AN: (does victory dance) We have now officially reached our 20th chapter, and, as of last chapter, surpassed the 500 review mark. In celebration, I have decided to make this an extra long chapter to thank all of you for keeping going with me, even when this sucked. And now that I'm done boring you all to death…onto the main event!

Puppet Master

Chapter 20

Rory looked from her boyfriend to her mother, obviously confused. "Wait, you two know each other?"

Logan looked at Lorelai and, after a beat, they said in unison, "Unfortunately."

"Now that," Rory said, pointing between the two of them, "was just creepy." Another beat passed before Rory bit and asked. "So, how exactly do you two know each other?"

"Well," began Logan, "I wouldn't say that we know each other, exactly."

Rory fixed her boyfriend with a quizzical look.

"In fact, I don't believe we've ever met?" his voice rose at the end of the sentence, making it a question and looking at Lorelai for confirmation.

Lorelai shook her head. "Actually I do believe we've met. Although, considering the fact that you were seven months old at the time, you might not remember it." Lorelai looked at Rory, whose mouth had fallen open, and finally took pity on her daughter. "His mother was, well maybe still is, one of my best friends."

"I feel like I'm still missing a key piece to the puzzle," said Rory as she regained her ability to speak.

"My mom and your mom, Ace, have exchanged letters regularly for the past twenty years."

"Serenity and I lived across the street from each other for years. She was a couple of years older than I was. When she went to California for college, I was devastated."

Logan picked up the narrative. "My mom met my dad in her sophomore year of college, and well, here I am," Logan laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Serenity spent a couple of months back in Hartford right before I learned I was pregnant with you."

"Okay," said Rory slowly. "I still don't see how you guys can recognize each other…"

"Pictures, Ace, pictures."

Suddenly, Rory felt very dense. "Doh."

Eager to talk to the legend Lorelai was in his mother's household, Logan turned back to Lorelai. "So, I assume my mother has probably filled you in on my exploits?"

Lorelai grinned evilly and rubbed her hands together. "Yes. Yes she has."

Rory buried her face in her hands. "I feel so left out. My mom knows more about my boyfriend than I do!"

Lorelai continued as if she hadn't heard Rory's comment. "So, one of your mom's last e-mails was positively incomprehensible…"

"Let me guess? About eight months ago?"

Lorelai smirked. "Yup. So, yacht. Fiji. You fill in the blanks, please!"

They adjourned to the living room and Lorelai and Logan plopped down on the couch, leaving Rory to sit down on the plush chair that was rarely ever used. As Logan launched into an involved narrative regarding the Fiji incident and Lorelai sat enthralled with the tale, Rory couldn't help but feel like an outsider. She had never seen this side of her mother – the long forgotten trouble maker who had been abandoned to raise a young daughter. She was jealous of the easy camaraderie her mother had instantly forged with her boyfriend, one built on similar experiences in the Hartford elite and Rory had never experienced. She could see that they were kindred spirits in the way that shy, book-loving Rory could never be. Before the tears that were threatening to escape overflowed, Rory quietly fled the room.

Colin adjusted his tie awkwardly. He was nervous, and that scared him. He was rarely nervous, but he wanted this second date to go perfectly. In general, he wasn't a complete klutz at dating, but he was no Logan Huntzberger either. The woman did not just fall at his feet because he lacked the easy charm and charisma that Logan had. Usually he did not begrudge Logan his experience, but now what he wouldn't give to have Logan's know-how. He flattened his hair with one hand, and knocked on Stephanie's door with the other.

Abruptly, the door was flung open with a flourish to admit Stephanie. She was dressed casually, but Colin had to remind himself to breath because she was stunning.

Steph lowered her eyes and took a long look at Colin's attire. Suddenly, he was anxious again. Had he dressed wrong? He never knew what to expect when Stephanie was doing the planning.

Stephanie snorted. "You are definitely overdressed," she laughed.

Colin hung his head, and the sight made Stephanie laugh even harder. She reached out and grabbed his tie, tugging him closer to her. She put her fingers under his chin and lifted his head to make him look at her. "Don't worry. It's easily fixed."

Deftly, she loosened his tie, unbuttoned the top couple of buttons on his dress shirt and mussed his hair. "Perfect," she proclaimed happily.

"Steph…" he started tentatively, afraid of ruining her good mood. "Where are we going?"

As predicted, her smile faltered slightly, a small crease appearing between her perfectly plucked eyebrows. "Sorry Colin. You don't get it out of me that easily. Now, do you think you could persuade you pants to ride just a smidge lower?"

Colin made a face. What was she trying to do to him? Obviously, she enjoyed taking advantage of him like this!

Stephanie, for her part, was enjoying seeing the distressed look on Colin's face. "And while you're at it, could you please roll up your sleeves a bit?"

Colin complied reluctantly. As he finished, he caught sight of himself in a mirror on the wall opposite Stephanie's door. Appalled, he turned to Stephanie. "What are you trying to do to me?"

Stephanie smirked minutely; it was fun getting through his unflappable composure. Quickly, she put on her most innocent of expressions. "Do to you? Whatever do you mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Steph," grumbled Colin. "I look like some preppy model wannabe."

"You are some preppy model wannabe," muttered Stephanie under her breath. When Colin asked her to clarify her statement, she said, "Nothing! You look great; you'll blend in perfectly when we go clubbing!"

Clubbing? Now that was more like it! At least he could drink some alcohol.

As if she could read his mind, Stephanie shook her head. "Don't even think about it, Colin. You're the designated driver!"

Colin recoiled. She really knew to hit him where it hurt. "But Stephanie-" he began, but she quickly cut him off.

"Nope. You, Alfred, are the designated driver!"

Any reply he would have concocted died on his lips when he heard her use his first name. She certainly knew how to punish him, but he knew it was just what he deserved.

Rory wandered around town aimlessly, stuck in her thoughts. She knew she shouldn't be mad – in fact it was a good thing that her mother liked Logan; heavens knew how difficult she could be when she didn't approve! Rory had experienced it first hand with Jess. Although her mother hadn't quite mastered the Emily Gilmore level of intimidation, she sure came in a close second when she wanted to.

As much as she knew that, she couldn't help but feel left out. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't raised the same way they had been. Not that she wanted to live in that privileged lifestyle, but it was definitely something that she couldn't relate to. She sampled it occasionally with her grandparents, and at the Life and Death Brigade event, but she couldn't imagine living in it full time.

Another thing she kept coming back to was the realization of all the things that her mother had given up to raise her. Granted for the most part Lorelai had wanted to give it up and to start up a life for herself, but Rory had finally come to see that there were some parts of her mother that had been more or less repressed when she became a mom. So Rory privately mourned the loss of a part of her mother she had never really known.

Abruptly, her feet lead her up the stairs into Luke's Diner. She was surprised to note that while it hadn't closed yet, she was the only patron in it. Luke was scrubbing down the counter and Rory dumped herself unto a stool.

"I'd like a martini. Shaken, not stirred." Her voice carried strangely in the empty diner.

Luke looked up. He took one look at Rory and busily went to work making something behind the counter. Minutes later, he handed her a warm mug. She brought the cup to her nose and inhaled deeply. She looked at Luke sharply. "This isn't coffee!"

Luke just tapped the mug. "Drink up!"

With a suspicious air, Rory brought the mug to her lips. As soon as the liquid hit her tongue, she started to smile in spite of herself. "Luke? What is this?"

Luke shrugged. "It's just hot chocolate."

"I love it. I didn't know you served hot chocolate."

"We don't. Try to keep it quiet."

"Why don't you sell it? It's a perfect get rich quick scheme!"

"It's a secret family recipe that my dad made me promise I would never sell."

"The recipe or the hot chocolate?"

Again, Luke shrugged. "I don't know, but I figure, better safe than sorry."

Rory just looked at him like he was crazy. She took another sip. "Do I detect a hint of cinnamon?"

Luke minutely nodded his head. "I didn't know your tastes were so refined. After all those years of drinking coffee I didn't know you still had taste buds!" he teased gently.

Rory shrugged.

"So," began Luke again. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to ask?"

Rory looked at Luke, hesitant to tell him. After a moment it occurred to her that, next to her mom, Luke was the most constant force in her life. He was a surrogate dad, and was genuinely concerned about her. "Logan met mom."

"Oh? I didn't see a fancy sports car race down the road?"

"We brought my car, but no, he didn't leave."

"Where is he?"

"Still at the house."

"What?"

Rory sighed. "It turns out my mom and his mom know each other well. So now they are sitting talking about Logan's adventures."

"I fail to see the problem."

Again Rory sighed. "I'm just being silly."

"Come on," coaxed Luke. "You can tell me!"

"It's just that, Logan and mom are so similar. They are cut out of the same cloth. Witty, outgoing, adventuresome, pranksters…" she trailed off. "And I'm not. They grew up in the same world, know the same kinds of people…and it just served to emphasize how different Logan and I really are. How can anything between us work if we're so completely different?"

Luke gave her question some thought. "We're in the same situation, you and I. I love your mom. But how can a small town diner owner compete with the world she came from? I don't know if I can compete, but I've seen that just because you're rich, you don't necessarily hold the key to Lorelai Gilmore's heart. Of course, I can't say for sure that it's gonna work out, but sometimes you have to take that chance."

Rory looked disbelieving at Luke and took the wisdom that he had dispensed to heart. "But as much as mom and Logan are alike, the situation is still different. Mom left that life. She left that world and she left it for me." Tears finally made their way down Rory's cheeks.

"She doesn't blame you for it, Ror. It was her decision." Luke broke through to the heart of the matter.

"I know, I know," Rory sniffed. She composed herself and looked at Luke again. "But Logan hasn't left that life. It's still who he is, and I can't be that girl. The one who puts everything on the line for one guy, only to realize he's not as involved as she is."

Luke brought his hand down to cover Rory's. "You know he likes you, right?"

Rory nodded slowly.

"And you like him?"

Rory nodded more vigorously.

"And you know he wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt you?"

This time Rory verbalized her response. "But how can you know that? How can I know that? How can anyone know that?"

"He promised me." Rory looked up at Luke. "And if he breaks his promise, he knows I'll hunt him down and make sure he never breaks a promise again."

A small smile broke through on Rory's face. "Did you actually threaten him?"

"Maybe." Rory fixed him with a watery look. "Okay, maybe most of it was non-verbal, but believe me, he heard me loud and clear."

Rory nodded, got up from her stool and went around the counter to envelop Luke in a giant hug. "Thanks, Luke," she whispered.

"Anytime, little girl," said Luke shyly.

Rory smiled and sat back down at the barstool. "So, heard any good jokes lately?"

"What, aren't you going home?"

"Nope. They can come find me."

Lorelai rolled on the floor, hysterical. "I've got to meet this Finn guy. He sounds like a character."

Logan wiped his eyes. "I'd be willing to swap if you could set up a fair trade."

"What? Isn't my daughter enough?"

Logan's laughter stopped. "You have noticed that she isn't here, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "She left about three minutes into the Fiji story."

"And you just let her leave?"

"Trust me; she needed some time to herself."

Logan nodded, but asked, "Why?"

"She probably needed to think. Seeing you and I get along so easily…well, let's just say that isn't what she's used to."

"What do you mean? Did you have problems with her ex's?"

"Well yeah, but I think this was more than that." Logan shot Lorelai a quizzical look. "I took great pains to distance her from the life I grew up in. The life you grew up in. I maintain a disgusted attitude towards that life most of the time. I think she realized that there may be parts of it I missed, just a little bit."

Logan nodded, slowly, understanding. "But if she left that long ago, she's been out there for hours now!"

"Don't worry," counseled Lorelai. "She probably made her way to Lane's, or maybe Luke's."

Logan shivered at the mention of Luke's name.

Lorelai caught the movement. "Did he intimidate you?"

"I'd call it an interrogation, but generally, yeah."

"It's okay. He's a nice guy."

Logan nodded. "I've had fun, but I should probably go find Rory."

"Alright. Have her call me when you get back to Yale."

"I'll do that." With that, Logan stood up and fished for Rory's car keys. Minutes later, he pulled up and parked in front of Luke's. Rory was sitting on the steps outside, clutching her jacket to her, watching the stars. Quietly, Logan joined her.

"Beautiful night," he commented.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Letting you feel left out. Obviously, I have a lot to learn."

Rory laughed. "It's okay."

"No, I don't think it is. Let me tell you about Fiji," he said as he helped her stand and loaded her into the car.

When Rory reached her bed, she remembered that Logan had told her to call her mom. She reached for the phone and dialed the familiar number. "Hey mom?...Yeah, I'm fine. So, can you believe what Logan said happened in Fiji?"

She lay back on her bed and smiled.

AN2: Ta-da! Now, if you thought this was good, wait till you see what happens for the 25th. Actually, I don't know what I have planned for the 25th. Ahh!

Review, please- Rebecca