A/N: I'm a Literati sucker, what I can say? Hehe. I hope you like this story. It's completely different from the other one. It's a little more drama and it's a little more complicated than the others. The characters are little more dramatic and not easy to write, but I loved them in this way. I put something very personal in this story. What Jess is going to live here, it was a state close to me before. The territory I'm about to enter hits close to home for me. But I think you're gonna like it despite the drama. I hope for your support as always and please review if you like what you read. That keeps my muse alive!
P.S. English is not my first language, but I'm really trying here. So, if you think that it's hard for you to read - just don't read it! The reason I'm in this alone it's because I have updates every day. I love my readers and I want to pleased them in that way.
Rating: T (maybe M for some chapters, but we'll see);
Story:
Rory comes back to Stars Hollow to try and pick up the pieces of her ruined life. But she is not the only one who want to do that. Jess is there too, but he is not the same.
Chapter 21 What are we?
So he dreamt again.
It was the same nightmare and the same feeling of helplessness. He could not help her. He could not help Megan. He could not save her, but he could hear her scream right before the truck could hit them. Then everything sank into darkness, but he could hear the screams and the sound of the broken metal.
"Wake up!" Jess heard her voice. Rory… "Jess!" Two soft hands touched his face. "Wake up! I'm here!"
It was hard, but he did it. His eyes fluttered open and he saw her. She was here and she was touching his face. Her eyes softened and she ran fingers through his hair. Jess sighed and felt his heart pounded in his chest. He was alive and he was here with her, but Megan was dead. He had killed her and her child. That was the reality.
"No." His breath hitched. "You're not supposed to be… here."
"But I am." Her hand slipped over his face in slow cares. "I am and I won't go anywhere."
"I… don't deserve this." He whispered when she lay close to him. Her hand rested on his chest and brought him warmth and peace. It brought him calmness and he did not deserve it. But he could not fight against that feeling. He could not fight against Rory. He had tried and had lost the battle.
"Sleep now." Her hot breath hit the skin of his neck. "I'll be here. I'll protect you."
Her whisper made him close his eyes again. It was so tempting to just let it go. It looked so natural to relax under her touch. He knew it would be a mistake, but he did it anyway. Because that was Rory and she was here. That was the only thing that mattered now. Jess sighed and fell asleep again, but this time there was not any nightmares. There were not any dreams. The only real thing was her presence and he could feel it.
Jess woke up early, but she was already up. He looked around the room and saw her sitting on the table with a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked through the window and looked calm. He took a moment just to look at her. She did not look disappointed or hurt by his words the day before. She did not blame him for the accident. Rory had given him all of her support. She had told him that she was here for him.
"I know you are awake." Rory smiled without looking at him. Jess frowned. "You can stop with your attempts to read my mind and just say "Good morning"."
"Morning." Jess mumbled and she looked at him with a smile. "Why are you still here?"
"I'm here, because you couldn't sleep well last night." Her smile faded. "Your uncle called me."
"He shouldn't have." Jess sat on his bed. "I would be fine."
"You should get up from that bed." Rory placed her cup on the table.
"What?" Jess frowned when she took the glass of water and his pills from the tray. "Rory…"
"Here." She handed him his medication and waited until he took them. "Now, you have to get up!"
"No!" Jess frowned. "I don't have to do anything!"
"That's new!" Rory laughed and he looked at her with amusement. "You just reminded me of that boy few years ago. It was the Dance Marathon and… well I just remember these words. "I'm gonna sit here as long as I like, and I'm gonna do whatever I like, and if you don't like it…"" She imitated him and Jess shook his head. He remembered as well.
"Yeah, yeah." He murmured.
"It's nice to see that old sparkle in you." She tilted her head and sat close to him. "You have to get up Jess! Everybody could fall, but then you have to get up. You have to find the reason and move forward." Her face went serious. "I thought that I have a biggest problem of all people. I thought I'm bad and my world is falling apart… but then I found you."
"How can you look at me like that after all I've done?" Jess whispered. "How can you sit here and be around me?"
"Because… I care about you." He noticed the pause before her final words and frowned. She hid something. He could feel it. "I want you to be happy again."
"Why?" Jess shrugged. "Why I have to be?"
"You get up that bed first and we'll take it from here." Rory nodded and got off his bed. She reached her hand to him and he sighed. "Come on! Let's get you to the bathroom and then we could eat our breakfast together." He just shook his head. He was not even sure if he could stay still. But he had to try for her.
Jess got off the bed and in the moment he did this, the world swayed before his eyes. He grabbed Rory's hand and took a deep breath.
"It's okay." He heard her whisper. "You can lean on me if you want to. I won't break."
Jess look at her and saw her soft smile. Yeah, she was right. She was strong and her presence here only confirmed that fact for him. He shook his head and took the first step. It was hard and it was like a baby steps, but he did it after all. He did that for her. So step by step they walked in the small bathroom. Then Rory left him alone.
"Are you sure?" He asked her, grasping the both sides of the sink for support.
"Yeah." She tilted her head. "You won't do anything stupid while I'm here."
"Sure." Jess rolled his eyes and turned his back to her. Rory closed the door and one quick look at the shelf above the sink showed to him why she was so sure. There were not any sharp objects. There was not anything, he could use to hurt himself. A sad smile appeared on his lips. "Yeah, I won't do anything stupid." He murmured.
Ten minutes later, he was sitting on the chair opposite Rory. They were eating their breakfast. She smiled with pleasure and he looked at her with strange flames in his eyes. And that was the girl hurt him before. She was the reason to make him believe again.
"So what are we now?" She asked and tilted her head. "Friends? Close friends? Friends with benefits?"
"Huh." Jess dropped his fork on the table and looked at her carefully. "I don't think we were ever."
"It's funny." A strange smile appeared on her face. "My mom told me the exact same thing."
"Your mother?"
"Yeah." Rory shrugged. "She has eyes for some things."
"Uh-oh." Jess took his juice.
"So what are we then?" Her question almost made him choke. "If we're not friends then…"
"I'm not sure." He spoke carefully.
"Well, tell me when you are." Rory smiled and took a sip of her coffee. "I'll be patient."
Jess just shook his head and his eyes did not miss the strange glow in her eyes.