Author's Note: Okay, well, this takes place in the second season when Rory and Dean break up and she goes out with Jess… It goes AU after that… Enjoy… :)

            Rory glanced over at Jess. He was sitting in his usual position, slumped on the couch, as they watched a movie, his arm slung casually over her shoulders. It made her think of Dean suddenly, a guy who would sit with a pretty straight posture, intent on the movie yet always his fingers playing with her own, letting her know that he was always thinking of her.

            Jess looked over to her, as if sensing her betraying thoughts. He grinned, that sly smirk, and leaned over to kiss her.

            She allowed it to go on for a few minutes, pulling away gently as his hands started to wander and smiled cautiously at him. She couldn't do this. Not tonight. Not while thinking of Dean. "Sorry Jess…"

            "S'okay," he replied, his smile forced. He sounded so frustrated she almost kicked him.

Dean would never have been a jerk about this… wait, stop. She had to stop thinking of Dean. He was gone. They'd broken up and she'd made sure that they could never get back together again… 'Good job stupid,' a little voice inside her head said suddenly. She frowned. What was a little voice inside her head doing telling her that she was an idiot for breaking up with Dean?

"What's wrong now?" Jess asked, breaking into her thoughts, wearing a matching frown on his handsome features.

She shook her head to rid it of any thoughts of Dean. "Nothing. Why? Does it look like there's something wrong with me? Should there be something wrong with me? Because there isn't. Is something wrong with you?" God, she was babbling again. 'Stop, stop!' her brain yelled frantically.

"No," he replied shortly, looking at her funnily.

Silence for a bit as they went back to the movie. She snuggled into his shoulder. Then,

"Are you sure?"

She sat up. "Are you serious?"

He looked down at her. "Do I look serious?"

"Yes."

"Because I am."

"Okay."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "There is something wrong."

She narrowed her eyes back. "No there isn't. How would you know?"

"I just know."

"How?"

He stood up, throwing his hands in the air. "Because you're my girlfriend! I think I would know when there's something wrong with my girlfriend."

"Well, there's not!"

"Fine." 

"Fine."

"Fine." He sat back down and they tried to get back into the movie. Five minutes later, he stood up again and faced her. "No, it's not fine. I know something's bugging you, Rory, and I want to know what it is!"

She stood up. "There's nothing wrong and if you are going to continue like this, I'm going home!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" She grabbed her jacket and ran out.

It took her until the gazebo to realize that he wasn't coming after her. Throwing herself onto a bench, she sobbed. It wasn't right. He shouldn't treat her like this, make her feel like this. Dean would never have treated her like this. "Oh, shut up," she told herself savagely. "He's not coming back."

"Who's not coming back?"

She stifled a scream and looked up, expecting Jess. "Dean…"

He noted the hope in her voice then dismissed it as surprise. "I was out walking and saw you bolt past so I decided to follow you. Are you okay?" He longed to sit down on the bench beside her and gather her into his arms, to tell her that everything would be okay. But it wasn't his job anymore. He wasn't her boyfriend anymore. Instead, he stood in front of her, his hands tucked in his pockets.

She sniffed, wiping her eyes self consciously. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, you really look it," he scoffed.

She glared up at him. "Thank you very much."

He shrugged. "It's true."

'There. Another one of his qualities,' she thought. Honesty. "It's nothing," she said finally.

He sighed and sat down on the bench beside her. "Sure looked like nothing when you bolted from Jess' place," he said dryly.

She shrugged. "Couples fight."

He flinched and she cringed inside. "We never fought like this," he said finally.

"That's because we were…" she trailed off.

"Were what?"

She looked at him, gauging his reaction. "Specia- uh, different."

He nodded, looking at the ground. "Yeah, we were…" He sounded heartbroken that Rory wanted to throw herself off a cliff for what she'd done to him.

"Listen Dean… I'm sor-"

He stood up abruptly. "I have to go," he said, cutting her off, and stalked away.

She watched him until he was out of sight then buried her face in her hands. "Oh Dean…"