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: Things Unspoken

"What'd I miss?" Rory breathed, as she took her seat back next to Logan. Lorelai stood next to Luke and Lane, and gave her daughter and Logan a knowing wink.

"What did I miss?" he shot back at her.

"Ignore her. Forever."

He gave a hesitant laugh. "Okay. Dad and Richard have insisted the three of us go golfing this week, to 'iron some things out.'"

"Is that some sort of golf pun I just don't find humorous?"

"No, this is their wives are still seething over the idea of having to report to their society friends that we would be living together with not even the promise of a ring on your finger."

"Not even a promise of a ring on my finger?" she asked, mocking shock.

He eyed her carefully, "Rory," he began soberly, but stopped when she couldn't hold back her wide grin any longer. "Good one. I think my heart stopped."

"I couldn't resist. I'm sorry they roped you into that."

"It'll be fine. I know what's coming."

"Good," she said, flashing him a grateful smile. She knew that she wouldn't do well under the pressure of both Emily and Shira for an entire game of golf. Though she'd probably be subjected to something like a DAR meeting, which she imagined probably lasted about the same length of time, but with tea and weird sandwiches instead of nine irons and little tees.

"Okay, kid, we're going to get out of here," Lorelai said, approaching the pair again, but with Luke and Lane in tow. Rory hugged her best friend.

"Thanks for coming."

"No problem. Just remember, I'm an old pro at living with boys and furnishing your apartment with no money, so I'm a wealth of good ideas."

Rory giggled. "Well, I'll be living with just one boy, and I would like to think that Logan's personal hygiene is a bit better than Zach and Brian's, but I will be on the no money boat."

"No, you won't," Logan insisted. Rory blushed a bit, and continued looking at her friend. "I haven't really gotten the 'where I'll be getting my money next year' plan down."

"Well, good luck, and call me."

"I will."

"Lane, wait!" Finn called, pushing past chairs in his way aside with much clattering. "Wait," he said again.

"So, I'll meet you guys at the car," Lane said hurriedly, moving out of the banquet room as Finn did his best to follow.

"I'm sorry, about him. Chasing unavailable women is sort of like a mental illness he has. You learn to ignore it—or strap him down when it gets out of hand," Logan explained to Lorelai and Luke.

Lorelai gave a laugh. "Lane is unavailable? I thought she was back on the open market."

"I'm sorry, I misspoke. She's not unavailable to him in the she has a boyfriend sense. She's unavailable to Finn in the she has too much good sense realm."

"You'd think he'd have more luck, what with the accent. It's very sexy," Lorelai commented, turning to see if she could catch a glimpse of the boy out the main doors.

"Excuse me," Luke interrupted her scan, and she gave him her best smile as she slipped an arm around his waist.

"Aw, honey, you know that diner lingo turns me on way more than any old Australian accent," she cooed.

"So, you have to go?" Rory interrupted.

"Yes, we do. But first, I feel as your mother I have the obligation to threaten to maim Logan here if he makes one wrong move," she said, trying her best at assuming the scary father with guns face. "But I suppose I'll settle for saying this: Logan, I barely know you, and you're moving in with my only child. Now, I can't say I'm wholly against the idea, but I would feel much better if I knew I could walk into your home at any time, and be welcomed. And to accomplish that, I want you to do the same."

"You want me to come to your house unannounced?"

"God no!" she said quickly. "I mean, sort of. I would like you and Rory to spend some more time in Stars Hollow, hanging out."

"Oh, uh," Logan looked from her to Rory, who looked fairly hopeful as well.

"It'd be easier to say yes now," Luke informed him, causing him to smile.

"Of course."

"It won't be so bad—besides, the better I know you, the better I can fend off my mother's planning your wedding behind your back."

"Good to know," he said, nodding as Lorelai and Rory hugged and kissed goodbye and the party lost two more guests.

"Four down," she sighed.

"Unfortunately, the four least threatening," he nodded.

"Gilmore, was that seriously your mother?"

"No, Colin, it was a sham. She's actually my second cousin on my father's side. Remarkable likeness, huh?"

"She's hot," he said, talking more to Logan than Rory. "And you know what they say—if you want to know what a daughter is going to look like later in life, take a good and hard look at the mother."

"Please refrain from taking a good hard look at my mother," Rory said to Colin in disgust. "Where's Jill?"

"Bathroom," he smirked. "Besides, just because I have a . . . Jill, doesn't mean I can't appreciate the view."

"It does if you're using X-ray vision to take in your view," Rory retorted.

"Wait a minute. You and Jill, what would you call that?" Logan asked, his interest peaked.

"We enjoy spending time together."

"Uh-huh. As?"

"As two very friendly people?"

"Say it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Colin, say 'Jill is my girlfriend.'"

"I wouldn't go as far as that," Colin shook his head.

"I would," Stephanie said, obviously annoyed at Colin's hesitation.

Logan raised his eyebrows at his friend. "Don't make us go through with what you guys did with Rory and me."

"Hey, you two aren't in the clearing yet, just focus on your own problems."

"Now she's a problem?" Rory asked in surprise.

"Hey, guys. Did you know Finn was wrapped around Lane's ankles by the front entrance?" Jill asked, coming back into the main room.

Logan laughed. "It's all you, my friendly friend," he said pointedly at Colin, who groaned and moved out to release the Korean girl from her Australian shackles.

Rory laughed as well, and scanned the remainder of the party. Shira and Emily were talking rather conspiratorially, as their husbands stood next to them, like twin pillars. The women smiled, and began migrating toward the younger group.

"Uh, why don't we all leave you guys alone," Stephanie said, noticing the same thing Rory had. "Come on, Paris. We can stop by downtown and get you a make-over."

"I don't need a make-over," Paris huffed.

"Sure you don't, hon, let's go," Stephanie soothed, grabbing the other girl by the elbow and leading her away.

Rory gave a stunted wave to the pair and felt Logan's hand at the small of her back, turning her toward the on-coming group. Emily came forward to hug her granddaughter, and Rory thanked them for coming.

"Oh, dear, we're just glad you two are happy," Emily offered.

"Thanks," Rory said, surprised to say the least.

"Shira and I have decided to have a gathering, at the Huntzberger home, next week, after the boys get back from their golf game."

"Oh?"

"So, we'll see you around six?"

Rory looked to Logan, who shrugged. "Of course we'll be there."

"Wonderful. Let's go, Richard."

"Rory," he said in a low voice, "Call my office sometime this week, there is a matter of importance I'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh, okay," she said, equally curious as to what both her grandparents were up to.

"Logan, your sister's birthday party is in two weeks," Shira said, talking her own business. "Please don't be late."

"I won't."

"And of course, bring Rory."

"I will."

"We'll see you two next week," she offered a tight smile before Mitchum led her out of the room, leaving the two alone. Rory slumped back against Logan's arm, and he let her rest her weight into him.

"Wow."

"Yep."

"What do you think next week is going to be?"

"That would depend."

"On what? How many goats I'm worth?"

"Sort of."

She turned and looked into his eyes to find the humor there. Surely he had to be kidding. There was none to be found, however. Before she could say anything, he kissed her forehead. "What did you expect? There is a way things are done, and we're not obliging. They are going to force the marriage issue."

"But, we aren't even through school yet!"

"Did you seriously think they weren't going to meddle?"

"Well, no, but," she stammered.

"It's fine. We won't do anything both of us don't want to do."

"Okay," she said, her brow now furrowed. What did she want, exactly? Certainly no more evenings like this one, that was the one thing she was sure of.

"Let's go, shall we?"

She nodded wearily. "Your place or mine?" he asked.

"Uh, I think I'm going home. You go, find the guys, or whatever."

"Hey, wait," he said, tipping her chin up to look directly at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, trying to sound as upbeat as possible. "I'm just tired, and I think I'd like some time alone, to get my thoughts collected."

He set his jaw, but nodded. "Okay."

"Thanks."

"I'll take you home," he insisted, in a tone that she wasn't up to arguing with tonight.

She nodded. "Okay," she agreed, taking his hand as they left behind the rubble of the gathering for the comfort of their own surroundings.

XXXX

"She's in love with me," Finn announced.

"She threatened you with a restraining order," Colin scoffed.

"It's a front. She doesn't want me to know how much she needs me," he sank down onto the couch in the common room. The three boys had met up after Logan dropped Rory off at her room earlier.

"You have more chance with Gilmore's mom. At least she thought your accent was sexy," Colin informed him.

"Honestly?" Finn sat back up, at the ready.

Logan threw a cushion at his friend's head. "Forget about it."

"But, she wants me. I cannot deny such a great beauty," he held the cushion to his chest.

"She's practically engaged."

"What is this world coming to?"

Logan rolled his eyes, and Colin shook his head. Colin decided to try to steer the conversation back to the possible. "So, what's up with the golf game? Is that the presentation of the ring ceremony?"

"Probably."

"You going to use this ring?"

"Maybe I'll get a pretty price for it at a pawn shop," Logan teased. "It'd pay for a few good trips."

"Do you know what your folks would do if you pawned an heirloom like the one you're no doubt to get handed?" Colin laughed. "Talk about your ass in a sling."

"The ring I get Rory isn't going to have been picked out by my great-great-great-great grandfather for some woman that he probably wasn't even faithful to. It's going to be picked out by me."

Finn and Colin shared a look of alarm and dread. The alarm for obvious reasons—though knowing this was serious, never had the subject of marriage been brought up by either party. Moving in together was one thing—objects were easily re-divided, and there were no undying promises to make the other happy and produce results.

The dread came from yet another source. Men their age—in their prime oat-sowing, binge-drinking, woman-sampling, rebel-rousing age—they didn't even joke about the M-word. It was the ultimate in party-killers, even more so than the L-word. It was permissible to admit you were in love, but to speak of marriage off the cuff like that . . . the two boys just stared at their friend.

"What?" Logan asked, clearly frustrated.

"You want to marry Gilmore?" Colin asked, full of seriousness.

"I didn't say that."

"You've thought about buying her a ring," Finn said, his voice also uncharacteristically soft and serious.

"I, we're," he began twice, but thought better of whatever line of thought he might have chosen. "She doesn't want to get married. Not while she's in school."

"And you, what are your thoughts?" Colin probed.

"On the institution itself or this specific instance?"

"Both," Finn offered, making it easier perhaps on his friend to get a rant out before admitting what he was hesitant to say.

"Marriage is . . . unnatural. For two people to be stuck in a promise they make, for fifty or sixty years—hell, we don't know how long we'd be committing to, they're increasing the life expectancy every day," he pointed to his friends, like they should have thought of this themselves. "Do you know anyone who's married that is happy? Look at our parents! I mean, who wants to end up like that?"

Colin and Finn nodded, understanding his viewpoint. "But then, I think about trying to see myself down the line, without Rory."

"And?" Colin asked, his normal tone of voice having been restored, trying to lend strength to his friend, whose façade was definitely cracking.

"I can't."