CHAPTER FIVE

Lorelai

I pulled in front of Rory's apartment and got out of the car. Cameron surprised me by jumping on
me.

"Oh, look at the Mexican jumping bean." I tickled her with my free hand while holding her with
the other.

"Stop Nana, it tickles." She said and I put her down.

"Where is your Mom?" I asked

"She is on the phone with Daddy."

"Is she? Let's go get her so we can go shopping." We walked inside to the sound of Rory
laughing at something Logan said.

"Ring, it's movie phone." I joked to get her attention.

"Mom, you're here. Hold on a sec, then we'll leave." She told me, turning her attention back to
the phone. "Hey Logan, I have to go, we're going shopping. Ok, I will, Bye." She hung up and
smiled.

"What? No love you or kiss noises?"

"Any other subject in the world for $200 Alex."

"Ok how about our retail therapy day?"

"I'll take the one Alex."

"How about we go walking around, you know, little boutiques, then take Cameron to the park
around the corner."

"It has possibilities."

"Can I take my scooter while we walk around?"

"Sure, go get it." Rory said. "And hurry up, you know how impatient your Grandmother is."

"You know, I would be offended if it wasn't true."

"Let's go!" Cameron said, coming back a minute later. We walked around the corner looking for
shops.

"Stay in eye-shot Cammie." Rory warned her. "A friend from work told me about this great little
shop 4 blocks from here, wanna check it out?"

"Sure. So are you seriously going to hold out on me?"

"Behold the queen of subtle transition, among other things." She joked with me.

"I'm being serious Rory."

"Hold what out on you?"

"What is going on between you and Logan?"

"The shop is on 10th, do you think we should go down Main or Market?" Rory brought up
another topic.

"Don't change the subject on me. I gave you life, I can take it away." I said, giving her my patent
you-better-tell-me-me look.

"So can an ax murder, what's your point?"

"What is going on between you and Logan?"

"There is nothing going on."

"Bull." I said. I knew when my daughter was in love.

"What?"

"I heard the laugh."

"What are you taking about?"She questioned before calling to Cameron, who was getting farther
and farther away from us. "Cameron, wait for us. Now what were you babbling incoherently
about?"

"The laugh. When you were talking to Logan."

"I told you already. Nothing is going on."

"Not by his choice, I'm guessing."

"He wants to be with me, I just can't though. I have Cameron to think about."

"He is her Father!"

"That is what he said too."

"He's right. Did you at least listen to what he said." I defended.

"Are my ears deceiving me? Did I just hear you agree with and defend Logan?"

"So?" I countered. I knew where she was going with this.

"You hated Logan for the two years we dated and Colin had to stop you from getting on a plan to
California after he left." Rory laughed. It was true though. "Colin followed me in his car to the
airport, I was fuming."

"You love him and I just want to see you happy."

"No." She said defensively.

"I don't want to see you happy?"

"No, I don't love Logan."

"Yes you do." I argued. She could be so stubborn at times, even with something that is right in
front of her face.

"Mom. I am not in love with Logan." Rory insisted, getting frustrated with me. "So can we just
drop it."

"Like a baby giraffe."

We were silent for a minute. I knew I had struck a cord.

"Rory-" I started but was interrupted by a loud cry that gave me chills down my spine. Rory was
already running towards it. I quickly followed.

Logan

"Did you double check the facts on these?" I asked Mark, a reporter.

"Yes, I did."

"Well triple check. It needs to be accurate." I said before pulling my ringing phone out of my
pocket. The caller ID read 'Ace' and I smiled. "I have to take this. Triple check please." I walked
away and answered the phone. "Hey Ace, how was shopping?"

"Logan." Rory said, obviously upset.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"There was an accident." She told me. My heart dropped.

"What kind of accident? Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital" I felt the color drain from my face.

"What happened?"

"Cameron fell off her scooter. She is in X-rays right now. She's asking for you."

"I'll be there in 15 minutes." I said, hanging up. I ran to my car. I must've broken ten different
laws getting there. Rory was standing in the hallway when I got there. I hugged her.

"Hey, where is she?" She looked a little pale.

"They just brought her back from X-rays, through those doors." I put my arm around her, she
seemed to relax a bit.

"What did the X-rays say? Is everything alright?"

"We are just waiting for her Doctor to come back."

"What happened?" I asked for the full story.

"Cameron was riding her scooter while we were walking to a shop on 10th, she fell off and hit
her arm on the curb. My Mom and I took her here."

"Was she scared? Can we see her?"

"She is right though there." Rory pointed and I quickly walked though them, making sure Rory
was behind me. Cameron was laying on the bed, Lorelai sitting next to her. Her eyes lit up when
she saw me. I kissed the top of her head.

"Hey Honey. How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, it doesn't hurt that much."

"You know Cammie, your Mom broke her wrist when she was 16." Lorelai told Cameron.

"You did Mommy?"

"It was a small hair line fracture." Rory sat on Cameron's bed.

"How did that happen?" I was happy Cameron asked, I wanted to know too.

"My friend Jess was driving my car when something furry ran across the road and Jess swerved
and hit a bench. I hit my wrist on the dashboard." Rory was interrupted when the Doctor came in
the room.

"So what's the prognosis, Doc?" I asked.

"You must be Dad." the doctor said, shaking my hand. I really liked the sound of that, Dad. I was
someone's dad.

"Yeah, I am." I said with pride. Cameron was a great kid, who didn't deserve to be laying in that
bed.

"I looked at the X-rays and I'm pretty sure it's broken."

"She broke her wrist?" Rory said aloud.

"What do you mean your pretty sure?" I questioned. No one was going to be 'pretty sure' when it
came to my daughter.

"Well, that is what the X-ray shows..." the Doctor started before I interrupted him.

"Can we be more than pretty sure here? Run some more tests. Be 100 sure."

"We can do that. I'll send a nurse to come and get Cameron for another X-ray. I'll be back." The
Doctor walked out and Rory and Lorelai started to laugh.

"What?" I asked.

"You know, you need a mask and horse when you do that." Rory teased me.

"Ha ha." I smiled and sat down in a chair next to Cameron's bed.

Rory

I unlocked and opened the door. Logan and I put Cameron to bed and sat on the couch.

"Do you have an extra pillow and blanket?"

"For the couch?" I teased.

"Ace..."

"You wanted to sleep on my couch?"

"Yes I do. Do you mind?"

"Hey, I'm ok with you sleeping on my lumpy couch, just be carful for the spring in the middle
cushion, it tends to poke you in the ass. You want some coffee?"

"At 10pm?" He asked me.

"Yes, What's your point?" I countered.

"Don't you think it's a little..." I sent him a death glare. It was never too late for coffee. "I'd love
some."

I went into the kitchen and Logan followed me.

"Does Cameron drink coffee like this?" He asked me.

"Yeah, but she usually stops after sundown. She likes it. She started when she was about 3 ½." I
explained to him.

"You gave your 3 ½ year old daughter coffee?" He made it sound totally wrong when he said it
like that.

"It was half milk, at first." I admitted. I handed him a cup. "Plus, we would have been home two
hours ago if you didn't insist on a third X-ray." I laughed at him.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure they took care of her." He explained to me. I sipped my
coffee.

"Don't apologize. I think it's cute."

"Really? Cute?"

"Yes. All protective Dad to the rescue."

"Like a super-hero?"

"We'll pick out your cape tomorrow." I said, sitting next to him. "I like the protective Father side
of you."

"I do too."

"She is really happy you're here." I sipped my coffee and Logan smiled. "I am too." I admitted.

"You are?" He asked me.

"Yeah. I couldn't even explain how scared I was when I heard Cameron scream. Having you there
put me at ease a little, like old times."

"Like old times?" He questioned me.

"Yeah, like when I took the semester off from Yale and lived in my Grandparent's pool house,
you talked me into talking to my Mom and moving out."

"I remember."

"I remember before we were even dating, when Dean broke up with me in front of you guys.
You, Colin and Finn let me continue on my drunken babble and made sure I got home okay."

"It was kind of hard to stop the drunken babbling Ace." He teased me and I turned to face him. I
smiled, he leaned in and kissed me. I tensed for a second dealing with the shock of it. After a
second, much to both our surprise, I kissed him back. I was doing a little happy dance in my
mind. I had forgotten what kissing Logan felt like, it felt like home. I deepened the kiss by
opening my mouth, allowing him entrance. He suddenly pulled away and I felt withdrawn.

"I don't want to push you into anything." He said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"You're not. Trust me, that was mutual." I assured him.

"What does this mean?"

"I'm not sure." I said truthfully. I didn't know what I wanted anymore.

"Do you want to be with me? He asked me. I thought about it until I realized I didn't have to
think about it, I knew already. The last couple of weeks with him around had been great. He was
so good with Cameron.

"Yes." I answered, surprised at how easy it came out. Logan smiled. "Cameron is just getting to
know you. What if it doesn't work out between us? What happens to her?"

"All I am saying is that we can try. If it doesn't work out then nothing will change, I'm still
Cammie's Father." He smiled at me. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

"That we should take things slower this time."

"I agree." He shocked me with that one. I leaned in and kissed him again.

"Let me get that pillow and blanket for you." I said, pulling away from him. I felt his eyes on me
as I walked out of the room.