AN: Thank-you so much for the response so far! Please leave a review to let me know what you think!
AN2: I posted this last night, but it didn't seem to update for some reason, so I've taken it down to repost. Stay tuned for chapter 4 later tonight.
Twenty minutes prior
Logan was late. After finally being rescued off the side of the highway by his father and having the rental car towed back to the Boston Airport, Logan had finally made it home to Hartford, for an awkward conversation with his parents about his rushed trip back. He had never intended on even informing his parents of this visit, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
His mother had been especially upset about the reasons for his visit, referring to Rory as "that girl". His father, had been a bit more understanding and willingly loaned Logan a car to use for the evening. Logan had showered, dressed, and headed toward the Gilmore house, having already missed the memorial service, but hoping he could catch Rory at the reception.
Upon his arrival, Logan discovered that there were still quite a few people there. He saw Luke first, who didn't look happy to see him, but greeted him regardless.
"Have you seen Rory?" Logan asked.
"Not in a while, she might have gone to help her mom with getting Emily settled upstairs." Luke responded, and excused himself from the conversation.
Logan continued around the room, seeing more people who looked displeased to see him, Paris, being Paris gave him a piece of her mind regardless of the time or place.
"Huntzberger, what in the hell is wrong with you, showing up here after eight years. You walked away from her, she didn't want to walk away from you. You broke her heart, and now you show up today of all days. You need to leave. Now."
"Paris, it's nice to see you too. You should know that today of all days, is the time that Rory needs support the most. In regard to the comment that I broke her heart? Well she broke mine. I never in a million years would have proposed, if I hadn't thought she was going to say yes, and then she said no. Not that it's any of your business, but I realize now, that I went all about that the wrong way, but it's too late now. Thats not why I'm here though. Now, I just want to express my condolences to Rory, if you'll please excuse me."
Logan continued around the room, looking for any sign of Rory, the whispers of Hartford society, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Isn't that?"
"I can't believe he would show up here"
" I can't believe he would show his face, today of all days"
"He should be ashamed of himself. After everything he did to that girl, wasn't that enough?"
Logan had heard enough, he didn't deserve this. He was almost ready to walk back out, when he saw Lorelai re-enter the room. She spotted him soon after he spotted her, and although she made a bit of a face in reaction, she made no movement to come greet him, or ask him to leave. He took that as a good sign. There was still no sign of Rory though, so Logan thought that maybe, just maybe he knew where to find her.
He stepped out onto the pool deck and noticed that all of the curtains to the pool house were closed. He took a breath, and started walking toward the door. Getting to the door, it took him a few seconds to pluck up the courage to try and open it. It was unlocked. He stepped inside and closed the door.
There she was, sitting there in her pyjamas, holding a glass of scotch. Her back was to him, but his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her and he found himself silently willing her to turn around.
"Look mom, I'm sorry, but I can't go back in there." Rory said, with only silence for a response.
He didn't know what to say to that, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"Hey Ace."
Rory turned around, took one look at him and burst into tears.
Logan quickly closed the gap between them and pulled her up into a big hug.
...
Hearing the pool house door open behind her, Rory felt her heart sink. She couldn't keep doing this.
"Look mom, I'm sorry, but I can't go back in there." Rory said, with only silence for a response.
Rory was about to turn around to tell whoever it was to go away when she heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Ace."
Rory's heart skipped a beat, more out of shock than anything else, and turned around to face him. After eight years, he had come back. She took one look at him and burst into tears.
Before she knew it, Logan was pulling her up into a big hug, telling her everything was going to be ok. Logan guided her to the couch, sat her down, and let her continue to cry, never letting her go. Rory was grateful for this, even after all these years, having him hold her and comfort her, it just felt right.
After about twenty minutes, Rory was able to let the crying subside enough, to sit back and look at Logan. His years in California, had clearly been good for him, a hint of a tan, looking more fit than she could ever remember seeing him, and his eyes, oh his eyes, currently looking at her, with a look of concern.
"Hi" was all she managed to get out.
"Hi" he responded.
"Your shirt" Rory commented, noticing the big wet patch on his shoulder from where she had been crying.
"Don't worry about it Ace, it'll dry." Logan replied.
"Logan, I can't believe you came. It's been… well it's been so long."
"I had to see if you were alright."
"All the way from California?"
"You wouldn't believe the story if I tried…" Logan nodded.
"Logan.. I'm... I'm... sorry." Rory started
"Enough about us tonight, we don't need to talk about that. Not right now. That isn't why I came." Logan told her.
Rory nodded and looked down.
"Did you know that I didn't make it in time?" I was in the middle of North Carolina, and by the time I got home, I was two hours too late. I didn't get to say goodbye." Rory told him as the tears started up again.
Logan took Rory back into his arms, and let her continue to cry.
"Shh. Ace, it's ok. You're going to be ok" Logan whispered, so close, his lips almost touching her ear.
They sat there in silence for awhile, Rory finally starting to calm down, when something unexpected happened.
Logan, continuing to hold her, whispered "I've missed you Ace."
Rory sat back, with a slight look of surprise on her face. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had leaned in and kissed him, hard, passionately, and with more longing than she had even realized was possible. This kiss whether she liked it or not, represented the pain, and emptiness she had been feeling since their parting eight years ago. She had tried to move on, she had, but deep down, she knew, nothing compared to this, to him.
He broke apart first, looking back at her, running his hand through her hair, looking deep into her eyes, if she didn't know better, she thought he might actually be able to see right into her soul.
He closed the gap this time and kissed her again. Out of instinct, Rory put her hands on his chest, and began to pull Logan in closer to her. Against her better judgement, she reached to begin unbuttoning his shirt. She wasn't sure why, but she needed this, needed him, in this very moment.
Logan, obliged, helping her remove his shirt, and only breaking the kiss long to lift her pyjama top over her head. Standing up, Rory reached for his belt, undoing it quickly.
The atmosphere in the pool house was electric. As they stumbled for her bedroom, they left a trail of clothes in their wake.
Laying down on the bed, they began to make love. Slow, deliberate, full of passion, anguish, and pain at the last eight years of emptiness and loneliness, of opportunities lost, of things that could have been.
Logan was so gentle with her, this raw feeling of passion that they were both feeling, was evident in the way they connected, just right. They had always fit together so perfectly, like a two piece puzzle, although it may seem flawed to those around them, it was always just right.
As she came, she practically saw stars. He followed shortly after, and collapsed on top of her. They were both spent, and soon both were sound asleep in her bed, in the pool house, where they had made love so many times before, but nothing held a candle to this. It was more intense, sensual, and passionate, than either had experienced ever before.
Rory awoke a few hours later, after having slept better than she had in years, she rolled over when she felt a form sleeping next to her. A look of panic spread across her face, when she remembered what she had done the night before. This was bad. Very bad. Sliding out of bed ever so gently, wrapping herself in a sheet, she made her way into the bathroom.
What had she done? Why had she slept with Logan? Thinking back, a smile briefly formed on her lips, remembering the sex from the night before.
It wasn't that she hadn't had sex in the last eight years, she wasn't a prude after all, but nothing, nothing could compare to that. Not now, probably not ever. He lived in California though, this was not going to work, he made it clear to her eight years ago that he was not interested in a long distance relationship again, and she couldn't begin to believe that she could recover from the heartbreak of another goodbye, especially not after last night.
She splashed water on her face, and quietly, went back into the bedroom, got dressed, and gathered her things. Looking at his sleeping form, she almost couldn't bring herself to leave, but she knew that the painful goodbye would be far worse than this. She grabbed a piece of paper from the counter, scribbled a quick message on it, laid it on her pillow, took one last look at Logan and walked out the door of the pool house.