A/N: Wow, just saw the newest episode of Gilmore Girls. We've learnt a bit more about Logan (some of which I expected) but I'm taking my own little path for the time being; there will however, be an integration of sorts at one point. That's all for later on though, so don't worry! It's all good stuff too anyway :) Some things from the show, however, are required for continuity in this FanFic but I'm putting my own twist on things, as you'll all soon see. Regardless, here's the latest piece to this FanFic.
With regard to the name of this FanFic (which I've had a few e-mails about concerning the apparent strange title); I was going for a play on words here, sort of a mashing of the well known novel 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen and the throw-away line 'tried and true'. Perhaps it doesn't quite make sense yet, but I'm hoping all will eventually come together toward the conclusion of this Fic. 'Til then, sit tight and enjoy; the reviews have demanded I update now, so here goes...
--Pride and True--
Chapter VI: Expecting the Unexpected
Rory was hoping she would arrive at the same time her mother would, thus the pair could have some sort of diversion, through her mother, as a way of casually entering the lavish palace of Richard and Emily Gilmore. Her luck was out it seemed, as she recognised Lorelai's chariot parked neatly in the drive-way.
"It looks like we'll be storming the beaches," Rory sighed, rolling her compact car up behind her mother's and shifting the transmission to park.
"You're making this a big deal," Logan spoke up, "you lost a bet and you're not even enjoying it".
"As if anyone would enjoy losing a bet!" Rory protested, turning the ignition off and unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Come on Ace!" he stirred, "half the fun of life is taking a chance... if you can't even recognise that, then bets will always be something to worry about," he finished, unbuckling his own seatbelt and stepping out of the car onto the driveway.
She sat for a moment, semi-open mouthed, considering his statement. She was a risk taker. She'd just brought an almost strange boy to her Grandparents' home- she was a risk taker and a half. She smiled at the thought and stepped out of the car, putting it down to Logan's ability to- get at her sometimes.
"So, what are their names?" Logan asked.
"Who's?"
"Everyone's!" he jumped, "you want this to go well, right?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "sorry, just- getting into the mindset you need to walk in this house".
Logan smirked.
"Their names- my Grandparents' names are Emily and Richard and my mother's name is Lorelai," Rory answered his initial question, and walked around to escort him to the front door, "although a maid will probably greet us".
"I know the drill," he chimed.
The pair walked up to the front door and stood, listening for activity within. Muffled laughing and footsteps were evident.
"Are we going in tonight?" Logan asked.
"Oh, I thought we'd just hang around out here 'til something interesting happened," she teased.
He reached forward and pushed the doorbell, "action, Ace, happens when you make it happen".
She looked at him briefly before the door swung open and a scared, somewhat pitiful looking maid, dressed traditionally, faced them.
"Hi, I'm Rory, the grand-daughter and this is... my... can we come in?" Rory greeted politely.
"Oh," the maid gasped, "come right on in!"
Rory stepped inside first with Logan following suit, closely.
"Here!" the maid half-screamed, "let me take your coats!"
The pair stripped their coats off and handed them kindly to the maid, who rushed out of sight immediately.
"Gee Ace, I half-expected this place to be Hitler's bunker... figured we'd see a guy walking around with a ridiculous moustache," Logan spoke. Almost on cue, Richard Gilmore entered the lobby, smiling, "uh oh... spoke too soon," Logan whispered to Rory.
Rory giggled before straightening upon the approach of her Grandfather, "hello Grandpa," she said warmly, moving in to hug him.
"My favourite Grand-daughter," he replied, reciprocating her embrace, "and who have we here?"
Rory parted, "this is Logan Huntzberger, Grandpa".
Logan stuck out his hand, "pleased to meet you Dick".
Rory's mouth dropped.
Richard was also less than impressed, but shook the Logan's hand regardless, "Huntzberger?" he repeated.
"One in the same, Dicky," Logan replied.
"Ah," Richard swallowed, "welcome to the humble abode of the Gilmore's," he said with an outstretched arm.
Rory was unsure of what had just occurred between the two men, but she decided to save the questions for a more appropriate time.
"Emily," Richard called toward the lounge, "we've another unexpected guest".
"Another?" Rory whispered, confounded by Grandfather's call. She felt she must have heard what he said incorrectly.
Three more people shot out of the lounge, all people Rory recognised.
"Why! Who have we here, Rory?" Emily greeted, but Rory had locked eyes with her mother and immediately shot accusing looks as she noticed her mother was accompanied by Luke Danes.
"He- Hello Grandma," Rory greeted her Grandmother, slightly dazed by the depth of the situation she had just dived head-first into, without any breathing equipment.
"Who might this be, Rory?" Emily repeated.
"Yeah, who is this?" Lorelai chimed in.
"Yeah, who is this?" Luke added, folding his arms.
Lorelai slapped his forearm and whispered something incoherently to her partner.
"Uh, this is Logan... everyone," Rory introduced the boy standing next to her, "everyone, this is Logan".
"Hi, Logan!" Lorelai waved. Rory shot her mother a wide-eyed 'cut-it-out' look.
"Hello Mrs. Gilmore," Logan replied, glancing briefly at Luke, smirking all the while.
Everyone stood around, smiling foolishly, throwing on the best façade they could possibly cook up so quickly.
Rory was quite at a loss of what to say. She knew things were going to be rocky, but nothing of the calibre she was now faced with.
"Logan?" Emily asked devilishly, "Logan nobody? Just Logan? You're not like that awful man from that Seinfeld show are you, the one with the crazy hair and one name?"
"No Ma'am," Logan replied, "the names Huntzberger, Logan Huntzberger".
The smile from Emily's face dissipated, "Huntzberger?"
"One in the same Em, one in the same," Logan replied proudly.
Emily glanced over at Richard knowingly, "well, perhaps we should all adjourn to the lounge for drinks," she suggested, somewhat fearfully it seemed.
"Woo! Vodka!" Lorelai whooped, holding an empty martini glass in the air.
Luke hit Lorelai on the forearm playfully, "now we're even".
"Stop it! The pair of you!" Emily scolded, "what kind of example are you setting for Rory and Logan?"
"Oh I'll set him an example," Luke muttered a little too loudly.
Rory looked sideways at Logan who appeared to be grinning with a slightly lowered brow, "Um, I'll apologise for all this now- but I know I'll do it again later," she whispered as they hung back slightly, allowing the adults to pass into the lounge first.
"Take it easy Ace, this is going to be fun," he replied, also whispering.
For some reason, Rory didn't like the way he spoke, "just- be careful... remember?"
Logan glanced at her with his trademark smile, melting her fears.
Lorelai grabbed Rory's arm, "can we alk-tay for an oment-may?"
"Go on Ace, alk-tay the night away, I'll be fine," Logan teased, walking into the lounge, hands in his pockets, grinning from ear to ear.
"Mom!" Rory yelled as loud as she dared, "what is Luke doing here?"
"And what is- who the hell is this?" Lorelai retorted, wildly flailing her arms.
"Oh yeah, this is my fault..." Rory agreed sarcastically.
"Well- why would you bring him here?" Lorelai asked coolly, attempting to settle their fears.
"I don't know," Rory stressed, looking away.
"I had to bring Luke," Lorelai explained, "they wa-"
"Can we just talk about this later?" Rory interrupted, "we're leaving them in there to be churned into cannon fodder".
"Good idea," Lorelai nodded, "but we are talking about this later".
Rory nodded, half-resentfully, "come on let's just get back in there," she urged.
Lorelai sighed and headed into the lounge with Rory following silently.
"So! Who wants a drink?" Lorelai burst out dramatically.
"I could go for one," Luke spoke up from relaxing on one of the many couches within the Gilmore residence.
"I'll take up the offer," Logan answered, looking directly at Luke, across from another couch which Rory promptly seated herself upon.
"Uh! I'll have a scotch Lorelai," Richard chimed in.
Luke breathed deeply and eyed Logan, "make mine a gin, Lore, I'm feeling adventurous".
"Pedestrian," Logan muttered, loudly enough for all to hear, "I'll have a double vodka, no ice, straight up in a long, please Mrs. Gilmore".
Everyone glanced casually over at Logan.
"That's a pretty hard drink for such a young boy," Luke teased, "young boys shouldn't be drinking big boy drinks".
Richard eyed Luke and then Logan, swallowing slightly, "I'll have what young Logan is having, Lorelai".
Luke straightened up and looked over at Lorelai, "make that three".
Logan rocked forward slightly and tented his hands, "could I change mine to a triple please, Mrs. Gilmore?"
"Call me Lorelai," Lorelai responded casually.
"And call me Emily," Emily jumped in, smiling sweetly at Logan.
Rory could not believe what was going on.
"Make mine a triple too, Lore," Luke called, eyes locked with Logan.
"I'll-" Richard swallowed, "I'm in for a triple too".
Lorelai put the glasses down on the drinks trolley, "when you guys have finished playing your macho 'I can drink you under the table' game, come and get me... otherwise, you can get your own drinks".
Logan sat silently, smiling.
The maid blasted into the lounge like a fox at the height of the hunt, "we've got six people dining now, Mrs. Gilmore?"
"Yes Gretel, I'm sure you can work something out, correct?" Emily answered the maid harshly.
"Why, yes, Mrs. Gilmore, we can work it out just fine," she answered, turning and rushing back to the kitchen, screaming wildly to the cooking staff.
"Stupid girl," Emily muttered, "it's just so hard to find good help these days".
"Oh yeah," Logan added, "I just can't find anyone who's worth the money".
"And what would you need any help for? Other than some sort of Nanny," Luke shot.
"I could say the same for you, except, who's your stylist? I hear checked flannel is in," Logan retorted, grinning happily.
Luke clenched a fist and breathed deeply, "If I were you, I'd-"
"Who wants dinner?" Lorelai shouted perkily.
Rory elbowed Logan softly in the ribs and made small talk with her Grandmother, discussing the usual happenings of Yale.
Lorelai tugged at Luke's shirt and he rose from his seat, following her lead to the dining room. The pair spoke at a whisper, very vigorously, but incoherently, as Rory watched, attempting to pay attention to all around her.
"Logan," Emily smiled, "what are you doing at Yale?"
"I never said I was going to Yale," he replied, glancing at Rory.
"Oh!" Emily exclaimed, "then how's Harvard?" she continued, "Law... Medicine, perhaps?"
"No, I'm doing this and that- bits and pieces of things at Yale," he answered, smiling at Emily.
"But you just said-"
"No," he interrupted, "you assumed," and sat smiling.
Emily's face stiffened and her lips thinned. She eyed Rory before rising to her feet, "let's eat, I'm sure dinner's probably getting cold," she finished and exited the lounge with Richard quietly in tow.
Rory clenched Logan's forearm and whispered, "what did I tell you a hundred-trillion times before we got here?"
"Relax Ace," he soothed, "I've got 'em eating out of the palm of my hand".
"No one," Rory continued, "has ever spoken to my Grandmother like that and lived".
"Live on the edge, there'll be a first time for everything," he replied quietly.
The pair sat for a moment in silence.
"You know, I'd like to have my arm back before dinner," he teased.
Rory blushed and quickly let go of him, her mind lapsing by chance, the whole night had already overwhelmed her and it had really only just begun.
"Let's go before they send the maid for us," Rory spoke up, jumping from her seat and entering the dining room.
"Ace," Logan whispered, causing Rory to halt, "follow my lead," he said, with an outstretched hand.
"What?" she whispered, confused by his order.
"You have to learn how to deal with things and at the same time, have fun... you gotta take a chance here and there," he whispered, waiting for her.
Rory knew that she was 'in for it' but couldn't defeat his charm. She placed her hand in his and casually strolled into the dining room.
A/N: Okay, everyone's been demanding something longer. Hope this one was up to standard. I know it probably could have continued further but I don't want to rush things, besides, I'm writing the next chapter now; so sit tight, and await the next instalment which will be added a.s.a.p. :)