Families and other Freaks
(Disclaimer – I do not own Gilmore Girls.)
Chapter 1 – Thought's on Families
People are strange beings, Jess thought, as he was driving in his car back to hell. And they are never stranger when they are grouped together and forced to get along just because the share a percentage of the same DNA. Some families care a lot about each other, and band together when times get tough. Others care less; some even hate each other and are never around when needed. But one thing every family has in common is that none of them are perfect. Despite much propaganda and cheesy sixties sitcoms, the perfect family simply did not exist; that Jess was sure of. What Jess wasn't sure of was how to describe his family. What a frightening bunch they were!
They were such an odd bunch; even Freud wouldn't know where to start. His flake of a mother, Liz, had spent the majority of his childhood either getting high, passing out drunk and getting married more times than Elizabeth Taylor. Now she was a reformed women, once again married, not to a bad guy by all respects, but he was just so - TJ. Ah, Liz and TJ; a match made in Cookooland. He often wondered how Doula survived living in the same house as both of them; then again, his mother hadn't bothered him that much when he was four either.
His Father was a completely different story, but in no way less screwed up. Jimmy Mariano was a real prize. The glorified hot dog vender took off the day after Jess was born only to show up eighteen years later, for a reason even he didn't know. When Jess had lived with Jimmy for a few months after he left Stars Hollow, he was amazed and terrified by how much he and Jimmy had in common; music, films, books the way they ate, it was enough to snap him back to reality, he wasn't going to be the same age as Jimmy when he finally decided what he wanted to do with his life. But despite this terrifying discovery, he found he actually quite liked his father. They were never going to have a typical father son relationship but they found that, with a little work and effort, they could actually become friends. His now step-mother Sasha, always tried to encourage this as she had grown very fond of Jess when he had stayed with them, as had his step-sister, Lily, but she had been more pushy recently as she had just had twins two years previously, Jacob and Rose, and she wanted them to get to know their big brother. Jess shook his head at the thought of his new half-siblings; more Marianos, just what the world needed.
He'd only been to see his new siblings a couple of times, and he would go again soon, but right now he had other family to deal with. The traffic was finally moving and he was getting closer and closer Stars Hollow, to where his surly uncle, after years of denial, failed relationships and illegitimate daughters, was finally marrying the java junkie, queen of Stars Hollow. "Ugh," he moaned. He could already picture the banners and streamers hanging all around the town. And 'Luke and Lorelai' plastered in the centre of big pink hearts. It's not that he wasn't happy for his uncle, on the contrary he was thrilled for him, and he wouldn't have agreed to be his best man if he wasn't, but the thought of being stuck in a crazy town where nearly every one hated him wasn't at all appealing. And then there was the other issue. Rory.
Oh, what to do about Rory. The first girl he had ever truly loved – the only girl he had ever truly loved, but completely screwed it all up, as was his nature. He had actually seen Rory quite recently, as she had gone to Philadelphia, when she was on the Obama trail. It was a little awkward at first, their last meeting at the open house saw to that. He admitted it had hurt him a little at the time, but if Rory thought she had met the right guy then he was happy for her. He really was. But he still couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness when she told him her relationship with the Porsche driving haircut, had bit the dust. After the ice had been broken, they found themselves falling back into the same old conversations and routines; it was almost as if they were still seventeen. She was so different, yet so much the same, and he guessed so was he. She was finally doing what she always said she would. And all of his dreams seemed to be coming true. His book had been picked up by an actual known publisher; the front money alone was enough to buy him a new car. His publishing house was also making money now, he could barely move for all the work he had to do, weather it be writing his own or editing someone else's. Rory had been so proud when he'd told her, the look she had on her face was one he'd always wanted her to give him. It truly terrified him just how much she still affected him. He hadn't lived like a monk since he had broken up with Rory, quite the opposite in fact. But no other girl had ever made him feel the same way. After she left they made a promise to keep in touch; they e-mailed each other every other day and spoke on the phone regularly, and each and every time they did this, Jess felt himself falling again, deeper and deeper every time. Lately, they had mostly talked about the up coming wedding and the concept of them becoming "step-cousins." Now there's something that would be hard to explain to an outsider – how he and his ex-girlfriend were now technically related. He wasn't exactly sure what seeing her again would do to him, but that was just something he would have to deal with, and right now wasn't the time.
He had finally reached the "Welcome to Stars Hollow" sign. Population 9,973 wackjobs. As he drove through the centre of town he could see how everything was exactly the same. He sighed, "I guess some things never change." He pulled up in front of his uncle's diner and prepared himself for a happy family reunion – if only.
-----------------------------------------------------------
As he entered the diner, he was greeted by the familiar sound of the bell above the door causing his gruff, tired looking uncle to look up.
"Jess," he smiled, and ran over to greet his nephew.
"How you doin' Uncle Luke?" he asked as Luke embraced him into a hug.
"Don't call me that," he said, as he moved back behind the counter. Jess moved and sat on a stool in front of him, as he looked around he couldn't see anyone he recognised – which was a relief, but he supposed news of his return would be around town soon enough.
"So, how are things going for the big day? Did Lorelai get her way on the kilt thing?" He smirked at his uncle's discomfort.
"NO, she did not. The crazy women, thinking she can get me to wear a skirt to our wedding! I'm not even Scottish for Pete's sa-HEY! How did you know about the kilt thing? I swear to god, if that mother of yours has been telling everyone, then-"
"It wasn't Liz," Jess laughed, shaking his head. "Rory mentioned it. And what's the big deal if it's not happening?"
"It's not a big deal; I just don't want people picturing me in a skirt!"
"Trust me Uncle Luke, nobody wants that."
"Why don't you think I'd look pretty?"
"Ah, jeez." Jess shuddered at the thought of his uncle wearing lipstick and high heels, but it would make him an interesting relative to talk about.
"Wait, did you say Rory mentioned it?"
"Uh, yeah," he opted for the truth as he couldn't figure out another way around it.
"When did you and Rory start speaking again? I mean I know she went to your open house, but that was what – three years ago? And you haven't mentioned her whenever we've spoken since!"
"Well, we bumped into each other in Philly, when she was on the Obama trail and we've just been keeping in touch. You know, emailing every so often, the odd phone call here and there, no big deal. We're FRIENDS! That's all!"
"That's all?"
"YES!" he answered, annoyed.
"Just friends?"
"Just friends!"
"Okay then. You better move your stuff upstairs; the dinner rush will be starting soon. You're okay with staying here aren't you?"
"Well, where else would I stay? With my mom and TJ?" he asked sarcastically. (A/n I decided to go with the American spelling – MOM instead of MUM – as they are American.)
"It's just the Inn's a no go area at the moment, as Lorelai is doing all the last minute preparation for the wedding. You'll have plenty of privacy in the apartment though, as I'm living with Lorelai now and since we had the extension done there's an extra room, so both Rory and April will stay there also-"
"Luke! I said its fine. I honestly prefer staying upstairs. Now, I'm going go and unpack and take a nap – it was a long drive." And with that he left and headed upstairs. He crashed through the apartment door, dumped his bags on the floor beside it and made his way across the room to his old bed. As soon as he'd lain down he heard some commotion coming from outside. He saw Luke arguing with a man in a small truck that had a large cage in the back, filled with what looked like – OH NO, he thought – six swans. He could here Luke telling the man he was supposed to deliver them to the Inn not to his diner.
"Ugh," Jess moaned again, as he lay back down on the bed. This was going to be some wedding.
(Please review! My first story so let me know!)
