Time After Time

Chapter 17 - The Hardest Thing

Manic Monday!! Or Matt Monday? I don't know..but either way here we are one step closer to the ending. I hope everyone is enjoying this so without further adieu...

Disclaimer: ASP, Universal, not me.

Chapter 17 - *The Hardest Thing

We both know that I shouldn't be here
This is wrong
And baby it's killing me, it's killing you
Both of us trying to be strong
I've got somewhere else to be
Promises to keep
Someone else who loves me
And trusts me fast asleep
I've made up my mind
There is no turning back
She's been good to me
And she deserves better than that

Suddenly Logan swears that Rory is everywhere. She stopped by his office because she is in New York and Richie wants to see his Daddy, but she isn't alone, Finn is with her. She and Finn talk and laugh and tell Logan about their NY plans. Logan sucks up the time with his son while his father is glaring from the other office at how out in open Logan is with Richie, but there is no way in hell that Logan is going to hide his son.

She shows up early at his and O's apartment saying that since she and Jess are doing some shopping for his new house that maybe he and Odette would like to spend a few extra hours with Richie. Jess, another fucking guy.

She invites him and Odette to the next Friday dinner and all those after. How could he and O not go after the comments he's made about being family. So they go and he loves that extra time with his son and seeing his friends regularly again, but there is always someone with her. Robert trying to get her to drink scotch, Finn helping in the kitchen, Jess setting the table, and tonight, 6 months later she invited her new editor James.

She is everywhere, and sending him texts with pictures of her and Richie and yet she is never quite available to speak to him alone. There is always someone else to distract her but no one to distract him. She makes sure she looks amazing, he can't help but notice, and she smells of Angel, his favorite scent on her, and she hugs him just enough to leave her scent in his mind but not his shirt.

He is amazed at how crafty she, and yet still unsure if she was being Rory "High Stakes Deception" Gilmore or if she was just moving on with her life, like he had thought and doesn't realize that her presence in his life all the time is killing him.

And now this guy James. I mean come on he think. The guy is rich, and smart and funny and quick witted and kind of an ass and he reminds Logan of the guy he used to be and it frustrates him. Next to him O sits holding Richie's hands as he's been trying to pull her over to see his new toy that Auntie April brought him.

Odette has been so wonderful with him. She treats him like he's her own. She takes care of him when he spends time at their house, and she bathes and feeds him and takes him to play dates and the park. Richie loves her too, regularly kisses her unprompted and requests to be picked up. Logan is glad for O that she has the child she could never have in Richie.

She excuses herself to go over to April and see the toy. He is left alone and once again his eyes wander to Rory... and James. The house if full of family and friends and she's by the piano with this guy.

"How ya doin Ace." He says as he walks over to them.

"Ace?" James says and it already makes Logan angry hearing the name from him.

"Nickname he gave me in college. James this is Logan, he's Richie's father."

"Nice to meet you man." the guy says as she shakes Logan's hand.

"Ace, I like that." James says to her. "Like a little Ace Reporter."

She nods and Logan is pretty sure he wants to punch the guy in the face.