A/N: ANOTHER Literati story? When I already have two in progress to juggle? Yup. Enjoy, and review!

"So where are we headed next?" Sonia asked, plopping into the bus seat next to Rory with a sigh.

"I don't even know where we are now," Rory replied, running her fingers through her hair, which had been perpetually greasy ever since they'd started the campaign trail in Idaho three months ago. Hotel showers just weren't cutting it, and she'd run out of her own shampoo after a few weeks.

Sonia laughed. "You know what, neither do I."

"We're in Ohio!" someone shouted from the front of the bus.

"Ohio," Rory repeated. "I could have sworn we were still out West." She felt a pang of longing – although Ohio still wasn't anywhere near Connecticut, it was a hell of a lot closer than Nevada, where she was pretty sure they'd been last week.

"What's the next stop?" Sonia called to the guy at the front of the bus.

"Pennsylvania," he replied. "The City of Brotherly Love." He smirked. The guy's name was Eric, if Rory remembered correctly. He was from New York and seemed to look down on anyone who was not a New Yorker, born and bred. Sonia rolled her eyes.

"Well, let's hope you find a brother to love there, Eric!" she called back snidely.

Rory patted her friend's shoulder. "That was surprisingly clever for how tired we all are," she said. Then she frowned. "Wait, so Philadelphia's the next stop?" she asked.

"Yes, Einstein!" Eric said without turning around.

"Shut up, Eric!" Sonia replied, shaking her head in frustration. "Yeah, apparently we're en route to Philly now, Gilmore. Can you handle the excitement?" She sighed again and closed her eyes. Rory was trying to figure out why the fact that they were on the way to Philly was making her feel so weird. She felt…nervous. But why? She furrowed her brow and forced her sluggish, sleep-deprived brain to think. Did she know anyone in Philadelphia? Then she sat straight up.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed.

"What?" Sonia asked sleepily. "I was just about to fall asleep and dream about something that has nothing to do with politics."

"Nothing," Rory said more quietly, and completely unconvincingly, but Sonia was too tired to investigate. Jess. Jess lives in Philly. Why did she feel anxious all of the sudden? Because the last time you saw him, you broke his heart, her subconscious informed her, and Rory slumped in her seat again. She knew it was true. Philly was a big city, though, right? What were the chances of them running into one another, really? She probably wasn't going to get to leave the hotel conference room anyhow. That was how it had been for the last…she didn't know how many states and cities. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down, and before she knew it, her head was resting on Sonia's shoulder and she was fast asleep.

Rory dreamed about Logan, but that wasn't anything new. Ever since she had declined his proposal at her graduation, she couldn't stop thinking about him, wondering if she'd made a huge mistake by turning him down. Endless talks with Lorelai over the phone comforted her, but it wasn't the same as having her mom right there with her. Rory was pretty sure she was the only person on the campaign who called a member of her family every single day.

Logan was heavy on her subconscious, and she kept having the same dream about him. They'd be out to dinner, on a normal date, and everything would be fine. Then Logan would get down on one knee and propose to her, and everyone else in the restaurant would disappear. It was just her and Logan. And every time, Logan would stay down there while Rory was silent, unable to say a thing, no matter how hard she tried. She'd wake up from this dream confused and feeling more tired than she had when she fell asleep, and what was more, she would never be able to think about anything but Logan after waking. It was really interfering with her concentration.

Rory woke up and squinted. The bus' windows had shades, but the light still poured in from the front windshield. She glanced at her watch. 7:30 AM. Okay, that was a whole half an hour later than she usually slept. Good progress. She sighed and got up, stepping carefully over a still-sleeping Sonia.

"Hey, Joe," she whispered to the bus driver. Every other passenger was fast asleep. "How much longer till we're in Philly?"

"We're already in Philly, but it'll be about half an hour or so to the hotel," the friendly man replied. "You eager to get to your room?"

"Not really," Rory admitted. "The hotel beds are nothing compared to my bed at home." She thought wistfully of Stars Hollow.

Joe chuckled ruefully. "I hear that." Rory felt a guilty twinge as she realized that she never really thought about Joe's accommodations and how he had to stay awake while everyone around him got to sleep, no matter how fitful that sleep was. She promised herself to pick him up a sandwich and some coffee the next time she got the chance. When Rory made her way back to her seat, she saw that Sonia was awake.

"Hey," she said groggily. "What time is it?"

"A little past 7:30," Rory told her. "We'll be in Philly soon, according to Joe." She sat back down.

"I hope they give us an hour or two to get settled in," Sonia yawned. "I could really use a little more shut-eye. But then, what else is new?" Rory smiled. Much as everyone complained about the lack of sleep and the pitiful accommodations for the interns on the trail – Rory often daydreamed about how fantastic Senator Obama's hotel must be – every last one of them adored what they were doing and probably wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Suddenly, Rory realized that in the last fifteen minutes or so, she hadn't thought about Logan once, despite her dream. That wasn't much, but it was likely the most time she'd spent not thinking about him in the last three or four months.

She turned and lifted the shade slightly so she could see outside. They were chugging slowly down a busy, commuter-clogged street in the heart of Center City. To her surprise, Rory recognized where they were. Her heart sank a bit. This was just a block or two from Truncheon, if she remembered correctly. She really did feel terrible about how she'd left things with Jess. He had been so hopeful when they kissed, and she had to take his heart and smash it into tiny bits.

"So…you fixed everything?" Jess asked.

Rory nodded happily. "Yeah, everything's fixed."

"I'm glad you're here," Jess told her softly, edging closer.

"Yeah, me too," Rory said. And before she knew it, they were leaning together and their lips were meeting in a soft, sweet kiss. God, I missed that, she thought, before catching herself. Logan. She pulled back, pushing Jess' hands away. "I'm…sorry."

"About what?" Jess asked, confused.

"About coming here like this. I just got the flyer, and I don't know, I just wanted to see your place, but then…this." She watched Jess bite his lip and his eyes darken. "It's not fair to you," she continued. "I'm such a jerk."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jess said, sounding angry.

Rory laughed, but it was without humor. "I couldn't even cheat on him the way he cheated on me."

Jess frowned. "Who? Who cheated on you?" he asked urgently. "That…guy?" She nodded, looking down. She couldn't bear to meet his gaze. "You're still with him," Jess said finally, the realization hitting him hard.

And she'd just kind of…left. Without taking the time to acknowledge what had just happened between them, just dismissing it, pushing it to the side, believing she still belonged with Logan. Isn't that what you've been griping about nonstop for the past few months? her subconscious asked suspiciously. Whether or not Logan was right for you? It was, but, now things seemed somehow changed. Rory continued staring out the window. She still wasn't thinking about Logan. There was an entirely different person consuming her thoughts now.