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, Lor/Chris

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

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Rory collapsed on her bed, sobbing. How could she have said that she thought Dean was using her? She'd just been so mad that he didn't trust her judgement, but she knew that he really loved her, and he'd never use her. She'd wanted to hurt him, she realized with a shiver. She'd wanted to hurt him for calling her innocent. "Rory?" Lorelai asked from the door.

"Leave me alone," she sobbed into her pillow. She heard her mother enter the room, and felt her sit down on her bed and stroke her hair. "I said go away!"

"What happened?"

"I yelled, and he yelled, and I yelled, and now he hates me," she managed to choke out, a part of her glad that Lorelai was there, and so persistent.

"Who, Dean?" Rory nodded. "Dean could never hate you."

"I said that he was taking advantage of me."

"To who?" Rory pulled her face out of her pillow to look at her mom, incredulous. "Sorry, I just thought maybe you told someone else, and he overheard you. Why did you say that?"

"I was mad at him. He said I was naive, and he didn't trust my judgement around other guys, and I got mad, and I wanted to hurt him." Lorelai opened her arms, and let Rory fall into them and cry.

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Dean sat on the couch, staring out the door after her. Did she really think that lowly of him? "I heard the yelling," a voice said from behind him, jerking him out of his stupor. He turned to see April. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he said automatically.

"I know. Do you want some hot chocolate? My mom always makes that for me when I'm upset." He looked at her with surprise and gratitude.

"No thanks, but thanks for the offer."

"I know you hate me, Dean, for what I did to Luke and Rachel." He looked at her in surprise. "I just wanted my parents back together. I know I pretend I don't care, and this is the wrong time to be telling you this, but you never give me a chance." She turned to go.

"I'm sorry, April. For never giving you a chance. I was used to it being me, Luke, and Jess. We're like a family, and I just couldn't accept that anyone else should be listed there, and not just as Luke's girlfriend, or Jess' fiancee."

"It's okay."

"You still want to make that hot chocolate?" he asked, his voice still heavy with pain.

"Of course," she smiled tentatively. He tried to smile back, but the pain in his eyes was glaringly obvious.