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: The Methods to the Madness

The three had marched across the town in almost complete silence. There were few people milling about due to the after dark hours of their outing. The boys looked around the nearly closed up town, able to count the number of businesses that were still open past eight o'clock on one hand. Lorelai did her best to ignore their silent curiosity, focusing on leading the way. She didn't like leaving Logan with her daughter, but she felt she had no choice. He deserved a chance. If he blew it, then she'd kill him. But she had to at least give him the chance.

She swept through the door to the diner with the usual gusto that she normally conducted herself with. Luke had been going about his pre-closing routine, despite the fact that he normally stayed open for another hour and a half. It was dead in the diner, with only two patrons finishing their pie and coffee at the table by the window. He'd already begun to wipe down the counter and was in the process of refilling the condiment bottles when he heard Lorelai already mid-ramble as the door opened. That wasn't what caused him to look so surprised—it was her entourage. He recognized the two boys, but the reasons behind their following her around town surely was a tale to be told.

"I need a pot of coffee, two plain bagels, and all the knives you have to spare!"

"You want a straw?" he cocked one eyebrow, his face remaining deadpan as he took in her order with his usual indifference.

"Straw?" she asked, taken aback.

"For your pot of coffee," he retorted.

"As tempting as that is, we'll be needing three mugs as well," she got his meaning.

"I'm not really hungry," Colin informed her.

"The bagels aren't for eating," she rolled her eyes.

Luke turned to face her. "What do you mean they aren't—no! Forget it, you're getting coffee and nothing else!"

Colin and Finn watched the couple bicker—it's just they weren't sure quite what they were bickering about.

"Luke! I've finally gotten myself two willing protégés that have real promise to go to the next Olympics and clean up in the Bagel Hockey Competition! You can't take that away from me! And if they don't get some serious training in, they aren't even going to make it past the preliminaries!"

"The preliminaries?"

"Them against Rory and me on Sunday. By the way, we'll be needing four tables, all smooshed together in the middle of the diner, okay Snuggle Bear?" she winked at him.

Luke sighed and turned to pour the coffee, as Lorelai pulled a chair out at a central table, and the Yalies followed her lead.

"Bagel hockey?" Finn asked.

"The only sport Rory and I play," she nodded. "And we're quite good, aren't we, Luke?"

"You've broken fifteen mugs, ten plates, and Kirk's nose playing that inane game. How does that make you good?"

"Hey, I have two boys to entertain. I've never had boys, I don't know how to keep them occupied. Well, apart from—you know," she winked at him, causing the boys to choke back laughter.

"I could put them to work washing dishes, or introduce them to my wood chipper out back, if you'd like," Luke narrowed his eyes at the boys.

"Hey, down boy. We're just going to enjoy our coffee until Rory and Logan are done at the house."

Luke eyed her with interest at why Rory and Logan were unsupervised at her house, but said nothing further as he went back to his closing routine. Lorelai pointed to the coffee that sat in front of both Colin and Finn. "Drink up, it's the best coffee on the eastern seaboard."

"It's after eight at night," Colin reasoned.

"I suppose you only drink alcohol after five in the afternoon, too?" she raised a questioning eyebrow at them.

"She has a point, Colin," Finn said, raising the mug up to his lips. "Oh my God. That's good."

"Told you," she smiled, "So, boys, spill."

"Spill? I have a feeling the flannel man wouldn't like that too much," Colin informed her.

Lorelai smirked. "As much as I should get upset with you for calling my boyfriend 'the flannel man,' I have to admit, it tickles me. And now, I will tell you that if you don't tell me everything you know about what is going on back at my house, I will let Luke take you out back to meet his wood chipper. And don't worry about any bone fragments you find lying about," she tilted her head to one side and smiled.

"We don't know much, he was pretty tight-lipped," Colin gave in.

"He always is when it comes to the reporter—er, your lovely daughter," Finn smiled back charmingly. "Whom, might I add, gets all her good looks from her mother. How do you stay in such good shape, my dear?"

"Oh, you know I had one of those stripper poles installed in my bedroom. Really is a good workout," she shot back casually.

"Really?" Finn's mouth went dry at the visual.

"LORELAI!" came Luke's disgruntled voice from the counter.

"Kidding. Geesh, boys are too easy," she grumbled. "I eat enormous amounts of junk food when I'm not working my butt off 90 hours a week at my Inn. Now, back to my daughter and the boy that made her cry."

"He honestly didn't do anything. At least, I don't think he did," Colin told her again.

"Then why was she so upset?"

Colin and Finn exchanged a look. "Did you know about the meeting he was having today?" Colin asked.

"With my father?"

Colin nodded. "And his. I don't think it went well."

"What does that mean?"

"He didn't want to play by their rules, and there's been some outside meddling," Finn told her.

"You mean, oh no!" she said, jumping up and pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

"LORELAI!" Luke chastised her again, but she ignored him as she moved to the door while she waited for an answer. The boys watched her go outside, trying to ignore the glares they were getting from the diner owner as they finished their coffees.

When the phone was finally answered, thankfully by her father, she ripped right in. She wasn't in the mood to chat it up with her mother, and she had no patience at all after having seen her only child cry herself out on her couch earlier this evening.

"What did you do?"

"Who is this?"

"It's Lorelai, Dad, you know, the mother of the kid you crushed earlier?"

"What is this about? I was doing her a favor."

"What do mean doing her a favor? She's a wreck!"

"It's better for her to know now rather than later, after she's gotten all her hopes and dreams wrapped up in something that won't ever pan out," Richard informed her.

"I'm lost, Dad. Can you tell me in plain English, no omitted details, what you said to her? What happened at your meeting?"

"Logan wouldn't take the Huntzberger family heirloom engagement ring."

"So?"

"So? Lorelai, the boy doesn't want to marry her. And I spoke with Rory earlier today, before the meeting, and she told me that she wanted to be with the boy. I told her that they needed to present a united front, and it's obvious he isn't prepared to do that. They don't want the same things."

"So, what, you told her all this?"

"I did. I will not have that boy stringing her along, I don't care how important his family is, her happiness is my concern. As it should be yours."

"It is, Dad, but I don't understand what's going on. Rory came to me, crying her eyes out, then Logan showed up at my doorstep, and now then Potsy and Ralph tell me that you and Mitchum were meddling," she groaned.

"Potsy and Ralph?"

"Sorry, you haven't seen Happy Days. They're Richie Cunningham's friends."

"What are you talking about now?"

"Finn and Colin. I'm with them now," she sighed.

"What about Rory?"

"She's talking to Logan at my house."

"How could you let that happen?"

"Dad, Rory is a big girl. I have to let her figure this out."

"So your purpose in calling to yell at me was what?"

"I just wanted all the details," she bit her lip. "He really doesn't want to be with her?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Well. I guess I better get back to Rory. She'll need me."

"Yes. Good night, Lorelai."

"Night, Dad."

She hung up and slowly made her way back into the diner, ready to round up the boys and return to her no-doubt heartbroken daughter.

XXXX

Rory sat up a bit, and Logan moved to sit next to her now that there was room on the couch. She swallowed hard and pulled her hair back from her face, letting it fall down her back. He continued to look at her as if she were breaking in front his eyes, and truth be told she could feel the cracks breaking through to the surface. But if he insisted on doing this now, she was going to be brave.

"Can I start?" she asked, but didn't wait for him to reply before going on. His mouth closed, and he nodded. "I have to say, this is odd. I mean, when guys wanted to break up with me in the past, they didn't seem too concerned about my feelings. They just did it and didn't sit around, looking at me like they cared that I was in pain."

"Rory," he tried to interrupt her, but she put her hand to his mouth to silence him. He closed his mouth under her touch and she withdrew her hand quickly, not able to touch him while she did this. She could only be so brave before she broke.

"No, let me finish. I mean, I know it's unorthodox, perhaps, but maybe this is good, we can get everything out, and not leave anything hanging. I understand why this has to end. I mean, you told me from the beginning that this wasn't something you were used to, or wanted. And it's not like I was planning on getting married right now either. It wasn't in either of our plans. I still have things I want to do in my life. I want to finish college and start a career. I want to travel—there are so many places on this Earth that I haven't seen. I want to go to Africa, Asia, South America, and not on some fancy luxury suite tour that will show me the highlights that every other bored American sees. I want go experience the cultures and see what's out there."

"Rory," he said more than impatiently. "Okay, it's my turn now," he said, taking her hand in his. "I know you want to travel. And I know that it isn't your style just to merely scratch the surface of things. I want to be next to you, no matter if we're sharing a hut in Thailand or on safari in Africa. I don't know what your grandfather told you, but I never said I didn't want to marry you or that I wanted to break up with you. I said I didn't want to play by their rules."

"You never said that? But you didn't," she gulped, relief washing over her as confusion still nagged at her surging emotions.

"Didn't what?"

"You didn't take the ring," she said sheepishly.

He nodded. "That's right, I didn't."

She searched his eyes and he continued to hold her gaze. "So, am I to take from your leap of assumptions here that you want to break up with me if I'm not going to propose to you?" he asked.

"Oh, God, no, Logan, I just thought," she backpedaled, not wanting to cause more misunderstanding than what they'd already been through today.

"Because I do agree with one thing your grandfather said today. We do need to present a united front. And we have to agree on what we want. Not that I think that we're always going to agree on everything, but on the big things, we have to."

She nodded. "I know. And I'm fine about not getting married now."

"Are you?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, I swear."

"Well then, I guess we do have a problem. Because I'm not," he said, leaving her staring at him as he rifled through his bag and pulled out a small gift bag. He set it on her lap and nodded toward it. "Open it."

"Logan, what are you doing?" her eyes now were wide—he couldn't read the emotion behind them.

"What I want to do," he assured her, dropping back to his knees to kneel between her own. She opened the small gift bag and peered into it before sticking her hand down into its confines to pull out the square box. She lifted the top off, and staring back up at her was the most perfect diamond engagement ring she'd ever seen in her life. It was larger than any she'd seen, at least without a security protected glass encasement around it, and it was, to her eyes at least, flawless.

"But you didn't take the ring from your father," she said, shaking her head in shock.

"No," he agreed.

"But, I, this—you," she blinked, staring at the ring for a long beat before looking back into Logan's eyes. He smiled softly as he enjoyed her flood of thoughts and her inability to find the words to express them, and he took the half box from her hand, still holding it up for her to see clearly as he began to provide some clarity to the situation.

"I was talking with Colin and Finn after we made plans to play golf. I told them that I was pretty sure that they were going to pressure me into proposing, giving me my grandmother's ring, the works. And they asked me if I wanted to get married. My answer surprised them and even me. I told them that the ring I would buy you wouldn't be a hand me down, and that while I didn't like the idea of being married, I could only see myself with you when I pictured my future."

She swallowed hard again and took a deep, shaky breath. He took a hold of her hand again and continued. "As much as I tried not to, it's all I could think about the rest of the night. So, the next day, after class, I went down to New York, and I wound up browsing in Tiffany's," he clenched his teeth in hesitation. "And before I knew it, I'd bought this."

"So, you're saying you put no thought into this purchase?" she teased him, and her lighter tone was like music to his ears.

"Basically."

"You're such a charmer."

"But you're willing to overlook that," he smiled back. "Marry me?"

Her face turned somber again, and she squeezed his hand tightly. She bit her lip after tearing her eyes from his to look at the magnificent display of his affection for her, and then she finally spoke.

"Under a few conditions."

AN: Okay. So this is going to be the cliffhanger story. I am sorry—but it's fun. I'm so glad to hear that you guys are enjoying this story, it is quite fun to write. And not just the cliffhanger bits. I want to thank each and every one of you who have reviewed and motivated me to not keep you in suspense so long. This is my only focused fic right now, so the next chapter should be up very soonish.