AN: I;m having a difficult time doing what I want to do by following the episode guides so I'm still going to include things that happened on the show but I'm going to put them in whatever order makes my story seem better. And I'm still going to include dialogue mainly because I want to and partly because sometimes you can't write the line you want so it's easier to pocket one from ASP (all the while giving her credit of course) so if there's a line that you recognize it's probably hers...

Chapter Seven

Rory sighed as she listened to Lorelai thump around grumpily upstairs. She knew that Lorelai hadn't slept well after going back upstairs the night before because neither had she. Only the imaginary sound of termites wasn't what was keeping her up. She couldn't seem to turn her brain off. One minute she was thinking about Dean and how she was happy he had finally gotten off her back about her attitude and the next she was thinking about how it just seemed like he gave up only so they wouldn't argue and he wouldn't lose her. She wasn't sure why him sacrificing his mood was bothering her but it was. She kept rationalizing it in her head saying that it was a good thing but her heart kept telling her that if she was meant to be with Dean her mood would reflect that and he wouldn't have to continue ignoring the obvious hostility in her voice when she spoke to him. Finally after much deliberation she decided that she didn't care that her mom was in the kitchen now and decided to get out of bed. Opening the door she was immediately met with a steaming hot cup of coffee.

"Get dressed, we're going to Luke's." Lorelai stated heading back upstairs to do the same

Rory groaned but never the less went back inside her room and dressed herself. When she was finished she met Lorelai by the front door and then two of them left for Luke's.

They were almost half way to Luke's when Lorelai finally spoke. "I feel like they're crawling all over me with their creepy little fangy teeth and their tail things and their pointy tentacles!" she exclaimed loudly

"You're over exaggerating! They are not crawling all over you. They eat wood not people. And unless you became Pinnochio over night they aren't crawling all over you. But if it will reassure you that much I'll make a call to Gepetto and the little cricket dude and see if we can turn you into a real girl." Rory said sarcastically before adding, "Do you even know what a termite looks like?"

"Hey unless their wearing a foundation repair guy tee shirt I don't really care." Lorelai snapped back

"I wish you'd quit acting like I put the termites there just to make you mad and cost us a fortune. It's not my fault." Rory said grumpily

Lorelai looked at her confused for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "What is your problem this morning?"

"My problem is that you woke me up last night and then I couldn't get back to sleep so I barely slept at all last night and when I did start to fall asleep I was awoken by you screaming 'GET OFF ME YOU DISGUSTING TERMITES' despite the fact that there actually was never a termite on you."

Lorelai sighed. "I'm sorry that I kept you up last night ok. I'm just freaked out by the fact that there are millions of bugs living in and eating our house."

Rory looked over at Lorelai and then over in the Kim house's direction. "Whatever I need to go to Lane's I'll see you later."

xxxxx

Lorelai walked the rest of the way into Luke's and sat down at the counter. Luke looked in her direction before placing a coffee cup in front of her. Lorelai picked it up and took a huge sip only to spit it back directly in the cup. "Luke what in the hell!"

"It's tea. You drink too much coffee." Luke said simply

"Luke I know we have this conversation daily but you've never done something so cruel as to actually serve me tea pretending it was coffee. It's just...it's the most... it's just mean!"

Luke groaned before putting another cup in front of her. "Fine, drink the coffee but if you die I'm not coming to the funeral."

"Since I'll be dead I don't think I'll mind." Lorelai said before cautiously taking a small sip just to make sure. "Coffee man I think I love you!"

"Yeah, yeah... where's Rory?"

"Lane's."

xxxxxx

Rory walked into the Kim's door and called out. "Hello!"

Mrs. Kim quickly appeared with a broom. "You out!"

Rory quickly moved back a few steps as Mrs. Kim fiercely swept the floor where Rory had been standing only a few seconds only. "What? Why? What did I do?"

"Termites. You have them. This store is full of wood."

"I'm not a termite though. I promise not to turn into one or a beaver or any other wood eating creature and eat your merchandise." Rory said attempting a joke but sounding more sarcastic then anything.

"Rude insolent child."

"I was just kidding. You know making a joke."

"Boys don't like funny girls."

"Is Lane here?" Rory asked from the sidewalk

"She's at school."

Rory looked down at her watch. It was barely seven in the morning. "Already?"

"Yes already. She's studying. Now go." Mrs. Kim stated while picking up the water hose and spraying the ground where Rory had just been causing Rory to run out of the yard.

xxxxx

Rory got to Chilton and was immediately ambushed by Paris. "You know where he is don't you?" she practically yelled in Rory's face.

"Who?"

"Don't play innocent with me Gilmore, it doesn't work. I don't fall for the doe eyed expression you like to wear. I'm not him." Paris said noting the change in Rory's face immediately

"Paris." Rory said her exasperation obvious

"I just want to know that he's ok." Paris said her voice practically pleading

"Again this is a question I might could help you with if I knew who we were talking about." Rory stated cooly lying through her teeth

"Rory."

Rory sighed before looking Paris straight in the eyes. Paris could see what she assumed we tears forming in Rory's eyes and for a minute she felt bad for asking, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. In a soft, barely audible voice she heard Rory say, "I'm sure that he is physically fine." before walking off towards her locker.

xxxxxx

Rory avoided Paris like the plague for the rest of the day and was surprised that Summer had also left her alone. Maybe she's over him now and moved on to a new idiot Rory thought to herself as she got back on her bus and headed straight back to Stars Hollow. Once there she went and sat outside the school to wait for Lane. After about ten minutes of just sitting there she saw a basketball fly past her face and heard Dean's voice saying "Think fast.". Not even looking in his direction she watched the basketball fly past her line of reach and be ran over by an oncoming car. Smiling inwardly to herself when she did look up and saw Dean's saddened face over the now flattened basketball.

"You know when people say think fast they generally mean look up and catch the ball." Dean said somewhat agitated

Rory scoffed. "You didn't honestly throw a basketball at my face and expect me to catch it did you?"

"Well..." Dean stated to say but was cut off by Rory

"I have no hand eye coordination and I hate basketball."

"But you could have at least tried..."

"You aren't seriously mad at me because I didn't catch the ball you threw at my face are you?"

"I didn't throw the ball at you Rory, I through it past your face."

"Yes well once the ugly orange ball got past my face it continued to travel past me and met its friends from the rubber factory otherwise known as Gypsy's tires. So therefore you can't be mad at me because you threw your ball in the road." she said aggravated

Dean sighed. "And it seems like you're in yet another stellar mood. Tell me what happens at Chilton that sends you back everyday pissed off?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not in a bad mood, I'm tired. Mom thinks the termites are crawling all over her in the middle of the night so she wouldn't let me sleep."

Dean nodded. "Oh ok. So... you wanna go get a coffee?"

Rory paused and then shook her head. "No, I'm waiting on Lane. I haven't talked to her in a couple of days so we need to have some girl time and catch up."

"Come on Rory it's my only day off this week, spend some time with me." Dean said pleadingly

"I'm sorry but I already made these plans with Lane. I forgot you were off today. I really am sorry."

Dean took a deep breath and then released it. "Ok fine. I'll talk to you where you're done with Lane. Call me ok?" he asked

"Of course. The second I'm finished with Lane." she said unsure if she really meant it

"Great." he said before leaning down and leaving a feather light kiss on her cheek before walking away in the direction of the basketball court.

AN: Ok so it was just a filler chapter.. I have the next like ten chapters mapped out and outlined I just can't remember what I did with the outline... read and review please...