Thank you all for the awesome reviews! I know I've been doing an absolutely lousy job at my summer fanfiction "job", but then again, I'm the boss. Still, I'll do better, at least I'll try :) Meanwhile, if you are really hurting for some Rogan goodness and I'm off lazing around at the beach you might want to check out revchick_86's "Repairing the Break". Fabulous story and regular updates!
Our favorite family of three leave the Hallow and fall back into the swing of things in New York. Rory meets with Bee, and it will be a little obvious I haven't the slightest clue about book promotions (if any of you do, PM and give me some inside scoop to make it more realistic) so I've remained pretty vague as to what. Oh, you all seem to be anxious to hear the pitter patter of little feet (specifically, a boy who must be named Nick!) so I'll let you read on to see if we tackle that delicate matter in this chapter….
Much love and summer sun!
Disclaimer: I do not own GG.
Rory had never particularly been fond of Mondays, but this one was really taking the cake. Of course, her meeting with Bee had to be scheduled on a Monday, and of course, this morning she had to spill coffee on her freshly pressed white blouse, create an enormous run in her pantyhose and misplace practically every make-up item she needed. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking and she had precisely fifteen mintues to drop Lottie off at Logan's office and race across town to meet Bridget for their meeting. And, of course, because this was an extra special Monday, she was missing a shoe.
"Come on, Lottie, think!" she exclaimed, now wearing white slacks and a navy blue ruffle shirt, "Where did Mommy put her other shoe?"
She held up a navy-colored Nine West pump, giving her daughter a few seconds to examine it, while she kept an eye on the clock. Only fourteen minutes to go.
Lottie stuck out her bottom lip in thought, before finally deciding on the missing shoe's location. "Chair."
"The chair?"
The young girl pointed in the direction of the lounge chair in the corner of the room and Rory scooped her up and carried her there. "Why would I keep my shoe here?" Rory asked out loud.
Lottie simply shrugged, but sure enough, Rory found the missing pump under the chair. She laughed at the pleased smirk on her child's face. "You are more like your Daddy every day, girlie." Rory pressed a quick kiss in Lot's hair, before mentally running through her list.
The shoes completed her new look and save for a smear of lipstick and a sprits of hairspray she was ready for the meeting. Her tote was filled with every possible work document she could need and Lottie's bag was filled to the brim with toys, books, juice boxes and crackers. Rory had no clue what Logan had planned for their father-daughter afternoon, but the bag's contents was suffice for a fun afternoon. All she needed to do was put Lottie in the stroller and they were off.
She glanced around her bedroom, only to find Lottie standing on the bench of her vanity, curiously pulling open every drawer and haphazardly tossing out the contents. Lipstick tubes, make-up brushes, mirrors, necklaces and bracelets littered the floor and Lottie gave her frowning mother a guilty, yet satisfied look.
"Charlotte Lorelai Huntzberger!" Rory scolded, but stopped at she caught the time. Five minutes to make it to Logan's office. It was Lottie's lucky day as she was spared a further telling-off. Instead, Rory stepped over the mess, leaving it for what it was and picked up the toddler, strapped her in the stroller and rushed out the door.
Panting slightly, Rory joined the crowed of business people who were trying to shuffle through the revolving doors and into the Huntzberger Publishing building. For once, she was grateful for the slow pace since it gave her a spare minute to wipe the sweat off her brow and twirl her hair up in a bun, making herself the tiniest bit presentable for her husband. She'd fix the rest of the damage the two block walk did to her look in the cab to her appointment with Bee.
"Hey, Ace!"
Rory looked up and immediately maneuvered away from the elevators and towards her husband. She hadn't expecting him to be waiting for her.
"Am I that late?" she asked, trying to steer the stroller and look at her watch at the same time. "What time is it?"
"Almost noon," he chuckled, pulling her in for a kiss. "I just thought I'd meet you ladies down here…"
"…because you knew I'd be late?"
Logan stayed suspiciously quiet as he knelt down to unclip Lottie from her stroller and picked her up. "Hey Ace?" he asked, trying to hide his amusement.
"What?" She answered distracted since she was trying to untangle her tote from the stroller bars.
"Did you mean to dress Ness in pajamas?"
"What?" This time she looked up and indeed – Lottie was still clad in her pink and white daisy PJ's. It was a short and T-shirt set which didn't look terribly out of place in the middle of summer, but they were pajamas none the less.
"Oh crap," Rory sighed, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "I'm so sorry, Logan. I don't know how I forgot, but this morning… I just…" she raised her hands to illustrate her hectic morning, "I spilled coffee, lost my shoes, broke my favorite lipstick and Miss Lottie here got into my vanity and now our room looks like Harry Winston and Sephora tried to duke it out…"
Logan's chuckling stopped Rory's apologetic rambling. "It sounds like you girls had a trying morning." He pulled Rory in for a hug. "Don't worry about it, okay?"
She pulled away from his embrace to nod, but she wasn't quite ready to leave the warmth of his hold just yet.
"I know you are nervous about this, but you'll do just fine. You are already published, remember?" Logan whispered in her ear.
Rory inhaled deeply, letting his words sink in. It was just a lunch after all; but she hadn't been this excited and nervous about something in a long time. Her book was really happening.
She nodded slowly, looking up to meet his gaze. "It's just finally here, you know?"
Logan's tender smile was enough for her to know that he knew exactly what she meant.
"You've got to get going, Ace… Don't worry about little Lottie and me, we'll be fine…." He looked at his daughter, "right, sweet heart?"
The little girl nodded excitedly causing both Rory and Logan to laugh. "Just stay out of trouble," Rory pressed a kiss on her daughter's cheek. "Mommy loves you."
Lottie smiled and gave her mom a messy kiss. "Okay."
Rory turned to Logan for one last reassuring embrace. "Thank-you."
"For what, Ace?" he asked, resting his head on top of hers.
"For taking Lottie, for calming me down…"
"Anytime, Ace, anytime. Now go. I don't want you being more than fashionably late!"
Rory stepped into the crowded restaurant just over fifteen minutes late and spotted Bee's perfectly coifed head of curly blonde hair immediately.
"Oh, Bridget, I'm so sorry I'm late…"
"Family related issues?" Bee asked, looking up from her menu.
"Yes…"
"Honey, I love you, but I could care less about, you know, Lottie eating your lipstick or whatever." Bee cut Rory off with a hearty laugh, though the surprise etched on Rory's face was enough to garner another rumble of laughter from her.
"She did not?" Bridget asked, her curls shaking widely, in tune with the rhythm of her laughter.
"Close…" Rory smiled, shaking her head and sliding in the booth. She was relieved Bridget wasn't making a big deal out of it and her nerves about this meeting subsided instantly as Bee continued to talk.
"Anyway, your fifteen minute delay gave me plenty enough time to check out Potential Date…" She subtlety pointed towards the bar. "Not the blonde – I think he's gay – but him…oh la, la! "
Rory craned her neck slowly and her eyes darted to the Potential Date. Tall, a mop of curly brown hair, a little stubble and, from Rory could tell in this awkward position, a dazzling smile.
"Cute," she voiced her verdict as she stopped eyeing the man. "Maybe he's The One?"
"Please, girl," Bee stirred her ice tea as she burst out in another round of infectious laughter.
The meeting quickly turned from boys and lunch orders to business.
"We ended up going with 25.000 copies. It isn't a giant first run, but it's better to reprint than to pulp," Bridget paused to take a sip of her iced tea, "besides, think of how rare a first edition New York Novel will be…"
Rory shot her a crooked smile, "If we ever sell 25.000 copies!"
"Oh, honey, with an attitude like that we never will! People are excited about this, Ror. We'll get a second print, I'm absolutely positive…"
"I'm just anxious," Rory told Bridget, "I want it to do well."
"Me too. I've got a good feeling about it, and we'll know for sure by Wednesday…."
Rory's smile grew at Bridget's confidence. "Promo in Philly, right?"
"Yes ma'am. Four bookstores, one local TV-station and an interview with a local paper. Then we are hitting Boston, Providence, Hartford and Manhattan…" Bridget stabbed a tomato with her fork and pointed it at Rory, "Better start preparing your interview answers!"
Rory nodded, but she didn't tell Bee she had a notebook full of answers to every possible question interviewers could ask. "And after the tour?"
"That depends," Bridget said. "We'll get the first reviews by the time we're hitting Hartford, so we might consider tacking on two or three weeks and hit the west coast…."
Rory flipped through the pages of her datebook and frowned slightly.
"Don't make that face, Rory…" Bridget warned
"It's Lottie's birthday. I need to be home. There would have to be a day or two between the tacking on…."
Bee's face pulled into a grin. "You are too much, you know that?" she laughed, "but alright. I'll baby proof the schedule for my star writer…"
"Thank-you from the bottom of my Nine West heeled feet," Rory joked, clinking her coffee mug with Bee's glass.
"You know, with your kind of money you could be strutting around here on Louboutins…. " Rory shrugged as Bee carried on chit-chatting, "I wonder if we'll meet any cute guys during our travels.…."
"What about him?" Rory asked, jerking her head in the direction of the bar.
"He's got potential," Bee acknowledged with a sly smile, before snapping her fingers as if she remembered something important. "Do you happen to have a tampon in your gigantic purse?" she asked, lowering her typically loud voice into a whisper.
"Sure," Rory nodded and fished a little make-up bag from her purse and handed it to Bridget. "There's some Midol in there, too…"
"Fancy," she laughed, taking the bag. "I'll be right back. You are an absolute lifesaver."
Rory shook her head as she watched Bridget make eyes at the cute waiter before heading to the ladies. She really was too much, but in a completely good way. She knew they'd have a ton of fun out on the tour and it did her well that Bridget was so confident about their endeavor.
It'd be difficult to leave Logan and Lottie behind for five days, but as Bee reminded her so many times, it was only five days and they were close enough to race home, if needed. She glanced over the notes written in the margins one last time, before flicking back a few pages.
Her breath caught as she realized that something was noticeably absent. Rory flipped back another couple of pages and there it was, the tiny sad face she drew next to the day her period started. Rory silently counted the days as she flipped the pages forward again until she reached today's date.
She knew she didn't forget to draw the sad face, just as she knew there was an unopened box of tampons under the bathroom sink. Come to think of it, the strip of Midol in her purse was unused, too!
Sighing heavily, she counted the days one last time, hoping that her count would be different this time as math was never a strong suit, but her fingers never lied. She was ten days late.
"I got his number," Bridget announced happily as she returned from the ladies. "He wants to get drinks tomorrow night…"
"Congratulations," Rory said, distraction still evident in her tone.
"What's up, Ror?" Bridget asked, concern taking over. "I leave you alone for five minutes and you manage to freak out… don't do it girlie, this tour will be amazing!"
" I know," Rory assured her, slowly pushing her missing period to the back of her mind, "I was just thinking about.. .stuff."
"Little green monster?" Bridget joked, winking at the Potential Date. "I can imagine."
Rory let out a heartfelt laugh. "Not in the slightest. You know how hot my husband is," she couldn't help but smile as her ring caught the sunlight and sparkled.
"Sure he is, but you've got that honking piece of jewelry weighing you down," she quipped back.
Rory was relieved the meeting ended soon after that since her attempts at redirecting her thoughts weren't working. She was tuned into her body, instead of Bridget, waiting for a cramp, ache or some other indication to sneak-up on her and tell her that her lady friend hadn't gone missing, but was right here, right now!
But, in reality, she couldn't remember the last time she had actually felt those symptoms so it wasn't very likely she'd be curling up in bed with a box of chocolate this afternoon. She realized it was actually more likely she wouldn't see that time of the month for a good nine months as she had an insatiable appetite for Logan, and this was the only area he exceeded her appetite.
She grabbed her cell, but stuffed it back in her bag. Calling him wouldn't help one bit, she decided and headed for the drugstore instead.
"Ace?" Logan called to the seemingly empty apartment. He hadn't heard from her all afternoon, which was a little unexpected since he completely lost track of time at the zoo with Lottie, meaning that they were very late for dinner. Surely, Rory would have called to find out where they were!
He switched on the lights in the living room and put Lottie down in her play pen and headed for the bedroom.
"Ace?" The room was dark, but a light peeked out from under the bathroom door. Logan gently knocked on the door. "Rory? You in there?"
He heard her blow her nose and he only grew more concerned. "What happened, Ace?" he asked, running his hand to the door knob, feeling if it was locked, "Rory?"
Rory blew her nose a few more times, before she shuffled over and unlocked the bathroom door, revealing the mess she had made of the place.
Logan's eyes widened in surprise as his gaze shifted from her tear-streaked face to a stack of pregnancy tests, a mug of coffee and a half-eaten box of Godiva chocolates and back to her distraught face again. Her hair had fallen out of its bun and her make-up was smeared as a result of her excessive crying. She had exchanged her professional look of this morning for a pair of his boxers and a black camisole and fuzzy socks.
He was too stunned to talk so he just looked at her questioningly. Rory blinked back a few more tears, before turning on her heal and reclaiming her seat on the ground, with her back against the tub, waiting for the latest result as she bit into another chocolate, leaving him standing there in the doorway.
After a few moments he snapped out of it and entered the bathroom. "What happened, Rory?"
"I'm not pregnant," she cried, holding up the tiny plastic stick.
He dropped to his knees and reached for her hand. "It's okay, Ace. We aren't even really trying… it'll happen one day…." Logan kissed the back of her hand, "It'll happen."
"I just don't get it…" she frowned, leaning in. Logan's heart broke and he brushed a kiss on Rory's temple. "These things happen for a reason…"
Rory let herself get caught up in his sweet scent for a moment, before she realized that he was totally missing the point.
"But if I'm not pregnant I should be on my period," she told him as she leaned back out of their embrace. "No, I should have been done with it and been gearing up for the next…"
Logan shot her an disbelieving look. They might be soul mates, but that still didn't mean he could keep up with her sudden mood swings. "I don't follow…"
"I'm ten days late!" She stood up, stuck out her stomach and pointed at it. "No cramps, no bloating, no nothing." She frantically waved her hands over her stomach. "Nothing's happening. It's dead in there and it just disappeared."
Logan swallowed, not sure what to make of the situation. "Haven't you been late before?" he tried, wincing.
"Once!" She raised her hands to the sky, "And that was Lottie!"
"Well…" Logan sighed, feeling slightly uncomfortable about all the talk about women-troubles.
"What if it doesn't come back?" Rory asked, growing more distraught. "What will we do?"
"I don't know… maybe you are pregnant?"
Rory stopped her frenzied pacing to raise her eyebrows at him. "Twelve tests don't lie, Logan," she said, gesturing to the stack of boxes piled on the counter.
"You tried twelve?" he asked, not trying to hide his amusement.
"I bought one first and I didn't believe it, so I went back out and got some more…" she admitted sheepishly.
"Twelve."
"It seemed like a good statistical sample," she shrugged, "and I got a box of chocolates, too."
"Right," he nodded, watching as Rory let herself sink back to the floor. He grabbed her foot and started to rub it. "Do you want to go to the doctor to be sure? We can schedule an appointment right now."
Rory waited a beat, before letting out a deep sigh. "No. I'm not pregnant. I'm just… oh god, maybe I'm pre-menopausal?"
"You are not menopausal, Rory," Logan said firmly. "It'll come back."
She turned to look at him and a smile played at her lips. He really was the best husband. Standing here in a sea of plastic sticks and talking about her cycle – something that he was obviously uncomfortable with – earned him major points. And, what's more, he was right. She knew she wasn't pregnant; the tests didn't confirm it, her intuition did and he was right. It would return.
"I'm sorry, babe," she sighed, before pressing a light kiss on his cheek. "I freaked-out."
"It's okay; it's been a while…"
"Hey!" she playfully swatted his knee, but quickly found her niche and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat there in silence as Logan rubbed comforting circles on her back.
"It would have been nice, though," Logan said thoughtfully, breaking the silence.
"What? Aunt Flo?"
"No," he laughed, "If you were pregnant…"
Rory pulled back and shot him a quizzical look. "I guess."
"You guess?" Logan asked, instantly picking up on her less-than-enthusiastic comment.
"Uh, yeah." She ran a hand through her hair. "I mean, it's not perfect timing, you know, what with the campaign and, you know, Bee said if we were successful on the east coast, we'd head out west for a couple, three weeks…"
Logan's face hardened and he dropped Rory's hand from his. "When?"
"After Lottie's birthday, depending on the reviews."
"No, when were you going to tell me you don't want another baby?" All the compassion had left his tone; it was urgent and accusatory.
Rory's eyes widened. "But I do want a baby!"
"You seem pretty relieved that all of these tests are negative!"
"It's not the right time!" she tried to explain, but Logan wasn't hearing it. "Lottie wasn't planned either!"
"That was different!"
"How so?"
"How so?!" Rory asked in disbelief, "Are you serious?"
"I'm just asking," he said slowly, with a false calmness in his tone, "what would be so bad if you were pregnant now?"
"A million things!" she yelled back, "I can't even believe you have to ask, Logan! I was sick for half of the pregnancy – how'd I manage that on the tour?"
"What tour?" he scoffed, "It's four days!"
"Right now. Bee thinks it's going to be a huge hit. If it doe blow up, I'll be travelling…."
Logan remained quiet, instead of shouting back, which immediately planted doubt in Rory's mind. "You don't think it's going to be big?"
He sighed. "I didn't say that Rory."
"But you thought it," she snapped.
"Are you sure you aren't on your period? 'Cause you are acting crazy!"
"You lied to me, Logan! I get to be crazy!" she shot back, hotly.
"You lied to me, too!" he raised his voice for the first time in their argument, "You acted like you wanted the chance of a baby. You didn't go back on the Pill. You didn't put condoms on the grocery list… and now you turn around and say that it's not the right time!"
Rory locked her eyes to his and saw that he genuinely felt a sense of betrayal. Perhaps she had been leading him on, but truth was it wasn't the right time for a baby and now that they were in a situation they could manipulate to their benefit, Rory fully planned on using it.
"I'm going to go back on the Pill," she told him slowly and he opened his mouth to voice his argument once more. "I want to have another baby, Logan. I want Lottie to have a sibling, I really do, but just not right now, okay?" She rested her flat palm against his chest, which he took almost instantly.
"Promise?" he asked, looking at her hand instead of her.
Rory bit her bottom lip – you promise to make coffee, not a child – but she bit her swallowed her negative thoughts.
"I do."
And so the drama begins. Hope you aren't too upset, but you have to understand this plot has been with me since chapter twenty of New York Night. And things happened in that story that you weren't all too thrilled about and that all worked out in the end, right? Still, I'm dying to find out what you think and I take everything in to consideration, so don't be bashful. Let me hear it !!
Also, don't worry, Rory not getting her period isn't some dramatic hinting that she'll get sick or anything of the sort. Sometimes it happens.
Don't forget to review! Please :)