Disclaimer: I thought about making this long, but nobody ever reads it anyway (except for me), so here's the deal. I don't own anything that has to do with the Gilmore Girls, except for the plot of this story.

A/N: If some of the characters don't seem to be the same exact people from the show, I tried my best, but I kind of have my own style of writing, and I think I subconsciously bent the characters' personalities to fit my style...and, ok, I'm rambling. Don't think I'll have much trouble with Lorelai at least.

Chapter One

"Rory, I need you there. And bring your mom."

"Lane," Rory Gilmore said into the phone, "I'll be there. And so will my mom. Anybody else you want me to bring?"

"Bring Jess and Luke, too. Just make sure my mom doesn't find out."

"I wouldn't tell her, and neither will Jess, Mom, or Luke. She won't find out if I can help it," Rory reassured her best friend Lane Kim. "So you're playing tomorrow night in West Hartford, right?"

"Yeah. At seven." Lane paused. "Argh! I'm so nervous!"

"Just because you're playing, or for another reason as well?" Rory teased.

"Rory!...Yeah, I'm nervous that my mom will find out."

"You worry too much, Lane."

"Hey, you know my mom. Uh-oh, I better go, I hear her coming in. I'll see you tomorrow morning at Luke's!" Lane said, and hung up.

Rory hung up the phone and giggled. Lane had joined a band, completely rebelling against her mother's wishes. Her mother was a very devout Christian, and thought that bands were from the devil. Rory knew that Lane had a crush on her fellow band member, Dave Rygalsky. Rory ran downstairs to talk to her mom. "Mom! We're going out tomorrow night!"

"For coffee? 'Cause you know how much I like coff-" started Lorelai Gilmore.

"God, Mom, you have a one track mind, don't you?"

"You should talk, my one and only daughter. You have the same caffeine- needing genes that I do."

Rory pretended that she hadn't heard her mother. "We're going to West Hartford tomorrow night, and she wants you and I to be there, as well as Jess and Luke." Rory gave her mother a look.

"What?"

"I'm sorry you don't like Jess, Mom, but you're just going to have to put up with him."

"Oh, yeah? Well, what about Dean? Hmm?" Lorelai shoved her elbow into Rory's side.

"Ow. I don't know. Lane didn't say anything about Dean. I don't want to make her mad. I need to go to the diner and tell Luke and Jess they're coming with us tomorrow night."

Lorelai smirked as she shouted after Rory, who was making a mad dash for the door. "Sure, hon! You just want to go out with Jess without Dean all over your back!" She was replied with a slam of the front door, and laughed.



Rory walked into Luke Dane's diner, spotting his nephew Jess Mariano at the counter. "Where's Luke, I need to ask him something."

"LUKE!" Jess bellowed.

"What?!" Luke replied sharply, coming into the dining room. "Rory," he said, acknowledging her. "What do you want, Jess?"

Jess shrugged in Rory's direction. "She needs to ask you something." Jess picked up a pad and went to take a customer's order.

Luke rolled his eyes and picked up a towel to wipe his hands off. "I swear, that kid..." he muttered. "What do you need, Rory?"

"Well, Lane..." she trailed off. "Actually, can I talk to you about it somewhere where all of Stars Hollow isn't listening?"

"Did Lane do something?"

"Please?"

"Sure, come on." Rory followed Luke to the kitchen.

"Ok, so, Lane joined this band."

"I'm sure her mom is happy about that."

"Well, see, that's the thing. Her mom doesn't know. Lane's playing tomorrow night in West Hartford, and she wants you and Jess and Mom and I to come, but she doesn't want her mom to find out. First, can you guys come?"

"What time?"

"Seven."

Luke thought for a second. "Yeah, sure. I'll have to close the diner early, but whatever."

"Good. Second, can you not tell anyone, especially Taylor, Miss Patty, or Mrs. Kim?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, and while I'm here, can I get some coffee to go?"

Luke chuckled. "Always a Gilmore, huh, Rory?"

"Guess so," Rory replied. She followed Luke back out to the counter, where he filled up a paper cup of coffee. "See you tomorrow!" she said, heading out.



~*~~**~~***~~**~~*~



The next night

Lorelai, Rory, Jess, and Luke walked into a substance-free club in West Hartford. Lorelai leaned over to speak with her daughter. "Do you think they have coffee here?"

"I don't know, Mom, but I'm here to see Lane...and to find out what the deal is with Dave." Rory had a small grin on her face. Dave was so perfect for Lane. Mrs. Kim even liked him. After the dance marathon, when Dave had actually liked Mrs. Kim's egg salad and made up some story about his parents being at church, he had totally won Mrs. Kim over. He had won over Lane as well, even though she had already been smitten with him. Rory knew that even though Mrs. Kim liked Dave, that wouldn't last long when she found out he was in a band that had enlisted her daughter as their drummer. Rory hoped that Mrs. Kim would never find out. Lane really deserved someone like Dave.

"Ooh yeah!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I forgot about Dave. He's cute."

"Mom!" Rory said, shaking her head. They found seats at a table, and Lorelai and Rory ordered coffee, while Jess had a soda and Luke had water. A few minutes later, Lane and her band took their places at the instruments that were set up on the small stage.

"Go Lane!" Rory and Lorelai screamed in unison, making Lane blush and Dave grin. The band started to play, and all four were content just listening. After they played their last song, Lorelai and Rory stood up and gave them a standing ovation. Again, Lane blushed, but she motioned for Rory to come up and say hi. "Be right back," Rory muttered to Luke, Lorelai, and Jess. She dashed between tables to the stage and gave Lane a hug. "You sounded so amazing!" she gushed.

"Thank you. I was so worried I would screw up. So, all four of you came?"

"Yup, I convinced Luke and Jess to come.actually, I dragged them. Oh well."

"Hi, Rory," Dave said, coming up behind Lane. He put one hand on her shoulder. Rory noticed, but didn't say anything. She made a mental note to bug Lane about it later.

"Hi, Dave. You guys sounded great," she said with a smile.

Dave smiled back. "Thanks. Hey, is he yours?" he asked, nodding in Jess' direction. Jess was staring at Rory with an intent look on his face. Rory giggled and made a face at Jess. He scowled for a second before smiling. He turned away and started talking to Luke.

"Not really. Not yet anyway," Rory replied, causing Lane to raise an eyebrow. "Lorelai's theories...I'll tell you later," she said to Lane.

"Oh. So, you managed to get out of Stars Hollow without my mother checking on you," Lane said.

"Yup. And you're coming home with us and sleeping over at my house tonight, right?"

"Yes I am. Only way I could get here without my mom being suspicious."

"Lane, I gotta go. I'll see you soon, ok?" Dave said.

"Yup, see you later," Lane replied, before watching him walk away.

"Lane Kim, you and I need to have a little talk when we get back to my house," Rory said, grabbing Lane's arm and dragging her back to where Luke, Lorelai, and Jess were. "Say hello to Stars Hollow's new celebrity," Rory said.

Lorelai bowed. "Bow before the great Lane Kim," she said while looking at Luke's shoes, "master of mother-evading. Hey, I like your shoes Luke. Very...lumberjack-like." She stood up, meeting Luke's eyes and getting a glare. "Hey, it goes with your whole flannel thing. Nice touch."

Luke, after years of knowing Lorelai, had learned not to ask. So he just rolled his eyes. "Sounded good, Lane," he said. "Come on, Jess, let's get out of here."

"Nice job, Lane," Jess said before following his uncle.

"Ok, I think that's our cue," Lorelai said. "Let's go!"

Rory and Lane looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and followed her. They piled into the Jeep and headed back to the Gilmore's house. Almost before the car was stopped, Lane and Rory hopped out and ran inside, Rory calling over her shoulder to her mother, "Good night, Mom, we're going to bed!"

"Yeah, right," Lorelai muttered. "And I'm never drinking coffee again." She paused to think about her statement. "Ok, I'm going in, I'm going to drink some coffee, and I'm going to stop talking to myself. Yeah. That sounds good." She got out of the car and went inside.



Rory and Lane were in pajamas, sitting on Rory's bed. "Has Dave seen that picture of you with purple hair?" Rory asked Lane, referring to a act of daring that Lane had had a few weeks earlier, when she decided to dye her hair bright purple. It lasted a whole ten minutes or so, before Lane chickened out and decided she wanted it dyed back to black. Luckily, Rory had enough sense to take a Polaroid of it.

"Yeah. He actually said he wants a copy of it." Lane flopped back on Rory's bed and sighed. Rory joined her.

"What's the deal with you two? I noticed the hand on your shoulder thing. And the looks when he had to leave."

"I don't know what was with his hand on my shoulder, but I don't know what you're talking about with looks."

"Oh, come on, Lane. You give each other Luke/Lorelai looks all the time."

"What?"

"You know what I mean. Those "I-like-you-but-I'm-afraid-to-do-anything- about-it-because-I-don't-know-if-you-feel-the-same-way looks."

"I like him so much, Ror. He's amazing. He's smart, funny, nice, amazingly good-looking, and my mom likes him. Talk about hard to find. But, like you said, I don't think he likes me the same way. He seems to be quite a touchy-feely guy. He puts his hands on everybody's shoulder."

"He's definitely into you, Lane. He gave you the look Luke gives my mom all the time."

"Yeah, well, Luke and Lorelai are a very special case. I don't think you're right, but we'll see. So, what's going on with you and Jess? Anything yet?"

"No, not yet. I keep hoping. And I think he likes me, but I'm not sure. With those Jess-mood-swings you never know. I haven't kissed him since Sookie's wedding."

Lane nodded. "I bet Dean's jealous."

"Well, yeah, but he broke up with me in the middle of the dance marathon, and I'm not going to put up with him doing that to me. Oh, but I'm dying to kiss Jess again."

"Don't worry, it'll happen. You guys are both so into each other. Jess is the only one who won't admit it, and he will, soon enough."