Rory was sipping at her coffee; her mind lamenting over the heated quarrel she'd just had with Jess, while she looked for Lorelei. She felt like a muddy worn out shoe and the dance hadn't even started yet. The perfectly icky start, to perfectly icky 24 hours of torture…and under the scathing watch of that jerk as well!

Rory, her brows furrowed with fury, walked around the gymnasium distractedly. She was deaf to the slightly fascist sounding Taylor, as he gave out his authoritative information through his megaphone.

"…And why, I hear you asking…I'll tell you why, because refusal to co-operate is refusal to conform… and refusal to conform means we have bad apples in our midst…for example teenage boys at coffee stalls who scowl and cuss, spreading their bad vibes…"

"Look Taylor, where is this going?" Asked Luke, irritably.

Taylor leant down, over his podium and pointed his megaphone directly at Luke, "Rule number 1, all dancers must show respect, to the megaphone…"

"What!"

Jess, who had left his stall out of restlessness, glowered at Taylor and then nudged Luke on the shoulder and started to speak.

"Hey, hey, hey young man, did you not hear rule number 1, as clearly stated by me two second ago?" Taylor interrupted.

" I heard you all right, but I guess it doesn't apply to me considering I'm not a dancer."

"Now see here, this dance marathon might not mean anything to you boy, but for us fellow citizens of Stars Hollow, it is a time honoured tradition. One that we welcome round each year with delight… and I will not let you and your biting, cynical remarks take that away from my people!" Sang Taylor magnanimously.

"Hear, hear!" Cheered Lorelei as she approached the podium.

She had to do a double take when she saw Luke, and took in his classy, yet untucked white shirt, and blue bow tie with a rising affection.

"Whoa, someone's looking smooth!" Praised Lorelei with amusement.

"Well…I…uh…borrowed it from Kirk so…"

"What!" Lorelei shrieked, "You're wearing the enemy's clothing…NO… this means you're contaminated……and you were so young and full of life!"

Luke looked at Lorelei, astounded at her teasing, when he was clearly very stressed out.

"I am not contaminated!" Luke shot back, very annoyed.

"Looks like Mr Earlybird's no earlybird without his apron and baseball cap…"

Just then, Rory dashed past and then doubled back when she saw her mom, the person she'd been searching out, amongst these crowds of crazy people.

"Whoa, someone's looking smooth!" Exclaimed Rory with kindly intended humour, when she saw Luke.

Lorelei smirked and even Jess smiled as Luke cried out with self pity, "Why must I continuously be mocked by women?"

Rory frowned and tried in desperation to explain that she was being completely honest in complimenting him like that. Jess inwardly softened at this good-natured attempt, but then reminded himself that he was mad with her.

Rory looked anxiously at Jess and when he suddenly caught her eye, she looked away sharply, and so did he.

Rory's POV

He hates me…

Jess' POV

She hates me…

"Who's mocking you? I can't hear anyone mocking you! The only sound I can hear, is the screaming adoration of your fans, hotter than Luke warm…Mr coooool!" Teased Lorelei, dancing around him.

Luke sighed, "You are the most ridiculous person I've ever met!"

"Uh…humbug!" grunted Lorelei.

Rory giggled at the outraged and therefore hilarious look on Luke's face. Lorelei always had that effect on him.

Jess loved it when Rory giggled.

"So Luke, who's the lucky lady?" Lorelei asked.

Luke looked blank and replied, "What?"

"Hello? You're dance partner, where is she?"

Jess smirked and started laughing, and Rory looked at him curiously. He leant over to whisper in Luke's ear, "Uh-oh, what will you do now Mr Coool!"

A warning horn, sounded out throughout the gym, making everyone jump, and Taylor's voice bellowed, "The 2002 dance marathon will commence in two minutes, I repeat…"

Kirk could be heard, anxiously shouting at people, "Get out of my way…champion coming through…."

However Lorelei, Rory and Jess, were all waiting for an answer from Luke.

"You're dancing with Rory…of course…so…" Luke babbled, more to himself than to his eager three-person audience.

His eyes darted around the gym, as if pretending to look for his partner. In vain, he tried to convince himself, that some woman would just come up to him, take his arm and lead him to the dance floor.

He turned to look at Jess, who was grinning with a fake eagerness and expectancy. That bastard…well, if I'm going to be punished, then I might as well punish him too…And Luke knew what to do…

"The "lucky lady" is standing right before you!" Luke smiled warmly at the Gilmore Girls, as he placed a strong hand on Jess' shoulder.

"WHAT!" Lorelei and Rory shouted simultaneously, in disbelief.

"Yeah…WHAT!" Jess cried out in horror, as he attempted to shuffle away from Luke.

"Come on Jessie, we better get on to that dance floor!"

"Wait a minute…I…" Jess stammered, as Luke dragged him on to the floor, closely followed by an extremely shocked and diverted Lorelei and Rory.

"Five…four…three…two…one!" Taylor called through the megaphone, and then sounded the horn, for the dance to begin!

Luke held on to Jess' arms, and pulled him about to the blaring trumpets of the swing music. He looked into Jess' eyes, with a satisfied and victorious expression.

Jess scowled back at him with hate and thought, screw this, I'm out of here… until he heard Rory giggling, as she twirled around with Lorelei, right next to him.

It then occurred to him, that it really was quite a funny situation, and when he saw Rory laughing at him, he couldn't help it when he felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a contented smile, at the sound of her pleasure.

Jess POV

Maybe this isn't so bad after all…

What am I saying! I must look like a complete idiot…

Well…at least it makes Rory happy…

And the sound of her laughter is addictive…all my instincts are telling me to leave…

And yet I can't seem to let go…