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Jess's POV:

It's been a week since I went to the doctor's office and he gave me a prescription. For the most part, the pain has gone away and most of my bruises were beginning to fade. Luke has been extremely over-protective of me; I've basically been ordered to be on bedrest for a week. He only allows supervised stretching for half an hour at a time so I don't strain myself. He set up a spot for me downstairs in the diner, since spring break ended a few days ago but I wasn't really able to move so I stayed home from school. Rory would come everyday after her school for two hours and tutor me so I wouldn't fall behind. It's now Friday afternoon and the last day I have to wear my sling and brace, but I still have another week of taking pills.

I walk around the apartment I've been restrained to. Even if I wasn't injured I would still be grounded but the only difference is, Luke's letting me take off from the diner.

As if on cue with the thought of him, Luke comes into the apartment. "Hey, how's my handicapped nephew doing?", he asks as he walks through the door.

"I'll be great just as soon as I can get out of this damned apartment", I retort, scoffing.

"Lucky for you, your 'take it easy' period is over tomorrow, I'll see you 8 am sharp downstairs", he reminds me.

"Come on! It's my first day back from an injury and you're making me bust tables and converse with people?", I argue.

"Don't give me that. You'd still be grounded anyway"

I roll my eyes and return to my usual spot on the couch. I can see Luke is starting to feel sorry for me. Underneath his whole tough guy act, he's a total pushover.

He sighs. "Jess, why don't you go out for a walk, get some fresh air?", he suggests hesitantly.

"If you insist", I say, smirking.

"Be careful, remember, take it easy. And if you start to get tired and don't think you can walk back, just give me a call. You have 20 minutes, not a second more", he asserts.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it"

"I mean it, Jess. Twenty minutes. It's 4:23 right now, if you as so much come through that door at 4:44, you'll have another week of sitting in stuffy apartment on a friday night"

"Alright, I got it", I repeat, annoyed. I rush out the door before he has a chance to change his mind. Freedom!


Luke's POV:

As much as I would love for Jess to just stay inside the apartment for the rest of his life so he would never be in danger, I know I can't do that. I let the kid go out for a bit and get some fresh air, he's been pretty cooperative lately. Besides, I really needed to make a phone call that I would prefer Jess not be present for.

This morning, I got a package in the mail from Liz. I expected it to be the paperwork she had agreed to sign and send over, but to my dismay, it was the complete opposite. Under a court of law, Jess's residence is with me, but he's still under the custody of Liz. We basically have a shared custody, except I'm the one that he lives with full time and she's the one who just gets the title of being his mother. I got a letter from someone who is apparently her attorney and she's demanding to regain the right for Jess to live with her. She's got some nerve, after sending Jess back like that, without so much as an apology; disgusting.

I dial her number and after two rings her high voice says 'hello' over the phone.

"Liz, this is Luke. Are you sober enough to understand what I'm about to say, cause it's pretty important", I begin, furiously.

"Luke... I take it you got the package from my lawyer", she says, her voice beginning to break up.

"Good guess, and let me tell you right off the bat, it's not going to happen"

"Luke, I really appreciate what you've done for Jess, but you did your part and he's my son and I want to see him", she babbles.

"The day I allow you to come near Jess is the day I'll sing campfire songs with Taylor Doose. Do you have no shame? After the way he was treated during when he visited? Over my dead body", I'm now yelling over the phone. I can feel my face getting red with pure anger.

"How was he treated in New York? We welcomed him with open arms. What about the way you treat him? I got a call from a hospital saying that my son was checked in and apparently had numerous injuries, you really expect me to believe he fell down the stairs?", she shrieks.

"Why don't you ask your drug addict of a boyfriend what really happened to Jess, don't you ever accuse me of laying a hand on the kid again, you understand me, Liz? You and your loser of a boyfriend will never even get the chance to make physical contact with Jess again! Never again! I'll see you in court", I conclude, slamming the phone down on the base, hanging it up.


Jess's POV:

"27 seconds past 4:43, go ahead lock me up", I joke, as I walk into the apartment. When I don't get a response back from Luke, I look up to find him furiously writing on a piece of paper.

"Sudden need to work on your calligraphy?", I ask sarcastically. He looks up at me, and automatically I can tell something's wrong.

"Jess, not now, please just go read a book or something", Luke pleads.

"What's wrong?", I ask.

"Dammit, Jess, nothing! I just have some important stuff to do", he snaps. Usually I would continue to bug him until he told me what was up, but the look on his face meant it was probably really important. Even I know when enough's enough.

"Sorry", I mutter, taking a soda from the fridge.

I take a seat on the couch and begin to read my book. But, I just can't stop thinking about Luke, why won't he tell me what's going on? My cell phone starts to ring and I realize I must've accidentally turned it on. When I'm grounded or on some sort of punishment, I get phone privileges taken away, but Luke trusts me enough to let me keep it just not use it. He suddenly looks up from his vigorous writing.

"What's that noise?", he asks, sternly.

"It's my phone, I guess I forgot to turn it off", I say, casually, not realizing how angry Luke was.

"Well, hand it over, you know the deal", he demands.

"I wasn't even on it, it's just Shane, it's not like I answered it or anything", I argue.

"I don't care. That's distracting to me. Give me your phone, Jess"

"Why are you in such a bad mood? Jeez, you really need to get laid"

"That's it! You just added two more weeks to your grounding, now give me your phone before I make it three", he yells.

I'm stunned. Luke's never freaked out on me for something so little. He's usually pretty calm. I hand over my cell phone without saying another word.

He returns to whatever he was doing and I just sit there quietly staring at him. He looks so focused. It almost looks like he's angry at the paper he's writing on.

Luke writes nonstop for the whole night. The only words he said to me for the rest of the night were "get to bed" at exactly 11:33. I was about to argue and say that he never said anything about an earlier curfew because of the whole incident, but realized that it was no use arguing with him when he was in this bad of a mood. He can be pretty strict sometimes but I know that he only does it because he cares about me. I just wish that I knew what was up with him.


Luke's POV:

My alarm clock beeps at 6:00 am, but it beeps from the other side of the room. I must've fallen asleep at the kitchen table finishing up some paperwork to send to Liz's attorney, the attorney that I just hired, and the courtroom. I groggily walk over to my side of the apartment where the alarm clock is, and turn it off. Thankfully, Jess sleeps like a dead person so I don't have to worry about it waking him up.

I replay yesterday's events in my head as I brush my teeth. Just thinking about the possibility of Jess being shipped back to New York to Liz and that asshole, Frank, makes me furious. I managed to calm myself down enough before I got downstairs. The mornings are pretty quiet, the breakfast rush usually starts at around 7. Cesar comes in at 6:30 and politely greets me.

"Rough morning?", he asks, probably noticing the dark circles around my eyes.

"You have no idea", I reply, pouring two cups of coffee for Cesar and I.

"Jess is starting again today, right?", he asks.

"Yeah, the doctor said he could get back to his usual routine within a week, the week was up yesterday", I explain.

"So at least you'll have the extra help", he notes.

I chuckle. "How much help does Jess actually provide?", I joke. We both laugh. Jess appears at the edge of the stairs, looking tired.

"Enough help that he wakes up at 7", Jess points out, talking about himself in third person.

"You're up early", I comment.

He shrugs. "Since the diner's empty, why don't I make you some breakfast?", I offer Jess. "Not hungry", he mumbles. Cesar walks into the kitchen, probably realizing that this how most of Jess's and mine's arguments start. Jess walks over behind the counter and takes out his book. I sigh. "Jess, I'm sorry that I freaked out on you last night, I was in a really bad mood, it had nothing to do with you", I explain. "I figured that much", he replies, not looking up. Before I can say anything else, the bell above the door chimes and a lady walks in and sits down. Reluctantly, Jess puts his book down and walks over to take her order.

"Egg white omelette with swiss", he calls to Cesar. "Do you want to talk about last night?", I ask when he goes back to reading his book. He mutters something under his breath that I'm rather glad I can't make out. "What do you think?", he answers, sarcastically.

"I think that I was pretty stressed and I took it out on you which wasn't fair"

He looks up and studies my face.

"Whatever, I'm used to it"

When he goes back to ignoring me, I put his phone on the counter. That really causes him to look up. "I trust you", I tell him. He unsurely puts the phone in his pocket.

Every time I try to talk to Jess another customer comes in and interrupts me. He ignores me the entire morning. I know he's still mad that I'm not telling him what's going on and he's a pretty smart kid, he knows something's up. I just don't want to worry him. I pull him aside while he's clearing a table.

"Hey!", he exclaimed as I pulled him into the kitchen. I tell Cesar that I need him outside taking orders and he gladly walks out of the kitchen, knowing that this is gonna be a classic 'Jess/Luke argument'.

"Sit", I order. He sits down on Cesar's stool without objection.

"Wanna tell me why you've been so moody this morning?", I ask.

"Me? Do you realize how crazy you sound? You freaked out on me cause my phone rang!", he argues.

"I told you, I was in a bad mood, I apologized. But, you never talk about what's really on your mind. I don't know what you're thinking, I'm not psychic, Jess. You have to tell me if something else is bothering you"

He shrugs and looks away, crossing his arms.

"You never tell me anything", he mumbles quietly.

"What?"

"Why won't you tell me why you were in a bad mood yesterday? Why won't you ever tell me what's going on?", he demands, getting up from the seat.

I sigh. "Jess, you have to understand...", I begin. He starts to walk out before I have a chance to say anything else.

"It's Liz.", I finally say. He stops in his tracks and turns around.

"What about her?", he asks, obviously trying to hide his concern.

"She, uh, is filing for full custody of you", I admit. Jess's face goes blank.

"Hey, look at me, it's not gonna happen. I'm handling it, don't worry", I try to reassure him. He gives a firm nod but doesn't say anything.

I see the worried look in his eyes. It's a look I've never seen from Jess. He never looks scared, nervous, or worried, but right now he looks like he's seen a ghost.

"Why don't you take a ten minute break?", I suggest. He nods and walks outside without saying another word.


Jess's POV:

This is so unbelievable. Why is Liz allowed to just demand for me to drop everything and go where ever she wants me to, when ever she wants me to? It's not fair. I sit down on a bench a few feet away from the diner. I observe my surroundings for a few minutes until my thoughts were interrupted by a shrilly, too happy, voice that could only be identified as Lorelai Gilmore's. I look up to see Lorelai and Rory walking towards me.

"Luke letting you out on bail?", Lorelai joked.

"Something like that", I reply.

"How are you feeling?", Rory asks. I shrug.

"I'm alive, aren't I?", I answer, sarcastically. Lorelai and Rory look at each other. "I'm gonna go inside, I'll order you some coffee", she says to Rory. Rory says okay then takes a seat next to me.

"No book today?", she asks. I shake my head no. "Not really in the reading mood", I tell her. She gasps over-dramatically.

"Jess Mariano not in the reading mood? I'll alert the media", she smiles, which causes me to smile.

"Just been going through some stuff", I say casually.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Stuff."

"Interesting."

"It really is."

"Have you talked to Luke about your 'stuff'?", she asks, putting air quotes around 'stuff'.

"It's out of his hands"

"If there's one thing I know about Luke, it's that nothing is ever out of his hands", she tells me. I think about that. I know Luke will fight for me because he cares about me. I just can't imagine what would happen if he loses.

"We should get inside", I say, getting up and holding the door open for Rory. She thanks me and I follow her inside. I see Luke and Lorelai talking to each other at the counter and automatically stop when they see me. Luke immediately comes out from behind the counter and puts his hand on my shoulder, and quietly asks me if I'm okay.

"I'm fine", I tell him, and I really mean it. Knowing Luke, he won't give up until he gets what he wants, I trust him. I follow Luke behind the counter.

"I need a refill", Lorelai exclaims, holding up her coffee cup. Luke rolls his eyes. "Don't pour her a single drop of that stuff, she's had four cups this morning", he says to me. "Come on, Jess, have a heart", she pouts. I roll my eyes.

"So, Lorelai and I were talking, and she invited us to dinner. Do you have any plans tonight, Jess?", Luke says to me.

"You know I don't have plans, considering you're the one that grounded me", I reply.

"Perfect, we'll be there", he says to Lorelai. She smiles in response.

"I have to get back to the inn, we'll see you later tonight", she says, putting a ten dollar bill on the table. After she and Rory leave I look back to Luke who's smiling to himself.

"You so have a thing for her", I comment.

"Stop it", he warns.

"You like her and you know it", I continue.

"Can we talk about something else please?", he pleads, handing me a cloth.

"I can totally ditch the dinner tonight with Rory, and you guys can have some alone time", I reply, ignoring his requests. He laughs lightly.

"Can we be serious for a second?", he asks.

"I have a feeling my answer's not gonna matter", I say, wiping the counter, not looking up.

"You know you don't have to hide your feelings, right? You can talk to me about how you feel about the whole situation with Liz and everything".

"I told you, I'm fine", I say quietly.

"You have a tendency to say that a lot, even when you're not"

"I'm just not in the mood to talk, okay?"

"That's fine, Jess. Just please, talk to me eventually, I care about you"

I nod, trying to avoid getting into a conversation.


Luke's POV:

Jess and I are closing up the diner a little early today so we have time to get ready for Lorelai's dinner. I watch him mop the floor with his earbuds in. He doesn't hear the bell above the door chime. I'm about to tell whoever came through the door that we're about to close, but I see that it's Shane.

"Hi Shane, we were actually about to close up", I tell the young girl.

"I'll be quick", she says, walking over to Jess.

She walks up behind him and taps his shoulder. He takes out his earbuds and turns around.

"Hey babe, I called you, you didn't answer", she gawked.

"I told you I'm grounded", he replies, not showing any interest in the girl's presence. I try to make myself look busy so Jess doesn't notice me eavesdropping.

"You're always grounded, stop being such a bad ass, even though it's so sexy", she gushes, pulling closer to Jess. I clear my throat to remind them that I'm still here.

"I'm busy right now Shane, I'll call you when I can", he states.

"God, so serious all the time. Does this have anything to do with your mommy drama? You really have to get over that", she remarks. I can see this really provokes Jess. He throws the mop on the floor and turns around completely to face Shane.

"Jess, we really should get going", I interject, noticing the tension. Shane just smirks at me, obviously finding Jess getting angry, amusing. She runs her fingers through his hair and he pulls away.

"We're done", he states. She just laughs.

"Don't be such a stickler", she giggles.

"I'm serious, get out, I don't want to see you again", he concludes. This causes her to stop smiling.

"You're not serious", she tries.

"Get out, I'm serious", he repeats.

"Fine, I don't care! I can have any guy I want. Hope I never see your lame ass again", she wailed.

Jess just rolls his eyes and watches her storm out of the diner.

"You okay?", I ask.

"Never been better", he replies. I can't quite tell if that's sarcasm or if he's being serious.

"Let's head upstairs and get ready for dinner"

"You don't think she actually cooked, do you?", Jess asks.

"Lorelai? Cooking? Not unless she wants to burn her house down. Maybe I should bring her flowers or cook something, to you know, thank her for having us"

"I think you should shower", he sniffs.

"What? Why? I showered this morning"

"Cause you reek of desperation", he laughs.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny, Jess. Just go get ready"

He slides past me, through the curtain, and up the stairs to our apartment. I follow him. This is going to be an interesting night.