AN: I would like to be able say I'm above shameless self promotion, but I'm not. So I'd like to use this opportunity to let you know that I have a new story up-post AYITL. It's called Rediscovering Logan Huntzberger. If you haven't already seen it, head on over and check it out after you finish reading and reviewing this chapter ;)

"The Douche Burger?" Stephanie asked incredulously.

"Yep," Finn confirmed. They were congregated around a table in a swanky New York city bar. The skyline twinkled in the floor to ceiling windows behind them.

"You actually ordered and ate something called 'the douche burger'?"

"Did they name it after you?" Logan asked with a chuckle.

"No, they named it after your father," Finn deadpanned.

Logan looked at his friend appraisingly, then shrugged. "Seems appropriate."

"But…why?" Stephanie asked.

"Because it's the most expensive burger in the world and I can."

"Impeccable logic." Colin rolled his eyes.

"Ooh! Rory!" Logan turned his attention to watch as Stephanie jumped up from her seat and went to hug the approaching brunette. He felt himself tense up. He'd been avoiding her all week.

"Hi Rory," he said formally as she approached the table.

"Hey," she greeted warmly.

"Sit!" Steph commanded her, pulling out a chair. It did not go unnoticed to Logan that Stephanie was offering Rory the chair she had just been sitting in—the one right next to him. Rory had probably mentioned he'd been avoiding her. Stephanie plopped herself down on the next chair over.

Rory turned to him, an apprehensive look on her face. "I hope you don't mind that I'm here. Steph invited me out."

"It's a free city," he replied, as nonchalantly as he could. Rory gave him an uneasy look.

"Finn was just telling us about the Douche Burger he had." Stephanie cut in.

"Oh, I've heard of that. Doesn't it cost, like a thousand dollars?"

"666 buckaroos, Love."

"Ahh, the number of the beast. How fitting."

"So what exactly did you get for this stellar investment, Finn?" Colin asked.

"Well, it's a fois gras stuffed Kobe beef patty with caviar, lobster, truffles, and champagne infused cheese and it's served in a gold-leaf wrapper," Finn explained.

"That sounds…disgusting," Rory observed.

"Atrocious," Finn agreed. "I took one bite and gave the rest to the birds."

Rory rolled her eyes. Logan tried not to think about how cute she looked. He needed to be a professional. That's why he'd been avoiding her. Self-restraint was not exactly one of his strong points. When he wanted something, he went for it. He didn't know how to be around her and not flirt. But he didn't want to be one of those guys. Those guys like Peterson—or his father—who abused their power. He refused to sink to their level.

"Oh! Idea!" Rory suddenly yelped, turning to face him.

"I feel like there should have been a 'eureka' added to that," Colin commented dryly

"An article! The world's most expensive foods! And the people that eat them. I could even interview you, Finn," she added turning away from Logan to face the Aussie.

"I have always wanted a little fame to go with my fortune."

"What do you think?" She turned back to Logan.

"Sounds good. I'm sure your editor will love it." Her enthusiasm was infectious, but he did his best to keep his voice detached.

Rory narrowed her eyes at him. "Really? You're really going to keep this up? We're not even at work."

"I'm still technically your boss."

Rory groaned. "Okay, that's it." She stood up, grabbing Logan by the shirt and pulling him up too.

"Hey!" he protested. Rory continued to lead him past a group of tipsy hipsters, over to a quiet corner.

"What the hell, Rory?"

"I've got something to say."

"Apparently," Logan replied, patting down his shirt where she had been pulling at it.

"You acted inappropriately when we first met."

"Yeah." He looked up at her with a glare. "I got the memo. And I told you, it won't happen again."

"Excuse me, I'm not done," she scolded.

"Okay, jeez!" He held his hands up in surrender.

"You acted inappropriately, but so did I…"

"Wha—" Rory glared at his interruption and he shut up.

"I was overly familiar with you. I didn't give you the respect you deserved as my superior. I flirted too. Plus, I was intrusive into your family life, and I convinced you to do things that went against your job description…"

"You were encouraging me…"

"That wasn't my place."

"I appreciate an employee who will tell it to me like it is…"

"No, you appreciate a friend who will do that. And that's what we are. Friends."

"I don't know if I know how to be your friend, Rory." Logan cast his gaze down slowly. He wanted to be her friend. He wanted more, but even with 'more' off the table, he wanted friendship. Rory was funny and smart, and outspoken. He enjoyed being around her. But he was also her boss, and right now he was having trouble reconciling the two in a way that didn't make him hate himself.

"Well, that's too bad," she replied. "Because you said we could be friends and I'm not letting you off the hook. I don't have enough friends these days just to write one off because it's inconvenient."

She was being flippant, but the words hung in his head. He remembered what Stephanie had said about controlling relationships and cutting people off from their support systems. He couldn't take that chance. She needed to know she had people she could turn to outside of her asshole boyfriend. And he needed to be there for her if she ever needed a lifeline.

"Fine, but we still need to keep things professional at work."

"Agreed, but professional doesn't have to mean unfriendly. We can still talk."

"We can still talk," he capitulated. "But no flirting."

"No family talk," Rory added.

"No nicknames…"

"At work," Rory clarified.

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Maybe it's better…"

"Oh come on, Huntzberger, hearing you call me Rory is just weird." Logan rolled his eyes. It was true. Calling her Rory was weird. But he still felt strange about calling her "Cherry" considering the implications.

"No being alone in my office," he added rather than further address the nickname issue.

Rory sighed. He knew it probably seemed a bit extreme to her—he had private meetings in his office all the time—but he needed some boundaries if he was going to keep himself in check.

"Fine." She agreed

"Good, can we go back to the table now?" he asked, pointing towards the group.

Rory linked her arm through his and led him back.

"Ahh, you've returned!" Finn greeted them as they sat back down. "Lover's spat over?"

Rory smiled brightly. "We're good," she replied patting Logan on the knee. "Now Finny, tell me what other obscenely priced foods you've eaten."

Mitchum always loved the commotion and frenzy that naturally infused a newsroom. Of course, when he walked through the room things tended to quiet down a bit as employees reacted to his presence. He made them nervous. As it should be. He had earned a little respect in this field.

And while he enjoyed scaring his employees into submission with his mere existence, he was really in the newsroom for one specific person. He wanted to see Rory and he could only manufacture so many reasons to call her into his office without looking suspicious.

It was usually enough to see her after hours, but lately even that time had become more infrequent. She had turned down several opportunities to spend time with him recently; usually with some vague excuse. She'd also been going out more, drinking and partying.

He was feeling her slip away. It didn't make any sense. He was always the one to pump the breaks on a relationship. Women tended to want to try to tie him down; demand more of his time than he had to give them, try to trap him into marriage so they could get their hands on his enormous bank account. Maybe that was one of the reasons he was drawn to Rory—she didn't seem to want any of that. But now the very things that had made their relationship so appealing to him at first were the ones dragging it down.

So now he had resorted to actions that were way below the dignity of a Huntzberger—making up excuses to see a woman, skulking about like a pathetic mess. He should just move on. This whole affair had spun wildly out of control. He had just wanted to have a little fun with a beautiful, adoring, young woman. He didn't want to fall in love. He certainly wasn't looking for a second wife. But instead he continued his meandering stroll through the newsroom, slowly making his way towards the woman who kept distracting him from more important things.

He looked up from the report from the advertising department he was carrying—not that he'd really been reading it—as he approached her cubicle.

"So, find any tacos served in a golden tortilla yet?" he heard the voice of his son ask. Mitchum scowled as he noted Logan leaning casually against the side of Rory's cubicle. That boy had a talent for sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He was sniffing around Rory an awful lot and it was clearly more than a professional interest. Interesting considering how impudent he'd been over the thought of Peterson getting involved with employees.

Mitchum had no doubt it was Logan's influence that was drawing Rory away from him. The question was, just how was he exacting that influence.

"Hey, someone new. Have we been introduced?" Mitchum needled his son. The truth was, sometimes he'd prefer if Logan were a stranger. He was an embarrassment as a son.

Logan and Rory both turned to face him, Rory with a wide-eyed look. Interesting. "Jose Canseco, post steroids. Should be a warning to people," Logan answered.

"Are you keeping Miss Gilmore from her work?" Mitchum asked pointedly.

"I was just about to call security," Rory joked uncomfortably.

Mitchum kept his cool façade, but he didn't like how squirrelly she was being. "Logan, didn't I assign you to the accounting department this week? Perhaps you should be reviewing subscription revenue instead of flirting with my writers?"

Logan just rolled his eyes, but Rory jumped in immediately. "He wasn't flirting!" she insisted a little too eagerly. "He was just talking to me about a story I'm writing. One of his friends is a source."

"Is it a story about the laziest people alive?" Mitchum replied with a sardonic chuckle.

"Actually, it's a tell all expose on what a jerk you are," Logan bit back.

"Watch yourself," Mitchum warned.

"Umm, I should really get back to work," Rory replied uncomfortably, pointing to her computer.

"See, your disrespect is making my employee uncomfortable."

"Oh, right." Logan scoffed. "It's me making her uncomfortable."

"Just get your ass back to work," Mitchum growled.

Logan glared at his father for a moment, before relaxing and turning back to Rory. "I'll see you later," he told her, reaching over and gently patting her on the shoulder.

Mitchum watched as Logan strode away. Once his son was gone, Mitchum threw a warning glare Rory's way. They couldn't exactly talk about this here, but she sure as hell was going to have some explaining to do tonight.

Rory watched as Mitchum signed the credit card slip and took the bags of food from the delivery boy. She chewed on her lip nervously as he took the bags into the dining room and silently set them on the table. Mitchum had barely said two words to her since she had arrived at his apartment fifteen minutes ago.

"So…" Rory started, testing the waters as Mitchum took out fancily wrapped containers of gourmet food.

"Can you get the plates and utensils?" was all he said in response.

"Umm, okay," she headed towards the kitchen, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as she walked past him. He said nothing. Rory came back into the room a minute later with two plates, a couple knives and forks, and two wine glasses, setting them on the dining room table.

Mitchum sat, picking up the decanter and pouring himself a glass of wine. He took a long dredge of the cabernet while Rory continued to stand there. He usually pulled out her chair for her. He always poured her a drink.

"Mitch," she tried again. She pulled out the chair next to him and sat, turning slightly to face him. "Say something." She laid her hand over his.

He brought his gaze to meet hers unwaveringly. "You and Logan were looking pretty cozy this afternoon." The hint of accusation was not lost on Rory.

"We were talking about an article," she reiterated what she'd told him earlier.

"And if Logan were your editor, that would make sense. As Vice President of Operations, it's a little below his pay grade, don't you think?"

"Hey!" Rory replied indignantly, pulling her hand back at the slight.

"Oh, don't be so sensitive."

"Logan and I are just friends!" She spoke with more resolution than she felt. She and Logan had shared some more than friendly encounters but that was in the past, she reminded herself. They really were just friends now.

"My son doesn't do 'friends' with people of the female persuasion. I'm sure Paris can tell you how his reputation proceeded him at Yale."

"You're the one who asked me to befriend him!" Rory replied exasperatedly, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I did no such thing!"

"Maybe not in so many words, but you told me to spend time with him."

"What are you talking about?" Mitchum dismissed, taking another sip of his wine.

Rory looked at him like he was crazy. Did he really not remember the conversation? "I'm talking about his first day here. You held me back after the staff meeting."

"I held you back because you'd been ignoring my calls that weekend."

"And to ask me to look out for Logan. To give him a push." She seriously wasn't imagining this, was she? He had said he didn't like getting her involved in their problems, but that he could really use her help. He said that she was someone Logan would listen to; that she was accomplished and that she'd be a good influence on him.

"I never asked you to do that, but if I had, you'd be doing a terrible job at it. That boy is as insolent as ever."

Rory's eyes were wide with incredulity. She couldn't believe Mitchum was saying these things—about her and Logan. "Logan works his ass off for you. He's doing an amazing job."

"Are you screwing him?"

"What?" Rory screeched, shoving her chair back from the table and standing up. What was going on? What world was she in? It was like Mitchum was possessed. They never fought. Never! And here was, yelling at her and making jealous accusations. Where was the self-assured, confident, even-keeled man she fell for?

"You're awfully quick to defend him."

"Because you treat him like crap."

"You eat lunch with him almost every day."

"I also eat lunch with Chase. In the public cafeteria."

"You know his friends, Rory. How do you know his friends?"

Rory froze as the words hit her, her righteous indignation sapped right out of her with a single question. He did have a right to be suspicious. She had lied to him about hanging out with Logan and his friends outside of work. Not to mention that she had actually kissed him. She was a terrible person.

She looked at the floor, shoulders slumping, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"I hang out with them sometimes," she mumbled after an extended pause.

"I see," Mitchum replied, his voice eerily calm. "So, all those times you've told me you were hanging out with Chase or Paris…"

"Some of them were actually with Chase or Paris," Rory defended lamely.

"So you've been lying to me."

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did it. It was just…awkward, I guess."

Mitchum let out a mirthless laugh, standing up to face her head on. "You lied because you knew I wouldn't approve. I don't approve."

Rory felt some of that indignation returning. Since when did she need his approval over her friends? "Well that's too bad."

"They're bad people, Rory. I sent Logan to London to get him away from them. Fat lot of good it did. And now my son and his idiot friends are bringing you down too."

"They are not bad people," Rory disputed. They had befriended her almost immediately. They were kind and welcoming. Stephanie worked for a non-profit to help educate girls around the world. Finn was a bit eccentric, but he'd give someone the shirt off his back, no questions asked (although to be fair, Finn was always looking for an excuse to get naked) and Colin was a bit…stiff, but he was a loyal friend. And then there was Logan… smart, and kind, and funny…

"They're unmotivated leeches who spend all their time drinking and partying and having sex. They've never done an honest day's work in their life."

"You don't know them at all. You don't know your son at all."

"I know that they're distracting you from what really matters."

"Oh, and what's that?" Rory snipped. "You?"

"Your work. It's been slipping."

"What?!" Rory felt a new wave of panic hit. What was wrong with her work?

"An article on expensive food? Really? You think that's the kind of piece that got me short-listed for a Pulitzer? No. And it's not going to win you any awards either. And either are puff pieces on Broadway actors, or an article on the New York City Marathon. And your prose has gotten lazy lately too."

"Why is this the first I'm hearing about this?" Rory asked incredulously. If she wasn't living up to her standards, she deserved to know.

Mitchum's demeanor softened for a moment, looking at her sympathetically. "I didn't want to hurt you, Pooh."

"Oh, bullshit!" She called. "You've never had trouble telling me when something I wrote sucks."

"Your writing doesn't suck. It's fine. If you want to keep being fine for the rest of your life, go right ahead, but I don't associate with fine. Personally, or professionally," Mitchum sneered.

"What are you saying?" Rory asked, aghast at his implication.

"I'm saying I don't want you seeing them anymore."

"And if I don't play the good, little girl and do as you say?"

"It won't come to that," Mitchum assured her, a smug look on his face.

"Screw you, Mitch." Rory spun on her heal, heading back towards the living room.

"Where are you going?" He stomped after her.

"I can't be here right now." She grabbed her purse and her coat off the chair she had put them on when she'd arrived.

"This conversation is not over."

"Yes, it is." She was about to reach for the door when she felt something whiz past her face. Mitchum's wine glass hit the wall two feet from where she was standing and shattered, red wine dripping down the wall and glass scattering everywhere. She turned to stare at him, her eyes alit with icy rage. Without another word she walked out of the apartment slamming the door behind her.

AN: Things sure are heating up-and not in a good way-don't you think? Is this the end for she Rory and Mitchum, or will he manage to charm his way back into her good graces?