The next six months passed in a blur of colours and events. If Rory wasn't travelling to meet the families of children in need she was working from the New York office. Spending time with Sophie had severely decreased and she hadn't been able to call her mother in over a week and a half. Nevertheless, there were some positive points to her time. She and Logan had created an extremely secure friendship and camaraderie that Rory absolutely adored. They had at least one meal together a week, usually breakfast or lunch but the odd dinner when Rory was working late and he called to see if she'd taken a break. But that was all they were and Rory was sure she had convinced herself that was all they'd ever be.

Plus he was a playboy. He had admitted that not only was he not a boyfriend boy, but girls rarely stayed around for longer than a week. He blamed it on his job and the crazy schedule that working for the paper presented him with, but Rory wasn't so sure that was the truth.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when Honour grabbed her arm and started hauling her away from the conference room after a meeting with the charity's board of directors.

"We're going shopping," she declared, dragging Rory to her office to grab her purse then down the hall to the elevators.

"We're doing what?"

"Hayden, I just spent the morning with my mother – again, might I add, I can't understand this sudden need for mother-daughter time when there's been no need for it in the past – and I need some serious therapy. We're going shopping and you're going to tell me all about the three and a half hour dinner you shared with my brother last night."

"I am?" Rory asked, her confusion an act. She had indeed shared dinner the previous night with Logan while Sophie – all but having pushed her out the door when she heard dinner had been proposed – spent the night watching movies over at her best friend's. Sophie had called Rory that morning, just as she was leaving for school.

Honour shot her a look. "If you actually spent three and a half hours with my brother while he interviewed you for his article than I'm never shopping again."

Rory laughed. "Alright, so we didn't spend the whole time chatting about his article, but I was rather blown away by what he does have planned for it."

Honour was intrigued. It wasn't often Rory admitted something that quite possibly exploited the perils of another was impressive. "You never did tell me after breakfast that morning. What's his plan?"

"Oh, so now you want to know, now that he's almost done," Rory teased with a smile before moving on to explain, "He wants to focus on the experiences of the kids and the families, not on the charity itself. While our interviews and the history is important, it's not the focus of what he's going to do."

"So you gave him the okay to do it?" Honour asked as she and Rory climbed into the waiting car.

Rory shrugged. "He promised he'd ask for our input before publishing anything and he has. I've seen every instalment before the papers. Plus, he promised he'd honour any confidentiality agreements with the families. I really had no reason to say no. And you knew that ages ago."

"And what did you spend the other time chatting about."

Rory shrugged again. "Anything really. You're brother's well-read, I must admit. And he gets points for keeping up with me in witty banter and pop culture references."

Honour looked at her best friend completely shocked. It took a lot for Rory to admit someone could keep up with her in pop culture. Most of the time Honour couldn't do it. "Wow," she finally settled on.

"It surprised me too," she admitted. "Most people are utterly terrified by my mom and I when we go off, but he gave as good as he got. Now what are we shopping for again?"

"You're going to be my moral support for Daddy's business dinner in two weeks," Honour said, her tone brooking no argument. "After that, we're going to head up to the Vineyard like we promised we would. Can your mother take Soph?"

Rory and Honour hadn't had a girl bonding weekend in what felt like ages. With the work at the foundation and the travelling they'd done to visit new 'clients', it had been all work and no play for a while. They'd been talking about a trip to Martha's Vineyard and the Huntzberger summer house for what felt like ages.

"Two weeks you said?" Rory asked, already hitting two on her speed dial.

"That's what I was thinking. That way we can get the rest of Logan's article out of the way and anything he does during that time he can send to us to edit or proofread, or whatever it is we have to do."

Rory nodded, turning her attention to the phone when it was picked up.

"Gilmore-Hayden residence."

"We really need to find a way to make that shorter," Rory decided, sharing her opinion with her father. "Is Mom around?"

"You don't want to talk to me? I'm hurt!"

Rory chuckled. "Hi, Daddy, can I please speak with my mother about society parties and babysitting?"

Christopher couldn't get off the phone fast enough. "Here's your mother."

"Fruit of my loins!"

Rory groaned. "Is that ever going to get old?"

"Never. Now, what favour can I do for you today?"

"Honour dragged me dress shopping because I'm going with her to her father's business party or something like that and we were thinking of just heading up to the Vineyard after that. Do you think you could keep an eye on Sophie for me?"

"I haven't seen that little angel in ages and Kitty's been asking about her."

Rory smiled at the mention of her nine-year-old, and very unexpected, sister. Why her family called Katrina 'Kitty' she would never really understand. "So you'll do it?"

Lorelai laughed. "Honey, when was the last time you and Honour had a break? Plus, between Kitty and Soph, I figure it gives me the perfect excuse to not go to Friday Night Dinner and probably avoid that party."

"Pre-emptive strike, impressive thinking. I don't think Honour's giving me much of a choice but to go. Something tells me she's going to be putting on the full Huntzberger charm for donations."

Honour grinned innocently at her as the door opened and she stepped out on Fifth Avenue.

"I have to go, but I'll call you when I get back home, okay? You and Sophie can organize your weekend."

"Sounds like a deal, sweets. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

"So?" Honour asked.

"We're good to go for the weekend. I'll bring my bags with me that night so we don't have to come back to New York and make a stop on the way."

"You'll drive?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Oh the things I do for you, Huntzberger, the things I do for you."

Logan looked at the woman beside him, a huge grin on his face. He had to admit, Rory Hayden kept him on his toes. She fit in just fine with Colin and Finn and Stephanie, something that many of his other escorts and dates had not.

Woah, he thought, abruptly pausing his hand in stirring the ice in his glass. Rory's just a friend.

And really, she was. The fact that he spent so much time with her and always had her on his mind just meant that he enjoyed spending that time together. It had started with coffee; now he found himself thinking about her constantly. They met for a meal at least twice a week and often times he would invite her out on nights like this when he and his friends had drinks. Honour was supposed to come too, but she'd had to cancel that night for a date of her own.

"Are you sure you'll never dye your hair red?" Finn was asking Rory with an adorable pout.

Rory just laughed. "I'm sure, Finn. I like my hair the way it is, thanks."

Logan laughed along with the rest of them.

"It's so good to have another girl around," Stephanie finally spoke up when their laughter had calmed down.

Rory shot her a grin. "It's great to have friends in New York," she admitted. "Most of my friends are either at home or out being important."

"Huh?" Finn asked in confusion.

"Lane is at home, in Stars Hollow, and Paris is working in Boston. I don't get to see either of them as much with all of the travel and business."

"That sucks," Stephanie sympathized. "Rosemary's usually around, but I think she said something about a business meeting. Stupid business."

Finn sighed. "When did we all grow up?" he asked, his voice sulky.

"I wasn't aware you had," Colin teased.

Logan took advantage of the distraction of Colin and Finn's argument to look at Rory, seated comfortably beside him. He'd known she was beautiful from the first time he'd set eyes on her, but seeing her interact with his friends and the happy sparkle in her eyes made it that much more real. He could feel her heat pressed up against his side, his own arm resting over the back of the booth behind her head. When she looked back and forth between his friends, he could feel her hair brush against the bare skin of his forearm and he could smell her perfume every time he bent forward to retrieve his drink.

Rory glanced down at her watch. "Alright, guys, I have to get going." Protests rose almost immediately from the table and Rory grinned. "Honour's going to kill me if I'm not in the office at some ungodly hour tomorrow morning and I have to get home to Sophie."

"Sophie?" Colin asked.

Rory nodded then bent to kiss Logan's cheek. "Call me and we'll do lunch."

He grinned. It was a typical send off for them. "I'll have my people call your people, Ace. Night."

Colin and Finn pounced on him immediately, though Stephanie looked just as intrigued.

"You've been avoiding the topic of Miss Hayden for weeks, Huntz, but now we want to hear the whole story," Colin declared.

"Whole story?" Logan asked, confused.

"What's really going on with you and Rory?" Stephanie clarified. "This is the third time she's been out for drinks with us in the last month."

Logan shrugged. "You guys like her too, don't you?"

"Yeah, but something tells me it's not the same like you have for her," Stephanie contradicted wisely.

"What does that mean?"

"This one's got you," Colin tried to explain. "We saw the way you looked at her."

Logan sighed. "Rory and I are nothing but friends. She's Honour's best friend and business partner, I'm not going to step into that fire."

"So you admit you like her," Finn asked, sounding surprisingly sober.

"Who wouldn't?" Logan shot back. "She's smart, she's funny, she's…"

"Drop dead gorgeous,' Colin volunteered.

Logan rolled his eyes. "That too."

Stephanie, Colin and Finn exchanged a look. "He's a goner."

"What are you talking about?" Logan asked, getting rather annoyed by the conversation and extremely defensive.

"Look, Logan, the next time your with someone else and you're thinking about Rory, instead of just shoving that to the side ask yourself why," Stephanie advised. "Now, I need a new drink, anyone else need a refill?"