Logan threw himself into work, knowing that the only way he could get through Rory walking out of his life again was to work himself so hard that he fell into bed at night so exhausted that he had no energy to think. It served him well professionally, but emotionally, he knew that he was barely holding on.

Since Shira had not so subtly demanded his presence at Thankgiving, he decided to stay in New York for the week rather than flying back and forth. He took some investors to dinner and schmoozed them like a good CEO would. He hired a receptionist and a New York based assistant for himself. He put together projections and budgets and figured out how to maximize profits for the new office to be truly successful. He worked with the designer to order furniture for the office and hired an IT guy to help with setting up the technical aspects that were over his head. He did everything he could so that he wouldn't have to think of the blue eyes that shone with tears because of the words he spoke to her in anger.

On Thursday morning, he woke up and worked out in the hotel gym. He then rented a car and drove the three hours to his parent's house in Hartford. The only good thing about today was that he would get to see Honor and her new baby. He had met Amelia, or Mia as they called her, only a handful of times, but the little girl, at five months old, already had him wrapped around her little finger.

He rang the doorbell, pleased to see the Honor and Josh's Range Rover was already in the driveway. Honor answered the door and pulled him inside roughly.

"Thank god you're here," she said, pulling him in for a hug. He reluctantly hugged her back. He was sometimes overwhelmed by her exuberance.

"Come on, Honor, it can't be that bad already," he said, pulling away.

"I've already gotten three comments on Mia's hair, two on her 'inappropriate' outfit, and Shira has already signed her up for her first junior cotillion. She's not even walking! How can she do the stupid fan dance when she can't even walk!"

Logan laughed as he shrugged of his coat and handed it to the maid. "Thank you, Gretta," he said to the woman who had known him since he was in diapers. "Happy Thanksgiving," he added with a smile, knowing that no one else had taken the time for such salutations. Gretta smiled back and left to hang his jacket in the closet. Logan wrapped his arm around his sister and steered her towards the parlor, intent to save his niece from her societal fate.

Shira and Mitchum were seated in the two wing chairs while Elias sat on one love seat facing Josh and Mia who sat on the other. The adults were all staring at Mia who was happily bouncing up and down on her father's knees and making adorable five month old noises. What made it a Huntzberger dinner was that Josh seemed to be the only person in the room comfortable with the baby's happiness. The others looked at her like she was some sort of alien.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone," Logan announced as they walked into the room. Honor sat next to her husband while Logan shook hands with his father and grandfather and kissed his mother on the cheek. As his mother got up to get him a drink, he went over to his niece who happily reached her chubby little hands up to him. Logan picked her up and dipped her back making her giggle. He felt like his heart was frozen, but hearing her little girl giggle made it thaw ever so slightly. He sat down on the loveseat next to his grandfather and braced himself for the evening ahead.

Logan was sitting on the back patio, getting some fresh air. Since he left Huntzberger Publishing Group, things with his father weren't as tense, but they still didn't see eye to eye. He knew Mitchum was proud of his success, but he still harped on every decision Logan made. During the course of an evening with his parents, he often needed to escape to the patio to regain his wits and mentally prepare himself for the next battle.

It was Honor that found him this time, bringing Mia outside in her pink coat that probably cost more than an average car.

"Mia was telling me that she missed her uncle and wanted to find him," Honor said, turning her daughter over to his outstretched arms. She knew that Logan was enamored with the girl and wanted to hold her anytime he could. Honor looked at Logan's face. He hadn't held the same spark since he and Rory broke up, but tonight, he was looking empty, like he had that May several years earlier. It was clear to those who cared to look that something was troubling him deeply.

"Ok, spill," she said.

"What are you talking about?" he questioned.

"Something is very wrong. I can tell because I am your big sister and know you better than anyone. What happened?"

Logan looked down at the little girl who was fighting to stay awake in his arms. He held her closely and rocked her, hoping that his movement would make her fall asleep. When he looked up, Honor was still staring at him. He knew she would push until he told her, so he decided to bite the bullet and get it over with.

"I saw Rory again last week at the DAR Winter Ball," he replied.

Honor's eyes got big and she silently encouraged him to continue.

"We went out for coffee that night, and dinner the night after. Then we had a movie night. It was just like old times. We had three beautiful nights and I finally felt whole again. I woke up eager for the morning so that I could talk to her again, and see her again on the days we were in the same time zone," Logan paused, adjusting a now sleeping Mia into a more comfortable position.

"Clearly, it didn't end well if you're here and looking as haggard as you do," Honor observed. "What happened?"

Logan told her the truth about their fight and looked into her eyes, expecting to see sympathy.

"You're an idiot," Honor told him bluntly.

"I'm sorry?" he questioned. Clearly, his sister would have his back on this one. She had been so mad at Rory when they had broken up, neither sibling being able to figure out why Rory had turned him down.

"Let me get this straight," she started. "You saw Rory again. Had three wonderful dates with her. Then met her in a bar where she was hanging out with a friend who is happily married to a man, and you turned on her and ruined any chances of you guys getting back together because he was acting in a manner no different from the way one of your bonehead friends would have been with her? Yup, that means you're an idiot."

"Honor," Logan warned.

"No," she replied. "Hear me out. I know you guys broke up. I know she broke your heart and you've never actually recovered from that. I also know that somewhere deep inside of you, Mitchum's voice is still telling you that you don't deserve happiness but clearly you know that's bullshit. Mitchum doesn't own you anymore, and it's up to you to make yourself happy and that scares the shit out of you. Now, the only person who can get in your way is you, so you run from happiness rather than embracing it. Since that woman came into your life all those years ago, the only time I've seen you shine is when you're with her. Do you remember that Thanksgiving when you broke up for the first time in college? Tonight, you are wearing the same expression that you wore back then. "

Logan's silence meant that he was actually listening to her, even if he didn't want to hear what she had to say. Honor took a breath before she continued.

"Logan, you're my brother and I love you dearly. I will always support whatever decision you make, but it's been two and half years that I've seen you killing yourself, trying not to think about her, but all it has done is slowly extinguish the light that used to shine from behind your eyes. You both hurt each other horribly and you'll need to get over that. But which is harder? Forgiving her for the mistakes that she has made and hoping that she forgives you for yours or living the rest of your life, an empty shell because your pride is getting in the way of your happiness?"

Logan digested her words as he carefully shifted Mia to his other arm. Honor was absolutely right. His pride was preventing him from opening up to Rory again, afraid that he would get hurt like he had been last time. Deep down, he knew Rory was the one. She complimented him in every way possible. She challenged him, intrigued him, and made him feel at home. He knew he would never find another woman who called to him the way she did, and it would be worth the pain if he could feel whole again, even if it was just for a little bit of time.

"What do I do," he asked.

"She'll need a grand gesture," Honor responded. "Last time you went to her mother but that won't be enough this time. You'll need to figure out how to make her know that you're in it for real. And Logan? A gesture that money can't buy."

"Thanks sis," Logan said, handing his still sleeping niece to his sister and kissing her on the cheek. He knew what he needed to do. With a glance at his watch, he knew he had very little time to do it. Without looking back, Logan grabbed his coat and left the Huntzberger mansion. He vaguely heard Shira's voice calling out for him as he drove away, but he just couldn't bring himself to care.

Logan pulled his rental car up to the house that had once been so familiar. He tucked the keys into his pocket and rang the door bell. The door opened and the scared woman on the other side timidly answered "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Rory Gilmore," he responded as he was ushered into the foyer.

"Is she expecting your arrival?" the maid asked with a terrified expression. He knew the last thing she would want to do if she expected to keep her job was to interrupt Thanksgiving dinner. He was a little worried about Emily allowing him to keep all of his body parts after the interruption, but Honor had said a grand gesture. What was grander than walking into the lion's den without a chair?

"Alma, who is at the door?" questioned Emily Gilmore as she rounded the corner. "Logan!" she exclaimed in surprise when she saw the intruder. "What a pleasant surprise."

"My apologies for interrupting your dinner, Emily. I was just hoping for a word with Rory. It will only take a moment, I assure you."

Emily assessed the young man in front of her. He looked determined and hopeful. Although Rory and Lorelai both would deny it, Emily knew that Rory still struggled with their failed relationship. She wanted to see Rory laugh again and for the smile to go all the way to her eyes. Yes, it was rude, but she could forgive this one indiscretion if it meant there was a chance of seeing Rory happy.

"Of course," Emily responded. "Alma, please take Mr. Huntzberger's coat. I'll go grab Rory."

After a brief amount of time, Rory wandered into the foyer, her eyes searching him in confusion. "Logan," she questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping I could speak to you, somewhere more private," he asked.

Without a word, she led him to her grandfather's study and shut the door behind them.

"What is this all about?" she asked. "I thought it was over."

"Do you want it to be over, Rory?" he asked her.

She looked into his eyes and saw fear and uncertainty.

"No, I don't. But I also can't live my life making up for the mistakes I made when I was 22," she answered honestly.

"You were right," he told her as he took her hand and led her to the leather couch. "You were right about all of it. I was so sure you'd say yes that I didn't think about your need to think things through. I didn't consider that you'd be leaving your mom, or Lane, or your crazy town. I didn't consider any of that. I just thought that it would be a fresh start for both of us. That we could get away from all of the bullshit and be together, just the two of us."

Rory looked down at her hands. "I never wanted to say no. I didn't mean to say no. I just wanted to wait until I figured out where I was going. I was so sure you'd be ok with waiting until I knew my next move."

"I should have been. You gave me London and New York. You gave me time, I should have given you time too. "

Rory nodded her head. "I'm not completely innocent here either. I should have talked to you to let you know why I was scared, but…." Her voice trickled off, unsure of how to complete her thought.

"Rory Gilmore, you are it for me. And we can sit here and hash out the past, or we can try to get over what happened and start over. I don't want to live my life without you, and even if that means we never get married, and I spend the rest of my life proving to you how much you mean to me, I'll do it. If I have to do a tap dance for Emily to get you to trust me again, I'll do it. I just want the opportunity to make you happy again. But know how we said we were going to plan to not have a plan? I can't do that. I need a plan. I need to know that I'm the only one making you happy. Remember when we made each other happy?"

Rory thought about what he had just said. She did want to be with him. She knew that she would never feel whole without him, but he had hurt her so many times and she wasn't sure she wanted that to continue.

Just as she was about to answer him, Lorelai peeked her head in the door.

"Rory," she questioned. "What are you doing in here?"

Logan got up from his spot on the sofa and moved to the door.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your holiday, Lorelai," he said sincerely. He turned back to the stunned woman on the couch. "Rory, please take the time to think this through. You and I both know that if this happens again, that's it; we're in it for the long haul. And if it doesn't, there's no going back from that either. I've had time and I know what I want. Please take the time to decide for yourself."

Logan slipped out the door and Lorelai let herself in. "Sweets, what was that all about?" she questioned Rory.

"He wants to get back together," Rory answered.

"Ahhh," Lorelai responded, everything becoming clear. "The 'will we' or 'won't we' decision." She looked at Rory and saw the gears in her head churning. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't want to get hurt again," she whispered.

Lorelai looked at her daughter. They were so similar. There were people like Christopher and Logan who could throw themselves onto the fire time and time again and would still do it the next time they were asked. Then there were people like Lorelai and Rory who watched from the sidelines, terrified that the burn would be more than they could bear. Lorelai knew the internal struggle Rory was dealing with. It was the same struggle that kept her away from Luke for so long.

"Rory," Lorelai began. "In the time that you were with Logan, with strings, not broken up, not away from each other, but actually together, how much of that time was hurt, and how much of that time was happy?"

Rory thought about her mother's question. "Probably twenty percent hurt, eighty percent happy."

"And would you agree that the hurt was caused by miscommunication from both of you? Like when he didn't tell you about his plans for California, and when you didn't tell him about Jess?"

"Yes, I would say that's an accurate representation" Rory responded.

"I know it doesn't seem like this, but your mother isn't the best communicator. And the only person worse at communication than me is your father. Unfortunately for you, either way, you got the short end of the communication gene stick. But it's not too late for you to learn what took us both twenty years to understand and try to be happy."

Rory sat in silence for a minute, thinking about what her mother had just said.

"Hon, when you and Logan are together, like, really together, are you happy?"

"Yes," Rory responded without thinking.

"Well, then, there's your answer."

Rory looked at her mother like she had ten heads. "There's my answer? How is that my answer?"

"When you're together, you bring out the best in each other. He makes you a happier woman when you're together. You both are good when you're apart. But together, there's nothing stopping you."

"Yes, but he's hurt me," Rory countered.

"Yes, but if Willy can get over Charlie and Grandpa Joe stealing the Fuzzy Lifting Drink, I'd say you can get over Logan's botched proposal."

Rory looked at her hands. It couldn't be that easy, could it?

Lorelai answered her daughter's unspoken question. "Yes, it really is that easy."

"Rory, you are so much like me. Strong-willed, independent, fabulous hair, but there are times I wish you had gotten your father's fearlessness when it comes to love. My fear has held me back from happiness for most of my life. It wasn't until I decided I had nothing left to lose that I finally found it. I don't want to see you struggling at 40 like I have. We both know that Logan is your other half, and he's offering you a lifetime of happiness on a silver platter. I can't promise you'll never get hurt again, but when you saw him at that ball, you looked like you had just been offered fresh oxygen for the first time in a year. You have a choice: are you going to run scared and throw that away or will you give him a chance to prove to you that you can be completely happy together?"

Rory's head was spinning but she knew her mother's nonsensical logic was right. Logan was it. She didn't need a pro/con list, she didn't need the numbers. She felt better when she was with him. That was enough of an answer for her.

Suddenly, the need to catch him before he left was overwhelming. She bolted from the office and ran outside where she was grateful to see his car still in the circular driveway. He was looking down at his phone, his car running but idle. She crossed to the passenger side and opened the door. He looked up, startled, as she climbed in. Logan opened his mouth to speak but she placed her finger up to his lips.

"You had your turn, now it's mine," she said quietly, looking into his eyes. "You're it for me. The first time you told me to call you master and commander was the end of other men for me."

Logan smiled at the memory but allowed her to continue. "I'm scared, Logan. I'm terrified that you're going to hurt me again. It seems so easy for you to just walk away from us, but each time, you leave a trail of destruction in your wake that takes me a long time to clean up. I need to know that you're not going to walk away from us without discussing it with me first."

Logan turned in his seat so that his entire body was facing her. He grabbed her hands and held them up to kiss her knuckles. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, I solemnly promise you that I will talk to you about what I'm feeling, whether it's good or bad. I promise not to run until I've at least let you know why. I can't promise I won't run anymore. It's my instinct, learned from years of Mitchum chasing after me. But I can promise that you will know why I'm running and I'll give you the time to strap on your sneakers to run with me."

Rory sighed. "Well, at least that's a start."

"Can you promise me the same," Logan asked. "Can you promise to let me know when you're scared and why you're scared? Promise not to freeze me out?"

Rory grasped his hands much like he had done to hers. "Logan Elias Huntzberger, I promise to tell you about my fears and give you time to don your superhero cape so you can save me from myself."

Logan leaned over the center console and leaned his forehead against hers. "So this is it, huh? We're doing this again? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Logan," Rory answered. He sweetly brushed his lips against hers, sealing their promises with a kiss.

Rory pulled away. "I need to get back inside. Do you want to come with?"

Everything in Logan's body was telling him to stay with her, but he had an early flight the next morning and he knew he needed to get back to New York. He told her so, but promised her that he would be back in town in a week and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

As she pulled on the handle to exit the car, he called her name.

"If I have to spend every second of every day for the rest of my life making sure that your eyes hold no trace of fear in them, I will do that. You once told me that I couldn't be your boyfriend and I challenged that, saying that if I wanted to, I could do it. Do you remember that?"

Rory nodded. "I can do this Ace. We can do this."

With one last kiss, Rory exited the car and watched him drive off. She turned around and made her way to the door, trying to figure out how to answer the questions she knew her family was going to pester her with for the rest of the night.

A/N: Hopefully this made up for the last chapter. Thanks to xshynenstarx for agreeing to beta for me and providing some of the polish that the chapter needed. And thanks to everyone who has read, favorited or commented on this story. I appreciate your faith in this weird little corner of my brain. Until next time!