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Last time: "Logan, we need to talk."
Logan felt his stomach contract when he heard those four words. There wasn't anything wrong was there? Could Rory be, oh God, could she be pregnant? But surely she would have told him if she was when he had arrived home this afternoon. He tried to remember what she'd been drinking at her grandparents' house.
"Logan?" Rory gently touched his arm and he jumped.
"Sorry, sweetie. Um, you said you wanted to talk? Do you want a glass of wine?" he asked. Rory nodded and he felt a feeling of relief sweep over him, with a touch of disappointment. He'd never actually thought about having children until he'd become involved with Rory. He knew he'd be expected to have an heir to carry on the Huntzberger legacy, but that was before he had walked away from the family business. Now, if everything went the way he was hoping it would, he and Rory would have children because they wanted to. Rory eyed him as she took her coat off and hung it up.
"What's with you tonight?" she asked. Logan mentally shook himself and quickly slid his arms out of his coat and hung it up.
"Just lost in thought, I guess. Red wine or white?" he asked, heading toward the kitchen.
"Red sounds nice, thank you," Rory said as she went into the living room and settled down on the couch. She could hear Logan opening and closing cupboard doors. A second later he came into the living room with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. He set the glasses down on the table and opened the bottle before he filled the glasses. He handed Rory a glass and she quietly thanked him as he sat down next to her with his own glass. Rory took a sip of her wine and swallowed before she took a deep breath.
"What's going to happen to us Logan?" she asked. Logan looked at her, puzzled.
"What do you mean, Ace?"
"You've accepted the job in Palo Alto, you're moving out there within the next week, or the next couple of weeks. I, on the other hand, don't have any idea what's going to happen for me career-wise. I've been applying to jobs in Connecticut, New York, and Philadelphia. I've heard nothing back yet, and I'm scared," Rory stopped talking and took a slightly longer drink of wine before she continued. "For the last twenty-two years, I've always known what was coming. I've always had a plan. First, it was Stars Hollow High, then it was Chilton, and then it was Harvard which changed to Yale. For the first time in my life, everything is unplanned and I don't know where I'm going to end up. I know I still want to be a journalist, but—" Rory stopped and tried to get her breathing under control, she was getting more worked up with every word. Logan watched her in concern, he'd never seen her this agitated. Rory took another deep breath and continued, "But I also want to be with you. These last three years with you have shown me there's more to life than just studying and working hard. I've learned how to have fun and be adventurous with you and I know you're the one for me and I don't know if our relationship could survive long distance again, or how it would work if I was on the road for months at a time." Rory stopped talking and took another long drink of her wine, draining her glass. Logan, who had been quiet the entire time, had felt his heart soar when Rory told him she knew he was the one for her. Would she come with him to California, then? He turned his attention back to Rory, who said, "We were able to have a transatlantic relationship, but I don't know if we would if we could survive a transcontinental one." Logan nodded in agreement. He took a drink of his wine and set the glass on the coffee table before he took Rory's hands into his own.
He swallowed hard before speaking. "I was hoping you would want to come with me to Palo Alto. There are newspapers there, you could submit your resume and portfolio, and you could continue writing pieces for Hugo until you find something. I-I found a house while I was there. It's beautiful, Rory. It's got a big backyard, it's two stories, it has an avocado tree in the backyard. It's not for sale, but the owners are looking for someone to rent it to," he said.
"I do like guacamole!" Rory said enthusiastically. She'd listened to Logan like a woman in a dream. He'd really thought about this. He'd thought about the next chapter of their lives together and gone looking for a place to live. The house sounded perfect for them. Logan smiled and nodded before he turned serious.
"I agree with you about the long-distance relationship. We've already done it once, but the entire time I was in London I couldn't stop thinking about you and missing my life with you here." Rory blinked back tears as she stroked Logan's hands with her thumbs.
"A year ago, you asked me to tell you not to go to London, to tell you that you could figure something else out and blow off your Dad and your whole pre-destined life. In the deepest, most selfish part of my heart Logan, I wanted so badly to tell you to stay. I-I missed you so much while you were in London, and every day for the past year I've regretted not telling you to stay here. I think, no I know, I didn't tell you to stay because I was afraid of what it would do to your relationship with your dad. With your family. That was a year ago, and now instead of asking me to tell you to stay, you're asking me to come with you. You have figured something else out. And my answer is yes, I'll come with you to Palo Alto," Rory finished. The moment Logan had told her his hope for her to come with him, all of her stress and anxiety and uncertainty had cleared. Rory knew what it was like to lie beside Logan in the dark, how his hand would always find hers under the blankets and cover of darkness, how she would wake up in the morning to find herself curled in his arms and breathing in his scent.
But she also knew what it was like to go to sleep alone, his side of the bed cold. How she would reach out in the night to touch him only to find he wasn't there. Now that Rory knew what it was like to live without Logan, she was positive she did not want to live the rest of her life without him.
Logan smiled and pulled her towards him, and for a few minutes, they just held each other. Eventually, Logan drew away and wiped Rory's tears away with his thumbs.
"I missed you so much while I was in London, and I would have missed you just as much, if not more if you had said you wouldn't come with me," he confessed. Rory smiled gently at him and reached up to cover one of his hands with her own.
"I missed you too. It wasn't the same coming home to an empty apartment. I love living with you. I love having breakfast in the morning and reading the papers, bickering over who gets to shower first before we leave for the day. Our banter while we're getting ready to go out with friends or for dinner just the two of us. I love our life together, Logan." Logan smiled at her as he poured them both another glass of wine.
"I love our life too, Ace." He kept a hold on one of Rory's hands as he took a long drink of wine and mustered the courage to ask Rory one of the questions he never thought he would ask. "Rory, what would you say if I told you I've been thinking about engagement and marriage?" Rory let out a gasp as her heart began to beat a little faster.
"I would say I've been thinking about the same thing. I've thought about marrying you since before you went to London. I love the idea of being married to you, Logan. If you think about it, we've been living like a married couple for the last year and a half." Logan nodded, Rory was right, and he laughed to himself as he remembered how scared he used to be of commitment, engagement and marriage before she came along and changed his mind.
"So, if I asked you to marry me . . ." he said hopefully.
"I would say yes. I want this, Logan. I want to be your wife, I want you. When it comes right down to it, true love is all that really matters," Rory finished his sentence. Logan touched his forehead to hers as the two of them continued to sit side by side on the couch. Slowly, the blissful look on Rory's face was replaced by one Logan knew very well, the look his Ace got when she was thinking hard about something. Before he could ask her what she was thinking about, Rory spoke.
"I'm just thinking about my Mom. She has a phobia of commitment, you know. I think she has a phobia of our world, to be honest. She hates that I've become part of the world she ran away from. She's always called me her mini-me, and maybe that was true when I was younger, but it's not true anymore. I-Why are you smiling like that?" Rory asked, seeing Logan's small smile.
"Because you said our world. I've never heard you say that the world of wealth and cotillions and D.A.R. functions was our world. It was either "your world" or "my grandparents' world." Rory leaned back into the sofa and took a sip of her wine as she regarded Logan thoughtfully.
"It is my world, it's my birthright. I was born into it, and I would have grown up in it if my Mom hadn't run away. It's time I embrace it fully. Stars Hollow will always be my hometown, and I love the people there, but I also belong to this world," Rory said before she swallowed the last of her wine. She pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"Rory. What's going on in your head?" Logan asked.
"I'm just wondering why my Mom ran away, and why she filled my head with these thoughts or her opinions I guess is a better word, that this world and its people are so bad because it isn't and they're not. Sure, I've met people who look down on others and don't treat those who are not as well off the way a decent human being would," Logan squirmed uncomfortably, he knew this wasn't directed at him exactly but he had definitely treated people poorly. Rory continued talking, "But I've also met a lot of good people. And I can't help but wonder if I hadn't been accepted into Chilton, my mom went to my grandparents for help with the tuition, if that hadn't happened I probably wouldn't have had a relationship with my grandparents. I didn't really have a chance to build a relationship with them until I was almost sixteen because we only saw them on holidays." Rory stopped talking suddenly. She thought about it some more and was struck by a terrible realization.
"I probably would have gone my whole life without ever knowing my grandparents if Mom hadn't needed their help to pay for Chilton. I probably wouldn't have met you or the guys, I wouldn't have become good friends with Paris, I never thought I'd say that once upon a time," Logan laughed and Rory laughed with him before she continued, "I probably wouldn't have gotten into Yale. What would my life have become?" Logan set his wine glass down and pulled Rory into a hug.
"Whoa, Ace, calm down. Don't think about the 'what ifs', focus on what did happen. You did get into Chilton and graduated at the top of your class. Besides Yale you got accepted into two other Ivy League universities, you have a great relationship with your grandparents, you've made great friends in Paris, Lucy, and Olivia, and the guys, and you came into my world and completely turned it upside down. You've made me a better person, Rory. When I look back at how I used to be, I shudder. That person and the person I am now are vastly different, and I happen to like this version of myself much more than who I was before." Rory smiled while a few more tears leaked out of her eyes. Without a word, Logan shifted on the couch and lifted Rory so she was laying against his chest.
For a few minutes, he just let her cry while he rubbed her back and massaged her favourite spot between her shoulder blades.
"Darn pre-graduation jitters," Rory said as she snuggled deeper into Logan's arms. She didn't know why she had cried so much today.
"Graduation is a stressful time, Ace. We also just had a huge conversation about what our lives are going to look like. What our next chapter is going to be." Rory nodded and lifted her head slightly to look at Logan, who brushed her bangs back gently.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked her. Rory nodded. "Good. We should go to bed, we have a busy couple of days coming up." He gave Rory a quick kiss as she got up to go into the bathroom.
"I love you, Logan."
"I love you, Ace."
So, quite the loaded chapter for Chapter 3, and a much-needed conversation for our favourite couple. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and Chapter 2!
Chapter 2 Reviews:
Rori Potter: Yes, Rory does need to think about what she wants for herself and not what would make others happy, but we have to keep in mind that for her entire life basically, she has been a people-pleaser. She is always worried about pleasing others and wanting everyone to like her, and that can be a hard pattern/behaviour to break when you've done it for your whole life. I know because I'm guilty of doing this too, particularly during my childhood, adolescence and part of my adult life. Like Rory, it's something I'm working on and like her, I am focusing on what I want instead of what others want.
RoganJalex: Thank you so much! When my friend and I were discussing this chapter before we started writing it, both of us agreed that Richard was always the voice of reason in the show, and I think that's where Rory got her logical side from. He would be the one to help Logan realize that what he was originally wanting to do for his proposal would make Rory uncomfortable. While it wasn't addressed in the show, there isn't a doubt in my mind that Richard and Emily never completely forgave Lorelai for taking the first fifteen years of Rory's life from them, especially since Lorelai was an only child and Rory was their first and only grandchild.
BookloverAlive: First of all, awesome screen name! I'm so glad you are enjoying the story and are excited about what's coming next. I can promise you the next few chapters are good ones!
Samantha Renk: I wish that too! If they had things might have been different. You'll just have to wait and see! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Kellybras: Thank you so much, and thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
December Jeffries2: HEA for Happily Ever After, that makes sense! The man-to-man talk between Richard and Logan was actually one of my favourite conversations to write, the one between Emily and Rory being a close second. Emily really loves Rory and I feel sad we didn't get to see a lot of their relationship in the show, and I think if anyone was going to give Rory advice about the future and her relationship and potential engagement/marriage to Logan, it would be Emily. Logan's proposal will be very different from the one in the show, that's all I'm going to say! As for Lorelai, we will have to wait and see.
52shari: I love a warm and fuzzy Emily, and I don't think we've seen the last of her in this story! I believe she's always had a soft spot for Rory, and without Lorelai around to make her opinions known on Rory's uncertainty about her future, Emily was able to show her granddaughter the warmth, love and concern she needed at that point. Richard is definitely saving Logan from disappointment, I have plans on how to deepen the relationship between these two that I can't wait to set into motion!
Lysen5972: Thank you so much! It was definitely satisfying to write those conversations. I hope you enjoyed the conversation between Logan and Rory. You're very welcome, thanks for taking the time to review!
Red lighting: Thank you so much!
Jumpingaces: Thank you! A little communication goes a long way and I'm glad you like what you've seen so far. I don't know I'll ever watch the original series again because I know how it ends.
Loganhuntz: I am glad you are enjoying it! Yes, things definitely would have been different if we'd seen them actually "factor each other in" like they said they were going to. You can see in the episode when she's looking at the ring she wants to say yes. Emily does push for things, but in this case, she had Rory's best interests at heart and she wants to see her granddaughter happy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the conversation between Logan and Rory, and I hope my vision of Season 7/the revival makes your shipper heart happy! You're so welcome, I'm really enjoying writing this story! As for the drama, we'll just have to wait and see!
YaleAceBella12: More is on the way!
Reesa0817: Thank you kindly! I definitely think things would have been different. I'm glad you are excited to read more because I am excited to post more!
nicholsndimes08: I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I am going to continue and have no plans to stop! I'm excited to share my version of their lives :)
Thank you so much everybody for your reviews, I love reading them and hearing your thoughts. Since I am still in the process of writing this story, updates will be once a week on Mondays. I had originally intended to wait until the story was finished to start posting chapters, but a little voice in my head told me to start posting now.
Till next time, xoxoxo.