Chapter Text
At least she knew it was Logan's. But Logan was going to get married, and she wasn't seeing him anymore. She couldn't.
She was also pretty sure she couldn't raise a baby, but if her mother had done it at 16, she could certainly do it at 32. Probably.
Her mother had reacted pretty much as she'd expected: "You're not gonna run away and raise it on your own, are you?" Rory had laughed, a short, mirthless sound.
But then she'd taken a deep breath, eyes closed, and asked if it was Logan's. Rory had rolled her eyes.
"Of course it is, Mom." Her mother looked at her, and she tried not to remember seeing the same look years ago, after a very unkempt Dean had hurried out the kitchen door. She tried not to think about how very unavailable the men in her life always seemed to be.
"He's engaged."
Rory nodded.
"He lives in London."
Rory nodded.
Then she realized what question would inevitably come next - are you going to tell him? - and felt her body sag under its weight. Her mother pulled her into her arms and Rory had cried, the way she'd cried as a teenager.
She stood in her old bedroom now, pacing. Her bridesmaid's dress was still on, but unzipped. There was a mug of decaf coffee in one hand and her cellphone in the other, the latter feeling like it weighed several pounds more than it should have.
It was a beautiful wedding. It also wasn't, because "beautiful" wasn't really the right word to apply to an almost all-night, glittery, highly lubricated celebration. But as they said their vows - no-nonsense and traditional ones, of course - Rory had glanced at Luke, and immediately looked away. Luke looked at her mother the way Logan had once looked at her.
Maybe he still did, but she hadn't seen it; maybe he felt it still. She knew he felt something, but it obviously wasn't enough for him to leave Odette. (Rory thought to herself, not for the first time, what an absurd yet perfectly suitable name Odette was.) She'd never asked him to leave her, and she wouldn't. He owed her nothing, and they were nothing. He'd framed her face, taking a mental picture to remember her by, and she'd known she wouldn't see him again.
But there was a tiny bundle of cells inside her with his DNA, and what the hell was she supposed to do about that?
She had to keep it. She also couldn't keep it. She didn't have a paying job, and those were generally required for raising a child. Of course, a rich partner would be a suitable substitute for an income of her own... but Rory knew that wasn't an option. He was taken, and he would never come back to her.
Her phone was still in her hand, lying limply against the bed. Rory was flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, praying to coffee and the New York Times and The Bangles that this was a bad dream.
Then there was a knock on the door.
She walked dazedly to open it, briefly noting that it was already morning and she hadn't slept. She barely registered the man in front of her before running to the bathroom and throwing up a cup of coffee and several pop-tarts. Logan rushed in behind her and pulled her hair back. She stood when she finished, brushed her teeth, and went back to sit on her bed, eyes determinedly on the ground.
Several minutes went by before he spoke.
"I left Odette."
Rory looked up.
"I'm pregnant."
--
She had burst into tears when she'd told him, from the relief, and maybe too from the fear of what he might say. He'd instantly come and wrapped his arms around her, and she eventually stilled, grounded in his strong arms. It was a few minutes before she had the courage to look up at him. "I don't want anything from you, I just thought you should know. You don't have to say or do anything."
"Don't be ridiculous, Rory," he said, seeming exasperated, frustrated. She took in the way his hair shined as a he ran his hand through it, the way he clenched his jaw when he was trying to control himself, the line between his brows that she ached to smooth out. "I came here because I couldn't stand the idea of never seeing you again. I've been in love with you for ten years. I'm not going anywhere."
Then she kissed him with every ounce of strength she had. She felt like she was burning up with need and relief and love, and Rory had his clothes off before he could protest. Afterwards, she fell asleep in his arms, Logan stroking her hair with one hand and holding the other flat against her stomach.
Lorelai found them several hours later. Luke was at the diner - she'd insisted she didn't need a honeymoon - and she'd come home to check on Rory. Logan saw her and blushed, but carefully slid out from under Rory and put his clothes on. They sat in the living room, neither one speaking. Lorelai's blue eyes bored holes in his head, but he fought the urge to shrink into the sofa. Finally she asked cautiously, "Did she say anything to you?"
Logan nodded. "I know. And as long as Rory will have me, I'm staying."
Lorelai seemed to mull this information over for a few moments before she spoke again. "Well, you're a better guy than I gave you credit for, I guess."
He smiled faintly. She took a deep breath and then decided any further conversation required coffee. When she returned, bearing two steaming mugs, the steely Momma Bear look was gone, replaced with what Logan interpreted as a determinedly accepting expression. They talked about nothing for a while - his work, her work, Rory's job, the weather - and then a sleepy Rory walked in. She sat down next to Logan and reached for his coffee wearily, which he promptly snatched from her.
"You're supposed to limit caffeine intake when you're pregnant!" Rory frowned, then looked down at her still-flat tummy with some resentment.
Lorelai watched their interaction with interest. Logan had mentioned a sister with kids, but she didn't realize he would be so informed. He almost seemed prepared for this, which she would never have expected. She also didn't realize how easily Rory would fall into a rhythm with him; they sat comfortably close to each other, and they had the body language of two people who spent every day together. It had taken them no time at all to become a couple again, and they seemed to have picked up where they left off. She had known Rory loved him, but wasn't sure if she was heartened or worried at how much she seemed to trust him.
"So, Luke's for breakfast, Mrs. Danes?" Rory said cheerily, though still looking tired.
"I am not changing my name! Gloria is ashamed of you." Lorelai responded.
"Well, she and Betty Friedan can learn to take a joke, then. I'll just go change and then we'll go."
Lorelai and Logan were alone again, save the elephant in the room. Lorelai decided to address it, in order to get its stupid wrinkly gray face out of her living room.
"Are you going to marry her?"
Logan chuckled. "Respectfully, Lorelai, I've been trying to for eight years. Now she may finally accept me, I won't back out."
Lorelai gave a small smile just as Rory entered the room. She grabbed her purse and the three set off.
Rory had scarfed down two waffles, much to Logan's amusement, before he had finished one.
"It's not a competition, Ace," he said, chuckling. Lorelai responded: "Uh, yes it is, and she's winning. Better get your act together if you're gonna try to keep up with us."
Luke came over just then with a pot of coffee. He looked appraisingly at Logan, then turned to the Gilmore women. "So we like him now?" They both nodded, and he smiled. "Hey, Logan, nice to see you." Logan smiled uneasily back.
Then Luke reached over to fill Rory's mug and she intercepted him. "Decaf for me, please, Luke."
He looked at her like she'd grown a third eye. "Decaf? You've never asked for decaf since the day you turned eleven. What are you, pregnant or something?" Rory and Logan made eye contact, then looked at Luke.
He swiftly put down the coffee pot and made a move to strangle Logan. "What in the hell do you think you're doing knocking up -"
"Hey hey hey, we're happy about this! They're gonna have a baby Luke, be happy for them."
He looked at his wife, then withdrew his hand, which was now dangerously close to Logan's throat. He sighed and his face softened. "Alright. Congratulations, Rory."
"Thanks, Luke." Luke shook his head, glared at Logan, then walked away to get decaf.
Less-than-ideally, Babette and Miss Patty were at a nearby table, and rushed over. "Oh, honey, we're just so happy for you, I can hardly stand it!"
"That baby is gonna be just beautiful, I mean look at you two!" Miss Patty added, her gaze lingering on Logan. He was smiling but looking not a little apprehensively at Rory, awaiting her reaction, his hand on her thigh.
She grinned, though, and stood to hug the women. "Thanks, guys. I love you both." When she sat down again, Babette exclaimed "I gotta go tell Morey!" and Miss Patty followed closely behind her, saying something about the Gazette.
Lorelai placed her hand on her daughter's warmly. "How you feelin, kid?"
Rory took a deep breath, but responded, "Pretty good, I think." She squeezed her mother's hand, then looked at Logan, and saw the love and pride in his eyes. Her smile widened and she returned to her waffles.
--
That night, two couples lay in bed in the Gilmore house. Luke and Lorelai lay awake, Lorelai staring at the ceiling, Luke staring at her.
"How do you feel about this?"
She shook her head. "I still don't know if I trust him. I know he loves her, but I guess I've seen too much heartbreak."
Luke pulled her towards him, wrapping one big arm around her waist. "It just takes time." Lorelai nodded, and he kissed her forehead.
"What about you? How do you feel about this?" She asked, gesturing to the two of them.
He kissed her in response, the kind of kiss that left her weak, and she smiled. "Well okay then," she said, and pulled him back to her.
Downstairs, Rory and Logan lay with their limbs tangled together. Neither of them had spoken for a long time, just laid pressed into each other, getting used to the feeling again of belonging only to each other.
Logan opened his mouth to speak, the glimmer in his eyes suggesting a joke about to be made, but Rory pressed her lips to his. He quickly forgot what he'd meant to say and wrapped his arms around her small waist, gluing their bodies together. She kissed him almost frantically, desperately wanting to be with him in a way she hadn't been in years. It wasn't the same when he hadn't been hers, but now he was.
Rory separated herself to pull off her shirt, and pulled him up so he could take off his. She only had a moment to admire his lean, hand muscles, making his chest look like carved marble, before he flipped them to lay her on her back. She lifted her hips as he pulled off her skirt, and reached to pull him back up to her, but he paused. "God, you're beautiful," he breathed, and bent to kiss her thighs, her hips, her chest, her collarbone, the tenderest kiss placed on her stomach, murmuring praise all the way. She sighed and tried not to squirm.
"Shut up, Huntzberger," she finally said, and pulled his lips to hers with one hand while reaching for the button of his pants with the other. He grinned against her mouth. "I love you, Ace."
She smiled, and reached behind her to unhook her bra. "Show me."