A Series of Different Events

Goodbye 2004

Rory spent Christmas in Stars Hollow with her mom and Luke who had moved in with her back in October. Lorelai had asked Rory to go for a walk just the two of them. She had something to tell her.

"How are you and Logan doing?" Lorelai asked as they walked through the town square, late on Christmas Eve.

"We're doing good" Rory said. She was talking with her mother, but was mostly focused on how cold she was.

"Good" Lorelai said

"As nice as this walk is, it's freezing out, so are you ready to head back?"

"I have to tell you something first" Lorelai said. She had some pretty big news and she was a little worried about how Rory would react.

"I'm listening" Rory said

After a moment of hesitation, Lorelai spoke. "I'm pregnant"

Rory stopped walking and turned to face her mother. "Shut up" she said. Of all the things she was imagining her mother telling her, that wasn't one of them. "You're messing with me right?"

Lorelai shook her head.

"Um...wow"

"Good wow?"

"Good wow. But I mean..."

"Yeah, I was surprised too. Believe me"

——

New Year's Eve found Rory and Logan in a bar with Colin, Finn, Stephanie, Rosemary, and Juliet. She'd spent time with them over the three months that she and Logan had been dating. They were nice. They were also completely thrown off by the fact that Rory didn't drink.

"So are we gonna talk about the mustache?" Stephanie asked. Finn showed up to the bar with a mustache that he didn't previously have.

"I'm trying something new" Finn said

"It looks ridiculous" Logan said with a chuckle

"I'd like to see you grow one, mister baby face" Rosemary teased. Rory chuckled.

"I'm not growing a mustache" Logan said

"Because you can't" Colin said

"That's not the point" Logan said

"Do you ever have to shave?" Finn asked jokingly

"Rory, is his face as smooth as it looks?" Juliet asked

Rory ran her hand along Logan's cheek. "Like a baby's ass"

"You're on their side?" Logan asked

"No sides here" Colin said. "Just facts"

"Shut up" Logan said

"Alright, I think we've teased Logan enough for one day" Finn said

As the night went on, the conversation shifted to other things, and as it got closer to midnight, the people in the group who were not in relationships slowly began looking for who they were gonna kiss at midnight. That left Rory and Logan alone in the booth.

"Hey, it's snowing" Logan said

"I love snow" Rory smiled as she looked out the window. Logan put his arm around her and she leaned against him. "Everything's magical when it snows, and it's just...I don't know, I just love it"

Logan just smiled. He loved the way that Rory could take snow- something most would view as an inconvenience- and make it good. She appreciated the little things and he loved that about her. He loved her...he hadn't told her that yet. He didn't know how. But he did. He loved her.

"What?" Rory asked when she noticed Logan staring at her.

"I love how you do that" he said

"What?" She asked

"Most people hate the snow. It's wet, it's cold, it caused traffic and car accidents. You make it something positive" Logan said "I love that. I love you" He didn't mean to say but it slipped out.

Rory just looked at him. He didn't say that. She heard wrong. "What?"

He said it. She heard it. There was no turning back. "I love you"

Rory was quiet for a moment. "I love you too"

"Don't say it just because I said it" Logan said

"I'm not" Rory said. "I love you"

Logan put his hands on with side of Rory's face and kissed her deeply.

"Hey lovebirds, it's not midnight yet" Finn said, appearing out of nowhere.

"What do you want, Finn?" Logan asked, a little annoyed at the interruption.

"It's 11:58" Finn told them.

They headed over to the bar where everyone was watching the tv, that was showing live footage from time square. Logan was standing next to Rory with his arm around her. When the live countdown started, everyone in the bar started counting down too.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1, happy new year!"

"Happy new year, Ace" Logan said before softly kissing Rory.

"Happy new year"

——

Rory hadn't been to Friday night dinner since the day after thanksgiving, since her grandparents were away. At the last dinner, Rory got tired of Emily trying to set her up, and told her grandparents that she was seeing Logan. They were thrilled and invited him to dinner. So the first Friday night after new years Rory and Logan, Luke and Lorelai all had dinner at the Gilmore's house.

With his brain on autopilot, after greeting everyone, Richard got up to get everyone drinks. The only person he had to ask what they wanted was Logan. He made the drinks and handed Rory a club soda, Logan scotch, Luke a beer, and Lorelai a martini.

Lorelai couldn't actually drink it so she just set it on the coffee table. She was gonna have to tell her parents she was pregnant eventually, but she was hoping to be able to wait a little longer. She was dreading telling them. Their reaction the last time wasn't good, and while she wasn't 16 this time around,  she wasn't married either. She also didn't want to tell them with her daughter's boyfriend there.

"Is something wrong with your drink?" Richard asked Lorelai. Rory and Luke exchanged a knowing glance.

"No, I just uh...." Lorelai looked at Luke. She'd hoped to be able to wait a little longer before telling her parents she was pregnant, but she didn't think about the fact that they'd ask about her not drinking. "Oh, screw it. I'm pregnant"

Rory held back a chuckled. Maybe it was just her being dirty minded, but she thought it was a great choice of words.

Emily and Richard were both quiet, for longer than was comfortable.

"Mom?" Lorelai asked. "Dad?" She looked at Rory who just shrugged. "I think I broke them"

"Are you getting married?" Emily asked

"No" Lorelai said. She didn't think that getting pregnant was a reason to get married.

"I see..."

It was quiet. Nobody spoke. The rest of the evening was painfully awkward for everyone involved. As everyone was leaving to either go back to Stars Hollow, or back to Yale, they stopped in the driveway.

"I think that went well" Lorelai said

"That was it going well?" Rory asked

"When I told them I was pregnant with you, they yelled for about an hour and then tried to make me get married, so yeah, I'd say it went well"

"If you say so" Rory said "I'll see you on Monday, right?" She asked. She and Lorelai had plans to have dinner together on Monday.

"Yes" Lorelai said

"Ok. Good night" Rory said

"Yeah goodnight" Lorelai said. "Nice to see you again, Logan. Sorry about the awkwardness"

"Nice to see you too" Logan said. "Congratulations, by the way"

"Thank you"