Morning came too soon. Rory wasn't prepared for this day anymore than she was 3 weeks ago. The one thing she had hoped to count on was Finn and her high carb pancake breakfast to pick her up, but she'd have to settle for just the pancakes. Finn had left a note saying that he had to take care of some business, but would be back by mid afternoon. He did leave it attached to a plate of fluffy pancakes though. So she would have to forgive him.

Besides, she had plenty to prepare for. She needed to explain to Jess that he was the father, that she wanted to accept his offer to publish her book, and that she wanted to do this thing on her own terms with or without him.

Rory also had to confront Logan with the fact that he was not the father of her baby, and that he was in desperate need of help. His alcohol and drug problem was out of control and she feared this would send him over the edge. If he ever wanted a chance with her or anyone he needed to be clean to do so.

"Hey, Rory!" Jess' voice came from the hallway… he was early.

"Come in." she scrambled to throw a pile of laundry in the closet.

"No need to clean up for me, Ror." He laughed.

"It's not for you. Logan is used to maid service."

"Logan's coming?" Jess asked hesitantly.

"He should be here in an hour or so. I wasn't expecting you until afternoon.

"Well, I thought we could go over book stuff first and us stuff later." He leaned in and kissed her cheek before setting his briefcase on the newly clean tabletop.

"I would love to talk about book stuff. Do you have your offer with you?" she asked.

"Of course, Ms. Gilmore." He mocked sliding a stack of papers out of his briefcase and across the table to her.

Rory and Jess sat in silence as she read over the details of the contract he laid in front of her. She flipped through the pages slowly at first, and then back and forth rapidly. When she was done she went to her desk and pulled out two similar looking contracts.

"Ready?" she asked one eyebrow cocked up and a tone that said she was ready to battle.

"It's really the best I can do right now Rory. I understand if you need to go with another publishing house."

She held her hand up to cut him off," It's double the other offers, Jess. Why would you do this?"

"I'm getting you while you're still cheap." He joked.

"Jess." She said his name like a whispered curse.

"Okay… Alright. You're going to have a baby, Ror. I know you won't dip into that trust fund of yours. Kids are expensive. You can't make enough to support you both running the Stars Hollow Gazette. Even if you are the owner at fifty cents a pop you aren't making enough to cover the paper you're printing on." He defended his choice better than she had imagined he would.

All in one breath she rattled out, "First, you're right I won't take the easy way out. If I had planned to do that we wouldn't be having this conversation. Secondly, I do just fine between the paper version and the new online Gazette has a growing subscribership. And, lastly buddy… oh-ho-ho… I do not own the gazette.

"So another Lorelai Lee Gilmore III lives around here?" he pushed back.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Jess pulled his tablet from his briefcase and opened a file of research on Rory," Before you think I'm crazy, I have my assistant do one of these on all prospective authors. We have to know who we're dealing with. Look, right there second paragraph- third item."

There it was listed under her assets: Stars Hollow Gazette, purchased a week ago by LH Media Properties and deeded to Lorelai Lee Gilmore III.

"I didn't go any further. 'LH Media Properties'- I know you don't like spending your money, but it seems you don't have any problem spending his."

"Screw yourself." She whispered.

"What? Are you upset that I found out or that I came here today prepared to fight for you. To fight for my family."

"Your family? You're so sure aren't you? Jess Mariano- headstrong and cocky." She laughed with tears coming from her eyes.

"Ror," Jess stepped to wipe away her tears, but was shrugged off by the resistant Rory.

"No. Don't 'Ror' me and expect me to melt at your feet." She protested," I'm taking my book elsewhere. I don't need your charity."

"It's not charity. My partners read it and want it bad enough they are ponying up two thirds of that offer. They think it's that good." Jess explained.

"They think what's that good?" Logan's voice both cut the tension in the room and amplified it.

"Her book. You know something she worked hard at paying off? Mean anything to you? Nope didn't think so." Jess jabbed.

"You're no Oliver Twist yourself these days, book boy." Logan leered back.

"Stop, both of you." Rory insisted.

Without looking at her Logan put a possessive arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight, kissing her forehead," You're right, Ace. We can be civilized about this."

Rory shrugged Logan's possessive advance off before winding her way through the small apartment. She excused herself to the bathroom, and soon found herself standing in front of the mirror trying to reason with the woman she saw. When she couldn't make that work she pulled out her cellphone instead.

They are both here, and fighting. I haven't even told them yet. I wish you were here… I need my friend.

She sent the text out into the digital universe like a desperate message in a bottle. She knew that she had hurt Finn, but she couldn't deal with one more man vying for her attention right now. She didn't want any man right now. She just wanted to make it through the day.

When her text received a simple reply of 'you can do this' Rory realized that she was on her own. No Australian knight in shining armor was coming to her defense. She took one final look at herself in the mirror, threw her hair in a ponytail, and took a deep breath before leaving the bathroom.

When she exited the bathroom, Rory found both men in her life pouring over stacks of papers from and at each other's throats. When they saw her their argument stopped.

"Come sit down, Ace." Logan gestured to the chair opposite both of them.

She crossed the room and took a seat in her favorite arm chair instead of across from them. The two men picked themselves up and moved to the couch.

"We've been talking." Jess said.

"I could hear the vigorous discussion from the bathroom." She chided.

"Okay so we get a little heated when it comes to you. What can I say you're smokin' hot, Ace." Logan joked.

"This isn't funny." Jess warned," We need to get to the bottom of this."

"He's right." Logain said," We agreed that we don't want to find out together. I know that was your plan, Ace, but we just deserve to have some shred of privacy."

It was a simple request. One she originally had no intention of granting, but now when faced with the two of them sitting across from her she couldn't deny such a modest request.

"Okay, I want to talk to Logan first." She said," Jess can you just go downstairs or wait in the hall."

Jess agreed and left the modest apartment he had once called home, and the only woman who had ever loved him without demanding anything in return. Logan, with a bit of arrogant swagger, took a seat next to Rory on the couch.

"Logan…" she began.

"Wait, Ace. I have to say this."

"Okay, what?" she asked.

"I don't care. I don't care if the baby is mine or if it's his or if it's some random guy you met on the street. All I care about is that I have you. I thought for sure when I left that wedding that I was never going to see you again. I wanted to see you. I wanted to hold you, but I spent three days calling and texting you non-stop before I found out that you had changed your number. Then I called everyone we know and they told me to let you go. I couldn't. I couldn't let you go so I went to the island and…"

"Banged every whore you could get your hands on while simultaneously drinking yourself into a coma the likes of which your maid had never seen before… and she's been a Huntzberger maid for 15 years." Rory pulled her hands out of his.

"I know. I know. I fucked up. I should have been groveling at your feet not screwing a bevy of bimbos. That doesn't mean I don't love you…"

"Jess is the father." She interrupted.

"Okay. So we spend Thanksgivings and Christmases with Jess. That doesn't mean we don't get to be together."

"It's more complicated than that. I am going to be mom. I live here. I'm going to raise my child in Stars Hollow. You haven't spent more than a weekend here in all the years I've known you." She argued.

"It doesn't have to be more complicated. I love you. You love me. That's enough."

"It's not enough. I need you to go. I have to talk to Jess, and I can't deal with this right now. I just need to be alone." She stood and pointed him to the door.

"I'm crashing at your mom's new place."

"Really?" she asked.

"Used a fake name and everything." He winked before he ducked out into the hallway.

"Logan?" Rory called.

"Yeah, Ace?"

"LH Media Properties needs to stay out of my business. I appreciate the thought, but we will need to talk about how I can pay you back. I won't have you paying my way."

"I know."

"Then why?" she asked exhausted with this same old argument.

"You're going to have to find a different villain, Ace. I lost LH senior year in a game of poker." Logan replied as he slipped out the door.

Rory had barely gotten a breath in before Jess said" Can I come in now?"

"Sure. How much did you hear from your perch in the hallway?" she asked.

"Enough to know that Huntzberger isn't moving in anytime soon." Jess smiled his trademark half cocked grin.

"Jess, I need you to understand that that has nothing to do with the baby. Logan is an addict. He's restless, but I do care about him and I always will. I just can't care for him and a baby right now."

"So the baby… it's his?" Jess suddenly seemed small and broken.

"No, the baby is yours. I just didn't want you thinking that Logan was cast out into the deep. I care about him like I care about you." She put her hand on Jess' shoulder.

"I'm a dad? I'm going to be a dad." Jess whispered to himself as he brought his hands to his mouth in shock.

"Yes. You are the baby's father, but we have to talk about this."

Jess grabbed Rory by the hand and pulled her to the couch. He hit his knees in front of her, and with tears streaming down his face he cradled her stomach like it was a precious jewel. Suddenly though, his mood changed and Jess wiped the tears from his eyes.

From his pocked Jess pulled a small wooden box. When he opened the lid it revealed a delicate diamond ring. It was modest, but beautiful.

"Jess…" Rory gasped.

"Listen, Ror. I didn't have a lot growing up. I didn't have a dad and I barely had a mom," he laughed," I mean I had a Liz, but that's not really the same thing. Then I got shipped to Stars Hollow and all the sudden I had Luke. This dad guy that wanted to love me whether I wanted it or not. Then I met you, ad it changed me. For the first time I cared about someone other than myself. I was a fool, and I let you go. Now you're giving me a baby… giving me the chance to be the dad I never had. Be a family with me Ror, you me and baby. Marry me." Jess slipped the delicate ring on her finger and dropped his hands back to cradle her stomach.

"Jess… that was beautiful, and I want you to know that you changed me too. I just ca…"

"Think about it, please. I can't be like my old man. Absent and worthless."

"I can't just marry you so that you'll be around. You know you can be better than your dad without being married to me." She reasoned.

"You don't want to marry me right now. We can wait until the baby is born. Just give our family a chance. We can be happy. I can make you happy. Luke and Lorelai are finally together. Let's not make the same mistake they did. Let's grab on while we can."

"I think," she handed him back the ring," you need to go."

"I won't leave either one of you… I swear." Tears welled up in his eyes.

"I know, Jess. It's just been a very long day, and I'm pregnant. I need some sleep."

Jess resigned himself to not getting a direct answer, and left the apartment. He thudded down the familiar stairs and onto the square. Waiting there was Logan with a large bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine.

"If it isn't Richie Rich." Jess grumbled.

"You'd think for a guy that just opened his third imprint this year and whose publishing house was named number one indie label would be careful about hating money and success."

"I worked for that. What's the last thing you worked for? A tan? Oh and by the way you don't bring booze to a pregnant woman."

"It's wine. She can have a glass. I know your kind are allergic to the finer things in life, but I didn't want the woman I love living off of mac and cheese." Logan poked Jess in the chest.

"Well I don't want my fiance' and my unborn son getting liquored up by some wanna be playboy." Jess shoved him back.

"Fiance, huh? What gumball machine did you find a ring in?" Logan pushed Jess harder this time.

"Unlike you and yours Rory doesn't care about things like that. You'd know that if you knew one single thing about her!" Jess yelled before tackling Logan to the ground.

The two rolled around throwing punches and kicks at each other. Jess was soon sporting a swollen eye, and Logan had a matching busted lip with fresh blood. The two were suddenly pulled apart.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Luke yelled pulling Jess back.

"Get off of each other, mate." Finn yelled restraining Logan," What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Logan yelled," this idiot trying to force Rory to marry him out of some archaic ideal of the nuclear family."

"No this jackass thinks he can buy Rory and ship my kid off to some prep school and forget about him."

"Whoa whoa, it's your baby?" Luke was flabbergasted.

"Not the point right now, mate. Why are you two fighting it out like the winner somehow gets Rory?"

"No," they both grumbled in near unison.

"Yeah you are." Luke agreed," Jess I've asked you a dozen times why you're not with Rory. There was a time she'd move heaven and earth for you and you pissed all over that. You wanted anyone, but her. You didn't want to settle down."

"It's different now." Jess argued, " I never stopped loving her."

"But you never loved her. You loved the way she made you feel. You got love and validation. She got a broken wrist and a broken heart. She supported you when no one else did. Don't think I don't know about her loaning you the buy in on your publishing house. She supports you no matter what that's what she needs now."

"He's right. She has worried every day for 3 weeks trying to figure out how she felt about the whole situation while still trying to plan for her child to come into the world. Then you lot decide to pile on." Finn chastised them both.

"Fuck off, Finn. You know she belongs with me. You knew it when we were kids, and you know it now. That's why you never went after her in all your years of fawning." Logan mocked Finn.

"Shut up. You're piss drunk already, and you have no business seeing her right now."

"How many nights have you spent sleeping at the foot of her bed like a lost puppy?" Logan continued to mock and took a swig from his flask.

"Shut it, mate, before you say something you can't take back." Finn warned.

"Come on, Logan." Luke tried to escort him away from Finn with zero success.

"Is that what has you so jealous? She clearly let two of us in her bed, but leaves you out in the cold."

"That's enough!" Luke yelled.

"Shut your mouth!" screamed Jess.

"No?" Logan asked trying to make eye contact with Finn," Or are you so eager for us to leave because the little tart has you warming her sheets now?"

It was light lightning had struck Finn. Every fiber of his being pulsed with energy as his fist connected with Logan's nose. The first punch seemed like it played in slow motion with the successive punches following each other so quickly that Finn hardly realized he was on top of Logan on the ground.

"Sto, please." A delicate request came from behind them… Rory.

Finn was immediately snapped out of his trance," I… I…"

"Come on, man. Let's get this dick off the dirt." Jess helped Finn to his feet and then a bloodied and beaten Logan to his.

"How long have you been standing there playing damsel?" Jess joked.

"Not funny. I've been here long enough." She said and Finn wondered how much she heard.

Logan brushed himself off as best he could, and started to walk toward Rory. Luke tried to grab his shoulder, afraid for her, but he shrugged it off. As he passed Finn and Jess he spit blood at their feet. Logan had never taken losing well.

Through swollen and bloody lips he leaned and whispered to Rory," You know how to get ahold of me. I won't wait forever, Ace."

"You should go. Get help. Get clean." She replied.

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

"I want you to have that for you; not for me. Finn is your best friend." She said.

"Was. I'll go, but I have a question for you before I do. Who do you think won LH off of me senior year?" Logan asked smiling at Finn.

The color drained from Rory's face. Finn had violated her trust. He had bought the paper, and eeded it to her ignoring her desire to do this on her own.

Rory ran from the square and back to her apartment slamming the door behind her. She flung herself into the comforting fort of her duvet and cried herself to sleep stroking the now empty half of her bed.