This started off as a one shot for Kiss Me Fool, but my muse rebelled. In that light, I've decided to make this multiple chapters. Don't worry, I'm not ignoring the rest of my works. You'll see chapters for each up by Christmas.
This is an alternate universe fic. Jess was sent to live with Luke when he was eight years old. Because of that, parts of his personality are different. Keep that in mind. Rory and Jess are both sophomores at Chilton. They are not together, just friends. I know exactly where this fic is going.
Disclaimer: It's too late [early? to be witty. Let's just say I own nada.
"Look at them. It's like he's trying to get something off her face." Rory cringed as she poured syrup over her stack of pancakes.
Lorelai looked out the window at the two teens making out in the gazebo. "What's wrong with Jess having a little girlfriend?" she asked as she drained her coffee mug.
Rory made a face. "Nothing. It's just...uh. Some of us are trying to eat here."
As the elder Gilmore took a bite of her own pancakes, she smirked at her daughter. "And to think, we always imagined that you would be the one little Jesse would be corrupting."
Grumbling both to herself and aloud, Rory looked up from her breakfast. "Not helping Mom. Really, not helping."
"It's not like you have the hots for Jess or anything."
Rory gave her a blank stare. "Of course not," she finally said. "Why would I?"
"Because it's Jess," Lorelai said, as if it were as obvious to Rory as it was to her.
Rory shifted her weight in the chair.
"Oh my God! You have the hots for Jess!" Lorelai exclaimed.
Rory, while in mid-sip, spit her coffee out. Sputtering, she scurried to clean up her mess. "Could you say it any louder?" she snapped.
"Rory and Jess, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Rory with a baby carriage!" Lorelai sang under her breath, making it so only Rory could hear her.
Hurriedly, Rory looked around to make sure no one was within an ear shot of her mother. When she was satisfied that there was nobody around, Rory smacked Lorelai's arm.
Lorelai pouted. "Don't hurt Momma."
"Ugh. I need to catch my bus." Rory downed the rest of her coffee and proceeded to grab the to-go cup Luke had set out for her.
"Bye Sweets!" Lorelai yelled after her, not even questioning why she wasn't grabbing a ride with Jess. Rory winced, gave her mother a weak smile and headed out the door.
As she swung the door open, Jess caught it from the other side. "What's up doc?" he asked slyly.
Rory cocked her head to the side. "What's up with Miss White Trash trying to eat your face off?"
Jess scowled. "Rory, it's nothing."
"Yeah. Okay," she said, a nonchalant tone creeping into her words. Rory didn't look back at Jess, and instead started to walk to the bus stop. Pausing slightly when she heard the jingle of keys, Rory turned around to face Jess.
"What? No company today?" he asked, taken aback.
Rory sighed as Jess adjusted his backpack on his right shoulder. "Only if you let me tie your tie the right way."
Jess glanced down at the tie draped around his neck. "What's wrong with it?"
Rolling her eyes in frustration, Rory grabbed Jess by his blazer and dragged him along. "Come on, we have to leave now."
The two friends got into the beat up car and Jess revved the engine. Rory turned on the CD player and inserted London Calling.
"So who is she?" Rory asked tentatively.
"Her name is Shane," Jess said, not taking his eyes off the road.
"As in "come back"?"
"That offends her."
"She grasps that much?" Rory asked, gasping.
Jess shook his head. "Rory, you know it isn't serious." She didn't respond. "It's never serious."
The Guns of Brixton ended, so Rory ejected the CD in favor of another one. Whenever Jess wanted to talk about girls, she always quieted down. As Master of Puppets filled the car, Rory twirled The Clash CD around in the case.
"Fidgety today?" Jess asked.
"No. Just not enough coffee." Rory picked up the Luke's to-go cup and took a long drink of the bitter liquid. "And not enough patience to deal with Paris today."
"Is there ever enough patience?" Jess snorted. "It's Paris."
Rory sighed. "I don't understand why you won't write for the paper."
Jess scoffed. "I barely have enough time to do all the work they dump on us."
"But you're such a good writer..."
"You've never read anything I've written."
"That's not true!" Rory turned the volume down on the stereo. "I've proofread your essays."
"Essays aren't articles. Besides, I hate the paper. And Paris, who is the paper." Jess honked at the person in front of him. "Looking for a different shade of green? Christ's sake."
"Forget it. This is useless."
"And yet we go through this every morning..." Jess rolled his eyes.
Rory giggled. "What can I say? We've been friends for too long."
"Huh. Is that it?" Jess pulled into his usual parking space and spied a blonde heading toward them.
"GILMORE!"
"Jeez. I can't escape this chick." Jess attempted to hide in the driver's seat as Rory let herself out of the car.
"Paris..."
"You have responsibilities!"
Rory sighed, knowing where this was going.
"I needed all the articles this morning! But Gilmore, you were nowhere to be found!"
"Paris, the articles aren't due until this afternoon."
"I changed my mind! You'd know that if you were early! But you were slacking off with Mariano over here. I'm disgusted with you." Paris folded her arms across her chest and Jess climbed out of the car.
Rory dug through her bag and produced a folder with a Hello Kitty sticker on it. "Here's your article, Paris."
Paris snatched the article from Rory's grasp. "Fine. But don't expect it on the first page!" Article in hand, Paris stalked off the parking lot.
"Well, that was pleasant."
"How was school?" Lorelai asked.
"Paris. Need I say more?" Rory sighed as she took a long, grateful gulp of the coffee Lorelai had just handed her.
"Enough said. How's Jess?"
"No comment." Rory placed the mug back on the table.
"You stopped yapping long enough to know what you want?" Luke asked gruffly.
"Burger and fries...with a side of fries. Ooh! And coffee." Lorelai smiled devilishly.
"Same," Rory said, not bothering to reiterate.
"Two plates of death coming right up."
For a moment, both Gilmores sipped their coffee as they anticipated their meals. Neither said anything, and Rory liked it that way. She didn't need her mother teasing her about her longtime childhood friend. That's all Jess was and would ever be, right? Of course. She and Jess had been friends since Liz had dumped him in Stars Hollow when he was eight years old. Essentially, they had grown up together. In a way, Jess was almost like her big brother; a dark haired, absolutely adorable brother, but a brother all the same. Nothing would ever change between them, and Rory knew that.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Jess asked as he set down their heaping plates of burgers and fries.
Rory looked up in surprise. "That's all I'm worth to you?"
Jess dug his wallet out his pocket and tossed it to her. "See how much cash is in there!" he shouted as went to grab an order of the counter.
Tentatively, Rory flipped open the wallet. There were several crisp bills in there. She looked up at Jess questioningly as he rounded their table. He didn't look back, but paused as she lifted the flap in front of his picture holder. "You've got pictures of us in your wallet?" Rory asked.
Jess shrugged. "Huh. Guess so." He took the wallet from her hands and sorted through the money. As he fanned the bills out in front of her face, she smiled. "Rory Gilmore, that's how much you're worth." Pocketing the wallet as he sauntered away, quite pleased with himself, Jess couldn't help but overhear:
"Rory and Jess, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage..."