AN: A little short but I hope you enjoy

Chapter Twenty Eight – Connected By Love

28.1

After the dinner with her parents, Rory only had a short amount of time to spend with her secret-fiance and she didn't want to let him leave without her proving her love for him. Somehow, it was easy for her to do so. She didn't need to use the tricks that other woman had to keep his interest and she knew that he would love their child and be fighting and working hard for a chance to return to the two of them.

What she was nervous about was that he would have to continue to go back to London closer and closer to the due date. She could talk to Lane and Honor about this but because she hadn't stuck to the plan, her mother was becoming less of a person she wanted to help her with everything. That pained her. Rory had always had Lorelei close but she knew she needed to be independent and to think clearly. Grand Theft Boating was something that might never disappear from her past but all of the love and memories and lessons which her mother had taught her would be.

What was exciting though was that together, she and Logan had a chance of helping a young child create those memories of their own mother and father. She would try to do her best for their sake. So as she exited the car at the airport, she looked into Logan's eyes once again.

"Ace, I'll come back as soon as I can," he promised her. He took her hands in his and leaned forwards to rest his forehead against hers. "I'll miss you too much but you pick out some good movies for the two of us to watch together for when I come back and I'll buy the snacks, promise."

"Even if I weigh even more than I already do," Rory laughed as she took a step backwards from him and Logan reached out to cup her cheek.

"No matter what you weigh, I will be here with you. It's not your body that interests me the most but it does make me feel lucky that you have such a good one," he winked in a very playboy manner. "But your head and your heart. Who else has a chance of beating me in an argument whilst also making me laugh with the same sentence." He said and Rory blushed slightly. She felt her heartbeat quicken as he raised her chin and kissed her passionately on her lips.

"I wish that I could go with you," she told him and Logan pulled back.

"I'll get you a ticket to come see me but unless you wanted to try to bypass security or hijack a flight, it won't be this time. I mean, you need your passport at least," he kissed her lips again. "I did see this thing online about body pillows you could commission maybe I should get one of those of myself and give it to you, that way you won't go to sleep without me."

"I'm sure that my mother would be thrilled by that," Rory laughed as she rolled her eyes. She didn't need a pillow that looked just like her boyfriend when she had a photograph of the two of them within reach, what she needed was a Logan who was living and breathing and warm and protective and whom she could talk to. She laughed as he gave her another passionate kiss.

"So, I should leave you here, thank you for riding with me, Ace" he said and Rory flung her arms around his shoulders and drew herself to his chest. No matter what others might think or feel about them, her home was Logan and as soon as they made the engagement official then she would be able to start planning their lives together.

She hadn't wanted to become the type of wife that the Huntsbergers wanted but Logan had already explained that that kind of wife didn't interest him at all. He wanted someone strong, opinionated, intelligent, and independent. He wanted someone strong who cared about others but didn't let others take advantage of them.

What she wanted was someone who could give her the same feelings as being with her mother and having deep and meaningful conversations as well as small and friendly banter but more than that, she wanted someone who loved her. She believed in Logan's love. Maybe she had had doubts about it in the past but right now, standing in front of him, she believed in his love.

28.2

Rory looked towards Emily Gilmore as they sat at the table that Saturday evening. Rory had requested that she sit down with both of her grandparents but her grandfather had left town for some type of business trip. That meant that Rory was alone with her grandmother and was sifting through her mind trying to figure out which situations to pull up and which to let be for the moment.

"I've heard that fish is good for pregnancies," Emily said and Rory looked up at her and smiled weakly as the current maid served their food. "I requested this on your behalf," she announced and Rory looked at the dinner and then turned to the maid.

"Thank you," she said and the maid nodded, Rory turned to her grandmother. "Thank you," she repeated although it did seem slightly less sincere than she had to the help. She couldn't help it, coming from a single mother who always worked incredibly hard to earn enough money for the family, she really related with those who put in more time and effort than her grandmother did.

"I wish that when your mother was pregnant with you she had been a bit more ready to listen to me and follow me advice. Fortunately, you turned out well," Emily commented and Rory took a bite of the salmon before setting her fork down.

"I don't want to bring up anything bad…grandmother," she said and Emily set her own glass of water down. If Richard was there then there would be wine on the table but it felt slightly strange to be the only one who was drinking. "I know that…my father…you used to be friends with his parents and then when Mom got pregnant with me …."

"Is this about your father? I know that he's had his laziness but just because he inherited a lot of mo-" Emily began and Rory's eyes widened. How had this situation turned into a trail against her father.

"No. No. As far as I know, Dad has been good…great…" she said before sighing. "When they were here it was as if I was…well you told me that you never thought of me in the same way in which they did," she said and Emily nodded.

"I won't stand for my granddaughter to be treated in such a manner. We have had our fun together, right?" Emily said and Rory nodded again. "So, is this about how we're going to treat your child?" she asked and Rory shook her head.

"No. Not you," she said as she placed a hand over her belly. "I know that you two will love and respect whoever this child is but the families with older money, the….I mean…Logan's grandfather," she said honestly and Emily froze and Rory could see dislike go through her eyes. Had something already happened? Had he somehow contacted them?

"Rory, you're not that familiar with high society which is not your fault, no one is blaming you for that and I'm certain that the ladies of the DAR would be all too happy to meet your child but there has been matchmaking going on for years," Emily commented and Rory looked to her.

She remembered when she had attended that cotillion and Emily had said that she wanted for Lorelei to have gone through those stages and that the pregnancy had created a rift between them since Lorelei wasn't living up to the expectations that Emily had been raised with and should have followed with her daughter and granddaughter. As much as they might fight, Emily loved her family but couldn't shake her own training to fit in with her social class.

Rory had learned a lot about the world that Emily lived in especially after she had come to live with the two of them but to bring a child into that world. "I only want for our child to be acknowledged and loved and treated with kindness and consideration," she admitted.

Emily turned to her and reached out to take Rory's hand in her own, "And that will always be the case here. I am excited to be meeting your child, Logan does know that, right?" she asked and Rory nodded. "I hope that he doesn't act too immature, children should have a strong and capable father if one is available to them."

Rory laughed weakly not wanting to mention the way her grandmother had accused her father in that way. Logan wouldn't run. She knew that if he had been planning on doing so then he had a long time before that happened. "He's trying his best. We're still quite young and he -"

"You are still going back to Yale, aren't you?" Emily asked. "If he thinks that -"

"Yes. I am going back," Rory nodded. "I don't have any reason not to go back and I want to start working on my career. Logan has assured me that he will support me in that journey as well but I know how it feels to be unwelcomed because people look down on you and I don't want that for our child."

Emily looked to her and leaned closer, "Rory, if anyone says anything that would hurt that child then your grandfather and I are never going to look away from it and ignore it. We will protect our great grandchild as much as we possibly can. I know what your mother must say of me but I hope you haven't forgotten that I have my own claws."

Rory laughed at that, "Never, grandmother. I know how fearless you are," she said before continuing to eat.

Emily watched her for a moment longer and then focused her attention on eating again. As Rory said that she was fearless, the older woman shook her head. She wasn't as brave as Lorelei had been. She didn't have the strength that she knew Rory had within her. What pride she did have was knowing that she had two capable and strong women in her family and if Rory was carrying her great granddaughter she expected nothing less from them as well.

End of Chapter Twenty Eight

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Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Seven

Bserial, December Jeffries2, GoddessxNyte2, KathyMesser, roganjalex, RoriPotter