A/N: I'm so, so sorry about the late update, guys. Life and all that.

Nothing to Worry About

"Why are you standing outside?" Lane asked on Monday morning as she walked up to Lorelai and Rory.

"Mom's too chicken to go in the diner." Rory explained, rolling her eyes.

"Hey! We're standing because standing's good for you. Tones the legs. I saw it on Oprah."

"She's also in denial about her cowardice."

"This is about the date, right?"

"Does everyone know?" Lorelai sighed, exasperated. "Way to keep it a secret."

"Mom, Lane knows. That's it."

"She made me promise I wasn't going to tell anyone." Lane shrugged, smiling. "Even if I did, who could I tell?"

"Fine."

"Ok, know what? I'm going in. I'm bored, I'm hungry, I need coffee and school starts soon. I'll come by and get you when I'm done and then you can drive me to school."

"Ungrateful child! You can take the bus for all I care!" Lorelai called after Rory, who'd turned around, winking at Lane.

"Coming?"

"Sure. I have a list of albums that I need you to buy for me."

Catching up to the two girls after a few seconds of indecision, Lorelai pouted, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Do I at least look nice?"

"I'm not playing this any more. You've asked me that five times already." Rory shook her head, laughing before pushing the door to the diner open. Sitting at a table, Lorelai took a deep breath when she couldn't see Luke anywhere.

"So far, so good."

"Lane, what can I pick up for you? It won't be until tomorrow, my swearing in ceremony's this afternoon." Rory ignored her mother, focusing on her best friend instead.

"Don't worry, it's not like I don't have other things in my life… oh, wait. I don't." The other girl laughed, shaking her head. "Or like I've been waiting for you to start school again the entire summer."

"I will bring them tomorrow as early as I can. There will even be some really fast walking involved."

"Thank you. And you know I appreciate it, right?"

"Do you think he's avoiding me?" Lorelai interrupted, staring at the curtain.

"Mom, it's fine. He's probably busy with something."

"Go find Jess and ask him. And see if you can get us breakfast while you're at it."

"Ask Jess what?" The teenage boy smirked, putting three mugs on the table.

"If… uh… there's going to be any cherry pie later."

"I have no clue."

"Then asking you would have been of little use."

Rolling his eyes, he started pouring the coffee. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pancakes."

"Omelet."

"French toast."

"You're just trying to make my life harder, aren't you?" He smirked as the three rattled off their orders.

"Always."

"I'll be out in a minute with your food. Oh, and Lorelai? Luke's upstairs, on the phone with the bread guy."

Closing her eyes, she buried her face in her palms while the girls giggled.

"You're so cute." Rory ruffled her mother's hair, laughing even harder.

"I know I've made this point before, but you do remember I have grounding privileges, right?" Lorelai snickered, picking up her coffee cup. Before Rory could reply, Luke walked in the room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw them. Smiling at him, Lorelai waved quickly and he walked up to their table, wringing his hands anxiously.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Morning, Luke." Rory chimed in after a few seconds of silence, trying not to laugh at the adults' discomfort and Jess's amused smirk.

"Hi." He greeted the girls as well and they exchanged an amused look. "Did Jess take your order?"

"Yes, he did."

"Good. That's good." After a few more seconds of silence, he pointed at the kitchen. "I'm gonna go check on your food." He shot off before hurrying away, making Rory and Lane burst out laughing again.

"One way ticket for the eternal humiliation express, please." Lorelai sighed, trying to covertly look after the man.

"Mom, it's going to fine." Rory tried to reassure her when she stopped laughing.

"Right, we can't have a conversation with the two of you here to act as buffer. Saturday night's gonna be interesting."

"It's going to be fine." She repeated, rolling her eyes. "Now stop it."

"'Cause it's that easy." She pouted.

"You still have to go discuss details with him, you remember that, right?"

"But… "

"If you don't do it now, you'll try to postpone it and then you'll end up avoiding the diner and he'll think something's wrong and then you'll panic even more about it and you'll never come back ever again." She sighed, drinking her coffee.

"Wow, ridiculous conclusions much?" Lorelai laughed, looking at her daughter who tilted her head to the side, rolling her eyes.

"Mom."

"Lane, back me up here!"

"Sorry, I'm with her." She smiled and Lorelai took a deep breath, standing up in the next move.

"Fine. I'll go talk to him now. Taking you out of my will after, I hope you realize."

"Go!"

"Never telling you anything ever again, you despot." She grumbled, passing by Jess on her way to the counter. Dropping their food on the table, Jess sat in the newly freed chair, kissing Rory's cheek quickly.

"What's she doing?"

"Talking about their date."

"Couldn't she have waited a few more days? Now he's going to drive me crazy with this."

"Believe it or not, your well-being isn't everyone's main concern all the time."

"Should be." He smirked.

"Hey, Luke… ?" Lorelai smiled, standing in front of the cash register. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Sure. Here or… ?"

"Store room?"

"Sure."

Closing the door behind him a minute later, making sure no one had seen them both walk in there, Luke walked to the center of the room.

"So… "

"So." Lorelai smiled, equally uncomfortable. "Luke, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. No hard feelings or anything."

"No, I want to." He tried to reassure her, still nervous.

"Good. So… ?"

"Seven o'clock?"

"Meet here or… ?"

"I'll pick you up." Luke smiled.

"I'll see you then. And before then 'cause you know, diner, food, keeping me alive." She paused for a second. "This will get less weird, right?" She laughed, shaking her head. "Don't answer. I should go have breakfast, I'm driving Rory to school and she's going to kill me if we're even a second late."

"Sure."

"Have a thirty second head start. That should throw them off." Lorelai smiled.

"Hey." Rory greeted Jess, walking in the diner apartment on Wednesday afternoon.

"Hi." He stood up, smirking as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "The uniform's back."

"It's been back for three days."

"Yes, but I didn't get a chance to show my enthusiasm until now." He placed a kiss on her lips as she blushed.

"I'm only here on a quick break while my food's getting ready, I have to go home and study." She changed the subject, trying to stop herself from biting her lip too hard.

"Shame." He laughed, tracing kisses down her jawline. "Any chance you can postpone studying for a couple of hours?"

"Nope. But if I get this done during the week, I can spend Saturday evening with you."

"I suppose I'll have to take that." He sighed, pulling her a bit closer to him before kissing her again.

"How's your schoolwork going?" Rory smiled, circling his neck with her arms.

"Fine."

"By fine you mean… ?"

"It's the first week anyway, there's nothing to do unless you go to your lunatic school."

"Jess… "

"As soon as there's any work to do, I will at least glance in its direction."

"Thank you." Her face brightening up, she kissed him. "I really appreciate it."

"If you were really interested in my academic achievements, you'd study with me." He cocked an eyebrow, smirking again.

"Only for you to spend all your time trying to distract me? Sure. That's going to happen."

"What if I promise I'll be very, very good?"

"Chances I'll believe that… ?" Rory laughed. "I should go downstairs, Luke's bound to barge in any minute."

"I'll come with you."

"He's making me work Saturday night." Jess groaned the next evening as Rory walked into the diner, shooting Luke an angry look.

"What? Why? Not fair." She pouted, kissing him quickly.

"Oh, I'm sure it has everything to do with wanting to make sure we're not left alone for a freaking minute." He grumbled again as Rory kept trying to pacify him, running her thumb over his hand slowly. "I thought the entire point of getting them together was so that we could have some time alone." He sighed, shaking his head. "Luke, I'm going on a break."

"You just had… "

"I don't give a damn." He shot back at the man, heading out of the diner with Rory. As soon as they reached the alley, he cupped her face in his hand, kissing her. "I am going to… "

"You're going to do nothing." Rory smiled, circling his waist with her arms and moving a bit closer to him. "I'll come over, steal a seat at the counter and keep you company all night. I'll even help out if you want."

"Ok, don't take this the wrong way, but that wasn't the way I'd planned on spending a Saturday night."

"How did you plan on spending it then?"

"Somewhere where I could kiss you without having this entire freaking insane asylum glare at me like I'm about to take a flame thrower to the Mona Lisa."

"You're exaggerating." She giggled, kissing him softly. "I'll talk to mom and see if she can do anything about it."

"Don't bother. She's definitely going to support Luke's idiocy. Or what, you think she's going to be a big fan of us being left alone?"

"Jess, mom trusts me. She knows I won't… " Blushing, she didn't finish her thought and Jess smirked, his anger replaced by amusement.

"Won't what?"

Biting her lip, Rory blushed even harder. "Do anything to break that trust."

"I don't think you're the problem here." He chuckled, kissing her.

"It will get better with time."

"What if it doesn't and I have to work in that freaking diner every night from now 'till the apocalypse?"

"Then I will be there to keep you company until the horsemen tear it down."

"And join me in the store room on breaks?" He whispered in her ear, smirking. "I need something to look forward to so I don't blow my brains out."

"I do prefer you alive." She smiled, hugging him closer before kissing him again.

"Luke's making Jess work on Saturday night." Rory said as she walked in the living room, holding the take away bag in her hand. "Did you know anything about this?"

"What?" Lorelai looked at her daughter, confused.

"Just wondering if it was your idea so that we're not left alone."

"Definitely not." She lifted her hands in the air defensively.

"You do know we don't need supervision at all times, right?"

"I know you don't. Jess, I'm not so sure about."

"Mom."

"I was joking." Lorelai smiled, looking at her daughter. "But I like the reassurance that I don't have anything to worry about."

"You don't."

"You'll tell me if there ever is something?"

"Yes. As long as you talk to Luke and tell him to take it easy."

"Do I have to?"

"Please." Rory smiled.

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai pushed her hair behind her ears. "Do you want me to try and get him to change his mind for this Saturday as well or should I keep it for any possible future events like this?"

"Just in the future, it's probably too late to do anything about it now."

"Fine. I will." Eying the Al's bag, she sighed dramatically. "Now do I get food?"

"Yes, you do." Rory laughed, handing her a container.

"Finally!" A couple of minutes later, Lorelai looked up from her food, taking the plastic fork out of her mouth. "Rory?"

"Hm?" The teenager turned to look at her mother again.

"If this thing between me and Luke works out, you and Jess are probably going to get quite a lot of evenings to yourselves, without anyone to check up on you and stuff."

"I know."

"Do I really have nothing to worry about?"

"Promise." Rory reassured her, smiling.

"Thanks."