Logan grabbed a bottle of champagne and quickly followed Rory through the glass door that led to a garden. It was dark outside so he took some time to adjust his eye sight. He found her sitting in a white bench.

"Hey,"

She looked up.

"I'm okay." She said.

"That's great, but I didn't ask," he replied cockily.

She chuckled.

"I just needed a fresh air,"

"Me too. And I heard Francine Hayden grew one of the best gardens across the state,"

"You're a terrible liar,"

"Why Miss Gilmore. That is a serious accusation, you may expect to hear from my lawyer,"

"Your lawyer likes me more than he likes you, I would very much like to hear from him,"

"He missed you too," Logan confirmed.

"Yeah, I knew the kids will all be under you custody after the separation, but I still miss them sometimes,"

Logan laughed. They did feel like his and Rory's kids sometimes, Finn even called her 'Mother'.

"What about their dad? Did you miss him too sometimes?"

"You mean you? Come on Peter Pan, you couldn't possibly label yourself as the Dad! If anything you're more like a naughty uncle who keeps getting them in trouble,"

"Wait, this just turned into a bad porn movie called Naughty Uncle banging Mother," he scrunched.

"You think there'll be a sufficient audience for that?" She laughed.

"I can't speak for the others, but I would buy a front row ticket for that show if you played it,"

"Stop!" Rory laughed and swatted his arm but stopped mid air. Logan turned his head towards her. She's had this surprised look with a really wide eye and a slightly opened mouth. Logan fought the urge to feel those lips with his own lips.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"For what?"

"I don't know. Go along with the joke and pretending that we're okay. I don't want to give you the impression that we can be friends,"

"I don't understand, Rory. Why can't we be friends?"

"Because we aren't. We never were and will never be. I might not be the best in dating but I know what your true intentions are,"

"You know?" Logan acted surprised.

"Stop joking! Be serious for once..."

"Rory, you're the only person in this world that can make me be serious. I'm as serious as a heart attack! You needed a friend right now, and I will be your friend. I will be anything that you want me to be, Rory..." he really is pathetic.

Rory looked at him intensely, she opened her mouth to speak but Logan quickly cut her off,

"Just don't ask me to stay away. Because I can't, Rory. You have to understand, I can't stay away. I walked away from you once and it nearly killed me, literally. I was admitted for alcohol poisoning more times than Dean and Sam Winchester died and come back alive, and my LDB acts were getting more dangerous, the kids had to cut me off... I cannot go through that again, Rory..."

Her eyes were sympathetic.

"I'll have to think about it. It wasn't easy for me too, Logan. In fact, it was really really hard. You have no idea. I can't go through that again too," she said with a heavy tone of despair and fear.

"What happened, Rory? Tell me,"

"Maybe someday I will," she gave a small sad grin.

He had to accept that. This is more than she gave yesterday, meaning that they're making progress. That's good enough for now.

"So, Lorelai got hitched, huh?" He decided to change the subject.

"Twice. This is the second time she married Dad without even telling me. I thought we were best friends. But apparently, not best enough for her to include me in her little shenanigans. I mean, twice Logan! I wasn't invited, I wasn't even informed. The first time they sat me down and let me know before they announce it to the world, but this time, this time I'm as ordinary as those people. Classic Lorelai! And now she's got her forever partner in crime at her side, which is Chris! Those two are troublemakers! Who know what trouble they might get into now that they're together. The last epic scandal they made was me!" She rambled.

Logan laughed. Half because of how she depicted her parents as two troubled teenagers and her as the fruit of the trouble, and half because he felt relieved she had told his what's been bothering her now. That's her first ramble to him since they met again, she must be getting comfortable.

"If anything, you are not a scandal. And you most certainly not a fruit of a trouble," he assured her.

"The last time they got married I was hurt. But this time, this time I'm pissed! They are adults, hell they're going to hit menopausal age some time soon. How come they still act like teenagers? Can't they act like adults or parents for once?"

"Breathe," Logan reminded her.

"I am all she's got. She's all I got. It was us against the world. She said it was enough, both of us are enough. But then grandpa and grandma came along and they were there and I got attached and now they're gone. That's why I couldn't get myself too close to Grandma Francine, because she might be gone too, you know? And Dad, well... he's Dad. He comes and goes as he pleases. So it was supposed to be her that I have. But I wasn't even invited to the Wedding, and I'm so pissed! And who knows how long they will stay married now, the last time they were married it was only lasted for three months and I lost communication with Dad for months after,"

Logan took her hand and squeezed it.

"I know it sucks. I have my own crappy parents," he said.

She scoffed.

"At least you always know where to find them,"

"Why would I want to find them? To get criticized? I'm not a masochist, that man can throw some sick critics, Joan Rivers should learn one thing or two from him,"

Rory smiled.

"That's the smile. You know you have a great smile, you should smile more, your smile can brighten up somebody's day,"

"You're cheesy, Logan."

"What? Nobody ever told you that? Hmm, are they blind?"

"You're crazy,"

"Now that is a fact that some people likes to point out," he grinned.

"I don't know how we'll do this, Logan..."

"Don't overthink it, Rory. Just go with the flow,"

"But going with the flow was what got me in this the first time!"

He smiled confidently.

"You were counting on it," she stated after reading his smug demeanor.

"I have some tricks in my sleeves,"

She leaned at the bench and put her hand on her forehead.

"I beg you, Logan. Just leave me alone, I can't do this... there are too much at stake,"

"Why did we come back to this? I told you, Rory. I can't stay away,"

"Because you left, Logan. You left just like everyone else in my life. You left after gave me a promise you would stay forever, you gave me a rocket but you left anyway. You promised at least forty years but you couldn't even give me a year. So forgive me if I can't trust you this time,"

It was like a thunder had struck him. He did. He did broke his promises to her.

"Rory, I..."

"You left for ten years, Logan. You said you can't stay away, but you'd stayed away for ten years. Why can't you just keep doing what you did for ten years and stay the hell away?"

"Because I didn't stay away, Rory. I kept track of your works, even when I was in another continent. I looked for you everywhere, people won't talk to me and I was too afraid to talk to your family again. I admit, I spent almost a year drowning in sorrow, blaming everyone and everything and shutting myself out from everything that can remind me of you,"

His eyes focused into something out there, but his mind wandered, recalling the memories that he was usually scoop under the carpet.

"But when I regained my sanity, I started to see things from different perspective and I realized all the things that I did wrong and I came to the conclusion that I caused us apart. I did that," he paused to inhaled. His breaths were sharp. "That was when I started to look for you, tried to find information about you. But the ship had long sailed. My friends have no idea about you or how to reach you, your friends won't talk to me about you. I called the Gilmore Residence but the line was inactive, I didn't know they passed away, Rory I swear. And then I called the Dragonfly Inn but I chickened out. I went to Stars Hollow a few times when I came to Hartford. I knew it was a slim chance of us bumping into each other, but I did it anyway. I went to Luke's one time but Jess was there, and he and Luke threw me out before I even say anything. This was a few months before I went to London. The night before my flight I called Lorelai, and she told me to leave you alone. Kinda similar to what you keep telling me. With that, I moved to another country, telling myself to move on. But I couldn't Rory," his voice was shattered.

"Everyday I told myself to get over you, but everyday I end my day scouring the internet for pieces of you. The highlight of my day was always when I found an article you wrote. I read them in your voice, in your tones... it was like you read them to me. I know it was small, and pathetic, and I looked like an obsessed crazy ex boyfriend, but I needed whatever small friction of you that I could find,"

He dared himself to look at Rory the first time after he started the story. She looked tormented. The pain in her eyes made him had to practice top level self control to stop himself grabbing her into his arms and kiss the pain away.

It felt like forever but she finally said, "I don't know what to say, Logan. You went through a lot. And I'm proud of who you've become..."

He beamed. "I love hearing you say it. Truth be told I came to the phase that I don't care what other people think of me, but you. Your approval, you being proud, I means everything to me,"

Nice one, Huntzberger. It's not even a day after you met again but you already lay yourself bare. Might as well tell her you love her and sent her running down the hill.

"What you've achieved you did it by yourself, for yourself. You don't need anybody's approval, especially not me. I can't be in your life, Logan. The last time, it destroyed me. I can't go there again,"

He felt like he swallowed a bug. It's getting difficult for him to breathe. He panicked, trying to find a quick reason to make her understand that he has to be in her life, and her in his.

"Rory, I was destroyed too. But we were both destroyed because we separated. This is ten years later, Rory. We've grown up. We know better now. We can do it better now. We can prevent being separated, we'll do it better now!" There. He practically beg for her to accept him.

The silence was sickening. He could hear his own heart beating.

"I can't. I'm sorry, Logan. I can't do it to myself,"

"Why Rory? Why couldn't you just tell me what happened and I can fix it?"

"I can't. This is beyond your power, and you wouldn't be able to fix it this time," her voice was soft, distant, and foreign.

"Don't you love me anymore?"

"Love is something I avoid nowadays," she replied coldly.

She patted his thigh then took her leave, left him stunned in the middle of her grandmother's garden, watching his world crumble as she crushed his hopes with one simple sentence.