Title: The ultimate curve ball

Author: Joy

A/N: There seems to be a bit of confusion about the direction the story is heading. I have already said what type of story this is. If that makes you stop reading, you will never know what I have in store for our main players. I think you will be sorry you didn't stay to watch them grow.

4. Mary vs. Ace

Rory pulled away staring into Tristan's large blue eyes as he beamed at her. Logan never looked at her with that level of honesty. Dean may have gazed on her so when they were teenagers but it hadn't happened in forever. Rory was hesitantly optimistic that Tristan was sincere.

"Ace?" she heard Logan say from her left. "Who's your friend?" he growled in a possessive tone.

"Ace?" Tristan asked with a smirk not letting go of Rory's hand, which had slid from his chest, and now their fingers were twined. His eyes never strayed from her face either... unwilling to acknowledge the guy set to break up his sweet reunion.

"Ace reporter," she explained only letting her eyes gaze at Logan a moment before once again focusing on Tristan.

Tristan leaned into her ear, "Did you give him hell for not remembering your name?"

Rory smirked at him a little and rolled her eyes.

DuGrey refused to look to his rival. "Ace...Cute...Sweet, memorable...monosyllabic... but I'll stick with Mary," Tristan whispered touching Rory's cheek with his thumb before kissing her brow.

"Mary?" Logan challenged.

The idiot boy was not taking the hint so Tristan stared him down in his obnoxious jovial manner...very glad that he was staring down at the other guy instead of having to stare up again. "Term of affection from years ago," he explained nonplus. "Right...Mary?" Tristan was convinced that this had to be the moron that was in a 'casual' relationship with his Mary.

Rory smiled at him with a bit of a smirk, "That's right Bible Boy." The nickname caused him to chuckle.

Tristan flashed his blue blood smile at his nemesis, "She's always been my Mary and she will always be my Mary. Even if she has donned your Ace for awhile."

Rory bit her lip chuckling at the arrogance that Tristan slipped into so easily. Somehow it didn't matter. Normally such proprietary behavior would have been pushed off, but her ego still smarted from Logan's callus disregard. Having Tristan make his desire for her known was a nice feeling.

Logan was getting annoyed that Rory was not looking at him or paying him any mind... and of course that the guy had his own nickname. "I see... Ace," Logan refused to back down, "who's this?" Huntzberger asked again this time folding his arms over his chest.

Rory took a deep breath still holding Tristan's hand and turned to her 'casual' partner. "Tristan DuGrey, this is Logan Huntzberger. Logan, this is Tristan."

"Huntzberger?" Tristan said with an ironic smile. "As in..."

"The same," Logan finished with an air of superiority.

Tristan chuckled and bit his lip. "I should have known." He knew this guy's reputation and he wanted Rory away from him as soon as possible. Tristan extended his left hand to shake. Logan looked at him dumbly until Tristan held up his right still joined with Rory's, "Other's occupied."

Logan glared at the younger man. "Right."

The handshake was a battle of wills as both guys clutched palms strongly. Rory watched the battle of the blondes, but somehow knew Tristan would be the bigger man... and he was. "Nice to meet you Logan."

Tristan gave Rory an apprising look and stared deep into her eyes willing her to show him what she wanted. When no clear message was received he simply said, "You two seem like you need a chance to talk so...I'll see you soon," before kissing the top of her hand, her forehead and then lips lightly. He started to let go of her hand but she held tight.

"Oh but..." Rory began.

"Don't worry Mare...," he said with a wink, "I always had the built in compass to point me to you. I'll find you...then again you can use that new fangled thing called a telephone," and with that Tristan DuGrey let go of Rory's hand and walked away. Rory stared after him for a minute with a smile. "Back before you know it," he called.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Rory giddily turned to head into her dorm, completely oblivious to Logan's continued presence only to be met by angry eyes when she looked back at him. "Okay...what was that?" he challenged.

"What do you mean?" she said coolly.

"Give me a break Rory. You were kissing him!"

Her eyes lit with anger. "Get off it Logan. I haven't seen or heard from you in a couple weeks. I assumed you had your fun and had moved on to the next girl."

"I had friends in town," he growled.

"For two weeks and you couldn't invite me? Right," she said sarcastically.

"Come on Ace," Logan pled, "It was a couple of weeks."

"That you spent going out of your way to avoid me. Look, you and I were friends before this thing with us...at least I thought we were. Having you put me on your 'ignore' setting hurt...but that has nothing to do with Tristan," Rory explained.

"Really, 'cause from where I'm standing it looks a lot like you are trying to make me jealous, kissing some other guy in front of your dorm... You are never that demonstrative in public."

"Get over yourself...You aren't allowed to be mad over me kissing another guy. I seriously doubt you can say you have not kissed a girl other than me since our arrangement began... I doubt you could even say I am the only girl you have slept with. What right have you to act this way?"

"I haven't slept with anyone else!" he defended.

"Why not!" she shouted.

"Because I only wanted you!" he yelled back.

"Well Logan...then we have a problem. You can't have it both ways. You can't go out with other women and have me not go out with other men. Sorry...I don't date you to date a Huntzberger. I date Logan... Other girls may be willing to sit by the phone, but I'm not. And I don't have to," she pointed out quickly.

Logan just stared at her before asking calmly, "Who is that guy to you?"

Rory stared back, "He's complicated."

"Try to explain him. Use small words if necessary."

She sighed, "He's unfinished business...an old friend...an old enemy...a former bane of my existence." She shrugged, "Tristan and I always had this tension between us. He could at moments be very sweet and at others a total prick... You two have that in common... But the fact he didn't rise to your bait just shows me how much he's changed."

"You have feelings for him?" Logan said partly asking and partly stating.

"I suppose I do...I suppose I have for years."

"See Ace, that's the difference. I don't have feelings for anybody else."

"So you just sleep with girls to sleep with girls...man that just makes me feel great," she said sarcastically.

"Rory, come on. We're in college. We have fun...that has nothing to do with my feelings for you," he stated emphatically.

"Well, what do you want to do about it?" Rory asked.

"I..." Logan's face froze as a girl came up to him.

"Logan, didn't you promise me dinner?" the blonde said.

"Not now!" he stated harshly.

"Fine...don't get so huffy."

Rory shook her head, "You should go to dinner."

Logan glared, "I want to be with you."

"Only to ensure you are the alpha male in my life. I don't think so Logan." Rory began to walk away.

Logan was pissed that she would just walk away from him. "Don't you want to stay where your boyfriend can find you?" he snapped.

"What boyfriend? I am into casual relationships, remember?" Rory stated back.

He advanced on her with purpose, "That's bull. The only time you go out with other people is to make me crazy."

She laughed, "As I said before, kissing Bible Boy had nothing to do with you Logan. Believe me...you did not enter my brain at all. I was mainly thinking about how much I missed him without realizing it and how much he had improved at kissing since we were teenagers."

"Paris didn't mention..." Logan cut off his comment.

"You spoke to Paris, did you? Well I don't think she ever knew that Tristan and I kissed." Rory thought a moment, "No, she did know. One of our odd sharing moments."

He decided to switch tactics and sidled up beside her, touching her face. "I hated seeing you with him."

She turned her face from his fingers after a few moments but stared deeply into Logan's eyes, "And I hate seeing you with other girls but this is where we are at."

"So that's it then...You are going to date him and me?" Logan asked with pain in his voice dropping his hand.

Rory sighed, "Are you ready to be in a relationship with me exclusively?"

"Ace...don't ask me to..."

"I'm not asking you to do anything. I am asking if you are ready."

"Then no..." he admitted.

She shook her head, "Then I suppose I will be dating you both...for the time being."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means for now that is the way it will go."

"I don't want to lose you," Logan muttered taking her hand.

Rory shook her head and push his hand away, "But you don't want me enough to keep me either."

TBC...

A/N: That was for everyone that wanted to see Logan reamed about his two weeks of silence. Even the biggest Logan supporter wanted Logan to get it just a little for the crap he put Rory through.

Oh, if you couldn't tell 'Mary' won.

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