AN: Disclaimer at the top… the last section of this installment features some real naughty things. So… if you are upset at all by that kind of content you may want to just skip over that part. ;) With that said, please enjoy!

California Here We Come

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Mom

Today: 3:43 PM

L: I'm sorry to have to tell you this. But you have been replaced as the ice cream queen.

Rory couldn't help the smile that burst on her face as a picture of her blissful two-year-old appeared beneath her mother's message. Ellie was sitting on a stool at Taylor's Soda Shoppe, an ice cream cone in her hand and chocolate ice cream smeared all over her mouth. She had a big smile on her face, a plastic tiara on her head, and her blonde hair was done up in two bouncy pigtails at the top of her head.

R: Well it's a good thing I abdicated the ice cream queen throne a long time ago then

R: Don't let her eat too much sugar though

R: She always gets a stomach ache

R: And it's hard enough getting her down for bed when she's not on a sugar high

R: One scoop is enou|

"Put the phone away."

She jumped ever so slightly at the sound of the voice and the feeling of lips brushing against her left ear. Though, with Logan's hand holding her steadily to his side, she wasn't able to go very far. Turning toward him, she was met with his scolding yet amused expression. His lips were pursed in a playful smirk and he was twitching a single eyebrow at her.

"I was just…"

"Oh you were just...?"

"I was just…" Rory started shaking her head, feigning innocence. "...checking…"

"We said no phones at the ceremony," said Logan, reminding her of the agreement they'd made before leaving their room.

She'd been glued to it since the moment they dropped Ellie off at her mother's. It wasn't as if it was the first time they had left Ellie in Lorelai's care. Far from it. But, it was the longest period of time they had ever left Ellie in Lorelai's care. And to say that Rory was anxious about it was an understatement. An entire week was something far different than a single night, or even a weekend.

"Mom texted me," Rory defended. "I can't just ignore that. It might be an emergency. What if she got hurt?"

"Oh yeah," Logan replied with a mocking nod. "That looked like a big emergency. She might have knocked that scoop off the cone, and then we would have to fly home early."

"Hush," said Rory. "I'm a mom. I'm allowed to check on my baby."

"I didn't say you weren't allowed to check on her. And I am also a dad, just in case you forgot. I would like to check on her too," said Logan. "We just agreed to put a moratorium on it during the ceremony. Remember?"

"Technically the ceremony hasn't started yet," Rory defended.

"Yeah, but if you keep your head in your phone the whole time we're here, you're going to miss all of this."

Logan made a wide gesture with this hand, prompting her to look around their environment for a moment. She had to admit that he had a point. It was a stunning view. They had checked into the Auberge du Soleil yesterday, and so far Rory had not come across a single view that couldn't be described as stunning. She almost didn't want to leave the balcony of their hotel room that morning. She'd considered sitting there in her robe sipping her coffee for the rest of her life. But, Logan had eventually pried her out of the patio chair and shoved her into the shower.

It was her first time visiting Napa, and in theory she knew it was beautiful. But, she had never experienced it in person before. The balcony they'd just stepped on to might have the best view she'd seen so far, with the sun rolling over the lush and green California hills down to rows of grape vines surrounding the winery below. She thought her wedding was beautiful, and it was. But she had to admit that this one might have them beat.

She hadn't exactly been looking forward to the wedding part of this trip. After all, she didn't know the bride or the groom. Or anyone for that matter other than her husband. She'd met them briefly at their wedding, but the nature of the evening and the number of guests they needed to greet had kept her from spending the time needed to actually get to know them. And experience had taught her that nothing could make a person feel more like an extra wheel than attending a wedding where you were a complete stranger to everyone around you.

Still, she knew she had to come. Russel McDermont was one of Logan's old business partners and closest friends from California, and apparently the only reason he wasn't asked to be in the wedding party was because Russel had to choose his half-brother for the final slot out of obligation. Not coming wasn't an option, and she wouldn't have tried to keep them from coming for anything. But that still didn't mean she loved the fact that she was there.

She didn't like to think much about Logan's life in California. It always sparked other thoughts. Thoughts about the years they had spent apart, the time they had wasted, the alternate life she'd missed out on having if she had come here with him. It was an entire part of him that she still didn't really know much about. And that never settled well with her. She knew it was possessive, bordering on jealous. But she hated not being the one person in the room who knew him better than anyone. And here she felt like she wasn't.

Logan lightly pushed against the small of her back, leading her over to one of the rows of wooden chiavari chairs lined up on the groom's side of the aisle. With his attention focused on finding an open seat, Rory took the opportunity to look down at her phone once again, hoping to finish typing the message that she'd been in the middle of writing when she was interrupted. Not that she thought her mother would actually listen to her…

One scoop is enough until after her din|

Yet, apparently, Rory was not meant to send off that particular message to Lorelai. In a matter of seconds, she found herself interrupted once again, this time by the feeling of something - or someone - bumping up against her right side. She gasped in surprise at the contact and immediately felt guilty for not watching where she was going.

"Oh!" she said. "I'm so sor -"

Rory interrupted herself this time. Her voice caught in her throat as her eyes landed on the figure that she had just crashed into. A very familiar figure, though one she had never actually met.

The woman standing in front of her was impeccably dressed in a wine colored sleeveless dress. It had a deep yet tasteful v-neck and an asymmetrical slit starting on one side of her curvaceous hips and coming open at her mid thigh. The hem was lined with a subtle ruffle, subtle enough that Rory actually found it quite pretty rather than horrible - which was her usually opinion of ruffles in general.

She felt immediately self-conscious. She'd left their room this afternoon feeling pretty good about herself, thinking that the nude knee length dress with the sheer and colorful embroidered wildflower overlay that she had chosen on a shopping trip with Honor was pretty and flattering. But, looking at the way that dress hugged every immaculate curve of the body in front of her made her feel instantly inadequate in comparison.

"-ry."

The woman smiled kindly at her in response to her apology, not even noticing the strange pause that occurred in the middle. Though, when her eyes drifted over to Rory's left, she had her own experience with momentary speechlessness.

"Oh that's o….kay..." she started before her eyes went somewhat wide with recognition. "Logan…"

"Seema…" Logan's voice sounded from her left. "Hi."

"Hi," she greeted in return.

Rory felt Logan's hand drop from the small of her back as he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on the side of her cheek.

"It's good to see you. You look great," he said, prompting her to thank him and return the compliment.

Rory could feel her jaw starting to clench and her shoulders starting to rise toward her earlobes as she stood there and watched the exchange. She tried to push down the green monster that was trying desperately to burst out of her like the alien from Alien, but she wasn't doing very well with it. She knew that the exchange was nothing more than a friendly greeting, the same kind of greeting that she'd seen him give his mother and his sister too many times to count. But something about the thought of his lips on her skin made Rory's skin crawl. No matter how platonic the gesture was.

"This is my wife, Rory Gilmore," Logan said as soon as their initial greeting was over. His hand returned to the small of her back, and Rory plastered a smile onto her face. "Rory, this is Seema Prashad."

"Bhatt," the woman corrected with a patient smile.

"Bhatt. Right. I knew that," said Logan. "Sorry. I just… I've never said it out loud."

"It's nice to meet you," said Rory, holding her hand out for a shake.

"Likewise," Seema responded as she slipped her hand into Rorys.

The contact didn't help with her feelings of inadequacy. She'd never been made to feel inferior from a handshake before, but apparently there was a first time for everything. Her skin was warm and soft, her grip firm but yet somehow light at the same time. And Rory was almost certain that her hand felt like a stiff cold sack of bones in comparison.

Everything about her was just too perfect. She was gorgeous, like some kind of cross between Priyanka Chopra and the girl who played Cici on New Girl - whatever her name was. Rory wasn't sure. She carried herself so confidently, like she belonged there, and she knew she belonged there. Unlike Rory who felt like she had just walked into a room full of people speaking an entirely different language.

"We were just looking for a seat," Logan said, clearly sensing that Rory wanted to end this encounter sooner rather than later.

"Oh well… you better get on it," said Seema. "They're filling up fast."

"We'll catch up later?" Logan asked.

"Yeah," said Seema. "I'm sure we'll see each other at the reception."

"Great. Looking forward to it."

Rory and Seema smiled awkwardly at each other one more time before each of them split off in their separate directions, Rory and Logan heading toward two seats on the aisle a few rows ahead of them and Seema heading back inside the building.

When they reached the open seats, Logan held his arm out, gesturing for her to take a seat before he did. They were quiet for a moment as they got settled, but as soon as he sat down Rory asked the question that was prickling at her mind since the second her shoulder had made contact with his ex.

"Did you know she was going to be here?" she asked.

The expression on Logan's face didn't do much to sooth her nerves over the entire situation. He looked less than innocent, and somewhat nervous at the idea of answering the question.

"I mean…" he started. "I didn't know she was going to be here. But I guess I thought about the possibility…"

"And you just… never thought to mention the possibility to me?"

Next to her Logan sighed. He looked away from her, toward the view off the edge of the balcony and an annoying smile started to curl at his lips as he shook his head.

"What's so amusing?" Rory asked, defensively.

"Nothing," Logan said, looking back at her with a teasing glint in his eye. "You're just always so cute when you're jealous."

She didn't feel cute. And she didn't feel much like engaging in an argument or any sort of banter filled teasing match over it. Feeling socially awkward amongst all of his friends was already making her uncomfortable. Adding this to the equation had completely thrown her for a loop, and it only served to make matters worse.

After a couple moments, Logan recognized another one of his old friends sitting in the row behind them. Introductions were made and a conversation started flowing. Rory, however, was only paying half attention. The other half had been grabbed by the sight of Seema walking back out onto the balcony. She walked past their aisle, perfectly balanced on the thin pin heels wrapped around her feet, and she slipped into a seat next to a black haired man dressed in a navy blue suit.

Hard as she tried, Rory couldn't keep her eyes from sliding over to her. She spent the next few minutes dividing her attention between her husband and his mysterious ex-girlfriend, alternating between being upset at Logan for not warning her about this and upset at herself for being upset in the first place.

Respite finally came when the sound of music filled the air and the wedding party started making their way down the aisle. And by the time the bride walked out on her father's arm, Rory's attention was solely focused on admiring the beautiful mermaid dress she was wearing with it's lacy bodice, cap sleeves and plunging peekaboo back.

The ceremony was nice. It was fast, not too religious, and the perfect amount of touching. Sweet but not saccharine. She found herself smiling throughout the whole thing, despite not really knowing the bride or the groom. About halfway through, when the exchange of vows begun, she felt Logan's hand travel over her thigh to grab hold of hers and squeeze. She smiled at the gesture and leaned closer into his side. And for that brief moment, she was perfectly aware of how silly she'd been.

If only that feeling were built to last.

"It was a fucking grizzly bear. I know what I saw. You guys are dicks."

"Oh my God! Matt…" Logan started, his head shaking in defiance and looking upward as if searching for the strength to continue on with the conversation. "There wasn't a grizzly bear. There haven't been grizzly bears in California since like… 1925."

"Well then what the fuck did I see?! It wasn't a black bear. I've lived here my whole life, I know what a fucking black bear looks like."

"I don't know what the fuck you saw," said Logan. "But I do know you were out of your mind on shrooms."

"Maybe it was Bigfoot."

"Oh God. Don't get him started on Bigfoot…."

"What is so unbelievable about Bigfoot?!" the man in question, Matt, asked defensively. "Don't you think it's weird that there are no wild primates on the entire North American continent!?"

"No," said Logan, shaking his head as he looked down at the glass of scotch he was currently twirling in his hand.

"Not particularly," another friend, Melissa, chimed.

"There aren't any wild primates in Europe either."

"Or Australia."

"You guys were all asleep in your tents!" Matt went on, defensively. "I was the only one out there. There was a big ass brown bear with a hump. And he walked right by me, grabbed a bag from next to the fire, and walked off with it. I'm lucky I'm not a living Leonardo Dicaprio movie."

"I wonder what he took…" Melissa asked, teasingly.

"I hope it wasn't the rest of the shrooms."

"Yeah. The only thing worse than facing down a mythical California Grizzly would be facing down a mythical California Grizzly with a drug habit. "

"Fuck all of you," Matt said as he stood up from the table and gestured at them all dramatically with a spreading of both of his hands in a circular motion. "I'm getting a drink."

As the red-headed member of their crew started making his way to the bar, the rest of the table broke out into a round of laughter at his expense. Rory laughed along as well, masking the fact that she felt entirely lost in the conversation surrounding an incident that was clearly somewhat infamous among the friend group.

It wasn't the first time she'd felt this way at a table full of Logan's friends. In fact, the entire night she'd been having flashbacks from the dinner they'd gone to in New York after Logan's first trip home from London in her senior year. The in-jokes and you-had-to-be-there stories were flying so fast from the left and right that Rory was having a hard time keeping up with them. And this time instead of finding herself in a chair next to a leggy blonde who hadn't actually slept with her husband, she found herself in a chair sitting directly across from a buxom brunette that absolutely had. Several times.

When Logan had made a comment about catching up with Seema at the reception, Rory had imagined that they would spend a few minutes standing there suffering through some terse small talk. They'd meet her husband, talk about their kids, talk about the weather, their careers, how nice the evening was going. What she hadn't expected, however, was to find herself seated at a table with the woman, forced to spend the entire dinner hour with her while Logan reminisced about all of his wonderful San Francisco memories. Memories that she featured prominently in.

"I don't know why you're all picking on Matt," the woman in question said with an air of superior confidence. "You're all idiots."

"Hey…" Melissa protested, feigning offense. She tucked a strand of her silver asymmetrical bob behind her ear, exposing the intricate half sleeve of tattoos crawling up her arm and over her shoulder in the process.

"Sorry. You're all idiots except for Mel."

"Thank you."

"If I remember correctly, wasn't this the camping trip that ended short because you sprained your ankle after you got drunk and tried to climb up a tree?"

Logan smiled bashfully. He leaned forward onto the table and looked into the depths of his scotch glass yet again, refusing to make eye contact with his ex-girlfriend across the table.

"I have no memory of that," he said with a smirk and a shake of his head.

"Oh, I believe you have no memory of it," she said. "I, however, distinctly remember having to leave work early to drive all the way to Yosemite and drag you home where you sat on the couch for the next three days whining like a big baby."

"I have no memory of that either."

"You should never be allowed to go camping unsupervised. You hurt yourself every time."

"That's not true!" Logan insisted.

Seema tilted her head and rolled her eyes at the half hearted denial. Then, in the moment that followed, Rory suddenly found that the other woman was looking right at her. It was the first time either one of them had made direct eye contact since they were introduced to each other, and Rory actually felt her haunches go up at the interaction.

"Rory?" she asked with a raised brow. "I bet you can back me up on this."

Every single head at the table - save her husband's - turned toward her at the statement. And if she thought she'd felt slightly awkward before, she felt entirely uncomfortable now. She'd been happy to fade into the background, and she wasn't terribly fond of being the center of attention to begin with.

"Oh...uh…" she said, shifting slightly in her seat.

As a matter of fact, she could back her up on that. Old memories of Logan lying in a hospital bed at Columbia Presbyterian flashed in her mind instantly, along with a couple of new ones from recent trips up to The Catskills and Green Mountain National Forest with Colin, Finn, and Robert. Those had been far more mild - a twisted wrist and a couple of stitches. But, still, technically Seema was right. She couldn't think of a single camping trip Logan had been on in their time together that hadn't ended in some kind of injury.

Yet, despite the fact that she was right, Rory had a hard time opening her mouth to utter an agreement. It somehow felt like she would be agreeing to something more. She wouldn't only be agreeing to the statement. She would be agreeing that it was the two of them that knew this particular fact about Logan. She would be agreeing to acknowledge that Seema knew these kinds of things about Logan just as well as she did. That she had at one point been just as big a part of Logan's life as she had. And she just couldn't do it.

She was thirty-five years old. She'd been through hell and high water with the man. She had two rings wrapped around her finger, rings that he had slipped onto her. She had a child with him. A home. An entire life. And, yet, somehow a part of her still felt like that twenty-two year old girl sitting next to Bobbie and being called adorable.

"I don't know about that," she said. "He's a lot more responsible now that we have Ellie."

Mom

Today: 5:30 PM

L: I'm not sure which one of them is more tuckered out.

Rory's heart burst at the newest image from her mother. It was late, and when her mother had sent this text it was already eight-thirty back in Connecticut - an hour after Ellie was usually in bed. But she couldn't bring herself to feel all that upset about it. She looked perfectly happy fast asleep in Luke's lap with her head tucked under his chin. Luke had succumbed to sleep as well, his feet propped up on the coffee table, head lolling slightly to the side, eyes closed, and mouth wide open. It was sweet. Too sweet really. She almost wasn't sure if her heart could handle it.

Today: 9:30 PM

R: Did she give you problems going to bed?

L: It took fifteen minutes of her chasing one of Babette's cats

around the yard and two consecutive viewings of Moana for her

to fall asleep

L: I might have given her too much ice cream…

Rory chuckled. She was a little surprised to see that her mom was still awake at this point, but she was glad for it. It gave her the opportunity to actually check in on how things were going. For a moment she thought of sending an 'I told you so' but she knew there wasn't really a point. Her mom knew what she was doing giving a toddler that much sugar. And no amount of warning from Rory was going to stop her from spoiling her only grandchild senseless.

R: Well you reap what you s|

"I won't tell if you don't…"

Rory jumped slightly at the sound of the voice coming from her right. She'd snuck up on her. For the last few minutes she'd been the only person at the table. Everyone else was either out on the dance floor, mingling with friends and family, or, like Logan, lined up at the bar waiting to get some drinks. She'd decided to take advantage of the moment of solitude to check her phone without her husband there to mock her for it. And, unfortunately, she'd been caught.

She was about to rattle off an excuse, take a second to defend herself by insisting that she wasn't one of those horrible people who were incapable of peeling themselves away from their phones for a single evening. But, before she could, her companion reached down and started digging through her own clutch. She pulled out a rose gold iPhone and swiped it open, continuing to speak to Rory as she started scrolling.

"Dhvan made me promise I wouldn't check on them obsessively," she said as her fingers started tapping away at her keyboard. "But it's the first time we're leaving the baby overnight…"

Something about her admission actually put Rory at ease - the most at ease she'd felt around the woman all night. She still wasn't entirely comfortable around her. After all, her statement clearly implied that she'd just recently given birth and somehow showed up to this wedding looking like that. But Rory was just so happy to finally have someone who understood. Someone else who was a mom. Who wouldn't be judging her for obsessively checking her phone because she knew what it was like to worry about leaving your baby while you went off drinking and dancing and having a good time on the other side of the country.

It was a common ground. A common ground that finally didn't have anything to do with Logan.

"It's the first time we've left Ellie with my parents for longer than a night or two," said Rory. "Logan keeps telling me that everything is fine. And I know everything's fine. But I just…"

"Men don't get it," said Seema with an understanding nod.

"No," Rory agreed. "They don't."

"How old is she now?" Seema asked with a smile that Rory actually found herself returning.

"She'll be two next month," she answered.

"Two already?" asked Seema. "That seems impossible."

"Tell me about it…"

"She's such a sweetheart," said Seema. "All of Logan's posts about her are just so precious."

"Thanks," said Rory. "I'd have to agree. But then I guess I'm a bit biased. How old are yours?"

"Ravi just turned four," said Seema. "And Maira is five and a half months."

"I loved that age," said Rory, swooning ever so slightly at the memories of Ellie at five to seven months.

That was truly the golden baby age. She was still small. She wasn't independently mobile quite yet, so she could plop her down on the floor without fear of her crawling off and getting into everything if she turned her back for a second. She was still a baby in that quintessential way that everyone thought of the concept of 'baby,' but she was also interactive. She was alert and responsive and she would giggle and babble and play.

Sometimes she missed it.

"Any thoughts about a repeat?" Seema asked.

Rory was slightly taken aback by the question. Oddly enough, it wasn't a question that she was asked all that often. Maybe because all of her friends and family knew that on paper she'd never really been a kid person. Or maybe it was because she and Logan were both in their mid-thirties at this point. They still had plenty of time to have more kids and they weren't opposed to the idea, but they weren't exactly a couple of young spritely twenty-somethings with all the energy in the world to chase an entire brood of toddlers around Brooklyn Bridge Park. At the moment one toddler was enough.

"Oh…" she said. "I dunno. We haven't really talked about it. Maybe when Ellie is a bit older. I think Logan maybe wants another one. He's a good dad."

Seema smiled, and Rory couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable at the slight twinge of sadness and solemnity behind the woman's eyes as she did.

"Yeah…" she said with a nod. "I always knew he would be. That's one of the reasons why I fell for him. When things started to fall apart between us it was because I thought that he didn't want to get married or have kids…. But then I realized that it wasn't that he didn't want those things. He just didn't want them with me."

Rory didn't know how to respond to that statement. Seema didn't seem all that emotional. She didn't seem like a woman who was still pining for her ex. And judging by the way she'd behaved around Dhvan all evening, she seemed like a woman very much in love with her husband. But there was still a certain sadness there. Rory supposed she could understand. She felt similarly when she saw Dean with his family and even Jess. It wasn't that she was pining or still had feelings for them, it was just a sort of nostalgic twinge for a time gone by.

For the first time since bumping into her earlier in the day, Rory started to feel sympathetic to Seema. And not just because she knew all too well the strange feeling that accompanied seeing a significant ex for the first time in a long while. She'd also just come to another realization, one that she'd failed to consider until she'd said those very words.

Rory had spent the entire night feeling inadequate in comparison to her. With her perfect figure and her thick hair and her glowing skin and her prestigious career and the effortless way she fit in with Logan's friends. She'd been so caught up on her own feelings of inadequacy that she'd never stopped to think about the fact that Seema had spent years feeling inadequate to Rory. For far more profound reasons.

"I probably shouldn't have said that," she said after a couple seconds of silence between them. "I've had one too many Manhattans maybe."

"That's okay…" said Rory. "I get it."

"I'm glad you guys found each other again," Seema continued. "He never really got over you. It used to hurt a lot but now… it… Now I'm just happy that he's happy. And I'm happy. Things worked out for the best."

"Yeah…" said Rory.

Her voice trailed off and her eyes landed on Logan on the other side of the room. Her lips curled up in an affectionate smile at the sight of him. He was still standing at the front of the bar, though at that moment he was turning back toward her, three drinks perched precariously in his hands as he flirted with danger. She would have been concerned about his ability to carry that much liquid without spilling it if he was stone cold sober, and right now he was anything but stone cold sober.

"Your martini, miss," he said as he saddled up next to her, holding out the glass presentationally in front of her.

"Thank you," Rory said as she grabbed the drink and brought it up to her lips.

Next to her, Logan shifted the two rocks glasses that he'd been holding in his other hand so that he was now carrying one in each. He then extended an arm toward Seema, offering her a glass of an amber colored beverage with two cherries settled at the bottom of the glass.

"And a Manhattan."

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Huntzberger?" she asked as she took the drink from him, prompting a smile to appear on Logan's face.

"Me?" he asked. "How could you ever accuse me of such a thing? I just saw you two ladies over here anxiously scrolling away on your phones, and I figured you could use something to help lighten your mood."

Rory watched as the two of them fell into a comfortable and familiar banter yet again. But, for the first time that night the jealous green monster that had been threatening to burst from her chest was mysteriously absent. And as Logan's fingers started sneaking themselves over her back and settling around her hip she leaned into his side, finally feeling completely at ease.

"Ow! Logan!"

Rory winced as the sharp corner of the dresser made abrupt contact with her left buttcheek. She heard the door to their hotel room slam close after the words left her mouth and the sucking pressure against her pulse point stop as Logan's lips lifted from her neck.

"Oh. I'm sorry, baby," he purred as he pulled her away from the dresser that he'd unwittingly pushed her into as they'd crashed into the room. With a tug of his arm, they changed course completely, moving toward the bed pushed up against the opposite wall. Meanwhile, Logan's lips found her neck again as they moved frantically toward their destination.

"That's gonna leave a bruise tomorrow…"

"Do you want me to kiss it better for you?"

She almost laughed, but the sound emanating from her throat quickly turned into a moan as Logan's hand started trailing indecently up the back of her left thigh, taking the hem of her dress with it. He pulled the skirt all the way up to her hips, revealing the sheer nude lace of her boy shorts to the air. His hand squeezed firmly at the sore flesh, his fingers playing with the edge of her underwear as they spread out over her, hovering only a milimeter away from the slick folds lying underneath.

She could tell that tonight was going to be a far cry from the gentle passionate love-making they'd had the night before. He wanted it rough. He was drunk. He was hyped up from the night of dancing and revelry. And when he got this way, he was never all that interested in making love. He wanted to fuck her. And Rory was happy to let him do it.

"Maybe I do," she said in response, spurring a low gravely sound to rumble from within Logan's chest.

Logan's hand moved to pull down the zipper of her dress, and with a couple tugs at the sleeves it pooled at her feet, leaving her standing there in front of him in her bra and panties. He looked her up and down hungrily, and the next thing she knew she was being spun around and pushed roughly unto the bed.

"Logan!" she squeaked as she was taken slightly by surprise at the action.

It took her a couple of seconds to get her bearings, and when she did she pulled herself up on her hands and knees, throwing him a somewhat exasperated look over her shoulder. He was standing there behind her with his bottom lip caught between his teeth, frantically moving his fingers to rid himself of the tightly fitted light blue button down he'd been wearing underneath his suit jacket.

"Don't move," he said to her.

She didn't, but a cheshire-cat-like grin broke out on her face at the sight of his glossed over eyes and the prevalent bulge in his pants as he watched her perched on the mattress in front of him. After all these years together and after all the changes that her body had gone through after giving birth to this child, Rory couldn't help but take delight in the fact that she could still turn him on this way.

Before Logan, she'd never really considered sexy to be an adjective that could accurately describe her. She knew she was attractive. She even knew that she was pretty. But sexywas an idea that had always somewhat alluded her. She never thought that she was capable of exuding that sultry vibe in the way that other people she knew were, like Louise or Shane or even Miss Patty. Even during the time when she had been intimate with Dean, he'd never looked at her that way. She knew he thought she was beautiful. And she knew he cared about her deeply. But he'd never looked at her like this. Logan was the first man who had ever looked at her like this, and he was the only man that she ever wanted to look at her like this ever again.

"You're so fucking hot."

The declaration was followed by the rattling sound of him pulling at his belt buckle, and in a matter of moments his pants, trunks, shoes and socks were lying in a pile on the floor. Suddenly, it was Rory's eyes that were glossing over as she watched him wrap a hand around himself, pumping up and down as he stood there for a moment just gazing at her.

"Logan…" she whined, finding herself getting impatient and wanting him closer to her.

He took the hint, and in a couple of moments he was climbing onto the behind her, both of his hands now kneading at the flesh of her ass. She moaned at the contact, the pain in her left cheek almost entirely forgotten - that is until it was reakwaned by a sharp slap of his hand against her skin. She let out a noise that was somewhere in-between another moan and a squeal of surprise. Yet, the moment that his hands tore roughly at the lace panties around her hips her tone changed considerably.

"Logan!" she scolded as he tossed the now shredded undergarments to the side.. "Those are La Perla!"

"Those were La Perla…" he corrected cheekly.

"Logan…" she sighed. Her back straightened as she started pulling herself upright. Though, instead of being thrown off, Logan used the change in her position to his advantage. He pulled her back tightly against his chest and started running his hand up her torso and over the lace of her bra, capturing her nipple between his fingers through the sheer material.

"You keep saying my name like that…" he breathed in her ear. "That's not how I want you to be saying my name right now…"

Rory took in a shaky breath as the fingers of his other hand slipped in between her wet folds, finding her clit and rolling it in quick firm circles. She let out a moan of approval and her head fell back onto his shoulder while her eyes fluttered closed and her mouth popped open.

"Logan…" she breathed.

"That's better."

Her bra soon joined her panties on the floor next to the bed. Though thankfully, this time he refrained from tearing the four hundred dollar garment to shreds and opted to simply unclasp it from the back as God and Ada Masotti intended. He pushed her back down onto her hands, and his fingers started treding a featherlight path down her sides, settling at her hips.

Rory could feel the tip of his arousal brushing against her as he pulled her close. Logan teased her with it, detailing all of the things that he wanted to do to her as he held her there. Eventually though, Rory got tired of words and wanted him to take some action.

"Logan… please…"

"Please what, Ace?" he asked, squeezing the flesh of her ass once again. "Say it."

"Please just… fuck me."

He didn't need to be asked twice. Less than a second after the words had left her mouth, he thrust himself into her, spurring a throaty moan to escape her lips. He set a bruising pace - rough and fast - just as she knew he wanted it, just as she wanted it.

"You feel so fucking good, Ace," Logan grunted from behind her.

Rory only moaned again in response. Her hands grasped at the blankets underneath them, scrunching them tightly in her fists as he continued pounding into her. Eventually, she lowered herself to her elbows, curving her back to keep her hips in the air. Her forehead brushed against the surface of the bed and her eyes closed while she felt a pressure building up within her from the feeling of his thrusts, a pressure that she knew would remain at this plateau with nothing else to bring her over the edge.

She was about to say as much, but Logan knew her tells. In that exact moment she felt his hand reach back around her to find her clitoris once again. He started fondling her with a pressure just as relentless and frantic as his thrusts, and Rory had to bite her lip from screaming out in pleasure and waking whoever was sleeping on the other side of their wall as she arrived at her climax.

She felt her muscles start to spasm around him, and with a few more grunts and quick motions of his hips, Logan followed her over the edge, spilling himself inside of her and pressing his forehead against her spine as he gave himself a couple moments to come down.

A quick trip to the bathroom later, Rory found herself lying under the covers of the bed with her head contentedly pressed against Logan's chest and her arm thrown over his torso. His fingers were running through her hair - at least as well as they could through the layer of hairspray she'd used to keep it in place - and both of them were starting to succumb to the tired and dizzying feelings in their heads brought on by a combination of the sex and the open bar. Though, neither of them were quite ready to fall asleep right at that moment.

"Did you have a good time?" Logan asked.

"It's always a good time with you," Rory answered, tilting her head up to send him a satisfied smile. Logan broke out into a smile as well and he let out a breathy laugh in response.

"Well that's good to hear, but that's not what I meant," he said. "I mean at the wedding. Did you have a good time? I know you were feeling anxious about it…"

"Yeah," said Rory, honestly. "It was nice. I'd still like to get to know your friends a little better though. So I wouldn't feel as awkward."

"Well we could always come back when things are a little less hectic. Without the pomp and circumstance. Just hang out."

"Yeah…" said Rory. "Maybe we can bring Ellie next time. Take her to see the Redwoods."

"That'd be nice."

A peaceful silence fell between them. Rory took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling ready to succumb to the call of sleep. Yet, before she could slip off to dreamland, she felt Logan's chest start to vibrate underneath her and the sound of his voice fill the air once again.

"I'm sorry about the Seema thing…" he said. "I should have told you there was a possibility she would be here. I probably should have asked Russel and we could have avoided being at the same table…"

"It's okay," said Rory.

"I don't think he meant anything by it," he continued. "I think he just assumed we were all good since we interact on Facebook here and there. And my friends are Seema's friends… cause of… well… me. I guess she kind of got them in the split. Cause you know… I moved to London and everything."

"Logan… it's really okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I mean it would have been nice not to be blindsided," she said. "But it's really okay. I'm not mad at you for having an ex-girlfriend."

"You seemed a little mad."

Rory sighed.

"I'm not mad," she said. "I just… I got a little jealous, I guess. But… I just hate that there's this big gap in our history and we wasted so much time."

"I do too," said Logan.

She took another deep breath. It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Though, she had to admit that being here was helping to fill that gap more than she realized it would. Despite the fact that she felt awkward being the odd man out, seeing Logan interact with his friends so effortlessly was like peeking through a window into the life that she so desperately wanted to know more about. And spending time with Seema had ended up being strangely comforting, nothing like Rory had expected it to be when the day had begun. By the end of the night, she'd even found herself liking her.

"She's really nice though," said Rory, meaning every word. "I'm glad that you found someone nice."

AN: Everyone likes it rough every once in a while right? Lol. Even Rory. It just came out that way, guys. I don't know why. I hope I didn't offend anyone's sensibilities. Haha. Also, Google the Auberge du Soleil. Can someone please find me a millionaire so I can have amazing sex in that hotel room? Anyway…

Yes. Rory kept Gilmore. I just can't see her changing it, especially to Huntzberger. It's too much a part of her identity and his family went too far out of their way to make her feel unwelcome among them. Even if they eventually came around they came around reluctantly. Especially Shira. Anyway... she's got her connection to Ellie's name with Lorelai. And Ronan's middle name is Richard so there's that as well. I think she'd be good with that.

Also this installment was brought to you by my ex's upcoming wedding, occurring just in time for everyone to be vaccinated and have no excuses to back out of attending… lol. It shouldn't be that bad actually. We're still friends and have a lot of friends in common. It'll still be just slightly weird though. Especially because I am perpetually single and writing this chapter was the most action I've gotten in an embarrassingly long time.