A/N: The title is taken from a lyric in Sixx:A.M.'s song, Skin. It goes like this: "Let them find the real you, buried deep within, Let them know with all you've got, That you are not your skin."

Also, I think I'll have Lorelai and Jason Stiles will get be endgame instead of Luke and Lorelai, because in this fic, I think Luke doesn't want to be with a woman who ignored her daughter for most of her life. However that can be changed. Thoughts?

The month seemed to slowly crawl by. Anthony and Rory still flirted with each other, Thea even spotted them exchanging books to read.

Anthony had even made friends with older students; not that Thea blamed him. It would be weird only being friends with people eight years younger than him.

A few times, Thea and Rory saw a woman with black hair with dip-dyed dark red tips flirting with Anthony.

Rory had gotten irritated with "Tits McGee" over there flirting with Anthony, and grumbled about how 'Tits McGee" needed to stop shoving her boobs in his face.

Thea looked over, seeing that the woman was not doing that. It looked like Anthony had a copy of Elowen's True Confessions of a Bombshell Bank Bandit in hand.

Thea had been a bit surprised that once the book had been placed on the shelves, it skyrocketed to becoming a national bestseller. There was talk about a documentary being made and a movie was in the works with Anne Hathaway being considered to play Elowen and Melissa Joan Hart to portray Jezebel, who had been the oldest at twenty-five. Liberty had said that there were arguments in web forums about who should portray Thomasina and Cordelia. Rumor had it that Rachel Leigh Cook was going to portray Cordelia.

Thea had underestimated the popularity of the Bombshell Bank Bandits. She had even spotted her literature professor practically devouring the book during tests.

Paris had seemed smug because she was one of the few to have read the book first.

It turned out that Rory's journalism professor had a lesson on media reports during the Bank Bandits heists and how there was misinformation during those reports and how they should correct it.

Rumor had it that Cordelia, Jezebel, and Thomasina were writing their own memoirs. 

One day, Thea had made pumpkin cupcakes with icing on it in a candy corn type of pattern. 

She had left some cupcakes for Rosalyn and Kari, before taking some to Paris, Tanna, Rory, and Janet to get their opinions, before taking some to Liberty and her roommates, then Georgia and her roommates, then Todd and Aiden and their roommates, before bringing the rest to Sage, Anthony, and their roommates.

Sage was happy to see her and kissed her before letting her in. There were two other guys hanging out in the common room, who were watching TV and looked over at them curiously.

"These cupcakes are pumpkin," Thea told Sage. "I just wanted to see what you think about these, but I was going to sell them at Weston's for fall." She set the cupcakes down on the coffee table. The two guys leaned over to look at the cupcakes. "You can try them—" The two guys practically jumped right onto the cupcakes, "—Too?" finished Thea. 

Anthony came out of the bathroom and stopped to look over at his two roommates who were now fighting over the last cupcake.

"Seriously?" asked Anthony.

Thea noticed that Anthony actually smelt really good; Rory was going to be one lucky woman. "I made those cupcakes. You can have one. They're pumpkin flavored though."

Anthony went for it and while his back was turned, Thea tried to discreetly lean forward to smell him.

She obviously failed because Sage was giving her a strange look. Thea smiled at him and kissed him to make him feel better.

Anthony had taken a bite out of the cupcakes as he watched his two roommates look at him in disbelief.

"I can make more," Thea told the two guys. "It's really no problem. I just wanted to know what you guys thought about it so I can sell them at the bakery that I work at."

"She owns the bakery," Sage clarified, sounding proud of Thea.

"I don't even care like pumpkin all that much, but these are pretty good," Anthony told Thea.

"Thanks," Thea replied.

Anthony rode with Thea to Stars Hollow. Sage, Aiden, Liberty, Todd, and Georgia had gone a day early while Thea stayed behind to get some extra studying done and to make Sage and Anthony's roommates more cupcakes because they asked her for some. At least they said 'please' and 'thank you'. Thea had to drop those off and gather Anthony because he was curious about Stars Hollow.

Thea drove to Stars Hollow in her 1996 Lincoln Town car  that Straub had gotten for Thea as her nineteenth birthday present.

Straub had crunched numbers to make sure that Thea had gotten it for cheaper than what is sold for.

Sage and Aiden loved the backseat...especially when Thea was in the back with them.

Thea allowed Anthony to listen to his music.

She would've played her music, but she honestly didn't know what music Anthony liked, which was pretty weird to think about, considering that they've known him for a month.

Country music.

He liked country music.

Thea didn't like country music all that much, but she wasn't going to crap all over what he liked. Besides, he probably didn't like Fame on Fire or even Ice Nine Kills or something along those lines.

Thea had stopped by the apartment to pack up River and Phoenix so she could take them to Stars Hollow with her, since she was staying with Annette.

Straub and Francine had talked to Anthony for a moment. They seemed to like him, even though he had been a former addict.

River and Phoenix had seemed to like Anthony and he seemed to like them in return.

On the way to Stars Hollow, while listening to The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks, Anthony said, "I think I'll get a cat when we go on winter break."

Thea honestly didn't see Anthony as a cat person. "Why not a dog?"

"I don't want a dog," Anthony said. "I like dogs, but I don't want one. I'm fine with other people's dogs. I just don't want a dog breathing in my face."

Thea had pulled up to Annette's house, so she can let River and Phoenix out of their carrier.

Anthony and Georgia's mom, Annette, had a brief awkward conversation about something.

Annette had hugged Thea and then hugged River and Phoenix, because she missed them too.

After Thea caught up with Annette about Yale, Thea and Anthony ended up leaving the house together.

Thea had no problem in showing Anthony around the small town.

Miss Patty had asked if he was Thea's 'third' boyfriend and then made some comment about how she added him to her 'to do list' which confused the hell out of Anthony.

Thea decided to make sure to tell Miss Patty that they had some stuff to do before leaving.

"That was the most uncomfortable thing ever," Anthony said. "And that surpassed the time my drug dealer broke into the crack house and pointed a gun at me while I was in the shower." He looked haunted, "She wouldn't even look away while I dried off and got dressed."

Thea awkwardly patted him on the shoulder.

The rest of the town wasn't that nice to Anthony though. Sure, some looked at him curiously, but it was like they knew that Anthony was a former drug addict. It was disheartening to have them look down on him just for what he did to himself.

He was a good person, but yet they still looked at him like he was trash.

Although a part of Thea wondered if these white people looked down on him because he was Puerto Rican and Filipino. She would've preferred if these people looked down on Anthony because he was a former addict than racism.

Anthony tried to seem like his usual cheerful self, but even Thea could see that it was getting to him, so she decided to stop by the bakery to cheer him up with baked goods.

Brian and Lane were in the bakery both sharing a small cake between them because Thea figured that they were close friends, along with Ethan, Elowen, who was at a table reading a magazine, and two new hires: Craig and Dave.

While Dave was putting cakes into the display case, Thea noticed something on Dave's arm, "What happened to your arm?"

"I accidentally burned myself on the oven rack," Dave grumbled, looking at the burn on his inner arm.

"Oh, everyone burns themselves on that oven rack," Thea stated. "It's like an initiation ritual by now. So you have been welcomed in the Weston's Bakery family."

"That is true," Ethan said, nodding. Even Craig accidentally burned himself in the same spot too.

Thea got out some chocolate chip cheesecake cookies to hand over to Anthony who took them. 

Ethan asked Anthony, "What's up with you?"

"I'm trash, so I apparently deserve to be treated like trash," Anthony replied.

Dave asked, "What does that even mean?"

"Former drug addict and it's like everyone could tell," Anthony replied. "Especially since I did like two years in jail for drug possession."

"Ah," Ethan replied. "Well, these people still don't trust me because I murdered my wife and spent eight years in jail."

Anthony looked at him in surprise, "You must be Aiden's dad." Ethan nodded.

"Six years in juvie for aiding and abetting a murderer," Craig said, in that deep voice of his. "A different murderer, not Ethan."

"Fifteen years over here," Elowen chimed in. "Bank robbery."

"So, welcome to the Former Convicts Club, kid," Ethan told Anthony.

Anthony smiled, like he was glad to be a part of that club.

When they finally got to Luke's, Jess walked away from the table that he was waiting on to hug Thea leaving the people at the table annoyed.

Thea did hug him back, because she missed Jess or at least his deadpan sense of humor. It wasn't the same without him. She looked at Sage, Aiden, Georgia, and Todd sitting at the counter.

Todd ended up leaving Hep Alien because it wasn't feasible for him to go from Stars Hollow to New Haven for band rehearsals. It would've been exhausting for him. So, according to Lane, she, Dave, and Brian were looking for a new guitarist/singer since Zach had to leave the band.

Jess ended up having to go back to the table, but that didn't stop Rachel from smiling at her and waving. Then Luke came down the stairs with Billie, who spotted Thea. Billie wiggled her hand out of Luke's and ran over to hug Thea. Thea lifted the now three-year-old girl up to hold her.

Billie grabbed Thea's face and kissed her on the cheek. She looked at Anthony, "I don't know you."

Anthony just seemed amused and Billie wiggled out of Thea's arms to go over to the counter.

Luke came over and hugged Thea, "It's good to see you, Teddy."

Thea almost cried at that because she really missed Luke too, "I missed you so much too, Luke."

Luke kept a hold of Thea, "I see you picked up another stray."

Thea smiled, "Always, Luke."

While Thea and her friends caught Jess up with what was going on at Yale, Anthony seemed to like his hamburger, although it would've been nice if he and Rory (who was sitting with Lorelai) weren't making eyes at each other.

Lorelai asked Rory, "Who are you looking at like that?"

"Nobody important," Rory lied.

"Excuse me," Lorelai said. "Do I look like Helen Keller to you? I can obviously see that you're making eyes at someone."

"I am not," denied Rory.

"I can see you clearly making eyes at someone over at the counter," Lorelai pointed out.

Thea rolled her eyes at that, but a part of her is really wanting to know what Lorelai will do once she found out about Anthony's past.

"Well, if you like some guy, I'm not saying that you do, just go up and ask him out," Lorelai told Rory.