Disclaimer: I own nothing.
AN: Okay here's another chapter of a lifetime...
Rory Gilmore was still standing by the pool when Jess Mariano walked out of the house whistling happily. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her standing still, looking at the sliding door that led to the dining room.
"Hey." His brow wrinkled in confusion, "Going for a swim?"
"I kissed Logan." She blurted out of nowhere.
"Well good for you then, he is after all your boyfriend." Jess looked perplexed at her words.
"I didn't kiss Logan Huntzberger. I kissed Logan Echolls." She brought her hands to her face in shame.
"Oops." Was all he could say.
"And Addy saw us."
"Double oops."
"That's it. That's all you can say after I tell you that I just kissed your best friend's boyfriend." Rory dropped her hands from her face and looked at Jess in frustration.
"What else can I say? And Logan isn't Addy's boyfriend." Jess replied.
"That's it; you give me a disclaimer that Logan isn't Addy's boyfriend. Jess, you are a lousy friend." Rory retorted angrily.
"Am I supposed to get mad at you now? Look Rory, I've been told time and again by Addy that she and Logan are just casual. Whether or not Logan takes it to heart and kiss other women is not my problem." Jess countered impatiently.
"I can't believe I kissed him." Rory remarked glumly.
Jess walked towards her and patted her back comfortingly. "Now, now Rory. It's not as bad as you think. I'm sure it'll sort itself out."
"I cheated on Logan." She looked horrified.
"Why don't you go up to your room and rest?"
"I think I'll do that." Rory sighed and nodded. She smiled at Jess weakly and started for the sliding door.
Jess looked on as she disappeared from his view, "And the hits keep on coming."
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"Addy!" Logan shouted into the room as he entered.
Addy looked up from her book and shot him a curious smile.
"Addy, it didn't mean anything." He stated loudly as he sat down next to her.
"Calm down. You look like you ran a marathon." She commented offhandedly as she put down her book and focused on him.
"How the hell did you get here without breaking a sweat?" Logan asked as he tried to catch his breath.
"Oh, Jess showed me a short cut. And I used one of the golf carts." She smiled in reply.
Logan finally composed himself, but he felt himself becoming angry at the way she was talking to him.
"Addy, about what you saw earlier…" he started carefully, controlling his temper.
"No big deal." She shrugged in return.
"I forgot you want nothing to do with me anymore." Logan stood up and paced the room.
"That's not what I said and you know it." She contradicted softly.
"Aren't you even angry that I kissed another woman?" he raked his hand through his hair.
"I don't have the right to be angry."
"Yes you do. If you love me you would have been furious! But I guess you were only using me for your amusement."
"Look, I don't think anything I say will make a difference."
"The funny thing is that you won't even try." Logan said bitterly.
"What do you want me to say Logan? Why don't you hand me a script and tell me what I'm supposed to do?" she frowned at his general direction.
"Addy! Tell me what I should do. Tell me what I can do to make this work."
"What is there to work out?"
Logan stopped his pacing and stopped in front of her.
"Didn't we have this conversation two hours ago? You decided that you can't be in a casual relationship anymore. I told you that I can't give you what you want. Didn't you just end it then?" she looked at him curiously.
"Adriana-" he looked about ready to throttle her.
Addy just looked at him and was completely detached.
"Look Logan, you can kiss anyone you want. There really is no point to this entire conversation."
Logan stood before her, his face betraying no emotion. He held out his hand to her, she sighed but took it anyway. He made her stand up; when she did he allowed his hands to settle on her waist. Without warning he kissed her, she did not fight him but chose not to respond to his kiss. His lips became more insistent and in the end she gave in to the kiss.
"You're not going to tell me that what we have is worth throwing away. I felt everything you feel in that kiss and I won't let you deny the fact that you love me." He whispered into her hair as they parted.
"You misinterpret my actions Logan. That was goodbye." She pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around herself protectively, for the first time divulging a sign of emotion.
"How can it be goodbye? Addy talk to me." Logan begged hoarsely.
"Because you are broken and so am I. Two broken people do not make a whole. Maybe you are better off with Rory, maybe she can make you whole again. All I know is that I can't be that person for you Logan." Her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"No! You can't give up on us. You have no right to give up on us! Don't tell me who would be better suited for me. I want you! I want you!" he shouted at her.
"Don't make this harder than it has to be." She pleaded with him.
"You have no right!" Logan's voice trembled with emotion.
"Logan-"
"No. I won't let you." Logan walked out and slammed the door behind him.
THURSDAY
It was five thirty in the morning. Jess walked into the study, certain that Addy was already there waiting for him. What he saw set off an alarm in his head. Addy was sitting on the chair behind the oak table, staring blankly into space. He walked over to her and sat on the corner of the table.
"Hey Addy Bell." He touched her hand cautiously.
Addy woke from her reverie and smiled wanly at him, "Hey Jessie boy."
Jess held her hand in his and squeezed gently, trying to infuse some of his strength into her, "What's wrong?"
"Everything." She looked ready to burst into tears.
He kneeled down so they could see each other eye to eye. Jess felt his heart drop as he truly saw his best friend; her eyes were swimming in tears she always held back, she dropped to her knees as well and leaned on him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her fiercely.
"Hey it's going to be okay. I promise you it'll be okay." He whispered softly to her ear.
"No it won't." she murmured just as she burst into tears.
Jess stood up, bringing her with him. He led them to the sofa. He allowed her to cry and he kept his arm around her soothingly.
"I'm sorry." Jess whispered to her guiltily.
Addy wiped her tears with her hand and looked at him, "For what?"
"For letting this happen. If I hadn't insisted on having you around two weeks before the wedding none of this would have happened."
"None of this is your fault." She replied firmly.
"Addy you have to learn to forgive him." Jess nudged her gently as her tears stopped.
"Forgive who?"
"Hunter for the part he played in what almost happened to you. Logan for not being there when you needed him most." He remarked quietly.
"I already did."
"Addy, you are amazing. You are socially aware, you are compassionate and wise. Despite all the things that happened to you, you have the ability to move past that and help those in need, except when it comes to the two Logans."
Addy bit her lip and waited for him to continue.
"And even if you haven't forgiven them you still love them, Logan Huntzberger because you've learned to at such an early age, Logan Echolls because he saw you even when you were trying to be invisible."
"I never made a comment on your arrangement with Logan, but the truth is I always felt that it was wrong of you to subject him to such treatment. I admit that part of me felt that he deserved it, for what he did to you, for getting back together with Veronica when we broke up. But it's been a year; the boy has been wearing his heart on his sleeve."
"He just wants a different ending, one where he isn't the bad guy."
"And somehow you're doing that for him. You're letting him blame you this time. Not only is it not fair to him, it's not fair to you. You deserve the world Adriana. Act like an adult and tell him why you can't be with him anymore."
"I told him last night. He told me he's not going to let me give up on us."
"Then tell him again, this time tell him the whole truth."
"And you know why I can't be with him?"
"I've always known. I'm not your best friend for nothing."
"He kissed Rory."
"I know. She told me."
"Maybe they'd be a better fit."
"Don't go matchmaking just because it'll make things easier for you."
"I'm not. I just think that he's better off with her than with me."
"Maybe. We don't know, but if they make a better fit it's not for us to decide."
"Jess…"
"Yes."
"I'm glad you're my best friend."
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Veronica edged closer to Jess, trying to comfort him as he relayed the events of last night.
He walked into the master's bedroom at seven in the morning. She woke up groggily, but when she saw the expression on his face she became alert. That was when he started to talk about everything. He just came from Addy's house after making sure she was in bed and asleep.
"You should have seen her. I've never seen her so distraught." Jess leaned back on the pillow.
"I'm having a tough time picturing her distraught." Veronica mumbled quietly.
"It's because she's always been composed."
"What do you think will happen now?" she asked him as he gripped her hand tightly.
"We'll have to tell Uncle Jay and Aunt Ri that Addy is off somewhere, they can't see her in her current state. Then I'll have to make sure that Logan is okay."
"What about Rory and Hunter?"
"What about them?"
"Somehow they've become involved in this melodrama."
Jess frowned at her, "Here I thought all I had to worry about was saying I do."
"I think I'm more relieved that the drama doesn't involve us." She commented lightly.
"We have fulfilled our drama quota for the year. I'm just worried."
"About what?"
"Addy, Logan, take your pick."
"They're both adults Jess."
"Just because they are doesn't mean they will behave like adults."
"True. But Addy is Addy. And Logan has grown up. He may be a little hurt but I'm sure he won't do anything stupid."
"Veronica, you've met Logan right?"
"I have, and I 'd like to think that I know him well enough to say that he's probably in his room cooling off. Then later he'll be ready for another round with Addy."
"He won't get her back."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I know Addy. And I know what she really wants."
"She doesn't want Logan?" she posed the question warily. Jess just looked at her and shrugged.
"Jess, everything will work out." Veronica grasped his hand in hers and allowed their fingers to intertwine.
"Come on." Veronica got up from the bed, pulling at his hand to get him to stand up as well.
"Why?" Jess asked wearily as he got up.
"Because I want to make you breakfast. Brighten up your day." She tilted her head at him.
"Stop using that head tilt of yours. You already own me." Jess chuckled, feeling a little better already.
AN2: That's it for Chapter 17. As I was writing this it became clear to me that LoganE wouldn't just accept defeat with his relationship with Addy, after all he has a pattern of not giving up on a relationship despite all evidence that it is over. So from that standpoint I wrote this. And I am kinda following the trend of not making the RoganE hookup too easy. But the reaction to the kiss will be revealed in a few chapters from now, Logan's and Rory's and everyone else's. I can't help but add the Veronica and Jess moment, they everything else a lot more tolerable, especially since this chapter was a tad emotional, particularly the way Logan left in this chapter. So that's it for now, hope you enjoyed reading.
To my reviewers:
tylerhiltongrupie53: Thanks for your enthusiastic response to the kiss between Logan and Rory. I was a little worried that it was not believable, but your reaction has taken away my worries. Thanks again for the review.
Problem Child1: My very first squee...I'm so happy! Thanks for the review as always. I'm also on Logan's side in terms of his relationship with Addy. I find that his reaction was justified, after all he has a lot of issues and I don't think that such issues would be easy to get over in a few years. Anyway, thanks for the compliment. I try to channel the character when I'm writing. I started writing this fic out of my frustration in the earlier part of the Veronica Mars season2, the Jess part happened when Rory rejected him when she went to Philly. Nothing to do with being unafraid of writing VM and Gilmore Girls. I just felt like writing, usually I manage to quench any desire to write for other fandoms. This one was dying to be written so I gave up and just did it. Thank you, thank you for your review.
LoVe53: Thanks for your review. And your instinct on certain things about this story is always dead on. We'll learn about 'Hunter' next chapter. It's going to explore the relationship between LH and Addy more. And the LE vs LH is going to be intense, you'll see. And about the conversations between Rory and Logan, well I can imagine them too, and it's gratifying to know that whatever is in my head is actually translated here. And I am not discounting Logan at all, after all I am a LoVe fan, and it was disappointing not to see any part of their relationship last season, they did give us a view of their makeout sessions. But I am looking forward to this coming season, I hope this time they will actually let us see them interact without constantly having their mouths glued to each other. It's actually ironic that I only started liking Duncan when he left with his baby. By then I no longer viewed him as a threat to LoVe so I found myself liking him and Teddy Dunn. Anyways, thanks for reviewing, I totally appreciate it.
shotswithMrsKim: I'm glad that the RoganE hookup was to your liking. The slow progress of their relationship will be just that, slow. And there are concrete plans of breaking up on Rory's part of that much I am sure. I agree with you on the entire ooc thing. I tried to make it as believable as I could but even then I was unsure if I succeeded. Thanks for the review as always, hoped you liked this chapter as well.
