NOTE! If I haven't made this clear. Rory is a Junior at Yale, and Logan is a Senior. Nothing in the fifth season happened, except for the Dean and Rory affair thing. Other than that, nothing! Sorry for the confusion!
Part 39: Dabbling In Kidnapping
"Finn, quiet!" she heard Colin whisper.
"I'm trying," Finn responded. She groaned. God, this was the second morning in a row that she had woken up with a hangover and not being able to remember some events from last night.
She knew that after her and Logan had stepped out of the limo, she had walked in and saw Evie, Finn, Colin and Steph in their unfurnished living room, cards out and bottles of alcohol all around them. Evie's dress had been thrown into the center of the circle along with Steph's heels and all of Colin's clothes, including his boxers. All he had been left with was his tie and socks; he had been in the process of taking off his socks when they had joined the group.
All in all, Colin sucked at poker.
She heard a door swing open and Colin curse.
"Now who's not being quiet?" Finn asked smugly.
"Shut up, Finn."
"Both of you shut up." Rory groaned holding her head.
After their game of strip poker, which Rory had not taken part of, but had taken part in the drinking, they had somehow produced a twister mat and played the drinking game while playing.
By three in the morning, they were completely wasted and had slept in the living room, covered with the blankets that they had brought from the dorms.
"Morning, love." Finn said loudly as he squatted down next to her sleeping form.
"Gah, you idiot." Rory muttered pushing his leg to get him away from her, then proceeded to cover up her head.
"That's not a nice thing to say, Rory," Colin said uncovering her.
"Says the man that was naked all night." She mumbled, closing her eyes and almost drifting back to sleep. That is until she felt Finn grab her arms and Colin her legs. Her eyes popped open. She resisted to groan when the sun hit her corneas, instead she tried to get out of their grasp.
"What are you two buffoons doing?" Rory screamed as Finn and Colin led her through the back door and towards the lake.
"This is payback, Gilmore." Colin said as they led her towards the lake.
"What do you mean payback? LET GO!" Rory screamed.
"No one is going to hear you, love, The girls have gone home and Logan went to talk to his dad, we're the only ones." Finn said, then gave a cackle.
She saw that they had stopped near the edge of the lake; then looked up at Finn who grabbed her arms.
"You wouldn't dare do it, Finn. You love me too much."
"I'm sorry, love, it's tradition."
"Trad.." Before she had a chance to finish, she heard them start to count.
"One," they swung her forward.
"Wait!" She screamed.
"Two!" They yelled swinging her back.
"NO!"
"Three!" Then they let go. Rory yelped as she felt herself land in the water being submerged before she popped back up glaring at the two laughing idiots.
"You bastards!" she grumbled as she pushed herself out of the water and walked back up to the grass where the two still laughed.
"Dry off, Gilmore." Colin laughed, pointing to the towel hanging on the bridge.
"The bathroom upstairs works, we checked. Go take a shower, we are taking you out to lunch, love." Finn told her. She grabbed the towel and pushed her wet hair from her face.
"We'll pick you up in a half an hour."
"What, so I stay here all by myself?" Rory asked wrapping herself in the large fluffy towel.
"It is your house, love." Finn smirked as he and Colin turned and left her to dry off.
"I hope you know I hate you!" She yelled after them. Laughter was their response as she climbed up after them. When she walked into the living room, she heard the front door close and a car drive off.
"Bastards." She muttered as she climbed over the mountain of blankets in the living room.
They had all slept there, all night. The group had tugged on blankets and more than one smack and oath had been heard on Evie and Finn's end of the room. She grudgingly climbed the stairs and ran a hand through her wet hair.
"Idiots." She grumbled as she made it to the top only to stop. "Those idiots." She muttered to herself. "Sixteen bathrooms in this god forsaken house and they don't even have the courtesy to tell me which one works. Idiots."
She walked into the room that she had claimed as her own when Logan and herself had taken the tour, wrenching open the door. She was about to walk inside when she stopped.
"Oh my…" Her room was furnished.
An iron wrought bed stood in the center of the room, a light blue comforter covering the plump mattress along with matching pillows. Two nightstands stood next to the bed.
An empty bookcase stood tall next to her, just waiting to be filled. And a dresser that she assumed was empty was across from the bed. She walked over and opened the doors to the balcony to see a small glass patio table set up, along with four chairs.
She closed the door biting her lip and walked into the bathroom. Just like she assumed, that, too, was filled with the necessities, from the fragrant shampoos, to the towels, the box of tampons under the sink, Venus razors and fragrant lotions to match the shampoos.
She heard a slight buzzing and walked out of the bathroom to find her cell phone sitting neatly on top of her folded clothes.
"Hello?" She answered.
"So what do you think?"
"Logan?"
"Who else?"
"It's great, it's…"
"You."
"Yeah, I just… thank you."
"It was all Steph and Evie, they wanted to do something for you."
"It's wonderful, my question is when did they do all this?"
"I talked to them when they got back from New York; they said they had seen the house, and that it was big."
"It is big."
"And they asked if I would let them do some decorating. I told them sure, nothing makes those two girls happier than when they shop."
"How did they do this in the span of twenty four hours? Not even that."
"I asked that. It turns out Steph has been planning this since the engagement party last month. Then when you met Evie and you two got along so well, she enlisted her help. They've had everything picked out, they just needed to see the house and the room to see if everything would fit well. Apparently everything was fine. You don't mind?"
"No, it's… I can't wait to add my things here."
"Really?"
"Probably an upside to living here. Have you seen it?"
"Last night, they actually added a few things this morning. They were sneaking around when you were asleep. I think they brought in the dresser with the help of Finn and Colin."
"It's amazing."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Did they do your room too?" Rory asked curiously as she traced the outline of the comforter.
She was rewarded by silence, then a sigh. "Um…I don't know."
"Oh. Well, now I feel special."
"You are, Ace," he whispered.
"So where are you?"
"I'm on my way to my dad's. I have to talk to him about this, I have the papers with me."
"Okay."
"What are you up to today?" He asked.
"Well, how about we start with the way I woke up."
"They threw you in, didn't they?"
"You knew?" She asked surprised.
"I didn't think that they were serious." Logan defended, amusement lacing his voice.
"They kept talking about how it was tradition?"
"The morning of our twenty first birthdays, we threw each other into lakes."
"So it's a stupid man tradition."
"Just count your blessing that you weren't naked… although."
"Shut up, Logan."
He laughed. "So besides the wake up call, anything else planned?"
"Your idiot friends are taking me to lunch. Which is why I went up to my room."
"Right, well, all the bathrooms work along with all the lights. You should have towels and everything you need."
"I do, thank you."
"And Evie and Steph should have brought you a change of clothes."
"They did."
"Good. I'll see you later, Ace. Have fun with Finn and Colin"
"I will. Bye Logan." She hung up her phone and smiled looking around her room. Perfect, she thought as she walked back into the bathroom and got rid of the lake water.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"So what's the point of this again?" Finn asked as they got out of the silver Porsche and opened the door with the key Logan had let them borrow.
"Every time we've been with Rory, we're never alone with her, Finn."
"Right," Finn agreed as they stood in the living room, waiting for Rory.
"This is the time when we get to know her a bit more, converse with her."
"Can't we do that anytime?"
"We have to make sure she's good for Logan."
"We know she's good for Logan, even if the two idiots don't know it yet," Finn muttered. "Plus," he added, "It's not like if we end up not liking her, which will never happen, that Logan is going to dump her. I mean, one, they are under contract to get married, and two, Logan's too in love with her to care what we think."
"I just want to get to know her better. We know the essentials like full name, and high school, and that she's addicted to coffee, but we don't know much more than that."
"Colin, my friend, if she doesn't tell Logan anything, what makes you think that she'll tell us?"
"Because we're not Logan." Colin told him with a smirk. Before Finn had a chance to argue, Rory came down the stairs holding her purse and placing her sunglasses on the top of her head.
"Okay, you two losers, you are going to treat me to a very big lunch and I'm not going to share. Let's go."
Finn and Colin smirked at her, before each wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, let's go." Colin said leading her out.
"Why did that sound foreboding?" Rory asked as they opened the door to the car for her, pushed the seat forward and let her get in.
They didn't answer, instead they closed her car door and get in the front, Colin driving. They didn't say a word to each other, though she did see Finn and Colin sharing looks with each other. A few minutes later Colin parked outside of a coffee house and opened the door pushing the front seat down and helped her out of the low car.
"Moka?"
"It's a coffee house. I thought you'd enjoy it." Colin said as they led her inside.
"Plus they have excellent food." Finn supplied as they sat down at the corner of the restaurant in the back.
They slid into the booth, Finn and Colin across from Rory. She took off her jacket and set it on the seat next to her.
"Hello, welcome to Moka. Here are your menus, would you like to order drinks?" The waitress asked. Rory looked at the name tag.
"Yes, Jenny, I will have your biggest cup of coffee." Rory asked.
"And for you two?"
"Your number will be suffice." Finn said looking the blonde up and down. Rory kicked his leg and sent him a glare, "Or just a cup of coffee."
"Same here." Colin said.
"I'll be back," Jenny said turning and leaving. Rory took a menu and gave one to Colin and Finn, before scanning hers and deciding on what to eat.
"So, love, what do you want to talk about?" Finn asked setting the menu at the end of the table. He and Colin had been here often enough to know what to get.
"I don't know," Rory said setting her menu aside as well. "Truth is I'm a bit surprised you two wanted to have lunch with me."
"You're our best friend's fiancée, Rory, we're stuck with you and vice versa." Colin said while Finn pouted.
"Do you not like us anymore?" Finn asked.
"It's not that, it's just… we've never been alone for long periods of time, Logan usually is there."
"Which is exactly what prompted this. You see, Finn and I were thinking..."
"Really?" Rory teased causing Finn to laugh and Colin to glare. Jenny came back and put down three mugs of coffee.
"Are you ready to order?" She asked.
"Yes, I'll have 'The Stack'." Rory said pointing to the sandwich that contained grilled chicken, tomato, cheese and pesto. "Just no tomato."
"And you two?"
"Chicken Caesar salad." Colin ordered. Jenny wrote it down, then raised an eyebrow at Finn.
"I'll have the Swiss roast sandwich, love."
"Okay, I'll be back." Jenny said turning back.
"So you two were thinking…" Rory prompted.
"Right, well, Finn and I were thinking that in the two months that we've known you, well, we don't really know you." Colin explained.
"What?" Rory asked confused.
"Told you there was no point in this." Finn muttered.
"All we're saying is though we know the essentials, we don't know you." Colin explained further.
Rory took a sip of her coffee and gave a nod. "Okay, so what do you want to know exactly?"
"Anything." Colin prompted.
Rory shrugged. "There's not much to tell."
"Well, how about this, me and Colin ask you questions and you answer them as truthfully as you can?" Finn suggested.
"All right, that sounds fair." Rory said with a nod.
"All right then, let's start with something easy." Colin started. "How did you like the room?"
Rory smiled. "I loved it, it's great. I'm gong to have to thank the girls."
"The girls?" Finn asked.
"Evie and Steph." Rory said. "They were the ones that did it... weren't they?"
"Logan did it." Colin answered. "He started it after you guys came back from the tour."
"Logan told me that Evie and Steph did it."
Finn shook his head. "They helped him. He didn't know what kind of things to get. They went out and bought things, but all in all it was Logan. We finished it this morning, moving the dresser in."
"I didn't know." Rory whispered bringing the coffee mug up to her lips.
"All right, next question." Colin said changing the topic. "How about you tell us a bit about your town?"
"My town?" Rory laughed. If Colin and Finn wanted to know about her, then she was going to answer them as truthfully as possible. "It's crazy," she began "My dad says it's just one big mental institution. Which in a way is true. I love that town. I like the city, but I don't love it, I'm a small town girl all the way, and Stars Hollow is just... You know that at the end of a crappy day, you can always count on Stars Hollow to cheer you up. There's always something happening there."
"Sounds like fun." Finn stated.
"It is. I'm glad that I grew up there and not in Hartford. You know, as a little girl I used to wish my parents would get back together, raise me up together. But as I was growing up, I realized that if they had gotten married, I would have lived in Hartford, then going to Chilton and seeing how miserable they all were. I'm glad that I grew up in Stars Hollow, that I had the best of both worlds." Rory blushed and looked down at her coffee mug. She didn't mean to reveal that much.
"Are you close to your father, love?" Finn asked.
"Now yes," Rory told him looking back up, "but during my teen years he wasn't the most reliable person. He hurt my mom a lot and he wasn't the most trustworthy of guys. But when I started Yale, we started talking and got closer. He didn't want Gigi growing up never knowing me and I didn't want that either."
"What about best friends?" Colin asked.
"My mom and Lane." Rory answered immediately. "I met Lane in the first grade and it was friendship at the first sight. Then my mom, cause, well, she raised me by herself, she's always been easy to talk to. We had a big trust thing and with the impending marriage, it really shattered the trust, but we are slowly rebuilding it. It's getting easier to talk to her, fall into the banter."
"First loves?" Finn asked, just as Jenny came back and set their food down. Rory thanked her as she left.
"First love was Dean, my first boyfriend. My first kiss was at Doose's market and I ended up shoplifting,"
"What'd you steal?" Finn asked amused.
"Corn starch. God, the years as an awkward teen," Rory laughed.
"What about Jess?" Colin asked.
"He was my second boyfriend, we were together for about a year before he left."
"Tell us about Jess," Finn said taking a bite of his sandwich.
"God, I feel like this is the Spanish Inquisition." Rory admitted.
"Sorry, we'll back off, for a while at least." Colin smirked, causing Rory to laugh.
"No, it's fine. Jess was sweet, wasn't much of a talker, more of kisser," she said causing herself to blush and take a bite of her sandwich. Both boys smirked.
"Really?" Finn asked interested. Rory swallowed the bread in her mouth and nodded.
"There were many moments that Jess and I were attached to the lips. What we had was more of a... physical relationship." She laughed. "But hell, Jess is a great kisser. We had a lot in common, what with books and music. He sort of got along with Lane, took her a few months to get used to him. Mom didn't like him."
"Rory Gilmore in her bad boy stage, the money I would have paid to see that." Colin said with a laugh, earning him a swift kick in the leg from Rory.
"When he left, I was sad, but I had a lot on my mind so I didn't wallow properly. That's where Tristan comes in. See, me and Tristan had a bad relationship at Chilton. But when he left, we had a quasi-friendship, we kept in touch, so when I went to visit him in California my sophomore year for Spring Break, imagine my surprise when Jess was Tristan's roommate. That's about the time that we became friends again and nothing more. We're just really, really good friends."
"Now let's go back to Dean." Colin said.
"What about him?" Rory asked taking a long drink of her coffee.
"Just what attracted you to him?"
"He was the perfect first boyfriend," she admitted. "Cute, tall, kind. My mom loved him and so did the town. We went out for three months when he told me he loved me. We broke up 'cause I couldn't say it back."
"Not much love if he broke up with you instead of waiting." Finn pointed out.
"As it's been pointed out to me time and time again. I'm naive. I didn't really realize that, but about a month later, I said it back and we got back together. Then the next year he broke up with me again 'cause I liked Jess. He broke up with me in front of the town during the dance marathon. Then the last time we got together..." Rory trailed off and bit into her sandwich again.
"We won't push you to tell us something you don't want to tell us." Colin told her. "But remember, the LDB is about trust. We would like for you to trust us."
"I do. I'm... Just not ready for Logan to know yet."
"We won't tell anyone, what you tell us, will stay between us." Finn told her.
Rory nodded. "Um... The end of my freshman year, my mom opened her inn. Dean had gotten married towards the beginning. That summer I went back to Stars Hollow, like every year. And I was at the inn and while everything was getting set up for the inn, Dean and I had a few moments where we might have kissed had we not been interrupted." She sighed and sat back.
Colin and Finn waited patiently for her to get her thoughts together before speaking. She knew they were listening. She knew they always listened.
"That night my mom asked me to go back to the house and get some CDs. She had forgotten to get some and wanted to be sure to have them there if the guests wanted to listen to music. So I went."
She ran a hand though her hair and looked at her empty coffee cup. Finn passed her his half full one without a word and she smiled gratefully at him, taking a sip and sitting back up, leaning her elbows on the table, the coffee mug in her hands.
"Just as I was finishing up, Dean came in through the back door and we started talking. And he told me things weren't working with Lindsay… god, I don't even remember if he had told me that they were over, or if they were going to divorce, but I slept with him."
She waited for their reaction, but they looked at her patiently and without judgment.
"What happened, love?" Finn asked.
Rory was caught off guard with the question. She had expected anger… different looks. That's what she usually got when she told people that she slept with a married man. Not that she told a lot of people.
But Finn and Colin sat across from her, smiling and waiting for her to continue with her story. She shook her thoughts out of her head before continuing.
"Um, I went to Europe after that. I just... I remember seeing Lindsay the next day, she was asking our butcher how to make pot roast. It's his favorite and I just... I needed to get out. So I went to Europe with my grandma. I sent him a letter stating that though I didn't regret what happened, it was still wrong. He was married and I was going to take myself out of the mix. Needless to say, Lindsay found the letter. When I got back, her mother called me out and I found out that they were divorcing. We got back together a few months after that and have been ever since. But it just wasn't the same."
"Too much guilt?" Colin asked.
"Maybe, but also we grew up. We're two completely different people. He was a perfect first boyfriend, I won't deny that. He did everything to make me happy and in a weird way he understood my weird quirks. But this last time around it just didn't feel right. Even without the 'me getting married' thing we would have broken up. And I'm pretty sure you all heard the yelling match we had when we broke up."
Colin and Finn nodded. Rory shrugged. "If it hadn't been the papers, it would have been something else."
She gave a deep breath and took a drink of the coffee.
"Feel better?" Colin asked with a smirk.
Rory smiled. "Yeah, I do."
"I told you before, love, we're not here to judge you. We've done things that we regret or things that might not be right in others' eyes, so who are we to judge you when we've done things that we wouldn't want to be judged on. This doesn't make you who you are." Finn told her. "It only makes you stronger."
"Finn's right, Rory, we can't judge you, and I hope you know that Logan wouldn't do it either."
"You two are probably the sweetest guys I know." She said leaning over and kissing both their cheeks. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Colin said as Finn nodded.
"Now, love, tell us what you have planned for your bachelorette party." Finn smirked as Rory laughed.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"And that is the end of our time. We will join again next Friday when we talk about the different ethnic groups and how they make up our population. Now have a good weekend." Professor Brady said as he dismissed his Sociology Class.
Rory gathered her notebooks and books putting them in her book bag. She hefted the bag onto her shoulder and waited her turn in line to talk to the professor.
"Miss Gilmore, how can I help you?" Professor Brady said as he turned to her.
She gave a smile. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you."
"About what?"
"Well, you see I'm getting married tomorrow."
"Best wishes. I heard about that, Logan Huntzberger, correct?"
"Yeah, um, thanks..."
"Is that all you wanted to tell me or..."
"No." Rory said flustered. "It's just, after the reception, Logan and I are leaving for our honeymoon and won't be back for a month."
It was the time period Logan had given her when she had asked what she would tell her teachers when they asked how many classes worth of notes they had to give her. A month was a long honeymoon and she had told him so. His response had been to trust him.
"Miss Gilmore?"
Rory blinked and shook the thoughts out of her head. "Sorry."
"It's quite all right, I can tell you're nervous. Big day and all."
"Oh, nervous for completely different reason that you might be thinking, Professor."
"Blushing bride?" She watched as her teacher's eyes danced with amusement, and she blushed as she realized what she had just said. She was screwed if she agreed and screwed if she didn't. "I'm kidding, Miss. Gilmore. Now here are the lecture notes for the next week. Unfortunately I'm a procrastinator so lectures are never written more than a week in advance."
"This is perfect, my friend has your class, I can ask her to send me notes via e-mail." She said putting the notes carefully in her notebook and then in her bag. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome, and once again best wishes on your impending marriage."
"Thank you, Professor." Rory told him with a smile as she walked out of the classroom and towards her dorm.
She had talked to all of her professors and they had more than graciously given her what she needed to make it the whole month without school.
After her lunch with the boys, they had taken her back to her dorm and let her study saying they'd see her later. That had been on Sunday.
On Monday she had gone to her grandmother's house and had shown her the dress that she had planned for the bridesmaids. Her grandmother hadn't liked the idea of using a wedding dress for the bridesmaids' dresses, but after much convincing, she had gotten it done.
On Tuesday she had gone to Stars Hollow and had lunch with her mom, and had asked her if she would be her maid of honor. Lorelai had cried and happily accepted. She had then gone to Lane's place and asked if she would be a bridesmaid, she, too, happily agreed.
After lunch she had gone back to Yale, had coffee with Evie and Steph and had asked them to be part of the wedding party. Her eardrums had nearly burst with the loudness of their squeals. She had taken that as a yes, then lastly she had asked Paris who had just shrugged a sure, then went back to hot gluing.
On Wednesday, she had spent her day at the Daily News finishing last minute articles, then locking herself in her room only to get a call half an hour later from Logan complaining about friendly hands at the tux place. She had heard Colin and Finn arguing in the background, Finn was obviously still sore about getting cheated out of being best man.
She had heard Finn yell 'cheating bastard!' then the sounds of a toilet flushing, Colin yelling for Logan, then garbled sounds and a click. She had hung up her phone in confusion, only to have Logan call back a few minutes later, telling her that Finn had pushed Colin into the bathroom and stuck his head in a toilet. It turns out Finn found out about the double sided coin.
Thursday had been a free day. She had finished almost everything and had enjoyed a few hours at the pub with her friends having their own mini Bachelor /Bachelorette party. That involved lots of vodka, party poppers, separating Finn and Colin from yet another best man fight, and scandalous presents from Steph and Evie that she refused to let Logan see.
Now it was Friday. Shira and Emily were wrecking havoc at St. Paul's making sure everything was set for Saturday. It was six in the evening. The girls had gotten last minute readjustments for their dresses earlier in the day. Logan, Colin and Finn, along with all the male LDB members were headed for New York for the Bachelor party. And she, she was ready to get in her pajamas, curl up on the couch and sleep.
She got the keys out of her bag. Just as she was about to insert the key into the lock, she felt someone cover her mouth from behind and her eyes with a blindfold. She felt someone tie her hands behind her back and grab her by the underarms while they tied her legs and picked her up.
The thoughts running through her head were: 'Dear god, don't let them throw me into a lake!' next to 'Who the hell would kidnap me?' She tried to kick and wiggle out of their grasp, but the bonds were too tight and she was being put into a small space.
"Shhh." She heard someone giggle before they shut Rory into the confined space. She turned her head and tried moving around, but found the space too small. 'Dear god, they put me in the trunk!' she thought. 'I'm going to suffocate… I'm going to die... I'm not going to...' before she could finish the thought, she heard a pop and a onslaught of fresh air hit her nostrils. The trunk was still closed, but she was grateful that she was able to breathe.
She felt the car bump and go along the roads, and her hip began to throb whenever the driver drove over a pothole or a bump. She stayed still, panic coursing through her body as the car slowed.
'Oh dear god, they're going to kill me!' she thought.
"Where is she?" she heard someone's muffled voice through the trunk door.
"In the trunk." She heard someone giggle.
"You pulled a Jawbreaker!" The first person laughed.
"Except we didn't stuff anything into her mouth." Another person laughed.
"She could have suffocated!"
'And I still will if you don't open the trunk, idiots.' Rory thought getting an idea of who had just kidnapped her, relief washing over her.
"We opened the back seat for her."
"Well, let's open it up," the first person said hitting the trunk with the palm of their hands.
She heard the soft click of the key turning and the trunk popping open. Someone tugged on the blindfold over her eyes and laughed. She opened her eyes and looked at her mother's laughing face, then blinked when a camera flashed in her eyes.
"Hey sweets." Lorelai said untying the gag.
"Who were the idiots that kidnapped me?" Rory demanded as she turned around and let her mother untie her hands.
"Two guesses." Lorelai laughed as Rory sat up to untie her legs. She saw Steph and Evie standing on the side, taking pictures. "How bad did they scare you?"
"In the back of my mind I thought it was them, but initial panic took over rational thoughts." Rory said as Lorelai pulled her out of the trunk. She was about to rip into Evie and Steph about their stupid stunt when she realized where they were.
"Oh my god." She whispered as she looked around Stars Hollow's town square.
The whole center of town was decorated with ribbons starting at the gazebo's tip and going to each rooftop. The tress had twinkle lights in the leaves as well as wrapped around the trunks. The gazebo held a throne, surrounded by gifts and all of Stars Hollows women were under the big sign that read 'Best Wishes Rory'. Lane was set up at the DJ table already playing music. A long buffet table was set up on one side of the street, Sookie fussing over the food.
"Wow."
"You like?" Lorelai asked.
"It's great."
"Welcome to your bachelorette party, Rory." Steph and Evie giggled as they ran off.
"How much have they had to drink?" Rory asked.
"Not nearly enough." Lorelai said closing the trunk and leading Rory up to the gazebo. She grabbed the crown, robe and scepter that were sitting on the seat, placing the crown on Rory's head and the robe around her shoulders. Lorelai knelt dramatically and offered her the scepter.
"I bow to you, almost newly wed."
Rory laughed. "I command thee to stand."
Lorelai laughed as she stood up. "Well, what do you think of your kingdom lady Gilmore-soon-to-be-Huntzberger."
"It's great. Thank you, mom."
"You're welcome, sweets. I'm sorry about the way they brought you. I told them to kidnap you, but not to put you in the trunk."
"It's fine." Rory laughed. "It was fun."
"Fun? Being kidnapped and being stuffed in the trunk was fun?" Lorelai asked incredulously.
"You have to be in my head to understand at the moment." Rory stated as she sat down and placed her book bag that had been around her shoulder the whole time, next to the throne.
"Well, as long as you're alive."
"It's what counts." Rory responded.
"So we have everything, food, music, dancing. We set up a mini stage near Patty's that you can see from here. Patty set up an opening performance that will be starting in the next few minutes. We've also got booze and presents and all the necessities that we're supposed to have at a bachelorette party."
"Strippers?" Rory teased.
"You'll see." Lorelai said, a sly smile forming on her face as she started to go back down the gazebo.
"So where are all the guys?" Rory asked before she could leave.
"Luke is up at the diner with some friends, playing poker. And we had a town meeting, all guys cannot set foot in the town square from now till six in the morning. Taylor says. Now go get drunk."
"I'm good for now," Rory said. "I'm just going to scan my kingdom."
"Yes, your majesty. Performance starts in ten minutes, keep your eyes open." Lorelai said before descending the stairs and going over to Sookie.
Rory smiled and looked over. It was her mother. The whole thing screamed Lorelai and it was perfect. She kept her eyes on the stage, only tearing her gaze away when she heard her cell phone ring. She leaned down and answered.
"Rory's House of Ill Repute" Rory answered.
"Hey Ace." Logan laughed
"Hey Logan."
"What are you up to? Locked in your room studying?" He teased.
"I was going to be, but then your best friend's girlfriends bound and gagged me, and stuffed me into a trunk, drove me to Stars Hollow where they are holding a bachelorette party." She said, her eyes returning to the stage.
"I highly doubt they bound and gagged you."
"Say that to the red marks on my wrists and legs."
Logan laughed. "Sorry I doubted you."
"So what are you up to?"
"We are currently at the Hilton, playing poker."
"What, no strip joints?" Rory teased.
"Nah, we're too classy for that."
"Come on now, Logan. This is your last chance to see some boobage before we tie the knot."
Logan laughed. "I promise that I will see some boobage just for you."
"Just as long as you don't pull a Mario Lopez, we're good." Rory said. "So why did you call?"
Logan laughed at her reference. "Just wanted to know what you were up to. We haven't seen each other in a while."
"Aww…" Rory teased. "Miss me?"
"A bit." He admitted.
"I miss you too, Logan."
"AWWW!" She looked over and saw Evie and Steph leaning over the rail of the gazebo.
"Evie and Steph are so drunk." Rory commented as the two giggled and ran off to Lane to request music.
"And you?"
"Have yet to have something."
"Now the moment you've all been waiting for!" She heard Miss. Patty say into the microphone at the stage. Rory adjusted her crown before walking over.
"What's going on over there?" Logan asked.
"I'm not sure." Rory said as she stood near her mom. "What's going on?"
"This is the performance." Lorelai said with a wicked grin.
"It's a performance." Rory told him over the phone.
"What kind?" Logan asked.
"I'm not sure." Rory admitted.
"Now, we have worked very hard to make this perfect. So, Rory, this is for you!" Miss Patty said. Everyone clapped as Kirk came onto the stage dressed as Jesus and sat down in the center with a solemn look upon his face. Rory frowned.
"Mom, isn't that the costume from The Festival of Living Arts?"
"I think it is." Lorelai laughed.
"What going on?" Logan asked.
"Kirk is dressed as Jesus." Rory laughed. Just as she said that, the music Lane had been playing stopped and she put on something else. Then she heard the opening chords to 'I Will Survive.'
First I was afraid
I was petrified
Kirk stood up, making exaggerated hand gestures with each word, mouthing the lyrics, his beard bobbing as he moved his jaw. Rory laughed.
"Oh my god!"
Kept thinking I could never live
Without you by my side
But I spent so many nights
Thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
"Take it off!" Lulu yelled from in the crowd causing some people to hoot and holler. And repeat the same.
"Please don't." Rory begged laughing.
"You okay, Ace?" Logan asked. She couldn't talk, she was laughing so hard.
I learned how to carry on
And so you're back
At this point Kirk took off his Jesus robes leaving him in just a tight white thong and danced to the song as he sang.
"Oh god! Put it on!" Rory yelled.
"I think you meant 'Oh Jesus!'" Lorelai teased.
From outer space
I just walked in to find you here
With that sad look upon your face
Kirk turned around as he danced causing Rory and Lorelai to instinctively turn their backs shielding their eyes.
"I'm scarred." Rory said, not remembering the Logan was still on the phone. "Kirk's pale white ass will forever be scarred into my brain."
"Let's go before he decides the thong is too tight." Lorelai suggested as they walked away, Gloria Gaynor still playing around town square.
I should have changed my stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
"You okay, Ace?"
Rory jumped at the sound of Logan's voice, but smiled. "Fine, I think I need a drink."
"All right, I'll let you go. See you tomorrow."
"I'll be the one walking down the aisle."
"I'll make sure to look for you and I promise no Mario Lopez's."
"Bye Logan." Rory laughed as she hung up and stuffed the phone into her pocket.
"Wanna risk one more look?" Lorelai asked.
Rory bit her lip and nodded as they turned around.
If I had known for just one second
You'd be back to bother me
Go on now go walk out the door
"Oh god! Who taught Kirk pelvic thrusts?" Lorelai asked as they turned back around and to the bar.
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"How's Rory?" Colin asked throwing chips into the center of the poker table.
"Good, your girlfriends kidnapped her, stuffed her in a trunk and took her to Stars Hollow for her bachelorette party." Logan said looking at his cards before betting.
"Told you watching Jawbreaker with them was a bad idea." Finn slurred throwing his own chips in. They had all been drinking a bit too much. "All right, all right, I have a joke!"
"Oh god, I hate Finn's drunken jokes." Robert muttered as he set his cards down.
"He never finishes them." Seth said quietly, so that Finn wouldn't hear them.
"This woman…" Finn trailed off, concentrated on his thoughts, then started again. "This woman, she walks into a bar."
"Ouch." Colin muttered, causing the guys to laugh.
"Shut up, Colin!" Finn said with a glare.
"Fine, fine, tell your joke, I just hope you finish it this time."
"I will!" Finn said standing, his drink in his hand. Though he tended to drink a lot during group outings, Finn sure put on a good show. "All right, this woman walks into a bar." He waited for Colin to say something, but he didn't. They all sat still looking at him, waiting for the joke.
"This woman walks into a bar," he continued, "and she sees this man. I won't tell you who he is yet, but he's an important man." He said taking a drink. "Now, she goes up to him and says hello and asks what he's drinking. And he says. 'This? It's magic beer.' Curious she sits at the table and asks. "Really, what makes it magic beer?" And he says. "That when you drink it, it gives you the power to fly."
"Get to the punch line!" Robert yelled causing Finn to glare at him.
"I'm getting there! Anyway, he says "It gives you the power to fly" and she says "Prove it." So, he takes a drink. walks to the window, jumps out and flies around the building three time before flying back into the bar. The woman is amazed by this and tells him that she wants to see it again.
"So he drinks, jumps out the window and flies around the building three more times and comes back to his seat at the table. This woman…" he slurred "This woman is just amazed by this and is now a true believer. So she takes a drink of the beer, jumps out the window and falls to her death."
By this time Finn was laughing so hard that he grabbed onto the poker table to keep his balance.
"So then the bartender turns and says to the man "God, Superman, you are such an asshole when you're drunk"
Logan shook his head with a chuckle. Finn always had the best jokes, but he took forever to tell them when he was drunk.
"That was a good one, Finn." Robert said laughing.
"Oh, I have another one!" Finn said. "There once was a man from Nantucket!"
"Sit down!" They all shouted. They grabbed the cards once again.
"So big day tomorrow, Huntz?" Robert said throwing chips into the growing pile.
"Yep." Logan replied. "I'm out." He said, placing his cards face down and placing them near the dealer.
"Now, knowing the situation, do you like her?" Seth asked knowing that the word love was a big word with a bigger impact, one they all knew Logan wasn't quite ready to hear.
"She's cool," Logan said. "We understand each other."
"Don't get sappy on us, Huntzberger. I'm out." Robert said also placing his cards face down on the table.
"I call." Colin said placing his cards face up. "Me and Finn talked to her, she's a great girl, funny."
"What did you guys talk to her about?" Logan asked. When he had talked to Rory and asked how lunch was, she had just told him it was fine and hadn't told him more than that.
"Nothing really, mate." Finn said placing his cards face up, along with Seth. The dealer flipped the cards on his side over and Finn gave a hoot when he won, collecting his thousands in the center of the table.
"It's amazing, the more he drinks, the better he gets at poker." Seth muttered throwing his cards into the center for the dealer.
"What constitutes as nothing much?" Logan asked, still not letting go of the previous topic.
"Really, Logan, it was nothing. We just talked about her life in Stars Hollow, family, school, things like that." Colin provided.
"Are you sure?" He watched as Finn and Colin looked at each other.
"Positive." Finn answered. "Now I say that we call an escort service!"
"No strippers. We agreed to that when all our girlfriend made promises of castration." Seth said.
"Actually," Logan said with a smirk. "Rory told me to get some."
"Strippers or laid?" Finn asked with a smirk.
"Strippers, idiot. She said it was the last chance I'd get to see boobage before getting married."
"Rory would say that." Finn muttered with a laugh. "All right, I'll get the number."
"Just no one sleeps with any of them. Then we will get castrated." Logan warned as Finn went to the suite to get his cell and a phone book.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"All right, that's it, I fold." Luke said putting his cards down and getting up to get another beer.
"Wuss." Jess muttered as he began to shuffle the cards.
"Says the man that folded first." Tristan stated as he got a beer for himself and looked out the window. He noticed Rory talking to Lane at the DJ table, laughing.
"Do you think she knows?" Jess asked, looking at Rory as well.
"That she's in love with her fiancé?" Tristan asked. "Nah, she's still trying to deny that he's probably perfect for her."
"Same on his side." Luke stated looking out the window as well and frowned when he saw Kirk wearing a thong and running down the street, some women following him with money.
"They're both idiots if you ask me." Jess said putting the cards on the table and grabbing a beer
"You would think that." Tristan said.
"It's true, isn't it? You have yet to see Rory's eyes when she's looking at her wedding dress. If anything, they'll get brighter when she's in it."
"They're in love." Luke said. "Leave it at that."
"Fine, I have a fifty in my wallet, anyone go higher?" Tristan said putting the fifty on the table.
"Now we're talking." Jess said as they sat back down at the table and he dealt the cards. Thoughts of the soon-to-be married couple out of their minds for the night.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
AN: My longest chapter to date. 23 pages. It's just... I didn't want to just cut it up into two parts. I thought that the lunch with Finn and Colin and the Bachelor /Bachelorette party sort of went together.
I liked writing this chapter. It was a lot of fun.
By the way, I have to credit where I got the Kirk dressed as Jesus and singing I Will Survive (Sorry if that offended any people that are religious), but during lunch I spend it with my best friend and she watches Google Video while I write. Well, one of the videos is Jesus singing I Will Survive then getting hit by a bus. It's funny as hell.
If you want to watch it. I'll have to link up on my blog. But it was great, and when I watched it, it instantly reminded me of Kirk and I just knew I had to have something like that in the story. and well... here was my chance!
Hope you all enjoyed the extra long chappy.
Only two more chapters after this... or who knows, maybe I'm going to combine the two for another long one, lol. You'll just have to wait and see!
Please read and review!
Kassandra