A/N: Big thanks to my reviewers, y'all are great! It's because of you that I decided to post this next part! So thanks! I think there will just be one more part after this...

Waking up next to a naked Rory Gilmore is the stuff dreams are made of. I must say, I'm lucky enough for it to be my reality, less so now that she's under Emily's nose, but still… My head is still resting on her stomach, and from this vantage point, she looks like an angel, so sweet and innocent. But I know just the thing to change that, and, in a way, thank her for last night. I keep the sheet over us, so the cold air won't wake her. I kiss her everywhere I can reach without moving too much, avoiding the places she's ticklish. I continue lower, and watch her eyes pop open in realization as I bring her to the edge. Surprised, yes, but I can see the cloudiness in her usually sapphire eyes and I know what it means. Sure enough, she pulls my face up to hers and kisses me deeply and I have to grin against her mouth. Once upon a time, I got her to admit that she loves the taste of herself on my lips. From other women, that would sound kinky, but from Ace, it was actually cute. She knows why I'm smiling, and giggles embarrassedly, wrapping her legs around my waist. I accept her invitation, and lose myself in her.

As we lie tangled after the sheets are long gone, she pries her eyes open, and playfully admonishes me. "No fair, I needed coffee first and you know it!"

I do know it, so I go to visit Arthur. So named because he was hers and she felt he looked out of place amidst my space-agey chrome appliances. So he's Arthur Dent, lonely human traveler in space. I've resigned myself to her silly quirk of naming inanimate objects, and have, on occasion, humiliated myself in front of my friends by using the object's Gilmore name, as opposed to, say, toaster. Who's called Poppy, in case you were wondering.

As I wait for Arthur, I contemplate how to tell her a) about Mitchum's latest bullshit, and b) my decision to… what? Leave the evil empire? Tell him no? Lay down some ground rules? I really need to talk to Rory about this, get her opinion. It always helps to have her input, and let's face it, she'll always voice her opinions.

The aroma of the coffee lures her into the kitchen, and she smiles weakly at me as she sits at the bar and I hand her a cup. The way she licks her lips softly in anticipation makes me want to take her hand and pull her back to the bed, but I know I have to talk to her. Shit.

"So, you wanna go first?"

I shake my head. I'm still not ready, nor did I expect her to jump right in like that.

"Ok, I'll go. Chicken. Jess was my boyfriend my senior year in high school. And I hadn't seen him in years. He was always super intelligent, he just never applied himself. Kind of like you last year, I guess," she winks at me. "Anyway, he showed up the night before last totally out of the blue, to bring me this."

She hands me a small book, poor quality printing, but she's beaming, she looks so proud of it.

"The Subsect, Jess Mariano," I read.

"Now open it to the first page, Logan."

"To Luke, for supporting me, financially and emotionally, you are the best friend a guy could ask for. And especially to Rory, for believing in me when no one else did. You are always in my thoughts. Thank you both. I love you."

Is this a profession of love from an ex? I remember her hand on his arm, but then realize I'm being the jealous guy. That's not me, and I trust Rory with all my heart. But this Jess guy? I don't quite know what to say. So I try to cover it.

"Uh, is this Luke, your mom's Luke?"

"Yes, he's Jess' uncle. Jess lived with him for the last 2 years of high school. Everyone else wanted to believe the worst in him, but Luke and I gave him a chance. So he came here to show me and tell me he couldn't have done it without me. We were going out last night to celebrate it. The end." She shoots me her knowing look. "So do you want to explain the insecurity I witnessed in my driveway last night, Master and Commander?"

She always knows what to say to make me laugh, to relax. That name is reserved for certain moments, and it always works.

"I don't know, Ace. You scare me."

"I scare you? What am I, Carrie at the prom?"

"No, Rory, it just scares me sometimes how much I need you. You could go to the moon and back all on your own, you're so independent."

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed lately, Logan, I've been depending on my grandparents for a roof over my head, and my job. And without you, I don't know what I'd do, especially with my mom not talking to me. You're like my lifeline, sometimes. You're the only one who isn't pressuring me one way or the other. You trust me, in my ability to figure out my life for myself. I love you for that."

"About your mom, Rory, I know both of you are too stubborn to make the first move, but your mom loves you. She isn't forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. She isn't designing your life for you. She doesn't want to send you to London for a year, regardless of what you say!" That wasn't exactly how I'd planned on telling her, but I guess now it's out.

Her jaw drops. "London? A year? This is what happened yesterday? This is why you showed up, looking shell-shocked?"

"Yeah," I mutter, looking at my feet.

"So when do you have to go?" she asks, sounding resigned.

"That's the thing, Ace, I think I've decided that I'm not going."

"Can you just decide like that? What will happen with the company? Your family?"

I stare at her. Does she really think those things mean anything to me?

"Rory, in case you didn't realize, you, Honor, Finn, and Colin are my family. But that's it. You guys know me as a person, not just a being created to fill a business or social need. I don't need them. The way they treat both of us is unforgivable, and I can't believe I've tolerated it this long." Rory lip trembles as though she's about to cry. I guess she didn't know I thought of her like that. I should make a point of telling her that sort of stuff, and not assume that because she knows me well, she knows what I'm thinking all the time. I reach over and grab her hand reassuringly.

"And I sure as hell don't need their money," I add.

"Oh really?"

"Really. My trust fund kicks in when I turn 25, so I won't be hurting for cash. But I think I won't have to resort to that. I think Mitchum and I should have another talk, one that I'm fully prepared for."

"What are you going to tell him?" she asks, biting her lip. She actually looks scared for me.

"I'm going to ask him who else he's going to get to be his 'heir'. Who else can run his beloved company, the one he loves more than his damn kids? Honor studied Art History, for Chrissakes. And…"

"And then tell him what you are and aren't willing to do for the evil empire..." she raises her eyes to meet mine, and completes my sentence. It's unnerving that she can easily finish my thoughts, but I think I know her just as well, if not better, I'm just not as good as expressing it as she is.

"Exactly, lay some ground rules. I mean, I love journalism, and if I could choose my career, it's what I'd choose. I just hate being pushed and manipulated. So, rule one, I refuse to work outside of the northeast. And I refuse to leave Connecticut until you finish Yale. Because you will, I'm sure of it." She doesn't respond to that, really, but I catch the hint of a smile as she looks down at her feet.

"What about business trips?"

"No more than 5 days a month."

"Three."

"Four."

"Deal!" we say in unison, laughing. I honestly didn't think I'd end up laughing about a decision as big as this! And that my heart would feel so light!