Chapter 2: Luke was there
Helplessly Lorelai looked at the empty street in front of her. Rory's car was still there which meant Rory was still in Stars Hollow as she pondered on what should become her next move. Should she go after her and talk things out straight away or to just let Rory calm down a bit and calm down a bit herself too and wait for Rory to return to the house. The second option seemed to be the best one at the moment, she was sure both of them wouldn't say anything they would regret later on.
As Lorelai looked at the street one more time, she walked back into the house, hoping that all the bad stuff that happened to her lately would end..
As Rory wondered through the streets of wondered, she realised this were definately not the reactions she expected. It was not like she expected her mother to be thrilled about it but at least a bit more comforting and consulting. Trying to find a way so things would turn out better then they were now. And Logan's reaction seemed disappointing. She at least expected him to say something. A 'Wow' would even be a good reaction when comparing it to his heartbreaking silence.
Then of course there were the grandparents, what were they going to say. They always told everybody what a wonderful woman she had become and how well she was doing in Yale. How was she supposed to tell them that their 'perfect' grandchild was being pregnant, following her mother's footsteps. How her grandfather would react was something she didn't really know, he could be angry or he would go to his office and start to make arrangements. That would be the thing to do when it came to Richard Gilmore. But then there was Emily Gilmore, her grandmother, if necessary she could scare the devil away. She was certain a lot of screaming was going to be involved.
Then realisation hit upon her when she noticed that it was already past midnight. She had an early class the next day but she really didn't feel like going back to Yale again, but where was she going to stay? She could go to Lane's but then she had to tell her the entire story too and of course there were Brian and Zach who of course wanted to know the story too and most likely wouldn't go to bed before they knew it. No, she definately didn't feel like going through that.
But then her phone began to ring and she checked the ID caller and noticed it was Logan who was calling her. Should she answer the call or not? She was clueless, but without thinking she declined the call and decided it was best to call Paris. She definately didn't want to meet Paris when she had no clue on her whereabouts. She had been there before and it wasn't pleasant. Paris didn't pick up her phone so Rory left a message on her voicemail, saying she was staying in Stars Hollow for tonight or perhaps the weekend but she would get back on that later.
Without noticing it herself, Rory ended up at the Gazebo, thinking about the events that took place in these last two days. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Luke had taken a seat next to her.
"Hey Ror," Luke spoke up. "Everything okay?"
Rory's thoughts were broken off by Luke and she looked aside of her to see Luke with a concerned look on his face. No matter what the status was between her mother and him, he still remained as a father figure to her. He was more of a father to her then her own father Christopher had ever been.
"Fine," Rory answered as she lowered her head and looked down to the ground.
"You sure? Shouldn't you be at home then around this time of the day or at Yale?" Luke questioned her.
"Mom and I got in a fight," Rory replied as she could feel the tears well up inside of her again. "It was really bad."
"Come on," Luke said as he gave her a small push on her back and lead her to his diner. He was sure a plain cup of coffee would help.
"Thanks Luke," Rory thanked him.
"For what? I didn't do anything," Luke replied confused as Rory took a seat at the counter and he started to make some coffee.
"For being here, no matter what the circumstances are, you're there for me," Rory explained. "Thanks. Also no coffee for me."
"No coffee?" Luke wondered as he stopped preparing the coffee. "Okay, something is seriously wrong now. Come on Rory, you can tell me."
"Promise you won't react like mom did?" Rory asked him silently, knowing it would be hard for him to promise something like that when he didn't know what this was all about. "Don't be mad and scold at me for being an idiot for letting this happen."
"I can't promise you anything, but I'll do my best," Luke smiled.
"Okay," Rory said as she took a deep breath before looking at Luke again and saw how eager he was to help her out. She could see it in his eyes that it killed him to see her like this. "I'm pregnant."
"Wow," was all what Luke could say.
"That was the long awaited reaction I wanted to hear today," Rory mumbled under her breath but clear enough for Luke to hear.
"So whoever you told weren't happy with it?" Luke asked her.
"They were mad or were just speechless and didn't say anything," Rory answered. "I don't know what to do Luke. Mom is mad at me for letting something like this happen and Logan.."
"Logan?" Luke wondered.
"He's the guy you caught me with at my grandparents' wedding," Rory explained as Luke nodded in return. "Logan just didn't say anything and just stared off in front of him."
"I'm sorry for saying this but can you blame him?" Luke asked her. "You aren't in a committed relationship right?"
"Right."
"He didn't expect this to happen and I guess it just freaked him out," Luke said. "I'm sure it would most likely freak me out if somebody told me I was going to be a dad. And I'm a lot older then Logan is."
"Maybe I shouldn't have left him," Rory said.
"You left him?" Luke said a bit shocked by Rory's action.
"Yeah I ran away when he didn't say a thing, I guess I just freaked out by his reaction," Rory explained and it seemed that Luke understood everything. She was happy he was there, he was being calm and was not taking any sides, unlike her mother who just attacked her.
"Understandable, so what was this whole fight you had with your mother? Is it that bad?" Luke asked sincerely.
"It was bad. She attacked me for ruining my future and she even stood up for Logan when I know she hates him," Rory told him.
"Your mother only wants the best for you, you know," Luke said calmly as Rory nodded in return. "You know what I think?"
"Shoot," Rory said as she grabbed a tissue to sweep away all the tears that had come streaming down her face.
"I have to tell you that I don't think you handled well but that your reaction is understandable from the things you told me about this," Luke began. "So I suggest that you sleep here for the night and you'll talk to both your mom and this Logan guy tomorrow. You will all have calmed down by then and will be more reasonable."
"Sounds good," Rory said as she rose from her chair and walked over to Luke and gave him a tight hug. "Thanks Luke."
"No problem kiddo," Luke smiled as he lead Rory up the stairs and showed her where she could sleep. He gave her the bed as he slept on his spare matras that he still had in storage. Both of them decided to call it a night and leave today's worries for tomorrow.
Logan in the meanwhile was still shocked, he had just noticed that Rory was no longer in the room and saw that he had been staring in front of him for like two hours. Those entire two hours he had been thinking about the future. Him being a dad. He then realised he didn't really know how a father should be like. His dad was never around and always away to travel around the world. As much as he always wanted to travel around the world and see places, he didn't want to become his father. He didn't want to become a father who would only see his children every few weeks and if you were lucky on birthdays and at social events. He didn't want to become Mithcum Huntzberger.
And then there was Rory, an amazing person he had started to grown to in these last few months. For some reason, he always seemed to be attracted to her and they met up in several places. They had a lot of fun together but he never expected her to be the mother of his unborn child. Not that he had ever given it a thought on who would be the perfect mother for his children because it always seemed a topic that was so far away in the future and all of a sudden it was really close. But he had to say it, if somebody had to be the mother of his children, he was glad it was Rory. From all the women he had met over the years, she was the one who didn't give in so easily. They had constant debates and bickered all the time and yet she was still there. He was sure if it was any other girl, she would have said 'bye bye' and moved on to the next rich socialite. But Rory didn't, maybe they had found each other..
But now she was gone, without saying goodbye or talking about what to do now. Not that he could blame her for leaving. He had sat there for two hours, just thinking about everything that would change from now on. The fact that he said nothing, not a word, must have freaked Rory out. He could tell that before she told him the news she was nervous and didn't know what to expect from him, and the way he reacted didn't help at all. What could possibly go through her head right now? He was sure she was mad at him or disappointed. He just knew what he had to do, he had to find her!
He decided to call her, to ask her where she was right now but she didn't pick up and her voicemail could be heard on the other line but he didn't feel like replying. He decided to go over to her dorm but nobody opened the door there and there was no light on either, so he decided that most likely nobody was there. He checked the parking lot to see if her car was around, but it was nowhere to be seen.
There was only one thing he could do now, go visit her hometown, Stars Hollow. As far as he knew her, when things were bad, Stars Hollow was the place to be for her. He looked in the phonebook for Lorelai Gilmore's adress and immediately found it. He tore out the page from the book and headed for his car, on his way to Stars Hollow.
After a thirty minute drive to Stars Hollow he drove past Luke's diner and the Gazebo, straight to Lorelai's house. When he stopped in front of the house, he checked his clock and noticed it was already 1:30 in the night. He knew it was late and since the house was completely dark that they weren't happy with his visit but he needed to speak to Rory.
He rang the doorbell and after five minutes of waiting and hearing muttering coming out of the house, the front door was opened to reveal Lorelai in a pyjama and a robe.
"Logan?" Lorelai asked him and he nodded in reply.
"Can I come in?" Logan asked her politely and Lorelai moved aside to let the father of her unborn granchild in her house. She closed the door and followed him into the living room, where she noticed how uncomfortable he was.
"You can sit down you know," Lorelai told him as took a seat on the sofa as Lorelai sat down across him in a comfortable chair. "So what are you doing here, in the middle of the night, depriving the beautiful woman in front of you of her beauty sleep?"
"I'm here to talk to Rory," Logan explained. "I'm sure you know about what happened and she was just gone. I really need to talk to her about this."
"She's not here," Lorelai told him silently, but loud enough for Logan to hear.
"Her car is outside," Logan pointed out.
"She stormed out of the house like almost two hours ago," Lorelai explained.
"You didn't go after her?"
"She needed some space and time to cool down and so did I," Lorelai told him. "It's not like this is a situation which excites me."
"I'm having quite some trouble progressing this myself," Logan told her sincerely and he could see that the hard and cold look in Lorelai's eyes began to soften.
"So do you plan on staying with Rory through this all?" Lorelai cut to the chase.
"Yes I do, I don't want to miss a minute of this all," he replied sincerely. "I know my reaction wasn't the best reaction I could have given her but I was just shocked. And then when I noticed she was gone, I know I needed to find her."
"That's good," Lorelai said. "You've scored yourself some points with me for saying that. I have to say I am not happy with your agreement of stringless fun but as Rory told me, it was her suggestion so I have to respect it."
"You have to know miss Gilmore," Logan started but was cut off by Lorelai.
"Call me Lorelai."
"Okay Lorelai," Logan said as he continued his speech. "I care deeply for Rory and I guess it just freaks me out that I am caring so much about a girl. I don't want to hurt Rory because I'm not sure if I can be the boyfriend she wants me to be and this all complicates things even more."
Logan finished his speech but Lorelai remained silent, she had to be honest. She didn't expect the guy to open his heart in front of her and he seemed to be sincere. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all. After all, he had every intention of staying with Rory and his unborn child, that was definately an improvement from what she had twenty years ago.
"Maybe we should go find Rory," Logan spoke up again.
"I don't think Rory wants to see me right now, she was quite angry, you go find her!" Lorelai said as she rose from her chair as Logan rose from the sofa.
"Any idea on where she could be?" Logan asked her as he had no clue where to look for her.
"No clue, ever since Kirk got kicked out of the house by his mom, everybody in town is open for business!" Lorelai told him as they moved to the door.
"Kirk? Business?" Logan said slightly confused as it seemed that those things should have explained enough.
"Long story," Lorelai told him. "I can't wait for when Rory will show you around town and everybody wants to meet you! I hope she'll take pictures!"
"Who says Rory will take me around town?" Logan wondered. "What if she stays mad at me?"
"She will give you the grand tour, don't worry," Lorelai said as she opened the door for Logan and he stepped out. "She likes you Logan, a lot. She isn't going to give up on you so easily or will she be able to hold a grudge against you for that long. Trust me!"
"I hope so," Logan said.
"Good. Now bring my kid back home!" Lorelai told him as she pushed him from the front porch. "Go!"
"Aye aye, milady!" Logan joked as he walked away from the house into the streets of Stars Hollow.
'That wasn't so bad after all,' both of them thought as Lorelai closed the door and Logan walked off. 'Not that bad at all'
As Logan walked through the streets of Stars Hollow he realised he had no idea where to look for her. She could be anywhere, she could be in any house he walked past. He had no idea where to begin. He then noticed a building across the street named "Luke's" and he remembered how Rory always rambled on how great Luke's coffee was and that nobody could beat his coffee skills. As he checked his clock he noticed it was already 3 am and from what he heard from Rory, this Luke wasn't as friendly as Winnie the Pooh, so waking him up in the middle of the night was most likely not a good idea. He decided to just wait on Luke's porch as he hoped that maybe Luke had any idea on where Rory could be staying.
Around six, Luke woke up by the sound of his alarm clock. He got up and turned the alarm off when he noticed Rory was lying in his bed wide awake.
"So did you get any sleep?" Luke asked her.
"None," Rory replied simply because she was just too tired to say much more.
"I'm sorry," Luke apologized.
"You don't have to apologize. This is just all my fault, I really messed up," Rory told him. "I feel like I am in the middle of Pearl Harbor."
"You didn't mess up," Luke consulted her as he noticed the confused look on Rory's face. "If you really messed up there wasn't a way you could fix this and you can. Talk to your mom and Logan about it, there's nothing you can about the pregnancy thing, what's done is done but there are things which you can fix."
"Thanks Luke," Rory said with a smile. "For everything you've done for me. Letting me stay here and just letting me talk about this all without getting angry or judging me. Just thanks."
"No problem, if you want to take a shower, the bathroom is over there," Luke told her. "I'm going to make a start with opening the diner. If you come down, I'll have some breakfast for you."
And with that Luke disappeared out of the room, taking the stairs down to the diner as Rory remained lying in bed. Taking a deep breath, Rory got out of bed and into the bathroom, ready to vomit again. She really hated the morning sickness. When she finished vomiting, she decided that a shower would at least make her feel some better and so she did.
Luke in the meanwhile, was confused when he walked down the stairs and noticed a person sitting in front of the diner. A guy that seemed very familair to him and then he remembered who it was, the guy from the wedding, Logan.
He opened the door and the doorbell began to ring, waking Logan up. Logan immediately jumped to his feet and turned to the man who was standing behind him.
"Hi, I'm Logan Huntzberger and.." Logan politely introduced himself.
"I know who you are," Luke cut him off. "We've met before." and Logan nodded in return, not knowing what to say in responce.
"I guess you want to see Rory right?" Luke asked him.
"Yeah I'd like that. Do you know where I can find her?" Logan spoke up again.
"She's upstairs but before I'll go get her, I do want to know if you have no intention of hurting her," Luke started. "Rory means a lot to me and I don't want to see her get hurt, again."
"I have no intention of hurting her," Logan said sincerely. "I just need to talk to her."
"I'll go get her," Luke said. "Come inside and sit down!"
With that Luke disappeared back upstairs where he told Rory that there was somebody there to see her. Quickly she got out of the shower and put on her clothes and walked downstairs to see that Logan was sitting in Luke's diner. He was in Stars Hollow, he came looking for her.
"Logan, hi!" Rory greeted him.
"Hey Rory," Logan said as Rory shivered when he said her name. He never said her name out loud, it was always Ace.
"I'll leave you two alone," Luke said but Rory stopped him.
"No that's okay, we'll go outside, you need to open your diner soon and I don't want to get in your way," Rory told him as she turned to Logan. "Could I have one minute with Luke? I'll be right outside."
"Sure," Logan said a bit uncomfortable about the whole situation as he walked out of the diner, leaving Luke and Rory behind.
"Thanks Luke for everything, once again," Rory said as she gave him another hug.
"You're welcome," Luke said with a smile. "I can see that he cares about you Rory. Everything is going to be fine." as Rory moved to the door and when she reached it she turned around for the final time with a smile planted on her face.
"Mom really does love you Luke, she never stopped loving you," Rory told him as she left the diner as Luke thought about Rory's final words. Did he still have a chance?
Rory walked out of the diner to see Logan leaning against a lantarn, waiting for her.
"Want to take a walk?" Rory asked him and he nodded in return.
"So how are you?" Logan asked her, trying to make a small conversation.
"Been better, a bit nauseos," Rory told him. "You?"
"Good," Logan told her which surprised her. "Been thinking a lot since last night."
"Yeah I could see that," Rory said. "I'm sorry for walking off like that. That was completely unnecessary, I should have stayed so we could have discussed this whole pregancy thing."
"I should have said something, my fault," Logan told her with a smile. "I'm sorry too."
"So you're ready for this?" Rory asked him. "Being a dad."
"Not yet but I will be," Logan told her as they walked past Miss Patty's danceschool where Rory could see that miss Patty was very interesting in Logan and the conversation they were having. But it frightened her to see that Babette walked up to her from behind them and they started to talk and point fingers at them.
"We have to go, right now," Rory warned him as she dragged him off to the lake, where they could sit on the bridge.
"Why is that?" Logan asked confused.
"Everybody knows about this within a few minutes and I don't want to talk about it with any of them," Rory explained.
"How come everybody knows?"
"Well Babette walked up to miss Patty from behind us so she most likely have heard our conversation and since both she and miss Patty are the town gossips, everybody in Stars Hollow will know about this within ten minutes." Rory explained.
"Wow," Logan said. "So that's how the small town's life is."
"Yup," Rory comfirmed.
"So are you ready?" Logan asked the same question as she did before.
"I'm getting used to it that something is growing inside of me," Rory said with a slight smile at the thought of that.
"I'm not going to let you do this alone Rory," Logan told her as he was sure she was wondering if he would stick by her side or not during this all.
"I'm glad," Rory said with a smile as she looked into his hazelnut eyes.
"So how will things go between us from now on?" Logan asked her carefully, knowing it was a hard subjcect to bring up at this moment. But he was eager to know how things would go with them from now on. Would they start a committed relationship or not?
"You mean are we stopping our no strings agreement and be in a committed relationship?" Rory asked him and he nodded in return. "I don't think we should be in a committed relationship, not right now. It would make me feel like you felt like you had to do this because I'm pregnant. And maybe ruin everything we have, I don't want that. I appreciate our friendship and I don't want to ruin things between us. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Logan told her as he couldn't help but feel a bit down by this all. He liked her a lot and since a few days he admitted to himself that he was falling for this girl and now she was turning him down. It did seem to make sense because after all they did have to raise a kid together now but somewhere deep inside, he couldn't help but feel a bit broken by it.
"Thanks for understanding," Rory said as she gave him a hug which he happily returned. "and for being here right now and for being there in the future."
"No problem Ace," Logan told her. "Anything for you."
Author's note: Thanks for the reviews I received for the first chap. Glad you all like the plot and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I liked writing Luke like this and not to worry about Logan as I heard a few worries from people who were afraid Logan would become the bad guy who left Rory and all. I would never do that to Logan! I luv Logan on Gilmore girls! XD Now please read and review! Thanks!Next chapter: Welcome to the Hollow!
Logan stays in Stars Hollow for a few days as Rory and Lorelai talk...
