey," he echoes, with a grin forming. "You look beautiful." He whispers earnestly.

Rory begins to relax into a smile.

"Thank you. It's a bridesmaid dress," she indicates to her outfit. "My mom got married today.

"And last night too, actually."

Well that explains the hoopla.

Logan's eyes crinkle in jest. "Both times to Luke right?"

Rory smirks at him. "Yeah thankfully, just to Luke."

They both continue to gaze at each other for a moment.

"I can't believe you're here," Rory sighs in amazement.

"I'm sorry, if I'd have known, I wouldn't have come today. I should have checked first before just showing up."

"No, it's fine, the wedding's practically over. I mean, your timing is unbelievable. I got your letter, literally like 20 minutes ago."

"My timing has been awful." He shakes his head, chastising his ego for keeping him from her for too long.

"So this article, huh? You scoured the depths of the internet for it?" Rory retrieves the envelope from her purse, waving it in between them, and they both take steps closer to each other.

Logan smiles. She's read the letter, so there's not much point in playing it cool now.

"It's been in my desk drawer for 2 years." He confesses. "There was a part of me that hoped every time you used my desktop that you'd go snooping and find it."

Rory stares at him with wide-eyed incredulity. How is it that they have managed to screw up to this extent and for so long?!

"I almost sent it for your birthday after that first weekend in Hamburg but I was worried about coming off too strong." Logan continues, moving towards her.

"But a first edition Pushkin wasn't too strong?" she asks, thinking of the $50,000 antique 'Boris Godunov' she'd received from him for her 30th birthday.

"I thought it had good sniffability." He mutters softly, reaching out to graze her hand with his own.

She breaks into a broad smile. How is it possible for him to be this beautiful and charming and to put her at ease so effortlessly?

Logan brushes an errant tear from her cheek and Rory suddenly feels self-conscious.

"Oh God, I must look such a mess. We've been up all day and night, and it's been really emotional, I must be all blotchy from crying …" … and I'm pregnant with your baby, she finishes in her own head.

He takes one final step toward her, until their bodies are touching, and her hands reflexively rest on his waist.

"You look perfect," he vows, and she feels his sincerity down to her soul.

"So … I got your voicemail." He says with a lilt to his voice.

"Can you please not talk about the voicemail?" She shakes her head in embarrassment.

"I'm not sure I can talk about anything else. I've already listened to it 6 times on the way over here. I'm going to add it to my playlist for the gym."

They both chuckle and the shared nerves between them start to lighten.

"Don't make fun of me."

"I swear I am not making fun of you. I love it. It's the best message I've ever had."

"I sounded deranged."

"You sounded perfect. At our 50th wedding anniversary I'm gonna play that message, I'm gonna set it to a soundtrack, and I will love it just as much as I do now."

"It's just, I didn't know how to ... I was trying to say ..." Rory furrows her brow, did he just mention their wedding?

"I know what you were trying to say."

She looks up at him expectantly, you do?

He cradles her face in his hand, caressing the apple of her cheek with his thumb.

"I love you too, Ace."

She smiles into his embrace, and entwines his other hand with her own.

"You used 5 words."

"I'm not quite the wordsmith you are," he smirks.

"I don't know, that letter was something else," she says breathily.

They lean in for a kiss and their lips have barely met when Rory pulls back, she doesn't want to leave anything unsaid anymore.

Logan looks at her puzzled but Rory is gazing at him with absolute certainty.

"Just so we're 100% clear and on the same page … I love you."

"I love you." He whispers against her lips.

"It feels good to say that again."

"It feels even better hearing it."

They kiss and he draws her as close as physically possible, desperate for the anchorage holding her provides. It has been far too long since he has kissed her and he's never allowing that again. He's certain that he is never jeopardising what they have again.

She allows herself to get wrapped in his arms, deepening their kiss. Her mind starts to feel fuzzy and she's a little unsteady on her feet as the battle between exhaustion and adrenaline threaten to overcome her. Despite all that, it's as if she can feel herself start to piece together again.

They continue kissing for considerably longer than is probably appropriate at her mother's wedding. His hands are in her hair and she is using so much more tongue than she usually deems acceptable in public. And … they're in the middle of Stars Hollow. And if anyone were to turn the corner they'd spot them making out instantly. And they'd be the talk of the town.

Rory reluctantly pulls away, pecking his lips one more time. She nods back towards the wedding reception.

"I better finish helping with the clear-up before they send out a search party. Do you want to go and wait at the house for me? My mom and Luke are staying elsewhere tonight so we'll have the place to ourselves."

Logan nods his approval, still slightly befuddled from the fervour of their kiss; while Rory fishes her keys out of her purse.

"You can let yourself in," she explains, handing them over.

They pause, holding their hands tightly together and neither wants to let go. They've only been reunited for a few minutes and they've barely begun to put this all back together.

"I …" Rory hesitates, a tremor in her voice. "There's so much I have to say but we need more time and privacy than we have right here."

Logan kisses her reassuringly. Letting her go is the last thing he wants to do, but he can't help but go along with whatever she suggests.

"I promise we'll talk about everything we need to. Go - do what you have to do. I'll wait."

"I'm so glad you're here," she smiles nervously at him and utters, "I love you" once more as she retreats along the sidewalk.

"I love you," he replies, not taking his eyes off of her until she disappears from his view.

Rory stops behind the rental vehicle that Logan has parked in the drive and spies him sitting on the porch steps, an overnight bag at his feet. She looks at him quizzically as she exits the car.

"I figured I'd wait out here, I didn't really feel comfortable letting myself in."

"That's not an issue I've known you to have." Rory mocks as she walks towards him.

She reaches for his hand as he stands to enter the house. He slips his free arm around her waist and she moulds herself to him instantly, burying her face in his neck and relishing the opportunity to hug him tightly. They're embracing on the front steps of the house she grew up in and in so many different ways, she feels like she's finally home.

They sidestep the boxes of excess wedding paraphernalia as they close the door behind them and as soon as they have dropped their respective bags, they draw together once more.

What starts as a relatively chaste kiss soon intensifies and before long Logan has Rory pinned against the wall of the entryway. She almost allows herself to quite literally get carried away by him; his hands make their way to her ass and as he begins to lift her legs around him she pulls back.

This is great, really great, and all but there is nothing typical about this reconciliation and she imagines that he'll probably feel a little misled if she takes him to bed before she tells him about the new addition they're going to acquire in a matter of months.

"Logan, stop."

"Of course, sorry." He replies breathlessly, pulling back just far enough to kiss her brow and rest his nose on her forehead.

"You don't have to be sorry. It's just, we should probably …"

"You're right. We have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah. A lot." She bites down on her lip and he raises an eyebrow in response.

"Is everything okay?"

She looks at him, slightly overwhelmed with the enormity that his mindless question holds.

"Yeah. I think so, I hope so. Everything's going to be okay, right?"

He smiles earnestly. "Yeah, it is. Shall we maybe sit?" He gestures towards the couch in the living room.

"Yes we should, sitting is going to help." As they begin to make their way there, Rory turns sharply, pulling him into the kitchen. "Actually, let's make a drink first."

She clears some space on the kitchen table, moving the remnants of this morning's make-up and hairspray to the counter before placing them back again; her nerves needing a physical outlet.

Logan watches her suspiciously; something was odd about this picture.

"Shall we maybe make some coffee?" He reaches for the pot; that will preoccupy her enough for her to relax a little.

"No." She removes the coffee pot from his hand, she dreads to think how much caffeine she has already unwittingly exposed this baby to. "You like tea, and I think this is more of a tea conversation."

"Woah, okay what is going on?!" He pulls her towards him by the waist. "Since when do you consider anything to be a 'tea conversation' and does your mom even allow it in the house?"

Rory pauses; she has got to compose herself. She had a plan for this, for how she was going to tell him; but then he had to show up being all handsome and charming and sweeping her off her feet and it's thrown her.

"The tea is in that cabinet, behind the multivitamins," she points, "my mom doesn't even go in there. Will you please make us some tea? I need to go to the bathroom and then I'm going to change because, as beautiful as Miss Celine made this dress, I really want to be out of these heels right now. Then we'll talk."

He surveys her for a moment; God he has missed every single thing about her, even the bits he doesn't understand at all.

"Sure." He kisses her gently. "Go get yourself comfortable. I'll make the tea." He smirks as he says the word.

A few moments later, Logan waits in the living room for Rory to join him. He takes in his surroundings, determining that although it has clearly been redecorated since he was last here, Lorelai's home still has the comforting atmosphere it always did. He tries very hard not to focus on specifically when he was last here, sitting in this exact same spot, asking for Lorelai's approval to propose to Rory, believing that their whole life together was just in front of them.

As he begins to lose himself in the melancholy memories of the days that followed, Rory exits the bedroom in a loose t-shirt and yoga pants, clutching a small stack of flashcards; and he is reminded that despite everything that has gone before, it feels like they're going to be alright now.

Rory offers him a genuine smile as she sits beside him, observing the uncertainty on his face.

"Thanks for waiting," she mumbles, giving his hand an encouraging squeeze.

"Of course. So …" Logan trails off.

Rory takes a breath, steadying herself for what's to come. Part of her wishes that they didn't have to do all of this straight away, that they could just indulge in being together for a little while before they have to acknowledge all their past mistakes and ramifications. But, the pregnancy has them on a timer and so their discussions will have to be accelerated. Everything that needs to be said, needs to be said soon.

"I've made some notes."

"I would expect nothing less." He teases good-naturedly, glancing at the cards she has in her grasp.

She smiles before inhaling slowly again.

"I'm gonna go chronologically … and start with the … one … big … thing …

"… The …"

She stalls; what is wrong with her, she just cannot say the word in front of him?!

"Proposal." He offers gently. "It's okay, I think we can say the word aloud now."

Rory releases a small sigh of relief.

"Right, the proposal – it caught me off guard."

Logan grimaces slightly at that understatement.

"The whole public proposal thing is not really me, but it is you. I could never have put myself out there like you did, in front of all those people. To be so sure, so brave - I love you for that."

She smiles towards him, there are already tears forming in her eyes and she's barely begun.

"I love that about us – that in some ways we're different and in others we're similar. I feel like we fit, you know? We compliment each other. But it clearly doesn't make us mind readers.

"Maybe I should have been paying more attention, maybe you were dropping clues that I wasn't getting, but all I know is that it felt like one minute we were talking about factoring each other in, in the vaguest way possible, and the next minute you'd made, or offered, plans for the next few years of our lives."

Rory pauses to check her notes and Logan desperately wants to interrupt, to reinforce his explanation and apologies from the letter; but he knows he needs to let her have her say, and then he can have his.

"Also… and I don't think I've ever been this honest with anyone about this - I think if I'd have gotten the Reston fellowship, I would have said 'yes' and insisted on us doing long distance for a while and having a longer engagement. I had pinned all my hopes on getting that internship and in a really conceited way, I thought I was a shoe-in. I don't deal with failure that well in case you've forgotten the 'marina grand larceny incident of 2005'. It felt like when your father told me I didn't have 'it' all over again. Like I wasn't gonna make it.

"And I just, I desperately wanted to make it. For myself obviously, after working so hard for so long. But for my mom, for my grandparents, and for you too. I wanted to be good enough. I wanted to be great.

"If Hugo hadn't offered me the Obama job - which I only got because of you and you introducing us - I don't know what I would have ended up doing. Probably toured the theme parks with my mom and had a complete breakdown somewhere in the Midwest.

"You said in your letter that turning you down was the right thing for me, but I'm not sure it was. I just wished we'd aligned our timing a bit better.

"I regretted it - saying 'no' - the minute you walked away from me. I tried to deny it, I tried to push it down as far as I could inside of me, I didn't really talk about it that much. Sometimes I'd admit to Lane how much I missed you, occasionally Paris would drag the truth out of me; but mostly I just repressed it as best I could.

"On the surface, I really tried to move on. I tried dating around. I did date other guys over the years, none particularly serious - even Paul wasn't serious, despite how long we were supposedly 'together' for. They were all so purposefully different from you. I think I was always waiting for you to come back into my life.

"So when you did, I don't really know why I didn't just grab you with both hands and not let you go, rather than keeping you at arms length.

"I'm not sure if I ever truly believed in the whole no-strings-Vegas arrangement. I was just so scared and it made me so crazy.

"The words were always there, on the tip of my tongue, that I love you and wanted to be with you properly but … I felt like a mess. I still do."

Rory shrugs and wipes away a tear before she refocuses on Logan next to her.

"You are so brilliant." She flatters him earnestly and he squirms a little in response.

"I am so proud of you and of everything you've done. I know you don't like to admit it, but you were quite literally born to run a media empire and you are amazing at it. And … I'm a little bit envious. Which is mean and selfish because you're constantly building me up … but there's a part of me that wishes I'd have been there with you, rather than you doing so well without me.

"I have not done as well as I was supposed to. I feel like a failure. Like a waste of potential. I can't even tell you where exactly it all went wrong, only that at some point I realised that I was continually making the wrong decisions and it was like it kept snowballing. And so I thought that I should keep my walls up with you, not go all in, until I'd stopped screwing work up and achieved everything I was supposed to.

"I hate how I've wasted time – with work, with you – and made choices I never thought I would make."

Rory's voice breaks and a few tears fall onto the cards in her hands.

"I've wanted you every day since that first night in Hamburg. I've wanted to say this all to you, but I just never found the right words, or the courage. And … I'm sorry for that."

"I don't exactly know how we can reconcile all this, how we move forward. But I know that I want to, if you do, I desperately want that with you. I haven't planned for it to all go this way exactly …"

Her eyes shift to her stomach and Logan realises that that's not the first time she's done that throughout their conversation. He's almost starts to jump to some conclusions but her continued prose disrupts him.

" … But I hope we can work it out. I want to make this work."

"I love you," she expresses with more conviction than she thinks she's ever uttered those words with.

"And there's one more thing I want to say but I want to let you talk first. But above all else, I am so hopelessly in love with you and I should have told you that earlier. I need you to know that I love you."

Rory exhales, having unburdened what feels like her entire soul, and looks at him with her eyes shining.

Logan surveys the beautiful woman in front of him, the absolute love of his life. She's just admitted things he has been yearning to hear and there's so much else he wants to know, that he wants to understand. But, he can see the vulnerability radiating from her and all he wants is to put her at ease.

He takes her face in his hand and looks her in the eye.

"I know now."

They lean in and their kiss is immediately deepened. Her flashcards crumple between them on the couch. She lets them fall to the floor as she wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer.

They continue for a few moments, lost in each other, before Logan forces himself to tone things down. He'd like nothing better than to progress their kissing to it's obvious conclusion but he knows that he owes Rory more than that. She's been so open and honest with him and she deserves the same.

Once they've disengaged, they face each other again though they're sitting even closer than before, clasping hands.

"I don't have any notes written down, so I'm pretty much just gonna be flying by the seat of my pants." Logan murmurs jokingly.

Rory smiles. "I would expect nothing less."

He focuses on Rory, looking her in the eye and starts with – "I love you."

She smiles at him again.

"Oh God, I don't know how to begin. I've thought so many times about how I should say this, how I should make up for … everything", he searches for the appropriate word.

"You said a lot in your letter. And you said it brilliantly." She consoles gently.

Logan brings her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss there.

"I guess I'll also start at the beginning."

"A very good place to start." She remarks dorkily.

He laughs and kisses her hand again before he begins.

"I knew the second that you looked so shocked, at the first "wow", I knew that I'd messed up the timing and made a mistake.

"That's the day, the moment, the decision, that I still have nightmares about. That I can look back on and know that that's where I went wrong. I'd come back from so much else, we'd moved on and worked through so much else; but it felt like I wasn't ever going to come back from that rejection."

"It wasn't a rejection," Rory interrupts softly. "I didn't mean it that way, I promise. I just needed more time …"

"I know." Logan admits sadly. "I should have given you time and I am so sorry, more than I think I could put into words.

"I can't believe that it felt like it had to be 'all or nothing' for me then but after Hamburg I was willing to take whatever you offered me, however minimal. I was afraid that if I pushed you for more commitment again, that I'd push you away for good.

"And I just didn't want to lose you again. I couldn't lose you again.

"After we broke up, it took a very long time for me … to feel like I was going to be okay. And then Hamburg happened and it was like I had you back, but I didn't really.

"I stupidly thought that given enough time everything would work itself out. But that didn't seem to be happening and then the whole engagement …"

He sighs heavily. He has no idea how to adequately explain his actions to Rory, when he struggles to explain them to himself.

"I was more surprised than I should have been when my mom called and said that Odette and I getting engaged was a caveat of the merger with her father's company. We did allow our parents to believe that we had more of a relationship than we actually did. I knew that they expected me to settle down soon and that her parents wanted the same for her.

"I was focused mainly on us," he gestures between them, "and arrogant enough that I thought it would all blow over and I'd get what I wanted.

"This is the part where I sound like a real asshole … I thought when I told you about it, that you would tell me not to do it, maybe to marry you instead … but you didn't.

"I used that as justification to myself for going along with it. I never intended to go through with getting married, but as time went on it kind of felt like – if I wasn't important enough to you, for you to try and stop me, then did it really matter anyway?" He shrugs and attempts to catch his breath, desperate to not be overwhelmed with emotion before he's said all he needs to.

He looks at Rory, to be met with her downcast eyes and quivering lips.

"Hey, don't cry. I don't want to upset you."

Rory shakes her head, furious with herself for making him feel so unloved.

"I never wanted to make you feel like you don't mean … everything to me. I wanted so badly to just jump in feet first, but I couldn't stop myself hesitating."

Logan gives a puzzled look at her stressing the word that occasionally haunts her subconscious.

"Hesitating …?" He queries.

Rory frowns.

"When you proposed and we broke up, my mom said something and it resonated with me at the time and it's stayed with me. About not hesitating … that if it was right, then I wouldn't have hesitated when you proposed. So I've been waiting for that feeling of unquestionable faith – not just in you; in work, in life, in everything. And I'm still waiting."

Logan pauses for a moment. If he thought their reasons for breaking up frustrated him before, he's really struggling now.

(He's also really struggling to not say something sarcastic about how Lorelai, who has only today and also last night married the guy she's wanted to be with for he-doesn't-even-know-how-many-years, apparently told Rory not to marry him because she needed time to think on it.)

He exhales sharply, shaking his head.

"I am such an idiot. I cannot possibly put into words how badly I wish we had just talked about all this, back then. And that's my fault, and I'm sorry."

He turns back towards Rory, his attention fully on her.

"You hesitate Ace, that's who you are. You're cautious and rational and practical, you think things through. I love that about you, I always have.

"I also love the occasions where you don't hesitate and let go, but I'm talking doing an extra shot or taking a trip at short notice. I would always think that you need time to consider the big things, like marriage; I do too. I guess I just assumed - wrongly obviously - that you might have already weighed up some of those ideas before I proposed.

"I don't see you needing time to process as a sign we're not meant to be together. I love you and I want to be with you, that's the only sign I need.

"And when it comes to you feeling like you have to put us on hold for your career – why can't you have both? I want you to have both and I will support you in whatever it is you want to do.

"I don't think I wholly understand why you think it has to be a choice. Maybe it's because your mom told you that you can't have both; my parents then came into your life and told you that you couldn't – but you can. We can. I want that for us.

"I don't want us to be 'done' or 'finished' before we get to be together. I don't want to wait until you're done screwing up or being young or having fun – I want to grow up and grow old, mess up, and work hard, and have fun with you.

"We can take on the world together, Ace." He promises her adoringly.

This time, Rory brings their entwined hands to her lips to kiss him. She's always dared to believe that they can.

"We can travel; we can stay put; we can do both. You can write – novels; articles; cookbooks; whatever you feel like. You can edit; you can teach. We can give it all up and go and buy a farm somewhere. We can do anything you want.

"You want to get married? I will marry you tomorrow. You don't? Great, we'll live in sin for the rest of our lives. You want babies? We can have as many as you want; and if you want none that's fine too."

A look of involuntary shock flashes across Rory's face at the mere mention of 'babies' but she attempts to mask it again quickly.

But not quite quickly enough.

Logan registers her alarm and within the space of a few seconds, his neurons are firing like mad and an awful lot of dots start to connect.

The frequent glimpses towards her belly; the conspicuous lack of coffee; the fact that she drove home from the wedding and doesn't taste of alcohol; the persistent "I need to tell you something".

Then the neurons seem to stop firing and he freezes for a perfect moment.

He knows what those things mean, or at least could mean, and when all collated together, what they definitely point towards.

He allows the realisation to wash over him and finds that he's … not as panicked as he perhaps thought he could be.

This is what he wanted. What he's always wanted – a home with her, marriage, children. Sure he thought they'd maybe do it in that order, but after everything they've put themselves through, he will absolutely take whatever order he gets.

A baby. Wow. Well … maybe. He should probably get confirmation on that.

He focuses on Rory once more, she's looking at him intriguingly and he realises that he doesn't know how long he's been quiet for.

He takes her hands in his again and continues with his affirmations.

"I want a life with you, in whatever form that takes. With whatever surprises life decides to throw at us." He glances knowingly towards her stomach, still not quite believing what he thinks he thinking.

She follows his gaze and gulps. Well, if he's already guessed then that will save her having to tell him.

She lets out a nervous breath as he watches her expectantly.

"So you said you had something else to tell me …?" He prompts.

"It kind of feels like you might already have got there on your own …" Her eyes dart around awkwardly.

"Yeah, but I'm going to need you to say the actual words."

"Logan …" she begins, her voice shaky.

He strokes her hands soothingly to calm her. "Yes, Ace?"

"I'm pregnant."

He was wrong, it wasn't her voicemail, this is the best thing he's ever heard.

He breaks into the widest smile she thinks she's ever seen adorn his face and bringing his forehead to rest against hers, whispers passionately, "God, I love you so much Rory."

He captures her lips in a firm but gentle kiss, full of love and promise.

She has no idea how she's still able to cry after all the tears she's shed today but the overwhelming relief of being honest with Logan at last, about everything, means that she lets out a few more sobs.

But they're happy sobs. Finally.

He pulls back and passes her a tissue from the coffee table, watching in amazement as she wipes her face dry.

He can't believe that Rory is sat right next to him, and she loves him, and he loves her, and she's pregnant, and after all the odds that were stacked against them (and the barriers they stacked against themselves), they're going to be together, be a family.

Rory stares at him, trying to decipher what is going on in his head. He won't stop smiling.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah definitely, I just have some questions."

"It's yours." Rory mutters immediately.

"That wasn't one of my questions but … good to have that clarified." He teases with a grin.

"You're not freaking out." She remarks sceptically.

"Not especially. I'm sure I'll get there."

"Don't you want to know how this happened?"

"No, I was there, I remember. I've been remembering it a lot actually."

She ignores his suggestive tone in a rush to disclose everything.

"I messed up the dates to get my implant replaced. I didn't get a reminder from my gynaecologist and I've been so all over the place, literally and emotionally, that I just completely spaced on it." She explains hurriedly. "I didn't plan this, to try and trap you."

"I know that." He replies, amusement in his voice.

"Well, I imagine that people will maybe think that."

"I don't care what people think."

"But you're happy? You seem happy." She continues to survey him with a confused look.

"I am very happy. The happiest I've ever been."

Rory relaxes again. He's reacting even better than she hoped he might; in fact everyone has so far. Except for herself, obviously. But there's time for her to work on that.

"Are you okay?" He asks genuinely. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, I feel good. A little sickness but it's not been too bad. If I eat a lot of dry crackers, it helps. I've only known a few days but so far, so good.

"I'm kind of nervous because … well for lots of reasons I suppose, but I didn't plan this and I didn't realise straight away so I've been drinking lots of coffee, as usual, and I got totally, embarrassingly wasted at my mom's bachelorette party. I know the chances of that causing anything to go wrong are minimal, and apparently the morning sickness is a good sign that things are okay but I still feel a little scared."

"We'll get everything checked out." He nods reassuringly. "Have you been to the doctor?"

"Not yet. It's been a really busy few days and I was hoping you'd want to go together?"

"Absolutely." He beams. "We'll make an appointment first thing tomorrow. Do you already have an obstetrician in mind or do we need to find one? I think Honor had the same doc for both of the kids and she was really great, I'll get her office number …" He starts to ramble.

"Actually, Paris is sending me a shortlist. And to make life easy I think we should just go with whatever she suggests." Rory interrupts.

"You told Paris already?"

"Not exactly. She just looked at me and knew." Rory shrugs her shoulders in disbelief. "But I have told Lane. And my mom. And my grandma."

Logan's eyes widen. "How far down the list of people to tell was I?!"

"It was just those, I swear. I've been a bit of a mess and I couldn't really keep it in. But now I feel like an idiot because too many people know too soon and isn't that bad luck?"

He squeezes her hand and kisses her comfortingly.

"It's not bad luck. We can tell as many people as you're comfortable with. But we will get to a doctor as soon as possible just to put your mind at ease okay?"

They're quiet for a moment; Logan processing as best he can, Rory allowing her anxiety levels to stabilise.

"You've already told Emily?" He queries as if he'd missed that tidbit the first time.

Rory just nods in response.

"Is there a price on my head?" He asks, only semi-jokingly.

"No, actually, she seemed pretty on board with the whole thing. No idea what's got into her, maybe Berta's lacing the food with pot, but she was very supportive. She actually implied that I should seduce you to win your back."

"I'm not averse to that idea." He comments with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, you need convincing? Still on the fence about this are you?"

"I wouldn't say that, but some persuasion is always welcome."

She laughs and takes no notice of his flirtation, instead reaching for her drink and passes Logan his too.

"So Emily's okay? She's happy in Nantucket?"

"Yeah she's doing well, I'm really proud of her. Did I tell you she'd moved?" Rory replies in between sips of now lukewarm tea.

"My mom mentioned it. It was my turn to get the Hartford society rundown this month." He rolls his eyes.

She had managed to forget about the inevitability of the Huntzbergers' involvement since this morning, but then it dawned on Rory again.

"Oh God. Your mom. Your dad. We're going to have to tell them." She groans. "Actually, you're going to have to tell them. I'll do a lot for you, but not that."

"Of course I'll tell them. It'll be fine. Most likely." Logan mutters unconvincingly; he hadn't even considered his parents' reaction yet. "Hey, if we're really lucky this might be what finally gets me disowned."

Rory's mouth drops open in mock horror.

"I'm kidding." Logan shrugs. "Probably." He adds as an afterthought.

"They're not going to like this." She says seriously.

"Maybe not." He replies.

"They will react badly."

"Maybe. But it doesn't matter what they think, or say, or do. I'm here with you, both of you."

Logan allows his hand to rest on her stomach for the first time that night and the reality of their future child growing inside of her chokes him up. He softly traces a circle there as if to say 'hello' to its tiny inhabitant. It's cliché and he knows it but he can't help the tear that spills down his cheek.

"I'm sorry." His cheeks flush with mild embarrassment. "This is a lot, it's amazing but still a lot to think about."

"Don't be sorry. You're right; it is a lot. And you look nearly as exhausted as I feel which can't help."

Rory kisses him tenderly and places both of their mugs down before pulling him to lay on the couch with her.

"So we're doing this? You ready? Ready for anything?" She murmurs against his chest.

"I think this might be the one thing that I could never be ready for as much as I try, but that is absolutely not going to stop me."

They both relax in each other's embrace. Rory drapes her arm across his waist and allows her eyes to drift closed. Logan is lightly caressing her arm when a thought occurs to him.

"So we're engaged now?"

"What?!" Rory is startled out of drowsiness.

"I'm pretty sure you proposed to me in your voicemail." He affirms with some confidence.

"I did not." She leans back to look at him.

"You definitely implied that we should get married."

"Well, yeah ..."

"So I accept."

She cannot stop the smile from spreading across her face, her features lighting up in spite of herself.

"That's how you accept a proposal?"

"That's how some of us do it. You get asked, you say 'yes', it really is that simple."

She raises an eyebrow, debating whether or not to fall for his obvious goading.

"Maybe we take it a step at a time, slow and steady?"

"Yeah, taking things slow, that makes sense. It's not as if it's taken us 12 years to get to this point or anything.

"Or like we're having a baby.

"Not like I don't look smoking hot in a tux and boutonnière.

"You'd be stunning in a white dress, Ace.

"And there'd be cake, you do like cake."

She grins; why was she ever afraid to take another leap of faith with him?

"Do you think I'd get away with a white dress?" She asks, gesturing towards her belly.

"Well, maybe off-white."

They both laugh and he quickly pecks her lips once again.

"Well maybe we wait and see, one thing at a time." Rory suggests pragmatically.

"Okay," he agrees nodding, "whatever you want."

She settles into his side again and sighs happily.

"It may have taken us a while but it feels like we've got the timing right now."

"Yeah, I think we have." He nods with a content smile gracing his lips.

Rory closes her eyes again, but Logan shifts and attempts to move her upwards.

"Come on, let's get you into bed."

She resists with a firm shake of the head, pulls a blanket down over them and snuggles further into him.

"Rory, you need rest."

"I am resting. Or I was, before you started to manhandle me."

"You need proper rest. It's not good for you to sleep on the couch."

"I slept here last night, it was fine. Besides, we won't both fit any better than we do here, it's still the same bed I had in middle school. And I am not letting you out of my grasp tonight."

He rolls his eyes; there is so much that they have to get organised.

"Right, once we've been to the doctor the next thing on our list is a house, with furniture to fill it, so you have somewhere to sleep."

"Sounds good." She yawns. "We'll get on that tomorrow. But right now, I'm ready to sleep right here."

"You're sure that this is comfortable enough?" He checks, unconvinced.

Rory smiles into his chest. She's sure if this continues that the overprotective father-to-be stuff will begin to grate on her at some point, but right now it's all she can do to not explode from joy and contentment.

"I'm sure. I don't know when I last felt this comfortable. It feels like I'm finally where I'm supposed to be." She slurs her words a little, slumber starting to take over.

Logan sighs happily into her hair. "I know. Me too."

They know that they haven't fixed everything. And there is still so much to talk about – between themselves, and with their respective families. But there's time for all that.

(Well … there's seven months before shit gets real anyway).

Nevertheless for now, they're really, truly together; and them together is just about the best place either of them could ever imagine to be.

A/N: I feel like I should apologise for my liberal use of the words 'smile' and 'love' in this chapter, but I'm not going to. The more smiles and love the better.