They had come full circle, back to nearing midnight, back to the black SUV, back to the blindfold and this time Rory was too tired to complain. She knew she was sitting in the middle of the car seat between two others and if her senses were correct she thought the one on her right was Logan. By this stage in the game she trusted Logan and the others to at least get her there in one piece.

"Wake me when we get there." It came out a mumble and then she succumbed to exhaustion slumping unconsciously towards Logan until her head rested on his shoulder. Colin, sitting on the other side of Rory didn't miss the fleeting look of tenderness on the usually stoic face of his friend. Whether he was ready ot admit it of not Logan was falling hard.

Rory didn't wake until the SUV pulled onto a long gravel drive. As the car bumped over the rocky terrain she sat up slowly and attempted to rub her sleepy eyes but her hand hit the silky fabric of the blindfold. They pulled to a stop and there was the sound of doors opening. She could hear the others disembarking and then Logan grabbed her arm and guided her down the step to the ground. Logan steadied her when she wavered, still drowsy and waited until the others were a few steps ahead to face Rory.

"It's like de ja vu, I even smell trees again" she said with a laugh in her voice "Only I think they are a different kind...they don't smell as piney."

He chuckled softly "You should change majors and become a Botanist, you seem to have an affinity for it." She almost rolled her eyes at his teasing but then realized it would be a wasted effort since he couldn't see beyond the blindfold. He reached around her head and gently untied the blindfold and pulled it free. His fingers lingered a tiny millisecond longer than necessary in the silk of her hair and then he withdrew them deliberately putting them in his pockets to avoid the itch of temptation. Rory was taking in their surroundings. A house that could only be described as a mansion sat in the middle of a vast spread of land. glowed in the dark with The buttery golden light pouring from the top floor windows glowed in the darkness of the cold crisp night. Logan nudged her away from the open car door and pulled a box out from under a seat and handed it to her.

"I thought you might need this for the party. When we get inside Stephanie will show you where to get dressed." She looked at him curiously as she took the box. Their hands touched as he passed her the box and there was a tiny flash of awareness that passed between them.

She quickly diverted her attention to the monstrous house in front of them "What is this place?"

"Its an old estate that belongs to one of the wealthiest families in Connecticut, it has been abandoned for nearly 20 years. The club has been using it for certain events for a number of years, it is isolated and no one bothers us out here."

She looked askance at him "It wouldn't happen to be your family would it?"

He held up his hands in surrender "I plead the fifth."

"Can you tell me where we are?"

He shook an admonishing finger at her "Now Ace, no cheating, you remember the rules."

She sighed, "I surrender, can you at least tell me the schedule of events for the evening?"

They were walking towards the house as they spoke. They paused at the heavy woodend doors and Logan looked Rory directly in the eye. She felt a tiny little tingle at the base of her spine as he held her gaze.

His voice was soft, persuasive. "Relax Ace, just enjoy yourself, this is supposed to be fun. Frolicking and gaiety for no other purpose than enjoyment. Let loose, take a few risks and live a little. You can always write it down in that little book of yours later." Logan swung open the heavy wood door with a grandiose flourish and bowed low "After you milady."

She was sure her chin barely missed hitting the floor as they entered the antiquated surroundings. Most of the downstairs was dark but a central staircase of polished marble was lit with the flickering glow of candles that enticed you upward to the unknown. Rory felt sort of like she was in a museum and caught herself tiptoeing in fear of disturbing the silence that cloaked the rooms. When they reached the second floor she could see more of the detail. The house was opulent, heavy tapestries and brocade drapes in rich jewel tones covered the walls; the floor was a spotless polished cherry. To the left she could just catch a glimpse of a marble floored ballroom blazing with light.

Before she could investigate further Stephanie appeared from a hallway to the right and grabbed her arm eagerly. "Come on lets get dressed so we can get this party started." She let Stephanie drag her away with a longsuffering look back at Logan. This was met with a playful wink and a little wave. "II'll let you ladies retire to prepare for your big makeover scene."

They entered a room that looked like it might have served as a ladies sitting room at some point in the long distant past. There were several other girls in the room fixing their makeup but the person who caught her attention was Finn who was lounging on a small settee with a look that made her shiver. Diabolical would be a euphemistic term for that look. When he gave Stephanie a conspiratorial nod she glanced back at the blonde with apprehension clearly painted across her features. Stephanie had shooed the other girls out of the room and closed the heavy double doors behind her with an artless look at Rory. She grabbed the box out of Rory's hands and set it on a large armoire that sat to one side of the room. Next to it sat an identical box.

She turned back to Rory. "We are here to do you a favor."

Rory didn't like the sound of that at all. She seriously doubted that anything that they considered a favor would strike her in quite that light. Rory looked from one schemer to the other but was met with silent stares. When no explanation was forthcoming she stalked over to the armoire and pulled the tops off each of the white boxes in turn. She stood staring at the dresses that resided in each.

"Alright I'm beginning to feel a bit like Eliza in My Fair Lady here." She looked pointedly at Finn "Care to explain Professor Higgins?"

Stephanie jumped in "This isn't a Pygmalion project. Its more like you are Cinderella and we are your fairy godmothers."

Rory cocked an eyebrow at Finn "You do not object to being called a fairy godmother?"

Finn sniffed haughtily "I'm secure in my manhood. Besides sometimes one has to make sacrifices to win the game in the end."

She pulled the one from the box that Logan had given her out first and held it up for her perusal. She couldn't deny it was beautiful, simple, and elegant. It was dark blue satin and fell in a chaste bell to the floor.

Finn stood behind her now judging the gown with a critical eye "Now I won't deny Logan's taste in beautiful female attire, that dress is lovely, innocent, perfect for the Rory Gilmore that we have all come to know and love. That would be safe choice and you would no doubt look stunning in it, if a little chaste." She set it down and hesitantly pulled the other dress from the box. It was elegant and simple as well, that was where the similarities ended. The front was a simple sheath of silk in a blood red tone so dark it looked nearly black with a simple straight cut bodice with tiny straps. It was the back, or perhaps it was more appropriate to say the lack of back that was worrisome.

Finn saw the deer in the headlights look in her eyes and quickly grabbed both dresses and piled them in her arms..."Here, remember that whole thing about overanalyzing...don't do it. Just try them both on and then you can decide which you want to wear."

Stephanie pointed her to a small changing room. Once inside she hesitated again as she looked at both dresses. They were both lovely but the red one was more risqué than she would normally wear, although in the last 48 hours normality had ceaased to have any real foundation. She chickened out and tried the blue on first. As expected it was a perfect fit, soft and flowing and beautiful. She felt like a princess.

She exited the small room to show her companions. They appeared dutifully impressed. Finn nodded in acknowledgement "As I said, Logan has excellent taste." She almost decided then and there. The other dress just wasn't her style. Then Logan's words to her echoed in her head "Let loose, take a few risks and live a little." Maybe the point was that she needed a change of style, soemthing new to shake up her mundane existence.

With new determination she returned to the dressing room and removed the blue dress. She stood for a long moment with the red dress in her hands and then she resolutely stepped into it. She zipped it up and then stood staring into the full-length mirror. It was beautiful and sexy, revealing just enough of her creamy skin to tantalize the imagination. She almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror. The front looked deceptively innocent although it molded to every inch of her body without a wasted inch of fabric but the back dipped nearly to her waste exposing an expanse of skin that was shocking and a tiny bit chilly. Taking a deep breath she slowly opened the door into the sitting room and felt curious eyes riveted on her.

Finn let out a whistle and exclaimed in an excited voice "By George, Eliza, the streets will be strewn with the bodies of men shooting themselves for your sake before I'm done with you." She rolled her eyes as he practically clapped his hands together in glee. He looked triumphantly at his partner in crime as he circled her

"See I told you there was a siren lurking in our little Woodward. Logan will never know what hit him."

Stephanie nodded in agreement as she looked at Rory from head to toe with a critical eye. "Finn may not know haute couture like Logan does but he knows male hormones. He is the regular Carson of the LDB set. Logan is going to have a heart attack, or at least a hormone attack if he sees you in that dress."

Rory looked at them, unsure "Is that a good thing?"

Finn nodded with a wicked gleam in his eye "Absolutely!"

Stephanie continued, "Really, this is the easiest way to winning this round. You don't have to do or say anything out of the ordinary. That dress does all the talking for you."

They both regarded her with expectant eyes. "Its up to you kid, you can go the easy elegant route or you can go for a splash. Your call." They waited as she weighed the optionsShe wasn't really sure what she would do with Logan if their little plan worked. Maybe this was a bad idea. She almost took the easy way but there was a small usually gagged part of her, probably the part that came from Lorelei, that was chafing at the bounds of her usual role and there was a certain evil gleeful woman inside her that would love to see the look on Logan's usually arrogant, self-assured face when he saw her. She could play the innocent damsel in distress waiting to be rescued by prince charming or she could play the seductress for one night. For once she cast caution to the wind, wearing a sexy dress for a couple of hours wasn't the worse thing she had ever done and ultimately little harm could come from it other than self-consciousness.

She squared her shoulders, took a deep calming breath and turned to her accomplices. "Okay, what are we waiting for, lets paint this town red."

The grins that greeted her were wide and victorious. Stephanie handed her a pair of red satin heels that matched the dress to perfection and a diamond necklace that Rory hoped with all her heart was NOT real. Rory eyed the shoes with a droll look before slipping them on her feet. "Ruby slippers. How fitting." Her voice was a shade off dry. "Although maybe in keeping with the theme they should be glass and disappear at the stroke of midnight." Stephanie gestured for her to sit down momentarily and in an impressive show of enviable skill had her hair up in a tight elegant french twist in minutes.

Finn gallantly offered her an arm "Logan may have an eye for dress sizes but I am the master when it comes to dressing for seduction." She linked an arm on either side with her "allies" and they headed out, ready to conquer the unconquerable and bring the king to his knees. When they reached the door to the ballroom Stephanie released her arm and flitted ahead into the festive room. Finn leaned in and whispered in her ear "It's show time! Gilmore, you're going out a youngster, but you'll come back a star!"

She cast him an odd glance but he blithely ignored it as they entered the main room. It looked a little like something out of Vanity Faire with scattered groups of well-dressed men and women amongst colorful pillows, lounging with food and champagne. The timbre in the room had already risen to a pleasant hum of activity. She and Finn walked towards a group of revelers and Rory could do nothing but gape at their surroundings. It looked like a picture straight out of a society magazine of the golden age of classic movies, the men dapper in tuxedos and tails, the women in glamorous richly colored gowns. In fact they easily could have passed as the movie stars of old. She paused at the thought as she took in the outfits of her companions. She hadn't paid much attention to caught up in the quandary of her own attire but now that she focused on them she realized there was something engagingly familiar about their costumes. She looked at the white and silver sequined dress that Stephanie wore with a white fur wrap and suddenly it snapped in to place. They actually were old movies stars...Stephanie looked just like Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot, Darcy was next to identical to Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief, and she, well, she'd be damned if she hadn't just stepped off the poster for breakfast at Tiffany's, although her dress wasn't quite black. Loooking around she saw an Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall, Mae West and even a Ingrid Bergman look alike. One thing you had to say about this LDB crowd is that they never did anything halfway.

She leaned over to Finn "Who are you supposed to be?"

He pouted slightly "I'm hurt you couldn't guess, I'm Dean Martin of course" he pointed "Colin is Gene Kelly, of Singin' in the Rain fame of course and our friend Logan is quite dapper as a young Robert Redford."

She laughed "You never fail to surprise me."

He smiled "My mission in life has been accomplished, now I can die happy. Get ready for your debut my dear, because you know wherever there's magic and make-believe and an audience, there's theatre. "

As they joined the group Rory recognized Colin, Stephanie and Darcy, a few of the others present were familiar faces but, as instructed, she had not been told their names. Logan turned towards the group after conversing with a young man by the bar and stopped dead in his tracks. He felt his mouth go bone dry as he took in the ethereal sight before him, Rory was...ravishing. She was practically sin incarnate in a wine dark dress that kissed the edge of propriety. It hugged every inch of her elegant curves and showed an expanse of creamy skin that bordered on indecent but still managed to look refined. The sexual innuendo of the dress only emphasized Rory's angelic pallor and dark hair, highlighting her innocence and making the dichotomy all the more alluring. It was NOT the dress that he had given her. He had no doubt that Finn was behind that dress.

Gathering his scattered wits he stepped forward and held a hand to his heart as if faint with shock "I burn, I pine, I perish" he said with great melodrama, he gave a gallant bow and kissed the back of her hand barely suppressing the shiver at the feel of her skin on his then he gave her an admiring look "You know, this is a really volcanic ensemble you're wearing. It's really marvelous." She was flustered for a second at the hot fire of his eyes as they raked over her.

Colin looked over at Stephanie who had jsut joined them with a galss of champagene in hand, his voice was dramatically woeful "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." He seemed not notice when Rory gave him a strange look.

Finn turned to Logan with a smirk and gestured to the tuxedos they were both wearing "You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good."

"The stuff that dreams is made of." Logan teased back.

Finn preened a bit, handsome in his tuxedo "Every dog has his day but the nights are mine"

Things were beginning to click in Rory's mind "So the Hollywood's Golden Age, is that the theme for the night?"

Another of the boys in the group gave her a disapproving look and said in a censuring tone. "What we've got here is failure to communicate."

She looked at Logan there was clearly a game afoot that she was out of the loop on "You know it's painful when you throw me into these games without a little hint of the rules."

Logan just winked. "Life is pain highness, anyone who tells you differently is selling something."

She was about to retort but something about the comment caught her attention, she had heard that line before. Suddenly it came to her, The Princess Brid, of course. They were all using lines from movies. Now this was a game that a life with Lorelai Gilmore had prepared her for.

Logan watched her as the rest of the group continued to converse. He could see her mind working, trying to solve the puzzle and he saw the exact moment that she figured it out because her eyes lit up with a triumphant gleam and she rubbed her hands together with anticipation.

She looked around and said in awed tone "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." She looked so pleased with herself that he laughed.

He gave her a proud smile "Elementary, my dear Watson."

Finn gestured grandly to the collected ensemble "Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter, Sermons and soda-water the day after. " Now he gestured towards one corner of the room where she could sees a bar set up.

Logan leaned towards Rory with little laugh and whispered in her ear "My advice to you... is to start drinking heavily."

Rory was enjoying this little game by now and was frantically trying to come up with the best lines from her vast mental databases of movie trivia. She knew that little vice of hers and her mothers was going to come in handy soemtime. She gave him a solemn look "I've flown this route before. It was on the wings of a demon."

He grabbed her elbow and steered her towards the bar ""Come on, darling. Why don't you kick off your spurs?"

"Do you always begin conversations this way ?" She cocked an eyebrow "This may come as a shock to you, but there are some men who don't end every sentence with a proposition."

He cast a wicked little sideways grin at her before turning towards the bar. "You want the fairy tale."

She rolled her eyes as they reached the bar but then thought of the perfect line ""Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side...and don't be stingy, baby." The bartender gave her a somewhat confused look but dutifully filled her order.

Logan gave her an appreciative look and turned to the bartender himself with a careless wave "A martini. Shaken, not stirred."

When they both had their drinks Logan held up his glass in a toast "Here's looking at you, kid."

She continued with her own toast. "With my brains and your looks, we could go places."

He chuckled at that one "See, who needs affection when I have blind hatred?"

She mirrored his usual smirk and cocky tone "Be afraid. Be very afraid." She took a sip of her drink and nearly choked as the liquor burned down her throat.

"Being bad feels pretty good, huh?" His eyes were dancing in amusement as she looked up at him with watering eyes, note to self, NEVER drink whiskey straight.

"I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates who said, "I drank what?" she gave another little cough.

The rest of the group watched the two by the bar with avid eyes. Finn leaned over to Colin as they watched Rory and Logan laugh at some certainly inane conversation, those two could put Harry and Sally to shame any day, talk, talk, talk, but no action. He decided it was about time for someone to give the inept pair a little push.

"You cannot leave everything to Fate, boy. She's got a lot to do. Sometimes you must give her a hand. "

Stephanie looked at him sideways "What do you have in mind?"

"We're on a mission from God." He said with an air of importance before he headed towards the unsuspecting pair, Stephanie gave him a thumbs up and then turned to face Colin

"This is either madness... or brilliance."

Colin nodded and touched his glass to hers in a toast "It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide."

Stephanie laughed as she sipped her champagne "We all go a little mad sometimes."

Colin pondered that for a second "True, but who is the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?

Finn approached Rory and Logan who were currently locked in a battle of gazes, who knew what snappy comeback had started this one. They were lucky to have a friend like him to set their feet on the correct path, otherwise they might still be standing her ein this impasse ten years hence.

He put an around each of their shoulders and then said in an admonishing tone "Hey Hey! What's this I see? I thought this was a party. LET'S DANCE!"

As if he had spoken the magic words the band started up a new song. Finn dapper in his black tuxedo and clearly already quite tipsy although how he had managed that feat in the small time they had been in the room was a question to be pondered, held out his hand to Rory with a wink and a mischievous smile that was impossible to refuse. "Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?"

"Surely you can't be serious." She returned in a droll voice.

"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." She laughed despite herself when he finished the quote.

"You are good."

He nodded completely without humility "i know, I've been practicing."

She toasted Logan with her glass and downed the rest of her drink with only a slight sputtering cough before she put her arm in Finn's. Her tone was questioning as she glanced at Logan "Is it safe? "

He gave her a pat on the shoulder before Finn whirled her on to the dance floor. "A life lived in fear is a life half lived. " he murmured almost to himself.

Finn's tone was conversational as he swung her out onto the floor in to a waltz. "Not many people know it, but the Führer was a terrific dancer." Finn was, perhaps not surprisingly an excellent dancer, despite being half drunk, or maybe because he was half drunk, it wouldn't surprise her either way.

"So now you are a student of history?"

"It's yet another in a long series of diversions in an attempt to avoid responsibility." he said in a grevious tone.

"Why not chuck it all and start your own think tank?"

"Not really my style, I myself subscribe more to the European philosophy of life, my priorities leaning towards wine, women and... Well that's about it."

Rory laughed, it was almost impossible not to laugh at Finn, which she suspected was exactly his goal.

Logan watched Rory and Finn move together on the dance floor and couldn't help a twinge of jealousy as he watched Rory toss back her head with a hearty laugh. He was suave and good at romancing the ladies but he had always envied Finn his off-beat zany charm. He had a way of putting people at ease that was something that was a natural as breathing to him. Most people probably considered Finn a joke, and he preferred it that way but in reality he was a shrewd judge of character and had a knack for winning over even his toughest critics. If Finn ever decided to become a politician they would all need a country to relocate to in a hurry.

Logan was a step a way from cutting in when he saw Colin tap Finn and grab Rory's waist as he spun her onto the floor again. With the faint rosy flush on her cheeks and the slightly mussed wisps of hair falling free around her cheeks she was a vision.

Logan was surprised out of his contemplation by Stephanie's voice at his elbow. "If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it."

He glanced quickly at Stephanie's pixie face. She was one of his best friends but right at this moment he really disliked the fact that it seemed his friends suddenly deemed him transparent. Since when could just anyone read him like an open book? Rory Gilmore was going to be the downfall of him for sure. Just when he thought he had the advantage and controlled the ball in his court she somehow unbalanced him and stole it out from under him without even breaking a sweat. He had never met a girl more infuriating or more determined to keep him at arms length, consequently, he had never met a girl who was more intriguing or worthy of pursuit.

Stephanie continued watching the dancing couple as well. "When you don't have anything, you don't have anything to lose. Right?" she said with no intonation whatsoever.

"I'm sure I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." He said with crossed arms and a snotty sniff.

"Are you with me or do you need me to draw it in crayon like usual?" She put her hands on her hips "You are being deliberately obtuse. All right, Opportunity knocked and you failed to answer. Consider yourself warned."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, Ms. "I Have An Opinion About Everything."

She gave him a knowing smirk "Expressing my opinion is not a terrorist action. " she spun and walked purposefully towards the dance floor. Apparently opportunity was about to knock again.

Logan followed on her heels and soon they were standing directly behind the dancing Rory and Colin who appeared to be having an animated conversation. Stephanie tapped Colin on the shoulder and when he turned to her she was brief and to the point "Dance with me." It was an order which he hastily obeyed casting an apologetic glance back at Rory.

She missed it entirely because she and Logan were now focused on one another again as Logan bowed before her "Your dream prince, reporting for duty!"

She rolled her eyes "I detest cheap sentiment." She said with some chagrin.

He offered her his hand and a playful leer ""Ya wanna dance or would you rather just suck face?"

She rolled her eyes again but accepted his hand "You really are evil, like the fruits of the devil."

His grin was bold as he took her proffered hand and spun her into the whirling crowd with a masterful twirl "If you wanna call me that, smile."

Rory was surprised at Logan's skill as a dancer although she supposed she shouldn't have been after all he was born into the kind of life where the waltz was learned along with your abc's in preschool, all training to be the perfect little gentleman, polished to a smooth gleam on the surface to hide the imperfections and humanity beneath. She shivered at the touch of his hand on the bare skin of her back but then resolutely focused her attention on what he was saying. At first they were so focused on the ongoing battle of wits that they danced almost unconsciously their steps effortlessly in sync as his hand at the small of her back guided her.

"You are an excellent dancer."

"You sound surprised." One song ended and another melody began with a seamless transition. Rory wasn't much of a dance aficionado but even she recognized the melody as a tango.

"You can tango?" It came out a sort of half question. "Did they teach you that in charm school?"

"It is no indication of insanity to tango. " He skillfully pulled her closer in a sensuous dip, had she been paying attention she might have heeded the warning signs. "You know George Bernard Shaw always said that dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire and as they say it does take two...." he trailed off with a sexy wink.

She bridled at the innuendo that he was slathering on rather thickly with a playful glare she retorted, "Let's get this straightened out right now. If you're nursing any silly notion that I'm interested in you, forget it. You're just a headline to me."

He looked quite pained "That does put a damper on our relationship" his tone was melancholy and regretful as if he were quite certain that she was being sincere. Then he cocked an eyebrow at her and issued a challenge "I don't believe it for a second though. Prove it..."

"What?"

"Prove it...if you don't have any feeling beyond friendship for me then kiss me, it should prove your point."

Her eyebrows went up "There's the brink of insanity and then there is the abyss which obviously you have fallen in to. "

He nodded solemnly "It's the truth. From a certain point of view. But I do like to follow the advice of the immortal Mark Twain when he said Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth."

She shook her head in disbelief, "I give up. You are a slippery little sucker and impossible to out maneuver.'

He smiled, and in that smile was a triumphant gleam of awareness "You mean you wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept."

She gazed straight into his eyes, realizing that she was seriously considering his challenge. She was considering kissing Logan Huntzberger! Maybe she was the one who had gone insane. The worse part about it was she was considering it maybe more to reassure herself than him, to prove to herself that there was nothing between them but a few enjoyable debates and a scattered poignant moment or two. Just the fleeting, nothing permanent.

"We are not normal people." She finally said with a shake of her head. He could see her losing the battle with reason and felt a little thrill at the thought of kissing her, but he was determined that she would make the first move, even if it was only on a dare.

"My darling girl, when are you going to understand that "normal" is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."

After a moment they lapsed into silence as they both considered the astuteness of those words, the awareness of their physical contact seeped slowly into conscious thought. Rory tried at first not to notice but after a second she let herself enjoy the flow of movement. They just fit; the steps came with unnatural grace as if they had danced together a thousand times. Logan unconsciously pulled her a step closer until there was only an inch of space between them. Rory felt a flush of heat creeping up from somewhere in the vicinity of her gut to the back of her neck. The notes of the orchestra were mere accompaniment to the real music that played between them in that inch of space that separated them, the harmony played out in their steps, the dips and twirls felt like floating. Rory's eyes locked onto the warm honeyed depths of his gaze and almost of its own volition her lips dipped closer to his. She hovered there for a second, hearing the last silenced screams of her rational mind. This was dangerous; Logan was dangerous, to her sanity, to her life, as she knew it. It was too late though, too late to pull away from that precipice because now she had peered over its edge and seen the wonders to be had with just one little step. With a resolution that belied her quaking heart she took the leap bringing her lips up to meet his. Then the real magic began.

Rory felt like she was being carried up to a crescendo of a perfect wave teetering on that edge as she and Logan breathed only each other. The real melody was in the dancing of their mouths, the heat of their skin as that somehow melded to form a perfect cresecendoing wave as beautiful and natural as any wave that had ever washed over an isolated stretch of sandy beach, obliterating all traces of what had come before it. Logan tightened his grasp on her until she was close as humanly possible while they still managed to remain standing. This was like no first kiss he had ever had.

Finn and Colin both had their eyes riveted on the dancing couple; they might as well have been the only ones on the dance floor for all their attention to their surroundings. All verbal conversation had ceased several minutes previous and they appeared to be conversing entirely via telepathic mind meld. The most surprising thing about the kiss was that Rory seemed to be the one who initiated it, although Finn suspected that Logan might have had a hand in goading her into it. It was clear to all the vicarious onlookers from the heat of that kiss, practically steaming up the windows that whatever pretense Logan had clung to that this was a mere dalliance had just gone the way of the dodo.

This was no paltry peckish, lets be friends kiss, or hesitant, sweaty palmed nervouce first kiss, this was a bring in the symphony- break out the hankies -let the lovers ride off into a beautiful sunset -roll the credits- kind of kiss. Clearly off the charts on any passion-o-meter Finn had seen. It was about time too, I mean how much vicarious sexual tension could the rest of them handle before they had to resort something devious and desperate.

Suddenly Colin leaned over towards Finn and pointed to one side of the room as he spoke in a harsh whisper "Houston, we have a problem."

Finn's eyes widened as they landed on the object of Colin's interest. Finn's smile broadened as he considered the implications of this newest twist, Logan never did disappoint when he promised a spectacle. His comment was on the sly side "Sweet are the uses of adversity. " He stopped Colin with an outstretched hand when he would have intervened. "My dear Colin I think it's safe to say that this party is about to become a historical fact"

"Rory?" A familiar voice tore through the sublime, the shock in the tone rippling through the room and bringing that floating moment of euphoria to a crashing halt. The spell was broken. As recognition sunk slowly into her befuddled brain Rory felt as if she had literally been kicked right off the cloud she had been existing on and was headed for ground at a breakneck speed with no parachute in sight. She pushed back from Logan nearly losing her balance in her rush to create some breathing space and a combination of panic, astonishment and shame washed her face a pale white and red flags rode high on her cheekbones.

"Marty?" her voice came out a shaky whisper as she turned to face their guest. The look, the tone, the distancing step all combined to kick Logan flat in the chest and he came up from the onslaught gasping sure that every breath of air had been forced out of his lungs in one fell blow.

Finn and Colin watched with darting eyes as all color left Logan's face and then was quickly replaced by a tone near magenta. Stephanie joined them and murmured in a soft voice "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast."

Finn nodded never taking his eyes off the drama in front of them. "Life is full of interruptions and complications, but you've seen the films, kiddo. It ain't over 'til it's over. Man I wish I had some popcorn, this here is shaping up to be the Greatest Show on Earth."

The room resembled a frozen tableau from a fantasy movie where a witch has frown all movement except for the main protagonists... everyone watched spellbound as the drama played out. Logan was way past thought, he was just reacting to the still rippling shock waves from the kiss and the crippling blow of rejection that had followed so closely on its heels. He lamented his luck, it seemed with Rory that nothing ever worked according to plan and his frustration was suddenly focused like a laser beam on the one boy who always seemed to be inconveniently standing between him and Rory.

Logan spun towards the intruder with venom in his eyes; He prepared to fire the killing shot. "I thought we paid you to bartend, not to chaperone." His voice came out imperious and cold. Marty froze disbelief flashing across his features. It chilled Logan to the bone that in that moment he sounded exactly like his father. The tone was regrettable and he saw his mistake the instant his eyes locked on Rory's face. Her eyes flickered past something that he didn't care to name but recognized as disappointment and landed at an emotion akin to sadness.

Her voice was soft and cool and nearly without inflection. Flat, like her eyes had gone as if someone had drawn a curtain over whatever emotion played behind those windows to the soul. "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." She ended on a pointed glare and then her tongue lashed him once more "What an excellent day for an exorcism."

She spun on her heel with military precision and walked towards the balcony doors that flanked one side of the room. Her back was ramrod straight and Logan would have given anything to take backed the last seconds of time. He could feel the fragile foundation of friendship they had built in the last weeks crumbling to sand beneath his feet.

Marty gave him a look of utter disgust after they both watched Rory vanish through the doors. . "Why don't you stick to your own kind Huntzberger, you aren't good enough for Rory." His tone was derisive and Logan felt his anger resurrect itself, like a phoenix from the ashes of his self-recrimination. He might realize that there was more than a grain of truth to the other boy's words but he'd be damned if he'd let a lowly bartender rub salt in his wounds. He turned with a malicious gleam in his eyes ready to tear the other boy to shreds but Colin stopped him with a hand to the shoulder.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

Logan backed away with a snarl "We will live to fight another day".

Finn followed up with a happy go lucky; slightly drunk slap on each of the boy's arms "I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically." He paused and then he made a sweeping gesture "And now my friends the time has come to talk of other things, of shoes and ships and sealing wax. Of cabbages and kings."

Marty gave them all a disgruntled look and then turned quickly to follow Rory's footsteps to the balcony. Finn's hand held Logan in place "Give her some time mate, the night's been a bit of a whirlwind." Logan stood for a long moment watching the door, clearly fighting the urge to follow Rory and the other boy. Finn watched him stew for a moment gave him a sagacious look and then put his arm around his shoulder "It's amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy."

That got Logan's attention, his head snapped around and the look he aimed in Finn's direction was black indeed, black like the pit of hell itself. His voice grated out angrily "I am NOT jealous."

Finn nodded agreeably "No of course not....and Hell is just a sauna."