Chapter 13: Lions, Tigers, and Ultimatums Author's Note: So it's been a good two years or so since I've written. I'm so, so, so sorry about that. I watched the rest of the series and kind of forgot about that. But now I've gotten my inspiration back. Somewhat. I think I've lost some of the characterizations so please R&R with anything that might help. Enjoy! Chapter 13: Lions, Tigers, and Ultimatums

Rory walked up to Logan's dorm, a determined bounce to her step and an attempt at passive stoicism on her face. She raised her hand to knock on the door, but hesitated. What am I doing? This was my idea…nope. No. I'm not talking myself out of this. Yep. I'm doing this. Now. Knock, Rory. Knock….by knock I mean now. Finally, she knocked on the door. Before she could rap her knuckles on the door the third time, Logan opened it.

"Hey Ace," he said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "What's up? I was just going to see if I could take you out to lunch. You interested?"

"Yeah, but can we go inside quick first?"

"Sure, but I only have an hour for lunch. I've got class soon."

"Logan, you don't go to class. Are you broken?"

"Cute, but no, I'm not broken. My dad's coming to campus and it's the only excuse I have not to see him. So I figured I'd go and see what it's like. Renaissance Literature can't be that bad can it?" he asked her hopefully.

Rory simply gave him a doubtful glare as she walked by him and entered the common room of his dormitory. She looked around. Definitely a boy's room, she thought to herself as she noticed the clothes strewn about the room and the pizza boxes on the coffee table.

"What's on your mind?" Logan asked.

"What makes you think there's something on my mind?"

"The fact that you're postponing food during lunch time when I've personally witnessed you make a waitress cry at a buffet because they ran out of macaroni and cheese. What's up?"

"Well," she tried to stall. No Gilmore, just get to the point. There's no point in putting it off now. "Why don't you want to date me? I know you like me, you've said so. But you still won't date me…and all I can think of is we just have a good time in bed but I'm not much good at anything else. Is that what's going on? Am I just good for one thing? Am I more to you than just some casual shag? Because you don't spend time taking a casual shag out to lunch and dinner, and you don't flirt with a casual shag in front of your friends. So is it just some act to make me feel special? I don't understand. You are –"

"Rory!" He cut her off. "Which one of those questions am I supposed to answer?"

She remained silent, opting instead to simply cross her arms and glance to the right.

"Look. You said you didn't want to date. I never said I wouldn't date you, just that I'm not that guy. Maybe someday we will be dating, but I need some time. I do like you and I do want to date you but I don't want to end up making you hate me when I screw up. You're not just a casual shag and I flirt with you around my friends because I enjoy flirting with you, I thought you enjoyed it to. None of it is an act. You should know that by now."

"I don't know that. You didn't tell me that until now, how would I know? I'm a girl, boys don't make sense to me." She said.

"Well that's good to know" Logan replied with a slight chuckle and his signature smile.

"Shut up. I know I'm insane but I can't do this anymore." She paused. "I'm not ultimatum girl, but I have to be right now. I can't just be casual with you anymore. It's either you're with me and I'm with you and nobody else…or we just go back to being friends. I can't pretend that it's all kosher."

Logan didn't say anything, simply stood staring at Rory, apparently dumbstruck, a blank expression on his face.

"Okay, by your silence I'm going to go with either we're just friends now, or you need time to think about this. So I'm going to let you think about it, and I'm going to go. Rain check on lunch I guess. Bye, Logan." She said and turned around and walked out the door.

Lorelai sat at her desk balancing the checking accounts for the Inn. Everything was coming out perfectly. Factor in two or three hundred for the ton of flour the guys are buying from Doose's and we're still good. Life's perfect! She thought to herself.

Sookie walked in with a half-hearted smile on her face. "They're sending over a temp right now."

"That's great, hon. As soon as they get here you can tell them what's going on and then go home and rest. It'll be good for you." She said that last part with the most sincere enthusiasm. But Sookie looked less than pleased. "Why aren't you happy, young skywalker?"

"You're going to like them better than me. You'll tell this lovely little Mindy girl everything that's meant for me to hear and then you'll replace me. 'Sookie who?' you'll say. And then I'll just be that crazy pregnant lady that you used to work with."

"Wow, you were serious about the hormones weren't ya. Her names Mindy?" Lorelai processed. "Sounds like a stripper name. And you could never be replaced. And if by telling her everything you mean that I'll tell her that her cooking is sub par when compared to the perfection that is yours, then yes, I'll tell her everything. And as far as you being a crazy pregnant lady? Well…" she paused, "that part's pretty dead on."

Sookie's mood lightened. "Okay but only if you promise."

"I promise."

"Okay, now tell me what happened with Luke. You're all glowy so I know it's nothing bad but I still want to know."

Lorelai delved into every detail of the last forty-eight hours between her and Luke, and Sookie listened intently, oohing and aahing at all the right moments. Lorelai smiled to herself as she finished her story.

"Lorelai's got a boyfriend, Lorelai's got a boyfriend." Sookie chanted in a sing song like voice.

Lorelai walked into the diner where Luke stood behind the counter taking yet another lecture from Taylor Doose. She could tell he wasn't paying any attention to him. His eyes flicked up to meet hers as soon as she walked in the door and he smiled as if to thank her for saving him.

"Yeah, excuse me Taylor." He said as he walked out from behind the counter and over to Lorelai.

He gave her a kiss hello and put his arm around her shoulder. "You hungry? Want some coffee?" he asked. "Save me." He whispered, pleading.

She laughed a little. "Yeah, a coffee as usual. And I guess I'll take a muffin too." She said as she walked up to the counter and sad down, looking over at Taylor. "Why hello there, fancy meeting you here." She said, trying to sound as if she walked straight out of a 1950's movie.

Taylor starred at her bewildered before getting up and walking slowly out of the diner, glancing back at her every now and again.

Luke came back and handed Lorelai her large mug full of coffee. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you." She said as she started sipping her lovely liquid.

He leaned on the counter in front of her, watching her drink as if it were art.

"So what was Taylor lecturing you on?" she asked him.

"Taylor. He's a moron." Luke said, an immediate irritation in his tone. "He saw your U-Haul and was lecturing me on how it's my fault that you're leaving and you're closing the Inn and that's taking business away from Star's Hollow. I told him you weren't leaving and he wouldn't believe me. So I let him talk. Windbag."

Lorelai laughed at him and then leaned over the counter and kissed him. "My big brave coffee man."

"Yeah well, can I take my coffee addict to dinner tonight? Do you have to work?"

"Nope. I'm all free tonight. I am done for the day."

"Good. I'll pick you up after close. Shouldn't take too long." He said.

"Okay. I'm going to go and finish unpacking. I'll see you later. Say kiss."

"Kiss."