The Jess Situation Part Deux

by Pineapple Moon

Jess has an amazing new boyfriend, he hasn't gotten into any big fights with his uncle, if anything him and Luke have been getting along better than ever. There is a small bump in the road when Richard ambushes them with a trip to Yale, but Luke surprisingly doesn't get on his case about college. Things are great...Until a guy shows up in the diner, causing chaos in his wake. Part9

3. Run Little Lost Boy, From all of Reality

Title from Lost Boy by Ruth B.

I had so much fun writing this chapter, it's probably one of my favorite ones so far. Hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I do.

"As we soared above the town that never loved me

I realized I finally had a family

Soon enough we reached Neverland

Peacefully my feet hit the sand

And ever since that day"

-Lost Boy, Ruth B.

Chapter three: Run Little Lost Boy, From all of Reality

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Lorelai scrambles for a pen and paper, motioning to Luke for something. He silently grabs a pen and scrap of paper, handing it to her. Copying down the address as Oliver reads it out to her, she repeats back to him to make sure it's right. "Alright, I got it. I'll be there as soon as I can, be careful. This is my cell, so call me on this if anything changes. I'll see you soon, bye." Hanging up, she grabs her purse off the side table, digging through it to make sure she has her wallet and keys.

"What's going on? Where are they?" Luke frantically asks.

"That was Oliver. They're at some party in New York and he's starting to get worried."

"A party?! What party?! Is Jess okay?"

"I'm not sure, Oliver just said something about how they went to see some band and that he didn't know there'd be drugs and alcohol there, and he wants someone to come get them. Look, we'll get the whole story later, but I really need to get going, it's a two hour drive to New York." She leaves out the part about how Jess has been drinking, figuring she'll fill him in more when she gets back.

"Okay, let's go."

Lorelai sighs. How can she word it without Luke flying off the handle? "No, Luke. I think you should stay here." She decides to say bluntly. It hurts to even suggest it, and she knows if the situations were reversed she would be just as opposed, but with Luke's temper, there's no way he could get Jess to agree to come back without getting both of them saying things they'll later regret.

He scoffs. "No way. Jess is getting high or drunk, or both right this second, and you want me to stay here?!"

"Which is exactly why you should stay here!" Lorelai says firmly. "You're mad and upset-"

"Hell yeah I am!"

"-which will only make the problem worse. I will go get them, bring them both home, while you take the time to calm down so you don't murder him on the spot for pulling such a stupid stunt. You once said between the two of us, I'm the calm one. Now are we going to keep arguing about this or are you going to let me go?"

Luke huffs, looking like he's going to fight her more on this, but then he shakes his head. "Son of a bitch… Fine. Have it your way. But the second he gets back,"

"I'll call you and let you tear him a new one."

Luke nods, still fuming. "I'll be at the diner, just call me on that phone and I'll meet you here."

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Lorelai leaves the radio off as she speeds west on interstate 84, before exiting and heading south for an hour. As she merges onto interstate 95, her phone starts to ring, making her jump in surprise. She scrambles for it, thinking it might be Oliver with some update. Without glancing at the caller ID, she flips it open and wedges it between her shoulder and chin.

"Hello?"

There's sniffling on the other line. "Mom?"

"Rory?" She asks in shock, adjusting to phone so she's holding it in one hand. Last she heard, Rory's supposed to be at dinner with Dean. She had to talk her daughter into going since she was worried about Jess being MIA. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" Now she's having flashbacks to Rory's accident last year.

"Everything's," She pauses to sniff. "Everything's fine. Can you just- can you pick me up please? I'm at Paris' and her car is in the shop. I just really wanna come home."

"Oh, honey, you have no idea how much I wish I could, but I'm halfway to New York right now to get your br- get Jess. I thought you were with Dean, can't he give you a ride?" God, one week of Jess living under her roof and she's already seeing him as her own.

Rory either missed her slip up, or is just choosing to ignore it for the time being. She speaks so quietly, Lorelai having to strain to hear her over the phone. "We broke up. He offered to drive me back, but we had just had a huge fight and things were so awkward, I didn't wanna be stuck in a car with him for forty minutes."

These things really come all at once, don't they? "Baby, I'm so sorry, I really wish I could be there for you." Lorelai thinks for a moment. "How about this, Luke is still in Stars Hollow, do you want me to call him to bring you home?"

There's a pause as Rory thinks about it. In the background, Lorelai hears Paris say it's all up to Rory, she's okay with her staying or going. "Um, if you're sure he won't mind. I know he's really upset about Jess."

"Sweetie, you'll be a breath of fresh air for him. Sit tight, I'll call him right now for you."

"Thank you, Mom." Rory sounds relieved.

"It's no problem at all. I love you."

"Love you too."

After Rory hangs up, Lorelai quickly hits her third speed dial, it barely getting the chance to ring before Luke picks up. "Lorelai? Did you hear from them?"

"No, nothing, and I'm still about fifty minutes out. I just have a really big favor I need you to do for me."

"Yeah, of course, what is it?"

"I just got a call from Rory, her and Dean broke up tonight. She's at a friend's in Hartford and needs someone to go get her."

Luke doesn't hesitate. "Oh, jeez. Yeah, of course I'll go get her. What's the address?"

Luckily Lorelai had made sure to memorize Paris' address a long time ago. "Hey, listen, Luke. Thank you so much for doing this for me, especially after I pretty much banned you from coming to get Jess."

Luke sighs. "I'll admit, I was pretty mad at first, but after an hour of pacing and another thirty minutes to calm down, I figured you're probably right. I'm so pissed at that kid for pulling something like this, the second I saw him we'd just be screaming at each other the whole time. Plus, you know I'd do anything for Rory."

"Yeah, I know, but still. Thank you for being there for her. I know I can always count on you to take care of her."

"I, um, I should let you get back to driving, and I need to get going now myself…"

"Yeah, sure. Of course. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Bye."

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Luke is glad for the distraction if he's being honest. Ever since he got that call this morning from Jess' school saying he's missed his first two classes, he's been trying to not jump to the wrong conclusions. Maybe he's just sick, and Lorelai forgot to call the school to let them know. A knot forming in his stomach, he calls her to check to see if that's the case. Rory answered, again easy enough explanation for that if Jess is sick and Lorelai's busy with Jess, but when he asked if he could talk to Lorelai, she said that her mom had left for work a few hours ago. Keeping his voice even so as not to alarm her, he checks if maybe Jess is there anyway, she tells him he left for school around the same time her mom left. Now she's starting to get worried, having put the pieces together herself. Jess was in a bad mood this morning and seemed a little flighty.

After assuring her that it's probably nothing, just Jess off reading somewhere quiet like the bridge, he gets off the phone with her and starts to do some searching of his own. He checks all of the kid's usual haunts, but he's missing from all of them. He pokes his head in the bookstore real quick, checking all the nooks and crannies in case Jess is camped out on the floor reading, but still nothing. Finally caving, he starts asking around, starting with Andrew in case Jess had been in earlier (he hadn't) all the way to stooping as low as asking Taylor, knowing the town selectman always keeps an untrustworthy eye on the teen (he hadn't seen the kid either). When that turned up nothing, he took to the phones, calling Lorelai first who was shocked by the news and came as soon as she could.

Using Lorelai's as a homebase, the two spent all day trying to figure out where he went until they got word that someone had spotted Jess getting on a bus heading for Hartford this morning. Knowing all the calls to Jess' phone are going straight to voicemail, they both try calling Oliver since that's the only person Jess would go to in Hartford, but all of his calls ring out so they both try leaving messages. Eventually, even his calls go straight to voicemail, pretty much confirming their theory that Jess is with him.

It wasn't until around five-thirty that Lorelai got the call from Oliver, begging her to come get them.

Double checking the address on the notepad with the mansion in front of him, he doesn't even get the truck turned off fully before Rory comes out to meet him with a blond girl he vaguely recognizes. Rory hugs her friend and the two have a small conversation before Rory nods and gives her a weak smile, climbing into the truck. She pulls the end of her nice dress in before closing the door, giving her friend one final wave. Forget about killing Jess, Dean just rose to the top of his shit list now.

"Thank you for coming to get me, Luke."

Pulling out onto the street, he gives her a reassuring smile, noting the last of her mascara left on her eyes, most likely having washed her face while at her friend's place. "Like I told Lorelai, it's no problem. Nothing involving you will ever be a chore. You can, uh, turn the radio to whatever station you want." Normally he doesn't let anyone mess with his radio, but in this instance he figures she deserves it.

Knowing how big of a gesture that is coming from him, she nods. "Thanks." Keeping the volume low, she goes through the stations until she comes across something she likes, some light rock he's heard Lane try and get Jess to listen to, without much luck.

They sit in a comfortable silence, the radio being the only noise between them, for the next twenty minutes. Rory keeps fiddling with the small clutch in her lap, little sniffs coming from her every now and again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks softly.

"If it's alright with you, I'd rather wait for my mom." She admits. "Sorry."

"No, I understand. It's all up to you. I just wanted you to know, if you did want to talk, I've been told I can be a good listener." It's the talking part that he's crap at, he leaves out.

They make it back to the diner in record time, where he lets her in, the place having been closed since this morning. Turning the lights on, she heads to the counter and takes a seat, setting her bag on the stool next to her. Without a word, he heads to the back and comes back with a batch of brownies he had made, setting it in front of her. Getting two plates out, he serves some for the both of them.

She sits there with a bemused expression, watching him take a bite. "What?" He asks after he swallows.

She shakes her head, lifting her fork and poking at the brownie. "Nothing, I've just never seen you eat anything remotely sugary before. It's like watching the Dalai Lama eat a steak."

"Then I guess it'll just be something between the two of us. I can trust you to keep my secret, right?" He asks her in a pseudo seriousness.

She nods, playing along. "Oh, of course." A smile breaks across her face, relaxing him. She's smiling, so that has to be a good sign right?

They continue eating in silence until Luke gets an idea. "Have you ever played gin before?" She shakes her head. Reaching under the counter, he pulls out the deck he had taken from Jess a few weeks ago and never got around to taking back up to the apartment. He had tried to start a poker ring with the priest, the rabbi, and Babette until the four of them had been caught by Taylor. Luke had been more amused then anything, but still took the deck so Taylor would stop ranting at him about this being a slippery slope to Jess becoming a criminal mastermind.

Shuffling the cards, he starts to deal out, explaining the rules as he does so. Rory puts their dirty dishes to the side, listening intently and asking a question when needed. It takes a few rounds until Rory gets the hang of it, but once she does she could take him for all he's worth.

"Dean proposed." She says so softly he wasn't sure if he heard her right.

Head shooting up, he forgets all about the game they're playing. "What?! Proposed?! You two are barely eighteen, you're way too young for that stuff."

She continues to stare at her cards. "I know. And that's what I told him. Then we got in this awful fight in the middle of the restaurant where he wanted to know if I ever would want to marry him… and I hesitated. After that we paid our bill and I asked him to drop me off at Paris'."

Luke is stunned. This is just like that fiasco last year when they broke up. The worst part is, this time he has two teens invested in this. Dean and Jess have become friends these past nine months, good friends at that. But he knows Jess and Rory are best friends, with a sibling-like bond at this point. Hell, those two are closer than him and Liz have ever been. With any luck, Jess won't be stuck having to choose sides, because whichever side he chose, he'd still be losing someone.

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Judging by the dull thud of music she hears, Lorelai is guessing she's at the right place. Pulling her jacket close to fight the cold, she finds herself irritated by the small flakes of snow that start to fall. Snow is supposed to mean happy things. All good things happen to her when it snows, and this is definitely not a good thing. God, she is going to murder that little punk. The whole drive here, she felt her temper slowly start to rise as she thought more and more on how stupid Jess is being. Sure, she wasn't a saint at his age, and yes, it'd be a little hypocritical of her to get on him about the underage drinking when she had done the same, but the drugs?! Even she had enough sense to stay away from the parties that were known to have drugs at them. And according to Oliver, he had known exactly what he was getting the two of them into.

Feeling like a teenager again, she finally manages to get on the other side of the fence and marches straight for the door, not sparing the guy stuck manning the entrance a glance.

"Hey, you can't just come in here!" He tries to block her way.

Taking a centering breath, she glares at the kid. And that's exactly what he is. He couldn't be much older than Rory or Jess. "Kid, I very strongly suggest you step aside right this second, because at this moment, you are the only thing standing between me and my son, and let me tell you my friend, that is not a place you want to be. So what's it gonna be?" He swallows, eyes darting around before he moves out of her way without making eye contact. "Good choice."

Pushing her way through the crowd, she scans around trying to find the two teens she came for. Hearing her name, she turns to find Oliver coming towards her. "Thank you for coming. I'm so sorry I was ignoring your calls, I just thought-"

"Nevermind that, where's Jess?"

"This way." She follows him through the throng of people, straining to hear him over the band playing. "I have to warn you though, he's been drinking the whole time. I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't listen."

She inwardly sighs, of course he has. He's really invested in his Robert Downey Jr. impression, isn't he? Spotting him a few paces away, she rushes past Oliver and plucks the red solo cup straight out of his hand and passes it to a random passerby.

"Hey! I wasn't fin'shed-" He spins around, barely able to keep his footing.

"Oh, yes you were. C'mon, Jess, party's over, time to go home."

Ignoring her, he turns his glare behind her to Oliver. "You called Lorelai?! Why th' hell did you call 'er?!" He snarls, some of his words slurring while he over enunciates others.

Oliver's eyes widen as he looks between Jess and Lorelai. "I, um, I didn't know what to- you were-" He stutters.

"Hey!" She gets Jess' attention. "Leave him alone! He did the right thing calling me, now move! We're leaving!" Not giving him a choice, she grabs his arm and forcibly drags him to the exit. He fights her at first, trying to shrug his arm free to no avail.

She lets him go as soon as they get to the car. "'m not going back!"

"Oliver, get in the car please." She makes it an order, not a request.

"But-"

"Now. Don't think you're not busted for this little trip either." All of this could have been avoided had he answered their calls from the start.

Pulling at the sleeve of his jacket, he looks like he wants to fight more before nodding and getting in the front seat.

Turning her attention back to Jess, she levels him with a glare that even gets him to flinch for a second before his face hardens again. "You are going home whether you like it or not. This," She gestures to all around them. "This is you going way too far here. You could have gotten yourself killed. Do you understand that? There were drugs in there!"

"Please, I've been to a thous'nd parties like this. I come for th' music and free beer, that's it. I never do any of the shit they hand out. I know how to handle myself!"

"Oh, well, round of applause to you!" She claps sarcastically. "And at any point during your self destructive path did you even think about the possibility that Oliver could get hurt, or worse, killed? Because news flash, he's never been to a thing like this!"

Jess scoffs. "I was watching out f'r him the whole time."

Lorelai sputters in disbelief. "Kid, you're so wasted right now you can barely see straight, let alone watch out for another person."

Jess growls. "God, why won't you two leave me alone about th't?! I'm fine!"

"No, you're not!" She finally snaps. "Now get your fucking ass in the car, because I just drove over two hours so I can bring home two teens and I'm not leaving until they are both in the car!"

Not bothering to hide his shock, Jess stares her down until he caves, huffing as he climbs into the backseat and slams the door shut behind him.

Hanging her head, Lorelai takes a moment to herself before getting in the driver's seat and starting the jeep up, putting the heaters to full blast.

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The entire drive is a tense, silent affair. Lorelai keeps glancing in the mirror, watching Jess as he keeps his arms crossed the whole time with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep. Oliver on the other hand is a nervous wreck, wringing his hands and staring out the window.

It's almost eleven by the time they pull up to the bus station in Hartford where Oliver had parked his car.

"You, front seat." She barks at Jess.

"No thanks, I'm good right here." He says as he leans his head against the glass, not opening his eyes.

"That wasn't a suggestion. Move your butt." With a sigh, he does as she said, unclipping his seatbelt. Getting out herself, she walks Oliver to his car. "Say goodnight, Gracie." She tells Jess.

"Whatever." He rolls his eyes, not looking at either of them.

"I'm sorry." Oliver blurts out, causing Jess to freeze with his hand on the door handle.

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it." He says over his shoulder.

"I didn't know what else to do, I was scared-"

"So you should have told me!" Jess snaps, spinning around. "Had you told me you were uncomfortable I would have had us leave right then and there! But no! You went behind my back and called Lorelai! That's all everyone seems to be doing lately is go behind my back!"

"I'm sorry! I don't know what else I can say!" Tears start to form in Oliver's eyes.

"Jess, get in the car now!" Lorelai separates the two before Jess says something he can't take back later. With a grunt, he slams the door shut. Again. She sighs, turning back to Oliver. "Just give him some time. And don't take anything he's saying to heart. His fight is with me and Luke, not you. I want to make sure you know that."

"I know." Oliver fights to keep his tears at bay, unlocking his trunk to hand Lorelai Jess' backpack.

"Do you? Because I really want to make sure you do."

"I do." He stresses. His shoulders slump. "Sorry. Here, I'm tired and want to get home."

She takes the bag, holding the strap tighter than necessary. "Okay. And you're okay to drive? I know you didn't drink, but if you're too tired-"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He cuts her off. "It's not that far, I'll be fine."

She watches him walk to the driver's side, debating what to say next. "I'm sorry." She finally settles on.

"Me too." He sighs, getting in and driving off.

Knowing she needs to get going, she forces her feet to move and throws Jess' bag in the back seat. Climbing in herself, she starts the jeep up. "You really screwed up big time here, kid."

She's not expecting a response, which is why she's shocked to hear a quiet, "I know." From Jess' side of the car.

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Ten minutes into the drive and the guilt is eating away at her. In the Luke and Lorelai partnership, she's the calm one. The head to Luke's heart. And there she went, losing her cool and swearing at Jess like she had. Sure, he was being a stubborn little punk about getting in the car, but she should have kept her patients. She still can't get that wide eyed look of almost panic on his face when she spoke to him like that. Had Liz been like that?

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you back in New York. I lost my temper and I shouldn't have spoke to you like that. It was wrong of me."

Jess keeps his eyes closed as he leans his head against the window. "Whatever." His voice is muffled.

God, that is quickly becoming her least favorite word. "No, it's not whatever. I'm trying to explain my side of things. No one knew where you were all day, Luke and I had been terrified. Then to get that call that you were at a party, with drugs and alcohol, I got even more scared if that were possible."

"Yeah, yeah, we could've gotten hurt. You've given me this speech already, in case you've forgotten."

"Do not interrupt me. And yes, you guys could have, but you also could have been arrested. You're over eighteen, you would've been tried as an adult. I know you don't care about your future, you've made that very clear tonight, but Oliver does. If he has a record, then it's goodbye to all those plans he has."

"I know! Okay! I know!" Jess head shoots up, glaring at Lorelai. "Now lay off me about it!"

"No! I will not lay off it! This is not just you skipping as you hang out at Dean's, this is serious-"

"Pull over!"

"No, you aren't getting out of this that easily!"

"Damn it, Lorelai, stop now!"

Slamming the brakes, Jess leaps out of the car before it even makes it to a completely stop, leaning against a tree as he starts to retch.

"Great. Ladies and gentlemen, we've left the drunk stage and are now entering the vomit portion of the evening." She says to herself. Checking to make sure no cars are coming, she jumps out and runs over to his side. "It's okay, just let it out." She rubs his back. "You're okay." Jess gasps and coughs, only dry heaving now. Taking him by the shoulders, she leads him away from the putrid smell. "That's it, just take a minute to catch your breath. You're all better now."

"No, I-I'm n-not!" He lets out between gasps. "I f-fucked everything u-up. Again! Why-why do I always-!" He crumbles to his knees, Lorelai coming with him.

"Hey, hey! You didn't do anything that can't be fixed."

"No! It's ruined! It's a-all ruined!" He sobs. "Oliver p-probably hates me now! A-and L-lukes gonna realize that I-I'm not worth all the ha-hassle 'nd s-send me b-back! I don't wanna go back! I don't, I don't, I don't…" His words get swallowed up by the tears, making him nearly impossible to understand now.

Lorelai holds him tight, shushing him. "Slow down, sweetie, nothing is ruined. Nobody hates you, least of all Oliver, and I can promise you, Luke is not sending you anywhere. Deep breaths now, or you'll make yourself sick again." She runs a hand through his hair, hoping to help calm him down. "You think you're a hassle, at least you didn't get pregnant at sixteen." She jokes.

Jess snorts between shaky breaths. "I think Liz would have a lot of explaining to do if I did." He croaks.

Now that he's calmed down some, shivers start to wrack his small frame, only having a thin jacket to protect him from the snow. Shrugging off her own black peacoat, she wraps it around his shoulders. Now that she gets a better look at him, she notices he looks thinner. With shame, she realizes in the hectic week that she's had, she hasn't been watching his eating habits very closely, or lack thereof apparently. He also needs a haircut, she notes as it lays flat on his head, in his eyes and curls poking out at weird angles. Brushing his hair out of his face, she gives him a smile. "When was the last time you ate?"

He shrugs, sniffing and wiping the last of the moisture from his eyes. "Ten thirty or eleven, I think. We each had a slice of pizza."

"All that drinking on an empty stomach, it's a wonder you were able to keep it all down as long as you did." She rubs her hands up and down his arms, trying to warm him up faster. "How about this, I happen to know there's an IHOP a few miles down the road, why don't we go grab a bite to eat, okay?" He nods, bleary eyed. "Okay. Up you get." She drops a quick kiss on the top of his head before helping him to his feet, leading him to the jeep.

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She decides to give him a break on the lecturing as they eat. With how drained he looks, he probably wouldn't remember most of it anyway. Besides, he seems to have done enough beating himself up already tonight. He barely speaks, only nodding as he listens to her go on about an extremely demanding guest she had at the Inn and other mindless topics to fill the silence. He pauses eating halfway through, but seems to quickly catch on that they aren't leaving until he finishes his small plate of pancakes he ordered and the side of eggs Lorelai had pushed his way.

He rolls his eyes as he starts in on the plate of eggs. "You've been spending too much time with Luke." He mutters.

She smiles. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I just think there's something wrong with this picture when my coat, which for the record is a woman's small, seems to fit you that well."

He scoffs, focusing back on his eggs without comment.

Jess sleeps the rest of the drive back to Stars Hollow. She regrets having to wake him up after they park, not able to carry him in unless he wants to be dropped and awoken with a bump to the head.

"We're here, kiddo." She shakes him gently, earning a groan from him. "I know, but you should sleep lying down. Trust me, your neck will thank me later."

Jess stretches, rubbing his eyes. "I feel gross."

"I bet, why don't you go take a quick shower and get changed into something more comfortable. I'll be right in."

He hesitates. "You're gonna call Luke, aren't you." He doesn't even bother phrasing it as a question.

"He's been worried. I told him I would."

Jess nods, starting his slow, sloth-like movements out of the car. "Oh, and take something for your head, you'll thank me for that in the morning too!" He gives a thumbs up, quietly shutting the door.

Once he's in the house, she gives Luke a quick call like promised. She waits for him on the porch steps, different coat on since Jess took her other one with him by mistake. Luke shows up in record time in his truck, Rory in the passenger seat. Her daughter jumps out wearing what looks like Jess' clothes, hair up in a messy bun. Luke exits slower, her dress folded in his hands.

"Mom!"

"Hey, sweet cheeks, how are you?" She rises to meet her, oofing as Rory tackles her in a hug. At least this time they stay standing, unlike that graceful moment they had at the hospital back in September.

"A little better. Luke taught me how to play gin. Is Jess okay? Is he here?"

"Jess is fine. He's upstairs taking a shower."

Rory visible relaxes. "That's good, I was really worried. I'm gonna go change into something that actually fits." She grabs her dress from Luke. "Thanks again for coming to get me and keeping me company, Luke."

He sticks his hands in his pockets, giving her a smile. "Like I said, it was no problem."

Rory turns back to Lorelai, dropping her voice. "Hey, Mom, when you're done, think you can come to my room for a bit so we can talk? I don't really want to be alone."

Lorelai kisses her forehead. "Of course, hon. I'll just be a few minutes."

"Thanks."

The two adults sit on the steps after she leaves, both sighing in exhaustion.

"So, you taught Rory to play gin? What's next, taking her to Vegas?" Lorelai jokes.

Luke leans back. "She was pretty upset, so I figured I'd teach her something to keep her mind off things until you got here. God, teenage girls have it rough. Did you know that?"

"I may have heard a rumor or two alluding to such a thing. Thanks for that, by the way."

Luke waves her off. "Ah, it was nothing. It was a nice change of pace. Hey, if you're ever interested, we could switch."

Lorelai lets out a laugh. "Oh, if you think you wait a long time for the bathroom now, just wait until you have to share one with a girl. You'd have better luck taking your showers at night."

Luke stretches his legs out with a chuckle of his own. "Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. How, um, how is Jess? Really?"

Lorelai sighs, mirror his position. "No offence, but your sister really did a number on that kid."

Luke's shoulders drop. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"That kid has abandonment issues out the wazoo. He collapsed into drunken sobs, petrified you're going to send him away for this. I don't blame him, last time he acted out-"

"Liz sent him here." Luke finishes, shaking his head. "Jeez, just when I thought we'd uncovered all the damage she's done, something else pops up."

"Like a demented game of whack-a-mole." Lorelai sneers. Seriously, how could anyone let this woman raise a kid. She's surprised Jess hasn't turned out worse then he is.

"Yeah, well, I'm starting to feel a lot like the mole."

Lorelai pats him on the shoulder. "I better get in. I just thought I'd give you a little bit of a head's up on what you're walking into."

"Right, thanks."

"Oh, and Luke?" Lorelai pauses at the door, waiting for him to turn around. "Go easy on him. I was already pretty firm with him about the whole running away and drinking thing. I think right now all he needs is someone to listen."

He nods. "I will."

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Luke stays out on the porch for a few minutes, spending the time alone to gather his thoughts. He shouldn't have let it get this far. This is all his fault, all of it.

With a deep breath, he gets to his feet and heads inside, all of the interior dark. Peeking down the hall to the kitchen, he can see a faint light on under Rory's door and the sound of soft sobs and Lorelai whispering that it'll get better.

Knowing he has his own teen to worry about, Luke creeps into the living room where Jess is lying on the couch, hair still damp.

"I know you're there." Jess says with his face buried in his pillow. With a groan, he lifts his head a little and squints. "Go on, get it over with already an' tell me which relative I barely know you're gonna ship me off to next. Your Cousin Jack who has the triplets? Or maybe it'll be the aunt with the stupid parrot."

Luke sits on the edge of the coffee table so Jess doesn't have to crane his neck. "Even you don't deserve the wrath of three crying babies or Petey the Parrot. The only place you're going is back home with me tomorrow. I think you've done enough couch surfing for now, plus I'm sure Lorelai would like her living room back."

"Really? I can-" He swallows. "You still want my sorry ass around? Even after all those things I said?"

"Still want- Yes, of course I do. That whole fight was my fault, I made a bad choice. I should have thought about how me not telling you would affect you too." Jeez, Lorelai wasn't kidding about the abandonment issues.

"So, you…" He trails off, losing his nerve.

"I what?" Luke gently urges him on, running a hand up and down his arm.

"You don't… hate me? For all the yelling an' saying you're not my father?"

God, he thought he hated him? "Jess, buddy, I could never hate you, not ever. You hear me? And, I know. I know I'm not your father-"

"Maybe not, but you were the one that closed early every day for a month to teach me how to drive when I first got here, and held me all night to make sure I don't have another panic attack, that's way more than anything Jimmy or Liz have ever done for me."

How is it that he had hurt the kid and yet he's the one being comforted? "I should've fought harder." He thinks aloud as he studies the kid in front of him.

"What?"

Luke lays his elbows on his knees, picking at his hands. "You know how after you were born and Jimmy left, your mom wasn't handling it too well so my dad, your grandpa, let her and you stay here in Stars Hollow."

Jess nods slowly, sitting up. He pulls his knees up to his chest. "Yeah, that's why there are a ton of photos of me with you and him when I was a baby."

"Well, I haven't told anyone this, but during that time my dad was trying to get custody of you. He loved Liz, don't get me wrong, but he knew she could barely take care of herself, let alone an infant, so he petitioned for custody. He would have won too. Everyone around here knew of Liz's reputation, and he had a successful business, was an upstanding citizen. The perfect candidate."

"What happened?"

Luke looks up from his hands for the first time. "He got sick. Cancer, real aggressive. They caught it late and it took him in only a month."

Jess rests his head on his knees. "I'm sorry."

Luke gives him a smile. "I'm just glad he got a chance to meet you. He really loved you, you know."

"So, what… what do you mean you should've fought harder? If he went as fast as you say…"

"After my dad passed away, I tried to get custody in his place, but I was denied."

"What? Why?"

Luke shrugs. "I was young. And by this point Liz had cleaned herself up again, had spoken to the courts about all these plans she had, that she was already signed up for AA and had a few meetings under her belt. The courts ate it up and ruled in her favor. Two weeks later she was in the wind, moving to New York with you. Instead of following up like I should have, I let Liz have her way. I closed the hardware store and turned it into a diner to keep me busy."

Jess gnaws on his lip, staring down at Luke's hands. "The courts were idiots." He finally says.

Luke shakes his head. "No argument from me. Jess, I'm sorry I tried to keep your adoption a secret. I thought I was protecting you, but I only ended up making everything worse. From now on, I promise, no more secrets. From this moment on, we are a democracy." Jess raises his hand. Smart ass. "Yes, the floor recognizes Jess."

He yawns. "Can I put forward a motion to table this until tomorrow? I'm exhausted and a little more than hungover right now."

Luke places his hand on Jess' head, ruffling his hair. "Yeah, sure. But don't think this means you're getting out of your punishment. You're gonna be grounded so long, your grandkids will still be serving out your sentence."

Standing, he gets stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist. "Can you stay?" Jess asks quietly, face red. Without a word, Luke drops down onto the couch, Jess curling into his side. "I've missed you."

Luke feels his chest swell with emotion. Holding Jess tight, he drops a kiss on top of his head. "I've missed you too. More than you know."

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Jess falls asleep quickly, head pillowed in Luke's lap as the man rubs circles on his head with his thumb to help keep his headache at bay. The door to Rory's room creaks open and Luke watches from his spot on the couch as Lorelai comes tiptoeing out.

"Hey." He whispers.

She squeaks and jumps in place, nearly falling down the stairs. "God, Luke! Warn a girl!" She stage whispers.

He smirks. "Sorry, I thought you saw me. So, how's Rory?"

Lorelai rubs her temples. "Don't get me started. I don't care if he's Jess' friend, that kid isn't stepping foot in here. But nevermind that, things look good for you and Jess."

Luke looks down at a peaceful Jess. "Pretty sure he's a cuddly drunk. That will fun to inform him of in the morning."

Lorelai grabs the discarded blanket from the other side of the couch without being asked, draping it over Jess. She makes sure he's tucked in tightly, both of them suddenly realizing with a start how close their faces are. They stay like that, Luke debating what to do, when a snore from Jess seems to snap them both out of it. Next thing he knows, Lorelai's halfway up the stairs.

"Night, Luke."

He blinks. "Goodnight."

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The next installment will be titled If You Wanna be a Party Animal, You've Gotta Learn to Live in the Jungle (title will be shortened do to restraints, but that's what the full title will be. If you want full title and summaries, go to the AO3 version of this. Also it's easier to keep track of over there since they let you link stories into a series. Seriously, Archive of Our Own is waaaaay better) and will focus on the fallout of things that happened here, from the Rory and Dean breakup to the fight Jess and Oliver had. Stay tuned.