A/N: So I think the resounding answer was that you want me to continue this one. Very well, here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I do not own the show.
An Offer She couldn't Refuse
Chapter Four: Something to Hide
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, but what was really only a few seconds before Logan finally spoke.
"I didn't know anyone was in here." He said softly breaking his gaze from her. He peered down at the floor and realised that he was still holding his empty glass.
"I was just…" He looked back up as he heard her voice. Rory took a step towards him and crossed her arms over her body defensively; her dress rustling in the process.
"Hiding?" He suggested. Rory met his gaze and then gave him a faint smile.
"Is it that obvious?" She rubbed her hand over her exposed neck and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
"Only to someone doing the same thing." He admitted with a slight smirk. As much as he still hated her, he couldn't resist falling back into old habits when around her. Rory smiled and then quickly looked away.
"Grandparents?" He wondered as to who she was hiding from. Rory narrowed her eyes slightly. Her grandparents were the least of her problems and she couldn't very well tell him that she was in fact hiding - unsuccessfully - from him. So she just nodded and then dropped her hands to her sides as she became transfixed with his smiling face. She really had missed that smile. The way it lit up his whole face, highlighting the sparkle in his deep brown eyes. His hair was mussed up in that familiar haphazard way that he pulled off so well and his tall, muscular frame was dressed in a black designer suit which was fitted to accentuate his physique perfectly.
"What about you?" She asked in a strained voiced. She was struggling to keep a hold of her composure.
"Shira's on the rampage." He told her with a knowing glint in his eyes. Rory nodded. She knew only too well how Shira Huntzberger could be.
Silence descended throughout the room as the pair shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, fidgeting with anything they could think of. Logan became fascinated with his glass and Rory had never fully realised the advantages of wearing jewellery until now.
"So, I hear you ran into Finn." He said cutting through the tension. He furrowed his brow as he remembered that there was something that he had to talk to her about. He wanted to know what exactly was going on and why she had quit school. He wanted to know whether Colin's ludicrous suggestion about her being pregnant bore any credence.
His eyes travelled over her body searching for any clues. She was wearing a loose-fitting black dress which flowed to just below her knees. It wasn't really her usual style he remembered. Rory usually dressed to highlight her curves without being provocative. The dress looked a little dowdy and not his Ace at all. Not that she was his Ace anymore. However, if she were pregnant, it would be the perfect outfit to conceal any bumps that may be showing after four months.
"Um, yeah. Literally." Her eyes widened as she was startled by the sound of his voice. She laughed softly to herself. It amazed her that in four months, he still possessed the ability to make her knees go weak and her mind turn to mush.
"He said you weren't going to Yale anymore." Logan continued determined to get to the bottom of what was going on with her. Rory didn't answer; she lowered her gaze to the ground and chewed nervously on her bottom lip. She shook her head in response.
"Can I ask why?" Rory looked up and met his gaze straight on.
"I had my reasons." She told him cryptically. She hadn't told him about Shira's ultimatum and her threat to her career, not that she had any kind of serious career prospects now. She hadn't told him about his fathers part in her decision to leave Yale and she couldn't bring herself to now.
"Which were?"
"Like I told Finn, it wasn't the right place for me right now." She explained while avoiding his gaze.
"Why not?" He narrowed his eyes at her and sat his glass on the table beside the door.
"Logan…" She sighed heavily and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"I just don't get why you would go to all of that trouble to get the internship with my father in the first place." He furrowed his brow. "If you were just going to quit a few weeks later, why bother?"
"Why do you care so much?"
"I don't care. I'm just curious."
"Well, it's none of your business." She tried to brush it off but this only succeeded in pissing him off. He closed the distance between them both, to the point where she could smell his aftershave toying with her senses.
"None of my business! I think I have a right to know." His voice raised as his annoyance grew. Rory's eyes narrowed.
"How do you work that one out? You made your feelings perfectly clear." She said bitterly remembering the night he turned his back and walked away from her. "What I do with my life, is my business. It doesn't concern you."
Logan gaped at her and then took another step towards her. "It concerns me when it's my baby you're carrying around inside you?"
Rory's brow furrowed in confusion as she let his harsh words process through her mind. What on earth was he talking about? Who mentioned anything about a baby?
"What!?" She stared at him slightly dumbfounded. Logan kept his intense brown eyes locked on hers.
"Look, I know, okay. You don't need to pretend anymore. It's fairly obvious."
"What is?" Rory was completely bewildered by what he was talking about.
"I know about the baby. You don't have to cover it up with ugly-ass dresses. It's obvious you're trying to hide it." He lowered his gaze to her apparent 'ugly-ass dress' and gestured towards her stomach. Rory glanced down with a look of sheer befuddlement.
"You think I'm pregnant?!" She couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Her brain was stuck. Logan just gave her a look of distaste that would make any other person cringe. However, Rory was still processing the newest batch of information so it didn't register.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me. I don't know what you think of me, but I would've done the right thing. I would've been there. We would've figured something out." Rory gazed up at him. He seemed genuinely hurt. She was confused. Her eyes returned to take in her outfit. He thought she was pregnant. He thought she was trying to cover something up with the hideous dress her grandmother had picked out for her to wear. Her head flew up as something occurred to her.
"You think I look fat!?" Her eyeballs almost popped out of her skull as realisation dawned. Logan didn't answer. He just glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest. Rory's mouth dropped open aghast at his inaccurate accusations. She wasn't pregnant. She wasn't even remotely close to being pregnant. She simply had a grandmother who had fairly bad judgement when it came to choosing clothing for the younger generation and an insane internal fear of disappointing her. "I can't believe you…!"
She rubbed her hands over the front of her dress and straightened the puffed out material, emphasising her flat stomach. "I'm not pregnant!"
Logan fixed his eyes on hers suspiciously eyeing her before lowering his gaze to her stomach. He didn't say a word for a few seconds.
"I'm not pregnant." She said firmly with fire in her eyes. She had never felt so insulted or humiliated before in her life.
"You're not?" He pondered and then a frown crept over his features. Rory shook her head.
"No. And I'm not hiding anything. My Grandmother picked out this 'ugly-ass' dress." She informed him, her anger brewing. Logan felt his heart rate decrease as a sense of calm and relief flooded through his body. She wasn't pregnant. He wasn't going to be a father anytime soon. He could breathe again.
Then he could go kill Colin and Finn.
"Why would you think…?"
"Well, Finn said that you…and then Colin said…" he sighed as the stress finally got to him. He perched himself against the edge of the table and ran his fingers through his soft hair. Rory watched him closely. He looked tired and pale. Obviously the idea of becoming the father to her child didn't sit well with him. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by that.
"So, you're not pregnant?" He seeked clarification. Rory shook her head forcefully. Silence filled the room and Rory lowered herself onto the couch.
"Do you really think I look fat?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. Logan's eyes found hers and after a few seconds she could see his confusion melt away to be replaced by amusement. His trademark smirk appeared across his features and her heart flipped.
"You look…" He smiled as his eyes roamed over her appraisingly, taking in her appearance. She felt herself blush under his perusal; however, her awkwardness was soon interrupted by the mind-numbing fear of running into the person she despised more than anything when the door opened and the voice of Shira Huntzberger drifted into the room.
"Logan? Are you in here?" Rory jumped up off the couch, her eyes widened in fear at being found in the room alone with Logan. Logan moved lazily off the edge of the table and let out a frustrated groan. Shira entered the room fully and smiled at her son.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes fell upon Rory. Her smile faded to be replaced by a look of revulsion. "Oh, hello Rory."
Rory nodded but avoided making eye contact with the woman. "Mrs Huntzberger."
Shira's eyes narrowed in distaste. She glanced back at Logan and gave him a forced smile. "Amber Hamilton is here. You should go and say hello."
Logan sighed and then returned his gaze to Rory. He rolled his eyes as Rory smiled faintly at him and then made his way out of the room, leaving Rory alone with his mother.
Rory glanced up as she felt the room temperature quickly decrease. She chanced a look in Shira's direction and was met with an icy stare. Shira didn't speak. She didn't have to. Her eyes told Rory exactly what she was thinking. Stay away from my son!
"It was nice to see you again, Rory. I love the dress." Shira grinned evilly and then turned on her heel and left the room. Rory remained frozen on the spot waiting for her heart rate to slow down. Seeing Logan and his mother was too much for her in one day. She needed to get out of there. She needed to go home and shut the world out and burn this hideous dress.
She closed her eyes as she prepared herself to venture out of the little room she had seeked sanctuary in. She would find her grandmother and tell her she was coming down with something and then drive straight home and curl up under the covers, never to surface again.
RLRLRLRL
Logan had successfully managed to ditch Amber Hamilton after spending five minutes listening to her inane ramblings. He excused himself to the bar needing a refill and then made his way back to the table where his two best friends still frequented. His mind was still swirling after his encounter with Rory Gilmore, the supposed mother of his imaginary child, according to Colin and Finn anyway. He was so going to kick their asses.
He sat down in the chair he had been sitting on earlier and took a swig of Scotch as his friends watched him with wide eyes, anxious to discover the truth. Logan decided he would let them stew for a few more minutes so he said nothing. He just let out a heavy sigh and slumped back against the chair. Colin and Finn glanced worriedly at each other before returning their combined gazes to Logan. Finn, always the impatient one, couldn't wait any longer to find out if he was going to be an uncle.
"Well, is she preggers or not, mate?" He blurted out as he slammed his glass down on the table. Logan met his gaze and then met Colin's anxious eyes. He sighed again, playing it out, letting them squirm.
"She is, isn't she?" Colin jumped to conclusions. He shook his head and gave his friend a look filled with pity. Finn patted Logan on the back and smiled faintly at him.
"Don't worry, mate. We'll help you out." He assured him. Colin nodded in concurrence with Finn while inwardly Logan was laughing his ass off at their expressions. They looked distraught. Colin looked pale as if it were him who had just learned he was going to be a father out of wedlock.
"Whatever you need," Colin told him, "I can't believe she's pregnant. I mean, pregnant!" Colin was incredulous. He felt so sorry for his friend. No more parties. No more getting drunk and getting laid. He had responsibilities now. He had a baby on the way. His life would be full of changing diapers and cleaning up baby puke. His life, for all intents and purposes, was over.
Finn had gone passed mourning the death of his friend's social life and was focusing on the future. Rory's future. He had always liked the brunette and felt that she brought out the best in his lifelong friend. He worried about how she was feeling about the news. He could only imagine how alone and terrified she felt and he was determined to make sure that Logan stood up and took responsibility for his actions. "So, are you going to marry her?"
Logan took another sip from his glass just as Finn asked his question. As soon as the words left his mouth, Logan spat out his drink and stared at his friend in shock. Colin's eyes widened in horror at the prospect of Logan getting married. He hated the whole institution having grown up watching his father go through wives like they were on fire sale. He pitied his friend if he was going to be doomed to living in a loveless marriage for the rest of his life.
Finn remained determined in his stance. He was convinced that marrying Rory would be the right thing to do and he wasn't going to let Logan weasel his way out of it.
"What!?" Logan remained staring at his friend unblinking. He wiped his hand over his mouth and then burst into a hysterical fit of laughter. Finn glared at him and then turned to see Colin who looked just as clueless as he did.
What the hell was so funny?
"Oh my god! You should really see the look on your faces. I wish I had a camera." He managed to get out as he continued laughing.
Finn frowned and then punched his laughing friend on the arm. "This isn't funny, Logan."
"Yeah, this is serious." Colin reinforced. Neither understanding how Logan could possibly find this situation even remotely funny. Colin looked at Finn completely bemused. "Maybe it's the shock."
"Or maybe he's a jackass just like his father." Finn scowled at Logan and waited for him to regain his composure. Eventually he did.
"Or maybe she's not pregnant and I was just screwing with you guys." Logan admitted still trying to fight the hilarity of their reactions.
"What?" Colin and Finn both asked.
"She's not pregnant. I was just messing with you. It's your own fault. You were the ones who came up with the ridiculous idea. Made me look like an idiot. Serves you right." He admitted as he rubbed his arm which hurt from Finn punching him.
"That's just cruel, Logan." Colin glared at him and then slumped back on his chair with a scowl on his face. Finn's frown faded and was quickly replaced with a smirk.
"But a good one. Well played, Huntzberger! You certainly had us going there." He commended him and raised his glass in salute. Logan grinned and then clinked his glass against Finn's.
"I learned from the master." He acknowledged and Finn nodded approvingly.
"So, what did she say?" Finn wanted to know. Now that the pregnancy scare was out of the window, he wanted to know what had been said between the pair. He wanted to know why Rory Gilmore had decided to give up on her dream of becoming a journalist.
Logan shrugged evasively. "Nothing much."
"Oh come on. You must have talked about something after you found out she was carrying your spawn."
"Well, after I basically insinuated that she was fat, she wasn't really in a talkative kind of mood." Logan explained with a smile remembering her reaction. "Then my mother walked in…"
"Ah! It is a serious buzz kill when the parental units walk in on you." Finn nodded as if he knew through experience.
"We weren't doing anything to walk in on, Finn." Logan assured him. "Rory and I are ancient history."
"Really?" Finn asked not quite believing him.
"Yeah. Really." Logan replied forcefully. Finn smirked and Colin rolled his eyes at his friend's obliviousness. "What?"
"She did kind of break your heart, mate." Finn reasoned sympathetically with him. Logan's brown eyes flew open incensed by his comments.
"What the hell are you talking about? We dated for like two seconds, she didn't break my heart." Logan bit out. He frowned in exasperation with his friend's accusation.
"Yeah, exactly. You still dated her."
"So?"
"So, she was the first-"
"-and only girl." Colin interrupted Finn. The Aussie nodded at his friend's point.
"She was the first and only girl you ever considered getting serious with and then a couple of days later she dumps you for dubious reasons. It makes sense that you would be a little gun-shy."
Logan let out a heavy sigh of annoyance and shook his head. He loved his friends dearly, but tonight they were driving him insane.
"I'm not gun-shy and I did not get my heart broken." He insisted with fury in his eyes.
"Okay." Colin commented sarcastically which only annoyed Logan even more. Finn remained sympathetic to his friend's plight.
"So, then why did you spend the summer moping around Europe, huh? Or why is it that whenever any girl with brown hair and blue eyes approaches you, you give them the brush off?"
"I was not moping around Europe." He said childishly. Colin sniggered.
"Oh you moped, my friend." He remembered only too well from their time spent in Europe last summer just how miserable Logan had really been.
"I wasn't moping for her!" He insisted. "The girl used me to get an internship. Forgive me, if I don't roll over and forget about it straight away."
"So, you admit it? It did affect you?" Finn jumped in with a smile on his face and hope in his eyes that his friend was finally willing to admit that he cared about Rory Gilmore.
"No. I could care less." He was determined not to admit the truth. He was determined to never let anyone see him so vulnerable ever again, including his best friends.
Finn shook his head in frustration and then let his gaze trail over the crowd. He stared back at Logan with a mischievous grin on his face.
"Okay, so if you are so determined that she meant nothing to you and that you were completely unaffected by her whatsoever, then it won't be hard for you to go over there and ask her to dance." He said with a hint of triumph in his voice. Finn knew he had him right where he wanted him.
Logan and Colin followed Finn's gaze to see Rory Gilmore standing talking to her grandmother. Colin smirked and Logan closed his eyes feeling his resolve sink.
"Finn." He protested, but Finn ignored him. Colin remained smiling at him and after a few seconds, he gave in. He let out a sigh and then downed the rest of his drink. He pushed out his chair and then buttoned up his jacket. He sent them one last death glare and then slowly made his way across the room to where Rory was standing.
Emily was the first one to spot him and she greeted him with a warm smile. "Logan! How are you?"
Logan greeted her with similar warmth and placed a kiss on her cheek. Rory stood silent beside them. She didn't look particularly happy to see him at all.
"I'm wonderful, Emily." He plastered his best fake smile across his face and stole a glance at the younger of the Gilmore's. She was trying her best not to look like she was paying any attention to his presence, but her face was turning red. Logan could tell she was blushing. He was pleased with that. "I just wanted to come over and pay my compliments. You really know how to throw a party, Emily."
Emily's smile broadened at his compliment and she turned toward Rory. "Oh, well I can't take all of the credit. Some of that has to go to our newest member here."
Logan's eyes fell on Rory as he realised what Emily was saying. Rory was a member of the DAR. She had helped organise this event and probably more. He couldn't believe it. Was that what she had been reduced to? Planning DAR social gatherings and arranging tea dances.
"Well, congratulations, Rory." Rory's eyes flickered over his and then quickly back to stare at the ground. "You must be so proud." He said with a hint of bitterness in his tone.
Rory raised her gaze back up to meet his and he could see a mixture of emotions fizzling under the surface. He wasn't sure if the strongest was anger or embarrassment.
"Well, I just came over to ask for a dance." He returned his gaze back to Emily. He knew that he could get Rory to dance with him without even having to make it look like it was his idea. Emily would die to have her granddaughter seen in the arms of a Huntzberger.
Emily beamed at him and then let her smiling eyes fall on Rory. "Oh, I am much too busy, but maybe Rory…"
Rory's eyes widened in horror at what her grandmother was suggesting. "What?"
"You were just saying how exhausted you were. Take a break, dance with Logan."
"Oh, I don't…"
"Is that okay with you, Logan?" Emily cut her off. Logan smirked as his plan fell into place.
"That's fine with me, Emily." He fixed his eyes on Rory and noticed her hesitate at the prospect of being up close with him. It wasn't really his idea of a perfect night either, but he wasn't going to let his friends win this one. He would prove to them that he wasn't hung up on Rory Gilmore and that she had merely been no more than a blip on his radar.
"Excellent." Emily clapped her hands as the excitement shone from her eyes. She pushed Rory towards Logan and then watched on in glee as Logan offered Rory his hand.
Rory glared at him and then sighed before accepting his proffered hand. They left Emily behind as Logan guided Rory through the dancing crowd to take their place in the centre of the dance floor. Rory kept her gaze on the floor and was surprised when he suddenly stopped and she bumped into him.
"Oh, sorry." She muttered and then drew a deep breath as Logan gave her his trademark smirk. He then placed one hand strategically on her waist and the other held her hand out as they began moving in time with the music.
They remained silent for a while just letting the music guide them through the throngs of people. Occasionally, Rory would glance up and catch him staring down at her, but their eyes would not meet for long.
"So, is that why you quit?" Logan broke the silence just as Rory was enjoying the feeling of being in his embrace. Her head was swimming with the scent of him and the feel of his hands on her. God, she had missed him.
"Rory?" He pressed her as she remained lost in the sensations his close proximity was stirring in her.
"Huh?" She said dreamily before meeting his dark eyes and remembering that they weren't a young couple in love dancing to the melody being played by the band. They were two relative strangers now, who just happened to share a complicated past.
"Is this why you quit Yale? Because you suddenly remembered your overwhelming desire to join the DAR?" He asked again with sarcasm in his tone. Rory instantly shook off her dreamy state and went into defensive mode.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think what I did with my life was any of your interest." She said sternly with a frown on her face.
"What does your mother think of your life choices?" He knew that there was no way Lorelai would be happy about her only daughter being so pally with her grandmother. From what Rory had told him about her mother, and from what he had heard about the infamous Lorelai growing up, she and Emily did not see eye to eye. There was no way that Lorelai would approve of Rory dropping out and joining the DAR. She would never let her only child become so intrinsically involved in the world she fought do hard to leave behind. Would she?
Rory's firm gaze wavered slightly at the mention of her mother. He could immediately tell that he had hit a nerve. Rory let out a sigh and then let her eyes flutter over the passing faces.
"We're not exactly talking right now." She explained reluctantly. Logan frowned. Things were worse than he thought. Not only had she dropped out of school, but she was no longer talking to her mother. For him, that would have been a blessing, but he remembered how close she was with her mother. His confusion was growing by the second as he tried to figure out the puzzle that was Rory Gilmore. He hated the fact that he even remotely cared about what she was doing with her life. He had spent so much energy over the last few months focused on hating her that he was beginning to forget why he hated her. Especially when she now looked so lost and un-Rory like.
For as long as he had known her, which wasn't all that long, she had always been so focused and so determined when it came to her future. To the point where she had made him question his own ambitions. Now, she was a shell of her former self. She had turned into everything he despised about his world. All of her original quirks, which he had found so endearing in the first place, had been sucked out of her. Her brilliant blue eyes had lost their sparkle and he was beginning to wonder if she even drank coffee anymore.
She looked tired and drained of what made her so special. She no longer resembled the girl he couldn't resist. The girl who had broken his heart and made him promise himself that he would never let anyone get too close to him again. He should be happy that she looked so miserable. He should take comfort that things didn't work out for her, but he didn't. He couldn't. Something wasn't right with the world when Rory Gilmore was the one who was drifting. That was supposed to be his role.
"Why did you quit? Why did you go to all that effort to get close to me to get the internship if you were just going to drop out a few weeks later?" His voice wasn't bitter this time. He just wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know why. Rory didn't speak. She couldn't. She felt a lump form in her throat restricting her from giving him the answer he wished for. She looked sadly up into his questioning brown eyes and felt her heart break all over again.
Logan waited anxiously for her to respond to his question, but then the music finished and Rory moved out of his embrace. They both remained staring at the other, Rory dying inside to tell him what he wanted to know but reluctant to cause him any more pain. Logan just waiting, hoping for something to allow him to finally close the door on that chapter in his life.
But no words came. No sound. Nothing. Only pain-filled stares and agonisingly long pauses. Logan sighed and shook his head as he took one last look and then turned to walk away. As he did so, Rory grabbed his arm and he spun back to face her. She met his darkened eyes and took a deep breath.
"I didn't use you. Things got out of control and I didn't…I'm sorry I hurt you." She fought the words out, but she felt slightly lighter having apologised. She knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear. She knew it wasn't enough to make him fall into her arms and forgive everything, but it was a start.
Logan lowered his gaze to the ground and then slid his arm from her grasp. "You didn't hurt me, Rory."
He spoke so quietly that she could barely hear him, but by the time she had worked out what he had said, he was gone. She felt tears prick her eyes and her heart sink with sadness as she watched him walk away from her once again.
From across the room, Shira watched intently as her son danced with Rory Gilmore. Her eyes were fixed on their encounter and she felt nothing but anger that the girl would even dare to go against her. Who did she think she was?
A/N: So, Rory's not pregnant. Emily just has bad fashion sense and Finn and Colin like jumping to conclusions. I hope you're not too disappointed. There will be no pitter patter of tiny feet in this story. That is not where I intend to go with this one. I hope you'll stick with me. Please review.
