a/n: Thank you for all the kind reviews, I wanted to post a chapter back to back because i feel bad about the delay the last time...silly internet. I also want to touch base on Jess. This story is Rogan, however the fact of the matter is that Jess is a father figure to Charlotte, and that isn't going to change. His relationship with Rory will change, and Charlotte will have a relationship with Logan, but it doesn't mean she won't always see Jess as her Dah. A lot of the interaction is based off of my niece who didn't know her Dad until she was about this age.
Chapter Five
"Did you read this?" Jess exclaimed as he looked at Rory when she returned from putting Charlotte to bed.
"I did." Rory raised an eyebrow and exhaled, "It is a lot."
"Your daughter will have more money than me, probably more money than I will ever have." Jess couldn't wrap his mind around the proposal that Logan had given Rory.
"I don't know what to do." Rory admitted, "You know, it is a lot, but by the same token, she is a Huntzberger, it's kind of a birth right. Like my Grandparents had a lot of money, and my Dad's parents too, but the Huntzbergers...they own the media, they have a lot of money."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know." Rory admitted, "It's not really something I had given much thought. I mean, we are good, we are happy, I can pay my mortgage, my car is fine..."
"Well according to this, Logan Huntzberger will pay your mortgage if you want him to, like pay it off, no more payments, and he'd probably throw in a Range Rover too."
Rory smiled awkwardly, Logan would do that, all of those things, but she didn't want it, and Rory knew that Logan knew that. "He will set something up for Charlotte, and I don't expect or want anything more. I don't need his money, if I had needed, or wanted the money, I would've been banging down his door a long time ago. I'm not Anna Nicole looking for the money."
"Logan also isn't a million years old." Jess joked.
"That is true, he is not, and I don't think Anna Nicole had a baby with the old guy?"
"I think you're right. Bad reference."
"It's hard without Mom around, no one to practice on."
"I should go." Jess finished his beer, "You should call your Mom, work on your references."
"You don't want to stay for another drink?"
"I can't Ror, I'm sorry."
xxx
"Til, did you confirm I can use the chopper tonight?" Logan shouted from his office, it was Wednesday and he needed to make it to soccer that night, "I need to get to Philly."
"It is ready to leave whenever you are." Matilda came into his office, "Do you mind if I ask what is in Philly? You've always struck me as more a filet mignon guy, are you actually a Philly Cheesesteak kind of guy?"
Logan chuckled to himself, he hadn't told anyone what was going on outside of his parents, sister, Colin and Finn. "I've just...it's some personal stuff." he felt bad not telling her the truth, "And I promise once it is a bit more sorted out, I will tell you everything. Right now, no one really knows what is going on."
"You don't owe me an explanation." Matilda assured him, "I just worry about you, you know that." he nodded in response, "I also had a realtor go through the apartment today to get you a price to list it at. It is the agent your sister suggested, so he is going to put together some comps and suggest a list price to you by tomorrow. Do you want him to look for places for you to buy?"
"I'm not sure yet." Logan told her, "I'll stay at the hotel if I need to or crash with Finn, but hopefully we can get the place sold quickly and then I can move on to something else. Know any buyers?" he joked.
"A bit out of my pay grade, Logan."
"Til, don't ever think I'm not telling you because you work for me, you are...a constant in my life, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that." Logan walked to his office door, "I'm going to change and head out, can you tell the pilot I will be ready in 15 minutes." he asked as he closed the door. He had to admit, he wasn't sure what one wore to a kids soccer game, he had never made it to one for Honor's kids, and Colin had never asked him to watch Riley or Cooper play, so the night before he had asked his friend and Colin had simply laughed at him before telling him that casual was acceptable and Logan had settled on dark jeans and a polo shirt. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, or what impression he was worried about, but he wanted to look the part of soccer Dad.
xxx
"My 'Ogan still coming, right?" Charlotte asked her Mother as she unclipped her carseat restraints.
"Yes honey, he called me saying he is in Philadelphia and he is going to be here soon." Rory assured her, Logan had just called before they got in the car to head over to the soccer field.
"Mommy?"
"Yes Charlotte?"
"Will 'Ogan stay with us like Dah does sometimes?"
"No honey, Logan will not be staying with us, unless by some weird fluke there is no hotel availability in the city." Rory told her as she got her bag out of the trunk, "We can talk about this another day, alright? It is time for your warmup." Rory didn't intend to say anything to Charlotte about any sort of relationship with Logan. That simply was not what she was looking for, she wanted to help Charlotte and Logan build a relationship and beyond that, she had no expectations.
Charlotte ran off to join her team as they ran between pylons, or maybe it was more accurate to say that they ran in the general vicinity of pylons. Rory stood and watched, she noticed the sound of the grass crunching under his feet and like all those years ago, she could feel him before she could see him. "You're really in for a treat." Rory smiled, "Four year olds playing soccer is pretty intense."
"I've heard that, Ace." Logan smiled as she looked at him, "Just wait until the championship tournament"
"I don't think it's really a tournament." Rory laughed as they watched Charlotte laugh and run around the field.
"Oh come on, I looked online at the soccer association and it says there is a championship weekend. Huntzberger's love competition." he joked.
"Well, Gilmore's are not naturally athletic, so we'll have to figure out a happy medium."
"Is there anyone we should be watching out for?" Logan asked as the kids continued working on drills.
"I don't think so, no one is quite at the Olympic caliber."
"And these coaches are...?"
"Volunteers." Rory answered, "Which is insane. They don't even get free registration. Trust me, I asked."
"Do you tip them?" Logan laughed, "I mean, if I'm being honest, I only hear from Honor about the Hamptons soccer leagues and those are a whole different ball game."
"Yes, what a tough life, soccer in the afternoon, sangria in the evening?" Rory joked.
"I'd rather be here." Logan told her, "That's her?" he pointed to Charlotte who was running with the mob of tiny people, "Does she have the ball?"
"I think so?" Rory squinted to look, they were too far to be sure but they both watched as she ran towards the goal and took a shot. Miraculously it made it into the net, not because of any prowess on Charlotte's part, but the fact of the matter was there was a lot of net, and a tiny person to cover it. "I think she scored."
"Well I'll be damned." Logan chuckled, "She scored!" he smiled as he saw her running across the field to see them.
"I DID IT MOMMY! I DID IT!" Charlotte screamed, jumping dramatically towards Rory.
"You did." Rory hugged her, "We saw, it was awesome!"
"You see too 'Ogan?"
"I saw it too sweetheart." Logan assured her, "You're doing great out there."
"I'm tired." Charlotte told them.
"Honey you still have to play." Rory told her, "Go back out and join your friends."
xxx
"That was some soccer game." Logan stood in the parking lot with Charlotte and Rory.
"You come again?"
"I will be here next week." Logan promised her.
"What do you say we go for ice cream to celebrate your goal?" Rory suggested, looking at Logan who nodded to assure her that he would join them.
"Dah too?" Charlotte smiled sweetly.
"Honey he is working, he can't come, but Logan will come." Rory smiled, Charlotte nodded her head in agreement, "Do you want to follow us in your car?"
"Sounds like a plan." Logan agreed as Rory began to strap Charlotte in her carseat and he walked back to his rental car. He drove behind them as they drove about ten minutes to the closest Dairy Queen and they both parked and got out of the car. "Why don't you guys go grab a seat?" he nodded towards the park beside them, "I will go grab the ice cream."
"Sure." Rory reached into her wallet to grab some money.
"Rory, it's ice cream, I've got it." Logan laughed, "Charlotte what kind of blizzard do you want?"
"Peanut butter!"
"What about you, Ace?"
"The same is good."
"Oh come on, we both know you're not a peanut butter girl, you're an Oreo girl aren't you?"
"Mommy loves Oreos!" Charlotte interrupted.
"I remember that." Logan raised an eyebrow to Rory.
"Well then, I guess I will have Oreo." Rory agreed, she had to admit, she was a little bit happy that he still remembered those things about her. "C'mon Charlotte."
Logan happily ordered the ice creams and went to join them on a bench at the park next door, "So I have two peanut butter cup Blizzards, and one Oreo Blizzard. I think they're all for me?" he joked.
"NO! I want ice cream! I scored a goal!" Charlotte laughed.
"Oh, so one for you, two for me, and none for Mommy?"
"Mommy gets one too." Charlotte shook her head, "Remember, she likes Oreo."
"Well then I guess Mommy gets one too." Logan handed Charlotte and Rory both their ice creams. "Did you read over the paperwork I gave you?" he asked Rory once Charlotte seemed enthralled with her ice cream.
"I did." Rory assured him, "And your proposals are all very generous, but we are fine Logan. I don't need a bigger house or a yacht or a summer home."
"Rory please, I need to do something for her, she is my daughter, and like it or not that means that she is also a Huntzberger, and all that goes with that." Logan told her.
"You could put money in a college fund?"
"I will set up a trust fund."
"Nothing too extreme, please." Rory sighed. "I can send you all of her information, I assume that you need a social security number to set up a trust fund for someone."
"It is a standard Huntzberger thing." Logan told her, "What about you, Ace. Isn't there something you need?" he asked again, "It doesn't have to be a yacht, or a summer house. It can be a car, or money in a retirement fund."
"Logan I don't need your money." Rory told him again, "You have an obligation to Charlotte, we agree about that, but I am not going to take anything from you. I've been doing fine on my own so far."
"You are too much like your Mom sometimes." Logan laughed, "Alright, well, lets get something set up for her, and then maybe I'll convince you to let me treat you to a spa weekend or something."
"Don't hold your breath, Huntzberger."
xxx
It was nearly eleven when Logan made it back to his room at the Mandarin Oriental, he was exhausted but it had been worth it. Rory had invited him back to her house where he was able to hang out with Charlotte for a bit longer, and she gave him the paperwork he would need to set up a college fund and a trust for her. He had to admit, he was happy with how things were progressing. Two weeks earlier he didn't know he had a daughter and now he was making some progress. Sure it wasn't sleepovers and being called Dad, but they were getting to know each other.
As he filed the paperwork into his briefcase, he felt his phone ringing from his pocket, "Hello."
"Well baby brother, do you know how hard it is to get ahold of you these days? Where the hell have you been?"
"I just got back from Philly," he explained, "I watched a soccer game."
"Logan I've been inviting you to soccer games for years and you've never made it!" Honor laughed, "I'm surprised you survived, much less took a helicopter to get there."
"What did you and Josh try to use it and it was out with me?" he joked.
"Hardly, I called your office and Matilda told me." Honor explained, "Anyway, I know it's late, but I just wanted to touch base with you about the weekend after this, you know that it is the party in the Hamptons the weekend after this, will you be there?"
"I believe I RSVP'd yes." Logan told her, "Although I always wonder what kind of barbecue requires an RSVP."
"A barbecue in the Hamptons being hosted by a Huntzberger." Honor told him, the disdain obvious in her voice, "Will Charlotte be coming?"
"Hon, I don't know." Logan sighed, "I have seen her one weekend and then tonight, I don't think she's looking for an overnight with me, and I don't think Rory is really the Hamptons type. Much less the Hamptons for a full week of this bullshit."
"Oh come on Logan, she's a red blooded American former member of the DAR, she may not be a Hamptons girl, but it is the fourth, and we will be having a good time. Eventually she will have to see Mom and Dad, you know this, right? Charlotte is a Huntzberger, and I want to meet my niece and spoil her."
"Honor you have kids to spoil."
"Yes but something about a little miniature Logan brings out a whole different side of me." Honor laughed, "Don't change the subject, either you ask her or I will."
"Honor if you want her there so badly, you can ask her." Logan groaned, "I do not want to push my luck for a party I barely want to go to."
"My god all this travel must have made you grouchy." Honor laughed, "Alright baby brother, I will connect with Rory and let you know how it goes. But if she comes, I don't want you taking any credit for it."
"I wouldn't dream of it, goodnight Honor."
xxx
It was Saturday, Rory was sure it was Saturday morning when she heard banging on her front door at 7am. Was her Mother supposed to be visiting? No, that was mid July she was seeing her Mom. She groaned as she rolled out of bed and pulled on one of her old Yale sweatshirts, actually, it was Logan's old Yale sweatshirt. She had refused to get rid of it over the years because it had become hers. "Jess?" she called as she walked towards the door, "Did you forget your key?" she asked as she pulled the door open, "You are not Jess."
"Glad you're as sharp as ever." Honor Huntzberger-Fitzgerald smiled at her, "Long time no see."
"Honor!" Rory was surprised and immediately she felt very underdressed. Honor stood sharply dressed while Rory fumbled around in her sweatpants, "This is a shock!"
"Well, my brother told me that you two had a baby, and that was a pretty big shock given that she's really not a baby, she's four, and he told me it was alright to talk to you, so I wanted to talk. But I didn't think this was a phone conversation, I thought this was an in person conversation, so I thought I would come to you."
"And here you are, at my house..." Rory paused to gauge how Honor was feeling towards her.
"I am a little bit disappointed." Honor admitted, "But I'm excited for Logan, and I understand how this is a very complicated situation that probably isn't what you had meant for it to be."
"That would be correct." Rory exhaled, glad that she wasn't going to get a strip torn off of her before she had a cup of coffee, "Do you want to come in? I can make us some coffee and then maybe get dressed? By some sort of luck, Charlotte is still asleep so maybe you can meet her when she gets up?"
"That sounds lovely." Honor smiled as she followed Rory into the kitchen, "This is quite the place you've got here."
"Well, it's no palace, but it is more space than we need, and I can pay the bills."
"Rory I am not here about money, I know you aren't interested in the money and I am sure my brother has tried. Dad will probably try at some point too." Honor added as Rory began to make a pot of coffee and the two women settled in the kitchen. "He's not mad."
"Who? Logan?"
"Dad."
Rory had to admit, the wrath of Mitchum Huntzberger was not something she was particularly looking forward to, so to hear that he wasn't furious with her was somewhat comforting. "Well I'm glad. I hope that Charlotte will be able to get to know you and Josh, and your parents."
"And I have two kids." Honor added as Rory handed her a black coffee, she shook her head to say no when Rory offered her creamer and sugar, "Two boys, Hunter and Liam, they are..."
"I remember when they were born." Rory admitted of the two boys, "They must be what...six and eight now?"
Honor nodded, "So this thing between you and my brother was for the long run then?"
It was Rory's turn to nod, "I'm not proud of it Honor, and I know that he would've been with me had I said yes, but I was too scared. I thought I was going to make it in this world and I wanted to do it without the nepotism or screwing my way to the top. "
"You weren't screwing him Rory." Honor told her softly, "I mean, ok, maybe you were, but he loved you, my baby brother never loved anything until he met you, and he never stopped loving you. You and he would've known that you weren't screwing your way to the top, wasn't that all that mattered?"
"I guess I am Lorelai Gilmore."
Honor nodded, Lorelai Gilmore was infamous in the Hartford social scene. She had gotten pregnant by a Hayden at 16 and rather than fall in line, she had run, she had run from the names and the money and raised her daughter in a small town. Honor remembered when she was younger being envious of Lorelai Gilmore, but now seeing Rory, and Logan, and Charlotte, and the damage that the independence that Rory had looked for caused, she wasn't sure that being Lorelai would've been all that freeing. "Well, I am not here to talk about the past, what is done is done. I have a niece, and your daughter has two cousins, so hopefully we can be friends."
"I would really like that." Rory took a sip of her coffee, "So you came all the way to Philly just to tell me you wanted to be friends?"
"I came all the way to Philly to invite you to the Hamptons for our July 4th party." Honor explained, "Josh and I and our boys will be there, Colin and Steph have a place and their two boys will be there, all of our parents will be there, Logan will be at his house, I am sure Finn will be somewhere floating around and Rosemary and Juliet normally stay with Colin and Steph. So it is the old crew, just...grown up because they have kids. We eat and drink and swim, there will be a few nannies up there to watch the kids so we can have some adult time if we want." Honor told her, hoping that she wasn't overselling it, "We would love for you to come for the week, and you can stay with us if you'd like, or I'm sure that my brother would be thrilled to have you at his place."
"Let me look at my calendar and talk to Logan." Rory told her as she mulled over the reality of the kind of things that would go down in the Hamptons, they would probably spend more than she made in a year on a single party, "But I really appreciate the invitation."
"Rory I understand why you are hesitant about this, and this life, but it is his reality, and to a certain extent it is Charlotte's reality too." Honor told her, "So take the mansion out of the equation, and just think of it as friends and family getting together and having a good time."
"I will think about it, I promise." Rory smiled, "Now if you will excuse me for ten minutes, I can go and put clothes on and bring Charlotte down?"
"I would love that." Honor told her, "You go, I have an e-mail to send."
Rory walked upstairs and into her bedroom, she washed her face and put on a striped t-shirt dress that fell just above the knee, she had picked it up at when she and her mother had gone shopping the last time she was in Stars Hollow. She pulled her hair into a neat ponytail and went to wake her daughter. "Charlotte," she spoke softly and received a groan in response, "honey there is someone here who would like to meet you." Rory continued, gently rubbing Charlotte's back.
"Pancakes." Charlotte grumbled as she rubbed her eyes.
"Yes sweetheart, we can make pancakes. You get up and come downstairs, alright?" Rory kissed her forehead once more and pulled the blankets away, Charlotte nodded her head in response as Rory flicked on the light and made her way back downstairs.
"You know I always have been jealous of your effortlessness." Honor laughed as Rory reemerged in the kitchen, "That dress is amazing."
"Oh, thanks, I picked it up the last time I was in Hartford. It's from ." she explained as she began pulling pancake fixings out of the cupboards and fridge, "I hope you like pancakes because that was the blackmail I used to get her out of bed."
"Well as luck would have it, I love pancakes." Honor smiled, "I am so very excited to meet her Rory. Logan showed me some photos and some videos from soccer that you sent over, she just...seems so happy and well rounded, and as parents, that really is all we want for our kids, right? Their happiness?"
Rory nodded as he made the pancake mix and then heard footsteps coming down the stairs, "Charlotte honey, in the kitchen." she called as the little footsteps got closer and finally the blonde haired, blue eyed girl came into the kitchen, "Honey, can you say hi? This is Honor."
"Hi honey." Honor bent down and smiled at the little girl, smiling as Charlotte reached out and touched her hair, "We have the same colour hair, don't we?"
Charlotte nodded her head in response, "Hi."
"Charlotte," Rory took a deep breath, "This is your Auntie," Rory saw a confused expression come across Charlotte's face, "you know how Aunt Gi is my sister?" Charlotte nodded in response, "Well Honor is Logan's sister, so because she is your Dad's sister, she is your Auntie." Rory had explained after Logan's first visit that Logan was Charlotte's Dad, she had told her that she could call him whatever she wanted, and that she still had a Mommy and a Dah, but now she had an extra Dad too and he had a family that wanted to meet her.
"Hi." Charlotte repeated.
"Hi." Honor smiled again, "I have two little boys who are a little bit older than you." Honor told her, "Their names are Hunter and Liam."
"I have a friend at school named Liam."
"Well I'm sure he's a lot of fun." Honor smiled as Rory presented them each with a plate of pancakes. "Thank you, these look delicious!"
"Well I'm not much of a cook." Rory laughed, "But I can handle pancakes."
"Mommy is a badddd cook!" Charlotte laughed as she began to pour syrup over her pancakes.
"These don't look bad!" Honor laughed, "And I can assure you, I'm not much of a cook either."
"Charlie," Rory used her nickname for Charlotte, "how would you feel about meeting Honor's kids?"
Charlotte shrugged, "they here?"
"No baby, they aren't here, they're in New York I assume?"
"Hartford." Honor smiled.
"Gramma Grampa live near Hatford."
"I believe I knew that." Honor nodded her head, "Are they still in that little town?"
"Stars Hollow, yes." Rory smiled, "Grandma sold her house a few years ago and lives in Nantucket now."
"I believe I heard that." Honor nodded her head, "Doesn't she volunteer at a museum now?"
"She does." Rory laughed at the memory of her Grandmother giving tours of the whaling museum. "She has really found...a new version of herself since Grandpa died."
"I cannot imagine how hard that must be for her."
"It's gotten easier." Rory nodded her head, "It's been five years, crazy as that is to say."
"Richard was a lovely man." Honor sighed, "It must be an adjustment for the entire family." Rory nodded her head in response, "I do hope you'll think about coming to the party, and for the trip."
"I promise I will think about it."