Author: JavaJunkieAngel
Disclaimer: I own a denim Tommy Hilfiger bag, matching wallet and yeah that's pretty much it… anything pertaining to Gilmore Girls I don't own.
Title: The Promise
Summary: Rory and Jess have been best friends since they were little. As they grow up, they begin to develop a relationship, and find themselves in engaged. But on the eve of their wedding, a terrible accident causes them to lose their relationship, perhaps forever.
Pairings: Literati
Authors Note: I'm currently reading the book, The Promise by Danielle Steel, and so far it reminds me of Rory and Jess. Since this is, I thought that writing a story that is loosely based on the novel but having Rory and Jess play the main characters.
Chapter One: Picnic For Two
"Jess! Wait up!" Rory called over to her best friend. They were biking through the Connecticut countryside, and then were going to have a little picnic. It was sort of a tradition for them to be doing this, just hanging out and having fun.
"Hey Rory… not my fault that you're too slow!" Jess teased, looking back from his bike. Rory just stuck his tongue at him and began to peddle faster. After a couple of moments of teasing each other, they had finally reached their destination. They had parked their bikes on a tree and then set up for their little picnic.
"You didn't bring peanut and butter again… did you?" Rory asked, opening the basket. She lifted the top and revealed a container of potato salad, two large hamburgers, fries and some chocolate pie. "Wow, real picnic food." Rory said, laughing.
"I stole a few items from the diner, and got that potato salad from Doose's, do you eat that?" He asked. Of course he had known her eating habits but since that was continually changing, he had to ask her continually what she ate and didn't eat.
"Yeah," Rory said, opening the container and sniffing it before putting some on her plate. She took a small bite before making a face.
"So I take it that this stuff sucks?" Jess asked, putting the container back into the basket. Rory just nodded her head "yes" and they both laughed. They both felt right being with each other, since they met at age 5 they were best friends ever since. They did everything together and it was just recently when they thought of actually going out. At first Rory was against them going out because "they were better off staying friends, and nothing more" but then as time grew on, they both felt that they should try going out.
"How much did you pay for that?" Rory asked, taking a bite from her burger.
"Like five bucks. Taylor asked me if I was alright cause I "wasn't the type to buy potato salad" I just sneered at him and left."
"Good for you… Taylor's been on everyone's nerves lately. I haven't really seen him in a while but my mom's been telling me things." Rory said. Since her graduation from Yale, Rory rented an apartment in Downtown Hartford. She was a little doubtful about living alone – but then since Jess moved in with her, things weren't so hard anymore.
"Yeah, I've only been there like twice since the last time we went, but Luke insists that I still work at the diner." Jess explained. Since Jess's graduation from Colombia, Luke asked him to help around in the diner some more, since Caesar left to move more closer to family. He didn't mind it has much, before but now he was thinking of stopping to work at Luke's.
"Luke does need help, I mean it's hard maintaining a diner and having a wife who's expecting at the same time. Total chaos!" Rory commented. Luke and Lorelai were married for about a few months and Lorelai was pregnant. Of course Rory was thrilled to be expecting a new brother or sister but with Jess and all, she wasn't there for her mom as much as she wanted too.
It wasn't Jess's fault, and it seemed so not like Rory to be not around as much, but she was already twenty-two and Jess was twenty-three, both were grown up and ready to take on anything that was in store for them.
After they were finished with their lunch, they biked their way down back to town. They spotted a band playing near a park and stopped by to hear them play. "I never got to do this when I was still at Yale." Rory admitted when the band took a brief intermission. "I mean all I did was study and worry about my grades, it was pretty much a replay of high school, and with Paris there it felt like déjà vu."
"That's why I took a year off," Jess explained, "I didn't want to have a remake of what happened in high school, I needed to just think about what I wanted to do and to just take control of my life."
"Well you're doing a good job so far," Rory complimented, "I think we better go – I need to see the grandparents later."
"Oh and one more thing, promise me that wherever we are in three years, we'll still be together, just remember me okay?"
"Jess are you okay?"
"We're going to be together forever Rory…"
Rory got along with her grandparents just well, just it was a little more difficult to talk to Emily about Jess because Emily still had an issue about Jess dating Rory. Even mentioning his name made Emily's blood boil, so Lorelai and Rory tried their best not to say, "Jess" throughout their dinner.
"So had fun with the boyfriend?" Lorelai asked Rory when they both got out of their cars. They made their way through the front door and rang the doorbell.
"Yeah, we went biking then had a picnic."
"Jess changed a lot the past year. I mean he went from a rebel-ish guy to a sweet boyfriend-ish type. To tell you the truth it's kind of a freaky change."
"Well people like that can surprise you." Rory said, as the maid opened the door.
They gave their coats to the new maid, who stuttered frightfully, "Mrs. Gilmore is in the living room."
They arrived in the living room and saw Emily sitting on the couch smiling, which was a rare site to see. "Lorelai! Rory! You're finally here!"
"Yeah, hey Mom." Lorelai greeted
"Hi Grandma."
"I have wonderful news, Rory!" Emily excitedly announced, "An old friend's son is coming to join us for dinner and I've told him all about you. He's really excited to meet you."
Rory was speechless after what her grandmother was finished. She knew that Rory was dating Jess for quite a while now, and even though she despised him, she never thought that her had to have her grandmother set her up with potential boyfriends, "Thanks Grandma, but I'm dating Jess."
There. She had said it, she mentioned Jess's name. Emily looked at Rory in a displeased manner and crossly replied, "Rory you have to do better then him."
"But…" Rory began to argue. Rory never argued with Emily. It was hardly a time when she did.
"Jess isn't right for you. He's a street hoodlum that has too many problems to face. I know he's been living in that town of yours since you two were little but that doesn't matter. He's too wrong for you Rory."
"You're just judging him from what you know from before. Things have changed Grandma. Jess has changed. I know that you don't always agree with what he does, but he's a good guy."
Emily looked at Rory again, and the three of them were silent. Moments later, a maid came in to the room announcing that dinner was ready.
"I never saw you blow up on your grandmother that way." Lorelai commented on the way out. It had been a grueling evening and Rory was glad that it was over.
"I was mad, I mean Grandma had no right to just blow on Jess like that."
"Well just be careful okay?"
"Okay." Rory wasn't so sure about what her mom meant but Rory knew that it was going to make sense later on.
They said their goodbyes and both made their separate ways home.
Rory made it back around 9:45 and found Jess on the couch watching baseball. She snuck up from behind him and wrapped her arms around him, "Hey."
"Hey, how was the dinner?"
"Well let's just put it that your name was mentioned a lot."
"Uh-oh, are you serious?"
Rory sighed, walked over to the couch, sat next to Jess and nodded yes. "I mean my grandma was just so caught up in hating you, I mean I don't get it."
"She's just like that Rory. I mean we changed your mom a little bit and if we try to change your grandma it's going to be harder."
"I know but it's so annoying that she can't get over the fact that I'm with you and not some stuck up rich guy. I wish there was some way to just prove to her that you're good enough."
Suddenly Jess's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Let's get married."
"What?"
"Married. You. Me. Now."
"Jess come on, that's insane!"
"Why? I mean you said it yourself that you want to prove to her that I'm good enough, well marry me! Call Lane and she'll be our witness, she'll meet us at the nearest chapel and there!"
"You're crazy!"
"Live up a little!"
Rory smiled and kissed Jess, "Fine, we're getting married."
Rory and Jess were getting married, Jess had told Rory not to tell anyone. She felt a little bit unsure because we wanted to tell Lorelai, but she couldn't. The radio was playing full blast and they were both smiling like crazy.
All these thoughts ran through Rory's head, she was too happy to think of anything else. She thought about the promise that Jess made her promise to, and she knew that she was going to keep it. Rory suddenly heard a crash, and from there… everything went dark.
