Author's Notes:
This is the final chapter of this story. I wanted to finish before the new season starts, and it looks like I made it just under the wire! Thank you to Nyla, Daisy Deertree, smile1, pokey, Spuffyluvr, Erin Kaye Hashet, Brandy, JsparrowzMate13, Drowning in Misery, dork1147, ilovemrbloom, OTHlover04, JanieSternin, Leni, SGOU, Ashlyn, LOTRluva, Lula Bo, LilYellowDucky20, SlayerKitty00 and Luke Rules for your reviews and words of encouragement and for making this such a great experience.
The week passed slowly, much more so than the previous ones had gone. Lorelai and Rory were coming home on Sunday, which could account for part of it, but Dean knew that it mostly had to do with Luke. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to appreciate having a friend who knew exactly what he was going through until he'd gone and ruined it. And yet in spite of that, Dean kept his distance from the diner. He was sorry about what he'd said about Luke, but that didn't mean that Luke was right about Jess. It was so stupid, really. Jess Mariano had ruined his relationship with Rory, and now, in a way, he'd ruined his friendship with Luke as well.
And yet there was something Luke had said that made sense the more he thought about it. Not the part about Jess being a good kid—Dean didn't know if he could ever believe that, but what Luke had said about needing to accept Rory's time with Jess if he wanted to make their relationship work. Like it or not, Jess was a part of who Rory was, just as Lindsey was a part of him. And so he thought about it, and while he considered bringing it up the next time he talked to Rory, he knew that he'd end up getting upset over the subject and fighting with her, and that was the last thing he wanted.
He finally brought it up on Saturday afternoon, the day before Rory was scheduled to come home. They had been talking for ten minutes or so, discussing options for when to get together after Rory came home and after they'd agreed on dinner at Al's and a movie, Dean brought up the subject of Jess.
"I know this is a sore subject with us," he began, "but we're not the same people when we dated last time, and I think it's important that we can accept the other people who've been in our lives."
There was a slight hesitation on Rory's end of the line. "Dean, what are you saying?"
He took a deep breath. "I'm saying that I know that your experiences with Jess are part of who you are, and I'm okay with that."
"Thank you," Rory said softly. "It means a lot to me, Dean."
"I can't wait to see you," Dean told her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he knew she wasn't ready for that yet. Maybe soon, though. He felt sure that the time would come when he could again tell Rory that he loved her, and that she would say it back.
After he and Rory hung up, Dean walked over to the diner. Luke was serving Kirk at one of the tables by the window, so Dean nodded to him and took a seat at the counter. He took a menu and studied it intently for the next few minutes, until Luke finished with Kirk and came back over.
Dean looked up and gave him a nervous smile. "Hi, Luke."
"Dean," Luke acknowledged him. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to talk to you," Dean blurted out. "It won't take long."
"Okay," Luke nodded. "Do you want to come upstairs where it's a bit more private?"
Dean nodded and followed Luke up to his apartment. He politely refused Luke's offer to get him something to drink, and told him what he'd come over to say. "Luke, I'm sorry about what I said last week. You've been my friend during the craziest time of my life, and I was an idiot for getting mad at you over something so stupid. I know Jess is your nephew, but I hope that won't keep us from being friends."
"I'm sorry too," Luke admitted. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."
"Friends?" Dean asked hopefully, putting out his hand.
Luke grinned and shook it. "Friends."
"I don't know what I would have done without you this summer," Dean told him. "The Gilmores really know how to drive a guy crazy."
"Oh, this has been easy," Luke replied. "I'm willing to bet they'll be a lot worse after they're home."
Dean laughed. "I think you're right."
"Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Luke asked.
Dean shrugged. "I didn't have any plans."
Luke grinned and held up a piece of paper. "My itinerary tells me that the Gilmore girls are arriving in New York at two thirty-six tomorrow afternoon. I was thinking we could drive down and surprise them at the airport. How does that sound to you?"
"Perfect," Dean told him. "It sounds perfect."
They were there at JFK International Airport the following afternoon at two thirty, having driven down that morning in Luke's truck. It had been Dean's idea to get flowers, and when Lorelai and Rory walked out past the security checkpoint and saw them standing there, Luke and Dean were practically knocked down by the enthusiasm of their greeting. Lorelai hugged Luke and Rory hugged Dean and they exclaimed over the flowers and how sweet it was for them to come all the way down to New York to surprise them like this. Lorelai announced that she was hungry, with Rory chiming in to agree. Luke and Dean exchanged knowing looks.
"How long was that?" Luke asked.
Dean checked his watch. "Seven minutes. I owe you five dollars."
"You owe him five dollars for what?" Lorelai demanded.
Dean looked down to keep from laughing. "We made a bet on how long it would take before the two of you were hungry. Luke had two to eight minutes, and I had nine to fifteen."
"Luke!" Lorelai whined, smacking his arm. "That's mean!"
"Yeah!" Rory echoed, smacking Dean.
"Ow!" Dean whimpered, rubbing his arm. "That hurt."
"I'm sorry," Rory apologized immediately, resting her head on Dean's shoulder.
"Me too." Lorelai did the same with Luke.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" Luke asked Dean.
Dean nodded. "I think we can."
"Since when did the two of you become so chummy?" Lorelai asked.
"Any guy crazy enough to take on a Gilmore needs a friend to back him up," Luke answered. "Right, Dean?"
"Right," Dean agreed.
"It's good to be home," Lorelai murmured to Luke.
Luke slipped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her. "I couldn't agree more."
