Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is the creation of Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Chapter 37: The Kind That Sticks
Hartford, Connecticut, St. Joseph's Hospital, Monday, May 29, 2017, 1:00 pm EST
As Logan stood on line waiting to order at the hospital's Au Bon Pain, he pulled out his cell phone. After the initially disastrous but ultimately victorious conversation with Rory Sunday night, Logan felt that he had to call his sister. To scold/thank her. Logan chuckled quietly to himself. It was so typical of his relationship with Honor. She could be trusted with keeping secrets - especially from Mitchum and and Shira. But throw in a few hours of shopping with another female and all bets were off.
He figured it was good that he knew this now. Especially if they were becoming friends. Not that he had plans to keep anything from Rory. Not if he expected and hoped for her to be honest with him. It was a two-way street. It'd have to be if they had a chance in hell of working out.
"Hey."
"Logan! It was so good having you and Rory over! I can't wait until Lucas is with you! You're a natural! Harper and Joshua loved playing with you. Josh appreciated having a second adult. I'm not much for rolling around on the floor. You're all set! At least as far as playtime goes!"
"Thanks. It was fun. I don't know about being a natural - there's a lot to it. I'd hope I could manage the rolling around the floor thing without anyone getting hurt." Logan paused, considering what to say about Rory and Honor's conversation. "Listen. Thanks for making the time for the shopping outing. I know Rory really appreciated it."
"Oh, I know. I already talked to her today."
Surprised, Logan made a face. "You did? When?"
"I left her a voicemail last night and she called me back this morning. I'll tell you what I told her. No one need ever thank me for going shopping! It's a vocation, not a hobby! I was happy to help. I still remember the shock of being a first-time mom. I just tried to share some hard-earned lessons."
"It was a big help. Thank you."
"So Rory was happy?"
"Seemed to be." He sighed. "Also, I told her everything."
"Of course you did. She said you two had talked."
"We have now."
"What do you mean? You hadn't talked before? Did I open my big mouth when I shouldn't have?"
"Listen. It doesn't matter. She knows everything now. You did me a favor. I wasn't planning on keeping anything from her. I just needed time to think."
"Logan! There's no time to think when you're married! Especially with our parents! Do you even know what 'In omnia paratus' means?"
"Of course I know what it means."
"So why the hell would you keep Rory in the dark on anything? You know how mom can be! She turned a beautiful vintage Van Cleef and Arpels watch into psychological warfare! Who does that?! Keeping things from Rory does her no favors! Don't you get it?"
"Yes. I get it. I thought I was protecting her."
"No. You were afraid of losing her."
"Honor –"
"Logan, listen to me. Only you can drive her away at this point. Yesterday, before things got real, we were just two girls chatting while they shopped. She's happy, Logan. She's really happy. Whatever you're doing is working."
Logan let out a breath as he stepped closer to the counter. Was Honor right? "You really think so?"
"Yeah. I really do."
Hartford, Connecticut, 42 North Main, Tuesday, May 30, 2017, 8:00 am EST
When not otherwise occupied with Rory or Rory and Lucas, Logan spent every minute of his spare time Monday afternoon and evening considering Honor's words. Or actively ignoring Finn and Colin while trying to consider Honor's words. He kept telling himself there was no need to rush things with Rory. Neither of them was going anywhere. Their primary commitment was to their son. They'd be in each other's orbits for the foreseeable future. Rory's big reveal regarding her baby gear purchase quotas meant she expected they'd be together - as a family unit, at least - whether they were in Hartford or in Stars Hollow. Or in Nantucket. It had been Emily who had first mentioned the Fourth of July Nantucket outing but Rory's off-hand mention of it seemed to indicate she was on-board with the idea. Provided, of course, Logan agreed to wear jeans.
Stepping out into the hallway that connected their two apartments, Logan continued to ponder his possible strategies. He basically had two options.
The first option was to wait. Be patient and let things take their course. Rory could be notoriously pokey when left to her own devices. Insecurity fed her indecisiveness. Research and pro/con lists could be helpful in both making decisions and in delaying the making of decisions.
Option number two was to prod her along. Not in a pushy kind of way. Just to offer a little encouragement. Help make her more fully aware of what their life could be like. What their life would be like. No. Remind her what their life had been like and could be again. Only it would be better this time because now they had Lucas.
Stopping in front of Rory's entrance, Logan rapped gently on the door. They still hadn't changed the doorbells for either unit and Rory still hated the loud chimes. Within seconds she stood before him, beautiful as usual. She wore a deep blue wrap dress that matched her eyes. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a loose bun. She preferred wearing her hair up these days since Lucas could be grabby.
"Morning, Ace." He smiled.
"Good morning." She returned his grin.
"You ready to go?"
"Yep. Let me just grab my sweater."
A few moments later, Lucas's parents found themselves in the elevator on the way down to the garage.
"So...since Lucas is coming home on Friday, we have to decide on his outfit."
"Ah. The kid's getting his first whiff of the sweet smell of freedom -."
"Yes. And we need a special outfit since there will be thousands of photos -"
"And hundreds of well-wishers."
"Not quite. I know my mom and Luke will probably stop by. Grandma's waiting until the weekend. My dad's away until next week." She hesitated before voicing the unspoken question that was likely on both their minds. "What about Mitchum and Shira?"
Logan could hear the tension in her voice. "Still not talking to them."
"You're gonna have to eventually."
"Yeah. But not yet. We're entitled to some time."
Rory nodded. "Honor sounded like she was willing to wait."
"Make no mistake. Her patience will last one day. Two tops."
"Okay, so she might be by this weekend too. I really have to figure out what I want to put on him. My mom got him a special onesie for the occasion."
"What's it say? Number 1 Mom? Number 1 Grandma?"
"I wish." Rory shook her head. Logan chuckled at the rueful look on Rory's face.
"Now, come on, Ace. What could be that bad? What's it say?"
"'What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Always Stay in Vegas'."
Logan understood the look.
"Ouch."
"Yeah."
"Sorry to be the one to break the news, but your mom's twisted."
"I've known her 32 years. Pretty sure I caught on."
"So you're gonna put that on him?"
Rory leveled him with the Rory Look as they exited the elevator into the garage. Guess not, thought Logan.
Within minutes they were settling into the car.
"So what're the guys up to today?"
"Colin's gonna try to get some work done. Finn's plan was to order organic foods to sniff."
"Wow. That's the closest thing to a personal goal -not involving a redhead -I think I've ever heard from him. How long are they staying?"
"Long enough to meet Lucas."
"Which'll be Friday."
"Yeah. They'll probably take off this weekend. But don't worry. It won't be long before we'll be seeing them again."
"What? Why?"
"They finagled an invite to the new inn opening."
"Really? My mom never said a word."
"Not from your mom."
"Oh! Sookie!"
"Yes. Sookie. Who was very taken with them. I think she's planning on playing matchmaker. Colin, Finn and thirty something females. Sounds about right. Fifteen apiece."
"No! That's their age, not how many of them there are!" Rory laughed. "And they're not all female."
Logan shrugged at Rory's explanation of the Stars Hollow thirty-somethings. "Not sure that matters to Finn."
Rory fell into a quiet rumination until all of a sudden her face took on a thunderstruck expression. "Oh wow!"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I realized it's just gonna be the three of us once they leave."
"Yeah," Logan turned briefly to grin at her as he pulled the car out onto the street. "Team LoRoLu. That a problem?"
"No. It's just gonna be weird. And what's with the Team LoRoLu?" She grinned at him. "You gonna have t-shirts made?"
"Not a bad idea, Ace. It would resolve the question of what we're wearing on Friday."
"Logan-"
"What?"
"Let me enjoy dressing him in cute stuff before we start with the tacky t-shirts. Please. In addition to my mother's onesie, you should see the one Paris got him."
Logan submitted to a reflexive eye-roll. Should he ask?
"What's that one say?"
"'Mess with me, you mess with my godmother and you don't want to do that.'"
"Ah! Paris managed to find a psychotic message for my son to wear."
"Well. It's the sentiment that counts."
"Riiight. Possessive and vaguely sinister babysitter theme."
"We could just throw it on him when she comes to visit."
"How about we just throw it in the trash?"
Following Rory's glare at Logan for his commentary on Paris's onesie, the two fell into a somewhat comfortable silence for the remainder of the drive. As for Logan, his thoughts had returned to what had been preoccupying them before he'd met up with Rory that morning. He had his mind made up. They were not leaving the vehicle without this one thing being settled. Or, at least, on its way to being settled. Finally arriving at St. Joseph's, Logan pulled the SUV into a parking spot not too far from the main entrance. As Rory unbuckled her seatbelt and made a motion to get of the car, he stopped her.
"Hey. Hold on a sec."
Rory turned to him, a quizzical look on her face.
"What?"
Channeling the confident side of his persona, Logan's gaze was solemn as he fixed it on Rory. This was no joke. He wanted her to understand exactly how serious he was.
"Remember last week when I told you if I was going to ask you out on a date, it would be more than a drink at the local dive?"
Rory scoffed. "Entrees at the Capital Grille start at fifty dollars. I'd hardly call it a dive."
"Regardless. There wasn't any thought about it being a date, since, of course, it was all about getting you to the right place at the right time for your party."
"Oh, well. Can't win 'em all."
"But I have since remedied that non-date thing."
"You have?"
"Yes, I have. Rory Gilmore, would you do me the honor of allowing me to take you out to dinner on Thursday night?"
As Logan watched Rory's mouth gaped. As he waited, he held his breath. Rory's startled silence was finally replaced with an answer.
"Yes."
Gauging by her face, it didn't seem like the right time for any further conversation.
"Good. We can get out now."
"Okay."
Logan, observing Rory as they made their way towards the hospital entrance, noted her demeanor was on lockdown. She'd never been one to put her emotions on display. Not, for example, in the same way Honor was capable of showing emotion. Or, for that matter, Lorelai. Rory hiding her real feelings from him had definitely contributed to problems between them in the past.
He'd have to trust she was being thoughtful and reflective. Not regretful and worried.
He really didn't have time to worry about it in any case. He had three days to plan the perfect date.
New Haven, Connecticut, Thursday, June 1, 2017, 7:00 pm EST
"Stop! You're fussing with it too much."
"Excuse me. I'm a mother now. I thought my days of getting into cars blindfolded were behind me."
Logan leaned into her. He sensed her start in surprise as his breathy whisper met her skin.
"Behind you? Stick with me, Ace. Your days of getting into cars blindfolded will never be behind you."
"Ha ha. I suppose you'll make sure there's always something else exciting behind me instead."
"You wouldn't be happy any other way."
"So you're not gonna tell me where we're going?"
"No. But you're welcome to count traffic stops and listen to the ambient sounds of police activity for clues."
"Hm. Okay."
The past three days had been spent in a continued frenzy of finalizing the apartments for Lucas's homecoming. Each apartment had a SNOO baby bed, a changing table, and a rocker in the master suite. The baby's clothes and toys and other gear were in his room at Rory's apartment. There were a ton of baby monitors located throughout both apartments. Getting all the last minute things ready had actually taken up much more of his time than Logan had anticipated. Not that he regretted a single second of it. He didn't. He just found himself with less time to debate the whole 'where to take Rory for their perfect date' question. But that turned out to not be a problem. When he finally did have a few minutes to think about it, his mind zeroed in on what he felt certain was the perfect plan.
Which brought them to where they were at present. Pulling into a restaurant parking lot thirty minutes from the 42 North Main apartment building.
"Are we in New Haven?"
"Maybe." Logan jumped out of the SUV and made his way around to the passenger side. After opening the door, he leaned in to undo Rory's seatbelt.
"Hey! I could've done that. I can't see but I still know how to unbuckle a seatbelt."
"Next time."
Logan's hands settled on either side of Rory's waist. Staring at her, he was inches from her face. He wondered if she felt his presence in the same way he always felt hers.
"May I tell you again how incredible you look?"
"You may. I'm gonna have to take your word for it since I can't see."
"Well, you do. You look incredible."
"The dress isn't too snug?"
"Ace. Stop. What part of 'incredible' wasn't clear?"
"Thanks."
An off-white shift dress, it hung at just the right length to be flirty but not to over-expose. Since there would be no more Lucas time until the following morning, Rory had opted to wear her long hair down, with wispy curls framing her face. She did look incredible. Incredible for any gorgeous woman. Taking into consideration the fact that she had had a baby three weeks earlier and subsequently spent many of the hours she ought to have been sleeping pumping, she looked phenomenal.
"Come on. Our reservation for Lorenzo's is 7:45 on the dot. We don't want them to turn on us."
"Lorenzo's?" Rory pulled her blindfold off. She smiled at Logan, who, for all his prodding her to get moving, continued to lean over her in the car. "Wow! I can't believe they're still in business! I would've thought they'd be divorced by now. Or one would be in jail for stabbing the other."
"Nope. Nobody's in the big house. Nobody's divorced. And they're still making couples squirm uncomfortably as they fight after eight PM." Logan's eyes met hers. "Like your surprise?"
"I do." She nodded her head, smiling. Logan finally backed away so she could get out of the car. "I don't know if their still being together is healthy for them but I'm actually pretty happy about it."
"Love conquers all."
"Except poverty and a toothache."
A few minutes later Logan and Rory had been seated by the hostess at a corner table near a window. They both spent a few minutes taking in the restaurant. Logan could tell it had been updated since the last time they were there. Mostly cosmetic changes. It was still essentially the same.
"Wow! I think they have even more Chianti bottles now."
"Come on, Ace. You know you can never have too many Chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Rory opened the menu and started to peruse the dinner specials. Glancing up at Logan she grinned as she spoke. "What made you think of this? Out of all the four and five star restaurants we could've gone to? In Hartford or New York?"
"Well," nodded Logan. "I figured we didn't have time for a long drive. What with busting Junior out tomorrow morning."
"Yes." Rory nodded, smiling. "That reminds me. Gotta grab some nail files from Finn."
"And I remembered you telling me your wishlist dinner idea when I left for London." Logan glanced around at the restaurant's tacky decor. "I'm sorry my Bangers-and-Mash party took over the evening -"
"Don't be. It was your night."
"Yeah. Well. This is your night." Logan opened his menu. "So? What're you in the mood for? Individual entrees? Or family-style?"
Once the words were out of his mouth, Logan realized just how much he'd unwittingly set himself up with a loaded question. Although, it really shouldn't have been a loaded question. But when you're trying to convince the mother of your child to be with you to the point that little else is on your mind, every innocuous word could potentially take on a new meaning.
Individual entrees? Or family style?
Individual entrees? Or will you marry me?
Luckily Rory seemed to take his words at face value.
"I think family style would be perfect." Logan felt something unfurl inside him. But he tensed again at her next words. "We can bring the leftovers home to Colin and Finn."
Great. Terrific. They could order the family dishes so they could feed Colin and Finn.
"Right."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, Ace. What could be wrong? My life's suddenly hit eleven on the dial."
Rory chuckled. "That's good. You haven't worked in weeks. You really must be part sloth."
"Hey, no sexist double standard. I'm on paternity leave. It's legit. With the exception of Operation: Paris, I've been with you at the hospital every day..."
"Oh, I know -"
"...since I got here."
"Of course. Logan, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just making a joke."
"Eh, it's fine." Truthfully he didn't know why he reacted so defensively to her comment. He was still feeling a little disappointed at her logic for ordering the 'family' dishes.
"I know you're not like that. And I'm happy you're not working. Cause if you were you wouldn't be here with me." Rory smiled before remembering someone. "...and Lucas."
Logan buried his head in the menu so Rory wouldn't see him smirk. Rory clearly added the part about Lucas. She'd fight him if he called her out on their son being an afterthought. But maybe Honor was right. Rory was happy he was there. For her. Not just for Lucas. Whatever the residue of his psychotic parents, he could overcome it. It was just a matter of time. Whether it was a few weeks. A few months. Sensing someone watching him Logan lowered his menu slightly.
Maybe a few hours?
"You already know what you want, Ace?"
"Yes."
Suddenly there was a noticeable shift in the air. Rory had laid her menu down on the table. Logan followed her lead. As he watched Rory, he saw her lips open and then close. She directed her gaze away from him, instead staring to her right, taking in the other couples having their own dinner conversations.
"Rory? Something wrong?"
Shaking her head, she turned back to face him. Their eyes locked.
"No. For once everything's right." She smiled.
Logan let out a loud breath and smiled.
"So we're good?"
"Yeah. We are. Good."
We. We?
"We? We as in 'we'? As in Team LoRoLu?"
"Yes. But he's not here right now. And he won't be with us back at the apartment later..."
"Yeah..."
"So...It'll just be the two of us."
Colin. Finn.
"Hm. We can stop by a pet store and pick up an electric fence."
"Maybe it'll just be the two of us..."
"I could send Finn and Colin to a hotel if you want. Hell, Finn's family owns six hotels within an hour's drive."
"No. I don't think we need to kick them out. It's been fun having them around. And they're waiting to meet 'Logan Jr.'"
"Yes," he nodded. "I had nothing to do -"
"I know, I know." Rory's eyes were on his. "You still okay with his name? I don't think it's too late if we wanted to change it."
"Ace, come on. And mess with Team LoRoLu? Besides he's solidified for me as a person. A little person. I mean he's got a personality. Quirks. That pretending to be asleep thing. The stretching and kicking thing. The way he gets that disdainful look when he's sleeping. We can't mess with his name."
Rory had tears trailing down her cheeks.
"Rory?"
"I'm fine. It's fine. I just -" She shook her head before shrugging. "Your answer was pretty perfect." She paused and took a breath followed by another one. Laughing, she repeated the words she'd said to him Sunday night. Only this time she said them first. "I love you."
Showtime.
"I love you, too, Rory."
"No. I mean it. I love you. The kind that sticks."
"Oh. That kind."
"Do not mock."
"I'm not, I'm not." Thrilled, Logan laughed out of pure joy. "Mine sticks too."
Logan was pretty sure he'd always loved Rory. Vegas be damned. But rehashing any more of their past would be pointless. What did it matter? Where they were now and where they would go - together - in the future was all that he cared about.
As he watched her, Rory wiped away her tears before lifting her menu back up.
"God, I'm so glad that's settled. Now we can order."
Logan chuckled again. He wasn't sure exactly what had been 'settled', but things were definitely looking up. He wished he did have an electric fence to keep Colin and Finn safely at his place. He had a feeling he'd be staying with Rory. He didn't want those two clueless idiots to wonder where he was and come looking for him.
"You got it, Ace."
"Let's get the manicotti. It was always my favorite. Ooh. And the penne ala vodka. A side of meatballs. Chicken parmigiana. Garlic bread..."
"Don't forget the cannoli."
"Never."
The sound of pots and pans clanging could be heard along with a woman's high pitched screech and a man's shouting.
"It's after eight, Ace. We better order."
"Yep. Call the waiter over. I'll have it all figured out by the time he gets here."
AN: Thanks for reading. Comments always appreciated. They motivate and I need motivation! We are closing in on the end. Last chance for requests. Someone/a scene you'd like to see? Speaking of scenes, if you ever watched S6:Ep8 "Let Your Balalaikas Ring Out" and Jess's "I know you better than anyone." elicited an eye-roll accompanied by a cold wave of fury, you might enjoy Elijah, chapter 3.
11/04/2017