Meanwhile, Lorelai and Luke were driving down the highway, looking for a
sign of Rory or Jess. All they saw was endless road, sinking into
oblivion. Luke did a U-turn in the middle of the road, "We'll go back to
town and wait by the phone for them to call," Luke said.
Lorelai leaned her head against him and sighed. Her eyes slowly shut as the burden of the day came down on her shoulders. Her lashes shielded her eyes from his piercing gaze. He wondered what she was thinking. He drove back to town. Parking his truck behind the diner, he leaned over to let Lorelai know they were there. She was fast asleep, he nudged her gently, she mumbled his name in her sleep. Luke sat there for a minute, looking at her, the woman he loved. Had loved for so long.
Lorelai awoke, "Luke, are we back in town yet?" her question threw him.
"Yeah, we're at the back of the diner, you wanna go inside?" he asked.
"Sure," she said. She opened her door and got out, the rain was still falling heavily, and the wind was blustering, her hair blew around. Lorelai drew her hands around herself and shivered. Luke gave her his coat as they walked inside. He unlocked the door and went upstairs to the apartment, no sign of Jess having been there. There was a message on his answering machine. Luke pressed "play", it was a message from Dean, just saying that he'd checked the bus station and no one fitting Jess or Rory's description had been there.
Luke punched the wall, "Damn it, where are they?" he yelled.
"They'll turn up soon," Lorelai reassured him, sliding her arms around his waist from the back. He hugged her arms, as they stared out at the rain together. Silently, each hoped that their daughter and nephew were okay.
Jess staggered into the cave, breathing heavily, it had been a long walk from the dock to the cave. He had underestimated the length and the miles he'd had to walk. Not that Rory was heavy, she wasn't. It was just that the rain weighed their clothing down. He looked at Rory, she was still out like a light. He looked at her, she seemed to be okay, not suffering from pneumonia, or anything else.
After a short while, he had a fire going, the flames gave off warmth as they crackled greedily, wanting more of the wood that was lying by the fire. Jess was too busy checking Rory to see if she was okay. He probed her checking for broken bones, since she'd been lying on the dock, when he'd found her. She could've fallen, or something. She stirred, her eyes flickering open.
Jess jumped back. "Where am I?" came the weak question.
"Shh, lie still, you were out for quite a while, we're undercover from the storm, waiting it out," Jess explained.
Rory came fully awake, "How did you find me?" her last memory was lying down on the dock.
"I found you lying on the dock, the rain was falling heavily by then, and the wind was picking up, so I carried you here," he gestured to the cave.
"Where are we?" Rory asked, looking around in astonishment.
"In a cave that I found, it's on the east side of the lake. It's very well-hidden," Jess added.
"Did you think I was going to tell someone about your secret. I don't think that anyone in town knows about this cave," Rory commented.
"Whatever. Are you cold? Did you hurt yourself?" Jess questioned.
"What's with the third degree?" Rory asked irately.
"Well I found you unconscious on the dock. I was merely concerned for your well-being. So sorry to have pried," he replied sarcastically.
"Jess, I didn't mean that way. I was just wondering why, that's all," Rory clarified.
"Oh, okay I get it now," Jess threw his hands out in mock confusion.
"You don't have to be such a jerk, I just wanted to make it clear, that we understand each other," Rory said.
"We understand each other," he weighed the words slowly. "What exactly do we understand about each other?" he questioned.
"We understand what happened, you found me, you brought me. End of discussion," she explained.
"Okay," he said.
"Fine," she replied.
By now, the rain had slowed to a lazy drizzle. "Ready to go?" Jess pondered aloud.
"Sure," Rory replied. She picked up her coat and put it on. "I just want to say thanks for rescuing me."
"Forget it," Jess said.
"How can I-" she was cut off by Jess. "Are you ready? I have to go talk to Luke," he interrupted.
"Fine," Rory said tightly.
Jess walked out, Rory followed. They made their way back to town. The sky was darkening again, as it was preparing to deliver another whiplash of the storm. Big drops of rain began to fall, they increased in velocity as they fell. Jess and Rory ran to the diner, which was in sight. The front door was locked. Jess ran around back with Rory following. He got out his key and unlocked the door, only to be confronted by a worried Luke and an even worried Lorelai.
Rory crashed into him. "What's with the hold-up?" she asked.
"Oh babe, is that you?" Lorelai asked, holding out her arms to her daughter. Rory ran into them. They hugged, as if it had been years since they'd seen each other. Instead of just this morning.
Jess and Luke regarded each other, Luke moved first, grabbing Jess in a bear hug. Somewhat reluctantly, Jess returned the awkward hug. "Don't ever do that again," Luke said gruffly against Jess's ear.
Jess nodded. His eyes met Rory's, she rolled her eyes. He grinned in agreement.
A knock on the back door sounded. Luke broke away from Jess to answer it. By now, Lorelai and Rory were talking about what had happened. Jess went over to help explain it better. He was standing close to Rory. A little too close for someone's liking.
"Rory, what are you doing with him," Dean asked from the door, his tone slightly accusatory.
"Jess saved my life, besides he's my friend. Why shouldn't I stand next to him. Does it violate some kind of silent law?" Rory joked.
Dean just stared at her, until she moved next to him. "We need to talk," Dean said.
"Okay, can we do it later? I just got back from a long walk and I need to lie down," Rory said.
Before Dean could reply, Jess broke in, "Rory why don't you come upstairs and lie down on Luke's bed or mine," he added for Dean's benefit. Knowingly enough, Dean's hands clenched.
Rory completely missed it, she was too busy looking at Jess, wondering why he was being so nice to her. It was a total turnaround from in the cave. Jess took her hand and led her up the stairs. "We'll talk later Dean." Rory's answer floated down the stairs.
Dean just stared up the stairs, his mind filled with rage. He could literally tear Jess limb from limb, he was so mad. Lorelai touched his arm, he flinched, she jumped back.
"Look why don't you come over to the house later. Then you and Rory can talk," Lorelai said.
"You're taking his side, can't you see what he's doing," Dean accused.
"Look, Rory needs to lie down, there's a bed upstairs, why bother taking her home, this is closer. She'll get some sleep then go home, you come over and you guys talk," Lorelai said.
"Fine," Dean stormed out, slamming the door in the process.
"I really don't like that guy, especially when he gets in one of his moods," Luke commented.
"One of his moods. Compared to you, his moods are mild. When you get mad, it's like a volcano erupting, trust me Luke, no one has a temper like you," Lorelai reassured him.
Upstairs, Jess showed Rory to Luke's bedroom, "A flannel bedspread of course," Rory commented.
"I don't feel comfortable in Luke's bedroom, where's the couch?" Rory openly admitted.
"No couch for you. You can have my bed," Jess said, leading her down the hall until they came to his bedroom.
Rory entered, her first impression was that he had a lot of books, a wide variety to choose from. She looked at his bookshelf, her mind boggling with the books he had that she didn't. She was picking one out to look at it. When Jess stopped her.
"You are supposed to be resting, not reading, you can look at them later," Jess said.
"But your books, I want –:" Rory said, her thought interrupted by a huge yawn.
"Later I promise," Jess said. He smoothly led her back to his bed and helped her down, he untied her shoes, and when he had put them on the ground he saw she was asleep.
He looked down at her, so innocent and young. He lay down beside her, just meaning to watch her for a bit, then leave and go into the living room. He lay his head down for a second, he was out like a light.
Unconsciously, Rory moved over to the nearest source of warmth. She wrapped herself around it, she sighed happily, when she was all warm. In his sleep, Jess turned to Rory, so they were face to face. Both asleep, happy and warm, and so they slept.
Downstairs, Lorelai and Luke were watching the rain fall. "It's pretty watching the rain fall, but I'm tired, let's go usptairs and see what Jess and Rory are doing?" Lorelai suggested.
"Sure," Luke said. He followed Lorelai up the stairs, they walked into the living room. No sign of Rory or Jess. Down the hall, they saw Jess and Rory sleeping, wrapped around each other. Lorelai went in, she grabbed the comforter from the bottom of the bed and covered Jess and Rory with it. She looked at them, they were so quiet in sleep.
Lorelai made her way down to Luke's bedroom, she took off her shoes and coat, put them on a chair and got under Luke's bedspread. "Flannel, so warm," she commented.
Luke rolled his eyes, "What are you doing in my bed?"
"Why I'm going to sleep, why don't you join me?" she asked, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Sure," Luke replied, he took off his shoes and put them next to Lorelai's. He crawled into bed with her. He propped himself up on a pillow and looked at her. Lorelai lay facing him, she moved closer to his body, so she could get warm. She lay her head on his pillow and looked at him. Then she closed her eyes, and was asleep within minutes. Luke looked down at her. He took off his hat put it on the dresser next to his bed. He lay down and cradled Lorelai in his arms. He closed his eyes and was asleep within minutes.
The rain fell unheeded by those asleep.
Rory awoke, feeling warm and safe, then she realized that she was wrapped around Jess. She felt her face burning up, she shifted her eyes away from him. Slowly, she set about extracting herself from him. Finally, when she was standing beside the bed. She looked down at Jess. He looked so cute when he was sleeping. She resisted the urge to brush back a lock of evading hair. He stirred and she jumped back in reaction. She grabbed her shoes and ran out into the hall. It was quiet, she walked past Luke's door and stopped.
Her mother lay there, sleeping in Luke's arms. Rory couldn't believe her eyes. She backed away from the door, and walked down the hall to the living room. She sat down on the couch and pondered the last twenty-four hours, a lot had happened. Jess had happened. She closed her eyes and relaxed.
Lorelai opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Luke, he was still asleep. She sat up quickly, what time was it? When she'd crawled into Luke's bed, it'd been 3:18, now the clock on the bedside table read 5:44. Carefully, she separated herself from Luke and made her way out into the hall. She stopped when she saw Rory on the couch. She tiptoed over to the couch and was stopped by Rory's voice.
"Mom, you don't have to sneak up on me," she said, her eyes still closed.
"How'd you know it was me?" Lorelai asked disbelievingly.
"Luke has a sort of stomp in his walk, Jess moves silently, and then you just walk in. It's hard to explain," Rory said.
"Okay. Do you feel better now?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep and not throwing a fit," Rory said.
"Yeah well, it's not like anything could happen with me and Luke in the next room," Lorelai said.
"Yeah asleep," Rory commented.
Luke and Jess walked out into the living room, "Hey, what's up?" they asked.
"Nothing, we're just on our way home," Lorelai said.
"Okay, we'll walk you out," Luke said.
At the door of the diner, Luke and Lorelai paused behind and were talking heatedly. Jess and Rory looked at them briefly. "Thanks for letting me use your bed," Rory said.
"No problem, so I'll see you around," Jess remarked, rocking back on his heels.
"Sure, see ya later," Rory yelled as she got into her mom's Jeep.
"It's so nice to be home," Lorelai said, as she entered her house. She kicked off her shoes and threw her jacket on a nearby chair. She went upstairs, "Are you gonna call Dean and see if he can come over?" Lorelai asked.
"Why?" Rory asked.
"So I can make myself scarce and let you two talk things out," Lorelai said.
"Okay thanks," Rory said, she made her way over to the phone and picked it up. She hesitated over calling Dean. Finally her fingers dialed the familiar numbers and she heard the ringing then his voice as he said "Hello"
"Hey Dean, it's me Rory."
"Hey Rory, what's up, you feeling better."
"Yeah, I'm fine. You wanna come over?"
"Sure, I'll be over in ten minutes."
"Great, can't wait." She hung up the phone.
Her mom called down from above, "Is he coming over?"
"Yes," Rory called back up the stairs.
"I'm going to be using the phone for the next bit, so don't pick it up, okay," Lorelai
yelled down.
"Sure thing," Rory yelled back up.
There was a knocking at the door, she knew it was Dean. She bounced over to the door eager to see him.
She opened the door, "Dean, come in," she said.
He entered and made his way into the living room. He was pacing the floor, he looked serious, like he was thinking something over.
"What's going on?" Rory said.
"We need to talk about our relationship and where it's going," Dean said.
"Sure, shoot," Rory replied.
"I want us to get more serious," Dean said.
"What'd you mean more serious?" Rory asked, her head tilted at an awkward angle as she tried to understand what he was saying.
"I want everyone to know you're my girlfriend," Dean said.
"Everyone already knows that I am your girlfriend," Rory replied.
"But I want to give you something to show it," Dean said.
"Um okay," Rory mumbled uncertainly.
Dean took out a ring box, opened it and showed it to Rory. "I want you to wear
my class ring," he declared.
"Oh my god, Dean it's beautiful," she clasped it in her hands and looked at her.
"So you accept it," he looked ecstatic.
"Well actually, this is such a big step for us, and I just need some time to think about this, so can I tell you on Monday at school?" she asked.
"Sure," Dean said.
"Okay, you want to stay and watch a movie with me?" Rory asked.
"No, I got stuff to do. But I'll see you at school on Monday," Dean said.
"Okay," she walked him to the door, and watched him walk away. When she closed the door, she went over to the phone and saw that the red light was still on. Who could her mom be talking to. She went to get her cell phone to phone Lane. First she looked at her watch, it read 6:58. Maybe she and Lane could still go see a movie.
Quickly she phoned Lane. Luckily, the movie that they both wanted to see was playing in half an hour, so they would meet in 15 minutes and walk to the theatre. Rory hung up and got her stuff together. Still ten minutes later, her mom was on the phone. Rory crept upstairs, stopping when she heard her mom laugh aloud.
"Luke that is so funny, stop you're killing me. Look I gotta go, but I'll see you later. I just gotta go tell Rory that I'm coming over there, bye." She hung up the phone.
Rory walked silently down the hall and crept down the stairs oh so slowly. When she was a safe distance away, she yelled out. "Mom I'm going to the movies with Lane, I'll see you later." She waited for a reply.
"Wait Rory, I'm going out too," Lorelai said. She ran down the stairs, still attaching an earring.
Rory looked her mom up and down. Raised an eyebrow and asked, "Got a hot date, let's see who could it be?" "Taylor Doose the mayor, Kirk the postman, Harry the troubadour, or Luke the coffee-shop owner?" Rory asked.
"None of your business," Lorelai growled jokingly. "I will conduct my affairs in secret, my child need not know," she replied.
"Okay, keep your secrets. I'm going to the movies with Lane, see ya later," she skipped out the door.
"All right all right, I'm going to Luke's for coffee, satisfied," Lorelai asked.
"Oh yeah, indeed, look I gotta go. Or Lane is going to kill me for being later. I have officially one minute to make it to her house," Rory yipped when she looked at her watch.
"Would you like a ride?" Lorelai offered.
"Sure," Rory said. She ran over to the car and vaulted into the seat.
Lorelai revved the engine and sped over to Lane's house. "Made it with two seconds to spare. Thanks mom, see ya later. Have fun with Luke."
"Oh I will," Lorelai said, as she revved the engine and sped off to the diner.
"Rory let's go, before my mom decides to make me stay home," Lane said, while running down the path and out the gate.
"Okay, we still have fifteen minutes till the movie starts and it only takes two minutes to walk over there," Rory said.
"Whatever, Miss Logical," Lane remarked.
They made it to the theater with ten minutes to spare, were inside and in the concession line with eight minutes left. Rory and Lane were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't see who was behind them.
"Well who'd thought Miss Prim and Proper, out at the movies on a Saturday night after such an exhausting day," someone remarked.
"Jess, what are you doing here?" Rory asked, her tone a little miffed.
"Last I checked, it was okay for anyone to go to the movies on a Saturday night," he replied.
"What movie are you going to see?" Rory asked.
"Collateral Damage, the new action movie, it's supposed to be really good," Jess said.
"Great, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Rory turned around.
"What movie are you going to see?" Jess asked.
"Crossroads," Lane replied.
"The chick flick," Jess grimaced.
"Yes the chick flick," Rory was fast becoming ticked off at Jess. He was acting this way to piss her off and it was working.
"Well because-" Lane was cut off by Rory jerking her to the concession stand. "Order," Rory said.
"Okay, I'll have a large popcorn and a large pop," Lane said, while she waited for
her stuff to be ready, she counted out the correct change.
"Why so mad Rory?" Jess asked caustically.
"Because you're so annoying," her eyes flashed arrows of rage at him.
"I'm only trying to be charming," Jess mocked.
"Well stop, it's bloody annoying and another thing-," she was cut off by Lane.
"Rory, it's your turn to order," Lane said.
"A large popcorn and a medium coke, please," Rory said. She turned back around to stare hostily at Jess.
"That comes to $6.75, miss," the guy at the counter said.
"Rory slammed seven dollars onto the counter, "Keep the change," she said and stalked off to the theater, dragging Lane with her.
She turned around once to glare at Jess, before disappearing into the theater. Jess purchased his food and drink and made his way to his theater, where Collateral Damage was showing.
Once settled in the theater, Lane asked, "What is going on between you and Jess?"
"Nothing, we just had a little adventure today," Rory said.
"Well tell me," Lane said.
So Rory did, and by the time she'd wrapped the story up, Crossroads was starting. About halfway through the movie, Lane told Rory that she had to run off somewhere and would be back as soon as possible. Rory knew what she was talking about. Girl stuff. Rory settled back into her seat and tried to focus on the movie at hand. She just had a tough time trying to believe that Britney Spears was an actress and not just a singer.
Still after another ten minutes, Lane wasn't back, Rory was just about to get up and go check on her. When she sensed there was someone behind her.
Lorelai leaned her head against him and sighed. Her eyes slowly shut as the burden of the day came down on her shoulders. Her lashes shielded her eyes from his piercing gaze. He wondered what she was thinking. He drove back to town. Parking his truck behind the diner, he leaned over to let Lorelai know they were there. She was fast asleep, he nudged her gently, she mumbled his name in her sleep. Luke sat there for a minute, looking at her, the woman he loved. Had loved for so long.
Lorelai awoke, "Luke, are we back in town yet?" her question threw him.
"Yeah, we're at the back of the diner, you wanna go inside?" he asked.
"Sure," she said. She opened her door and got out, the rain was still falling heavily, and the wind was blustering, her hair blew around. Lorelai drew her hands around herself and shivered. Luke gave her his coat as they walked inside. He unlocked the door and went upstairs to the apartment, no sign of Jess having been there. There was a message on his answering machine. Luke pressed "play", it was a message from Dean, just saying that he'd checked the bus station and no one fitting Jess or Rory's description had been there.
Luke punched the wall, "Damn it, where are they?" he yelled.
"They'll turn up soon," Lorelai reassured him, sliding her arms around his waist from the back. He hugged her arms, as they stared out at the rain together. Silently, each hoped that their daughter and nephew were okay.
Jess staggered into the cave, breathing heavily, it had been a long walk from the dock to the cave. He had underestimated the length and the miles he'd had to walk. Not that Rory was heavy, she wasn't. It was just that the rain weighed their clothing down. He looked at Rory, she was still out like a light. He looked at her, she seemed to be okay, not suffering from pneumonia, or anything else.
After a short while, he had a fire going, the flames gave off warmth as they crackled greedily, wanting more of the wood that was lying by the fire. Jess was too busy checking Rory to see if she was okay. He probed her checking for broken bones, since she'd been lying on the dock, when he'd found her. She could've fallen, or something. She stirred, her eyes flickering open.
Jess jumped back. "Where am I?" came the weak question.
"Shh, lie still, you were out for quite a while, we're undercover from the storm, waiting it out," Jess explained.
Rory came fully awake, "How did you find me?" her last memory was lying down on the dock.
"I found you lying on the dock, the rain was falling heavily by then, and the wind was picking up, so I carried you here," he gestured to the cave.
"Where are we?" Rory asked, looking around in astonishment.
"In a cave that I found, it's on the east side of the lake. It's very well-hidden," Jess added.
"Did you think I was going to tell someone about your secret. I don't think that anyone in town knows about this cave," Rory commented.
"Whatever. Are you cold? Did you hurt yourself?" Jess questioned.
"What's with the third degree?" Rory asked irately.
"Well I found you unconscious on the dock. I was merely concerned for your well-being. So sorry to have pried," he replied sarcastically.
"Jess, I didn't mean that way. I was just wondering why, that's all," Rory clarified.
"Oh, okay I get it now," Jess threw his hands out in mock confusion.
"You don't have to be such a jerk, I just wanted to make it clear, that we understand each other," Rory said.
"We understand each other," he weighed the words slowly. "What exactly do we understand about each other?" he questioned.
"We understand what happened, you found me, you brought me. End of discussion," she explained.
"Okay," he said.
"Fine," she replied.
By now, the rain had slowed to a lazy drizzle. "Ready to go?" Jess pondered aloud.
"Sure," Rory replied. She picked up her coat and put it on. "I just want to say thanks for rescuing me."
"Forget it," Jess said.
"How can I-" she was cut off by Jess. "Are you ready? I have to go talk to Luke," he interrupted.
"Fine," Rory said tightly.
Jess walked out, Rory followed. They made their way back to town. The sky was darkening again, as it was preparing to deliver another whiplash of the storm. Big drops of rain began to fall, they increased in velocity as they fell. Jess and Rory ran to the diner, which was in sight. The front door was locked. Jess ran around back with Rory following. He got out his key and unlocked the door, only to be confronted by a worried Luke and an even worried Lorelai.
Rory crashed into him. "What's with the hold-up?" she asked.
"Oh babe, is that you?" Lorelai asked, holding out her arms to her daughter. Rory ran into them. They hugged, as if it had been years since they'd seen each other. Instead of just this morning.
Jess and Luke regarded each other, Luke moved first, grabbing Jess in a bear hug. Somewhat reluctantly, Jess returned the awkward hug. "Don't ever do that again," Luke said gruffly against Jess's ear.
Jess nodded. His eyes met Rory's, she rolled her eyes. He grinned in agreement.
A knock on the back door sounded. Luke broke away from Jess to answer it. By now, Lorelai and Rory were talking about what had happened. Jess went over to help explain it better. He was standing close to Rory. A little too close for someone's liking.
"Rory, what are you doing with him," Dean asked from the door, his tone slightly accusatory.
"Jess saved my life, besides he's my friend. Why shouldn't I stand next to him. Does it violate some kind of silent law?" Rory joked.
Dean just stared at her, until she moved next to him. "We need to talk," Dean said.
"Okay, can we do it later? I just got back from a long walk and I need to lie down," Rory said.
Before Dean could reply, Jess broke in, "Rory why don't you come upstairs and lie down on Luke's bed or mine," he added for Dean's benefit. Knowingly enough, Dean's hands clenched.
Rory completely missed it, she was too busy looking at Jess, wondering why he was being so nice to her. It was a total turnaround from in the cave. Jess took her hand and led her up the stairs. "We'll talk later Dean." Rory's answer floated down the stairs.
Dean just stared up the stairs, his mind filled with rage. He could literally tear Jess limb from limb, he was so mad. Lorelai touched his arm, he flinched, she jumped back.
"Look why don't you come over to the house later. Then you and Rory can talk," Lorelai said.
"You're taking his side, can't you see what he's doing," Dean accused.
"Look, Rory needs to lie down, there's a bed upstairs, why bother taking her home, this is closer. She'll get some sleep then go home, you come over and you guys talk," Lorelai said.
"Fine," Dean stormed out, slamming the door in the process.
"I really don't like that guy, especially when he gets in one of his moods," Luke commented.
"One of his moods. Compared to you, his moods are mild. When you get mad, it's like a volcano erupting, trust me Luke, no one has a temper like you," Lorelai reassured him.
Upstairs, Jess showed Rory to Luke's bedroom, "A flannel bedspread of course," Rory commented.
"I don't feel comfortable in Luke's bedroom, where's the couch?" Rory openly admitted.
"No couch for you. You can have my bed," Jess said, leading her down the hall until they came to his bedroom.
Rory entered, her first impression was that he had a lot of books, a wide variety to choose from. She looked at his bookshelf, her mind boggling with the books he had that she didn't. She was picking one out to look at it. When Jess stopped her.
"You are supposed to be resting, not reading, you can look at them later," Jess said.
"But your books, I want –:" Rory said, her thought interrupted by a huge yawn.
"Later I promise," Jess said. He smoothly led her back to his bed and helped her down, he untied her shoes, and when he had put them on the ground he saw she was asleep.
He looked down at her, so innocent and young. He lay down beside her, just meaning to watch her for a bit, then leave and go into the living room. He lay his head down for a second, he was out like a light.
Unconsciously, Rory moved over to the nearest source of warmth. She wrapped herself around it, she sighed happily, when she was all warm. In his sleep, Jess turned to Rory, so they were face to face. Both asleep, happy and warm, and so they slept.
Downstairs, Lorelai and Luke were watching the rain fall. "It's pretty watching the rain fall, but I'm tired, let's go usptairs and see what Jess and Rory are doing?" Lorelai suggested.
"Sure," Luke said. He followed Lorelai up the stairs, they walked into the living room. No sign of Rory or Jess. Down the hall, they saw Jess and Rory sleeping, wrapped around each other. Lorelai went in, she grabbed the comforter from the bottom of the bed and covered Jess and Rory with it. She looked at them, they were so quiet in sleep.
Lorelai made her way down to Luke's bedroom, she took off her shoes and coat, put them on a chair and got under Luke's bedspread. "Flannel, so warm," she commented.
Luke rolled his eyes, "What are you doing in my bed?"
"Why I'm going to sleep, why don't you join me?" she asked, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Sure," Luke replied, he took off his shoes and put them next to Lorelai's. He crawled into bed with her. He propped himself up on a pillow and looked at her. Lorelai lay facing him, she moved closer to his body, so she could get warm. She lay her head on his pillow and looked at him. Then she closed her eyes, and was asleep within minutes. Luke looked down at her. He took off his hat put it on the dresser next to his bed. He lay down and cradled Lorelai in his arms. He closed his eyes and was asleep within minutes.
The rain fell unheeded by those asleep.
Rory awoke, feeling warm and safe, then she realized that she was wrapped around Jess. She felt her face burning up, she shifted her eyes away from him. Slowly, she set about extracting herself from him. Finally, when she was standing beside the bed. She looked down at Jess. He looked so cute when he was sleeping. She resisted the urge to brush back a lock of evading hair. He stirred and she jumped back in reaction. She grabbed her shoes and ran out into the hall. It was quiet, she walked past Luke's door and stopped.
Her mother lay there, sleeping in Luke's arms. Rory couldn't believe her eyes. She backed away from the door, and walked down the hall to the living room. She sat down on the couch and pondered the last twenty-four hours, a lot had happened. Jess had happened. She closed her eyes and relaxed.
Lorelai opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Luke, he was still asleep. She sat up quickly, what time was it? When she'd crawled into Luke's bed, it'd been 3:18, now the clock on the bedside table read 5:44. Carefully, she separated herself from Luke and made her way out into the hall. She stopped when she saw Rory on the couch. She tiptoed over to the couch and was stopped by Rory's voice.
"Mom, you don't have to sneak up on me," she said, her eyes still closed.
"How'd you know it was me?" Lorelai asked disbelievingly.
"Luke has a sort of stomp in his walk, Jess moves silently, and then you just walk in. It's hard to explain," Rory said.
"Okay. Do you feel better now?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep and not throwing a fit," Rory said.
"Yeah well, it's not like anything could happen with me and Luke in the next room," Lorelai said.
"Yeah asleep," Rory commented.
Luke and Jess walked out into the living room, "Hey, what's up?" they asked.
"Nothing, we're just on our way home," Lorelai said.
"Okay, we'll walk you out," Luke said.
At the door of the diner, Luke and Lorelai paused behind and were talking heatedly. Jess and Rory looked at them briefly. "Thanks for letting me use your bed," Rory said.
"No problem, so I'll see you around," Jess remarked, rocking back on his heels.
"Sure, see ya later," Rory yelled as she got into her mom's Jeep.
"It's so nice to be home," Lorelai said, as she entered her house. She kicked off her shoes and threw her jacket on a nearby chair. She went upstairs, "Are you gonna call Dean and see if he can come over?" Lorelai asked.
"Why?" Rory asked.
"So I can make myself scarce and let you two talk things out," Lorelai said.
"Okay thanks," Rory said, she made her way over to the phone and picked it up. She hesitated over calling Dean. Finally her fingers dialed the familiar numbers and she heard the ringing then his voice as he said "Hello"
"Hey Dean, it's me Rory."
"Hey Rory, what's up, you feeling better."
"Yeah, I'm fine. You wanna come over?"
"Sure, I'll be over in ten minutes."
"Great, can't wait." She hung up the phone.
Her mom called down from above, "Is he coming over?"
"Yes," Rory called back up the stairs.
"I'm going to be using the phone for the next bit, so don't pick it up, okay," Lorelai
yelled down.
"Sure thing," Rory yelled back up.
There was a knocking at the door, she knew it was Dean. She bounced over to the door eager to see him.
She opened the door, "Dean, come in," she said.
He entered and made his way into the living room. He was pacing the floor, he looked serious, like he was thinking something over.
"What's going on?" Rory said.
"We need to talk about our relationship and where it's going," Dean said.
"Sure, shoot," Rory replied.
"I want us to get more serious," Dean said.
"What'd you mean more serious?" Rory asked, her head tilted at an awkward angle as she tried to understand what he was saying.
"I want everyone to know you're my girlfriend," Dean said.
"Everyone already knows that I am your girlfriend," Rory replied.
"But I want to give you something to show it," Dean said.
"Um okay," Rory mumbled uncertainly.
Dean took out a ring box, opened it and showed it to Rory. "I want you to wear
my class ring," he declared.
"Oh my god, Dean it's beautiful," she clasped it in her hands and looked at her.
"So you accept it," he looked ecstatic.
"Well actually, this is such a big step for us, and I just need some time to think about this, so can I tell you on Monday at school?" she asked.
"Sure," Dean said.
"Okay, you want to stay and watch a movie with me?" Rory asked.
"No, I got stuff to do. But I'll see you at school on Monday," Dean said.
"Okay," she walked him to the door, and watched him walk away. When she closed the door, she went over to the phone and saw that the red light was still on. Who could her mom be talking to. She went to get her cell phone to phone Lane. First she looked at her watch, it read 6:58. Maybe she and Lane could still go see a movie.
Quickly she phoned Lane. Luckily, the movie that they both wanted to see was playing in half an hour, so they would meet in 15 minutes and walk to the theatre. Rory hung up and got her stuff together. Still ten minutes later, her mom was on the phone. Rory crept upstairs, stopping when she heard her mom laugh aloud.
"Luke that is so funny, stop you're killing me. Look I gotta go, but I'll see you later. I just gotta go tell Rory that I'm coming over there, bye." She hung up the phone.
Rory walked silently down the hall and crept down the stairs oh so slowly. When she was a safe distance away, she yelled out. "Mom I'm going to the movies with Lane, I'll see you later." She waited for a reply.
"Wait Rory, I'm going out too," Lorelai said. She ran down the stairs, still attaching an earring.
Rory looked her mom up and down. Raised an eyebrow and asked, "Got a hot date, let's see who could it be?" "Taylor Doose the mayor, Kirk the postman, Harry the troubadour, or Luke the coffee-shop owner?" Rory asked.
"None of your business," Lorelai growled jokingly. "I will conduct my affairs in secret, my child need not know," she replied.
"Okay, keep your secrets. I'm going to the movies with Lane, see ya later," she skipped out the door.
"All right all right, I'm going to Luke's for coffee, satisfied," Lorelai asked.
"Oh yeah, indeed, look I gotta go. Or Lane is going to kill me for being later. I have officially one minute to make it to her house," Rory yipped when she looked at her watch.
"Would you like a ride?" Lorelai offered.
"Sure," Rory said. She ran over to the car and vaulted into the seat.
Lorelai revved the engine and sped over to Lane's house. "Made it with two seconds to spare. Thanks mom, see ya later. Have fun with Luke."
"Oh I will," Lorelai said, as she revved the engine and sped off to the diner.
"Rory let's go, before my mom decides to make me stay home," Lane said, while running down the path and out the gate.
"Okay, we still have fifteen minutes till the movie starts and it only takes two minutes to walk over there," Rory said.
"Whatever, Miss Logical," Lane remarked.
They made it to the theater with ten minutes to spare, were inside and in the concession line with eight minutes left. Rory and Lane were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't see who was behind them.
"Well who'd thought Miss Prim and Proper, out at the movies on a Saturday night after such an exhausting day," someone remarked.
"Jess, what are you doing here?" Rory asked, her tone a little miffed.
"Last I checked, it was okay for anyone to go to the movies on a Saturday night," he replied.
"What movie are you going to see?" Rory asked.
"Collateral Damage, the new action movie, it's supposed to be really good," Jess said.
"Great, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Rory turned around.
"What movie are you going to see?" Jess asked.
"Crossroads," Lane replied.
"The chick flick," Jess grimaced.
"Yes the chick flick," Rory was fast becoming ticked off at Jess. He was acting this way to piss her off and it was working.
"Well because-" Lane was cut off by Rory jerking her to the concession stand. "Order," Rory said.
"Okay, I'll have a large popcorn and a large pop," Lane said, while she waited for
her stuff to be ready, she counted out the correct change.
"Why so mad Rory?" Jess asked caustically.
"Because you're so annoying," her eyes flashed arrows of rage at him.
"I'm only trying to be charming," Jess mocked.
"Well stop, it's bloody annoying and another thing-," she was cut off by Lane.
"Rory, it's your turn to order," Lane said.
"A large popcorn and a medium coke, please," Rory said. She turned back around to stare hostily at Jess.
"That comes to $6.75, miss," the guy at the counter said.
"Rory slammed seven dollars onto the counter, "Keep the change," she said and stalked off to the theater, dragging Lane with her.
She turned around once to glare at Jess, before disappearing into the theater. Jess purchased his food and drink and made his way to his theater, where Collateral Damage was showing.
Once settled in the theater, Lane asked, "What is going on between you and Jess?"
"Nothing, we just had a little adventure today," Rory said.
"Well tell me," Lane said.
So Rory did, and by the time she'd wrapped the story up, Crossroads was starting. About halfway through the movie, Lane told Rory that she had to run off somewhere and would be back as soon as possible. Rory knew what she was talking about. Girl stuff. Rory settled back into her seat and tried to focus on the movie at hand. She just had a tough time trying to believe that Britney Spears was an actress and not just a singer.
Still after another ten minutes, Lane wasn't back, Rory was just about to get up and go check on her. When she sensed there was someone behind her.