Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls
AN: I had considered making this the chapter, if you catch my drift, but decided not to. We have some sad moments here, and we have some progress, and we also see Logan with a bit of support, because the poor guy needs someone to be there for him...Hopefully the next chapter will be up by Tuesday or so at the latest. Read, review, enjoy. Check your PMs

Chapter Eight

"The doctor said I could try with the cane," Rory glared at her mother as she attempted to get up the front steps of her childhood home. Logan was getting Mia out of the car as well as Rory's luggage, he had suggested that she wait that he would help her in a minute, but Rory insisted to him, just like she was insisting to Lorelai, that she could do it. She wasn't wrong, the doctor had encouraged her to try to move on her own a bit, she was now on week six in a cast, although only two of those had been with her fully conscious.

"Well, this is trying, it is trying my patience," Lorelai waited at the top of the stairs, "you were more successful the first time you tried to ride a bike, at least then you accepted help."

"Mom," Rory glared.

"Crotch goblin."

"Go see Grandma," Logan laughed as he took Mia out of the booster seat. They had decided to drive to Stars Hollow so that they would be able to drive around as necessary while they were there.

"Grandma!" Mia squealed and ran to the stairs, she stopped at Rory, not sure if she should continue up the stairs or wait for her mother to get up first.

"Go," Rory laughed at the little girl, "good manners though."

"Thanks Mama!" Mia grinned as she leapt into Lorelai's waiting arms, "can we have ice cream?"

"Well now, that is the kind of greeting I had been hoping for," Lorelai hugged the little brown haired girl. "Need any help Logan?"

"I'm fine, thank you though," Logan smiled, he knew that Lorelai would not in fact be interested in helping him at all. "I do come bearing gifts."

"For me?" Lorelai feigned surprise and dramatically put her hand on her chest after she had set Mia on the ground and Rory had made it up two steps slowly, "or for speedy gonzalez over here?"

"Both of you," Logan laughed.

"Alright, finally, get over here, kid!" Lorelei hugged Rory as she finally got to the front door, "what did the doctor say?" she asked, they had gone to Manhattan to see Dr Smith, spent the night in Manhattan, and then made their way to Stars Hollow.

"Well, he says that things look good and he wants me back in two weeks to take the cast off."

"Oh that is amazing, I got my invitation to the party of the year, I mean, Luke and I will have to check our schedule, but I think we might be free," Lorelai smiled, "do you guys have them like…sent by courier pigeon?"

"We do have a service," Logan nodded as he brought the bags to the front door.

"So Mom, I have a question for you," Rory smiled as Logan went and dropped the overnight bag in Rory's room, as well as two small blue bags with a card on each.

"Shoot."

"Could Mia stay here tonight too? With me?" Rory smiled, Mia had made her way to Rory's side and Rory rested her hand on Mia's shoulder, "we had a slumber party the other night, and Mia thought it would be fun if we could do it with you too."

"A slumber party? I thought I was your slumber party buddy?" Lorelei put both hands on her hips and looked at her granddaughter.

"Mommy let me sleep in her bed because Daddy has to sleep upstairs because Mommy has a broked leg."

"Yes, I have heard that, so you and Mommy had a slumber party in her room?"

Rory smiled, the girls had enjoyed themselves. Logan had been in a series of meetings that he couldn't avoid, and so Rory had agreed to put Mia to bed when they ran late. The two had enjoyed books, as well as a tickle fight and a riveting game of I spy which Mia had naturally won. "We can play I Spy."

"Well why didn't you lead with that?" Lorelai was relieved that Mia and Rory were connecting, "and what will Dad be doing?"

"He says he is going to go to sleep alone in a big bed and watch TV and talk to Uncle Finn and Uncle Colin."

"Well that sounds fun."

"He called them butt butt heads on the phone because they are away."

"Well, I think Uncle Colin and Uncle Finn have definitely been called worse, so I'm sure they will recover. You coming in?" she asked Logan.

He shook his head, "I'll see you guys tomorrow for the dinner. I might actually go and hang out with Honor and the girls, but…you need some girl time."

"You sure?" Rory asked him, there may have even been a little bit of hope in her voice, "we'll be ordering a bunch of food."

"I'll be there tomorrow for your party with everyone else…tonight is just about you," he told her. He was trying to be brave, to be strong. He wanted to stay, but having now spent a week living with the woman he loved and having her not remember him, he needed a break, even just for a night. "Open your present though, you know your Mom can't wait."

"Oh thank god," Lorelai gasped, "where is it?"

"Rory's room."

"We'll wait until you've left for an appropriate amount of time."

Logan nodded and gave Mia a hug, "be good for Mom and Grandma, ok?"

Mia wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too, Mia." Logan put the little girl down and nodded his goodbye to Lorelai before turning to Rory, he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "happy birthday Ace."

xxx

"So you just left?" Honor Archibald was sitting on her patio, thankful for the overpriced patio heater her husband had demanded they install when they re-landscaped the year before.

"She doesn't want me there Honor," Logan shrugged, he was watching his nieces run around playing. Normally his daughter would be there too, but he hadn't wanted Mia to know that he was seeing the girls, he was glad that Rory was showing an interest in spending time with Mia.

"So you said that she remembers until…what…six months before you were dating? Weren't you guys doing the weird flirtation thing back then?"

Logan took a sip of his water, "every once in a while, she looks at me, and I think…maybe there is something. Maybe she feels something, but…that look leaves just as quickly as it came. She seems to be getting closer to Mia though, which is good. She is trying, so…I'm giving her some space. This is hard on me, but it has to be harder on her."

"You are too good to her sometimes," Honor shook her head, "but I only say that because you are my brother and I love you…she is a saint for having put up with all of your shit for those early years at Yale."

Logan rolled his eyes, if only you knew, is what he wanted to say, but the last thing he wanted while his wife didn't remember him is to taint anyone's opinion of her. "Love you too, sis."

"So what was her birthday gift this year? You go super over the top?"

"I had ordered a ring for her before all of this happened, a diamond band, just…to have…I'm sure it will look great in her closet."

"Is she not wearing her rings?" Honor thought back to seeing her earlier in the week, "I thought she was."

"She is…it just…it feels meaningless right now."

"Oh, Logan…I love you and I feel for you but…cut the girl some slack."

"I have cut her slack," Logan barked, he wasn't talking about her memory anymore, it was all becoming to much. "You have no idea how much fucking slack I have cut her since Richard died."

Honor took a deep breath, "come on, lets go."

"Where are we going?" Logan asked as his sister stood up, "the girls…"

"Josh!" Honor shouted to her husband who was just inside the house, he immediately popped his head outside, "Logan and I have to go out for a bit, can you watch the girls?" Josh happily complied and Honor dragged her brother to the garage where they got into her Audi Q5 and began to drive in silence.

"Honor," Logan looked at his sister, "don't."

"You need it."

"I don't need it."

"He is your son."

"He was my son."

"You are here, and you need to see him," Honor was turning into the cemetery and making her way to the Huntzberger family mausoleum, "you guys always come visit around now."

Around now, Logan wanted to laugh. Around his due date is what Honor meant. Rory and Logan typically tried to visit the cemetery around his due date, and on his birthday, as well as other occasions throughout the year, but those were the ones that were always timed. "I don't have flowers."

"I brought some the other day," Honor assured him, "and we can bring some tomorrow," she put the car in park and waited for him to move. "I can't even imagine how hard this is for you…I know how much I hurt coming here, and he wasn't my son."

Logan swallowed the lump in his throat, "do you want to…" he nodded to the stone building.

"Is that alright?" Honor asked, almost as if she could read his mind, "I can wait."

"Come," he unbuckled his seatbelt and ran his hand through his otherwise messy hair. The two got out of the car and Honor followed her brother into the cold, dreary, stone and marble building. "Hey buddy," Logan walked to the small marker for where Richard was entombed, "sorry I've been gone so long." He ran his finger across his name etched in stone, Richard Elias Huntzberger - Beloved son, grandson and nephew. Gone too soon, but forever in our hearts. "Your sister couldn't come today, and Mom…well…Mom is having a tough time, so it is just Auntie Honor and I today."

"Hey buddy," Honor whispered. She didn't want to intrude on Logan's visit, and it certainly wasn't her place to question how he grieved when he was here.

"You would be four," Logan breathed, if he closed his eyes, he could still see the tiny boy, he barely looked like a baby when he was born, but that was because he still needed eighteen more weeks to grow. It was too soon. Logan had known once Rory's water broke, it was unlikely that they were going to have a happy ending with their son. "You would probably be playing soccer or something, my Dad would try to get you into golf…it is a Huntzberger thing, basically a birth right."

"Unless you are a girl, then your birth right is finishing school," Honor joked.

"Yeah I guess it could be worse," Logan smiled. "I really wish you were here…" he paused, "I like to think that you've helped Mom and I get through some pretty tough situations in the past few years…if you think," he paused again, he could feel Honor watching him, "if you think you could help us out with that again…I really just need your Mom to come back to me, and Mia needs it. So…I mean, obviously I wasn't a great Dad to you…but to be fair, I think that was because I didn't really have much of a chance…if I could have saved you, I would have moved heaven and earth," Logan was crying now, "but…just…if you can't do it for me, do it for your sister. Mia needs her Mom, so please…"

Without thinking, Honor put her arms around her little brother in a way she hadn't since he was a little boy hiding from their Dad after throwing a baseball through the patio doors by accident. Logan was trying to keep the tears at bay, his lip quivering as they brimmed in his eyes, "it's ok," Honor told him before his body began to heave. "You are an amazing Dad, to both of them."

"Why isn't he here? Why is he gone? If I'm so great, why isn't he here? I couldn't fix this…"

"Come on," Honor rubbed his back, "talk to me Logan, what is going on?"

"I just…I don't know what to do. I'm trying. I'm giving her space, I sent her to fucking talk to Tristan, and then I'm around and trying and … I just don't know what she wants. It seems like she doesn't know what she wants."

"You sent her to talk to Tristan?" Honor was confused, "Tristan..?"

"Just an old friend," Logan shook his head, what the hell was he thinking.

"So she talked to an old friend?" Honor continued, waiting for him to say something else.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Logan, you can't lie to me. There are a few reasons, firstly, it is you and I against the world. No matter who else we are with…Josh, Rory…it is you and I against the world. You and I against Mom and Dad, and Grandpa…you can tell me anything. It won't change anything, I will love everyone, but…you need a safe place to talk about things. You can't just be a pillar of strength for everyone."

"I can't talk about this," Logan shook his head, "Honor, please just stop…I can't do this."

"Are you sure?" Honor implored him.

Logan shook his head and wiped under his eyes gently, refocusing his attention to his son, "I'll come back soon," Logan ran a hand across once more, "I love you."

xxx

Logan knocked on the door to the Gilmore house. It was a little bit after ten and he was fairly certain Mia would be asleep.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled as she swung open the door, "you really outdid yourself this year, not everyone has a son in law who gifts them diamonds and rubies to celebrate the birth of their daughter every year."

"You like it?" Logan smiled as Lorelai held up the diamond and ruby band he had given her.

"I love it, thank you."

"Is Rory…?"

"Rory loves hers too," Lorelai referred to the Tiffany Cobblestone band ring which was covered in diamonds.

"Is she…?"

"Come see," Lorelai nodded into the house and Logan followed, not completely sure what he was going to find, but he trusted Lorelai. They hadn't always seen eye to eye, but they had managed to find solid ground in their relationship and their mutual love for Rory was the centre of that. At the very least, Lorelai had accepted that Logan and Rory lived a happy life, and took care of each other, and he loved Mia. If Lorelai had any lingering doubts about Logan as a husband for her daughter, they were all gone when Richard had died. "Look," Lorelai pointed him towards Rory's old bedroom.

"They….she…?" Logan felt his heart swell as he saw Rory and Mia curled up in her bed. The trundle had been made and pulled out, but Mia was instead snuggled with her mother. "Did she…?"

"She was putting her to sleep," Lorelai whispered as they both retreated to the living room, "and they just…fell asleep. She seems really happy."

"Mia or Rory?"

"Both," Lorelai smiled, "it was nice to see."

"Did Rory say anything about that?"

"She did," Lorelai nodded, "can I get you a drink? We can chat?"

"Something tells me you don't have scotch? So…a beer? Wine? Rubbing alcohol…?"

"I can't get you the rubbing alcohol, we had to start leaving it at the diner because Paul Anka kept getting into it," Lorelai smiled, "but I do have beer."

"Where is Luke?" Logan asked as Lorelai returned from the kitchen a few seconds later with a long neck bottle.

"He is staying at the diner. Girls night and all, he thought things might get wild."

"Handy having that place for you guys," Logan commented.

"Like our own personal pool house," Lorelai winked, "I hear you are banished upstairs at the compound?"

Logan smiled, Lorelai couldn't help herself but to poke fun at the size of the house in Rhode Island but it was part of their shtick. "Yeah…glad we didn't get the shit mattresses for the guests."

"Well, I have complained for years about how horrible the beds are at the Newport Econolodge."

"Endlessly," Logan smirked. "So they had fun?"

Lorelai nodded, "both of them seemed to love it, and Ror seems to be getting back into the swing…slowly but surely. I am glad you guys came."

"Does she seem to be enjoying being around Mia? Or is it…is she just going through the motions?"

Lorelai understood what he was saying, when she had spoken with Rory over the course of the last week, she could see that Rory was trying, but she saw that she was doing what she thought she was supposed to do, "I think it's real for her," Lorelai admitted, "she doesn't remember, we all know that, but…I can tell that she feels something, I just don't know that she knows what she is supposed to feel. She cares about her."

"Thank you," Logan took a sip of his beer. "What are the chances Taylor is lurking to give me a ticket if I walk through town with a beer?"

"Oh the chances are high," Lorelai smirked, "probably lurking just down the street waiting for you. He has a weird crush on you, you know that? Taylor does."

"It might be mutual," Logan laughed, "the man has created this weird Stars Hollow empire and it's impressive."

"Impressive? Taylor Doose? Has Rory ever heard you say that?"

"More than once."

"You should interview him for one of your fancy papers."

"You know I'm not a reporter, right?" Logan raised an eyebrow to her.

"Of course I know what you do…other…paper…stuff…"

"You have no idea what I do, do you?"

"None," Lorelai smiled, "so…I'm gonna suggest something, and I don't want you to to consider it…open mind, but you might not see Taylor if you listen to my idea."

"Hit me with it."

"Figuratively or literally? I've always wanted someone to say literally…" Lorelai laughed, "crash on the couch. Mia would be happy to see you in the morning, and I think that Rory might too."

"Has she given you anything on that…a hint? An inkling?"

"She likes you," Lorelai told him honestly, "but she…there is a difference between thinking you look like the kind of guy she might want to make out with in a dressing room at the club and hopping back into bed with you with your daughter sleeping upstairs."

"I'm not asking her to hop into bed with me."

"I know you're not, but it feels to her like you're asking for more than she is ready to give."

"So I should…"

"Keep doing what you are doing," Lorelai tried to reassure him, "now…can I ask you something else?"

"Sure."

"Did Mia really call your dad a poopy toot?"

Logan laughed and took a long sip of her beer, "how did that come up?"

"I asked Mia about school, and she told me that she called Micah a poopy toot, so I asked when she started using the phrase poopy toot, and she told me that she called Papa a poopy toot…and my daughter has no memory of the moment which we can all agree is the real travesty of this mess. So I just…you know how I feel about your Dad, and I need to hear about someone calling him a poopy toot because trust me, I have spent a long time wanting to call him so much worse."

"You wouldn't be the first or the last to agree with Mia's sentiment that Dad is a poopy toot…just ask Gracie and Ivy who I think asked to join the club."

"So if you tell me, then I will bring you pillows and a blanket, and you can wake up with your wife and daughter."

"Dad, just let Josh grill the steaks," Logan shook his head. He wasn't sure why his entire family had descended upon his home in Newport, he was confident that Rory thought this was a strange science experiment that she needed to try out.

"I've got it," Mitchum shook his head and waved the tongs towards his son.

"Dad you are on the phone, just fucking give Josh or I the tongs!"

Mitchum rolled his eyes, at this point, a group was beginning to surround the grill trying to talk Mitchum into stepping away from the grill and relinquishing control to one of the younger men while he finished his call. Not only was he on the phone with his assistant, but he was a terrible cook and always had been, he thought he could grill, but the reality was that he just sucked at everything related to preparing food.

"Dad," Honor chimed in as she came outside with Grace, Ivy and Mia, "give it up."

"I'm grilling dinner! You people always complain that I was absent when you were kids, so here I am, trying to cook my family a nice dinner!"

"Mitchum, come on," Rory finally interjected, "just go inside and take your call."

"I'm making dinner!" Mitchum boomed, "I can make dinner and talk to my assistant, I'm not a damned invalid, and using the grill isn't rocket science!"

"Papa!" Mia finally shrieked from between her cousins, "stop being a poopy toot and listen to my Dada!"

"Papa is a poopy toot!" Grace giggled.

"Grace, do not call your Papa a poopy toot," Honor bit her lip as she tried not to laugh and then looked at her brother and sister in law to see what they would have to say to Mia.

"You gonna chime in here, Ace?" Logan whispered to Rory.

"Not a chance," she shook her head and laughed quietly before moving closer to Logan and whispering, "she's not wrong."

"No, she's not."

xxx

"There is a man asleep on our couch," Rory stood beside her mother with a crutch under one arm as Lorelai was holding two cups of coffee.

"There is a man asleep on my couch," Lorelai countered, "and the man on the couch is your husband."

"He's got a good butt," Rory smirked, Logan was laying on his stomach and the blankets were kicked on the ground.

"He does," Lorelai nodded, "but I'll be honest, I always assumed he was one of those guys who just didn't move while he slept…the blankets on the floor tell a different story. I expected he got out of his pristine white sheets and everything was just the same as Gertrude had left it when she fixed the bed the day before."

"Gertrude?"

"The chamber maid."

"Rebecca is the housekeeper," Rory rolled her eyes.

"Gertrude, Rebecca…chamber maid, housekeeper, is there really a difference?" Lorelai joked, "to be young, beautiful and rich…"

"When did he…I thought he was staying at the Dragonfly?"

Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and then handed Rory hers, "he came to check in last night, he and I were chatting, and in order to protect him from Taylor, I suggested he crash here. Basically forced it on him."

"So he slept…on the couch?" Rory cocked her head to the side, "this couch is terrible to sleep on."

"But here he is…"

"Do you think…you could watch Mia for a bit this morning?"

"Whatcha gonna do?"

"I had asked Logan to take me on a date…and I thought maybe we could do breakfast…"

"Because he has a cute butt?"

"I can hear you," Logan grumbled, his face still stuck in the pillow, "pretty sure this is sexual harassment."

"Not sexual harassment if we're married," Rory countered playfully.

"I'll leave you two to this," Lorelai took the cup of coffee from Rory, "she's only got one crutch, Huntzberger, maybe let her sit down."

"I'm up," Logan sat up and rubbed his eyes, making room for Rory to sit beside him, "sorry for crashing your night."

"Well, Mia is still asleep, and this is the first I'm seeing you…so I wouldn't go so far as to say crashing is an appropriate description." Rory hoped that she was making him feel comfortable, "how much did you hear?"

"Nice butt."

She rolled her eyes and felt a blush creeping over her face, "would you like to go out for breakfast…on a date."

"Where do you want to go?" Logan asked.

"The Dragonfly…they have a nice breakfast."

"Oh come on Ace, you can't just take me back to a hotel to have your way with me. I'm not for sale, cute butt or not."

"Logan! I am not trying to take advantage of you! I just…I thought that…breakfast, food…Sookie cooks! Sookie cooks good food," Rory was frantically trying to backpedal.

"I'm kidding, Ace," Logan smiled at her discomfort, "breakfast would be good. I like breakfast."

"Why don't I get dressed, and then you can drive us over, and you can go upstairs and shower, then after we can have breakfast."

"So you are trying to take advantage of me," Logan smiled and stood up, extending his hand to help Rory get up as well, "your Mom is in the kitchen, get her to help you get dressed and we'll go."

It took a few minutes for Rory to get dressed, and Mia remained asleep in bed which was a rare occurrence for her. Before leaving, Rory kissed Mia on the cheek and then let Logan help her to the car. They drove in comfortable silence to the Inn, Rory was glad to be back in Stars Hollow, she felt at home there, "hey Michel," Rory smiled as she hobbled into the foyer.

"Oh Ror-y, how are you? I was under the impression that you could not walk…but here you are… walking, at the inn, oh how lovel-y, what an 'appy day," Michel roll his eyes as Rory and Logan walked in. "May I 'elp you? Carry you upstairs on my back?"

"Just wanted to say hi Michel," Rory rolled her eyes as she and Logan moved to the stairs, "can you?"

"Sure," Logan took the crutch from Rory and gave her his arm to help her get up the stairs, "room seven."

"My favourite room," Rory said without even thinking about it. When had she stayed in room seven? She had only stayed at the inn for its test run, and even then, she didn't actually stay at the inn.

"Mine too," Logan smiled, another moment that hadn't gone unnoticed for him.

"You set this all up?" Rory smiled as she entered room seven at The Dragonfly, it was three days after their engagement, and the room was lit by candles and a table for two had been set up with dinner. "How did you…?"

"Sookie."

"Of course," Rory nodded, "Logan this is perfect. Thank you."

"Not too much?" Logan pulled her in for a kiss.

"Definitely too much, but I love it," Rory smiled, "how long are we staying here for? I thought you said we needed to leave for Palo Alto?"

"We do…in two days, so we are going to spend those two days here, hopefully in bed and eating room service, but also avoiding Michel because he threatened to kill me if I didn't clean up the roses myself."

"God I don't know why my Mom kept him around all these years," Rory laughed and shook her head.

"How about," Logan kissed her neck, "we don't talk about Michel anymore," he murmured, "unless that is really what you are thinking about right now."

"Michel who?"

"That's my girl," Logan laughed.

Logan stepped out of the bathroom with damp hair and his jeans hung on his hips, "sorry, I forgot my," he nodded to the white Oxford shirt hanging on the back of the door.

Rory blushed as she looked at him, "of course."

"You know," Logan laughed as he pulled the shirt over his biceps and began doing up his buttons, "you being attracted to me isn't exactly news to me…so…you don't have to feel weird about it."

"I don't feel…weird about it."

"You seem like you feel weird about it," Logan countered, "we're adults, it isn't weird to acknowledge that you find someone attractive. Especially when you are married to that someone, and are going on a breakfast date with them in a matter of minutes."

"I swear," Rory shook her head, "it is like you can…"

"I can what?"

"It is like you can just see through me, it's like you can see me." Rory shook her head, the notion that this man knew her better than she knew herself was unnerving, especially in her current condition. "Thank you for the birthday gift…it is beautiful, and if I had to bet, it is way too much. My mom loved hers too."

Logan smiled, he took some of his hair product from the counter and tried to tame his tousled mess. "Well, your Mom has been dropping not to subtle hints about rubies for the last 6 months, so I'm glad she likes it."

"All set?" Rory asked as she watched him slip his tungsten wedding band on his left ring finger.

"All set."