Missing Pieces

Chapter 13: Date Interrupted

The next week flew by, and before they knew it the day of the dance arrived.  Finn had insisted on treating Rory and Emma to manicures and pedicures and also made an appointment for Emma to get her hair done and Rory to get her hair cut.  Rory had assured Finn many times that she was more than capable of paying for their appointments, but he ultimately insisted that he wanted to take care of his girls and wouldn't take no for an answer.  Truthfully, she was quite stressed about Emma's upcoming scans and check-up and welcomed the distraction from that part of her life while she enjoyed a carefree few hours of pampering with her daughter.  They went to lunch after their appointments and arrived home with just enough time to get Emma ready for her big evening.  Rory helped her put on her dress, tights, and shoes and then channeled her inner-Lorelai and took enough pictures to document the event for posterity's sake, chuckling to herself as she remembered her mom taking pictures of her and Dean before her first dance at Chilton.

Finn knocked on the door, having decided that a date shouldn't let himself in, and his face lit up when he saw Emma all dressed up and ready to go.  The little girl had captured his heart, and he was so grateful to have the opportunity to take her to this dance, even if he wasn't her father. 

"You look lovely, Princess Emma.  These are for you," he told her as he handed her a bouquet of pink roses. 

"Thank you, Finny.  I've never gotten flowers before!" Emma told him.  "And pink is my favorite color, too!"

"I know, sweet girl.  That's why I chose pink roses for you," Finn chuckled.

"And you're wearing pink, too, Finn!" she exclaimed happily, taking in his light pink shirt and pink, black and grey pinstriped tie.

"Of course I am, Em.  I had to match my date.  Now, you look almost ready to go.  There's just one thing missing," Finn told her as he took a small package out of his breast pocket and handed it to Emma.  Emma tore the paper off excitedly and squealed when she saw the necklace inside.

"This is for me?" she asked excitedly.

"It is, baby girl.  Would you like me to put it on you?" Finn asked her.

"Please, please, please!" Emma replied quickly.

Finn took the necklace out of the box and put it on Emma, winking at Rory as he saw her wiping away a tear.

"You okay there, love?" he whispered in her ear after he'd finished putting Emma's necklace on and wrapped his arms around Rory.

"Yeah, I'm good.  It's just...you're amazing, you know that?  Thank you for loving my baby girl so much."

"It's my pleasure, Ror.  You know, I'm pretty crazy about her mom as well," he whispered conspiratorially. 

"Mmm...I hear she's crazy about you, too," Rory replied as she kissed him chastely.

The couple broke apart and Finn and Emma posed for more pictures for Rory before heading out to dinner.  Finn had made reservations for a local upscale restaurant, knowing that they had items on the menu that Emma would enjoy and that the atmosphere would make her feel like a princess.  They were sitting across from each other, Emma talking Finn's ear off, when he heard the one voice he absolutely didn't want to hear while he was with Emma.

"Finn, man, good to see you."

"Logan, Odette.  Fancy seeing you two here," Finn managed to reply, his mind already running amuck with the many ways that this situation could quickly go badly.

"Isn't she a bit young for you, Finn?" Logan teased. 

"Something like that, mate.  You guys should probably get to your table, right?" FInn asked, hoping to cut this impromptu reunion short.  Of all of the restaurants in Hartford, he never would have thought that they would be here at the same time he and Emma were.

"Is this one of your nieces?" Odette asked him.

"Umm, no," Finn answered evasively.

"I met Finn's niece named Ava!" Emma piped up. 

"What's your name?" Odette asked her.

"I'm Emma, but tonight I'm Princess Emma, and Finn is Prince Finn," Emma happily told the woman.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Princess Emma.  You look like someone I know," Odette added.

Oh shit, thought Finn.  Abort, abort!

"Logan, mate, give me a call this week and we'll have a drink or something," Finn said, once again attempting to end the conversation before it got even worse.

"Sure, I'll do that, man," Logan answered.  Meanwhile Odette kept looking at Emma, studying her features, likely trying to figure out why she looked so familiar.

Suddenly a look of realization came across Logan's face.

"Finn, is this..." Logan trailed off.

"You should get going, mate," Finn answered tersely.

"Yeah, I should," Logan answered, suddenly sounding very unsure of himself.  As Odette leaned over to kiss Finn's cheek and bid him adieu, Logan couldn't resist the opportunity to get more information.

"Emma, how old are you?"

"I'm four," Emma answered before Finn could stop her.

"What's your mom's name?" Logan asked, even more certain now that he must be looking at his daughter.

"Rory Gilmore," Emma answered just as Finn said "That's enough, Logan!"

"What's going on here?" Odette asked, having clued into the fact that there was more to this conversation than there seemed to be on the surface.

"She's my..." Logan trailed off, not daring to finish the sentence.

"This conversation is over, Logan," Finn warned him sternly.  "You go enjoy your evening with your wife and Emma and I will get back to our evening."

"Where do I know that name?" Odette mused aloud, half to herself.  She looked at Emma again and suddenly turned white as a ghost, realizing why Emma looked so familiar.  That button nose and smile were identical to those of her husband, and Rory Gilmore was the woman who her husband had been seeing on the side before she moved in with him in London, just over five years ago.  "I suddenly don't feel much like dinner, Logan.  I think it's best that we go home," Odette barked.  "We have some issues to discuss."

Logan simply turned away and followed his wife out of the restaurant, still unable to speak.  That's my daughter.  I just saw my daughter for the first time, Logan thought as he walked back to his car and pointed toward their new home.

Finn quickly took out his cell phone and send a text to Rory.

Logan and Odette were at the same restaurant we're at, and I think they put two and two together, love.  They're gone now, but I thought you should know.  Em is safe with me.

"Finny, why were that man and that woman asking me so many questions?" Emma asked Finn suddenly.

"They are friends of mine, Em. They just wondered who you were because they hadn't met you yet," Finn deflected. "Now, sweet girl, your mom and I need you to make sure you don't talk to strangers, okay? Not everyone you meet is nice."