Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore girls, the song used in this chapter, the movie spoofed in the chapter, or any of the characters mentioned in this chapter.

A/N: Introducing: The chapter you've all been waiting for --bthda-bthda-bthda-bthda—(that was a drum roll, not a helicopter)

This chapter is in Rory's POV, thoughts in italics.

Song lyrics in bold italics, and will be centered. I hope it's not too confusing...

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Chapter 5: Say Anything...AKA: Can We Talk?

Love I get so lost, sometimes
Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
When I want to run away
I drive off in my car
But whichever way I go
I come back to the place you are

It was the music that woke her. She was curled up in her bed next to her mother, still half dressed. At first she thought it was a dream...

...mmmm...John Cusak...

...after all it wouldn't be the first time her subconscious had sent her venturing into one of her favorite movies.

All my instincts, they return
And the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

But as she floated closer to wakefulness, she realized the music was coming from outside her head--outside her room to be more specific.

In your eyes
The light the heat
In your eyes
I am complete

As the first chorus began, she raised her head and looked at the clock.

2am? What in the hell? Paris must be up doing her stupid crafts again...

She used the arm that was dangling over the edge of the bed to grab one of the throw pillows from the floor and whip it at her closed door. It thumped, rattled the handle, and then slid marshmallow-like to the ground.

Well that was effective...

In your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
In your eyes
The resolution of all the fruitless searches

"Paris! Turn off the music!" She half yelled, half groaned.

In your eyes
I see the light and the heat
In your eyes
Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light
The heat I see in your eyes

Please, if there is a God...wait a minute...Paris is at Doyle's all weekend...Lane is at Finn's...Who turned on music? Someone broke in to play Peter Gabriel? We have a musical intruder?

Lorelai chose this moment to stir and fling her arm over, smacking Rory on the side of the head.

"Ow!" Sheesh...ok that idea was stupid but it doesn't warrant corporal punishment...

"Alarm off," Lorelai mumbled--then at Rory's startled yelp of pain, "Wha-huh?" She cracked one eye open. "Rory, Hon, I will give you a million dollars if you kill the music."

"Small unmarked bills please," Rory mumbled.

"You got it..." Lorelai rolled over.

Love, I don't like to see so much pain
So much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away
I get so tired of working so hard for our survival
I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive

Rory rubbed her eyes and sat up on the edge of the bed.

Guess I better go see what's going on...

Rory started to walk toward the door, and then realized that the music got louder as she neared the window. She looked out and saw Logan standing below holding what looked like a mini suitcase up over his head. When he saw her in the window he stood taller and she realized he was singing along.

Oh God...he's...but why...I can't handle this...

And all my instincts, they return
And the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

The complete relevance of the lyrics and the significance of the act hit her right in the gut and she turned away from the window with hot tears in her eyes to find that Lorelai had come up behind her.

"You've educated him well," she remarked as her arm came up to rub Rory's back in sympathy. Rory only shrugged and sniffled.

Too well...stupid movie nights...it's not fair! I was resolved...decided. The Pro/Con list does not lie...but...how can I resist this? It's not fair...

"Mom, I can't...I can't face him right now. Could you...could you just go tell him to go away."

Please...

Lorelai looked into her daughter's blotchy eyes and sighed sadly, "Nope."

What?

"But Mom! I – I --"

"Look, Rory, I love you with all my heart, but the way you and Logan left each other was—uncertain--"

I threw the ring and he left without giving it back...I'd call that pretty certain...

"--you don't know what he's thinking, he doesn't know what you're thinking--it's Limbo, and you can't live in Limbo. The only way for you to resolve the situation is to talk to him. Whether you want to make up with him or break up with him, I will support you 100 percent, but you have to do it yourself," she walked back to the bed, grabbed a magazine and sat down as she flipped through it.

By this time the song had ended...and begun again, with Logan singing even louder.

I can't believe she's serious!

"What am I supposed to say to him?" Rory whined.

"Anything?" Lorelai cocked her head to the side and grinned.

So not the time for a joke...

At Rory's death glare Lorelai dropped the magazine and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, "Tell him what you want him to know."

She makes it sound so easy. Why don't I just achieve world peace while I'm at it...?

"But...what if I cry?"

If? HA!

"Then he'll get wet."

Rory took a deep, shuddering breath and whispered, "What if I give in to him?"

...which will most likely happen if I get within 10 feet of those dimples and that voice...

"Then maybe you're supposed to." At Rory's shocked look, she continued, "You are one of the strongest, most stubborn, most intelligent people in the Universe, so if you decide it's the right decision to work things out with Logan; I will trust that that is the right decision..."

How can that be? My judgment is clouded...I'm biased. I'm a very skewed sample...Just because I may want it, doesn't necessarily mean it's right...does it?

"But--"

Lorelai held up her hand to stop Rory's latest argument, "I'm not saying that you won't have things to resolve and decisions to make...or even that you won't run into something during your discussion that is a deal breaker for one or both of you, but he's reaching out to you, Rory, you have to talk to him. You owe that to him—and to yourself."

I guess I do owe him at least a conversation...but I have to be resistant to his charm...

Rory sighed with resignation, shook her head and walked toward the door buttoning up her shirt as she went.

Ah geez, who am I kidding? It'll be a miracle if I don't throw myself at him. No. No. You are strong Rory Gilmore, you can resist...

She crossed the lawn barefoot and stopped just in front of him, arms crossed protectively across her middle.

Logan stopped singing, lowered his arms, turned off the music and set the box down. "Hey," he said quietly.

"I never figured you for the Lloyd Dauber type." She deadpanned.

More the Jake Ryan type...

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures."

"What is that?" she gestured toward the suitcase

"This is the 21st century version of a boom box, Ace. Finn does love his toys..." he smirked.

I am immune to the smirk. The smirk does not affect me...ignore the jerk with the smirk...Geez, now, I'm rhyming! Argh! He's very hard to ignore when he's smirking...Do I really want to go without seeing that smirk--that face for the rest of my life? God, why does this have to be so hard?

She turned her blotchy red face up to the stars and attempted to blink back the threatening tears. "What do you want, Logan?"

Logan took a step forward and reached out his hand to gently cup the side of her neck, "I want to apologize. I let you down this afternoon, Ace. I let down our team. I wasn't really listening to you, or understanding where you were coming from and I'm sorry."

His thumb gently brushed away the lone tear that had managed to escape from her eyes, and he took a step closer, "Blame it on the jet lag, or stress, or my upbringing, or too much time spent with my father--"

Bingo!

"--or the fact that my brain was muddled because I was just so damn happy to see you…whatever caused it, I'm so sorry, and I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Please, please, please, give me the chance."

God he sounds so sincere...No, I can't risk it. I can't go through this again.

Rory sniffled and began her arguments "I don't know, Logan. I don't know if I can keep doing this.

"The crying? I agree--you're going to have one hell of a headache. I think you should give it up."

And the smirk is back. Does he think all it's going to take are a few pretty words? He can't be that naive...

She jerked her head away from his hand and stepped back angrily, "God Logan, don't you see how serious this is? It's going to take more than an apology to fix this—if it's even possible, I mean, there are some gargantuan obstacles to our relationship that we have both chosen to ignore...until today--and, well, we both saw how well that turned out. Maybe it's not worth it. Maybe we should just cut our losses before either of us gets hurt any more." The tears were flowing freely down he cheeks now.

"No, that's not the answer...I don't want that." Logan shook his head.

...and it's always about what he wants...not this time!

"Well I don't want to give up my career. I don't want to be nothing but your arm candy. I don't want to sit at home, alone, while you are working hundreds of miles away. I don't want to be married to someone who puts what everyone else wants above what I want. I don't want to be with that guy, Logan!"

Logan stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed. "I don't want you to be with that guy either," he said softly, causing Rory's eyes to go wide.

He's giving up that easily? I guess I don't mean as much to him as I thought.

Rory squared he shoulders, "I guess that settles that, then. Have a nice life, Logan." She turned to walk back to her apartment, but was stopped by Logan's hand on her arm.

"Ace, wait, that didn't come out right..."

You can say that again. That seems to be a problem lately...Rory pulled her arm from his grasp and kept walking.

"Damn-it Rory! Just listen to me for a minute--" Logan shouted, "I don't want to be that guy. I want to be the guy you need me to be. I want to come home to you every night. I want to sit on the couch next to you with your feet in my lap while we eat Chinese food out of the containers. I want to tell you about my day and have you tell me about yours. I want to be the first person to read all your articles. I want to be able to bounce ideas off you and get your opinions. I want to introduce you to everyone as my wife, Rory Huntzberger, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist."

Rory stopped dead in her tracks, her back still to Logan. I will never understand how he always knows the perfect thing to say.

She heard Logan shuffle up behind her and felt his hands fall gently on her shoulders.

"Rory--" she sniffled in response.

As wonderful as it sounds, it just doesn't matter...

"--say something...please."

Rory took a deep ragged breath. This is not going to go well...

"You can't be that guy, Logan," she said.

She felt Logan's hands on her shoulders tighten and suddenly she was spun around to face him. Her stomach lurched into her throat.

"What do you mean I can't be that guy? If I say I can, then I can."

Whoa...deja vu plus dizziness at 2 am is so not good for the head...

Even though Rory tried to keep her voice calm and even, it wavered a little, "No Logan."

I have to get out of here...I can't hold out much longer...

She shook her head. "It won't work, I'm sorry." She reached up timidly and placed her hand gently on his cheek, "Goodbye," she said as she turned to walk away.

So this is what a broken heart feels like...

She heard a thud behind her. "Rory," Logan rasped.

Don't look back...don't look back...keep walking...Ok one last look...

Rory turned around and, through her tears, saw that Logan had dropped to his knees in the grass, one hand stretched out toward her, tears glistening on his face.

Oh God, I've never really seen him cry before...

Logan's tear filled eyes met her own and he choked out, "Why won't you give me a chance?"

I didn't mean to break him! I can't leave him hurting like this...I need to make him understand... She walked over and knelt in front of him, taking his face between her hands.

"Logan, it's not about chances—I love you--"

More than almost anything...

"—but you fit in your world of money and events and following in tradition. I just can't..." She paused searching for the right words, "It's a nice place to visit once in awhile...but I can't live there, and I can't ask you to give it up for me—that wouldn't be fair. I want you to be happy. I think as much as we love each other, we just don't fit...we want too many different things. We ignored it for as long as we could, but--"

"Rory," Logan interrupted firmly, "You're wrong." He took her hands from his face and stood up, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

Rory just stared at him, mouth gaping open.

Why is he making this so difficult? Doesn't he think I have tried to come up with every possible solution?

"Logan--" Rory began, getting to her feet.

"No, listen to me! You're right, that was my world, and I can fit in there--"

If he's agreeing with what I said, then how exactly am I wrong? Wait a minute...was?

Logan stepped toward Rory and took her hands in his and looking into her eyes, "—but I realized something today when I thought I'd lost you. You are my world now. I got lost for awhile, trying to make too many other people happy, and not noticing that I was making the most important person miserable, but I'm back now, and I'm ready to fix whatever has gone wrong. I love you Rory. I can't give you up--I can't be happy without you."

Rory sighed. How can he be so sure it's fixable? There's so much...

"What are you going to do about your Father? She asked meekly.

Logan shrugged slightly, "I don't know."

Oh well, that's helpful...

"And what am I supposed to tell Grandma and your mother?"

"I don't know," Logan smirked.

How is this fixing things exactly?

"Well what about my plans with Mom, and the paper and the wedding plans?"

Logan chuckled, "I don't know."

Unbelievable!

"Logan..." Rory whined, frustrated.

Logan pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"We don't have to decide everything right now, Ace. We've got time to figure out how to do things the way we want—we'll work it out together. But I want you to know that from now on, I am squarely in your corner...no matter what. Ok?"

"Ok," Rory whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder and breathed deeply.

I missed him. Thank God he's as stubborn as I am.

Logan nudged her head up from his shoulder and held up her ring. "So how about we put this back where it belongs?"

I don't think I can...

Rory took a deep breath, and shook her head, "I don't think I should wear it until we find some kind of a solution," she said, not meeting his eyes.

What if we can't work it out? What if, like Mom said, we come across a deal breaker? I don't want to get my hopes up...

Logan gently took her left hand and slid the ring back where it belonged. Cupping her face in his hands, he looked intently into her eyes. "I am going to marry you, Rory Gilmore, even if it means we have to go live on a deserted island and wear nothing but fig leaves for the rest our lives. I am confident, however, that two intelligent people, such as ourselves, will be able to come up with a happy medium. Understand?"

I understand. I believe.

Rory nodded and tried to fight back the tears as his lips melted softly into hers. It was a kiss of forgiveness, of trust, of hope; and when it ended, two broken hearts were mended.

Logan tightened his arms around Rory, "This has been the scariest 12 hours of my life, Ace."

"Breaking up sucks," she said into his neck, squeezing him tighter.

It sucks big, fat, hairy, monkey knees...

"Yes it does," he agreed.

"Let's never do it again" she said softly, bringing her head back to look him in the eyes.

"Deal. Wanna shake on it?" He brought one arm from around her waist and offered it to her.

Hmm...he really has spent too much time in the business world lately...

Rory's eyes sparkled playfully, "Oh I think I have a better way to seal the bargain," she grabbed his hand and began to lead him into the apartment.

"What about Lorelai?" Logan asked, pulling back on Rory's hand and halting them both.

"She snuck off about the time you said you couldn't be happy without me. I think she read the signs."

"God, I love your mother..." Logan said as he scooped up a giggling Rory and carried her into the apartment.

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A/N: Oh it's not nearly over...no worries. If you were confused by this chapter, I suggest a viewing of the 80's cult classic Say Anything. By coincidence I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and realized how perfectly it fit into my story. The character Jake Ryan is from the movie Sixteen Candles.

The next chapter is going to take a little longer I think. I don't have as much of it written, and I have tests and projects in the next couple of weeks that I need to work on...but I'll get it to you just as soon as I can—promise!