CHAPTER EIGHT

"Rory, where are you?" Lorelai's voice was high-pitched as she willed her heart to go down to a calmer beat since she'd first heard Rory's, "Hello?" She and Luke had come straight to the Hotel of Horrors in hopes of visiting Rory, but were unpleasantly surprised. She had packed up and checked out the night before.

"Mom. I hate Jess," Rory wailed in a tone that suggested that she was five and Jess had just thrown a handful of sand in her hair.

"Rory, Luke and I just drove a very uncomfortable car-ride to get here, to see you, and maybe get some New York coffee, and when we get here, we find out you're gone. I am pregnant with what seems to be a mountain goat, and I can't reach my toes to paint them. I want to talk to my best friend (Luke, you're my best friend, too, but you're a boy. Luke… No. LUKE, I'm talking to Rory! I love you both, but I need some estrogen.) Now, where are you?" Lorelai frantically said on her crackling cellphone.

Rory's voice was a mere murmur on the phone, "The Holiday Inn."

"Hang on. Give me the address and I'll come get you." It was said so matter-of-factly, and Lorelai was surprised at her own sudden snippiness. She took a pen and wrote the said address on Luke's cheek (it was the only place she could think of writing, as he was standing right in front of her). He tried to fight it, initially, but Lorelai proved to have a very powerful and swaying glare. She nodded, "Okay."

As Lorelai hung up, Luke spoke, "We need to buy you a stockpile of Post-Its. Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She's at the Holiday Inn."

Luke nodded, and walked to the dresser where his car keys were. Just as he was about to put them in his pocket and lead Lorelai out the door, a determined voice stopped them, "Let me drive."

Both of them turned to see Jess by the hotel room doorway. His unruly hair had long been tamed by gel, but at this moment, his locks were left untouched, messy and curling against his forehead. Lorelai suddenly wanted to grab hold of the little jerk's hair and pull the damn thing right off. Instead, she closed her eyes and went to her happy place. "Hormones. They're making you all rage-ey. Take a deep breath, and you'll be fine," she murmured to herself.

"Jess, I don't think you should come with me. I could accidentally fall on you on purpose, squash you and not even notice. I'm only five months pregnant, but I swear to God, I can eliminate you in a snap," she thumbed Luke, who was behind her, "Luke knows."

"Lorelai…" Luke sighed.

But Lorelai was not to be interrupted or swayed (Luke's glare was nothing compared to hers), "Luke, this is my daughter, and well, kind of yours, too. Jess, you've hurt her too many times. I don't think she'll be too eager to see you."

She furrowed her eyebrows when Jess's jumped up to his hairline. He gave her a pompously bitter laugh and looked straight at her, "I've hurt her?! Are you crazy? She's strangled my heart to death, resuscitated it, and strangled it again for the past six years. Lorelai, all I want is to talk to her."

"No." Her snippiness suddenly came back, full force. Only now the harshness didn't surprise her at all.

"Lorelai!" Jess whined. He actually whined. Lorelai raised her eyebrow at him and put her hand on her hip. Seeing that he had just something out of his own character, Jess cleared his throat and said in a cold, civil tone, "Fine, Lorelai, have it your way," and stepped out adjusting his tie uncomfortably.

"Gilmores," he muttered on his way to the elevator.

Lorelai rushed to Rory's room the second the car came to a stop. Carefully, she opened the wooden door, peering inside first, before coming in. Inside, she found her little girl, tucked under the covers, the space on the bed beside her littered with tear-soaked tissues.

"Rory," she called softly, "Mommy's here. She's kind of big, but hopefully she can still gather you into a nice hug. And not a death grip."

Slowly, Rory opened her swollen eyes and welcomed her mother's embrace. Her voice cracked, thick with sleep and crying, "Mom."

They lay on the bed together, just like that, holding each other; one sniffing silently, one stroking the other's hair. Rory's fingers were holding on to Lorelai a little tightly, like talons of an eagle, but Lorelai didn't think that it was a good time to point that out. Eventually, the story came out, after a little bit of prodding. The dinner, the dress, the kiss. The truth.

Her mother could say nothing but, "Oh, Rory."

Lorelai led her daughter out the door and towards the car. And as Lorelai was about to open the car door, a voice spoke, "Come back, Rory."

Rory gulped and froze. She turned and saw Jess leaning against an expensive looking car, his arms crossed in front of him. Lorelai frowned, and just as she was about to tell him off, Jess spoke again. And his actions gat him another glare from Lorelai, as she wasn't one to be cut off. However, Jess didn't seem to care at this point. His mind was on one thing, "I apologise for the other night. I didn't mean to be so harsh. I'd be honoured to have you as my fr-," he stopped himself, and continued with another word, "...guest again."

Jess pursed his lips as Rory squinted at him. "Why?" she asked. She didn't care if she sounded like a spaz. She wanted to know, and dammit, she had the right to! He suddenly looked down at his shoes, unwilling to say.

"Why, Jess?" she insisted.

He ran his hand through his messy hair and surrendered. He took a deep breath, "I don't like how things are like between us." He surrendered, but not completely. He wasn't stupid, no matter how Rory's presence may affect him.

"And the kiss?"

Oh, God, the kiss. Sweet nostalgia. "Means nothing," he lied, "I want to start over."

Rory felt a slight pang as Jess merely pushed the kiss aside, but her want to be as close to Jess as possible (even if they'd just be friends) overrode her feelings. They had a special thing, both of them were aware of this. It went further than that of love, jealousy, or lust. They had history. And neither wanted to lose that connection, for one only experiences that rarely in life.

But if both of them wanted to be in denial, so be it. Let the masquerade begin.

"Okay."

She walked towards Lorelai's car and got in, without another word. Jess stood still clutching the doorframe to his car, suddenly very nervous of the things to come.