Disclaimer- Gilmore Girls and the characters associated with the show are not mine.
Chapter Thirteen: The Players
I could hear voices as I fought to open my eyes. She was leaning over me, spun black hair piled high, falling down around her face, huge brown eyes surrounded by too much makeup on a pale face.
"Are you a Brooklyn angel?" I asked. Her high pitched laugh hurt my ears, and I closed my eyes.
"Oh he's smooth, a real player. I like this one," she said. Another voice broke into my dreams.
"Don't get too attached momma, I might have to throw him back."
"Fish…I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends."I said, through my fever.
"He's delusional," she said to her son.
"No, No momma. He's quoting Hemmingway. The little shit's quoting Hemmingway. Maybe we will keep him," and I was reborn into a new world. A world with its own rules, a violent world which was safer than the one I left behind.
A week. It took a week for Tristan's strings to come together. Jess spent his time writing, sometimes in the hotel, sometimes in one of Spearfish's many parks. He couldn't help thinking this town would be beautiful in the summer. Surrounded by peaks in the Black Hills, there was a bike path running along a tree lined creek which linked the parks like beads on a necklace. It was winter, but it had been in the high forties during the day with no humidity to chill your lungs. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, Jess was writing, and Tristan was on the phone again. Hanging up, Tristan sat down next to Jess on the bench.
"Everything's in place and I told them I was with you. Rory won't come to the phone. Apparently she's moved past hurt and fear to anger. I'm sorry Jess," Tristan said. Jess paused in his writing, but didn't look up.
"I don't expect her to talk to me. I hope she'll forgive me for putting her mom and Luke in danger, but I know she might not. She has to process everything, and it's not over, so she can't take a breath yet, she's waiting," Jess said. Tristan shook his head. Only part of Jess's reasoning was true, but Jess would have to deal with it later. Providing it worked out.
"Let's go, we have a plane to catch and a meeting to attend." Sighing, Jess gathered his notebook and followed Tristan back to the rental car. A car ride and two planes later, Jess was in New York. He wasn't happy to be there.
Sitting in the car on the way to the meet, Jess expected Tristan to brief him, at least to tell him who he'd be meeting. When he asked, he was surprised by the answer. And it worried him.
"You're going in blind. It's one of the conditions. There are more conditions, depending on what happens in the room, and I can't tell you those either. Also, I will deliver you to the door, but I won't be in the room with you," Tristan said.
"Does this worry you?" Jess asked.
"Yeah, it does. Of course it does. I'm the one who has to tell Rory how this ends. Whether you're dead, on the run, a lifelong criminal or coming home. Add to it, I've become fond of your sarcasm, and of course I'm worried I'm delivering you to your death," Tristan said.
"That's cheery."
"I like to know the outcome before walking into a situation like this. There's too many power players here, too many favors asked. Hell, I'll owe a favor for this one, and I never take that step. Ever," Tristan sighed. Jess smirked.
"The things we'll do for Rory. Any advice?"
"You have to take control. Be honest, be firm. Demand total amnesty for you and Stars Hollow. Hell, you better throw in the Harford Gilmores too. Be appreciative, but not fawning. State your desires clearly and without embellishment. If Ray is there, and I'm guessing he will be, treat him with respect. Follow the codes they live by, and for God's sake, don't give them reason to kill you. Try to control your mouth and tendency to smirk," Tristan said as he led Jess in through the back door of a restaurant. A look around, and Jess knew who this meeting was with, a cold chill snaked down his spine. He'd delivered the take here.
"Jesus, Tristan. This could be bad. If I don't come out, give Rory a message for me. Tell her she made the world of books real for me, and I loved her." Tristan nodded his agreement. He knew how easy this could go south.
Tristan and Jess were patted down by two of the biggest guys Jess had ever seen before Tristan was led to a booth, and Jess was escorted through a door marked private. Standing at the back of the room, waiting for the man behind the desk to decide to give him his attention, Jess fought to keep calm. Relaxed. Ray was sitting in a chair to the side reading one of Jess's books. Jess wanted to ask him what he thought, but decided he shouldn't speak till spoken to. The longer he waited though, the more nervous and tense he became, and Ray kept flipping pages. Fighting the urge to check his watch, he couldn't contain his sigh. The man behind the desk, the declared head of the New York crime families, looked up at Jess with a smile. Jess flashed to an image of Emily Gilmore before a verbal attack. It was the same damn scary smile.
"Are we boring you?"
"No sir. Absolutely not," Jess replied, meeting his eyes across the desk. Ray snickered.
"Then why the attitude? Ray tells me you have a history of attitude issues. It's one of the reasons he likes you. I don't know you well enough for it to be a plus."
"Ray's the problem. He's reading my last book, and I'm fighting the urge to ask him what he thinks, it makes me nervous when people read my work in front of me," Jess said, smirking and shaking his head. Realizing he had already disregarded Tristan's words of advice, he let out a little laugh. "Oh hell, Ray, is it the first one you've read? What do you think?"
"You care about my opinion?" Ray asked, putting the book down on the boss's desk, and standing.
"Yeah. I always have. No matter what, your opinion of me and what I do has always mattered. You saved my life. You took me in, and gave me a chance. I could get real sappy here and tell you I considered you like a father, but I don't know if it's true. Older brother would be more accurate. I wanted to be you for so long, and then, I didn't. I wanted to be me," Jess said, shrugging his shoulders. "So the book?" he asked. Ray glanced over at the boss who raised an eyebrow. Ray took it as permission.
"Jess, you know I'm not much of a reader," Ray began.
"You were my book supplier for years," Jess interrupted and Ray laughed.
"I've been reading them since you disappeared. They're good. Better than good, and like nothing I've read before. You have your own style, but I can see you in them. The first one, The Subsect, it's different from the others, less commercial. Knowing you, it almost hurt to read that book. The pain. What caused all the pain? I have a theory on it. Do you want to hear?" Ray asked. Jess nodded, bleak. He had an idea of what was coming.
"Losing the girl. It's always about a girl, and it's a recurring theme in your books, no matter what they're about. Losing her, waiting, hoping, and since you dedicated your last book to Rory, I'm thinking she's the one. Let's talk about the bullshit letter you left me now," Ray said, anger building. The boss waited, content to sit and listen.
"You're right. I met her when I moved to Stars Hollow, and have loved her since I was seventeen. The letter wasn't bullshit. She is my religion. It's because of her I have a respect for life. It's because of her, that even if I'm not with her, I can't live your way. Even if I can never see her again, I can't be a part of your organization. Because no matter how much I respect you, I need to be the person she believed in. I need to be the person she saw when I look in the mirror," Jess said. "I want you to leave her, her relatives and her town alone." The boss chuckled at the demands as he watched the interaction between Ray and Jess. He already knew how his end was going to play out. He was happy to grant the favor. But he had wanted to see this boy in action. See what all the fuss was about, and he didn't want to upset Ray. It was important to keep Ray happy, because Ray kept him happy.
"Ray was right about you. It's a shame you're so adamant. An intelligent guy like you could do well in the family. No matter. I've been asked to wash my hands of any interest in Mariano. No repercussions, no payback," the boss said. Ray looked at him in dismay.
"You've been asked? Who would ask you something like this? I mean, I want, wanted Jess but it's a small thing. Not worth your time," Ray said. The boss shrugged his shoulders.
"Mariano here has powerful friends who were willing to bargain for his soul," the boss laughed, "and I never thought I'd get to say those words. Bargain for his soul. Makes my day. And I'm happy to grant this favor, but he's your Associate, do you agree?" he asked Ray.
"Yeah, of course. If you want him free, I want him free. You're clear, Jess. Your life, it's your own, as far as I'm concerned. You have my word," Ray said. Jess moved to Ray, and shook his hand.
"Ray, when you read my books, you know you're always in them right? Sam, Joe, Sal… They're you. I've missed you," Jess said, sincere.
"Thanks kid. I've missed you too, you know. You've done good. You might be a sappy chump, but you've done good."
"Give him back to DuGray the boss said, dismissing both of them. Ray walked him out, and they sat in the booth with Tristan.
"He was in a good mood, your friends must have brokered a plum deal. Now for you," Ray said, handing Tristan a folder. "Here's everything I know about her mother."
"If I can find her for you, do you want me to arrange a meeting?" Tristan asked. Ray stared through Jess, lost in thought.
"What are we talking about here? Is the favor you owe to Ray?" Jess asked Tristan. Ray answered.
"Somewhere, I have a daughter. I want Tristan to find her for me. Whether we arrange a meeting or not will depend on what you find. If she's doing well, is content, then no. I'll just watch over her. If she needs help, then we'll see," Ray said.
"You have a daughter?" Jess was surprised. Ray gave Jess his first condoms at his first mention of a cute girl in class. He was thirteen at the time.
"Yeah, on her deathbed, an ex girlfriend wrote me a letter. She put the kid up for adoption. We were fifteen at the time. My daughter would be about twenty-one now."
"What is it with my father figures having unknown kids?" Jess asked. Tristan laughed.
"You don't have any. I would have found them when I looked into your background. I'll see what I can find on your daughter, Ray. It shouldn't take me too long. Thank you for agreeing to meet, and not killing Jess. I know it can be tempting."
"From what I've heard, Rory's mom will take care of it for me anyway," Ray replied, smirking. Tristan was struck by the resemblance between Jess and Ray's smirks.
"You may be right, but I'm guessing there'll be a line, and Rory may be at the front of it. We'd better go, he has more hoops to jump through," Tristan said, saying goodbye to Ray.
"What's this about hoops?" Jess asked, as they made their way through the kitchen.
"You have two people to meet with now. You'll meet with both Mitchum and Logan Huntzberger and then Logan wants a word."
"Shit. Mitchum asked the boss of bosses a favor. For me? There is no good which can come of this. What could he possibly gain? Rory? At what price?" Jess said, blocking the kitchen exit.
"Mitchum gained Logan. Logan went to his father and asked Mitchum to do this, and the price for Logan was he had to agree to go to work for his father. No matter what you think of him, he cares about Rory, and he sold himself to his dad to help you," Tristan said.
"So what are the possible outcomes here? I know you've already thought of them," Jess said, resting his head on the door, and closing his eyes. Trying hard not to think this through to the obvious conclusion.
"Well, as I see it, the price you pay may be agreeing to never have any contact with Rory again, in which case, we'll get you set up somewhere in Europe, and you can still write and work. You owe the Huntzbergers your freedom from organized crime," Tristan said, opening the door, forcing Jess away from it. Jess followed him to the waiting limo.
"I take it everything went well?" Mitchum said, offering Jess a scotch, Jess politely declined with a shake of his head.
"Thank you for your intercession," Jess replied. "I realize it's not easy to owe him."
"Oh, I don't owe him," Mitchum said with his trademark cockiness. "He and I are starting clean. This merely evened things out between us, and he'll owe me again soon enough. It would be difficult for him to run his organization if my reporters followed every story they came across. Besides, the benefits outweighed any negative consequences. I don't like you. I think you're a smug son of a bitch, and the stunt you pulled at Emily's Christmas party really pissed me off. But I like Rory, she gave me hell once. There aren't many with the guts to do it. Say hello to her for me, and remind her there's always a job at one of my papers if she gets bored with small town life," Mitchum said as he opened the door, dismissing Jess and Tristan. "Logan, I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early in my, excuse me, your new office."
Logan, Tristan and Jess moved from one limo to another, and taking seats again, Jess knew this was where he'd find out the price for freedom. Logan said nothing; he stared down into his scotch glass as if the future was written there. Jess thought maybe it was. Tristan cleared his throat urging someone to speak. After a minute, Jess took the bait.
"Rory told me, years ago, how hard you were fighting to get away from your father's life. How much it meant to you to make your own way. And I know, better than anyone, how successful you were on your own. Why? Why did you do this for me?" Jess asked.
"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Ace. After Tristan called me, I talked to Paris. She told me how destroyed Rory was, how devastated. A month of you gone and she was the walking dead, she might have been working, but she was still wallowing, after a month. The idea of her in so much pain was unthinkable, and I could do something about it. I know you left to keep her safe, but you caused her pain," Logan said.
"I made the only choice I could at the time. What do I need to do to repay you?" Jess asked, weary.
"Answer me this, if our positions were reversed, would you have done the same? Would you have given yourself over to Ray?" Logan asked. Jess didn't even have to think about it.
"Yes, because it's Rory. Nothing else matters to me. When she came to Philly and said she loved you, it didn't matter, I would have done anything for her. Her loving you then didn't change how I felt about her. I'd do whatever I needed so she could be happy," Jess replied. Logan nodded and looked back into his glass.
"I lost my chance with her, and I made so many mistakes. Tried to force her to fit instead of meshing our lives together. I've moved on, I have a great life, a wonderful wife and child who I love. My business in California is doing well. In a small part because of you and your books. Plus, I was ready to work for my dad. I proved I could be on my own, so why not run the largest media conglomerate in the world? My wife wants the family mansion, wants to redecorate. No, he thought he had me where he wanted me, but I was playing him. Plus, saving you is good business. Like it or not, we're tied together. So your price isn't high. It's not what you're scared I'm going to ask. Just take care of her. Come clean with her about your past, all of it, and make her happy," Logan said, and Jess nodded his agreement, surprised.
A/N- Logan's story, (spanning How Did I Get Here through this point) is contained in To Make A Man. It details the growth he goes through to reach this point of being able to help Jess to help Rory. It also explains their business relationship and contains the missing conversations from A Very Merry Gilmore Christmas.