Pairing: R/T, of course
Rating: PG-13 at the most
Spoilers: May reference anything and everything from Seasons 1 & 2, although most things from the Season 2 timeframe will deviate from canon
Disclaimer: The characters referenced here are the property of Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and Warner Brothers Television. No copyright infringement is intended. The characters are being used solely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from them.
Author's note: Apparently, my writer's block is completely gone. Here's hoping it stays that way. As you might note in reading this part, Jess and Lorelai have a considerably more cordial relationship than they do on the actual show. I justify that by the simple fact that I am not using Jess as a potential romantic interest for Rory, thereby making him much less threatening in Lorelai's eyes. Oh, and I know next to nothing about plumbing, so just go with it, okay? Oh, and I don't know for certain that Rory and Lorelai have a basement. In my world, they do. That said, enjoy!
Unbreakable Heart
by Grace
Part 9: Tasmanian Gellar Meets Mr. Plumbing!
"Ugh!" Tristan flopped back against the couch with a groan of frustration. "This book is going to be the death of me!"
"I thought you were starting to like it?"
"I changed my mind."
Rory glanced at her watch. "If it makes you feel any better, it's almost time for dinner. You're staying, right?"
"Of course. Luke's again?"
"Nah. I thought we'd get some Thai at Al's Pancake World."
He looked at her, puzzled. "You want to run that by me one more time?"
Before she could respond, the front door opened, and Lorelai walked in, followed by Jess.
"Hi mom. Hi Jess. What are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you again, too, Rory," he said dryly.
"Sorry. I just didn't know you were coming over."
"I asked him to take a look at that leaky faucet in the bathroom."
"Ooh, yay. It'll be nice to wash my face without having to worry about Old Faithful erupting."
"Yeah, that was my thought. So what's the word on dinner?"
"Tristan and I were thinking Thai."
"Yummy. Is it Wednesday already?"
"Yep. Want me to call it in now?"
"Sure. Jess, you want anything?"
"Yeah, whatever you guys are getting is fine. I'm gonna go take a look at that faucet."
"'Kay. Mom, where's the take-out menu from Al's?"
"Uh…with the rest of the take-out menus?"
"And those would be where?"
"Beats me. Good luck."
After ten minutes of intensive searching, Rory finally dug out the menu and placed the order.
"The food will be ready in twenty minutes. I thought I'd show Tristan the town on the way to pick it up."
"Sounds good, kiddo."
Rory turned to Tristan. "You ready?"
He leapt to his feet. "Definitely. Madame Defarge is giving me a headache."
They left a few minutes later, and Lorelai went to check on Jess.
"Hey there, plumber boy. What's the good word?"
"I'm pretty sure I can fix it. Can you do me a favor and shut off the water?"
"Um, sure."
Leaning over the sink, Jess could hear Lorelai clattering around in the basement. A worrisome thought struck him, and he shouted, "Make sure you turn it to the…"
Before he could finish, Lorelai twisted the valve to the full open position. The increased pressure caused the faulty gasket to blow, and he was suddenly drenched in cold water.
"Aagh!" Spitting the water from his mouth, he yelled, "The other way! Turn it the other way!"
A few seconds later, the impromptu geyser ceased, and Jess could hear Lorelai pounding up the basement steps. Her jaw dropped when she got to the bathroom door and saw him dripping wet.
"Oh Jess, I'm so sorry! I'm not particularly maintenance-oriented."
He shook some of the water from his hair. "Yeah, I got that."
Lorelai handed him a towel. "Here, get yourself dried off. I'm sure Rory has a sweatshirt or something you can put on."
"Thanks." Without another word, he headed into Rory's room and shut the door.
As Lorelai was surveying the newly formed pond in her bathroom, the doorbell rang. Trudging towards the front door, she grumbled, "When did my life turn into a scene from Animal House?"
Opening the door, she was nearly bowled over by a pigtailed whirlwind. Once inside, the tornado coalesced into a fuming young woman.
"All right, where are they?"
"Nice to see you again too, Paris."
"I repeat, where are they?"
"Who are you…"
"Rory and Tristan. Don't try to hide it. I know they're here. I saw his car."
"I'm sorry, but they're not…"
"Look, if you're not going to tell me, I'll just find them myself." She quickly re-morphed into her own version of the Tasmanian Devil, and barged further into the house.
Resigned to the fact that her life would never be normal, Lorelai simply shut the door and waited for the next explosion.
Paris made a beeline for Rory's bedroom, and threw open the door without hesitation. She pulled up short when confronted with the sight of a wet, toned, taut, and undeniably shirtless Jess. Recovering quickly—and trying desperately to ignore the tempting trail of water slowly wending its way to his waistband—she launched into an impromptu tirade.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in Rory's room? This is just priceless. It's bad enough that she's ensnared Tristan, but now she has some other half-naked guy just hanging around the house!"
"You must be Paris."
"How do you know who I am?" she queried, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"So is there a particular reason why your parents named you after the guy Juliet rejected in favor of Romeo, or were they just having a bad day when you were born?"
"For your information, it happens to be a family name," Paris grated out, "and you still haven't told me who you are."
"I'm Jess."
She stared at him. "That's all you're going to say? You want to tell me why you're alone in Rory's bedroom, only half-clad?"
"You keep referring to my state of undress. Is it bothering you? Because I can take off my pants, too."
"No! I mean, that's not necessary."
"Calm down, Frenchie. I'm a friend of Rory and Lorelai's. They asked me to fix a leaky faucet. A word of advice—never ask Lorelai to shut off the water for you."
"Gee, I'm sure that'll be a useful tip someday. I…didn't mean to assume…I mean, about you and Rory…"
Jess shrugged, and finally pulled on a large gray Harvard sweatshirt. "Don't worry about it. Rory's great, believe me, but I have no urge to play Paris to her Juliet."
Paris smiled shyly. "I know the feeling."
"So what brings you to our charming little hamlet?"
"What, you mean you're not a born-and-bred, died-in-the-wool Stars Hollowite?"
He gave a sharp laugh. "Not a chance. This place is my very own Isle of Elba."
"What, your parents didn't want to deal with you either?"
"I sense a poor-little-rich-girl story coming on."
Her face hardened instantly. "Well, I wouldn't want to bore you." She spun on her heel and started to leave.
Impulsively, Jess reached out and caught her by the elbow. "It was a joke, Paris. Now come on, you still haven't told me what you're doing here."
Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned back to face him. "I guess it was just, I don't know, a crazy, last-ditch attempt to try and regain some dignity, and maybe even…"
He sat down on Rory's bed, and pulled Paris to a seat next to him. "Maybe to finally convince Tristan that he had picked the wrong girl?"
She blushed and leaned her head forward, her twin braids swinging haplessly beside her cheeks. "I know it's stupid…"
"So how long have you liked him, anyway?"
"Eleven years."
"Eleven years? Wow. That's a long time." Putting his hands behind his head, he fell back onto the bed. "So do you really believe he picked the wrong girl?"
She fell backward beside him, and sighed. "No. I guess I just figured that if I was patient and waited long enough, he would realize that there's more to life than being beautiful."
"You know, Rory isn't just another pretty face."
"I know. Somehow, that makes it worse. He finally gets a clue…"
"But he still didn't pick you."
"Yeah." She turned her head to look at him, and suddenly realized that their faces were only inches apart. Flustered, she quickly sat up. "I've spilled my guts to you. Now tell me the truth—are you secretly in love with Rory?"
Jess grinned. "No."
"Why not? Everyone else seems to be."
"I guess I'm not everyone else. Rory's just…a little too sweet, a little too pure, a little too much like a sister."
"A sister? How so?"
"My uncle just started dating her mom. We're practically family."
"You mean Lorelai decided to troll for dates somewhere other than the Chilton teacher's lounge?"
Irritated, Jess got off of the bed. "You know, Paris, maybe if you had ever stopped slinging your barbs at everyone for more than thirty seconds, Tristan would have given you a chance."
As he walked out of the room, she called out, "Where are you going?"
"I have a faucet to fix, remember? Besides, I'm sure your parents would be appalled to know you were spending time with someone so blue-collar."
* * *
Out in the hallway, Jess found Lorelai sitting on the floor against the wall, munching on O-Ke-Doke popcorn and swigging a Coke.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. You two are better than General Hospital. Not that I watch, of course—at least not since Jason left. And I still don't like the new Lucky…"
"Lorelai?"
"What?"
"I'm going to fix the faucet now."
"Why don't you wait until after dinner? Rory and Tristan should be back any minute."
"Whatever. I'll be in the living room."
"Suit yourself. Just stay away from the refrigerator." She watched him take a few steps away from her. "Oh, and Jess?"
He looked over his shoulder at her. "Yeah?"
"Rory was right, you know."
"About?"
She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "You two would be perfect for each other."
He gave a disbelieving snort, and walked away. Hoisting herself off the floor, Lorelai entered her daughter's room. Paris was still sitting on the bed, head in her hands.
Nudging the door shut with her foot, Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and announced, "You and I need to talk."
To be continued…