AN: So, the consensus was that this needed another chapter. I started writing this then I took a hard left and ended up somewhere I did not expect. None the less I hope you guys like the ending.
On with the show!
Hours had passed and Logan realized the Rory was starting to seem more like herself. When he noticed it he decided to ask one more question that had been bugging him since last night.
"Hey, Ace?"
"Yeah, Logan."
"Can I ask you a question? About yesterday." Rory sighed and turned off the movie to look at Logan. "What else do you want to know?"
"About your ex-boyfriend." The silence was deafening. He knew that it would be a sensitive topic but he needed to know.
"Look, Logan, you can ask and if you really want to know, I'll tell you. But you are NOT allowed to judge me, got it."
"I'm in no position to judge you Ace, remember when I sunk a yacht? And that's just one of the many bad decisions I've made." He smirked at her, hoping to calm her nerves.
Rory fiddled with the TV remote for a while before explaining what happened. "Remember Dean?" She asked without looking up.
Logan suddenly remembered the scene outside Rory's grandparent's house after the Male Yale party, where her boyfriend very publicly dumped her after him and his friends followed her outside. "Yeah, I remember Dean. But, I thought you guys had dated in high school?"
"We did. But, we broke up in my senior year, I started dating a guy named Jess and he met Lindsey, who he ended up marrying a year later." Logan was shocked by this but nodded for her to continue. "At the end of my freshman year, I felt like the world was falling in on me. A professor recommended that I drop a class because they thought five was too much, mom was getting her inn up and running so I rarely spoke to her and I felt that things were spinning out of control. I had just moved home for the summer and Dean listened to my minor meltdown and tried to make me feel better. My relationship with Jess was unreliable and inconsistent and I was reliving it all because he showed up at my dorm when I was moving out to ask me to run away with him. I needed reliable at that moment and that's what Dean was. Or at least I thought so. We ended up sleeping together the night of the Dragonfly run through. Mom had sent me back to the house to get some CD's and he followed me there, I didn't think I was leading him on but I guess I was. We ended up having sex that night even though he was still married, we didn't start seeing each other regularly until he was divorced but I played a large part in the disintegration of his marriage. Maybe Straub was right, maybe I really am a whore who will open her legs for anyone who looks at her. That's essentially what happened with Dean."
"Whoa! Ace, stop right there! Just stop!" He actually held his hand out in front of him to get her attention. He grabbed her face in between his hands to get her to focus on him. "You ARE NOT a whore. Don't EVER say that about yourself ever again! First of all, it takes two to make a stupid sexual decision. He chose to sleep with you if he didn't want to cheat on his wife he wouldn't have slept with you. Second of all, it doesn't sound like you gave him an invitation to show up at your house, he saw an opportunity and he took it. You came to him for help and he took that as an invitation."
"I was a very willing participant in the whole thing, that makes me at fault."
"No, it doesn't. You didn't go home that summer planning to have sex with your married ex, you didn't plan to break up his marriage. And you certainly did not sleep with him because he was the first person in a while to show he cared about you."
Rory backed away from Logan and pulled her knees up to her chest as if to protect herself before speaking. "Maybe I didn't try hard enough," Rory whispered more to herself than to Logan, but he heard it none the less.
"What do you mean?"
Rory looked at him unsure if she was going to tell him about one of her biggest insecurities. When she looked at him she saw nothing but concern and kindness. "Have you ever wondered why I'm more straitlaced then most college sophomore's?"
"I always thought you just were just comfortable in your sheltered bubble?"
"I was. But, there was more to it than that."
"Ok? What was it?"
"I always sort of felt like I had to consistently be on my best behavior. Don't make mistakes, don't get bad grades, be who they want you to be and never let them regret it. If my grandfather Hayden thinks I'm a whore who ruined my dad's life, which is a lie, my dad wrecked his own life, he never saw me unless mom made him. My mom thinks she should've had an abortion so she wouldn't have to deal with my grandparents and my grandparents think that the lack of a scandal is worth more than me. I mus'nt've tried hard enough."
Logan couldn't believe what he was hearing. From the outside, it seemed like Rory and Lorelai had the perfect relationship and that Lorelai wouldn't care if Rory screwed up. In all likelihood that was true, but Rory was too scared to find out. "You aren't supposed to try and behave in a specific way in order for people to care about you. I've done so many stupid things but I know my sister cares about me. Hell, once I sank a yacht but she paid off the coast guard and bailed me out of jail. The people who love you and care about you aren't going to care about your perfect GPA or a spotless record. Ignore your grandfather he's an asshole and doesn't deserve to know you. So please don't take what he said seriously and it's your dad's loss if he didn't take the time to be a part of your childhood. I'm no stranger to having an absentee dad, it took me a lot of years and a lot of bail money to realize that he wasn't worth it and that I was better off without him. You haven't needed your dad or his family before so you don't need them now."
"Yeah, but it would have been nice."
"Yeah it would, but you have so many other people who love you, you don't need them."
"You're right. I never really cared about the Hayden's opinion of me until last week, it doesn't matter what I do, they aren't going to care." Logan wasn't sure to be relieved for saddened by her realization.
Rory was quiet and the longer the silence went on the more concerned Logan got. He knew that she was worried about something but he couldn't figure out what simply by looking at her. When she started biting her lip he spoke up. "What are you thinking about, Ace?" A small smile came across her face lessening Logan's panic over her silence.
"You know my grandparents weren't a part of my life until I was sixteen." Logan was about to interject about the Hayden's when Rory cut him off. "I mean the Gilmore's. When I got into Chilton my mom didn't have the money to pay for tuition and they don't give out scholarships, so my mom went to her parents to see if they'd cover tuition. If we have a falling out, I'd be able to live with it. My grandpa and I are closer than my grandma but I went sixteen years with minimal contact, I could go back to that. If my mom and I had a falling out I don't think I'd survive it. We're ridiculously close, she's actually my best friend. I can't imagine my life without her. While I never had my dad, it was always just my mom and me. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have her anymore."
"You'll still have her Rory."
"How can you know?"
"Last night, after you fell asleep I was out in the living room when your cell phone rang. I picked it up and it was your mom. She wanted to apologize and try and make things right."
Rory sighed not sure what to think about that. Her mom had waited hours after the initial blow out to try and deal with the aftermath. "I don't want to talk to her just yet. I will but I'm just so mad, and upset that I'm not sure how a conversation would go."
"Ok you don't have to do anything you don't want to but you should talk to her soon. She's worried about you."
Rory nodded her head absentmindedly, thinking about what Logan said. "You're right. I'll call her soon."
Logan could tell that Rory didn't want to talk about it anymore so he turned the movie back on and they finished the movie in silence.
Rory stayed the night again and life eventually settled down in the next few days. Logan didn't want to let Rory leave, he didn't want her to be alone and it took very little to convince Rory to stay.
Rory, Stephanie, Logan Colin, and Finn had gone out on a Saturday night a few weeks later to blow off some steam. At some point, Logan and Rory had been abandoned by the other three. They were walking into a restaurant when Rory suddenly froze.
"Ace, what's wrong?" Logan looked around expecting to see the Gilmore's since the whole Hayden fiasco Rory had cut almost all ties with her grandparents. Her grandfather and she were still communicating and he was still paying for her tuition, without her grandmother's knowledge. She hadn't spoken to her grandmother since the disastrous Friday night dinner three weeks earlier. When a quick scan of the restaurant didn't show the Gilmore's, he looked to Rory to explain what was making her nervous. She nodded in the direction of an older couple who were getting ready to leave the restaurant.
"Who are they?" He whispered in her ear. She turned her head and whispered, "The Hayden's" so quietly that he had to strain to hear it. He looked at her in shock and she simply nodded in confirmation. As the Hayden's walked towards them Straub turned to say something to the maître d when he spotted them. Logan had never seen someone glare with as much disgust as Straub Hayden glared at Rory. That was saying something coming from Logan who had been on the receiving end of his father's tirades so often that he could almost schedule them into his week. They left the restaurant and before Rory could register what had happened Logan took off after them.
When she caught up with him Logan had started speaking in a threatening tone that Rory hadn't heard before.
"Straub Hayden, Logan Huntzberger, I have something I'd like to say to you."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"I know what you said to Rory at the Gilmore's house three weeks ago."
"Really? And what did I say?"
Logan looked at Rory silently asking for permission to repeat what had been said, when she nodded her head in agreement Logan recounted the entire encounter. As Logan got further into the story Straub's face started to pale. "What gives you the right to say those heinous things to a girl that you hardly know? You are wrong about all of it, you know. She's a wonderful person and she is most certainly not a whore." Logan looked at Rory apologetically, she shrugged her shoulders knowing that he didn't mean any harm by using the phrase.
"Are you sure about that? If she is with you, you must be screwing each other, she holds no other use for you." Logan was done playing nice and he grabbed Straub by the collar and shoved him up against the wall of the restaurant.
"Logan, let him go." Logan reluctantly released Straub and backed away, the man looked like he was ready to explode he was so angry. "You know, I do have one question," Rory spoke up startling Straub and Logan who had been locked in a staring contest. They turned and looked at her as she spoke again. "How did you know I slept with Dean? It wouldn't have shocked me in the least if you didn't know where I grew up so how'd you know?"
"I'm a very powerful man, Rory." Straub sneered her name like it was the most disgusting thing he'd ever said. "I'm also not above breaking the law to get what I want."
Rory went to speak again but was cut off by Francine "He was having you followed, he wanted to make sure that you wouldn't mess with his career. There was also something about bugging your house."
"Francine!"
"Well, next time you plan something illegal don't leave the email chain open on the computer. You could have left her alone! She didn't do anything, all she did was be born, all of this wasn't necessary."
"Francine, do you still have that email chain?" Rory said confusing everyone.
"Yes, I do, why?"
"Because I think Mitchum Huntzberger would find that very interesting. A supreme court judge illegally bugging his granddaughters house and having her followed."
Logan grinned at Rory's thinking, he couldn't believe that this was the same girl he meant earlier that year. She wouldn't dream of causing anyone harm but now she was plotting the demise of a supreme court judge's career.
"You're right Ace. My father has always hated you," He said pointing at Straub "And now we've given him the perfect ammunition to ruin you. He's always liked you, Ace, he'd absolutely be willing to take Straub down if you asked him too." Rory was pleased at what Logan said, it meant that she wasn't bluffing, she had real ammunition if she wanted to use it.
"You wouldn't dare. I would destroy you and your entire family. I had them sign an iron clad non-disclosure and telling Mitchum Huntzberger would be in direct violation."
"Try me. I asked my grandfather for a copy of the non-disclosure that you made my grandparents and my mom sign, and I guess it wasn't as iron clad as you claim because I found a loop hole. There is nothing in there that says I can't say who my father or my paternal grandparents are. It seems you forgot that the mess you were trying to separate yourself from would turn into a person. A person with just as much power as Richard Gilmore, or more considering I've got a newspaper conglomerate on my side."
Straub was staring at her in shock unable to speak, while Logan was beaming and Francine was smirking. She knew that one day her husband's hubris was going to come back and bite him in the ass, the fact that it came from the granddaughter he shunned just made it that much sweeter.
"C'mon, Ace. Let's go." Rory nodded, leaving with Logan while leaving a shocked Straub and an amused Francine in their wake.
They had been driving for a few minutes before Rory spoke up. "I want to go to Stars Hollow."
"You sure, Ace?"
"Yeah. I need to talk to my mom I haven't spoken to her in two weeks, I've never gone that long without speaking to her and it's time to try and fix this." There was a moment of silence before Rory spoke again. "But I also want to try and find those bugs in my house." Logan smirked, he was wondering if she was really going to try and destroy Straub or if she simply wanted them out of her house. "Ok, but I need to make one stop first."
A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of Colin and Finn's apartment building. "Logan, what are we doing here? I really don't walk in on some weird orgy those two are bound to have."
Logan barked out a laugh at Rory's hesitancy to go up to the apartment. "Don't worry Ace, they won't be back for hours, and I've got a key so we aren't breaking and entering. As to why we're here, Colin went through a paranoid stage and bought a device to find bugs. And luckily for us, I know where he keeps it. C'mon." With that, he hoped out of the car and gestured for Rory to follow him. For a reason, she didn't understand she trusted him and would probably follow him anywhere he asked.
Forty-five minutes later they were entering Stars-Hollow with the bug locator. Rory had gone from nervous and jittery, talking a mile a minute, to an eerie silence. "Ace, it's going to be fine." Logan reached over and laid his hand on her thigh, surprising them both Rory reached down and grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze. They stayed that way while they drove through the sleepy town and eventually pulled into the driveway of Rory's childhood home.
Logan smiled looking at the house, even from the outside it seemed so homey and welcoming. His house lacked such characteristics. Logan looked over to tell Rory what he was thinking but stopped when he saw her expression. "Are you ok, Ace?"
"Yes, no, I don't know. What if she's really mad. What if she decided I'm not worth it. What if she's pissed I didn't get pictures when we threatened Straub!"
"Rory, relax, she screwed up and she knows it, so she won't be mad at you. She'll just be happy to see you." Rory started biting her lip as she looked up to the house, Logan reached up and eased her lip from between her teeth then lightly touched her cheek. "Are you ready?" Logan whispered, even though all he really wanted to do was kiss her but knowing that doing that would ruin most of what had happened until that moment.
"Yes, I am. Will you come with me?" Logan was shocked at her request. He really thought that would be a Gilmore Girls only moment and that he'd be intruding. "Are you sure? I can just stay in the car."
"No. I want you to be there. Please." Logan nodded his head then got out of the car after her. She hesitated for a moment then walked up to the house and walked in. Logan diligently followed behind though he was confused about how some could just walk in their parents' house.
"MOM!"
"Rory?" Lorelai stuck her head out of the kitchen to see Rory and Logan standing in her living room. "Oh my god! Rory! You're home!" Lorelai rushed forward giving Rory a huge hug. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean a word of it, and I should not have said it. Will you ever forgive me?" Lorelai was holding Rory at arm's length so she could see her while they spoke.
"Of course, I will, but mom it really hurt what you said, and I'm still a little mad at you."
"I know. I will make it up to you I promise. Now, can I ask about the trust fund baby standing awkwardly by the couch?"
"Oh, that's Logan."
"You're Logan, huh?" Logan nodded his head, slightly terrified of Rory's doppelganger. "I've heard many things about you, but the most important thing I saw to you is thank you." When Logan looked on completely baffled both girl burst out laughing.
"What did you think she was going to eat you?" Rory said through giggles
"Well, yeah! She's scary and I'm rarely thanked for associating with anyone's daughter."
Once Lorelai and Rory stopped laughing Lorelai looked at Logan seriously again. "I do mean it. You looked after Rory when she felt that she had no one, and I know that I am partially to blame for that and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her, but the fact that you cared enough to look after her means so much to me. I'll trust you forever even though you come from a species I don't particularly like."
"I appreciate that, and I'm so glad that you trust me, even though you should, by nature, probably hate me."
Lorelai grinned at Logan now that they had reached a mutual understanding. She looked back at Rory and grinned. "So, do you want to hear about the latest town gossip? Babette got a new cat and everyone's up in arms!"
"No way! What about buttercup? And what did Taylor say?"
"Well, buttercup was diagnosed with depression and she needs a support animal, so there's no issue there, but Taylor said that Babette and Morey did not gain the proper license nor go through the proper training to have a service animal within the town limits."
"Well of course. Buttercup had seemed sad. And how can Taylor expect to keep the order if there are animals running around without the proper license. What do they think we are? A Zoo?"
Logan smirked and settled in to hear all the stories that happened in the magical town of Stars Hollow.
"Now kid, I've got to ask, did something prompt this visit of yours?"
Rory sighed not sure how to tell her mom about her latest encounter with the Hayden's. She looked at Logan who nodded his head in support before she continued. "Yes, something did prompt the visit. But, before I tell you the rest can we go outside to talk about it?"
"Sure kid, but why?"
"I'll tell you everything once we're outside."
Once they were all situated on the front porch Rory continued her story. "Logan and I were at a restaurant earlier today and when we were leaving we saw the Hayden's. There was confrontation and Logan threw Straub against a wall."
"Nice going kid." Lorelai said to Logan before gesturing for Rory to continue.
"Well, we found out that he had been having me followed. When we were at the Gilmore's he said-some not nice things and he knew what happened with Dean. Tonight, I asked him about that and he said that the nice thing about being rich was that he could do whatever he wanted, even if that meant breaking the law. He said that he had been having me followed and Francine also said that he at one point thought about bugging the house."
"Hold on, you mean that someone has been recording everything that has been said in our house?"
"Possibly yeah."
"That asshole."
"Yeah, when we found this out Logan threatened to Huntzberger his ass. Ruin his career, drag him through the mud, the whole nine yards."
This was when Logan decided to make himself known. "My father has always hated Straub Hayden, I don't know why and I don't really care, but he's also loved Rory since the minute she called him a tyrant and stood up to him like no one has since he was a child and was scolded by his nanny. I believe that if Rory asks he would happily run the story about how Straub illegally bugged his granddaughters house. We just need proof. Francine was going to send Rory a copy of the email she found the information in and we were hoping to find the bug."
"Go for it. But, how are you going to do it sweets? We haven't stumbled across it yet so it's well hidden."
Logan jumped in again knowing that it was almost too crazy to believe. "I have some insane friends and one of them went through a paranoid phase. He bought all of this high-tech security equipment and other gadgets, one being this bug tracer." Logan handed the device to Lorelai before continuing. "We wanted to use it and see if we could find the bug."
"Wow, kid. The perks of having rich friends."
"What can I say, it comes in handy sometimes." Rory quipped back
"Oh, I get it. You only associate with me for my money." Logan teased.
"Oh, don't be like that. You know I love you." Rory smiled at Logan not missing the startled look on his face, but not saying anything about it.
"Ok." Lorelai yelped from her spot on the swing. "Let's go find this bug."
One hour later they had found three bugs, one in the living room, kitchen and Rory's bedroom, making Rory feel violated that someone was listening to everything that happened in her bedroom. They also found one camera positioned so it could see the living room, a part of the kitchen and the entrance to Rory's bedroom. They had the four devices spread out on the coffee table looking at them in shock and horror. Before anyone had a chance to say anything Rory's phone chimed indicating a new email, she pulled it out and realized it was from Francine Hayden. She had sent a copy of the email where Straub had discussed bugging and setting up cameras in Rory's house. She showed the email to Logan and he just nodded his head. "Logan, call your dad. We've got everything we need now." Logan nodded and got up to make the phone call.
"I can't believe it sweets. He was always a horrible man but I thought it was just ego and superiority, I never thought he'd do something like this. Are you ok? What do you want to do?"
"I want to bash his head in, but I don't think that's a good idea."
"Yeah, let's hold off on the physical violence for a while." Lorelai was impressed, Rory never would have been so set on seeking justice for something like this, she was glad that her daughters backbone was finally taking shape. "Do you want to stay here tonight? Everyone really misses you."
"Oh, mom. I'd love to but tonight I think I need to go back to Yale. A lot has happened and I need some space. Especially from all of that." Rory gestured to equipment in front of her.
"That's ok, sweets. I understand, but come home soon and we'll do a real Gilmore Girls weekend. Complete with the sugar coma." Rory hugged Lorelai, relishing the feeling of having her best friend back. Logan chose that moment to back into the room. "I called my dad and…" He trailed off noticing the looks on the girls faces. "Are you guys ok?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine. So, what did your dad say?"
"He wants to see all of this but he's pretty sure he can run the story either way. He's so excited that he has a chance to take Straub out I might not get a lecture for two weeks." Lorelai laughed, knowing the feeling of being a disappointment to your parents all too well.
"Rory, do you want to stay here tonight? Because if you want to come back to Yale then we can swing by my dad's office in Hartford and show him all of this and the email. So, what do you want to do?"
"I'm going with you." Logan beamed, pleased that she wanted to stay with him. They collected the devices and all of their things before saying goodbye and heading to Hartford.
Within the next month, two headlines graced the front pages of nearly every HPG paper in the country. The first one, which was released a little over two weeks after the meeting outside the restaurant read Judge Supreme, Straub Hayden Illegally Spied on and Recorded Estranged Granddaughter for Political Gain. The fallout from that was immense, there were hearings, criminal charges laid against Straub and Rory was a part of the 24-hour news cycle in a way that she had never intended.
Two months later the next headline read Hayden resigns From Supreme Court amidst Criminal Charges.
Rory never saw or heard anything about the Hayden's ever again.
AN: Yes, I am aware that real life doesn't really work like that but a girl can dream. I am also aware of the irony when Logan says that Lorelai would still love her no matter her criminal record. It worked with the statement, so I put in there.
Review if you please!