Smile, You're in Love
Summary: Story starts off with the Rory/Jess encounter in Doose's from end of episode 3.02 "Haunted Leg". Continues in a completely different direction from then on. Literati, of course, with maybe, I stress maybe, a little LL action somewhere in there.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Gilmore Girls. How sad. I will now proceed to cry…
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! I now have the second chapter up! I hope you like it. Read and review!
Chapter 2
"Rise and shine! Time to get up! The sun is up, the birds are chirping! Up, up, pip, pip! Let's go!"
Rory groaned and rolled over. What the hell is she talking about? The damn sun isn't up yet. "Go away. Too early."
"Nonsense. It's 8:00 on a Saturday. That's not early. Come on, get up. We've got a lot to accomplish today."
Rory pulled the covers over her head. "Leave me alone. Ten more minutes." Will the torment never stop?
"Nope." The covers were quickly pulled off Rory and thrown to the side of the room.
"Oh, my, god. Fine, I'll get up!" Rory sat up, rubbing her eyes. As she took her hands away from her eyes, she looked up and screamed. "OH MY GOD! What the hell are you doing here?" Great way to give a girl a heart attack!
Lane smiled at her. "I'm here to get you up. We have a lot to accomplish today. Lorelai kind of filled me in about what happened last night on her way to the inn. So I figured you could finish filling me in, then we could get breakfast at Luke's, then take care of whatever unfinished business that you have, then maybe we could head to this really cool music store that opened up in Willimantic? What do you think?" Come on say yes, this store has everything you could ever dream of finding!
Rory grinned at her best friend's crazy antics, then frowned slightly. "How much did my mom tell you exactly?"
"Oh, not much. Basically that you and Jess kissed at Sookie's wedding, then last night, you and Jess fought, then you and Lorelai fought, then you went to the bridge where you ran into Jess, then you guys talked, then you guys kissed, and you decided that you want to be with Jess and not Dean." Lane was out of breath by the time she finished. Thanks for filling me in, by the way. Don't I feel loved?
"Did she go into detail?"
"No, she left that job for you."
"Ah, okay. Tell you what. How about I get dressed, then I'll fill you in on the way to Luke's?" I need my J – coffee fix. Yeah, my coffee fix.
"Sounds good. Just, one question."
"Shoot," Rory said.
"Have you talked to Dean yet?" Lane asked. 'Cause that would be a smart idea.
"No, not yet. I was actually going to do that today after my coffee fix." Rory stared at her feet as she said this. Crap, that's not gonna go well at all.
"Oh. Well, how about if I wait outside his house or Doose's while you talk to him, that way you have someone there for moral support?"
"Thanks Lane. You're the best."
"Yeah, well I try." Lane grinned.
"I'll be just a sec," Rory said as she walked towards the bathroom.
By the time they reached Luke's, Lane was completely up to date on what had transpired the past couple days and months. As they entered the diner, the bells above the door jingled merrily. The girls went up to sit at the counter as Luke stepped out of the storage room.
"Hey Rory, Lane. What can I get you guys?"
"Hey Luke. Can we get two orders of blueberry pancakes, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and lots and lots of coffee, please?" Rory asked sweetly.
How the hell are they still alive from eating this instant death for all their lives? "Do you know how much damage this stuff will do to your insides?" Luke interrogated.
"You've only told us, like, everyday that we've been coming here," Rory replied, smirking. Please go on a rant. Luke rants are so fun to watch!
Luke shot her an evil look, then walked into the kitchen to start their artery-clogging breakfast. As Rory and Lane were happily sipping their coffee, Jess made an appearance as he walked out from behind the curtain leading up to the apartment. He stopped halfway behind the counter when he saw Rory and Lane sitting there.
"Hey," Jess smiled. Finally, took her long enough to get here. Man, does she look good.
"Hey," Rory smiled back.
"Can I…um…can I talk to you…upstairs…for a minute?" he asked. Very smooth.
"Yeah, sure," Rory replied. "I'll be back in a minute," she told Lane. Or two or three…
"Take your time." Lane smirked at the way the two of them looked at each other. Aren't they just adorable? He hurts her he dies.
Upstairs in the apartment, Jess walked in with Rory following close by. Once the door was closed, an awkward silence followed.
Jess was the first one to break the hovering silence. "So, how are you?" Lame start, buddy.
Rory smiled shyly. He's so cute when he's shy. "Good. What's going on with you?"
"Not too much. I actually decided to give The Fountainhead another try." Kill me now, please.
"Really? I'm sure you'll like it this time. It's such a great book." He's dying on the inside, I know it!
"Yeah…um…have you…um…talked to Dean yet?" Well, that was a great transition. Make her so uncomfortable she'll just leave. Idiot.
Oh, boy, here we go. "Oh, um…no, Lane and I were actually gonna head over there after we ate. Lane was gonna wait while I talked to him. We were gonna head to this new music store in Willimantic afterward," Rory explained. Please don't be mad, please don't be mad.
"Ok. Well, um, I'll be here all day, so when you get back, stop by and tell me what happened, ok?" Jess asked. Good, try and be open, maybe this will work. I can be open and be available for her to talk to, right?
He's trying to be open with me. Ah, I find that so cute. "You bet. We probably won't be in Willimantic for too long, depending on if I can take the jeep or if we have to take the bus, but I will definitely stop by afterwards," Rory said, smiling.
Smiling as well, Jess walked up to her and, gently placing his hands on her hips, leaned in to give her a kiss. Their lips met with all the passion and electricity that the two could feel. As they gently pulled away, Jess smirked.
"Go eat your breakfast. I'll talk to you later."
Jess kissed her goodbye and watched her walk back downstairs to Lane and her breakfast with a smile. She does that so well.
After they finished their breakfast, Rory and Lane were walking through the square towards Dean's house for the inevitable talk. Rory was nervous and fidgety; Lane kept shooting her sympathetic side-long glances. All of a sudden they heard footsteps running up behind them.
"Hey Rory! Wait up!" a voice called.
Crap. Rory turned around and froze. Lane, turning to see what she was looking at, froze as well. Dean came to a stop in front of them.
"Hey, I just got the day off. I was thinking we could hang out today," Dean said. He leaned in to kiss her.
This is not good, very not good. Lane interrupted him before he could. "Um…I'll just…um…leave you two to talk. I'll be in the gazebo when you're ready to go, 'k Ror?"
Why are you leaving? Don't leave! "Sure thing Lane. I'll be there in a bit," Rory grinned nervously.
Dean eyed her suspiciously. What does she mean? We're going to hang out. "What's going on Rory?"
Rory glanced up at him, then quickly down to her shoes. Please let this go smoothly. "Um…I think we should talk, Dean."
"About what?"
Rory started to fidget even more nervously. You can do this. Just tell him that you think we should break up. It's easy. "Well…um…this isn't easy for me to say, but…um…I think…that…um…I think that we should…um…break up."
"What? Why?" Dean was confused and upset. What the hell is going on here? Is she insane?
"I think we should break up," Rory repeated more confidently this time. "I just…I don't…I just don't think it's working out. We're both changing and becoming different people. I just think that we're growing apart. Even if I wasn't breaking up with you right now, I don't think we would have lasted much longer. I'm sorry Dean. I really am." Please believe me. And…by the look on his face he's mad. Really mad. Uh oh, here comes the big blow up…
She is not breaking up with me! She cannot do this! I love her! She's crazy if she thinks she's gonna break up with me! "Where is all of this coming from? I mean, a couple days ago everything was fine! I thought we were doing fine! I thought you loved me Rory!" Dean was angry and upset. He hadn't expected Rory to ever break up with him. He didn't think he deserved this. He loved her, damnit!
Just explain it to him. Explain it as nicely as possible. He'll understand. "I thought I loved you too, Dean, but, I don't know, people fall out of love. I think that's what happened. I think that at one point, I did love you, but I think that at some point, I fell out of love with you. I'm sorry Dean," Rory pleaded to him, hoping that he would understand. She stole a glance over his shoulder at the diner and saw Jess sneaking peaks at them in between refilling coffee mugs.
Dean followed her gaze and started to understand what was happening. You've got to be kidding me. That little bitch. "Oh, I get it. You're breaking up with me so you can be with him. You've got it through your head that he likes you, and you like him, and that you two will live happily ever after, huh? Well, I'll tell you that it's not going to happen. You'll just end up being another one of his conquests to try and get a girl in bed, then he'll ditch you and you'll come crying back to me, begging me to take you back, that you made a mistake. But I'll ignore you and treat you like your treating me now, like dirt. I'm telling you now, you get together with that guy, you'll become the slut of Stars Hollow, just like your mom was the slut of Hartford. Have fun ruining your life."
Oh, he did not just call my mom and me sluts. He is dead. "You son of a…" Rory started, going to slap him across the face, but he was too quick. He grabbed her arm before she could hit him and slapped her hard across the face. As she stumbled backward, he let go of her arm, spitted in her face, and walked away. Rory stood there shocked; she brought a hand up to her face to wipe at the saliva running down her bruised cheek.
Lane, having watched the whole ordeal, ran over to her best friend. Jess, who had been watching through the diner's window, put down the coffee pot on the counter and ran out the door to help Rory.
As he approached Rory and Lane he said, "I am going to kill that jackass! Are you okay?" That jerk will die! It will be a slow and painful death that involves villagers and torches, and I will enjoy every minute of it.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll just have a small bruise. I'm just shocked. I never thought Dean would do something like that," Rory replied. I can't believe he did that. I didn't think it would go that bad.
"Neither did I," Lane agreed. "He used to be so nice and caring." So much for being the good, safe boyfriend.
"I don't know, it always seemed to me like he was a complete jerk. Very controlling," Jess said.
"It doesn't matter any more. It's over and that's that. We don't have to worry about it anymore," Rory sighed in relief. "Now we can just move on with our lives." She smiled at Jess. And now I can officially be with you.
Jess smirked back and leaned in to give her a kiss. Rory happily gave into the kiss and they broke apart smiling even more.
"Now, how about you two head off to that music store you wanted to check out. I have to get back to work anyway before Luke kills me. I'll see you later?"
"You bet." Rory kissed him goodbye and her and Lane headed off towards the inn to get Lorelai's jeep.
With the bells jingling happily over their heads, Rory and Lane walked into the diner later that afternoon, arms weighed down by their many purchases. Collapsing into chairs at a table by the window, they placed the bags of CDs onto the table to be sorted through while eating a plate of chili cheese fries.
"Back already. And with bags, how fun. That stuff better not get in the way of the other customers while you're here. What can I get you?" Luke asked. He looked at the bags and small stacks of CDs that were starting to pile up on the table with an apprehensive look.
"We went CD shopping out in Willimantic today. We got a lot accomplished. We got some Bon Jovi, some Beatles, some Rush, oh, and the new Goo Goo Dolls CD. Wanna listen to it? Where's your CD player?" Lane asked, going on one of her music oriented rants.
"I don't have a CD player in the diner. People don't want to hear loud music playing while they try to eat their food. I don't want to hear it either. Now, what can I get you?"
"Jeez, isn't someone grumpy today. You know what would take care of your grumpy mood? Some wonderful music by Boston. They're very relaxing. Their voices may be very high-pitched, but they are great musicians," Lane's rant continued.
"Ok, you have two choices. Either shut her up, or you leave without getting coffee. You decide."
"I'm sorry Luke. She gets kind of excited after going CD shopping. She's an aspiring music mogul. What can I do? I promise I'll shut her up. Now, can we get two orders of chili cheese fries and coffee in a keg?" Rory asked.
"Two heart attacks on a plate coming up." Luke walked away towards the kitchen.
"Thank you Luke! Oh, and don't forget the coffee!" Rory called after him.
"So, what do you think we should analyze first, the Def Leppard or the Judas Priest?" Lane inquired.
"How about we eat our chili cheese fries, I catch up with Jess real quick, then we can go to my house and analyze the Peter Gabriel first?" Rory suggested.
"Fine by me. Oh, food."
Rory looked over to see Jess bringing their fries and the coffee pot over to the table. After setting down the plates and pouring the coffee, he sat down next to Rory.
"So, the quest was successful I see."
"Of course. You can't go to a music store without buying at least ten CDs. Oh, did you see the Pink Floyd I got, Rory? Oh, or the Who? You can't have a complete collection without some 'Money' or 'My Generation' or 'Baba O'Reilly'," Lane explained.
"Don't forget the Skid Row. You can't leave out Skid Row," Rory jumped in.
"I could never forget Sebastian Bach. That's virtually impossible!"
"Ok, you two have officially gone insane. I think I should hide all this stuff from you, then check you two into rehab for music addicts," Jess joked.
"Don't mock us. Although we may be very mockable, it's not nice. We just like to be well experienced and well knowledged in the music world," Rory explained.
"For a girl who goes to Chilton, you just said two words that don't even exist," Jess teased.
"Oh yeah? Which ones were they Mr. Smartypants?" Rory asked.
"Mr. Smartypants? That's a good one. And for your information they were 'mockable' and 'knowledged'."
"They are too words! Lorelai uses them all the time. As do I!" Lane interrupted.
"You guys are officially insane. I'm leaving before I become crazy too," Jess said as he got up from the table.
"Hey, it's fun to be insane. You feel happy all the time," Rory informed him.
"Yeah, well, I'd prefer to stay sane for a while longer thank you very much. I'm sure now that we're together I'll be going insane sometime soon anyway. How's your cheek, by the way?" Jess inquired about her now visibly bruised cheekbone.
"It's fine. It doesn't even hurt. The only hard part was trying to explain to mom what had happened. She wasn't too happy."
"Well neither am I. I want to go out there and kill that jackass right into next week. But I'll refrain for your sake," Jess said.
"Thank you. You're just starting to win over some brownie points with my mom, you wouldn't want to blow it now," Rory told him.
"Yeah, well, I'll try to be good."
"Thank you."
"You guys have been going out less than a day and she's already got you whipped to abiding to her every word. You're good, Rory. You need to teach me how you do it," Lane said, amazed.
"She does not have me whipped. I just like to do things for her," Jess defended, trying to keep up his "bad boy" reputation.
"Ha, that's a good one. You're totally whipped."
"Please make her shut up."
"I'll try, but I can't guarantee that it will work. We should probably get back to my house anyway to sort through all of this stuff. I'll see you later?" Rory asked.
"If I know your mother, you'll both probably be in here for dinner, so I guess I will see you later," Jess replied.
He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, before standing up, picking up the coffee pot, and returning to work. Rory and Lane packed up their purchases, stood up and walked out the door, Rory waving back to Jess and she left.
Going back behind the counter, Jess caught a glimpse of Luke staring at him incredulously. "What?"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Luke asked, confused and furious at his nephew's actions.
"What do you mean by that, uncle of mine?" Jess answered sarcastically.
"What do you think you're doing kissing Rory? She has a boyfriend! I can't believe she didn't slap you across the face!"
Wow, can Luke be any more behind with the times. "Are you that much of a hermit? Rory and Dean broke up this morning. She and I have been together since last night. Catch up, man."
"Whoa, how did you get together last night if she just broke up with Dean this morning? And what about you and Shane?" Luke was incredibly confused now.
"Rory and I talked last night at the bridge. We decided that we wanted to be together, so last night I broke up with Shane. This morning was the soonest that Rory was able to talk to Dean, so she broke up with him then. Does that answer all of your questions?"
"Does Lorelai know about this?"
"Yes."
"Does she like the fact that you are now going out with her daughter?"
"Beats me. According to Rory she doesn't exactly hate me, so that's a good sign, right?" Jess stated in a slightly sarcastic tone.
"I swear to God, if you mess this up or hurt Rory in anyway, you will die a very painful death, do you understand me?"
"Man, do the people at social services know that you threaten me like that? 'Cause that could get you arrested."
"Don't be smart with me Jess. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
"Yeah, I understand," Jess said.
"Good, now get back to work," Luke ordered.
Jess went back to filling up coffee cups while Luke, looking satisfied with their chat, started wiping down the counter.
Fade out.
A/N: What did ya think? Sorry it took a while to get it up. I've been busy getting ready for my spring break trip to Florida! Whoo hoo, three days baby! Please review! I'll update again after vacation!