Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or these characters, etc, etc, etc...

A/N: A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm really glad you liked it. A lot of people have asked whether this is a Rogan or Jess/Rory story. I can't really say too much because I don't want to give anything away. But read the A/N at the end when you finish reading and it will explain some things.

Rory stepped into the church and literally stopped breathing. Gorgeous red roses coupled with gold ribbon decorated each aisle of pews. She looked up and was nearly blinded by an antique chandelier that spiraled out in all directions, casting long, delicate shadows across the walls. She walked to the front of the church and slowly spun in a circle, taking in every detail.

"Rory!" her grandmother's voice echoed through the church as she entered from the side door. "What are you doing? We're on a schedule!"

Rory ran to her grandmother and softly embraced her. "It's perfect."

Emily took Rory's hands and smiled. "Come on, we don't have much time."

-xxxxx-

Rory's mind kept wandering as she desperately tried to listen to her grandmother's instructions. She couldn't believe that the day had finally come. The day she was getting married.

It was a thought Rory had a hard time grasping. After all, she had never really pictured herself being married. It just wasn't part of the plan. It wasn't important or something she needed.

But with Logan, everything had changed. He taught her how to be spontaneous and how to have fun. He was able to bring out sides of Rory she didn't even know she had. Just being around him was exciting and invigorating. He was something new, something different.

And so slowly, over time, the plan changed. What was important before didn't seem quite as important anymore. Logan was the new plan. He was her future and her life. She was certain of it.

But then, there was always that feeling of uncertainty. That tiny, almost insignificant, pang of conscience and reality that resulted in countless arguments and sleepless nights. The black mark on their beautifully painted future.

Rory was determined to ignore the feeling. She forced it to the back of her mind and focused back in to what her grandmother was trying to tell her.

"I can't believe your mother isn't here yet!" Emily exclaimed. "I must have told her 15 times not to be late. I even left three messages on her machine last night reminding her what time to get here!"

"Oh now, don't exaggerate. You told me 13 times and left two messages." Lorelai whisked up to her mother's side as she spoke.

"Well, I'm glad you finally made it to your daughter's wedding," Emily replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Come on, mom. I'm only 20 minutes late. Besides, it's not my fault. Luke took surprisingly long getting ready this morning."

At this Rory quickly jumped to her step-father's defense. "Mom, don't blame Luke. Be a big girl and take responsibility for your own lack of punctuality."

Lorelai focused her attention on Rory. "Well hey there wedding girl!" She looked Rory up and down and exclaimed, "You look beautiful!"

Rory glanced at the torn pair of jeans and old t-shirt she was wearing and rolled her eyes. "I'm not even dressed yet."

"I know. But you're still beautiful." Lorelai smiled sadly and tried to keep her voice steady. "And you're grown."

Rory pulled her mother into a tight hug. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, kid."

Lorelai broke away and wiped her eyes. She forced a laugh and joked, "It's a good thing we haven't had our makeup done yet."

Rory laughed and quickly hugged her mother again. "Ok, we have to stop. There's no time for crying."

Lorelai duplicated Rory's serious expression and agreed. "Right. No time for crying. Now come on." Lorelai glanced around the room, making sure Emily wasn't watching them. She grabbed Rory's arm and pulled her out of the dressing room into the hall.

"Hey!" Rory protested. "What are you doing?"

"I brought someone to see you," Lorelai explained. They continued down the hallway until they reached a small room. Rory smiled at the lone occupant. "Hey!"

"I'm going to go find Luke," Lorelai whispered and left.

Rory walked up to Jess and hugged him. "I'm so glad you came."

Jess smirked, "Hey, I couldn't miss this."

"Listen, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch lately," Rory stammered. "Things have been crazy, you know? With all the wedding plans and everything, I guess I just lost track of time."

Jess shrugged. "It's ok. I know you've been busy."

A moment of awkward silence fell between them until Rory suddenly brightened. "Hey! I have an idea. Now, I know, it's probably crazy and I'm throwing you way off guard, so you don't have to do it if you don't want to. But," she faltered for a second before hesitantly asking, "Do you want to walk me down the aisle?"

Jess was taken aback and hesitated before he asked, "Isn't Luke doing that?"

"Yeah," Rory admitted. "But so is my dad...and my grandpa. But, one more couldn't hurt, right?"

Jess was visibly uncomfortable as he started to answer, "I don't know, Rory..."

Rory tried to hide her disappointment and forced a smile. "Don't worry about it. It was just and idea."

Jess sighed. "No, I'll do it."

Rory looked uncertain. "Are you sure? Because you really don't have to. Only do it if you want to do it."

Jess smiled and reassured her, "I want to do it."

Rory beamed. "Thank you so much, Jess. You don't know how much this means to me." She hugged him again and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I should probably go start getting ready. I'll see you in a little while!"

Rory rushed excitedly out of the room. Jess sighed and waited until she was out of sight before quietly following behind.

-xxxxx-

Rory twirled in front of the full length mirror, inspecting her dress for any faults. Her grandmother had cleared the room moments before, insisting Rory have some "quiet time to gather herself." Rory was glad for the quiet, but was surprised to find she wasn't nervous at all. She felt completely confident and was patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin.

There was a knock on the door and Rory stopped spinning. "Ace, it's me. Open up."

Rory smiled at the familiar voice and went to open the door. She laughed as Logan stepped into the room.

"Does my grandmother know you're not dressed yet?" Rory asked, chuckling again at his designer jeans and white polo. She grabbed his shoulders and gave him a little push. "You better hurry up. It's going to start any minute now."

Logan took Rory's hands in his and sighed. "Ace..." His voice was filled with an emotion Rory couldn't quite place.

"What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly. When he didn't answer she placed her hands on his face and looked into his eyes. "Logan, talk to me."

He stepped back, causing her arms to fall limply at her side. He cleared his throat, forcing it to stay steady. "Rory...I can't do this."

Rory blinked, not able to comprehend his words. "What?"

"I'm sorry." His voice cracked and he looked away, not able to look into her eyes anymore.

"Why are you doing this?" Rory asked breathlessly.

Logan stayed silent, knowing he would never find the words to explain to her...or to himself. A tear slid down his cheek and he turned away from her. His voice shook as he whispered, "It's not because I don't love you."

Rory watched helplessly as he closed the door behind him. She wanted to yell, to scream for him to stop. She wanted to do something, anything, to make him see how much she loved him and how much he was killing her.

But she didn't. She let him go.

-xxxxx-

Jess was waiting nervously at the back of the church with the rest of Rory's ushers. He had just awkwardly introduced himself to Christopher and Richard moments before and was relieved to find they were just as anxious as him.

"Are you ok?" Luke questioned Jess, trying not to laugh.

"I'm fine," Jess ensured, wiping his brow and taking a deep breath.

"You look nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Jess insisted as he began to pace back and forth. "When the hell is this thing going to start anyway?"

"Just relax." Luke clapped a hand on Jess' shoulder.

"Ok guys, we're ready," Lorelai announced to the group, appearing behind them. "Luke, go get Logan and tell him. I'll get Rory."

Before she could leave, Sookie rushed up to her and announced hysterically, "Lorelai! One of the bridesmaids just ripped her dress and we need you to set the world record for speedy sewing!"

Lorelai groaned. "Ok, I'm coming." She turned to Jess and smiled pleadingly. "Hey Jess, do me a favor? Go get Rory. Thanks!"

Jess slowly turned and walked down the hall to Rory's dressing room. He knocked on the door. When no one answered, he called, "Rory? Come one, it's time to go!"

He waited for a reply, but she didn't answer. He turned the doorknob and softly pushed the door open. Rory was across the room, sitting in the corner. She had her legs pulled tightly to her chest and her arms wrapped protectively around her. Jess closed the door, locking it behind him. He crossed the room and sat down by her side.

Rory didn't try to hide the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. She continued to look directly in front of her and simply said, "He's gone." Her voice was hallow and her breath came in ragged gulps, causing her chest to sporadically rise and fall. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Everyone's waiting for me."

She turned her head slightly, looking at Jess out of the corner of her eye. He suddenly stood and offered his hand to her. "Come on."

Rory took it and let him pull her to her feet.

"Ok, now take off your dress."

Rory dropped his hand and looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"I'm not helping you ditch your wedding in that wedding dress. It's too cliché. So, come on. Put your jeans back on and let's go." When she didn't move he smirked and added, "I promise I won't look."

Rory looked at him desperately. "I can't just leave."

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't," Rory persisted. "I have to explain. I have to tell them what happened."

Jess shrugged. "They're smart people, they'll figure it out."

"But..." Rory began but was interrupted.

"We don't have a lot of time Rory."

Rory lowered her gaze and admitted tearfully, "I don't want to be like him. I don't want to run away."

Jess was momentarily stung by her words, realizing their hidden meaning even when Rory didn't. He cupped her face and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. He shook his head. "You will never be like him." His words were forceful, although he whispered them gently. They were convincing; a promise. They were words she could trust.

Rory laughed bitterly and nodded her head slightly. She allowed Jess to brush away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks before grabbing her neatly folded clothes off the side table.

Jess turned his back and faced the wall while Rory changed. She struggled with the zipper, forcing it down. The dress fell and she quickly picked it up, not wanting to see her beloved dress in a heap on the ground.

A sob escaped her throat as she draped it across a chair. Her trembling fingers lingered on the delicate material, not wanting to let it go. Jess appeared by her side, putting a protective arm around her.

"They were right," she whispered.

-xxxxx-

A/N: Ok, so before all you Rogan fans start throwing things, let me say this: this is not the end. There are still many more chapters to go and Logan will make an appearance. Plus, I'm planning on having a few more flashbacks with him in them too. So he's not gone. And as for Rory and Jess...right now I'm focusing on their friendship more than anything. So, it could go either way, really. And now everyone's happy! lol Anyway, thanks for reading. Remember, reviews are awesome and I love them. I have a feeling this next chapter is going to be difficult to write, so I'm not really sure when I'll update. I'll try not to take longer than a week or so though.