Title: Shadows Of The Past
Author: Kathryn
Summary: Six years ago Jess had broken up with her, and Rory had always wondered what went wrong. Now, on the eve of Luke and Lorelai's wedding, he returns to town, and Rory must piece together exactly why he left, while being drawn to him through mysterious circumstances. Will the two of them find their way back to each other?
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, because if I did, Jess would obviously be getting a lot more screen time. ;)
Authors Note: Well, if you couldn't already guess, this fic takes place in the future. Everything will be explained, so just read on. Oh, and leaving a review would be nice as well, keeps me motivated!
~*~
The highway was dark and deserted, but Jess Mariano actually preferred it that way. It would give him time to think about the situation that lay before him. After all, he was heading back to Stars Hollow, of all places. He never thought he would set foot in that crummy little town ever again, but here he was, on his way to his Uncle's wedding, despite his better judgment. Too many bad memories - well, bittersweet, actually. There had been plenty of good memories there, too, but the bad always tended to overwrite the good, didn't it? When he thought back to that place he was filled with shame and self-loathing, for all the things he had done or hadn't been able to do.
Things had been going so good for him for awhile. He was getting along better with Luke; he had a girlfriend who he loved dearly. So why did he screw everything up with one careless mistake? Well, a series of mistakes, actually, but they were all tied into one thing, and that was money. And how to make more of it. He had gotten himself mixed up in some pretty terrible things, and unfortunately, he had paid the price. Now his life was empty and filled with loneliness, but he couldn't exactly feel sorry for himself. He had nobody other than himself to blame for his mistakes, after all.
To think, it had all been for a girl, too. Rory had been going through a pretty tough spot in her life - she had just gotten rejected from Harvard, and was without a job. He thought he could make some quick cash and help her out a bit. Maybe they could have even gotten a place together. He smiled to himself. He would have liked that. Now it would never be a possibility, though. Nothing that involved Rory Gilmore could ever be a possibility again. He had to make sure of that, for her safety.
Which is why he planned to whiz in and out of town as quickly as he could, with as little damage as possible. There was no use sticking around and reliving old memories; he would only torture himself. He would stay for the wedding and leave right afterwards, that would be the best thing to do. Maybe he wouldn't even have to talk to her - if he was lucky. He wasn't sure if he could control himself when he was around her. She had this way about her that drove him absolutely nuts. In a good way, of course. She had been the first person to really get under his skin when he first went to Stars Hollow, and he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind ever since. She was a tricky one, that Rory Gilmore.
He missed her like hell.
~*~
Truth be told, Rory didn't feel like dancing or partying or anything right at the moment. But here she was, out at some nightclub with her mother, ready to party the night away, at Lorelai's suggestion. Apparently Lorelai had taken her Miss Party Gal title quite seriously, and had arranged a last minute bachlorette party. Since it was last minute, only a few people were able to attend; those included Lane and Sookie. Rory was glad, because she really wasn't ready for a big party scene that night, and a crowd would only further irritate her nerves. She knew she was being selfish - it was, after all, the night before her mother's wedding - but she was in a horrible mood and just wanted the rest of the night to sulk.
"I'm glad we decided to come," Lorelai said, raising a glass of punch to her lips. "I could really use a pick-me-upper after the funk I was in. Thanks for suggesting it, Rory."
"Hey, I didn't suggest anything," Rory said modestly, sitting cross-legged in one of the hard brown chairs. "I merely said you should chill out a bit. The party idea was all your own."
"Well, I thought we should do something fun. After all, this is my last night as a single woman." An evil glint appeared in Lorelai's eyes as she eyed the male dancers.
"Don't get any ideas, Mom," Rory laughed. "No matter how enticing they may be."
Lorelai stuck her tongue out at her daughter. "Spoilsport."
"Well, as the only person here who is currently single, I feel a certain obligation to keep wandering eyes right where they belong," Rory said, and she had to admit that the word 'single' still stung a bit. She wasn't used to applying it to herself yet, and it had been five years.
"Hey, my eyeballs remain firmly in their sockets," Lane said jokingly. "I'm perfectly happy with Dave, thankyouverymuch."
Picking at a dish of peanuts, Rory turned to her best friend. It had been awhile since they had talked. She had been busy with the Inn - and Lane had been busy with whatever, and they hadn't gotten a chance to talk much recently. "So how have things been going with Dave lately?" Rory asked.
"Good."
"He's been treating you well, I hope," Rory said, laughing.
"Oh yes," Lane beamed, getting a far-off look in her eyes, probably thinking about Dave. "He always does the sweetest little things for me, Rory. Like a few days ago he brought home a dozen tulips from work - there was no special ocassion or anything, he just wanted to. That's the type of guy he is. He makes me feel wonderful."
Rory looked down at her lap, feeling the slightest bit of envy course through her veins. She knew it was silly - she was the one who ASKED, after all - but she had always been terribly jealous of Lane and Dave's relationship ever since her breakup with Jess. Her friend had the seemingly picture-perfect existence, and sometimes Rory envied her so badly for it.
"Rory, I'm sorry," Lane said softly when she saw her friend's sullen expression. "I shouldn't be going on and on about myself. God, I must sound like such an egomaniac-"
"No, it's okay," Rory interrupted her, feeling guilty. What the hell was wrong with her? She should be HAPPY her friend had found the man of her dreams. Why did she have to be so bitter? "It's not you. Really. I just received some, uh, news earlier, and I was kind of in the dumps about that."
"What kind of news?" Lane asked. "It doesn't have something to do with the Inn, does it?"
Rory shook her head; work was the last thing on her mind. "No, it's nothing like that. In fact, it's nothing. I'm probably making a big deal out of something that doesn't even matter, so let's just drop it."
Lorelai just eyed her skeptically, but didn't say a word. Rory would talk when she was ready.
"If it makes you feel so bad then it can't be nothing," Lane pointed out, having no clue as to what was really going on.
"Who said it was making me feel bad? I didn't say anything about feeling bad-"
"Gosh, Rory, don't be so defensive," Lane rolled her eyes. "It was only a question. Nothing more."
Rory finally relented. Lane was right, she WAS overreacting. Big time. "It's Jess, okay? Jess will be at the wedding. There, I said it. It's out in the open."
Lane threw her friend a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. I shouldn't be such a drama-queen. It happened a long time ago. It shouldn't matter now."
"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" Lane asked quietly.
"Yeah."
Author: Kathryn
Summary: Six years ago Jess had broken up with her, and Rory had always wondered what went wrong. Now, on the eve of Luke and Lorelai's wedding, he returns to town, and Rory must piece together exactly why he left, while being drawn to him through mysterious circumstances. Will the two of them find their way back to each other?
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, because if I did, Jess would obviously be getting a lot more screen time. ;)
Authors Note: Well, if you couldn't already guess, this fic takes place in the future. Everything will be explained, so just read on. Oh, and leaving a review would be nice as well, keeps me motivated!
~*~
The highway was dark and deserted, but Jess Mariano actually preferred it that way. It would give him time to think about the situation that lay before him. After all, he was heading back to Stars Hollow, of all places. He never thought he would set foot in that crummy little town ever again, but here he was, on his way to his Uncle's wedding, despite his better judgment. Too many bad memories - well, bittersweet, actually. There had been plenty of good memories there, too, but the bad always tended to overwrite the good, didn't it? When he thought back to that place he was filled with shame and self-loathing, for all the things he had done or hadn't been able to do.
Things had been going so good for him for awhile. He was getting along better with Luke; he had a girlfriend who he loved dearly. So why did he screw everything up with one careless mistake? Well, a series of mistakes, actually, but they were all tied into one thing, and that was money. And how to make more of it. He had gotten himself mixed up in some pretty terrible things, and unfortunately, he had paid the price. Now his life was empty and filled with loneliness, but he couldn't exactly feel sorry for himself. He had nobody other than himself to blame for his mistakes, after all.
To think, it had all been for a girl, too. Rory had been going through a pretty tough spot in her life - she had just gotten rejected from Harvard, and was without a job. He thought he could make some quick cash and help her out a bit. Maybe they could have even gotten a place together. He smiled to himself. He would have liked that. Now it would never be a possibility, though. Nothing that involved Rory Gilmore could ever be a possibility again. He had to make sure of that, for her safety.
Which is why he planned to whiz in and out of town as quickly as he could, with as little damage as possible. There was no use sticking around and reliving old memories; he would only torture himself. He would stay for the wedding and leave right afterwards, that would be the best thing to do. Maybe he wouldn't even have to talk to her - if he was lucky. He wasn't sure if he could control himself when he was around her. She had this way about her that drove him absolutely nuts. In a good way, of course. She had been the first person to really get under his skin when he first went to Stars Hollow, and he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind ever since. She was a tricky one, that Rory Gilmore.
He missed her like hell.
~*~
Truth be told, Rory didn't feel like dancing or partying or anything right at the moment. But here she was, out at some nightclub with her mother, ready to party the night away, at Lorelai's suggestion. Apparently Lorelai had taken her Miss Party Gal title quite seriously, and had arranged a last minute bachlorette party. Since it was last minute, only a few people were able to attend; those included Lane and Sookie. Rory was glad, because she really wasn't ready for a big party scene that night, and a crowd would only further irritate her nerves. She knew she was being selfish - it was, after all, the night before her mother's wedding - but she was in a horrible mood and just wanted the rest of the night to sulk.
"I'm glad we decided to come," Lorelai said, raising a glass of punch to her lips. "I could really use a pick-me-upper after the funk I was in. Thanks for suggesting it, Rory."
"Hey, I didn't suggest anything," Rory said modestly, sitting cross-legged in one of the hard brown chairs. "I merely said you should chill out a bit. The party idea was all your own."
"Well, I thought we should do something fun. After all, this is my last night as a single woman." An evil glint appeared in Lorelai's eyes as she eyed the male dancers.
"Don't get any ideas, Mom," Rory laughed. "No matter how enticing they may be."
Lorelai stuck her tongue out at her daughter. "Spoilsport."
"Well, as the only person here who is currently single, I feel a certain obligation to keep wandering eyes right where they belong," Rory said, and she had to admit that the word 'single' still stung a bit. She wasn't used to applying it to herself yet, and it had been five years.
"Hey, my eyeballs remain firmly in their sockets," Lane said jokingly. "I'm perfectly happy with Dave, thankyouverymuch."
Picking at a dish of peanuts, Rory turned to her best friend. It had been awhile since they had talked. She had been busy with the Inn - and Lane had been busy with whatever, and they hadn't gotten a chance to talk much recently. "So how have things been going with Dave lately?" Rory asked.
"Good."
"He's been treating you well, I hope," Rory said, laughing.
"Oh yes," Lane beamed, getting a far-off look in her eyes, probably thinking about Dave. "He always does the sweetest little things for me, Rory. Like a few days ago he brought home a dozen tulips from work - there was no special ocassion or anything, he just wanted to. That's the type of guy he is. He makes me feel wonderful."
Rory looked down at her lap, feeling the slightest bit of envy course through her veins. She knew it was silly - she was the one who ASKED, after all - but she had always been terribly jealous of Lane and Dave's relationship ever since her breakup with Jess. Her friend had the seemingly picture-perfect existence, and sometimes Rory envied her so badly for it.
"Rory, I'm sorry," Lane said softly when she saw her friend's sullen expression. "I shouldn't be going on and on about myself. God, I must sound like such an egomaniac-"
"No, it's okay," Rory interrupted her, feeling guilty. What the hell was wrong with her? She should be HAPPY her friend had found the man of her dreams. Why did she have to be so bitter? "It's not you. Really. I just received some, uh, news earlier, and I was kind of in the dumps about that."
"What kind of news?" Lane asked. "It doesn't have something to do with the Inn, does it?"
Rory shook her head; work was the last thing on her mind. "No, it's nothing like that. In fact, it's nothing. I'm probably making a big deal out of something that doesn't even matter, so let's just drop it."
Lorelai just eyed her skeptically, but didn't say a word. Rory would talk when she was ready.
"If it makes you feel so bad then it can't be nothing," Lane pointed out, having no clue as to what was really going on.
"Who said it was making me feel bad? I didn't say anything about feeling bad-"
"Gosh, Rory, don't be so defensive," Lane rolled her eyes. "It was only a question. Nothing more."
Rory finally relented. Lane was right, she WAS overreacting. Big time. "It's Jess, okay? Jess will be at the wedding. There, I said it. It's out in the open."
Lane threw her friend a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. I shouldn't be such a drama-queen. It happened a long time ago. It shouldn't matter now."
"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" Lane asked quietly.
"Yeah."