Author Note: Sorry for the long delay, but London, Baby is finally finished, and I can get back to this. Logan's inner thoughts in italics. All characters belong to Gilmore Girls

JANUARY 2009

"Hey. I'm looking for a Dr. Jansen. Has she checked in yet?" Logan asks the host at Nola.

"Oh, that's me!"

Logan turns around to find a young woman standing behind him. She is a little taller than him with chin length blond hair and brown eyes.

Wow.

"You must be Logan," she says, reaching to shake his hand.

"Yes," he sputters out. "You must be Dr. Jansen."

"Oh, call me Lauren," she says. "Let's sit."

He gives her his most charming grin. "After you."

Logan follows her to a table close to the bar, checking her out the entire way.

She's curvier than I normally go for, but damn...

Pull it together. She's a potential client, not a potential hook-up.

They sit down, and Logan tries to remember his spiel. His attraction has thrown him off, and it takes him a moment to settle down and get to his starting spot.

"Hmmm," he clears his throat. "So tell me about your practice and your current website, just so I can see if there are ways in which we can help you."

"Okay, so I just bought the practice from a much older doctor, and he doesn't even have a website. He's been there a long time so he's established a reputation, but I need a website, obviously. I need to attract younger patients."

"Absolutely. This is a common problem in practice transition. So it's something we can easily help you with," he tells her. He runs her through the gamut of their services, pausing when she asks questions.

She's smart and funny, and he can't help but flirt a little.

"Honestly, you won't need much. A good headshot is going to attract people. You're… pretty," he finishes lamely.

A throaty laugh escapes her. "Thank you," she says. "But I also want it to include something about the kind of dentistry I practice."

"Well of course," he agrees. "Just… being pretty is not going to hurt."

Reign it in, Huntzberger.

But he can't, and the rest of the meal loses focus from business to personal as they flirt their way through it.

"So let me leave you with my card, and you can call me with any questions you may have," he tells her on their way out, trying to pull the meeting back to the contract he needs signed.

"Thanks. I'll… call you," Lauren agrees.

When he gets back to the office, he heads straight into John's office.

"Hey! How'd it go?" John asks him.

"I think really well," Logan responds. "I'll follow up with her in a couple of days. But… Is there any policy about dating clients?"

"Why?" John asks.

"She's… I liked her. I want to see her again."

"Logan. Be careful. We really need the business. With the economy tanking… I just really want this contract. And it's not like you have a problem getting dates. Does it have to be this woman?"

"No, you're right," Logan says. "I won't. I just found her really attractive. But… we have to get this business. I'll behave."

Logan feels his cell phone buzz in his pocket. "Logan Huntzberger."

"Hey. It's Lauren… Jansen… from lunch."

"Of course. Hey. Did you have other questions for me?" Logan asks her.

"No, um… I was wondering if you wanted to meet for a drink after work tonight."

"Uh, sure," he says. "I'll call you when I'm done today. Sound good?"

"Perfect."

Logan hangs up the phone and looks at John. "That was Lauren. Dr. Jansen. She wants to have a drink after work. But I'll take the contracts. Keep it professional."

John rolls his eyes. "Fine. Date her. But we need this contract, man. Don't blow this."

Logan smiles. I can't wait to see her again.

APRIL 2009

"So if things continue trending in the manner they did in the first quarter, we are going to have to start looking at some layoffs," Gene tells them.

Logan leans back and sighs, glaring at their accountant.

"How short are you projecting us to be for the year?" Kevin asks.

"Roughly sixty to seventy thousand," Gene answers. "Which is two to three of your auxiliary staff."

"Shit," John mutters. "And you don't think there's any other way around this? I mean, the economy won't be rebounding any time soon, will it?"

"No, this looks like it is going to be really bad."

"Three people is a lot. Can we trim our salaries some?" Logan asks. "Well, I mean, I can trim mine. You guys have kids and babies on the way."

"I can cut back a little," John says, turning to their accountant. "Can you figure up a couple of different scenarios, and we'll choose the best one?"

"Absolutely. I'll have those for you by the end of the week," he replies getting up to leave.

The three partners are silent for a few moments as they absorb the tough news.

"We could probably all share an assistant," Kevin finally says. "Or maybe if we keep all of them and let one IT consultant go? Whoever we hired last…"

"Let me talk this through with Julie too before I commit us to a pay cut," John says.

Kevin agrees. "Let's take the rest of the day to figure out what each of us can do personally so that when Gene comes back here with options, we'll be ready."

Logan heads home, deep in thought.

I know where I can come up with sixty thousand dollars that I could reinvest into the company. But am I ready to do that?

He walks into his home, throwing his things down on his bed and heading to his dresser. With a deep sigh, he opens his sock drawer and reaches all the way to the back until his hand is around two small velvet boxes.

He sits back down on the bed and slowly opens them. The engagement ring taunts him first.

It's been two years. She's not coming back to me. That's just a fantasy in my head. There is no logical reason to continue to hold onto this.

He doesn't bother to open the sapphire.

Instead, he takes his thoughts out onto the road, as he bikes his way toward the bay. Once there, he slips off his shoes and wanders out into the sand.

I've got Lauren, and she's… she's great. She is. So it's not like what I had with Rory. I have got to get it through my head that I will probably never have anything like that again.

The water rushes up to his feet, and he feels the pull of the tide against his legs.

But what if she finally grows up and realizes that she won't have anything like that either? That no one could ever love her as much as I did… What if she knocks on my door and I've sold her engagement ring? Would she be disappointed I gave up on her?

Or realize how pathetic I am for keeping it all this time?

He continues walking down the beach lost in thought. Eventually the sun begins to set, and he bikes back home.

Lauren calls as he's putting dinner together, but he quickly declines the call.

I can't talk to her right now. Not while I'm back in the throes of Rory's rejection. I've never even told her about Rory.

Instead, he calls someone else.

"Mate! Long time since I've heard from you, Mr. Workaholic!" Finn greets him.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's… tough right now, with the economy. You're probably not aware, but things really suck at the moment," Logan says with a laugh.

"I'll have you know that I am not that out of touch. Daddy Dearest sold the jet, and I've been flying… commercial," Finn replies.

"Wow. I don't know how you're surviving."

"So, how have you been doing? Still seeing that same girl? The hot dentist?" Finn asks him.

"Yeah, Lauren. I'm still seeing her. She's fine. But… actually… I feel ridiculous even asking this… But I know you talk to her, and… is she happy?"

Finn doesn't say anything, so Logan continues.

"Does she still think she made the right decision? Saying no, I mean."

Finn is still quiet. Finally he responds. "What's going on? Why are you thinking about her again?"

Because I am such a glutton for misery. Because I'm always thinking about Rory. This is just the first time in a while I've asked you about her.

"Never mind. It's stupid. When can you come out here and visit?" Logan asks, desperate to change the subject.

"Any time, brother. Name a good weekend for you, and I'll be there," Finn says.

"Great. Let me check my calendar and get back with you. I gotta go now though."

"Okay. And Logan… I haven't talked to her in a while, and she never talks to me about you. But I don't think she's all that happy," Finn says just before he hangs up.

Fuck. Now I'm more confused than ever. This is ridiculous.

He abandons his dinner and drives over to Lauren's duplex. When she opens the door, he smirks at her before grabbing her by the hands and pulling her in for a passionate kiss.

She laughs and drags him into the house.

Later that night, he looks over at Lauren's sleeping form. She's smart. And funny. And hot as hell.

I'm selling those rings.

That weekend, Logan calls Kevin's wife Aimee to get her opinion about the best jeweler in the Bay area. ("Oh, my God, are you going to propose?") After quickly getting her off the phone, Logan heads out with the two rings, determined to put the past behind him.

He walks in and explains to the owner that he has two rings he wants to have appraised and sold.

"This is gorgeous," she marvels as she looks at the engagement ring. "Why are you selling it?"

Logan swallows hard before beginning. "It's a family ring, and I don't really have any need for it."

"Not the marrying type?" she asks rhetorically as she pulls out a monoscope to evaluate the ring. "Perfect clarity, flawless. I would need to let my appraiser give you an exact number, but I would guess it's worth about sixty thousand."

"I bought it for sixty-seven two years ago," he says without thinking.

She looks up at him quizzically.

Fine. I bought it. She rejected it. She said no. She had reasons.

She notices his obvious blush and moves onto the next box. "Okay. What's in here?"

She opens the sapphire, and the color hits him like a punch to the gut. I haven't looked at this in so long. It's like she's staring right at me.

"Exquisite. Again, I would need to show it to my appraiser, but I would guess around eight thousand." She looks up at him for confirmation.

I am so lame. I'm so lame that this poor lady is trying desperately not to show how much she pities me.

"That's about right," he agrees. "When will your appraiser be in?"

"Later today. Let me have you sign some paperwork, and then you can leave them with me."

Logan looks back at the rings one final time before turning to leave the store. He doesn't feel the closure he had hoped he would. His hand is on the knob when he turns around.

"I can't sell the sapphire," he tells the woman. She nods and hands it back to him with a small smile.

I don't want to forget the color of her eyes.

August 2009

Logan, John, and Kevin are sitting in John's office during lunch pouring over lease agreements. "These office spaces all cost significantly less than what we pay here. We can work out of any of these. The square footage is just going to be tight," Kevin says.

"Well, once we slash the staff, that won't be so much of a problem," Logan answers back sarcastically.

Kevin finally asks the toughest question. "Should we keep downsizing? Or should we just cash out now? I don't want to be the downer here, but are we just putting off the inevitable?"

"No. We just have to weather the storm," Logan says emphatically. "It's gonna be tight for a while, maybe even years, but we can't just give up."

"I'm not trying to patronize you, Logan, but we have families and people who depend on us," Kevin says.

Logan doesn't have a response for this. They're right. They have other things to worry about. I have nothing but this job.

"Let's table this for now guys," John says. "We'll keep looking at these. But I'm with Logan on this, Kevin. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. Now, we are all booked with the same client this afternoon. Do either of you know this…" He pauses to look at their schedule. "Michael Hunt?"

Logan and Kevin both shake their heads, so John continues. "I'm not sure why he needed all three of us, but he must be serious, and we obviously need all the business we can get. So let's get this done. Okay?"

They sit silently for a few moments. Internally, Logan is freaking out.

Unfortunately, I remember this feeling too well. I do not want to fail again. I've got to figure out a way to make this work. But I don't have another sixty thousand dollars lying around.

John's assistant comes in to let them know that their 2:00 is waiting for them in the conference room, finally breaking the silence.

Pull it together. You are the seller. You are the one who brings them in. Michael Hunt is not going to know what hit him.

They head out of John's office. Logan follows his partners down the hall, pumping himself up the whole way. But upon entering the conference room, he hears a familiar voice greeting John and Kevin.

What the fuck? Are you kidding me?

Logan enters the room to stand face to face with his father. "What are you doing here, Dad? Are you 'Michael Hunt?'"

"Son… Good to see you. I knew you wouldn't want to take a meeting with me, so I changed my name up a bit. Old trick from my days covering politics."

"Okay. But again, what are you doing here?" Logan asks again.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Kevin asks, as John says "This is your father?"

"Yes. Mitchum Huntzberger. I have a proposal for the three of you. Let's sit," Mitchum says.

The three men shoot eyes at each other as they cautiously sit down around the conference table.

"I'm going to start with an assumption," Mitchum says. "Now stop me if I'm wrong, but I imagine that the crumbling economy is really hurting your business here. People are going to find cheaper ways to get a website running, and that leaves you three either having to slash costs or lose business. And let's face it. You can't work as cheap as someone in India can."

Sometimes I hate him so much.

Logan glances at John and Kevin who are sitting ramrod straight in their chairs.

"I'm going to take your silence as confirmation," Mitchum continues. "Now Huntzberger Publishing is willing to offer you three million dollars for acquisition rights. We'll let you keep your existing clients, but we'll shift your focus to websites for other HPG clients. Authors, print media, publishing houses, basically whoever I tell you."

He laughs that smug laugh that makes Logan want to scream.

How dare he come in here to my place of business and act like he already owns it.

"This is a surprise. We weren't expecting this today, so we'll need some time to think, and a written offer for our lawyers to look over," John says.

"What's the catch?" Logan asks.

Kevin and John both look at him, eyebrows raised.

"Mitchum Huntzberger never does anything out of the goodness of his heart. What's in it for you, Dad?" Logan asks again.

"One caveat," Mitchum admits.

I knew it.

"Logan will be moving back to New York to work."

Of course.

"Wait," Kevin says. "Logan is a partner here. He isn't just moving to New York."

"Well, that part is non-negotiable. If you want this deal, you give up Logan. Your choice. I'll be in town for two more days, so that's the timetable," Mitchum says, dropping his card on the table.

With a smirk, he departs the conference room, taking all of Logan's air with him.

After a couple of measured breaths, Logan chases his father out of the room.

"Why are you doing this?" he asks as he catches Mitchum in front of the elevator.

"You know why, son. You are meant to work at HPG. I've let this frivolity go on for a couple of years, but the time for games is over."

"Dad, I have a life here. I love this job, and I'm seeing someone," Logan pleads.

"Logan, it's your choice. You can go in there and tell your partners that you are willing to give up three million dollars in the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression. See what they say. I'm sure they will care about your girlfriend," Mitchum taunts.

"How does HPG even have money like this to throw away right now? Print media is dying, and the economy can't be doing you any favors either. You know we're not worth three million dollars," Logan counters.

Mitchum glances away so quickly that Logan almost doesn't catch the drop in façade.

"We're doing fine," Mitchum says.

Logan just continues to glare at him. The elevator dings and the doors open. Mitchum steps in, then looks back at Logan and holds the door open.

"It's not HPG money. It's ours. Your mother wants you to come home." He removes his hand and lets the doors close around him.

Shit. How is he still controlling me like this? Like some plea from Mom means jack shit to me.

Logan trudges back to the conference room; John and Kevin stand when he walks in.

"What the fuck was that?" Kevin says. "You said your family dynamic was weird, but that was on another level."

"But we've decided that we're not doing it," John says quickly. "You've been with us since the get-go, and we need you here. We're computer nerds. We can't sell contracts. Or do the business. We need you for that."

"You won't need to sell anything. They'll all come from HPG. You won't need me anymore. You have to take this money. It's a no-brainer," Logan says. "Besides you could find another pretty face if you needed to."

"Come on, man. You know that's not what I meant."

"I know," Logan says quietly.

"We're not doing it," Kevin reiterates.

"Yes, we are. You were right before. You have families to think about."

"What about you? What about Lauren?" John asks. "What about all that money you just put back in to bail us out?"

I don't know. But I've worked so hard to be a better person the last few years. I can't go back to being a selfish asshole now.

And I needed to sell that ring anyway.

"I'm gonna go," Logan says as he walks out of the conference room. "I'll call him and tell him."

"Logan…" he hears Kevin say as he heads toward his office. He quickly gathers his things and takes off. He drives straight to Lauren's. She's not home, so he sits on her stoop to wait.

He ignores calls from John and Kevin.

His thoughts are moving a mile a minute.

I'm going to have to do this. I don't want to give in, but I can't take John and Kevin down with me. They have wives and babies, and we are really struggling right now.

I guess it will be nice to stop worrying about money. But I just don't want to answer to him again. I'm going to be right back under his thumb. Fuck.

I like never talking to Grandpa. I was kind of hoping I wouldn't see him again until his funeral. Am I going to be expected to show up at the house in Hartford now?

What am I going to do about Lauren? My house? After everything, I love that house. And I certainly won't be able to keep training for a triathalon in New York.

Palo Alto is home now. I like the outdoors and the sunshine.

And I don't want to be that geographically close to Rory. I'll get weak again, just when I am finally starting to do better.

I guess there's some upside. Colin and Stephanie will be glad I'm home. And Honor will be over the moon. I'll get to see Aiden a lot more.

Ugh. It's like Sophie's choice, except- Oh she's home.

Lauren parks her car and greets him at the door. "Hey. Is everything okay? What are you doing here?"

He reaches for her, placing his hand on the back of her head to pull her close. "I've had a really shitty day," he whispers in her ear.

"Okay. Let's go inside, and you can tell me all about it."

She unlocks her door, takes him by the hand, and leads him in.

"I don't wanna talk right now," he says, kissing her deeply. "Will you just… be here with me?"

"Of course."

They eat take out and take a shower together, carefully tiptoeing around their thoughts. They are lying in her bed wrapped up in towels when she finally asks him about his day.

"Logan, I'm not trying to pry, but you're scaring me. Is everything okay?"

I'm going to just have to tell her.

"No," he says. "It's not okay… I'm going to have to move to New York. Probably soon."

She sits up and looks at him. "What? Why?"

He fills her in on his father's visit and the ultimatum laid out.

"So, don't do it," she says defiantly. "If John and Kevin don't want you to, just don't."

"It's not that simple. We are not doing well. Before my father came in today, Kevin was saying he thought we should liquidate and get out. I just can't justify taking this opportunity from them."

Tears fill her eyes. "So that's it? Your daddy throws some money at you, and you just… cave?"

"Look Lauren. That's completely unfair. You don't know anything about my relationship with my Dad," he says.

"So make me understand then."

"I have an eighteen million dollar trust fund that's been frozen for the last two years because I'm not working for him. This is not about money at all. I'm trying to do the right thing," Logan explains.

Her mouth drops open. "Eighteen million dollars? Woah… You are… really fucking rich."

He just looks at her. I've never wanted her to know any of this stuff about me. I want her just to know the guy here in front of her.

"So, if you go to New York… what happens to us? I love you, Logan. I don't want you to go," she pleads.

I don't know if I love her. But I think that's more about me than her. I don't know if I am ever going to let myself really love someone ever again. I probably love her as much as I can.

She takes his silence as referendum.

"Oh… You don't… Oh. Wow," she stutters.

Shit. Now I've hurt her.

"Lauren, I don't want to go either. I don't want to break up," he says, doing his best to assuage her.

"Why not? I can't leave Palo Alto. I have an eight hundred thousand dollar loan on the practice. I guess that's nothing to you, but… I can't practice in New York anyway. They have a completely different licensing board. And it doesn't sound like you'll be allowed to come back here. And if you don't love me, then why would we even go through all of that? I'm thirty-two years old. I'm not just having fun anymore," she says.

"Hey. It's not that... I mean... I'm crazy about you," he admits. "You know that, right?"

Why is it always so hard for me to say it?

Well, once I realized, it wasn't hard with her. Why can't I do it now?

"All of that other stuff may be true, but I still don't want to break up. We can do the distance," he continues.

It's gonna suck, but I know I'm capable of staying committed even across thousands of miles.

She doesn't say anything. She just lays back down, rolls away from him, and turns off her lamp.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

After an uneasy night of sleep, he awakens the next morning when Lauren slips on top of him. She interlocks their fingers and moves her body on his until he is fully awake. He rolls her over and looks deep in her eyes as he enters her.

It's slow and sensual, and he can't unlock his eyes from hers. I have to know what she's thinking, what she's feeling.

He lets himself be swept away by the feeling of her.

I'm an idiot. I do love her, and I'm not going to leave her. This is the closest I've been since Rory, and I can't let her go.

When they're done, she slips out of bed and starts getting dressed. He watches her silently, a slight awkwardness taking over.

She eventually sits on the edge of the bed, putting her earrings on, and says "I think we should admit what's happening here. This is not some small snafu in our relationship. This is a break up. You're leaving, and I can't sit around waiting for you to figure this out."

"What?" he asks, sitting up. "Then what was that just now?"

"It was goodbye… It's the right decision, Logan. You know it, and I know it."

"Lauren-"

"I have to go," she says, her voice breaking.

She leans down to kiss his lips, struggling against him when he tries to pull her closer. "Logan, don't…"

He lets her go, hating himself, hating the situation, and hating his father most of all.

Logan lies in her bed feeling sorry for himself for a while. Eventually he grabs his phone and calls Mitchum.

"You win," he says glumly before hanging up on him.

A/N: The rings are from the last chapter of London, Baby so if this is confusing, you may want to check that out. Up next: 2010- Logan is back on the East Coast!