Yay, yay, yay! Thank-you for breaking your own review record on last chapter. Super cool! I'm stoked you liked the drama of the last chapter and are feeling the idea for a sequel. Cool beans, my friends, cool beans. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own GG.

At this hour, Logan should have been fast asleep, curled up next to his wife in their king-sized bed, but not tonight. The evening's events had led him to the cappuccino-colored armchair, sitting across from his now-sleeping wife.

He knew that sleeping in that position probably wasn't very comfortable for her, but he really had no desire to wake her up, considering he was still the tiniest bit mad at her. Doing nothing to fix his gloomy mood, he poured himself another drink and dimmed the lights before letting out a deep sigh. Bits and pieces of the heated argument played in loops in his head, as he let the alcohol burn in the back of his throat.

Logan glanced over at her sleeping form and smiled in awe as how someone who looked so much at peace could ever contain so much fury. It was raw and sweltered inside of her. He took comfort in the fact that she only seemed to release it at him. That must have to count for something. Some type of security only found between couples, right?

Rory hadn't been this upset in a while, and though it killed him to admit it, she had every right to be angry. All she had ever wanted was something that resembled normalcy and she was standing her way, willingly participating in everything she had come to resent about society.

A wave of melancholy washed over him as he noticed the tiny sparkle of her sapphire that had graced her had for the past ten years or so. I'll be there was his promise, but truth was, he hadn't been there for her. He downed the last sip of his scotch as he noticed the time. The hospital's visiting hours would start in a little less than an hour and he wanted to see Mitchum first-thing and preferably without Rory.

Carefully, he stood up and stepped over to her chair, scooping her up. She stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open.

"Logan?" her early morning voice cracked. "What time is it?"

"It's late, Ace. Go back to sleep…" he told her softly, relieved to find that the anger had evaporated from his voice.

Rory mumbled something before letting out a loud yawn as he laid her down on their bed and covered her up.

"Logan?" she asked sleepily as he pulled away.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

A small smile appeared on his face and he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, Ace."

She didn't reply, though. Logan watched her for a moment, briefly wondering if she realized they were still supposed to be fighting, but as her breathing evened out, he understood that sleep had overtaken her body.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the quiet room.

Walking away, he noticed Rory's notebook on the bedside table. He knew she wrote all the time, but tonight it seemed to hold certain significance. Curiosity got the better of the boy and he flicked through the blue-lined pages. Page after page revealed detailed pro-con lists, bucket lists, mock cover letters and fantasy resumes. Flipping on, he came across baby names, countries she wished to visit, foods she wanted to sample and little stick-figure scribbles of family portraits, with doodled flowers, hearts and cursive written baby names.

It was clear to him that she outlined a whole life within the pages of this notebook. Logan was somewhat surprised that her earlier statement was true. All her scribbles proved that, above all, she wanted him. He was included in each one of her 'what if' scenarios and made the pro-side of every list.

His heart sank a little as realization hit. Rory knew all along what she wanted, it was up to him to figure out what he wanted out of life.

The future rested heavy on his mind as he made his way down the long white hospital hall. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, hospitals freaked him out. It was that sterile, yet stale smell and the seriousness the building radiated.

Logan sighed heavily before knocking on Mitchum's door. He really had no clue why he was here, Rory wanted him to see Mitchum. He knocked again, but it remained quiet, so he cracked the door open slightly and poked his head through the door. "Dad?"

"Come on in," Mitchum called in a surprised tone, "My son actually made his way down to the hospital. The shock might actually give me another heart attack!"

"Don't joke like that," Logan said a little unsurely as he entered the room. Maybe it was the hospital air, maybe it was just the oddness of the situation.

"Oh, come on, since when did you get so gloomy?" Mitchum chuckled lightly.

He felt guilty as he felt himself get angry at his father's nonchalant attitude. This was definitely not the time, nor place to argue with Mitchum Huntzberger.

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Logan asked through gritted teeth.

Mitchum smacked his lips together a few times, before settling on an answer. "Peachy."

He shot a blank stare at his father. Really, was Mitchum just trying to piss him off? A tense moment passed between the two Huntzberger men, before Mitchum turned serious and locked eyes with his son. "Where's Rory?"

"At home, asleep." Logan wanted to keep his answer short, but the questioning look his father gave him prompted him to give a little more detailed answer. "We got in a fight last night."

Mitchum cocked his head to the side, "Well, that doesn't surprise me…"

He caught the warning look on his son's face and immediately raised his hand to silence him. "Don't, I don't want to hear your excuses, Logan. I want you to call Rory. "

"Call Rory?" His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Dad, I came to see you…"

"No you didn't," Mitchum countered lightly, "You came because Rory told you to and I appreciate that."

A moment of silence passed between the men, as Mitchum returned to his thoughts and Logan didn't know what to make of the situation. He was unsure whether to sit, stand or just plain leave, so he dug his hands in his pockets as he continued to look at his father. He looked different than Logan remembered. Despite his deeply wrinkled face, his eyes seemed to sparkle. The bags were gone, just like the constant frown he wore. And, even though the thought of being restricted to a hospital bed sounded like hell, Mitchum appeared to be relaxed, content with reading old magazines and watching bad TV.

Mitchum's face suddenly hardened and atmosphere in the room intensified. "She isn't happy," he let him know.

Logan shot him a death glare as made his way toward the door.

"Good to see you, Dad, but I'm just going to go." He granted his father a short nod. Logan was in no mood to do battle with his father in his weakened condition and besides, he was far too tired.

"Sit down," Mitchum boomed, before his son could reach the door and Logan's enraged eyes flew to his.

"You don't get to do this, okay!" he yelled, "Rory and I were fine, better than fine in Europe and then you go and get sick and we come rushing back and you trick her into visiting you in the hospital and plant all these crazy ideas in her head…"

"I did nothing of the sort…" Mitchum shot back.

"Oh yes you did," Logan said with a clenched jaw, "Ever since you whipped out that contract youv've…"

Mitchum cleared his throat and raised his hand to silence his son. "We can dance around this for hours, Logan, but at the end of the day you are married to that girl and I will not allow you to screw this up any more than you are doing!"

"What?" he spat hotly, 'Now that you've been on the brink of death you are trying to make amends? Give me a break, you have never been concerned about my happiness, or hers!"

Mitchum's features softened slightly. "Things change."

Logan dug his hands deep in his pockets, lost deep in thought. His father had absolutely no right to tell him what to do about his relationship with Rory. For starters, Mitchum didn't exactly have the best track record and, more to the point, he was responsible for them getting married in the first place!

"I know you're angry, son," Mitchum tried again, softer this time, "But, I've seen what you and Rory have and jeopardizing that would be…. "

"A bad thing for the company?" Logan interjected sarcastically.

"It would be a bad thing all the way around," Mitchum continued unfazed. "I'm not one to meddle..." Logan snorted, but his father let it pass. "…but when I found out you almost cheated on the girl…"

"Cheated?!" Logan exclaimed infuriated, "Where do you get off all high and mighty? We all know you've been with everyone from cocktail waitresses to maids! And I didn't even cheat, some girl just threw herself at me!"

Mitchum shot an unimpressed glance in his son's direction.

"Unlike you, Dad," Logan continued in a demeaning tone, "I actually love my wife!"

"Well, then, it's damn well time you start acting like it!"

Logan raised his hand in frustration. "I do!"

"You don't!" Mitchum yelled back, "How many more events do you have to drag the poor girl to, to realize she hates it? She hates every minute of it!"

"I can't not go." Logan's agitation was practically tangible. "You went, you dragged mom along. Emily goes, Lorelai goes, Lane goes, Stephanie goes… Everyone goes!"

Mitchum let out a deep sigh, and tried reasoning with the blond heir. "Not to every single one, every single time,"

"You did!"

"I am married to your mother, drinking a single malt and having a cigar at the Club is the only fun I get." Mitchum shot back in an exasperated tone.

Logan raised his eyebrows at his father's sorry attempt at an excuse. "That's a sad and empty life you lead." The disdain dripped from his voice, which didn't go unnoticed by Mitchum.

"You're heading down the same road," he warned. "You've got to realize that Society won't come to a standstill if your big head isn't there. And, your work schedule is demanding enough, I should know!"

Mitchum waited a beat. "There are more important things in life," he added and Logan picked up on the remorse in his tone.

Logan ran a hand through his hair as he took in his fathers words. He was certainly mad at his father; really, the old man had no right to meddle, but at the same time, Logan felt guilty for engaging in an argument. Surely, yelling and hurling insults couldn't be good for his father's health.

He fixed his gaze on his father's slighter lighter eyes. "Why do you care, Dad?"

The strain in Logan's voice caused Mitchum to wince, but he cleared his throat and spoke in his signature business tone. "You are my son. I want you to be happy and I don't want to make the same mistakes I made. I want you to make a life, not just a living. "

His tone might have been cold, but Logan knew this was a rarely exposed side of Mitchum, which caused him to widen his eyes in disbelief.

"Is this what you want your life to be?" Mitchum gestured at his near empty hospital room. "Ending up alone in a hospital bed?"

Logan remained silent and Mitchum continued.

"What do you want, son?"

The words echoed in the room as Logan started to pace. He wanted a lot of things. He wanted to work less, be home more. He wanted Mitchum to get better, he wanted Emily to get off his case about producing a Huntzberger-Hayden-Gilmore heir, but most of all he wanted to get back to the place he and Rory were in when they were nineteen, walking around the college campus in a blur of love. He wanted her to be happy again. He continued to pace as he voiced his thoughts.

"Rory. She's unhappy," he sighed, not believing he was having this conversation with his father. "She's not happy, Dad. She's not happy here. She doesn't want to be in the DAR, she doesn't want to discuss salmon and crab puffs, or do fundraisers and she hates the gossip."

He ran a hand through his hair as he proceeded with his ramblings. "What she wanted was a white picket fence instead of a maximum security mansion and what she wanted was contract free love and a baby. She wanted to write and pursue her dreams, instead of conforming to society rules. But, she got me, the guy who works a billion hours a week, the guy who plays the Society Game to keep up family name and completely disregarded her in the process."

Logan stopped his pacing and sat down on the chair next to his father's bed. He dropped his face in his hands. "I couldn't give her what she wanted. You know, we promised each other to not regret anything and then we stopped talking...caring. Just, I expected her to cope, like me…"

He looked up at Mitchum's face. It was incredibly hard to read. Logan didn't know if it was sympathetic, sheer boredom or just plain mocking. Either way, he couldn't believe he was become unraveled in front of Mitchum. Here he could voice his opinions, whereas before he could only yell at Rory. He wanted her to be the one hearing this, not his Dad…and suddendly Rory's words hit him.

"You're not coming back to HPG, are you?" Logan asked quickly, completely changing subjects.

"No, I am not," Mitchum revealed with a small smile. "Stanley is flying in this afternoon."

"London-Stanley?" Logan asked in disbelief. "With the clip-on ties, persistent five o'clock shadow and who hasn't had a date in a decade?"

"That'll be the one," Mitchum shrugged.

"But why?" Logan asked in complete disgust. "Why him?"

"Well, son," Mitchum chuckled, surprised that his son hadn't picked up on this sooner. "Stanley is married to the business, and until he figures out how to tie a proper tie, he'll remain like that. What's more, Stanley has been at the company for a very long time, he'll make a good replacement."

"What?" Logan stuttered in absolute surprise. "You want Stan to be your replacement, and not me?" He talked slowly, making sure the message wouldn't get jumbled.

"You make it sound as if I'm eliminating your role within the organization," Mitchum said surprised. "I'm simply reorganizing."

"Reorganizing?" Logan repeated, completely caught off guard.

Mitchum nodded slowly. "Let me ask you this. What are your thoughts on small publications?"

"I'm all pro small pubs, Dad," Logan said, slipping back in business mode. "Responsible for about 25 percent of our total turnover, great place to cultivate talent, have writers get their feet wet. Certainly a valuable asset…"

"I don't want you to takeover the CEO position," Mitchum told him, "You'll still remain heir and be called upon for official duties, but I think your talents would be better suited serving our Small Publications Division."

Logan blinked at his father in disbelief. "What?"

"You aren't deaf, Logan. You heard me."

"Dad…"

"And as manager of the SP's I'd advise you to look into a publication called the 'Stars Hallow Gazette'. They have been struggling lately, but I think the problem could be rectified with a proper editor-in-chief." Mitchum shot him a knowing look, "I think you know the right person for the job…"

"But…" Logan tried to interject. He wanted to make sure he understood what his father was telling him, but he didn't get the chance.

"You might want to consider moving out there. It's not far, but you know how out of control those little guys tend to get." Mitchum ended with a smile at his confused looking son.

"You'd best be going," he said looking at his son. "It's almost 8:30 and my show's starting..." Mitchum picked up the remote.

"Are you sure, Dad?" Logan asked, making certain he heard his father correctly.

"Oh, most definitely." He pointed at the TV-guide, "Says right here…"

Logan shot Mitchum a blank stare, causing the elder Huntzberger to let out a deep sigh. "I'm absolutely positive, son. I've been in charge of the company forever and I wouldn't do anything to endanger the empire I've created…"

It was the answer Logan had been looking for, so he shot his father a wry smile, before heading for the door.

"Call Rory, go to Stars Hallow," Mitchum advised as a bemused Logan left the room.

Still deep in thought, Logan got in his car. This meeting with his father was one of the weirdest he's ever had. He was mad, embarrassed and hopeful at the same time. A tiny smile tugged at his lips; he certainly understood where Rory was coming from last night. This new Mitchum triggered something that just made you spill everything. He couldn't help feeling the slightest bit skeptical of his father's suggestion, but his gut told him that Mitchum was being sincere. Perhaps the heart attack had really changed his old man for the better.

"The Stars Hallow Gazette," Logan said to the empty car. The boy had to admit, it had a nice ring to it. He fished his cell from his pants pocket and dialed a familiar number.

"Logan?" Her sleepy voice asked, "Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital.."

"Oh my god!" She cut him off, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Logan smiled at the thought of her shooting up in bed and a heartfelt laugh escaped his lips. "I was visiting my Dad," he rushed to explain, "I'm fine."

Rory breathed a sigh of relief, "Babe, don't scare me like that."

"Thanks for making me go see my Dad," he told her in a soft voice. "Last night…."

"Don't, Logan…" Rory swallowed and he knew that meant she was blinking back tears. "I said stuff, you said stuff, we were tired and mad…"

He loved that she made excuses for the both of them, but it was time they stopped. "Yeah, but Ace, you were right," Logan told her firmly. "I needed to figure out what I want."

"And, did you?"

"Yes, I did," he nodded.

Rory couldn't hide the curiousness in her tone. "So, what is it?"

"You, Ace." It was the answer she'd hoped to hear and Rory smiled as he continued explaining. "All of this means nothing without you by my side. Without you, I'll wind up in a hospital room alone."

A tiny chuckle escaped her. "Do people typically get fairy godmother powers after a heart attack?" Rory wondered, referring to Mitchum.

"I don't know, Ace. I don't know," Logan shook his head, laughing.

A moment of content silence passed between them, neither wanting to spoil the moment, though Logan eventually did. "Hey, how do you feel about taking a little drive today. We could stop for lunch, see some sights, talk…"

"You don't have to work?" Rory asked in surprise.

"I'll explain over lunch," Logan suggested, earning an amused chuckle from Rory.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

So, what do you think? It's always a fine line between over the top and just right. Oh, and this idea has been in my mind ever since numberonefanxox planted it there. Adding Stars Hallow to the mix was totally her idea – thanks, girl! Don't forget to let me know!