I became enthusiastic about this chapter during driver's Ed, so I had to finish it.

Other than that, here's a rather important author's note. This chapter is where a lot of the alternate universe material kicks in. Obviously, before this, you learned that Liz dropped Jess off in Stars Hollow at age eight, where he and Rory became friends. Honestly, that's not the whole AU material. Now, there's a domino effect. If you knock one wall over, another one tips as well. BECAUSE Rory and Jess have been friends for so long, Rory's innocence and good influence have affected Jess. You'll see a major change in him as opposed to the show. This is just a forewarning. Alternate universe basically takes over from here, but what's fanfiction without a bit of AU?

As always, thanks to my chapter ten reviewers!: DiehardJavaJunkie14, CherryWolf713, Just A Girl Of The Hollow x3, coffeeheart, JessRoryYunaTidusforever, Jeremy Shane, lukkygrl08, ShaolinQueen, Curley-Q, gilmorefanforever, princessdeleon, GothicSorceressRikku15, Environmentalist, lillitgirlx2, Love.Always.Alice.and.Jasper, and JESSandRORYforever. Thanks for your reviews!

Disclaimer: It will never be mine. There. Admitting it is the first step to recovery!


"Jess, I think we need to have a talk," Luke said softly as Jess looked up from his book.

"Yeah?"

"You don't share much with me," Luke said. "I'm okay with that. You're eighteen, and you're closed up. I was eighteen once, so I understand." Luke noticed Jess roll his eyes discreetly. "That's not what I wanted to talk about, though."

Jess closed his book to focus more on Luke. "What's wrong?" he asked. It wasn't often Luke attempted to initiate a conversation, and this seemed to be a heavy topic.

"I got a call from Headmaster Charleston," Luke started.

"I didn't do it," Jess said, dismissing Luke in favor of the book once more. He had been well behaved at Chilton, but he wouldn't be surprised if blame had been thrown at him again.

"No, that's not it. He mentioned that you're third in your class right now." Jess put the book aside.

"Third?" he inquired, squinting at Luke to see if he heard correctly.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud," Luke said.

"I'm third in my class?" Jess asked again.

"He said you're definitely college bound with a 4.1 and a 1530 SAT score. I want you to go to college," Luke said.

"I applied. I sent everything in already," Jess said smugly. "You don't have to lecture me about college. Rory convinced me to go a long time ago."

"I know, and I'm glad you applied already. I'm just surprised where you sent your applications," Luke mentioned.

"Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Vassar, and Columbia. Is there something wrong with my choices?" Jess asked.

"NO!" Luke said quickly. "I think the jump from one prestigious school to another is great. I would love to see you and Rory at Harvard together. Yale is close, and still a great school." Luke noticed the scowl that had overtaken his nephew's features. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't list the schools up by choice. I applied to Harvard because I knew it would make Rory happy. You're right; Yale's nice and close to home."

"I feel a but coming," Luke said.

"But I'd much rather go to Stanford, Vassar, or Columbia," Jess said meekly.

"That's fine. I never said you couldn't go to school far away. Listen, Jess, I don't have a ton of money like some families at Chilton, but college is covered. It will be tight for a while, but I want to do this for you."

"Jeez, Luke," Jess said as he raked his hands through his thick hair. "You're paying for Chilton, and I know that isn't cheap. How are you going to swing an Ivy League school?"

Luke sighed. Jess could tell he was hesitant to release any information to him. "When you were nine, I started an account for you. I knew if Liz didn't get you in a year, you were going to be my kid. I wanted you to be great, and I wanted you to get an education. I didn't get to go to college, but I knew you were smart and hard working when you wanted to be. Every month I stuck some money away in your account that I could have spent on things I wanted. By the time the acceptance letter from Chilton arrived, there was enough money to cover the tuition. Don't get me wrong, I'm not well off, but I can afford to send you through college. I would love for you to pick up some scholarships, though. Four years is a long time and a lot of money."

Jess stared at his cheap Wal-mart socks. There really was a reason for everything. Luke never bought anything name brand, and it took destruction of clothing for him to buy anything new. His uncle had given up a comfortable lifestyle for him. Chilton was a lot of money, and Jess knew an Ivy League college like Columbia would be even more expensive. At first, he didn't know what to say. There were times in his life when he had been snide and ungrateful towards Luke. Now, he felt sorry and realized how much Luke sacrificed for him. Gnawing on his lip, Jess looked up at Luke. He was hunched down in the chair waiting for Jess to say something.

"Thanks, Luke." He smiled. "You've given me everything, even when I wasn't your responsibility. I promise I'll make you proud."

"I know you will," Luke said, standing up. "I'm going downstairs to close," he said.

"I'll do it," Jess said. "You have an early delivery, so you should go to bed." He smiled at Luke with insistence, leaving before he could refuse.

Luke sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. He had done a good job with raising Jess, and he would be sorry to see his nephew go.


"Hey, you," Rory said softly as she climbed on her usual stool. Jess was finishing his homework as the last customers of the night finished up their meals.

Jess leaned over the counter and kissed Rory on the lips. "How was Friday night dinner?" he asked. She looked beautiful. Her hair was curly and her dress hugged her body in all the right places. Quickly, he tore his eyes from her and continued to examine his calculus homework.

"It's Friday night dinner. There was fighting, a bit of yelling, and by the way, you're coming to dinner next week," Rory sputtered quickly.

"That's nice. It sounds like…" Jess paused to absorb her words. "WHAT?"

A blush spread across Rory's face as the tip of his pencil crushed in the middle of writing the number five. "My grandparents want you to come for dinner next week."

"Why?" Jess asked as he examined the broken pencil.

"They want to meet you," she said shyly.

"They already know me," Jess said as he manually sharpened the yellow pencil. "And in case you didn't remember, they hate me."

"Oh, that's not true," Rory said as she played with her sleeve. Jess glanced at her and raised his eyebrow. "Okay, yeah. They hate you. But that's not the point!"

Sighing, Jess squeezed Rory's mouth playfully to make her lips pucker. She giggled while he attempted to kiss her. "Do you think they'll remember me when you introduce me as your boyfriend?"

Laughing, Rory pulled his hand off her face. "They have met you before, remember?"

"Yeah, but I was younger. I've changed," Jess said.

"You're taller, your voice is deeper, and your hair is messier. That doesn't constitute a change."

"Ah, but I won't steal the scotch this time," Jess pointed out.

"Oh, I almost forgot about that. They're going to remember you as the tipsy fifteen year old hoodlum." Rory started fidgeting with her sleeve again. "That's not good."

"Richard won't remember that. He was away on business that time," Jess mentioned.

"That's right. Grandpa hasn't seen you since you were ten years old. You might actually have a chance to make a new impression." Rory smiled. "There's hope for you after all!"

"Next Friday. I'll just double check my schedule with Luke. Don't worry, your grandparents can "meet" me," Jess joked as he finished the last problem on his worksheet.

Rory eyed the complex worksheet from his advanced placement calculus class. Jess was extremely smart, and that was a hard fact to deny. "Why are you here doing homework? It's Friday." Usually Jess was around town somewhere with a few friends. Friday night while she was at dinner was his time to do things he knew she wouldn't approve of, such as smoking and drinking with his buddies.

"I was going out, but then Luke caught me off guard by telling me about a call from Headmaster Charleston." Jess slipped his worksheet in his blue folder and grabbed a textbook from under the counter.

"Jessss," she hissed.

"Nothing bad. Actually, really good." As he spoke, Jess started thumbing through his psychics textbook.

"What did he want?" Rory asked.

"To tell Luke I'm third in the senior class with a 4.1 GPA."

"Really?" Rory asked excitedly.

"Yeah, he was all proud of me and then told me he'd been saving money for my college education since I was nine years old. Apparently, he put money aside every month and skimped on his essentials," Jess said.

"Wow. That's so incredible for Luke to do," Rory said under her breath. It really was great for Jess, which was why Rory berated herself for the inappropriate jealousy she was feeling. Jess had a way to pay for college, while she and Lorelai lacked the money for Harvard.

"I guess there was a reason for the socks with the holes in them and the generic store band cereal. I used to be horrible to Luke when I was a kid, and he had money to send me to Chilton and now college," Jess said wistfully, playing with his pen cap.

"Luke understands," Rory said.

"But he shouldn't have to, that's the thing," Jess argued. "Luke thinks I'm a decent person now. I guess he is right on some level. I felt really bad about being a horrible kid, so I told him I would close up tonight. I don't think he meant to guilt trip me with that chat, but something clicked. It's time for me to be responsible," Jess reasoned as he began to scan the page in his book.

"Jess, I like this side of you. I love that you're dependable and caring. I think it's really great that you're third in the class and applying to Harvard." Rory smiled. "You never cease to amaze me, and you really shouldn't feel guilty when it comes to Luke. He'd ship you right back to your mother if he was bothered by you, and you know it."

"Thanks." Jess leaned across the counter and kissed Rory again. "For what it's worth, I think you're amazing too."

"Stop being such a sap, Mariano."

"Hey, you started it," he joked. "I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow?" he asked. "I'm doing this homework now so I won't have to rush it later."

"You're outdoing me," Rory laughed, jumping off the stool.

"I'll try to stop," Jess replied, looking up from his notebook.

Rory turned around to yank the door open, letting her skirt swish around her knees. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Lorelai was waiting for Rory when she exited the diner. "How's Jess? Did he respond well to the dinner invitation?"

"He promised to not drink any scotch this time around, so I think we're good."

"Good." Lorelai nodded. "He does know this means direct contact with Emily and Richard Gilmore?"

"I'm sure he realized that's what dinner entails," Rory shot back.

"Right. So, how are things going with the two of you?" Lorelai asked as she unlocked the Jeep.

"It's perfect," Rory said. "Did you know he's third in the senior class?"

"No way! Jess? The hoodlum that got drunk off scotch at your grandparents house, glued Taylor's cans together, and skipped most of eighth grade?" asked Lorelai as she shifted the car from park to drive.

"That's the one," Rory said. "Hey, mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I love him."