A/N: First off, the response to this story has been insane. Thank you all so much for your feedback. I am so happy the fandom is alive and well for this show. With that said, this chapter was like pulling teeth for me. The first scene came easily and then everything else...not so much. Hopefully it reads better than how it wrote!

Chapter Two

Rory sat in a café in Woodbury, waiting for Logan. She avoided meeting him anywhere in Stars Hollow due to the fact that only a small circle of people were privy to her pregnancy in the small town. Once she'd made the decision to tell Logan, it didn't feel right to share the news with anyone else until she spoke with him in person. She crossed and uncrossed her legs nervously, wondering what it would be like to see him again with the baby elephant in the room. He looked excited on the phone, but what if that changed when they saw each other in person?

She didn't have too long to wallow with her worries, because Logan walked through the door, his eyes searching for her in the café. He tensed when he saw her, his body going still, but then he walked forward with purpose, stuffing a pair of gloves into his coat pocket. She stood nervously and before she could even say hello his arms were around her. He hugged her tightly, but then pulled back suddenly and said, "Shit, I don't want to –"

"There isn't much there yet," she said. "It just sort of looks like when I eat too much Chinese food."

Logan braced his hands on her waist and looked down at her stomach. There was just the slightest hint of a bump. It seemed to have sprung that morning.

"And you're still feeling –"

"Fine," she finished. "I'm still feeling fine." She noticed a few tables watching them and said, "We better sit down. We're drawing looks."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Of course."

Logan began to move toward his side of the table but then moved the other way suddenly, skirting around Rory to pull out her seat. "Oh, thanks. That's not really necessary, but thank you."

Logan settled into his seat and asked, "Do you know how far along you are?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I was planning on scheduling my first visit with an obstetrician this week."

"I want to be there."

"You don't have to."

"Don't start that," Logan said, shaking his head. "I'm going to be here for you, Ace. I have to be. We're in this together."

"Okay," she murmured. His resolve shouldn't thrill her as much as it did. She vowed to remain impartial, but it was becoming immediately clear that would be harder than she thought.

"Have you looked into doctors yet?"

Rory shook her head. "No. I was going to talk with Paris."

"What about Honor's?" he asked suddenly.

"Honor's what?"

"Her obstetrician. Her and Josh really liked her. She was a good mix of traditional and holistic. I can ask for the name."

"Are you sure you want your sister's obstetrician?" Rory asked carefully. "Aren't you afraid that people will, you know, talk?"

"I don't care about that stuff."

"Logan-"

"I'm not ashamed of this," Logan said resolutely. "This is…sudden and not at all what I expected to get a call about on a Friday night, but it is not something that I am ashamed of. And you shouldn't be either."

"I'm not," Rory said honestly. "I can't say I'm exactly looking forward to telling everyone, but I'm not ashamed."

"I'll call Honor after this and get the obstetrician's name."

"I should run her past Paris," Rory said. "If we don't, we'll hear about it probably for the rest of our child's life."

Logan chuckled. "That's fair."

A comfortable silence fell between them that was about to get a whole lot less comfortable. Rory took a large gulp of water before saying, "Logan, there's something else I need to talk to you about."

Logan looked surprised and said, "I don't quite know what you can tell me that will top last night, but I'm all ears."

"I'm happy that you want to be here. Really happy, actually. But I have a stipulation."

Logan smirked, "A stipulation?"

"Yes. I know that news like this takes a person off guard. It can make them act irrationally. I don't want that for you."

Logan's eyes narrowed, and he began, "Rory, what-"

"I want you to promise me that you will not call off your wedding."

"What?"

"Odette already knew about us. There's no reason that this needs to change anything."

"Ace, we're having a baby. How could it not change things?"

"It'll be an adjustment," she reasoned, trying to convince herself as much as him. "A big adjustment, but we'll handle it. I just don't want you to take this big life changing moment and irrationally make another. So, promise me. Please. Promise me that you will not call off your wedding."

"I can't promise you that," he said.

"Logan-"

"I know that's not what you want to hear," he continued, "but I won't promise you that. Neither of us knows what will happen next."

"You need to tell her."

"I already did."

Rory blinked rapidly. "You did? When?"

"Right after you told me," he said. "She wondered why I was frantically trying to find a flight to Connecticut."

"What did she say?"

"She congratulated me," Logan said with a shrug. "Which feels a bit weird. I didn't really do anything."

"She wasn't upset?"

Logan shook his head. "You know how we both view this marriage. It's business. We get married and my father's business gets a place in the French print sector. She actually was delighted at the prospect of you getting fat. Her words, not mine."

"I don't understand why she's so obsessed with my weight. She weighs less than me."

"Yes, with the help of a personal trainer and personal chef. You finish entire bags of chips in one sitting on a disturbingly regular basis."

"I probably shouldn't do that anymore," Rory said thoughtfully, hand absentmindedly going to her stomach. "I'm going to have to start eating vegetables now, aren't I?"

"For the sake of our kid being born with all of its parts, probably."

"Pregnancy is hard."

"This is only the beginning."

Rory swallowed hard, the truth in his statement ringing incredibly true in her ears.

"So, how long are you able to stay in Connecticut?"

"Just the weekend," Logan said. "I have a meeting with some investors on Monday."

"I still haven't told Luke," Rory said. "You may want to keep your distance for that reveal."

"We're both adults," Logan pointed out. "We don't need to hide from anyone."

"You may need to hide from Luke. I don't think he really ever got over finding us in that back room at my grandparent's vow renewal."

"It's up to you," Logan said. "If you want me there, I'll be there."

Rory selfishly considered it for a moment, drawn to the opportunity to have one more warm body in the room, but she knew this was something she needed to do on her own.

"I need to do this by myself," she said.

"I can go see Honor and Josh to get that obstetrician's name. I'm due for a visit with them, anyway."

Rory nodded. "Okay."

It felt like a natural moment for the two to part ways, but Rory found herself rooted to her seat. She welcomed this pregnancy, was grateful for it even, but she still felt hesitancy at the prospect of how much her life would change. When they left this café, those changes would really be set in motion. She'd tell Luke, and then the rest of the town would gradually find out, the finding out increasing steeply when either Ms. Patty or Babette learned the news. Logan would tell Honor and his family and then that whole world would find out. She'd gain an obstetrician and the inescapable label of Logan Huntzberger's mistress. So much for what happens in London stays in London.

"I think we have time for one cup of coffee," Logan said.

Her shoulders slackened with relief. "Okay, good."

Logan stood and said, "Please don't yell at me when I come back with decaf."

"I promise to only grumble under my breath."

He grinned. "I'll be right back."

Rory was in her childhood home, sitting at the same table where she studied for countless exams at Chilton and ate probably hundreds of Pop Tarts and drank probably thousands of cups of coffee, and her experiences at that particular table just kept growing, because now she was sitting across from her step-father and telling him that she was pregnant. Luke didn't respond for a moment, his face impassive as he processed the news.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Because there can be false positives. Your mom made me watch this Lifetime movie where-"

"It wasn't a false positive, babe," Lorelai said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Just listen to her, okay?"

"You're pregnant," he said slowly. "With a baby."

"Presumably with one of those. If not I'm a medical marvel," Rory joked lightly, hoping to break some of the tension in the room.

"When did you find out?" he asked Rory. He looked up at Lorelai and asked, "When did you?"

"I found out about a week ago," Rory said. "I told Mom after your wedding."

"It wasn't my news to tell," Lorelai told him. "She needed to do it in her own time."

"What about the father?" Luke asked. "Is it that guy you're seeing? Isn't his name Pete or something?"

"Paul," Rory corrected. "We're actually not together anymore, and no, it's not him."

"If it's not Pete-"

"Paul, babe," Lorelai corrected. "Why is he so hard to remember?"

"Sorry, Paul. If it's not Paul then who…" he trailed off, remembering how Jess had been in town. "You didn't…it's not…"

"Logan's the father," Rory said.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow, this is…how are you feeling? Are you resting enough? You look tired. Lorelai, doesn't she look tired?"

"I'm fine," Rory said, somewhat offended by her seemingly appearing so haggard. "To be honest, I feel pretty much the same."

"So, where's Logan? Did you tell him yet?"

Rory nodded. "He's in Hartford with his family telling them the news. And getting the name of his sister's obstetrician."

"If he's telling the Huntzbergers you should probably make a call," Lorelai said. "Your grandmother may love you unconditionally, but if she hears about your pregnancy from someone else she will hold that grudge at least until the kid is 18."

Rory nodded. "I was planning on calling her after this."

"So, are you happy?" Luke asked. "You seem happy."

"I am," Rory said. "This is good. It's not what I expected for my life right now. Not even close. But, it's good."

"Good." He hesitated for a moment before reaching forward and clumsily throwing his arms around her shoulders. "We'll be here for you – your mom and I – for whatever you need. I mean anything. Rides to doctor's visits. Support. Late night burger cravings. Whatever you need, we're your people, okay?"

Rory nodded, blinking back uncharacteristic tears.

"Pregnancy hormones," Lorelai said, tossing her a napkin. "Fair warning, they only get worse."

"Oh great," Rory said, laughing as she wiped at her eyes. "Something to look forward to."

"Want some company for that phone call to your grandmother?" Lorelai asked.

Rory shook her head. "I'll be fine. Maybe we can have some of those burgers afterwards?"

"Absolutely," Luke said. "I think we have some peach pie in the refrigerator, too."

"This guy must like you," Lorelai teased. "He usually hoards the peach pie for himself."

Luke looked up at her and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you forgetting the reason why I needed to hide the pie?"

Lorelai shrugged and told Rory, "I may have taken to eating it in the bathtub."

"That sounds positively ingenious."

"You two are clearly mother and daughter," Luke deadpanned.

Rory stood up and said, "Okay, I am calling grandma."

"Don't let her talk you into getting a doctor out in Nantucket."

Rory grinned. "I won't."

She walked into her bedroom and closed the door. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled down to Emily's phone number. They spoke once a week since she moved away from Hartford, the phone call taking the place of their long gone Friday night dinners. Emily promptly answered after one ring, as she always did.

"Rory, what a surprise. How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm marvelous. I'm working with Berta in the garden. You will not believe what we found planted over at the edge of the rose bushes. Do you remember the rose bushes?"

"I do," Rory said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "They are nice rose bushes."

"Anyway, over by the rose bushes we found one of those marijuana plants."

"You found a marijuana plant?" Rory asked in surprise.

"Yes! The leaves are actually quite fragrant."

"You probably shouldn't sniff them," Rory said slowly.

"I should have known the prior owners would be growing things like marijuana plants. I always thought the husband's Birkenstock shoes were telling."

"Sure, um, Grandma, I actually need to tell you something. Do you think you could go inside for a minute?"

"What's wrong?" Emily asked immediately.

"Nothing. Everything's fine. It's just – you may want to sit down."

"Rory-"

"Everything is fine," Rory repeated. "I promise. Just, tell me when you're sitting, okay?"

Emily hesitated for a moment and then said, "Alright, hold on."

Rory heard Emily tell Berta that she was going inside, and then the ambient outdoor noises silenced with the soft sound of doors closing.

"Okay, I'm seated. Now, tell me what is going on."

Rory took a deep breath and said, "Grandma, I'm going to have a baby."

Rory was met with silence and she gingerly asked, "Grandma? Are you still there?"

"You're pregnant," Emily said, the tone of her voice unreadable.

"Yes. I'm pregnant."

"How far along are you?"

"I haven't had my first doctor's appointment so I'm not completely sure, but I think about three or four weeks."

"I presume that Paul boy is the father?"

Leave it to Emily to be the one person to remember Rory's ex-boyfriend.

"No, actually. It's…" she paused, for some reason even more nervous to tell Emily this bit of information than the actual pregnancy, "…Logan is the father."

"Logan?" Emily asked, her voice going higher. "I didn't know you two were in contact anymore."

"I saw him when I was in London," Rory said. "I, um, I actually stayed with him. We sort of reconnected."

"I take it he finally broke off his engagement with that awful French heiress? Odette. Ghastly name."

"You met her?" Rory asked in surprise.

"Yes, her and Logan were at a charity function last year. I thought it may upset you, so I didn't mention it. Anyway, he is better off without her. She was about as interesting as a cream puff."

"They're still engaged," Rory said quickly. "I asked him not to make any rash decisions."

"And he listened?"

"Well, no," Rory admitted. "But as of now they are still engaged."

"You sound happy," Emily noted. "Are you happy?"

"I am. It feels right."

"Then I am happy for you," Emily said. "You're going to make a remarkable mother, Rory."

"Thank you, Grandma."

Emily paused for a moment and then said, "You know, some of the world's best obstetricians are in Nantucket…"

Logan returned to Stars Hollow after sharing his news with his family. Honor and Josh had been predictably ecstatic at the news, Honor murmuring in his ear, "This is your chance to get it right, little brother."

Mitchum and Shira showed less enthusiasm, but it was a sign of Shira's grudging acceptance that she told him, "Tell Rory to try oyster crackers if she starts getting morning sickness. I lived on those when I was pregnant with you."

Mitchum, always the pragmatist, clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Congratulations, son. I hope we can agree that this won't interfere with current plans, yeah?"

"Rory and our baby are my focus now," Logan returned firmly. "Not your business prospects."

"They're your prospects, too, son," Mitchum reminded him, gregarious tone cut with a sharp edge. "That's the deal we made when I bought you out of your last failed business venture."

Logan left his childhood home feeling the same sense of discontent and anger that usually accompanied visits with his family, but he could feel the negative emotions stripping away as he drove closer to Stars Hollow. The town didn't seem to have changed since he was last there all those years ago. It maybe seemed a bit larger, like the little town that could finally grew up.

Logan still knew his way to her house. The path was seared into his brain as permanently as his own home. He remembered how special it felt going there for the first time back during their Yale years. He finally got to see the home that made her into the incredible woman he fell in love with, and it did not disappoint. The town and her home were just as warm and quirky as she was. Although, they hadn't been quite as welcoming.

This time, Logan felt somewhat earned in his return. He had his own anchor in Stars Hollow now. This place could be another home, and it felt right. Logan parked his car in front of the Gilmore house and walked up the front steps. He knocked on the door and Rory answered a few moments later. Her hand curled tightly around the edge of the door and she asked, "How was it?"

"Okay. How was it for you?"

"Okay," she echoed. "My grandma wants me to get an obstetrician in Nantucket."

"Naturally."

She stepped back to let him in and he walked past her, hand grazing her arm as he passed. The door closed behind him.

A/N: And that's a wrap on chapter two! Let me know if you'd like to see more!