Author's note : Thank you for the reviews. And to follow up on one of them. End of chapter 1, when the door rang, it was Lorelei coming to help Rory with her packing and moving.

Disclaimer: I do not hown Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 3: A week end in Stars Hollow, a week in New York part 1.

By the end of the summer, the tour was heading for New York. They would be spending one complete week in the same location but would only have two events to cover. And this means a bit of time to visit friends and family. My GrandParents are expecting me for the first time since I went on the road. I am expected at Friday night dinner with Mom and Luke. Right now, I am heading home. Feels weird to think about it. I had not spent more than two months in a row for the last 5 years, I have not even been there in three months or so but I still think about it as home. My mom is only expecting me tomorrow at noon but I arranged for the bus to leave me in Hartford and I am going to surprise her at work.

Sitting on the bus, I take my cell and send a quick text to Finn

"I will be in NY Sunday. Want to meet? Rory."

To which I get a reply "Of course, we'll have a blast, where ? Are we going Sleepless in Seattle at the Empire State? Or do you prefer The Pick-Up Artist at the Met? "

"Neither, let's Superman and meet at the Grand Central Terminal ? I will be arriving at 1:30?"

"Fine, but remembers that you suggested Superman? "

"Thanks, see you in a couple of days Finn!"

"Yes you will Love"

And as the bus pulls in, I pick up my bag and head out. If feels so good to be back. It is weird though, I kind of feel like an outsider now. But, first stop Luke's.

As I go through the doors "Rory Hi, did your mom know you were getting in town today? Welcome back. Come, come I'll serve you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks Luke, you are a mind reader"

"No, I just happen to know you and your mom! I have been serving you coffee for years now. So, how are you doing? The job is good?"

"Well, the job is good. I get a lot of good reviews from my articles and I seem to get recognized for good work which is pretty good. But, life on the trail is harsh… cheap motels, long hours in a bus with strangers, working until late at night writing and fast food morning noon and night. It is a wonder I have not gain 30 pounds."

I take a sip of coffee, god this coffee is perfect… now I am really home.

"I am not surprised, It's the way you have always been eating Rory. By the way, you want something to eat?"

"Yeah, but I forgot, the worst is never getting your coffee! Yeah, cheeseburger and Fries?"

"Coming up, Rory, it is good to have you back."

After eating, I leave my bag at Luke's and go to the Drangonfly Inn.

As I enter the lobby, I hear Michel "Rory, it is good to see you, how have you been?"

"I am good Michel, how are you yourself?"

"I am good… I finally lost the 5 pounds I was working on for a while, can't you see it?"

And my mom enters the lobby as I was about to answer.

"Rory! How is it that you spend some time with my boyfriend before coming her, who spend hours in pain giving birth Luke or I?"

"Mom, I needed the coffee and I needed to eat. You know we can't be deprived of coffee, I am your mini-you aren't I?"

"Yeah, yeah, but now, what are you waiting for, come and give me those 3 months of hugs. I did not expect you until tomorrow. What happened, did you leave the bus as it was passing by?"

"No, I arranged for them to let me in Hartford and, while I thought of staying at grandma's I decided to come here and see you."

"Well, if you preferred Hartford, it can be arranged."

"You know I did not think about it one minutes… can you get off early? We are due for movie night and a lot of talking in between movies. What do you say?"

"You're on. Michel, I will be heading home. Oh, and we'll meet Sookie tomorrow for breakfast. She is again getting so huge… the baby is due soon. "

"So what are we starting with? Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for sure, then, how about Mary Poppins or Pippi and we can finish with Casablanca? What do you say?"

"Ok, but make it Pippi, Mary Poppins is mostly for Christmas or for really harsh days. By the way, I am staying until Sunday morning, then I am taking the train to New York. I am meeting Finn there and I have an event for the campaign to cover on Monday. "

"Wait, you are ditching me one day early for one of the Limo Boys… a friend of Mr. Butt Face himself? Are you getting back to Logan?"

"No, I am not getting back with Logan. Since after our breakup, Finn and I email each other and I talk to him almost as often as I talk to you and Lane together. That night when I tried to go out with Lucy and Olivia, I saw Logan at the bar and he was drunk and pissing me off, so I left and he came to talk to me. He was surprisingly caring. So we ended up getting to know each other. He really surprised me. He is not what I thought… or he did change a lot in the last year."

"So which one is it? The tight-ass or the hot Aussie with the accent?"

"He is the hot Aussie."

"So you do find him sexy."

"There was no doubt, he is sexy but it is not like this. We really are just friend, he does have a girlfriend or at least he had, he has not mentioned her in the last few weeks."

"Oh, so why didn't you invite him here then? You both could have spent the day in town with me. I guess he couldn't be worse. "

"I don't know, it kind of does not feel up to me to invite him. Anyhow, now we have a plan, so I might be able to see with him we might be able to come during the week if you want to. I'll see and we'll confirm on Monday morning ok?"

"Yeah! It's fine, so now, who goes to the video and Dosey's and who gets the food from Luke's?"

"Go to Luke and make out while you are waiting for the food. I'll get the movies and snacks."

So we each go our own ways and when in the video store, I bump into Dean.

"Oh! Sorry. Hi, how are you doing?"

"Fine. Thanks, I hear you are on the road reporting or something."

"Yeah, I am working as a reporter on the Campaign for Barak Obama. Not the best job, but still…"

"I hope you like it. I gotta go, someone is waiting for me. Take care Rory."

"Thanks, you too Dean."

I had not expected for it to be so easy… I thought there would be something weird but wow, so that is how it feels when you are really over someone. It's weird though, I still feel like I care about him but seeing him, I know there is nothing there anymore.

I head home with all my bags and start putting everything in place for our movie night.

As mom is not back yet, I dial Lane's number.

"Hey little mommy, how are you doing?"

"Rory, good to hear from you aren't you due back tomorrow?"

"Well, I am home now. Just waiting for my mom to get back and then we'll have a movie night."

"Will you talk to Lorelei about our discussion from last week? You need to sort through it or you will never have closure. Please talk with her, she is so easy to talk to for these kind of problems anyway"

"I know. It is just hard cause I always believed she never quite was happy with Logan and I. I am pretty sure she was relieved that I did not get engaged. Even though she never mentioned anything."

As I was saying that I hear her pulling over.

"Lane, can we get together tomorrow, I am leaving on Sunday morning. I might be back sometime next week but it is not certain."

"yeah, sure, drop by anytime tomorrow morning, I am usually up between 5:30 and 6…"

"I will, but not that I don't want to see you but don't expect me before 10…"

"OK… babies are probably going to be doing their naps by then. Would be good."

"So see you tomorrow!"

"Mom, I'll be heading to Lane's tomorrow morning. I'll meet with you and Sookie after. Now let's get that mother-daughter time we've been craving ok?"

"First thing first… how have you been doing? I know we talk all the time on the phone but I always feel there are some things you are not sharing… and I was right, I did not know you had kept in contact with some of Logan's friends."

"It is only Finn… I believe Colin is pissed at him for talking to me… but we avoid talking about Logan anyway."

"Wow, is there something to talk about concerning Logan?"

"Well, let's just watch the first movie, then I promise, you will hear everything. Now , can we dig in?"

After watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and eating half of what was on the table, we are sitting on the couch and I can feel my mother looking at me.

"Rory, you need to start doing the talking or I will start to torture you… you can't leave me like this after telling me there was something to talk about."

"Yeah, I know. It is just that I have been on the road for a while now and I don't know what I expected. I thought I would eventually feel less like I did a mistake saying no to Logan. Maybe I could have had said yes and my live would be more easy… maybe I would have gotten a job there and all would have been fine. There are days I regret so much not getting engaged that I almost call him… I actually did once… no answer, and I am not sure if I felt relieved or annoyed. I did not leave a message though."

"At least that was a good thing… I am sorry Rory. Do you still love him?"

"I think I do. But then, I have this feeling I am seeing only the best of the relationship and not the bad times. We were not that in synch at the end, otherwise, he would have known I was not ready to get engaged and to move to the other site of the country. He never got our relationship and the fact that I need to kind of be close to you. Then again, I am not really closer now am I?"

"Oh, honey, I don't think it is the fact that it was in California that scared you out of the engagement. Didn't you tell me once that you thought something was off before you broke up?"

"Yeah, I don't know why but I know something else than the company mess happened last spring but I can't figure out what… everything seemed to get better by April but until then I don't know…"

"You need to figure out what you feel for him though before doing anything. I don't want to orient you any way. I want you to know that you might not be happy of what you find once you get in touch with him… "

"Did you hear something or saw something?" Rory knew her mom, even though refusing to fit into society was always aware of all the gossip and going on of the Hartford Society.

"NO! I would have mentioned it… Do you think there could be something,"

"I don't know , it was never really clear why he suddenly came back to work from New York… and after which I would hear from his colleagues but never from Bobbie. "

"So you are not over him then…"

"Nope… not even close to being over him… As Finn said… I am not even aware of guys around me. Am I ever going to get over him?"

"Of course you will, but you need to want to."

"Thanks, how about we go on to #2 then… which movie do you want?"

The rest of the week end went by quickly. Dinner at the grandparents was one of the nicest we had except for the little conversation about my refusal of Logan's proposal. We had a nice day on Saturday. On Sunday my mom dropped me off at the train station in Hartford…

"So you will call me tomorrow to confirm if you can come back next week? Yes, I will… Don't worry… Finn is a gentleman when he wants to… not the character you saw when you picked me up from Jail. Anyway, I will be at the hotel for the night. "

"OK, I love you hun. Talk to you tomorrow."

Sitting in the train on the way to New York I had time to think over the Logan thing… I was not over him, still wondering if I did the right thing but I guess I'll never know. Should I nonetheless start dating? It's not as if it would be easy to date with my work… I am on the bus all the time and do not stay in one place for long enough to start something. I ended up in New York before I knew it. Now I was a bit nervous… I had not seen Finn since that day in May… What if we only had a virtual friendship?

As I was getting out of the train and trying to find Finn, which should not be hard as he is quite tall… I see someone with a red cape. I start laughing and head toward him… As he turns around I hear him :

"Lois, Love, it is you!"

"Finn, you did not need to wear a costume… "

"Ah but then, we would have been like any of the others meeting loved ones. You should know by now that I am a lot of things but never ordinary."

"Yeah, I should have been expecting something like this. Well, I have everything, shall we?"

"Yes, we shall." And he offers his arm for us to go to meet the limousine that was waiting for us.

"Wow, you know how to pick up a girl Finn… Maybe The Pick-up Artist would have been a more suiting choice then."

"Well, never Robert Downey JR over Christopher Reeves. It would have been a waste of my features is so much more Reeves, love. How was your week-end home?"

"Well, it was nice. Felt good to see my mom, Luke and Lane. I miss everyone so much. I had a nice talk with my mom. Now where are we heading?"

"If I remember correctly, you need a high amount of caffeine in your body to be nice to your surrounding so I thought I would bring you to what I believe is the best coffee place in my neighborhood. Then, we can go to your hotel and you can get settled in, get ready and we'll have the best night out a friend could offer. For sure, sex would make it even greater, what do you say Love?"

"Finn, what about your Daphnee?" I answer blushing.

"Is she the only thing keeping you from succumbing to my incredible charm?" He asks with one of those smile that would make anyone weak.

"Finn, we are friends and didn't you say I am not yet moving on. In which case you would only get hurt." I answer trying to forget the nice image that had already formed into my head.

"Well, I thought we should be alone tonight. See if we could go from virtual to reality… Even though sex is not an issue going form virtual to reality could be quite shocking… you have not spent that much time with me, I might exhaust you with my rambling" he said laughing.

"I am pretty sure I can handle you, Finn. Just as long as you do not end up doing the Passion of the Christ again. " It is so natural talking to him, I actually never had a male friend like this. With Logan, there had been something even from the start, maybe with Jess.

An hour later…

"Wow, I have to remember this place. It is really good coffee. I mean, it's not Luke's but still. The dessert though are to die for and the company was pretty good."

"So will you still be up for supper later tonight?"

"Finn, who are you talking to… of course I will be up for supper. I just need to get to the hotel, I will take a quick shower, change and meet you in the lobby, is that ok with you?"

"That was the plan love. So shall we go? I have something else planned before I feed you again though."

"Oh, tell me, tell me. I am not very big on surprises?"

"Nope, I thought I would break your aversion to surprises." He says and leans a bit more into me "But, I am pretty sure you will find it interesting."

"Ok, by what time do I have to be ready?"

"If you want to have time to enjoy where we are going, I suggest you get ready as quickly as you can, it is already three pm."

"Do you know which hotel I am at?"

"Well, I saw where you were supposed to stay and honestly, I can't have a close friend come in New York and not provide the best. So I reserved you one of our rooms in our hotel. It is close to where you should be staying so you can walk to meet your group tomorrow but you will be so much more comfortable. Here we are love."

"Finn you did not have to do so. I would have been fine in my hotel. I feel like I should be paying you. I don't deserve this. Please let me at least pay you back."

"Love, you can't afford it with your salary. But let me treat you, I am not expecting anything in return but you hanging out with me this week. Oh and maybe accompany me to one or two Event while you are in town cause I need a date to some of New York's finest soirees. Is that a deal. Anyway, this is the room my family keeps for personal guests, and no-one is using it this week."

"Are you sure this is not too much? And why aren't you going with Daphnee."

"Listen love, it is not costing me anything to say the truth. So it is more than ok. And I need to tell you and Daphnee and I are not dating anymore. Remember that conversation we had when I was saying I was not sure if we were friends or more, well, she kind of felt the same way. We still hang out and are still friends but nothing more. You are going to love her though. I had planned on us having brunch later this week."

"Oh, I'd like to meet her. Brunch will be perfect."

We walked through the lobby and he got to the front desk and got the keys to my room. Actually, I should say suite. I was in room with one bedroom, a kitchenette and a living room. Even with Logan, I had never stayed in anything like this.

"Finn you shouldn't have, treating me to a room in one of your hotel is enough. I only need a bedroom and a tv. This is way too much."

"Love, if I am to be hanging out with you this week, you need more than a bedroom. You know, with my sex appeal, being too close to the bed might be overwhelming for you, you have after all been celibate for more than 3 months. And you do call me your Hot Aussie." He says with a smirk when he realizes I am blushing.

"Ouch, you are nasty now, A girl can resist your charm Finn. Anyhow, thank you, I really appreciate having my own apartment in Manhattan for the week, but are you expecting me to act out like a real Society Girl or can I be my own self?"

"Are you sure you can resist me Love. I am after all Exotic , aren't I?" He says with a twinkle in his eyes and then continues on. "I am expecting you to be true to yourself, I would not like for you to go and get completely drunk and leave me alone while you try to get lucky."

"Well, on that note, you can make yourself comfortable, I will go and get ready. Oh and by the way, if you are free on Wednesday, my mom invited you to Stars Hollow so I could go back and give her back the day you stole from her." And I go into my room to gather clothes and then head to the shower.

"When did I stole a day from her?"

"Today, she feels as if it should have been hers so when I mentioned I was coming to meet with you she asked why I did not invite you to Stars Hollow so she could still spend time with me. So I say I'd asked for later this week. Are you ready to spend a complete 24 hours with two Gilmore Girls?"

"Is anyone ready for this in anytime in their lives?" He answers bursting out in laughs. " But It would be my pleasure."

"Yay! I am going to let her know tomorrow."

45 minutes later, I get out of the bathroom, completely refreshed and wearing a nice denim skirt, a nice blouse and a pair of sandals.

As I pick up a jacket I ask "So Finn, aren't we heading somewhere?"

He then looks up from the tv. "You look amazing, love, not that you haven't always looked good, but I don't know, there is just something so different…" And I could see in his face that he really meant it.

"Thank you Finn. I have to say that even though I have not mention it before you do look good yourself. And I do know what is the difference on you. Being sober does agree with you, If you allow me, I would only guess that you would be visiting the gym regularly."

"Well, to be honest, I am. Every other day, it keeps me focused."

"So we are ready?"

"As ready as can be."

Finn's plan was something I would not have guess. He brought me to New York City Public Library. He even showed me around and pointed to different aspects of the building. I would have never thought Finn would know that this was the perfect place to bring me to. After that, we went to have a walk in Central Park and had a late supper.

As the evening was passing by, we talked and became, if possible more and more comfortable with each other. Finn had chosen a nice restaurant, not at all pricey but it did have character. After, I insisted on him showing me the places he is managing so we ended up going to three of the nightclubs he owned. We both ended up a bit tipsy and he ended up sleeping on the couch of my suite.

I woke up with a headache at about 3:30 in the morning. As I went into the bathroom to get some aspirin, I peeked in the living room and realized that Finn was way too tall to sleep on the couch so I head toward him and lightly touch him. He wakes up a bit bewildered.

"Love, is everything all right?" He asks.

"Yeah, I am fine. But you can't sleep on the couch, let's switch, I will at least be able to fit in."

"No, I can't let you sleep on a couch."

"Then, come and we'll both sleep in bed. No one will get angry as we are both free. And I trust you. Anyway, the bed is a King size and there is enough for at least three."

He smiles and say "I will let this one slip Love, as I am completely beat."

"But yeah, I think I haven't slept yet, so I will accept your offer." And they both head to the bedroom.

The next morning. Rory's phone rings and wakes both of them. As they come to their senses, they both realize that Rory was in Finn's arms, her head laying on his shoulder. They both lay there, not moving as it feels so comfortable. After about 10 minutes, Finn sighs and shift a bit. Rory sits on the bed and then realize that it is 11 am.

"Shit, I haven't slept like that in so long… but I am due at the bus at 12!"

"I had not slept like that either in a while. As you are awaited soon, go in the shower, I will get dressed and we will head out."

Rory picks the clothes she wants to wear to work and pick her phone to call her mom.

"Rory, where are you? I wanted to leave a message at your hotel but was told you canceled your reservation. Is there anything I should know?"

"Sorry Mom, I should have called to let you know Finn offered me a room in one of his Hotels in New York. And no, there is nothing you should know" As I was saying it we can hear Finn calling for room service."Rory, I can hear an Australian accented male in your room, hence I conclude your sexy Hot Aussie what is he doing this morning in your room?"

"Nothing, we just ended up staying out quite late and he stayed in the room. Your call just woke us up. But nothing is happening here, I would let you know, remember our conversation on Thursday?"

"yeah, yeah, so are you coming this week ? I need to meet my future son in law?"

"Mom! But yes, we will be coming to Starts Hollow on Wednesday morning and coming back on Thursday as we need to attend some Charity event here in New York."

"Ah! So I have my day back… but Limo-boy there must behave. Even though we now call him Hot Aussie does not mean I don't remember the first time I met him…"

"K mom, I really got to go and get ready. See you on Wednesday."

"Love you kid."

"Love you too."

So I shower and get ready. When I head toward the living room, I see that Finn is getting the table ready.

"You called for breakfast?"

"Yes Love, I know you needed coffee and I ordered pancakes so you can eat and we'll leave right after."

"You are wonderful Finn… How come are you still available?"

"Because, you only want to be friends" He says and winks at me laughing.

After breakfast we both head out of the hotel and he walks me to my hotel which is really a couple of blocks away. We hug goodbye and decide as discussed to meet on Tuesday for brunch at 10 am.

As Finn walks away on that nice Monday morning, he can't help but to think of Rory Gilmore. What a dumb ass Logan is. He had one of the most genuine, attractive and intelligent woman I have ever known and he couldn't even bring himself to appreciate it. Thinking about Logan, he wonders if he should mention to him that Rory is up here and that they met and will again. If there was any way he could be sure that Logan wouldn't react too badly. He would love to be completely honest with his best mate. But since last May, he can't help but feel that although his friendship to Logan will never be over, he will never again respect him as he used to. He now saw that their values were not always aligned. So even though he appreciated his company, he did not want to stick with him thick and thin. He needed to be honest with himself and true to his own values. Which means, if Rory asked again, he would no longer protect him by keeping silent. He will answer the truth, but only if he feels it won't hurt Rory. God did he wish he could meet someone like Rory, he would treat her and make sure she would stay by his side. Only if he could…

On her side, Rory walks to the group of reporters. One of her friend from the campaign meet her. "So was that your ex?"

"No, it is a friend of mine, Finn. He is actually one of my ex's best friend. We kind of ended up being also friends. Which is surprising as we did not talk that much while Logan and I were together. But I don't know. I always knew he was somehow different but since he is no longer spending all his time with Logan and Colin, he did get this new personality that is so much more. I feel like he is now who he truly is, before was just him showing off."

"Who ever he is, he is Gorgeous. I wish I did have friends that looked like this and that looked at me like he does."

"What are you talking about. He's just concerned."

"Are you sure about this?"

"What is with everyone today... Finn and I are friends, nothing more."

"Don't I know it."

And on that note, they go into the bus and head to work. As I am sitting, I realise that I have not been thinking about Logan for more than a day. Maybe I am getting finally over him. I still want to talk to him though, just to make sure. I really have to find a way to get Finn to let me know where Logan is. I have a feeling that for me to move on, I need to meet with him.