Disclaimer: I do not own and characters except Lori, I think.
"Hello. Mom, Gram, are you guys home?" Lori shouted when she walked through Lorelai's door.
Receiving no answer she decided to watch 'Almost famous', a move her mother hated with a passion.
Popping the DVD in she sat on the couch; squirming around to get comfortable. Feeling the need for coffee and burger's from the ever popular Luke's she decided to call over to the diner.
"Luke's." she heard a man answer on the other end.
"Who is this?" Lori asked them.
"Why? Who's calling?" the person demanded.
"This is Luke's… uh… niece". Lori told him, not quite sure how to put it. He could be her grandfather if you thought about it. Her Grandmother married Luke when she around the age of six. They were engaged before then, but they broke up before the ceremony. But on the other hand she knew her father was Luke's nephew, she that classified her as a niece, besides the fact that she called him Uncle before her Grandmother stared seeing him.
"That can't be; Luke's only niece is seven." The person pointed out.
"Do you mean Dula?" she ask, who is this guy? She thought; some stalker of Luke? Besides Kirk I can't think of anyone who would find the need to follow Luke around town in a ninja get up with a ski mask.
"Yah, I guess. Can I help you?" he asked confusion in his voice.
"Is Luke there?" Lori asked the strange man.
"He left a little while ago but I think he's at the Inn if it's important. Did you call to order something or just play twenty questions with his employees?" the person questioned her.
"Actually I was just-" the man cut her off.
"Hold on a sec" he told her, Lori then heard him call for Luke who must have just walked in the door. There was some static then Luke's voice came on.
"Hello?" Luke said into the phone.
"Hey Luke Mom isn't here to night and I was thinking about pulling a hermit kind of thing and I was wondering if you could bring me by some supplies?" Lori asked him over the phone.
"Sure, the usual Gil- uh… unhealthy amount of food that all the latest healthy guides say will take ten years off your life?" he said, stopping before he could say Gilmore; noticing Jess listening in.
"Of course, and you know me. I got the Gilmore stomach that everything and everyone envies, and it will only be five years Luke", Lori said flipping her smooth black hair.
"Oh, well I feel much better now. I'll be over with it in thirty minutes." Luke told her.
"Wait Luke!" she shouted before he hung up the phone.
"Yeah?"
"Who was that who answered the phone earlier?" she asked him.
Luke stopped and looked over to where Jess was arguing with Kirk over a ten cent increase on the price of his burger.
"Listen; I go to go Caesar just screwed up someone's order and I have to take care of it." Luke said hastily.
"Okay Uncle Luke…" Lori said to the phone and hung it up when she heard the dial tone.
-Luke's-
The phone hit the receiver and Luke wrote Lori's name down on a sheet of paper and handed it to Caesar, knowing he would under stand and figure out what to make.
"Who was that?" Jess asked coming behind Luke making him jump.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he asked his nephew.
"Possibly." He said, still waiting for his answer.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Have I grown a second head I don't know about?" Luke said while tucking a pencil behind is ear.
"I'll ask again seeing as you became deaf for the three seconds it took me to ask you that question." Jess said, "Who was that on the phone?"
"Just a person", Luke said.
"No really? I could have sworn it was an elf." Jess said sarcastically.
"It was no one; okay?" he said.
"Why won't you tell me who it was? They sounded pretty young, you having an affair with a kid again Luke?" Jess asked him.
"I've never had an affair with a kid, don't plan to, and it's none of you business who that was." Luke told him.
"Was it that girl from earlier? The one I can't see?" Jess questioned Luke.
"No." Luke said.
"Ahh. So it was her, who is her? A kid you meet off the streets then took in and forced her to work in the dinner for no pay? Is she your bed warmer because that's against the law my friend and I will not hold back on calling Coop." Jess said raising his voice, not noticing people beginning to stare.
"Hey! Watch what you say about her! You know nothing about her or her family. So I wouldn't go making assumptions if I were you. If you knew the whole story… well let's just say this would be a whole lot different!" Luke shouted making everyone who wasn't staring begin to stare.
"Then tell me!" Jess shouted back.
"Tell you what?" Luke asked.
"The whole story; I want to know it all." Jess said to him waving his arms around dramatically.
"I can't!" he shouted at his young nephew.
"Why not?!" Jess said, still neither of them noticed the eyes glued to them.
"I promised someone." Luke said calming down a little.
"Who Luke? Who?" he asked.
"I can't tell you, damn it Jess." Luke said.
"Why can't you tell me who you promised?" Jess asked his uncle.
"Go upstairs Jess!" Luke barked at him.
"No, you can't tell me what to do or where to go." Jess said bluntly, sounding like a four year old.
"Yes I can!" Luke shouted, again.
"I don't live here, I'm fully grown and you can't make me do anything I don't want to do anymore." Jess told him.
Being so caught up the spat they were having neither of them heard the bell ring above the diner's door, and neither of them saw a women around twenty-eight enter the diner.
She stood watching the scene play out before her, eyes focused on the younger of the two.
Just seeing him, standing there, made her heart beat faster, and her face turn warm and red. The girl's breath caught in her throat, she was frozen in place. Knowing she should run, scream, slap the face of the boy, man, that was arguing with Luke, but she didn't.
Jess's back was facing the girl, making him unable to see her. However, Luke had a clear shot at her when he looked up and locked eyes with her.
Luke froze, eyes still staring behind Jess.
"Hello, I'm trying to fight with you here!" Jess told him, waving a hand in front his uncle's face.
He turned to see where Luke was staring and his eyes widened when he was her.
"Rory?" Jess said, not trusting his eyes; believing it was all a dream.
His voice shook her from her trance and her brain began to function again.
"I'm leaving." She said, turning around and walking out of the diner.
"Rory, wait!" Jess called after her, catching the door before it could close, following her out into the street.
Rory quickened her step and began to run, with Jess doing the same.
"Rory stop! We look like idiots." He said to her.
"I don't care!" she said with no emotion.
"We've done this before!" He shouted to her and she began to slow down until she came to a complete stop.
"I know, and if you tell me you love me and run away again let me say I will not be surprised." Rory said to him.
"We need to talk." Jess said.
"We have nothing to talk about." Se told him while trying to steady her breathing.
"Yes we do!" he said.
"Like what?" Rory ask. "Like how you leave me ten years ago and say nothing about it? Or how you come back one year later, tell me you love me then leave with out waiting for my reply? Maybe the thought never crossed your mind Jess but you hurt me. And yes, I am aware of how childish and lame that sounds but I don't care, I really don't anymore! About anything!" she said and began to walk away again; he followed.
"Of course I thought about that Rory, did you really think I was that stupid?" he asked.
"Maybe." She said, not stopping.
"It hurt me too, and I was scared Rory! I didn't know how you would take it." Jess said.
She whipped around to face him; her abrupt stop took him by surprise almost causing them to collide.
"You were scared Jess?! You have no clue about the mess you left behind. I was scared that I would have to face it alone; I didn't think my mother would help me! I cried every night for three months, and you weren't there, and you were supposed to be!" Rory shouted at him, tears running down her face.
"Face what alone?" Jess said puzzled.
"But you know what? I'm tired of waiting, and I'm done pinning for you. I'm going to walk away now, and please do not follow me." She said her voice had changed from screaming to barely above a whisper.
"Rory…" Jess said, unsure if he wanted to continue.
"I have to go, Lori's waiting for me." Rory said.
"Who?" Jess asked.
Rory squeezed her eyes shut, realizing what she just said to him, but instead of answering him she turned around and walked home, ignoring the regretful feeling in the pit of her stomach.