Rory looked around their apartment nervously as she absentmindedly straightened and rearranged things. They'd invited their families to come over for dinner and had barely managed to dodge questions about the strange address or what was going on. Colin, Finn, and Steph had stepped up to the plate and helped them get their apartment unpacked and decorated in record time, much to Rory and Logan's surprise. Logan had never seen Finn and Colin so focused and on-task. Rory was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt Logan's arms wrapping around her.
"Everything looks great, Ace. Take a deep breath and relax," he said soothingly as he pulled her toward him.
"I'm just nervous about what they'll all say," Rory whispered.
"I know you are, and honestly, we both know that they're not going to be thrilled about us living together, but we'll get through it together Regardless of their feelings on us shacking up, they'll be thrilled that our relationship is serious. And no amount of fluffing pillows is going to make this go any better," he teased.
"And here I thought you were being sweet," she replied with an eye roll.
"You know me - a little sweet and a little bit of a rebel. That's why you love me."
"Hmm...you may be right there." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly, but it quickly turned passionate. They broke apart a minute later when they heard a knock on the front door.
"We'll finish that after everyone leaves," Logan said huskily. He took Rory's hand and walked toward the door. "Remember, no matter what they say, we're happy and we're going to wake up next to each other every morning."
"You're right - they can't change that," she agreed. "And we are deliriously happy. Let's do this."
Logan smiled over at Rory and kissed her quickly and then reached out and opened the door. It appeared that everyone had arrived at the same time, because the Huntzbergers, Haydens and Gilmores were all standing out in the hall trying to figure out what was going on.
"We're glad you all could make it. Please, come in," Logan said with a smile, trying to look more confident about this evening than he felt, if for no other reason than to help reassure Rory. He was accustomed to being at odds with his family, but he didn't want this to cause problems for her. He desperately wanted to shelter her from all of the possible negative effects of their decision.
"Logan, Rory. Very nice of you to invite us to this strange building that you seem to be hosting dinner at," Mitchum boomed critically.
"Everyone come in and have a seat. We'll get your drinks and then we can discuss this strange building," Logan encouraged them all.
They all made themselves comfortable on the large, comfortable sectionals Rory and Logan had chosen to furnish the room. Rory and Logan brought them all drinks and then moved over to the large, oversized chair Rory had chosen. She slipped her shoes off and curled up next to Logan and tucked her feet under her. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and smiled down at her.
Mitchum cleared his throat. "We're all seated with our drinks."
"Right. Rory and I invited you all here tonight because we have some news to share," Logan began.
"Logan and I have grown to love spending time together - or more accurately, you could say that we've grown to love each other - over the last couple of months, and we decided that we want to live together. This is our new apartment," Rory rushed out.
Logan saw the emotions playing out on their faces and quickly jumped in. "Rory and I know that none of you will be thrilled about us living together outside of marriage, but we are very happy with our decision. Ultimately, this change also serves your purposes well; Rory and I living together will certainly send the message that our families are united."
Rory and Logan's families sat there staring at them open-mouthed, unsure of what to say. Lorelai spoke first.
"Can I just...can I talk to you alone, Ror?" she asked.
Rory nodded and stood from her spot and led her mom into their bedroom. Lorelai closed the door behind them and looked at Rory. "I'm trying really hard to be the cool mom here, kiddo. I just...are you sure about this?"
"I'm so sure, Mom. It's just right. I can't explain it, but when I'm with him I feel safe and loved, and I love how he challenges me. I think he's the one," Rory said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself as she spoke.
"You really love him, huh?" Lorelai said with a smile. "I've been there, sweets. When I first met your dad, that's what it felt like. I still get butterflies when he walks in the room. If you're happy, I'm happy for you and will support you. Don't worry about your dad; I'll handle him."
"Really?" Rory asked hopefully.
"Really. Now, onto other topics. Your apartment is beautiful. You two have already made the place your own."
"Thank you, Mom. I love every single part of it. We've spent the last several days buying furniture and other things we need, moving, unpacking, and getting settled. It already feels like home," Rory confided.
"I have a feeling that has less to do with the apartment and more to do with who you're sharing it with."
"Yeah, you're right," Rory admitted quietly.
"Well, we'd better get out here before his parents and your grandparents have a fit. There's no telling how they'll react to this news. You'd be better off telling them you're engaged," Lorelai teased.
"Let's not rush things," Rory chuckled.
She and Lorelai walked back into the living room to find Logan's parents, Rory's grandparents and Chris all arguing loudly.
"What's going on?" Rory asked loudly, and everyone stopped talking and looked at her. "I leave the room for five minutes and I come back to complete chaos."
"We were just discussing this newest development. You know that this isn't the proper way to do things, Rory," Richard chided.
"Richard, Mitchum, perhaps the four of us could speak privately?" Shira suggested.
"Sure, we'll just go show Chris and Lorelai the rooftop garden," Logan answered quickly, desperate to get out of the room for a few minutes. Rory had definitely missed the worst of it, and he was grateful for that, but he could also stand to hear a bit less. He took Rory's hand and they led Chris and Lorelai upstairs to the beautiful rooftop. Logan switched on the heaters and they all sat down and looked out at the skyline.
Lorelai looked over at Chris and noticed that he still looked agitated. "Chris, sweetie, Rory and I talked. You remember how in love we were when we first met, how in love we were? How we just knew it was right? Our baby has found that."
"So we're okay with this?" Chris asked.
"We're happy for them, not just okay with this," Lorelai corrected.
Chris looked back and forth between Lorelai and Rory's pleading faces and sighed. "Those eyes should be illegal. Fine, we're happy for them." He turned his attention toward Logan. "You'd better treat her right, though," he warned.
"Absolutely, sir. I love your daughter, and I would do anything to make her happy," Logan promised.
* * *
"How are we going to handle this?" Mitchum asked gruffly, obviously irritated.
"We're going to smile and play nice and use this to help us get them to agree to becoming engaged when Logan graduates. There's no sense in causing a fuss; they've obviously already made their decision and aren't looking for our approval. Now we just capitalize on getting what we want out of this contact," Shira said firmly.
"I think Shira is right. We can certainly use this to our advantage. Now, if you two will excuse us, I want to nose around the rest of the apartment," Emily added.
She and Shira stood up from the sectional and began looking around the apartment, commenting as they went. They walked into Logan and Rory's bathroom. Emily saw the items sitting out on the counter and smiled to Shira.
"It would be a shame if they found themselves pregnant and had to get engaged," Emily said with a calculating smile.
"What are you...oh!" Shira said as her eyes fell to where Emily was looking. "Indeed it would." Shira picked up Rory's birth control pack and slid it into the pocket on her sweater. "Now, let's go enjoy dinner with the kids."