Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who read and especially to those who reviewed the last chapter. I am so sorry that this was not up sooner. I'd been planning to update last week but then a few big things got dropped on me at work, with very short deadlines. It's pretty much all good now and updates should become more frequent. Sorry again for the delay!

CHAPTER 16: My Girl

The following day and after dropping Elle off with Luke and Lorelai, Rory arranged to meet up with Logan and relay to him what Elle had told her.

She told Logan all about why their daughter had been so cold with him on their last meet up. She told him how Elle had wrongly jumped to the conclusion that Logan had left her as a baby and how she thought that he hadn't wanted to be a part of her life until she found him in New York.

Now, she is just finishing with detailing the connection between their daughter's suspicions, the articles that Elle had seen about Logan's scandals and the movie that she had thought mirrored their situation.

"Are you sure she's only nine, Ace?"

"Tell me about it..."

Logan lets out a sad chuckle, before sighing at everything that Rory's just told him.

"So, she found out about my stuff up... I guess it's time we talk about that, hey?"

"I'll start. What on earth were you thinking?!"

Logan simply scoffs before answering her question.

"I wasn't thinking. After we broke up, I spiraled. I fell apart and reverted to the old Logan. I undid years of work and effort. I spent all that time making a good name and reputation for myself, growing up and proving to world that I'd grown up, only to prove to everyone that I was still the same old Logan Huntzberger. I lost a lot of people's respect and trust in one hit that night. Heck, I even lost a lot of respect for myself."

Just months after he and Rory broke up and just months before their daughter was born -unknowingly to him- Logan had been arrested for fraud and embezzlement against Huntzberger Publishing Group... Against his dad.

When Logan had learned that his father and the authorities were onto him, he decided to go out with a bang. He was arrested on a party boat amidst disgraceful things and doing disgraceful things. In fact, what was going on on that boat was a whole other news article in itself.

Rory can see that he hasn't forgiven himself for the indiscretions of almost a decade ago, so she doesn't labour her own disappointment in the father of her child and his past actions. Instead, she stays on topic, but brings up another issue that she has always wondered after seeing and reading the same news articles about Logan's crimes that everyone else in the world did.

"Logan, one thing that's always bothered me... The news articles all said that there were drugs on the boat. I know you were a party-animal when you were younger but I thought that only ever started and ended with alcohol. Did you-"

"No, Ace. There were drugs on that boat, but I didn't touch them. I never have."

A small smile of acknowledgement flits over Rory's lips, before Logan continues speaking, regretting his decisions and mistakes of the past.

"I didn't do it for the money – I could have just asked dad for the money if I really wanted it. I didn't do it for the thrill – thrill-seeking in that kind of way got old for me."

"Why did you do it then?"

Logan sighs and rubs his face into his hands, mustering up the courage and the right words to tell Rory.

"I did it to distract myself from heartbreak. I just did it to feel disappointment and guilt from something other than screwing things up with you and for forcing you into all or nothing that backfired big time. Somehow, it felt easier and it felt good to feel disappointment from my family over the controversy than it did to feel the disappointment at myself and the way we ended up. That'll teach me, though. My company is still so closely linked with my dad's to redeem myself from my actions and everything I did back then. Maybe, by the day I die, I might just be free and forgiven from my father..."

Although Logan's last comment is more light-hearted, it does not reflect the way that he is really feeling at all... He has always hated himself for the decisions that he made back then. Even as he was making them, he knew that he would live to regret it.

Now, the guilt for his mistakes has only been accentuated after seeing the impact on his daughter; seeing how upset she had been the last day they spent together, knowing that she is aware of the poor decisions he made and hearing from Rory that she found her crying not long after he took her home.

... That just made it all so much worse.

It was worse than all the yelling from his dad, all the attention from the media and the never-ending articles about the lost-cause-Huntzberger-heir. Nothing was as bad as knowing his daughter knew about it.

"I feel terrible that Elleigh had to find that out... That I let her down like that."

"I know. That's why I made sure that she knew the scandal wasn't the reason why you two never knew each other. I told her to forget everything in that article and everything that it said about you in whatever article she'd read... After all, that's not you. I know that's not the person you truly are."

"Really... You said that to her?"

Rory simply nods. There is no smile, no flourish and no smirk to either leave him believing that she may be joking or lying.

"Thank you, Rory."

In case Logan's genuine, appreciative smile is not enough to convey his appreciation for what Rory said to their daughter, the fact that it is one of the few times when he uses her name over 'Ace' only reinforces the seriousness of his thank you.

One thank you doesn't even seem nearly enough as he reaches out for her hand and gives it a brief squeeze.

"Thank you."

#

It's within a week of Logan and Elleigh's last meet up when the father and daughter meet again. This time, everything is out in the open and all of Elle's speculation and suspicion has been cleared, from Rory's correspondence between the two.

"So... Your mom told me everything..." Logan says as he looks down to the blonde girl who is walking alongside him through the small town.

Although she had been expecting his comment or something to the like after the fuss she made, based off of her wrong conclusions, a slight flush of embarrassment still blushes Elle's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Logan... I was pretty mean to you at 'Butches' the other week."

"Hey..." Logan adds quickly, his brows furrowing seriously. "Hey, don't be sorry. I know you got a few things about me wrong, but I feel terrible imagining how that must have made you feel."

The colour of Elle's cheeks intensifies just a little more.

"It was silly of me. I got it wrong... But, I just thought it all made sense."

Logan nods with sincerity at his daughter's explanation before directing the two of them towards a bench to sit and talk, now that the conversation is taking a more serious path. As the two take a seat on the park bench together and Elle adds to what she just said.

"I think I got too confident from being right the last time..."

Logan chuckles to himself a little, as he looks down to the girl beside him, beaming with pride. "Overconfidence... Now that's a trait of mine in you. Sorry, kid."

Elle just looks over to Logan and they share a little grin. A silence then falls between the two of them for a few minutes, until Logan speaks up once again.

"Now, I don't care that you got it wrong. I don't care that you were upset with me at Luke's last week. But, I do care about one thing and it's very important to me that I make this clear."

Elle looks up at her father. As her big, bright, blue orbs meet with his chocolate brown his, they remind him of the girl's mother's eyes that are oh-so familiar to him.

Silently, Elle just sits there, ready and waiting for Logan to continue speaking and explaining.

"I have made lots of silly decisions and mistakes in the past and I haven't always been the best person... I won't lie about it, Elleigh. But, as soon as I found out about you and as soon as I realised that you -my girl- are mine, never for a second did I think about not being a part of your life. For as long as I've known about you, I've wanted that more than anything else..."

Logan pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath and preparing to continue speaking. Here he is, pouring his heart out to a nine-year-old with no sign of stopping soon.

Before he continues to speak, he doesn't look over to her; he doesn't see the small smile that's beginning to flood both her lips and her eyes.

"In fact, this is pretty cheesy, so you can't repeat this bit to anyone -my rep's on the line here, Elle!- but, for as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a little girl. Right from when I was young, I thought that I would have kids one day, but I knew I always wanted a little girl. Then, when I was a bit older and when your mom and I were together, just once or twice, I thought about the idea of us having a little girl. Not even she knows that, so I'm trusting you to keep that quiet, my girl."

My girl...

The words linger in Logan's mind for far longer than they linger on his lips. My girl. He loves the sound of that just as much as he loves the meaning behind those words.

However, there's a sweet sorrow to Logan's words.

He got half of his wish.

He got his little girl, but not the girl and the family that he'd dreamed of. He never got his complete, lifelong dream. The dream of having a proper family...

Once Logan was old enough to realise that he'd never see a proper family as a child within the Huntzberger Empire that he was raised in, he knew that it'd be up to him to form his own if he ever wanted a chance of having a proper family.

"Thanks Logan... Thanks for telling me that" Elle says. She can't hide her smile as she listens to her father's confession, knowing that she is the girl that fulfilled Logan's wish.

"You're welcome. I just wanted to make sure you knew that not for even a moment have I not I wanted you, or, to be a part of your life. I am already incredibly proud of the person you are and I can't wait to keep learning more about you."

A smile just spreads across Elle's face at the reassurance from her father. It brings a warmth and happiness to her heart; a feeling she wants to share.

So, the nine-year-old scoots over on the park bench a little, scooting closer to Logan. She opens her arms and doesn't hesitate in wrapping them around Logan in a hug; marking the father and daughter's first touch. The first hug.

As Logan's arms immediately melt into his daughter -like floodgates that he can't keep closed- so does his heart.

Hearing of Elle's pain when just days ago she believed that he hadn't wanted her, along with the sensation of holding his daughter in his arms and the feeling of his heart being completely and utterly consumed by that little girl, Logan makes a resolution.

In that moment, Logan Huntzberger resolves that he'll do anything to protect her from feeling any kind of hurt or pain; a feeling that he had unintentionally induced for her just days earlier. He resolves that he'll spend his whole life protecting her from that.

While the seconds feel like they have slowed down during the hug, Logan still absorbs everything that he can about the moment. It's not until the two pull away from each other and it doesn't feel like it lasted for nearly long enough. Judging by what Logan has heard about parenthood, he imagines that this will be a recurring feeling and that he should get used to it, that every moment from this point onwards will feel just about the same.

... While it might feel like the moment will never end at the time, it's always gone, and over, far too soon...

#

After their chat that had gone better than Logan could have ever imagined - it was their best chat yet- he felt on top of the world, exhilarated. He and Elle had gone out for dinner afterwards, too.

Logan still hasn't come down from the high when he's talking to Rory later that day after taking her back to her home.

"So, how'd you go?" Rory asks. However, judging by the size of the grin on the man's face, she can take a pretty good stab at the answer.

"Good... Actually, really good... In fact, I've made a decision about something."

Rory just gives him a curious look, urging him to continue speaking and to explain his big decision. Logan can't stop himself from blurting it out in milliseconds.

"I've decided that I'm moving to Stars Hollow."

Logan's moving to The Hollow! Can't you just see Logan & Kirk having a little bromance?! Haha. So, will he follow through with his plan? It was about time for Logan & Elle to have some quality father-daughter time, so I hope that you enjoyed their little scene and the snippet of what's to come as they get closer. Also, Logan's fall from grace all those years ago is finally out!

Also, just quickly, a couple of reviewers mentioned that they were surprised that Elleigh wasn't madder at her. I can totally see how people think that Rory's gotten off scot-free in a sense. I feel like Logan will struggle to trust Rory in the long-term, but he knows that if he stays furious and irate at her for the time being, it's only going to make it harder to co-parent Elle with her. Then, as for Elle, as much as she might like Logan so far, Rory's the parent that's been there all her life. I feel like it's only natural for her to not want to see the worst in her mum or blame her for not knowing him. Rather, I feel like the more she thinks about it, the older she gets and the more that her relationships with both parents balances out, then I think it's the sort of thing that Elle may begin to resent Rory for when she starts to see the big picture and realise the ramifications of Rory keeping Logan out of her life. But, hey, that's just my thoughts. :)

Next chapter: Rory reacts to Logan's spontaneous announcement. Plus, Logan drops an unwelcome reminder to Rory, but its a truth she has to face.