AN: You guys have so many questions, and some will be answered soon. Rory and Dean have been married for 16 years, they got married at 21 (so young!) so they are 35 (R) and 36 (D) because I've decided that Dean's birthday is earlier in the year and for some reason I won't just google it. Dean did not marry Lindsey but they did date as they did in the show. I will answer more as it comes, but I also don't want to give away too much. I will beg you all to bare with me. There is a plan here, and it won't always be perfect and sunny because the reality is, what Rory/Logan are doing isn't good, but our favourite duo are going to work it out. Each chapter will involve some R/L but that will sometimes involve flashbacks and phone calls. Thank you all for your reviews and faith.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter Two
They had married while Rory was still finishing her final year at Harvard. A small wedding in Town Square when they weren't quite twenty two years old. Rory had gotten a job fresh out of college, finding her place as a staff writer and eventually editor at a publication in Hartford, and then a few years into their marriage they relocated to their little house in Farmingdale, New York where Rory would commute to Manhattan and Dean worked at various jobs in town, it was the house they brought their daughter home to. "I was expecting you earlier," he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips and Rory smiled at him, running a hand down his cheek, "you just need to pack your stuff."
"Thank you," Rory nodded, "is Em asleep?" she asked, referring to her twelve year old daughter. Rory knew she should feel guilty. Of course she did feel guilty, but for some reason, the guilt hadn't kept her from falling into bed with her boss, and once that had happened, the guilt also hadn't stopped her from taking that first indiscretion and letting it turn into a full-blown affair where she had fallen in love with another man. She was certain that Dean didn't suspect her. It was probably the small town boy in him, although he wasn't really a small town boy. He had moved to her hometown of Stars Hollow when they were in high school and they had started dating, they had spent some time apart and ultimately got back together while she was going to Harvard after they both dated other people for a period of time. Dean probably couldn't imagine a world where Rory wasn't fulfilled by her home life. But the truth was, Dean had never stimulated her intellectually, and that was what a big part of what had drawn her to Logan when they had been friends and coworkers.
Dean shook his head, "she's reading in her room. I told her she could wait up for you."
"I'm going to go say goodnight to her," Rory told him, "I'll be down in a minute."
Dean watched for a moment as Rory turned away from him to walk towards the stairs of their one and a half storey home. "I'll reheat dinner for you?" he told her, "I made burgers, so nothing special but I can just reheat the meat and make you an ear of corn."
"I grabbed dinner at the office," she lied. The lies had become effortless. That might've been the hardest part for her, how she had so easily taken to lying to a man she loved, a man she had once been in love with. Even if she wasn't in love with Dean, she loved him. He was a good man, a good husband, a wonderful father, but he wasn't driven. Early in their marriage she thought it was something she appreciated - that Dean was happy to relocate when needed, that he was always home to pick Emma up from daycare, or get her from school…but as their marriage continued on, she had grown to resent him. She resented that he didn't care if he had consistent work, he worked sporadically in construction, more now that Emma was getting older, but he had never aspired to anything. Rory didn't care about what line of work Dean was in, but he didn't have any interest in furthering his skills, or doing the work to become a licensed contractor, taking on a project leading role, any of the administrative work, he had no interest in branching out on his own…he was fine simply being told what to do for the rest of his life, and that was hard for Rory to reconcile. She had started off as a staff writer, worked her way up and eventually worked as the editor at two different publications in five years before moving on to her corporate job. She couldn't understand being ok with mediocrity the way that she saw with Dean. She knew that Dean loved her, and she knew that Dean was an excellent father, but she had to hope her daughter didn't get her work ethic from him. "Hey," Rory knocked on the door quietly and cracked the door open to the carpeted bedroom with light purple walls and twinkle lights strung across the ceiling. There were two bedrooms upstairs and one on the main floor of the house. Emma's room and Rory's home office were upstairs and Rory and Dean's bedroom was on the main floor. "How was your day?"
"Hey mom," Emma smiled, she was sitting cross legged on her twin sized bed with a magazine on her lap.
Rory took a seat on the edge of the bed, her hand falling on the multi-coloured quilt that her mother had made for Emma when she moved into a big girl bed and had stayed on that same bed for the next ten years. "How was your day?" Rory asked again, "I can't believe summer is almost over…"
"I know, but I'm excited for school. I think this year I can try out for the swim team!"
"Swim team?" Rory nodded. Emma was a good mix of both her mother and father. She had Rory's features but was tall like her father, she was athletic but also intellectual, but Rory was very aware of the fact that Emma was a daddy's girl. Rory was by no means an absent parent. Even though she wasn't particularly proud of how she and Logan had been carrying on, she didn't miss things. She didn't miss parent teacher interviews or school plays, she didn't miss soccer or hockey games or swim lessons. Her relationship with Logan had flourished over long lunches, and some late evenings, and then there were the business trips that had become part of her job…but she had never missed something she promised her daughter she would see. She may not have been the perfect stay at home mom that Dean had wanted at one point, but she wasn't an absent bystander in Emma's life. "That sounds like fun. Are you all packed for the week?"
Emma nodded her head to her duffle bag in the corner of the room, "dad said he would put it in the truck when I bring it down."
"Well I just wanted to let you know I was home, I have to pack, but you should probably get to sleep - we have a long drive tomorrow." They were driving six and a half hours to Cranberry Lake campground. Rory had suggested that they find something closer to home, but Dean had thought it made more sense to get far enough away that the wouldn't be lured back by boredom. What he had meant, and of course Rory was well aware is that he didn't want to be close enough that Rory could be lured back into work. She had always been notorious for checking just one e-mail and ending up spending full afternoons working during her time off.
"Did dad get candy?"
Rory nodded, he might not have been the most driven man, but he wouldn't let Emma down when it came to this trip, he would have bought everything under the sun and she was sure when she got into their grey Dodge Ram the next morning, it would be overflowing with snacks at the very least. "Of course he did," Rory promised, "ok time for bed? I'll see you in the morning."
"Night mom."
Rory walked out of Emma's room and down the stairs where she found her husband sitting on the couch watching a baseball game. "I'll pack and then we can put it in the car? I need to make sure that my laptop is plugged in upstairs before we go…I probably have some e-mails to check in the morning. And you brought the power station that I can plug into the car? I know I said I wouldn't work, but I still need to be available."
"Yes Rory, I packed the power station," Dean told her, annoyed that they couldn't even start their vacation without her thinking about work. "You gonna watch some with me?"
"Sure," Rory smiled, "why don't I pack later?" she told him, "want a beer?" Dean nodded his head happily and for a moment he looked just like the boy she had fallen in love with when she was just a kid herself. This was the guilt. Why couldn't she be happy with what she had? Why couldn't she appreciate this man who did everything he could to make her life easy while she climbed the ladder at work. Why couldn't she appreciate a man who was safe? She walked to their small kitchen and pulled two bottles of beer from the fridge and noticed immediately that Dean had left the kitchen perfectly tidy. The dishes were done, there was no evidence of mass packing and food preparation which would've been occurring all day. She pulled the bottle opener off the fridge and smiled, it was a souvenir that they had bought nearly a decade earlier on a family cruise that stopped in Nassau, and they had bought the bottle opener at Atlantis, it had lived on their refrigerator ever since. Cracking open the bottles she returned the opener and then made sure to put the bottle caps in the garbage and returned to the couch. She handed Dean his beer and sat down in the armchair she liked most while Dean remained on the couch. "How was your day?"
"Good," Dean shrugged, "I think I've got a gig that starts in September. You remember Joe from the last site I was working on?" Rory nodded and took a sip of her beer, she was regretting that she hadn't changed her clothes when she was still up, but now she knew that if she got up, she wouldn't come back and that would probably cause an argument with Dean about how they don't spend much time together. They didn't. That was the truth. It wasn't because she was running around with Logan, ok, maybe it wasn't only because she was sleeping with someone else, it was also because Dean was often puttering around in the two car detached garage where he fixed up cars from time to time, or tinkered around with his tools, sometimes he would have friends over and they would sit outside and drink beer. It wasn't something Rory understood, and more often than not she would sit inside reading or watching television while Dean was outside.
"Joe was nice?" Rory thought back to the various different people Dean had worked with over the years. "He is the one who lets you leave early on Friday?"
Dean nodded and smiled, seemingly relieved that Rory had remembered that detail, "yeah, Joe is a good guy."
"Well I hope it works out," Rory told him as she leaned forward and put her beer down on the coffee table. "Who are we rooting for?"
"White Sox," Dean smiled, he found it endearing in some ways that even after all the years of asking the same question, Rory never managed to retain anything about sports. Mind you, he didn't put much effort into retaining a lot of the details about the books she was interested in, and Dean certainly wasn't as interested in politics as Rory was. In his mind it was simply how they worked, and it worked for them.
Rory smiled and pulled out her phone, checking her e-mails and responding to a few text messages she had received.
Mom [9:42pm]: Excited for camping? Do you need me to fake a broken leg to get you out of this? Mommy will do it…
Paris Geller [10:08pm]: You aren't actually going camping are you? This is an elaborate ruse? He's taking you to Europe or something, right?
Logan Huntzberger [10:12pm]: Let me know you got home safe. I'm staying in the city tonight and heading to the Vineyard tomorrow. Enjoy your time off. I'm going to ask Jenna to schedule a lunch for us when you're back to go over reports.
Rory laughed as she saw the messages from Paris and her mother. Logan always asked to check in when she drove home. They kept their messages light so if you didn't know you wouldn't figure it out at a quick glance, and that was his normal way of telling her he would be setting up some sort of rendezvous for them, under the guise of a working lunch. Rory could easily explain to Dean why she was in touch with him, they were friends, he was her boss, they did things as a group from time to time even. That was before though. When they were just friends, they had actually gone on a vacation together a few years earlier, Rory, Dean and Emma alongside Logan, his wife Abigail, their son Noah and their daughter Lily. Noah was fourteen and Lily was the same age as Emma, twelve. They got along well, but Rory had purposely pulled away from their group activities once the affair with Logan began. If she was going to be involved in that level of deception, she needed to keep it separate from her family. That was selfish of course, she didn't want the worlds to collide anymore because it made her uncomfortable, it wasn't as though she was considering the pain she would cause her family or his if they ever got caught. Dean hadn't noticed or cared when they had stopped spending time socially with the Huntzberger family, he just chalked it up to the fact that Rory already spent so much time working, and he had never really felt like he fit in when they were together. Logan and his wife were both from old money, just like Rory was, and while his wife Abigail with her long blonde hair and lightly tanned skin and green eyes was always kind, Dean didn't fit in with her, and he certainly didn't fit into the corporate world that Rory was so engrossed in. Rory took a long sip from her beer and typed a few responses out on her iPhone.
Rory Gilmore [10:52pm]: No need for theatrics mom, but I appreciate the willingness. We'll be fine, Em is excited. I'll call you tomorrow.
Rory Gilmore [10:53pm]: We'll be gone for a week and I'm pretty sure it really is camping. Europe would be a dream. Maybe we can get the girls together and grab lunch when I'm back?
Paris had a daughter too, she was two years younger than Emma but they still had fun together. Paris lived on the Upper East Side so they typically got together without their kids because Rory could meet for lunch, or they could grab a quick drink when they were both done work. Paris was a fertility specialist, constantly reminding Rory of how she was the best fertility specialist on the East coast. They had drifted apart when Rory went to Harvard and Paris went to Yale, but they somehow managed to keep in touch and once they were both graduated and starting their adult lives, they had gotten back in touch more frequently. Rory looked up to Dean who was leaning forward, hands on his knees as he watched what must have been the final play of the game. She knew enough to understand that it was the bottom of the ninth inning and with two out, and her husbands stance, they were likely close to victory. "When we get back, Paris and I are going to get the girls together?" she told him, he nodded his head as he kept his eyes on the screen, "maybe movie or a show or something?" Dean shrugged his shoulders in agreement, he didn't really concern himself with what Rory and Paris were doing as long as he didn't have to go too.
Rory Gilmore [10:56pm]: Made it home safe. Roads were empty. Have a good weekend. Lunch sounds perfect. Just have Parker clear my schedule if you need to.
"I'm going to go pack my stuff," Rory stood up and walked over to Dean, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I left a duffle bag on the bed," Dean nodded.
Rory smiled. Of course Dean felt the need to remind her that she couldn't bring a proper suitcase on this trip, as if she didn't realize she wasn't going to an all inclusive or on a business trip. The truth was, Rory would prefer to be on a business trip, and not just because of the expense account and room service, but because Rory much preferred sleeping on a proper bed rather than sleeping bags, and she liked being served drinks instead of making coffee over a fire. Dean had told her over the past few weeks the various things he had ordered for the camping trip. This trip had been almost a year in the making since Emma had expressed an interest in camping, and Rory had tried to put it off. But as the portable grill, the coolers, the sleeping bags, the tent to sleep six…as it all started arriving at the door and the cardboard was broken down in the recycling bin, it seemed there was nothing she could do to get out of it. She had to bite her tongue frequently over the cost of all of this for a camping trip. She was certain they could have gone to many other places that she would have enjoyed more for the same amount of money, but she couldn't say anything about the cost. If she said something about the amount that Dean had spent, she would have the argument with him again about how she didn't value his contribution to their marriage. How she thought of it as her money because she had the big fancy job. He wasn't completely wrong. It did bother Rory the way that Dean seemed to spend with reckless abandon sometimes. He could justify any purchase he wanted because Rory made a hefty six figure salary, he more or less viewed whatever income he brought in as his disposable income, his play money. But if Rory was buying clothing that was appropriate for work, or if she needed to buy formalwear for a work occasion, Dean couldn't wrap his head around that. So it wasn't so much that Rory had a problem with how Dean spent money, she had a problem with how he viewed her income as theirs and his income as his.
She went into their bedroom and noticed that although the kitchen was spotless, the same could not be said for their space. She started grabbing things from the Pax Ikea wardrobe system they had installed a few years earlier. She grabbed underwear and a series of sports bras, leggings, sweaters, again, more clothes than she would normally bring on an all inclusive because of the different elements they would likely be enjoying. Dean had left her hiking boots out as another reminder of what adventures he and Emma had planned for the trip, so she packed them in her bag and planned to wear sandals until there was a need to wear the hiking boots. By the time she was done and ready for bed it was nearly midnight and Dean was clearly still listening to sports highlights in the family room. "Hun," Rory poked her head out of their bedroom.
"Hmmm?" Dean seemingly muted the television to acknowledge her.
"I'm all packed, the bag is on the floor. I'm heading to bed. Are you coming to bed soon?" Rory asked.
"I'll be in in a few minutes," Dean assured her.
"Night."
"Love you, night."
xxx
"Mom," Emma looked at her mother as the duo sat in camping chairs around the fire while Dean was getting dressed in the tent.
"Yes sweetheart?" Rory smiled at her daughter. They were on day five. She was miserable, but at least there was an end in sight. She had tried. For the sake of Emma and Dean to enjoy herself, but the reality was, she wasn't an outdoor person. She enjoyed coming inside to air conditioning, she enjoyed easy access to running water, and she loved sleeping on a proper bed.
"I don't think I like camping," Emma admitted.
Rory tried not to laugh at the admission. Rory hadn't really thought Emma would enjoy camping, in fact she had explicitly said that to Dean many times during the planning of the trip, but he had insisted that because he loved camping and Emma was interested, she would love it too. "Well we tried it, so if we don't like it, we can do something else next year," she assured her. "What does dad have planned today?" Rory asked, of course Dean had told her a handful of times but she hadn't remembered the details.
"I think he said packing and then he has a surprise?"
Rory tried to keep her excitement at bay, the idea of going home was almost too much for her to handle, "well it would be nice to have a proper shower, wouldn't it?"
Emma nodded and returned to her book, "next year we can just go somewhere normal like we used to. Remember when we went away with your friend from work? That was fun. Maybe Paris could come too with he family?"
Rory swallowed the lump in her throat, she was sure that Emma hadn't mentioned that trip in a few years, "you know, I don't think dad had the most fun on that trip, so I doubt we'll be going on vacation with them again. But maybe next year, or in the winter we can go skiing, owe can go to Europe or something in the summer. You haven't been to Paris yet…"
"Last time you went, you went for work," Emma pouted.
"I'm just going to go check something in the truck," Rory smiled, she was trying to keep her emotions in check. She wasn't completely sure what had come over her in that moment, it had been bubbling up all week, but she had been able to keep it at bay. As she walked quickly to the truck and opened the door, closing it behind her she buried her head in her hands, "what the fuck happened?" Rory asked herself out loud. It was the question she had been asking herself all week. How did she sendup here?
Two Years Earlier
"Shouldn't you be heading home?" Logan popped his head into Rory's office with a smile on his face, it was nearly ten thirty on a Wednesday and while he was burning the midnight oil because he would be heading to London at the end of the week, he wasn't sure why his newly appointed Vice President was still at the office.
"Hey," Rory smiled. She hadn't seen Logan much that week, she had been trying to get on top of all of her new responsibilities. She had actually gotten the job almost a year earlier, but that had been the transition period where her predecessor was still around and involved, now it was just Rory and it had been that way for a few weeks now, "just trying to get on top of this," she looked at the time on her computer, "I didn't even realize it was this late."
"How long will the train take?"
Rory shrugged, it was all a blur these days, she was exhausted and busy and up to her eyeballs in work. Everyone told her it would level out, that once she had her head above water, she would be fine, but that was a lot like telling a person who was drowning that it would be better when they were on dry land…she knew that, but she still had to struggle to get there. "Too long, not long enough," she laughed.
"Dean ok with the hours?" Logan asked.
Rory shrugged. Dean hadn't complained much about the new hours, probably because he knew they would enjoy the substantial bump in her salary, but it was also hard being away from them for such long days. The truth was, the more time they spent apart, the more annoyed with them Rory became during their time together. After a long day at work, she was annoyed to come home and find neighbours over for a drink, or come home to the same old meal they had eaten for the last three days. She knew it wasn't fair, Dean was supporting her as she climbed the ladder, but sometimes she just wanted to walk into the house and see a fancy meal with a nice bottle of wine and some flowers. "It's a change for all of us," in her previous role, Rory was able to do more from home, she had less meetings, she more actively managed her team, but in her role as Vice President of Acquisitions, she had more meetings, longer days, more responsibility and seemingly less time.
"C'mon," Logan nodded to the door, "close it up, lets get a drink. I've been meaning to come see you for a few days, see how things are going with Ralph gone," he referred to the previous man in the role. "I've got scotch in my office, or if you want we can go to my place? Do you want to crash. I have to head back to Great Neck, but you can spend the night if that's easier for you…"
Rory took a moment to think, she ran her hands through her hair and tossed her reading glasses on her desk and closed her laptop. "I'm going to just call Dean," she told him. "By the time I get home, it'll probably be midnight and I'll be back here for six, so I may as well…"
"If you ever need it, it's always there," Logan shrugged. He and his wife Abigail had just purchased this particular Upper East Side apartment, but they had owned a few in the past that Logan would crash in after a late night, or where they would stay after a late night event in the city when the kids weren't around.
Rory picked up her desk phone and called her husband, "hey," she smiled as she heard his voice.
"Hey, you on your way?" Dean asked, he sounded distracted at the very least.
"No," Rory admitted, "I've still got a bit more work to do. I was actually thinking about crashing here?" she told him, "by the time I get home it'll be midnight and I have a breakfast meeting so I need to be back for six…"
"Sure," Dean told her, "you'll be home on time tomorrow?"
"Of course," Rory assured him. "Emma has her soccer game."
"So do what you have to do tonight then?" Dean told her absently, "I'll talk to you in the morning."
"I love you," Rory told him, she tried to sound cheerful, she was just exhausted.
"Love you too, bye Ror."
xxx
Rory laughed as Logan poured her another glass of merlot as they sat on the sectional in his condo. They had arrived an hour earlier, Logan had ordered them pizza and cracked a bottle of wine. "You can't be serious?"
"Oh come on, you knew Ralph was sleeping with his secretary?" Logan laughed, they had talked a bit about work, but as the amount of wine left in the bottle became less and less, they had discussed office gossip and just regular life.
"That is nasty!" Rory made a face, "they're so…old! Wasn't he seventy? Didn't we do a birthday thing for him a few months ago?" she asked, she knew they had done a birthday celebration for him because she had somehow been responsible for ordering the cake which had turned into a nightmare for her assistant, Parker.
"Just be glad you didn't move into his office. Can't say I never gave you anything, because that is a gift in and of itself," Logan winked.
"You're not driving, right?" Rory asked as she became aware of just how much wine they had consumed. "You have a car or something?"
Logan hadn't really thought about it, he had intended to bring her here so she had a place to spend the night, have a glass of wine, and leave, but evidently the glass of wine turned into a bottle, and dinner, and a conversation that felt comfortable and natural. "I might just crash," he shrugged, "that's why we have the place, right?" he laughed and then saw a bit of panic rising in Rory's face, her cheeks flushed as she considered her words, "two rooms," he assured her.
"Of course," Rory nodded and continued drinking from her glass. "Do you have anything I can sleep in?" she asked hesitantly. When it was just her sleeping there she would've had no problem sleeping nude, but she wasn't sure how comfortable she felt being naked with a man who wasn't her husband just a wall away.
Logan nodded and stood up, Rory had kicked off her heels the second they walked in the door, she had crumbled onto the couch in exhaustion but her mood and demeanour seemed to lighten as she relaxed more into the evening. "Come on," he told her as he walked down the hall to the guest room, "there are some pyjamas in there," he told her, "we leave them in case of guests. My sister stays sometimes with her kids too," he explained. "There's a bathroom and everything in there," he specifically brought her to the room that was considered the guest room. There were two other bedrooms, the master bedroom and the kids room where his son and daughter each had a twin bed, it wasn't often that the kids were there.
Rory leaned against the doorframe, partially for the stability it provided to her, "thank you," she breathed, "it was nice…to just…talk for a bit."
"Someone who gets it," Logan nodded and he gave Rory a half smile.
Rory wasn't sure what came over her as she moved forward. It wasn't graceful, it wasn't slow and steady, it was Rory Gilmore throwing her body and lips against her boss and friend. She immediately put her hands around his shoulders and Logan for his part stood frozen for a moment before he put his hands on her hips and held her slender frame against him. "Oh my god," Rory pushed away suddenly, using her hands on his shoulders to keep him an arms length away.
"It's…" Logan rubbed his forehead, "sorry…I shouldn't…"
"No…I'm…I'm sorry, it was me. I don't know what came over me."
"Don't apologize," Logan told her as he stepped back, further into the hallway. "Too much wine."
Rory nodded, that was it, right? "Things have just been…weird lately with…" Logan nodded, suddenly the distance he had just put between them was closed again as Logan put his lips on hers once more, this time there was no resistance, anything that popped into Rory's head to suggest this was a bad idea was quickly dismissed as his tongue gained entry to her mouth and his hands trailed from her hips down to her ass and eventually down to the hem of her black dress. "Oh god," Rory moaned as Logan pressed the bulge in his pants against her, "Logan we…"
"Do you want me to stop?" Logan asked, she was now backing them into the bedroom, knocking off furniture and walls as his lips were on her neck. "Rory…" he told her as her lips crashed into his again.
"Don't stop," Rory told him, her voice a combination of lust and excitement. He didn't need any more encouragement as he let his hands trail up her back and find the zipper of her dress, tugging it gently but firmly until he could push the garment off her shoulders. Rory immediately felt far too naked for her own liking.
"You're stunning," Logan told her.
Rory shook the thought from her mind. She remembered that night like it was just yesterday. She had woken up in a momentary panic alone in the guest room and acutely aware of just how naked she was. She knew by her own recollection as well as the indent in the mattress beside where she was that Logan had spent the night in bed with her. Logan must've set his own alarm for just after five in the morning to make sure that Rory was awake for work when he returned with two cups of freshly brewed coffee. She had left his apartment that morning with something awoken in her that she didn't know she had ever felt. A feeling she had certainly never felt with Dean. They had agreed to forget about it at first, and that had lasted until a few days after Logan got back from vacation, and things had quickly gone from casual sex, occasionally in his office or ducking away for a quickie after work at his apartment before returning to their respective homes, but a few months in it changed. It wasn't sex, it was companionship, it was friendship and eventually it was love. So she sat in the truck for a moment crying, allowing herself to feel guilt over the the fact that she was in love with Logan, but married to another man. She pulled herself together and went back to the campsite where Dean was now chatting away to Emma, hushed voices and smiles from both of them, Rory would never get sick of seeing him as a father, he was an amazing father. "So, what is the plan today?" Rory interrupted the duo.
"Hey," Dean smiled and walked towards her, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She seemed more relaxed after a few days, he certainly knew that she wasn't enjoying camping, but she seemed to be having fun with himself and Emma. She was smiling more, she wasn't carrying as much tension in her shoulders. "Where'd you run off to?"
"Just needed something from the truck," Rory told him, "is that coffee?" she looked over at the makeshift cooking station he had set up.
"I have a surprise for you," Dean told her as Rory grabbed the coffee and poured it into a cup before returning to him.
"A surprise?" Rory looked to her daughter who smiled. "Well what do I need to do to get that surprise?"
"Well first we need to pack," Dean told her, "and then you just need to trust me."
"Pack?" Rory perked up instantly, "alright, let's go!"
Packing up the campsite took just over an hour and they were all happily back in the car, Rory was happiest of all. Dean noticed it of course, the immediate relaxation at the notion of returning to civilization, even if they had simply been a few hours away from home. "So, even though we're going to be back with good cell reception," he looked pointedly at the phone Rory was clutching in her right hand, her knuckles white with the tension from the grip, "we're still on vacation for a couple more days, so don't get too wrapped up in work."
Rory looked at him and smiled, his focus was back on the road, one hand on the steering wheel while the other was perched on the centre console. She reached over and put her left hand over his right and gave it a quick squeeze. Dean kept his grasp on her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Thank you for planning all of this," Rory told him truthfully. She may not have loved camping, but she certainly appreciated all of the effort he put into it.
The drive to Stars Hollow became familiar and Rory smiled as she saw Emma perk up at the thought of visiting her grandparents. Dean's parents had relocated back to Chicago a few years earlier, his sister was in Illinois as well, so just Lorelai and Luke remained in Stars Hollow in terms of Rory's family. "What are we doing?" Emma asked, "are we staying with Grandma and Grandpa?"
Rory looked behind her to the driver side rear seat and shrugged, "ask dad…" she thought he had told her, but evidently Emma was also being surprised.
"Well," Dean smiled a big smile, and shifted his jaw as he spoke, "I uh…I thought Em that you could spend a couple nights with Grandma and Grandpa, and then Mom and I will spend a couple of nights at the inn. Have some quality time?"
Rory had to keep the smile on her face, she wasn't sure how to react. She couldn't remember the last time she and Dean were alone outside of their house. They had gone on family vacations, but since Emma was born they had never been on a vacation just the two of them, and if they ever stayed at the inn on a visit to Stars Hollow, Emma was with them. From time to time, Emma might spend a week or two of her summer in Chicago, or with Lorelai in Stars Hollow, but that left Rory and Dean at home in Farmingdale living their normal life. "I have been craving Sookie's creme brule," Rory grinned widely, hoping her eyes didn't give her away as she turned her head to look out the window. Alone with her husband. It shouldn't have scared her. It shouldn't have made her feel like she was doing something wrong, but somehow it felt like she was cheating on someone she loved, and it was those moments, the moments where Rory immediately thought what about Logan? She knew that things were so far down the rabbit hole that she might never be able to get out.
xxx
They had dropped Emma off with Lorelai and Luke and had stayed and visited for a while, Rory had suggested they all meet up for breakfast in the morning and although Dean looked visibly deflated at the idea of seeing his in-laws in the morning, but as Rory explained, between work and being a couple of hours away, she didn't see her mother as often as she liked, reminding him that they would have one more night together before they went back to their house.
"This is nice," Rory smiled as they finished dinner, Rory sipping on her sauvignon blanc while Dean nursed a beer that Rory knew wasn't regularly served at the inn, so her mother and Sookie must have made a point of bringing it in for them. "Thank you."
"Well, with your work these past few years…it's been busy, and I know I'm not as busy with work as you are," he added pointedly, downing the rest of his beer, "but things with Em are busy, and we just don't get as much time to connect like we used to."
Rory pursed her lips and tucked a hair behind her ear, "well, uh, yeah it has certainly been a busy few years."
"Should we go upstairs? Maybe watch a show?" he added, his intent was clear and Rory could feel her stomach drop out from underneath her. She shouldn't have been surprised of course that her husband would still want to be intimate with her, Rory was still in good shape, and Dean certainly had maintained his appearance as well.
"Yeah, sure," Rory nodded, "I do need to make a quick call," she told him, again hating how quickly she could lie to him, "Parker texted and asked me to call. Something really quick, I promise."
"I have a surprise for you," Dean smiled, "so I'll meet you up there?" he knew there was no point in asking her not to take the call, she would obsess over it until she made the call. "I'll see you soon," he stood up and waited for a moment for Rory to follow, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before he made his way up the stairs and Rory made her way to the front porch.
Rory took a seat on one of the rocking chairs on the porch and looked around to ensure she was alone before she looked through her call history and clicked on the most recent call.
Logan Huntzberger
It rang a couple of times before he answered and Rory immediately felt a sense of relief when she heard his voice, "heya Ace."
"Hi," Rory breathed, "I missed your call, we were just eating dinner."
"You back in civilization?" Logan asked, it didn't sound like he was at home, normally if she was in Great Neck she could hear background noise, but there was no noise. "I'm just in Manhattan," it was as though he was reading her mind, "I had late meetings and I've got early ones tomorrow, a thing in Boston."
Rory looked around again to ensure she was alone, "I miss you," she admitted softly. "How was the Vineyard?"
"Chaotic," Logan laughed, "the kids had fun," he waited a moment, "I miss you too."
"I should go. But, I'm in Stars Hollow tonight and tomorrow night, then heading home. So…I'll be around."
"Maybe there'll be a work emergency…an acquisitions emergency."
Rory laughed, "if only those existed. Goodnight."
"I love you."
"I love you too." Rory hung up the phone and walked back inside, thankful that there was no one at the front desk as she climbed the door and entered room four. "All good," Rory gave Dean a big smile, "Parker just has a family thing," she lied, "he'll be off until Monday."
"Good that he called to give you notice. Parker is a good guy. How long has he been with you now?"
"Since before I got this job," Rory smiled, "a while," she couldn't remember how long exactly Parker had been with her, but she couldn't imagine her life without him. She imagined that Parker had an idea of what was going on with her and Logan, but he never said anything, and she never said anything either.
"Enough work talk," Dean stood up and pulled a small striped pink bag from behind his back, "this is for you." Rory noticed immediately that it was a Victoria's Secret bag and her breath hitched, "I just want you to know that I appreciate you."
Rory smiled, she had mastered this smile over the years, looking happy when she felt like she was being punched in the gut. "You didn't have to get me anything," Rory took the bag and sat down on the bed, crossing one leg underneath her body, "I don't have anything for you."
"Well," Dean laughed awkwardly, "this is kind of for me too."
Rory laughed, it wasn't a fake laugh, it wasn't a lie, it was a real, honest laugh, "yes I guess it would be," she told him as she took the tissue paper out and pulled out a red lace plunge slip that Rory was certain she never would've picked on her own. Most of the lingerie she purchased for herself these days came from Neiman Marcus or Saks, "this is beautiful," she leaned forward and kissed him, "thank you."
"Why, uh," Dean shifted somewhat awkwardly, "why don't you go try it on?"
"Oh, yeah…" Rory nodded and clutched the silk fabric between both of her hands, "just let me…freshen up…camping and all."
"Yeah, yeah," Dean nodded, "sure. I'll just," he looked at the television as Rory stood up.
Rory walked to the bathroom and locked the door immediately. She turned the water on in the shower immediately and the space started to fill with steam. She took a deep breath and put both of her hands on the counter and let her head drop. She didn't know what to do. Sure, she still had sex with her husband, it would've resulted in too many red flags. Rory knew that Logan was still intimate with his wife as well, it was the reality of their situation. She and Dean had sex at least once a week, normally at his suggestion, but on special occasions Rory would initiate their relations. She got in the shower with her razor after tying her hair in a ponytail above her head to keep it from getting wet, she shaved her legs and cleaned herself up, turning off the water and drying herself off, she again found herself bracing her body against the vanity before she carefully took the tags off the slip and put it on. It wasn't exactly flattering, it fit, because it was the right size, but Rory had never found that she filled Victoria's Secret products out properly, but that was something her husband of course hadn't noticed over the years. He was simply concerned with how he thought she would look in it and less concerned with how Rory might feel in the item. She took her hair down and tousled it, looking at herself in the mirror she smoothed the fabric and opened the bathroom door. Dean visibly perked up at the sight of her and Rory smiled, in some ways it made her feel young again, that he still looked at her the same as he had since they first slept together when she was eighteen. "You like it?" she asked him, one of the few places that Rory ever found herself submitting to Dean or playing coy with him was when they were in the bedroom, everywhere else, Rory wore the pants in their relationship.
"It's gorgeous," Dean stood up, hastily pulling the buttons on his oxford shirt open, "you look beautiful," he pulled her in for a kiss and Rory tried to close her eyes and relax into the moment, but that was increasingly a struggle for her. This was different, she knew that his booking the inn was his way of saying he wanted to enjoy a night together as opposed to their normal twenty minute romp on Saturday night or a week night of Emma was with a friend. Rory felt relief as a vibration came between them and it was Dean who pulled his phone out of his pocket, "fuck, it's my mom," he told her. Rory nodded of course, retreating to the bed and getting under the covers, pulling them up around her body as she watched. Dean started the conversation seeming somewhat annoyed and Rory watched as his tone changed and his face went from frustration to concern, "what? When….no…of course. Rory and I are on our way. I love you too Mom."
Rory sat up slightly and pulled her knees up to her chest as she saw "what is it?" she asked, "is your Mom ok? Is it Clara?"
"Clara is fine, Mom is fine…it's my Grandpa.." Dean told her, "he died."