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!
~*~
'God, I'm becoming so paranoid,' Rory thought to herself the next morning, as she stood outside the Stars Hollow church, anxiously looking around for a certain someone. Jess, to be exact. She didn't know what she would do when she finally found him; she only knew she wanted time to prepare herself before that actually happened. She was to look smart, successful, and not at all broken-hearted. Jess would never know the damage he had done to her all those years ago. She would make sure of it.
In the meantime, she was looking forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with her mother. She had to admit, the place looked beautiful. They had planned to have an outdoor wedding, and it had really paid off. The entire ground was lined with an array of white flowers; the tables packed with fresh food and satin tablecloth, and a sweet tune floated through the air. The whole place looked so peaceful and charming. Rory loved it.
"My, my, don't you look incredible," Richard Gilmore said, coming up behind his granddaughter. Rory smiled at him. Even after all these years, Richard managed to appear as dignified as ever, never letting old age slow him down.
"Thanks, Grandpa."
"Have you seen your mother around?" he asked, gazing around the yard where people had started to gather. "I want to see her one last time before she ties the knot."
Rory shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her in awhile. I'm pretty sure she's inside getting ready with Sookie."
"I guess I shall see her when she finally decides to come out," Richard said. "Well, then, I suppose I should get back to Emily and leave you to mingle with the guests. It was nice seeing you, Rory."
"You too, Grandpa."
With that, she was left alone with her thoughts, no matter how depressing they were.
~*~
"I look like a damn fool in this monkeysuit."
"Uncle Luke, would you just relax? You look fine," Jess said, exasperated. Truth be told, he didn't really feel comfortable sporting a tuxedo, either, but it wasn't the end of the world or anything. They were inside, making last minute preparations for the wedding, and he couldn't get Luke to calm down.
"How am I supposed to get married if I look like a lunatic?" Luke asked, pointing to himself in the mirror with disgust. "Look at that tie. It looks two sizes too big."
"I'm sure Lorelai will marry you, even if your tie is two sizes too big."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jess."
"Anytime."
Throwing his hands up in the air, Luke let out a long breath. "I am being a little ridiculous, aren't I?" he said after a minute, feeling a tad foolish.
"Just a little."
"I hate to tell you this, but that's what being in love does to you. It turns you into a total freak," Luke said with a smile. "But in a good way."
"Gee, now I just can't wait to find that special someone," Jess said, a tinge of sarcasm to his voice. He went over to the long, full-sized mirror and studied his hair, a blank expression on his face. All this talk about love was sort of depressing him. It brought back memories.memories he didn't want to relive. "No thanks, but I think I'll pass."
Luke chuckled. "You know, I never would have pegged you as the hearts and flowers type of guy. But then I saw you with Rory, and well.it surprised me, okay? It brought out something in you that I didn't even know was there."
Jess felt a pang of bitterness jab at his guy. "Why are you bringing this up now? My relationship with Rory ended a long time ago. A very long time ago, in fact. That's it; there's nothing more there." Now he was starting to get a little angry, but he couldn't help it. Whenever someone brought up Rory he automatically got defensive. It still hurt, hearing her name, even after all these years. Whoever said time heals all wounds must have been smoking some pretty serious crack.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Jess snapped. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just.you haven't been in a serious relationship since you two broke up all those years ago. It just made me curious, that's all," Luke said, with some uneasiness. Jess shifted, feeling the tension wrap around the room.
"I don't know what you're getting at, Uncle Luke. If you're implying that I still hold out a torch for the youngest Gilmore.don't even go. Rory and I broke up a long time ago. End of story."
"You keep saying that."
"Because you won't get it through your thick head that it's OVER!" Jess yelled, a little too loudly, carrying over the entire church area. He shrank back, embarrassed. Yet again, he let his emotions get the best of him. He really had to stop this.
After a moment of silence, Luke finally spoke up. "Look, I'm sorry, Jess. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard."
"Good, then we understand each other. Now, if you're through playing Dr. Love, are you ready to get this wedding started?"
Luke just nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be," he said.
~*~
Outside, Rory flinched; almost spilling her drink over her light blue bridesmaid gown in the process. She thought she heard a voice - a voice that sounded strangely like Jess's - and it unnerved her.
Why was she doing this to herself? He was going to show up eventually. She couldn't just sit out here, jumping at every sound she heard, or she would end up driving herself insane.
Suddenly, she heard Ms. Patty's booming voice float across the yard. "Okay, people, take your seats, the bride as arrived," she announced. "Places, places, this wedding will get started in just a few moments."
Rory swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling nervous anticipation coarse through her veins. This was it, almost show-time. In a matter of minutes, her mother would no longer be Lorelai Gilmore. She would be Lorelai Gilmore Danes. That thought was so scary. For so long it had been just the two of them. What would happen once they brought someone new into the picture?
Of course, she knew she was silly to worry so much. Luke made Lorelai happy, and that was all that really mattered, wasn't it? For so long she figured her mother would never settle down, that she would be forever a free spirit, and now here she was, about to be married.
From where she stood next to Sookie, she had a clear view of all the people who had attended the wedding. Her eyes scattered over the crowd, searching for someone - no, it was stupid, she mentally chided herself. Stop looking. Just stop it right now. She bit down nervously on her lip, knowing she was being foolish. If she saw him, it would just be Jess; the boy she had dated for a few years. It wouldn't be a big deal, really.
And then she saw Luke walking down the aisle, and Jess was with him, all dark and handsome like she always remembered him being. Rory's fingers shook, but she didn't let herself lose control. She avoided his gaze like the plaque - not that he was even looking at her, she reminded herself. He probably had so many other things on his mind that he hadn't even noticed her yet.
Feeling the panic tighten in her stomach, she concentrated on keeping it cool. 'Just stay calm, Rory, and everything will be okay,' she told herself. This was going to be a long wedding, indeed.
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!
~*~
'God, I'm becoming so paranoid,' Rory thought to herself the next morning, as she stood outside the Stars Hollow church, anxiously looking around for a certain someone. Jess, to be exact. She didn't know what she would do when she finally found him; she only knew she wanted time to prepare herself before that actually happened. She was to look smart, successful, and not at all broken-hearted. Jess would never know the damage he had done to her all those years ago. She would make sure of it.
In the meantime, she was looking forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with her mother. She had to admit, the place looked beautiful. They had planned to have an outdoor wedding, and it had really paid off. The entire ground was lined with an array of white flowers; the tables packed with fresh food and satin tablecloth, and a sweet tune floated through the air. The whole place looked so peaceful and charming. Rory loved it.
"My, my, don't you look incredible," Richard Gilmore said, coming up behind his granddaughter. Rory smiled at him. Even after all these years, Richard managed to appear as dignified as ever, never letting old age slow him down.
"Thanks, Grandpa."
"Have you seen your mother around?" he asked, gazing around the yard where people had started to gather. "I want to see her one last time before she ties the knot."
Rory shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her in awhile. I'm pretty sure she's inside getting ready with Sookie."
"I guess I shall see her when she finally decides to come out," Richard said. "Well, then, I suppose I should get back to Emily and leave you to mingle with the guests. It was nice seeing you, Rory."
"You too, Grandpa."
With that, she was left alone with her thoughts, no matter how depressing they were.
~*~
"I look like a damn fool in this monkeysuit."
"Uncle Luke, would you just relax? You look fine," Jess said, exasperated. Truth be told, he didn't really feel comfortable sporting a tuxedo, either, but it wasn't the end of the world or anything. They were inside, making last minute preparations for the wedding, and he couldn't get Luke to calm down.
"How am I supposed to get married if I look like a lunatic?" Luke asked, pointing to himself in the mirror with disgust. "Look at that tie. It looks two sizes too big."
"I'm sure Lorelai will marry you, even if your tie is two sizes too big."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jess."
"Anytime."
Throwing his hands up in the air, Luke let out a long breath. "I am being a little ridiculous, aren't I?" he said after a minute, feeling a tad foolish.
"Just a little."
"I hate to tell you this, but that's what being in love does to you. It turns you into a total freak," Luke said with a smile. "But in a good way."
"Gee, now I just can't wait to find that special someone," Jess said, a tinge of sarcasm to his voice. He went over to the long, full-sized mirror and studied his hair, a blank expression on his face. All this talk about love was sort of depressing him. It brought back memories.memories he didn't want to relive. "No thanks, but I think I'll pass."
Luke chuckled. "You know, I never would have pegged you as the hearts and flowers type of guy. But then I saw you with Rory, and well.it surprised me, okay? It brought out something in you that I didn't even know was there."
Jess felt a pang of bitterness jab at his guy. "Why are you bringing this up now? My relationship with Rory ended a long time ago. A very long time ago, in fact. That's it; there's nothing more there." Now he was starting to get a little angry, but he couldn't help it. Whenever someone brought up Rory he automatically got defensive. It still hurt, hearing her name, even after all these years. Whoever said time heals all wounds must have been smoking some pretty serious crack.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Jess snapped. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just.you haven't been in a serious relationship since you two broke up all those years ago. It just made me curious, that's all," Luke said, with some uneasiness. Jess shifted, feeling the tension wrap around the room.
"I don't know what you're getting at, Uncle Luke. If you're implying that I still hold out a torch for the youngest Gilmore.don't even go. Rory and I broke up a long time ago. End of story."
"You keep saying that."
"Because you won't get it through your thick head that it's OVER!" Jess yelled, a little too loudly, carrying over the entire church area. He shrank back, embarrassed. Yet again, he let his emotions get the best of him. He really had to stop this.
After a moment of silence, Luke finally spoke up. "Look, I'm sorry, Jess. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard."
"Good, then we understand each other. Now, if you're through playing Dr. Love, are you ready to get this wedding started?"
Luke just nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be," he said.
~*~
Outside, Rory flinched; almost spilling her drink over her light blue bridesmaid gown in the process. She thought she heard a voice - a voice that sounded strangely like Jess's - and it unnerved her.
Why was she doing this to herself? He was going to show up eventually. She couldn't just sit out here, jumping at every sound she heard, or she would end up driving herself insane.
Suddenly, she heard Ms. Patty's booming voice float across the yard. "Okay, people, take your seats, the bride as arrived," she announced. "Places, places, this wedding will get started in just a few moments."
Rory swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling nervous anticipation coarse through her veins. This was it, almost show-time. In a matter of minutes, her mother would no longer be Lorelai Gilmore. She would be Lorelai Gilmore Danes. That thought was so scary. For so long it had been just the two of them. What would happen once they brought someone new into the picture?
Of course, she knew she was silly to worry so much. Luke made Lorelai happy, and that was all that really mattered, wasn't it? For so long she figured her mother would never settle down, that she would be forever a free spirit, and now here she was, about to be married.
From where she stood next to Sookie, she had a clear view of all the people who had attended the wedding. Her eyes scattered over the crowd, searching for someone - no, it was stupid, she mentally chided herself. Stop looking. Just stop it right now. She bit down nervously on her lip, knowing she was being foolish. If she saw him, it would just be Jess; the boy she had dated for a few years. It wouldn't be a big deal, really.
And then she saw Luke walking down the aisle, and Jess was with him, all dark and handsome like she always remembered him being. Rory's fingers shook, but she didn't let herself lose control. She avoided his gaze like the plaque - not that he was even looking at her, she reminded herself. He probably had so many other things on his mind that he hadn't even noticed her yet.
Feeling the panic tighten in her stomach, she concentrated on keeping it cool. 'Just stay calm, Rory, and everything will be okay,' she told herself. This was going to be a long wedding, indeed.