AN: Took me bunch of rewrites to get this one out. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 10

"Huh, what a week," Rory exhaled, landing next to Logan on the picnic blanket he'd brought, having found him in the familiar corner of Sheep meadow in Central Park. While neither of them had been big nature-lovers, they'd enjoyed this particular spot before and more than once. Usually it related to getting a feeling that their room at the Pierre could use some housekeeping and they would make themselves scarce, but hadn't wanted to go anywhere where they would be forced to interact with others. The park was an escape of sorts.

"Yeah, I noticed," Logan commented, having become an avid reader of the NYT now that he knew there was a good chance to find a familiar name amongst the authors.

"You read?" Rory asked.

"I did. Got to keep up with what's on your mind when it's impossible to get any actual time with you," Logan said, almost flirtily. But he tried to keep the flirting to a minimum, wanting to keep his promise to take things slow. But sometimes, like now, having not seen her in nearly a week, Logan felt a sense of euphoria to cast eyes on her again. Rory always came with a distinctive presence - her scent, however mild, when she was in the room, the way she moved and the air around her moved as a result, the way she brushed her hair behind her ears, her voice, maybe even her aura - if you believed in that sort of thing.

Naturally, there had been some contact in the meanwhile, mainly just texting though - Rory asking if he was doing better concerning his dad, and other things like that.

"This fellowship is killing me!" Rory groaned, letting out some of the stress that had been building up. But Logan knew that this time she didn't mean it in a bad way.

"And you're loving it," Logan chuckled, having been able to tell from the eleven articles she'd published this week. Eleven articles in the NYT this week alone. He knew how much this meant to her.

"I know," Rory exhaled. "It's just a lot of work. I mean, I always knew journalism was tough, but this is next level. What I did before this - I mean that was just the playground," she explained, taking a more comfortable position by crossing her legs.

Logan could've said that he could've told her that, having seen it up close. But didn't - not wanting this to become a 'who's smarter' moment.

"You're just swimming with the big fish now. And see - they haven't eaten you yet," Logan added instead. He wanted her to feel more confident. It was no small deal that she was where she was.

"Maybe they're just not hungry enough yet?" Rory kept on with the banter.

It was taking them a moment for them to come out of the small-talk stage and actually talk about what they'd agreed to come here to talk about. Them.

"Maybe," Logan reflected, smilingly.

"So, I went to Friday night dinner yesterday," Rory began.

"Those are still happening?" Logan asked, crooking his eyebrow, having not realized that was the case. On many Fridays Rory had been out with him and the guys instead as far as he knew.

"Well yeah, but not nearly as often," Rory said. "I can't imagine grandma ever wanting to give those up," she laughed, relaxing a little.

"She's a feisty woman that grandma of yours," Logan commented.

"Of course now it's mom and Luke, and I, not just the four of us," Rory shared.

"Right," Logan reflected.

"And every now and again there are guests," Rory added.

"Guests?" Logan repeated, unsure what she meant.

"Like set ups?" Rory bit her lip.

"Oh, that kind of guests," Logan mused. "Any worthy ones?" he asked.

"Well.. you're kind of a tough act to follow. Even to their standards," Rory replied.

"Does that mean that there are only impeccable gentlemen and that there's a line waiting to get to you?" Logan teased.

"Hardly. But there have been some who've been kind of okay," Rory admitted.

"Oh, really?" Logan mused.

"And just so it doesn't come as a surprise at some point… you might know one of them," Rory said.

"Uh?" Logan exclaimed, having not expected that.

"You remember Seth, Seth McGregor?" Rory said, reminging Logan of the mastermind behind their infamous scaffolding jump.

"Oh, is that right?" Logan laughed, partly from jealousy.

"We had a couple of dates. But it was no big deal, really," Rory admitted.

"Never would've figured him as your type," Logan pointed out.

"You know he's not like he was these days. He's less…" Rory began, but found herself searching for the perfect word.

"Geeky?" Logan teased.

"Well, yeah. But who am I to judge? I'm the biggest dork in the world," Rory said, jokingly.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. And really - it's fine," Logan replied, trying to sound more fine about it than he really was.

"So, I know you've dated… well I know that from Eva. But has there been, um… anyone serious?" Rory asked.

"I tried. But beyond calling someone my girlfriend for a month or so - no," Logan replied.

At that Rory went quiet for a moment, causing Logan to worry.

"I guess, that's good - I mean that in a sense that it's good that we've both tried… to move on. We've seen what else is 'out there'," Rory added a moment later.

"I'm not sure I'd call it 'good' but I guess that's one way to figure out what I didn't want," Logan replied.

Rory smiled, humbly, allowing herself to feel a little flattered. Logan recognized that look.

"Did you happen to mention me at dinner by any chance? Or just to your mom?" Logan inquired, carefully.

"I did, as a matter of fact," Rory replied.

"Which one?" Logan asked, trying to figure out what that hesitance was about in her response.

"Both," she chimed, narrowing her lips.

"That bad, eh?" Logan assumed.

"So and so," Rory began. "It was actually grandpa who brought up your dad, and from there I admitted that I'd already heard from you and that we've been in touch," she added.

"Right," Logan reflected, having nearly managed to make himself forget about his dad altogether. Honor had all the arrangements covered and while he'd been made aware of the funeral, taking place in a few days time, he wasn't yet convinced that he was actually going to show his face there. His emotions were numbed and he was ready to just let things move on.

"It was kind of weird actually. I'd never heard them discuss your family like that, from the sidelines," Rory said.

"What did they say?" Logan asked, clearing his voice. He wasn't sure he should ask nor whether he really wanted to know, but considering that he was, in fact, testing the water with Rory again he was pretty sure he should know what sort of rumors he was up against.

"Grandma said," Rory inhaled as she began to share the story - "how there had been talk about Mitchum disowning you for something you did," she added.

"Well yeah. I told him to," Logan said.

"But apparently he made it sound like it was his choice," Rory said.

"Yeah, but I don't mind it. It wasn't technically the truth but it's not like it matters, not to me anyway," Logan discussed.

"Yeah, but I don't like grandma and grandpa thinking you did something to cause that. Like you're a liability or something," Rory replied.

"What did they say when you said we're back in touch?" Logan asked instead.

"I guess, it's safe to say they were caught by surprise. I hadn't mentioned you until now. Not even to mom. Beyond the fact that she gave me silent treatment later on the topic, or something close to it, I don't really know what they think of it. Mom was mostly just mad that I hadn't told her first. I don't even know why I hadn't… I guess I was worried she'd say it was a bad idea or something," Rory explained.

"I guess she was never quite my biggest fan, was she?" Logan commented.

"Not at first. She found it just so easy to blame you for whatever I did - the way I changed," Rory reminded Logan how they'd gotten into quite a bit of mischief, and even some trouble, together. "Then for a while I thought she was on board - when you first tried to make it on your own, I think she really respected you for it. But in the end… I am just not sure if she ever fully was. I hate it. I never understood it," Rory replied.

"When I asked… you to marry me," Logan hesitated in his words, but continued more confidently, "did she tell you what she thought you should do? Was your decision influenced by what she thought?"

Rory became quiet for a moment and that definitely made Logan a little cautious.

"I don't want you to hate her…," Rory began, hesitantly.

"I promise I won't. I'm sure that if she did, she had her reasons. And I know what I did, the way I asked and the timing of it... It wasn't great. It wasn't the right time and I shouldn't have made it all or nothing, especially after you stood by me through long distance and sickness before," Logan explained, having thought about this for a long time so that his words almost came out poetic. He could only hope Rory could see that too.

"That was a lot," Rory said after a long pause. Logan had managed to squeeze so much important information into those few breaths of air that it was almost too much to take in all at once. But it had needed to come out.

"I'm sorry," Logan said, feeling it had all lacked an apology.

"For overwhelming me just now or for how things went down?" Rory asked.

"Both, I guess," Logan said. "But I'm not sorry for asking. I did mean it. I loved you and I wanted to have you in my life. I was so sure about you feeling the same way, I never even considered it might not work out. So, I was just caught so incredibly off guard when you didn't say 'yes', I just shut my heart off to anything in between. Self-preservation, I guess?" Logan discussed.

"But you said yourself that 'you'd factor me in' and then you just spring all these big plans on me and expect me to follow you across the country," Rory exclaimed, for the first time actually coming off accusatory above everything.

"I thought I was helping. I was willing as I said it - had you gotten the Reston then, I would've been right here by your side. But since you didn't… it just all seemed so perfect. A fresh start for the both of us, away from my dad's influence. Just us. I thought this was exactly what you would've wanted," Logan said.

"It just felt like I was forced into some mold," Rory explained.

"Well, that was never my intention," Logan said.

"You already said you were sorry - there's no point to…," Rory began, but changed her mind about what she was about to say. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry too," she said instead.

Logan hadn't realized how he'd also needed to hear these words come out of her mouth.

"Maybe I just wasn't brave enough to say 'yes' and just jump… I just didn't want to be defined by only one thing - being your wife," Rory added.

"So, it wasn't about something your mom said?" Logan asked.

"I mean, she didn't actually say anything. She just kept saying how it was my decision and how I would know if it was 'right'. But it's kind of the way she didn't say anything, you know? I guess I could sense she had some reservations.. And whether that influenced me or not? I'm not sure. Maybe?" Rory explained. "Had she not made me hesitate in my judgment… but it's not fair to blame her either," she added.

"And now? Was it just about you not telling her or the gist of it as well?" Logan asked.

"I guess a little of both?" Rory discussed. "She's worried I'll get sidetracked, that this won't be good for me… She's been hoping I'd meet someone, move on instead of going back, you know?"

"Well, for what it's worth I consider this moving forward. Don't you?" Logan suggested, giving her a long and meaningful look.