All Too Well (Gilmore Girls)

Make A Wish

A few uneventful weeks passed by after Rory's big night out. Rory and Logan had managed to find a middle ground recently and they were getting on better. The blow up about their personal lives actually kind of cleared the air in some way, or maybe it was just that it forced them to put some boundaries in place. They'd addressed the difficult conversations around their custody agreement and while Logan still wasn't happy that Rory had felt it was the only way forward for them, ultimately they had both had settled on terms that would suit them. They had made sure that there was enough flexibility built in so that if and when their situations changed in the future, suitable adjustments could be made.

Today, however, was going to be a new challenge for them both. Today was the day of Ava's 4th birthday and friends and family were coming around to Rory's apartment for a birthday party, Logan, of course, would be there, and much to Rory's dismay, Sarah too. She had wanted to protest but after agreeing to keep out of each other's personal lives, she didn't feel like she could really say anything and so she was faced with having to put on a brave face and be welcoming to Logan's girlfriend in her own home which definitely grated on her a little bit.

Knowing this though, Rory had made a special effort when getting ready for the party. She wanted to feel at her absolute very best in front of Logan and his girlfriend. She also wanted him to notice her properly, as Rory, not just as the mother of his child. There was part of her that didn't know why that was and she knew it was kind of wrong to be primping herself for him but she had picked out a new dress that she knew he would love. It was a pale blue lace dress with a silhouette that hugged every curve of her figure. The subtle metallic shimmer of the dress was designed to catch the light and to ensure that all eyes would be on the wearer. As soon as Rory had seen it she knew that it was pretty much perfect and she felt completely awesome in it. She matched it with her nude stiletto pumps and wore her hair down in soft curls. Just as she was finishing her makeup Lorelai walked into the bedroom.

"Whoa, Rory, you are pulling out the big guns huh," she said as she took in her daughter's appearance.

"Do I look alright?" Rory said smoothing her dress down nervously. The party was due to start any moment and she had butterflies doing somersaults in her tummy.

"I'll say! That's a lot of extra effort to go for a 4-year-olds birthday party..." Lorelai said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you know I like to look good..." Rory said. "Come on, people will be arriving in a minute."

Sure enough, all their friends and family started to arrive for the party and soon the apartment was filled to the brim. As usual, Ava loved being the center of attention and everyone seemed to be having a really great time. Logan and Sarah had arrived and Rory had tried very hard to keep her cool and remain gracious, however knowing that she looked good was helping her to keep an air of confidence.

Logan watched Rory as she moved around the apartment talking to all the guests. She looked absolutely stunning and he was finding it really hard to keep his eyes off her. It was pretty much all he could do not to go over to where she was standing and grab her when he saw Finn slide his arm around Rory's waist and it was almost too much to bear when he saw Ava jump up and leap into Finn's arms. While he knew there was nothing going on there that he needed to be concerned about - neither Rory nor Finn would ever cross that line - it was a glimpse into what a life with someone else would look like for Rory and Ava, and what it would feel like for him to watch from the sidelines and he didn't like it one little bit. He watched as his daughter ran off happily and Finn and Rory entered into a playful conversation. When Finn leaned in and planted a friendly kiss on Rory's head Logan wondered just what had been said.

"Uncle Finn" Ava said as she jumped up into Finn's arms.

"Hey matey," Finn said. "Are you having a good party?" he asked.