*Mothra is a huge monster butterfly moth thing that habitats a person's stomach when they are EXTREMELY nervous. (It's a saying my friends and I use.)*
"What time is it Mom?" Lorly asked as she paced around the living room. She had woken up at 6:30 that morning. She tried to make herself go back to bed but couldn't she was just too excited. She'd known Coach Thompson since she started at Chilton, but knowing he was her dad made him seem like a complete stranger. She was excited and nervous and happy and confused.
"It's 10:45. He said he'd be here at 11. Calm down and stop pacing!" Rory told her as she sat on the couch wringing her hand and fidgeting like crazy. No matter how hard she tried to hid it she was just as nervous and excited as Lorly. Luke and Lorelai had gone out on a picnic they had "planned" the week before. Both Rory and Lorly knew it was just an excuse to give Rory, Lorly and Dean time alone.
"Is that him?" Lorly shouted from the window as a car slowed in front of their house.
"Let me see… Lorly! That's just Jeff bringing the paper!" Rory said as the person in the car chunked a newspaper into their yard. "Now come sit down before you drive me crazy! He won't get here any sooner if you stand here and spas out." Rory told her as the phone rang and Lorly bounded off to answer it. "Who is it?" Rory asked as she peeked out the window.
"It's Dawn." Lorly said as she walked up stairs to tell Dawn an assignment she missed. When Lorly was out of ear shot Rory continued to peer out the window. After a few minutes a green truck pulled into the drive was and Rory snuck out the door to welcome the familiar vehicle.
"Hey" Rory said as she met Dean coming up the steps.
"Hey back at you." He said leaning in to kiss her. "Thank you." He said chuckling after they parted.
"So are you ready to go in?" Rory asked taking his hand.
Dean took a deep breath and replied "Ready as I'll ever be. I'm so nervous I think I'd make a coffee-addict look calm." He gave her hand a squeeze and ascended the remaining steps.
"A coffee-addict or my mom, but don't worry she's just as nervous. I haven't been able to get her to sit all day. You'll do fine, lets go." Rory assured him while trying to make the *Mothra in her stomach go away. Together they walked in the house. Lorly was still up stairs so Rory told Dean to sit in the living room while she went up to get Lorly.
"Lorly. It's time." Rory said gently as she knocked on the door of the room that used to be the guest room until Rory found out she was having Lorly and decided she couldn't bare to move out.
"Dawn I have to go I'll call you later." Lorly said as her mom opened the door and motioned down stairs. "Lets do it." Lorly said taking a deep breath just like Dean had out on the porch. It made Rory smile to see how much they were alike, and didn't even know it…yet
"Hi… Co…De… um" Lorly started stuttering as she was overcome by emotion when she entered the living room and saw Dean, her father sitting on the couch.
"You can call me Dad if you want." Dean said standing up and walking over towards Lorly, but stopping a about a foot away from her.
"Ok… Dad." Lorly said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I've only imagined this for so long it doesn't seem real."
"Me too." He said as she ran over and hugged him tighter than she'd ever hugged anyone. "I'm so sorry. If I'd known I'd have been her all along, if I'd only known…" He apologized as both Lorly and he started crying. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you and your mom."
"It's ok. We were ok. You're here now and that's all that matters. Right Mom." Lorly said through her tears
"Right," was all Rory could get out, before Lorly and Dean pulled her into a hug.
"We're a family now. And that's all that matters now." Dean said kissing Lorly on the forehead and Rory on the lips. He was finally back with his girl… well not it was girls. Finally he was back where he belonged. The trio hugged and kissed and cried for a while then they all sat down and talked. They talked about the past 17 years and what they had all been doing. They looked through every picture album and home movie that had been taken in their separation. They talked and reacquainted until they were all starved, so they all walked arm in arm to Luke's where Lorelai and Luke were busy serving meals.
"Hey Mom, what happened to the picnic?" Rory asked as they walked in the door.
"Rory! Lorly! Dean! What are you doing here!" Lorelai shrieked as she ran over and hugged all three. She squealed and giggled and hugged them till they were prying her off.
"Who let her near the coffee! How many pots did she sneak?" Rory said as the three sat at a table. "We got hungry and came to where the happy coffee is, and the happy food. But I ask again, what happened to the picnic?"
"I… uh we… uh." Lorelai stuttered.
"Caesar quit and we had to come back. That is the ONLY reason I let your mom anywhere near the coffee pot. And even then she was supposed to be serving the CUSTOMERS!" Luke cut in, only half lying.
"Hey! I served some of it to them!" Lorelai said in her defense. "Of course I had to drink a little, after all you did say I had to be nice to the customers."
"At least I know of one other thing that never changes!" Dean said making everyone laugh.
"What's the first thing that never changes?" Rory asked
"My love for you." He answered gently kissing her.
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Later that night when Rory, Dean and Lorly returned home they all agreed the perfect ending to the perfect day would be none other than a movie night featuring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as Lorly suggested. By the time the movie was half way over she had fallen asleep with her head in her dad's lap.
"I guess today was a little too much for her." Rory whispered pointing to their daughter.
"Let's get her to bed." Dean said sliding his arms under her and lifting her up. The two took her up stairs and tucked her into bed then retreated back down to the couch.
"It's kind of ironic that Lorly picked this movie. I never told her it was what we watched on our first movie night." Rory mentioned as she snuggled up to Dean.
"It's also kind of suiting since it's our first movie night back together." Dean said wrapping his arms around Rory.
"I couldn't agree more!" Soon they too were sound asleep on the couch. When Lorelai and Luke came in the door they saw the two and couldn't help but laugh.
"It's about time things got back to how they're supposed to be." Lorelai whispered as she covered them up and crept upstairs with Luke.