** Never Judge a Book By Its Cover *
- Chapter Three -
Fifteen years later…
Rory Gilmore graduated from Yale and achieved her dream of being a journalist. She also married the heir to the Huntzberger Publishing empire, Logan Huntzberger. Rory became acclaimed for her reporting and writing and she and her husband, Logan, moved to a 25 room mansion in Brentwood, California. Rory had no children. Rory was also known as the wife of one of the biggest playboys in the United States, well known for his penchant for blonde starlets. Rory spends most of her time alone in the Huntzberger mansion.
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Shane and Dean broke up after high school, but reunited three years later when they ran into each other at a football game. She was a cheer leader for the University of Connecticut and Dean was a tight end for the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.
One year after they graduated, Shane and Dean were married in a very simple ceremony. They have two children. Dean has just assumed command of his first ship. Shane became an accountant, and is known for writing funny little cartoons depicting the life of her, and the children while Dean was at sea. Dean treasures every one of them, and is having them bound into a book, to present to Shane as a gift on their 20th wedding anniversary!
Sixteen years later
Rory was at her desk, when the office boy came by and told her she was wanted in Mr Evans office. Rory sighed it hadn't been a good year for her. She finally had the courage to divorce Logan Huntzburger. Rory was tired of his philandering and excuses. The ironic thing about the divorce was that all him, and his family wanted to know was how much money she wanted. Rory kept telling them nothing she just wanted to be free from the living hell of living with Logan.
Mr Evans was the editor of the Los Angles Times. He heard the knocking at his door and beckoned Rory to enter.
"Gilmore, I have an out of town assignment for you. How would you like to fly up to San Francisco?"
"Sure, and what do you want me to do up there?"
"I want you to interview the captain of the Coast Guard Cutter Bear. He is presently tied up in Alameda"
"Why do you want me to interview the captain?"
"He interdicted a major cocaine shipment at sea, also the commanding officer is somewhat of a cowboy, very aggressive a rising star in the Coast Guard." I have compiled information on him and the ship, "
Rory was excited, this is just what she needed. Get out of town for a few days. Do a good interview and write a good story.
Rory met the car the paper sent to take her to the airport. They had her ticket, car reservations, hotel reservations, and a large envelope, which Rory figured would be the information on the captain and the ship.
After Rory had went through all the check in procedures and boarded her plane, she of course asked for some coffee, and sat back to read the background information. The first set of papers gave a history of the ship. She thought it was quite interesting. Rory had no idea the Coast Guard did all the things listed there. She also had no idea that in time of war the Coast Guard becomes part of the Navy.
Rory opened the envelope with the back ground information packed on the commanding officer. She turned white, Staring at her on the first page was a picture of Commander Dean Forester USCG. Rory started shaking, She could not do this interview. She briefly wondered if she could get the plane to turn around.
Upon landing in San Francisco, Rory called her editor and tried to beg off the assignment. She told Mr Evans that she felt she could not write an objective story and someone else would be more suited. Upon being pressed on why she could not do an objective story, Rory stammered and could not really come up with a excuse. Evans told her to get a grip do the story
Rory drove to the Coast Guard station in Alameda, showed her identification and the gate sentry checked it against a list of expected visitors. Once she was cleared they showed her where cutter was tied up..
Rory parked where the pier sentry told her to. She then walked toward the ship with a growing nagging fear in her stomach. Rory approached the gangway and walked up. She stepped off the gangway and told the quarter deck watch she was here to interview Dean.
Rory noticed that the two men at the brow looked at her like she was nuts and one of them had his hand over his holster.
"Dean Ma'am, we have no Dean on this ship."
Rory stuttered and said' I am a reporter from the Los Angles Times and I am here to interview the Captain, Isn't his name Dean?"
The petty officer of the watch said "Do you want to interview Commander Forester? He is the Captain of this ship?"
"Yes please." Rory looked around and noticed she had gathered a crowd of sailors looking at her like she was some sort of alien. The CDO (command duty officer) was called. He looked at Rory's identification. "Oh yes you are expected". He then motioned to the messenger to take Ms Gilmore to the Captain's Cabin. "She is expected."
The young sailor positioned himself in back of her and told her where to turn. The first thing that stuck Rory when she entered the ship was the smell of machine oil. It was not unpleasant, just different. She also noticed the smell of something cooking. She was directed down a long corridor, which she remembered from her notes was called a passageway, then up a steep stairway, which she remembered was called a ladder. She noticed that the young coastguard man waited till she was on top before he nimbly ran up the ladder. Rory blushed a bit when she realized why, she was silently grateful for his consideration. The next time she went on board a ship she would make sure she wore slacks,
The messenger of the watch knocked on the captain's door.
"Enter" was barked
The messenger opened the door and let Rory step into the cabin.
The captain was seated at a table looking at some papers. Rory noticed that Dean had not changed all that much. His hair was getting gray around the temples, he was tanned, and and lines were appearing in his face. She was almost sick to her stomach standing there.
Dean looked up He looked at Rory standing in front of him. The years were kind to her. Even at 37 she still had that youthful look and could easily pass for someone in their late twenties. He was startled, but hid it.
Dean stood up, "Mrs Huntzburger, please have a seat"
Rory sat down and just looked at him. She could not get a word out.
Dean looked at her. Why was she so quiet, she was a reporter here to ask him questions.
"Mrs Huntzburger how is your family?"
The Mrs Huntzburger was killing her. "Captain, Dean, or what should I call you, you know me, please call me by my name.
Dean smiled and said okay "Rory how is your family?"
"They are okay, can I call you Dean?"
'Sure"
"Pardon me for a moment Rory," Dean picked up a phone and shortly a sailor arrived with a pot of coffee and two cups.
Rory gratefully accepted the coffee, and took several small sips, and placed the cup down, "Dean I am no longer Mrs Huntzburger. I divorced him over a year ago."
"I am sorry to hear that Rory."
"Don't be he was a cheating sneak."
"Dean I was supposed to read your biography on the plane, but when I saw your picture I sort of went blank."
"Rory ask away, this is supposed to be an interview."
"I know, but I am supposed to ask you about running all over the ocean catching drug smugglers."
"I have time Rory, ask what you need for your interview."
"Dean did you know it was going to be me who was going to do the interview?"
"No, I am sure the XO left me something on it, that I did not read. I may have declined if I knew it was you."
Rory was taken aback and hurt "why Dean?"
"Because we know each other, we have a past. I don't know how objective you would be."
"It would have been the same if Paris was a reporter, I most likely would have declined the interview for those reasons, but you are here, so lets do it."
Rory picked up the bio sheet she had on Capt Forester, "It says you are married and have two children. "Who did you marry Dean?"
Dean looked at her and said "I married Shane."
"But I thought you two broke up after high school."
"We did, but we got together three years later and got married a year after that."
"Why did you break up?"
"Rory that has nothing to do with why you are here"
Rory was taken aback," I am sorry."
Dean looked at her for a moment. "If you really want to know it was over school, she felt that she would hold me back when I was accepted to the Coast Guard Academy. Shane did not think either one of us needed a long distance relationship at the time. Luckily we ran into each other at a football game three years later, and we started dating again."
Rory could not believe that he had married Shane. She figured Shane was just a rebound girl from her, and Dean's relationship.
Rory kept the rest of the interview on the subject on hand. Capturing drug smugglers and why he was so good at it.
When the interview was over, Rory looked at the man before her. He was everything Logan wasn't He was loyal, brave, had integrity, and above all he was a man who loved his family. She envied Shane.
She looked at Dean and softly said, " Dean do you ever wonder what would have happened if we never broke up?"
Dean looked over at her fully knowing where she was going with that statement, "Why do you say that Rory"
"I don't know, I just thought we would have made a great couple."
Dean sat quietly for a moment, "Maybe we would have, but I am glad we did break up, for if we didn't I would have never married Shane, Shane is the right woman for me, and I would not have had two wonderful children with Shane." I guess you did me a big favor Rory."
For some reason that statement was like a dagger to her heart.
Dean noticed that she was on the verge of tears. "Rory you are still a young beautiful woman, There is a right guy out there for you. This time look deeper into the man, don't be taken in by flash and smooth talking., or what your grandparents think of him."
"Rory I have to get going, I will escort you to the quarterdeck."
Rory walked in front of him to the quarterdeck, when they reached it she thought about asking him out for lunch the next day, She looked at his tall frame, she did miss the floppy hair he no longer had. . Rory was going to reach out to hug him, but. decided that hugging this dignified man on the deck of his ship would not be very professional.
Rory Shook his hand and walked down the gangway, upon stepping on the pier she turned to walk to her car. The walk took forever. Her lip was trembling, she felt so lonely. Upon reaching her car she let herself in, and rested her arms over the steering wheel, put her head down and cried uncontrollably.
Rory felt strong arms go around her, lifting her out of her car. She was picked up and sat in the seat of a pickup truck. The seat belt was fastened around her, she looked up to protest and saw it was Dean, and she felt safe, and fell asleep.
She awoke and saw she was in a driveway. Dean was talking to a very attractive blonde woman. They approached the truck and Dean reached in and easily picked her up and carried her into the house, walked down a hallway and laid her on a bed.
The blonde woman came in placed a cup of tea on the night stand and helped her out of her clothes and into a gown. She held the tea to Rory's lips as Rory sipped at it. The blonde woman told her to lie down and rest.
The next morning Rory awoke to sunshine streaming into her room, she heard children, she was confused. How did she get here?
The house quieted down and the blonde woman came in to check on her. She saw that Rory was awake.
"How are you feeling this morning?"
Rory sat up "How did I get here, where is Dean?"
"Dean is at work" she said gently
Rory wits were rapidly coming back. "Oh you must be Shane, I remember you."
'The one and only, Grab the robe over there and come on out to the kitchen I have some breakfast for you."
Rory walked out to the cheerful kitchen and sat at the table. There was a grapefruit, toast and a poached egg. Rory looked up at Shane, "What happened?"
The pier sentry went back to the ship and told the watch that you were slumped over the wheel. Dean knew it was you, and went out to see what was up. When he saw it was you, he got his truck and brought you here."
"Why"
"Dean told me that you had interviewed him and you looked exhausted. He figured you had collapsed from exhaustion."
"What else was he going to do with you, call an ambulance? We knew you. So we thought it best to bring you here."
"But Shane, I would think you and Dean would hate me."
"We don't hate you Rory" Shane said softly."Dean told me somewhat of what your life has been., No one deserves that."
"Rory, Dean, and I are having a wonderful life. You are someone from our hometown, someone from our past. Helping you is the right and only thing to do."
Rory sat there quietly. Then raised her gaze to Shane's eyes, "Thank you"
The phone rang and Shane went to answer it. She laughed a bit, a girlish giggle one would not expect from a woman her age. More conversation and Shane agreeing with something. Shane hung up and returned to the table. "That was Dean, He wanted me to ask you to stay for dinner, and he would make sure your car would be delivered to the house, You can stay here till you need to go to the airport tomorrow."
Dinner was so much more relaxed then Rory had expected. Never once did they bring up the conflicts they had as teenagers. They talked about the nuttiness of Stars Hollow and the various characters that inhabited the place.
Rory actually enjoyed the dinner. She also realized that she was with two people who were deeply in love. She could not believe at how gracious they were to her.
After the children went to bed, Rory attempted to apologize to them for the things she did to them.
They brushed her apologies aside and told her that was the past, This was the present.
The next morning as she was leaving Shane told her to call any time she was in the area. Then Shane walked her out to her car and gave her a little hug, "Seriously call, Dean does have a couple of single good looking officers working for him," and she winked at Rory.
Rory drove away and for the first time in years she felt at peace and happy.