A/N: I think my favourite scenes to write after Rory/Jess are Jess & Luke :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 12

"And you didn't tell me this before, because...?" asked Luke, arms folded, foot tapping impatiently.

Jess felt defensive but fought the urge to lash out. At seventeen, when he first came here, he would have. He did, actually. Now he was older and supposed to be wiser and smarter. Luke was only mad at him because he cared, and Jess tried to remember that, no matter how much he wished he could yell in this moment.

"Because, telling you how I screwed up? Kinda not my favourite thing to do," he said, reining in the sarcasm and snide just as much as he could. "Not to start up a pity ditty, but do you realise how many times we've stood across from each other in this room with you busting my ass for messing up my life?"

Luke visibly deflated at that remark. Sure, he knew how many times, or maybe it was even more than he was counting. For the longest time, Luke thought Jess was out to make him feel bad with his crazy behaviour, but things were different now. The kid was becoming a man, and God knows, Luke knew that didn't come easy at so young an age. Maybe it wasn't because of him that Jess was such a little punk these last couple of years. Maybe life just dealt him a bad hand and all he needed was to learn he had some support, somebody who believed in him.

"Okay," said Luke after a few moments, adjusting his hat and running a hand over his face. "Very calm, very fair," he said, more to himself than to Jess, before finally addressing his nephew. "You lost your job?"

"Both of them." Jess nodded. "Which led to losing the apartment. Honestly? I could care less about it if I had any other place to go."

"Jess, you know you always have a place here. Always," said Luke definitely.

"Not what I heard," he countered, shaking his head.

"Well, things have changed some since the whole dropping out of school, Wal-Mart debacle. Besides, if this last week helping Lorelai and Rory get through Old Lady Gilmore's death has taught us anything, shouldn't it be that family is too important for all this other crap to get in the way?"

"Does Hallmark know about you?" Jess smirked at his own joke.

Eventually, Luke smiled. "You know what I mean."

"So, it's cool if I stay here a while longer? I mean, I'm gonna figure things out, get a job, get a place of my own," he explained. "Might take some time is all."

"Jess, you have a job here and a place to stay just as long as you need," Luke confirmed without hesitation. "There's just one thing I gotta ask though. You spent the entire time you were here the first time wanting nothing better than to get out of Stars Hollow. You begged me to come back, right here in this room, and then, once again, couldn't wait to get away. Why are you back and determined to stay now?"

It wasn't a huge surprise when no immediate response came from Jess. The guy wasn't much of a talker, which Luke well understood since usually he was much the same. Still, he really wanted an answer to his question, and they were going to stand here just as long as it took for him to get one. It didn't come verbally, but the way Jess couldn't look at him, that particular expression on his face, Luke had seen it before.

"No! Rory? Still?" he checked, wide-eyed and amazed.

"Seriously?" Jess countered. "You're that shocked about it?"

"I'm not shocked, I just... Well, I don't know, I just thought that was over when you left and... and clearly I was wrong," Luke rambled a little, suddenly feeling a little out of his depth. "Um, so what happened?"

"I came back, picked up my car, and... and told her I loved her," said Jess, the last part all but mumbled out so Luke had to strain to hear him.

"You... you did," he said, nodding his head. "But things aren't...? I mean, you two are...?"

"We're friends, or whatever. I don't know," admitted Jess, pinching the bridge of his nose like he felt a headache coming on. "Honestly? I have no idea what's going on. I just know I need to be here right now. I wanna be here," he said, shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal.

Luke knew better. It was a very big deal that Jess was back, more so that he wanted to stay, especially when Rory was his main reason for everything. It was clear when they were together that the kids had something special, but when it all fell apart and Jess walked away, Luke figured that was that. Clearly he had it all wrong.

"Okay," he said eventually. "Like I said, you can stay, as long as you want, but... but just be careful, Jess," he advised kindly. "For your sake as much as for Rory's."

His nephew clearly hadn't expected that last remark, sure that Luke was much more worried about him screwing up things for Rory rather than himself. Apparently, he still mattered. That still had the ability to surprise Jess Mariano.

"Thanks, Luke," he said, finding a smile. "I appreciate it."

"No problem, kid," he replied, deliberately using a word he knew annoyed his nephew.

It was clear that they had a good talk and that things were going to be cool. No need to hold hands and skip or anything.


"Ooh, boxes!" exclaimed Lorelai as she spotted Jess coming through the diner. "You didn't have to buy me a gift, it's not even my birthday," she teased him.

"You want a teenager's books and dirty socks?" asked Luke, looking vaguely amused.

"Meh, not so much." Lorelai shrugged, giving her attention back to her coffee.

Jess just smirked and kept on walking, taking the last of his things up to the apartment. On his way, he told Luke he would be back down fast, knowing his uncle needed to get to the wholesaler before too much longer. Good as his word, he returned within five and Luke left with a wave. Lorelai watched him go then turned her attention to Jess.

"You guys taking turns on the whole moody thing?" she checked. "I mean, last week you're in a funk, this week it's Luke. What gives?"

"He's fine." Jess shrugged.

It was clear to him that Lorelai did not believe that for a second. Her eyes were burning into the top of his head when he kept his eyes on the counter a while. Jess had no choice but to eventually meet her gaze and admit defeat.

"You know he and Nicole have been fighting, right?"

"I heard talk." Lorelai nodded sadly. "Heard some of the yelling too."

"Imagine living here," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I thought when she stopped coming around it'd be better but... I don't know. Why'd they even get married in the first place?"

"Must've seemed like a good idea at the time." Lorelai shrugged.

Jess watched her a moment and noticed how wholly uncomfortable she seemed on this topic. As if Luke was the only one in a messed up relationship that just needed fixing, stat. Luke and Lorelai were very much the same in so many ways. Somehow mentioning that he had heard some pretty serious marital yelling that involved her name seemed wrong to Jess. Instead he changed the subject.

"So, is Rory doing okay?" he asked conversationally, hoping his true feelings didn't show too much as he concentrated on cleaning down the already spotless counter. "I haven't heard from her the last few days. Thought maybe she'd be home for Spring Break already."

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" asked Lorelai, looking genuinely surprised. "She and Paris and some other friends from Yale are headed for Florida."

"Florida? For Spring Break?" echoed Jess, eyes wide as saucers. "And this is Rory? Our Rory?"

Lorelai tried not to smile too much at the use of the word 'our', but she didn't comment on it at all.

"Yup, our Rory," she confirmed.

"Huh," said Jess, not that Lorelai expected a different response.

It was kind of tough seeing him look hurt. It was strange when Lorelai considered how much she had actively wanted to cause pain to one Jess Mariano not so long ago, but things sure had changed lately. He had changed some, though maybe not all that much. Maybe Lorelai had just had a chance to get to know the side of Jess that Rory had always seen before.

The moment she realised she was staring at the poor guy, Lorelai looked away, concentrating on her coffee and newspaper a moment. She hadn't had a chance to read it earlier, and remembering why made her stop and think too hard. Jess must have noticed her frowning because he called her on it.

"Crossword puzzle too tough for you today?" he checked, only half joking.

"What? Oh, no," she said, shaking her head. "It's been kind of a weird day so far is all. I, er... I was dating this guy, Jason. He's my Dad's business partner, so it's all a little awkward. Anyway, this morning I..." she stopped talking, instead making a slicing motion across her throat to demonstrate giving her relationship the chop.

Jess looked surprised, and then something akin to sympathetic.

"It's fine. I'm fine," Lorelai insisted, before he could say a word. "It was my decision. I mean, there he was offering me a key to his place, and all I could think was 'this is wrong', y'know? This isn't how a relationship is supposed to be," she said, shaking her head sadly. "I mean, he's a nice guy, but sometimes it's just not... It's not enough."

Jess nodded like he understood, though quite honestly he didn't really have that much by way of a frame of reference. He had dated plenty, but never anything serious, save for Rory, and certainly their break up hadn't been a straightforward case. All he knew right now was that Lorelai wasn't feeling so great about herself, and presumably he was supposed to help with that in the absence of Luke or Rory.

"You did what you had to do," he said eventually. "No use stringing the guy along, right?"

"That's what I thought," said Lorelai, forcing a smile. "I did the right thing, I know I did, but... relationships are just hard."

"Amen to that," Jess agreed, the words out of his mouth before he had really considered their implication or what Lorelai would think about him.

It was clear enough that if he was talking relationships he was thinking of Rory and they both knew it. She was the only girl he ever loved, or even cared about, truth be told. Anyone who came before was just a passing fancy, nothing serious, just someone to hang out with, make out with, whatever. Rory was so very much more. In fact, to Jess she was more or less everything.

"I still can't believe Rory is in Florida for Spring Break," he said out-loud. "That's so not her."

"Yeah, I thought it was weird too," Lorelai agreed easily, waving her coffee cup around until Jess noticed and refilled it, "but maybe it'll be good for her to do something all the other college kids are doing."

"Maybe," said Jess, filling her cup to the brim.

When he moved to turn away, Lorelai caught his arm.

"Hey, she's not the type to jump the bones of some unsuspecting fellow breaker. The bathing suit she took with her? Should've come with a wimple! There is no way she's going out there to get sloppy with some Beach Boys types. You know this," she told Jess firmly.

He met her eyes a second and then shook his head.

"None of my business if she did," he said, moving to put the coffee pot back in place.

"Oh, sure. I mean, you wouldn't care at all," said Lorelai, sarcasm in full effect.

"Like I said, none of my business." Jess shrugged, moving away to serve other patrons of the diner.

Lorelai watched him go and shook her head. The kid still had it bad for Rory, that much was more than clear. Quite honestly, Lorelai was starting to think maybe it would be the best thing for Jess and Rory to actually give it another try. They had everything against them before. Her ex hanging around, disapproval from just about everyone, Lorelai and Luke included. Now things had changed, everybody was a little older, a little wiser, and a little bit more willing to make the best of a situation that sure had been made the worst of before. Maybe it could work out this time, but only time would tell.

To Be Continued...