(For disclaimer, etc. - see Part 1)

Part 4 of 5

"Please, Dean! I didn't mean to...!"

"You know what, Rory? Don't. Just, don't!"

There are tears on her face as she chases her boyfriend to the door. Of course, he's her ex-boyfriend now, and that alone makes Rory want to cry harder. She feels stupid and crazy for dumping a guy as sweet and kind as Dean. He hasn't done anything wrong and she told him as much or tried to, but he didn't really listen; he still won't.

The second Rory admitted cutting school to go see Jess in New York, Dean knew they were done. Honestly, he's known it for a while now, but he hoped against hope he was wrong. Now he knows for sure. It's over. His girlfriend just gave up her title, and he knows who to blame.

"Dean, please!" she yells as she chases him out to the porch, grabbing at his arm as they descend the steps.

"What do you want from me, Rory?" he asks, tears in his own eyes that he wishes were easier to force back. "You made your choice, and that means we're done. Did you want me to be okay with that? Because I'm not. I can't be," he shakes his head sadly. "I love you, Rory, and... and I just wish that you still loved me too."

"I do," she tells him desperately. "I mean, you mean a lot to me, but... I just..."

She's struggling and it's killing Dean to see it, even though he needs to be mad at her right now. He's been dumped, it is not his job to hold her and comfort her when she cries, not anymore. Jess seems so desperate to step into his shoes, now he could have the chance, except that he's not here to do it right now. Dean is at least grateful for small mercies. Seeing that might really break his heart for good.

Dean turns and walks away, and Rory hovers on the porch steps, trying to figure out if she should run after him or not. She just dumped the guy. As much as she cares, she knows she just can't be with him anymore, because that's not fair. At the same time, she has hurt Dean and it seems only right to say she's sorry - even though she's already done so at least eight times.

Rory stands and watches Dean go for a moment then rushes back inside. It's easier not to see his back disappearing across the street and into town.

It can't possibly have been planned, since Jess had no idea Rory had invited Dean over after school to tell him they were over. It is perhaps karma or just a cruel twist of fate that means that just as Dean approaches Luke's diner, Jess steps out onto the sidewalk. The anger bubbling inside of Dean hits boiling point at the sight of his love rival, and he launches himself at an unsuspecting Jess, clocking him hard across the jaw - Jess goes down.

"Oh no!" Loreali gasps from across the street the moment she realises what is happening.

She had hoped to make it home from the inn just when Rory got done breaking up with Dean. She knew her daughter would need her support, because this was just tough on everybody. Right now it seemed toughest on Jess' face. The boy rallies well, Lorelai would give him that much as she sees him scramble to his feet, looking somewhat dazed, and attempting to fight back at a very angry Dean. It can't end well.

"No, no, no!" she starts to yell as she checks for traffic and runs as best she can in heels right into the fray. "Guys, stop!" she insists, helped by a couple of able-bodied bystanders that yank the two guys apart.

"Dean, go home!" Lorelai tells him, yelling into his tear stained face until his focus shifts from Jess to her. "Seriously, Dean. Go home," she says more gently, sure now that he knows what she's saying is for his own good.

Just as soon as Dean turns his back, Jess gets free and goes for the other guy. Lorelai is faster, thank goodness.

"No, that's not helping!" she insists, pushing him back with firms hands on his chest. "Think of Rory!" she tells him loudly. "If you care for her as much as I think you do, you'll stop and think about this!"

Jess stops, thinks, lets out a breath and allows Dean to keep walking. His jaw aches like hell and he tastes blood on his lip. Maybe now isn't the best time, but the sucker's gonna pay before long.

"Did you see that?" he asks Lorelai, still understandably angry. "I stepped out the door, didn't say anything. Hell, I didn't even know he was there, and I get this," he points to his already swelling lip. "What the hell is that about?"

"The hell it's about is a break up," sighs Lorelai, encouraging Jess to come sit with her on the steps to the diner.

Going in seems like a bad plan. Luke is going to find out sooner or later, but later seems preferable to Lorelai and Jess too. She rifles in her purse, pulls out a wad of tissue and hands it over, advising him to get the blood off his face. Jess mutters what might be a thanks, but Lorelai isn't so sure.

"You're right, y'know. You probably didn't deserve the punch, not really," she admits. "But he's mad. Rory just dumped him."

"What does that have to do with me?" he asks, even though the answer to that question is blatantly obvious, not just to the two of them sat here now, but to the whole town.

"Come on now. We may not see eye to eye on much, and I have a list as long as both my arms of reasons why I could object to you dating my daughter, but a lack of smarts is not one of your problems," says Lorelai with a pointed look.

Jess looks away.

"I never asked Rory to dump Dean," he points out.

"No, but she likes you enough that she knew she had to do it."

Jess tries not to react to that, but it doesn't come easy. The punch in the face was kind of worth it if it meant he got the girl. Rory was like no other person he ever met, and yeah, he wanted her to break up with Dean and get with him already, he just wasn't quite willing to say so. Now it seems she has gone and done it, and it's got tall, dark, and Lurch so wound up that he took it out on Jess' face. Makes smirking harder and yet Jess seems to manage.

"You okay, slugger?" Lorelai asks, tilting her head at an odd angle to see his face.

"I'll live," he assures her, almost managing a genuine smile.

Lorelai slaps him on the back as she stands and starts for home. She half expects Jess to follow or at least call behind her with a message for Rory. It goes in his favour that he does neither. Right now Rory is vulnerable, no doubt crying like the world is ending. She has made the right choice, Lorelai is sure of it, and yet she knows how guilty her darling daughter will be feeling right now. That's why it comes as no surprise when she enters the house and immediately Rory flings herself into her arms, sobbing like a baby.

"Oh, sweetheart," her mother sympathises, rubbing her back. "It's all over now, and it's gonna be okay."

She receives no answer, except for more tears and convulsions. Lorelai manoeuvres to the couch and sits down with Rory leaning on her, crying still. It's a good ten minutes before she's calm enough for a conversation.

"It was awful," she sniffs, "He looked so hurt."

"And he got so mad," Lorelai notes. "He slugged Jess in the street. For doing nothing more than appearing at the wrong moment, I might add," she sighs. "It's okay, don't panic. Jess is fine, Dean is fine. I dealt with it. Threatened to go combination Buffy-Xena on their asses if they didn't stand down, soldiers!"

Lorelai tries for a joke, but Rory can't raise a smile. She didn't really expect her to, but it was worth a shot. Breaking up with a person is always tough, even when you know it's ultimately the right choice. When the person in question is your first love, first major relationship, it can be literally heart breaking.

"You gonna be okay, kid?" asks Lorelai, lifting Rory's chin on her finger.

"I guess," she nods slowly. "What other choice do I have?"

"That's the spirit," her mother smiles, pulling her baby close and kissing the top of her head. "I know it's rough, I honestly do, but if you really like Jess... Well, you had to let Dean go, however much it hurt the both of you."

"I know," Rory agrees, letting out a long breath.

It does feel awful knowing how she's hurt Dean, and how apparently Dean just went right out and hurt Jess. There's a lot of guilt in Rory Gilmore's stomach right now, and it's making her feel positively sick, but at the same time, a weight is lifting from inside her chest; this awful gnawing feeling that has been swirling there since Luke first introduced her to his nephew. She's free to be close to Jess now and not feel bad about it anymore. In the end, she knows this was the right choice for her, for them. Rory just wishes it didn't hurt so bad in the meantime.

To Be Continued...