Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 3 - Goodbyes
Rory couldn't believe it was almost time to leave. She ate her pancakes slower than she normally would have. It would be a very long time before she would have Franny's pancakes again and she wanted to savor them. She wanted to memorize everything about this day.
"You okay, babe?" Lorelai asked bringing Rory out of her daze.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just a little sad, but excited. And nervous, but mostly excited," she said trying to assure herself as much as her mother.
"You're gonna be fine, sweetie. You're gonna love London. And London is gonna love you."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Your mother, on the other hand, is going to be a complete wreck while you're away. I hope you realize that. She will have to take to her bed for weeks. And your father, forget about it. He'll need to be sedated. Your brother will..."
"Very funny, Mom," she interrupted. "I'm going to miss you too."
Lorelai smiled at her daughter. She knew there was more to Rory's boarding school decision than she was letting on, and while she didn't like the idea at first, she trusted Rory and knew that it was her decision to make. Plus, she agreed it was a good idea for Rory to try something different while at the same time getting out of Kevin's shadow. Her children always got along well, but Kevin had a tendency to hog the spot light. Lorelai knew this never bothered Rory, who was content to stay in the background, but she also knew her daughter needed to come out of her shell more often. Lorelai hoped London would help her do that.
"But not as much as I'm gonna miss Franny's pancakes," Rory kidded interrupting her mother's thoughts.
"Or Luke's coffee," she answered back.
"Or the burritos at Al's"
"Or anything Sookie makes."
The two were interrupted by the laughter of Christopher and Mitchum who at that moment were raising their coffee cups in a toast.
"Speaking of Mitchum," said Lorelai, "that was really nice of him to offer you that internship. I can almost see you running around London, flashing your press pass, interviewing the Queen, or better yet, William."
"I don't think I'll be doing any interviewing, least of all the Queen, although I wouldn't mind interviewing Will. I'll probably be making coffee and photocopying."
"But you'll be doing it at a real paper. You're so excited I can tell," she said. "You've already mentally picked out what you're gonna wear on your first day haven't you?"
"Maybe I have," she replied with a smile while finishing off the last of her coffee. "But can you blame me? I'm so excited. I'm going to be working at a real paper! In London!"
"Well I'm thrilled for you. And while we're on the subject of Huntzbergers, what was up with you and Logan earlier?"
"What do you mean?" she answered nervously.
"I mean earlier. When you two came down, there was a weird vibe. Did something happen upstairs?"
"No," she replied curtly.
Lorelai studied her for a moment. "Something happened. So spill it."
Rory thought for a moment. Did her mother know? She couldn't possibly. Rory never told her or anyone for that matter. "Nothing happened. He gave me an early birthday present that's all."
"Huh…interesting. What did he give you?"
"What's with the Spanish Inquisition?" she asked getting a bit defensive. "He gave me a birthday present. It's not a big deal."
"Huh…interesting."
"What's interesting?"
"You're getting awfully worked up about this. What's interesting is the fact that he gave you a birthday present, when your birthday is almost two months away, and when asked about it, you get all hot and bothered."
"I am not hot and bothered. Annoyed, yes," she said giving her mother a pointed glare.
"Huh…interesting."
"Will you stop saying that?"
"I'm just saying it's interesting. I'll stop saying it if you tell me what he gave you."
"A book."
"A book? What book?"
"Just a book."
"I don't believe you. You already own practically every book ever printed, something Logan is very much aware of. And Logan has too much flare for the dramatic to get you 'just a book.' So again I ask, what did he give you?"
Rory sighed. She knew based on the look in her mother's eyes that she was not letting this one go. "He gave me a copy of Pride and Prejudice….a first edition."
"Huh…interesting."
"Mom!"
"Okay, sorry. A first edition of your favorite book? That is….wow! That's very thoughtful, not to mention extravagant, which is not surprising for Logan. But the thoughtfulness is not very Logan-like. Don't get me wrong, he's a great kid, but you have to admit that's a bit out of character for him."
"I know. I was surprised too. It's probably one of the nicest things I've ever gotten. I love it. I'm just surprised that he knew I would love it. Plus, he went to so much trouble to get it for me. It was really….really…."
"Interesting?" offered Lorelai with a smile.
"Fine…interesting. Anyway enough about that…what time is the car getting here?" she asked eager to change the subject.
Lorelai was not at all ready to drop the subject. It was far too juicy a topic. She's known Logan Huntzberger all his life and loved him like one of her own. She never thought of him as anything but Kevin's best friend. The idea of him with Rory never crossed her mind…that is until right now. But it made sense. Logan was always with Kevin, which meant he was around Rory a lot. The two had always gotten along, minus the incessant teasing on Logan's side, which she now saw in a completely different context. Lorelai recalled how easily Rory blushed whenever Logan sent a smart remark her way. She remembered how quick to judge Rory was when it came to the girls Logan dated. Not to mention, how happy Rory looked when she came down to breakfast with Logan this morning. Lorelai couldn't believe she didn't see it until now. Rory had a crush on Logan Huntzberger.
"The car will be here to pick us up in about a half hour. We should probably get ready. Go upstairs and change. We need to…."
"What the bloody hell is in here?" yelled Finn from somewhere in the house. "I'm gonna break my back and then sue your father for everything he's worth, Kevin."
"Oh boy. I better make sure my stuff is ok," said Rory exiting the kitchen and leaving her mother with her thoughts.
Rory entered the foyer just as Kevin and Finn were putting down her large trunk. Logan was coming down the stairs with a suitcase in each hand and her carry-on bag on his shoulder. "Geez, Ace, you know they do have stores in London don't you?"
"Wow really, Logan!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She blocked his path down the stairs and declared in her best Emily Gilmore voice, "Well in that case I won't need any of this stuff. Please take it all back upstairs."
"Out of the way, Ace. I need to put this stuff down so I can sign on to Finn's lawsuit. Kiss your trust fund goodbye," he said with a smirk firmly in place.
She was really going to miss that smirk. "Focus, Rory," she told herself. "This isn't about Logan. You're doing this for you." Rory smiled and stepped aside letting Logan and Colin pass. Both looked relieved as they dropped the rest of her luggage at the bottom of the stairs.
"Thank you, boys," she said then turned to Kevin. "The car will be here soon, Kev. Make sure you're ready. I want to leave on time."
"Of course you do," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Don't worry, Ror. As you can see, I'm already dressed and my bag has already been packed. I just need to bring it down. Is there anything else you need brought down?"
"Nope that's all of it. I'm going to get dressed and do a final sweep of my room to make sure I didn't forget anything. Would the three of you mind making sure my darling big brother is ready in exactly 30 minutes?"
"Sir, yes, sir," shouted Logan giving her a mock salute. The boys laughed as Rory headed back up to her room shaking her head.
"Well it's good to know you'll fit right in should I ever need to ship you away to military school," said Mitchum as he entered the foyer with Christopher and Lorelai.
Logan paled at the mere mention of military school. "That's not funny, Dad."
"I don't know," said Christopher, "the expression on your face a couple of seconds ago was pretty priceless. And let's not completely rule out military school." He looked pointedly at Kevin and said, "I didn't particularly enjoy all the meetings with Headmaster Charleston last year, Kevin. Do you think you four can manage to stay out of trouble this year?"
"Trouble? Us? Never," declared Colin.
"When have we ever been in trouble?" asked Finn dramatically.
"Yeah, dad," said Kevin, "when?" Kevin was deliberately goading his father. At least a dozen incidents immediately came into his mind and he was sure his father could easily recall them as well. However, he also remembered that once Christopher's initial anger subsided, the two always had a good laugh about whatever it was Kevin and the boys did.
"Don't even get me started, Kevin. We don't have that much time. Actually," said Christopher checking his watch, "we don't have any time. The car is due in 23 minutes and you better be ready. You too, Lor. You know how Rory is about staying on schedule."
"I know. I know. Where does she get that from because punctuality is definitely not in my genes? All right, Kevin, let's get a move on." The two headed upstairs and the rest of the crowd moved toward one of the rooms adjacent to the foyer, what Lorelai called the family room.
Located across from the formal living room, the family room was all windows and big comfy chairs. It also had a big screen television and hundreds of movies for Lorelai and Rory's infamous movie nights. The Hayden's mansion was large and luxurious, but unlike many of the estates of the Hartford elite, it had a very homey feel. Logan, Colin, and Finn always liked the fact that at Kevin's house, they could actually sit on the furniture. This, of course, was all Lorelai's doing. She wanted her children to feel comfortable in their house. She didn't want them growing up feeling trapped like she did. The boys made themselves comfortable lounging on the furniture and turning on the television while Christopher and Mitchum stayed just outside the room near the stairs.
"Thanks for taking Kevin for a couple of days, Mitch," said Christopher. Kevin was only going as far as the airport, but Lorelai and Christopher were flying to London with Rory. While his parents were away, Kevin would be staying with the Huntzbergers. "Lor and I just want to make sure Rory is settled. And I'd rather not leave him on his own for five whole days. I want to make sure I still have a house to come home to."
Mitchum chuckled knowing Chris was right not to leave Kevin in an empty house for an extended period of time. "Please, don't even worry about it. It's not like we don't have the room and Shira and I are happy to help."
"Well I appreciate it. I've given him strict instructions to be on his best behavior. And you have my permission to smack him around if he gets out of line."
"I heard that. Thanks a lot, Dad. Your faith in me is touching," Kevin said as he descended the stairs, a duffle bag over his shoulder and a suitcase in his hand.
"Well excessive packing appears to be genetic. Just how long were you planning on staying, Kev?" questioned Logan eying the suitcase.
"This is all I'm bringing," he replied indicating the small duffle. "The suitcase is one of Mom's. She has another one she wants you to bring down, Dad."
"Duty calls. I'll be right back."
Kevin entered the family room and began trying to wrestle the remote control away from Colin. Colin tossed the remote to Finn and a game of 'keep away' ensued. Logan was about to get involved, but Mitchum stopped him.
"How did she like the gift?" he asked.
"Huh?" wondered Logan.
"Rory…how did she like the book?"
"Oh….she loved it…eventually at least. When she first opened it, she actually tried to give it back. Said it was too extravagant. Can you believe that?"
Mitchum laughed and answered, "Regardless, it was a very nice of you to think of her. She's a very sweet girl. You know she's going to be interning at the London office. Have you though about…."
"Dad, please not with the internship again. I'm 15 for God's sake. I'm not interested in…"
"You'll be 16 in a few months and internships look good on college applications."
"So does the name Huntzberger," mumbled Logan.
"I'm serious, Logan. I'm thinking of your future. Yale won't accept you with the kind of grades you're bringing home no matter how many checks I write. An internship on your resume will…."
"There are other schools besides Yale."
"No, there are not. Seven generations of Huntzbergers have…"
"Please, Dad, could we not do this here? Not now."
Mitchum eyed his son. This discussion of Yale was far from over, but he thought it best not to continue it now. "Fine. I'll drop the subject of the internship if I see an improvement in your grades this fall. And I want you to join The Franklin."
"Whatever." Wanting to get as far away from his father as possible, Logan tried walking away but was stopped by the hand Mitch put on is shoulder.
"Logan, I know you think I'm being hard on you, but this is for your own good. I want the best for you. You're going to be running the company one day and I want you to…."
"Logan, would you mind helping me with this?" interrupted Rory. She was at the top of the stairs and had a small bag in her arms.
"Sure," he replied. Logan eagerly climbed the steps and took the bag from her.
"You looked like you needed saving," she whispered.
He smiled appreciatively at her. Rory noticed it was a real smile, the kind of smile that reached his eyes. "I owe you one, Ace."
"Don't think I won't collect, Huntzberger."
He couldn't help but smile. "I'm really gonna miss having you around, Ace."
Her heart skipped a few beats. Rory bit her bottom lip, a nervous habit she had especially around Logan. "Really?" she asked.
Logan looked at her questioningly. "Did she really think he wasn't going to miss her?" he thought. He reached out and gave her ponytail a playful tug. "Of course, Ace," he said with a smile. His hand grazed her cheek when he pulled it back and Rory's butterflies turned into bats. Her cheeks flushed a bright red making Logan chuckle.
"Excuse me," said Lorelai, "am I interrupting?" She eyed the two suspiciously and then flashed Rory a wicked grin.
"Not at all," answered Logan calmly, "just helping Ace with her bag." With that he turned and climbed down the stairs, put the bag down with the rest of Rory's stuff and entered the family room closely followed my Mitchum.
As soon as they was out of earshot Lorelai turned to a still blushing Rory and in a teasing sing-song voice began to sing, "Rory and Logan sitting in a tree…."
"Mom!" Rory paled instantly. In a low whisper she begged, "Please don't! Not now! And please don't tell anyone! Please! Not even Dad. In fact, especially not Dad! Or Kevin! Please, Mom, please!"
"I can't believe I didn't see this sooner. My Rory Radar must be malfunctioning. How could I miss this?"
"Mom, please!"
"God, my grandchildren are going to be gorgeous."
"Mom!"
Lorelai laughed an evil laugh. "Ok. Calm down kid. I won't say anything. Not even to Daddy ok."
Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"If you answer just one question."
"Oh God, what?"
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long have you liked him?"
Rory blushed furiously. She didn't want to admit anything to her mother right now, but knew she'd be sorry if she didn't pacify at least some of Lorelai's curiosity. "Since the mistletoe thing at Christmas," she mumbled.
"Seriously! That was two years ago," she laughed. Lorelai was struggling to contain herself. This was too good. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"
"I was hoping it would go away," Rory answered honestly.
"And how's that working for you?"
"Not so good."
"Oh, honey. Take it from me. Crushes die hard." She gave Rory a hug hoping it would relax her a bit. It was going to be a long day and neither one of them anticipated this conversation. "Well I gotta say, I was really not looking forward to this day, but this news was so worth getting out of bed for. My baby's first real crush. I'm so proud."
"Mom, please."
"Ok. Enough torturing you for now. But you're telling me everything. Before Daddy and I leave London, you and I are having a girls day. Shopping, ice cream, movies and you're gonna spill everything ok?"
"Ok," she agreed. Rory was actually a little relieved. Carrying that secret around for so long was exhausting and having her mother to talk to about this would be nice. She smiled and gave her mother a big hug hoping to quell some of the anxiety she was still feeling. "You do realize I'm not leaving this house until you swear on coffee beans that you will not divulge this secret to anyone?"
"To the kitchen," Lorelai declared running down the stairs followed closely by Rory.
While the two headed to find some coffee beans to swear on, the car arrived. Christopher opened the door and indicated to the driver what needed to be loaded in the car. "Lorelai, Rory, the car's here. Let's go! Kevin, please help the man with the trunk."
Everyone, including Mitchum reemerged in the foyer as the driver began loading all the luggage into the back of the limo. Rory turned to Colin, Finn, Logan, and Mitchum and said, "Well I guess this is it." She gave Mitchum a hug and thanked him again for the internship.
"Have a good time. I'll be sure to call whenever I'm visiting the London office," he told her.
Rory hugged Colin next. "Keep an eye on these three, Colin. I'm counting on you to keep them from getting expelled."
Colin laughed and returned the hug, "I'll do my best, but I make no promises. Really gonna miss you, Rory."
Rory then turned to Finn. "It's not too late to change your mind, love. Do you honestly think you'll survive four years without my exotic self and my sexy accent?"
"I'm going to England, Finn. All the boys there will have sexy accents." Finn clutched his heart and looked pained. "But not as sexy as yours, Finn. I'll miss you," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. Finn lifted her off the ground and twirled around three times before setting her back down.
Last but not least, she turned to Logan. "I'm gonna miss you most of all, scarecrow," she joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
He laughed out loud before gripping her shoulders and pulling her in for a big hug. He held her tight for a few seconds and Rory's heart was pounding. Logan kissed the top of her head before pulling back, but not letting go of her. He looked into her eyes, "Knock'em dead, Ace."
Rory smiled at him just as he finally let go of her completely. Her entire body was tingling. She was fully aware that Lorelai was watching this scene with a new and intense interest, but she did her best to appear calm. "Thanks, Logan. Take care of Kevin for me ok."
"Sure, Ace."
At this point, all of the luggage was in the car. Rory was glad she didn't have to say goodbye to her family yet. It was at least a two hours to the airport since they were flying out of Boston so she still had plenty of time with Kevin. And although she protested initially, she was really glad her parents were going to stay in London for a few days.
"Car's packed," said Christopher. "Mitch, the driver will drop of Kevin later this afternoon."
Mitchum nodded. "Sure, Chris. Have a good flight. All right, boys, let's go," he said addressing, Logan, Colin, and Finn. "Colin, Finn, I can drop you boys off on my way home. We'll see you back at the house, Kevin."
"Thanks, Mitchum," answered Kevin. "Logan, I'll call when I'm on my way back."
"All right, man."
The four walked out of the house, leaving just the Haydens. Rory looked around one last time, trying to memorize every last detail of the house. She was really doing this. She was completely terrified. But also, completely thrilled.
"Ready, kid?" Lorelai asked interrupting her thoughts.
Rory closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm ready." She turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her.