Disclaimer: Amy Sherman-Palladino, though she's unaware, is my new best friend. However, that does not give me ownership of these characters.

A/N: So, I know, it's been a while. We can still be friends, right? Hey, where are you going? I brought presents! This is dedicated to my extremely patient beta, cutiepiegirl, and to every single person that has clicked on this story. What up? You're awesome. Tell me about your day. Do you live in Southern California? Wanna talk about the rain?

Chapter 5: California Calling

Now there's a touch o' Californ-i-a
In everyone who's ever been this way
And when your telephone begins to ring
And the operator comes on the line
California callin'
I'll be there right away

-The Beach Boys

It was still drizzling slightly outside when Finn and Rory checked out of the hotel. When she'd originally gotten out of the shower and found that Finn had gone through her bag and picked out an outfit for her to wear, she'd been pretty upset. And of course he'd laid out the sundress that her mom had thrown in there while she wasn't looking. The back dipped low and the hem was short. Finn had begged, cajoled and finally bribed her to wear it. She was beginning to think he was onto something. Not that she would admit something like that to him, she wanted free coffee for the rest of the trip. But despite the overcast day, it was still humid and sticky out. The slight drizzle didn't help matters.

"Someone's bright eyed and bushy tailed," Rory commented as she watched as Finn bounded to the car. "Did you get much sleep last night?"

"Not really. Sleep deprivation does wonders for my mood," he replied with an eye waggle. He was wearing board shorts and a light blue t-shirt that said Balboa Ferry on it. "Oil change, breakfast and record store sound good for you?"

"Breakfast then oil change if you know what's good for you," she said as she got into the car.

"Breakfast during oil change?" Finn suggested as he slid into the driver's seat. "Do you wanna rest your legs on the dashboard? I don't mind if you get foot prints on the windshield."

"That's very generous of you, but I don't think I feel comfortable doing that in this short dress that you rummaged through my suitcase to find."

"But you've got great legs, love," he pointed out with a slight leer. "I'm driving all this way, I should at least get some leg action for that."

"Finn!" Rory exclaimed. "Is that why you picked out this dress for me?"

He smirked at her. "If I say yes will you take it off?"

"I feel dirty."

"You took a shower. You're fine. We're gonna go to the record store and breakfast and tomorrow – zoo!" Finn grinned impishly at her. "I love the zoo."

"You just went through four facial expressions in the past minute."

"I'm a very expressive person," he proclaimed with a dramatic flourish of his hands.

"Okay, James Stewart, can we get breakfast now?" Rory asked.

"Can I stare at your legs while we walk up to the restaurant?"

"All you want."

"To breakfast it is!"

Rory ordered three cups of coffee at breakfast, and made Finn stop at the Starbucks across from the street Jiffy Lube just to spite him. In retaliation he whined in her ear the entire time she was looking through records and bought a Best of the 90s Alternative Hard Rock CD.

She made him buy her another venti coffee.

"You did this on purpose," she grumbled as they drove out of Lincoln listening to the CD Finn put on. "I thought you had a radio rule."

"I thought you hated my radio rule. I'm just putting on something that isn't 101.9 The Big O," he replied innocently. "You told me you were tired of listening to country and rap."

"But I guess the same songs everyone brings up when someone mentions the 90s is a better option?"

Finn smirked at her. "You're getting very snappy about the music, love. Too much coffee?"

"You're way too perky for someone who only slept for three hours last night."

"Blame your boyfriend. He was just dying to talk to me. Well, to you. But I am a good substitute for you, I suppose." He laughed riotously as if he'd just told a hilarious joke. "So, doll, I can't be the only one who noticed how every single customer service representative of the male gender was utterly adorable."

"Utterly adorable? How old are you?"

"Um, I'm a hundred. You whippersnappers are all adorable," he deadpanned.

"Now that you mention it, the guy at the record store was kind of cute. And the guy at the coffee shop." Rory frowned as she thought about it. "Same with the guy at the front desk."

"And how stoned was the kid at the front desk?" Finn asked. "When I asked him how to get back to the I-80, he just stared at me and asked why I'd want to go back to the eighties."

"I thought you wanted to go back to the eighties and see Flock of Seagulls during in their prime," she teased.

Finn scoffed. "No where nearly as bad as I want to see Van Halen perform with Diamond Dave."

Rory laughed. "And here I had you pegged as a power ballad guy."

"See what happens when you make assumptions? What about you; if you could go back in time and see one band, who would it be?"

"Please ask an easier question, maybe something about the Hadron Collider?" she asked. He just gave her a look, so she leaned back to think about it. Finally, she answered, "Either Queen with Freddie Mercury, or Simon & Garfunkel when they'd actually look at each other on stage."

He nodded his head, which turned into bobbing as he turned on the radio. "Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night, I can see paradise by the dashboard light!" he howled to Rory's amusement. He spared a look at her. She was wearing a pair of bright yellow sunglasses that complimented her gray dress. He hadn't been kidding when he said that dress looked good on her; her legs seemed endless when she wore it. "I love this station. Nebraska is the kind of place I'd like to visit longer," he told her.

"Considering all the places you've been, that's high praise," she commented.

"It reminds me of home," he said wistfully. "I mean, I grew up in Sydney, but I went camping a lot. Granted, love, I also lived right next to the beach, which is why we have a house in Orange County."

"So what's your first name?"

"Nice try. I'll tell you if you go to Orange County with me." He smirked at her. "Maybe."

The idle chatter continued on and off for the next couple of hours. He told her about growing up in Australia and how he had ended up in boarding school ("my dad's second wife wasn't too fond of me or my sister impeding on her time with him"). In return she told him about Stars Hollow and Mia and Chilton. He laughed and laughed as she told him about how awful Francie was ("Colin's first serious girlfriend," he'd told her, which made sense when she thought about how Colin acted) and how she and Paris had hated each other.

"Speak of the devil," Finn muttered as Rory was telling him about her prep school days. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and briefly looked at the caller ID before throwing it to Rory. "Can you answer this, darling?"

Rory looked at the phone. The caller ID flashed 'Mrs. DuGrey.' "You want me to talk to Tristan's mom?"

"Something like that. Can you answer it? This construction seems to have no end, and I don't joke around with driver safety." His tone was serious, but the way his lips curled up when he said it lead her to believe that he might have actually been kidding. "Plus I don't want to talk to her."

Rory sighed and flipped the phone open. "Finn's phone," she said.

"Where's Finn? Avoiding me like usual?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Stephanie?"

"Isn't that what it said? I believe he also has an incredibly unflattering photo of me passed out to accompany it," Stephanie responded. "Is he driving in a construction zone, or is he really just avoiding me?"

"He's driving in construction," Rory replied. "Sorry, I was thrown off, the ID said 'Mrs. DuGrey.'"

Finn started to laugh, then brought his hand up to his mouth to stifle himself. Stephanie let out a long-suffering sigh. "Tell that jackass that isn't funny. I can hear you laughing, Finn!" she screamed into the phone. "Anyway, I just wanted to know what your progress was. Colin said you guys were in Lincoln last night. Has Finn tried to convince you to move to the Midwest with him yet?"

"Not yet, but he's told me all about how much he loves Nebraska," Rory told the other girl.

"He saw Twister when he was like twelve and is now convinced that storm chasing is his calling in life. Nevermind his lack of experience or how bored he would be in the Midwest. How are you doing on this odyssey of yours? Excited to see Prince Huntzberger again?"

Rory frowned. She hadn't really even thought about Logan today. She'd been so caught up with Finn, it hadn't even sunk in with her that she was closer to Logan. "Uh, yeah, I'm really excited," she lied, convincing enough to elicit a squeal from Stephanie but not enough to stop a strange look from Finn. "And the trip hasn't been so bad. I didn't realize Finn knows every song ever though."

Stephanie laughed. "It gets really annoying. And I don't know if you've noticed, but Finn can't sleep that well in hotel rooms, so he'll start to get really delusional after a while. It's a lot of babbling and coffee. Have fun!" she chirped. "Tell Finn to change my name back – better yet, you should do it – and call me when you guys get to LA."

"Why does he have you as Mrs. DuGrey in his phone?" Rory asked.

"Because I'm married to Tristan," she replied in a tone suggesting Rory should already know that.

"Didn't I tell you that?"

Rory's eyes widened. "Uh, congratulations. No I didn't hear that, congratulations."

"Thank you. We'll get together when you get back and I'll unabashedly flaunt it. Actually, one of my favorite games is to show off my ring to other girls in front of their boyfriends," Stephanie admitted. "It's evil, but I get a kick out of the way guys glare at me when I do it."

Rory didn't know whether to laugh or gasp at that. It was so mean, but at the same time she could see how much Stephanie would enjoy something like that. "Well, I'll call you when we get back. Congratulations again."

"You can stop saying that, I know Tristan wasn't too nice to you in high school. But the man can pull off a military uniform like nobody's business. Okay, I've monopolized enough of your time! Go interrogate Finn. Tell him to fuck himself for me. Bye, hun!"

"Bye, Stephanie," Rory replied as the other girl hung up. She was still stunned about the marriage thing, and much like with her mother, it was hard to get a word in while Stephanie was talking.

"You don't have to tell me, I heard," Finn told her when Rory snapped the phone shut. "And I know you're going to find the politest way to ask, so here's the skinny – see what I did there – on the weirdest marriage of all time. They were dating casually when he got shipped off to military school. Then he joined the Air Force and got stationed in Germany for a year before the base closed and he got stationed state side. Last winter he and Stephanie got married. But they're still casual because she's in college. Or they're not? I haven't asked in a while, the whole thing makes me sick."

Rory sat back to digest the information just given to her. It was a few minutes before she asked, "Why does it make you sick? It's not the most conventional marriage I've heard of, but it's no Billy Bob at the Oscars."

"They are the most dysfunctional couple I've ever met. Why anyone would let them in the same state, let alone live together, is beyond me. All they do is fight." He shuddered comically. "I don't know how she puts up with him. The military may have helped, but he's still an insufferable brat."

"I'm going to guess you don't like him," she deadpanned.

"Something like that."

"So they're married."

"Yeah." Finn sped up a little as the construction zone ended and the lane next to theirs was re-opened. "You want some more free coffee now, dear?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

Once the sun set, Finn convinced Rory to drive the rest of the way to Denver by promising her that she could control the music. Not that she could hear it over his talking anyway. He was practically bouncing in his seat and commenting on everything from the weather ("It's barely sprinkling, why is every jackass slamming on their breaks?") to the only other person on the highway with Connecticut plates ("You should race them," was his suggestion).

"How old are you, ten?" Rory finally snapped at him. "You're acting like I just fed you a pound of sugar and then took you to the petting zoo."

"You never mentioned anything about a petting zoo, doll," he replied playfully. "Relax, I just love Denver. We're still going to the actual zoo, right?"

She let out a breath and laughed. "Yes, Finn, we're going to the actual zoo. But can you calm down? You're driving me crazy."

"That's rather rude. How do you know you weren't crazy before me?"

"Speaking of crazy, what's with this two phones business?"

"One for my friends to call me on, one for girls I've hooked up with to call me on. Therefore I don't have to keep it on all the time."

"That's incredibly gross."

Finn shrugged and lit up a cigarette. "Some girls are needy."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I stand by my original statement. Don't you think one day you'll meet a girl that you might want to stick around for more than a one night stand? How will you know if you give her a number of a phone you almost never turn on?"

He laughed and ashed his cigarette out of the window. "When I meet a girl like that, do you think I'll give her my booty call phone number? Give me a little more credit than that, love. I'm not very good at relationships. There are a very finite amount of women in this world that will put up with someone such as I." He smirked at her. "And unfortunately, Logan seems to have gotten one of those girls that does."

"You'll find someone, Finn," she replied encouragingly. "I know you will."

Not long after they arrived in Denver and got a hotel at an incredibly nice Hilton in the middle of downtown (with two beds, thankfully), Finn took off and left Rory alone. She grabbed a book and was about to do some exploring of her own when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"For someone who said they're going to call everyday, you're doing a very bad job of keeping in touch with your poor, abandoned mother," Lorelai admonished.

Rory sat back down on her bed. "Yes, I abandoned you to run away to LA with Finn. He knows somebody in the industry that can put me in the pictures! That's why I haven't called yet today and diabolically answered the phone when you called."

"Your evil plan comes out! I should have known you wanted to be a star when you got the lead in the Stars Hollow production of Peter Pan. You made such a good Wendy, but I never knew that would be the thing that took you away from me." Lorelai sighed dramatically. "How's life on the road?"

"Amber waves of grain. But apparently Finn is completely at home here. He wants to move to the Midwest and chase tornadoes," Rory said. "Oh, and I found out today that Stephanie got married last winter. To Tristan of all people! That was just freaky."

"Stephanie is one of Logan's friends, right?" Lorelai asked. "Remind me who Tristan is again?"

"He went to Chilton with me until he got shipped off to military school."

"Oh that Tristan! Wow, that is weird. And they're a little young for that, aren't they?"

"Finn says they're totally dysfunctional. It's just so weird that I know people who are getting married."

"Makes you feel old, doesn't it?"

"I should just start collecting cats I find at the side of the road."

"I'll stock up on tuna at Dooses tomorrow. Speaking of Taylor, plans for the festival are coming along just as usual."

"So Gypsy has accused Andrew of trying to sabotage her booth because she has a better location and Miss Patty is teaching her dancers and Taylor is inefficiently trying to delegate?"

Lorelai giggled. "All of that, plus Kirk is trying to get into Miss Patty's dance class."

Rory laid down into the fluffy pillows, knowing this was going to be a long conversation. "Isn't he a little old?"

"Not according to his mom."

Rory was finishing up her conversation with her mom when Finn swung the door open with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Mom, I'll call you tomorrow, I promise. Kramer just came in," Rory told Lorelai.

"Tell him I say hi. Love you, sweets."

"Love you too." Rory snapped her phone closed. "You look really happy."

"I found a party to go to. Get dressed. You can play beer pong, right? What am I saying, of course you can," Finn rambled as he flipped her suitcase open. "You might want a jacket. The Mile-High City gets a wee bit chilly at night. Do you have heels?"

"None that go with this dress," she replied.

"Fine. You look smashing anyway."

"I haven't agreed to go to this party, Finn."

He just looked at her. "Why would you say no? It's gonna be fun."

"Do you even know these people? How do you know it's okay? Where is it? And don't we have to drive tomorrow?" Rory asked.

"After the zoo. We should be hangover-free by then. I just met these guys, but it's at the college, so I doubt it's going to be anything too nefarious. I mean, you don't have to go, but it'll be fun and you should be my date to save me from all the vicious Denver trollops." Finn gave her his puppy dog eyes and she laughed. "Please, love?"

She quickly squashed the butterflies that started up in her stomach at the idea of being Finn's date. That was just silly. "Okay," she relented. "But not too late."

Finn jumped up and down gleefully. "You're the best, Gilmore. You won't regret it, I promise."

Rory sighed and grabbed a sweater. She somehow doubted that.

They were undefeated champions at beer pong.

"Straight line, mate," Finn called out to the team whose asses were being kicked. This was the fifth team that had thought they could take out the unstoppable duo of Finn and Rory. "Cheers." And he sank the ball into the back cup.

Rory giggled a little bit as she lined up her shot. "I'm gonna make this one," she promised.

"Of course you are, love."

She squared her feet, raised the ball and arched her shot. It sailed over the table and hit one of the guys in the stomach. "Oops," she giggled again. "Next time!"

Finn wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into his embrace. He'd had a few side beers and shots to go along with their games, so he was almost as drunk as Rory. The poor girl just didn't drink as much as he did, that was no ones fault. She was giggling again at something someone of less importance had said. The first guy missed his shot, but his teammate took advantage of Finn's zoning and bounced it.

"Fuck," Finn swore and picked up two cups, one for him and one for Rory which she happily took. "Okay, love, are you ready to get serious, beat these douchebags, and go home?"

"Of course!" she yelled back and picked up a ball. "You first."

He picked up his ball, shook the water off, and sunk it into the front cup. Not wanting to get cocky, he just smirked at the opposing team and stepped back so Rory could shoot. With a look of determination on her face, she squared her hips and shot. It bounced off the rim of the first cup and landed in the cup right behind it, effectively winning the game with no chance of rebuttal.

She started jumping up and down and into his arms. "I did it! I won the game. I've never won a game before, I'm usually much better when the game first starts but I won the game! Maybe there is something to the whole 'the more drinking you do, the better you are' thing."

He chuckled and swung her around for good measure. "You did a wonderful job, darling. But I think as reigning champions it's time to leave as winners. Sound good, love?"

"Yes! Finn. Mr. Finn. I will figure out your first name, Mr. Finn."

"One day." He grabbed her hand and led her out of the party without bothering to say goodbye to anyone. It's not like anyone would really notice, anyway.

The hotel wasn't too far away from where the party had been. He stopped on the street corner to light a cigarette, and then laced his fingers in hers again. Rory was humming slightly, but nothing he could identify. "Did you enjoy the party?"

"Very much, thank you for making me go," she replied happily.

"Oh, don't say it like that, I don't want to sound like I'm forcing you to go. I don't want to be That Guy who makes you go to parties."

"It wasn't a bad thing. We won at beer pong! I should play that more often." She paused thoughtfully. "When I've played at Logan's, I haven't been too good."

"That's because you're usually playing with Rosemary or Juliet. Bless their hearts, they can't play beer pong for the life of them." Finn took a drag of his cigarette and spotted a gas station up ahead. "We're gonna make a quick stop, love. Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay, Mr. Finn," she confirmed. "Can we get cookies? You owe me a cookie."

He laughed. "I do, don't I? I almost forgot about that."

"A Gilmore never forgets the promise of cookies."

He led them into the gas station across the street from the hotel and grabbed two big bottles of water, two orange juices, some Advil, and a pack of Oreos. "Drink this," he told her when they got out of the gas station.

Rory nodded and took a long sip. "You're really good at taking care of people."

He nodded and lit up another cigarette. "A lot of practice. Don't hate me in the morning though, love. I bought you cookies."

She laughed and tore open the pack. "You're pretty cool, Finn. I was worried that because we don't know each other that well that this would be really awkward, but it's not."

"You're pretty cool too, Rory. Drink some more water."

She nodded and complied. "How long have you been smoking?"

"Since I was fourteen or fifteen, before I left Australia. It's not so taboo down there. Does it bother you?"

"A little," she admitted. "But I don't know a lot of people that smoke."

"Good for them. It's a filthy habit." He took one last long drag and then dropped it and ground it out with his foot. "Are you ready for bed?"

"So ready. I did not expect to drink this much."

"Well, beer pong will do that to people. Speaking of drinking, I want half that water bottle gone before I put you to bed, missy," he commanded playfully.

"Oh, you're going to put me to bed, are you?" she replied.

He just put his arm around her and took her to the elevator. She leaned into him and he could feel her smile against his chest. When they got to their floor he swept her up into his arms and carried her to their room while she laughed and laughed. He deposited her on her bed and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and pee.

She ran into the bathroom after him, presumably to do the same thing, and came back a few minutes later in her pajamas. She smiled at him and crawled into his bed next to him. He raised an eyebrow as she nestled herself into his side and wrapped his arm around her.

"You're so comfortable. Night, Mr. Finn," she mumbled.

He kissed the top of her forehead and turned off the light. "Night, Ms. Gilmore."