Chapter 37

Dinner was pleasant. It was obvious that Logan had won Sookie over. She gushed over him happily when he left to take a phone call, she blushed happily and excitedly when he complimented her or her food, and the most telling bit was that there were no uncomfortable silences or forced conversations. The dinner had a flow to it, and Rory was thankful for Sookie. After dinner ended Rory and Logan thanked Sookie graciously for the meal and then left to wander around town aimlessly. They were about five minutes away from Lorelai's house when Logan smiled at her and spoke, bringing her out of her thoughts she hadn't noticed she had embedded herself into.

"I like it here." he said softly

Rory smiled. "Me too."

Logan laughed and draped his arm around her shoulders pulling her to him. "It's quiet."

Rory laughed this time. "Hun, that's because everyone's off whispering about you." she said smiling widely

Logan nodded and pretended to look scandalized. "You mean everyone's talking about me?" he asked then shrugged, "Huh, well that's new."

Rory laughed loudly and whole heartedly. "It is isn't it."

xxxxxx

He dropped Rory off at her dorm and was heading back towards his dorm when his phone rang. He looked down at the display and saw it was his dad. He sighed. He'd had a good day and he knew that this phone call would quite possibly ruin it but he knew that if he didn't answer it his father would just keep calling until he did. Plus he thought it might have been about the Life and Death Brigade thing and he wanted to know if he had an answer. Flipping his phone open and preparing for the worst he answered. "Hello?"

"Logan."

"Dad."

"How are you?"

"Fine. Yourself?"

"Who cares how I am.? You should have asked me how the business is. That's what's important."

Logan nodded. "Sure Dad. How's the business?" he asked sarcastically

"Fine. Fine. Everything's running smoothly."

Logan sighed. "That's great." he said then waited for a long moment. "Did you need something Dad?"

Mitchum nodded regardless of the fact that Logan couldn't see him. "I had an idea about the Life and Death Brigade problem."

Logan's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. It turns out that a few generations before me was the first set to begin allowing non-legacy members to join. They had this one member Peter King who apparently wasn't a legacy but he was best friends with one of them so he got initiated. The next year they wanted to initiate a Vanderbilt, and it turned out that the Vanderbilt girl had a serious problem with Peter King. All it took to force him out was four legacy members to vote him out."

Logan nodded. "I can swing that." he said smiling, "How'd they stop him from opening his mouth?"

"Logan, the Life and Death Brigade has many influential and powerful members, not to mention many powerful and influential alumni. Whoever you're trying to force out knows that, and he can't be stupid enough to open his mouth."

"I don't know. Robert's a moron." Logan said annoyed

"The Hudson boy?" Mitchum asked curiously

"Yeah."

"I thought you and Robert were friends."

"Not since he decided it was in his best interest to abuse my girlfriend." he said without thinking

"Girlfriend?" Mitchum questioned

Logan's feet stopped moving and suddenly he was glued to the spot. He forgot he hadn't told them about Rory yet.

"Logan?" Mitchum asked

"Yeah?"

"Did you say girlfriend?"

Logan sighed. There was no way of getting out of this. "Yeah. Um... I'm dating Rory Gilmore. Like full on dating, exclusively. I'm in the first monogamous relationship of my life."

"I seem to recall you telling us not that long ago that she wasn't your girlfriend." Mitchum pointed out

Logan sighed. "She wasn't then. And I understand that this is going to piss off Grandpa and Mom but I love her and I won't give her up." Logan said hurriedly

"Love?" Mitchum snapped suddenly

Logan was startled by the fact that even though his father sounded startled by his declaration of love for Rory, he wasn't angry. "Yeah. Love. I love her."

Mitchum smiled slightly. "Very well then."

"You're not going to fight me on this like everyone else did at dinner the last time I brought up Rory?"

"No."

"You're not?"

Mitchum sighed. "Do you want me to?"

"No. Not at all... I just..."

"So you want Robert Hudson out of the LDB because he hurt Rory?"

"I want to initiate Rory. She is a legacy after all."

Mitchum nodded. "She is a Gilmore."

"And a Hayden." Logan threw out unsure if his father knew that tidbit of information

"Yes, her father is Christopher Hayden. The Hayden's haven't been an active part of the LDB for years but they were part of the founding members." Mitchum said knowingly

Logan nodded. "Robert and Rory were kind of seeing each other and things ended badly."

"How badly?"

"Badly. He left her up in the clearing we used last year for the fourth with no way to get home and no clue where she was. Then a few days later she tries to walk away from him and he grabs her arm hard enough to leave bruises."Logan said pausing to take a breath. "I want him gone. I want him out of my life and as far away from Rory as possible. Because if he so much as lays another hand on him you're going to have to find someone else to run the papers when you retire because I'll be in prison for murder."

Mitchum was shocked by his son's persistence. The only thing he had ever seen Logan so invested in was the playboy lifestyle and the Life and Death Brigade. He had never seen his son so wound up over a girl. "Take a deep breath or something Logan. I can't even see you and I know your face is red."

Logan sighed. "It's just... I actually do love her. And I want her around all the time. I want her at the LDB events and I can't have that if she's going to be all nervous and jittery just because he's there."

"So you do what I told you to do. Get four legacy members to vote him out. I mean you have your vote, and Finn's vote, and Stephanie's vote, and Colin's vote..."

"Colin won't vote against Robert." Logan interrupted

Mitchum was surprised. "Why not?"

Logan groaned. "Something about how it all happened to fast and he doesn't want to kick Robert out of his life for something that Rory was just as responsible for as Robert was..."

"Did Rory bruise her own arm?"

"No."

"Did Rory abandon herself in New York?"

"No."

"Well then she's not as responsible as Robert is."

Logan shook his head. "No she's not."

Mitchum sighed. "If you need another vote I suppose I can give you my voting proxy as well."

Logan's mouth dropped in shock. "You said you were through with the whole LDB phase. That you wanted me to hurry up and get over it."

"I am and I do. But that doesn't change the fact that you're not. The Hudson boy isn't a legacy and Rory is and if you want her initiated that badly then you can have my proxy, but only if you can't get the other legacy members to agree as well. Colin isn't the only other one there. There's still the Huntington vote and the Windsor vote available."

Logan nodded. "Thanks."

Mitchum sighed. "No problem."

Logan stood in front of his dorm room for a few more minutes before walking in and seeing Finn sitting on the couch. "I should go I just walked got in from dropping Rory off and there are people in my dorm."

"Keep me posted." Mitchum said

"Bye Dad." Logan said before hanging up. He looked back over at Finn who was looking at him curiously. "What?"

"Nothing mate. I'm just not used to you looking all content after a phone call with Mitchum. That's all." Finn said curiously

Logan smiled and plopped down on the couch. "I have wonderful news."

"Well then tell me." Finn said anxiously

"It only takes four legacy members to vote a member out of the LDB."

"That's it?"

"That's it. I'm not sure if that's how it works for everyone but that's how it works for non-legacy members."

"He's as good as gone." Finn said happily

"That's what I said."

"Wait, how are you going to get Colin to agree? I mean you know he's not going to want to. I mean you have mine, yours, and Steph's votes but it's going to be hard to get Colin's. Which just leaves Samantha Windsor and Olivia Huntington. Both of which you dated, slept with and then dumped. They aren't just going to agree so you can let Rory in... and yet you're still smiling. That's inappropriate." Finn said confused

"That's the beauty of it Finn. I don't need their votes. Daddy gave me his proxy."