AN: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews and support as always, you guys are awesome. I'm sorry that the updates have been so few and far between lately, but it's a lot harder to update during the school year than it is in the summer. Most of my writing has been for the school newspaper and other newspapers, and when I'm not doing that I'm editing the school paper. So, as much as I love writing fan fiction, it has to take a back burner during the school year. With that said, I really will try to update more often. Really. Please keep reading and leave me a review. Reviews are always wonderful.

"Thanks for that," Rory commented as they stepped outside.

"No problem. She deserved it."

They moved to Tristan's back porch and leaned against the surrounding wall. Rory's lips curved into a slight smile and she shifted her gaze towards him, crystal blue eyes sparkling.

"I bet she's disappointed about losing the rest of the night with Chilton's most eligible bachelor."

Logan smirked, "Is that what you think of me, Ace?"

"Not me," she shrugged, "That's just what's written on the bathroom walls."

"Wow, I'm bathroom wall legend. I'm honored."

"Hmm. I think I actually just watched your ego expand. Which is amazing on so many levels, including the fact that I didn't think it could get any bigger."

"I never cease to amaze," he shot back with a wink.

She laughed slightly and turned her eyes back towards the yard which was serving as a dance floor. Her hair had fallen slightly throughout the night, and the soft tendrils were framing her face. Logan couldn't tear his eyes way from her, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. She could distract him from everything else in the area with just once glance, and that scared him. He couldn't get involved with this girl. Nothing good could possibly come out of that situation, especially considering his dating history, which was crowned by a record holding two week semi-relationship.

"So, how about that rain check now?" Rory asked suddenly, her eyes making their way back over to him.

"I don't know, Ace. Daniella's a pretty good dancer. Think you can live up to that?"

Rory rolled her eyes slightly, "I'll give it my all."

"I wouldn't accept anything less."

He placed his hand on her back again and guided her out into the grass. Once they reached an open area, he slid his other arm around her and pulled her into his chest, instantly noticing how she just seemed to fit in his embrace.

"At least there's better music at his party," she observed.

"And here I thought the lack of Hilary Duff would be getting to you by now," he replied with a smirk.

She laughed again: a short, soft laugh that instantly brought a smile to Logan's lips. The song changed, and Logan applied slight pressure to her back to signal that he wanted her to remain tucked in his arms. She obliged, lowering her hands slightly and resting her fingers against his chest. And at that moment, he didn't want to stop dancing with her for the rest of the night; he wanted to hold her in his arms forever. And that close to terrified him.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, her voice ripping into his thoughts.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" he answered quickly in nothing but a cool, collected tone.

"A girl can never hear that too many times."

He paused, "Especially a girl who deserves it."

"Look at you, such the smooth talker. And hear I was wondering how you get all the girls to fall for you."

"I always thought it was just my good looks," he protested.

"Oh, please: the blonde, rich look is so over."

He smirked, "Is that so? Somebody should really tell Hilary Duff."

"If she hasn't heard it by now, there's no getting through to her."

He chuckled, reaching out to brush stray piece of brown hair behind her ear. The wind was picking up and she shivered slightly, causing him to draw her further into his arms. His eyes found his way to hers, and she smiled slightly, her cheeks slightly pink from the cold. And there, with her staring at him, her lips curved upward in a smile, she looked so incredibly beautiful that it almost hurt. He couldn't think about anything else but her and if someone would've told him that other girls existed, he would've informed them that they were insane.

But he couldn't. He couldn't be with this girl; he couldn't be having these thoughts. This was Rory: innocent, commitment set, opinionated, strictly platonic Rory. He didn't have thoughts like this, he didn't date girls like her. Ever since he started dating he had a new girl on his arm every week, none of which had any thoughts about taking the relationship any further than a cocktail and a bed. And conversation? With those girls? Forget it. The word conversation probably wasn't even in their very limited vocabulary. And that was what he knew, they were all he dated, and that was all he wanted. Right?

When he snapped out his thoughts, he found her gaze still fixed on him. She was thinking about something, he could tell by the way her eyes would shift occasionally to the bare yard behind them. And it was when she bit her lip slightly, forcing his eyes to that area of her face, that it hit him. He had never felt more at ease with anyone in his life, and he had never looked at another girl the way he was looking at Rory at that moment. She was unique, special, different: no matter how he put it, it was true. And Logan Huntzberger was never one to let anything worth having slip away.

He was suddenly aware that she had stopped moving in his arms, and he focused back on her. She looked almost shaken now, and her eyes were nearing a watery stage. She was looking at him, really looking at him, like he had never been stared at before. And then he realized that he was staring back at her just as intently.

"Wh..what?" she stammered, her voice slightly hoarse.

Well, that was the first time he'd ever heard Rory stutter.

"Logan," she said, a little more firmly this time, "What?"

He didn't open his mouth to reply, he was too completely focused on her to even think about it. Before he could analyze it any longer, he placed his hands behind her neck, never breaking eye contact with the girl in his arms. Her eyes grew wide, but she didn't move away, didn't even blink. He leaned down, and as soon as he did, all the feelings from their near kiss came rushing back to him. But this time, he wasn't going to be interrupted. His lips hovered above hers for a brief instant, before he bent his neck the rest of the way and gently connected them. As soon as he felt her lips against his, he felt a spark unlike anything he ever experienced before. There was a moment's hesitation, before Logan pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. Rory didn't object, her hand pressing against his chest as she seemed to be trying to get as near to him as possible.

And then, as quickly as the kiss began, she ended it. He opened his eyes, his heart instantly shattering at the sight of the broken girl before him. She smoothed her hair back dizzily, her eyes dry, yet almost frightened. With a step backwards, she forced herself out of his grip, staring at him like she had just seen a ghost.

"Rory..." he began softly.

"Don't," he ordered, holding up her hand, "We can't do this. We can't."

"Rory, come on--"

"No," she said firmly, stepping back again, "No."

"Tell me you didn't feel what I felt. Tell me that, Ace."

She shook her head, and turned away from him, hurrying towards the house before he could say another word. He was left there, stunned into silence, staring at the place where Rory had stood just moments before. Stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, he walked back up on the porch and crashed down on a chair, watching as his breath clouded the late night air.

He had been wrong. The sparks he had felt were one sided, and Rory wanted nothing to do with him that way. And now, he had ruined everything they had worked so hard to build. It was all over. But that kiss. God, that kiss. Nothing about that kiss had felt one sided to him, but if it wasn't, then her disappearance made no sense. For the first time since he had met her, Logan was completely at a loss for what was going on in Rory's head.

"Logan!"

His head snapped up at the sound of Colin calling his name.

"Colin," Logan greeted, ignoring the sharp edge of his friend's tone.

"Don't you 'Colin' me. What the hell just happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Rory just burst into the house and begged me to let her take my car home. Now, thanks to whatever just happened, I have to ride home with Finn. So, I think you owe me an explanation."

Logan was silent. Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair and stared at Colin, waiting for his friend to figure it out on his own. He knew it wouldn't take long. In the meantime, he took to trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Well, no, actually he knew what had just happened, it was her reaction that had him completely baffled. Why would she--

"You didn't," Colin said slowly, interrupted his thoughts, "Please tell me you didn't."

"You caught me. I sat her down and made her listen to Hilary Duff."

"What?"

Logan held up his hands slightly, "Nevermind."

"Logan, tell me you didn't kiss her."

"I thought it was a completely mutual decision. My logic was completely overruled however when she ran off and got in the first car home. I must be rusty."

"How could you? She's venerable, she's upset, she's just looking for some comfort. And you go and kiss her? What the hell, man? She needs us, she needs you, and this is how you act? She isn't like the girls you date, she isn't like that. You can't use her, you can't--"

"Now hold on," Logan interrupted, his tone icy, "Don't you stand there and tell me what I can or cannot do. And don't you dare try to pretend to know what happened. She kissed me back, Colin. I don't know what the hell happened afterwards, but she kissed me back. And just for the record, the kind of girls I date are exactly the kind of girls you date."

"I know that, but I'm not going around making out with girls like Rory either."

"I wouldn't call what we did making out. It was a kiss."

"Why? Why did it happen?"

Logan half groaned and stood up, running a hand over his face, "Let's save the heart to heart for later, Colin."

He turned and walked back into the house, leaving a stunned Colin standing over the table. He pushed his way through the crowd, not bothering to stop when people called out his name. His head was reeling, and he was having a hard time getting a firm grasp on the situation. Was she just scared? Or was he imagining the look in her eyes when she gazed back at him? Where had he gone wrong?

Once inside his car, he slammed the door closed and leaned back against the leather seat, replaying the moment over and over again in his head. During the kiss, she had seemed like she only wanted more. She'd even pulled him forward, and her lips were working against his just as furiously. That's why he had been so shocked when she'd pulled away and left him standing alone in Tristan's backyard. Everything had been going perfectly, until it turned into a complete disaster.

Slipping the key in the ignition, he peeled out of Tristan's driveway towards his own house. Never in his life did he ever have to think so much about a girl. Rory Gilmore was going to be the death of him. With a sigh, he pulled out his cellphone and selected her number, keeping one hand on the wheel as he sped down the road. It rang several times before her voicemail came up, and he wasn't at all surprised.

"Hey, Ace. It's Logan. I have to admit, that's usually not the reaction I get after I kiss a girl. However, you have proven to me time and time again that you're not the average girl. And I'm hoping your reaction had more to do with your unique perspective on life than my kissing abilities. But seriously, I hope everything's okay. And I'm sorry. I think. Should I be?"

He closed his phone as he turned into the driveway and cut the engine. He knew his parents would be asleep already, so he wouldn't have to worry about dealing with them. This was one of the many times that he wished Honor still lived in the house, however. He could use a girl's perspective on the situation. And Honor never had any trouble speaking her mind.

---- ----

"So please enlighten me as to why I had to drag myself out of bed to meet you at nine in the morning," Honor groaned the next morning, taking a long gulp of her coffee.

"Because you couldn't meet me for lunch," Logan said with a grin.

She pointed a finger at him, "This better be important."

"I kissed a girl last night."

Honor blinked, "And I took a breath last night. What exactly is out of the ordinary about this situation?"

"It was Rory."

"Again," Honor pointed to her face, "Not shocked."

"She practically broke her ankle running away from me after I kissed her last night, but not before she was totally into the kiss. Which is why, my dear sister, you are awake at nine in the morning."

"I knew you liked her."

"Honor..."

"Right, sorry," she sighed, "She just broke up with a boyfriend, right?"

"Right," Logan confirmed.

"Bad breakup?"

Logan nodded.

"And she knows your reputation?"

"Yeah, she knows."

"Logan, this really isn't that hard to figure out. One, she just broke up with a boyfriend. Two, she knows you. Put them together and you have your problem. Can I go back to bed now?"

"But then why did she kiss me back? And I saw something in her, Honor. She wasn't objecting to anything, until of course, she objected."

Honor rolled her eyes, "Logan, odds are the girl likes you. I mean, even I know how you are with the female gender. But this girl isn't like all the other girls, and she's probably scared to death of you."

"But she's different to me," Logan heardhimself saying before he could stop himself.

"She's what?" Honor inquired, placing her coffee back on the table, "Repeat that, please."

Logan stared back at his sister, shocked at how true the words were. Rory was different. And suddenly, different was what he wanted more than anything. She made him laugh, she understood him, she was beautiful, smart, and funny. If she wanted a commitment, hell, maybe he should try to give her one. It was worth a shot, anything where Rory was involved was worth a shot.

"You heard me."

"So?"

He smirked, "So what?"

"Oh come on, Logan. I did not get out of bed this morning to play mind games with you. What are you going to do about it?"

He shrugged, "I can't do anything unless she calls me back."

"Look, if you like this girl half as much as I think you do, do not wait for her to call you back. Go get her."

Logan drew in his breath slightly, "I think she needs time."

"Time my ass. Go."

"Honor, really..."

"Tick, tick, bro. I have to go. I have work."

Logan laughed, "Bye, Honor."

"Go," she ordered one last time as she stood up, "I mean it."

"I'll think about it."

He watched his sister walk out the door and reached for his cup of coffee. Was he ready for this? Was he ready to give up his lifestyle for a girlfriend? The way he dated fell in with the kind of person he was: spontaneous, outgoing, changing his mind every two seconds. But then again, when Rory was even remotely close to him, he couldn't think about anything or anyone else. And the conversations they had? The way she spoke to him? She was unmatched by anyone he had ever met.

And suddenly, it all became very clear. He wanted Rory Gilmore in his life and he wanted her in his life in a huge way. But there were still several more questions running through his head: Could he do it? Did he want to give up his dating routine for a relationship? And most importantly, did Rory want anything to do with him?

He downed the rest of his coffee, left money on the table, and walked out of the cafe. He needed some time to clear his head, to think things through. Because if he was going to go after her, he had to be sure he could do this. The last thing he wanted to do was end up hurting her. There were a lot of things Logan was good at, but the boyfriend thing? He wasn't sure he even knew where to begin.

The ringing of his cellphone interrupted his thoughts, and the hope he had that it was Rory was diminished as soon as he glanced at the caller id.

"Yes, Stephanie?" he greeted.

"Is that anyway to great your favorite person in the whole world?"

He smiled, "Yes."

"Urgh, fine. Anyway, you ran out pretty quickly last night. And according to Tristan, it was after you and Rory caused quite the scene."

"I wouldn't call it a scene."

"Tell that to the population of Chilton."

"Shit."

"Nice reaction," she replied dryly, "So, I'm assuming one of two situations here: either Rory ran out because you realized the kind of girl she is and couldn't be with her or she realized the kind of guy you are and can't be with you."

"I'm actually not sure why she ran out, Steph. Why don't you ask her?"

"I would," the blonde replied, "But she's not answering her phone."

"Well, then, at least it's not just me she doesn't want to talk to."

Stephanie paused, "So what's going on here, Huntz? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly, "I don't know."