AN: Thank you all for the wonderful and positive feedback :) I wasn't sure how it would be received.


Rory sighed into the phone.

"Mom, I thought you'd be excited for me," she challenged, placing a hand on her hip as if her mother could see her.

"Rory, I am excited for you," Lorelai countered, doing the same thing on her end. "But I'm not excited for you to be in a crowd of angry people."

"It's an anti-Trump protest, mom," Rory pushed. "They're angry at the government, not at reporters."

"You don't know that," Lorelai insisted.

"I'm going to be collecting anecdotes and seeing what's going on for myself," Rory explained. "I won't be an obvious reporter. Besides, protesters want nothing more than to have their rallies publicized. If I do get caught, that might give me a safety net."

She heard her mom sigh over the phone and could almost imagine the look of stubborn defeat on her face.

"You'll call me before and after?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

Rory smiled and blew her hair away from her face, relieved.

"Of course."

"Okay. Well. Knock 'em dead."

Rory laughed.

"That's not really what we say in the journalism field."

"Break a leg?"

"Nope."

"You get the gist," Lorelai conceded, throwing her hand up at the phone dismissively.

"I do," Rory said, nodding. She heard her mother sigh and bit her lip.

There was a pause between them.

"Miss you, kid," Lorelai said softly.

"Miss you, mom," Rory admitted.

They hung up the phone after another moment or two of light banter and Rory plopped down on her couch with a thud.

It had been a while since Rory had been home to Stars Hollow; she had only managed to visit twice in the last six months because of the Inquirer. She knew that Lorelai understood, but it was still hard not seeing each other so much. Even when she had gotten away, it was only for a day or two.

The last time that she had been home for more than a day or two was the wedding a few years back. Rory had first traveled the country following Obama's campaign for the year, and then she had spent the next few months helping Lorelai get things in order.

She hadn't known what to think when her mom and Luke got engaged again. Rory was happy for her mom, of course, but having suffered through the painful and short-lived reunion of Lorelai-Christopher, she wanted to make sure her mom was certain. But Luke had really outdone himself on Rory's goodbye party, and she smiled thinking about how that had set things in motion.

As it were, the wedding was promptly planned after Lorelai and Luke worked their kinks out. It had been strange to think that Luke would officially be her stepfather, instead of just the man with the coffee who acted like a father.

Rory smiled now thinking about it all. She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a K-cup, simultaneously hitting the button to warm up the Keurig. She leaned against the counter, arms crossed patiently.

Rory was lost in her thoughts until she heard a bedroom door open. She looked up expectantly as her roommate Ethan waltzed in, lazily pushing his glasses to his face.

"Morning, sunshine," Rory giggled as Ethan shot her a murderous look.

"It's too early for living," he croaked, throwing himself over the ledge of the couch into the cushions.

"Coffee before I head out?" Rory asked, shaking the box of K-cups.

"Mhmm," Ethan mumbled in between the couch cushions.

Rory chuckled and took out another pod. She would never tell her mother she used this thing. Lorelai refused to use anything but the good old fashioned coffee pot she'd grown up with. The Keurig she and Luke had gotten her for Christmas last year had been promptly donated to the inn dining room space for guests.

Sookie and Michel had been thrilled, but it wasn't long before they regretted it. Her mother had on more than one occasion scoffed and pointed and picked on Sookie and Michel for "turning to the dark side," as she called it. She had made Rory take a fake oath never to cave in to mass consumerism and she promised, hiding her machine in secrecy.

As the machine whirred for the second cup, Ethan dislodged himself from the cushions and walked over to the small island in the apartment kitchen.

"So today is the day, huh?" He asked, grateful as Rory handed him her original mug full of coffee.

"Today is the day," Rory confirmed, smiling as the Keurig finally gave her another cup.

"Nervous?" Ethan asked, sipping. He made a face and went for the sugar. He never understood how Rory drank coffee black.

"Mostly excited," she said with a warm smile. "It'll be cool to be in the thick of things again, you know? It's different than being around a bunch of reporters trying to get the same story you are."

Ethan nodded. "And you don't think you'll have any competition?"

"I'm sure we won't be the only paper there," Rory said softly, holding the mug in both hands to warm her. "I just don't anticipate everyone clamoring to get a front page article."

Ethan shrugged and looked thoughtfully at his roommate of a year.

"Just be careful Ror, will ya?"

Rory smiled and placed a hand quickly on his.

"You got it."

Ethan looked skeptical but he nodded, accepting her promise. He placed the coffee down on the counter and looked at the clock.

"Didn't you want to get there a few hours early?" Ethan questioned.

"Yeah, why?" Rory looked concerned and checked her watch.

"Shouldn't you be heading out already?" Ethan nodded at the clock on the wall.

Rory looked at the clock and then checked her watch again. They read very different things.

Rory looked at her phone and groaned. Her watch was definitely wrong. What good was a watch that didn't tell the proper time?

"I'm late!" She yelled, running to grab shoes.

"You can't be late if you're going two hours early," Ethan pointed out casually. Rory shot him a pouty face as she tugged on her sneakers.

"Bye!" She said suddenly, grabbing her keys and messenger bag in one swift motion. She wondered if this wasn't how the White Rabbit felt, scurrying off to his destination.

Ethan chuckled and waved her off, taking a sip of his coffee again as the door slammed.

He made another face. Needed more sugar.

Rory practically ran down the stairs of their second-floor apartment as she cursed her watch. She'd wanted to get there early to check out the scene and see if she could get any details from the organizers. She sighed and all but sprinted to the bus stop.


"Adrian and Kelly can hold down the fort while you rest. You helped plan, isn't that enough?" Chris probed. Jess shot him a look.

"Jess, it's really not a good idea," Matt tried one last time.

At this point, Jess thought he deserved a medal for how long he'd entertained Matt and Chris trying to talk him out of things. Jess felt his teenaged self come through as he looked in the mirror, attempting to gel his hair into a manageable mess.

"So I've been told," he offered casually, frowning at the bruise on his temple. There was a time where he wouldn't have minded having a visible bruise because it meant comfort from a girl.

Now he just felt like an asshole.

"Jess, man, you're really going to go?" Chris checked, frowning. He and Matt looked at each other in frustration before Matt threw up his hands.

"I give up on him," he groaned, huffing and turning on his heel to exit Jess's room.

"Don't play hard to get, Matt, he likes it," Chris commented with a sigh, staring as he saw Jess's reflection smirk.

"Well, I can't help it," Matt called from the other room. "He's a stubborn ass."

"Does Hallmark know about you?" Jess called over his shoulder, finally feeling satisfied with the mess of locks.

"Jess," Chris warned. He knew Jess was only joking, but he also knew that Matt was pissed and didn't need more provocation from the peanut gallery.

Jess held up his hands in mock surrender. He went to exit the bathroom but Chris stood in his way.

"We really can't make you reconsider? Just to sit this one out until your concussion goes away?" Chris asked softly, furrowing his eyebrows at his friend and colleague.

Jess sighed.

"You really can't. My mind's made up and Adrian and Kelly are counting on me to help them out. I can't just bail and I don't want to, either," Jess told him honestly. He saw the look of concern on Chris's face but pursed his lips to stay firm. He knew his friends cared, but he really did think they were overreacting.

"It can go on without you, you know," Matt called from the living room.

Chris sighed and sidestepped to allow Jess out.

"You're probably right, but it won't, because I'm going," Jess countered in his direction, hints of annoyance in his tone. He looked at his watch.

"Well, I guess you're off then," Chris sighed.

Jess smiled and briefly touched his hand to Chris's shoulder.

"I'll check in."

"You'll call?" Chris didn't look convinced. Jess couldn't help but hold back a smirk.

"Don't look so shocked, bud," he said over his shoulder, walking out of his room and past Matt who remained stone faced on the couch.

"You don't ever call when you say you will," Matt grumbled.

"Who needs a girlfriend when I have you two to nag me?" Jess countered playfully. He ducked as Matt chucked a pillow at his head, dipping out of the doorway with his jacket in one swift motion.

"I'll call," Jess said firmly, poking his head back in before closing the door behind him.

Jess tugged his jacket on over his shoulders and zipped it up. He frowned as he shoved his hands in his pockets, a finger poking through. He grumbled to himself about needing a new jacket.

He'd been wearing this leather jacket for years now. It wasn't the same he'd had as a teenager; that one had stopped fitting around 24. He'd bulked up a little in the boxing ring since then. Boxing had its perks; Jess had a positive way to get out aggression, it made him more energetic, and women didn't exactly complain about his body. But it also had its cons — like forcing him to get new jackets as a creature of habit.

Jess was fortunate to live in the heart of Philadelphia, not too far from where the organized protest was being held. He rolled his eyes as he checked his phone, viewing a text from Adrian asking where he was. As if he wasn't already showing up two hours early.

He had met Adrian at an open house for the Truncheon. They often hosted local artists to feature their work in the space, especially for events. Adrian knew Matt, who introduced him to Jess. They'd hit it off pretty well, talking about books and the movement behind protest art, and that was all she wrote. They were instant pals, and it was a no brainer that Jess would help him plan the protest when Adrian had asked the week before.

Adrian introduced Jess to Kelly, too. That was another story all its own. One minute she was falling over Adrian and the next, she was making passes at him.

As Jess rounded the corner, he spotted Kelly's lavender colored hair bobbing next to Adrian. They were engaged in a conversation before she noticed Jess approaching. Adrian turned and waved him over before going back to what he was doing.

Kelly kept her eyes on Jess as he approached. He shifted under the weight of her gaze. Something in her look changed and she smirked ever so lightly.

Jess raised an eyebrow and shoved his hands deeper into his pocket. He offered a smirk back and she winked before turning away.

Jess sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

Women.


AN: There you go :) Please let me know what you think! The rally is a'coming.