He loved her more than anything. He's always loved her and it was so much a part of his life; he worried it verged on a less than healthy level of obsession.

Rory sat alone at a dimly lit corner table as he watched her dance with someone else. He hated these stupid little end of the year school dances. Or to phrase it more honestly; he'd said he hated these stupid little end of the year school dances because he's never had anyone to go with. He didn't even try asking anyone to be his date though. Knowing it was a fruitless endeavor to ask he quietly accepted he'd never be the guy who got to dance with Amy.

Rory was thrown out of his little daydream pity party when the slow romantic song Amy had been slow dancing to with someone else quickly changed into a loud electro dance number.

"Wooooo!" Melody jumped in front of him. "What are you doing over here looking like a loser? Get up and dance" she shook the table.

"I think I'm doing everyone a favor by not doing that. Thanks very much." Rory is ignored as Melody took his hands and forced him up.

"Go little bird!" she pushes him towards the dance floor. "Be free! The cage is open!" she flaps her hands like wings.

"Are you on something, Mels?" Rory gives her a look. "I worry about you. I honestly worry about your safety constantly."

"You sound like my father." Melody laughs

"Haha" Rory mocks laughter and scans the room for Amy. He can't find her anywhere. When he turns back around to ask Melody of Amy's whereabouts he finds he's been left behind. "Typical" he sits back down.

Melody was a strange sort of girl. She was older than the rest of her classmates. To be more specific; she was a couple of decades older than the rest of her classmates. She looked 15 but this wasn't her first body. This is just one of the most recent forms she'd taken. She'd been lucky enough to get put in a foster home near where her parents lived and she got to spend loads of time with them even if they didn't know it.

Melody noticed her mother running off the dance floor and quickly ran after her after what seemed like a failed attempt at getting her father out of his shell.

"Hey, Amy!" Melody said catching up to her.

"What?" Amy seemed a little short of breath and patience.

"Where you going? That's the door to the parking lot. You don't plan on skipping out early, do you?" Melody gets close and leans into her inquisitively.

"I don't know. Maybe. What's it to you anyhow?" Amy reaches for the door.

"I have a key to one of the hotel rooms. We can have a dance party up there if you'd like." Melody stops her.

"What? We're only allowed in the lobby and the dance hall." Amy scolds her.

"Come on!" Mels takes her hand and they get in the elevator to the hotel rooms.

"How did you get this key?" Amy whispers angrily. "Have you been stealing again? If you end up in juvenile detention again I swear to you I'll..."

Melody opens the door and silences her mother. It was a fancy room complete with plush seats and a mini fridge stocked with goodies.

"Ugh. The trouble you put me through I can't..." Amy surrenders as she dives backwards into a mattress covered in luxuriously soft sheets.

"I'm sorry" Melody plops down next to her mother. "So you were dancing one minute and out the door the next so..." Melody glares waiting for an explanation.

Amy takes a deep breath; "So there's Jeff. We're together... slow dancing and for a moment I get all caught up in the moment and rest my head on his shoulder." She pauses to see Melody listening intently. "I close my eyes there in that moment and I feel so sad suddenly. I was with him but I felt so very ... not with him. And I couldn't stop thinking..."

"What?" Melody grew impatient "Thinking? Thinking what?!"

"Look." Amy sat up making Mels sit up too. "I'm going to tell you something and I want you to promise me not to make a huge deal out of it because I feel totally embarrassed." Amy looked her in the eye as seriously as she possibly could.

"I promise." Mels crossed her heart as she spoke.

"I couldn't stop thinking about how much ... how much I wanted Rory there. I actually said his name. I said 'Rory' out loud like it just came out of my mouth and Jeff looked at me all funny and said. 'I knew it' and walked off. Needless to say I think it's totally over between us." Amy just sat there looking defeated and sad but Melody couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry" she tried to hold back laughter.

"I think I might actually like him, Mels." Amy sighed "I think I might actually have a crush on Rory and it's really freaking me out."

"Why is that freaking you out?" Melody gets off the bed and goes to the mini fridge.

"Because I'm like a sister to him. If I told him I have a crush on him that might creep him out." Amy walks over to the mini bar and grabs some peanuts from the can Mels had taken. "Besides..." Amy continues as she eats; "I don't think he's even interested in girls that way."

"I wouldn't put it past him." Mels winks and heads for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Amy calls out to her.

"Out. Feel free to use the room for a while if you want. Watch some TV, pop open a little mini vodka, do whatever." Melody waves goodbye and walks downstairs to find Rory at the foot of the lobby steps with his head resting in his hands.

"Hey, have you seen Jeff?" Melody asks looking around.

"No I haven't. Why, is Amy looking for him?" Rory looks around hoping Amy is nearby.

"No, I'm looking for him. They just broke up and now that Jeff is unattached I'm making my move." Melody winks.

"Are you serious? They really broke up?" Rory tries to sound more worried and less excited then he actually is.

"Yup" she throws him a room key. "Room 305. Free mini fridge, free cable. Go nuts"

"How did you get this? Mels, if you're stealing again I'll..." Rory is interrupted.

"Come on, spare me the lecture and go upstairs already" Melody wonders how her parents ever got together in the first place. Maybe it was always her...