He'd just gotten back from New York, from visiting Honor and Josh. The snowfall reminded him of Ace, of their time at the Vineyard - even though it hadn't snowed. It was probably from the fact that it was February, a time full of happy couples and chocolate hearts. However, it was on his trip he realized that the East Coast wasn't his home anymore, if it ever was to begin with. He'd made a home in California - in Palo Alto - with his coworkers, his new friends, Maggie. He smiled, knowing he'd be walking into the house and she'd be there. It had been a fast decision, the lease on her apartment was ending and he had too much empty space in the house, so she'd moved in. He was known for his impulsivity, and letting his girlfriend of three months move in with him was one of those impulsive decisions.
"You're home!" she practically yelled as soon as he stepped foot in the door. Her lips crashed into his, a smile on his face. Dropping his bags, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. When they separated, lungs screaming for air, he still had that smile. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." He wasn't lying. Sure, some days he wished he was coming home to Ace instead, but Maggie was there. She knew the story, she understood some of his hesitancies, she accepted it for what it was. Did he love her? Not yet, but he could see himself loving her someday. It had taken him nearly a year to admit those feelings to Ace, Maggie was no different. Her lips captured his again, holding her close as the couple made their way into the bedroom.
Her fingers played with the hem of his t-shirt, brushing against his sides softly. Walking her back to the bed, her knees hitting the edge and sitting down, he finally slipped the fabric off, letting it fall to the ground. The smile on her face said it all as she pulled him back to her. They moved together, dancing the familiar routine they'd perfected.
She was straddling him, lips locked as she pressed her body against his. She'd been stripped of the jeans and the blouse, leaving her in her black lace bra and panties. He was down to his boxers, his arms wrapped around her to keep her flush against him. Her hands had become entwined in his hair, making sure he didn't pull away too soon. Unfortunately, their heated embrace was disturbed by the shrill sound of his phone ringing.
"No," she murmured against his lips, but he sighed and pulled away. Without looking at the caller id, he flipped the phone open and pressed it against his ear.
"Hello?" he asked. A smile was still on his face, Maggie still on his lap. His fingers drew patterns on the skin of her back as her lips found his neck.
"Hey, it's me," the voice said on the other end. Feminine. Familiar. It took him a second to place the name with the voice, but when he did…
"Lorelai?" He had to be hallucinating. No, had he been hallucinating, it would have been Ace on the other end of the phone.
"There's been an accident." He could hear her voice shaking as she said those words, and his heart dropped. A million questions bombarded his brain: what happened, is it Ace, is she okay. He maneuvered Maggie off him, seeing her face drop as he did so. He leaned forward, trying to comprehend.
"What?" Of all the questions floating in his brain, the one worded one was the one that would hopefully make it all make sense.
"I know you're upset, but this is bigger than that, you know. And it seems like you should be here." The look of confusion plastered on his face was wiped off when he realized what was going on. His eyes closed, face relaxed as he breathed out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"How bad is it, Lorelai?" he asked. He could hear Maggie getting dressed, and he honestly felt bad. But Ace - Rory - would come first. After three years together, she'd come first. The hesitancy the elder Lorelai had before speaking spoke volumes in itself.
"It's bad, Logan. Just… Just try to get here, okay? Soon?" He mumbled an agreement before shutting the phone. Looking at Maggie, she just nodded as his eyes tried conveying an apology his words could not. How could he explain it to her? He was leaving for Connecticut because something happened to his ex-almost-fiance. He was leaving her high and dry for a girl he hadn't spoken to in nine months. But that's how it should have been. Maggie… As amazing as she was, was not Rory. She didn't encapture him like Ace had, didn't hold his heart in the palm of her hand. No.
He stood, pulling his clothes back on and grabbing his phone off the bedside table again, calling a familiar number. "Hey, Finn. I know I've been kind of MIA, and I'm sorry. I need a huge favor. How soon can you get your jet to the San Francisco International Airport?" He looked back at Maggie one more time before grabbing his bag and walking out, still on the phone waiting for Finn's answer.
"Logan, man. Umm…" He could tell Finn was trying to wrap his brain around Logan calling and asking for this favor. "I just flew in to check up on you, considering I haven't heard from you since you got together with that Maggie chick. Where do you need to go on such short notice?" He swallowed, not wanting to admit it. He got in the car, switching the phone to the bluetooth as he made his way to the airport.
"I just got a call from Lorelai. Something happened to Ace. She wouldn't say what, but it doesn't sound good, Finn. And I have to be there. I fucked up, but I can't lose her. I can't deal with knowing that I may not get another chance with her, Finn. I just… I can't." He ended his rant, not realizing tears were in his eyes until they fell onto his cheeks.
"I'll make a couple calls," Finn told him. "Just show your ID at the information desk. You'll be escorted to the plane where I'll be waiting. She'll be okay, mate." Logan hung up, hoping Finn was right. She had to be okay, if only to know that he still loved her. That's all he wanted, for her to know that walking away was the biggest mistake he'd made, that he loved her more than anything else, that he wanted to be with her.
He parked the car in the airport lot, knowing that it would cost him an arm and a leg depending on when he got back. For all he knew, he might not come back any time soon depending on how bad it was. He didn't let himself linger on the worst-case scenario, focusing on just getting to see her again.
By the time he got to the information desk, an hour had passed since he'd spoken to Lorelai. Had it really been an hour already? It was eleven at night in Hartford, so he decided he'd call her when he landed, knowing the flight had to be at least six hours, if not pushing more towards eight. Would eight hours be too late? Again, he pushed that thought from his mind, focusing on knowing he was going to be there soon enough.
He flashed his ID at the security guard at the desk, being led past TSA and the metal detectors, straight towards the private terminal where he saw Finn's plane waiting. He walked outside and then up the steps. The first thing that hit him was the smell of alcohol. It being Finn's plane and all, he shouldn't have been surprised.
"My god, man!" Logan called out, setting his bags down. "Did you drink an entire liquor store on the way?" He heard Finn laugh from his seat, standing and embracing Logan in a quick hug before the two separated.
"Drank? Half a liquor store. Spilled? A whole other story. Sit and fill me in on everything I've missed since us East Coast Folk have been exiled into bi-weekly emails!" Logan filled him in on work and Maggie. Their conversation turned to Finn and his latest troubles, Colin, and some of the other friends they'd made over the years. However, the topic of Rory didn't come up until it was almost time to land.
He could feel his ears popping as he was woken up by Finn nudging him awake. "We're landing, mate." Looking out the window, he was met with the blinding sunlight making Hartford glow. And then it all came crashing back, knowing she was down there in a hospital bed. "Talk to me," Finn told him. Three words and everything came pouring out like a faucet.
"I want us to be able to have that second chance, Finn. I know I messed up, and I tried moving on. Maggie is such a sweet girl, really. And if Ace hadn't been part of the picture, I could see myself with Maggie. But I dropped her like you drop a one night stand, Finn. And the look in her eyes, that hurt in her eyes. I didn't have to tell her it was about Ace, she knew. I'm scared I won't get that second chance." Finn just nodded, letting Logan take a few deep breaths.
"You'll get that second chance, Logan." All Logan could think of was the amount of second chances they'd gotten already. After their first big fight, after the bridesmaids. But really, their second chance was with him plummeting off a cliff and almost dying. That was their second chance. What was the likelihood they'd get another? But deep down, he still had hope that this was their real second chance.
When the plane finally landed, the two friends parted with promises of seeing each other sooner rather than later. Logan grabbed his bags, making his way out of the airport to hail a taxi. His bags were placed in the trunk as he told the driver to take him to Hartford Medical Center. In his mind, he was trying to prepare himself for whatever he came face to face with. All the possibilities filled his mind, taking up so much of his thoughts that he didn't realize they'd arrived at the hospital until the driver roused him from his thoughts with a gruff 'sir.'
"Sorry," he mumbled, paying the man before climbing out and grabbing his bags. Taking a few deep breaths, he pulled out his phone and texted Lorelai asking where she was. When he got a response, he walked inside. He hadn't been inside the Hartford Medical Center since Richard's heart attack, flying in from New York just to be there for Ace. God, it seemed like so long ago, but in reality, it had been a year. It amazed him how much could change in a year.
He sat his bags down when he saw Luke holding onto Lorelai as the doctors and nurses rushed into the room. The woman was crying, screaming, and Logan knew. He walked over. He had to see her, one last time. He had to tell her, he had to know she knew. But instead, he was met with Chris holding him back. He could see into the room, see the doctors charging the defibulators, her body coming off the bed with every shock. It seemed to go on for eternity as his eyes were flooded with tears.
"She has to know, Chris," he managed to choke out as the doctors started chest compressions. "She has to know I love her." The man held him close, cradling the boy's head as he cried.
"She knows, Logan. She's always known." He heard the alarm go off, no noise coming from the room except the doctor calling out the time of death. February 17th, 2008 at six thirty-one in the morning, Logan's chance at a second chance was lost. At six thirty-one, his entire world came crashing down.
Butt-faced miscreant. You jump, I jump, Jack. If you think climbing in that window was hard… I love you. I hate when you work blue, Ace. You let me walk into a room full of girls you've had sex with. I love you, Rory! I was punishing you. I'm proud of you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Will you marry me? He was never going to get the answer he was hoping for.
A/N: I know! Hate me all you want! This was in the cards from the beginning of this story, but I will assure you it's Rogan. You'll see!