"What about this one?" Rory asked, holding up a faded copy of Fahrenheit 451. "This is a classic."

"Never heard of it," Sam lied. He smirked slightly at Rory's aghast face. He had read the book years ago. His fifth grade teacher had been very impressed, but John was mostly annoyed Sam was paying more attention to a book than his lesson on what to do if faced with a ghoul. Sam just liked how excited Rory got when he came back to her a week later with a "newly" finished favourite book of hers.

"You have to read it," Rory said, adding it to the already sky high pile in his arms. This was the routine any time they spent the day at the bookstore. After nearly two years with Rory, Sam was used to it. It was his favourite way to spend his day.

"I don't think I can carry any more," Sam laughed. Rory looked up at him with her wide crystal blue stare. And Dean thought Sam had a puppy dog look. "Don't worry, I'll just go set these up at the counter. We'll get a second load."

"Find me by the poetry," Rory said, standing on her toes to kiss Sam's cheek before running off to the other side of the tiny store.

Sam made his way to the front, leaving the mountain of paperbacks with Kurt, who was also familiar with the drill when it came to Rory and her book obsession. Sam was just glad things had gotten back to normal with Rory. He figured it must just be everything with her finals that was setting her on edge, but she had barely any time for him as of late. On top of that, any time she had seen him, she seemed distant and annoyed with him. He was happy to get the call that morning when she asked him to come along with her to the annual end of the school year sale at the Stars Hollow bookstore.

He took his time wandering back over to his girlfriend, looking at a few of the books for himself.

"Jess, stop," Sam heard Rory's voice from a few aisles over. He dropped the book he was holding back onto the shelf and headed towards the poetry section in the back of the store. He was unsurprised but still enraged by the sight of Jess Mariano standing with his hand firmly on Rory's upper arm, Rory's eyes already filling with tears.

Sam mostly tried to avoid Jess at school, which wasn't too hard now that Jess had all but dropped out. The boys didn't have the friendliest of relationships, especially after Rory had told Sam how uncomfortable Jess made her by flirting with her any chance he got.

"Back off, dude," Sam said, pulling Jess back roughly by the shoulder. Jess lost his footing, stumbling back into the shelf behind him.

"Dean," Rory warned, but Sam was already seeing red.

Jess shoved Sam's chest, but Sam barely budged. He had half a foot and at least fifty pounds on Jess and even if he hadn't faced off with any monsters as of late, Sam would still bet that he knew how to fight better than Jess did.

"Watch it, Sasquatch," Jess spat. "We were having a conversation. You know, using words. I know that's hard for you."

"Jess!" Rory said. "Stop."

"She's not talking to you," Sam said, his voice tight.

"You get to decide that for her then, huh?" Jess asked. "Why not just conk her on the head and take her back to your cave?"

"Just go, dude," Sam said. "She doesn't want to talk to you."

"I think she does," Jess said, sliding his arm across Rory's shoulders. "In fact-," Jess's taunt was cut off by Sam's fist into his jaw.

"No wonder you liked this chick, she was a bigger nerd," Dean said, pulling books off of Rory's shelves at random. "Better music taste though."

"Just look, would you?" Sam said. He could feel his stomach churning as he looked around Rory's old room. He spent a lot of time in this room. It looked much like it had when he had been there last. She still had the same old twin bed. He remembered that well too.

"I'm gonna wager a guess and say she went to Yale," Dean asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the bulletin board covered in blue flags.

"She was shooting for Harvard."

"Stanford wasn't for her then?" Dean said. "You two dorks could've had a good time there together."

"Stanford?" Lorelai said, stepping into the room. Sam had thought she had been in the living room on the phone, but clearly she had finally been able to shake her mother. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop but… well, yeah, I was. Did he say you went to Stanford?"

"He's joking," Sam covered quickly.

"Right. Our Deano never was much for studying," Dean said.

"No, not really," Lorelai laughed slightly. "Did you end up going to school, though?"

"Yeah, a community college in Chicago," Sam lied.

"Good. That's good. Rory really wanted you to."

"Yeah, I remember," Sam smiled sadly. "She gave me plenty of brochures."

"You know how she gets," Lorelai said. The phone rang in the living room, making Lorelai roll her eyes. "Sorry, that'll be my mother again."

Dean waited until he heard her voice in the next room to be sure she couldn't overhear again. "So not only did you steal my name, but my school work ethic?"

"You didn't go to community college," Sam offered.

"Don't be cute," Dean said, turning back to his sifting through Rory's book shelf. "So what? You slacked off in school for two years?"

"You think I got a full ride to Stanford by calling it in my senior year? I still did well in school, I just...didn't let Rory know that," Sam said sheepishly.

Dean smirked proudly at his younger brother. "You played dumb to get the girl, didn't you? The old I need a tutor routine, you dog."

"Sixteen," Sam reminded.

"Take the compliment," Dean said. "Especially since you look like this."

Sam looked back to Dean, seeing a photo strip identical to the one Sam had had until the fire in his and Jessica's apartment. "Where'd you find that?" Sam asked, clearing his throat loudly.

"Looks like she stashed a bunch in here," Dean said, stepping over to Sam to show him the book he had in his hand. It was an old Maya Angelou that Sam was almost positive that Rory had lent him. "A little collection of exes, I guess." Sam felt anger boil in his throat as he saw a few more pictures of himself with Rory along with several with her and Jess.

"Yeah, I guess she dated Jess after I left," Sam said, his voice dripping in venom. He hadn't realized how angry about it he still was, even after all this time.

"Wait, Jess?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "I thought her dad said that was his nephew? What kind of flowers were in this attic?"

"Luke's Rory's step dad," Sam said. "No blood relation. Jess came to live with Luke our junior year and proceeded to be a massive tool the whole time."

"And you punched the kid 'cause he stole your girl?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "I'm liking the me version of you better and better."

"I punched him because Rory told me he had been bothering her," Sam explained. "I didn't realize she had just been covering her ass until I found out she cheated on me with him."

"Damn," Dean whistled. "Whole lot of drama in this tiny ass town."

"Tell me about it," Sam said.

"You schoolhouse rumbling James Dean aside, I'm not finding anything in here that would make me think she's been fooling around with demons or witchcraft."

"Lorelai said she's been pretty nomadic since she graduated," Sam said. "It could be somewhere else."

"Well, you knew her, did she seem like the type?"

Sam shook his head. "Not at all."

"What about the other girl, Michaela Rogers?" Dean asked. "Did you know her at all?"

"It was a really small town. She was a few grades behind me, I saw her in the halls, but I didn't really know her all that well."

"Oh god," Lorelai said from the living room. Sam heard her clumsily hang up the phone as he and Dean came out to see what was going on. "Perfect timing, really," she said as she spotted them. She nodded out the front window, to the motorcycle in the driveway.

"Great," Sam mumbled, knowing who the bike belonged to before the rider even took off his helmet.