1One 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, Lor/Luke/Chris

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

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It had been a week since she had talked to her mother, or Dean, and it showed in her schoolwork. Her English teacher, Mr. Medina had even pulled her aside to ask her what was wrong, not like that was too surprising. She always got As, and she hadn't gotten anything higher than a C in the past week. If she kept this up, she wouldn't be able to go to Harvard, and Mr. Medina always knew when something was wrong. She needed to talk to Dean.

"Hey, Mary. What's wrong?" Tristin asked, sauntering up to her. She sobbed into her hands. He reached out to hold her, but she pulled back.

"Dean. I need Dean," she sobbed. Tristin didn't know who Dean was, but he was willing to bet that his number was in her phone. And that she wouldn't calm down until she'd talked to him.

"Give me your phone." She handed it over, numb. He searched her numbers. He was right. It was there. He looked over at Rory. She was whimpering now. As much as he wanted to be the guy she was calling out for, he had to get her to the guy she needed. He called the number.

"Rory?" A deep voice answered.

"Ooh, caller I.D. Fancy." Tristin teased.

"Okay, who the hell is this, and what are you doing with Rory's phone?"

"She gave it to me." Tristin cackled, enjoying the rise he was getting out of the guy.

"What? And who is this?" Tristin tried to come up with a snappy remark, but he saw Rory. She was leaning against the wall, shivering, looking flushed and grayish at the same time.

"Tristin. I go to school with her. She needs you here. At Chilton. Now," his teasing manner evaporated.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I have no idea, but it looks bad. She'd probably be on the phone right now if she could dial."

"I'll be right there." Dean promised, closing his phone. Tristin turned his attention back to Rory. Her knees were giving out, and she was sinking to the floor. He carried her to the nurse's office, and ran out front to wait for Dean.

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Dean pulled up in the Chilton parking lot and jumped out of his truck.

"Are you Dean?" a blond boy asked behind him.

"Yeah."

"Tristin. She's in the nurse's office." Dean didn't even take the time to thank him, he just set off running down the hall. "Dude!" Tristin called, "Other way. At the end of the hall."

"Thanks." Dean called as he took off in the other direction. Tristin watched him run. Too bad Rory was in serious trouble. It would have been fun to mess with his mind. Although he got the feeling that Dean could have beaten him to a bloody pulp if the mood struck him. The guy was a giant. So maybe he wouldn't be screwing with his mind anytime soon.

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Dean rushed into the office. "Is Rory Haden here?" he asked, barely out of breath from his sprint down the hall.

"Are you related to her?"

"No. I'm her boyfriend."

"Do you have any proof?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid we can't let you see her. Ah, Topher. Here to see your sister?" Dean turned around.

"Topher," he said. "They're not letting me in."

"Well, I can't really blame them," Topher replied coldly. Dean was shocked. Topher had always been so nice to him. "It is your fault that she's sick."

"What? How?" Dean called, heartbroken. How had he hurt Rory? He'd figured she'd need time with her father and brother after Lorelai left. "Should I have called? I thought she'd want to be with you and your dad after Lorelai left."

"How did you know that Lorelai left in the first place?" Topher spat accusingly.

"She went to Luke's. He called me," Dean said, the adrenaline rush he had felt when he heard that Rory needed him disappearing.

"Yes. Exactly. She went to your uncle's diner, or house, or whatever you want to call it. She left our father for him! And she never would have met him if it weren't for you. And Rory wouldn't be a mess if Mom hadn't left Dad for her boyfriend's uncle."

"He's not my uncle." Dean said, at a loss for anything better to say.

"No. But he's pretty damn close. As close as you can get without actually being a blood relative. And I am her blood relative, and I don't want you in there with her." He walked off, not noticing that how similar the look Dean was giving him was to the look Chris had given Lorelai when she walked out of their lives.