A/N: Thanks for the reviews, really makes my day! This is a short chapter, but they're being uploaded fairly regularly so far- so that's my excuse, short and sweet!

3.

The campaign was easier after that, with phonecalls from Jess, and one more person to send a postcard to. He was working on the third novel and she had no idea how he chugged them out. He'd just got into his 'HeadSpace' as he called it, wandering round in a dream world for a week, and then wrote obsessively for a month. Another few months of edits, redrafts and alternate endings, and he was done. It was always the title that stumped him. She'd taken to just writing title ideas on the blank postcards.

She'd mentioned it to her mom, the Jess thing, and Lorelai was suprisingly supportive. Luke, of course, was thrilled, or as thrilled as Luke could be in the morning. And yet still, despite that first rush that returned with the rediscovery of an old romance, the perfect newness and heady unknown coupled with the comfort of knowing someone so well…she was unsure. It had only been six months since the Logan Proposal-Gate incident. She was recycling boyfriends again.

She'd finished her article for that week, and the pen rolled around in her fingers, itching for something to do… The campaign trail, for any writer is just as much of a gamble as for a politician…This is my story.

And just like that, Rory Gilmore began to write for pleasure.

***

Rory had been huddled on her bed, covered in blankets when Lorelai walked in. She'd actually walked past the open door, only belatedly realising her daughter was home.

"Hey hun, something wrong?" She stroked Rory's arm over the covers, and saw tear tracks in the darkness.

"Mom, I screwed up big time."

"I'm sure it's not too bad, come on, hot chocolate, cold pizza, now." She rustled Rory out of the covers, and they padded into the kitchen. Luke wandered through, before saying an awkward 'hi' and wandering right back out again, claiming he was going to bed.

"It's seven pm." Rory sniffed.

"A wild one, that one." Lorelai agreed. "So come on, tell Mommy what happened. Fight with Logan?"

"Not exactly," Rory breathed deep, "Not yet anyway. I was angry. I said I'd forgiven him about the cheating thing, but I hadn't, I didn't know if I ever would. And then the invitation came in the mail, and I thought, of course!"

"Invitation?"

"Jess' Open House thing for his publishing house in Philadelphia."

"You can't deal with your boyfriend's infidelity so the 'of course' in this scenario is to go to Philly to see your ex-boyfriend?" Lorelai tried to be supportive.

"I wanted a break, and I wanted to see him again, to show him I was back on my feet. I just, I missed him. He may not have been…well he was flawed at seventeen but he never would have…him and Logan are different."

"Two different planets in a whole different universe. Donuts and Muffins. Bagels and…burger buns."

Rory shook her head. "You should have seen him Mom, he's just done so well for himself. He's published, working on another book. He has authors who ask his advice, and they have these poetry nights…He's worked so hard."

"You were proud of him."

"Yeah. And by comparison he seemed so secure, so compassionate…and he still cared about me."

"Cared is a past tense." Her mother pointed out.

"I slept with him." Rory rushed out the sentence, "And then I got up in the morning and apologised and told him I still loved Logan, and it was just because Logan had cheated on me, and I apologised some more."

"Oh no, poor Jess. What did he do?"

"He was upset, obviously, and then he was just, nice. He made me coffee and wished me luck, and let me go. He thinks…"

"What?"

"He said with us it's simply a case of bad timing, and it'll settle itself at some point."

"He's waiting for you."

"No, he's just-"

"Honey, trust me, he's waiting for you." Lorelai smiled, "That kid really did turn out alright."

Rory laid her head on the table, "I was horrible. Why was I so horrible? I used him."

"We all make mistakes sweetie, but you've gotta consider if you really can forgive Logan. Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know."

They drank their coffee in quiet for a few moments before Lorelai spoke up. "I knew you went to Philly anyway- Luke told me. I did kinda wonder what was going to happen."

"I'm still wondering." Rory sighed.

***