A/N: Thanks for the supportive reviews so far! I'm really enjoying writing this.
Rory woke up the next morning with no idea where she was. She knew it wasn't New York before she even opened her eyes because there was no traffic rushing by, no horns honking or people yelling underneath her window. She glanced around blearily, and then it all came back to her. She was in Stars Hollow, some twisted version of Munchkin Land, all in Technicolor. The only difference was that everyone was of normal height. Tugging somewhat nervously on her t-shirt, Rory carefully opened her door and peered out into the kitchen.
"Morning!" Lorelai said cheerfully. A plate with a Pop-Tart on it and a cup of hot coffee were already waiting for her at the empty seat.
"Uh, morning," Rory mumbled back. "What time is it?"
"Seven. Early riser, huh?" Lorelai's eyes followed Rory as she slid into a chair, tucking one leg under her and breaking the Pop-Tart into pieces. "So, I think we should stop by the diner again whenever you're ready. And then we'll walk over to the school and make sure everything's all set for you to start tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Rory asked, rubbing her palms into her eyes.
"Yup. You'll like Stars Hollow High. I think. It's…nice…" Lorelai trailed off, giving Rory a nervous smile.
After a moment, Rory said, "Did you go there?"
Lorelai shook her head, looking relieved that Rory had actually said something. "I went to this private school over in Hartford. It's not what I would have chosen for myself, but my parents…well, they needed me to have all the best." She looked down at her plate and picked at the crumbs there. "But Luke went there!" she said enthusiastically. "And he turned out fine, so."
"Are you and Luke..?" Rory almost asked, looking at her aunt curiously.
"Are me and Luke what?" Lorelai said, but she was blushing slightly.
"Involved?"
Lorelai scoffed. "Uh, no. No, Mr. Mountain Man is a solitary kind of character. A little like the Unabomber, only less violent. Jess drags him to town meetings and stuff sometimes – that's his son – but mostly he just sticks close to the diner." After a thoughtful pause, Lorelai asked, "So, do you have a boyfriend back in New York?"
Rory shook her head. "I keep to myself a lot, too, I guess," she mumbled, taking a gulp of the coffee. "Good god, that's strong!" she couldn't help exclaiming, and Lorelai laughed.
"My ratio of grounds to water is a tad bit higher than most people's."
"I'll say," said Rory. "It's like this Turkish coffee I had once back in Manhattan." Her mouth twisted suddenly. She was talking a lot. A lot more than she should.
"Turkish, huh? I've had that before. Like mud, right?" Lorelai replied, but Rory just nodded, feeling uncomfortable. "Well, I'm gonna go shower," the older woman said, jutting her thumb towards the staircase. "You can have next, okay?" Lorelai pushed herself up from the table and tossed a glance back towards her niece. It hadn't occurred to Rory that her aunt might be nervous too.
About forty-five minutes later, the two girls – who looked remarkably similar, so much so that they could easily have passed for mother and daughter, if Lorelai wasn't so young – strolled back towards the center of town.
"You'll probably meet Jess today," Lorelai said.
"What's he like?" asked Rory, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket and trying to ignore the stares she was still getting from all the townies walking past.
"He's nice. Kind of like Luke, but calmer. He reads a lot. Very smart kid." Rory nodded. This guy sounded boring. And he went to private school. How snobby. She wondered if he had to wear a uniform. Her question was answered a few moments later when they entered the diner and Lorelai pointed Jess out to her. He was indeed wearing a uniform – light grey and blue, with a tie and a blazer and everything. It even had the school crest on the breast pocket. He had neatly-groomed dark hair and eyelashes Rory was immediately jealous of. She had to load on a lot of mascara to get the same effect. He glanced up from his book when the bell above the door rang and watched Rory curiously.
Luke popped out of the kitchen and waved to them, gesturing to an empty table. "Jess, will you wash that off?" he asked, and the boy stood up and wiped a rag across the surface.
"Um, hi, I'm Jess," he said shyly, extending the hand that wasn't holding the dishrag to Rory.
She shook it firmly. "Rory. I'm, uh, Lorelai's niece."
Jess nodded. "I know, my dad told me you were coming." He lingered for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something else, and Rory glanced around to avoid his intense gaze.
"Um, what are you reading?" she asked, just for something to say.
"The Stranger, by Camus. Have you ever read it?"
Rory's eyes widened. "Yeah, it's one of my favorites. Have you read anything else by him?"
Jess shook his head, smiling. "It's my first. What should I read next? Or shouldn't I trust your opinion?" He tilted his head towards Lorelai, who smiled.
"Well, don't I look trustworthy?" Rory asked, smiling a bit herself. "Next you should read The Plague. I can loan it to you sometime, if you want."
Jess nodded and walked back to the counter and grabbed his backpack. "I gotta go to school, Dad. Bus'll be here any minute." Luke reached out and ruffled his son's hair. Jess winced and hastily smoothed it back down again, making Lorelai and Rory giggle. "Bye," he called to them, waving at Rory.
Luke walked over to them after a moment with a fresh pot of coffee in his hand. "Jess seems to like you," he said to Rory happily. She just nodded, feeling awkward. She wasn't used to starting conversations like that with people right off the bat. Usually she just avoided everyone. "Hey, I've got an idea," Luke continued, filling Lorelai's mug. "Why don't you two come to the apartment for dinner tonight? I'll cook and Rory and Jess can get to know each other a little better."
"Sounds great! Okay by you, Rory?" Lorelai said. Rory just shrugged. "That's 'okay' in Roryspeak," Lorelai stage-whispered to Luke. "Will you make burgers?" she asked hopefully.
"Nah, why don't I do something a little nicer? You can have a burger here anytime," Luke said, leaning against their table and smiling down at Lorelai. Definitely something going on there, Rory observed silently.
"Not in the morning," Lorelai protested. "When I tried to get a burger for breakfast last week, you said no!" Luke rolled his eyes. "You let me have chicken soup for breakfast once," Lorelai continued stubbornly.
"You were sick," Luke pointed out. "I made an exception. A rare exception," he emphasized. "Now, can I get you some normal breakfast food? Eggs, pancakes?" He looked at Rory expectantly.
"Um, just a muffin," Rory said quietly. She was starving, but she didn't want to seem piggy. The less the town had to say about her, the better. Lorelai raised an eyebrow at her but didn't comment.
"I'll have scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, bacon and sausage, plus a pancake. And a Danish," she said.
"It's not Danish day," Luke said.
"Please?" Lorelai wheedled, drawing out the word and pouting.
"I might have one in the back," Luke admitted, relenting immediately. A few minutes later, a cherry Danish with stripes of delicious-looking frosting appeared in front of Lorelai.
"Thank you!" she chirped, ripping into it immediately. "Nothing goes better with Luke's coffee than cherry Danish. Want some?" she asked Rory, who nodded and placed a bite of pastry in her mouth. She had to catch herself before she gasped. It was amazing, and now she was hungrier than ever. She stared sadly at the little bran muffin in front of her. "You want some of mine?" Lorelai offered when Luke brought out her enormous plate.
"Well…if you don't mind…" Rory said hesitantly, but already reaching her fork out towards the sausage.
"What's a little shared breakfast between family?" Lorelai smiled.
