A/N: So, like a lot of us, I wasn't a huge fan of how the show went after season 6, and I was a huge fan of Jess and Rory together. Thus, Still and Again was born. Our scene is set, Rory and Jess are fighting outside the bar about Rory's poor life choices. Let's see where our characters go next...

If you stumble upon my humble fic, please review! More chapters coming soon...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my hopes and dreams for a future where literati is endgame. Please don't sue me.

Chapter 1

"What are you doing? Living at your grandparents' place, being in the DAR, no Yale – why did you drop out of Yale?!"

"It's complicated!"

"It's not! It's not complicated!"

"You don't know!"

"This isn't you! This - you going out with this jerk with the Porsche. We made fun of guys like this!"

"You caught him on a bad night!"

"This isn't about him! Okay? Screw him! What's going on with you? This isn't you, Rory. You know it isn't. What's goin' on?!"

"I don't know! I-I don't know…"

Jess leaned down to try and meet her downcast eyes.

Rory was frozen. Who was she? How had she become this person? Without her noticing, she had turned into someone she didn't recognize anymore. She spent her time planning events for the Daughters of the American Revolution. She had let the arrogant, rich boy shape her into the kind of girl she used to be disgusted by. She had dropped out of Yale, thereby leaving the life she had worked her entire life for. How could she have ended up here? All at once, she truly heard everything Jess had been saying. Well, yelling really. It was as if someone had shaken her awake, blown away the cloud of fog that she had been stuck inside for the past five months.

Rory was visibly shaken, her eyes brimming with tears daring to escape, arms folded tightly across her chest to prevent her hands from shaking. Jess took notice of this abrupt change in Rory's demeanor, curious as to what was going on in her head and a little worried that he had hurt her with something he had said. He had meant every word of it but was concerned his delivery had been too harsh.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'm tired... Let's call it a night. Try again another time?" Jess didn't want to leave her alone like this. But he couldn't stay, not with that rich douche taking verbal swings at him.

"Yeah. S-sure. Another time." She smiled weakly.

"Here," he handed her a small piece of paper. "My cell number. It's fairly permanent. Give me call if you're ever in Philadelphia."

He touched Rory's shoulder gently and smiled, walking towards his car.

Rory sat down in the nearest chair, fearing her legs would give out at any second. Her head was spinning. Leave it to Jess to open her eyes to how far she had detoured from the original plan. He was right. Everything he said was right. He knew her best and always had. Despite drinking nothing but club soda at the bar, she felt a little drunk, but she quickly realized how long she had been outside. She couldn't stay for much longer before Logan came looking for her.

Logan.

How had she been fooled into dating Logan? She had hated him at first. He mocked her friends, looked down on those less fortunate than himself, charmed every girl that ventured within 20 feet of him, herself included. She had let herself be charmed by cutesy pet names and tantalizing banter paired with his flirtatious smile and quick-wittedness. She didn't like who she had become since he had decided to give commitment a try and slap the label "girlfriend" on her.

She had to get out. Out of this so-called relationship, out of her grandparents' house, out of this life she had stumbled into. Just… out. For the first time in months, she felt the tiniest bit hopeful. Maybe even a little bit driven. She started making a mental list of things she needed to do to take the first steps back onto her original path, things like finding a place to live, even if temporary, finding a job, making things right with her mother. But first on that list: Ending things with Logan.

Rory marched back into the bar with a newfound determination. She found Logan sitting in their booth, nursing yet another drink. He brightened a little when he saw her, but when he saw the fire in her eyes his guard went back up. There was no doubting it – Rory was pissed.

"Hey, Ace. Is he gone?" He sat up in his seat.

"Yeah. He's gone." Rory stood next to the booth, arms folded.

"Come on, have a seat, let's talk. Between school and my father's big plan for my life I've barely seen you lately. But I have you all to myself now, no sensitive writers to get in the way." He chuckled and took a sip of his drink.

"No! Logan, what the hell was that?" She couldn't believe how nonchalant he was being.

Logan was shaken, but only showed it briefly. His shields went up. "Ace, what are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Heckling Jess, making fun of his accomplishments! What the hell is wrong with you?" Rory was getting angrier by the second, fueled by both her need to defend Jess and by the anger she saw rising in Logan. "I can't believe you, Logan! You invite yourself to dinner, you act like you own me all night, and you insult my friend over and over again! Seriously! What's wrong with you? Is it jealousy? Need to prove something? Need me to get you a ruler, get Jess back here so you can have a measuring contest? And really, I shouldn't even be surprised by how you acted tonight, this is just par for the course," Rory scoffed.

Logan's rage brought him to his feet, matching Rory in volume and fire. "No, I'm not jealous! And I don't need to prove myself to anyone, especially to him. I was just tired of him being such a stereotypical moody writer, insulting me and judging me. And of course I don't own you! What, you think I'm some kind of chauvinistic pig? Claiming my woman, never letting her out of my sight? Come on, Ace. You know me better than that! And what the hell do you mean, you shouldn't be surprised?"

Unfortunately, Rory did know him. Better than most. "That's just it, Logan. God, I have been so… blind." She had lowered her voice that Logan almost couldn't hear her above the din of happy hour conversation. Her change in tone spooked him. "I'm just another one of the many. Another girl to hang off your arm, to parade around your idiot friends and buy shiny things for. I'm just a prize to you. Well, newsflash Huntzberger. I can't be bought. Not with expensive purses or pretty words. You treat me like crap, and yeah, stealing the yacht was my idea but you let me do it. You encourage me to do things I end up regretting, and I don't like who I am when I'm with you! And here I am, yet again making excuses for you after you treat other people like crap! Well, I'm done."

Logan tried to interrupt her, but she put her hand up to stop him. "No, Logan. I'm done. With you, with... with us. We're over." She started to feel hot, angry tears gather and she avoided eye contact as she grabbed her purse and her coat, getting ready to leave before she or anyone else could talk her out of her decision.

"Rory, stop. This is crazy, you're not being fair. What do you mean, 'you're done'? That's it? You're just breaking up with me?" Rory continued to try to walk past him, looking down to keep him from seeing the tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks as he put himself in between her and the door, his hand on her wrist. "Yes, Logan. Now let me go."

Logan was dumbfounded. Hurt. Angry. But Rory seemed dead set in this decision, and he knew better than to push her on it. He looked down, still not letting her past. "I drove, at least let me take you home, Ace."

"I'll get a cab. And don't call me Ace… not anymore." She pushed past him, quickly wiping her cheeks, and left him in her past.

Logan was left, standing alone next to the booth. He had very little idea as to what just happened. What he did know was Rory's abrupt decision to end their relationship had something to do with Jess. And Logan was far from pleased.