Chapter 3: Oh Yeah, She's an Ace

In the next couple of days after meeting Rory in the library Logan kept his promise and made an effort to meet her at least once a day somewhere on the campus. Usually, he made a stop at the YDN to remind her of the condition for getting her desk back. Sure, he knew he was annoying her but they also engaged in some interesting discussions over a couple of cups of coffee. He quickly realised that coffee is a way to go with her so he always insisted on getting a cup together, knowing that she won't be able to refuse. However, she still hasn't succumbed to going out on a date with him and he honestly didn't see her giving in anytime soon which only made him even more intrigued. He enjoyed this game quite a lot and was actually hoping that her resistance would last for a while more.

He was now sitting in a booth at the local pub, Rich Man's Shoe, Colin and Finn across from him. "So, everything is ready for the event?" Colin asked his friends.

Logan rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Col, for the millionth time: everything is ready." Even though Colin was his best friend since diapers, he could really be a pain in the ass sometimes. He always had to check on everything multiple times before he was sure it was alright.

Finn just grunted at his friend, "Mate, get that stick out of your ass and stop being a bore," he started banging his head against the table, annoyed by his friend's repeated questions.

"I don't have a stick up my ass!" Colin slapped Finn's head upwards.

"Sure you don't," Finn continued banging his head against the table while laughing at Colin's statement.

"See, you've broken Finn now…" Logan sent Colin a mock glare.

"Oh, he'll recover as soon as some redhead passes by the table," Colin mocked his friend, patting him on the back.

Finn's head flung back up, "Redhead? Did somebody mention a redhead?" He looked around and a smirk formed on his face, "Well, I definitely don't see a redhead and we'll have to talk about these fake hopes that you give me, mates, but I see someone far more interesting approaching this very table," he looked over Logan's shoulder and let out a low whistle, "And she for sure doesn't disappoint," he looked her over once more and then grinned at Logan while Colin caught who Finn was talking about and a grin spread out on his face as well.

Confused by his friends' comment, Logan was about to turn to follow their gazes when none other than a certain brunette with sapphire blue eyes appeared next to their table. He finally understood Finn's urge to whistle just moments ago as he himself got his thoughts momentarily frozen as soon as he laid his eyes on her.

Wow.

He had thought that she was hot ever since he met her but now she was even sexier than ever. What was so confusing about it was the fact that she wasn't wearing anything revealing. No. She was wearing a printed t-shirt with a short cardigan over it but what caught Logan's eyes were her mile high legs. She was wearing a jeans mini-skirt and knee-high boots. Logan loved knee-high boots. And he loved them even more on her legs. He was still staring at her when she spoke up, "Hey, guys, this seat taken?"

Noticing how their friend didn't even notice her question, Finn and Colin snickered and Colin hit him in the shin to bring him back to here and now. Oh yeah, this is going to be fun - he thought to himself.

Logan shook his head and glared at his snickering friends before answering, "For you, Honey? Anytime," he threw her his patented smirk.

"Geez, am I going to regret this?" Rory groaned but she sat next to him.

"Ah, trust me, you could never regret hanging out with us but, just out of curiosity, what brings you here?" Logan asked her.

"Yeah, Love, what brings you here?" Finn perked up as well.

Rory giggled secretively, "You see, there is this Beach Boy lookalike who has been pestering me about a date so I decided to get it over with before I lose all my nerves," she batted her eyelashes at Logan.

Wow! Talk about a complete turn-around! But something didn't feel right. He for sure didn't think that she'd give in that easily, he actually thought she wouldn't give in at all. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Believe what you want," she smirked at him, "or, you can buy me a drink and we can get this over with."

"Get this over with? Please don't topple with enthusiasm over there, Honey," Logan looked at her, surprised by this turn of events. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously off with this whole situation, he just couldn't figure out what. "But, you see, this isn't really a proper date setting, isn't it?" He motioned towards his friends who were following the conversation with amusement.

"Well, you should've thought about that earlier when you started annoying me about a date. If I remember correctly, and I believe I do," she smiled smugly, "You have never mentioned what you consider a proper date, have you?"

Ugh, she was right. But he really didn't think that she would actually take him up on that. Logan looked at her with narrowed eyes, "I don't appreciate when other people turn my game against me, you know?"

"Oh, I figured. That's why this is even more entertaining," she smiled with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Finn and Colin burst out laughing seeing their friend being tricked by this girl, again, "This is precious, Col, we have to remember this one for a long time to come," Finn laughed hysterically.

"Don't worry, Finn, I think there is more to come from this BabyBlue in front of us," Colin replied smirking at Logan.

Rory blushed slightly at Colin's comment which caught Logan's eye. She was so beautiful when she blushed. He didn't appreciate the mocking from his friends, nor was he convinced that she was here for their date but it didn't matter. He wanted her to stay with them. "Why do I get the feeling that you are up to something?" He looked at her.

"Me?" She put her hand over her heart and looked at him innocently with wide eyes, "I would never!" She winked at him and all of Logan's hair stood up uneasily. She was definitely up to something. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what.

"Sure you wouldn't," he looked deeply in her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on but then decided to just drop it for the time being and enjoy some time with her so he shook his head and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

She looked around for a brief second, then back at him, "Surprise me," she smirked at him.

Logan was taken aback by her directness, wondering what she was up to. He just nodded at her with a smile and got up to get her a drink. When he got back, they were discussing Finn's obsession with redheads, "Say, Love, you wouldn't happen to be a redhead by any chance?" Finn slurred at her.

Rory shook her long chestnut hair a bit, her fringe falling into her eyes, "Nope, brunette through and through." Logan had just sat back next to her when she waved her hair and was overflown by her smell. She smelled so different - something fresh mixed with something wooden with a hint of perfume. It was so unique that he found himself completely mesmerised.

Finn sighed disappointedly, "Shame. You sure seem to have a character like one."

She shook her head slightly, "I can assure you that I don't. I'm quite timid actually."

"That's even better! It's always the quiet ones who are the wildest!" Finn exclaimed knowingly. Logan glared at him and kicked him in the shin. "Ouch! What was that for?!" Logan just gave him a stern look to drop it.

Rory blushed profusely and lowered her head while shaking it, "Not so sure about that." Logan observed her and he could see that she was uncomfortable. He found it very interesting. At one moment she could be a tease, then she could get all riled up like a real firecracker and then, at another moment, she could get completely shy. Intriguing. He decided to put her out of misery and moved the drink he got her towards her. She looked at it suspiciously, "What is that?"

"Just try it. Trust me," he gave her an encouraging smile to which she nodded and took a sip from the drink. Her eyes lit up in recognition and she smiled widely at him. It made him all warm inside, the fact that he made the right choice and the way she smiled at him, "I gather that you like it?"

"I love it!" Her eyes sparkled at him, "What's it called? How come I haven't known about this?" She exclaimed excitedly.

"It's a Sheridan. It's more popular in Europe but they have a pretty good assortment of drinks here at the pub so I thought it would be appropriate," he explained with a small smile.

"Oh, it's amazing! It tastes just like coffee!" She smiled widely again, "Thank you!"

He was taken aback by the sincerity of her gratefulness he could sense from her voice and the look in her eyes. He rarely came upon a girl who would be so excited about something so small as a drink. He found it fascinating. Could this girl be any more intriguing? "Glad to oblige," he smiled at her.

She nodded at him and then turned her head towards the table, "So, what have you been up to lately, boys? Any crazy parties?"

"Love, everyday is a party for us!" Finn perked up at the mention of a party, "Whatever else are we supposed to do during college?"

"Um, study?" Rory asked amusedly.

"Why would I dedicate my time to studying when I can dedicate it to booze and red-haired ladies?" Finn asked perplexed by her insinuation.

"And that is a reason Finn hasn't been sober in the last five days," Colin looked at Rory and patted Finn on the back.

Finn pinched Colin's cheek, "Ah, I love you too, Col."

Colin swatted his arm away, "Would you stop it? You know I bruise like a peach!" He glared at Finn and moved a bit from him.

"Should I kiss it to make it better?" Finn wiggled his eyebrows at Colin and moved closer to him.

"Finn if you don't get off me in the next two seconds, I'll share some nasty rumour about you!" Colin exclaimed with a stern look.

"Meh, there are already so many rumours about me and you know that I enjoy when people know about me even before they meet me," Finn stated and moved even closer to Colin, "But I have this sudden urge to kiss your soft cheek now, I don't know if I can control myself."

Colin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets so Rory decided to help him, "Look, Finn, there are two redheads exiting the bar!" She pointed towards the door.

"Where?! I need to stop them! Excuse me!" Finn got up abruptly and lunged for the door.

Rory started laughing hysterically, "Is he really that gullible?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Colin sighed relieved at her, "I couldn't stand being kissed by Finn yet again. It's always sloppy and creepy."

"That's because you goad him, Col, you know that," Logan stated and looked at Rory who was still laughing with tears in her eyes.

"Wait, what do you mean again?" Rory asked curiously, barely containing her laughter, "How often does he kiss you?"

"Often enough that we would be reconsidering Finn's sexuality if he wasn't so obsessed with redheaded ladies," Logan answered with an exasperated sigh.

She looked at him amusedly, "He kisses you too?"

"Fortunately not as much as he does Colin."

"That's because I have to live with him!" Colin exclaimed, "I swear, he is my best friend, but he'll send me to the looney bin one of these days."

"If he hasn't yet, he won't ever, Col. Just imagine how more boring life would be without him," Logan stated.

"Easy for you to say, you don't spend 24/7 with him!"

"Yeah, just 20 hours per day, big difference," Logan rolled his eyes.

Rory chuckled at their interaction, "You really are an interesting bunch."

"You can't even imagine, just spend more time with us and you'll be scarred for life," Colin nodded thoughtfully.

"You little minx!" Finn returned to the table and stood over Rory, "How could've you fooled me in such a traitorous manner?! I thought we were friends!"

"Who? Me?" Rory looked at him with her Bambi eyes and blinked innocently, "Now why would I do something like that?"

Logan and Colin snickered at her mocked innocence but Finn just pointed a finger at her, "Uh huh, Missy, those Bambi eyes won't work on me! Don't even try it!"

"What are you talking about, Finny?" She blinked innocently at him again.

"Finny?!" He exclaimed, sat back next to Colin and leaned over the table towards her, "Nobody can call me that!"

Rory smiled wickedly and stated in a sing-song voice, "Finny, Finny, Finny!"

Finn threw and exasperated glance at Logan, "Please, make her stop!"

She just scoffed at his comment, "Pif, if I get on a roll, there's no way of stopping me."

"You sure about that?" Logan leaned closer to her and saw her blush slightly.

"Mhm," she gulped visibly and refocused, "It's the Gilmore in me - we are stubbornly unstoppable. Especially when there's an opportunity to mock somebody."

"Then you'll fit right in with us, mocking Finn is our favourite past-time," Colin nodded thoughtfully and grinned at Finn who yet again started banging his head on the table.

Rory patted Finn on the head, "It's okay, Finny, you can mock me mercilessly as well." Logan was surprised at her directness with his friends, as well as with their openness toward her. It's not usual that they let other people into their group, especially girls. But she seemed to fit in just fine. Even Colin manages to get the stick out of his ass when she is with them.

Finn grinned at her, "Challenge accepted! However, I have no idea what to mock you about. You seem perfect," he added thoughtfully to what Logan and Colin nodded in agreement.

"Trust me, I'm far from perfect. You just need to get to know me and you'll see," she smiled at them.

"Looking forward to it, Love" Finn winked at her.

Logan was glad that this part of the conversation was finally over and he was trying to figure out a way to get to know her better. Or even how to get away from his friends so that he can spend some time alone with her. After all, she did come her for their date. However, he still had an inkling thought that there might be more to her visit to the Pub tonight, but he'll just handle it as it comes.

"So, Rory, what have you been up to these past couple of days?" He asked her in an attempt to get more of an idea about her life.

She smiled wickedly at him which made all of his hair rise up. Something was definitely going on. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what so he just waited for her answer.

"Oh, same old, same old. Studying and the paper. Told ya, I'm pretty boring," she stated simply and just as Logan was prepared to comment on her wild life, she winked at him and continued, "But, you know, something really interesting happened to me later that day when we met last time."

All of the alarms in Logan's head started blazing, warning him that what was about to happen won't be good. But he still had no idea what she could be talking about, so he urged her to continue, "Yeah? Like what?"

Rory sat up straight and leaned her elbows on the table, motioning to the others to do the same, like she was telling them some secret, "So, if you remember, I told you that I had an interview to do that afternoon," they all nodded at her, "and I went to Berkeley to do it. The interview was a bore - about illegal music downloading, so I excused myself because I gave up on the idea for the article and went to the ladies bathroom on the ground floor to freshen up and just as I was washing my hands and trying to figure out what I should do about the article, the door opens and a tipsy girl dressed in a deep-red ball gown comes in," the boys stilled at her statement and she looked knowingly at them, "And get this - she was wearing one of those gorilla masks!"

Yep, the alarms in his head were just on point. Logan stilled completely and sat back in his seat, looking at his friends who were both drained of colour in their faces and leaned back in their seats as well. He was already cursing Steph for her careless behaviour and he knew that they would need to talk to her for outing them. Well, he wasn't yet sure if she'd outed them but something told him that what Rory was about to say next won't be good.

She looked at them with a smirk on her face, "You wouldn't know anything about this, would you? I mean, you've been longer here than me, maybe you could help me solve this mystery?"

Logan would almost believe her curiosity but she asked them too knowingly, she had this glimmer in her eyes that she knows a lot more that they would like her to know. He cleared his throat and looked at the guys, "Sorry to disappoint, but we have no idea what you're talking about. But you should definitely inform us when you find out, seems interesting." He tried the evasive manoeuvre to get her off the topic but somehow he didn't see it happening when her smirk grew even wider.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, haven't heard anything like that during our time here," Colin stated as well, panic laced in his voice. Finn elbowed him slightly to regain his composure.

"Well that's really interesting, I hoped that you could help me since I'm fairly certain all of you have been involved in that particular event," she looked with mock confusion at them.

Yep, she was definitely onto something. Logan decided that the best way to go with this is to find out what she actually knew, that way they could take care of the situation, "What do you mean?" Colin and Finn looked at him with sudden panic in their eyes but he just shook his head and let them know with his look to let her speak.

"You see, I followed the girl out of the building and she got into the car that was waiting for her. But before she got in she yelled 'In Omnia Paratus!' - very catchy catchphrase, I must say. The car drove off so I made my way back home and thought about it for a bit and wanted to drop it but the curiosity just got the best of me."

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Okay, she was definitely onto something, Logan couldn't deny that anymore. The only question was how much she actually knew and what she wanted to do with the information. Time to find out what she knew! If he was honest with himself, he didn't see it as a huge obstacle since she was after all a Gilmore. She was a legacy. He actually wondered why she wasn't in the Brigade already.

She turned slightly to Logan, "As a fellow reporter, you must understand my curiosity and the urge to get a good story?"

Logan gulped loudly, finally understanding where this was going. Could she want to do a story on the Brigade?! As far as he hated the job that he was being pushed into, he loved being a reporter and could understand her eagerness to investigate this interesting sequence of events further, "Yeah," he nodded warily.

"I thought so," she nodded, "So you can definitely understand when I say that I just had to follow this lead, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Great!" She exclaimed in victory, "That also means that you'll help me with the article I'm writing?"

Article?!

No, no, NO!

Logan looked across the table and saw Colin's eyes almost popping out of their sockets and Finn drinking directly from the bottle. If they haven't given up the fact that they are in the Brigade already, they for sure have now. But he still didn't know what she actually knew so he had to avert her questions to find out. "How could I help you when I don't even know what you're talking about?"

"You don't? Hm…" she looked thoughtfully at him then grinned again, "Well, I'm talking about none other than the Life and Death Brigade. A super secret society here at Yale. You're sure you don't know anything about it?"

Shit, shit, shit.

"Yeah, no idea."

"Funny, because I know for a fact that your grandfather was in it," she looked at the boys across the table, "your grandfathers as well, as a matter or fact."

What was left of colour in Colin's face now for sure wasn't there anymore. He looked all panicky at Logan, trying to tell him to stop this however he can.

"So, we're in it?" Logan asked casually, but inwardly repeating every curse he knows again and again.

"Yeah, I'd say so… You see, I went to the YDN the other night and started digging through the old records and found out some pretty interesting stuff about the Brigade. Founded in 1896 by five legacy families here at Yale: the Morgan's, McCrae's, Huntzberger's, Vanderbilt's and Gilmore's. About what I still have to talk to my grandfather," she scrunched her nose in confusion, "I can't believe he never told me about it! Nevertheless, I digress, I also found out that you usually partake in some seriously dangerous activities, supposedly to live by the catchphrase that you use: ready for anything, right?" She smiled knowingly and continued, "And as a cherry on top, I ran the licence plate from that car that I saw the girl entering that night and found out that the car belongs to none other than one Finneas Morgan," she looked pointedly at Finn who sat frozen at her statement, "I mean seriously, what kind of a super secret society are you guys when you use cars that could be traced back to you? Rookie mistake, I must say, especially when an aspiring sophomore reporter like myself can find out so much information without any larger obstacles…"

Shit. She knew far too much than he thought. Logan looked at his friends and nodded slowly to let them know that he will acknowledge her statement. There was, after all, no way of denying it anymore. "You sell yourself short, Ace, you found out a lot more than anyone else before. You also connected the dots that led you to us," he mustered an encouraging smile, his brain however still in overdrive about the situation.

"That means that you admit? I am right?" She smiled excitedly at him and it warmed his heart to see her so excited about this. He couldn't imagine how must it feel to be this excited about something for an article because even though he sometime got excited when following a lead, it was always overshadowed by his miserable future.

"Yeah, you are right," he nodded slowly at her, "But we can't let you write an article. You can, however, join the Brigade, it is after all your legacy, as you've found out as well."

"Oh, I don't think that the Brigade is up my alley, I'm not a part of that world…" she smiled ruefully at them and shook her head.

Logan was confused by her answer - how could she think that she wasn't a part of that world? She is a Gilmore - it's her legacy! Before he got to ask her what she thought, Colin voiced his thoughts, "What are you talking about? You're a Gilmore!"

Finn nodded as well, "I'm surprised that you aren't a member already, to be honest."

Rory shook her head again, "It's just my last name, I was raised outside of Society. I don't spend much time within it, only sometimes when my grandparents demand my presence, but that's mostly for the functions organised by them."

"But you're going to Yale," Logan looked confusedly at her, "You went to Chilton as well. That is pretty much as High Society as it gets."

"I see I'm not the only one who did her research," she arched an eyebrow at his statement.

Logan shifted in his seat, realising that he slipped up and confessed that he had researched her a bit, "You caught me," he winked at her, hoping to change the subject. He caught a glimpse of Colin and Finn snickering at him and he just rolled his eyes at them. They won't let him forget this either.

"I can't say I'm surprised, you've been annoying me for weeks now. Should have seen it coming," she rolled her beautiful eyes at him, "But that must mean that you've heard my story, right?" He nodded, "Maybe then you can see that I'm really not a Brigade material."

"It's still your legacy, whether you were brought up in Society or out of it. Especially now, when you are at Yale, I actually wonder why no one has approached to you earlier about joining in," Logan shared a look with Colin and Finn to see if maybe they knew why.

"No, no one has approached me about any secret society, as far as I know," a small frown appeared on her face, "How would they approach me?"

Colin started explaining, "Usually within the first month of your freshman year, they would kind of kidnap you from some of the parties and brought you to the initiation ceremony. You could always refuse, but that rarely happens."

Rory chuckled slightly, "Yeah, and herein lies your mystery - I went to a total of a half of one party last year until I got bored and went home."

What? What in the hell does she do all the time then? It can't be just studying, right? On the other hand, Logan saw her transcripts and she is in the best 5% of her year and she takes a huge load of classes and is on the paper. But it can't be all she does, can it? She must have fun sometimes, right?

"Love!" Finn exclaimed, "What do you mean you got bored? How can you get bored at a party?!"

"Easy," she shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her drink, "It's just not my scene."

"Not your scene?!" Finn asked unbelievingly, "That only means that you haven't been to good parties! You should come out with us - trust me, you'll never get bored!"

Finn is definitely up to something here, she should go out with them! There's no better way to have fun than with the three of them - the unofficial rulers of the party scene wherever they appear.

"I second that," Colin cheered to Finn with his drink.

"Me too," Logan raised his drink as well, "You should definitely go out with us, you won't regret it," he winked at her again.

"Ugh, you're getting this all wrong," she rolled her eyes, "I'm completely satisfied with my life. Just because I don't go to wild parties, doesn't mean I don't have fun!"

Logan eyed her suspiciously, "So, what do you do for fun?" It would definitely be nice to know what she usually does for fun, the girl is a mystery! And it would be nice to continue this conversation instead of the one about the Brigade.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out," she grinned wickedly at him making the boys snicker and Logan to visibly gulp.

"Oh, but I would love to find out," he leaned to her, "Pray tell, what is your fun?"

She blushed slightly and shook her head, "Not important now, we're getting off the track here! Don't even attempt to change the subject, I know why I've come here!"

"I thought you came here for our date, didn't you?" Logan looked at her with a slight smirk forming on his lips.

"Yeah, yeah… Well blame me for combining pleasant with useful…"

"Pleasant?" Could she finally like his company? Does she find his company pleasant?

"Geez, don't let it get into your head!" She replied playfully, "So what will it be then?"

Logan decided to play with her for a bit, "Well… we can always get another drink, or we can go somewhere more private if you'd like…" he smirked at her, waiting for her reaction. He was aware that he wasn't getting out of her writing the article about the Brigade so he decided to see how far he could take it.

She looked blankly at him and blushed slightly, "Um, I have no interest in getting STDs today, thanks for asking," she replied bluntly and the boys laughed at her insinuation, definitely not seeing it coming from her.

Ouch!

"Always thinking about the dirty deed, aren't you?" Logan was shocked by her blunt reply and now keenly aware that she knows about his reputation. He knew that it was bound to happen eventually, but he was hoping that it won't. She doesn't seem like that kind of girl and something told him that she wouldn't appreciate that kind of behaviour towards her.

Rory blushed even more, "I wasn't implying anything! You're the one who diverted the subject - again!"

"The subject?"

"Yeah! The article!" She exclaimed, now getting more annoyed with him.

Logan looked across the table at the boys smirking at their interaction, "Boys, do you have any idea about an article that she's talking about? I haven't heard anything of sorts."

"No, no idea," Colin stated, playing along.

"An article? What is an article actually?" Finn asked in mock seriousness and interest.

"Ugh! You're really not making this easier for me!" She exclaimed again, blazing daggers at all of them, especially Logan, "Come on! I just want to interview you people, I'm not that stupid to reveal any identities! I just want to see what it's all about!"

"Oh but, Honey, I can't just serve it like that to you, it would be too easy," Logan winked at her and looked at his friends, letting them know that they'll discuss the repercussions of this later.

She seemed to ponder it for a moment and then her eyes sparked for a second, she sat up straight and looked him straight in the eyes, "Or I'll just write an article with what I already have, including the names."

Oh no. That for sure won't be an option. The only way she is writing an article about the Brigade will be if he gets to proof it before it goes into publishing. Logan also saw Colin paling again at the mention of names which means that he need to take care of this immediately because having a raging Colin is not nice. And definitely not something that he would like to deal with in his immediate future. "I don't think that will be necessary…"

"Well, what do you propose then?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously, "You have until Friday to decide. I have to hand in the article by next Wednesday. If I don't hear from you until Friday, I'll just write what I have until now."

Yeah, she's good. It's a pretty nice ultimatum that she just issued here. She's quite a little ace-reporter. However, that won't be necessary. An idea was forming in Logan's head and he was sure that his friends won't be overjoyed by it but it would be the only way to take the ropes in his own hands. And maybe get him something else that he wanted desperately: a proper date with her.

"Okay, Ace, we'll help you, but under some conditions," he looked straight in her eyes, just as she had done just moments before.

"Conditions? What conditions?"

"Well, we'll start with two basic conditions. Your first condition is to agree to all the conditions beforehand. So, are you in?"

She thought about it for a moment and bit her bottom lip by doing so. So enticing. He looked at her lips while waiting for her answer and the only thing he wanted to do in that moment was to kiss her senseless and bite her lip the same way she did. But he couldn't do that now, he had to stay focused on the topic and getting her to agree to his conditions. After giving it some thought, a small smile formed at her lips and she nodded carefully, "Okay, I agree."

YES!

"Excellent! See, was it that hard?"

"Honestly, I don't even want to think about what I got myself into now…" she rolled her eyes and looked at him suspiciously, "What are the other conditions?"

Logan looked again at his friends, who were eyeing him suspiciously as well. They knew him well enough that they could tell that he was up to something. They probably won't be too happy about his next condition, but they'll have to live with it. "The second condition is that you go out on a date with me," he threw her his killer smirk, "So, what do you say, Ace? Wanna go out with me?"

She scoffed at his proposition, "Wanting to and having to go on a date with you are complete opposite situations. But, I suppose I won't die during the date and I really want to write this, so yeah - I'll go out with you. However, I still don't understand what a date has to do with all of this."

Yes, yes, YES!

"Oh, but it is of the upmost importance, you'll see," he winked at her, happy with this turn of events. He also saw his friend scowling at him, definitely not happy with his conditions. He would deal with that later. After all, he already planned how to help her, he just had to convince them that it's the right way.

"I'm sure," she rolled her eyes at him again, "So, what are the other conditions?"

He quoted her earlier statement, "That's for me to know and for you to find out later."

"Geez, I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Me neither," Colin piped in, throwing daggers with his eyes at Logan. Yeah, Colin was definitely not happy with this turn of events. Finn was still drinking from the bottle, but his face was more amused by the situation.

Logan looked at Colin and mouthed, "Later," hoping that it would calm him for the time being. Colin begrudgingly nodded at him and drank from his tumbler.

"Okay, just remember that you have time until Friday. After that, I'm writing what I already have. Understood?"

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Logan mock saluted at her, still amazed by her boldness.

She rolled her eyes at him again, "Okay then, it seems that my work here is done," she drank the last of her drink and started getting up, "Boys," she nodded at them, "Always a pleasure," then she looked at Logan, "Do I have the desk now?"

Logan scratched his chin in a thoughtful way, "Hm… I need to think about it."

"What?!" She sat back next to him in an exasperated huff.

"I'm really attached to that desk, I can't give it away that easily."

"Oh, please, you're never there anyways!"

"But I might be. And what will I do then?"

"You know, I'm not there all the time, we can share it if you really decide to come and write something Pulitzer worthy."

"Yeah, but that won't work for me."

"What?" She looked confusedly at him, "Why?"

"Because then you won't be there."

She blushed again and diverted her look across the bar. Yeah, he definitely wanted to spend some alone time with her. An idea popped in his head and just as he was about to ask her to take a walk with him a blonde bimbo appeared next to the table, glaring at Rory. "Excuse me, I just saw you getting up from your place, would you mind if I sit here?" She asked her in condescending manner.

Who the hell is this bimbo?! Logan shared a look with his friends and saw that they didn't know her as well.

Rory looked at her slightly shocked but recovered quickly, "Yeah, I was just on my way out anyways," she got up and let the bimbo sit next to Logan, "It was nice, boys, see ya again hopefully soon!"

"Wouldn't bet on it," the bimbo mumbled under her breath and started sneaking her hand to Logan's thigh, "Hi, I'm Brittany," she whispered seductively to Logan. The table and Rory looked at her like she had three heads, hearing her previous statement perfectly well.

What the hell?! Geez, who is this bimbo? And how dares she talk like that to his Ace.

Wait.

Ace?

When the hell did that happen?!

"Love, wonderful seeing you as always! I'm slightly shocked by your bluntness but I'm definitely enjoying your fiery side. You sure you're not a redhead?" Finn got up and hugged her.

Rory hugged him back, "Yeah definitely not a redhead, sorry, Finny," she smiled wickedly at his nickname.

"You know, I might just let you call me that. And hope that the other people don't hear it," he winked at her. This was big for Finn, he never allowed anyone call him Finny but he was obviously smitten by Ace, as was Colin as well. Hm… Logan thought to himself but he was interrupted by the bimbo, "Hey, Logie, would you buy me a drink? Or we can just skip the drinks and go straight to my place," she pulled her hand up his thigh.

Logan looked at her disbelievingly but before he could answer Ace spoke up, "Okay, I'm off. I have the newest Pèrez-Reverte that is waiting to be read. It's been fun boys, we should do it again sometime," she smiled wickedly at them and started turning around to head out. Logan desperately wanted to get rid of the bimbo and go with her.

Before Rory could turn away the bimbo spoke up again, "I read the Perez Hilton today - there were some juicy new gossips."

Oh dear Lord - Logan thought to himself while Colin and Finn burst out laughing. How stupid can she be? Or is she actually deaf? He looked at Ace and saw her glaring at the bimbo disbelievingly. She muttered, "Oh God," under her breath and the spoke up again, "I'm off. This isn't good for the health of my brain cells. Bye boys," she turned around and headed towards the exit. Colin's and Finn's laughter following her statement.

"Oh goodie, she's finally gone and now we can have some time for ourselves," the bimbo purred again to Logan, "What do you say?"

Logan removed her hand from his thigh and threw some bills on the table for his drinks, "I say that I'm going now, could you please move so that I get up?"

"Great! We can go to my place!" The bimbo got up as well, seductively swinging her hips.

Geez. Logan had to get rid of her as soon as possible so that he could find Ace before she's too far away. She shouldn't be walking around the campus alone at night. And he wanted to spend some more time with her, "Sorry, but I fear that you've misunderstood me. I'm going. Alone," he bored his eyes at her hoping to make her understand.

The bimbo looked at shock in Logan, "What do you mean alone?"

"Alone. Only me. As I've already said." Colin and Finn were now laughing at him, seeing that he wanted to get rid of the bimbo to catch up with Rory. He glared at them, hoping that they would help him. They just shrugged their shoulders and grinned at him, letting him know they won't be helping him at all.

"But you can't mean that, come on," she put her hand on his chest, "I can give you the time of your life."

Logan rolled his eyes and moved her hand from his chest, "Listen, let me call you some other day, huh?"

"Okay," she relented, "Let me give you my number."

He threw his killer smirk at her, "No need, I'll find it myself." This was one of his classic lines for bimbos like her - it made them think they were so important that he would dedicated his time to get their numbers. He, of course, used the line to get them off his back.

"Call me," she leaned to his ear and whispered seductively.

Logan turned to the boys who were still laughing at him, "I'm off. I'll see you later at my dorm. We have things to discuss."

"Definitely. Don't think you're getting off easy with this one, Huntzberger," Colin glared at his friend, again remembering how Rory cornered them just an hour ago.

"Keep it calm, Colin, I have a plan."

"That's what I'm afraid of!" Colin exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Bye," Logan rolled his eyes at Colin's dramatic behaviour and bolted for the doors. When he exited the Pub he looked around if he could see Rory but she wasn't anywhere in sight. He took the shortest way towards Branford Housing, hoping to catch her there. Turning around the corner he saw her down the path and started jogging to catch up with her. When he got closer he yelled, "Ace!"

She turned around confused, "What are you doing here?"

Logan got to her, "Well, I couldn't let you walk home alone after our date, could I?"

"I'm perfectly capable of getting home alone, it's just a short walk."

"I know it is, but you shouldn't be walking alone across the campus when it's dark," he stated with resolution, letting her know that he was serious, "Other than that, what kind of a gentleman would I be if I let you go home alone?"

She looked at him slightly shocked, she probably wasn't expecting this turn of events and him being so persistent on escorting her home, "There's really no need, Logan, you can go back to your friends," she continued walking towards her dorm.

He caught up with her, "I'm not letting you walk across the campus by yourself."

"Really, please go back there, I don't need more raging bimbos threatening me about some line."

What?!

"A line?" Logan asked confusedly.

"Please don't try to act like you don't know about the line," she scoffed at him.

Sure, he had heard about some kind of a line but he never gave it any thought. What could she be talking about? And what threats? "Actually, I have no idea what you're talking about. Who threatened you?"

Rory looked at him and saw that he really didn't know what she was talking about, "Ugh it's really not important, just some bimbos came up to me and told me that I cut some goddamned line. And since then I've been getting these glaring looks all over the campus and I haven't done anything!" She pointed her finger towards him, "It's actually completely your fault! Ever since you started following me around I've been getting these looks! You really are complicating my life quite a bit, you know?"

Logan looked smugly for a second at her statement but then recovered and thought about what she said, he couldn't believe that there actually is a line. Could the girls really be forming a line to get to him? He had always thought that he chose his next conquests by himself. Could it be that he had no control about it here at campus? And they threatened her as well? What the hell was that?! He also painfully realised that that won't be helping him with Ace. She definitely wasn't that kind of a girl. And she definitely didn't deserve that kind of behaviour when she didn't to anything wrong.

He was brought out of his thoughts when she addressed him, "Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"You spaced out on me."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about what you said. I'm really sorry if I had caused you any trouble, I never thought that it would come to that. I honestly didn't even know about the line. Sure, I had heard some rumours but never gave them any thought. For what actually matters, I really am sorry," he tried to apologise sincerely, knowing that this might not sit well with her.

"It's okay, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," she smiled softly at him, "However, do you see now that you really are creating more and more problems in my life now, right?" She glared at him, showing her dissatisfaction with this turn of events.

"Yeah, again - I'm sorry, I had never thought that anybody would threaten you. What the hell is up with that?!" He exclaimed, himself displeased with the situation.

Rory shrugged her shoulders but then grinned mockingly, "So what are you - a carnival ride - that they would need a line to get to you?"

She was mocking him again! But two can play this game, "Dunno, wanna take a ride?" He asked her and playfully kicked her with his shoulder.

"For your well being, I'm just going to pretend I haven't heard this," she answered non-repulsedly.

"Your loss," Logan continued playing with her, enjoying their normal banter again.

"Oh trust me, I don't see it as a loss."

Logan decided to drop the subject, "I must say you surprised me tonight. I wasn't expecting you to cave to my date invitation so soon. Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to cave at all. But, to be fair, this wasn't a proper date and I knew that you were up to something when you showed up like that."

"Am I really that predictable?"

"Absolutely not, but it was weird when you showed up out of nowhere after turning me down for weeks now. It was a logical conclusion. But I wasn't expecting that the Brigade would be what brought you to have a date with me."

"What can I say? The curiosity was stronger than me so I had to use what I could," she smirked at him.

"I can understand that. But it still doesn't mean I'm happy with this turn of events. You put me in quite a complicated situation now, you know?"

"Well, let's call it even. Your pestering me released the rage of brainless bimbos on me, I think you can handle the things with the Brigade. That's if you don't want me writing what I have already found out, or do you?"

"You'll get your article, no need for reminding me of your sneaky little ultimatum anymore."

She grinned in victory, "You didn't see that one coming, did you?"

"You played me, Ace. It doesn't happen often. It actually doesn't happen ever. But you played me at my own game and I have to give you the props for that," he bowed in front of her.

"Thank you, kind sir, it's been a pleasure," she grinned at him again, "So, we're here," she pointed at Branford House, "Thanks for walking me home. Even if it was completely unnecessary."

"Oh, we're not there yet, I'll walk you to your door," he extended his hand in that direction, "And no need to thank me, I told you I wouldn't let you walk alone across the campus at night."

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled appreciatively, "So, do you do that for all of the girls who outplay you in your own game?"

"Honestly?" She nodded, "No. But then again, no other girls have ever beaten me in my own game until now."

"So this is a special treatment for little old me who managed to do the impossible?"

"What can I say, us good players have to stick together, right?" He smirked at her.

Rory looked him in the eyes and nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess we do," she stopped in front of her door, "This is me. Thanks again."

"No problem, Ace," he smiled affectionately to her.

"What's up with 'Ace'? You know perfectly well that my name s Rory?" She asked with a small frown forming on her forehead.

He had expected her to ask about this sooner rather than later. He was also slightly confused with himself and giving her a nickname. He never gave nicknames to girls! Never! He often called them "Babe" or "Beautiful", but that was only because he didn't bother to remember their names. And here he was now - giving this intriguing girl her own nickname. A nickname that fit her perfectly.

"Well, you're an Ace, you figure it out yourself," he winked at her.

She thought about it for a moment and then her eyes glistened softly, accompanied by a blinding smile, "Thank you."

Logan nodded at her recognition, "Good night, Ace. You'll be hearing from us soon enough."

"I'm counting on it, Huntzberger. Good night," she opened her doors and escaped from him. With a last look at the door, he turned and went towards his own dorm. There is a potentially painful conversation waiting on him with Colin and Finn.

"There you are!" Colin exclaimed just as Logan entered his dorm, "Where the hell have you been?"

"I just took a longer walk back, had some thinking to do."

"I'll say! What the hell is wrong with you telling her she can write an article about the Brigade?! If this is just some of your elaborate ways to get her to go out with you again, we'll have a serious problem!"

"Colin, calm down. I know what I'm doing," Logan let out an exasperated sigh, made himself a drink and sat in the armchair opposite of his friends who were lounging on the sofa, "I wasn't thinking about that. It was just something that Ace said that got my brain in an overdrive."

"Ace?" Finn asked confusedly.

Logan groaned inwardly, realising he had called her by her new nickname in front of his friends. They would probably have a field day with this one as well, "I meant Rory."

"Oh, we know who you meant, we noticed you calling her that way in the Pub already, we were just wondering where it came from? You don't usually give nicknames to your conquests," Colin stated, taking a sip of his drink.

"She's not a conquest!" Logan exclaimed but then regretted it when their friends shared a look, "I just… I don't know where it came from, alright? But it fits her and it just appeared out of nowhere so please leave me alone about that, I have larger problems on my mind."

Colin rolled his eyes at him, "Yeah, I would also be having larger problems if I was about to let a reporter write an article about the Brigade!"

"Mate, calm down, I'm sure that our friend Logan can explain his marvellous idea to us," Finn looked pointedly at Logan, "Besides, I don't think that is what's bothering him. So, what is it You're sulking because she wouldn't put out on your first quasi date?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Logan, "Because, I hate to break it to you, but Love doesn't strike me as that type of a girl."

"No! Of course not! It's just something she said," Logan threw his hand through his hair, "She told me that she was threatened by some bimbos about her cutting some line."

"What?!" Colin and Finn exclaimed at the same time, not believing their friend's statement.

"Yeah, apparently there really is a line and she got threatened by the girls in the said line as soon as I started pestering her all around the campus."

"So the line really is true?" Colin asked.

"It seems so. I just can't believe it. How is that even possible? I mean, I would like to think that I'm the one who chooses my flavour of the evening, right?"

"I'm actually not surprised by these news," Finn commented, "But I am a little bothered by them threatening Love when she had done nothing wrong. I mean, you are the one that has been following her like a puppy all over the place!"

Logan groaned, "Thanks a lot, Finn. But yeah, I'm also not particularly happy about it."

"Why does it matter so much to you?" Colin asked knowingly.

"Why would you say that it matters to me?"

"You've been following her for weeks now! You are going to let her write an article about the Brigade! And you get all weird when she is around. You don't play with your usual Huntzberger charm when she's around. We were just wondering what's up with you?" Colin explained his previous statement and was followed by Finn nodding in agreement.

"Would you just drop this subject already? As I've already told you, I just want to get to know her. What is it to you?"

"Hey, no need to get all defensive! We are your best friends and we just wanted to know what's going on."

"Well, now you know," Logan sighed, "Can we discuss the article now?"

"Be my guest," Colin made a movement with his hand to urge him to speak, "This will take you a lot of explaining to do."

"It's actually very simple: we'll take her with us to the annual ceremony this Friday," he was about to continue but was interrupted by Colin.

"Are you crazy?! We can't take her to the event! The other Brigadiers would never let us do that!"

"Mate, calm down and let him finish," Finn stated calmly, seeing clearly what Logan's idea was.

"As I was saying, we will take her along. That way she gets to experience it from within the Brigade and we get to control the narrative. I trust her that she won't even try to reveal our identities or anything that could lead back to us. And maybe she also decides to join - she is, after all, a legacy."

"It's quite a plan, mate, I agree with you," Finn cheered to him, "And it will definitely be interesting to get her to partake in the activities. As well as convincing her to join. I still cannot believe that she's not a member!"

"I still think that you're crazy, Logan, the Brigadiers won't ever let us bring her along. How do you plan on making that happen?"

"Easy, she is a legacy. And if they decide to complain about her writing an article, we have enough dirt on all of them to make them go along with our plan. It shouldn't be that hard to convince them," Logan stated confidently.

"Agreed, Logan does have a point here, Colin."

"Okay, I can see the way you're thinking. But I'm still going to insist on complete anonymity which means that we'll have to make sure she doesn't know where the event takes place," Colin stated resolutely.

"And how do you propose we make that happen?"

"Easy, like with all other potential members - we'll blindfold her."

"You do realise that she won't be happy about that?"

"I do, but that's what she gets when she decides to play this game with us. We have the whole Brigade of extremely important alumni to think about, we cannot risk anything!"

Logan knew that Colin was panicking and he knew him well enough that he knew that he wasn't doing it on purpose, it was just a part of him trying to protect the Brigade, something that was almost sacred to all of the kids from the High Society out of multiple reasons. "Okay, we'll blindfold her. Now, let's figure out the way we'll break it out to the Brigade and what other steps we have to take to be able to take her along but keep our anonymity as well at the same time."

Finn and Colin nodded at him and they spent the rest of the evening discussing their plans about brining Rory to their next event and formulating a detailed plan on how to deal with the Brigade.

TBC!

Author's Note: Another chapter! Whew! Hope you enjoyed it! As you could've gathered, the next one will be about the infamous LDB event. I'm having so much fun writing it. I'm going to keep that one fairly similar to the OS because I genuinely think it was one of the best episodes they have done. And it's also such a monumental episode for their story, right? But don't worry, I will be adding some stuff as well ;)

Also, I am painfully aware that my chapters started getting drastically longer with each new one and, honestly, I think they will continue to do so, so bear with me!

Thank you for your wonderful reviews on the previous chapter and just keep 'em coming! I love reading your thoughts!