Title: Eggnog and Rubik's Cubes
Pairing: Luke/Lorelai and Rory/Logan
Rating: PG
Author’s Note: Merry Christmas Lara!
"Haven't you two managed to get that together yet?" Lorelai asked as she walked down the steps to the newly remodeled recreation room. She carried a pitcher of freshly made eggnog and her daughter Rory was behind her with four mugs.
Her husband, Luke, answered her without looking up from his task. "It definitely did not say on the box that you needed a degree in rocket science to put this together."
"Well, you're the one who refused to pay an extra five dollars to have the guy at the toy store put it together," Lorelai reminded him. "I'm good with tools, I don't need to pay to have someone else put my daughter's toys together for Christmas," she mimicked, as she began to pour eggnog into the mugs Rory had set down on the table.
"I am good with tools dammit!" Luke replied, a warning edge in his voice, making Rory step in to defuse the situation.
"Where are the instructions?" she asked her husband, Logan, who was assisting Luke.
Logan gave his wife a sheepish look. Rory rolled her eyes and went over to the box the dollhouse had come in. She rummaged through for a few moments, coming up with the instructions on how to put it together. She thrust them into Logan's hand.
"Try following these. It might make your lives a little easier. And maybe we'll get to bed before the kids wake up," she suggested.
Logan nodded. "You're right, Ace, and as excited as those two were about Santa's visit, they are likely to be up before the sun." He studied the directions for a few minutes, then looked at the dollhouse. "Luke, I think I figured out what we were doing wrong," he said.
The two put their heads together and Rory and Lorelai sat on the bar stools to watch and drink eggnog.
"I'm so glad you and Logan and Brianna were able to spend Christmas with us this year, kid," Lorelai said, smiling at her daughter. "It was weird not having you guys around last year. I'm glad Logan's parents didn't ask you to meet them in some exotic location."
Rory laughed. "Spending Christmas in Belize was an interesting experience that I'd prefer not to repeat. They did invite us to spend Christmas with them this year in Hawaii but Logan told them that we wanted Bri to have snow and a Christmas tree now that she's old enough to understand what is going on."
"Allie would have been very disappointed if her big sister and her niece hadn't been here this year."
"Well, I most definitely would not want to disappoint my little sister. I was an only child for way too long to have screwed up sibling relationships now."
"I think it's kind of hard to screw up a sibling relationship with a three year old."
"That's very true," Rory agreed with her mother.
"So, speaking of siblings and three year olds," Lorelai started to ask.
Rory rolled her eyes. "I've told you a million times, mom, Logan and I don't think we want to have any more kids. We love Brianna and we're satisfied just having her. In case you don't remember, I didn't exactly have an easy pregnancy."
"Of course I remember. Between me and my 'advanced age pregnancy' and you with your problems, we were at the doctor's at least once a week."
"Well, then why do you keep asking?"
"Because we need a Gilmore boy."
"Yes!" Luke called from the middle of the floor where he had just put the finishing touch on the dollhouse he was building for Allie.
"Is that the last one?" Logan asked, standing behind his wife and grabbing his own mug of eggnog. "I feel like we've been doing this for hours."
"If you would have read the directions the first time, it wouldn't have taken so long," Rory countered.
"Did you leave any eggnog for me?" Luke asked, joining them at the bar.
"Sure did, baby," Lorelai replied, handing him a mug. "I'm so proud of you."
"What did you do when Rory was a kid? I know you didn't put that kind of stuff together yourself."
"I was a deprived child, Luke," Rory answered. "I never had a dollhouse. I'm so glad my sister and my daughter don't have to suffer like I did."
"Oh, yeah, you were so deprived," Lorelai scoffed. "I bought you Cabbage Patch Kids and My Little Ponies. Not to mention, the best present ever, a Rubik's cube."
"A Rubik's cube was the best present ever?" Logan asked.
"For Rory it was," Lorelai confirmed. "She spent days playing with it until she solved the stupid thing. Proved at the age of six that she was a complete genius."
Rory laughed. "I still have that, you know," she told her mother.
"Do you want me to buy you a dollhouse for your birthday?" Luke asked Rory.
"You'd have to start putting it together now to have it done in time," Lorelai joked.
Their laughter was interrupted by the clock striking one.
"It's already one?" Logan asked, stifling a yawn.
"I guess we'd better head to bed," Luke said.
"Yeah, Bri and Allie will be up before you know it," Rory agreed.
Luke took Lorelai's hand and helped her off the bar stool. Logan put his arm around Rory's shoulders and the four headed up the stairs to go to bed.
Lorelai stopped at the top of the steps and turned around to survey the rec room. The pool table was covered in brightly wrapped packages and the dollhouse was sitting under the tree. The room was festive and she could picture her daughter and her granddaughter sitting there amidst strewn wrapping paper, the twinkling lights of the tree reflecting in their eyes.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked.
"Absolutely nothing," she responded before giving her husband a kiss.
"Come on, Mrs. Danes, let's go to bed."
End