"Here's our car," Logan said to Rory as the limo pulled up to the curb. Instead of waiting for the driver to get out and open the door for them, Logan opened the door for Rory and got in after her. Rory shivered from the cold wind, so Logan wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you again for coming with me tonight. It was infinitely better because you were there."

Rory smirked at him. "I love being with you, but I may never get used to your mother."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing that she lives an ocean away." Logan grinned at her. "So... what did she do?" Rory looked at the floor and Logan tipped her chin upward so that he could see her eyes. "Because I know she did something."

Rory sighed, "She was trying to make me doubt you. She tried to make me feel insecure."

Logan furrowed his brow in confusion. "In general? Or did she say something specific?"

Rory began, "So, we kind of walked out of the ladies' room at the same time. Well, you know that dark hallway that leads to the ballroom?" Logan nodded. "Mitchum was back there with some woman who was younger than me. He was all over her and Shira saw it too." Logan raised his eyebrows and sighed. "So then, she told me in no uncertain terms that I should prepare for this too. Because you cheated with me on someone else, that you would cheat on me with someone else." Logan's mouth dropped open, but Rory continued, "Apparently the Huntzberger wives get to have the children while the men do whatever they want. Cheating is in your DNA and I should just get used to it."

"Ace!" Logan was dumbfounded. "I... I can't believe she would attack me like that."

"Logan," Rory said, "You have to understand we ruined her plans. She was all set to have a beautiful, young, French socialite be her daughter in law. Instead, she gets me who she never liked. Plus, she was publicly humiliated by Mitchum. She was lashing out at whomever she could."

"Still, I'm sorry she did that. You didn't deserve that or to have to hear all that. Did she succeed?" Logan asked quietly.

"Succeed at what?" Rory asked.

"Do you have doubts?" He pursed his lips and looked like a scared boy as he whispered the question. Before she had a chance to answer, he grabbed her in a big hug and buried his face in her neck. "Rory, are we okay?"

She pulled away enough that she could look him in the eye. "Of course we are! I could never believe Shira!" She kissed him passionately. Once they finally pulled away she said, "You are so important to me."

He pulled her close against his chest. "I love you, Ace." He kissed her again. "And I had no idea how sexy it is seeing you across a ballroom, knowing that you're carrying my baby. I had no idea that would make me feel like that, but it did. I've never wanted you more." He chuckled a little, "It was crazy. I felt all caveman. I felt possessive or maybe protective... I'm not sure."

Rory smirked at him, "Wow. Look at you, being all Fred Flintstone about me!"

Logan pulled her into his lap, straddling him. "Come here, Wilma." She giggled at the cartoon reference. "I can't explain it, but there is something about you being pregnant that makes me want to bubble wrap you and keep you safe." He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his forehead against hers.

Rory kissed him again and leaned back a little. "So, speaking of you being protective and all, I have something to tell you. Something you might not like..."

Logan frowned, "O-kayyyyyy?"

Rory blew out a big breath. "So, that text I got before the event?"

"Yeah?" Logan asked with one eyebrow raised.

"It was Jess." Logan sighed. "I haven't spoken to him since Mom's wedding. But you need to know, we've become friends."

"Friends?" Logan's eyebrow was still cocked at the idea.

"Just friends. But he's the person who gave me the idea for my book and he's been looking over chapters for me. I'm even considering Truncheon to publish it, if I ever get it finished." Logan just stared at her. "Please don't be mad."

Logan held up his hands in defeat. "I'm not mad. I promise. But I AM concerned."

"But - " She started to protest.

"Please let me finish." She nodded. "Sweetie, he looks at you the same way I look at you. And I know what I'm thinking when I look at you... Does he know you're expecting?" She shook her head. "And I guess he doesn't know about us?"

"We've been busy. I haven't exactly had much free time to tell everyone yet."

Logan nodded, "I understand. It's cool."

Rory made a weird face and asked him, "You realize that we're likely going to see him at family events and stuff, right?"

Logan immediately nodded and said, 'Sure." And then he thought about it more and said, "Wait, why exactly? I know he knows Luke but... I guess I don't get it."

Rory made a pained face and finally said, "He doesn't just KNOW Luke. He's Luke's nephew."

"Ok, okay." Logan nodded again. Then it hit him, and he grinned broadly. "Ace! Are you telling me you dated your COUSIN?" She closed her eyes and waited for the full humor of the situation to descend upon him. "Aren't there laws against that?" he asked trying to breathe he was laughing so hard.

Rory was not amused. She sighed deeply. "Oh my God! He's only my cousin by marriage. And not even my cousin. My step-cousin."

Logan was still chuckling. "But still!"

"And I dated him before Mom dated Luke."

Logan tried desperately not to laugh but his smile gave him away. "Whatever you say..."

Rory was quiet for a minute and then said, "Well, it's not as bad as my great-grandmother."

"What?!" Logan was wide-eyed.

"Oh, yeah. Lorelai Gilmore the first, Grandpa Richard's mother." Logan nodded. "Her maiden name was Gilmore."

Logan was incredulous. "Are you saying?" he trailed off.

Rory nodded emphatically, "Yep. She married her freaking first cousin! They had the same grandparents!"

Logan tried to hide a smile, "So... Richard practically had an Uncle-Dad situation?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Not quite, but he definitely had the same great-grandparents on both sides."

Logan smiled. "When people want bluebloods and certain family names, they don't really think of that part of it, do they?" She shook her head as he kissed her on the nose. "Ace?" She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It feels like I don't know the whole story with you and Jess. What do I need to know?"

Rory sighed and started to say something when the driver announced they reached their destination. Logan gently lifted her off his lap and placed her on the seat next to him so that he could exit the car and help her out. As he got out of the car, he shook hands with the driver, gave him a tip and wished him a good evening.

They got rid of their coats and Logan stopped in the kitchen while Rory went upstairs to get out of her dress and wash her face. She met him on the couch in a big sweatshirt. Logan handed her a glass of water and said, "Be right back."

Logan returned a few minutes later in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He settled on the couch near Rory and said, "Okay. Tell me what I need to know."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Okay. Jess and I dated my senior year of high school. I'm pretty sure I loved him, but eventually he just up and left. His father wanted him with him in California, so one day he dropped out of high school and just left for California. He never said goodbye." Logan took her hand. She fidgeted a bit.

"Rory?" Logan prodded a bit. "Whatever you tell me is fine."

"He reappeared probably 6 months later to take his car back to California – I think. When he was here, he told me he loved me and then left. Then, months later, I had such a bad day. Grandma practically forced me to go out with this guy – some friend of hers' son or grandson. He would have fit in perfectly at the Male Yale Party." She rolled her eyes, and he chuckled a little.

"Ah, I remember that night very well... it was the first time I had a long-time girlfriend." He smirked at her.

She smirked back. "I figured." She raised her eyebrows. "Anyway, we took me to a bar. Apparently, our date was a pub crawl. That meant that he got drunk and then wanted to drive us to the next place and the next place and so forth. With how much he already drank and how big of an ass he was, I didn't think it was smart to leave with him. So, I didn't. I told him I would find my own way home."

Logan nodded. "Okay. Sounds reasonable."

"So, I was pretty broke. The semester was over and most everyone was already gone for the summer. So, I called the last person in the world I should have called." Logan arched one eyebrow. "I called Dean." By now she was sitting with her elbows on her thighs with her head in her hands. Logan reached out to rub her shoulder but didn't say anything. "It turns out that that phone call was the beginning of the end of his marriage." She closed her eyes and sighed. "What possessed me to call a married man to save me that night?"

"Ace, you're being too hard on yourself. He was the one with the marriage vows, not you. It was up to him to say no. But he didn't. This isn't just on you." He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb.

"Anyway, we had dinner on this guy's open credit card tab, and we talked. Then he took me back to Branford. When we got to my room, Jess was waiting outside of my door. Jess and Dean never got along so they argued. I sent Dean away and talked to Jess. Jess wanted me to go away with him – I still don't completely know what his plan was, but he literally said, 'run away with me' like it was some movie out of the 50s!"

Logan sat there watching her, being calm. He knew he had no reason to judge. So far, all of this happened before he ever met Rory.

"Anyway, the next time I saw him was probably a year and a half later. It was the night before the three of us went out to dinner." Rory gave him a tight smile.

"I remember that night well..." Logan looked at his shoes. "Not my proudest moment. But, I still think he was into you and was trying to get back together with you."

Rory nodded. "He was. He told me much later that he was… Boy, that was a bad night."

Logan agreed. "Yep. It led to one of the worst two months of my whole life."

Rory frowned. "Mine too. So…. There's something else I need to tell you."

Logan braced himself. "Go ahead."

"Do you remember when you went to Costa Rica?" she asked.

He nodded sadly, "Yeah, I still have visible scars from that trip. Why?"

"I did something while you were gone. Something I never, ever wanted to tell you. But I need to tell you."

"Rory, it was ten years ago. Did you sleep with him?" Logan asked meekly.

"I was so damn mad you. The whole bridesmaid incident. I was so hurt. I felt so discarded and that you treated me like trash. I got a flier for the opening of his publishing house, so I went. To Philadelphia."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "You went. To Philadelphia. To see Jess."

She nodded. "I went while you were in Costa Rica. God, I'm a horrible person."

He took her hand. "You are NOT a horrible person. I deserved whatever you did. What did you do?"

"You DIDN'T deserve it. But I went there, to sleep with him. I knew he wanted me. I knew he would. I knew he wouldn't turn me down. And I wanted to hurt you."

Logan gulped. "Okay."

"I couldn't do it. I kissed him and all I felt was guilt and sadness and I missed you. I'm so sorry." She buried her head in her hands, sniffling.

"You didn't sleep with him?"

"No. But I had SUCH shitty intentions. And I'm so sorry. I love you, and I'm sorry."

"Rory, its okay. It was a long time ago and I can't say I like the idea of my girlfriend running around kissing other people, but I get it. And I deserved it."

"You didn't deserve it."

He smirked at her, "Agree to disagree?"

He pulled her in his arms to hug her. He rubbed her back and asked, "Are you okay?"

She sniffled against his shoulder, "Not yet. There's more…."

Logan sat back and sighed. "More?"

She nodded and took a deep breath.