She woke up to an empty bed. For a brief moment, she thought the night before was just a dream, that she'd be able to call Honor and tell her about said dream and meet up for lunch. That brief moment of reality distortion came crumbling down fast when she heard Logan rummaging in her kitchen. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment longer, she thought of what she was going to have to face when she walked in there.
Finally, she stood up, tossing the blanket to the side and got dressed. When she walked into the living room, she wasn't expecting what she saw. Logan looked like he hadn't slept - even though she knew he had. There were pots and pans on the counters and she smelled Clorox.
"Logan," she said, extremely confused. "Have you been cleaning my apartment?" He looked up at her, setting the Clorox wipes down on the counter. Sheepishly, he nodded. This allowed her to take a deep breath as she thought of what to say next.
"It's a habit I picked up when I was a kid. Whenever I'd get upset, Honor would tell me to clean something to get my mind off it. Usually, it was about my dad. The first time we separated, the apartment was practically spotless. Colin and Finn followed me to California, and let's just say they didn't need to hire maids. I figured, if I cleaned, I'd be able to start… start processing…" He took a deep breath, unable to finish his sentence.
"Let's sit down, okay?" she suggested. He just nodded, following her to the couch and sitting next to her. He smelled of bleach and lemon scented Clorox. "Talk. Anything, everything. Cleaning isn't going to take your mind off what happened." She saw him take a deep breath, cradling his head in his hands.
"I just can't believe my big sister…" His voice cracked. "She's gone, Rory. She was the one that made living with our parents bearable. She was the one who told me I could do anything I set my mind to, who told me when I was being an idiot, who helped try and take the heat off me when it was time for family dinners." He took another deep breath, and she could see the tears glistening on his cheeks. "It was a drunk driver, Rory. I can't tell you how many times I was stupid and got behind the wheel after drinking. That's how I crashed my Porsche when I was seventeen. Honor…" She could see how hard it was for him to say her name, his jaw clenching. "She was so mad at me, furious. God, she didn't talk to me for a week after that. And that idiot took her away from me, took her future away from her. Rory…" She took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.
"We're going to get through this, okay? One step at a time." He nodded again. "Have you talked to Colin or Finn?" This time he shook his head. "I'm going to call them, okay?" Just a nodded response. "Try and rest." Another nod as he stood up and walked into the bedroom. When the door was shut behind him, she rummaged through his suit from the night before and found his cell phone.
She scrolled through until she came to the first of his friends. Dialing, the line rang until Colin answered. "What's up?" he asked, blissfully unaware of his best friend's pain. It was all over the news, how had he not heard yet? "Huntz, you there?"
"Umm, Colin. It's Rory," she said sheepishly.
"Oh, God," he sighed. "I'm going to assume he finally took Honor's advice. I mean, good for him, but when his heart gets broken again, I'm not canceling the maid." She closed her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat. How was she supposed to tell him his best friend was an empty shell? How was she supposed to tell him that Logan's world had shattered?
"No. He showed up very unexpectedly last night. Where are you, Colin?"
"Venice with Stephanie. Why?" She took a deep breath, trying to find a way to tell him.
"Honor's dead." Two words she never wanted to have to say. She heard him start to say something before stopping several times, knowing he was letting her words sink in. She thought of the man that was in her bedroom, probably not sleeping like she'd suggested. She could only imagine the thoughts in his mind, of how broken he was.
"I'll call Finn. What's your address? I'm going to assume you're in New York based off your goals when we were in college. Finn's there, so he'll be by. I'm going to be on the next flight back." As he told her these things, his voice was distant. It was almost as if he was talking to fill the void their friend had left. She gave him her address before he continued on. "I'll talk to Mitchum and Shira, play liason. I need to make sure the funeral arrangements are being dealt with properly. Thank you, Rory. I'll see you soon." The phone went dead as he hung up.
She had been helping Logan through this, with him showing up on her doorstep. But in that moment of silence, she allowed herself to really cry. One of her best friends was dead, the woman who had been a shoulder to cry on so many times before. The same woman who had helped her transition into society as an heiress, who had been like the big sister she never had, was dead. She wasn't going to be a phone call away anymore. She wasn't going to be a car ride or an email apart. No, she wasn't coming back. As Rory's sobs shook her body, she didn't know what she was going to do. Honor had been there for her for so long, it was as if a piece of Rory had died along with her.
The shrill sound of his phone ringing roused her from her thoughts. Answering it without looking was a mistake when she heard a very familiar voice on the other end. "Logan. I hope you understand that your presence is required today, not just requested," Mitchum said gruffly as if talking to an employee, not his grieving child.
"I'll pass the message along to him, Mitchum. What time is he required to be at your residence?" She wasn't going to put up with his bullshit or bullying, not with the circumstances.
"Be sure he's here at six o'clock sharp." With that, the older Huntzberger hung the phone up. Before she had any time to process, there was a knocking on her door. God, would things just stop! She wanted the world to stop for a minute, to at least slow down to let her catch her breath before throwing another thing at her. If only the world had stopped before she was killed, if only for her to have time to avoid the accident. No, the world didn't work that way. The world was cruel and unforgiving as it tore people apart. She answered the door, met with the face of a distraught man much like she had the night before.
"Mitchum called," she told Finn right away. "I don't know how to tell him. I don't know if I want to tell him." Finn just nodded, stepping into her apartment.
"He was cleaning," he told her. The apartment still smelled of Clorox, and she just nodded. "Where is he?" She led him over to the bedroom, opening the door for him. He stepped in and she watched him walk over to his friend. As he sat next to Logan on the bed, the blonde leaned over, clutching Finn as if his life depended on it as the sobs tore from him yet again. It broke her heart to see how broken Logan really was. The two friends clinging to each other, anchoring them in the reality they all wished to forget.
Six o'clock rolled around, and there she and Logan stood in front of the door of the Huntzberger home. It was nearly six years ago that they stood there under much better circumstances. Honor was announcing her engagement. A part of Rory expected the blonde to answer the door, begging the two to come inside because she couldn't stand another minute alone with them. But she never came, instead, a maid answering the door when he'd rung the bell.
"It's going to be okay," she assured him. He just nodded as they walked in. He'd asked her to go with him as support, and she'd willingly agreed. Colin was flying in the next day and Finn was meeting with Honor's lawyer to smooth over the details of her will.
The two made their way through the foyer to the sitting room where Shira was sitting on the couch, tissue in hand and eyes rimmed red. Mitchum stood at the fireplace, staring out the window. It was solemn, the place too quiet for her liking.
"I'm here," Logan told them. "So, what do you want from me? I'd much rather be at home right now." His voice was sharp, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever heard him like that before.
"I want you to watch your tone, boy," Mitchum growled. She knew the two didn't have the best relationship, but she'd never seen them so hostile. She held Logan's hand, hoping to bring him down from the cliff that he was standing on. "You're expected to be at the funeral next week, as well as the wake. I won't let you make a mockery of this."
"You expect me to miss her funeral, really? And a mockery? Really, Dad? She was my sister! I was the one who saw her right before the accident, remember? If anybody is going to make a mockery of this, it's going to be you with your business associates trying to get on your good side rather than honor her." She squeezed his hand, hoping to calm him down. She knew she came for a reason, this was that reason. She had to keep him calm, if only through this joke of a meeting.
"Logan," she said softly, and he looked at her. Her eyes pleaded with him to stay civil, to get through this in one piece.
"If I had to lose a child it should have been…"
"That's enough!" Rory finally said, breaking her silence. "I hope to God you weren't about to say what I think you were. We all love Honor, we can agree upon that. But wishing somebody else had been in her place is low, even for you, Mitchum. Logan came here and heard what is expected of him. We're leaving now." She glanced at the two grieving parents. Even grief did not excuse Mitchum's comments.
Pulling Logan out of the house, she didn't stop until they reached the car. She could see the anger still in him, in his eyes. "Take some breaths, Logan. What he said in there, it's not true. He's upset, and that doesn't excuse it, but you need to calm down." As they looked at each other, he crashed his lips against hers, pushing it all out of their minds for the moment.