A/N: Sorry for taking so long but I had writer's block. Anway I will let you get on with the chapter instead of giving hundreds of excuses.

Disclaimer: I wish...


Logan had been standing at the bar for thirty minutes talking to Hannah when he noticed Rory abruptly get up and leave the party. During his entire conversation with Hannah, part of his attention had stayed on his Ace sullenly sitting on the couch. He didn't know if he was watching her because he wanted to make sure she was safe, after all she was in the midst of a party full of strangers, or because she had looked spectacular in her dark wash jeans and white strappy top. But either way he had been watching her one moment and then the next moment watched as she walked away in a huff. As he craned his head to see which direction she had headed off in, his mind wondered to all the reasons she could possibly be upset. He hadn't talked to her since the beach, being too busy catching up with Hannah, and he wondered if anyone had done something to make her troubled.

"And so there I was in nothing but my knickers in the middle of the hallway…."Hannah trailed off as she noticed Logan was no longer paying attention to her. "So then all of the blokes from the House of Commons come marching across the campus, painting white roses red for the queen…"

"Oh… you must've enjoyed that," Logan blandly answered without really hearing her. He was still trying to figure out which direction Rory had headed off in.

"Logan! You're not even paying attention to me, are you?" Hannah's voice broke his reverie.

"What?" Logan asked not realizing that his answer just proved Hannah's suspicions.

"Does the girl behind me have that short a skirt that you can't take an ounce of interest in the life of a friend you haven't seen for three years?" Hannah asked half joking, half being serious.

"Oh! I am so sorry Hannah," Logan gave her his best apologetic look, "But it wasn't what you're thinking. I was just watching Rory. She looked a little miffed at something and then she just got up and left in the middle of the party."

"She's a big girl. I'm sure she can take care of herself, Logan." Hannah assured.

"I'm just worried about her. She doesn't know many of the people here. Heck, I don't even know many of the people here" Logan answered worried.

"You like her don't you?" Hannah laughed at his own obliviousness.

"What? Hannah that's crazy. She's just a good friend." Logan answered. He had admitted to himself he liked her, but no way was he telling someone else.

"That's why while I'm talking to you, you always have half of your attention directed towards her or when I first saw you, you two were locked in, what looked like, a more than friendly embrace? Because she's just a really good friend?" Hannah asked knowingly.

"She is!" Logan insisted.

"I'm sure" Hannah answered sarcastically.

"You're crazy," Logan cried.

"You're lying. I know you Logan. Whenever you lie you're voice gets all high-pitched and scratchy." Hannah caught him in his own lie.

"Okay so maybe I like her a little." Logan conceded.

"How cute! Logan has his first crush," Hannah mocked as she ruffled his hair.

"She is not my first crush. She's just the first person I've liked in a long while and she just walked out into a party full of strangers looking less then pleased" Logan harrumphed as he tried to scan for the top of Rory's head in the crowd.

"Well of course she's disconcerted Logan" Hannah laughed as his obliviousness.

"What?" Logan asked.

"She was obviously jealous that you were over here talking to me while she was surrounded by a group of strangers," Hannah answered.

"That makes no sense. Why would Rory be jealous?" Logan asked ignorant to the situation.

"Are you blind? She likes you Logan!" Hannah pointed out.

"She does not. Girls like Rory Gilmore do not fall for guys like me," Logan denied.

"Guys like you, huh?" Hannah questioned.

"Yes, guys like me. Guys from high society who take a year off to party in Fiji only to be forced home by Daddy," Logan answered while taking a sip of his drink.

"Stop being such a sod Logan. You know you are so much more than that. You're smart and witty. You can be reckless at times but so serious at-," Hannah admonished him.

"I don't need a cheer squad Hannah," Logan cut her off, smiling. Hannah had always been there to cheer him up when they were younger.

"When then stop sulking here with me and go out and get the girl," Hannah prodded him with her finger.

"Well she has been gone for quite some time…" Logan smiled. He didn't need to be told twice to go check on Rory.

Not knowing which way she had gone, he asked around if anyone had seen her. A couple of people had mentioned they had seen her go outside and, when he opened the door, he saw her shoes sitting on the deck. Figuring she was sitting on the beach, he walked out near the ocean. He heard his voice before he saw her. Knowing she was on the phone, he quietly sat back and waited for her to be done. In the meanwhile, he didn't mean to eavesdrop but he was in close proximity that it was kind of hard not to.

"Maybe I should just forget about this stupid crush."

'What?!' Logan's mind went crazy racing with possibilities. Besides Rory having a boyfriend, Rory having a crush was just about the worst thing that could happen to him right now. He strained forward in attempt to hear more. As a journalist, his curiosity was peaked. As a guy who liked her, he was downright nosy and, while he knew it was wrong, he just had to hear the rest.

"It's probably just a result of the heat and being in close proximity to a bathing suit clad Logan,"

For the second time tonight, Logan's mind went into overdrive. 'He was her stupid crush?' It took Logan a minute to comprehend that fact. It's not like a girl had never liked him before. They fell at his feet all the time. But Rory was different. She had really gotten to know him. His personality, his quirks, his never ending need to pull her away from her work. She was one of the few people that actually broke past that façade he had built up. They would make a perfect couple, he was sure. However, there was one small problem. The fact that he had never been in a commitment never bode well with him. He wasn't so sure that Rory was the first person to practice his commitment skills on. Plus, he didn't know if he wanted to subject her to his parents. He snapped back into reality when he heard Rory say goodbye.

"Love you too. And I got the message. I'll try to call more regularly,"

Waiting a moment so as to not let on that he was eavesdropping, he stood back before he made his presence known. He didn't know where this conversation would lead, but something had to be done now that he knew she liked him.

"You boycotting the party, Ace?" Logan asked from behind her. Sitting down next to her, he felt her jump. He must've surprised her with what, she thought, was a sudden intrusion. He sat down close enough that his body lined against hers. The tension was palpable and that probably explained why Rory shifted a bit away from him. They were definitly two different people. Logan went for the overwhelming, up front tactic. She was much more suttle and shy.

"Nope just came outside for some air," Rory answered lamely.

"Because the house was getting that stuffy what with all of the open windows and high ceilings?" Logan mocked her gently.

Rory laughed. "Exactly."

"Real reason you left the party?" Logan questioned hoping she would lead into the conversation before he did. Then again, he didn't know what he knew so it was highly doubtful.

"Just wanted to be alone, I guess," Rory answered.

"Hmm," A silence settled over them for a while, as neither could think of anything to say. It was the first time in their entire friendship that both of them were at a loss for words. Rory's mind was trying to settle herself down, convincing herself that Logan was just another guy. Logan was trying to think of a way to talk to Rory about what he had heard without letting her know he had heard it.

Rory was the first one to break the silence. "So where's Hannah?" Rory questioned and with what Logan thought he could detect as bitterness.

"Inside," Logan answered.

"She seems nice," Rory answered with that same bitterness only a little less masked.

"She is," Logan looked at her in the corner of his eye. It was amusing to watch her squirm.

"Funny, obviously smart, tall, blond. She's just your type." Rory told him more talking to herself now.

"We're just friends," Logan decided to relieve her of her thought process.

"I'm sure," Rory said sarcastically.

"She is! Our parents have been trying to set us up for years, but she's just not my type." At this Rory laughed.

"You have a type? What anything with long legs and a large chest?" Rory mocked.

"I do have some standards you know," Logan was half amused, half offended. Did Rory think so little of him?

"Oh really? Please tell me. What are your standards Logan," Rory laughed as she jovially prodded him.

"Well right now, my type is brown haired, blue-eyed brunettes who study way too much, always have a comeback for something, and generally be a stubborn pain the butt," Logan smiled as he saw realization form over Rory's face.

"What?" Rory asked shocked.

"I thought I was being clear. I like you." Logan began to get nervous as she just sat there blankly. Didn't he just hear five minutes ago that she liked him?

"Wha-" Before Rory could return with another stupid 'what' Logan saved her the embarrassment and kissed her. Rory sat dumbfounded as she felt Logan's lips on hers. It was just a soft brush of their lips, his hands barely touching her and, just as soon as he had leaned forward, Logan was pulling away from her. Rory sat there for a second trying to register what was happening. Logan disconnected his mouth from hers, not quite giving her space. As Rory's mind caught up with the sudden events, her only thought was to discover more of the connection she had just felt moments ago. She leaned fully into him and met his mouth this time. Their second kiss was more than a brush of the lips. It started out passionate with Rory's hands in Logan's hair and his hands on her waist drawing her closer. She fell against his chest and eventually they both sunk into each other. Logan's hands ran from Rory's waist, up her body, and then fisted into her hair as he tilted her head for a better angle. Rory's hands ran down to his shoulders as she allowed his tongue entrance into her mouth. After a couple of minutes, they broke away from each other as a lack of oxygen set in. Both dizzy from the past couple of minutes.

"Just for the record, I like you too." Rory said breathless.

"Yeah, I kinda got that," Logan laughed as he took in her disheveled appearance. Her lips were swollen, her hair was mussed, and her eyes were a dark shade of blue. He wanted nothing more then her right now.

All thoughts left Rory's head as Logan leaned in for another kiss. This time it was taken a bit farther as Logan's hands found their way under Rory's top, touching the bare skin of her back. Rory detached her mouth from Logan's as she moved to kiss his neck. This was nothing she had ever done before, spontaneously making out with someone who was not a boyfriend. All she knew was that the past year of sexual tension was finally building up. Logan moaned as Rory found the right spot on his neck, sucking lightly. Trailing back up his neck, she reattached his mouth with hers. Before they both knew what was happening they were horizontal in the sand. This caused Rory to become acutely aware of their location as she felt sand in her hair. Breaking from him, she tried to get Logan's attention as he diverted his activities elsewhere. Rory pushed him away a bit and Logan pulled slightly aback, confused.

"Logan, we're in the middle of the beach," Rory said huffing and puffing.

"Huh?" Logan's mind could not process due to their activities.

"We're on the beach," Rory clarified.

Logan laughed. "How about we go back inside then?" Logan suggested.

"The party?" Rory questioned.

"Is not in my room..." Logan suggested in no way lecherous. Though he was afraid he was taking things too far. All he knew was that he wanted her more then anything else.

Rory was silent for a moment before she gently pushed Logan back to allow her to stand up. Wordlessly she offered Logan her hand and led him back to the house.

'So much for keeping away from Logan Huntzberger'


Hope it was worth the wait! Read and Review please.