Rory stepped out of the elevator and walked into the office.

It seemed surreal. This place has been such a huge part of her life, these people became like a second family over the past years. And now it was all over.

She did her job with such determination, almost blinded determination. She was aware of that now. She wondered whether life had a funny way of reminding you that you are not in the right place, or pushing you out of the little nest you created just so you can actually realize maybe it's not really what you wanted.

She didn't know. She didn't want to think about this. All the thinking has been too painful, too much to take. She let herself sink into a sort of indifference, it was the only thing protecting herself from all the questions that have been invading her thoughts ever since he'd left.

She reached her desk and saw the note that informed her Mr. Huntzberger requested to see her.

She knew what it was about. She was supposed to meet her successor today and help him settle in. She decided she would stay on only until absolutely necessary. The new editor, Frank Janicke was older, experienced, the whole ordeal seemed like a formality. Something Mitchum Huntzberger wanted just for the sake of civility.

Mitchum had offered her to stay on as a reporter, stressing the fact that he found her extremely talented and a great asset to the paper. Rory thought it was a lame attempt at appeasement, an offer out of pity. Either way, she wasn't interested. Somehow the sanctity of working here has disappeared, which was the reason she accepted the assistant, then chief editing position here in the first place.

She took her coat off and looked around the newsroom, as if trying to grasp every memory of this place, then walked towards Mitchum's office.

She stopped in front of Kate's desk.

"Hey, I got a note, can I go in?" she said.

"Yeah, he's expecting you" Kate answered.

Rory knocked lightly on the door and walked in closing the door behind her. The chair behind the desk was empty.

"Hey Ace."

She froze.

Those two words hit her like a tree, making her pulse race. She turned towards the window and saw him standing there.

"Logan" she whispered to herself, with an expression of hurt and disillusion "What are you doing here?".

She tried hard to steady her voice, but she couldn't hide the emotions stirring behind it.

He stepped closer, but stopped when she furrowed her brows.

He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, then taking a deep breath started talking:

"I came back to take care of business"

"Right. Business." she said, her voice full of reproach.

She turned and walked over to the desk and sat in the chair in front of his desk as if to make clear this was a talk about business and nothing else. As if to stress the fact that she was here to settle everything. The first shock of seeing him has now subsided and her head was clear. He was here after all to talk about her replacement. Something that he didn't have the guts to tell her himself, but had let his father do, running off with some lame excuse. That was the conclusion she came to, having thought about it over and over again for the past week.

"When is Mr. Janicke expected?" she asked, avoiding his gaze as he walked over to seat himself across from her behind his desk.

"He's not coming" he said looking at her intently.

She looked up questioning him.

"I don't understand, isn't he going to be the new editor?" she said, her voice slightly annoyed now.

"No" he answered, his gaze still fixed on her eyes.

She narrowed her eyes as if trying to understand.

"Then who is?" she asked slowly, the tension building in the room.

"I am" he said.

She stared at him in shock, her blue eyes darkening, her breathing quickening.

She huffed.

"Is this what it was all about? You becoming editor?" she said raising her voice and rising from her chair, her anger imminent.

"No, Rory, please, let me explain" he said trying to calm her, also getting up from his seat.

"Yes why don't you explain to me Logan, because right now I don't see what this whole charade was good for in the first place" she yelled and paced up and down the room like a caged tiger „What was the point? Of making me believe I was gonna stay in this position and you playing this game and taking me for a fool in the meantime"

"That's not how it was." he interrupted „You have to know that"

"No, I don't know that, Logan, I know nothing, all I know you up and leave and don't give me any explanation about anything…"

"It was a mistake, I am sorry"

She stopped and looked at him incredulous.

"You are sorry?" she said cynically.

"Yes. I shouldn't have left, but I did. I was confused, I made a mistake, but I am here and I am gonna make everything alright, if you let me" he spoke confidently, determined, looking into her eyes as if that would convince her.

"How?" she said crossing her arms „by becoming the editor?"

"I know this paper is important to you, Rory, and I know it's not important because you are the editor, it's important because it's your life" he said approaching her „And I know the only reason you aren't staying on is because you don't want to see it run by a stranger, so it's not going to be. It's going to be run by me and you can trust I will treat it with respect and appreciation"

"Why would you do this?" she asked her voice suddenly small.

"I told you before. I believe in it. And now I know why" he said coming to stop in front of her and reaching out to touch her arms „Because of you"

She stood there, her head shaking as if to let him know she didn't believe, didn't want to believe him.

"Rory, stay" he said, his voice suddenly quiet, barely a whisper „Stay here, do what you really want. Write. I know it's what you want, you know it too. Let me worry about running the paper"

She stood there, her face frozen, her brows furrowing, her chest heavily rising and falling.

"You don't know me. You don't know what I want" she whispered, trying to convince herself more than him.

"Yes I do. You know I do" he said pleading.

She stared at him, hurt and confusion swarming in her eyes.

"No" she said, pulling away and taking a step back. He watched in vain.

"I am leaving" she said backing away and dropping her gaze to the floor „Goodbye Logan"

She turned around and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

He stood there broken, closing his eyes. The hurt in her eyes killed him. He wished he could take it all away, make it all right. The words she said echoed in his ears and the anxiety, the dizziness that he knew returned.

He looked up and stared at the door. He knew he couldn't let this go. Couldn't let her go.

He started walking towards the door and opened it, quickening his steps. He stepped out into the newsroom trying to locate her and saw her empty desk. He looked up towards the exit and saw her walking out and reaching the elevator. He raced after her reaching her just as she stepped into the elevator.

"Rory"

She turned around seeing him and sighed as she pushed the button.

"Logan, don't."

He jumped in next to her just as the doors closed.

She sighed again and took a step back.

"Why are you afraid of this?" he asked passionately. She looked up at him confused as he continued.

"Of accepting I am right? Why can't you just let yourself be happy?"

"You're delusional" she scoffed, avoiding his gaze.

"No I'm not. I know you would be happy doing this, doing what you really love. You would have chosen this yourself. Don't deny it. Don't let your pride tell you something else. Stay here and do what you are good at, what you want to do."

"That's my choice to make, and I've made it, so please, just drop this" she said, her anger growing.

He looked at the display desperately, seeing they were quickly approaching ground floor. He took a step and pushed the emergency stop button. The elevator came to a jerking halt and the emergency red light came on.

"You are crazy" she shouted and tried to restart the elevator, but he blocked her way.

"I am in love with you" he said, looking intently in her eyes, his breathing heavy.

She stared at him bewildered not being able to respond.

"I am in love with you" he repeated, his voice lower, slowly approaching her as she backed towards the wall of the elevator „and I can't be away from you, I don't know how I ever thought I could. Let me make this right, let me make it all right. I need you and you have to give me this chance, Rory"

She was now pressed against the wall, wide-eyed and her chest heavily rising and falling.

She felt everything spinning and her vision clouded, her head in a daze.

She felt his breath on her face, could smell his scent and although her mind wanted to resist, her body was aching to touch him.

She closed her eyes trying to steady herself and he reached her, his lips crashing into hers, his hands going around her waist, pulling her to him. She couldn't resist, her body remembering his touch, she kissed him passionately, as he moaned with pleasure and relief. He broke away from her mouth and kissed her face, her jaw, her neck, whispering:

"God, I missed you so much"

He pushed her against the wall and met her lips again with his, pushing his tongue inside her mouth.

Feeling him against her body was like feeding an addiction, she felt her every nerve ending respond and her senses aroused. Their bodies melted into one another, remembering each other's touch.

Her body was ecstatic, but her mind was in turmoil, words and thoughts echoing in her head, becoming louder and louder.

She pushed him away gasping for air and reached her hand out as if to stop him from resisting.

He looked at her, his breathing heavy, his eyes full of want and desperation.

"I need to get away from here" she said pushing passed him and restarting the elevator.

"Rory" he pleaded.

"I need to think" she said closing her eyes and steadying her breathing.

He fell back hitting the other wall in exhaustion and watched helplessly as she ran out of the elevator as the doors opened.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

His body was exhausted. He hasn't slept sound since… since he left here over a week ago. His limbs felt numb and ached all over. He welcomed that ache. As if the discomfort in his body would silence the ache in his soul.

He buried himself in work that day, as if producing that issue would be a test, proof that there were still things that he could hold onto.

He didn't let himself think of her, because he knew if he did, desperation would win over. Burying all of that seemed like the only logical choice.

He walked through the newsroom, having just finalized the draft for next day's issue and feared the silence slowly setting in on the room as it emptied. He knew that silence would bring back the thoughts.

He walked into his office and closed the door behind him, letting his back rest against it and closing his eyes.

It had started raining outside, the raindrops hitting his window created a steady beat.

"Why did you leave?"

Her voice cut through the silence of the room like a knife. His eyes snapped open and were straining to see in the darkness. She was standing in front of the window staring out over the city. He watched as she slowly turned around, her expression expectant.

He sighed. How could he explain to her, without hurting her?

"Did you think I was using you? Is that what he told you?" she asked.

He stood in silence choosing his words carefully.

"I thought you had an influence on me, too strong maybe"

"I never used you to get…" she whispered desperately, but there was no need, he cut her off.

"I know you didn't. Not deliberately. But you were forced to fight me, because of where we stood, because of your position and mine" he said seriously.

"Do you think it's going to change if I'm not the editor, but a reporter? How do you know you won't feel the same way?" she asked, her voice small.

"I don't know" he surrendered "but I am hoping you won't need to influence me, if you won't have to fight these battles" he said, as if his feelings were finally able to express themselves, finding a voice.

"What battles?" she asked quietly.

"These ones you didn't chose for yourself" came his reply.

He heard her let out a long sigh, finally letting go.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Logan looked out over the evening city. It had become a ritual to him. It felt nice to see that same city, that same view every night. It was a nice reminder of the calm that had set into his life since he started working as the editor at the Herald Star. He realized this is what his life was lacking. Stability. Calmness. That calm eventually brought him everything that he missed without ever really knowing it.

He went back to his desk and sat down, returning his attention to the article he was reading before. He reread the title, Battles, then the last paragraph.

And that's when clarity comes. When you realize not all battles are yours to fight.

Not all reasons need your sacrifice. When you let them go, there comes an incredible feeling

of liberation, of enlightenment. Is this wisdom? Is this experience?Is this trust? No.

It's just how it all should be.

He finished reading and a faint smile crossed his face.

He turned off his desk lamp and put his coat on. Taking his briefcase, he walked out of his office, closing the door behind him. He walked down the hallway and into the hall, calling the elevator. He stepped in, as the door opened.

"Leaving without me again?" she said strolling in next to him in the process of putting on her coat.

"I figured once you see me leaving, you scurry on your puny little legs to catch up anyways" he said with his smirk in place.

"I beg your pardon, my legs are gracious and captivating" she said with mock indignation.

"I have to agree on that one" he said smiling, pulling her in close.

"How is that story coming along, Ace?" he asked her, his tone warm, his eyes sparkling.

"It's going perfectly fine, editor, I'll give it to you as soon as I am done" came her reply, her smile lgithing up the small elevator.

"Hmmmm. I think you should give it to me sooner" he said suggestively.

She rolled her eyes smiling and leaned in to kiss him as the doors slid close.

The End

Thank you for all your reviews, I had fun reading them.

Until next time, take care.