One Less Mistake

Summary: What if Lorelai hadn't gotten pregnant until she was 20? What if she had agreed to marry Christopher when she did? AU.

Pairings: Rory/Dean, with Lor/Luke later on

Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB

A couple weeks after the construction crew had first come, Rory walked out onto the balcony from her room, put her coffee cup on the little table, and sat in the lawn chair she had brought up, opening her book. She hadn't been out on her balcony since the summer, she'd been too afraid that Dean would see her, and think she was only out there because she was hoping he'd look up at her.

It was a beautiful day, and she never had any trouble concentrating on good books when she was outside on a beautiful day, but today her eyes kept wandering down, and into the backyard. As if he could feel her eyes on him, Dean turned around and smiled up at her.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"Hey!" she called back.

"What are you reading?"

"Wuthering Heights."

"Really? I just read that last week."

"Do you read a lot?"

"Not as much as my friend, but some."

"Hey, kid." the other man admonished. "Get back to work." he shrugged, and cocked his hand at her before turning back to his task before he could see the hand she'd lifted tentatively. She couldn't believe she'd talked to him. Intelligently. And he hadn't seem to think she was the biggest idiot on earth.

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It wasn't until 6:00 that Don told Dean he could go. He walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water, since Lorelai's offer to help themselves to whatever they wanted, provided they replace any coffee had been permanently extended. Rory was standing by the counter, watching the coffee machine as if it might drip faster the harder she stared at it.

"You know, a watched coffee pot never drips." he said as he grabbed a glass from the counter and went to fill it up at the sink.

"Dean, hey." she stuttered, whirling around to face him.

"Seeing you twice in one day...to what do I owe this honor?"

"Oh, well, I don't know. I'm always here. Well, not here obviously. Topher usually makes the coffee, Mom and I get impatient and throw things, and Dad gets mad and calls us junkies, but Toph's at a friend's for the night, so I'm on coffee duty."

"I can take over for you, if you want. So you don't throw anything."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"I was just about to make one of those microwave soup bowls. Want one?"

"Yeah, sure, if it's not too much trouble."

"Please. You're making the coffee, that earned you at least 10 soup bowls. We have some tater tots in the freezer, too. I could make those to help cut into your 10 soups."

"Tater tots and soup?"

"Yeah, well, that's the extent of my culinary skills. Once again, Topher's area of expertise. Ever since Mom got mad and fired the maid for burning the coffee we've been living on Topher's cooking, take out, and slight variations on what I just offered you."

"How do you burn coffee?"

"Exactly! My mother wouldn't fire a maid for a little thing out of fear of becoming Emily Gilmore, but for something as inexplicable and awful as burning coffee..."

"Who's Emily Gilmore?"

"Her mother. She goes through maids like kleenex. And is basically the bane of Lorelai's existence." he laughed, and walked over, taking her place by the coffee machine.

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Lorelai walked towards the kitchen to see how Rory was coming with the coffee and dinner, but stopped short before she walked in. The construction boy was standing only feet from Rory, laughing at something she said. She turned on her heel and stalked to the opposite end of the house.