A/N: Written for the OLC ficathon. Prompts: Snow, Paul Anka (the dog), Someone singing, Fuzzy socks, and something broken
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls
Really Got Me
For a few minutes, Lane had no idea what had woken her. She just lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, confused. Then she heard it again: a guitar. A familiar tune played out, something she hadn't heard since she'd moved out of her mother's house. Some hymn that she'd tried to block out with all the other unpleasant memories; but hearing it told her exactly who was playing.
She tried to ignore it, telling herself she was dreaming. She rolled over and pulled her covers up over her head, but then the song changed. No longer some random hymn, she recognized the opening chords. Not too long after, someone started singing.
"Girl, you really got me goin. You got me so I don't know what I'm doin', now. Yeah, you really got me now. You got me so I can't sleep at night."
She recognized the voice, and was stunned for a few minutes. But that passed, and she quickly rolled out of bed, grabbing her robe from where she'd tossed it when she'd gone to bed, and padded quickly towards the door. She wrenched it open, bringing the serenade to a halt, and found Dave Rygalski standing in front of her house, guitar in hand and a smile on his face.
"I thought that might get your attention," he said, walking forward, but Lane held up a hand, bringing him to a halt.
"You are not coming in here," she said. "Wait there."
"Lane, it's freezing out here!" Dave protested.
"Wait." She shut the door and hurried back to her room where she dressed as quickly and quietly as she possibly could, still amazed that Dave's singing hadn't woken Zach or Brian. She would have thought that just his choice in song would've had them up and wondering what was going on, not to mention the noise.
But Lane Kim had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth (on the contrary, she often embraced gift horses, appreciating their existence as they allowed her to get away with things), and she hurriedly pulled on her shoes as Dave started playing his guitar again.
"See, don't ever set me free, I always wanna be by your side. Girl, you really got me now, you got me so I can't sleep at night."
"Dave," Lane grumbled as she hurried back out. She snatched up her coat and was out the door fast enough for Dave to stop before he got to the next verse. She stood on the doorstep, staring at him where he stood on the sidewalk, guitar hanging around his neck.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," she replied.
Dave lifted the guitar over his head and carefully set it in the case by his feet, closing it up and grasping the handle as he stood straight again. "Can I come in?" he asked. Lane shook her head and stepped down to the sidewalk, starting out towards the center of town and motioning for Dave to come with her. He did.
"What are you doing here?" she asked when she was sure they were far enough away from the house. She didn't want Zach or Brian waking up and peering out the window to find her talking to Dave in the middle of the night. Couldn't guys pick reasonable hours to pull stupid stunts?
"I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd stop by," Dave replied, shifting his guitar to his other hand as they walked further and further. "Is that a problem?"
"Dave, it's the middle of the night," Lane snapped. "You don't just appear on someone's door step in the middle of the night an serenade them with the Klinks."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Dave said, coming to a halt. "Would Bowie have been a better choice? Or Oasis? Oh, better yet, how about Snow Patrol."
"Dave," Lane groaned. "C'mon, let's go to the gazebo."
"No, I have a better idea, how about we go back so you can get your precious beauty sleep?" Dave's voice was harsh, and Lane flinched at the sound, but she was quick to keep the conversation (argument?) going.
"It isn't that," she said softly.
"Oh? Then what is it?" They started walking again, slowly, heading towards the town square.
"Well, for one thing, how did you even know I wasn't at my mom's?" Lane asked, avoiding the inevitable.
"I asked Rory," Dave replied, as if it were that obvious.
"At midnight?"
"No, I called her earlier. Midnight was just the only time I could get out here," he explained.
"Oh…," Lane said as they reached the gazebo. Dave set his guitar down by the bench and they sat. Lane made sure there was space between them, not that she thought anything would happen. They sat in silence for awhile, watching the night, pulling their jackets tighter as a drifting snow began to fall. "So…why're you here?"
Dave shrugged. "I just wanted to see you, see the band. I hear you guys have been doing well," he said. He glanced over at Lane, but quickly returned his attention to the floor. "Heard you and Zach got engaged."
"And yet you still felt in necessary to sing 'You Really Got Me' right outside the house?" Lane asked after a moment.
Dave laughed. "Maybe I was singing to Brian," he said, grinning. Lane smiled at that and sighed, leaning her head back against the bench.
"So, you aren't here to…," she trailed off.
"Are you suggesting that I was pining, Ms. Kim?" Dave asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
"No, of course not," Lane said with a nervous laugh.
"Good, because Dave Rygalski does not pine."
"Of course not."
Somehow during their conversation, they'd gotten closer together. Maybe an automatic reaction to being freezing cold, a need to conserve body heat; or maybe some subconscious reaction to the subject they were discussing. Either way, they were shoulder to shoulder now, their faces inches apart, the mist of their breaths mingling. Dave was leaning closer and, Lane noticed, so was she.
She turned her head as quickly as she could.
"I love him, Dave," she whispered. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye, then he leaned down and grabbed his guitar case, heaving it up quickly. He turned to face her, but she couldn't look up.
"Bye, Lane," he said, and she watched his feet as he walked away, holding her head in her hands and thinking over what all had just happened.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Not now, not ever. Dave was gone, out of her life, and she had Zach. But Dave was back. Dave, her Dave, was back. And he'd tried to kiss her. And she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to kiss him or not.
A dog barked and Lane looked up. She shivered as if just remember how cold it was, and stood to leave, but before she could get very far, an excited Paul Anka bounded up to her. His tongue hung out of his mouth and he sat right in front of her and barked again.
"Hey, boy," Lane said, patting him on the head. "Where's Lorelai?" she asked, looking around, wondering how Paul Anka had managed to get out by himself. Then she caught sight of Lorelai jogging across the street, leash in hand, and waved to her.
"Hey, Lane," Lorelai said when she reached them. She bent down and tied the leash to Paul Anka's collar, scolding him in baby talk. "Sorry about that," she said, standing up and smiling at Lane. "The leash broke."
"What are you doing out so early?" Lane asked. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"Shouldn't you?" Lorelai asked knowingly, then gestured to the gazebo. Lane turned back and led the way up the steps. She sat down, lazily petting Paul Anka as Lorelai sat beside her.
"I came out with the snow," Lorelai said. "What's your excuse?"
"Dave Rygalski," Lane said quietly.
"Isn't he in Californa?"
"Apparently not."
"What did he want?"
Lane shrugged. "To talk, to catch up." She gazed out at the quiet houses, impressed by the change that came over Stars Hollow this late on a school night.
"In the middle of the night?" Lorelai asked. Lane shrugged and they sat in silence for awhile, watching the night and petting the dog.
"Aren't you cold?" Lane finally asked.
"Nope," Lorelai said, cheerfully. "I've got my fuzzy socks on." She pulled her pant leg up a little to show Lane that she was indeed wearing a pair of fuzzy blue socks. Lane smiled a little, then sighed and leaned back. She gazed up at the stars, thinking about that bogus story of Stars Hollow's founding and wondering if it really were true.
"Hey," Lorelai said, laying a hand lightly on Lane's shoulder. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"He tried to kiss me," Lane said.
"Did you let him?"
"No."
"Did you tell him about Zach?"
"He already knew."
"Then you're fine." Lorelai's voice was too happy, to certain, for Lane to find any comfort in it, but she looked at her friends mother, the woman who had been there when her own mother wouldn't understand, and forced a smile as best she could.
"Yeah," she said. "You're right." She stood, pulling her jacket tighter around her. "I should head home," she said.
"If you ever need anything," Lorelai said. "I still live in the same spot."
"Thanks, Lorelai," Lane said. Lorelai nodded and the two women went their separate ways.
As Lane crawled back into bed, she glanced at Zach, wondering just how he managed to sleep so soundly.
