AN: Alright y'all. Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for, Rory and Jess take Stars Hollow! AH, finally! Our favorites are returning home, and hopefully can repair a few relationships. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you do please send in a review as they are greatly appreciated. Also, to all those who are lucky enough to be living in snowy areas, be safe this week. I don't know about you guys, but here in Indianapolis, the roads are getting very slick and icy. So, stay safe and drive carefully. Happy reading, and once again please review.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
The rest of the week, Rory was on edge. They were going back to Stars Hollow. Her, Lola, and Jess. They were going back to the town she grew up in, they were going to see people she hadn't seen in nearly a year, they were staying at her mother's inn, they were going to see her mother. She couldn't believe she had let herself do this. She couldn't believe Jess had let her do this. Well, in all seriousness, Jess would have pushed her to do this eventually, but he let her do what she did to make sure she made the decision. Now, she was frazzled.
She was running around in circles putting random things into her and Lola's bags. Jess had been packed the night before, and she jokingly asked him to pack for her. He had taken his own things down to the car, and was trying to move Lola's things there. It was difficult when Rory was coming up and taking things out and replacing them with other things. "She's got as many clothes as a Barbie Doll." He deadpanned, and pulled the bag away.
"But it's the town. They're gonna be watching everything we do, and they're gonna be checking everything we do for Lola. She has to look presentable." Another outfit was placed in the bag.
"So do you." Jess pointed out, as her hair fell from her ponytail, and her shirt began falling off her shoulder. Rory moved around to make herself look presentable, and the writer took that as his way to move the baby bag to the car. He waved to the woman glaring down at him from the living room window; she hit the inside of her fists together like on FRIENDS. He promptly hit his elbows together in response. He knew it was all good when she started giggling at him.
He returned to apartment to gladly see Rory ready to go. She held a smiling Lola, and she handed him her bag. They had waited to leave until Lola's nap time to ensure that she didn't cause too much trouble on the four-hour drive. Jess noticed Rory visibly shaking as the car pulled away from their apartment. He held her hand in his to comfort her. "It's going to be ok." He assured, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.
"I know, I know," She mumbled more to herself than to him. "I'm just nervous, and excited, but mostly nervous." She brought his hand up to her cheek. He understood. She was bound to be nervous after not talking to her mother for four months. She hadn't had her best friend in four months. He knew this would be good for her, and she knew it too.
It didn't stop her from tightening her grip on his hand when they passed the sign welcoming them to Connecticut. It didn't stop him from rubbing his hand on her cheek to calm her. Her cheeks colored, and her breathing quickened when the 'Welcome to Stars Hollow' sign appeared in front of the car. "Do you want to go to Luke's first?" His voice was soft and tentative. She nodded, knowing that at this time her mother had to be back at the inn.
Rory braced herself for all the questions when she got out of Jess's car. She avoided all eye contact as she unlatched Lola's car seat and entered the diner. She felt all their eyes on her when she hugged Luke, and she shrunk into Jess's arms when she saw a few people gazing through the window of the soda shoppe. She gladly took a coffee from Luke, and she beamed at Caesar when he placed a burger in front of her without even asking.
Jess sat beside her at the counter. He had Lola cuddling up in his arms. He too felt the townspeople's eyes on them, but he chose to ignore it like he did as a teenager. They had done well so far in averting all contact with the whack jobs that were the residents of Stars Hollow until Babette came in with Patty close behind her.
"Rory, Doll!" She exclaimed rather loudly. She pulled Rory in for a bone crushing hug, and then let Patty have her turn with the young mother. "You look great, doesn't she look great Patty?" Babette studied Rory's figure. Patty nodded in agreement. "Can't even tell ya had a baby!"
"Oh, Rory, Darling. You must let us see her." Patty butted in. Rory nodded, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. She turned to Jess, whom Patty and Babette had chosen to overlook, and showed Lola to the two women she had grown up around. "Oh, she is just precious." Patty placed her hand on her heart, and Babette spoke oddly to the baby.
"Look, Patty. She's blonde!" Babette yelled. All the excitement seemed to scare Lola, and she promptly let out a wail. "Oh no. Did I do somethin'?" The short woman grew worried. Rory shook her head quickly.
"No, no. It's just been a long ride from Philly. And all the excitement and new surroundings, she'll be fine." The mother smiled. Jess whisked the baby up the stairs away from all the craziness in the diner. She calmed some in his arms, and stopped crying by the time he had reached the top of the stairs.
"My, my. That Jess sure can handle a baby." Patty purred as she watched Jess's retreating back. Rory's face heated up, and she nodded embarrassedly. "You two are absolutely adorable together, when did you start dating again?" Her question caused the brunette to choke on her coffee.
"No," she coughed. "We're not, we're not together," Another cough. "We're just roommates, that's it. Just roommates." She couldn't stop coughing as she explained the situation to the town gossips. They shared a knowing look, and sadly waved their goodbyes. Rory was close to getting Jess when Kirk stopped her.
"Rory, good to have caught you." He stepped in front of the curtain leading to the apartment. "I saw you now have a baby, and it has been brought to my attention that babies need lots of diapers."
"That they do, Kirk. But you really must let me go, and we already have a brand of diapers that we like very much." She tried to move around the odd man.
"Just hear me out. These," He held up a poorly put together box. "Are Kirk's diapers. I've tried them on every baby in Stars Hollow, quite the hit with the mothers. Keeps the kid fresh as a daisy all night—" He was cut off by Jess walking back into the diner.
"Kirk, we've already got diapers." Jess's voice was gruff, and he pushed passed the town oddball. Rory was thankful for her roommate's save, and she gladly took her baby from his arms.
"But these are—" He tried to pitch the product to the ex-hoodlum who was having nothing of it. "I can see you're very busy people, and I'll be going now…" He quickly shuffled out of the diner to avoid the double glare from Luke and Jess.
"My hero." Rory ruffled his hair playfully. He shook his head, and led her to the door.
"We should go get checked in," He whispered so that no one else could hear him. She silently agreed, and they waved goodbye to Luke before heading to the Dragonfly. Rory began shaking in her seat again. She was officially going to see her mother for the first time since their fight. She missed her like crazy, but she was worried how she was going to react. Jess placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and gave her a tight squeeze.
She felt nauseous pulling up to her mom's place of work. Her stomach was fluttering like crazy, and her heart was beating rapidly. The man next to her wrapped her in one more hug, and he whispered how it was all going to be ok. Rory let him get Lola's car seat, and then she followed him in.
It looked the same as it did the last time she had been here. It smelled the same, and it still looked good even if the melting snow didn't. She thought her heart was going to climb out of her throat when she saw Michel and her mother bickering at the check in desk. They looked so normal, and she felt the opposite of normal. She was still shaking when Jess got the attention of her mother and her colleague.
"Room for Mariano." He had said it so calmly, like the woman beside him wasn't having a heart attack. Lorelai's head whipped around to stare at him, and then her gaze flew to Rory and the baby carrier in Jess's hands. The silence was thick, and Rory fought the urge to rush into her mother's arms and break down into sobs. Lorelai pushed down the same urge.
"Oh my gosh, Rory." Lorelai moved from around the desk. She came at her daughter with tear flowing down her face as they embraced. Rory let her tears fall, and her body shook with sobs. "I'm so sorry." The elder of the two sniffed. The younger nodded, refusing to leave her mother's arms.
"I'm sorry too." She cried. Lorelai shook her head and pulled back slightly.
"No, you don't have anything to be sorry for. It was all my fault. I pushed you away like my mother did, and I am so sorry." They stayed in each other's arms for a few more minutes before Lola began to whimper. Jess had pulled the baby carrier up closer to his face, but Lola wasn't having any of it. She wanted her mother.
Rory turned to look at Jess and the baby, and she took her into her arms when she saw the look on her roommate's face. "Mom, this is Lola." Lorelai smiled through her tears. This was her granddaughter.
"Rory, she's beautiful." She whispered. Without asking, she took the baby from her daughter's arms. "Hi, I'm your Grandma. Oh gosh, I'm getting old." She moaned. Rory giggled lightly and hugged Jess. "Uh, we can catch up later, you should probably check into your room." She faltered when she realized she wasn't saying rooms (as in plural) and when she saw that her daughter and Jess had booked a room with only one bed. "Um, room nine." She handed them the key.
Rory smiled once more at her mother before climbing the stairs with Jess carrying their bags. She looked so natural with her daughter, and Lorelai yearned for the months she had missed out on.
Rory had finished unpacking, and immediately got Lola ready to go back outside. "I have to go see Lane!" She yelled and took the baby down the stairs quickly. Jess let her go, and made his way down the stairs at a slower pace. Rory had left the door wide open, so he shut it before taking his book and sitting down in one of the chairs by the bookcases. He was surprised when Lorelai sat down beside him.
"Thank you," She said. Jess's curiosity was piqued, and he looked at the woman who had despised him for two years. "I never thought it would be you who convinced Rory to come back to me the first time, let alone twice. So, thank you, and I'm sorry that I misjudged you when you first came to town."
"You're welcome, and I forgive you." He stated nonchalantly before returning to his book.
XXX
Rory had missed her best friend so much in the past few months. There had been a time before she went to Philly when they would fantasize about their babies together. She felt bad that Lane had to be on bed rest, but it would soon be over with how quickly her due date was approaching. "She's adorable," Lane gushed over her friend's daughter. "She looks just like you!"
"Except for the hair and the eyes, but yeah, I like to think she does." Neither mentioned the elephant in the room that had given the baby her coloring. "Jess thinks she'll grow up to be me." She softly giggled and rubbed her hand across Lola's golden locks.
"What's up with you guys?" The Asian woman inquired while making funny faces at the baby. Rory took a glance out the window before answering her friend's question.
"We just live together," She said. Lane looked at her pointedly and pretended to cough. "I'm serious! He's just my roommate."
"Who you have been sleeping in the same bed with, and helps you take care of your baby, and got your life back on track, and is your confidant, and who makes you blush whenever someone mentions his name, and who, oh yeah, you used to date!" She listed. "Have you slept with him?"
"Lane, not in front of the baby!" Rory placed her hands over her daughter's ears. "No, I have not." She glared. Lane held up her arms in surrender, and continued playing with the baby. When Lola began to cry, she looked up at the mother nervously. Said mother reached into the baby bag, and handed the Ernest Hemingway plushy to her best friend. "Jess bought it for her." Lane snorted at how naïve her best friend was.
"It's Ernest Hemingway," She stated. Rory nodded. "You hate Ernest Hemingway." She pointed out. Rory nodded again.
"It was the day I moved in with him, and we were at the store, and he took her to go look at books while I shopped for my stuff, and when I found them he was moving this in front of her face to keep her from crying. It was adorable. How could I not let him buy it for her?" She rambled in return to her friend's point. Lane rolled her eyes, but continued talking about all they had missed since Rory left for Philly.
An hour passed rather quickly, and Rory gathered her things. "I'm coming by every day this week." She told her best friend. Lane hugged her, and she left. Lola squalled a bit when she felt the cold March air, but she calmed down when Jess walked up to them. He didn't even ask before taking the baby from her carrier, and he smiled at Rory's fake scowl.
He was going in for a hug when the inevitable happened. "Rory?" The Jolly Green Giant came walking up behind them. Dean's eyes narrowed when he spotted Jess holding Lola, and he looked between his ex-mistress and the reformed hoodlum. He couldn't see the baby's blonde hair underneath her cap, but he could see the unmistakable brown eyes she had inherited from Logan. Though to Dean, they looked identical to Jess's.
"Dean, hi." Rory shuffled awkwardly. She no longer felt comfortable around her first boyfriend. For a time, she had thought he was the safe one, he was the one who would always take care of her, he was the one that would help her in her times of need. Looking up at Jess, she wondered how she could have ever felt sound in her relationship with this green eyed monster. Especially now, the way his nostrils flared and his eyes turned cold.
His eyes pleaded for an explanation, but Rory couldn't say anything. She felt trapped, like she was seventeen again at the bid-a-basket festival, but this time there was a baby in Jess's arms. She knew now that she wanted to be around Jess rather than Dean. She caught Jess's eye, silently begging him to not say anything. His smirk gave away every thought he had, and Rory wasn't sure if he was going to say something stupid or heroic.
Lola whimpered from the leather clad man's arms, and he wiggled the Ernest Hemingway plushy in front of her face. She calmed down, and Jess placed a loving kiss on her cap covered head. He continued bouncing her around, and Dean shot daggers at the shorter man. Rory was still unable to speak. Her mouth was firmly clamped shut, and her blue eyes darted between the two men. Jess shot Rory a look. He wanted to break the silence, tell a bit of a lie to get Dean off their backs.
"Um, so… This is my," Rory was stopped by Jess coughing horribly. She didn't correct what he wanted her to lie about. "My daughter, Lorelai 'Lola'—" She was cut off before reaching the Gilmore.
"Mariano." Jess piped up. The woman beside him nearly placed her hand to her forehead, but stopped when she knew it would look suspicious. Dean obviously hadn't been in town the past couple months to hear the gossip about Rory living at Jess's with Logan's baby. It was all a mess, and now her roommate might've made the gossip train even juicier. Dean's face contorted to a mix of rage and hurt.
"I didn't know you two had…" The tallest of the group trailed. Jess took that as an opportunity to weave a few more tales.
"Yeah, well. About oh, a year ago?" He looked at Rory for fake confirmation. She was in too deep to stop him, and she wasn't sure what Dean would do if she corrected her roommate now. She went along with the lie for Lola's sake; Rory didn't want her ex-boyfriend lunging at her other ex-boyfriend who was holding her baby. "Yeah, and before we knew it, Lola came around. We're living in Philly, great schools for Lola there, and she'll grow up running around my publishing house. Did you know that I did do something with my life? 'Cause I did. What are you doing, Dean-o?" The blue eyed woman decided now was the time to step in.
"Babe," Her tone was sickeningly sweet. Just enough that Jess knew he was in trouble, but not too much that Dean knew she was faking. "We were just about to take Lola down to the bridge, right? And then we have to meet Mom and Sookie for dinner, the wedding isn't going to plan itself." The last part slipped out before she could stop herself. It was satisfying to see Dean's glower get darker, and Jess's smirk widen to almost a smile.
Jess wrapped an arm around Rory's shoulder after handing her the baby, and he brushed past Dean. The woman in his arms, snorted lightly as they made their way closer to the bridge. The brown eyed man had taken the carrier from her hands a few moments ago, and he waited until they were completely out of ear shot to start laughing. His laughter was contagious, and soon all three of them were laughing (even though Lola only giggled when she heard other people doing it as well). "The wedding?" He questioned, gripping at his side. "That was perfect." Rory nodded; she was a bit proud of herself for coming up with it so easily.
"Don't think because I played along that you're off the hook from telling him that we were together and that Lola is yours." The words stung a bit, but they were supposed to be good natured. It didn't matter how much he wanted Lola to be his, she wasn't. Rory quickly covered her face with her hand that wasn't holding the baby. "Oh no, I think I saw East Side Tilly stopping at Bootsy's newsstand when we came up with that whole charade!" That only made Jess laugh harder.
She shoved him lightly, and he pretended to fall towards the water. "You're right, it is cathartic." She told him, as they stepped away from the bridge. They were headed back to the warmth of the Dragonfly, and hopefully they would reach it before the rumors. Rory swore she could have killed Jess for what he said back there, but she too had spun them a few webs.
As they reached closer, she thought she saw Patty rushing out of the inn and headed for town. She should have known better. No one was faster than the rumor train around Stars Hollow. They weren't even inside when Lorelai threw the door open, a shocked look gracing her features. "You're getting married?!" She exclaimed at the two. Jess smiled guiltily at Rory, who stepped closer to her mom to stop her rampage. "And Lola is really Jess's? You said she was Logan's!" Rory shook her head, and led her mother and roommate inside the inn.
Lorelai took a step towards Jess, her finger raised near his nose. "I take back my apology, and my thank you!" She exclaimed. It threw her daughter back, she didn't know that her mother had apologized to the writer, and she never in a million years pictured her thanking him either.
"No, Mom, we're not getting married." Rory tried to talk her mother off the ledge she was on. Jess shook his head as well, further proving the young mother's point.
"It was just a joke," He interjected. Both Gilmore women glared at him, and for once in his life he actually felt fear. "I just said some things to mess with Farmer John's head, but Rory was the one who said we were getting married!" Michel walked through the sitting room with a scowl on his face.
"Not another wedding!" He cried as he passed them by. Rory did forgo her glare to giggle a bit, but quickly returned when Jess tried to explain themselves.
"Look, Mom," She jumped in before he could say anything else. "We were just trying to get Dean to go away, we didn't know that East Side Tilly was going to be stopping at Bootsy's newsstand the moment we started talking to him. It's just a rumor."
"That Jess started!" Lorelai's finger was out again as she pointed menacingly at the man. He held his arms up in surrender, refusing to say anything more to keep from getting killed. "You turned my poor baby girl into a theoretical heifer!" She fake cried into one of the pillows strategically placed on the couch. At that point, they all knew it was safe to breathe again.
Then the door to the inn swung open forcefully. In walked Liz Danes in all her crazy glory with TJ following closely behind her. She rushed into the library and pulled Jess in for a hug that he refused to reciprocate. Rory held her hand over her smirk as she saw the look on the man's face. However, her smirk turned to a frown when Liz shouted, "My baby boy is getting married and has a baby of his own!" Both of their eyes widened, and their heads shook furiously.
"Liz," Jess tried, but couldn't get a word in as his mother went around to talk to Lorelai about planning the wedding. Rory came up to him, a disbelieving look on her face.
"You didn't tell your mom we were coming to town?" She asked, her hands gesturing wildly.
"You didn't tell yours!" He shot back, and he grabbed at Lola's car seat before his mother could smother what she thought was her grandchild.
"Yeah, but my mom wasn't going to be so gullible as to listen to the rumors." She hissed, pushing his arm slightly.
"Oh really? Cause about five minutes ago, your mother almost murdered me!" His voice rose a bit, and the attention was brought back to the squabbling roommates. Liz bounced over, wrapping her arms around Jess again. His expression darkened, and Rory bit back a few giggles. Her giggles did stop when Liz drew her in for a hug as well.
"Rory, how did you ever get him to settle down?" Liz asked. She didn't wait for an answer before continuing to ramble. "You know I always knew he would do the right thing. I'm just so happy for you two!" She didn't let either of them get a word in edgewise to explain the rumors she had heard around town.
"Liz!" Jess finally shouted over his mother's excitement. She stopped abruptly; her smile gone and replaced with a look of shock. "We're not together, we did not have a baby, and we're not getting married either. It was just a hoax to get Forrester off our backs. We're just living together." He exasperated. Liz's bright eyes clouded with a hint of sadness that no one mentioned.
"So, no daughter-in-law?" She looked to Rory.
"No daughter-in-law." She shook her head.
"No grandbaby?" Liz looked at Jess pleadingly.
"No grandkids." He fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"Oh, ok," Her face fell considerably, but she quickly replaced it with a new façade. She looked to TJ who smiled brightly. "Well, did you want to see your sister?" Her mood changed quickly. Jess nodded his head; he wasn't sure when the next time he would see his sister would be. Also, he had gotten quite good at holding babies as of late. His mother handed over a baby in a weird coat onesie. "Her name's Doula." She proudly stated to Rory. Jess shot Rory a look of disbelief, and she just held up Lola cutely.
Then Liz was rambling about how close the two babies' names sounded, and how they were going to be life-long best friends. After twelve minutes and many eye rolls from Jess, the younger adults retreated to their room. "I thought your eyes were going to get stuck in the back of your head!" Rory giggled.
"I wish, but then Liz would use that as an excuse to watch over me 24/7 since I would be blind." He smiled at her, but she could tell it was all a façade. Rory put Lola into her car seat, and climbed onto the bed beside Jess.
"You ok?" She asked, burrowing into his side. He nodded wordlessly. "Cause it's ok to be upset that your mom's doing better with Doula. I was upset when my dad was there for Gigi more than for me." She admitted, and he placed an arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer to him. He kissed her hair, and she smiled contentedly.
"I'm fine. I just hope she doesn't say she'll do better and still fail." He had a point. Rory placed her hand on his cheek lovingly, and they both fought the urge to lean in. Their faces were dangerously close.
"I promised my mom we'd catch up." She whispered, and he could feel her breath on his lips. He nodded and picked up Lola's carrier. "Uh, thanks." She made her way to the door.
"Anytime." He watched her leave, and he mentally scolded himself for not kissing her when he had the chance. Lola gurgled beside him, and Jess quickly fixated on her. She smiled at him, her brown eyes shining. He placed a kiss on her soft head, and blew lightly on her cheeks to make her giggle.
The way she smiled at him made him feel like she was his. It was a nice thought, but it was just pretend. He was really hating this whole pretend thing between him and Rory.
