Disclaimer:  I do not own these characters.

Summary:  After the tragic death of her fiancé, Rory changed the path that she was following only to meet an old friend who might just be the one to ignite past dreams and feelings. Future literati

A/N:  Ok, so this is my new fic, I’m glad yall like my last one, but I will not be doing a sequel any time soon…sorry.  I hope this one meets your standards.  It’s a little depressing, but it will be much happier later on and some parts I will attempt to make funny (I’ll try…) So keep reading, please don’t give up on it! Ok, so this is a future fic, and I guess there’ll be some things that I’ll leave unsettled for a while, but you’ll soon find out!!! ;)  Please let me know if I have any major characterization problems, etc. (but remember it’s in the future and it will get more realistic) Thanks a bunch you guys!

           Rory Gilmore backed herself up against the wall of the shower and slumped down to the ground.  Her tears along with the drops of water falling from the showerhead hit her face and slid slowly down her body.  She was shaking slightly as her sobs continued to grow in intensity.  It had been one year ago today.  One year since that fateful day.  She had been preparing for an interview with The New York Times.  And then she got the call.  There had been an accident the night before.  His plane hadn’t made it back to Newark airport.  No survivors.  Rory also never made it to the interview.  And ironically, The New York Times was the first paper to print the story.  

           Rory thought back to the days before the accident.  The two of them had visited the caterer to plan the meal and the jewelry store to pick out the rings.  The wedding was only a few months away, and Rory was more excited than she had ever imagined she would be.  It was going to be a big soirée with lots of family and friends at a big church in New York City.  Her fiancé had been lenient in all of the choices, and what she had originally planned to be a small wedding had turned into dinner for two hundred. 

She was in a dreamland; so completely in love with him.  But then just days before the meeting with the priest and her big interview, he got a call from work.  He needed to go to London for some business.  Of course he had to go, but he and Rory had a falling out.  She complained that he was letting work dominate.  He said he needed to pay the bills.  Having no other choice, he boarded the plane to London, but on bad terms with Rory.  Throughout his stay, he and his fiancé never spoke, but feeling so overcome with guilt, he left the conference a day early to surprise Rory in time for the meeting with Father Conner and to wish her good luck for on interview.  The plane didn’t make it though, and Rory had never gotten to say goodbye. 

           After the accident, Rory changed.  She gave up her dream of becoming a journalist for The New York Times and instead moved to California where she became a lit professor at Stamford.  She lost contact with her mother, and the rest of her family and friends from Stars Hollow and New York.  It was too painful; everything reminded her of him.  She needed a fresh start in an unfamiliar place, and California provided this for her.  Everyday, Rory would hold in her emotions, store them away, put on a seemingly emotionless façade.  She didn’t have many friends in her new town, and she mostly kept to herself.  She became absorbed in novels and in teaching.  Her students were special, and she felt they deserved her undivided attention, thus, her life outside of the classroom was relatively non-existent. 

           She didn’t like what she had become though.  She felt empty inside, devoid of the love and spirit that had filled her heart in her youth.  She tried to make herself happy, but her mind would always wander back to him.  She felt so guilty.  It was all her fault.   He was trying to come back to her; he loved her.  She knew he loved her, but she would never know if he knew that she truly loved him back.  And that ripped her apart. 

           After over half an hour huddled in the corner of the shower, Rory reluctantly organized her broken self and turned off the water and her tears.  It was time to go into ‘teacher’ mode.  She had to be careful today, and especially today, not to let her guard down.  She carefully stepped out of the shower and wrapped her towel around her body.  As she dried herself off, she thought more of him.  She would have been married to him by now.  She would have been a journalist too.  But she didn’t let herself think of such things for long.  She mechanically dressed in her business suit, styled her hair, and applied her makeup.  She looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her collar.  She didn’t look twenty-seven.  She looked seventy-two.  Her clothing was too mature, and her face too worn.  It showed signs of sadness that she feared would never dissolve.  She smiled, but it looked strange.  It was unfamiliar and fake.

           After grabbing her books for class, Rory left for the local Starbucks, intent upon ordering a grande coffee, hoping it would relieve the stresses she expected of this day.  She had been doing better, but her progress thus far had been ruined today.  Rory paid for the coffee and decided to head to the bookstore across the street in order to pick up a new best seller.  As she perused the aisles, she passed the newspaper stand, and while trying to avert her eyes, she still happened to notice the headlines.  ‘One year later: Families and Friends Still Grieve’.  Her eyes glazed over with threatening tears, but she concentrated on the aisle of deliciously fantastic books ahead of her.

           Rory carefully examined several books before choosing one.  It was a relatively ‘happy’ book, and she figured that was what she would need that night.  She was walking up to the counter to pay, when something all too familiar caught her eye.  It was a stand of books, with a giant picture of the incredibly photogenic author. 

The young, fresh, and extremely talented writer, Jess Mariano. 

Rory’s heart jumped a little; she hadn’t seen him, or even a picture of him, for a year now.  She didn’t like to remind herself of back home, but she couldn’t help but read the caption on the stand.  His first novel was entitled Trapped, and it was a satirical commentary on life in a small town.  According to the accolades on the back of the book, he was destined to join the ranks of some of history’s greatest authors.  It was a must read.  But Rory couldn’t bring herself to do it.  Undoubtedly a novel, which was most likely based on Stars Hollow, would only bring back painful memories and yearning for the people she left behind.  It would be too dangerous if those thoughts were rekindled.  For some reason, she sighed, relieved, when she read he was touring Europe currently.  He wasn’t nearby, and there was no chance of an unexpected meeting.  But she admonished herself for her craziness, for he was living in New York and he wouldn’t be in California.  Yet, the picture made her feel as though he was right there in that room.  It made her miss him, and this was the last thing she needed right now. 

           Rory quickly paid for her book and departed from the bookstore.  She walked the short distance to the university, smiling politely at fellow professors.  Even though she did keep to herself, she was always friendly, and had a few acquaintances, who were mostly the other young professors, though Rory was the youngest. 

           She walked into the large lecture hall for class and deposited her books and jacket on her desk.  She looked over her notes for the day and made sure she was prepared.  After several minutes, Rory took out her new novel and began to read as the students flowed into the room. 

           The classroom soon filled up with eager students, ready for the day’s discussion.  Professor Gilmore, although a little odd, was well liked by her students, and she was easy to relate to, due to her young age.  Her lectures and discussions were always enlightening.  Today, the class was especially crowded in preparation for the special conversation. 

           “Good morning.”  Rory welcomed her students, attempting to hide her sadness. She received numerous replies, and continued.  “So, today’s the day we’ll finally be discussing Hemingway.  I know many of you have been looking forward to this, and many of you have not.  I actually once disliked Hemingway, and I found I couldn’t get through his novels.  But I had this friend, and he enlightened me.  Hemingway is now one of my favorites, and I’m hoping that I can influence some of you into giving him another chance.  Re-read The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea after our talk.  I hope you won’t be disappointed.”  Rory offered her first sincere smile of the day.  She truly was a Hemingway fan these days. 

           “Now,” Rory began her analysis of some of the major themes of The Sun Also Rises.  “The first theme today will be the aimlessness of life.  It is obvious that Jake and his friends do not obtain long-term satisfaction from their carefree way of life.  It’s easy to discern the relationship between this life devoid of meaning and World War I.  It---”

Rory looked up to find a hand raised already, but the mysterious questioner was all the way in the back of the packed room, and Rory could not tell which of her students it was. 

           “Yes, you in the back.”  Rory pointed to the hand. 

           “You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”  Rory recognized the quote from The Sun Also Rises.

           “Ahh, I see you’ve done your reading, but I’m sorry, I can’t see who you are.  Would you mind coming forward to share your opinions on this crucial quotation you’ve just put on the table for discussion.”  Rory tried to see over the heads in the back, but to no avail.

           And then suddenly, the speaker stood up.

           Jess. 

           Rory’s heart started beating.  ‘What is he doing here?  He’s supposed to be in Europe.’

           “Well, Professor Gilmore, I’m saying that you can’t escape your past, or yourself, just by moving to California.  But I found you, although, I must admit, it wasn’t easy.”  He smiled a sly smile; one might even call it a smirk. 

                                                                                                                                                                                              Rory felt her knees buckle due to the surprise visitor.  She reached for the desk nearby to stabilize herself.  Jess was back, and she wouldn’t be able to avoid him.  He had found her and now she would have to face not only him, but also everyone else who she had so abruptly left behind in her quest to bury her grief. 

A/N:  I hope this wasn’t too depressing, I promise the rest of the fic won’t be! It’ll be MUCH happier, so please keep with it.  Please review! Thanks