"Bobbing along, bobbing along, on the bottom of the deep blue sea..."

Rory caught herself humming again as she highlighted a paragraph in her textbook. It was the third time today and to her mortification Paris had been the one to point it out, according to the venerable Miss Gellar she had been doing it for days, three days to be exact. For some, say Mary Poppins or Snow White this behavior might not have seemed at all incongruous but Rory was more of a sing silently to the tune in your head kind of gal, she didn't even sing aloud in the shower or the car and she had never had even the slightest urge to hum. And what was with the tune selection? At breakfast she had caught herself doing a less than melodic version of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. She wasn't sure what this said about her but she was quite certain that this strange new unconscious behavior had something to do with Logan Huntzberger. He had been messing with her subconscious mind again, she just knew it...implanting some sort of devious subliminal messages on her computer or her cell phone. Logan was a hummer, a whistler, a belt it out in the shower kind of guy...not that she had witnessed the shower part personally but she had her suspicions and she very much feared that perhaps this strange penchant for humming was contagious, maybe a cardinal symptom of some new version of Mad Cow disease that ate holes in your brain until it looked like Swiss cheese... she had never been fond of Swiss cheese and was not at all looking forward to having her brain assume it's form.

She had first noticed the humming the evening that they had watched the Family Ties marathon that her mother had insisted on sending to them as soon as she heard the tragic news that Logan had been deprived of the first hand experience of watching a young Michael J. Fox and Courtney Cox. They had bantered through most of the shows but one time when Rory had made a run to the fridge for sodas she had come back to hear Logan quite happily humming along to the music in the background completely oblivious to the fact that he was doing it. It was sort of endearing, a fact that did not make her hesitate for even a split second to use it as fodder against him. If there was one thing she had come to know about her Music Man it was that you had to be on your toes, a prime mocking incident, not matter how adorable should never be discounted or ignored. It was a dog eats dog kind of world they lived in but she wouldn't trade it for the life she had known mere weeks ago.

Except for a few notable exceptions life wasn't actually all that different from a week ago...of course it should be noted that those exceptions included the fact that she had become used to visual death threats, was unable to write anything but sugar coated drivel for her modern poetry class and was currently humming aloud in the library...mortifying really. They were probably preparing the lynch mob in the study carrel to her right.

It hadn't been long since that infamous first date... less than a week, six short days to be exact, not that she was counting, a mere split second in the grand scheme of things but word spread fast around these parts...mostly thanks to Finn who apparently was trying to out gossip Richard Johnson of Page Six fame. Within twenty four hours of their return to reality Rory had begun to notice a steady increase in the nasty glares directed at her by complete strangers, women whom when had never laid eyes on who apparently now knew her by sight and by name and maybe knew where she lived, apparently that list that Stephanie had warned her about had been a long one...it was a chilling commentary on the state of romantic affairs on the Yale campus. Mostly though she had managed to ignore the glares and the muttered insults and sailed on with her daily life. The thought of daily life in some convoluted logic process led her to thoughts of lunch, also something she did daily and she was reminded by her growling stomach that she had neglected if for far too long. She had to keep up her strength in case that lynch mob came after her with pitchforks...she knew exactly how Shrek must have felt.

It was with a mixture of emotion that Rory spied Paris at a table in the dining hall. Paris had delighted of late in sharing her rather numerous thoughts about Rory's newest relationship. Rory slid into the seat and waited for the inevitable comment that wasn't long in coming.

"Is it just me or did the temperature in her just drop about ten degrees."

Rory grunted in response "I don't think I'll be winning any popularity contests anytime soon." She glanced around the room again but then focused on her tray and bit into a fry "C'este la vie"

She nearly choked on the inoffensive fry when a friendly arm came down on her shoulder and she swallowed before she shot a glare at the owner of said appendage. She rolled her eyes towards heaven in a clear plea for patience or divine intervention. She was not in the mood to deal with the smiling face at the end of that arm "Finn. What brings you out in daylight hours?"

Finn looked injured and withdrew his hand as if it had been burned "That wounds me Gilmore, the cut is deep, and here Master Bradshaw and I were just coming to rescue the fair damsel in distress." Despite the clear lack of invitation he slid gracefully into the seat next to her and waved for Colin to take her other flank.

Her forehead was crinkled in a look of confusion; finally she pointed at herself "Me? I'm the damsel in distress in this little scenario? According to who?"

Finn looked around as if scoping the room for snipers and then leaned forward to say in an exaggerated whisper "Word on the street was you might be in need of a little protection."

"Protection?" clearly Rory wasn't following this line of argument.

"You know, a brute squad to fight off the raving masses should a riot break out?"

Rory finally got it "So Mr. Moneybags sent you to be my bodyguards and protect me from his legions of female fans?"

Finn put on his best martyr face "Oh no my dear girl, we VOLUNTEERED to be you body guards, well okay, I volunteered but I wouldn't want to leave poor old Colin here twiddling his thumbs so he got himself volunteered as well."

Rory gave Colin a pitying look "And Bush the Lesser says there is no back door draft."

Paris finally interjected "Let me get this straight. The Skipper sent you two worthy seamen to be lover girl's scary hulks?" her tone was the epitome of incredulity.

Finn nodded "I prefer scary hunk but that's pretty much it in a nutshell."

Paris let out a scoffing laugh as she gave him a condescending once over "I'd say lounge lizard before I'd go with scary hulk. Better not to shoot higher than your fighting class."

Finn cocked a head to one side and sized up the snarky blonde "Woodward where are you manners, failing to introduce me your lovely companion." His tone fairly dripped smarm.

Paris rolled her eyes and Rory visibly brightened...this should be fun "Finn Morrison it is my pleasure to introduce you to my roommate Paris Gellar, best to warn you that she does bite."

Paris glared at her "Funny Gilmore. Very funny. Remind me to tell you later about the last person who introduced me like an animal at the zoo."

Finn grabbed Paris' hand before she could yank it away and ignored her look of abject horror as he raised it to his lips "I assure you, the pleasure is all mine. Tell me Paris, are you a good girl like Woodward here?" his tone implied that his real intent was something naughty...and it probably was.

Paris narrowed her eyes to slits and seemed to be considering which body part to rip off first. Colin shuddered a bit at the look, always the more prudent of the pair, Finn just smirked...apparently he was insane and suicidal.

Paris' tone left no doubt as to the threat "I think Gilmore can fend for herself against the Huntzberger groupies, you on the other hand would do well to start guarding your own body if you don't remove my hand from your grip immediately."

Finn's eyes lit in glee rather than the fear Paris had intended "Ohh...a fire breather." He clasped his hands together in joy "I do so love a fire breather."

Paris bared her teeth at him and nearly growled when he grinned at her and continued in a conspiratorial tone "My dear what big teeth you have."

"I eat boys like you for lunch." Paris was at a snarl by now.

Finn gave her a playful wink "Is that a promise?"

Rory's eyes widened in an attempt to contain the mirth that wanted to spill from her lips as she watched Paris gear up for a full frontal assault. With a snap Paris pulled her hand from Finn's grasp and gave the offending male a look that had caused many a crying jag in the weak. Finn just smiled, all teeth, a wolf to the core.

Paris altered her look to include such repugnance that one would have thought she were viewing a truly grotesque sight rather than Finn's rather comely countenance. She turned to Rory "Where'd you find this one? In a puddle of primordial ooze?"

Finn answered for her "Slime I'd think...Tasmania is known for its slime."

Paris snorted "Gee Gilmore you sure know how to pick winners."

Rory protested, "Hey, I didn't pick him, he's Logan's friend."

"Guilt by association."

Finn gave Paris a charming smile and his best Elizabethan accent "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Paris turned back to him with a sneer "How typical, using Shakespeare in the service of your unworthy aims. I'd wager you don't even know the source of your banal clichés."

Rory sighed, if there was one thing she had learned in her short acquaintance with Logan's merry band it was that they loved a challenge, now Finn would goad her for the sheer fun of it.

Finn raised an eyebrow "A challenge." He looked askance at Colin "What say you friend, shall I take up the gauntlet this young maid has thrown?"

Colin sighed, the ever-suffering voice of reason "Like I could stop you."

"Colin was always the wisest among us." Finn smirked "You're on dear heart, on one condition, that wager you spoke of, might as well make it worth my while."

Paris gave him a condescending look "I should have known you were a rapscallion and a gambler. What's the bet? Money? How bottom of the barrel."

Finn laughed "Sticks and stones Love. A rich man has no need of character. I do however think that betting money, although enjoyable, is rather crass for such a lofty pursuit as ours, I'd say we can find a better ante don't you think?"

It was one of the first times that Rory had ever seen Paris questioning her own quick tongue, it was obvious she was a little unsure as to what sort of trap she was stepping into. Her voice was a tad on the cautious side for she had the notion that this beast would not be as easily vanquished as most. "I should warn you before you make a lascivious fool of yourself...my affections aren't for sale. I have a boyfriend."

Finn sighed dramatically "Your low opinion causes me pain Pet. I would not think of so dastardly a deed. Far be it for me to despoil the paragon of virtue that sits before me."

Paris pointed an accusatory finger at Rory when she saw the smile out of the corner of her eye "Don't you even think about laughing Gilmore. I know where you sleep."

Rory swallowed a chuckle and sobered with difficulty as Finn continued with a laconic tone "No, much as you may cause my blood to race, I would hardly dare to fan the flames for fear they would start a conflagration and leave me burnt to a crisp. I'm nothing if not a survivor." He stopped Paris with a raised hand "spare me the lash of your lovely but viperous tongue. I'm only out to defend my impugned theatrical knowledge. Since the play's the thing I say you pick 5 quotes form different plays and if I am able to name the source correctly then I win. My prize will be a feature article about me in the Daily News, written by yours truly."

Paris gaped at him for a full second, perhaps the longest known gape from Paris Gellar in recorded history and then she shut her mouth with a snap that sounded a little like an alligator snapping it's jaws on its latest victim "How incredibly improper."

"Impropriety is the soul of wit." Finn smiled winningly.

Paris snorted, "You're off to a poor start, I believe that brevity is the soul of wit."

Finn shrugged "I see you have a predilection for Shakespeare. I prefer the latter day Brits myself."

Paris was done with the preamble "Fine, your face in print, me the slave to your ego...what do I get if I stump you?"

"I cede that decision to you milady...whatever your heart desires."

Paris thought for a long moment, eyes narrowed in calculation and then met his smile with a cunning twist of the lips "I get to set you up on a blind date."

This surprised even Rory, since when had Paris taken to matchmaking as a hobby?

Finn just nodded slightly in acquiesance and reached out a hand to shake. Paris clasped the hand somewhat begrudgingly and then pulled it back quickly "Very well milady, the stakes are set...now for a bonus, my original quote 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks' said of course by Queen Gertrude to Hamlet in Act three Scene two of Shakespeare's Hamlet." He waved a gallant hand "Your sally my sweetheart."

Paris gritted her teeth and then gave him a menacing smile ""Asses are made to bear, and so are you"

Finn laughed which only made Paris' face go further sour "Ah my dear, you're going to have to try harder than that, those callous words were of course from the lips of Katherine in regards to the sweet Petruchio, Act Two, Scene One of Taming of the Shrew."

He slanted an eyebrow at Paris "care to forfeit now and save your pride?"

Paris rolled her shoulders "hardly, that was just a warm up, thought I'd give you a fighting chance, save your pride from utter ruin. I do so hate to see grown men cry."

Finn winked at her "I doubt that very much. However, your gesture was kind but unnecessary."

Just then Colin scooted over and Logan slid into the seat next to Rory surmising from Paris' bull pawing the ground stance and the practically visible steam issuing from between her clenched teeth and Finn's smug and imperturbable game face that a battle was afoot. He leaned over and whispered in Rory's ear "Why the battle lines? What did I miss?"

Rory tore her eyes away from the little tableau with effort and whispered back "Remember the scene in Princess Bride with the battle of wits...I think we are witnessing a reenactment."

Logan nodded knowingly "Which one is the man in black?"

Rory smiled but her eyes were still riveted on the two combatants "I haven't decided yet...I guess who ever has the poison."

Logan darted a glance at her and was relieved to see that the poison part was a joke...one should never assume when Finn was involved. "So, what started this one?"

Rory waved a hand at her roommate "Paris was casting aspersions on Finn's knowledge of Shakespeare, and then she mentioned the word wager."

Logan tilted his head back with a laugh "Ah, no better way to bring out the devil than with a promise of fresh souls to corrupt. So what's the contest?"

Rory spoke without looking at him "Five quotes from plays, he has to correctly sight the source."

Logan laughed out loud and Rory looked at him full on, perplexed by this merriment, he leaned over with a droll smile and said "I never thought I'd utter these words in reference to Gellar but...poor girl. I hope she didn't bet anything dear to her."

Rory's brow wrinkled in suspicion "What makes you so certain she will lose?"

Logan pointed and gave her a pious look "Just watch."

Paris launched volley number two "The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world. They can sit at their ease and gape at the play."

Finn gave a ho hum sort of sigh and kicked back in his chair to stare at the ceiling "The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde." He gave Paris a sideways glance "Good man old Oscar, said many a brilliant thing, my favorite motto being 'The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.' Now I thought you said you were finished going easy on me."

Paris bristled and spat out the next one 'He who allows himself to be insulted deserves to be so; and insolence, if unpunished, increases!'

Finn paused as if contemplating and then said in an admiring tone "Ah, an oldie but a goody. That would be the immortal words of Pierre Corneille in Heraclius, Act One, Scene Two. Would you like to hear it in it's original French?" he cast an inquisitive eye at Paris who was turning a particularly lurid hue of magenta.

Rory leaned over to Logan again "You think we should stop this before Paris has a stroke?"

Logan shook his head "Don't' ruin our fun too early. How hard is it to call 911? "

Paris cast a venomous look in their direction at the overheard conversation and then zeroed in on Finn again.

"Enough pussyfooting around Rain man how about this one 'Demons are prowling everywhere Nowadays I'll send 'em howling, I don't care I've got ways."

Finn gave her a slanted eye look that suggested he was slightly impressed although far from stymied "Clever girl. I see you are veering into the more contemporary theatre. That of course would be from the macabre bit of theater called Sweeney Todd, most recently adapted by the legendary Stephen Sondheim. I only hope that quote does not reflect your opinion of me as a person. I would hate to think that our little game has engendered such hatred in such a brief period of acquaintance."

Paris narrowed her eyes "The allusion is fitting, however, your source is not correct, I want the original dramatist."

Finn sighed heavily "If I must, that would be George Dibdin-Pitt, although his play was titled the Fiend of Fleet Street I believe and was actually an adaptation of the original writing which went by the name of The String of Pearls..." he smiled "so judge do I pass muster?"

Paris hissed rather like a teakettle that has reached a roiling boil.

Finn smiled almost apologetically and waved his nearby napkin in the air in lieu of a white flag "Perhaps we should call this little contest off...call it a draw or a forfeit, whatever you like but I think you are getting rather worked up and I would so hate to see our budding friendship go down in flames.'

Paris narrowed her eyes to slits "I don't think you need to worry about us being friends anytime this millennium."

Finn made a regretful face "And just when I was ready to paint your nails and spend the night in pigtails telling you all my darkest secrets. I guess we aren't going to be bosom buddies anytime soon."

Paris looked like she was considering performing an emergency lobotomy with her spoon. "I wouldn't worry about anytime soon if I were you, your chances of surviving until tomorrow go down drastically every time you open your mouth."

Finn winked at her "Now you're just trying to distract we with flirtation."

"Play the game Morrison."

He laughed and did think for a brief moment that he saw a few flashes of his life before him as Paris lunged towards him. Luckily Rory was there to stop her with a quieting hand although it did earn him a glare "Stop being so inflammatory Finn. I'd really hate to see Paris spontaneously combust, it would ruin a perfectly nice lunch, not to mention the trouble I'd have explaining it to Doyle."

Finn looked a little like a dog who had been scolded and was slinking away tale between legs "It's not my fault she is so easy to inflame, all I did was play her little game." He pouted and Rory thought there was a chance that he might give her mother a run for her money in the pouting arena.

Paris was ready with her final shot "No pouting yet, you have to wait until I've broken you. Here's your last quote 'I cannot bear so base a method which your fashionable people generally affect; there is nothing I detest so much as the contortions of these great time-and-lip servers, these affable dispensers of meaningless embraces, these obliging utterers of empty words, who view every one in civilities, and treat the man of worth and the fop alike."

Finn clasped his hands together and settled his chin on his hands gazing with obsequious adoration at Paris "My dear your intellect makes me melt like hot fudge on a sundae. "

Paris looked ready to choke on the words "You are a scoundrel and you are stalling. Name the reference."

Finn gave a melodramatic sigh "Another beautiful relationship falls prey to my exceeding brilliance. " he paused as if weighing the options and Rory knew in a moment of clarity that this really was all a game to him. A game that he cared little about winning or losing but enjoyed purely for the sake of amusement.

Finally he raised both hands as if in defeat "Sorry... it seems my worthy store of theatre knowledge is depleted. I'm drawing a blank."

The look on Paris' face was pure satisfaction as she rose to her feet every nuance her body screaming triumph. She gloated as she rounded the table towards Finn with a gleam in her eye "Thank you Pony Boy for this lovely little game. I've got just the girl in mind for you. I'll be calling you soon to hammer out the details of your rendezvous."

Finn shrugged and remarked in a philosophical tone "You win some you lose some."

Paris grinned "yeah...in this case YOU lose some. It's been lovely wiping the floor with you Morrison. We should do it again sometime soon.' She was off with a swagger to her step. Paris was always at her least pleasant when an intellectual battle had been one, something about the blood of the innocent on her hands seemed like a shot of endorphins straight to the cerebral cortex.

Thee collective at the table watched until she was out of sight then Finn propped his head back and went back to staring at the ceiling with a whimsical tilt to his lips "she wants me. I have a sense for these things."

Rory almost choked on her soda "More like she wants you drawn and quartered and dragged through the quad as a warning to all intrepid challengers. But hey maybe your radar is just off today."

Finn smiled "She is a prickly creature, your friend. Never would have pegged Snow White and the Evil Step Mother as amigos, a twist I'm sure Walt never foresaw."

Rory rolled her eyes "She's not really that bad when you get to know her.'

Finn grinned "yeah, I'm sure she's scream at a good beheading. Life of the party at a nice hanging."

Rory narrowed her eyes at him "So why did you let her win?"

Finn's eyes widened in feigned innocence "No idea what you are rambling about."

Logan jumped in with a snort "Right...because the fact that you were practically teethed on Moliere and have all but adopted The Misanthrope as your personal flagship play apparently went right out of your head at her rather uninspired last strike. Either you really have been drinking too much Guinness of late or you threw the game."

Finn looked shocked "Too much Guinness! Erase those foul words from your mouth. I can't believe a friend of mine say something so heretical."

"And you just dodged the point of that remark."

Finn shrugged "Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't. To be honest I reconsidered my terms, I didn't really want my face in print, might help the FBI find me faster. Besides I always enjoy a good blind date. Kind of a hobby of mine."

He turned back to Rory and quite bluntly changed the subject "How is the plan for the wedding shaping up?"

Colin jumped in now "You know I've been thinking about that and it seems rather rude of us to just invite ourselves along to a family occasion like that."

Three pairs of eyes rolled in his direction but Logan was the first to interject "Now Colin lets not be coy, what you have really been thinking is that you should have been paying more attention to the conversation and less to the newspaper so that you wouldn't be finding yourself in this particular pickle with the lovely Stephanie."

Colin grumbled but Rory picked up the thread of conversation "It's too late now for second thoughts, I already asked my grandmother and she was so thrilled that I was bringing more of my Yale friends that I'm sure that she will all but roll out the red carpet for you. I'd probably be disowned if you bail now."

Colin groaned and then looked up helplessly "So, no escape hatch?"

Rory shook her head sadly "Sorry, I think that lifeboat was thrown overboard the minute you chose these two reprobates as friends." She cocked both thumbs at the grinning Logan and Finn.

Colin sighed "Yeah. I knew that would end up biting me in the ass."

Logan slung an arm over his shoulder "Don't worry Romeo. We've got a plan to help you win the fair maiden's heart."

Colin's eyes widened in trepidation "A plan? Who came up with this plan? Please tell me you haven't been having committee meetings at the pub again."

Rory wrinkled her brow in confusion "Committee meetings?"

Logan threw his other arm around Rory "See Ace, and you say I don't have any extracurricular activities. Why Finn and I quite frequently meet in our incarnation as the Task Force for Successful relations with the Fairer Sex. The subcommittee that Colin is discussing is of course the Unrequited Love forum.'

Colin put his head down on the table and rolled it from side to side "you're right Gilmore, I should have run as fast and as far as I could from these lunatics when I had the chance."

Rory patted him on the back sympathetically "Buck up little camper. I'm on your side now and I will be at the wedding so I will do my best to keep them from public humiliation."

Finn sniffed "Unappreciated that's what we are mate, taken for granted. Now, what would dear Colin really do if we gave up and called it a hopeless case? He'd be crying alone in his Guinness and writing pathetic country and western songs about how the love of his life ran off with his dog or some such nonsense."

Colin rolled his shoulders and lifted his head to prop hi chin on his hands "Why can't you two just let go of this pipe dream. Has it occurred to you that maybe I don't want to have a relationship with Stephanie? That maybe I've accepted my lot in life. I'll always be the friend. The shoulder to cry on. She'll never see me as more than that and I'm fine with that."

Logan rolled his eyes dramatically in Rory's direction as if to say...see what I have to work with "Pity party for one please.'

Colin glared in his direction "Hey, we can't all happily float along and just happen to trip over our soul mate out on a nice little jaunt."

Rory flushed a little at this reference to she and Logan but kept her mouth shut as Logan interjected with more than a little exasperation that told her this was an old and oft repeated argument "oh please Colin you found your Juliet when you were eight. Don't you think it's about time you stopped moping around and did something about it?"

Logan had hit a sore spot and when Colin narrowed his eyes Rory could sense a fight brewing but Logan cut him off with a sigh. "Look if you don't' want our help I'm not going to force it on you. Good luck with the whole pining hermit thing."

Colin looked a little hurt but his tone belied this "Don't be one of those people Huntzberger. One of those guys who is lucky enough to find the right girl despite his checkered past and then starts preaching from the pulpit about how to find true love. I know your less than sterling side, and I'll say this you were damn fortunate to find a girl like Rory Gilmore who was willing to give you a chance. I wouldn't put on your robe and vestments and take the pulpit anytime soon if I were you."

Logan glared for a long moment before he rose from the table a bit stiffly "At least I'm not a coward. I'd so love to stay and exchange blows but I've got a class to get to. Hope your cross of martyrdom keeps you good company."

He was gone before Rory had time to respond and she gave the other two combatants a quick confused look before she was out of her seat to follow.

Silence fell at the table as Colin sighed in resignation and allowed his head to fall back to his hands. Finn bided his time considering the next step.

Surprisingly Colin was the one to break the silence his voice slightly muffled from his supplicant's position "Damn him."

Finn was surprised at this comment so he responded without thought "You know Logan means well, this is an old argument and you two will never see eye to eye on it."

Colin lifted his head slightly and looked at Finn "No, I meant damn it he's right. I hate that he is right, I REALLY hate it that he is right about this."

Finn noted a strange inflection in the last comment; a slight bitter twisting of the lips and a red flag went up. Caution wasn't usually Finn's bag but even he recognized flashing lights when he saw them "You mean because of that self-righteous thing...you were right about that, it was against the odds that he hooked up with Gilmore."

Colin gave him a long look as if weighing his words and then responded "No. That is irritating as all hell, some people just catch all the breaks...but no, I was talking about Fiji."

"Sun, sand, lots of rum and me driving a yacht into a reef ... good times but not much to do with this topic." The voice was carefully careless and left Colin feeling cold.

His retort was harsh "Would the driving of the yacht into the reef be before or after Logan and Stephanie were trying to swallow each other's tongues?"

Colin had known Finn long enough to read him even when he thought he was being very closed book and he saw the little breath before he launched into a counter maneuver. He felt the sinking in his heart when his worst fears were corroborated.

"Colin..."

Colin rubbed a hand over his face before he stopped Finn with a hand "Shit. I should have known there was more to that story. You're too easy a patsy."

Finn was resigned now and saw no point in beating around the bush "How did you find out?"

This laugh was sort of surprised "You'd be shocked at the things that Stephanie says when she is drunk, not much of a filter the minute the blood alcohol tips over the line."

Finn gave a sardonic little half smile "Dear girl never could hold her alcohol. How long?"

"Three months. End of summer party at the beach cabana. Stephanie was upset about something and got trashed and I put her to bed. I'm good at cleanup crew." This was said in a somewhat self-mocking tone "She was almost totally passed out on the bed but she grabbed my hand pulled me down to sit next to her. Looked at me with those eyes." At this he looked at Finn almost pleadingly "Since the day I met her I haven't been able to say no to those eyes."

Finn smiled slightly "You're not alone in that my friend."

"Yeah." His voice had a far away echo to it "She asked me then, what I was afraid of, why I never took a chance. I didn't have an answer, at least not one I wanted to admit. So I sat there frozen and she started to ramble about taking chances and mistakes...like Logan. At first I didn't know what she was talking about but then she was talking about the boat and Fiji and some crazy game of strip poker, at the time I couldn't really make sense of it and before I knew it she was crying. Asking me if I would ever forgive her. It broke my heart to see her so upset. She was dead to the world only moments later and I suddenly had all these new pieces of information that just didn't fit with the version of the story that I knew." Colin lifted haunted eyes to Finn's "She doesn't remember... any of it, not the confessions or the crying or the forgiveness. I got enough to know they kissed, pieced together the rest of what I guessed but I don't really know the whole story. I'm guessing the only people who know that are you and Logan and Stephanie."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, for once at a loss for words that would somehow make this right. "Are you sure you want to know that story? Do you think it will really make it better?"

Colin shook his head deliberately "no. I don't think it will make it better but this knowing just enough to imagine the worst case scenario is far far worse. I'm driving myself crazy. I want to be the guy that can forgive what was surely just pure folly but how can I dismiss it as a mistake if I don't know what really happened? If I don't know the simple truth."

Finn shook his head sadly "The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."

Colin closed his eyes "Morrison you are like a brother to me but one more quote and I will take this rather dull knife to your pretty face."

Finn shook his head still with a bit of humor, always with humor "I'd say how Cain and Abel of you but I think that might get me carved up with the spoon instead and frankly after my run in with the terrifying Miss Gellar I think I've had my quota of death threats for the day. I'll tell you what I know but for the nitty gritty details you are going to have to ask Stephanie or Logan. Something I'm guessing you are loath to do."

Colin gave him a little half smile "You'd be surprised the courage that comes with insane love."

She caught him in the courtyard and shouted his name "Geez Huntzberger, you training to outrun Michael Johnson?"

Logan gave her a sidelong glance that looked a little on the side of apprehensions. "Let me guess you're going to lecture me about being mean to poor little Colin.'

Rory shrugged and fell into step with him "Well, you were a little hard on him but I guess I understand why."

He looked a little startled at this "What do you mean you understand? I don't even understand, it's not that I meant to yell at him, it's just that it drives me crazy this stupid cycle he and Stephanie are in, seeing him get all worked up like this but never stepping up to the plate."

Rory nodded again "I do understand, it's the old kill two birds with one stone theory. You want your friend to be happy and you want to assuage your own guilt. It's not the most altruistic of motives but it's not wrong."

"You sound like you know this from experience."

Rory sighed as they came to a stop automatically in front of the first coffee kiosk they ran across in their meanderings Rory laughed a little as a girl behind them grumbled at their abrupt stop "maybe we need a bumper sticker that says will brake for coffee. Anyway, as I was saying, I do have a little experience of the hard won kind in this particular arena."

"With the whole Dean thing?" his voice was curious.

Rory sighed regretfully "Okay, I have a LOT of experience in this arena, I was thinking a little more ancient history than that. Have I ever told you about when Paris and I first met?"

Logan made a signal to the guy behind the counter for two large coffees and kept talking as he fished out a five. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of that little parable."

They took their coffee and landed on a bench nearby "Well Paris and I weren't so much friends as mortal enemies when we first met. There was a period where we delighted in antagonizing each other, I'm sure she would say, in perhaps more brutal terms that she hated my guts. Then there was a brief armistice, a mutual respect building, hope for a girl band...all of which was dashed when I made the mistake of kissing the class bad boy that she had a crush on. She didn't actually know about the kiss but I felt so guilty about the whole thing that I tried to set him up with her on a date. Mistakes compounded ten fold. I reasoned that it killed two birds with one stone, made her happy and made me feel less guilty. Needless to say when she found out about my collusion the gloves came off. Moral of the story. Sometimes you just have to live with your guilt and let your friends muddle their own way through the morass of love."

Logan gave her an admiring look "Boy Ace, you could give Cardinal Richelieu lessons in bungled scheming and can I just say that for a sweet and innocent looking girl you give new meaning to the term complicated."

Rory shrugged helplessly "Sorry to disappoint."

Logan pulled her close for a kiss "You never disappoint Ace, I just have to get used to these constant Days of Our Lives plot twists."

He rose from the bench "I will take your tale under advisement but for once I really do have a class calling my name and I'm thinking it will scold me if I ignore it... Modern British History is never a kind mistress. You're off to Stars Hollow tonight?"

She nodded "yeah, mother daughter bonding prior to horror of aisle walking."

He smiled "I'll see you tomorrow then, I'll be the one with the menagerie in tow."

"I'm sure I won't be able to miss you.'

Logan rolled his eyes expressively "Not even if you tried. Promise you won't pretend ignorance as to my identity when you see Finn's date?"

Rory raised an eyebrow teasingly "Don't worry Huntzberger, I've seen you in a suit, I assure you, I'll claim you. We'll just pretend that Finn wandered in off the street."

He grinned and walked backwards away from her "I like the way you think Gilmore." He threw her a kiss. "Tomorrow."

He vanished in a crowd of students hurrying towards their respective lecture halls and she stared at the ground in front of her for a few minutes sipping coffee thoughtfully until she caught herself humming again. Strange the things that falling in love made you do.

She ambled towards her dorm to prepare for girls' night with her mother and the tune floated after her.

"A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view..."