Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or Copley Place Mall.

In Spite of Us

In every girl's life there's a boy she'll never forget and a summer where it all began…

- - -

She usually never woke up early, only if she had an important class or a plane to catch. Maybe it was the unfamiliar bed she was sleeping in, the faint scent of beach that hung in the air, or maybe it was the body pressed up against hers.

But come morning, Rory was up and ready to greet the barely risen sun and the chorus of chirruping birds outside her window. The room looked even more beautiful than the night before, as she lay, snuggled into the soft white sheets.

Rory kept silent as she turned her head to look at the man lying next to her. His twitching eyes, slightly open mouth, and a head covered in a disarray of brown curls. She smiled, stifling a laugh as he jerked in his sleep, one hand coming forward and grasping his pillow tightly.

She leaned over, whispering a good morning into his ear and then slipped out of bed, reluctantly. Even if it was the middle of summer, she felt a chill shoot up her back as her bare feet made contact with the hardwood floors. Padding silently over to the door, she found her suitcase lying right beside it. Rory smiled and eased it open, grabbing a comfortable outfit and then zipped it shut. With one last look at the still sleeping Finn, she opened the bedroom door and tiptoed out into the hall.

"Now to find a bathroom," she mumbled to herself, walking down the hall and looking for any open door.

At the end of the hall she finally came across a large bathroom, complete with a whirlpool Jacuzzi tub and a huge lit up vanity. Humming softly to herself, she locked the door and managed to turn on the shower.

After spending a gloriously long amount of time fussing over herself in the bathroom, Rory walked back to her bedroom, dropped off her pyjama's and then made her way to the stairs. It was a real problem trying to remember the layout of the house, but after 5 minutes of wandering she found the kitchen.

"Logan?" she asked, surprised to find him seated at the island in the middle of the kitchen. "You're up early."

"I could say the same for you," he said and smiled when Rory sat down beside him. He motioned down at the coffee cup in front of him. "You want some?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Right," he laughed. "My mistake."

Rory rolled her eyes and laid her arms out on the island. She watched Logan as he searched the cupboards for the biggest mug they had, finally producing one big enough that even Lorelai would be impressed.

"Why are you up this early?" she asked absentmindedly.

Logan groaned, pointing over at a cell phone that sitting innocently on the island in front of her. Rory leaned over and picked it up, frowning over what was displayed across the screen.

"5 missed phone calls from HELL?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Logan smirked, though he appeared slightly sheepish. "My dad," he clarified to which Rory glared at him, pushing the phone away from her.

"That's not nice, Logan," she admonished, even though she knew how Mitchum treated Logan and was definitely not a fan of the man herself.

"Well in all fairness, I only changed it to HELL this morning, after he woke me up at 5:30," he told her, bringing her full coffee cup over and placing in front of her. A peace offering.

She bit into her bottom lip, shaking her head a little. "You're childish," she told him but her lips were fighting to curl up in a smile. "And for payment…"

He moaned, dropping his head into his hands. "Why me?" he pleaded, peeking at her through his fingers.

Rory laughed at his display and stood up, bending over to talk into his ear. "Go wake everyone up," she whispered, smiling wickedly. "Time for shopping!"

Logan looked pained as she skipped out of the room, careful not to spill her coffee. She laughed as she walked up the stairs, finding her way back to her and Finn's bedroom and slipping inside. She smiled down at him; he was still sound asleep but had moved onto his back.

She placed her coffee on the nightstand and climbed onto the bed. "Finn?" she whispered, splaying her fingers out on his chest, tickling him. "Wake up!" she called sweetly and then laid down on her stomach beside him.

"Humph…" he mumbled, smacking his lips together and Rory laughed.

She leaned down and started to blow on his ear, his face twitching every time. She shook her head and inched closer to her, blowing harder.

"What are you doing?" his hoarse voice assaulted her ear and Rory felt the shiver shoot down her spine. His voice was laden with sleep, his accent silken and irresistible.

She pushed herself onto her elbows, smiling innocently down at him. His eyes were open a fraction and Rory grabbed his arm, trying to pull him up with her but he resisted. She grunted with the effort, gnawing at her bottom lip as she tugged once again on his arm.

Frowning, Rory scrambled onto her knees and wrapped both hands around his wrist. She pulled as hard as she could and was rewarded with Finn sitting up and wrapping his arms around her waist. She squealed as he pulled her onto his lap, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"Mind telling a fella why you woke him up so early?" Finn asked, tightening his grip on her waist.

Rory smiled and shrugged. She shifted, moving so she was straddling his lap and wound her arms around his neck.

"Not that I'm complaining," he added, leaning down and brushing his lips against hers, kissing her deeply.

Rory kissed him back, biting his lip and smiling into the kiss when he moaned. She pulled away, her forehead resting against his. "That must be a first," she told him after she'd caught her breath.

Finn wiggled his eyebrows and leaned down, proceeding to plant a series of kisses down the column of her neck as he brushed her hair over her shoulder.

"We're leaving to go shopping soon," she told him as she slipped her fingers into the short hair on the back of his head and wound it around her fingers as he continued to plant kisses on her throat.

"And I'm required to go?" Finn pulled back and looked hopeful.

"Yes, you are."

"Don't see why …" Finn frowned and then raised his brows as he looked down at her still straddling his lap. "…Although, maybe if I got rewarded for going …"

"Finn!" Rory slapped his arm playfully and mock frowned at him. "You need to get a suit for tonight, you didn't pack one."

"Who says?" Finn grinned as she turned her nose up in confusion. "I'll have you know I always have a suit on hand, pressed and ready for inspection by my lovely parents."

Buffy didn't look convinced. "Sure you do," she teased as she removed herself from his lap.

Finn patted her backside with another smile and got out of bed to. "Now…I'm gonna grab a shower and then we'll get you fed and go experience this shopping thing that's got you so excitable. Give daddy some sugar…"

Rory rolled her eyes and went to move into the hallway. She stopped dead as Finn caught hold of her hand and spun her around to face him. His arms locked tight around her waist and she struggled aimlessly for a few seconds before going still in his embrace.

"I said…give daddy some sugar…" Finn purred and moved his mouth closer to hers.

Rory pressed her hands against his chest and felt her lips tingling with anticipation. She could read the blank lust in his eyes and felt her heart go into double time.

She craned her neck and closed her eyes as her lips met his. She'd been expecting his kiss to be demanding but, if anything, it felt reserved. His mouth moved gently against hers, his lips just brushing hers as though they'd been doing it for years.

She slid her hands up over his chest to his shoulders and held onto them as she kissed him back with as much tender affection as he was showing her.

Finn broke the kiss and pecked her on the nose. "That's my baby."

Rory blushed. There was something about being called his 'baby' that made her stomach heat through and she really felt like she was his and his alone. She watched in dumbfounded silence as he gathered some clothes from his suitcase and then disappeared down the hall. .

"Rory?" Steph watched her friend and then down at the coffee she was offering to her. She'd been standing there for almost a minute in the same position and Rory had yet to notice. "Hello?"

Rory shook her head like she'd just come out of a spell and looked at her friend.

"Sorry…did you say something? Totally spacing here." She looked apologetic and then saw the coffee in blonde's hand. "Oh…thanks."

Steph just gave her a look and a sigh that said she understood all about spacing out. "I'm guessing you've already had some today, but with all the complaining were going to have to hear today…"

"We're going to need double the regular amount of morning coffee," Rory finished off.

The two laughed and then started on their way down to the kitchen. They could already hear the noise of Logan, Colin and Jake, each groaning and complaining about having to go shopping.

"You'd think it was the end of the world, or something," Rory muttered under her breath and sat herself down next to her brother.

"Have you ever been shopping with Steph?" Colin asked her, earning a glare from Stephanie.

Rory licked her lips. "I can promise you, I'm just as bad. Especially when there's shoes involved!" she told them and both girls smiled wide.

"Ooh! And purses!" Steph added and then turned to Colin, jutting out her bottom lip. "Speaking of…could you go get my purse, please?" she asked, batting her lashes excessively.

Colin gave her an unimpressed look and then raised his eyes to the heavens but stood from his seat anyway. Rory laughed as her brother and Logan kept making 'whipped' noises as Colin left the kitchen.

"Where are we going to shop?" she asked, focussing her attention on Logan whom she guessed knew the island the best.

"Well, knowing you girls we decided on Copley Place Mall," he told her, shrugging. "It's in historic Boston."

"Boston's historic?" she repeated and smiled. "Learn something knew everyday!"

"Oy mates!" Finn came clambering into the kitchen; black sunglasses perched on his nose. "Let's move out!"

Rory rolled her eyes but jumped up, sidling herself beside him. "Eyeye captain!" she exclaimed frowning as he messed up her hair with his hand.

Colin then walked into the kitchen, three purses in his grasp. His face was drawn, eyes glittering with a mixture of irritation and amusement.

"Umm, I didn't ask for an assortment of purses," Steph clarified, studying the bags he was carrying.

"These aren't yours," he told her, holding up two of them and then turning to face Logan. "Guess who I found on your front porch?"

Logan looked puzzled, obviously trying to think of someone but in the end he just shrugged. "Who?"

"Logie!" A screeching voice suddenly called, attached to a tiny blonde who came strutting into the room.

Rory quickly pushed herself to the side as the girl walked right past her and over to Logan's side. She studied the girl, not recognizing her at all. She was wearing a pale pink sundress, huge black sunglasses and black stilettos. Rory did recognize the look of horror painted on Logan's face though, when the girl hugged him tightly. She couldn't help but think this must be one of his ex's –if you could even call them that.

Colin snickered as he dumped the purses onto the counter, handing one to Stephanie. "Rose is in the foyer still, I think," he muttered, clearly not happy with the girls' sudden appearance.

"Actually, I'm right here," a soft voice said from the doorway into the kitchen. "Hey guys!"

Rory turned to see this girl, her first judgement on her already brighter than that of the blonde. Rose was equally tiny but was graced with bright red hair and was wearing a light camisole with a white skirt.

"Colin!" the first girl cried and glared at him as she walked over, picking her purse up off the counter. "This is Prada, you know," she told him. "Can you say Prada?"

Stephanie quickly wrapped her arm around Colin's, pulling him back with her and stopping whatever biting comment had been about to escape his lips. She met Rory's eyes from across the room, silently telling her that they'd explain who the girls were soon.

She smiled and nodded, watching as Steph dragged Colin out of the kitchen and towards the front door.

"Where you guys going?" Rose asked, looking around and Rory frowned slightly when she saw the redheads' attention focus in on her and Finn's arms, tangled together.

"Shopping," Jake told her dryly, pushing himself off the counter and sauntering out of the kitchen. "You two should come," he called over his shoulder, smirking at Logan who looked furious at the suggestion.

"Shopping?" the blonde asked. "When have I ever turned down shopping?"

"At no point in this lifetime or the next," Logan muttered under his breath but pointed her out into the hallway, walking out after her, his hand pressed to his temple like a fake gun.

Rose smiled and turned to Rory and Finn, the only others left in the kitchen. "Hi, I don't think we've met?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I'm Rosemary."

Rory smiled along with her, grasping the girls extended hand in her own. "Rory, I'm Jake's sister," she supplied, nodding over to where her brother had disappeared.

"Right, aren't you in high school?" she asked and though her voice was light and airy, Rory didn't miss the condescension lingering there.

Finn, thankfully, decided to step in. "She just graduated," he said and draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in closer to him. "Fresh meat," he growled and Rory blushed, pushing at his chest.

Rory definitely didn't miss the way the other girls smile faltered, slowly dissolving into a fake, overly cheerful grin. "Well, the stores await," she announced before following the others out.

Rory frowned after her, pushing herself out of Finn's arms and planting herself in front of him. "Who was the blonde?" she asked him curiously.

"Juliet," he told her, smirk widening as laughter glittered in his eyes. "One of Logan's fans," he told her vaguely.

She rolled her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek as she fought back the urge to ask about Rose. So instead she raised herself onto her tiptoes and placed her hands on his shoulders. "This should be fun," she whispered before letting her lips glide over his.

Rory sighed happily when his strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her body into his and deepening their kiss. He nibbled her lips, smirking into the kiss when she moaned into his mouth.

"Why don't we skip the mall today," he breathed onto her mouth, laying butterfly kisses all over her lips.

Rory laughed and kissed him one last time before grabbing onto his hand and pulling him out with her.

This should be fun…

- - -

A/N: Sorry about the entirely long wait for this chapter! I kind of have a good excuse…I started on my next story! I already have a lot written…like 7000 words or something. It's going to be a Trory because I miss writing Tristan! Not sure when I'll post it though…

Anyway, this chapter is kind of short, but I thought I should give you all something. The shopping chapter will be next, and I might put the party in that one to?

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys rock! Thanks!

Hugs and Kisses,
-Ella