Disclaimer: Nyeh, still own nothing…

A/N: Penultimate chapter now. Special thanks to all who've reviewed: tigress33, Neurotic Coffee, marie, ophelia, melia, Luke Rules, Green Eve, mocha-queen, Tara, and rebecca. Your comments are truly appreciated! For those who're asking again, yes, as in the show, Jess returns to SH, but as mention before, the story ends in NY. This chapter starts the end of Jess's last weekend in NY… at least for now. Once again, R&R please! :0)

* * *

Meg noticed the change in Jess immediately. Not that there was much to notice. Most who knew him wouldn't even have thought anything of it. After all, he was still moody, laconic, and guarded; in fact, if he was anything else, then there was cause to worry. Nonetheless, she picked up on the differences: his feet seemed to drag that little bit more, the raincloud she always imagined over his head greyer, more imminent, the incandescence in his eyes whenever he hit the shelves somewhat diminished. It was almost as though he was pained to be there amongst all those books, something utterly inconceivable for Jess Mariano.

He spoke less, smiled-- or rather, smirked-- less, had less quips to make about peculiar departing customers-- something that had become quasi-ritualistic these past few weeks. When they closed up he was out of there in a flash, not hanging around to prolong the return home until she practically had to threaten to lock him up in the store overnight. (Not that it ever really deterred him…) She thought she'd whipped up the ultimate trump card with an offer of a free dinner in the store, catered by the good people of the nearby pizza place, but he had actually turned it down. That was all the confirmation she needed that something was definitely up. Normally, that pizza would have been enough to pry anything out of him.

I just have to change my tactics then…

* * *

Late Thursday morning, Jess walked in as usual, ready to start his day's work, oblivious to the fact that the ball was set to roll on a series of events that would change his life.

It started after he grunted his usual morning greeting to Meg. She strode right past him, her usually soft features hard and determined. He spun around, hearing the click of the lock, and saw her flipping the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed'. Before the questions could even reach his lips, Meg turned her attention back to him, firmly gripping his shoulders as she pushed him backwards and planted him on the stool behind the counter.

"Talk."

"What?!"

"Talk."

He saw the look in her eyes and knew what she was asking. He tried to resist, tried to stop it, but the words came pouring out of his mouth. "She came."

The light bulb labelled "Understanding" lit up in her eyes. "Last Thursday?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Beats me."

"You think she loves you too?"

He froze.

"Do you think so?"

Admitting defeat under Meg's scrutiny, he shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, she came out here in the middle of school, it's just-- not her. Isn't that supposed to… mean something?"

"Doing something uncharacteristic of her?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the Jess Mariano I knew would never have run away."

That left him silent.

"What did she say?"

"That I 'didn't say goodbye'."

"Did you want to?"

I might as well say it. "No."

'The boy somehow seemed to be asking for absolutely nothing and absolutely everything all at the same time.' "Why did you come back?"

"Well, one person's hardly reason enough to stay in that place."

"But it's not just one person, is it?"

Again, Jess was struck silent.

A tapping from the window made them both jump. Meg recognised the gentleman outside as a regular customer of hers. So did Jess.

"Aunt Meg, you can't afford to keep the store closed all day."

"Of course I can," she shot back, a little more sharply than Jess had expected, taking him aback for a moment. But he saw the soft look in her eyes. "Some things are simply more important."

The tap sounded again. Meg turned back to signal to her awaiting customer, who impatiently checked his watch, but Jess had already slid off the stool, taking the initiative to get the door. Meg stopped him, her grip firm yet gentle. "Take the day and the rest of the weekend off, Jess."

"But the store--"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about it." Meg then suddenly thought of something, and she quickly strode to the shelves to get it. "Take this, and just go home, okay?"

He looked at the book she'd pressed into his hands, and absently nodded, gripping it tightly. His eyes were still on it as he unlocked the door and left, letting in the waiting customer.

"Meg, so sorry to have to interrupt, but I have to get my wife's present by today," he said by ways of greeting.

"Oh, Gareth, I completely forgot you had to get that! I had other emergencies to tend to," she explained.

"Yeah, I saw. You never told me you had a son."

Meg never did correct Gareth.

* * *

Jess sat locked in his room all day long, holding the book in his hands. 'About a Boy'. He'd read it before, many times, but hadn't touched it since he went to Stars Hollow. Right now, it seemed utterly appropriate for him to read it, but he could never start from the beginning, his thumbs always inevitably flipping through the pages, seeking out the sentences that haunted him.

He couldn't stop thinking of what Meg had said, what she had clearly seen in his own eyes, and what he had until then ignored and refused to acknowledge. There was more than one person keeping him tethered to that freak town, and he could not take his mind off them now-- especially not with that book in his hands.

He slept fitfully that night, his mind rampant with dreams of coffee and sledgehammers, pancakes and spatulas, musty books and grilled hamburgers.

* * *

A/N: Last chapter coming… The finale is looming, as is the final reason for which Jess finally returns to his true home. In the meantime, don't forget… R&R please!!! :0)