I'm updating! I'm sure you're all yelling, "About time!" I apologize, but I recently started work and additionally found myself with a bit of writer's block.

Right Here Waiting

Where ever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you.

Rory's heart both sank and leapt as she approached her dark, and clearly empty, home.

A part of her had hoped her mother would be home. She had so many conflicting thoughts and emotions right now that a heartfelt session of girl talk would have done her some good.

However, Rory was unsure of what Lorelai's reaction to Jess's moonlight confession would be and was slightly glad that she would not have to deal with it tonight. Despite the time that had passed, Rory wasn't sure her mother would be willing to recognize that Jess had truly grown up. Lorelai barely acknowledged the extenuating circumstances for Jess's previous behavior as it was.

She was also pleased to see the house empty because it meant, most likely, Lorelai was still with Luke. That could only be good. Rory felt a little nervous that her mother hadn't at least placed a quick call, but perhaps there just hadn't been a moment. Their relationship was bound to be fragile after Lorelai's confession, Rory reasoned, and she was willing to forgo a reassuring call if it meant the two would begin the healing process.

After leisurely walking though the yard, up the porch stairs, and through the front door, Rory flicked on the lights in the hallway. Paul Anka darted forward, pausing for a moment to happily sniff her, and continued out into the front yard to do his business.

She left the door open for him and slowly made her way through the house, wondering what to do with the rest of her evening. It had been quite a while since she'd been alone, particularly in this house.

A faint smile reached her lips as she recalled the last time she'd had this house to herself. All she had wanted to do was do her laundry 'her' way and consume Indian food—perhaps ending the evening by watching TV and falling asleep—but those plans had gone up in flames when a frantic Paris, a sneaky Jess, and finally, an angry Dean showed up.

Tonight, Rory mused, it was unlikely that there would by any unwelcome, or even welcome, visitors. It was just her, on her own, able to do whatever she wished. And Paul Anka, of course, she reminded herself with a smile, heading back to the front door to retrieve him.

He was cautiously sniffing a piece of grass close to Babette's lawn gnome, Piermont, and Rory stifled a giggle.

Waiting on the porch, she gazed at the midnight blue sky, full of stars and a bright moon. It's a beautiful night, she thought and a great sense of contentment swept over her.

A small breeze drifted by, causing Rory to hug herself until Paul Anka finally scampered back into the house.

Following the dog, Rory sat on the couch, realizing the thought of spending the night alone doing exactly what she wanted was both foreign and exciting. Since she had started dating Logan, alone time as a concept had all but disappeared from her world. And after a while, even the activities that required her to be alone changed; she'd begun studying in cafes or other busy places to ensure company and background noise. However, she found the peace and quiet of Stars Hollow calming, and her whirling feelings had now simmered down to a low roar. Pushing any remaining confusion regarding Logan or Jess out of her head, she determinedly made her way to her bedroom, knowing exactly what she wanted to do on a night like this.

She bent down at a bookshelf, pulled open a drawer, and quickly selected The Fountainhead. The novel felt worn and comfortable, her fingers gliding over the cover with expertise. Settling in her reading chair, Rory opened the novel and began reading, quickly leaving any thoughts of Lorelai, Luke, Logan, or Jess behind.

---

Rory awoke several hours later to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the time, surprised to see that it was 4 o'clock in the morning. Who would be calling me this late? Or is it this early? she wondered as she stumbled out of the bed, snatching the phone off her dresser.

"Hello?" She murmured blearily.

"ACE!" a loud voice yelled in response, causing her to drop the phone in surprise.

"Ace, Ace, you there? Can you hear me?" Logan shouted in the phone again.

"Logan, are you drunk?" Rory asked with a small smile, sitting down in her reading chair tiredly.

"Of course I am. I'm alone in a foreign country all alone, working with stuffy newspaper people."

"Oh, but London is an amazing place to be. You're going to start having fun soon, I promise."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too," Rory replied, but her heart felt guilty, like she was lying. She did miss him, but she didn't feel as though she missed him as much as she should.

"Ace, I'm gonna fly in for the weekend."

Rory bit her lip and let out a quiet sigh. "I don't think that's a good idea…" she said slowly. She did miss him, but she knew that any progress she'd made at being Rory again might be undone with a weekend visit.

"Oh c'mon, it'll be fun. Don't you want to see me?"

"Of course I do. It's just… that would be really expensive."

"Since when has money been an issue for me?" He laughed drunkenly and Rory was almost certain she could hear bar clamor in the background.

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm at a bar, of course. Where else can you go for a pint?" Logan asked in a terrible English accent.

"Logan, I'm sorry, but right now just isn't a good time. Things are really hectic."

"Is he there?"

She unconsciously flinched at the change in his tone, which had gone from happily drunk to bitter in three words. "Excuse me?" she asked, confused.

"Josh! Is the amazing writer Josh in Stars Hollow? Is that why you don't want me coming back?"

Rory was torn between irritation at Logan's disregard—she suspected he was using the wrong name on purpose—and guilt and surprise at his acuity. You didn't do anything wrong though, she reminded herself determinedly. You and Jess are just friends.

"Actually, yes. Jess is in town. He's helping out Luke until Mom and Luke work things out. And no, that's not why I don't want you to visit. Now is just not a good time," she said firmly.

"Oh, and is it just a wonderful high school sweetheart reunion? Talking about the good times? Wondering why things didn't work out? Laughing about that boyfriend away in London?"

"Logan! Of course it isn't like that. We're just friends, and we're both helping Mom and Luke. It's a really rough time. I just… I need some space right now."

"What, the 5,000 miles hasn't been enough for you? The entire Atlantic Ocean separating us isn't enough space for you?"

"I didn't mean it like that! I just have a lot of things going on and right now isn't a good time. You know I want to see you," Rory cried desperately.

"Good ol' Rory, always being sensible instead of living life the way she should… instead of having fun and taking risks…"

She felt a small ball of fury form in her stomach. Always being sensible? she thought angrily. With him around, I'm never 'sensible' Rory anymore. However, she didn't want to cause a fight, so she simply replied, "Logan, it's just not the right time for me… please try to understand. Maybe in a few weeks. Besides, you've only been there a few days."

"Fine Ace, let me save you the trouble. You want space? You can have all the space you want because it's over! Don't bother calling me back. Oh, and tell Josh I say hi," Logan said coldly, all traces of his drunken state having vanished.

The phone disconnected and Rory numbly placed her cell phone on the stand beside the bed.

Despite all of her angry and confused thoughts about him in the past few days, tears welled up in her eyes and quickly fell to the floor. It was over. She would never hear him call her Ace again. She would never attend another wild party with him, Colin, and Finn. She would never wake up with him beside her.

Crawling into her bed, Rory quietly sobbed until she finally fell into a fitful sleep, filled with dreams involving Jess, Logan, and the circus.

---

"Oh, Christopher, it's always been you. Luke was just a diversion until you and I could be together… the poor fool," Lorelai's sultry voice rang out, causing Luke to glance up at her.

To his surprise, she was scantily clad and approached a sneering Christopher, who looked her up and down in undeniable approval.

"LORELAI!" Luke shouted, but she acted as though she could not hear him and instead continued her sexy walk towards Christopher.

"I know. I'm so glad you came to me tonight," he told her as she slowly walked closer and closer. "Thank god you finally left Luke." He then glanced in Luke's direction, wearing that ever-present sneer.

"So am I," Lorelai declared. "Now I can be with you forever."

"Lorelai, no! I want to marry you, I do! Don't go to him!" Luke jumped up and stood in front of her, begging her to listen, but her face showed no sign of recognition.

"Let's go to the bedroom and make love for the next week."

"Christopher!" Lorelai laughed playfully, walking right through Luke as she closed the gap between her and Christopher. She learned forward and Christopher did the same, and their lips were barely millimeters apart…

"NO! NO! NO!" Luke screamed as he woke up abruptly, shaking and sweating. His frenzied movements caused him to fall out of the bed, waking up Lorelai in the process. He knew it had only been a dream, but the memory of Christopher and an eager Lorelai making love tore through him, and he felt bile rising in the back of his throat.

"Luke? Are you okay? Luke? Luke?" Lorelai cried frantically, moving toward him.

Luke stood up and stared at her, his anger multiplying by the second. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he shouted, "No! I am NOT okay! You slept with another man, Lorelai! You cheated on me!"

The tension in the air was tangible as Lorelai paused mid-movement, her face ashen as she listened to his words. She sat back down on the bed, watching him, and said, "Luke, I know, but I thought we were working—"

"You took the promises that ring on your finger represents and threw them in my face! You slept with another man! You slept with CHRISTOPHER!"

Instead of saying anything, she only nodded, and his heart pounded painfully at her acknowledgement.

"You knew how I felt about you and you ran off with him the minute it got rough. I've loved you for nine years, Lorelai! I've watched as you've met guy after guy, pretending that it didn't kill me every time. Everyone knew how I felt about you, everyone but you! And finally, when you and I are together, you cheat on me! With Christopher!"

"Do you even know how I'm feeling right now? I'm dying, Lorelai! All I can see is his face, mocking me, because in the end, you run to him! He wins! You win, Christopher!" Luke shouted.

Lorelai sat on the bed, her eyes glassy and hands trembling. And Luke hated himself for causing her pain, but he was starting to care less and less about her feelings.

All he could feel now was his own anger and resentment slowly ripping though his body, causing every last inch of him to ache. And she had caused this horrible, miserable feeling. That beautiful woman in front of him was the reason he could no longer breathe or feel anything but pain.

"I know, I know and I'm sorry, Luke! I am so sorry! You told me we could fix this!" she yelled back.

He sighed, the anger and resentment slowly shrinking as he stared into her deep blue eyes. All he could feel was numbness now, taking over all of the places that were consumed by fury only a second ago.

"I… need time. And space. I'm sorry. All of this—" he gestured to the two of them and the bed "—is too much."

"Okay." Her voice was soft but free from emotion.

"Lorelai, I need to go away for a while. I'm going fishing."

"For how long?" She asked, staring at him intently.

He thought for a minute and answered, "Two weeks. I need time to think about this. I need time away to… decide if I can be with you or not. And you need that time too. I want you to pick between me and Christopher."

"Luke, I don't have to pick. I choose you! You know that! I won't see him anymore if that's what you want!"

"I need to be sure of it, and so do you. And you can still see him… he's Rory's father. I just need to be sure that you're with me."

"Okay," she murmured. She got to her feet and walked towards the door.

Luke watched her move, feeling both anger and regret. He wanted to reassure her that eventually, this would work out, but his anger held him back.

However, as she stepped into the hallway, he said, "Lorelai!"

She halted and turned around. "Luke?"

"I— I still you love you."

Lorelai nodded and a brief smile reached her lips. "I love you too. I'll see you in two weeks…" With that, she turned away and walked down the stairs.

He stood motionless, listening to Lorelai make her way out of the diner, until he heard the bell tingle. She was gone.

Luke glanced at the clock. It was 4:30 in the morning. If he hurried, he could get the boat and his fishing gear ready, beg Jess to run the diner for the next two weeks, and be out of Stars Hollow by 6:00, avoiding explanations to any early birds.

---

"Jess. I need you to run the diner for two weeks," Luke said into his cell phone an hour and a half later.

"Huh?" Jess asked groggily, rubbing his eyes. What time is it?

"I'm leaving town for two weeks and I need you to help run the diner."

Jess blinked in surprise. "Where are you?"

"I'm in my truck with my boat attached on the highway. I'm going fishing." Luke stopped and realized he had no idea where Jess was. "Where are you?"

"I'm actually at the inn – it was the only place with a vacancy that I knew of."

Luke's heart ached at the thought of Lorelai, but he ignored it. "Well, I need you to run the diner for two weeks."

"Okay."

"I'll pay you."

"Okay."

"You can stay in the apartment," Luke offered.

"Luke, I said I would do it. Don't worry about it."

Even though he'd know that Jess would do it, Luke felt guilty. "What about your publishing job?"

"I have the summer off. We all work in 9 month shifts, remember?"

"Right. Well, call me if you need anything."

"You too," Jess said.

"Bye… wait, Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I need one more favor… just watch Lorelai and Rory. Make sure they're okay while I'm gone."

"Okay, I will. And Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself," Jess said quickly, slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks Jess." Luke hung up the phone and focused on driving, letting the open road fill his mind and take over.

A/N: I know not everyone will be pleased with how I've done this, but I really want to stay true to the characters. Let me know what you think!

EDIT Okay, so now this has been properly edited by my beta and, per usual, she's done a fantastic job. For anyone looking for an amazing writer, please go read her work under the pen name Hallon. Trust me, you'll be adding her to your favorites in no time!