Jess walked down the street in New York, he was on his way to his publisher's office to discuss his new book. He couldn't believe how great his life had turned out. He had a best seller book on the market and was currently working on another one. In high school he had let everyone tell him he would never amount to anything. Everyone except Rory.
That was the one thing he didn't have, the love of his life was not even in his life. He didn't even know where she was or what she was doing anymore, he never visited Stars Hollow and his phone calls to Luke didn't include Rory as a topic. He had never found anyone else quite like her, no matter how hard he tried. Every girl he dated, he simply came to the conclusion that they were not Rory.
Still deep in thought, absentmindedly taking his usual shortcut through the park, and he almost didn't notice the little blonde girl until she ran into him. He looked down, surprised and afraid she was hurt. She simply laughed and then got right up. "I sorry mister, it was acciden," she said in her tiny voice. She looked barely two years-old and clearly hadn't completely learned how to say some words. She had blonde pigtails and gorgeous blue eyes. She was alone and he looked around for her parents. He didn't see anyone and began to think she was lost.
"Are you lost? Where are your parents? What's your name?" he asked her.
"I not lost, my parents are playing hide n seek wit me, my name is Lori Hun-Hunsberger," she said stuttering on her last name.
"Oh ok," he said, not sure what to do now. Suddenly the little girl screamed ran from him to stand against a tree. She squealed and laughed when a blonde man came around it and picked her up from behind. He tickled her and she laughed hysterically.
"Daddy… Daddy… stop," she said between giggles. "I'm gonna tell Mommy!" she shrieked.
The man stopped and looked at her with a mock glare, "You wouldn't dare," he said.
"I will too," she told him and wiggled out of his arms. Jess watched her run over to woman sitting on a blanket on the ground and she pulled the little girl into her lap. The woman took off her sunglasses to look at her daughter and Jess felt his breath catch in his throat. Suddenly he knew exactly where that little girl had gotten her blue eyes and he couldn't believe that it was from the one woman he ever loved and still did. Rory Gilmore sat before him talking animatedly with her daughter. He saw the blonde man come over to them.
"Mommy, Daddy tickled me!" Lori told her mother.
"He didn't!" Rory gasped.
"He did and I told him to stop and he didn't," Lori said.
"Well I think he deserves a time out," Rory said trying to suppress a grin at the look on her husband's face.
"Ace, you're taking her side?" he said, shocked and sitting down next to her.
"Yep, get over it, Huntzberger," she said.
"Never, Huntzberger," he said kissing her lightly and wrapping both his wife and daughter in his arms. That's when Jess saw it, the platinum band on the man's ring finger and the matching one with a diamond on Rory's. It was like a punch to his stomach, after seeing their daughter he assumed they were married. But now seeing the proof, the rings that tied them together as husband and wife, it was too much. Before walking away, he managed to hear one last exchange between the happy family, the family he would never have.
"I love you Mrs. Huntzberger and I will never get tired of saying that," Logan told his wife.
"I love you too Mr. Huntzberger," she said and then kissed him.
"Hey what about me?" Lori asked, pouting from her spot in her mother's lap.
"Aw we love you too baby girl," Rory said, lifting Lori into her arms.
"So much," Logan added kissing her on the head.
After that Jess couldn't take anymore and he walked away from Rory Huntzberger, vowing to try and move on.