Logan wasn't sure what made him turn around. Maybe it was the look in Jess's eyes when they pulled up, or maybe it was the way Rory's face fell when she saw her boyfriend waiting on the porch. What was with that guy and porches anyway? But whatever it was, he found himself turning around before he even made it halfway out of Stars Hollow. It was just a feeling.

Rory needed him.

"What are you doing here?" she choked out, leaning heavily against him.

"I thought you might need me."

"But how...?" she let her voice trail off as another sob shook her.

"I just knew, Ace."

He adjusted his grip on her slightly and rested his cheek on top of her head. She continued to sob heavily, gripping the hem of his shirt as if for dear life. Logan moved his hand to the small of her back, rubbing light circles just as he had done at their gathering days before. Slowly, her shoulders stopped heaving and she relaxed in his embrace, although the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"I'm so stupid," she whispered.

Logan clenched his jaw and reached down, propping her chin up with his finger so her blood shot blue eyes were staring right at him.

"I don't care what happened. You're not stupid."

"I believed him. That's what happened."

"Believed what? What happened?"

She paused, her face contorting, and Logan knew she was seconds away from completely breaking down once more.

"He lied," was all she said, "He lied just to get what he wanted!"

And then a sob shook her body again and he didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder as the tears continued dripping down her cheeks and onto his shirt.

"It's going to be okay, Ace," he told her quietly.

She didn't reply, but as soon as the words left his lips she only began crying harder. With a sigh, he moved back so she was forced to lift her head up off his shoulder, and then he reached out and cupped her face in his hands. She was still sobbing, and she tried to shake her head away, but he held tight.

"It's going to be okay," he repeated firmly, "It will."

He didn't know the whole story. But he knew Rory and he knew Jess and he knew she could do so much better. She was a heartbroken now, but she would understand someday: she would be okay.

"How do you know?"

"Because you're better than this."

"Better than what?"

He paused, "Everything."

She stared at him, gasping for breaths in between sobs, and he could tell she was trying to calm herself down. Finally, she was able to gather herself somewhat, and the sobbing subsided. He wiped the remaining tears away with his thumbs gently, and then leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Let's go inside. You can shower and change and I'll make some coffee, okay?"

She forced a watery smile, "I can never say no to coffee."

He smiled back slightly, getting up from the steps and then helping her to her feet. He slung his arm around her shoulders as the made their way into the house, and she leaned heavily against him, as if it pained her to stand. It killed him to see her like this: the strong-willed, witty girl he'd met on his first day was suddenly a shattered image of herself.

Once inside, they walked into the kitchen and Logan started a pot of coffee while Rory grabbed some clothes. She was a step or two outside the kitchen when she turned around and stared at him, tears still hiding in her eyes.

"Thank you, Logan," she told him, "Really."

"Anytime," he waved her on with his hand, "Go shower. Coffee will be done by the time you get back."

She nodded, took a deep breath, and then disappeared from view. He had to admit, he had a million questions for her, but he would let her tell him in her own time. That is, if she even wanted to. All he knew was that if Jess walked in at that very second, the odds of him leaving the house still breathing were very slim. Rubbing a hand over his forehead, he walked over to the kitchen table and all but collapsed onto a chair.

It was going to be a long night.

Once the coffee was finished, Logan poured two mugs and set them on the table. It wasn't long afterwards that Rory entered the kitchen. Even dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, with her wet hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, she looked absolutely gorgeous to him. She'd stopped crying, but the grief was still evident in her face. With an encouraging smile, Logan picked up the mugs and walked beside her, nodding his head towards the living room.

When they were seated on the couch, Logan handed Rory her mug and she wrapped her hands around it gratefully, taking a long sip before pulling her legs up on the sofa and turning her gaze towards him.

"I had a bad feeling when he said it. I didn't..." she paused, and swallowed back tears, "I didn't think he really meant it."

"You don't have to talk about it," Logan told her gently.

"I want to. I think the trouble is I haven't talked about it, not with anyone, not even my mom. I thought I was being stupid."

"What happened? What did he say?"

She brushed a few stray tears away with her finger tips and took a deep breath, "He told me he loved me."

As the words registered, it suddenly all made sense: the questions, her weird mood, the almost obsessive phone calls to and from Jess. And he realized how much it must have crushed her to hear about Colin, Finn, and his adventures with love. She'd been looking for reassurance, and all they were able to give her was more pain. If he would've known, there was so much more he could've added. If he only would've known.

"He said it in the middle of a fight. Isn't that crazy? That's why I questioned it. Who says that in between screaming? But then he said all these things, and I don't know, I just wanted to be loved. After Dean, I just, I wanted to believe somebody really cared about me that much," she was silent for a second, "I said it back. I don't know if I really meant it. I wanted to. Maybe I wanted to a little too much."

The tears were falling quickly again now, and Logan's heart was breaking for her. He slid his arm down around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. And once more, she rested her head against his shoulder.

"And then just now he said I thought if I told you I loved you things would change."

Logan cringed, "Ace--"

"He just said it to try and get me to spend more time with him! He wanted to tear me away from you guys so bad. He never trusted me, just like Dean never trusted me. What have I ever done to deserve not being trusted? What?"

Her voice cracked with the last word and Logan squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Anyone who doesn't trust you doesn't deserve you. And even as cliche as that sounds, it's true."

"I was so stupid ever to believe him. Or maybe I was stupid to believe it meant that much. I mean my three best guy friends tell girls they love them all the time and don't mean it, why should Jess be any different?"

"Rory."

She glanced up at the sound of her real name, "Rory?"

"Yes. Rory. Listen to me," he looked her dead in the eye, "Those girls we said that to aren't like you. They're like us. They go around telling a new guy they love them every night just like we do. They know exactly what's going on. They know we don't mean it and we know they don't mean it when they say it back. It's just the way things work. I would never, ever used those words in a relationship unless I really meant them."

"Maybe I should be like that, maybe I shouldn't commit. Maybe that's my problem."

"No," Logan stated firmly, turning his body towards her, "You stay exactly the way you are. You're special. And you deserve someone who will be with you, and only you. Don't change just because one jackass acted like what he is. Don't do it."

She stared at him for a second, wide eyed, before a sob shook her shoulders and he found himself hugging her to his chest once more.

He lowered his lips to her ear, "Listen to me, Ace. You are so much better than him and you deserve so much more. Colin can see it, I can see it, hell, even Finn can see it. You're going places and you're going to find someone a thousand times the man Jess will ever be and even then you deserve more. Forget him. He's not worth it. He never was."

She raised her head up slowly, shaking slightly as her sobs faded away. Once more, Logan reached out and cleared the tears from her cheeks.

"Thank you for being here, for wasting your night listening to me cry. You really don't have to stay."

"I want to."

"Logan--"

"I'm not going anywhere," he insisted with a smile.

She smiled back faintly, "Thank you."

Logan's cellphone rang suddenly, interrupting the severe quiet of the moment. He fished it out of his pocket, and raised to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Huntz! We're heading out for a little while," Colin greeted, "Where are you? We called your house and the maid said you never came home."

Logan shot Rory a questioning look and mouthed 'Colin'. She nodded slightly, confirming that it was okay to share the information, and Logan turned his attention back to the phone.

"Rory's."

"What? Why?" Colin demanded, "Did something happen?"

"You could say that."

"Is she okay?"

Logan sighed and made eye contact with Rory, "Let's just say Jess finally lived up to his potential."

She shook her head slightly, but a smile flashed briefly in her sad eyes.

"Asshole," Colin spat, "We'll be there in forty minutes. Put her on."

"What?"

"Put her on the phone."

Logan shrugged and handed out the phone to Rory, who took it slowly, "Hello?"

"I'll be fine, Colin."

"What? You don't have to come. Really."

"Okay," she said quietly, "Thanks. Bye."

She closed the phone and handed it back to Logan, "They'll be here in forty minutes."

Logan nodded, "I know."

And he also knew that Colin would probably break just about every speed limit getting there, but that was no surprise. This was Rory. She had a hold on the three of them unlike anything they'd ever experienced before.

She crossed her arms over her chest, "You know what the worst part is? I just wanted to be needed."

Logan put his other arm around her and pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on top of her head. He didn't speak. He didn't have to. She already knew what he thought of her.

--------

The front door slammed around thirty minutes later, confirming Logan's suspicion about Colin's driving habits.

"Ror?"

Logan glanced down at Rory, who was furiously scribbling away at her homework for an attempt at a distraction. Logan still had his arm resting around her shoulders and every once and awhile she would sigh and lean back against him, letting the tears slide down her cheeks.

"In here," Logan replied.

Colin, Finn, and Stephanie came trudging into the living room, and Rory glanced up as they entered. Colin was immediately at Rory's side and she stood up, walking into his embrace. Logan watched as Colin moved his hand behind her neck, whispering in her ear as the tears fell from Rory's eyes once more. Stephanie and Finn came in a few minutes later and took a seat, and when Colin and Rory stepped apart, Stephanie tossed a bag in Rory's direction.

"Chocolate. Icecream is in the fridge."

"Best of both words," Rory smiled, wiping at her eyes.

"I wanted to bring alcohol, love, but they wouldn't let me."

Rory actually laughed, "That's probably for the best, Finn."

She returned to her spot next to Logan, and almost instantly tucked herself back under his arm. Colin sat down on her other side and placed a hand on her knee.

"What happened, Ror?" he questioned softly.

She shrugged, "He told me he loved me the day after Finn's party. I didn't know whether to believe him or not, but I wanted to. So I said it back."

Logan noted that she was a lot calmer now, and she was telling the story without sobbing in between sentences. It was progress at least.

"He said it right in the middle of a fight, that's why I was so hesitant. That's what has been on my mind while I've been acting strange."

Colin nodded, "Hense the love questions."

"Hense the love questions," she confirmed, "Anyway, when Logan drove me home today he was here. And he started yelling at me asking why I just didn't call him. And then he said that you guys would always mean more. He said--"

She faded off towards the end of her sentence, the tears falling furiously from her eyes, and glanced up at Logan for support. He smiled softly and squeezed her shoulder, nodding his simple encouragement.

"And then he said that he thought if he told me he loved me things would change. So, he didn't mean it. He was just trying to get what he wanted."

"Guys are assholes," Stephanie mumbled.

"Hey!" Logan, Colin, and Finn objected at the same time.

"Minus the three in the room," she corrected with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, Ror," Colin began, "If the guy can't trust you, he's a moron. And breaking up with you just proves it. Look at me, I would've killed to have a chance with you before. You're the kind of girl every guy dreams of meeting: beautiful, smart, and funny. You'll be fine."

She laughed at this and shook her head slightly, leaning out from under Logan's arm to give her other best friend a hug.

"It'll all work out," he promised, "You'll see."

"Thank you, Colin," she said softly.

"Come here, love," Finn announced, standing up, "You need a foreign hug, too."

She smiled slightly, shaking her head, "Of course, Finn, of course."

She walked into his arms and he hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on her cheek, "I swear if I see him he won't live to see another day."

"Don't kill him, Finn. I'd miss you if you went to jail."

"Okay, so," Stephanie chimed in, "I'm going to get the ice cream, because let's face it, every breakup needs icecream. It's just as excuse to eat and not feel guilty, right?"

"Right," Rory confirmed with a nod.

Stephanie disappeared from the room and Rory returned to her spot on the couch, sliding her semi finished homework to the the side of the coffee table. Logan knew she would be back to complete it later.

"Feeling better, Ace?" he murmured in her ear.

She turned and smiled at him softly. Her cheeks were still tear stained to go along with her blood shot eyes, but some of the coloring had returned to her pale face.

"I'm getting there," she replied honestly.

"You'll get there," he confirmed.

--------

After Rory finished her homework, the group popped in a dvd. None of them were in that much of a hurry to leave Rory, especially the guys, who Logan knew shared his feelings about her being alone and upset.

Now, emotionally exhausted, Rory had fallen asleep. Her head was resting on a pillow, with her feet stretched at over Logan's lap. Colin had moved to the floor, Stephanie was half asleep in the chair, and Finn was raiding the kitchen in search of some sort of alcohol. Logan knew it was getting late, but he didn't want to leave before Rory's mom got home. Maybe they were a little bit over protective, but there was nothing they could do about that now.

The opening of the door alerted him to the arrival of Rory's parents, that and Lorelai's voice drifting through the house.

"Why are there two fancy cars in my driveway? They're making my jeep feel bad."

Lorelai stepped into the living room with Christopher close on her heels. Her blue eyes took in Rory's sleeping form, the movie, and the chocolate, and her face instantly fell.

"He broke up with her, didn't he?" she asked softly.

Logan nodded.

"Was it bad?"

He titled his head to the side, "It wasn't pretty."

Christopher shook his head slightly, "I never liked that kid."

"Join the club," Rory's friends chorused.

"We should probably get going," Colin offered, "Logan, you haven't even been home yet."

Logan smirked, "And who's going to miss me exactly?"

"You haven't been home yet?" Christopher asked.

"Rory's car wouldn't start. We had it towed and I drove her home. I was kind of, well, around when it happened."

"Oh," Lorelai smiled, "Thanks for driving her home, and for everything else."

"No problem."

Logan slowly moved out from underneath Rory's legs, took one last glance at the sleeping girl, and followed his friends towards the front door of Rory's house. He watched as Lorelai moved over to the couch and ran a hand over her daughter's head, successfully rousing Rory from her sleep. He caught Rory's eye in the briefest of glances, and she smiled at him, causing him to send her a wink in return.

And then he turned, leaving Rory to confide in her mother, and walked out the door with his friends.

It was a strange thing, him sitting with her all night like that. Sure, he cared about his friends, and people's feelings, but he wasn't that guy. He didn't stay with a girl all night, wiping away her tears and listening to her ramble. He didn't do that, except maybe for Stephanie, if the blonde bombshell ever had her heartbroken. And yet, there was something different about Rory. He cared about her, really and truly cared about her. Staying with her that night just seemed like the natural thing to do.

And any guy that would break her heart? Well, he didn't deserve to come within ten feet of her.