Home, Again

by HerHighMess

ROGAN. A story in three parts on how they put their true love into suspended animation and how they managed to find each other again - forever. Post-AYITL. Mostly canon compliant, minor changes to the original story.

Title: Home, Again

Summary: A story in three parts on how Rory and Logan kept their true love and how they managed to find their way to each other for good. Post-AYITL.

Rating: M

(Author's Note: Hello! This is my first FanFic ever. I was a loyal FanFic follower many many years ago but got reacquainted with it recently - after watching the Gilmore Girl's original series and the revival. Being an hyper-sensible wreck and a true daydreamer, I had to venture yet again into the world of FanFic, just for the peace of my mind. So, here we are, a few months later and this idea popped in my head. I wouldn't say that it's a Fix-It-Fic (cuz I'd never mess it up as much as the did, lol) but an ending I think they deserve. My original idea was to write an alternated version of the Rory-Logan story from the very beginning - season 5 - and I am working on it. I know it will be long, so I'm spending a lot of time outlining it, but an idea for this one came rushing to me and I just started writing it, it shouldn't take me long to finish it. Also, please bear in mind that English is not my mother tongue. I'm doing my best in spotting any mistakes but nobody's perfect. Anyways, here you go, enjoy my first FanFic baby in a long time and let me know what you think!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, nor any real-life person/fact/pop culture reference mentioned.

---

Part I: Going Home

---

Honor Huntzberger was getting ready to head out from her NYC townhouse to pick up her kids from preschool when suddenly the bell rang. She went to open the door and was stunned when she saw an exhausted looking Rory Gilmore in front of her.

"Rory! Hi! What are you doing here?" Honor exclaimed while taking in the look of a very broken girl standing in front of her, "Come in!"

Rory smiled weakly and shook her head, "Hi, Honor, thanks but no, I can't stay. I just came to ask you for a favour."

"Oh, Rory, what's wrong? How can I help?", Honor smiled affectionately and started guessing where this heading. Or rather who this was going to. She knew that Rory had been seeing her brother, Logan Huntzberger, for the past three years. She had been hoping they would get their act together and finally get together for good but then Logan informed her that they had said goodbye. He came to visit her after New Hampshire and looked completely broken. She, unfortunately, yelled at him for being an idiot for not fighting for the best thing in his life. He went back to London and she hasn't heard from him since.

"I just… I just need you to give something to Logan. It's important. I know he probably told you that we had said goodbye 6 weeks ago, but I need to say something to him," Rory said with a sad look on her face. Honor got worried by Rory's statement but trusted her so she decided to help. Nevertheless, she had to ask, "You know I'd always help you, but why don't you just call him? Or go see him? I know he would be so happy to hear from you again. He's completely broken. I haven't talked to him since he was here after New Hampshire but Colin and Finn fill me in every couple of days."

Rory's eyes started to fill with tears, "I can't see him. We said goodbye, I can't be the mistress anymore. He has his plan to fulfil, I don't want to stay in the way of that. I just need you to give something to him," she croaked out, now tears already slowly sliding down her cheeks.

"Oh, honey, I can't make you do what you don't want to do but I can help you. What do I have to do?" Honor answered with worry in her voice.

Rory pulled out a letter from her bag and handed it to Honor who looked at it confused. It was a pretty thick sealed envelope with Master and Commander written in the front.

"Please give this to him as soon as possible. I know that I could've sent it but this is the only way I would be sure that it actually got to his hands. You supported us through years Honor, please help us just once more. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," Rory practically begged her, now completely crying.

Honor went to hug her and Rory accepted the hug but pulled out quickly wiping her tears, "I'm sorry, I'm such a mess. Just please promise me you'll get this to him as soon as possible."

"Of course I will, there's nothing I wouldn't do for the two of you. You've always pulled out the best of each other, you completed each other. I will be forever grateful to you Rory, for teaching him love. I had done my best but it wasn't until you showed up that he stopped being an emotional cripple," Honor smiled at her encouragingly, also with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Honor," Rory sobbed, "But I have to go now. Please just give this to him. One last thing between us and then you'll never have to deal with us again."

Rory hugged her and, before Honor could say something, she turned around and hurried down the street.

Honor wondered what was in the envelope, but after seeing Rory in this state she knew that it was something serious and it may be one last chance to help her brother have his happy ending. Quickly thinking, she dialled Colin's number. Colin McCrae, her brother's best friend and a lawyer, was now in London on the eve of her brother signing a prenup for his marriage with Odette.

"McCrae here," Colin answered in his usual business tone, probably not even bothering to look at the screen to se who's calling.

"Colin, hi, it's Honor. Listen, we have a situation," Honor stated quickly, "Rory was just here to give me a letter and ask to personally deliver it to Logan. She said it was important," she stopped for a moment, thinking if she should continue, "She looked completely broken, Colin. Really really bad. I don't know how they'll survive this but we have to help them while there's still a chance."

Colin exclaimed, "What?! Is she okay? What's wrong with her?" Honor heard some rustling from his side of conversation and the door closing, "Sorry, I had to step out. Finn and I are now with Logan and he's really bad. He's locked himself in his study and is drinking himself into stupor. This is even worse than 10 years ago," he explained with concern etched in his voice.

"Calm down, Colin. I don't know what's with her, she wouldn't tell me. But she's not well. I have never seen her like this, completely without her spark…" she sighed and continued, "Listen, when and where is the signing of the doomed destiny tomorrow?"

"At 10 AM at the Huntzberger estate here in London. We have to do something, Honor!"

"Jesus, we really don't have much time. Listen, I'll catch the red-eye to London tonight and be there in the morning. If there's any chance this letter makes him fight for himself and for her, then we have to try. We need to get him out of this" Honor concluded with determination.

"Do you even know what's in that letter? What if it's something that'll make the situation even worse than it is?" Colin asked worriedly.

"Colin, honestly, it can't get any worse. And based on how she looked today, I think there must be something important in that envelope. We just have to try. If it's something bad, we still need to try and talk to him. He's throwing away the only good thing he's ever had."

"Okay, you're right. Should I tell him you're coming? I'll definitely fill Finn in and we'll work on a game plan."

"No, don't tell him I'm coming. I haven't heard from him since I yelled at him after New Hampshire, I think he resents me now," Honor sighed with sadness in her voice.

"Honor, he doesn't resent you. He's been like that towards us as well. We have tried to talk to him multiple times since New Hampshire but he just closed off. He's either working or drinking the whole day, nothing else. Mitchum gave him a day off today to prepare for the signing and he just closed himself in his study, drinking and staring at some poster of The Twilight Zone. We're scared for him. Even Finn is sober because of worrying," Colin explained.

"What poster?" Honor asked.

"Dunno, I never noticed it until today when I saw him staring at it for hours. But I know he had it in California as well. Weird, I never asked him about it. Maybe it has something to do with her."

"Oh well, we'll find out. I need to call Josh and make arrangements for the flight. You and Finn think of some game plan and take care of my baby bro. I'll be there soon. Thank you, Colin, he's lucky to have friends like you."

"No need to thank me, I just can't see him this miserable anymore. He's not Logan anymore, just some spiritless shell living in his body. We need to help him."

"And that we will! I'll text you my flight details, could you please arrange a car to pick me up? And don't say anything to my parents, they'll probably suspect something if they find out that I'm coming unannounced to the signing. I have made perfectly clear to them that I think this is the worst thing they have ever done to him and that I won't speak to them until they put a stop to this farce."

"Sure, Honor, text me the details and a car will be waiting for you. Only Finn and I will know you're coming. Have a safe trip," Colin agreed with her.

"Thanks, I'll get back to you ASAP. Bye, Colin."

"Bye, Honor."

Honor ended the call and proceeded to book herself a red-eye flight tonight at 8 PM to London. It should be there at 8 AM London time, just in time to deliver the letter to Logan before the signing. Then she proceeded to inform her husband Josh about the situation and headed again out of the house to go pick up her kids and bring them home. She shot a quick message to Colin about the flight details and got into her car.

---

Colin had just finished his talk with Honor and proceeded to find Finn. Getting back to the living room, he found him on the sofa looking at a framed photo of Rory and Logan from her first outing with the LDB, them holding hands close to her chest and gazing in each other eyes. Colin saw the photo and remembered taking it at the event, "Where did you find that?"

"In his nightstand… There are some other photos of them in there as well but this one brought back some memories so I just took it out to look at it. Do you remember watching them take that jump? We new already then that they belonged together. I can't understand how everything got so messed up…" Finn sighed sadly.

"Yeah, I remember. I could never understand the connection that they shared, from the very beginning. But I always felt happy for him since he had found her, she was the only thing that could set him free from his family. We are lucky, Finn, compared to him. I love my job and my father is more occupied with his revolving door of wives than me and you are mostly on good terms with your family. But he has been manipulated by Mitchum since early childhood, he can't get away without a good hard shove. I really thought that Rory would break him free," Colin stated with a sigh.

"We need to get him out of this, Col. I'm really scared for him. I went to see him while you were on the phone and he is just sitting completely still and staring at that poster. I have absolutely no idea what's the story with that either, I just know that we need to do something!" Finn exclaimed and jumped from the sofa to go put the photo he was holding back where he found it.

Colin followed him and said, "About that, there may be something that we can still do. Honor called me to tell me that Rory had visited her today and asked her to deliver a letter to Logan personally. She's catching the red-eye tonight and I'm sending a car to pick her up at 8AM at Heathrow. She'll be here before the signing to give him the letter."

"Letter? What letter?" Finn asked curiously, "Does she know what's it about?"

"No, but she seems to think that it's important because Rory was very adamant that she delivers it personally. She also told me that Reporter Girl looked awful, completely miserable."

"What? Love?! I cannot believe these idiots, what have they done to themselves?"

"I agree with you buddy, but we have to wait and see until she comes. Until then, we need to take care of our boy. We should get him something to eat, he's been drinking the whole day and I honestly think he hasn't eaten in days."

"Right you are, mate! You order something for all of us and I'll try to get him to take a shower."

With that both of them went to do their tasks, Colin opened a phone app to order some pizzas and Finn went towards Logan's study in hope of prying him out of there.

---

Logan has been sitting in his study since he got home last night. It was dark outside already, he didn't even want to know what time it was, how much time left until sealing his destiny. Colin and Finn arrived to London yesterday as well, Colin because he was his lawyer for the prenup and Finn for support. He was extremely grateful to have friends like these but he knew that they were doing anything they could think of to make him not go along the Dynastic Plan. Like he hadn't thought about that himself already!

Ha!

That has been on his mind constantly for a long time now, especially in the past 6 weeks since he had said goodbye to his Ace. His one true love. That's why he's now sitting on a sofa in his study and staring at The Twilight Zone poster. This one in particular was for the episode The Long Morrow, his favourite episode. It has always been his favourite but since watching it for the first time wit his Ace 12 years ago it meant even more to him. It was then that he realised what love actually is, what should true love look like. He had been in love with her then already, he just didn't know what those feelings were and, being scared, he just kept pushing them to the back of his head. It took them breaking up that Thanksgiving and him sleeping (or rather, trying to sleep) with his sister's bridesmaids to realise that he had lost his One, his Ace. When the realisation hit him and he finally understood that he loved her, he did everything in his power to get her back. And he did. They had many ups and downs in the following year and a half but they were blissfully happy when they were together.

He often berated himself for not coming forward with his feelings earlier, after all he was now sure he was in love with her even in the time of their no-strings deal. But, he was scared. He wasn't used to such feelings, having loved only his sister at that point, and that is a different kind of love, a brotherly one. But with his Ace he finally found out what love is. What pure happiness felt like. What home felt like. She was his one true love.

And yet, here he was, 10 years after she declined his proposal and he walked away from her after giving her an ultimatum. He will never forgive himself doing that, he was terrified of his future after exiting HPG and wanted her with him, the only good thing he had in his life. But she wasn't ready. She had just graduated and wanted to experience the world, he should have offered her a long engagement. He wanted her to experience everything. She was his family and he let her go.

The miserable thing is, he recently let her go again. When she asked him if he was really going to marry Odette he wanted to be honest with her to tell her that he has never stopped loving her. But he chickened out and went with the universal answer "It's the Dynastic Plan". Jesus, what an idiot was he actually?! He felt a couple times during their last night together that she wanted to tell him something but always stopped herself. He probably did the same thing multiple times. But he just couldn't face another rejection from her, his heart still being shattered, for almost a decade. When she proposed the "Vegas" deal 3 years ago, he was ready to tell her how he really felt but yet again hesitated to do it because he thought she didn't want him that way. He wanted to tell her how he felt so many times but something stopped him every single time. He just couldn't rope her into his destiny if she ever responded to his feelings. And he couldn't get away from his destiny. He actually really loved his job, being at the pulse of the world, but he knew that he could only ever work for HPG. If he quit, his father would do absolutely everything not to let him succeed anywhere else. He had been getting offers from other newspaper companies but all of those remained just a dream, a dream he once dreamt with excitement over an independent life with his Ace, now it was just a bitter dream of what could have been.

So, now his life was reduced to working from dusk till dawn and avoiding his wife-to-be. Honestly, he couldn't hate her. She was a basic society wife from a good French family. But she was fake, she was shallow and he couldn't manage any remotely nice feelings towards here since he met her. He has never kissed her, never had sex with her, just gave his best to be away from her. He didn't even propose to her! Their fathers made an announcement, she went to Cartier and picked a ring and he paid for it. When she suddenly moved in with him, obviously a charade orchestrated by his father after he had seen him with his Ace in a restaurant, he just moved to his study. He tried sharing a bed with her a couple of times but she was always all over him and he couldn't bear it anymore so he started sleeping in his study. Yeah, that was his life now.

He had lost the only good thing in his life, his true home, his true family. The love of his life. And he couldn't do anything about it.

Just then Finn entered his room, "Hey there, mate, how are you doing? Want to come out of your cave to take a shower and eat with us? Colin is ordering some food," he looked at Logan with worry in his eyes. Finn sounded extremely sober what freaked Logan out on many different levels. He wasn't used to Finn being clearheaded, that was only a sign that something was up. And, unfortunately, he knew that they were worrying about him. He still hadn't looked at him, just continued to stare at his poster, the only palpable thing he had to remind him of the days when he was happy. When he was loved.

He managed to tear his look away from the poster to look at Finn, "I don't want anything, just leave me alone," he looked back at the poster and took a sip from his bottle of scotch.

"There, there, mate, you need to eat something. When was the last time you have eaten?"

"Just leave me alone!" Logan growled. He knew he was being harsh and ungrateful to his best friends but he couldn't stand one more try from them to get him back to his Ace. It was too painful.

"Okay, mate, suit yourself, we obviously cannot force you to do anything. If we could, you wouldn't be here right now. You would be with Love and everything would be okay" Finn stated calmly but Logan could sense the hurt behind his voice.

"Out! Leave me alone!"

With that Finn left the room and closed the door behind him. Logan couldn't deal with that now, he needed to numb all of his feelings before the meeting with his destiny in the morning.

---

"How did it go? Where is he?" Colin asked Finn as he saw him coming back to the living room - alone.

"He yelled at me, again. Sent me out of there. He's just drinking himself into stupor, there's nothing we can do. I think we have to let him be. Hopefully we'll manage to knock some sense into his in the morning when Honor gets here," Finn sighed exasperatedly and bee-lined to the bar cart to get himself a drink after the whole day of being almost sober.

Colin sighed as well, "I suppose you are right. We'll eat and we can watch something."

"Oh! I read what is written on that poster - The Long Morrow by The Twilight Zone. We should watch that, maybe it gives us some clarity why he's so obsessed about it."

"Cool, let's do it! The food should be here shortly."

Finn and Colin continued with their evening, eating and watching the infamous episode trying to explain it.

---

As the morning rolled in, Logan entered the living room freshly showered and dressed in his suit, only to find his best friends passed out on top of each other on his sofa. He proceeded to the kitchen to make some coffee, "Ahem, guys, wanna share something with me?"

Startled by Logan's voice, Colin quickly sat up and fell on the floor, "Ha ha ha, very funny. We just passed out last night. You of all people have no right to comment, it's not as you haven't passed out with us ever before."

"Sure, but never like this, in a comfy loving hug," Logan answered with an amused smirk on his face. He knew that the have been worrying a lot about him in the past few days so he couldn't mock them any further.

"Whatever, man, why are you all dressed up already?" Colin asked with a frown.

"Haven't you heard? Today is my meeting with the destiny. I have nothing more I can do, so I decided to at least look presentable when meeting the devil" Logan shrugged and reached to pour three cups of coffee.

"Logan, you cannot seriously do it! What the hell is wrong with you? You really want to spend the rest of your life completely miserable?" Colin exclaimed.

"Ugh, Colin, shut the fuck up, it's too bloody early for your girly voice!" Finn groaned from the sofa but turned to Logan, "I must agree with him mate, we can't let you do that. You are our best friends, we can't let you ruin your life."

"Just leave me alone! I'm doing it and that is final. It will be at least one thing I won't screw up, I'll have my job, I can leave like that for the rest of my life," Logan was getting frustrated so he ventured to the bar cart and poured a hefty amount of scotch into his coffee mug.

"You're an idiot… You have already found the best thing in your life and managed to mess it up multiple times during the past decade. The saddest thing is that you're giving up, you're succumbing to your father, without even realising what you're leaving behind you. You don't even realise that you have found something most of people can only dream of - true love. At first I couldn't believe it, a playboy extraordinaire settling down with one girl but then I saw that you had finally found your match, your home. And now you're going along the Dynastic Plan created by yours truly, the Dark Lord. I don't even know you anymore, mate…" Finn sighed sadly and shook his head in disbelief.

"This is something I have to do, there's no other option," Logan answered with remorse in his voice. It hurt to hear those things from his best friends and he knew they were pissed off with him but there is no way of getting out of this anymore. He has to embrace what he still has left.

At that moment Colin's phone rang and he excused himself to take the call outside on the balcony, "What's that about? Since when does he take his calls away from us?" Logan wondered out loud.

"Dunno, he's been weird last night as well, you know Colin, the Lord only knows what goes on through his head," Finn tried to avert Logan's curiosity from Colin, "What time is it?"

"It's 8 AM, you two should get ready, we need to get to the Huntzberger estate by 10. I'm going back to my study to do some e-mails. Be ready in 45 minutes, we can't be late" with that Logan left the room.

Finn shrugged and went to grab his cup of coffee just as Colin re-entered the room with a worried look on his face, "What's up?"

Colin started explaining, "That was Honor, she will be landing in half an hour, their flight was delayed due to a storm. I have a car waiting for her but she's cutting it close, we're worried she won't make it on time."

"Shit! We'll have to stall as much as we can. Do you have any plan? Maybe you can affect it somehow as his lawyer."

"I seriously doubt it, I'm only his lawyer, to check that he doesn't get screwed. The real lawyers are from Odette's father and from HPG, I don't see how I can influence them…" Colin answered with worry, "But we for sure have to do something. Did you try to talk to him again?"

"Yeah, I tried, he wouldn't listen. I don't get it, mate, why the hell is he giving everything up?"

"If only I could understand… But we have to be there for him now. He told us to be ready by 9:15, we cannot be late."

"Sure, we'll be ready. I'll let the driver know that he has to take Honor to the estate as fast as possible," Colin started organising and added, "You go grab a shower, I'll make some calls."

After agreeing with Colin, Finn went to the bathroom while Colin continued organising everything so that Honor is, hopefully, at the Huntzberger estate on time.

---

45 minutes later, Logan got out of his study and yelled, "C'mon boys, we have to go! We'll be late!"

"And what a pity that would be," Finn answered and walked towards Logan who rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Where's Colin?"

"He'll be here any minute now, he had to take another phone call. In the meantime, we should toast to the end of your freedom," Finn said and proceeded to grab a bottle of scotch from the cart.

"What the hell are you talking about, Finn? Toast to what?"

"As I said, to the end of your freedom. You can't seriously think that she'll allow you to see us that much anymore, can you?"

Logan started getting angry, "Please just knock it off, Finn, I'm not in the mood now."

"Not in the mood for what?" Colin asked as he moved towards them.

Finn answered sombrely, "To toast to the end of his freedom, of course, there's nothing we can do anymore."

"Right you are, buddy, we should toast for the last time as the three musketeers. Lord only knows that Odious won't let you spend much time alone with us anymore, it is a pure miracle that she wasn't here the past two days, luckily she stayed with her parents during their stay in London, otherwise we wouldn't even get a chance to spend this time with you. Even though you weren't such a good company, nevertheless, we got to be here for you," Colin agreed with Finn, looking pointedly at Logan.

"Seriously, guys?! If you can't just be here for me without pestering me then I think it's better for the both of you to leave," Logan exclaimed with pain in his voice, grabbed the bottle of scotch from Finn's hand and went outside to the waiting limo.

Colin and Finn looked at each other and followed him to the car without saying a word. They felt powerless. Sure, they were mad at Logan for giving in to his father but they owed him to support him now, after everything he has done for them in the past that was the least they could do. That and to hope that Honor will make it on time.

They rode in silence, sharing a bottle of scotch between them - Logan taking rather larger gulps than the rest. He was looking through the window to the passing town, his heart sinking in the depths of sadness he had never experienced before. He felt sorry for mistreating his friends, but he couldn't hear their pleads anymore, for they hurt him more than anything. He had said goodbye to her, there is nothing left for him to do but to dedicate his life to work, to his family's empire, even with a woman whom he loathed by his side. One upon a time, a long time ago, he swore to himself that he'll never succumb to his father's plans, at least not when they concerned his private life. But he has disappointed even himself, the younger self that would now be ashamed of a person he'd become. Sighing and taking another gulp of drink, he sat in silence and wished for this day to finally be over.

---

Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger were sitting in the salon of their London estate, waiting for their guests to arrive. The Durfort family, owners of the French largest publishing company and their daughter Odette - Logan's future wife. Both Mitchum and Shira were eager to get the signing of the prenup done so that they could continue with their master plan. Mitchum saw the unity of the two families as a step forward to making HPG the world's largest publishing empire and Shira was pleased to be getting Odette as her daughter in law - a perfect society wife, just what Logan needed.

The guests were supposed to arrive by 10 AM, then, after a quick brunch, the signing would take place. After that, their future would finally be sealed.

The Huntzberger's were casually chatting while expecting their guests, just when the elder Huntzberger, Elias, entered the salon, "So, I see you're all ready for ruining your son's life. I couldn't have imagined that it would actually come to this."

"Father! What are you doing here?" Mitchum exclaimed, not knowing that his father was always planning on being here for the signing. Elias and Logan became closer since Logan graduated from Yale, especially since he broke up with Rory. They talked about everything and Elias could see a younger version of himself in Logan. He was dead against this goddamn plan since he first heard of it, but there wasn't much that he could do. He was old and wasn't working for the Group anymore, Mitchum was the leader now. He just prayed that Logan would come to his senses on time.

"Elias, we weren't expecting you here!" Shira was stunned.

"Shira, it's Sir or Mr. Huntzberger to you," Elias answered to Shira, with whom he had never had the best relationship but it has unfortunately diminished even more in the past decade since she has been adamant on setting Logan up with a trophy wife. After seeing Logan completely broken a decade ago, Elias finally understood what Rory meant to him and what his family had done to him. Broken him since the early age, roped him into a life with no choice. Now, at the end of his days, he could only hope that Logan will manage to break free from this destiny, to get to live his life as he was supposed to all along. Turning to his son, he answered annoyed, "Of course I would be here, Mitchum, I couldn't miss this farce of roping your own son into a miserable life. I have been hoping that you would see the error to your thinking but obviously that will never happen. You have always been too power hungry, not caring even a slightest bit about your own children."

Mitchum seethed, "That's enough! I'm leading the company now and I know what's the best for Logan. If it weren't for me, he would be broke and lost, a nobody!"

"And here it is again, your error of judgement," Elias quickly responded, not taking his glare off of his son, "Logan would have been happy. Just because you have never experienced happiness, doesn't mean that others don't deserve it. You were the one who made your decisions and look where it got you! You have two children who basically hate you, a wife whom you avoid at all costs and a father who doesn't want to have anything to do with you."

Shira gasped at his statement just as Mitchum got up from his chair, "You have no idea what you're talking about! If it weren't for me, this company would have gone under years ago. I saved your legacy! This signing today is only an affirmation of the greatness that is to come to the empire. I will not let you ruin this!"

"You're delusional, son, and someday it will come and bit you in your ass. When you least expect it. I for sure hope it would be sooner rather than later," Elias answered and went to get himself a glass of brandy and to sit in his armchair, now waiting for the rest to arrive. Mitchum just glared at him but remained silent. At that point the bell rang.

They could here the commotion of arriving parties in the foyer and soon they were lead to the saloon by the maid.

Mitchum stood up and went to greet his guests, "Pierre, wonderful to see you on this fine day! We have finally come to this day, just two more months until the official union of our families."

"Mitchum!" A short French man, Odette's father, boomed at his longline friend, "After everything we've been through, I can't believe we're finally here, on the verge of building a world publishing empire! I hope we're not late, we've hit some traffic on our way."

"Nonsense, you're right on time! Lovely to see you again, Pierre!" Shira greeted the man as well, "Odette, darling, it's been too long, we need to get Logan to visit us more often, we have many things to discuss," she stated turning to a blonde French heiress that Logan was supposed to marry just before Christmas. Shira was delighted by this outcome, Odette was a perfect society wife, just as she was.

"Shira, how lovely to see you again," Odette went to Shira and kissed her on the cheek, in the society appropriate manner, "We should definitely meet more often, there are so many things to go over before the wedding, I need your experienced advice!"

"Of course, darling, it's a pleasure of having you as a part of the family now."

"Mitchum, nice to see you again as well, it's been too long!" Odette greeted her future father in law, also in a society appropriate manner.

"Unfortunately Marie, couldn't make it to the signing with us today, she got roped into planning some charity function back in Paris, you know how it goes," Pierre explained the lack of his wife joining them.

"No need to apologise, Pierre, she is a well respected and responsible wife to you, it is to be expected, I am sure Odette will make us proud like that as well," Mitchum reassured Pierre.

"My husband's right, we understand how it works, no need to explain yourself. Now, please join us, sit, sit!" Shira ushered them to the seating area in the saloon where Elias was still sitting, not even bothering to stand up.

"Miss Durfort, Mr. Durfort, nice to see you again," Elias stated in a polite but cold manner.

"Mr. Huntzberger, what a surprise, I didn't know you were joining us today!" Pierre greeted the old man by shaking his hand.

"Well, Mr. Durfort, I had to make sure everything would occur properly, after all I am still the elder of this family."

"But of course, I would do the same for my family," Pierre agreed with Elias but noticed his unpleasant tone.

At that point Odette piped in, "Nice to see you again Elias, I just wish we'd get to spend more time together, we will be family soon, we should know each other."

"Miss Durfort, please call me Sir or Mr. Huntzberger, just as Shira does. After all, it is appropriate. And don't worry, I do spend as much time as I can with Logan, there's no need to rope you into our meetings as well," Elias answered with utter disdain in his voice.

Mitchum cringed at hearing his father's answer to Odette and observed his behaviour. He was getting a bad feeling about him being here today.

Odette nodded slightly offended to Elias' answer but went to sit on a loveseat across the Huntzberger pair. His father took an armchair next to Elias.

Pierre looked around the room and stated, "Our lawyers should be here shortly, could you please arrange for them to be immediately escorted to the study where the signing would take place? They need to prepare everything."

"No problem, our lawyers are already there. We are only waiting for Logan and his two friends to arrive, one of them is his lawyer," Mitchum responded to Pierre.

"Oh, who is Logan bringing? Why is there a need to have a friend here today? This should go as smoothly as possible, everything has been negotiated already," Odette wondered, unpleased by this information. Elias snorted at this comment but said nothing.

Slightly embarrassed by his father's behaviour, Mitchum answered, "Colin McCrae is his lawyer and best friend, as well as Finn Morgan. They have been a group since their early days, I tried to separate them many times but, unfortunately, haven't succeeded yet. Maybe you will. They have never been a good influence on Logan."

"I must agree with you here, Mitchum, Logan shouldn't be having any distractions from this point on. There is too much going on," Pierre responded to Mitchum's statement, "But I wouldn't doubt my Odette's capabilities in taking care of that."

"I'll do my best, Mitchum, I am also not a fan of Logan spending so much time with them," Odette agreed with them.

The bell rang again and Logan, Colin and Finn entered the room, "Ah, here they are!" Shira exclaimed and called for the maid to make sure everything is ready for brunch.

Logan went to shake his father's and Pierre's hand, kissed his mother on the cheek and proceeded to greet Odette.

"Mon chéri! I've missed you! Nice to see you again!" Odette tried to hug him but Logan managed to gracefully escape her intentions and kissed her on the cheek, as was appropriate.

"Nice to see you too, Odette," Logan stuttered out, giving his best not to roll his eyes at her artificial affection. Just then he noticed his grandfather sitting in an armchair and went to greet him as well, shocked to see him there, "Grandpa, what are you doing here?! If I had known you were in London, I'd would have met with you. I thought you were still in Italy."

"My boy, of course I was planning on being here for this great event," Elias leaned in to hug his grandson and whispered, "Logan, be smart, get away while you still can."

Logan, even more shocked at his grandfather's statement whispered back, "There is nothing else left for me, grandpa, I have to do it."

Elias, dumbfounded by his grandson's statement just patted him on the back and answered, "It can never be too late to be happy, Logan, remember that," he patted him again and sat back in his armchair.

In the meantime, Colin and Finn greeted everybody else and Finn made a bee-line for the bar cart to get them a drink. They for sure needed it. He brought one to Logan as well, just as he was about to sit next to Odette, further away as possible from her on this small loveseat.

"Here you go, mate," Finn handed him a drink and went to sit next to Colin on another loveseat.

"Really, Logan, drinking at 10 AM?" Shira hissed, while Mitchum glanced at him disapprovingly.

Logan just shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his drink. He was in no mood for his parent's accusations. He just needed a drink and was thankful that Finn knew him so well.

"Mr. And Mrs. Huntzberger, I just wanted to inform you that all of the lawyers have arrived and are setting up the signing room," the maid said as she came into the saloon, "Brunch is also served, you may proceed to the table."

"Thank you, Bridget, we will be there shortly," Shira answered and invited the others to join them in the dining room, "Please, join us for brunch before you start talking shop."

Everybody followed her, except Colin and Finn, who stayed behind, "Any news from Honor?" Finn asked hopefully.

"She's on her way, she should be here in 10 minutes. We have to stall and get him away from them when she arrives. This is our last resort, Finn, we have nothing left. Nothing, but to hope that Logan will come to his senses," Colin sighed.

"Then, we'll do our best, after all - stalling is something we are professionals at!" They made their way to the dining room and were shot by disapproving looks from everybody except Elias and Logan. Elias looked at them with a twinkle in his eyes, he knew something was happening but he wasn't sure what. Logan looked at them with confusion and curiosity. He noticed that they had stayed behind but didn't understand why. He was just hoping that they weren't planning any pranks, he couldn't deal with his father about that as well now.

When everybody was at the table, they continued with the brunch, Odette and Shira eagerly discussing the wedding, Pierre and Mitchum discussing their future plans, Colin and Finn fixated on Colin's phone underneath the table, Elias staring at Logan and Logan staring at his plate, not managing to get himself to eat now.

Just as Odette was about to comment on him not eating, Honor entered the room in a flurry. Everybody was dumbfounded to see her there, Mitchum and Shira haven't talked to her or seen her since they roped Logan into the Dynastic Plan.

"Honor, what are you doing here?! It's lovely to finally see you, nice of you to come and support your brother. Not that there's much to support, a great thing is happening here today. It will be nice to celebrate with you later today," Shira said to her daughter, shocked to see her after a long time.

"Hello, mother. Hello everyone. I'm not here to support my baby brother, nor I am here to support your idiotic plan and I am definitely not here to celebrate. I just need to talk to Logan," Honor stated and turned to Logan, "Hey, baby bro, could you please spare me 5 minutes, I have something really important for you."

Logan, not sure where this was going, but seeing his sister totally out of her element, nodded slowly, "Sure, let's go upstairs." What the hell is she doing here?

At that point, Mitchum had to stop whatever was happening, he wasn't getting a good vibe from all this commotion, "Honor, nice to see you. There's no need to go anywhere, we are all family here, you can tell us what's going on."

Honor snorted and looked at her father, "No offence, dad, but I won't be a part of a family which manipulates their children. I have to talk to my brother, we will be back shortly," stating that, she grabbed Logan's arm and pulled him out of the room. Colin and Finn made their excuses and were right behind them while climbing the stair to get to one of the suites upstairs.

The rest of the people remained at the table, confused and agitated about what was going on. Mitchum and Odette pissed off, Shira in the mood for a cigarette, Pierre perplexed and Elias with a small smirk on his face. Maybe everything won't go as planned after all - he thought to himself with hope.

---

After entering one of the suites upstairs, Logan abruptly turned to Honor and his friends, "What the hell is going on? Is it your lives' mission to make me feel even worse today? I'm not stupid, I know something's going on. So? Out with it!" He almost yelled at them.

Honor stepped forward, "First of all, don't you dare yell at us! We have been trying to help you for weeks now, months, years even! We are only doing this because we love you and we can't fathom you throwing your life away."

"I know, Honor, I'm sorry. But there's nothing I can do anymore… So, what do you have to talk to me about?"

"Oh, Logan, there is so much you can do but you have to fight for it. It is time for you to fight them off again… The thing is, I have to give you something. But before I do, I need you to listen to me carefully. Do we have a deal, Master and Commander?"

Logan's eyes almost blew out of its sockets, "What did you say?" Only his Ace knew this nickname, this could not be happening.

Honor giggled at his reaction, she took it as a good sign, "You heard me right, Master and Commander. Now, do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal," Logan relented, his curiosity now peaked.

"As I suppose that you know who I am talking about, I have to tell you that she came to see me yesterday, just as I was heading out to pick up Helen and Hunter from preschool. She gave me a letter and asked me to personally bring it to you. I asked her what it was about and she wouldn't tell me, she just made me promise to deliver it to you personally. She went away as soon as I made my promise," Honor explained and reached in her bag to extract the envelope Rory had given her.

Logan eagerly reached for the envelope but Honor put it behind her back, "I will give it to you, but only under two conditions. First, we will stay here with you while you read it, I want to be sure you have read it until the end. Second, if there's anything worth fighting for in this letter, promise us you will at least think about it."

"I agree, may I now get the damn letter?!" Logan was beyond agitated but extremely interested in what his Ace would be writing him about after he thought that he'll never hear from her again.

Honor gave him the envelope and went to sit with the guys in the sitting area of the suite, while Logan went and sat on the bed. They could still keep an eye on him this was, which was an added advantage.

Logan sat on the bed and held a thick envelope in his hands. His heart started beating again in anticipation. After one last glance at the title on the front page, he turned the letter to open it and pulled out 4 pages of handwritten letter. Handwriting by: his Ace.

Taking a deep breath, he started reading, not bothering that his sister and his two best friends were watching him like a hawk.

Dearest Logan,

I know you weren't expecting to hear from me ever again after our last goodbye but due to a recent development I find myself writing this letter to you. There are so many things I have to say, so many things I should have said to you a long time ago.

As you already know, I have been writing a book about my mom and me, about my life. While outlining it these past 6 weeks since we've last seen each other, I started to understand so many things that went wrong, so many things that I could've done differently. That, and some news that I've gotten this morning, have made me sit and reevaluate my decisions so I have decided to get everything off my chest in hope of moving forward.

Please don't hate me for what you're about to read further down this letter. I can manage almost any feeling from you but hatred isn't one of them, especially when I could never feel anything remotely similar towards you. No, all the hatred I feel about us is directed towards me because I repeatedly managed to lose the only good thing I've ever had. You.

His breath hitched, he couldn't believe this was happening.

That's right, Logan, I love you. I have loved you even during our no-strings arrangement 12 years ago, I have loved you when we were broken up, I have loved you when you were in London, I have loved you after declining your proposal, I have loved you these past 3 years since we've met again, I have loved you when we said goodbye again. I love you now and I can't imagine the day I won't.

He has waited to hear these words for so long, only letting himself believe it could be true in his dreams. Now, he hoped this wasn't a dream.

That's why I have to write this, I owe this to you and me. I can't be scared anymore, it's time for me to grow up.

First of all, I need to apologise to you. For so many things. I am truly and deeply sorry for declining your proposal 10 years ago. Please don't ever think I did it because I didn't love you. I did it because I was terrified - terrified of what was coming, terrified of moving away from everything I've ever known and terrified of ruining my mother's plan. I would give everything to be able to rewind the past 10 years so that I could say yes or to make you understand my decision and that it didn't have to be all or nothing. But, Logan, you were terrified too. I know you and I can now understand why you made it an ultimatum at that point. We both really messed that one up. I also have to apologise for not reaching out to you after that. There were so many moments when I had dialled your phone but couldn't make myself press the call button. So many times I was on the verge of coming to your doorstep but I couldn't shake the feeling that you wouldn't want to see me, that you've moved on. I couldn't blame you for that. I've tried to move on, so desperately, during that time but nobody I'd met came even close to you - to what you had once meant to me. Most of all, I am sorry for not expressing my feelings when we met in Hamburg. No, I had to propose that child's game of "Vegas" and ruin absolutely any chance of my happily ever after. To be honest, I was scared that you wouldn't want me that way anymore so I had to settle for the next best thing because even a part of you is a world to me. It's the same reason I've proposed a no-strings deal all those years ago, I had to settle for what I could have.

He felt tears streaming down his face now and saw some of them drop on the letter. That's when he noticed that the letter was already stained from tears. His Ace had been crying while writing this. A fact that made his heart clench even more, for he hated her being hurt.

Second of all, I have to thank you. Thank you for making me feel special every time you looked at me. I had never felt that way before I met you. I didn't understand it at the beginning when you told me I was special, I certainly never thought of myself that way. But looking at your eyes, I had felt it every single time. When we were apart, it was that exact feeling that made me go through hard times because I knew, somewhere deep inside of me, that once upon a time someone believed in me unconditionally. That once upon a time I was loved unconditionally. Thank you for accepting me for me from the very beginning. With all the quirkiness, dorkyness and absolutely no spontaneity. Thank you for getting me out of my shell, for giving me a push to actually see and experience the world around me. If it weren't for you, I would have never experienced some of the best moments of my life. Most of all, thank you for rescuing me time and time again, for never judging me and for supporting me in my choices even when you had disagreed with me. Thank you for every smile that you'd given me, for every kiss, every gentle caress, every time you'd held me. I will cherish all of those forever.

"Anytime, Ace, anytime," Logan whispered and traced the last paragraph with his fingers.

Honor and the boys noticed him say something and looked up to see him dissolved in tears, completely absorbed by the letter.

"Logan, is everything alright?" Honor asked with concern. She wasn't sure what to think of the tears but she had a good feeling about this. She hasn't seen him like this since he was in Yale and had to win Rory back when they (allegedly) broke up.

"Yeah, everything's okay," Logan croaked out, not lifting his gaze from the letter. He continued reading.

Now, when I have finally managed to express all of the things that I have been keeping in myself for a decade, I have to make you understand how special you are, Logan.

I know, I really shouldn't be boosting that ego anymore for the chance of the stratosphere collapsing but I need you to know how wonderful you really are and not in a way that others, who don't know you as well as I do, boost your confidence.

He had to chuckle at her comment about his ego. After all, she was the only one who has ever managed to take it down a notch.

Seriously, any person, and I know there are not many, who has been graced with knowing the real Logan, not the Logan Huntzberger - the heir to the newspaper empire, but my Logan, the Master and Commander, the butt-faced miscreant, can confirm what I'm about to tell you. You are a great man, Logan, one of the greatest. The way that you take care of your friends, the way that you're always here when they need you, the way you support them, the way you love them. It takes greatness to achieve that and you have been blessed with it, as have we who got to experience that side of you. Any person who has already gotten or has yet to get to experience the ways of your heart should cherish it beyond this world. I know for sure I will.

Has he been kidding himself this whole time? Can he live the rest of his life surrounded by people who don't really know him nor have the urge to get to know him? If he were honest wit himself, his Ace was the only person who ever knew him completely. Sure, Honor, Colin and Finn knew him better than anyone else, but his Ace was the one who could always see right through him, even before they started dating. There was something about her since the moment he met her that made him be himself around her, made him not to put his facade when he was with her. Will he ever get to experience that kind of connection again? Maybe - he thought to himself, hope surging through him for the first time in a long while.

But, what worries me is whether you are really happy. And I mean really happy, Logan. It would break my heart knowing that you're settling for the great Dynastic Plan only to go with lower resistance with your father. You are made to achieve great things, don't settle for anything less. I was so proud of you when you got away from the Group and the your father's thumb. You needed to strive on your own and you did, you had great success in Palo Alto. I still don't understand why you decided to sell your company to HPG but I have faith in you that you did it from the right reasons.

Well, this is an easy one. Of course I'm not happy. I lost the best thing I ever had.

Furthermore, please promise me that you're marrying Odette not only because of the Dynastic Plan. Please, let there be happiness and love. Don't do to yourself what I have managed to bring upon myself. Live your life fully, Logan, at least you used to be one of the rare people who actually knew how to do that.

How can I promise her something that isn't true? Even she sensed it, I can read it between her lines.

Great, now that I've gotten all that out of the way, I have some news to share with you. As you may remember from the very beginning of this letter, I stated that something happened to me today to make me finally sit and write this to you. And what happened is pretty life-changing - extraordinary - but still life-changing. I have not been feeling well for the past couple of days and I just attributed it to exhausting myself while writing this book, rethinking possibly every decision I've ever made and, basically, being miserable. So I went and saw a doctor this morning and it changed my life forever.

Oh, no, no, no! This can't be happening! She can't be sick, she simply can't! Please, God, let her be well. I cannot live in a world without her, it's not a life worth living. Even if I don't see her ever again, I need her to be okay, to live her life.

Logan started sobbing with more force, his thoughts getting the better of him.

Honor heard him grasping for air and hurried to him to see what was going on, "Logan, what's happening? What's wrong?" She asked, concern etched in her voice.

"I don't know, I have to keep reading. She has to be alright. Just let me finish the letter."

"What do you mean she has to be alright? What's going on?"

"I have to finish the letter, Hon, I'll tell you later, I don't know. Please just give me space."

Honor nodded slightly and went back to the boys who were in shock with the scene happening in front of them. They heard their conversation and were now also worried beyond belief.

I am keeping you in suspense, aren't I? You know I can't resist the good "Hitchcock-style"-suspense. But, there is something else I have to tell you before. I need you to know that you are loved. Truly, deeply, irrevocably, unconditionally loved. Always and forever. Saying goodbye to you 6 weeks ago was the hardest thing I ever had to do but I did it - because I love you and I can't destroy your life. I love you enough to let you go. That's why I need you to promise me now that you'll think long and hard after you find out my news and that you'll do exactly what your heart wants and not what is proper. Please. Even if you don't love me anymore, please promise me that based on the fact that once upon a time you did.

What the hell is going on? How could she think that I don't love her anymore? I'm an idiot, I should've never let her go. This is all my fault.

There is for sure no doubt about what my heart wants. There was never any doubt about that. It was always crystal clear: his Ace.

Mr. Toads Wild Ride. The perfect ending that we deserved. The perfect ending to our true love. For I believed even since before you gave me that rocket that what we had was true love. But we were kidding ourselves when we thought that you can put an ending to something called "true love". Geez, for two Yale graduates we sure didn't think this through. But the thing is, true love, even if it changes through time, it never evaporates. It is some weird form of energy. I choose to believe that, especially since I've found out this morning that I am pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant with your child. A child. A child that is made of you and me. Created in the moment of utter happiness and love. A little bundle of cells that came from you and me. I was shocked at first but then became happier than I have been in the past 6 weeks. That's how I know that our true love isn't gone, it just migrated to somebody else, made somebody else be an evidence in this universe that our love actually existed and that it was worth something. Even if we didn't manage to fight for our love, our child will be the happiest and most loved creature in this universe. Because it came from unconditional love.

Oh. My. God.

Oh! My! God!

OH! MY! GOD!

He's full on hyperventilating now, tears still streaming down his face. Honor, Colin and Finn rush to him, not knowing what is happening.

"Logan! Logan!"

"Mate!"

"What's happening?" Colin tries to take the letter from him to see what he had read but Logan wakes up from his stupor and snatches the letter back to himself.

"Everything's okay, just let me finish it," he answers them and only then realises that a small smile is playing on his lips. That his heart is beating with love, true love, after so much time.

He gets up and starts pacing back and forth around the room, leaving the guys and Honor on the bed.

He was going to be a father. His Ace was pregnant with his child.

Oh my God, he was going to be a father! A father! Dad! How in the hell is he supposed to be a dad when he has never had a good example of one? How?

And then it clicks: it doesn't matter. This was his dream that he didn't dare to dream even in his wildest dreams.

His child. His Ace. His family.

With that thought he continues on with the letter.

I needed to let you know about this. I love you too much not to let you know. You're the first one I've told. It wouldn't be fair of me to share this piece of information with anyone else before I wrote to you. (Even though I will probably tell my mother until you actually get to read this letter. Nevertheless, I needed you to know first.) But I also need you to know that I don't expect anything from you, I can take care of our child myself. As I've said before, it's about time for me to grow up. You can be as included as you want, I would never keep our baby from you. But, whatever you decide, please keep your promise on what you decide. Don't be like my father used to be when I was growing up, full of empty promises. I don't think I could survive that. Honestly, I can't imagine you doing that, but I had to put it here, just for the peace of mind.

Does she really think I would stay away? Abandon them? When this was all I ever wanted?

If you decide that you don't want anything to do with out child please don't respond to this. I will get the message with time. I just cannot imagine myself going through your reasons. Nevertheless, if that is what you decide, you have my promise that I will love him/her with all my heart for both of us. That our child will know their father was a great man and loved them to pieces. I will never let our child feel abandoned from any of its parents because they weren't capable of fighting for what they had. I will do anything in my power to give them a good life, to teach them to live like you taught me, to take chances and, most of all, to fight for themselves. I am truly blessed to have something of yours left with me forever and I will let him/her know that every single day.

Tears spring yet again to his eyes, this time because of utter selflessness of the woman he loved. He trusted her that she would do as she promised here, if it would ever come to that. But it won't.

It for sure won't.

But, if you somehow decide to choose us, I can promise you love and happiness for the rest of our days. I can promise you a home, a family, pure and utter contentment. I know that it would be all that for me if I had fought for us when I could. But I can't anymore and I have to let you go.

I can promise you that as well. That and so much more. I could never let you go.

He finally stops his pacing and hears Honor sigh in relief. He knows they are worried about him but he has to do this on his own.

So, here it is. I have said all I needed to say. Now I remain with hope and happiness for our child, whom whenever I look at, I will remember the greatest man I have ever known. An imperfect, completely opposite from me but still a perfect human, at least for me, the love of my life.

His heart is now bursting with love. With joy. With hope.

He stands still, still focused on the letter. A smile keeps playing on his lips, he feels it widen. The tears are now tears of happiness.

Whatever you decide, please know that you are loved. And if you decide to continue your Dynastic Plan and ever feel helpless, just remember that there are at least two people on this planet who love you unconditionally.

With all my love,

Ace

And I have to get back to the two people that I love unconditionally. I have to go home. Home.

His back being turned to the bed, Honor gets worried that something bad has happened. He has been standing completely still for a couple of minutes now. "Logan?"

He sniffles and turns to them with a largest smile that they've ever seen on his face. Weight falls from their backs, weight they weren't even aware they were carrying. They have a good feeling about this.

Finally, he speaks up, looking them all in the eyes, "I'm going home."

"What? What do you mean you're going home?" Colin exclaims.

Honor beams with a huge smile at him, "I knew you'd come to your senses."

"About damn time, mate!" Finn states with an eye-roll but Logan can see the happiness surging from him.

"Yeah, I'm going home," he restates his previous statement and adds, "Finn, get the jet ready, Honor, Colin, come with me, I need to put an end to this torture of the Dynastic Plan. We need to hurry, I have to very important people to get back home to," he states and starts going for the door.

First he hears Honor gasp, then he hears Finn laughing as never before and then he hears Colin ask, "Two? What do you mean two?"

Honor exclaims, "I can't believe this! This is so much better that I have expected!"

Logan reaches the door, putting the letter in his jacket inner pocket he turns to them and winks with a boyish grin plastered on his face.

Honor squeals and launches herself to hug him, Finn follows her and Colin realises only then what has happened, he laughs out loud, "Well, it seems that I definitely won't be selling that Inn, it just became my favourite property of all time."

Logan laughs at their happiness and is filled with even more joy when he takes notice of their happiness for him. He knows he now has everything he has ever needed. He just needs to get back to his Ace as soon as possible, which means that he first needs to take care of the situation downstairs, "C'mon guys, we have work to do!"

With that, they all headed back downstairs.

---

Meanwhile downstairs, the rest of them have continued with their breakfast, still very confused about what was going on and what was taking so long. They have been gone for 20 minutes now. Just as Mitchum was getting up to get Logan back to the table, Logan flew in the dining room, Honor and Colin short on his heels.

Elias took notice of how Logan looked - out of breath, his tie hanging loose, tear-streaked face - but he also had the hugest smile he has ever seen on him and the spark in his eyes had returned. He knew what was about to happen, he concluded with a smile and eagerly anticipated the showdown.

"What has taken you so long? We have things to do here today, Logan, could you please behave properly at least now?" Mitchum asked him with an irritated voice.

"Unfortunately, I have to inform all of you that we have nothing to do here today. I'm done," Logan stated and heard gasps from his mother and Odette. His father's face was slowly assuming the crimson colour that Logan has already been used to, having seen it on his father's pissed off face so many times before.

"What do you mean you're done?! Have you already signed the papers? Is that why you have been gone so long?" Mitchum exclaimed. Elias and Colin snorted at this comment and Honor chuckled quietly.

"Exactly as I've said. I'm done. There's nothing for me to sign here. I won't be a part of your great plan, you cannot make me."

"Logan, stop playing games right this instant! This is important! You're signing these papers and we'll discuss this after."

"There won't be any signing and there won't be any discussion. I'm leaving. Mr. Durfort, my apologies for the inconvenience, I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Odette, my apologies to you as well, maybe you don't see it now, but I'm doing you a favour. We would be living a very miserable life if we'd get married. We barely know each other and I could never love you. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. I wish you all the best."

Odette got up with force and yelled, "What do you mean, Logan? This was my dream! We were meant to be! Please, rethink everything rationally, we could be happy, Logan! You would love me with time!"

Mitchum listened to his son and got even more furious, "What the hell do you mean you're leaving?! Where will you go? You'll never make it on your own!"

Logan chuckled, "See, this is where you're wrong, I have everything to go to. I have a home to go to."

"What home? This is your home!" Mitchum was getting beyond frustrated.

"And you're wrong again, this has never been my home. This family, except for Honor and grandpa, has never been my home. I'm done with you. I'm done with your manipulations. Goodbye, Mitchum."

"If you leave now you can never come back, you understand that, right? I'll disown you and you'll lose everything!"

"Great, do it. I have no intentions of coming back to you either. As I said: we are done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have two people I have to see as soon as possible, unlike you they actually need me. And I need them."

"WHAT TWO PEOPLE? Have you completely gone off your mind? Get back here now!"

Logan chuckled again, bowed in front of the table, and started heading towards the exit.

Mitchum started connecting the dots, "Does that have anything to do with that tramp Rory Gilmore? I always knew she'll be the one to ruin you."

Logan froze in the place, swiftly turned on his heels and bolted toward Mitchum, rage pulsing through his veins. He could barely notice his mother gasping, Odette weeping and Colin right behind him.

"Don't you dare call the mother of my child that way! Don't you dare!"

Now he definitely heard shrieks from his mother and Odette, he briefly glanced to his grandpa to see him smiling. This made all of this even easier. He knew he had to do it.

"CHILD? Child?! You knocked her up?! Couldn't you be more careful? Especially with girls like her, she is only after your money and connections. She probably did it on purpose."

"I would watch your mouth here, be careful what you say" Logan stated with a deadly voice.

"She tricked you, Logan, how can't you see that? She tricked you! Oh well, what is done is done. It will be just a small dent in our plans but we can still continue as planned. We will pay her off to abort the bastard and to never get close again. It wouldn't be the first time someone from our circle had to do that. Really, nothing unusual."

Logan has had enough so he slammed the table with his hands, he saw the others tremble with fear and his father completely still, for the first time ever his eyes betraying him, making Logan see that he's winning, "Don't you dare call my child a bastard! Don't you dare! Do you even hear yourself? How can you say something like this?"

At that point, Shira managed to croak out, "Logan, she is not good for you, she is not proper for a society wife. Just pay her off and never see her again."

"Really, Shira, you too?" Logan turned to his mother before turning back to his father, "I am leaving now, don't expect to ever see me again. I've had enough, enough of you manipulating me, enough of being your puppet my whole life. I'm gone. Gone from the company, gone from this family. I wish you all a nice life."

"You know that if you leave now, you'll lose everything, right? There is no way you can make it on your own, no one would hire you. You're ruining your life, your dream!"

"And yet here you are wrong, again. This was never my dream to begin with. This was always your sick plan. I have tried so many times to get away from you but you always sucked me back in. Well, it ends now. I'm leaving and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"I'll ruin you, Logan, mark my words," Mitchum seethed.

"You can try, but I doubt you'll ever succeed. See, I have something that you'll never have. I have people who love me and who would do anything for me, just as I would for them. And as to what I will do, oh, Daddy Dearest, you forget that, after all, I still am a Huntzberger. And you raised me that way. I think I'll manage. Goodbye, Mitchum, Shira. Mr. Durfort, my apologies again, to the both of you. Grandpa, I'll call you soon so that we set up a meet-up. Thanks for being here today."

"It was a pleasure Logan, I am so happy for you, you deserve it. Now, go get your girl!" Elias stood up and hugged his grandson. After the hug Logan nodded once more towards the room and left with Honor and Colin.

"Wow," Colin exclaimed just as they got out of the room, "You did it. You actually did it!"

"I'm so happy with you baby bro," Honor said with tears of joy in her eyes, "you fought for yourself, you managed to finally get out."

"Yeah, I did it," Logan beamed as they got out of the house where Finn was waiting for them with the limo.

"How did it go?" Finn asked as soon as he saw them exiting the house.

"I'm free, I left the company and the family, there's nothing more left for me here," Logan stated with a smile on his face, "Is everything ready?"

"Bravo, mate, bravo! I was starting to think I'll never see the day," Finn enveloped him in a manly hug, "Yeah, everything is ready, the plane can leave anytime. Do you need to go home to grab your things?"

Logan thought about it for a second, "Can you guys help me pack fast? I want to get my things and be out of here for good."

"Do you even have to ask?" Honor stated with a roll of her eyes.

"Sure thing, buddy, let's get you home," Colin agreed.

With that all of them got in the limo and on their way to Logan's place to pack his stuff.

---

Back at Logan's apartment, they were all hurriedly packing all his belongings. Honor was packing up his wardrobe, Colin and Finn were celebrating with scotch and packing up random stuff around the apartment. Logan was in his study, packing up his stuff and thinking whether he should call his Ace. After some deliberation, he concluded that it's best to just go to her and surprise her.

He was almost finished with packing up his study when Honor barged in, gasping with a little blue velvet box in her hand, "What is this?"

Logan looked at the box in her hand, debating if he should explain why he still had it, "That's the ring with which I proposed to Rory 10 years ago."

"And you kept it?" Honor asked with shock.

"Yeah, I debated getting rid of it, throwing it in the Pacific, but I could never do it. It's the last thing I had left from that time, I could not get rid of it. Somehow, keeping it, I held onto some hope through these years."

"I understand… but, Logan, you can't propose to her again with the same ring. This ring isn't Rory anymore. We need to get her a better ring!" Honor exclaimed excitedly. Hearing her excitement, the boys made their way to the study as well.

"What's going on in here?" Finn slurred, now obviously intoxicated.

"Oh, nothing, just the fact that Logan has kept the first ring for Rory for a decade," Honor explained.

"What? Geez, buddy, she never gave you your balls back, did she?" Colin joked, remembering the prank they pulled on Rory back in her sophomore year of Yale.

With an eye-roll, Logan answered, "Did you really expect me to get rid of it?"

"Honestly, no, but we're still surprised. But you do know that you need a new ring? This one doesn't suit her anymore. You need a fresh start," Colin stated.

"That's what I've said, we need to go to Harry Winston before the plane," Honor was getting even more excited, "Oh, how I love shopping for jewellery."

"No, we don't," Logan replied offhandedly.

"What do you mean we don't have to? You cannot seriously plan on proposing to her with this ring! You are planning to propose, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Hon, I am. But not immediately. We will have to talk first, there is a lot to go through before the next step. I will propose to her when the air is clear, in a way she deserves. I cannot mess this one up."

"Thank Lord, I was getting worried you'll screw it up again," Finn stated with a sigh of relief.

"I agree with Finn, it's time for you to make it right. All worries aside, it is actually great that you're planning on waiting for a bit - it gives us time to plan the perfect proposal and get a perfect ring," Logan could already see the wheels working in Honor's head.

"As much I appreciate your eagerness to help me, I have it planned already. And I also have another ring," Logan added with a smug smile on his face.

"WHAT?" They all exclaimed in unison.

"What do you mean you have it planned? How did you manage to plan it since this morning?!" Finn exclaimed confusedly.

"You have a ring?" Honor asked dumbfounded.

Logan smiled at them and sighed, "I had it planned for years now, ever since I realised how I messed up the first time. I should've never done it the way I had. The plan just came to me one day and I have been berating myself ever since then because I haven't thought of it before proposing to her - I never thought I'd get a second chance," he looked at them sheepishly, "And as for the ring," he puller his wallet from his pocket and opened it to get out a ring from a small compartment, "I've had it for a long time now. I saw it years ago when I still didn't think I'll ever see her again. But this ring, it's hers. I just had to have it, as some token of hope even if I never see her again," he showed them the ring.

Honor gasped with tears in her eyes, the guys looked at him in shock. It was a beautiful ring - a large sapphire diamond encircled with smaller delicate ones, set on a platinum band. The diamond reminded him of her sapphire eyes, it would fit her perfectly.

"Oh, baby bro, I can't believe this!" Honor weeped and looked at the ring, tears now flowing from her eyes, "It's perfect."

"Thanks, Hon, now I'll actually get to use it and hopefully she'll accept it."

"What are you talking about, mate, of course she'll accept it, why wouldn't she?" Finn retorted, also looking at the ring, shaken by the flow of events.

"As I've said, I have to talk with her first, there are many things to discuss. I know what I want but I have to make sure that she wants it as well before I ask her. I can't survive another rejection," Logan sighed with worry in his voice.

"What do you mean there are many things to discuss? What did that letter say exactly?" Colin asked.

"The letter said all of the things I was hoping it to say but it's been a long time coming and we have hurt each other deeply, we'll need to work through that."

"I can understand that and I hope you'll manage to get through everything, you are going to be parents soon," Honor nodded at his statement.

"I still can't believe that," Colin piped in, "But I'm sure you'll get through it, after all - you do belong together."

"You really think so?" Logan asked hopefully.

"Oh, we know so," Honor answered, "Can we read the letter? I want to know what she said, maybe we can help you come up with a game plan if we know what's going on."

Logan looked at them, not sure if they should read something so personal from his Ace, but they were his closest people in the world, they deserve to know what she said and maybe they can help him, "Sure, you can read it on the plane. We do, however, need to finish up packing now."

Squealing, Honor answered, "Great! Thanks baby bro! I still can't believe I'm going to be an aunt! I'm going to spoil the baby rotten."

"Calm down, sis, we need to get home first. I think it will start settling only when I see her, I'm on this weird cloud 9 now, I can't explain it," Logan beamed.

"How are you still not freaking out? That's what I don't understand," Colin piped in.

"Oh, trust me, I'm expecting a full on freak out when we get on the plane, I'm still riding on adrenaline now. Be prepared for 7 hours on a plane with a very freaking out dad-to-be. Oh, my God, I'm going to be a dad!" Logan exclaimed loudly, getting a sudden urge to sit down.

Leading Logan to the nearest chair and providing him with a glass of scotch, Finn stated, "Yup, here it is, early stages of a full-on freak out. This one will be amusing to watch."

"Finn! This isn't a joke! How in the hell am I supposed to be a father to a child? I have literally no one to look up to! I'll just screw the child up, nobody deserves that!" Logan started hyperventilating.

"Oh, Logan, no need to worry about that, you'll be a great father," Honor consoled him, "Do you know why?"

"I can't see how…" Logan shook his head.

"Well, first because you'll do everything exactly opposite from what Mitchum did, and second, because this is yours and Rory's child, I can't imagine this child not being loved more than anything in this world."

"Honor's right, buddy, and we'll be with the three of you all along the way, the baby will be the youngest LDB member ever," Colin tried to joke to ease Logan a bit.

Logan's head chimed up and he glared at Colin, "There's no way my child will be in the LDB before college! Jesus!"

"By the way, I'm calling my godfather privileges now, just to let you know. The kid will need its uncle Finn to handle its parents," Finn stated with resolution

"No way! I'll be the godfather!" Colin retorted.

"Are you crazy, boys? I'll be the godmother!" Honor chimed in.

"You're already an aunt, let us have something!" Finn had to counteract.

"Okay, then I'm calling my best man privileges for the wedding! Ha!" Colin engaged in the discussion while Logan looked at them with amusement.

"No fair, mate!" Finn exhaled loudly.

Logan laughed, "Calm down, guys, we'll think of something. We need to finish up here now," he got up and went back to packing while the others went to their respective duties and continued the discussion about their relation to the upcoming baby.

Looking up at the wall across the room, Logan saw The Twilight Zone poster and smiled inwardly. He had bought this poster when he lived in California, wanting to have something to remind him of the happiest days of his life. He took this poster wherever he moved and always hung it up in his office, across his desk so that he can find peace even in the most difficult of times. Now he thought that it helped him keep his hope and got him to this day, when everything changed. His world took a 180 but he could not be happier.

Still absorbed in his thoughts about the events of the day and what is to follow he heard someone enter the apartment and slam the door. He got out of his study to see what was happening and saw Odette barging towards him.

"Hello, Odette, what are you doing here?" Logan asked politely and saw the guys join them.

"What do you mean what I'm doing here? I live here," Odette retorted.

Logan looked at her like she sprouted a third head, "Erm, no, you don't. You can pack your stuff and move out. I'm almost done with my packing and will be leaving shortly. I'll be putting the apartment on the market next week, hopefully you'll manage to get everything in order until then."

"How can you do that? This is our home!" Odette exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Easy, this was never a home, especially since you've moved in. As I said this morning, I am sorry for all the inconvenience but trust me when I say I'm doing you a favour."

"You're delusional, our fathers are working on a plan to take care of everything so that we can live happily ever after," Odette purred and moved towards him, putting her hand on his chest.

Logan stepped away from her and moved her hands from him, "There's no plan anymore, Odette, I think I was very clear about that."

"You're kidding yourself if you think you can get away from this, there's no way we'll let you get away from this."

"There's nothing you or your father or even my father can do. I'm leaving and we're done," he responded with resolution and annoyance in his voice, "We are leaving now, have a nice life, Odette, I hope you'll find happiness."

Odette seethed through her teeth, "This is not over!"

"Sure it is," Logan said and turned to the guys, "Are you done, can we leave?"

"Yes, all the bags and boxes are already in the limo, you just have to grab your stuff from the study and we can be on our way," Colin answered.

"Great, get Honor, I'll be here in a minute," Logan went to his office to grab his bags while Finn went to get Honor.

Logan came back to the foyer a minute later, carrying his bags and the framed poster, "Okay, I'm done, we can go."

"Logan, mon chéri, think about this, you are making a mistake," Odette reached for him again but he swiftly stepped away.

"It was nice knowing you, Odette, I wish you all the best," Logan said and exited the apartment, followed by his friends and his sister.

He gave his bags to the driver, as well as the poster. Colin and Finn looked at each other, still confused about his attachment to this poster, "What the hell is it with you and this poster?" Colin asked.

"Yeah, mate, we watched the episode last night and we still don't understand it. Care to explain it to us?" Finn added.

Laughing, Logan smirked at them, "You'll understand it with time, it was just a thing I had with Ace, I'd like to keep it to myself," he answered and got into the car.

"No fair, mate!" Finn exclaimed and followed him in.

When they were all seated, Colin knocked on the separation from the driver, "We can leave now, to the airport, please."

---

On the plane, mere minutes after taking off, Logan took the letter out of his jacket pocket to reread it. He still could not believe this was happening and that he will be seeing his Ace again soon. He started formulating plans for their future life in his head - he needs to figure out where he'll be working, where they'll live, how will their lives look like. He knew that they needed to have a long overdue conversation with his Ace but, based on this letter, he knew that everything will be as it was always supposed to be. The two of them together, living together, having a family together. He got to the part of the letter about the baby and his mind started spiralling, he just hoped that everything's okay with their baby. His Ace didn't write anything specific, he didn't know if she had already had her first ultrasound. He hoped that he could be there for it, he didn't want to miss anything. A smile creeped on his face when he realised that he already loved this baby. It was unbelievable - how could he already love someone he had never seen before? But, somehow, it came naturally to him. Hopefully he could be a father his child deserved and, sometime down the line, a husband his Ace deserved.

Logan was brought out of his reverie by Honor, "Hey, baby bro, can we read the letter now?" She asked with a pleading look in her eyes.

He debated for a second but then reached out to her, the letter in his hands, "Here, read it. We need to come up with a game plan."

"Yay, thanks!" Honor exclaimed and situated herself on the sofa on the plane, quickly joined by Colin and Finn, each of them on one side next to her. They already started arguing about how to hold the letter so all of them can read it together.

Logan kept a close eye on them, wanting to see their reactions. He knew this meant a lot to them as well, they wanted him to be happy with his Ace for more than a decade now. They have been their greatest cheerleaders since day one. Colin and Finn even since Ace's first LDB experience.

"You go, Reporter Girl!" Colin exclaimed and pointed to some part of the letter, Logan could guess which one.

"That's my Love!" Finn agreed with Colin and Honor sniffled, tears forming in her eyes.

Logan smiled at their reaction and went back to his thoughts. It was just starting to dawn on him that he was unemployed with a baby on the way. Sure, he had his life savings and still a pretty hefty trust fund, but he should also have a job. He was sure that the Dark Lord, how he affectionately called his father, would make sure he can't get any job in the newspaper or publishing world. Or that he will disown him. To be honest with himself, he did feel sorry about that. As much as he had resisted being pulled into that position before, he came to love working in the business. He has always had love for that world but he never appreciated being pushed into it. Hence his resistance. But it was his dream job, which only made it a bit harder now, when he had to find a place where he could work and still be content. Nevertheless, as he had said to this father just this morning, he was still a Huntzberger and Huntzberger's don't give up.

He also needed to make sure to protect his Ace and their child from the wrath of his father and mother. Unfortunately, he could only imagine what was about to happen. Based on past experience, he knew that they wouldn't give up easily and he had to be prepared. He couldn't let anything happen to his family.

His family. This fact in itself brought an even larger grin on his face. He kept observing the guys as they were reading the letter and chuckled at their fighting about who reads the slowest. Honestly, they always needed to bicker about something, he should be used to that already.

"Oh, Jesus, she's good," Honor sniffled, "She's right, Logan, you know that, right?"

Logan looked at his sister, "She's rarely wrong, but what are you exactly referring to, Hon?"

"You are a great man, baby bro, you deserve the world. And she sees it. She would never let you be unhappy on purpose."

"I know she does, she believed in me from the very beginning, even when we weren't together yet," Logan shook his head, "I never had to hide myself in front of her, it just came naturally."

Honor just nodded at his statement, tears flowing down her cheeks, and continued to read.

"Reporter Girl really is something else," Colin commented, "She would never mess with your plans, even if she sensed you weren't satisfied by that, she would never make you do something you don't want to. She was just waiting for you to say something but you never did. You'll really need to make sure now that she knows that you wanted to get away so she doesn't think you did it because of the baby."

"Yeah, I'll make damn sure she understands my decision. Although I'm pretty sure she sensed in some way, she always got me better than anyone else but also always let me come to her when I was ready to talk about it," Logan nodded at Colin's comment and added, "I was just waiting for her to give me a sign. Obviously, we were both chicken scared of getting hurt again."

"You'll really need to work on that communication, buddy, just put everything in the open, you both have nothing to lose anymore. Your feelings from both sides are clear as day and you know that you need and want each other, you just have to work to make it last," Colin gave him a stern look.

Logan nodded, "When did you get so wise about relationships? You have never been in a relationship that lasted more than a couple of months."

Colin rolled his eyes, "Oh, I learned from other's mistakes, specifically yours. Honestly, Finn and I have been in this relationship between the two of you for 12 years now, we're experts now," he added laughingly.

Logan just rolled his eyes and observed Honor who was full blown weeping now - obviously, she got to the part about the baby.

"You're so lucky, mate, I hope you understand that," Finn said, his eyes also glistened with tears, "Most of the people would kill for a love like this. You can see that she wants you in this letter, she says it loud and clear. But she also lets you choose because she loves you. Don't mess it up again or I'll have to take the matter in my own hands," he warned him with a stern look in his eyes.

"I don't plan to, Finn, there's nothing I've ever wanted more than this. I'm not letting her go ever again."

"Good, that's all I wanted to hear. Now, let's celebrate! Who's up for some scotch?" Finn asked excitedly and hopped to the bar.

Logan chuckled at Finn's antics and saw Honor moving towards him, she got him out of his seat and enveloped him in a strong hug, "I'm so happy for you, Logan, you deserve this. Don't let her go ever again."

He squeezed back, "Thank you, Hon, for everything. For showing up today on time, for always being here for me, for us. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Right back at ya, baby bro, I had to help you fools somehow," Honor chuckled and got out of the embrace back to the sofa.

Finn came back with their drinks, "I just talked to the pilot, it seems that we'll have to land at JFK due to a storm in Hartford, we'll have to drive to our Love then, do you know where she is?"

"Shit! It will take even longer to get to her then…" Logan thought for a second, "She should be in Stars Hollow, can you organise a car to wait for us at the airport?"

"Sure thing, mate, I'll have a driver wait for us."

"No, get us a car, please, I'll drive. I'll catch up on some sleep now. I want to be there as fast as possible."

"Okay, I understand, consider it handled," Finn agreed with him.

They continued talking through the remainder of the flight - about their future, Logan's plans for work and handling the family, reminiscing about their Yale days and how Mother always took care of them, how she changed their lives. At some point all of them dozed off to sleep, exhausted by the day's events.

---

After landing a couple of hours ago at JFK, they were now just mere minutes away from Stars Hollow. Their flight took even longer than expected, it was early evening now. Logan was driving, Honor in the passenger seat, the Stooges in the back - of course, bickering the whole drive about being exotic being Finn's excuse for everything. Logan has heard this discussion so many times that he could actually recreate it without thinking. He swore never to take them on a longer drive ever again. His nerves were jumbling anyways as they were getting closer to their destination.

He just hoped that his Ace had already told Lorelai about the baby and that Lorelai would not give him a hard time. Wishful thinking! His relationship with Lorelai the Second was strained even a decade ago, he couldn't even imagine what this encounter would look like.

Bracing himself, he pulled into the Gilmore Girl's house driveway and put the car in park. Honor briefly squeezed his hand in reassurance, "You can do this, baby bro, we're here with you. I imagine she's expecting you, you have nothing to worry about."

"I know, but I'm terrified of Lorelai. She had always hated me, I can't imagine how this looks to her now. I don't even know if Ace has told her about us before, couldn't blame her if she didn't."

"Let's just go inside, we'll go over the obstacles as they approach," Honor reassured him.

They all got out of the car and walked the pathway to the front door patio, Logan filled with excitement about finally getting to see his Ace, the feeling overwhelming any other worry he had just moments before.

"It's a beautiful house, it actually looks homey," Honor sighed with a wistful look in her eyes, "Imagine growing up here."

"Yeah, it's beautiful, inside as well, filled with love," Logan commented and the Stooges nodded in agreement, "The lights are out, I don't think she's here. Her car is also not here," he looked around and stepped to the door to knock.

After a couple of minutes of knocking and nobody answering, they concluded that nobody's home.

"What now?" Colin asked.

Logan sighed, "Don't know, where could she be?"

"Maybe you should call her, mate, we can spend hours searching for her without knowing where she is. I know that you wanted to surprise her but it's easier and faster this way," Finn recommended.

"Yeah, you're right," Logan pulled out, dialled her number and waited for a few seconds, "It went straight to voicemail, is she not picking up my calls?!" He asked with panic in his voice.

"Don't panic, Logan, maybe she's just somewhere and she can't answer. Do you know any other place where she could be in this town?" Honor consoled him.

He thought for a second, "We should try at Luke's, he's Lorelai's boyfriend, he should know where she is," he went to the car, others following him closely, "Now I'm officially terrified, Luke hates my guts probably, he won't be happy to see me."

"Hey, don't worry about that now, the important thing is to find Rory. What others have to say now or what they think is a discussion for another day. You're here and doing the right thing, nobody can say anything against that," Honor squeezed his hand again.

They pulled out of the driveway and made their way to the town square, Logan parked just in front of Luke's and they got out.

The bell chimed when they entered the diner, "What a nice little place, I love it! Is this the place with the best coffee that Love always used to talk about?" Finn asked looking around.

"Yeah, this is it. As far as I remember, the food was also amazing," Logan answered and looked around to see if he could spot Luke. He didn't spot him but he noticed all of the people staring at them, he chuckled to himself - he should have remembered that.

"Do you guys feel like you're being watched?" Colin whispered.

"That's cuz we're being watched, mate," Finn confirmed and turned to Logan, "Do you see Luke?"

"No, he's not here. I'm trying to see if I remember somebody so that I can ask them if they know where Ace is," Logan stated just as a short blonde woman approached them. He vaguely remembered her - was she Ace's neighbour?

"Hello, you're Rory's ex-boyfriend, right? What are you doing here?" The woman asked him.

"Hello, yes, you're her neighbour, right?" Logan answered with a polite nod.

"Yes, wow, it's been so long! Our Rory was crushed when you broke up, we were all very concerned… What are you doing here now?"

"I'm actually looking for her. We went by the house but she wasn't there… I was hoping to ask Luke where she was, that's why we're here now."

"Ah, no luck with that, I'm sorry. Luke and Lorelai are on their honeymoon, they left this morning."

Logan looked at the woman hopefully, "Do you maybe know where she is?"

"That's the thing, son, nobody knows where she is," the woman looked around to the people who were following the conversation that was taking place, "She wasn't at the wedding yesterday. Lorelai didn't say anything about it when we asked her, we think something had happened between them. You see, Lorelai and Luke got married the night before spontaneously. They were supposed to get married last night but just held the reception then. We know that Rory was at the impromptu wedding and she was seen with Lorelai at the gazebo steps in the morning but nobody has seen her since. We have all been trying to figure out where she was."

WHAT? His Ace missed her mother's wedding? What the hell is going on? Where could she be? What the hell happened between her and Lorelai? - Logan's mind was spiralling out of control, now completely being overtaken with worry, "Does anybody know where she could be? Or what had happened? I can't imagine her missing Lorelai's wedding!"

"Nobody knows, that's what worries us. Rory is our princess, it's not like her to just disappear," a tall man with a hat and sunglasses added to the conversation.

"The weirdest thing is that, when we asked Lorelai where Rory was, she answered that she couldn't be there. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not like them, that's what worries us," a larger woman with red hair said.

This could not be happening, where the hell is she?! - Logan thought to himself and started formulating a plan to find her, "Don't worry, I'll find her. Here's my number," he gave his card to the blonde woman, "call me if you find out something. Please."

"Sure thing, sweets. You know, we all really liked you back in the day. And we knew she really loved you. Whatever your reason may be for looking for her now, don't hurt her," the blonde woman smiled at him pleadingly.

"I don't intend to, you don't have to worry about that, I'd never hurt her on purpose."

"That's all we ask," the tall man answered and shook his hand.

With a nod to everybody, Logan turned around to exit the diner.

When they exited the diner, Colin was first to speak, "What now? What the hell is going on?"

"I'm actually worried now," Honor added, "Where could she be?"

"I really don't know, I'll try her cell again," Logan dialled her cell with no success, "Voicemail again. I really don't have a good feeling about this. What's happening?" He sighed with worry.

"We have to find our Love, let's think people! Where could she be?" Finn added.

"Could something've happened to her? God, I hope not! She didn't look well when I saw her, but I thought it was because of the nerves about the letter or being heart-broken… Could something really be bad?" Honor asked, not wanting to believe her assumptions.

"WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me that she hadn't looked well? How could you not tell me?" Logan exclaimed.

"Sorry, I didn't want to worry you. She was just off, I had honestly thought that it was because of the letter, if I had thought otherwise I would have told you," Honor answered.

"I know, Hon, but you should have told me. We could have left London earlier."

"It wouldn't change anything, Logan, you heard them - she was already gone since yesterday," Colin tried to calm him, "So, what now?"

"I honestly have no idea, we can do another drive around the town, maybe I remember something or someone that could help us. In the meantime, could you all please keep trying her cell? As it pains me to even think about it, but maybe she's only not taking my calls," Logan asked them with a sad look on his face.

"She'd never do that, don't think like that. You've read the letter, she loves you, she'd take your calls. Her phone is probably off," Finn reassured him.

"Which is even more terrifying! Let's get into the car, we have no time to spare, we must find her!" Logan swiftly turned to go to the car but came face to face with a black haired man whom he, unfortunately, remembered from years ago.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" The man asked, hostility etched in his voice, "You have nothing to do here."

"Good evening, Jess," Logan tried to be polite, even though he actually really wanted to punch this guy's guts out, "We are looking for Rory, do you maybe have an idea where she could be?"

Jess laughed loudly, "Playing polite, I see. Nice. Even if I did know where Rory was, I wouldn't tell you. Just stay away from her, she doesn't need you."

"What the hell do you know about anything?!" Logan was getting frustrated, "I need to see her. She wasn't home, so we came to the diner where we were told that she's gone. Now, do you know where she is or not? Because if you don't know, I'd suggest you getting out of my way so that I can find her."

Stepping a bit closer to Logan, Jess answered, "I should have known that it was you. You always had that pull on her. Get away from her before you destroy her completely."

"What are you talking about? Just tell me if you know where she is and we'll be on our way."

"You're the reason she's been acting so dejectedly all these years. You were always in my way to get her and you don't even deserve her!"

"I'd watch my language here, mate, be careful what you say," Finn piped in, seeing Logan's hands rolled in fists.

"You don't have a clue. Now, leave us alone on our way, you obviously don't know where she is," Logan tried to get pass Jess to the car but Jess stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Leave her alone or you'll have to deal with me," Jess threatened.

"I suggest you move your hand in the next 3 seconds or I'll move it myself," Logan seethed and saw Colin move behind Jess.

"Oh yeah, what will you do, slap me with your credit card? I don't think so," Jess laughed lightly and pressed his hand even stronger into Logan's chest.

Logan lunged towards Jess and Jess swinged his right hand towards Logan's face but Logan managed to escape it. Finn hurriedly held Logan back and Colin Jess. Honor came between them, both seething with anger, "Enough! Knock it off! We need to go, we have to find her," she said and pulled Finn with Logan to the car.

"This isn't over! She'll never choose you, I'll make her see what you are, I'll make her see that she deserves better!" Jess seethed, trying to free himself from Colin's strong grip.

"Whatever, man, you have no idea what you're talking about," Logan said and got into the car. Colin let Jess go when he saw that the air was clear and got into the car himself. Logan started the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot to take a drive around town.

"Who was that?" Honor asked confused.

"Jess, Rory's ex from high school. We had met just before Ace and I broke up the first time. We had a fight about him, I was irrationally jealous and was attacking him and she tried to defend him. Not one of my proudest moments, but non of the moments from that period find any pride with me…" Logan explained.

"Has she been with him after you broke up at her graduation?" Colin asked.

"No idea. Geez, I hope not. I can't think about that now, are you trying to reach her cell?" Logan diverted the topic.

"I can't reach her, it goes straight to voicemail," Finn sighed worriedly, the others stated the same.

"Okay, now that worries me even more. What if something happened to her?" Honor asked, thinking of all the things that could've happened.

"I don't know! FUCK! She has to be okay, she just has to be! I don't know what I'll do if something's wrong, I just don't know! Where could she be?!" Logan exclaimed with a gulp in his throat but then saw a familiar woman on the porch of one house. He swerved, parked the car and promptly jumped out to get to her. "Lane! Lane!"

A short Asian woman turned to him startled but with relief in her eyes, "Logan! What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Rory, do you know where she is?"

"No, nobody knows. I'm really worried, I have no idea where she could be," Lane said with sadness and worry in her voice.

"Do you know what had happened that made her leave?"

"Something happened with Lorelai yesterday morning after she had told her that she was pregnant. I suppose that's why you're here."

"Yeah, I need to find her. Nobody knows anything," Logan sighed with exasperation.

Lane looked at him and at the two men and a woman behind him carefully, "I don't know, honestly. She came to me in the morning to share the news with me. She was worried but also so happy, I can't remember when I've last seen her like that. Then she went to meet Lorelai at the gazebo to tell her. She was afraid how Lorelai was gonna take it. 15 minutes later, she's barging in here sobbing and telling me that Lorelai had kicked her out and told her that she doesn't wanna se her ever again. That she's responsible for her own mess."

The others gasped behind him, but Logan was in shock - It can't be… "WHAT? What do you mean she kicked her out?"

"I swear to you, it was like the Grand Theft Yacht incident all over again, I couldn't understand a word she was saying. I tried to console her but she abruptly got up and said that she needs to leave. I asked where she was going and she just said something about suspended animation but I'm honestly not sure if that's what she really said or I've misunderstood. Wait, why are you smiling?"

Suddenly relieved, Logan smiled, "Because I think I know where she is."

"What? Where?" All of them exclaimed in unison.

"I'm not 100% sure but I have a fair guess. We'll just have to go and check," turning back to Lane, "Listen, Lane, thank you for your help, I'll let you know as soon as we find her."

"Sure, thank you! I'm really worried about her, this thing with Lorelai was not supposed to go that way. I can't believe she did that!"

"Me neither, I can't understand why she'd do something like that. I had honestly thought she would be happy about the news of an arriving grandchild."

"Lorelai has changed since you've last seen her, the two of them haven't had the same relationship since Rory graduated from Yale. Sure, they were still very close but not as before. Rory distanced herself at some point and Lorelai didn't like it," Lane debated if she should continue, "I think it had something to do with the proposal, that's why Rory hasn't told her about you these past 3 years. She just didn't want to hear her disapproval."

Logan shook his head disbelievingly, "So, it was about me. I was afraid about that… We need to leave now to get to her, thanks Lane!"

Lane caught his arm just as he was saying goodbye, "Logan, listen, she loves you. I don't think she ever stopped. Just, please, whatever you do, don't hurt her. I don't think she could survive that again. I've seen her 10 years ago and I've seen her 6 weeks ago, it was bad. She wanted to fight for you but she didn't want usurp your plans."

"I could never hurt her on purpose, all this time I thought she didn't want me like that. You don't have to worry, I love her more than anything, I'll take care of her," Logan added with a soft smile.

"Thank you, that's all I ask," Lane nodded, "Good luck, let me know when you find her."

"Will do, bye!" Logan turned to get back to the car.

In the car, Honor was first to ask, "So, where is she?"

Logan smirked as he pulled out back to the road, "The pool-house."

"What pool-house?" Honor didn't understand what he was saying.

"THE pool-house?" Colin asked knowingly.

"Yeah, the Gilmore's pool-house."

"Why would she be there? How do you know she's there?" Honor was getting even more confused.

"It is the place where we wished to be put into suspended animation," Logan explained offhandedly.

"Mate, you're making zero sense now. Care to fill us in?" Finn tried to get some clarity of the situation.

"What, for the love of God, is suspended animation?" Colin asked exasperatedly.

"Ah, dear people, it seems that it's time for a story…" Logan smirked as he pulled on the highway to Hartford.

October 2005

Logan and Rory were snuggled up beneath the blankets on the sofa in the Gilmore's pool-house. They have just finished making love a few minutes ago and were now basking in the after-glow, gently caressing each other.

Earlier that evening, Rory had told Logan she loved him but he couldn't wrap his mind about it to answer her properly so he told her he had said that to many girls before and he couldn't do that to her. Of course, that hadn't come out as he had planned so he was determined to show her what he felt for her.

To be honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he loved her. He wasn't even sure what love felt like, having it never experienced before. Well, besides Honor, but that was different. He used to throw the word around before just to get the girls in bed but only recently started to realise how wrong that actually was. He had also started thinking more about his feelings for his Ace recently, not being accustomed to the overflow of emotions he was feeling when he was with her. At one point, feeling the complete warmth and content in his heart when he was with her, actually anytime when he was with her, he concluded that that must be happiness. Complete and all-absorbing happiness. Also a feeling he was not used to.

That's why he was additionally determined to show her how much he cared about her that night and the love making they did was probably the most intense experience he had ever had.

Now, they were sitting on her sofa, still early to go to sleep so they decided to watch the TV. Logan flipped through the channels until he came upon his favourite episode of 'The Twilight Zone', called 'The Long Morrow'. It was an episode about an astronaut named Douglas Stansfield, who was about to embark on a 40 years long trip into space, but before he leaves the Earth, he meets a girl named Sandra Horn and they fall in love. He returns to Earth after 40 years, now a 70 year old man and meets Sandra, who is still 26 as she was the day they had met. Sandra hat put herself into suspended animation so that she would still be young when he returns but he took himself out of the suspended animation on the spaceship, hoping to spend the rest of his days with Sandra when he comes back to Earth.

When they finished watching the episode, his Ace's eyes were glossy with tears and he rubbed her back in comfort.

"That's so sad," she croaked out.

"Yeah…" was all Logan managed to say, with a gulp in his throat and misty eyes. He lamented for a moment about what he wanted to say. He has always loved that episode but hasn't seen it in a long time. Watching it again now, he finally understood the power of love that made Stansfield and Horn do what they did. He found the grand gesture of it completely overpowering, he himself flooded with emotions for the girl in his arms.

He gently pulled his Ace's chin from his chest to give her a deep, sensual kiss, trying to convey all that he couldn't say yet, "That's… that's what true love looks like," he said huskily when releasing her lips, holding her gaze, "That's what it should look like."

His Ace looked at him with her bright cerulean eyes, glimmering with her usual sparkle and something else that he couldn't put the finger on but for sure wanted to see in her eyes forever, "Yeah, it should look like that," she whispered.

Logan kissed her again with everything he had, cursing himself for not having a better understanding of his feelings. The kiss progressed and she straddled him, her fingers combing through the hair on the back of his neck, his hands caressing her sides. They made love even more powerfully than just a bit more than hour ago, both overwhelmed with their connection.

After reaching their release, his Ace was lying on him, her head on her chest, "Thank you," she breathed out, almost inaudibly.

"Whatever for?" Logan asked, confused by her need to thank him.

"For making me feel this way… For being here. For making me feel happy," she looked up at him and caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers.

Something shifted in Logan, something he didn't even know could shift - he made her happy. She was happy because of him. Pride surged through him like never before, people were rarely proud of him, he was almost never proud of himself. But the mere fact that he made her happy made him proud of himself. It meant that he was doing something right. Also a notion he wasn't used to.

"Anytime, Ace, anytime…" he kissed her slowly, "And, for the record, right back at ya."

His Ace sighed, "I wish I could stay like this forever, just blissfully happy, all of the everyday worries forgotten for a moment, and put myself into suspended animation to preserve how I'm feeling now."

Logan thought about what she had said for a moment and answered, "Would you mind putting me into suspended animation with you? That way we could stay in this bubble forever," he said and kissed her softly, thinking about how calm that idea made him feel. How natural. To always be with her. Happy. Loved. Content.

"There's nothing I would like more than that…" she answered and snuggled back on his chest, his arm caressing her back and lulling her to sleep.

By the time Logan finished retelling the story, Honor and Finn were weeping, Colin holding Finn.

"This is seriously the most romantic thing I've ever heard," Honor croaked through the tears.

"Mate, you're an idiot, how could you ever let her go after that?" Finn sobbed, clinging to Colin who was patting his back.

"Yeah, so that's the story. When I moved to London I gave her the rocket from that episode, it was the only way I could convey to her what I was feeling for her…" Logan explained.

"So that's what the poster is all about!" Colin exclaimed, "We were wrecking our brains to figure that one out!"

Logan rolled his eyes, "I got it when I moved to California and have been moving it around with me ever since. I had to have a reminder of what I used to have, a small token of hope for the future…"

Honor sniffled even harder, "This is an even better story than The Notebook."

"Geez, you even made Finn weep. Not that it's hard to achieve it, he was always a softy, but why do I always have to be the one to take care of him when he gets all emotional?" Colin asked, still trying to calm Finn down, "But I do agree with Finn - how did you not realise even back then that you loved her? Even Finn and I knew it, and a long time before that…"

"I don't know. I thought a lot about it after we broke up. The thing is that I didn't know what love is, I had never experienced it before her. And I was scared - I had never thought that it's possible to get attached to someone that much. I spent a lot of that time analysing my feelings but didn't know how to name them. If I could change anything about our relationship it would probably be that. I would not have misunderstood her break for a break up and would've fought for her. I think our whole story would have been different in that case," Logan explained with a sad voice.

Honor looked at him with understanding, "I had never thought you had such problems with emotions back then. Why didn't you talk to me earlier, before the break up?"

"I wanted to figure it out myself, I owed it to her. She entered my world and shook it from its roots, I had to figure out myself who I was. Unfortunately, I figured it out too late to avoid that dreadful break up."

"You really love her, don't you?" Honor asked with a soft voice.

"More than life itself," Logan smiled just as they pulled into the Gilmore Mansion. He noticed that the lights were off in the main house, Weird… - he thought. He hoped she would just be here. He had to see his Ace, had to put an end to all this worrying.

They got out of the car and made their way to the back of the house, Logan leading them to the pool-house. When he saw a small light turned on in the pool-house, he started sprinting there, barged through the door, not even bothering to knock.

And then he saw her.

Sitting on the sofa, her back turned to him. On the coffee table in front of her: a rocket. The rocket.

She didn't even flinch when he barged in, he found it weird and concerning because he was sure that his entrance was pretty loud. The others made their way to him by now as well but they stayed at the door.

He made his way towards her, noticed that she was still sitting completely still. When he finally approached her, he saw that she was sitting crosslegged on the sofa, her arms on her belly. He also saw dried tears on her cheeks and his heart clenched in the most painful way.

"Hey, Ace," he said softly, his voice full of emotion, and kneeled right in front of her.

She looked up at him and silent tears started streaming down her cheeks. He would have been worried about the tears, but he saw the spark in her eyes. The one which she had when she loved him. When they were happy.

Slowly, he moved his head towards her belly, their child and rested it there. She understood what he was doing so she moved her hands from there and started gently caressing the back of his head.

No words were needed at that moment, they had told each other everything with just one glance into each other's eyes just seconds ago.

They stayed like that for a long time, the Stooges and Honor observing this most intimate reunion from the door.

She was holding the love of her life in her lap and protecting their child in her. He was leaning into his home, the love of his life and his future, their child.

After some time, he felt her fingertips on his cheeks and he lifted his head slowly, his eyes connecting with hers, "You're here. You're really here," she whispered, making herself believe that this wasn't just a dream.

He took her fingers and gently kissed her fingertips, "I'm here. Forever."

Tears streaming down her cheeks, she smiled her biggest smile at him, "I love you."

He smiled at her with his whole heart, a smile he reserved only for her, tears now streaming down his cheeks as well, "I love you too."

---

TBC!