It was approaching Eleven o'clock at night, on the evening of December 23rd, Rory and Logan were lying on the bed together, after have attending Elias's funeral earlier in the day. It was yet another glimpse for Rory into the society world that her Mother had turned away from. The funeral was solemn, dignified, but strangely lacking emotion. Rory had taken note of the fact that no one had cried during the various ceremonies. On occasion, when the priest recounted the softer side of Elias, Logan's eyes had teared up and had squeezed Rory's hand, but that was the most emotion Rory had seen.
It wasn't until Rory and Logan arrived at the wake that she began to feel some of the discomfort Logan was warning her about before coming to the funeral. Logan had tried to stay with Rory as much as possible, as to avoid any confrontation, but he was called away by his Father to talk business with some associates from Los Angeles. Logan had kissed Rory before leaving and told her that he would be back as soon as possible and went off into the sea of people leaving Rory alone in foreign territory. Rory looked around the room, hoping to appear engrossed in something that wouldn't allow someone to come up to her and ask questions that might make her even more uncomfortable. What Rory was truly safeguarding against was a discussion with Logan's Mother. Shira had glanced her way a few times, both at the funeral, and at the wake, her eyes unable to disguise the disbelief that Logan was still with Rory and brought her to the funeral. Thankfully for Rory, Logan was with her those times and was able to whisper words that relaxed her against Shira's gaze. Rory had spent a few minutes admiring one of the many paintings that adorned the walls when from the corner of her eye she spotted Shira, striding purposefully towards her, the same dissatisfied look still in her eyes. Shira was a few steps, and a few people away from Rory, when a lady interrupted Shira's advance and Honor approached Rory from the opposite way as Shira.
"You can thank me later, Rory."
"Huh?" Rory asked relieved, but confused.
"For blocking my Mother, I saw Logan a few minutes ago and he asked me to run interference just in case she'd try something. So I enlisted my favourite Aunt to help and it looks as though we pulled it off beautifully," Honor looked at Shira and her Aunt, walking in another direction discussing plans for the new year.
"Thank you Honor, and I guess I'll have to thank Logan as well. I really didn't want to talk to your Mother."
"Nobody ever does," Honor said as she and Rory started talking, and Rory's fears of confrontation slowly ebbed away.
The silence that filled the darkened room ended when Logan spoke: "What are you thinking about?"
"Right now?" Rory asked turning to face him.
"Yeah."
"The future I guess, you know, typical stuff after a funeral, wondering what's going to happen to me, to you, to us. That sort of thing."
"Anything specific you'd like to talk about?"
"Maybe later, you must be tired," Rory told him, not wanting to put him through anything more today.
"Rory, if there's something on your mind, especially if it's about us, I'd like to know. I don't want things to fester, and believe me I talked more about business ventures in Europe than anything else, I'll be glad for the respite," Logan smiled and kiss Rory on her forehead.
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."
"So it's bad?" Logan asked, looking concerned.
Rory chided herself for making him think that way, "No, not bad, just uncertain. I mean, I have a fairly good grip of what I'm going to be doing in the future, but you, and us. That's where I'm unclear, that's where I'm worried."
"Well, what do you want to happen to us?"
"Logan, be serious."
"I'm not saying it will happen right away or anything, but I'd like to know what you want, and to try and make that happen."
Rory looked in his eyes, and believed every word he said, "What I'd like to have happen is for you and I to be together, not just emotionally, but physically, I want you back with me, I need you back with me. Whether it be tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, I just need it to happen. I need to know so that there's an end in sight, I need…" Rory was cut off before her rambling by Logan
"Tomorrow it is, well I'll have to tie together some loose ends in England in the new year, but my Dad wants me back to help him in New York, and anything that gets me closer to you I'll gladly accept."
"You dad is bringing you home early?"
"Yeah. He told me this morning, I was going to surprise you, but then I thought about the circumstances and thought that'd be in poor taste. I think he's having a harder time with his father's death than he's admitting to anyone else, including himself. So, sometime in the middle of January I'll be back with you, in every way."
"Wow. That's great, well good, well not good, but you know," Rory struggled to find the words to show her happiness while maintain a level of respect for the event which brought it about, "it will be good to have you back."
"I know the feeling."
"Now, I know this is relatively new to you, and to me, but when you come back, where are you going to live?" Rory had to ask, she knew the answer she wanted, but was unsure as to if it was the one he would give.
"You're cute when you're nervous," Logan said as he brought her even closer to him in bed, "I'll be living right here, with you, that's if you'll have me."
Rory's smile grew large and kissed him soundly, "Of course I'll have you here. This is after all your apartment."
"Our," he quickly corrected.
"Our apartment, but won't you be based in New York? Isn't that a lot of traveling? Back and forth, day in day out."
"Rory, relax, I've done it before, it won't be an issue. Especially since I'm coming home to you. I want to be here, with you, every day, so that we can build more on to what we started to build."
"And what have we started to build here Logan?" She asked sheepishly, knowing the answer.
"A life together, a future."
"I like the sound of that."
"Merry Christmas, Ace. I'm sorry for having to spend it in Connecticut."
Rory maneuvered her way tighter in Logan's embrace, planted a lengthy, deep kiss on his lips and whispered into his ear, before drifting off into sleep: "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
The End
Author's Note: Well there's the final chapter, I had never intended this story to go on for a long time and I don't think I would have been able to continue it even if I had wanted to. It served as a break from One Last Time (updated tomorrow), and I think it has done it's job. My next story, which I don't have an idea for yet, will most likely be decidedly lighter in tone than this one. Thanks to all for your readership.