AN: Well, apparently my muse is either like a horny teenager or a post menopausal woman with no libido...so here we are with another chapter! I will say if anyone is looking for my older works (The Story of Us, Forever and Always, etc.) i have deleted most of my prior stuff...it wasn't up to snuff with my current standards and while I still enjoy the premise of the stories, the writing was...sub-par. If you haven't read my new story, Forever My Girl, give it a gander. There are lots of updates from my favourites this week so hopefully you guys are all enjoying the updates. I will say, this is a heavy few chapters for NTOO, but that will lift, this will not be the over arching premise of the rest of this story. It is just a dark cloud that will impact (obviously) Rory and Dean and Emma.

TRIGGER WARNING - This chapter contains mention of domestic violence

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls

Chapter Fifteen

Rory was thankful it was winter. Not that she particularly liked winter. But no one would ask her why she was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a cream coloured cashmere turtleneck for that particular casual Friday. She supposed she never would have worn something without sleeves this time of year no matter what, but that Friday she felt hypersensitive about it. She carried her laptop under her left arm instead of the right like she normally did because her right arm was bothering her after her discussion with Dean the night before. She had left of course, hastily. She heard him running after her, his voice dripping with sorrow as he apologized. He had called and texted, of course. She hadn't answered. She hadn't answered Logan either, she wasn't hiding it but she knew that she needed to tell him in person. Partially because she couldn't handle having to re-tell the story to him, and partially because she knew that if he was with her, she would be able to keep him from going and doing something, keep him from flying off the handle in an effort to protect her.

"You ok?" Parker asked as she dropped her coffee while trying to put her laptop down on her desk. He was a few steps behind her and grabbed the laptop from her hand before ushering her to her chair. "Look, boss…you seem…I don't know…off today? Do you need to go home? Are you sick…?"

"I just need some paper towels to clean this up," Rory exhaled. "Sorry Parker, I didn't sleep well last night."

"I've got it. Why don't you sit down?" Parker suggested, he heard the phone at his desk ringing and looked back at it before deciding that he would help Rory and deal with the phone later. A moment later it rang through to her desk though which told him it was one of only a couple of people. It would either be Logan, her mother, Emma or Dean…those were the only people that knew what options to select when it hit his voicemail to push through to her desk phone. "I'll get the paper towel?" Parker raised an eyebrow as Rory reached for the receiver with her left hand.

She waited for a moment until Parker was gone trying to get the paper towel before picking up the phone and hanging it up immediately. It was Dean. She needed to change the number to override his voicemail so Dean couldn't get to it… but then she also knew that if it ever had to do with Emma, he needed to be able to reach her. It was the knock at the door though that surprised her most, she almost jumped out of her skin at the sound and then she felt instant relief when Logan was standing in the doorway with a roll of paper towel, quite the sight if you were to ask Rory. "Hey," she let out a sigh of relief and stood up, Logan stepped inside the threshold and closed the door behind him, giving her a slightly concerned look as she tightly wrapped her left arm around his neck and hugged him close. Her right arm was a bit slower to embrace him but thankfully for her he didn't seem to notice. "I'm so glad you're home…and early!"

"Abigail asked me to get the kids home a bit sooner," he explained, "her mom came to town and I missed you," Logan kissed her gently. The door was closed, Parker knew he was in there, there was nothing stopping him from kissing her after having spent a week apart. "I've missed you a lot," he murmured into her hair when their lips came apart.

"You have no idea," Rory smiled. She winced ever so slightly as his hands moved up and down her arms, a gesture she normally loved. "Did you have fun?"

"I mean, outside of the meetings and the bullshit," Logan shrugged as they separated and he held up the paper towel roll, nodding for Rory to take a seat as he went to work cleaning up the coffee. "Parker said he'd bring a new one in five?" He told her as he continued mopping up the brown liquid. "It was good though," he admitted. "I missed you like you wouldn't believe."

"So you've said," she nodded, "I missed you too," Rory smiled as he came and took a seat across from her. "I wish you had told me that you were going to be back earlier," Rory admitted. She was expecting him late, and while the house wasn't a mess, she definitely didn't have plans for dinner and she didn't have any interest in cooking. "I was just going to eat toast for dinner."

"Toast for dinner?" Logan repeated, he was certain he had never heard Rory say she wanted just toast for anything. French toast maybe, toast with her eggs, sure…but just toast? Never. "You feeling alright?" He asked.

Rory laughed and rolled her eyes, "I've been eating like crap with you gone and I just want to have something simple." The truth was that she was still trying to come to terms with what had happened the night before. Before she could continue she heard a hesitant knock on the door and Parker peaked his head in a moment later. "Yes Parker?"

"It's Dean…" he told her tentatively, he knew she had been dodging his calls all day, even if he didn't know why. "He says it's about Emma…"

Rory exhaled, she had to fight the urge to throw up at the thought of talking to him, and then at the thought of something being wrong with Emma. "Put him through," Rory stood up and walked to her desk. It rang once and she picked it up, "Rory Gilmore."

"Rory I," Dean began only to be cut off.

"Where is Emma?"

"I…" he had known of course that getting through wouldn't be the hard part, getting her to stay on the phone however would.

"Is something wrong with my daughter?" Rory asked, she tried to keep her voice steady but she knew that any second she would falter.

"No, but I-" before he could get any more words out she had hung up the phone. Rory slammed the receiver down and closed her eyes as Logan stood up and walked towards her cautiously.

"Ace," he began, "what is wrong?" She started to cry immediately as he wrapped his arms loosely around her body. She didn't pull him as close as she normally did and instead she just sobbed. "What is going on? What can I do? Is it Emma?

Rory sniffled and shook her head before putting some space between them once more. "I'm sorry, I'm fine…I just…it's been a week," she lied. She didn't want to do this here. She knew that Logan was going to be upset, and rightly so. She knew that she should have called the police, or told Logan the night before…but how could she do that? She had carefully taken photos of herself when she got home. The red marks on her arm had still been visible when she arrived in her bedroom and by morning they were a bright purple that anyone would be able to see if her arm was uncovered. She had to come to terms with the fact that a man she had once loved, a man she had shared a child with, a man that she still cared for in some capacity had caused those marks…next she would have to try to keep Logan from killing him. "Don't you have meetings?" Rory smiled, she was trying to assure him that she was in fact fine but she knew he wouldn't believe her. He knew her better than that.

"Ace," Logan looked at her calmly. "Why don't we go home?"

"We can't just go home," Rory told him, "we have jobs, we have meetings, we have things to do…"

Obviously Logan knew that his suggestion would be met with some resistance, but the truth was, he wasn't even supposed to be in the office, and Rory…well he wasn't sure exactly what was wrong with her, but something was and he wanted to know what, and he wanted to help. "Work from home?" He suggested.

"I worked from home yesterday," Rory told him, she took a deep breath, her shoulders heaved up and down as she did, "and then," she continued while she still had a bit of nerve left, "I went to the house to pack up my things that were there…I just wanted it to be done. You know? All that would be left was the paperwork and picking up Emma…nothing else."

"Sure," Logan shrugged. He could understand that but it certainly made him thankful for the relationship he had with Abigail where they could actually talk. It also reminded him that Abigail had wanted to meet up and discuss something the following week, she had mentioned it vaguely on the phone earlier in the day. "And…did something…happen?" He asked cautiously.

"Lock the door," Rory was still standing by her desk, space separating the two of them as she began to speak again after he had locked it and returned to his spot in front of her. Her voice was shaking and Logan couldn't help but think that he was about to hear something he really didn't want to hear, he wouldn't let himself visualize the things that were running through his mind, that was too much for him. "I was done…I just wanted to ask him about one last thing, our wedding photos. He just…I have seen Dean upset…I have made Dean upset…but he has never…" Rory paused and inhaled. She pulled the soft fabric of her sweater over her head leaving her standing in her nude coloured t-shirt bra as his eyes roamed her body. Of course she had done this before. She had stood before him in this very office late at night with the door locked and taken off her shirt, but those times instead of his eyes turning dark with anger they had turned dark with lust. She wasn't sure she had ever seen so much anger in his eyes as they focused on the purple marks before him, "I don't know what came over him…" Rory had no idea why she was making excuses for the man, but the panic set in when she saw Logan clench and unclench his fists as he remained firmly planted in front of her.

"I'm going to fucking kill him," he managed to mutter. As he got his wits about him and swallowed the lump in his throat, he walked towards her, gently lifting his hand and running a finger over the fresh bruise, Rory closed her eyes and flinched, the flesh hurt, regardless of how lightly he touched her. "Are you alright? Did you call the police? Did you go to the hospital? Did he…" Logan couldn't bring himself to say any more than that.

Rory shook her head and crossed her arms slowly in front of her chest, she felt far too exposed. "No," Rory answered to all of the questions. She wasn't alright. She hadn't called the police. She hadn't gone to the hospital. He hadn't raped her. She knew that was the next half of the question that Logan couldn't manage to ask.

"We're going home." Logan told her simply. He wanted to pick her up and carry her out the door but instead he brought his arm back down and watched as Rory put her shirt back on. She didn't say anything but slowly she closed her laptop. Logan took it and put it in her bag. He grabbed her jacket and helped her put it on, they walked out the door and Logan looked at Parker, "we're going home. Tell Jenna please, and if you can have a car meet us downstairs," Logan told him firmly. He couldn't even be bothered returning to his office to grab his own computer. There was nothing in that moment that mattered more than getting her home. The ride was quiet. He didn't know what to say and looking at Rory, she just seemed broken. Logan couldn't imagine laying a hand on her. He couldn't imagine laying a hand on any woman. No matter what fights he and Abigail had gotten in through their marriage, getting physical had never even crossed his mind. The idea that Dean could have done this to her, this woman he claimed to have loved, the mother of his child…it made his blood boil. He noticed how when his hand went to the small of Rory's back to lead her into the elevator or into their apartment, she flinched. He knew it wasn't pain of course because the injury was clearly on her arm…and that left him with one option. She flinched because she was scared. She no longer lived in a world where the touch of a man who said he loved her was kind and gentle…she lived in a world where a man who said those things could physically hurt her. He could only imagine what a mind fuck that would be for anyone.

"I'm going to change," Rory told him as the door closed behind them. She walked inside with her coat and shoes on and went straight to the bedroom. Logan followed a few steps behind in case she needed him. He set her bag down on the floor just inside their bedroom and then he took off his belt, he traded his dress shirt and jeans for a hoodie that was in his drawer and took a seat on the bed. "I just…" Rory came out a moment later with a loose fitting tank top and a pair of yoga pants on. "I'm sorry," was all she could muster.

Logan could feel his heart breaking. He had felt it before, and recently even. He was sure that he had seen enough pain on the faces of women he loved or had once loved in the past few months, but again, this was worse. "Come here," Logan exhaled as Rory pulled the covers down and crawled into the bed. She moved slowly towards him and before he reached for her, he remembered her earlier recoil, "is it alright if I hold you?" He asked her. Rory nodded her head, tears came to her eyes almost instantly as Logan slowly put his arms around her and she maneuvered against him. "Don't apologize," he told her softly as he stroked her hair, "this was not your fault."

"I knew he was going to get upset…"

"No," Logan told her kindly but firmly, "there is no excuse. Do not make an excuse for him. Look, Ace…I hate to ask this, but are you sure you don't want to call the police?"

Rory shook her head and sniffled. "Em would hate me."

"Emma wouldn't hate you," Logan promised her. He had to believe that even if Emma didn't understand now, she would eventually. "She might not understand…but I don't think she should be anywhere near him…"

Rory didn't know what to say and so she did what she had been doing for most of the last eighteen or so hours, she cried. "I know," Rory sobbed, "but I don't know how to get her…I don't know what to say or what to do…if I call he police he will lose his job, he will have nothing and he will … I don't know what he will do, and I don't want her to hate me. I don't want her to think that not only did I ruin our marriage but then I ruined his life…I know he didn't mean to. Dean…he didn't mean to do this."

"Ok," Logan agreed, he wasn't going to fight with her about this, he was going to follow her lead. It was after all her decision and she had spent far too long being told what to do by a man, he wasn't going to jump on that train. Logan exhaled and then for a moment thought about his daughter. He thought about what he would do if Lily was ever in a relationship with a man who hurt her…physically or emotionally. "Ror…we need to get Emma. I'm not saying he's a bad dad. I'm not saying that we can't find a way through this," Logan told her, it wasn't the truth, he did think that Dean was a terrible parent and he wasn't sure that there was a way to work through this peacefully anymore. "But I think that right now it is safer for her to be with us and for Dean to take a bit of time to get the help that he needs…"

Rory looked at him and for a moment she wasn't quite sure what to say. Rory didn't believe that Dean would ever hurt Emma…but she had also believed he would never hurt her. So even if it pained her to admit, Logan was right. "I can't…I can't see him…"

Logan looked at his watch, it was still early enough that he could deal with this. Early enough that he could make it to Farmingdale to pick Emma up and bring her back…the only problem he imagined was Dean. "I will pick her up," Logan told Rory as though it was the simplest thing on earth. As though he wasn't walking into a minefield of some sort no matter how this shook out.

"No," Rory shook her head, "I don't want you guys fighting, I don't want Emma to hear any of it…I'll call my Mom."

"Ace, I will not fight with him. I will not cause a scene. I will call him and tell him what is happening…but Emma needs to see this, and you and I as a safe place. She can't run away to your mom or your grandma…if she isn't with Dean, she should be with us."

"You promise you won't fight with him?" Logan nodded his head and he saw some relief come over her face. "Are you alright if I leave you here?"

"I'm fine," Rory promised him. "I survived last night by myself," she hadn't meant for it to come out the way it had but she could see that Logan looked pained about having not been there for her.

"I'll cancel some trips coming up," he told her simply. "I should've been there." He got out of bed a few minutes later when Rory had dozed off, placing a kiss on her forehead and writing a note to let her know he would call her with Emma in the car. He grabbed his keys and walked to the door, sending a text to Linda asking her to check in with Rory to see if she needed any food while he was gone. The drive, as he expected had been a pain in the ass but he didn't want Emma to feel uncomfortable with the driver, and he had seen that Rory's SUV was full of boxes, so that wasn't an option, and given that he wasn't exactly sure how all of this would go, the train hardly seemed like a good idea.

He wasn't surprised to see the black BMW he and Rory had picked out months earlier sitting in the driveway. Everything he had learned about Dean over the years had told Logan that the man would have proceeded to get drunk and call in to work that dark, the fact that it seemed to be true was another reminder to Logan that the man shouldn't be left along with a child. Logan tossed his sunglasses on the front seat of his Mercedes Benz coupe and unbuckled his seatbelt. He walked to the door, aware of the glances he received from a couple of neighbours as he stood with his Berluti leather boots, Stefano Ricci dark wash jeans and the Dolce and Gabbana black hooded sweatshirt he had put on at home, he knocked on the door and waited. He could hear shuffling inside the house but no one came. He knocked again a moment later, a bit harder this time and exhaled as he heard the lock clicking.

"What do you want?" Dean grumbled as he towered in the doorway.

"Pack a bag for Emma," Logan told him firmly. He could smell the booze on his breath and it reeked of desperation and cheap liquor, neither were things Logan had time for at the moment. "Call the school and tell them I will pick her up. She is spending the weekend in Manhattan."

"Like hell she is," Dean growled, "you may be used to taking whatever you want, especially when it comes to me. You may be fucking my wife, but you will not take my daughter from me." His answer was firm as he looked down on the man before him, it only infuriated Dean more when Logan smirked at him, "do you wanna fight or something? I said no. Get out."

Logan rubbed his jaw and gave his head a bit of a shake, "no, you are misunderstanding me. You will go get a few of Emma's things and call the school to tell them that I will be picking her up. Emma will be staying in Manhattan for the foreseeable future. I will figure out how she gets to and from school, and I can assure you the driver will be sober," he added pointedly, "and if you don't want to do that. I will call the police and provide them pictures of the bruises on Rory's arm. So help me god you piece of shit if you ever lay a hand on her again…"

"What are you going to do?" Dean was posturing now, for many years his physical size had worked to intimidate anyone in his way, but he quickly saw that it wasn't the case here.

"I'll destroy you," Logan told him simply, "I will take everything you have ever loved and I will spend the rest of my life dismantling it one by one. I will be the man you could never be for Rory, and I will be a father to Emma and you will watch as your world crumbles. Go pack the fucking bag, Dean."

xxx

Logan and Emma had driven to Manhattan in relative silence. He had of course explained to her that nothing was wrong, and she of course hadn't believed him. He had ordered a pizza on the way back and by the time they walked into the apartment he was relieved that it was on the counter. Partially because he was hungry, and partially because it meant that Rory was up. He had texted her to let her know when he had Emma and that they were otherwise on their way back, but he had wanted her to get some rest.

"Hey," Rory smiled genuinely at Emma. "How was the ride?"

"Weird," Emma shrugged. Logan was a few steps behind her with the duffle bag that Dean had packed. "When am I going back home?"

Rory paused and took a sip of her water, Logan watched for a moment and then decided to give them some space. "Dad just has some stuff he has to work on," Rory told her vaguely, "so for a bit you'll stay here, we will have a car take you to school and pick you up."

"Why can't I stay with Dad?"

"Dad….just has a lot on his plate," Rory told her.

"Then why didn't he tell me? Mrs Smith called me to the office and told me that Logan was picking me up…why wouldn't Dad tell me?"

Rory inhaled, she didn't want to lie but she also couldn't tell the truth, "I just…Em I wanted some time with you. So I asked Dad and he agreed and it worked out that Logan picked you up. Don't overthink this…ok? Please…just let it go." The words came out a bit more harshly than Rory had anticipated but she wasn't looking to fight with Emma about this.

"He didn't send me clothes I like," Emma told her mother without having looked in the suitcase.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow," Rory suggested. It was then that Logan made his presence known, "maybe the three of us?"

Logan laughed, he knew from experience with his own daughter as well as his sister, the last place he wanted to be was shopping with a preteen. "I'll do you one better," he retrieved his wallet from his pocket and pulled out his shiny black American Express card and handed it to Rory, "you two shop for anything you need for here, and I will make dinner reservations?"

"Can we eat here?" Rory asked, "I just…"

Logan nodded his head, he understood, "I'll cook while you guys are gone. Sound good? Let me know what you want," he looked pointedly at Emma, "and I will make it."

Emma nodded and gave Logan half a smile. "I guess I'll unpack?"

Rory watched as Emma walked away and before she even realized she needed it, Logan had wrapped his arm gently around her waist to support her. She was exhausted. She had barely eaten, she had not slept well, and the emotional exhaustion was arguably worse than the physical pain and exhaustion. "Thank you," Rory leaned into him and closed her eyes.

"Sit down?" Logan suggested, his brow furrowed with concern as they moved to the couch. "Did you eat?" He looked at the box of pizza that seemed to have one slice taken out of it. Rory nodded her head, "do you want more?" He asked and smiled when Rory nodded once more. He returned to the kitchen once Rory was seated and grabbed three plates, he put two slices on each and returned to Rory with one, "Emma," Logan shouted down the hall, "pizza is out if you want some." She came a moment later and sat beside her mother. Logan was happy to lose his prized spot on the couch if it meant that Rory and Emma were getting along. He watched as Emma giggled to her mother while he sat in the velvet tub chair and ate his food. He noticed how Rory, although she was favouring her left side, seemed more relaxed with Emma around. He couldn't blame her. He felt more relaxed knowing that Emma wasn't with Dean at the moment. He had put a call in to Rory's lawyer when he was on his way to pick up Emma, setting up a meeting for the following week at the office to discuss the changes that were going to be necessary. He knew that Rory wouldn't be happy, he knew she was a good enough person that she would want to keep this easy for Dean, or easier for Dean because he knew Rory well enough that she would make the excuse that had she not heated on Dean, it wouldn't have come to this. If Emma wasn't involved, if it were only money, if it were only things that Dean and Rory were fighting over, Logan might be inclined to follow her lead…but it wasn't. It was a person. A little girl the same age as his daughter and even though Emma was decidedly not his daughter, he would protect her the same way he would protect Lily.

He cleaned up the dishes and Rory excused herself to go to bed, it was early of course, but Logan knew she was exhausted.

"Can I…" Emma looked at the television where they were watching some made for TV movie, "is it alright if I watch the end?"

Logan smiled and nodded, "of course. I'm just going to grab a drink. Want anything?"

"Do you have Sprite?"

Logan assured her that he did and then went to the kitchen where he grabbed himself a Coke and her a Sprite, "glass or can?"

"Can please?"

"Me too," Logan returned with the drinks a few seconds later and took his seat once more. "If there is anything you need…I know we've told you, but groceries…stuff…just tell us."

Emma nodded as she cracked open the Sprite and took a sip. She wasn't really sure what to say…the drive from Farmingdale to Manhattan had been uncomfortable enough and she wasn't really sure what there was to say. "Did something happen?" Emma asked quietly. "My dad was…he was upset last night…"

Logan tried to give her a reassuring smile, he didn't want her to worry but he also knew she would. She was a kid, but she wasn't stupid. "Don't worry about your dad," he assured her. "He is fine," Logan wouldn't tell anyone but he had put a security detail outside of the house to keep an eye on Dean and while if anyone asked, he would say it was for Rory or Emma's safety, but it was also very much for Dean too. "But he has some things to sort out and while he does that, your mom and I think it will be better for you to be here."

"He just…" Emma's voice quieted as she spoke, "when he gets like last night…he shouldn't be alone. I can calm him down…" Logan listened as she spoke, he could sense the fear in her voice. "I know that I can calm him down and no one has to worry about him. He…he said he just got angry and he was upset. Sometimes when Dad gets really upset he throws things. He doesn't meant to…Mom knows that. I just," Emma began to cry, "I just need to talk to him. I talked to him last night and he was ok…"

Logan wasn't sure what the right thing to do next was. So he did the only thing he knew how to do. He did what he hoped that someone would do for Lily if she was ever in the same situation. He stood up and slowly walked over to Emma and sat beside her, filling the spot that Rory had vacated a half hour earlier. "I'm going to hug you," he told her softly, "is that alright?" She didn't answer, not using words, but instead as her body violently shook, she sobbed and nodded her head, "it's going to be alright," Logan assured her as he held her against him and as he held her small frame he was reminded again of how young she was. "Don't worry. Everyone is fine, everyone is safe."

"He didn't mean to. If…if he hurt her, he didn't mean to!"