You are entering the world of fiction. Suspend all beliefs now.
Italics are flashbacks.
Chapter 8.
A Clean Slice to Heal.
-------------------------------
She strode through the newspaper building nodding hello to the various employees, most she knew by name and not much more. Being an assistant to the editor-in-chief meant she had a desk in front of the editor's office. She pulled chair out from the desk and sat down looking at the small stack of manila folders piled on the corner. She pulled them toward her and opened the first one an article on Carbon Emissions: Hybrids VS. Gas powered vehicles by Curtis Able. She shut the file wrote a small A on it and set it aside. She opened the next one, a comic piece on the increase on attacks of small animals on people by Bob Sitter. Closing it she wrote a small S on it and set it aside, continuing to arrange it alphabetically.
The elevator swished softly as it made its way toward the fourth floor. She was alone in the compartment shifting her fingers to relax the weight of the bags hanging from her hands. She made no move to relieve the pain completely; it kept her grounded reminded her she was firmly planted in this reality.
Finally the doors pinged open and she stepped into her hallway. Mentally she took inventory of the passage. Three painted pictures all of flowers in various colours, unframed they tried to add spice to the corridor. They didn't succeed. Dull incandescent lights illuminated the way in an otherwise windowless section of the building.
Rory reached her door, carefully balancing the bags on her knee she pulled out her key and slid it into the lock. The bolt clinked open and she pushed the door inward and stumbled through the threshold. She wasn't aware of the other presence in her apartment going straight to the kitchen. He didn't attempt to make himself known. She put the cans away, carefully arranging them in alphabetical order.
"Rory, earth to Gilmore."
"Huh." She looked up to see her boss standing at the desk.
"You're late today. Everything okay?"
"Mmhmm…" She said non committal.
"Okay well I want to see you in my office."
"Good or bad?" She asked heavily.
"Good." He smiled, leaving her for his office.
"Hey"
Rory looked up again to see a woman, early twenties she estimated quickly, standing in front of her, "Hi."
She had seen her around the office but couldn't for the life of her remember her name or what the woman did.
"Is he finally going to give you that job? It's about time if you ask me." Why was this girl talking to her? She wondered, and how did she know her? "We down at the arts appreciate all the work you put in filing our articles." So she worked the arts section. Realizing that the woman had stopped speaking and was staring at her expectantly, Rory nodded and smiled.
"Sorry." She said as if feeling the tension in Rory. "You probably want to get in there."
"Right." Rory rose. Sam. That was her name. Now she remembered she had chatted with her once in the lunch room a few months ago. "Thanks Sam."
"Good luck." She smiled warmly before continuing on her way. Rory straitened her top watching Sam stride down the hallway. Consciously she wondered why the woman had chosen to talk to her today, be friendly the day she really needed a friendly comment when she had never more than said a quick hi in the halls before. Unconsciously though her mind whirled with the meeting with Wolfe and the events of the night before and the morning after.
She took a long breath letting her mind clear. This could be a step in the right direction. Feeling strangely comfortable, almost like that feeling that comes just before you're hit by the twister. She brushed the feeling off she'd already been through the wringer, and pushed Wolfe's door inward.
"Gilmore, Come in." The editor in chief smiled waving her in. She found her legs moving her forward, she was shaking again. "Congratulations Rory you earned the job and it's yours."
"Thank-you, Mr. Wolfe."
"I'm glad to have you writing for us, you have real talent, of course now I'm going to have to find a new assistant and you know she won't be as good as you." He smiled laughing lightly.
"Oh my God!" Her hand flew to her heart feeling it beat with adrenalin. "Jim..How did you?...When did you?"
"You left the door open." He stumbled over his words unsure of himself. "You shouldn't do that, anybody could get in."
"Like psycho newspaper reporters." She quipped trying to appear at ease.
"Yes, exactly." He smiled in return trying to erase his nagging conscience.
"Did you not hear me come in?"
"I…uh…Rory…"
"What's wrong…" She began, it dawned on her though that he was sitting in her swivel backed chair in front of her computer. The computer she had so flippantly left her life open on the screen. "I suppose you've read it, that's why you're acting like that."
"Rory, I'm…is it true?"
"Does it matter?"
"Why wouldn't it matter? Of course it matters, you are someone to me Rory, you have a real talent, you are…"
"Messed up. I messed up Jim."
"Rory" Her boss questioned.
"Sorry I didn't get much sleep last night."
"You know what take the rest of the day off you don't look very well, we don't want you catching something." He smiled genuinely.
"No we don't." She forced a smile in response.
----
She pulled the shoulder bag farther up to rest more comfortable as she walked down the hall. Wolfe had insisted she take the day off going as far as to steal her chair so she couldn't sit.
"Rory, hey." She recognized Sam's voice and heard her run to catch up.
"Soooo?" She intoned.
"I got the job." Neutral.
"Congratulations!" She cheered with such glee that Rory smiled for the first time that day.
"Where are you going?"
"Wolfe sent me home, said I didn't look well."
"Let's go get a drink!"
"What?" She asked caught off guard.
"You look fine to me," she ticked the points off on her fingers, "it's almost four, lets go get a drink or two, celebrate, you know what that is right?"
"Not recently." Rory mumbled.
"No frowning right now. You can lay your head down later." She began jogging down the hall calling back. "Stay right there."
---
"Can I ask you something?" Rory asked as they made their way out of the building.
"Shoot." Sam replied as they exited the building.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Truthfully? I'm trying to get an interview with Logan."
"Oh." Her face fell.
"Kidding." She laughed.
"Oh." Rory forced a laugh.
"Sorry bad joke, I have a problem with that. Seriously though, you look about my age and there are very few younger writers." She pointed to a large oak door. "In here."
"So what's your deal?" She asked as they took a booth.
"Rory you are not messed up. Where is this coming from? What's the deal?"
"You read it you should know." She retorted.
"Forget that Rory talk to me."
She stood there caught in his stare scared of saying out loud all of what she had written. To say it out loud made it real made it exist in the living world. She reached for an excuse.
"I have to go to work Jim. I need to get ready. You need to go."
"Rory." He spoke sternly, but it slid off her.
"Just go Jim, we'll talk later."
"Rory." He pleaded, it seemed to happen a lot lately him having to beg to be let into her life.
"No" She shook her head. He lifted his shoulders up and down slowly, defeated.
"Rory? Hey. You okay?"
"Sorry." She shook her head to rid the cobwebs. "My deal." She said getting back on topic. "I went to Yale for two years before I dropped out to do some lets call it soul searching after losing a close friend I got my shit together and took the journalism night program and found my way to this point."
"That's a good story." She nodded as the waiter came up. "Can I get a Long Island Iced tea and…" She looked over at Rory in question. "I'll take the same."
"Oh and two shots of tequila." The waiter walked off and Sam's attention moved back to Rory.
"What's the real story, the one that's gotten you to this point where you look as though you may breakdown?"
"Oh umm…" She let her voice trail off.
"Oh God I'm prying, that's another one of my flaws."
"It's just I have a hard time trusting people since…"
"I understand, me being a reporter probably doesn't help much either," The drinks made their grand entrance. "We're all given the loose lip stereotype, well you probably know that. Here." She handed a shot glass to Rory. "To your new job." The glasses clinked and both squinted as the liquid burned down their throats.
"So do you know of any good guys in this city? The last one I went out with ended up being engaged, let me tell you it didn't end quietly. The guy before that ended up being a 'gamer.'" She used air quotes. "You know the ones who'd give up food and sex if it helped them get farther in War of the Worlds or whatever it's called."
"War Craft."
"Yeah that's the one, but anyway." She stopped to take a drink. "Seattle moved here three years ago to pursue my dream further."
"Home of Starbucks." Rory exclaimed.
"That's the one."
"My mom and I always dreamed about what it would be like to live in the birthplace of one of the largest coffee vendors." She shared the memory taking a drink of the iced tea.
"A little rainy, make that a lot and overpriced." She answered in mock seriousness.
"So no dancing coffee queens or coffee bean rains?"
Sam chuckled. "Sadly no."
"I'll make sure to inform her."
"Is she a coffee nut?"
"Certifiably." Rory laughed. "We've lived on the stuff ever since I can remember."
"You and your Mom sound close."
"She's my best friend, she had me when she was young and taught me what perseverance meant, and a lesson I try furiously to live up to."
"That's awesome me and my Mom were never that close, we butted heads about everything."
"Do you want a refill?" Rory asked sucking up the last dregs of her drink.
"Yes please!"
----
"Does he talk with one of those huge Boston accents and a cigar hanging out of his mouth?" Sam asked laughing as they stumbled along the street to crash at her apartment.
"It's not funny." Rory whined.
"C'mon Rory you're living in The Sopranos write this into a movie and you'd have a hit."
"I'm glad you see the bright side of this." Rory slurred sarcastically.
"No I'm sorry it's a terrible situation but what can you do with it but laugh now?" She explained with a seriousness that opposed her joking matter just moments before.
"You know what? You're right." She enthused, following Sam into a glass lined foyer. "What the hell am I moping for?"
"Thata girl!" Sam cheered. "Girl Power!"
"Girl power?" Rory laughed.
"Yeah I wish I could take that back." She chuckled and Rory broke out into a new fit of giggles as they entered the elevator.
"So Jim?" Sam asked suddenly. "Is he cute?"
"Oh yeah." Rory smirked as the doors closed.
----
"Hey." Rory whispered at the sleeping form of Sam. "Hey." She said a little louder.
Sam's eyes fluttered open. "He-ay." The greeting turned into pain as her hand went to her head to rub her temples.
"Here." Rory passed over the aspirin and the biggest glass of water she could find in the cupboards. "I have to go make some things right I left my number by the coffee pot filled with fresh coffee along with a phone number you can use or not, whatever you choose." Rory laughed lightly.
"Thanks hon."
"I think I have a lot more to thank you for."
"Don't even think about it, that's what new friends do." She attempted a wink causing Rory to laugh. "But cake -- cake is always good." Sam tried to chuckle but winced. "Next time we do this we pace ourselves."
"I won't disagree with you there." Rory matched Sam's grimace. "I'll talk to you later."
"Good luck with Logan."
"I never said it was him." Rory turned back.
"You didn't have to." She replied with amusement in her voice.
"Bye-ee" Rory replied rolling her eyes.
"Bye." Sam called back before groaning. Rory laughed again glad she had decided to drink all that water the night before while Sam laughed at her.
---
Rory stood outside Logan Huntzberger's door events two nights before rolling through her head, of all the nights they had spent together and all the memories they shared. The hollow knock echoed through the quiet morning of the buildings hallway. A few moments later the door swung open and Logan stood in full view already dressed.
"Hi." Rory greeted quietly.
"I heard you took a job with Wolfe." He bit into the welcome abruptly. "Geez Rory I understand you are mad at me but to throw me out and break our agreement and go work for him."
"Logan." She called trying to get his attention.
"I was just trying to get you some closure Rory." He pushed on.
"All my life Logan I've wanted to be a journalist, I wanted to work hard to get the life I want and the job I've always dreamed of." She explained leaving Tim out for the moment.
"I know that." He answered turning his back to her walking deeper into his apartment.
"If I took that job with you it would feel like I cheated," she followed him into the apartment, "even if I didn't. It wasn't meant to be a slight on you, but I should have told you I applied for it. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" He looked at her the glow back in his eyes. "You're sorry!" He repeated louder.
"I deserve that." She flinched.
"Yeah you do, you come at me with murder in your eyes. You give me no explanation but you ream me out."
"I made a deal."
"So you said before." Anger.
"I made a deal with a man named Tim who works as an assassin for the mob, he was the mentor for Mack, and after Mack ran away the guy still looked out for him until Mack made himself completely disappear. Mack knew he was being trailed a few days before the attack and mailed a letter to Tim. The letter was about me and how Mack wanted Tim to watch out for me. Tim made good on that by murdering the man who killed Mack and who had seen me witness it. A week or so after Mack's death, Tim approached me with a deal I give up any idea of investigating and pushing what happened and he'll make sure no one knows about me. I had no choice it was the deal or look down the barrel of a colt."
Logan laughed bitterly. "Wow Rory is that the best you could come up with?"
"Why are you being like this Logan? Listen to me."
"Me? You're the one who's coming at me with these lies and stories."
Tears of frustration, anger and loss brimmed in Rory's eyes her hands clenched fists held steadfastly at her sides. "None of it's a lie or a story Logan I may have left out some truths but I never told stories. I will never have proof that any of it ever happened and if you don't believe me now I can't do anything to change that other than telling you that this, right now is my entire life including the ugly bits laid out before you."
He rubbed his temples, she could see tears in his eyes reflecting the tears in hers, she could see him fighting himself. She knew what he was going to say before he even did.
"I don't think it's our time." It was a breathy answer, the words floating in the air between them.
Without another word she left. She had come hoping things between them could go back to how they were but she knew it couldn't. Maybe sometime later they'd reconnect, like they say third times a charm, right now though there was just too much hurt and betrayal for either of them to get over. The slice was clean though and everything that was was out in the open, she could only hope it would heal and at least the memories would not be tainted, for either of them.
---
The door bell chimed throughout Jim's apartment building. Rory waited patiently. She heard steps then the door opened cautiously then opened wide when he realized it was her.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." He stepped out and wrapped her in a hug before pulling her in through the door.
----