A/N: Hope you enjoy this!

Chapter Thirty-Six

Rory and Nick were splayed out on his bed, laptop set up between them with an episode of Arrested Development playing. Rory shifted on her side, propping her elbow up and resting her head on her upturned hand. A scene came to a close and she said, "You know, I think Michael Bluth might be the perfect man."

Nick grinned, glancing over at her. "Is that so?"

She nodded. "Think about it. He's funny. He cares about his family – almost to a fault. And he's Jason Bateman."

"You can't use 'He's Jason Bateman' as an argument."

"Why not?"

"Because, in the Arrested Development universe Jason Bateman doesn't exist. That's cheating."

"So, in gauging a character's attractiveness you can only use things from that character's universe?"

Nick nodded. "Yes."

She smirked. "Is this some steadfast rule? Is it written down somewhere?"

"Damn right it is," he answered with mock seriousness. "It's in the rule book."

"The rule book?" she asked leadingly.

"Yes, the one entitled The Rule Book Governing All Gauging of Fictional Character's Attractiveness or Lack There of."

With a miraculously straight face Rory told him, "That might me the worst book title I've ever heard."

"It could probably use some editing," Nick acquiesced.

The episode ended and he clicked over to the menu, starting the next episode.

"You know, we're getting through this series pretty fast," he noted approvingly. "By Saturday we'll probably be on the next season."

"I'm actually going to be home this weekend."

"You are?"

She nodded. "My grandparents have some charity event on Saturday that they want my parents and I to go to."

"What type of charity thing?"

"An auction," Rory said. "Meaning my mom will spend the entire night doing bidding fake-outs."

"Bidding fake-outs?"

"Raising the paddle just enough so that it looks like you could potentially be bidding, but not enough so that you actually are."

"Why would she do that?"

"For entertainment," Rory said with a shrug. "And it'll drive my grandma crazy. There is nothing my mom loves more than driving my grandma crazy."

Nick laughed. "Sounds like it'll be quite the night."

"It should be," Rory agreed. They were quiet for a moment and she got an idea. Before she fully thought it through – something decidedly un-Rory-like – she said, "You should come."

"To the auction?"

Rory nodded, sitting up. "Yeah, you seemed intrigued by it."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"You don't have to," Rory said immediately, her cheeks flushing. "I mean, it was just a suggestion and-"

"No, I'd love to," Nick interrupted, laying a hand on her arm. "I just…with your parents and grandparents there…are you sure you really want me there?"

"Yes, I do," Rory said.

"You don't think it'll be weird?" he pressed. "I mean, we've only been dating for a few weeks."

"They won't read too much into anything," Rory assured him. She thought of her grandparents and quickly amended, "Well, my parents won't. My grandparents might, but you'll probably never really have to see them again so who cares, right?"

"I'll go if you want me to," he said.

"I do," she told him. "I do want you to go."

"Alright, then it's settled," he said, leaning in and kissing her lightly. "I better get my bidding arm ready."

"This is a pretty big deal," Paris said, sitting on the edge of her bed and watching Rory pack for the weekend. Rory stuffed a few rolled up shirts into her bag and said, "No, it is not. It's not a big deal."

"You're wrong."

Rory looked around for her favorite pair of sweatpants and saw them on the floor near Paris' feet.

"Hey, can you throw me those?" she asked, pointing at the sweatpants. Paris leaned down and picked them up, tossing them toward Rory who caught them with one hand.

"He's not only meeting your parents," Paris explained. "But your grandparents – one of them being Emily Gilmore. Not to mention bringing an outsider to a society event is practically an engagement announcement."

"It is not," Rory said dismissively. "It's called, I have a friend that I would like to share this experience with."

"Friend, huh?"

Rory gave her a look. "Don't start that."

"I thought you guys were dating."

"We are," Rory said defensively.

"So, then why aren't you calling him your boyfriend?"

"Because he hasn't given me the obligatory ringpop yet," Rory answered, zipping her bag shut.

"I'm serious, Rory. You need to think about this stuff."

"It's too early for that."

"Yeah, well, all the people you introduce him to aren't going to think that. They're going to ask you – at ad nauseum – if Nick is your boyfriend. And you two better decide on that answer before one of you is surprised by the other's response."

What Paris said stuck with Rory for the entire ride down to Stars Hollow. Nick was next to her in the front seat and she found herself casting him furtive glances as they sped down the highway. On the last glance he called her out on it and said, "As much as I appreciate the attention, you're going to get us killed. What's going on?"

"What? Nothing's going on."

"You're acting weird."

"I…" she trailed off and frowned. "Fine, are we boyfriend and girlfriend?"

The question caught him off-guard and he stammered, "I don't know. Are we?"

"I asked you first."

"Seriously?"

"Well, I did," she held stubbornly.

"Look at us," Nick said, shaking his head. "Two full-fledged Yale students caught in an 'I asked you first' loop."

"It's just…people are going to ask," Rory said. "And I want us to have the same answer."

"Should we be?"

"Okay, that's not a fair question," Rory said. "I mean, how should I know if we should be? There's no manual for this."

"Would you be offended if I say no?"

Rory considered the question and admitted, "To be honest, I'd be a little relieved." He didn't say anything and she quickly explained, "It just seems to fast. I've always jumped into relationships before. I sort of like this going slow thing."

"Alright, so it's decided. We are not boyfriend and girlfriend. But, we're still dating right?"

He added the last bit facetiously and she laughed, nodding. "Yes, we are definitely still dating."

"Good, I was worried there for a second."

Rory and Nick walked into the banquet hall and Lorelai found them almost immediately, pulling her daughter into a hug before turning toward Nick and saying, "You must be my daughter's gigolo. She's spoken very highly of you."

Rory made a face. "That's my mom's idea of a joke. As you can see, it needs some work."

Nick laughed. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hayden."

"Please, call me Lorelai. The other one just makes me sound old."

"Where's everyone else?" Rory asked, glancing around the room.

"Well, your grandmother is walking around taking note of everything that she can nitpick at the table," Lorelai said. She caught Nick's confused face and explained, "This is the rare DAR event not under Emily Gilmore's exclusive control. Therefore, she will find anything and everything to criticize."

"It's an art, really," Rory said.

"And your grandpa and dad are outside smoking cigars," Lorelai filled in. "It took them all of ten minutes to break out the stogies."

"I'm sure Grandma was thrilled."

"You know, usually she would have said something but she had just spotted a crooked place setting. Anything after that was pretty much moot."

"Where's our table?"

"This way," Lorelai said, leading them through the labyrinth of tables. "Emily snagged primo real estate. Little does she know, but this'll be perfect for my fake-out bidding. This year might take the cake for most number of confused looks from the Master of Ceremonies."

Rory sat down beside her mom and looked out into the room. The tables were nicely spaced out in the cavernous room. It made the larger setting feel more intimate. Rory spotted Richard and Christopher walk in, their cheeks red from the brisk wind outside. Christopher grinned wide when he saw her, walking faster and leaving Richard behind him.

"It is good to see you, kid," Christopher said, pulling her into a tight hug.

"You too, Dad." She pulled away and gestured toward Nick who had just stood. "This is my friend Nick."

"Nick, nice to meet you," Christopher said succinctly. "Is this your first auction?"

"Unless you count ones of television shows," Nick said.

"Well, then you are in for an experience. Especially this crowd. They might seem docile, but wait until they're going at it over some antique chair. Things get heated."

"I can't wait."

"I'm going to get a drink," Rory said, interrupting their conversation. "You want anything?"

"I can get us something," Nick said.

"No, it's fine," Rory said. "You guys keep talking."

"Alright. I'll take a coke."

She nodded. "Coke it is. I'll be right back."

She made her way over to the bar and took her spot in line. Someone stepped behind her and she felt a tingle run down her spine when a familiar voice said, "Ace, you better not try to outbid me tonight."

She turned around and a smile pulled at her mouth at is own volition. He was dressed in a light brown suit with a open shirt underneath. She could just imagine what a fit Shira pitched over the lack of tie.

"What are you doing here?' Rory asked.

"My parents needed a seat filler," Logan said with a shrug. "Honor was stuck with it last time, so it was my turn."

She grinned. "An auction isn't a bad one to get. At least they're usually pretty fun."

He nodded. "There's always at least one person who gets drunk. So, have you been here long?"

"No, we just got here."

"We?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Nick and I."

"Oh, you brought Nick?"

"He'd never been to an auction before," she explained.

"How quaint."

"Logan," she said, voice warning.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I meant that in a good way. Or at least I meant to mean it in a…anyway, where are you guys sitting?"

"Up front," she said, gesturing toward their table. He followed the direction of her gesture and said, "Damn, that's a good table. I'll try to stop by later and say hi to everyone."

"You could stop by now, you know."

"Shira and Mitchum requested my speedy return," Logan said. "I'm getting them drinks."

Rory stepped up to the bar and ordered both her and Nick cokes. The bartender filled them quickly and then put them up on the bar. She picked them up and turned toward Logan.

"Well, I'll see you later."

"See you later."

Rory returned to her table and Lorelai asked, "Was that Logan?"

She nodded, taking a sip of her coke. "Yep."

"I hope they have some Persian rugs tonight," Emily said to Richard, taking a dainty drink of her Manhattan. "We could use a new one for the den upstairs."

"Yes, the one in there is looking a little worn."

"Well, I for one am hoping there's a good Hungarian rug," Lorelai piped in. "Chris and I say Hungarian or bust."

Emily smiled slightly and said, "Very funny, Lorelai. There really is no rug of a higher quality than the Persian rug."

"Oh look, it's starting!" Rory interrupted, watching a woman step behind the podium on the makeshift stage. The other women fell silent, and Rory thanked her lucky stars that the rug talk had ended.

The woman introduced the event, embarking on a brief speech about the history of the organization and how the evening had come to be. As the evening was described more fully Lorelai nearly choked on her drink, the rest of the table similarly surprised.

It seemed the word auction had been used loosely to describe the evening.

"This is unbelievable," Emily said, eyes wide. "This is absolutely unbelievable."

"They're auctioning off men?" Rory said, grabbing a program from the center of the table and beginning to leaf through the pages.

"Not just any men, but the most eligible men of Hartford and surrounding area," Lorelai corrected. "Oh, this is too good."

"This is awful," Emily said disdainfully. "This is supposed to be an auction, not a meat market."

"It's different," Richard tried.

"Where is Biddy Tarlington?" Emily asked, craning her neck to glance around the room. "I'm going to have to have a few words with her about what constitutes an appropriate event. I mean, this is just embarrassing."

"It's not that bad, Mom," Lorelai said, watching the first man get bid on. "It's sort of fun."

"It is not," Emily retorted. "It's barbaric."

Christopher leaned in toward Nick and said, "Bet you didn't have this in mind for your first auction."

"No, definitely not."

"You know, they probably would have snagged you for this if I hadn't snagged you first," Lorelai told Christopher, laying her hand over his. He grinned, interlacing their fingers.

"I feel like a thank you is in order."

"You bet," she returned. Glancing at the stage, now home to a tall dark skinned banker, Lorelai said, "I will accept gratitude in the form of letting me bet on this guy."

"Lorelai!" Emily said in outrage.

"I'm just acting in the spirit of the event," Lorelai said, turning toward Christopher with a wide grin. "You don't mind, right sweetie?"

"Leave the men to the available women, Lor," he said, leaning in and brushing his lips against her cheek. He lingered for a moment and whispered, "I'll thank you properly later."

Lorelai smirked and said, "I'm going to hold you to that, buddy."

Logan joined the table near the end of the event. Emily had taken her frustrations out on several Manhattans and had begun commenting loudly on the relative attractiveness of each subsequent auctionee. She practically lit up when Logan took Christopher's empty seat – the latter Hayden and Lorelai had escaped to the bar for the later portion of the event.

"Logan, how wonderful to see you!" she trilled. "Don't you look dashing tonight in your suit. Richard, doesn't he look dashing?"

"Yes. Logan, you look quite dashing."

"Nonsense," Emily said loudly. "He looks very handsome!"

"Thank you, Emily," Logan said, shooting Rory a look. Rory made a quick drinking gesture with her hand and he suppressed a grin.

"So, Ace, you bid on any of these fine lads?" Logan asked.

She shook her head. "Pickings are slim."

"Ah, I see. I imagine Nick over here wouldn't be too keen on you bidding, anyway. He seems a tight reins type."

"Logan-"

"Why would he care?" Emily asked, sharp eyes glancing between Rory and Nick.

"Well, they're together," Logan said slowly, glancing around the table and wondering why he was receiving such a variety of looks. "Didn't they…"

"They certainly did not," Richard said, straightening in his chair.

"It's only been a few weeks," Rory said quickly. She looked to Nick and said, "We didn't want to make it a bigger deal than it was."

"Well, is it serious or not?" Richard asked.

Rory frowned, glancing again at Nick who was little help. "It's not not serious."

Lorelai and Christopher returned and Emily demanded, "Did you know Rory and this boy are dating?"

"Nick," Nick offered weakly. "The boy's name is Nick."

"Yeah, why?" Lorelai asked, sitting down in her chair.

"And you didn't think this was information that we should be made aware of?"

"I'm parched," Rory said quickly, standing up. She grabbed both Logan and Nick's arms and said, "Walk me to the bar, please."

When they got away from the table Rory told Nick, "Meet me by the bar. I have to yell at this one for a moment."

"Alright," Nick said, hurrying away toward the bar. Rory turned back toward Logan, arms crossing tightly over her chest.

"What the hell was that back there?" she demanded.

"Rory, I had no idea-"

"That was not your news to tell them," she said angrily. "That was no one's news except for Nick and I."

"I just figured you would have told them," Logan said. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things weird."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I know."

"It was stupid."

"The stupidest."

They were silent for a moment and then he asked, "Why didn't you tell them?"

She blinked rapidly, offering a meager shrug. "I…I don't know. I thought it would be easier this way."

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, I'm sorry for making it difficult. I really didn't mean to do anything."

"Okay, well, I'm going to go to the bar. You try to not make tonight any more painfully awkward."

"I'll do my best."

Rory walked over to Nick and said, "Here, let me cover the drinks."

"They're free."

"Oh, right. Well, the sentiment remains."

He laughed. "Alright then."

"I'm so sorry about what just happened," Rory said. "Logan didn't know that we weren't going to make a big deal out of it and…well…you were there for the rest."

"It's fine," he said.

"Really?"

He turned toward her and took a hold of her face, planting a kiss right on her mouth. She was bleary eyed when he pulled away and he said, "That's how fine I am."

"That fine, huh?"

He grinned, nodding. "That fine."

He took a hold of her hand and she squeezed it once. "Ready to head back to the table?"

"Yeah."

"You know, my grandma is going to comment on that very public display of affection."

"I say, bring it on."

"You're a brave man, Nick Hoffner."

A few hours later Rory was back in her dorm room at Yale, Paris like a bloodhound asking how the night went and if it was as disastrous as she predicted.

"It was fine," Rory said, brushing her hair. "A few minor awkward moments, but for the most part, it was really nice."

"I can't believe Logan showed up," Paris said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the guy was stalking you." Paris paused and said, "On second thought, the guy is stalking you."

"He was a seat filler for his parents," Rory said with a grin.

"A seat filler? Really?"

"Come on, Paris. We've both been there."

"Alright," Paris relented. "I guess he probably wasn't stalking you."

"Nick did well, though. After the initial incident when Logan announced our dating, he really tried and I think he won over my grandparents."

"He won over Emily Gilmore?"

Rory considered it for a moment and said, "To be fair, my grandmother was drunk. But yes, I think he did."

"Well, Nick Hoffner may just surprise us yet."

Rory gave her a look. "What do you mean?"

"Okay, promise to not get mad or throw something at me."

"How about I hear what you have to say first and then I decide?"

"I thought he was just a transitional guy," Paris said. "You know, until the endless Rory-Logan-saga started up again."

"Paris-"

"But I think I was wrong," Paris interrupted, wanting to get to her point before Rory yelled at her. "You guys seem to fit."

"We do," Rory said, smiling slightly. "Alright, I am going to bed. Long day."

"Me too."

They both got in their beds and Paris shut off the lights. Rory turned on her side and felt her body meld into the mattress. Her eyes drifted shut, and as she fell asleep, a familiar face entered her thoughts. Warm brown eyes under a spurt of blonde hair. A maddening smirk. With that image, she fell asleep.

A/N: I know this was Nick heavy. What can I say, I love my OCs. The real point, though, is to make the Rory/Nick relationship real before the next story arc begins. So, just remember that this is Rogan at the end of the day, and enjoy the Rory/Nick adorableness while it lasts :)