Disclaimer: Don't own a thing, don't sue me.
Warning: Slightly violent but nothing drastic.
{Recap}
The bus stopped and Rory gathered her things. As she stepped off she saw Dean standing there waiting for her.
Rory: "Dean, hey! What are you doing here?" He looked angry already.
Dean: "We need to talk Rory, go get in my car." he took her bags away from her and she uickly got into the passenger seat, already knowing what was coming.
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Rory was shocked to discover that she wasn't even nervous. Her heart didn't race and her breathing was normal. She knew what was coming, she knew what to
expect and she knew how to respond. Dean had taken a lot of things away from her: her friends, her freedom, her fun, but she was saddened to realize he had
even robbed her of her emotions. She didn't even have the right to feel anymore. Silence filled the car to where Rory wanted to just scream, to see if it was even
possible. But she didn't dare to move. She waited, as she has waited many times before and as, she felt, she would wait many times to come. Finally the silence
was overruled by Dean's low yet booming voice.
Dean: "Where were you last night?" His eyes stayed focused on the road ahead and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so tight. Rory
waited a second to reply.
Rory: "The bridge." She let out a defeated sigh, knowing that someone in her quirky little town had seen her there and had also seen Jess and they told Dean so
that he could 'keep an eye on that hoodlum.'
Dean: "Were you alone?"
Rory: "You already know the answer to that Dean, you don't even have to ask." Her eyes were focused beyond the window and her arms were wrapped around
her stomach. Dean lost it.
Dean: "Yes, I do know the answer to that Rory! Of course I do! Did ya think I wouldn't find out? Whenever you're not around you're with him! What is it about
him Rory? What is it that makes him so special, so desired? Tell me! What?" Dean was yelling so loudly and driving so fast that Rory got scared. An emotion
Dean had let her keep, for kicks.
Rory: "Dean stop it! Slow down, stop acting like such a child!" She yelled, trying so had to conceal the panic in her voice. She took a deep breath and closed her
eyes, gathering her thoughts and frantically search for a way to calm him down. "Jess is just my friend. We just talked." She placed her hand on his shoulder and
watched his face closely for a sign if his upcoming reaction. He swerved his car onto the side of the road and jerked his body to face Rory's. Snatching her hand
off his shoulder and gripping it with so much force that some of her knuckles cracked, he finally decided to speak.
Dean: "You have plenty of friends, you don't need anymore and you definitely don't need him as your friend." He gave her hand one final squeeze as he glared at
her, then he threw her hand at her like it was garbage. "Understand?" His voice was quiet and his last word hung in the air for what seemed like forever. Rory
was so tired of all these lectures and all his nagging. She wanted to end things with Dean, right there, forever.
Rory: "No, Dean, I don't understand. Do you understand that I could leave you whenever I want to. Nothing and no one can force me to stay with you. You
don't make me happy, in fact, you make me miserable. I'm not happy when I'm with you, I'm not even happy when I'm thinking about you, which, let me tell you,
is as little as possible! So, no, I don't understand your "rules" and I don't accept them." her heart had stopped, it had actually stopped beating. She felt like she
was going to wither up and die right there. She couldn't believe she had said that. Dean sat very still, not moving, Rory didn't even know if he was breathing.
Suddenly, his hand reached over and grabbed her arm with all his might. He squeezed her arm tighter as he forced her body to face him.
Dean: "That's pretty sad that you can't accept my "rules" Rory, because you are going to have to follow them. You're not leaving me and you never will,
because, frankly, you don't have the guts or the willpower." His grip tightened on her and he shook her slightly as he spoke. "You're never leaving me and you're
never talking to Jess again!" His voice had gone from a low rumble to a deafening roar. Tears filled Rory's eyes as a part of her believed he was right. She didn't
want to believe it but it was all she could see at that moment. He let go of her arm and began driving again. Not a word was spoken the rest of the way home.
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{Later that evening}
Lorelai: "Food!!! Rory, I'm going to waste away to nothing if we don't go get some food! Preferably covered in grease and really, really bad for you!" Her mom
was hovering over her like an annoying salesperson. Rory sat at her desk working on a paper for the Franklin.
Rory: "Call in some Chinese." She half whined, half commanded.
Lorelai: "Noooooo! I wanna go to Luke's!" She was jumping up and down now like a joyful three year old. "He wasn't in this morning so I didn't get to torment
him! Plus! Coffee?! Hello? Earth to Rory. Are you even listening to me? See, look? You're brain is shutting down from hunger too. Let's go, please?" Rory let
out an annoyed sigh as she put her pencil down and stood up.
Rory: "It's amazing, you still have the power to be extremely irritating, no matter how hungry you are." She gave her mother a playful look.
Lorelai: "What can I say? It's a gift." She batted her eye lashes and linked arms with Rory. "Let's eat!"
Rory: "Just let me change first, I'll be right down." Lorelai left her room singing a made-up song about coffee and her favorite daughter. Rory couldn't help but
laugh. She removed her pajama top and looked down at her arm where five little bruises had already formed.. She quickly threw on a sweatshirt and her shoes
and headed downstairs.
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{At the diner}
Lorelai: "Well boys, its been a pleasure as always." Lorelai said as she grabbed her purse and started to stand up. She looked at Jess expectantly and he just
rolled his eyes and shrugged. He'd never understand her so he didn't even try. "See? Service with a smile, you got a keeper here Luke." She turned her attention
to her nearly silent daughter. "Well offspring, its still early, shall we have a very Wonka movie night?" She wiggled her eyebrows smiling.
Rory: "You can't be serious. Willy Wonka again?" I thought twice in a week was a felony."
Lorelai: "No sweets, it's a privilege. Come on, we'll go to Doose's and get the goods." Rory thought quickly before responding. She didn't want to see Dean but
she didn't want her mm to think something was up.
Rory: "Ok, you go to Doose's, I'll get our coffee supply from here and then we will meet up after." Her eyes looked urgent and Lorelai noticed but decided not
to say anything.
Lorelai: "Ok babe, see ya in a bit. 'I've got a golden ticket!'" She sang as she walked out of the diner. Rory laughed and turned around to look for Jess or Luke.
Jess came out of the back with an empty coffee pot.
Rory: "You're not shutting off the coffee for the night are you?" Jess caught on to what she wanted and went to fill the pot up again.
Jess: "Of course not." he said sarcastically. "So how many pots do you want?"
Rory: " Four cups should be fine. Thanks Jess."
Jess: "No problem. Movie night I take it?"
Rory: "Of course, Wonka again. Can you believe it? I would have never thought someone could watch that movie twice in a week. I have trouble watching it
once." They both laughed.
Jess: "You didn't want to go with your mom to get the junk?" He tried his hardest not to show how much he was concerned.
Rory: "Nope, my mission was coffee." She absently tapped her fingers on the counter as she watched Jess pour the coffee into cups. He walked over to the
counter with the cups in his hand and he set them down. He leaned over slightly and looked deeply into Rory's eyes. Almost like he had came to a decision, he
began to talk.
Jess: "I know something is wrong with you Rory. I know you well and your eyes don't lie. I haven't been able to get the fact that you are hurting out of my head
for a few weeks now. I'm not saying you have to tell me right now, I'm just asking that you don't deny it. Something is going on with you that nobody knows
about, not your mom, not Lane, and not me. And I can see that it is killing you inside." He took a deep breath and continued. "So, I guess, I just wanted you to
know I am here and I am ready to help. So, please, talk to me." Rory was staring down at her hands and her eyes were clouded with tears. Her voice wavered as
she spoke.
Rory: "If I tell you....you have to promise not to freak." He gently nodded his head and placed his hand on top of her's.
A/N: Alright! I hope you like it so far. Review and let me know how it is and also let me know where you think I should go from here. Thanks for the reviews!!!!
