Chapter 194

May 13th, 2005

"Do you even want me here?" Rory said in a pout, having just nearly accused Logan of flirting with some blond at his sister's party. They were standing on the dock by the side of the Hutzberger family yacht, the biggest one they had, and it was serving as Honor's engagement party venue - filled up caviar and Dom Perignon.

"Ace, I invited you here," Logan replied, becoming worried about her. But this was definitely an attitude he hadn't encountered many times with her. It was like she was mad at him, but for the life of him he couldn't think of a good enough reason. Surely she wasn't jealous of her sister's best friend Bianca. He'd just explained to her how she was there with her husband who had pictures of their 2-year-old in his coat pocket. She wasn't usually this unreasonable, even if perhaps he didn't blame her for some jealousy considering his history. This was all very new for the two of them, he did agree.

"Right. On a Friday night, when you knew I couldn't come," Rory snorted, almost wishing she hadn't driven over in the first place. She was so not in the mood for minglin. Maybe Friday the 13th really was a bad omen?

"It's my sister's party. I didn't pick the night," Logan explained.

"Traffic sucked getting here," she noted.

"Sorry, but I can't do anything about the traffic either. Can we just, um…," he said, glancing around briefly to who was in earshot and gestured to her down the dock for a word more in private.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Logan asked, not appreciating her attitude, tucking his hands in his pockets. It was almost as if she was picking a fight.

"Nothing. I'm just in a weird mood," Rory replied, finally letting some of that facade to fade, and showed some genuine emotion.

"I'll say," Logan agreed.

"I'm sorry, I just – can we go somewhere else?" Rory said, needing to get out of there.

"What?" Logan said, not sure if he was hearing right.

"Let's go somewhere else. I don't really feel like being around people," Rory admitted.

"Okay, name it!" Logan agreed in a heartbeat.

"Will your sister mind?" Rory hesitated, her upbringing nearly stopping her.

"I've been here for an hour and a half, I've talked to everybody. My duty is done. Where do you want to go?" Logan asked.

"I don't know. Somewhere. Far. Out there," Rory described, not really thinking just spitting out whatever she felt like.

"Where?" Logan asked, wondering what she mean as he glanced around.

"Out to sea!" Rory said, as if it was a slogan of sorts.

"Out to sea," Logan repeated, raising his eyebrows for a second, wondering if that held some deeper meaning.

"Yeah. Let's take that fancy-pants yacht of yours for a spin," Rory suggested, optimistically.

"Tricky, since it's about to head out with all of my sister's friends on it," Logan saw a flaw in her otherwise adventurous plan.

"Oh. Well, don't you have another one?" Rory said, just winging it.

"Not her," Logan said, hating to disappoint her. At this stage he still sometimes felt like showing off with these fancy things worked on her somehow - but it rarely did.

"Well, where's the other one?" Rory said.

"Far away. Let's just drive somewhere. Let's go to New York," Logan suggested.

"I don't want to drive. I want to be out there, just the two of us. Alone," Rory listed.

"Well…," Logan sighed, trying to think of something.

"You know the beginning of Moby Dick, when the narrator says that when he finds himself growing grim about the mouth and wanted to knock people's hats off, he takes to the sea?" Rory turned to quoting the classics.

"Yeah," Logan said, indeed recalling that quote.

"Well I feel like knocking people's hats off," Rory explained.

"So I guess we got to take to the sea," Logan agreed.

Rory nodded, then pointed at a fairly random boat down the dock, "That one looks good".

"Yeah," he agreed, squinting his eyes.

"Nice and seaworthy," Rory added.

"Not ours to take," Logan felt it was his job to remind her, but a broad smile crept onto his lips.

Rory shrugged, adding, "That ever stopped you before?"

"I think I've been a bad influence on you, Ace," Logan said with a broad smirk.

"Let's go, Huntzberger," Rory encouraged.

"Let's go," he replied, as Rory grabbed her hand and they rushed down the dock to look for a boat.

The boat was a 54 ft monohull - nothing overly flashy or extravagant. It's keys were in a lock box on the railing, making Logan think that either the owner was forgetful or perhaps that it was a timeshare altogether. He tried a few codes at random - 12345, 00000, 99999, 54321 - but eventually forced himself to think whether the boat's name 'Abby' could hold an answer. A good old letters to number trick worked, and he felt relieved he didn't have to hotwire it. He barely remembered how one did that on a car, boats… not quite his repertoire.

"How did you do that?" Rory asked.

"Just got lucky," Logan replied.

"Good, we need some luck," Rory said, excitedly, with a slight vibrato to her voice. Logan liked seeing her this excited, especially after this mood he'd just been subjected to. But he had a feeling that pushing her wasn't really going to get him the answers he was curious about.

"That we certainly do," Logan replied, several glasses of champagne already under his breath from earlier. He hadn't stolen anything this big before. He might have borrowed his headmaster's car once, a neighbor's T-bird just for laughs, stolen photos or booze - larks. He might have broken into several places he hadn't really supposed to be in, exchanged knick-knacks from one rich person's house to another and gotten a fines for underage drinking. But if he were to really be honest, this might have actually been the biggest crime that he was actually committing if he did a quick calculation of how much this particular boat was worth. He just took a deep breath, just hoping he wouldn't sink it. Inside a brave, cocky, young man, who was used to getting away with things was also some sensibility and sense of caution. But that wasn't sexy, hence he pushed those emotions to the back of his mind. Or maybe he just wasn't drunk enough.

Logan steered the boat like a pro, making a quick exit out of the marina barely looking back. This was not a night for sails - he wasn't clear headed enough and he'd never really sailed something this big alone, and he doubted Rory really knew anything about nautical terms if he were to instruct her.

Every now and again he glanced back towards Rory who's worried face was slowly beginning to form a smile. Whatever this was - it was helping, at least in the same way going out to Vegas with his buddies usually helped him.

"Hey, Ace! You want to steer?" Logan offered, feeling like they were sufficiently far away by now. They could see the marina lit behind them, even the family boat, about to set on its way as well. Thankfully, these waters were easy to navigate and Logan knew the area like the back of his hand.

"Um.. okay," she agreed, raising from her seat at the back of the boat, and walked over carefully, not really having a very good pair of sea legs. Being on heels didn't really help. Thankfully, she wasn't the one to get nauseous on boats.

Standing between the helm and Logan, her hands on the steering wheel, felt like being embraced in a comforting warmth, which Rory hadn't quite anticipated. Sure, he always felt good, but now with the contrasting cool ocean air and those words she'd heard earlier still echoing in herbrain, she just felt like she wanted to give up and just be held by him. She wanted to forget. But her bring stuggled to stop thinking. Maybe accepting that she wasn't going to become some big career woman was the easier thing, especially with him? - she thought for a fraction of a second among other things. Rory leaned back against him, searching to feel more. He definitely noticed her attention scattering from the actual activity at hand.

With his chin over her shoulder, breathing in her scent, his one hand that went around her pulled the controller back, slowing the yacht down. His other hand brought her chin to his. Her eyes were nearly shut, just allowing to be led, her mouth just a little open. Damn those lips were inviting and Logan let the tension carry for a moment before kissing her gently.

As it was with Rory every single time - that little taste of her quickly grew into something more, and his hand pulled the boat to halt, leaving it just floating there. His hand intertwined into her hair as she turned, and hers went inside of his suit jacket, caressing his body through his dress shirt. Damn..

"Ah, Ace..," Logan hummed, huskily, against her neck, after a few minutes minutes, causing her to tilt her head a little, giving him better access.

It was better than alcohol - his intoxication that she felt with him. Nothing that had happened on the mainland was there with them, just Logan and she and the boat, surrounded by the vast ocean. Any shred of wanting to knock people's heads off didn't apply to Logan.

Their lips were reddened by the intensity of the kiss soon enough, both of them needing to break for some air.

"Hold on," Logan reluctantly pulled himself away, realizing that this could easily take all of his attention. But he really didn't want to drift into some tanker or sink the boat, hence he untied and let the anchor fall to down the side of the boat, fixing them where they were.

As much as he would've loved to just get carried away, he was more cautious with her than he would've been with any other girl. He still wanted to know what had caused this burst of anger towards the world. "You want a drink? I'll see what they have," he said, and opened the cabin door.

Rory followed him down the narrow stairway, and observed Logan know his way around the place as if it was his. Well supposedly all of these things were pretty similar if one had been to as many as he had.

"Scotch or tequila?" Logan suggested, holding out a couple of options.

This was definitely a night for quick shots rather than lounging with a drink in hand, and Rory took the tequila bottle from his hands and shot back at least two shots worth of the drink straight from the bottle.

"Ugh," Rory groaned, having not expected it to sting quite that badly. Cocktails, punch and wine she was used to, raw shots - less so.

Logan's smile was broad, kind of loving this rebellious streak on her. He loved how she was just able to switch back and forth between her innocence and well…this. He was this close to cautioning her, commenting something about the way she was behaving but took a drink instead, his eyes fixated on her. He wanted to experience her like this wild side of her, figuring she'd talk when she wanted to. He could only go by his own experience - forcing him to talk before he was willing was useless. Maybe she worked the same way?

As he put the bottle down, her lips crashed with his again, with definite intent.

His fingers unbuttoned her blazer, eager to fondle her breasts underneath it, while his other hand went for her waist. Quickly their kiss escalated, her lips on his neck which was a huge turn on for him. He could already feel her pressing her hips against his groin, feeling how hard he was getting, making him moan.

Rory managed to unbutton a couple of his shirt buttons, and he was just about to shred her of her blazer, just wanting to get her naked already, when suddenly they heard the siren.

"Crap," Logan groaned. "Tell them it's my fault," he instructed, looking at her apologetically. What he would've done to hold the police boat away for an hour...

"Wait," Rory replied, pulling him in for another kiss. It was softer, assuring. "Thank you for doing this for me," she said, as the kiss broke. "And I did it too…," she added, not wanting him to take all of the blame. He knew her stubbornness enough to know she wasn't going to let him take the blame.

"You're incredible, Ace," were the last words he said to him before they emerged on deck, bright spotlights already on them, and ordered to put their hands in the air.

June 16th, 2022

"I can't believe you talked Paris into coming here. I'll probably never hear the end of it," Rory noted, as she climbed into bed, having just brushed her teeth.

Logan was already in bed, shirtless as the evening had become quite warm, his tattoos having become the new normal to Rory to see without really noticing. He was setting himself a couple of reminders for the following day, his schedule now looking pretty hectic so he'd get to take it a little slower next month and after their wedding. There were still fittings to do, a bachelor party, though he wasn't really sure if there was much point in doing that twice, but hey - it was tradition and the guys wouldn't have it any other way. And what he still hadn't really told Rory much about - that there were some small things to put together concerning their honeymoon as well.

"I think she's been missing you, she might not admit it but…," Logan replied, putting his phone away. He hated to admit it but calling Paris had felt a little scary - while he had seen her in a number of occasions by now, it had never really been just him and Paris, and he still got this feeling that at least one woman in the world was not fooled by his charm no matter how much he tried to be friendly.

"I guess it must be lonely with Finn off god-knows-where," Rory sighed, and snuggled into her pillow, tucking the pregnancy pillow under her bump and between her thighs. She remembered how she'd delayed many months before purchasing anything that hadn't seemed vital for herself or the baby las time, but this time, from the first sore muscle she was taking any help she could get to make herself more comfortable.

"I don't even know where he is. I never got through to him, so I just sent him a text," Logan exclaimed and ran his fingers through hair that was getting kind of long, reminding both of them that he could use a haircut.

"Didn't I tell you?" Rory suddenly recalled.

"Tell me what?" Logan asked, sounding puzzled.

"I called him a couple of weeks ago… you know… when we had that fight, after we had the 20 week scan, " Rory recalled the day reluctantly. "I guess I just wanted someone to vent to, so I called him and he was somewhere in the South Pacific - I don't know, sailing or something? And then I talked to Paris and she confirmed that he'd been off the radar for a while, after he went to finish his parents," Rory continued.

"So you're saying he's off sailing somewhere?" Logan replied in disbelief. It was not so much the activity but the timing - it was winter over there, and if Logan recalled anything about the area - also Finn's possible route puzzled him. But he had to admit, it had been a while since he'd had to think about favorable winds and the South Pacific Convergence Zone.

"That's the impression I got," Rory shrugged.

"Huh," Logan sighed, thoughtfully.

"You're not worried about him? The man has been known to fall off the face of the Earth," Rory said, lightly. But it was Logan's thoughtfulness that was making her concerned now as well.

"I'll just try him again tomorrow," Logan said, not wanting to worry her. Surely he was just off traveling, maybe testing a new boat or some new extremes. Maybe he'd even stumbled upon some sheila, that he'd taken a fancy too? Who was he to judge Finn concerning Paris and his child? There was nothing standard about that relationship but in the end it was his choice, wasn't it?

"How did it go at the lawyers?" Rory asked, after Logan had snuggled next to her, his hand across her side, still hoping to feel another kick, having earlier already felt several. They hadn't really had a lot of chances to talk during the party about these things.

"Good, as expected. I can already feel the weight on my shoulders," Logan joked.

"Logan..," Rory groaned playfully.

"Nah, it's not that bad," he replied. "We now have a place for a skiing holiday and a sailboat somewhere on the coast of Croatia, oh and if you ever need an office space in Dalston, we're covered," he listed, jokingly.

"And I do not skii nor do I have office needs," Rory laughed.

"I'll probably sell the latter, we'll see," Logan added.

"It has been a while since I've been on a boat with you, though," Rory replied, biting her lip, one particularly naughy evening coming to mind.

"Well I'm sure we'll be able to arrange something," Logan smirked. He definitely wouldn't have minded rekindling on that evening a little, at least the exciting part of it - but he knew that evenings weren't easy for Rory and generally she just felt too tired to be up for anything naughty. And there was nothing better to bring him out of that sensual mindset than saying what he had to say. "There actually was another thing that I didn't know about that the lawyer told me…," he began after a deep breath.

"What?" Rory asked, worriedly. "Not some medieval clause that you need to be married and have produced a son as an heir or something?" Rory chuckled, half expecting some ridiculous obsticle on their way from Mitchum.

"Thankfully, no," Logan replied and chuckled. "But I am apparently the owner of my parent's house and apparently also in charge of paying my mother an allowance. Apparently the executor did it until this and before that dad's accountant. It's just weird," he added.

"I thought she owned the place. Didn't she inherit anything herself?" Rory asked, kind of feeling sorry for Shira.

"So did I. And I honestly don't know - I guess her personal things?" Logan replied. "She didn't say anything either, neither did Honor. I'm not sure they even know," he added. Her mother had not exactly been one to really care about how she got the money she used. The money was no small amount, and essentially that just went to pay off her credit cards. It didn't seem that carefully budgeted or planned, but this was still a power-relationship that he wasn't sure he wanted to be in.

"Can't you just give her the house and the money and just… let her be?" Rory suggested.

"Well that money isn't quite enough to actually pay for the utilities, the maids and the upkeep," Logan replied. He had no problem paying for these things, but since he'd been living on a much smaller monthly budget himself it did seem a little excessive. But was he really going to be that son that told his mother she should find a smaller place to live? It did make him curious what her mother spent her money, his money, technically, on.

"It's kind of demeaning, don't you think?" Rory said, squinting her nose, wondering why on Earth had Mitchum handled things this way.

"Well it's not respectful, that's for sure. God, I never thought I'd have to talk about money with my mother," Logan exclaimed with an exhale.

"I don't envy you there," Rory commented.

"I just got to look into it, talk to Honor," Logan said.

"Hey, I thought of a name today," Rory steered the conversation towards something more positive.

"Well?" Logan asked, hopefully.

"Abby," Rory said. "There was this graduate today by that name. I never taught her, but the name was kind of cool, old-school," she explained.

But from the squinting of his nose Rory could tell Logan didn't love it.

"Odette's mom had a poodle named Abby," Logan fibbed, being pretty sure Rory didn't mean it because of the yacht they'd stolen once. While he found that memory to be an exciting one - he didn't want to dwell on it too much, the shame over his father's actions having ruined it for him in part.

"This baby is going to be nameless, isn't she?" Rory sighed, the name game having already gone on for weeks, and switched off the beside lamp.