Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter!
When he heard what happened to Liz, it wasn't that surprising. For the few years he was with her, she'd always been a wild one. He couldn't say he wasn't wild though; he had been almost wilder than her, but he never did things that dangerous. He had gotten the call a few days later after the funeral. Some old friend of his had called him up and informed him of the tragic news. He was devastated.
Yes, she was his first love, and they had a child together. Sure, he wasn't exactly in that child's life, but it was still theirs. He hadn't kept in touch with either Liz or Jess. He stopped. Jess, that boy had to be about sixteen or seventeen now, not exactly a boy anymore. God, he had missed so much, and he sometimes regretted it, but the truth was, he just wasn't ready to be a father back then. Now, he felt much more prepared, but seventeen years ago? He was still a child himself. He knew that now he needed to step up to that responsibility and be there for the son that he was never there for since the beginning. He knew the kid probably wouldn't greet him with open arms, but he had to at least give it a shot. The boy barely had anyone now, except for him and Liz's brother. Luke had never been one for parenting though, and Jimmy could never picture that lumberjack ever taking in a seventeen year old. To his surprise, the man had.
Jimmy had ventured up to New York, knowing that was the place Liz had decided to settle down, in search of Jess. All he found was an empty apartment, spare for a few boxes, and a grave. One of Liz's friends had clued him in that Jess had been taken in by his uncle from a small town, and Jimmy then knew exactly where to go.
Stars Hollow had been where Liz grew up, a sort of death trap, as she liked to call it. He recalled that Luke had started a diner down there, turning his late father's hardware store into a cafe.
His eyes settled on the old diner right then, passing by it slowly in his car. There were small clusters of customers inside, but the crowds seemed to be dying down as dusk was near an end. Jimmy pulled his car up to the curb and put it in park, swiftly turning off the engine and taking out his key from the ignition. He didn't know if he should just walk on in there and announce who he was. He was betting Luke wouldn't be to happy to see him if he did. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but Jimmy was extremely nervous. He had no idea how he was going to do this or what to say. Maybe it had been a bad idea, coming here. Maybe Jess wouldn't want to see him, maybe the kid would snap at him for not being there all those years and leaving him with a druggie of a mother. He would deserve all the harsh words though; he should have been there, and he knew it.
A teenager suddenly made his way hurriedly through the diner, all eyes seeming to follow him as he swiftly made his way to the door. He simply ignored them though and stormed out of the diner, his hand quickly reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette. When the boy looked up towards him, Jimmy's mouth fell agape. That was Jess, there was no doubt about it. The boy looked so much like he himself did when he was a teenager; they shared so many features. It was almost like looking in a mirror.
He watched as his son placed the stick in between his lips and fiddled with a lighter, rolling the thumbwheel to produce a flame. Once the stick was lit, the kid began his way down the road, one hand stuffed in his pocket, the other hanging loosely onto his cigarette.
Jimmy quickly got out of his car and began to follow, feeling that it was something he had to do. It'd be much easier to confront Jess when the angry, intimating lumberjack wasn't anywhere near. If there was one thing Jimmy remembered about Luke, it was his strong overprotectiveness when it came to family. Jimmy wanted to talk with his son without the stocky man towering over him.
He followed far behind, trying not to make it seem too obvious that he was following the teenager. Jess suddenly stopped moving, causing Jimmy's heart to race. The kid brought the cigarette to his mouth as he turned his head. Jimmy quickly got occupied, stopping to look in the window of a shop. His eyes darted to find he was staring at a store that seemed to be devoted to porcelain unicorns. The eyes of hundreds of different unicorns stared creepily at him.
Jess raised an eyebrow before exhaling smoke and turning around, the cigarette hanging again between his fingers. He quickly continued his way to the bridge, gaining increasingly suspicious of the curious man who seemed to be following him. Whenever he let his eyes stray back, the man would suddenly stop to look into a window or finger a head of lettuce outside of the market.
As Jess turned into the secluded area of town, covered by trees and shrubbery, Jimmy quickly followed. He turned the same corner, bemused to find that the teenager had suddenly vanished. His eyes darted around, trying to find where the kid could have possibly went off to.
"So," a voice started, followed quickly by steps. Jess appeared from behind a bush, arms crossed, "You want to tell me who you are and why you're following me?" he questioned, taking a drag from his cigarette. "I'm not in the mood for a stalker."
Jimmy was incredibly nervous. He didn't know who to start this, and he quickly felt himself going chicken. He wanted to back out, but it was too late now. "I'm your father," he suddenly blurted. He hadn't meant to just blurt it out, but he didn't know what else to say.
Jess let his cigarette fall to the ground, his eyes wide. He let the phrase repeat in his head, trying to take in fully the huge meaning of it. "You're joking."
"Oh God," Jimmy ran a hand through his hair, a nervous smile on his face, "That wasn't really the best thing to start with," He shifted nervously, "Jess, I'm Jimmy Mariano."
"The hot-dog king?"
Jimmy let out a laugh, "Liz told you about that?"
"No," Jess shook his head, "Luke called you that. Along with 'deadbeat,' 'scum,' and many other derogatory names," Jess crossed his arms and gave the man a smirk, "You're his favorite."
The sarcasm did nothing to lighten Jimmy's mood. "The guy's got reason not to like me," Jimmy acknowledged, more to himself than Jess. He couldn't argue. All that Luke said was true. He was a deadbeat father. He left his son when he wasn't even a day old and didn't return until seventeen years later.
"I'm guessing you heard then?" Jess questioned, his eyes falling down to the dead cigarette that lay below his feet.
"Yeah," Jimmy nodded, "I would have been here sooner--"
"How much sooner?" Jess inquired, his voice gaining some temper, "Five years ago, ten years?" He felt such a rage towards the estranged man. He wanted to scream and hit him; he wanted to let his father know how angry he truly was.
"I know I'm a crappy father. I knew that the day you were born."
"You didn't have to be! You could have a least tried!" Jess barked. "You could have made an attempt! You left me with Liz, and I know you know what she's like. She was in no way capable of being a mother at her age and a single mother at that. She needed you, and you left her!"
"Jess, I'm sorry. I really am sorry, and I know I should have stayed. I shouldn't have gotten so scared and ran out on you two like that." Jimmy was feeling like crap. His kid sure did know how to get to him. Jess was right; he shouldn't have left Liz with such a huge duty. Jess was his kid too. He was going to make up for it though; he was going to be there for his son now, he was determined to become a good father now that this tragedy brought them together.
Jess heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. The anger he felt seconds ago began to fade. After a pause, he spoke up. "So," he started, "What now?"
Jimmy stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "I don't know. I only got about this far in my plan on the drive here. I wasn't sure how this would go." Jess watched him as he fidgeted. Jimmy shrugged, "I mean, I knew there'd be some yelling on your part, but I didn't know if we'd get passed that or not."
"Well, we did...barely." Jess crossed his arms. "You know, I was expecting more than just a 'hi' after seventeen years of being absent. I'm disappointed, hot-dog king."
"Yeah," he nodded, "I did came here for more than that." Jimmy searched for the words, unable to fathom where to go next. "I didn't know your uncle would have taken you in, Luke never seemed like the parent type."
"Luke's been a hell of a lot better at being a parent than you ever were," Jess felt the need to defend his uncle. The man had been trying hard to be a good parent, and he was doing a pretty good job, considering he was the guardian of him. Luke had been there when Jimmy and even Liz weren't. In Jess' opinion, Luke was the only person in his life who was actually capable of being his parent--let alone a parent.
"I know," Jimmy raised his hands up and nodded. "He's taking good care of you?"
"Excellent care." For what Luke was dealing with right now, he should be getting a parent of the year award.
Jimmy nodded and gave the boy a small smile, "Good." He nodded again before continuing, "I'm going to be staying at the motel," he motioned towards its direction with his thumb. "Tomorrow we could do something--only if you wanted to though." Jimmy hesitated for a moment, fidgeting with his fingers. He sighed and quickly amended his statement, "If you want me to go, I'll go. I won't stay if you don't want me to, but I really would like to spend some time with you."
Jess hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, "No, I want you to stay." Thing felt incredibly awkward now between the two. "Come to the diner tomorrow around two; I've got school before then."
Jimmy gave his son a wide smile,"Alright, I'll meet you there then."
"Okay," Jess nodded, trying to figure out if this whole thing was actually happening, "Tomorrow then."
Jimmy headed out towards the town, leaving Jess alone with his thoughts. The boy took out a cigarette and lit it quickly. Things were so odd. First there was that terrible flashback, and now his long lost father was back and in his life. Everything felt like it was out of his grasp and control. Things just can't get back to normal for him; something always had to get in the way. Jimmy was a good thing though. At least he felt it was. Meeting his father for the first time, even if it wasn't exactly the best time for it to happen, wasn't a bad thing at all. He'd always wondered what his father was like and always wanted to believe the things that both Luke and Liz said about him wasn't true. Maybe this was Jimmy's chance to prove them wrong. Maybe Jess would actually get to know the man and form an opinion for himself.
Jess made his way into the dark diner, shutting the door quietly behind him. He was extremely late by Luke's usual standards. His wandering had lasted longer than it should have. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the whole Jimmy thing. Thankfully, Jimmy was a great distraction for his thoughts of Liz. It was a nice break from all of the pain, but the whole situation still confused him.
Jimmy never said exactly why he was here, and Jess knew there had to be a bigger motive behind it. The last he had heard, Jimmy was living in California, a rather far drive just for some bonding with a long-lost son. Sure, he knew Liz's death played a huge part in it, but he knew Jimmy had other plans with this. Not bad plans though, he hoped.
Jess made his way up the stairs and opened the door slowly, not wanting to make any loud noises just in case Luke was asleep. He knew that probably wasn't the case though; Luke would stay up all night until Jess returned if the man had to. It was just to get a chance to yell at the boy, to make sure he was not dead. Jess walked in to find Luke sitting at the table, a somewhat irritated glare coming from his direction.
"You know," he started, crossing his arms, "You were supposed to home three hours ago." Luke was a little angry at his nephew--actually, a lot more than a little angry. He was infuriated. He had no idea where Jess had run off to, and the boy had made him stay up till almost midnight waiting on him.
"Sorry," Jess gave him a weak apology as he made his way over to his bed. "Something came up."
"Oh," Luke snorted, leaning back in his chair, "And what, exactly, came up?" he questioned. "Needed an emergency run to the drug store with Lorelai to pick up another pack of cigarettes?"
Jess's eyes snapped over to Luke, "No, actually. Thought I'd just go hold up a liquor store instead, in honor of my dead mother's favorite pastime."
Luke didn't know how to respond to that. A jibe that included Liz hurt Luke. She was his sister after all. Even if it was true, it didn't have to be said, and Jess knew it too. "Jess," Luke sighed, standing up from his seat, "Don't talk about your mother like that."
"I can talk about her any way I please," he retorted, pulling off his shirt and throwing it onto the ground. "She's my mother, and she abandoned me." He jabbed a finger at his chest, "So I think I have all the right in the world to talk about her that way."
Luke sighed and watched as Jess threw his watch onto his dresser, the accessory landing with a clank against the wood. Jess stared down at the watch, unmoving, trapped in some thought. He quickly began to meddle with the other band on his wrist as he spoke, "Luke, do you know where my father went after he left us?"
"The hot-dog king?" Luke scoffed at the name like the man was some sort of joke, "No," he shook his head, "He just ran out right after you born, the scum-bag, and never returned. Of course he wasn't going to tell us where he was going, Liz probably knew..." Luke watched as Jess hesitantly laid his band down on the dresser and turned, "Why are you bringing up Jimmy, anyway?" The lumberjack had to admit, the question was rather random and odd--yes, it was normal for a teenager who never knew his father to ask about him, but Jess never brought it up nor ever seemed to care for the man. Why the sudden change of heart?
Jess paused for a moment, before heading over to his bed, "I just talked with him," Jess spoke as if it was no big deal, as if the fact he had just spoken to his estranged father for the first time in seventeen years was no major event. The kid kicked off his jeans and pulled the sheets down towards the end of his bed. He was far too lazy and too exhausted to put on pajamas. The whole day had left him terribly tired. First school, than the flashback, and now Jimmy. It bemused him at how one day could be filled with so much.
"On the phone?" Luke questioned, a little shocked. He didn't expect that. Jimmy actually contacting Jess was very low on the list of things Luke thought would ever happen.
"No," Jess plopped down on his bed and rested his head on his pillow, "He's here."
"What?" Luke couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. Jimmy Mariano, here? After seventeen years? The shock that had first filled him was now growing into anger. Jimmy was here, ready to meddle with things. Jess was slowly, but surely, progressing towards better, and Luke felt that the sudden appearance of his long-lost father could shake him back down again. Even though Luke know his nephew was definitely not alright--the flashback earlier had definitely proved that to him--he still felt that the boy was a least a little step closer to better. He couldn't risk letting Jess fall back, and if Jimmy did anything to make things harder for his nephew, then Luke wouldn't let the man forget it.
"He's in town. Here. Stars Hollow," Jess scoffed and turned on his side. "I can't make it any clearer for you. Now could you turn off the lights and let me sleep?"
"Oh," Luke stepped back towards the door and fingering the switch. With a swift flick of his finger, the lights went off, the room immediately swallowed by the darkness, "G'night, Jess."
"Mm," the teenager let out a mumble as he adjusted himself on the bed, arms wrapped around his pillow, "Yeah, 'night."
Luke watched his nephew from the kitchen table, listening to the boy's constant shuffling for minutes. Eventually, the shifting ended, and the boy seemed to relax, finding the position that suited him the best. Once Luke was sure that the kid was out cold, he slowly stood up and headed over to the door.
The lumberjack grabbed his green coat and shrugged into it. His hand grasped the handle and turned it, pulling the door open just a small crack. He turned his head once again to Jess' sleeping form, hands clutching his car keys, before turning back and heading out.
Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
I'll try to get another chapter up sometime next week.
In the meantime, please review! I appreciate everyone and I love to hear what you think!
:)