A/N: Hoy hoy! Here's another update, a little later than usual 'cause I went out on the town. Fortunately I'd written most of this before I went out. Bah! No excuses, at least I got the chapter out on time! So yeah, here's the next little piece, not quite a flashy one, but it takes time to build to the climax. All in due time! Thanks again for the reviews and comments :) Good to see no one had me killed over night for having written a dreaded 'cliff-hanger'. Did some research too... turns out many people have a passion for hating cliff-hangars... hmmm... I was unaware 'til now. So, no more cliff-hangars it seems. Anywho, on with the show.
--Pride and True--
Chapter X: Rosie O'Donnellitis!
"You can do better than all this..." she mumbled, not trying to sound like a parent, but she inadvertently did.
"Mom, I know, but- someti- it just doesn't go to plan," Rory replied, raising a mug of coffee to her lips.
"I trust you Rory, I know what ever it is you wind up doing, it's going to be right... although your track record of late has been a little off..." Lorelai trailed, rolling her eyes.
"Mom," Rory whined.
"I kid, kid!"
"Don't," she replied, resolved that such words truly hurt her; consequently she sat back and folded her arms.
"Oh Rory, don't be like that. I just want you to know that I've been through all this too; I've had my fair share of flights over the cuckoo's nest. I don't want you to have to-"
"Yeah well sometimes you can't control these things," Rory interjected.
"I try to," Lorelai smiled, glancing over at Luke.
Rory rolled her eyes, "then it's true... children do grow up to be their parents".
"Rory," Lorelai narrowed her eyes playfully, "that isn't funny".
"Speaking of which," Rory began, "how is Grandma?"
Lorelai's expression of playfulness dissolved, "you don't really want to know what she thinks, believe me".
"I think I can take it".
"No, really, you don't want to know," Lorelai pressed.
"Try me," Rory urged, sipping her coffee.
"Well-" Lorelai began, stretching her arms slightly, "the thing is... Mom doesn't exactly 'approve' of Logan, so she's kinda talking precautions to ensure that you're not..." she drifted, mumbling her words incoherently.
"Mom, what is Grandma doing?" Rory pushed, sitting forward slightly.
"She doesn't exactly want you to hang out with Logan and knowing her and her 'powerful reputation' she'll do all she can to ensure that happens," Lorelai explained, somewhat regretfully.
"She can't do that," Rory spoke aloud mindlessly.
"Oh, she can – can and will," Lorelai continued, "see what happens Lorelai? Let them get involved and they start to control everything..." she finished, for her own convincing, but mostly for Rory.
"This is ridiculous".
"Preposterous".
"Unfair".
"Undeserved".
"Megalomaniacal".
"Downright Rosie O'Donnell like".
Rory looked up at her mother.
"Too far?" Lorelai asked honestly.
Rory nodded, "just a tad".
The pair sat silently for a moment, guzzling more coffee in a feeble attempt to feed their uncanny addictions.
"How can she do this? What- how can she possibly, physically do this?" Rory spluttered, raising her arms in confusion.
"It seems to be something in their programming- some sort of short-circuit when it comes to boundaries for loved ones," Lorelai explained, nodding slowly.
"Not that," Rory replied, "I mean- how can she intervene with Logan... not that there's anything there anyway... we're just frie- people who meet frequently in entirely unplanned scenarios-"
"Right," Lorelai interrupted, "frien- people who meet frequently in entirely unplanned scenarios, who kiss".
"Mom, we already went through this," Rory groaned.
"Yeah, I know," Lorelai smiled.
"Nice to see you enjoy my misfortunes," Rory sighed.
"Hey!" Lorelai jumped, "just remember who had to carry you around for nine months".
"Sooo... you want me to get pregnant?" Rory teased, smirking menacingly.
"Not funny".
Rory giggled, but managed to straighten herself, "seriously, how can Grandma do anything?"
"She is an Alumnus of Yale... I'm pretty sure she's got some sort of power stashed up in their freaky little organisation," Lorelai pointed out.
"I'd forgotten that," Rory replied quietly.
"I'm sure she could buy any power she didn't have anyway," Lorelai continued, sipping her own coffee.
Rory looked away.
"I'm sorry, Rory," Lorelai she comforted, smiling sweetly, "I'm sure we'll be able to- to maybe work something out".
"So you'll talk to her?" Rory perked up.
Lorelai's expression drooped.
"Love you, Mom," Rory replied, hugging her mother across the small coffee table.
"I'm lovin' how the love is being shared but please tell me you two aren't just going to order another pot of coffee," Luke's down-trodden voice interrupted the pair.
Rory's hand-bag began ringing.
"Great!" he shouted sarcastically, "if there's a rule I have in this place you two haven't broken, that someone can point out to me, I'll personally let them have whatever they want- for a week- every meal -totally free..."
"The clothing rule," a familiar voice stated, from over in the corner, behind the trio.
"What?" Luke asked, turning his attention to the voice.
"You have a rule about clothing – people have to have them on in here," he continued.
"Kirk, how could you possibly know that?" Luke pressed, raising an eyebrow.
"From that- that one time- wait... that second time I came in here and-"
"For the love of... YES KIRK!" Luke shouted, "I remember... now what the hell do you want?"
Rory stopped fishing in her purse for a moment, to glance up at her mother with a look of total repulsion, whom with she exchanged an equally sickened expression.
"We'll have another pot of coffee over here Luke," Lorelai ordered, pointing at the empty jug on her table.
Rory opened her phone, walking away from the inevitable argument and also to hear better, "hello," she answered.
"Ace," Logan's voice floated, "how the hell are ya?"
Rory's heart fluttered, "f-fine," she swallowed, "how did you get my number?"
"You're room-mate," he answered, "I could've got your credit card details out of her if I tried hard enough".
"My room-mate?" Rory asked, "You mean-"
"Yeah," he interrupted, "her name is- I know it's one of the capitol cities in Europe... Roma... no; Berlin?"
"Paris," she groaned, rolling her eyes.
"Oh," Logan replied, quite sarcastically, "yeah, that's who I meant".
"Any particular reason for calling?" she asked, cutting to the chase and pausing for a moment, questioning in her mind, as to why he sounded so clear over the phone.
"Paris also told me where you are," he continued. She could almost hear the smirk in his voice.
"Oh yeah?" she retorted, "is that so?"
"Turn around and look out the window," he instructed.
Rory turned, peering out the shop window of Luke's diner toward the park in Stars Hollow's centre. There, in the gazebo, she could vaguely make out a figure, "I see you!" she squealed, perhaps a little too excitedly.
"Calm down, Ace," he replied, laughing slightly, "that's not me".
"Oh!" she replied, blushing, but thankful he could not see her doing so.
"I'm sitting down at the table behind you," he continued.
She spun around, facing him, "what are you doing?" she screamed, blushing profusely at his smirking.
"We can hang up now," he replied, "see you soon".
She removed the phone from her ear and folded it, ending the phone call, "this is one elaborate meeting that I'm sure you've got some ulterior motive that supersedes coming to my quiet home-town, just to laugh at me".
"I was kind of hoping we could have lunch," he said truthfully, smiling up at her.
"How come I didn't see you come in-" she stopped, processing his proposition, "wait- what?"
"Lunch Rory, the meal in-between brunch and afternoon tea... the meal that usually involves salads and breads, possibly pastas and other such high carb meals, to get you through the day," he answered sardonically, smiling from his seat.
"I thought my phone was screwy... I knew I heard your voice too well," she continued mindlessly, "but how did you get in here?"
"Ace, you were starring out the window long enough for me to steal the place," he answered, "now what do you say to lunch?"
Rory turned to face Lorelai, who was engaged in an argument with both Luke and Kirk, concerning the various occasions the trio had seen Kirk naked and whether or not that constituted a week of free meals.
"I think that sounds pretty good," she answered quietly.
"Know any places in this one-horse town?" he teased.
"Well... this was one of them, but all the talk of naked Kirk is kind of turning me off of ever wanting to eat again," Rory confessed.
"I heard that!" Kirk shot, rising to his feet.
"We better go," Rory ushered, shooting out the door, Logan, close in tow.
A/N: Okay, okay... ragging on Rosie O'Donnell was unnecessary. Seriously though, she's got a pretty infamous reputation going around for being a 'control-freak' and rather dominating, so it kinda fit the reference (Emily Gilmore). If anyone is offended or anything, I'll omit the reference and totally freakin' rewrite the chapter for you – oh heck, why not rewrite the Fic... sarcasm Cheers all! :)