A/N: Thank you to the people who reviewed. Reviews are so pretty and it felt nice to know that people liked the first 2 chapters. I am going to pull the "i need to see insert number here reviews before i post another chapter" thing. sorry to be another mean writer like that but it would be nice to have some more :-D sorry for the wait but here is another chapter. i like it... the beginning is kinda wordy with no dialogue but the end is worth it!

Disclaimer: i forgot this last time. okay lets think... i own... pretty much nothing: some dvds, a few books, but not much else cuz i'm a poor college student! so new producer person who isn't AS-P, please don't sue me! I'm sure I'll love your work but I won't claim any as mine because that would be silly.

Chapter 3: Society, a Kiss and a Telescope

She started sneaking out around the time she turned fourteen; partially for the adrenaline rush of possibly getting caught, but also just for the sheer freedom of getting out of that house. They were puppet masters her parents, as she would refer to them later on in life, both of them. Richard and Emily Gilmore belonged to the society where everyone must be perfect and never falter, even the children. If things were not going as planned then families hid the problem and continued to project happiness to the outside world. Often even those who were involved in the problem did not deal with it because it was better to pretend everything was fine rather than suggest that what was supposed to be perfect was broken. When they were younger and growing up Nicholas and Lorelai learned to keep their emotions inside and present their best face to the rest of the world. This can be hard for a young kid who wants to jump up and down or cry and throw a tantrum when the situation calls for it. Nick was able to deal with all this; he was fine as long as he could retreat to his room and read or study.

Lorelai on the other hand, as she grew up into a pre-teen and then an actual teenager began to feel suffocated. It was becoming tiring having to hide what she felt all the time and not do as she pleased when she pleased. Even when young girls in society grew up to be teens their parents and other adults still expected them to act proper and not question authority figures. For any teen this can be difficult because it is a time when they want to know who they are and will be in the future. Lorelai had begun to realize that she did not want to end up like her parents or live the society life of assumed perfection. Sure, it was nice to have money and be able to have beautiful clothes and cars and the best parties were always being held. For some reason though Lorelai felt that this life wasn't for her, that there was something out there that she could do that would make her more comfortable and be able to live life her own way.

Lorelai loved Nick, he was her older brother and she had always looked up to him and tried to be like him. Nick always made sure to look after his little sister whom he also loved very much. They stuck together through the parties their parents threw and the functions they were made to attend. There were times when Nick had to go and hang out with his friends and be cool, which was when Lorelai went and hung out with the girls from school. But they always knew that the other was there for them if something were to go wrong.

Lorelai felt though, after all the years in that house, she needed a little time away on her own; and she took it in any shape, time or form she was able to. So she had started sneaking out after dinner when the members of the Gilmore family had gone to do their own things until it was time for bed. Richard went to his office; Emily would go off to plan for another event; Nicholas would go to his room to study or read; and Lorelai did study and keep up with her school work as well. Later on in the evening, on some nights, there were parties or something else to do besides sit around. Luckily for Lorelai, on those nights, she had a balcony outside of her room, which was conveniently located next to a tree that was easily accessible and climbable. Nick was not the type to go out to parties. Even though many of his friends and others from his grade also frequented the same parties Lorelai went to. He would go every once in a while to have a night out with his friends, who bugged him that he should show up more often, as well as making sure the parties never got to crazy so he was reassured that Lorelai wasn't in too much danger or up to some crazy stunt of her own. He knew how often Lorelai snuck out to parties in the neighborhood. Lorelai knew that Nick knew what she was doing and that he was looking after her, which she felt was silly because she knew all the people at these parties. They were from school so nothing really happened except the occasional person who would get really drunk and do something stupid. How their parents never noticed that Lorelai was sneaking out so often and then would be slightly off in the morning seemed odd to Nick; but to Lorelai it was this lack of interest that reaffirmed her belief that Emily and Richard did not know her as well as they thought they did and that they didn't really care what she did.

Normally parties were during the weekends when parents were most likely to be away. None of the parties had been held at the Gilmore home, which was probably for the better. Word of the next party was passed through the gossip vine in school and anyone who could attend was invited. Lorelai had heard the other day that there was going to be a party on Friday and that it was going to be at Digger's, since his parents were gone for the next few weeks. As long as the booze was replaced and the house cleaned up parents didn't tend to notice that a party had taken place. Digger's house was actually just a little ways from Chris Hayden's house, so she was planning on heading over there and going to the party with him. Which might be a little awkward because earlier in the week she had kissed him, just walked up to him and kissed him and then walked away; after knowing him since she was six the idea just popped into her head, like all her ideas did really. Giving Chris no time to react before she walked away after saying she had just wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him. So, she was going to go over there, and what would happen would happen, and she wasn't going to worry about it now.

Nick could understand to a point Lorelai's need to relax and have fun; but the need to possibly aggravate his parents was not a priority of his, whereas Lorelai felt it to be a source of constant possibility. As much as she loved Nick, sometimes she felt that she would never be able to measure up to him in their parent's eyes. Therefore she decided she would rather do things her way than society's way; that way was by having the most fun and crazy times she could at these parties, which had little of society's influence except for the normal high school drama. This could sometimes be much more complicated than elementary school and middle school drama, where boys were either icky or uncharted territory. Now the boys were cute and annoying at the same time; but the girls Lorelai had been friends with at earlier ages had become entirely too catty, gossipy and manipulative for her tastes. A triple threat that is hard to beat without some type of back up. Bouncers or dancers need not apply, because high school was a game of wits and Lorelai played with the best of them. She still had many friends that she could chat and hang out with, but several were becoming more like her parents as Lorelai worked hard to be as unlike them as possible.

The past few years cohabitating with her parents had become more and more difficult, especially with Emily. Emily still expected her children to do as they were told and live up to her standards. Now that Lorelai had started to assert her independence and push against her parents, seeing how far she could go, Emily felt the need to rein her in so that she would fit in society and not do anything stupid; because she was a child who didn't really know what she wanted and it was the mother's job to show her the correct path. These attempts only made Lorelai more certain that she wanted to get out and live her own life. Why couldn't her mother just let her be her own person instead of wanting her to fit to the mold? The mold was boring, Lorelai couldn't stand boring; she loved color, loud music and movies of any kind. She and Nick were always being reminded of their social status and that they must act accordingly; she was determined to get out sooner or later and make a life for herself to prove she didn't need to be a part of society to have a good life and be happy.

These reminders from her parents to act accordingly, along with other things going on, and Lorelai's need to be her own person led her to go out and party. It was her way of letting go and getting to be herself, even if just for a few hours. The added bonus that what she was doing, if known about would drive her mother nuts, was just that, a bonus. For Lorelai had found that testing her mother to find her limits was a thrill in some kind of odd way. Nick still didn't understand the need, but came to realize that Emily and Lorelai had the exact same stubbornness, both pushed and shoved and were unlikely of giving in to the other. Emily had high expectations for all she knew, especially her children. So Nick watched over Lorelai to make sure she didn't get into anything too crazy, as well as making sure that their parents didn't find out what Lorelai was up to most weekend evenings and some weekdays. Because even though Lorelai loved to push buttons, he was pretty sure that if certain buttons were pushed, Lorelai would definitely end up on the losing side of any argument.

Dinner was now finished and everyone had retreated to their respective places to do as they wished for the rest of the night. Lorelai got dressed and ready for the party. She headed over to Nick's room before she left; she liked to let him know she was going, so at least someone would know where she was.

"Hey Nick, I'm going out for a little bit. I'm going to stop by Chris's house and then we'll head over the Digger's."

He looks up from his reading, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, to acknowledge that he'd heard her. "Okay, I'll see you later then."

"Are you going to be coming to this one? You know where the Stiles' house is right? It's not too far from Chris's. The one with all the cars near it makes it pretty simple though I guess." She says jokingly, trying to engage him in a conversation.

"Maybe, I'll see" he says offhand, already reentering the world of Ender the Third.

"Okay. Bye."

"mmhmm." Lorelai stifles a small smirk. He won't be leaving the house tonight, he's such a bookworm, but it's cute.

She meets Chris outside his house near the curb. "So how are you doing? Ready to go have some fun?" She starts out, not knowing what his attitude is going to be towards her after the incident earlier this week. He nods and seems to be in thought; which is slightly disconcerting since normally all they do is talk when they're together. The entire walk to Digger's house is a silent one for the duo. Chris doesn't talk and Lorelai decides to wait him out; if he doesn't have anything to say then neither does she. The not talking though leads to lots of thinking for both, Chris is still not sure what to do about the kiss; and Lorelai has decided that if he has nothing to say to her then he obviously didn't like the kiss, and therefore doesn't like her, in that way, so she just continues walking, although now she's in a huff. They reach the Stiles home separating as they enter for they don't really know what to say to each other, moving off to find friends where hopefully they can forget about the awkwardness.

Lorelai's thoughts are in turmoil. 'We've been friends for since we were six and met at my birthday! I know it might seem weird to kiss him but I wanted to know what it was like, which I told him, by the way! He's cute and funny and understands about the whole annoying, oppressive parent deal! So I just thought, maybe he felt that same connection and… what am I doing? I'm talking to myself and that's going to possibly be slightly concerning if anyone were to get inside my head or if I actually start verbalizing my thoughts. Oh dear that would be bad; I don't want to be another Crazy Sissy. But her voices are from stuffed animals and mine aren't voices, it's singular and it's mine. Good.' Her endless line of thoughts leads her on as the night continues; while she walks around the party having a drink and trying to be her normal vivacious self while inside she's unhappy and confused.

Chris is in the same boat as Lorelai, except he's the kissed and not the kisser, so he's trying to figure out how he should react or have reacted since the whole kiss took place… when was that Monday? Tuesday? He doesn't really remember much except that Lorelai walked up to him, kissed him, told him something which he isn't quite sure of and then walked away. Girls! Why are they always so confusing?

Both end up outside in the backyard to clear their thoughts and get some fresh air. As much fun as the party is neither of them seems to be in the mood for frivolity. Awkward shuffling on both parties ensues as they notice the other one, along with side long glances and hurried looks at their feet.

"Hey Chris –"

"Lorelai I – "

Both stutter to a stop and look at each other wondering who will go now that they've both started. "You go first Lor."

"Well, okay. Chris, I just want to say I'm sorry for kissing you like that the other day and that if you want to forget about the kiss I'm more than willing to go on like we were before. Back to being friends who didn't avoid each other." She speaks hesitantly, still not sure what his reaction will be; especially now that she's offered to take back what had occurred earlier in the week.

Chris stands there after hearing her offer, looking between her and the fascinating brick work that he is standing on, gathering a response. "Lor… I liked the kiss, it was just very spur of the moment, which I know isn't really you no matter how crazy and spontaneous you may seem. I just had to process and I didn't know how to act around you after that. We've been friends for a long time and I guess I've always liked you its just that I never really put much thought into it because I liked being your friend."

"How does me kissing you mean that we can't be friends anymore? Yes I like you and yes I decided to kiss you, maybe not my best idea since its making everything weird. But I decided that I do like you as more than a friend and so I kissed you. So here we are. What are you going to do about it?"

Once again silence reigns. Then Chris steps forward and presses his lips against Lorelai's. She pulls back with a surprised look on her face, but a hint of a smile begins to form and Chris takes that as the go ahead and leans in to kiss her again; this time Lorelai kisses him back and settles her arms around his neck as he puts his hands on her waist. Needing some air after some more lip lock both pull back, with their arms still in place and both comment with a "wow." Then quickly head right back to the kissing. Neither wants to stop but Chris pulls Lorelai inside since it has gotten kind of chilly out, not that either one would have noticed. As they step inside it is noticeable that the party has passed the full swing stage and moved into the almost out of hand stage.

"So, what do you want to do now? Because as much as I love the whole making out thing it seems a little weird to do in a crowd of people, no matter how well I know them." Lorelai rambles because kissing Chris is fun and different, but there's still the slight weirdness of kissing your best friend.

Chris smiles, "How about we go to your house –"

"Christopher!" Lorelai gasps.

"- and steal your dad's telescope again. That's always worth a try."

Lorelai smiles glad to see that Chris is still wanting to do things they did before the kiss. "Sounds good, they should be asleep by now; it's almost… hey, what time is it anyways?" she looks around to find a clock as Chris looks at his wrist.

"It's about 11:15. Did Nick come to the party tonight? I don't remember seeing him around here earlier."

"No, I told him that I was leaving and where I was going but he seemed pretty stuck in a book. He didn't give much of a response, so I left him there and it's really doubtful that he's actually rejoined reality and come over. I'm sure we'll find him in the exact same spot I left him if we hurry."

"Okay, just let me grab my things and I'll meet you at the door." They separate and Lorelai smiles and she picks up her belongings. Chris isn't mad that she kissed him and now they're, well, she's not exactly sure what they are but they both seem to like each other as more than friends so that is a plus. On the walk back to the Gilmore house Chris grabs Lorelai's hand and laces their fingers together, which puts extra butterflies into her stomach, as well as his. They reach her house and climb up the tree and onto her balcony. She tiptoes over to Nick's room with Chris behind her and true to her guess, there he is, seemingly unmoved from where she left him. "Nick!" she stage whispers, not wanting to wake her parents. She walks over and gives him a shove "Nick! I'm back and Chris is here with me." She motions at Chris to go get the telescope since he knows where it is from their previous outings.

"Oh! Hey! How was it? Digger still his wonderful self?"

"Oh yes, he was just darling, really. Did you move at all Nicky? Cuz if you haven't then I'm fully surprised you haven't pulled a Medusa yet." Nick just stares. "You know, Medusa, one look at her hairdo (actually it's a don't) and you're stone."

He smiles and nods, "Yes Lorelai I get it, just thought I'd let you have your fun." She giggles, loving how he gets all her quips, going with the flow and letting her be herself. "You mentioned Chris, where'd he go?"

"Oh, he went to get dad's telescope, we're going to sit out on the balcony and look at the stars I suppose. We got tired of the party, they're really all the same. "

"Okay, well I actually think I'm going to go to bed. I have some homework I need to want to get done tomorrow so I don't have to worry about it Sunday. Maybe you should try that every once in a while, hmmm?" Nick smirks, knowing that Lorelai is very smart and does do her homework, she is just a fabulous procrastinator.

Lorelai gasps in false hurt, "Getting my homework done early? Are you nuts, where's the fun in that? I like my way thank you very much," she smiles, "goodnight Nicky!"

She quickly exits, but not before he utters a groan and a plea of, "please stop calling me that Lorelai! Unless you want me to call you Vicky in the future."

She meets Chris out on the balcony as he finishes setting up the telescope. "So, what are we looking at in the sky tonight? Which constellation shall call our name and tell us the future? Will tonight finally be the night that an alien ship sheds its cloaking device?" she jokes, smiling and giddy that she and Chris are no longer awkward around each other.

"Oh I don't know, we do know most of them by now. I had the idea that maybe we should start looking at things closer to Earth; like maybe peoples houses? You never do know what people will do in their own homes when they think no one is watching."

"That is an awesome idea, where do we start?" They think about it and Chris points the telescope towards the Deminski household, unsure of what they'll find but looking forward to it.

tbc

so hopefully a new chapter soonish, i've got school to deal with now, which is cool but a pain, so there'll prolly be some time in between. but i do have some stuff written up.

so review review review! please and thank you :-D