I'm really sorry it took me so long again... I hope this chapter will make it up to you a little. Out two favorite idiots finally manage to talk about some stuff. Have fun :-)

And thanks to all of you who left a review or favorited this story. I really appreciate you guys!

Open doors

Rory and Logan walked side by side in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They passed cheesy wedding chapels, cheap souvenir shops and fast-food restaurants, came across several drunk groups as well as dressed up couples, hurrying to the newest shows and trendy restaurants.

More than once they heard people drunkenly shout What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, or found the infamous line printed on T-Shirts and other souvenirs. Rory winced a little each time. It had always sounded like a reasonable label for her and Logan's relationship these past two years, but now that she was actually here in Vegas it embarrassed her more and more. How could she have thought she could just put any thoughts of Logan away in a metaphorical box whenever they weren't together, just as one put away a drunken night or shameful gambling loss? It seemed more ridiculous by the second.

She sent him a quick glance, noticed his lips curve in a small smile although he didn't return the look. Had she ever truly stopped thinking about him? No matter where he was, he had always been a part of her life. Her embarrassing, knee-jerk phone calls from Lane's before she broke it off where proof enough, but even before… Whenever something in her life happened, big or small, it had been Logan she'd told about first. Whenever there were decisions to make, it had been Logan she'd turned to for advice.

Logan was her person.

Only, he wasn't hers at all.

She sighed softly. For a Yale graduate she could be incredibly dumb. Instead of trying to figure out a way to fix them, she had kept him at arm's length with a stupid cop-out. Just because she wasn't woman enough to admit what she genuinely wanted. And now it was too late. Rory couldn't be the one to crash a wedding.

"How's your book coming along?" Logan asked, he first words spoken since they had started walking. By now, they had almost reached the shiny, golden Wynn Hotel & Casino.

Rory smiled at him. "I finished it about two weeks ago. Had a meeting with a publisher last week."

Logan's eyes lit up. "Ace, that's incredible! I always knew you could do it."

A warm, fuzzy feeling made its way into Rory's stomach. One side she loved most about Logan was how supportive he had always been. Whether it was just a side effect of him being stuck on his destined path in his family's business or simply his soft side for Rory showing, he had always supported her job decisions. No matter if they had the potential to turn into real success or not.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing that I managed to finish the project. Whether I'll publish it or not, that achievement is something no one can ever take away from me."

"What do you mean, if you'll publish it?" Logan sounded genuinely surprised. "You said you've already had a meeting with a publisher. Is Lorelai still opposed to the idea?"

Rory shook her head. "I don't think she's a hundred percent comfortable with the idea yet, but she won't stop me from publishing." Honestly, she had avoided talking to her Mom about the project at all, more due to her own doubts than Lorelai's. "I'm just not sure it's the right choice. Putting my whole life out in the open…"

"You sure that's not your mother's influence?" Logan questioned.

Rory could feel herself get defensive but forced herself to shake the feeling off. If writing the book had taught her one thing it was how big her mother's influence on her thoughts and decisions in life had actually been. The realization had been a painful one, but cathartic in a way. It had shown her clearly that no matter how much she loved her mother, she had to free herself from the subconscious question of "What would Lorelai want" and start learning to listen to her own heart. One thing she had always been best at when she was with Logan.

As Rory didn't reply, Logan added: "I don't want to be mean, but your mother can be a little…"

Rory knew he was searching for a word that would express his own thoughts without hurting her. But she understood. "I know, Logan. I love my mother, but I know now that our relationship has been a tad unhealthy at times." She sent him a lopsided smile. "I had a hard time writing some parts of the book, it was so painfully obvious in hindsight…" she winced.

"But you're glad you wrote it nonetheless." he stated.

Rory shrugged. "I think I'm glad I wrote it because it was hard. If nothing ever comes of it, I'll always cherish the life lessons it taught me."

She didn't say it, but in that moment, Rory was grateful that there was finally someone she could be open about these thoughts. Telling her mom was out of the question, for obvious reasons, same with Luke. Jess was supportive, but he was also a little too pushy, trying to get her to publish with Truncheon books. Lane had her own life with Zach and the boys, Paris had dismissed the idea of Rory writing a book with a mere twitching of her eyebrows, and Lucy and Olivia just weren't the kind of friends for such a topic.

"I'm glad, Ace." Logan's soft, warm voice felt like a comfortable blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She brushed her hand against his arm and sent him a loving smile.

"So, any further life plans if you don't end up publishing?"

Rory bit her lip. Concrete plans? No. A dream? Yes. "I'm not sure yet." Logan raised an eyebrow. Rory silently cursed him. He had a way of knowing when she wasn't speaking her mind. "Honestly, I loved the writing process. I'd love to try some fiction writing. You know, less pressure to hurt the real-life counterparts of my characters, and more freedom to explore their stories."

"So, a novel or something?" Logan summarized.

Rory shrugged, embarrassed by the confession. "Maybe. But I'm not sure if it's something I'd like to do for the rest of my life. It's not the most stable career out there…" she pointed out.

"Too uncertain a path for list-making, uber-planner Rory Gilmore?" Logan teased her.

Rory rolled her eyes at him good-heartedly before sighing. "At least I know by now where my future will certainly not lead me, though it's embarrassing how long it took me to realize. Journalism just isn't the right path for me. Although I hate to admit that your father was right."

Logan's protest came in a heartbeat. "I don't want to hear you say something like that ever again! Yes, journalism might not be your world, but that has nothing to do with my father's assessment of your abilities. Seriously Rory."

Though she was flattered by his way of defending her, Rory shook her head. "Really, Logan, it's okay. If I had what it takes in journalism, I would have made it by now. But not only were my dreams of becoming the next Christiane Amanpour way too big for me, I didn't even manage to make it at a small paper or news outlet. Admittedly, my dreams may have been exactly what stood in my way to start low and work myself up, but come on. Even you have to admit that what I have to show for myself after the last ten years is shamefully little."

Logan made a grimace but stayed silent. It was as good as a confirmation. And Rory was a tiny bit surprised herself that it didn't hurt. "Looks like the book was a real eye-opener." He instead remarked with an apologetic look.

Rory nodded enthusiastically. "It was. Now all I have to do is finally figure out what exactly it is that I want to do with my life."

Lightheartedly, Logan replied: "So, once again, you have all these open doors ahead of you."

Rory stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the sidewalk in front of The Venetian. There it was, a reminder of the maybe most decisive moment in their relationship, possibly her whole life. And not once in these past two years had any of them dared to mention it.

"Why now?" Rory whispered.

Logan turned towards her with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Ace. Guess it was just a Freudian slip."

Rory managed to look at him and rolled her eyes. "A Freudian slip? Really Logan? After two years of dead silence about the proposal, this is just a Freudian slip?"

Logan shrugged. "To be honest, Rory, I don't care why I said it. I'm serious. You're once again standing before me talking about a wide-open future. Can you blame me that I'm wondering if this time it will include me?"

"Include you?" Rory threw her arms up in frustration, causing some pedestrians to jump in surprise. "Logan, you're getting married in six days! How am I going to include you in anything?!"

Logan was unimpressed by her agitation. "Well, that I'm getting married is old news by now. Never kept you from me before." he pointed out.

Rory couldn't believe what she was hearing. That guy had a nerve. "Are you saying that what's happening between us is all up to me?"

"Yes." Logan managed to get her worked up even more with that single word.

"What the hell, Logan? You're really going to put this all on me? You're the one that's engaged!" By now, several people standing nearby sent the arguing couple curious looks, some more subtle, others clearly entertained by the public disagreement. Normally, this would have embarrassed Rory to no end, but she was too lost in her anger to even care.

"Ace, I'm not saying this to hurt you. But let's face it, what happened between us has always been your decision."

How he managed to stay this calm was beyond her. Surprisingly, it made her anger dissipate a little. What was the point in getting riled up when the other person was clearly unimpressed by it? "So, you're saying it has been my choice to be miserable all this time?"

This one finally caused a reaction from Logan, his face fell, and he was clearly hit by her revelation. "Have you been miserable?" he asked directly.

Rory lowered her eyes. She knew she couldn't put it all on him. The lack of a real job or home had played a huge part in her discontent. "Not when I've been with you." she admitted ruefully. "But the whole what happens in Vegas-thing…"

Logan groaned. "But we can both agree that this version of a relationship was your idea?" he reminded her.

Rory wanted to become irritated at him for pointing this out, but how could she when he was right? He had agreed to it, yes, but the idea had been hers alone. She had been so scared of a real commitment that she had kept him at bay. Obviously, he was right, she had chosen to be unhappy.

At her sad expression, Logan sighed. "Ace, I'm sorry. It isn't fair to blame it all on you. I could have said something instead of just going along with it."

As much as she appreciated his words, Rory was aware that she probably would have dismissed anything he had said. She had become a master at steering clear of any dangerous topics. With a deep breath, she started walking again, in deep need to get over the nervous energy their argument had caused. Logan joined her silently.

"Logan?" she addressed him after a few more minutes of silence.

"Hm?"

"I never asked why you returned to the family business." It wasn't an open question; he could easily avoid answering it by the way she had phrased it. But Rory desperately hoped he'd be honest with her. She felt like him returning to Huntzberger Publishing had closed any open doors he could have had in his own life.

Logan took his time to find the right words. "Why I returned isn't the hard question. I felt like I had reached a dead end in my job in San Francisco, the company was established, and I had fallen into a routine. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't why I had been so enthusiastic about the job when I had started. Around the same time, my grandfather passed away and my father approached me for help. Mitchum really asked me for help. He actually admitted that he had a hard time keeping up his work without my grandfather's guidance. So I decided to quit the job in California and come back, temporarily, to help out."

Rory understood his motives. She knew that no matter how strained the relationship of the two Huntzberger men had been, deep down Logan had a deep longing for his father's approval. She could only imagine what Mitchum asking his son for help had meant to him.

Nonetheless, she asked: "And what is the hard question?"

Logan winced when he admitted: "Why I stayed." He took a deep breath. "I came back to help and to figure out my next steps. And before I knew, I was back in so deep in the business and the family world, that I couldn't leave anymore."

Rory had a feeling he also meant his engagement with Odette by this, but she chose not to ask. "Would you want to leave?" she dared to ask after a while.

Logan thought about her question for a long time. "A wide-open future sounds tempting. I'm just not sure it's in the books for me."