Back to the Basics

Chapter 3

"Guys?" Rory asked quietly, she shifted uncomfortably in the leather seats of Logan's limo. He had called his driver, Frank, to come pick them up at the hospital and they were now on their way back to New Haven.

"What is it, Rory?" Colin asked quickly. He leaned forward in his heat so he could see her face more clearly. "Are you feeling sick?"

"Are you in pain?" Logan asked wincing on her behalf as his eyes darted from her eyes to her cast encased foot.

Rory shook her head. "Its not that," she confessed quietly, "its just—I want you to know—Marty—he never—he didn't—"

"'He didn't' what, Ace?" Logan demanded sharply. Rory was sure, had they not been in a moving vehicle, Logan would have jumped to his feet ranting and pacing. "He didn't hurt you? Hit you? News flash, Rory, he did!"

"Logan!" Rory cried desperately, hoping he would just listen to what she had to say.

"No! Logan is right, Rory," Colin said leaning back in his seat and slumping low.

"No," Rory said determinedly, "you two are going to listen to me!"

"What, you going to tell us that Marty is a great guy and this was just a fluke?" Logan said chuckling darkly. "Then what? You go running back into his arms? Rory that is ridiculous!"

"I never said that, Logan," she stated calmly as she stared into the deep brown eyes of her ex-boyfriend.

Rory sighed. "Are you going to listen to what I had to say originally?"

She didn't say anything more until she received confirmation that they would both listen. Eventually she saw both boys nod reluctantly.

"What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted," she began pointedly, "was that Marty didn't beat me."

Logan snorted. "Yeah sure."

Colin agreed with his friend on this account, too. "Oh, did we all just imagine a destroyed hotel room, your bruised face, and your fractured ankle? Wow, we must have some active imaginations."

"That's not what I meant!" Rory insisted, throwing her hands up in the air.

The boys raised an eyebrow each and waited for her to continue.

"I'm not trying to deny that he hit me. He did. Once," She stressed that last word. "I know that doesn't make it okay. I know that. I just—I just wanted you to know he never treated me badly."

"You speak as though you're still in love with," Colin observed as he watch her face.

Rory shook her head. "I'm not."

"Okay." He accepted her answer having no reason not to. Rory had never lied to him before.

Rory looked over to the blond man in the limo, the other boy. "Logan," she whispered.

He had been silent after he little speech. He looked up at the sound of her voice. "You're medicated, Ace, you don't know what you're saying."

Rory gasped.

"Oh," he said as though in after thought. "If you go back to him don't think I'll always be there to catch you when you fall."

Rory stared at Logan's fury filled face in shock. He had never, not once ever spoken to her in that tone before, not even when they had broken up. Even Colin looked confused at Logan's behaviour and what he had just implied. Needless to say the remainder of the drive to Yale was spent in silence.

-

"Paris!" Rory screamed as she stumbled into her dorm room after having a rather struggle with the lock on the door. "I need help!"

"Gilmore, where the hell have you been?" Paris called exiting her room. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing, I'll explain later. I just—" Rory winced as she put pressure on her foot. "Can you grab my bag?"

Rory had a duffle bag slung across her back, her book bag full of books and she had her crutches under her arms. Paris seeing this stepped forward and pulled off the excess baggage.

Rory could have had Logan and Colin bring in her things but she didn't even want to look at Logan right now. So when they pulled up in front of Rory's dorm, she got out and carried everything in herself. Logan didn't protest.

"Where have you been?" She demanded. "You don't answer your phone? I even tried your mothers—her cell phone and in Stars Hollow—I even tried that Inn of hers. What is it with you Gilmore's and not answering your phones?"

Rory rolled her eyes, used to Paris over-protective neurotic personality.

"You didn't even tell me you were leaving for the weekend," she concluded, "you were going to wait until Spring Break next week to go."

Rory sighed. "I didn't know I was leaving. My mom decided last minute that she was eloping this weekend."

"You should have told me. Instead of sitting around here worrying about you and whether you were still alive or not I could have been with Doyle," Paris explained. Rory shuddered. "I mean you were at the elopement with your boyfriend, right?" There was no denying on Paris' part her dislike for Marty.

"Yeah," Rory said nodded her head. "But we, uh, we broke up."

"He was an idiot anyway. I preferred Huntzberger to him," she admitted, which is actually saying something considering her hatred for Logan. "What happened?"

"He was getting too jealous."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she sounded disgusted with the whole concept but as a best friend she would do anything for Rory.

Rory shook her head. "I'll be fine." She didn't know if she was saying this for Paris' behalf or her own.

-

"Hey Rory."

Rory looked up from her textbook to see Colin sitting on a chair across from her. She smiled softly. "Hey."

"You've been avoiding me." It wasn't a question.

Rory shook her head. "I've been swamped. Did you know that every professor in Yale decided that this week they would give us a mountain of assignments just to piss me off?"

It was true too, well sort of, she had been avoiding him and Logan, Finn too—although that wasn't hard since she hadn't even seen him anywhere in a week. But she was also given a lot of work to complete. She knew she had all of Spring Break to complete it but her mom was coming back from her honeymoon halfway through and they were planning on spending the remaining days together.

Colin laughed. "I've got a lot to do too." He paused. "Rory, you know Logan didn't mean what he said, right?"

Rory didn't say anything she just nodded and looked down at her book again.

"He didn't mean it, Rory. He's just worried about you. So am I."

Rory nodded again, still staring at her book. Tears had formed in her eyes.

"Rory?" he said softly. He leaned over the table placing a finger under her chin and forcing her to look at him. "He didn't mean it," he repeated once he saw the tears.

She gave a small smile. "Okay."

Colin sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Look, I don't want to worry you but have you seen Finn?"

Rory shook her head, suddenly worried.

"I don't think its anything to worry about. I'm sure he's fine," Colin said quickly.

"Why would you ask me that?" said Rory.

Colin laughed nervously. "Funny story, you see, neither Logan or I have seen Finn since Vermont."

Rory frowned. "How is that possible? You live with him!"

He swallowed and said quietly, "He never came home. Logan and I called every hospital from here to Vermont as well as morgues and police stations. We haven't found him."

"Oh my," Rory said shocked.

"When was the last time you say him, Ror?" Colin asked.

He seemed so worried it hurt Rory to tell him that she hadn't seen him since Vermont either.

He nodded his head solemnly. "I have to go make some more phone calls. Let me know if you hear anything."

All she could do was nod her head.

-

Thousands of miles away from Yale a young man broke down crying in the middle of a crowded hospital hallway. The tears we kept uncheck as he felt his entire world come crashing down. The doctor in front of him shook his head sadly as he watched the man in obvious distress. He placed his hand on the man's shoulder. The crying man shrugged away from the doctor.

"Is there someone you can call?" he asked sympathetically.

The man started to shake his head when he suddenly thought of someone. He nodded. "Yes," he choked out.

The doctor helped the man stand and lead him to the nurses' station and showed him the phone. "Press two before you dial."

"Thank you," the man said genuinely.

He watched as the doctor walked away and got lost in the swarm of people before he turned back to the phone and dialled a number. He waited a few rings until the phone on the other end was picked up.

"'Lo?" a groggy, sleep filled female voice said when she answered.

"Hey," his voice was cracked. He wiped at his tear filled eyes but it was no use, he started sobbing right into the receiver.

"Finn?" the voice asked worriedly. "Is that you?"

"Rory?" he said sounding like a small boy. "I need you, Love."

"Finn where are you? I'm going to come get you. Are you at the pub?" Rory voice asked frantically. He heard her fall down from what he assumed was her bed.

"I'm home," he whispered.

"With Colin? Good, he's been worried sick about you. He said he couldn't find you for a week."

"No."

"No, what? I don't understand, Finn," Rory said.

"I'm home."

There was a pause on her end of the phone. "Australia?"

"Yes."

"What happened is everyone okay?" Rory asked.

He shook his head, unable to say it.

"Finn?"

"My—my mom—she's not—not going to—to make it," he choked out through the multitude of tears.

"Finn calm down! I'm going to need full sentences."

He could tell she had no idea what he was talking about. He took a deep breath. "I need you, Rory."

He heard rustling from her end and frowned.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Finn."