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Chapter 6
Stage Two
Rory ran from her grandfather's study with fresh tears gleaming in her eyes. She was so confused. She wanted to be with Logan, she new she did, but things were going so fast. She had only just come to terms with her feelings for him and the next thing she knew he was confessing himself to her and asking for commitment. She did not know if she trusted Logan yet. She did not know if she could. After Jess she had been unable to completely let herself go. She loved Jess and he bolted. She knew that her heart would not hold up to another beating like that. She needed her mom, but she did not know how she would be feeling after the fight.
She found her mom sitting quietly with Luke. They seemed to be doing okay, surprisingly.
"Mom, I am really sorry about what happened," she said, with tears still in her eyes.
As soon as Lorelai saw her she stood up and embraced her in a hug. Luke followed suit in an awkward 3-person hug. This act of affection confused Rory.
"I thought you would be mad." Rory said.
"Mad. Rory, you are my hero! You finally stood up to my parents. They never expected it. At first they just stood there completely shocked. And then after that wore off, they actually agreed with you! They apologized to us and they said that they liked Luke a lot, they just had different plans for me, but they were going to try to accept this new life I have made. It was not perfect, but it was the best they have done yet." Lorelai said. "I have said the same basic speech to them in various forms over the years, but they only understood it once it came from you." She finished.
"Wow, well I am glad that it all worked out with you guys. That is a really impressive step." Rory said.
"Thank you for standing up and saying something Rory, your mom's parents scare the crap out of me, and I did not know what to say to defend myself to them." Luke added.
"So why are you looking so glum? Everything is going fine here. Join the party. Join your handsome beau. Speaking of Logan, why did you never tell me how gorgeous he is? Now I see why you fell for him!" Lorelai said.
"Yeah, mom, about that. I need to talk to you about some things. Do you think we can go outside for a bit and talk?" Rory pleaded.
"For my favorite daughter I will do anything." Lorelai said.
Amazingly, Rory and Lorelai managed to sneak out of the house and out to the back for an impromptu discussion. Once Rory was sure they were out of any intruder's earshot, she told her mom about what had just taken place with Logan.
"So you are telling me that you both admitted that you are crazy about one another and you got scared and ran? I don't understand you Rory. You had me come up with some complex plan to win him over and then when it seems you did not have to win him at all, he was already yours, you get scared and run. Why?"
"I don't know mom! I really like him. I just don't want him to break my heart. He is not anything like Dean. He is used to girls throwing themselves at him, and he is used to getting everything he wants. I don't want him to get bored with me and leave me because he has ample opportunities everywhere he turns." Rory said, looking even more scared than ever.
"Rory, he told you he would commit. Don't you trust him enough to take his word on that? What are you so scared of? You have had your heart broken before, and yes it sucks, but you made it through it. Rory, he knows that you are special. He sees that you are not like any other girl he knows; he wants you for himself, why would he want to jeopardize that? I think you need to follow your own advice and suck it up and let go. Quit running scared Rory, you will never be happy if you don't allow yourself to give in!"
Meanwhile Logan sighed and left the study. He saw Rory tear off in search of her mother while he turned, getting ready to head outside for some air. He did not understand that girl. She just confessed she had feelings for him, and then when things were getting ready to move forward she ran scared. Why could she not follow her heart and go for it? What was in her past that was holding her back? There were so many questions dancing around in his head at the moment, and he was blindly searching for the closest exit. The moment he spotted the door he heard his name.
"Logan, we have been looking for you everywhere." He heard his mother say.
"Hello mom. Good to see you dad. I was just on my way out to get some air." Logan heard himself say as he stared at the door.
"Where is your date Logan? We really wanted to meet Rory, her grandparents have told us so much about her, and she sounds like an amazing girl." His mother continued.
"Oh, well, umm, she had to go find her mother. She should be rejoining me soon. I will bring her over as soon as I find her." He said, stepping towards the door.
"Oh okay Logan, please don't forget. We really have hopes for this one."
"Yeah mom, so do I." Logan said, staring at the floor.
Logan finally made it outside only to run into Lorelai and Rory.
He heard all of Lorelai's speech, and was ready to finally interrupt. Of course Lorelai was right. He did know how amazing Rory was. She was perfect for him. She challenged him, something he had previously never experienced, and he always loved a challenge. Logan cleared his throat loud enough to get their attention at least to signify that hey were not alone.
Rory and Lorelai looked up startled.
"Now is your chance, go get him" Lorelai whispered to her daughter.
"Hi Logan. I…umm…sorry I ran off." Rory said awkwardly.
"Hi Rory, Lorelai. Rory, there are some people inside who would love to meet you." Logan said, trying to control himself.
"Oh okay, well I should go then mom. Um, thanks for the talk." Rory said, unsure of what she wanted to do.
"Right, no problem. You have fun tonight Rory. Please call me tomorrow. And happy New Year!" Lorelai said, giving Rory a kiss on the cheek.
"Happy New Year mom."
"Okay Logan, lets go." Rory said, impulsively grabbing his hand as they headed back inside.
The delicate touch of Rory's hand in his made Logan's heart lurch. He could not handle not knowing what was to come of their relationship. From the sound of Lorelai's speech, she wanted them to be together. If only he could convince Rory of his dedication to her.
"So who are we meeting?" Rory asked, trying to ignore her confused state.
"Oh, uh, my parents wanted to meet you." Logan said, trying to make it sound casual.
"Ha, I did not know we were already meeting each other's parents. Do things always progress this fast?" She asked joking.
"With me you have to hold on." Logan said, joking back. "There they are. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I will ever be. I shall dazzle them with my wit and charm." She said, again joking.
"I have absolutely no doubt about that Rory." Logan said, this time in all seriousness.
"Mom, dad, this is Rory Gilmore. Rory, these are my parents." Logan said.
"It is very nice to meet you Rory. Your grandfather has told us a lot about you. He is very proud of you." Logan's mom said.
"Thank you Mrs. Huntzberger. I try to please him; I am glad that he approves." Rory said, not sure what to say to these compliments. She was used to being praised, but not by people she just met.
"I hear that you work at the newspaper with Logan." His father said to her. "I also work in the paper business. If you are in need of an internship in the future, please don't hesitate to look me up. I have read your articles in the Yale paper, they are very impressive. I especially enjoyed the one about the LDB. I was astonished that you found a contact to get you an insider's view." He said smiling at Logan.
"Thank you Mr. Huntzberger, that was one of my favorite pieces to write. And I will definitely contact you about an internship, I really appreciate the offer." Rory said, genuinely delighted at the opportunity.
"Well mom and dad, as much as we would love to stay here all night, Rory and I have another engagement that we must attend. That is if Rory is okay with leaving now." Logan said, looking to Rory for help.
"Oh yes, is it 11 already? Wow. Well it was really nice to meet both of you. I will definitely contact you soon Mr. Huntzberger. Thank you again and have a happy New Year." She said as they were leaving.
"I really liked that one Mitch." Logan heard her mother say to his father. Logan could not help but smile with that last comment, his parents never said anything like that regarding his dates.
"You conducted yourself marvelously Rory; I had little doubt that you wouldn't." Logan said.
"Why thank you Mr. Huntzberger, my Grandparents have trained me well." Rory responded.
"The limo is waiting for us out front. Prepare yourself Rory, the party has just begun."