Lorelai and Rory are sitting in Luke's Diner waiting for him to take their orders. He walks up with a smile. "Lady's, what will it be?"
Lorelai shrug's "Coffee, donut, coffee"
Luke looks puzzled, "So you want two coffees or did you just say it twice?"
"One Coffee, one donut" she mumbles with her head in her hands.
Luke turns to Rory, "Is she okay?"
"Stressed beyond comprehension. The Inn works her off on these summer days."
"Does she process information or she completely wiped out of working her brain in any way?"
Rory sighed, "Frankly, I'm not sure and I'm very concerned."
Luke nodded, "Me too. Well, all I can do right now is take your order."
"Same as her. One coffee, one donut"
"Okay, be back soon" Luke walked off and Rory immediately brought her attention to her frantic, stressed mother. She looked terrible. Her eyes looked dead and her skin was pale. Lorelai let out a sigh and dropped her face deeper into her hands.
Rory bit her lip, "Mom, come on! It can't be that bad."
Lorelai uncovered her face and let out a laugh, "Can't be that bad? That's funny kid. Funny! We opened three weeks ago and already people are packing in. You know what more people mean Rory?"
"More business" Rory said as if it was obvious.
"More complaining, more rooms to clean, to get ready, more tears, more papers, more phone calls, more late work days, more everything."
Rory looked sympathetic, "Sorry mom, I didn't realize how much you really have to handle. You should have had this breakdown a month ago when I had my exams because, we could have had it together. Kill two birds with one stone."
"Ill try to control my stress flip outs to fit into your schedule next time" Lorelai said sarcastically but Rory couldn't tell if she was kidding or not and that scared her.
Luke arrived with two coffees and two donuts. He sat it all down at the table and Lorelai looked up with a glare.
"What?" Luke asked puzzled slightly.
"I told you one coffee Luke." She was practically screaming, "One coffee and one donut. How hard could that possibly be? God do I need to stand behind and talk you through the process?" Lorelai stood up "I can't take this." She stormed out of the Diner leaving Luke and Rory speechless.
Rory was the first to speak up, "So who should tell her that the second coffee and donut were for me?"
"Is it really safe for either of us to go out there?" Luke said quietly
"Probably not"
-That night: Luke's Apartment-
Luke is sitting watching television with a soda is in hand. Suddenly, the phone rings. Luke gets up to answer it. "Hello?"
"Luke, hey." says a voice all too familiar.
Luke immediately knew who it was. "Jess" he said with a tone of surprise.
"Sorry to call out of the blue like this but, I need to talk to you."
"No, that's fine Jess, you can call anytime. What's up?"
"So, word on the street is that Lorelai's Inn opened?"
"Yes it did actually."
"Glad to hear it. I was thinking, maybe I should come down, check it out. I got a friend down here, who's a journalist actually, and wants to write an article about a small town like Stars Hollow. I told her about that death trap and she really wants to come. So, would it be okay?"
Luke smiled, "Yes of course. You didn't even have to ask, that would be great."
"Cool, I was thinking we would come in on Friday and stay the weekend. So, that's what three days away?"
"Today being Tuesday then, ya its three days. Well I'm really glad you're coming down Jess."
"Ya me too. I guess Ill see you soon."
"Bye Jess." Luke hung up the phone with a small smile. It was always an interesting experience when Jess stopped by.
-Wednesday Morning, The Gilmore's house-
Lorelai is sitting around the kitchen table with papers scattered about. She sighs and pours herself another cup of coffee before spotting Rory entering the kitchen. "Hey Sweetie" she says before dragging herself back to her seat.
Rory sighs, "Mom, why don't you take a break from all your work stuff? It could relieve some of that stress. It's a worth a shot isn't it?"
"No, I'm afraid not kiddo. I can't put it off, not even for a minute. It will just get worse. I think I'm ganna skip Luke's today. You go ahead without me."
Rory frowned slightly, "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I have way to much work right now."
"Okay, if you insist." Rory quickly got dressed and left for Luke's. She arrived minutes later and took a seat at the nearest table. Luke came up to her and looked around as if searching for someone before turning to Rory.
"Where's your mom?" he asked
"At home, sitting in a bottomless pit of papers that need to be signed, read or I'm sure in her condition, ripped up and stomped on."
"Sorry to hear she's still swamped." Luke said before taking her order. She ordered pancakes and watched as Luke went off to fill her order. Luke called out to Ceaser, "Pancakes please."
Luke started off towards another voice when Ceaser called back "When Jess comes, is he ganna help because we need it in here."
Rory froze. Did she just hear him right? Jess was coming back to Stars Hollow? Rory bit down on her lip. She walked over to Luke and decided to ask him herself. "Luke," she said softly. He turned around to face her, "I just heard Ceaser say that, um, Jess is coming here. What was he talking about?"
Luke swore under his breath. She wasn't supposed to find out, not now anyways. Luke had just found out himself. He sighed, "Well, Jess is coming down this weekend. He's got a friend wanting to write an article about Stars Hollow. It's only for the weekend."
Rory didn't know if she could form any words at that moment to answer Luke back. She was scared if she opened her mouth, nothing audible would come out. Last time she saw Jess was a year ago was when he asked her to run away with her. She had declined and that was the last of it. Now, she would have to face him again. She didn't know if she was strong enough to do that. Rory nodded to Luke and went back to her seat. She let out a shaky breath. Jess was coming back to Stars Hollow.