Rory sat impatiently, staring out the window of the airplane. Her three months of banishment were finally over! She could return home to the ruins of her life. The prospect wasn't a completely happy one: she had no home, no friends, probably no Jess. But she was free of Logan. She had only heard from him once during that time, just a few days ago, to confirm that their divorce was finalized. She hadn't been able to share her news with him. He had forbidden her to contact Jess, her friends or even Logan himself. She didn't know any news from home either, it had been three months in a vacuum. Of course, being Rory she had tried to make the best of the situation, to see the places she had visited on the Europe trip with her mom and try to recapture some of the excitement they had felt. She felt a pang as she remembered her mom. She hadn't spoken to her in three months either. But Rory knew she couldn't see her mom until she had seen Jess. He probably wouldn't talk to her, but she had to at least explain. She had done what he wanted, she had left Logan, she was divorced. There had been a price to pay for it but it was over now. Maybe they could finally start over, a real family.
When the plane landed Rory rushed through the baggage claim and then into the cab, reciting the familiar address without hesitation. Hopefully he still lived there!
Her hands were shaking and she desperately wanted a cigarette but she had given up smoking in Europe so she resisted the urge and nervously played with the handle on her bag instead, stomach churning.
She had to confess a lot of things to Jess, why she had been absent, that she had been sleeping with Logan. Either way this went though Rory felt prepared. She accepted that Jess could just as easily be out of her life as in it. But he had left behind the confidence to live her own life, even if he wasn't in it.
She hopped out of the cab, handing some bills to the driver as she stepped out. She walked into the store, hoping Jess would be there behind the register but to her disappointment it was a guy she didn't recognize. He must have seen the confusion on her face because he asked if she needed any help. She shook her head, then asked "Is Jess Mariano here?"
"He lives upstairs. Want me to call him?" the guy asked.
"I'll just go up." Rory said, heading up the stairs. The guy shrugged and went back to the book he had been reading.
When Rory entered the apartment she walked in on something completely unexpected. There, in Jess's apartment, stood both Jess and Logan!
And more than that they were involved in a heated discussion. They both stopped and stared as Rory walked in. Rory felt her confidence slip away from her as the two men starred at her.
"Hi" she said weakly, with a small wave.
"What are you doing here?" Jess asked trying to recover from his amazement.
"I came to see you." she tried hard not to look at Logan.
"Didn't you run off with someone to Europe?" he asked.
Rory glanced briefly at Logan and saw him look down.
"I was in Europe but I didn't run off with anyone. Uh... Logan what are you doing here?" she asked.
Before Logan could answer Jess turned to him to demand an explanation.
"I faked a newspaper. Fine. I did it, I was mad at you and I faked a newspaper." Logan said.
"What?!" asked Rory.
"Just one, it wasn't a story that got out in print. It was just to mess with your boyfriend." Logan half snarled.
"Why were you in Europe?" Jess asked. Rory's head was spinning from all the confused questions.
"I had to go. It was the only way I could get my divorce. But I'm divorced now." She shot a look at Logan.
"I'm not leaving!" a girl's voice yelled from Jess's bedroom.
Logan walked down the hall and pounded on the door. "Get out of there right now, we are going home!" he shouted.
"No!" the voice answered and Rory suddenly realized that it was Honor's voice.
"Honor?" she called.
"Rory? What are you doing here?" the door unlocked and Honor opened the door.
Rory looked at her former friend, wondering the same thing.
She turned to Jess. He looked back at her and shrugged a little. Logan was grabbing onto Honor's arm, dragging her down the hall.
"Jess!" called Honor. "He has no right to take me back. We are meant to be together!"
Rory stared hard at Jess. Had he forgotten her already? For someone he had made fun of at her house!
Jess looked hard at Honor, ignoring Rory's look. "Get. The. Fuck. Out." was all he said with cold deliberation, than turned to Rory. "It was a little revenge of my own." he told her. "I didn't know if you would be back."
Honor had burst into tears and fallen to the floor. "That's all this was?" she asked between sobs. "I gave up my life, my money, my husband for you!"
"Yeah and I sold the story to a newspaper." he told her back.
Logan jumped up and knocked Jess over with a punch to the jaw. "You wouldn't dare!" he shouted.
"Oh, I did." Jess said, standing up. He didn't bother to hit Logan back. "You messed with me first man, and your sister was the idiot who went along with it."
He noticed Rory staring at him in shock.
"How could you do something so terrible?" she asked him, for the first time really doubting him.
"I'll explain everything later, when these two leave. And take your stuff with you." he said to Honor.
Rory felt dizzy and warm. She took off her jacket and sat hard on the arm of the couch, trying to make sense of everything. It was then that she realized that all three of them were staring at her, looking at the slight but obvious swelling of her stomach.