The Scarecrow

Chapter 48

About a week after Rory's book tour concluded, Finn began to set his holiday plans in motion.  First, he contacted Luke to make sure he had plenty of time to get his passport.  Next, he set up a lunch with Lorelai to tell her his idea.  After relaying his plan, she sat in stunned silence.

"Well?" Finn asked anxiously.

"You've really thought this through, haven't you?" Lorelai said.

"I wanted to take her before, but everything was so chaotic.  By the time it settled down, she was into her third trimester," he replied.

"Yes, they do caution against travel in the late stages of pregnancy," Lorelai agreed.

"So.....what do you think?" he prodded.

"I'm not going to lie - I think we'll have a hard time getting Luke to agree to this.  He's just not much of a traveler.  He was not pleasant to deal with on the way home from San Francisco, and that flight was significantly shorter than going down under," she explained.

"What if I told you he was already on board?"

"Are you telling me that I was not the first to know?" Lorelai asked pointedly.

Suddenly, Finn realized the error of his ways.  I should have talked to Lorelai before anyone else, he rued silently.  How am I going to get out of this mess?

"Perhaps," he replied trying to play it off.  "I chatted with Luke just before Rory's tour.  I was trying to test the waters.  I figured if I had him on board from the beginning, it would make everything that much easier."

"I'm really disappointed in you - both of you, actually!  The two of you kept this from me!"

Dammit, he thought.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be something for us to bond over," Finn apologized.  "I actually have him getting his passport taken care of now so he can have it in time."

"Well, that makes sense, but it doesn't change the fact I'm mad at you," she began.

"I wasn't trying to keep anything from you," he said quietly.

"I know, but what about the great team we make?  I mean, who helped you pull off that amazing surprise baby shower?" she asked.  "You know I could have easily handled Luke.  It's one of my favorite things, if you know what I mean."

She awkwardly winked at Finn.  He gave her a confused look.

"What?  I'm an awkward winker," she said defensively.

The pair had a good chuckle.

"You know, he was actually quite easy to convince," he admitted.

"You really are that good, aren't you?" Lorelai asked with a smile.

"I just want to share my homeland with Rory and figured the holidays were the perfect time to go.  Then, I thought she'd want to spend it with her family, especially since it's Princess V's first Christmas.  So -"

"You want to propose, don't you?" Lorelai asked point blank, interrupting Finn's explanation.

How in the hell did she figure that out? he wondered.

"That's not it at all," he lied.  "I thought a nice, warm holiday would be a nice gift and a great way to share my country."

"I knew there had to be something more to this!  That's why there's no mention of anyone else...."

There's no hiding anything from this woman!  It's like she's a mind-reader, Finn thought.  He could feel her eyes boring into him as she waited for confirmation.