A/N: this is my first fic ever, so r/r please. Btw, this all takes place
before Teach Me Tonight.
It was a Saturday morning in Stars Hallow and the diner was as busy as ever. Luke looked especially frantic taking orders.
"Need some help?" Lorelai offered sympathetically.
"No!" Luke snapped back. Then he turned and yelled up the stairs, "Jess, get down here and help me NOW!
"Jess getting to you, huh?" Lorelai asked.
"Yes! Now go sit down and wait for your coffee like everyone else!"
This was strange behavior for Luke. Usually he was calm towards Lorelai. She knew something was up, but she had to obey orders (her coffee depended on it). She sat down next to Rory, but decided to talk about Luke later.
Jess came thundering down the stairs putting on his jacket and heading towards the door.
"And where do you think you're going?" Luke sneered.
"Out." Jess replied shortly.
"Look at all of these hungry customers."
"Oh, that reminds me. I'm hungry too." He said picking up an apple and walking out the door. Luke sighed stiffly as the bells on the door rang.
"I don't know why I agreed to take him in," Luke told Lorelai as he brought her and Rory their coffee. "He's more trouble than he's worth."
Lorelai didn't notice Rory staring after Jess. Rory quietly slipped out following him (with coffee in hand, of course).
"Why do you hate Luke so much?" Rory said catching up to Jess.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Jess ignored her comment.
"Not really."
"Then go where you don't have to be."
"I don't have to be here."
"Fine. I guess I might as well get used to you since you won't leave."
"Ahh. Smart boy"
"So where do you want to go?" Jess still did not smile.
"Where were you planning on going?"
"Out," Jess repeated.
"Out where?"
"Just out"
"You skipped work to go 'out'?"
"Yea. 's that a problem?"
"No. I just think that you are always so insensitive."
"And what would you know about that?"
"I do go to Chilton. I'd say that there are many insensitive people there." Rory said thinking of Tristan, Paris, Madeline, and their friends. Jess snorted a laugh.
They walked around the center of town in silence, but Rory noticed Jess's eyes growing colder as the smile smeared off his face. She had a feeling that he was thinking of the big city world from which he had come.
Jess suddenly remembered a time, about two years ago when he had to show his soft side:
**
He was driving home from a party with his girlfriend, Janet, in the car, when he remembered that he had bought her some flowers. They were in the back, so he told Janet to take the wheel. While reaching back, he felt the car swerve. Just before he was knocked unconscious, he remembered that they had been drinking and that Janet was not as tolerant to alcohol as he was. When he awoke in the emergency room, he felt the guilt that had surpassed him the night before. and even more so when he found out that his mistake had killed her. He never had gotten over this and had resolved never to have another girlfriend (for fear of her life). But Rory almost forget his promise to Janet.
**
"What is it?" Rory asked, curious but concerned.
"Uh, I better get back to the diner." Jess changed the subject not wanting Rory to know about this fault of him.
"I thought you were going 'out.'" She shot back at him, hiding the fact that she wanted him to stay.
"I am 'out,' and now I'm going 'in'." He walked back towards the diner alone, blocking the fact that he really wanted to stay.
He was just a few feet from the diner entrance when he saw Luke and Lorelai fighting. This meant that something was very wrong. He could go around the back way and creep to his room unnoticed. All he had to do was get his portable CD player to get his mind off of her. No! Bad Jess. He silently scolded himself. How can I be thinking this? I love Janet, not Rory, remember, Jess?
~~ Meanwhile, in the Diner~~
"Did you see Rory leave?" Lorelai felt like the scatterbrain she often was.
"She's your daughter. Maybe you aren't ready for a teenager if you don't even know where she is."
"That's it! You act like you can take care of a kid better than I can. Well guess who's kid staged a murder to make the town more "interesting." And who's kid was it who stole the Babbette's garden gnome? Oh, and guess who."
"That would be my sister's kid." Luke interrupted.
"Well thank you captain literal."
"Yes, I know that I am taking care of him at the moment but he's been here for 3 months, and you've brought Rory up for 16 years. One would think that you know where she is. Even I do."
"You do? Where?" Lorelai stopped herself realizing that she was admitting that she didn't know where her daughter was. This would only prove Luke right. "I mean, uh, of course I know where she is."
"It's hard to believe that you were her age only 16 years ago and you still can't detect chemistry."
"Ah, chemistry one of my worst subjects." She teased sarcastically.
"Fine I'll just have to open your eyes for you. Jess - Rory - Picnic basket auction - Deja vu. You know, Dean's her first boyfriend, first kiss, first breakup, and first "get back together." You didn't truly think that that was going to go on forever, did you?
"No, no. Not my Rory. With bad boy Jess."
"Denial: the first sign that you have a problem."
"Don't be smart with me."
"You know I'm not smart," He said with a smile trying to lighten the mood.
"Yup. But my Rory is and I know that she would never fall for the wrong boy." Lorelai held her head high in a 'ha, you were wrong' sort of way.
"Maybe Jess isn't the wrong boy." He was in the process of thinking this through when he dove into the seriousness of the statement.
"You have no right to decide who is or isn't right for my baby!" Lorelai blew up at Luke.
"Well neither do you."
"Oh, yes, I do. But you certainly are not responsible enough to decide that, even for your nephew. I would advise you to keep Jess away from Rory, because if you set them up, I'll have to kick some plaid butt!" She grunted walking out the door with her sixth cup of coffee for the morning.
"Wow, she's getting to be so much like her mother that she doesn't even notice it," Luke said to himself. Then he got back to work as a one-man show.
~~ Outside the diner directly after the two last scenes~~
(Lorelai runs into Jess as she is storming out of the diner)
"Weren't you going 'out'?" Lorelai eyed Jess with a bit of warning thinking of the fresh bit of information Luke had given her.
"Boy, you guys spend way too much time together." Jess mumbled referring to her and Rory.
"Excuse me mister?" She was a bit taken offended by the muttering (Jess could tell she was crabby today.)
"Nothing." He didn't want to cause any more of a scene as not to be instructed to work in the diner.
As he walked around to the back of the diner he saw a shadowy figure approaching him.
A/N: I know that Lorelai and Luke fighting like that was not totally in character and that the fact that Jesse likes Rory may be old news to Lorelai but bear with me. It will get more interesting.
It was a Saturday morning in Stars Hallow and the diner was as busy as ever. Luke looked especially frantic taking orders.
"Need some help?" Lorelai offered sympathetically.
"No!" Luke snapped back. Then he turned and yelled up the stairs, "Jess, get down here and help me NOW!
"Jess getting to you, huh?" Lorelai asked.
"Yes! Now go sit down and wait for your coffee like everyone else!"
This was strange behavior for Luke. Usually he was calm towards Lorelai. She knew something was up, but she had to obey orders (her coffee depended on it). She sat down next to Rory, but decided to talk about Luke later.
Jess came thundering down the stairs putting on his jacket and heading towards the door.
"And where do you think you're going?" Luke sneered.
"Out." Jess replied shortly.
"Look at all of these hungry customers."
"Oh, that reminds me. I'm hungry too." He said picking up an apple and walking out the door. Luke sighed stiffly as the bells on the door rang.
"I don't know why I agreed to take him in," Luke told Lorelai as he brought her and Rory their coffee. "He's more trouble than he's worth."
Lorelai didn't notice Rory staring after Jess. Rory quietly slipped out following him (with coffee in hand, of course).
"Why do you hate Luke so much?" Rory said catching up to Jess.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Jess ignored her comment.
"Not really."
"Then go where you don't have to be."
"I don't have to be here."
"Fine. I guess I might as well get used to you since you won't leave."
"Ahh. Smart boy"
"So where do you want to go?" Jess still did not smile.
"Where were you planning on going?"
"Out," Jess repeated.
"Out where?"
"Just out"
"You skipped work to go 'out'?"
"Yea. 's that a problem?"
"No. I just think that you are always so insensitive."
"And what would you know about that?"
"I do go to Chilton. I'd say that there are many insensitive people there." Rory said thinking of Tristan, Paris, Madeline, and their friends. Jess snorted a laugh.
They walked around the center of town in silence, but Rory noticed Jess's eyes growing colder as the smile smeared off his face. She had a feeling that he was thinking of the big city world from which he had come.
Jess suddenly remembered a time, about two years ago when he had to show his soft side:
**
He was driving home from a party with his girlfriend, Janet, in the car, when he remembered that he had bought her some flowers. They were in the back, so he told Janet to take the wheel. While reaching back, he felt the car swerve. Just before he was knocked unconscious, he remembered that they had been drinking and that Janet was not as tolerant to alcohol as he was. When he awoke in the emergency room, he felt the guilt that had surpassed him the night before. and even more so when he found out that his mistake had killed her. He never had gotten over this and had resolved never to have another girlfriend (for fear of her life). But Rory almost forget his promise to Janet.
**
"What is it?" Rory asked, curious but concerned.
"Uh, I better get back to the diner." Jess changed the subject not wanting Rory to know about this fault of him.
"I thought you were going 'out.'" She shot back at him, hiding the fact that she wanted him to stay.
"I am 'out,' and now I'm going 'in'." He walked back towards the diner alone, blocking the fact that he really wanted to stay.
He was just a few feet from the diner entrance when he saw Luke and Lorelai fighting. This meant that something was very wrong. He could go around the back way and creep to his room unnoticed. All he had to do was get his portable CD player to get his mind off of her. No! Bad Jess. He silently scolded himself. How can I be thinking this? I love Janet, not Rory, remember, Jess?
~~ Meanwhile, in the Diner~~
"Did you see Rory leave?" Lorelai felt like the scatterbrain she often was.
"She's your daughter. Maybe you aren't ready for a teenager if you don't even know where she is."
"That's it! You act like you can take care of a kid better than I can. Well guess who's kid staged a murder to make the town more "interesting." And who's kid was it who stole the Babbette's garden gnome? Oh, and guess who."
"That would be my sister's kid." Luke interrupted.
"Well thank you captain literal."
"Yes, I know that I am taking care of him at the moment but he's been here for 3 months, and you've brought Rory up for 16 years. One would think that you know where she is. Even I do."
"You do? Where?" Lorelai stopped herself realizing that she was admitting that she didn't know where her daughter was. This would only prove Luke right. "I mean, uh, of course I know where she is."
"It's hard to believe that you were her age only 16 years ago and you still can't detect chemistry."
"Ah, chemistry one of my worst subjects." She teased sarcastically.
"Fine I'll just have to open your eyes for you. Jess - Rory - Picnic basket auction - Deja vu. You know, Dean's her first boyfriend, first kiss, first breakup, and first "get back together." You didn't truly think that that was going to go on forever, did you?
"No, no. Not my Rory. With bad boy Jess."
"Denial: the first sign that you have a problem."
"Don't be smart with me."
"You know I'm not smart," He said with a smile trying to lighten the mood.
"Yup. But my Rory is and I know that she would never fall for the wrong boy." Lorelai held her head high in a 'ha, you were wrong' sort of way.
"Maybe Jess isn't the wrong boy." He was in the process of thinking this through when he dove into the seriousness of the statement.
"You have no right to decide who is or isn't right for my baby!" Lorelai blew up at Luke.
"Well neither do you."
"Oh, yes, I do. But you certainly are not responsible enough to decide that, even for your nephew. I would advise you to keep Jess away from Rory, because if you set them up, I'll have to kick some plaid butt!" She grunted walking out the door with her sixth cup of coffee for the morning.
"Wow, she's getting to be so much like her mother that she doesn't even notice it," Luke said to himself. Then he got back to work as a one-man show.
~~ Outside the diner directly after the two last scenes~~
(Lorelai runs into Jess as she is storming out of the diner)
"Weren't you going 'out'?" Lorelai eyed Jess with a bit of warning thinking of the fresh bit of information Luke had given her.
"Boy, you guys spend way too much time together." Jess mumbled referring to her and Rory.
"Excuse me mister?" She was a bit taken offended by the muttering (Jess could tell she was crabby today.)
"Nothing." He didn't want to cause any more of a scene as not to be instructed to work in the diner.
As he walked around to the back of the diner he saw a shadowy figure approaching him.
A/N: I know that Lorelai and Luke fighting like that was not totally in character and that the fact that Jesse likes Rory may be old news to Lorelai but bear with me. It will get more interesting.