The Fortune Cookie's Always Right 2: All It's Cracked Up to Be
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.
Author's Note: Hey everyone! Back by popular demand (or at least a handful of requests), I bring you the sequel to The Fortune Cookie's Always Right. Now, you should probably read that story first. But if you're too impatient, here's a summary. (Note: stop reading right now if you actually intend to read the first story.)
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
The first story began halfway through the Yale Male Party in Season 5's "The Party's Over." Logan doesn't rescue Rory with a mere cock-and-bull story about being her boyfriend; he gives her a mind-blowing kiss in front of the entire room. Rory and Dean don't break up that night; instead, they drag things out while Dean grows more jealous of Rory's male friends, especially Logan. Things come to a head at a New Year's Eve Ball hosted by the DAR. Dean sees a particularly hot midnight kiss and breaks up with Rory. Rory and Logan hook up that night only to break up when Logan drops her in favor of a return to his playboy lifestyle. Realizing he can't get Rory out of his head, Logan decides to do everything he can to get her back. After much effort on his part, Rory decides to give him a second chance. They take a spontaneous trip to Paris where they take their relationship to the next level. When in Paris, a situation arises where Logan buys a set of wedding rings for Rory and himself as a ruse for a moralistic hotel owner. They decide to keep the rings once they're home, but no longer wear them. This leads to confusion and rumors and a confrontation between Logan and Rory and his parents. Logan says 'I love you' in the worst possible moment, and Rory refuses to believe him. A conversation with Mitchum leaves Rory wondering if she and Logan are kidding themselves, because they are going to lead very different lives. She breaks up with Logan in order to get some distance before she ends up falling completely in love with him. A few months pass, during which Lane and Zack get engaged and Rory and Paris try to get over their boyfriends, failing miserably. Finally, Logan makes a grand gesture that convinces Rory that he loves her and wants to be with her for the right reasons. She admits to him that she's in love with him too, and Logan convinces her to go away to Europe for the summer. It is unclear as to whether or not a comment he made means that he was proposing or just being facetious…
CHAPTER 1: EUROPE OR BUST
Rory stepped into the sun, her sleeveless linen dress blowing in the soft breeze. Her summery heels clicked on the cobblestone as she put a few yards between herself and the hotel. She put her hand over her eyes, scanning the piazza for Logan. A warm grin spread across her face as she saw him give a brief wave from a tiny table underneath an umbrella at the corner café. She walked over to join him, removing her wide-brimmed hat and sitting it on top of her purse in a nearby vacant chair.
"Don't you look lovely today," Logan said, leaning forward to kiss her across the table before relaxing back into his chair and picking up a menu.
"Thank you," Rory said, tucking her loose wavy hair behind her ears. "Sorry I took so long. Can I just say that fancy Italian shoes feel so much fancier when you buy them in Italy? Now when I go home and Babbette asks 'where did you get those snazzy shoes, sugar?' I can say 'Italia!'"
"You can indeed," Logan said, chuckling at her Babbette impression.
Rory perused her menu. "So, did you have a nice walk while I was getting ready?"
"Yeah, I actually talked to a guy who gave me the names of several small galleries that we should check out," Logan replied. "Mom was in a redecorating mood when we left, so to ease the blow of skipping out on the family for one last summer, I figure I'll buy her a little Picasso to make up for it."
"Good idea," Rory said casually. She still couldn't figure out the messed-up relationship Logan seemed to have with his parents, although it did seem very Lorelai-ish, with maybe a bit more polish.
"Buongiorno," said the waiter, walking to their table. "Caffè?"
Rory most definitely recognized that word in any language. "Sì, certamente!"
Logan grinned. "Due cappucinos, per favore," he said, holding up two fingers.
The waiter bowed slightly and went to retrieve their coffees.
"Did you stay up last night memorizing your Italian phrasebook while I slept?" Logan teased. "I thought I was the multi-lingual person here."
"No, but I did memorize certain key words and phrases: yes, no, please, thank you, where's the bathroom, do you speak English, and do you serve coffee."
"The most important questions, naturally," Logan deadpanned.
"Exactly," Rory said airily. She looked at her menu again. "Ok, so I have no idea what's on this menu. My Italian food translation begins and ends with spaghetti, ravioli, and any other pasta name we already use in America."
Logan smiled and closed his menu. "Not to worry, I got you covered."
"Ok," Rory said, slightly worried, "but just don't order anything that's gonna look back at me, ok?"
"Ace," Logan chided, "don't you trust me?"
He meant to be flippant and tease her, but his words struck a chord within her. "Yeah, I do," she said softly, reaching for his hand across the table. She thought about all that had happened so far; after a crazy school year of ups and downs, they decided on the spur of the moment to go off to Europe for the summer. Well, it was spur of the moment for her. Logan was probably planning it for at least a few hours in advance.
Rory smiled as Logan rubbed his thumb absentmindedly across her hand, watching some children playing by a nearby fountain. She made the right choice by going with him. After all that angst, it really boiled down to one thing: he loved her, and she loved him back. They were having an amazing summer, and she was insanely content, more content than she had ever been in her life.
"Y'know," Rory said thoughtfully, "a girl could really get used to this lifestyle."
"Oh yeah?" Logan said, returning his focus to her face.
"Yeah."
"Well, what can I say. When the Huntzbergers do something, they go all out, and a honeymoon is no exception," Logan said.
Rory smiled. "Yeah, well, all I can say is I'm ruined now."
"Ruined? How?"
Rory sighed dramatically. "Well, when it comes time for me to have a real honeymoon, nothing is ever gonna compare with this!"
"Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something," Logan said casually, playing with the rings adorning her left finger.
Rory raised her eyebrows. "A bit presumptuous, are we?" Logan feigned an innocent look, which Rory rolled her eyes at. "What makes you so sure that I'm actually gonna marry you someday?"
"Well, look at all the things I've got going for me," Logan said. Rory waited expectantly. He ticked the items off on his fingers. "I'm rich, handsome, I'm going to have a fantastically important job when I grow up – which will be next year – and I belong to a family who practically runs Hartford society…"
"Yes, and so far I'm only hearing cons. What are the pros?" Rory teased.
"Well I happen to have a very important pro."
"And that is?"
Logan leaned down, as if he were about to impart a great secret. "I love you."
Rory felt butterflies in her stomach as her cheeks flushed. She would never tire of hearing him say those words. "Well, that's a hell of a pro." She leaned over to kiss him.
"A-hem. Due cappuccinos," the waiter said, interrupting their moment.
"Grazie," Logan said, winking at Rory. He proceeded to order a light breakfast assortment of rolls and jams.
"So, what would you like to do today?" Logan asked after the waiter left.
"I think we should check out those galleries you mentioned, and then maybe hit a museum or two. After all, this is Roma!" Rory said.
"Fair enough. Do you want to do a little shopping this afternoon?" Logan asked, taking a sip of his cappuccino.
"We can. Although I'm starting to worry about our spending habits. I think we've been a bit too extravagant this week," Rory worried.
"Relax, Ace. Nothin' my card can't handle," Logan said, waving her concerns away.
"I suppose." Rory still wasn't used to having so much money at her disposal. She felt bad for spending Logan's money, though he assured her she was barely making a dent. "I guess I'm also concerned about space. We've been shipping so much home, I'm worried my mom's house will be overtaken by a sea of boxes!"
"Well considering that half those boxes are gifts for her – and, come to think of it, the entirety of Stars Hollow – I think she won't mind," Logan said, smiling.
"That's true," Rory said. "Did I tell you how jealous she is?"
"You didn't have to. She told me so herself. Remember, when you passed the phone to me when we arrived in London?"
"Oh yeah," Rory remembered. "That was right after she threatened to cross the Atlantic to kick your ass."
Logan smirked. "Yeah, well, she threatened to have me castrated if I lose you on a train or bring you home with the Asian bird flu. This threat was immediately followed by a diatribe on how jealous she was that you got to return to Europe and an insinuation that if we came back with biscotti all would be forgiven. And if I came back with an international chocolate assortment of Ritter, Cadbury, and Milka bars I would be crowned king and get a t-shirt with her face on it and a speech bubble saying 'I love this guy.'"
Rory snickered. "Oh yeah. I forgot that part."
"Right, because it's so forgettable," Logan said, raising an eyebrow.
Rory smiled. "I wonder what she's doing right now?" She paused to consider the time difference. "I guess she's sleeping, but a few hours ago she would have been… oh, man!" she realized…
"Could you pass the potatoes, Mom? Seriously, my peas are lonely."
"Lorelai, why on earth do you persist in personifying your food?" Emily huffed.
"Because…it's fun?" Lorelai offered.
"Here are your potatoes. Now answer my question. Where is Rory? This is the third Friday night dinner she's missed," Emily said.
"I told you, she had a thing," Lorelai said, scooping some food onto her plate. "Mmm, great potatoes, Mom. Are they Irish or Idahoan? Is that how you say it, Idahoan? Or is it Idahoite?"
"Stop changing the subject, Lorelai. What 'thing'? Last week you said her friend Lane's band was playing an important concert, and the week before that you said she was sick."
"Yes! Sick! Exactly. She's sick again, Mom. I tell ya, these kids. They don't wash their hands enough. I'm always telling her to wash her hands more, but does she listen? No. I mean, you'd think after two years of religiously watching Grey's Anatomy she would learn the importance of hygiene, but I guess it's just not sticking. Did ya see the one with the guy with the finger? 'Cause that was seriously gross. The finger, anyway. And also, how do you feel about Callie and George? Because I think she's too big for him. Not like fat big, but like her face looks twice the size of his big. Although, Meredith's never gonna go for him, so I'm glad he's let that go. Which leads us to the next big question: McDreamy or McVet?"
Emily ignored Lorelai's rambling. "Well is it serious? Should we send a doctor or call to make sure she's ok?" Emily asked, concerned.
"Nooo," Lorelai said, waving her hand. "She'll be fine. It's really very minor."
"Well if it's so minor, then why isn't she here?" Emily said expectantly.
"Uh, well, you see, it's strep throat. Highly contagious. I just thought that you wouldn't want a contagious child breathing all over your house. I'm thinking of you here," Lorelai said.
"I see," Emily said, frowning.
"Lorelai, we're not stupid," Richard said, speaking up for the first time. "I know you may think that we are out of touch, but I can certainly tell when I am being lied to, and you, my girl, are doing a poor job of it. Now is Rory really sick?"
Lorelai sighed. There was no getting around it. She had to tell them sometime. "No, Dad. She's on a trip. She'll be back in a few weeks."
"A few weeks! Where'd she go, Timbuktu?" Emily exclaimed.
"No, no, not Timbuktu," Lorelai said evasively.
"Where, then?" Emily asked.
"Um… Europe?" Lorelai said in a small voice, wincing in anticipation of her mother's screeching.
"Europe!" Emily exclaimed.
"With whom?" Richard demanded.
"Oh, you know, a friend."
"What friend?" Emily asked.
"Just a friend. From Yale. You like Yale friends," Lorelai said.
"In general, yes, but which Yale friend in particular?" Richard said.
Lorelai sighed and stared at her chicken. "Logan. She went to Europe with Logan."
"Oh my God," Emily said immediately.
"This is extremely inappropriate, extremely," Richard said.
"How could you let her do something like that, Lorelai? How could you let her just go off with a boy?"
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. You were the ones who pushed them together in the first place. And besides, it was her choice," Lorelai said defensively. "It's not like I'm completely comfortable with it, but Rory's grown now and makes her own decisions, and I couldn't stop her if I wanted to."
"Of course you can, you're her mother," Emily scoffed.
"Ok, we've all reacted to the news, so can we change the subject now, please?" Lorelai pleaded. "So what do you think of Bush and this whole Middle East thing? Pretty tense, huh? Probably much more tension there than at this table. Though I bet they could go neck and neck. I mean, if there were a way to measure tension, whoa, it would be a totally close race."
Emily ignored her. "They shouldn't be traveling together, it's just not done. This is entirely inappropriate. Rory and Logan should not be taking trips together, especially extended ones. It's not proper. I know Rory is a strong girl, but even the strong ones could potentially… she could give in to her hormones, and be spoiled forever."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I don't think this trip will spoil her, Mother."
"Well it certainly can. She's an exceptional girl, but nobody's perfect," Richard said.
"Yes. And what if Logan tries to take advantage of her?" Emily worried.
"Look, Rory's sex life is none of our business," Lorelai began.
"Oh my God, did you say sex life?" Emily interrupted. "Richard, did she just say sex life? I think I'm going to be ill. Where's that maid, I need some aspirin."
Lorelai sighed. "Mom, it's college. Rory's been making her own decisions for awhile."
"We need to do something, we need to stop this," Richard said emphatically.
"Please, leave her alone," Lorelai pleaded. "Besides, you can't do anything about it from here," she reasoned.
Suddenly, Emily stopped her moaning. She went strangely calm. "Of course, Lorelai, you're absolutely right. There's nothing we can do here. We might as well continue with our dinner." Richard shot her a questioning look.
"Goodnight, Lorelai. Drive safe," Emily said, waving to Lorelai from the front door. She shut the door and leaned on it from the inside. "Come on Richard, we've got to pack."
"Pack? Whatever for?" Richard said, confused.
"Europe," Emily said simply, brushing past him.
Next time on All It's Cracked Up to Be: Logan and Rory's passionate tour of Europe is interrupted by two unlikely - oh, who are we kidding, very likely - suspects. Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow, someone unexpected comes back to town throwing a kink in some very important plans...
