chapter four (made him believe he could live again)

Rory came downstairs an hour later, showered and dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Her mother frowned in distaste. "Can you go put on something nice? We have to go meet the Huntzbergers." You could hear the cringe in her voice. "I don't want my daughter to be looking like trash. They'll be sorry they ever started this fight when they see you married off to someone not their son in five years."

"Excuse me?" She looked at her mother in disbelief.

Lorelai just waved her hand impatiently. "Go, change.

She scoffed and ran upstairs to her room. She pulled a jersey cotton black wrap dress out of her closet and threw it on, tying the small strings at her hip, with a light green camisole underneath, just a little shown where the v-neck fell to her mid-breast. She put on black flats and brushed her hair, not even bothering to finish the rest.

When she came back downstairs, her mother nodded and gave a small noise of approval. "Like I said, we can't have you looking like trash."

"Yes," Rory said sarcastically. "We can't have that."

"Come on, your father is in the car."

"We're driving?" she asked ludicrously. "It's right next door!"

"It's not proper to show up on foot, Rory. Now come on. We have to fix what you did last night."

Rory climbed in the back seat of the Mercedes, looking in the rearview mirror to see her father's face. He was constantly at the office, hardly cared one way or the other what she did. Her mother probably had to force him to come over here, to sit in a room with the Huntzberger, let alone his own, families. But she always knew he loved her. Whether it was picking her up from boarding school (when she was still in this continent, of course) or sitting and silently watching TV with her.

His face was the same as she always saw it. Dull, bored expression on his face, but ready to crack out an argument or witty comment at any moment. She smiled to herself, at least some things would stay the same.

"Christopher," Lorelai said, "don't start by yelling. That will get us nowhere. Rory made a mistake last night and we need to fix it before they get some crazy ideas in their heads, like always."

"You know I'm still in the car, right?" Rory asked.

"And you," her mother said, turning in her seat to look at her daughter, "No sarcastic comments from you. You just sit there and-"

"Look pretty," she finished. "I know."

Lorelai turned back around in her seat for the short drive, and by the time she did so, they were already parked in the driveway.

Rory crossed her arms over her chest as they stood in front of the double doors. She leaned on a pillar while her mother sounded the knocker and waited for them to open the doors.

It must be killing them to meet like this after everything that had happened. Their daughter and son ruining the wall they had built between the families by a simple dance and an idiot photographer trying to get some money for this month's rent.

A maid opened the door and Rory rolled her eyes as she followed her parents inside the Huntzberger mansion. The maid ushered them into the living room where Logan, his parents, Shira and Mitchum, and his grandfather, Elias were all sitting, talking quietly amongst themselves. Well, more Mitchum and Elias talking, Shira listening, and Logan being shot death glares.

Mitchum stood from his seat at the sight of the Hayden family in his living room. He cleared his throat and the others followed suit. "Well."

"Mitchum," Chris said tersely.

"Logan, Rory, please leave us alone to discuss the matter."

Rory threw her hands up lightly and rolled her eyes, earning a glare from her mother and a smile from her father.

Logan pressed a hand into her back to move her into the kitchen before she said anything else to further anger the families.

Logan stood by the counter, pulling a small flask out of his pocket, taking a drink before handing it to her. "Never too early for this," he said, smirking.

"Your daughter is a disgrace to this entire society! Born out of wedlock! An utter disgrace! And the fact she was with my son, soiling his image!" The screaming of Shira was all Rory and Logan could hear from the kitchen.

She gave him a tight smile and raised the flask in a toast. "Cheers," she said weakly before taking a long drink.

He leaned against the counter. "Is it always like this?"

She sat at the kitchen table, "Like what?"

"Your parents calling you illegitimate?"

She laughed softly, "No, but it comes up every now and then. Besides, I'm not necessarily illegitimate. I'm just born out of wedlock to my mother at a very young age. Since when is that odd?"

"Apparently for a while."

She looked down at her nails, which were clasped in front of her on the wood table. "You know, this is probably the most civil we've been to each other since I've gotten back."

"Where were you, exactly?"

She smiled, "You mean you didn't follow my every move?" He looked at her pointedly. "Europe, mostly. They tried one in South America but they didn't like me much."

"Why are you back?"

"Supposedly to have me closer to home, but everyone knows that's bullshit. Honestly, I have no clue." She stood up from the table, moving to the swinging door now that the voices had quieted so they could only hear murmurs.

"What are you doing?" he asked, coming up behind her to peek through the crack.

"Listening to what they're saying."

"Why, so they can insult you a little more?"

She turned around to look at him and he held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just saying, all they've said about you is insulting to you."

She put a finger to his lips, quieting him. "Logan, I haven't told you this since we were thirteen years old and I think I miss it." She paused. "Shut up."

He smiled, remembering the summers she was home. They had long since stopped being nice to each other and spent their time bickering and yelling at each other. More often than not, she screamed from her window for him to shut up when he was annoying her.

They crouched by the door, Logan trying to push Rory out of the way so he could hear. She in the end pushed him over and put her ear to the door.

Mitchum was the one talking. "Well, if you hadn't had the need to underhandedly steal the money of my company…"

Chris blanched, "I didn't underhandedly steal your money! I am a financial advisor for your company! That loss of money had nothing to do with me."

"And your daughter is another story." Rory visably rolled her eyes.

"They always come back to that," she murmured. Logan smirked and moved next to her to see the five in the living room.

"That didn't stop the two of them from becoming inseparable when they were younger! You didn't seem to mind her circumstances then!" Christopher yelled, standing up for his daughter.

Logan and Rory quickly looked at each other before, embarrassed, moved apart from where they were sitting shoulder to shoulder in front of the door.

She moved back and sat against the pantry wall. "When did all of this happen?"

"Weren't we six or seven?" he asked.

She nodded, "That sounds right."

They fell silent and avoided looking at each other. Logan, trying to avoid the flesh left uncovered from her dress, the intricate flawlessness of her skin, and those eyes. She, trying not to blush under his scrutiny as he failed to avoid looking at her.

"Well," she started, "it doesn't seem they'll be done for a while, so I'm just going to go home." She pointed to the back door that led to the gardens, and ultimately, the path her and Logan had created to each other's houses when they were young.

"I'll walk you back," he said, standing up from his spot on the floor, brushing off his pants.

"Oh, that's not necessary. I think I know the way back," she said sarcastically.

He shrugged, "I don't want to be here any more than you do." He opened the French door for both of them and allowed her to go first, her dress flowing behind her as a breeze greeted them.

She turned to him as they walked, "Do you think they even got to the topic of the newspaper yet?"

He stared straight ahead, "Give it a few hours." He held a tree branch out of the way so she could duck under as they took the way through the trees to her house.

"Oh," she gasped, "I forgot this was back here." They had come to a black wrought iron gate that led to their "castle" or so they called it when they were five. Their parents had it built for them so their loud yelling wouldn't disturb them and their guests.

She turned to him and smiled, her eyes glistening. "Let's go."

"I'll just stay here and watch."

Her smile faded and she brushed by him back out of the gate. "I should get home."

"Parents expecting you?" he asked sarcastically and she flipped him off.

"Jesus, what did I do this time, Rory?"

"Why do you have to be like this?" she asked, stopping and turning around to look at him.

"Like what?"

"I'm trying to fix our friendship and you're just stepping all over it."

"Why bother? Either way, our parents won't be happy with anything we do."

"So why not let us be happy? If they're going to be upset with whatever we do, we might as well be happy doing it."

"And being my friend makes you happy?" He had a skeptical look on his face that she just wanted to smack off.

She looked up to her house, "Nevermind. I don't know what I was thinking."