A/N: People seemed to have a negative reaction to Max (wonder why :P?) So I've given you this chapter as a gift – there is no Max.

Enjoy.

A big thank you goes out to my new beta Kelly (mxgirl3) who was willing to read the crappy version in order to give you the pretty, revised… not so crappy version.

Chapter 20: Swimsuit in the Condom Box

"Mrs. Gilmore, your coffee," the maid said, entering the Gilmore chambers. Richard was conducting a business meeting of sorts; goodness knows how he managed to organize something here.

"Thank you," she replied, before returning to her magazine.

Rory, Logan, and… Max, she thought with distaste, would be home soon. Then she'd be able to set the next part of her plan into motion. Shira may be willing to sit back and watch Rory and Max get together, but Rory was her granddaughter, and as her grandmother, it was her duty to look out for her well-being.

Perfect, she thought, seeing a black dress in the magazine. If I'm lucky, I can get it shipped in time for the departure party.

----GG----

"Rory, that's your fourth cup," Max said, as he watched her drink another cup of coffee.

"I figure it's best to pace myself. You know? Start slow now and build back up to my regular caffeine intake. I've physically exerted myself, and I'm not really sure what kind of an effect that will have on my body. It's best to start the recovery before the problem presents itself. Proactive thinking, my mother would like to call it." Taking the last sip of coffee from her mug, she waved the waiter over and motioned him to refill it.

"That's something my mother taught me, thinking ahead. For example, we had a movie night before this trip. A Power Ranger theme, which began with the classic Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie, and continued with hits Power Rangers in 3D: Triple Force, Power Rangers Light Speed Rescue, and ended with the timeless classic Turbo: A Power Ranger Movie. Now many would have found this overwhelming, Luke being no exception. It was his first Power Ranger marathon, and completely understandable. Now, my mother's brilliant proactive thinking meant that she made him wear one of those nasal lifts… you know what I'm talking about?"

"You mean those strips for your nose to stop snoring?" Logan asked, completely captured by her story.

"Exactly!" Rory exclaimed. "Well, she made him put one of those on before the marathon started. That way, when he fell asleep in the middle like he did during the Charlie Chaplin marathon, the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate marathon, and the Johnny Depp is a Sex God marathon, his snoring wouldn't disturb the movie."

"Now, my mother is a brilliant woman. Don't get me wrong, she truly is! She just didn't think quite proactively enough. It seems as if Luke's grumbling about how itchy the nasal lift was, was actually more distracting and disturbing than the snoring was. But not all things can be anticipated! Next time, we'll just gag him. Learn from your mistakes, I always say!"

Max stared at her, his jaw hanging slightly, while Logan broke down laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rory asked, lifting her arms in question. "There was no way we could have anticipated his complaining!"

"It's not that, Ace, you just amuse me is all."

"What do you mean? Like wear too much make up and build balloon animals, amuse you?"

"No, I just find your personality attractive, is what I really mean to say."

Rory took a sip from her coffee, trying to hide the conflicting emotions playing across her face. What did that mean? she wondered. Blushing slightly, she tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was Logan, after all. This is the guy who sat on you in class.

That's all he was.

Right?

----GG----

"Emily, I've found them!" called Shira, from the suite entrance. "Max was just dropping them off as I was returning from my shopping."

"Rory!" Emily called, her voice sickly sweet. Something was up, Rory thought. She felt like the mouse in the middle of the field with the hawk circling overhead. No doubt the hawk would strike, but when it would was the question.

"Hi, Grandma."

"How was Frieburg?" she asked.

"Oh, it was great. The view was amazing. It almost made up for the climb required to see it."

"Oh, Rory," Emily laughed. "Always the joker."

Rory was filled with a large desire to roll her eyes. Only the voice of her mother repeating "I told you so" inside her head kept her eyes straight, and her smile intact.

"Rory, I was thinking. You've been here for a while, and haven't checked out the facilities. The pool is beautiful. Why don't you go look?"

"Oh, Grandma, I'm really tired. The hike today was really long, and I'm kind of sore," Rory said, happy she didn't have to lie.

"Well, there is a hot tub. Why don't you go soak?" Emily asked, smiling.

Taking a deep breath, Rory answered, "Sure, Grandma, that sounds like a great idea," knowing that she set herself up for that one.

"Wonderful! Logan can go with you."

And that one.

----GG----

"Why!" Rory yelled into her cell phone. "Do you really hate me this much!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," was the reply.

"Oh, don't play innocent with me," she yelled, looking up from the floor and into the mirror in front of her. "I know it was you."

"But I bet it looks hot!" Lorelai said with confidence.

"But I have to go swimming in this! And I say 'this' loosely, because there is no 'this' to speak about, there is no swimsuit!"

"There is to! I'll have you know that Lorelai Gilmore would never pay for nothing. I just bought you a swimsuit a little more suited for Germany."

"This is not a swimsuit. This is something America's Next Top Model would wear, or someone off of One Tree Hill! In fact – this is a Brooke swimsuit!"

"That's not true, Brooke swims in the nude!"

"I may as well when I wear this!"

"Ew, Rory! I don't want to hear about my only daughter swimming naked with the blonde bad boy… Wow. I never realized how much your life is currently paralleling TV. Weird."

"Mom!" Rory cried. Closing her eyes, she tried to think of a way to fix her swimsuit. It seemed as if her mother had removed the nice, conservative one piece suit from her bag, and left her with a light blue bikini that didn't leave much to the imagination.

"Why can't you be like normal mothers? Wanting their children to stay chaste, and not invite boys in?"

"Because being a normal mother is boring, and Rory, my dear, you are not chaste. I think the whole Dean fiasco made that clear."

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed. "You said you wouldn't bring that up."

"No Rory, listen. From everything you've told me about him, Logan sounds like a nice guy. Even if he's not, he's extremely hot. Even this Max guy sounds nice. I'm just worried that you've shut yourself off since Dean," Lorelai said with a sigh. "Now if you really want, your one piece is at the bottom of the box of condoms I threw into your bag."

"MOM!" Rory shouted, rushing to her bag. "Grandma was unpacking my stuff! She could have come across those!"

"It's the only place I knew you wouldn't look! And how should I know that my mother is a nosey woman who will stop at nothing to ensure that she has taken control of every aspect of your life? Oh, wait. History – right…" Lorelai said, drifting off in thought for a moment.

"Listen, Rory," she continued. "You can put on that old swimsuit, and pretend that we never had this conversation. You can go back to how things were, how they are – who knows, it could turn out just fine. Or, you can put on the pretty new blue one that I got on sale. You can laugh as you make all the boys drool, and have a good time. You don't have to get married; you don't even have to make out if you don't want to. But you could at least live a little. I mean, you can only wear a swimsuit like that one for a small portion of your life. And let me tell you, the looks you get at my age make me wonder if maybe I need to invest in some cosmetic surgery."

"You're not old, Mom."

"Says you! You didn't see the funny looks the sales clerk gave me when I was paying for that suit."

"Were you wearing your cowboy hat and riding boots again?"

"No…" was the guilty reply.

"That's why, Mom," Rory said, turning in front of the mirror again.

There was a crash on the other end of the line.

"Mom?" Rory asked quickly, diverting her attention to the phone in her hand. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, everything is just fine," was the strained response.

"Mom? Are you laughing or in pain?"

"Well, both, actually," was the response. "The pain is a result of the laughing. Unfortunate, I know, but a fact of life."

"Why are you laughing?" Rory asked.

"It's just –" Lorelai was interrupted by another crash.

"Mom! What's going on?"

"Kirk," Lorelai got out between laughs. "Listen, hun-" she managed, before a clatter interrupted her words. "I have to call you back."

Before Rory could reply, the line went dead. The word "Kirk" was a dead giveaway that she wouldn't hear from her mother for a while.

In the meantime – she may as well go swimming…

----GG----

We're just going swimming, Logan thought to himself. And it was her grandmother who suggested it, his mind continued.

Before he could stop himself, images of Rory in a swimsuit flashed through his head.

Shit, he thought, looking around in a panic. Throwing his towel aside, he dove into the pool.

Luckily for him, the water was cold – just what he needed. A perfect substitute for the cold shower he would usually use to solve his current… condition.

He decided to do a few laps before Rory came down - anything to try and clear his head.

----GG----

A/N: What Kirk did is up to you – feel free to leave a suggestion in the form of a review (I'll pick the one that works best and use it).

So the next chapter is in the works, and I'll make the decision on Max's inclusion dependant on reviews – I have a plan, so no worries. This story has direction. You can just choose the pace.

You love me, I know.

Now show me how much by submitting a review.