AN: I've taken quite the hiatus from this site, not writing since I was 16 years old. I read those stories and smiled, and remembered how much I enjoyed writing them. I dont know if those stories will be continued...so much has happened in the show since I wrote those. But, who knows? I did, however, come up with this new idea for a story that I couldn't stand to not write...please R/R...it would make me so happy :).

CHAPTER ONE:

No one understood. Not one person in her life, try as they might, could come up with an answer that could make everything better for her. She always found herself wondering why it happened. She was too young to be a widow. Too young to live life alone, no one to miss her when she stayed late at work. No one to have dinner with. No reason for that extra chair at the table. No need for those 6 extra feet of bed that always made her feel all the more alone. It was a year ago today, and as she put flowers on his tombstone, and cried for the millionth time that year, she couldn't find the courage to find any happiness. Sure, her Mother tried to get her to go out, Lane was always there with the babies trying to get her to move forward with her life, but it seemed like nothing could break her out of this.

"Honey, I know you loved Logan, and it took me a while but I loved him too, but...you need to get out other than work. At least once a week. Promise me?" Lorelai worried about her daughter constantly. She was on her mind all the time, from the time she woke up to the time she went to sleep. How to make her feel better. How to make her know she can move on, and its what Logan would have wanted.

"Mom, I know you think that I can get over this, but I dont think I can. Everytime I try to think about something else, some memory of him floods into my head. I think about him all the time. His laugh, his smell, his touch. I dream about it. I hear someone coming up the stairs, and I think maybe its him? Maybe this was all some cruel joke and he'll come in the door and hug me, and everything will be ok. But that never happens, and I'm stuck here thinking about how it could be different. If I wouldn't have sent him out for that carton of milk, he wouldn't be gone. Everything would be ok. He would be fine and with me. Its all my fault he's gone!" Rory cried on her Mother's shoulder for what seemed like forever. How could she survive without her Mother there?

'Rory, sweetie, I know that you think its your fault, but its not. Logan wouldn't blame you either. He loved you so much, and all he wanted was to see you happy." Lorelai patted her daughters back, and finally Rory fell asleep in her Mothers arms. "I love you, babe." Lorelai placed a blanket over her daughter, praying that she would find some way to move on, even a little bit. Something to make her feel a little more whole.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Rory sat on the black leather couch waiting for Dr. Rubenstein to come in. Highly recommended by their family doctor, Rory finally decided she needed a little help dealing with her feelings. She had been seeing him for a while, and nothing seemed to help. She finally heard footsteps and the door opening. She had been scared since the first time she went that he'd rule her out and call her a nutjob, it hadn't happened yet. Still, she thought, funny farm here I come.

"Hello, Rory, its always a pleasure to see you."

Dr. Rubenstein had such a calm voice, the kind that instantly makes you feel more at ease. She breathed a sigh of relief...she loved to just listen to him sometimes. "I'm sorry I'm such a pain, Dr., I just can't seem to respond to any of your help..."

"Rory, thats a perfectly normal feeling. It's always hard at first, but I have something that I think will make things easier. I am going to give you a piece of paper and a pen. I want you to write down some of the things you love to do, and then check all of the ones you've done recently. I have a little project for you, Rory."

Dr. Rubenstein handed her a pad and a pen and she started writing. Five minutes later, her list was done. He looked it over:

1. Going out to the movies

2. Dinner dates

3. Going to the carnival

4. Going out for ice cream

5. Writing and reading

6. Going to dance lessons

7. Cooking lessons

"Rory, I can't help but notice that you haven't done one thing you love recently besides write and read. While its good that you're doing one thing you love, I suggest doing a little bit more.." Dr. Rubenstein flipped over to a blank piece of paper and wrote his instructions down for Rory. "I want you to try every week to incorporate something you love into your routine that you have going right now. I am going to give you this pad of paper and you're going to use it as a...journal of sorts. Track the progress of what you did, and how it made you feel, okay?"

Rory was a little nervous. She had stopped her life when she found out her husband had been hit by a drunk driver that hot July night. I guess she never thought about going back to any of her normal stuff. "Okay, I think I can handle it..." Rory got up to leave and slipped her pad and pen into her purse. What was she going to do first?

She arrived home and realized that none of these things were fun without someone to do them with. Maybe half the battle was learning how to do things alone. Right now, though, she was tired. She had slept only a little the night before, and it was all interuppted. She slipped into one of Logan's work shirts and inhaled deeply. She sprayed his cologne on them to make sure his smell never went away. She laid down and drifted off to sleep, but awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. She looked at the clock and realized she had been sleeping for six hours...a little longer than she expected. She picked up the phone and groggily answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, honey, how are you?" Her mothers voice was on the other end of the line, worried as usual about her. Even though Lorelai had other things in her life now, she and Luke were married and they had a baby on the way, she always made sure Rory was OK.

"Good, Mom...Dr. Rubenstein gave me a project. Do something I love at least once a week. I thought you'd like that. I thought maybe you two teamed up." She tried to tease her Mother, to get that wit back into their conversation sometimes. It was kinda like old times.

"That's great, babe. Your old dance lessons are calling your name. I'll even go with you if you need a partner! Tomorrow night, what do ya say? Call there and see whats up." Lorelai was so excited to hear that her daughter might be doing something she loved, even in small incriments.

"That's fine, Mom. Dancing it is, I'll call tomorrow and get back to you on it, ok?" Rory wasn't sure if it was her Mom's excitment about it, or if she was kind of excited too, but she felt a little bit better.

"Great, babe. Me and Luke are getting ready to go out to dinner. He's trying to get me to eat a little bit better for the little one...I've tried to protest but now we're going out to this place he says has "awesome salads" YUCK! Will you come with and join my revolution against the good for you foods?" Lorelai always tried to get her daughter to go out with her. Most of the time to no avail.

"Not tonight, Mom. I'm so tired, I think I'm just gonna crash. Maybe we'll be dancing tomorrow, though...I'll call..."

"Okay hun, I love you, sleep good."

"I love you too, Mom, goodnight." Rory hung up the phone with the smell of Logan all around her and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Rory called about the dance lessons and there was one more spot for a couple open. For once in the past year, she was kinda happy to be getting out. She called her Mother and they had plans for 6pm, Salsa dancing at Hartford's dance studio.

Lorelai honked and Rory ran out in her dancing dress and shoes. She even put on a little make-up to try and make herself look presentable. She climbed into Lorelai's new Jeep and couldn't help but smile at the prospect of doing something new.

"You look great sweets, and we've both got our dancing shoes on so let's get going! I'm afraid some guy might try to pick me up because I'm so BIG and attractivly pregnant, so if someone tries...we're taking dance lessons for OUR wedding later in the year...got it?"

"Got it, Mom." Rory laughed and they were on their way to the dance studio.

"What's that dance from Dirty Dancing? I think we should learn that one! I could be Patrick Swayze and you could be Baby and we could rock that place!" Lorelai said as they were walking up the stairs behind the slowest walker in history. "I hope Grandpa over here isn't coming to the same class we are!" Lorelai whispered a little too loudly.

"Mom, I dont think so and also, why do I always have to be Baby and you're always Swayze? It's just not fa---" Rory stopped mid-sentence as she saw a familiar face inside of the room. He started walking up to her with that same smug grin she always remembered. She hadn't seen him since Chilton, but she would always remember him..

"MARY! Fancy seeing you here!!"

TBC...but I think you all know who the mystery guy is :).