Chapter 10 Notes: Jeremy digs himself in a bit further. Thanks to all the reviews for the last chapter. I'm so glad to hear that you guys are enjoying reading this story because I'm really enjoying writing it! Thanks so much and happy reading. :) Between work and grad school, I have a pretty shitty week ahead of me, so the next update may take a little longer, but I will be working on it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own obsession with Gilmore Girls

Jess was hit with appreciation for what he had as Luke set his dinner in front of him on the diner counter. The only thing he could think of more comforting than a grilled cheese sandwich and a steaming bowl of tomato soup after being wet and cold was having someone who loved him make it for him. And, he had that. Jess smiled at his uncle. "This looks great, Luke. Thank you." Jess picked up his spoon.

Luke didn't return the smile. "I think Jeremy's on drugs."

Jess barked out a laugh. He looked up and met his uncle's eye, with a small smirk on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?" Jess laughed again at his uncle's stern expression.

"I'm serious, Jess." Jess could tell that he was, but he still couldn't keep the smile off his face. "I really think Jeremy is on drugs."

"No, he's not." Jess's tone was a mix of amusement and incredulity. "That's crazy."

"I know it sounds crazy, but I'm pretty sure I saw him buying drugs last night."

Jess put a spoonful of soup in his mouth, enjoying the satisfying feeling as he swallowed and the soup warmed him from the inside, completely undisturbed by his uncle's news. "You saw Jeremy buying drugs? You actually saw him do this?"

"Yes." Luke answered.

"So, what you're telling me is that you think Jeremy is on drugs because you witnessed his purchase of drugs, the drug deal if you will, first hand? Said drug deal occurred in your direct line of vision? That's what you're telling me here?"

"Yes. That's what I'm telling you. I saw him with my own eyes." Jess could tell Luke was annoyed that he wasn't taking his announcement more seriously, but the idea of Jeremy doing drugs felt too absurd to consider.

"Huh. Don't you think he's smart enough that if he were actually going to buy drugs he wouldn't do it right in front of you? I mean, I know that kids can be dumb, but let's give Jeremy some credit here."

"He didn't do it right in front of me, Jess. He went outside to do it. He was being sneaky so I wouldn't see him!"

"Then how did you figure out what he was doing, Sherlock?"

"I don't know why you're not taking this seriously!" Luke scolded. "We were closing up. This kid comes to the door, knocking and waving, grinning through the glass like he's on drugs-"

Jess gasped, feigning shock. "No! He's on drugs, too? I did not see that plot twist coming."

"I'm serious here, nephew."

"Oh, I can see that."

"So, this kid is knocking on the door, and I get annoyed because the closed sign is up and I'm going to go tell this kid to get lost and to learn how to read a sign while he's at it-"

"Naturally." Jess nodded, his expression exaggeratedly serious.

"But, Jeremy stops me. He tells me that he knows this kid, that he thinks this kid's here to see him, and is it ok with me if he goes outside to talk to him. I tell him, sure, fine, go. I feel like something's not right, but what am I going to say, that he can't go talk to his friend?"

"Of course not. That might seem over-reactive." Jess took a bite of his sandwich and chewed while Luke gave him a stern look.

"So, Jeremy goes out to talk to this kid. And, Jeremy's acting very shady. He looks uncomfortable and he keeps turning back to look at me to see if I'm watching them."

"Which I'm guessing you were?" Jess asked.

"Of course, I was. I mean, I'm behind the counter, cleaning up, pretending I'm not, but I'm keeping an eye on them."

"Do you think that you staring at Jeremy while he was with his friend could have been what was making him uncomfortable?" Jess asked innocently. Luke leveled another disapproving look at him and Jess laughed. "Sorry, just a question, go on."

"Anyway, they're talking, and this kid is giggling up a storm, let me tell you. He was definitely high! And, then he holds something up. Something that could be a plastic bag. I couldn't see what it was, but Jeremy gets even more uncomfortable, and get this, Jeremy pulls the kid's hand down so that I can't see what he's holding. Then Jeremy is digging around in his apron pocket, where he keeps his tips."

"And?"

"And, I'm thinking he was getting out cash from his tip money to pay this kid for drugs."

"Did you see him hand the other kid money? Or take what may or may not have been a plastic bag from this kid?"

"No. They did the transaction." Luke lowered his voice even though the diner was mostly empty due to the pouring rain and no one was sitting close enough to hear them. "The drug deal between them so that Jeremy's back was blocking my view of what was going on."

"Huh." Jess took in another spoonful of soup.

"Huh?" Luke asked. "That's all you have to say? Huh?"

"Did you say anything to Jeremy when he came back in, ask him what the other kid wanted or anything?"

"Yes, I did! And, here's the kicker! He tells me that this other kid was just walking by the diner and saw Jeremy inside and remembered something he needed to tell him about a biology quiz. Does that sound believable to you?"

Jess thought about that. "It sounds too stupid to be a lie. I like to think my kid's smarter than that."

"Jeremy is smart. But, he's not as sneaky as you were. I don't think he's had as much experience lying and sneaking around so he hasn't mastered deceit and manipulation the way you had at his age."

Jess grinned. "Aw, stop with the flattery. You'll make me blush."

"I'm serious here." Luke pointed the tip of his index finger against the counter for emphasis. "I know that boy. And, even if I hadn't seen him outside with his friend, I still would have known he was lying to me about the biology quiz. I could tell. I could feel it."

Jess frowned. "I can admit that the line about the biology quiz feels a little…..suspicious."

"See?" Luke threw his hands up. "That's what I'm saying!"

"But, I don't think Jeremy's on drugs-"

Luke frowned. "Jess-"

"Just hear me out here. I think Jeremy may have been lying to you about why this kid came by, but that doesn't mean that drugs have to be the reason why. Maybe they were talking about something else, something private that he didn't want to get into with you so he made up the lie about the biology quiz. Does that sound possible?"

Luke sighed and waited a moment before conceding. "I guess so. I mean, anything's possible. But, that doesn't explain the plastic bag."

"If it even was a plastic bag. You said yourself that you weren't really sure. And, even if it was a plastic bag, isn't it possible that it had something other than drugs in it?"

"Like what, Jess?" Luke's annoyance was clear in his voice. "Oreo's?"

Jess shrugged, feeling a slight spike of annoyance at Luke for not trusting Jeremy more. He tamped down the feeling, reminding himself that Luke meant well. That his uncle worried because he loved Jeremy and…...because he was Luke. "Possibly. I have no idea. But, neither do you. The only thing I'm certain of is that Jeremy isn't doing drugs."

"How can you be so sure?" Luke asked.

"Because I know my kid. I live with him. I spend time with him. I would know if something like this was going on. All that kid does is go to school, go to work, and study. When he has free time, he hangs out with me, or with you, or with Doula and Liz. He-" Jess feigned exaggerated shock. "Oh my god, Luke! Do you think Liz is his supplier!" Jess shook his head slowly. "I should have suspected this sooner. She does always seem to be pushing her brownies on him when he goes over there."

"Jess." Luke's voice was a warning.

"Luke." Jess mimicked Luke's stern tone, then smiled. "I know Jeremy, Luke. He would never take drugs. We've talked about this before. He's tried drugs in the past and he didn't like how they made him feel. The kid doesn't even drink when he goes to parties."

Luke sighed. "Jess, no parent ever wants to believe that their kid is doing drugs, but there are lots of kids out there doing drugs. You telling me they're all orphans?"

"Nope. I'm telling you that other parents are clearly wrong about their kids, but I'm right about mine." Jess grinned. "Obviously."

"Jess, I'm telling you. I got a really bad feeling. From that kid who came to the door, Marty Jeremy said his name was. From how Jeremy was acting around him, all nervous and weird. From my nephew lying to my face like that. I don't like it. I feel like something's going on. If it's not drugs, then it's something else not good." Jess watched Luke pause to think. "But, my instincts tell me it's drugs."

Jess smiled. "Luke, your instincts tell you that every teenager is on drugs. You thought I was on drugs when I lived with you."

"Well, your behavior definitely fit the signs they tell you to look for. You were moody and secretive and I caught you lying to me on multiple occasions. You skipped school. You didn't care about anything. What was I supposed to think?"

"Um, maybe that I was an unhappy teenager. And, April's senior year of high school, you thought she was on drugs."

"That was different! She got a B! She'd never gotten a B in anything before in her life!"

"The poor kid got distracted for five minutes by her first boyfriend and let one grade slip! One B does not indicate drug use."

"And, she was off in New Mexico, on the other side of the country. I didn't know her friends. I'd never met her boyfriend. I had no way of really knowing if she had fallen in with a bad crowd or something."

"If I remember correctly, she was so upset about the B that she started crying when you asked her about it on the phone."

"Yeah….." Luke frowned. "I think that's when I realized she wasn't on drugs."

"I'm just saying. You have a long history of accusing innocent teenagers of drug use."

Luke sighed. "I see your point, Jess. But, I really do have a bad feeling about this. I want you to take what I'm telling you seriously."

Jess nodded. "I am. I'll talk to him."

"I think you need to do more than just talk to him, nephew."

Jess raised one eyebrow. "Yeah? You want me to smack him around a little? Beat the truth out of him?"

Luke sighed and Jess started to feel guilty for how much he was frustrating his well-meaning uncle. It's not that he didn't appreciate Luke's concern. He did. He loved how easily and fully Luke had accepted Jeremy as his family and how much his uncle cared about the boy and looked out for him. But, in this case, the guy was so off base that it was laughable.

"Don't be a wiseass. I meant you should search through his room."

"No way!" Jess shook his head. "I hated it, absolutely hated it, when you did that to me! I felt so violated, like you didn't trust me at all."

"I didn't trust you! You were lying to me on a daily basis about going to school. Sneaking around behind my back to work at Walmart. Of course I didn't trust you! I'd have to have been crazy to trust you!"

"Well, I'm not searching through Jeremy's stuff. Not without a much better reason than his uncle possibly seeing him take something that could have been a plastic bag from a friend. I've never caught him in a lie other than that time he ran off to New York. I've never seen him high, or even moody or irritable. He's the model teenager, and I trust him. This is like someone accusing Rory of being on drugs."

Jess watched the corners of Luke's mouth curve down involuntarily. "Hey, that's as good a theory as any for why she keeps going back and forth to London so that little asshole can see his daughter on his schedule, like he's too important to bother flying over here to see his own damn kid."

Jess laughed. "I meant teenage Rory! This is tantamount to someone accusing teenage Rory of being on drugs."

Luke smiled. "Oh, I see your point now." Jess heard the bell above the door ring and looked over to see a couple walking in, shaking their umbrella outside a couple of times before shutting the door. "He took his apron with him last night. Wore it right upstairs after his shift."

"Um, I'm sure he's planning on returning it. He probably just forgot."

Luke shook his head as he picked up two menus to greet his new customers who had taken a seat at a table. "He started to take it off, then stopped like he caught himself. He left it on and took it upstairs with him. Maybe you don't need to search his room, maybe you just need to search his apron pocket."

"Don't you think he would have moved." Jess lowered his voice to a dramatic stage whisper for the next two words. "The drugs to a new hiding spot by now?"

Luke sighed. "You're probably right. Then, I don't know. I gave you the answer. Search his room. If you don't want to do that, I can't figure out everything for you."

"Maybe I should bring the apron to the police so they can help with the investigation. Does Stars Hollow have a CSI team? Maybe they can test the apron pocket for trace amounts of drugs."

"Stop." Luke serious expression gave way to concern and he knocked the edge of the menu against the table. "And, when you talk to him, don't make it sound like I'm accusing him of anything. Got it? I don't want him to think I don't trust him."

Jess scoffed. "Now, where would I get a crazy idea like that?"

Luke leveled one last stern look at Jess and walked out from behind the counter to greet his customers.

Jess went back to his dinner thinking over what Luke had told him. He was confident that his son wasn't on drugs. They lived in the same house and spent enough time around each other that Jess was certain he would have picked up on it if Jeremy were on something. After his experience growing up with his mother, he felt that he had sharply honed instincts for recognizing signs of substance abuse in other people. He was sure Luke was wrong, that it was just his uncle's overprotective instincts kicking in, the same as it had been when Luke had accused him of the same thing. He knew his son, and Jeremy wasn't the kind of kid who would use drugs. Jess was sure of it.

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Jess used a fork to break up the egg yolks and stir the eggs in the bowl. He dipped a thick slice of bread into the egg, making sure it was thoroughly coated before setting it in the sizzling frying pan and and repeating the process with the next piece. He had sliced some strawberries and set them out on the table along with a bowl of blueberries, the bottle of maple syrup, and some slivered almonds. He knew he was probably going overboard, but Jeremy had never had a friend over before and Jess was feeling pressure to embody the outward appearance of a good parent. It wasn't so much that he thought Harrison would judge him. It had more to do with Jess wanting to measure up to the picture in his head, of Jeremy going over to Harrison's house the next time they had a project to work on, of Jeremy sitting down to a meal with Harrison's family, telling Harrison's mother how good everything was. If Jeremy was going to start being around his friend's parents, Jess wanted to make sure he was bringing his A game so his parenting wouldn't look bad in comparison.

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Jeremy knew he had to leave his room eventually, but he wasn't looking forward to facing Jess. He felt sick to his stomach when he thought about how he had lied to Luke two nights ago. He hadn't been sure how much Luke had seen, but he knew his uncle hadn't bought his story about his late night conversation with Marty being about a biology quiz. And, Luke wanting to talk to Jess last night couldn't be a good thing. Jess had stayed in the diner until late last night, helping Luke close. He hadn't looked pissed when he'd come upstairs, but Jeremy figured he might not have wanted to make scene in front of Harrison, which Jeremy was grateful for. Jess had taken Winston for his nighttime bathroom break and then retired to his room with a book. He had seemed normal enough, pleasant even as he said goodnight, but Jeremy knew he wouldn't be able to relax completely until he was around Jess just the two of them and could figure out what Luke had told him.

Jeremy had got up and taken Winston outside to relieve himself. He had showered first, letting his guest sleep in. Jess hadn't been up when Jeremy had made his way from the bathroom back to his room to wake up Harrison, but Jeremy could hear Jess now, moving around in the kitchen, the clink of metal on metal, the sizzle of something in a pan. Jeremy was showered and fully dressed. He had no excuse to not leave his room. He couldn't hide from Jess forever. He knew he should at least ask Jess if he needed any help with breakfast as they waited for Harrison to finish showering. Jeremy reasoned that he was likely safe while Harrison was still in the apartment. That Jess probably wouldn't want to get into anything when Harrison could come out of the bathroom at any minute.

Jeremy sighed and headed out of his room. He found Jess in the kitchen, Winston sitting at the man's feet, watching carefully, on the lookout for a fallen morsel, as Jess used a spatula to lift a golden brown piece of bread out of the frying pan. Jeremy took in the smell along with the berries and maple syrup on the table set for three. "You made French toast."

Jess turned and gave him a warm, bright smile. "Good morning! Yes, I did."

Jeremy smiled back, feeling a swell of relief as his stomach unclenched. Jess didn't seem like he was worried or angry, like someone who had received bad news about his kid the previous night. "You never make French toast on weekdays."

Jess grinned as he finished plating the toast and switched off the gas burner. He looked back at Jeremy. "That's true. But, we don't usually have a guest on weekdays. I didn't want to just shove a bowl of cold cereal at your friend."

Jeremy smiled as he watched Jess carry the heaping plate to the dining area and set it down in the middle of the table. "Thanks. This was really nice of you."

Jess was still grinning. "What can I say? I'm a really nice guy."

Jeremy was pretty positive that Luke hadn't suspected anything when he'd seen him with Marty, or that he at least hadn't shared his suspicions with Jess if he had. He felt like a weight had been lifted, that everything was going to be ok. He grinned back at Jess. "You have your moments. I'll give you that much."

Jess cupped the back of Jeremy's head and tipped it down to land a kiss on top of. "I'm allowed to do that, right? Since, your friend's still in the shower?"

"You're always allowed to do that." Jess was still smiling, but Jeremy realized that Jess had misconstrued the situation the night before, when Jeremy had pulled away from his touch. He hadn't been embarrassed by Jess's affection in front of Harrison. He just hadn't wanted to make his friend feel bad about not having the same thing in his own life. "Hey, Jess. There's something I kind of want to talk to you about."

Jess smiled at him. "I was just about to say the same thing!"

"Oh, yeah?" Jeremy was caught off guard. "Why? What's up?" Jeremy heard the shower being turned off and knew Harrison would be joining them soon. Jess's eye darted toward the bathroom and Jeremy knew he had heard it, too.

"Nothing big. Just something I want to ask you about. But, maybe we can talk later, when we have more time. Are you going to be around tonight? I was thinking that since you don't have to work, maybe we could have dinner together and hang out, just me and you. I feel like I haven't seen very much of you this week."

Jeremy felt his heart rate pick up slightly with the bad feeling that maybe he wasn't out of the woods yet. But, surely parents didn't look this relaxed and happy when they were gearing up to accuse their kids of drug use. Not that Jeremy was an expert on parents, but he liked to think he was becoming an expert on Jess, and he was getting no hostility or negative vibes of any kind off him. "Uh, yeah, ok. I mean, I have some reading to get through for biology, but yeah, I can hang out for a while."

"Aw." Jess said as he walked back to the table with the carton of orange juice. "Thanks for fitting me in, kid.

Jeremy tried to keep his tone light and playful. "No problem. It's the least I can do for the guy who's making me French toast on a Friday morning."

Jess hit Jeremy with a warm, infectious smile. "That's right. And, don't you forget it, pal."

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Jeremy laughed as he cut through an avocado to add to the salad, while Jess toasted some walnuts in a dry pan on the stove a few feet away. "That's ridiculous!" Jeremy scoffed. "Just completely ridiculous."

"You're not wrong." Jess agreed, smiling as he gave the pan a light shake to keep the nuts from burning. "But, he's Kirk. So, there's not much that can be done. And, Andrew's a good guy and he gets that Kirk is…..special but basically harmless. So, yeah, I guess from now on, ten o'clock on Friday is the official Kirk Gleason story hour for babies."

Jeremy shook his head as he gently squeezed one side of the avocado to dislodge the pit. "I can't picture that at all. The guy's speaking voice is so monotone. I can't picture him keeping babies interested in a story."

"I think his monotone helped put a particularly colicky baby to sleep today. Its mom seemed happy. According to her, the kid had been crying for three weeks straight."

Jeremy laughed. "That's so ridiculous."

Jess shrugged as he pulled the pan from the heat and tipped it over the bowl, dropping the toasted walnut pieces into the salad. "What can I say? Stars Hollow is a ridiculous place."

Jeremy loved nights like this, when he had Jess all to himself, and they made dinner together and told each other about their days. On nights like this one, Jeremy felt a level of safety and comfort that he had spent most of his life believing was beyond his reach.

"So, Jeremy. I have something that I want to ask you." Jeremy looked up from his chopping to find Jess watching him carefully, a serious expression on his face now. "And, I want you to be honest. There's no wrong answer here. I need you to know that. Ok?"

Jeremy felt a slight dropping sensation in his gut. Anything with a lead in this big couldn't be good. "Uh, ok. What is it?"

"You know that Mallory's coming over tomorrow night, right?"

"Yeah." Jeremy spoke slowly, hesitantly drawing out the word. Jess has asked him earlier in the week to not make plans for Saturday night so he could have dinner with Jess and Mallory. Of course he knew she was coming. "I remember you telling me."

"Well, what would you think about Mallory spending the night tomorrow? I get that it's kind of a big deal so I wanted to make sure you were ok with it before I said anything to her. She doesn't know I'm thinking about this for tomorrow, so there's no pressure, ok? If you aren't comfortable with her staying over it doesn't need to happen? We can just keep things as they are."

Jeremy felt himself relax a little. He had been expecting something worse. Jess spent the majority of his time with Mallory out of the apartment. He usually saw her two or three times a week and spent the night at her place one or two of those times. On the handful of nights that she came over to the apartment, Jess usually asked Jeremy to hang out with them, and they had eaten dinner together, played a couple games of Scrabble, watched a movie and taken Winston on a walk together. On Jeremy's favorite evening with Mallory, they had picked up Doula and the four of them had gone to Taylor's for ice cream. Jeremy was proud of how far his sign language had come since he had started his ASL class and he had liked having Mallory see him with Doula. He thought Mallory was a good person and it felt important to him for her to think he was, as well. They had started teaching Mallory some signs that night, too, and Jeremy had had a good time. But, Mallory hadn't spent the night yet. After the game or movie or dinner, Mallory would say goodnight to Jeremy and Jess would walk her out to her car.

Jeremy took a minute to gauge his feelings before responding. He honestly didn't think he minded the idea of Mallory spending the night. He knew it would mean an unspoken elevation to almost family status and he felt more ok with that than he would have expected. "I'm fine with Mallory staying over."

Jess was giving him an earnest look, studying his face to make sure he was telling the truth. "Yeah? You're sure? You don't feel like it's an invasion of your space or anything?"

Jeremy laughed. "No. I don't feel like my space is being invaded. It's not like she's going to be sleeping in my room."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "I seriously hope not."

Jeremy giggled, part amusement and part relief. "I'm fine with it, Jess. Honestly." Jeremy smiled at Jess. "Thanks for checking with me, but I'm ok with it." Jeremy shrugged. "I kind of like it when Mallory's here. It's…...nice"

"Yeah?"

Jeremy nodded.

"I like it when she's here, too." Jess said.

"I know you do. And, I want you to be happy. Even if I didn't like her, I wouldn't stand in the way of you having her stay over."

"You see?" Jess said. "It's that kind of shit right there that makes you lose all credibility."

Jeremy laughed. "I said if I didn't like her. But, I do like her! Isn't the fact that I'd want you to be happy anyway a good thing?"

"Nope. I never want you to lie to me to make me happy. It's my job to worry about making you happy not the other way around."

"Sure, that sounds completely fair and reasonable!" Jeremy's tone indicated that he thought it sounded anything but. "I do like Mallory, though. And, I'm fine with her staying over, or just being here more in general. As much as you want her here. I mean, I get that it's probably more fun for you guys to be at her place, too, because you have privacy there and everything, but I don't ever want you to not have her over or not ask her to spend the night because you think I'll be uncomfortable. Ok?"

Jess nodded slowly. "Ok. Thank you, Jeremy. And, just so you know, it's not more fun at her place. I really like it when the three of us are together and I get to be with my two favorite people at the same time."

Jeremy smiled, feeling a wave of calm wash over him at the knowledge that this was all Jess had wanted to talk about. "And, it was kind of fun having a guest for breakfast this morning. Are you going to cook all kinds of show-off meals when Mallory stays over, too?"

Jess smiled back. "Oh, you can count on it, my friend."

It had been nice having Harrison here this morning, but the best part for Jeremy had been having him there the night before. As stressed as Jeremy felt over his friend's situation, he hadn't needed any help sleeping last night, hadn't even thought about it. He had felt safe and not alone, with Harrison sleeping on the aerobed in his room and Jess asleep in his own room. Jeremy thought that having Mallory spend some nights at their place would mean less nights of Jess sleeping out and Jeremy alone in the apartment, tossing and turning, tangled in bedsheets and anxiety. Maybe he would be able to wean himself off the pot he used to help get him to sleep most nights. This could be good.

"Hey, Jess?"

"Hey, Jeremy." Jeremy watched Jess smile to himself as he stuck two forks into the salad bowl, tossing the contents and mixing in the vinaigrette he had just poured on top. Jeremy picked up his cutting board, and used the dull edge of his night to push the avocado chunks off the board and into the salad.

"I want to talk to you about something, too. It's about Harrison. But, can you promise that what I tell you will stay between us?"

Jeremy watched Jess's expression turn serious. "Yeah, of course, Jeremy." Jess picked up the salad bowl. "Let's go sit at the table and you can tell me all about it."

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They were sitting on the couch, Jess's arm wrapped around Jeremy, the boy's head resting on his shoulder. Jeremy's feet were curled up on the couch under him, and Jess heard the occasional quiet sniffle coming from his son. Jeremy had become a little emotional as he told Jess about Harrison's situation, not the kind of violent sobbing that had felt so frequent when he had first come to live with Jess, just a few quiet tears. Jess's heart went out to Jeremy's friend, having no support system and no place to live at his age sucked. Jess knew that first hand, could still remember the time he had spent traveling to Los Angeles and back and then living in a cramped one bedroom apartment in New York with four guys he barely knew and didn't particularly like or trust, not in contact with Luke and having no other meaningful connections to fill that void, feeling very much like a loose pebble rattling around the world on his own, getting kicked this way and that. Jess knew that Jeremy was an empathetic kid, but he also knew that a considerable part of the boy's current distress came from thinking about how close he had come to ending up in Harrison's situation himself.

Jess didn't want another kid. Or a roommate. Or whatever Harrison would be. He was content with his domestic situation the way it was. He wanted Mallory to start spending more time at his place and he didn't want another person in the apartment getting in the way of him and Mallory and Jeremy bonding into their own little family of three. But, he also knew he needed to help Harrison when the kid really had nowhere else to go. Because it was the right thing to do, sure, because Luke had done the same for him way back when and was doing it again now, but mostly because it's what he would have wanted someone to do for Jeremy if their paths hadn't crossed and Jeremy hadn't become his son and was out in the world struggling on his own somewhere.

He had listened to Jeremy recount Harrison's story over dinner, asking a few questions for clarification here and there. He had seen from the beginning of the story how much Harrison's circumstance were affecting his son and his heart ached for his child. Jess was starting to get it, though, to realize that even with a parent and considerable extended family, a part of Jeremy would always see himself as just a few short steps and one wrong turn away from ending up alone and unwanted, again, and possibly homeless.

"Maybe we can help Harrison find a room to rent. Someone in town must have a spare room they'd be willing to rent out to a college student."

Jess felt Jeremy silently nod his head against his shoulder. Jeremy had started tearing up over dinner after he told Jess about Harrison, when he was explaining how ending up in Harrison's situation had been his own worst nightmare during most of his teens. Jess had stood up then and moved around the table, closing the gap between them, guiding Jeremy to the couch, where they could sit like this, Jess holding his hurting child against his side, running a hand through his hair. Jeremy hadn't spoken in the ten or fifteen minutes since, had just let himself be held, resting his head on Jess's shoulder, seemingly content to listen to what Jess hoped were encouraging sentiments and comforting words.

"Maybe I could put up a room wanted ad on the bulletin board in the bookstore. Maybe we could get Luke to put up a bulletin board in the diner so we could tack one up there, too." Jess moved his hand on Jeremy's head, lightly running his nails over his scalp, wondering what the boy was thinking.

"And, on nights when he absolutely can't find a place to stay with a friend, he can sleep here. Ok?" Jess felt a twinge of guilt at his use of the word 'absolutely,' stressing that Harrison staying with them should only be considered as a last resort, wondering how differently his own life would have turned out if Luke had put the same caveat on his offer of shelter when Jess had been Harrison's age. "You don't have to ask me first. If he can't find a roof to put over his head for the night, you can always bring him home with you." The offer seemed like too much as soon as he'd made it and Jess felt like an asshole for the thought. "Ok?"

Another silent nod from Jeremy. Jess wasn't sure how to compromise here. He didn't want another person living with them, but he didn't want to let Jeremy down either. He mostly wanted his kid to feel safe, but he was realizing that that wasn't something he could control, and that it might not even be possible.

"You know, I'm thinking maybe we should talk to Mallory about this tomorrow night. What do you think about that?" Jess asked, carding his fingers through Jeremy's hair. "She knows about this kind of stuff. There might be some kind of housing program or something for kids in Harrison's situation. She might be able to point him toward some resources that could help him out." Jess thought a minute and realized that Jeremy might actually want to spend part of his weekend with his friends. "You are still hanging out with me and Mallory tomorrow night, right? I didn't use up all my time with you for this weekend tonight, did I?"

He could feel Jeremy move slightly against his shoulder and knew the boy had heard the question, even though it got no answer. "Hey, you awake over there or what?"

Jeremy peeled himself off Jess and sat up, sitting sideways on the couch to face him. "I'm awake." He shook his head, his expression solemn. "You didn't use up all your time with me tonight. Tonight is me and you time. Tomorrow night is me, you and Mallory time. Those are completely different, like apples and oranges different. Both good, but one can't replace the other."

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It wasn't until they were outside with Winston for his before bed walk that Jeremy realized he still didn't know what Luke had wanted to talk to Jess about the night before. Now that his own anxiety had died down, he was curious as to what was going on with his uncle and his dad.

"Hey, Jess?" Jeremy held Winston's leash in one hand, watching the dog sniff the grass in the town square. They didn't normally both accompany Winston on his last walk of the night. Only sometimes, on nights like this.

"Hey, Jeremy." Jeremy looked over to Jess, watching the man smile in the soft glow from one of the streetlights.

"So, what did Uncle Luke want to talk to you about last night?"

Jess gave him a puzzled look.

"You know, when you ate dinner down in the diner because Uncle Luke wanted to talk to you about something?"

Jeremy watched recognition hit Jess and the man grinned almost sheepishly. Maybe it was something private. "Oh, uh, I was just wondering." Jeremy rushed to add. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's probably none of my business…."

"It's not that." Jess still looked a little embarrassed, but now amused as well. "It was actually about you. I might as well tell you what we talked about." Jess huffed out a laugh. "I actually promised Luke I'd talk to you about it, so we might as well get it over with before he checks back in with me to see how it went."

"Uh, what is it?" Jeremy felt a spike of adrenaline, even though he didn't think Jess could possibly be about to bring up what he thought he might bring up. But, he couldn't think of anything else that would worry his uncle enough for the man to make Jess promise to talk to him.

"You know Luke loves you, right?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah. I love him, too."

"I know you do. Luke's a really good guy. And, he means well, always. So, please don't get mad at him over this, ok? He would hate it if this damaged your relationship with him, and so would I."

"Uh, ok." Jeremy could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest. He wasn't sure where to look so he focused on Winston.

"Luke was worried that you might be…...using drugs."

"What?" Jeremy's voice sounded off in his head, higher and more shrill than usual, and he hoped Jess hadn't noticed.

"I know. It's crazy. I told him that. I told him how off base he was. That it was ridiculous to think you'd do something that stupid. That you weren't that kind of kid. That you spend most of your time working and studying, and you don't even drink when you go to parties."

Jeremy didn't trust himself to speak or make eye contact. He kept his gaze firmly trained on Winston. He could feel his cheeks warming with shame and he hoped it was too dark for Jess to notice.

He felt a hand gently cupping the back of his neck, warm on the bare skin above the collar of his jacket. He realized Jess had taken his silence as a sign of offense when the man spoke again. "Jeremy, please understand, Luke just worries about the people he loves and he loves you so much. And, he's just…..older…...and kind of out of touch about some things. He pretty much always suspects teenagers of being on drugs." Jess huffed out a soft laugh. "He accused me of being on drugs a few times when I lived with him, too. Because I was moody and didn't care about school. One time he accused me of selling drugs because I was working at Walmart without him knowing and he couldn't account for where I'd gotten enough money to buy a car. He even suspected April of being on drugs when she was in high school and all she did was get a B in one class. So you're in good company. He means well. He just worries." The hand on his neck gave him a gentle shake. "Please don't take it personally. He just cares about you and worrying about you is his way of showing it."

Jeremy nodded, not sure how to respond, still keeping his eyes away from Jess, watching Winston lift a leg to relieve himself at the base of a tree. "It's ok."

Jeremy felt the hand leave his neck and land on his bicep, his body being gently turned, until he was facing Jess, the man's hands lightly gripping his shoulders through his jacket, an affectionate smile and warm eyes directed his way as if they were sharing in a private joke. "Let's put this to rest right now. I promised Luke I would talk to you about this, so here goes. Jeremy, are you on drugs?"

Jeremy looked into Jess's eyes, took in the love and the trust there, so much more of either than he had ever had before or really believed he ever would. He found himself answering without thinking, automatically going with the response that would keep that love and trust intact. "No. Of course, not."

Jess wrapped Jeremy in a one armed hug, pulling him to his side, his arm draped around his shoulders. "I want it on the record that, unlike your uncle, your dad never doubted you."

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It wasn't until a little later, when Jess had set down his book and switched off the lamp on his nightstand that it struck him how odd it was that Jeremy had never asked why Luke thought he was using drugs, had just accepted the accusation without question. Close on the heels of that thought, Jess remembered Mallory's warning about Marty and his brother. He laid awake in the dark, suddenly feeling less certain about everything.