AN: I don't own the show or the song.

Set: Post Finale about 18 months later.


Breaking my back just to know your name, seventeen tracks and I've had it with this game – The Killers

After two hours at the Gilmore's Annual Christmas party, Rory was ready to bash her head into the nearest wall. She'd answered the same few questions over an over. 'How was the campaign? Why did you end up in Seattle? Have you heard [insert random fact about Logan]? Are you seeing anyone?' It was enough to drive anyone to drink. She finally ditched the last DAR member that cornered her and headed for the bar.

"Can I get another martini here?" she asked the bartender.

"Coming right up, Miss." He set a fresh glass in front of her a minute later. She picked it up and took a healthy sip. She knew he was here, she could feel it. She hadn't seen him since she turned him down a year and a half ago. She was sure he was here with some hot blonde girl, all moved on and happy while she was still miserable with out him. At least that was the last rumor she'd heard. She tried to block out Hartford gossip, but her grandmother couldn't take the hint and kept peppering her with information about him.

She tipped the glass up finishing the drink and called to the bartender for a third one.

"You should really slow down there," a familiar voice said from behind her.

"Logan, hey." She hoped he wouldn't get too close, she wasn't sure if she could stop herself from grabbing on to him and begging for another chance.

"Rory. It's good to see you. You look lovely as always," he said politely.

"You look well also," she replied mechanically. "How's California?"

"It's great," he responded dryly. "Could I get a scotch neat?" he asked the bartender, then turned back to Rory while he waited. "So what are you up to these days?"

"Just working," she told him honestly.

"New York Times?"

Did he really not even care enough to find out what she was really doing? she wondered, downing her drink before she answered. "Ah, no, I'm in Seattle," she responded.

"Writing for the Seattle Times then?" he asked. Even if he was no longer in the publishing industry, the knowledge remained.

"Yeah. I'm a features writer." She wanted to ask what he was up to, but she couldn't force herself to spit the words out.

"You seem to be on your way to where you want to go then."

She nodded woodenly.

"Here's your drink, sir," the bartender interrupted them by putting a scotch in front of Logan. "Do you need another miss?" he asked looking down at Rory's empty glass.

"Yes please," she answered.

Logan gave her a curious look but didn't say anything. He waited until her drink arrived, then picked up his own glass. "Cheers!" he said, inclining his glass towards hers.

"Cheers," she repeated, clinking her glass with his, then downing the contents.

"Ace-" he started, but was interrupted.

"Logan!" a shrill voice called from behind her. Rory turned around to see a tall leggy blonde in a short black dress walking towards them. She quickly set down her empty glass and signaled for another.

"Hi Gina," Logan said politely, not exactly thrilled to see her.

"Where have you been?" Gina asked.

Logan looked down at the bar and then looked at her, as if the answer was obvious. "Standing here at the bar."

"I was getting lonely," Gina cooed, draping herself around Logan. Before she could hear his reply, Rory picked up her drink and head out the closest door to the gardens.

"Rory wait!" he called after her, but she didn't stop.


She wound her way around the garden until she found an area far enough away from the house that she could no longer hear the party. She stumbled over a loose rock and grabbed the nearby stone bench to steady herself with her free hand. Four martinis in quick succession may not have been her best idea. She set down her drink and stood back up, running her hands down her dress to smooth it out, before sitting down on the bench herself. Why had he come she wondered, was it just to rub his happiness in?

She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, lost in thought, when she heard footsteps approaching. She hoped it was her mother, but the way her night was going, she was pretty sure it wasn't.

"There you are. I didn't think we were finished yet."

"Well I didn't want to…" she trailed off trying to figure out what she wanted to say. She didn't want to upset his date? She didn't want to upset herself? She didn't want to talk to him any more?

"Didn't want to what Ace?" he pried, taking a seat next to her on the bench.

"I didn't want to see it," she said softly.

"See what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"You. Happy and moved on."

"I'm happy and moved on?"

"That's what I've heard. All. Night. Long."

He chuckled softly. "Funny. I've been hearing the same thing."

"That you're happy and moved on?" she questioned.

"No. That you are."

"Oh," she replied.

"Are you?" he asked.

"Are you?" she repeated without answering.

"I asked you first."

She waited a moment, then looked down, finding the drink in her hands very interesting for a moment. "No I'm not," she finally admitted to him.

"Me either."

"What about Gina?" she asked sarcastically.

"My mother," he said in an exasperated voice. "She thinks if she throws enough girls at me one of them will stick."

"Fun."

"Oh so much fun," he agreed caustically. "There's a reason I only come home once or twice a year."

"Me too."

"Really?" He couldn't imagine her willingly spending that much time away from her mother.

"Yeah. Everything here reminds me of you," she admitted. "Seattle's a fresh start."

"Well it is the home of Starbucks, so I imagine it suits you well enough," he said.

She laughed a little. "That was one of the pros on the list."

They sat there in silence for a moment. Rory shivered, the cold of the night finally catching up with her alcohol-laden state.

"Here," Logan said, shrugging out of his jacket, "you shouldn't be out here without a coat." He put his jacket around her shoulders, and began rubbing her arms to warm her up.

"The booze was keeping me nice and toasty until just now."

"It usually does."

"Thanks Logan."

"No problem Ace. Should we head back inside?" he asked.

"You go ahead, I'm not quite ready yet," she replied. She wanted a few more minutes to process the information she'd just learned. He wasn't happy and moved on either.

"I'll wait here with you," Logan told her. "Wouldn't want you to nod off out here in the cold and freeze to death, or spill anything on my jacket." She could hear the smile in his voice.

They sat in silence for another minute or so, before she spoke again.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"When I said no," she started, then hesitated.

"Yes?"

"It wasn't no to you. It was no to the timing."

"I know that."

"Why did it have to be then or never?" she asked, figuring this may be the only time she got to ask him anything.

"I was an idiot. My pride was hurt and I didn't know what else to do," he paused for a moment before continuing. "I'd just made this huge grand gesture in front of everyone, and I couldn't deal with you saying no."

"Oh."

"If it helps, it was probably the biggest mistake of my life to just let you walk away."

"A little," she said with a giggle, then sobered. "I should have said yes. We could have worked out the details together."

"You were right to say no," he told her. "You wouldn't have the experiences that you did had you said yes."

"No, I wouldn't. But I would have had you."

"You would give up the experiences you had for me?" he asked, not quite believing her.

She shrugged. "I would never be at a loss for new experiences with you."

"I do keep things entertaining."

"That you do Huntzberger." She leaned into him, not sure if it was a response to the cold, the alcohol, or comfort from the conversation they'd just had.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"How about inside for another apple tart?" she suggested.

"I suppose that's a start." He stood up and reached for her hand, pulling up next to him. Once she was standing beside him he continued to hold her hand, lacing his fingers through her own. She could feel the heat from his hand slowly warming hers.

"I've missed you Huntzberger," she whispered.

"I've missed you too Ace," he said, pulling her close and kissing her on the end of the nose. "Now let's go get you another apple tart."


They were almost to the house when she stopped in her tracks. "What about Gina?" she asked. She dropped Logan's hand and began to pace.

"My mother invited her, my mother can deal with her," Logan replied nonchalantly.

"Logan!" Rory scolded.

"Fine, how about we hide out in the pool house until she gives up and goes home?"

"Logan Huntzberger, are you chicken?" she teased. "Besides, what about my apple tarts?"

"I'm not chicken! I just don't want to cause a scene. Gina's the kind of girl that would cause a scene. How about this, we do the pool house thing, and I'll find out who the caterer is for the apple tarts and have some delivered to you once a month for a year."

She thought about it for a moment. "Okay. But only because Grandma would kill me if you caused a scene." She snatched his hand back up with hers and headed towards the pool house.


AN: I know it's been a while. I've been crazy busy with real life. Please read and review, and let me know if there are any others you'd like to see! Hopefully I'll be able to update Winning Back The Gilmore Girls and In The Light Of Day in August.

Thanks for reading!

S