I was sitting at my desk in the office the next morning with a fresh up of coffee and some research in front of me. I had sent out feelers to a couple of potential contacts, trying to get statements about the recent uprisings in Saudi Arabia. The only problem that I continued to be concerned with as I wrote was how Gerry was going respond to this piece. The more I worked on it the more it was becoming true-blue reporting, rather than the feature story on the latest dignitary meeting that he had intended. I miss writing like this, like I had gotten to do on the campaign, and even at Yale. It had been too long since I've gotten engrossed in deep research like this.

First thing that morning I had gotten a text from Leslie, asking what I was up to today. I hadn't responded yet; it wouldn't be the first time that she has given me grief about working on a Saturday. Leslie was a good writer and she did her job well, but she always made it a priority to have a life outside of the office. Maybe it was all those years of living and working with Paris, but it didn't really matter to me what day of the week it was when I was working on something. I had spent a lot of the morning putting out calls and emails to potential sources, looking for some statements and extra information.

I sat back in my chair to reread what I had written so far, when my office phone rang. I was surprised that I might already hear back from one of my contacts, especially on the weekend, but I answered…

"Rory Gilmore"

"Well imagine that, Gilmore in the office on a Saturday."

I froze, receiver to my ear. I had to be dreaming again. I must have fallen asleep at my desk and was re-experiencing the dream I had the other night.

"Ace?"

Nope, this was actually happening. I had no idea what to say.

"Logan… uh… this is, um… a surprise…"

Get it together, Gilmore. If you can report on unrest in the Middle East, you can put together a sentence. I took a deep breath…

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting to hear from you." Ever.

"Yea... Well, I just wanted to make sure you got that coffee I sent over yesterday"

I flashed back to the thud it had made when I dropped it in the trash can.

"Yes, I did. I suppose a 'thank you' is in order."

Getting there… at least I was conveying complete thoughts.

"Right… well, I'm glad you got it."

Now that I had calmed down a little, I could hear a slight uneasiness in his voice, very un-Logan like. Oddly, it gave me a little confidence boost… I have to ask.

"How did you know where to find me?"

"I read the papers."

"Oh… Right."

Idiot. I had been so wrapped up in emotion the last couple of days that the logical conclusion had entirely evaded me.

He laughed a little, "Oh c'mon, Ace. You really don't think I've followed your writing? You put out some great stuff on the campaign, and now The Post. You've done well."

He was back… confident, complimentary, truly Logan. And he had followed me. I ignored what might have been butterflies in my stomach.

"Well… you haven't done so bad yourself, Huntzberger."

Well played. I can do this. If I learned anything from my mother besides how to order take-out, it was the art of bantering.

"Yea, I suppose you could say that." I could practically see him smirking on the other side of the line.

There was a pause in the conversation… Was coffee really why he had called? Keep it casual… small talk.

"So… New York, huh?"

"New York."

Well that failed… Why was I suddenly the one trying to make something out of this conversation? He was the one that called me. And why couldn't I come up with anything to talk about? I was starting to panic again.

"Well, I guess I should have wished you a happy birthday the other night…" I brought up the other night? So much for small talk.

He gave a little laugh. "Thanks, but you know me and birthdays… not really one for much fuss."

"You seemed to be having a good time."

"Yea, we were, but it was mostly just catching up with old friends, you know…"

He trailed off… Now I really wasn't sure where to go with the conversation.

"Listen, Rory… About that night…"

Uh oh.

"I… I really didn't mean to ambush you like that."

Ambush me? I thought back… I had pretty much been a deer in the headlights.

"Yea, it was pretty… unexpected." Good…Unexpected was safe… understatement of the century, but safe.

There was another pause before he spoke again…

"You know… I tried to call you when I knew when I was coming to the city."

What?! That was beyond unexpected… I was blindsided.

"You did?"

"Yea… I guess you changed your number, though. That's why I tried your office today… I figured at least I could leave a message, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to find you working."

I had changed my number. A few months ago I got a new phone, and decided I should finally switch to a New York area code. Of all the people that I figured I would need to update about a new number, he wasn't one of them.

I really didn't know what to say to him. Why would he call me now, even if he was coming to the city?

"Have lunch with me."

The hits just keep on coming. Suddenly, instead of surprised I was feeling upset… angry even. Four years of nothing, and he calls me now? My life is good. I have a good job; I have my family and friends. I don't need it to be turned upside down. And I hate the way he made it a statement rather than a question, as if he just expected me to agree.

"Why?" There was a little more edge to my voice than I had intended.

There was a long pause, it felt like minutes passed before he replied.

"I… I want to…" Well this was different… I guess it was my turn to surprise him. It was a rare occasion for Logan to not know what to say.

He cleared his voice before he continued, "Clear the air."

Clear the air? He stumbled his way through the first half of that sentence to end it with clear the air? Considering the resentment I had felt towards him only moments before, I couldn't explain why I felt disappointed by his answer.

"Rory, please?"

I realized I hadn't said anything, but hearing him say 'please' now was not helping me come up with a response. If all he wanted was to clear the air, why would he plead? I heard my mom's voice in the back of my head, telling me I wasn't the same person he left years ago.

"Logan…" I think I was actually about to say no, but it didn't matter...

He cut me off and had once again regained his composure, "Look, you don't have to answer me now. I'll be back at McConnell's tomorrow, one o'clock. If you don't show up, I guess I understand, I guess I deserve it even… But I really hope I see you."

And just like that, the line went dead. My head was spinning. The phone call itself had been hard enough, let alone the prospect of having a face to face conversation after all this time. Had he just admitted to being wrong? Now I had no idea what I was going to do.

** I do not own any characters or content relating to Gilmore Girls **

A/N - Thanks for all the great feedback I've been receiving! This is the start of what most of you have been waiting for... more to come soon. Enjoy!