AN: Alright, here's the next chapter. It takes place right after Rory moves in with Richard & Emily. Rogan interaction should come in the next couple chapters. Right now I'm just trying to get the story set up a bit.

Chapter 2

Emily Gilmore was literally shaking in anger. How dare that woman imply that a Gilmore wasn't good enough for a Huntzberger! Please, the Huntzberger's liked to walk tall and proud, with their noses stuck in the air, but they weren't the cream of the crop. No, they most certainly were not.

Emily could remember that sex scandal twelve years ago, the one involving Mitchum and an intern. She could remember how seven years ago Shira went off to a "spa" for a "while." Debbie Rovvington found out that Shira was actually in rehab in Arizona for popping pills.

Gilmore's were better than Huntzberger's could ever be. For goodness sake, Shira wasn't even from an influential family! While scandal certainly did surround Rory's birth, at least her father was a Hayden. Besides, it's not like Shira wasn't three months along with Honor when she finally roped Mitchum in. How else would a two bit cocktail waitress from the sticks land a multi-millionaire?

Emily took a deep breath, putting on her society smile. Lainy Henderson was hosting a tea, and she knew Shira would be there. It would be the first time she had seen Shira since Lorelai told her what happened at that awful, horrid dinner. Of course, she didn't really get many details from Lorelai, seeing as she still refused to return her calls. Just because Rory would rather live with Richard and herself rather than her mother was simply no reason to be so testy! True, the dropping out of Yale incident wasn't wonderful, but Emily was positive she would be able to make good of the situation. Somehow.

"Shira, may I talk to you?" Emily asked, sickeningly sweetly, with a very, very fake smile on her face.

Shira's eyes got large. She knew that Emily Gilmore approaching someone with that tone was not a good thing. The dinner hadn't been long ago at all. The Monday after it, she knew Mitchum offered Rory that internship. Then, he dashed her dreams. It worked perfectly, she knew. Rory and Logan went and stole a yacht, got arrested, and she could only hope Rory's dreams for a career went down the tubes. But now, here was Emily Gilmore, in all her fury, standing before her.

"Yes, of course." She smiled, a fake, plastic smile, as she followed Emily to a small table in the corner of the patio. Several other tables were set up all over.

Emily kept her smile on her face as she began to speak. "My daughter tells me we have a little problem."

Shira glanced around, smiling, trying to keep the smile on her face. "Really? What?" She asked innocently.

Emily glared at Shira. She knew that Shira wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what Emily was talking about. That was okay. Emily could play the game. Hell, Emily invented the game.

"The kids. Logan, Rory. I understand you're not exactly thrilled with the match. That you let that be known to Rory at the dinner she had at your house." She told Shira, keeping that smile on her face all the while.

Shira laughed. "Well, I wouldn't say not thrilled." Damn, damn, double damn! She never intended for Emily to find out.

"Then what would you say?" Emily pressed on, glaring and smiling.

"Oh, Emily, this is a party." Shira said, trying to distract her.

"I'm just curious." Emily innocently told Shira.

Shira sighed as she smiled awkwardly. She sat down, looking up at the older woman. "This may not be the time and the place, Emily."

"Tweeny, Beth, hello. I'll speak to you both later." Emily said in greeting to two of her friends who were passing by. As soon as they were a few feet away, Emily turned back to Shira. "Let's make it the time and place."

Shira was taken aback. She knew Emily Gilmore was not someone to be crossed, but even she couldn't guess that in the middle of a tea party she would corner Shira, yet have a smile on her face the whole while. Really, Emily had to understand Shira's position, didn't she?

"Consider the discrepancies, Emily."

Emily was calm, though on the inside she was raging. How dare this two faced bitch mouth off about discrepancies?

"Well, that's what's confusing me. They both come from good families. They both have good values. Money doesn't seem to be an issue, we all have money."

"Frankly, Emily, there's your money, then there's our money."

Emily arched an eyebrow at this. "Oh?" She sure hoped Shira knew what she was doing. There was no way she was going to allow this nobody from nowhere who just managed to get lucky and marry rich talk about her money being better than Gilmore money. Shira had no money. She wasn't from money to start with.

"And our family has a lot of responsibilities that come with that. An image to maintain." Shira said, matter- of- factly.

Emily felt anger coursing through her veins. "Ah, yes. Well, let me tell you this, Shira. We are just as good as you are. You don't think Rory is good enough for your son. As if we don't know Logan's reputation? We do. But he is welcome in our home anytime, and you should extend the same courtesy to Rory."

The smile never left Emily's face, even though the anger was there, shown through the coldness in her tone.

"Emily –" Shira desperately tried to cut Emily off.

"Now, let's talk about your money." Emily leaned over Shira and spoke quietly, "You were a two-bit gold digger fresh off the bus from Hicksville when you met Mitchum at whatever bar you happened to stumble into. And what made Mitchum choose you to marry amongst the pack of women he was bedding at the time, I'll never know, but hats off to you for bagging him. He's still a playboy, you know. Well, of course you know. That would explain why your weight goes up and down thirty pounds every other month."

Shira laughed nervously, looking around. She knew this. It hurt. It hurt like hell. Yes, she knew that Mitchum had affairs. She knew his secretary did more for him than just file his files away. Still, it hurt to hear. Then, Emily threw her past in her face. That stung.

"But that's your cross to bear. But these are ugly realities. No one needs to talk about them. Those kids are staying together for as long as they like. You won't stop them, unlike how you've stopped Rory's dreams. That's something I'm sure Richard will handle, so I wouldn't worry about that little issue. A pity really, that your husband ruined our granddaughters dreams. It will be just so, so awful when Mitchum files an insurance claim, and there's no record of Richard's firm insuring his buildings. Of course, I wouldn't worry about that. It'll be between the men. Now, enjoy the tea." Emily smiled, beginning to walk off as Shira grabbed her wrist.

"Sit down. I think I need to explain something to you."

Emily scoffed. "I'm really not sure what you could possibly say to me that would change things at all."

Shira leaned in, looking over her shoulders before whispering. "You're right about everything you've said. We did say things to Rory. And Mitch did wreck her dreams. But you need to understand why we did it!"

Shira's mind was racing. Maybe somehow everyone could get what they wanted. After all, she over heard those old bittys talking in the powder room… if Emily was in a position to control Rory, then this just may work after all. As long as Lorelai really was out of the picture…

"Oh?" This ought to be good. Emily personally thought Shira was full of crap, and she couldn't wait to see what load of crap she flung at her.

"Look, Logan cares for Rory. Immensely. We saw that at the dinner. He walked out. I don't doubt that if it came down to it he would walk out on the family if we made him choose between us and her. We can't have a career woman in the family. Logan needs a society wife. You know this!"

Emily listened as Shira spoke. "How does that make what you did right? Are you saying a Gilmore isn't good enough to marry into your family?"

"No!" Shira hissed, trying to keep a smile on her face for the public. "We can help each other."

Emily laughed. She actually laughed. Not just a fake, society laugh, not a giggle, but an all-out tear-inducing laugh. "How could you possibly help me?" She questioned between laughs.

Shira smirked the patented Huntzberger smirk. "I've heard that Rory moved in with you. Is this true?"

Emily nodded, wiping her eyes of the stray tears that escaped during her laugh. "Yes, two days ago, in fact."

"I'm assuming her mother is not in the picture at the moment, correct?" Shira stated more than asked, repeating what she heard through the grapevine.

Emily nodded again, unsure where Shira was going with this. She didn't like the smirk on the other woman's face. She seemed to think she was in control. That needed to be remedied.

"With Lorelai out of the picture, you have the life you always wanted for your daughter in sight for Rory. You and I, we're alike. We're a lot alike."

Emily scoffed. "I'm nothing like you, Shira."

It was Shira's turn to laugh. "Of course you are." Shira shook her head. She really couldn't see how Emily could be so blind. "You want the best for Rory. I want the best for Logan. We can work together, and if we play our cards right we'll both have everything we've ever wanted."

"Oh?" Emily asked, this time intrigued.

"Keep your daughter away from Rory. I'll have Mitch work on Logan. With the two of us teaming up together, our families lives are in our hands."

"I thought a Gilmore wasn't good enough." Emily bitterly said, stiffening.

"No, no, no." Shira clucked her tongue as she began to relay her plan to Emily. "A career woman isn't good for Logan. But if Rory no longer wants a career, I see no reason why you can't everything for her that you ever wanted for Lorelai."

Shira shrugged, sitting back and smiling. The look on Emily's face was priceless.