AN: Here it is, the final chapter of this little story. I can't believe I have actually completed a story! lol. I feel so proud and a little sad. I loved writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. It means a lot. I started out wanting to give Rory and Logan a better resolve than what they had on the show. Hopefully, I did them justice. I wrote this while listening to the song 'The Scientist' by Coldplay. It's a beautiful song and if you have it listen to it while you read this. I think it's really fitting to Rory and Logan and this final chapter.

Thanks Megan, I'm glad you liked it. And I don't own anything other than my imagination, although that tends to run away with itself on ocassion.

Closure

Chapter Four: I Promise

Logan lay staring at the ceiling listening to Rory breath as she slept beside him. The room was bathed in darkness, the only light came from the bedroom window and it shone onto the dresser illuminating the rocket as it stood, tormenting him.

He thought about everything it represented to them both; love, commitment, reassurance. He gave it to her to enforce the fact that he loved her but also so that she would know that he fully intended in coming back to her. That just like in the episode of the 'Twilight Zone,' he would wait forty years for her, if that's what it took.

The rocket had never been more relevant to him as it was right then.

His mind replayed the conversation they had shared. Rory had said 'yes.' Yes to marrying him, and yes to coming to California with him. She wanted everything he wanted, so why did it feel so wrong?

The 'making love to her' part had felt so overwhelmingly wonderful but as he watched her fall asleep in his arms, he was overcome with a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was a sick feeling, something he couldn't quite describe, but it was there nonetheless, eating away at him as he tried to shut the world out and join Rory in her peaceful slumber.

He shut his eyes trying to force himself to stop thinking; to just let it all go. Rory moaned in her sleep and snuggled into his side, her head on his chest, her arm flung over his chest. It was almost as if she was holding onto him, unwilling to let him go.

Logan sighed, as his mind continued its mental struggle. He gave in; he knew what he had to do.

Reopening his eyes, he looked down at Rory to see her sleeping peacefully, her eyelids fluttering as she was lost in dreamland. He slowly slid himself out from under her and kissed her softly on the mouth. He pulled the covers off him and sat at the edge of the bed.

He noticed his boxers sitting beside the bed and reached down and quickly pulled them on. He returned to his sitting position on the bed throwing a quick glance back at Rory's sleeping form, making sure he hadn't disturbed her.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he planted his head in his hands. Rory began to stir as she felt him missing from beside her. Opening her sleepy eyes she smiled and slowly sat up.

"Hey…" her voice was thick with sleep. She smiled as she yawned and Logan looked back at her. "Where are you going?"

Logan drew his eyes away from hers and faced forward. "My flight leaves soon. I have to go."

Rory frowned, she had just gotten him back, she didn't want him to go anywhere without her. Soon enough, she thought.

"Okay, so I'll call Hugo and tell him that I can't take the job and then I'll pack up the rest of my stuff and fly out to California in a couple of days," she said brightly, it felt right. She was so sure that this is what she wanted. As daunting as moving across country was, it was all worth it if it meant she could be with Logan.

Logan sighed hearing her excited tone, it killed him what he was about to do. But he had to. It was best for everyone. It was best for her.

"Take the job, Rory," he said simply, his voice almost a whisper.

Rory narrowed her eyes unsure whether she heard him correctly. "What?"

Logan turned back to face her and locked his eyes on hers. "I think you should take the job."

Rory shook her head in disbelief and pushed herself up from the bed. "Logan, what are you talking about? I told you I wanted to be with you. I want to come to California with you; I want us to be together."

Logan stared at her, sadness in his eyes. He didn't think it was possible to feel anymore pain and heartache than he already had these last few days. But he had to do this. He was doing the right thing.

"Do you remember last year when I asked you to tell me not to go to London?" he asked as he turned his whole body towards her, grasping her hand in his.

"Yes. Of course I do."

"Do you remember what you said?" he stared back at her intently, his heart thumping in his chest. Rory thought for a second and then sighed defeated.

"I said that I couldn't do that." Logan smiled and wiped a tear from her face.

"You couldn't ask me to stay because you knew that I had to go to London that it was for the best, for me. You let me go."

"Logan…" He cut her off by placing his finger over her mouth.

"This job, it's too good an opportunity to turn down. You've been working for this your whole life and I can't stand in your way. I would never forgive myself if I did."

"But-"

"You encouraged me to go to London and experience life and so…I'm returning the favour. I'm letting you go," he finished.

"What if I don't want you to return the favour? What if I don't want you to let me go?" she said in a small voice as the tears overwhelmed her.

Logan smiled sadly at her. Leaning forward, he kissed her chastely on the lips tasting her tears. He pulled away and rest his forehead against hers. He sighed heavily.

"You are so beautiful, you know that?" he sat back as he felt his eyes prickle with tears of his own. Rory sniffed and choked out a response; a small, sad smile playing on her lips.

"You've got great hair." Logan laughed and kissed her one more time.

"You are going to do great things, Rory Gilmore," he said assuredly while fighting the giant lump which had formed in his throat. Rory was having less success with her emotional battles as the tears streamed down her cheeks quite freely.

"So are you." Logan looked at her intently, his heart swelling with love for this woman who had captured him so completely. He owed her so much, he had no idea how he would ever repay her.

"Thank you," he whispered. Rory frowned as she wiped her cheeks with her hand.

"For what?" Logan smiled lovingly back at her and sighed, that pesky lump in his throat was rapidly expanding, and it was ready to burst.

"For kissing me first. For giving me an ultimatum," he paused and brushed his hand gently over her face, cupping her cheek. "For falling in love with me."

Rory burst into tears once more at his sweet words. She tried to speak to convey how much she really did love him, but she couldn't find the words or her voice.

"It was my pleasure," she settled on as Logan smiled sweetly at her, and then wiping away an escaped tear, he kissed her firmly on the mouth.

"I love you," he breathed as he broke away for a second while resting his forehead on hers again.

Rory bit back the huge sob which was in danger of breaking free and kissed him softly. "I love you too. I always will."

Logan smiled into the kiss and pulled her flush against him, wrapping his arms around her. The kiss deepened instantly and Rory fastened her arms around his neck, desperate to feel him, to memorise every last inch of him; to burn it into her mind.

Logan thought likewise. He wanted this kiss to last forever. He wanted to just wrap her in his arms and never let her go. But he had to. He had to walk away from the woman he loved more than anything else in the world; his true love, his soul mate and it was tearing him up inside.

The kiss grew ever more passionate and as Rory began pulling him back down onto the bed with her, he knew he had to stop it now. He was certain that if he was to make love to her one last time he would never find the strength to leave. So he stopped her and pulled away. The lack of oxygen became an issue for them both and they desperately tried to fill their lungs with air. Logan sighed and lowered his gaze from hers as she continued panting while still in his embrace.

"I have to go." His voice broke slightly as he muttered those few words he had been dreading saying since he arrived in this town.

Rory reluctantly dropped her arms and watched as he searched for his clothes in the darkness. She reached over and turned on the lamp, partly to help him and partly so she could see him properly. She wanted to spend all the time they had left memorising everything about him. His kisses, the way he smelled, that trademark smirk which cut her apart every time, were already seared in her mind. She watched as the muscles rippled in his back as he pulled on his shirt. Her eyes wandered over his flat, washboard abs, and up over his smooth chest. When he bent over to pull on his shoes, she couldn't resist staring at his butt. She smiled sadly as she thought how cute it was. She silently thanked herself for taking all of those naked pictures of him, something to remember him by. The one with the close up of his naked butt was definitely going to be her screensaver now, she thought.

The sound of her laughing caught Logan's attention and he stared at her, slightly puzzled by the distant yet mischievous glint in her eyes. He finished zipping up his pants and moved back towards the bed where Rory had now returned to her sad, tearstained self.

As she noticed him coming towards her, she wrapped the cover around her chest and sat up on her knees. Logan planted a tender kiss on her lips which she responded enthusiastically to. She wrapped her arms around his neck once more and pulled him close against her. She broke the kiss this time and hugged him firmly against her body, never wanting to let him go.

"Don't say goodbye," she whispered into his ear. Logan smiled softly and then kissed her on the forehead before resting his own there once again.

"Have a safe trip," he said simply. He then bent his neck and swooped in for one last kiss. This time it was soft and lingering. He put every ounce of love and devotion he had left into it and was met in kind by Rory.

As he pulled away, he felt his heart thumping loudly in his chest as his whole body shook in trepidation as he was moments away from leaving her. Finally, a lone solitary tear escaped and he felt it hard to speak.

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes before kissing her on the forehead and then after taking a deep breath, he let her go. He moved away from the bed and walked quickly to the door, unable to look back. He was pretty sure his heart couldn't survive one last look.

So, he kept on walking.

RLRLRLRL

Rory couldn't hold back any longer. Watching Logan walk away from her for the last time was heart breaking, it was too much and so she broke down. She let out all of the pain and anguish she felt as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her whole body shook violently as it felt like part of her had been ripped away.

She stared helplessly at the doorway, silently hoping for him to return. But he wasn't going to. He was gone forever.

Feeling as though her heart was about to explode, she took in some deep breaths as the thought of never seeing him again sunk in. She couldn't catch her breath, her heart literally ached.

Soon the panic set in, her mind began whirling as she thought about all of the things she should've told him, she needed to tell him that she loved him. She couldn't remember whether she had or not. She couldn't let him leave without knowing that she loved him.

She threw off the covers and reached for her dressing gown.

RLRLRLRLRL

Logan stumbled out of the room trying to keep it together. He wiped away the tears and leaned against the door as he heard Rory's cries from the bedroom. He wanted to go back in and comfort her. He wanted nothing more than to just forget all about what he had said and take her to California anyway. Since when did he do the sensible, grown-up thing? That wasn't him? Was it?

He wanted everything for Rory. He knew how gifted she really was and how hard she had worked for everything she had and he couldn't let her give that up for him. He was doing the right thing. He was certain of that; however, his broken heart told him otherwise.

Quickly, he made his way out of the house; he needed to get out of there. He needed some fresh air. What he really needed was Rory but that wasn't going to happen.

He pulled out his car keys and walked towards the driver's side of the car. He unlocked it and opened it but he couldn't bring himself to get in. Instead, he placed his head on the roof of the car and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths trying to find the strength to go that one more step and take himself away from her.

'Get in the car, Logan,' he thought to himself.

"Logan!" he looked up instantly as he heard her pain filled voice calling out to him. He watched wide eyed as she ran down the steps and towards him, her robe flowing in the breeze. Finally she reached him and she flew into his arms and kissed him passionately.

Logan wrapped her up in his embrace, lifting her from the ground as their lips locked in a searing kiss. Rory ran her hands through his messy hair and moaned as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Their kiss deepened and grew in intensity and fervour; both wanting it to last forever.

However, the lack of oxygen pulled them apart and as they separated, Rory rest her forehead on his, panting wildly. Logan smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her mouth.

"Wow," he breathed causing them both to laugh as he sat her down on the front of the car. She kept her arms around his neck as he stood between her legs, his hands gently stroking her thighs.

She kissed him chastely and opened her eyes staring at him intently. "Ask me again?!"

"What?" he said frowning, not quite understanding what she was asking him to do.

Rory smiled as she brushed her hand lovingly over his face. "Promise me, that you will ask me again. Someday."

Realisation dawned for Logan and he couldn't help the smile from appearing on his face as he kissed her tenderly, cupping her face with his hands. He broke away and then kissed her nose.

"I promise." He smiled at her and held her gaze as she smiled brightly back at him, another tear sliding down her cheek. "Someday."

He kissed her again briefly and then climbed into his car, closing the door behind him. Rory slid off the front of the car and stood at the side wrapping her arms around her body to provide comfort as she wiped her hand at her cheeks.

Logan started the engine and checked his rear view mirror before looking back at Rory.

"I love you," she told him one last time. She needed to make sure he knew how much. Logan smiled widely taking in her image one last time.

"I love you too, Ace." Rory smiled at the mention of her nickname and waved as he pulled away from the house.

Driving away from her, he watched her fading into the distance, his heart filled with pain at not being with her, but filled with hope for the future.

After all, a promise is a promise.

AN: So there it is! This is the part where I am supposed to write 'The End' and considering that this story is called 'Closure', it would be fitting. However, I won't, because it's not - the end. I mean, it is the end of this story but not the end of theirs. :confused: Being the old romantic sophie lover that I am, I couldn't resist giving them some hope for the future. I know that you all probably wanted them to end up together and ride off into the sunset, but this story is only how I would have liked the show to end things if they had to break up. For me, they never did. I hope I was able to do them justice and that it does provide some closure but also I wanted to leave it open because you never know! I hope you enjoyed it and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. Please let me know your thoughts regarding this chapter. I'm eager to know what you all think.