Chapter 147

March 26th, 2022

"So where are you guys?" Rory asked as she was calling Logan. Logan had offered to take Em out for Saturday morning, allowing Rory to catch up on some sleep that had wrapped Rory in her hold after their early morning intimacy. She had been more tired than usual, but insomniac at other times too - it came and went, and Logan had to admit he was watching her like a hawk too in a way.

Rory also had some papers to grade, and she liked to get things out of the way so she could push them aside in her mind for the rest of the weekend.

The background where Logan was was loud and echoey, the joyous screams of kids sounding almost deafening. "We're at the Trampoline Park," Logan replied, having to speak loudly and muffle the outside noises for Rory to hear him.

He cast a look towards the kid's area where Em had already made a friend in some girl about her own age, and the two were jumping holding hands. Em especially loved the walls against what one could throw oneself and bounce back. And Logan didn't really need to pretend to enjoy the different type of physical activity either.

"Wow, I bet she's over the moon. I never would've thought of it," Rory replied, thankfully. Taking Em to sporting events, clubs and activities had never quite been what she would do, usually sticking to playgrounds or where she could just watch from the side unless it was something more artistic. Jess had always been the one to take Em anywhere sporty - climbing trails, boating, hiking. He'd even taught the girl to bike.

"Come! Join us!" Logan urged. "She's nowhere near done yet, and there's a place that serves food here too," he added, recalling the weather outside not being the most pleasant despite its sunnyness. There was this blasting cold wind along with that sunshine, unfortunately.

"Okay, I guess," Rory agreed, missing the two already.

"And wear something comfortable!" Logan added as the last word.

As Rory drove towards the Launch Park her mind drifted back to the conversation she'd had with Jess a couple of days ago, the invoulantary comparison of Jess and Logan having been on her mind for days now.


March 23rd, 2022

"Thanks for meeting me," Rory said, as she saw Jess walk through the doors of her favorite coffee shop, not too far from her old house that was finally on the market. They'd been there at least a hundred times together, though mostly to buy a coffee to go.

Jess was dressed was less formally that night than the couple of last times when it didn't concern picking up Em. Jess was still embracing a good leather jacket like he used to ages ago, even if the style was less angry.

"Of course," Jess replied, and took a seat. "So how are you feeling?" he asked with concern in his tone.

"Good," Rory replied. The fact that he was even asking, and she knew he wasn't asking this casually but more concretely concerning her very early pregnancy, was derailing her thoughts. "Actually… it's not really why I asked to meet but as you mentioned it. Maybe this is something I should bring up," Rory said, last night's therapy session still fresh in her mind.

"What?" Jess asked after being for a moment distracted by gesturing at the waiter to bring him the same as Rory was having.

"Just the way you were on Sunday. While your attention was appreciated, it helped - I don't want to be ungrateful. And your discretion is of the essence for obvious reasons," Rory began, speaking formally. "I didn't feel entirely comfortable with the way you… were. Like I felt it was very borderline appropriate even," Rory explained, feeling a little worried he might take the wrong way.

"It's not easy to brush our past all under the carpet, I just forgot for a moment. I remembered that one time you fainted at Home Depo that," Jess replied.

It was kind of sweet that he remembered that time. It had been warm spring thay that one time - and Rory hadn't eaten much due to her morning sickness, so the long line at the register, buying paint for their new house, had just been too much.

"I just don't think Lisa would've felt very comfortable if she'd witnessed that," Rory explained.

"And I guess Logan wouldn't either?" Jess finished her thought for her.

"He really didn't," Rory sighed.

Rory could tell Jess was a little surprised by the fact that she'd told him, but she kind of liked it this way. She wanted him to know she told Logan everything, even perhaps idealizing it a little. She wanted to show off her and their strongest side, even if work towards that was still work in progress, choosing to ignore the fact she'd told Logan at therapy and not in private right after it had happened.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Jess exhaled.

It didn't need to be said that Jess was surely allowed to help had the situation been severe, in this case the problem was how he'd lingered - the intimacy of that touch, that wasn't all friendly. Rory didn't really know what this meant - was he sorry about going by his instincts? Did he still have feelings for her? What did it say about him and Lisa, or perhaps it really had just been a slip in judgement. But she had enough on her plate and didn't want to dwell on it.

"Thank you for that," Rory replied politely. "But what I actually wanted to talk to you about is something else," she continued.

"I figured," Jess replied, and nodded thank you to the waiter who brought him his coffee. He took a small sip, finding the drink still a little too hot. Jess was known to prefer his coffee many minutes past its prime, often just forgetting he'd made himself a coffee at all when he was in his writing mode.

"So… Em's been going through some rebellious phase. I don't know… I read about it a little, but she's apparently due testing some boundaries right about this age. And well, I am well aware there have been a lot of chances and there are more on their way," Rory described, accepting some potential blame for Em's behavior.

"Did anything happen?" Jess inquired, seeing Rory pick her words more carefully than usual.

"She locked Logan out of the house when he took Loki out for a few minutes the other day. It wasn't a long time and he got in there with the spare key in no time," Rory admitted, not wanting him to overreact either.

"She what?" Jess exclaimed, having a hard time believing it.

"And I mean, had it been just by accident, it wouldn't be an issue. But Logan said she was quite deliberate, laughing about it and trying to make it funny, you know… And he wouldn't lie about something like that," Rory continued. "And I know the most important thing is that it got resolved and nobody was in danger, but it did highlight that Logan needs to know whether he has a say in her upbringing in any capacity. Like can he send her to her room? Can he evoke TV privileges? And I guess when she's with me, I would agree that he should, but I don't think I can just determine that without talking to you," Rory added.

"Well, why can't he just talk to you or me on those occasions?" Jess replied.

"Because sometimes I am not around, you might be on the road somewhere… and sometimes there needs to be a message or warning or at least some initial consequence until we get involved," Rory explained. Logan was with Em almost as much as she was these days, hence she was feeling the need to extend some of these parental liberties to him, but she knew it wasn't going to be very straightforward.

"So he'll send her to her room, stop her from continuing whatever she's doing," Jess said, appearing not too keen on giving Logan a lot of privileges.

"But it's a little undermining, don't you think? Like his word matters less than mine or yours?" Rory added.

"But his word does matter less than yours or mine, just like mine won't matter with...," Jess explained his side in this, gesturing at her midsection with a nod.

"But what if it's something meaner - I don't know, doing mischief on purpose, not treating the dog well or something, or what if I need to send him to pick up Em from her school when there's been a fight or something," Rory continued, having discussed this with Logan in more detail after the situation had occurred. It had actually been quite an interesting conversation with Logan sharing all the things he'd done in Em's age and years later, and the two of them playing out some scenarios amongst themselves. It was interesting to hear how Logan was actually often siding with punishments that were a lot more stern than he'd gotten in his childhood. He wasn't eager to punish, it was just about what he believed would work in the long run and what didn't. Rory was also kind of impressed that Logan was planning on educating himself of these topics beyond what he seemed to believe in. And she was in no way worried he might punish Em too sternly or do it without discussing it with her at all. But she still believed some guidance from both her and Jess would only benefit him and avoid future misunderstandings and feelings of overstepping.

"Em… she's not one to go pulling the dog by his ears or hurt someone on purpose. And I am sure that if she ever does it is with good reason," Jess explained, trying to picture her little girl locking Logan outside, actually finding it a little humorous to think about. But overall the image Jess had of his daughter was very pure - something resembling a very brave little girl who stood up for those weaker than her. The book they'd read together last weekend might have just added to that image.

"Okay, fine - yes! I don't think she could do anything like that either, but I want Logan to feel his word matters," Rory repeated.

"Well… he's just going to have to accept that his word in these matters is going to be limited. He'll send her to her room, turn off the TV or bring her home and tell her 'just wait till your mother gets home'. And the rest goes through one of us," Jess framed his point of view he really wasn't too eager to back down on.

"For now..," Rory said, hopefully.

"For now…," Jess relented, not aiming to change things around, but as this seemed to be what Rory was wanting to hear he said it, not really promising anything. Besides, he too had to admit that he was new to this blended family model.

"Just… if and when this…," Rory glanced down at her stomach, "...happens, and later… I don't think I could apply two sets of rules for them," she added.

Jess took a large sip of his coffee, giving himself a moment to respond. He nodded understandingly.

"A year of big steps for you..," Jess commented, approvingly, but Rory could feel there was something he wasn't saying. She could try to guess - probably something about the speed of changes, or perhaps mentioning her finishing that book of hers, like he liked to bring up time and time again every once in a while, or perhaps it was all concern for Em - she couldn't only really speculate until now.

"So how's Lisa?" Rory continued, deciding to steer the conversation towards him for a change, until they finished their drinks.


March 26th, 2022

The cheers were indeed deafening as Rory stepped through the doors of the trampoline park some fifteen minutes later. Logan's suggestion to dress comfortably had made her cautious but knowing Logan, she had complied and worn a pair of leggings with a longer t-shirt under her light fleece jacket.

"Look who it is!" she heard Logan's voice from the distance.

"Mommy! Look at me," Em shouted in her direction, looking flustered from all the jumping around. Her hair was messy despite having been braided in two braids earlier that morning. The little girl did a cartwheel and continued to show how she'd also mastered somersaults in a way that she landed back on her feet thanks to the bounce. She looked so proud, and Rory did too.

"Wow, that's so cool," Rory exclaimed. It really looks like the two had had a great morning.

"Come on, get up here," Logan suggested, and held out his hand for her.

He got a brief skeptical glance back, but Rory knew he was right.

Logan may not be 100% eaqual to Jess in making decisions about Em, and that was fine. They just needed to find that balance. And same went for their future child, children - maybe?

Rory knew she should at least get to experience the fun they were having. And thatd espite feeling like she shouldn't do anything other than sit around feeling like she was wrapped in bubble wrap for the next 7 weeks, holding her breath. She just needed to learn to trust her body. She had the facts, if it was going to happen - if the fetus was healthy, some mild jumping - it was not like she could do any tricks anywyas - with her family wasn't going to change that.

"I am so not a fan of ladders," she commented as she grabbed his hand and took a couple of steps up to the platform. Seeing both Logan and Em smile at her made this so satisfying even if it was just a silly weekend activity.

"They scare the crap out of me too," Logan replied, getting a flash from his memory, despite this ladder being nothing compared to the scaffolding they'd once climbed.