Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter!!! I replied to some, and I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to answer you all! All of you comments both good and bad were helpful, it showed me areas on which I can now improve and continue doing what was good. Please continue to give all your reviews you have been giving I love them all, I just wanted more specific feedback.

Enjoy the chapter!

--

When Rory went to work on Monday, she was in an extremely good mood. She and Logan had a fun weekend which caused her to almost forget the confrontation she had with Shira at the party. She was quickly pulled out of her good mood halfway through her morning.

"Did you see the paper?" someone asked.

"She looked good," one of the guys said.

"You couldn't see her face," a jealous sounding female replied.

"True, but her body looked absolutely amazing," he said, bending to her complaint.

"Logan looked yummy as always," one of the secretaries commented.

"I wonder what she's like," an older reporter asked.

"I heard he met her at Yale, so she's either smart or her parents made some nice donations."

"Based on her name, I'm guessing the later," someone piped in.

"Hey Ella!"

Rory heard her name being called, groaned inwardly, and replied, "Yeah?"

"You said you were on the Yale paper with Huntzberger right?"

"Yep," she said, trying to show her indifference to the conversation in her voice.

"So did you ever meet her?"

"Meet who?" Rory asked, playing dumb.

"The fiancé," he said, wanting to get to the point.

Rory thought quickly about what to say and replied with, "Sorry, I was never introduced," glancing at Bri who was barely containing her laughter.

To that someone said, "I bet they were forced together by their parents."

Rory heard another reporter comment, "I doubt they'd be dancing like that if they were forced to be together. He's holding onto her like she'll disappear if he lets go." With this, Rory stopped listening and walked away.

Rory found Bri alone near her desk. She was looking at a newspaper and asked, "Have you seen the picture?"

Rory shook her head before Bri handed her a copy of the picture. Rory saw her and Logan dancing, her face buried in the side of his neck while his eyes were closed, his head bent to cuddle hers, and his hands firmly wrapped around her hips.

"Seriously, how can that not bother you?" Bri questioned, referring to the gossip she saw was still going on.

"You know all the rumors about Logan being a playboy?"

"I've heard a few," Bri said honestly.

"They're true," Rory started.

"You mean he's cheating on you?" Bri asked, cutting Rory off in mid-sentence.

"No!" Rory yelled, drawing unwanted attention, so she whispered the next part, "they were true, before we started dating his junior year. Well, when that happened there were many disappointed girls on campus, and I was the object of their wrath. After that started, I learned very quickly how to tune people like that out."

"He was dating that many girls at once?" Bri asked, surprised her Rory would ever like a guy like that.

"Not really. I'll tell you more latter but, as Steph would say, there was 'a line' of girls wanting a chance at him," Rory explained with an eye roll.

"That's sad," Bri said shaking her head, "I mean, I'll admit he's cute, but that's just ridiculous!"

Rory laughed, "You don't need to tell me, but it's how it was in college."

The girls went back to work, doing their best to avoid the gossip queens of their floor.

--

Later that week, rumors at The Observer surrounding Logan and his fiancé had slowed down, and for that, Rory was grateful. She was compiling her research when she heard, "Hello, do you know where I can find the lovely Miss Danes?"

The voice made Rory's head shoot up and jump out of her chair. The next thing she knew she was being lifted into the air causing her to let out a small scream, alerting everyone to her visitor's presence.

When she finally was let down she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"You don't remember Love?" Finn asked sounding hurt.

"Remember what exactly?" Rory questioned, immediately wary of Finn's behavior.

"What today is!"

"Ummm….no, should I?" She asked, just as unsure.

"It's out one year anniversary," he said in a 'duh' sounding voice.

At this, another photographer spoke up, "Ella, you didn't say you and your boyfriend had been together that long," trying to pry more information about Ella out of her. After all, she knew the boss and rarely spoke about herself.

Rory looked at her confused and then remembered what Finn had said, "Oh, he's not my boyfriend."

"Didn't he just say one year anniversary?" the woman asked confused.

"Yeah, but I'm just as confused as you are by that one," Rory replied glaring at Finn.

"Fine, I'll tell you. It's one year since you've become my sister, so I decided to come take you to lunch."

Rory had to smile, "That's sweet of you, but I promised Bri lunch today."

"Bri?" Finn questioned, "the one who kn-…"

He was cut of by Rory before he could continue, "Yes, that one."

"So, she can come with us," he said to convince Rory. Then, he noticed the 5'1" red head behind her and offered in her direction, "It will be fun."

Bri, hearing this part, spoke up, "It's fine, we can reschedule Ella, I don't want to intrude."

Finn saw her reluctance, "I promise I was just bored and wanted to have lunch. On the way here, I saw the date and came up with the reason to bug Ella here," he said honestly.

"If you're sure," Bri questioned again. When Bri saw both Rory and her friend nod their heads, she agreed. Soon the group was seated a few blocks away at a Chinese restaurant.

"So what was that about being her brother? Rory told me she was an only child," Bri asked.

Rory jumped in first, "I am an only child, so is he."

"But we both wanted siblings so I made her my honorary sister. I'm the best big brother. I even beat up her boyfriend for having sex with her," Finn stated proudly.

Bri flinched at the image but managed to recover and look at Finn like he was nuts. Rory realized she had forgotten to introduce him, "So Finn this is Bri, and yes she knows the story. Bri this is Finn."

"So Finn, what boyfriend did you beat up?" Bri asked, wondering if it was Logan.

Rory quickly jumped in, saying, "Logan. Who just so happens to be one of his best friends."

Bri had to laugh at the crazy Aussie. Curious, she asked, "How did you two meet?"

"He's a friend of Logan so he was always around," Rory answered.

"Love, I'm hurt! You say that like I'm not your friend," Finn said over-dramatically.

"Fine," she relented, "He was a friend of Logan's whom I met when we started dating, and now he is my friend too."

"That's better!" Finn said smiling.

"Okay I have to ask," Bri asked relaxing around Finn, "why do you call her Love?"

"Yeah, why do you call me Love?" Rory echoed. It was something she had no explanation for, but never thought to ask.

"When Logan first mentioned you, when he helped you with your article, he called you Ace. Then Colin was talking and called you Ace…Well Logan yelled; apparently, only he can call you that. When he did that, I asked if he liked you, and he said no. So the next time I saw you, I called you Love."

Rory jumped in, just as enthralled as Bri was in the answer, "What did he say?"

Finn almost laughed at Rory's interest in this, "He was pissed, so I again asked him if he liked you. He said no, so I kept calling you Love, just to see his reaction while he was in denial. When he finally realized he liked you and made it official with you by getting rid of the gold-diggers, the name had stuck."

Bri was now laughing and asked, "What does he say about it now?"

"He laughs," Finn revealed.

Rory shook her head, "He doesn't worry we're going to elope in Vegas?"

"Apparently you're not my type," Finn confessed.

"Aw Finn, I'm hurt! Aren't I pretty?" Rory teased with a pout.

"Love you're beautiful, but as Logan keeps pointing out: Not a redhead."

Bri looked between the two friends, "Should I be worried?"

Finn glanced at her, taking in her deep auburn hair and sighed.

Rory spoke before he could, "No, Finn just normally goes for redheads."

Bri smiled and asked, "And why is that?"

"Because doll, I'm exotic and therefore the girl destined for me will be exotic too," Finn explained while waving his arms.

Bri wasn't sure about the connection yet, "How does that translate to redheads? Why not an Aussie girl?"

"An Aussie isn't exotic to me," Finn said seriously.

"Fine, why not an Italian of French girl?" Bri asked.

"I'm an equal opportunity dater. I do not discriminate based on ethnicity."

"But you discriminate based on hair color?"

Finn was becoming frustrated, "But red is the exotic color!" he exclaimed.

Rory liked that Bri was handling Finn so well; he tended to overwhelm a lot of people at first.

"Does that mean you think I'm exotic," Bri asked in a seductive voice, while twirling a curly red lock in her finger and eyed him over.

Finn was speechless. Rory was holding in her laughter and watched as Finn grasped for words. "Well redheads in general yes…" he said sounding unsure.

Bri just started laughing, which caused Rory to burst out as well. Finn pouted, "Why are you laughing at me?"

Rory got herself under control first, "Finn, the look on your face was priceless."

"Yeah," Bri added, "I was just teasing to see what your reaction would be. I must say it was better than expected."

Finn crossed his arms, pretending to sulk and said, "That's not nice."

This sent the girls into another fit of laughter. Rory calmed down enough to say, "Bri you just helped prove the theory the rest of us have on why Finn likes redheads. I can't wait to tell everyone!"

"And what is that?" Bri asked, curious about a different explanation.

"Redheads are the only girls who can put up with him."

Finn smiled again, "They are feisty!"

Bri rolled her eyes, but before she could retort Finn said, "Enough about me. I have a very important question for you, and it will determine if you are a person I can be friends with."

"So, no pressure," Bri joked.

"This is not a joking matter doll. I need you to be serious."

"Okay, being serious," Bri said, barely able to keep a straight face.

"Good now, what is your favorite beer?"

Rory started laughing again while Bri was debating her answer. After a few moments, she said, "Foster's?"

"Is that a question or your answer?" Finn said, noticing how unsure she sounded.

"My answer," hoping it passed his inspection.

Finn started to grin, "Excellent choice!"

Lunch continued with easy conversation between the three. Eventually, Rory and Bri couldn't put off returning to work and said goodbye to Finn, but promised to have lunch again the next week. Rory gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Bri wasn't sure what to do, but before the moment became too awkward, Finn gave her a quick hug. The sight of this made Rory giggle because of their height difference, but Rory was glad to know the two had gotten along well.

As they walked back to work, Bri said, "He seemed nice."

"He is nice," Rory said smiling.

"Is he a good friend?"

Rory wasn't sure how to explain Finn, "Finn is one of the most loyal people I know. A lot of people who don't know him well think he is always drunk and joking around, but those of us who know him know he also can serious if the situation calls for it. Really being both is what makes him great; he can be someone to talk to or cheer you up."

"Well, I'm glad I got to meet him," Bri said truthfully.

"And I'm glad he didn't profess his love for you on the spot," Rory teased.

"He really is into redheads that much?"

"He was. In college, he would declare his love to half the redheads he met. Now, I think he still has a thing for them, but doesn't casually date the way he did in college."

The girls reached the doors of The Observer and returned to their desks to finish out the day.

--

The next week, Finn came to the paper to take Rory and Bri out to lunch twice. They all enjoyed their lunches, discussing everything from work to college to music and movies. On Thursday, Lorelai called Rory saying she was coming on Saturday to help pick out the wedding dress. Rory then called Bri and Steph, asking them to come along too, to which both agreed.

--

The four girls met at a café to grab coffee and a quick bite to eat before heading to Vera Wang.

Rory saw Bri standing out front, gave her a quick hello, and then brought her inside to meet her mother and Steph.

"Bri, I'd like you to meet Lorelai and Steph. Mom, Steph meet Bri." Everyone gave a greeting, before diving into girl chat.

Steph talked about the bridesmaid dress they found last time at Vera Wang. Lorelai started talking about possible shoes and whether they should be navy blue or silver. Bri sat back, taking it all in at first, before joining in and giving her opinion.

Soon the group found their way to the boutique and was escorted to the back showroom. Bri was a bit surprised by the treatment from the staff, until she reminded herself that Rory was marrying a Huntzberger. When she saw how people were treating her, she understood even more why she had taken a pen name at work, but then she saw that regardless of how people were acting towards her, she was still Rory. She was thinking this while Rory had gone into the changing room, and it made her feel out of place for a few minutes before relaxing and enjoying her afternoon.

"Okay," Rory yelled, "I'm coming out now.

Rory exited the dressing room in an ivory strapless A-line dress with a train that extended past the bottom of the dress by about 3 feet. The dress was satin and had a very small amount of lace overlay along the top of the bodice with some beading to add a shimmer to the dress making Rory look like a princess since the beads were all small diamonds and pearls – the waist line also had the same lace overlay without the beading.

Before anyone spoke, Rory said, "Don't say anything yet. No comments until you see both dresses!" All three girls remained silent, watching as Rory slowly turned. After the girls were done looking, she returned to the dressing room and changed.

The second dress was cut identically to the first, but was white. This dress, however, had a much more prevalent Chantilly lace overlay over the entire top half of the dress along with a much more noticeable beading of crystals. The train on this dress was much longer – almost 6 feet. There was some bead work and lace on the skirt and then along the bottom hem. Rory repeated the turn and then asked, "So?"

"Do you want to know what we think or which one we pick?" Lorelai asked.

"Both, I mean I don't want to settle. If you really don't like either dress, I will keep looking but if you like one then I'll talk to the sales woman."

"Okay, how about on the count of 3 we all hold up either 1 or 2 fingers if you like one of the dresses or a fist if you think Rory should keep looking."

"Sounds good," Rory said almost nervous at how this would go, "One, two, three."

Rory looked around and all of them, including herself, was holding up one finger.

"Looks like we all agreed," Rory said happily. "Is there anything we don't like? I know small changes are possible."

Bri spoke up, "Why don't you put it back on, and we can look closer at it."

A few minutes later, Rory reappeared and her three helpers started looking it over much closer.

"Okay Rory, I love the dress," Lorelai started, "I mean the ivory looks great on you, and the cut fits you well, and I love the detailing, but it just seems like something is missing."

Rory nodded, "I know, I think it's why I wasn't completely sure the first time. But what is it?"

The minutes ticked away, and no one was figuring it out. Finally, Steph said, "I figured it out!"

"What?" they all asked, wanting to know.

"The back and bottom are too plain. There is nothing along the bottom hem to give texture or definition," Steph said pointing to that area.

"What if the pattern they used on the waistline was also put along the entire bottom hem," Bri suggested.

Steph then added, "Maybe even add some gemstones that they use at the top of the bodice along the entire skirt of the dress. It would make the bottom sparkle without having the lace overlay. It keeps it simple but really would add a lot to the overall princess quality of the dress."

The other girls stared at Steph as she talked and then turned to Rory trying to visualize what Steph had just described. Rory was the first to speak, "Perfect!"

Rory went back in and changed while Steph went to hunt down the sales woman. When Rory came out, she discussed the changes to the design and was told that Vera herself would oversee the changes. Rory was, after all, a very important bride who would have her picture in newspapers all over the world. They discussed the added price for the additions, and then her measurements were taken. They were told a sketch with her requested changes to the design would be sent to her in 4-6 weeks, and the dress itself would be ready for a fitting in late September to early October. Rory was also assured that her dress, with the changes (without them it was a rack dress and not a special order), would never be sold by Vera.

When they left the store, the girls said their goodbyes and parted, with Lorelai going with Rory. She was having dinner with Rory and Logan and spending the night so she wouldn't have to drive late.

--

Over the next few weeks, Rory, Bri, and Finn had lunch 2 more times. It was now almost mid-July. After work, Rory and Bri were meeting Logan, who was coming from the Times, and Finn for dinner. Then, they were meeting up with Colin and Steph for drinks after dinner. This had been Finn's idea since Bri had mentioned at one lunch that she hadn't had a chance to socialize with Logan much since the night at his apartment and had yet to meet Colin. Because it had been Finn's idea, Rory said he should come along, and it would also keep it from being weird with only the three.

They had arrived, had a drink, and now their food had just arrived. All the while, the four maintained a relaxing conversation they were all enjoying.

"So Bri, I must commend you," Logan said.

"For what?" Bri asked, hoping this wouldn't turn into a work conversation.

"Putting up with Finn. Not many people adjust to it that easily," Logan said, glancing over to his friend.

"Can you not talk about me as if I weren't here?" Finn whined.

"Well three and a half year olds are my expertise," Bri said, ignoring Finn and trying not to laugh as she caught Rory's eye.

"How am I 3 ½?" Finn demanded.

"I have a theory," Bri said.

"Oh please share, this I have to hear," Rory teased.

"Well you know how people always talk about doggy years? You know multiply their age by 7 and all."

"Yep," Rory said cheerfully as the boys nodded slowly.

"I figure men's maturity is like the opposite. You take their age and divide by 7," Bri managed to get out with a straight face. Rory started laughing and nodding in agreement.

"I resent that, I do not act 3," Logan argued.

"First, it's rule of thumb, not an exact science. Second, it is more for when a group of guys get together, not how you behave at work or in public."

At this, Finn and Logan seemed to think about it. Eventually Finn said, "That's not nice doll."

"Live with it," she replied without missing a beat.

Finn stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to say, "You're just helping me prove my point."

The conversation continued as they ate. When they finished Logan said, "So Colin and Steph should be here for drinks soon."

"I liked Steph, that girl knows how to shop," Bri said truthfully.

"Not another one," Logan groaned.

"What does that mean?" Rory asked.

"Just that you and Steph are bad enough as it is. You really don't need to add another one of you to the shopping spree," Logan explained.

Rory's phone rang, saving her from responding.

"Hello."

"Rory!" Lane yelled.

"Lane? Where are you? I can barely hear you," Rory asked, confused by all the background noise.

"We won!" Lane said screaming.

"Won what?"

"The battle of the bands!"

"Are you serious? That's amazing!" Rory said, extremely happy for her friend.

"I know! So now we get to give a concert at that club. It's an hour and a half show, and we go on this Friday at 9."

"How excited is Zach?" Rory questioned.

"Oh all the boys are freaking out….almost as bad as me," Lane said laughing.

"So how do I get tickets?" Rory wondered, changing the subject.

"Rory you don't have to come, I know you're busy."

"Lane, I'm not missing this! Just tell me how to get tickets."

"We get some tickets, just call me back when you know how many you need!"

"Okay Lane, now I'm going to let you get back to your celebration," Rory said, smiling at how happy Lane was.

"Bye Rory!" Lane said.

"Bye Lane," Rory could hear Lane yelling to Brian before she hung up.

"What was that?" Logan asked.

"Lane had some very exciting news."

"What about Lane?" Steph's voice asked from behind them.

The group turned to see Colin and Steph pulling up seats. Logan decided to make the last introduction, "Bri meet Colin. Colin, this is Brianna."

"Hey," Colin said, offering a hand.

"Hi, I've heard some stories about you."

"Really? From who?" Colin questioned, nervous about what was said.

"All of them, but don't worry, it was nothing too bad."

"So what is this about Lane?" Steph asked, repeating her question from earlier.

"Hep Alien won a battle of the bands contest. The prize is a Friday night show at the same club that housed the contest. They get to play an hour and a half set. She has been freaking out about this for weeks. I'm glad it went so well."

Logan noticed the look on Rory's face and remembered her conversation, "So, how do we get tickets?"

Rory looked at him surprised that he wanted to go. She always thought he just agreed to go to the concerts because she was going. She replied, "I call Lane and tell her how many I need. So is everyone coming?" she asked, glancing around the table. She saw everyone give a nod except Bri.

"Bri, I told you about Lane right? My friend from Stars Hallow," Rory offered, knowing she had mentioned Lane in some way or another.

"Yeah," Bri confirmed.

"So don't you want to come?" Rory noticed the apprehension of Bri's face, "Come on, we need someone to look after Finn."

Bri laughed, "He shouldn't need a babysitter."

"You're the one who said I was 3 ½," he pouted.

After a few moments, Bri finally agreed to come. When she did, Rory saw a smile cross Finn's face. A smile she wasn't sure she had seen before and wondered what it meant. She looked over and noticed that Logan looked shocked at Finn's expression also. She would have to ask him about it later.

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A/N: Please read and review!