Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I know it has been way too long. So sorry I haven't updated. That evil writers block kicked in, but it has now gone away, so it will not be so long between chapters. As always thank you all for the favorites, follows and reviews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, whose turn is it to choose?" Pete asked as sat his laptop down on the dining room table. For the past six years Rory and Pete had taken a two week trip in the summer. Once they met Natasha, they included her in the trips.
"I think we are back to Rory." Natasha said as she sat down at the table. "So where's it going to be Ror?"
"Hmmm…I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it." Rory said as she brought the Chinese food to the table and sat down.
"Wait a minute, mark the calendar. Rory Gilmore does not have a plan." Pete said knocking his chair down as he stood up in his seat.
"Very funny Pete." She said as she threw a packet of soy sauce at him. "I have had a few things going on this year."
"True. So what do you want out of this vacation?" Pete replied.
"I want to just go somewhere tropical. I feel like just sitting on a beach somewhere and forgetting about everything." Rory said as she grabbed the container of Kung Pow Chicken.
"How about Hawaii?" Natasha asked as she reached for the container of shrimp fried rice.
"Hawaii works for me." Rory replied.
"So when do we want to leave?" Pete asked as he grabbed his laptop.
"The sooner the better. I feel like I just need to get away." Rory replied.
"Well, I'm not off till the first." Pete said checking his calendar.
"Rory and I have the DAR fundraiser for the troops on the third." Natasha said looking at her phone.
"Let's leave on the fifth. Two weeks, we can go from the fifth to the nineteenth." Rory replied.
"Which islands?" Pete asked as he reached for an egg roll.
"Let me see." Rory said as she grabbed Pete's laptop and started typing.
"So what's the DAR fundraiser on the third?" Pete asked.
"It's to support the troops. Everyone is to come in red, white and blue and we're going to have a silent auction. It should be fun." Natasha replied.
"Is Finn coming? Pete asked.
"Yes, my little fishy will be my plus one. Ror, who is going to be your plus one?" Natasha replied.
"Pete. Who else would I bring?" Rory replied as she looked up from the computer.
"I thought you might be bringing Logan." Natasha replied. "I've heard you two have been getting pretty close?"
"Oh yeah. Who's your source?" Rory asked as she closed the laptop.
"Finn told me Logan spent the night before he left for Kansas City." Natasha replied.
"Really now?" Rory questioned raising an eyebrow.
"You notice, she's not denying it." Pete chimed in.
"Yes, I did notice that." Natasha replied. "Spill Gilmore."
"Yes, Logan spent the night here before he left, but nothing happened. We are just friends." Rory replied as she picked up an egg roll. "Oh and I want to go to Kauai and Oahu."
"You are as bad as he is. Finn couldn't get the dirt either. He said some bull shit about falling asleep while watching movies." Natasha commented
"And you don't believe him?" Rory asked.
"No, I believe it is entirely possible that he fell asleep watching movies. However, I don't think that is what really happened." Natasha replied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was Friday afternoon and Logan had just returned to his apartment after being on a grueling business trip in Kansas City. As he was unpacking his suitcase, he decided to call Rory. It had been about a week since they talked and he missed her.
"Liar." Rory said with a laugh as she answered the phone.
"Well hello to you too." He replied. "Why am I a liar?"
"Do you remember the last words you spoke to me?
Thinking back on that morning, he remembered her walking him to the door, and then he remembered kissing her. He missed kissing her every day. It was something he hadn't thought about in years but now that they had been spending time together he would think about how it used to be before he screwed everything up with that proposal. "I'm waiting." Rory said bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Refresh my memory." He replied.
"I'll call you."
"What do you think I am doing now?" He asked with a smirk.
"A week later." She replied.
"Better late than never."
"Whatever. So what's going on? Are you home? How was your trip?"
"Not much going on, I just got home. What are you up to?"
"Baking cookies."
"Sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say you were baking cookies?" Logan replied sarcastically.
"Yes. Liam, Gigi and April are coming over tonight." Rory replied.
"What's the occasion?" Logan asked.
"No occasion. I just felt like spending some time with my siblings. I figured we could have a fun little movie night."
"Well that answers my next question. I was going to ask you if you wanted to do something tonight, but it sounds like you have other plans."
"Yeah, sorry. Maybe we can do something tomorrow? I'm meeting my dad for breakfast and to drop off Gigi in Hartford, then I am going to chemo with my grandpa. Why don't I call you when I am done?"
"Sounds like a plan." Logan replied sounding a little down.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, it has just been a rough week. I'll let you get back to your baking." Logan replied as he hung up the phone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night Rory did movie night with her siblings. They started off with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 for Liam and Ella Enchanted for Gigi. It was about midnight and Rory was talking to April about school when Rory's phone rang. Rory looked at the caller ID and saw that Natasha was calling.
"Hey Tash, what's going on?" Rory answered the phone.
"Hey Ror, I hate to bug you because I know you have all the kids over, but Finn just got a call from Logan. He sounded pretty bad. He wanted Finn to come pick him up, but Finn is with me in Washington. Do you think you could go get him?"
"Where is he?"
"Finn said he was at the pub."
"He's in New Haven?"
"I guess. Finn said you would know where that was. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't an emergency and Finn seemed really worried."
"I know. Let Finn know I am on my way."
"Thanks Rory." Natasha said as she hung up the phone.
"What's going on?" April asked as Rory hung up the phone.
"Apparently Logan is at a pub in New Haven. I have to go pick him up. Um…" Rory said as she looked for her keys feeling a bit frazzled. "Stay with the kids. I should be back in about an hour."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been seven years since Rory stepped foot in the pub and it hadn't changed a bit. Rory made her way up to the bar where she found Logan drowning his sorrows in scotch.
"Rory!" Logan shouted as he saw her. "Mike, this is the one I was telling you about. The one that got away." He slurred as he put his arm around her. "Two more Mike."
"No can do man." Mike, the bartender replied.
"What do you mean 'no can do'? I've got money." Logan replied.
"Your money's no good." Mike replied.
"Logan, why don't I take you home?" Rory said as she could see Logan starting to get angry.
"Ace, you remember the good times we had here?" Logan asked now focused on Rory.
"Yeah Logan, we had some good times here. But now it's time to go." Rory replied as she walked Logan out to the car.
"I've missed you Ace. " Logan said as he stumbled to her car.
"Logan, you were only gone a week." Rory replied as she got him in the car.
"I don't want to be your friend anymore." Logan said as Rory got into the driver's seat.
"What are we five?" Rory said with a laugh confused by Logan's drunken ramblings.
"No, I miss you. I don't want to be friends." Logan slurred.
"You miss me, but you don't want to be friends. Logan, you're not making any sense. Why don't you just close your eyes? We will be home soon."
"I don't want to go home. I want to go with you."
"You are going with me. Just close your eyes." Rory said as she continued to drive home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She had managed to get him up to her room without waking anyone.
"Where are we?" He asked as she sat him on the bed.
"My room." She replied as she kneeled down attempting to take off his shoes.
"Why did you bring me here?" He asked slurring his words a bit.
"Because I wasn't about to drive all the way to Hartford and back." She replied with a laugh.
"No, I mean why am I here? Why are you helping me?" He asked.
"Because we are friends." She replied.
"I hate that word. Friends. I don't want to be friends." He replied.
"I'm not sure I want to friends with you right now either." She replied.
"No, you're not understanding me. I'm tired of playing the 'we're just friends' game. I dream about you every night. I hate waking up in the morning because reality sets in that the happiness I felt was only a dream. I want to make love to you until the sun comes up and fall asleep with you in my arms. I want to wake up with you every morning. I want you." He said with passion in his eyes.
"Logan, I am not going to have this conversation with you now." She said as she started to walk away.
"Why not?" He shouted.
"Because I have a house full and you're drunk." She replied in a loud whisper as she left the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She didn't sleep at all that night. His words played on repeat in her head. She tried to tell herself that it was just the alcohol talking, but deep down she knew there was truth behind his words. A truth she wasn't sure she was ready to accept.
When she went to her room to wake him up he was already gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the day before her trip and Rory was in her room packing when she heard the doorbell ring. She rushed down the stairs thinking that she was running behind. Natasha and Finn were coming over for a barbecue and to watch the Independence Day fireworks. She opened the door to find Logan standing on the other side.
"Hi." She said a little shocked to see him. It had been a week since that night she picked him up from the pub and she hadn't heard a peep from him.
"Hi." He replied back. "Finn told me that you were having a barbecue and that I should come."
"Yeah, I would have invited you, but I haven't heard from you in a week." Rory replied a little irritation in her voice.
"Sorry, I know I have been MIA. "
"Come in and have a seat. Finn and Natasha should be here soon." She said he followed her into the house.
"So, I heard you are leaving next week for Hawaii." He said making conversation.
"Actually tomorrow." She replied as she offered him a bottle of water.
"Thanks." He replied as he took it. "I thought Natasha said that she was leaving on Wednesday."
"Natasha is leaving on Wednesday because they moved up her gallery opening. Pete and I leave tomorrow morning." She replied as she sat down next to him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"The other night, when you brought me back here, I said some things."
"Logan, you were drunk. Don't worry about it." She said as the doorbell rang. "That is probably Natasha and Finn."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was getting late. Natasha and Finn left right after the fireworks as they were staying in Manhattan for the night. Pete and Logan were entertaining Rory with a conversation on their mostly shared taste in music.
"The Motley Crue Final Tour started a couple of days ago. I was going to see if I could drag Rory to go with me when it hit the east coast." Pete said as they sat out on the deck.
"Good luck with that. Anytime I would put on any music from the Eighties, she would accuse me of being her father." Logan said with a laugh.
"It's not my fault you have the same taste in music as my father." Rory replied.
"On that note, I am going to head to bed. We have a long day ahead of us and we need to be at the airport by seven." Pete said as he made his way in. "Logan, it was good to see you."
"Have a good trip." Logan replied.
"Night." Rory called over her shoulder.
Once Pete made his way in, Logan decided to get back to the topic he had brought up hours ago, before he was interrupted.
"I don't think I can do this anymore? Logan said.
"Do what?" Rory asked.
"This 'just friends' thing."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want to be just friends. We have never been 'just friends'. Rory, I want more, and I think you do too."
"Logan, so much has happened…" She started.
"We are working through that. It is in the past. Let's move on from that."
"What's wrong with what we have now?"
"It's not working for me. I thought that I could do this, just be friends with you, but I can't. It takes every bit of self-control for me not to kiss you as soon as I see you."
"Logan…"
"Tell me you don't want it too and I will leave right now. You will never have to see me again. What do you want Rory?"
"I don't know." Rory said as she got up and started pacing. "I need to think."
"No you don't. Last time I gave you time to think, we didn't see each other for seven years. Have you ever just followed your heart without thinking of every possible scenario?" He said stopping her from her pacing.
"Last time I did that, I ended up in a dressing room with you at my grandparents vow renewal." She said looking into his eyes.
"That didn't turn out so bad, did it? "
"Logan…" She said as she tiled her head to the side.
"Rory, I can't do this. If you don't want to be with me, I don't think we can see each other anymore."
"Why does it always have to be all or nothing with you?"
"Rory…"
"No, I can't do this. I can't just forget everything and move on."
"Then, I guess this is it." Logan said as he walked out.
