Meet Again

January 29th 2008

"Where are you?" Lorelai asked Rory, who had been following Barack Obama on the campaign trail for several months with Hugo Grey's online magazine.

"California" Rory said as she flopped back into the uncomfortable motel bed "we just got to the motel"

"How was the drive?" Lorelai asked, already knowing the answer seeing as Rory had been on the bus for over 20 hours

"Way too long" Rory sighed

"Hey Ror?" Alice penned her head out of the bathroom. Alice was a photographer who was working for Hugo's magazine. She and Rory had become close friends over the months and often shared a room at the motels.

"On second mom" Rory said and lowered the phone from her ear "what's up?"

"Can I borrow some shampoo? I'm out" Alice requested. She knew Rory wouldn't mind as they often lent each other stuff if they needed but they would always ask first anyway

"Sure. Just take it from my bag" Rory said before turning her attention back to her mother "I'm back"

"So when's the debate?" Lorelai asked

"Day after tomorrow" Rory told her. Even though the debate wasn't technically until Thursday and it was only Tuesday evening, the crew had a ton of prep work to do before. "Although we have a ton of work to do to prepare for it"

"Any chance of me seeing your name on a by-line?" Lorelai asked. Rory had written a few articles that had gotten published in the magazine, but nothing too big.

"Not sure" Rory said as she looked over some papers "Hugo will give us our assignments for the debate tomorrow and I'll know then. But I'll probably just be fact checking"

As Rory was looking over the papers, something on the tv caught her eye. "Um...mom, I need to go" she said, not taking her attention of the tv "I'll call you tomorrow" and with that she hung up.

"What's so interesting?" Alice asked when she got out of the shower and walked out of the bathroom to see Rory staring at the news channel on tv. "Wow..." she noticed that some of the bigger news outlets were already setting up outside of the university where the debate would take place the day after tomorrow "they're setting up already?!"

Rory's attention, however, wasn't on the fact that they were already setting up, but on who was setting up. Right there in the middle of the space was a large white van with 'Huntzberger Publishing Group' written on the side in big letters. At the time of their break up Logan hadn't been working for his father but Rory hadn't spoken to Logan since May, since he gave her the ultimatum. She didn't know if he had gone back to working for Mitchum. It wasn't like she never thought of him. She did. And she missed him. But he had made it obvious at her graduation that he no longer wanted anything to do with her so she had tried to move on. And she was really hoping that she would run into Logan

"Rory?" Alice tried to get Rory's attention "Ror!" She shouted, when Rory didn't answer

"What?" Rory snapped out of her thought "oh...sorry" she exhaled

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah..." Rory said with a sigh "remember how I told you about my ex-boyfriend?"

"The guy that proposed to you at your graduation party, in front of your parents, grandparents and all their friends?" Alice asked, already knowing that was who Rory was talking about

"That's the one"

"What about him?"

Rory told Alice all about Logan and who his father was, and how age was worried about what would happen if she were to run into him at the debate

"Wow" Alice mumbled, trying to wrap her head around it "do you...want to run into him?"

Rory was taken aback by the question. Up until Alice asked it, she hadn't thought about wether or not she wanted to see him, only about how awkward it would be if she did

"I don't know" she replied and if she was being honest she didn't. She'd always thought that if he hadn't given her the ultimatum they'd still be together.

"Ok!" Alice patted her legs and stood up "you need a distraction" Alice started to leave the room

"Where are you going?"

"Tonight. You, me Maddison, drinks"

"Al..." Rory groaned. She didn't really want too go out drinking when they head a lot of work to do before the debate.

"Too late I'm already gone!"

"Alice!" Rory called out after her but she was already gone

An hour late Rory, Alice and Madison, another reporter who was working for Hugo on the trail were sitting at a bar.

"She needs another!" Madison said to the bartender, referring to Rory

"No! I don't" Rory said "we have a ton of work tomorrow and I don't wanna be hungover"

"Buzzkill!" Alice shouted

"At least I'll be able to get my work done tomorrow" Rory rolled her eyes

"Scotch neat" someone said from behind Rory

"Ok I wanna dance!" Madison announced and held her hand out for Alice to take to which Alice just shook her head. "Ugh! Rory?" Madison tiene to Rory

"Not gonna happen" Rory said with a chuckle

"Fine, I'll dance by myself" Madison says and walked away

"Rory?!" The man asked from behind her. His voice sent shivers down her spine.

"Logan!"