December 22, 2012
Miss Patty hurried across the room to catch Lorelai before she left for the day.
"Lorelai wait…I never asked you before, when should we be expecting Rory? Is she coming home tonight or tomorrow morning."
"I don't know Patty; she keeps calling and pushing back the flight time. At this point I'm beginning to wonder if she'll make it home at all for Christmas." Lorelai explained unhappily staring down to the floor.
"Of course she will honey, she couldn't possibly spend Christmas with a bunch of politicians."
"I really hope she makes it but she has just been so busy lately …"
Dean interrupted their conversation by climbing down the ladder they happened to be standing beside. "Did either of you stop to think maybe she is trying to surprise you, instead of giving you the exact moment she will be arriving?" Dean asked putting his hands to his sides displaying his tool belt proudly.
"Dean really you'll never finish all of this by tomorrow if you continue to chat down here with us on the floor. The whole town will be here for the second annual Stars Hollow Christmas party. You wouldn't want to disappoint them, like you did last year by not coming at all would you?"
Lorelai gave him a sympathetic smile. At this point there was nothing she could do to help him.
"No I wouldn't, which is why I'm going for more nails." He said smiling as he walked away from them. "And the two of you are worried about nothing, when has Rory ever not come home for Christmas?" He yelled back.
"You know I'm sure he is right. Hopefully she will be here tomorrow in time for the party. I should really get home; it's already going to be a challenge to explain to Luke that he has to cook all of this food by tomorrow. I'll call you if I hear from her.
Lorelai quickly left before she could be stopped by anyone else. Dean reappeared beside Miss Patty, this time with a full box of nails.
"So what's the plan?" He asked knowing Miss Patty was up to something.
"Well I just thought that since we are already celebrating the holidays and everyone in town will already be here, we could also throw in a little welcome home party for Rory. I mean other then Lorelai no one else has seen her since last Christmas."
"Got it, we'll save space in the corner for the welcome home decorations."
"Good ole Dean, he always knows exactly what a woman wants, I just cannot believe you're still not taken."
"It's a good thing I've known you most of my life Miss Patty, otherwise I would be very afraid of you right now."
"Alright already, stop flirting with me and get back to work. These decorations aren't going to hang themselves."
Dean shook his head exhausted after the conversation but quickly got back to work.
Later that night…
Lorelai hung up the phone disappointed that she once again only received Rory's voicemail.
Lorelai walked into the kitchen carefully hoping that Luke was a little less upset then he had been earlier that day when she handed him his list of items to cook. "How's everything going in here?"
"Oh just great, you know how much I enjoy cooking food for other people. Especially away from the diner, where I cook food for other people all day. Tell me again why Sookie can't cook this?"
"Sookie got her own list, it's way longer then yours." Lorelai said sitting down at the table.
"What's going on with you? You were in a good mood today when you got home."
"This may be the first Christmas that Rory and I spend apart."
"What are talking about…Rory is coming home. She is just like you, late for everything."
"I hope you're right."
Back at Miss Patty's Studio
"I thought we were never going to be able to leave. And Miss Patty is something. Get this, she asked me if I still had my Navy uniform and then proceeded to tell me how much she always loved a man in uniform." Kyle told Dean as they both left Miss Patty's.
"Yeah man, it's that hook of yours. You always said it was a chick magnet." Dean said laughing.
"Hey, I don't appreciate you laughing about this…wait until she starts pinching your ass again." Dean nodded knowing what he just said was very likely to come true. "So I guess you're getting excited, right?"
"About what…the party?" Dean asked unsure.
"Yeah right the party, you know exactly who I'm referring to, Rory is coming home tomorrow. How long has been since the two of you saw each other anyway."
"A while I guess, and yeah sure why wouldn't I be happy to see her? Everyone is going to be excited to see Rory again."
"Come on man, it's me you're talking to now, I understand. I was there remember, I saw what the two of you had between each other. Hell I was even there the night before your wedding when you mumbled her name instead of your wife's."
"Kyle that was a long time ago, we've both grown up and we're completely different now."
"I don't know man, if it were me I wouldn't have given up without a fight. I'd give anything to have a relationship like the two of you had together."
"You don't think I fought for her? I had to fight everyday when I was in that relationship. All the way up to the last second when I finally realized I had to let go, and really let go forever."
"Regardless of how it ended the two of you were THE couple. And you were madly in love with one another at one point in time, you can't just let those memories fade away, they're part of who you are."
"I never said she wasn't important to me, it's just not likely that anything will ever happen between us again. Hell, at this point I'm not even sure she would want to be my friend."
"I highly doubt that…did I ever tell you about last year's Christmas party?"
"Not really, you just said the same old thing happened. You told me I didn't miss much by going to see my parents for Christmas instead."
"I really suck as a friend. I can't believe I forgot to tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
"She asked about you. She wanted to know where you were and I told her. And then she mumbled something about being disappointed and that she was really looking forward to seeing you again."
"Really, I mean are you sure she said that? I mean I'm sure you were a little toasted, maybe you got the message wrong."
"No, that is what she said. I'm sure of it."
"Well I guess that makes sense, I mean I'd probably ask the same thing if I went away and came back."
"Hey man, all I'm saying is that there is definitely something special happening this Christmas. I can feel it, we will all prosper…speaking of which I must run home now to get ready for my date."
"Oh wow, I didn't realize you and Miss Patty hit it off that well." Dean joked.
"Shutup you're just jealous, I saw you notice her too. The hot blonde I was working with…too bad you were assigned to do all the manual labor while I got to hang with her."
"Fair is fair, she is all yours."
"You coming home?" Kyle asked before walking away.
"No , I think I'm going to walk for a bit to clear my head. You go on and have a good time tonight."
"Oh trust me we will, details in the morning bro."
Dean continued walking towards the lake. Stopping at the edge of it as he looked over the water that seemed to be shiny black glass, he felt the first piece of snow fall on his face. Smiling to himself as he remembered the Gilmore's philosophy that really good things happen when it snows. His mind slowly drifted to thinking about the possibilities of tomorrow.