When one was preparing for battle it was best to study one's opponent from all angles to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Logan felt that he had developed a quality profile of one Lorelai Leigh Gilmore but she was proving harder to crack than expected. Fortunately pig headed determination wasn't the only weapon in his arsenal, he still had a few secrets.

Rory left a trail of over-clothes strewn from the front door to her bedroom. She noticed Paris sitting cross-legged in a corner of the common room but didn't even bother to ask the reason. She didn't have the energy to try to make sense of the explanation.

It was over...she had escaped the purgatory of midterms with most of her skin still intact, although her sanity was another story altogether. She was free; at least until finals week came to call like an unwelcome relative. She thought she could happily sleep for a week.

She dragged to her bedroom and pushed open the door but stopped dead as it swung open and revealed Logan sitting on her chair in the corner.

"Paris?! How could you let..." she squeaked but then trailed off when Logan held a silent finger to his lips and shook his head.

Paris didn't even open her eyes "Why are you talking to me Gilmore? Can't you see I am trying to meditate here. It's kind of hard to reach enlightenment with your little entourage always here asking me questions and waving food smells in my face ; I bet the Dali lama never had these constant of interruptions."

Rory glanced at Logan again and back at her roommate, apparently Paris had not been the culprit responsible for his unwelcome visit to her bedroom. She shivered, she didn't even want to think about how he had gotten in there. Some secrets were better left dormant if one wished to sleep at night without weird dreams of gorilla clad marauders attacking you during your REM cycle.

Closing her door she walked wearily to her bed and sat down, normally she would have stormed but she couldn't seem to muster the will.

"I didn't save up any energy for the tongue lashing that you deserve for breaking into my bedroom so I will assume that there is an explanation for your unsolicited presence. Make it quick though because the Land of Nod is calling my name."

'Have I come at a bad time?" he asked with false politeness, all innocent concern.

"There is no such thing as a good time when it involves you in my bedroom. Start talking or I can not promise that I won't throw etiquette out the window and fall asleep in the middle of the conversation.'

"I've never had a girl fall asleep on me yet.' He smirked suggestively.

"There is a always a first time for everything."

He just grinned. "I've come to make you a proposition."

That got her attention, she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear any proposition that he had to ambush her with in her bedroom.

"What, no clandestine emails or secret notices on the window? You're really slacking on this whole mysterious secret society thing."

He looked injured. "Are you saying there is no mystery left in our relationship?"

She waved her hand in exasperation ready to let her eyelids fall. "But you digress...."

"You look desperately in need of some beauty sleep so I will humor your impatience. In light of our recent falling out..." she snorted at this "no comments from the peanut gallery please, as I was saying, in light of our current situation I am here to propose a cease fire. My peace offering is an exclusive sequel to your first story, another event with the Life and Death Brigade, same conditions would apply. I could invoke the 'whenever, wherever' clause of our previous agreement but I will leave the decision up to you. If you do chose to go then I will consider it one marker paid in full."

There was something that didn't add up but her tired brain was having a rough time coming up with plausible ulterior motives. "What do you get out of it?"

He smiled at her winningly "The pleasures of your delightful company of course, what more could I want."

She didn't believe a word of it but she couldn't find a good loophole in his argument.

He rose gracefully from the chair and walked towards her. "I can see that you are working at half speed right now so I will take pity on you. If you choose to accompany us then be in your courtyard at 12 midnight tonight. There are only two stipulations, you have to wear all black and you have to trust me and agree not ask any more questions. Don't worry about packing anything else. There will be clothes to change into on the plane."

Her brain was computing slowly but it caught that detail "Plane? Did you just say plane?"

"Tsk, tsk Ace, what did I say about questions. If you want more details you will just have to be there at midnight."

He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it before she could so much as blink "Until then milady."

He sauntered towards the door with a bounce in his step and she felt the irrational urge to throw something at him.

When his hand hit the doorknob he turned back for a parting shot "I almost forgot, you will need this." He tossed something black towards her. "Oh, and you might want to bring a toothbrush...the pink bunnies are optional." He winked and he was gone, vanishing through the door.

She did a half dive; half stumble onto the bed and landed face first. She remained in this position and only managed a subdued eye roll when she heard a yelp from Paris. When the other girl charged into her room she just rolled her head to one side to look at her.

"How did Prince Charm-a-lot get into our dorm room and what exactly was he doing in your bedroom? Kind of stalkerish if you ask me, I would burn the sheets if I were you. "

"I don't know how he got in here, I was going to ask you the same thing but it seems like a moot question now. He came to proposition me...wait that didn't come out right. He offered me the chance to observe another event, for a story."

Paris considered this for a minute. "I don't trust him. You better watch yourself with that one. I've seen plenty of that type and they never do anything out of the good of their heart. You are a novice at this type of game and I would be careful going up against a pro like Logan. He's got that golden tongue, that could probably talk you into jumping off a cliff and then convince you that it was your idea."

Rory closed her eyes; Paris had come disturbingly close to the truth without even knowing all the details of the first Life and Death Brigade Event. Was she really that easy to manipulate?

"I haven't decided if I am going yet. Right now I just need sleep. We can talk about this later."

As Paris harrumphed and exited the room in a huff Rory's eyes landed on the object that Logan had thrown to her. Her hand reached out to absently stroke the silky black blindfold. She fell asleep with it clutched in her hand a dreamt of silver tongued devils and Gorillas in top hats.

She woke when her alarm clock went off and for a few groggy moments she couldn't recall why she had set it. Then her eyes landed on the blindfold in her hand and it all came back.

She shook her head to clear it of the last cobwebs of the dream world and then lay staring blindly at the ceiling while she considered her options. She couldn't believe she was even considering this.

On the one hand, she could just ignore the whole invitation and stick with her avoidance tactic, before the whole incident with Marty denial had been working quite well for her. She glanced back at the blindfold and the feeling of exhilaration that she had felt when she jumped off that tower with Logan came flooding back over her.

On the other hand this was actually a golden opportunity, if she took his offer at face value then this promised a sequel to her story and it also fit Logan's criteria for the second part of their infamous deal, the "whenever, wherever" event. Even if she ignored the fact that the idea of the adventure was a little bit enticing this was a chance to kill two birds with one stone. She would be nuts to turn it down. She grunted in disgust as she realized that was exactly what Logan had anticipated. He had given her an offer that she couldn't refuse. It was becoming an annoying habit of his to know her weaknesses better than she knew them herself.

She closed her eyes trying to think through the situation logically but she knew in her heart that the decision was already made. She glanced at the clock and realized that she had better get her act together if she was going to make the midnight deadline. She took a quick shower hoping the water would pound a little coherent function into her fried brain. Wrapped in towel she considered her wardrobe options, he had said black but hadn't specified if it was dressy. She went with the simple alternative, black turtleneck and black jeans. She felt a little like a cat burglar as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She took one last look at herself and took a deep breath. It was rock and roll time. She grabbed her messenger bag with her reporters' notebook and her toothbrush, as an after thought she threw in her pink bunny slippers.

When she exited her bedroom she found Paris smoking one of Asher's pipes and reading the New York Times.

She stopped in front of her and waited until Paris raised her head with a contemplative look. "Off to rob a bank Mary?"

She sighed " You know I hate that name Paris but I've got no time to quibble. I've gota clandestine rendezvous to get to. A reporter has to do what's necessary to get the story right?"

Paris just gave her a knowing look "Just be careful Gilmore, you are swimming with the sharks this time. A word of advice from a battle scarred veteran of the social brat pack, never let them see you bleed." Then she went back to her editorial section, apparently the discussion was over and she had imparted the last of her wisdom.

Rory didn't like the little jangle of nerves that comment set off but she was committed now. "I'll have my cell phone so don't let my mom call out the FBI if she can't get a hold of me."

She made it to the courtyard with barely a minute to spare and hurriedly tied on the blindfold. She had barely caught her breath when she felt a warm hand close over her arm.

A soft voice sounded near her ear and she instinctively turned towards it. "Glad you could make it Wendy. You are looking a little more lively than last time I saw you."

Her heart skipped a little but she spoke with false bravado "I wouldn't miss it Peter."

His laugh was low and it tickled her neck. "I didn't think you would. Come on the others are waiting."

Logan had watched from a dark alcove on the far side of the courtyard as Rory dashed into view. He walked towards her almost as soon as the blindfold was secured. About 10 feet away he stopped and allowed himself a selfish moment to drink her in without her awareness. She was still but he saw the hint of nerves as her fingers twisted together in front of her while she waited. He didn;t know what it was about her but she had some quality that always made her seem so alive, so glowing, even when she was irritated or angry at him he just enjoyed looking at her, watching the way her face mirrored her every thought. She took a deep breath and he echoed it as he stepped forward to set the night in motion.

He led her towards an SUV, his hand unconsciously falling at her waist to help her up into the vehicle. With the blindfold on it was like her other senses were magnified and she felt a warm tingling spread over her back where his hand rested.

She heard the door slam and then noticed other voices in the car. Craning her neck to make out their locations she laughed as she recognized Finn's distinctive voice behind her.

"So, we meet again my sweet." Rory kind of liked Finn's goofy charm so she answered him with a friendly quip in the direction she thought he sat.

"You sound less vampire like than last time."

"I consider the night hours to be my finest. I only hit my peak after the witching hour so to speak. If you are lucky you will be around to witness the transformation this time around. Only be warned, I am irresistible."

He was so ridiculous that Rory found him kind of endearing, he sort of reminded her of a suave version of Kirk.

She nodded in understanding and turned back to face the front as she felt the car begin to move. "Is the third stooge joining us?" she asked no one in particular.

She heard Colin mutter something sarcastic in the front seat that was greeted by a giggle that sounded like Stephanie. "Tinkerbell too then, it seems the whole gang is present and accounted for.'

Logan chuckled next to her as Stephanie twisted in her seat "Tinkerbell huh? Well at least it's a step up from Gorilla Girl."

"Anymore interrogation Ace?" Logan asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Where are we going?"

"Ah ah, you know the rules."

She shrugged, "It was worth a try."

"Look at it this way Woodward, we are just protecting you by withholding key information. This way, should you be caught and tortured you would have nothing to divulge to the enemy."

"Do I even want to know who 'the enemy' is in this little scenario?"

"Probably best if you didn't." he said in an ominous tone.

She was silent for a moment. "If I'm Woodward then does that make you Deep Throat? She heard a muffled laugh from the front and she figured that Logan must have sent Colin a censuring look because it was cut short.

Stephanie spoke up glibly "She's doe make a good point Logan. If the citation fits...."

Logan was pouting "I think we should start that whole do what I tell you to thing right now. No more talking until we get there."

Rory smirked "No need to get testy big Mac."

He groaned and threw up his hands when all he got was stifled laughs and a raised eyebrow from Stephanie. ...He probably deserved this, he should have stuck with the obtuse girls who didn't have some sort of undying desire to always have the last word. Of course those girls usually bored him to tears within the space of a few moments. With Rory he usually got the unexpected.

When they pulled to a stop a few minutes later he was ready to get the events of the evening rolling. He had asked Rory here for a reason, it was all part of his master plan. He rubbed his hands together now, getting into the spirit of things. He was going to push her limits and his own during this journey. He was taking a risk but he figured you never really got what you wanted out of life if you didn't take some chances. You couldn't just wait for the opportune moment to fall in your lap, sometimes you had to create it.

The group disembarked from the vehicle and joined a crowd of about 20 other members gathered a few feet away.

Colin sidled up to him and gave him a playful nudge "You sure you want to go through with this? I'm not entirely sure that your charm and awe campaign is having its desired effect so far. That girl has a smart tongue on her and it seems like you are her favorite whipping boy."

Logan shrugged and said cryptically "The night is young."

"Whatever you say boss." Colin joked then asked curiously "What's with the Big Mac thing?"

Logan rolled his eyes heavenward "Just a comment that I am beginning to regret ever making. Apparently she has the memory of an elephant and no tiny remark goes unremembered."

He sighed and brought his attention back to Rory who was standing next to Finn now. He ambled over to join them. "Making new friends Ace?"

"So Mac, are we going to get this show on the road any time soon? Although I do so enjoy emulating Helen Keller I would seriously like to see what new torture awaits me."

"Do you trust me?"

She didn't hesitate "No further than I could throw you."

He gasped in mock hurt "Your lack of faith is like a knife in the heart."

She scoffed "The last time I trusted you we jumped 7 stories without even knowing if our potato predecessors had survived the fall."

He couldn't resist, he leaned towards her and whispered. "and you loved every second of it." She shivered slightly at the feel of his breath on her sensitive ear.

He grabbed her arm and led her towards the center of the group that was now forming a circle.

"So what is it this time a pit of lions?" she joked.

"Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my.' He said with a laugh. 'Okay, here we are, enlightenment time."

He pulled of the blindfold and she looked around curiously. They were in a large circle on a long path of black tarmac. On either side of them sat two private jets and in front of them sat two identical black SUVs.

Everyone around them was dressed entirely in black. She felt like she was in a scene from Men in Black. Perhaps she would go back to school and find her entire identity erased and she would henceforth be referred to only as R. She giggled when she turned her head and saw Finn with his dark sunglasses on, in the middle of the night.

She turned to Logan with a questioning look. "Care to fill me in L? Will the aliens be here soon?"

He cracked a smile but shushed her as a boy in a black cape started the proceedings. "Fellow Brigadiers we gather tonight to begin the annual contest of ingenuity, wits and daring. You all know the rules of the challenge and all hereby agree to the winner's prize and the loser's payment. Please raise your flasks to begin the hunt...In Omnia Paratus and may the best team win. "

There was a resounding cheer and Rory looked around still perplexed as they assembled congregation raised small silver flasks in a toast and repeated the now familiar phrase.

Rory still didn't have a clear idea of what the night would entail but her curiosity was definitely engaged. She followed Logan and a small group of others as they headed for one of the planes. Once they had boarded she couldn't do anything but stare in awe at the luxurious cabin of the small aircraft. She felt like she was 007 off on a mission to save the world. She hesitantly took a seat as Logan brandished a large manila envelope and began to speak.

"So, you all know the rules but I will repeat them for the sake of our visitor." He nodded at Rory. "This is a scavenger hunt for which there are two, pre-determined teams. Each team is then split into two smaller groups, one of which travels by car and the other by air. There are a series of destinations and tasks for which we have to provide proof of successful completion; each of these tasks or items is worth a certain number of points. At exactly midnight 48 hours from now we will rendezvous at a central, as yet undisclosed location. The victor of this little contest will win the right to assign the losing team a task that will be completed at the end of that gathering. In my hand I hold this year's list. The part of our team that is traveling by car will be led by Darcy who also has a copy of the list."

A petite blond girl stepped up to stand next to him and sent Logan a wink. She looked familiar but Rory couldn't quite place where she might have seen her.

Logan continued, "If we are all on board then we can split up and get started. Good luck everyone and just remember the cardinal rule.... deny, deny, deny."

Rory was still scribbling furiously in her little notebook when the blonde girl approached her.

"Hi."

Rory glanced up at the intrusion looking around as if surprised that the girl was addressing her.

"We didn't really get a proper introduction the other day so I thought I would correct that. Rory wrinkled her brow in confusion until it hit her where she had seen the girl before. Rory was astounded when she realized that it was the same girl that she had seen Logan being so friendly with in the newsroom a couple of weeks ago. So much had happened since then that she had almost forgotten about the incident.

Now she was uncomfortable but she hesitantly took the hand that the smiling blonde offered, still wondering what prompted this little greeting. "I'm Rory."

Darcy laughed as she watched the confusion clear from the brunette's eyes and her eyes twinkled as she noted a tiny hint of jealousy. Ah, now this was interesting and it could be highly amusing as a spectator.

On impulse she decided to make a little trouble for her favorite cousin, he needed a chaos thrown into his plans once in a while. As if imparting a sacred secret she leaned forward towards Rory and whispered.

"I'm Darcy. Darcy Huntzberger. I'm Logan's cousin, more like sister really so I know all the dirt on our little Logan, just let me know sometime and I'll be happy tell you some of the more choice anecdotes." She grinned wickedly. "Its just too bad that I am not in your group for this little adventure, it is always fun to see Logan sweat."

After a moment of embarrassment at her earlier petty behavior Rory recovered and it occurred to her that Logan had failed to mention that key piece of information to her. Slowly she returned Darcy's wicked smile, when you were swimming with the sharks it was always handy to have a few hooks in your arsenal.

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Darcy dropped her hand appreciating the droll sense of humor. Her eyes danced as she wished her new friend well. "Have fun tonight, but don't let Logan talk you into anything stupid, sometimes that boy is too persuasive for his own good."

She skipped over to the airplane door. She waved jauntily and sent Logan a playful wink before she descended the stairs and vanished from sight. She kind of reminded Rory of Lane with her bouncy energy and she rolled her eyes when she pictured what Lane's reaction would be to the story of tonight escapades.

Left alone with the small group that would remain on the plane Rory turned to face Logan and gave him a teasing smirk. "So Huntzberger, are you going to show me that list or not?"

Logan eyed her suspiciously for a minute feeling a niggling little worry at what Darcy had said to her to put that smug grin on her face. He just knew it was something bad. Finally he gestured her over and patted the seat next to his. Feeling he had the upper hand again he waited with anticipation for her reaction as he handed her the list and she began to read.

She didn't disappoint, about half way down the page she stopped and raised her head in shock. He almost chuckled as she looked at him with eyes as big as dinner plates. "Aren't some of these things illegal?" Her voice was disbelieving.

Now the fun could really begin. The balance was restored. He tilted back in his chair and put his hands behind head. He took his time and savored the moment , finally he answered. "Technically yes, but only slightly....and only if you get caught." He gave her his best naughty grin and watched delighted as she blanched.

This was going to be an excellent adventure.