*Hey everyone! This chapter is a little OOC for Rory but is important for the development of the story so please bear with me, I really hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave reviews the support you all give me really keeps this story going. Xoxo-Hoopsandstuds*

I OWN NOTHING RELATED TO GILMORE GIRLS OR THE NEW YORK TIMES

I kept my head down the rest of the day in the office the tabloid had spread through the office like wild fire,

"Rory, why are you Logan and Lena o

n the front of some trashy tabloid?" Honour demanded when she called me,

"Because we don't have eyes in the back of my head," I sighed, as I put my things in my bag, eyes burning into my back,

"This is ridiculous. We're getting a lawyer and suing this tabloid trash." She snapped,

"No we're not, we're letting it go under the rug." I insisted, "Look Honour, I'm going home and just want all of this to go away. Please, just leave it."

"I'll leave it for now but if my niece shows up on another tabloid I'm taking this to a lawyer, and Logan will back me up. You should too." She insisted and the line went dead. I sighed, and put my phone away. Leaving the office wasn't easy, I thought it would be different then high school but nope, whispers surrounded the office as I left…when I got to my car the tabloid was kept under the windshield wiper with slut written on it, I knew someone must have told people it was me, all you could see was my hair and the side of my face. I wiped the tears away and threw it on the seat of my car and went to pick up Lena and when I pulled up Logan's car was already there,

"Hey, I thought I was picking up Lena?" he asked, I brushed my hair back,

"You were right, shoot." I sighed,

"You've been crying." He commented, cupping my cheek,

"I'm fine." I wiped my cheeks with my sleeve,

"Ace, you know I don't believe that for a second."7

"The tabloids spread through my office, someone left one of my windshield and wrote slut on it."

"What?" Logan demanded, "I'm calling my lawyer and suing everyone."

"No, Logan don't! Please," I begged him, pulling the phone from his hand, "It's not a big deal."

"We're getting you're a job with the publishing group. You're not going back there, your name is tainted."

"So get a job where my future husband is the CEO is a better idea? I'd have the same reputation."

"I know exactly who to call." He smirked and snatched his phone back from me,

"Who, who are you calling?"

"Hugo Grey." He smiled, I remembered Hugo, he gave me an offer to go on the Obama campaign after I graduated and I had to decline because I was expecting Lena…working at the Times was my dream but not like this not with my name tainted and people think I slept with someone for a good story. And Hugo had quite the online magazine now, the Times had written about him actually and all the success he had,

"It's not published by us, it's not related to Huntzburger in any way." Logan smiled, "Hey Hugo, Logan Huntzburger here." He spoke and stepped away to continue to conversation as Lena ran up to me,

"Hi baby, tell me how your day was!" I smiled,

"It was good, Daddy packed me a pudding." She whispered,

"Did he now? Well that's yummy." I smiled at my beautiful daughter, the light of my life.

"Hows my girl." Logan smiled as he came over,

"Daddy, I liked the pudding."

"Well you deserved a treat, you were such a good girl at the hospital with you Uncle James."

"Do I have to call him that? I'm older." She questioned,

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." I assured her, "But you probably will just call him James."

"I'd like that."

"Sounds good, lets get home." I smiled, and buckled her into her car seat I closed the door and Logan was smiling,

"What?" I asked, as much as I love picking up my daughter this wasn't a day for smiling,

"Hugo wants to meet with you for coffee tomorrow morning, before you go to work."

"I'd have to meet him at 7 and even then I have to get Lena ready-,"

"I can do all that, make her breakfast, packing her lunch, you can lay out her clothes the night before, I can manage pig tails it'll be fine. He's really eager to see you, Ace."

"Fine, fine." I sighed, brushing my bangs a nervous habit I had, Logan gently took my hand and kissed my knuckles,

"I love you, and Hugo loves you. He admitted he was jealous that the Times got you."

"I'm not a slut." I whispered,

"I know you're not Ace, don't even say that. Anyone who knows your knows that's not true."

"I knew a bunch of people at work, and yet I'm the office slut." I sighed, "I'm disgusted by tabloids."

"Me too, but it doesn't matter. No one knows its you except for well, your office, Honour and probably your Mom…and maybe stars hollow but the last 3 know you didn't sleep with me to get a story. You got my story because you are a good writer and we happened to get together. One doesn't relate to the other."

"No one else seems to realize that."

"They will, and it doesn't matter. Hugo loves you, he loves your writing and doesn't believe in the crap that tabloids spew. Don't worry Ace, things always sort themselves out. I love you, Lena loves you and a very wise group of men once said; let it be."

"Quoting the Beatles? You know your audience." I smiled, he kissed me gently,

"Let's go home. Everything will be better in the morning." Logan being the gentleman opened the car door for me before heading off to his car we'd meet at home. I smiled as I looked at our little miracle in the back seat, I couldn't be happier that I had Lena and Logan in my life and I wouldn't let some tabloid or some random people I work with make me feel bad about the life that I fought to have. I would meet with Hugo Grey and I would wow him, I had an entire night to put my portfolio together, and I would proudly print my name on each and every one of them, whether Hayden, Gilmore or Huntzburger it would me and my work that deserved to be published without any underhanded behaviour to get a story.

I was sitting at the Starbucks that Hugo and I agreed upon, sitting with my portfolio and a cup of coffee in front of me, I glanced at my watch and it was 6:55 and I had been sitting for 5 minutes waiting for Hugo I was early for everything despite growing up with a mother who was late for most things,

"Rory?" a familiar voice came from behind me,

"Hi, Hugo. Thank you for meeting with me."

"The pleasure is all mine, please have a seat. I'll just go grab a coffee," he smiled, resting his briefcase on the table, I took a couple deep breaths while I waited for him to come back,

"So, leaving the times?"

"Maybe, it really depends on how this goes." I laughed nervously, "I brought my portfolio if you'd like to take a look."

"I don't need to take a look at that, I'm sure your writing has improved if that's possible. This isn't an interview Rory, this is a straight offer."

"Oh wow, really?"

"Having a previous Times writer on the online articles, and I have an offer to start up a print magazine and I'd love for you to be editor and chief. I would be CEO and assistant editor but I want you to be my second in command. What do you say?"

"I hate to bring it up but, I have a daughter-,"

"Pay would be 80 000 a year and you can have as much time as you need off, that's what's so great about email and Skype."

"$80 000?! American dollars? No euro's?" I nearly choked on my coffee

"Yes American dollars Editor Hayden."

"I'll take it!"