Chapter 4: Happy Thanksgiving, Foresters
Another Month Later (November)...............
[Dean]
Dean looked up at the clock in his office. 5:30 P.M. It was only a half hour before he had to go home. His boss passed by so Dean continued on with his work when the phone rang.
"Dean Forester," he said.
"Hi, son," the voice on the other line said.
"Dad?"
"Yep, that's me."
Dean was kind of close with his Dad, but usually he called to talk about sports and the conversation would go on for hours and hours. Yeah, they talked about other things, but sports was pretty dominant and Dean was in the mood to talk about that. Also, he occasionally got on his back about his job.
"Dad, this isn't a really good time," Dean said.
"Then I'll keep it short and sweet," Mr. Forester said. "Your mother and I would love you to come over for Thanksgiving. Clara's coming home and we're finally meeting her fiancé."
"Yeah, we'll be there," Dean said.
"Okay," Mr. Forester said. "Did you watch the Knicks game last night?"
"Yeah, good-bye, Dad," Dean said.
"Bye," Mr. Forester said.
Dean quickly hung up the phone. Clara went to NYU and got a job at Ralph Lauren. She was 30 years old now. Her boyfriends came and went, but this was her first and hopefully her last fiancé. Dean couldn't wait to meet him.
[Rory]
Rory stared at the blank document on her laptop screen. Chloe and Ross were upstairs doing their homework together and Lora was in the other room doing her homework and pining over Gavin. Rory didn't know what to write for her next novel. She didn't want to write another romance novel, but there was only one idea in her head and that was a romantic idea. The phone rang and startled Rory.
"COULD SOMEONE GET THAT?" Rory yelled.
No one responded at the phone kept ringing. Grumbling, she got up and answered the phone.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hello," said a voice on the other line. "Miss me?"
Rory smiled. "No, I saw you last night when we went to Luke's for dinner again," Rory said. "So no I don't miss you."
"I'm hurt," Lorelai said. "You don't love me."
"What's up, Mom?" Rory asked.
"Are you guys coming to the diner for Thanksgiving?"
"Of course. What about Sookie, though?"
"Oh, she and Jackson are going out of town to visit Davey at UCLA."
"Oh, how nice."
"Yeah. So, I'll see you Thursday?"
"Okay. What should we bring?"
"You should bring Ross and Lora."
"I said 'what' not 'who?'"
"I know, but you should bring them. You should also bring some wine. That way we all can get drunk."
"No, we can't. Lora and Ross are underage."
"So? They can get drunk, too."
"MOM!"
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Relax. I'm sorry."
"I'll see you Thursday."
"Right. Bye."
"Bye."
Rory hung up the phone. She knew her mother made jokes like that and it never bothered her before, but now she had kids and though she had the same relationship with them as she did with Lorelai, she was slightly strict with them. Rory sat down and tried to think of another title when Dean walked in.
"Where are the kids?" Dean asked.
"I'm happy to see you, too," Rory said, walking over to him and giving him a kiss.
"Sorry," Dean said. "Hi, honey. So, where are they?"
"Lora's upstairs doing her homework and writing poems about Gavin like she always does and Ross is studying with Chloe or probably pretending to study while making out."
"I love to hear that."
"I know."
Dean threw his briefcase on the table and sat down on the couch. Rory gave a little shriek as Dean pulled her into his lap.
"MOM, ARE YOU OKAY?" Lora yelled from upstairs.
"I'M FINE!" Rory yelled back. "HEY, THANKS FOR ANSWERING THE PHONE!"
"NO PROBLEM!" Lora yelled back.
"So, Clara's coming into town on Thanksgiving," Dean said.
"Really?" Rory asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "Apparently, she's bringing her fiancé. My father called me at work and told me about it and invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner."
"No," Rory said.
"What do you mean 'no?'"
"Sukie's going to be out of town for Thanksgiving and my mother and Luke have no place else to go, so they invited us over to the diner and I said yes."
"You didn't."
"I did."
"Why did you do that without talking to me?"
"Why did you tell your father we'd come to Thanksgiving without talking to me?"
"Because he wouldn't hang up unless I said yes or talked with him for five hours about sports!"
"Good point. But, still I can't cancel on my mother."
"I can't cancel on my parents. My sister is coming into town!"
"My mother and Luke will be all alone on Thanksgiving!"
Rory pushed herself off of Dean.
"Okay, Rory, we shouldn't be fighting about this," Dean said.
"I know," Rory said. "Let's just take a minute and think about this."
Dean and Rory sat for a few seconds. Dean leaning over the couch with his hands clasped and Rory sitting on her knees staring at the coffee table. Finally, they turned to look at each other.
"We're screwed," Dean said, after a while.
"Yup," Rory said.
At that point, Chloe and Ross came down holding hands, fingers laced and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.
"Oh, look honey," Rory said. "Yoko and John are here."
"Hi, Mom," Ross said, as if he just noticed his parents were sitting in the living room. "I'm going to walk Chloe to the bus stop."
Before his parents could reply, he and Chloe bolted out the door. Five minutes later, Lora came down and grabbed an apple in the fridge.
"That was mine for work tomorrow," Dean said.
"Well, now it's mine," Lora said. "Don't worry. There are others in the fridge. So, what's going on?"
"Well," Rory said. "You're Dad here made plans to go see your grandparents and your aunt on Thanksgiving. Her fiancé is in town and she wanted everyone to meet him."
"That's great," Lora said.
"No, it's not," Dean said. "Because at the same time, Sukie and Jackson are going out of town and Grandma and Grandpa, and I mean Lorelai and Luke, invited us over to the diner for Thanksgiving dinner."
"Oh, wow," Lora said. "You guys are screwed."
"Yes, we are," Rory said.
Lora walked up the stairs, but when she got to the top she came back down.
"I have an idea," Lora said. "Why don't we have them all here?"
"What?" Rory was shocked.
"Well, you both made plans and you both don't want to cancel," Lora said. "It's the perfect solution."
"I don't know how to make Turkey," Rory said. "I can make other things, but not Turkey."
"Luke can make it," Lora said. "He's made it before and it's really really good."
Rory looked at Dean and Dean nodded. "All right, let's do it," she said.
Dean grabbed the phone. "I'll call my Dad," he said, going upstairs with the phone.
[Lora]
Lora felt good that she had helped out in a situation with her parents. She plopped down next to Rory on the couch.
"No new novel yet?" she asked.
"Nada," Rory said. "Hey, how are you? When you came home you were so depressed about Gavin you didn't get a snack like you usually do or joke about Ross and Chloe making out in the car."
"I snapped out of it once I did my homework," Lora said. "I may sound like a geek, but it actually takes my mind off things."
"You are your mother's child," Rory said.
A few minutes later Ross came in and the three started making dinner. An hour later, when dinner was finally ready, Dean walked into the kitchen.
"Sorry," he said.
"Where you still on the phone with your father?" Rory asked.
"Yeah," Dean replied.
"Sports?" Ross asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'm telling you. I am never watching any sports again. Except for the Knicks game tomorrow night.........and the football game on Thanksgiving..........Okay, forget I said anything."
Lora struggled not to laugh.
"So, they're coming?" Rory asked.
"Yes," Dean said. "Including the fiancé."
Rory grabbed the phone out of his hands and went upstairs. Ten minutes later, she came back.
"Mom and Luke are coming," Rory said. "And Luke's making the turkey."
"How are you're conversations with your mother shorter than mine with my father?" Dean asked.
"Because unlike you, I'm allowed to tell my mother to shut up," Rory said. "Even though I don't say that to her."
Thursday...................
[Ross]
The doorbell rang and no one was ready except for Ross. Suddenly, I became the greeter boy, he thought shaking his head and opening the door. It was Luke and Lorelai.
"Hi, Grandma," he said. "Hi, Grandpa. You guys are early."
"Hi, grandson," Lorelai said. "I hate it when that word comes out of my mouth. It reminds me that I'm old."
"I got the turkey," Luke said.
"So, where's you're mom?" Lorelai asked.
"You don't want to see me?" Ross asked.
"Of course I do," Lorelai said.
At that point Rory came running down the stairs.
"Who's here?" Rory asked.
"The Gilmore-Danes'," Ross replied.
Rory walked over and gave her mother a peck on the cheek.
"Hi, Mom," Rory said.
"Hey, kiddo," Lorelai responded. "We came by to help."
"All we need is to make the dinner," Rory said.
"I'm on it," Luke said.
"I want to help," Lora said, coming down the stairs.
"Me, too," Dean said, following her. "I need to be in a non-sport environment."
Within an hour everyone was helping with dinner and the doorbell rang again. No one moved from their spots.
"Someone going to get that?" Ross asked.
"We're busy," Lora said. "Hey, you're folding napkins. You answer it."
"Greeter boy strikes again," Ross muttered under his breath as he opened the door. It was his Nana and Pop.
"Hello, Ross," Mrs. Forester said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Wow, you look phenomenal. You're looking more and more like your father every day."
"I could vouch for that," Mr. Forester said.
"Thank you," Ross said and then whispered to himself: "I'm glad I don't have that mole on my ass."
Ross led his grandparents inside to see everyone else. Dean got up and hugged his parents.
"Hi, Mom," Dean said. "Hi, Dad."
"Hi, Dean," Mrs. Forester said. "You look great."
Mr. Forester walked over to Lora. "Rory, you still look 22," he said. "I'm impressed."
"Uh, Pop, I'm Lora not Rory," Lora said. "But, thanks for the compliment."
"I'm sorry, sweetie," Mr. Forester said, giving Lora a hug. "You look just like your mother."
"I'm taking that as a compliment, too," Rory said, walking over to Mr. Forester. "Hi, Dad. It's nice to see you again."
"You, too, Rory," Mr. Forester said, giving her a hug. "Lora looks very pretty a lot like you. I've also seen her last report card. You must be very proud."
"I am," Rory said, looking at Lora. "Is that my shirt?"
Lora looked down at the pink shirt over her black dress pants. "You said I could borrow it," she said.
Once everyone finished their greetings, everyone sat in the living room waiting for Clara and her mystery fiancé. Finally, the doorbell rang.
"Please don't make me get that again," Ross begged his parents.
"Fine," Rory said, getting up.
Rory opened the door and Clara stood in the doorway. Her shoulder- length blonde hair was pulled back with a headband and she was wearing a black Chinese-style shirt over some silk black pants.
"Clara!" Rory exclaimed giving her a hug. "It's so good to see you!"
"You, too," Clara said. "So, is everyone here?"
"Yes, they are," Rory said. "So, where's-"
"My, fiancé?" Clara completed. "He's getting something from the car."
Clara walked into the living room and gave everyone hugs and kisses and sat down next to Dean.
"So, how are things at Ralph Lauren?" Dean asked.
"Great," Clara said. "I got a raise!"
"That's great," Dean said. "So, how much did.........."
Dean was cut off when a blonde-haired man about Clara's age walked through the door.
[Dean]
"Is this your fiancé?" Dean asked Clara.
"Yes," Clara said, happily and grabbing the man's hand.
It was Phillip Smith, Clara's junior year high school boyfriend. She met him at the beginning of the year he was sweet and nice to her, but then he started getting low grades and he couldn't handle the pressure so he turned into a Jess Mariano-like character and started smoking and treated Clara like crap.
On her Junior Prom he stood her up. Clara thought he cheated on her with another girl, but they found out from his parents that at the last minute he decided not to go and ended up lounging around the house and going to bed early. Clara broke things up with Phil, but afterwards, she was a wreck. She eventually recovered, but Dean and his parents never forgave him.
Now there he stood, holding Clara's hand and smiling like nothing happened and like he did nothing wrong. This had to be a joke. This had to be a guy who looked like Phil.
"Phillip Smith is your fiancé?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," Clara said, her smile getting wider.
"Phil is your fiancé," Dean repeated.
"Yes," Clara said, obviously getting agitated.
"Phil is your fiancé?"
"You can keep saying it, but it won't stop being true," Phil said.
Dean didn't know what to say. He thought Clara had enough common sense not to go back to him. Dean looked at his parents.
"Well, we're very happy for you, sweetie," Mrs. Forester said.
"Very happy," Mr. Forester added.
A new wave a shock splashed over Dean. His parents were approving of this? They wanted to kill Phil after all the damage he did to Clara. Now, they were happy about it?
"Uh, Mom," Dean said. "It's Phil Smith."
"I know," Mrs. Forester said. "He'll be a new addition to the family."
"I like new additions," Mr. Forester said.
They weren't okay with this. Dean knew it.
"Oh, come on!" he said.
"Turkey's ready," Luke interrupted.
Everyone started in on the turkey. The whole time Clara and Phil kept holding hands. It made Dean sick.
"So, Dean," Mr. Forester said, pouring gravy on his turkey. "You still working for that insurance agency?"
Here we go, Dean thought, as he grabbed a turkey leg for himself.
"Yes," Dean said. "Lora, could you pass the mashed potatoes, please?"
"Yeah," Lora said, spooning some on to her plate. "Hang on a sec."
"You hate that job, don't you?" Mr. Forester asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "Lora, can you hurry up on the mashed potatoes?"
"I thought you wanted to be a football coach," Mr. Forester said.
"Not really," Dean said. "The only job as football coach that's available here is the job at Stars Hollow High and the pay sucks. Lora, for the love of god, could you please pass the mashed potatoes?"
"Well, then find another job somewhere else," Mr. Forester said.
"That would mean we would have to move," Dean said. "And we like it here."
"Here are the potatoes, Dad," Lora said, passing Dean the potatoes. "I'm sorry I took so long."
"Dean, do you know what I'm getting at?" Mr. Forester asked. "Quit your job."
Dean couldn't take it anymore. "Are you aware that Clara is marrying Phil Smith?" Dean asked.
"Yes," Mr. Forester answered.
"You hate the guy," Dean said. "How can you be okay with her marrying him?"
"I'm not," Mr. Forester said. "That's why I'm bugging you."
"So, for nineteen years you knew Clara was going to marry Smith?"
"No, I just don't think you should be working there if you hate it."
"I'm done talking about my job, Dad."
"Fine."
Everyone moved into the living room for desert. Rory started asking Clara questions about the wedding and when it was going to be held. Dean was going to explode. He had to say something. But, before he could, his mother slammed her coffee cup down on the table and coffee splashed everywhere.
"Clara, you can't marry this boy," Mrs. Forester said.
"I thought you were okay with it," Clara said.
"I was faking!" Mrs. Forester exclaimed. "I'm a good faker! Phil treated you like shit! Yes, that's right! I said shit! He fooled us all in the beginning and now he's luring you back in again! This isn't going to work! He's going to end up leaving you at the altar!"
"Mom, you are being way out of line!" Clara shouted. "I'm thirty years old, dammit! I love this man and I'm going to marry him! He's changed!"
"Really?" Mrs. Forester said. "I believe that his hair was the same when he was sixteen."
"Oh, my god!" Clara yelled. "He's different. He grew up. He's-"
"Clara," Phil said, calmly and releasing Clara's hand. "Calm down. I can handle this."
Phil stood up and walked so he was facing Dean, Lorelai, Luke, Rory, Lora, Ross, and Dean's parents. Let's see what he has to say, Dean thought.
"Look, Mr. And Mrs. Forester," Phil said. "I know I treated your daughter like crap in the past, but since we broke up, I couldn't stop thinking about her. There were many girls in my life, but she was always on my mind. And then, I realized I made a horrible mistake. I thank God every day that I found her again."
There was a pause.
"Oh, please," Mr. Forester said. "You took that out of 'The Legend of Bagger Pants.'"
"The golf movie with Matt Damon and Will Smith?" Dean asked.
"Well, there was something like that in the movie," Mr. Forester said.
"Anyways," Phil said. "I know I screwed up in the past, but I couldn't handle the pressure. I can handle it now. I changed. Please, give me another chance. Please, let me marry your daughter."
Again there was a pause. Everyone just stared at Phil. Dean looked over at Mrs. Forester who slowly rose from the couch.
"As fake as your speech sounds," Mrs. Forester said. "It also sounds sincere. Everyone deserves second chances. Phillip, welcome to the family."
She got up and hugged Phil and Mr. Forester shook his hand. But, Dean wasn't fooled.
"Oh, my god," he said. "He makes a touching speech and suddenly he's part of the family?"
"Dean, I understand that your sister is important to you," Phil said. "But, I promise to take care of her."
Dean gave in. He got up and shook Phil's hand and gave Clara a hug.
"My little sister's getting married!" he said.
"Hey, Foresters!" Lorelai said.
Everyone stopped their cheering and turned to Lorelai.
"Please don't take this the wrong way," Lorelai said. "I mean, the five of us find this very entertaining, but we Gilmore-Foresters/Gilmore- Danes feel a little out of place."
"Sorry," Mr. Forester said.
Soon everyone started engaging in conversation.
[Rory]
Rory spit the last of her toothpaste out in the sink and climbed into bed next to Dean that night. He seemed a little dazed. Rory waved her hand in front of his face. Dean slowly turned his head towards her.
"I know you're there," Dean said.
"You okay?" Rory asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'm fine."
"I think it's great that Clara's getting married," Rory said. "And even though she had a bad history with Phil, it seems like it's going to work."
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'm happy for her."
Dean spaced out again. Rory knew what he was thinking.
"You still don't trust him, do you?" she asked.
"You kidding?" Dean said. "I trust Jess more than I trust him."
Wow, he must really hate Phil, Rory thought. But, still, she wanted Dean to forget about the whole Jess thing and the fact that he brought that up......well, she was appalled.
"Why did you have to go there?" Rory asked.
"I couldn't think of a better example," Dean said. "I'm sorry."
To Be Continued.........
A/N: Damn, I made it into a romantic chapter! I know that was lame. I'm sorry. And I apologize in advance because I'm diving back into the Lora/Gavin thing and the Ross/Chloe thing. I'm also going to jump ahead two months. Chapter 5 is coming soon.
Another Month Later (November)...............
[Dean]
Dean looked up at the clock in his office. 5:30 P.M. It was only a half hour before he had to go home. His boss passed by so Dean continued on with his work when the phone rang.
"Dean Forester," he said.
"Hi, son," the voice on the other line said.
"Dad?"
"Yep, that's me."
Dean was kind of close with his Dad, but usually he called to talk about sports and the conversation would go on for hours and hours. Yeah, they talked about other things, but sports was pretty dominant and Dean was in the mood to talk about that. Also, he occasionally got on his back about his job.
"Dad, this isn't a really good time," Dean said.
"Then I'll keep it short and sweet," Mr. Forester said. "Your mother and I would love you to come over for Thanksgiving. Clara's coming home and we're finally meeting her fiancé."
"Yeah, we'll be there," Dean said.
"Okay," Mr. Forester said. "Did you watch the Knicks game last night?"
"Yeah, good-bye, Dad," Dean said.
"Bye," Mr. Forester said.
Dean quickly hung up the phone. Clara went to NYU and got a job at Ralph Lauren. She was 30 years old now. Her boyfriends came and went, but this was her first and hopefully her last fiancé. Dean couldn't wait to meet him.
[Rory]
Rory stared at the blank document on her laptop screen. Chloe and Ross were upstairs doing their homework together and Lora was in the other room doing her homework and pining over Gavin. Rory didn't know what to write for her next novel. She didn't want to write another romance novel, but there was only one idea in her head and that was a romantic idea. The phone rang and startled Rory.
"COULD SOMEONE GET THAT?" Rory yelled.
No one responded at the phone kept ringing. Grumbling, she got up and answered the phone.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hello," said a voice on the other line. "Miss me?"
Rory smiled. "No, I saw you last night when we went to Luke's for dinner again," Rory said. "So no I don't miss you."
"I'm hurt," Lorelai said. "You don't love me."
"What's up, Mom?" Rory asked.
"Are you guys coming to the diner for Thanksgiving?"
"Of course. What about Sookie, though?"
"Oh, she and Jackson are going out of town to visit Davey at UCLA."
"Oh, how nice."
"Yeah. So, I'll see you Thursday?"
"Okay. What should we bring?"
"You should bring Ross and Lora."
"I said 'what' not 'who?'"
"I know, but you should bring them. You should also bring some wine. That way we all can get drunk."
"No, we can't. Lora and Ross are underage."
"So? They can get drunk, too."
"MOM!"
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Relax. I'm sorry."
"I'll see you Thursday."
"Right. Bye."
"Bye."
Rory hung up the phone. She knew her mother made jokes like that and it never bothered her before, but now she had kids and though she had the same relationship with them as she did with Lorelai, she was slightly strict with them. Rory sat down and tried to think of another title when Dean walked in.
"Where are the kids?" Dean asked.
"I'm happy to see you, too," Rory said, walking over to him and giving him a kiss.
"Sorry," Dean said. "Hi, honey. So, where are they?"
"Lora's upstairs doing her homework and writing poems about Gavin like she always does and Ross is studying with Chloe or probably pretending to study while making out."
"I love to hear that."
"I know."
Dean threw his briefcase on the table and sat down on the couch. Rory gave a little shriek as Dean pulled her into his lap.
"MOM, ARE YOU OKAY?" Lora yelled from upstairs.
"I'M FINE!" Rory yelled back. "HEY, THANKS FOR ANSWERING THE PHONE!"
"NO PROBLEM!" Lora yelled back.
"So, Clara's coming into town on Thanksgiving," Dean said.
"Really?" Rory asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "Apparently, she's bringing her fiancé. My father called me at work and told me about it and invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner."
"No," Rory said.
"What do you mean 'no?'"
"Sukie's going to be out of town for Thanksgiving and my mother and Luke have no place else to go, so they invited us over to the diner and I said yes."
"You didn't."
"I did."
"Why did you do that without talking to me?"
"Why did you tell your father we'd come to Thanksgiving without talking to me?"
"Because he wouldn't hang up unless I said yes or talked with him for five hours about sports!"
"Good point. But, still I can't cancel on my mother."
"I can't cancel on my parents. My sister is coming into town!"
"My mother and Luke will be all alone on Thanksgiving!"
Rory pushed herself off of Dean.
"Okay, Rory, we shouldn't be fighting about this," Dean said.
"I know," Rory said. "Let's just take a minute and think about this."
Dean and Rory sat for a few seconds. Dean leaning over the couch with his hands clasped and Rory sitting on her knees staring at the coffee table. Finally, they turned to look at each other.
"We're screwed," Dean said, after a while.
"Yup," Rory said.
At that point, Chloe and Ross came down holding hands, fingers laced and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.
"Oh, look honey," Rory said. "Yoko and John are here."
"Hi, Mom," Ross said, as if he just noticed his parents were sitting in the living room. "I'm going to walk Chloe to the bus stop."
Before his parents could reply, he and Chloe bolted out the door. Five minutes later, Lora came down and grabbed an apple in the fridge.
"That was mine for work tomorrow," Dean said.
"Well, now it's mine," Lora said. "Don't worry. There are others in the fridge. So, what's going on?"
"Well," Rory said. "You're Dad here made plans to go see your grandparents and your aunt on Thanksgiving. Her fiancé is in town and she wanted everyone to meet him."
"That's great," Lora said.
"No, it's not," Dean said. "Because at the same time, Sukie and Jackson are going out of town and Grandma and Grandpa, and I mean Lorelai and Luke, invited us over to the diner for Thanksgiving dinner."
"Oh, wow," Lora said. "You guys are screwed."
"Yes, we are," Rory said.
Lora walked up the stairs, but when she got to the top she came back down.
"I have an idea," Lora said. "Why don't we have them all here?"
"What?" Rory was shocked.
"Well, you both made plans and you both don't want to cancel," Lora said. "It's the perfect solution."
"I don't know how to make Turkey," Rory said. "I can make other things, but not Turkey."
"Luke can make it," Lora said. "He's made it before and it's really really good."
Rory looked at Dean and Dean nodded. "All right, let's do it," she said.
Dean grabbed the phone. "I'll call my Dad," he said, going upstairs with the phone.
[Lora]
Lora felt good that she had helped out in a situation with her parents. She plopped down next to Rory on the couch.
"No new novel yet?" she asked.
"Nada," Rory said. "Hey, how are you? When you came home you were so depressed about Gavin you didn't get a snack like you usually do or joke about Ross and Chloe making out in the car."
"I snapped out of it once I did my homework," Lora said. "I may sound like a geek, but it actually takes my mind off things."
"You are your mother's child," Rory said.
A few minutes later Ross came in and the three started making dinner. An hour later, when dinner was finally ready, Dean walked into the kitchen.
"Sorry," he said.
"Where you still on the phone with your father?" Rory asked.
"Yeah," Dean replied.
"Sports?" Ross asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'm telling you. I am never watching any sports again. Except for the Knicks game tomorrow night.........and the football game on Thanksgiving..........Okay, forget I said anything."
Lora struggled not to laugh.
"So, they're coming?" Rory asked.
"Yes," Dean said. "Including the fiancé."
Rory grabbed the phone out of his hands and went upstairs. Ten minutes later, she came back.
"Mom and Luke are coming," Rory said. "And Luke's making the turkey."
"How are you're conversations with your mother shorter than mine with my father?" Dean asked.
"Because unlike you, I'm allowed to tell my mother to shut up," Rory said. "Even though I don't say that to her."
Thursday...................
[Ross]
The doorbell rang and no one was ready except for Ross. Suddenly, I became the greeter boy, he thought shaking his head and opening the door. It was Luke and Lorelai.
"Hi, Grandma," he said. "Hi, Grandpa. You guys are early."
"Hi, grandson," Lorelai said. "I hate it when that word comes out of my mouth. It reminds me that I'm old."
"I got the turkey," Luke said.
"So, where's you're mom?" Lorelai asked.
"You don't want to see me?" Ross asked.
"Of course I do," Lorelai said.
At that point Rory came running down the stairs.
"Who's here?" Rory asked.
"The Gilmore-Danes'," Ross replied.
Rory walked over and gave her mother a peck on the cheek.
"Hi, Mom," Rory said.
"Hey, kiddo," Lorelai responded. "We came by to help."
"All we need is to make the dinner," Rory said.
"I'm on it," Luke said.
"I want to help," Lora said, coming down the stairs.
"Me, too," Dean said, following her. "I need to be in a non-sport environment."
Within an hour everyone was helping with dinner and the doorbell rang again. No one moved from their spots.
"Someone going to get that?" Ross asked.
"We're busy," Lora said. "Hey, you're folding napkins. You answer it."
"Greeter boy strikes again," Ross muttered under his breath as he opened the door. It was his Nana and Pop.
"Hello, Ross," Mrs. Forester said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Wow, you look phenomenal. You're looking more and more like your father every day."
"I could vouch for that," Mr. Forester said.
"Thank you," Ross said and then whispered to himself: "I'm glad I don't have that mole on my ass."
Ross led his grandparents inside to see everyone else. Dean got up and hugged his parents.
"Hi, Mom," Dean said. "Hi, Dad."
"Hi, Dean," Mrs. Forester said. "You look great."
Mr. Forester walked over to Lora. "Rory, you still look 22," he said. "I'm impressed."
"Uh, Pop, I'm Lora not Rory," Lora said. "But, thanks for the compliment."
"I'm sorry, sweetie," Mr. Forester said, giving Lora a hug. "You look just like your mother."
"I'm taking that as a compliment, too," Rory said, walking over to Mr. Forester. "Hi, Dad. It's nice to see you again."
"You, too, Rory," Mr. Forester said, giving her a hug. "Lora looks very pretty a lot like you. I've also seen her last report card. You must be very proud."
"I am," Rory said, looking at Lora. "Is that my shirt?"
Lora looked down at the pink shirt over her black dress pants. "You said I could borrow it," she said.
Once everyone finished their greetings, everyone sat in the living room waiting for Clara and her mystery fiancé. Finally, the doorbell rang.
"Please don't make me get that again," Ross begged his parents.
"Fine," Rory said, getting up.
Rory opened the door and Clara stood in the doorway. Her shoulder- length blonde hair was pulled back with a headband and she was wearing a black Chinese-style shirt over some silk black pants.
"Clara!" Rory exclaimed giving her a hug. "It's so good to see you!"
"You, too," Clara said. "So, is everyone here?"
"Yes, they are," Rory said. "So, where's-"
"My, fiancé?" Clara completed. "He's getting something from the car."
Clara walked into the living room and gave everyone hugs and kisses and sat down next to Dean.
"So, how are things at Ralph Lauren?" Dean asked.
"Great," Clara said. "I got a raise!"
"That's great," Dean said. "So, how much did.........."
Dean was cut off when a blonde-haired man about Clara's age walked through the door.
[Dean]
"Is this your fiancé?" Dean asked Clara.
"Yes," Clara said, happily and grabbing the man's hand.
It was Phillip Smith, Clara's junior year high school boyfriend. She met him at the beginning of the year he was sweet and nice to her, but then he started getting low grades and he couldn't handle the pressure so he turned into a Jess Mariano-like character and started smoking and treated Clara like crap.
On her Junior Prom he stood her up. Clara thought he cheated on her with another girl, but they found out from his parents that at the last minute he decided not to go and ended up lounging around the house and going to bed early. Clara broke things up with Phil, but afterwards, she was a wreck. She eventually recovered, but Dean and his parents never forgave him.
Now there he stood, holding Clara's hand and smiling like nothing happened and like he did nothing wrong. This had to be a joke. This had to be a guy who looked like Phil.
"Phillip Smith is your fiancé?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," Clara said, her smile getting wider.
"Phil is your fiancé," Dean repeated.
"Yes," Clara said, obviously getting agitated.
"Phil is your fiancé?"
"You can keep saying it, but it won't stop being true," Phil said.
Dean didn't know what to say. He thought Clara had enough common sense not to go back to him. Dean looked at his parents.
"Well, we're very happy for you, sweetie," Mrs. Forester said.
"Very happy," Mr. Forester added.
A new wave a shock splashed over Dean. His parents were approving of this? They wanted to kill Phil after all the damage he did to Clara. Now, they were happy about it?
"Uh, Mom," Dean said. "It's Phil Smith."
"I know," Mrs. Forester said. "He'll be a new addition to the family."
"I like new additions," Mr. Forester said.
They weren't okay with this. Dean knew it.
"Oh, come on!" he said.
"Turkey's ready," Luke interrupted.
Everyone started in on the turkey. The whole time Clara and Phil kept holding hands. It made Dean sick.
"So, Dean," Mr. Forester said, pouring gravy on his turkey. "You still working for that insurance agency?"
Here we go, Dean thought, as he grabbed a turkey leg for himself.
"Yes," Dean said. "Lora, could you pass the mashed potatoes, please?"
"Yeah," Lora said, spooning some on to her plate. "Hang on a sec."
"You hate that job, don't you?" Mr. Forester asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "Lora, can you hurry up on the mashed potatoes?"
"I thought you wanted to be a football coach," Mr. Forester said.
"Not really," Dean said. "The only job as football coach that's available here is the job at Stars Hollow High and the pay sucks. Lora, for the love of god, could you please pass the mashed potatoes?"
"Well, then find another job somewhere else," Mr. Forester said.
"That would mean we would have to move," Dean said. "And we like it here."
"Here are the potatoes, Dad," Lora said, passing Dean the potatoes. "I'm sorry I took so long."
"Dean, do you know what I'm getting at?" Mr. Forester asked. "Quit your job."
Dean couldn't take it anymore. "Are you aware that Clara is marrying Phil Smith?" Dean asked.
"Yes," Mr. Forester answered.
"You hate the guy," Dean said. "How can you be okay with her marrying him?"
"I'm not," Mr. Forester said. "That's why I'm bugging you."
"So, for nineteen years you knew Clara was going to marry Smith?"
"No, I just don't think you should be working there if you hate it."
"I'm done talking about my job, Dad."
"Fine."
Everyone moved into the living room for desert. Rory started asking Clara questions about the wedding and when it was going to be held. Dean was going to explode. He had to say something. But, before he could, his mother slammed her coffee cup down on the table and coffee splashed everywhere.
"Clara, you can't marry this boy," Mrs. Forester said.
"I thought you were okay with it," Clara said.
"I was faking!" Mrs. Forester exclaimed. "I'm a good faker! Phil treated you like shit! Yes, that's right! I said shit! He fooled us all in the beginning and now he's luring you back in again! This isn't going to work! He's going to end up leaving you at the altar!"
"Mom, you are being way out of line!" Clara shouted. "I'm thirty years old, dammit! I love this man and I'm going to marry him! He's changed!"
"Really?" Mrs. Forester said. "I believe that his hair was the same when he was sixteen."
"Oh, my god!" Clara yelled. "He's different. He grew up. He's-"
"Clara," Phil said, calmly and releasing Clara's hand. "Calm down. I can handle this."
Phil stood up and walked so he was facing Dean, Lorelai, Luke, Rory, Lora, Ross, and Dean's parents. Let's see what he has to say, Dean thought.
"Look, Mr. And Mrs. Forester," Phil said. "I know I treated your daughter like crap in the past, but since we broke up, I couldn't stop thinking about her. There were many girls in my life, but she was always on my mind. And then, I realized I made a horrible mistake. I thank God every day that I found her again."
There was a pause.
"Oh, please," Mr. Forester said. "You took that out of 'The Legend of Bagger Pants.'"
"The golf movie with Matt Damon and Will Smith?" Dean asked.
"Well, there was something like that in the movie," Mr. Forester said.
"Anyways," Phil said. "I know I screwed up in the past, but I couldn't handle the pressure. I can handle it now. I changed. Please, give me another chance. Please, let me marry your daughter."
Again there was a pause. Everyone just stared at Phil. Dean looked over at Mrs. Forester who slowly rose from the couch.
"As fake as your speech sounds," Mrs. Forester said. "It also sounds sincere. Everyone deserves second chances. Phillip, welcome to the family."
She got up and hugged Phil and Mr. Forester shook his hand. But, Dean wasn't fooled.
"Oh, my god," he said. "He makes a touching speech and suddenly he's part of the family?"
"Dean, I understand that your sister is important to you," Phil said. "But, I promise to take care of her."
Dean gave in. He got up and shook Phil's hand and gave Clara a hug.
"My little sister's getting married!" he said.
"Hey, Foresters!" Lorelai said.
Everyone stopped their cheering and turned to Lorelai.
"Please don't take this the wrong way," Lorelai said. "I mean, the five of us find this very entertaining, but we Gilmore-Foresters/Gilmore- Danes feel a little out of place."
"Sorry," Mr. Forester said.
Soon everyone started engaging in conversation.
[Rory]
Rory spit the last of her toothpaste out in the sink and climbed into bed next to Dean that night. He seemed a little dazed. Rory waved her hand in front of his face. Dean slowly turned his head towards her.
"I know you're there," Dean said.
"You okay?" Rory asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'm fine."
"I think it's great that Clara's getting married," Rory said. "And even though she had a bad history with Phil, it seems like it's going to work."
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'm happy for her."
Dean spaced out again. Rory knew what he was thinking.
"You still don't trust him, do you?" she asked.
"You kidding?" Dean said. "I trust Jess more than I trust him."
Wow, he must really hate Phil, Rory thought. But, still, she wanted Dean to forget about the whole Jess thing and the fact that he brought that up......well, she was appalled.
"Why did you have to go there?" Rory asked.
"I couldn't think of a better example," Dean said. "I'm sorry."
To Be Continued.........
A/N: Damn, I made it into a romantic chapter! I know that was lame. I'm sorry. And I apologize in advance because I'm diving back into the Lora/Gavin thing and the Ross/Chloe thing. I'm also going to jump ahead two months. Chapter 5 is coming soon.