Title: Subway Stars

Chapter: Chapter One

Summary: Season Three is just a dream from the middle of They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? on for Rory Gilmore. What happens when she finds herself unsatisfied with the reality that she's living?

Disclaimer: I officially announce that I have no claims whatsoever on Gilmore Girls, or At The Stars by Better Than Ezra.

Dedications: Avid, the inspirer for this fic. AngelEyez, my awesome beta who deserves an award. And Roxy, because she's so encouraging.

*

            "I think I may have loved you."

            The words echoed through Lorelai Leigh Gilmore's brain as the images before her fogged and blurred, until she blinked and saw her mother in front of her. Or at least what her mother would have looked like if they lived in the 1940's. What the hell? The setting was familiar, but only in retrospect.

            "Sweetie, look awake," her mother, Lorelai, was telling her. "Kirk's trying to get Taylor to disqualify you for sleep dancing."

            "I'm sorry Rory," Kirk's voice penetrated through the fog that was still going through her brain, but she didn't try to locate him. She was too tired for that. "But all is fair in war and dancing."

            "It's okay Kirk," she managed to get out coherently.

            "Um," Lorelai turned her daughter around so that they were on a separate part of the dance floor. "Rory? Why are you talking to empty space, instead of where Kirk is? Is there something you want to tell Mommy?"

            "I'm just tired," as if to prove it, she yawned. But she wasn't just tired- she was confused as hell. She was still at the dance marathon. So she had never loved Jess? The thought left her with an odd feeling of disappointment.

            "Well you can sleep until the cows come home. Soon, it'll be all over," her mother assured her. "And we can curl up next to our big trophy, while falling asleep to the sound of Kirk's weeping."

            "That's mean," Rory mumbled, looking over at the bleachers. Jess had left sometime during her strange…dream. Again, there was that feeling of disappointment.

            There would be no showdown between Dean, Rory and Jess this night…or morning, whatever time it was. There would be no break up, no awkward meeting at the bridge afterwards. The next morning, if Rory and Jess saw each other there would be no sweet awkwardness, or hesitant kisses. And she yearned for it. Maybe she was just sleep deprived.

            She was, Rory decided, resting her head back on mother's shoulder. Her dream was certainly an indication of that. Jess's father showing back up? Like that fairy tale would ever happen. And if he did, why would he head to Stars Hollow if he had left Jess and his mom in New York? And hadn't he left a few years ago, not after Jess's birth? Her imagination was seriously being overworked, if her brain was starting to change facts like that.

            The sound of a hard thump on the floor snapped her head up, and she looked down to see Kirk passed out on the floor.

            Her eyes turned to her mother, "What did you do?"

            Lorelai was all innocence, "Absolutely nothing."

            "What'd you get someone else to do?"

            "Luke may have switched Kirk's coffee to," her mother's voice lowered into Top Secret tones. "DeCaf."

            Rory shook her head; some things would never change- whether she dreamed them up or not. "Now how would you feel if someone gave you decaffeinated coffee?"

            Lorelai gasped, offended. "I shudder to think of such horrid things."

            "Go collect your prize, Scarlet," she said, rolling her eyes. "And let's go home."

            "To sleep!" Her mother replied, as giddy as someone could be after being awake for over twenty-four hours.

            To sleep a dreamless sleep, Rory hoped as she and her mother trudged their way towards the podium.

*

            Mondays were great. Actually, they weren't unless it was a Monday like this where you had the day off from school, like Rory did. One of the main selling points of actually participating in the dance marathon was that there was no school waiting for her the day after it ended. So her feet held only a dull throbbing pain as she walked into Luke's Monday afternoon. So far reality was better than her dream. In her dream, she'd be returning from school, rather than the nice nap she had just had.

            After she slid into a counter stool, she looked up to see Jess standing on the other side of the counter. "Hi." The word came out rather fast, which was pretty impressive given how short the word already was.

            "Hey," Jess returned, drumming his fingers on the counter top. "Coffee?"

            "Yes," she looked around. "Regular, please."

            He set the coffee mug in front of her and turned around to retrieve the pot. If this were her dream, however, they'd be hightailing it up to the apartment right now. Um, reality was nicer.

            "So, uh, where's Shane?" Rory asked as nonchalantly as she could.

            "Like you care," Jess answered as he poured the hot liquid into her coffee cup.

            She avoided looking at him. "I'm just trying to be friendly."

            They'd be broken up by now, in her dream. Reality sucked. Rory was shocked by the thought. She pushed the delusional idea away, it was for the best.

            He shrugged, "We broke up."

            "Why?" The question escaped her mouth before she could think as he returned the pot to its burner.

            Jess turned back to her. "She wanted to be Ginger Rogers, I didn't want to be Fred Astaire. What does it matter?"

            Rory took a sip before continuing. "You could try answering seriously for once."

            "What? Not buying it?"

             "I'd buy it more if you said she was Brittany Murphy and you were Eminem," Rory returned, almost darkly.

            Jess pretended to think about that one. "Well my mother has done more dope than I have."

            "Jess," she stretched the word out. "I thought you were going to answer seriously."

            "You want the real answer?" His jaw twitched.

            "Yes."

            "Well there's only so much sex you can get out of person before the well dries up. I'd say 'you know what I mean' but," Jess looked at her meaningfully. "You wouldn't."

            Rory slammed her coffee cup down, sloshing some it over the sides as she jumped out of her seat. "You're disgusting."

            "You're naïve," he told her matter-of-factly. "And you wanted the truth."

            "I wanted a serious answer," she pointed out. That was the problem with talking to Jess. Sometimes he made her feel like she was an adult. Other times- times like these- he made her feel like she was five years old, or at least had the intelligence of one.

            "You got one," Jess shrugged as he backed away from the counter. "Not my fault you can't recognize it."

            Rory wasn't sure but a growl might have escaped her then. But it was better not to dwell on that and she stormed out. Not realizing, until she was out of the diner and passing the school that she hadn't paid. There was no way in hell she was going back there anytime soon. She'd just have to feel really bad about that until she paid Luke later.

            Plus, it was settled. Rory was so glad that she lived in this reality. Who needed to date Jess anyway?

            Who did, indeed?

To Be Continued…