Logan Huntzberger had the perfect life until his fiancée walked out on him. When she suddenly reenters his life again, Logan and his best friend, Rory, come up with a brilliant plan. But, when the plan works better than they ever could imagine, it could mean more than they all bargained for.

OoOoO

"You ready?" Logan asked, swinging into her cubicle while leaving one arm wrapped against the wall.

"I'm not sure about this." She looked up from the desk she had purposely let get piled with work. "I'm really going to get behind if we leave early."

"You're always behind." He strode into the small space in annoyance. "Now, come on, we don't have much time."

"I don't know," she said as he crossed past her desk and grabbed her mouse. In two seconds her computer was shutting down, and he was holding her coat out for her. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

"Of course it's a bad idea. If I had a good one, it would've already worked."

She slid her arms into the armholes and pushed his words away from her heart. "I still think you should get someone else."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and while you're backpedaling, Brian's headed for the altar."

A sigh escaped her as he laid a hand on her waist to guide her out of the cubicle. She liked the way it felt – like it was guiding her to something she wanted more than anything. But Brian wasn't the one she wanted.

"I thought we could grab a burger on the way to West End. That way we'll have four hours to get you made up."

"Fabulous," she said, having never felt so much dread about anything in her life.

OoOoOo

"What color did you have in mind?" Sandra, the beautician Logan had picked, asked.

"I don't really want to change my color," Rory said, running a nervous hand through her straight hair.

"Okay. Well, how about a few highlights and maybe a spiral perm? With the right cut, they could really bring out the blue in your eyes."

Logan's gaze pleaded with her to agree.

"Okay," she faintly said, swallowing the protests with the lump in her throat. This was all turning into some derailed Princess Diaries sequel.

Smoothly Sandra laid the chair back against the sink, and Rory's new life began.

OoOoO

Like a sculptor removing the clay that doesn't belong to his statue, Logan stood, arms crossed, jaw set in concentration. The success of the plan hinged on pulling the right look out of Rory's carefully constructed girl-next-door thing. Brian wouldn't fall for just anyone – she had to be special, stunning, irresistible.

When Sandra had taken Rory to the back the last time, she had insisted that Logan let them work in peace.

"Some things should remain a mystery," Sandra had said although Rory was no mystery to him. She was more like a sister. A friend. A best friend. Mystery had never been a part of their relationship. It was a concept that he had never contemplated in relation to Rory until Sandra had separated them.

"Uh-hmm," Sandra said from behind him.

Logan looked up into the mirror, and his eyes widened in shock. Slowly he turned, stunned into utter speechlessness.

"So, what do you think?" the girl he was pretty sure was Rory said although the only thing that looked familiar was her clothing.

"I…" He shook his head to clear away the dream he was sure this was. As though walking on clouds, he stepped over to her and touched the ringlets spiraling down her race. A soft smile touched his lips as his gaze took in her soft pale skin, with only the smallest traces of color tinting it. "It's perfect."

The glint in her eyes sunk right into his heart. He had never seen the vulnerability he now found glowing from her eyes, and he smiled to calm the fear in them. "Brian won't know what hit him."

OoOo

After a frantic search for the right outfit, which she wouldn't let him even inspect, he dropped her off at her apartment, with only a half hour to spare. Without getting out of his car, he watched her sprint up the stairs to her apartment door and wave one more time before disappearing through the door.

He knew the last thing he had was time to waste, and yet his gaze wouldn't leave that door for the hope that she might reappear. One breath, two, three, four, and he finally had to admit she wasn't coming back.

Ripping his gaze from the door and his mind from the midst of her apartment, he refocused on the street and pulled back out into traffic. This was going to work. For once in this whole mess, something was going to work just the way he had planned.

OoOoOoOo

By 7:30 they had barely made it through two stores, and although Brian had found a couple of possibilities, Logan was able to talk him out of them without much trouble.

"Why don't we go up to Rich's?" Logan asked as though he hadn't been thinking about that question for a solid twelve hours.

Brian shrugged and followed Logan through the crush of Christmas shoppers to the spiral staircase. "I hate waiting 'til the last minute to do this."

"So why didn't you do it sooner?"

"I hate doing it sooner, too."

Logan laughed, forcing himself not to look anxious as he looked around at his fellow shoppers. A picture of Rory as she crawled out of his car flashed through his mind. Although he had spent more hours with her in his lifetime than he had with anyone else, he wasn't at all sure that he would know her when he saw her tonight.

"I'm surprised you and Chinese food girl aren't going out tonight," Brian said as they pushed through the crowd to the doors. "What happened? You two break up?"

"Taking a break," Logan said with a shrug as a picture of her balancing on crutches as she de-boned chicken in her kitchen streaked across the canvas of his mind.

"That's too bad," Brian said. "I was hoping we could double sometime. Hey, maybe Mandy could find you somebody."

"No, thanks," Logan said a little too quickly, and Brian looked at him in puzzlement. "I mean I'm not really looking right now."

"Oh."

The press of bodies jostled them as Logan led the way to the perfume counter. Furtively he checked at his watch. Perfect timing. Now if Rory had that same sense of timing, he was home free.

"How about perfume?" Logan asked off-handedly.

Brian scrunched his nose up. "I don't know much about perfume."

"What's there to know?" Logan walked up to the counter and leaned onto it, pretending to examine the bottles displayed there as he searched the crowd. Come on, Ace, where are you?

At that moment he saw her, and every thought of Brian and the plan vanished. The black sweater she wore was draped perfectly across the delicate expanse of her milky white shoulders. Her hair, still up in the ringlets, framed her face so that her whole countenance resembled fine porcelain.

"How do you test this stuff?" Brian asked, picking up a bottle and examining it before putting it back down and picking up another. "I don't want to go out of here smelling like a street walker."

"Tell you what," Logan said as his gaze locked with Rory's, "I've got to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." A silent message passed between then, and then he stepped away from the counter. "Don't leave. Okay?"

"I won't." Brian picked up another bottle and examined it as Logan moved away from the counter.

From his new vantage point in the middle of the clothing section, Logan watched her slowly circle the sparkling glass until she was standing right next to Brian. Without him wanting it to, his gaze traveled down the curve of her sweater to the hip covered with black denim and then all the way down to her black sling-back heels on her feet. She was perfection incarnate, and for a split second he wished that he was the one standing in Brian's shoes.

OoOoOoO

Rory watched Brian, thinking that if she had to be set up with someone, that someone could've been a whole lot worse. Her pulse raced as she tried to decide the best way to strike up a conversation. She reached for a bottle just as he reached for the same bottle, and their hands met in a flash of electric shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rory said, yanking her hand back and fighting to keep her balance on the heels that were far too high for her.

"No, no, it was me," Brian said, looking at her and then stopping short. "I'm sorry."

She smiled at him, but it was no pretend smile. As the heat rushed to her cheeks, she ducked her head in embarrassment. People pushed past her on their way out, and she bumped Brian's shoulders before she knew she was moving. "I'm sorry."

He smiled at her. "No need to apologize."

"I hate last minute shopping," she said, shaking her head so that the ringlets danced around her face.

"Me too," he said, instantly relaxing. "I always think I'm going to get finished before Thanksgiving, but that has never happened."

"I hear you there." Careful to avoid his hand, she picked up a small, square bottle with a shiny silver top sporting the single word 'Eternity' etches across its side. Effortlessly she sprayed some onto her wrist, lifted it to her nose and sniffed. "I never can tell how this stuff smells." She looked at him with her wrist still upturned. "Do you mind?"

He shrugged as though it was the best offer he'd had in months. He leaned over and inhaled the sweet scent. "Not bad."

"Not bad? Is that good?" she asked, wishing she'd had more practice at this.

"No, I think it's great actually," he said with a smile that evaporated as his gaze dropped back to the bottles. "How about this one?"

She watched him pick up a bottle of Splendor, and she gamely offered him the other wrist. With a single glance at her, he sprayed the mist onto her wrist, and she laid the soft skin of her wrist onto her nose and breathed it in. "Nice." Their gazes locked. "Here."

He bent until her wrist touched the side of his face, and he closed his eyes and inhaled. "Very nice."

The racing of her heart threatened to run away without her. "Yeah. Well…" She glanced behind her as electricity jumped from his eyes. "I'd better get back to shopping."

"Oh," he said, blinking as thought he hadn't realized she might leave. "Yeah, me too."

"Take care," she said and smiled at him before wandering off into the clothing department.

Four racks over, she picked up a sleeve and examined the price tag. Stealthily she glanced around her and caught Logan's gaze from across the rack tops. Without really moving her head, she nodded to him, and he smiled.

Phase One was complete. It was on to Phase Two.

OoOoO

"Sorry I took so long," Logan said, striding back up to the perfume counter. "This place is a madhouse."

"Yeah, no kidding," Brian said, and Logan noticed the small packing sitting on the counter.

"So you found something?"

"Oh, yeah," Brian shrugged. "Present for my mom."

"Oh." Logan nodded. "Listen, I'm really getting hungry, what do you say we grab something to eat?"

"Sounds good to me," Brian said with a faraway smile. As they made their way through the crowd, Logan couldn't help but notice Brian looking back into the store, and he hoped that Brian was looking for the mystery girl in black.

They walked halfway across the mall before stopping at a little food place Logan suggested. In unison they sat down and surveyed the menus. With a few minutes they had ordered and were settling in for a nice meal.

"Okay, so, we've pretty much excluded Rich's and Macy's," Logan said, leaning back in his chair and trying not to look over at the door too often. "So, what's next?"

"Well, we can walk down to Neiman Marcus and see what's between here and there."

Logan nodded just as his attention caught on the black-clad beauty who'd just strolled in through the door. "Oh, my gosh."

"What?" Brian asked, looking at him.

"It's Rory." Logan stood and motioned to her. "Rory."

She looked through the fading darkness at their table and smiled when she saw him.

"Hello, you," she said happily as she glided up to their table and accepted the brush kiss he planted on her cheek. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah, are you last minute shopping too?"

"Of course," she said, and the blush on her cheeks stood out against the white of her skin.

"Uh-hmm." Brian cleared his throat, and it was the first time Logan had noticed that Brian was standing at his side of the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Rory, this is Brian Easton, my roommate."

When Rory turned and smiled at Brian, a sick, green feeling plunged into the pit of Logan's stomach.

"Oh, hey, we've met," Rory said, focusing on Brian to the total exclusion of Logan.

"Met?" Logan asked, hoping his voice registered the right amount of puzzlement.

"Yeah," Brian said, and his smile was shining through more than his lips. "It's nice to meet you, Rory."

With that single name, Logan knew that Brian was hooked.

"Why don't you join us?" Brian asked, indicated the seat between them.

"Oh, no, I'd hate to impose."

"No, no, please," Brian said, pulling the chair out for her.

Slowly she smiled at him and then nodded. "All right."

OoOoO

It was odd because if anyone had walked up to the table, they would have been convinced that the old friends were Rory and Brian rather than Rory and Logan. He tried to add interesting comments to the conversation, but it really wasn't necessary. It was like they didn't even remember he was at the table too.

"I'm thinking about starting my own business," Brian said, ducking his head as though the information was somehow more intimate than the words portrayed.

"In what?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"Landscaping."

"Oh, so you work with your hands," Rory said, and when she laid her perfectly manicured fingers over Brian's hand, Logan's pulse jumped into his throat.

"Yeah," Brian said as a small laugh escaped from him. "Logan says he might be interested in helping me if I can ever get it off the ground."

"That's great," Rory said, never so much as glancing at Logan. Her other hand moved to her chin, and she laid her cheek on it. "So, tell me about this business of yours."

OoOoOo

An hour and a half later, they had finished the meal, and Logan's stomach was in one giant knot. The plan was working better than he could ever have hoped for, but for the life of him, he couldn't be happy about that fact.

"Well," Rory said, glancing at her watch. "I really appreciated having such good company for dinner." She stood and the two men followed her up as she reached for her check.

However, Brian beat her to it. "No, please. Let me."

The edges of her mouth curled up as Brian's hand touched hers. "Well, thank you."

"No problem," Brian said smoothly.

Their gazes locked and once again, Logan felt utterly invisible. Then she pulled her gaze from Brian and looked at Logan with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early," Logan said, hating the squeak of his voice and wishing she would reach out and touch his arm the way she had Brian's.

With one more smile, she glided out of the restaurant, and the two men resumed their seats.

"Whoa," Brian said after taking a long drink. "She's unbelievable."

"You can say that again," Logan said, still staring out the door that she had disappeared through.

Brian fingered his glass for a long moment. "So, you work with her, huh?"

"Yeah." Logan's gaze fell from the door to Brian's face.

"So, her number's got to be like in your work directory or something."

"Course."

The next words confirmed what Logan saw in Brian's eyes. "You think I could get a copy of that directory?"

OoOoO

"It worked," Logan said, swinging into her cubicle, expecting the old Rory to be sitting there, but although her hair was now spiraling down around her face, he could see the new Rory hadn't vanished.

She was on the phone, and instantly she swiped her red fingernails in the air at him.

"Yeah," she said into the phone, turning her chair slightly. "Tonight? No, I'm not doing anything."

A crease ran down the center of Logan's forehead as he took the chair in front of her.

"Seven? Yeah, that sounds great," she said never quite meeting Logan's concerned gaze. "Okay, I'll see you at seven… okay. You too. Bye." Slowly she hung up the phone as Logan sat, fingers entwined in front of him, a look of utter concern written in his eyes.

"Who was that?"

"Who do you think?" she said, a tinge of annoyance lacing the words as she turned to her computer without so much as glancing at him.

He watched her as the knot formed in his stomach again. "Listen, Ace, if you don't want to go through with this…"

"A nice guy asked me out," she said, shrugging, "I don't have to know he's almost engaged, do I?"

"No," Logan said, but the syllable got lost in the rush of emotions engulfing him. "But you know if you want to call it off, I mean, I'll understand."

Rory looked at him then with sad eyes. "It's one date. No big deal. Trust me, it won't take him long to figure out I'm not who he thinks I am."

The crease furrowed farther into Logan's forehead. "What does that mean?"

"It means," she said with a soft smile, "I know the score. Okay? Nobody falls for me – not the real me – not for long anyway. I know that. So, forget about it already. I have."

OoOoO

The words ran in long rows down Logan's computer as he tried to concentrate on something other than her face in the semi-darkness of the restaurant and her eyes when she'd assured him she knew the score.

Sadness permeated those eyes every time they invaded his thoughts. Her looking up at him after her miraculous transformation. Her across the desk. Nobody falls for the real me. Although on the outside last night her behavior was no more than an act, anybody that could play that part so well had something of the character in them. There was far more to Rory Gilmore than he had ever bothered to notice.

His gaze traveled unbidden from his computer screen to the calendar at his elbow. Christmas was Tuesday, and he hadn't even thought to get her anything. Suddenly her gift to him seemed to large to repay. He had to get her something. Something special. Something to thank her and let her know he appreciated everything she had done for him.

With one snap, he clicked the save button and stood. He hated to miss lunch with her, but the gift was more important. He grabbed his coat and stopped only once on his way out.

"I'm going to take an early lunch," he said at her cubicle door, and the vulnerability in her eyes instantly met his gaze when she looked up. He saw it this time, but as quickly as it was there, it vanished.

"Okay," she said as a haze clouded across her eyes just before she looked back to the work scattered across her desk. "You'll be back though. Right?"

"Yeah."

She nodded and smiled. "Have fun."

"Will do." He slapped the side of her wall. "See ya."

"Yeah, see ya," she said to her paperwork long after he had gone. Her eyes fell closed as her heart twisted over on itself. A picture of him sitting in the restaurant the night before seeped into her consciousness. It had taken every last piece of sanity she possessed to keep her mind on Brian and away from Logan.

There was no denying that Brian was extremely handsome and perfectly polite, but she couldn't help but wish that Logan had asked her out to the mall just because he wanted to be with her. She had told herself that being with him would be enough to make her happy, but her heart told her she was wrong. Totally, hopelessly, undeniably wrong.

Without her permission her brain edited the memory of last night ever so slightly, and suddenly it was Logan's hand she was touching, and Logan pulling out her chair, and Logan looking at her like she'd just fallen out of heaven. But she would never have the guts to make that kind of scene with Logan. He would think she had lost her mind.

More than that, he knew her too well to ever think she could be like that. No, Logan knew the real Rory, and that ruined every chance she might ever have had with him.

With a sigh, she checked her watch. If she worked through lunch, she could leave early and make a quick trip to the mall. After all, she had a date tonight and Brian's Rory had absolutely nothing to wear.

OoOoOo

The search had taken much longer than he wanted it to, and by the time Logan made it back to the office, her cubicle was empty. Every paper was in its place in neat stacks, and he smiled despite the disappointment that she wasn't there.

Carefully he walked over to her desk and pulled the wrapped bottle of Eternity out of his coat pocket. It was the same square, silver-topped bottle he had watched her pick up at the counter when she had put her pride on the line for him. A reminder of Phase One of The Plan. A reminder that they were a team. Checking the position of the small, red-wrapped box and the card he placed on her desk, he smiled.

She was going to be surprised when she read his message. It would make everything all right in his world again. With one more glance, he walked back into his own space and began where he'd left off, feeling much more confident about the direction his life was headed than he'd ever felt before. This was right. He knew it, and he knew she would know it too.

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