Thank you for the feedback! I apologise for the long length of this chapter.

Lorelai Gilmore was bored. It was Saturday night and she had nothing to do and nowhere to go and she flung herself down on the sofa, sighing dramatically. It was nights like these that she missed Rory most – someone to talk to about being bored and thinking of something to do together. Lorelai did not for a moment stop feeling proud of her daughter for spreading her wings and achieving all that she had dreamed of, yet she could not help feeling stabs of sadness that she was in New York. Lorelai knew sensibly that it was not far away, not compared to California or even another continent, where Rory had travelled a few years ago, but it was not the same as her being in the next room, ready for her mother to stick her head around the door and cajole her into a trip to Luke's.

Lorelai looked at the phone, contemplating calling Rory, teasing her about Jess, making her open up. Lorelai knew that her daughter was not as calm as she sounded about him stepping back into her life, especially since the kiss in Philadelphia – Lorelai could not believe that she had never heard about the kiss in Philadelphia – but she also knew that there was no better way to make her namesake clam up than by shooting serious questions at her. Lorelai noticed a baby picture of her daughter and smiled sadly to herself. Rory was so grown up, so smart, a woman now, but there were times were she still so young, so teenage about things, this being one of them. Rory did not handle problems like these well, she never knew how to talk about them and she always ended up hurting herself, and usually someone else as well. Lorelai knew that she could hardly judge, it was one of the traits she regretted giving to her, but she wished that Rory would admit it and talk to her. She looked again at the phone, hand hovering over it and then jumped as it started to ring, holding a hand to her heart as she answered.

"Jeez!"

"Is that a hello?" came a chuckle and Lorelai closed her eyes.

"Chris? I thought you might be Rory."

"Because we sound so alike?"

"Funny guy."

Lorelai rolled her eyes as her ex-husband laughed down the line.

"What's up?"

"Not much," Christopher said. "Just checking in, wondering how you were."

"I'm fine."

"How's Rory?"

"She's fine too," Lorelai said, tucking her legs up. "Aren't you seeing her tomorrow? Rory said she was spending tomorrow with Gigi."

"Yeah..." Chris said awkwardly. "She is."

"Chris. What is it?"

"I called her just now and someone was there."

"A guy someone?"

"Well, she sounded annoyed when she called me back."

"Um, Chris, our daughter is twenty-eight. You don't need to call me to let me know there's a guy in her apartment."

"I know I don't – I was just wondering if you knew who it was."

"So you're calling for gossip?" Lorelai grinned and she could tell that Chris would be fiddling with his collar, uncomfortable.

"Well...yeah."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that was Jess Mariano."

"Jess Mariano?" Chris echoed. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Chris! That was Rory's teenage love. Don't you remember him?"

"I thought that was Dean?"

"Dean was her first love. She broke up with him over Jess. He moved here and despite him being the biggest jerk in town Rory defended him mercilessly. That's when I knew she had feelings for him – I could tell long before she did."

"And was it serious?"

"Oh, just a little!" Lorelai laughed, not entirely cheerfully. "I never saw Rory so intense about someone and believe me, he was intense back."

"So what happened? I remember her mentioning him now."

"Well," Lorelai said awkwardly. "I don't know if I should tell you this but he left town right after they...let's just say after they were very intense."

"What?" Chris exclaimed. "They had sex? He had sex with my daughter, I'll kill him!"

"Chris, I think you're about ten years too late."

"And you never told me."

"You weren't around," Lorelai said honestly. "It was right when Gigi was born and you were busy raising her, plus we weren't on the best of terms back then. Besides, I don't think Rory would have appreciated me telling you that, even if we were."

"Was Rory hurt?" Chris asked quietly.

"She was devastated."

"I'll still kill him."

"Chris, it was ten years ago."

"So what's going on?" Chris asked angrily. "What's he doing in her apartment?"

"He moved back to New York and they've started seeing each other again, just as friends."

"Oh really? That little jerk."

"Christopher!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Your daughter is a fully grown adult, she doesn't need her daddy charging in and defending her honour!"

"And you're okay with it? You don't want to kill him?"

"I did make a wonderful rip off his parts speech –" Lorelai heard Christopher laugh – "but it was ten years ago. They're adults. It's none of my business."

"You hate him."

"I don't," Lorelai said unconvincingly and Chris laughed.

"You hate him. I know you do."

"I can't say I was wild about him when he was a kid," Lorelai admitted. "But I don't even know him now. He's grown up, I only knew him when he was eighteen. I can't judge him on that."

"I know you, Lor," Chris said. "Rory might be grown up but she's still your kid and you're still the most protective mother I know. You might think you're cool with it now but if something happens you'll turn into a Wolverine."

Lorelai stared at the phone, openmouthed.

"I am offended!"

"You're not denying it."

"I won't deny being protective of Rory," Lorelai said. "But I'm not going to lose my head and tell my daughter who is two years shy of thirty that she can't be friends with her ex-boyfriend because of something he did ten years ago."

"Just wait, Lorelai," Christopher said, laughing. "Just wait."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I know you better than anyone. It means that when Rory brings Jess back that wonderful cool of yours will heat up and you will forget that she's twenty-eight, forget that she's a grown woman and all you'll think about is how he hurt your kid, our kid."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lorelai said irritably. "Who says she'd even bring him back here?"

"She will. If it was as intense as you described –"

"Ten years ago!"

"She didn't sound happy for me interrupting when I called," Christopher said smugly. "And I don't know Rory as well as you but I know when she's mad. And she's our daughter."

"So?"

"So it took us a pretty long time to let go of each other," Christopher said. "Goodnight, Lor."

"Night, Chris," Lorelai said, slightly dumbfounded, and she stared at the phone. She certainly wasn't bored anymore.

"And then he said he likes Karen more than me, but then he said he liked Maggie and then he said he liked me the best!" Gige concluded triumphantly. "Rory? What do you think?"

"Huh?" Rory asked, blinking. Her little sister was staring at her over her glass of chocolate milkshake and Rory tried to look less confused. "This is Geoff, we're talking about, right?"

"No!" Gigi shouted. "We were talking about Geoff last week, it's Ryan now!"

"Oh," Rory said wearily. "Of course."

Gigi Hayden was ten years old and had every boy in her elementary school at her bidding. She had a crush on every one until he actually showed an interest. After he bought her cookies Gigi would mercilessly drop him. She had started this in Kindergarten when she had proudly told Rory about how she had managed to snatch the prime nap spot out of Tyler Brendan's hands.

Rory watched her little sister drink her milkshake. Her hair was still the bright, silky blonde it had been when she was small and she had the same pout she used at the point of throwing a tantrum and she was still, in Rory's opinion, rather spoilt. She wasn't a cruel person though and Rory loved her sister, for her all her bratty moments. There were times when she felt resentful for all the love and attention Christopher poured on Gigi, which he had never done for her, but Rory knew that wasn't Gigi's fault and she missed her mother, despite loudly denying it. One time Rory had slept over at her house and told Gigi about how her mother used to have sleepovers with her sometimes, just for fun, and had woken up in the night to hear her sister crying. Rory tried to see Gigi at least once a month and though she seemed to be going through a cool phase she still hugged her older sister tightly and had held her hand all the way to the milkshake place. It was hard to believe she was ten.

"So what about you, Rory?" Gigi asked, giving her sister the side-eye. "Do you have a boyfriend right now?"

"No," said Rory, trying not sound self-conscious. "Not right now."

"You're lying."

Rory stared at her sister, who was laughing to herself.

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am –"

Rory paused, refusing to let herself get sucked into an am not/are too fight with a ten-year-old.

"Gigi, where did you get the idea that I have a boyfriend?" she asked calmly but started up when Gigi said,

"Daddy," and started sucking her drink loudly through her straw.

"Dad?" Rory asked incredulously. "What did Dad say to you?"

"Daddy didn't say anything to me," Gigi said, clearly pleased with herself. "I heard him on the phone. He was talking to your mommy abut some guy called Jess."

"I see," Rory said quietly, thinking of how many ways she could kill her mother. Talking to Dad.

"Who's Jess, Rory?" Gigi asked curiously. "Is he your new boyfriend?"

"No – he's a friend. He's my old boyfriend."

"Your old boyfriend?"

"I went out with him a long time ago, just after you were born."

Gigi stared at her.

"He must be so old!"

"Gigi!" Rory exclaimed. "He's the same age as me!"

"He's practically thirty," Gigi said, staring at her sister. "That's old."

"And what does that make me?" Rory asked, half annoyed and half amused. "Drink your milkshake," she added hastily, as Gigi cheekily opened her mouth. "I need to get you back soon."

Gigi sighed and finished her milkshake and Rory slowly drank the rest of hers, feeling incredibly annoyed. She was twenty-eight – what business was it of her parents if she was seeing Jess again, especially as they were just friends? She imagined them discussing her over the phone and got more and more angry. How dare her mother discuss her private business, acting like she was still a teenager, and how dare her father give an opinion? He had never even been there when she was growing up, had never even met Jess, and Rory scrunched up her napkin.

"Rory, why are you mad?"

"I'm not mad," Rory lied through gritted teeth and Gigi asked,

"You look like you want to yell. Are you going to shout at Daddy?"

"No," Rory said automatically. "Are you done? I need to drop you off."

"It's too early," Gigi whined. "I want another milkshake!"

Rory took a deep breath and counted to ten.

"Gigi, if you have any more milkshake you'll make yourself sick. We've been out all day, gone shopping for three hours, had icecream and went to a movie – one which makes me seriously question the film of today – and this milkshake was a last minute treat. I know you have studying to do and I need to get you home."

"I don't want to go home," Gigi sulked. "It's just a stupid spelling test."

"Spelling isn't stupid," Rory said, rather too sharply. "Now pick up your stuff and let's go, I'm not asking you again."

Gigi picked up her shopping bags and purse, looking hurt, and Rory felt a little guilty. It wasn't Gigi's fault that her father had been talking about her and she let Gigi choose which music to listen to on the way back, a decision she soon regretted as One Direction filled the car.

After what felt like an interminable car journey the sisters arrived back at Rory's apartment. Christopher hadn't arrived yet and Gigi ran around the apartment before lying full-length on the sofa and sighing.

"I wish I lived here."

"I don't think there's room for two of us."

"I wish I had my own apartment," Gigi said wistfully. "No one would make me study or eat vegetables and I could go to bed whenever I felt like it and get up as late as I wanted."

Rory laughed fondly.

"There are plus points," she said honestly. "But sometimes I miss being a kid. You have to have a job and pay rent and bills and worry about money, things like that. Besides, if you moved out I bet you'd miss your daddy. I miss my mom sometimes."

"He could come visit me," Gigi said airily and Rory laughed again, swinging her sister's legs aside so she could sit next to her.

"Rory?"

"Hm?"

"Who's Jess?"

"You know who Jess is," Rory said, poking her. "I told you when we were having milkshake."

"No, but who is he?" Gigi asked curiously. "You didn't say how you met or how long you went out for or why you broke up or anything."

Rory bit her lip.

"He's Luke's nephew," she said. "Do you know who that is?"

"Is he that guy who runs the diner?"

"That's the one."

"Daddy doesn't like him."

"No – well, anyway, he's Jess's uncle. Jess moved to Stars Hollow because he was having trouble and his mom thought Luke would help him. We were seventeen."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Bad kid stuff," Rory said vaguely. "Skipping school. I don't really know. Anyway, we were friends for a while and I started having feelings for him. It was kind of complicated because I had a boyfriend and I tried to ignore it."

"What happened?"

"Well, that didn't really work out," Rory said. "He noticed and we tried to pretend it wasn't happening but in the end he ended it. I don't blame him. So he dumped me and I started seeing Jess. We dated for a while."

"What happened? Why'd you break up?"

"Um..." Rory bit her lip, wondering what to say. Gigi was looking at her expectantly and Rory decided to go for the PG version.

"We were really young," she said. "And he had a lot of stuff going on which he needed to deal with. He never really talked to me about it and I didn't know how to ask. We weren't that great about sharing feelings, I guess. Anyway, his dad came back to town and he found out he wasn't going to graduate high school and Jess ended up getting a bus to California to see him and didn't tell me."

"That's awful!"

"Yeah, well," Rory said. "It was but we were really young."

"You were seventeen," Gigi said, leaning on her elbow. "That's so grown up, I can't imagine being seventeen."

"It'll happen soon enough."

"Did you love him?" Gigi asked and Rory stared at her, wondering why the question suddenly made her feel so strange.

"I did," she said eventually. "But it was a very long time ago."

Gigi continued to look at her and Rory stood up, feeling embarrassed.

"Come on, kiddo. Your dad's going to be here any minute."

"I wish I could stay here all night."

"You have school in the morning and I could never get you there on time," Rory said and Gigi giggled. "Plus you have that studying to do! You want to graduate high school, don't you?"

"Rory! I haven't even started middle school yet!"

"You have to graduate elementary school then," Rory said. "Call me after your test –I know you can ace it!"

"I wish I had a boyfriend," Gigi said and Rory pulled her hair.

"You could have any of the boys in your class."

"They're all stupid!"

Rory laughed.

"I think you're a little too young anyway."

Gigi grinned and then Rory went to her room and came out with the photo of her and Jess, taken so many years ago.

"Look," she said, sitting back down on the sofa. "That's us."

Gigi peered over her shoulder.

"The photo's fuzzy."

"It was a disposable camera, that happened sometimes. What do you think? Do I look different?"

"You look pretty," Gigi said thoughtfully. "You look happy."

Rory wrapped an arm around her and they looked at it in silence for a while.

"He's got funny hair," Gigi remarked and Rory laughed.

Just then the doorbell rang and Rory answered it. It was her father and his eyes widened at all the shopping bags.

"Rory! What damage have you let her do to my credit card?"

"Daddy, I bought three dresses!" Gigi exclaimed. "And a shirt and sunglasses and a purse!"

Christopher groaned in a resigned manner.

"Thank your sister and then get ready to go."

"I need the bathroom," Gigi said and she ran away, leaving Rory and her father in the middle of the room.

"Quite a haul," Christopher said with an awkward laugh, starting to pick up some of the bags. "No wonder they say daughters are harder!"

Rory didn't say anything.

"Thanks for taking her today," Christopher said, after a moment's hesitation. "She obviously had a wonderful time."

"She had a lot of sugar," Rory said coldly. "Just to warn you now."

"Rory? Are you mad at me?"

"How dare you talk about me with Mom?" Rory snapped, dropping the pretence. "It is none of your business who I see or what I do, especially as you were never there growing up!"

"Rory!" Christopher exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"

"Jess!" Rory shouted. "I know you were talking about him with Mom!"

"Yes, but –"

"It is none of your business," Rory said furiously. "We're just friends and even if we weren't, I'm not a teenager, I'm twenty-eight. You don't get to do the parental concern thing!"

"Rory, for heaven's sake! I was just asking about you! It's not as if your mom called me to tell me about that! We weren't conspiring or something and you have no right to talk to me like that! I don't care who you go out with as long as he treats you properly, okay? I'm well aware that you don't need my opinion. Sorry for showing an interest in your life."

Rory folded her arms and looked away from her father's angry stare, knowing she should apologise but not feeling able. The bathroom door opened and Gigi came out, taking in the scene and grinning.

"Did you yell at Daddy?"

"Gigi, let's go," Christopher said automatically, not looking away and Gigi sat down on the sofa.

"Can't I stay a little longer?"

"Georgia!" Christopher shouted, losing his temper. "I have had just about enough. Get in the car and stop complaining or I'll return everything you bought. Now!"

Gigi burst into tears and pushed past her father, not saying goodbye to Rory. Christopher closed his eyes and groaned.

"That was a little harsh," Rory said quietly and Christopher snapped,

"Thank you, Miss I Don't Need Your Concern. Get back to me when you have a kid."

"Dad!"

"I'll call when we get back," Christopher said. "Thanks for looking after her."

"You're welcome," Rory said and her father nodded, not moving to hug her, and left, loudly shutting the door. Rory turned on the television, trying not to cry, and wished her sister could have stayed as well. She wondered if she would ever work things out with her father, ever have a good relationship with him again and felt that she knew the answer. Rory swallowed tears and reached for the phone.