A/N Sorry I had no intention of taking such a long break in posting, but I got busy and then when I went back to read my chapter 10 I hated it so I deleted it and rewrote it and the next 2 chapter, which I am still editing. I don't love this chapter but I don't hate it either so hopefully it is acceptable.


As it continued into Fall, Rory began to settle into the swing of things on her own, and with that she began to thrive. She was still the editor of the paper, but she wasn't doing any articles herself anymore, she was delegating all the writing to the rest of the staff so that she could focus on editing, and her classes. Another thing keeping her busy was the fact that she had impressed her boss over her internship enough that they had kept her on staff but on a remote basis. She was being sent manuscripts to review from the slush pile when she had time, they were realistic that she didn't have a ton of spare time, but even what she could spare was helpful.

Without Logan taking up her time, and with the majority of that group having graduated the previous June, Rory realized that she didn't actually have that many friends outside of Paris. Sure she had Lane and the guys, she even heard from both Jess and Tristan regularly but no one that she could call up on a random Wednesday and ask if they wanted a drink. Paris was too focused on her final year and making sure she was in the optimum position for applying to law and med school.

Which is how Rory found herself here, on the way to get ready with Lucy and Olivia to go out for a girls night. They had declared that getting ready together was just as important as the night out. Rory decided to take their word for it, normally if she was heading out for the night it was for a society night, to meet the guys or just with Paris and Lane, and they never went anywhere that required much effort.

"Hey Rory, come in, come in!" Olivia exclaimed, pulling Rory into the apartment.

"Hey, hope this is okay, I wasn't sure what you guys would want to drink," Rory asked, handing Olivia a bottle of white wine.

"Sure, it looks great, we will drink anything, we're easy. Come on, we are in Lucy's room, she was just getting ready to tell me all about her new boyfriend," Olivia said, leading Rory through the apartment to the bedroom, where she could already hear the music blasting from. Lucy was perched on the floor, surrounded by make up, cd's and was already drinking a glass of wine.

"Hey Lucy, what's this I hear about a new boyfriend? I didn't even know you had been dating anyone," Rory asked, setting her bags on the ground, and starting to pull out her makeup, as Lucy poured her a glass of wine.

"Yes, it's new but he is awesome, soo soo cute, and it's going really well so far."

"Is he from Yale?"

"Yep, final year just like us," Lucy said, directing Rory to sit in front of her so she could do the brunettes hair while Rory did her make up.

"Will we meet him tonight?" Olivia asked from the closet.

"No, he had to work."

"Oh, where does he work?" Rory asked, as she continued to put on her eyeshadow.

"He works for a catering company, bartending and serving. He was working some fancy dinner party tonight in Hartford."

"I had a friend who used to do that. It was great he was always bringing home trays of leftover hors d'oeuvres and desserts."

"That's what he said too! Hopefully our consumption of petit fours increases," Lucy said, picking up her wine glass with her pinky extended, as Rory and Olivia laughed at her antics.


They didn't make it to the club until a little after midnight, but there was still a queue at the door.

Gesturing to the sign above her, Olivia states, "It used to be a bank."

"And?" Lucy asks, vacantly.

Someone laughs down the queue.

"What?" the confused girl challenges.

"Minted," Olivia stresses, pointing again at the name, as the girls fell into place behind her.

As soon as they deposited their coats in the cloakroom, Lucy makes a beeline for the bar, dragging Olivia and Rory along with her.

Lucy puts her height to use as she passes their drink order over the heads of the crowd.

"How does she do that?" Rory asks.

"How does who do what?" Olivia asks.

"Lucy, and that," Rory answers, waving a hand to where Lucy is ordering.

"Ah, yes," Olivia intones. "Lucy can move in and out of any room or crowd unnoticed."

"It's like a superpower," Rory marvels.

"She is a cat burglar," Olivia agrees, and Rory wonders if she is thinking of Catwoman, meant to say 'like a cat burglar', or if she perhaps knows something about Lucy's past that Rory doesn't.

A glass is being pressed into Rory's hands as Lucy reappears.

"To friends." Lucy toasts, looking at Olivia and Rory.

"To girls night."

"To nights out."

Olivia wraps an arm around Rory's waist and squeezes. "I'm glad you came tonight," she says happily.

"Me too," Rory says honestly, surprised by how much she is enjoying herself.

"And now, we dance," Lucy says, with a wicked smile.

And they do.

Rory loves dancing, and the alcohol only makes it easier. She feels light and free, even pressed up against the hot heaving masses on the dance floor. Lucy grabs Olivia by her hands and twirls around with her.

The songs blur into one another; Rory only recognises an odd few, the loud dance music not being her usual style. She grinds with Olivia to something with lots of low thumping bass.

After an easy guaranteed sing-a-long hit, that fills the room with chanting, the DJ spins seamlessly into something more melodic. Lucy pulls Rory into a ballroom pose. There is little space, but they make the most of it, as Lucy leads the slightly smaller girl around the floor.

"Give me a hand with drinks, will you?" Lucy asks as the song finishes, before taking off, not even waiting to see if Rory agreed.

Rory follows Lucy's expertly woven path through the sea of bodies to the bar.

"Okay," Lucy starts after she somehow squeezes them both into a space at the bar that moments ago did not exist. "Olivia and I have come to the fabulous and inevitable decision of shots."

"Can't we just get a regular round?" Rory asks, as she tries to guess which member of bar staff will serve them.

"Of course, we can," Lucy agrees. "But also shots."

She looks delighted and carefree, and it has Rory agreeing somewhat less enthusiastically, "Shots."

"Oh, the barman with the floofy hair is handing over change. You're up. Get on your tiptoes and flash him a smile."

Rory spots the bartender Lucy means and shakes her head. "You're up."

"What?"

"The one with the eyes is definitely looking at you."

"How d'you kn- What's wrong with his eyes?"

"Absolutely nothing," Rory says, honestly.

"What can I get for you?" the bartender asks cheerfully, bright blue eyes fixed on Lucy.

Lucy stares back, saying nothing. Rory understands. "a vodka coke, a gin and tonic, and a jack and coke," Rory rhymes off. "And three shots of something terrible, no doubt."

This snaps Lucy from her reverie. "Hey," she cries, shoving her arm. "Lies and slander."

She picks something bright green and slides the first shot poured to Rory, before repeating their drinks order a little more sedately.

Rory downs the shot and replaces the glass on the bar. When she pushes her hair back from her face, there is someone new beside her.

He's big, taller and broader than Rory. He's built like a football player. Though he's standing at the bar, the guy is angled towards Rory and his attention is not on the bar staff. Rory looks away.

She glances at the guy again. He smiles down at Rory. His teeth are even and straight, and his ears are the same size. He probably doesn't play football.

"Can I buy you a drink?" the smiling stranger asks.

"Um, no thanks," Rory says, with a sidestep disguised as a reach for the cocktail menu. "I'm just here to dance with my friends. But thanks."

He doesn't look back up from the menu, but the guy hovers.

"That's cool. Can I talk to you for five minutes while you buy your own drink, so my flatmate can chat up your friend?"

"Oh." Rory laughs. "While I'm not wholly sure that's a great idea, I guess they can try. Fair warning, she's got a boyfriend so I doubt they will succeed."

The guy's smile widens. "I'd pass that along, but my duty is here."

"Yeah, sorry about, I didn't know-"

"No, that's alright. I get it. You don't need to apologize," the guy cuts her off. "I'm Dan."

"Rory."

"Unusual name," Dan comments.

"Yep, it's a nickname. "

"Are you a student around here?"

Rory nods. "Yale."

Rory quickly learns that Dan is a third year history student at Wesleyan, moved to the area for university but is from outside of Boston originally, and met his flatmate when they were both test subjects for a mutual friend's psychology coursework, when Lucy bumps up against him meaningfully.

"We are gonna go dance," she says, as the guy behind her gives Dan an unsubtle thumbs up. "And John's gonna help me carry the drinks, so don't worry, you take your time here. I think Olivia will like him," she adds.

"Lucy," Rory calls, "one of those is... mine."

Rory sighs, and leans back against the bar. She didn't notice getting turned around - Dan isn't even really at the bar anymore, and Rory has his back to it, facing him. It makes sense though; they were taking up precious space at a bar people are fighting to reach.

"Now can I buy you a drink?" Dan asks.

Dan is attractive, Rory thinks, but he knows it. And not in the lazy way that Logan was and knew it; where with a look he'll let you know he knows you think so, but is in no hurry to do anything about it. Dan is in a hurry to do something about it. He's attractive and he knows it, in a demanding kind of way.

"I thought you were here as a wingman. I think your job is done," Rory says, politely.

Dan shrugs. "If I let John think it's a hardship, then he owes me one. But let's be honest, this," he gestures between them, "is no hardship."

"There is no this," Rory says, repeating the gesture. "I told you, I'm just here to dance with my friends."

"Come on, Rory. It's just one drink. And I'm the reason you lost your last one," Dan says reasonably, exuding friendly goodwill.

"No, thank you," she says firmly.

"What are you drinking?" Dan asks. He gives Rory a sad puppy dog smile. "One drink, please?"

"Fine, Gin and tonic please,"

Once their drinks came, Rory and Dan heading out onto the floor to find their friends and quickly found John dancing with Olivia, and Lucy dancing with-

"Marty!" Rory exclaimed at the sight of her old friend, missing that he looked horrified by her exclamation.

"Rory! You know boyfriend?" Lucy asked, and even as drunk as Rory was she didn't miss the underlying tone there.

"Yes, we used to be in the same halls, so we knew a lot of the same people, and hung out as friends a few times but I haven't seen him in a long time. How are you Marty?"

Marty looked both relieved and horrified at the same time, making Rory wonder what he had mentioned about her to Lucy, or not told Lucy.

"I'm good, I have been busy." Marty stated. "Are you still with Logan?" he asked with a pointed look at Dan who had continued to hover.

"No, he graduated last year, and we broke up a while before that."

"Sorry to hear that," Marty stated, sounding the furthest thing from sorry.

"Oh well, these things happen, things end when they are supposed to."

Lucy was watching the pair closely, sensing some underlying tension that she was too drunk to decipher. "Oh Rory, so is Marty the friend that used to work catering then?"

"Yep that's the one." Rory said. "He's a good guy, you are lucky," Rory stated honestly, as Marty had been a good guy, she just hadn't wanted the same things from their friendship as he had.

"I know, I am," Lucy said, as she turned to embrace Marty.

Rory took advantage of their distraction to slip away, and begin to make her way home. The interaction had even been enough for her to lose Dan in the crowd, which she was thankful for. He wasn't really her type and he hadn't been taking her hints that she wasn't interested. Oh well, Rory thought, as she began to wonder why Marty would look horrified at her admitting she knew him. Unable to think of a reason, Rory dismissed the thought, and assumed that she had just interpreted his look wrong after a few drinks.