Disclaimer: If I owned them, I'd be rich... which I'm not.

Chapter 2

The few, light showers that Hartford was forecasted to have all day turned into a downright downpour of oceanic proportions. Therefore, earlier it had seemed like a nice idea for Rory to take a walk through the downtown streets of Hartford to clear her head. However, the idea of leaving her car right off campus wasn't so good.

Now, Rory hurried down the street, passing the few lunatics that actually liked being out in weather like that. Perhaps it was the rain, or darkness, that caused Rory to collide with one of the other crazy people hurrying to get out of the storm. She caught herself from falling, instead taking a step back. She mumbled an apology to the stranger who seemed as shocked as she, and turned to hurry on her way again.

The stranger's hand, however, reached out and pulled her back. "Rory?" he asked above the howling wind, pulling his hood off and revealing his face.

"Dean!" Rory was a little relieved and shocked to see him. It had been a little over a year since she'd heard from him. She still felt a little guilty about their falling out at her grandparents' mansion.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked.

"School!" Rory shouted, pointing down the street in the direction Yale was located.

"I meant, what are you doing out in weather like this?"

"Oh! I left my car by the college! I was just now heading back to it!"

"Want a ride?" Dean asked.

Rory glanced around, barely able to make out the difference between the sidewalk and street, and nodded. "That'd be nice!"

Dean guided her a few steps over to where his truck was parked against the curb. He opened her door for her, then ran around to his side and climbed in behind the wheel. Once they had escaped the torrential rain and howling wind, silence fell among them. There was so much to say and so much to leave unsaid.

"Thanks," Rory finally replied.

"Of course," Dean supplied. He turned the key in the ignition and brought life to the vehicle. After a moment, heat began pouring through the air ducts, warming their soaked and freezing clothes. Dean pulled onto the road and followed the old shops towards Yale. Rory pointed out which streets to turn onto, and in a moment, Dean had pulled over behind her silver Prius. Rory made to get out of the truck, but something inside told her to sit still.

There had always been something about Dean's presence that made Rory forget there was a world surrounding her, full of people and things. When she was with Dean, all she saw was him. Granted, there had been times when she'd been side-tracked, and her mind had wandered her over to other things – other boys. But she had been young, and inexperienced, and had wanted to test the world. It was justified, right?

Her mind wandered back to the last night she'd seen Dean. Whatever means she had were not justified that night. There were so many ways she could have avoided - salvaged – the bitter end of their relationship, but she stood by and let it flounder. She felt slightly guilty then, something she'd been trying to avoid feeling tonight. She'd never been that fair to Dean. He had loved her unendingly, unconditionally, and unquestioningly from the very start. She, on the other hand, had never been so true to him. There had been a Tristin, a Jess, and a Logan. But Dean was her first love that some higher power kept throwing her way, every time she realized she felt incomplete. What that meant, Rory didn't know exactly, and she was too tired and wet to over-analyze it tonight.

"Thank you for the ride," she said. She sat still though, staring at Dean and really taking in his appearance for the first time. His features looked older than expected, and his eyes held tire in them. His hair was a bit longer, and the part was gone from the front, covered with long bangs. His jawline was a bit more distinct, and he looked thinner in the face and waist than Rory could remember.

"You're welcome," Dean said. Though he had been the one to stop her and offer the ride, he seemed horribly uncomfortable right now. He wouldn't turn to face Rory, just kept his eyes on the steering wheel, occasionally glancing up at a particularly large splatter of rain that hit the windshield.

More silence.

Rory wasn't sure what was stopping her from getting out of the truck. Something told her to hang onto Dean, whether intimately or casually, she didn't care. She needed someone to be with… she needed a friend desperately tonight – a guy to hold her and tell her it was okay. And in her mind, Rory knew that it had to be Dean. It couldn't be anyone else, because she simply didn't feel the same in anyone else's arms. She also knew, that if she got out of that truck, Dean would drive away… possibly forever, and she would lose him all over again.

You don't get more than three chances, do you?

"Where are you staying?" Rory finally asked.

Dean finally turned to look at her, his brow creasing in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, it's flood season in Connecticut, obviously, and it's getting late and you look dead tired. I don't want you to have to drive all the way back to Stars Hollow in this weather. It would take forever."

"I'll be fine."

"Please?" Rory asked, resting her hand on his arm and giving it a squeeze. "I have an apartment right around the corner. Nice, warm, and ready for a good night's sleep."

"I don't think we should," Dean said, staring at her hand on his arm. The feeling of what could have been between them hurt so badly that Dean swallowed a lump in his throat.

"The couch is real comfy, almost as much as the bed," Rory said with a grin.

Dean lifted his gaze to her's. Bad idea, he scolded himself. He melted everytime he looked into those shockingly, cool blue eyes, and this time was no different. He was a slave to her, a servant to her every command and whim. "Alright," he agreed, not even aware of the word falling from his lips.

The apartment was too much. Dean sent Rory a sideways glance as he entered the lavishly decorated studio apartment. Rory shut the door and stepped into the warmth of the room, over to the kitchen to make what she knew she and Dean loved – coffee.

She chuckled at Dean's insecurity, though a voice in the back of her mind nagged that it was well placed. This wasn't her apartment; it was Logan's. However, in Rory's logical sense, it was both hers and his, and he'd been away in Paris on his father's order. So there was to be no recent return of him to his apartment… at least not while Rory finished up school for the year and moved her belongings back into her grandparents pool house.

"It's mine, don't worry," Rory stated firmly.

"They sure do give extravagant gifts to precocious Yale attendees, huh?"

The coffee maker beeped and Rory poured herself and Dean cups before joining him on the couch in front of the fireplace. With a touch of a button, the fire came to life, spreading warmth through their bodies. It felt - right - the two of them sitting together in the quiet warmth of the firelight.

"So, what have you been up to?" Rory asked Dean.

"I got a job up here at Tyler & Son Construction. It's only part-time while I attend school."

"School?"

"Just a couple classes at the Community College," Dean said, waving his hand about. He took a swig from his mug and cocked his head at Rory. "What about you? School going good I presume?"

Rory shrugged. "Not the way I planned it," she said. Noting the look of puzzlement on Dean's face, she summed up her first year of college. "I stole a yacht and decided to take a year off, but I only made it a semester."

"What?" Dean asked, nearly choking on the coffee. "Stole a yacht? What for?"

"This guy I was dating, his father was this big newspaper exec that told me I didn't have a shot at being a journalist, and I got a little upset and decided to steal a yacht. Then, because of all that, I decided to take a year off, got in a huge fight with my mom over it, and lasted only a semester before coming back."

Dean shook his head and put his mug down. "Wow," he uttered, his voice low. "That's…"

"Not like me at all?" Rory supplied, then nodded. "I know." Her emotions were starting to get the better of her. She'd told herself she wouldn't cry over it anymore. What was done was done. Still, the warm tears pooling at the edges of her eyes and blurring her vision, seemed like a – reward if you will - for the pain she'd suffered and habored alone.

It wasn't even hesitant, the arm that wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her closer to the one person she longed to be with. It was strong, and welcoming, enveloping her form in a tight embrace. Sobs now poured out of her, and she buried her face into his shoulder, crying in what seemed like eternity. Dean didn't say a word, just rested his head on hers, letting her get out what needed to be got out. That was all Rory ever really needed… someone to hold her and let her emotions out, because Lord knows, she can't seem to do it herself. Emotions are tricky things that logic can't be compared to. And Rory was logical, anxiously so.

"Dean, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you," Rory cried, moving her head to look up into his face. "I've always loved you, Dean, always."

"Shh," Dean said softly, placing his finger to her lips. "It's okay, Rory. I understand."

"No, you don't. I was stupid… I let Jess and Logan come between us, and look at what I'm left with. I'm all alone, Dean. I don't have Jess or Logan anymore; they left me because they don't love me enough… and I pushed you away and hurt you, and here you are sitting with me still," Rory confessed. "It's not right! I hurt you… I don't deserve you."

In the heat of the moment, Dean leaned down and kissed Rory. It had been to keep Rory quiet, and maybe answer several questions rampaging through her head. However, it lead to a great deal more, for neither resisted the temptation brought with the kiss. The passion lost between the two was enough to warm the world through the cold, rainy night. And when it was all over, Rory curled up beside Dean, his arm wrapped around her shoulder still, gently caressing the soft, bare flesh. Neither said a word, afraid it might be too much too soon. They fell asleep in each other's arms, listening to the pounding rain.

AN: I wasn't planning on posting this for a couple days. I actually have about five chapters done already, I just didn't want to post them because I don't really write on a schedule, and I don't want to post everything I have and then have all of you sit and wait and wait and wait for the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you like it since this has Dean in it. As always, R&R please!

Also, I'm not really sure with this whole rating system, so I just gave it a K+ rating since there isn't any real explicit content. I mean really, "soft bare flesh" isn't really that graphic is it?