I sit in Luke's, sipping at a glass of lemonade while pouting, with sad puppy eyes. Jess is filling up coffee cups quickly and head at me when he glances over.

"No!" he says as he refills another cup.

I keep my puppy dog face in place and beg "please Jessie!"

He comes back behind the counter, handing his order list to Caser "no Hat's!"

I lower my head lightly looking at my hands and I hear Luke walk over "Hattie? What's wrong?"

I don't look up and fake a sob, hiding behind my blood stain curls, sniffling slightly. I don't answer, already knowing Jess will do that for me.

"She's faking because I won't go to this stupid dinner tonight! You're invited to!" he says in his usual sarcastic tone.

"She doesn't look like she's faking!" the older man whispers

I whimper a little and hear Jess sigh in defeat, yes he knows I'm faking, he knows me to well, but I know him just the same. He can't stand seeing a girl cry, makes him nervous, but when he sees me cry…that's the worst.

"Fine!" I jump up with a smile on my face and hug him tightly

"Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you! You're the best! I'll see you both tonight at seven!" I pull out a piece of paper and hand it to my friend "here's the address, see you tonight!"

As I bounce away I hear Jess grumble "every fucking time!"

I walk through town, I've been here about a week and a half, Mel showed up a few days ago, she's Ricks wife. I know the typical cliché, girl reunites with long lost father, who's married to a gold digging trap, but it's not like that at all, yes Mel's blond, only twenty-nine, tan, skinny and likes shoes more than air! But she's nice, I guess you could say we're friends, un-like with Rick, we don't really know each other, he works a lot, but he try's, they both do.

As I walk I bump into someone and look up to find a hot, curly black haired woman "I'm so sorry! I was in my own little world."

She just laughs lightly "oh don't sweat it sweetie, hell I've been there more than once myself!"

I smile and offer my hand "Hattie Redding"

She shakes my hand and smiles warmly "Lorelei Gilmore"

My eyes go wide and I smile "your Rory Gilmore's mom?"

"That's right, you know Rory?" she looks at me uncertain, obviously wondering how I know her daughter

I shake my head "I know of her, she's a friend of my BFF's, Jess Mariano."

Her eyes widen is surprise "didn't know he had a 'BFF'!"

I smile up at her and offer "well he does, he and Luke are actually coming round for dinner tonight, and you should come!" before she can say no, I'm pulling out my sticky pad and red pen, handing her the address.

"Dinners at seven we'll see you then Mrs. Gilmore!" she stutters lightly, looking at the paper and then back at me as I walk away with a smile.

As I walk through the front door I see a yellow coat, lined with white fur on the coat peg and smile lightly.

"Hattie, is that you honey?" asks a sweet, slightly high voice from the kitchen

"Hey Mel!" I shout back

I walk into the kitchen only to find my blue eyed, beautiful blond step mother, wearing an apron and her hair tied into a messy bun. She smiles affectionately at me as I jump onto the counter top and grab the jar of cookies in-between my legs.

"I got Jess and his uncle to agree to dinner, oh and I invited Rory's mom too!" I say with half a cookie in my mouth.

She doesn't look up from the lamb she's seasoning "ok sugar, thanks for the heads up."

I nod, swallowing the cookie "your welcome! So…what times Rick home, because I told them seven?"

She looks up at me then, her blue eyes tender and says "I called his secretary made a big thing about talking to him and when I did I told him to get his ass in the door by half six. Don't worry, he'll be here!"

I smile nervously and nod "yeah, I just…I so want this to go well, Jess is just so important to me…"

She doesn't hesitate as she comes over and takes my crumb covered hands in her freshly washed ones; she looks me in the eye with all the promise of the world "your dad fought for you for three years, I'm sure he's eager to meet the guy that did it for all the rest.

I smile at her for a moment then ask, shaking of the seriousness "thanks Mel, so…what do you want me to do?" and we share a small smile. Yeah, I think it's safe to say I like my stepmother.

Later that night I stand in front of my mirror, wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans, sneakers and a long sleeved white t-shirt, my red locks pulled into two low ponies. I smile to myself as I put in my silver nose stud, then hear the doorbell and bounce down the stairs.

"Hey Mrs. Gilmore!" I smile to the nice, but casually dressed woman standing in the hallway with Mel.

She smiles up at me as I take those last few steps "hello Hattie, it Miss by the way."

I smile sweetly "sorry, my bad! I'll go finish setting the table" I say walking into the kitchen, and grabbing the bucket of wine and taking it into the dining room. As I set it down and start laying out the cutlery the door go's again and I can hear muffled voices.

I smile to myself as I take a soda from the bucket and hand it to jess as he walks in and whispers "what the hells she doing here?"

I just smile and say innocently "I invited her!" and he glares at me while taking a long sip of the soda.

Just at that moment Rick comes down the stairs, he got home for half six, just like Mel said. I smile as he walks into the room, dress shirt and tie.

"Hello all!" he smiles and shakes the hands of Luke and Mrs. Gilmore.

He then comes over to us, eyeballing Jess slightly and smiles "well you must be Jess, its pleasure to finally meet you young man." He holds out his hand and I see my friend thinking about what to do and say.

"You to sir!" he says taking his hand, all fake friendliness with a hint of sarcasm.

I smile to Jess and take his hand in mine when my father passes 'thank you' I mouth and he just rolls his eyes and goes to take his seat.

As we get half way into our main meal the conversation's light and easy.

Luke turns to Rick and asks "so Rick, why'd you move from New York?"

He smiles and turns to me, he and Mel sitting on the ends on the oval table, Jess between Mel and I, facing Luke and Lorelei.

"Well when Hattie said she wanted to be in Stars Hollow, close to Jessie I…" but he's interrupted by the boy beside me

"Don't call me that, only she gets to call me that." He says pointing to me and glaring at my father

Who just clears his throat "well, I'm sorry I didn't realize."

It's that sentence that seems to make the lock on my friends tongue snap "what didn't you realize? That you had a daughter for the last like, oh, maybe seventeen years?"

"Jess!" Luke shouts in surprise

"No Luke, I want to know, where the hell where you when she needed you? When she came knocking on our door every other night scared shitless? When she was rolling her mom over so she didn't choke on her own puke and I was helping her clean up the beer and vodka bottles? Where the fuck was your fatherly loyalty's then?" he stands and shouts, slamming his fists down on the table.

I stand and try to take his hand as he walks out the room "Jessie…" but he's already out the door.

I run after him as he heads into the yard "Jessie wait!" I shout after him, grabbing his arm and turning him to look at me.

He looks at me with so much sadness and anger "I'm sorry Hattie, I can't do this. I can't just forget how he was never there just because he decides that he's finally ready to be a dad. I remember how you used to dream about him coming for you, hell I had the same dream, but that doesn't change anything."

I then realize that somewhere between his outburst inside and here that I started crying and sob "please Jessie, you're my best friend and I love you, please, this is my dad!"

He strokes my tear and mascara stained cheek "I'm so sorry Hat's." and then back away quickly, Luke running after him, Mrs. Gilmore leaves also, feeling awkward and unsure what to say.

I sit in my room, holding a picture frame in my shaking hands, the picture of two kids in the park, both with brown hair, covered in mud and happy smiles. A light knock brings me from my dazed state; I wipe at my eyes and look at the door.

"Come in" I say weakly in a broken voice

The door opens and there stands Rick, with a thin nervous smile "hey princess"

He comes over and sits by me, taking the frame from my hands tenderly "he really loves you."

I smile and nod "he's been taking care of me for a long time; I don't think he knows how to stop."

"He shouldn't have had to, he was right, everything he said was right." He says in remorseful tone

He turns to me then and starts answering all my questions for the first time "I was just a kid when your mother got pregnant, we both were. I was… I was addicted to drugs, I wasn't father material and your mom was always so strong and good that I thought you'd be better off without me."

I see his eyes starting to water as he brushes the tears from my cheek "I got myself clean, got a job and went back to college; I wanted to be someone you'd be proud of! Then I met Melody and got a job at the firm and I found myself being someone you could be proud to call dad."

His tears are flowing with mine now as he continues "I looked for you, sent letters and got court orders to see you, but your mother was unreachable. Then, when I finally found you…I'm sorry Hattie, I missed out on so much and…I didn't know, you're my daughter, my little girl and I should have been there. I understand why Jess is so angry, because so am I, I just hope you can forgive me and give me a chance to…be your dad."

I beam a large smile at him and throw my arms around his shoulders "I'd really like that!" and he hugs me back, holding me as if, if he let go I'd vanish.

After we detach from each other, we go to help Mel clear up, but as I reach the bottom of the stairs I find myself feeling suffocated, just wanting to get out!

"Do you guys mind if I bail on cleaning, I just need a walk, clear my head." Mel and Rick both nod in agreement, telling me to be careful as I grab my leather jacket.

I walk straight to the gazebo in the center of town, letting out a deep breath as I sit down. I close my eyes for just a moment, relaxing in the quite.

"Hattie?" I open my eyes at the voice and smile to the tall boy before me.

"Dean! Hey I thought you were going to Chicago for the rest of the summer?" I ask quietly, my voice sour from crying

"Yeah I leave tomorrow, are you ok? You look like you've been crying!" I smile at his sweetness as he sits next to me.

"That'll be because I have, it's a long story!" I say with a nervous giggle

He seems concerned "well I'm not going anywhere!"

I smile up at him and explain "Jess blew up at Rick, my dad, for not being in my life until now and Rick agreed with him and explained to me why he wasn't there. All in all it's been a very emotional night!"

He just looks at me and asks "are you ok?" I look up at him and nod with half lidded eyes

"Tired, but yeah, I'm good, real tired actually." He smiles lightly down at me as I fight to stay awake

"come on, I'll drive you home" he offers me his arm and I link him to steady myself, but also because I enjoy the warmth of him so close to me, my heart fluttering wildly in my chest.

The drive is silent, but not that awkward type of silence, more the comfortable one, where you just sit and watch the world go by, enjoying the fact you're not alone. As we pull up to the house he walks me to the front door like a true gentleman.

As I fiddle with my keys he smiles "Jess will come round" and I shake my head

"No, he won't, he'll be stubborn and sarcastic and he'll avoid Rick like a bad Indian restaurant, but that's ok, because he's still my best friend and I love him anyway!" I smile up at him and he smiles right back

"I'll never get your friendship. Listen I should shoot, still got some packing to do." He says and I nod lightly

He looks down at me with that amazing smile "so I'll see you in a few months."

I nod and say "yeah, and I'll call you over the summer."

He bends down and hugs me; I hesitate for only a moment and then rap my arms around him, feeling safe and blissful in his arms.

As he pulls away I look at him and blurt "you're an amazing guy Dean, Rory's a lucky girl."

He seems kind of shocked at my words and I lean up and kiss him on the cheek, lingering longer than I should "goodnight Dean."

He backs away to his car and smiles "night Hattie"

I wear a small smile as I open the front door and rest my back against it, biting my lip and dancing up to my room, Dean's smile and scent still in my mind, my lips still tingling from the taste of his skin. Yeah, it's been a good day.