Round Twelve: New Friends
Congrats to Krazy Karah for being the 300th reviewer on this fic. That's so cool and thank-you all so much for reading and sticking with it. Quick reminder. Logan and Rory are now in London. Together, yet, as always, still apart. Finn is there to act as the (drunk) voice of reason and to be a good friend. Updates might be more frequent these coming weeks because I'm off from school. But no promises. Hope you enjoy this one! Much Love.
Disclaimer: I don't own GG.
Logan had a nice couch. It was one of those low to the ground, sleek, modern, black leathery ones. It didn't look cozy, or inviting. But, then again, it really wasn't supposed to. Some European highbrow with an unbelievabley hard to pronounce name had designed – nay, envisioned - it as the focal point of the room. A real eye-catcher. A work of art.
Under normal circumstances the couch, the crown on this king of bachelor pads, would have been a reason to start mocking relentlessly; however, through jetlagged eyes the couch looked inviting. Comfortable even.
As Rory rested her head against the ergonomically designed blood red pillow, she heard Finn's voice trailing from the kitchen.
"...quite a display of animosity there. Fighting about coffee this early in the mission?"
Rory felt the corners of her mouth tug into a smile. They weren't fighting - it was their thing.
"We weren't fighting..." Her smile grew even further as Logan agreed with her. The footsteps stopped and Logan's voice dropped to a whisper. A frown quickly replaced her smile and that warm-and-fuzzy feeling that had been with her since touching down in London was replaced by nerves. Finn's grilling and Logan's harsh words caused her to squeeze her eyes shut, partly to keep up her sleeping façade, but also to not let the tears that threatened to flood her eyes fall.
Thankfully, the men shuffled away but not before delivering the final blow, with Logan labeling her a clingy, annoying baby sister.
Rory re-opened her eyes and was met by darkness. Logan had switched off the lights. How thoughtful for a guy who thought of her as a sister! A real display of brotherly love. The movie theater must have been on the other side of the house, since Rory could hear a pin drop. There would be no more earth shattering eavesdropping revelations for her tonight.
She had also failed to receive the exact location of her apartment, let alone the key and going to find Logan, or Finn, was certainly not an option now. It seemed that her first night in London would be spent in the clothes she'd been wearing for over 24 hours, on the sleek black couch, in a penthouse that looked like it was taken from Bachelors Digest, that belonged to a man who thought of her as a clingy, annoying, baby sister.
Before resigning to her fate, Rory cast a glance around the room and spotted a blanket on the square ottoman next to her. It would have to do.
As Rory waited for that woozy feeling of sleep to come, she couldn't help her thoughts drifting to Logan and what she had heard.
It wasn't supposed to matter, after all, he was her mentor. She wasn't supposed to plant ideas of kissing, hand-holding or as Finn so eloquently put it - "banging her until she's dizzy" - in his head. Rory wasn't supposed to give him goo-goo eyes; however, she was fairly sure that on at least one occasion she did.
Why else would he compliment her? Make her coffee (albeit instant)? Fix his gaze on her? Certainly not for an annoying, clingy, baby sister. For the hot sister, perhaps.... Rory kicked that thought out her mind as quickly as it entered.
Mentor, damn it, Logan was her mentor. She was starting the Writers Program on Monday. This was her big shot to break free of the rumors that clung to her back home. This was her shot to prove that she was more than her last name. This would show the world that her talent was real.
Rory swallowed hard and in the dark of the night it all seemed so clear: she couldn't and wouldn't risk that over a boy.
Even if he had perfect hair and a winning smile. Even if he made her knees go weak. Even if he put thoughts of kissing, hand-holding and firework sex in her mind. He was still a boy that could take her and break her and she would not let that happen again.
Eventually, Rory fell into a deep sleep - something can be said for the combination of jetlag and ergonomic pillows.
Logan awoke the following morning with the slightest of hangovers. A few beers with Finn always turned into more than what could be considered a few and that combined with jetlag could never be defined as a winning combination. He made his way down the hall and into the living room, where he absentmindedly flipped on the light.
"Ah, shit!" he mumbled as he caught sight of Rory's sleeping form on the couch. His heart dropped slightly as Logan realized that she had spent the whole night on that uncomfortable couch. Instead of suggesting to drink, he should have taken her up to her apartment....
Logan knew there was no way a sleeping Rory could have heard his words, but it still felt wrong. Even if he couldn't actually be with Rory, he still hated that he'd denounced her to something as terrible as the annoying baby sister.
Not that he'd ever had one, but from the stories Finn told, he knew that baby sisters were the worst on the ranks.
It was far too early to be so caught up, he reasoned to himself as he dimmed the lights for Rory. Logan had to be in The City by 6:30 this morning and standing here, looking at her was wasting valuable time.
And not to mention, a little creepy.
Rory stirred slightly as the room filled with light. She knew it was him, but her subconscious forced her to feign sleep. She couldn't place her finger as to why, but sleep was more important than seeing him this morning.
A few hours later, the delicious sweet scent of coffee filled the house. Her eyes fluttered open in anticipation - this was not an instant morning - and was surprised as she was met by a strange, but familiar smile and warm, welcoming eyes.
"Here you go, love," a thick Aussie accent cut through the room.
"Finn?"
Finn's smile dropped as he handed her the coffee. "You know, no woman has ever forgotten my name before..."
"I haven't had the coffee yet so it doesn't count..." Rory brushed off his comment, before taking a big gulp of the tasty beverage, followed by another. And another. Finn watched slightly bemused as Rory polished off the 16 oz. of coffee in a few sips.
"Good stuff, Finnegan Morgan Rothschild, heir of Rothschild Hotels," Rory said finally, and she handed him back the cup. "And if I'm not mistaken you promise the women complete satisfaction, 100% of the time...?"
"I stand corrected," Finn laughed, before handing her another cup of java goodness.
"Thanks," Rory said with a smile and popped the lid off the Styrofoam cup. "I was afraid I'd have to drink instant."
"Please, love," Finn shook his head, "Instant coffee is like "Ten Things I Hate About You, the TV Show"....
Rory smirked, agreeing, "So far away from the real thing, it can't even see it..."
"Exactly," Finn raised his coffee cup to her.
Rory mimicked the gesture, surprising herself how comfortable the banter between her and Finn flowed. "So if you are such a coffee purist, how come it's not around the house?"
A twisted smile appeared on his face and he shrugged. "There is a cute red head at the coffee place." Finn let out a deep sigh. "One day she'll say more than "and here's your change" to me..."
Laughter filled the house as Rory changed to a more comfortable position on the couch. "Just ask her out Finn, or pay with your black card for a change...."
Finn scoffed. "Jasmine isn't that shallow!"
"Whatever you have to tell your self..." Rory said with a slightly mocking laugh.
"Now why do you have to go and be like this, love?" Finn pouted as he stood up from the ottoman he was sitting on. "I go, I get you coffee, I deliver it to you this morning and then you treat me this way!"
"What way?" Rory asked innocently as Finn let himself drop on the couch.
"Like you don't care about me and Jasmine. You do realize that she could be the Love of my Life!"
"Ooh, Finn. I think you are becoming a Cosmo Girl!" Rory chuckled and she swung her arm around Finn's shoulder. "And you know as well as I that you didn't just get me coffee in exchange for advice on the whole Jasmine situation..."
"I didn't?" Finn asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, Finn, you didn't" Rory said with mocking sincerity as she locked her eyes to his.
A moment of silence filled the apartment, before he cracked.
"Love! You have to understand, I have to know what the deal is between you and Logan!" Finn blurted. Shocked, Finn covered his mouth with his hands, but it was too late. Rory threw her head back in laughter. "Easy!"
"Dirty! But also true!" He shot back with a laugh. He waited a moment for her to calm down, before pressing the matter further. "Love?"
Rory ran her finger around the rim of her coffee cup. "There's nothing going on Finn."
"Are you sure? Because I've seen the eyes and..."
There can't be something going on, Finn," Rory looked at him, the faintest of smiles playing on her lips.
"But..." Finn dropped his voice to a whisper. "He likes you!"
This put Rory into stunned silence for a moment, before she could recuperate. "He doesn't."
"Oh why?" Finn asked, raising his hands. "Just because he called you an annoying sister?" He chuckled at the surprised etched on Rory's features and continued, "I know you weren't asleep last night, love. And don't worry, baby sister is man-code for I like you."
Rory wasn't sure whether to be angry or happy, so she chose to cross her arms over her chest and go the sarcastic route. "What are we? In fifth grade? It doesn't work like that, Finn!"
"It's true."
"Says the boy who can't even ask red-head Jasmine out on a date!"
"I'm not talking about her now," Finn said, "I'm talking about you!"
"Well, let's stop," Rory shot him a pointed look.
"Love…"
"Finn." Rory said sternly. "You are not my best friend, you aren't my mother, I don't owe you any sort of explanation!"
She felt bad as the smile in Finn's eyes disappeared. She was risking their fragilely formed friendship, but really this wasn't any of Finn's business.
"Fine."
The pair sat their in silence taking sips of their coffees. It really wasn't any of his business, Rory told herself. It was all too complicated to explain to a stranger. And for Finn to blurt that about Logan sent her recent resolve into a spin. Like - let alone love - could not complicate this and how would that Aussie, love-loving boy understand that?
After a few minutes, Finn cleared his throat and effectively broke the silence. "I'm sorry to drag you from your thoughts, Rory, but Logan left me to take care of you today..."
His tone was much more distant than before; it was obvious that he was hurt by Rory's unwillingness to open up.
"He trusted a playboy like yourself with me?" she answered sarcastically, never taking her eyes of her now empty cup.
"Yes." Finn answered simply; too good nurtured to feed Rory's behavior.
"Okay, well, then let's go. I assume you are taking me to my apartment, because there is no way that I'll be sleeping on that piece of shit couch tonight."
Finn nodded and headed for the door. Rory followed obediently, but she couldn't ignore that bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She genuinely liked Finn as a friend, not an object of affection and she didn't want to nip this would-be friendship in the bud.
He held the elevator for her; a short ride since there was only one floor separating her apartment and Logan's. The few steps from the elevator to the front door were also covered in complete silence and Rory's eyes were fixed on the marble tile as Finn jiggled the keys from his front pocket.
"Home sweet home," Finn said as he gestured to her apartment. She had expected to see something similar to Logan's place but it was nothing alike. Pale yellow walls. Big, comfy armchairs, covered in crisp white fabric. Framed pictures of friends and family graced the wall and she had a giant oak bookcase packed with books. It was homey, it was cozy. It was her.
"Who did this?" Rory asked as she ran her hand across a copy of the Princess Diaries - the book she had been reading when she'd met Logan.
"Not him," Finn said, fighting back the urge to smile. "It was Mitchum; the old bat knew you were coming. He and Richard had this thing planned out to a T."
Something about the familiarity with which Finn spoke those names caused Rory to turned around and shoot him a questioning look. "You knew my grandfather?"
Finn granted her a soft smile. He knew she was trying to figure out how he knew Richard and Logan did not. He dug his hands in his pockets as he spoke.
"You know Rosemary Cardin, right?"
"Total sweet heart," Rory replied reflexively. Rosie was not a total sweet heart, but she was a society girl. And it was an unspoken rule that they were all 'sweet hearts'.
"Well, I thought so, too," Finn smiled as he started his trip down memory lane. "I had met her at a party in London when I was sixteen. It was the stuff romantic comedies are made of, you know, bon fire, music playing, your eyes meet across the muddy field.... "
He let out a girlish sigh, before continuing, "...love at first sight. The guys kicked me in the bollocks for that one, but it was true. I was so enticed by her entire being, I followed her around Europe for the rest of the summer. The girl she was traveling with - Madeline- decided to stay in London to entertain some guy she had met and I couldn't let my precious love travel alone... After our eight-week trek across the continent, I put her on a plane but couldn't let her go so I followed her to Hartford."
"Are you sure this is the same Rosemary?" Rory asked, suppressing a laugh. The Rosie she knew had a slightly different reputation.
"She was excited to see me," Finn continued ignoring Rory's snarky sounding comment. "Rosemary took me to the Hayden Summer Will Never End Celebration, which I suppose is... "
"...mine," Rory said with a sheepish grin as she suddenly remembered the party Finn was referring too. "Oh my god. You were at that party?"
"Yes!" Finn exclaimed, before falling back to a solemn tone. "It was the most tragic night of my life - I went off to get some drinks for Rose and myself and I came back to her practically fucking Ben Sotherfield on the couch!"
Rory's eyes widened and a barely audible "Oh my god," escaped her lips.
"I was about to take Benny-boy out back, when two gentlemen stopped me..."
"Grandpa and Mitchum, right?" Rory asked, trying to hold back a smile at the memory. The summer never ends party was something of a Hayden-Gilmore legend, though something neither her grandfather or Mitchum approved of. They would always show up for about an hour or so, to check up on Lorelai and Chris' parenting skills before witnessing something horrifying and leaving. The next day Rory would always be summoned and drilled to see if she had engaged in any inappropriate behavior.
"You can stop smiling, Rory," Finn said crossing his arms over his chest. "Rosie broke my heart."
By the way Finn said it, Rory knew it to be true. And it was sad, since that night had also marked the night of her heartbreak. "I'm sorry, Finn," Rory said with a small smile.
"Don't worry. I heard someone's night was far worse than mine..."
Rory's smile dropped immediately and Finn felt terrible instantly. He stepped closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Love?"
With that touch, and those words, their first fight as friends was over. Rory looked up and met his worried looking eyes. "Me," she let out through a deep sigh. "It was me. I had the worst night."
"You?"
"I guess Grandpa and Mitchum had already kicked you out," Rory shrugged, "but I'm sure you read about it the next day in the papers... "
"How the police ended up escorting Tristan DuGrey off the property?" Finn asked, with eyes wide.
"Don't say his name," Rory snapped as her eyes darted around the room. Finn was taken aback by this sudden change in attitude, but he was wise enough not the press the subject. After a few moments of tense silence, Rory opened up to him.
"He... he was my boyfriend and after that party he wasn't anymore." It was a simple explanation, but Finn knew there was more to it.
"So you called the police? Hell hath no fury..."
Rory ignored his attempt at being funny as she fixed her gaze on the beautiful vase of flowers in the room.
"He was amazing at first. Like, really amazing and all my friends - single and taken - were jealous. He brought me coffee and waited for me after class. He was good to my Mom, and talked business with my dad and he was sweet to my grandparents. He had even played golf with Mitchum at the Club," Rory spoke calmly, though her voice was distant; detached.
"He had a little bit of a mean streak. He got really jealous of other guys, and he hated how involved I was with the paper and that I'd never drink or party during weeknights...." Rory trailed off as the memories caught up with her.
She swallowed hard, before continuing, "He was my first. He called me his angel. And I thought he loved me. I loved him. I told him, the day of the party. He came over early for breakfast before my mom and I left for pre-party pampering and I took him to the gazebo in the backyard and I told him that I loved him. He stood there, smiling. And he said he loved me too."
Rory blinked hard, forcing her gaze to stay on the books, and not trail to Finn. "So imagine my surprise when I leave his side for three minutes and he's gone. Rosie informs me that he is outside with Ginger Reynolds. I walk out to the porch and find them together, pressed up against the gazebo. Shirts off. Pants unbuckled. His hands fingering the waistband of her skirt."
This last bit broke Finn's heart and he wrapped his strong arms in a comforting hug. "Ooh, love. I'm so sorry."
He-who-didn't-love-me-back was a thing of the past. Rarely spoken about and only felt as dull moments of fleeting pain. However, rehashing the events of her tragic night brought it back so vividly that she couldn't help the few tears that escaped her eyes.
"It was our gazebo," Rory whispered into his shirt. Finn stroked her hair and waited a couple of minutes for her to calm down.
"So you called the police?"
She pulled back and caught the funny look on his face. "You say that like it's a weird thing.... No, we got into this huge argument – cue dramatic music, hurling snack platters at him and swearing – and it ended with me asking him if he loved me. If he ever loved me. And he dug his hands into his pockets, cast his eyes to the ground and said he didn't. He couldn't even look at me! I realized there, with 150 of my so-called friends around me, that I was nothing to him, a thing, a fling and the fact that I had given him everything I had meant nothing to him. A joke."
"And then you called the police?" Finn asked with a crooked eyebrow.
Rory shrugged. "Seemed like the only sane thing to do."
"Yeah," Finn nodded. "DuGrey, huh. If I ever run into him…." He shot her a pointed look.
"Thanks, Finn," she smiled and gave him a quick hug.
"That's what friends are for," he told her.
Rory nodded. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch before," she sighed, "it's just, I don't like talking about He-who-didn't-love-me-back…"
"Don't worry, love," Finn reassured her, "I get it. He is why you don't want to admit…"
Rory shook her head adamantly, "Don't go there, Finn. I'm here for the Writers program. After that party, I sort of went off the deep-end…"
She waited a beat to see if Finn's expression would change, or if he would scoff, judging her. But he didn't. Instead he simply nodded for her to continue.
"… that bad reputation still follows me. People think I can't do anything, that I live off my family's money and that I'm a stuck-up society-bimbo. I want this, Finn. I want to show everyone that I can write, that I can do it without the help of my last name."
"Logan wouldn't have to change that, love," Finn told her gently. "The boy is a writer himself, he'll understand how important it is…"
Rory shot him a half-smile. Maybe Logan would, but it would also entail revealing more of her past than she wanted. It was nice to have Logan think of her as a perfectly smart, intelligent, squeaky-clean non-society-society girl.
"He's like a mentor to me, Finn. He can't know that the gossip is true. Mitchum never told him, you can't tell him either…" Rory said, hoping that her words sounded convincing. He locked his brown eyes to her and waited a beat, seeing if she would crack under the pressure, but she didn't.
"Mentor it is, then," Finn smiled, just as the doorbell rang. He opened it and a delivery man pushed a giant gift basket in his hands, as a second man walked into the room and placed a big box on the counter.
"What is this, Finn?"
"Looks like a coffee maker to me," he shrugged. "An obnoxiously big coffee maker, but a coffee maker none the less."
"Oh, I've got to call my mom!" Rory clapped her hands excitedly. "Sending me Java's twin, Joe is so like her!"
"Who, love?" Finn questioned, furrowing his brow and he handed her the card attached to the basked of coffee.
Morning Ace! Sorry you slept on the couch last night…doesn't leave you with a good impression of your first night in London. Also sorry to leave you with Finn all day. Gives you an even worse impression of the City. I have to be at the office all day, so to make up for slacking at my mentoring tasks, I got you some real coffee and a coffee maker. Keep it at your place, though, I can't have my place contaminated!
Finn watched Rory as she read the note. "Take it that's not your mothers' handwriting, is it?"
"Logan. Said it sucks for me to be stuck with you all day," Rory grinned.
"That boy…" Finn shook his head. "Can I ask you something, love?"
"Shoot," Rory said, not entirely focused on the conversation as she was busy unwrapping her coffee basket.
"Are you attracted to me?"
This question succeeded in grabbing her attention. "Excuse me?"
"You know, goofy grin, smile in the eyes…"
Rory quickly studied his face to see if he was joking. "No, no, Finn. I'm not….." she bit her bottom lip subtly. "Are you….?" She shot him a half smile as she vaguely pointed at herself.
"My god, no!"
She let out a sigh of relief before continuing sarcastically, "Well, thank-you, Finn. Complimenting is really your forte."
"No," Finn sighed, "I didn't mean it like that. You know I love the red heads…"
Rory smiled, "You should move to Scotland, has more red head than any other part of the world!"
"Really?" Finn seemed intrigued by this factoid, but wouldn't let this mess up the point he was trying to make. "You see, love, you and I are not attracted to each other. I can already tell that you and I have a unbreakable bond, yet, I will never have the urge to sleep with you."
"Thank-god for that," Rory joked, but Finn didn't smile.
"We are kind of like brother and sister…."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Rory agreed as she held up a pack of coffee. "Oh, look, Finn. Sumatra blend!"
He took the coffee from her and smiled, "Do you see what I'm trying to say, love?"
"That it's time to test Joe the Coffeemaker out!" Rory replied giddily. Finn watched as Rory maneuvered her way around the kitchen as if she had been living in the place for years.
"Whatever you have to tell yourself, love," he mumbled to himself, before he helped her install the giant coffee maker.
So. There we go. A ton of dialogue in this chapter. Some more of Rory's past. Not so much Rogan. Or Logan, but he'll be back in the next chapter. Finn will stay around for a while. And next chapter I'll probably introduce some new characters. Please review :)
