Epithet of a heart

Chapter 2

"I have no idea how you do that," commented Rory after losing a fifth game of darts to Finn.

"Some people are just born with it, I guess," quipped Finn.

"Sure they are." Rory stood shakily. "So, do you have plans tonight?"

"I thought we'd already established that I don't. Remember, I hate Valentine's?"

"Well then, what would you say to going to my dorm?" Finn quirked an eyebrow at her, and she quickly continued. "We could order pizza and watch an entirely overrated chick flick."

Finn gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'd love to, hun."

The two staggered out into the fresh twilight air. Halfway to Rory's dorm, it started to rain. While Finn tried to run ahead, Rory slowly started twirling. A couple of seconds later, Finn looked around.

"What are you doing?"

"I just love rain," gushed Rory. "It's so cleansing. Like it's trying to wash away all of the bad things that have happened – you just need to let it clean you too."

Finn chuckled, not sure if she was joking or not. "I think you've had too much to drink."

"Maybe so," acknowledged Rory, "but I love rain anyway. My best friend and I had a rain religion in middle school," said Rory seriously. She paused. "But we also worshipped a tree, so I don't know how much stock you can put into our religion."

"It sounds like an imminently sensible religion to me," volunteered Finn.

Rory turned to look at him. "You've had too much to drink too!"

"Tis true, my lady. Now, how about we go get dry?"

"If you insist," shrugged Rory.

They made their way to Rory's dorm and stood, dripping wet, outside the door, as Rory rummaged for her keys. When she came up empty handed, she looked at Finn desperately. "I can't find my keys."

Finn grabbed the purse and dumped all of its contents on the floor.

"Hey!" protested Rory.

Finn shook the purse, turned it over, and looked inside. "You're right. No keys!"

Rory was torn between the desire to knock Finn over the back of the head and the desire to kick herself for forgetting her keys. In the end, she hit her own forehead. "I can't believe I am such a…a…dork-face! Locking myself out of my own dorm!"

"A dork-face?" asked Finn grinning.

This time, she did hit him over the back of the head. "Shut up!"

Finn pursed his lips, pretending to be in deep thought. "Patient reverts to grade school level maturity," he mock scribbled on an imaginary clipboard. "Diagnosis: drunk."

Rory slid down the wall, exasperated.

"Don't worry, reporter girl," said Finn. "It's going to be fine." Rory felt Finn's hand on her head in what she assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture. When he didn't take his hand away, and instead started playing with her hair, she whipped around.

"What are you doing?"

"Why'd you have to move?" whined Finn. "I almost had one!"

"Had one what?"

"A bobby pin!"

"What for?" asked Rory, as she clumsily moved her hands to her hair and started fiddling for a bobby pin.

Finn rolled his eyes. "I have this lock of hair that won't stay out of my face. It's wet and cold and it's making me shiver."

"What?" Rory asked as she handed him the bobby pin.

"I'm going to pick the lock."

"Oh," Rory sat back to watch as Finn began picking the lock. His dexterity impaired slightly by all the beer he had had, it took him a full three minutes before they heard the click and the door swung open.

"After you, milady," said Finn with a grand bow.

Reluctantly, she went inside. "Where'd you learn that?" she queried.

"Colin's older brother showed us when we were seven. I'm the best at it," he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I think that's why they keep me around. Well, that and my good looks."

"Colin has an older brother?" Rory asked, trying to put all these pieces together.

Finn nodded his head. "Odell. He's actually Colin's half-brother."

"Colin definitely got the better name." Rory remarked absently.

"Yes, it always happens that way," mused Finn. "The first child is given the distinctive name, and the next gets the better, more common, hipper name."

"Did you just say hipper?"

"I believe I did. My god, I'm drunker than I thought."

"Going back to your point about the names: I disagree."

"Case in point?"

"My mom."

"Hmm. You're the first born, right?" At Rory's inclined head, he continued. "And your name is?"

"Lorelai Leigh."

"Exactly. You're name is distinctive. Do you have younger siblings?" Rory shook her head. "Well, if you did, they would probably be named Will, or Elizabeth."

"You're crazy."

"No, I'm right. I'm an only child, and what did my parents name me? Finley Thaddeus Caldwell." He shuddered. "Now Finley I can live with, but Thaddeus? What were my parents thinking?"

"Thaddeus?" Rory tried the name out. She shrugged and her face lit up. "I'll call you Thad from now on!"

"No!" cried Finn desperately.

Rory giggled. "Thad!"

Finn crossed his arms. "You can call me that, but I won't respond."

"Thad, there are plenty of people who don't fit into your name rule," she said, going back to the original topic.

"Sure, those people who have 2.3 kids, live in a decent house with a white picket fence for the dog." He shrugged. "Exceptions to the rule!"

Rory giggled again. "I got you to respond to Thad! I win!"

Finn thought back over the conversation, and pouted. "That is so not fair!"

"Pshaw!" said Rory. "I still win!"

For the first time, Finn looked around the room. "Nice place you've got here," he commented as he walked around and touched his finger to the T.V. to look for dust. "So, where's your roommate?"

"Paris? Oh, she's probably out with Doyle."

"Doyle? Editor Doyle?"

Rory nodded her head vigorously. "So, does everyone get a noun in front of their names? Bartender Marty? Editor Doyle? Let me guess? I'm Reporter Girl Rory?"

"Not necessarily. I'm just clarifying that we're talking about the same person." Finn laughed. "We always thought Doyle was gay. You know, the way he always sucks up to Logan."

"He sucks up to Logan and you guys just assume he's gay? You couldn't think of any other reason he might suck up to Logan?" Finn shook his head. "Not, say, the fact that Logan's father is only the largest newspaper mogul ever?"

"What does Mitchum have to do with anything?"

"Doyle. Editor. Paper. Mitchum. Owns. Papers." As Rory said each word, Finn ticked them off on his fingers.

"Okay, it makes sense now." He paused for a moment. "Are you sure he's not gay?"

Rory nodded her head. "I had the unfortunate experience of seeing Doyle emerge from Paris' room wearing nothing but her tiny bathrobe." This time, they both shuddered at the mental image.

All of a sudden, Rory seemed to realize how wet they both were. "Umm, Finn?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I don't have any clothes you could wear, but you could go take a nice warm shower if you wanted to warm up."

"What about you?"

"I've got my own clothes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll order the pizza."

Without a backwards glance, Finn left the room in search of the bathroom. Rory shook her head, and began her hunt for the telephone.


AN: I hope you guys can all follow the conversations in this chapter. Maybe I got a little teeny bit carried away, but I had fun! Tell me what you think- Rebecca