Note: Sorry this one episode is broken up into so many segments. I just wanted to get it out in pieces and trying to fill in the blanks throughout the day. You can expect to see more of this method. Let me know if you hate it and I can make a change.

Logan's thoughts are in italics.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Part 007

Season 5

Episode 7

Title: You Jump I Jump, Jack

Most of the members have gotten comfortable with Rory's presence, and even those who haven't can't even pick her out anymore now that she is following the dress code. Logan feels like this would have been more successful if he had told her about the dress code last night too, but it's too late to worry about that.

The group is getting into places for the final stunt when Logan is looking around to see if he can find Rory. She has been introducing herself to almost anyone and everyone, and Logan appreciates that she doesn't need any babysitting, even though he would have hung by her longer if she had wanted him to.

Logan catches sight of Rory who is peering up at the scaffolding structure with the four people on the top getting harnessed in and holding up their umbrellas. Logan comes up behind her, I have to convince her to join me, "I hope you're thinking up superlatives."

Rory looks to Logan and starts walking in step with him, "what are they going to do?"

Come on Ace, I know you have a lot of information on what we do at these things, and this isn't the first time there has even been a jump. "What do you think they're going to do?"

"They're not gonna jump," she says in a concerned tone.

You're funny. "They're gonna jump!" Logan smiles at her, and she can't tell if he is joking or not.

"It's seven stories, they'll die."

No one is going to die doing this, this is the first time safety has ever been addressed, it's the safest event ever as far as I'm concerned. "We're all going to die one day."

"But those four are today."

Logan turns to face Rory. "Six," he corrects her.

"I see four."

"I'm heading up and I hope you will come with me; please say you want to come with me.

"Of course you are."

What is that supposed to mean? "And Finn was supposed to do it, but few of us figured he would make it this far, so we have an extra space."

Rory looks up at the tower again. Once she looks back at Logan, he makes eye contact with her and smirks, hoping to convey his question without words, and she can sense his question coming next.

"No."

"And we're not going to die, no one in the Life and death Brigade has ever died. Old ones have." Come on Rory, what better way to immerse yourself than this?

"I am not going to jump."

Seth walks over to join their conversation, leaning in to get Logan's attention, "we're all set".

Great I need at least two more minutes to try to get Ace on board with this. "This is Seth, he's the genius behind all this.'

"It's very safe,' Seth says to Rory. Thank you Seth. "We did a dozen successful drops; every potato came through without a scratch." Couldn't have stopped there, could you Seth.

"Potato?" Rory asks.

Whoa rewind to before he said potato, you were almost looking like you might think it was interesting. "You can't test using people, that would be dangerous," Logan jokes, cutting Seth off before he can say anything that might draw Rory even further away from considering joining him.

"Look, thanks for the offer, but I am here as a journalist, an observer. Journalists do not participate."

Is she serious? "Since when?"

"Since forever."

Oh you know I love a good debate, more than that I love a debate with Rory, and I know that in this, there is no way I can't win. The best journalists always participate. "George Plimpton never participated?"

"What?"

You know exactly what. "His best stuff put him in the thick of it. Fighting Sugar Ray Robinson, quarterbacking for the Lions, skating for the Bruins."

"So he participated."

"Bill Buford lived with soccer hooligans in 'Among the Thugs,' Ernie Pyle was so deep in the action in World War II, he was killed by a Japanese Sniper. Not that you've got to go that far."

"Buford, Pyle, I know."

Just making sure Ace. "Richard Hottlet was four months a Nazi Prison working for the UP. Hunter Thompson lived with the Hell's Angels, got in the muck, didn't just orbit around it. It drove his writing. He put you in those bikers' parties, he put you in those bikers' heads."

"All right, all right. So those guys participated. I got it, but I"

Come with me Ace.

Over the crowd Colin is announcing that jumpers need to get to their places. Logan looks over to him and rolls his eyes, obviously since he is the only one not up there that is supposed to be, obviously Colin's statements are directed solely to him.

I know this looks scary. "You're scared."

"Well yeah."

It's okay to be scared. "And that stops the greats?"

"It's stopping this great.

Oh come on, just do it, caution to the wind. "Come on. You look like you need a little adventure."

"What does that mean?"

Probably not how it sounded. "You're just a little sheltered."

"Why, because I haven't spent time in a Nazi Prison, been stomped on by hooligans, and beat up by Hell's Angels? And Plimpton got banged up pretty good, too."

One more attempt then I will let you have your way. "It will be fun; it'll be a thrill. Something stupid, something bad for you. Just something different."

Rory looks down like she is considering, and Logan steps forward to try to lock her into a decision. "Isn't this the point of being young? It's your choice Ace. People can live a hundred years without living for a minute. You climb up here with me, it's one less minute you haven't lived." That's it, that's all I've got. I hope you join me, but if you don't I'm not going to try to force you into it.

"Let's go."

Wait, what? "Let's go."

Rory cautiously grabs a hold of the first rung to take a step up, "I'm not a fan of ladders."

I guess I didn't think this part through. I'm right behind you. "They scare the crap out of me too."

Logan and Rory slowly climb their way to the top of the scaffolding. Logan is ultra-focused on each step that Rory takes, he is nervous that she is going to misstep, slip, and/or step on her dress. He knows he is probably the only reason she agreed to join him, so he definitely doesn't need to be responsible for any injuries.

XXX

Back on the ground, Steph and Colin look up, impressed. "So what do you think is going on with those two?" Stephanie asks Colin, hoping he might have more information. Even though, he is incredibly loyal, and probably won't tell her anything, unless it is an accident, or thinks she already knows. "What do you mean?" Colin turns to her and asks. Colin is completely oblivious to any of the tension and chemistry existing between Logan and Rory. Colin is far more concerned with the success of the event, and the inevitable article that is going to be blamed on him and Logan if things go badly.

"Oh I don't know, I got the sense that he might be into her?"

Colin cocks an eyebrow. "Into her? Yeah sure, it's Logan. Logan is into everybody."

"I guess." Steph looks back up to the group standing getting ready for their jump.

XXX

Back on the platform. Rory and Logan are walking across the platform on the top of the scaffolding to find their places in the jump. Seth is up top assisting people to get into their places, and get attached to their harnesses.

Rory timidly looks over the edge to the group waiting down at the bottom, "High. We are very high."

Eh, it's not really that bad. "I've been higher."

"I meant distance from the ground."

Ha, okay, funny when nervous is totally her thing. "That too."

"This is totally safe." Seth pipes in, with wrapping the band securely around Rory's waist. "And it goes with your outfit, nice."

Bro, what are you talking about?

Rory looks over the edge again. "Why do they look so worried?"

First, you need to stop looking over the edge. Are you sure you are okay with this? I would never want you or anyone to do something they didn't want to do. "We're low on champagne." Logan tries to joke. "You can back out, you know, no one's forcing you."

Logan tries to get confirmation from Rory that she is okay with doing this. This is Logan's thing, he always checks and double checks consent before doing almost anything. This is something that has been hammered into his mind from his father, along with contraception, which both always make him cringe.

Ever since adolescence, Mitchum turned on the fatherly role for one topic and one topic only, to make extra sure Logan understood that being rich meant he had to be careful and make sure that he not only wasn't taking advantage of women, but that it could never be misunderstood or misinterpreted as such. Consent is key, always. Mitchum also made sure he knew that it was important to ensure no one had an opportunity to take advantage of him and his wealth. Logan is pretty certain that this was more about him losing family money, but regardless, he has always taken it seriously and does his best to make sure no one can ever say that he took advantage of them, or a situation.

Logan looks over at Rory, "you trust me?"

Rory waits a beat before saying anything. "You jump, I jump, Jack."

First the joke and now the movie quote. Logan smiles, "I really should've confirmed that those potatoes were okay." He grabs her hand stepping off the edge with her and jumping into the fall.

When their feet hit the ground, they both take a few moments to get their bearings, still holding each other's hand and a bit out of breath.

That was amazing, I cannot believe she did it. "You did good, Ace."

"Once in a lifetime experience."

No way. "Only if you want it to be." There are a couple of moments where the two are staring at each other still taking steps to get into a standstill position. God, I think I want to kiss her, but I can't just lean in and go for it. What if she isn't interested and this is just me, I could ruin this whole weekend.

Logan and Rory are each handed a flute of champagne, which they quickly drink still looking at each other both smiling and giddy.

Colin walks over to greet them swinging an arm over each of their shoulders, look at each of them. He turn to Rory, "didn't think you had it in you Gilmore, I'm impressed."

"Thank you Colin," Rory says, then makes eye contact with Logan again and smiles.

XXX

The ride home is comfortable and not too exciting. Colin decides to drive, since Finn seems to be in no condition. Rory raves about the event and flips through her notebook reading through her notes and mentioning things to the group every once in a while.

Logan finally asks her how she knows so much, and she tells him about the run in with Steph, and how the phrase led her down a rabbit hole of old Daily News issues, which eventually lead her to the article mentioning Elias.

Logan I impressed with her, she certainly knows how to do good research, and has definitely weaseled her way into their secret society. He can only hope that her article comes out good, and no one takes issue with it.

Rory ends up falling asleep on the ride back to Yale, and Logan watches her for a bit, still battling internally with how he is feeling and how he should proceed. He knows he likes her; he is just hoping he can brush it off at this point. He doesn't do feelings, and he doesn't do relationships.

XXX

Logan is back in his dorm, unpacking his bag when he notices that he still has Rory's camera. He had asked Stephanie to take some pictures of the jump, since he knew that Rory might like to have the memories, even if she can't use it in her article.

Logan cautiously turned on the camera, contemplating whether or not this was an invasion of privacy, he only looked through a couple of pictures and shut it off, worried that he might stumble upon something private.

Logan gathered the camera and a few other things to bring over to Rory's as a thanks for a great weekend. He decided to leave the stuff on her doormat. He arranged the items, including: a gorilla mask, bottle of champagne, and her camera. On the top he put a paper folding in half on top, with a note inside that read:

Thanks for being Ready for Anything.

Logan wrapped on the door and walked away. Waiting at the end of the hallway he watched her bend down and pick up the items smiling.