I'm really sorry about the lack of updates in the past 3 months. Don't really have any excuse except I was kind of nervous to put out this chapter. I have to warn you guys…as much as I didn't want this to be the typical Rogan conflict it sort of came out that way but with a small little twist thanks to a suggestion by a reviewer named Jenny. Don't worry though! I've got a couple things in mind for a few twists here and there.

Oh and didn't really put one in the other chapters, but:

DISCLAIMER: sadly Gilmore Girls isn't mine but I'd gladly make Matt Czuchry mine if at all possible :-P

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Rory was back in her office trying to figure out ways to avoid Logan for the rest of the day. One meeting with him was enough to send her running. Another look at him and she thought she would actually let her anger out by throwing office supplies at him. She tried to focus on her article but the thought of him being in the same building was making her all kinds of anxious, angry, and nervous. She hated feeling this way. She hated the fact that she wasn't in better control of her emotions after a couple of years of not seeing him.

Rory kept glancing at her clock every ten minutes. This had to be one of the slowest days of her life. By the time it was almost 6 she still couldn't concentrate on the article. A part of her was angry that neither Finn, Stephanie, nor Collin told her that Logan was back in town. They were bound to know.

She started to put her things away, admitting defeat that she didn't get anywhere in her work. She decided that a good dose of some strong coffee would help her clear her head. It was after 6 by the time she made it down to her favorite coffee shop on 5th. She opened the doors and continued to the register, not noticing the interesting group that was sitting by the windows. When Rory finished ordering her coffee, she turned and to her surprise, was greeted with bewildered faces, including Logan's.

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Six o'clock rolled around and Logan made his way to the coffee shop. He was beyond nervous because he was about to face his demons. Re-hashing the past was something he didn't want to do but if he wanted to ever have even the slightest chance with Rory again, he would have to talk to his friends.

He looked around the busy coffee shop and didn't see Finn, Colin, or Steph. He ordered a big cup of coffee to help him relax. He had never really liked coffee but after meeting Rory, he got hooked on the aromatic liquid and got used to drinking more than 3 cups a day. After he got his drink, he walked over to a table by the windows and waited patiently. This was definitely something he wasn't looking forward to. After 5 minutes or so, he glanced over the door to see his friends walk in. They went to order their drinks and he signaled them over to the table.

Logan stood up to greet Stephanie first with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. She had gotten so big with her pregnancy and he was happy for her and Colin. He found that he was jealous that they were about to make their own family. Next he hugged Colin then Finn.

They all sat around the table not knowing what to do next. Logan took this as his cue to start talking.

"I know I have a lot to explain but please bear with me. It's not exactly the easiest thing for me to talk about. I can't say enough though how much I regret not speaking to you guys about this sooner."

Stephanie gave him an encouraging smile and Colin and Finn just waited in silence, nodding their heads that they were all ears.

"Okay were to start," Logan took a slow slip before diving in.

"We all know that our future is all planned out for us from the day we are born." 'Wow that was lame,' Logan thought.

"You know what I'm just gonna cut the bullshit," He took another sip, finding that his throat was really dry. "It's no secret my parents didn't like the idea of me dating Rory let alone making her my future wife. You guys have to believe me when I say that Rory was it for me."

At this statement, Finn snorted a little bit which only earned him a glare from Stephanie. Logan chose to ignore it and continued.

"After my stint in London and after she graduated, I wanted to propose and start living my life with her. I was all set. Believe it or not but I had the engagement ring all picked out," Logan put his hand in his pocket and produced a stunning solitaire diamond ring. His friends looked at the ring in shock. He had kept the ring. Maybe it was masochistic for him to still have it but carrying it around with him almost grounded him. It was a constant reminder that love really existed and in a way, kept him sane.

"I couldn't imagine having a family with anyone else but Rory. One day I went and talked to Mitchum about my wishes for the future only to earn a reprimand from him. He outright forbid me from ever marrying Rory. I said he may be able to control my professional life but not my personal one," Logan started going on autopilot and remembered that day very well.

"Dad! You don't have a say in this. I will marry Rory and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!"

"I beg to differ Logan. You know as well as I do that she cannot be a proper wife for you. We have an image to uphold."

Logan chuckled bitterly, "And what's that Dad? Put on the society face and pretend everything is all right at home while your wife is clinically depressed and you're screwing your secretary?"

Mitchum's face turned red. The next words he spoke were low and quiet and deathly, "You will not marry Rory. You will marry Vanessa Lion for a merger with her father's company. We have a media empire Logan. An empire that was started long before my father, you, and myself were born. You will not destroy it with a marriage to a bastard child who does not know how our society functions."

Logan was so shocked by what his father had just said that he was speechless.

"You forget that she wants to be a journalist. How will she ever find a job when I control so much in this industry? No matter how talented she is, she will find that she can't get anything better than being an assistant for some low-life editor. You also forget that I am willing to take this whole business away from you. This may not seem like such a threat but believe me when I say I can make your life a living hell.

"Your children will not get any support from me. I will cut you off from all the money and all the jobs. Think about it. Rory will resent you. You will get a divorce. And all for what? Marrying a girl you think is the one for the rest of your life. Wake up Logan! This is your life," Mitchum opened his arms and gestured around his large office.

Logan finally found his voice and couldn't help but yell at his insane father, "Why? Why are you doing this to me? I've done nothing but follow your orders down to the T. I'm in this god-forsaken country and I've been doing everything I can to impress you! You are insane! First of all arranged marriages are so archaic that I cannot believe you are trying to implement it. Second, I don't even know what this woman you're trying to get me to marry looks like! Third, and most important of all, I love Rory!"

"Impress me when you can do what I do with a wife that will not distract you from your work. To address your other…concerns…an arranged marriage is not unheard of in our world Logan. It doesn't matter what you think."

"Rory is anything but a distraction! She has made me better. She has made me focus! You should be the one thanking her! And who gives a shit if arranged marriages aren't unheard of. Those are for people who are only after money and status. Neither Rory nor I care about either of those. We want to be together. Why can you not understand that?" Logan retaliated.

"Do you not understand our family's importance? She will not have time to be the proper wife. You will have many society functions to go to, not to mention having your own functions to plan. These events are important for both our image and our company. This is my last warning Logan. I suggest you choose the right path." With that, Mitchum picked up his phone, "Tell the editors the meeting will start in 10 minutes."

Logan got the message and stormed out of his office.

Logan paused. Recounting this part of the story wasn't even the hardest part. By the looks of his friends' faces, they seemed to understand where he was coming from. But he had a feeling that that was about to change when he dove into the second part of this story.

"That's not all. A few weeks after that conversation with him, there was a charity ball in London hosted by some important family in London or other. Anyways, I went just to get Mitchum off my back and give him less reason to completely go through with the consequences of marrying Rory.

"I did the usual polite society thing, had the mask on, and acted like the perfect little heir, while all the while downing drink after drink. To top it all off, I hadn't seen Rory for a while and missed her so much. Everything felt like it was weighing down on me and I couldn't breathe," Logan paused yet again. What he was about to say was the hardest for him.

"I met this girl. Tall, brunette, blue eyes. She had approached me first. She had already known my name and in my overly drunk state I couldn't care less what her name was. We got to talking and she didn't bore me, unlike the rest of the people that were there. We kept on talking and I kept on drinking. Before I knew it we were out on the dance floor. I had her in my arms and for a moment she had turned into Rory. All I wanted to do was kiss her.

"I was caught in this fantasy that Rory was standing right in front of me. I missed her so much that I kissed this woman only to find that it didn't feel right. I opened my eyes and to my horror it wasn't Rory. I quickly excused myself and apologized. I got the hell out of there."

Steph, Finn, and Colin couldn't believe what they just heard. He had actually kissed another girl. They didn't know what to think.

"I found out later that Vanessa was sent over by her father and Mitchum. It was all part of some ridiculous ploy: the fastest way to try to get me to comply with my father's wishes. He had cameras ready to try to catch any kind of flirtation with me and Vanessa.

"And then, I had to make that huge mistake. I kissed her and it was all caught on camera. Two days later, Mitchum wanted to talk again. I was hoping that he had come to his senses," Logan chuckled bitterly. "He showed me the photographs. He didn't have any problem publishing those photos. He kept saying how it would be better to break up with Rory now instead of her finding out that I had kissed another girl because of some picture."

Logan looked down at his cup and quietly said, "What kind of father blackmails his son for his own purposes? What kind of person uses two innocent people for his own advancement?"

Everyone was silent for a few moments. Colin and Finn didn't know if they should take Logan outside and kick his ass for cheating on Rory or to give him a hug because his own father used him. Steph began to shed tears. Logan's story was harder to bear than any of them had realized.

"Vanessa hadn't known that I was getting blackmailed. When she came over to me, she thought it was just a simple meet and greet. Rory, Vanessa, and I are all victims ready to be sacrificed all for the sake of business. I didn't know what to do but thought of the best way to lessen the hurt that was inevitable for Rory if I chose to ignore Mitchum or if I chose to comply.

"So, I called her that night and broke up with her. I didn't think of how much it would still hurt her to see that I was going to be engaged but I didn't know it was going to be announced so soon after I broke up with her. Two months. Two months and I was engaged to a girl I barely knew. I didn't propose to her. Somehow it was as if one day we were engaged. It was like my freedom was pulled out from under me without warning.

"I was a coward. I couldn't tell Rory that I kissed another girl. At the same time I was looking out for her, for her future. And all for what? A failed marriage. Apparently it doesn't even matter that we got divorced. Pre-nup had a specific time frame. It gave us a year or so to stay married. After that, it didn't matter as if the marriage could be broken down in the same instant it was erected. I've made the biggest mistake of my life and now I have to live with it," Logan was still looking down at his cup and found that he couldn't say more. He was tired, angry, and hurt all over again.

Logan shook his head briefly. No one spoke a word but it was clear that everyone was speechless.

Colin was the first to try to say something, "I…I…you know I don't know. I just wish you told us so much sooner Logan."

"Believe me, I realize that now. I know it was the worst decision I made not coming to you guys right away and also not telling Rory right after I got that ultimatum, but I felt that this way, if I chose to obey Mitchum, breaking up with her and leave her thinking that it was distance that drove us apart, would help her move on easier. I didn't think I would have made the mistake of kissing someone else and getting blackmailed. I didn't take into account that it still looked like I cheated on her after getting engaged so soon after our breakup. It became worse and I was a lot to blame."

"Yeah, well she didn't move on so easily," Finn put in a word. Logan winced.

"Look, mate, I understand all the pressure you were put through but you should have talked to us first. We could've helped you somehow."

"I can't say enough how much I've regretted everything. I had a loveless marriage and now I'm divorced. I lost Rory. If I wasn't such a coward and told her that I kissed Vanessa, we might still be together right now. We would be married and living on our own terms."

Before anything else could be said, Steph looked over to the counter and let out a gasp. Everyone turned to where she was looking only to see Rory ordering coffee. Rory unknowingly turned towards them and was taken by surprise.

That surprise quickly turned to anger and she stormed out of the coffee shop. Logan immediately stood up but Finn beat him to it as he ran out of the coffee shop after Rory.

"Rory! Love! Please stop!"

"You know what Finn? Just leave me alone!"

Finn caught up to her and took hold of her arm, "Rory. Let's talk about this."

"No! First of all, I don't care. Second, I can't believe you guys didn't tell me he was back in town! I couldn't prepare myself. I had to see his face during a meeting and I wasn't prepared. Just let me go. I have to sort this out on my own right now."

Finn let her go as tears started to build up in her eyes. She glanced at him briefly and started back in the direction she was going.

Back inside the coffee shop, Logan had sat back down and held is head in his hands. He thought, 'What did I do to deserve this?'

Steph sensed his utter sadness and started to rub circles on his back. Logan looked up and gave her a small smile.

"Now that you've finally talked to us about this, we can help you in any way we can. We'll help you get through it Logan, I promise," Steph smiled reassuringly. Finn had come back in. He and Colin looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah Logan. You're not alone," Colin reaffirmed.

Logan was grateful that he was once again in the company of his best friends and couldn't help but think of how much of an idiot he was not to have told them sooner.

They all sat thinking about the whole situation and letting it all sink in. Unbeknownst to them, they were all thinking the same thing. Logan was divorced but Rory was engaged.

Logan, in this new track of actually talking to his friends decided to bring up another subject he dreaded.

"So Rory's engaged to John Astor?" Logan asked quietly. He heaved a sigh and looked out the window. His friends nodded in response, not one of them surprised that he already knew. It was becoming big news and fast among the elite.

Finally, Logan sat up straight and said with much conviction, "I still love Rory. I probably will never stop. If there is even the slightest ounce of chance that I can still get her back, I will do anything to take it. I can't lose her a second time."

'Otherwise I just might break for good,' Logan thought.

Steph gave him a huge grin.

Colin simply smirked.

And Finn rubbed his hands together and said, "Mate, I extremely dislike Astor as much as the next socialite. I will help you in any way I can."

Logan looked at his friends amazed and then broke out with a big smile. He was grateful for his life-long friends and couldn't remember the last time he had felt this happy.

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Of course reviews are always, ALWAYS, welcome. Please! I'd like to know what you guys want to see in this story and suggestions are also ALWAYS welcome. Thanks!