Description of me, this story, and my affection for the Gilmore girl characters: Although versions of this story have been told many times by more gifted writers than myself, I venture forth despite my reservations. I have been a reader for over a year and have stumbled upon truly inspiring amateur talent. Now it is my turn to hopefully at least entertain a few with my ramblings. Buyer beware: I'm a science geek with a love for super heroes and other odd things, so I may need to be reprimanded if my prose becomes to text bookish or if I rely on my thesaurus to heavily.
However, I beg of you to be kind; I'm a gentle soul, which is easily crushed. I am also quite in love with music and itunes, so each chapter will probably have a song recommendation or two; feel free to do with that what you will.
I am a huge Luke and Lorelai fan. As a note, I stopped watching the new episodes about midway through season 6; I do, however, know most of what has been happening since then through fan sites and fan fiction. That, nevertheless, should not play any part in this particular piece of fiction because of my earlier inverted timeline. These characters are quite important and very interesting to me. I hope only to change the scenario in which many of the relationship between the characters are formed not the character themselves.
Chapter 1: the chronicles of children and guardians
Summer 1991: June 6 to be precise.
Luke was standing at the bus station in Hartford waiting for Jess to arrive from New York. The bus did not yet make stops in Stars Hollow. Liz had called Luke yesterday in a frantic state; her latest bow's band had just been offered a touring gig of state fairs and he claimed he needed this lucky charm with him. The band, Chalk's dust, was needed in Iowa by daybreak on June the eighth to open the fair more precisely to be the pre- pre- pre-opening act of the fair, truly three day before any of the real band performed. The problem was Liz's man, Chalk a terrible guitar player, didn't really like kids and his bands music and habits/ addictions weren't exactly conducive to children. But he was the love of Liz's life or so she claimed over the phone. She begged Luke to take Jess on for the summer, so she could live out her newest life long dream as a roadie for a heavy metal country band. Luke held out until she started to cry; then he toppled over like a badly played Jenga tower. So here he was in Hartford waiting for Jess; he didn't really feel comfortable about a seven year old riding the bus alone, but then not much about this situation made him feel all that comfortable. Luke had not since his nephew in about two years and didn't really know what to expect.
4:23
The bus pulled up, and a timid but worldly young man was the first of the bus. Liz had described Luke to Jess that morning so the young man would know who to look for when he arrived in Hartford. Jess, however, was still a little nervous; the description his mom gave was very brief and he couldn't believe that someone would wear flannel in June no matter where they were. Nevertheless there he was standing in front of a tall rather intimidating looking man in flannel, three-day-old stubble, and backwards baseball cap.
"Uncle Luke"
"Jess"
Then there was an uncomfortable silence where both men seemed to be waiting for the other one to speak. Luke being the adult in this situation was the first to break the lull.
"So we'd better go collect your bags."
"Ok"
"OK" Luke reassured.
Jess pointed out his two bags. As Luke picked them up he had to ask.
"What do you have in here bricks?"
Jess smiled at that, "No books", he replied.
"OK" Luke grunted has he lead his nephew out to his truck.
"So you hungry or do you need to stop any where before we head to Star Hollow?" Luke asked Jess as they got in to the cab of the truck.
"No I'm good"
"Ok, Stars Hollow it is"
The thirty-minute trip was an extremely quiet one; again neither one knew what to say to the other. So they both just focused on the task at hand: for Luke that was driving, for Jess it became a deep study of whatever was outside his passenger window. When they finally arrived in Stars Hollow it was around 5:30, just before the diner's evening rush. Luke stopped the truck removed Jess's bags and started walking to the diner leaving Jess standing by the truck starring at the small town that would be he's home for the summer. "I'm not in Kansas anymore" he said to himself apparently. He then realized his uncle and his stuff were already across the street and half way in the door of the diner. Jess ran to catch-up; he proceeded to follow his uncle through the diner, which also claimed to be a hardware store by the sign out front, behind a curtain, up a flight of stairs, and through a glass plated door, which said "William's Hardware Private". He then found himself in a small one-room apartment.
"Look I know it's not much, but it's just been me up here most of the time", Luke took one look at this nephew's face and continued, "sorry I don't have a bed for you or anything this being such short notice and all. We'll fix that in the next couple of days. So… anyway I should get down and help Ben with the dinner rush, so just make yourself at home. And just come on down when you get hungry. Ok."
"Ok" was all that Jess could get out.
"Ok" and with that Luke went down to the sanctuary of his diner where at least he had some idea of what he was doing.
Jess took the book he was reading on the bus out of his backpack sat on his uncle's couch and decided to get lost in a world that seemed much simpler than his own.
Two and a half hours later as the dinner rush calmed down Luke excused himself to go upstairs and check on his young ward.
"Jess, do you want something to eat?"
"Sure" Jess shrugged.
"Ok… why don't you come down and a decided."
"Ok"
And with had both men ventured back downstairs. Jess sat at the counter looking at a menu while swing his legs, which were way to short to touch the ground, back and forth. Luke went around refilling coffee cups and taking new orders. When he had finished his round he returned to Jess.
"So… what do you want?"
"I guess I'll take a cheese burger no pickles and some chocolate milk" Jess answered his uncle's abrupt question.
So Luke was off with another mission he could accomplish. Just then an odd looking man on the stool next to Jess.
"Hi I'm Kirk" the man introduced himself.
"Jess"
"Are you new here because you look new. Not in a just out the package new, but a new in town new."
Jess sat there amazed and tried to count the number of times this man, Kirk apparently, had said new in one breath. He then remembered he should probably answer this strange man. "Yes, I'm new. I'm spending the summer with my uncle Luke."
Luke then returned with Jess's food. "Hey Kirk. What do you want today?"
"I'll have my Friday regular," Kirk answered.
"But it's Tuesday and you have never had a regular any night meal" Luke replied a little harshly.
"But I want to pretend its Friday, and how can I successfully believe it's Friday without my patented Friday night meal."
"But you don't have a… oh a forget it I'm bringing you back a burger and you can pretend whatever dam day you want to!" Luke barked at Kirk.
"Thanks Luke" Kirk yell at the diner's kitchen opening. He then turned back to Jess. "Your uncle great he knows what puts the G in TGIF."
Jess just looked at Kirk like he had grown a second head. Jess sat there and ate the rest of his dinner, while Kirk told him all about himself. How he was 22 had three jobs (one at Taylor's market, one taking pictures of special events, and one at the newly open video store); how he stilled lived at home, but he had his own refrigerator in his room so life was good. His favorite super hero was the Flash and much much more. Jess sat there for an entire hour; he now knew more about this complete stranger than the man he was spending the summer with. Kirk finally left when a large woman came in the diner and told him his mom was calling for him, and with that he was gone. However, the woman who had just given Kirk this news seemed very interested in the new young man at the counter whom Kirk was talking to.
"Who are you, darling?" the woman asked in a rich deep voice.
"This is Liz's kid, Jess," Luke answer, "he's staying with me for a while." He then finished the introduction, "Jess this is Ms. Patty, she runs the Dance studio across the square."
"Oh what a pleasure it is to have another handsome young man around", Ms. Patty gushed, "and I'll be sure to tell everyone to come welcome you to town." With that she too was off to share the latest bit of gossip she had with anyone and everyone who would listen.
"Well that takes care of that; everyone will know you're here by sunrise" Luke said simply. Leaving Jess to wonder just what little part of the world he had stepped into. He continued to ponder this thought as he watched his uncle make repeated rounds of the diner until just a few people were left and then started cleaning up. "Why don't you go back up stairs and read some more of that book I took you away from."
"Ok" was all the answer that Luke got.
Luke cleaned off the empty tables, turned off and clean the grill, put the chairs up, swept the floor, and then when there was nothing else he could possible do downstairs he went up to face his nephew. When he entered his apartment he found Jess sleeping on the couch with this book open on his chest. Luke proceeded to close and mark the book and put a sheet of this little person who now temporarily shared not only his space but his life. In about 24 hours, he went from being a twenty-five year old bachelor to the main guardian of a seven-year-old kid. "This is going to be an interesting summer", was his only thought as he drifted off to sleep in his bed.
Earlier on that same day on the other side of town a young Rory Gilmore was following her mother around the Independence Inn.
"Cheer up kiddo school will be back in two months besides you're a seven you're supposed to love summer," Lorelai stated while folding hospital corners on the bed in room 7.
"But I love school! And how I'm supposed to have any fun when my best friend is away all summer at Christian girls camp" Rory ended quietly.
"Lane's only gone for the first half of the summer; she'll be back for the fourth of July picnic at the lake, and you'll have the whole rest of the summer to hang out and eat ice cream. So between now and then you and me will just have to brain storm about cool things to do this summer."
"Don't you have to work?" Rory questioned for mom's excitement.
"Yes, but we can still have fun. Mia does allow me a day or two off to spend with my favorite daughter!"
"I'm your only daughter."
"All the more reason for you to be my favorite."
After that conversation Rory went outside by the pond to read her latest book and Lorelai went to work cleaning the rest of the empty rooms on her shift. Both wondering what they could do this summer to make in memorable. Later that night they ate Peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches again in the shed by the pond. Rory was talking non-stop about her book and its main characters, while Lorelai was trying really hard to pay attention but her mind seemed set on wondering.
"That's great honey. You do anything else this afternoon?"
"Not really, besides reading, helping you or Mia out there's not a whole lot I can do around here," Rory stated honestly.
Lorelai felt a pain to guilt over her daughter's boredom; she wanted Rory to have everything and right now she felt like a failure. "Did you have time to think of anything you wanted to do this summer?" Lorelai asked trying to sound as cheerful as she could.
"No not yet. I'm not really sure where to start. The last two summers I just read and spent time with you, Mia, and Lane."
"Well how are we going to brain storm if you told bring anything to the table little missy?" Lorelai asked flabbergasted.
"We could ask Mia for ideas tomorrow?" Rory offered.
"Well that a start I guess, but we're two beautiful intelligent girls we should be able to come with some fun ideas on our own." Both girls giggled at Lorelai over the top reply. Then Rory yawned and Lorelai noted the time. "Wow, ten a clock already we need to get our pretty little butts in bed." Within twenty minutes both girls were tucked away in the double bed they shared in their "cottage". Rory was already sound asleep dreaming of wild places she'd only read about. Lorelai, however, couldn't fall asleep for she was wondering what could make this a truly memorable summer for her young daughter.
This chapter is just a start; I hope to write a couple over spring break. About the story, the destination I know the journey however is not let written. Anyway… please be kind this is my first time. ("dirty"). And listen to It's so easy redone by the Plain white T's; it doesn't really have anything to do with this chapter it's just a great song. Anyway… hope to hear from you.
