The metallic taste of blood broke Rory from her daze. She'd chewed her thumbnail down to the nub. Was she really going to do this? Just a few hours ago, at home in Stars Hollow she was so sure of her decision. But now, back in Manhattan, sitting all alone in her apartment, she was second guessing everything.

At home, she had Lorelai and Lane to support her. Coming clean to her mother had been cathartic. Sure, the car ride home from the party had been filled with awkward silence, especially with Luke there. But once back at the house, it wasn't long before she spilled her guts to her mother while Tim Allen went on another bad date with a potential Mrs. Claus. Well, not ALL her guts. She'd left a few things out; like the kisses with Logan, the wine glass incident, and the exact details of her fight with Mitchum that night. But she'd told her all about how they'd gotten together and how he made her feel, their decision to keep things quiet, her feelings of loneliness. She'd told Lorelai about Mitchum's bad relationship with Logan, and his disapproval of her spending time with Logan and his friends.

It was clear that her mother didn't approve of the relationship, but she'd done her best to be supportive. Of course, she suspected Lorelai was, in part, taking things so well only because the relationship was on the outs. She didn't think her mother would be as good about everything if she and Mitchum were on solid ground.

Still, having Lorelai on her side again felt good. It reminded her of the person she used to be, and the life she used to have. It reminded her of what it felt like to have someone she could talk about anything with—from Britany Spear's latest emotional breakdown to her own. It reminded her what it was like to have someone accept her unconditionally and always be there for her. It reminded her that no matter what happened with Mitchum, they'd figure it out together.

Only now Lorelai was hours away again. Paris was spending the week doing an externship at the hospital; even during school breaks she was never around. She could try calling Chase, but she'd been avoiding him for over a month and he had a tendency to take things personally. She didn't think he'd be so happy to hear from her out of the blue.

Here in New York, she was alone again. If she went through with the breakup, this is how it would be. She'd be all alone. Mitchum was all she had. But their relationship was going nowhere. And it wasn't even about the incident. He was truly sorry for what he'd done at her grandparent's. He'd left her dozens of messages over the weekend apologizing. And it wasn't entirely his fault; she hadn't exactly been the best girlfriend as of late. Truth be told, she'd been goading him—confessing that she'd told Lane; throwing it in his face that she was going to tell Lorelai. Anonymity was the unwritten rule on which the entire foundation of their relationship with built, and she'd put a major crack in it. She couldn't help it though; sure, she'd been all for it at first, but she was tired of keeping secrets. And that was the real problem. He was never going to be okay going public with their relationship.

She could forgive him from the other thing—he hadn't meant to hurt her; he loved her. But she was no longer okay with only being loved in the dark. So, she had to end it. Because as afraid as she was of being alone, in the end, she was alone with or without him.

It would just make it so much easier if she had a friend nearby. Her heart sped up a little as she thought of someone. One person who would likely forgive her for her behavior lately—though after their last interaction it might take a little begging. Of course, even if he could forgive her actions, could he forgive the true reason behind them? Did he have to know? Could she keep that secret forever? What kind of friendship would that be? And what would happen when he found out that she was single again? Would he go back to pursuing her romantically? Was Lane right in saying that she wanted him to? It was ludicrous either way, of course. There was no way they could have a romantic relationship. A friendship built on this secret was bad enough, but a relationship was unfathomable.

And yet, she found herself fighting the urge to call him. To tell him her relationship was over, that she was ending it, and that she was sorry for the way she'd treated him. To ask him if he wanted to hang out, maybe grab a bite to eat. But she knew it was a bad idea to call him. A very, very bad idea.

She should just call Mitchum back instead and get it over with. But she wasn't ready to deal with that just yet. It's why she'd spent an extra day at her Mom's and called out of work. She'd claimed she was doing some interviews for an article, but really, she just couldn't face Mitchum yet. She knew she couldn't procrastinate forever but one more day wouldn't kill anyone.

But what about tonight? She couldn't keep sitting here alone and worrying about it. She had to get out. She had to do something.

A thought occurred to her...yes, that's what she would do. She picked up her phone, hesitating briefly before going to her contacts and hitting the send button.

It rang a couple of times before there was an answer on the other end. "Hey, it's Rory," she said. "What are you doing tonight?"

Logan sipped his scotch while he waited for Steph. Colin, Finn and some of their other friends had gone to Aspen for the week. He missed the days when he could just take off with his friends without a care in the world. Now he had too much on his mind to be able to enjoy a ski vacation, even if he'd been able to go.

Work was as mind numbingly tedious as always, but it was his legacy and it was his responsibility whether he liked it or not. So, he tried to make the best out of it but his father was shooting down all of his suggestions. He was pretty sure Mitchum would rather see the company burn to the ground than let one of Logan's suggestions be the one to save it.

And then there was Rory. He'd seen her in passing around the office a few times after their fight before Christmas, but they hadn't spoken. He wished he could just be done with her after all she'd put him through, but he just couldn't help himself; she had a hold on him he just couldn't shake. And he was worried about her, especially after she didn't show up to work today. Word was, she was just out on assignment but still, he worried. It made him wonder if maybe Rory was right—maybe he wanted there to be a problem so he could save her from it.

The door to the bar opened and Stephanie came in…immediately followed by her. He sat up at attention.

"Hey," Steph greeted him. "I hope you don't mind that I invited Rory along…"

Logan shook his head. "I don't mind," he replied nonchalantly, keeping a straight face. "As long as Rory doesn't mind that I'm here."

"I don't mind," she put in. There was a hint of eagerness to her voice that sent a jolt of pleasure through him.

"Good," he replied seriously. "Because I wouldn't want to make any decisions for you or decide I know what's best for you." He lost that battle with his facial muscles and a slight smirk broke his façade.

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she replied with an eye roll. "I was harsh…but you were kind of out of line too," she quickly added as she sat down.

"I know," he agreed letting a genuine smile grace his face. "I'm sorry too."

"Good, now that that nonsense is settled," Stephanie broke in, "how does a girl get a drink around here."

"And then the donkey turned and started charging Finn…" Logan was telling the story about the time they visited Asinara, an island off the coast of Italy, inhabited by a drove of wild, albino donkeys. He was interrupted by the beeping of Stephanie's phone. She flipped it open to read the text inside.

"Sorry boys and girls," she announced after reading the message. "But this is my cue to head out," she smiled cheekily.

"I hope you at least make him buy you a drink first," Logan replied with a salacious grin as Steph stood up and donned her coat.

"Oh sweetie," Stephanie cooed, patting him placatingly on the shoulder. "I can afford my own drinks. There's only one thing I need a man for, and even then, there are vibrators—it's just more fun with two."

"Too much information," Logan informed her.

Stephanie just shrugged. Rory laughed. "Have a good night," Rory said as Stephanie headed out.

"You too. Stay classy," she replied over her shoulder.

"Rory's got more class in her pinky than you've got in your entire body," Logan yelled back teasingly.

"I wasn't talking about Rory." Stephanie disappeared out the door.

Rory slumped back in her seat with a sigh. "I should get going too," she said. "Not for the same reasons as Steph…" she clarified.

"Good to know," Logan replied with a raised brow. "You got an early interview or something?"

"What?"

"An interview—that's what you were doing today, right?"

"Oh, umm…" Rory chewed on her lip nervously. "Well, can I tell you something…as my friend, not my boss."

Logan gave what he hoped was a comforting smile, letting her know she could tell him anything. "My lips are sealed."

"I wasn't working today. I spent the holiday with my Mom and I just needed a little more time with her, so I stayed an extra night."

"Rory Gilmore playing hooky?" Logan asked mockingly. "What has the world come to?"

Rory chuckled half-heartedly. "I know, it's just…" she trailed off, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. Something had shifted in the air; in her.

"Just what?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "It's nothing. I really should go." She stood up from the table.

"Rory."

"I can't be late for work tomorrow."

He sighed. "At least let me walk you out."

Rory shrugged, then nodded. "Okay."

They both put their outerwear on and made their way out of the bar silently. Logan walked towards the street looking up and down for a cab. He was about to stretch his arm out to hail one when Rory stopped him. "Actually, I think I'm going to walk for a bit. The fresh air feels good. And I always loved the way the city looks at Christmas time."

"It's awfully late," he reminded her. The thought of her walking the streets alone at night didn't sit well with him. Especially when she was so clearly distracted by something.

"Logan," Rory admonished.

"Rory," he shot back, mimicking her tone. He knew how she got about the protective thing. She was independent to the core. But there was such a thing as being too independent. The city streets could get dangerous at night.

She sighed. "I'm walking. If you wanted to walk with me, I wouldn't object. But just because I can use the company—not the supervision."

"Absolutely," he replied with a nod, his lips pursed together to keep from smiling.

They walked a few blocks in silence. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, seeing a myriad of emotions cross her face which was falling in an out of shadow as they passed street lamps and twinkly Christmas lights. A soft flurry of snow was falling around them landing on her; a few flakes stuck to her eyelashes, highlighting her eyes. She was gorgeous.

"I'm leaving him."

The words came seemingly out of nowhere. Logan stopped short, his breath caught in his chest. She took a few more steps before seeming to notice he wasn't there anymore. She turned to face him. He didn't know what to say. Words were in his blood, he wasn't sure he'd ever been at a loss for them before, but in that moment he was.

She closed the gap between them, her feet scuffing the light dusting of snow on the sidewalk as she stood just inches from him. "We got into a fight at Christmas," she confessed. "I told a friend from home about us. And I told him I was going to tell my Mom."

Logan's teeth ground together angrily. "If he won't…"

"I know," she cut him off. "I know. He's never going to be okay with us going public and I can't live in the shadows anymore."

"Hey," he reached out, gently brushing a lock of hair out of her face and guiding her gaze up to meet his. "You should never be in the shadows. You're the light. If anything, you should be the one casting shadows."

Her eyes were locked with his, his hand still on her cheek. He took a step closer so that they were practically touching. She swallowed nervously. He lowered his head but before their lips could touch, she stepped back.

"We can't," she shook her head.

He nodded. "I understand. You haven't even officially ended it yet. I can wait."

"No," he could see tears forming behind her eyes. She looked almost panicked. "No, you don't understand. We can't—ever."

His heart dropped. "You're right," he said, "I don't understand. Do you really not feel this too?"

"It doesn't matter how I feel, Logan. It's just too complicated. There are things you don't know."

"Then tell me," he replied with exacerbation.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because you'll never see me the same way again."

"I don't believe that."

"I know,' she nodded, "and that's how I need it to stay." She took a few more steps away from him. "I think I'm ready for that cab now."

"Rory, wait," she ignored him, sticking her arm out towards an oncoming cab. The taxi pulled to a stop and she opened the door. She turned back to face him one more time.

"I'm sorry," she said and then she got into the car and drove away.

Mitchum refreshed his e-mail for the hundredth time in the last hour looking to see if there was any reply. Another piece of junk mail for erectile dysfunction medicine popped up and he angrily hit the "delete" button. It had been over four days since their blow up at Christmas and he hadn't heard a peep from Rory. She hadn't even shown up to work yesterday. Peterson had said she was doing some field work for a piece, but Mitchum knew the truth; she was avoiding him.

He'd emailed, texted, called…He'd said he was sorry a dozen times in a dozen different ways, but the stupid bitch wouldn't even hear him out.

He hadn't meant to hit her. But what did she expect with the way she'd been acting? He'd tried to reason with her, tried to make her see his side of things; but still she went shooting her mouth off about them. He'd let her get away with a lot lately—lying, sneaking around, not having time for him, cancelling plans when she did make them. He'd let her get away with too much, and this was the consequence of that. She'd pushed him too far. He'd had no choice.

Still, he'd screwed up. He knew that. But it was what it was. He couldn't undo the past; all he could do was figure out his next step. As mad as he was at her, he wanted to be with Rory. He should've bored of her ages ago, but he hadn't. If anything, his feelings just continued to grow. So, he had a choice to make. He could let her go, or he could give her what she wanted.

A week ago the answer would have been obvious. She was a liability. But he'd held on too long and now everything had changed.

She'd told her mother. And even though Lorelai's relationship with Richard and Emily was strained at best, he knew she would go to them with this. They might know already. And once they knew he had taken advantage of their precious granddaughter, all of Hartford society would know as well and then, instead of writing the news, he'd be it.

So really there was only one thing to do. One solution to a whole lot of problems. If he couldn't hide their relationship anymore, then he had to legitimize it. He'd get out in front of the scandal, give Rory the validation she needed, and if he played his cards right, he could even get rid of his pesky son.

He felt a surge of excitement as the idea formed in his head. Which was surprising because this was not what he'd ever wanted. After Shira, he was sure he'd never go there again. And he was only doing it because he was backed into a corner. And yet he couldn't help it. The idea made him…happy.

He picked up his phone and started to type.

Come over tonight. We need to talk.

He put the phone down, not expecting an answer since he hadn't had one in days but not even a minute later his phone pinged.

I know. 7:30?

Mitchum grinned with delight. Great, now that that was set, he just had to make a little trip to Tiffany's.

AN: Rory is kind of like America right now. She's decided it's time to kick her abusive boss/boyfriend to the curb. Only he's a narcissistic ass that doesn't like not getting his way so he's not going to go out without a fight. But don't worry. They'll both be gone by January.

The question is, does she let herself be bamboozled at all by his grand gesture? When will Logan find out? What will he think when he does? Is Rory right that he'll never be able to look at her the same way? And what does Mitchum mean when he thinks he can get rid of Logan if he plays his cards right? Let me know your theories in a review.