Note: All of this part takes place in the same night. It may be confusing...
Dawn
Rory slummed into her house dragging her feet along behind and quietly closed the door.
"Where have you been?" Lorelai asked, standing up from the couch.
"Lane's," she replied simply as she kept walking into her room.
"I don't believe you."
Rory stopped and turned around showing her mother an emotionless face.
"You can call Lane. I was there since midnight talking and now i'm home."
"I called Lane's. Nobody answered..I called your cell--"
"Nobody answers the phone at the Kim house past 10:00 and I left my cell in the car--oh god."
"What? Where's your car?"
"It--it broke down...and I walked..and I-I forgot!"
"Rory..Rory, calm down..it's just a car, i'm sure it's still there if you left it anywhere in Stars Hollow. They can identify anything with a liscense plate."
Rory took a deep breath and seemed to ignore what her mother had just said and put her hand to her head.
"No! You don't understand! That's all I have left of him!"
Lorelai stopped and where they stood seemed as if it stopped in time. She walked cautiously over to Rory and held her close. Rory, dried from crying earlier took in deep shaky breaths as her mother stroked her hair calmingly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I want to sleep," she said, still keeping her head rested on her mother's shoulder. Then added quietly, "please?"
Rory slowly pulled away from Lorelai, looking down and turned to her room, entering and lightly pushing the door closed.
Stars Hollow High
Lane walked into class, rubbing her eyes and sat down uncontiously. She turned her head to the left and saw Dean. She gave a weak smile and yawned.
After class, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.
"Hey, Lane...you look tired."
"Well, Dean, that's because I am. And do you want to know why i'm tired?"
"Uh, sure..why?"
"I didn't get one wink of sleep last night."
"Okay...why not?"
"Because of you."
"Me?"
"Well, technically Rory, but--"
"Wait, Rory?" he asked, in a more confused tone.
"Yes."
"Care to enlighten me on how i'm involved in this?"
"I'd be delighted. Do you have a free period now?"
"Yeah.."
"Okay...library."
"I can't..i'm meeting Emily."
"I think you'd want to hear this."
"How are you so sure?"
"Believe me."
Dean let out a sigh, "Fine."
Lane led the way to the library where they sat in the back, talking low."
"So did you have fun with Emily last night?"
"How did you know I was with Emily?"
"Oh well, she has a lot to do with why I didn't get any sleep last night just as much as you and Rory do."
"Okay.."
"Now tell me what happened on the date and i'll tell you when to stop."
"Uh..okay, well she came over and we talked for a couple of hours just like we've been doing for the past few weeks. We watched a movie--Uh Lane, you might want to be awake to listen."
"I'm just closing my eyes. Don't worry--i'm awake."
"Okay...well we watched a movie and then I walked her home."
Lane opened her eyes.
"Continue."
"That's it."
"Don't lie to me, boy."
"Fine..then she asked if I was over Rory because she wanted to know when I could kiss her and I..kissed her."
"Ding.Ding.Ding. We have a winner," Lane announced with little enthusiasm.
"What?"
"You. kissed. Emily. and guess who witnessed it."
Dean's eyes seemed lost in fog as he looked down at the table and whispered, "Rory."
"Rory."
Once Dean seemed to focus himself again, he leaned forward.
"So what did she say about it?"
"Are you prepared?"
"For what?"
"The girl still loves you, Dean."
Dean didn't say anything as he slinked back in the wooden chair. He looked blindly out the window. Lane whispered.
"So tell me something. Did you ever answer her?"
Still keeping his eyes fixed on the window he replied, "What?"
"When she asked you if you were over Rory. Did you ever answer her?"
Dean's gaze shifted to Lane and after a few moments, he shook his head, no.
"Are you?"
Dean didn't answer.
"How am I ever going to find anything out if you mimes never answer me when I ask a vital question?"
"I have to go," he said as he got up, gathered his books and left the library.
Just as Lane was just about to close her eyes for a little nap, her cell phone rang, startling her. She got a few ignorant glares from other students in the library and moved to a corner and answered quietly.
"Hello?"
"Lane..it's Lorelai."
"Oh hey."
"You're not in class, are you?"
"No, not exactly."
"Okay, good."
"What's up?"
"Rory...was she at your house last night?"
"Yeah..sorry I forgot to call but I got no sleep and--"
"It's okay..I was just checking."
"Is she in school?"
"No, I made her take the day off."
"Okay..has she talked to you about what happened last night?"
"Yeah. Hey, is Dean with you?"
"No, he just left."
"Well if you can find him before the bell rings for dismissal, warn him someway that Rory's going to the school to talk with him."
"She is?!" Lane asked suddenly awoken by surprise.
"Yeah..I tried to talk her out of it but she just wouldn't hear it. She's on her way there right now."
"I'll try to find Dean."
"Bye."
They both hung up and Lane got her stuff and went out the doors in search for Dean.
School Dismissal
The bell rang and Lane was still trying to track down Dean. She spotted him just about to walk out the front doors and ran toward him.
"Dean!"
"Oh..hey Lane, sorry for sort of running out on you earlier."
"Oh..forget about it. Listen--wait..stop walking."
Dean kept walking and faced Lane, "Sorry..I have to get to work early today."
"No..but--"
Lane didn't get to finish because as Dean let his foot land on the final concrete step, he saw Rory right in front of him. --------------------------
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