Not Just Friends

Disclaimer: My shrink has informed me that I own nothing. Damn.

No matter what anybody said, being Logan Huntzberger's best friend sucked. That's all there was to it. Finn had learned that long ago, but he still stuck around, preferring the not-quite-comfortable known to the terrifying unknown.

There were good points to being Logan's friend. Even Finn would admit that much. But the fact that they were in love with the same girl negated the good times.

It had happened before. Finn and Logan in love with the same girl, that is. Ironically, they never ever fought over girls, mostly because Logan was too dense to see what Finn felt. Actually, that too was unfair. Logan wasn't that dense, it was just the combination of Finn successfully hiding his feelings yet again, and the fact that Logan was too self centered – too motivated to get what he wanted that he bulldozed over anything that got in his way.

And it had always been this way. Never had Finn had the girl that Logan wanted. It was just a fact – Logan Huntzberger got the girl. One of the things that was always true – the sun rose in the east, Washington was on the dollar bill, and Logan Huntzberger always got the girl.

This time was no different. Finn had watched in agony as Logan and Rory danced around each other, neither ever making a move, but neither available to anyone else either. Finn listened patiently when Logan waxed poetic about Rory, every new tidbit of information Logan revealed making Finn fall more deeply in love with her. He listened patiently when Logan vented his frustrations, but Finn was secretly pleased that Rory hadn't yet fallen for Huntzberger's charms.

Finally, one day, Finn had had enough. "God!" he exploded in the middle of Logan's five minute monologue about Rory's exquisite ear. "Why don't you just ask her out already?"

To his immense disappointment, Logan did ask her, and to his even greater disappointment, Rory said yes. Soon they were dating and became Yale's golden couple. Her grandparents were so optimistic that they got back together to start planning the wedding.

Much to his displeasure, Finn was often blessed with their company. Rory was always in the suite, watching movies with Logan or playing childish board games with all three. It made Finn's heart break a little more, every time he saw them kiss, or even worse, exchange an innocent touch. Those were the things he longed for, the things he wanted with all of his heart.

Logan and Rory went to parties, with Colin and Finn as their entourage always in toe. They were always the center of attention, and no one ever noticed the scowls Finn sent their way. In fact, no one ever noticed Finn at all. If anyone would have paid any attention, they would have noticed that something was definitely wrong with him. He was no longer the boisterous fellow he had once been. Instead, he was always subdued and sulking. He no longer drank himself into oblivion. He was also no longer the womanizer he had been. In fact, he hadn't had a date since the day of Rory's prank on Logan, oh so long ago.

Rory was everywhere he went. She was in his classes – given the fact that his schedule was exactly the same as Logan's and Logan's was exactly like hers. She was in the suite. She was at all of the Life and Death Brigade events. And as much as it hurt, knowing she wasn't his, her presence was also comforting. From the background he could quietly observe her, learning more about her everyday.

Inevitably, the day came when Rory and Logan had their first big fight. A fight so big that it was the beginning of the end - and everyone knew it. It had started out over something small – Rory was having lunch with her friend Marty, just as she had every week for their entire relationship. Logan had never had a problem with it before, but now he wanted her to spend the time with him. Finn heard it all.

"I've got to go. Lunch with Marty today." She casually dropped it into the conversation, just like she had a million times before.

"Skip it." Logan's tone was casual, but Finn could tell it wasn't a request.

"What?" The commanding tone took Rory off guard.

"Skip it. Have lunch with me."

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?" Logan asked darkly.

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"It's not that you can't cancel lunch with Marty. It's that you don't want to."

"That's right, I don't want to." Rory was becoming fed up with the conversation.

"Why do you even stick around if you don't want to be with me?"

Rory, who had turned to head out the door, whirled around as she heard his words. "How dare you twist my words like that? I never said I don't want to be with you, and you know that perfectly well."

"Well, you seem to want to be with Marty more," Logan practically spat Marty's name out, as if it were some disgusting profanity he didn't want to utter.

"Because I have a standing lunch date with him once a week?" Rory was turning red with anger.

"Yes, because you have standing lunch date with him -," the rest of Logan's sentence was drowned out as Rory began to rant.

"I spend all of my time with you, Logan! Just because I have lunch, with my friend once a week, does not mean that I don't want to be with you. But now that I think about it, if you're going to be this controlling, then maybe I don't want to."

"I wouldn't have to be this controlling if you would acknowledge what is right in front of your face."

"What? That Marty likes me? That much is obvious. But I don't like him as anything more than a friend," Rory seethed.

"Yes you do. At least acknowledge it."

"I do not. I can't believe you're jealous of one hour, every week that I spend with Marty."

"I'm not jealous, I just can't -" he broke off, knowing if he went any further, he would be in deep trouble.

"You can't what, Logan? You can't trust me?" Logan couldn't look her in the eyes, so she knew she was right. "I can't believe that after seven months you still don't trust me."

"Rory, I never said that." Logan tried to backpedal urgently.

"No, but you thought it and that's just as bad." She turned and stormed out of the suite.

Finn, who couldn't help but overhear from his chair in his room, got up quietly. He tiptoed out of the room – something which should have alerted Logan that something was up, but Logan was too busy sulking to notice anything. A nice change of pace, thought Finn, Logan sulking instead of him sulking. He couldn't believe Logan had treated Rory like that.

That afternoon, when Rory went to her dorm room after her lunch with Marty, she found Finn sprawled out, sound asleep on the sofa. Through her confusion, a slight smile crossed her face; Finn was so uncharacteristically innocent when he was sleeping.

"Finn," she whispered softly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Finn, wake up."

Finn slowly opened his eyes, disoriented for a moment. He glanced around the room, his eyes finally coming to rest on Rory's face.

"What are you doing here?" Rory asked, genuinely confused.

"I thought you might need some cheering up. So I brought a big bag of junk food," here he indicated the plastic bag sitting on the table in front of him, "and some Robin Williams movies."

"He's my favorite!" Rory exclaimed happily.

"I know." Finn's voice was serious.

Rory sat down heavily next to Finn and changed the topic. "You heard us?"

"It was kinda hard not to overhear, love."

Rory looked at her hands. "I just don't know why he chose today to get upset about my lunch with Marty. I've been upfront about it the entire time."

"No one ever knows why Logan does the things he does."

"But you must have some idea, right? You're his best friend."

"Hun, I have long since given up trying to figure out the enigma that is Logan Huntzberger." He spat out the name, much like Logan had spat Marty's name, but Rory didn't notice.

"If he can't trust me, why am I in this relationship?" Finn shifted uncomfortably, unable to voice his true opinions on the topic. Luckily, it was a rhetorical question. Rory continued. "I just don't know what to do."

"Watch Dead Poet's Society?" Finn asked hopefully.

Rory perked up. "Oh Captain, my Captain!" she said, in a reference to the movie.

"I'll take that as a yes." Finn got up to put the DVD in the DVD player.

Three hours later, they were on the second movie – Patch Adams. Rory was on the couch and Finn was on the floor, both surrounded by bags and bags of M&Ms, Skittles, vanilla wafers, Hot Tamales, and a pint of cookie dough ice cream.

All of a sudden, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Come in," Rory yelled. "It's unlocked."

"Rory, you're not supposed to leave the door unlocked…" Logan's voice trailed off as he saw Finn leaning against the couch. "What is he doing here?" Logan asked as if Finn wasn't within hearing range.

"What does it look like Finn is doing here?" Rory countered defiantly.

Logan was taken aback by the fury in her voice.

Finn said quietly, "I'm trying to watch the movie."

Logan's anger quickly returned and he rounded on Finn. "Well, would you please leave? I have to talk to Rory alone."

Before Finn could reply, Rory jumped in. "No, Finn, don't leave." She turned to Logan. "Whatever you have to say to me can be said in front of Finn."

"But Rory -"

She cut him off. "No buts, Logan. Finn heard us go at it the first time, and came over to cheer me up, so I think he has earned the right to hear what happens next."

"Rory, I'm sorry, but -"

Again, she cut him off. "There is no such thing as 'I'm sorry, but.' You're either sorry or you're not."

Logan continued as if he hadn't heard her. "But I don't like all the time you spend with other guys."

Finn opened his eyes wide. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Although he had been privy to Logan's prior relationships, Logan had never gotten so possessive before.

"Marty is just a friend. Finn is just a friend." At this, Finn's heart sank and his frown returned. "Personally, I wouldn't consider your girlfriend hanging out with other guys cause to break up with her."

Logan recoiled as if she had hit him. "I never said anything about breaking up."

"No but I did. If you're going to be like this, we definitely need to, at the very least, take a break."

"But Rory –"

"No Logan. Please leave."

If his heart hadn't been busy breaking into a million pieces, Finn would have laughed at the pitiful expression Logan wore as he turned and exited the door. As soon as he was gone, Rory let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"It's okay, hun." At what Rory thought was Finn's casual use of the endearment, a tear made its way down her cheek and she began to shake. Finn turned and held her close until she was asleep. Finn carried her into her room and gently laid her on the bed. Then Finn quietly let himself out, careful not to disturb Paris.

He made his way to the pub. Once there, he started drinking like he hadn't for the last nine months. Rory's unintentional barb about his just being a friend stung. Although, what could she have said with Logan there? What really hurt the most was how she said it as though it should be obvious to any bimbo with half of a brain. How she made it sound like she would never see Finn as anything but a friend.

When the pub closed, Finn couldn't stomach going back to the suite – to the confrontation with Logan that inevitably waited him. So he hailed a cab and went home.

Finn didn't go back to Yale for a week, missing three parties and one special Life and Death Brigade event. When he finally checked his cell phone, five days after his 'disappearance' there was only one message on it.

He accessed the message and Rory's familiar voice floated to his ear. "Finn? Where are you? I hope you're alright, I've been worried." Finn's heart soared. She'd been worried about him. Quickly, he quelled that feeling, remembering what she had said. "I wanted to say thanks for coming and trying to cheer me up last week. It really meant a lot." She paused. "Well, call me when you get back. Maybe we can grab a coffee or something."

Finn took a deep, cleansing breath. He wished it hadn't sounded so much like she was asking him out on a date.

Two days later, when he could put it off no longer, he went back to Yale. Logan and Colin were sitting on the couch when he walked in. Logan sent him a death glare. Colin asked, "Finn, where've you been all week?"

He ignored both of them, quickly striding into his bedroom and locking the door behind him.

The next morning, when he went to class, Rory was saving a seat for him. "So, do you want to go get some coffee after class?" Finn looked up and caught Logan glaring at him from across the room.

"I'd love to."

When their class finally ended, Finn swung an arm around her shoulders and they made their way to the nearest coffee shop.

Once they were seated, Rory broke down and asked, "So, where were you?"

"I went home," said Finn bluntly.

"Why?" Rory inquired.

He gave her a look. "You broke up with my suitemate while I was in the room. Talk about awkward."

She laughed a little.

"So, how've you been?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Actually I've been good. I've got so much more time to myself and I don't miss him as much as I thought I would."

"Glad to hear it." They finished their coffees in companionable banter.

For the next couple of weeks, it was much the same. They continued to go get coffee together after classes, occasionally mixing it up by going to the local arcade or a movie they both wanted to see.

Five weeks after Rory's break up with Logan, she arrived at their suite door. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she knocked. Seconds later, a disheveled Logan answered the door. It was the first time they had had an actual confrontation since the break up.

"Hey Rory." His measured nonchalance was back.

"Hey. I'm actually here to see Finn." Logan's eyes darkened noticeably at the mention of his roommate.

As if summoned by his name, Finn appeared in the doorway to his bedroom. "Hey Rory! There you are. Come on in. I've got all my notes, and I'm ready to study!" Rory couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm. Logan didn't have any choice but to step back and allow Rory into the suite. His face contorted into an even greater scowl when the door to Finn's room shut behind her.

For the next couple hours, they studied. Rory couldn't help but notice that Finn seemed a bit nervous. Finally, she confronted him about it. "Finn, is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No. Why do you ask?"

"You seem a bit nervous."

He looked at her and blurted out the thing that had been on his mind all night. "Do you want to go out sometime?"

"On a date?"

"Yes, on a date."

"With you?" By now Finn was regretting ever asking, but he was determined to see it through until she turned him down.

"Yes, with me."

Rory looked at him for a long moment and then nodded. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

Finn just stared at her silently. He couldn't believe she'd actually said yes. When Rory returned to studying, he finally realized that he'd been silent for a couple of minutes. "I was thinking we could go see the new Robin Williams movie, since you like him so much."

"I'd like that."

"So, tomorrow? Say around 7-ish? I'll pick you up."

"I can't wait."

For the rest of the night, Finn couldn't wipe the idiotic grin off his face. Take that Huntzberger. Finn could get the girl too!

AN: I don't know how many people like FinnRory, but I just had to write it. I hope it wasn't too painful to read!

Please review and tell me what you thought of it – even if you didn't like it, I'd like to hear from you! - Rebecca