A/N- My first oneshot! Yay!

Summary- Takes place in Nick & Nora/Sid and Nancy. Rory meets Jess before the dinner at her house. She didn't get back together with Dean in season one. She gets a different first assignment on the paper. In this story Chris claimed to want to be apart of Rory's life, then he finds out Sherry's pregnant and leaves again somewhere towards the end of season one. Keep in mind this is my story and I made the characters a little more open, also I wasn't sure when Rory's birthday was so I picked a month.

Disclaimer- I borrowed some lines from Gilmore Girl and the novel, Unless by Carol Shields, I own neither.

Rory's POV

"So we were just finishing up handing out the first assignments. Rory, you will have the interview with the favorite teacher from last year." Paris said after glancing at her list.

I looked at her shocked, "Really?"

"Yeah you are one of our best writers."

"Thanks Paris."

"Okay everyone let's get to work." She dismissed. She approached me, "So you should go ahead and set up an interview with Mr. Medina."

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"He was voted favorite by a land slide. There isn't a problem is there?" she asked with an evil smile.

"No. No problem at all." I replied coldly.

Luke's

"Oh my god, I hate her!" I yelled coming into the dinner.

"Me too!"

"You have no idea who I'm talking about."

"Solidarity, sister!"

"Paris."

"That I should have guessed. What did she do now?" mom asked.

"She handed out first assignments for the paper and gave me an interview with last year's favorite teacher."

"What's bad about that?"

"Last years favorite teacher, Mr. Max Medina." I deadpanned. "She must have found out about you guys."

"How?"

"It's Paris."

"Oh, so what are you gonna do?"

"Interview him. I don't really have a choice."

"Sorry babe,"

"It's not your fault. I'm going home to start on my homework. You coming?" I asked.

"I have to go back to the inn for a little bit. Oh, we are having company tomorrow."

"Really? Who?"

"Luke and his nephew, Jess."

"Did you meet him? What's he like?" I questioned.

"Well, he's not gonna be subbing for the new dodo on the Regis show anytime soon. I'm going now, meet you back here at seven for dinner?" she said standing to leave.

"Okay, see you later mom." I stood also and headed back to our house. I got there and changed out of my school uniform, deciding to start my homework later I grabbed a book and headed back outside.

I wandered around town and ended up at the bridge. I sat and lay down on my back. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh fall air. I heard footsteps approaching but didn't open my eyes until they stopped beside me. Reluctantly I opened my eyes to see who had interrupted my peace. I saw a guy who appeared to be my age standing there smirking at me. He had dark brown hair that held a lot of gel but not enough to hide the natural curl. His eyes reminded me of coffee, and he had some stubble but he didn't look unkempt, he looked good. Really good.

"Yes?" I said raising an eyebrow.

He didn't answer instead his eyes traveled to the book in my hand when he saw it he let out a slight laugh. I was confused, not that I minded the sound of his laugh, it was quiet, some might not even consider it a laugh but it matched the amusement in his eyes.

"What?"

He pulled a book from his back pocket and sat down next to me before showing me the cover. It was the same book that was in my hand, Unless.

"Good book." He commented.

"Yeah," I agreed sitting up. "I'm Rory."

"Jess." He offered.

"Luke's nephew?" I asked.

He didn't answer but nodded.

"You guy's are coming over for dinner. I'm Lorelai's daughter."

"I figured, you look like her and according to Luke, 'you're a lot like her but you have a slightly greater grasp on reality'." He said smirking.

"My mother is a bit…eccentric. But Luke is completely in love with her." I told him.

"I can tell, when he told me we were going to your house for dinner he acted like he was telling me your mother proposed."

"Everyone can tell except for mom. She's completely oblivious to it." I sighed.

"So it's just you and your mom?" he asked looking at me.

I nodded.

"Where's your dad?"

"Boston. With his new family, he has a girlfriend and a daughter on the way. He came back over the summer and claimed he wanted to finally be a part of my life then he found out his girlfriend was pregnant and ran back to Boston. I haven't heard from him since." I said bitterly.

"Sorry." He said softly.

I shrugged, "There's nothing you can do, there's nothing I can do. It's his problem. It took me years to except that. He would miss birthdays and holidays and I would wonder what I had done to make him not love me. Once when I was seven he showed up in May, he thought it was my birthday. My birthday's in October. I cried myself to sleep for months after that."

"When I was born my dad went out to get diapers and never came back. When I was a kid my mom always told me how much he loved me and that he would come home soon. I believed her until I answered the phone one day it was him. I asked him when he was coming home and he said he wasn't. It was no big deal to him, he didn't care that he had just broken my heart." He looked out at the water as he spoke.

"Sorry." I said just as softly as he had. I reached out and took his hand in mine intertwining our fingers. He looked at me sideways and smiled slightly. We had been sitting in a comfortable silence for a while when I spoke, "Hey Jess,"

"Yeah?"

"Read to me?"

He smirked and opened his book to the beginning. I released his hand and shifted so my head was on his lap. "It happens that I am going through a period of great unhappiness and loss just now. All my life I've heard people speak of finding themselves in acute pain, bankrupt in spirit and body, but I've never understood what they meant. To lose. To have lost." He read his voice soft. I felt my eyes drifting shut and when he paused, I heard his soft laugh again. He shut the book and gently shook my shoulder. "Rory you can't sleep here. Come on I'll walk you home."

I sat up slowly and looked at him sleepily, "Okay."

We stood and made our way slowly to my house. When we got to the front door I faced him, "You want to come in? I have homework but, you can read until I finish."

"Okay," he agreed and followed me into the house.

"You want a soda?"

"Sure."

I took two cokes' out of the fridge and handed him one. I walked into my room and sat at my desk to start my homework. He followed and sat down on my bed his back leaning against the pillows and his legs crossed at his ankles. He opened his book and sat quietly while I did my homework. An hour later I had finished and glanced at the clock it was six forty-five. I stood and he looked up from his book.

"I'm meeting my mom at Luke's for dinner at seven."

He nodded and we walked out of the house, we chatted idly on the way to Luke's. When we got there I mom wasn't there so I approached the counter and sat, Jess sat next to me we were talking about Unless when Luke came out of the kitchen.

He looked at us strangely before speaking, "Rory your mom called there's a group coming in at nine and Michel is taking his dog's to doggie yoga so she has to stay there. She said she will be home around ten."

"Okay,"

"You want something to eat?" he asked.

"Burger, fries and a coke please."

"Jess?"

"Same." Jess replied.

Luke walked off and we continued our discussion of books, I was surprised to find Jess had read just as much as I had, if not more. I went to sleep that night feeling content, I had never met anyone that shared my love of books and it was great that I finally had!

A/N- For now just a oneshot, may develop into something later. Please review and let me know what you think!