DISCO NIGHTS !
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
PG VERSION OF 'THE STEPFORD WIVES'

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MAEVE AND DELANEY were currently in Maeve's room, the girls gossiping amongst The Goo Goo Dolls playing from Maeve's stereo.

Delaney eagerly shifted her position so she was comfortably sitting up on Maeve's cozy bed. "I'm unbelievably excited for Sookie and Jackson's wedding."

"Me too," Maeve beamed. "They're so cute, I think they'll honestly last forever."

"They'd better," Delaney firmly nodded. "They're the reason I believe in true love."

"Oh, of course," Maeve immediately concurred. "Role models."

"Through and through." Delaney grinned.

"Margie's been baking a ton of little cakes and desserts as a 'thank you' to both of them, it's so sweet," Maeve tilted her head, fond smile overtaking her features. "No pun intended."

"I'm sure they're all delicious," Delaney mirrored Maeve's enthusiasm. "And Sookie needs a bit of a break with cooking, anyway."

"Yeah, but just because she needs a break, doesn't mean she's taking that break," Maeve let out a breath. "Lorelai mentioned at the diner earlier that she's been 'stress cooking', so..."

"Not really that different to her usual efforts." Delaney finished, Maeve making a noise of agreement.

•

The following day, Rory and Dean were comfortably situated at a table for two, Rory's longing gaze on the fluffy pancakes on her boyfriend's plate rather than the scrambled eggs on hers. "How are your pancakes?"

"Good," Dean nodded satisfactorily as he glanced at Maeve, who momentarily stopped to refill their coffee cups. "Thanks, Maeve."

Maeve just shrugged. "I didn't make them, thank Caesar, but you're welcome."

"Good or really good?" Rory reverted the conversation as she caught her boyfriend's attention again.

Dean just shrugged. "Good."

"So not really good?" Rory tried to clarify his position.

Dean just sent her a perplexed, yet amused, look as he let out a laugh. "Fine, really good."

"Okay..." Rory dropped the topic for a few seconds before speaking up again. "But are they great?"

Dean just laughed again as he cleared his throat and spoke purposefully slowly. "Rory, uh, would you, perhaps, like to trade breakfasts?"

"You mean, your pancakes for my eggs?" Rory playfully drew out, excited smile appearing on her face.

"Yep." Dean nodded, still playing into the jokey role as his eyes were locked on hers.

"Okay..." Rory beamed as the pair swapped their plates and dug in. "Wow, you're crazy, these pancakes are great."

"Aw. Wasn't that just gross?" Delaney's face was entirely stricken with secondhand embarrassment as she turned her head to face Maeve, chin leaning on the palm of her hand.

"Very, but they're in love," Maeve just shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest, small smile taking over her features as her mind went to her boyfriend. "Flynn and I have probably acted worse."

"That's true." Delaney hummed, nodding in agreement.

"Why don't we just bring her something out?" Dean's voice coaxed the pair's attention to their table again.

"No, she and Luke have been in this fight for too long," Rory shook her head firmly, Maeve walking over to their table and squinting as she noticed Lorelai pacing around the side of the diner. "She's gotta do this."

"She still hasn't come in yet?" Maeve chimed in, small frown on her face as she caught Rory and Dean's gazes.

"Nope, not yet." Rory shook her head.

"I've counted twelve laps." Dean's eyebrows unenthusiastically raised.

"See, it was entertaining the first five times, now it's getting more boring than cable," Maeve blew out a breath, arms still crossed over her chest. "Which is saying something."

"She'll eventually realise that." Rory concurred.

"Are you sure I can't bring her out a coffee or something?" Maeve slightly winced at Rory, the girl already knowing the answer.

"Nope, if she wants it that badly, she'll have to come in, herself." Rory stood firm on her decision.

Dean faced Rory again at the words. "You're cruel."

"Tough love, baby." Rory lightheartedly quipped.

"Oh, look, she's actually coming in." Maeve's eyebrows lifted as the group's attention shifted to the doorway right when Lorelai entered.

"Okay," Lorelai drew out with a nervous smile as she plopped down in the seat beside Rory. "I did it, I'm in."

"Good girl." Rory beamed at her mother proudly.

"I would've brought you a coffee if your daughter wasn't channeling Judge Judy this morning." Maeve joked, causing Lorelai to theatrically gasp at her before gasping at her daughter.

"How dare you?" Lorelai furthered the joke.

"It was for your own good." Rory 'tsked' with a shake of her head.

"Exposure therapy at its finest." Maeve sarcastically affirmed, Rory huffing out a small chuckle as she nodded in full agreement.

"Wait, why are you eating?" Lorelai's previously teasing tone steadfastly faded as her eyes whipped towards Rory and Dean's half-eaten food.

"You took thirty minutes to come in." Rory widened her eyes in contrast.

"But I'm here now, and hey, I'm like cheese." Lorelai counteracted the statement.

"What?" Delaney's eyebrows perplexedly furrowed from her position at the counter, Dean nodding as he, too, was confused.

"Cheese gets better with time." Rory succinctly explained.

"Ah." Dean drew out understandably.

"Sorry, Gouda, we got school." Rory steadfastly cut the conversation short as she stood up, pushing the chair out behind her as she coaxed Dean and Delaney to stand up too.

"Yeah, I've gotta go too, actually," Maeve nodded at the signal as she turned around and made her way to the staff room to collect her backpack, but not before patting Luke's shoulder and lowering her voice on the way. "Retire the Jack Torrance act and be nice to Lorelai, please."

Luke just sent her a pointed look in response.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Maeve provokingly sang in conjunction with her previous statement, Luke dropping his hands to the counter as his previously direct glare shifted into an exasperated one.

•

"Have I told you girls that you all look amazing?" Marjorie awed at Maeve, Delaney, Rory and Lorelai as the group were currently at Sookie and Jackson's wedding, the adults drinking champagne while the teenagers drank grape juice.

"About five times, and thanks Margie, you look gorgeous too." Lorelai gently tapped Marjorie's forearm.

"Thanks, Margie." Rory grinned, Delaney and Maeve repeating the phrase appreciatively.

"The setup is beautiful, Lorelai, you planned this?" Maeve added in astonishment as she turned to Lorelai.

"You two and your compliments," Lorelai, flustered, waved off the words. "And I sure did, with Sookie's help, of course."

Just before their conversation could continue, Dean's voice sounded from a few metres away from them. "Hey, you."

"Hey, you look nice." Rory beamed as she made her way towards her boyfriend, Flynn right beside him.

"You look beautiful." Dean started as he interlocked his hands with Rory's.

"Thank you." Rory matched his wide grin with a fond one of her own.

"Hey, that was my line," Flynn jokingly glared at Dean as he focused on his girlfriend. "You look great, Maeve."

"Go." Delaney happily smiled at Maeve as she gestured to Flynn, Marjorie nodding in encouragement.

"Thank you, you look very handsome." Maeve grinned as she approached Flynn, the boy bringing her into a tight hug.

"So, uh, how many cocktails caused that?" Dean gestured to the piano a fair distance away from the group, Babette, Miss Patty, Lane and Morey situated around it and singing a lively tune.

"Probably one too many." Flynn chimed in.

"Well, they haven't had any cocktails yet." Rory glanced between Flynn and Dean with raised eyebrows.

"Really?" Dean disbelievingly inquired.

"If they had, believe me, you would know." Maeve added with a small laugh as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah, when they start having cocktails, we'll have to hide you guys." Rory continued the joke as she gestured to her and Maeve's boyfriends.

"Oh, god." Flynn cringed.

"I'm looking forward to that," Dean let out a laugh before his cellphone rang, and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Not sure who'd be calling me now...hello? Uh, sure, hold on..."

A brief pause followed before Dean's frown deepened, and he faced Rory, handing her his cellphone. "It's Paris."

"What?" Rory frowned, Dean shrugging in confusion.

"Tell her I say hi." Maeve chimed in as Rory sent her a tight-lipped smile and took the phone call.

A few minutes later, Rory faced Dean again, pulling him aside and signifying that they needed to have a private conversation.

Maeve and Flynn took the opportunity and began to make their way back over to the piano.

•

The wedding had gone by incredibly smoothly, and as Sookie and Jackson finally tied the knot, there was not a dry eye left in Stars Hollow.

"The wedding was beautiful, wasn't it, sweetheart?" Marjorie started as she squeezed Maeve's hand, which was on top of hers as her granddaughter had been walking her back to their house, Maeve's arm around her grandmother's for extra comfort.

"I think I crossed into the 'ugly crier' phase after they kissed," Maeve's eyebrows quirked upwards, smiling as she watched Marjorie laugh with unfounded merriment. "Walking down the aisle to Ella Fitzgerald wouldn't be my first choice, but did you see the pure elation on both of their faces?"

"Your sense of humour..." Marjorie smiled, shaking her head cheerfully. "And yes, they were so happy. Oh, but I wouldn't be surprised if you walk down the aisle to that Black Sabbath song, what was it called again? N.U.D?"

"N.I.B." Maeve couldn't prevent the wholly amused laugh from slipping past her lips as she kept her joyful eyes on her grandmother.

"Right, that's the one," Marjorie corrected her previous words as she then stopped in her tracks, her previously entertained expression shifting into one of utter surprise as the two approached the front of their house. "Jess, hello!"

"Jess?" Maeve's eyebrows etched inwards as she turned to face the direction Marjorie was looking in, her frown steadfastly fading at the sight of the boy in question sitting on her porch. "Jess..."

"That's a...great song choice." Jess stood up quickly, his voice soft as he took his hands out of his jacket pockets.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" Marjorie drew out, knowing eyes darting between the two as she gently patted Maeve's hand and untangled her arm from hers, then making her way past Jess and towards the front door. "It's lovely to see you again, honey."

Jess couldn't tear his eyes away from Maeve as he murmured a faint response to Marjorie. "You too."

"Wh- what are you...?" Maeve couldn't finish the sentence as she suddenly remembered that she could move, the girl clearing her throat and advancing towards the door. "Do you want to, um, come in?"

Jess snapped out of whatever thought pattern he was previously in as he just watched her walk past him and towards the door. "Yeah. Sure."

Jess followed Maeve into her house, Maeve's back turned to him, her eyes widening in complete, unexpected shock at his sudden reappearance.

Marjorie was comfortably situated on the couch in the living room, watching the tv playing 'Notting Hill', and effectively tuning the teenagers out—likely to provide them with some privacy for their reunion.

After the uncomfortably long period of silence that passed during the coarse in which Jess followed Maeve to her room, Maeve cleared her throat and slumped down on her bed. "So...what are you, uh, what are you doing here?"

"I moved back," Jess swallowed as he stopped at the doorway of her room, gradually surveying the space with his eyes. "It's changed."

"What?" Maeve's eyebrows puzzlingly furrowed as she watched Jess gingerly make his way into her room, his abnormally cautious exterior contrasting his usually assured and collected one.

"Your room, you changed it." Jess clarified as his eyes wandered around her bookshelves, which were stacked with a variety of new books, and her record collection, which was still arranged by name.

A few more new posters had now taken up space on her walls, most of them being band posters, with The Cranberries, Pixies, Twisted Sister and Babes In Toyland being new additions to her, already expansive, collection.

"Well, I needed to make room for all the new books I bought the other week..." Maeve attempted to joke around, though her tone was less easygoing and significantly more rigid. "Rearranging a few bookshelves usually has that effect on a room."

The corners of Jess' lips lifted ever-so-slightly as his fascinated eyes slid past her desk, that was overflowing with completed schoolwork, before landing on the cork-board hanging on the wall beside her vanity. He surveyed the contents of it for a few seconds before turning to meet Maeve's gaze and pointing to it. "Cork-board?"

"Cork-board," Maeve affirmed as she crossed her arms over her chest securely. "In other words, my wish-list. I write the names of any books and records that I want on a piece of paper, and pin it to the board as a little reminder. They're usually rewards for studying, but if I have enough money set aside, I'll splurge."

Jess digested the words for a moment as he slowly nodded, his following response slightly higher-pitched. "Huh."

Maeve slowly nodded as her lips pursed, eyes darting away uncomfortably as she was still trying to process Jess' arrival, particularly since she had convinced herself that he wouldn't come back.

Not that he was her right-hand man or the great love of her life, but she was still disheartened by the fact that she had just made a new friend, who was incredibly similar to her in almost every aspect, that seemed to have been suddenly removed from her life with no prior warning.

It was evident that Jess felt the exact same way as he turned to the cork-board again, scanning the pages pinned to it before he exhaled a deep breath, loosened the tension in his previously stiff posture, and turned around again. "This whole town is basically the PG version of 'The Stepford Wives'."

At Jess' transparent attempt to lessen the immense unease of the current situation, and, additionally, the self-consciousness that they were both evidently feeling, Maeve seemed to shift her behaviour from it's previously awkward one, to a more relaxed one. "So, did a magnet draw you back here, then?"

Jess' eyebrows quirked upwards as he held his gaze on her. "Something like that."

Maeve's lips pressed together in a small smile as she just stood up and made her way to her bedroom door. "Hey, so we have some of that blueberry truffle pie left over..."

"Say less." Jess quipped as he witnessed Maeve's smile grow in amusement, turn around, and head towards the kitchen, the boy following after her with a smile of his own.

•

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