Rory greeted the guests out front of the Dragonfly with her mother like a proud parent. Everything was coming together, everything her mom had worked for. The guests were all very cheerful and excited. Lorelai was beaming and chatting easily, evading even Taylor's grating inquiries.

Rory could tell that it was all a very good cover, though. Her mother was working very hard to keep the calm, collected exterior. Inside, she was a basket-case. If something were to rocket her out of her centred act, she would fall apart.

This was why Rory still hadn't told her mother what had happened at Yale yet. It was just... difficult. She didn't want to realize how big of a deal it was, and her mother's inevitable explosion on the topic would only make her feel that much worse. She just needed to get through this evening, and she would tell her when things calmed down. No big deal.

Tom spoke behind them at the door. "They're out back and I already sent Dean in to start putting 'em up." The lost doors were finally dealt with. Rory's ears perked up at Dean's name.

"I'll be right back!" She smiled brightly at her mother so her mood wouldn't be so obvious. She ran inside. Things were so unsettled last time, she wanted to at least thank Dean for all the trouble he went to. He'd only been helping her out and she felt bad for making him leave in such a bad mood. She hadn't been able to get hold of him yet, so this was her best chance. She was heading upstairs to the doors when she heard him come in the back.

"Hi," she said meekly.

"Hey," Dean struggled with the door. "I have to get these upstairs."

"Can't we talk?"

"What about?"

"Thank you for picking me up the other day. I know I've already said it a thousand times, but you were a lifesaver."

"It was nothing," he said curtly.

"It wasn't nothing, it was huge. It was a very big deal, and I'm very thankful." She paused, waiting for a reaction. He wasn't looking at her and oozed bitterness with every fibre. There was no point playing this game anymore, so she just asked, "why are you so mad?"

"I'm not mad, I'm working" he retorted.

"I left you three messages, you didn't answer any of them. You blew me off at Luke's today. You won't look me in the eye."

He rolled his eyes and turned towards her, making a show of looking her in the eyes. "I have to go."

She bit her lip, not wanting him to storm off. "He left." She wanted him to know. She hoped she was hiding how painful it was to say those words, but she thought it might make him come back to her side a little knowing that Jess wasn't in the picture. Anymore.

"That's great Rory, I left too. I guess we can both take orders." She really didn't like this. He shouldn't be so upset!

"But- I didn't ask him to come. I did ask you to come, remember?" They shouldn't be focusing so much on Jess. He clearly didn't want to be involved, but Dean was always there and always loyal no matter what. She needed support right now, and Dean was being so difficult!

"I know-" he stops. "I just-"

"What? Why are you so mad?"

He looks down, a little embarrassed. "I thought you were... back with him, or something."

Rory looked away and paused for a moment. "No. I'm not, back with him." He left.

"Well I thought you were."

"Well I'm not. But even if I was back with him," she noted she was saying 'back with him' funny and made a mental note to say less about him, focus more on Dean, "why would it bother you so much?"

"I don't like him."

"Okay."

"And I, I don't want you with him."

"Right. Because, he doesn't treat me right. Right?"

"Right."

"And, you wouldn't want me to be with someone that doesn't treat me right, because... you're my friend, right?"

"Right." She suddenly realizes he's too close. She doesn't react to it though, which surprised her. "I'm your friend." He leans in, but she turns when she sees Tom walking down the hallway out of the corner of her eye.

"Dean! How're we doing with those doors?"

"We're doing fine, Tom," Dean nodded. Rory looked uncomfortable but didn't say anything. Dean looked embarrassed, like he was about to yell at Rory. Instead he grabbed the door and walked away.

A siren wailed on the freeway. Jess sighed and shut off the blaring music as he pulled his car to the side. He opened the glove compartment.

"May I see your licence and registration, please?" Jess handed them to the officer, keeping his eyes straight ahead, hoping this whole exchange wouldn't take too long.

"Do you know how fast you were going?"

"No, sir," he said. "But I'm guessing it was too fast."

The officer leaned in too close to the window and sniffed as Jess spoke. "Your eyes are a little blood shot there. Trouble sleeping?"

"It's been a long drive. I'm in a rush, so I didn't bother with a motel," he shrugged. "Just kept straight on through."

The officer nodded and wrote on a pad of paper. "Where you headed?"

"Canada," Jess said off the top of his head. "My Aunt's dog got attacked by a moose."

"A moose, huh? I hear they can be pretty dangerous."

"Ya, Bullwinkle fooled us all," Jess said, starting to lose patience. "Listen, is this little chat part of the deal here? I am really in a hurry, so can you just write the ticket or something and send me on my way?"

The officer looked up from his pad of paper and gave him a long hard look. "Can you pop the trunk for me please, sir?"

"Geez," Jess muttered under his breath and bent to push the lever. The officer searched his face carefully for another moment and then went to the back of the car.

Jess leaned back and tapped his hands on the wheel impatiently. He'd been driving since he left Luke's with the exception of stopping to pick up some food half a day in. The nachos and soda would last him another day at least, then he'd have to stop again. Probably at night. He'd also have to sleep at some point, he realized.

Maybe he'd stop and get a book. He hadn't read for a while. The music and the mindless driving was helping him stay numb, but every so often a song would come on that would remind him of – well, he'd have to change it. Which wasn't ideal. He needed something he could entirely lose himself in and he couldn't very well read and drive. Distractions. That's what he was ready for now. In the morning he'd get a book in whatever town came first and he'd stay long enough to finish the book.

The officer came back up front and handed him the ticket. "There's a motel a couple miles down the way. I suggest you stop," he said like it wasn't really a suggestion. "I'm sure your aunt can wait a little if it's so important."

"Right."

The officer left with a polite nod, "Watch your speed, son."

Jess rolled his eyes and threw the ticket and his information on the seat next to him. When the car behind him merged back into traffic, he turned his music back up to full blast and headed out again. Numbness still worked for now.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it first. I know I promised I would, but I swear I didn't know that this was going to happen. I mean, I didn't know he was going to show up tonight, and it just happened. It's awful for you to find out like this. I know, but. Everything's okay! I'm okay. And we were, y'know, safe. So all those Trojan Man jokes all these years really apparently stuck. And I'm lucky too, because Dean, he's... well aren't you glad that it was with someone who's good and that really loves me?"

"But he's married."

Rory tried to explain that away. It was a small detail, and of course it had to be a small detail because this was Dean. Dean was a good person, he always did the right thing. He wouldn't have done what he did with Rory tonight if all the details hadn't been sorted out first.

But the more Lorelai talked, the more Rory's resolve began to falter.

"Hey, he was my boyfriend first!" She tried to defend herself weakly.

"But you dumped him, you rejected him. You picked someone else."

"Stop it!" How could she bring him up now? "I hate you for ruining this for me!"

Rory finally collapsed outside, clutching the telephone. None of this was working out the way it should have. She was so confused and out of her element. She'd been looking for something safe without realizing what she was doing. She needed something to stamp out the huge mistake she'd made with Jess, but she ended up making an even bigger one.

Lorelai came up behind her and put a hand on her back tentatively. Rory leaned towards her, sobbing into her mother's arms.

They sat on the front lawn just holding each other for what felt like hours until Rory slowly began to calm down.

Finally she whispered, "Mom."

Lorelai whispered back, "Ya, hun?" She was scared. She had never seen her daughter so devastated.

"I slept with Jess."

Lorelai paused. Very few times in her life was she ever found speechless, but this was definitely one of them.

"He showed up at my dorm and asked me to come with him. I wouldn't!" she clarified for her mother. "We yelled and then... we weren't yelling anymore. And I thought it was great at the time, but then-" her voice caught. "Mom, he left again. In the morning. He wasn't there, and I knew I'd been so stupid for not knowing he would do that to me again. I guess I wasn't thinking and I just went for what felt right. I just- I screwed up."

Lorelai was still stunned, listening to her daughter pour her heart out. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry."

Rory waited for the storm of anger in her mother to start up again. "Well?"

"What? Well, what?"

"Where's the 'I told you so'? You've been waiting years to say it about him, and here's your big chance and you're not saying anything."

"I-I'm just stunned, I think. First Dean and then Jess. Wow." She couldn't believe how much she'd missed in her daughter's life while she'd been so busy focusing on her own stuff. "I should have noticed something was up with you. I just never stopped with the Inn opening." She sighed and looked her daughter in the eyes, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. I should have told you sooner. I didn't want you to worry, and then this whole thing with Dean just made it all blow up in my face," she sniffed.

"Did you want it to happen with Dean?"

"I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it. I like Dean. I think he's a good guy, and he loves me. And I love him. I think. But, I don't know. It's not like we planned it."

Lorelai sucked in a breath. "You want to know what I think?" Rory looked up expectantly. Her eyes were so sad and confused and innocent that it broke Lorelai's heart to see her in such pain. "I don't think this was ever really about Dean at all."

"I don't know," Rory said quietly. Wasn't it about Dean? He was there for her, he loved her. He proved that he always would. He was everything she needed. But then, he was everything she needed Jess to be. "I guess not," she closed her eyes and prepared herself to fend off the next wave of pain.

Lorelai held her close, trying to be the barrier between her daughter and the hurtful world. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Rory," she finally whispered. "Can I tell you something?" It was time for her daughter's mourning to take a break. A smile itched at the corner of her mouth.

"Sure," she said apprehensively.

"I kissed Luke."