Disclaimer: I don't own this, at all.
A/N & Summary:
-Literati. Takes place in season three, and starts at episode 3.5 foward. This explores what I thought could have happened if Jess didn't leave after he fixed Dwight's spinkler.
-Sorry for all of you that are reading my story, "Back." I haven't had any inspiration, and when I was watching my newly bought season three DVD, I thought this would be a good oppurtunity for a new idea...and poof...I think it might be. ) Please read and review! Tell me whether this sucks, or has some potential. Oh, and sorry if it's a little boring and not too good this chapter, I just had to use most of the show's dialogue, so...yeah. It will get better and more exciting. Definitely.
Chapter 1- Five O'Clock at the Oasis
"Whoa! Agh!" Rory shouted, aggravated with the water system currently soaking her. She went over to the sprinkler and tried to turn it off.
"Whoa, gross!" She attempted to twist the bar a couple more times, but gave up and pulled out her pager.
Typing, she said, "Dean, please have your pager with you, please, come on. Dean, come on! Damn you and your Unabomber tendencies! Aw man!"
She ran away from the house, drenched from the sprinkler when she bumped into someone. As she turned around, she became aware of who it was. But what she didn't see was her pager falling off her pants and onto the street.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Jess said.
Annoyed, Rory answered rudely, "Get out of my way."
Not to be deterred, he remarked, "I like the new look. It's very Blue Crush."
"Hilarious," she said shortly.
"What's the matter," he asked her, somewhat concerned.
"Nothing."
"You're walking pretty fast for nothing," he said following behind her.
"Well, our president said exercise and I am very patriotic," she retorted.
"And completely soaked."
"Where is everyone?" she asked frantically.
"Who are you looking for?" Jess inquired, ignoring her question.
"No one," she replied, frustrated.
He got fed up, "Rory, stop. What's the matter - other than the fact you're obviously out of towels?" he asked sarcastically, but with a hint of agitation.
"This guy moved in across the way from us and we said we'd water his lawn and the grass can only be watered in ten minute increments, otherwise the lawn drowns, and the thing is stuck and it won't turn off and I have to find someone, Luke or Taylor or…" she paused, noticing Jess go in the direction she just came from, "Where are you going? Jess!" she yelled.
She sighed indignantly, but ran after him until they reached Dwight's house.
Jess quickly walked up the driveway and bent down, getting sprayed with the sprinkler.
"You don't have to do this. I didn't ask you to do this. I can just find someone else to do it," she protested.
Jess grabbed the handle and without difficulty, turned off the spigot. "Aw, you made it look so easy," she said, suddenly shy and embarrassed now that she noticed the situation they were in.
"Yeah, it was loose. You just had to press down and give it a good twist, that's all," he said with half a smile.
"Well, thank you," she replied timidly.
"You're welcome." He paused, looking at her, "So things good?"
"Oh, yeah, really good." She answered, nodding.
"School?"
"Good," she said, still staring straight into his eyes.
"Still gonna do the Harvard thing?" he asked after a brief silence.
"Yeah," she told him, smiling.
He nodded again, "Good."
"Yeah, good. So…" she trails off, having no idea what to say.
"Yeah, good," he repeated, equally as awkwardly.
"So…how about you? You good, too?"
"Yeah."
They moved closer together, now only a few feet apart, "And school? Still going?" she asked, teasingly, trying to cover up the awkwardness that was thick enough to be cut with a knife.
He smirked, "If I get around to it."
They both stepped even closer, barely six inches apart.
"Huh," she said, mock pouting, "You should go more, then."
"Maybe if I had enough incentive…" he said not finishing, but still smirking.
"And what kind of incentive would you need," she asked him, face just inches from his.
"I don't know. I'm sure that fancy school of yours has taught you something," he responded, eyebrow arched.
She felt his breath against her lips, "Something," she reiterated distractedly.
"Yeah, something," was the last thing he said before his mouth was on hers.
She put her right hand on the back of his neck, while he wrapped his arms around her waist. They were both oblivious to what was going on around them, and if they had seen, they would have been a little more worried with the show they were giving. Well, Rory would have been.
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Meanwhile, Dean had just gotten his page from Rory saying "LAWN DROWN STUCK HELP," and immediately headed towards her house to see what was wrong. As he passed by Babette's house, though, he saw her and Miss Patty looking in the direction of a neighbor's house like a flock of Playgirl models had just moved to Stars Hollow. Curious, Dean went to see what was so shocking that it rendered the town's two 'gossip-whores' completely wide-eyed and speechless.
"Hey Babette, Miss Patty," Dean said friendlily, but brow furrowed.
"Dean! Oh, hi sugar! How's it going?" Babette asked nervously.
"Fine. Hey, do you know where Rory is? I got a page from her that she needed help with something, but she didn't say where."
"Oh, Honey," started Patty, "I, uh…I think she's," she sighed, resigned and waved her cigarette in the general direction she and her friend were just looking at, "that way."
"Thanks. I guess I'll go see what she needs. See you tomorrow."
"I feel so awful for him," Dean heard Miss Patty whisper to Babette as he was leaving, "Poor, poor boy." He shrugged it off, and continued on his way.
Walking past the two women, he looked in the direction that they were previously gawking at, and saw something that made him feel like he was punched in the gut by a Cyclops.
It was Rory and Jess. Kissing. He quickly hid his hurt and let his anger take over.
"Rory!" he yelled, charging towards the unlikely pair.
They broke apart, shocked, and Rory turned her head to Dean, a guilty blush seen rising on her cheeks.
"Oh, Dean…um…this isn't what it looks like," she stuttered, all the while thinking about how cliché and unoriginal that sounded, when she should have been feeling guilty for cheating on her boyfriend.
"So you weren't just making-out Jess?" he questioned, lips pursed.
"Well, um…no…yes?" she almost asked.
"Rory! How could you do this to me?" He was hurt now, and combined with anger, that definitely wasn't good. He was marching up towards Rory, a look on his face Rory had never seen before.
She backed away, nervous that he was going to do something, when Jess, who had been watching this exchange silently, finally piped up.
"Hey, come on, bagboy. She didn't do anything. Isn't it part of the boy scout's honor not to raise your voice to a woman?" Jess asked sarcastically, but worried for Rory, who looked scared.
Dean furiously turned to Jess, "Stay out of this," he spat, but seemed to rethink his response; "Actually, this is between you and me. You've been trying to get Rory for yourself for whatever dumb reasons you have since you've been here. But you know what…she's mine!" Dean screamed at Jess, who was actually smirking at Dean.
Rory interrupted Dean here, finally broken out of her thoughts, "Hold on, Dean. I'm not something you can just own. I can't believe you would say something so egotistically male!"
"Don't turn this on me Rory. You were the one kissing…him!" He paused, upset, "You said you loved me. Did you ever or was it just something you said because you felt like you had to?"
Rory had tears in her eyes, mixing in with the water dripping from her hair, and was distressed at what Dean was saying. She never really thought that she didn't love him. It just seemed like she must have; he wanted her to, her Mom wanted her to, hell, almost the entire town wanted her to. Maybe she really didn't.
She bit her lip, contemplating, "I…I think…I'm sorry," she said, head bent down, ashamed; "I really thought I did. I promise I wouldn't have lied to you if I knew. You were…are so sweet and perfect, and I was confusing what I thought was love, for…I don't know…something that wasn't, apparently," she finished, softly.
Dean deflated, suddenly having heard what he'd been afraid to admit it for awhile now. She didn't love him like he loved her. He knew it somewhere deep down, hidden, and was scared that if he let it out and thought about it at all, it would make it true. Too late for that, though.
Jess decided to let the two be alone. He knew what was coming, and he felt that to be fair to Rory, he'd better beat it for a little while so they could do this the right way. He quietly backed out of the yard, neither noticing his absence, and aimlessly strolled down the street, fingering a cigarette in his pocket, thoughtfully. He had to do something.
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Ten minutes later, Rory was inaudibly crying on her way home from Dwight's house. It was over. She couldn't believe how much she messed up. Kissing Jess, Dean seeing, admitting to Dean she never loved him, and telling him about the wedding, and finally breaking up with him. She thought about going to the bridge so she could think for a little bit, but decided against it, being that Jess was most likely there, as well, and she couldn't face him right now.
She didn't know what she was going to do. The whole town was going to hate her, and her Mom was going to be so disappointed. Dean was hurt because of her, and she might have permanently ruined her relationship with Jess. He had a girlfriend for God's sake, why would he what to be with her?
And most importantly, she felt awful about herself. She never thought she'd be a cheater, liar, or letdown, but currently, she was all three. She knew what she needed to do, and that included a pint of Rocky Road and her mother's arms. She needed to wallow, and she needed to think. She needed to figure out what she was going to do before she hurt anyone else in the process.
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