Thanks everyone who reviewed. I'm so stoked that you like my story! It's taking way longer than I thought, though. I was originally gonna post each episode as one chapter, but there are just so many scenes, it can't be done… And no, I really don't want things to take the same route as Felicity – I promise you, Luke or Dean will not die… or Max or Jess for that matter, but you get what I mean… But I have to say, Felicity made the right choice choosing Ben. I mean – come ON! That guy is HOT! Okay, waaaay off track here… back to the story… hope you like it and remember to keep reviewing!!!

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CHAPTER 2: Rude Awakenings

"RORY!" Lorelai yelled as she entered her front door. "RORY!!!"

Suddenly, Lorelai realised that Rory was at school. Where she should be. Because it was not summer and Rory was not supposed to be in Washington. And Rory had never broken her arm and therefore Lorelai had never told Luke to go to hell. She had also never told Max that she would marry him and never broken his heart. No, broken wasn't the word for it… smashed his heart. Smashed his heart into a million tiny pieces. She knew that feeling all too well. She had felt that when Christopher had left her at Sookie's wedding and returned to Boston to be with Sherry. And that is why this was the moment she wanted to relive. She wanted to save Max from having to feel the pain she knew all too well. This was the moment she had been thinking about before going to sleep last night… well, not last last night, but…

"Eh, my head hurts" Lorelai complained as she sat down on the couch and waited for Rory to come home.

*******

When Lorelai woke up, the first thing she saw was plaid and she sat up with a start. She had been dreaming about a psychotic Scotsman so being woken by someone wearing something that resembled a kilt did not sit well with her.


"Mom, what's this?" Rory held 'The Dean Box' in her lap.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you found that today…" Lorelai said sleepily.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if it's some lame attempt at changing the subject, it's not good enough," Rory fumed. "You'd have to bring up something to do with a Milli Vanilli reunion to distract me right now!"

"I'm sorry, Rory, but I couldn't throw it out. Dean is your first boyfriend and whether you believe it now or not, one day you will go through this box and remember all the happy memories… one day you'll be glad I saved it for you, I promise." Lorelai tried her hardest not to say what she remembered saying last time she lived this very same moment. And although she'd said that Dean 'is' Rory's boyfriend, Rory obviously didn't notice.

"Thanks… I guess." Rory half smiled before looking at her mother with concern. "What's up?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I tried to explain it…"

"Come on, spill. Something's getting to you and it's obviously not anything to do with what happened on 'Dawson's Creek' last night. This is far worse than the 'I can't believe Joey's still obsessed with Dawson' face, this is more like the 'Why did they have to make Jack gay' look."

Lorelai smiled at her daughter who was obviously very concerned about her mom. But she couldn't tell Rory just yet. She still needed to figure everything out for herself. "How 'bout we talk about this later? I'm feeling a bit sleepy still. You should go look through your box."

"Okay. Thanks, Mom," Rory said as she stood up, kissing her mother on the head before walking into her room and quietly shutting the door behind her.

*******

That night, Rory and Lorelai sat in Luke's diner, devouring their meals.

"And Dean wasn't in the market?" Lorelai asked.

"No! He's moving on…" Rory said miserably.

"I promise you, babe, he is far from moving on!" Lorelai half laughed to herself.


"What? What do you know?" Rory eyed her mother suspiciously.

"No… I mean… it's just…" Lorelai sighed dramatically, placing her fork on her plate and folding her hands on her lap. She wasn't ready to get into anything too serious tonight. "He loves you, babe. He's not gonna get over that any time soon."

Rory smiled slightly and suddenly got her appetite back.

*******

The next day, Lorelai was passing by Miss Patty's studio when she noticed Rachel walking towards her.

"Lorelai!" Rachel called.

"Hey, Rachel" Lorelai responded.

"Hey, have you seen Luke around?"

Lorelai couldn't help but be a little bit wigged out by seeing Rachel. Yesterday she had spoken to Max on the phone – that was weird enough, but actually seeing Rachel was just strange.

"Um, have you checked the diner?"

"Nope. He's meant do be there, but he's not… I thought you might have seen him?" Rachel hadn't meant to sound a bit jealous, but when she'd said 'you', it sounded decidedly catty, and Lorelai noticed. Lorelai also noticed that Rachel hadn't mentioned tuna. She distinctly remembered talking to Rachel about tuna during this conversation…

"Um, no, sorry." Lorelai tried to restrain herself, but couldn't hold it in any longer. Luke was one of her best friends and she couldn't not ask Rachel…

"Look, Rachel, you're not planning to leave anytime soon, are you? I mean, leave leave. Leave Luke." As soon as she'd said it, she felt stupid. It had sounded as if she was hanging out for Rachel to leave so she could swoop in and steal the diner man.

"I knew it!" was all Rachel could say. She was heartbroken, but she had seen it coming. "I knew it," she repeated more quietly.

"What did you know?" Lorelai was unprepared for how Rachel had reacted. Last time around, this part of the conversation hadn't happened.

"You like Luke, don't you?" Rachel asked.


Lorelai automatically became defensive. "Of course I like Luke. I've known him for years. He's my main source of coffee and food, and as you and I know, those are two of my favourite things, making Luke one of my favourite things also… not that I see Luke as a thing… that is… I mean…" Lorelai, for the first time in a long time couldn't think of anything to say.


"You know exactly what I mean, Lorelai." And with that, Rachel walked away, towards the diner.

*******

Lorelai entered her house with her mail in hand. She placed the mail on the hall table and was about to go into the kitchen to get some coffee when she heard noises coming from upstairs. But this time, Lorelai was prepared. She remembered what happened last time and wasn't going to mistake Luke for a burglar again.

"Luke, get your ass down here and explain to me what you've done to my back door!" Lorelai yelled up the stairs. She hadn't even looked at the back door, but as soon as she did, she saw that it had been forced open by something big and strong – Luke.

"How'd you know I was in here?" Luke queried as he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Planning on giving me a heart attack, were you?" Lorelai joked.

"I was just checking your locks. The back door one was cheap and it needs replacing."

"Yeah, now it does, but I'd say about ten minutes ago it was fine and dandy, holding our back door securely shut until someone came along and rammed it open!" Lorelai smiled a very sarcastic smile and sat down at the table, passing Luke a bottle of water she had subconsciously taken from the fridge for him.

Luke sat down across from Lorelai and opened his water. "Thanks" he said before taking a sip.

Lorelai felt unbelievably guilty as she debated with herself whether or not to tell Luke about Rachel. She knew he deserved to know that his girlfriend was leaving him, but he would know in a few hours anyway, what would be the harm? So Lorelai decided to let it go. She didn't feel like being the bearer of bad news right now.

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If you got all confused with the whole tuna thing, it's just that in the original episode, Rachel said she made tuna for Luke… Same goes for the whole cow reference in chapter 1. If something seems to come way outta left field like that again, just assume it's either in the original script or my highly active imagination is in overdrive.

Keep reviewing, it makes me smile! =c)

Coming up… Rachel leaves, but her parting words are a little different this time (what could they be?) and Lorelai is determined to find out why she left (Remember – this time around there will be no Max to friggin interrupt when Luke is about to tell Lorelai that he's head over heels, truly, madly, deeply, fairytale ending, crazy in love with her (okay, smack me over the head now, I just quoted Savage Garden *shudders*). I think you get my drift…