A/N: Two chapters in one day! Am I good or what? Thank you to all of my amazing reviewers. Reviews are my anti-drug. Heh. Anywho, I added some more drama in this chapter and I'm interested to see what you guys will think. I think a lot of you are going to like how this chapter ends - but that doesn't mean you should skip right to the end, because it won't make any sense if you do. I'll let you go so you can get to reading. Bon appetite!
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Rory rolled over in her and Logan's bed and picked up her alarm clock. 2:28 AM. She sighed rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep all night. She couldn't. This whole Los Angeles Times thing wouldn't get out of her mind. There was so much to think about. Way too much to think about.
This was such an amazing opportunity. Chas was right – these things didn't come along very often, and she was incredibly lucky to have it. Sure, it meant moving to Los Angeles, but she would be working for the Los Angeles Times. One of the biggest newspapers in the country. It was her dream to work for a newspaper like that.
But Logan, New Haven, Stars Hollow, Lorelai, Luke, Lane, her grandparents…everything. How could she just leave all of that? The con part of her mind immediately kicked in. Logan would be crushed when he found out that she was even considering moving to Los Angeles. But would he even be staying in New Haven after he got back from London? If so, Rory wasn't sure she could do it. Put thousands of miles between them again. She loved him too much to do that. It was hard enough being without him while he was in London for a year, she didn't want to add time onto that. It was too hard. Even the thought of it stabbed at her heart.
Rory quickly sat up and turned on her bedside lamp. The light hurt her eyes, but she didn't have time for that right now. "That's it," she mumbled to herself irritably. Rory removed herself from the nice, warm bed and stumbled into the living room area, tripping over one of her shoes and mumbling some choice words under her breath until she finally found the cordless phone. Grabbing it, she quickly made her way back to the bedroom and flopped back down on the bed.
"Okay," she reassured herself. "This is going to be okay. Dear God, I'm talking to myself. It's way too early." She quickly pressed one of the speed dials and held the phone nervously up to her ear.
"Hello?" Came a bright voice on the other line.
Rory paused for a moment before saying anything, but then cleared her voice and responded, "Hey, Logan, it's me."
"Ace? What are you doing up, isn't it like 2:30 AM back in the states? Is everything okay?" Logan's voice was concerned. What was she doing up at that hour?
"Yeah everything's fine I just…I needed to talk to you. Do you have a minute?" Rory did her best not to let her voice shake.
"For you, I've got hours," he replied, sitting back in his desk chair. "What's up?"
Rory let out a long breath before beginning. "Have you ever heard of Chas Murdoch?"
"Hmm, can't say I have."
"Well, he came to visit me at the Gazette today. He's from the Los Angeles Times," Rory explained, leaning back against the pillows.
"Really?" Logan asked curiously.
"Yes. He said that he was here on business, so I went with him to get coffee and we talked a little bit," Rory continued, not wanting to leave anything out. "He was really nice – we talked about college. He went to Dartmouth, but anyway, onto the point. He said that he and the editor at the Times had read some of my articles and they were really impressed." Rory paused, waiting for a reaction from Logan.
"Uh-huh."
Rory sighed again before going on. "And he offered me a job," Rory blurted out. "He said that after I graduated from Yale I would move out to Los Angeles and have a job at the L.A. Times. We haven't gone over and specifics, but he and I are meeting for a business lunch tomorrow to hammer out the details. I haven't accepted anything yet. I needed to talk to you and my mom first. And I have a ton of thinking to do." There was silence on the other line, adding to Rory's nervousness. "Logan?" She asked lightly. "You still breathing over there?"
"Los Angeles, huh?"
"I know," Rory said. "Other side of the country. I don't know what to do. I mean, how often does this type of opportunity come along? A job at a paper as prestigious as the L.A. Times right out of college?"
"True," Logan agreed, his head still spinning from the recent news.
"But then again," Rory countered herself, "It's so far away, and I've never had the slightest interest in Los Angeles. It's away from New Haven, Stars Hollow, my mom…and it's away from you."
"True," Logan repeated.
Now Rory was beginning to get annoyed with him. "Logan, do you have any opinion on this whatsoever, or are you just going to agree with or repeat everything that I say?"
"Sorry," he said defensively. "I'm just taking a minute to think about it, that's all."
Rory had been expecting him to immediately tell her not to go, not for him to actually think about it. She was taken aback at his words. "Oh."
"You're right, it's a killer opportunity," Logan finally said. "And you know I want you to be successful and follow your dreams."
"So you think I should take it?" Rory asked sadly. What was this? Why did he want her to leave? What was his problem?
"I never said that," Logan immediately replied.
"So…you don't want me to take it?" Now Rory was just plain confused.
"I never said that either," he assured her.
"Well what am I supposed to do then?"
"I can't tell you what to do."
"Well you don't at least have an opinion?" Rory asked angrily. "You thousands of miles away without so much as even asking for my input, now I'm asking for yours and you have none? So you wouldn't care if I just hopped on a plane tomorrow and flew off to I don't know, Tahiti, and took a job at a paper there? Jeez Logan, thanks for the concern!" Rory knew that she was being irrational, but she couldn't help it. She was angry, upset, and confused. And Logan was doing anything to help her.
"Rory, calm down, you know that's not it," Logan replied in irritation.
"I don't know anything, you won't give me so much as an opinion," Rory spat, sitting up on the bed.
"I want what's best for you, Rory! Of course I don't want you to go, but if this is something that you really want to do, who am I to tell you otherwise?"
"You're my boyfriend, that's who you are!" Rory shouted. "So start acting like it."
"Rory, stop it," Logan insisted, trying to calm them both down. "I know you're upset and confused right now, and I'm sorry, but can't we act like adults for two seconds and talk about this rationally? Now you know that I care about you and of course I don't want you to move to Los Angeles, but at the same time, you're one of the most talented and amazing people that I've ever met. How can I deny you an opportunity like this?"
Rory felt herself tearing up. "I know," she said with a sad sigh. "I know that you care, and I want what's best for me too. But I don't know what that is right now."
"I think you just need some time to think about this," he offered gently, glad that she was finally cooling off.
"Logan, what's going to happen in a year?" Rory asked bluntly.
"What?"
"What's going to happen in a year? I mean, you'll be back from London for good, right? You're father's not going to send you off someplace for another year?"
"Well…"
"I need to know, Logan," Rory demanded.
"I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen in a year. I'm trying to come back sooner, but I don't know what my father's plans for me are."
"Well," Rory began somewhat sarcastically, "Don't you think that maybe that's something you might want to find out? That maybe, just maybe, you being gone for another year might have a teeny little affect on our relationship?"
"Rory, stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Stop berating me for things that I don't know or can't control," Logan explained forcefully.
"I'm not berating you," Rory confirmed. "I'm just…" She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I'm sick of not knowing, Logan. I'm sick of not knowing what's going to happen to us in a year…in two years. I need some sort of confirmation that we're going to be okay. I want to know that you'll be here."
"I love you," he stated. "Isn't that enough confirmation?"
"I love you, too. You know that." Rory was trying so hard to make him understand. "But I need to know what's going to happen. I can't figure out what I'm going to do without knowing."
"I don't know what to tell you," Logan said in frustration. He was not in the mood to deal with this right now.
"Yes you do."
"What do you want me to do, Rory? Do you want me to lie to you?"
"No, you know that's not what I want."
"Well I don't know what you do want either! I don't know what's going to happen in a year, I don't know what my father's plans are. I don't know, Rory. Can't you cut me the least bit of slack?"
"I've been cutting you slack!" Rory shouted. "I've been cutting you slack for months. You asked me not to tell you to go to London, remember? Do you remember that, Logan? But I didn't. I couldn't do that to you because your future depended on it. So even though it broke my heart for you to leave, I let you go because you needed to do it. I've been dealing for the past few months since you've been gone. I haven't complained, I've only been supportive. Now all I'm asking for is a little advice and your opinion and you can't even give me that. So thanks Logan, thanks a lot." She hung up the phone and stared at it in her hands. She was shaking with anger and frustration. Suddenly, she threw the phone up against the wall. Turning off the light, she rolled over in bed and closed her eyes, but no sleep came.
-
"No, Ralph, for the eighteen-thousandth time, I have not seen the Reynolds co-op documents," Rory snapped at Ralph, who held up his hands in defense. She had been on edge all day. After not getting any sleep that night and drinking nine cup of coffee before noon, she was just about ready to kill someone. And the article she was so excited about was turning into a nightmare.
"Sorry, Gilmore, jeez," Ralph mumbled before turning around and walking away.
Rory waved him off before returning her gaze to the computer screen and massaging her temples. This had been the worst day she'd had in awhile. She hadn't talked to Logan since their last conversation, and was a little bit angry that he never even bothered to call her back.
Oh well, she couldn't think about that right now. Right now she needed to concentrate on –
"Good afternoon, Rory," came a familiar voice.
She looked up to see Chas standing there proudly. "Ready for lunch?"
"What time is it?" She asked, more to herself than to Chas.
"One o'clock," he replied. "Remember, we have a lunch date to discuss Los Angeles."
"Oh, that's right. Sorry, I just got a little sidetracked," she babbled, standing up and minimizing documents on her computer screen. She quickly gathered her things and followed him out of the newsroom. "Where are we going for lunch?"
"I saw a little Italian place last night on my way to the hotel. I thought maybe we'd eat there," he explained, looking down at his cell phone for a moment.
"Sounds good," Rory said absentmindedly as she followed him down the street. The restaurant was only about a block away and they were seated quickly. "This is a nice place." Rory looked around at the cute little restaurant. I'll have to take Logan here sometime, she couldn't help thinking before mentally chastising herself.
"So have you thought any more about Los Angeles?" Chas asked after they ordered.
"A bit," Rory replied. "There's a lot to think about."
"Believe me, I know," he chuckled. "Let me guess, you're worried about leaving your family and everything you know behind, right?"
"Well…yeah," Rory admitted with a slight smile. It felt nice to be understood.
"I know exactly how you feel. I had the same apprehensions when I got into Dartmouth. I'd only ever been to the east coast once before – and that was for my interviews. Needless to say I was pretty much ignorant when it came to New England. I was scared, too," Chas explained lightly. "But I'm so glad that I made the jump and did it. Sure, I didn't get to see my family that much, but I wouldn't trade the experiences I had in those four years for anything. And my family was supportive."
Rory smiled. She knew that her family would support her no matter what she chose. She had talked to Lorelai that morning before work, and even though her mother didn't want to her leave, she understood that it was a once in a lifetime experience and wanted Rory to grab the bull by the horns.
"Yeah," Rory agreed. "It's just a lot to think about, that's all. I don't think I can make a decision yet."
"I completely understand," Chas assured her firmly. "You must have some questions though."
"Yeah I do," Rory said eagerly.
"Let me have 'em."
"Okay, well firstly, what exactly would I be doing? I mean, I'm not looking for a job as a secretary or an assistant or anything like that."
Chas laughed. "Of course you wouldn't be a secretary! You've got way too much talent to do something like that." Rory smiled at his reply. Take that, Mitchum Huntzberger. "No, Tim – the editor – and I discussed you doing some small editorial work to start, just to get the hang of things, you know? Then we thought you might go on to write some of the smaller articles. I don't want you thinking that you'll be getting front page articles like that." He snapped his fingers to make a point. "That takes a few years, but you definitely won't be bored."
"That sounds…amazing," Rory said breathlessly. "What's it like in L.A.?"
"It's just fun out there. Great parties, restaurants – and the beach! I personally love the beach. I've been around it my entire life," Chas explained with excitement in his voice.
"I just got back from the beach actually," Rory said amiably as she munched on a piece of garlic bread.
"Really? Which one?"
"Well my grandparents just bought a summer home out on Cape Cod."
"Oh man, Cape Cod is beautiful!"
Rory chuckled at his excitement. "Yeah, it was really nice."
"Well," Chas said, "L.A. isn't quite like the Cape, but it's still nice."
"I can imagine," Rory assured him. "So would I get an apartment in L.A. then?"
Chas nodded. "Yes, and we could arrange a loan for you to pay for moving expenses. We want to make it as stress-free as possible."
"That's nice to hear," Rory told him. "I could use a little less stress in my life."
"Come on, what could possibly be stressful about your life?" Chas asked with amusement.
"Oh, you have no idea."
"Try me."
Rory debated in her mind. Chas smiled at her, willing her to talk. "Well with school starting and everything. I've already got a big workload at the Gazette. I'm sure they'll give me a bit of a break as soon as school starts, but it's still a lot. And with Logan being in London and all…"
"Rocky relationship?"
Rory's eyes snapped up from staring at her silverware. "No," she said firmly, quickly putting a smile on her face. "Everything's fine, it's just…I miss him."
"Well of course you do," Chas nodded understandably. "So tell me about the infamous Logan Huntzberger."
Rory grinned. "He's…" she sighed with a smile. "He's talented, smart, well-read. He doesn't believe it yet, but I know he's going to be amazing running his father's company." Even though Rory was angry with him, she wasn't going to let Chas know that. And a fight didn't make her love Logan any less.
"Sounds like a great guy," Chas said with a smile as their food came to the table.
"He is," Rory confirmed with a nod. She looked down at her plate of pasta as her stomach rumbled. "This looks delicious."
They finished around two o'clock. Chas led her out of the restaurant and they began to walk together back to the Gazette. They made casual conversation all the while. He stopped when they reached the building and turned to Rory. "Well I hope I quenched some of your thirst for information about the Times and Los Angeles in general."
"Oh, you did. And thanks again for lunch," Rory thanked him.
"You're quite welcome. Now I'll be in New Haven for about another week or so. If you have any questions – about anything, don't be afraid to call. You have my number?" Rory nodded. "Great. And Rory, I'd love to have lunch with you again, or we could do dinner?" Chas ventured.
"I don't know," Rory said uneasily, shifting from one foot to another and staring down at the sidewalk.
"Just to talk," Chas assured her. "It's really easy to talk to you, Rory."
"Can I get back to you?" Rory asked timidly.
Chas paused for a minute, his smile disappearing momentarily. "Sure. Call me." Rory nodded. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder before turning around and walking down the street. Rory stood there, watching him leave. She gently held a hand up to her shoulder where he had squeezed it.
-
Rory left work early that day and returned to her apartment around four o'clock. She quickly dropped her bags on the floor and walked over to sit down on the couch. Grabbing the cordless phone – which to her surprise that morning, was not broken – she quickly dialed Logan's cell phone number. He still hadn't called her, and she desperately needed to hear his voice.
"Hi, this is Logan," came the voice from his answering machine. "I'm not here right now, so leave your name, number, and a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." Rory sighed, and decided to just leave a message.
"Hey, it's me. Just calling to see how you are. I had lunch with Chas Murdoch today about that L.A. thing and I thought you might like to know some of the details. And I'm uh…I'm sorry, Logan. I miss you. Bye." Rory pressed the 'End' button and dropped the phone next to her onto the couch. She jumped when it rang a second later.
"Hello?"
"Hey," came the familiar voice of Logan. Rory relaxed upon hearing it.
"Hey, you. Did you get my message?"
"No, I just saw that you called when I got out of the shower," Logan explained.
"Oh, well…I had lunch with Chas Murdoch today."
"The guy from the Los Angeles Times?" Logan asked, quickly drying his wet hair with a towel.
"Yeah, he gave me some more information about the job," Rory told him, leaning back into the couch.
"Yeah, like what?" Rory could hear movement on the other line as he got dressed.
"Well, he said that I would probably start out doing some light editorial work, and eventually progress into writing some smaller articles. Nothing front page – that takes years, but hey, it's better than nothing."
"Sounds good," Logan said indifferently, causing Rory to frown.
"Yeah, it does," she agreed half-heartedly.
"So I talked to my dad about his favorite subject – my future," Logan said with a sigh.
"Really?" Rory asked, intrigued. "What did he say?"
"He's not sure what's going to happen after London. I asked him if he had any idea at all, but he just blew me off. Said I'll know as soon as he does," Logan explained.
"Oh." Rory didn't try to hide her disappointment. "Is there a possibility of you going away again?"
"There's always that possibility, Rory. For all I know I'll be in Hong-Kong tomorrow, you know that."
"Well sorry," she said in annoyance. Couldn't he at least try and humor her?
"So how was your lunch with Chas besides talking about L.A.?" Logan asked, doing a bad job at masking the bitterness in his voice.
"It was very nice, thanks," Rory confirmed, equally as bitter. "He said he understands where I'm coming from. Like I told you before, he went to Dartmouth. Even though he'd lived in California his entire life."
"Well, he sounds like a very interesting person."
"I'll let him know you think so."
"Please do."
"What's your problem, Logan?"
"My problem?"
"Yes, Mr. Jolly-Pants, your problem," Rory said angrily.
"I'm sick and tired of arguing with you, Rory," he told her. "It doesn't get us anywhere."
"Well then don't argue with me," Rory stated simply.
"It's not that easy."
"Sure it is. Why don't you try being a little supportive for once."
"Supportive! I have always supported you, Rory! I supported you when you wanted to take a break from Yale – I didn't agree with it, but I understood that it was something you needed to do. I supported you when you decided to go back to Yale. And I'm doing my best to support you with this, but is it so bad that I don't want you to move across the country and put even more distance between us?"
"So you're the only one that's allowed to leave, huh? I'm just supposed to sit here and wait until you get back! Sorry, Logan, that's not who I am," Rory yelled.
"Rory, you know that's not it," he said, more calmly this time.
"No, I get it. You can go off to wherever and pursue your dreams, but I can't. I have to sit here and just wait for you like a good little girlfriend."
"Rory," he pleaded.
"Y'know what, Logan? Just forget it." With that, she hung up the phone. When she put it down, her hands were shaking. What had just happened? Her eyes watered and a lump formed in her throat. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out Chas's business card and placed it on the coffee table before her. She didn't let any tears follow, and instead grabbed her keys, quickly grabbing her purse and rushing out the door, barely remembering to lock it behind her.
What was going on with her and Logan? Why couldn't he just support her like she had supported him? Did she really want his support though? It would be so much easier if he just flat out told her not to go. That wasn't Logan though. She couldn't believe she had even thought he might do that. Poor Logan, she thought to herself. How can he possibly be there for me when I don't even know what I want? I'm treating him like dirt and he doesn't deserve it at all. Rory pulled out her cell phone and pressed the speed dial button for his cell phone as she drove. It rang and rang, but then went to voicemail. "Dammit," she mumbled, quickly hanging up. She pressed the button again. "Pick up, pick up, pick up." Voicemail again. Damn it all to hell!
She sped down the road towards Stars Hollow. Her mom would know what to do. Oh God, what had she done? Logan…Her mind raced as she continued to drive. Suddenly, an exit sign caught her eye and an idea popped into her mind. Quickly, she swerved across two lanes to get off at the exit, almost causing an accident, and making her the recipient of many honks. "Sorry!" She yelled to no one in particular.
Rory got off and followed the signs towards her new destination. It took her about another half an hour before she entered the parking area, and another fifteen minutes to find a spot. She turned off her car and quickly grabbed her purse before running. She ran as fast as she could in heels. It was so crowded here. As she stood impatiently in line, Rory's mind continued to buzz. The Los Angeles Times…a once in a lifetime experience. Only if you want it to be. She smiled at that.
"Can I help you?" Came an annoyed voice. Rory looked up and realized that she was next.
"Yes," she said, immediately stepping forward and placing her purse on the counter. "When is your next flight to London?"
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A shoter chapter, but there's also more descriptions and things like that. Please review and let me know what you think!
