"I still can't believe it. I'm marrying Luke!"

Lorelai Gilmore, soon to be Lorelai Danes, stood in front of a mirror in one of the many rooms at the Dragonfly Inn, surrounded by her three bridesmaids.

Rory Gilmore smoothed the front of her blue bridesmaid dress, smiling happily at her mother. Lorelai turned to the side, before leaning forward, trying to see herself from different angles. "Maybe I should straighten my hair..."

"No way, Lorelai," Lane, another bridesmaid, contradicted. "Curls all the way. Besides, the wedding's in a few minutes!"

Lorelai's eyes widened, before looking over at the clock. "You're not kidding," she said, dumbfounded. "It can't be in only a few minutes! I haven't backed out in true Lorelai fashion yet!"

"No backing out," Sookie, the third bridesmaid, said. "No 'yet'. You're getting married!"

"I'm getting married," Lorelai echoed faintly, sitting down on the bed.

"Careful," Rory scolded. "You'll wrinkle your dress."

Lorelai jumped up like she had sat on a tack. Smoothing the back of her dress, she nearly fell over in surprise when April Nardini knocked on the door and stuck her head in. She didn't even need to speak; they all knew that it was time for the wedding to begin.

Filing out of the room, Rory kept a single hand on her mother's shoulder, honestly prepared to catch her if she toppled down the stairs.

Her mother was getting married. The youngest Gilmore smiled slightly at the thought of it, though the smile was a little sad. She was happy for her mother and Luke, but the wedding reminded her a bit of her own love life.

Had it really been three years since Logan went to London? Rory shook her head. No way. No way was she going to think about it. But unbidden thoughts still wormed their way into her head.

She still didn't know to this day what caused her to break up with Logan, why she woke him up at one in the morning London time just to tell him that they couldn't be together. She didn't remember why she ran to Jess, a huge mistake.

Blocking it from her mind, she stepped out into the warm June sunshine. Luke and Lorelai still had their June third wedding; it may have taken a few extra years, but it was happening. Instead of it being at that church, though, it was at the Dragonfly. Who needed a carousel? This was their home.

Rory could see Luke staring at Lorelai, Richard Gilmore coming up to take his daughter's arm, Emily with tears in her eyes.

She could also see the back of a certain dark-haired man's head, and sighed. Jess was Luke's nephew; of course he was going to be there. It still caused her stomach to painfully twist.

That night she ran to him had been a mistake; she had left barely a minute after calling Logan. He had been staying in Star's Hollow with Luke, she led him into believing she still loved him.

Biting on her lower lip, she wondered when she had become such a crappy person.

Standing with Sookie and Lane, she followed her mother and grandfather down the white aisle, determinedly not looking at Jess, though she could feel his dark eyes following her until April "accidently" tossed a large handful of flowers into his face. Rory bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. That girl was something else.

Rory had left Star's Hollow the next morning after that night, leaving only a note telling Jess that it had been a mistake. He had pestered her for nearly a year after that, until Finn threatened him with castration. After that, he sort of faded away, like a distant cousin... which, in reality, he now was. Only seen at family events, rarely talked to.

Kirk was the minister, oddly enough. T.J. was somehow the best man. She could hear Taylor in the front row grumbling to himself about the wooden chairs.

Sighing contently, Rory pulled away from the reflections of her life and focused on her mother and almost stepfather, letting the serene atmosphere soak into her.

–

"Time to party!" Lorelai said, tossing her bouquet into the air. Kirk caught it, squealing in excitement.

The guests and the wedding party were all heading back outside. After the wedding, they had gone back into the dining room to each a delicious meal (prepped by Sookie, of course) and were now on their way to the back of the Inn, where the wedding scene had been removed by various Inn staff and a tarps were set up for the reception.

Rory looked around her as she stood under the pink tarps – Lorelai had fought Luke on that one. Bright twinkle lights were lining the edges of the tarps and every pole, along with the stage that the band stood on. She could hear microphones being tested, but the surge of people quickly blocked any further view.

Words flowed from the microphones through the tarps: "If everyone will sit down, it's time for the bride and groom's first dance."

Rory's breath caught in her throat, and she was half dragged to the side by Lane, who was asking what was wrong.

That voice... the same voice that had sleepily questioned why Rory was ending it, what he had done wrong.

Lorelai and Luke stood in the middle of the now empty dance floor as a gentle guitar chord began. Rory could only stand to the side, dumbfounded as she watched her blonde ex-boyfriend sing.

A band? Logan Huntzberger, future newspaper mogul, was the singer in a band? Closer inspection proved that Colin was playing guitar and Finn playing drums.

But why?

She was trying to think of when Colin or Finn may have mentioned this. But the last she had talked to them was nearly two years ago; of course she wouldn't know.

Why in God's name where they playing her mother's wedding? Surely Logan had more important things to do...

The next song began, and people began to join Lorelai and Luke on the dance floor.

"A dance for your new cousin?" came Jess's voice from her side.

Rory didn't even feel herself agreeing. In fact, she didn't realize what was happening until she was on the floor with Jess's arms around her waist.

Suddenly, all of her senses became acute. She felt Logan's gaze boring into her, the unfamiliar warmness of Jess's body, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Rory? What's wrong?" the dark-haired boy asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Nothing," she lied, brushing the tear away and daring to look at the stage.

She didn't even hear Jess talking to her; his words rolled over her, not having any effect. Her eyes locked with Logan, and though he kept on going, his full attention was upon her. His eyes were swirling with emotion; it was all too much.

Pulling away from Jess, Rory ran off the floor, hearing Jess calling after her. People stared; Taylor's mouth was hanging comically open.

She sat at her table, crossing her arms over her chest. Jess seemed to know better than to come after her, apparently, because she was alone until a certain bride came over.

"Mom, go dance with Luke," Rory said, waving her hand.

"Aw, you want to get rid of me?" Lorelai pouted. "This is about the band."

"How could you hire him, Mom?" she burst, glaring at her mother. "You know what happened between us! Did you just want to rub the fact that I was alone and you were getting married in my face or something?" Seeing her mother's hurt expression, she immediately regretted her words. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Lorelai recovered easily. "I know this is hard for you, hon," she said, "but he and those other two clowns needed the money–"

At this, Rory burst out laughing. "He's a Huntzberger, Mom! He has more money than half of all American citizens put together!"

"You don't read the papers much anymore, do you?" Lorelai said.

"Not since... well, no, I don't."

"Yeah," her mom agreed, "because if you did, then you'd know that Logan was disowned."

Rory sat at the table in silence for a minute, soaking it in. "Why?"

"It happened about a year ago. Basically, in short, he went up to his father and point-blank told him that he wasn't going to take over the business; he wanted to be a journalist. His father dumped him without a second thought. After that nasty business, no paper in North America would hire him."

Rory ran her fingers through her hair, disregarding her perfect curls. "Wow," was all she said, before turning her head back to look up at the stage. Logan was still singing into the mike, his eyes grazing over the crowd, before flashing up to lock with hers for a nanosecond before Colin hit the last chord in the song. "But... why the band?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Ask him," was all she said, before getting up. "And please don't sit here all night."

"I won't," Rory said, knowing very well that she would. "Go on, dance with your new hubby."

"Oh, that's not all we're going to do –"

"Mom!"

"Sorry," she grinned, before gliding away.

Rory hummed along with the new song that the band was playing, singing softly to herself. "And I won't back down / And I won't turn around and around..."

She nursed a her flute of champagne, wondering to herself how Colin and Finn found themselves in the band as well. It seemed too coincidental that they were disowned as well. Maybe they did something stupid – a prank? – that caused them to lose the family names.

No point in wondering, Rory decided. It was doubtful she'd see any of them after today, anyway.

–

"The band's going to take a break," Logan's voice rumbled through the microphone.

"So drink and be merry!" Finn's cheerful voice added, eliciting a laugh from Rory, who was still in her place from earlier that night.

Nearly an hour had passed; Jess had yet to come up to her, Lorelai had come over to lecture her twice, and Emily kept giving her 'looks', giving her an especially stern one when she was swinging back her fourth alcoholic drink.

She could hear the clunk of a guitar being set down, a high-hat being banged, and Finn managing to trip over a cord. Chuckling softly to herself, she cradled her drink in her hands – it was a soda water, demanded by Emily ("It's scandalous to get drunk at a wedding, Rory!").

"So... nice wedding."

Rory cringed inwardly. "Hey," she said lamely, trying to avoid Logan's eyes. Unfortunately for her, he took a seat at her table. "Logan... what are you doing here?" She finally brought her face up and her eyes to meet his.

"I needed the money," he admitted, his face coloring slightly.

"You knew I'd be here."

"Maybe I did."

"Why?" she sighed.

He stared at her for a few minutes, before wordlessly taking a glass of something alcoholic from a tray – he needed it. "Because I wanted to know."

"Know what?"

"Know why you chose to get me up in the middle of the freaking night just to break up with me for no apparent reason," he said stonily, refusing to look away from her. "I deserve to know, Ace!"

"Don't call me that," Rory whispered, breaking their staring contest and staring into the depths of her drink.

"Fine," he said. "Why, Rory?"

"Why do you care so much?" she replied evasively.

"Because I want to get a decent night's sleep," he said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his tuxedo jacket. "I want to stop wondering what I did."

"You didn't do anything," Rory sighed.

"Then why?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

Logan stared at her incredulously. She felt redness creeping into her cheeks and shame into her eyes.

"You don't know," he repeated faintly. "You broke up with me – over the phone, none the less – and you don't know why."

"I'm sorry, okay?" she burst out defensively. "I know, I'm stupid! I was scared, okay? Your reputation wasn't exactly stellar and I thought... well, I thought..."

"That I would sleep with the first breathing thing that walked by," he finished. "Well, it's good to know." Logan began to get up.

"Wait!" Rory said suddenly, and he stopped to look back at her. "There's... there's one more thing I have to tell you..."

"Oh no," Logan sighed, sitting back down.

"I slept with Jess," she whispered, staring at her folded hands in her lap.

He was silent. Rory's stomach twisted painfully. Why wasn't he speaking? He could at least yell at her... anything but this awful silence.

"When we were together." It was more of a statement then a question.

"Um... no," Rory said quietly. "About an hour after."

More silence. More terrible, horrible silence. She heard the chair scrape as she stared at the table, and looked up in time to see his retreating back.

"I didn't break up with you for him!" she called after him. Rory would have swore she saw him stop for a second, hesitate, before continuing.

A minute after Logan disappeared, Lorelai came up to Rory, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, babe."

The music started. Rory let a single tear fall.

"So am I."

–

END

–

So... bad, good? Too sad? Not sad enough?

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–Ace