The Fortune Cookie's Always Right
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.
Author's Note: Here comes the breakup! Lookout!
CHAPTER 4: SNOW AIN'T SO BAD
Rory and Lorelai walked to Luke's Diner.
"Geez, it's cold outside," Lorelai said, wrapping her coat around her. "It has to be like thirty two degrees out."
"Yes, or at least zero degrees Celsius," Rory replied sensibly.
"Exactly! And you know what that means," Lorelai said with a twinkle in her eye.
"What?"
"Snow!" she trilled.
"Snow? Do you know what you need in order for it to snow?" Rory said, stopping, her arms folded across her chest.
"Well, the thirty two degrees is a good start," Lorelai said, opening the diner door.
"Precipitation!" Rory said.
"Ah hah, but did you listen to the weather report?" Lorelai countered.
"Yes, it said clear skies, low of 28," Rory said with a satisfactory smile, sitting down.
"Exactly!" Lorelai said, joining her at the table.
"Exactly what?" Rory said with a frown.
"They're never right!" Lorelai pointed out.
"Good grief."
"I smell snow, I tell you," Lorelai insisted.
"No, what you smell is chili fries."
"Uh uh. Snow. It's in the air, my friend."
Luke walked up and poured two cups of coffee.
"Luke, you believe that I smell snow, right?" Lorelai said, batting her eyes. Rory simply shook her head.
"Snow doesn't have a smell unless it's yellow snow, and you do know not to eat the yellow snow, right?"
"Yes," she said slowly, "I also know that gum on the street is not free candy and a peep show is not letting you look at presents before Christmas, but that's not the point."
"Huh?" Luke said, raising an eyebrow.
"Ok," Lorelai said authoritatively, "Elf is officially added to our Christmas Movie Marathon," Lorelai said.
"Fine," Luke said, returning to the counter.
"Anyway," Lorelai said, getting back to the matter at hand, "everyone has special talents. Milli Vanilli could lip synch, the Supernanny can make children behave, and I can predict snow," she said triumphantly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my mother, the Punxsutawney Phil of snow," Rory said.
"You know what happens when it snows, Rory."
"Yes yes yes. Good things happen."
"No, great things happen," Lorelai corrected.
"Maybe I'll get all A's on my exams," offered Rory.
Lorelai scoffed. "That's a given."
Rory thought a moment, then nodded her assent.
"But," Lorelai said, "snow is a time for great things," she finished confidently.
"We'll see," Rory said dubiously.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" Lorelai asked, sipping her coffee.
"Well, now that exams are officially over, I'm going to pack up the necessary items from my dorm and bring it all back here. Oh, but first, Dean and I are going to exchange our Christmas presents."
"Why aren't you exchanging them on Christmas Day?" Lorelai asked.
"He's going to Chicago for the holidays with his family," Rory explained.
"Ah," Lorelai said. "So…"
"So…what?" Rory asked.
"How's that going?" Lorelai asked.
"How's what going?" Rory said.
"Dean."
"Um, he's fine, I guess," Rory said.
"I mean you and Dean," Lorelai said.
"Oh. Well, I guess we're ok. Though…nevermind," Rory said.
"No, no, I want to hear, really," Lorelai said encouragingly.
"Well, it's just that it's not like it used to be, you know?" Rory said simply.
"Well…actually, I don't know. What do you mean, hon?" Lorelai said.
"I don't know how to explain it. It's just… Dean is great, you know? But the spark… I don't know. We used to have so much fun, but now it feels like we're forcing it. And he gets so much more jealous than he used to be," Rory said.
"Aw, honey, no. Dean was always jealous," Lorelai said.
Rory thought about it. "I guess that's true…he just wasn't always this jealous. I mean, he definitely hates Logan's guts, and he scared poor Marty half to death!"
"Aw! Poor Naked Guy!" Lorelai said.
"Ok, you really have to start calling him Marty now. It's been over a year since the whole naked debacle," Rory said with a grin.
"Ok, ok, but he'll always be Naked Guy to me," Lorelai acquiesced. "Wait, why would he hate Logan? I didn't think you guys were even friends. I thought you hated him and all those other stupid over privileged trust fund kids."
"I don't hate him!" Rory said quickly. She backed down after seeing Lorelai's shocked face. "I mean, I might have given that impression, but he's not all bad. Definitely arrogant and full of himself, but damn him if he doesn't have the talent to back it up. Did you know that he hardly ever actually writes for the Yale Daily News, yet he can write better than me?"
"Hey, nobody writes better than you!" protested Lorelai.
"Says the woman who birthed me," Rory said, rolling her eyes.
"So I would know. So continue; tell me more about Wonder Boy," Lorelai said.
"He's not Wonder Boy, and I suggest you not over-inflate his ego or else it might burst," Rory said dryly.
"Ah, there's the sardonic girl I know and love," Lorelai said. "So back to Dean. Maybe you just need to try new things instead of glamorizing the 'good ole days.'"
"What do you mean?" Rory asked with interest.
"Well, hasn't Grandma been dropping boulder-sized hints about attending that DAR New Year's Eve Ball?" Lorelai said.
"Yeah, but I don't see what that has to do with my relationship with Dean," Rory said.
"Well, why don't you ask Dean to accompany you to the Ball? It will be an exciting evening, and if nothing else, you can drink yourself to oblivion and viciously mock everyone else in attendance," Lorelai suggested.
"I guess we could…hey, wait a minute," Rory said suspiciously. "Grandma roped you into it, didn't she?"
"Yes! Ok, I admit it," Lorelai said dramatically. "But you have to go. Who is Luke going to talk to when I'm in the bathroom?"
"I don't know, cuz don't we girls always go to the bathroom in packs?" Rory said.
"True, but he could talk to Dean," Lorelai said.
"Um, aren't you forgetting that Luke doesn't like Dean?" Rory said.
"Luke doesn't not-like Dean," Lorelai said wide-eyed.
"Oh, please!" Rory said. "He nearly brained him with the Bop-It."
"Ok, but that was just the one time! He's been nicer ever since," Lorelai said.
Rory just shook her head and smiled.
"So?" Lorelai asked.
"So what?" Rory said.
"You know what!" Lorelai said impatiently.
"You know we're going to have to show him Neil Young in a tux again, right?" Rory said.
"Yes! Haha!" Lorelai cheered. "Show him we shall, my dear, show him we shall."
"Awesome, Rory, thanks!" Dean said, hugging Rory after she gave him his Christmas present. They were sitting in the gazebo.
"Well, I knew you wanted one of those, and with your new apartment and all, I just figured you needed one," she said.
"Absolutely. This was just what I needed, thanks. Now, open yours," Dean said.
"Ok," Rory said. She tore open the wrapping paper around the small box. Her heart fluttered, wondering what kind of jewelry lay within. She was surprised at the actual contents.
"Oh, thanks!" she said, faking enthusiasm.
"I figured, hey, I don't know what books you have, and you love books, so this way you can get exactly what you want!" Dean said excitedly.
"No, this is really great!" she said, bobbing her head. A $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble wasn't exactly what she was expecting.
"So, ready to go?" Dean said, standing up. Rory stood up too, brushing off the back of her jeans.
"Yup. Let's get me all moved out!" Rory said as they walked to Dean's truck.
"Ah, dorm sweet dorm," Rory said, unlocking the door. It was uncommonly quiet. "Wow, looks like Paris has cleared out."
"I knew it was too quiet," Dean said, smiling. Rory laughed as they walked into her room. "Did she leave you a note or something?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Rory said, curious.
"Well, there's an envelope here, and something that looks like a present," Dean pointed out.
Rory glanced at her desk. "Huh. That's weird, we already exchanged gifts," she said, picking up the box. She set it down, opening the envelope first.
"I'm gonna load up these first few boxes, ok?" Dean said, grabbing some file boxes.
"Ok," Rory said distractedly. Dean left the room as Rory began to read the note.
Ace,
Thanks for all your help planning the scavenger hunt. It's gonna be great. Have a good break, you deserve it.
Merry Christmas from your 'boyfriend,'
Logan
P.S. This is for your inner Scarlett.
Rory's pulse raced. She dropped the card and slowly unwrapped the present, finding a blue Tiffany box. She opened the box and gasped. Inside was a pair of gorgeous diamond chandelier earrings. Rory heard Dean coming back through the common room and shoved the box and envelope in her coat pocket.
"What's next?" Dean asked, slightly out of breath.
"Um, that one," Rory said, pointing to a suitcase. She stood up, awkwardly stuffing her hands in her pockets. She rotated the Tiffany box over and over in her hand in the pocket.
"Hey, Dean?" she said, following him and locking the door.
"Yeah?" Dean grunted.
"Um, are you going to be back by New Year's Eve?" she asked.
"Yeah; actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Dean said, throwing Rory's last suitcase in his truck.
"Oh really?" Rory said, climbing into the passenger's seat.
"Yeah. Kyle's supposedly throwing this rager party. Wanna go?" asked Dean, turning the car on.
"Oh, well, um, we could do that," Rory said hesitantly.
Dean glanced at Rory. "What, do you not want to go?"
"No, I mean, it could be fun, it's just that Grandma wants me to go to this charity ball. Well, wants us," she amended.
"She wants me to come too?" Dean said incredulously.
"Well, she's already made my mom promise to go, and Luke will be there too, so it's not like we won't know anyone. But yeah, she's been pressuring me to go, and, I dunno, I thought it might be fun," Rory concluded weakly.
"Will I have to wear a tux?" Dean asked.
"Probably," Rory replied. "I think it would be good for us, though, you know? A change of scenery might do us some good," she said half-heartedly.
Dean sighed. "Ok, but I'm gonna need to see something better than Neil Young in a tux," he said.
"I think that can be arranged," Rory said with a small smile.
"I can't believe you talked me into this," Luke said, adjusting his tie. Luke, Lorelai, Rory, and Dean were standing near the ballroom entrance at the DAR New Year's Eve Ball. They surveyed the room; it was teeming with ladies and gentlemen in ballgowns and tuxedos. The room was lavishly decorated for New Year's Eve, and waiters navigated the crowds dispensing hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
"Lorelai! Rory! There you are," Emily said, walking over to greet them.
"Hey, Mom," Lorelai said. "You remember Luke, right?"
"Of course I remember Luke," Emily said indignantly. "How are you, Luke?" she said.
"Oh fine, Mrs. Gilmore – I mean, Emily," Luke said uncomfortably.
"And Dean, you remember Dean," prompted Lorelai.
"Hello Dean," Emily said shortly. "Honestly, Lorelai, you'd think I have Alzheimer's the way you carry on."
"Everything looks great, Grandma," Rory said, looking around the ballroom.
"Yes, well, we had a devil of a time reserving the entire resort for the night. But luckily Cindy's cousin works here, so they even managed to get the private beach reserved. Oh dear, there's Marlene, excuse me, we need to talk about these hors d'oeuvres, they're ridiculous!" Emily said, flitting off.
"Drinks?" Luke said.
"Thought you'd never ask," Lorelai said. Luke went off to find the bar. The other three walked inside, finding a spot to stand.
"So," Lorelai said, turning to Rory. "Don't you look all prettified," she said, looking Rory up and down. Rory looked down at her dress. It was a sleeveless wide-strap satin blood red dress with a ruched bodice and an A-line floor-length skirt.
"Yeah, she looks great, doesn't she?" Dean commented, awkwardly adjusting his tuxedo jacket.
"Well, it is a ball," Rory said.
"I know, but still!" Lorelai said. "Where did you get these fancy doo-dads?"
"Well, Grandma arranged a meeting with Miss Celine and this is the finished product," Rory said, striking a pose.
"Nice!" Lorelai said.
"Yeah, apparently this is a Vera Wang," Rory said loftily.
"Vera nice!" Lorelai quipped.
"Hey, I'm gonna go get a drink too," Dean interjected. "You want anything, Rory?"
"No, I'm fine, thanks," she replied.
"Ok. Be right back," Dean said, heading to the bar.
"So! Did Miss Celine jewelify you too?" Lorelai asked.
Rory reached up and fingered one of her earrings – she was wearing Logan's earrings. "No, no, these are mine."
"Reeeeally," Lorelai said skeptically. "Because they look suspiciously like a copy of the ones I circled in the Tiffany & Co. catalogue. Which, by the way, we still get three of."
"You circled earrings in a Tiffany catalogue?" Rory asked dubiously. "Why would you think Luke would ever buy you those earrings?"
"Hey! He bought me earrings once… well, sort of," Lorelai said defensively.
"But not diamonds," Rory pointed out.
"He could – hey, listen, we're talkin' about you, kiddo. That Yale is making you too smart," Lorelai said.
"What can I say? You raised me brainy," Rory said.
"No, I raised you on junk food and pop culture. Now back to the earrings. Are those the Tiffany knockoffs?" Lorelai asked, hand on hip.
"Not exactly…" Rory said. "They were a gift…from a friend."
"No way!" breathed Lorelai. "I want friends like that. Who's your friend?"
"Oh," Rory said, waving the comment away, "just someone."
"Who?" persisted Lorelai.
"Logan, ok? But it's not really a big deal," Rory said quickly.
"Not a big deal? Right,'cause, you know, who doesn't give jewelry to casual acquaintances?" Lorelai said flippantly. "Unless," she said, looking at Rory carefully, "you're more than casual acquaintances."
"Oh please," Rory said. "He's not – I mean, we're not – I mean… is it hot in here to you?" Rory said. "I need a drink. Do you want a drink?"
"No," Lorelai said slowly. "Luke's getting them, remember?"
"Right, right," Rory said. She ran her fingers through her curled hair.
Across the room, Logan and his friends were plotting the sub-party.
"So I'm thinking the beach, what d'you reckon?" Finn suggested.
"Could work," Logan said.
"Or…the casino!" Colin offered.
"Oh, well done!" Finn said.
"So it's settled," Logan said. "Right after midnight, we peace out."
"Oh, put a lid on it, here comes your mom," warned Colin.
"Oh man," Logan said.
"Logan, darling! There you are! We were hoping for a quick family photo, do you mind?" Shira said.
"Of course not," Logan said diplomatically. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me."
"Come on, Finn. I believe I see a redhead due north," Colin said.
"Brilliant. Off we go!" Finn replied.
"So, who are you here with, Logan?" Shira asked nonchalantly.
"I'm goin' stag, Mom. Just me and the boys," Logan replied. Shira raised her eyebrows. "But there may be a larger crowd come midnight, we'll see," Logan amended.
"Ah hah," she said knowingly. "Oh look," she said, pointing across the room. "There's Emily's daughter. I'm surprised she's here; she usually avoids these things like the plague," she said.
Logan looked where she was pointing. There was Lorelai in animated conversation with Rory.
"I assume that's the child," Shira said snobbily.
" 'The child,' Mother?" Logan said wryly.
"Yes. Oh, I don't remember her name, but Emily says she means to be a world-famous journalist," Shira remarked.
"Something like that," Logan said.
"You know her?" Shira asked.
"Yes; Rory's on the newspaper. She's a… friend," Logan said.
"Ah," Shira said, eyeing Logan carefully. "Well, as long as that's all she is."
"Excuse me?" Logan said with surprise.
"Oh Logan, please!" Shira laughed. "You can't seriously want to date her. She is not the girl for you," she said condescendingly.
"Why exactly is that?" Logan said, iron in his voice.
"Oh, you sound just like your father," Shira said. "It's just that you know her mother had her out of wedlock, first of all, the Gilmore name isn't enough to ignore that. Secondly, she has her heart set on a career. She's completely ignoring any real-life education. She's a rebel like her mother; she's not in the DAR and definitely not in a position to do any of the things that society wives need to know how to do."
"Harsh, Mom," Logan said.
"Well, darling, it's just the truth! I don't mean anything by it," Shira said flippantly. "Oh look, here's your father and Honor. Picture time!" she trilled.
Logan bit back a reply and smiled for the camera.
"Lovely, thank you," Shira said.
"I'm going to the restroom. Be back before midnight," Mitchum said, kissing Shira's cheek.
"You'd better!" she called after him. "Well, speak of the devil, here come Emily and Richard.
"Logan, my boy, how are you?" Richard said, fervently shaking Logan's hand.
"Fine, sir, fine. And yourself?" Logan said with a smile.
"Right as rain," Richard replied heartily.
"Emily, darling, how are you?" Shira.
"Fine," Emily said politely. "And you, Shira?"
"Oh, we're simply having a marvelous time," Shira gushed. "In fact," she said with a gleam in her eye, "we were just talking about your granddaughter."
Logan gave his mother a warning glance.
"Oh really?" Richard said with interest.
"Yes. Logan was just telling me what great friends they were," Shira said sweetly.
"Well Rory actually came with us tonight; they're here somewhere," Emily said, searching the room.
"I believe I see her," Logan said, gesturing with his drink. "Shall we go say hello, Richard, and leave these ladies to gossip?" he said with a winning smile and a challenging glance to his mother.
"By all means, young man, by all means," Richard said. He shared an excited glance with Emily before heading toward Lorelai and Rory.
"Uh oh," Lorelai said.
"What?" Rory asked.
"Hey," Dean said, walking up. "I missed Luke at the bar, but I brought you a ginger ale," he said, offering Rory a drink.
"Wow, Dean, that better not be spiked," Lorelai joked.
"Huh?" he said confused.
"Thanks for the drink," Rory said, ignoring Lorelai. She took a sip. "So what's with the 'uh oh,' Mom?"
"Oh, nothing," she said. "I just…um…"
"Lorelai, Rory!" boomed Richard. "Look who I found!"
"The last of the blond bombshells?" Lorelai offered.
"No," Richard said patiently, "I found your friend, Rory. Lorelai, this is Logan Huntzberger. Logan, this is my daughter and Rory's mother."
"Nice to finally meet you," Logan said with a wink.
"Charmer," Lorelai said, shaking his hand.
Dean cleared his throat.
"And Dean, Dad, you need to introduce Dean," Lorelai said pointedly.
"We've met," Logan said smoothly. Lorelai raised her eyebrows at Rory but said nothing. "So, Ace, I see you got my Christmas present. They suit you," he said with a smirk.
"Excuse me?" Dean said in agitated confusion.
"Would you like to dance, Lorelai?" Richard interrupted.
"Um, sure. Ok," Lorelai said, shooting a helpless glance at Rory.
"And Logan," Richard said, "why don't you take Rory for a spin around the floor?"
"I'd be delighted, Richard." He offered his arm to Rory who hesitantly took it.
"You don't mind, do you, Dean?" Richard said. Dean started to protest. "That's a good lad. Let's go, Lorelai," he said, leading her onto the dance floor.
"But – ok," Lorelai stuttered.
"Shall we?" Logan said.
Rory let him lead her onto the dance floor. "Well, that was subtle as a brick," she said sarcastically.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Logan said, laughing as they danced to the fast song. He twirled her out.
"Oh please!" she said, twirling back into his arms. "Why don't they just say it; Rory, we don't like Dean, we actually wish you would go marry Logan. Is that ok with you?" she fumed.
"Ok, let's change the subject, shall we?" Logan said.
Rory harrumphed.
"Let's start with that dress," Logan said.
"Yes, well, I tried to fashion one out of Luke's curtains, but it proved too difficult, so this had to do."
"Well it does very well, Ace, very well indeed," he said, dipping her.
"Well, I had to do the earrings justice," she said, blushing.
"Ah, I see," Logan said. The next song was slower, and he pulled Rory a bit closer. He snuck a glance at the corner where Dean was still standing. If looks could kill, Logan would be dead on the spot. "I don't think your boyfriend likes me very much," he said into Rory's ear.
"Oh really?" she said in false innocence. "What gives you that idea?"
"It's ok, though, I don't mind," Logan said nonchalantly.
"Really?" Rory said, interested.
"Nope. I enjoy a challenge. Do you know, my mother is dead set against us dating," he said casually.
"Is she now," Rory said, amused.
"Yep. It seems that you are not Huntzberger wife material."
"Oh yeah?" Rory said, beginning to get angry. She immediately checked herself. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing we're not dating," she said with a pretty smile.
"I suppose it is," Logan said. Suddenly, the crowd began to swell toward the back of the ballroom. "Wow, the countdown begins! Midnight came fast," Logan said as they got caught up in the crowd.
"Why is everybody pushing to the back?" Rory said.
"Fireworks, Ace!" Logan said, grabbing two flutes of champagne.
"Logan!" cried Finn. "We've been looking for you, mate!" Colin and Finn were squeezed up next to Logan and Rory, with two girls in tow.
"You remember Stephanie, right Rory?" said Colin.
"Yeah, nice to see you again," Rory said over the din.
:"And this is the elusive Rosemary, who is taking pity on me for New Year," Finn said, squeezing the girl he had his arm around.
"Hi," said Rory.
The crowd started to count down the final ten seconds.
Rory suddenly began to panic. "I need to find Dean," she yelled above the roar. She scanned the crowd but couldn't see Dean.
"What?" shouted Logan.
"I need to find Dean!" Rory shouted.
"It's impossible in this crowd! Forget about it," Logan shouted.
Rory sighed.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!" the crowd chorused. Rory and Logan and the whole crew toasted, clinking their glasses and downing the contents, setting the flutes on a nearby tray.
"Happy New Year!" Finn said, kissing Rosemary, then Stephanie. "Come on, reporter girl, give us a kiss," Finn said. Rory grinned and obliged as Colin and Logan kissed the other girls. "God I love midnight," Finn said.
"Happy New Year, Colin," Rory said, briefly kissing Colin as well. She didn't see Dean fighting his way through the crowd to get to her.
"Happy New Year, Ace," Logan said, putting his arms around her waist.
"Happy New Year, Logan," Rory replied, staring into his eyes. She placed her hands on his arms as he bent down to kiss her. Logan's kiss, however, wasn't as brief as his friends'. To Rory, it seemed to last forever. When he finally pulled away, Finn and Colin were issuing catcalls.
"Get a room, mate!" Finn said.
"Oh come on, man, it's tradition," Logan said, his arms still around Rory's waist. Rory just blushed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Well, tradition or no tradition, that was one hell of a kiss," Colin said.
"It sure was," Dean said.
"Dean!" Rory exclaimed. Logan smoothly dropped his arms back to his sides.
"Hey, look, it's Mr. Tall, Dark and…no, just tall and dark," Colin said.
"Don't be an ass, Colin," Logan said, his eyes locked with Dean's.
"We need to talk, Rory. Outside," Dean said, grabbing Rory's hand and pulling her out onto the beach. As soon as they were out of hearing range, Dean dropped Rory's hand. She folded her arms across her chest in the cold night.
"What the hell was that? And don't say I'm overreacting, because I'm not. I'm really looking forward to your explanation here," Dean said.
"Dean, come on," Rory said uncomfortably.
"What, Rory?" Dean said angrily.
"Look, I tried to find you, but the crowd was too tight," she said.
"Funny; I managed to find you," Dean said, tight-lipped.
"It's New Year's Eve! That's what you do at midnight! Everyone had champagne and then we all kissed each other; it's no big deal!" Rory said.
"No big deal? No big deal? I saw the way he was looking at you, Rory."
"What way? What do you mean?" Rory demanded.
"Oh come on, Rory. He is so into you. And you're into him. I saw the way you looked at him."
"What way? There was no way!"
"I'm not an idiot, Rory. I mean, I should have seen this coming."
"I don't understand," Rory said, beginning to cry.
"Please. Jess? Or Tristan, even? I mean, this guy is like a second chance with that punk. He could be Tristan's clone."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she scoffed. "I swear, we haven't done anything," Rory insisted.
"Can you swear you haven't slept with him?" Dean said.
"Yes!" Rory said in shock. "This is ridiculous, Dean. Do you seriously think I would cheat on you?"
"Well, you cheated with me, so yeah, I'd say it's within the realm of possibility."
They were at a stalemate. Rory was shocked that he brought up the circumstances of their first night together.
"This isn't going to work, is it," Rory said quietly.
Dean started to speak, then stopped. "No, I guess it isn't," he said sadly.
"Look, I - " he reached out, but stopped short of touching her. "I'm just gonna go, ok?"
"Fine," she said, looking away.
She watched Dean walk back into the party without a backward glance. At that moment, it began to snow.
Logan watched Rory from the window of the party.
"Do you think she's ok?" asked Stephanie.
"I don't know," Logan said thoughtfully.
"Hm. So; casino sound good to everyone?" Colin suggested.
"Yes, brilliant, let's go," Finn said. "Am I drunk yet?"
"Not yet," Rosemary said.
"Dear, oh dear! We need to remedy that. Here, waiter, bottle of champagne, if you please," Finn said, grabbing a bottle from the nearby waiter.
"I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," Logan said, still staring out the window.
"You sure?" Colin said.
"Come on, Colin," Stephanie said, "let's go. He's hooked and needs to get her out of his system," she said with a knowing look.
"What?" Logan said, pulling himself away from the window. "What, that?" he said, pointing outside. "I'm just concerned, that's all. She seems a little fragile."
"Who, reporter girl?" Finn said. "Nah. She seems made of iron, mate."
"Well, still," Logan said.
Finn grinned. "Man, she got to you, didn't she?"
"No," Logan said defensively. His friends just looked at him. "Maybe," he allowed.
They stared until Stephanie started giggling.
"Shut up," Logan said with a smile.
"What? I said nothing!" Stephanie protested. "Well if you're going to yell at me anyway: you liiiiike her. You think she's seeexy, you wanna kiiiss her, hug her and daaate her," said Stephanie in a singsong voice.
"Fuck off, the lot of you," Logan said good-humoredly. "I'll meet you in the casino."
"See; told you so," Stephanie said, elbowing Colin.
"Ouch! Did I say anything? No!" Colin said, rubbing his side.
"Let's go, let's go!" Finn whined.
"Alright, come on," said Rosemary. They waved to Logan as they navigated the crowd and headed to the door.
Logan took one more look out the window and made his way to the beach.
"Great. Just great," Rory said, looking up at the sky. "Snow. Of course, snow," she said ironically. She started to cry harder.
"Whoa there, Ace, you ok?" Logan asked, slowly walking up to her.
Rory turned around to look at him. "Is my mascara running?"
"What?" Logan said, confused.
"'Cause usually in situations like this, mascara tends to run, and it's never in a straight line, have you ever noticed that?" Rory said, trying desperately to regain control.
"Um, not really, no," Logan said awkwardly.
Rory turned back to the sea. "Snow can kiss my ass," she said bitingly, kicking the sand in front of her.
"Ah. So snow has pissed you off to the point of crying, is that it?" Logan said with a smirk. "I'd hate to see you when it hails."
"No," Rory said, sniffing. "It was Dean. We had a fight…and…and I think it's over."
"Ah," Logan said. "Well, he's just excess baggage, Rory. Dump his ass and get on with your life. It'll be ok."
"No, it won't be ok. You don't understand," Rory insisted.
"Ace, I understand plenty. You're just too afraid to let go," he said reasonably.
Rory snapped. "You know what? You're right, ok? I am afraid to let go because Dean is the only person who was there for me, always. He was my first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first…" Rory choked up. "My first everything."
Logan didn't know how to respond.
"Besides, what do you care," she said grumpily. "God, this is embarrassing," said Rory.
"What? It's not that bad," Logan said quizzically.
"No! I mean, I just got dumped, and here you are being nice to me. You don't need to be nice to me."
"I can be nice," Logan chided. He chose his words carefully. "It's hard to let go from your first love."
"Yeah," Rory almost whispered.
Logan rubbed his hands together. "So, what do you say we go back inside. Finn is known for his one-man renditions of movies, and I'll bet he's just now getting drunk enough to offer us a selection," he said with a smile.
Rory didn't reply.
"Come on," Logan said. "He's been dyin' to do West Side Story again. The knife fights are the best. And the world doesn't seem quite so bad when he sings 'I Feel Pretty.'"
Rory almost smiled, but wiped an errant tear. "No, I just…I'm not ready to go back in just yet."
"Ok, that's fine. We can stay out here," Logan said.
Rory rubbed her bare arms.
"Here," Logan said, offering her his coat.
"No, you'll freeze in this snow," Rory protested.
"I'm fine, Ace, take it," he insisted, draping it over her shoulders.
"Thanks," she sniffed, pulling it tighter around herself.
"The beach is really pretty at night," she said, trying to have a normal conversation.
"It sure is," Logan said, looking out across the ocean.
Suddenly, Rory began to cry harder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she kept saying. "You don't have to…I'm such a mess."
"Hey, hey, come here," Logan said, gathering Rory in his arms. "Here," he said, pulling a handkerchief out of his coat pocket.
"Wow, these things still come with handkerchiefs? I didn't know anyone used those anymore – well, aside from Grandpa," she said, wiping her eyes and calming down.
"So what with the hating the snow?" Logan asked, holding Rory, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Snow is supposed to be a time for great things. Snow always makes wonderful things happen, but look at tonight! Not so wonderful," she said.
Logan paused while considering his next move. "Well, the night's not over yet."
"What?" Rory mumbled against his shoulder.
"Wonderful things can still happen," Logan whispered in her ear. He slightly pulled away from Rory and slipped his arms around her waist inside his jacket.
"What are you doing?" Rory said dreamily as Logan kissed one, then both her eyelids.
"Trust me?" he said, kissing down her tear-stained cheeks.
"What?" Rory said in a daze, her eyes still closed.
"I said, do you trust me?" Logan repeated.
Rory opened her eyes and looked at him. "You know what? Strangely enough, I think I do."
"Good," Logan said. He looked up. "Hey, it's snowing harder," he said.
"You know, snow ain't so bad," Rory said with a small smile.
"Glad to hear it, Ace, glad to hear it," Logan said, leaning down to kiss her.
Ta da! Now, this very well could be the end, folks, but I'm not that mean. Tune in next time to see what happens! (Oh, and by the way, the dress and earrings were totally real. You can check Vera Wang's and Tiffany's websites if you want to see them, or you can use your good ol' imagination.) Review pretty please! Especially if you have any scenes that you want to see played out or want to leave feedback on the ones you just witnessed.
