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Chapter 4: Spiders web.

Rory was typing 90 words per minute when she noticed Logan coming in to the newsroom. And he looked… well, he looked awful. His skin was pale, his eyes red, he hadn't shaved. Even his hair looked tired.

He was wearing 3 sweaters and a coat, an oversized scarf around his neck. She followed him with her eyes as he entered Doyle's office. Her fingers stopped. She was worried. She had never seen him so disheveled before. A hangover? No, if there was someone, who could look all chirpy in the morning after excessive drinking, it was Logan. Nobody could beat Finn in alcohol tolerance, but even he had nasty hangovers. No, Logan didn't have a hangover. Did something happen? Had he been upset and crying… It didn't sound like Logan, but it was a possibility and would explain the red eyes and drained look. Before she could think of more scenarios the door of Doyle's office opened and Logan came out. He was barely out of the door as he started coughing. Rory winced at the sound. That just got to hurt. He was sick. Logan was sick! How was it possible that she didn't think of that plain and simple explanation in the first place? He didn't seem to notice her sitting there as he exited the YDN newsroom. Rory grabbed her coat and bag and followed Logan.

"Hey, Gilmore! Where do you think you're going?" Doyle's shrill voice exclaimed.

She ignored him, running out of the room, trying to figure out which way Logan went. Left, he went left. She hastened her pace and turned around the corner. There she saw him walking.

"Logan!" she called. He stopped and turned around.

"Hey, there, Ace," he greeted her hoarsely.

"Hey," she caught up with him, "You look horrible."

"Why thank you."

"No, I mean really. You're sick."

"I'm fine, Ace, just…" a nasty cough cut him off, "…little cold."

"Logan, that's not a little cold." She put her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up. You are seriously ill. You need to be in bed not wander around campus. "

"I need coffee." He murmured.

"You need your bed and probably a doctor! How long have you been walking around like this?" She asked. She hadn't seen him in over a week. This didn't happen overnight.

"Jesus, Rory, what are you? My mother?" Logan exclaimed in frustration getting caught in another fit of coughs, regretting his tone the moment it left his lips. "I'm sorry… I have a really bad headache."

Rory took his hand and pulled him with her.

"Where are we going?" Logan asked tailing behind her.

"To bed," Rory stated, "and don't you even try arguing. This is one argument you're not going to win." Logan sighed. He wouldn't argue. He honestly didn't have the strength to take her on. They entered his apartment building.

"Good afternoon miss Gilmore!" Eddie greeted. "And a good day to you too, Logan."

"Thanks, Eddie." Both Rory and Logan simultaneously answered.

"Are you feeling alright?" Eddie asked Logan, who looked as if he was going to pass out any moment.

"I'm fine, Eddie,"

"He's sick! You're sick! Accept it and reconcile to the situation!" Rory retorted, pulling him into the elevator and pressing 4.

Once in his apartment she pulled off his coat and untwined the scarf around his neck. Leading him into his bedroom, she pulled the 3 sweaters over his head.

"Jesus, it's cold, could you at least turn the heat on, since you're undressing me?"

Logan shivered. He was freezing.

"It's not cold, Logan…" she said dressing him in a new T-shirt and lounge pants.
"You're having a fever."

After she had tucked him in bed she turned on the coffeemaker and called Paris.

"Hello?"

"Paris, hey, It's me,"

"Me, who?"

"Me, Rory." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Oh, hey Rory,"

"I need your help."

"What's wrong?"

"Logan is really sick and I have no idea what to do what so ever. Since you're pre-med…Could you come down here and check him out?"

"NO!"

"Why not? You're at your new apartment, that's like 6 blocks away from here."

"I hate sick people!"

"You are pre-med!"

"So not the point!"

Rory tried to come up with an argument, but failed. She growled.

"Paris! This is ridiculous. I have a sick…" she stopped. "He's sick! If it was Doyle, and I was pre-med I would be there in a second!"

"I'll dedicate a book too you. Now, what's wrong with that lover of yours?"

"He is not my…"

"Boyfriend!" Paris cut her off. "I don't get why you are pampering him. I don't get why you're with him in the first place, but overlooking that fact, why are you pampering him? It's not your place. You're not his girlfriend and definitely not his mother. And if you're going to say that you're his friend, I'm going to scream."

"Because he's sick Paris!"

"And you're the good Samaritan?"

"Paris…"

"Fine. What is the matter with him."

"He's burning up, coughing, he's cold even if it's hot in his apartment, he looks like hell, Paris."

"Sounds like the flu."

"Ok. So what do I do?"

"Well there is nothing you can do. Plenty of rest and let him drink lots of fluids. Give him aspirin for the fever. Your boy toy will live." Rory rolled her eyes.

"You are infuriating, you know that?"

"I do." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Ok I have to go and Paris…"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

She could here her friend sigh.

"You're welcome." Rory hung up and went in to the bedroom where Logan was laying in his bed. His eyes were closed.

"Logan?" she asked.

"Mmmm…"

"I called Paris. You have the flu."

"Paris would say I have the flu even if it was the Ebola virus. She doesn't really like me."

Rory chuckled sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"She's not that bad."

"Don't you have class?" Logan asked.

"I do, but it doesn't matter."

"Go to class, Rory," Logan replied.

"No really. It's ok."

"Rory. It is ok. So go to class. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to sleep. You staring at me won't make me better."

"But if you need anything…"

"I will call 911. Now go! Get some education!"

"Since when do you care about education?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

"I don't." he cracked a tired smile, "But you do."

"Fine! But I will be back and you better be in bed when I do so!" she brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes and stood up looking at him, waiting.

"What?" he asked

"Promise!"

"Promise what?"

"That you'll be still in bed when I come back."

"Scouts honor" Logan put a hand over his heart. "Do you want to spit on it?"

"Ew! No." Rory made a face.

"Then get your butt to class."

Rory just didn't want to leave him like that.

"But.."

"Rory class, Logan sleep. I'm sleeping, Ace, see?" he closed his eyes.

Rory chuckled before she made her way to the hall and put on her coat.

"Bye." She yelled and shut the door behind her.

---gggggggggggggggggggggggggggg---

Rory was trudging down campus on her way to her English lit. class. It was early and cold. Her hands were stuck deep in her pockets as she was walking towards a coffee cart.

"Ace…"

She turned around, just as Logan caught up with her. His face was flushed, hair wet with sweat, he was panting.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Running…" Rory frowned.

"You know traveling on foot in a fast pace. " he smirked pulling the earplugs of his I-pod out of his ears.

"WHY!" she asked him as if he was mentally retarded.

"Keeps me fit." He shrugged, "wakes me up, clears the head"

"Is this like a daily thing?"

He nodded.

"You run every day."

He nodded.

"Summer, winter and every other season of the year?"

He nodded again.

"Out of free will?"

"Yes," Logan furrowed his eyebrows in anticipation of what would come next.

"You're nuts." Was her conclusion.

Logan started laughing and got caught by a cough. It had been almost two weeks since Rory had put him in bed with a 103 fever. She had rubbed Vicks on his chest, fed him chicken soup and yelled at him every time he got out of bed for a week. And although he had hated it he had enjoyed it too in a way. After a few days he had looked forward to her visits and her rants about him not being where she last left him. He wasn't a guy who could be around sticky girls, who just didn't leave him alone, but Rory… he missed. And he wanted to do something nice for her, for taking care of him even when he was cranky and didn't want to be taken care of.

"You'll get sick again," Rory said, "wearing just a sweatshirt. It's only 14 F outside."

"Very cute, Ace, if you want to hand feed me again, all you have to do is ask." That earned him a hit. He smirked. Her nose was red due to the cold, her hair messy because of the fierce wind and her pink scarf was wound around her neck so many times that her face was only visible from the nose up.

"Rory?"

"Mmmm?"

"Will you come to a charity ball with me?"

"What?"

"A charity ball… next week Saturday.. in New York…will you accompany me?"

"Why me?" she asked. He had so many girls ready. And though she knew this question would cause some friction between them, she had to know.

Logan's smirk disappeared.

"Has there to be a reason for you to come with me?"

Rory stared at the toecaps of her shoes. She wanted one.

"I… just want to know, why me. It's not like you haven't got other girls."

Logan felt his stomach clench. This was the point he had looked out for and dreaded at the same time. The point that he had deliberately led her to and tried to delay. The point that Rory would crack. The point that she started to question her decision to have a stringless relationship, him and her. He had expected it to be sooner, way sooner. Could he just let her go now? Just like that?

"Because it's important to me and I want you there." No, he couldn't, but he wasn't ready to give himself to her either. Yet.

Rory looked at him and nodded.

"Ok… I'll come with you. What should I wear?"

"Don't worry about anything. You just have to show and a up." He said.

"Ok." What was she doing? She wanted to go cry, just cry, but not for him to see. She had reached the point she couldn't be with him, but definitely couldn't be without him. And it was all her fault. He own stupid fault.

"I have class." She said, "Talk to you later?"

Logan only nodded as she started moving away from him.

Rory took a deep shaky breath as she turned the corner and it was then the tears of frustration started streaming down her face. Angrily she wiped them away, but they just kept rolling down her cheeks. Heavy hot tears on her cool skin.

Logan put the earplugs in his ears again and started running. Faster and faster till his lungs were burning and he couldn't feel his legs anymore. How would life be without Rory Gilmore? Probably empty and cold. Did he want that? Yes for hers sake, no for his. He couldn't give her a relationship. He just couldn't. Yet he wanted to drag them out of the dark whole he had driven them in. He was a spider strangled in his own web and the way out was sticky.

AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Here is the next chappie, hope it's not confusing and you like it. Please review!