Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls don't belong to me.

Chapter 14: Dealing' With It.

Rory and Logan were still watching the closed door long after Colin had shut it behind him, each lost in their own thoughts. They both had trouble comprehending the fact that Colin, Logan's best friend, was in love with Rory.

Logan was astounded, why didn't he see it? He had known Colin his entire life. And what was he supposed to do now? Would Colin expect him to break up with Rory or would he be able to get over her? All these questions and a million more floated trough his head. For the first time in his life he had no idea how to handle a situation.

Rory was flabbergasted, to say the least. She felt a ton of different emotions at the same time without any idea how to let them out. She also had many questions, but the most important one outdrew all the other as the gravity of the situation sank in on her; would this mean the end for her and Logan?

Finn, who woke up because of all the commotion, saw his two friends standing in the room. He knew they needed a diversion to calm down so he went to the kitchen to get them some coffee.

Rory was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder; she turned around and was greeted by a smiling Finn. He gave her a kiss on her cheek. "Good morning nipper, why don't you take this cup of coffee and sit down on the couch." He said as he ushered her to the couch.

Finn got the same reaction out of Logan when he tapped him on the shoulder. He handed him his cup of coffee and said; "Go and join your girl on the couch. I think we need to talk."

Rory didn't even think about the fact that she was supposed to be in class in less than a half an hour, nor did Logan. They still had trouble understanding what had just occurred.

Finn looked at his two best friends and felt bad for them, he also felt anger, but that was addressed to Colin. He knew the guy had a hard time dealing with his feelings towards Logan's girlfriend, but that idiotic confession of his might have ruined more than he anticipated. He turned his attention to the couple in front of him and decided it would be best to start up the conversation. He looked at Logan.

"Are you okay, mate?" he asked for form; he already knew the answer.

"No, not really." Came Logan's muffled responds. Then he looked up at his Australian friend. "Did you know about this?" This question struck the attention of Rory and she looked at her friend intently.

Finn sighed, he knew he had to come clean to them and just hope they'd understand. "Yes I did." Logan grunted and let himself fall back against the backrest of the couch.

"Just hear me out, okay?" Finn said. "Yes, I knew Colin has feeling for Rory and yes I chose to keep it from you. But you have to understand Logan; he's my best friend also. I couldn't betray one to the other. I would have kept the secret for you too if the tables were reversed and you know it. Besides, did you really want to know, I mean, do you feel better now that you do."

Logan looked at his friend and knew he was right; Finn was just being a true best friend, to both him and Colin. And in all honesty, he wished he still didn't know.

"You're right, Finn. About all of it. But now that the cat's out of the bag I need some answers from you." He looked at Rory and grabbed her hand before turning back to Finn. "And I need you to be honest, we both do." He gently squeezed Rory's hand.

Finn knew he wasn't going to like this, but he also knew they deserved some answers. And even more so, they needed some answers, to help them figure things out. "Okay, ask away."

"Well, first of all; how long has this been going on?" Logan wanted to know.

"I'm not sure, but it started before you two became an item."

"Well, Colin already said that he lied so this was to be expected." Logan grunted. He then fell silent, dreading the question he had to ask but didn't want to know the answer to. Before he could utter the words Rory surprised him by asking it for him.

"How deep do Colin's feelings go and do you think he can get over them any time soon?" Rory asked quickly, being scared she would lose the nerve if she hesitated.

Seeing the pain in Rory's eyes was killing Finn, it was the same pain he saw reflected in Logan's eyes. He had loved Logan like a brother since the day Logan stood up for him when Timothy Peltch tried to push him of the swing in second grade. And over the last couple of weeks he had grown to love Rory like a sister. He hated that he had to do this, but they had to know the truth. He would do everything in his power to make sure they would get trough this somehow.

"I believe Colin's feelings are deep and serious and I doubt he'll be able to get over them soon." Finn sighed.

"What do you suggest we should do now?" Rory asked with a small voice.

"I have no idea, nipper. But I strongly suggest giving this a lot of thought and not to make any rash decisions."

"You're right." Logan exclaimed as he got up from the couch and started pacing. "We should think about it, but not right now. We are all way to upset to think rational. So I suggest we just go to our classes and meet at the pub tonight. That way we had some time to calm down and give this some thought. What do you say?" He asked Finn and Rory as he came to a halt and faced them.

"Sounds like a plan to me, mate." Finn said.

"Yes, I think you're right." Rory agreed.

Finn got up and walked to his bedroom, a frown still present on his face. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate at all and for a second he thought about getting back into bed and try to catch some sleep. But lately he didn't feel like sleeping 'till nightfall anymore, not since he found out how much fun Yale could be during the day. When he remembered his next class would be with Rory he jumped into the shower and got ready.

Logan reached out his hand to Rory and pulled her of the couch as soon as she accepted it. He smashed her against his body as tightly as he could. If it were up to him they would stay like that forever. He didn't want to deal with what was ahead of them, because in the back of his mind and in the deepest of his soul he knew; in the near future he might have to choose between his life-long best friend and the girl that meant more to him than any other girl ever had or would. But right there, in the arms of his girlfriend, he felt like he could postpone it all, until the sound of Rory's cell interrupted the blissful silence in the room.

Rory smiled up to Logan before she got out of the embrace and walked into his room to pick up her phone. Logan followed her reluctantly, knowing there was a long day ahead of them.

After the three of them were done getting ready they left for their classes. Logan kissed Rory goodbye and headed for his ethics class, which was in the opposite direction from where Rory and Finn were heading.

Finn looked to his left so he could see Rory and saw the sad expression on her face. He knew she was afraid for the outcome of this situation and he wished he could help her, but he couldn't. So instead of giving a solution to all her problems he placed his arm around her shoulders and hugged sideways. This earned him a watery smile from Rory; it was all she could muster up at that moment.

Rory was feeling numb and scared. Earlier, when she was in Logan's arms, she wished they could've stayed like that forever. But then Steph called to ask if Rory needed her to take noted in her poli sci class. Rory knew she might lose Logan because she would never come between him and his best friend, she just hoped it wouldn't come to that. God! How could this day have gone from a perfect awakening to a day of sheer horror in just one second? One second, just one second. That's how long it took Colin to say those two little words that changed her relationship forever. A small part of her knew it wasn't Colin's fault; you don't choose who you fall in love with. She also knew that if he would've had a say in it Colin would have never fallen for her. But the biggest part of Rory couldn't give a rat's ass, the biggest part of her was beyond angry with Colin.

The rest of the day went by in a blur for the four friends. Neither of them had been able to concentrate and with the increasing load of work with Christmas break coming up, it was really awfully timed. But none of them cared; they were too wrapped up in their personal problems.

Even though they all felt terrible, Colin felt the worst of all. As soon as he closed the door behind him he felt like banging his head trough a wall. He couldn't believe that he just said it like that. What was he thinking? Was he even thinking at all? He was, because he had a chance to back out, but he chose not too. He had been selfish and now he was scared that he would lose his best friend. But he couldn't take it back now and all he could do was wait to see how things would play out. During lunch he had received a message from Logan telling him that he wanted to meet him in the pub around 7:00. Rory and Finn would be there too. It was only 3:00 and never before did time pass by this slowly.

Logan arrived at the pub at 5:45. He was meeting Finn at 6:00 and Rory at 6:30. He had thought about the situation all day long but couldn't come up with a solution. He asked Finn to come earlier because he wanted to discuss everything with him first before Rory would join them. Without her it would be easier to speak freely. He knew Finn loved Rory like a sister and that he wouldn't say anything that might hurt her too much. Logan had given Colin a lot of thought too. He knew they would have a confrontation and it wouldn't be pretty. He also knew their friendship would never be the same again. Colin didn't choose to fall for his girlfriend, but he did have a choice in how to deal with his feelings and Logan felt he had made the wrong decisions. But despite it all, he wasn't about to give up their friendship over this. They once swore that they would never let a girl end their friendship and he would hold himself to that oath. He just prayed to God that it wouldn't come to that. Losing Rory would mean losing a big part of himself, of his good side.

Logan ordered a scotch for himself and a Guinness for Finn. Right after he sat down in a booth in the corner his Australian friend walked in. After he spotted Logan he joined him in the booth.

"How about we skip the small talk and get straight to business?" Logan suggested as soon as his friend sat down.

"Let's." Finn answered as he downed his beer in almost one gulp and signaled the waitress for another one.

"Okay," Logan started "why is it that Colin isn't over Ace yet after all this time? I'm sure he tried."

"Yes, he tried. You have no idea. I mean, he even started dating Celia in order to get over nipper." Finn thanked the waitress that brought his beer and told her to keep them coming. After that he continued.

"The problem is that he didn't get a chance to get over her. He was confronted with her on an almost daily bases. And 90 percent of the time you got to know something new about her that made your feelings for her stronger; so did he."

"So instead of being able to forget her, her consistent presence only made his feelings for her grow. That's why he objected to the fact that she and I were spending so much time together." Logan said, more to himself than to Finn. Everything of the last three weeks started to make a lot more sense. Three weeks? Has it only been three weeks? Not even, Saturday it will be three weeks.

"Exactly." Finn said. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"What choice do I have, Finn? 'Friends before all.' Remember?" Logan sighed.

Finn just looked at his hands; he didn't know what to say. He could only imagine how hard this was on Logan, but he also admired his friend's loyalty.

Logan felt like dying and his heart broke when he saw Rory entering the pub. She looked so beautiful, even with the sadness in her eyes. When she smiled at him he knew he would never feel worse in his life, but this was something he had to do.

"Do you want me to leave, mate?" Finn asked his friend once he saw Rory coming over to their booth.

"No, I want you to be there for her. Please take her home and take care of her, Finn. She'll need you." Logan said, his voice thick with emotions.

Finn nodded and gave him an encouraging pat on his forearm. "Don't worry, mate. I won't let her out of my sight."

Logan didn't get a chance to respond because Rory had reached their booth. She sat down beside him and kissed him briefly. Logan cherished every millisecond of it; knowing it might be their last. He knew he was going to hurt her and he wasn't sure she would come back to him once the time was right again.

Rory looked Logan in his eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. When she saw the empty look in his eyes it hit her. Tears filled her eyes as the dreadful question left her trembling lips.

"Are you breaking up with me?" she whispered softly.

"No." Logan whispered back.

Rory looked up relieved but it disappeared as soon as it had come; there was more.

"But?" she urged him to go on.

"But, I think we need to take a break. That way Colin will get a chance to get over you. When he keeps being confronted with you it will be impossible for him to get over his feelings. So he needs some time without you and that's only possible if we don't see each other for a while. Do you understand?" Logan rambled in one breath.

"Do I understand?" Rory exclaimed heartbroken. "Of course not! Why can't we stay together? We could just steer clear from your dorm."

"And the pub? All the coffee carts and all the parties? I can't do that, Ace. He's my best friend and that way I would slowly tear myself apart from his life. We've been best friends ever since we were in diapers, I can't just throw it away. This is the only way."

Rory stared at him intently for a moment. She knew he was right; had it been Lane she would have done the exact same thing. But how could she stay away from him when she needed him so much?

"Will we get back together or am I supposed to move on?" she asked, tears and pain evident in her voice. She looked down at her hands.

Logan placed his finger under her chin and lifted her head so he could look at her straight. "We will get back together, Ace. There will be no one that could even compare to you. It will be hard. But once this is over I pray to God you'll give me another chance. However, if you find someone else in the mean time, don't feel obligated to say no. Just keep in mind that there will be no other for me." Logan said with more strength than he was feeling. He caressed her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

"There is no place for anyone else in my heart, Logan. Just make sure you'll come back to me." Rory said softly before she kissed him one last time. After that she stood up and walked out of the pub without looking back. Finn caught up with her right before she walked trough the door and placed his arms firmly around her body. Keeping her close as he walked her to her suite.

When Colin walked into the pub he saw Logan sitting in a booth all by himself. On one hand he was glad Rory wasn't there but one the other hand he couldn't help but feel a slight sting of disappointment. As he got closer to his friend he could see the look of despair in his eyes. An air of pain and anguish surrounded his entire being. A ghastly feeling started to roar in Colin's stomach. He sat down in front of his eldest friend but he couldn't bring himself to look at him directly. He didn't know what to say so he waited for Logan to start the conversation.

Logan looked at his friend and felt anger stirring in his entire body. The guy in front of him, his best friend, was the reason he had just had to hurt the only girl that had mattered to him. It would be hard to get back the bond they used to have, but Logan knew he would put every effort in it. People always thought he considered Colin and Finn as his lackeys, but that was far from the truth. Too him Colin and Finn were his brothers and you just didn't dismiss that without fighting for it. He saw Colin was finally about to say something but he beat him to it.

"I'll talk, you'll listen, okay?" he started. Colin just nodded.

"For starters; I don't blame you for having feelings for Rory, she's an amazing human being. However, I do blame you for the way you handled it. But, now that I know everything I understand your behavior of the last couple of weeks and I wonder how I could have missed it. It was probably the whole me trusting you thing." Logan paused a moment after that last sentence to make Colin feel it. He knew he was being harsh, but he couldn't help himself.

When he saw the pain in his friends eyes he continued.

"I've been going over everything in my mind all day, searching for a solution that would mean we got to remain our friendship and Rory and I could still be together. I didn't find one."

The ghastly feeling in Colin's stomach increased with every word that left his friend's mouth. Would this really be the end of their life-long friendship? Logan's following words were like a cold shower.

"Rory and I are taking a break." The pain in his voice was undeniable.

"I know that you can't get passed your feelings if you're being confronted with frequently, so, in order to save our friendship I won't see Rory for a while. This way I hope you get the chance to move on. But make no mistake; the fact that I chose our friendship over my relationship with Rory doesn't mean I can forget about all of this. It will take time and effort to get back our bond. And I have every intention of getting back with Rory. I know, you don't just get over intense feelings, but I hope we can find a way."

Colin couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew that Logan made a big sacrifice and he would make sure that his friend wouldn't regret it.

Logan looked at his friend and saw the confusion and relieve on his face. He asked the passing waitress for another round of scotch and then turned to his friend again.

"So, how about those Lakers?"

They both knew the emotional filled conversation was over. After all; they were men and sports was a very manly topic.

A/N: I know, you hate me right now. But remember; What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Trust me when I say I have many good things coming up. Lots of bonding, growing as a person, a very characteristic proposal and of course; Christmas at the crap shack. Also, how will our favorite couple deal with the separation?

gilmoregirl: I love your reviews and I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I don't want you to lose your sanity. It's so sweet that you go to this site everyday to look for my update. That's really sweet and flattering. After your last message I spend almost all of my free time finishing this chapter. Unfortunately I don't have as much free time as I would like. I hope you'll like it. B.T.W. Why aren't you a member? That way you get a mail notification with updates and then people (I) can leave you personal messages.

angeliclin: Hey Linda, as you know your reviews mean the world to me. I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter. Because of you I got confident enough to write this. Hopefully you realize that.

fairieangel: Thank you! The fallout is a bit dramatic, but so is life. Right?

riotgirllina: Thanks. It will take Colin some time, but lots of good things will happen in the mean time. I agree; Rory and Logan are most definitely cute together.

mochaddicted79: Don't worry, Colin WON'T end up with Rory. I had some nice suggestions about his future relationship and I think I'll follow the advice.

aphi72: Sorry for the delay, I was really busy. I hope it was worth the wait.

michaellover101: You're too kind! I actually stole the reciting of the table of elements from my boyfriend. He told me he had to do that once to make sure he wouldn't jump my bones. I'm glad you understand the whole Colin-thing.

beautymarked: This will bring Rory and Logan closer, I promise. I'm glad you like the friendship between Rory and Finn, you're right; they're perfect like that.

Pink-x-Moonlight: Thank you very much. If you like drama than you probably (hopefully) loved this chapter.

As always; reviews are greatly appreciated.