The Empty Space

A/N: Yes, it is true, I have updated. ;) I meant to update this sooner; I apologize. I know this is a very short update, but I do plan for a special update very soon. Thanks for reading. Now, on to the update.

Chapter Nine: Another Restless Night

Silence covers them like a blanket, as he is waiting for a response. A laugh, a snide comment, a push into the lake. But there is only her surprised expression that he doesn't see. The question, he finds, is a rhetorical one, but still deserves some recognition. Tension spreads across his back like wildfire as the seconds pass (yet speed like hours). It's excruciating, waiting for a reaction. A snide comment, a laugh, a push into the lake. Something. Anything.

A minute has passed and he thinks he will die waiting on the bridge. Jess Mariano found dead, frozen still on old Stars Hollow bridge. Doctors are trying to understand--

"Can I ask you something?"

He nearly dies of shock and takes a breath to recover. "Sure."

"It's been seven years. Seven years. That is a long time, Jess," she emphasizes on the time period. "You shouldn't be back here, after all this time, for…" Her voice trails off, knowing he can finish her thought.

"Her."

Her.

She.

She who haunts him day in, day out.

Rory.

"But, you are. After…all this time." She sighs, choosing her words carefully. "I don't know exactly why you are here. But I figure you must have a good reason. I suppose.

Just… be careful."

"What are you saying?"

She smiles, a glint in her eye. "I'm saying, that you seem different. And that whatever your reason is for being here, must be a good one. But I want you to be gentle, and careful with her."

"So you approve of me being here?" he asks, skeptical.

"You know, I never took you for being slow, Jess."

He smirks.

She smiles.

And the silence is no longer unbearable.

"I thought you hated me."

She shrugs, "I hate what you did to her. But it's been a long time. You can't hold a grudge forever."

He smirks. "So, how long?"

"Well, after year 3 it doesn't become fun anymore. And then, you find someone else to take your place."

He shakes his head. And she smiles.

There is some understanding between the two.

And above all, there is calm.

-

The bell rings, and the diner crowd looks up to find a small smile across Jess Mariano's face. He walks to the counter and begins to wash the plates in the plastic tub behind Luke.

"What's up with you?" He asks, noticing the look on his face. An hour ago, he had been upset, frustrated. The sudden evidence of joy on his face was a surprise.

He shrugs, "Nothing."

"You're smiling."

"I am not."

He places his hands on his hips and takes a better look at him. "You're happy."

Jess stops his task and glares at him. "Do you want me to help out or not?"

"Fine, fine," he replies, allowing Jess some space. He watches as his nephew hover over the plastic tub, washing plate after plate. Luke smirks over his shoulder.

"So, what's with the sudden mood change?"

Jess drops the current plate he's washing, causing several customers to look up from their food. "Luke!"

Luke puts up his hands in the defense, "I did nothing."

He rolls his eyes and goes back to the plates as Luke's laughter is playing in the background.

-

It's silent above the diner at eleven o'clock at night. Darkness wraps itself around the apartment, excluding the two corners on opposite sides of the apartment. Jess reads. Luke stirs. Crickets seem to be the only noise surrounding them.

Sleep becomes impossible, as Luke finds. He rises from his bed and walks over to the kitchen, where he grabs a glass and pours himself some milk. "Hey, Jess," he calls, milk above his upper lip.

"Yeah?"

"You ever going to tell me what was going on when you came back earlier?" He wipes away the milk with the sleeve of his shirt.

"No," comes the answer.

"Jess." He can imagine Jess on his bed, a couple feet away, book in hand with a smirk on his face. That was one of the clearest pictures of Jess that he could think of.

A sigh. And then: "She doesn't mind me being here."

He nearly drops the glass.

He sets it down and stands in front of Jess' bed, eyes wide. "Lorelai?"

"Yup."

Luke blinks.

"'Night Uncle Luke," he replies. And with that, he turns out the light, smirking as he sinks into his sheets.

-

The clock reads 3:32 AM and he refuses to believe it. The scene is too familiar: Jess waking up in the early morning, sweat on his forehead as he sits upright in his bed. He hates that this has become something regular. Staying in Stars Hollow is too much for him to handle. Thoughts of her are much more frequent; he can't handle her invading his thoughts every other second.

He wipes away the sweat and sighs, before trying sleep, only to fail. He looks up and finds a framed picture of Lorelai, Luke, Rory, and him on Christmas Day and he's surprised he hadn't noticed it. (That, and the fact that Luke had even put it up) Troubled, he gets out of his bed and grabs his jacket, heading out of the diner.

From the moment he had stepped outside, there was no question where he would go. His feet led him away, down the familiar route that he had walked so many times. He had forgotten how quite and peaceful Stars Hollow had looked at night. It almost looked dead, and shockingly eerie at night, even with the twinkle lights glittering the way they did. Darkness laid its blanket on the idyllic time as well, and somehow, this comforted him.

He approaches the bridge, and watches as the tree branches sway back and forth in a rhythm. After a while he makes the decision to lie down. He crouches down and spreads his legs out before he is finally resting flat on his back, a clear night sky before him. He breathes steadily, and lets the sound of the cool water moving delicately and the quiet chirps of the crickets calm him. And as the minutes pass, the stress disappears and soon his eyes succumb to sleep.

He won't have to worry about a single thing… until morning.

-

Please R&R.