Rory slept nearly the entire flight and did not wake up until the flight attendant lightly tapped her shoulder to let her know they were beginning their descent into Hartford. She looked out the window and thought about all the changes in her life that had happened in the past eight days. She told Logan about the baby, they got back together, they got engaged, she got a job and she agreed to move to London. She had SO much to do – and SO many lists to make. Rory was concerned – maybe she dreamed the whole thing? She glanced down at her left hand and admired her engagement ring. She smiled and sighed, thinking about her beloved Logan in London. The flight attendant was passing by and smiled at Rory gazing at her new ring.

The British woman asked Rory, "Are congratulations in order?"

Rory beamed at her and replied, "Yes! Thank you! We got engaged this week."

"That's so exciting, Dear. Best wishes to you both," the flight attendant offered. She flashed her own engagement and wedding ring. "I hope you are as happy as I am with my Chester!"

Rory smiled at her and asked, "Have you and Chester been married long?"

The woman replied, "Thirty years next month. It's gone by so fast. Try to cherish every moment and take many photos."

"That's good advice. Thank you! Any other tips?" Rory asked in earnest. "By the way, I'm Rory." She extended her hand to the lady.

The lady shook her hand and said, "Liz. Nice to meet you, Rory!" She sat in the seat next to Rory to chat. "Well, let me see…. I would advice you to make sure you keep your own interests and hobbies. Continue to do the unique things that you love no matter what. Some women will drop everything to make more time for their husband, but I think that's a mistake. You need things that are just for you."

Rory nodded. "Great! I will definitely remember that." She smiled. "What else?"

Liz pursed her lips and said, "Make sure to keep in touch with your friends and relatives. Especially your female friends and relatives. You need your ladies."

Rory nodded, "Thank you, Liz. It's been a pleasure to meet you! Would you tell me: how did you get into this line of work? It seems fascinating!"

They talked and talked until they landed. Rory was the only passenger on the private jet so there wasn't anyone else to worry about or check on. Safety checks had been done already so they just relaxed and talked about life, marriage, and careers. Rory asked for her email address so they could stay in touch.

Once Rory deplaned, she grabbed her luggage and headed to the curbside pickup to look for Lorelai. Logan wanted to arrange for a driver for Rory, but Lorelai insisted that she had to pick up her kid at the airport.

Instead of Lorelai's Jeep, Rory spied Luke and his truck.

"Luke!" Rory called to him to get his attention.

"Hey, Rory," Luke said as he walked over to her and took her suitcase handle from her. "How are you? Are you feeling okay?"

Rory wrapped Luke in a hug that he wasn't expecting. He acquiesced and hugged her back with his free hand. "I'm good, Luke. I'm having morning sickness, but I'm good. Thanks for asking." She tilted her head slightly, hoping that he would explain why he was there instead of her mother. But he didn't seem to offer so she would have to ask. "So….. where's Mom?"

Luke sighed and said, "Yeah, sorry. Your mom is tied up at the inn. Michel is out sick, and she didn't have anyone else, so she had to stay." Luke lifted her luggage into the truck and opened the door for Rory to climb into the passenger side. Once he made sure she was in safe, he closed her door and walked around to the other side.

Once Luke climbed into the driver side and started the truck, Rory started making small talk. "So, Luke…. How's married life? Is it any different than before?"

Luke grinned at her, "Well, we've been on our trip and just got back. Its hard to determine if regular homelife will be different, but I don't think so. Your mom is, well your mom. Ya know?"

Rory smirked at what Luke said. "Yeah, I do know. Thanks for coming to get me. Its good to see you." She remembered to text Logan and let him know that she landed safe and was on her way to 'The Hollow'.

"Rory, its good to see you too." Luke stared at the road ahead for a few minutes. "Hey, you know I'm not good with words," he glanced at her, "But I'm glad for you. Are you happy?"

Rory nodded emphatically, "Luke, I am SO happy! Thank you."

Luke was thoughtful for a minute and then asked, "So…. Logan, huh?"

Rory pursed her lips, bracing for whatever was next. "Yep. You remember Logan, right?"

Luke nodded. "I do remember him – barely. But I remember that he adored you." Luke paused again and finally said, "Look, I know it isn't my place, but I want to say something and I hope you don't mind."

Rory frowned but said, "Go ahead, Luke."

"Rory, people love to offer opinions on relationships – just like I'm doing now, I guess." Rory smirked at his joke then he continued. "Do what you want and what Logan wants. Don't pay much attention to what other people say. They will say good things and bad things and at the end of the day, you're engaged to Logan because you want a life with him each other – not with any of those other people. I hope I'm making sense."

Rory reached across and squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Luke. I appreciate it. I'm sorry Mom couldn't make it, but I'm so glad we had a chance to talk."

Luke nodded. "Me too. You know, if someone said that same thing to us, your Mom and I might not have wasted so much time."

Rory nodded and smiled as she looked down and read Logan's text reply. It said, "I'm glad you made it safely. And I have no idea how I'm going to sleep without you tonight."

Luke took Rory to the house in Star's Hollow before he went back to the diner. Rory was supposed to meet her mom at the diner in two hours, so she decided to rest a little before they got together. She lay down on her bed and then looked around her childhood bedroom. She smiled as she thought about the last time Logan was there with her. It was the weekend of the Spring Fling and the Hay Bale Maze. She was on the verge of graduating. She and Logan spent the weekend with Lorelai. They arrived in the morning, just as Lorelai was leaving for work. Logan got a twinkle in his eye as he saw Rory in her old room and just had to have her. As soon as Lorelai left, he sat on her bed and coaxed her to join him. She asked him, "What?" and he replied, "Why don't you come over here and find out?" in a particularly husky voice. She teased him, recognizing his tone immediately. She knew what he was after and started walking over to him slowly. "Here? Where THE Rory Gilmore used to sleep?" They were probably naked before Lorelai was out of the driveway. She remembered that time as being very sweet and snuggly, but also sexy and romantic. She smiled to herself, just thinking about Logan being here in her room with her. She missed him so much already – it was going to feel like a very long time before she saw Logan again.

Rory started to relax and close her eyes for a minute when she heard a knock at the door. She didn't bother with shoes and went to the door in her socks. She opened it without checking to see who was on the other side. She opened the door to see Jess standing there. He looked fantastic and smelled even better. Jess really seemed to embrace adulthood. He was responsible, successful, and seemed to spend some time in the gym. He grinned at her as she opened the door with surprise. "Hi, Rory," he said as he handed her a bunch of flowers – brightly colored daisies. "Welcome back."

Rory accepted the flowers. "Thanks, Jess. I'm sorry I didn't text you back."

Jess shrugged. "That's okay. I figured we could talk in person."

Rory had a feeling that this wasn't just a friendly visit – but it was hard to tell. The flowers were daisies, not roses or something. Daisies could mean anything, right? They could only mean 'welcome home', right?

Rory pursed her lips but gathered her courage and said, "So, a lot has happened since I last saw you…"

Jess interrupted and blurted out, "I had a great time with you at the wedding. Could we have a real date some time soon? I'd love to take you to dinner and talk." He stepped closer to her and reached out to rub her arm as he spoke.

Rory was overwhelmed. If 16-year-old Rory could see her now: two gorgeous guys declaring their feelings for her within a matter of days. Both guys are brilliant and sexy – and she needed to be straight with Jess. Now.

Rory gulped and said, "Jess, let's sit." She walked over to the wicker couch on the porch and sat down. He sat next to her and waited. "I have news. Great news and a lot of it!"

Jess smiled at her and raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? What's up?"

Rory gave him a sheepish grin. "Well, to start off, I got a job. I'm a columnist for Time Out and I'm moving to London."

Jess leaned over and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you," she replied. "There's more."

"More?" he asked.

She smiled, "Yep. I'm expecting and I'm getting married."

His eyes widened. "Like EXPECTING expecting?"

She nodded and chuckled. "Yes. I'm about nine weeks along." She touched her still-flat stomach and smiled as her ring glinted in the late afternoon sun.

Jess noticed her diamond and gestured to the ring. "Wow, you weren't kidding about being engaged. Who's the lucky guy?"

Rory took a deep breath. "By any chance, do you remember Logan?"

Jess furrowed his brow as he racked his brain for a Logan. Then he frowned. "You don't mean the blond dick from Yale?"

She stifled a laugh. "Same guy." She nodded. "Jess, I've been in love with him since I was 19. It's not going away. I think you would be friends if you gave him a chance. You actually have a lot in common."

Jess looked away for a minute and then back at her. "And you're happy? Truly happy?" She nodded. "You're not doing this because you're pregnant, though, right?"

"No, definitely not because I'm pregnant. I'm so completely, deliriously happy." She was giddy with her announcement.

Jess gave her an exaggerated mock-sigh. "I have the WORST timing!" She giggled at his soap-opera quality declaration.

"Nah, just bad luck." She teased him. "But thank you again for the flowers." He nodded at her statement, and she had another thought. "So, Logan will be here in a few days. Do you want to have dinner with us? It might be awkward at first, but I want you two to get to know each other. He's great, I promise."

Jess sighed. "Can I think about it?

She nodded. "Sure."

After talking for a while longer, Jess and Rory walked to the diner to meet Luke and Lorelai for dinner.

After dinner, Rory headed to Hartford to see Paris. She knew she needed to tell Paris in person, and she wanted to do it alone. Paris needed to get all the negativity out while it was just the two of them, so that she could go back to her low level of hostility before she was in Logan's presence again.

Rory borrowed Lorelai's Jeep for the evening as she sold her Prius years ago. New York was no place for a car, and she could use the cash, so it was an easy decision.

She decided that music would be good, so she began flipping radio stations until she found something that she could sing along with. Off-key singing always helped her pass the time while driving, so she settled on a station playing an old Hootie and the Blowfish song.

Things were going fine during her drive. She glanced at the clock on the radio and noticed that she would be ten minutes early to meet Paris. She was thrilled to see her friend again and share the good news.

There was no traffic that night, as it was a weeknight and people tended to already be where they were going at this time of night. The temperature was dropping fast, and she didn't notice a large patch of ice that covered the road until it was too late. The four-wheel drive on the Jeep was no match for the iceberg size piece of frozen highway. She steered into the skid, like she was always taught but it didn't help. The Jeep slid off the road and tipped over on its side as the shoulder of the road turned into gravel then frozen grass within a split second. The now-sideways Jeep slid on its side for many yards before it crashed into a large tree.