A/N: Hey all... I hope I still have a few readers out there. Sorry for the delay in writing, it's been a rough couple of months. My little family had our world rocked in early January and we are still trying to deal with everything. Sitting down to write only resulted in tears... so, I did everything I possibly could to distract myself from my own thoughts. And, as the saying goes, time heals all wounds. I won't go so far as to say I'm healed, but I will say the worst is over and the days are getting easier. I appreciate all the messages and reviews of encouragement, they help so much. As I promised on day one of this journey, this story will have an ending. Happy Reading! :)

Rory had a restful night of sleep without the crazy flashbacks. She made herself some good coffee, now that she mastered her espresso machine, she took a shower and quickly got ready for the day. She knew Finn would be busy getting things ready for the party. She wanted to help.

She waited 'till just after 10 before heading over, she knew he would grumble about her waking him up so early, but she really was looking forward to helping with the decorations. After all, she was the daughter of Lorelai Gilmore and long-time resident of Star's Hallow… she knew how to decorate for a party, especially a themed party.

She got to Logan's door and knocked… when nobody answered she let herself in. She wondered back to Finn's room but he wasn't there. She checked around and couldn't find him. She peeked into Logan's room and he was gone too. She noticed the coffee pot still had hot coffee, so someone was there earlier. She sat down on the couch to send Finn a quick text. Just as she was getting up to leave, the door opened. There stood Logan, drenched in sweat.

"Hey, Logan… "

"Morning Rory… what brings you over this morning?" He was concerned at first, but noticing her chipper disposition, he quickly relaxed.

"I'm looking for Finn, I wanted to help with the decorations."

"Well, I'm not exactly sure where Finn ended up last night. We were having a good time at the pub and the next thing I know he's escorting someone out the door."

"Was she a redhead?"

"That she was." They both laughed comfortably. Rory just shook her head. "I figured he'd be home by the time I finished my workout, but I guess not. You can wait here for him, if you want. I am going to take a quick shower and I'll join you for coffee.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll make some fresh stuff. I can work the machine now… thanks to some hands-on training." She smiled and got up to make the coffee.

Logan came out shortly after the coffee finished, showered and dressed for the day. "Still no Finn?"

"Nope, and he's not answering my texts either."

Rory took her coffee into the living room and made herself comfy on the couch. Logan watched her snuggle her legs up under her and grabbed a pillow to balance her arm and coffee on. He loved how comfortable she was in his place. Logan fixed his coffee and followed her to the couch opposite her.

"Well, with Finn, you really don't know how long he'll be. We can go downstairs and take a look, I'm sure if you are really set on helping decorate the crew won't turn you away."

"Yeah, I guess you are right. But, this coffee is really good, I want to finish this first." Rory took another long drink, taking in the aroma with an appreciative moan.

Logan couldn't take his eyes off her, and when that moan escaped from her, he was quickly transported back to their night together. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her…. about Turkey, about Liam, about her career…, instead there was no real conversation, just an agreement to be friends. Rory noticed him staring.

"What? This is really good coffee."

"Clearly, I can see that, or should I say I heard. The beans are Ethiopian, I just got a huge thank you box after the foundation received their donation. I'll have to give you some."

Rory shifted and set her coffee down. "The auction! I can't believe we haven't had a chance to talk about that yet… $20 million dollars, Logan. I can't even believe it! When I read the article you wrote, I was in tears. It is so amazing. I came by a few times to talk to you, I didn't realize you had to go to London. Finn filled me in."

Logan loved how excited she was. "Yeah, I was quite pleased. I was even more shocked when my dad matched the auction funds. 2.5 million came from attendance, 9 million from the auction itself, HPG matched the 9 bringing it to 18 million and I added 2 to make it a nice number."

"Wait, you donated $2 million of your own to the foundation? You can't be serious?"

"I am. You see, I recently lost a bet on a dress." Logan gave her a wink waiting for her to figure it out."

Rory's face scrunched and then her eyes went wide as she put it together. "You and Finn bet $2 million dollars on what dress I would wear? What… what in the hell is wrong with you?" She stammered.

Logan just laughed at her. "It's a bet I would lose a hundred times over if it meant I got to see you in that dress again. You looked incredible." Logan watched as Rory blushed. "And, the tax write-off is an added bonus. The less I have to pay to Uncle Sam, the better."

"Logan!" Rory chastised him and tossed her pillow at him. "Always about business I see."

"Not always…" He said as he threw the pillow back at her. "But, I know what I pay in taxes and it's just wrong. Have you ever seen what you pay, Ace? I'm guessing not because you would totally understand where I'm coming from."

Rory was ready for a good argument but hearing him call her Ace stopped her.

"Ace?… you called me that the night of the auction? What's that all about?"

"Oh come on, you are an Ace reporter… you can't figure it out?"

The smile Rory had on her face quickly faded.

"Was." Is all she managed to say.

"Huh?"

"Was… I was a reporter."

"Well, you can say that now, Rory. But I don't believe that you are done with it. I know how it feels and that feeling never really goes away. And I'm not going to pretend I understand everything you are going through, but I really think once you get some of it sorted, you will want…. actually more like NEED to write again. It's who we are."

Logan didn't like how quickly their fun conversation had shifted to doom and gloom. He loved it when she smiled and right now that was the last thing that would be happening if he didn't steer the course.

"So… why don't we head downstairs and see how things are going."

"Yeah, we can do that." She forced a small smile and got up and filled her mug. "I'm taking some for the road… you want me to save you some?"

"No, I'm good…. It's all yours. There are some travel mugs above the machine, help yourself. It will keep it hot."

Rory and Logan headed down to the Great Room. Still no sigh of Finn, but the decorating crew was in full swing. Rory oohed and aahed over how nice everything was.

"This would definitely earn the Lorelai Gilmore stamp of approval. That's my mom by the way."

"She a big fan of holiday parties?"

"Not my grandparents kind of holiday parties, but the ones with themes and bright colors and an added bonus if there is a piñata." Logan notice how Rory beamed when she talked about her mom.

"I take it you two are close?"

And just like that, the smile was gone. Logan felt uncomfortable again, just like the reporter conversation earlier. "I'm sorry Rory, I'm not trying to upset you. Seems I'm 0 for 2 today."

"No… it's okay Logan. And yes, my mom and I are very close at least we were. I don't even really understand myself what changed. I guess when I went overseas, everything changed. And when I came back, I kept her at arms length, not letting her get close. I know I hurt her and I don't even know why."

Logan watched as her eyes filled with tears, and before he knew it he had her pulled in for a comforting hug. "Hey… it's okay. You will get if all figured out." Rory didn't respond, she just let him hold her. It took her a few minutes, but as soon as she got herself together, she was feeling a little embarrassed. She pulled away and walked toward the decorating crew.

"Hey, you guys need any help?" She asked.

"Oh, no miss. We have everything handled" said the very nice gentleman in charge.

"Everything looks great, I can't wait to see it when you are done."

"thank you, miss."

Rory walked back over to Logan where he found himself taking inventory at the bar. "I guess they don't need any help. What are you doing?"

"Well, I normally put Finn in charge of alcohol, but since he's MIA, I'm going to do a quick inventory and put in the order for delivery. I'll just be a few minutes."

"Oh, okay. I'm going to go over and straighten that banner, the right side is crooked and it's driving me nuts. Otherwise I can't believe how nice everything looks. The green shamrock lights are quite the addition. I'm guessing those would be Finn's handy work."

"Yes, of course. You'd probably never guess, but Finn is all about the details."

"Actually, I would. It didn't take me long to figure out Finn's ability to read people and situations. It's really quite impressive. He likes to pretend he's not paying attention when in fact he sees and hears everything. But, I'm guessing you already know that."

Logan looked quite surprised. "I do… I guess I'm surprised you do."

Rory walked over toward the banner and Logan just shook his head and went back to counting bottles and making notes. It wasn't even 5 minutes when he heard a scream. He looked up just in time to see Rory falling off the ladder. He rushed over to help her up.

"Rory, are you okay!?"

Rory just laid on the floor moaning in pain.

"Rory?"

"Ugh… I'll be fine. Can you help me up, Logan?"

"Are you sure you should be getting up?"

"I'll be fine, not the first ladder I've fallen off of. I really should have learned my lesson by now. "

Logan helped her up and Rory just winced in pain.

"I'll take you upstairs, can you walk?"

"No Logan, just finish your inventory. I'll sit here a minute, do you have any ice behind the bar?"

"Yeah, give me a minute." Logan rushed behind the bar and started putting ice in a bag for her.

"Did you hit your head?"

"A little, mostly my hip I landed on… it's definitely going to bruise."

Rory put the ice on her hip and put her head down on the table. Logan walked back behind the bar to finish up. "Stay with me, Ace. I'm almost done."

After a few minutes, Logan called in his order and came back to the table. "Hey, I'm done. Can you walk?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm freezing cold now, you really need a hot tub in this fancy shmancy building."

"We do have a hot tub…. And a pool. Have you never walked around down here? The pool is next to the gym?"

"Well, that explains it. Gilmore's are allergic to gyms, therefore I would have never found the pool." Rory managed a small smile.

"Well, do you want to use the hot tub, it might help relax your muscles?"

"I think so… show me the way, Huntzberger."

Logan walked Rory back to the hot tub. "Wow, this is really nice. I might have to make use of this in the future now that I know it's here."

"There is a changing room there, and there are several suits in the lockers, sorted by size and style… courtesy of Honor. It's never used during the day, so we have complete privacy."

"Actually Logan, I'm feeling really stiff right now, I don't feel like changing into a suit… besides, I'm sure my bra and panties cover the same if not more than most bikini's. Is that going to make you uncomfortable? You don't have to babysit me."

It took Logan a few minutes to find his words. "Well, I'm not leaving you down here by yourself, you might have a concussion. And you can wear whatever you want…. I assure you, this tub has seen it all."

"Oh, I'm sure it has…. I don't even want to know how many naked women have been in here do I?"

"Probably not… but in my defense, it's mostly Finn. I'm not saying I'm innocent, but Finn really loves to play in the water."

"Oh God, please tell me you have a GREAT cleaning crew?"

"This tub is cleaned, sterilized, and filled on a very regular basis."

"I'm not sure how reassuring that is…" They both laughed.

"I'm going to grab my trunks, I have a locker down here. I'll be right back with towels. Here sit down until I get back."

Logan pulled up a chair and helped Rory sit, he went to the locker and quickly changed. He brought out a handful of towels and an ice pack from the first aid station. As he came around the corner, he watched Rory take her top off and shimmy off her pants. Her face grimaced as she looked at her hip. It was already starting to bruise.

"Ouch, Ace. That's gotta hurt. Be careful getting in."

She sat down at the edge of the hot tub and slowly put her legs in, then she hopped in the rest of the way. Logan couldn't help but gawk. Her light blue lace bra with black lace was sexy as hell. He wasn't sure how he was going to keep his body from responding to her.

"Oh my god… this feels so good, Logan."

Logan couldn't resist…"Well, I believe I've heard that from you once before, Ace." He followed with his signature smirk and a wink.

"Logan!" Rory slapped his arm, and since her hand was wet, it was a little harder than she meant.

"Ouch, Ace… I'm not really into the pain and pleasure. But, I'm all about trying new things."

"Seriously, Logan. Can we just relax without the innuendos?"

"We could, but where is the fun in that? Besides, I don't think you are as innocent as you lead people to believe."

"What… me?" Rory feigned innocence.

"Yes…. you!" Logan followed her sing song.

They both laughed followed by a long silence. Both their minds in overdrive. Finally, Rory spoke first.

"You know, I've been meaning to say something to you about what happened after the auction. When Liam came out during your coffee machine lesson…. I know what that looked like; but, that wasn't what it was."

"Rory, you don't have to explain anything to me."

"I know that, but I want you to know I didn't sleep with Liam. I know there were situations that night where I thought for sure you were going to kiss me. I mean… it didn't happen or anything, but it felt like it would have."

"It would have… on both occasions, however, Liam interrupted both of those instances if I recall." Logan was very matter-of-fact. But, he still smirked at her.

Rory was taken back by his honesty. He was going to kiss her and she couldn't help but smile.

"You left so quickly I didn't have a chance to say that. So, now you know."

"Now I know. Hey….Can I ask you something…about Liam?" His tone had changed from fun and joking to serious and concerned.

"Um… sure, I guess.

"He loves you, right? I mean, I really got that vibe."

"Oh, wow… I didn't see that coming."

"I'm sorry, if it's too personal, you don't have to answer."

"No, it's okay. And yes, he loves me. I'm not exactly sure why, I haven't been that nice to him. And, no, I don't love him back if that's what you are really trying to ask me. That morning after the auction, we said our goodbye's and promised to stay in touch. We have a lot of history."

Logan wasn't sure why he asked the question, it was something he'd been wondering about since that night and something he couldn't stop thinking about his entire time in London. He knew there was a lot more to their story, but for now her response was exactly what he was looking for.

"Well, enough with the serious stuff… time to hop out missy, you need to alternate ice and heat if you want the inflammation to go down.

"Oh, is that so. Did you get a medical degree at Yale that I don't know about?"

"Funny…. no medical degree, but I have had enough injuries in my day to know the drill. Now out."

Logan reached over and lifted Rory up onto the side. He took the ice pack he brought out earlier and put it gently on her hip.

Rory jumped at the cold sensation. Moving just so where her chest ended up in Logan's face. She pulled herself back.

"Sorry. That is sooo cold!"

Logan kept his hand on the ice pack fully aware of the position they were in. He was standing between her legs and she was looking down at him. Another moment to kiss her, he could feel it and so could she. Her breathing hitched as she felt him move closer….

"What in the hell you two…. I've been looking everywhere for you!" Finn looked at his friends closer, Rory in her bra and Logan very close to her with his hand on his thigh. "Oh bloody hell, what am I interrupting?"

Logan pulled away quickly, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Relax Finn, you aren't interrupting anything." Logan said annoyed.

"Oh sure…..Rory dear, you always wear your skivvies at the pool?"

"I do when I fall off a ladder and not really able to change into a swimsuit. I have the bruise to show for it."

Rory all of a sudden very self-conscious of Finn's gaze, grabbed a towel to cover her front as Finn came closer to assess the situation.

"Oh Love…. That doesn't look good."

"No, and it feels even worse. And, speaking of nowhere to be found, where have you been Finnegan?"

"Uh…. You sound like my mother. How many details are you looking for Love, happy to share?" Finn raised both eye brows, grinning ear to ear as he pulled up a chair and sat next to them.

"Um, on second thought, I'm quite certain I can piece it together on my own. No details necessary."

"Oh, what fun is having kinky kinky sex if you can't tell your friends about it?"

"Well, how about you save those stories for Logan here." Rory shivered from the cold and quickly hopped back in the hot tub, opposite of Logan.

"Hmmm… does Logan have his own stories to share? How much time we talking, do I need to change into my trunks?"

"No, Finn. I actually need to get a few things done before tonight. I didn't want to leave Rory alone incase she had a concussion. So, now that you are here, I can get going." Logan hopped out of the tub and started to dry off. "I'll see you both later."

And with that he was off to the changing room and gone. Rory's mind was working overtime trying to figure out what that was all about.

"So Love, you want to tell Finny what I really did walk in on?"

"Finn… it was nothing. He was icing my hip when you walked in and while I can admit it didn't look all that innocent… it was. Now, can you help me out of here so I can go get ready?"

"I guess I just need to get you drunk later…. A few Truth Serums in you, and I'll now exactly what went on today."

Rory just rolled her eyes and shook her head. She reached up and Finn grabbed her hand and helped her out. She didn't bother to put her clothes back on since it would have likely needed Finn's help. Instead she grabbed one of the Robes hanging in the changing room and they headed upstairs.