MASSIVE GIANT WARNING!!!! I don't like Dean. At all. And this chapter is heavy evidence of that fact. If you like Dean, look away. Turn back now. Do not enter. Go home! Read some Narco-fluff, because this here is some good old fashion ANTI-DEAN!

Hello, Dolly Chapter 3

Luke sauntered into the Dragonfly and smiled upon seeing Lorelai looking over some documents at the front desk. He walked up to her and smiled. "Hey."

"AH!" Lorelai flung the papers up in surprise and jumped back. "Hi."

"Are you alright?" Luke asked, kneeling down to pick up a couple of sheets of paper.

"Fine! I'm fine," Lorelai replied, picking the ones on her side up. "What's up? I thought you were at work."

"I was," Luke replied, standing up straight at the same time as Lorelai. "I'm taking Jess to New York to pack up his stuff."

"He can't do it himself?"

Luke shrugged. "He wants to bond."

Lorelai blinked. "Jess wants to bond?"

Luke nodded.

"Wow. He really has changed."

Luke nodded. "So I just wanted to let you know... in case you came looking for me or something..."

Lorelai grinned widely. "Thanks for the heads up."

She smiled at him, and leaned over to kiss him.

"Not across my desk, please!" a very annoyed, French accent-tinged voice snapped.

Lorelai pulled away from Luke and pouted. "Stick in the mud."

Rory stood awkwardly in the darkened dance studio. "Okay," she said. "I'm here.... What do you want, Dean?"

Dean walked a little closer to her. His nose was slightly crooked, and, like Jess, he was a little bruised. "I wanted to apologize for last night," he told her. "Things shouldn't have gotten out of hand like that."

Rory nodded and wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "They did."

He took a couple of more steps closer, and brushed his hand down her arm lightly. "I want to make it up to you."

"I think I should go now," Rory said.

He didn't seem to be listening. He leaned down for a kiss, and she pushed him away.

"No, Dean."

He grabbed her arm. "Rory-"

"Let go."

He pulled her closer. "Rory, I-"

"Get off, Dean!" She struggled to get free of his hands, but he kept his hold, grabbing at the thin jacket she was wearing. "Dean, stop!!"

"Dean, stop! No!"

Luke stopped at the sound of Rory's voice coming from inside the dance studio as he walked by. His jaw set, and he rushed over to the studio's door, pushing it open, and storming in to find Dean towering over Rory, gripping her by the jacket as she struggled to get away from him.

She looked terrified.

Luke rushed over, and flung his arms underneath Dean's shoulders to grab him into a full nelson and drag him off of Rory, who jerked back and hit the wall. She shook uncontrollably as she watched Luke change position and wrestled Dean to the ground and wrapped an arm around his neck for a headlock.

"You keep your god-damn hands off of her," Luke growled. "No means no, asshole."

Rory watched them a moment more before rushing out of Miss Patty's.

Jess glanced at his watch and sighed. It was getting late. They'd have to leave soon, if they were going to be back by evening. Luke had said he'd wanted to be back by the dinner rush, and Jess himself had promised Rory he'd be back.

He stood outside the diner. "Come on, Luke, you're not that old. Walk faster."

But it wasn't Luke who went whizzing past the diner.

Jess blinked. "Rory?"

She didn't reply, merely kept walking.

He sped after her. "Rory?"

"I have to go home."

"Rory, wait," Jess replied. "What's-"

"I have to go."

"Did I do something?"

She stopped walking and turned to him. She opened her mouth to say something, but wound up bursting into tears.

He watched her a moment before taking a careful step toward her. "Rory..."

"He asked me to meet him, so I did," she blurted out. "I'm so stupid! Why would I go to see him after what happened last night?"

Jess had no idea what she was talking. "What? I-"

"I went and saw Dean!" Rory cried. "He asked me to meet him at Miss Patty's, so I did, and... and he... If Luke hadn't shown up..."

Jess glared off at nothing, and turned away from her. "I gotta take care of-"

"No!" she grabbed his arm. "Jess..."

He stopped and looked back at her. What little good boyfriend instincts he had were telling him to stay.

He followed them for once and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay."

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his neck.

Luke dusted off his jeans as he watched Dean squirm a little on the floor of the dance studio.

"You're not a kid anymore, Dean," Luke told him. "If you lay a finger on her ever again, I'll make what I just did seem like a walk the park." With that, he left, closing the door behind him.

Lorelai looked up from the stack of papers on the front desk and jumped back. "Ohmygod!"

Emily raised an eyebrow from her seat in the lobby. "That's a nice way to greet your mother."

"You just... startled me," Lorelai explained. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"We're supposed to have lunch at one, yes?" Emily asked.

"We were, but you left."

"I don't see how that has anything to do with our plans for lunch," Emily protested. "They were never canceled."

"But... you left... I-... I give up," Lorelai sighed. "I'll call Rory."

Emily nodded.

"You need anything?"

Rory shook her head and wrapped an arm around Jess. They were curled up on his bed in Luke's apartment. She closed her eyes and buried her head into his chest. "This is good."

Jess nodded. "You gonna be okay?"

"I think so," she muttered.

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm gonna have to go when Luke gets back."

She tightened her grip on him. "I know."

"I'll be back."

Rory nodded. "I know."

At that moment her phone went off.

She stared at it.

"You should get that," Jess muttered.

She shook her head. "What if it's him?"

He rubbed her back gently. "Just check the number. If it's his, or one you don't recognize, don't pick it up."

She nodded, and squinted at the number. "It's the Dragonfly," she said, sitting up. She turned on the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sweets!"

"Hi, Mom," Rory replied, lying back against Jess.

"You okay?" Lorelai asked, slightly concerned. "You don't sound so hot."

"I'm okay. Sleepy. Jess and I have been napping," she lied.

Jess tilted his head curiously at her. She was lying; to her mother.

"Where are you?" Lorelai asked.

"Luke's," Rory replied. "What's going on?"

"You're grandmother's here for our lunch date," Lorelai explained.

"But... she left," Rory replied.

"Don't even get me started. Can you be here?" Lorelai asked.

"Uh... yeah," Rory said. "I can have Jess and Luke drop me off on their way out of town. I'll be there soon." She gave Jess a question look of 'is that okay?' and he needed.

"What's wrong?" Lorelai snickered. "Jess completely wear out your legs?"

"Mom..."

"See you soon, Babe," Lorelai said.

Rory nodded and hung up. "Okay... so..."

"You gonna be okay?" Jess asked. "You don't usually lie to Lorelai..."

"I'm fine, I just... with everything that happened last night... she shouldn't have to worry about me... and I'm fine."

"Then why won't you walk to the Dragonfly?" Jess asked.

She shook her head and got up. "Come on. We should go downstairs and wait for Luke."

Jess sighed and followed.