Chapter 155

October 18th, 2005

"I'll meet you back at the pool house, okay?" Logan said, having just been on his way to the Gilmore's poolhouse to spend a night with Rory after their date but had realized he'd forgotten his phone in his car. Spending another night with her was wonderful prospect - there was nowhere he'd rather be - especially these days that his father was really being a pain about all his obligations and dragging him off to meetings he couldn't care less about. He hadn't even believed he'd be this content with sleeping with the same girl over and over again. This wasn't boring or challenging at all - being with her and her alone was the easiest thing in the world.

"Don't get lost," Rory chimed, and headed towards the pool house, providing Logan a little scene to observe by adding some jaunt to her walk, curving her hips just right, aiming for his gaze to linger like she'd often seen him do.

That, however, caused Logan to stand a the wrong spot for a few seconds too long and be seen.

"Oh, Logan! I thought I heard a noise!" Richard exclaimed, opening the glass door.

"Richard. Yes, I was just dropping Rory off," Logan fibbed.

"Oh!" Richard replied, glancing at his watch. "Ten o'clock on the button, well done!" Richard complimented him.

"Well, I didn't want to keep her out too late, sir," Logan added, eager to escape this interaction.

"Well, you're a responsible young man, Logan. Say, how about a nightcap? I have a new single malt I'm dying to break in," Richard said, looking a lot more eager than Logan was.

Logan shrugged. "Sounds great," he said with an internal sigh. He stepped in and Richard closed the door behind him. Why did this feel like a trap?

There was a brief exchange as one might expect once they were inside - some pleasantries with Emily, her offering him food which he didn't want or need.

"So, how are things, Logan?" Richard asked, as he sat down.

"Fine," Logan replied curtly but still politely enough.

"Good. Back at school, are you?" Richard asked.

"For a few weeks now," Logan replied.

"Good, good. Good that you're back. Got any classes that you're interested in this year?" he asked.

"Semester's shaping up okay," Logan said, accepting the drink that was being handed to him. "Thank you," he said. He could already feel Richard circling around, there being more point to this conversation than just catching up - he could just feel it.

"Oh. Cheers," Richard raised his glass to him and Logan reflected.

"You working at the Yale paper again?" Richard continued, after having taken a sip.

"Yes, sir," Logan replied with a chime to his tone.

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?" Richard replied, meaning it well but Logan couldn't help but to cringe inside at the thoughts. Not if he could help it.

"Not if the tree has anything to say about it," Logan added with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes, well. It's good to see you. We don't get many sightings of you young people nowadays, the two of you, ensconced back there at the pool house. Rory's so busy. Her life's a total mystery to us. She could be in the CIA for all we know," Richard continued.

"Well, I don't think she's joined the CIA, sir, but I'll check her purse for secret documents," Logan hope that joking could somehow get him out of there faster.

Richard chuckled. "So, tell me, Logan, what is going on with Rory? Uh, yours and Rory's life?" he asked.

"Uh, nothing special," Logan replied, becoming increasingly worried about where this conversation was going. It was just something about how he'd corrected his question - yours and Rory's life - it just sounded like he was asking more than he really was. Was there a joint life to talk of? - Logan thought for the first time in his life. This whole girlfriend - boyfriend thing was new enough and the only brief time he'd been forced to think about more than that was when his grandfather had brought it up. But thankfully, those things had been settled, or well - at least brushed under the carpet for now. And he hadn't been truly and deeply forced to face them.

"No? Oh, well. Does she have any big plans?" Richard asked.

"Plans?" Logan asked, playing intentionally dumb. He wanted to hear it from Richard not go about digging himself a hole.

"Yes, well, the way that girl keeps to herself, we wouldn't know if she was moving to Peru. Are you two planning on moving to Peru?" Richard asked, still circling around the real issue it felt.

"No, we're not," Logan said.

"Well, if not Peru, then what is on the horizon for Rory? And for you. Anything different going to happen?" Richard continued.

"I don't, uh, well, we're thinking of going to the Vineyard in a few weeks, that's about it," Logan decided to give him a small bone to chew on. That was innocent enough - right?

"A trip to the Vineyard?" Richard reflected, making Logan ponder whether that sounded like something more than it was.

Logan was tired - he needed to watch his words better than this.

"Yes, sir," Logan replied, conjuring up a fake smile.

"Nothing else coming down the pike?" Richard didn't give up. Engagement? I could help you with the prenups? Marriage? Babies? Triplets run in the family, you know? Logan's mind raced a million miles a minute on his own without him having to say any of those things he was terrified of.

"No, sir," he replied, but then saw Rory through the window. If his eyes could speak they were definitely the eyes of a little boy needing to be rescued. Maybe that was what one felt for someone who could become a part of his life, their joint life - maybe the face of his rescuer was the one that he was willing to put up with all of those things for - the prying questions, the pressure, the talk of prenups and destinies, and the kids. God, that seemed like something so distant. But it wasn't, was it? He could actually imagine Rory as a mother, and it wasn't a ridiculous idea at all. His heart raced and he could feel he could use some air. As suffocating as it felt, it was more like being on the verge of a scaffolding, ready to jump, but with her, holding his hand. He almost he felt wasn't going to flee as long as she wanted to hold his hand. But it didn't matter as all these thoughts - it was too soon, he wasn't ready… Would she wait for him until he was ready? Would she forgive him if he wasn't?


April 20th, 2020

Logan woke with a sudden jolt, his heart thumping, and his skin felt all sweaty. That hadn't happened in a while, not really since he'd begun sleeping in Rory's bed, their bed - he corrected. The reasons had varied before - he remembered a similar sense of panic when waking up next to Odette, after she'd killed the trust between them, fearing he'd been taken advantage of again - it sounded weak - a guy like him admitting something like that, but that was what it had been. He felt a similar fear of being sucked back into the family company when he'd already been in Morocco in the summer, even Thailand once - followed by a scare of losing his wallet. But this was different.

"You okay?" Rory mumbled through her sleep, having felt him jolt.

"Just a dream," Logan replied, not wanting to make a big deal of it

Rory's hand touched his skin then, and her touch was indeed soothing. She could feel the cool sweat on him, but she wasn't grossed out - it was more concern than anything.

"I'll be right back," Rory replied, and swiftly got out of the bed and headed to the bathroom to relieve herself - she remembered this feeling well - the uterus expanding and pressing on her bladder early in the morning. And even if she didn't show much on her mid-section yet, she was definitely beginning to feel different.

"What did you dream about?" Rory encouraged, as she returned to bed, hoping he hadn't forgotten about it. It was also that Birdie had encouraged them to speak about their fears, even if they seemed insignificant.

"It was nothing that bad...," Logan calmed her, having calmed considerably himself.

"Then tell me," she urged.

"I dreamt of the time your grandfather interrogated me about our plans. You know when you were living with them," Logan explained.

"Is this your way of telling me you're having cold feet about getting married…?" Rory asked, jokingly, recalling the way Logan had spoken to her about that later on.

"Strangely enough - no," Logan replied with a chuckle, having not been so sure of something his entire life.

"The baby then?" she asked.

"Second thoughts - no," Logan said. "But it's scary, isn't it? And telling my mother is scary," Logan added. They'd planned on telling Shira last night, but since Em had remained a little upset even after Gigi had talked to her and Shira had had some unforeseen other engagement so she hadn't been home, they'd stayed in, instead - Rory and Em on the couch, cuddling, just watching some random kid's show, just giving Em the safety and love that she needed while Logan cleaned up and took care of Loki.

"Your mom already knows we're getting married, she must assume…," Rory began, recalling how Logan hadn't hid the possibility of there being some kids in their future when they'd had that meal at Honor's a few months ago.

Logan shrugged.

"But I guess I would rather if she didn't compare me to my father, you know - his parenting skills, him not being around. There was just something Richard said that still haunts me sometimes, and it's such a cliche that I hate it," Logan explained.

"What did he say?" Rory asked.

"How the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I know - it's lame," Logan replied.

"I never wanted to be like my mom either," Rory said, running her hand through his beard on chin.

Logan was quite surprised to hear it, always having imagined Rory put her mother on a bit of a pedestal in many ways.

"I mean - she's great being a friend, but she's not that great being the mom, you know," Rory explained.

"And my dad was great being the boss, not so much being the dad," Logan replied, thoughtfully.

"So yeah, I want to take with me the ability to always talk to my daughter. Even if that takes biting onto a pillow to not say the wrong thing if she dates someone I don't like," Rory said, recalling that one time when she'd told her about Logan being her boyfriend officially.

"It was me, wasn't it?" Logan just had to ask.

"Yup," Rory confessed. "But if it helps - when I dated Jess the first time around I think she said something along the lines of 'I'd say you're about due a 'Jess' right about now', like dating a 'bad boy' was a something I needed to get out of my system and she could almost count on it not lasting very long. I didn't leave a very nice feeling," she added. Later in life she'd begun to analyze a lot of the things that had happened between the two and being a mother herself had left her with a new perspective on a number of things for sure.

Logan rubbed her back, gently and assuringly. "But I do believe bad boys remain kind of your thing, don't they?" he teased.

"But don't tell her," she whispered, teasingly and kissed him, adding a little tongue.

They lingered for a bit like that, just casually kissing and touching, knowing they didn't really need to wake yet.

"I think you're going to be a great dad, you know. You're nothing like Mitchum, and I think it's impossible for you to become him," Rory said, looking up at him.

Her saying that meant the world to Logan, but he knew that he'd become very close to becoming like his father, had he not escaped that life. Had he stayed with Odette, for whatever reason - which he couldn't even anymore think of - he could only imagine the escape being some other woman, even if the escape was temporary, like it had often been for his father. But on the work front he'd already become him - at least in large capacity.

"I sure as hell am going to try to avoid it, if I can," Logan assured. "But one does wonder how much of it is just in my genes, and I just hate the idea of mom pointing that out," he added.

"And that is why I am coming with you tonight," Rory said, remaining unyielding. They'd debated this a number of times, but this was the first time Logan didn't find the strength in him to fight it. He did want her there, even if he wanted to protect her from his mother's words just the same.