Safe
Ok, so imagine if Jess had come to stars Hollow sooner. Say ten years sooner. He wasn't such an angry teenager and he liked living in Stars Hollow with Luke. He and Rory never dated and they had grown up more like brother and sister. What if he and Lorelai, although had their differences at times, got along and she was like a mother to him; How would things turn out when tragedy strikes?
Chapter One
"Oh come on, it was way better" Rory told her mother. "No, the second was better" Lorelai explained to her. After the bickering had stopped they both looked up long enough to realise that Jess was standing in front of them waiting to take their order.
"Finally" he mumbled. "Sorry?" Lorelai asked. He sighed and said "Luke is out of town with Nicole and I'm here on my own and Ceaser is on a go slow and the diner is packed and you two are taking forever to order", he huffed at the end of his speech.
Lorelai looked at him and said "would you like some help?" He shook his head and said "No, if Luke found out he'd kill me". Lorelai smiled and said "No he won't, he won't mind, you look like you're about to explode or pass out, neither of which I wanna see happen; at least let me and Rory help with the early morning rush".
He thought for a second and said "what's it gonna cost me?" Lorelai smiled and said "unlimited coffee for the rest of the week and I don't have to pay". He scoffed and said "you don't pay any way". She just stared up at him. "Fine" he mumbled.
Her and Rory both got up and started to help around the diner, while Jess took orders, Rory cleaned the used tables and Lorelai was washing up.
All of a sudden, the phone rang. Jess stomped over to it and picked it up. "Luke's" he answered. "Hello, is a Mr Jess Mariano there?" Jess wondered who would be asking for him, it was the summer holidays so it wasn't the school and he had spoken to his mother only a few nights ago.
"Yeah this is he" he answered still curious. "I'm calling from Hartford Memorial Hospital. Is Luke Danes your uncle?" Jess stood there and suddenly felt cold. "Yeah he is; is something wrong" he asked.
"I'm afraid your uncle has been in a car accident, would you be able to come to the hospital". Jess began to shake slightly. "Is he ok" he asked. "Please if you could come to the hospital, we would be able to explain then". "Just tell me now, is he ok?" he shouted. Everyone in the diner looked over at him and wondered what was going on.
Lorelai and Rory walked over to him. "Um, I'm afraid your uncle was killed, his injuries were too severe". Jess suddenly felt sick. His legs felt numb and he fell to the floor dropping the phone next to him. He slowly began to rock backwards and forwards, something he used to do as a child if he was hurt or upset. Rory knew this and it worried her when she suddenly saw him drop and begin to move like that.
She immediately went and kneeled next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly but he didn't look up at her.
Lorelai picked up the phone and said "Hello, who is this?". The women on the phone explained what had happened. Lorelai put the phone down and began to cry immediately.
Rory stood up and said "mom, what's wrong"? Lorelai looked at her and mumbled "Luke, he was in an accident, he didn't make it" Rory grabbed onto her mother and sobbed onto her shoulder. They both bent down on their knees and hugged Jess who just sat there staring in front of him, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
Without any thought he put his head on Lorelai's shoulder and began to sob into it. She grabbed him and hugged him tight. She could feel him shaking in the hug. It was at that moment that she realised everyone in the diner was watching.
"Um, I have some bad news" Lorelai managed to say as she stood up. "Luke, he, he was in an accident" everyone in the diner gasped. "He, he, he died earlier tonight". At hearing her announce it and hearing again that Luke was gone Rory and Jess squeezed each other harder and sobbed some more.
Lorelai asked everyone to leave and went and sat back down by her daughter and the distraught boy in her arms. After a while she said "Come on, your both coming home with me". They got ready and headed over to the Gilmore house.
As they were walking over, Taylor came out of Dose's and over to the group. "Is is true Lorelai, is Luke...?" he was cut off as Jess spun around and threw up the water he had drunk earlier.
Rory stood over Jess rubbing his back as he wretched, his empty stomach cramping every time he did. Lorelai went over to him and did the same as Rory. She looked at Taylor and said "yes it's true, I'm sorry but we have to go, I have to get the kids home". He nodded and they set off again keeping a close eye on Jess.
When they arrived at the crap shack, Lorelai walked in first, she guided both the teenagers to the couch where she sat them down and just hugged them. Jess, who was normally his rebellious self, didn't fight anything Lorelai or Rory did. He accepted their hugs and freely cried in front of them. Both new that obviously they were closer to him then they thought.
Lorelai sat in the middle of the teenagers on the couch, both resting their heads on her shoulders they all fell asleep.
After a while Rory woke up, she sat up and stretched. Lorelai woke up soon after and told Rory to wait for her in the kitchen. She gently laid a still asleep Jess down and covered him with a blanket. She stroked his face and went to meet her daughter in the kitchen.
"Hey" Rory said greeting her mother with a big hug. Lorelai sighed and sat at the kitchen table with her daughter. Both sat in silence for a while. "Where is Jess gonna go?" Rory asked. Lorelai looked at her and said "I don't know".
The next morning, Lorelai woke up early and went downstairs. Jess was still snuggled up on the couch sound asleep. She walked into Rory's room and gently woke her up. "Hey, you ok sweets?" she asked her daughter. Rory nodded but then shook her head. She looked down and said "Luke was like a dad to me mom, when dad wasn't here Luke always was, I feel like I've lost my father". Lorelai hugged her daughter and tried to fight the tears.
Jess began to stir on the couch. He sat up and stretched and looked around for either of the Gilmore's. He got up and went to the kitchen. He got himself a glass of water then went back into the front room. Rory and Lorelai appeared in the front room shortly after and sat next to Jess on the couch.
As they sat there in silence, the phone rang and made them all jump. Lorelai got up and went to answer the phone while Jess laid his head on Rory's shoulder.
"Hello" Lorelai answered. "Hello is this Ms Lorelai Gilmore?" she paused for a minute and said "yes", she waited and the voice said "hello I'm Mr Doil; I was Mr Danes' attorney, I'm very sorry to hear of your loss". She stood there wondering why he was calling. He continued "I was wondering if you could come by my office later today, there is something in Mr Danes' will that I need to discuss with you?" She paused and said "um, ok".
She went into the front room after and looked at the two teenagers. "Hey guys, I need to go out for a bit, I want you both to stay here as to avoid everyone out there ok". They both nodded and she got ready to leave.
While she was gone Rory and Jess just laid in each other's laps hugging and sleeping mostly.
Lorelai walked into the big building she was asked to go to and went to the main desk. "Um, hi, I have an appointment with Mr Doil". The receptionist told her what floor he was on and sent her up.
She knocked on his door and went in. "Hi, I'm Lorelai Gilmore" she said. He shook her hand and sat her down. "Ok Ms Gilmore, I understand that Mr Danes had custody of his nephew, a Mr Jess Mariano, is that correct" Lorelai nodded. "Ok well it seems that when Mr Danes signed custody papers for Mr Mariano, it stated that Mr Mariano was not to go back to his mother; a Ms Elizabeth Danes due to neglect" Lorelai nodded again trying to get where he was going.
"Well Mr Danes was asked to put a name forward so that in the event of an accident or this unfortunate event, Mr Mariano would have a secure place to live and not become a ward of the state" she nodded again. "Mr Danes has put your name down as the soul carer of Mr Mariano". She stared at him blankly and said "What, oh, um, okay". He looked at her and said "you are under no obligation to say yes, you can refuse if you would like it's all up to you?" Again she nodded.
She looked at him and said "Could I have a minute?" she smiled faintly. He nodded and she stepped outside to clear her head and think straight. She sat down and thought about what she was going to do.
Immediately she got out her cell phone and called Rory. "Hello" Rory answered. "Ahh, Rory, it's me, I need to talk to you about something". Rory agreed to listen. "Ok, so this lawyer of Luke's called me this morning and asked to see me so I came and he has just told me that Luke put my name down to be the sole carer of Jess if he were to, 'ya no' and now Luke has, 'ya no', and that means that Jess is mine, if I refuse to take him in then he becomes like, an orphan, what should I do?".
Rory took a moment to process it all and said "Why don't you talk to Jess, I mean it's up to him really, what if he doesn't wanna stay with us?". Lorelai agreed and asked her daughter to put Jess on the phone.
"Hello" he answered almost a whisper, he had obviously been crying again, "Hey sweetie, how you holding up?" Lorelai asked. "I feel numb" he said. It broke Lorelai's heart, she never got on with him but when he was not being stubborn and rude he was a great kid.
"Aww sweetie, look, I have to ask you something ok, and I need you to not jump to conclusions or put your defensive walls up, I just want a straight answer, ok?", "Ok" he said.
"Ok, Luke has written on your custody forms that if anything were to happen to him and seeing as you can't go back to your mom that I become your soul carer. Now, if you don't want to then you become a ward of the state, but it's up to you hunny, if you want to go then it's your choice but if you decide to stay with me and Rory you won't regret it. I promise." She waited for a response, eventually he mumbled "Do you want me to stay? I mean if I do I have to live in your house, and I'm not a morning person and I leave books everywhere" he said.
Lorelai smiled slightly and said "Well I guess I have to get used to books everywhere then". They both smiled.
She walked back into the office, plonked herself in the chair and said "I'll take him" she smiled as did Mr Doil. She signed the forms and walked out happy considering.
She walked into the Gilmore now Gilmore/Mariano house and went straight to the kitchen to get herself some coffee. Jess walked in and over to her. "You ok sweets?" she asked. He nodded and then said "Lorelai, I just wanted to say thank you, for everything" She looked kind of shocked. "Ya no kid, when you first came to Stars Hollow, I gotta admit, I wasn't keen on you, but what can I say, in the last few years you grew on me" she smiled and he went slightly red.
All of a sudden, Jess looked pale and said "My mom, I forgot to call my mom", Lorelai grabbed his shoulders and said "I already did, she was sad, but unfortunately she wasn't sad enough to come back, she isn't coming to Stars Hollow".
Jess felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He knew his mom was a low form of human life but not this low. He nodded slightly then dropped himself onto a kitchen chair. Lorelai sat next to him and said "I really don't wanna ask this, but, did Luke ever mention, um, like, burial/cremation to you?" she looked nervous as she waited for his reply.
"He said he wanted to be buried next to his dad, it's a double plot so they can be buried side by side" he explained. She nodded. "Ok, well you go and sit with Rory, I'm um, gonna start making plans ok". He nodded, gave a weak smile and went and sat next to Rory who immediately pulled him into a hug.
She smiled slightly at the sight but it soon dropped when she realised what she now had to do, plan a funeral for one of her closest friends.
After a long day, Lorelai walked into the front room to find the teens sprawled out on the couch watching and old black and white movie. She tapped Rory on the legs to move them and she sat in-between them.
"I'm hungry" Lorelai said. "Me too" Jess answered. "Me three" Rory added. "Let's go to Lu..." Lorelai started then realised what she was saying. Both teens looked at the floor. She felt awkward.
"How about Sandeep's"? Rory asked. Jess and Lorelai scrunched their noses. "No, the smell will be in here for days" Lorelai said. "Chinese?" she asked. Both teens nodded. "Oh wait, we can't" Lorelai gasped. Both teenagers looked at her with wondering eyes.
"Why not"? Jess asked. Lorelai then added "Because out there, there are people, people of Stars Hollow". Jess looked at her then at Rory and said "I'm up for a walk if you two are; I don't wanna go out by myself".
They both nodded and smiled. They got ready and headed over to Al's. On the way there they were not ambushed by anybody so they were hoping that it would be the same on the way home.
On the way back they were in the middle of a conversation when Jess suddenly got pulled to one side.
When Rory and Lorelai turned they found Jess being hugged to death my Miss Patty. He eventually wriggled free from her clutches and went and stood behind the Gilmore Girls.
"Such a tragedy" Patty stated. Then she looked over at Jess and said "Oh hunny, were gonna miss you around here" Rory looked confused at her sudden outburst. "Oh Jess isn't going anywhere Patty, he's staying here" she smiled. Patty looked at her shocked.
"Oh, but who will look after him now that...?" Lorelai cut in, "Me, I have custody of him now Patty, he is going to live with me and Rory". Patty nodded slightly "But, what about his mother, I'm sure she would...?", with that last comment Jess spoke up and said "Lorelai is my mother now, I always kinda thought of her as one before only now it's legal" he said smiling. Rory smiled too. "Yeah" Lorelai agreed "He's like the son I never had but always wanted". Patty nodded again shocked, her chin nearly touching the floor.
"Well, we better be going food is getting cold" Rory said. They all said goodbye and began to walk. Jess kept quiet, embarrassed that he spoke his feelings aloud, however Rory and Lorelai were over joyed at his comment. Lorelai felt kind of honoured that he thought of her in that way.
They reached the house and stumbled in. They headed to the kitchen and began to serve the food. After dishing it up they headed into the front room and chose a movie to watch. Lorelai watched the film from behind a cushion as it scared her. Rory began to drift asleep on one side of the couch and Jess was already out like a light on the other.
After the movie Lorelai walked Rory to her room and said, "Tomorrow we need to clean up the guest room so Jess can have it as a bedroom". Rory nodded and plonked herself into bed falling straight to sleep.
Lorelai got a blanket and went back into the front room where she covered Jess up. She bent down and kissed him on the forehead. As she walked away she heard him mumble "thank you mom". She walked up the stairs with a beaming smile.
The next day had gone quick; all three of them worked hard at clearing out the spare room and decided how to decorate it for it to be Jess's room. It was nearly seven and they headed downstairs to decide what to have for dinner.
All of a sudden the phone rang. They wondered who it could be seeing as they were all there and they only ever used to call each other.
"Hello" Lorelai answered. "Lorelai, where are you, your father and I are waiting for you and Rory?" Lorelai covered the mouth piece with her hand and said "Oh my God, it's Friday. We missed dinner with the grandparents". Rory looked shocked for a second but then, once she thought about it, she honestly didn't care and after a second Lorelai realised she didn't either.
"Sorry mom" there was silence. "Is that all you have to say. Where are you, are you sick, is Rory?" Emily asked. "No" Lorelai answered quietly. "Well then why arnt you here?" her mother asked loudly. "Because, we couldn't make it tonight mom"!
Emily was quiet at her end until she said "So, what's the reason that you're not here?" Lorelai walked into the kitchen and said "Because...because our friend Luke was in an accident mom". Emily was still quiet. "He died mom, that's why we're not there, and Jess needs us". Emily suddenly yelled "Jess, you didn't come to dinner because of the hoodlum, the boy that broke your daughter's wrist. I thought you were better than that Lorelai". Lorelai began to get angrier by the second when all of a sudden she exploded.
"How dare you, Luke was our friend mom, he was like a father to Jess and he was like a father to Rory, he was one of my closest friends and now he's gone. I'm not going to let you make me feel bad for not coming to dinner when were all grieving. His funeral is next Tuesday, so you will still see us all next Friday ok". Silence; Lorelai just huffed at her mother's ignorance.
"What do you mean all of you, you do mean just you and Rory don't you?" Emily asked. Lorelai took a deep breath and said "No, Jess is coming also, he, he is staying with me and Rory". Emily snickered and said "for how long?". Lorelai answered with a smile "Indefinitely, he's moving in with us".
Lorelai swore she could feel the phone heat up from her mother's rage searing down the phone. "Are you insane Lorelai, you can't just let some boy, especially that boy live in your house. I forbid it". Lorelai giggled a little and replied "Well, sorry mom but he isn't going anywhere and just to fill you in with all the details, he is also now a member of the family, I have sole custody of him so technically that kinda makes him my son, so yes, all of us, all three of us will see you next Friday". With that she hung up the phone.
Jess and Rory stood there shocked at what they had heard. Rory walked over to her mother and patted her on the back. "Well done, you finally stuck up to her" she said. Lorelai smiled and looked over at Jess who looked like he was about to cry.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Lorelai asked walking over to him. He looked at her and Rory and said "It's just, I grew up without a father but Luke became one to me, and I grew up without a mother and now..." he paused for a second. "... I feel like I have one of those too, no one's ever stuck up for me like that, except Luke". He looked at the floor, his cheeks reddening. All of a sudden, he was pulled into a hug by Lorelai. Rory looked at her mother and said "So, do I technically have a brother now?" she asked smiling.
Lorelai let go of Jess and said "that's up to Jess". Rory reddened also and blushed slightly. "So, does it?" Rory asked Jess. "Um, if you want"! He replied. Rory beamed and said "I have the perfect family; I have a mother a brother and Luke, who was my father".
They all stood in a circle and stared at each other. Jess looked at Rory and said "Does that mean I have to call Lorelai mom now?" Rory giggled. "Oh um...only if you want to Jess" Lorelai said, "but whether you like it or not, I'm calling you son". She smiled at him.
It went quiet and Jess still hadn't answered the question. They stood and decided what they wanted for dinner and got ready to go and get it. As they were leaving, Lorelai moaned that her legs were hurting and she started dragging her feet. Rory was waiting outside and Jess was heading to the door when he looked back and said "C'mon mom, keep up" he smiled as he went to meet Rory. Lorelai smiled too as that comment had just answered her question.
They got to Sandeep's and began to order there food. They were sitting at a table when Lane came running in. She immediately went over to Rory and hugged her best friend. "Aghh, are you ok?" she asked. Rory nodded sadly but looked up at her mother and her new brother and smiled and said "I will be". Lane left after a short while and headed home before Ms Kim got back from the store.
They collected there food and walked back to the crap shack. They sat on the sofa in silence. "Hey you guys, can I ask you something?" Jess said. Both the Gilmore's looked at him and nodded.
"Will you come with me tomorrow, to, to the diner, I need to start packing my things and I don't want to, ya no, go on my own?". Lorelai put an arm around his shoulders and answered "Of course".
After finishing their food they all headed to bed.
It was Saturday morning and all of them sat in the kitchen. While Lorelai filled the coffee pot, Rory sat still half asleep at the table with Jess next to her who was asleep leaning on the table. Rory woke him up and laughed at his hair that was sticking up all over the place.
"Leave me alone" he said as she giggled with their mother.
"And there I thought you loved me" he said yawning. "We do grasshopper, we do" Lorelai said handing them a cup of coffee each.
They got dressed and ready and began to head over to the diner. On the way, the town's people stood and stared and whispered as they walked through the town square toward the diner. They stayed close to each other. As Lorelai walked hugging Rory, Rory held Jess's hand.
They got to the diner and Jess unlocked the door. They all walked in and just stood there, realising that they had not been there since the night they found out about Luke.
Jess stood there and couldn't help but cry a little, but he wasn't alone. Rory and Lorelai did the same.
They headed upstairs to the apartment only to cry more. They stood there and looked around at all of Luke's things. Jess took a deep breath and walked over to his closet. He got out his bag and packed some clothes and books. Lorelai and Rory found some bags and started to help pack some things as well.
After collecting enough clothes for a good few days, they headed back downstairs. As they stood there, they noticed faces peering through the windows looking in at them, town's people whispering amongst each other.
Jess sighed. He really didn't need this, none of them did. "Come on kids, keep your chins up, I'll do all the talking, you just do the walking" she turned to look at them. "Yes mom" they both said in unison.
They all took a deep breath and headed outside. Lorelai got the keys from Jess and locked the door. "Come on kids" she said as they began to walk.
"Um, Lorelai, can I have a word with you please?" a voice called out. She stopped as did the teenagers. "Is something wrong Taylor?" she asked. "There is a rumour going round that you have, 'taken in', that young man" he said pointing to Jess.
She nodded and said "Yes, do you have a problem with that?". He looked at her and said "I just hope you know what you are doing"!
She bit her tongue and said "Yes Taylor I do, is there anything else?". He shook his head. She nodded and began to walk again the two teenagers following close behind.
Jess began to feel agitated at all of the people staring. He breathed in deep to try and maintain his composure. Lorelai saw this and linked her arm through his; Rory did the same on the other side. Within a few seconds, he had calmed drastically.
They got back to the house and dumped all of the bags in the passage way. They descended into the kitchen where Rory began to make coffee. Jess sunk into a chair and said "there never gonna be ok with this are they?" He looked up at Lorelai and Rory with pleading eyes.
Rory walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "We don't need them, we have each other, and that's all we need". She kissed his head then went back to making coffee. "She does make a good point sweetie; don't worry about what they think. Their just gonna have to get used to it" Jess nodded in agreement.
"So, have you decided what colour you want your bedroom to be?" Lorelai asked Jess. He looked at her and said "I was thinking, blue". She nodded and said "typical boy, wanting blue" Rory laughed.
After drinking their coffee, they decided to go shopping to get the paint and tools they need to re-decorate Jess's new bedroom.
In the car Rory sat in the back with Jess making a list of what they needed. "So, four cans of blue paint, paint brushes, rollers, paint thinner, trays" Jess nodded at all of them. "Is there anything else we need?" she asked him.
"I don't think so but if we see something at the store we need we can just add it to the list". All three nodded together.
After an exhausting day of picking the right shade of blue, they returned to the crap shack. "I can't believe it took you forty five minutes to choose a colour" Rory said dumping bags onto the floor. Jess sighed and said "It was not forty five minutes it was ten, you just thought it was longer because you were hungry and couldn't wait". She giggled and said "Oh yeah, I remember now".
Lorelai threw herself on the couch and stretched out. "Oh fruit loins" she called. Both teenagers entered the front room. "Yes?" they said in unison. "Be good children and go buy your mommy some food please. All that shopping has made me hungry". Rory looked at Jess and Jess looked at Rory.
"But we ate while we were out. We ate like, an hour ago" Rory stated. Lorelai looked up at her from the couch in mock seriousness "Your point being?" she said.
"Nothing" Rory sighed. "So what are we having tonight?" Lorelai hummed for a bit then shouted "Pizza". She handed Jess some money and told them what she wanted.
They decided to go and collect the pizza in order to get away from their crazy mother. They left giggling at her.
They were walking down Peach when all of a sudden they heard someone shout.
"RORY!" the two teens heard being shouted from across the street. They both turned and saw Dean walking towards them. "Hi Dean" Rory said confused as to why he was shouting. "Is that all you have to say to me, what's this I hear that, that jerk is staying with you and your mom?"
Rory got angry at his angriness. How dare he get annoyed at her! It was none of his business anyway, they had broken up 3 weeks before when she realised she didn't love him anymore.
"One, it was me and my mom's decision not yours, two, it's none of your business and three, he is not a jerk. He's my brother" Jess was surprised by her sudden outburst. She never got angry. Rory grabbed Jess's hand and said "C'mon Jess, we have to get pizza for mom before she kills us both for letting her starve" she emphasized the word mom.
Dean stood there gobsmacked. He didn't know what to say so instead of saying anything he turned around and sulked back to Dose's.
Rory and Jess arrived home about twenty minutes later to find Lorelai still lying on the sofa. "Ughh, thank God. I thought you two were taking your time on purpose just to spite me" she said. "Thought?" Jess questioned his mother, Rory smacked his arm playfully. Lorelai scowled at them.
An hour or two after demolishing the pizza
"I'm bored" Rory said. Jess nodded in agreement. "What should we do" he asked. They sat for a minute thinking until Lorelai said "Movie night; with lots of sweets to drown our sorrows. We should pick a sad movie cos I think a good cry would suit us all. Something that would really pull on the heart strings ya no?"
They all kept quiet because deep down they knew she had a point. They hadn't really wallowed yet and a sad movie and junk food might just do the trick.
"So what movie should we get?" Rory asked. "Jess, what makes you cry?" Lorelai asked him. He sat there for a moment to think. "I don't know? I've never really watched a movie thats made me cry" he said.
This would take extra thinking on the girl's part; they had to choose a film that would make a boy, not just any boy though, a rebellious, hoodlum boy break down and cry his heart out.
"Titanic" Lorelai said. "Nope, no good; I like the idea of Leo Dicaprio freezing to death and being lost at sea forever" he stated. Both girls smacked either side of his arm. He laughed at them.
"Ooh ooh, Romeo and Juliet" Rory said. "Now even though Leo Dicaprio is in it and he dies just like in Titanic, it will still make you cry because you will feel bad for Juliet and the love that tore them apart" Rory said triumphantly.
Lorelai and Jess sat and thought about it for a second. "Your right" their mother said. She got up and shouted "Off to the video store".
They were inside looking at other video's waiting for Kirk to find Romeo and Juliet for them when Jess saw a movie and picked it up smiling. "Almost Famous" Lorelai said aloud. "Is it any good?" she asked him. "It's my favourite movie of all time" he said a smile on his face.
Lorelai said nothing but kept a mental note of it. They walked over to the till a little while later and Lorelai handed over her video store rental card. Kirk took it and added the movie to her account. "Here is your card and here is your movie, enjoy and have a nice night" he said.
They left the shop and began to head over to Dose's. They were walking quietly until Rory stuck her arm out in front of her mother and Jess and said "Wait" holding her mother and brother back. "Me and Jess should wait outside". Lorelai looked at them both and said "Why, what did you do?" Jess looked at her innocently and said "For once, I did nothing, I'm innocent".
Lorelai looked at her daughter. "So, if Jess did nothing then why shouldn't you both come with me?" she asked. Rory hesitated for a moment but cracked. "Because of Dean" she mumbled.
"Dean?" Lorelai questioned, "Why?"; Rory looked at her mother and said "Because, earlier on when me and Jess went to get pizza, Dean yelled from across the street then he came over to us and said that Jess was a jerk and that he was mad that me and you had taken him in and that he wasn't happy about any of it, he looked really mad" she finished and took a deep breath.
Lorelai stood there for a second then said "Right, c'mon" she turned linking their arms "We go in as a family and we stick together as one, if we can stand up to my mother then we can stand up to the bag boy". Jess smiled at her use of his term 'bag boy'.
As they walked in they quickly scanned the surrounding area for any site of Dean but he was not in sight. Rory picked up a basket and they began to descend down the sweets aisle. "Ok, gummy bears, strawberry laces, marshmallows, fizzy sticks, chocolate drops, cookie dough, chocolate hearts" Lorelai named each content as she picked it up and dropped it in the basket.
"Ughh" Rory huffed at the heaviness of the filled up basket. "Here, let me take it" Jess said as he took it from Rory with ease. "Huh, look mom; a nice strong boy to carry our basket when us weak girls...cant" Rory said smiling. Lorelai turned and added "Finally". Jess snickered.
"Ok, salty chips, chip sauce, mallomars, cheesy chips, kettle chips and red vines" she turned to look at the teenagers and said "anything else you can think of?". Jess laughed and said "I think you just bought the entire store" Rory laughed with him.
"Wrong" Lorelai said, "We haven't bought anything yet until you go and struggle to lift that heavy basket onto the counter. He looked at her and said "I won't struggle, it's not heavy".
He then felt something enter the basket that nearly pulled his arm from the socket. "Sodaaa" Lorelai smiled. Now he knew why she had said he would struggle.
They got to the check out and were all laughing with one another until something hit the counter with a bang. They stopped to look at the counter where a sign now sat saying 'Position Closed'.
They then looked up to see a red faced Dean staring at them. They wanted to avoid confrontation so they all turned and began to walk to another check out. This however made Dean angrier.
He ran out from behind the counted and went up behind them. "Lorelai, could I speak to you a minute?" he said practically growling. Lorelai gave the kids a nod to go ahead and pay while she went to talk to Dean.
"What do you want Dean?" she asked him. He looked at her then at Jess then at her again. "I just can't believe that your letting that jerk live with you, he is such a bad influence, he's going to end up getting Rory into trouble".
Lorelai sighed and said "So this is about Rory?"
He stood there quiet for a moment then replied "Well yeah, I care about her and I don't wanna see her get hurt by that jerk". Lorelai stood up tall and mothering instincts took over.
"Ok first of all, stop calling Jess a jerk because he isn't one. And second of all, you and Rory have been apart for three weeks, nearly four, you need to move on and stop worrying about her or its going to drive you crazy. Jess is living with us and he is a part of the family, he is a son to me and a brother to Rory and if you can't deal with that then just stay away".
She turned on her heal and walked back over to the kids. "Is everything ok mom?" Rory asked. "Yeah, it is now" she said smiling.
Later that night
"Jess, hand me a tissue" Lorelai said. He leant over and picked up the box. Lorelai took a few as did Rory then he set the box down and got some for himself. They all sat there, tears streaming down their faces. At first they were crying about the tragedy that was Romeo and Juliet but then they found themselves crying over something more. The film had ended a good twenty minutes ago and yet still they sat crying.
It was nearly midnight and all three of them had fallen asleep on the couch. Jess woke up and looked around trying to remember what had happened before they fell asleep. He looked at the floor and saw all the tissues; he then remembered what they had been doing. He stood up slowly and went into Rory's room and got a blanket off of her bed.
He went back into the living room and covered his mother and sister up. He turned around ready to go up the stairs to his room. Just as he got to the first step he turned around and whispered "I love you guy's". He then turned and headed up for the night.
Rory woke the next morning and felt the pain in her back from where she had slept sitting up all night. She turned to wake her mother and get some coffee.
Lorelai walked into the kitchen and sat next to her daughter. She looked at her and smiled. "So, how's your back?" she asked. Rory just frowned and replied "achy". Lorelai smiled then said "Well, we gotta start painting Jess's room, and you know how much I love to paint". Rory just made a moaning noise and rested her head on the table.
"C'mon, you know painting waits for no man...or woman, now go and wake up your brother". Rory looked at her huffed "Fine, I will, but only because you can't be bothered". Lorelai giggled at Rory's morning temper as her daughter stomped off to go and wake Jess.
Rory made it up the stairs, barely, and stood outside Jess's room. She banged on the door but heard nothing. She sighed and opened the door and stood staring at her brother.
"Get up, we have to decorate your room" she said gruffly. Still there was no movement. "Get out of bed, mom wants to start decorating" she said louder. This time there was movement but not the movement she wanted.
Instead of getting up, Jess moaned slightly and put his head under his pillow. She stood and examined him for a second then a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
She backed out slowly and went into the bathroom. Picking up the hair rinsing jug, she filled it with cold water. She slowly sneaked back into his room where she saw that Jess still lay with his head under his pillow.
Just as she raised the jug to splash him with the water, he picked the pillow up off of his face and said "don't even think about throwing that on me". As he spoke she jumped and nearly dropped the water on herself. She screamed slightly as it scared her and she scowled at him.
He laughed aloud making her more annoyed. She slowly arched her arm and chucked the freezing water all over his top half. He yelled in shock for a split second then just sat there letting the cold water drip down his face and shoulders.
She looked at him and said "I told you to get up". She turned and headed for the stairs, now she was awake and she was in a good mood.
Jess came down ten minutes later in dry clothes. He walked into the kitchen and stared at Rory. "You're mean in the morning" he said still slightly shocked at her morning attitude. She just smiled slightly and said "Like I said, I told you to get up".
Lorelai walked in from getting the post and said "what's going on?" Rory just took a big sip of coffee. Jess turned to look at his mother and said "she soaked me, in freezing cold water, at eight thirty in the morning". Lorelai turned to look at her daughter who was hiding behind her huge cup.
"You soaked your brother with freezing cold water?" she asked. Rory looked down and nodded slightly. "Reason?" she asked. Rory mumbled "Because I told him to get up and he wouldn't".
Lorelai laughed for a second then said "Rory, you mustn't do that so early in the morning...especially with no ice cubes in the water". Jess huffed and smiled at his mother's lack of discipline and went to get himself coffee.
Later that day
They stood in the door way staring at their mother, both slightly scared. "Get your paint and get your rollers..." Lorelai stopped when she saw them both standing there. "What are you doing?" Rory asked her mother.
Lorelai looked mock hurt and said "I'm singing while I paint, see 'grab your paint and..." "STOP" the two teens yelled. Lorelai scowled at them, "well, come in, get a roller and start rolling" she said.
Jess frowned at his mother's non making sense comment.
After a few hours
"Ha, were done, how does it look?" Lorelai asked. "I like it" Rory said. They both turned to look at Jess. He looked back at them. "I don't like the colour" he said sighing. Both girls stood there with a 'are you serious' expression on their faces. He then began to laugh saying "I'm joking, I love it". Rory sighed and Lorelai smiled.
"I'm hungry" Rory said nudging her mother's shoulder. "Rory's hungry" Lorelai said nudging Jess's arm. There was silence until Jess huffed and said "What's in the freezer?" Rory looked at her mother. "Ummmmm...nothing" Lorelai said with a smile. "Well then I guess we should go to the store and get something" Rory said helping her mother stand up.
"So, how are you two?" Lorelai asked the kids as they walked down the street. They just mumbled slightly. "Come on, you can tell mommy" she answered. They just kept their heads down. "Jess, do you have a black suit?" Rory asked him. He shook his head. "I'm not wearing a suit" he said.
Lorelai looked at him as did Rory. He looked at them and said "Luke hated suits, I'm wearing something more...Luke" he stated. "Meaning...?" Rory asked.
"Meaning, on Tuesday, I'm wearing a plaid shirt with jeans and a baseball cap". Rory smiled slightly. "Wow, what better way to honour Luke" Lorelai said with a smile. "I think we should all do that" Lorelai said. "Mom, wont that be a bit much, the whole town wearing plaid?" Rory stated.
"Sweetie, I didn't mean the town, just us; we were closer to Luke so it will be our thing. Is that ok Jess?" Lorelai asked. With a tear in his eye, he nodded. Rory linked her arm through his and gave it a light squeeze of comfort.
They got to Dose's and went straight to the frozen foods. "So, what do we fancy?" Lorelai asked. "Jennifer Love Hewitt" Jess said smiling. "Kyle Gallner" Rory smiled too. Lorelai stood there and said "Such funny children I have, now don't tease mommy, should we have, chips and fish pieces, or chips and chicken fingers?"
The teens stood there for a second then in unison said "chips and chicken fingers". Lorelai stood back and said "wow, it's creepy when you do that". They both smiled.
They got to the counter and placed there food on the belt. After walking round with it as it moved they ended up at the till. They all looked up and saw Dean standing there. They said nothing.
"That's $4.13c" Dean mumbled. Jess handed him the money and Dean snatched it from him. Jess chuckled in frustration then walked over to the door. If he stood near Dean any longer he was going to hit him.
"Here's your change" Dean mumbled. "Hey sweets, go with Jess outside for me ok, just help him stay calm and get some air ok". Rory nodded and headed outside with Jess.
"Is there a problem?" Dean asked. "Yes, there is, I told you that if you can't be civil then I don't want you near me or my kids, and here's the thing, I actually thought you were grown up enough to not act like a 2 year old, my how I was wrong. So, as from now, you don't come near me, Rory or Jess do you understand me". Dean just smirked and said "Have a nice night".
Lorelai felt a strange vibe coming from Dean so she just left it there and went outside to the kids. "Mom are you ok, you look kind of pale?" Rory asked. Jess was still breathing deeply trying to calm his nerves.
"I don't want either of you going near Dean from now on, if we need to get something from Dose's we go together, if he starts trouble, you come and get me, understand?". They both nodded.
"What did he say?" Rory asked. "He was just acting weird, I told him I wanted him to stay away from both of you but he just smiled at me, it was creepy" she replied.
Lorelai walked over to Jess and rubbed circles on his back. He was bent over still trying to calm himself. "You ok sweets?" Lorelai asked. "I just, I just wish I knew what his problem was and why he makes me so mad". Lorelai looked sad and said "I know sweetie but I'm so proud of you, the way you handled yourself in there".
Jess nodded slightly before saying "ok, we better go home, I'm getting dizzy from breathing like this". Rory linked his arm and walked with him to make sure he didn't fall over while Lorelai stared through the window at Dean.
To be continued...
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