Ok, so I've finally gotten off of my sorry butt and have written the second chapter.  I'm feeling kind of shaky about this part so reviews would be greatly appreciated!

Disclaimer:  I don't own Gilmore Girls… ~*sigh*~   Although I do own Mel.

Pairing:  R/J – I love Jess!        

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Mel yawned, stretching her arms over her head as she woke.  Rubbing her eyes, she rolled over to get into a more comfortable position and…

            THUD!

            "AUGGHHH!!!"

            Lorelai stumbled down the stairs, still half asleep.  "What is it, who's being killed?"

            Mel glared up at her from her position on the floor.  "Either get a softer floor or a wider couch," she muttered, rubbing her still-throbbing head.  Lorelai grinned sleepily at the girl sprawled over her living room floor before stumbling the rest of the way down the stairs. 

            "Well, good morning to you, too," she said, helping to hoist the disgruntled fifteen-year-old to her feet.  It had been two days since Mel had come to Stars Hollow, and she and Lorelai had established something akin to friendship, which Rory would have defined as 'friendish,' had she been there. 

Lorelai had found that Mel wasn't as untrustworthy as she would have others believe.  Besides a few smuggled beers, and a cigarette or two, she had had no problems with her.  She had even been cooking breakfast for the past few days, not, as Mel had made a point to say, because she wanted to, but because she had heard horror stories about Lorelai's cooking.  But Lorelai could tell that there was a spark of kindness behind her actions.  Mel could obviously tell that Lorelai was still emotionally and physically drained from the accident, and wasn't up to doing anything, especially cooking.  And Mel couldn't get Lorelai to tell her just why she refused to go to Luke's diner.

And Lorelai was still working on trying to control the anger she felt for Jess.  Even though part of her wanted to try to accept him, another, much louder part of her reminded her of that look on Rory's battered face, of her shattered, broken body.  It wasn't going to be easy to accept him after what had happened.

            Lorelai set to work making coffee while Mel plunked herself down at the kitchen table.  "So, they're coming home today, right?" she yawned, resting her head on the table top. 

            "Yep," Lorelai replied, "Although I think doc dearest said that they will both be prostrate for quite some time, so I'm going to have to play nurse for a while."

            Mel nodded.  "Mmm.  Hey, Lorelai, I think I'll be pushing off once they get back.  I don't want to intrude on your hospitality for too long.  And I talked to Luke, and he said it would be ok if I stayed there a while, since he won't be able to take care of Jess while he's 'prostrate,' as you so elegantly put it, since he'll be running the diner and that Caesar guy will be on vacation."

            Lorelai spun around, a freshly brewed cup of coffee steaming in her hands.  Her face had turned pale, and she gulped down a huge mouthful of coffee before speaking, as if to reassure herself.  "Wait… you talked to Luke?  When, where, why, how?"

            "Woah, ease off with the twenty questions.  Did you think I just sat in Miss Patty's ballet class all day?  I recognized Luke's diner from Jess' description, and dropped by.  He's the first person I've ever met who can make coffee that almost compares to New York Chinatown coffee."

            "Did you…" Lorelai paused, staring into her cup as if searching it for inspiration.  "Did he… happen to mention me at all?"

            Mel looked up at quickly, hoping that perhaps Lorelai would spill on why she had been avoiding the diner.  "Not that I recall…  why?"

            "Uh… it's nothing.  It's just…  we kind of had an argument over the accident.  I… I kind of blamed him for the whole thing, and told him it was his fault, and stuff like that.  I haven't really gone to his diner since."

            Mel raised her eyebrows.  "Well, if you feel so bad about it, apologize."

            Lorelai looked up sharply, blinking.  "What?"

            "Apologize.  This isn't just going to mend itself, you know.  If you were the one at fault, you should be the one to apologize."

            Lorelai studied her face intently before nodding, saying, "Yeah, I guess you're right.  And I really miss his coffee.  This tastes like crap."  With that, she dumped the remaining coffee in her cup down the drain with a flourish, making a face at the brown liquid as it swirled away.  "C'mon, let's get to the hospital, and then we'll get us some real coffee." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Anyone who happened to be outside of Luke's Diner at 12:00 that Sunday were the witnesses to an extremely peculiar sight.  Two hobbling, cast encrusted teenagers on crutches wobbled down the street, supported by a concerned Lorelai, a similarly concerned girl with blue hair, and an unnervingly happy Luke.

            Mel and Jess, several yards behind the others, had a chance to catch up. 

            "Why is Luke so happy?" Jess asked, eyebrows raised, "It's really freaking me out.  I sit there, twitching, all morning, waiting for a bellowing, I-am-going-to-grind-your-bones-to-make-my-bread Luke to come bursting into the hospital, but when he does come, he's practically skipping and he has this simpering smile plastered all over his face."

            "Simpering smile?"  Mel frowned.  "He looks the same to me."

            "Believe me, he's happy.  See the way his mouth is twitching?  That means he's trying not to smile."

            Mel glanced at him, a small grin curving over her mouth.  She refrained comment on how close he had seemed to have grown to Luke, and instead answered his question.  "He made up with Lorelai."

            "They had a fight?"

            "Yeah.  Over you."

            "Is that so?  Oh, and tell me, why hasn't she smashed my skull in half yet?"

            "Oh, I talked her out of it," Mel replied with an enigmatic smile.

            "Talked her out of it, huh.  You know, Mel, sometimes I doubt that you're really human.  I would have thought that to be an impossible task."

            Mel shrugged.  "I guess you just have to get to know her better," she said innocently, staring up at the sky.  Before he could shoot back with a sarcastic retort, she blandly charged on.  "So, anyway, Jess.  Have you talked to Rory at all yet?"

            Jess' countenance immediately changed.  His eyes darkened, and he glanced over at his friend, a flicker of consternation passing over his face.  "No, not yet," he said quietly.  Mel, however, having known him since she was six, read more into what he said.

            Mel raised her eyebrows, still staring up at the sky.  "What makes you think she hates you?"

            Jess jolted, blinking at her.  "You know, that's really unnerving."

Mel merely smiled in response.

Jess continued, "Well, Mel, in case you haven't heard, I smashed her headlong into a tree at approximately 60 miles per hour.  Definitely not a way to win any girl over."

            Mel grinned, looking uncannily like a blue Cheshire cat.  "So you want to win her over."

            Anyone who really didn't know Jess well wouldn't have noticed how he turned several shades paler at her comment.  Mel, however, noticed, and smiled.

            "Did you hear Our Lady Peace has a new CD coming out?"

            "Hah!  You're changing the subject!  I knew it, you like her!"

            "I think their new single is called 'Somewhere Out There.'  Quality music."

            "Fine, change the subject.  You'll have to talk to her eventually, though.  Things aren't going to sort themselves out.  You have to apologize, and stuff."

            Jess nodded, hooded eyes fixed on the ground, no longer trying to evade the subject.  "You're right, I guess," he sighed.

            Mel grinned.  "Great!  Now you can introduce me to your lady love.  I still haven't gotten to speak to her yet.  Oohh… Jess is blushing…"

            "The CD's coming out on June 18, I think."

            "I hate it when you do that."

~*~*~*~*~*~

            "Finally, they're off.  I feel like a normal human being again," Jess sighed, flexing his recently cast-less arms and legs as the doctor and Luke left the hospital room. 

            "You really had me worried there, dude," Steve said, bouncing on the end of Jess' bed, "When Mel rang me up and told me what happened, I shot up here as soon as I could."

            Steve was Jess' other best friend from New York.  His coal black hair flopped over dark brown eyes, which stood out in his remarkably pale face.  His entire wardrobe was black, and although he wasn't exactly a goth, he certainly wasn't what one would describe as being mainstream.  Mel sat beside him, her legs curled up Indian style.

            "So, Jess," she said, "Now that you're no longer bedridden, I suppose that means we'll be lugging ourselves back home."

            "But I just got here!" Steve protested, pulling on one of Mel's pigtails.

            "Trust me, there's nothing to see," she responded darkly, "The main attraction in the place is the library.  Oh, and once in a while you get to see Old Faithful go all exploding-geyser on you."

            Steve looked vaguely puzzled.   "Old Faithful?  As in Yellowstone?"

            Jess rolled his eyes, smirking.  "That's her nickname for Rory's boyfriend.  Dean.  He… uh… paid me a visit a couple weeks ago."

            "Yeah, he had a major freak out.  'You almost killed my darling, blah, blah, you should die, blah, blah, you are scum, blah, blah.'  You should have been there."

            Steve raised his eyebrows.  "Sounds… interesting.  So have you talked to her yet?"

            Jess hopped off of the side of the bed, stretching his arms and legs.  "Nope."

            Steve raised his eyebrows.  "Mel, elaborate."

            "He's been bedridden, she's been bedridden, therefore, no interaction.  He hasn't had a chance to woo her yet."

            Jess turned around, a slight scowl on his recently stitches-less face.  The only people he really let his guard down around were his two best friends, and he decided to do so now.  "Woo her my ass.  I practically killed her!  And even if Lorelai hasn't bitten my head off yet, she will probably never let me in a ten foot radius of her again.  And Rory probably hates me anyways!  You can't forgive someone for smashing them into a tree, cause in case you haven't noticed, girls don't really like that too much."

            Steve shrugged.  "Well, you'll never know if she hates you 'til you talk to her, will you?  Maybe you can sort it out, or something."

            Jess merely glowered at them, slouching out of the room with his jacket slung over his shoulder.

            Mel raised her eyebrows.  "Typical Jess exit.  Why can't I make any dramatic exits like that?"

            Steve grinned.  "He hasn't lost his touch.  Remember when you were drooling all over him a couple years ago?"

            Mel shrugged.  "He's more of a big brother type to me, I guess.  I gave up on him long ago.  And besides, I have you, don't I?"  Steve smiled, bending down to give his girlfriend a kiss. 

            "Let's find Jess, shall we?  We don't want that delinquent getting into any more trouble."

            "Huh.  Delinquent?  You should talk."

            "Oh, shut up."   

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Jess tossed his copy of 1984 to the side, leaning back in his bed and staring at the ceiling.  He had found that recently he couldn't concentrate on anything, even George Orwell.  He sighed absently, running his fingers over the faint scars that still lined his face. 

            Ever since Mel and Steve had returned to New York, he had felt strangely empty, as if a part of himself had left with them.  The wild, desperate yearning for his hometown that he had managed to suppress in the past few months reared its ugly head once more, gnawing away painfully at his insides.  Seeing his friends leave had made him nearly sick with loneliness, although his face and actions betrayed nothing.  He wasn't one for big emotional breakdowns. 

            And on top of this overwhelming insecurity, he felt immensely guilty.  He was certain that he had ruined Rory.  How could she ever trust him again after what had happened?  Even though he had told his friends that he would talk to her, he had been pointedly avoiding her, running upstairs whenever she appeared in the diner.  For once, Jess was completely at a loss for what to do.  He had no idea what Rory would think of him after what had happened, but he was fairly certain that her feelings must be leaning more towards the negative side.

            But what bothered Jess the most was the fact that he had let this whole incident get to him at all.  He had never felt this guilty about hurting anyone.  He had always been the center of his own little universe, which contained only his closest friends, soaring in their own little orbits around him.  Sure, he had stood up for them, and he cared about them more than anything else, but guilt was an alien emotion to him.  He didn't understand why he was so devastated about someone's good opinion lost.  Before, he would have just shrugged it off, saying it was their loss.  But now…

            He cursed silently to himself.  The small town atmosphere was slowly beginning to get to his head.  He ran a frustrated hand through his tousled dark hair.  He had to get out.  Hopping to his feet, he walked towards the door, grabbing the keys to the apartment as he went.  He swung open the door, and barreled straight into something warm and soft.  Stumbling slightly and muttering half-hearted apologies, he backed up to see who he had collided with, and found himself face to face with a pair of shimmering blue eyes.

            Rory.

            Damn.

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So, that was Chapter 2.  What did you think?  Please, please review!