Disclaimer: As I sad before, I don't know any of this. I just hope that the WB people do as good of a job as I plan to.

"Gilmore!" The harsh, gruff tone would have caused anyone to jump a foot, but Rory merely glanced up wearily. Her boss, Harold Tumlin wasn't a sight for sore eyes. In fact, Rory reflected, if she never had to see him again, the quality of her life would definitely improve. That, however, was not an option. With that thought in mind, she squared her shoulders and headed into his office for yet another show down.

"Yes, sir?" She asked smiling tightly. Her left hand began to twitch, and she clasped it tightly with the right, praying Harold hadn't noticed. That was the last thing she needed.

"Sit down, Gilmore," he said with a smile in his voice, gesturing towards one of the distinctly uncomfortable wooden chairs in front of his desk. The hair on the back of Rory's neck stood on edge. If there was one thing she knew after 4 years of working for him, it was that Harold was never happy.

"What can I do for you, sir?" She asked, hoping that he hadn't heard the catch in her voice. As always, her mind ran in a thousand separate directions, all of them ending with tragedy. Oh no, she thought desperately. I'm going to get sacked. I need this job…what I am I going to do-

"Gilmore, I've decided to give you a raise." She snapped to attention, her eyes bugging out, her mouth hanging just the teensiest bit open.

"A raise?" She breathed, hardly daring to believe her own luck. They could probably start paying their rent on time with a raise. Maybe even buy a better car…

"…condition." And with the word, Rory's elation crashed around her ears. Of course there was a condition. How could she have been so stupid?

"I-I won't sleep with you." She bit her lip in shock. Where had that come from? It might've been true, but she hadn't needed to say it out loud. Now she was certainly going to get sacked. Harold stared at her plainly, stroking his chin. She had spunk, this one. There was a certain fragility about her, it was true, but there was also an inner strength that he had yet to see in many others. It was a pity she wouldn't share his bed, but she was a hassle he could do without. At the same time, she was the hardest worker at the company.

"That is a conundrum isn't it, Gilmore?" He responded after a time, giving her another chance to accept. He could be careful, would provide her more money, a better car, an apartment which would certainly be an improvement over the hovel she was living in now. Discreetly he glanced at her, half expecting her to be breaking under the pressure, but she wasn't. Her baby blues were trained on the ground, her back ramrod straight, her hands clutched tightly in her lap. "But it's one we'll deal with. I'll remind you of your options at the end of the week." With those words, he waved his hand up in dismissal, and she stood, wiping her hands on the legs of her pants. Her eyes met his, strong and fierce.

"With all due respect, Mr. Tumlin, my mind won't change." She turned to go, stopping only when she heard his maniacal laughter following her out. "I really need to get a new job," she muttered walking back to her office, grabbing her coat and cell phone from the desk. As her fingers brushed again the smooth silver surface of the phone, it began to ring, the tinny tone cutting the silence like a knife. "Hello?" She answered, not bothering to check who it was. It couldn't possibly be Lorelai; she didn't have this new number.

"Babe," the voice came through, and Rory smiled with relief as she began to walk out of the building.

"Logan, hi." She responded, a tingly feeling going down her spine. Even after so long, Logan still gave her the tingles. Yet another strike against Lorelai, she hadn't liked Logan from the start. Rory smiled triumphantly, barely registering the words Logan was saying.

"…so I figured that would be the best course of action. I mean, at least for now, don't you think?" Rory blinked and stopped short. The best course of action? That was pretty worrisome.

"The best course of action?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from going shrill. Whatever he had to say, it couldn't be that bad. Logan would never hurt her, not intentionally.

"Well, yeah. Don't you think?" Rory sighed as she walked towards the train platform, rubbing her free hand over her eyes, then her temples.

"I'm not sure I understand. Listen, I'm about to get on the train. Can't we talk about this when I get home? Everything will make more sense then." She nodded at her quick thinking. This was good. If he waited until she got home, she could distract him with other things until the morning, and Harold didn't let them accept personal calls at work, and whatever the problem was they would solve it when she wasn't quite so stressed. A small smile began to play at the corners of her mouth.

"That's the point, Rory." His voice was unusually harsh, and Rory felt the panic setting in.

"The-the point?" She whispered, her eyes closing of their own accord, her breath coming out haggardly.

"I won't be home when you get there."

Author's Note: Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing. But I like it! I'm totally totally not a Rory/Logan person, so I'm sorry for the heartache that might ensue, but it'll be happy ending one way or another, I promise. I hope you enjoyed!