Disclaimer: don't own Gilmore Girls
Note: this is a bit slow-moving here, however, I wanted to start exploring some of the people that Rory is on the bus with and figured this might be an interesting way to do it. These come to me when I am supposed to be writing papers on topics of far less interest in the pursuit of my doctoral degree; however, my guilt of procrastinating eventually kicks in so you are only getting short chapters.

Trail gossip begins
The journalists boarded the bus as they were finishing up in South Carolina and started the sixteen-plus hour drive for their next stop in New Hampshire, Rory was struggling to adjust to going by Leigh, and after a couple of hours of driving Sam, another just graduated reporter working for a startup online newspaper, had to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention, "hey, Leigh, I don't see any headphones - why didn't you answer me?"
She looked back and gave him a grimace, "um, sorry, deep in thought here" ugh this was not the first time she had been unaware of someone speaking to her because it was the wrong name. She liked Sam, he was ambitious, graduated from Dartmouth undergrad and then Columbia with a Master's. He asked great questions and the two of them discussed the speeches and sometimes shared notes from research they had done. Sam was reporting more regularly than Rory as she only had the once-a-week requirement, and he was trying to put out content three times a week. While Sam was more compatible for her to talk with, MK was a good roommate, but one of the reasons it was working is that she was off recording her video log, MKNation. It was clear that MK was not a fan of the democratic party and in some ways that was helpful in keeping Rory grounded in really sticking to the facts in her reporting. However, she also wasn't sure yet if there was a hidden agenda in there, so she maintained a professional relationship and was grateful for the quiet room at night allowing for research, writing, or talking with Logan.
Sam continued, "I know you aren't one for gossip, well, at least you don't seem to engage in gossip." Rory nodded her head yes and gave him the look of you can continue if you want though, "so, I think I heard you went to Yale and I was wondering if you had been on the Yale newspaper and if you know what happened with Logan Huntzberger and why he left HPG?"
She hesitated, thinking about this question - had he figured something out, does he suspect I am the one Logan is engaged to, no, he only asked if I worked on the newspaper. Before she could answer MK jumped in,
"Oh, yeah, it is going around that he left HPG to go to a social media company in California, I heard he is engaged."
Another reporter Katie picked up, "Oh, he is engaged, the woman is Lorelai Gilmore, they met at Yale."
MK looked at her funny, "how do you know that, you went to Arizona and this just happened."
Katie got defensive, "well, I work for an HPG newspaper, you know they aren't just on the east coast, and well Mr. Huntzberger was at our offices when he found out that his son had proposed."
Everyone on the bus was now looking right at Katie, from the looks on their faces this was the best source to find out about the fate of the Huntzberger heir and she was one to dish the juiciest details. Rory was desperately trying to keep a calm composure, for once she was really grateful for the DAR.
Katie continued, "yeah, so, I heard that Mr. Huntzberger told our staff to leave the conference room as he had a personal call to take and then we he came out he had this big fake smile and said he was delighted to announce that his son had proposed to his Yale classmate and girlfriend, Lorelai Gilmore." Everyone in the office clapped for him.
MK was sitting on the edge of her seat, "did you see a photo? What does she look like? Bet she was there for her MRS. and boy that is like jumping right to the doctoral level."
Sam cleared his throat, "seriously? See a photo? Who cares who he is engaged to? The real question is why he isn't taking over HPG? I heard he was in California working for a social media company and talking to a couple of tech guys about creating a new platform for online publications of newspapers and magazines; they would manage the layout and interface so the media outlets could focus on the content. That would be huge in changing the dynamics of online media."
Rory was shocked at how accurate Sam's information was on Logan's activities. Sam continued, "and if i overheard correctly, we have a Yale graduate right here who might have worked with Logan on the paper and maybe has some insight as to why he left HPG to strike out on his own." Rory felt the hand on her shoulder and realized she was Sam's hope for insight. Biting her lower lip Rory felt trapped. The internal struggle was real, she knew why Logan left and it was not simple, plus she didn't have a right to talk about his personal situation. Also, if she knew too much then it became obvious there was a connection, but saying she didn't know him was a lie and Logan did not like that and in reality, after the Marty fiasco, she wasn't interested in lying and then having people find out later. Taking a deep breath she decided a vague response was better than nothing. However, a guy from the front of the bus who had walked back interrupted her, "Hey, Sam, you want to know why he left and you want to confirm his online efforts, then contact him and ask him yourself. It would be a great story and totally appropriate for an online platform to carry, actually, Leigh, you would be an ideal journalist to report on this too. But gossip about the man's life, seriously, I can bet you that was the reason he left HPG, some people you claim to be journalists."
Sam stood up getting defensive, "Ezra, man, I just figured Leigh here, as a Yale graduate, you know she might be able to give some insight, make it clear if this is a story to go after."
Finally, Rory knew what to say, "not going to let you scoop me, Sam."
Sam turned around and looked at her, "so you do know something?"
With a smug smile and realizing that she could get out in front of this, "that is for me to know and you to read."
Ezra gave her a thumbs up, while MK and Katie were obviously annoyed, they wanted to dish on the woman he was engaged to. Rory leaned back, this was going to be a long bus trip.
The next afternoon, as they were unpacking from their 16-hour bus ride, Rory wasn't surprised by MK asking her if she had knowledge about this Lorelai Gilmore. Not wanting to be caught in another deception, but not knowing how far she could trust her, Rory answered, "I know her, why?"br /MK thought she had hit the jackpot, "really?"
She decided to make light of it, "yes, I mean Yale isn't that big, I certainly don't know her very well, she is a private person."
MK pulled out her laptop and started typing, "huh, interesting."
Rory walked over, "what is interesting?"
"Well, Katie says he proposed and she said yes, and I would think that an engagement or wedding announcement would have hit the papers by now, but there isn't anything here."
Rory realized she was looking for a photo of the fiancee.
She turned to look at Rory, "well, Leigh, you are definitely right about one thing."
Rory cocked her eyebrow and chewed on her bottom lip, "and that is?"
"They are private."
Deciding it was time to drop the subject, Rory pulled out her own laptop and sat down commenting, "well, I don't really care what he or his fiancee is up to, but I do think that I should catch up on what is being reported about the Clinton campaign to start my next article."

After a few minutes of quiet, MK addressed Rory, "Hey, Leigh."
"Huh?"
"Um, I know we have not talked much - me always preparing or doing my online show, you researching, but I think you have figured out that I am pretty conservative and, well, I do have a lot of liberal friends, so you kind of fit in that way. So, if you ever want to watch my YouTube channel, I would kinda like to know what you think."
Rory sat back and smiled at her, MK was making an effort to bridge the gap and not just be hotel mates. Plus she had expressed appreciation for Rory still chipping in on the room on the days she wasn't in it, since she had a bigger expense account than MK at the time. "I would like to see your video blog, email me the link and I will watch it."
With that the two women changed into professional attire for the town hall Obama was holding in Manchester with the intention of grabbing some food on the way there. That was one other thing that Rory had noticed, they could both eat, now MK did not eat as much and she did work out, but she ate more than just salads.
Rory was getting excited, only a couple of more days until they were in Hartford, she would cover the fundraiser on Friday night, spend the day with Logan and family on Saturday, and then they would take another day to be alone. Logan had to be back to work on Monday morning, there was a big presentation he had to make, so Rory had confirmed getting lunch with Lane followed by dinner with Paris before flying out to South Carolina again to rejoin the bus.