Blondes Have More Fun
Chapter One

Genre: Drama
Starring: Shane/Lindsay
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Shane, Lindsay, Rory, Dean,Jess and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended.

Shane was attending Three Rivers Community College in Norwich Connecticut. Norwich was about thirty five or forty minutes from Stars Hollow. Close enough to get home if she needed to, and far enough away, so that she did not feel obligated to go home all the time.

After Shane graduated high school, she took on several jobs, receptionist, waitress, bartender, all of which bored her, and made her realize that unless she married a rich husband, she was not going to get where she wanted to be in life. Shane eventually landed a job as a teller in a bank. It was like a light switch went on. Shane found that she had a knack for numbers. Shane also found out that she had a knack for understanding how mortgages worked, the different investment schemes the bank had, and she also found out that she understood how the stock market worked. It just came so natural to her. So when the position of loan officer came up, she applied. Shane was given an interview and she knew she'd done well. She had answered all the questions, and thought she had presented herself very well. When she did not get the position she was surprised.

Shane requested, and received, a meeting with the vice president of the bank. At the meeting, Shane asked why she did not get the job, as she felt that she nailed it. The vice president, a portly man named Mr. Simpkins, told her that her knowledge was actually the best of all the candidates, but there were two problems. One, she dressed like a teller and not like an officer of the bank, two she had no education beyond high school. The position was entry level management and while she was probably qualified at that level, there was no future for her beyond that without a college degree and they were looking for someone who could rise in the company.

Shane countered that she could change what she wore and was sure she could master whatever they needed her to know to advance. Mr. Simpkins insisted a degree was necessary to be promoted beyond this position. Shane asked him what he saw as her future with the bank, and he replied that she was a smart girl and maybe she could become a head teller at a larger branch. Shane unpinned her identification badge, placed it on his desk and walked out.

So that's when Shane decided to go back to school and she applied, and got accepted, to Three Rivers Community College. She was in her second year of college and, upon completion, she was going to apply to the University of Connecticut and go on for her four year degree in either accounting or finance.

To support herself while she was going to school, she secured a job as a bartender at a little pub in Norwich called Pete's Tavern. That was the one job she could have where she could dress in tight, short skirts and no one minded. She also found a very nice apartment that she was able to comfortably afford while she had another person to share the rent with her, but her roommate had recently decided to move out to go live with a sailor in Groton, so she needed to find a replacement for her as soon as possible. She knew she could not afford to take on extra shifts to pay for the apartment by herself. Those hours were needed for classes and studying.

Shane was tending bar one afternoon when she noticed a tall blonde girl walk in and take a seat at the end of the bar. The girl looked familiar. Shane walked to the end of the bar to take her order and get a better look at her.

"Hi, what can I get for you?"

Lindsay looked up and saw a familiar face.

"You look familiar, do we know each other?"

Shane replied, "I think so, aren't you from Stars Hollow?"

"Yeah," Lindsay replied. Lindsay took a better look at the bartender. She saw a shorter girl with light blonde hair, friendly blue eyes and a ready smile.

Shane asked, "Didn't we go to high school together? You were on the girl's basketball team and volleyball team, and didn't you marry a guy who was on the hockey team?"

"Right on all accounts, except that I am not married any longer."

"Oh, you want a beer? I have to go take care of the group at the other end. Don't go anywhere till we talk."

"Sure, Miller Lite will work."

Shane handed her a beer and took off to her group, five guys who were going to hate themselves in the morning. Shane gave them their beers and shots of tequila, and figured they would be good for a while longer at least.

Shane was thinking, Lindsay, that's her name, and she married that Dean guy and now they're divorced. Wonder what happened there? Lindsay was a good looking girl with long legs from hell, and Dean was a hunk, she thought to herself.

Shane wandered back to Lindsay's side of the bar. "Lindsay is the name, right?"

"Yeah, I remember you, but I can't place the name."

Shane laughed, "Well I was one of those girls who took up background space in high school, and you were on varsity teams and dated hunks. The name is Shane."

Lindsay gave a short, bitter laugh. "Didn't do me any good in the long run!"

"So, what are you doing here, Lindsay?"

"I enrolled at Three Rivers at the start of the semester. I found out that being a good wife was not a career option."

Shane looked at the taller girl, like her, a natural blonde, "Do you have some time? I get off in about an hour; I'd like to talk to you."

Lindsay pondered her invitation for a minute, "I'd like to, but I have to drive back to Stars Hollow. I had a rough day, and figured I could have one beer before I drive home."

"Look," Shane said, "you don't know me well, but I think you know I'm not an axe murder. Do you mind if I catch a ride back to Stars Hollow with you? It would be a good chance to see my mother, and I could catch a ride back with you in the morning."

"Sure, it would give us a chance to catch up; you're on."

Lindsay patiently waited for Shane to finish her shift. She remembered seeing Shane in school. They traveled in different social circles so she never did pay much attention to her. Actually, Lindsay welcomed the company for the ride home.

Since it was not busy, Shane got her boss to let her off early. "Lindsay, I live really close by, do you mind if we make a quick stop at my apartment first before we head out of town?"

"Not a problem, you ready?"

After a short drive, they arrived at Shane's apartment. "Lindsay, want to come up while I gather a few things?"

Lindsay entered the apartment and was struck at how bright and cheerful it was. She liked the bright white ceilings, the pastel green walls and the one dramatic, dark blue accent wall. The curtains were bright yellow and there were several Philodendrons scattered throughout the apartment. Lindsay liked it and wished she had a place like this so she could stay here and not have to return to Stars Hollow, where she was knew people called her Dean's reject behind her back.

Shane appeared from the bedroom carrying a small overnight bag, "I'm ready, let's go."

The two girls exited the apartment and Shane threw her bag into the bed of Lindsay's somewhat elderly Ford F-150 pickup truck, and jumped in.

"Lindsay, where in the world did you find this thing?"

"My father has a brother in Virginia, so when I needed a vehicle to commute, he drove it up and gave it to me. Hey, it's only 25 years old, and no rust.

Shane looked dubiously at the levers sticking out of the floor. "What are those things?"

"Oh, that's the gear shift and the four wheel drive lever." Lindsay answered, then turned the key, and the truck came to life with a dull roar, she then put the truck in gear and smoothly shifted her way up to fourth gear.

For some reason, Lindsay looked at home behind the wheel of this ancient monster. The girls rode in silence for a few minutes. Shane turned to Lindsay, "Hey, do you mind if I ask what happened with you and Dean?"

Lindsay turned to Shane and said, "Where have you been hiding? It's common knowledge among almost everybody in Stars Hollow."

Shane laughed, "I've been too busy trying to avoid Stars Hollow and focusing on getting an education."

"Well, Shane, it goes like this, Dean and I got married. We lived with my parents for the first few months, and then we got our own place. I was dumb, Shane, I had no business getting married, but I tried, and gave my heart to Dean. I loved him, and I trusted him. Money was tight, I really had no skills to make any money, plus for some reason, Dean wanted me to stay home like his mother did. So he started working extra long hours to help us afford living. We had our fights, but we had our makeups, too. I thought we could work our way through it and then I found the letter."

"The letter?" Shane asked. Her curiosity was eating a hole in her stomach by now. "What was in it?" she asked, anxious to hear her answer.

Lindsay downshifted violently, "Oh, just a letter from Rory Gilmore to Dean, saying she felt guilty about their affair."

"Oh wow, that sucks. I see Rory Gilmore strikes again."

"Yeah, Shane, he was working at the old Dragonfly Inn that Lorelai Gilmore and Sookie St. James were renovating.

Shane looked at Lindsay, "Oh, I see what all the extra overtime was for now."

"I found the letter in his coat pocket and threw all his stuff out in the street from our second floor window. We lived in that white brick apartment building that faces the town square and I guess we put on quite a show for the town gossips that day. I'm sure Miss Patty and Babette were in their glory, they must have milked it for months. I found out Rory's boyfriend, Jess, had taken off and I guess she decided to reclaim her first boyfriend. Whoa, I just remembered…didn't you use to go out with Jess?"

"Yeah, I did, and Rory stole him from me, too, not that it was a big loss… just the idea of the way she did it pisses me off. I actually thought Jess was sort of cute in a strange way. My mother used to say he was so ugly he was cute," and Shane started laughing.

Lindsay joined in laughing, too, "I like that. Why did you go out with him?"

"Oh, I don't know, I was bored, and had been broken up with Joe Ascot for a couple of months. He was there, so I went out with him. It's pretty obvious he was just using me to make Rory jealous. Once Dean was provoked into breaking up with Rory, she latched right onto Jess, and I found myself dumped. To which my mother told me, good, about time I smartened up before I caught something they did not have a name for yet."

Lindsay laughed, "Hey, that Joe Ascot was a good looking guy. What happened?"

"He wanted to have sex, and I felt I was not ready for it so I didn't. So away he went. So much for my personality," and Shane started laughing,

Lindsay joined her, "That was funny. You know there is a common theme to both our stories."

Shane looked at her, "You're right, Lindsay, I hadn't thought of that - Rory Gilmore."

Lindsay bitterly said, "You know whatever she wants she takes. She took your boyfriend and my husband, and for some reason, we come out being the bad people. For some reason, she keeps her little princess persona. In gossip circles, I am known as the girl who could not keep her husband, while she is known as Dean's girlfriend, not the adulteress. I am sure in gossip circles when you got dumped by Jess for Rory, you were lacking something, too. It is amazing; she is like Teflon. "

Shane thought over what Lindsay just said. "You know Lindsay, you have a point."

"Oh, Lindsay, I live on Maple Terrace. The next right."

Lindsay turned the truck down the tree lined street and pulled up to the house Shane pointed to.

"I'll be by tomorrow morning at six-thirty to pick you up, Shane."

"Sounds good, have a great evening, and I'll see you in the morning, Lindsay. Bye now."

"Bye, Shane, see you then."

The next morning, Lindsay arrived at Shane's house at six-thirty on the dot. Shane was on the stoop waiting for her. "Good morning, Lindsay," she greeted and handed her a cup of coffee, "I figured we could use this for the ride."

"Thanks, it will hit the spot."

The two girls drove in silence, sipping on their coffee, till Lindsay said, "You know, I wish I lived in Norwich, this drive every day is getting to be a real pain in my ass."

Shane looked over at the taller girl, "You could if you wanted to."

'How's that?"

"I need a roommate. Three hundred a month would cover it, and half the electric bill."

Lindsay laughed sardonically, "It sounds good except for the three hundred a month. I don't have a job, and my parents cannot afford that."

Shane thought for a couple of minutes. "Do you think you can wait tables?"

"According to my ex-husband, I can't do anything."

"I'm surprised to hear Dean would say something like that. He always struck me as being a pretty decent guy."

"He is, Shane, except when he gets around Rory Gilmore. I still haven't completely recovered from the nightmare those two put me through. It was his idea to get married right out of high school. I thought we should have waited a little longer, but I loved him so much and didn't want to lose him so I let him talk me into it and then he cheated on me with her. I guess that's the thanks I get for saving myself for marriage. I really thought my virtue would have earned me a more loyal husband than I ended up getting. She was an adulteress and I was a virgin and he respects her more than he ever respected me."

Shane could see that Lindsay was on the verge of tears."Lindsay, you definitely don't need to lower yourself by comparing yourself to someone like Rory Gilmore. She's a cute girl and all, but she's not exactly fashion model material like you are and she'll never understand what real love is, any more than that mother of hers will. Come on, you should take that waitress job where I work. With your legs, you can't miss, girl."

Lindsay didn't answer, but Shane could see she was deep in thought and she hoped she was giving consideration to the things she'd just said. Shane leaned back and watched the other cars going by, wondering what sort of lives the occupants lived. Sometimes she tried to guess, and wondered how accurate she was. She saw a Porsche being driven by older man and surmised he had a fear of losing his virility and probably had a young girlfriend and a clueless wife. Then she spotted a cute, candy apple colored Volkswagen being driven by a girl about her age, most likely a student at one of the colleges in the area. Then she thought of the ancient pickup truck being driven by a beautiful blonde. That would be a hard one to peg, she thought to herself. No it wasn't she thought, the girl driving that truck would be secure in who she is. Well. Lindsay did not quite fit that profile, but again she wondered…

"I'LL DO IT!" Lindsay shouted unexpectedly, feeling relieved that she was on the verge of knowing what it felt like to be independent by making that spontaneously crucial decision.

Shane almost jumped out the window, "Girl, you almost scared the shit out of me! You'll do what?"

"Get me the job and I'll be your roommate. I need to get the hell out of Stars Hollow and start living my own life!" Lindsay proclaimed confidently.

After their classes were over for the day, Shane took Lindsay back to her apartment and chatted more about the waitress job at Pete's Tavern. "Okay, Lindsay," we need you to look sexy for your interview with my boss Lenny, but not slutty. Come on, let's go to the second hand store and see what we can dress you in for your interview."

At the store they picked out a dress that would stop mid thigh on Lindsay, showing off her legs and a button up, short sleeve blouse that showed just enough cleavage, but not too much.

Back at the apartment, Lindsay modeled her outfit. Shane thought it was great, just missing something. Shane stood Lindsay in front of the mirror and stood beside her. She felt small standing next to Lindsay's five foot nine, compared to her five foot three. "What is missing, Lindsay?" Shane asked, thinking out loud.

"Hey, this is your idea, I have no idea."

Shane removed the pendant she had around her neck and told Lindsay to put it on.

Lindsay shrugged and slipped it over her neck.

"That's it! We got the look, come on, we're now going to get you hired."

As the two girls entered Pete's tavern, Shane's workplace, they received multiple stares.

Shane went to the girl behind the bar, "Ida, two beers and send Lenny out please."

Lenny came out and saw Shane standing at the bar with Lindsay and then his eyes went back to Shane briefly. Shane was his favorite bartender. She had a friendly personality, knew how to keep the guys from beating each other, up and above all she was honest. He took a second look at Lindsay and it did not escape his notice that she was a very tall, great looking girl and he started to get very curious about her.

"Shane, what brings you here? You're not normally here on your day off."

"Lenny, I wanted to introduce you to Lindsay, your new waitress."

"Am I looking for a waitress?"

"Yes you are, and she'll work on my shifts."

Actually, Lenny really was looking for a waitress. He looked at Lindsay, and thought to himself, She sure as hell will keep the guys in here drinking. "Okay, Lindsay, you're hired."

Lindsay was shocked, "Are you sure? You haven't asked about experience or qualifications."

"Honey, I looked at your legs, that's all the qualifications you need. You'll start tomorrow on Shane's shift."

Lindsay asked Shane to drive back to Stars Hollow with her and help her pack for her move. "Wait till I tell my mother. She is going to have a cow."

They were driving down Main Street and spotted Rory entering Luke's diner.

"Stop the truck!" Shane yelled.

Lindsay jammed on the brakes, tossing their text books all over the cab of the truck.

"What was that for, Shane?"

"You and I need a cup of coffee at Luke's Diner."

Lindsay parked the truck in front of the diner and near Doose's market. Taylor himself came out and wanted to know what the squealing of tires was, and told them they could not park their truck there.

Shane looked at him, and just gave him the finger. "I hate that pompous ass," she told Lindsay.

They entered the diner, "Look, Lindsay, Miss Thang's sitting at the counter. Why don't we join her so she won't be lonely?" Shane suggested mischievously. The girls walked up to the counter and Shane made sure Lindsay had the seat next to Rory. Rory looked over and suddenly turned white with fear.

Luke walked over to wait on the two girls and stopped short, "Look you two, we don't want any trouble in here."

"What trouble?" Shane said. "We just want to split a peach Danish and order two large coffees."

"Shane, you're nothing but trouble," Luke replied judgmentally.

"Am I? Name one incident, Luke," she responded, challenging him.

Rory interrupted, "Luke I can't stay. I just remembered I have to meet my mother at the inn."

Rory exited the diner and both girls noticed she did not pay, each simultaneously thinking she probably never did anyway.

"Well, Luke, I'm still waiting for you to name that one incident."

Luke scratched his head, desperately trying to remember at least one act that Shane committed he could accuse her of so that he'd have the satisfaction of putting her to shame.

"You can't think of anything, can you, Luke? Since I don't have all day to wait for your imaginary accusations, I can make it easy for you by telling you the one bad thing I've ever done in this town. I went out with your jerky, oversexed, under endowed nephew. Here's a pen. You can write that down if that's too hard for you to remember the next time I have to ask you that question."

Lindsay lost it, and so did the other patrons at the counter. Luke sheepishly gave them their Danish and coffees, and then walked away without uttering a word because he knew he couldn't compete with Shane's wit, she had a tongue that was even sharper than Lorelai's.

Lindsay turned to Shane, "Thanks for insisting we come in here and sit next to her. I really enjoyed making her feel uncomfortable." It was a feeling that was long overdue, she would never forget that day when she and her mother ran into Lorelai and Rory in town right after she'd found out Rory been fooling around with her husband. Her mother was furious and screamed at Lorelai and Rory enough for both of them, but she'd just stood there shaking, not having the courage to look Rory in the eye and she'd always regretted not being the one who told Rory off that day.

"So did I. I'm not saying she is an evil mean person, but I don't think she has a grasp of reality. Maybe it is about time someone brought her back to reality."

Shane asked Luke for the check and made sure she gave him a twenty percent tip, even though he was the owner. She explained to Lindsay that it was a bit of a dig to Luke, sort of to put him in his place.

The girls rode to Lindsay's house, where Lindsay broke the news to her mother. Lindsay's mother forbade it, and Lindsay reminded her she was over twenty one and her moving out was a fact, not a question.

The girls loaded the truck with Lindsay's clothing and personal items that she wanted for her room. When the truck was loaded, Lindsay's mother came out and told her that she was making a mistake and she was no longer welcome to come back home.

Lindsay got behind the wheel and rested her head on her arms, "Shane why can't I catch a break? I thought she would wish me luck. She didn't mind me leaving home at eighteen when I was married. Now, she thinks because my marriage ended in divorce and I had to move back home that's she entitled to treat me like a baby for the rest of my life. She doesn't understand that I need to get out and grow up. She thinks I'm only entitled to do that if I get another husband first."

"Don't worry, Lindsay, you'll be fine," Shane replied sympathetically. "Would you mind stopping by my house on the way out? I want to grab something."

Upon arrival, Shane invited Lindsay into her house, where she introduced her to her mother Allison and Shane told her mother about what just happened between Lindsay and her mother.

Allison looked at the dejected girl with compassion and said to her, "Lindsay, my daughter is a pretty good judge of character, if you ever need to come back to Stars Hollow, you're more than welcome to stay here. I have an extra room."

Lindsay looked up at Shane's mother and thanked her and then asked, "How come you don't have a problem with Shane living away from you?"

"Being a mother is like being a bird, you have to teach them to fly and to leave. They cannot stay in the nest forever."

"So you don't miss her?"

"Of course I do! Why don't you two stay here tonight and drive back in the morning."

The next morning, the two girls fortified themselves with strong coffee bright and early and started their drive back to Norwich. Unfortunately, no interstates ran between Stars Hollow and Norwich and it was all back road, two lane driving, which gave them plenty of time to talk.

Lindsay was talking to Shane about how excited she was to be moving in with her and starting her new job. But she also wondered how in the hell she was going to do it. Then she shifted gears and asked Shane, "What did you mean about bringing Rory back to reality?"

"You know, Lindsay, she has never had something she loved taken away from her. For example, take your ex-husband. He is hot, but I would never dream of hitting on him, no matter how much I liked him. To me, he would be a married man and I would have respected that."

"And, in my case, Lindsay, if Jess had come to me and said, 'look I don't think we are going to work and I think I may have feelings for someone else,' instead of stringing me along to the last minute and dumping me when he knew he was going to get Rory, that wouldn't have made me feel great…but at least I could have respected him more for leveling with me and not being so sneaky. But if you ask me, Rory was even more devious than he was during that whole fiasco. Here she was, stringing Dean and Jess both along, until I showed up and she knew she couldn't keep fantasizing about having two boyfriends and finally had to make up her mind, so she decided to screw Dean and me both out of what we had to suit her own self-seeking interests."

"Well, she could have told Dean that she didn't want anything to do with him unless we got a divorce, but she thinks she's a princess and is entitled to whatever she wants. And I just can't believe how she broke you and Jess up when she already had Dean. I'm sure her picture is next to the word 'selfish' in the dictionary," Lindsay commented bitterly.

"Lindsay, my father is in the merchant marine. My mother and I do not see him all that often, but we do not expect anyone to feel sorry for us. Yes, Lorelai had Rory when she was sixteen and ran away from home and made something of herself, but why does that make Rory anymore special than the rest of us? They almost always conveniently forget to mention how her grandparents have bank rolled almost all of Rory's education. If we had Daddy Warbucks for a grandpa, I guess that'd make us special too," Shane said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Shane, that's true about her grandparents, but she is a good student and got herself accepted to Yale. I'll give her that much," Lindsay relented with a sigh.

"So what, Lindsay? You're a good student who also played varsity athletics. I'm sure there must have been some colleges that were interested in you."

"They were Shane, but I would've had to leave Dean, so I turned down all their offers."

"You know, Lindsay, I don't think Rory is actually not a bad person. She just needs to be knocked off her high horse and stop expecting everything she wants is going to be hers."

"What do you mean Shane?"

"Lindsay, I wish we could have the opportunity to take something from her, the way she took something away from both of us.

"What do you mean Shane?"

"Lindsay, I am not sure, but if the opportunity ever arises we should take advantage of it."

Lindsay sat there quietly pondering her dislike of Rory Gilmore. "Shane things have a habit of leveling out, let's keep our eyes open."

To Be Continued...