A/N: Wooo! Thanks for all the support people! I can't believe how many people are getting into to this. I'm really loving writing and I'm glad some people are enjoying reading it too :) Here's the latest chapter, upped a little slowly, but I've had a hard day. Excuses aside, I hope it's up to par. Enjoy lads and lassies!
--Pride and True--
Chapter VII: Would you like sauce with that spite?
Richard and Emily had assumed their usual positions, seating themselves at opposite ends of the dining table. Luke and Lorelai had chosen to seat themselves on the side closest to the windows, leaving Logan and Rory the adjacent seats. The dining table was an interesting spot, in Rory's eyes; it was truly the one place that all the most influential of family members, in her life, assembled.
The presence of Luke did not dishearten her; although she had not admitted it, perhaps, even to herself, she had a warm affection for Luke that she had not detected within other male figures. He had a nature, a nature that was strictly 'Luke'.
Logan let go of Rory's hand and pulled a chair out for her, eyeing Luke all the while, "please Rory, take a seat".
She looked Logan over for a moment, not expecting to have been treated so well, "than- thanks Logan," she answered hesitantly, before seating herself upon the antique mahogany chair.
Logan walked around silently and seated himself next to her, "my pleasure, my dear," he responded.
Rory shot Logan a look of disbelief as plainly as she could, "Grandma," she spoke, turning to face Emily, "how long will dinner be?"
"Oh not long Rory, they're just rearranging the menu, pathetically albeit, but at least we'll be eating soon," Emily answered, glaring menacingly in the direction of the kitchen, "incompetent, totally incompetent," she muttered.
"Emily," Richard scolded sing-songily, "they're doing their best... after all we've got a few more dining with us than we expected".
"Yes Richard," she replied, "we do," she finished, glancing quickly at Logan.
"So!" Rory half-shouted, "how's life, Luke?"
Luke's eyes were locked with Logan's, "the usual," he replied without looking at Rory, "stuff at the diner... kicking Kirk out... Taylor-"
"Why don't you and I go to- to get the drinks in here?" Lorelai urged, tugging at Luke's arm.
"Sure," he caved, "let's go get the drinks".
The pair rose from their seats and walked slowly into the lounge once more. Logan waved happily at Luke, who remained gazing threateningly at him.
Rory kicked Logan softly under the table, "Grandpa, what's work like these days?"
"Uh- the... usual," Richard replied, nodding to Logan and quickly exchanging a helpless look with Emily.
"Any big insurance contracts?" Rory asked, attempting to sound interested.
"Insurance?" Logan interjected, raising an eyebrow at Richard, "what kind?"
"Oh- mostly business and commercial but we've dabbled in the odd individual interest here and there," Richard replied honestly.
"I'm actually in the market," Logan spoke up, "I'm looking for something very particular and I'd be willing to pay up, too... but I want it to be kept on 'low volume' so to speak".
"Our contracts are always kept on the low- I mean, they're always exclusively private and confidential," Richard replied, "perhaps... we should talk more after dinner?"
"Perhaps we should," Logan answered, nodding at the old man.
Rory kicked Logan under the table again, slightly harder than last time.
At that moment Luke and Lorelai reappeared, entering the room with a tray of drinks. Luke appeared decidedly more passive and his demeanour had altered to reflect his attitude.
Logan turned, smiling at Rory, "I knew they'd be alright folks Rore," he glanced at Luke, "but you just have to relate to them on their level".
"Folks?" Emily interrupted "on their level?" she continued, completely offended by the terminology.
"He meant that- in a casual, homely way, Grandma," Rory covered, smiling sweetly and brushing a strand of rogue hair from her face.
Emily exchanged looks with Richard that would have turned the powerful, yet mythical, Medusa to stone.
"Dinner is served!" the maid shouted, appearing from seemingly nowhere. All the occupants of the room slightly jumped.
"Thank you Gretel," Emily answered through gritted teeth.
"Anything more, Ma'am?" Gretel asked pleasantly.
"No," Emily sighed, "thank you".
Gretel stood at the ready as a small, yet extravagant trolley, carrying dinner, was wheeled into the room by the chef. Instantly, the servants dished out perfectly white, sparkling plates with a complementary scrumptious meal.
The happenings of the previous interactions were forgotten momentarily, as the group satiated their need to eat.
"Rory," Lorelai spoke between bites, "how's Yale?"
"Busy," Rory replied, equally engrossed with her own meal, "I've got work at the paper that seems to be pretty serious. I think I might be on the up".
"Wait," Logan interrupted, "you work at the paper?"
"Yeah, why?" she replied, made anxious by his interjection.
"I work there too," he added.
"No, you don't," she continued, "I'd have seen you there, if that were the case".
"Well, I don't necessarily actually work there," Logan spoke, "I more or less just have a desk there".
"So it's the same with everything you do," Luke interjected, "you just sit back, relax and spend Daddy's money?"
Lorelai coughed obtrusively.
Logan glanced at Rory, then smirked at Luke, "I tend to see myself as a morale boost, you know the scene, people running about, phones ringing- oh wait... you're a small-time businessman... you've probably not heard of the phone yet. You see it's the corking good device, right, that let's you talk long-"
Rory interrupted him with a swift and painful kick to the leg, "these potatoes are sooo creamy," she said aloud mindlessly, to no one in particular.
The group looked up from their meals at Rory, who grinned and shrugged her shoulders. Logan flinched slightly from being kicked and resumed eating his dinner.
"Luke, speaking of your business, how are things going?" Richard asked politely, attempting to steer the conversation away from the icebergs the group continuously hit.
"It's going just fine," Luke spat, glaring at Logan, "in fact," he continued, facing Richard this time, "sales are up this- quintile... thirteen and a half per cent".
"Quintile?" Richard asked earnestly, "doesn't your business operate under the usual working year?"
Logan stifled a laugh, which caused Rory to blush at Luke.
"Yeah, I do run it as any other business... just not-" Luke replied, mumbling to an incoherent whisper.
"Dick, would you mind passing the salt?" Logan asked, causing everyone in the room to again look up from their meals in disbelief.
Lorelai's face lit up and her eyes widened, "Dick?" she repeated, attempting to clarify what she had heard Logan say.
"Yeah," Logan smirked, "your uhhh father, Mrs. Gilmore," he finished, speaking as though it were commonplace term.
"Oh," Lorelai giggled, "I'm Lorelai, that's Mrs. Gilmore," she continued, teetering on the edge of raucous laughter, thumbing in the direction of Emily.
Richard picked up the salt shaker and passed it silently in front of Logan, who nodded in acknowledgement, smiling happily, in his trademark way.
Rory had given up all hope and held herself back from kicking Logan anymore, not only because it seemed to be in vain, but she truly did not want to hurt him. She felt, although somewhat unrealistically, that the next kick would invariably call for a hospital visit.
Fortunately, for all involved, the remainder of the meal cooled into an uneventful gathering; mostly because no one dared speak.
"Dessert, Ma'am?" Gretel questioned, biting her lip as she broke the silence.
Emily nodded and flicked her wrist in a 'be-gone' motion.
Gretel nodded and rushed back into the kitchen, frantically, as usual.
"Enjoy your meal?" Luke asked Logan sternly, folding his arms and leaning on the table.
"Why do you ask that, in a way that makes me feel as though it's my last?" Logan responded softly, taking a sip of wine from his glass and promptly smirking at Luke.
"Who wants more vodka?" Lorelai burst out again, "huh?"
"Forget the dessert!" Emily shouted, "let's just- let's just go to coffee..." she ordered casually, realising her sudden anxiousness.
No one acknowledged her direction, but without any delay, everyone rose from their respective chairs and ushered themselves out of the dining room.
"Uh, gentlemen, how about we adjourn to the smoking room where we can talk more seriously?" Richard suggested.
Logan looked at Rory, who overheard the proposition. Her eyes bulged and she shook her head vigorously.
"I say, smoke 'em if you got 'em," Logan chimed, smiling at Richard and nodding at Luke.
Rory slouched and fell into a chair as the men walked away to the smoking room "Grandma..." Rory began, "when did you get a smoking room?"
"Oh," she exclaimed unhappily, "I believe your Grandfather is referring to our games room which he now uses for whatever he damn pleases. Just the other day I heard him talking on the phone, calling it the 'Snooker Room'..."
"Mom, what were you doing listening in to Dad on the phone?" Lorelai inferred, seating herself on a free lounge.
"I was not 'listening in'!" Emily roared, "I just- just casually overheard it".
"Surrre Mom," Lorelai teased, "this is just like that episode of 'I Love Lucy' where she draws the line down the middle of the house and-"
"This is the real world Lorelai, in case you hadn't noticed," Emily patronised, "stop drawing ridiculous parallels between television and your Father and mine's relationship!"
"I only just started," Lorelai pouted.
Emily rolled her eyes, "television- the idiot box," she grumbled before turning her attention to Rory, "so Rory, how did you meet-"
"Mom, try not to use colourful language in front of my kid!" Lorelai struck pre-emptively.
"I was not going to curse Rory's boyfriend, Lorelai!" Emily shouted.
"He's not my boyfriend," Rory interjected timidly.
"He's not?" Emily repeated, a thin smile forming upon her lips. Lorelai cocked her head slightly and narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah he's... he's a friend, I suppose," Rory answered truthfully.
"He's just a friend?" Emily repeated.
"Mom!" Lorelai jumped, "stop repeating everything she says!"
Emily glared sideways at Lorelai, "I'm just making sure I'm getting the story straight!" she retorted.
Rory spoke up, "but I don't- he's really a nice guy," she lied, even somewhat to herself. Realistically, she didn't really know much about him and the realisation shocked her. She sat, stunned as her Mother and Grandmother starred at her.
"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked, noticing the rapid change in Rory's appearance.
"Oh-" Rory snapped out of it, "I- yeah he's really quite a nice guy and-"
Lorelai sat back slightly, detecting straight away that her daughter was not in fact telling the truth, but allowed her to continue feeding stories to her Grandmother.
"Just you remember he's a Huntzberger," Emily spoke, "and the Huntzbergers have had a long history of doing it for the 'cash' so to speak".
"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, confused by Emily's advice.
"Oh come, Rory!" Emily scolded, "he's surely told you about his family!"
Rory continued looking confused, but felt it best to speak to Logan about whatever it was her Grandmother was referring to, "oh- yeah," she spoke, "yeah I know all about them".
A wry smile appeared on Lorelai's face as she continued to listen and watch as her daughter lied her way out of the conversation.
Quite unexpectedly, the men returned and entered the room cheerfully, "-and that," Richard spoke, "is probably what we can do for you"
"Well Dicky, I suppose I could get my people in touch with your people- could I have your card?" Logan asked, shaking Richard's hand.
"Oh, certainly!" Richard replied, fishing into his blazer for his business card, "just call the office, tell them who you are and we'll arrange everything as soon as possible".
Logan nodded in agreement, "and Luke, I trust you'll be there on Thursday?"
"Yeah-" Luke muttered, hands in his pockets, "I'll be there".
"It's getting late," Logan suggested, smiling at Rory.
"Yeah, Grandma," she nodded to Emily, "we had best get moving".
"Of course," Emily replied, "I'm sure you two have plenty of work to do".
Luke shook Logan's hand a little menacingly, "'til we meet again-"
"Pleasure was allll mine," Logan smirked before turning to Richard and shaking his hand once more, "thank you for the wonderful hospitality".
Rory hugged Emily, "thanks Grandma," she spoke as they broke the embrace.
Richard moved over to hug his Grand-daughter, "thank you, Rory, delightful as always and still making me proud".
Emily glared threateningly at Richard, before turning her attention to Logan, "thank you for coming Logan, don't let the door hit you on your way out," she snapped.
"I won't if you won't," Logan retorted, smiling proudly, "thank you for the lovely time Em".
"You'll eat your words, one day," Emily whispered spitefully.
"Only if you're the one there with the sauce," he answered, still smiling.
Emily's eyes bulged as she stepped away, raising her nose into the air.
Lorelai rose and shook Logan's hand, "very nice to have met you Logan, hope to see you again sometime," she spoke sincerely before whispering, "loved the 'Dick' thing..."
Logan nodded and smirked, "just happy to be a part of the whole thing".
"Oh, please," Luke cringed, shaking his head.
Lorelai escorted the pair to the front door, where they collected their coats, "have a safe trip".
Logan nodded politely and headed outside onto the driveway.
"I love him," Lorelai revealed happily, "he went through my 'list of things to do and say to my parents, before I die' and checked them all off".
"Mom," Rory rebuked, "he's-"
"We'll talk more later," Lorelai whispered, "just play it safe and take care".
"O-kay" Rory caved silently, turning away and out the door.
"Rory!" Lorelai whispered, "I love you too!"
Rory smiled and shook her head, "I love you too, Mom," she smiled, walking over to her little car at which Logan leaned upon.
She unlocked the car with the remote key as she had done earlier in the night and stepped in, seating herself in the driver's seat.
Logan sat beside her in the passenger's seat once more, "I think it went pretty well," he spoke, smiling at her.
She laughed, shaking her head, "I was pretty sure I'd be taking you home in a body-bag, tonight".
"Ace," he soothed, "I told you... I had them eating out of the palm of my hand- except that Luke guy... wooo he was up for it, eh?"
Rory stifled a smile and put the key in the ignition, starting the car, "let's just try and get home without attracting the attention of anyone who might want to kill you".
"Rory," he spoke, raising an eyebrow at her, "I'm the guy everyone hates to love".
She glanced at him quickly as she pulled the car out of the Gilmore drive-way and onto the road, "isn't it, 'loves to hate'?"
"No," he replied proudly, smiling in his special way, "you'll love me, and hate yourself for it".