Hi guys! It's been a while, but here it is. I think you'll like it, I hope so anyway. I dedicate this chapter to the birthday boy, Matt Czuchry. I'm sure you will all join me in wishing him a very happy birthday!

I don't own the show or anything else.

It Started With A Kiss

Chapter 10: Where The Heart Leads

Rory had never looked forward to returning to school as much as she had these last few weeks. Not because she didn't love every minute of being home in Stars Hollow with her Mom, but because she couldn't wait to see Logan. She hadn't seen him since that day in her dorm. The day when she realised that Logan had felt the same way about her as she had for him all this time. Over the course of Christmas vacation, she made a firm decision that she was going to tell Logan how she felt as soon as she next saw him. She was going to follow her heart this time and hope that everything else would fall into place.

However, she had no idea when he would be returning from his ski trip, and she had no idea if his feelings would still be the same. It had been a few weeks, what if he changed his mind? What if he met someone else? Or maybe, he was tired of waiting for her to make up her mind. All she could do was wait and hope.

The book had become a permanent fixture by her side. Everywhere she went, the book followed. She found herself rereading those five small words 'It started with a kiss' over and over again. And each time she did, she couldn't help the dreamy smile from overtaking her.

She couldn't quite let herself believe that Logan had felt the same way she had all this time. It was too much to comprehend. She needed to hear it from him; the man himself. If he ever returned from his skiing trip that is.

Rory had returned to Yale a couple of days before and was now settled and ready for classes to resume. She was ready for whatever the year ahead would bring, she hoped with all her heart that it would bring her happiness with the one she loved.

"Hey Rory! Have you seen my cell phone?" asked Honor as she joined her in the common room. "I need to call Josh and tell him that I'm running late for dinner. " Rory shrugged and returned her attention to the book she was reading. It was the book, of course.

Things between Honor and Josh had become pretty serious over Christmas vacation. Both had met the others parents. In fact, Honor had spent the majority of the holidays with Josh in Chicago. Upon their return, Rory was happy to see that her friend seemed settled. If she was completely honest, Rory was a little envious of her friend's happiness. She wished things could be so simple for herself.

She also felt a little sad whenever she was around Honor. She knew that if she were to pursue something with Logan that things between them would become strained, perhaps even impossible. As much as she loved Honor and their friendship, she was now willing to take the chance that Honor wouldn't like her dating her brother. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make. As long as she had Logan things would work out. That she was sure of.

Speaking of Logan…

"So, have you heard any word from that brother of yours?" she enquired casually, trying not to sound like some pathetic love sick moron. Honor re-entered her bedroom briefly before coming back out wearing a rather short and revealing black dress.

"I talked to him the other day." she said absently as she searched for her phone. "Actually I spoke to him this morning."

Rory brightened at that and pressed for more information. "When is he coming back? Did he say?"

"Um, his flight gets in today. I can't remember when exactly, I was a little distracted when I was talking to him." she smiled as she remembered her earlier tryst with Josh.

"So he is coming back then? They didn't get arrested or anything?" she laughed; she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she thought about seeing Logan again.

"Not this time. Thank god. Mitchum would eat him alive if he got himself into trouble again."

Rory sat back on the couch with a broad smile on her face. She felt excited at the thought of seeing him again. She had missed him these last few weeks and couldn't wait to talk to him.

As she lovingly pictured his face, Honor continued her search for her elusive cell phone until they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Honor sighed figuring it was Josh and went to answer it. Rory opened her book and picked up where she left off as Honor opened the door.

"Logan!" she screeched and flung herself into her brothers open arms. Rory's head immediately snapped up and her eyes stared in awe as she saw the handsome blonde who had permanently inhabited her thoughts these last few weeks, standing at the door. She smiled. She smiled fully, bright and wide and quickly placed the book down by her side and walked over to greet him.

"Oh my God, Jill? What are you doing here?" Honor exclaimed as Rory joined them at the door. Her face fell as she noticed the tall, leggy blonde standing beside Logan.

"Honor, its good to see you." said the girl as they hugged. Logan stood at the side, his eyes now permanently fixed on Rory. "It has been so long since I last saw you. You were tiny and now look at you." she laughed.

Rory frowned confused by the appearance of the blonde goddess. Who is she, and how does she know Logan and Honor? And why does she have her hand on Logan's arm?

"I am now fully formed." Honor laughed. Logan frowned at his sister.

"Gross, Honor." Jill rolled her eyes at him and smacked him lightly on the arm.

"Get over it Huntz. Your little sister is a full blown hottie. Accept it and move on." As she finished, her eyes fell on Rory who was trying not to think about how much she wanted her to disappear. "You must be the lovely Ace, I've heard so much about?"

Rory was surprised by her pleasant demeanour as she reached out and hugged her. Rory's eyes met Logan's, who just smiled warmly at her.

"That's me."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Logan hasn't stopped talking my ear off about you." Jill admitted. Rory narrowed her eyes and glanced at Logan who seemed to shift uncomfortably in his position.

"Really? All good I hope." Rory smiled as Logan lifted his head and fixed her with a penetrating stare that made her stomach flip.

"I only have good things to say about you, Ace. You know that." he joked as Honor pulled them inside. As he passed her, he caught her hand in his and discreetly gave it a squeeze.

"He did, however, neglect to tell me your real name. I assume it's not 'Ace'." Jill quizzed her as she and Honor sat on the couch. Logan remained standing as did Rory.

"No. I'm Rory. Rory Gilmore."

"As in Richard and Emily Gilmore?" she raised an eyebrow. Rory nodded.

"They're her grandparents." Logan filled her in and smiled back at Rory.

"Wow, what a small world. How are they?"

"They're great." Rory confirmed. Jill smiled and snuggled in beside Honor.

"Good."

"So, how long are you here for?" Honor asked eagerly.

"Just a couple of days. I have to go back to school." she said much to Rory's relief. Honor pouted and then jumped up excitedly.

"Well, then we should make the most of your time here. Lets all go out tonight. You, me, Logan, Colin, Finn, Stephanie, everyone. You can meet Josh."

"Sounds good." Jill looked up at Logan who simply shrugged.

"Sure." Logan glanced over at Rory. "You in Ace?"

"Oh please, Rory. You have to come." Honor insisted. Rory nodded.

"Okay."

"Great." Honor grabbed Jill's hand and pulled her from the couch. "Come on, I have pictures of Josh. Come with me."

Jill smiled at her excited friend and glanced at Logan and Rory. She could sense they were eager to be left alone and happily she followed Honor. As Honor closed the door behind them, Logan's eyes immediately fell on Rory. She smiled at him as the silence blanketed the room.

"So…how was your trip?" she asked trying to break the obvious tension between them. Logan smiled and raised his arm to reveal his arm in a cast. Rory's eyes widened and she immediately flew to his side, examining his injured arm.

"Oh my god! What happened?" she wanted to know. Logan watched her closely as she placed her hands gently on his arm. She was so close, he breathed in her scent. God, he had missed her.

"Finn." he said simply. Rory looked up at him furrowing her brow.

"Finn broke your arm?" Logan smirked. He watched as a strand of her hair fell into her face and he itched to push it away.

"Finn fell on my arm." he corrected. "He was drunk."

"There's a surprise." she rolled her eyes. "Does it hurt?"

Logan shrugged. It still hurt a little but somehow having her in close proximity made the pain go away. "It itches like crazy. I got a pencil stuck down there the other day."

Rory laughed. She met his stare and sighed. "I told you to be careful."

It took all of his reserves not to lean forward and kiss her. He wanted to more than anything. He was touched by her concern for him and he had missed her like crazy.

"I was. But you can never plan for Finn." he explained causing Rory to smile.

"I guess." she whispered. She felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest and her head began to go all foggy as she stood staring into those chocolate brown eyes of his. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she couldn't find the words. Plus, she needed to get him completely on his own, with no little sister or old friend in the next room.

"So, how was your Christmas?" he asked snapping her from her thoughts.

"It was good." she smiled at the memory of being home with her mom.

"Did you go carol singing?" he smirked remembering their last conversation. Rory raised her chin and sat on the couch.

"We did. We were a hit."

"Yeah right." he joked and sat down beside her. He slumped back on the couch before realising he was sitting on something. Reaching underneath with his good arm, he pulled out a book. Glancing at the cover he noticed it was the book he had given Rory for Christmas. He smiled and then looked back at her. Rory blushed and as she was about to speak, Honor and Jill returned to the common room.

"I need to go change, Logan. Walk me back?" Jill asked him. Logan tore his eyes away from Rory and smiled at Jill.

"Sure." He began pulling himself up and handed the book over to Rory. Rory watched as he headed toward the door. Honor and Jill were still chatting about their plans for the evening when a thought ran through Rory's head. She didn't want him to leave just like that. She needed some way to show him that she felt the same way. A way in which no one would suspect. Quickly she grabbed a pen from the table and pulled herself off the couch.

"Wait." she called out causing Logan to turn around. He had a puzzled look on his face as she reached for his cast and started writing something on it. When she was done, she smiled up at him and let go of his arm. Logan looked down to read what she had written on his cast. On the top side of the cast, she wrote; reading is fun. On the underside, she simply wrote five letters; I. S. W. A. K.

It took him a few seconds to grasp her meaning before realising what she was trying to tell him. I. S. W. A. K. stood for It Started With A Kiss.

He gave her a knowing half smile and then turned his attention back to the waiting figure of Jill. Rory watched him go and couldn't help the huge smile from covering her face. He turned back and caught her eye.

"I'll see you later, Ace." he said simply. Rory nodded and he disappeared down the hall way.

RLRLRLRLRL

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The big reunion between her and Logan was supposed to involve them actually talking. It wasn't supposed to involve Logan sitting at the other side of the table with Jill's hands all over him. Rory began to wonder whether they really were just innocent old friends, or maybe the reason for Jill's sudden reappearance in Logan's life was because she wanted to get her claws into him.

Rory sipped on her drink and discreetly watched as Jill found clever ways to touch him. She laughed at every joke he told giving Rory proof that she was up to something; Logan's jokes weren't that funny.

As she silently glowered at the pair, she decided she needed to do something about it. She wasn't going to lose Logan to Jill before they had even had a chance to really be something. Nope, she was going to fight for her man.

"So, Jill?" she interrupted as the blonde slid her arm up over Logan's shoulder. "How do you know Logan and Honor?"

Jill smiled as Logan took a swig of his Scotch. "Oh, we go way back. Logan was my first kiss."

Rory's eyes widened. So they have history.

"Really?" Logan smirked.

"We were three." he explained over the noisy crowd. Rory glanced at him before returning her gaze back to Jill.

"So, where do you go to school?"

"I go to Columbia." she replied.

"And do you have a boyfriend at Columbia?" Jill stared at Rory for a few seconds, narrowing her eyes before answering. She knew exactly where she was going with this. Glancing at Logan she placed her hand on his leg and squeezed making sure Rory could see.

"Nope, I am young, free and single." Rory glared at them both as Logan threw his arm over Jill's shoulders and smiled fondly at her.

"That's great." Rory stated before sliding out of the booth and heading for the restroom. She needed to get out of there. Logan's eyes followed her as she left.

"I don't think she likes me very much." Jill admitted as she finished her drink. Logan shook his head as she gave him an evil smile. He downed the contents of his glass and headed toward the bar. As he waited to get served he glanced down at his cast and reread what Rory had written. Smiling to himself, he headed towards the restroom.

He stood outside waiting for her to come out. He normally would've gone in to find her himself, however he could see Finn lurking and decided that he didn't want to take the risk.

After ten minutes of waiting patiently for her to come out of the restroom, Logan started to wonder what was taking so long. He leaned against the wall and kept his eyes on the door.

Eventually, the door opened and out walked Rory. He immediately smiled at her, however, his smile quickly faded as he noticed her glaring at him.

"Hey." he said sheepishly. She looked mad.

"What are you doing here? Jill's not in there." she informed him sharply.

"Good. It was you I was waiting for." he admitted. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Why, so you can give me another book and then cosy up to her?" Logan took a step towards her and reached out. Rory moved out of his grasp.

"Ace."

"What exactly is going on with you two? Are you together or are you just screwing her?" she asked curiously. Logan frowned; he really didn't like her tone.

"There is nothing going on with me and Jill." he assured her.

"So, you never slept with her?" she queried as she folded her arms over her chest defensively. She wasn't sure whether she really wanted to hear the answer to that question.

"Yes. I slept with her. But it was a long time ago. I haven't seen her since I was fifteen years old." he said calmly.

"Well, don't let me keep you. It seems you two have a lot of catching up to do."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you better get back quick so she can stick her tongue in your ear."

Logan threw up his arms in frustration. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. It's none of my business." she said simply.

"Ace?"

"She's been all over you the whole night." she exploded at him. Logan smiled. She was jealous.

"Come on."

"No, you come on, Logan. Her hands were all over you. I mean if she could, she probably would've given you a lap dance by now."

Logan laughed. "Ace."

"She obviously wants you, Logan. She's not very subtle about it. And I'm sure with your blonde hair and her perfect skin, the children will be beautiful."

"Ace." He took another step towards her. She really was beautiful when she was jealous.

"Send me a wedding invitation. I'm sure you'll live happily ever-" Unable to take any more, Logan cut her off with a kiss. His hands were in her hair as she clung to him. As he pulled away, Rory slowly opened her eyes to see him staring back at her with a huge smirk on his face.

"You kissed me!" she said incredulously as she ran her fingers over her lips which were still tingling from the sensation.

Logan nodded and leaned against the wall with a smug look on his face. "Yep. It was the only way I could think of to get you to stop talking."

"You can't…" she trailed off. Logan raised his eyebrow at her.

"I can't what?" Rory frowned back at him.

"You can't just go around kissing people like that, Logan." Logan's smile grew.

"I couldn't resist. You are very cute when your jealous." he shrugged. Rory's eyes widened with fire in them.

"Jealous? I'm not jealous!" she insisted. Logan laughed and took a step towards her once again.

"Of course not." he said sarcastically which only made her anger grow,

"I'm not! What would I have to be jealous about?" Logan reached up and stroked his hand lovingly over her hot face. She closed her eyes instinctively at his touch and leaned into his hand. Smiling, he closed the distance between them and lowered his face to hers.

"Absolutely nothing. As far as I can see." he assured her in a low tone. Rory's pulse quickened as he stroked his fingers down her neck. She took a deep breath and before the rational part of her mind caught up with her, she was reaching for him as he crashed his mouth down on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to his, allowing his tongue to dance with hers.

Logan snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her hard against his chest as the kiss intensified. Rory let out a whimper as he bit her lip. He smiled into the kiss at her response. Kissing Rory had always been the most amazing experience.

As they broke apart for some much needed oxygen, Logan cupped her face in his hands and placed soft, tender kisses on her mouth, teasing her. Rory held onto his arms and tried to deepen the kiss, but he wouldn't let her.

"Logan." she complained while he nibbled on her bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. Rory's breath went shaky as his hand slid down over her chest, cupping her breast before slinking round her waist.

Logan gazed down at her to see her eyes darkened with lust. He kissed her nose sweetly and then her forehead before her moans of protest led him to capture her lips in another frenzied attack. He could kiss her forever and considering they had been apart for so long, they had a lot of catching up to do. He smiled at the thought just as the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them caught both their attentions. Logan broke away and swirled around to see Jill standing with her hand on her hip and a slight frown on her face.

"Um, Colin's looking for you. Finn disappeared." she informed him. Logan smiled before glancing back at Rory whose eyes were still foggy, her lips were bruised.

"I'll be right there." he told Jill who nodded and sauntered back to their table. Rory tried to pull herself back together. However, being in close proximity to Logan was preventing her from doing so. She wanted more of him, more of his kisses. She felt high from kissing him. He was intoxicating.

"Ace." he whispered into her ear and nibbled softly on her earlobe causing her knees to go weak. "Can we pick this up later?" he asked softly. Rory didn't answer, her mind was incapable of registering the fact that he was talking to her. His voice was just a soft purring in her ear.

"Ace." he laughed and traced a path of kisses from her ear to her mouth, capturing her lips in one last breathtaking embrace.

"Logan." she placed the palm of her hands on his chest and indulged herself in the wonderful feel of his lips on hers.

"Hold that thought." he joked as he pulled away, putting space between them. He tried to regain his composure while shooting her that killer smile of his. He couldn't help himself around her. He gazed at her longingly as she fixed her messy hair. Her lips were swollen, her face red. He couldn't help but smirk as a dopey grin formed on her face.

"What?" Logan shook his head and tucked his shirt back into his pants.

"You look so sexy right now, Ace." he said in a low sultry voice which made her stomach flip. He moved towards her and bent his head to steal another kiss while resting his uninjured arm on the wall beside her head. However; Rory slid under his arm avoiding his lips.

"Uh uh. No more for you. I need to get my bearings here and you kissing me is not helping any." she informed him decisively. Logan pouted and turned towards her. Rory held up her hand as he took a step closer. "No more, Logan."

He laughed and then quickly leaned in for one last kiss before brushing passed her and heading back into the bar. Rory watched him go and smiled to herself as she checked him out. The boy did have a pretty cute butt.

"Hey Ror." a familiar voice spoke from behind her. Rory spun around to see Honor standing looking slightly greenish. Rory frowned and quickly wiped her mouth of any smudged lipstick.

"Are you okay?"

"I feel a little sick." she said clutching her stomach and rushing back into the restroom. Rory followed her friend into a stall and held back her hair as she proceeded to throw up.

RLRLRLRL

"I had a really good time tonight!" Jill smiled as they entered Logan's dorm room. Logan closed the door behind them and collapsed onto the couch. "I'm really glad I came back. I forgot how much fun you three are."

Logan propped himself up and kicked off his shoes. "I'm glad we could entertain you this evening." he drawled as the amount of alcohol he consumed that evening began to take effect. Jill glanced at him as she removed her coat and plopped herself down next to him on the couch.

"Honor seems really happy. I like Josh." she said firmly, as she rest her head on Logan's shoulder. Logan let out a yawn and placed his arm over her shoulders.

"Yeah, he's alright." Jill rolled her eyes and patted him softly on the chest.

"Jeez, Huntzberger! I thought you were a party animal. You're almost passed out as we speak." she teased. Logan rolled his head back and gazed up at the ceiling.

"It's been a long day." he commented wryly. Jill studied his face. It had been so long since they had been in the same room together. She had definitely missed him. She didn't realise how much until she had been back in his company. But she knew deep down that she was too late. For the first time in his life, Logan only had eyes for one girl. And it wasn't her.

Placing her head on his shoulder, she sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" Logan lowered his gaze down to hers.

"Nothing." she shrugged and then silence descended between them. Logan closed his eyes as they both sat on the couch. His thoughts immediately turned to Rory. Seeing her again, getting to kiss her again had been amazing. He definitely wanted more, but they needed to talk. They needed to sort things out between them once and for all.

He raised his arm up to check the time. It was little after one o'clock in the morning. Rory might still be up. Deciding that he needed to see her now, Logan moved to get up which was difficult considering Jill was snuggled into his side. He smiled down at her. They had always been close. They had always had a comfortable relationship, but his feelings for Jill were very much platonic. He wanted his Ace and no one else.

"Where are you going?" Jill eyed him curiously as he leaned over and put his shoes back on.

"I have an errand to run." he lied unconvincingly. Jill raised her eyebrow.

"An errand at one o'clock in the morning?" Logan pulled himself up off the couch and gazed down at her. She inclined her head to the side and studied his face. "You're going to see Rory, aren't you?"

Logan didn't answer. Jill gave a small smile. "You really like this girl, don't you?"

Logan headed for the door. He opened it and then glanced back at her, with a huge grin on his face. "Yeah, I do."

Then he was gone. Jill stared after him and then slumped back on the couch, defeated. "Lucky her."

RLRLRLRLRLRL

After checking that Honor wasn't lying face down in her own vomit, Rory left her drunken friend and headed through the common room and into her own bedroom. As she opened her door and flicked on the switch, she squealed as her eyes fell on the blonde who was currently occupying her bed. It was Logan.

Throwing her hand to her heart as it thumped rapidly in her chest due to the surprise, she gaped at him as he smirked back at her. Closing the door over, so Honor couldn't hear; she was instinctively drawn to the bed.

"Logan? What are you doing here?" she whispered. "How did you get in here?"

Logan's smile brightened and he sat up. "I used the window." Rory glanced over at the window and then back at him.

"You climbed through my bedroom window?" she asked incredulously. Logan nodded as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bed beside him. "How very 'Romeo and Juliet' of you!"

"I wanted to see you." he said huskily. Rory felt her stomach flip as she caught a whiff of his aftershave. He smelled good. He always smelled good. Closing her eyes she felt herself shudder as he ran his fingers down her neck before cupping her cheek and leaning forward, catching her mouth in a soft, tender kiss. When he pulled away, Rory let out a sigh and pressed her forehead against his.

"I missed you." he said softly. Rory gazed up at him and smiled. She couldn't believe he was here in her room. She couldn't believe that after everything, all of the mix ups and confusion, she was getting a second chance with him.

"Logan…" he silenced her by placing his finger on her lips.

"Rory, I'm sorry about everything that happened. How I spoke to you, how I treated you. I just…I've never been in this position before. I've never…" he finished that sentence with a sigh. Rory smiled.

"I'm sorry too. For pushing you away. I was so afraid of losing Honor, that I didn't think about how much it would hurt to lose you. I should've listened to my heart instead of my head." she felt relieved to finally get that off her chest. Logan shifted closer and ran his hand through her hair.

"What is your heart telling you?" he asked in a low tone. His voice thick with emotion. Rory raised her face up to meet his eyes with hers.

"It's telling me to take a chance." she whispered softly. Logan felt his chest swell as he pulled her in for another kiss. This time it was more intense. They instantly deepened the kiss, their tongues caressing. Logan wrapped his arms around her waist, ignoring the pain from his injured arm. He pulled her closer until she was sitting in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Their trance was breached by a knock at the door. Rory shifted off the bed instantly as she heard Honor's voice calling out to her.

"Rory." she knocked again. Rory spun to face Logan and pulled him off the bed, pushing him towards the window.

"Go, go." she hurried him, her eyes wide with panic. Logan frowned as he opened the window and she practically pushed him through it.

"Ace." he protested as he glanced back at her. Rory shushed him and proceeded to help him climb out the first floor window. He was a little unsteady on his feet as the night air hit him. He grabbed hold of the window before she could shut it and then leaned forward and stole a kiss. Rory pushed him away but his grip on the window held firm.

"Have dinner with me?" he whispered as Rory anxiously looked back at the door. "Ace…"

"Okay, okay. Fine. I'll have dinner with you. Now go." she relented. Logan smiled and pulled her towards him for one last kiss and then sauntered off as she shut the window over.

Sighing heavily, she leaned against the wall, trying to regain her composure. She might be ready to follow her heart, but it didn't mean that she was ready to tell Honor everything right then. Timing was key.

There was another knock at the door, and after shutting her blinds, Rory pulled open the door to see Honor standing there looking very, very ill.

"Who were you talking to?" she groaned as she covered her stomach with her hand.

"Oh, I was just talking to my mom on the phone." Honor stared at her for a moment and then returned to her room. Rory let out the breath she had been holding and closed the door back over. She leaned against the door and touched her fingers to her lips. She smiled brightly as she thought of seeing Logan again. She was happy. For the first time in a long time, she was truly happy.