A/N I just want to say that getting notifications about new follows and favorites is super exciting and makes me really happy. Everyone has been really supportive and I really appreciate it, especially Scarlet3086. This chapter is much more in Rory and Jess's thoughts more than any others and the prespective switches back and forth so I hope it isn't too confusing.
I do not own Gilmore Girls
The first light of morning pouring in the window caused Rory to stir. She forgot where she was for a minute, the unfamiliar bed still made below her confused her, as did the fact that she was still dressed, shoes and all. When she saw the small blinking light on her phone, signaling a voice mail, where she was and the events of the previous night became clear. She groaned as she looked through her phone there were four missed calls form Jess, three from her mom and one form her boss. Not knowing who the voice mail was from made her hesitate, she didn't want to listen to Jess yell at her again; but it could be something funny about home from her mom, and she needed that right now. It could also be work related, since she had a call from Hugo, which is why she dialed the number and entered her password.
"Hello, Rory. It's Hugo. I was just taking a look at your last story and I wanted to talk to you about it. Give me a call ASAP please." That was cryptic and worrisome, she thought as she made her way to the shower. She would have to wait to call him back until after today's rally.
The first thing Jess was aware of was how cold it was in his room. April could be a tricky time of year in the eastern US, warm enough to have the windows open during the day but cold enough for the heater at night. He must have left the window open last night, he thought, as he stumbled to the window to close it, desperate to get back in bed because his head was pounding. On his way he noticed the mostly empty bottle of Jack on the bedside table and memories of last night hit him hard.
Rory had hung up on him after their yelling match. She had been much more upset than he had expected. He was more upset than he thought; if he was being honest. She had just started to go off on him and he lost it. He had never intended to make her cry, he knew he had though, he knew the exact moment she had begun to cry; he could hear it in her voice. As her tears started to flow her voice changed from angry to sad, and she had begun to apologize, for so many things, that he barely thought about anymore, but she obviously did. Realizing that, he felt worse. All he wanted to calm him was a cigarette, but that would derail the last six months of stupid patches and avoiding certain bars trying to kick his habit. He needed to do something to numb himself though, and remembered the bottle of Jack above his refrigerator, and grabbed it, not even bothering with a glass.
Sitting on his bed after taking a long drink of the dark liquor, he decided to call Rory again. She didn't answer and he wasn't surprised. He thought about leaving her a voicemail, but he wasn't sure of what to say yet. So he just continued to drink. Half the bottle was gone when he called her the third time, he was pretty drunk by that point and probably shouldn't be calling her at all. He decided what he wanted to say just as he hung up the phone. He hung up quickly and dialed again ready to tell her the words that had been on the tip of his tongue for the last twenty minutes, but as soon as he heard the "Hi, This is Rory Gilmore" from her voicemail, he hung up and threw his phone against the wall. He lay down on the bed and began to think about the last time he was this torn up over Rory, and passed out quickly.
Rory called her boss as soon as she got out of the rally. "It's good to hear from you so quickly, Rory, I was afraid my message would scare you and you would avoid calling me back."
She breathed a sigh of relief hearing the unconcerned tone in his voice. "I was considering it. So what do I owe the pleasure of chatting with you to?"
"Well, we aren't really just going to chat," he said slowly. He liked Rory as a person and a journalist. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with her. "I've been reviewing you last few articles, and I have to say, they are not up to your usual standard."
Rory was shocked hearing this. It was hard to cover the same person, talking about the same things day in and day out and keep things interesting, but she had been trying to add interesting bits in. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'll try harder. She was almost too upset to speak.
Hugo continued, "Rory, I know that you're a great writer, I've seen you do some amazing work, but if I am being honest, as an editor and your boss, what you have been writing the last few weeks is stale and rather boring."
"I'm so sorry, I'll try to do better, I've just," she stopped knowing that giving her boss excuses was not the way to go, especially since she was on the verge of tears. "I'll try harder. Thank you for letting me know Hugo."
"You're welcome, Rory. I look forward to seeing what you give me next. Have a good day," he said as he ended the call.
She sat there, her eyes swimming with tears that were beginning to trail down her cheeks. She was lost and confused and needed her mom. She quickly dialed Lorelai's cell number, hoping she wasn't too busy at the inn to talk to her. She answered on the third ring and Rory broke out in loud sobs when she heard her mother's voice. "Rory? Baby? Are you okay?" Lorelai asked panicked when she heard crying on the other of the line.
"No," Rory chocked out, "everything's wrong, it's all falling apart."
"Ohh, sweetie, it'll be okay, just tell Mommy what's wrong."
Rory recounted the last few days, starting with the phone call she had just had with Hugo and ending with the ongoing fight she was having with Jess. "Oh, Sweets. I'm so sorry. Here I told you he was just trying to be nice to you and then he does that. Next time I see that little weasel, I'll kill him."
"Mom, it's not that big of a deal, and besides, I am way more worried about my job right now, than a stupid fight with Jess. How am I going to improve my writing, when what I am covering is so monotonous?"
"I don't know, but I am sure you'll think of something. You're an amazing writer, just don't forget that." Rory sniffed and Lorelai could tell she had made her daughter smile, "you'll get through this, I wish I was there, but know that I am with you in spirit."
"I wish you were here too, thanks for listening, I gotta go; I have to work really hard on this article."
"I'll let you go then, just remember that you are awesome and I love you, and call me back if you need to vent again. Bye Sweetie." Rory bid her mother good-bye and turned off her phone. She wanted to be completely undistracted while she wrote her current article. She was going to make Hugo remember why he had offered her the job in the first place. She wasn't going to stop until she had a killer article.
