I promised, and I'm not one to go back on my word. Since I'm over 390 reviews, here's your next chapter. I'm not necessarily pleased with it, but I like the way it shows Rory's backbone. Let me know.
Shall we aim for 415 this time?
Rory turned fully in Logan's embrace, feeling his arms tighten around her middle, to face her own version of hell. "Hello, Mrs. Warner."
"Oh, please, dear it's always been Marcy. Who is this?"
Rory smiled fully, tilting her head back to look at Logan. "My boyfriend, Logan."
Marcy narrowed her eyes at Logan, taking him in from head to toe. "I remember you from somewhere."
"I went to Yale with your son, Ma'am," Logan answered promptly and politely.
Understanding dawned on Marcy's plump face. "Huntzberger, am I right?"
"Yes ma'am." Logan's voice had become wary, knowing as well as Rory about how society opinions could change faster than the blink of an eye.
"Rory, I saw you dancing with Robert earlier. He's a fine man… who is this?"
The disdain in Emily's voice was unmistakable and Rory subconsciously took a half a step backwards into Logan. "Grandma, meet my boyfriend Logan Huntzberger. Logan, my grandmother Emily Gilmore."
"It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Mrs Gilmore," Logan said, pouring on the charm. "Lunch was phenomenal."
It was hard to keep her eyes on both Emily and Marcy, but Rory saw something flash in Marcy's eyes at the easy and suave way Logan handled the Gilmores. Something Rory didn't like.
"Rory, you never told us you were dating someone," Emily said, her tone an interesting mix of excitement and disapproval.
"It never came up, Grandma," Rory replied honestly. The Gilmores had stopped inquiring about Rory's love life to maintain the illusion of the 'happy family'.
"Huntzberger you say," Richard began with his usual bluster. "You wouldn't be Mitchum's son, would you?"
Logan nodded, for once in his life thankful that Mitchum had come up in conversation. "Yes sir."
"An excellent family, if I do say so myself," Richard complimented, subtly eyeing Logan's arms wrapped tightly around Rory and Rory's settled across his,
"That's a matter of opinion," Logan muttered just loud enough for Rory to catch the words.
"And how long have you been seeing each other?" Marcy asked with sugary sweetness that had Rory's adrenaline skyrocketing.
"Eleven months," Logan announced, pride and genuine elation showing in his eyes even if his posture was wary.
Rory felt a supreme sense of satisfaction when Marcy's face fell slightly, just long enough to catch a glimpse, before morphing back into the society mask.
"And you haven't strayed?"
Suddenly Rory couldn't breathe. She knew about Logan's reputation, her parents knew, her friends knew, but her grandparents had been kept out of the loop on that particular issue. Logan's arms were bands of steel around her middle, tense to the point where she could feel his hands shaking against her body. She rubbed her hands up and down his arms.
"No." Logan's voice held a razor edge and he was slightly put out when it only served to raise one of Marcy's eyebrows.
"Shira's been going on and on about how you and the Fallon's girl have been getting along and she mentioned something about a girl in London…"
Marcy Warner was going to die. That was all Logan could even think. Oh, and his mother too. She had no right to say those things when she knew he and Rory were still dating. He'd conveniently omitted the fact that he and Rory were currently cohabitating, but his mother knew they were still together. He vaguely heard Rory mutter something about Churchill and Thumper and made a mental note to question her about it at a later time. And preferably in a place where he wasn't about to lose body parts, for that was the look on Richard Gilmore's face.
"Just rumours," Rory managed between clenched teeth.
"Of course, dear," Marcy said patronizingly. "It's so hard to find a good man like our Robert these days."
"Oh yes," Emily agreed with a smile. "The two of you were so good together."
"So happy," Marcy agreed.
Rory winced. Happy wasn't exactly the word she would have used to describe her life with Robert. Not that last year, anyway. They'd drifted apart after moving in, and Rory had begun to feel like the step had become an obligation rather than something Robert had truly wanted to do.
"The wedding would have been beautiful," Emily gushed.
"Ah, yes. A fall wedding," Marcy reminisced. "With Black-Eyed Susans and Tiger Lilies."
"And the children…"
They'd talked about children? Rory's head was spinning. No, her wedding was going to be in the spring. She'd carry a bouquet of wildflowers from around the Dragonfly, daises and tulips. She hated black-eyed Susans and she preferred the pure white of the calla lily or the blushing pink of some of the American lilies to the orange of the tiger lily.
Rory prided herself on her ability to keep her cool, she really and truly did. It was a rare occurrence when she allowed her temper to get the better of her in a public forum but this was the last straw. Between her grandparents and Robert and now the devil incarnate, Marcy Warner, she'd had enough. "Well, it would have been interesting to see how many children he ended up with considering how many bed mates he had during our relationship. And for the record, my wedding is going to be in the spring."
Logan was slightly taken aback by the harsh tone of Rory's voice. Dem's fightin' woyds, he thought to himself.
Marcy Warner's eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?"
"You want to know why I broke up with your son Mrs Warner?" Rory said her tone deceptively sweet, though voice low so those around wouldn't hear. "Because I caught him in the bed we were supposed to be sharing with another woman. And trust me, they were more than just friends." The implication in her words was more than clear.
"Lorelai Leigh!" Emily gasped. "How dare you accuse…"
"I'm not accusing. And this is why I didn't tell you about Logan, why I try to avoid your events as much as possible. You're my grandmother, and therefore I have obligations as a family member, but you'd better believe you are not innocent in all of this. You expected me to bring Honour or Lane. It never once crossed your mind that I would be bringing a guy."
Emily opened her mouth to contradict, but Rory was faster.
"Oh, I'm no where near finished." Her voice was still low, her smile still in place to avoid the ever present gossips eavesdropping on their conversation. "It never occurred to you that I'd have a good reason to break up with a man I'd been dating for three years. You automatically assumed that I'd done it just because and you jumped down my throat about it. Do you remember that, Grandma? Calling me for all intents and purposes a disappointment because I broke up with a family friend? If I'm not mistaken you were on the phone with Marcy here right away to ensure that everything got smoothed over between the families. You've always loved and trusted Robert more than me."
"That is not true," Emily said vehemently.
"You know it's very true, Grandma. And yes, Logan had a reputation, but I'm sure he'd testify in court to the fact that he hasn't dated or slept with anyone since we started dating. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to say goodbye and get on our way."
Logan had been completely silent through Rory's tirade knowing better than to get in between an angry Gilmore and her 'prey'. He followed Rory with a small smile back at the three stunned onlookers until she made it across the floor, their bodies now obscured by the dancing crowd. It was only then that he glanced around and pulled her down a hall and in through one of the doors. He'd never been more thankful to see a library in his life. He simply pulled her trembling body close.
For her part, Rory grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket, holding the fabric so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her breathing was shaky her knees locking tightly to try and hold her body weight upright. She didn't realize she was crying until Logan pulled back and wiped at the moisture trailing down her cheeks.
Logan had been surprised to feel a wet spot forming on his chest where Rory had burrowed in and pulled her head back. "That was something, Ace."
She sighed as best she could through the tears, drawing in a hiccupping breath afterwards. "I just got so angry and frustrated with them all singing Robert's praises," she managed through her tears. "They kept going on and on about how good of a person he was and I couldn't deal with it anymore. To them I'm just… I don't know. And it hurts. I mean, I'm their granddaughter and I have never lied to them in all my life. They've always pushed me into doing what they think is right and they don't really take thirty seconds to think of me." She took a breath. "They don't even know you."
Her eyes were sparkling with tears, the little mascara she'd applied running from the moisture and Logan still found her the most beautiful, if heartbreaking, woman he'd ever seen. "But you do, and that's what matters."
"I'm happy, Logan. Really and truly happy."
He smiled softly, gently, leaning down to briefly brush his lips against hers. "Me too."
Silence fell, as it was apt to do when one or both of them was in a less than stellar mood, and Rory got the chance to get her tears and emotions slightly more under control. She was almost ready to step away from Logan's embrace to go find her parents and say goodbye, when the study door swung open. Emily Gilmore stormed in, her face firey.
"I cannot believe I just witness that," she exploded. "You accused a perfectly fine young man of sleeping around!"
Rory resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Apparently, her grandmother was ready for a confrontation. Her own anger had been lessened, but not obliterated. "Logan, go see if you can find Mom and Dad to say goodbye," she suggested. Logan wasn't part of this, he didn't need to hear this.
"Ace…"
"Go. If I'm not out in half an hour, then you can start to worry."
Reluctantly, and dragging his feet, Logan left Rory and Emily alone in Richard's library.
"Honour will testify to the fact that he was," Rory said, her voice deceptively calm.
"Of course she will! She's your friend! Do you have any idea what it's going to take to convince them that it was you overreacting and looking for someone to blame other than yourself from walking away from a good thing."
"And there you go again, taking his side without thinking or waiting for the thirty seconds it would take to explain mine. I get it, you had the wedding all planned out. You had the rest of my life planned out with Robert and then I decided differently. For once in my life, I didn't follow your plan of uniting the two families. Sorry my own feelings got in the way and he couldn't keep it in his pants long enough."
"You watch your mouth."
Rory rolled her eyes. "You don't care about my side of the story, Grandma. You don't care that I was hurt. You don't care that I had other people and other things to consider when I caught him in bed with, get this, your cook's daughter. I'm not arrogant, but I'm not stupid either. I deserve better than that, and Logan is better than that."
"Marcy told me all about his womanizing ways, Rory."
"And he admits to them," Rory answered. "I went into this relationship with my eyes wide open, Grandma. I knew about his reputation – I am best friends with his sister – and I knew that there was a pretty good chance he'd screw up. But you know what, I took that chance and we've been through his parents, rumours, and now the ringer with this stupid lunch. Eleven months, Grandma and that stands for something."
"He'll get bored, Rory. That's what always happens."
Rory laughed, though the sound contained not a trace of humour. "I'll say this for the third time, though apparently, you're not listening. I'm not stupid. My mother raised me with open eyes to what this world could be and I chose to come back. I chose Chilton, I chose Yale. I chose to do the debutante ball for you. I chose to come to the male-Yale party you and Grandpa threw and I chose to date Robert and let myself step into the world of the Hartford Elite. I got used to the rumours, I got used to the whispering and the gossip and I understood that it was part of this world.
"I chose to break up with Robert instead of staying with a man who wouldn't be faithful. I deserve at least that, Grandma. I chose Logan, who is a sweet and caring guy, who treats Sophie like his own daughter, who knows when I'm upset or angry and knows exactly what to do to get rid of that negativity. Between Sophie and Logan I have a damn good reason to come home at night. A reason I didn't have during the last year of my relationship with Robert."
"If you weren't stupid, you would have married Robert!" Emily exclaimed, stopping her foot in a childish move. "You would have had everything. Every whim would be catered to. Every desire fulfilled and you threw that away."
Rory took a menacing step closer to her grandmother, her voice low but the anger obvious. "I will not be a trophy. I will not spend my days organizing schedules and events. I will not be one to send my children to a nanny because I have enough responsibility with superficial events and parties. Did you know Robert wanted me to quit the Foundation? He wanted me to drop everything I'd worked hard for, every reason I went to Yale, so I could be at home and have dinner on the table by seven. I'm not that type of woman and I won't be that type of woman."
Emily scoffed. "And you think you won't be that with the Huntzbergers?"
"Logan and I haven't talked about marrying each other. We haven't discussed the future and I, for once, am grateful." Rory took a deep breath, regretting the fact that she was stooping so low as to use her next argument. "Plus, shouldn't you be happy that I am dating a Huntzberger?"
Emily was actually stunned silent and Rory took the opportunity to make her exit. However, she paused in the open doorway. "One last thing. If I so much as hear a whisper that you're going to try and intervene in my relationship with Logan because you think I would be better off with that cheating bastard of a Warner boy, and it actually works, you won't be seeing me ever again. And I mean ever."
She was sure she didn't take another breath until she was standing in front of the manor with Logan, Lorelai and Christopher. They stood in silence for a few moments, both Rory and Logan taking in the events of the afternoon.
Lorelai was the first one to break the silence. "We'll bring Sophie up tomorrow," she said, her tone brooking no argument. "We'll do brunch."
"No," Rory started for posterity's sake. "We'll run by and—"
"You're going back to New York tonight, just the two of you. I'm sure it's been an intense evening for both of you and as your parents, we'd feel better if we could bring Sophie up tomorrow morning. You can call her and tell her yourself if you'd like," Christopher cut Rory off, his tone almost stony. He'd gotten a short version of what had occurred all day from Logan when the blond had tracked him and Lorelai down, and what Rory and Logan most likely needed was a chance to talk and relax, just the two of them. A chance to reconnect after the horrible drama that came with the Gilmores.
"Sophie will be fine at home," Rory said, missing the implication that Christopher and Lorelai had intended.
"Rory."
She locked surprised eyes on Logan, an unknown inflection in his voice.
"Please."
His eyes were swirling with so many emotions that the list Rory was currently cataloguing in her head was already astronomical.
Anger.
Hurt.
Lust.
Need.
Love.
The goodbyes were brief and Christopher and Lorelai stayed standing out on the porch until the car was out of sight. Christopher wrapped his arms tight around Lorelai. "You think they'll be okay?"
Lorelai looked up at him. "I think they'll be okay."
Christopher nodded, his mind briefly flitting over the dance he'd shared with Rory. She was happy. That was all that mattered. "Good."