Chapter 50

                                    

                                          
Rory and Finn boarded the plane with a couple of small bags, and Tori in a sling across Rory's chest.  As they settled in, Luke and Lorelai arrived just as they had planned.
                          
"Where's my favorite girl?" Lorelai asked cheerfully.
                          
"Hi, Mom," Rory replied.
                          
"I was talking to Tori," she said and made a beeline for the baby.  "How is my little princess?"
                          
Rory assisted her mother by pulling her daughter out of the wrap.  Lorelai happily accepted and snuggled her grandbaby before handing her back to her daughter.
                          
"Finn, we really can't think you enough for inviting us along.  I mean, it's not that far of a drive, but you know how much I love flying privately now," Lorelai said in gratitude.  She nearly spoiled his secret but managed to cover it up.
                          
"Lorelai, the pleasure is all mine," he replied with a wink.
                          
"Yeah, I hate dealing with all of the holiday traffic," Luke added flatly.  His tone seemed a little off to Rory, but she knew traveling wasn't his favorite thing to do.
                          
Everyone settled in for the long flight, except Rory, who thought it was a short flight.  Tori was cooing and smiling at her grandparents while in her mother's arms.  Lorelai, once again, held out her arms to take her granddaughter, and Rory obliged.  She watched happily as her mother fawned over the baby, and Luke joined the spoiling.  After a few minutes, she turned her attention to the book she'd brought with and began reading.  She hadn't realized how exhausted she was, and before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep.  Abruptly, she was rattled awake by the sound of her daughter's cry.  She glanced at her phone to check the time.  How long have I been asleep?  Wait! Why are we still flying? She wondered groggily.
                          
"Rory, I think Tori is hungry," Lorelai said.
                          
"Most likely.  It's been well over three hours since she last ate," Rory replied.  As she got settled in to feed the baby, she tried to figure out the situation.  The flight to Nantucket should have only been a couple hours.  I've got a feeling we aren't going there like Finn said we were, she sussed silently.  She looked around trying to find him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
                          
"Mom, where's Finn?"
                          
"I think he went through that door back there," she answered and pointed toward the back of the plane.  "He said something about doing some work in private."
                          
Lorelai: I think Rory's onto something.  She just woke up, and I can see the wheels turning in her head.
                          
Finn: Thanks for the heads up.
                          
Rory impatiently waited for her daughter to finish eating.  She seemed to be taking her sweet time as if she knew her mother wanted to do something else.  Is my mom in cahoots with Finn? Rory wondered.  Where in the world are we going?  I'm pretty sure we decided against Australia because it would be too challenging for all of us.  Are we headed to London?  I'm not sure if I'm ready to spend the holidays with Logan and Odette on their turf.
                          
"Love," Finn's familiar tone filled her ears, breaking through her thoughts.  "Did you have a good nap?"
                          
"Where are we going, Finn?" she asked bluntly.  "Don't lie and say Nantucket because we should have been there already."
                          
"I've got a little surprise for you," he said unable to hide his shining smile.
                          
"We are going to Australia?" she asked curiously.
                          
"How did you know?"
                          
"Process of elimination.  For a brief moment, I thought we were going to London, but that would just be a weird surprise," she explained.