"Logan!" Rory called from the steps of Logan's swanky New York Brownstone. She had been camped out for hours, waiting on Logan. In the week she had been back from her grandmother's he had been elusive, and she was determined to talk to him.
Logan glanced at her, his expression stoic and numb.
Rory stood up, brushing off her pants. "I've tried calling you. . . I even stopped by your office, but they said you weren't in."
"Oh I know." Logan snapped as he unlocked the door.
Rory's stomach dropped, he had been ignoring her. "I. . . I'd really like to talk to you."
"Now you want to talk? When we needed to talk, you ran."
His face twisted as he spoke, his eyes downtrodden and full of despair. Rory's throat tightened, pain shot through her chest like white lightning, hating herself more and more. "I'm sorry."
"YOU'RE SORRY?! You think you can just come back and say you're sorry, and make it all better?" Logan said, his voice cracking.
"Logan please. I know I messed up. I was just scared and I ran. I ran from you . . . from our relationship. . . "
"Our relationship? What relationship? If you would have just given me a minute to explain, you would have found out that my father had those papers drawn up months ago, yet I never acted on them. I gave you my word that I'd never try to take her from you. If you can't trust me, what kind of relationship do we even have?!"
"I'm not good at these things! Trust? Love? They're all abstract. . . faith based. I need concrete, clear cut, black and white. All this wishy washy, deciphering feelings stuff has me lost! I'm trying Logan, I really am. I've had countless people turn their backs on their word, I'm still learning how to really trust someone. I knew you'd never take her from me. . . that you'd never fight for custody. I ran because of what was happening between us. . . what we were starting again. I ran because I was scared."
Logan's head whipped up. "You're scared? If anything, I'm the one who should be scared. Rory, she's MY daughter just as much as she is yours. You took her and you ran. You didn't tell anyone where you were. I had no idea where she was, or when I'd see her again. So I'm sorry if a custody agreement doesn't sound like too bad an idea right now!"
"Logan, I'd never keep her from you. . ."
"YOU KEPT HER FROM ME THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF HER LIFE!" He shouted, no longer caring that they were on his front porch, neighbors gawking as they put their problems on display for the whole neighborhood to see.
Rory's face dropped, defeated.
Logan stepped inside the house. "Rory, I'm done blaming myself. You ran from me so many times, I don't know what to expect. You say you trust me, but I don't believe you."
His words were abrasive and honest, stabbing Rory in the chest. Sheclosed her eyes as she choked back tears, her eyes stinging as the tears pooled beneath her lids. "Logan. . ."
Logan shook his head. "I think you need to leave."
He slammed the door shut without another word, and Rory collapsed onto the stairs, finally letting her tears flow.
…
One month later
Rory sat on her porch, trying to let the quiet of the cool night keep her thoughts from consuming her. Despite trying to avoid being alone with her thoughts, lately she had found herself seeking solace on her porch. Winter was creeping into Stars Hollow, making people and their endless chatter scarce. She hadn't been in a very social mood lately, she could only take so many sorrowful looks and pats on the back. In the past month she had become quite the hermit. She sat, watching the brittle blue sky fade. The hazy gray and blue was fading to a deep plum, opaque clouds illuminated with the pink light of the setting sun.
Rory caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of her eye, someone in a black wool coat and matching toboggan.
Her head whipped around at breakneck speed. "Jess?"
Jess stepped onto the porch. "Geeze Gilmore don't look so happy to see me."
"I'm sorry. I just thought you were. . . "
"Logan?" he asked, the slight pain evident in his eyes.
Rory's face fell. "I'm sorry. It's just been a rough few weeks and. ." tears erupted, silently sliding down her face.
"Hey now! Here, sit down." Jess said cooly, lowering Rory down onto the steps. "What's going on? Last time I heard you two were head over heels."
"I've. . . I've ruined everything." She sobbed, leaning onto his shoulder as he sat down next to her. "I've finally screwed it up for good. . . he won't talk to me. . . he won't answer my calls. . . he even picks Orie up from my mom's so he doesn't have to see me."
He wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her tight. "Rory, he loves you. He may be mad right now, but the man loves you. He'll come around. "
"Not this time." She sniffled.
He pushed her away. "What happened to that starry eyed, fairytales do come true, see the good in everything girl I met all those years ago?"
"She ran away instead of facing her problems like an adult." Rory spat, still ashamed of her actions.
"You're not alone. I know someone who had a great girl and instead of facing his problems he hopped a bus to California and didn't tell her. Just talk to him, Rory."
Big, fat tears continued to fall down Rory's face. "I've tried talking to him. It's always something Jess. His parents, Our Jobs, Odette, my stubbornness, Something's always standing in the way. Why can't Logan and I make it? Why is there always some obstacle?"
Jess wiped away a tear as it slid down her cheek. He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I want you to listen to me. Love isn't easy. People tend to think that once you find the person you're supposed to be with, that it's happily ever after. That's not the case. You have to work hard at it. Every day. It's a full time job. But Rory? A love like yours and Logan's? Spanning over all these years, and continents, and life? I'd work overtime for that. The way your face lights up when he's around. The sparkle in your eye, the blush in your cheeks, It's always been him since the moment he walked in your life. "
Rory nodded, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "I. . . I'm sorry if I ever led you on. . . or hurt you." she whispered softly.
Jess shrugged. ""I was just the consolation prize. We both knew that."
Rory hugged him once more. "I'm so sorry."
Jess gave her one more quick squeeze. "Losing you to him doesn't hurt as bad, because I know you two are meant to be together. Soul mates and what not. Who am I to get in the middle of that?"
Rory rested her head on his shoulder, crying softly.
"He wanted me to give you. . . " Jess reached into the leather messenger bag, pulling out a book. "This."
Rory glanced down at the book. "Gilmore Girls" was emblazoned across the cover in smooth white lettering.
"That's . . . that's. . . "
"Your book." Jess finished for her. "I've got a pretty hefty contract to go with it."
Rory was flabbergasted. "Logan gave you this?"
"He brought it to me a little while back. He said he got his dream, so it's only fair that you get to have your dream too."
Tears formed in Rory's eyes. "He got his dream?"
"Ending up with you."
Rory's stomach twisted as if she were punched in the gut. Her heart was ripped open once again, it's edges so ragged she was sure it could never be whole again. "He said that?"
Jess nodded. "He's right too, you deserve this. It's time you lived your dreams."
"I'm not so sure I deserve it."
" You didn't bust your butt at Yale to spend your days in some snoozy little town, teaching prepositions to uninterested teenagers. I know you've made mistakes, but you deserve good things Rory."
Rory hugged him again. She smoothed her hand over the shiny cover of her book. "I can't believe it's finally real."
"That's just a mock up cover. Once you sign the contract, we can talk to the design team and . . ."
"Wait! You were serious about the contract?" Rory clammered.
Jess patted the bag next to him. "Truncheon books would like to publish you."
"I . . . I can't." Rory objected.
" Look, I know we're not Random house, or Penguin or a big name like that, but we're growing. Emma, our newest partner, read your whole book in one night. She said she couldn't put it down. The last book she said that about? "Just Imagine" by Caroline McCormick. It's currently number twelve on the New York Best Sellers list."
"Jess, I would love for Truncheon books to publish my book. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. I just can't sign the contract yet, because it's not finished."
"It's not?"
She shook her head. "Can you watch Orie? I've got to go fix the ending."