It was fun writing the changes after AYITL, but over the past few months, I have been thinking about what it would have looked like if Rory had talked Logan into a long engagement or at least tried one. There are a couple of lines in here where I use original language, but only to set the scene. Hope you enjoy it.

It was a tape playing in her head, Logan was on a loop, " I know. For me, too. But then it hit me - why wait? Remember when we were in the life and death brigade and we stood on top of that tower, and we held hands and we jumped? Let's do that again, Rory. Let's jump."

After working on fixing the holes in the wall, Rory's stomach started to grumble, picking up one of the boxes she pulled out a bowl dumped in some cereal, and opened the fridge to find the milk - with the sweet note from Paris

For! Paris! Only! / Morning of Graduation Day! I'm Serious!

So many thoughts cross through her mind, but then she just kinda screws up her face, because … Hmm, for a woman who is lactose intolerant, she is sure possessive of the milk.

While the milk provided a bit of a distraction from the loop it was only a moment later when she hear "let's jump" again and her eyes landed on the blue box again, and once more the internal dialogue restarted, what to say to Logan. Her mind wanders back to the carriage ride with Mom, "everyone thinks I am too young. Am I too young? I don't have a job, so it is not like I am giving something up to go to California. I can't get a job on the east coast. What makes me think I can get one on the west coast? Oh, I am not going to be a Huntzberger wife like Shira. Will Logan make it? I didn't ask about his job and what he is doing. How dare he plan this? Why didn't he talk to me? Oh, the box is here, the ring – he has great taste in jewelry. He has great taste in women."

This last thought makes her smile.

He has great taste in women, he is making a break from the Huntzberger dynasty and he is doing it so we can be together. But why, why didn't he talk to me first?

She picks up the phone and dials.

"Hey, Ace"

"Why? Why didn't you talk to me? I am afraid that this is a foreshadowing of the days to come. You will make decisions and not talk to me, not ask me. I need a partner, an equal. Logan, I am used to being in charge of me. I mean it is ok when you decide where we are going to eat dinner, but I need to be part of the decisions on the important stuff. Like where we are going to live. Where I am going to work, heck, if I am going to work, um, no, where I am going to work. Logan, you can be in charge of your work and I appreciate that you want to surprise me, but this won't work if you don't include me."

"Hi, Ace."

"Hey" an awkward pause

"Should I come over?"

"Logan, you told me not to factor you in, but you planned it all, and now expect me to not only factor you in, but make you the center. I don't know that I am ready to do that. I need to know what I can do. I need to get a job as Rory Gilmore, not Rory Huntzberger. But, I also don't want to sleep without you. I can't imagine not coming home to tell you about my day. Who is going to get me my coffee? I hated that year you were in London, but I hated it more before you were my boyfriend; I thought we had to stop seeing each other and I really hated it when we were broken up, that was the worst, but Logan, I need a job. I need to know what I can do."

"Ok."

"OK?"
"Yeah, ok. I get it. That year in London told me I didn't want to work for my Dad. You gave me the strength to walk away from that. I lost money, I found my way, but the entire time I had you. Rory, you were my north star, my guiding light. As long as I have you in my life then I can make decisions - good or bad, but they are mine. I need to learn how to include you in the decision-making process."

"Yes, you do," a smile spreads across her face.

"So, I guess I'll do it."

"You'll do what?"

"I'll learn to make decisions with you included."

"So, long engagement?"

"Live together?"

"Depends on where I get the job."
"Right, I was kinda hoping you would do the live together and search for the job from California."

"I can do a job search from California, but I am not going to limit myself to California."

"I don't like that."

"I didn't like you going to London"
"Wasn't my decision."

"It is where the job was located and we did it. I will include California in my job search. But I do want to travel and my dream is to be a foreign correspondent."

A knock on the door interrupts their conversation, Rory unlocks the door to see Logan standing there. He smiles as he sees she is wearing the ring. Looking back up into her eyes, he can also see the conflict.

"You issuing an ultimatum?"

"I am not issuing an ultimatum."

"That is not what I heard."
"Logan, we are past that, I am asking to be included in the decision-making."

"Rory, do you want to stop being with me?"

"No, but I can't..."

He breaths deeply and realizes, it is an ultimatum, but she is not issuing it, he is

"Ok, Foreign correspondent, I can do this, I can do long distance, short distance, any distance, as long as I am doing it with you."

"Really?"

"Hey, it's old, it's not different, and you are not marrying the heir of the Huntzberger fortune."

"Right, I am getting engaged to Logan, entrepreneur, and we are going to figure this out – together, slowly."

"Slowly? You know I am not really good at slowly." Logan rejoins, but that patent smirk is there.

"I know, but if you say you can do this, then you can do this." Rory's arms slip around Logan's neck as they hug.

As she pulls away, he can see that a worried look has returned to her face. "What is it now Ace?"

"I don't know what to tell my mother, well, actually, I know what I can tell her, but my Grandparents are going to want to plan this for next year and I was thinking more like after I am 25."

"Woah, 25? Really?" Logan's shoulders slump as he starts to grapple with all his plans crashing down. He sees her eyes spark with indignation; this is not the time for him to issue any thoughts. Ok, he thinks to himself, so, I really need to listen. "What are your thoughts?"

"I need at least a year, maybe more, to really establish myself, and that is assuming I get a job at a news outlet with a national reputation. If I need to take a second tier, then it could be longer before I am picked up. Plus, whatever wedding they want, it will be at least a year in the planning, probably longer. That is just the Gilmore side, plus, your parents – oh, god, your parents. What do they know? Wait, is your dad the reason I am not getting any offers? Maybe we need to not announce anything, let your dad cool off, and just be mad at you for abandoning the position of heir apparent so I can get my foot in the door. Should I wear this around my neck, right ring finger, big toe? Logan, why can't this be easy? We need to "

Logan jumped in "Slow down. Wow, we are going to go to our funerals before we are able to get married at this rate. Can we just go back to square one? Here, now, can we be excited that we have made the decision to commit to each other, for a lifetime?"

Logan pushes the ring back on her finger that she had been playing with during the last rant.

"Yes, yes, I am excited that we are engaged. I need to call my Mom."

Logan picked up the spackle trowel, grinned, and started filling the last few holes knowing he would have the apartment done before she finished this conversation.

Rory dials the number and is hit with her mother's typical greeting. "Fruit of my loins! What is the answer? Oh, my god, you said no - I have ice cream, red vines, movies, I have the roller coaster plan - Cedar Point, the biggest roller coaster. I gotcha kid. It is all good." Rory listened and realized the moment she discussed saying no, that is what her mother was expecting. She didn't want her to get married. Were all of her reasons to wait because of her mother, or real doubts? What was really going on?

"Mom, stop, I said yes."

"What? Yes? No! Yes? What? How could you? I thought you wanted to be a reporter, an international correspondent? I know you don't have a job yet, but you can do better than be a wife. Seriously, Rory, yes? Ok. Wow. Congratulations? Are you getting married before me? I guess you are -"

"Mom! Stop! What are you saying? I do want to be a reporter and Logan is on board. He is totally supportive and willing to wait to get married. What are you saying, you don't want me to get married? I don't understand."

Logan stopped spackling and started to listen to the conversation, thoughts running through his head - but she gave her blessing. I guess not really, just permission to ask, but not a blessing. Logan looked at Rory and realized she was feeling torn. He had to do something to prove he supported her journalism career and not just being his wife. Pulling out his phone, he texted the number he had heard from about 45 minutes before Rory called. "call Rory, offer her the job now."

Logan hit send and knew he had just sealed the deal on the long-distance relationship and that asking Hugo to wait on offering her the job until he had the answer on California was a mistake. Logan knew that Hugo was in his corner. What Logan didn't know was why his father had interfered with the editor of the Yale Daily News getting the normally guaranteed Reston fellowship. Sighing, he knew that he needed to have a conversation with his father, not something he ever looked forward to.

"Of course I want you to get married, I just thought it would be after you established yourself as the next Christian Amanpour, Rory, please think about this carefully."

Rory scrunches up her face and chews on her lip, trying to think about how to de-escalate her mother's worries. "Mom, I think we need to talk in person. How about tomorrow? After the ceremony? Mom, I have another call. We will talk later, I have to take this."

Rory clicked over to the other call.

"Hello, this is Rory Gilmore."

"Hello, Rory, this is Hugo."

"Um, hello, wow, this is a nice surprise." Rory looked at Logan and mouthed Hugo, looking at him to see if he was surprised by a phone call on a Thursday night well after normal business hours.

"Rory, I know it is late, but I have an offer that I need an answer to by tomorrow noon."

"Oh, ok, I am all ears." Rory gave Logan a thumbs-up and a grin. He returned the gesture and smiled.

Hugo continued, "Rory, we were surprised by the showing of Obama in the early primary and we need someone on the trail with him. I thought he would be a distraction, but it looks like he might be a real contender. So, I need another reporter who can be on the trail, listen to the speeches and spend time getting to know if this guy really has what it takes to go all the way."

"Wow! This is amazing. I think he has a real chance and it would be exciting to cover him - give me the opportunity to really dig in as I have been following Hilary more intensely for the last few years. Ok, so you need to know on Friday, by noon?"

"Yes, we would like you to kick it all off by doing an interview with "Obama Girl". She has agreed to one this weekend, Sunday. Then we will get you on the trail on Monday."

"Hugo, this is really fast." Rory looked at Logan, his eyes had that mixed excitement and sadness; she realized that Logan knew - then it hit her, he had done this. He had called to get her this job to support her - putting her first. Her heart burst with love and certainty that he was the right person.

"That is how the news business is, you think everything is calm and 10 seconds later."

"Yes, I will do it. I'll take the job."

"You have until tomorrow."

"Hugo, I am taking the job now. I need to be the reporter who jumps and I seem to be saying yes to a lot of things tonight. This is a great opportunity and I wouldn't be the journalist I want to be if I didn't say yes. So, yes. Tomorrow I will graduate. Saturday pack, Sunday do the interview and Monday get on a bus."

Hugo's voice was full of relief, "Rory, thank you for being willing to commit, this is why I knew you would be the best person for the job. We will put you on a plane to catch up with the bus. I will email you the itinerary for the next 6 weeks and arrange the plane tickets tomorrow. Welcome aboard."

"I look forward to getting that email. Thank you. And please tell a certain Huntzberger that I appreciate the endorsement."

"Your work stands on its own."

"I know, but a strong reference goes a long way."

"Yes, it does. See you soon and welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Hugo. Good night."

"Good night."