Lorelai skipped into the kitchen that morning, humming to herself.

"Whoa. What is this? Lorelai Gilmore, do we need to have a talk?"

"Yes Judy Blume."

"Boris, watch the bouillabaisse for me, Lorelai and I have to discuss the final menu for the grand opening. Okay."

Sookie was pinching Lorelai's arm as she shoved her towards her office.

"Sookie, ow! Person here!"

Sookie shut the door and locked it.

"Hey, if you want to re-enact-"

"No, no puns, no pop culture references. Out with it. You have a story to tell me, and I'm guessing it stars Dean."

"Sookie, I don't feel comfortable having this discussion with you."

"Yeah, well too bad. You think I'm your toughest audience? I'm your best friend. Spill it."

"Yes headmaster. So, Dean called me last night and I went to the hospital, and, don't look at me like that, he called me, so I went."

Lorelai was blushing. Sookie wasn't sure she wanted to hear more.

"Sookie, we talked about the attackers, and I'll tell you now, one of the men died."

Sookie gasped. He had feelings so intense that he killed a man because he attempted to hurt Lorelai. Too much. This was too intense.

"Wow. So how did he take the news?" She didn't want the answer.

"You know Dean, he's a good man. He was stunned and upset. He thought though that maybe he killed him because the guy was hurting me. I know that isn't true. He was literally fighting for his life. Two men were a threat and he summoned super-human strength to live."

"Lorelai, a man is dead. Dean is the reason a man is dead."

"Sookie! He isn't some socio-path, murdering people on a whim. He didn't kill or murder or do anything but try to help me while trying to help himself in an awful situation. He was protecting me. Do you know what it does to your mind when someone actually demonstrates a power like that, overwhelming power to rescue you? I can never repay him. Not that he did it to have something on me, this isn't what I wanted to be talking about. Look, I saw your text on my phone from that night. You're mad, and you held it in when you found out what happened after our dinner, but now, Dean's awake, so, go ahead, give me the lecture."

"No Lorelai, you don't get to use that tone with me. Lorelai...what are you doing? Dean fought off a man who was going to rape you. Of course you both have surging, incredible feelings because of that, but when you step back, he's Dean. Young, college-bound Dean, you're about to open your own business Lorelai, and there isn't a relationship here. You know that. You love him? I mean, we all love Dean, but LUV love, you don't. It's been really stressful for you rehabbing the inn, I get that, no one knows that better than me, and sure, Jason was fun but he made you feel lonely, you hid it from your parents because you knew they'd see how shallow it was and they'd be back on Christopher. I get it. But what about your parents? They didn't like Dean when he was dating Rory. They'll accept him with you? Their crowd would never condone a man that young being with you. Yes, Dean is dreamy, he fantasizes about you, he's here, you kiss..."

"We've gone a little beyond kissing. I'm not sure we wouldn't have ended up…"

"Jesus, Lorelai. Come oooon."

"No Sookie, my turn. What if everything I thought about love was wrong? My parents? What they think? Hell, I don't even know what parental love feels like, strike that, I know what it feels like to extend a love to my child, but I never experienced parental, unconditional love. I am their child but they are like strangers. It's fucked me up my whole life. When my parents were forcing me to marry Christopher, I couldn't do it, because I saw a life where I would end up like them, worrying about social engagements, being a high society mother who was cold toward her kid because she was too busy buying curtains and attending DAR teas? I had to run away. And when Chris came back, at your wedding, as potentially something more than just sex, he ran away from me. I can't count on him. I wanted to love Chris but I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn't going to happen, so yes, I was hurt, but not heartbroken because I didn't allow myself to feel LOVE love for him. It was never real. And then there was brainy, witty, Max. Max and I were a combustible force, and we harbored feelings of desire for one another, and he was more than just a body and I was more than just a body, but in the end, in my mind, something wasn't right."

Sookie waited for Lorelai to explain the whole Dean thing.

"I'm not going to say that I've always loved Dean, or I knew it the moment I saw him."

"What? You sound like a crazy person. You don't love Dean."

"Sookie, yes I do. The day he started working here, I started thinking about Dean, as a man, as my friend, as more than-"

"Ew, no, I can't listen to this. I know he's a man, every female vendor or designer who's seen him here at the inn has fawned over him. I'm not blind, he's Disney Prince handsome, with the charm to boot. But you cannot have anything real with him. It's too destructive. It won't end well. The town will never accept it."

"Sookie, I don't fucking care about the town's opinion concerning my romantic choices. You aren't letting me talk."

"Yes, I am. I am trying to be your friend. You can't do this. Sure, there's exciting flirting, you do that all the time with handsome men. Keep flirting. Find. Someone. Else. And what about Dean? His parents? Rory?"

"Gah! Sookie, he lives in an apartment, he isn't a kid living under his parents' roof, under their rules. He knows what he wants and he's out trying to make that happen."

"And you are part of what he wants, right?"

"Sookie, I don't want to fight with you. I was counting on you to be the person I could share my giddiness, my happiness with other than Dean because I can't talk to Rory about this."

"Exactly. And that's why this cannot be. You and Rory talk about everything."

"No, I don't discuss intimate details with her. I have never done that and I don't plan to ever. We do have a few boundaries."

"Lorelai-"

"Forget it. We have to get back to work. I have to call about the damn doors for the rooms upstairs."

"Fine. I'm going back to the kitchen. I'm sorry to be a wet blanket, but you need to critically assess this situation. You haven't thought this through."

She quietly closed the office door, and Lorelai closed her eyes, picturing Dean.

Zing! Text from Dean: thinking of you, thinking the next time you visit, dress as a nurse

Lorelai laughed.

Zing! Text from Lorelai: thinking of giving you a sponge bath, because you're dirty