Disclaimer: This is my final disclaimer 'cos I'm tired of writing them. I will never own the rights to anything, and if, for some reason that changes, I'll let you know. Trust me.

A/N: I feel really good about this chapter. This is most definitely will be a Dean lovers beware chapter. I think you know where I'm going with this. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I hope you like this chapter. Also, I am experimenting with my writing style, so please review and tell me how you like the style of this chapter. If it is truly terrible, I will rewrite the chapter. If not, I might change my style. Tell me your opinion.

Oh yeah, in part of this story, I have an entire scene borrowed from the show, THEY SHOOT GILMORES, DON'T THEY? I only added it in because it makes me laugh and I needed to add in a scene to take the marathon from beginning to end. As Lorelai said, " I want a middle."

Chapter 5: I'm dancing on the inside

Something just isn't right
I can feel it inside
the truth isn't far behind me
you can't deny


When I turn the lights out
When I close my eyes
Reality overcomes me
I'm living a lie

When I'm alone I
Feel so much better
And when I'm around you
I don't feel

Together
It doesn't feel right at all
Together
Together we built a wall
Together
Holding hands we'll fall
Hands we'll fall

This has gone on so long
I realize that I need
Something good to rely on
Something for me

When I'm alone I
Feel so much better
And when I'm around you
I don't feel

When I'm around you
When I'm around you
I don't feel together

I don't feel together

(Selected lyrics form 'Together', by Avril Lavigne)

The air was thick. Her breath was heavy as she listened to him complaining.

It seemed as though all he ever did was complain and restrict.

You can't do this because it makes me do this.

Perfect example.

She couldn't stand his constant need for control.

She felt trapped.

What was once pure bliss by her own free will had become forced torture.

She was drowning, and no matter how hard she would try to swim towards the sky, she couldn't resurface.

"I don't want you seeing him anymore," he mumbled.

"What do you mean?" She had no clue why he was being so possessive.

"I mean that he likes you, Rory, and he's trying to get into your pants."

"How can you say that? You don't even know him!"

"No, Rory, I don't. But that doesn't mean you do. Guys like him are,"

"Guys like him are what? Guys aren't like him, Dean; they don't skip school to read or go to work. Guys like 'him'," she finger quoted, "Guys like him don't prefer to be alone because everyone else treats him like crap."

"Guys like him are cold hearted jerks. He's only nice to you because he wants to get you in bed. He doesn't care about you Rory. He doesn't."

"He does! He does. He does…" She didn't know whom she was trying to convince. She used to be so sure, but now that Dean had made her think about it, she needed some convincing herself.

"No, Rory, he doesn't."

"He doesn't?" She questioned, tears stinging in her eyes.

"No, he doesn't."

"Oh Dean!" She exclaimed, clinging to him.

Dean had convinced her.

She was afraid, but she didn't know why.

She didn't feel safe, even in the arms of her boyfriend.

Something seemed so wrong.

She needed the truth, and Jess's mystery, not to mention the extremely possessive nature of Dean, weren't helping.

Next day…

"So what's on your mind?" Rory asked her mother suspiciously as they headed into the kitchen.

"I think I figured out who can be my partner for the dance marathon."

"Great! Who?"

Lorelai said nothing, but instead stared intensely at Rory.

"Oh, no you're not, no."

"Come on!"

"Just hear me out! First of all, you love me."

"Not right now, I don't."

"You know how much this contest means to me. You would never fall asleep or chase a pie."

"I don't dance."

"You went to a dance."

"I do not dance."

"Liar."

"Come on! We've got the whole mother/daughter gimmick going on. The crowd'll eat that up."

"I cannot dance with you."

"Why not?"

"Because this is Dean's first marathon. We were going to go and watch and hang out, he's totally looking forward to it. I told him about how Andrew gets in a fight with his date in the first fifteen minutes and storms off the floor. I told him about Taylor getting punch-drunk at hour fifteen and telling stories about how he always wanted to be a magician."

"Rory, please?"

"And ooh, I told him about how when Kirk wins, he likes to take his victory lap around the floor to the theme from Rocky. I was gonna show him all those things, and I was gonna show them to him sitting down."

"He can still come, and he can still see all those things, except if you dance, maybe that victory lap will be you and me instead of Kirk."

"Okay, I'll tell you what. I was supposed to work on the Franklin this weekend with Paris."

"But?"

"I will ask her if we can reschedule. If she says yes, then I will dance with you."

"I love you!"

"You should sell cars."

Next Saturday…

"I hate waking up early," Lorelai whined as they walked to Luke's.

"You're the one who insisted we get up earlier so we could get coffee from Luke."

"Yeah, well, at least it won't feel like 5am when we get our coffee."

"How do you know?"

"I don't," she stated.

"There's the reassurance I needed."

The bell jingled merrily overhead, completely contradicting the girls' moods.

"Coffee…Luke…now…" was the last thing Lorelai was capable of saying till she got her daily dose.

Without a word, knowing that he would be dead otherwise, he gave them both large portions of the strongest stuff he had.

The girls immediately perked up.

"So Luke, where's mini-you."

"Sleeping," he grunted in reply.

"No, really?"

"Just drink your damn coffee and leave."

"Look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Uh huh."

"Jesus Christ, Lorelai, take your damn coffee thermos and get out," he said quietly handing her a big thermos of coffee.

"Thank you Luke-y. Come on, Rory, we've got a marathon to win. Oh, and Luke, remember what I said about switching the coffee to the evil liquid." She winked and proceeded to leave the diner, daughter in one hand, and coffee in the other.

14 hours later…

He wasn't hungry.

Well, sort of, but not in the 'I need to eat food' kind of way.

Since when did that stop Jess Mariano?

"So, not dancing?" Jess asked Lane as he approached the sandwich table.

"Nope."

"Why not? Too cool?"

"Go away, Jess. No one asked for a Tony Manero wannabe to drop by."

"Hey, I'm just here for the food."

Land handed him a sandwich.

"Here, enjoy, buh-bye."

He paused to take the sandwich, but then continued the unwanted conversation, "I noticed Rory's not dancing with Dean."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"How come? Trouble in paradise?"

"Rory's dancing with her mother. Nothing's wrong with her and Dean, and you're blocking my sandwiches from the rest of the room."

"I know, they're erecting a statue to me in the park next week."

In came Mrs. Kim, annoyance on her sleeve.

"Who are you," she requested of Jess.

"Jess…Ma'am."

She directed her speech to Lane, "Scoop more," and then she walked away.

But Jess and Lane couldn't be left alone could they.

This time, Rory and Dean made their ways to the table.

Rory looked at Jess and asked him, "The sandwiches are for the dancers."

"I'm dancing on the inside," he replied.

"What are you doing here?"
"I live here."

"You have nothing better to do than sit outside on a bench all day staring at a dance marathon?"

"I don't know," he turned to face Dean, "Do you have nothing better to do than sitting outside on a bench all day staring at a dance marathon?"

Dean spoke up. "I wouldn't direct any sort of comment toward me if I were you."

"I'm just trying to support my town."

"Good," Rory added, "then go back to New York."

"Ooh. Zing. I've been snapped."

"You think you're bugging me, sitting in front of me staring like that?"

"You think you're bugging me, dancing in front of me staring like that?"

"I'm not staring at you."

"Then how do you know I'm staring at you?"

"I am dancing. I cannot control where my glance goes. And the few moments I can control it, my glance goes to Dean. Not you."

"So you can't control when you look at me, but you have to force yourself to look at him? Sorry, man. That's cold."

"My former comment still stands," Dean reminded Jess.

"Go home," Rory said.

"No, thanks," he bounced back.

"Then get out of my way," Rory said, trying to mimic his nonchalant tone.

"Didn't realize I was in the way. There you go. It's all yours. God help you."

And if things couldn't get anymore frenzied between them, Shane waltzed in to the studio.

"Where did you go? I've been sitting out there for twenty minutes."

"The break's only for ten."

"It's just a saying."

"I came to get food."

"Good I'm starved."

"The food is for the dancers," Rory told Shane.

"Who are you, Bobby Brady? Get a life."

"Rory is feeling a little territorial today," Jess pointed out.

"Whatever," Shane took a bite of her sandwich and was immediately disgusted, " God. What is this thing?"

"Rory. Get your stuff and let's go," Dean ordered.

"Ooh," Jess began, "that was good. Now say 'then get in there and make me my supper.'"

"I got 'em," Rory said to Dean.

"Come on," Dean replied.

"See you in there," Jess shouted to their retreating bodies.

When they were gone, Jess said to Shane, "I'm gonna get a soda."

9 hours later…

Only 2 couples remained on the dance floor.

Taylor is highly intoxicated and is standing at the podium reminiscing about his magician days.

"Tell me a joke."

"Knock knock."

"Ooh. That was a good one," she paused and laughed a bit, "Kirk is going down," Lorelai whispered into Rory's ear.

"Mhm…"

"Any second now he's going to collapse. I can tell."

As if on cue, Kirk waltzed past them with as much energy as he started with.

Rory closed her eyes.

"Rory," Lorelai whisper-screamed, "Rory wake up!"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, Mom. I'm just tired."

"No kidding."

They stood there 'dancing for a few moments, till all of the sudden, Lorelai's heel broke.

"Ahhhh!"

"What," Rory asked her mother, slightly more alert than she had been a few moments ago.

"My heel broke!"

"Your what?"

"My heel."

"Well…what do we do?"

"I've got to go ask Luke to fix it. You've got to stay here while use the card and get my heel fixed."

"But, I need something to lean on, I can't just stand here. I'll collapse!"

"Um…" she searched the perimeter for and idea. It came in a 6'4" shell and was extremely loyal, "Dean!"

He rushed over like a little puppy dog.

"What?"

"Can you keep Rory from passing out while I get my heel fixed?"

"Uh…"

"Thanks Dean. You're the best."

"But I,"

"I need you. The team needs you."

"What team?"

"Pick a team-it needs you. I'll be right back."

Lorelai left to go find Luke.

Meanwhile…

Lane sat alone in the studio.

She knew she didn't need to be there.

Everyone had had his or her share of sandwiches.

But then again…

"One sandwich please," beamed Dave Rygalski.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, you mentioned it to me last time we met and it sounded kind of Blue Velvet, so I decided to come check it out. Anyhow, I hadn't seen you in awhile, and I thought I'd come down and maybe we could figure something out on this band issue. Plus I missed you."

"Sure, we could do that."

Mrs. Kim was, as always, on anti-Korean-boy alert and so she made her way over to the table.

"Who are you, what do you want?"

"Mama," Lane warned.

"Do you know this boy?"

"Well,"

"Uh, no, actually, I just heard a bunch of people talking outside about the sandwiches and I thought that I would come in and maybe try one. I'm sorry, may I? Mrs. Kim hands him a sandwich Thank you. takes a bite That's delicious."

"Really?" Lane wondered out loud.

"May I have another one for later please?"

"Yes, that's fine, take another one please," Mrs. Kim agreed.

"Thank you. You know, my parents would love these sandwiches. I wish I could bring 'em by but unfortunately they're in private bible study right now."

"Bible Study?"

"Say, how long are you serving?"

"Why?"

"Well, I thought if they got out in time I could bring them over to try these delicious sandwiches."

"Well, the bread is only good for another twenty minutes, after that there's no point. You chip a tooth."

"Okay. So if I can get my parents back here in twenty minutes, then you'll still be serving, but in thirty you're done?"

"That's right."

"Great. So if for some reason I'm not back here in twenty minutes, that means that I'm gonna be over there, on the church steps, waiting for my parents to get out so that I can tell them about the great sandwiches that they missed. Okay? Okay, great. Thanks a lot and I hope to see you soon."

He left and Mrs. Kim turned to Lane.
"I hope he comes back he seemed hungry."

Meanwhile…

"He's still there."

"What?"

"Jess. He's still there. I can't believe he's still there."

"Ignore him and he'll disappear."

"Yeah. You know, this is a dance marathon. You're not supposed to come and sit and watch, you're supposed to dance. He's just trying to bug me, sitting there right in front of me, staring. Jerk."

Sitting on a bench in front of Rory and Dean were Jess and Shane.

Shane turned to Jess and said, "I'm bored."

"Okay."

So of course they start to make out.

"There they go again! God, I swear, why can't they just get a room? Or forget a room - get a gym bleacher or a doorway, or even a strategically placed telephone pole would probably suffice. I mean, girls like Shane - what is it with them? Don't they see what they look like? I know they have mirrors."

But Rory wasn't jealous was she? I mean, come on. She's obviously not Rory. She's a jealous pod person!

"Hey, you talking about me," Jess directed towards Rory.

"No."

"I heard you mention Shane."

"Shane's not you."

"Shane concerns me."

"Shane concerns me too-and all women for that matter."

"You got a problem here?"

"Nope. Just a little sick of seeing the two of you sitting there. If you're not gonna participate, then why don't you just leave?"

"Works for me," Shane began, "Let's go."

"No," Jess ordered.

"Why not?" Rory was curious as to why they wouldn't just leave.

"Because I'm not ready to go."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. I'm gonna sit here as long as I like, and I'm gonna do whatever I like, and if you don't like it, then just ignore me and pay attention to your boyfriend."

"Sorry, she can't. I'm not her boyfriend anymore," Dean cut in.

"What?"

"You know, I tried to ignore this, I really did. But I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't wanna be with me, Rory."

"Yes, I do."

"Oh, please! You've been into him since he got to town, and I have spent weeks - months, actually - trying to convince myself that it wasn't true, that everything was fine between us. But now I know that I was an idiot. You're into him and he's into you, and Shane, who by the way, should be listening to this 'cause it's so damn obvious."

"What's obvious, what did I do?"

"Everyone can see, Rory! Everyone. And I'm tired, but I'm over it, so go ahead, go. Be together. There's nothing standing in your way now, 'cause I'm out."

She felt the tears in her eyes. They were tears of sadness, no less than tears of guilt.

He was right.

She did have a 'thing' for Jess from the moment he came to town.

Dean grabbed his jacket and Rory stared after him as he walked home beneath the clear night sky.

Later on at the bridge…

We are the Champions, my friend.

We'll keep on fighting, till the end.

'Cos we are the champions,

we are the champions,

no time for losers

'cos we are the champions…of the World.

This year, Kirk had picked a different song.

He felt less like Rocky and more like a Queen.

After all, the Queen has a bunch of dancing trophies, duh!

She sat on the bridge, in the middle as always, listening to the music play in the background.

She didn't notice the dark-haired boy walk up to her.

"Dean's a jerk. Yelling at you like that, breaking up in front of everybody…the guy's a total jerk."

"No, he's not. He's right. Everything he said. All those things about you and me, all those things about me lying to him, and messing with his head. He was right. Well, wasn't he? Fine, he was right about me, then. Now go away."

"He was right…about all of it."

"So what now?"

"You're definitely broken up with Dean?"

"I'm definitely broken up with Dean."

He held out his hand to her.

"Take it."

"What?"

"Take my hand."

She hesitated a bit, but then did as she was told.

"I'm only going to do this once."

And they danced.

Cos we are the champions,

we are the champions,

no time for losers

'cos we are the champions…

Now was the perfect chance. He took her chin in his hand and tilted her head slightly upwards so she would look him in the eye.

He kissed her.

She kissed back.

And they kept on dancing.

of the World.

End chapter.

A/N: I am so sorry that this was so unoriginal. The only thing I wanted to change in this episode when I watched it was the end, and there would be no music playing if they weren't outside, and they can't dance to the Rocky theme song. That'd be really weird.

I would've made this original, but I had no reason to change the stuff I didn't want to change, and I couldn't have gone from the Dean/Rory fight to the Jess/Rory kiss/dance. So… I hope you liked my chapter. Now I've got to go unapologetically bastardize other

Country's traditions. Bring on the Imperialistic condiments!