A/N: I realize I haven't been doing disclaimers, so here it is. This applies to the entire story.

Disclaimer: All characters and situations from Gilmore Girls are properties of Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Hofflund/Polone in association with Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 6: Conversations, Coffee and Christmas Invites

Rory had worked late. She had a deadline to meet and her article wasn't perfect, so she had decided to stay after, in spite of the gnawing in her gut that either Logan was corrupting her girls or they were overwhelming him. Rory had picked up the phone innumerable times that day only put the receiver back in the cradle again before dialing when she realized either Logan or one of the girls would have called if anything had gone wrong. She had only actually called home once, to let Logan know that she needed to stay late and to see if he could handle dinner. He was already cooking. Cooking? Since when could Logan cook? She told him to get Mrs. Montgomery if he wanted to leave before she was done and he told her to take her time, everything would be fine. Fine? Sure. He was a first time sitter with her girls. He'd actually told her he'd never watched anybody's kids as she and he had gone over the vital info last night after dinner. What was she doing leaving her girls with him? And she didn't even want to think about how weird it was that she had a former college boyfriend babysitting her daughters, let alone that he was also a multi-millionaire. Nobody ever said her life was normal.

Rory pushed open the door to her apartment expecting the worse, only to find Logan and the girls engrossed in a vicious game of crazy eights, and it looked like he was losing. She glanced around saw everything was just as she left it, down to the clean counters in the kitchen. Apparently everything was fine, just like he said it would be.

"Hey, girls." They stopped the game for a moment to greet her.

"Hi, mom," Raleigh and Amy said in unison.

"Did you have a good day with Logan?"

"He taught us how to play crazy eights, we played with dolls, and we helped out with dinner," Amy volunteered.

"Sounds like you had a good time. Now, it's time for bed. Go get ready while I talk to Logan."

"But, Mom! It's Friday night," complained Raleigh

"Yes, and you two are going to visit Aunt Vivian tomorrow while I go to work."

The girls pouted at this but got up and trudged to their room, knowing better than to argue with their mom about bedtime, and Logan started to pick up the cards scattered around the counter top.

"They look like you just gave them a death sentence."

"They'll get over it. Besides, they like Viv."

Rory gave Logan a look that could kill when he stood by the counter.

"What did I do now?" he asked.

"You're standing between me and my coffee."

"I should have known. I just put on a fresh pot." He turned and poured him a mug.

She took a sip, falling into that state only coffee could produce. "Not bad."

He smirked. She was the only person he knew who treated coffee as if it were a fine wine.

"Coffee is not a laughing matter," her expression deadly serious.

He held up his hands in a show of surrender while he tried to stifle a chuckle.

"You don't have to be here, you know."

"Right, I should get going. I'm supposed to meet my dad for drinks. If you need anything, like if you have another babysitter flake out, I put my business card on your pegboard. My cell number is on the back."

"Sure, thanks."

He got on his coat and scarf and headed toward the door.

"And Logan, thanks for watching the girls today."

"No problem, they're angels." He smirked.

She gave him a skeptical look. "And thanks for making dinner, and cleaning up."

"He cooks, he cleans and so much more. He's Super Sitter, able to diffuse sibling squabbles with a couple words and restore Barbie's head to her body as often as need be."

"Nice."

"Hey, I'm in town for a few weeks. Maybe we could have coffee sometime."

"Sure."

With that he left.

Sure enough, coffee was in the future for them. First, Logan showed up at the paper and offered to take Rory out to lunch the following Monday, then he started showing up at least every other day at her favorite coffee shop. Sometimes he brought along Colin or Stephanie, or both, and other times it was just the two of them. Rory had to admit, she liked being able to talk like they had back in college.

About a week after babysitting, Logan decided to breech a topic that he had been thinking about.

"Rory, can I as you something?" he asked as he stared down at his mug, the coffee half gone.

"Sure." She didn't know what to make of this suddenly serious Logan.

"Why do you live where you do?"

She certainly hadn't expected this topic of conversation. "It's what I can afford," she answered truthfully, but the answer didn't seem enough for him.

"Didn't Chad leave you and the girls anything?"

"Just a stack of debts a mile high. Each of the girls has a small trust fund, but it's not much, maybe five thousand a piece. I had to sell everything to pay off the collectors. I'm actually still paying off some of the debts; that's why the girls and I live like we do. It doesn't bother us, so it shouldn't bother you."

"I knew he had debts, but I didn't know it was so much. I know my father was one owed money to, or rather he owed it to Huntzburger Media."

"Don't even think about canceling the debt and giving me back the money, Logan."

"I know better than that with you. Give me a little credit."

"I only give credit where credit is due."

The conversation turned back to their inane banter and both relaxed. They ended by making plans to have dinner with the girls.

A few weeks later, it was Rory who brought up a topic that she had been thinking on.

"How long are you in Boston for?"

"I really don't know. Originally, it was supposed to be just for a couple weeks to help my mom transition to New York, but it's been extended indefinitely. I like Boston."

"And your father is okay with you staying here indefinitely?"

"He's the one who mandated it. It seems he's planning to add a Boston hub to the empire, and he wants somebody in place to get it started. Besides, it's not like I can't do my job from here. I can work by conference calls and work on building up the necessary connections here. I don't think he'd let me go back to New York anyway. He says as long as I'm here, staying out of trouble, and not despondent, I'm staying here."

Logan didn't add that she and her daughters were also a major influence in his staying in Boston, or the fact that this was the first time in years that his father hadn't said Logan was 'despondent'.

Rory didn't add that she was asking because she didn't want her daughters, or herself for that matter (though she wouldn't admit it) to get hurt when he left. They were becoming quite attached to Logan through dinners and various weekend excursions he planned for them.

The second week of December, Stephanie showed up to one of the coffee meetings without Logan. By now, the meetings had become a regular occurrence nearly every day. It seems he had been detained by a meeting and asked her to come instead, which was just fine for Steph because she had something she wanted to ask Rory. After a brief chitchat about their kids and other such topics, Steph came around to the point.

"I was wondering if you and the girls would come spend Christmas with Colin and me and a few friends."

"I really don't know, Steph. I don't want to be an imposition."

"Nonsense. You'll be no imposition."

"Really, Steph, I don't fit in with your crowd."

"You'll fit in if I say you fit, and I say you fit just fine. You are one of my best friends and the mother of my nieces. Now come on. Come spend Christmas with us at the Connecticut house."

"I don't think it would be a good idea." She couldn't go back to Connecticut. That would mean risking running into her grandparents, and she didn't want to deal with that just yet.

"It's Emily and Richard you're worried about, right? Well, my parents tell me they are in Spain for the holidays. I don't think you'll have to see them. Quit making excuses. I want to spend some time with my nieces. They haven't even met their cousins yet. Are you going to deny me spending time with my nieces over the holidays?"

"Well, I guess I could come, as long as it's nothing too extravagant."

"Great. I'll send somebody by to pick you and the girls up Monday. I know you said you have something like a month paid vacation."

"Two weeks and New Years Eve and New Years Day."

"Oh, that means you can come to our little soiree."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Please, Rory?"

"We'll see. Right now I need to get back to the office though."

"I'll see you Monday night then."