Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or anything related to Gilmore Girls!

There will be parts of this story that are slightly AU, but they are very minuscule changes. The story mostly follows the post-S7 finale with Rory going on the campaign trail and Logan heading to Palo Alto. This chapter is primarily a set-up to the main plot, which will be revealed in the next chapter. This is my first attempt at writing so please provide feedback on the writing style, any grammatical errors and if you'd like, where you think the story is going. Hopefully if enough people read this (honestly, I'd be stocked if at least one person read it!) I can help contribute to the ever so low number of Rogan fanfics! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the prologue!

It was supposed to be one of the greatest moments of her life; Rory had graduated from Yale, Magna Cum Laude of course. She had worked so hard to get here, combating the stressful and sleepless nights for the last four years, and now she finally was given that big old pat on the back for making it. Rory was extremely proud of herself and it was supposed to be the day where she smiled from ear to ear to the point where she needed to unscrew her face off because it hurt so much. But she didn't. Instead, it was replaced with fake polite smiles and half-assed responses of thanks. Rory couldn't find the will to truly be happy on her graduation because she knew that after all the hugs and photographs she had to walk over to Logan and give him the answer he wasn't looking for. She will never forget that look on Logan's face as he said goodbye to her forever.

Rory had spent the night in the apartment packing up all her remaining things and thinking over every second of that afternoon. Who was she kidding leading with saying no? Of course Logan wasn't going to react well; of course he wouldn't listen to anything else she had to say after that, even if it was to explain that she wasn't saying no. She was just saying not right now. But their relationship was over the instant she uttered the taboo N-O. She was angry at him for being so stubborn and irrational. Who throws away a three year relationship without talking it through? Who proposes without even ever once mentioning the idea of marriage or long-term plans with their partner!? Sure, she thought about marrying Logan, having his kids and maybe a dog or two in the future but they were all hypothetical scenarios that Rory imagined in her head. At what point did he suddenly become ready to settle down when last she remembered, he was gallivanting off to Vegas "blowing off steam" with Colin and Finn. Not once did she and Logan ever discuss their future, apart from the Hay Bale Maze when he told her that he would factor her in. Thinking back to that day made Rory even more irate – she started to throw things into boxes haphazardly and let out appropriately timed scoffs and profane mumbling along to her inner monologue. Logan told her that he would make arrangements revolving around wherever her path took her, whatever she decided to do next. And yet Logan had put himself first as usual and expected her to follow him like a lap dog, tongue out and tail wagging, like she was supposed to be content about it. It's not that she wasn't happy that he was finally finding his way, she was, but how could he not understand that she wanted the reciprocal opportunity and support to do the same? She stood by his side for the past three years as he struggled to come into his own, away from Mitchum and HPG, but when it was her turn, he served her with a big fat NOPE. God he was so infuriating!

Rory couldn't care less about her packing system at this point, she was just angrily shoving things on top of each other as if her own punching bag. Then she noticed it, the stupid love metaphor, the Twilight Zone rocket just poking out of one of her boxes. Logan had given it to her to as a symbol of his everlasting love for her, it meant that he would always wait for her. Rory started to feel the lump in her throat forming that warned waterworks were soon to come. She began thinking back to some of the best memories of their relationship, both small and significant, to the day of the LDB jump when she felt completely safe despite leaping to her possible death, to the times they did nothing but spend entire days in their apartment eating food and chatting, and to all the times Rory felt complete serenity whenever she was with Logan. Rory suppressed a heaving sob and simply let the tears silently fall as she sniffled with rapid breath. He was her home, her forever. She began to cry even harder, one hand clutching at her knees and the other holding her heart for dear life, as if trying to keep it from shattering into a million pieces.

After what seemed like eons, Rory wiped her salt-stained face with the back of her hand and reached for the rocket. She looked at it through cloudy eyes and with determination got up, Rory grabbed her keys and rushed out the door to head to the apartment she and Logan used to share. Logan was it for her, and she was not going to let stubbornness and poor communication end them. She was going to sit him down and make sure he knew how much she loved him, that she did want to get married to him, just later down the road. She wanted to be his fiancee. She needed to set the record straight.

"Logan! Logan!? Are you there?" Rory banged her fists on the door loudly making sure he would hear it, in case he was half way into drinking himself into a stupor.

"Please Logan, I need to talk to you. I need to explain everything! Hello!?" She pounded on the door several more times until she gave up and called his phone instead.

"You've reached Logan, hope you know what to do."

"Logan, please call me back, I love you. I know you do too and this just…it's not our ending." She hung up the phone as she let herself slide against the door down to the ground. Rory laid her head back letting her eyes drift closed. What was she going to do now?

"This is Colin McCrae, leave a message after the beep." Ugh, seriously. Were they banding against her already? On to the next option...

"Hey this is Steph! Don't even bother leaving a message because this is the twenty first century, text me already." And then there was one…

"Logan! Buddy! Where the bloody hell are you? Colin and I are down at Rich Man's Shoe waiting for our third musketeer! Come on mate, we're dying to see Reporter Girl and Steph's itching to share the news with her. Call me back arite?" Rory remembered that day, it was just last week when the gang was here to visit and toast her upcoming graduation. Just a mere seven days ago they were all sitting together overcome with joy from catching up and reminiscing, but also because they were there to celebrate the Colin and Steph's newly announced engagement. Now none of them were talking to her. How can so much have changed in just a week?

Fine, if Logan needed tonight to hate her then so be it. She would wait here until they got back.

He never returned that night or the next morning. Neither Logan nor their...his friends returned her calls. Steph sent her a text saying, "Not right now okay? I'm really sorry…" when Rory was leaving the apartment. What was that even supposed to mean? Steph made it sound like she wasn't hurting, when in fact she was! Her heart was barely holding it together, limply hanging by the piece of tape threatening to fall off. Rory couldn't believe it, well she could because they were his friends first, but still, she didn't think they would actually choose sides. She thought that Finn, at least, would remain neutral because the two of them had grown to become really close over the years. Rory tried calling them again over the next few days before giving up. Rory refused to be the girl that waited by the phone crying for her boyfriend, she needed to pick herself up and get back to being the biting, brilliant, independent woman she was. Yes, she still wanted to sort things out with Logan but life was still moving around her and she needed to move with it. She was going to look for jobs in the Palo Alto area and then confront Logan with her resolute plan to prove how much she wanted to be with him, despite his beliefs.

However, opportunities on the West Coast were slim pickings and Rory had been getting nowhere. Until, she received an unexpected call from Hugo recruiting her for Obama's campaign trail. This job would take her all across the country, never living in one place - definitely not in that avocado tree house with Logan. But she couldn't find jobs anywhere near him and she had rejected the one fellowship that would at least be in the same time zone. Rory knew this opportunity Hugo was presenting her would be a great chance for her to get her work out, to experience the real reporter life, to taste the ink in action. She could make some valuable contacts and mingle with all sorts of important people. Rory decided to make her round of calls one more time. If there was no remote sign of acknowledging her existence then she was going to power ahead and take the job. She wouldn't be able to stay sane if she remained in Stars Hollow without a job, constantly thinking about Logan.

"You've reached Logan, hope you know what to do."

Rory wanted to throw her phone against the wall; they were all still ignoring her calls. It was time she tried her last resort.

"Hello?"

"Hey Honour…" Rory tried lightly, her voice barely making it out.

Honour breathed a heavy sigh into the phone, "Rory."

"I know you must hate me right now but you have to know that I love him. There was so much left unsaid and unclear. I never wanted it to end like this. I didn't even want it to end!"

"Rory...it doesn't matter anymore."

"Honour please, l just need to see him and explain."

"He won't even talk to you via satellite signals Rory, I don't think he'll agree to meet in person. He's hurting too much right now."

"I know, I am too but I'm trying to fix that now."

"Listen, I want the two of you to work out, I truly and honestly do but the aftermath of this event is still so raw. The both of you need some time apart to breathe and calm down before even attempting to have a conversation."

"Honour, you don't get it, if I let him continue thinking that I don't think he's important to me, that he's not the ending to my story then…we're done. He'll never forgive me."

"But isn't that what you did? You chose your career over my brother."

"I…no…Honour…things were misunderstood."

Honour let out another tiresome sigh, "Sorry, I know it's not my place. I can tell that you guys have a lot of talking to do but he's already gone Rory. He won't even answer my calls now so I really can't help you."

"What" Rory almost dropped her phone after losing momentary feeling in her entire body, "When did he leave?"

"He left right after your graduation, Colin and Finn called telling me what happened and that they were leaving for California that night. I like you Rory, you're probably the best thing that's happened to my brother but maybe this just wasn't the right time."

"Honour…" Rory emptily pleaded, for what she didn't know.

"I'm sorry Rory, I hope you and Logan make it back to each other one day. Take care."

And with that Rory never heard from anyone associated to Logan ever again. They chose their sides and cut the ties. She had never felt so abandoned and unwanted as melancholy engulfed her into her blanket of tears. She guessed she was taking the campaign trail job; and here yet another moment that was supposed to be joyous was ruined by the end of her already terminated relationship.