A/N: I don't own Gilmore Girls. Also, I borrowed some dialogue from Here Comes The Son, but I twisted some parts. Thanks for reading!

It's funny, she mused as she stood on the roof, how life can change in an instant. The morning had started the same as most days - she got up, fed the dogs, made breakfast, had some coffee, and then went to work on the roof, which is where it all changed. She guessed it didn't matter if she was on the roof or in the house - whatever happens, happens, and elevation doesn't change that. So, with a fake smile plastered on her face to cover her shock, she made her way to the ground.

This didn't make any sense. But such was the life of Sasha Belington.

She rattled off dog names as if her life depended on it, concluding with "Jimmy's not here right now.", and hoped he wouldn't ask to come inside. She wanted him gone, wanted him out of her yard, out of the state, out of her life. But good manners took a hold of her and, gritting her teeth, she gestured for him to come inside.

"I'm going to try to track him down, so just wander." She rushed into the other room and grabbed the phone. Her slow, deep breaths did nothing to calm her racing heart, her sweaty palms.

"Hello?" Jimmy's casual voice came through, mixed with the typical California sounds. Chatter, clanking metal, wind, a hint of the waves.

"Jimmy, your son is here." A knot gripped her stomach.

"Hold on, Sash, I couldn't hear you. Group of teenagers just came through. You know how they are."

No, she didn't, really. Not from personal experience. Only from observation, and in the long run, what did that matter?

"Well, you're about to get one for yourself. Your son is here."

"Jess? But -" Jimmy paused. "Are you sure?"

"Unless there's another random kid claiming to be Jess Mariano, yeah, I'm pretty sure." The words snapped off her tongue.

"Wow, this is - Wow. Okay."

"I'm bringing him over there. We can talk about this later."

"Sash -"

She pressed end before he could say another word, stuck another smile on her face, and went to find Jess.

She found him in the library, staring at the open closet door. Lily didn't seem fazed by the interruption. For a moment, she allowed herself to smile, the sight of the startled teen and her pensive daughter being such a change from the normal household days.

"Did you get a hold of Jimmy?"

She blinked once before answering. "Yeah, I'll take you there now. Lil, Coco's gonna stay with you while I'm gone, okay?"

A nod from her book-enthralled daughter was all the response she got.

Jess was standing near one of the shelves, running his fingers over the rows of books.

One more glance around the room.

Jess looked up and met her eyes.

Another fake smile from her.

Steady eye contact from him, as if he was sizing her up, trying to decide if she would throw him out. Distrust lingered faintly in the corners of his eyes, and she couldn't help wondering how much of that was because of Jimmy.

She knew the past few years had been too easy. She should have trusted her instincts. Should have taken notice of the signs – the lowered eyelids, the murmurs, veiled warnings just begging to leap into the open. They had been more prevalent in the first year she had been seen with Jimmy. Now they were barely noticeable; an underlying current she usually managed to ignore. What have I gotten into now?

On the way to see Jimmy, she answered Jess' questions casually, giving details, but not offering any information as to how they came about. That, she knew from experience, was how things got messy, twisted until one had no idea which parts were true. Very few people could trust words alone.

Along the way, she stopped to mention things to various people she knew. "Ronnie, you have got to get that hole in your pocket sewed up. Today, drop it by my house. I'll do it for you if you don't have the time." She usually didn't do this. In fact, she found it rather rude. But Jess, with his manner of speaking suggesting he didn't usually hold long conversations, was dredging up an ever-growing lump in the pit of her stomach.

"I didn't know Jimmy had another kid."

"Lily? She's mine, not Jimmy's."

"Oh."

He would want details. People always did, whether they voiced the request or not. It would be easier to just give in now. "I was married for the longest minute and a half in the world before I came to my senses and ran for the hills. I got Lily, though, so I win." A forced chuckle followed, barely squeezing out of her throat. She had been married for the best two and a half years of her life.

"You and Jimmy had quite a talk, huh?"

"Yeah, well."

"Where are you from, Jess?"

"New York."

She was saved from answering by the hot dog stand coming into view. "Hey, Jimmy!"

He turned around, eyes widening as they landed on Jess. "Hey." His eyes flickered to Sasha. "You weren't kidding."

"Couldn't possibly have made this one up, Jimmy."

He turned back to Jess. "You just got here?"

"Just got here."

She barely held back a sigh. "So, Jess, I assume you'll be staying for dinner?"

His eyes went from her to Jimmy. "Oh, well…"

"Yeah, sure, stay. You'll stay. He'll stay. We'll get Abbott's, right?"

"Whatever you want. I have to go." She didn't miss the opening and closing of his mouth before she turned her away. She didn't look back.

A/N: Confession. I have an idea of where to go with this, but I this is basically all I have written. I don't know how long it will take me to finish this, or even get the next chapter up, but I really want to make something out of this. Sasha has always intrigued me, just from the few minutes we saw her in the show. The story will (probably) be mostly in her POV, but I might play with the other characters as well. I would love feedback on this - ideas, suggestions, anything! (Including whether it's even worth finishing...)