Chapter Four
A.N. I apologize in advance if Logan seems out of character, I've only seen him in two episodes, his first and "You Jump, I Jump Jack," but I do love Logan so...
"Hey," Luke gently shakes Lorelai awake the next morning.
"Hey," Lorelai mumbles, "sore."
"You fell asleep at the kitchen table," Luke points out.
Lorelai yawns, "inn stuff. Very boring, great for those of us who had a harder time then others sleeping last night."
"Any particular reason?" Luke broaches.
"Hmm?" Lorelai asks, "nah, I just..." Lorelai is saved from explaining by the phone ringing. "Hello"
"Don't be mad."
"Sookie, a better way for you to have opened this conversation would have been to say I just bought out lots and lots of chocolate..."
"Well, I'll buy you lots and lots of chocolate. A truck load even."
"That bad, huh?" Lorelai asks, "the inn is still standing thought, right?" Lorelai's patiently listens as her friend prattles on, "they're saying what?!"
"Hey Ace, what's going on. You're mind seems places other than New York City."
Rory looks up from her untouched meal and shrugs, "I'm just thinking about my mom."
"What? Not happy she's having a baby and getting married?"
Rory shakes her head, "no, it's not that. Even if it is a little weird, it's always just been me and my mom and now it's us and Luke and the new baby. I am happy for her though...It's more that I'm feeling guilty for not telling her about us. I promised her, and myself, that I wasn't going to hide things from her."
"So then tell her about us," Logan shrugs, "I never saw what the big deal was in the first place."
"You don't know my mom, she's going to see this as me getting pulled into her parents' world..."
"Well, you're either going to have to get over your guilt about not telling her, or suck it up and tell her."
"She has so much going on I don't want to disappoint her." A sardonic laugh escapes Logan's mouth and Rory quickly apologizes, "it's not you who would be a disappointment..."
"Chill Ace, I'm not offended. I just find it amusing that while what I represent would be a disappointment to your mother, and I am a disappointment to my father but he adores you."
Rory blushes, it was true Mitchum Huntzberger had taken to Rory from the start, "I think when she knows you she'll like you but..."
"I know Ace," Logan nods, "let's just go, and get out of here. I'm sure most of the LDB members are up, so why don't we hit the hotel again and see what's going on there? Maybe wake Finn up an hour before the sun goes down."
"But the food," Rory gestures to her untouched food.
Logan waves it off, "come on, let's go." Dropping two fifties on the table he grabs her hand and the two walk into the cold night air. Rory leans into Logan for warmth as they walk through the snow, "we can take a cab," Logan offers.
Rory shakes her head, "I like the snow. So who all is going to be at the club tonight?"
Logan shrugs, "people tend to show up on a whim to some of these impromptu weekend things. Stephanie will be there though."
Rory smiles, "good."
"Hey!" Logan exclaims as both he and Rory are jarred as someone bumps into Logan.
"Maybe you should watch where you're going," the man snaps.
Rory quickly drops Logan's hand at the man's comment and stares at the figure who's now looking up at staring threateningly at Logan, "Jess?"
"Well, it's official, everyone in town has a theory on what is happening in our lives," Lorelai sighs, resting her cheek on the counter at Luke's.
"I'm fully aware," Luke responds. "Would you like to know my personal favorite? Kirk was under the impression that we were adopting a Canadian orphan who wandered barefoot and practically naked into the Inn. And then when I tried to tell him that it wasn't true he proceeded to tell me exactly how he found out and how I must be wrong. This day couldn't get any more crazy." Lorelai visibly cringes and Luke sighs, "I shouldn't have said that, right?"
"Taylor stopped by the Inn today."
"Oh God."
"He has called a town meeting."
"No," Luke shakes his head, "and besides, I don't think Taylor has the power to call town meetings anymore, he's not Town Selectman."
"Well, if he has the power or not he has. And I think it makes sense."
"Did you just say that Taylor made sense."
"Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones," Lorelai shrugs, "but he wants to have a meeting to straighten out all of the rumors."
"No, it's nobody's business what we're doing."
"Luke," Lorelai whines, "for me?"
"Rory?" Jess turns his attention from Logan to Rory. "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting for the weekend, what are you doing here?"
"I live here," Jess reminds.
"Oh," Rory blushes, "right."
"Who's this?" Jess nods in Logan's direction.
"This is, uh, Logan Huntzberger, my boyfriend."
"So you and Dean called it quits again."
Rory's blush deepens, "how'd you know about Dean?"
"My mom." Jess responds shortly, "always knew you'd break up with Dean, to much of a boring pretty boy." Jess sizes Logan up, "but then again maybe you just traded in for a new model."
Rory can feel Logan tense beside her and his voice is low when he asks, "Rory, who is this ass?"
Rory glares at Jess, "my future step-cousin."
Rory isn't sure of the meaning of the expression that passes over Jess' face for a second before a look of shock takes over, "your what?"
"Luke and my mom are getting married," Rory responds matter-of-factly.
"Hey!" Stephanie and Colin call from about a foot away.
"We thought we'd find you lovebirds out here somewhere." Stephanie grins, "so Colin has great news. He got the keys to his dad's office and we thought...Oh," for the first time Stephanie notices Jess. "Oops." Stephanie looks back and forth between the three, "do we know each other?"
"No," Jess responds shortly. "I used to date Rory."
If Logan is surprised by this news he doesn't show it, "are you guys ready to go?"
"Yeah," Rory nods, "see you Jess."
"Rory wait," Jess catches Rory's arm before she begins to walk away. "Are Luke and Lorelai really getting married?"
"Yeah," Rory nods, "and they're having a baby. Something you would know if you called Luke from time to time. Good-bye Jess."
"We've come here," Taylor announces the people crowded in for the town meeting, with Luke and Lorelai standing awkwardly beside him. "To discuss the recent changes in Luke and Lorelai's relationship. Since there are so many rumors flying around we though it best to let them make their announcement to everyone at once to stop the rumors."
Lorelai takes a deep breath, squeezes Luke's hand and then steps up to the microphone, "hey everyone. Okay," Lorelai lets out a long breath, she was more nervous than she thought she would be. "Well, Luke and I are getting married. And we're having a baby."
The entire town sits in silence for nearly thirty seconds before everyone began talking at once and shouting questions out to Lorelai and Luke, a situation that Taylor immediately takes control of. "Now if everyone would just calm down I'm sure there can be a way to get answers to all your questions, if everyone could just raise their hands and do this in an orderly manner."
And with a deep breath Lorelai begins to field the questions, "was it planned?"
Lorelai shakes her head, "no, but we are just as happy as if it was."
"When's the due date?"
"September 16th."
"When's the wedding date?"
"We haven't decided yet."
"Will Luke be moving in with you, Lorelai?"
"We haven't discussed that yet."
"Having a new baby and a new husband in less than a year is going to take up a lot of your time. Will the business the inn suffer from this?" Taylor questions.
Lorelai takes a step away from the microphone and shakes her head, "I...I don't....I can't..." And with those words rushes out of the room, leaving a stunned town behind and fiance behind.
Coming:
1. Jess arrives back in Stars Hollow.
2. Rory and Lorelai's shopping date
3. Emily and Luke have a heart to heart