Chapter 2
"A Room with a View"

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at writing Logan so I hope I do him justice. For the next few weeks there may only be one update a week, but I hope it will be enough to hold your interest. Thanks for the reviews!

Rory had unpacked most of her belongings by the time Emily stopped by the pool house to call her for dinner. She had seen her mother come and go from the Gilmore mansion and as much as she wished things were different, she knew that this was how it had to be, at least for the time being.

"Rory," Emily called as she let herself into the pool house. "Rory, dinner's ready. Lucretia finally managed to figure out how to work the oven and I think the result might just be edible."

Emily made her way over to the couch where Rory was curled up with a book. She noticed that her granddaughter looked unusually sullen and she wondered if she'd seen Lorelai leave the house abruptly. Rory had scarcely looked up at her grandmother and Emily took the opportunity to perch herself on the edge of the sofa.

"Are you hungry?" she asked lightly.

"Not really," Rory said putting her book down.

"You really should have something to eat," Emily insisted. "It's been a busy day for you."

"Was Mom mad?" Rory asked setting her feet on the floor.

"She was less than thrilled about the decision your Grandfather and I made," Emily informed her. "It's sudden. She just needs some time to think about things."

Rory nodded and looked at the floor for a moment. Emily couldn't tell what she might be thinking.

"Have you given any thought to what you might like do this summer?" Emily asked.

"A little," Rory replied. "All of this is little new. I'm not even really sure what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Well take your time," Emily smiled. "There's no rush."

Emily could tell that Rory wasn't in the mood to discuss much of anything, let alone the plans she had for the future. She stood up quickly and smoothed out her shirt.

"Are you sure you won't come have something to eat?" Emily asked her again.

"I'm sure," she replied. Emily turned to leave and Rory added, "Grandma, I really appreciate your help. You and Grandpa have been great."

"You know we'd do just about anything to see you happy Rory," Emily replied. "You can talk to us any time."

"Thanks," Rory smiled grimly. "Would you mind if I stopped by for breakfast tomorrow? I haven't had time to stock the kitchen and Grandpa's leftover Oat Flakes don't sound all that appetizing."

"We'd love to have to you," Emily smiled. "You try to get a good night's sleep and your Grandfather and I will see you tomorrow."

"Thanks Grandma," Rory said as Emily left the pool house.

Rory watched Emily as she made her way through the lighted courtyard and into the Gilmore mansion. The tall stone structure seemed formidable and a little jarring in the evening light. She sighed and picked up her cell phone. She felt that she needed a friendly voice to talk to and since her mother wasn't an option she dialed another familiar number.

"Hey," the voice answered with a smile.

"Hey," she said biting her lower lip. "How are you?"

"I've been better," was the reply. "How about you?"

"I don't think there are words to describe the last few days," she said. "What are doing right now?"

"Picking the lock to my shackles," he joked. "I'm under house arrested now that I'm home. Of course I've got the lawyers from the ACLU working on getting me out pretty soon."

"I see," Rory tried to laugh. "It sounds like it'll be quite a negotiation."

"Yeah, I'll get through it," he said, his tone suddenly sounding a bit more concerned. "Are you okay Ace?"

"That's debatable," she replied. She was unsure what to say. She knew she wanted to tell him everything so she finally added, "I moved out of my house."

"What?" he replied shocked.

"I decided that your Dad was right," she said simply. "I've thought about it and maybe I'm not a journalist. I think, even though it was a little harsh, he gave me good advice."

"Ace, you can't listen to him," Logan protested. "My Dad doesn't know anything about you. You're going to let a man who's spent all of two weeks with you dictate your future?"

"No," she sighed. "But he did have a point. He helped me put things in perspective and I've decided that I need to take a step back. I need to think about what I want to do with my life."

"So you moved out of your house?" Logan said. "Where is your new bachelorette pad anyway?

"I moved into my Grandparent's pool house for the time being," Rory informed him.

"Ah, Casa Gilmore," Logan said knowingly. "Well at least you're closer to me this summer Ace. We don't have to make the commute between Hartford and Frog's Hollow for three months until we're back at Yale."

"It's Stars Hollow," Rory laughed. "And I'm not going back to Yale in the fall."

"Yeah right," he dismissed her. "You practically bleed the Yale Daily News. You'll take the summer and figure things out and then in the fall things will be better. But the first thing we have to do is get you away from my father. That man could corrupt Mother Teresa's faith."

"Logan, I'm not going back to Yale," Rory insisted. "I've made up my mind already. I just need some time to figure things out."

"Rory," he said seriously, "Mitchum Huntzberger isn't the Messiah of journalism."

"I know," she replied irritated. "This isn't completely about what your dad said. I've been thinking about this for a while."

"You're sure it isn't all about my dad said?" he asked.

"I'm positive," she replied.

"Okay," he conceded. "Then I, of all people, can get behind a Yale sabbatical. Although I suggest that we stay as far away from open water as possible Ace. Between the two of us, your sabbatical could spell disaster for us and Coast Guard."

She grinned knowing thinking of their experience on the "borrowed" yacht. Although not one of her finer moments, she could still recall the feeling of adrenaline pulsing through her veins as they set off from the dock.

"Avoid open bodies of water, got it," Rory smiled.

"So, now that you've got all this free time, when do we start our summer of fun?" he asked playfully.

"As soon as you pick the lock on that last shackle," she smiled.

"Sounds good," he replied. "I anticipate a clean break by noon tomorrow. The warden is off to New York for the week and Mom is a sucker for my smiling face. I figure I'll be back in my apartment by tomorrow night at the latest."

"Well then it sounds like I'll see you some time tomorrow," she said.

"That sounds like a plan," he grinned. "Have a good nice Ace."

"You too," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Rory clicked her phone shut and set it on the table. She smiled and felt much better than she had. It was almost as if the day had been an unpleasant dream that she didn't wish to recall. She picked up her book and started to forget of her troubles for the moment.

The next morning Rory made her way across the yard and into the Gilmore dining room a bit after 10 a.m. She had fully expected to find the house empty, but instead she found Emily reading the newspaper at the table.

"Rory," she looked up and smiled. "I'm glad you made it over here."

"Sorry I'm so late," Rory replied taking a seat. "I didn't realize how tired I was."

"No apology necessary," Emily said. "I figured you'd need a little more rest given the day you had yesterday. I'll have Lucretia whip you something up."

Emily stood up and gave Rory's shoulder a small squeeze as she made her way into the kitchen. Rory glanced over at the paper and noticed that Emily was reading the crime reports. Her stomach suddenly jumped to her throat and she felt slightly sick. She reached over and grabbed the section of the paper that detailed the police reports of the week. She quickly scanned the page and found what she was looking for.

"Carrington Smythe reported his 2004 yacht stolen around 9 p.m. on Friday, May 13. Smythe reported that his yacht was taken out of port by a pair of strangers. The marine patrol unit tracked down the yacht and returned it safely to the harbor. A pair of local students was held for questioning in the incident," Rory read.

Emily reentered the dining room and she noticed Rory reading the paper. "Mitchum certainly did a nice job of keeping your names out of the paper," Emily commented as she took her seat.

"Yeah," Rory practically whispered. She suddenly felt very ashamed and she could feel the red creep into her cheeks. At the time stealing the yacht seemed rebellious and life-affirming. Now it felt much different.

"I'm sure that he'll have this taken care of quickly," Emily continued. "Your Grandfather had a chat with him last night and he doesn't believe you'll have to worry about this for much longer."

"Oh, good," Rory tried to be upbeat. "Grandma, I'm so sorry about all this. I can't even imagine what you must think of me."

"Enough of that," Emily replied. "Everyone makes mistakes. As long as you don't make a habit of it, which I'm sure you won't, everything will be fine. How did you sleep last night? Was the bed alright?"

"I slept well enough I guess," Rory said as Lucretia came in and quickly dropped a plate off for Rory. "The pool house is great. I can't thank you and Grandpa enough."

"We're here to help you get on your feet again," Emily smiled as she sipped her coffee. "Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do this summer?"

"Not really," Rory replied. "I think I might take a little time to figure it out if you don't mind."

"Alright," Emily replied a bit skeptically. She started to gather up the paper and she added, "Your Grandfather mentioned that there might be an opening at his firm this summer if you're interested."

"At the insurance agency?" Rory asked surprised.

"Don't look so shocked," Emily replied. "They're always looking to hire talented, young people. It's a very cut-throat business."

Rory nodded as she shoveled a bite of food into her mouth. She was looking to buy a little time. She knew that although she didn't have a direction at the moment, that insurance wasn't something she was looking to get involved in.

"I'll think about it," she smiled diplomatically.

"Okay," Emily replied excitedly. "Just don't wait too long. Missy Hartwell's horrible grandson is home for the summer as well. I wouldn't want you to miss out on an opportunity."

"I won't," Rory replied.

Emily pushed her chair back from the table and picked up the paper. "Well I have to get to a DAR meeting. If you need anything tell Lucretia. I should be home a bit later in the afternoon."

"Okay," Rory said. "Thanks again Grandma."

"You're welcome," Emily smiled. She gave Rory a quick kiss on the head as she left the room.

As Emily gathered her things she glanced at her watch. It was almost eleven in the afternoon. 'Rory certainly gets a late start,' Emily thought to herself. She had an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach as she left the house. She wasn't sure what it was, but she didn't like it. Emily wondered if it might have something to do with Rory, but she quickly pushed that thought out of her mind. She thought it was more likely the conflicted feelings she had over the situation with Lorelai.

Emily knew that her daughter had threatened to cut her out of her life before and it never amounted to anything more than a few months of silence or strained relations. She knew that with Rory under the Gilmore roof Lorelai would never actually cut off all contact with them, but something was different this time. Maybe it was the look in her eyes. They were cold, almost dead inside. The vibrant blue had faded and Emily almost thought she looked defeated, unwilling or unable to fight back. Lorelai had left in such a state that Emily didn't get a good look at her, but she didn't think she'd ever seen Lorelai that upset, but more than that, it almost seemed as if she was let down. Emily couldn't tell who'd let her down more, her and Richard or Rory.

Emily got into her car and pulled out of the driveway. She was half-way to her DAR meeting when she decided to call her daughter. She quickly set up her hands-free cell phone while she was sitting at a stop light and dialed Lorelai's number. It rang several times before going to voicemail and Emily deduced that her daughter was once again screening her calls so she wouldn't have to talk to her.

"Lorelai," Emily said sternly. "I know you're screening this message, but you're going to have to talk to me eventually. I know you don't want to hear this, but I think that Rory living with us is the best thing for everyone. She needs time to sort things out. I know you're upset with her, but this is what's best for time being. You can be assured that Rory is in a safe place. Rory can take some time to figure out what she wants to do with her life and your father and I can help her. We can put her on the right path." Emily hesitated for a moment and just as she was about to speak again the voicemail cut her off.

"To send message press one," the automated voice said. Emily sighed heavily and pressed the number one before hanging up and redialing again. The phone rang repeated until the voicemail clicked on again.

"These automated machines are ridiculous," Emily rambled. "They don't give you a moment to think. What I wanted to say is that I think it would be beneficial for you to come to Friday night dinner. You can see Rory and we can all sit down and discuss how we should proceed. If I don't hear from you I'll assume you're coming to dinner on Friday. See you then."

Emily hung up the phone and smiled to herself. 'That ought to get Lorelai to call me,' she thought to herself. She knew Lorelai wouldn't want to come to dinner and Emily made sure that she'd have to call with an excuse if she decided not to attend. She pulled into the parking lot and smiled to herself as she picked up her purse and walked into the building. One way or another, things were going to work out for everyone no matter what Emily had to do about it.

TBC