Chapter 205

July 15th, 2022

"This is awkward," Rory commented quietly to Logan, as she and him were sat into the sizable conference room - too big for just the two of them, and the room began to fill with what seemed like it was one financial advisor after another. There were just five other people really - but it looked like a lot.

There was Mr. Hollis, who continued to handle Logan's financial relationships that had to do with the company, Colin, Sandra Cole, his accountant and a lawyer Rory had 'borrowed' from her dad - Matt Holding, and her accountant Anthony Mays, whom Rory hadn't seen in person in years.

There was a round of introductions along with the appropriate handshakes.

"As I've understood, we're here today to go over your list of assets, essentially to make sure that by marrying each-other you're aware of each-others assets and responsibilities that you'll be taking on, correct?" Colin spoke. Rory felt rather silly even having her dad's lawyer present for this, since having Colin there made her feel like he was on both of their side, but it had been Colin who'd insisted.

"You are correct," Rory chimed, still feeling a little uncomfortable. But it was humorous too - she wasn't too used to seeing Colin in professional capacity.

Logan squeezed her hand under the table. He was very much seeing the other side of this - this was a definite step towards making this official next Saturday.

"Alright - let's please list the assets starting with Ms. Gilmore's," Colin suggested, sticking to the formalities, which nearly made Rory chuckle. Colin smiled, knowing well how she wasn't a fan of any of this.

"There's 50% ownership of the house on Girard Avenue, the other half belonging to Logan as you divided it during its purchase," Anthony began to list, continuing down a list of Rory's rental properties she had in Hartford. On one of them she technically still had a mortgage - she hadn't needed to get it on a loan but she'd been offered good conditions so it had made financial sense at the time. There was her car, a couple of fairly conservative investments, Em's trust fund that she was technically in charge of until she was old enough, and included money from both Lorelai, Emily, Christopher and Jess that Em had acquired both as birthday presents and also a larger chunk from Emily and Christopher. She had a small company that managed her real-estate holdings, though she hardly ever really thought about it like that. It was just a formality. Overall Rory's net worth was somewhere around 13 million, most of it coming from Emily's inheritage. It was just a fraction of what the Gilmore's had had back in the day but Emily had also been pretty serious about donating some of it - Smith's, Yale, the D.A.R and several historical societies having gotten a good chunk. There was more on the way when Christopher someday passed, but Rory had been pretty firm that she wanted just her kids to benefit from that. But it was still way more than Rory had ever dreamt of.

Logan's list of assets was considerably longer and more complex - simply because the business activity often included various little loans and secondary investments. There were the properties - the 50% share of their house, the Huntzberger residence, cabin in Lake Tahoe and all the other things his father had left him. As of cash - there was mostly what he had from the sales of the place in Martha's Vineyard. He still didn't know who had been behind the purchase, as it had been some company who'd acquired it, leaving him thinking it must've been some developer. But no matter how much Logan would've wished there wasn't any inequality in this relationship - his net worth was about five fold of Rory's, not counting the value of the corporation. He'd enjoyed being the one in the background, the reversal of roles, but now having accepted the inheritance they were back right at that point they'd been years ago, even if the difference wasn't as huge.

"Upon your marriage your assets will be combined and other than the executive rights to either of your companies, which depend on the partnership rights, you will have equal rights to use and redistribute those assets," Colin continued.

"That's correct," Logan said, and Rory reflected the same - "Yes, I understand."

"Now, I know this is not something anybody really likes to discuss, but I'm going to have to ask," Colin began, knowing a bit about the struggles the financial differences had caused in Rory's and Logan's relationship in the past.

Logan already knew what was coming, having sat through this thing before. The only mistake he'd made here was not talking to Rory about it enough. To him asking for a prenup from Rory felt like he'd be betraying her trust somehow, or diminishing her based on her smaller net worth and in the end not being much better than his father. But he knew he was soon going to have to mention one thing he had indeed been thinking about. He also had a worrisome precedent with Odette, not that Rory and Odette compared.

"Have you considered a prenup?" Colin asked. "Because this most certainly would be something we urge you to consider," Anthony added, the others nodding along.

Rory and Logan glanced at each other.

"We've talked about it a little, right?" Rory replied, perhaps a little naively.

"There is one aspect that perhaps we should settle," Logan said hesitantly, keeping his fingers crossed. "Concerning the HPG," Logan added. It was his family's thing and he was pretty sure Rory didn't really want any involvement in that anyways. But it involved also his sister and her kids. And more than anything he felt the company was a resposibility, a heavy weight, than something Rory would ever consider as something positive.

The look on Rory's face was definitely surprised. It wasn't that she didn't agree or understand, she just didn't understand why he hadn't talked about this to her sooner. This wasn't the nicest feeling to be feeling here in front of five other people.

"Can we have a moment alone?" Logan said, realizing that he couldn't just blindsight her, already regretting he hadn't brought it up at therapy last night.

The other excused them within seconds.

"You want a prenup!?" Rory asked, feeling a little sad because of it, as the door closed.

"No.. it's not that. I just think you might want one concerning the company. I'll gladly leave it to our girl, but I just think it'd be too complicated to split the HPG in case there are issues. I was lucky that didn't happen with Odette," Logan noted, hating to have to use this comparison.

Rory didn't like hearing this. But she did get it.

"I guess, I agree with that. I don't want what your family has spent generations growing… it's not why I am marrying you. But then again I am not…," she began, suddenly feeling incredible reluctance towards

"I hate talking about this, Rory… I hate even the faintest idea of us not being together. It just makes me sick and I'm sorry I didn't bring it up before. I just don't want this type of issues - money - to ever ruin our relationship. When I learned how my dad treated my mother financially - I just don't want that. I want you to know half of mine is yours,... but as the company is not just mine, but also Honor's - maybe that is something we could put onto that paper. I just think it'd be a potential cause for conflict that we could avoid by doing this…," Logan explained. The scenarios of them breaking up had never been about him possibly slipping - cheating on her, but they were the boring kind - what if they someday just grew apart, what if he had a relapse in his mental health, and he knew that the possibility that working too much, or working too much too far, could also become an issue. He vowed to himself to do anything he could not to let that happen, but he knew it was still a possibility, especially since he knew it had been an issue for Rory when she'd been with Jess. Logan just hoped he could manage being the best husband possible. He wanted her to feel comfortable too.

"So we agree that whatever happens, the HPG will be yours," Rory reflected. In a way she even liked this sensibility in Logan - it was not just about chivalrious offers and promises to give her everything. There was more to this than being romantic.

"If you'd be okay with that. You can say 'no', this is not a condition for me to marry you. I love you and I will marry you even if you'll say 'no'," Logan said, holding her hand.

Him saying that did help.

"Just so you know, I would've let you have it anyways. If something goes wrong, I don't want us to fight about the money either. It's the child that matters - nothing more," Rory said, trying to be rational. It was hard, but it felt like it might actually be what should be done. For a brief moment she'd thought about it back when she'd proposed, even her father had suggested she should look into it, but Christopher was never one to really push.

"You can add your own terms if you want, it's your prenup too," Logan added.

Surprisingly after a couple of minutes, Rory was the one to surprise Logan.

"Then we'll just share everything as we enter into this, what's yours is yours, what's mine is mine," Rory said, rather coldly. "Can we just not tell people it was you who asked for this?" Rory added, not wanting people to think she'd been in this for the money.

"You know that's not what I meant…," Logan said, nearly beginning to regret it.

"It's that or nothing, Huntzberger," Rory teased, but meant it.

"Rory..," Logan argued.

"I mean it!" Rory assured.

"But I don't like this…," Logan admitted, having not quite expected this turn of events. He'd wanted half and half, he even didn't want the conditions Honor and Josh had had.

"When have I ever wanted your money, like really…," Rory continued.

"I do remember one particular shopping spree when you were broke," Logan teased, thinking back to that one time in New York City.

"That doesn't count. You were wooing me," Rory said, the mood having already lifted.

"Okay, then if in the end I feel this is unfair - I'll try wooing you again," he suggested and pulled her close for a kiss. "But I have a feeling we're going to be just fine," he hummed, still holding her, not even having to lie.

It was then Colin knocked, being in a bit of a hurry himself.

"You guys reach an agreement?" Colin asked, hopefully.

"Uh-uh," Rory replied, sounding more chipper.

Logan would've want to feel better about this. It was something he needed to accept - he needed to accept that this was Rory's means of feeling she was in control and he couldn't object to that. Even if it were just people's opinions and her pride that were in question.. But he knew he just needed to sign those papers and just move on and in the process just remove a major potential issue from their marriage.

Logan just wanted to marry her already and forget all about this.


AN: I'm not terribly good with the legal/financial stuff, so if there are any weirdness just ignore. I just wanted them to settle things instead of avoiding them.

wedding chapters are coming up next. excited! any requests?