A/N: Hey people :) Sorry I took so long getting this part out. I'm now WAY
behind the show (Rory's already went to NY and back on it!!) but I'm
steadily working my way there! Plus, now, I can use some aspects from the
actually show in MY version, but trust me, Rory won't be leaving NY by just
SAYING goodbye…
Also, I don't have part 05 written yet, so I'm not sure when it's gonna get posted. I try to always have an extra part stashed in my back pocket for the few times when I don't get to write, but since ALL my shows are having their season finale's, I've been keeping my eyes glued to the tv screen (has anyone else seen the preview for Smallville's season finale? Where the hell is Chloe? All I'm seeing is Lana and Clark!!!!) The commercial for the series finale of Felicity is making me sad – Noel CANNOT die!!! I hope she gets back to the freakin' future and he's still alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plus, with the sad news of Dark Angel getting canceled, I've just been moody and down lately, so I haven't written much – except to the people at Fox to remind them how STUPID they are for canceling such a great show!!! If it's taken off the air, where will I get my Jensen fix???
Anyway, sorry for the lack of updates lately, but I'm gonna try harder – besides, after this week, it's all over and all I'll have to suffice my thirst for drama and action is fanfic (plus my soaps – General Hospital is getting' good again since Jason is coming back!!!! I soooooooo hope him and Elizabeth get together this time!!!!!!!!! And the whole Carly thing…hmm…I'm still stumped on who planted the DNA to make everyone think she's dead – my sisters say it was AJ, but I wouldn't be surprised if she faked it all herself just to get Sonny's attention away from Alexis)
Ugh, I better stop before my A/N is as big as this part!!! LoL :D
Enjoy and review!!!!
PART 04 ~
Fumbling with her cast as she tried to tie her hair up, Rory huffed and finally gave up, realizing that it wasn't happening. Tossing the hair band down onto the counter, she sized up her reflection in the mirror.
Bags under the eyes, pale skin, dull eyes – all the evidence of a sleep- less night. After her conversation with Jess, and the later one with her mother, sleep eluded her most of the night, her thoughts too cluttered and chaotic to let anything else happen.
Rory spent most of the night replaying the phone call over and over, trying to read between the lines and get into Jess's mind, which was proving very difficult. Maybe if they had been face to face, she might have been able to sense more, but how was that supposed to happen now? He was in New York.
Groaning, Rory tuned from the mirror suddenly, cursing Jess Mariano's name. What was it about him that plagued her? So what if he liked to read. So what if he discussed books with her, argued intelligently, and always had a comeback that would make her stop and think. So what if had smoldering eyes and long eyelashes that trapped her in when she looked too closely? So what if he had a smirk that made her cheeks blaze and a smile, when he graced her with it, that made her heart melt?
Who cared that he was sweet to her; almost tender in the way he bantered and would casually touch her, not even seeming to notice. And what did it matter if he was mysterious and good-looking?
What did it matter? So, he was smart, charismatic, good looking—"
"Oh my god…" Rory moaned suddenly, turning and fleeing from the bathroom. She wasn't thinking this, she wasn't. She had a boyfriend that she loved and cared for, someone who treated her great and would never hurt her.
Racing into her room, she shut the door and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Spotting 'Oliver Twist' on her nightstand, she whimpered slightly and walked over, picking the book up.
"What are you doing to me?" she whispered, sitting down on her bed. "I love Dean…he's nice and sweet and takes care of me. I mean, he made me a car…one that I let you drive, which I knew he would hate."
"Rory!"
Hearing her mother's call, Rory sighed deeply and walked into the kitchen, the book clutched tightly to her chest.
"Don't forget your dad is picking you up from school," Lorelai told her. "This whole ceremony thing is at 7."
"I'm glad you're going through with it – I mean, the cap and gown. It'll be fun."
Looking wistful, she smiled. "Yeah…I guess. Just as long as I don't trip. Could you imagine the snickering and laughs? It'd be a massacre."
"Nothing you couldn't handle."
"So, I'm just remembering something," she announced suddenly, pulling out a mug and beginning to make some coffee.
"What's that?" Rory asked, sitting down at the table.
"When I came in last night, you had just gotten off the phone, and it was after midnight. Care to share?"
Looking down, Rory looked at the book and shook her head. Her mother would go off if she knew who she had actually been talking to, but one look at her proved she had to say something. "Um, Lane. She had some important info for me and waited until her mom was asleep before calling. For security measure."
"Must've been some very important info," Lorelai commented, eyeing her daughter quickly.
"Oh, yeah, very big. World revelation big."
"That big?"
"Yep."
"And the world revelation is…"
"Lane's gonna be a rock star – drums," Rory announced, saying the first thing that popped into her head.
With her back toward her daughter, Lorelai paused, her face confused. "Really? Well, good for her. Bad for Ms. Kim though, I suppose."
"I know. I can see the headlines now: local Korean mother dies of heart attack due to daughters rebellious music."
Turning around and masking her face, Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, Bootsie'll have a field day with it." Picking up the now full coffee pot, she gestured toward it.
Seeming to contemplate how to phrase her next statement, Rory said finally, "I was actually hoping we could go to Luke's this morning…together."
Freezing, Lorelai looked down. She knew Rory was offering a tentative olive branch with the invite, but after what happened there yesterday…she'd been so upset by Luke's reaction that she'd walked straight to the Inn, hoping to find something to do to occupy her time and mind. The mere idea of Luke hating her…
"Um, actually honey, I don't have time this morning. I promised Michel I'd be there early."
"Ok."
Feeling guilty, she continued to ramble on, wanting to fill the empty silence. "And you know how he gets if you say you'll do something and then you don't. He acts like the world revolves around him. I mean, self- centered much? Everyone knows it revolves around me."
"Everyone besides Michel it seems," Rory deducted, standing up.
"Maybe tomorrow," she offered lamely, knowing that unless Luke had a huge change of heart, it wasn't happening then either. "Hey, how's your wrist feel?"
Looking down at it, Rory shrugged. "Ok – like a wrist."
"Which is a relief. Who's knows what we'd do if it felt like a knee-cap."
Shaking her head, Rory started to put on her backpack, having some mild trouble with the cast. Seeing so, Lorelai walked over and helped, her anger raising some.
"Thanks," Rory said, getting adjusted.
"I still can't believe this happened," she said softly, gently pushing some hair back out of her daughters face.
Smiling, Rory told her, "Mom, I'm ok."
"I know, but, ugh, I can't help thinking that I could've lost you, and it would've been that hoodlums fault," she fumed.
Instantly stiffening, Rory looked down and shied away some.
Not noticing, Lorelai added, "I just wish I coulda gotten a hold of him before he ran. That little punk."
"He's not, mom," Rory said softly. "You don't know him."
Not wanting to hear the whole, 'you don't know him' speech, she said, "I don't have to know him to know his TYPE."
With burning eyes, Rory announced, "his type? Is his type the kind of guy who'd hold someone after they'd been in a wreck? To comfort her and say everything would be all right? To treat her tenderly after she'd been hurt?!"
"Hurt in a wreck that was his fault!" she tossed back, losing her temper. "I mean, god Rory – open your eyes. Stars Hollow is better now that Jess is gone! Everyone is happy about this!"
"Everyone? What about Luke? Have you even noticed how much he misses his nephew? The guy's practically been a pod person since Jess left! But, hey, since you and Luke are fighting, who cares how he feels! Or even how I feel!" Rory yelled, her eyes misty now.
Startled by her daughters' outburst, Lorelai stood mutely for a moment before asking, "and how's that?"
Clinging the hardback book to her chest, Rory shook her head and muttered, "Like I wanna end this conversation…"
Seeing all the emotion and heartache in her daughters eyes, Lorelai sighed deeply and felt guilty. Rory had been through so much lately and this was not something she needed right now, especially not after trying to get things back to normal.
"Maybe we should just agree to disagree here."
"Maybe," Rory repeated softly.
Shifting on her feet, she asked, "Want me to walk you to the bus stop?"
Shaking her head, Rory told her finally, "no, that's ok. You need to get to work and I was planning on finding Lane."
"Right, work," Lorelai agreed.
"Yeah, right." Looking at her briefly, Rory nodded then turned and walked out of the house, shutting the door behind her softly.
Figuring that was better than the slamming, she sighed and picked up her purse, intending to go into work early, even though she didn't need to. Passing the phone on her way to the door, she paused, her eyes staring down at it.
Remembering how Rory had told her a few days ago of Lane's ambition to be a famous drummer, she could feel her doubt of her daughters' confession grow. Would Rory really lie about who she was talking to? Rory only lied if she thought it was necessary…
Making a quick decision, Lorelai picked up the phone and dialed *69…
***
Walking down the sidewalk toward Luke's, Rory wrapped her arms around herself and sighed deeply, wishing her morning could be restarted. She'd lied to her mother repeatedly, all before 8:30. Looking up to see Lane walking out of her house, she perked up some.
"Hey," Lane called out, spotting her and heading over. "Luke's?"
"Luke's," Rory agreed, falling in step with her.
"You'll never guess who called me last night," Lane announced suddenly, her face lighting up. Not waiting to give her a chance to guess, she supplied the answer. "Henry!"
Glad for her friend, Rory smiled. "That's great. I mean, now you have your mothers approval and won't have to sneak around."
"True, but there's a downside: we won't have to sneak around."
"Aw, the excitement is gone now."
Groaning with frustration, Lane nodded. "I know I should be happy, I mean, I am, but…my mom likes him!"
"Never a good sign."
"Yeah…"
Seeing her downtrodden expression, Rory added, "but you like Henry, a lot. You'll get pass this. And hey, maybe he'll have some deep, dark, secret fetish that'll make your mom flip out."
"Really, you think so?" Lane asked, her face hopeful now.
"We can pray." Thinking it over, Rory looked at her friend from the corner of her eye. "And, speaking of last night and phone calls, guess who called me – Jess."
"What? Jess called you?!" Lane squealed, stopping and grabbing Rory by her elbows.
Looking around, Rory pulled Lane over to the nearest bench, making her set down. "He called to see how I was."
"Just like that, out of the blue?"
"Just like that. It was kinda weird…but good too."
"Good how?" Lane demanded.
Shrugging, she struggled to explain it. "I don't know, I mean, talking with Jess has always been good, but last night…it was different with him being so far away."
"Different how? Different as in 'he is gone now and I'm suddenly realizing what a great friend he was', or different as in 'he is now gone and I'm suddenly realizing that I might have wanted to be more than friends'?"
Looking down, Rory admitted, "might have wanted…"
Turning in her seat to stare at her friend, Lane seemed shocked. "Rory, this is big."
"I know," she agreed.
"Big enough to flip our little world upside down and make us re-think everything we thought we already knew."
"Gee…that's not putting any pressure on me," she muttered.
"And what about Dean? I thought you loved Dean," Lane added. "Oh my god, Rory, what are you gonna do?"
"I don't…know…" Rory trailed off, watching as a bus rolled past, heading out of town. Feeling as if a light went on above her head, she jumped up and grabbed Lane's hand. "Come on!"
"Wait, where are we going?!" Lane asked, trying to keep up.
"Luke's!" she announced, flying down the street, still tugging her friend behind her.
"Why?"
"I'll explain when we get there," Rory added, grinning for the fist time since last night.
***
Staring at the young girl standing in front of him, Luke stood, shocked into silence by her request. Glancing over at her friend, he saw her semi- shocked expression also.
"You're insane," he said finally. "And you, you're insane for helping her think this up."
Holding up her hands, Lane amended, "I stake no claim to this. Rory came up with this all on her own."
"Luke, I'm doing this whether you help me or not."
Taking in the determination in her voice, he sighed. "I can't talk you out of it?"
"Nope."
"Not even with free coffee for a week," he tried.
"No."
"Month?"
"No."
"Year?"
"Nope."
Rubbing his temples, Luke muttered, "I can't believe I'm even considering this – your mother is gonna kill me."
"I'll make sure you're name is nowhere near this," Rory promised.
Looking into her eyes and seeing how earnest and heartfelt they looked, Luke knew he would never be able to deny her. Looking at Lane once more, who also seemed to be affected by her friends emotions, he sighed deeply again. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"
"Yeah, Rory…you know I like Jess, but this…" Lane added.
Nodding, Rory told them both, "I'm sure. I'm going to New York."
***
TBC
Ok, so, there's the newest part!! I know it's not a lot, but the next part will have them meeting in NY!!! PLEASE let me know whatcha think!! :D
Also, I don't have part 05 written yet, so I'm not sure when it's gonna get posted. I try to always have an extra part stashed in my back pocket for the few times when I don't get to write, but since ALL my shows are having their season finale's, I've been keeping my eyes glued to the tv screen (has anyone else seen the preview for Smallville's season finale? Where the hell is Chloe? All I'm seeing is Lana and Clark!!!!) The commercial for the series finale of Felicity is making me sad – Noel CANNOT die!!! I hope she gets back to the freakin' future and he's still alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plus, with the sad news of Dark Angel getting canceled, I've just been moody and down lately, so I haven't written much – except to the people at Fox to remind them how STUPID they are for canceling such a great show!!! If it's taken off the air, where will I get my Jensen fix???
Anyway, sorry for the lack of updates lately, but I'm gonna try harder – besides, after this week, it's all over and all I'll have to suffice my thirst for drama and action is fanfic (plus my soaps – General Hospital is getting' good again since Jason is coming back!!!! I soooooooo hope him and Elizabeth get together this time!!!!!!!!! And the whole Carly thing…hmm…I'm still stumped on who planted the DNA to make everyone think she's dead – my sisters say it was AJ, but I wouldn't be surprised if she faked it all herself just to get Sonny's attention away from Alexis)
Ugh, I better stop before my A/N is as big as this part!!! LoL :D
Enjoy and review!!!!
PART 04 ~
Fumbling with her cast as she tried to tie her hair up, Rory huffed and finally gave up, realizing that it wasn't happening. Tossing the hair band down onto the counter, she sized up her reflection in the mirror.
Bags under the eyes, pale skin, dull eyes – all the evidence of a sleep- less night. After her conversation with Jess, and the later one with her mother, sleep eluded her most of the night, her thoughts too cluttered and chaotic to let anything else happen.
Rory spent most of the night replaying the phone call over and over, trying to read between the lines and get into Jess's mind, which was proving very difficult. Maybe if they had been face to face, she might have been able to sense more, but how was that supposed to happen now? He was in New York.
Groaning, Rory tuned from the mirror suddenly, cursing Jess Mariano's name. What was it about him that plagued her? So what if he liked to read. So what if he discussed books with her, argued intelligently, and always had a comeback that would make her stop and think. So what if had smoldering eyes and long eyelashes that trapped her in when she looked too closely? So what if he had a smirk that made her cheeks blaze and a smile, when he graced her with it, that made her heart melt?
Who cared that he was sweet to her; almost tender in the way he bantered and would casually touch her, not even seeming to notice. And what did it matter if he was mysterious and good-looking?
What did it matter? So, he was smart, charismatic, good looking—"
"Oh my god…" Rory moaned suddenly, turning and fleeing from the bathroom. She wasn't thinking this, she wasn't. She had a boyfriend that she loved and cared for, someone who treated her great and would never hurt her.
Racing into her room, she shut the door and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Spotting 'Oliver Twist' on her nightstand, she whimpered slightly and walked over, picking the book up.
"What are you doing to me?" she whispered, sitting down on her bed. "I love Dean…he's nice and sweet and takes care of me. I mean, he made me a car…one that I let you drive, which I knew he would hate."
"Rory!"
Hearing her mother's call, Rory sighed deeply and walked into the kitchen, the book clutched tightly to her chest.
"Don't forget your dad is picking you up from school," Lorelai told her. "This whole ceremony thing is at 7."
"I'm glad you're going through with it – I mean, the cap and gown. It'll be fun."
Looking wistful, she smiled. "Yeah…I guess. Just as long as I don't trip. Could you imagine the snickering and laughs? It'd be a massacre."
"Nothing you couldn't handle."
"So, I'm just remembering something," she announced suddenly, pulling out a mug and beginning to make some coffee.
"What's that?" Rory asked, sitting down at the table.
"When I came in last night, you had just gotten off the phone, and it was after midnight. Care to share?"
Looking down, Rory looked at the book and shook her head. Her mother would go off if she knew who she had actually been talking to, but one look at her proved she had to say something. "Um, Lane. She had some important info for me and waited until her mom was asleep before calling. For security measure."
"Must've been some very important info," Lorelai commented, eyeing her daughter quickly.
"Oh, yeah, very big. World revelation big."
"That big?"
"Yep."
"And the world revelation is…"
"Lane's gonna be a rock star – drums," Rory announced, saying the first thing that popped into her head.
With her back toward her daughter, Lorelai paused, her face confused. "Really? Well, good for her. Bad for Ms. Kim though, I suppose."
"I know. I can see the headlines now: local Korean mother dies of heart attack due to daughters rebellious music."
Turning around and masking her face, Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, Bootsie'll have a field day with it." Picking up the now full coffee pot, she gestured toward it.
Seeming to contemplate how to phrase her next statement, Rory said finally, "I was actually hoping we could go to Luke's this morning…together."
Freezing, Lorelai looked down. She knew Rory was offering a tentative olive branch with the invite, but after what happened there yesterday…she'd been so upset by Luke's reaction that she'd walked straight to the Inn, hoping to find something to do to occupy her time and mind. The mere idea of Luke hating her…
"Um, actually honey, I don't have time this morning. I promised Michel I'd be there early."
"Ok."
Feeling guilty, she continued to ramble on, wanting to fill the empty silence. "And you know how he gets if you say you'll do something and then you don't. He acts like the world revolves around him. I mean, self- centered much? Everyone knows it revolves around me."
"Everyone besides Michel it seems," Rory deducted, standing up.
"Maybe tomorrow," she offered lamely, knowing that unless Luke had a huge change of heart, it wasn't happening then either. "Hey, how's your wrist feel?"
Looking down at it, Rory shrugged. "Ok – like a wrist."
"Which is a relief. Who's knows what we'd do if it felt like a knee-cap."
Shaking her head, Rory started to put on her backpack, having some mild trouble with the cast. Seeing so, Lorelai walked over and helped, her anger raising some.
"Thanks," Rory said, getting adjusted.
"I still can't believe this happened," she said softly, gently pushing some hair back out of her daughters face.
Smiling, Rory told her, "Mom, I'm ok."
"I know, but, ugh, I can't help thinking that I could've lost you, and it would've been that hoodlums fault," she fumed.
Instantly stiffening, Rory looked down and shied away some.
Not noticing, Lorelai added, "I just wish I coulda gotten a hold of him before he ran. That little punk."
"He's not, mom," Rory said softly. "You don't know him."
Not wanting to hear the whole, 'you don't know him' speech, she said, "I don't have to know him to know his TYPE."
With burning eyes, Rory announced, "his type? Is his type the kind of guy who'd hold someone after they'd been in a wreck? To comfort her and say everything would be all right? To treat her tenderly after she'd been hurt?!"
"Hurt in a wreck that was his fault!" she tossed back, losing her temper. "I mean, god Rory – open your eyes. Stars Hollow is better now that Jess is gone! Everyone is happy about this!"
"Everyone? What about Luke? Have you even noticed how much he misses his nephew? The guy's practically been a pod person since Jess left! But, hey, since you and Luke are fighting, who cares how he feels! Or even how I feel!" Rory yelled, her eyes misty now.
Startled by her daughters' outburst, Lorelai stood mutely for a moment before asking, "and how's that?"
Clinging the hardback book to her chest, Rory shook her head and muttered, "Like I wanna end this conversation…"
Seeing all the emotion and heartache in her daughters eyes, Lorelai sighed deeply and felt guilty. Rory had been through so much lately and this was not something she needed right now, especially not after trying to get things back to normal.
"Maybe we should just agree to disagree here."
"Maybe," Rory repeated softly.
Shifting on her feet, she asked, "Want me to walk you to the bus stop?"
Shaking her head, Rory told her finally, "no, that's ok. You need to get to work and I was planning on finding Lane."
"Right, work," Lorelai agreed.
"Yeah, right." Looking at her briefly, Rory nodded then turned and walked out of the house, shutting the door behind her softly.
Figuring that was better than the slamming, she sighed and picked up her purse, intending to go into work early, even though she didn't need to. Passing the phone on her way to the door, she paused, her eyes staring down at it.
Remembering how Rory had told her a few days ago of Lane's ambition to be a famous drummer, she could feel her doubt of her daughters' confession grow. Would Rory really lie about who she was talking to? Rory only lied if she thought it was necessary…
Making a quick decision, Lorelai picked up the phone and dialed *69…
***
Walking down the sidewalk toward Luke's, Rory wrapped her arms around herself and sighed deeply, wishing her morning could be restarted. She'd lied to her mother repeatedly, all before 8:30. Looking up to see Lane walking out of her house, she perked up some.
"Hey," Lane called out, spotting her and heading over. "Luke's?"
"Luke's," Rory agreed, falling in step with her.
"You'll never guess who called me last night," Lane announced suddenly, her face lighting up. Not waiting to give her a chance to guess, she supplied the answer. "Henry!"
Glad for her friend, Rory smiled. "That's great. I mean, now you have your mothers approval and won't have to sneak around."
"True, but there's a downside: we won't have to sneak around."
"Aw, the excitement is gone now."
Groaning with frustration, Lane nodded. "I know I should be happy, I mean, I am, but…my mom likes him!"
"Never a good sign."
"Yeah…"
Seeing her downtrodden expression, Rory added, "but you like Henry, a lot. You'll get pass this. And hey, maybe he'll have some deep, dark, secret fetish that'll make your mom flip out."
"Really, you think so?" Lane asked, her face hopeful now.
"We can pray." Thinking it over, Rory looked at her friend from the corner of her eye. "And, speaking of last night and phone calls, guess who called me – Jess."
"What? Jess called you?!" Lane squealed, stopping and grabbing Rory by her elbows.
Looking around, Rory pulled Lane over to the nearest bench, making her set down. "He called to see how I was."
"Just like that, out of the blue?"
"Just like that. It was kinda weird…but good too."
"Good how?" Lane demanded.
Shrugging, she struggled to explain it. "I don't know, I mean, talking with Jess has always been good, but last night…it was different with him being so far away."
"Different how? Different as in 'he is gone now and I'm suddenly realizing what a great friend he was', or different as in 'he is now gone and I'm suddenly realizing that I might have wanted to be more than friends'?"
Looking down, Rory admitted, "might have wanted…"
Turning in her seat to stare at her friend, Lane seemed shocked. "Rory, this is big."
"I know," she agreed.
"Big enough to flip our little world upside down and make us re-think everything we thought we already knew."
"Gee…that's not putting any pressure on me," she muttered.
"And what about Dean? I thought you loved Dean," Lane added. "Oh my god, Rory, what are you gonna do?"
"I don't…know…" Rory trailed off, watching as a bus rolled past, heading out of town. Feeling as if a light went on above her head, she jumped up and grabbed Lane's hand. "Come on!"
"Wait, where are we going?!" Lane asked, trying to keep up.
"Luke's!" she announced, flying down the street, still tugging her friend behind her.
"Why?"
"I'll explain when we get there," Rory added, grinning for the fist time since last night.
***
Staring at the young girl standing in front of him, Luke stood, shocked into silence by her request. Glancing over at her friend, he saw her semi- shocked expression also.
"You're insane," he said finally. "And you, you're insane for helping her think this up."
Holding up her hands, Lane amended, "I stake no claim to this. Rory came up with this all on her own."
"Luke, I'm doing this whether you help me or not."
Taking in the determination in her voice, he sighed. "I can't talk you out of it?"
"Nope."
"Not even with free coffee for a week," he tried.
"No."
"Month?"
"No."
"Year?"
"Nope."
Rubbing his temples, Luke muttered, "I can't believe I'm even considering this – your mother is gonna kill me."
"I'll make sure you're name is nowhere near this," Rory promised.
Looking into her eyes and seeing how earnest and heartfelt they looked, Luke knew he would never be able to deny her. Looking at Lane once more, who also seemed to be affected by her friends emotions, he sighed deeply again. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"
"Yeah, Rory…you know I like Jess, but this…" Lane added.
Nodding, Rory told them both, "I'm sure. I'm going to New York."
***
TBC
Ok, so, there's the newest part!! I know it's not a lot, but the next part will have them meeting in NY!!! PLEASE let me know whatcha think!! :D