AN: Woohoo! I have a working computer again :)
"Pyjamas?" Lorelai read off of her daughter's list. Rory picked up the meticulously folded flannel nightwear off the bed next to her and placed it in the suitcase.
"Check," she confirmed.
Lorelai placed a tick mark in the appropriate checkbox and moved on down the list. "Two pairs of jeans…" She looked up at her daughter disapprovingly. "Two? Is that how I raised you to pack?"
Rory rolled her eyes at her mother. "Jeans can be worn more than once, and if something happens, I'm sure I can get the hotel to clean them for me."
"Yes, but there are different jeans for different occasions. You have your looser fitting, lighter wash jeans for day; then there are the dark, straight-legged, tailored jeans for hanging out in the casino with the high rollers; and of course there are the too tight, low-riding, slutty boot cuts for working it on the dance floor and making all the European boys drool," Lorelai explained. "That's three pairs of jeans right there."
"I don't own too tight, low-riding, slutty, boot cuts."
Lorelai gasped dramatically. "What do you wear to the bars?"
"Nothing," Rory replied frustratedly.
A wide grin spread across Lorelai's face. "Now that's the daughter I raised.
Rory just sighed, "Fine, I'll make it three."
Her mother stared at her pointedly for a moment.
"Four?" Rory tried again.
"Four it is," the older woman smiled proudly. "Now, moving on…"
The mother and daughter combo continued packing Rory's suitcase until they had gone through the entire list, with Lorelai making occasional comments about Rory's skimpy packing style and convincing her to add more. When Lorelai had read off the last entry, she flipped back through the rest of the list, looking at it with a furrowed brow. "You forgot a bathing suit," she finally said.
"The weather there is like it is here, what do I need a bathing suit for?" Rory asked, thinking of the 50 degree temperatures outside.
"You always need a bathing suit. There could be a hot tub, or an indoor pool—you said Stephanie mentioned a spa—you'll need a bathing suit for the spa," Lorelai pointed out.
"I need bathing suit for the spa?" Rory asked. She'd never been any place like that before; she wasn't really sure how it worked.
"Well, no actually, you don't need a bathing suit for the spa, most people just go naked."
"Naked?" Rory asked wide eyed. There was no way she was getting naked around other people.
"But bathing suits are acceptable as well," Lorelai replied with a smirk.
"Fine,' Rory huffed, standing up and walking over to her dresser to grab her swimsuit. She returned to the suitcase and placed the modest one-piece inside.
Lorelai looked at her daughter with raised brows. "Seriously?" she asked.
Rory sighed, "What's wrong now?"
"If nuns went to the beach, that's what they would wear with their habits. You can't bring that, Rory."
"It's the only bathing suit I have."
"I am deeply ashamed," Lorelai declared, burying her face in her hands in an over dramatic gesture.
"You bought it for me," Rory reminded her
"Yes, before you had the boobs to hold up a bikini top."
"Well it's all I have, so it will just have to do," Rory said, effectively putting an end to the conversation.
"Fine, let's get these bags closed," Lorelai moved on, trying to hide the twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes.
Rory stood up off the bed she was sitting on and flipped the top of her suitcase down, quickly noticing the large gap between the two sides of the zipper. She pressed down on it, smooshing the clothing within, but still the suitcase would not close all the way.
"Try sitting on it," Lorelai suggested. Rory did while Lorelai attempted to zip it closed with no success. Rory sighed and looked over at the other suitcase, knowing that that one was just as full. "Well," Lorelai shrugged, "looks like you're going to need another bag."
"But I already have two. I can't take that much luggage with me, I'm going on a plane. I knew I shouldn't have let you talk me into all those shoes."
"Rory," Lorelai gasped. "really, the shoes are the most essential items, you can't not bring them. Besides, I don't think the usual baggage limit holds on your friend's fancy-shmancy private jet."
Rory sighed in defeat, knowing there was nothing she wanted to leave behind—besides, she would need a little extra room for souvenirs as well. "I guess."
"Good, I'll go get another bag from the storage closet," Lorelai agreed, standing up and walking towards the door of Rory's room.
"Mom…" Rory stopped her.
"Yeah?" she asked, turning around to face her daughter.
"Thanks."
"For what?" Lorelai asked, confused.
"For being so great about this. I know you're not thrilled with me going on this trip."
"Rory," Lorelai sighed. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned—but I'm your Mom, I'm always going to be concerned. You're adult enough to make this decision on your own, and if you're going to go, then at the very least you should have a good time."
"I will, I promise," Rory smiled.
"But not too good of a time, because we didn't pack any condoms," Lorelai winked.
"Mom!" Rory yelled.
"Oh, I wouldn't be too worried about it, though—I'm sure Logan will be prepared."
"Mother," Rory said, this time in a warning town. Rory had hoped her mother's suggestive comments about her and Logan would die down after a while, but it had been months and Lorelai was just as adamant as ever.
"Now that hurts," Lorelai replied in mock indignity, placing her hand over her chest. "What have I ever done to deserve something so cruel?"
"Do you really want to me to answer that?"
Lorelai pouted, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly. "Fine, I'll behave."
"Good, now about that third suitcase…" Rory replied with a smile on her face as she watched her mother slip out of the room.
"I'm going, I'm going."
Rory followed the bellhop into the hotel room behind Stephanie. Logan, Colin and Finn had the adjoining room next door. The rest of the group they had come with were across the hall—Rosemary, Juliet and Beth in one room and Seth and Robert in the other.
Rory stopped short as she entered the room, taking in her extravagant surroundings—the place was huge, but something was missing. "Where are the beds?"
Stephanie laughed. "In the bedrooms." She pointed to a couple of doors off to the left.
"We have our own rooms?"
"That would be the point of a suite." Steph responded before turning back to the man with the luggage. "You can put those bags…" she pointed out Rory's three bags, "in the first room, and the rest can go in the other room. The bellhop went about his business and Stephanie turned to Rory once again. "Now, I think it's time to get this vacation started, and to effectively let loose and have fun, you need to be relaxed so…" she plopped down on the couch and picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers.
"What are you doing?" Rory asked.
Stephanie just held up a finger, motioning for Rory to wait. "Hi, yes, this is Stephanie Vanderbuilt in room 1433...I'd like to schedule a couple of massages…"
That girl wasted no time, Rory noted. There was a brief pause in the conversation, as Rory assumed the concierge transferred Stephanie to the right line. At that moment the bellhop returned from putting the luggage in the rooms.
"Will there be anything else ladies?"
Rory tensed up, not sure what the proper procedure was. Stephanie held her hand in front of the phone before speaking. "No, that will be all, thank you."
"Very well…"
Rory leaned in to whisper to Steph as the man walked towards the door. "Are we supposed to, you know…tip him?"
"It's been taken care of," the blonde girl assured her with a wave of her hand. "Hi, yes, I'm here," Stephanie spoke into the phone once more. "Yes, two of us…an hour long…what do you recommend?...That sounds amazing…yes, that's the one we want…uhhuh…as soon as possible…that would be perfect…thanks." Steph began to hang up the phone but stopped short. "Oh wait," she yelled into the phone. "Yes…I almost forgot, we want masseurs," she added, placing emphasis on the masculinization of the word. "The hottest ones you've got," she added with a smirk, before hanging up for real.
"Soooo…" Rory started, looking at Steph uncomfortably.
Stephanie rolled her eyes at her friend. "You have soooo got to relax. They should be sending a couple of Greek Gods up here in about thirty minutes to help you with that. Now go unpack and get ready."
"I don't know Steph… I mean, this is all really nice but it's not…"
"If you finish that sentence I will be forced to tie you to a chair and make you watch Finn's Passion of the Christ—and I'll make sure it's during one of his naked phases."
"Oh God," Rory gulped. "Anything but that."
Steph laughed. "Now seriously Rory, stop worrying and go change."
The brunette reluctantly agreed and the two girls each disappeared into their respective rooms.
Rory grabbed a suitcase off of the rack it had been placed on and set it on the bed before collapsing next to it. She really hoped this trip hadn't been a bad idea—she was just so far out of her comfort zone. She wanted to relax and have fun but she couldn't stop feeling guilty about that fact that she had all this amazing stuff just handed to her. It wasn't right that she didn't have to contribute. She knew that none of the others cared—but it didn't stop her from feeling uncomfortable with it.
She took a deep breath and tried to relax. There was nothing she could do about it anymore; she was there—she should at least try and get in the spirit of things. Rory sat back up and unzipped her suitcase. As soon as she flipped the top open she let out a groan and silently cursed her mother. She should have known Lorelai wouldn't give in so easy on the bathing suit front—Lorelai would continue to mock her for her prudish bathing suit for ages; and this was true Lorelai style—it wasn't enough to give her just any old bikini—no she had to get her this bikini.
Rory picked up the suit Lorelai hand snuck into the baggage and held it up—there was no way she was ever putting that on. Rory set the suit down and began digging through her luggage for her less revealing swimwear. As Rory got to the bottom of the suitcase she began to panic. She quickly shut the top of the bag and ran to her others, digging through the contents.
"Shit!" she cursed out loud, looking at the mess she'd created all over the floor. Lorelai hadn't just put a new bathing suit in her bag—she'd taken the old one out.
Rory just stared at the skimpy two-piece sitting on her bed for a moment before moving to pick up the mess she'd made. Fifteen minutes later she was unpacked and there was no more procrastinating to be done. She had nothing else to wear. Her mind briefly flitted back to the comment that Lorelai had made the previous night about most people wearing nothing. She chuckled slightly—she didn't know if Lorelai was serious about that but Rory might as well be wearing nothing if she put that bikini on. Not that she had much choice. She let out a deep sigh and slipped out of her clothes and into the suit.
Closing her eyes, she stepped in front of the mirror and took a deep breath before opening them and staring at her reflection. She couldn't let some strange men see her in this—she was alone in her room and she was blushing. She sighed deeply—maybe Steph would have some advice to make this less awkward. She briefly considered throwing something on to cover up, but she didn't know what to wear, and besides, she'd have to let Steph see the suit if she wanted her advice. She was certain she would be mocked for eternity for this.
Rory opened the door to the common room and stepped outside—stopping short just a few steps out. She held her breath as she noticed Logan just about to open the adjoining doors between her room and his. He was facing away from her and she prayed that he would make it back into his own room before he had a chance to notice her presence, but she had no such luck—he must of heard her.
Logan was heading back to his own room to deliver the shirt Colin had left at Stephanie's. Apparently he just had to wear that shirt that night and he'd forgotten that Steph had it until just before he was about to slip into the shower, so he had asked Logan to get it for him.
Just as Logan was turning the knob on the door he heard something. He spun around and his eyes immediately went wide when they landed on Rory.
"Umm…Hi," she waved timidly, a deep blush flaming on her cheeks.
He tried to find words as his gaze traveled up and down her minimally covered body. He felt himself stiffen and he prayed that Rory couldn't see his reaction from where he was standing. He had to think of something to say—and quick. "Nice suit—did you wear it for the first time today?" he smirked.
Rory crossed her arms over her body nervously, but her words did not convey the meekness she felt. "What are you doing here?"
Logan raised the shirt he held in his hands. "Colin left it at Steph's—asked me to grab it for him," he replied innocently.
"Well, mission accomplished—you can go now."
"I don't know," he countered. I kind of like your room. The couch looks mighty comfy—mind if it sit?" he smirked as he motioned to the sofa, forgetting the initial awkwardness—he was enjoying this way too much.
"Yes!"
"You're testy…"
"Logan!" she yelled at him.
" What? I'm just saying…"
"What are you just saying?" she snapped.
"It's just that it's a bit…itsy-bitsier than I expected of you—" he replied, once again referring to the bikini. "Not that I'm complaining." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"One more quote and swear to God—"
His smirk grew even bigger. "It…was…an…" he drew the words out—the slight hint of a tune running through them.
"Logan…" she warned.
"Fine, fine." He held his hands up in defeat, before slowly backing out of the room, the smile never leaving his face.
Once he was out of sight, Rory fell back against the wall, trying to collect herself. She brought her hands to her cheeks and felt the heat radiating off of her—she could only imagine how red she was.
She took a few deep breaths before finally walking the rest of the way to Stephanie's room.
"Come in," Stephanie called in response to Rory's knock. Rory entered the room and spoke before Stephanie had a chance to say anything. "Not a word."
Stephanie looked at her friend and tried to contain her grin. Man, she hoped Rory and Logan had crossed paths in the common room. "I wasn't going to say a thing," Stephanie giggled, before promptly beginning to hum under her breath.
"Stephanie!"
"I'm sorry, I just never imagined that as your style."
"It's not," she insisted. "I had a nice normal suit and my mother went behind my back and switched them on me."
"You're mother did that?" Rory nodded in response. "God, I love your mother. I'm taking her and claiming her as my own."
"This isn't funny," Rory insisted.
"Of course it's not."
"It's humiliating. And Logan…." Stephanie had to practically bite her tongue from squealing in glee. Logan had seen her. "…Logan is going to mock me forever. He very nearly broke out in song."
"Trust me, Rory. Logan has no complaints about what he saw."
"God, I look like an idiot."
"You look hot!"
"Yeah? Then why does everyone keep making fun of me?"
"It's just unexpected, that's all," Stephanie assured her. "But you look amazing. Here…" Stephanie guided her to the mirror. Rory took another good look at herself, clad in the little yellow bikini with the baby blue dots and trim and pouted. She still felt ridiculous.
"The yellow polka dot bikini is a classic. There are men all over the word currently having fantasies that look freakishly like you do at this very moment."
Rory turned and glared at Steph. "That doesn't make me feel any better."
The blonde girl laughed. "No, I don't suppose it does. The point is, you have nothing to be embarrassed about."
"Two strange men are going to be here in a few minutes—"
"You can cover up with your robe until they get here. They'll set up and then step out of the room while you lie down on the table and cover up with the sheet. Don't worry about it Rory."
Rory just continued to pout. "Listen, if you're that uncomfortable with it, I'll call and cancel the massages, but I really think if you just relax you'll really enjoy it."
"No, it's fine," Rory relented.
"Yes! You're going to love it, I promise you Rory. Besides, if you're still worried about it, I'll be a good distraction—I go sans swimsuit completely," Steph wiggled her eyebrows. Apparently Lorelai was serious about that after all.
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