Logan. Here, in Stars Hollow.

Thoughts swirled around Rory's mind. Why wasn't he in the Vineyard, on vacation with his beautiful, legitimate (Rory shuddered slightly as the word crossed her mind like a shooting star of shame and insecurity) family?

"You don't look so happy to see me," He noted.

"I am." She replied without thinking. "It's just a surprise. That's all."

"Yeah, I get it. I'm kinda barging into your life here." Logan sounded apologetic. "I'm sorry, Ace. I just felt like I had to see you. See Syl. I can't believe what a jerk I've been, telling you I'd come after we come back from our vacation."

She shook her head dismissively, as if to signal him that there were no hard feelings, but knew that he could see right through that. "I'm glad you're here now. Syl is going to be over the moon."

"I can't wait to see her," Logan flashed his signature smirk, still the same one that melted her heart all those years ago. She sighed.

"Logan, it's not that I'm not glad to see you, don't take this the wrong way," She started, struggling in her attempt not to make the wrong impression.

"Ooh, that's a good start," he teased.

"Come on, man." She looked up to meet his eyes, her gaze pleading him to take this seriously.

"Okay, sorry. What were you about to say?"

She drew in a deep breath. "Are you… Why did you… What about…"

"Ace, relax, everything is fine. Odette and the children are in Vineyard, I told them I would join them in a couple of days." Logan explained, almost amused.

"So no drama?"

"Zero drama."

"Okay." Rory felt a small weight lifting from her heart. Nothing dramatic had happened, he was only there to check on Sylvie. She should be happy. This is what she had been wishing for, for Logan to be more voluntarily involved in Sylvie's life. "How is everyone? How is Gabe? Alice?"

"They're great, Ace. They haven't stopped talking about Syl since Easter. She's the coolest older sister they could ask for. Alice worships her."

Rory nodded. "Well, she is extremely cool. And how is Odette?"

"She's fine too. Still pushing for us to go back to Europe, but I guess that's understandable."

Rory felt her chest tightening. Understandable? Why? Because America was just too close to the horrendous side-family? Logan noticed immediately, observant as always, and hurried to complete his thought.

"Because, you know. Her whole family is there."

Oh. Rory suddenly felt very small. She gulped hard, feverishly searching her mind for something else to say, when suddenly she heard the door opening, saving her from further embarrassment. She got up and turned to see who entered, all but bumping into Jess.

"Jess!" She exclaimed. The excitement had nearly washed her nervousness away, but seeing him, especially in person, threw her right back into her previous state of nausea.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," He glanced over to Logan, who nodded in his direction. Jess nodded back.

"No, it's fine. Logan came here for a surprise visit to see Sylvie." Rory felt the need to explain for some obscure reason. She huffed impatiently at his world-renowned poker face. "Don't leave me hanging, Jess. Are there news?"

"They're in. We're officially doing this. Congrats." He smiled at her obvious shock.

"They're in?" She asked in disbelief. He laughed.

"What did you think? Of course they're in. Matt said he couldn't put it down from the moment he started reading."

A sharp squeal of excitement escaped from Rory's mouth and she bounced into Jess' arms. He laughed and hugged her shortly. She pulled away, and he could see tears in her eyes. "Jess, thank you so much!"

"You deserve it," he shrugged matter-of-factly.

"What's this all about?" Logan raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I'm publishing my book," Rory's smile was wide like an ocean, and Jess' eyes were gleaming with pride. "Jess is publishing it."

"Wow, Ace, that's great. Congratulations." He offered her a warm smile. She blushed.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

"Anyway, I just wanted to come tell you in person," Jess shrugged again, and she could see him leaning towards the door. Reading his usual signs, she could tell he was about to leave.

"I'm glad you did." She placed one of her hands on his arm, and felt his muscles shifting under it. She removed it, concerned that she might have made him uncomfortable. "Jess, thank you so much for doing this for me. I mean it."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Thank me when you are a New York Times best selling author."

"Where are you off to?" She asked, impulsively. "Maybe you could come over to mom and Luke's for lunch later, they'd love it."

"Actually, I was just there." He confessed, making slow, discrete steps towards the door. Rory recognized the subtle gestures. He was getting ready to fly away. Her heart suddenly ached, a bitter-sweet nostalgic prick of pain. "I also came here to say goodbye." He finally revealed his cards. "For now. I'll probably be back in a few weeks. I've been away from Truncheon for too long, who knows what damages Chris couldn't stop Matt from causing while I was gone. He may have even brought back that god awful mime he invited to perform last month. Have you ever heard of alternative mimes?"

Rory snickered. She pictured Jess having to sit through a show of pantomime that crowned itself alternative. "Oh, boy."

"Didn't think so. And for a good reason, too, let me tell you."

"Keep in touch, okay?" She asked, blushing at how childlike her voice came out.

He smiled and squeezed her arm. "Yeah. I will." He turned to look at Logan. "Good to see you again," Jess offered a half-hearted smile, which was met with an equally insincere one from Logan. "Gilmore," he nodded at Rory, somewhat playfully.

"Mariano," she replied earnestly, putting out her hand for a shake. He grinned and shook her hand, then turned and left the room.

"Let's go meet Syl," Rory offered, breaking what was beginning to become an uncomfortable silence between her and Logan.

"I didn't know he was in town," Logan commented as Rory was collecting her bag and her keys from her desk.

"Well, I didn't know you were in town."

Logan laughed. "That's fair." They walked out into the peaceful street and Rory locked the office behind them. "You didn't tell me about the book," Logan's eyes were heavy with unasked questions.

"Uh, right. But it's not like we're really up to date on each other's personal lives to begin with," Rory argued.

"Maybe we should be," Logan's gaze was suddenly too intense for her, and she purposely avoided reading anything into his last few words. They walked in silence.

As they reached Lorelai's house, Rory took a deep breath. She knew that this was going to be intense, and braced herself. She opened the front door. "Syl! I have a surprise for you!" She yelled. They could hear Syl's light footsteps hurrying to the door. When she finally appeared in front of them, her eyes turned into two blue soup bowls, round and huge.

"Daddy!" She screeched, leaping into Logan's arms in a flurry of flaxen hair and lean limbs. Logan dropped his suitcase, hugging her tight.

"Hey there, kiddo." He laughed.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Sylvie pushed herself against his chest to look him in the eyes.

"I came to see you and your mother," he offered an explanation. Sylvie didn't seem content with it.

"But what's the occasion?" She inquired further, ever the tiny grown up. Logan chuckled, amused by her choice of words.

"The occasion is that I wanted to see the two of you."

"Is it because our house burned down?"

Rory was suddenly flooded with pride and amusement at how sharp her kid was. There was no bullshitting Sylvia L. Gilmore.

"That's part of the reason," Logan admitted.

"I knew it." Sylvie seemed proud. "Ever since it happened everything is more special. We're at grandma's house all the time, all my friends' moms make them send me greeting cards with chocolate in them, Jess gave me all these books to replace my old ones… I knew you had to come too."

"What books did Jess give you?" Rory asked, curious.

"You have to come see, mommy, he gave them to me before when he came to say goodbye to grandma and Luke." Sylvie pulled Rory by her arm, leading her to the kitchen.

Rory gasped at the sight. The entire table was covered in piles and piles of books. There must have been at least a hundred of them. Treasure Island, The Secret Garden, Little Women, The Hobbit, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Oliver Twist, Mathilda. Rory laughed as she picked up a copy of A Farewell To Arms by Hemingway. "We should keep some of these for when you're older," She glances sideways to her daughter, who already had her nose buried in The Neverending Story.

"Jess told me that it should be enough to keep me occupied until I'm old enough to read them."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That this is two months' work. Tops."

"Good girl," Rory smiled widely. Her fingers slid over the paper cover of Sense And Sensibility, and she opened it. Jess' precise handwriting caught her eye.

Sense and sensibility

Jane Austen

Margin notes by S. L. Gilmore

She suddenly felt out of breath. She picked up another book from the pile, opening it on the very first page.

Franny and Zooey

J. D. Salinger

Margin notes by S. L. Gilmore

Her heart was beating hard. She picked up a copy of Fountainhead.

Fountainhead

Ayn Rand

Margin notes by S. L. Gilmore.

When you get to read this, please tell your mom that I still think Ayn Rand is a political nut. -J

The light laughter that unleashed itself from her throat felt like it was cleansing her from the inside.

"What an awesome gift." She nodded admiringly.

"Super awesome," Sylvie mumbled, diving deeper and deeper into her very own adventure alongside Atreyu and the Childlike Empress.