"Where the hell where you? I'll tell you where!" Lance yelled, his voice filled with anger. "You sure in the fuck weren't at home, taking care of that damn child you had to have. You weren't at home, making sure your husband was taken care of. You were out running around the town acting like the tramp you truly are!" Lance was 6 feet even, with light red hair. He was 186 pounds of muscle. His green eyes pierced through Rory's blue ones. She hadn't expected him to be home early. At that very moment she was happy that Hadley was across the street with the sitter. She had rushed home to start dinner, before getting her daughter.
"I have a job too!" She yelled in protest.
"No you had a job," he seethed, trapping Rory against the wall. He roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I expect dinner to be on the table when I get home. I best be able to still see the fucking steam coming from my plate." He gave her a shove, sending her to the floor. He stalked off slamming the door behind him, leaving Rory a crying mess.
Rory picked herself up, tears running rapidly down her face. She went upstairs packing a bag for her and Hadley. She rushed across the street getting her baby girl.
She had made it out of New York, before turning around and going home. He didn't mean it. She made him mad. She should have been home taking care of there daughter. Dinner should have been on the table when he got home. Funny how life turns out. She was running back to take orders from the man she loves. She kept telling herself, that this wasn't him, that he was under a lot of pressure.
Jess was alerted by the sobs that came from the bed next to his. He had gotten an idea for his newest book and took to writing it out on some napkins they had left over from dinner. He didn't have his laptop, that was back in Stars Hollow. He dropped his pen, giving Rory his full attention when she started to mumble inaudibly in her sleep. He sat on the edge of her bed, gently touching her shoulder.
"No, Lance don't do it. NO!" She screamed, sweat forming all over her body.
"Rory, wake up," Jess told her with a gentle shake. Her eyes snapped open, bring her back to reality. She moved into Jess needing to feel safe.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" She asked, staring off into the distance at what the little lamp had illuminated.
"No, an idea hit me, you know us writer's." Jess wasn't going to make her talk about anything that made her uncomfortable.
They had drove a little over 3 hours to Portland, Maine. They had stopped in Boston, so Rory could get an authentic Boston Creme pie. Jess didn't question her, instead he joined her, having dessert. She had rambled on all the way through Massachusetts about everything she would love to do, but she wanted her kids to be with her. After they arrived, they had got some take out and headed to the hotel room, both equally drained from the events of the day.
"It's only fair you share with your editor," she told him, pointedly.
"Uh yes, but no can do," he remarked. "It's a bunch of nothing," he replied, keeping her from begging him.
"How much easier would life have been if I had ran away with you," Rory pondered, playing with the corner of the blanket.
"We would have grew to hate each other, that's a fact. It's better this way. Can't you see that?" How was she suppose to see that? The last part of her life had been like living in hell. But that was better.
"Yeah, because living in hell is better than living in heaven," she retorted, moving away from him. Maybe things wouldn't work out the way she had hoped. Other then friendship, she didn't know what else to expect from Jess. She hadn't expected all her old feelings that had been locked away to return in full after one fun filled day with him and her kids. But they had. But, he had other ideas in mind. Maybe, he only wanted her as his editor. She'd have to get over her feelings and fast.
"That's not what I meant. My life was no where near perfect, Rory. You have to experience the bad in order to cherish the good, or some crap like that." Hearing him put it that way, showed her that it wasn't what she had thought.
"You never talk about it," she whispered. She had been such an open book when it came to her past, but she had only got one little thing from him.
"It happened last year. I'm over it. The marriage failed because of her. There was nothing I could do about that, Rory. I didn't want to live in a loveless marriage. With the idea of her running out the second I left the house." She supposed he was right. She didn't want to live that way either. Sometimes it's better to live in ignorance.
"I remember a time when I was dating Dean and we argued over Donna Reed. I'm all for women equality, but with Lance, I wanted our marriage to work. He took and I gave and he wanted more. I left countless times only to go running back. I was weak," she sighed, afraid to hear what Jess would say.
"You'll get over that, Rory. You're getting your life back, now. That's what important. You're strong, Rory. You had the guts to leave him. That's what counts." It may have been years, but hearing about Rory play house with Dean, made his jealousy come out in full force. This wasn't the time to act on his feelings. He knew this time, he would wait for her. It was hard to say how much time either one had left, but with everything he has gone through, one thing remained the same. He wanted to grow old with Lorelai Leigh Gilmore. "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."
"Ernest Hemingway," Rory retorted, with a knowing look. "Sometimes, I wonder how true that really is."
