A/N: Wow. First attempt in years at writing a chapter fic. It's going to be a long and grueling process for me. I work seven days a week so please bare with me on updates. I would like to put up a chapter a week if at all possible. Along with working everyday I also take care of my niece at least two nights a week. She is my life, the air I breathe. She's the reason I get out of bed everyday and force myself to work. My lord I could go on and on. But the point is, I need this as an outlet. I do this for fun and to help hone my writing skills. Please leave any feedback you may have!

Oh, and a huge thank you to Mr. James Harold Potter for all her encouragement and feedback for this story! It means oh so much to me :)

A little background for this fic: I plan to rewrite the series starting at Nick & Nora, Sid & Nancy and onward. Up until that episode everything is canon, but I plan to change much of what happens afterward. This will be an eventual (ASAP) Literati all the way with splashes (waves) of JJ in there.

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

On with the story...

–

Chapter One: Bail

Lorelai stood in her kitchen watching the craziness happening around her as Sookie and Jackson flew about the kitchen making an assortment of food fit for an entire kingdom. She really should have known when she asked Sookie to cook tonight that she would go over the top with her spread. She kept talking about what Jess could or could not like to eat. As she watched them banter back and fourth she realized that Rory had not yet come out of her room. She sauntered over to her doorway and knocked on the frame.

"Hey, you joining the festivities?" She asked brightly, smiling at her only daughter studying at her desk.

Rory answered shorty, but did not turn to look at her mother. "In a sec."

"You sound crabby."

"I'm concentrating."

"Okay, don't concentrate too hard. Boys like 'em dumb, right Jackson?"

It was an amazement to watch their back and fourth. The way they could have a rapid fire conversation without a second guess as to what would come out next. A mother/daughter thing only they could understand or achieve.

"If you can navigate yourself around a tree, keep on walking," Jackson replied whilst working around Sookie, making sure she didn't burn herself or the food in her process.

Next thing Lorelai knew there was a knock at the front door and she went to answer it quickly. "Coming!" She called out to her visitors at the front door as she vaguely heard Sookie question Jess' take on dairy. She shook her head at her friend's antics and yanked the door open to see Luke and Jess. "Hey, perfect timing. Sookie's about to break her own record for the most food served outside the Roman Empire," Lorelai joked.

Luke adjusted his baseball cap and gave her a half smile out of nervousness, "Sounds great," he said sincerely.

"Sure does," Jess intoned, sarcasm dripping off his every word.

Jess wondered off into the living room as Luke and Lorelai talked in hush tones, surely about him, in the hallway. He walked by the mantel looking at the pictures up and down it, spotting one of Lorelai and who he could only assume to be her daughter. She was beautiful in the innocent, girl-next-door, small town type of way and for some unknown reason, Jess felt his chest tighten for half a second before Lorelai called him into the kitchen. He shook off the feeling in his chest and followed her silently beside Luke into the quaint kitchen.

"Sookie, Jackson, I want you to meet Luke's nephew. This is Jess," Lorelai introduced with a polite smile on her lips.

"Do you eat cheese?" Sookie asked as a greeting in typical Sookie fashion.

"What?" Jess spat, clearly confused as Luke stood beside him anxiously.

Jackson droned on about some type of special lemon which Jess promptly tuned out as he heard Lorelai tell her daughter that he and Luke were there. He turned towards her room and walked inside without being invited while the crazy people in the kitchen continued on about that damn lemon. He casually walked towards her bookcase, scanning the titles.

"Hey," Rory greeted him politely.

He glanced at her in what he hoped was a nonchalant way as he looked her over, eyes scanning what he could see of her quickly before she noticed. But then he reached her eyes. He met them for a brief moment and looked away quickly. He had never seen eyes that shade of blue. They were electric, yet pure—so pure.

"Hey."

"I'm Rory," she tried again to engage him in more than one syllable.

"Yeah, I figured," he said with little interest as he continued to peruse her books titles, slowly becoming more and more impressed with her collection. He grimaced slightly as he saw her copy of The Fountainhead, but continued.

"Nice to meet you." Yes, definitely the innocent, girl-next-door type of girl for sure. Why was she still being nice to him?

He decided to bypass that sentiment and finally voiced his primary thought upon entering her room. "Wow, aren't we hooked on phonics," he declared in fluent sarcasm as usual.

He turned to look at her as she answered and watched her eyes light up at the mention of her books. If it was possible, her eyes looked even more electric than they had a moment ago. Damn.

"Oh, I read a lot. Do you read?" Rory asked him excitedly.

Jess slipped a book off the shelf and turned it over to the back cover. "Not much."

"You could borrow that if you like. It's great," she encouraged, finally standing to move to the kitchen.

He looked back down at the book, Howl, as it may be and quirked an eyebrow thinking about this purely innocent girl reading Ginsberg. He smirked crookedly and set it down on the corner of her dresser before replying, "No thanks."

"Well if you change your mind..." Rory wheedled uselessly as Lorelai stuck her head in the door frame.

"Okay, we really need to get Jackson away from the lemons, so we're moving the feast to the living room," she quipped then backed out and started to carry some food out into the living room.

As Rory turned to reply to her mother, "Be right there," Jess quickly slipped her copy of Howl into his back pocket before she turned back to him. He walked towards her window and turned back to her.

"So, do these open?" He asked her and had to hold back a full-blown smirk at her confused features.

"Oh yeah, you just have to unlatch them and then push," she answered dumbly.

"Great. Shall we?" He inquired seriously. Did Luke think he was actually going to sit through this freak show of a dinner?

"Shall we what?"

"Bail."

"No," Rory said immediately, aghast that he would suggest such a thing when Sookie slaved over this food all afternoon. Then she thought better of it and tried to reason why he would want to bail. He didn't know any of these people, he probably didn't want to come to Stars Hollow in the first place, and she had no idea what kind of life he lived in New York. That was where he was from, right? She thought so, but wasn't completely sure. Either way, she could see why he may not want to be at this dinner.

"Why not?" Jess questioned her, wanting to see just how far he could push this girl. How innocent was she really?

Rory blushed lightly and tugged on the hem of her shirt. "Uh, I—I just need to, you know, get my coat. It's cold outside."

Apparently not as innocent as he had originally thought.

When Jess simply nodded she scurried out of her room and into the living room. She leaned down beside her mom quickly and whispered to her. "Mom, Jess and I are going to go for a walk. I know what you're going to say but just imagine how you would feel being forced to go to a town you've never heard of with an uncle who hardly know and then be forced to eat dinner with a bunch of people who you know even less. Would you stay?"

Lorelai smiled sweetly at her daughter's rambling and leaned up to kiss her cheek. "We'll save you plates for when you come back. Be good. Don't do anything you wouldn't do." She winked with a grin that could compete with a Cheshire cat.

Rory rolled her eyes playfully and kissed her mom on the head before grabbing her coat and going back to her room. As she left she heard Sookie asking her mom where she was going, but Lorelai just shushed her and continued the conversation that was previously being held.

Rory pulled her coat on as she walked into her room. She smiled softly as he offered her to go out the window first. "You know, we could use the back door. We don't actually have to climb out the window." Rory reasoned, but still began to climb out.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Jess smirked and quickly climbed out behind her.

–

They were walking around the town square with their hands held behind their backs respectively. As Rory had told him on the way out, nothing was open and the town was deserted. Not that he seemed to care—he seemed perfectly content with the silence that consumed them. He must not have been aware of a Gilmore's need to talk.

"So," Rory started, walking up to the gazebo and sitting down on the bench, "you're from New York, right?"

Jess gave her sidelong glance and nodded, "Yup."

"Clearly talkative," she muttered, biting her lip and looking away from him.

He bumped her shoulder with his own and motioned with his head for her to follow him. She sighed quietly to herself and followed behind him, her arms crossed against her chest. He looked back and stopped, waiting for her to catch up. She quickened her steps until she was beside him and looked ahead of them to try and find out where they were going. As they started on the dirt path she knew exactly where they were headed and was surprised he knew of this place.

"How did you find this bridge? I've never known anyone to come here except me," Rory told him happily, jogging ahead of him to the middle of the bridge. "I come out here for hours in the summer to read. It's like my own personal sanctuary."

Jess shrugged and sat beside her, letting his feet hang over the edge. "Only place in town there wasn't a bunch of happy freaks walking around." He darted his eyes to the water and looked down at his shoes.

"What about me? I'm not a happy freak?" She teased him, bumping his shoulder with hers.

He shook his head, smirking devilishly, "No, you're the most normal person I've met."

"Well that's saying something, isn't it?" She said, biting her lip and standing up. She held her hand out to him, "Come on, Mom saved us plates and I'm sure Sookie and Jackson have left by now. We can eat dinner on the porch."

Jess looked at her outstretched hand and weighed his options. Going back to the house with Rory felt a bit like defeat; on the other hand, he had gotten this innocent school girl to bail with him which was a victory in and of itself (even if she had told her mom first). She flicked his eyes to hers and grabbed her hand. She smiled and pulled him, stumbling a bit from not only his extra weight, but her complete and total lack of athleticism. He grabbed her around the waist to settle her and stop them both from falling into the water beneath. A blush rose almost instantly from her neck, spreading to her cheeks in a matter of seconds. She dropped her eyes from his intense gaze and bit her lip as he pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She stepped back from his arms and instantly clasped her hands behind her back. She finally dared to look up at him, her cheeks still rosy.

She shook her head, "I'm such a clutz." She kicked at the bridge with the toe of her shoe.

Jess shrugged, a huge smirk splitting his face, "S'okay," he said, following as she spun on her heel and headed back towards her house.

Jess shook his head as he followed her. All he could think about was the rosiness of her cheeks as his fingers brushed her forehead. If he was home he would have taken her right there on that bridge. No problem. No regret. Somehow, Jess could feel that this girl was different. He was attracted to her on more than a physical level. Just looking at her book collection turned him on. He couldn't imagine how he would feel actually discussing them with her. He smirked and jogged to catch up with her, bumping his arm against hers. She looked sideways at him and smiled shyly. Huh, maybe this town wouldn't be as bad as he originally thought.

–

A/N: OH. MY. GOD. I finished it. I actually finished the first chapter. From an author's perspective, it's gravy from here as long as I know where I'm going. So, please be patient with me. I am open to any and all suggestions/criticisms and everything in between. It's been a long time since I started a chapter fic so this will be interesting. I'll have to get used to the swing of things. Review! Let me know what you think!

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