AN: Thank you for all of the reviews and encouragement and support, I loved chatting, I love hearing your thoughts on this and where it is going. Now, the moment we all have been waiting for because we universally agree that Dean is a douche and Abigail is a class act. I will probably be writing more of this next because I'm in the mood for it, so keep reviewing ;). Also let me know how you feel about me possibly kicking this up to M
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter Seven
"What do you mean you changed your flight?" Rory looked at Dean with obvious anger written all over her face. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes were narrowed. "You can't just do whatever you want because you're upset with me!"
"I talked to my Mom, and we think it would be best for some space…for all of us."
"You talked to your mom?" Rory repeated, "and do enlighten me about what she has to say about the situation?"
"Oh so now you're worried about what my family thinks of you? Just because you've become a skilled liar over the past few years doesn't mean I am too."
Rory had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. It had been three days, and now, on Wednesday Dean had sprung it on her that he had changed his and Emma's flight and they would be leaving later that evening and Rory could join them on Friday. The expectation was clear, if Rory showed up on Friday in Chicago, she was prepared to work on their marriage, and if she didn't show up, they were done. These moments though, the ones where Dean was making unilateral decisions and choices for Emma without consulting her, that was when the deal was truly sealed. "Feel free to tell her where to send me all the money I've given her over the years."
"You know what? Screw you Rory," Dean hissed, "just because you made the money doesn't make you more important!"
"No, you're right Dean, it doesn't. But just because I slept with someone else doesn't make me any less of Emma's parent. You don't get to decide you are taking her to Chicago earlier than we had planned, earlier than we discussed yesterday just because your mother thinks it is a good idea. Your mother is not her parent, I am her parent, and I get a say no matter what is going on between the two of us."
"Well I want to go."
"Fine, we will ask Em what she wants. But Dean…I'm not quitting my job. So…if that is…if that is what you think needs to happen for this marriage to continue, then I will call a lawyer today."
Dean swallowed, Rory could see his Adam's apple move and she saw his jaw clench. "You cannot work with him Rory."
"That isn't for you to decide," Rory countered. "If that is what you need from me to move forward…it's not something I can give you."
"So what…are you saying you want a divorce?"
Rory paused. She wasn't willing to leave her job. She had found these last few days more than worrying about the state of her marriage, she had missed Logan. She didn't have any more fight left in her for her relationship and that was clear to her now. "Yes," she told him, "I want a divorce."
Dean was stunned. Of all of the things he had expected to hear, that wasn't it. He expected Rory to try to figure out a way to make it work, that was what he wanted, wasn't it? "Rory come on," Dean shook his head, "I won't take Em today, we can leave on Friday. You…you can't mean that?"
Rory thought again for a moment. She had meant it. She had meant it and she had wanted to say it for months if not years, only now she had. She couldn't unring the bell, she couldn't put it back in the box, it was out there and there was no taking it back. "I do mean it," she told him softly but firmly. "We…we don't bring out the best in each other, and I don't," Rory didn't even mean to begin to cry, "I don't want Emma to settle. I want her to hopefully see us one day and realize that we fought to be happy, and I know right now you think I'm ruining something, or that I'm making you unhappy but I promise you Dean, you will be happier once this is done."
"Don't do this, don't say that for me. I won't be happier. I love you," Dean pled with her. "We…we can go to therapy!"
Rory shook her head, "I'm so sorry, but it's…we can't. Unless you want to go to therapy to find a path to coparent successfully…I can't be in this marriage anymore."
"So what, are you going to run off and be with your boyfriend or whatever?" Dean flipped from sadness and desperation to anger in the blink of an eye. "You just think you can move in with him and people won't care that you are cheaters? That people will see you as what? Legitimate? You can't be serious?"
"Logan and I have nothing to do with this," Rory told him firmly. It was the truth. Sure, she was in love with Logan, but leaving Dean…that had to happen regardless of where things stood with Logan. "This is about you and I and you and I not working."
"If you get together with him, people are just going to assume you are a dumb slut who was stupid enough to fuck her way to the top. Who else was there Rory? The guy you replaced? Did you fuck Logans dad too? Is that how you got your last job?"
Rory stared at him for a moment and then wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. "We're done Dean. I am calling a lawyer tomorrow to see what I need to do to file. I don't imagine you will make this easy for me, but what you just said…there is no coming back from it. In an hour I am going to ask Emma to come to the kitchen, and I am going to tell her that because of work I am not going to Chicago. Then I am going to ask her if she wants to go with you, or stay home with me. Whatever she decides is what will happen," Rory told him firmly. She was done being nice, she was done being jerked around and she certainly wasn't going to let her soon to be ex-mother-in-law call the shots with her daughter. "You can tell me when you will get back from Chicago, I doubt you'll be in a rush for work," she added pointedly, "and I will prepare to get my things moved out and we can tell Emma in the new year."
"Where are you going to go?" Dean pressed, "are you going to move in with him while he has a wife? Are you going to be hidden somewhere? What, you think playing house with a guy who has a second life is good idea? Oh wait, you'd be the second life because you're just his mistress."
"I'm done with this conversation," Rory shook her head. "I'm going to get a coffee from the kitchen. Cool off and get yourself together for when we talk to our daughter."
An hour later, Rory stood in her kitchen holding a cup of coffee. She had put on a pair of jeans and the Harvard sweatshirt that Emma had gifted her for her birthday and her hair was loose and wet from the shower she just had. "Em," Rory called as she saw Dean walk in and sit at the kitchen table, "c'mere, Dad and I need to talk to you." Emma mumbled a response and Rory turned to Dean. "If you do not behave like a civil human being, like a man who loves his daughter more than he hates his wife, I will make your life hell in court…come hell or high water, I will fight for her." Dean nodded his head as Emma bounced into the kitchen and looked at both of her somber parents. "You hungry?" Rory asked her daughter.
Emma shook her head, "I made a sandwich and ate upstairs," Emma explained, "I'm reading Moby Dick again."
Rory smiled, "you are so my daughter," she laughed. "So, Dad and I wanted to talk to you," Rory shot a glare at her husband, "and it looks like some work stuff has come up and I can't go to Chicago. So Daddy is going to leave today and you have two choices. You can stay with me and we'll do Christmas here, I'll call my parents and they can come, or we can go to Stars Hollow or Hartford, or if you want to go to Chicago to see Nana and Papa and Auntie Clara, you can go to Chicago."
"Why can't you stay home?" Emma turned to Dean, "we could just celebrate as a family."
"I…" Dean considered his words for a moment, remembering what Rory had just told him. "I really want to see my parents, you know, with my Grandpa dying, I think it's important. But whatever you want to do is fine Emmie. Whichever you choose, there will be more celebrations later." He was careful not to suggest they would be celebrating as a family later. He knew in some weird world Rory was probably hoping that eventually they might be able to coparent in that way, but Dean didn't think it would happen. He was hurt, and he didn't ever imagine himself not being hurt.
"Well who will be here?" Emma turned to Rory.
"Just me," Rory stated firmly.
"I think then I'll stay with Mom?" Emma looked to Dean, "you'll be with Nana and Papa, and Auntie Clara…but Mom will just be alone except for on Christmas Day…"
Dean swallowed hard and closed his eyes, blinking heavily at the notion that for one of the first times in her life, and arguably the first time he had really wanted her to pick him, she was picking her mother. "You can save some presents for when I get home?"
"You're not mad?"
Dean shook his head as Emma walked over and hugged him, "I could never be mad at you Emmie."
xxx
Rory had made the decision that with Dean out of the house she would sleep in their bed again. It felt weird, like instantly what had been theirs suddenly felt like it was his and she was in a space that didn't belong to her but it was more comfortable than the bed in her office. She would call her lawyer in the morning and have him start the process, she wanted a fair and equitable split. She figured that Dean would want to keep the house. It was paid off now, something she had done just a year earlier, but she would gladly let him have the house in full if it meant that she would avoid paying him alimony. She would happily pay child support if custody made it necessary, but she didn't want to send Dean a cheque for sixteen years, he had taken enough from her. It was nearly ten when Rory pulled out her phone. She toggled back and forth between the three places she wanted to call. She wanted to call Lane, a safe place where she could discuss everything with someone who already knew the whole story, and she wanted to call Logan, but she didn't know quite what to say. She had paused them, he had respected that, but she knew the rules. She couldn't call when he was at home with his family, that just wasn't right. Then there was her mother. She wanted desperately to talk to her mother about it, but she also didn't even know where to begin. She knew that Lorelai wouldn't agree with the cheating, but she also knew that her mother had seen the cracks in her marriage long before Rory even realized they were cracks. She let her finger hover over the name on FaceTime and then pushed it, waiting and staring at her own image while it rang.
Her mother answered with a smile on her face even though Rory knew that it was late given how busy the inn was. "Heya sweets, everything alright?" As soon as the words came out, it was like a dam burst within Rory as tears started to flow from her eyes and left a stain on her porcelain skin. "Ror, what is going on?" Lorelai sat up, her brow creasing with worry as she waited for her only child to give her a bit more information.
"I just…Dean…" Rory sobbed, she tried to keep herself quiet so she wouldn't wake Emma. Thankfully her daughter could sleep through almost anything. "We're getting a divorce. I…I've been seeing someone else and he found out, and we're getting a divorce. He just…" Rory sobbed, trying to catch up on her breathing, "I don't know what to do but I'm not happy. You were single and you were happy, right? I can do this? I can do the parenting thing on my own? Or coparenting or whatever? I just… I need to be happy Mom, and he was weighing me down."
"Oh kid," Lorelai exhaled, she wished desperately that she could hold Rory while she cried, but unless she got in the car and drove two hours, there was nothing much she could do and Lorelai had to work in the morning. "What can I do? How can I help? Just tell me. You want me to kick his ass?"
Rory let out a small laugh at the comment, "I just…this is going to be ok? Right? Tell me it is going to be ok."
"Do you love Dean?"
Rory waited for a moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke. "No," she admitted, "I don't love him anymore. I haven't loved him in a long time."
"Before or after the…other person?" Lorelai asked, purposely not asking for any details about the affair.
"It was over long before I started seeing someone."
"…and this someone…"
"Is married," Rory admitted and she saw her mother wince slightly.
"Oh kid," she repeated, "this is…"
"A mess."
"That is putting it lightly," Lorelai did her best to keep her expressions neutral, she could see that Rory was struggling and she certainly didn't need to feel any more guilt over it. "So you're home for Christmas?"
Rory nodded, "Em is here too."
"Emma stayed?" Lorelai was surprised, she figured that Dean would've tried to take her to Chicago if he was going.
Rory nodded, "Dean told his mother, and May…well, you know May…"
"Unfortunately I do."
"May wanted them to come earlier and I just…I put my foot down and I told him that even though we were…done," her voice quivered a little bit, "Emma is still my daughter and he can't just take her. So we asked Emma. I told Dean if he tried to interfere with what Emma wanted I would make it my mission to destroy him in court, not my proudest moment."
"Well I get it…we do a lot of things, we say a lot of things when our kids are concerned." Lorelai paused, "so do you think you'll come to Hartford for Christmas?"
"Where are you guys staying?" Rory asked, she wasn't completely sure what the plan was for her mom and Luke because she wasn't going to be there.
"Well, Grandma guilted us into staying in Hartford for the night. I made the mistake of telling her I wasn't working and well…that was a rookie mistake," Lorelai explained, "so this is perfect. You can come and stay in Hartford too and Grandma will be in heaven. While she will not be happy to hear about the scandal that is the end of your marriage, she will soon get over it because although she loves Emma…she did not love Dean."
"Grandpa always hated Dean," Rory laughed.
"Grandpa always wanted you to have the best of the best…and kid…"
"I know," Rory didn't need her to finish that sentence. "You must think I'm awful…for cheating on him I mean."
"I'm sure there are things I don't know, and I'm sure when I find some of those things out, I might understand it a bit more…"
"He's married Mom, and…I love him. But I don't know what to do…"
"So we're talking about this?" Lorelai paused and Rory nodded. "Where did you meet him? Who is this guy?"
"You can't say anything…or make a face."
"I cannot promise either of those things. You know that. I will try really hard, but…this face…I haven't had enough Botox to lose the reactions. It is a blessing and a curse."
"The man I have been seeing…he…it… he is Logan Huntzberger," Rory spat out.
"Your boss?" Lorelai did her best to maintain her composure, Rory nodded her head in response, "like…his parents know my parents and you've worked for him for years and you went on vacation with his family a few years ago…that Logan Huntzberger?"
"One and the same," Rory bit her bottom lip and nodded. "The…I wasn't seeing him when we went on that trip. It started after…"
"Oh, well that is good because otherwise this might've been awkward."
"Mom!"
"Sorry, come on kid, this is a lot for me, and it's late…and I mean, sure I knew there were problems with Dean…anyone within a ten mile radius could tell that, but I never really expected you to tell me you've been sleeping with your boss."
"Remember around my birthday? When I told you I had been with Lane, and you thought you had seen Lane that weekend…"
"Yes and you told me I was crazy."
"Well, you weren't crazy. Lane was in Stars Hollow, I was with Logan and we just…we had a weekend away after Dean and I got in a fight."
"Rory, he is married…with children…you are married with a child…"
"I'm getting a divorce."
"And so what…he is still married…"
"Mom, I love him."
"Oh Rory," Lorelai gave her a pained look. "I'm not…I'm not judging you. I have no place judging you given my romantic mishaps over the years…but we need to talk about this."
"We aren't…we aren't together right now. We…I put a pause on things over the weekend," she laughed at the irony of it now, telling him she couldn't see him because of her marriage and now her marriage was over.
"I understand that babe, but…" Lorelai exhaled, "hun there are a lot of moving pieces here. There are a lot of hearts and a lot of kids and…you work for him."
"I didn't get the job because I was sleeping with him," Rory immediately defended herself. "I know no one will believe me when I say that right now, but it is the truth."
"You don't need to explain yourself to me."
"But Mom, I need you to acknowledge that you believe me. Dean doesn't believe me, I know that much."
"If you say it didn't start until after you got the job then I believe you, but honestly…did you think Dean would care about the semantics of all of this? Knowing you got your job first doesn't change how much this hurts him."
Rory was regretting her choice now. She was regretting not calling Lane who at least knew enough of the story to just be a sounding board for her. "I know."
"Kid," Lorelai sighed, "so…how can I help?"
"I might need to stay with you for a bit," Rory told her. "I'm going to tell Em I have a business trip for a couple of weeks when Dean comes back to town. But…I don't want to stay in a hotel, and I don't want to do a short term rental in some dump…eventually I'll rent a place until we have some sort of separation agreement or settlement, but I will need to talk to the lawyer about that."
"Wow…a lawyer."
"Mom there is no undoing this…even keeping Logan out of it…my marriage is over. You should have heard the things Dean said to me…the things he called me."
"Well of course you can stay here for as long as you want. I'll tell Luke you need to crash above the diner?" Lorelai was relieved when she saw a smile come across the screen, "I'm sure he can swing the family discount on breakfast."
"Thank you Mom."
"Get some rest kid, you look like crap."
xxx
The weeks went by surprisingly well. Dean had extended his trip to Chicago and Rory had enjoyed spending some quality time with Emma. It was hard for her, knowing that Emma didn't know what was coming, but Rory believed it was for the best. When Dean came back from Chicago they talked, not peacefully, but calmly at the very least. Dean reviewed the first draft of the agreement she had sent over and miraculously he seemed to agree, he would be getting his own lawyer to review it. Currently the agreement stated that Rory would be able to spend every other weekend with Emma, but once she had a place to live permanently that schedule would be amended to 50/50. Emma had of course not been particularly thrilled with the news that her parents were separating. They had told her the Saturday when Dean returned to town and Rory spent that night in the guest room and then left on Sunday for Stars Hollow. It had been strange of course, being away from Emma, not feeling like she had a home to go back to. All of it was strange and foreign, but in many ways it was also exhilarating. She had packed as much as she thought she needed, as much as she could justify taking to Stars Hollow and told Dean she would be back for the rest once she had a place to live. Walking back into the office was strange. It had only been a couple of weeks but everything felt different. She smiled as she saw Parker chatting with another assistant and nodded towards her office, indicating that she wanted to talk to him when he had a moment. She put her bag on her desk and felt immediate relief as she sat down. Her coffee was waiting for her, everything was ready to go as she plugged her laptop in and opened her e-mails.
"Hey boss," Parker smiled, "happy new year!"
Rory laughed, "thank you for the coffee. How were your holidays?"
"They were good. My parents came…small space, too many people…glad to be back at work. You?"
Rory took a sip of her coffee and exhaled, "well, it has been eventful. We'll talk about it another day when I don't have solid meetings. But you should know, my schedule might be a bit… off for the next few weeks. I'm staying in Stars Hollow right now, so my commute is extra long which means I'm going to work from home on Friday."
"Stars Hollow…" Parker repeated, "ok, well…let me know if there is anything you need?"
"Thanks Parker. I've got meetings all day," she looked at the time on her computer, "which means I have about enough time to finish this coffee and check my e-mails, and then get upstairs."
"Just let me know if you need anything. You remember you have the retirement dinner on Saturday?"
Rory nodded, "would it be too much for me to ask you to pick up a gift? Just something…tasteful and like a retiring executive would like? God…I don't even know what that would be."
"I'll look into it and send you some options."
Rory smiled as Parker left her office. She took a sip of her coffee and opened her desk drawer, grabbing the leather bound notebook that Logan had given her for her birthday and a pen. She piled them onto her laptop after she closed it and then took a look at her left hand. Her ring finger was bare and in some ways Rory felt relief. She felt relief that she no longer felt the burden of her marriage weighing on her shoulders. She stood up and tucked her belongings under her arm before heading to the stairs where she would head up on level to meet with the executive team and discuss some planning initiatives. She wasn't sure if Logan would be in the meeting, she assumed he would, but it was the CFO who was chairing the meeting so it was equally possible that he would pop in when he was able. She was surprised when she walked in and he was already there. The only other person in the room. "Hey," Rory gave him a half smile as she awkwardly started placing her belongings at the spot she always sat in.
"Gotta stay close to the coffee," Logan smiled, Rory always sat directly in front of the coffee. "How were your holidays?"
"They were," Rory inhaled. She couldn't tell him here, not like this. Her bare finger was still visible as she took a sip of her coffee and that was the best she could offer at this point, the physical indication of the end of her marriage, "different. How about you?"
"Look," Logan lowered his voice as a couple of other people came into the room, "we should talk later."
Rory nodded her head in response and turned to face the others coming in, they engaged in basic pleasantries and a few minutes later the meeting started. Rory spent her full day in meetings, she had a quick break at lunch where she searched for rental apartments between Manhattan and Farmingdale. She had only commuted one way so far but suffice to say, she was over it. Her afternoon was a three hour meeting with her team of direct reporting managers about the months ahead and then, then there was the meeting that had popped into her calendar just after noon, an hour blocked off at 5 o'clock. It hadn't been scheduled by Jenna or Parker, he had scheduled it and from the moment she clicked accept, she had felt a nervousness that reminded her of how she felt going on her first date with Dean all those moons ago.
Rory tucked her laptop under her arm and walked out of her office, "Parker, go home," she told him as she saw he was still at his desk. "Thank you for everything today," she smiled as she saw him shut his computer down. Just because she wasn't in a rush to head home didn't mean that he had to be there too. Rory took the elevator and walked confidently towards his office. She noticed immediately that Jenna was gone and the door was open, the floor was deserted, she imagined that was because she was now twenty minutes late and it was nearly half past five, most of the team had gone home for the evening. She saw him smile as she walked into the office and took a seat, crossing her legs and questioning her choice of dress. She had been wearing a blazer when she saw him earlier, but at some point during the endless meetings she had taken it off and was now sitting before him in her sleeveless mock neck Pinot dress in a shade of blue that brought out her eyes perfectly. "You wanted to talk?" Rory asked as she put her notebook on top of her laptop and flipped it open to a page.
"I did," Logan nodded, he stayed at his seat, intentionally keeping a distance. "Do you want me to…" he nodded to the door.
Rory shook her head, "no, it's pretty empty…and…well…"
"Yeah," he nodded again, slower this time, "well…"
"You look good," Rory offered awkwardly. "The holidays…you must be rested."
"Look…Ace," Logan let her nickname slip and for am moment he regretted it until he saw the smile come over her face. "I need to talk to you but I can't do it here. I know I'm asking for a lot with this…I know you asked for space and I respect that…but I need to talk to you."
"I'll meet you," Rory told him.
"I have my car," Logan offered.
"You go first," Rory told him, they had done this many times, "I'll meet you a block over," she would leave the office just a few minutes after and meet him a block up the street, taking a ride in the black SUV back to his apartment. She stood up quickly and walked away, leaving Logan to gather his things and his thoughts. He hadn't expected her to agree so readily. He had expected her to give him a litany of reasons it would be a bad idea for them to be alone together, but she had surprised him. She never ceased to surprise him in all the best ways. He wasn't sure what was to be gained by telling her. She had made her point clear, she needed space, but he needed her to know where he stood. He needed her to understand that he had made a choice, and that she was his choice. Even if she didn't reciprocate, or if she couldn't reciprocate yet, he wasn't trying to hide her in the closet like a dirty secret. He was free.
He heard the car door open and smiled as Rory got in, she was wearing a long, caramel coloured wool coat now and had a thick black scarf around her neck as she put her bag on the ground and buckled her seatbelt. "You just hop in anyone's SUV?"
"I like to live life on the edge," Rory smiled as she folded her hands in her lap, leather gloves hiding her fingers. The ride to his building was awkward which wasn't particularly surprising. Logan opened the door to the car for her and had to fight the urge to put his hand on the small of her back. "I just need to make a call before we…talk…is that alright? Emma…"
Logan nodded, "of course," he hadn't really considered that Rory would have to make up an excuse for coming home late again, but he supposed if that was a concern for her, she would have told him when he asked her to come with him. They rode the elevator in silence, but Logan noticed immediately that there was no tension between the two of them, which he appreciated. They walked through the front door and Rory immediately unentangled herself from her scarf and haphazardly tossed her coat on the back of a chair as she plucked her leather gloves off her fingers. Logan noticed how at ease she seemed to be as she moved through the space. You wouldn't think anything was off between the two of them. "Can I tempt you with a drink?"
"A water would be good," Rory smiled, "I think I may have overindulged while I was off," she explained. On more than one night Rory had found herself curled up in bed with a bottle of wine and a book or Netflix trying to come to terms with the reality of her current situation. She had done the same her first night back in Stars Hollow as well and her body needed a break. "I'm just going to," Rory tilted her head towards the living room and pulled her phone out. Logan nodded in response and went into the kitchen as Rory called her daughter.
"Mom?" Emma answered, she seemed disinterested at best and indifferent at worst.
"Hey kid," Rory smiled, "how was your first day back?"
"Fine."
"You get there on time?"
"Dad dropped me off," Emma told her simply.
"Of course he did. Dad always gets you to school on time. I just wanted to touch base, make sure you were good."
"I'm fine."
"Alright, well…if you need me, just…just call. Ok? I'm here…"
"Where are you?" Emma asked quietly. "Are you in Stars Hollow?"
"I'm visiting with a friend in Manhattan," Rory answered honestly, "then I'm going to take the train back. I love you kiddo."
"Bye mom."
Rory was hoping that the tension between her and Emma would lift soon, but she also understood why her daughter was having such a tough time. Rory had gone out of her way to keep Emma from being aware of any issues between her and Dean, so in a lot of ways Emma was blindsided by this change. She exhaled and put her phone in her bag, she walked to the kitchen and smiled as she saw Logan standing waiting for her with two small bottles of Perrier in front of him. "Sit?" Rory suggested.
Logan just stared at her for a minute. She looked beautiful, although he couldn't remember a time that he had looked at her and she hadn't looked beautiful. "After you," he gestured back to where she had just come from and watched as she walked back to the couch. He noticed that she sat on one of the two rounded blue velvet chairs instead of the spot she normally took on the light grey modular sectional. Normally her spot on the couch was tucked up against him in the corner where they could both put their feet up in opposite directions while relaxing. But tonight Rory had the view of the East River and Logan had a view of Rory. "Thank you for coming," he felt awkward for a moment, until Rory laughed, not at him, but just a little giggle acknowledging the weirdness lingering over them. "I just…I wanted to tell you something and I couldn't do it at the office and…I wasn't sure you would answer my call…I wanted to respect what you asked for, I want you to know I am giving you the space that you asked for."
Rory gave him a reassuring smile, "look…Logan," she paused, "before you…I need you to know," she exhaled once more, this was harder than she thought. When she had thought about it over the past couple of weeks she imagined just blurting it out and having this moment but then she had realized that she didn't know where he stood. She knew Abigail knew, but what did that mean? Did that mean they were going to work things out? "I didn't go to Chicago," she told him.
Logan furrowed his brow as he watched her spin, she was picking the label off her bottle of water as she went and that was when he noticed, he noticed the nothingness. The lack of thin gold band and small round cut diamond on her left ring finger. "You didn't go to Chicago…" he repeated.
"And…not going to Chicago…you can imagine that it really didn't…"
"You're not wearing your rings," Logan stated simply.
"I'm not wearing my rings," Rory nodded and smiled weakly, "I'm rambling, aren't I?" Logan nodded his head in response as a smile broke across his face. "I told Dean I want a divorce. He spent the holiday in Chicago with his family and Emma and I stayed in Farmingdale."
"So you guys are really…done?"
"We're done."
"How do you feel about that? And don't lie to me, don't give me the answer you think I want. I'm asking this as someone who cares about you…"
"I feel good," Rory told him honestly, "at first…at first it was strange and a bit scary and I wanted to call you. I wanted to call you so badly and tell you. You know…he left, and then Emma was asleep and I was sitting in bed and I just…I wanted so badly to call you and tell you because it was done. It was finally done and I was finally free…it was hard, but I couldn't call you. I can't pretend it was easy, and Em…Em looked at me with this heartbreak in her eyes that I never expected, but we will figure it out and one day I hope she looks at me and realizes that no matter where I end up, I chose happiness over complacency. I don't want her to ever feel stuck in a relationship because she think she has to stay…"
"How did Dean take it?" Logan asked, thinking about how well he and Abigail had been managing for the last few weeks.
"Well…I might have gotten a bit sloppy about you and I," she admitted. "When we got home from the Christmas party, he was unpacking our stuff and he found a suitcase from Miami," Rory explained. "And the suitcase from Miami was in my office, and Dean was putting away the other suitcase and thought he would help…" Rory explained, "and he found that little green La Perla…"
Logan did his best not to smirk at the memory of taking that particular silk garment off of her while they were in Miami. "I see."
"And so you can imagine that he was confused about why I would need that on my trip, and…I told him about us. I told him that before you and I were a thing, I had been unhappy for a long time. I told him about how lonely I felt and how…how much pressure there was she he didn't ever seem to care."
"So what…he…"
Rory knew that she needed to tell the full story, the part where she was the one to leave. It was an important part. She took another long sip of her water and then leaned forward and placed it on the coffee table. "So we were in limbo for a few days. He was so angry, and rightly so, but we just…coexisted. I slept in my office and worked…Em was hanging out with friends. Then he wanted to take Emma to Chicago early and I don't know…something in me flipped, and I had known that if I didn't go to Chicago, it was the end. You know? There was no coming back from that… but I wasn't going to let him make these choices for Emma too. So I put my foot down, and I said no that he couldn't just take her, and I told him that I wanted a divorce."
"So you asked for it?" Logan was smiling again.
"I did, and he was…well he was shocked. We've barely talked since if I'm being honest. Just the basics. He knew I was meeting with a lawyer and we're going to send over what we think is fair and he has seen it but he and his lawyer still need to look at it together. I'm not actually sure he has a lawyer yet…but I'm done. I'm out."
"So where are you staying?" Logan asked, it was obvious that she couldn't stay at their house anymore with everything going on.
"I am staying in Stars Hollow."
"Ace," Logan breathed, "that is a shit commute."
"I know," Rory laughed, "but…I don't want to get a short term rental, I just…I want to make sure I think about things and go through all of my options before I choose where I'm going to live. I need to think about Emma and her needs. And…until Dean accepts the settlement offer when it's all put together…I really don't know what I have to work with."
"So you're going back to Stars Hollow tonight?" Rory nodded, "Ace, stay here."
"I can't," Rory told him firmly. "I know that on my end things have cleared up a bit, but…you still have a wife and I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder. "There….there needs to be a clean line, and the end of my marriage…it is a step, maybe, if you want it to be. But it doesn't change that you have Abigail."
"What if I didn't?" Logan asked. "Humour me for a minute…what would you say if I wasn't with Abigail?"
Rory hated games like this. What difference did it make what she would say if it wasn't the reality of their current situation. "I would say I don't have the clothes."
"I prefer when you sleep without clothes," Logan smirked. "Abigail isn't a problem anymore."
Rory paused and listened to what he was saying, trying to keep the butterflies in her stomach at bay as her mind ran away with possibilities. "How?"
"Well, Abigail and I are also separated. She…she found out about the fact that I was sleeping with someone, and she didn't know who. I told you that at the party," Logan recalled. "And then…we were just going to sit on it, but I couldn't. I didn't want to spend any more time wishing I was somewhere else, and Abs didn't deserve that," he regretted calling her by the pet name for a moment, "she deserved better. So…we agreed that it was best. So originally she was going to find a new place to live, but…the kids like their house, and we've had plans in place since…well, since the beginning for if we ever divorced. So custody and money…it's a non issue. We're good. Abigail and I are good. She knows that I was with you, and…I think things will be fine for her and I in the long run."
"So we're both…"
"Yeah, we are," Logan swallowed hard as he looked at her. He wanted to stand up and pull her into his arms, he wanted to push the coffee table between them out of the way. He wanted to touch her, he wanted to enjoy her without the worry and concern, without the guilt. But he also knew she was exhausted. He could see it on her face that even this conversation was emotionally draining for her. His own kids had come around quickly, and while Lily was still emotional about the subject, Noah was fine, and he and Abigail were getting along and communicating as necessary. "Stay."