My notes: No, Jess doesn't have a cancer. It is serious though. And yes, you should be concerned about him. I am. Hope dies last of course. ;) Also I made a trailer for this story. You can watch it on youtube. Enjoyed in new chapter. :)
Story: Four years after Philadelphia, Rory and Jess meet again. (In my story that night ended different. Keep that in mind.)This time in Stars Hollow for Luke and Lorelai's wedding. Each of them keep a secret. Secret, that can change a life.
Chapter 9 Stay With Me
'What?' the surprise in his voice was obvious.
'I love you!' Rory repeated and smiled, her face still hidden by his chest. Now she was so sure, more sure than anything.
Jess released her and sat on the bed. There was a strange look in his eyes – disbelief.
'Are you okay?' Rory knelt beside him.
'Yeah… I… you never said you loved me… before…' he avoided her eyes so she couldn't see the pain in them.
'I… I ... told you that I loved you, when you called from California.' Rory frowned. She preferred not to remember those days. Too many mistakes. They made had made so many mistakes then.
'You told me that you might have loved me. And I wasn't listening too much then. It hurt so much and I … wasn't even able to speak. I just wanted to hear your voice. I knew that I had hurt you and I was hurting you even more, but I just… I'm sorry!'
'No, no…' she took his head in her hands and looked him straight in the eyes. 'Listen to me. It wasn't only your fault. I was always afraid of you. Of the things you were making me feel. I was afraid that night. I was afraid that if you had insisted a little more, I would have given up. I was ready for you, but…'
Jess continued to look at her without a word. He was afraid that he would ruin that moment if he said something. Rory reached out her hand in a soft caress on his cheek and he turned head to kiss it.
'We made so many mistakes before.' She said. 'Let's not do the same mistakes now. We hadn't talked before. Jess, please, give us a chance to make things work now.'
'But…'
Rory put a finger on his mouth.
'If you love me, you will! If you love Annie, you will! C'mon Jess, let's start from here. Now. Tonight. You are not alone. You have us. You have people that love you, don't push them away! Give us a chance!'
Jess already knew that he had lost the battle. It wasn't even a battle. When he looked at those sky-blue eyes, he was ready to do everything for them. He nodded.
'Okay…'
'Okay?' Rory was afraid to believe it. 'You mean, you'll stay?'
'I'll stay.' Jess said and saw her tears. 'But, nobody has to know… yet. Promise me!'
'I promise! Thank you!' Rory whispered and leaned into him waiting.
Jess inhaled and closed the distance. Then he kissed her. Softly. Gently. Carefully. The way she deserved to be kissed.
Rory slipped her arms around his neck and whispered again, her face in his hair.
'You won't be sorry! I love you…' she repeated.
Little pause, that seemed to last like an eternity, then his arms hugged her by her waist.
'I love you too… I always will!'
'I know!' she said and cuddled to him even closer. She couldn't stop the bitter tears falling down on her face. 'I know...'
Lorelai looked nervously at the stairs. They had been up there for a long time. It was almost lunchtime. Annie was drawing in some books and she was just sitting on the sofa, waiting.
Jess and Rory appeared after a little while. Her daughter smiled and they were… holding hands? Lorelai raised her eyebrows.
'Mom,' Rory threw her a strange look. There was a happiness, but sadness too. What had happened up there? 'We have to tell you something.' She exchanged a look with Jess. 'Jess is moving in.'
'In..?' Lorelai frowned.
'In here. With me and Annie!'
'Daddy will live with us?' Annie heard and jumped. Her book and pencils fell down on the floor, but she didn't pay attention. 'Really?'
Jess smiled.
'Really.'
'And you'll be here every day?'
'Every day.' He repeated.
'That's a super cool!' Annie ran and jumped in his arms. Jess lifted her up and threw her in the air. Annie giggled from happiness.
'I'll go to Luke's to get your bag, if it's okay?' Rory said to him after awhile.
'Why? You're afraid that if I do it myself, maybe you'll never see me again?' Jess whispered to her and Rory blushed. He was right. 'It's okay' he said and smiled at Annie. 'I stay here, you go. And make sure you get…'
'I will!' they kissed in front of Lorelai and then Rory walked out.
Jess sat on the sofa, beside Lorelai. Annie took her book and pencils and sat at his feet. Jess smiled and caressed her hair. Annie turned back and gave him a smile, then continued drawing.
'If someone had ever told me before that Jess Mariano would enjoy a family life…' Lorelai shook her head in disbelief and made Jess blush. 'You of all people? I must be dreaming.'
'Nope, you are totally fine.' Jess still was still watching Annie. 'Rory made me become this person. I'm not sure what I might have become if it hadn't been for her. She made me better.'
'Boy, you really love her!' Lorelai made him blush again.
'I loved her the moment I saw her for the first time, nine years ago. You didn't believe me then. No one believed me!' Jess said softly. Every word was coming from his heart.
'No one knows you better than Rory. You wouldn't let anybody get to know the real you.' Lorelai looked at him and this time he allowed her to see the real Jess. The Jess that stole Rory's heart.
'When everybody keeps telling you that you are not acceptable, you start to believe it after a while. I became what I am now because of her. She told me that I could do more.' Jess shrugged. 'Like I said, things might have been different if I hadn't met her.'
'She was broken, you know.' Lorelai was still looking at him. 'When you left, she was devastated. It really hurt her. I hated you back then.'
'I know…' Jess said with a sad voice. 'She told me…'
'Even if she was telling everybody she was okay, she wasn't. Rory was so confused and when you came back… Yeah, she told me that you asked her to go with you.'
Jess looked down to Annie. She was still drawing. Her little head was resting on his knees.
Lorelai continued.
'She almost did, but you know Rory – think first, act later.'
'I'm glad she didn't come.' Jess said. 'I was a mess then and maybe I would've ruined her life too.'
Lorelai bent her head.
'Maybe not? Who knows…? In my opinion, she should have gone with you.'
'What?' Jess looked at her, surprised. 'Why?'
'Because what happened later almost ruined her life.'
'What happened?' Jess frowned.
'After you disappeared again, I saw her with Dean... several times'.
'Dean?' he almost spitted the name. 'But he…'
'Was married at that time, yes.' Lorelai saw the flames in his eyes and almost felt sorry for him.
'And he cheated? He cheated with Rory? He used Rory?' he was mad. Really mad. Lorelai hadn't known how much Jess loved her daughter, until that moment.
'I'm sorry I had to tell you this, but…'
'She never did.' He finished.
'Since we all know your past with Dean, can I ask you not to do foolish things?' Lorelai saw the flames that were still burning in his eyes.
'Oh, yes. You can.'
'Would you listen?' Lorelai tried once again.
'Maybe I will. Relax, I'm not seventeen anymore.' Jess smirked, but Lorelai still wasn't sure. He was a man of many emotions. A passionate man.
The door opened and Rory walked in with Jess' bag.
'I'm back!' she called.
'Don't say a word!' Lorelai mumbled. 'Or she's going to kill me!'
Jess smirked again.
'I'll think about it.'
'If I call you 'son', would you at least think about it?' Jess laughed at her voice.
The flash of one of their old conversations came up.
... 'I'm sure you're jealous of Dean because he's great and Rory's madly in love with him, but you taking the bracelet didn't hurt Dean, it hurt Rory. That bracelet is the most precious thing she owns. She never takes it off. It means everything to her. And you stealing it was unbelievably cruel.' Lorelai was furious.
'The most precious thing she owns?' Jess looked aside for the moment, then his eyes fixed her.
'Yes.'
'If it's the most precious thing she owns, why did it take her two weeks to figure out it was gone, huh? You might wanna reevaluate how madly in love she is. I wouldn't start calling him son yet'...
'You have a deal!' he winked.
It was Lorelai's turn to laugh.
'I feel like I made a deal with the devil!'
At that, his smile faded.
'You're close!'
Before she could say anything, Jess stood up and went to help Rory.
'You okay?' Rory looked at his pale face.
He leaned and kissed her softly.
'I'll be after awhile. I have to take some pills. Today I almost forgot.'
Rory frowned.
'Try to not forget them too often, ok?'
Jess smiled and took the bag from her.
'Relax, I said I almost forgot. Excuse me a moment. I'll go to bathroom and be back, okay?'
Rory smiled.
'Okay.'
Another light kiss and Jess disappeared upstairs. Rory saw her mother, who had already put on her coat.
'You don't need me anymore, do you?' Lorelai winked and Rory blushed.
'Thanks for coming, mom.'
'Yeah, yeah… You're welcome. I want details later!'
Just before she walked out the door, Lorelai turned back around.
'He loves you, you know?'
Rory smiled. A nice warm feeling filled her body.
'I know, mom. I know.'
