Chapter 14

The ringing doorbell woke Rory from an unexpected nap. She didn't even realize she had been sleeping. Did I fall asleep during Buffy? How did I fall asleep during my favorite show? She thought. She'd never fallen asleep during Buffy before. She remembered the dream she was having and was thoroughly puzzled by it. What could it mean? What was it about? She wondered.

She answered the door to see Logan, just like her dream. He led her to the car, opening the door for her, and closing it once she was inside. She was experiencing deja vu. They drove to the restaurant, and she decided to wait until they'd ordered to ask how things were going with the divorce. There was a nagging feeling lingering from her dream. Logan still couldn't believe Rory was giving him another chance. He had been convinced there was something going on between her and Finn. There's no way that would happen. Finn was his best friend and Rory was carrying his child. Now, if he could only resolve the Odette situation. It was trickier than he'd thought, thanks to an iron-clad prenup, which was, essentially, a business merger.

After they'd ordered, Rory decided to dive in.

"So, we haven't really had much of a chance to discuss how things are going with your father and Odette," she said.

"Things are progressing slowly," he replied.

"I just don't want to see things blow up and get out of hand. This affects more than just the two of us - there's a baby involved," she replied. She wanted to convey the importance of the issue.

"I know, Ace. It's just going to take time. It's a very complicated situation," he explained without saying much.

"I guess I feel like we are sneaking around and hiding."

"I would never do that," he replied with a smile and touching her hand.

She gave a small smile back just as dinner arrived. The food became a distraction from the divorce subject. They chatted, smiled, laughed, and joked. Rory still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Why did my dream throw such doubt on the Logan situation? She asked herself.

After their date, Logan drove Rory back home. He walked her up to the door. She let him kiss her. She felt herself getting lost in his embrace. It was a comfortable, familiar place for her. He gently pulled away.

"Do you want to go inside?" he asked with a smile.

Rory paused, thinking about her dream that was still in the back of her mind.

"I think we should just say goodnight, Logan," she replied.

"If that's what you want," he replied, disappointed.

"It is. Besides, what kind of girl would you think I am if I invited you in on a first date?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. She didn't want to tell him about her doubting dream, as he would talk her right out of any reservations she had. He was always good like that.

He smiled, kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ace."

"Goodnight, Logan."

She went inside. She looked at the clock. It was just after nine, but she had to talk to someone about her dream and the whole Logan situation. She couldn't talk to Finn because she didn't want to get him into the middle of this mess. It would complicate everything and put him in an extremely awkward situation. Her mom was definitely not the person either after what happened in San Francisco. Then it came to her - Paris!

She decided to text Paris first to make sure she was available.

Rory: Paris, I really need to talk to you about something. You available to chat?

Paris: Give me 10 minutes.

Perfect. Time enough to get comfortable, she thought. She went to change into her pajamas, and true to her word, Paris called ten minutes later.

"What's going on, Rory?"

"I need some help," Rory replied.

"Money help?" she asked.

"No, no, not money."

"Then what?" Paris asked, starting to sound slightly irritated.

"It involves the father of my baby."

"What about Huntzberger?"

"How did you know?" she replied, stunned.

"It's obvious, Rory. I did the math."

"Please, don't tell anyone!"

"Tell them what? That the fourth Bee Gee has fulfilled his destiny of ruining my best friend's life by impregnating and abandoning her while married to some rich, French bimbo? Wouldn't think of it!"

"In his defense, they were engaged at the time. Fast forward to him begging me for another chance and I've agreed," she said.

"You what?" Paris shouted. "How many chances are you going to give this rich, playboy schmuck?"

"He's divorcing her," Rory replied quietly and unsure.

"Are you telling me this information, or trying to convince yourself that it's true?"

Rory thought for a moment. She hated it when Paris was right. "Both, I think," she admitted.

"So, how does this involve me?"

"I had a dream this afternoon, and ever since I woke up, I've been filled with doubt about the situation."

"It took a damn dream to fill you with doubt about something involving Logan? That should have been a given from the start, Rory."

"Too late for that now, Paris. It seems like we've been sneaking around a lot and avoiding places we'd normally go."

"So you need me to do some dirty work for you?"

"I prefer to think of it as investigating, but yes."

Paris thought for a moment before she agreed. "Give me a couple of days."

"Thank you, Paris. I knew I could count on you!"

"You can thank me when I've got something on New Haven's favorite whore hound."

"Bye, Paris."

"I'll be in touch. Bye, Rory."

After Rory hung up, she felt a slight sense of relief. Paris was the one person she could count on for the truth, even if it hurts. She had to know, and the doubt wasn't going away anytime soon. Her phone buzzed a minute later. Wow, Paris was fast, she thought. The message wasn't from her, it was from Finn.

Finn: How'd the date go?

Rory: It was fine. Hey, what time do you get back in town tomorrow?

Finn: I should be back in the mid-afternoon. Why?

Rory: We haven't seen each other in forever and I miss my Finn time.

She just needed to see someone she could trust, and not have to worry about his intentions. Besides, she'd always had fun with Finn.

Finn: How about you let me take you to dinner?

Rory: You read my mind! It's a date. See you tomorrow!

Did she really call dinner with me a date? He thought. He was confused by the wording, but he was probably getting caught up in the semantics. He was looking forward to having some time with Rory. For the first time in the last two weeks, he was looking forward to going home.