Disclaimer-Oh yeah, so I'm really Amy Sherman Palladino and when I'm not writing Gilmore Girls-because David Rosenthal has been killed by me-and not basking in my sheer brilliance I like to come onto this little website and make up stories about Gilmore Girls instead of actually making them the plotline. Oh, yeah, and I'm queen of the world.

A/N-ok, I'm over the sadness-kinda. I got all my cries out on Tuesday night though. I'm sorry about the fake-out chapter that was really an AN. I hope you like this chapter.

Now, my fabulouso reviewers:

Literati and Naley Forever-they are totally blind, I agree. I'm so glad you like my penname….i would say I like yours but I don't know what the hell naley is. I was sobbing like crazy by the way.

RBDFAN-you say you almost cried when rory graduated? I was bawling my eyes out.

Gilmorejunkie1230-thanks for trying to cheer me up, it temporarily worked but when Tuesday night came around I was a mess.

Ilovejessssss-I will get rory and jess back together and I will have a sad ending, I can make things work like you've never seen. I read your story-you're too hard on yourself, it was soo good. Hey, you said in your an that you saw people were reading your story and had you on their alert-how do you see that, cuz I wana know who's reading my story…pm me or something, thnx

Amy-I love the wake idea!

Meagenvallejoforever- you have a Gilmore Girls sweater? I want one.

FOR ALL ELSE WHO REVEIWED-THERE WERE TOO MANY TO ALL RESPOND TO, BUT THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

Chapter 9

"Rory!"

"Lane!"

"Oh my God, I missed you!"

"I missed you too!"

"Everything was so dull around here without you!"

"I'm never leaving for more than a day ever again!"

"Good!" The two girls ran across the square to meet each other in front of Kim's Antiques. After embracing in a never-ending hug Lane grabbed Rory's hand and yanked her upstairs and into her room. She grabbed 3 CDs from under her floorboards, replaced the floorboards and ushered Rory into her Technicolor closet.

"Ok, you have got a whole lot of explaining to do while I be a good little pupil and listen intently because I'm starving for some gossip. First off, you and Dean-what's up?"

Dean had seemed like forever ago. Rory took a deep breath and began.

"Well, me and Dean had been going downhill for a long time. We were falling out of love I guess you could say and one day in Washington, I don't what came over me but I just picked up the phone, called him, and broke up with him." Rory confessed quickly.

"Just like that?" Lane asked.

"Just like that." Rory replied.

"Oh my God, did you cry?" Lane gushed.

"No, because it was like we were already over, this was just closure." Rory said thoughtfully.

"Oh….ok, well then, onto you and Jess. There are so many rumors floating around. One person…Lisa I think, you know-that sewing club instructor, she thinks you two slept together on the bus heading to Washington in the back and then when you guys got there he hopped onto a bus to Stars Hollow and came home. If that's true I will first kick you really hard for not telling me already and then I will proceed to beg you for details."

"What? The never happened! I'm going to have to kill Lisa later on." Rory cried. One half of her mind was panicking over how much of the town believed Lisa's story while the other half was realizing she had to tell Lane everything, starting with…Sookie's wedding. God, that seemed like ages ago.

"You want to hear everything about me and Jess?" Rory asked Lane.

"Yes please!" Lane urged eagerly.

"Fine, you're going to have to listen and no interrupting, ok?"

"Fine." Lane huffed. "Now, go."

"Ok, so Jess came back at Sookie's wedding and I saw him there and obviously I was surprised so I walked up and was asking him what he was doing here. He said I just wanted to come back and I don't know what happened but I just kind of reached out and kissed him and…"

"Oh, my God! You kissed him? Was it good? What did he say? What did you say?"

"Lane, this is a really long story so you're going to have to hold out longer than 3 seconds without interrupting." Rory said but her face was flushed a bright red as she skillfully avoided Lane's questions.

"Oh my God, it was good! You loved it! It was the best kiss you've ever had. Oh my God!" Lane squealed, reading Rory's face easily. "Well, keep going." She prompted.

"Fine… so then I pulled back when I realized what I was doing and…"

The two girls sat like this for the next two hours, Rory explaining her summer down to every last detail while Lane listened with rapt attention and interrupted every other sentence. The paused only once to grab some Tostitos Lane had hidden under her bed wedged between two bibles, mainly because they had both skipped lunch talking and were on the verge of starving to death, sitting in Lane's closet.

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"My butt's asleep." Rory complained.

"Keep going, so then what happened?" Lane questioned, leaning in closer.

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"I heard the girl was just using Washington as her cover story and she was really hidden under Jess' bed the whole time."

"Where did Jess go that five days he was off who knows where then?"

"Oh, Saudi Arabia with Rory of course."

"Of course."

"I heard she went to Washington on a school trip and Jess went to his friend's graduation in the city."

"Kirk, that's just their cover story, you've got to dig deeper."

"Oh. Well, Mother said you should never contradict something that somebody has said and that if they aren't telling the truth that they have a good reason."

"Come on honey, let's go."

"We can go find Pete, he's sure to have some idea, being the girl's pizza guy and all."

"He's probably there every other day, there's no doubt he's got an inside account!"

"Exactly what I was thinking."

Babbette and Miss Patty hurriedly exited the diner after this conversation, hoping for another juicy story involving Rory and Jess to spread around town. (AN-was that too confusing? I was thinking if it was an actually show the camera could be like patrolling around Stars Hollow and Luke's diner and you'd hear Babbette, Miss Patty, and Kirk's voices and only see Babbette and Miss Patty when they walk out.)

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"Hot…" Rory moaned as she slumped into a seat at the counter of Luke's

"Summer can do that to the weather." Luke replied.

"Iced coffee please?" She asked him.

"Sure."

"Lots of ice." She said.

"Jess, iced coffee! Lots of ice! I'll be back down in a few minutes." Luke called. Rory immediately sat up at Jess' name. For a brief moment she considered running out the door before he showed up. The idea was immediately nixed because it was too hot to run anywhere unless she was being chased by a wooly mammoth and plus, she really wanted that iced coffee. He walked out of the kitchen, an empty cardboard box in his hand labeled canned peppers. He threw it to the side and poured a cup of coffee. Rory avoided his gaze and when he began sliding the cup towards her she finally spoke up.

"Can I have it to…to-go please?" She requested timidly.

"Sure." He said, pouring the cold coffee into a plastic cup and handing it to her.

"Thanks." Came her small voice. She dropped a dollar on the counter before walking out. Rory had nowhere to go. She wandered around aimlessly as the heat consumed her thoughts and mind. Her skin prickled with sweat and her feet felt as thought they were walking on a cloud, the humidity was so thick.

When she walked past Dean, pressing Lucy up against a tree in a furious embrace, she felt nothing. In fact, everything that she saw was returned by a complete indifference. She felt nothing, nothing mattered. Rory was numb inside, like all emotions had been sucked out of her. She slowly walked home.

A note was stuck to the door-Will be home by 6 with food and movies for a movie night! Signed, your secret admirer.

Rory didn't even crack a smile at her mother's note. She glanced at the clock. 5:13. Rory tossed the empty Luke's cup into the trash, turned on the TV and snuggled into the couch, watching E! True Hollywood Story for the next 47 minutes.

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"So I was thinking we could try that organization thing people are always talking about by making a list of what to buy at Doose's." Lorelai said as she hopped into the kitchen, trying to pull on her right boot. She was waving a piece of paper around in her other hand and after succeeding with the shoe, she slapped it down on the table and seated herself next to Rory.

"So…cotton balls, shampoo, milk…what else?" Lorelai asked as she scribbled furiously on the paper.

"How about we see what's missing from the refrigerator?" Rory proposed reasonably.

"Oh, what a fabulous idea! You look, I write." Lorelai instructed.

"Fine, we need…orange juice…ketchup…cream for the coffee…"

"We drink our coffee without cream though." Lorelai pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's always good to have some cream and this one here is rotten."

"That's because we never used it." Lorelai insisted.

"Mom!"

"Oh, forget this, let's just go. We can wing it." Lorelai said.

"But Mom, what about organization?"

"Organization is for wimps who can't handle spontaneity." Lorelai called for the foyer. Rory sighed exasperatedly, knowing it would be easier not to argue. She shut the fridge door and followed after her mother out the door.

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After loading up their Doose's baskets, the two girls walked up to the check-out aisle. Just as they began unloading their items, Dean showed up, apron and all, ready to do some bagging.

"Oh, um, hi Dean." Rory stumbled. This was their first confrontation since Rory had left for Washington and she had no idea how to act.

"Hey." He replied slowly. After a moment of silence, he bagged their things and Rory and Lorelai were out of there as quickly as possible.

As soon as the door shut, Lorelai began talking.

"So, that was awkward."

"Very awkward." Rory agreed.

"I hadn't wanted it to be like that with Dean." Lorelai said sadly.

"But it is."

"I guess." She replied, defeated.

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The tow girls trudged home, equally starving and ready for food, any food, no-forgot food, anything that could be consumed without causing them to explode, implode, or die for that matter.

"Ahhh, I knew we forgot something at Doose's!" Lorelai cried, stomping out of the kitchen.

"What?" Rory asked, appearing in the living room.

"Frozen pizzas!"

"So that means we still have no food?" Rory questioned, dreading the answer.

"Exactly." Lorelai conceded. "Well, we could try doing that whole marshmallow pizza thing we've been talking about for years."

"How can we do that if we have no crust to put the marshmallows on?" Rory inquired.

"Chocolate!" Lorelai shouted.

"It would melt." Rory reasoned.

"Why do you half to be so sensible?" Lorelai huffed.

"Just imagine if I wasn't, what would become of us?"

"Terrible, dreadful things." Lorelai cried dramatically.

"Exactly."

"So, Luke's?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup." Rory agreed and they walked out the door.

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They were finishing up their burgers when Lorelai checked her watch.

"Oh, crap!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Rory asked.

"I have a meeting with Kirk at 7:00 and now it's 7:03. He's going to flip."

"Meeting with Kirk?" Rory asked incredulously.

"He came up to me the other day, asking if he could be the inn's dog washer." Lorelai explained.

"But you don't allow dogs at the inn."

"That's what I tried to tell him!" Lorelai said, gathering up her things.

"And?" Rory prompted.

"He said we needed to talk about the subject in a business setting and initiated a meeting between me and him at the Dragonfly." Lorelai finished.

"Go, go, go!" Rory yelled. At this, Lorelai dashed to the door.

"I'm gone!" She called before slamming the diner door.

Rory looked around and realized with a start that she was all along in the diner except for Jess. Great…just great, she thought. She decided to just play it cool until she finished her food, then she could leave. She kept her eyes downwards and made no sound at all. (AN for Squeegee: 'we never speak a word, a fly's footfall would be distinctly heard, tarantara'….sorry, just had to do that. All who are confused-sorry.)

This worked out fine until he spoke.

"So this is how it's going to be from now on, huh?" He asked.

She looked up, startled. "What?"

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about Rory. You-never looking me in the eye, never speaking to me except for food orders and an occasional thanks if it's a particularly good day." He said coldly.

Guilt shot up her spine but she couldn't give in yet.

"You haven't shown any exemplary acts of kindness lately either." She shot back.

"Rory, things are beyond awkward between us. Trust me, I feel it too. I'm sorry. I screwed everything up. It was all because I'm an idiot."

"That's where you're wrong!" Rory all but shouted. He looked at her, surprised by her outburst. She looked down and gathered her thoughts before trying again.

"God, there's always going to be something between us. The world's not going to let us be together. I've just got to get used to it." She said, sighing.

"You didn't screw everything up. There were so many things compounded together. We weren't going to last and we both knew it." She said, sadly.

He gazed at her intensely, trying to figure out what she meant by all that. Long before, she had moved up to the counter. Their close proximity was getting to the both of them. He could see every crease on her lips, every speckle in her eyes. Emotions were so thick in the air you could probably reach out and feel them. Suddenly, there were tears falling down her face. Hot, slow tears.

"It wasn't your fault. None of it was." She sniffled.

He nodded and just continued staring at her. She shivered under his gaze but he made no intention to stop. Finally, he began slowly.

"Rory, when you said on the phone that it was a mistake, that you didn't want to be with me, did you mean it? Do you really have no feelings for me?"

She stared at him and felt herself contracting at the intensity of his questions, but she knew she had to answer him, and honestly. He deserved that at least. She thought for a moment while he waited anxiously.

"No." She whispered before turning and walking out silently. She was a butterfly, lingering for a moment, gracing you with beauty, then gone silently before you can process what you saw.

A rare occurrence but one that leaves you remembering, wishing, and wanting just a few more moments to bask in your glory.

AN: So, that's it. Good? Horrible? I need to know. What's going to happen next? I'm the writer and not even I have a clue. You better wait and find out. Reviews are the love of my life! I have passed the line of want and now truly need you to-what's that word ladies and gentlemen? That's right-REVIEW!

One last thing, how many pages are your chapters-this is for all the writers who are reviewing-cuz mine are usually around 7 and I'm starting to think they're too short. Answer in your review please! –assuming you will review. Thank you

X0x0x-Chloe