Rory caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up to find her cell phone, which she'd set on silent for her trip to the library, vibrating across the table.

"Hello?" she answered in a hushed whisper, not wanting to incite angry glares from those around her. She jumped up quickly and headed for the nearest restroom.

"Rory?"

"Yeah," she said at almost a normal volume when she finally reached the bathroom.

"Why are you whispering?"

"I'm in the library."

"Oh. How's the paper coming?"

"Good. How's yours?" she asked in return.

"I'm starting to think that Hemingway didn't really change that much," Marty replied. She could hear a smile in his voice, which caused her to smile as well.

"Well I could have told you that."

"It's too late for that now. So what time do you want to watch the movie?"

"What time is it now?"

"It's almost 4:00," he told her.

"Well I'm almost finished here. Do you want to get dinner too?"

"Sure that'd be great."

"How about 5:30 then? That gives me time to wrap up here and go home and drop all my stuff off, and it gives you time to finish whatever you're working on too."

"Sounds good. Hey, did we want to watch the movie at my place or yours?"

"Doesn't matter to me," she responded.

"Is Paris home tonight?"

"No, she's in New York, dealing with something for Asher's estate."

"Your room then. You've got a better tv and all the snacks are already there."

"Sounds good. Meet me there at 5:30, and we'll get some dinner."

"See you then."

She heard the silence of the severed call, and headed back to her table. She sat down and tried to refocus on polishing her paper, but she was too distracted by thoughts of her plans with Marty. After 15 minutes of trying to work and not being able to write a coherent sentence she gave up and packed up her books to head back to her room and get ready for her evening.

After hanging up the phone Marty also found it difficult to return to his work. He knew he had an hour and half to kill, but he knew that anything he wrote would likely have to be rewritten later. Instead he decided to focus on choosing a movie. He knew Rory thought he had it all picked out, and he did when the subject came up originally, but after some additional thought, he decided to try again. He wasn't sure if Rory would read something into his movie choice, but he wanted to make sure his choice said the right thing in case she did.

He opened his closet and began to stare at his movie collection, which was on a bookshelf with his 'for fun' reading materials. The first thing he came across was Poltergeist. It was a classic. But it was also scary, and he didn't really know how Rory felt about scary movies. It would give him an excuse to touch her if she got scared, but he would feel really bad if she got nightmares because of him.

The next film that jumped out at him was America's Sweethearts. It was a light funny romantic comedy, but would she find it strange that he owned a romantic comedy? It truly was a funny movie, but perhaps it would be best saved for a later date and time.

He bypassed several action films, the Die Hard trilogy, the Lethal Weapon foursome, and Indiana Jones. He wanted something smart and witty, that wasn't predictable. Finally towards the end of his collection he found the perfect film. He grabbed it off the shelf and tossed it on the bed.

He looked down at his watch, he still had an hour left to go. He looked down at the rest of his attire, and decided that maybe a shower would be a good way to kill time. He'd taken one when he finally woke up, around 10:00, but you couldn't possibly be too clean could you?

Rory spent her extra time tidying her common room. She made sure there weren't any shoes or other articles of clothing stuck in the couch, and tried to consolidate the clutter Paris accumulated in her craft corner, that seemed to continually spread. She sighed in frustration as she realized that the crafts would never be under control.

She wasn't sure why she was trying so hard, Marty had been to her place plenty of times, but for some reason tonight the mess was irritating her. She finally gave up and headed into her room to get ready. Again, she wasn't sure why she was trying so hard, she knew it wasn't a date, but she still took care to brush her hair, add a fresh layer of mascara, and spritz herself with some body spray. She made sure to wear something she hadn't worn in a while, double checked for holes in her socks, and put on matching undergarments – not that Marty would see them, but still.

She was running her brush through her hair one last time when she heard a knock at her door. "Coming!" she called. She set the brush down and headed for the door.

She opened the door to find Marty just as she expected. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," he repeated.

"Come on in." As he passed her to enter the suite she took a moment to check him out. He was wearing dark jeans, a heavy cream-colored sweater and dark brown thick soled shoes that seemed to exactly match the brown of his leather jacket. He looked really good, she started to smile then she realized she shouldn't care how he looked.

"Rory?" she heard Marty ask.

"Yeah?"

"I asked where you wanted to go for dinner…"

"Oh sorry. Uhm how does Chinese food sound?" she asked.

"Sure. Do you want to go out or have it delivered?"

She thought about it for a moment, mentally weighing the pros and cons. "Out."

"Alright then," Marty said with a smile. He set a small bag on the couch and headed back to the door.

"What's that?" Rory asked looking at the bag curiously.

"The movie for later. Now come on, get your coat."

She grabbed her coat, and he grabbed the scarf that was underneath it. She shrugged into her coat and he wrapped the scarf around her neck.

"Thank you," she said as he opened the door and gestured for her to exit. She stepped out the door and waited for him so she could lock the door behind him.

She turned and linked her arm through his as they walked towards her car. Suddenly she remembered the comment from yesterday, about people thinking they were a couple and dropped his arm. He looked at her curiously, and she began to rummage through her purse as a distraction.

"So which restaurant do you want to go to?" she asked as she pulled out a tube of lip gloss.

"How about Shanghai?"

"Ohhh, they do have the best moo shu there." They reached the car and she slid into the drivers seat. She started the car and he instantly took up his usual position, fiddling with the radio trying to find a good song. Rory reversed out of the parking spot and headed out of the parking lot in the direction of the restaurant.

Come as you are, as you were… "Next!" Rory exclaimed.

He hit the seek button again and looked over at her. "Lane would be so disappointed in you."

Don't go breakin' my heart… I couldn't if I tried… Rory began to sing along and Marty forcefully punched the seek button. "It's Elton!"

"I know."

"Now Lane would be disappointed in you," Rory teased.

"No I think that saying no to Kiki Dee would make Lane proud." She snorted at his response.

…tied to me tight, tie me up again... This time they both sang along.

"Does Lane approve of the Dave Matthews Band?" Marty asked as the song faded out.

"In general probably, but she thinks Crash Into Me is too main stream. Which it is of course, but I still like it."

I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy… "Change it," Rory said abruptly.

"Okay," Marty said complying. "Don't like Savage Garden?"

She didn't know how to explain it. Dean always said that song reminded him of them. It wasn't their song or anything, but still she didn't want to hear it. She shook her head. "Way too over played."

"The song hasn't been popular in about 5 years," Marty remarked.

"Still."

After another trip through the stations yielded nothing tolerable, Rory finally interjected and switched the stereo to the cd player, and the haunting bass line of With Or Without You filled the car. Marty looked over at her, his expression filled with curiosity.

"The Joshua Tree never goes out of style," she informed him.

A few minutes later the restaurant appeared on the left, and Rory pulled into the parking lot.

They entered Shanghai to find it surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night.

"Table for two?" the host asked. They nodded and he led them to a booth. They took seats opposite each other and began perusing the menu before he'd even left the table.

"Do you want get a couple items to share?" Rory asked.

"Of course," Marty replied as if it were the only possible option.

"Dean usually doesn't like to share. He prefers to get his own items." She didn't know why she told him that. It just popped out of her mouth.

"What time is your breakfast tomorrow?' he asked, choosing to ignore her statement about Dean's preferences.

"He can't make it tomorrow. We had breakfast this morning instead."

Marty merely nodded in response, not sure how he felt about this. On one hand this meant that Rory wouldn't need to turn in early to go see Dean, on the other it meant that she'd just seen him. "How was breakfast?"

"It was good. A little early, but it was good to see him."

Good? Marty thought, couldn't she come up with a better adjective than good?

"So, how was your catering job last night?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"It was good," he said purposefully using her word. He wasn't sure if he was going to mention Sarah yet or not, so he decided to leave it at good.

"Lots of snobby people?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Learned to make a new drink."

"Cool."

"So you want the moo shu, what else should we get?" he asked changing the subject again.

"Fried rice?"

"Okay. And Kung Pao Three-in-One?"

"Sounds perfect."

The waitress arrived and took their order.

"So is your paper done?" Marty asked, and Rory was off on a rant about modern British Literature.

Two hours later Rory handed Marty the remainder of her frozen yogurt, "could you hold this so I can unlock the door?"

"Sure." He took a lick off the top of her cone.

"Hey!" she shouted as she opened the door. "That's mine!"

"It's the holding tax."

"No fair, I didn't get a bite of yours." She glared at him and snatched the cone out of his hand.

"You can have a bite of mine next time."

"Okay," she said hesitantly, as if he would try to get out of it later. "What movie are we watching?"

"It's a surprise."

"Still?"

"You go get the supplies and I'll put the movie in."

Rory went to the kitchen and began collecting snacks. She tossed a packet of microwave popcorn into the microwave and started digging for other treats. She wondered what he picked to watch, but she wasn't worried. If it were Dean she knew he'd pick something he loved, without giving any consideration for what she liked, but somehow she knew Marty would have better taste.

Marty popped the dvd into the player and sat down on the couch to wait. He looked at his surroundings and wondered if there would be a way for him to orchestrate a reason for her to sit right next to him.

"Here we are," she said as she entered. She carried a bowl of popcorn and a plate piled high with junk food, and set them both down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Are those Pop Tarts?" Marty asked.

She nodded, "Chocolate Fudge."

He smiled and shook his head.

"Are you ready for the movie?" he asked, since he'd paused it on the black screen before the film started.

"Yes! The suspense is killing me." She came around the coffee table and sat down right next to him. She reached for the popcorn straight away, leaning into him slightly to reach the bowl, which was set directly in front of him.

He pushed play and wondered if she set the food where she did so she had a reason to sit so close to him. Wishful thinking there Harrison, he thought to himself.

The movie started and a few seconds in she turned to face him "Keyser Soze?" she said in a funny voice.

"You've seen it?"

"I love it! It's one of my favorites."

"I'm glad." He actually had mixed feelings on the matter. He wanted to introduce her to one of his favorites, and was a little bummed that she'd seen it, but then again, he was glad that she liked it. "Mine too."

Thirty minutes into the movie Marty felt Rory lean into his body resting her head on his shoulder.

An hour into the movie he heard her start to lightly snore. He turned his head to see her asleep on his shoulder, looking peaceful yet uncomfortable. He tried to subtly adjust his body so she could get more comfortable. He grabbed the pillow from the arm of the couch and put it on his lap, and whispered to her, "Rory, why don't you lay down."

"Mmmm-hmmm," she mumbled and let him ease her into a horizontal position with her head on the pillow. He rested his arm on her shoulder and let her fall back asleep.

Towards the end of the movie Marty's late night also caught up with him, and he nodded off as well.

He backed her into the wall and kissed her breathless. "Don't stop," she moaned. He ran his hands up her sides and tangled them in her hair. "More," she panted as she broke the kiss. She pulled at his shirt and pulled him closer again. He kissed the side of her neck and nipped at her ear. "Marty!" she cried out in ecstasy.

"What? Huh?" a sleepy voice pulled her from her dreams.

Rory's eyes popped open. The room was bathed in the dark glow of the movie menu screen, which was oddly silent. She was asleep in Marty's lap again. She blushed furiously at the thought of the dream she'd just had. Did she really call out his name in her sleep?

"Hi," she finally said as Marty's eyes focused and looked down at her.

"Looks like we fell asleep again," he said softly.

"Looks like." She made no move to extricate herself from his lap.

"I guess I'd better go," he said after minute.

"Oh yeah." She sat up so he could get up. "Thanks for coming Marty. I had a good time," she said as she walked him to the door.

"Me too." He opened his arms to hug her good night and she walked into them resting her head on his shoulder again.

"Lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan," he told her as he left.

He waited outside the door until he heard the click of her lock, then headed up to his own room.

As he got ready for bed he thought about his evening. It was the second time in three days he'd fallen asleep with Rory in his lap. Just the thought of it made him smile. He tried to remember what had woken him up. He knew it was Rory calling his name, but when he'd woken up enough to look at her, he found her to be surprised.

She was officially the worst girlfriend ever she decided as she pulled on her pajamas. She'd fallen asleep on someone that wasn't Dean twice in three days. And tonight she'd woken that someone up because she'd called out his name in an erotic dream! She never talked in her sleep!

She lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. She tried to think thoughts about Dean so he would be in her dreams, but all she ended up thinking about was their breakfast that morning and how awkward it was. It seemed like everyone in the town stared at them as they passed, and everything either of them said had started an argument. He told her in time it would get easier, people would forget about his marriage to Lindsey, he wouldn't have to work so much, and she would be done with school. She had smiled and nodded and agreed with him, but now, in the dark of the night, she wasn't so sure she wanted to wait for it to get easier.

AN: I don't own the show, or pop tarts.

Song lyrics in order are from: Come As You Are – Nirvana, Don't Go Breaking My Heart – Elton John and Kiki Dee, Crash Into Me – Dave Matthews Band, Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden.

I completely made up Shanghai as a Chinese restaurant… but moo shu is one of my favorites.

The movie they watch is The Usual Suspects.

I don't own any of the other movies Marty mentioned, or U2 (although I think The Joshua Tree is one of the greatest albums of all time!)

Please read and review!

S