Chapter 1: The Promise
(364 days before)
"Is it just me or are you ashamed to be seen with those two crazies as well?" Colin asked, frowning at the two green people.
"Nope. I hardly dare to go out and be seen with them," Logan answered laughing. "It will be terrible for my reputation. And I don't even want to think about what will happen if the press happens to catch me with those lunatics."
Colin nodded solemnly. "I can already hear both the Huntzberger seniors."
Logan groaned and shook his head. "Please stop… I rather pretend that they'll never get wind of it." He looked at the two green people among them who pretty much ignored his and Colin's conversation and rolled his eyes. "Why am I doing this again?"
That got the attention of their crazy companions though.
"Cause you know it will be one bunch of fun, mate! Not to mention the biggest and best party of the year," one green lunatic said.
Colin and Logan both snorted.
With a smile, the second green lunatic came over to him to slip her arms around Logan's waist and give him a deep kiss. "Because you love me, despite me being crazy and even despite me being green," she said softly to him once she pulled away.
Logan sighed heavily but tightened his hold around his green lunatic's waist. "Oh that…" he said, smirking lightly.
"Oy, that's not fair! My perfect reasonable reason you ignore but she just had to get you all hot and bothered with one kiss and already you're all 'oh that'…" The other green lunatic protested, looking over to the couple, hurt. "Just wait and see. Next time I'll kiss you as well," he pouted.
Colin gave a snort and looked at him, frowning. "Finn, your reasons are never reasonable."
"And so not sorry to tell you that, Finn, but a kiss from you would never work. That only works with Ace, I guarantee you that," Logan said, shuddering lightly and pulling his Ace even closer into his body.
"Yeah Finn, sorry, but this is my man," Rory said with a laugh and patted Logan comfortingly on his chest. Then her eyes started to gleam in a wicked way. "But of course, if a little ménage à trois is what you have in mind…"
"Ace!" Logan protested. "Don't give him ideas for heaven's sake! Didn't I tell you to not give Finn any ideas and to never, ever mention a ménage à trois to him when I gave you the ten golden rules of how to handle Finn?"
"Sorry Huntz, I blanked out after the first five rules that consisted of keeping him always supplied with alcohol and the next three rules of never standing between him and a redhead," Rory deadpanned.
"Bad, bad mistake Ace," Logan sadly sighed.
"Oh well, I guess I'll live…" Rory said with a shrug. "And you know, wouldn't it be nice for Finn if for the big night I'll dye my hair red?"
"Oh no!" Logan said alarmed, his eyes shooting over to Finn.
"My love!" Finn enthusiastically exclaimed, coming towards them with wide open arms.
Quickly, Logan backed away, pulling Rory with him.
Rolling his eyes, Colin shook his head. "Children…"
Rory turned her Bambi eyes on him to blink innocently at him. "Yes, Daddy?" she asked in an innocent voice.
Colin gave her a long look, then sighed. "You're crazy, you know that?"
"Of course I'm crazy. I'm my mother's daughter. I'm a Gilmore. And most of all, what day is today?" she asked, her voice rising.
Finn's hands shot up. "The great, the wonderful, the unbeatable…St. Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!" he shouted, Rory joining him there at the end.
Covering his ears, Logan looked darkly over at Colin. "This will be a long, long…"
"Long, long, long day," Colin agreed as darkly.
"And it's high time to get the fun started!" Finn nodded and looked at his friends. "Okay, checklist!"
While Logan and Colin groaned, Rory sprang out of Logan's arms to attention.
"Green pants…" Finn interrupted himself to look at Rory. " or green skirt?"
"Check," Rory nodded.
"Check," Finn said after looking down at his legs clad in stark green pants and then looked at Colin and Logan. Both having relented to wearing green pants… as in the form of very dark, almost black suit pants. Shaking his head disapprovingly, Finn made a check on that point.
"Green jacket?" was his next question.
"Check," Rory nodded again.
Colin rolled his eyes. "Please, Finn, spare us from asking the color of each individual's item of clothing. We all see who wears what in green after all."
But Finn shook his head. "Not everything." He did notate in the checklist the green items he could see though before he looked up again. "Green underwear?"
Logan and Colin simply shook their heads, not bothering to give an answer. Rory though grinned. "Please."
Raising an eyebrow, Logan looked his girlfriend up and down. "Green underwear?" he mouthed to her, trying to imagine it… and having a hard time picturing it. Green just wasn't her color, it clashed with the blueness of her eyes. None the less he couldn't wait to check out that green underwear.
She gave him one of those small, sweet, but oh so seducing smiles. "Be a good little boy today and you may get to see it," she told him lowly, only for his ears to hear.
Logan grinned but said nothing. He had no intentions whatsoever to be a good little boy today. It was St. Patrick's Day after all. And he was still pretty sure that he'd get to see that underwear anyway.
"Green hats?" Finn continued his check list.
Rory put her overly big hat on her head. "Check."
Finn, already wearing his own hat, looked sternly over to Colin and Logan. Both of them smiled back at him and showed no intention of putting their hats on. They'd never be able to get into the car with them on anyway. Not to mention that they looked ridiculous. Needless to say that Finn had bought them.
"Shamrocks?" Rory asked, knowing that those three could engage in long staring downs. And she really wanted to hit the road.
The three boys slowly looked over to her, then nodded in unison, without a groan from Logan and Colin this time. The shamrock was tradition after all.
So she nodded and grabbed her little bag shaped like a shamrock and, of course, green as well. "Then let's go. As much as I know that this must surprise you, but, New York is not going to wait for us to start the parade."
"They're not?" Finn asked, giving her a big, confused look.
Laughing, she patted his arm. "Nope, now come on, my soul mate for this wonderful day."
"You heard the lady," Finn nodded, grabbed his things and together they were the first out of the door.
For a moment, Colin looked after them. "We could just stay here, you know. Close and lock the door. I doubt they'll even notice it."
Logan grinned. "We could. But it would never be as much fun. Cheer up Colin. Think about the green beer. Think about the hundreds of girls out there, thriving for a day and night of pure fun."
Colin seemed to think about it while they left Logan's and Rory's apartment. "You've got a point there. But don't try to kid me. You just don't want to risk leaving your precious Ace alone with Finn."
Locking the door of their apartment, Logan smiled. "And that," he admitted. Not that he didn't trust Rory or Finn, it was just that the more time he spent with his Ace, the harder it got for him to be separated from her.
Besides, Rory may love Finn and be as crazy about the green day as the Australian, but Logan doubted that Rory could really take Finn pure for the whole day. It needed years of practice. Then again, Rory never had much of a problem dealing with Finn. Probably thanks to that crazy town she came from. Logan had recently been there for one of the many famous town festivals. He could honestly say that Rory had never exaggerated her stories about Stars Hollow, even though he and his friends had a hard time believing those stories.
"Hey you two! What are you waiting for? Time's ticking, beer awaits us and the leprechauns have their pots of gold ready for us!" Rory called out to them. She and Finn held the elevator open for them.
"I thought St. Patrick's Day with Finn was bordering insanity," Colin muttered.
Picking up on his train of thought, Logan looked at Finn and Rory, covered from head to toe in green, both having even gone to the trouble of wearing green wigs, painting all their ten nails green and Rory had applied on both of them green make-up. Not to mention the shamrocks painted on their cheeks. He shook his head. "Colin, we haven't seen insane yet," he stated with a sigh, couldn't help but smile though as his eyes drank the sight of his green girlfriend.
He could whine and protest all he wanted… truth was that he didn't want it any other way. In a million years he would never have thought that he'd ever find a girl that could keep up with the craziness he liked as his life…and with him, Colin and Finn. Especially with Finn. But he did.
He found his Ace.
Colin glanced at him and shook his head. Two years before he would have laughed for at least a week if anyone had told him that Logan Huntzberger was going to get so interested in a girl that he'd start to lose interest in any other girls. Let alone actually going all the way to commit himself to that same girl, becoming a boyfriend. Even after having seen that, a year ago, if someone had told him that his best friend would continue to fall so hard for that girl that he'd say the word with the big L to her and actually mean it, he still wouldn't have believed it. Or that within half a year Logan would be living together with her… happily. Colin would have laughed long and hard, though he did know that that girl really meant a lot to his best friend. Simply because he knew only too well how much Logan appreciated his freedom, which was no wonder if you knew where he came from. He hadn't thought that even Rory could get him to settle down that much, at least not yet.
His eyes wandered over to the girl that had managed to do the unthinkable and had captured Logan's entire attention and heart, at the moment being busy firing limericks at Finn who fired more limericks right back at her. But then of course, Rory Gilmore was a very special girl, one of a kind. She brought down the great Casanova. Colin hadn't thought it possible, and even more, that he'd ever like the girl that managed to 'steal' away his best friend. He had been wrong, very wrong. There was nothing about Rory not to like. Before he knew it, he loved the girl fiercely. Not in the way Logan loved her, of course. It was way more of a brotherly love. Though truth be told, any man was a fool if he didn't fall halfway in love with that girl.
Having lost their limerick contest, Finn resolved to avenge himself by starting to tickle Rory, who squealed and jumped away, Finn mercilessly following her. As he cornered her in the elevator, Colin captured a fleetingly expression that entered Finn's eyes, only to vanish again after hardly a second, and he sighed inwardly.
He had been lucky. His love for Rory had never changed from friendship and brotherly love. Finn hadn't been so lucky. But then, Colin doubted that it ever had been pure friendship and brotherly love for Finn. Like said, any man who didn't fall halfway in love with Rory Gilmore was a fool. And Finn may act foolish most of the time, but he was far from being a fool. It was just his misfortune to have fallen for the girl of his best friend. The one girl he'll never be able to have. It is simply because Logan had been first to have seen her. Had been first to realize just what a different but oh so special girl Rory Gilmore is. Had been first to fall for her.
Once again, Colin glanced at Logan. He wondered if Logan knew that one of his best friends was in love with his girlfriend or even suspected it. There were times he thought Logan knew, and other times where he was convinced that Logan had no clue at all. It didn't really matter. They all knew that this particular topic would never be discussed between them. Never needed to be discussed. Rory was Logan's. End of story. And both, Colin and Finn were happy for him.
Shaking his head, Colin shook those thoughts away. This was St. Patrick's Day after all, definitely not the time to dwell over anything, especially not something like that. He joined his friends in the elevator and looked at Logan, snickering. "Green suits you. Matches your eyes," he told him dryly.
Logan gave him a puzzled look. When both the green lunatics started to snicker and giggle as well, he frowned and turned to look into the mirror at the back of the elevator, and spotted the reason for their amusement immediately. "Very funny," Logan said and glared at the green lunatic that was his girlfriend. "Thanks a lot, Ace," he told her sarcastically and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe away the green lipstick Rory's kiss had left on his skin.
Her eyes sparkling with laughter, Rory leaned up to kiss his cheek lightly, careful not to leave any lipstick this time. "Forgive me?" she simply asked, turning her pleading baby blue eyes on him.
With a sigh, Logan wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her once again against his body, letting his head fall on her shoulder. He was such a wimp to fall time and time again for those eyes. He knew it. Rory knew it. Finn and Colin knew it. Hell, probably the whole world knew it. Yes, he was powerless against it.
But he could live with that if it meant that Rory was in his life. Besides, he may be unable to resist his Ace's eyes, but in return he has his tricks to get from Rory what he wanted. So he guessed they were even.
The elevator reached the lobby and as soon as the doors opened, Rory and Finn rushed out, humming. With a roll of their eyes, Logan and Colin followed the two green lunatics.
Sighing happily, Rory leaned against Finn as she watched the masses of over a million people, clad in green, filling the streets of New York City. It wasn't the first time she was there for the parade and take part in the green insanity. But like with all the other holiday celebrations and festivals she was simply eager to participate every time. She couldn't get tired of it. Well, as long as it was just once in a year. Not to mention that it was distinctively different from any of the other times. She wasn't here with her mom, but only with friends and, most importantly, her boyfriend.
"Best party on Earth, isn't it?" Finn asked grinning, watching the crowd as well.
Rory laughed and nodded her head. "Well, New York's parade is the oldest, largest and best in the world, if I remember the advertising correctly."
"Not just advertising, love," Finn said, throwing her an intimidating look, shocked at such a blasphemy.
Holding up her hands, she shook her head. "Won't hear me denying it either. I've been to a few and the Big Apple beats them all."
Finn nodded seriously. "It is. But I've got to admit that Chicago is good as well. Ever seen the green river?"
"Please," Rory answered, offended. "For about half a day I thought all rivers are green all the time. Until the color dissipated and turned back to being blue, or well, the normal color for a big city river."
Finn laughed. "How old were you?"
Rory shrugged. "Dunno. Two, three? Maybe four? You'd have to ask Mom that. Though no guarantee that she remembers. St. Patrick's Days are always a bit of a blur for her."
"Hey, I know that feeling!" Finn said eagerly.
Rolling her eyes, Rory patted his hand. "I know."
"Speaking of the nectar of life, where the hell is your boyfriend and my other mate with our beer? I'm dying here!" Finn asked, gazing into the crowd in hope to spot their friends.
"You see the crowd. They only left a while ago. It sure will take some more time," Rory pointed out, waving at the hundreds of people lining up to the countless bars and carts, getting drinks.
"Why again am I not on that most important mission of today while your boyfriend keeps watch over you?" Finn sighed, looking darkly at the people that kept him away from his beloved booze.
"Because by the time you'd be back with the drinks you'd have already drunk them all, leaving not a single drop for us," Rory explained patiently.
"Oh… Well, you could have had a drink as well, love," Finn told her, switching on his charm.
"How knightly of you," Rory answered, smiling.
Finn nodded. "But only because you know how to appreciate the holiness of this greatest day of great days properly."
"Hear, hear!" Rory said and raised her glass of green beer to drink on that. It was true after all. "You still won't get any of my beer though, Finn."
Pouting, Finn stuck forward his lower lip. "Love of my heart!"
"Nope!" Rory refused, shaking her head. It wasn't as if there was much left in her glass. It was simply a question of principle.
"Soul mate of mine!" Finn tried it again.
"No, Finn!"
"Mean," Finn murmured, letting his head fall down. Not for long though. For the atmosphere among the partying Irish and want-to-be Irish was simply too good and cheerful.
For a while, Rory and Finn watched in silence as the various groups of revelers paraded in front of them. Because of the little space they had, Rory was loosely in Finn's arms. She liked to be there. It wasn't the same overwhelming feeling of being home as when she was in Logan's arms, but Finn's were comfortable and safe as well.
When she had met Logan, Finn and Colin, she had thought that they were like the average rich, snotty, arrogant and loud boys she knew from Chilton. In a way they were. And Finn… well, she had thought him a bit weird – that or a chronic drunk. But after the LDB event she started to get to know them a bit better. Logan the best of them but with Finn and Colin being his closest friends, she automatically got to know them better as well. And she was surprised to find out that they weren't so bad after all… that she actually liked them.
She found out that Colin only turned to the arrogant asshole she had first met when feeling provoked or when really disliking someone. Why Colin didn't like Marty or even felt provoked by him was still a mystery to her. She never bothered to ask. Colin was somehow the one that kept the other two stooges grounded – still crazy, but on a level that was somehow controlled. He was more of the silent type, seldom talking about private matters and always reluctant to open up really. Once he opened up though, you'd find an intelligent, sensible young man who has a great sense of responsibility and has a very dry sense of humor. A bit too controlled for his own good perhaps, but knowing his background that wasn't a big surprise. Actually, soon Rory had found that Colin, in a lot of ways, reminded her of her grandfather. She loved to discuss almost everything with him and she thrived while debating politics and social issues with him, especially with their contrary opinions. Sure, he was not a perfect human being. He had faults, many of them, but then, a person without faults would be so boring.
Yeah, Colin had been a surprise. Not as a big one as Finn, though. To the outside world, Finn was always the happily drunk rich heir, only living for fun. Adventure, alcohol and sex were the salt of his life. He lived and breathed those things. But once he accepted you into the inner circle, their inner world, you'd meet another Finn. In their inner world, Finn was a much calmer person, one who was content to sit around for hours watching snakes coupling. There was almost no topic you couldn't discuss with him. He was incredibly intelligent with a vast knowledge of anything, everything…that impressed Rory time and time again. And if he'd come upon something he didn't know about, he'd see to it that he'd learned whatever he could in as short a time as possible. What amazed her most though, was just how good you simply could be silent with the usually so loud Finn.
If two years ago someone who'd have told her that she'd become friends with these particular society boys, she'd have laughed out loud and called the men in the white jackets. But they did become friends, initially because of what was going on between her and Logan…Rory, Colin and Finn had to live their lives around each other. It was different now though, at least on her part. She had grown to love Colin and Finn, as brothers, as friends, best friends even. She was pretty sure that this feeling was mutual and not just because she was Logan's girlfriend now. Yeah, she even dared to think that even if she and Logan ever broke up, they'd still be friends.
Not that it would ever come to that. She wouldn't let it. Finn and Colin 'belonged' to Logan. They were his best friends since forever, just like Lane and Paris 'belonged' to her. She'd never come between them, nor would the boys let that happen. Their friendship was too deep, their loyalty to each other too firm. So they'd break off the contact to each other, but would remain friends over the distance.
"Deep thoughts?"
Rory looked up into Finn's green eyes that watched her closely and smiled. Finn was also damn good at reading people and picking up on the slightest distinctive mannerism or characteristic of a person. A remarkable but also very annoying talent of him. She shook her head, not wanting to share her thoughts. There was no need to. It was all clear. Instead she voiced a thought she had earlier on, and pretty much on every St. Patrick's Day she could remember.
"You know, I can't help but wonder how they celebrate the big day in the old land. I've heard that they're actually partying for a whole week, you think that's true?" she asked him curiously.
Finn grinned. "'Course it's true, love. We Irish never pass on an opportunity to drink and relax."
"You're Australian, Finn," Rory reminded him with an eye roll.
Finn just shrugged. "And from where do you think my ancestors came to the land of cockatoos and kangaroos, huh? Finnegan isn't just a whim of my mother, you know."
"Really?" Rory asked, interested.
"Pure Irish blood that runs through my veins," Finn nodded.
"That would explain a lot," Rory commented dryly. "Were you ever in Dublin for the big day?"
Sighing sadly, Finn shook his head. "Never made it there so far, though I did want to go there for a while now. A friend of mine has been there a couple of years back and is still praising it in the highest tones. It's European, but 'cause it's Irish, it's still crazy and big, if not more so than here. That's what he said at least."
"I can imagine," Rory laughed. "I hope I'll make it there one day."
For a moment, Finn looked at the dreamy expression on her face and the hope in her eyes. And found himself smiling as a plan quickly formed in his head. "Tell you what, love," he said, causing her to turn her killer blue eyes up to meet his again. "You and me, next year, Dublin, St. Patrick's Day."
Rory laughed, lightly, joyfully. "Now that would be something. Unfortunately though, it's impossible."
Finn frowned. If he hated one word, it was the word 'impossible'. "Why?"
"School, Finn," Rory said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
But then, in the world of Rory Gilmore, it was obvious. Not so in Finn's though. "First, next year's the 17th is on a Friday. Second, it's after the last exams and right before spring break. So you see, no reason whatsoever for you to refuse my deepest wish and crush my heart."
Perplexed, Rory stared at him before she shook her head. "You have it all figured out, haven't you?"
Finn nodded. "Always. At least when such an important day is involved. Now, I'm dying of waiting for your answer here love."
Rory sighed. "How big are the chances of me refusing and staying sane?" she asked. One look at his wriggling eyebrows and she sighed again. "Right. What about Colin and Logan? They're coming as well?"
"Only if they show proper appreciation to the greatest of all great days," Finn said decidedly.
Raising an eyebrow, Rory's eyes took on a wicked gleam. "Any ideas how they shall prove that to us?" she asked.
Matching her gleam with a wicked grin, Finn chuckled. He just loved how that girl worked. "Some," he said and turned excited puppy dog eyes on her. "So it's a date? Next year, the 16th, I'll come pick you up in the evening to get to the airport."
Laughing, Rory shrugged and nodded eventually. "It's a date."
Chances were high that by the next day, Finn would have forgotten about it anyway. And if not… if Finn really was right and all the exams were through by then, then why not? She really had always wanted to be in Dublin for a St. Patrick's Day after all. One thing was for clear: It sure as hell would be fun.
TBC!