From Conecticut, with Love diclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, I just like to borrow them from time to time.
chapter 2
The night was a long one for Rory. She'd dared not hold out hope that she and Dean would be given another chance. But after a chat with her mom, she had a little more hope. She knew that it would take a while for him to heal, and be ready to date. But maybe, just maybe...
These were the last thoughts on her mind, as she drifted off into Dream Land:
*dream*
It had been months since she'd seen Dean, without Lindsay on his arm. Christmas break was here, and she was in Stars Hollow for 3 weeks. Tonight was the towns Christmas party, and Rory was dressed to the hilt. When she entered Miss Patty's studio, she was amazed by the beauty, and all of the people. She looked up, and saw him, her Dean. Everything seemed to fade, until her eyes were focused on him. They came together, in an embrace, and when he kissed her everything clicked into place. Years of hurt and doubt were gone. She was in Dean's arms again. *end dream Tomorrow would be the last of her finals for the Fall semester, then she was free for 3 weeks.
Stars Hollow Dean's sleep was restless, at best. His feet continued to throb, even in slumber. He was crying softly, and tossing restlessly.
*dream Lindsay was in his arms, and he was looking down at her thinking how about how much he loved her. Out of the shadows, a man walked up, and held his arms open to her. She ran to him. Her eyes held love only for this man, together they walked away, and left Dean alone, and broken. ( again he cried softly)
The dream switched, and he was in Miss Patty's studio alone surrounded by people. He happened to look up, only to see Rory. When they made eye contact, everyone around them faded into the background. When he took her in his arms, he remembered all of the reasons he still loved her. Why she still had his heart, and In that one moment nothing else mattered.
*end dream
Across town Lindsay had the apartment torn apart. The proverbial dust was beginning to settle, and she was satisfied that he would NEVER forget her. One last thing to do before bed. She found her diary, and a pen. Leaving a letter on the inside.
Dean, I am leaving this for you so you know exactly how I feel about you.
I want you to know that I never loved you, but married you because you were the first to ask. Young, and dumb. That's what I was.
I am moving in with the one man that can make me happy. I met him after we were married and have been seeing behind your back. I am in fact pregnant with his baby, and he loves us both.
Goodbye Dean, make a life for yourself, be happy even. But please sign the divorce papers, so that we can all move on.
Always,
Lindsay
With the letter written she laid her diary on the kitchen counter, along with the divorce papers. She fell into bed, exhausted. The truth was finally out, she was spent, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
Morning came too soon for the three young people.
Rory awakened with just enough time to get ready, and get to class with 5 minutes to spare.
Lindsay was before 7:00a.m. to finish getting ready. The movers would be there any minute now. She made herself some tea and sat in the chair at the table. ( the only one she had not destroyed).
All of her stuff was cleared out by 9:00a.m. She left without looking back. Now she was free.
Morning was not a welcomed sight for Dean. With it came an overwhelming sense of pain. The pain in his feet however, was trumped by the painful memories of the previous night. He got up to use the the restroom, forgetting about his very tender feet. He cried out when the pain hit him. But pushed through it. When he entered the kitchen, there were 2 styrofoam containers, and 2 cups of coffee from Luke's. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water. Lorelai walked into see Dean sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands.
" Good morning Dean. How are you feeling today? Luke brought us some breakfast, are you hungry?"
He pondered her question for a moment, hesitating. Then something clicked and he knew he couldn't hold back anymore.
" Yeah, I could eat a little something. I feel like everything's crashing down around me. Like I'm a complete failure! I couldn't keep my wife happy! She was miserable with me. I worked hard so hard to provide for her, but it ended up biting me in the ass. Now, I have to go back to that apartment, and... I can't! I just can't live there... It was my first place. I don't know what I'm going to do... I just can't go back! I can't face my parents..." he paused, and took a deep breath. It sounded more like a sob. "I know it's not your problem, but what am I going to do?' He began eating his breakfast, as did she.
Her eyes were thoughtful as she answered him " Well, I was thinking about that last, and I may have a solution. The Inn is set to open in 2 weeks, and as of yet I have not found anyone I can trust to live on sight as the "grounds keeper." I am offering you that job. It would pay $13.00 dollars an hour until I can offer you more. Your utilities would be taken care of, but you would have to pay for cable and internet yourself. Does that sound okay to you?"
He looked up at her with watery eyes " That sounds amazing! Are... are you sure?"
"Yes of course, Dean. You have proven to me that you are an exellent worker. Hey, why don't you get dressed, so that we can have a look at what the cabin needs. Wait! Can you walk?"
He smirked at her, " Yeah, I can walk. It's kinda slow going though. Do you think we could wrap my feet a little better? Maybe it wouldn't be so painful."
"Of course, Hon. Go get dressed, then we can take care of your feet. I'll go get your stuff, and you can change in Rory's room."
After finishing their breakfast, It took them about 20 minutes to be completely ready to go, then they were off.
They returned to the house around 4:00p.m. Dean was exhausted. The day had been spent picking out house wares. Lorelai, wanted to make sure he had a fresh start. He was after all Rory's first love. Who knew what was written in the stars for those 2. They hadn't talked anymore about he and Lindsay. But Lorelai knew it was something he would need to talk about. His voice broke through her thoughts.
" Lorelai, would it be okay if I take a shower, and then lay down? My feet are throbbing, and I'm not feeling the greatest." looking at him she knew he needed rest and nodded.
" I think tomorrow would be a good time to go and get my stuff from the apartment. Will you go with me?" GOD! When he pleaded with her through those gorgeous green eyes, it was hard to say no. Not that she would have anyway. He was kinda like her kid now.
" Yes, of course I'll go with you. Now go take your shower. I need to get ready for... wait maybe I won't need to go..." she smiled and picked up her phone to call her mother.
"Hello?" Emily answered
"Mom, it's Lorelai. I won't be able to make it tonight. One of the construction crew was injured today, and I need to be with him."
"Well, are you sure? Is there any way you could come just for dinner? What about Rory? Does she need to be there with you?"
" Yeah, I could use her help. Can we do dinner on Sunday? Rory is out of school for 3 weeks for her Winter break." she had her fingers, ankles and eyes crossed, hoping her mom would buy it. Dean looked over at her and tried his hardest not to laugh.
" Well, I suppose that would be okay. Sunday at 7:00 then?"
"Yes Mother. Sunday at 6:00." See you then." she hung up the phone and Dean burst out laughing. When he gathered himself enough to speak he said
" So now I'm an excuse to get out of the dreaded Friday night dinner?"
"No, but at least you helped postpone it! Now go take your shower. I am going to call Rory, and tell her the good news. Then I'm going to run to the store and pick up some more bandages for your feet. Go!" she said smiling
He slowly hobbled away towards the bathroom, shaking his head. " Yes ma'am."
Lorelai dialed her daughters number, and hoped she wasn't making a mistake. They had a lot to talk about.
" Hello Mother, I'm running a little late. I'll meet you at Grandma and Grandpa's."
"No Hon, that's why I'm calling. It's been postponed until Sunday. I can't leave Dean alone tonight. Please come home, I really think he could use a friend his age. We can call for pizza if you want."
Rory sighed " Sounds good mom. I'll be there in a bit. I was already headed to the Grandparents. Love you, see you soon."
Lorelai walked down to the store and bought some more bandages, and antibiotic ointment with a topical pain killer. Tonight would be interesting!
At the store, Lorelai ran into Dean's mother.
"Lorelai, have you seen my son? I tried to call him last night, but he wasn't answering his phone." Poor woman looked scared. " I saw Lindsay this morning, moving out. When I asked what was going on, she laughed at me and walked away." The tears that had gathered in her eyes, were now falling freely.
Something clicked in Lorelai, and she answered carefully. "He's staying with me. He and Lindsay had a big fight last night. I don't know if he's up for company, but I'll let him know you want to talk to him." she smiled kindly at the woman, and said " I know this is hard on you, but he's really broken now too." With that said she openend her mouth one more time. " I need to go now. I will make sure he calls you when he can."
Back at the Gilmore residence ( the cool one of course), Rory was walking through the door. "Mom? Hello, I'm here... Oh! Hello Dean, where is my mom?"
" Hy Rory, she went to the store. She should be home soon though. How did you finals go today?"
" I only had one, and it went well, I think. How are you? Mom told me that you were staying here for a while. Are you okay?"
He laughed as she took a breath. Then he answered her, his voice soft, and a little sad " Yeah I guess you could say that Lorelai rescued me. I'm not okay. But I feel a little better, now." he smiled " Sorry I can't get up to greet you... I cut up my feet last night, in the kitchen. But could I get a hug?" He looked so hopeful,
DAMN those green puppy dog eyes! " Yes, of course." She walked over and put her arms around him. It was nice to feel his arms around her. Dean was so happy to hold her. Everything almost felt right. Sadly, the spell was broken when Lorelai came in.
The first thing she saw was her daughter and Dean in an embrace. She was happy, but knew it was just a hug. " Hey kiddos, everything okay in here?"
"Everything's fine mom. Where were you?" She asked as she hopped up to hug her mom. She tripped over Dean's foot " Oh gawd, I am so sorry! Are you okay?" she asked. His face was tight with pain, but he answered her.
" It's okay Rory! It definitely hurt, but I've had worse."
The night ended with Rory, and Dean asleep on the couch. The boy was broken, and hurting. But with time, he'd be okay. Destiny was working overtime on those 2, and with her on their side everything would turn out just fine! There was still much to do and a lot to deal with, but it would wait until tomorrow...
TBC
