Rory had been surprised when Logan had called the very next day to arrange to meet up. She was pretty nervous about being alone with him and his suggestion of dinner had felt a little too intimate so she made her excuses and they settled on meeting for a coffee instead. Now she was waiting for him in a coffee shop in Hartford, wondering what on earth she was doing there. Every time the door opened she felt her heart stop. She had considered bolting several times and just as she was thinking about it again, in he walked.

Logan knew that he needed to see Rory again and soon. He had thought about her all night. He didn't really know what he expected from them meeting up and he certainly wasn't planning to go down the route of pursuing dating again, not yet anyhow. He just felt the need to connect with her and find out what had been happening in her life. Even when they had been in love, above everything else, they had always been friends and he had truly missed having her in his life. He smiled when he saw her waiting at the table for him and walked over.

"Hey, Logan" Rory looked up and smiled at him nervously. "I already got you a coffee," she said as she pushed the cup towards him.

"Thanks! Do you want anything else…anything to eat?" he asked her.

"No, I am fine, coffee is good," she said taking a sip. "So, I was kind of surprised to hear from you so soon".

"Am I too keen?" he smirked as he sat down at the table. "I hadn't intended to meet up so soon either" he admitted, "but I am going to be heading to New York for a few days with my dad soon and I thought it would be nice to catch up before I went away."

"Right" Rory smiled "So, how is your dad? You mentioned yesterday he was sick?"

Logan smiled at Rory. Mitchum and Rory had a somewhat strained relationship but whatever had happened between them, there still remained a kind of mutual respect. "He got diagnosed with a heart condition which resulted in him having to have an emergency triple bypass a couple of weeks ago"

"Oh my god, I'm sorry Logan, is he okay?"

"He's recovering nicely and it sounds like he's going to make a decent return to full health," Logan said "You know Mitchum, can't keep him down…but it's provoked a bit of a change in him. He kind of took it as a warning sign to slow down and he's made the decision to take a bit of a step back from HPG which…"

"Which is where you come in?" Rory finished his sentence for him.

"Exactly"

"And you're okay with that?" Rory asked quizzically "You never wanted that Logan."

Logan shrugged casually. "I never wanted it because I felt like it was being forced on me like I had no choice or say in the matter. I feel a bit different now, I mean, I've grown up a bit over the past few years, I hope" he laughed "and my dad wants to hand over to someone he can trust, which for him, means family. My grandfather worked so hard to build up that company you know, I don't want to see it fall because I was too stubborn."

Rory nodded her head "Well, I guess if you're happy…that's all that matters. It's a great opportunity, most people would kill to work for a company like HPG, it's not like you'll be slumming it" she joked. "So this means a move back to Hartford?"

"Yes! Absolutely. I've already started to look for a place, I was at the realtor's offices yesterday when I bumped into Lorelai and her daughter".

Rory tensed "Right, she mentioned that she had seen you," she said desperately wanting to move the conversation away from where it was heading. "Hartford will be quite a change from Palo Alto I am sure. Tell me about" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"Palo Alto? Well, you're right; it's nothing like Hartford. Despite Stanford being nearby, it's never really developed into being a college town like New Haven – I mean it's too expensive for starters but the campus is also quite far out. Did you know Colin is at grad school there at the moment?"

Rory shook her head. She'd not heard anything about the old Yale gang as she'd worked hard to distance herself from everyone.

"Yeah, it's been nice to have him nearby. There are a lot of tech businesses based there, lots of start-ups so there are heaps of incredibly smart and creative people around who are setting out to change the world! I think you'd really like it".

"Sounds like a great place" Rory smiled.

"Well it has it's cons, I am mean driving there completely sucks but the weather is amazing – year round trips to the beach, long summers, hiking in the foothills – you can spend a lot of time out in the great outdoors."

"Never really imagined you as a hiker Huntzberger" Rory laughed.

"People change" he smiled. "So, what about you? What has the great Rory Gilmore been doing with herself since Yale?"

Rory took a deep breath. Where to start? There really wasn't a lot to her story if you removed the whole baby thing and as much as she knew Logan needed to know about Lily, she wasn't ready to spring it on him quite yet.

"It's been….an odd eighteen months really" Rory started slowly. "I was offered a job straight after graduation which I was keen to take but it didn't really work for me…so I spent the best part of a year trying to work out what it was I wanted to do…"

"I thought you'd follow your dream of being an overseas correspondent" Logan interrupted.

"I thought about it" Rory smiled "but well there were just a few things going on at home that meant it wasn't the right time. Anyhow, I spent some time doing some writing, a few freelance jobs but late last year I made the decision to return to study."

"Grad school?" Logan asked

Rory nodded "I've joined the Political Science PhD program at Yale.

"Wow, so before we know it we'll be calling your Dr Gilmore?"

"That's the plan, but it's pretty intense as I've started midway through the year. Grandpa had to pull a few strings. It's not what you know…" she said tapping the side of her nose.

"I'm impressed Ace!" Logan said. He froze suddenly as he took a sip of his coffee. He hadn't meant to use the old familiar nickname it had just slipped out. He noticed Rory tense up.

"So, Colin's at Stanford?" Rory said changing the subject. "I thought he would have stayed around here, you know seeing as the plan was for him to join the family business"

"Yeah, he did a year in his father's law firm first. I must admit I thought he'd stay at Yale for grad school too but I think he must have been swung by the California lifestyle on one of his many visits. I've not really been able to keep Colin and Finn away."

"Ah, the lovely Finn" Rory laughed "What is he up to these days? Still chasing redheads?"

"And anything else that moves" Logan laughed "Finn is still Finn. He's allegedly working in the entertainment industry but apart from flaunting his status to get us VIP entrance into the best clubs and restaurants, we've not seen much actual evidence of this work…"

"I wouldn't have thought that you needed anyone else when you've got your own status to flaunt? The Huntzberger name carries far and wide…" Rory joked.

"Well, it has its perks at times. I'll definitely be exploiting them now I am back on the East coast. HPG is much more of a big deal over here."

"What is your official role at HPG anyhow?" Rory asked with interest.

"You're looking at the newest CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group".

Rory's eyes widened "Wow Logan, so when you said your dad was stepping back you meant really stepping back."

"He's still involved but yes, he wants to do less. Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware of who will still be pulling all the strings" Logan rolled his eyes.

"But even so, a CEO of a major company by the age of 27, that's impressive," Rory said.

"Less impressive when it's handed to you on a plate…"

Rory sighed "Don't be so modest Logan, Mitchum wouldn't offer it to you if he didn't think you deserved it. I bet it was a big deal for him to ask you to come back – and an even bigger deal for you to accept."

She had read as much as she could find on the internet about Logan's career, which was enough to know that he'd made a major success of the start-up he'd been involved with. She couldn't help but think he was making a huge sacrifice to come back to Hartford for his father.

"It took a bit of thinking about but it's the right thing to do." Logan said resolutely "plus Honor is over the moon that I am back here".

Rory smiled, she'd always liked Logan's sister. "How is Honor?"

"She's great! She's living the life of the perfect society wife in her gilded cage in Hartford, just as life intended" Logan said sarcastically "She and Josh have a little girl now, Fifi." He said pulling out his cell phone to show Rory a picture of him proudly holding a little blonde haired baby.

Rory was startled to see the similarity of Honor's little girl and her own. "Wow," she said as her voice cracked slightly "She's lovely. How old is she?"

"She's eleven months old and a total heartbreaker already. I love her to pieces. My parents just go absolutely crazy for her; I think it was one of the reasons my dad decided to step back. He was working so much that he missed out on a lot when we were growing up and I think he doesn't want that to happen with his grandchildren."

"Sure, I can understand that," Rory said. "Can you excuse me for a moment, I just need to use the bathroom."

"Yeah, no worries. Are you okay Rory? You look a bit pale?"

"I'm fine. I'll be right back" she said as she rushed off.

Rory went to the bathroom. She stood and gripped the edge of the sink. She had felt sure she was going to vomit but now she was there and alone again, she felt a bit calmer. She splashed her face with cold water and took a moment to compose herself. "C'mon Rory, pull yourself together," she said to her reflection before walking back outside where Logan was waiting.

"Better?" Logan smiled

"Yes," Rory exhaled slowly "I just felt a bit shaky there for a moment. Too much caffeine probably" she joked. She looked at the time. "I should really be going now Logan, I've got a class later today so I need to get to New Haven…"

"Of course," he said standing up "I always knew not to get between you and your studying" he winked at her. "It's been good to be able to have this chat," he said as he walked her towards the door. "Perhaps we can do it again soon?"

"I'd like that" Rory smiled as they said goodbye to each other. She waved as he crossed the street and she watched him disappear out of sight.

What on earth was she doing? Why did she tell him that she liked to meet him again? They couldn't be friends. This was only going to make it harder for her to tell him the truth. It had been almost easier to imagine breaking the news about Lily when there had been some distance between them but she'd really enjoyed talking with him today and now their coffee date was over, she already felt like she missed him. Rory pulled her cell phone out of her bag. She was just about to dial her mom when she saw she had a message flashing on the screen, without looking who it was from she opened it.

"Thanks for the coffee, look forward to doing it again. L x"