A/N: Okay so it's been like 2 months... yikes. And to think that my goal at the beginning was to update once a week. Anyway, now that summer's over my updates should increase, although between school, soccer and work I wouldn't hold my breath. This isn't the greatest chapter, I'll admit, although this was the first chapter that was pictured in my mind. One of the scenes (I won't give away which one) is pretty much my first picture of the story. Everything else kind of developed around it. It didn't really come across on paper like I had hoped it would but oh well.

Reviews were awesome and I love you all for them.

Enjoy.

It was quarter to seven and Logan still wasn't ready to pick up Rory for the evening.

After the phone call with his mother, he hadn't been able to concentrate. Books were tossed to the side after barely being cracked open; movies were played without him noticing, forgotten in the background as he paced in front of the TV. His vast music collection suddenly seemed too small; there was no music in the world that could identify with what he was feeling at the moment.

He wanted his and Rory's first date to be absolutely perfect but, as everything in his life eventually was, it was ruined by his mother. The phone was off the hook as the beep kept reminding him but at the moment he didn't care, didn't think that anyone would phone him that he wanted to talk to. He hated this. He hated that their first date was going to take place at his parent's house for a party that he didn't even want to attend. He hated that that was going to go down in the history of their relationship.

So, Rory, you're dating the Huntzberger heir? I bet he took you someplace great for your first date.

We went to his parent's house and spent an awkward evening conversing with people that I've never met before.

Damn it all to hell.

He was going insane, he knew it. Logan Huntzberger was known for being calm, cool and collected. He was known for going with the flow, for being easy. He was not known for freaking out over a minor change in plans or worrying about the future of a relationship based on this change of plans. Compared to some of the other places that he had taken past dates, a party at his parents was nothing.

That's it, it's nothing. They'd forget about it, go someplace else another time and consider that their first date.

Filled with new determination, Logan pulled on his jacket, flicking invisible lint off of his pants, and made his way out of the dorm to pick up Rory.

In Omnia Paratus.

He knocked on her door at five past seven and knew from the sounds that emerged from within that she wasn't quite ready yet. Not that that came as a surprise; in Logan's experience, girls were never ready when they said that they would be. He was sure that it was all part of a conspiracy to keep the men on their toes.

"Hey," a pink-cheeked Rory said, as she flung open the door and flashed Logan a quick smile. She only had one shoe on, the other was dangling from her pinkie and suddenly he couldn't breath.

"This isn't a date," he blurted out before his brain could compute what he wanted to say into something more tactful.

As her smile turned into a frown and any trace of happiness disappeared from her face, Logan could've hit himself. It took a lot for him to resist the urge to do so. There was an awkward silence and he could tell that he had just ruined this night. And to think that he was thought to be suave by many people throughout his life. He sure wasn't tonight. Any thoughts of this being a successful night were immediately thrown out the window and surprisingly his mother had nothing to do with it.

This time it was all on him.

-

Finn was beyond worried.

He had spent almost the entire day searching all over campus for his girlfriend and had yet to find her. Even recruiting the few girls who had succumbed to his charm to search the washrooms for him hadn't returned with positive results. Steph was no where to be found and he knew that it was his fault.

Well at least he thought it was. He wasn't so self-centered to automatically believe that the only reason he couldn't find Steph was because she was avoiding him. There were a million other possibilities of where she might be.

Sighing, he dug out the key from his pocket and unlocked her dorm door. He had borrowed her key a couple months ago and made a copy of it, knowing that she hadn't given a spare to anyone and that her roommate wasn't really around. It was important that somebody had a spare in case of an emergency; it wasn't his fault that he was the only one to do something about it.

He sat on her bed, leaning back against the wall unperturbed by the fact that he was in someone else's dorm room when they weren't there. Things like that didn't bother him. He was fine being by himself, fine with making conversation with complete strangers. His family had always thought of him as somewhat of a loner. Finn frowned, not wanting to think about his family. His family had been the cause behind everything. If his mom hadn't called that morning to tell him her news, he wouldn't have been in such a bad mood and Steph wouldn't have run off like that.

Or maybe she would have. They had needed a fight sometime, needed some conflict in their relationship. Besides, what didn't break them up would only make them stronger.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of a key entering the lock, causing him to sit up quickly. Ignoring the head rush that he felt, he got to his feet with his hands in his pockets, ready to beg for Steph's forgiveness. Only, once the door had swung open and he had gotten ready to talk, no words would come out as he took in the sight in front of him.

There was his girlfriend with her arms wrapped around another man.

-

The car ride was silent as Rory wasn't up to making conversation. She felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Her day had been spent trying to make herself look perfect, to look desirable in Logan Huntzberger's eyes. All of that was shot down by four words.

This isn't a date.

What was it then? Rory sighed, leaning back against the cool leather seat and knew that Logan's eyes were on her. She didn't say anything though and he didn't either. After half a dozen failed conversation attempts, he had finally gotten the message and had refrained from talking. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and she turned her head, feigning looking at the scenery, knowing that he was still watching her out of the corner of his eye. Maybe she was just being overdramatic. God knows that she had had bad dates before and she had gotten past them. But then again, this wasn't a date.

But it felt like one. He had picked her up, hadn't he? That was something guys did on dates. It was just the two of them; for once they weren't in a group setting. Dates were usually just two people, weren't they? So, why wasn't this a date? She didn't understand and opened her mouth to question him but after a moment of indecisiveness, closed it again. Logan's past reputation came to mind and she realized that she was just one of the many. She wasn't special so why should she assume that their relationship was? God, she couldn't even get a date out of the man who was known to have multiple dates in one night.

A tear slipped out of her eye and down her cheek before she raised a hand to casually wipe it away. Showing weakness wasn't on her list of things to do this evening and so she was determined to not let Logan know that she was upset. Her pride wouldn't allow her.

"You look nice," Logan commented quietly, his eyes on the road. He knew that if he turned to look towards her, he wouldn't be able to look away again.

"Thanks," Rory murmured back after the silence had stretched for almost too long. Conversation wasn't a priority for her right then as she knew that he would detect the waver in her voice if she continued to speak.

He sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get anything more than one-word answers out of her. "Look, Rory, I'm sorry about earlier. I'm an idiot but you have to understand-"

"There's nothing to apologize for," she said, interrupting him. "It's fine, really. We're friends, right? And we're just friends hanging out. Nothing more, nothing less."

Logan looked at her for a second before turning his eyes back to the road and mumbling, "Right, friends."

"So," Rory said, trying to act more cheerful even though she still felt awful, positive that this was going to be one of the worst nights of her life. "Where are we going?"

"My parents are having a thing tonight. I told them that I would go." He didn't mention that he had tried to get his mom to change her mind about him going, that he hadn't wanted their night to end up awkward and stiff.

She nodded. "That sounds like fun," she replied, even though it was the last thing that she felt like doing. Her smile felt as false as her words.

Logan pulled the car up a long driveway, past the many cars that lined either side. They pulled around a curve, revealing an enormous house, lights blazing. Rory could feel her mouth drop open. While both her grandparents and the Dugreys had large homes, they were still more modest than this one. This house made her feel like she was two inches tall.

"Home sweet home," her blond haired companion remarked sarcastically, turning off the car and reaching into the back for something.

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Your electricity bills must be outrageous."

He laughed, although somewhat bitterly. "You ready for this?" he asked, already starting to open his door.

"Yeah," she said quietly, still looking up at the house with wide eyes, "I'm ready."

-

Finn stared at Stephanie and her brunet companion in shock, no words coming to mind. The urge to slam the door and forget that this had ever happened was strong but he resisted, knowing that he was in Steph's dorm room and so he would have to face her eventually. Here's to hoping it was later rather than sooner.

"Steph?" he asked, his voice coming out somewhat strangled. "Who is this?" He gestured towards the man with his arms around his girlfriend's waist, his lips having just retreated from her plump lips.

"Finn…" Steph said in shock removing her hands from the back of the guy's neck. "What are you doing here?"

He suddenly felt awkward, not knowing what to do with his hands. Shoving them into his pocket, he looked up at her with accusing eyes. "I was waiting for you. I wanted to apologize for being rude this morning. So, I'm sorry. Have a nice life," he finished stiffly, pushing past them and making his way down the hall.

"Finn!" Steph called after him but he kept walking, acting like he hadn't heard her.

He was in shock. If he had had time to process what he had just witnessed, he would be yelling. Instead, he was walking away. That's what he was known for anyway; walking away from his problems. Everybody knew that so why was she still following him, calling his name? A blonde made a noise of aggravation as Finn pushed past her, making her drop her book but he ignored it. He didn't give a damn about anyone but himself in that moment.

"Finn!" Steph said again, finally catching up to him. She put a hand on his arm and he whirled around snarling.

"What?" he asked, running an agitated hand through his hair. "What the fuck do you want?"

Her arm retreated, a hurt expression on her face and Finn knew that he had never hated anyone in his life as much as he hated her in that moment. How dare she make him feel guilty after she was out doing God knows what with some guy while he was panicking over whether she was okay or not.

"I wanted to explain," she said quietly, her voice no more than a whisper. Finn could see the tears building up and he hated himself for wanting to be there to brush them away when they fell.

"There's nothing to explain. If you want your shit you can come to my dorm to pick it up." He started to back away, putting some distance between him and her hurt expression. "You can do whatever you want with the stuff that I've left at your place; I don't care." He took a deep breath. "We can be friends eventually, I'm sure, although I suppose that I just stole your line. Isn't the girl supposed to make the 'it's not you, it's me but we can still be friends' speech?" He tried to smile to bring some humour into the situation. He was rambling, but he didn't care anymore. He knew that the minute he walked away from her things would never be the same.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and Finn felt as though he had been shot. All along he had thought that he had misinterpreted the situation, that someone like Stephanie wouldn't possibly do something like that. Obviously he had thought too much of his now ex-girlfriend.

"Me too," he said back just as quietly.

He walked away before the tears came.

-

Rory looked around the elaborate room. It was something else that was for sure. Sighing, she leaned against the wall and looked for her non-date. He had disappeared only about five minutes ago to get them something to drink but it seemed like forever ago, especially since she was standing near a wall fiddling with her hands. She didn't know anyone here and wasn't all that eager to jump into conversation with a stranger.

"Here."

She felt something cool being pressed into her hand and smiled at Logan gratefully as she took a sip of her newly acquired champagne. "Thanks."

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked half sarcastically as he leaned against the wall beside her, bringing his own champagne to his lips.

She gave a half smile. "Time of my life," she said sarcastically even though she knew that it was impolite to do so. But so was asking if she was having a good time even though he had already ruined this night for her. He had no right to ask her such things.

"Logan!"

Both Rory and Logan looked up to see a tastefully dressed blonde woman walking towards them, a fake smile stretched across her face. Her eyes narrowed, Rory looked between the two of them, quickly finding the family resemblance that was scarce but there.

"Oh God," Logan murmured before turning towards his brunette companion. "I apologize in advance for anything remotely insulting that she says to you." He didn't bother to smile as the woman drew closer. "Hello mother."

"Logan." His mother nodded her head towards him and leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss on the check. "And who's this?" She turned her beady eyes towards Rory.

"This is my friend Rory Gilmore," he said, squeezing Rory's arm lightly as he turned towards her. "Rory this is my mother, Shira Huntzberger."

Rory smiled, trying to ignore that it felt false. Logan introducing her as 'his friend' felt like a slap in the face. But then again, this wasn't a date. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Huntzberger. You have a beautiful home."

Shira's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the girl in front of her. "Are you related to Richard and Emily Gilmore, dear?"

Rory nodded. "They're my grandparents."

Before Shira could reply to that, two more people approached the group.

"Shira, wonderful party," Cynthia Dugrey said with a wide smile. She leaned forward to gently embrace the Huntzberger woman. "And Rory, sweetheart, it's great to see you again."

Rory laughed. "I just saw you last week."

Eric smiled kindly. "That's still too long." He turned to face Logan, an unreadable expression on his face. "And you must be Logan?"

"Logan Huntzberger," Logan replied with a smile holding out his hand for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you and your wife sir."

"Right, sorry." Rory smiled sheepishly. "Logan these are Tristan's parents, Cynthia and Eric Dugrey."

Cynthia's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked over the blond in front of her. Tristan had never had anything bad to say about the boy but she was still slightly unsure about whether he would ever be good enough for Rory Gilmore. She had grown quite close to the girl over the previous summer and expected nothing but the best for her.

"I'm sorry," Shira said, interrupting Cynthia's thoughts. "But I wasn't aware that you were acquainted with Ms Gilmore."

Cynthia smiled widely. "Rory and my son are old friends." She directed a warm smile towards Rory. "Eric and I are most fond of her."

While Rory blushed from the praise, Shira's eyes narrowed as she took everything in. Everyone who was anyone in Hartford knew that Rory Gilmore was the illegitimate love child of Lorelai Gilmore and Christopher Hayden. She didn't want that kind of girl hanging around her only son and would have let the girl know that; she could stand being ostracized by the Gilmores and according to rumours, the Haydens couldn't care less. However, being on the bad side of the Dugreys as well was not something on her list of things-to-do. It wasn't like any of the families were very powerful in their own rite but combined they were a power that Shira Huntzberger was unwilling to cross.

And so Shira plastered a smile on her face and sent an affectionate smile towards the young brunette, noticing how her son seemed to lean into her. Instead of snubbing the girl, she placed an affectionate hand on her shoulder. Instead of telling her son that he should consider some other girl, she gushed about what a cute couple they were.

It's funny how things turn out like that.

-

"C'mon."

Suddenly Logan was there at her side, saving her from making even more one-sided conversation with people she would rather not share air space with and he was tugging at her elbow until they were out of the room. She half-smiled at him, happy that he had stopped the awkward conversation but still half mad at him for his words earlier. It seemed every time she thought that she and Logan were on even ground, he would do something and the world would shift once again.

"Where are we going?" she asked, breathless as he continued tugging her, out of the room, down the hall and finally out of the house. "It's dark out here."

He smirked at her over his shoulder. "What, are you afraid?"

"No but I'm cold and frankly, I'm still mad at you."

He stopped suddenly, causing her to stumble a little before she caught herself. Her dignity required her to refuse the steadying arm he put out for her and he returned it to his side, slowly. "You're still mad at me," he repeated slowly, looking at her carefully.

She nodded, too drained from the night to bother being embarrassed. Earlier, it had been impossible to pry out the information that she had thought that this was a date and it had taken everything she had to stop herself from crying when he had told her differently. Now, she was too tired to care.

"I wasn't aware that you were ever mad at me."

There was no response, save her looking down at her shoes.

He nodded, almost as if he had expected it. "Okay, c'mon, we're almost there." And with that, the tugging resumed as they made their way down a half overgrown concrete path to an unknown destination. It was too dark for Rory to make out where they were going but Logan seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

They stopped again but this time Rory was ready and refrained from stumbling. He was watching her from the corner of his eye, she could tell, but she ignored it. "It's a wall," she said slowly. "You made me leave your nice, warm house to come outside and stare at a wall."

He rolled his eyes and let go of her elbow to dig around through his pocket, finally pulling out his keychain. It took him a minute for him to locate the correct key and then he pushed it into a keyhole that Rory had not noticed until that moment. Unlocking the camouflaged gate, Logan pushed it open, revealing a dark, fenced area.

"What is this?" Rory asked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness a little.

Logan grinned at her. "This," he said, gesturing with an arm to include everything in the area, "is my childhood."

She raised an eyebrow. "Your childhood?"

He nodded and held out his hand. After a second of hesitation, she took his hand in hers and interlaced their fingers. A smile spread across her face and, when she snuck a sidelong glance at the man beside her, she noticed that he was smiling too. Her eyes took in everything around her, from the trampoline, to the wood playhouse, to the small weedy pond and she grinned.

She turned to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "I don't understand."

"My parents," he started, "got my sister and me everything that we wanted when we were younger. The trampoline is from Honor's gymnastic days, the pond is from when I decided that I was going to become a goldfish farmer-"

"A goldfish farmer?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

He rolled his eyes at her. "I was like six at the time. I also wanted to be an astronaut and a firefighter."

"What, not Superman?" she teased.

"That was when I was eight," he retorted, taking a step closer to her.

She took a step back before surveying the yard. "I don't get it. Why is everything out here? If you were young at the time, wouldn't your parents want to keep an eye on you by having this stuff closer to the house?"

Logan shrugged, not showing the hurt that had come when she had taken a step back. "The trampoline was predominant in our backyard for a while but then Honor quit gymnastics and rarely used it so it was moved back here. Eventually everything else was moved back here to let my mom have the yard that she had always wanted." He paused for a second. "Except for the pond. It was always out here."

Rory nodded solemnly. "Because you can't move a pond," she agreed.

They shared a smile; staring at each other a moment too long before Logan cleared his throat and looked away.

"C'mon!" he called, letting go of Rory's hand and jogging towards the trampoline. He hopped on effortlessly and began jumping up and down.

Rory laughed, walking towards it calmly. She leaned against the cool metal and watched Logan act like a little kid again. She liked seeing him like this.

He paused for a second, gesturing for her to come up. "C'mon Ace, when was the last time you were on a trampoline?"

She laughed again. "I don't remember but I'm wearing a dress. I can't jump in a dress."

He rolled his eyes and dropped to his knees. "It's only me and you here. No one will see you trampolining it up in a dress."

There was a pause. "'Trampolining'?"

He rolled his eyes again. "It's a word."

"No it's not," she said, shaking her head and laughing. Her laughter turned into a surprised shriek as Logan pulled her up and on to the trampoline in one smooth motion.

He grinned at her and she tried to scowl back but somehow it had turned into a smile by the time it reached her face. They stretched out on the cool black material, looking up at the stars for a minute and everything was still.

"I didn't mean to say that this wasn't a date." Logan spoke quietly and turned his head towards the brunette beside him.

"So why did you?" Rory didn't turn to look at him instead her gaze was steady on the sky above. Inwardly, she smiled slightly, glad to know that there was a reason behind his words.

"Because I didn't want a party at my parent's house to be our first date." He willed her to look at him, to see the sincerity in his eyes.

Rory sighed. "It's not the place that matters, it's the people."

"And the people here are lame."

She laughed slightly, turning to face the blond. "I mean that if you hadn't said that this wasn't a date, then everything would have worked out fine. It wouldn't have mattered where it was."

He sat up slightly, causing Rory to jostle slightly as the trampoline moved. "And so everything didn't turn out fine?" he asked, looking at her intently.

Rory pretended to mull it over. "Well, I suppose if you buy me ice cream on the way home, everything will be fine."

Logan laughed and started to sit up to get off of the trampoline. "We better get going then."

"No!" Rory protested grabbing his hand and pulling him back down. "Let's just lay here a while."

He smiled, pressing a kiss to her temple and leaned back on his elbows. It seemed that maybe everything worked out in the end. And as she leaned up to press a kiss to his lips, there was no way he would change their first date at all.

It was them and it was perfect.