Force Major

2

"You do?" Christopher's face shot towards her older daughter.

"Uh-huh," Rory mumbled.

"Wow, small world," Christopher noted, sounding at least somewhat relieved. He seemed curious to ask more, but Rory sensed he would want the play-by-play on Finn. She couldn't quite remember whether her father had ever actually heard of Finn in relation to Logan, but she was sure he'd never met any of the guys besides Logan himself.

"Your carriage awaits," Finn said, transforming into his playful self as he bowed demonstratively by the Mercedes V-Class with a driver waiting by the curb, offering them a pleasantly quick escape from the stormy winds.

Christopher shot another look at Rory, clearly not being entirely sure what to think of this guy. Rory knew Finn's court jester act was only really an act, and he generally was a caring and intelligent man, she just hoped he wouldn't have to begin to defend his other habits to her father that Rory had been accustomed to back in the day, believing it was something Finn needed to do himself.

They spent the drive mostly talking about the weather and how the storm was not what the guest had expected as they could see from the window as they passed, getting a brief tour of both the suburbs and the downtown from the distance. While the storm made things gloomier than the city normally was, it was still giving the newcomers a hint of how different their time here could be, and how in many ways it was a very welcome change of scenery on top of everything Gigi related.

"So, which one of the family holdings are you taking us to?" Rory inquired, not really knowing much about the arrangements they'd made. But now that she knew this was Finn, she half-assumed, they'd be put up in one of his family's four or five-star hotels, Gigi's instructions - not to worry about hotels - suddenly made a whole lot of sense.

"Family holdings?" Christopher grabbed a word by its tail, being eager to get to know the man in question.

"Finn's family owns Marriott, dad," Rory explained.

"And some others," Finn replied, humbly.

"Okay, wow...," Christopher reflected, getting at least assurance that this guy wasn't after Gigi's trust fund.

"That's actually how we met, you know," Gigi butted in, sounding like she was eager to share the stories that made up their love story.

"Oh, is that right?" Christopher reflected, while being unsure how much detail he actually wanted to hear.

"But maybe we should keep that story for another time," Finn suggested, knowing the story to be a lengthy one. "But I was actually thinking, that instead of some boring hotel suite, I'd rather have you stay with us. Or technically my sister, since that's where we've been staying these days ourselves," Finn explained.

"You have a sister? Why didn't I know you had a sister?" Rory inquired, having no memory of him mentioning her.

"I have three sisters, in fact. One brother too," Finn chuckled, having not been much on talking about his siblings back in college, having other things on his mind. This news left Rory stunned – there seemed to be a lot she didn't known about the guy and his life Down Under

"Doesn't your sister mind? I mean, we'd be fine at a hotel," Christopher said, wanting to be polite.

"Oh, nonsense! There's plenty of room, and always a lot of people. What's a few more?!" Finn declared in a carefree manner.

Rory studied her father, sensing how Finn was indeed gathering bonus points in his eyes, despite the notable age difference and his playful mannerisms.

When they arrived at Finn's sister's place, they didn't get much of a chance to observe their surroundings other than to see that the place wasn't much different from a tropical resort while smaller. The heavy rain pouring down on them forced them to make a way quickly towards the house, following the walkways and stairs up into the Victorian era house with a gorgeous veranda fringed with white iron lace. The veranda provided an unusually peaceful setting, leaving the rain dripping down its edges while offering a safe harbor.

They were each shown to their rooms, Gigi and Finn explaining along the way how his sister Sylvie was out of town for a few days for work while Finn and Gigi were technically babysitting the two pre-teen girls who were still enjoying their beauty sleep. It was another idea which didn't quite fit into Rory's brain - Finn and her sister being good with kids.

As Rory had taken a moment to unpack and take a shower, wanting to wash the airport grime off of her, having spent a good fifteen minutes in that amazing shower with a gorgeous view of the luscious backyard greenery in the rain, she picked up her phone, wanting to catch her daughter before she went to bed.

"G'day mate?" Lorelai answered jokingly, trying to use an Australian accent, almost saying exactly what Rory had anticipated.

"Ha-ha," Rory replied, her mother's childish humor having grown a little old on her by now.

"So, I guess you've landed by now? How was the flight?" Lorelai inquired.

"It was fine," Rory sighed.

"How was Chris? He talk your head off about this mysterious guy? Did you meet him yet?" Lorelai inquired.

"The guy is in fact someone I know, believe it or not," Rory began to explain, expecting her mother to have an opinion on this.

"Oh, really?" Lorelai asked, sounding fascinated to hear this.

"Yeah, I actually believe you've met him once, maybe twice," Rory replied, thinking back.

"Uh?" Lorelai sounded confused, not knowing too many Aussies.

"It's Finn Morgan. One of Logan's friends," Rory spelled it out for her mother, reluctantly.

"Oh...," Lorelai exhaled ominously, gears beginning to turn in her head. She didn't know everything about the past, but she knew enough that Logan had been in Rory's life far more recently than was publicly known, and quite intimately so.

"And I guess in a way that's a good thing. I know he's not some monster - he's a genuinely nice guy. And yes, there's the age thing, but there are worse things in the world, right?" Rory blabbered, hoping her mother wouldn't ask about a certain other man.

"So, do you think he'll show up at the wedding?" Lorelai asked, hitting the nail on the head.

"What? Who?" Rory played dumb.

"Adam Sandler. Duh, who do you think?" Lorelai said, not believing for a second her daughter hadn't thought about it.

"I don't know," Rory shrugged, playing innocent. "I just got here. Unpacked my stuff, took a shower. And now all I wanted to do was check on Mil before she goes to bed," Rory replied, sounding frustrated.

"Alright, alright. But tell me once you find out, okay?" Lorelai insisted. "And Mil's in bed now, her nap ran a little late," she added, proving to Rory once again how Lorelai, while excellent at entertaining her granddaughter, wasn't too insistent on keeping to her usual schedule.

Rory groaned, but knew her mother would just say it didn't matter. And technically it didn't - the girl was sick and at grandma's, her schedule could be whatever the hell they wanted, because Rory didn't have to be there to sit up until 2 AM with her. But she was used to thinking about how this would affect her and her next morning when Mil was impossible to get out of the bed.

"But how's she doing? Did her fever break yet?" Rory asked instead, focusing on more practical matters.

Nothing was seriously wrong with the girl, besides the itching, and that Lorelai could handle, having bandaged the little girl's hands up into gauze paws so she wouldn't scratch herself. Luke was making sure the girl had healthy comfort food around the house, when she was feeling hungry, and overall, she was being kept well entertained by books,TV and Lorelai's imagination. Rory knew she had nothing to worry about, yet she felt some guilt for having been able to come on this trip all by herself. It was a vacation she hadn't expected to get as a parent, a rest from the mental load more than anything.

As Rory ended the call, she was left feeling guilty for another thing. A small sense of curiosity, dare she say even hope, had begun to form in her, wondering when she'd get a moment alone with Finn to find out what the deal was with Logan. Was he, indeed, coming?