Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, music, or movies mentioned.

"Oh, Germany was great. Let's go back to Germany!" Rory suggested as they sat on the private jet back home. After their month, long trip around Europe most of them were prepared to go home, and rest from all the travel. By most this meant all of them except Rory. Once they arrived home she would be leaving again for Stars Hollow, to visit with her mom and Luke for a week. Logan had encouraged Rory to establish communication with Lorelai while they were overseas. He knew how effected Rory would be by a lengthy separation from her mother even if Rory didn't quite know yet. Rory had agreed to spend time with her mother once they got back and that turned into a week-long stay at the Crap Shack. The only thing getting Rory through the fight with her mom was Logan and if he wasn't there she wasn't exactly sure how she would handle things. At least she could look forward to the last three days when Logan would be there. Lorelai getting to know and accept him was the only way to fix this so Rory's condition was that Lorelai made an effort to like Logan.

Logan sighed from his seat next to her and placed his hand on her knee. "Ace, I know you're not looking forward to getting home, and neither am I, I'm going to miss you. But you have to fix things with your mom. The only way to do that is by spending time with her. We'll talk on the phone while you're gone and I'll be there on Friday. Plus, we still have a few hours at home before you leave," he added the last bit suggestively, succeeding in his goal to make her laugh. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. "Are you ok now?"

"A little better," she admitted and settled against his chest. She breathed in his comforting scent and said, "I don't deserve you."

"No, you deserve better, but you're stuck with me," he teased.

"Seriously, I don't," she said sitting up a bit to look him in the eye. "Logan you have been so great with this whole ordeal and everything with my mom and your parents. You've encouraged me to try and work things out with my mom even after everything she's said to you and about you. You have comforted me and held my hand every time I fight with her, through all of it. You easily could have left when things got hard but you didn't, you stayed with me and fought a lot of people who didn't want us together. You've just…you've been amazing and I…thank you so much."

"Your welcome, but you don't have to thank me. I love you and I want to be with you, that's exactly why I do all that. I'm not about to lose you over our parent's childish attitudes," he told her.

"I love you too," she said, leaning in and kissing him.

Soon the group of four had landed and they made their way inside to retrieve their luggage and meet the car waiting for them out front. Logan was walking with his arms around Rory's waist, her carry-on bag on his other shoulder. He leaned down to and nipped at her ear before whispering everything they would do when they got home, causing her to giggle. He pulled back to look at her, his eyes full of love, and swore to never let that smile leave her face. As soon as the thought entered his mind it was gone. The smile on Rory's face had disappeared and her eyes filled with sadness, she looked like she was about to cry and he had no idea why. "Ace," he said stopping and coming to kneel in front of her. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asked.

"My mom is here, I have to leave now," she said. He sighed and stood up, taking her into his arms. He buried his head in her hair and she put hers in the crook of his neck. He felt tears falling onto his shirt and quickly pulled back. He wiped her cheeks with his thumb and looked her in the eye.

"Ace don't cry, it's fine. You'll be gone for four days and then I'll be there," he said.

"I know," she said. "I'm going to miss you though and I can't stand listening to her say all those things about you, I just don't want to hear it anymore."

"It's ok, you guys will fix this. I know you will," he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I hope your right," she said.

"Of course I am, I'm always right," he said cockily.

"Oh the ego, I swear," she said rolling her eyes playfully and smiling.

"Hey, there's that smile I love," he said.

"I do have a great smile," she teased.

"Now who has the ego?" he said.

"Hey kid," Lorelai said, coming up behind Logan. Logan closed his eyes and sighed again, not wanting to watch Rory lose the beautiful smile he just put on her face.

"Hey mom," Rory said, trying to sound happy but failing miserably. Logan moved back to her side, keeping his arms around her waist and she leaned into him.

"You ready to go?" Lorelai asked, not bothering to acknowledge Logan.

"Hi Lorelai," Logan said.

"Logan," she said tensely. "Rory are you ready?"

"Um, I just want to say goodbye," Rory said.

"Didn't you just do that? I saw you two talking," Lorelai said bitterly.

"No, we were just talking," Logan answered for her.

"Ok," Lorelai said but made no give to give them any privacy. Logan and Rory hated being separated, for any period of time, and knew that if Lorelai didn't walk away she would get quite the show. But still the older woman didn't move. Oh well, they thought.

"I'll see you in a couple days, ok?" Logan said, taking Rory completely in his arms, and she put hers around his neck.

"No, four days, four. It's going to suck," she corrected him, pouting.

"Yes, it is going to suck, but I've been on business trips longer."

"Exactly, I'm speaking from past precedent, I know how much it's going to suck. And when you leave I still sleep in our bed."

"I know sweetheart and this week I'll be in that big bed all by myself, which is going to suck," he said.

"Maybe you could invite Finn over for a sleepover," she teased.

"Maybe," he said, laughing now.

Lorelai cleared her throat impatiently and tapped her foot.

"I have to go," Rory said sadly.

"Yes but not before this," he said. He leaned down and covered her lips with his own. Their mouths moved together and Logan licked her lips, asking for entrance which she granted him. His tongue swept her mouth in the way he knew she loved, before hers worked against it. They stood like that, not bothering to come up for air and when Logan let out a deep groan it only encouraged Rory more. His hands were resting on her lower back, being careful not to go up her shirt due to being in public and in front of her mother. Unfortunately, Logan lost most control when kissing Rory so instead his hands traveled south. He had backed her into a nearby wall and had her pressed against it. Her hands were in his hair and one leg was inching up to his hip when Colin came back with the luggage.

"Hey, this is a hallway not an empty elevator," Colin barked.

Lorelai had been to shocked to say anything so when Colin interrupted them she came to her senses and turned to her daughter to ask if she was ready now. Colin and Steph watched on, feeling bad for their friends who were very obviously not ready to part yet, or at all for that matter.

Rory gave Logan one last hug and whimpered slightly when they pulled away. "I love you and I'll see you after the shortest 4 days of your life, I promise you won't even notice I'm not there. When your mom makes a comment, you don't like, say something, talk about it. Ok?" Logan said.

"Ok, and I love you too," Rory said, one last light kiss and she turned around and left with her mom.

"Hey Colin," Logan said.

"Yeah man?" he asked.

"See that girl?" Logan asked, looking at Rory who turned around and gave him a smile and a wave.

"Yeah?" Colin asked, skeptically.

"She's it for me, she's the one."

"Good, I thought I was going have to help her drag you to the alter," Colin said, joking.

Rory thought about what Logan had told her a couple days ago about her relationship with her mom. He had asked her what he favorite part of their relationship had been. She said talking about everything and having movie nights; best friend things. He told her that she could have that again and he was right, she just needed to try.

"So mom, how's the Inn?" Rory asked as they got off at the exit for Stars Hollow.

"Good, Michel is still scaring guests, Sookie is still cooking amazing food, and I'm still breaking up their arguments," Lorelai said. Rory laughed a bit and her mom added, "How was the trip, see anything new?"

"Oh yeah, it was really great. Steph and I did a ton of shopping, I had to get another suitcase for all the clothes we got and the food was great. We found this amazing coffee place near one of the stores. I don't know how we missed it on our trip," Rory said, purposefully not mentioning Logan to hopefully have a decent conversation and ease in Logan as a subject later.

"Sounds fun," Lorelai said. They made the rest of the drive in awkward silence and soon pulled up in front of Luke's. Rory exited and ran inside quickly to greet Lane and Luke.

"Rory!" Lane squealed, hugging her best friend.

"Lane, oh my god, it's been too long, seriously," Rory said.

"I know, you keep ditching me for blondie," Lane said. Rory knew she was joking though, Lane was truly happy that Rory had found Logan.

"What can I say? He's very persuasive," Rory said laughing. "So how are you and Zach? And how did you last gig go?"

The two girls talked for a while at a table while Lane took her break and Lorelai sat with Luke at the counter. "Why wasn't she that happy to see me?" Lorelai asked him.

"You know why Lorelai," Luke told her.

"Yes I do, but I don't know what to do to fix things," she said.

"Talk to her, make an effort to get along with Logan and accept that he's a part of her life," he said.

"I don't like him Luke," Lorelai said vehemently.

"Why not?" Luke asked. "I think he's a good kid, one who obviously loves Rory very much, he makes her happy and I don't know what else you could possibly want for her."

"I want her to be happy with someone just not happier with him than she is with me," Lorelai said stubbornly.

"Then get ready to lose her," Luke said harshly. Lorelai looked at him, surprised. He hadn't gotten mad at her over this at all. "And it'll be for good this time. She loves him and he's not going anywhere. You're being selfish and that's not right, Rory would never be jealous of how happy we are together and she expects the same from you."

"He's taking her away from me and-."

"No, you're pushing her away," with that Luke went back to work and left Lorelai with her thoughts. Rory had been so upset to see her and it had almost killed her daughter to part with Logan for such a long period of time. Rory had never been like that with her. Lorelai noticed Lane go back to work and Rory came up to her.

"Ready to go?" she asked her mom.

"Yep," Lorelai said and they left, hopped into the jeep and drove to the house. They got out of the car and Lorelai helped her with her suitcases. Rory pulled out her keys to unlock the door and flipped through them to find the one she needed. Lorelai's eye caught the one with the engraving and said, "You missed it."

"No, it's right here," Rory said, holding up the correct key and opening the door. They stepped through the door and Rory set her keys on the table then took her bags into her room. Lorelai took the opportunity to look at the key she had seen. She picked it up and read the inscription 'Home'. She went into Rory's room and asked her about it.

"What's this key for?" Lorelai asked. Rory turned around to look at what her mom was talking about.

"That's my key to the apartment," Rory said, smiling at the memory of Logan giving it to her.

"Oh," Lorelai said and went back to the kitchen, leaving Rory to unpack a little. Rory didn't even think of this house as home anymore, no, home was with Logan and Rory seemed as though she couldn't be happier.

"Ready for a movie night?" Rory asked, somewhat optimistically, coming out of her room.

"In a minute. Let's change into comfy clothes and start," Lorelai said.

"Sure," Rory said and went back to her room to change while her mom went upstairs. Lorelai was already on the couch in sweats when Rory came and sat next to her. Rory had put on Yale sweatpants and a very large Yale vs. Harvard T-shirt.

"You went to a football game? And got a shirt?" Lorelai asked, surprised.

"No, Logan dragged me to a football game and he got a shirt," Rory said, laughing.

"It's Logan's?" her mom asked, tensely.

"Yeah, it is. I like it, it's comfy." That and Logan always loves it when I wear his clothes, Rory added silently, getting a whiff of his cologne still left on the shirt and smiling softly.

"Ok," Lorelai said and started the movie. They had all kinds of snacks laid out and everything should have been just how it used to be. But I wasn't, they still need to talk but Rory could tell that Lorelai was not yet ready to broach the subject.

"Do you have a death wish?" Rory answered her phone later that night. She had almost been asleep when her phone rang with Logan's personalized ring tone.

"Not particularly," Logan said.

"Then why the hell are you calling so late?" she asked, grumpily.

"I didn't want to interrupt movie night," Logan told her.

"Fine, I forgive you." She said dramatically, loving that he knew her so well.

"See? Was that so hard?" he teased. She didn't answer, just sighed happily.

"I miss you," she said.

"I miss you too Ace," he said. "I may not be there but at least you have my Harvard, Yale shirt," he said accusingly.

"Realized it was gone huh?" she asked, smiling sheepishly.

"Yes, I did. I distinctly remember you wearing it the other night, for about 5 minutes before I threw it on the floor, and then I never got it back," he said, making her blush and giggle.

"Yes I do remember it happening something like that," she said playing along.

"I'm assuming it made its way into your suitcase by some magical force," Logan said.

"Obviously," she said, laughing now. They talk for another half hour until Logan heard her stifle a yawn and decided to let her go to bed. "Goodnight Ace, I love you."

"I love you too Logan, goodnight."