The Fortune Cookie's Always Right 2: All It's Cracked Up to Be
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.
Author's Note: I know this story is going in a different direction than the summary for the time being, but it's going to take a few chapters to get them back home. But don't you worry. The real drama is waiting for them back in the school year, as is that secret Stars Hollow guest. However, first we have a mini-problem to take care of…
CHAPTER 2: SURPRISE!
Rory sighed and flopped back onto her pillow. "That was… oh my God, I can't breathe," she said, staring at the ceiling and gasping for air.
"I know," Logan groaned into her neck. He rolled off her and mopped the sweat off his face, easing his head onto the pillow and moaning into her hair.
"Oh man," she groaned, starting to laugh. "That was amazing." She pushed the bangs off her forehead as she turned to look at Logan. Sweat was glistening off both their bodies, and she barely had enough energy left to lift a finger, tracing a bead of sweat as it made a trail down his chest.
Logan lazily caught her hand, holding it to his chest. "I know, I was there," he said cheekily.
"Mmm," Rory acknowledged, giving him a slow, sensuous kiss. Logan smiled into the kiss and reached around her, pulling her close. Her body was still humming from the surprise session of morning sex as she settled into his arms. They lay there in a comfortable silence.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
"No," Logan whined, tightening his grip on Rory.
"I'll get it," she said, reaching across Logan to grab the hotel phone. "Hello?"
Logan was too tired to take advantage of her shifting over him, and he was almost settled into a state of half-sleep when he felt Rory tense.
"You're where?" she said.
He opened one eye to watch her expression long enough to see her visibly relax. "It's like 4 a.m. your time, what the hell were you thinking? Well I know you have a private – you can't possibly be so bored that – you – oh, fine, here he is," she said, grumpily handing the phone to Logan.
"It's for you," she said.
Logan raised an eyebrow when she didn't offer any more information before getting up, throwing on a plush robe and padding to the bathroom.
"Huntzberger," he answered.
"Logan! My brother, my friend, my best mate! How the hell are you?"
"Finn?" he asked incredulously. "What are you doing up so early – wow, so freaking early your time – wait a minute, how did you get this number?"
"Ah, yes, I can see your brain is clearly still not functioning at full capacity, most likely due to mind-blowing sex with your beautiful girlfriend. She had sex-voice too."
"Finn…" Logan warned.
"Oh, shut up, Colin already informed me of the inappropriateness of that comment. But back to you, you should know better than to suspect I am up this early. You ought to know I'm still up."
"And again I ask: how did you get this number?" Logan said, rubbing his eyes in resigned frustration.
"The lovely Lorelai."
"She gave you our hotel number?" Logan said, surprised.
"Yes, apparently our goals were overlapping. She was going to call you today anyway, but she gave me the number under the provision that I would give you a message for her."
"And that message would be?"
"Well I've bloody forgotten it, don't you know how early it is? Anyway, that's not what's important."
"Alright. So what is important?"
"We're here!"
"Who and where?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"Who do you think? Colin and I. We got fed up with being abandoned and decided to come be with our third musketeer… and his lovely lady, naturally."
Logan realized why Rory tensed. He watched her return from the bathroom to sit on the bed beside him, listening to his end of the conversation.
"And your precise location?"
"Ah, yes, well, we got your number, but failed to remember the location, so we're in London right now."
"London, huh? Well I guess by now you've figured out we're still in Rome."
"Brilliant! We'll be there in a few hours."
"Wait – Finn!" Logan said.
"Yeah?"
Logan looked around wildly. "Um, could you hold on a sec?"
"Sure, as long as I can sing my own hold music."
"Yeah, you do that, I'll be right back," Logan said wryly, pulling the phone away and covering the receiver.
"They're in London," he whispered to Rory.
"I know," she whispered back.
"I can't believe they couldn't survive for three freaking weeks without their fearless leader," he groaned. "What are we gonna do?"
Rory picked at the sheets. "I dunno, what do you wanna do?"
Logan squinted at her. "You know I don't want them to tag along, right? I mean, this is meant to be our summer."
Rory visibly perked up at the word 'our.' She thought a moment. "I know, but we can't exactly run away from them… can we?"
Logan laughed at the hope in her voice. "Not likely. They're smarter than they appear. What if we designate one city, one weekend with them, and give rules and boundaries? You have to admit they're fun sometimes, and if we give them a weekend maybe they'll go home and… I don't know, bother Stephanie."
Rory grinned. "Sounds like a plan. What should we tell them?"
Logan thought. "How about Amsterdam? We'll meet them there in a few days. There's plenty there to keep them occupied until we get there."
"Good choice," Rory agreed. "They can see the Van Gogh museum, the Rembrandt House, Living Tomorrow - "
"The Sexmuseum Amsterdam, the free-agent prostitutes, the marijuana cafés…" Logan continued. Rory's mouth dropped open until she realized as far as Colin and Finn were concerned… he was right.
"Agreed," she said with a nod.
Logan put the phone back to his ear and was treated to a concert.
"Don't cry for me, Argentinaaaa, the truth is I never left you…"
"Oh Jesus," Logan said, rubbing his face. "Finn," he said.
"All through my wild days…"
"Finn."
"My mad existence…"
"Finn!"
"I kept my promise, don't keep your distance…"
Logan tilted the phone away. "I hate it when he does showtunes," he said, looking dolefully at Rory. She barely managed to suppress a giggle.
"Don't cry for me Argen-"
"FINN!"
"Sorry, yes?"
Logan sighed. "Amsterdam, three days, I'll give you a ring at the usual place, ok?"
"Alright, but it was really rude to interrupt me in the middle of the chorus."
"I'm sorry, Finn," Logan said, managing to sound somewhat sincere.
Finn sniffed. "Apology accepted. Just don't let it happen again. Later."
"Bye," Logan said. "Oh, wait, Finn, are you sure you don't remember what Lorelai told you to -" But he was cut off with a dial tone.
"What?" Rory asked as Logan hung up the phone.
"Apparently your mom had a temporary lapse of insanity and trusted Finn to deliver a message for her."
"Ah. Well, I'll call her in a little while," Rory said, shrugging it off. After all, it couldn't be that important.
"Alright," Logan said with a yawn. "So, ready for the next city?" he asked, pulling her back down.
"Hm, I guess so," Rory said, lifting the covers and snuggling in beside him.
Logan wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her upper arm as he thought. "Alright… let's see… we could rent a speedy little sportscar and tour the countryside, or we could check our Eurailpass and pick a train destination," Logan suggested.
"Ok, let's see…" Rory rolled over and grabbed a book before settling back down. "Well, we've done Spain and Portugal, the south of France, Switzerland – hey, did you get the chocolate for my mom?"
"Yeah, remember? We sent a two-week supply home. She better share with the neighbors or her 'van down by the river' impression is gonna get a little help from nature."
Rory rolled her eyes. "Right. Ok, so we still need to do all of Eastern Europe, but since we're going to be in Amsterdam in three days, we might as well head in that direction. So I say… Austria or Belgium. Which do you think?"
Logan considered the options. "Austria's gonna take awhile… I think we should spend a few days in Salzburg, but Vienna is going to be gorgeous, and there's a lot to do. I say we go on to Belgium and head back down through Germany and Austria before we attempt Eastern Europe."
"Ok," Rory said, putting the book away as she tried to hide a smirk.
"What?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing… it's just that I'm turning you into a planner," Rory said with a hint of glee.
"You are not! I'm still the spontaneous cad we all know and love," Logan said, defending himself.
"Oh, but I beg to disagree. I'm winning you over to my side! Pretty soon you'll be making pros and cons lists. You'll be planning your every move, completely organized, and – mmph!" Rory was cut off when Logan chose that moment to attack her lips, pulling her robe open with a swift tug and entering her in one fluid movement.
He broke off the kiss long enough to throw in one last comment. "What was that part about planning over spontaneity?" he said with an evil smirk, thrusting.
"High overrated," Rory said in a raspy voice. She grabbed his face and pulled him back down.
Rory squinted at herself in the mirror as Logan came up behind her, sliding his arms around her midsection and nuzzling her neck.
"Stop that," she said, leaning her neck in the opposite direction. "You're distracting me."
"That was the general idea. Come on, Ace, you look fine. Gorgeous, even. Let's go; it's past lunchtime and I'm starving," he said, returning to her neck.
Rory ignored him and continued to regard herself as she looked down and straightened her dress. "I feel like I'm missing something, like this outfit is missing something." She considered the color. If she had to associate it with a Crayola color, she would call it cadet blue. It was a slightly grey-ish blue that brought out her eyes, and she thought her shoes and earrings matched alright, but something was still missing. She sighed. "Great, just great."
"What?" Logan asked, looking up and seeing himself in the mirror, pressing his cheek to hers. He hugged her from behind as he looked her up and down.
"It's all your fault," she accused. "You've turned me into a fashion whore. I never used to care this much about my clothes. I mean, I always wanted to look clean and relatively cute, but you are a bad influence on me, mister."
"I know," Logan agreed readily.
"You're no help," Rory said, giving in to a laugh.
"I tell ya what, maybe this will help you," Logan said, releasing her and walking out of the bathroom into the bedroom. He rummaged around for a minute before returning with a long skinny box. "Here, try this."
Rory turned to give him a questioning look as she opened the box. Inside was a gorgeous delicate triple-stranded necklace containing an alternating mix of diamonds and sapphires. "Logan, this is too much!"
"No, it's not," Logan said, lifting it out of the box and motioning for her to turn around. She watched in the mirror as he reached over her head to gently lay it on her collarbone before fastening it at her neck. He kissed her cheek when he was done. "I was going to give it to you tonight after dinner, sort of a just-because kind of gift, but since you're being such a baby and whining, I might as well give it to you now," he said with a wink.
"Did I ever tell you that I love you?" Rory said, smiling and turning around to face him. Logan smirked as she tilted her head in an invitation to a kiss. He kissed her, but she pulled away from the kiss just as he was deepening it. "I mean, not because you buy me things, that's not why," she hurriedly clarified. "I just meant-"
"I know what you meant, Ace. Now come on, I'm not kidding. I'm really hungry," he said.
She kissed him once more. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
"You're welcome. Let's go," Logan said, stepping aside so she could exit the bathroom first. They made it to the elevator before Logan groaned.
"What?" Rory said.
"My wallet. It's on the nightstand. Do you have your room key?" Logan asked, patting his pockets to make sure.
"Yeah, sure," Rory said, rooting through her purse and coming up with the key just as the elevator dinged.
"Go on downstairs, I'll meet you down there," Logan said.
"Are you sure?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, I'll be two seconds," he said.
"Ok," Rory said, stepping into the elevator.
Rory walked into the lobby, pulling her phrasebook out of her purse. She wanted to practice conversing in Italian with the young woman at the front desk. When she glanced over, however, she stopped all movement, overcome by shock.
"I want a room. Room? Richard, what is 'room' in Italian?"
Richard sighed and thought back. "Good heavens, Emily. How should I know? French is my language."
"Oh honestly," Emily huffed. She spoke loudly at the front desk attendant, who was just getting off the phone. "Room?"
The woman managed to reply without rolling her eyes. "Yes, madam," she said in slow, deliberate English. "We have a room. How many nights?"
Emily paused. "I'm not sure. Richard, how many nights are we staying?"
"Well I don't know – how many nights are they staying?" Richard said.
"I don't know," Emily said, focusing her attention back on the woman. "Can you look up a reservation for me? Huntzberger, Logan Huntzberger."
Rory's eyes widened, and she quickly walked over to the front desk. "Grandma!" she said in surprise.
Emily turned around. "Rory! Thank heavens you're dressed," she said, rushing over to Rory and giving her a perfunctory hug.
"Um, ok," Rory said, confused and feeling a bit squished. Emily let go. "So… what are you doing here?" Rory asked.
"Well, we came to-"
"Richard, Emily!" Logan said, appearing out of nowhere, interrupting Emily. "What a wonderful surprise," he said, offering his hand to Richard who shook it automatically.
"Logan," Richard said sternly.
"So, wow, Rory told me that you guys go to Europe every summer. But I had no idea that our trips would overlap. What a coincidence, huh?" Logan said with a wide and easy smile.
"Well, it's not quite a coincidence," Richard started.
"Oh, I see, you were in Rome and looked us up? That's great, isn't that great, Rory?" Logan said, looking at her in complete seriousness.
"Huh? Oh…yeah…great," she said.
"I assume you'll want a room adjoining Rory's," he continued.
"Adjoining mine?" Rory said in surprise.
"Yes, let's see what we can work out." Logan leaned casually on the front desk. "Buongiorno, Alessandra. Do you have any rooms available next to Miss Gilmore's?"
"Buongiorno, Signore Huntzberger. I am sorry, we only have a room available at the end of the hall, but it is on the same floor. Is that still acceptable?" she answered.
"What do you say, Emily? Richard?" Logan said.
Richard and Emily looked at each other, clearly flustered. "Well," Emily said. "I suppose that would be…acceptable," she allowed.
"Excellent. Alessandra, could you organize a room for Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore?" Logan said.
"Of course," she said, beginning to type into her computer.
"So," Richard said, trying to clarify the situation, "you mean to tell me that you and Rory are traveling together in… in separate rooms?"
"Naturally," Logan said. Emily's eyebrows shot up. "Although, for safety reasons, we always get adjoining rooms. You can't be too careful when traveling internationally. Don't you agree?"
Rory looked at Logan in a mixture of admiration and confusion. She knew he was a consummate bullshitter, but this was above and beyond anything she'd seen him pull.
"I suppose so," Richard allowed. Emily and Richard both looked flabbergasted.
"Well," Logan said, rubbing his hands together. "I know you need to get your reservation secured with Alessandra, and I'm sure you're tired from your trip. Rory and I were just about to head out to lunch, but would you like to join us for dinner? That is, if you think you'll feel sufficiently rested at that time."
"We will, thank you," Emily said curtly.
"Alright, then shall we meet back here – in the lobby, that is – at 6 o'clock?" Logan suggested.
"Fine," Richard said, still slightly confused.
"Wonderful. This was such a pleasant surprise; see you later!" Logan said, offering his arm to Rory to lead her out the door. She tentatively took it and turned to her grandparents.
"Um, see you guys later," Rory said. "Bye."
She held onto his arm until they got into a waiting cab. Logan gave directions to the cab driver and she promptly dropped his arm.
"Ok, what was that, and how did you… and why are they… what was that?" Rory said.
Logan expelled a breath. "Ok, first off, when I see Finn, I am going to seriously kick his ass. The message he was supposed to give us? Yeah, that was it," he said, pointing in the direction of the hotel, which was quickly shrinking behind them.
"I don't understand," Rory said.
"All I can say is thank God your mother called," Logan said, running a hand through his hair. "When I went back to the room to get my wallet, the phone was ringing, and I managed to catch it. It was your mother warning us that your grandparents were coming at an undisclosed time, and they had somehow gotten her to divulge our whereabouts. Luckily, I managed to go ahead and call the front desk the minute we hung up. I told the woman that we needed an adjoining room immediately, and to have your things moved into it as soon as possible. I'm sure she must have thought we got into a terrible fight or something, though I believe she probably thought I was just plain crazy once I requested that if at any later time I asked for an additional room, would she please lie and say the only room available was pretty far from the existing two rooms."
Rory wrapped her mind around everything he just said. The crazy arrangements were secondary to her immediate concerns. "But I still don't understand… why would they just show up here? I mean, without any warning?"
Logan smirked. "It seems that when they got wind of this little European jaunt of ours, they figured it was inappropriate."
"Inappropriate?" Rory repeated.
"Yeah, well, seems they can't stand the though of me… deflowering you," Logan said wryly.
"Oh God," Rory said, turning red. They were silent as they both reflected on the impact that the Gilmores would have on their summer plans. Rory was the first to break the silence. "Well there's no way we can keep wearing these rings. That would only add to…to the confusion." She frowned and looked down at their hands; Logan was absentmindedly twisting the pseudo-wedding band on his finger.
"Honeymoon's over, huh?" Rory said ironically.
"Well, not necessarily," Logan said, stroking his jaw.
"Logan," Rory said, a warning in her voice. "What are you thinking?"
Logan sat back in the cab. "Well, I just might have a plan…"
Next Time, on All It's Cracked Up to Be: Logan and Rory deal with their unexpected guests as they try to figure out a way to make it to Amsterdam on time, and they have very different ideas on how to proceed...
