16. Like Kids at Christmas
'Verse: AU canon
Timeline: pre-series
Date: December 1998

Of all the places Jess Mariano could be spending Christmas, he figured Stars Hollow wouldn't be so bad. Did he love that his mom shipped him off to say with his uncle for the holidays because he wasn't getting along so well with her new 'boyfriend'? No, not at all, but the diner apartment was dry, warm, and clean, which is more than he could say for the place in New York right now. Plus, Luke seemed like an okay guy so far. Sure, he was kind of grumpy and old-fashioned, but he didn't yell, didn't threaten, and didn't seem to have any questionable habits.

All in all, it could be worse, but Jess wished that Luke had let him stay back in the apartment instead of dragging him out to whatever this town square based shindig was. It seemed like the whole of Stars Hollow was there, drinking punch, marvelling at the Christmas lights in every store window, talking about how they were all going to spend their holidays. Good thing Jess had found a quiet corner in the gazebo where he could get enough light to read in peace. At least, he thought it was quiet.

"Hey."

Jess looked up to see the brunette from earlier smiling at him. Rory Gilmore, daughter of Lorelai, both of them coffee addicts but good people, that was pretty much how Luke had explained the two of them. All Jess knew was that Rory had amazing eyes and something about her made him want to stare at her forever. The fact that she had sought him out here tonight could not be a bad thing.

"Hi," he said, closing up his book. "You want something?"

"Sanctuary?" she said, shifting awkwardly a moment.

Jess shifted over in his corner to make room for her and watched Rory smile before she came over to join him.

"It's so weird you chose this spot," she said as she settled into place. "It's usually where I come to hide when the neighbours get to be a little much," she admitted.

"Huh. I thought everybody in Stars Hollow wanted to be part of this thing."

"Don't get me wrong, I love the events here and there's nothing wrong with a good Christmas celebration," she admitted before sighing. "It's just, if one more person tells me how grown up I look for fourteen, or makes any more allusions to mistletoe... I know they mean well, but don't they realise how embarrassing it is?"

"Probably not," Jess told her with a smirk he couldn't help.

"So, they scared you into solitary too, huh?" Rory asked him then.

Jess shrugged. "I'm not really a people person... but you can stay, if you want," he added fast when he realised she looked offended. "I didn't mean for you to go or anything, it's just the larger groups, you know?"

"You live in New York." Rory giggled. "How can you not like large groups?"

"It's okay sometimes," Jess admitted, "but right now, this is better."

He watched her blush at the compliment and couldn't help but smile. She really was something else, as she checked what book he had been reading and told him she already read it four times - it was a favourite with her. Rory then produced a book of her own from her purse and settled down comfortably to read alongside Jess. It was the most comfortable, non-awkward silence he had ever known, but Jess wasn't reading much anymore, just sneaking glances at his new friend whenever he could.

Of all the places Jess Mariano could be spending Christmas, Stars Hollow really wasn't so bad.