Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything up to Jews and Chinese Food is fair game. Past that, it's just where my mind takes over.
Teaser: When Rory and Logan's arrangement goes prematurely sour, his friends take it upon themselves to intervene. Sequel to Keeping it Casual
Story Title: Nothing A Good Friend Wouldn't Do
Chapter Title: Further into the Quagmire
Rory turned in towards the middle of the bed, seeking out the warmth that his body had provided her all night. Upon finding no such treasure, she opened her eyes sleepily to find him no longer in bed next to her. She lifted her head up, looking around the room. No Logan.
"I am not coming home today," his voice was adamant, but muffled by the walls between them. He seemed to have moved into the main room of the suite, letting her sleep while he made his call. She lie back down, pulling the blanket up farther over her body as she couldn't help but eavesdrop on his half of the conversation.
"First of all, it's completely unacceptable that you even came to school like you did. … Yes, you're my father, but you weren't coming to visit, and we both know it. … You haven't met her. … Probably because I suspected you would take it like this. … No, not this weekend. … Soon, maybe, but. … No, this isn't something I take lightly. … I'm completely serious. … Fine. … I said, fine. … I'll see you later."
She closed her eyes as she heard him end the conversation, figuring he'd return to the bedroom and not wanting it to be blatantly obvious that she'd overheard the strained exchange. She felt him slide into bed and pull himself up against the length of her, holding onto her as if for comfort. It was the most intimate moment they'd shared up to this point. She wondered if he only allowed himself this consolation because he thought her to be asleep. She shifted in her 'sleep', and allowed herself what she'd been trying to do originally, to curl up into his arms.
She gave a half moan, and he brushed his lips against her forehead.
"Did I wake you?"
She opened her eyes to see his face. He was half smiling, though she could see the clouds of his recent conversation in his eyes.
"Nope," she promised, shaking her head.
"I called the guys. They're free of their prison and will be here later."
"I should call Lane," she mused, nodding. "Did you tell the guys it was my idea?"
"Yes, and Finn said to tell you he loves you."
"Not Colin?" she stuck out her bottom lip, playing with him.
"Funny," he breathed, taking the opportunity to kiss her pouty lips. "Colin's bringing someone, he won't tell me who."
"Intrigue," she smiled, leaning into his chest. He put his chin on the crown of her head, and she felt him exhale underneath her. She wondered if she should ask, or wait for him to bring it up.
"I called Dad."
There was her answer, and she was glad of their inability to see the other's facial reactions. This was going to be a hard thing to discuss for quite some time, she had the uneasy feeling.
"Oh, good."
"He wanted me to bring you to the house tonight," he began, and she felt her heart sink for a moment. "But I told him I wouldn't do that. I wanted it to be on our terms. He asked me when I started using the pronouns 'we' and 'our' so liberally."
He sounded uncomfortable, and she had to admit, it was an odd experience for her as well. Her future had never been tied to anyone in a real sense. Even though she'd done the long term commitment thing in the past, she could always see how life was bound to get in the way and end the relationship. She was having trouble envisioning the life events that would make her feel separate from Logan as she continued to press her cheek into his sternum.
When she remained quiet, he continued. "So, I told him that maybe next weekend we'd come, if they didn't bug our rooms or hold any more of my friends hostage in the mean time."
"So, next weekend?"
"If you don't want to," he started, but she propped her head up so that she as looking into his eyes yet again.
"No, I mean, we have to sometime, right? The sooner they meet me, the sooner everyone has all the facts."
"It isn't going to matter to me if they don't accept this."
His jaw was set, and his eyes bore so deeply into her that she swore he was able to read her DNA. She shuddered at his intensity, and he held her tighter. She ran her fingers over his chest, over and over the same few inches, and looked at him pleadingly.
"Don't make promises like that."
"It's true."
"You can't say that, though. What if—,"
"I'm sorry, if this is freaking you out. It's freaking me out," he paused, not wanting her to get any wrong ideas. "I've never been the type to make such a serious commitment on blind faith—but it doesn't feel like that. I know you," he smiled.
She had to smile back, and she feared she might cry. "I know you, too."
They shared this moment, too full to speak. She felt relief that he was feeling the sudden pressure to know if this was what he wanted for his future in a split second. It was odd that his parents' desire to keep them from getting serious was pushing them so far so fast.
"Oh my God!" she pulled back with disgust.
"What?" he asked, his face instantly lined with worry.
"Your family—they don't want this to get serious, so they're pressing the issue—are they hoping we just aren't ready for all the 'future' talk and give it up now?"
He instantly calmed, and pulled her arms back towards him. "No, that's not it. They are never in the moment. They are obsessed with projected timelines and deadlines and inheritance—they're only concerned about my here and now because I've not kept in line for them they way they'd planned. I'm causing some miscalculations in their 'Logan' spreadsheet. They need me to graduate, take over the company and produce a son that will produce a son, all of whom are expected to love the news business and money."
"Why do you not like the news business?" she asked quietly, taking his word as the expert on his own family.
"It's not that I don't like it—I've just never been given an option."
"Well, I'll make you a deal," she said, her eyes shining. He loved to see her scheming. "If you get so lucky to end up with me, I'll take over the news business and you can be whatever you want."
"What if I want to be one of those street performers that paint their whole bodies white or green and stand out on the corner of 74th and Central Park West, not moving all day long?" he raised his eyebrows.
"Then I'll help you apply the paint before I leave for the office in the morning," she nodded, kissing his cheek.
"I'm holding you to that," he laughed. "You should call Lane."
"Oh, crap. Right. You don't think Finn will hit on her too much, do you?"
"Is she cute?"
"Yeah."
"Then she's in real trouble. He would have given any fresh meat a shot, but a cute one," he cringed.
"Great. Maybe she better bring her boyfriend with her," she thought for a moment.
"Aw, now he'll just be crushed," he teased.
Rory rolled her eyes and slipped out of bed and made her way into the sitting room to make her own round of calls, leaving him to feign sleep and ignorance as she had.
XXXX
"There bloody well better be hot, available women in attendance tonight, Huntzberger. And if not, you're renting some. You owe us, big," Finn announced as he walked into the suite.
"Hello to you, too, Finn," Logan nodded, not needing to tell his friend to make himself comfortable as he moved through the room.
"Unless you're planning on making it up to me by handing over the fair Ms. Gilmore," he smiled at Rory. She frowned and moved over to Logan's side.
"Nice try."
"Always worth a shot. One of these days I'll wear her down," he chided. "It's my charm," he informed her.
"Where's Colin?" Logan ignored his prior comments.
"On his way."
"You didn't come together?"
"He brought me," Stephanie announced, making her way in before the bellman. "Hey, Rory," she acknowledged before sitting down on the sofa next to Finn. "He's been babbling about last night all the way here. I think you now owe me," she laughed.
"I'm so sorry—how bad was it?"
"Oh, mate, it was horrible. We'd just gotten rid of those awful blonde girls, who, I might add wanted to call us Aussie and Col-Col, and we get home to think up a fresh start to the evening just to find your old man in the front room. He grilled us for hours about you and her, and how serious it was, and my head—I think it was the first case of reverse hangover in the whole world," he announced dramatically.
"Reverse hangover?" Rory frowned.
"Too much water, not enough alcohol, in the system."
"So, you were too lucid?" Rory asked, staring at Finn in amazement.
"You act like you've never had this problem," he looked at her in equal amazement.
"Okay, so what did you tell him, I have to know what I'm dealing with information-wise," Logan interrupted the increasingly insane topical tangent.
"Keep your shirt on, Logan, we told him as little as possible," Colin said from the doorway.
"Col-Col!" Stephanie exclaimed, erupting into giggles. Rory joined her, unable to hold back.
"I hate you—we swore we'd never mention that to anyone," he glared at Finn.
"You coming in?" Logan asked.
"I just wanted to let you know, I brought someone," he said hesitantly.
"Okay—is she invisible?" he asked, not getting the big deal.
"No, she's," he stepped aside, and Jill appeared next to him.
"Hey," she smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, hey. This is a nice surprise. You know everyone, right?"
"Yeah, we're all real close these days," she laughed. "Colin called me last night on a refuge in the bathroom, asking me what to do about your dad. And then again when you offered to make it up to all of us that had suffered from the inconvenience that you escaped."
"So, not to be a broken record, but what did you tell him?" Logan asked, for what felt like the hundredth time. Rory held fast to his arm, more than anxious to hear this herself.
"We reminded him that you tend to lose interest quickly in women, and while it is true that Rory has been around for relative eons, that he couldn't freak out about this until you yourself had come to them about it."
Logan looked to Rory, who remained focused on Colin. She didn't seem to react to Colin's words, which actually worried him more. It wasn't new information, but he hated hearing someone even infer that she was replaceable.
"He wasn't really placated, though. He finally left around five am, when you still hadn't come home. He was even more convinced that you were trying to prove some point."
"I talked to him. We're having dinner at the house next weekend," he gave Rory's waist a squeeze with the hand that was resting on her hip.
"Well, on that cheery note, let's drink!" Finn announced, standing up and moving to pour drinks.
XXXX
A few dozen people had shown up when Rory noticed the door open yet again, and a very familiar face appear. It was odd, to see Lane amongst all these people. It always surprised her, how odd it was to see people out of the confined contexts that you create for them in your mind. Seeing her oldest friend here with Logan's friends was like opening up her old life and her new life to each other. She hadn't been able to do that via her mother yet, but she held out hope.
"Lane!" she rushed her friend that was looking around rather hesitantly.
"Rory!" she happily embraced her slightly tipsy friend.
"You're alone, where's Zach?"
"Remember that thing about my not having sex?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, evidently, that was more of a problem than either of us had anticipated."
"Lane, oh, no!"
"It's okay. I don't want to talk about it. So, which one is Logan?"
"That one, there," Rory pointed him out as he was laughing with Jill and Finn.
"Wow, Rory, he's beautiful!"
"I know!"
"The sex is amazing, isn't it?"
"Oh, Lane," she put her arm around her friend's shoulder sympathetically.
"Tell me."
Rory sighed dreamily. "It is. I can't tell a lie."
"You are the female George Washington. Okay, I'm going to need two things."
"Name them."
"A drink, and the name of that guy staring at me. I think I actually feel violated," she said, trying to shield her body from view by pushing Rory between her and Finn's eyes.
"Oh, that's Finn. He's harmless. I think. Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."
Lane was pulled by Rory over to where the small group was, continuing to keep her arm firmly around her shoulders.
"Hey, Ace, who's your friend?"
"Logan, Jill, and Finn, I'd like you to meet Lane."
"Ah, the famous drummer—I've heard a lot about you," Logan charmed her.
"Likewise. Though your drumming skills weren't what she was raving about," she smiled back, causing Logan to shoot Rory an impressed look. She blushed, nudging Lane to be quiet.
"So, you aren't one of my promised women?" Finn asked.
"No," she shook her head.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked.
Lane looked from him to Rory, who shrugged. "I don't think so."
"I find you fascinating," he pleaded.
"Excuse me?"
"You should probably have a drink. It makes everything they say make a little more sense," Rory suggested in her friend's ear.
"Because they're tanked as well?"
"Well, in Finn's case, yes."
Lane giggled, and Logan watched them as they spoke in their hushed undertones to make the other feel at ease. It occurred to him that even though she'd spoken of her life, he'd never really seen it first-hand. He'd gone to her dinner with her family, but that was still officially his territory—upper-class society dining. He'd never gone to her tiny town, or been surrounded by her friends. She'd done it all for him, and was even about to head into the snake pit on his accord.
"You two should dance, I'll find something to drink," Lane said loud enough from him to hear, and he smiled.
"You heard the woman, you owe me a dance," he said, threading his fingers through hers.
"You sure?" Rory asked Lane, her look showing both her desire to go off with Logan and her willingness to stay with her friend.
"She can cut in later, I promise," he offered.
"Yeah, but she'd rather dance with me than you," she teased him, her eyes shining.
"Who wouldn't?"
"Aww," Lane teased her, pushing her towards him. Rory smiled back at Lane, as she left her with Finn and Jill, sure that the two women could fend him off together. She knew these were good people, and would make sure Lane was having fun, even if she weren't right there. She allowed herself to be pulled into Logan, moving against him in the crowd, as it seemed to move collectively to the music. The evening was turning out to be a success, and she loved that for the first time she felt like this was finally all going the right way.
She just hoped it continued.
