Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. I do own this fic.

Kudos to Amy Sherman-Palladino and Taking Back Sunday

Chapter 10—New American Classic

See the months they don't matter / its the days I can't take / when the hours move to minutes / and I'm seconds away…chasing our dreams is just a distraction / I want to remember what I know...that I can't go back

Two trips to Stars Hollow in under a week. That had to be his new record, Jess thought as he drove up to Luke's Diner and parked. The sign on the door said "Closed" but Jess tried the handle and found it was unlocked. He entered the diner, carefully closed the door behind him, and shuffled up the stairs to the apartment.

Luke turned around as Jess came in.

"Hey," said Jess.

"Hey," said Luke.

They stood there awkwardly until Jess put down his bag and said, "Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Sure, no problem," said Luke. "Um, how long do you think you'll stay?"

"Don't know," said Jess, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What about work?" Luke asked.

"Well, I am officially taking a break."

"A break? From work?"

"Yes. A sabbatical, if you will."

"You weren't fired, were you?"

"No, I quit."

"Jess!"

"I'm kidding," he said.

"That's not something to joke about," Luke snapped. "You've got a good thing going, Jess, and I will not let you just throw it away. Now, what's going on?"

Jess scuffed the floor with his shoe. "It's like I said on the phone," he said. "I caught Grace with another guy, and Matt thought I should take some time to recuperate."

"Is that really all?"

"Well," Jess admitted, "I've been working on this new book, and I'm having trouble with it. And apparently someone in New York read the last one and wants my second one—if I can ever actually finish it." He looked around the familiar apartment and said, "The guys at work think that if I took some time off to work on the book, then maybe I'll actually get it done and we can enter some kind of deal with this other publishing company. You know, get some publicity and funding at Truncheon."

"But what are you going to do about money?" Luke asked. Jess simply looked at him. "You want to work at the diner?" Luke was surprised when Jess gave a little nod.

"But why?"

"Look, Luke," Jess began, "I'm not going to sit here and share all the gory details of what's been happening lately, but—" His voice broke off, and he rubbed a hand over his face. When he spoke again, his voice was softer and he would not look at his uncle as he said, "I guess I just wanted to come home."

"Home?" asked Luke, perhaps too gruff than he meant, "You mean Stars Hollow is your home now?"

"It has been lately," Jess told him.

Luke gave his nephew a sharp look before nodding and saying, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah," said Luke. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go get ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Taylor's got some New Year's Eve thing happening in the square, and Lorelai talked me into selling coffee, so I have to get that set up. You can come if you want." Luke walked past Jess to the door and then stopped.

"This girl, Grace," he asked, "Did you love her?"

Jess chuckled, "No, no I didn't love her."

"Okay," said Luke. "So you'll be okay?"

"Yep."

"Good," Luke opened the door, and then stopped again. He reached for Jess and pulled him into a tight and awkward hug before letting go and leaving as quickly as he could.

When the door swung shut after him, Jess scanned the room and said to himself, "Welcome back, Jess."