A/N: I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to update this one. My head has been too full of ISWAK and JHL among others that I haven't been able to get into this one, until now. I feel this story is coming along quite nicely and I hope you all agree and enjoy the update. Thanks, J.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or the title of this chapter. That belongs to PJ Harvey.

An Offer She Couldn't Refuse

Chapter Five: No Girl So Sweet

Rory collapsed exhausted onto her bed with her arms outstretched, her hair splayed behind her, heaving a deep sigh. She turned her face slightly to see the time displayed on her alarm clock. It was only 9am. She had been up since the crack of dawn, literally, thanks to Emily, who believed that an early start was the only way. Rory's tired mind, eyes and body disagreed with her. She needed sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. And anyway, apart from her DAR duties, what else did she need to get up so early for. Sometimes she wished she could just lock herself in her bedroom away from her Grandmother; away from the world.

Breathing another heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and welcomed sleep to consume her. However, as she had already discovered life was cruel and her peaceful silence was disturbed by the sound of someone calling her from the other room.

Groaning, she pulled her weary limbs up from the bed and shuffled through to the living room, fully expecting her Grandmother to be waiting for her with more inane tasks for her to complete.

I hate my life!

As she entered the living room, her eyes widened as she noticed a familiar raven haired girl sitting on her sofa, with an expectant smile on her face.

"Vanessa!?"

"In the flesh." The dark-haired beauty confirmed and stood up as Rory crossed the room to greet her with a warm hug.

"I didn't think you were getting back until next week." She said as she pulled away from her. "You look incredible. Paris obviously works for you."

Vanessa laughed as Rory let her eyes take in the tanned perfection standing before her. Vanessa Cartwright was tall and slim. She had long legs and long, shiny dark hair and dark brown eyes that held you prisoner if you dared glance at them. She was stunning and quite possibly the one person in Rory's life right now that didn't drive her nuts.

Vanessa was born into society but unlike many of her peers, she still had her feet firmly on the ground. She and Rory had bonded over one of Emily's famous tea dances a few months back and had become fast friends.

"I really didn't want to come home, but I have some interesting news to share and couldn't wait another week to tell you and everybody else." Vanessa spoke enthusiastically. She was beaming. In fact, Rory was certain she was glowing. She definitely had missed her these last two weeks.

"What?" Rory asked, suddenly feeling re-energised. Vanessa always had that affect on people. She was always so bubbly and full of life that it was hard not to feel the same way.

Vanessa continued grinning at her and then held up her left hand. Rory was almost blinded by the shiny rock staring back at her. It was huge. Rory's eyes widened once again and her jaw dropped.

"He proposed?" Vanessa nodded excitedly, a huge grin spreading across her features.

"He proposed!" Vanessa exclaimed and wrapped her arms around Rory in a bone crunching hug.

"Can you believe it?" she pulled away and stared down at the huge ring on her wedding finger. "He just asked me. It was completely out of the blue. We were just walking down the street and he just stopped and pulled out this little box and then…"

Rory was completely delighted by her friend's good news. Vanessa had been dating Patrick Hudson for about two and a half years and they were, quite possibly, the most perfect couple on the planet. He worshipped the ground she walked on and whenever Vanessa would talk about him, her eyes would go all starry and she would sigh like he was Prince Charming or something. Rory thought it was sweet, but at the same time, she had found herself becoming increasingly jealous of her friend's perfect life. And, although, she was exceedingly happy for her, it was just one more thing to remind her of her own pathetic life.

She felt like everyone else was moving forward and she was the only person standing still. She was stuck in her Grandparents pool house, her mother wasn't talking to her, she had no direction in her life and Logan hated her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Vanessa had stopped half way through retelling her wonderful romantic tale as she noticed Rory's sad expression.

"I'm fine." Rory replied as brightly as she could. Vanessa didn't buy it for a second.

"Is Emily getting to you?" She asked knowingly. Rory didn't answer and instantly Vanessa jumped into action. She tugged on her friend's arm and started pulling her towards the door. "Come on! I'm getting you out of here. Let's go shopping!"

Vanessa didn't hear the groan coming from Rory at the prospect of traipsing around dress shops. She was too happy with her own news; she didn't notice her friend's despair.

RLRLRLRL

"Hey Rory? Can you get me that blue dress? I want to try it on." Vanessa's muffled voice asked from the other side of the curtain. Rory was sitting on a bench reading a trashy magazine while Vanessa tried on every dress in the store.

"Uh, sure." She sat the magazine down and made her way from the changing rooms to the main shop floor. She searched for the blue dress that Vanessa had been eyeing earlier.

"That would look awesome on you!" Someone exclaimed from behind her as she held the blue, floaty dress up to her body. She turned her head to see two girls standing beside her; one with red hair, the other with blonde. They both had big smiles on their faces and Rory smiled as well as the realisation hit her.

"Rosemary! Juliet! Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Juliet just got dumped, so we're indulging in some retail therapy." Rosemary explained. Juliet just glared at the red head.

"I did not get dumped. I broke up with him." She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Rosemary rolled her eyes and smiled at Rory.

"Right. Sorry. So, what are you doing here? We haven't seen you since…" she broke off as she realised the reasons behind them not seeing each other for so long. "…well, it's been a while."

Rory gave her a small smile and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Yeah."

"How have you been?"

"Good. You know, busy."

"Right. I heard you joined the DAR. That must be…a lot of…work." She said awkwardly trying to find the right words.

"Yeah. It is. My Grandmother keeps me busy."

"Right. I remember Emily from my cotillion. She makes Hitler look like a little furry kitten."

"She's not so bad." Rory tried to defend her Grandmother but then she remembered all the early mornings and couldn't find the justification to do it. "Well, maybe a little."

All three girls laughed at that and then suddenly Rory felt uncomfortable under Rosemary's scrutinising gaze.

"Ooh, check out that dress!" Juliet left them alone as she was drawn to a little black number at the other side of the store.

Rory could still feel Rosemary's eyes burning into her and she felt very uncomfortable. She felt like she knew a secret about her. It was disarming.

"So, I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Logan. I always thought you two made a great couple. When he finally figured it out, I was sure you two were…" Her voice trailed off again as she noticed Rory's pained expression.

"Well, I thought you looked cute together." She shrugged and Rory gave her a forced smile.

"I guess some things just aren't meant to be." She sighed wistfully. Rosemary gave her another studious look like she didn't quite believe her blasé attitude.

"Funny. I was pretty sure that you two were." Rory met her gaze and again felt uncomfortable. She felt as if Rosemary was reading her mind and could see exactly what she was feeling.

"What about you? How's your love life? Did Finn finally wear you down?" She asked desperate to change the subject. Any longer and she would be breaking down and confessing all of her darkest secrets to her. She had always liked Rosemary and Juliet. They hadn't been particularly close but they were fun to hang out with along with Logan, Colin and Finn.

"Oh, don't even go there." Rosemary rolled her eyes and Rory couldn't help but laugh. She remembered all the times that Finn had tried to wear down her resistance. It had never worked but he was persistent if nothing else.

"Listen, what are you doing tonight?" Rosemary asked as Juliet returned clutching the black dress she had fallen in love with.

"Um, I don't know."

"Well, a bunch of us are going to this club tonight? You should come." She said cheerily. Both Rory and Juliet stared at the red head with surprise and uncertainty in their eyes.

"Oh, I don't think that would be such a good idea."

"Logan won't be there. If that's what you're worried about. Finn told me he's having dinner with his parents." Rory noticed Juliet visibly relax at the news.

"Um…"

"Oh come on, Gilmore! It'll be like old times. I miss having you around. You can't leave me to deal with Finn on my own. Please?" Rosemary pleaded with her as Juliet smiled expectantly.

"Yeah, come on, Rory. Hang out with us." The blonde echoed her friend's sentiments. Rory chewed nervously on her lower lip. She hadn't really spent any time with their group since she and Logan had gone their separate ways. She had always felt that they were his friends and that when she gave him up, she was also giving them up too. After these last few months, she had definitely missed them all, including Finn and his crazy antics.

But could she really throw herself back into that world again? Even if Logan wasn't going to be there tonight, did she really want to put herself in that position?

"Okay." She answered with a hesitant smile on her face. "I'll be there."

"Yay!" Rosemary grinned at her. "We'll have so much fun. I promise. Be ready for 8pm. We'll pick you up."

As she watched them wave and walk away, Rory didn't feel as enthusiastic about the 'having fun' part.

RLRLRLRL

"I feel it in my bones, boys! Tonight is going to be the night that I finally get Rosemary to go home with me!" Finn declared as he returned from the kitchen with more beers for him and his friends. Logan and Colin just rolled their eyes as they accepted their drinks from him.

"I'm sorry I won't be there to see you fall flat on your face for the millionth time." Logan replied and Colin snorted.

"You'll see. That girl cannot resist all of this forever. She wants me. I can see it in her eyes. She'll give in." Finn said determinedly. There was not a doubt in his mind that he would have Rosemary at some point and tonight would be the night.

"Finn, I think what you see in her eyes is annoyance and anger because you won't leave her alone." Colin reasoned and it was Logan's turn to snort with laughter. Finn just made a childish face at them and flopped onto the chair, sulking into his beer.

"It's easy to confuse that with lust." Logan confirmed and they both laughed. Finn just glared at them and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" Logan inquired.

"I was just saying that at least I'm not a chicken like you." Finn spoke loudly, puffing out his chest as he took a swig of his beer.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Have you run into Rory lately?" Finn fixed him with a harsh, knowing stare. Logan shifted uncomfortably in his seat and his jaw clenched at the mention of Rory's name. Colin looked from one of his best friend's to the other and put his head down, paying all of his attention to the fascinating beer bottle in his hand. He knew what was coming and he really didn't want to get involved.

"What does Rory have to do with anything?" Logan could feel his irritation growing. Finn was developing a nasty habit of bringing up his blue-eyed ex-girlfriend whenever he wanted to piss him off. It was getting rather tiresome.

"Well, at least I go after what I want." Logan laughed and shook his head.

"Who said I wanted Rory?"

"You didn't have to say it, Logan. The way you were looking at her last week spoke volumes. You still want her, don't deny it." Finn was one million percent sure that Logan still had a thing for the infamous Gilmore Girl. He would bet his life's supply of Playboy's on it.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Finn." Logan rolled his eyes and downed some of his bottle of beer.

"Of course not. Just you keep living in denial."

"Hey, who wants to watch some football?" Colin interjected as the tense silence filled the room. Logan and Finn were glaring at each other in some kind of standoff.

"Why the hell would I want to be with someone who used me and then broke up with me after she got what she wanted?"

Finn sighed and ran his hand through his unruly dark hair. "You know, you are just like your father. Everything is always so black and white. Have you ever stopped to wonder why she did what she did? Maybe she had her reasons."

"Yeah I know she had her reasons, Finn. That's the point." Logan was struggling to maintain control of his temper. Comparing him to his father was a low blow, even for Finn.

Finn sighed in frustration. Logan jumped in before he could say anything else.

"Why are you so quick to stand up for her? I mean, why do you even care?"

"I like her. I liked you when you were with her. And in the time I got to know her, I just think there's more to the story than meets the eye." Finn explained. He hadn't hung out with Rory extensively during her dalliance with Logan but the one thing that he had learned about her was that she was unlike any other girl who had caught Logan's eye. She was funny and intelligent. She had a quick wit and seemed completely genuine. He didn't think for one second that she could be remotely capable of hurting someone so callously off her own back. There had to be more to it.

"Yeah, well…I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Finn. But Rory and I are over. So, get used to it. I have."

Finn didn't say anything after that. He just watched carefully as Logan went about getting ready for his family dinner. Logan could protest as much as he wanted, but Finn knew better. He could quite clearly see how much his friend had been affected. He wasn't as dumb as people perceived him to be. In fact, he saw a lot more than most people. That's why he was so certain there had to be more to Rory's story and he would find out. When something struck his fancy, he could be pretty ruthless in pursuing it. Just ask Rosemary. He would figure out the truth. It just didn't make sense. Why would Rory go out of her way to use Logan to get to his father and then a few months later drop out of Yale, giving up all of her dreams in the process?

He would figure it out, or he'd die trying.

"Who wants another beer?"

RLRLRLRLRL

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rory asked as she followed Rosemary and Juliet through the crowd as they tried to find the others. She had to raise her voice over the deafening noise of the music.

"Of course!" Rosemary yelled back. Rory meandered through the packed club with a knot forming in her stomach. She was feeling a whole mixture of emotions as she was about to come face to face with her past.

"Everyone's okay with me being here tonight?" She asked warily. She didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

"Rory? Will you just stop worrying and have fun. Everyone is totally cool. And if they're not, then tough." Rosemary tugged on Rory's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Come on."

They brushed passed the throngs of people until they reached their destination. Rory felt the knot growing in her stomach as she stood before them; Logan's best friends. He was nowhere in sight, but going by the look on Colin's face, her presence wasn't exactly welcome universally.

"Look who I brought!" Rosemary smiled and plonked herself down on the empty chair next to Juliet. Rory stood awkwardly as the rest of the group studied her warily. Colin kept his eyes averted from hers and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He definitely wasn't happy to see her there. Next to him was Robert. He raised his eyebrows at her and gave her a slightly lascivious grin making her skin crawl. Next to Robert were two other familiar guys whose names she couldn't remember. They glanced at her briefly and then went back to conversing amongst themselves.

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the chair beside Rosemary, who was still smiling at her. On her other side was Colin. As she settled in, she was sure she could feel his eyes boring into her from time to time.

"So, whose round is it?" Juliet piped up and immediately Colin pushed out his chair.

"I'll get them in." Before Rory could look up, he was gone and heading to the bar.

She rest her hands in her lap and focused most of her attention on her fingers as Rosemary and Juliet started arguing playfully with the two at the other end of the table. Their names were Sean and Derek. They were fellow LDB members. She remembered them now from the event Logan had taken her to all those months ago.

Rory listened to the conversation going on around her, but still kept her eyes on her lap. She suddenly felt a presence beside her. Glancing slowly up, she met a pair of dark eyes. Robert had moved into Colin's chair and was sitting dangerously close to her now, with a smirk on his face.

"You're looking as stunning as ever tonight, Rory." He said in a loud enough voice that only she could hear him.

"Thanks." She smiled softly at him but returned her attention to her surroundings. hoping that Robert would get the message. He was sitting way to close to her; she could feel his breath on her face every time he spoke.

"I haven't seen you around for a while. It's a shame."

Just as Rory was about to respond to him, she heard a loud Australian accent booming above the music. She twisted round to see Finn coming towards their table, with his arms outstretched and his eyes on her.

"Rory!" Instinctively, Rory stood up and Finn engulfed her in a big bear hug. "You look absolutely ravishing, love."

"Hey Finn." She giggled at his over enthusiasm as he swatted Robert on the head and told him to move over. He sat down next to Rory and suddenly she didn't feel so unwelcome anymore.

"So, what have I missed?"

RLRLRLRL

He was livid. He sat silently seething at the dinner table, his jaw clenched, his brow furrowed and he was quite sure that if it were at all possible, then steam would be coming out of his ears. For the past hour, he had been quietly trying to subdue the anger that was bubbling away inside of him. But every time he chanced a look at the girl sitting next to him at the dinner table, and then at the smiling eyes of his mother, he wanted to smash something.

She had set him up. His mother had set him up once again with a girl whom he had absolutely nothing in common with. Not only that, but she was a dead ringer for a certain someone whose name he wouldn't even consider for fear of letting his control slip.

So much for a nice family dinner. His father wasn't even there, neither was Honor. It was a family dinner with someone else's family.

Shira had invited the Hamilton's over to the Huntzberger estate, along with their dreadfully dull daughter Alyssa. He'd had to endure listening to her droning on about something so tedious he couldn't even remember what she had said a mere five minutes later.

He was bored and he was pissed off.

Who did Shira think she was depriving him of a night with his friends so she could play matchmaker?

"Alyssa, why don't you tell Logan about Princeton? It's a wonderful school. Not as good as Yale, but still." Shira said sweetly noticing the non-existent interaction between her son and the woman she deemed worthy of his company.

Alyssa glanced up from staring nervously at her plate. Her blue eyes met Logan's and she smiled shyly. Logan ran his hand through his hair as she explained about life at Princeton. His eyes glazed over as she went into painful detail after painful detail. Logan could feel his soul dying.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Why was he so bothered by how boring she was? Since when did he care about making conversation with a girl? The only conversation he was usually interested in revolved around the words 'your place or mine?'

As Alyssa continued telling him about her room mates Anya and Phoebe, Logan let his eyes trail over her face. She was attractive in a plain sort of way. Her dark hair framed her pale features. She was slim and well proportioned in all the necessary places, but as he stared back at her as she talked, he couldn't help but think how her blue eyes weren't quite as bright as a girl's he used to know.

A vision of Rory's smiling features drifted through his mind. Her big blue eyes had been haunting him for months since their break up. Her smile was burned into his memory. The shape of her nose, her soft, plump lips, and every detail of her beautiful face was permanently etched into his brain. No matter how much he protested the fact, Finn was right, he was in denial. That girl had gotten under his skin and despite everything she had done to him, he couldn't deny the pull he felt for her. There had always been something between them, something strong and uncontrollable drawing him to her.

He would fight it. He was too angry to ever consider going back there again. He would do everything in his power to stay away from that girl. He would learn from his mistakes and letting Rory Gilmore anywhere near his heart had been the biggest mistake of them all.

"She has allergies so we had to get rid of the cat. Not that we were supposed to have pets in the dormitory anyway, but it was sad to see Tabby go."

"Who's Tabby?" Logan snapped out of his daze to hear Alyssa was still rambling. He had no idea what she was talking about. He looked to his mother, who was glaring at him, her eyes full of annoyance.

"Tabby was the cat." Alyssa explained for him.

"Oh." Logan finished his wine and then pushed out his chair. He'd had enough of Alyssa and her Tabby cat. He needed to get out of there and away from his mother before he said something he would regret. Or something she would make him regret.

"Logan? Where are you going?"

"Um, I just remembered that I have a paper due. I haven't even started it, so I should really go do that…now." Shira, Alyssa and her parents were all watching him curiously. Shira was secretly seething just as much as he had been.

"But we haven't even finished dinner yet, Logan." Shira said grinding her teeth. Her eyes were blazing as he rounded the table and came to pass her.

"I'll get something later. I really have to go." He reasoned and then turned back to greet the rest of his mother's guests. He smiled at Alyssa and then nodded to her parents. "It was a pleasure meeting you all. Goodnight."

Before Shira could say another word, he bolted out of the dinning room and quickly made his way to the door. As he waited impatiently for the maid to bring him his coat, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He turned to see his mother's angry face.

"Logan Elias Huntzberger where do you think you are going?" She fumed; her face was turning a shade of crimson. Logan cringed at the use of his full name.

"Like I said, I have a paper to write…"

"On a Friday night?" Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes were staring him down.

"Mom."

"How dare you just walk out like that. We have guests. You just embarrassed me in front of everyone."

Logan rolled his eyes. "There were three people, Mom."

"That is not the point. I wanted you and Alyssa to talk. To get to know each other. She's a lovely girl and she would be perfect for you…"

"No. She would be perfect for you. She bored me to tears in there. I'm sorry, but I'm not just going to sit there while you try and marry me off to whomever you deem worthy." He could feel his suppressed anger now dangerously close to the surface.

"Logan, you are my son. It is my duty as your mother to make sure that your future is secure. Alyssa would make a wonderful wife. "

"Are you even listening to yourself?" He was exasperated now. "I'm not going to marry Alyssa Hamilton or any other drone you throw on me. I'm 23 years old. I can make my own decisions. I will choose who I want to be with and who I want to marry. If I want to get married that is and you will have absolutely no say in the matter." His voice was getting louder now but he didn't care.

"Logan, if I left it up to you to decide I'd be ninety by the time I have any grandchildren and you'd be married to that terrible Gilmore girl."

Logan's eyes widened at the mention of Rory. He felt his anger explode. "Well at least it would be my choice!"

With that, he grabbed his coat from the maid and stalked out of the house, banging the door closed behind him. He made his way to his car and sat inside, cursing his mother and the world in general. He closed his eyes and let his head fall against the headrest. He inhaled deeply and let out all of his frustrations in a heavy sigh.

Deciding that he needed to get out of there quickly before his mother tried to set him up with someone else, he started up the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

He drove in silence for a few moments until he got tired of listening to his own irritated thoughts. So he reached down for a CD and popped it into the player, not noticing which one he had. It wasn't until the first song came on that he realised which CD it was.

He stared off into the oncoming headlights as the melodic sounds of PJ Harvey filled his car. Rory had burned the CD for him months ago. He had completely forgotten all about it.

A/N: This chapter was supposed to be longer but I cut it into two. I hope you liked it and thanks for continuing to read my stuff. Its been a while now since the show ended and it still amazes me how popular this couple still are. I know I love them and I'm glad that you do to. Keep the Sophies love alive! Thanks. Please review and let me know what you're thinking. Unlike Edward Cullen, I can't read minds. LOL.