Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all related trademarks belong to the CW network, Dave Rosenthal and the Palladinos. Not exactly sure. Bottom line, I make no money. They make lots.
Author's Note: Make me smile... review? I thrive on reviews. They make me write more. I'd love to know what you think. I apologize for the title. Couldn't think of anything. My brain is totally friend after all my papers. Suggest one and save me from my stupidity?
Logan and Tristan and Rory, Oh My!
"Tristan DuGrey?!"
"Logan, keep your voice down! People are starting to stare," Shira said, laughing nervously through her large smile. Mitchum should never have told Logan that Rory Gilmore was dating Janlen's grandson.
Logan however, in true Logan fashion, seemed to have ignored everything she said. "Tristan DuGrey? That loser, that drop-out, that..." Logan seemed to be at a loss for words. "God, this has to be a joke." Shira glanced at her husband. She knew him well enough to know he was plotting something. He never before had interfered with his children's love lives. That had always been her territory. He never volunteered information without trying to gain something.
"It's no joke, Logan. He picks Rory up at the office several times, we see him at office parties, I can assure you it is no joke," Mitchum replied calmly. Shira couldn't help but notice how things had changed. Not too long ago, it would have been Mitchum yelling his head off, agitated beyond belief, with Logan calmly smirking before him. The role reversal was quite astounding.
"Is he even working?" Logan ranted angrily. "What the hell does she see in that loser? He got kicked out of military school! He slept with every single girl within a three mile radius of his house!"
"Pot calling the kettle black?" Mitchum grinned. He seemed to take amusement at his son's pain. What game was Mitchum playing, Shira wondered.
"I am nothing like Tristan DuGrey. DuGrey's an idiot. He's not good enough for her, hell he's not good enough for anyone," Logan argued. "And his taste in women? Always the bad girls, the easy ones, the cheap ones. What the hell is Ace doing with him?"
For some strange reason, Mitchum's smirk seemed to deepen ever so slightly. "Now now Logan. Rory is a bright, intelligent girl. Don't you trust her judgement?" His tone became teasing. "Oh hold on, she dated you, now didn't she? Yes Logan you should be very afraid."
Logan glared furiously at his father. "Whose side are you on?"
"Logan, keep your voice down," Shira repeated a bit more firmly, however the large smile had never left her face. "Emily Gilmore is looking this way, and you know that woman has eyes like a hawk and ears like a dog."
Logan glanced at his ex-girlfriend's grandmother. He exhaled sharply. "I need a drink."
"Same old Logan," Shira commented to her husband as she watched her son walk away. "We've only seen him a handful of times since he graduated, yet things never seem to change. Still disrespectful of traditions, still attached to alcohol, still infatuated with Rory Gilmore." She faced her husband directly. "What exactly were you trying to do by telling Logan all about the DuGrey boy? You knew he'd just storm out of here, embarrassing us all, as he always does," Shira complained. People had little respect for Logan as it was.
"Ensuring the future of the Huntzberger Publishing Group."
Shira looked at her husband sharply. "Come again?"
"Let's take this further away from the eyes and ears of Emily Gilmore," Mitchum said, guiding his wife to a corner and pouring a drink for the both of them. When they were seated, Mitchum explained. "Reason one. I want Logan back in the company. Rory would be amazingly instrumental in getting him back in HPG. I remember how they were before. Rory only had to say jump, Logan would ask how high."
"Second. Logan is impetuous and stubborn. He has talent, but not as much discipline. Rory on the other hand has discipline in spades. Equally stubborn, but cautious where Logan is impetuous. Third, she knows how to handle money- she didn't grow up with it. I did admittedly, spoil Logan as a child. Fourth..." Mitchum's voice trailed off, as he saw Rory Gilmore and Janlen's grandson walk in. "Logan has never had a single relationship, aside from Rory. He has never been able to commit to anyone, except Rory. As archaic as it sounds, I would want the next CEO of the company after Logan to be my direct grandson. Frankly, I don't see Logan committing to anyone else, much less think of marrying someone. If I don't intervene, I do think that Logan will remain single. Rory is the perfect candidate for the next Mrs. Huntzberger, and the beauty of it all is he's already in love with her."
Shira sputtered. "But Rory Gilmore! She was born out of wedlock! What kind of morals must she-"
Mitchum scoffed. "As if our son is a paragon of virtue. Shira I have thought this through. I am going to do my damndest to make sure that Logan and Rory get back together again."
Shira frantically grasped for something to say. "Rory Gilmore! Well she's dating the DuGrey boy isn't she?"
Mitchum shook his head. "Maybe. I've spoken to her friends at the office about it. According to them, he's another trust fund baby. Cocky, charming, and calls her Mary. It strikes quite close to home doesn't it? I am positive that Rory is using Tristan DuGrey as a replacement for Logan."
His wife cast another look at the couple in question. "What about him? Don't you think young DuGrey will put up a fight?"
Mitchum shrugged. "Probably."
"I find it hard to believe that Logan will fight for Rory again. Poor Logan was devastated when she turned down his proposal."
"Didn't you see how he reacted to Tristan? The boy's furious! I'm telling you Shira, that spark is in him. All we have to do is fan the flames." Mitchum was, as ever, his confident self.
"What about her? I don't see her just leaving Tristan for Logan." Shira took a drink from a passing waiter. "I'm not quite sure I see this plan of yours coming true."
"When have you ever known me not to have a contingency plan?" her husband asked. "Oh ye of little faith."
Shira was forced to agree. Her husband was not the most powerful man in the newspaper industry for nothing. Getting two children together was child's play. "What insurance do you have?"
"The girl wants to be a journalist, doesn't she? She works for me. She's career-driven. It's all too easy really."
"Hey Ace," Logan said, forcing a grin as he walked towards his former girlfriend.
"Logan!" Rory turned, surprised. "I... you... here..." she trailed off. "Well that didn't make sense. I didn't know you'd be here. Much better."
"You did get a good grasp of he essentials though. Me. You. Here," Logan smirked. "Although I am a bit worried at the no 'It's great to see you Logan?' No 'You look good, how have you been?' It's disturbing to see that becoming Associate Editor of one of HPG's illustrious newspapers has made Rory Gilmore so inarticulate. Maybe I should talk to your boss."
Rory laughed. "Sorry, I was surprised. You look good, Huntzberger," she said, hugging him. "Not much has changed in the last five years."
Logan held on to her a few seconds more than was appropriate. He had forgotten how good it felt. There was nothing like being in her arms. That feeling of absolute rightness. That feeling of being totally and completely loved. They were right together. Nothing had changed. Rory was his, and always would be. It wasn't possible for her to love DuGrey, not when she had loved Logan so much. With a pang of regret, Logan realized the five years of separation had done nothing to quell his feelings for Rory Gilmore. Suddenly, the no-Rory policy he had been implementing in his life didn't make much sense. Why had he been so adamant on keeping her out of his life? He couldn't remember why he had avoided all her calls. She had called everyday after they first broke up, he had slipped and answered three times out of the ninety calls in three months. His way of getting over Rory had been out of sight, out of mind.
"You look beautiful, Ace," he said as he pulled away, caressing her arm as he did so. The gesture was intimate. Despite the fact that they had stepped away from each other, he still kept close to her, like he had so many times in the past.
She smiled. "So how's life been for the captain of industry?"
"Still toiling, but I love my work," Logan smiled. "I'm still pretty much a work dork."
"Working hard, but partying harder?" Rory said, tucking her hair behind her ears.
It struck a chord with Logan. It was only with Rory that he ever felt ashamed of what he did with his life. It had never mattered to him before- partying hard, living life with a lot of social activities, all came with the territory. It was the culture he had been raised in. Only onedrink Logan? Is she your girlfriend or your own little personal Jiminy Cricket? Colin had mocked. "Something like that," he said sheepishly. "Look Ror-"
Rory shook her head, looking amused. "It's ok Logan. You don't have to explain yourself to me."
Somehow that did not sit well with Logan.
"Not to sound rude though Logan... you don't call, you don't write- I was under the impression you never wanted to see me," Rory said, abruptly venturing into dangerous waters. "Not that I'm not happy about it," she rushed to add. "I did... miss you," she said, the last two words almost inaudible. "I always felt bad that we didn't get closure."
Logan gave a sad smile. "It hurt. A lot Ace. That you chose your career over me. I couldn't handle it. I tried, but it hurt even just seeing your pictures, hearing your voice." Logan looked rueful. "You should know me better. I don't like having things I can't have dangled in front of me."
Rory looked sad as well. "But I was yours, Logan. I loved you so much." She reached out to squeeze his fingers.
"Care to introduce me, Mare?"
Rory and Logan both turned to see the blonde man walking towards them, two drinks in hand. Tristan DuGrey had a decidedly annoyed look on his face. Rory hurriedly moved away from Logan and linked her arm around Tristan's with a guilty expression. "Tristan, this is Logan Huntzberger. Logan, this is my boyfriend, Tristan DuGrey."
Tristan put the drinks down on the table and extended a hand, with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Nice to meet you. Rory's told me a lot about you. I read about your deal with the Prentice group in the papers. Hope it doesn't go wrong like your deal with Wassmer."
Although his pride was smarting from the memory of his first business disaster, Logan shook his hand, meeting the challenge. "I haven't had a deal go wrong since then. I guess I learned my lesson." He watched as Tristan put his arm around Rory. "There's something to be said for working on your own. Some of us like cutting the apron strings and not relying on daddy's money."
Tristan visibly bristled, Logan noted with pleasure. One thing he was glad he inherited was his father's ability to rattle anyone. He moved in for the kill. "Or on charity from our cousins."
The tension in Tristan's posture suddenly vanished. Tristan relaxed suddenly. With a sinking feeling, Logan knew exactly why Tristan's anger had been diffused so quickly. A quick look at Rory's hip showed that Rory had linked her fingers through the hand resting at her waist, pulling herself closer to Tristan in the process. It was a technique Rory had used countless times with him whenever Mitchum, Marty, or that Jess guy, got on his nerves. All she had to do was link her fingers through his, and he immediately felt comforted. 'You always do that,' Logan remembered telling Rory. 'How do you know exactly how to make me feel better?' Rory had laughed. 'Simple really. You only act like a jerk when you feel threatened. Moving closer to you is the best way to remind you that I'm yours anyway. And it feeds your male ego, because it makes you look good to whoever the guy in front of you is.'Logan had smirked. Well I feel manipulated. Rory had kissed him soundly. Guess I'll have to change that.
"As much fun as this has been- I think I hear Lily calling," Rory intervened, flashing both men an overly cheerful smile, trying to diffuse the situation, and bringing Logan out of his reverie. "Logan, it was good to see you again. We should talk soon. Come on Tristan, let's go over to Lily's table."
As they walked away, Logan heard Tristan comment in amusement, "Lily your camera?"
"There's a method to my madness. Keep up," she answered brightly.
Something twisted in Logan's chest, as he watched Tristan press the back of Rory's palm to his lips as the couple walked away. It was supposed to be him. He was the one who was supposed to be on the receiving end of those jokes. Those smiles. Those kisses. That love.
At that moment, Logan knew only one thing. He would do anything to win back Rory Gilmore.
"Did I just see you talking to Logan Huntzberger?" Emily asked her granddaughter curiously.
"I did bump into him," she admitted.
"And?"
"And what?"
Her grandmother looked at her askance. "For goodness sake, Rory, the boy wanted to marry you! You dated for three years, he proposed marriage, and the instant you said no, he turned into some crazed... party animal appearing in those society pages with all those girls," Emily said with a shudder. "It was all people could talk about for three months! Fanny Armstrong and Gina Pevensie saw you together and saw Tristan interrupt the whole thing." She gave her granddaughter a shrewd look. "He wasn't harassing you, was he?"
The Logan Huntzberger Emily had known had doted on Rory. He had worshipped the very ground she walked on. The Logan Huntzberger Fanny Armstrong had talked to her about was a careless womanizer, who unfortunately had his father's business ethics. None.
"He wasn't harassing me, grandma," Rory said with a shake of her head. "He was perfectly sweet."
"Well make sure you steer clear of him," her grandmother stated flatly. "Fanny tells me Logan is a completely different person now. Mitchum and Shira despair of him. Apparently Logan goes through women like he goes through shirts. It wouldn't be surprising at all to me if he went after you again and leaves you to prove to everyone here that he's completely over you. He was humiliated when you rejected him and Huntzbergers will do anything to salvage their pride," she sniffed.
"I have a boyfriend, grandma," Rory replied, although she didn't sound completely convinced herself. "Logan and I were over a long time ago."
"Not the way Fanny Armstrong is talking about it! She said Logan looked like he was ready to kill Tristan!"
Rory sighed. "Grandma, are you really going to trust the opinion of a woman who paired plaid and stripes together at the DAR quilting session?"
Emily glanced towards Tristan, who was returning from the bathroom.
"Believe what you want Rory, but I remember how obsessed Logan Huntzberger was with you, and you have the Birkin bag to prove it. No man buys a woman that bag and forgets about her. Tristan better watch his step."
"There's nothing to worry about grandma- it's not like Logan will be here for very long. I heard he was only staying for the holidays, then he's going to go straight back to California."
"I talked to Shira earlier- she said Logan was thinking of extending his stay for another month," Emily corrected her granddaughters. "If I know the Huntzbergers, and I do it wasn't Logan's idea to stay longer. Shira and the rest of that horrid family are trying to get Logan to take over the company. Mitchum's health hasn't been very good lately, he was never quite the same after that heart attack four years ago." Emily shook her head. "Your grandfather told me that Elias was in a panic trying to find Logan after he found out that Mitchum was in the hospital. The boy had fled. Shirking responsibility like he always did. He told them he was flying in, but showed up a day later than he was supposed to. It's hard to believe Logan's changed so much. He was such a dear when Richard was hospitalized."
Rory shrugged. "Things can't stay the same forever grandma. If you excuse me, I think I'll go find Tristan."
"Warn him." Emily insisted. "Tell him to always makes sure he parks his car properly."
"Excuse me?" Rory almost laughed.
"That was what Mitchum did to Andrew McCrae once. They both were after Melissa Samuels. The second Andrew parked his car in front of Michum's building, Mitchum had someone paint the curb red, and Andrew's new car was towed."
Rory giggled. "Grandma, neither Tristan nor Tristan's car is in danger from Logan. Even if Logan stays in town for longer..." Rory's voice drifted off. Her grandmother was right and Rory had no idea how to get out of it. If their meeting a while ago was any indication, there were no fuzzy feelings between the two men.
Emily smiled in accomplishment. "I know you know what I'm talking about Rory."
"I'll talk to Tristan."
Author's Note: Feedback would be very much appreciated. I've been on a fanfic spree lately- I've written three stories, two new ones, and an update to Leap. Plus I've hunted for more nice rogan stories. Check out my C2 for a list of completed fics. There are some gems that aren't filed under the Logan and Rory filters!