Great Timing, ch 4

Extenuating Circumstances

A/N: This chapter is being posted by Chaosti's ghost. Chaosti was innocently browsing through a Gilmore Girls website when she came across a particularly distressing piece of news. She found out that there wasn't going to be another new episode of Gilmore Girls for over a month and promptly died at the thought of having to live without Logan for that long. The memorial service will be held at St. John's Cemetery and Matt Czuchry is not expected to attend.

"Rory?" The blond asked.

Rory was having difficulty processing the fact that she was seeing this person from her old life walking in to her new life.

"Oh my God, Stephanie?"

Stephanie looked like she was having just as much trouble as Rory was. "Rory Gilmore! It is you!" Stephanie looked like she was trying to decide what to do. Finally Stephanie just smiled at her.

It was that smile that did her in. Rory had missed her good friend, she even missed Colin and Finn as annoying and difficult as they could be. They had grown close while Rory had been dating Logan. Rory stepped out from behind the counter and went over to hug her friend. They embraced for a moment and then drew back to study one another.

"You hair has grown so much," Rory said to Stephanie. She knew it was a lame comment but she was grasping at straws trying to figure out what to say to her.

"Yours too." Apparently Steph couldn't think of anything better either.

"I know, I can't bring myself to cut it." There was an awkward silence for a long moment. Rory wasn't sure what to say after all this time. Finally she settled on a time-honored classic. "How have you been?"

"I'm good. I'm actually engaged." Stephanie brought up her left hand to reveal her diamond engagement ring.

Rory took her hand and admired the ring. "Wow, it's gorgeous. Congratulations. So Colin finally proposed?"

"Thanks, yeah, there was a pool going in the Life and Death Brigade as to when he would do it. Finn won. When I found out I threatened to castrate him with a hot iron, so he offered to split the money, a sizable pot, and we managed to come to an agreement. He's paying for the honeymoon."

Rory smiled. Apparently nothing had changed since she'd been gone. Good old Finn, same old Colin. The thought made her sad.

"Sounds like all is well with the gang." Rory tried not to think that she had once been an important member of the gang. She couldn't change the past, or go back. She had to keep telling herself that. Suddenly she thought of something that had potential for disaster. "Are you by yourself?" she asked Stephanie. "No Colin or Finn or..." She still couldn't bring herself to say it.

"They're still in Hartford. I'm not alone though. A friend of mine is here with me." Stephanie thought she should keep the identity of her shopping buddy a secret for now.

"What brings you to Providence?" Rory asked. She hoped Stephanie wouldn't stay long enough to find out about certain things that she would prefer be kept a secret from a certain friend of Stephanie's.

"My parents live up here. I came up to visit them for their anniversary and to announce the engagement. Colin will be flying in tomorrow afternoon and we'll do it then." Stephanie also left out the part about Colin not flying in alone. She got the sense that Rory wasn't ready to hear that.

Stephanie was still looking at her with a questioning look on her face. Rory knew what was coming before she even opened her mouth. "Rory, why did you leave? Everyone was stupefied. Logan just walked into the dorm one morning and said that you were gone. What gives?" Stephanie very carefully left out the part about how distraught Logan had been that day and for a long time after.

Logan. She would have to bring him up. The sound of his name coming from a familiar voice was enough to make her wince. Rory certainly hadn't been expecting to have this conversation today. All she had wanted was to spend some time with Chris but it looks like she would have to relive the past first.

"I just had to leave. I didn't want to, but it wasn't up to me. There were...extenuating circumstances."

"What does that mean Rory? You didn't even say goodbye to any of us. Logan said that there was a note but I never saw it." Stephanie looked hurt.

"How is Logan?" She knew she shouldn't be asking, it would only lead to trouble, but she couldn't help herself.

"Logan is doing okay, all things considered. You know his father had a heart attack last month, right?"

"What?" Oh my God, I had no idea! Nobody told me anything. Is he okay?" Rory couldn't believe that Mitchum Huntzberger was in the hospital, he had always seemed so healthy.

"Mitchum had high blood pressure, and a cholesterol problem. The doctors told him to take it easy, to retire maybe, but you know Mitchum. His business is his life. He had the heart attack and he's been in the hospital ever since. Shira took it pretty hard, and Logan never talks about his feelings anymore. Not since-" Stephanie cut herself off. Not since you left him.

Rory's heart broke for Logan, he had never been close to his dad but to almost lose him was terrible. And from what Stephanie said it didn't look like Mitchum was out of the woods yet.

"I'm so sorry." The words sounded lame, even to herself.

"Yeah." Stephanie was once again speechless. What did you say to someone in a situation like this?

They were saved from having to say anything else when the door opened again and Terry her coworker/roommate/best friend walked in. He took one look at her and could tell something was wrong. "Hey Gilmore. Sorry I got held up. Is there something wrong?" That's what she loved about Terry Hartfield, he was sensitive enough to pick up on even the subtlest of emotions and he was always trying to look out for her. That and he made her laugh which she desperately needed these days.

"No Terry, I'm fine. I want you to meet a friend of mine. Terry this is Stephanie. Stephanie this is Terry." They said hello to each other and waited for Rory to speak. When she wasn't forthcoming, Terry took it upon himself to break the silence.

"So listen Rory, it's pretty dead in here and I can finish up. Why don't you go ahead and leave. Go get some coffee or something. It'll give you some time to catch up with your friend here. And I know you're anxious to pick up-"

Rory knew what he was saying and cut him off before he could let anything slip about Christopher. "Groceries!" She said with slightly more force than was necessary. "I need to stock up on junk food for the weekend, you're absolutely right." If Stephanie heard about Christopher, she would ask questions. And if she knew then the knowledge would inevitably make it's way to Logan, whether by her own mouth or if she told Colin or Finn even. She couldn't let that happen. Apparently Logan had enough stress in his life right now. He didn't need this. "Do you need anything Terry?"

"No thanks I'm good. I'll see you at home, okay?" Terry still looked worried about her. And why shouldn't he be? Rory could only imagine what the expression on her face looked like to others after the events of the past twenty minutes or so.

Rory grabbed her purse and was already making her way to the door before he finished. Stephanie, all aspirations of procuring a copy of Emma forgotten, followed her without a word.

Before she could actually get to the door, it opened yet again and another blond walked in. "Steph! There you are! I've been waiting in the car for you. You ever planning on joining me?"

"Hey Huntzberger, you'll never guess who I found."

A/N: I've been getting a lot of questions about why Rory didn't just go to her mom and why she was living in Providence, et cetera. I promise Lorelai did not kick her daughter out when she found out she was pregnant. All questions will be answered in time. Have patience and in the meantime review.

Also I feel that I should clarify something. Many of you asked if you could vote more than once on the pain/cold medicine thing. To answer your questions, you may vote once per chapter.

And now for the real reason you read my story:

Standing tally: Tylenol with 16 votes, Advil with 15 votes, 4 for Aleve, 3 each for Ibuprofen and Sudafed , 2 for Dayquill/Nyquill and 1 each for Nurofen and Vicodin.