Author's Note: I'm a rat. In my first chapter I completely forgot to thank Rebecca for doing a wonderful job of beta-ing this story for me. She's fabulous and I thank her a thousand times over!


Wanting to Fall – Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot...

"Are you sure you really want to go away for the weekend?" Lorelai was standing in the doorway to Rory's bedroom with puppy dog eyes and an exaggerated pout on her lips. "Wouldn't it be more fun to spend it with Mommy?"

Rory rolled her eyes as she zipped up her suitcase. "If I remember right, last year we ate ourselves into a sugar coma, you gave up first by the way, watched two seasons of Saved by the Bell on DVD, and you passed out before midnight."

"So what's your point chica?"

Rory laughed. "It was fun," she admitted. "But this year, you should spend the night with Luke, not with me."

"Oh, I could, couldn't I?"

"Mm hmm."

"I could play Desperate Housewives and ask him to come check my pipes!"

"Dirty!" Rory made a face at Lorelai and looked at her watch. "Okay, they're going to be here soon to pick me up, so any last comments?"

"Just a few." Rory half-listened as Lorelai went on about the dangers of strangers in ski masks and drinking and the evil socialites she would be with.

"Anything else?"

"Pack some thermal underwear."

"The things my mother taught me," Rory laughed. She looked out the window and spied a black car pulling into the driveway. "And there they are," she said, turning back to Lorelai. "Have a good weekend, be safe and have fun!"

"That's my line!" Lorelai exclaimed. She hugged Rory and then smacked her on the butt as she passed her. "Remember those strings, and where they got you last time Kid. Have fun."

"Love!" Finn popped out of the car and took her suitcases from her. "Ready for a weekend you'll never forget? Or remember, if it's done right?"

"Finn," she greeted. "Up before four?"

"Special day, special circumstances." He held the door open for her and then turned to wave at Lorelai who was standing on the front porch. "Miss Gilmore!" he called. "I trust the new mailbox arrived and was set to your liking?"

"Yes, yes it was Finn, bright and early at six-ten in the morning." Upon driving Rory home from the holiday party the week before, Finn had insisted on accompanying Logan as he walked her to the door and on the way back to the car, he had mysteriously managed to uproot the entire mailbox from the ground, though no one could explain how. All had been left in its place was a note from Finn, spouting apologies and promises of a new one. Why he had taken the broken object with him, well that was just one of many questions that could be asked of Finn.

"Yes well." Finn shrugged apologetically. "They really should put flashing lights on those mailboxes."

"Or I could keep drunk Australians off my lawn!" Lorelai shook her head before disappearing back inside the house.

"Rory, I'm so happy you're coming!" Stephanie gushed once the car was pulling out of the driveway. "It's been too long since we've seen you."

Rory just smiled and looked around the car. Stephanie was seated next to her, with Colin and Finn across from them.

Stephanie smiled knowingly and linked her arm through Rory's. "He's already on the mountain," she whispered into her ear.

"Oh, I wasn't look-"

"Yes you were." Stephanie smiled again. "So Finn, who's the lucky woman this year?" she asked, changing topics quickly as Rory breathed a sigh of relief.

"And more importantly, is she actually a woman, unlike last year's date, whom I believe was but a mere seventeen years old," Colin asked with a wink.

"Get out!" Stephanie leaned forward. "Sacha was only seventeen? How scandalous!"

Finn shrugged as he cast a withering glance towards Colin. "She claimed to be older. And if we're going to bring up past dates of scandal, ask Colin about the lovely Autumn Alcott."

"Mature, Finn." Collin rolled his eyes.

"Well?" Stephanie pressed. "What about Autumn?"

Colin hesitated. "She was married before." Finn coughed slightly. "Twice."

"Twice?" Stephanie echoed. "Wasn't she only nineteen?"

"That would be the scandal I suppose," Colin said dryly. His eyes shifted at Rory's slight giggle. "The lady laughs," he said with a smirk. "But don't think for a moment that you are excluded from this conversation."

"Rory's too fair and innocent to have a sordid and scandalous past," Finn chastised. "No offense my dear," he said in her direction. "It's one of the many reasons we love you."

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Well I would have answered the question but now I hate to shock and offend you, so I'll go along with your idea of me."

"Unfair!" Stephanie shook her head vehemently. "If you won't tell the guys, at least tell me. Please?"

Rory laughed again and leaned in closer and before she knew it, she was spilling her own tale of being 'the other woman'. She didn't stop to think until she leaned back and realized how carelessly she had just shared the story with a girl she barely knew. Dean wasn't someone she thought of lightly, and she had never so freely spoke of that part of their relationship to anyone besides her mother.

It was these people, she realized as she closed her eyes and the conversation swirled on around her. They all brought out a different side of her, one she wasn't entirely comfortable with yet, but that she liked. It was more freeing than she had ever been, but she knew she had to learn that sooner or later, life wouldn't be all about lists and plans, and this was just the group of friends that could show her how to handle that.

After all, what was it that Logan had always said to her? She couldn't help but laugh that she asked herself that question when she already knew the answer.

In Omnia Paratus.


"Let the games begin!" The shout was heard as the car door opened and Finn fell out, only to quickly pick himself back up and grin at Logan.

Logan laughed as the rest of his friends piled out of the car, slightly tipsy, he was sure and into the fresh mountain air. "And where have you been?" he questioned, slapping Colin on the back. "You were due here almost an hour ago."

"A few unplanned stops, either for refreshments or because the females are a bit on the obnoxious side," Colin said, trying to glare at the two girls who were leaning against the limo, but failing miserably.

"Well what did you expect?" Stephanie rested her hands on her hips. "You can't possibly expect me to drink that much champagne and not have to stop. You know better than that."

"Indeed I do," Colin said ruefully. "I suppose I'll be carrying your bags into the cabin as well?"

"If you know what's good for you." Stephanie sailed past him to walk the stone path to the house. "Finn, wait! Where are you going?"

Colin sighed and looked at Logan. "Why do I put up with it?"

"The evils of love." Logan slapped him on his back as he followed Stephanie up and then turned to face Rory. "Glad to see you made it one piece," he said as he approached her.

"Nice place," she said. As she surveyed the grounds she saw that there wasn't just the one house that her car mates had gone into, but three other equally impressive houses surrounding it. She assumed other members of the LDB would be staying there.

"I like it," Logan said with a smile. "Did you drink as much as those fools?"

"As if I could," Rory scoffed. She grinned. "It was an interesting ride up, too bad you missed it."

"I'm sorry about that," he said. "I came straight from the family compound so there was no way I could come up with everyone else. I would have warned you but," he shrugged, "I figured the worst that would happen was you would have a bad ride up and I was prepared to make it all better." Always the gentleman, he took her suitcase from her and motioned for her to follow him up to the house.

"Hmm, and what would have made it better?" She asked as they entered the house.

"Always with the questions." Logan grinned at her. "When will you learn Ace?"

"Never I guess."

"And I believe you when you say that." He shook his head. "Now technically, you'll be sharing a room with Stephanie, but on the off-chance she and Colin finally get passed this just-friends nonsense, you'll have your choice of sleeping in either my room or Finn's. And well, Finn's date for the weekend showed up here awhile ago and I doubt she plans on them leaving the room."

Rory paused on the staircase. "So that means I'm sleeping with you this weekend?"

"Your choice Ace." Logan grinned and got her walking again. "But you are more than welcome to share my room, as there is plenty of space."

"Convenient," she muttered, realizing that she was only slightly offended at the offer. "So who is Finn's lady of the hour?"

"Words cannot describe the creature," Logan replied. "And I'd rather enjoy watching the look on your face when you do meet her. Stephanie knows her already I think, and if I think right, they do not get along. Which means the distinct possibility of a cat-fight and that always proves interesting."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Well then I look forward to that."

"And here is your room," Logan said, opening a door. He rolled his eyes at the sight before him. "God Steph, you've been here two minutes, what have you done to the place?"

Stephanie looked up and smiled. "I'm a girl, Logan," she said plainly. She then turned and resumed unpacking her stuff.

"And suddenly my room looks that much more appealing doesn't it?" he whispered to Rory who only shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then," he said, recovering his speaking voice. "You two get settled and whatnot, come on down to the main room when you're ready and we'll go from there."

"Go?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

"Again with the questions." Logan shook his head and winked. "There'll be coffee Ace, don't worry." He shut the door behind him.

Stephanie waited until the footsteps faded before pouncing. "So are you two going to hook up this weekend?"

Rory sighed. She knew the question would come up, but she wasn't quite ready for it. "Are you and Colin?" she asked.

Stephanie laughed. "Touchy girl. I'm just asking, I mean, I assume the answer is yes seeing as how we haven't seen you around forever and suddenly here you are." She grinned. "So are you?"

Rory just laughed as she shook her head. "I really don't think that's the plan." It was a safe answer.

"That's too bad." Stephanie flounced onto the bed and watched Rory. "So have you heard about Finn's girl?"

"Just that you don't like her. Who is she?"

"You know, I don't even really know her name. She's the typical Finn-girl. Blonde, well endowed both with looks and with money, I'm sure she idolizes both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears at the same time."

"Interesting. Though up until the idolizing part, that sounded just like you."

Stephanie waved her hand around in the air. "I could have had Finn over the years, but what can I say? I don't want to marry him and then feel obligated to donate half of my liver to him when his starts to fail."

"Good observation." Rory looked around. "So what exactly are the plans for today?"

"Well, it's still daylight so I'm sure there'll be some skiing," Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I don't do outside so I'll probably just drink in the hot tub… tonight the real fun will start."

"Tonight?"

Stephanie winked. "Let's go see what's going on, shall we?" She opened the door and they stepped out into the hallway. "I could use a drink as it is."

"My drinking skills are severely lacking in comparison to everyone else on this trip," Rory noted as they headed downstairs.

"There you are." Logan grinned lazily from his spot on the sofa. "Steph, you know you're your way to the bar. Ace, if you want your coffee, well, you'll have to ask me nicely."

"Hey!" Rory glared at him. "You promised me coffee Huntzberger." Logan merely shrugged. "Mean." She tossed her hair and joined Stephanie at the bar. When she turned back around Logan was staring at her in mock horror.

"I don't believe it. Is it true? Rory Gilmore has overcome her caffeine addiction?"

"Oh God no." She shook her head as she sat down next to him. "But I'm not about to go through hoops for it at the moment."

"Well, we'll just see about later." She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by an all too familiar voice.

"Rory Gilmore." It was spoken as a statement, not a question.

"Oh wow," she murmured under her breath before turning around. Sure enough, Louise Grant was standing there. "Louise!" she said brightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with the foreign hottie," she said casting her eyes toward Finn.

"Exotic, not foreign," Finn said indignantly.

"Finn's date." Suddenly it all made sense.

"You two know each other?" Logan looked back and forth between the two girls.

"We went to Chilton together," Rory explained. "I haven't seen you in awhile though, how have you been?"

"Oh you know." Louise smiled and caught her lower lip between her teeth as she winked at Finn. "Still at Sarah Lawrence, still breaking hearts."

"Of course." She watched with amusement as Louise sauntered past her and Logan and then Stephanie. She paused to smile at Colin, and then settled herself on the couch between Colin and Finn. "I haven't seen you in ages," she drawled, trailing a finger down Colin's arm. "Who are you here with?"

"He's with me," Stephanie said icily, a fake smile on her lips. Rory took note of the possessive lie, fully intent on bringing it up later.

"Pity." Louise dropped her arm and smiled again.

Logan was right about the possibility of a girl fight Rory realized as she watched Stephanie and Louise locked themselves into a stare down.

"So," she said, a little too loudly. "How do you know Finn? There has to be some great story there."

"Oh there is!" Finn exclaimed, slinging his arm around Louise. "Picture it, Cancun, spring break of 2001."

"Okay Sophia," Rory muttered under her breath. She was surprised when Logan chuckled.

"Darling, my name is Finn." He grinned. "Anyways, so there we were, Cancun."

"Actually, it was Lake Tahoe," Louise broke in.

"Right. Lake Tahoe. Anyways, spring break of 2001."

"Winter break."

"Oh. Well, was it 2001 princess?"

"2003." Louise rolled her eyes.

"Right then." Finn looked at her curiously. "Well whom did I meet in Cancun?" he pondered. "And was your hair always blonde? Do I even know you?"

By now everyone was laughing, even Stephanie, who was still glaring.

"Anyways." Louise turned her attention back to Rory. "And you? How do you happen to know everyone?"

"Ace and I are old friends," Logan answered, looking sideways at her for confirmation, which she gave with a slight nod. "And she happened to be free this weekend."

"My my, some things never change." Louise sat back and looked at Rory with admiration in her eyes. "How do you always end up at the front of the line?"

"Hey!" Finn and Colin both spoke at the same time.

"The girl has a point for once," Stephanie said, shrugging at the guys.

"Wait, what do you mean… always?" Logan asked. "Rory doesn't date us blue-bloods."

"I don't know about that," Louise mused. "I mean, sure she dabbles in the working class, but she always catches the eye of the trust fund baby. Strings him along quite well too."

Interesting choice of words, strings, Logan thought as he looked from Louise to Rory, who was looking increasingly uncomfortable.

"I do not!" Rory protested as she felt her cheeks tinge dark. "Louise what are you talking about?"

"Oh you know Rory!" Louise smirked. "Speaking of, I saw Tristan over the holidays and he still asks about you."

"Tristan Dugrey?" Stephanie sat up a bit straighter and Rory was sure she heard both Colin and Finn mutter under their breaths.

"Oh whatever!" Rory shook her head in disgust. "Tristan was nothing. An annoyance maybe."

"What about at Madeline's party?"

Logan shook his head. "So you're Mary," he said without looking at her. This really was all too coincidental for his liking.

Rory's cheeks flushed even darker. "What, does all of Connecticut know about that?" She was surprised as Logan stood and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to her feet as well. She tried to protest, but he pulled her out of the room, into what looked to be a study.

"Was it something I said?" Louise looked around innocently. They all jumped at the sound of a door slamming.

"What's your deal?" Rory asked, as she yanked her arm out of his grasp.

Logan turned and walked over to the desk. He placed both palms on the polished wood and kept his head down to take what looked like very controlled deep breaths. She waited for him to turn around and when he did she was taken aback by the look in his eyes. She knew it wasn't anger; it was something else. She couldn't quite place it, but she knew she had seen it before.

"Did you sleep with Dugrey?"

That was the look. It was jealousy, the same as when she had gone to that party with Robert.

"Excuse me?"

"Did you sleep with Tristan Dugrey?"

Rory rolled her eyes and crossed the room. "Oh come on Logan, that was so long ago, would it really matter?"

"Yes. Did you?"

He really was jealous and it surprised her. She knew she should just confess, tell him the truth, but before she knew it, the words were spilling from her mouth. "What if I did? It's not as if I even knew you at the time. It's not as if you have any right to be jealous now."

"Damn it Rory!" She stepped back at the sound of her name. He never said her name.

"Okay," she said softly, stepping towards him tentatively. "So there's no love lost between the two of you, I get that loud and clear."

Logan sighed and sat down on an overstuffed leather chair. "My family and the Dugrey's are pretty tight. Tristan and I were always put in competition with each other. Don't get me wrong, when it came to sports and academics, I was clearly the victor, always."

"And Tristan got the ladies?" Rory's voice was filled with doubt and just a little bit of amusement.

"No, not really." Logan shook his head. "Just one in particular." He sighed. "Hilary Caldwell. Her parents owned the estate across from ours in the East Hamptons and I was absolutely taken with her. Everyone was, except for Finn, he was just discovering redheads at the time." Rory smiled slightly at that. "And she knew she had all of us wrapped around her pinky, and she played us well. Really well." He laughed slightly at a memory and Rory watched him as he continued talking.

"And then the summer I was eighteen and he was seventeen she came back, and she was stunning. I mean, Hilary was always beautiful, but suddenly, she was striking. It wasn't just her looks though she was a complete package, probably one of the smartest girls in New York. And she had decided she wanted me, and at the time, I wanted nothing more." He looked sideways at her. "I know, I know. Logan Huntzberger wanting a girlfriend? At the time, it was all I wanted, she was all I wanted."

"So what happened?"

He shrugged. "I went to a wedding in the Vineyard. I was gone three days. Three days was all it took for Tristan to get Hilary into his bed."

"Oh."

Logan nodded. "I'm not saying I wouldn't have done it if the roles would have been reversed. If I had, it would have been for different reasons. He didn't love Hilary, he just wanted to prove he could have her."

"Sounds like the Tristan I know." She paused. "I don't get what this has to do with me though," she said slowly.

Logan laughed dryly. "No, you wouldn't, would you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"From that summer on, it was relentless, he constantly reminded me of how he got the girl. It didn't matter that he dumped her soon after that weekend, but he still gloated about how easily she changed her mind, how expendable I was to her. Constantly goaded me into fights and stupid challenges. After that, I decided love was for the weak, and well, you know the rest of that story."

"Yes, but still. You talk about Hilary as if she was this great love of your life and I don't understand what that has to do with—"

"Tristan boasted nonstop his senior year about this new girl at Chilton. He only ever referred to her as Mary, but he spoke of her as if she was the second coming of Hilary. All I ever heard about was how into him this girl was and how I'd never find a girl like that, not even in my dreams. Not that it bothered me at the time, I won't lie, I had my share of girls to brag about, but…" his voice trailed off. None of them were you. "So we're sitting here just now, and all of a sudden, you're her. You'reMary. And yeah… I shouldn't be jealous, I have no right to be jealous but I'll be damned if you're just another version of Hilary that he got to first. I don't like that Rory. Not one bit. You were supposed to be different. You were supposed to be mi—" He sighed and cut off his sentence. Mine.

Rory moved to sit down in front of his chair. "I never slept with Tristan," she said gently. She waited until his eyes fell on hers and nodded at him. "I kissed him once, just once, at a party and that was it. I don't know what he told you about me, but it was all lies, wishful thinking on his part I'm sure. All he was to me was an annoyance. An aggravation I was lucky enough to get rid of junior year."

"So why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

She shrugged as a small smile formed on her lips. "It nice to see someone jealous like that once in awhile," she confessed.

"Someone?"

"You," she relented, not looking at him. "I don't know, I guess it's just nice to feel…" she struggled for the right word. "Wanted." Her emphasis on the word posed it more as a question than a statement. "But I assure you." A bigger grin spread over her face. "You definitely got the girl before Tristan this time."

They both laughed then and Logan shook his head. "You know I didn't mean it like that Ace," he said.

"I know." She reached up to brush a lock of hair out of her eyes and froze as his hand fell on hers. She unconsciously pulled her lower lip between her teeth as his hand wrapped around hers and used it to pull her up to kneel next to him.

Her heart began racing and she could feel the blood pounding in her head as they inched closer. God, it was taking an eternity, she was sure they were only moving fractions of millimeters every other second but she couldn't bring herself to move any faster and he seemed to be taking his sweet time as well.

Logan stared at her hand enclosed in his before lifting his eyes to hers. His mouth twitched at the familiar look in her deep blue orbs. It had been there nearly every time he kissed her, that look that was a cross between fear and expectancy and raw lust. He wasn't certain, but he was willing to bet his eyes held the same.

His mind worked in overdrive. Had he really just confessed that part of his life to Rory Gilmore? Why? Her words rolled around in his head as he committed one particular sentence to memory. Had she meant she was flattered he was jealous, even for five minutes? Why would that make her happy unless…

He was still staring, and his stomach twisted at the sight of her. He hated this, he hated that every feeling he had stuffed away resurfaced and hit him full force. No good would come of this, he reminded himself as his gaze focused on her lips. No good at all. He moved slightly forward. So close. He watched as her eyes fluttered closed, her eyelashes falling. No good. His mind was screaming at him now as he bit his own lip, remembering the last time he had kissed her. Subconsciously his tongue darted over his own lips as he closed the space between them.

Okay, maybe some good…

Rory was waiting, her breath caught in her throat, waiting, she could feel his breath, waiting—she couldn't stop the small sigh rising from her throat as his lips finally brushed against hers.

In the exact second they connected the sound of high pitched shrieking mixed with shattering glass resounded from the other room and Rory fell back onto her knees as both of them turned to the door.

Logan swore under his breath and Rory couldn't help but giggle, slightly relieved by the interruption. "What do you think that was?" Before he could answer they could clearly hear the words 'bottle blonde bitch'. Logan joined her in laughing as he rose from his chair. He helped her to her feet and they ran back into the great room.

"What's going on in here?" They halted in the doorway just in time to see Louise grab the glass out of Finn's hand and hurl it at Stephanie, who ducked as the glass sailed over her head, crashing into the wall behind her.

"That was a fresh drink Love!" Finn protested.

"Miserable wretched skank!" She screamed as Stephanie lunged for her.

"Whoa whoa!" Colin intercepted, grabbing Stephanie around the waist and hauling her to the other side of the room. "Calm down!"

"No!" Stephanie struggled to get away but Colin's grip was firm. "The stupid bitch knows better than to say that! Let me go!"

Louise smirked. "Colin knows its true honey, we all do." Her eyes widened briefly as Stephanie broke free, but Colin grabbed her again.

"A little help Finn?" he asked plaintively.

"All right, all right, let's calm down ladies, really, there's no need for all this fuss." He took Louise's hand and started to lead her out of the room. "There's plenty of other ways for you to release all that pent up energy," he said, wagging his eyebrows up and down. He sent a wink over his shoulder at the remaining party before they left the room.

"Pathetic plastic Barbie doll." Stephanie wrenched herself from Colin's grasp and took a deep breath.

"What was all of that about?" Logan asked, surveying the remnants of all of their glasses strewn about the floor.

Colin sighed. "Louise and Stephanie were oh-so-maturely trading veiled insults and Louise said something about Steph losing her trust fund to the nanny her dad slept with."

"He didn't!" Stephanie protested, tears forming in her eyes. Rory watched as Colin wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against his chest. "I still have my trust fund!"

"We know Steph," he placated, rubbing small circles over her back. "Come on, let's go for a walk." His eyes rolled in unison with Logan's as he ushered her out of the room.

Logan waited until they were alone before turning to Rory. "Her dad's a bit of a ladies man. And she's a bit of a drama queen."

"Oh." Rory wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the so-called insult but wasn't sure how appropriate that would be. She looked at Logan and saw his eyes were crinkling at the corners so she let out a small chuckle. "I don't suppose you know where a broom might be?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Whatever for?"

She rolled her eyes. "To clean up all the broken glass maybe," she suggested. "We can't just leave it here."

"Oh. Hmm." His brow furrowed and she laughed at him, trying not to concentrate on how cute he looked. "The kitchen maybe?"

"That would be a good place to look," she agreed. "Why don't you go find one for me?"

"Why don't we leave it for the help to clean up?" he suggested. "Come on, we'll go join Steph and Colin on their walk. We'll give you a tour of the grounds, complete with the exact tree that Colin fell asleep in last year."

She laughed again. "Well how can I say no to that? Let's go."

As they hurried to catch up to the other two, they were both thinking back to moments earlier, in the study, but each had a very different train of thought.

She was just grateful for the interruption, and even happier that they seemed okay, despite the awkwardness of being disturbed. Maybe this weekend would sail by smoothly after all.

He on the other hand, had very different ideas. Maybe this weekend wasn't going to be as difficult as he had thought it would be. After all, they had only been here for a little while, and already, there was an almost kiss. He sighed as he cast a look in her direction. This was not something Logan Huntzberger did. He did not form plans and calculate how to get the girl. Of course, she made him do and consider a lot of things he had never done before, and he had quickly found that he didn't exactly hate it. Maybe, just maybe, this weekend was going to go exactly the way he expected. It had to.

He wanted it to.