A Fightette

A/N: I guess I'm just on a writing kick right now. Once again, this just sort of started writing itself. Everyone who reviews- I love you!

Logan was barely awake. He reached out his arm, but he came in contact with sheets, not his wife. He groaned as he lifted his head to look at the clock. Its bright red numbers hurt his eyes. 3:36, it informed him.

He kicked back his sheets carelessly and padded down the hallway to the nursery. Rory was sitting in her rocking chair, Lucas in her arms. He wasn't crying, but whining, struggling in her grasp. "Baby," she tried. "Honey, I know you're hungry."

"How long have you been up, Ace?"

"Logan!" she exclaimed softly. "No! What are you doing up? I tried so hard not to wake you."

"Why?"

"Because you have a five a.m. meeting with that guy from Japan."

"Korea," he corrected gently, running his hand through her hair. She leaned her head against his stomach. "How's he doing?" he asked.

"He's been really fussy, lately." She looked down at him worriedly. "Maybe I should take him back to the doctor."

Logan leaned down to kiss her forehead. "You are the world's most overprotective mother."

"He's my baby."

"Yes, Ace, I'm aware of that." He bent down and took Lucas from her. "Hey, Lucas," he said gently, walking back and forth.

Rory leaned back in her chair, pulling the sweater she was wearing (Logan's sweater) tightly around her. "You two look good together."

"Jealous?" Logan laughed as Lucas began to calm down.

Rory gave him a week smile.

"You okay, Ace?" he asked gently. They'd only returned from the hospital two days ago.

"Yeah. I'm just tired."

"Maybe we should have taken Lorelai up on that offer to stay with us for a few days."

"No, Logan. I'm fine. I just really didn't want to wake you up, I know how important that meeting is."

"Jeez, Ace," he said gently, handing the baby back to her. "You just got out of the hospital. Let me take care of you for a change."

"You're my baby, too," she laughed, letting her had run over his cheek.

"Isn't marriage supposed to be a team thing?"

"Not in your mother's world," she said, and he didn't miss the bitter tone.

"Hey," he said gently, but he didn't know what else to say.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." She ran a hand over her face wearily.

He crouched next to her chair, rested his hand on her thigh gently.

She sniffed, but her eyes remained dry. "Why did she have to do that, Logan? I mean, we'd just had a baby. I was in labour for sixteen freaking hours! And she just marches in to lecture me about not employing the nanny she suggested, telling me that she won't hesitate to mention it to all her friends that I'm raising my child without a nanny. Without a nanny! How scandalous! How horrible!" she added sarcastically.

"Hey. It's not just about you, Ace. He's my baby, too."

She shot him a skeptical glance. "I'm sorry, have you completely forgotten the world you've grown up in? To your mother, he's my baby. I'm the one responsible for him. No, I'm sorry. I'm the one responsible for finding a nanny for him."

"Rory, ignore my mother."

"I can't! She's…" she took a deep breath. "I'm tired, Logan. Let's just get some sleep, okay."

"No. We're going to do this. If you're going to make me do this, we're going to do this now."

"You have that meeting! With the Chinese guy! In like an hour!"

"Korean," he corrected patiently. "Listen to me, Ace. You know I don't agree with my mother. You know that."

"Logan, I can't…handle her anymore."

"Ace, I've been telling myself that for years. Ignore her, Rory."

"It's so hard to! She's everywhere!"

"I know, Rory."

Rory took another deep breath. "This is her fault! We're fighting, and it's her fault!"

"We don't need to be fighting about this. Rory, you knew when you married me that you'd have to deal with her. She's my mother. I can't help that. The mother-in-law tension is always there to deal with. Hell, Lucas and his wife'll probably hate your guts someday." A beat. "God, Rory, I am so sorry…"

He hated that wounded look, those puppy dog eyes. The sadness that she was trying to hard to hide. The tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Ace. Really. I am so sorry. I didn't mean that, you know that." He reached out to her, but she recoiled. "Ace…"

She glanced up at how vulnerable, how pained he sounded. "I know," she whispered.

"My mother is going to be a bitch to you no matter what. You and Lucas…that's so different. You're already a great mom. You know that, Ace."

"You're a good dad, too," she said softly.

"Ace, I love you. You are going to be an awesome mother-in-law too. Please forget that I ever said that. It's late, and I'm tired, and I have that meeting with the guy from Vietnam."

"Korea!" she corrected tearfully, grabbing his hand in her own.

"Yeah, Korea."

"You…you don't think that I could ever be…"

"Rory, you and my mother are so different. First of all, you're sane. Second of all, you're beautiful. Thirdly, you're easy to converse with. Fourth, I love you. Fifth…"

"Shut up," she said softly.

He rested his head on her lap and felt her fingers weave through his hair. "Lucas reminds me of you."

"He's five days old. How can he remind me of you?"

"Don't ask questions, Ace."

She laughed quietly, glancing over at their baby. "We made him," she said softly. "He's part of you and part of me."

"Rory, I really don't care what anyone says. I'm glad that you're going to raise him, not hand him over to some nanny. And if anyone says anything to you at the DAR, I'll do some serious ass-kicking. Okay?"

"You're going to kick your mother's ass?"

He cracked his knuckles. "I can take her."

"I don't know, Logan, I think she would put up a good fight."

He snorted. "Shira Huntzberger. Yeah, right."

"I'm sorry you had to grow up there."

He smiled up at her. "You make me forget."

"You're sucking up!" she accused knowingly. "No way are you getting make up sex! That was barely a fight. It was a fightette."

"A fightette?"

"A mini-fight. A baby fight. An argument. A spat."

"I know what you mean, Ace."

She leaned down to kiss him. "Let's go back to bed."

Logan glanced at the clock. "I can't, I have to get ready for my meeting with the guy from Hong Kong."

"Korea!" Rory cried.

He smirked. "Just testing you." He got up and helped her out of the chair. "You go get some sleep, okay? I'll sit here with our little guy."

Rory looked over her shoulder, reluctant to leave her baby. "Okay." She glanced back as she left the room to see her checking him out. She grinned, winked, and shook her hips a little as she carried on out the door.

Logan looked down at the little boy sleeping in the crib. Lucas looked like him, yes, but the way his face rested when he was sleeping reminded Logan distinctly of Rory. "You and your mom are going to be close, kid. Don't worry about it."

Lucas stirred and opened his eyes, staring at Logan with eyes of bright blue.

"Mommy's going to spoil you," he laughed. But looking into those eyes…it was so reassuring. It was knowing that his life was finally getting on track. "You think I should go yell at your grandma? Tell her not to hurt your mom?"

Lucas smiled a bleary baby-like smile and blinked once.

"I love you, too, kiddo," Logan said softly.