A/N: Remember that horrible habit that I have of starting stories and not finishing? Yup, it's happened again, but I had to write this and since I had the inspiration, I've been too busy to continue with my other stories, but I'll try to eventually. Anyway, this takes place after the fight in Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out. I promise I'll stick with this one. I've already written a lot of it, and it's caught my interest. Hopefully it catches yours too...

Disclaimer: Everything except the plot of this story comes from the mind of Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Logan hovered over her like he was 50 feet tall and she was a midget. His face was redder than the kite she and Lorelai had taken out to the gazebo once when she was 5 years old. It had gotten caught in the tree nearby and no one could get it out for a week. Logan's face was redder than Taylor's had been when he saw the kite.
Rory chuckled at this memory. The pleasant thought was suddenly interrupted, though, by Logan's sharp words.

"Why don't you go off with Jack or whatever his name is!"

Rory expected these words to sting. They should've left a mark, an imprint, a painful impression...but they didn't. She hesitatged, but after a few seconds, her blunt words are the ones that left an impression on him.

"Fine, I will."

He watched her walk out of the bar. And at that point, Logan refreated everything. No, he cuoldn't help who he was and his lifestyle. He couldn't stop being himself. But he should've been the one to let her leave an impression on him,k not the other way around. He should've said something that night at the bar when Rory told him she could be just as lazy as him. He didn't want her to be, though. She wasn't Rory if she wasn't at Yale. It was his fault. It was all his fault. He didn't run after her, though. Instead, he slipped back into the booth and grabbed his can of beer.

"Jess, please! Wait! "Rory called after the shadowy figure who was walking briskly to his car.

"Jess!" she yelled again when the figure didn't respond.

"What? What is it, Rory?" Jess yelled, turning around quite suddenly.

"Please let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain."

"There is!"

"This wasn't your fault."

"Logan was drunk. He wasn't feeling well. There's this thing with his dad. He had to go to Omaha, and-"

"I don't care!"

"I'm just trying to explain."

Jess's eyes got bigger. "Explain? Really? Go ahead, then. Explain why you dropped out of Yale."

"I didn't drop out!" Rory screamed. "I took a break!"

"Explain why you're living with your grandparents, why you're planning parties when you could be studying, why I came back here looking for the girl I fell in love with and I can't find her!"

Rory's heart melted into a puddle of nothing. She was angry, yes, but Jess was right. Everything he'd said, everything. But the last thing he said is what really stuck.

"Is that why you came back here? Because I'm over you, Jess. I can't love the guy who broke my heart over and over again."

"I'm not asking you too." Jess had calmed down relatively. Rory glanced up from the parking lot pavement to Jess's face. He wasn't angry...he was hurt. She'd never seen him hurt before.

"I'm...I'm sorry", she managed to get out.

"Don't be."

"Okay."

"Need a ride?"

"Yes, please."

Jess motioned for Rory to get in the car. She smiled weakly and climbed inside.

Dead silence. A twenty minute ride from the bar to the Gilmore mansion probably shouldn't have been nervewracking. It shouldn't have made both Jess and Rory feel like they could throw up any time...but it did.

Even so, Jess kept his composure. Rory, on the other hand, had her head in her hands. Once in a while, Jess would glance in Rory's direction and sigh to himself. When the car finally pulled into the driveway, neither Rory nor Jess moved a muscle. Almost a minute passed before Rory opened the door a crack.

"Guess I should go in", she said softly. She opened the door the rest of the way and stuck her right foot out. Before she could put her right foot out. Before she could put her left foot down next to it, Jess spoke up.

"Wait."

Rory hesitated and turned around.

"What?"

"We never really got to catch up."

"I guess we didn't."

"Can I come in, then?"

"Well.."

"You said your grandparents aren't home."

"Right."

"And by the looks of the house, they're still not home."

Rory looked up towards her grandparents' giant arched window. The lights were off, as they were in the entire house, and there was no sign of movement. She smiled at Jess and said, "Kay...let's go."

Hope you liked it...if not, I don't blame you. The next few chapters get better, but I had to stat somewhere. Please review!

Next up:
Old wounds between Rory and Jessopen up again, but the result is bittersweet.