AN: Happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for all the amazing reviews on my last chapter. I tried to get this one up as soon as possible, because I know I left a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the last one. So, here it is. Please read and review!

Rory felt like she was losing her mind with worry. It was the start of their second day back after vacation, and she hadn't seen or heard from Logan since he left the note on New Years Day. She couldn't get him on his cellphone, and the only people at his house were maids who barely spoke English. Colin explained that Shira was probably checked into a spa somewhere, and Mitchum was too busy with work to ever be home.

She bit her lip as she glanced down the hallway, hoping that the person she so longed to see would suddenly appear. He didn't.

Colin placed a hand on her shoulder, "Rory, I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for all of this. I finally got Honor's number and I left her a message before we left for school. If anyone knows where he is, it's her."

She nodded, but remained silent, not trusting herself to speak. There were so many different possibilities running through her mind that she could hardly keep them straight.

"If anything bad happened, we'd know. Even Mitchum would know if something serious was wrong," Stephanie reassured her, although the blond looked outwardly panicked herself, "I promise."

Again, Rory didn't respond. She didn't know what to say. She was terrified. Colin wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. But when she glanced up, she could she worry lurking behind his calm brown eyes. Logan was his best friend, and as much as Colin tried to hide it, she knew he was concerned.

Finn turned to her, a rare dead serious expression on his face, "Honor will call back, love."

"I know," she whispered hoarsely, not really sure if she believed it or not.

The bell rang, ending their practically silent conversation. Without a word, Rory turned and headed down the hallway, her mind reeling with possibilities about where her boyfriend could be. She had thought of everything, from the worse possible explanation to the simplest solution. For awhile, she had grown angry, thinking that he just went somewhere without calling. It didn't take long for the anger to give way to pure fear.

What if he left his house after he talked to Colin? The realm of potential situations stemming from that scenario were endless, and hardly any of them were reassuring. She sighed, blinking back tears, if he was okay then why didn't he call?

What could've happened to him?

--------

Her day passed in a blur. Attempting to pay attention in her classes was useless, and by the end of the day she wasn't even completely sure what classes she had anymore.

She met up with Finn, Colin, and Stephanie near the front doors. None of them looked like they had received good news, and her shoulders slumped slightly as she approached them.

"Nothing?" she asked, hardly an ounce of hope in her question.

Colin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry."

"I'm starting to get worried," Stephanie admitted, "Where the hell is he?"

"I'm sure his fine," Finn argued, "We'd know if he wasn't."

Rory swallowed hard, "Right?"

"Right," Colin assured, nodding firmly.

The four turned to file out of the school, each lost in their own thoughts. Silently, they turned to separate to their cars. Rory glanced up as she neared her vehicle, and what she saw made her heart race.

"Hey, Ace," Logan greeted, his voice oddly soft, "Miss me?"

Tears of relief burning behind her eyes, she raced towards him, grinning as she felt herself being wrapped up in his strong arms. He held her close, and when they separated, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

He sighed, "It's long story involving London and Satan."

"Huh, I thought God lived in London."

"What?"

She smiled slightly, "Never mind."

The first thing that alerted her that he wasn't himself was his quiet tone and slow responses. He seemed distracted, troubled, almost upset. She looked up at him, and truly studied him for first time. After their embrace, he returned to leaning against Rory's car. His face was pale, with heavy, dark circles beneath his tired eyes. It was the first time she'd ever seen him look shaky on his feet, and she was instantly concerned.

"Are you okay?" she inquired gently.

"Yeah, Ace, I'm fine. Just tired."

But she knew it was more than that, especially considering that he had yet to make a move to kiss her. He was still leaning heavily against her car, and stood up only slightly when he saw the other three approaching.

"Huntz," Colin said as he neared, "Where'd you disappear to?"

"Long story," Logan said simply, jaw clenched.

Colin nodded slowly, but Rory could see something deeper hiding behind his eyes. Finn and Stephanie looked just as confused and bewildered as Rory felt, but Colin knew something. The two best friends had shared a silent understanding, and Rory felt her initial panic from when Logan disappeared setting in again.

"You look exhausted," Stephanie observed, "You should get some sleep."

Logan nodded slowly, and Colin, Finn, and Stephanie turned to leave. Once they were gone, Logan sighed heavily and ran a hand through his already tasseled blond hair.

Rory brushed a hand lightly over his arm, before taking a step away. He grabbed her wrist quickly and turned her back around, his chocolate eyes practically pleading as he stared at her intently.

"Nobody's going to be home at my house. Come back with me," he offered, not forming a question, "Please."

She nodded, "Of course, if you want me to."

"I do."

She nodded again, and he leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her check. Being more observant this time, she noticed how hot his flesh was as it brushed against hers. She pulled back slightly, gazing at him intently.

"You're sick."

He shook his head, "Just tired. I'll see you my place."

He walked away silently, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and all she could do was stare after him. She knew how much he hated to show weakness, whether it was physical or mental. And right now, she had a feeling he was experiencing both. From what she could decipher so far, Satan was his father and Logan had been in London. All the traveling had probably made for little sleep, which most likely would cause his exhaustion and fever. But all that was just the surface, there was something deeper that he was hiding.

She sighed as she walked to the driver's side of her car and slipped inside. Hopefully, Logan would confide in her when they reached his house. Glancing around, she was relieved to see a limo pulling out ahead of her instead of Logan's Porsche. With the way his tired eyes had looked, she didn't want him anywhere near the wheel of a car.

--------

Logan was stretched out on the couch in his den, and Rory was curled up next to him, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. They had been laying in silence for awhile, but suddenly Logan took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I don't want to complain," he began, "Or worry you."

She smiled gently, encouraging him, "Logan, I'm already worried, so you can't stop worrying about that right now. And I'm your girlfriend, complain to me. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything."

She fell silent, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"You probably already know that I talked to Colin around eleven," he paused, waiting for her confirming nod, before continuing, "Shortly after that, my dad came home and told me to pack my bags, that I was leaving for Europe. I didn't have time to call you then because I was leaving in ten minutes, Mitchum's orders. Anyway, as soon as I got in the limo, I opened my phone to call you and he took it away. He said that I had to focus on this trip, and I couldn't have my friends distracting me. He then proceeded to lecture me the entire way to the airport about how disappointing I am and how much better I should be."

He stopped here, and she suddenly hated Mitchum Huntzberger more than she ever thought she could hate a person. She suddenly knew what the silent meaning between Logan and Colin's eye contact was. Colin knew all about Logan's father; he knew all about the way he treated his son. And although her boyfriend would never admit it, Rory could see the pain in his eyes that Colin must have seen it as well.

"We got on a plane to London, and I was planning to get some sleep, but then my father decided to get chatty. We talked shop the entire way there. I hardly slept at all once I was actually in London, partly because of my anger and mostly because I was constantly moving from one office to another," he paused briefly, his eyes flashing, "Mitchum, however, got plenty of sleep because I was sent to do everything for him, apparently I needed the experience, never mind that I was dead on my feet. Oh, and did I mention that everything I accomplished while he was sleeping was somehow horribly wrong?"

His eyes stopped showing anger, and for a second he let himself appear upset, but then his stony expression returned. She reached down and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his.

"Logan..."

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Ace. You don't need to hear about this. I just--"

"Logan," she interrupted firmly, "I do need to hear about this. It's what I'm here for, okay?"

"I really want to kiss you right now," he told her, his mischievous smirk appearing for an instant, "But I don't want to get you sick."

"So, you admit it. You are sick."

"A little, I guess. Mostly just worn down."

Silence fell over them once more. Rory listened to Logan's soft breathing as he ran his hand lightly over her hair. She wasn't used to him being this troubled, this quiet, and she hated it. And she hated Mitchum for doing this to him, for wearing him down not only physically, but emotionally. Rory knew Logan as such a strong person that it was hard for her to see him so upset. She could only imagine the exact words Mitchum must have used to hurt him, and she wasn't about to ask her boyfriend to elaborate. He'd said enough already.

His breathing grew steadier, quieter, and his hand stopped moving, instead it lay resting against her shoulder. She turned her neck to see Logan asleep, his face even more pale than she remembered. Careful not to wake him, she gently placed her hand against his forehead, worried to find that his fever had spiked since she first noticed it earlier that day. She knew he should take something, but she was hesitant to wake him, knowing that he would probably be out for the rest of the night. Slowly, she slipped out of his now limp embrace, and stood before him. She grabbed a blanket from the nearby chair and covered him, before placing a gentle kiss on his feverish forehead.

She walked out of his den, turning off the light as she left, and sent a glance over her shoulder before making her way towards his front door. As she was heading towards her car, her phone rang in her purse and she grabbed it, not recognizing the number on her caller id. With a small shrug, she flipped it open as she slipped inside her car.

"Hello?"

"Rory?" a female voice responded, "It's Honor."

"Hi," Rory said, slightly confused.

"Hi. I'm calling because Colin said you were probably with Logan. I just wanted to see how he is. I actually just found out he hasn't been home because of Colin's phone call. Dad's an ass."

Rory couldn't help but smile slightly at the blond's energy, but quickly turned serious once more, "He's upset, and worn down. Apparently your father gave him quite the lecture and Logan hardly got any sleep. He has a temperature right now, and he fell asleep a few minutes ago."

"Shit. I was hoping Colin was mistaking when he said Logan had the 'Mitchum look'."

"The Mitchum look?"

"Yeah, the look Logan, and me too, I guess, always get when my dad is a complete asshole, or says something that we actually take to heart."

Rory bit her lip, "He probably won't wake up until tomorrow morning. I'm worried about him."

"He'll be okay," Honor assured her, "I promise. I'll check in on him tonight, because I'm going to come home and scream at my father anyway."

"Okay."

"Don't worry, okay? He'll be fine."

"Yeah. Thanks, Honor."

"No problem. Bye."

Rory closed her phone, feeling slightly better after to talking to Logan's sister. After all, nobody knew Logan better than Honor, and if she said he was going to be okay, then he would. She drove on, her mind clouded with thoughts of her boyfriend. It was almost scary to see the normally comical, of the moment Logan practically crashing. Seeing him like that broke her heart, and she wished she knew what to say to make him feel better. She released her breath slowly, and turned off the Stars Hollow exit. Hopefully, he would be feel better in the morning.

--------

She was flipping through her locker combination when she heard the voices the next morning. Usually, she just would've ignored the girls with the shortened skirts standing beside her, leaning casually against the rows of lockers. But today? Today was different.

"I just got back from London last night," one girl explained.

"How was it?"

Rory sent a sideways glance in their direction. The first girl that spoke was blond, leggy, and looked like she belonged on the front of a fashion magazine and a brunette stood beside her, studying her manicured fingernails.

"It was good," the blond continued, "Especially my dad's business dinner."

"Why?" the brunette inquired.

A smile consumed the blond, "Logan Huntzberger was there."

Rory's heart jumped, and she felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Why would the blond care if Logan was at the dinner? Unless...? She felt her stomach flip at the thought of Logan being with another girl, but decided not to jump to conclusions. Fighting back the tears that threatened, she turned away from the girls to continue to hide her identity and listened.

"Isn't he dating that Rory girl?"

"It's Logan, he doesn't really date anyone. Let's just say we had a great evening together. He can kiss, that's for sure."

The brunette laughed, "Lucky you. I want details."

They started walking away, and Rory lost track of the conversation. Se was sure she could feel her heart literally shattering. This was it; this was exactly what she'd been afraid of. Logan had cheated on her. She'd been up all night, worried about him, and he'd been in England cheating on her. An overwhelming rush of devastation and anger consumed her. She wasn't sure whether to scream or burst into tears. The way she felt at that moment was nothing compared to what she felt when Jess broke up with her, it was so much worse. Logan meant more to her than Jess ever had, but she guessed she had trouble trusting their relationship for a reason.

He said he would never intentionally hurt her. He said that. He came to her. If he didn't really want this, they could've just left it as a kiss that turned out to be a mistake. But she really thought they had something special, that when they were together there was a spark. But she guessed she was wrong and yet right at the same time. Even though she wanted him to be, Logan wasn't ready for a real relationship.

She'd been betrayed by her best friend.

She leaned against her locker, unable to hide the tears any longer. They streamed silently down her cheeks, smearing her mascara across her eyes. Her shoulders shook as she hung her head, attempting to hide her sobbing form from the rest of Chilton's population. It didn't work.

"Rory?" Colin's voice said gently, "What happened?"

She looked up to see him and Finn standing before her, concerned expressions plastered on their faces.

She shook her head slightly, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Rory..." Finn began, reaching for her arm, "Talk to us."

"I said I don't want to talk about it, Finn," she practically hissed through her tears, pulling her arm away from him.

And then she saw him. Logan was walking towards her with Stephanie, and when he saw her his brown eyes instantly clouded with worry. He sped up and she turned her head, refusing to look at him.

"Ace? What's wrong?" he asked as he neared, his voice heavy with concern.

"Don't you dare act like you don't know what's wrong," she informed him, her worst clipped, and incredibly steady considering her current condition.

"What? What the hell is going on?"

"Screw you."

She shook her head and turned to leave, not making eye contact with any of the four people standing before her. She couldn't handle explaining right now, and she couldn't handle looking at Logan any longer. How could he?

"Rory, tell me what's going on."

His pleading voice stopped her in her tracks, and she felt her anger rising to the surface. She whipped around, eyes blazing, and stared at him.

"You cheated on me, you bastard!"

He words left the whole group standing in stunned silence. Stephanie turned to Logan in disbelief and there was venom coming from Finn and Colin's gazes. Logan took a step forward, appearing confused.

"That's crazy, Ace. I would never cheat on you. Where did you hear that?"

"Stop sweet talking me," she demanded, "Just shut up for once. I'm leaving."

"I didn't cheat on you," he said firmly, "I could never cheat on you. That's bullshit and you know it!"

She didn't answer, and the last thing she saw before turning around again was Logan slamming his fist against a locker.