Title: It All Starts With A Kiss
Chapter Twelve: I Don't Know
A/N: Okay, I don't know what to call this chapter. I don't know what to write in this chapter, but I'm gonna wing it! And also, I'd like to say, if you want to know what Rory and Jess did in the grandparents' house, re-read chapter eight(that's the one with the pregnancy scares). I think I'm gonna drop Paris into this chapter, and if I can, Lorelai will philosophize how the song "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega relates to her life. But if I don't put that here, I promise, it will be put in. And I think Christopher's gonna show up sometime, and Christmas is coming up, and I might fast-forward again so that I can have Lorelai not throwing up(in other words, in the second trimester, not the first) and Rory, Lorelai, and Jess all without casts. Although, let's just say that Lorelai already got her cast off, cause she only broke her little pinky. Anyway...that's what's been going through my head since Wednesday. Ooh! And Thursday, the 12th, that was my birthday! Yay! Happy birthday to me!!! Yay!!! USELESS TRIVIA ALERT THAT MAKES THE STORY MORE UNDERSTANDABLE!!!!: Lauren Graham played Andrea, an efficiency expert on NewsRadio for four episodes.
P.S. Hey, maybe for a birthday present, I could get, like, lots and lots and lotsa reviews. Although, you guys are pretty good about that. 81! That's amazing!
~~~~
"And lift, and lift, and one and two and three and four and breathe. Good! We'll be right back." Denise Austin prattled away on the Lifetime Channel as Rory stretched and tried to stand as she woke up. The leg with the cast was stiff and the other leg was sore. She picked up the remote from the coffee table and plopped back onto the couch, leaving her legs to battle it out with themselves. She started flipping through channels, and finally settled on the Arts and Entertainment Channel, where an episode of NewsRadio was playing.
"I never liked her," Lorelai murmured from her curled-up position next to Rory on the couch.
"Who, Lisa?" Rory asked, referring to the character played by Maura Tierney.
"No, that Andrea person." Lorelai pointed to the way-too-friendly, twenty-something brunette efficiency expert.
"Oh, yeah, me either. Although...she does kinda look like someone I know."
"Not this again!" Lorelai groaned.
"She does! You have to admit, she looks like you did when you were twenty-eight!"
"Which was how many years ago?" Lorelai pointed her finger in Rory's face.
"Why, it's just this year!" Rory answered faithfully.
"Good girl! Now go get yourself a Pop-Tart."
Rory stood up and grabbed her nearby crutches to head into the kitchen.
"Get me one too!" Lorelai called as soon as Rory was in the kitchen.
"Mom, I've got a broken leg."
"Says the girl who got A pluses on all her tests when she broke her arm and couldn't write for a month. Besides, it's only your foot, and you've got crutches, and you're already in there!"
Rory appeared in the hallway with two silver packages of Pop-Tarts.
"Yay!" Lorelai cheered, her arms above her head. Rory threw a package at her mother and fell onto the couch, practically throwing her crutches on the floor.
"I'm asking for a walking cast next time I go to the doctor."
"Can you get one if you've already got a cast on?"
"I don't care, I want one anyway. I'm really tired of crutches."
"I bet. They suck."
"Agreed."
The girls both ripped into the shiny packages and started in on their breakfast.
~~~~
Jess crept down the stairs into the diner. He peeked around and, seeing Luke busy with the customers and a few high-school kids, tried to sneak out the back way. Luke, however, spotted him.
"Jess! Get over here!"
"Luke, I've got somewhere to be."
"No, you don't, Jess, because you're there."
"Whatever. What's going on?"
"Jess, this is Larry, Sally, and Andy." Luke introduced the three high-school students hovering near him.
"Great. Well, right now it's just me, but Dick, Jane, and Spot show up in a few minutes."
"Shut up, Jess. Larry, Sally, and Andy are taking your place and helping me out while I'm dealing with my...situation."
"What situa...ohhhhhhh, I see. Okay, that's great." Jess turned to head for the door, but Luke laid a hand on his shoulder. Jess sighed.
"Oh, no, you don't get to go yet. I'm taking Andy into the kitchen. You watch Larry and Sally." Luke walked back to the kitchen. Andy shrugged and followed him. Larry and Sally stared at Jess.
"Okay, have you been here before?"
"I dunno." Both teenagers shrugged, and Sally played with her gum.
"Wow, Sally, that gum would be great if we were at a fifties drive-in, but we're not, so spit it out, wash your hands, and then come follow me as I show the two of you how to take an order."
Sally did as she was told, and then both kids followed Jess around as he asked people what they wanted. After about ten minutes, Jess figured they got the concept, and he stood behind the counter and watched as the two of them took one order. The phone rang and he jumped.
"Luke's," he answered after he got over his initial surprise, "and what the hell are you doing calling a diner? It's Stars Hollow; we're less than a block away from wherever you are."
"Jess."
"Rory. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, really. Except, it's snowing."
Jess looked up. Sure enough, a slightly heavy veil of white was quickly covering the town.
"And Mom's not feeling well," Rory continued, "and I've got to get back to school by five, and I don't know if the buses will be running."
"Okay. Well, we can figure something out. Uh, call the bus station--better yet, call Miss Patty. See if she knows someone who will drive you to New Haven. I'll talk to Luke, and he'll most likely head over there with all sorts of remedies for Lorelai's...unsettled stomach."
"Okay, thanks."
"You're welcome. Talk to you later."
"Yeah. Oh, and Jess?" Rory said, seconds before Jess hung up the phone.
"Yes?"
"Interesting greeting. Does Luke know about it?"
"No." Jess could hear her big grin across the phone.
"Well, maybe he'll find out, and maybe he won't."
"I think someone is teasing me."
"Well, maybe my Jess is smarter than people think."
"Your Jess?"
"Yes, my darling Jess."
"Oh, that's better."
"I thought it would be. Now I have to hang up the phone before Mom strangles me with her best scarf for being too lovey-dovey."
"She's one to talk."
"Yeah, but the second half of her lovey-dovey act is busy right now."
"Ah. Well, goodbye, my darling Rory."
"Goodbye, my darling Jess. And let's not ever speak of those names again."
"Deal."
"Bye."
"Bye." Jess replaced the reciever and headed to the kitchen. "Luke!"
"Wha-?" Luke fell out of the chair he had dozed off in. "What the hell?" he yelled as he found himself on the floor.
"Luke, Lorelai's not feeling well, and it's snowing."
"Great. So?"
"So, it's going to take Rory longer to get back to school, which she has to do by five, and Lorelai's going to be at home alone, and she's all sick."
"Okay. Uh, call Cesar."
"Okay."
"And make hot chocolate. As much as I hate to say it, I'm heading to Doose's. Be right back." Luke walked quickly out of the kitchen. Jess picked up the kitchen phone and dialed Cesar's number. Andy, flipping pancakes, looked over as Jess waited for Cesar to pick up.
"Is it true Rory Gilmore's pregnant?"
"What?" Jess asked, hanging up on Cesar, who had just answered.
"I heard that Rory Gilmore was pregnant."
"No, Rory Gilmore is not pregnant! Where'd you hear that rumor, anyway?"
"My mom."
Jess sighed disgustedly and walked out of the kitchen.
~~~~
"What'd Miss Patty say?" Lorelai asked as Rory hung up the phone.
"She said Mrs. Kim is heading that way and she has to leave today."
"Ooh. Do you think she'll take you?"
"I don't know. I asked Miss Patty to ask around again."
"Yeah. You could always steal the snowplow and head to New Haven yourself."
"Yeah. I'd love to see the look on Paris' face when I show up at the dorm with the town snow plow. Too bad I can't drive."
"Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about that."
"Only because the only thing you broke was your pinky, and it's already healed."
"Yeah, I know. But the fates are punishing you for being so stupid once again."
"Hey! Only one of those times was my fault."
"Yeah, your boyfriend broke one of your arms."
"Yeah, and your trunk broke my foot."
"Ah, c'est la vie."
"Ooh, French! What's the occasion?"
"Lane lent me a 'B*Witched' CD."
"And when will you return it?"
"After I die, after she dies, after I lose it, something."
"Uh-huh."
There was a slight pause as Lorelai turned back to her magazine.
"Hey, Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"I've got something to tell you."
Lorelai closed her magazine and put it down. "Big important stuff?"
"Yeah, big important stuff."
"Okay, shoot. Wait, just a second." Lorelai ran into the kitchen and dug around for something. She reappeared seconds later, a box of saltines in her hand. "We have no comfort slash junk food!"
"You threw it away last week, remember? You said it made you want to throw up."
"Oh. Well, I've got crackers! They'll be our makeshift comfort food." Lorelai jumped onto the couch.
"Okay. Do we need comfort food?"
"I dunno. Do we need comfort food?"
"I don't think so. At least, I hope not."
"Okay. Well, I'm hungry." Lorelai pulled a cracker from an open package in the box. She threw the crackers to the side, shoved the small square in her mouth, and said through a mouthful of crumbs, "Shoot."
"Sure. Okay, this is kind of hard for me to say."
"Does it have anything to do with you wanting to move to New York with Jess?"
"Yes, actually. How did you know?"
"I know these things. I'm psychic."
"More like psychotic."
"Yeah, that too. Anyway, at dinner last night you and Jess were talking about how good NYU is, and how wonderful New York is, and I also got this letter." Lorelai held up an unopened envelope, addressed to Rory Gilmore from New York University. "Now, I don't want you to think I read it, but I did steam it open and glue it back, and apparently you got into NYU."
"Yeah, I knew that."
"Okay, I just have a few things to say about this whole 'moving to New York with your boyfriend who happens to be the town bad boy' thing."
"Okay."
"Okay, number one: the two of you are sleeping in seperate rooms."
"Yes."
"Number two: you will have an apartment near a coffee shop."
"If a coffee shop isn't there already, I'll build one."
"Good girl. Number three: there will, of course, be a special room just for your lovely mother."
"Of course."
"And, the last thing, number four: you will keep your grades up, graduate at the top of the class, call me constantly, and tell me as soon as anything colossal happens. I mean it. Even if the colossal thing is that you get a walking cast or a new book, I wanna know."
"That's four things."
"Shush! Don't contradict your mother!" Lorelai picked up her magazine and started reading. "Hey, J. Lo and Ben are getting married again. Bully for them, I say. Wedding date is set in early January, three days after the divorce is final. Yeah, hell, why wait?"
"Mom?"
"Ror?"
"I slept with Jess."
Chapter Twelve: I Don't Know
A/N: Okay, I don't know what to call this chapter. I don't know what to write in this chapter, but I'm gonna wing it! And also, I'd like to say, if you want to know what Rory and Jess did in the grandparents' house, re-read chapter eight(that's the one with the pregnancy scares). I think I'm gonna drop Paris into this chapter, and if I can, Lorelai will philosophize how the song "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega relates to her life. But if I don't put that here, I promise, it will be put in. And I think Christopher's gonna show up sometime, and Christmas is coming up, and I might fast-forward again so that I can have Lorelai not throwing up(in other words, in the second trimester, not the first) and Rory, Lorelai, and Jess all without casts. Although, let's just say that Lorelai already got her cast off, cause she only broke her little pinky. Anyway...that's what's been going through my head since Wednesday. Ooh! And Thursday, the 12th, that was my birthday! Yay! Happy birthday to me!!! Yay!!! USELESS TRIVIA ALERT THAT MAKES THE STORY MORE UNDERSTANDABLE!!!!: Lauren Graham played Andrea, an efficiency expert on NewsRadio for four episodes.
P.S. Hey, maybe for a birthday present, I could get, like, lots and lots and lotsa reviews. Although, you guys are pretty good about that. 81! That's amazing!
~~~~
"And lift, and lift, and one and two and three and four and breathe. Good! We'll be right back." Denise Austin prattled away on the Lifetime Channel as Rory stretched and tried to stand as she woke up. The leg with the cast was stiff and the other leg was sore. She picked up the remote from the coffee table and plopped back onto the couch, leaving her legs to battle it out with themselves. She started flipping through channels, and finally settled on the Arts and Entertainment Channel, where an episode of NewsRadio was playing.
"I never liked her," Lorelai murmured from her curled-up position next to Rory on the couch.
"Who, Lisa?" Rory asked, referring to the character played by Maura Tierney.
"No, that Andrea person." Lorelai pointed to the way-too-friendly, twenty-something brunette efficiency expert.
"Oh, yeah, me either. Although...she does kinda look like someone I know."
"Not this again!" Lorelai groaned.
"She does! You have to admit, she looks like you did when you were twenty-eight!"
"Which was how many years ago?" Lorelai pointed her finger in Rory's face.
"Why, it's just this year!" Rory answered faithfully.
"Good girl! Now go get yourself a Pop-Tart."
Rory stood up and grabbed her nearby crutches to head into the kitchen.
"Get me one too!" Lorelai called as soon as Rory was in the kitchen.
"Mom, I've got a broken leg."
"Says the girl who got A pluses on all her tests when she broke her arm and couldn't write for a month. Besides, it's only your foot, and you've got crutches, and you're already in there!"
Rory appeared in the hallway with two silver packages of Pop-Tarts.
"Yay!" Lorelai cheered, her arms above her head. Rory threw a package at her mother and fell onto the couch, practically throwing her crutches on the floor.
"I'm asking for a walking cast next time I go to the doctor."
"Can you get one if you've already got a cast on?"
"I don't care, I want one anyway. I'm really tired of crutches."
"I bet. They suck."
"Agreed."
The girls both ripped into the shiny packages and started in on their breakfast.
~~~~
Jess crept down the stairs into the diner. He peeked around and, seeing Luke busy with the customers and a few high-school kids, tried to sneak out the back way. Luke, however, spotted him.
"Jess! Get over here!"
"Luke, I've got somewhere to be."
"No, you don't, Jess, because you're there."
"Whatever. What's going on?"
"Jess, this is Larry, Sally, and Andy." Luke introduced the three high-school students hovering near him.
"Great. Well, right now it's just me, but Dick, Jane, and Spot show up in a few minutes."
"Shut up, Jess. Larry, Sally, and Andy are taking your place and helping me out while I'm dealing with my...situation."
"What situa...ohhhhhhh, I see. Okay, that's great." Jess turned to head for the door, but Luke laid a hand on his shoulder. Jess sighed.
"Oh, no, you don't get to go yet. I'm taking Andy into the kitchen. You watch Larry and Sally." Luke walked back to the kitchen. Andy shrugged and followed him. Larry and Sally stared at Jess.
"Okay, have you been here before?"
"I dunno." Both teenagers shrugged, and Sally played with her gum.
"Wow, Sally, that gum would be great if we were at a fifties drive-in, but we're not, so spit it out, wash your hands, and then come follow me as I show the two of you how to take an order."
Sally did as she was told, and then both kids followed Jess around as he asked people what they wanted. After about ten minutes, Jess figured they got the concept, and he stood behind the counter and watched as the two of them took one order. The phone rang and he jumped.
"Luke's," he answered after he got over his initial surprise, "and what the hell are you doing calling a diner? It's Stars Hollow; we're less than a block away from wherever you are."
"Jess."
"Rory. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, really. Except, it's snowing."
Jess looked up. Sure enough, a slightly heavy veil of white was quickly covering the town.
"And Mom's not feeling well," Rory continued, "and I've got to get back to school by five, and I don't know if the buses will be running."
"Okay. Well, we can figure something out. Uh, call the bus station--better yet, call Miss Patty. See if she knows someone who will drive you to New Haven. I'll talk to Luke, and he'll most likely head over there with all sorts of remedies for Lorelai's...unsettled stomach."
"Okay, thanks."
"You're welcome. Talk to you later."
"Yeah. Oh, and Jess?" Rory said, seconds before Jess hung up the phone.
"Yes?"
"Interesting greeting. Does Luke know about it?"
"No." Jess could hear her big grin across the phone.
"Well, maybe he'll find out, and maybe he won't."
"I think someone is teasing me."
"Well, maybe my Jess is smarter than people think."
"Your Jess?"
"Yes, my darling Jess."
"Oh, that's better."
"I thought it would be. Now I have to hang up the phone before Mom strangles me with her best scarf for being too lovey-dovey."
"She's one to talk."
"Yeah, but the second half of her lovey-dovey act is busy right now."
"Ah. Well, goodbye, my darling Rory."
"Goodbye, my darling Jess. And let's not ever speak of those names again."
"Deal."
"Bye."
"Bye." Jess replaced the reciever and headed to the kitchen. "Luke!"
"Wha-?" Luke fell out of the chair he had dozed off in. "What the hell?" he yelled as he found himself on the floor.
"Luke, Lorelai's not feeling well, and it's snowing."
"Great. So?"
"So, it's going to take Rory longer to get back to school, which she has to do by five, and Lorelai's going to be at home alone, and she's all sick."
"Okay. Uh, call Cesar."
"Okay."
"And make hot chocolate. As much as I hate to say it, I'm heading to Doose's. Be right back." Luke walked quickly out of the kitchen. Jess picked up the kitchen phone and dialed Cesar's number. Andy, flipping pancakes, looked over as Jess waited for Cesar to pick up.
"Is it true Rory Gilmore's pregnant?"
"What?" Jess asked, hanging up on Cesar, who had just answered.
"I heard that Rory Gilmore was pregnant."
"No, Rory Gilmore is not pregnant! Where'd you hear that rumor, anyway?"
"My mom."
Jess sighed disgustedly and walked out of the kitchen.
~~~~
"What'd Miss Patty say?" Lorelai asked as Rory hung up the phone.
"She said Mrs. Kim is heading that way and she has to leave today."
"Ooh. Do you think she'll take you?"
"I don't know. I asked Miss Patty to ask around again."
"Yeah. You could always steal the snowplow and head to New Haven yourself."
"Yeah. I'd love to see the look on Paris' face when I show up at the dorm with the town snow plow. Too bad I can't drive."
"Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about that."
"Only because the only thing you broke was your pinky, and it's already healed."
"Yeah, I know. But the fates are punishing you for being so stupid once again."
"Hey! Only one of those times was my fault."
"Yeah, your boyfriend broke one of your arms."
"Yeah, and your trunk broke my foot."
"Ah, c'est la vie."
"Ooh, French! What's the occasion?"
"Lane lent me a 'B*Witched' CD."
"And when will you return it?"
"After I die, after she dies, after I lose it, something."
"Uh-huh."
There was a slight pause as Lorelai turned back to her magazine.
"Hey, Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"I've got something to tell you."
Lorelai closed her magazine and put it down. "Big important stuff?"
"Yeah, big important stuff."
"Okay, shoot. Wait, just a second." Lorelai ran into the kitchen and dug around for something. She reappeared seconds later, a box of saltines in her hand. "We have no comfort slash junk food!"
"You threw it away last week, remember? You said it made you want to throw up."
"Oh. Well, I've got crackers! They'll be our makeshift comfort food." Lorelai jumped onto the couch.
"Okay. Do we need comfort food?"
"I dunno. Do we need comfort food?"
"I don't think so. At least, I hope not."
"Okay. Well, I'm hungry." Lorelai pulled a cracker from an open package in the box. She threw the crackers to the side, shoved the small square in her mouth, and said through a mouthful of crumbs, "Shoot."
"Sure. Okay, this is kind of hard for me to say."
"Does it have anything to do with you wanting to move to New York with Jess?"
"Yes, actually. How did you know?"
"I know these things. I'm psychic."
"More like psychotic."
"Yeah, that too. Anyway, at dinner last night you and Jess were talking about how good NYU is, and how wonderful New York is, and I also got this letter." Lorelai held up an unopened envelope, addressed to Rory Gilmore from New York University. "Now, I don't want you to think I read it, but I did steam it open and glue it back, and apparently you got into NYU."
"Yeah, I knew that."
"Okay, I just have a few things to say about this whole 'moving to New York with your boyfriend who happens to be the town bad boy' thing."
"Okay."
"Okay, number one: the two of you are sleeping in seperate rooms."
"Yes."
"Number two: you will have an apartment near a coffee shop."
"If a coffee shop isn't there already, I'll build one."
"Good girl. Number three: there will, of course, be a special room just for your lovely mother."
"Of course."
"And, the last thing, number four: you will keep your grades up, graduate at the top of the class, call me constantly, and tell me as soon as anything colossal happens. I mean it. Even if the colossal thing is that you get a walking cast or a new book, I wanna know."
"That's four things."
"Shush! Don't contradict your mother!" Lorelai picked up her magazine and started reading. "Hey, J. Lo and Ben are getting married again. Bully for them, I say. Wedding date is set in early January, three days after the divorce is final. Yeah, hell, why wait?"
"Mom?"
"Ror?"
"I slept with Jess."