Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 15 – Meet the Parents
"Are you ready?"
Rory nodded nervously at Logan and repositioned her hand to get a firmer more comfortable grip. She'd never done this before, and although Logan continued to encourage and reassure her, she was worried about messing up somehow. Taking a deep breath, she mentally and physically prepared herself.
Logan couldn't help but smile at the expression on Rory's face. He could tell she was concentrating very hard as she anxiously bit down on her lower lip. "She's so cute," he thought to himself. "I love that she's nervous." He smiled at her hoping to relieve some of that anxiety.
Rory took comfort in his smile and successfully returned it despite her nerves.
"Ok…now," he said.
Rory tightened her grip before moving her hand the way Logan had showed her.
"Perfect," he said with a proud smile. The Porsche had successfully been shifted into second gear.
"Yay!" she cheered as she clapped her hands and bounced up and down in the passenger seat. "I did it!"
Logan laughed. "See, Ace. What did I tell you? It's easy."
"Can I do it again?" she asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up.
He laughed again. Would he ever get enough of this girl? "When we get to the end of this street, shift back to first."
"First? Can't we go to third gear?"
"I don't think the citizens of Hartford would appreciate us going that fast in a residential area, Ace."
"Please," she begged. "I want to put it into third."
"You can practice going to third another time."
"Please, Logan," she pleaded with a pout.
He took one look at her big blue eyes and knew he didn't stand a chance. As much as he wanted to get her to his house to do unspeakable things to her, there was no way he could deny that face. He shook his head and he made a sharp left.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Back road," he informed her. "There's about a mile of straightaway just a few minutes from here. I'll let you put the car in third out there."
Rory squealed with joy and began clapping her hands again. She leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered next to his ear.
Logan smiled as he placed an affectionate hand on her knee. "Anything for you, Ace."
The two drove up and down the empty stretch of road a half dozen times before Rory got her fill of shifting gears. Logan had offered to switch seats with her, but she insisted she wasn't ready to drive yet despite how much she liked handling the stick shift.
"Are you sure you don't want to drive, Ace? You're getting pretty good at switching gears."
"You just want to see me behind the wheel of your car," she teased.
"Guilty," he admitted. "Like I said, you'd look hot."
Rory thanked him for the compliment with a tender, painfully slow kiss. "Another time," she promised, her lips still hovering near his. "Right now…I want you to take me to your house."
Logan's mind was left a bit foggy by that kiss. Who was he to argue when his beautiful, sexy girlfriend was asking him to take her to an empty house? "Like I said, anything for you, Ace."
The ride to the Huntzberger estate lasted less than fifteen minutes. Rory kept her left hand on Logan's thigh the entire way, a fact that made Logan drive just a bit faster than necessary. When they pulled up to the house, Logan practically yanked her out of the car. The urgency he felt earlier had returned and right now, he needed to get her alone in a locked room, preferably one with a bed.
After they made it through the front door, Logan steered her toward the staircase intent on spending the rest of their time together locked in his room.
"Is that you, Logan?" asked a voice from the solarium.
Logan groaned. "Damn. She was supposed to be at the club by now," he informed Rory.
"Logan?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Come in here," she commanded.
"Coming," he answered with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Ace. I promise this will just take a second. Wait right here."
"Can't I say hi? I haven't seen Shira in ages."
"That exactly why you can't say hi," he said. Checking his watch, he added, "We only have four hours and forty-seven minutes left before I have to take you home. If you go in there to say, she'll insist on talking to you."
"So?"
"You could be in there for days," he said dramatically.
Rory rolled her eyes at him.
"Plus, I thought we wanted to keep us on the DL for a while. If you walk in there with me, it'll just give her ideas. Is that what you want?"
"I'm sorry. Did you really just say 'keep us on the DL'?"
Logan smirked. "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing R. Kelly," she said giggling. "Fine. I'll wait here."
Logan looked over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear before placing a quick kiss on her lips. "I'll be right back."
"Stay away from underage girls," she called after him.
Logan laughed as he quickly walked towards his mother voice. He was surprised to see that she wasn't alone. Sitting with her were five other women, three that were about her age and two girls in their late teens or early twenties. Both girls gave him an obvious once over and Logan was suddenly filled with dread.
"Logan, there you are," greeted his mother. "I wanted to introduce you to my guests."
Logan smiled politely.
"You know Eleanor Chase," began Shira gesturing to the woman sitting closest to her. "But I don't think you've ever met Julia Thurston and her daughter Rachel, and Christina Fallon and her daughter Rebecca."
Logan nodded and smiled as each woman was introduced. "It's nice to meet all of you."
"Ladies, this is my son Logan," Shira said proudly. "We were just headed to the club for a late lunch. Why don't you join us? You can entertain Rachel and Rebecca. I'm sure they'd prefer your company to us old folks," she added with a smile.
The two young girls looked excited at that prospect. What girl wouldn't want to spend some time getting to know the devilishly handsome Huntzberger heir? Logan, however, inwardly winced at the thought of having to spend an afternoon with a couple of spoiled debutantes. He hadn't spoken two words to either of them, but he could tell they were your typical society girl. Dull. "Nothing like my Ace," he thought.
"I would love to," he began, "but unfortunately, I already have plans. I actually have someone waiting for me in the foyer."
"Really?" asked a surprised Shira. "Who's here?" She seriously hoped it wasn't one of Logan's 'dates,' although she doubted it since Logan knew better than to bring one of his girls to the house. She loved her son, but he didn't have the most refined taste when it came to girls. That's why she wanted him to spend time with young ladies from respectable families.
"Oh…uhh…"
"Hi, Shira" greeted Rory cheerfully as she breezed into the room. "I'm so sorry to barge in like this."
Shira placed a hand over her heart. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Rory!" She rose from her seat and walked over to give her a hug. "Look at you. You are so beautiful," she gushed. "Logan, look at how beautiful she's gotten."
Logan caught Rory's eye and sent her a knowing smirk. "Rory was always beautiful, Mom," he said casually.
"Yes, she was. But now she's just breathtaking," said Shira.
"Thank you, Shira,"
"When did you get home?" she asked.
"Just a few days ago."
"I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see you. It's been far too long."
"I agree," said Rory.
"And I hear you'll be attending Yale in the fall."
"Yes."
"Richard and Emily must be so pleased."
"More so than Straub and Francine," interjected Logan.
Shira laughed lightly at that comment. "I'm sure you're correct there, Logan. Oh, I'm so sorry," said Shira suddenly remembering she had company. "Ladies, I'd like you all to meet Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Hayden, better known as Rory." She then went around the room introducing her guests. They all greeted her politely, although Rachel and Rebecca were somewhat cold, at least in Logan's eyes.
"It's lovely to meet all of you," said Rory with a flawless society smile.
A thought then occurred to Shira. "What was Rory doing here with Logan?" For a moment, a happy idea popped into her head. Getting Logan interested in the Thurston or the Fallon girl was one thing, but getting him together with Rory would have been a dream. She was surprised she'd never thought of it before. Her matchmaking heart skipped a beat at the mere thought of uniting those families, not to mention those gene pools. But she didn't want to get her hopes up. After all, she was perfectly aware of her son's reputation and she had a genuine affection for Rory. Because of that, she had no interest in sullying her name by making her one of Logan's passing flings. "What brings you here, Rory?" she asked casually.
Despite her serene expression, Logan knew his mother too well not to see the matchmaking glint in her eye. He suppressed his laughter and kept his own expression blank.
"Oh…Logan and I are making plans for Kevin's birthday," she answered smoothly. "It's this weekend. This is the first time in years I'll actually get to see him on his birthday so I wanted to do something special. Logan was nice enough to volunteer to help me."
Shira's heart sank a little. That made sense. "That's right. I forgot that was coming up. What did you two have in mind?"
Logan couldn't help but be impressed with Rory's quick thinking. "Actually, Mom, we were planning on heading out to the Vineyard for a while. Just me and the guys…and Rory of course. Is it that all right?"
"Of course, Logan. That sounds like fun," said Shira. "Oh…but call Honor," she added. "She mentioned the possibility of heading up there herself this weekend and if she does, there won't be enough rooms."
"That shouldn't be a problem," said Rory. "Kevin and I are actually staying at my grandparents so either way there should be plenty of room. And it will be nice to see Honor."
Shira smiled brightly at her. "It is amazing how grown up you look, Rory. Chris and Lorelai must be so thrilled you're home."
"It's nice to be back. I didn't realize how much I missed everyone here."
Logan hoped that last comment was directed at him.
"Well," continued Shira, "you should have dinner with us tonight. I'm sure Mitchum would be just delighted to see you and hear all about London."
"That's very generous of you to offer," said Rory, "but my Dad's coming home from a business trip today so I can't. I'm sorry, but maybe another night?"
"Of course, dear," said Shira with a warm smile. "When were you kids planning to head out to the Vineyard?"
"The sooner the better," answered Logan thinking of how fast he wanted to get Rory away from her ex.
"In that case, maybe after you get back. That way you can tell me about all the trouble the boys caused."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom," said Logan dryly.
Shira smiled at her son before turning her attention back to her guests. "Well, ladies, we really should get going." The group nodded and began gathering their belongings. "Rory, give me a call when you get back to set up that dinner."
"I will. I'm looking forward to it, Shira."
Turning her attention to her son, Shira asked, "Logan, will you be joining your father and me for dinner tonight?"
"Sure, Mom," he answered quickly hoping it would make her leave faster. He kissed her cheek and watched as she and her guests exited. He waited until he heard the front door shut behind them before pouncing on Rory. Within seconds he grabbed her hips and pulled her flush against his body. "Didn't I tell you not to come in here?" he scolded playfully as he trailed kisses down her neck.
Rory ran her hands up his back and moaned as he began to suck gently on her pulse. She tilted her head back to give him better access as she let her fingers play with his soft golden hair. "Mmmm…I had to."
"Why?" he asked not removing his lips from her neck.
"To save you from an afternoon at the club with the two girls who were eying you like a piece of meat."
Logan chuckled but kept his mouth where it was. He began steering her toward the now empty sofa just recently vacated by his mother and her friends. "Jealous?" he teased applying more pressure on a particularly sensitive part of her neck.
Rory's moans let him know just how much she appreciated his efforts. She allowed him to lower her on to the sofa before answering. "Hardly," she said as her hands wandered underneath his shirt relishing his muscular back.
Logan moved his mouth to hers claiming her lips in a hot searing kiss. They remained on that sofa for longer than Logan intended. It was not a good idea to be going at it in an open room where any of a dozen servants could walk in on them. He knew he should stop this and move them somewhere more private. He knew it, yet he couldn't tear himself off her. Only when Rory began to tug at his shirt did he make up his mind to change locations. "Let's go," he managed to say between kisses.
Rory was very comfortable where she was, lying on a sofa kissing her boyfriend. She had no desire to move from that spot. "Huh? Go where?"
"Out of here," he answered still kissing her. Would he ever get enough of her kisses? He was addicted.
"Why? I like it here. It's comfy…and bright," she said indicating all the windows.
"That's exactly why we should move," he said finally tearing his lips off her. "We're very exposed right now. If you're expecting to take things any further, we're going to have to take this show out of the solarium."
Rory smiled playfully at him. "Are you expecting to take things further?"
Logan, who was still on top of her, smirked and said, "I'm not the one who's trying to take my clothes off, Ace."
Rory blushed a deep red when she looked at what her hands were in the middle of doing. Her fingers were gripping the hem of his shirt and had pulled said shirt halfway up his torso.
Logan chuckled as he got off her, pulled her out of the solarium, and up the stairs.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Tour of the house," he said casually.
"Really?" she asked not believing him.
"Yes. I just figured we'd start with my room and work our way out."
Rory giggled and allowed him to pull her down the hall. They were in his bedroom no more than two seconds before Logan had the door locked and Rory pushed up against it. He pressed his body into hers letting her feel how much of an affect she had on him. Their mouths found each other instantly. Rory moved her hands underneath his shirt and this time, successfully pulled it off him. She loved how perfect his body was—from the well defined chest, down to the chiseled abs, and further down to his rapidly growing erection. Rory had limited experience when it came to that part of the male anatomy, but she knew enough to know that Logan was very well endowed. Right now she could feel that endowment growing against her stomach.
Logan's hands moved down her back and onto her ass. He pushed further into her before lifting her body off the floor. His hands took hold of her thighs forcing Rory to wrap her legs around his waist. He thrust his hips forward grinding his erection into her center as their bodies ached for more. "That's it," he told between passion filled kisses. "From now on, nothing but skirts and dresses for you."
She giggled.
"Don't laugh, Ace. You and I both know this would be way more fun if you hadn't decided to wear pants today."
"They're capris," she pointed out.
"They're in the way," he countered.
"They come off," she said with a seductive smirk.
Logan returned her smirk and began kissing her again. He made sure he had a solid hold on her before he moved them off the door and began walking toward the bed. His bed was a mere twenty feet from the door, but with Rory in his arms, her legs wrapped around his body, it seemed miles away. Halfway there he stopped at his desk and put Rory down in order to properly enjoy her kisses. He ravished her mouth, exploring every inch of it with his tongue. Rory, not to be out down, tightened her legs around him and returned his kisses with equal intensity. Their breathing grew heavier and as their passion progressed Logan grew more and more needy. He wanted to touch and taste every inch of her. He pulled her shirt over her head and attacked the perfect skin of her breasts.
"Logan," she moaned. Rory pulled his head up wanting his mouth on hers and the two kissed each other furiously.
Logan pushed her further onto the desk and began shoving aside the knick-knacks and anything else that was taking up valuable surface area. He didn't know why, but whenever he was with her, he had no control. He couldn't think. All he could do was feel. "Oh God, Ace." Logan reached for the button on her capris and was surprised when she stopped him. For a moment he felt ashamed. After all the time he spent reassuring her that he was willing to wait, here he was losing control, ready to strip her naked on his desk of all places. "I'm sorry," he began. "We don't have to…I mean…we can stop if you want."
Rory laughed lightly at his frazzled expression. She didn't want to stop any more than he did. She just didn't want to continue this on his desk. "I don't want to stop yet," he assured him. "This lamp is just digging into my back."
Logan sighed with relief and instantly pushed the offending lamp off his desk. It made and impressive crash when it hit the floor and Rory laughed.
"Not really a good time to be laughing, Ace."
"You broke your lamp."
"It was hurting your back," he pointed out.
"You didn't have to go and break it."
"What would you have me do?"
"What I was going to ask you to do in the first place."
"Which was?"
She kissed his lips with such a force that Logan felt it in every fiber of his being. "Move me to the bed," she stated as if it was the most logical thing in the world.
Logan chuckled. "Right," he agreed feeling a little dumb. She really had a detrimental effect on his ability to think clearly. He began kissing her again as he hoisted her off the desk and walked toward the bed. Logan lowered her gently and watched, completely mesmerized, as she undid her capris and provocatively wiggled out of them.
Rory lay before him in nothing but her bra and panties. As she moved further into the bed, never breaking eye contact with Logan, she crooked her finger and him inviting him to come closer.
Logan had to concentrate to control his breathing. He and Rory were alone in his house, locked in his room, and at that very second, she was lying half naked on his bed asking him to join her. He couldn't come up with a better scenario if he tried. Logan kicked off his shoes and socks, climbed onto the bed and maneuvered his body over hers.
Rory reached for him, undid his belt and pushed his pants down and off his body. One by one, the remainder of their clothing made it onto the floor—her bra, then her panties, followed lastly by his boxers. Being naked with a man was not something Rory was used to, but with Logan, she felt comfortable and safe.
The next two hours were spent memorizing every inch of each others' bodies.
Logan savored the feel and the taste of Rory's skin. He loved how she reacted to his touch and couldn't get enough of the soft moans and whimpers that came from her lips. In his mind, there was nothing more glorious than his Ace crying out for him in the midst of an orgasm. Just watching her body's reaction to his ministrations was almost enough to send him over the edge.
Rory explored Logan's body with an innocent curiosity—the defined muscles or his torso, the line of his hipbone, and other aspects of his anatomy were all so new to her. Logan was more than happy to lie back and let her touch and explore anything she wanted. He loved the way her hands felt on his bare skin.
Logan would have been happy to spend the rest of the afternoon in his bed. To be perfectly honest, he would have been happy to spend the rest of his life in that bed as long as she was in it with him. It was only when Rory insisted they actually go watch movies that the two even deemed to take their hands off each other.
"You want to watch movies? Now?" he asked not believing she would even consider getting out of his bed.
"That's what I came here to do," she argued. "We were supposed to spend the afternoon watching movies."
Logan pulled her still naked body against his. "I thought this is what you came here to do," he said kissing her shoulder.
Rory felt his arousal against her thigh. She knew that he enjoyed their recent activities. However, unlike her, he hadn't climaxed. During the past couple of hours spent in his bed, Logan's skillful hands had successfully given her two orgasms. Not wanting to be selfish, she reached for his length and smirked at his reaction. "This is only part of the reason I came here," she told him. She began to slowly stroke him. "But you promised we could watch movies in your fancy screening room." Her hand set a steady rhythm. "You're not going to break your promise to me, are you, Logan?"
Logan found it hard to concentrate on anything other than the fact that she was currently stroking his cock. "Huh?"
Rory smiled and continued her actions. "You aren't going to break your promise right?"
His breathing grew more labored. "Never, Ace," he assured her.
Rory leaned her naked body into his, letting him feel her breasts against his bare skin. She knew how much he loved that. In the meantime, she increased the speed of her hand. "So we can watch movies?"
"Yes," he panted.
"And you'll let me pick out the movies?" she asked squeezing him harder.
"Yes, Ace. We can do whatever you want." At that point he would have agreed to anything.
She smiled at him and began to pump even faster. She could tell he was close.
Logan used one hand to grab the back of her neck. He wanted to his have is mouth on hers when he came. His other hand moved over the hand she had on him and guided her strokes. Within a few seconds, Logan groaned into her mouth, biting down gently on her lower lip as reached his climax.
Rory watched in amazement as he came. She loved that he reacted to her the way he did. It made her feel desired and sexy. It was intoxicating. She let his breathing even out before she spoke to him again. "And I'm going to need snacks," she said out of nowhere. "Lots and lots of snacks."
His heart had just begun to thump at its normal pace, but his brain was still a bit foggy. "Can't watch a movie without snacks, right?" he asked following her train of thought.
"You're so smart," she teased.
"I try."
"It shows."
"Well it's good to know you're not just after my body," he said with a smirk.
Rory cocked an eyebrow at him. "Who told you that?" she asked giving him a lascivious grin.
Logan chuckled as he got out of bed. He pulled his boxers back on and kissed her head. "Do you want to use the bathroom first?"
She loved being in his bed. "No, you go first. I like it here," she informed him pulling the sheets around her and lying back against his pillows.
Logan smiled and left her to clean up. He loved the way she looked in his bed.
Minutes later, the two were comfortably situated in the Huntzberger's screening room. Logan had called the housekeeper while Rory was in the bathroom freshening up so that by the time the two made it to the screening room, a table of snacks had already been laid out. Because of their bedroom activities, they only had time to watch one movie.
"Ace, if you've seen this before, why are we watching it?"
"What makes you think I've seen it before?" she asked as she bit down on a red vine.
He laughed and said, "Because you're lips are moving with the dialogue. You know this by heart."
"So what if I do?" she argued. "The Princess Bride is a classic, and quite frankly, I'm appalled that you've never seen it."
"Appalled?"
"Yes, appalled. It makes me wonder what other cinematic treasures you've never experienced."
"Sorry, I'm not the movie buff you are, Ace," he said pulling her closer to him. She fit so perfectly in his arms.
"Don't worry, Logan. As your girlfriend, I intend to make it my mission to rectify the gross neglect you've suffered. I will not rest until you've seen every movie on the LLMM."
"The LLMM?"
"The Lorelai List of Magical Movies."
Logan laughed lightly and brushed a strand of hair off her face. "Exactly how many movies are on this list?" Knowing Rory and Lorelai, he would wager it was a very, very long list.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that," she told him. "Now just sit back and pay attention so we can cross off The Princess Bride."
"Yes, ma'am," he answered kissing her cheek before turning his attention to the romantic tale of Wesley and Buttercup.
At quarter to six, Logan led Rory out to his car to drive her home. It had been an amazing afternoon and although he was in no hurry for their date to end, he knew he should have her home long before Christopher's expected arrival. As usual, he walked her to the front door. "So…" he began.
"So…" she continued.
"I'd say date number two went pretty well," he said grabbing her hips and pulling her close.
Rory smiled and leaned her body into his. "It was ok," she said flippantly.
"Only ok?" he asked with a smirk.
"Hmm…it definitely had its moments," she said blushing slightly at the memory of the hours spent naked in his bed.
"Did it have enough good moments to warrant giving me a goodnight kiss?"
"Ah so that's what this is about? The truth comes out. You want me to kiss you. Well, I don't know. After all you didn't…"
Before she could continue her thought, Logan's lips came crashing onto hers. Initially, the kiss was ravenous since Logan knew it had to last him until at least the next day. Eventually, it tapered off into a slow, lingering kiss, one that expressed their genuine affection for each other. Neither Logan nor Rory realized exactly how long they stood there making-out. It honestly didn't seem like that long—a few seconds maybe. However, in reality they'd been out there for almost ten minutes. It was only when the front door opened that their lips finally separated.
Standing at the open door was a very surprised Christopher. His wide eyes looked from Rory, to Logan, to Rory, and then back to Logan. "Rory? Logan? What the...?"
"Hi, Daddy," she said as innocently as possible.
"SHIT!" thought Logan. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Christopher had just caught him kissing Rory…not exactly how he wanted him to find out about their relationship. On top of that, Logan's still had his hands on her…and they were dangerously low on her back. "Should I move my hands? No. If I move them, it'll make me look guilty. But if I don't move them, I'll definitely look guilty. Oh shit! He looks mad. Should I say something?"
Christopher looked at the innocent expression on his daughter's face. It was a marked contrast to the guilty look on Logan's face. He stood there staring at the two for a few more seconds before he yelled, "LORELAI!!!!"
His wife came running in from the living room. From the urgency in Christopher's voice, Lorelai thought something monumentally tragic had just happened. When she saw him standing at the open front door, pointing an accusatory finger at Rory and Logan, she knew exactly what he was upset about. "Chris," she began in an overly soothing tone.
"What…? How…? When…? Why…?" He was exasperated and unable to complete a sentence. "This can't be happening. I must be dreaming. Please let this be a dream," he thought. A thousand and one images were racing through his mind, all of them involving Rory with Logan, and him locking up his daughter and strangling Logan.
Lorelai walked over to him, grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the door. She gave Rory a pointed glare, one that said, "Why did you have to let your father catch you making out with your boyfriend?" This was not how she planned to break the news to him. "Christopher, I see you've discovered my little surprise. I was going to discuss this with you after dinner."
"WHAT!"
"While you were away," she continued in calm voice, "Logan asked Rory to be his girlfriend."
"WHAT!"
"And she said yes."
"WHAT!"
"Logan and Rory are dating."
"WHAT!"
"Isn't that great?"
Christopher looked from his wife, to his daughter, back to his wife, then to Logan, and then back to Lorelai. "WHAT!"
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" yelled Kevin from the kitchen. He came running into the foyer at full speed while balancing a bowl of popcorn in his arms. He couldn't believe he missed the start of the show. Kevin came to a screeching halt in front of his parents and a semi-terrified looking Logan and Rory, who were now just walking through the entryway. Once he had a chance to take in the scene, he smiled and said to no one in particular, "Ok go!"
Rory shot her brother a dirty look. "Dad was supposed to be home at 6:30?"
"Did I say 6:30?" he asked sarcastically. "Hmm…I meant to say 5:30," he added stuffing a handful of popcorn in his mouth. Kevin may have come to accept Rory and Logan's relationship, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy watching his father's reaction to the news. Christopher was going to blow up no matter how or when he found out. So what if Kevin made sure he would be there when it happened. Was it wrong? Maybe. Was it entertaining? Definitely.
Logan sent him a death glare, but Kevin's only response was a sheepish smile.
"Christopher, honey, you need to calm down. Breathe, honey, breathe
"I'm perfectly calm, Lorelai," he shouted.
"Uh…ok. So that's your calm voice?"
"No. It's my 'Logan Huntzberger was pawing my daughter' voice."
"He was not pawing me," defended Rory. "He was just kissing me goodnight."
Christopher winced. "Ugh...no. There will be no kissing," he said pointing at Rory. "No touching," he yelled pointing at Logan. "And no dating," he declared moving his finger back and forth between the two of them.
"Chris, be reasonable," argued Lorelai. "She's eighteen years old. When I was her age, I was raising two babies."
Christopher glared at her. "Is that really the argument you want to go with, Lor?"
Lorelai did a mental check and decided it was probably best to take a different route. "The point is, Chris, she's an adult, a mature responsible adult. She's been living pretty much on her own, in Europe, for four years. She's not a little girl anymore. She's starting college in the fall. She's had other boyfriends before. Hell…she was supposed to backpack across Europe with Tristan this summer…"
"WHAT!?!" yelled Christopher, Kevin and Logan at the same time.
"MOM!" shouted Rory.
Lorelai threw a hand over her mouth. "Sorry," she said weakly to her daughter. Today was not her day for keeping secrets. Rory's plans to spend the summer with Tristan were not made known to her father or brother.
"You said she was backpacking across Europe with one of her girlfriends," yelled Christopher. "You never mentioned Tristan."
Lorelai gave her husband the same whimpering look she had given Rory. "I said she was going backpacking with one of her school friends. I never specified gender," she argued in her own defense.
"It was implied," stated Christopher.
Lorelai didn't respond.
"You were going to let her traipse across Europe with her boyfriend?" asked Christopher.
"She's eighteen years old, Chris."
"That's not an argument, Lor."
"Yes, it is," declared Lorelai. "You and I were planning on doing the same thing when we were sixteen."
"That's different."
"How?"
Christopher ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He didn't have an answer. "It just is."
"That's not an argument, Chris," she said mimicking his tone.
"Enough you guys," shouted Rory. "This is so stupid. Dad, look at me."
Christopher moved his gaze from his wife to his daughter.
"Dad, I know this is weird for you," she began. "We haven't lived in the same house for four years. But I'm not the girl that you took to London all those years ago. I'm eighteen years old."
"Why does everyone keep pointing that out?" he asked impatiently. "I know how old you are."
"I'm an adult. I can vote, buy cigarettes, sign legal documents, download porn, join the army…"
Christopher cocked an eyebrow at her. "Join the army? You? The girl that doesn't exercise?"
Rory smiled at her father. "The point is I'm old enough to make my own decisions. And that means dating who I want to date."
Christopher turned his attention to Logan.
Poor Logan. He shifted uncomfortably and pulled at his collar.
"You," began Christopher, "I always knew you were trouble." Surprisingly, his tone was calm, amused even.
"Chris…"
"Mr. Hayden," he interrupted.
"Daddy," whined Rory.
Christopher looked at her face and caved instantly. "Fine," he said to Logan, "you can still call me Chris."
"I know this whole thing is weird," said Logan, "but I really care about Rory. I would never do anything to hurt her. You've known me my entire life, you can trust me."
That was true. Christopher knew that despite all his childhood mishaps, Logan was a good kid. He knew Rory dated, but while she was in London, he didn't have to acknowledge it. Now, he no longer had that luxury. His little angel wasn't so little anymore. "What happened to your face?" he asked wanting to switch gears a bit.
Logan's bruises were light, but still visible. "You weren't the only that didn't take the news well," he answered sending a meaningful glance Kevin's way.
Kevin continued to stand back and munch on his popcorn. He shrugged his shoulders at that comment.
"You did this?" asked Christopher.
"I wish," replied Kevin smiling. "Only the bruise on his chin. The black eye is from Finn."
Christopher looked at Logan and Rory and smiled. "I always knew I liked Finn," he kidded.
"Daddy," she said smiling at him.
Christopher knew there was very little he could do about the situation. His daughter was too much like Lorelai—stubborn. If she wanted to date Logan, she was going to date Logan. No amount of arguing or punishing on his part would stop her from being with him. He needed to think things through so he made up his mind to drop the issue for now and deal with it later. He sighed and looked at his wife. "Any more surprises?"
"Apparently the kids planned a trip to the Vineyard," she informed him.
Christopher shook his head. "I need a drink," he declared as he headed for liquor cabinet in the den.
Lorelai followed him there. Christopher had always been pretty mellow and while he seemed to have let the matter drop, at least for now, she knew he was far from ok with it. This would continue to bother him for a while. Not because the boy in question was Logan, but because the girl was his little girl. "Aw, honey, it'll be all right," she soothed, running a hand up and down his back.
"No it won't," he whined like a child while pouring himself a generous amount of scotch. "Who let her grow up?" he asked her wistfully.
"Hey it wasn't me," said Lorelai as she wrapped her arms around his waist to provide some additional comfort.
"And she's dating Logan," stated Christopher before downing a substantial amount of his drink.
"He's a good kid."
"He is," agreed Christopher, "but that doesn't mean I want him dating my daughter."
"It could be worse."
"How?"
"She could be dating Finn," answered Lorelai with a sly smile.
Christopher thought about that for a moment and laughed at the memory of a similar conversation he had several years ago. He raised his glass to his wife, genuinely taking comfort in that fact and said, "Thank goodness for small favors."
Meanwhile in the foyer, Rory continued to stare daggers at her brother. "Was that absolutely necessary?"
Kevin merely laughed. "Come on. It was funny."
"It was not funny," declared Logan.
Kevin laughed again. "It was a little funny."
"Daddy was really mad," pointed out Rory.
Kevin was still laughing. "I know. That's what made it so funny. For a second there, it looked like his head was going to explode and Logan looked like he shit his pants."
"It was not funny," repeated Logan.
"From where I stood, it was pretty funny. Seriously, Logan, the look on your face was priceless."
"It wasn't that bad," he defended although he knew it probably was.
"You keep telling yourself that, buddy."
"Why would you do this?" asked Logan.
"In addition to the entertainment value," replied a smirking Kevin, "I recall telling you not to kiss my sister in front of me, and what do you do the first time I see you two together?"
"She kissed me," insisted Logan.
"Potato. Potatoe," he called over his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen. "Thanks for the show, guys. You made my night."
Logan stared after Kevin as he exited the foyer. He wanted to be mad, but he wasn't. Why? Because he knew if he had been in Kevin's shoes, he would have done exactly the same thing. And it's not like he wasn't going to get Kevin back for this. Oh no. Kevin was going to pay for this. Logan was brought out of his daze when Rory wrapped her arms around him.
"So…" she began.
"So…" he continued.
"Where were we?" she asked pulling herself closer to him.
The feel of her body so close to his was intoxicating, but not intoxicating enough to try anything while her parents were in the next room. "I think we were saying goodnight."
"Oh yeah," she said with a sweet smile. "I think we were right about here." Rory moved in for a kiss, but Logan pulled back. There was no way he was kissing her with Christopher in the other room…at least not tonight.
"I think we've done enough kissing for tonight, don't you?"
Rory gasped. "Are you saying you don't want to kiss me?" she asked with pleading eyes and sad little pout.
Logan took one look at her face and melted. "What the hell," he thought. "I'm already a dead man." His hand cupped her cheek and he kissed that pout right off her face. They remained glued to that spot kissing each other goodnight until they were interrupted yet again by Christopher.
"Oh for the love of God!" he yelled. He and Lorelai were exiting the den on their way to the kitchen and ran across the couple.
Rory and Logan pulled away from each other and faced the adults with guilty, but happy faces.
"Jeez, Logan, did you just get out prison or something?" joked Lorelai.
Christopher did not give either youth the opportunity to speak. "Rory, get in the kitchen. It's time for dinner," he ordered. He then stomped over to the front door and opened it. "Good night, Logan."
Logan looked at Christopher's face and knew he had better make a speedy exit. However, before he left, he placed a chaste kiss on Rory's cheek and whispered something to her that made her blush and giggle. Smiling politely at Lorelai, he walked out the door and mumbled a goodnight to Christopher. He then turned and smiled brightly at Rory, yelling, "Goodnight, Ace," before Christopher shut the door in his face.