One Week Later. . .

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Honor said as Logan walked into the expansive kitchen. She was standing in the door of the huge stainless steel refrigerator , staring aimlessly. "I hate it when I tell the maid that I'm on a diet. I don't want carrot sticks, I want a Twix bar."

"Why didn't you tell me Honor?" He asked.

"That I'm on a diet?" she joked. "It's the South Beach diet. Josh and I are going to Cancun in . . ."

Logan crossed his hands in front of his chest. "Rory came to see me."

She shut the fridge. "I didn't tell you because It wasn't mine to tell."

Logan sighed. He pulled out a stool from under the marble island. "I have a daughter Honor. A daughter! I'm the parent of a five year old that I've never met."

Honor sat down next to him, with a small tray of carrot sticks. "Poor thing looks just like you too."

Logan arched his brows inquisitively. "You saw her?"

"A picture of her. She's all you. Rory didn't show you?"

He shrugged. "We didn't really get around to trading last year's Christmas Cards if you know what I'm saying."

"That bad?"

" We yelled, we screamed, I threw a glass. Honor, I was totally blindsided."

"I just don't understand. . . Why would she keep this from you? I understand that she thought it would ruin your life, but you don't just keep someone's kid a secret from them."

"I never want to see Rory Gilmore again."

"You want to be in your daughter's life right?" Honor asked, offering Logan a carrot stick.

Logan took one, fiddling with it in his hand instead of eating it. "Of course."

"Well baby brother, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Rory Gilmore is in your life for good."

"She kept my child from me. My child! I just. . . I can't believe she would do this."

Honor pushed the carrots away, making a face. "I cannot believe it either. Rory was my favorite girlfriend of yours. Never in a million years would I think she would do this."

"She was your favorite?" Logan asked, slightly surprised.

Honor nodded. "Of course."

"But you and Odette got along so well. . . "

"Because you had made your choice, or at least I thought you had, and Odette was going to be my sister-in-law so I might as well try to get along with her. Honestly, every time she called you 'Loagie' I wanted to gag."

Logan shuddered, remembering Odette's pet name for him. "It made me feel like a toddler."

Honor smirked. "I am curious though. Why did you agree to this 'Vegas arrangement?'"

Logan shrugged. "I love. . . loved her. Having Rory secretly in my life at random, sporadic intervals, just seemed better than not having Rory in my life at all. I know it sounds stupid, especially after what she did, but I really did love her."

"It doesn't sound stupid. I know how much you loved her. Don't you remember me flying out to California to scrape your drunk, crying self off the bathroom floor a few weeks after she turned down your proposal?"

"Oof. I try to forget that."

"Any other girl you'd be out having rebound sex, or jumping off a cliff or something."

Logan lowered his eyes. "Rory was different."

"No matter what happens, Please don't let her get you to that point again. Please? Call me. Go back to therapy, just do something besides lay there and wallow. It was scary seeing you like that."

Logan nodded. "No worries. I'm only in it for my daughter."

Honor smiled. "Your daughter. Man that's crazy to hear. I can't believe I have a niece."

"I know. Mom's going to die when she learns she finally has a granddaughter." The whole time he and Odette had been engaged, his mother had gone on and on about how she hoped that Odette would finally bring her forth a granddaughter.

"Oh my God, you have to tell mom and dad." Honor gasped.

Logan turned white as a sheet. "Oh my God, I have to tell mom and dad."

...

"Mommy can I go play on the monkey bars now?" Orie asked, scrunching her face up into a hopeful smile.

Rory glanced over at her sandwich. "You barely ate anything."

"Can I pleeeeeeaaassse just go to the monkey bars? I'm not hungry." the kindergartener whined.

"Not hungry? She certainly doesn't get that from the Gilmores." A familiar voice boomed from behind them.

"JESS!" Orie squealed, running over to hug him.

He ruffled Orie's hair. "Hey Orie!"

Orie turned to Rory. "Mommy I have to go to the monkey bars now! I have to show Jess my Triple double mega flip!"

Rory sighed. "Just be careful."

"Man mom you are the coolest." Jess said, sliding onto the side of the picnic table next to Rory.

Rory swatted at him. "Very funny."

"Triple double mega flip huh?" Jess asked, motioning towards Orie.

"Jess, she's going to be the death of me. She is fearless! She isn't afraid of anything. She's just like. . . " she trailed off, but Jess knew exactly who she meant.

"Jess! Uncle Jess! Are you watching?" Orie, who was now hanging upside down on the monkey bars, was screeching.

"Of course I am kiddo." He called.

Jess stole one of Rory's chips, going completely unnoticed by her. "Ok Gilmore, what's wrong?"

Rory glanced over at him, her big blue eyes full of sadness. "Huh? nothing."

"I just stole one of your chips. I very vividly remember almost losing a finger or two last time I did that. So what's got you all wrapped up?"

"Just life." she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh come on save the act and just tell me." he replied, stealing another chip.

"Jess, did it ever bother you growing up without your dad?"

"Is this about him?" Jess sneered, unable to even say Logan's name out loud.

"I mean, My dad wasn't around completely, but at least he was. . . around."

"Orie is fine. She has you, and Lorelai, Luke, your grandmother. She has me. All the crazies of this podunk town. They've all sort of adopted her. She won't even know he's missing."

"He would have been a great dad."

Jess snorted. "That's debatable."

"This isn't what I imagined ya know? Almost forty and living in Stars Hollow, Taylor my landlord, still roaming the halls of Chilton, worrying about who's going to take my daughter to the father daughter dance."

"Taylor owns half the town. He's everybody's landlord. Yeah, Chilton is not your dream job, but you love it don't you? You can also pick up writing your book again. Also, I'm not that far away. All you have to do is call me and I'll be there in a limo to take Orie to the father daughter dance.. I'll even wear a tie. . . but only for Orie."

"I just always pictured coming home from my job at the New York Times or Washington Post, to a husband in the backyard, grilling hamburgers, and playing catch with our kids."

Jess scooted closer to Rory. "Do you remember what I said that night we spent together in New York . ."

Rory grew cold. She was not in the mood for this conversation. Not again. "That was a long time ago."

Rory thought back to that night, all those years ago. She had been elbow deep in Potty Training and Peppa Pig when Jess had surprised her with tickets to a Broadway show. He had even arranged it with Luke and Lorelai to watch Orie overnight so they didn't have to rush back to the city. Rory, intoxicated on her first bit of free time since Orie had been born, along with one too many glasses of pink wine, had crawled into bed with Jess. One thing had led to another, and before she knew it, they were naked in a tangle of sheets. "I love you" Jess had said afterwards, stroking her hair. "We could be a family, you know? Me, you, and Orie." Rory had broken down in tears, her attempt at "moving on" from Logan failing miserably. They had leaned on each other over the years, a source of comfort and familiarity, but Rory had made it very clear that she was not interested in a serious commitment.

"I still mean everything I said." Jess replied, placing his hand on Rory's knee.

Rory felt her face flush. "Jess, I saw Logan last week."

Jess quickly removed his hand, his intentions quickly dissipating. "You saw him?"

"I. . . I ran into him in New York."

Jess' face quickly faded into a deep scowl. "Eight billion people in the city and you still run into Huntzberger."

"He wasn't too happy to see me."

"Well I'm not too happy that you had to see him. Is he trying to contact you now? Did he ask about Orie?"

Rory shook her head. She swallowed hard, knowing this conversation was inevitable "Jess. . . there's something. . . I. . .I need to tell you something."

Just then Orie came running over, her cheeks bright red, sweat beading across her forehead. "Uncle Jess? Would you help me climb that rock wall? I want to jump off of it like they do on American Ninja Warrior."

Jess stood up. "Of course." he turned towards Rory. "We can finish this later. I promised Luke I'd close up the diner for him, so he could take your mom to the showing of Casablanca at the Black, White, and Read. I'll swing by your mom's after."

Rory picked at her sandwich, suddenly not hungry. "Ok, see you then."

…

"I saw Logan last week." Those words had haunted Jess all day. Rory and he had grown closer since Orie was born, but Jess knew he never stood a chance when it came against Huntzberger. After all, Rory had never been fully invested in her and Jess' relationship,part of her still hung up on that rich pompous jerk. Would Logan try to come back into Rory's life? Surely Rory wouldn't make Orie suffer through the mental gymnastics and heartache that came with Logan Huntzberger would she?

Jess slammed the mop onto the floor, and began to scrub the floor of the diner. He had been reluctant to close up for Luke, Having other ways to spend a Friday night than catering to the kooky characters of Stars Hollow. However, as he mopped, mulling over his thoughts, he was glad he had some time to blow off some steam before he met up with Rory. He was irrationally angry, he knew Rory didn't owe him anything. However it still hurt that she couldn't see what was right in front of her.

He was almost done when someone knocked on the door to the diner. "We're closed" he bellowed, not in the mood for pleasantries. Whoever was there was obscured by the shadows casted by the street light.

The person knocked again, ignoring Jess. Jess sighed, throwing the mop into the bucket. He trudged over to the door, messing up his freshly mopped floors. "This better be good." Jess called out, wondering who it could be. It was probably Taylor coming by to rant about something, or Babette wanting some bagels for her and Morey's midnight snack.

Jess threw open the door, a little harder than he meant to, sending the little silver bell above the door into a loud, ringing tizzy. Suddenly, Jess was glad that he had thrown the door open so brashly, as an anger he had not felt since he was a teenager washed over him. Standing on the other side of the door was none other than Logan Huntzberger.

"I'm looking for Rory." he said solemnly, but Jess couldn't hear him over the sounds of his own ragged breathing, his pulse thumping loudly in his ears. His vision blurred, his temples throbbed, and before he knew what he was doing, his fist was throwing out a punch that landed squarely on Logan's jaw.

A/N: I know this is kind of a lot of Jess, but I promise you this is crucial to the story. There will be lots of Rory and Logan interaction to come, Please just stick with me!