I had the best time reading the reviews for the last chapter! I love how divided the opinions are about the whole Stars Hallow thing. I got everything from 'groundbreaking chapter' to 'makes it awfully cheesy' in my inbox. And no, I don't take offense on anything ever, so don't worry about voicing your critique in reviews.

In any case, thank-you all for your continued loyalty (it'll be a year in August, can you imagine?!) especially since writing this has always been a little bit slow-going - the runt of my stories (which isn't really true, since I've always liked NSSL).

Ah well, I'll let you get on with the reading. Remember that Logan and Rory have always been a part of Society so Stars Hallow is completely foreign to them. There is no extra Lorelai walking around, no insight to Taylor and his craziness or anything like that. Rory and Logan are in town, and have a special day planned after the big fall-out and Logan's consultation with Mitchum.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own GG.

Logan sighed heavily, stealing a glance at his wife's sleeping form, before fixing his gaze back on the vehicle in front of him as he maneuvered through the mid-morning traffic. For once, he was grateful for the fleet of SUV's, shiny sedans and impractical sports cars that slowly moved through the city since it gave him time to collect his thoughts.

There was so much he wanted to tell her, but really nowhere to begin. Last night's insult-hurling, foot-stomping argument had stopped with no real resolution and the phone call that prompted this spur-of-the-moment road trip had been pleasant enough but the tension was still thick between them.

Logan didn't know much about Stars Hallow, or if Rory would be receptive of the idea of moving, but in the short drive from HPG to home to pick up his wife before departing on this excursion, he had resolved that this little trip to a small town, just forty minutes away, would truly be an effort to hash out their issues once and for all. Staying true to their old modus operandi of wishing problems away was no longer an option.

Even with his new resolve in place, it would be a difficult conversation to have. Moving wouldn't fix everything, just like him working at the corporate office, instead of business travel hadn't fixed everything. In retrospect, that had only made it worse. It was clear that Mitchum believed their relationship would be salvaged with as the pressure would be off work and moving away from the strangling culture of society would take the pressure off their relationship.

Mitchum saw Logan's future heading Small Publications, though the young man himself couldn't quite wrap his head around that. He exited the interstate, greeted by lush green field and giant oak trees.

Logan was contracted - though more morally obliged - to make his marriage to Rory work; however, being CEO of Huntzberger Publishing Group was his birthright. What started out as going through the motions and hating every minute of it, turned in to something he got quite good at and though Logan never particularly loved the job with a passion; he couldn't help feel a little pang of jealousy since being bypassed for the ultimate position.

When put on the spot by Mitchum, Logan chose Rory above anything else. He wanted Rory. All he ever really wanted to do was ensure her happiness; give her the world. However, if he was absolutely honest with himself he wanted both. And he knew it was absolutely selfish, especially considering how much Rory had sacrificed and how vocal she was about detesting everything society represented but he couldn't help doubting if Stars Hallow would grant him enough happiness to last a lifetime. Would he ever be able to shake that nagging feeling of leaving his corporate character, who became so much of his identity, behind?

A loud yawn escaped him. The lack of sleep and the fatiguing effects of doing battle with not only his wife, but his father, too, had tired him out. At least Rory had been able to steal a few hours of sleep early this morning and continue to snooze in the car.

Logan shot her a crooked smile as she started to stir.

"Hey," Rory said, her voice still raspy from sleep. She looked around, slowly craning her neck and taking in the scenic and positively idyllic landscape.

"Sleep well?" he asked, a slight trace of amusement peeking through his tone. For a second, Logan wasn't sure how to carry himself.

He wasn't angry at Rory, merely concerned about their future, but maybe it was vain to act as if nothing had happened. She sounded as if nothing had happened on the phone, he couldn't be sure that she wasn't still harboring some pent up rage. This was a serious meeting and maybe it should be accompanied by a serious undertone; however, her soft smile let him know they were good. At least temporarily.

"Can we get some coffee soon?" she asked through a stifled yawn.

"Sure thing, Ace," he laughed his reply, "In fact, we are almost there."

He caught her surprised look and smiled mysteriously in return. Logan turned left, as if he was turning left on an old friend's street, one that he had visited many times before and not some place he managed to find, after quickly jotting down the directions his father gave him. A few hundred feet of silence passed, as Rory tried to figure out where they were and he slowly pulled to car to a stop at the town's lone traffic light.

Rory bit her bottom lip in contemplation as she ran her index finger across the hard armrest, casting her gaze from Logan to her surroundings and finally resting her eyes on the movements of her index finger.

"Stars Hallow," she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah," he said, releasing a heavy breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Her reaction wasn't the jubilate reaction he expected, but it obviously evoked some kind of emotion with her.

"Logan…." Rory turned to him, blinking rapidly, trying to hide the tired tears that threatened to fall, but a loud man yelling postponed her long rambling for a moment as they both whipped their head around to see what the fuss was about.

"I told you this would happen, Taylor!" the man wearing a baseball cap backwards yelled. "There is no need for a traffic light…"

"Lucas, please stop the yelling. I would hate to have to fine you for disturbance in a public place…."

"Taylor!"

"The traffic light isn't a problem, you are the one with a problem. If you had simply come to the town meeting to cast your vote like I told you, all of this could have been avoided!"

"There was no vote Taylor," the baseball cap wearing man pointed his finger, "The only reason you placed that damn light was because Woodbury got one…"

The older man expressed genuine shock and smiled played on both Rory and Logan's mouths. It was obvious, even to them as outsiders, that the man in the baseball cap certainly had valid points.

"I want it gone, Taylor. Or move it away from my diner. I don't care I'm tired of having one car in front of my door for ten minutes at a time!"

"We can re-time the light, Luke…"

"I don't want it re-timed because I want it gone! The damn thing does more harm than good!"

Rory turned to Logan, a hugely amused grin plastered on her face, "It's still red."

Logan chuckled, "I think it'll be for a while."

The pair continued to watch the show for another minute or so, until the light suddenly flicked to green.

"See Luke, it's only six and a half minutes. Ten was a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"

Rory watched the chubby man walk off with a satisfied smile and the baseball wearing man raise his hands in anger, as Logan skillfully parked the car in the available space right after the light.

"How 'bout we get some coffee at that diner?"

"Baseball cap's diner?" Rory asked, looking back over the shoulder to see if the man in question was still there.

"Why not?" Logan shrugged, "We know he'll have coffee…."

She nodded slowly a few times, "Maybe he'll have some eggs, too."

Logan shot her a knowing smile, before getting out and opening her car door.

"It's nice here," Rory said thoughtfully, intertwining her hand in Logan's as the couple slowly made their way down to the diner.

Logan took a moment to look around. Apart from the big town square and quaint gazebo, he spotted a supermarket, a movie theater, bookstore, an elementary school. Houses looked like homes from the outside, each with a perfectly manicured lawn that was framed by a bright, white picket fence. Townspeople went about their day, waving hello to passersby or stopping for a quick chat.

"That it is," he said finally, looking down at a positively beaming Rory.

A small ding alerted the dining public that new guests had arrived and it became apparent as these people weren't accustomed to the odd group passing through as chatter in the restaurant died down instantly and eyes stared at the Huntzbergers'.

"Just take a table anywhere, I'll be with you in a minute." Logan recognized this voice as Baseball cap's, so he lead Rory to a table by the window and restaurant chatter slowly picked up.

He watched as she pretended to go over the menu; however, knowing her as well as he did, he knew her ears were out trying to detect gossip, which they did. She needn't have to gone about it in her subtle Society manner, since no one was trying to hide his curiousness about the new patrons. A small smile appeared on Rory's face as she returned her full attention the menu - the gossip wasn't malicious, but friendly, excited even.

"What are you going to get?" Rory asked casually, as if this was their old haunt back in the day.

"A muffin, some coffee…" Logan ran his eyes over the page of the menu, "pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and waffles…"

Rory threw her head back choking out waves of laughter. It wasn't really funny at all, just that she was getting the same. It was a stupid thing she would have cast off with a smile, or shrug. Certainly not a full laughing marathon, but she couldn't help it. She was happy and Logan liked seeing her this way.

Rory didn't have time to explain her unexpected laughing fit as Baseball Cap Man made his way to their table.

"Glad to you see guys enjoying Stars Hallow," he said, not bothering to hide the crabbiness in his tone, "it gets old real fast."

Logan smiled a half-smile. He could tell the man was joking as his eyes shined as he spoke. It was obvious from the way he walked around the diner and called out Taylor earlier that this was the only place he could ever conceive calling home.

"Anyway, what can I get you?"

Logan gestured for Rory to start and she smiled widely looking up at the man. "Could you bring us the biggest pot of coffee you have… ?"

"Luke," the man clarified his name. "We do free re-fills. Can't bring the pot over…" He pulled a pencil from behind his ear and a notepad from his back pocket and looked at Logan. "Coffee for you too?"

"Oh," Rory drew out, causing Luke to turn to her, "but you really don't understand. I've only had three cups this morning, and I need a giant pot of coffee…. "

"You sound like you have a problem."

"Many," she said with a smirk, "but not having a constant supply to the elixir of life is my biggest, Luke."

He frowned in thought and exchanged a glance between the couple. "Alright," he relented finally and Logan laughed at Rory's enthusiastic clapping.

"What else, besides the giant pot of coffee?"

Rory picked up the menu, glazing over it once last time. "I'll have a muffin, chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and some waffles…You'll will have the same, right babe?"

Logan nodded, "Yeah."

Luke shot her an incredulous look but she simply shrugged, "Fast metabolism."

The diner owner let out a sigh, looking at his new customers once more. He rested his hand on top of his head and sighed. "I hate to say this, but it's Danish day…"

"Pastry Danish Day, not country Danish Day?" Rory asked, eyes wide with sheer anticipation.

"Pastries, yes…"

"You mean to say, you live in a town that celebrates such holidays as Danish Day?" she asked eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yep, every last one…" he said with a sigh.

"Answer me this," Rory said, a smirk playing at her lips, "When is National Cheeseball Day?"

"April 17th," Luke replied without missing a beat and astounding Logan at the same time – very few people knew about Cheeseball Day.

"What's July 9?" Rory asked, testing Luke.

"Sugar Cookie Day. Miss Patti dresses the kids as giant cookies and they parade down the street…"

"Seriously?" Rory asked, slightly taken aback.

Luke nodded a few times, smacking his lips together. "Oh yeah."

"Wow. Okay, last one. What about Ice Cream Soda Day?"

"August 2." He pointed at the glass divider in the restaurant, "but that's his deal. I don't want any part of that."

"His?" Logan asked, finally getting involved in the conversation.

"Taylor," Luke clarified, "the town mayor. The guy who thinks we need a traffic light." He scratched behind his ear. "Anyway, food should be out in a minute – I'll get you some extra Danishes."

"He seems nice," Logan said to Rory and he truly meant it. Normally, he'd take the lead and order, but he surprised himself as he let Rory take the leading role for once. She seemed so at ease here, falling into a comfortable banter with the local diner owner, which was quite remarkable for the girl that wouldn't grant waiters at uptown restaurants a second glare.

"Yeah," Rory nodded in agreement. "I want to meet Miss Patti; can you imagine if they started dressing the kids at the Club up as sugar cookies and parading them around?"

They shared a laugh at this bizarre thought and that world seemed so far away from them as they enjoyed a casual, leisurely breakfast at Luke's Diner. Logan left Luke with a royal tip and the promise to come back for an early dinner and the couple found themselves walking around the town.

Logan had hold of Rory's hand, leaving her to follow him. She didn't mind and the conversation continued in the same casual fashion as it had in the diner. Still, it wasn't the conversation they were meant to be having and when that realization crept up on her, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Rory?" Logan questioned, shooting a quizzical look her way.

"Why did you bring me here, Logan?"

"Here?" He quickly looked around. They were on the edge of the park, a wooden bridge over a lake wasn't in the too far distance.

"Not the park," Rory said with a sad smile, poking right through Logan's attempt to stall the inevitable. "Why Stars Hallow?"

He nodded slowly and silently led her to the bridge. "Maybe you want to sit down?" he suggested and quickly sat down on the hard wood, feet dangling over the edge and the calming noise of a stream of water running below them. She sat down, too and waited for him to break the relative silence.

"So, I talked to Mitchum," he told her. "He said you weren't happy." Logan granted her a wry smile. "Who would have thought that'd he'd be the one to point out the flaws in our relationship?"

Rory shook her head, silently wondering the same thing. She mumbled her acknowledgement, signaling for him to continue, as she cast her view to the brook beneath them.

"We also talked about business."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Rory interjected, her voice laced with sarcastic undertones.

Logan looked at her for a moment, but decided to ignore her biting comment and break the big news. "He wants Stanley to be the new CEO, once he steps down."

Rory's eyes flew to Logan's in an instant. "What? After everything you've worked for?"

Her outrage completely blindsided him. He was certain that she would graciously accept it, hear out his suggestion to move to Stars Hallow and live happily ever after.

"Why aren't you more angry about this?" Rory asked with heartfelt concern. "Baby, you've given up so much – sold your soul to HPG and this is the slap in the face you get?!"

Logan couldn't help but smirk and took her hands in his, hoping to smother the fire in her eyes before it grew to fierce. "You didn't hear the rest of his offer…"

She shot him an unimpressed glare, as if nothing could justify cheating him out of his CEO position, but he continued anyway. "Mitchum wants me to become Small Publications Manager…"

"Twenty-five thousand and under, like the Stars Hallow Gazette," Rory interjected quickly. She knew the specifics from her meticulous research.

"Yes," Logan nodded. "And as you might know the SHG isn't doing that well and Mitchum thought it would be a good idea if you and I moved out here, you know, to keep an eye on things during the reorganization of the Gazette…"

"Reorganization?"

"It would involve a new editor-in-chief…"

"You?" Rory asked with wide eyes.

"No, not me. I'd be managing the reorganization, but I couldn't be the editor. Dad said I had my pick…." He shot her a telling look.

"Me?" If possible, Rory's eyes grew even wider.

"You," Logan answered simply but motivated his decision as he caught the worry in her eye. "Ace, you can write, you can edit. You've written for the Times and you write and edit your own work. Don't pretend you don't write mock-articles, because I know that's what you do on lazy Sunday afternoons…you're good."

She smiled that he knew her little known pastime and carried on. "No one deserves this more than you, Rory. We've been here three hours and you've changed completely."

Rory looked away shyly. "You're joking with Luke, drinking coffee, laughing… you like it here. You've fallen in love with here."

"I have," she admitted after a long pause, "But we can't just go, babe. Mitchum is…"

"…being Mitchum," Logan said firmly, "everything is his world comes with a price. If giving up CEO is what I have to pay for you to be happy, for us to survive, it's chump change."

"But.."

"Rory, he's not taking away my trust or the duties of being an heir. I'll just work for Small Publications."

In the car ride down, he'd been so confident that he had wanted both. That he needed to CEO position to be happy and fulfilled, but right now, sitting on the bridge, next to Rory as close as humanly possibly and watching the fire light up in her eyes, prepping for yet another battle with Mitchum had flipped a switch in him.

"But what about you?" she questioned out loud, "You are HPG…"

"Maybe I am," he said softly, "but I don't want to be that guy anymore, Rory. I want this. I want you to have your chance at a career, a chance at a white picket fence instead of a maximum security mansion. I want you to have chit-chat gossip, instead of knifes in your back. Hell, I want you and Luke to become friends so we can giant coffees and Danishes everyday."

"Sugar Cookies on July ninth," Rory attempted a joke and Logan squeezed her tight, before leaning in and kissing her slowly.

"I want us to eat sugar cookies here," he said seriously, pulling out of their embrace. "I mean it, Ace. You were right all along. Society is toxic for us, we spend too much time focusing on others instead of on ourselves. What kind of environment is that to raise a baby?"

"Not a very good one," Rory admitted, though she obviously knew.

"And I want you away from the DAR," he said steadfastly, "They had you eating egg white omelets for crying out loud!"

"I know," she said with a small smile, looking around. "I would love it here, Logan, but I couldn't live here knowing that you'd be miserable."

"But I wouldn't be miserable," he explained quickly. "Hartford is close enough if I miss it, but I doubt it. Small Pubs won't be as challenging, but I've had enough corporate challenges to last a life time. And besides, we still own the company – I'm sure I have some pull somewhere…" Logan let out a soft chuckle and a genuine smile appeared on Rory's face. To say their love would be enough was a foolish thing to say, since they had tried that method and it failed miserably. However, his statement lead Rory to believe that he was ready for Stars Hallow and if not he kept a foot in the door at HPG. He could commute or work from home, that part was easy enough to figure out. Acknowledging that they both wanted this shot in the Hallow, that was truly figuring it out.

"So, we are moving to Stars Hallow?" she asked eagerly.

"I think so, Ace. How does that sound?"

"Excellent," she laughed through happy tears and he embraced her with a warmth and strength she hadn't felt since that day in the Yale courtyard.

"I'm sorry, Rory," he whispered, running his hands through her hair. "I'm so, so sorry."

She waited a moment for her breathing to calm, before professing her apologies, too. The couple stayed entangled for a few more moments, until Rory pulled away.

"We should make some Stars Hallow rules," she suggested, with a childlike innocence.

Logan laughed, recalling the four pages of rules that they had drawn-up in adolescence, still digesting the news of their arrangement.

"Rules would be good," Logan said, "They weren't that bad the first time around, we'll just have to stick to them this time."

"We will," Rory said determinedly and ran her thumb over her sapphire ring. "No regrets, remember?"

He shot her a tender smile and leaned in for another kiss.

The couple sealed their new arrangement with a, what would be described in their old circles as 'scandalous', heated little-more-than-make-out session before walking back through town and to Luke's.

"You know what Luke's reminds me of?" Rory asked Logan.

"No, what's that, Ace?"

"You remember that place we had burgers and fries on the night they broke the news of our engagement?"

A wide smile appeared on his face at the memory and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes it does. Let's hope Luke has just as good –or better - fries!" He pressed a light kiss on Rory's cheek and she granted him one on the lips before entering the dining establishment.

"Hey Luke," Rory greeted happily, making a bee-line for the same table they had sat at this morning.

"Sure, sit wherever the hell you want, what do I care," Luke said sourly, but they both knew he didn't mean it."I'll be there in a minute."

"Take your time," Logan let him know as Rory laughed, "And bring coffee."

"So, what do you think of Stars Hallow?" Luke asked, approaching the table

"I love it," Rory said without thinking and took the cup of java Luke held out for her. "We are moving here."

He cocked his head to the side. "Tell me she's joking," Luke asked an amused looking Logan.

"No, dead serious," he laughed. "We're with HPG – the company that owns the Gazette and we'll be doing a little reorganization soon, so we wanted to move closer…"

"Commute far?"

"No, we're up in Hartford, but…"

"It's crazy," Rory said flat-out and Luke shot her a look of disbelief, but he refrained from making a crack about his own crazy town. Instead he asked Logan about their new house.

"Oh, man, it's sort of a recent thing," Logan told Luke, "We aren't really this spontaneous…"

It was true. This was the first time – ever – either of them was deciding what to do for themselves and now that they had settled on this, both were more than eager to pack up, move out and move on.

"That house across the way is for sale," Luke said with a sigh, "but it comes with a hefty price tag."

"Really?" Logan said eyeing the property across the street. Whatever the price, there was no doubt they could afford it.

"What do you think, Ace?" Logan asked, though the look on her face spoke volumes. He knew that Rory had already picked out curtains and wallpaper for the three story redbrick house.

"It looks like home," Rory said with a silly smile, warming her hands around her coffee mug. Her eyes trailed back to the property and Logan asked Luke who owned it.

"Taylor." The men groaned simultaneously and Luke pat Logan on the back. "If you really think you can afford it, I'll help you out with Taylor."

Logan nodded eagerly, "That would be great."

The couple ate their dinner, but it wasn't that casual cool atmosphere they had during breakfast, since townspeople came up to the table and introduced themselves every five minutes. It was fine, harmless really, compared to Society and Rory and Logan would rather have people come up to them and ask about it, than gossip. Luke, however, was a tremendous helping hand in keeping the crowd in control.

Late that night, Logan found himself pulling back on the highway, but wished to the fullest that he didn't have to. Rory was talking a thousand miles a minute about everyone they had met this evening and just how good Luke's coffee and French fries were. The smile she wore, lit up her face in a way he hadn't seen in a good ten years. It made him happy; far happier than in Paris, or London.

Stars Hallow was it for them. They reunited, decided together this time that this was the path for them. This is where they would find their bliss, have their kids, jobs, white picket fence and coffee at Luke's every morning. This would be there home, though both knew in their heart that it already was, much, much more than Hartford had been in all those years.

I fully intended this to be the last chapter (apart from an epilogue), even though you might feel it would be abrupt or a copout. The story was really only intended to be about Rory and Logan fixing their mess of a relationship, though isn't completely fixed, but still I felt that this, together with an epilogue would be sufficient.

But, then I though, jeez what about telling the friends that have been such a big part of their lives, what about showing them actually being a good couple since that would be such a big part in their continuing complex relationship. I thought, at first, that I didn't have enough ideas to bring it to a better (not sure on that – you can be the judge) ending than this but I think I do another chapter or five, easing out of the drama and showing them happy. What do you think? Let me know - you know I can't wait to hear it!!