This is an AU story that's part of a WIP I've been working on for a while. All I'll say about this particular Gilmore timeline is that Rory and Logan did not break up in 2007, and this story takes place a few years after that point.

"This is incredible," Rory remarked as she scarfed down the piece of bourbon peach cheesecake that Logan had placed in front of her.

Logan sat back in the chair across from her and felt a small – maybe insignificant, but he didn't really care at this point – feeling of relief that Rory was happy about something

She'd been closed off in the few weeks since they found out. Disappointment and sadness warred within him at the situation they'd found themselves in for the second time, but he was mostly concerned about her. She'd been so focused, so careful, so hyper vigilant that she hadn't seemed to really let herself feel anything else about the situation. He knew that she wanted to feel as happy about it as she had the first time, but she wouldn't allow herself to. Not until she was sure everything was going to be okay.

Then it had all crashed down as quickly as the news had come, and she'd been wrapped up in a tight coil of grief and self-flagellation ever since. Nothing he had tried had seemed to get through to her.

"Where did you get the recipe for this?' Rory asked him as she polished off the last of her dessert. "I know you didn't get it from Luke. This is a lot fancier than Mom and the boys would ever scarf down."

"Jess," Logan said softly. "He got it from his wife's family."

Rory trembled a little as she lowered the fork back onto the plate. It was a slight movement, barely perceptible, but Logan saw it.

"Look," Logan said. "I didn't mean to –"

"Don't worry about it," Rory told him. "It's not –" she sighed. "Life goes on, right?"

"I know you've been having a hard time with it," Logan said cautiously.

"I don't want you to continue walking around eggshells around me," Rory said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the early evening California sunset framing her face.

"I'm not," Logan told her. "Well, I didn't – I didn't mean to."

"You did," Rory admonished him, "and I appreciate it. But I kind of want things to go back to normal. As much as they can, anyway."

"You know we can try –"

Rory shook her head. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet," she told him.

Logan reached out for her hand, rubbing his hand over her fingers as he felt the familiar comfort of their rings clacking together.

"I know," he assured her. "I know."