Chapter Eleven

Early the next morning, Rory awoke feeling the faintest glimmer of hope. She had no idea where it came from, but she was convinced she would hear from Logan any second. Groping for her phone, she felt the familiar pangs of disappointment when she saw there were no missed calls, no messages, nothing. Throwing the phone down in disgust, Rory groaned and pulled her blanket over her head.

A few moments later, she emerged from her cocoon. This is ridiculous, she told herself firmly. Get up, get dressed and get a life. Wrinkling her nose, she swallowed down a wave of nausea and dragged herself over to her wardrobe to dress for work. Deciding she was hungry, Rory pulled on a pair of jeans and a purple sweater and headed for the kitchen.

"Put down that pop tart. Right now." Luke barked from the doorway as Rory opened her mouth to take a bite. She froze like a cartoon, as Luke started ranting about the nutritional benefits of cereal vs. pop tarts.

"Uh, Luke, what would you say is better for you, pancakes or muffins?" Lorelai's voice chimed in to the mix as she entered the room.

Rory glanced up at her mom, who jerked her head towards the door and winked. Gratefully scooping up the other pop tart, Rory slipped from the kitchen as Lorelai did her best to keep Luke distracted.

Walking through the streets of Stars Hollow munching on her breakfast, Rory was acutely aware of someone watching her. Every time she turned around, there was no one to be seen. This all feels rather familiar, she thought as she headed to the Gazette to start work. The strong feeling of déjà vu remained with her as she approached the front door. Remembering the night Logan and his lost boys had whisked her out for a night of mayhem, Rory paused on the threshold. With one hand on the door handle, she turned, half-expecting to see one of the Life and Death Brigade standing behind her.

A rush of disappointment hit her when she realised there was no one there. Stupid, Rory thought sadly. But as she let herself in, Rory quickly realised someone had been in the building. She felt her heart race as she took in the scene before her. Her chair was no longer behind her desk, it was actually on top of it. All of her computer equipment was gone, and in the centre of the chair was a small white box.

Practically breaking her neck, Rory spun around swiftly in an attempt to catch sight of the intruder.

"Hello?" she called, almost afraid to get a response. Shrugging, she reached up and pulled the white box from the chair. Upon opening it, Rory's face split into a wide smile. She excitedly sank to the floor and promptly emptied the box.

"Oh. My. God." Rory spoke aloud to the empty office as she picked up a black, hairy gorilla mask. Her smile grew wider still as her eyes fell upon a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice, the label covered over with a post-it note that read 'champagne'. Then she noticed a black blindfold, with yet another note pinned to it. She read the note several times, unable to understand the meaning of the words.

Rory almost jumped out of her skin when a familiar voice spoke. "Follow the wizard, darling."

Rory giggled loudly. "Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Climbing to her feet, Rory ran to hug the newcomer. "It's so good to see you, Finn."

"Likewise, dear Rory. Now, do you finally understand the instruction?"

"Follow the wizard?" Rory cast her eyes over Finn. He was dressed as eccentrically as ever, wearing an emerald green three-piece suit, and a matching top hat that sat jauntily on top of his unruly curls. "So… you're the wizard?"

"The wizard of Oz, baby."

"Let me guess, a lot of scotch was involved in the making of this plan."

"When is there ever not a great big load of scotch involved in anything we do?" Finn asked, producing a bottle of scotch from thin air. Rory giggled again, feeling giddy.

"Ok, Mr. Wizard. Where to?"

"Aha, first, the lady must change."

"Change?"

"Your attire, darling. It's hardly suited to the plan. Surely you agree?"

"If I knew what the plan was, I might."

"All will be revealed. Trust me, Rory."

Rory bit down on her lip and nodded slowly. "All right. Where are my clothes?"

Finn indicated to a big white box that Rory hadn't noticed before. It was neatly tied with a pretty silver bow. Excitement began to rise within Rory as she recognised the box. She had seen this before, and only one person could be responsible for this series of mysterious events. Rory smiled. Logan.