Two Days Later
Rothschild Home
"Hey Honor, can we talk?" Rory asked, walking into her kitchen to see Honor baking."
"Yeah, of course, what's going on?" Honor asked, turning to face Rory. "Maxwell just went down for a nap, so I'm all yours."
"Awesome. Let's sit. I think this may be a sitting conversion."
"Sounds ominous."
"Well . . . It's a lot to ask of you, and something that I know you never saw yourself involved in, but if you'll hear me out, I think you will agree that it's for the best. And keep in mind that this isn't forever. Just for a brief time."
"Alright? What's going on?" Honor asked as she took a seat at her kitchen table, watching as Rory sat down across from her.
"I received a once in a lifetime job offer . . ." Rory started.
"You need me to take over HPG . . ."
"Kind of . . . But hear me out. I have a really good plan. You will hardly have to even lift a finger."
"Alright? I'm listening." Honor told her.
"You remember when I went out on the campaign trail after college . . . I spent 18 months traveling with Barack Obama, as a reporter."
"Yes, I remember. We all lost contract with you back then."
"Things were really different then, and that definitely won't be happening this time . . ."
"This time? What's the job offer?"
"You know my dream of being a foreign correspondent?"
"Yes, of course. You've always wanted to be Christiane Amanpour."
"Yes, exactly! This job offer isn't exactly that, but it's pretty damn close."
"And you want to take it. What did Logan say?"
"He says that we need to set HPG up for success and leave it in capable hands..."
"When would you leave?"
"Honestly?..."Rory started, looking down at her hands, before meeting Honor's eyes again. "Next week. Logan doesn't have to leave at the same time, he can stay to wrap things up here, but I'll need to head out pretty quick."
"You'll have to leave for a new job right away? That's crazy!"
"I know, but there is kind of a time crunch. We may be able to push things back by a week or so but we are on a time constraint, so things need to happen pretty quick."
"So what is the job offer?" Honor asked.
"I've been offered a spot on a Presidential campaign as the Press Secretary. I would be traveling around the country writing and giving speeches about all the hot topics going on with the campaign."
"Am I allowed to know who is running?"
"Joe Biden..."
"You were offered a position with Joe Biden's campaign? Rory, you have to take it!"
"I really want to."
"And my brother is on board?"
"As long as our plan for HPG takes shape."
"How would I be taking over?" Honor asked as she got up to get both women drinks.
"We want to promote Bobbi in London to be the COO of the foreign papers and Doyle as COO here. Logon and I talked about maybe making one of them the CEO, but..."
"The company needs to stay in the family." Honor finished for her.
"Exactly! Doyle can run that place in his sleep. He's killing it at his job. He's doing so well running everything that I'm hardly needed. Him and my Grandpa have that place more than covered. I'm mostly the pretty face and name on the wall, which is why you stepping in could work. I write and edit a lot of stories but you would never need to do that. By promoting Doyle to Chief Operating Officer, he can literally run everything without you which is pretty much what he's doing already. He's doing so much that he hardly needs me and I get to spend time with my daughter. Doyle and my Grandpa can handle the office. You will just be the Huntzberger on the letterhead and the pretty face people see in public."
"So what are you saying?" Honor asked as she sat back down.
"Basically, you would only be needed for board meetings and public appearances. Doyle would prep you on the everything you need to know and of course answer all questions you have and advise you on any decisions. You don't even have to be in the office for stuff you can be the voice on the phone while you're shopping."
"So I wouldn't have to make any major decisions?"
"No, you would but you would be fully prepped on what was needed and how to preside, just like I am. Doyle literally runs that place. It's a well oiled machine. And Logan is always just a phone call away and he knows everything. He'll still be helping behind the scenes."
"If that's all you really need, then yeah, I can definitely handle that."
"We'll have it all running without you. It basically already runs without me."
"What about your house?"
"We are keeping our house, we just won't be here for a while. But anytime we are in town, we'll be coming home."
"And Rosalinda?"
"Actually, if it's ok with you, we would like to ask her to come with us as our nanny. Logan will be helping me with speeches and stuff and we'll be doing the stay at home Dad thing, but he's going to need help. We talked about giving Rosalinda as nice raise and paying for all her travel expenses, including coming back to see her family once or twice a month. We are hoping that it's ok with you, and that she'll do it. You can say no if you want to. We can always find someone else. I know that you love Rosalinda just as much as we do."
"Yes, definitely! I can find another house keeper. Heck, I already do a lot of it myself. You don't even need to worry about it, you can take Rosalinda with you. You'll need her more than I do."
"Honor, you are incredible, you know that?"
"I do try to be. I just can't believe that this is all happening. And happening so quickly."
"I know, it's insane! But last time I left I only had 2 days notice. This is at least more time to get everything settled."
"We'll need to call a press conference to announce the change over."
"Yep. Logan is working on moving his medical license today, to both Virginia and Washington DC. He'll be able to be the campaign doctor."
"This is so crazy. I never saw myself working for HPG. But I want to do this for you. You have to take that job. And Logan must go with you." Honor told her. "Have you told your family yet?"
"No. No one knows except you and the Bidens. This all just happened yesterday."
"How long are you going to be gone for?"
"I don't really know. It'll be at least until the election. But we will come home to visit whenever we can."
"I am really going to miss you, Rory. You're my best friend."
"I know. You are mine too. But we will talk on the phone all the time. And Logan and I will send you lots of pictures of Ayribella."
"Can I throw you a going away party this weekend?"
"Of course! Just give me a couple hours to tell my family?"
Just text me when it's all settled."
"Thank you Honor. This all means a lot to me."
"Of course! You have to take this job, Rory. It's your dream."
"I know. I'm going to miss home a ton. But at least Logan will be with me this time. I'm not giving up everything the way I did last time. And who knows, the family can probably fly out to visit us while we're gone."
"We will definitely do that. I am so proud of you, Rory!"
"Thank you Honor. This means everything to me. Thank you for allowing me to do this."
"Hey, you don't have to thank me. It's what sisters are for. Speaking of which ... What about April?"
"I completely forgot about her. April can be our house sitter. She can take care of everything."
"She can move in with me if she'd like to."
"Thanks Honor, I'll give her the option."
"Rory, I'm going to miss you so much! We've been through so much together in the last year."
"I know. One minute I was getting coffee, and the next thing I know, I'm married to your brother, and already knocked up." Rory laughed.
"It's crazy how fast everything has happened. I mean, I've got a baby now! How in the world did that suddenly happen?"
"Time flies when you are having fun, I guess."
"You can definitely say that again." Honor agreed. "I am so excited for you, but I am going to miss you so much. You had better call me all the time."
"I promise. And you need to call me too. I'm going to miss spending so much time with you. You are one of the best things to have ever happened to me."
"I feel exactly the same way."
"Thank you for being my sister, Honor. I can't even imagine where I would be if it weren't for you."
That Weekend
Huntzberger Home
"Rory, I can't believe that you are really leaving again! It's so soon!" Lorelai complained as she sat watching Rory pack some clothes into a suitcase.
"I know. But Mom, you know that this is my dream. I would be stupid to pass it up."
"But who knows how long you will be gone again."
"Yeah, but phones are a lot better now, and we've got Facetime, so you'll see me all the time. And Logan can still bring Ayribella back to visit, even if I'm not able to go. I promise, you will see us. And this isn't forever. It's just until the election."
"Just until the election she says." Lorelai pouted. "That's still three years away!"
"Mom, please. Don't guilt trip me. I really want this."
"I know you do, and I fully understand that you can't turn this down. But it doesn't mean that I don't get to mourn your departure. You're leaving and taking my adorable Grandbaby with you."
"Yeah, well, that's life sometimes. And you want this for me, remember?"
"Yeah, I know. But it still doesn't mean that I have to like it. You're leaving me until some far off unknown date."
"I promise that you'll see us, Mom."
"When do you leave?"
"Wednesday afternoon. We are flying out to Michigan for our first tour stop. We are kicking off the campaign with the United Auto Workers Union."
"That is some important support to have. That's a huge union."
"Don't I know it. There is so much left to do before we have to leave."
"You're taking Rosalinda with you?"
"We're going to need her. Logan will be my right hand person, and he'll need help, so we offered Rosalinda a raise and she is happy to go with us. She'll be flying back every few weeks to visit her family, and we'll come back with her when we can. But I am going to be very busy as the Campaign Press Secretary. Things will be very different from the last time I was out on the campaign bus. We will actually be traveling with Joe and Jill in their personal caravan. I'll be writing almost all of his speeches, and reporting back on everything he says in a press conference afterwards. So technically, if you watch TV, you'll see me a lot."
"Rory, you know that I hate watching all that kind of stuff."
"I know. But there is so much going on right now. Things are getting completely out of hand. Something needs to be done, so we are stepping up. Logan and I are now Team Biden."
"Was Logan able to transfer his medical license?"
"He faxed in all the paperwork, so now we are just waiting on state approval. Columbia is keeping him on as "on call" staff in case of dire emergencies, like if there was a huge riot, or mass casualty, or something with major overcrowding in the ER. They want to be able to have all hands on deck if needed. But unless something seriously major happens, they won't be calling him up. And because we're still HPG shareholders, we get to keep our health insurance. I guess in away it doesn't really matter, because I'm married to a doctor, but it's good to have in case of emergencies."
"You guys have thought of everything, haven't you?"
"I sure hope so." Rory sighed as she zipped up the suitcase she had been working on, and sat down on her bed next to it.
"My baby girl is really leaving again . . ."
"Yeah, but I'll be back. This isn't goodbye forever. It's only a see you later. We'll be back before you know it."
"What did Grandma and Grandpa say when you told them?" Lorelai asked.
"Pretty much the same as last time. They understand what an amazing opportunity this is, and they are fully supportive, even though they are really going to miss us. Grandma of course wants postcards again."
"Leave it to Grandma to demand snail mail."
"This will be good for Logan and I, you know? We'll pretty much be on our own out there."
"Not really, you'll have Rosalinda with you."
"Yeah, but other than her, we will really be all alone. We've never had that before. We've always been surrounded by family, and all of our friends. This is the first time that it'll just be us. It's going to be a huge change."
"It will, but if anyone can do it, it's the two of you. And being in the newspaper business for so long, you pretty much know what to expect."
"That's true. But it will still be hard to be away from family. It will be our first time all alone with Ayribella. It's never just been us and Rosalinda. We've always at least had Grandma here, and even when she hasn't been around, we've had Honor and April."
"You've had a village. You'll have to get used to doing things on your own now." Lorelai told her, her voice bittersweet. "But it will be good for you guys. You'll learn how to stand on your own two feet. It's hard not having a lot of help, but you'll still have Rosalinda, so it won't be too bad. Is Honor still taking Rocky?"
"She is. Logan and I were going to ask you to take him, but Honor insisted. He's been so great with the babies that Honor really wanted to keep him around. She's been wanting a dog, but Josh keeps putting off getting one. This is kind of her way of getting a dog without actually getting her own. And Josh loves Rocky. He just needs to get used to having an animal around all the time."
"It's good to have pets around your babies. It helps build a nice strong immune system and prevents allergies later on."
"Exactly!" Rory agreed. "I'll miss having Rocky around, but again, it's not forever. And we'll be back to visit. The Bidens have two German Shepherds, and they stay with family while Jill and Joe are away. Their dogs are amazing. They're super resilient. Rock will be super spoiled by Honor. I'm not even worried at all."
"What did the Huntzbergers say about you guys leaving?" Lorelai asked.
"Well. . . We haven't exactly told them yet . . ."
"Rory!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"They are going to be the last people told. But we have really good reason. With both of their health in questionable states and the company being shifted around, we don't really want Mitchum getting some wild idea that he's going to be coming out of retirement and taking things over. And they are conveniently out of town right now. They won't be back for another two days, and this whole thing isn't exactly best told over the phone."
"But you told me over the phone."
"Because you weren't nearby and you needed to know pretty quickly. If we had more time, we would have driven down to see you. Plus, no offense or anything, but we aren't worried about you having a heart attack, or going crazy on Benzos or something. We aren't at all worried about your health. We knew that you could handle hearing the news, and that you would want as much notice as possible."
"Does Honor have everything ready for the going away party tomorrow?"
"As far as I know, she does. She hasn't exactly kept me in the loop with any of that."
"She knows that you are busy packing."
"Exactly. Who all from The Hollow is coming up?" Rory asked.
"I think just Lane and Sookie. I haven't exactly told anyone else. I figure it'll be better if they see it for themselves on TV than try to figure out how to get you down here for a 'proper goodbye party' with such little time."
"No, I totally understand that. Thanks for taking that hit for me."
"Just remember that you owe me, my child. And don't think that I won't come around asking for payback at some point."
"I don't doubt that Mom, not at all." Rory laughed as she laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "I'll miss you, Mom."
"I'll miss you too, Kid. So much!
Four Days Later
Huntzberger Publishing Group
Press Room
"Thank you everyone, so much for being here today." Rory started after stepping up to the podium. "This is going to be fairly brief and we won't be taking any questions at this time. But we wanted to come forward and make a statement to all the media about a big change happening here at HPG. It is with my deepest gratitude that I thank everyone on staff and everyone in the press who I have worked with in the last year. Thank you all for being so gracious and hard working. Thank you for making my job so easy, and for always being so dedicated to your work. HPG is a fabulous place to work, and I have enjoyed every moment that I've spent with all of you. You all have my gratitude and promise that HPG WILL continue to move forward in a positive direction, and remain a journalistic standard in the world media. However, at this time, I would like to introduce to you my amazing sister in-law, Honor Huntzberger Rothschild. Honor had been by my side since taking on the role as CEO and has supported me through everything over the past year." Rory continued as Honor stepped up next to her. "Honor has been my sounding board, and my sanity, and has always been there with amazing advice whenever I've needed it. Honor is a Yale graduate with a degree in journalism, like much of the family. And it is with the great excitement that I announce to you the future legacy of HPG. Effective immediately, I will be temporarily stepping down from my position as CEO and passingt he reigns over to Honor to carry on this family's legacy and uphold all the morals and standards that HPG can come to stand for. I believe in Honor with all of my heart, and I know that she will do a fantastic job stepping into such an incredible roll in this family. Honor, I thank you for all of your hard work and dedication and I look forward to seeing you carry on the mantle of CEO into the future. Thank you all so much again for being here today." Rory finished then stepped away from the podium with Honor as Doyle stepped up from behind her.
"Thank you so so much for joining us here this morning, and we hope you all have a fabulous day." Doyle quickly said, as he watched Rory, Honor and Logan leave the press room, and head back upstairs to the CEO office, then stepped away from the podium himself and headed for the door.
"Why a changeover?" One reporter questioned at the press room filled with chatter.
"Why is Rory stepping down?" Another asked.
"Where is Rory going? Is she staying with the company?" A third reporter questioned as everyone in attendance was completely shocked and surprised by the sudden news.
Meanwhile, Upstairs
"Alright, it's all you Honor." Rory started once they were back upstairs. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."
"You are very welcome. I will do my best to fill your shoes and keep this company running as well as you have. This last year you have done an amazing job. I can't wait until you are able to come back, but I know you are doing something that you truly love, and you deserve it. You are going to be so amazing Rory! I am very excited for you."
"Thank you Honor. This means so much to me. You have no idea." Rory said, pulling her sister in-law into a tight hug.
"Of course I do. You are following your dreams, and that means more to me than this silly company. I know you are going to do great things Rory. I am so proud of you."
"Thank you Honor. This means everything to us." Logan spoke up as he moved to hug his sister next. "You are the most amazing sister in the world."
"I know I am. You guys better get out of here so you don't miss your flight." Honor told them.
"Are you sure that you can handle the board by yourself?" Logan asked.
"Oh for sure! I've got this. You guys have a safe flight and call me tonight."
"Just remember, my Grandpa is joining via video link." Rory told her.
"Doyle has everything all taken care of. You two don't worry at all. I've got this. You have everything set up perfectly. Like you said, this place practically runs itself as long as Doyle is here. Don't even worry. I'll call if I have any problems. I promise! Now go! Tell Lorelai I said thanks for watching Maxwell, and I'll be home a little bit later."
"No problem. Thanks again Honor."
"Don't thank me. You go say goodbye to your family, and get to the airport. I'll make sure your house is taken care of."
"Thanks Honor. We love you." Logan told her, then reached for Rory's hand and headed out of the office for the last time.
"You ready for this?" Rory asked as they got on the elevator.
"I am Madam Press Secretary."
"I can't believe that we are actually doing this."
"This is your dream, Rory. I want this for you, just as much as you do." Logan told her.
"You jump, I jump Jack." Rory smiled giving her husband a kiss as the elevator doors slid closed in front of them.
The End