A/N: Ok, there is going to be a lot of dialouge from the episode They Shoot Gilmore's, Don't They? in the beginning. But, all of that changes around the middle. So, don't fret, it's not all copied and pasted.

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Lorelai and Luke are looking out of the window of Luke's diner, watching people pass by. Signs and banners are displayed all around the town square promoting the upcoming 24-hour dance marathon.

"What about that one?" Luke asked her as a man passed by.

"Hm, no." she said.

"Why not?" he asked her.

"Too pale." she told him.

"So what?"

"Pale means sickly."

"Or sunscreen."

"Or Mad Cow Disease." she retorted.

"Pale does not mean Mad Cow Disease." he said, rolling his eyes.

"Have you ever had Mad Cow Disease?"

"Twice last week and my coloring was wonderful."

"I need a great dance partner this year. Someone strong, non-clutzy, with lots of stamina. Ooh, how tall is that guy?"

"Mrs. Coulter's about 6'2"." he answered her.

"Oh. Four years in a row, I have come this close to winning. Last year, I swear to God, I had it!" she said in a frustrated manner.

"I know the story." he told her, hoping she wouldn't go any further.

"It was hour twenty-three." she began.

"I know the story." he repeated, hoping she would stop.

"I'm dancing with Henry Ho-Ho McAphie the third." she continued.

"How many people heard me say I know the story?" he asked aloud and several customers raised their hands.

"And Ho-Ho's fading, so I'm trying to buck him up, saying "Come on, Ho-Ho. Stay with me Ho-Ho," and then all of a sudden he starts yelling, 'Stop calling me Ho-Ho, it's making me hungry!'."

"Oh, hey, look, there goes Tommy Tune." Luke said, trying to focus her attention back on the passerby's, which apparrently wasn't working.

"And out of nowhere, Kirk comes dancing by, waving a McDonald's hot apple pie in the air and of course Ho-Ho lunges for the pie and drops my hand and that was it. Kirk wins, I'm out. I'm gonna get that Ho-Ho someday."

"I'll help ya."

"I wanna win."

"I know you do."

"I need a partner."

"You'll get one. Keep looking."

"Mm." Lorelai said, smiling and staring at him.

Luke would make a good partner. He seems strong enough to hold me up when I get tired. she thought.

"Out there." he said, turning her head.

There's no way in hell she's going to get me to participate in this lunatic town event. No, uh huh. Never. Luke thought.

"But, but, wait –" she began to whine before Luke cut her off.

"Pancakes, right? Coming right up." he said and walked to another table as Taylor entered the diner.

"Breathe in deep, folks. Smells like fall." Taylor said in a chipper voice.

"Get out, Taylor." Luke told him.

"Why?" he asked.

"Just a code I live by." Luke responded.

"Oh. . .pffft. . .you. Listen, I'd like to run a little something by you."

"I'm busy, Taylor."

"I was just thinking how nice it would be if you could set up a little coffee stand at the marathon."

"Coffee stand." Luke repeated with raised eyebrows.

Ooo. This should be fun to watch. Lorelai thought as she looked at the two as they began to fight.

After a few minutes of Luke's smart aleck retorts, Taylor stormed out of the diner as Luke walked over to Lorelai's table.

"Oh, whoa." she said. "Look at Taylor go. I wonder who he's dancing with."

xox

Lorelai was sitting at the table with her mother and Rory during Friday night dinner, talking to them both about the upcoming dance marathon. As Lorelai started making her chicken and vegetables talk, her phone began to ring.

"What's that?" Emily asked.

"I think that's me." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai, I've told you a hundred times to turn that thing off when you come to dinner here." Emily said, annoyed.

"I know, Mom. I'm sorry."

"Can't you let it go to voice mail?"

"Well, see, I left Michel alone at the inn, and he's dealing with the roofers. I told him to call me if there was any trouble." she said and then digs for her phone.

"Is that true?" Emily asked Rory.

"I'm gonna let Mr. Potato field this one." she answered.

"I thought so."

Lorelai answered the phone and walked into the next room.

"Hello? . . . What? . . . Oh, no, no, no, no, don't tell me that. . .Well, did you tell her how big the trophy is, because I am really not exaggerating here. . . How did your wife get a picture of me? Stanley, that is crazy! I don't wanna sleep with you. . . Did you tell her I don't wanna sleep with you? . . . Well, put her on the phone. I'll tell her I don't wanna sleep with you. . . Well, somebody has to tell her I don't wanna sleep with you. . . Why are you insulted all of a sudden? . . . Stanley? . . . "

Lorelai hung up her phone and walked back into the room.

What am I gonna do now? she thought as she sat down.

xox

Lorelai walked into the house to find Dean, Rory, and Lane sitting on the couch.

"Ooh, cool, pizza." she said.

"Shh." Rory hushed her. "She's calling Dave to see if she can hear a girl in the background."

"Oh."

"I voted that she actually say something." Dean commented.

"You're a boy, you know nothing about this." Lorelai told him.

"Well, what'd you hear?" Rory asked after Lane hung up the phone.

"Quadrophenia." Lane said.

"Classy, but not date-like." Rory assured her.

"You think?" Lane asked her best friend.

"Definitely." Rory confirmed.

"What if he met a girl who's a major Who fan?" Dean asked.

"What?" Lane asked, beginning to panic.

"Why are you causing trouble?" Rory asked her boyfriend.

"Rory, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, sure." she said, and then turned to Dean. "Be good."

Rory and Lorelai walked into the kitchen.

"Okay, so, what's on your mind?" Rory asked her.

"I think I figured out who can be my dance partner for the marathon." Lorelai said excitedly.

"Great! Who?"

Lorelai just stared at Rory, a big grin plastered on her face. She had contemplated this all day. Nobody she knew that came to mind would be willing to dance with her, and Rory was her last option. She knew Rory wouldn't turn her down, although, she may try and put up a fight.

"Bye." Rory said, making to get out of her chair.

"Come on!" Lorelai begged.

"Forget it." Rory said, shaking her head.

"Just hear me out. First of all, you love me."

"Not right at this moment, I don't."

"You know how much this contest means to me. You'd never fall asleep or chase a pie."

"I do not dance."

"It'll be fun. We'll get all dressed up, and you're light, easy to hold up when you get tired." she speculated.

"Mom." Rory said, but her mother wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Plus, we got the whole mother/daughter gimmick going for us. The crowd'll eat that up."

"I cannot dance with you."

"Why not?"

"Because this is Dean's first marathon. We were gonna go and watch and hang out, he's totally looking forward to it. I told him about how Andrew gets in a fight with his date in the first fifteen minutes and storms off the floor. I told him about Taylor getting punch-drunk at hour fifteen and telling stories about how he always wanted to be a magician."

"Rory, please." Lorelai begged her daughter.

"And ooh, I told him about how when Kirk wins, he likes to take his victory lap around the floor to the theme from Rocky. I was gonna show him all those things, and I was gonna show them to him sitting down.'

"He can still come, and he can still see all those things, except if you dance, maybe that victory lap will be you and me instead of Kirk."

"Okay, I'll tell you what. I was supposed to work on the Franklin this weekend with Paris." Rory said, reasoned.

"But?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

"I will ask her if we can reschedule. If she says yes, then I will dance with you."

"Oh, I love ya!" Lorelai said happily.

"You should sell cars."

"I should, shouldn't I? Hello, big fancy trophy."

xox

The next day, Rory approached Paris in class, praying this would go right.

"Paris, hi. Listen, I need to ask you something." she started.

"Shoot." Paris said, looking into her microscope.

"Well, there's this big event that's happening in my town. . . "

"Pig race?" Paris guessed.

"Dance marathon." Rory corrected.

"I was close."

"It's on Saturday, and it's a twenty-four hour thing and my mother really wants to win, and her partner bailed on her and, long story short, I was wondering if there was anyway we could move this Saturday's Franklin thing to next Saturday."

"Sorry, no can do."

"Paris, come on, it's a one time thing, I swear."

"Rory, this an important issue of the Franklin. I'm not blowing it all so you can go square dancing with your mother at hicksville's dance marathon."

"I will not be square dancing and we will not blow this issue."

"No." Paris said. "Saturday, I expect you to be here."

"Fine." Rory sighed and went back to her table.

xox

Rory walked into her house later that afternoon. She knew her mother was home and wasn't looking forward to disappointing her.

"Mom?" Rory called.

"Kitchen." Lorelai said.

Rory walked into the kitchen and slung her backpack beside a chair and sat down, looking at her mother.

"What?" Lorelai asked, looking up from the magazine she was reading and seeing Rory staring at her, a solemn expression on her face.

"I can't get out of it." Rory told her.

"Get out of what?"

"The paper."

"What? Rory, no!"

"I'm sorry, mom. I tried, but, you know how Paris is."

"She can't let you go this one time?"

"She says we'll blow this issue if I'm not there." Rory explained as Lorelai put her head down on the table.

"You will not."

"I told her that. I'm sorry, mom, I really am."

Lorelai sighed and looked up. "It's not your fault."

"There has to be someone who'll dance with you."

"Maybe." Lorelai said sadly.

Rory got up and hugged her mother.

"How about we go to Doose's, buy a ton of junk food, and have a movie night?" Rory suggested, knowing this would cheer her mother up somewhat.

"All right. I guess." Lorelai said.

xox

That night Rory and Lorelai ate tons of junk food. They ordered Chinese and bought cookie dough, mallomars, marshmallows, and red vines. They spent the rest of the evening pigging out and watching all the classics, such as Casablanca, His Girl Friday, Diner, and Hardbodies.

Lorelai had cheered up a little since that afternoon, but was still a little down. She was really looking forward to winning this year. She didn't think she could stand to see Kirk's smug looking face if he won yet again. She felt it, this was the year. She would finally win that trophy. But, now it wasn't seeming that way.

There has to be somebody I can dance with! she thought, not paying attention the movie. Lane certainly can't do it, her mother would never let her. Dean is sweet, and he might do it, but it might be a little awkward dancing with my daughters boyfriend. I can't ask Jackson because he'll be dancing with Sookie. Michel likes to dance, but I don't know if I'd be able to survive 24 hours with him.

Lorelai sighed. I guess I'll just have to wait til next year to win.

She sat and continued watching the movie, trying to get her mind off of the dance. Then, something struck her.

Luke. I can ask Luke! Well, he said he wouldn't do it, but I bet I can talk him into it. All I need to do is give him the pout, batt my eyelashes, and he just might crack. He'd be a perfect dance partner, too. He's strong, definitely not a clutz with the way he balances holding all those plates, and will be able to hold me up just fine.

Lorelai smiled at her newly developed plan. Rory, who had just turned to look at her mother, noticed this.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing." Lorelai said. "I just may have found a new dance partner."

She turned away from her daughter and gazed at the tv.

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A/N: Well, here is fic number seven. I plan on writing two more. I wasn't intending on posting anymore new stories until I finished some of my current ones, but I had writers itch badly and needed to write this fic. I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you think by clicking that pretty purple button! Oh, and P.S.: it's not going to be all dialouge in future chapters like it was in here.