Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls

A/N: I have been working on this chapter for a while. The second half was written in my head before I got the beginning smoothed out. The next chapter will be Logan and Rory ... I know you have been waiting patiently, and so have they :) and it is coming to a close soon .. well, as soon as I have a computer and time again. Personal life note, we are in the middle of moving. Brought the youngest child home from College this month, finished one more semester of my degree work, sold our house, and move at the end of the month. So, lift a glass to change ...

"Welcome to the Peach Pit" Lorelai shouts as she picks up her phone without looking up to see the guests approaching the desk with Michel.

"San Fran, Mom, not LA, and still in Vegas, so more like Hero's, um, no, Oceans 11" Rory is holding her phone while unpacking her laptop and getting settled in the suite booked by Finn. She has her own room and can hear MK squealing in delight as she discovers the fully stocked mini-bar.

"California, it is all the same. Oh, Vegas, is this a what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas trip?" Michel pushes Lorelai away from the desk and gives her a shove toward her office "Go away, you are scaring the guests" he hisses.

"More a Meet me in Vegas, only, ugh, no, Mom, it is work. I wanted to bring you up to date on the happenings of the past week."

"Who is squealing in the background? I didn't think Comfort Suites had anything to squeal about or are you at the Bates Hotel?"
Rory sits in the chair and puts her feet up, "Again, California and Norman are definitely not here. We are staying at the Cosmopolitan."

Lorelai has now settled into her office; she was thinking that the Cosmopolitan was definitely not the type of hotel that Hugo was footing the bill for unless Rory had a really good night at the craps table. "Explain, Mommy, is feeling a bit like she is meeting up with a Strangers on a Train here."

Rory launched into the Paris reveal, MK's take on the network thing, how the AP is interested in her writing for them, and the resulting pro-con list discussion, "so, I am now Rory Gilmore on the bus, and that went surprisingly well, Leigh Danes online and still on the fence, but leaning toward Rory Gilmore - a shout of "I'm voting for Rory Gilmore" came from the other room and Lorelai interrupted, "I vote for Rory too." - ok, thank you to the peanut gallery, and I was saying, oh, yeah, leaning toward Rory Gilmore for the AP because, well, two of my colleagues, Sam and Ezra pointed out that if someone searches for Rory Gilmore, they are going to find my pieces and name associated with the Yale Daily News, and as long as we can keep the engagement announcement out of the newspapers until a year before the wedding, then I have time to really establish myself as a serious journalist. Oh, and get this, Ezra is doing a piece on how Obama is using the internet and in particular the emerging social media platforms to reach out to the young voters and he is going to interview Logan when we get to California about how he sees the news industry taking advantage of these new platforms and the future of the world of journalism. Turns out Logan is the first media person to jump to the social media arena. Ezra thinks it is brilliant for him to establish an understanding of the trajectory of these different online platforms and how to use them for expanding the reach of journalism. I didn't tell him Logan left because of his father and not this grand vision."

Lorelai is sitting back in her chair and listening to everything that has happened. "Hm, that explains the Joan Crawford call."
Rory has gotten up and is pacing the room, "excuse me? What does Grandma have to do with this?"

"She called earlier this week to tell me that I didn't actually get the Inn running entirely on my own, I had help. Mia, Sookie, Luke, the town this whole list of how I needed to let you know it was ok to reach out to your network and not try to do it all on your own." Lorelai has a look of hurt on her face, it is clear that she feels betrayed that Rory has talked to her mother instead of calling her.

Reading her mother's breathing patterns, "Um, Mom, this is the first I have heard of Grandma being involved in any of this." Looking a bit dumbfounded she sits back on the bed, ugh, who was talking to her grandparents?
"Well, someone got to her about you and a network, and well, she has a point. I talked with Luke and he reminded me that without Mia I would definitely not be where I am today. He didn't take any of the credit, but he is definitely the reason that I have been able to do the Annex. I just didn't think of them as a network, I think of them as my friends. I am proud of you Rory, you are writing amazing articles and I look forward to reading your stuff each week. I am even starting to think that Obama might be ok, still love Hilary though."

"Thanks, Mom, I think I need to have a chat with some of my friends who are trying to help me."

"I think you can let them off the hook, Babe, she had a valid point about the help I had, but don't tell her"
"Lips are sealed"
"and we are good here because now I see why you would have been concerned with Paris announcing to the world."

"My fault, I left it on speaker"
"eh, still, and wow, my kid is going to be writing for the AP"

"Freelancing one article"

"Don't burst my bubble."

"ok"

Lorelai leans back in the chair again, while Rory is laying on the bed, "so, how long are you in Vegas?"

"Just long enough to get drunk, lose all my money, get married, and hear Obama talk about change."

"Oh, only 24 hours?"

"Yup, just don't tell Logan."

"My lips are sealed" comes from her phone.

Rory's door opens and a brunette head pops through the door, "Don't tell Logan what, Love?"

"Finn" Rory jumps off her bed and runs to Finn giving him a giant hug.

Over the phone, Lorelai is calling her name and finally hangs up as she can hear Finn and Rory saying hello.

"Oh, my Mom, hang on a second Finn," Rory runs back to her bed, and picks up the phone, "Mom, Mom, sorry are you there?" She realizes her mom has hung up. She texts her a quick message.

Rory: love you, Mom - talk later?...

Mom: Yup, love you too kid, have fun with Finn … and tell Logan.

Rory: LOL no worries.

Rory turns back to Finn and links arms, "Thanks for the room Finn, does your family own this one too?"

"Nope, we just have agreements with certain hotels through an alliance; works out well for us. Are they taking good care of you? Have everything you need, Love?"

"Finn, after the places we have been staying this is heaven, thank you so much!"

MK comes out of her room, into the central suite area, "Is this Daddy Warbucks?"

Finn turns around to take in the petite, brown-eyed brunette standing in front of him, with a huge smile. Picking up her hand, "Who is this ravishing beauty before me, Love?"
Rory playfully smacks him, "Finn, Mary Kay aka MK, and no Finn."

Finn kisses the back of her hand as she blushes, "Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Love, she is lovely, MK is it?"

Rory sits down, "she is not a closet redhead, Finn."

Finn pouts and releases MK's hand and Mary K looks at Rory with a cocked eyebrow, "closet redhead?" she asks.

Rory leans forward, "Yeah, Finn has a thing for redheads, it is hard to explain."

Finn wiggles his eyebrows, "it is easy to explain, redheads are exotic, I am exotic, and we all get hard, but mixing in a cute brunette could be fun." he responds with his suggestive look.

MK gets what Rory was referring to, "ah, best to keep this on the friend list." she retorts waving her hand between her and Finn.

Finn turns to the mini-bar, "drinks ladies?"

Rory turns, "Coffee" grabbing his hand and nodding at MK to head out in search of a coffee shop.

Over the next couple of days, Rory interviews people who have listened to Obama's speech, deciding to do an article highlighting what people hear compared to what Obama says and what they want to hear. Getting to know MK better, has improved her reporting as they discuss the speeches from the conservative viewpoint along with the independent and more liberal approaches. Rory is starting to really develop a sense of writing without bias but providing a greater perspective on the issues as seen from various points of view. After listening to the speeches and following up with people who were in attendance, she is getting together each night with Sam, Ezra, MK, and Finn. How Finn has become a regular is still not very clear, but he seems to be intrigued with getting to know the reporters and Rory has noticed that he doesn't seem to drink as much as he used to at Yale. However, he still prefers the evening hours for getting together. Ezra and Sam are both very talented reporters and Rory has noticed that Sam is still trying to pump Finn for information on Logan after he had let it drop that they had been best friends since boarding school. Rory was starting to get nervous as she watched Finn down another drink that he would start talking about Logan, but the next thing she knew her name was coming out of Finn's mouth.

"Rory here, Love, was actually the one that changed us all." Finn was saying to his audience, all sitting with drinks, relaxed and enjoying the night air on the rooftop bar of the Cosmopolitan.

Mary K looked intrigued, "Rory changed you, how?"

Finn took another sip, leaned back, and put his fingers together as if thinking about how he was going to proceed.

Rory jumped in, "Oh, I wish I had changed them, they are still the - crazy, adventurous, ready for anything, and spend copious amounts of money without thinking first that they have always been." She looked very certain of her answer, but Finn studied her with a 'Are you serious look'?

"How can you say that? Logan went from being a womanizing playboy who never stayed with the same woman for more than three days, or should I say nights and now he is engaged. Colin used to bump into people and act like they had rammed him, now he says excuse me and moves out of people's paths. I used to be drunk 24/7 and never worked, but now I have discovered that working is rewarding, but the best part is being able to improve people's working conditions and lives by making adjustments, like not treating them like servants, but people, even then I pay them to serve." He cocked his head and watched her face soften as she realized that all happened in the first week they had met.

"You remember the verbal dual Logan and I had outside my room?"

Ezra was leaning forward intrigued, "Verbal duel? You verbally dueled with Logan Huntzberger."

Finn started laughing with the memory, "Oh she more than verbally dueled, she didn't like him, she didn't like the way he or his friends treated people, she even called him Judy Dench."

"Ouch," Sam commented.

"Exactly the same sentiment that Logan had." Rejoined Finn.

Ezra was looking at Rory in a whole new way, "So is that why you went by Leigh Danes, you really do not want to be associated with someone who you see as not treating people fairly?"

Finn reached across and touched Rory's arm, "Nah, she wanted to make sure that everyone knew that she is a great writer, not that her boyfriend gave her a job and 'helped' her."

MK still looked puzzled, "I get that you want to be recognized as a good reporter on your own, but I still think that you are good enough that you could still have utilized the networking when you started off."

Finn looked at Rory and decided that this was a group of friends he could trust and over the years, Rory had learned to trust his people instincts. "Love here, she was in a tough spot at graduation, she had put in for a few papers, the problem was that the ones in the area knew she was in a relationship with Logan and so they all assumed she was just going to work for an HPG paper, but Love didn't want to work at an HPG paper, her dream had been the New York Times, and people don't really cross from HPG to the Times. See, the news got around about her and Logan saving the Yale Daily News together because the printer had worked with them and he kept wanting Logan to put in a good word for him at HPG for a job. That guy ended up making her name synonymous with HPG. But by writing under a pen name, he couldn't keep asking her for a contact and with Logan leaving HPG, well, he was not focused on getting that guy a contact.

Sam's eyes flew open, "are you talking about Russell Smith?"

Finn looked to Rory who answered him, "Yeah, that was the guy."

"Oh, wow, yeah, he bragged to anyone and everyone who would listen that he had a connection with Logan Huntzberger and was going to land a great job. Anyone on a college or small newspaper in New England had to listen to him, with his, 'What are you going to do for me, you can't beat Huntzberger you know,' type of comments."

Rory was surprised at how much Finn knew about all of this, she knew he and Logan were close, but didn't know it extended in conversations about her and, well, this was trying to help her with her career. "Finn, I am surprised Logan told you all of this."

"Oh, Love, our favorite thing about you is that you love us for who we are as people and not what we can do for you or get you. It is fun to do things for you because you are genuinely appreciative, you don't expect it or ask for more all the time, and honestly, the people you befriend are also not interested in us for our money, like these guys, they have taken the time to get to know me, Finn as exotic Finn, I haven't had to do outlandish things for them to want to have a drink with me and that has been so nice."

Ezra looks at both of them, "Well, I have to say, it feels good to have you trust us, kinda a wings beneath my wings moment here."

Rory got up and hugged Finn, "It is easy to love you for who you are Finn," she said in his ear then to the group, "I need to excuse myself for a minute." She said walking toward the restroom.

Finn grins, he is in his element, making people feel good and holding court. "Well, if you are friends with Love here, you will also be changed."

Sam is still reclining back in his chair, "Ok, Finn, so you said that you are making people's lives better, but not treating people who serve as servants, be more specific."

"This is off the record here, Sam," Finn comments.

Sam puts his hands up in order to say 'I surrender.'

Finn nods, well, as you know I arranged for Rory and MK to stay here, see, my family owns some hotels and we have a reciprocal agreement with certain hotels that we can get rooms for free as long as we provide them with rooms too. But, anyway, when I would stay at the hotels before knowing Love here, we would leave the place trashed with a tip on the bar, but now that we know Love, we would never leave the place trashed, and the tip is much more generous. At our hotels, I work now to 'catch' people going the extra mile and reward them with bonus days, money, and or a deeply meaningful verbal statement of appreciation, depending on the extent they went above and beyond. When I started with this new approach, everyone was sure that this would result in us losing money, but instead, our workers are giving more and this is resulting in record profits. It has been amazing; I had no idea that treating people well and giving raises would end up in us making more money. Love here taught us all of this, she made it clear that kindness was an amazing multiplier in every way. I can still hear her saying 'just because a person serves doesn't mean you treat them like a servant.' Logan argued back, with 'I pay them, they serve, technically they are a servant.' I thought Love was going to kill him. We were pretty sure that was going to be the last conversation they would ever have, but Logan was hooked, and honestly, so was I, but in different ways. Logan was challenged mentally by her, he needed that, he needed someone to push back and hold him accountable. I found her inspirational, listening to Rory was an opportunity to know the emotional health of people who struggle in ways that I can't imagine. Then we discovered that she was a Gilmore, her Grandparents move in our circles. This was so eye-opening because her grandmother is notorious for treating people she employs with the most contempt and annoyance, so we were curious how Love was so different from her grandma. We then learned that she had grown up in small town USA and not with the wealth, so she understands the meaning of hard work and how it can be that just because you work hard doesn't mean you will end up wealthy it means you will work hard for what you have and the work provides the sense of satisfaction, not the material gains because too often those in my group are greedy and keep too much - as if we could ever actually spend everything we have. So, yeah, she taught us a whole lot and I don't think she knows it."

Rory is coming back to the group and getting appreciative looks from her friends, "Hey," she starts biting her lower lip, "um, did I grow a second head?"

Ezra is the first to speak, "No, we just understand much better now why it was important to you to not be attached to the Huntzberger name, especially starting out."

Sitting down, she gives Finn a questioning look, "Finn?"

Sam reached out, "Oh, don't worry, Finn just filled us in on why he likes you so much, and we get it. We really do."

"Um, ok," Rory is clearly uncomfortable, but can also tell that no one is going to disclose the details Finn shared, she is hoping it is nothing embarrassing like the yale male party or the yacht theft, looking around the table she starts to feel more comfortable because she is pretty sure that either one of those stories would have garnered very different comments.

Later in the room, MK and Rory are hanging out, having packed up in preparation for the next move in the morning, and MK decides to broach the topic of networking now understanding better the concerns Rory has, "Hey, Rory, um, just wanted to say sorry for laying into you so hard about networking and using your contacts. I, um, well, I hope you know that if you ever need anything I will always be there to help you connect, but I get not wanting to appear that the only reason you are where you are is because of who you know. I hadn't realized that your connections could actually cause you to be in that situation. It is clear that you are a really talented writer and, well, you know, I um, well, I think you deserve to be writing for the AP."

Rory's countenance relaxes, "Thank you, that means a lot to me, and know that I will be very happy to be part of your network too, anytime I can help make something happen for you. So, change of subject, what are your plans in the San Fran area? It is going to be strange not rooming together for a week."

"Yeah, like you are going to miss me."

"Didn't say I wouldn't miss you, but yeah, you know, we have a routine," Rory replied, biting on her lower lip.

"Well, I am going to miss this." A hand sweeping the room indicates the extra space and comfort which have been thoroughly enjoyed by the two young women, "I think I am going to end up rooming with Katie in San Fran as even the cheapest room is still expensive."

Rory nodded, she was going to miss being with MK, but not as much as she was looking forward to being with Logan, "I think Logan and I will have you guys over for at least one cookout. I know that Sam will be a beast if he doesn't get to meet him."

"That would be great." MK is obviously, really looking forward to meeting Logan. No matter his status with publishing and the newspaper business, making friends with people like Finn and Logan is still a major advantage in life.

They separated to head to their respective rooms, Rory had her stuff packed, she would be heading to the airstrip with Finn in about 30 minutes so she could surprise Logan with an early arrival. She pulled out her phone and dialed the familiar number, she needed to just talk about what was going on.

"Pete's pizza, usual or bbq?" came the chirpy voice.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hey, loin fruit, what's up?" Lorelai detected that tone in Rory's voice that said, I need to think out loud.

"Well, up it is, I'll be in a plane in about an hour."

"Oh, where you going now?"

"As if you didn't know, San Francisco, actually, Menlo Park."

"Sounds swanky, Menlo Park, are you going to park there and do some necking?"

"Yes, Mom, we are going to skip the house and go right to the convertible."

"Dirty! So, how was Vegas?"

"It was good. Finn was here most of the time, and he spent time talking with Sam, Ezra, and MK. Now they all want desperately want to meet Logan, you can see the desire in their eyes."

"desire for Logan, thought you said they spent time with Finn? Isn't he the exotic Australian?"

"Well, Finn is fun and don't get me wrong, I think they all want to be friends with Finn if it can land them in a swanky hotel, but these guys need or want the connections for their careers. I mean, having access to the right people can make or break interview opportunities and opens doors. Plus, these are the best reporters on the trail. When I first got the job, I assumed that reporters from the New York Times and Washington Post would be on the trail too, however, those reporters won't join us until later, after the primaries are over, they fly into scheduled events and set up interviews. Did I tell you that I am getting interviewed by New York Times reporters for my insights? This lets them do focused pieces instead of trying to create something of interest after listening to the same speech day after day. I mean it kinda feels like I am trying to create a new parking lot article each week, the message of 'change' isn't new or exciting anymore, so I need to focus on how many people showed up, why, and what was the appeal for them about Obama, and let me tell you, those answers don't change much. Plus, Obama is connecting better than Hilary with the crowds and I kinda really wanted a woman president, and let's face it Hilary is way more qualified, but Obama is just clicking. So, now I am starting to read statements coming from McCain and other primary candidates to create contrasting articles. This is not easy. So, I am looking forward to being with Logan, and I also just told MK that we would invite them over for a BBQ, so I have to tell Logan we are hosting folks, not that he will care, but still, this was supposed to be our time together. Mom, this is a long road."

"Are you making contacts and connections?"

"Yes"

"If you had said no to Logan."

"Mom, not an option"

"Did not say it was an option, just trying to give you some perspective, if you had said no to Logan?"

"It would be keeping me busy, but I would be miserable because it is not as exciting, and at least I have him to look forward to."

"Well, then, you are on the right path."

"Yeah, thanks, Mom."

"Hey, that is what Mommy is for, now, did I tell you about the latest town meeting with Taylor and Kirk?"

"Nope, spill" Rory looked at her text, and grinned, she grabbed her suitcase and computer bag and put kept her phone up to her ear to listen to the story from Star's Hollow as she made her way to the car waiting for downstairs. Having Finn around was wonderful, but it would be better to have Logan.