A/N: Well, this is a different take on how Logan & Rory's relationship could have gone if things had started off a little bit differently. Thank you to PuppiesRCute for giving me the suggestion for this, hopefully I do you proud. The title is from the song Forever&Always by Parachute. I have written a few chapters into this. Just to be clear, the story begins at The Party's Over, so I obviously have the jist of that episode here, but I have edited slightly for my own purposes. From that point forward, there are definitely some parallels to things that happened in the story, but my creative license takes over. Much like my other stories, I do not own Gilmore Girls.
Chapter 1:
"Grandma...don't you think the tiara is a little much?" Rory looked at herself in the mirror, she could barely recognize the girl staring back at her.
"Oh nonsense" Emily laughed, "You look beautiful, you are a powerful girl Rory, you are a Gilmore, and a Hayden, those are powerful names in Hartford"
"No kidding" Rory shrugged, she had never felt so little like herself.
"Well we should get down to the party" Emily told her, "The guests are waiting"
"Ok" Rory agreed as she stood up and followed her grandmother out of the bedroom and down the stairs, immediately she could see the crowds of people who were there, well, the Yale Alumni who were there, "Wow this is a lot of...men" she noted.
"Don't be shy, Rory" Emily smiled as she practically shoved Rory down the stairs into the hoards of people who were anxiously staring at her.
"Rory, hello" Richard greeted his granddaughter, "You must meet the Andrews' I just saw them arrive, he is a Supreme Court Justice, he worked with Straub, anyway, his son, Timothy is attending Yale Law"
"Oh, cool" Rory nodded awkwardly to see if she recognized any of the faces around her before she was standing in front of a family, "Hi, Rory Gilmore" she smiled at them all.
"Rory is going to be a journalist" Emily cooed, "And Timothy, you're going to be a lawyer, isn't that marvelous?"
"Sure seems marvelous" Rory smiled as she nodded at Timothy.
"You can call me Tim" he told her.
"Thanks" Rory smiled, feeling embarrassed, as she looked around she noticed that only men were in attendance, this couldn't be a coincidence. She could hardly believe her grandparents had done this, ok, she could believe they had done this, but that didn't make her any less pissed.
xxxxx
"So this is some party" a boy approached her.
"No kidding" Rory nodded as she sipped a rum and coke, she had discreetly asked the bartender to throw a shot into the drink, that was the only way she would get through the evening. She had called her mother infuriated by the trick that was being played on her, and Lorelai had reacted just as she had expected - laughter.
"So you're how old?" he asked her.
"Uhm...I'm 19" Rory told him.
"Cool" the mystery man smiled, "And your grandparents, they threw this for you?"
"Something about Yale graduates" Rory shrugged, "I guess they all like to be trapped in one room together as often as possible"
"My parents are the same way" he smiled, "Oh, I'm Austin, by the way"
"Austin" Rory nodded, "Any story behind that, or just...Austin?"
"My mom is from there" he explained, "So what program are you in?"
"I'm majoring in journalism and foreign affairs" Rory told him, "What about you?" she asked as she looked around, surely her grandparents had someone else for her to meet so she wouldn't have to listen to this guy, Austin, ramble on.
"Rory!" his voice surrounded her and she couldn't help but smile as she felt his arm drape over his shoulder, instinctively she grabbed hold of his hand while he kissed her cheek, "So sorry I'm late, traffic was ridiculous"
"Oh no problem, I was just chatting with Austin" she smiled at him as the colour drained from Austin's face, "Austin this is Logan Huntzberger"
"Her boyfriend" Logan extended his hand, "Good to meet you, Austin"
"Yeah, you too" Austin mumbled as he shook Logan's hand, "I should go" he smiled before walking away, muttering something to himself as he went.
Rory couldn't help but smile at Logan, "Thank you"
"You looked trapped, Ace" Logan laughed as he took his arm off of her shoulder, "Jesus I hate these parties"
"So why are you here?" Rory asked him, "I mean I have to be here, but the Logan Huntzberger I know..." she began.
"Oh so you know me now?" Logan laughed as he grabbed two glasses of champagne off the tray of the waiter who was passing by, handing one to Rory, "Drink this"
"I have a drink" Rory told him as she found herself holding one drink in each hand. "And yes, I do think I know you well enough to know this is not your idea of a Friday night"
"Seriously, drinks make this tolerable, drink it" he told her as he polished off his glass and set it on a nearby table, "As for why I'm here, my parents made me come. Something about an eligible Gilmore"
"You're kidding me, right?" Rory groaned as she downed the champagne, "You're here as a suitor?"
"Oh come on Ace, we all know you would never stoop so low as to date me" Logan winked as she put her glass next to his on the table, "Have you seen Colin or Finn? They should be somewhere"
"Haven't seen them" Rory shrugged, starting to feel the effects of the booze when she heard her Grandfather approaching from behind her.
"Richard, hi" Logan smiled as he grasped Richard's hand. "Great party, how are you?"
"Logan, son good to see you" Richard clapped his hand onto Logan's shoulder, "Well I'm glad to see you two know each other, Rory I can report back that you are in good hands. Logan are your parents here?"
"Oh they are somewhere around here, Mom is probably scouting out Emily's caterer or something" Logan smiled.
"Well, I'll be off then, you kids have fun" Richard smiled as he found another acquaintance to talk to.
"You know my Grandparents? Seriously, first name basis with my Grandparents?" Rory laughed as she finished another drink.
"This is Hartford, I'm a Huntzberger, of course I know you're Grandparents, its practically my job" Logan told her as he walked towards the bar and grabbed two bottles of champagne, handing them each to her, "Now come on, let's go have some fun. The boys are in the pool house having a sub party"
"A sub party?" she looked at him curiously as he grabbed a bottle of scotch and a bottle of rum and began to walk towards the pool house.
"It's the small party going on within the big party, usually way more fun, a way worse hangover and far better company" Logan explained as he opened the door and found about 8 other people, all of whom Rory recognized waiting inside. "You in, or out, Ace?"
xxxxxx
"So then, then, you'll never believe it" Rory slurred as she took a slug of the bottle of champagne, "Then my mother left, in the middle of the night, with me, a baby!" she laughed, "And we lived in a garden shed, at this inn where my mother worked"
"A garden shed?" Finn Morgan looked at her as though she had three heads, his accent thick, he was clearly drunk.
"I lived in a garden shed" Rory was practically hysterical as she finished off the champagne, "Where'd it go? What the hell?" she looked down the neck of the empty bottle, "I am going to find more champagne"
"Ace" Logan grabbed her by the waist as she began stumbling towards the door, "You are going nowhere, and you should probably have some water"
"Party pooper!" Rory pushed her index finger against his nose as another guy, Colin, handed her a bottle of water, "I lived in a garden shed until I was 7"
"All the while you were secretly a Hartford princess" Finn laughed as he handed her a glass of vodka.
"Exactly" Rory raised her glass towards him, sloshing some onto him as she did. "Hey, what time is it...you? You with the red shirt!" she pointed to one of the unfamiliar faces who had found solace in the pool house.
"Uh...7:50?" he told her.
"Crap" Rory groaned, "I have to go" she stood up, looking for her shoes, "Where are my shoes? Do you see my shoes?"
"Come on Ace" Logan handed her the shoes, "I'll wait with you, what exactly are we waiting for?"
"My boyfriend" Rory told him trying to stand up straight, "Dan...no...no, Dean"
"You're boyfriend Dean" Logan nodded as he put his arm on her back, guiding her out the door, "And if you have this boyfriend Dean, why exactly are we all here?"
"Because my Grandparents don't think he's suitable" Rory chuckled, still slurring her words as she stumbled with Logan to the front of the house. The driveway was empty except for the valet who was waiting for guests to come and go.
"Is he suitable?" Logan countered as he steadied her in front of him.
"Probably not" she giggled, "But he was my first...well...my first everything"
"Over share, Ace" he laughed as they waited.
"I'm tired" Rory whispered, the booze was starting to really hit her, and rather than being a fun drunk.
"Just relax" Logan told her, putting his jacket over her shoulders so she wouldn't get cold, "When is he supposed to be here?"
"8"
"Well its 8:02" Logan told her.
"I'm drunk" Rory stated simply.
"That you are" Logan smiled and before he knew what was happening, she was kissing him, pushing her body into his until a pair of headlights flashed into their eyes, pulling them out of the moment, "Fuck" he muttered as he wiped his lip, knowing exactly what was going on.
"Dean!" Rory ran towards the car, stumbling slightly as she did so.
"What the hell Rory?" Dean got out of his truck, slamming the door as he did so before turning his attention to Logan, "Who the hell are you?"
"Just a friend" Logan took a step back, wanting to stay to make sure that Rory was safe.
"Some friend" Dean shouted, "Are you drunk Rory?"
"No" Rory looked at the ground, swaying on the spot as she did so.
"I'm done" Dean turned around, "This" he looked up at the Gilmore mansion, "This isn't my world, I will never belong here"
"Dean- " Rory began to protest, but before she could, he was already turning the engine back on, and for a moment, she felt alone.
"Ace" Logan walked towards her, "I'm sorry"
"It...it wasn't your fault" Rory told him as tears began to flow from her eyes, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying. Let's get back to the party"
"Nope" Logan told her, "Is there a side entrance? We'll go upstairs, I'll steal ice cream from the kitchen, and for a few minutes, you can pretend that I am Paris, and we can mope"
"You'd do that for me?" Rory looked at him, her eyes red and puffy as she continued to cry.
"That is what friends are for, Ace"
xxxxx
"So you just got back together then?" Logan asked as they sat on Rory's bed upstairs, she had her head on his shoulder and at some point they had found themselves underneath the covers because it was cold.
"I think I broke up his marriage" Rory admitted, feeling embarrassed immediately.
"How is that possible?" Logan asked as he took a spoon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
"I slept with him" Rory explained, "While he was married"
"Rory he made a choice, you aren't responsible for that choice" Logan told her as he put a spoon to her lips, "Come on"
"Paris is more of a bitch than you are" Rory told him with a grin, the first smile she had given him since Dean had left.
"You're going to find someone Ace, someone amazing, someone your Grandparents approve of, someone who pushes you" Logan told her, squeezing her shoulder gently, "You will find that"
"Don't be so sure" Rory laughed as she looked at him, "Thank you" she smiled honestly.
"Don't get all soft on me, Ace" Logan laughed trying to put some space between them.
And then again, before he had a moment to digest what she was doing, she was kissing him again, she had her hands on his face and moved her body so that she was straddling his hips, something relatively easy to do while wearing a dress.
"Ace" Logan pulled away, holding his hands on her hips, "Come on, Ace"
"Oh" Rory nodded, biting her lip as she sat up, still on top of him, "Sorry"
"Don't apologize Ace" Logan sighed, "I just..."
"No, I get it, you're not interested" Rory nodded as she began to move off of him.
"No" Logan nearly shouted, "Ace, I'm interested, I'm very interested" he told her as she settled back into his lap.
"Then what is the problem...?"
"I don't do girlfriends" Logan told her, keeping a firm grip on her hips.
"I don't want a boyfriend" Rory whispered, trying to sexily undo his shirt buttons, "I just want to have some fun"
"Are you sure about that?" Logan asked her as he leaned his head back.
"I just got dumped" Rory looked at him, "The last thing I need right now, the last thing I want right now, is a boyfriend" she told him before kissing him again.
xxxxxxx
When Rory woke up she had a pounding headache, she looked at her dark surroundings, she knew she was in a bed, she could feel that she was still wearing the dress she had been wearing at the party, as she looked around she realized she was still at her Grandparents house, and Logan was still in bed with her, his shirt open and his pants off as his arm was draped around her waist.
"Logan" Rory hissed in his ear, "Logan wake up"
"No" Logan groaned as he held her tighter to his body.
"Logan we are at my Grandparents house" Rory told him, pressing her lips to his ear as she spoke, she could feel his muscles tighten as she spoke, "Get up, we need to go"
"I have my car" Logan told her as he immediately bolted out of bed, "Where are my pants?"
"Floor" Rory told him as she fixed her dress and removed all of the jewelry that had remained on during their tryst.
"Fuck" Logan shook his head, "I can't believe we fell asleep. Should we make the bed?"
"No" Rory told him, "I'll tell my Grandma that I fell asleep and then snuck away, come on" she led him to the balcony where she knew they would be able to escape, "Do you have your keys?"
"I got them from the valet when you were...uh...with Dean"
"Of course" Rory nodded as she closed the window behind them and looked at the tree her mother had told her on many occasions to use as an escape route, "We just need to shimmy down the tree" she told him.
"Seriously?" Logan groaned, "I feel like I'm 15 again"
"Well the alternative is that we tell Richard and Emily that you had sex with their Granddaughter, in their house, while they were downstairs"
"You're right, ladies first" Logan nodded as Rory threw herself over the balcony and made her way down the tree slowly.
"This hurts" Rory sighed, she could feel the branches scratching her bare leg, "I need to remember to wear pants the next time I am going to scale a tree, or a building for that matter"
"Here" Logan tossed the keys to his Porsche down to her as he too made his way down the tree until he could jump onto the cement. "Alright, let's go"
"My car is here" Rory sighed, "I forgot that I drove"
"So pretend you left earlier, I don't know, but come on, we can go back to my place, or I can take you back to campus, we just need to go" Logan told her as he began walking down the driveway to his waiting car.
"Your place" Rory told him as she ran to catch up with him, "I don't want to have to explain this to Paris tonight"
"Sounds reasonable" Logan told her as he left the Gilmore residence, "Do you want a burger or something? You didn't really eat anything but ice cream tonight, as far as I can see"
"That would be good" Rory told him, "A Big Mac or something"
"Sure thing" he nodded as he got onto the freeway, "First exit I see one, we will stop"
"You don't live on campus anymore?" Rory asked him as they drove.
"No" Logan shook his head, "Got a place just off campus, its nice, you can see everything, its kind of cool"
"Wow" Rory nodded, "Sounds grown up"
"It's not, don't worry" Logan laughed, "I have a suit of armour and all sorts of other manly, and ridiculous things"
"I can imagine" Rory laughed as she saw a sign for McDonalds, "Thank god"
"That hungry?"
"You can really only live off of finger foods for so long, they really don't sustain a person" Rory told him as he pulled off the highway at the exit, "Sometimes you just want a meal, you know, a regular meal. Pizza and fries and a cake"
"Because pizza, fries, and a cake are a regular meal?" Logan laughed.
"For a Gilmore" Rory nodded as they entered the drive thru lineup.
"What do you want?" Logan asked her.
"Uhm" Rory looked around, "Crap, I forgot my wallet. Let's just go to your place"
"Rory, I can get it, what do you want?"
"Really?" Rory smiled as they waited for the car in front of them to move, "I want a...6 piece chicken nuggets, but just the nuggets, and a quarter pounder with cheese meal with a milkshake, and an Oreo McFlurry"
"You eat like that frequently?" Logan asked as they pulled up to the speaker, "You order it"
xxxxx
"I'm stuffed" Rory groaned as they went up the elevator to Logan's apartment.
"You just ate like 4 days worth of calories, as a late night snack" Logan looked at her with astonishment, "I'm surprised you aren't a TLC special called the 600lb woman"
"I'm not sure if that was an insult or a compliment" Rory smiled as Logan unlocked the door.
"Do you at least work out?" Logan asked her as they walked in, "I mean you cannot eat like that regularly. Your mother must be disgusted"
"My mother thinks that the marshmallows in the different kinds of cereal are a serving of fruit, I am an improvement. Once, I tried a pomegranate" Rory laughed, "Wow, this is...fancy"
"I don't think anyone has ever called my apartment fancy and much like you, I am not sure if that is a compliment, or an insult" Logan mused, "You take the bed, I'll crash on the couch"
"Ever the gentleman" Rory laughed as she looked around looking out the windows that had a great view of the city, "This is beautiful"
"Yeah" Logan agreed as he looked at her, "It's not so bad"
"So, come to bed, we can both sleep in the bed, I mean, we just had sex, so I am assuming that you're alright with sleeping with women, otherwise, I can sleep by myself on the couch, but I am not taking your bed" Rory told him as she unzipped the side of her dress. "So me, naked on your couch alone" she grinned as she let the straps fall off of her shoulders, "Or me, naked in your bed, with you"