"Do you want to go to Rosie's for breakfast?" Marty asked, as he and Rory walked down the stairs from his dorm. "Or would you rather just go to the Caf?" He hoped putting the ball in her court would relieve him from making a decision he couldn't seem to make. On one hand, Rosie's had better food, and way better coffee, but on the other hand, the Caf would make everything seem like it was back to normal, and after last night, normal sounded really good.

"Rosie's! My mom gave me money for breakfast, and I'm craving chocolate chip waffles with whipped cream."

"How are you not 400 pounds?" he asked, for not the first time.

Rory leaned into him and huffed at his rude question. "It's the Gilmore genes. You've met my mother."

He smiled and nodded, and wisely decided to keep his mouth shut while they made their way to the café.

Once they were seated, and coffee was delivered, Marty finally decided to broach the subject that he'd been thinking about since she showed up on his doorstep this morning. "How'd the wallow go?"

Rory shrugged. "Apparently there wasn't as much to wallow about as I thought. Somehow I was mourning the loss of the relationship I had with Dean in high school, not the one that just ended. If that makes any sense."

Marty nodded in semi-understanding. "So you're over it?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think I'm completely over it, but I think I'll get over it quickly."

"Okay. Good to know. Are there any topics that I should avoid?" he asked. Rory looked at him curiously, so he carried on. "When Mark broke up with his most recent girl friend, he would completely lose it if someone mentioned anything that was Anna's favorite."
"Like what?" Rory asked.

"Well, I asked if he wanted to watch bootlegged Firefly episodes with me, and he bit my head off because Firefly was Anna's favorite show."

Rory laughed, and then asked, "What's Firefly?"

"I can't believe you don't know about Firefly. You seem to be so up on your pop culture! It's a short-lived Joss Whedon show about space cowboys!"

"Space cowboys, that's why. There's no sci-fi in the Gilmore repertoire."

"Ah. Well, back to the original question… any taboo subjects?"

He watched her as she thought about it for a moment. "I guess maybe I should stay away from pepperoni pizza and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Oh and if you're having sex, you don't need to mention that either."

Marty choked on his coffee. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? "Excuse me?"

"What?" she asked innocently. "I don't want to be reminded of what I'm not having."

Marty took a sip of his water to try and regain his composure. He was having a hard enough time with thoughts of Rory and sex, there was no way he could manage conversation about it yet.

"Got it. No pepperoni pizza, no Willy Wonka."

"So have you figured out what you're going to order?"

Marty glanced down at his menu, and the price list, then thought about the cost of his date with Sarah. "I'll probably have bacon and eggs," he finally said, even though he really wanted the Eggs Benedict.

"You can have that every day at the Caf. Why don't you live a little? Remember, breakfast is on my mom," Rory told him, holding up a pair of twenties.

"Fine, I'll have Eggs Benedict." He stuck his tongue out at her to indicate he thought she was being a brat.

It was at this time the waitress chose to return. "Are you two ready to order?"

"Yeah. I'll have the chocolate chip waffles, with whipped cream, a side order of bacon, and," she paused for a moment, "a large hot chocolate."

The waitress shifted her gaze to Marty. "I'll have the Eggs Benedict." The waitress walked away and Marty looked at Rory, "seriously 400 pounds!"

She kicked him under the table.

Breakfast was filled with chatter about Yale. They talked about homework and classes, and Rory told him stories about the crazy things Paris did and the Yale Daily News, while he told her about his bartending gigs and the wacky things he saw.

After she paid the bill, they headed back to the dorms to get ready for classes.

"So, uh, what are your plans for the weekend?" Marty asked nervously as they were parting on the stairs.

"Friday Night Dinner, then spend Friday night with my mom. Then come back here on Saturday and do homework. You?"

"I have a bartending gig tonight, then homework tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Do you maybe want to…" he trailed off, blushing at his nerves.

"Want to what?" she asked.

"Hang out Saturday afternoon or Saturday night," he finally suggested.

"Sure. That'd be good. Call me when you're done studying on Saturday and we'll fix a time and a place."

"Okay." She headed into her dorm room and he watched her from the stairs until the door closed, then he made his way up the stairs to his own room to grab his books for his 10:00 class.

Rory could feel Marty's eyes on her as she walked away. She wanted to put a little swish in her hips for him, but decided it was probably too soon. Instead she merely smiled like a loon, knowing he couldn't see her face from the stairs.

She stepped into her dorm and leaned against the door as she closed it.

"Good breakfast with Marty?" Paris asked smugly.

"Rosie's chocolate chip waffles are the best!" she said, ignoring the Marty part of the sentence.

"When are you going to admit you like him?"

"When are you going to admit there's more than just tension with you and Doyle?"

Paris sighed loudly. "Fine. Don't admit it. See if I care." She stormed out of the room and Rory laughed.

She knew she liked Marty. She just wasn't sure if it was the best time to act on it. She'd been single for less than 24 hours. Paris would probably argue that she should strike while the iron was hot, but what if her full disclosure to Marty had actually changed the way he felt about her? It didn't seem like it this morning… but who knew. Although it was funny to watch him freak out when she told him he couldn't mention his sex life. She never really thought about Marty having a sex life before. She'd said it then for shock value, and because that was the only thing she'd really miss about the third coming of Dean, but now, she knew any tales from Marty's sex life would likely make her jealous.

She pushed off the front door, and headed into her bedroom to grab her bag, she had to get to class.

Rory took her usual seat in Poli-Sci and reviewed her notes from the last class, wondering if Marty would be in class. He slid into his seat only moments before the lecture started, so she didn't have time to question him. The discussion topic for the day was the delegation of duties to the states, and whether the federal government had retained too much control, or not enough. It was an interesting discussion, but Rory paid more attention to Marty than she did to the material at hand. He seemed to be drawn into the discussion, and wholly focused on the class.

At the end of class, Rory started to pack up her books, and glanced over at Marty, about to ask if he wanted to have lunch together. It was too late, all she could see was his back as he headed out the door.

Marty darted into class at the last possible minute. He was mortified about his actions earlier, he acted like a total fool when he tried to ask Rory out for Saturday night. She just split up with Dean! What was he thinking! He wondered if he'd covered his gaffe, or if she could see right through it when he invited her to hang out. She'd said yes, that must mean something. Now he just wanted to make sure she didn't have a chance to change her mind. If he barely saw her, she wouldn't have time to change their plans.

He spent the poli-sci lecture pretending to be super focused. He riffled through his materials and his notes, trying to find answers for every question the professor posed, and as soon as class was over, he shot out the door like a rocket.

He headed straight for the library after class, knowing she'd head to lunch then her afternoon class, and he wouldn't run into her for bit. He didn't want to put his foot in his mouth again. He just needed a little time to remind his hormones that even if Rory was now single, that didn't mean she was his.

In attempts to earn extra tips, Marty broke out his Cocktail-style bartending moves at his gig on Friday night. He twirled bottles, tossed glasses, and set drinks on fire for the amusement of the over-privileged masses. Given his thoughts were never far from Rory, he was surprised that he managed not to injure himself or anyone else with his tricks, but whatever he did, it worked, and he came home with almost $300 worth of tips. He could actually afford to take Rory out and show her a good time tomorrow!

Saturday morning came very early for Marty. He intended to have all of his homework done before noon so he could call Rory right away and set up plans. Unfortunately, the universe didn't seem to agree.

By four o'clock on Saturday afternoon Rory was beginning to wonder if she should have just stayed in Stars Hollow for another night. She'd spent half the night before talking her mother's ear off about Marty, now that she was allowed to actually have a crush, and now it seemed like it would be over before it began. She'd rushed back to campus at noon and tried to focus on her homework, all the while waiting for Marty to call. She'd checked her cell phone every five minutes hoping for a call. She'd even gone as far as to call her cell phone from her room phone to make sure it worked. Rory looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 4:03 pm. If Marty didn't call in the next 57 minutes it would no longer be afternoon, it would be Saturday night. Would that mean that he'd stood her up?

She replayed their conversation in her head. He asked if she wanted to do something Saturday afternoon or Saturday night. She'd said Sure, which was an ambiguous answer at best. Why couldn't she have been more clear? She should have said 'Yes, let's do something Saturday afternoon and Saturday night,' but alas, hindsight was twenty-twenty, and she had to work with her own shortcomings. She lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, and started counting backwards from 1000.

She reached 878 before she fell asleep.

Marty was awakened with a gentle shake. He sat up with a start and glanced around quickly to try and determine his surroundings. "Wha?" he mumbled.

"Dude, you fell asleep!" some random girl explained to him.

"Where? What time?" He couldn't quite formulate complete thoughts yet.

"You're in the library; it's 6:00 on Saturday night," the guy next to her explained.

He'd been asleep for more than 6 hours in the library! "Rory!" he exclaimed in a voice louder than one he should have used in his given location. He jumped up, grabbed his books, and ran for the exit. As soon has he exited the main doors he stopped and pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number he knew all to well.

"'lo?" she answered on the second ring.

"I'm so sorry!" he started.

"Marty?" she mumbled.

"Did I wake you up?" He heard some rustling on her end of the phone.

"What time is it?"

"It's a few minutes after 6:00. I'm sorry I'm so late in calling. I meant to call earlier, but I fell asleep in the library," he explained.

"S'okay. I fell asleep too."

"Do you still want to hang out tonight?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I guess. As long as you're not too tired."

"I apparently had a six hour nap in the library, I'm not going to be tired for quite a while."

"Okay then." He could hear the smile in her voice. "Take out and a movie?"

"How about we go out for dinner instead?"

"Sounds good. Soon? I'm starving!"

"Yeah. Let me go home and change and then I'll be down. Less than 30 minutes."

"Mar-ty," she whined, "I'm hungry now!"

He laughed. "Ro-ry, I've been asleep in the library for 6 hours, I need to at least make sure I'm not covered in ink. I'll be as quick as I can, a half an hour at the latest."

She huffed. "Okay. But hurry."

"I will." Marty flipped his phone shut, and quickly headed back to his room. He took the stairs two at a time, and as soon as he flung open the door he dropped his books. He was stripping off his shirt by the time he hit the bathroom. He looked in the mirror to find that there were minimal markings from his nap. A couple of creases across his face, and a small bit of highlighter smudged across his cheek, nothing a quick wash of his face wouldn't fix. He washed his face as quickly as he could, then rushed into his bedroom for a clean shirt. He pulled a navy blue Henley over his head and tucked it into his jeans, then grabbed his leather jacket and wooly scarf, and jogged back down the stairs to Rory's room.

As soon as she heard Marty's phone disconnect Rory shot off of her bed. She had less than 30 minutes to get ready for her… wait, was this a date? Maybe she shouldn't have whined about being hungry. She rushed around her room digging through her closet to find something to wear, then fix her hair, and put on some makeup. She ended up in a cobalt blue v-neck sweater that matched her eyes, and pair of slim fitting jeans. She let her hair fall around her shoulders in loose curls, and slicked a thin layer of gloss over her lips. She examined herself in the mirror for a second, and smiled. She looked good. Then she made a mad dash into her common room, Paris was home for the weekend, and it was clean when she left Friday night, but she still checked for errant garments.

Ah-ha, there was a random bra tucked under the couch cushion. It wasn't hers. How the hell did that get there? She snagged it by the strap and flung it into Paris's room. She was just shutting the door when she heard a knock.

"Just a sec," she called. She smoothed her hair one last time, and then answered the door.

"Hey," Marty said with a smile. "I made it in," he paused and looked as his watch, "21 minutes."

"So where do you want to go for dinner?"

"I was thinking Thai."

"That sounds like a good plan. Do you want the good place on Third or the mediocre place on Main?" Rory asked.

"The delicious place on Arbor Street actually."

"But it's so expensive! I don't think I can afford it."

"My treat," Marty told her with a grin. "Get your coat."

Rory grabbed her coat, and followed Marty out the door. "Do you want to walk, or should I drive?"

It was moments like this that made Marty hate not having his own car. He thought about it for a moment as he waited for Rory to finish locking the door. The restaurant wasn't in a bad part of town, nor was it really that far away, less than a mile, but it was pretty cold outside. He looked down at Rory's feet to find that she was wearing a pair of blue Converse; they could handle the walk. "It's only a few blocks, let's not bother with the car."

"It's like ten blocks Marty."

"Would you rather drive?"

"Oh no, walking is fine, I was just pointing out that 10 is a lot more than 'a few'," Rory said with a smug grin.

He rolled his eyes at her in a friendly manner, and extended his arm for her to take it. She took it, and they started walking. After a minute or so, he found that Rory was practically pulling him along, walking much faster than her usual pace, which he considered odd since he knew the whole 'Gilmores don't run' adage. "What's the hurry?" he finally asked.

"Uhm starving!" she reminded him.

Oh yeah, he'd forgotten that part. He picked up his pace to match hers, and soon they were at the restaurant. He held open the door for her and smiled as she pushed her hair out of her face and he had a chance to take in her rosy cheeks and slightly reddened nose, maybe it was colder than he thought outside. He followed her inside and quickly shut the door behind him to keep the warm air inside.

The hostess seated them in a cozy corner table, and left them with menus and the promise of a server returning shortly.

"So, uhm, what do you want to eat?" Marty asked tentatively as soon as the hostess left them alone.

"Chicken curry?" she suggested equally tentatively.

"Do you want to share?"

"Of course!"

They ordered spring rolls, pad Thai, chicken curry, and pad see ew, and then lapsed into silence after the server left.

"So… how was your dinner last night?" Marty asked. He was struggling to make conversation with Rory, which was wrong on several levels. They never had a problem talking in the past. What was going on here? It felt more like an awkward first date than it did dinner with one of his best friends.

"The usual. Dinner was good, but we got a lecture for being late. But I did get to give my grandmother the news about no longer being with Dean, and that seemed to make her happy for most of the evening," she told him.

"She's happy that you broke up with your boyfriend? That seems kind of harsh."

"Oh she gave the correct platitudes, 'you poor thing' and the like, but she couldn't hide her happiness." She shrugged indicating that it was what it was. "How was your evening?"

"Another boring party. But I earned a lot of tips." He smiled broadly.

"Pouring heavy drinks?" she asked.

"Nope. Pouring entertaining drinks."

"Like Tom Cruise in Cocktail?"

"Exactly!"

"I didn't know you could do that! Can I watch sometime?" she asked excitedly.

"Sure."

The conversation died, and before he could start another one, the food arrived. The presence of food seemed to ease the awkwardness. Instead of coming up with topics of conversation, they mostly talked about how good the food was, and how other places didn't measure up, or if they did it was only for one dish. By the time dinner was finished, things felt almost normal again. Marty paid the bill and Rory thanked him profusely.

"You bought breakfast yesterday, it's the least I could do."

"My mom bought breakfast yesterday," she reminded him as they stepped out into the cold. "Brrr."

"I think the temperature dropped while we were eating."

"Well let's hurry back to the dorms. Do you have a movie picked?" she asked as she wrapped herself around his arm for warmth.

"Yeah. I was thinking America's Sweethearts."

"Really? Why?"

"You don't like it?"

"I don't think I've seen it all the way th-through," she explained with her teeth chattering.

Marty stopped for a second.

"Why are you st-stopping?"

He unwound his scarf from his own neck and wrapped it around her. "There, that'll help a little." He would have given her his coat too, but that was probably overkill since they were only about 5 minutes from where they were going.

"Thanks."

"Now, as for America's Sweethearts. It's John Cusack, Hank Azaria, and Billy Crystal, it's funny!"

"Okay, I believe you."

They stopped at his room for the movie, then went downstairs to hers to watch it. She had all the good movie snacks after all.

Rory set out popcorn, M&Ms and Red Vines while Marty got the movie ready. She also ran into her room to grab and pillow and blanket. Winter was making itself known, and she was still cold. She dumped her supplies on the couch and then began to make herself comfy. She snuggled into the corner of the couch and laid the blanket over her lower body, but she didn't tuck it around her as she would if she were alone.

Marty sat down on the other end of the couch. "Are you still cold?" he asked.

"Yes. Aren't you?"

He shrugged, "a little I guess."

"You can use part of the blanket if you want to." She'd grabbed the comforter off her bed, so it was big enough that he could use it from his end of the couch, but instead he scooted a little closer to her, and pulled the covers over his legs as well. Rory adjusted her position so she was sitting closer to Marty, for more effective sharing purposes only, she told herself. When he pulled the covers, it uncovered part of her leg.

They munched their way through the first half of the movie. It was funnier than Rory had remembered. When the snacks were gone, she found herself pulling the covers up higher, to keep her hands and arms warm. Marty must have had the same idea, because when she rested her hand on the couch, under the covers, her pinky brushed against his hand. She felt that familiar nervous tingle, but wasn't sure how to react. This was Marty!

Yes she liked Marty, but… there were too many variables. She wanted to jerk her hand away, but then she also wanted to see what he would do. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed focused on the movie, but she thought she saw him tense up just a bit. But John Cusack's character was just barely hanging on to the edge of a roof, maybe it was just the movie. She left her hand right next to his.

Marty felt like he'd been shocked when he felt Rory's hand bump up against his under the covers. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to grab her hand and hold it, but was it too soon? He focused on the movie, but all the while he could feel Rory's pinky lined up with his own. Finally he gave up. He lifted his hand to stretch, and the set it down slightly closer to Rory, so it would rest on top of hers. If it was too much, she'd move her hand, right? His hand rested on hers for about 10 seconds before she moved hers, he was just about to remove his hand in response, when he realized that all she was doing was fanning out her fingers, which allowed his fingers to become intertwined with hers as gravity pulled them into the open spaces. He couldn't help but smile, he glanced over at her to find that she was smiling too. He was holding hands with Rory Gilmore!

She tried to focus on the movie when she felt Marty's hand move away from hers, but the loss of sensation made her immediately wonder if she'd done the wrong thing. Before she could get too far into her own neurosis, she felt his hand settle lightly on hers, and shifted her own to let accommodate it. Sure it wasn't exactly conventional handholding, but for now, it was a good place to start.

AN: As usual I don't own anything. Sorry it's been so long since an update. Real life kinda got in the way… that and my muse ran off to write something different. But hopefully, now that I've got this one piece out of the way… the muse will find it's way back for a couple more chapters.

Let me know what you think! Too much? Not enough? Totally out of character?

Also: Just watched Firefly with the husband… I *heart* Nathan Fillion… and I really do think that America's Sweethearts is super funny.

Please read and review if any of you are still out there!

Thanks

S