Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season 2, especially some events in "Teach Me Tonight" and "Lorelai's Graduation Day".
Disclaimer: Most characters, places and shindigs belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino. Some characters are made ups. Title inspired by Nsync's "Falling".
Summary: Jess never came back from New York after the accident. 4 years later, the two run into each other again.
"Memory Lane"She was walking down the noisy streets of New York City, a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked up at the foggy sky, as a few strings of her curled hair got in her way and made her vision quite blurry. She stood in the spot and places her purse between her two feet, squeezing it between them. NYC, she knew, wasn't the safest place in the world, and it sure wasn't Stars Hollow. She tucked the hair behind her ear and bended down to pick up her purse. She slipped it back on her arm and kept walking.
-
He was sitting on the grass, under the shade of a tree, holding a book in his hand. He glanced up and looked around, frowning at the sight of the "Fresh Paint" signs on the benches. He looked down at his book. "How To Be Good" by Nick Hornby. The thing he liked the most about this book was its title. 'How To Be Good'. He never could answer that question. He couldn't even try.
He tried to read, he really did, but the weather got the best of him. Having his reading interfered by the movement of the pages wasn't exactly fun. He leaned back and closed the book, just before he quickly stood up. He placed the book inside the inner pocket of his jacket and took a deep breath. The air was filthy and he knew it. Smoke, grime, dust. But did he care? The air seemed clean. He never paid much attention to details, anyway. He slipped his hands into his jacket's pockets and started walking, not paying much attention to where he was going. He was doing what he always did – Trusting his intuition.
-
She just got off the subway. Even though it wasn't her favorite transportation motor, it was a unique experience. Yes, standing in a little place, crowded with people she had never met before was special for her. A smirk found it's way to her lips. It was quite amusing as she looked back and recalled that her first subway ride was in age 17.
It was a nice day. Well, at least the beginning of it. She let out a small sigh. It was the last time she saw him. Her smirk quickly disappeared just as the train came to a stop. She quickly got off the train and looked around. Another strange place. It was exciting, but it was also equally scary. She threw her empty coffee cup into a nearby garbage can and slipped her hand into her coat's pocket, pulling out a folded map. She opened it, trying to locate the station she just got off at. Once she found it, she folded the map and threw it in her purse. She looked up, looking for an exit, and made her way out.
-
He started walking faster as he felt drops of rain falling on his head. He didn't bring an umbrella. He never brought an umbrella.
He could see his destination coming closer and closer – A little bookstore called "Lazy Eye". It was quite amusing. And attracting. But what he loved the most about this store was that, no matter how big NYC was, this store was small and friendly. Not that he was looking for something small and friendly. He likes big and, well, vague. But there was something that always made him go there. He'd never admit it, but he like the atmosphere in there. It reminded him of a place where he used to live for a short while. He'd never admit it, but deep down, he really missed that place. And not only because of the atmosphere.
Letting out a sigh, he looked up and saw that he was standing near the entrance. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
-
It's been a while since she was at Stars Hollow. Her home. Not only because of her little trip, but also because of college. She had a lot of things to finish up before the holidays, and she barely had time to go back and visit her mom.
She was getting her 5th cup of coffee, as she smelt it. Rain. A small grin spreaded on her face, seconds before she paid for the coffee and kept walking. Soon enough, raindrops has found their way down. She slipped her hand in her purse and searched for her umbrella. God forbid, she can't let the rain destroy her curls. It took her hours to make her hair look like that. As she found the umbrella, she quickly opened it and held it above her head, and brought the coffee cup to her mouth, taking another sip of the hot liquid.
She didn't look around, but all of a sudden, something caught her attention. She looked up at the small, old-looking sign. "Lazy Eye". The name caused her to chuckle. She kept walking until she was just a few steps away from the entrance. She peeked through the dark shop window. The peek, followed by a small, excited gasp, made her realize what she was so attracted to –
Books. Lots of them. Also, it was small, quiet. Not big and crowded, like NYC seemed to her. The old but modern structure of the place, along with the humble but respectable selection of books reminded her of her home. She walked over to the door and pushed it open, a little startled of the shrieking sound the door made as it opened. She looked around, excited as a little girl in a candy store. She walked inside the store, going over the shelves, scanning it, book by book. Accept for the old guy who sat by the cashier and counted his dollar bills, there was only one more person inside the store. She grabbed a book that caught her eye and walked over to the guy, assuming that he worked there.
"Excuse me?" she asked, looking down at the book, "Do you have that one in paperback?"
-
He was a bit surprised as he heard the door open. This store wasn't exactly popular. Most people prefer the big and crowded. He assumed it was the old guy's old wife, bringing him the same egg and turkey sandwich she brings him almost every day. He kept looking through the books, reading pieces of the descriptions on the back. He was so concentrated in his reading that he ignored that fact that instead of hearing the old couple arguing over the amount of pickles in the sandwich, the only sound that was heard was footsteps. The sound of footsteps stopped, just as it gotten louder. Still reading a description, he was startled by a voice. A familiar voice. "Uh, sorry…" He started saying, placing the book back on a shelf, "I don't work here." He kept saying, as he turned to face the person.
-
Her eyes widened as the familiar voice echoed in her mind. She didn't even have time to think before he turned to her. She gasped in surprised. "Oh my god!" she called.
He looked at her, as shocked and surprised as she was. His mouth curved to a smile and his eyes lightened up as he saw the image standing in front of him.
"Rory?"
She returned the smile and practically threw the book back at the shelf. "Jess!" she called, just before wrapping her arms around him.
He felt his heart stop as she wrapped her arms around him. He returned the gesture and wrapped his arms around her. He was waiting for someone to pinch him. He was waiting for the moment when he'll wake up, alone.
But it never came.