Reflecting their own light: Rory and Logan

Chapter 5.5

My alarm goes off, and we've got an hour before the car is here to take us to the airport.  Today, we travel to Nantucket to confront Emily.  I quickly silence my alarm, and kiss Rory on the cheek.  I love waking up next to this woman!

"Good morning, Ace," I said.  "The car will be here in an hour to take us to the airport."

I watch her push away the covers and make her way to the bathroom.  I follow suit, but head toward the kitchen.  I definitely need some coffee, and I'm sure Rory will appreciate a cup as well.  I grab a blueberry muffin to eat with my coffee.  I finish my small breakfast and return to the bedroom with my suitcase.  I pack a few items for the weekend.  I leave the suitcase open on the bed for Rory's things.  I check to make sure I've got everything I need in my work bag.  I didn't anticipate having to use it, but I figured I'd better have it in case of an emergency.

After Rory finished packing, I grabbed the suitcase and headed toward the door.  I gathered our things near the door.  Once she got her breakfast, we headed out to the car.  The trip to JFK was unusually fast today.  We breezed through security and waited at the gate.  It felt like ages since I'd flown commercial, but at least I was able to get first class.  We both pulled out our computers to get a little work done before we boarded.

The flight was rough, but short.  Once we were in the air, Ace fell asleep on my shoulder.  There was no way I was going to sleep.  I was far too nervous about Emily's reaction.  I tried to distract myself with a movie on Netflix, but it did nothing.  We finally touched down in Nantucket, exited the plane, and went to retrieve our bag.  I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and gave her a little kiss on the forehead.  I could see the wheels turning in her head.  I wanted to reassure her, and having her close to me always calmed me.

After our suitcase arrived, we went to the car waiting outside.  Lorelai and Luke were waiting inside, as this was the car that picked them up in Stars Hollow earlier today.  I hope the strength in numbers theory holds up.

As we pull up to the house, Emily is waiting for us on the porch.  She was calm and smiling.  Knowing Emily, this could change at the drop of a hat, so I didn't want to get too excited for the possibility of a positive outcome.  I figured I'd go bold and stepped up to greet her first.  What the hell did I have to lose in all of this?

"So wonderful to see you again, Emily," I greeted her.  "I'm very sorry to hear about Richard.  He was an amazing man."

Shit, I thought.  I should have brought a hostess gift.  Then again, this isn't a situation that can be smoothed with some chocolates.

"Logan, why thank you!  You haven't changed a bit!" She replied.  "Still as charming as ever."

"Hi, Grandma," Rory said.

"Hi, Mom," Lorelai said.

"Hi, Mrs. Gilmore....us....I mean...Emily," Luke stumbled through his words.  I could never understand why he was so nervous around the Gilmores, now just Emily.  I hoped I had hid my nerves better than that, but I had a reason to be nervous.

"Hello, Rory, Lorelai...Luke," Emily replied.  "Come in!  There's no sense in standing out here in the cold!  Berta, come and get my family's things!"

The maid hurried to the door.  She ushered us inside, taking our bags and jackets.  This woman seemed entirely too happy to be working for the Maid Slayer, Emily Gilmore.  If someone lasted more than a week in her household, it was some sort of world record!  Yet, her smile was a welcoming mile wide.  I tried to decrypt her spoken words, but it just seemed a mixture of Spanish, English, and some unknown language.  This made her presence even more mysterious to me.  My nervousness had turned to confusion.  Rory had tried to tell me she had been different since Richard's death, and I wasn't sure how far she had gone.  Now, I knew.  I hope she hadn't completely flipped her lid because that would not work in our favor either.