AN: Okay! Okay! You twisted my arm; I'm adding a second chapter to Blood Is Thicker Than Water. I had several people story alert my already completed story and decided that maybe you were right, and I was wrong.

So here it is: Rory's perspective on the revised dreaded Huntzberger dinner. I'm going to do the best I can to not repeat all of the dialogue, so I'm going to start her point of view where Shira and Elias insult her before Mitchum and the Haydens arrive.

I don't own Gilmore Girls. I just like to pretend.

"Rory is the kind of girl you sleep with, not the kind of girl you marry," Elias told Logan. "I know from Richard and Emily that she wants to have a career of her own. That is just not conducive to being the wife of the heir to the Huntzberger empire."

"Plus, Logan, you have to consider her past," Shira added.

Rory couldn't believe her ears! She was the kind of girl you sleep with? Who said that out loud? And right in front of her nonetheless. And what the heck did Shira mean about her past? How could she possibly know about Dean? Dean was as far from the Hartford DAR gossip circle as you could possibly get. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from saying anything she would regret.

"Come on, we're going," Logan said angrily. She felt him pull on her hand as he started to stand up, and she began to slide her own chair back away from the table, but before she could get up she heard a voice, who she assumed was Mitchum, call from the other room.

"Shira? Where are you? I'm sorry we're late, traffic was just horrible."

"We're in the dining room already Mitchum," she called, then she turned to Logan and hissed, "Logan, please don't leave. It will mortify your father."

Rory wanted to be a journalist more than anything else in the world, there was no way she wanted to walk out on a dinner with the head of the largest newspaper conglomerate in the world. That was just asking to be blacklisted in the industry. She tugged on Logan's hand until he looked down at her. "Let's not make things worse," she whispered when he finally leaned down towards her.

Logan sat back down but there was a scowl she'd never seen before affixed to his face.

Based on pictures she'd seen, she knew it was Mitchum when he walked into the room. He was followed by his guests, an older couple that looked a lot like her paternal grandparents. She wasn't one hundred percent sure though, because she hadn't seen them in about five years, and didn't spend much time looking at them then.

"Straub and Francine, this is my family. My father, Elias, my wife Shira, my daughter Honor, and her boyfriend, Josh, my son Logan, and I'm sorry, I don't know the girl with him." She saw Mitchum give Logan a pointed look. Holy crap! They were her grandparents. There may be another Francine in Hartford Society, but she knew there was no other Straub.

"This is my girlfriend, Rory Gilmore," Logan said adding emphasis to the girlfriend part she knew just to irritate his family. She did her best not to cringe as she peeked up at the Haydens to see their reaction to her name, but their faces were impassive.

"And apparently his girlfriend," Mitchum emphasized, "Rory was it?" he asked to be sure. Rory nodded at him. "And this is Judge Hayden and his wife."

What a night! First her boyfriends' family tells her she'd not good enough for him, then her own grandparents show up and completely ignore her. Miss Manners would be getting a letter about this one.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Francine said politely, she glanced quickly in Rory's direction but Rory refused to look up at her again.

As luck would have it her grandmother sat right across from her at the table. She watched as her grandfather pulled out Francine's chair and helped her get situated before sitting down himself and beginning a conversation with Elias who was sitting next to him at the end of the table.

"So how are you… Lorelai?" Francine asked tentatively in a quiet voice.

"Actually it's Rory, and I'm quite well," she answered politely. If they were going to pretend that they didn't know her, then she would pretend she didn't know them right back. However she saw a look of pain cross her grandmother's face, and changed her mind quickly, shooting her a small wink.

"So, again, I'm sorry we're late, what did I miss?" Mitchum asked. Rory found it interesting that he cared what was going on before he arrived, he must have picked up on the scowl emanating from his son.

"You're just in time for the Huntzberger Shanghai," Logan spat bitterly.

"Excuse me?" Mitchum said.

"Logan please, we'll discuss this later, we have company now!" Elias glared at Logan. Rory refrained from rolling her eyes. Wasn't she company too?

"You know what Grandfather, I don't think it needs to be discussed at all," Logan retorted firmly. Rory squeezed his hand tightly, trying to show support and help him remain composed.

"Oh it most certainly will be discussed, young man!"

"Okay, what's going on here?" Mitchum asked, she hardly knew the man but she could clearly tell that he was annoyed.

"It's nothing dear," Shira tried to say in her best posh society voice. No wonder Emily always made snide comments about Shira Huntzberger, she was a total fake!

"Nothing!" Logan roared in anger beside her. "Rory, I think we should go." This time Rory was ready to go with him. She didn't need to be insulted for a third time. She was a confident girl, but there was only so much she could take.

"Hold on a minute, Logan, sit back down," Mitchum directed in a voice that told Rory he was a man that was used to getting his way. "Someone tell me what's going on right this instant."

"Mom and Grandpa-" Logan started to explain, but his mother cut him off.

"Really, it's nothing dear. We were just explaining to him why Rory's not the proper girlfriend for the Huntzberger heir, she'd never be a suitable wife for him," Shira said after a pregnant pause. Rory couldn't believe she'd had the nerve to repeat the insults of earlier, at least this time she had the common sense to appear embarrassed by them. "I'm sure Francine and Straub understand our position. They have a son. I'm sure they wouldn't want their son marrying a girl like Rory."

A girl like her! She felt the color rising in her cheeks again, and used the hand that wasn't currently gripping Logan's to grab on to the bottom of her chair and hold herself in her seat. What could anyone possibly find so offensive about her?

"Just why is that Mother?" Logan asked coldly. Rory was grateful that Logan asked the question because she was dying to know the answer herself. She gave his hand a squeeze hoping to convey that she was glad he was sticking up for her.

"Consider her breeding," Shira started.

Her breeding? What was she, an animal? Apparently that was what Shira meant about her past. This caused a small bit of relief to flow through her allowing her to release her grip on the chair, at least her boyfriend's mother didn't know about her affair with her married ex-boyfriend.

"She's a Gilmore!" Logan exclaimed. Exactly! Rory wanted to say with him, her ancestors came over on the Mayflower, comparatively, the Huntzbergers were new money as her grandmother, Emily – she mentally corrected as she looked at Francine across the table, would say.

"Yes, she's a Gilmore on her mother's side, but what of her father? Probably some two bit gardener employed by her parents," Shira retorted.

Rory bit her lower lip harder than she had before to keep from laughing out loud. She wondered how Straub and Francine would take this comment. They seemed fine with Shira insulting her, but she was pretty sure they wouldn't stand for a slight against her father, he was after all a Hayden, and their only son.

"You okay Ace?" Logan whispered in her ear. She nodded not trusting herself not to laugh if she opened her mouth.

"You understand don't you Francine?" Shira asked continuing the conversation. "You'd never want your son, Christopher right? Marrying a girl who you knew nothing about." When Shira addressed Francine Rory looked at her to watch her reaction. She saw her grandmother pull out an expression that she'd seen many times on her other grandmother, the society equivalent of the smile and nod. "How is Christopher? He's got what, one daughter now?" Shira asked. Rory watched as she downed the rest of her third cocktail. She made a mental note to never consume that much alcohol in this type of setting.

"He's well," Straub answered gruffly. "Actually he has two daughters." Rory glanced over at him, surprised that he actually acknowledged her existence. He caught her looking at him and she coughed slightly as a reason to look away. She took a small sip of her gin and tonic, just enough to clear her throat.

"And you wouldn't want your granddaughters to marry just anyone now would you Straub? You want to make sure the Hayden fortunes are protected right?" she asked.

There it was, that was the crux of it right there. Shira thought Rory was a golddigger, only with Logan for his money. That's rich, she thought, considering what she knew about Shira's own illustrious past. She didn't spend much time in society, and tuned out Emily's ramblings most of the time, but even she knew that it was a well known fact that Mitchum married well below his abilities.

"Well of course," Straub replied coolly. Rory saw a look cross his face that she recognized from her own father. The look he got when he was about to make sharply cutting statement. "We wouldn't want our granddaughter to marry just anyone. We'd need to make sure he had the right reputation, not one of those spoiled trust fund brats that runs around like he owns the world."

She had the urge to speak up and defend Logan, but she also knew that his reputation was no secret in society. Paris practically made her repeat every bad thing she'd ever heard about him back to her before she was allowed out of her apartment for their first date, just to make sure she wasn't being naïve. She watched as Logan grimaced and squeezed his hand tighter.

"I know exactly what you mean Straub!" Shira told him. Rory dug the nails of her free hand into her palm, the lip biting wasn't going to cut it any longer. How blind could Shira be to be completely unaware of Logan's reputation?

"Wow Mom must be blind," Honor leaned over her to whisper to Logan. At least the whole family wasn't blind Rory thought.

"It's too bad your granddaughters are so young. It would be nice to have a merger between the Huntzbergers and the Haydens," Shira said. Rory was beginning to wonder if Shira would ever shut up and she almost choked on her drink.

"Are you alright dear?" Francine asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine, thank you," Rory replied politely.

"Actually," Straub started, Rory noticed that his face getting slightly red. He looked over and caught her eye, silently asking if he could out her. She did her best to equally as silently tell him, not yet. "One of our granddaughters is about Logan's age."

"Oh we must introduce them!" Shira exclaimed.

The table was silent for a moment after his statement. Rory looked around, and she could tell, they knew. Mitchum lowered his head to his hands and Elias stared down at his plate.

Shira apparently, did not know. "Now a Hayden would be an appropriate wife for a Huntzberger! You understand don't you Rory? Even though you didn't grow up in society I'm sure Emily has made sure that you at least know some of the basics of how it works. I'm sure you're a perfectly nice girl, and some guy will be lucky to have you, you should just look a little lower on the society totem pole," Shira blathered on.

Wow, she thought, Shira Huntzberger really was a piece of work, all of Emily's complaints hadn't done her justice, she was worse than Rory could have ever imagined.

Rory heard Logan sigh beside her, she could tell he was getting really tired of this. She had to admit, she was too. She was just about ready to put an end to this whole charade by herself if she had to.

"I'm not interested in you picking a wife for me, no matter how lovely she may be. No offense Judge Hayden, Mrs. Hayden," Logan said politely.

Her Grandfather pushed his chair back and stood up. "I've had enough of this. I'm sorry Mitchum but we'll have to do this another time. Francine, get your coat. Rory get your coat as well."

She knew she needed to speak, but she paused for a minute trying to figure out what to say. She had no clue how to address him. "But Grandfather," Rory started quietly hoping she made the right choice, "I came with Logan and I need to go back to Yale."

She looked over at Logan to find him looking at her with a huge smile on his face.

She heard Shira gasp. The rest of the table was completely silent.

"Your father is at our house, I'll have him take you home, or if you'd rather we can drop you back at Yale," Straub told her.

"Okay," she agreed. Her grandfather, who hated her, stood up for her, she owed it to him not to make him look bad by putting up a fight. "Call me later Logan?" she asked. She hoped she didn't piss him off too badly. Judging by the smile on his face he was more amused than anything else. He did warn her about his parents in advance.

"Of course Ace." He stood up at the same time she did, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "It was lovely to meet you Judge Hayden, Mrs. Hayden," he said politely. She wondered if he was freaked out about meeting her grandparents without any advanced warning. Oh well, she didn't get any warning either, so they'd just have to deal with it later if it was a problem.

"Thank you?" Rory said hesitantly to the table knowing that society dictate that she thank the hostess, but not really sure exactly what to do in this situation. Sorry she mouthed at Logan.

"Thank you," she whispered to her grandparents as she followed them back through the house towards the front door.

The trio was completely silent after that with the exception of a curt conversation with the maid asking her to quickly get their coats.

She watched Straub help Francine into the passenger seat of their late model Mercedes sedan, and climbed into the back seat herself.

"I'm sorry," she said once both of them were in the car.

"What on earth do you have to be sorry for?" her grandmother asked her kindly.

"I didn't know you were going to be there. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," she said quietly.

"There was no way you would have known we were going to be there, Mitchum and I just made the arrangements today," Straub told her gruffly. "Besides, you behaved with grace and decorum while that woman insulted you. You did absolutely nothing that could be considered an embarrassment. Shira on the other hand, well that is just inexcusable."

Rory smiled in the backseat. It almost sounded as if her grandfather was proud of her.

"Thank you for defending me," she said again, just in case they hadn't heard her the first time.

"That's what grandparents are for dear," Francine told her. "Besides, nobody insults a Hayden and gets a way with it, regardless of whether they know she's a Hayden or not."

All of the sudden Rory could see why Emily and Francine were such great friends, they were two peas in a pod.

"Now Rory," Straub started, "I know we got off to a rocky start all those years ago. But you and your father get along just fine, he's always mentioning how proud he is of you. Are you ashamed of being a Hayden?"

"No Sir," she said.

"Then why in heavens name did Shira not know it?" he asked.

"Well," she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. How could she explain that names just weren't important to her. She didn't wear her surname, either one of them, as a badge of honor. She decided she'd avoid the discussion all together. "Logan and I just started dating last week. We're just starting to get to know each other. It just never came up."

"You do know that Logan has quite a reputation, don't you?" her grandmother asked protectively.

"I'm aware," she said as politely as she could.

"Just checking. A girl can't be too careful these days."

She smiled at the thought of Francine wanting to protect her from Logan and his big bad reputation. It was quite sweet really.

"So, where would you like us to take Rory?" Straub asked.

"You might as well take me back to your house, it would be nice to see Dad for a bit," she answered.

"Very well," he said, and she could hear a smile in his voice. "And Rory?"

"Yes?"

"This won't be forgotten."

She shuddered at the thought of the Haydens getting back at the Huntzbergers for such a grievous offense, and then smiled, knowing that the grandparents she thought hated her, really didn't.

AN: Okay – there you have it. Rory's thoughts on the dinner, plus a little time with Straub and Francine.

Have you had enough or do you need more?

I look forward to your feedback and reviews!

Thanks for reading - S