Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or anything related to them in anyway.
Chapter 5
The next morning Rory woke up and saw a folded piece of paper that was placed next to her alarm clock. On the front of the paper'Ace' waswritten in Logan's familiar scrawl. She grabbed it and read it with a smile on her face.
Ace,
I left around dawn, had to leave before Paris saw me.
I miss you and I will see you later today.
Love, Logan
Rory put the note in her bedside drawer and got out of bed to start getting ready for the day. Rory walked out into the main room and saw Paris running around.
"I need more candles." Paris stated, still rushing around setting things up in their dorm.
"Check my trunk, I think my mom put some in there," Rory said, as she watched Paris stack books on the coffee table, "That's a lot of books you got there."
"The very fact that the bookstore had any of his books in stock, shows just how sad the nature of America's reading habits." Paris said with a huff, as she stacked even more books.
"Do you need some help with those?" Rory asked Paris, as she watched her carefully.
"No. I got this, but you can put these up." Paris told Rory, as she handed her a stack of flyers.
"You made flyers?" Rory asked, not really sure if Paris had a sane mind at that moment.
"Yes. Anyone who wants to pay tribute to this great man deserves the opportunity." Paris said, as she added more candles and books around the room.
"Okay, Paris, I'm on it." Rory said, as she left their dorm.
As Rory was looking for a place to hang the flyers, she heard a familiar voice, followed by a familiar accent drift into the building. As she heard their voices it reminded her of the anger she had towards Logan the day before.
"Okay, Finn. Last building. Please say it looks familiar." Colin begged Finn.
"Ahh...uh..." Finn stammered, as he looked around, as he tried to find something that looked familiar.
"Apparently it doesn't look familiar." Logan said, as he wondered if he was going to run into Rory while they were there. None of them noticed that Rory was standing at the bulletin board, listening to their conversation, as they walked by her.
"No, hold on. Hold on. Yes. Here. This is where she lives." Finn said, as he walked around the corner.
"Excuse me. Can I help you?" Rory asked them, as she made herself known.
"No thanks." Colin said rudely, as he followed Logan and Finn.
Rory was getting even more angry at how rude Colin was acting, "Hey!" Rory exclaimed, as she followed them around the corner to see that they had stopped in front of her dorm.
"Don't put your number. Finn, don't put your number." Colin told Finn with an impatient sigh, as he started to write something on the dry-erase board attached to the door.
"I'm not putting my number," Finn explained, then pointed to Logan, "I'm putting his number."
"Um...that's my room." Rory said, confused, as she caught up with the stooges.
"Okay, put my number." Logan said with a grin, as they all turned and looked at her.
"Like I don't already have it." Rory muttered to herself, but loud enough for Logan to hear. Logan smirked and gave her a wink, then turned back to his friends before they noticed the interaction.
"Are you sure this is your room?" Finn asked, not convinced that this was not the right room he was looking for.
"I'm sure." Rory said.
"I could have sworn that this was her room." Finn wondered out-loud.
"Maybe if you tell me her name, I can tell you if I know her or not." Rory said, as she tried to help him out.
"Uh...it was short." Finn said, as he tried and failed to remember the girl's name.
"I can understand your disappointment, losing a potential soulmate like that, but that is my room." Rory dryly said, on the verge of being annoyed.
"Sorry about the mix-up," Logan piped in, "my friend here means no harm, he just needs to learn that alcohol and blondes, don't mix."
"Redheads!" Finn exclaimed loudly, from wherever him and Colin had walked off to.
"We sincerely apologize, and we will leave you now to finish putting up your poster of...this really old guy." Logan said, as he noticed the papers that Rory was holding.
"Professor Asher Fleming." Rory stated, and by the look that crossed his eyes, knew that he remembered her telling him about Paris and Fleming's fling.
"What, they were all out of Orlando Bloom?" Logan asked, as he teased her.
"No, he died last week. We're throwing him a wake." Rory told him, she knew that he would know she actually meant Paris, by saying 'we're'.
Logan looked around before he said the next comment, "I still can't believe that Paris had a fling with him. You know people are going to get the wrong impression about you and him, since your the one putting the posters up."
"So what, I know the truth and if people are stupid enough to just assume something, by me doing something as simple as hanging a poster, then I don't really want to speak to that person. I don't like people who stereotype someone just because of something simple, say someone who doesn't have as much money as you do." Rory snapped and gave Logan a pointed glare.
"Ace, I'm sorry for yesterday, okay. But you know that Colin and Finn are not ready for me to tell them that I don't want to continue on with my life the way I had been." Logan tried to reason with her.
"Yes, I know that Logan, but you didn't have to say some of the things that you did," Rory argued, "I didn't like that, even though you know how I feel about people talking to people as if they are beneath them, you still did. You could have just stayed quiet or left, but you didn't have to put your two cents in." Rory said hotly.
"Look I get that your pissed off at me right now, by the way angry works for you," He said with a smirk, "but the only thing I can do is apologize and try to make it up to you. Do you want me to apologize to Marty, cause I will." Logan said sincerely.
"I'm not angry, I am just irritated," She said, her anger softening a little, "It wasn't so much what you said, it was how you said it."
"How did I say it?" He asked her.
"Like...like...like Judi Dench." She told him in a huff.
"Ouch." Logan said, as he tried not to either laugh or kiss her, angry really did work for her.
"Just because somebody doesn't have money or a fancy family doesn't mean they are inferior to you." Rory said, as she gained her momentum again.
"I agree," Logan said, he stepped closer to her, "You know that I don't think that." Logan finished as he took her hand in his.
"I know you don't Logan, but just because you are around your friends, doesn't mean you have to give in and act like an snobbish prick." She said as she looked into his eyes. She knew he hated acting like he did yesterday, but that still wasn't enough for her, since he did it anyway.
"Well you know what they say about peer-pressure." Logan tried to joke with her.
"Logan, be serious." Rory chastised him.
"I am. I am sorry. I don't know how many was I can say it." Logan told her.
"I don't like it when people hurt my friends." She told him, heatedly.
"And you react when goaded." Logan said, chuckling slightly.
"I am not goaded. I am so far from goaded. Get our your compass, and I will show you just how far from goaded I am." She replied.
"I think we got a serious debater in our midst." Logan told her with a smile.
"Like you didn't already know that." She said, smiling back at him.
Before he could say anything else, Finn appeared on the stairs, "Logan, mate, I think we've found it." Finn didn't notice that Logan dropped Rory's hand when he started to talk, and headed back up the stairs.
"Look, tell Marty I'm sorry, and if you want, I will apologize personally the next time I see him," Logan said, as he started towards the stairs, she gave him a smile, "Master and Commander." He stated as he go to the stairs.
"What? The movie?" She asked him, confused as to why he would just spout something like that out.
"No, that's what I want you to call me from now on." He smiled at her and started up the stairs.
"Ugh." She managed to get out, shaking her head, 'Master and Commander, my ass.' The next thing she knew she was being spun around and pulled into a deep kiss.
Logan pulled away and whispered in her ear, "Coffee and Scotch, Ace." And took off back up the stairs, before she even had a chance to recover from the kiss.
Rory went back to hanging the posters and before she knew it an hour had passed. She stopped to get a cup of coffee before going back to her room. When she opened the door, she saw Paris, sitting on the couch smoking a pipe.
"I just wanted to smell like him again." Paris said sadly.
Rory did the only thing she knew to do, she went over to Paris and sat next to her and put her arm around her. They sat there for hours, until it was time for the wake to begin. Paris got up and started fixing any books or candles that seemed out of place. Rory just watched her, shaking her head she went into her room to change.
Rory walked out of her bedroom, just in time to see a couple guys walk into the room.
"Thank you for coming. Please feel free to take a book." Paris told them, but they just shrugged her off and headed for the beverage table.
Rory didn't notice Marty until he started walking towards her, "Hey." Marty said, as he reached her.
"Hi." Rory said, as she looked around the room.
"Interesting crowd." Marty replied.
"Yeah, most of the people have no idea they are at a wake. They think it's some weird theme party. I've heard people refer to Asher as 'the old dead dude.'" Rory said with a small laugh.
"Does Paris know?" Marty asked, not sure how Paris would react if she overheard people say that.
"Paris, thank goodness, is Paris." Rory said, she caught sight of Marty nodding, as she said that.
Paris walked up to them, "Hi, Marty. Thank you for coming. Please help yourself to a book."
"The wake seems to be going well." Rory said to Paris, she knew that people didn't know this was a wake.
Paris being oblivious, looked around, "It is. I'm very pleased with the turnout. I mean, I knew he was beloved, but this is overwhelming."
Rory noticed some people come into the room and had Marty go get rid of them before Paris saw them. When Marty walked off, she turned back to Paris.
"You know, it's funny, but Asher died right at the height of my passion for him. I kind of wonder what would have happened if he had lived. Would I have stayed in love with him forever?" Paris said wistfully.
"I don't know." Rory said, she mentally cringed at what Paris said.
"He died before I could find out. Now I'll always be in love with him. He's my Mike Todd." Paris said, starting to tear up. Rory pulled her into a hug and consoled her.
Rory was standing off to the side of the room watching people mingle, when her cell phone started to ring, she looked at the caller i.d. and saw that it was her mom, "Hello." Rory said into the phone.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Lorelai immediately started in, as soon as Rory answered.
"For what?" Rory asked confused, not sure why her mom was apologizing to her.
"Rory." Rory turned at the voice and came face to face with her grandma.
Lorelai was still on the phone rambling, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Emily looked around, "What's going on here?" She asked Rory, who was still shocked to see her grandma at her dorm.
"I have to hang up now." Rory said to her mom.
"Have I mentioned I'm sorry?" Lorelai asked her.
"Bye." Rory said and then hung up, she turned to her grandma, "Well this is a surprise."
"I simply had to get out of the house and your mother told me you were home, so I thought I'd come by and say hello," Emily started to explain to Rory, and looked around again, "Why are there pictures of Asher Fleming everywhere?" Emily asked, confused.
"This is a wake for Professor Fleming. He died." Rory told her simply.
"You'd think your grandfather could have mentioned that to me, but no. I bet he'll make me go to that insufferable man's funeral, though." Emily said in an irritated tone.
"He was cremated." Rory said, she tried not to roll her eyes at her grandma's rant.
"Oh, thank God." Emily sighed out, this time, Rory couldn't hold in the eye roll, but turned her head so she wouldn't be caught by Emily.
"Emily! It means so much to me that you came." Paris said as she rushed over and hugged an unsuspecting Emily.
"Well, yes. Asher was very devoted to his students," when Emily said this, Paris burst into tears, "Oh, now, there's no need to cry. Yale is full of excellent teachers." Emily said, as she sat down with Paris and started comforting her.
"Root beer?" Marty asked, as he handed Rory a plastic cup.
Rory takes the cup, "Yeah. Thanks, Marty, for everything. You've been such a huge help tonight."
"For you, anything. Hey, Rory?" Marty said, a little nervous.
"Hmm?" Rory turned to him.
"I'm just curious. You don't mention anyone. There's no one here you seem to be with, so I was just wondering what the deal was." Marty wondered.
"Oh...um...it's complicated. I can't really explain it." Rory stuttered out, not sure what else to say.
Marty gives her a weird look, "How is it complicated? Shouldn't it be easy to explain, if there is someone in your life or not." Marty said snapping a little at her, not really meaning to.
"I know." She sighed, she tried to think of a way to get out of the room, not wanting to have this conversation.
"So, it's complicated. Okay." Marty said, not sure what to make out of that.
"Um...will you excuse me for a minute, Marty?" She asked, as she saw Logan standing over by the door. He shook his head and watched her walk towards the door.
"Oh, God, thank you, thank you," She said as she gave Logan a quick hug, out of the view of people, "You just saved me from a really awkward conversation with Marty."
"Why? What so awkward about it?" He asked her, looking her in the eyes.
"Ugh...he was asking me if there was someone in my life, since he didn't see anyone that was there for me, and I hadn't mentioned anyone, and I didn't know how to explain I had someone without telling him exactly who and what that someone was to me. So I just told him it was complicated." Rory rambled and slumped into Logan.
He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled, "It's okay, Ace. You will figure something out to better explain it. Now, what do you say we go back in and support Paris." He shuddered at the thought of Paris and Professor Fleming.
He gave her a small kiss and followed her into her dorm. He sighed, knowing it was going to be a long night, as he watched Rory hug a crying Paris.
AN: Here is the next chapter. The majority of it follows the show. I changed some things. The next chapter will have some flashbacks in it and more Rory and Logan interaction.
