The Other Grandparents
A/N Thanks for all the reviews.
Beta: just hidden
Explosions
Rory had just finished her last final.
Ever since last Thursday she had been in Washington D.C. Her friends had left over the weekend and she didn't blame them, they had finals too. She arrived back in New Haven early Wednesday morning for her first final. She had taken two more on Thursday and had just finished her last one today, Friday.
As soon as she stepped out of her classroom, flanked by Agent Jones, she pulled out her cell phone and called Logan. As the phone rang, she headed to the coffee cart, but the remembered that she wasn't allowed to go there anymore.
"Hey Ace," he greeted.
"I'm free!" she exclaimed.
"How was the exam?" he asked.
"Blah," she stuck her tongue out for effect, forgetting momentarily that he couldn't see her.
"That bad, huh?" she could hear the smile on his face.
"I'm just glad it's over," she said. "Now I can finish packing."
Rory hadn't told her family she was moving in with Logan yet. She hadn't even had the chance to see her mother yet.
"When are you going to tell them?" he asked, as if reading her mind.
"Does never work for you?"
"Ace," he chided.
"I'm telling them tonight at dinner. I'll tell the Haydens when everything dies down," she said into the phone.
"Good. So, do you need any help packing?"
"No, Grandma still thinks that I'm moving in with Stephanie so she hired movers. They'll be here in about an hour so all I have to do is finish putting stuff into boxes. Is your stuff at the apartment yet?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, I finished moving today," he told her.
"So tonight we will officially live together," Rory said, liking the sound of it.
"Looks that way."
Moving took longer than expected and, as a result, Rory was running late for Friday night dinner.
Agent Jones told her he would be back by the end of dinner and Rory was left in the foyer of her grandmother's house.
The maid of the week led her to the dining room where her mother and her grandparents were eating salad. Rory took her usual seat and the maid set a salad down in front of her.
"Sorry Grandma, I didn't mean to be late," Rory said.
"You could have called you know," Emily chastised.
"Leave her alone Emily, she had exams today," Richard said proudly.
"I really am sorry Grandma," Rory apologized again.
"Well, you're here now. How were your exams? How's Logan? Are you two still together?" Emily fired off.
"God Mom, let her get a word in," Lorelai muttered.
"I'm just interested in my granddaughter's life, Lorelai," she said before turning back to Rory.
Rory took a deep breath before answering, "Exams were fine. I was studying all week so I'm pretty sure I did okay. Things with Logan are great. Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you about me . . . him . . . Logan and me," Rory sputtered.
"You're engaged aren't you?" Emily exclaimed.
"No! I mean, no. But, we have taken our relationship to the next step," she explained carefully.
"What does that mean?" Loreali asked.
"Well, wemovedintogether," she said quickly.
"I'm sorry, repeat that please; I think you just said that you and Logan moved in together. However, I know you would have talked to me about this before actually doing it," Lorelai retorted through her teeth.
"Actually Mom, you heard correctly," Rory said, looking down at her salad.
"This is unacceptable!" Emily exclaimed, throwing her fork down. "You don't live with someone who you aren't married to," Emily stated adamantly.
"I was never married to Paris," Rory offered weakly, trying to lighten the mood.
"This isn't a joking manner, Rory," Emily said sternly. She turned to Lorelai, "This is all your fault."
"What?" Lorelai exclaimed, flabbergasted.
"This isn't Mom's fault," Rory added.
"Well who else would she have gotten the notion that it was acceptable to live with a male, who is not of relation, before they were married?" Emily inquired.
"Look, Paris is moving in with Doyle. Stephanie and I were going to share an apartment but with everything that happened we weren't able to look. She and Colin are moving in together and Logan asked me if I wanted to move in and I do. So now we are living together," Rory said in one breath.
Her three elders just stared at her until Richard spoke up, "Do you mean to tell me that you two are already sharing a residence?"
Rory nodded.
"Since when?" Richard asked stoically.
"This afternoon," Rory said softly.
"Is this why you were late for dinner?"
"It took longer than I expected to unpack," Rory explained.
Richard nodded. "I would like it if you brought Logan to dinner the week after your grandmother and I get back from Europe. It seems like things are getting serious between you two," he said solemnly.
"We've been dating for over a year," she said.
"And your happy?" he asked.
"Yes, very."
Richard nodded and got up from the table, "I'm going to the study. I have some work to catch up on," he said before the three women alone.
"I don't like this Rory," Lorelai said.
"I know."
"Does his family know?" Emily asked.
Rory nodded, "He told them last night."
"How did they take it?" Emily wanted to know.
"They were thrilled, actually. Shira is planning the wedding as we speak," Rory added wryly. She had a feeling that Shira's glee was based on her being a Hayden. Rory reached into her purse, pulled out her wallet, and opened it. She didn't notice a certain card catch Lorelai's eye as she retrieved a piece of paper and closed her wallet. She handed the paper to Lorelai.
"Here's my new address," Rory whispered.
"Rory, why do you have a Black American Express Card?" Lorelai asked in a stiff voice.
"You have what?" Emily inquired.
"Francine gave it to me," she said.
"Really, Grandma, you don't have to-."
Rory was just about to leave the Hayden estate for Washington D.C. when Francine stopped her and handed her a small, rectangular, piece of plastic. Rory didn't know what it was until she turned it over.
"Nonsense Rory, just take it. Go crazy, every now and then a girl can use some retail therapy. If not, then use it for emergency." Francine waved off her protest.
"So you're just going to accept them into your lives with no hesitations?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.
"I accepted them into my life weeks ago," Rory reminded her.
"They ignored you! You were at that dinner two years ago, were you not? I know I asked you to leave, but you know they weren't asking about your childhood after you left," Lorelai spat.
"Yes, but I was also at the dinner five weeks ago when they apologized," Rory said.
"So that's it? They apologize after twenty one years and you let bygones be bygones?" Lorelai asked.
"Excuse me for wanting a relationship with my other grandparents."
"They're only family by blood! Lorelai exclaimed.
"Just because I see them doesn't mean you have to," Rory said.
"You want to know what I think?" Lorelai asked.
"Does it matter?" Emily muttered.
"I think you're letting them into your lives so Logan's family will accept you," Lorelai announced.
Rory just stared.
"He's changed you so much Rory!" Lorelai continued. "Don't you see? Look at yourself, you have a black card, you're living in an obscenely expensive apartment, and I barely see you anymore."
"So this is about Logan?" Rory asked.
Lorelai nodded sardonically.
"Really Lorelai, you never got the chance to know him," Emily interjected. "You didn't come to the dinner at the Huntzbergers-,"
"What dinner?" Lorelai asked, looking to Rory.
Rory looked away.
"What dinner?" Lorelai asked again, more accusingly.
"Last Thursday we had dinner at the Huntzberger's. You were invited but I forgot to tell you and then you called me and you were really excited about dinner with Luke so I-."
"So you lied?" Lorelai finished.
"You were really excited about your date and it was my fault that you didn't know so I got you out of the dinner," Rory explained.
Lorelai shook her head and looked away from her daughter.
"Usually you're psyched to get out of any social obligation so I didn't really see it as a terrible loss on your part," Rory said.
"Oh we both know that's not true Rory."
They were silent for a moment until the ring of Rory's cell phone could be heard throughout the room. She rummaged through her purse until she located her new phone.
"Hello?" she answered.
It was Agent Jones, wondering what time he should be at her grandparent's house. Rory told him he could pick her up now.
"So you're just going to leave?" exclaimed Lorelai.
"Thanks for dinner Grandma, I hope you have a good time in Europe," Rory kissed her grandmother goodbye and headed for her grandfather's study. Lorelai didn't follow.
She bid farewell to Richard and walked out of the house just as Agent Jones pulled up.
"You're home early," Logan said as she walked into their apartment.
"What do you know, he can tell time," Rory muttered sarcastically, still on the defensive.
"Hey, what's wrong?' Logan asked as he got off the couch and followed her to the kitchen. "Did something happen at dinner?"
Rory's head disappeared into the fridge and reemerged with a beer in hand. Logan took it from her before she could open it.
"What happened?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "I love you," was all she said.
"I love you too Ace," he replied, confused. He looked upon her face and could see that she had recently been crying. "How bad was dinner?"
"Not good," she whispered. "I really don't want to talk about it. I'll tell you tomorrow, but not now," she told him.
He nodded understandingly. "Did you eat?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"Chinese or pizza?" he asked.
Rory laughed, "Chinese would be really good."
"Well then, Chinese it is," he confirmed.
Rory kissed him softly and he pulled her into a hug. This was going to work.
Hours later, Rory was lying in Logan's embrace with nothing but a sheet covering her.
"We should move into a new apartment every night," Logan said.
"I would hit you but I'm too weak," Rory let him know.
"Did I tire you out Ace?" Logan leered humorously.
She just moved further into his arms and he tightened his grip on her. She like this feeling.
"What do you want to do for Christmas?" she asked softly.
"I don't know. Don't you want to go to Stars Hollow? See everyone?" Logan asked.
"No, I think that would be a bad idea."
Logan didn't ask her why, and for that she was thankful.
"We could stay here. Just the two of us," he offered.
"I think the Haydens want to have dinner with me on Christmas Eve, but I like your idea for Christmas Day. It would be nice to have a break," she mused.
"I agree," he murmured.
"Wait, what about your parents?"
"What about them?" Logan asked with a yawn.
"Don't you have some social obligation? A Christmas Party or something?" Rory asked.
"They're in Spain for the rest of the year. Apparently, they couldn't deal with 'the stress of the holidays' and decided to leave the country. I'm expecting Mom to come back with a new nose," he added the last part sarcastically.
There was a knocking at the door and Logan groaned before detangling himself from Rory and putting a pair of boxers on to answer the door.
"Finn, it's one in the morning, what do you want?" Rory heard Logan gripe.
She couldn't exactly make out what Finn was saying, but she caught the words: news, Reporter girl, and ring. Suddenly, Logan stormed into their room, with Finn right behind him, and Rory pulled the sheet up to her chin.
However, Finn's sexual innuendo never came as he and Logan kept their eyes on the TV, which Logan had just switched on.
"What are you guys. . .?" Rory trailed off what her eyes' caught the headline being illuminated on the plasma screen in front of her.
There was another knock on the door and this time Finn went to answer it. Rory took his absence from the room as an opportunity to get out of bed and slip on a robe. Suddenly, Colin came running into the room, Finn walking dejectedly behind him.
"Are you CRAZY!" Colin bellowed.
"I-,"Logan was interrupted.
"Do you have any idea how much you've messed up!" Colin yelled.
"Shut-," Logan was, once again, interrupted.
"You can't propose! Once you propose then every girl in our circle will be expecting a ring! Can't you think of anyone but yourself?" Colin screamed.
Colin seemed to run out steam by then and Rory noticed he looked a bit frazzled. His rant had been quite comical in that he sounded frantic the entire time.
Logan began to explain while the reporter on the television started to inform to the world that Mitchum Huntzberger had just taken the legendary Huntzberger engagement ring out of its heavily protected vault in Spain.
As if Rory needed anymore stress.
Okay, so I realized I haven't updated this story since June. Sorry about that. I hope you like this chapter and please review!