A Different Life

twenty nine

"Two? When did he pick up a new one?" Finn asked.

"Not the point Finn," Rory said gently chiding her fiance.

"Sorry Kitten," he said, kissing her cheek. "So should we unleash the hounds?"

"You mean Grandma Emily?"

Finn nodded.

"I was actually thinking that maybe Grandmother Francine might want to host a party announcing that Leigh Hayden is engaged."

"You are evil, Kitten. I'm glad you are on my side."

"I think this means there is a trip to Hartford in your future, before you return to work Monday." Colin smirked at the couple.

"Maybe we need to revisit that eloping plan, Finn?"

The next day Rory and Finn headed towards Harford, they had managed to get in touch with Emily the night before and had asked her if she was okay to host an extended family brunch that morning, and for once Emily just rolled with it.

Rory and Finn purposefully arrived at the Gilmores ten minutes late. This ensured that even Lorelai and Luke who were always the stragglers had arrived. Riry had worn a dress with pockets so that she didn;t have to take her engagement ring off, she could just hide her hand until they had a break in conversation to bring up their news, which they hoped would be well received.

Finn was suddenly worried, he hadn't asked anyone's permission before asking Rory to marry him, having always seen her as too independent for that, maybe that was the wrong move.

"Rory? Is anyone going to be mad that I didn't ask for your hand?" he asked, looking at her sheepishly as they walked to the door.

"No Finn, I didn't expect you to, and I hope they know me well enough to know I wouldn't want that. No turning back now," she said, giving him a kiss as she pressed the bell.

"Rory, Finn, you're late." Emily scolded opening the door to the young couple.

"Traffic was worse than we expected leaving the city on a Sunday, Emily. We are terribly sorry for any inconvenience our tardiness may have caused, especially as you are already going out of your way to host this brunch on our behalf." Finn gushed, as he gave Emily's cheek a swift peck.

"It's fine, Finnegan, it was no trouble." Emily brushed him off as she walked ahead of them to the dining room.

"Suck up!" Rory whispered to Finn, he just winked at her in response. They quickly greeted everyone as they walked around the dining room giving out hugs, handshakes, and pecks on the check as appropriate.

Soon everyone was seated around the table eating a variety of breakfast food. Even with the short notice, for a change everyone was there - Chris and Gigi, Lorelai and Luke, Emily and Richard, along with Francine.

"So Rory, Finn, not that it isn't a delight to see you both after your vacation, what is this little meeting about?" Francine started.

"Well Mrs Hayden-"

"Francine, Finn, I've told you lots, Francine."

"Very well, Francine while we were gone I arranged various surprises for Rory here, that she thankfully enjoyed all of. One of those surprises is something which we think you would all like to know about." Finn started, he looked at his fiancee for encouragement to continue, which she subtly gave him with an under the table hand squeeze.

"On our last day in Australia, we went on a hot air balloon ride and while we were in the air above a vineyard. I asked the lovely Rory if she would do me the honour of becoming my wife and she said yes." Finn rushed out the final sentence before watching the table for reaction.

Lorelai and Luke looked at each other before both starting "I told you so!"

Emily jumped up to hug Rory, swiftly followed by Francine. Richard was shaking Finn's hand giving him a manly clap on the back.

Chris was watching his two girls. Gigi was beside him determinedly eating her french toast. She didn't care about what was going on, while Rory, his firstborn, was standing beside the man who would be her husband, glowing with happiness. Once Chris saw how happy Rory was, he was spurred into action and jumped up to congratulate the couple.

After the first batch of congratulations had finished, Rory quickly spoke up.

"Before we get any further and disappoint anyone with plans they make without consulting us. Finn and I have discussed this and we would like it if Grandmother Francine could host an engagement party for Finn Morgan and Leigh Hayden on the last weekend of January?"

"Are you announcing your engagement under your work name?" Emily started.

"We just want that stated on the party invites Grandma, and we would prefer if no engagement announcements ran until after the party. Then all announcements could run as Lorelai Leigh 'Rory' Gilmore-Hayden the third engaged to Finn Morgan the third."

"We would like to be able to see the Huntzbergers' faces in person, when they realise that Leigh Hayden and Rory Gilmore are one and the same." Finn continued for Rory.

"You evil Genius," Lorelai laughed.

"Is that wise?" Francine asked, looking at the couple.

"I haven't been hiding from the Huntzbergers for the past five years, I simply stopped moving in the same circles as them. Being with Finn has brought us back into each other's orbits again, even if unknowingly on Logan's side. We worked around it coming up to the holidays, but now we are engaged Finn shouldn't have to hide me from one of his best friends." Rory gave Finn's hand another squeeze.

"We were drifting apart long before we got together, Kitten. I've told you. If anything, how he acted before your graduation from Yale started the drift, I realised then our long term family values were fundamentally different." Finn said, looking earnestly at Rory.

"Plus Colin and Stephanie's wedding is in a few months and all three of us are in the wedding party. I don't want to bring a fake date or hide my fiance at that. We have discussed this with them as well. Finn and I wanted to tell them in case it affects their day."

"Well it sounds as though you both have given this a lot of thought, now how about we go into the parlour and celebrate this new with some Mimosas?" Richard asked, motioning everyone out of the dining room as they welcomely followed his suggestion.