Jamie: hehe yeah, I screwed up on that.. I realized that I wrote that it was a future fic, but
what I mean was that this is an alternative universe story. And it was a prologue./p
Thanks for reading! =)BBTW, this the updated, new and improved version of California Dreams...
I decided to fix the format of the story. Enjoy!bFebruary 2001, San Francisco, CA/b /p
"Okay, getting tired of this game now," Rory replied, irritated, and grabbed a
hot poptart from the toaster. "I'm late!"/p
"No!" Lorelai feigned shock. "Honey, you never told me you..." She covered her mouth with
a hand. "Who's the father?"/p
"Mooom!" This time, it was more of a groan of surrender than annoyance. /p
"Okay, sorry, sorry," Lorelai said. But she couldn't help but giggle. /p
"Today's the day of midterms, huh?"/p
"Yeah, a real party going on at Albert Einstein High school in lovely San Fran,"
Rory mumbled, nibbling on the toasted delicacy. "Spanish, Calculus, Chemistry, and
World History today."/p
"Exciting," Lorelai commented. "What would I give to be in your place?"
Lorelai cocked her head, thinking about the prospect. "Not coffee." /p
Rory made a sound that sounded something like strangled duck. /p
Lorelai looked thoughtful. "In fact, I'd probably give exactly the same thing
I give to the American Association for Plastic Engineers every year. Nada, senorita."
She smiled broadly./p
Rory sighed. Lorelai gave her a hug. "Good luck, babe." Lorelai kissed Rory on the cheek.
"I know you'll ace them!" /p
"Thanks." Rory attempted a smile. "I'll see you later?"/p
Lorelai nodded. "And afterwards, we can go chilling like a villan..."/p
"No more BET for you," Rory said, shaking her head. She pushed her chair back from the
table and stood up. "See you later, Mom."/p
"I'll be waiting with a bucket of coffee!" Lorelai paused. "Or chicken.." She was confused.
"Mmm..chicken..."bFebruary 2001, San Francisco, CA, that same day.../p
"No, no, no, no!" Lorelai yelled. "And finally...." She paused, as if she was thinking. "No!"/p
"But why not?" Charlize whined. "I don't see why an ice sculpture would ruin the party.."/p
"Because it's a 'June in January' party, not an Eskimo gathering at the ice factory."/p
"But it could be an ice sculpture of.. flowers."/p
"A hula girl?"/p
"A coffee cup?"/p
"A nice decorative fixture for my house, yes. For this party, no."/p
Charlize made a face. "Please, Lorelai! My friend.. uh, Smith, he's really, really good. I mean,
I'm talking high quality work here."/p
Lorelai sighed in defeat. "Fine, let me see a couple of Smith's works..
then maybe we can discuss it again."/p
Charlize's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Lorelai, you are the best! THE best!" Blowing kisses in the air, Charlize ran out of the lobby./p
"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai mumbled. The Johnsons are going to be annoyed when they found
a chunk of ice decorating the foyer of their beloved party room... Mrs. Johnson had planned
the party down to almost every single detail. The pattern of the napkins. The syrup that the
hotel cook would use in the parfait. Mrs. Johnson had even had the nerve to tell her what to
wear at the party. /p
"I'll try my best," Lorelai had replied, inwardly grimacing. She had almost
had an epileptic fit./p
Mr. Johnson wanted everything exactly the way Mrs. Johnson had planned it. Lorelai shuddered./p
Lorelai only hoped that this ice sculpture wouldn't throw them off balance. Maybe..
they would even like it. Hello? We are talking about the Johnsons here... Lorelai sighed.
They were the pickiest people she had ever seen...iBesides Emily Gilmore...iWhoa, whoa, whoa../i Lorelai shook her head. Where had that thought come out of?
Her mother? She hadn't seen Emily Gilmore in... Wow. Was it really 17 years?/p
The occasional Christmas card. A phone call on Rory's birthday. Seventeen years of
relative silence. /p
"Lorelai!!!" /p
A desperate cry from the kitchen brought Lorelai jumping to her feet. /p
As the kitchen door swung open, Lorelai glimpsed a burst of flames near the ovens. /p
She sighed, but smiled slightly. Just another day...bFebruary 2001, New York, NY, that same day.../p
"No." Jess glared at her. "I'm not going anywhere."/p
"Jess," Liz said and sighed. "Four suspensions in 3 months?"/p
"The last incident was an accident," Jess muttered. "It wasn't my fault."/p
"Then whose fault was it, Jess?" Liz put her hands on her hips. "Principal McClintock's?"/p
"Honestly?" Jess asked, raising a brow. "Yes, it was his fault."/p
"It was his fault that all the fire sprinklers went off in the girls' locker room after
softball practice?"/p
"The guy's a pedophile, I tell you," Jess replied and shrugged. "The man was dying to
see those girls running out of the locker room half naked."/p
"Jess!" Infuriated, Liz rubbed her temples. iUgh, and it doesn't make a great visual either./i
True or not, she didn't care about the principal's.. extracurricular activities. /p
"You're going. And that's final."/p
"No, I'm not going," Jess refuted. "And...." Jess paused for effect. "..that's final."/p
Liz wanted to scream. "Pack your stuff. Your bus comes at nine tomorrow morning." /p
She walked out of his room. /p
"Too bad I won't be here." Jess mumbled. He turned on his stereo and pumped
the volume up to the max. Shaking his head to the music, he searched under a
pile of clothes for his copy of Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon. Jess settled
down on his bed and opened the book. /p
For once, he couldn't concentrate. Sighing, he set the book down next to him and got
up from the bed. When had she started to act like his mother anyways? It's not like she
was around enough to do that. His fourth suspension and she wanted to be Mrs. Cleaver
to his Beaver. It's a little too late, Liz. I've already grown up. Jess smirked.
It was especially interesting how she was sending him away. Did she honestly believe
that sending him away to his uncle would fix the problem?iSomeone needs a subscription to Parent Magazine../p
He would find his way out of this. He always did./p
Someone pounded on the wall. "Turn that music off!"/p
Jess rolled his eyes but turned down the volume.iNew Yorkers are obnoxious.. but I can't live without them.bFebruary 2001, San Francisco, CA, that afternoon.../p
"Rory?" Lorelai looked up as her daughter walked into the hotel. Shoulders hunched. /p
Dragging her feet. She looked defeated. Beaten. Downcast. /p
"Honey! What happened?" /p
Rory now had a dumbfounded look on her face. "Mid.. terms...happened.."/p
Lorelai smiled sympathetically. "Let's go get you some coffee in the kitchen."
She put an arm around Rory's shoulders. "Or, at least, what's left of the kitchen."/p
Rory jerked awake at the sight of the black soot on the kitchen ceiling. /p
"What happened?" She sat down on one of the stools at the counter./p
"Carrot cake incident."Lorelai replied, pouring two cups of coffee. "It wasn't pretty. Even Peter Rabbit would have run at the frightening sight of
exploding carrots." She sighed and handed Rory a steaming mug. "Really,
I don't understand why there are no decent chefs in San Francisco." She shook her head and
took a gulp of the brown liquid. "Or, why the decent ones already have jobs."/p
Rory gave her a look. "Cause they're.. decent..?" /p
Lorelai thought for a second. "Could be that." She sat down next to Rory. /p
"Do chefs have to take midterms?" Rory asked, sipping her coffee. "Cause if they
don't.. I want to be a chef."/p
Lorelai gave her a look. "Tell me you're joking."/p
"Okay, I am," Rory replied, rolling her eyes. /p
Lorelai let out the breath she was holding. "Whew, for a second there, I thought you
were serious."/p
"Rory, come on, we Gilmores couldn't cook if they threatened to put
Richard Simmons in the Oval Office." Lorelai started to laughed
hysterically. "Richard... hahaha.. in the oval office?" She laughed again. "Sorry, the visual,
the visual!" She laughed again. "Can you imagine that as a TV movie?"/p
Rory gave her a look. "Teeheehee," Lorelai tittered and wiped the tears from her eyes.
She cleared her throat. "Anyways, that's also synonymous to your saying that you were
going to go work for Hugh."/p
"Grant?"Rory asked. "I liked him in Four Weddings and a Funeral."/p
"Why?" Rory asked, jokingly. "You don't think I have the body for Hugh?"/p
"Ugh, don't even say that," Lorelai replied and grimaced. "You and Hefner. Nasty picture."/p
"Your active imagination must be curbed," Rory replied calmly and took a gulp of her coffee./p
"Plus, you'd have to change your name to Bitsy or Bopsy or Biopsy.. whatever. Take your pick."/p
"Plus, how could I ever show my face in public ever again?" Lorelai asked melodramatically.
"My pride and joy, now Ms. December. I'd rather have you cooking in a kitchen, Bopsy."/p
Rory nodded. "I second that, Bitsy." She clinked her coffee mug with her mom's.bFebruary 2000, New York, NY, the next morning/p
"Je-...!" Liz stopped mid-yell as she entered the living room. "Jess?" /p
He stood at the front door. Two blue duffels lie on the floor next to him. /p
"Let's go. We're late," He said sharply. /p
"You're.. going?" Liz was surprised at his cooperation. She had expected to at
least drag him out of bed and pack his bags for him in between a flurry of angry words.
Jess sighed and picked up the bags. "Whatever. It's almost nine." He raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want me to miss the bus, do you? You'd be stuck with me for longer than you need
to be."/p
"Jess..," Liz started, but he was already out the apartment door. She bit her lip.
"Wait up!" She called out. bFebruary 2000, New York, NY, the next morning/p
The subway was relatively empty./p
"Aren't you late for work?" Jess suddenly asked her. /p
"Well, you are going for a while," Liz replied. She attempted a smile. /p
"I thought I would see you off."/p
Jess shrugged and looked out the window into the darkness. "You didn't have to."/p
She sighed. "Jess, I know we haven't been on the best terms..." For the last 17 years...
"I'm hoping that things will become better between us."/p
"Huh," Jess replied, his face twisting into a familiar smirk. "And sending me off to
the boonies will do that."/p
"No," Liz admitted. "But maybe we need a little time off from each other."/p
Jess looked away from her. "Whatever. It doesn't matter to me."/p
Liz sighed and sat back in the plastic orange seat. As the train stopped, Jess got up and picked up his duffels from the floor. "You need help?"
Liz asked as they left the subway station. /p
"No," Jess replied. Not from you./p
"Okay," Liz replied and they walked into the bus station in silence. bFebruary 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, the same morning/p
"When's your nephew coming, Luke?"/p
Luke looked up and glared at Kirk. "Why?"/p
"Just curious," Kirk replied. /p
"How did you know about my nephew?"/p
Kirk gave him a look. "We live in Star's Hollow."/p
"Right," Luke muttered and grunted. "Stupid townspeople have nothing better to do
than gossip.."/p
"Like that time you got a new flannel shirt. Patty told me about it. She said it was a slighter
redder version of the other one, the one you bought at Land's End." Kirk commented, stirring his
coffee./p
"You're scaring me," Luke deadpanned./p
Kirk shrugged. He was used to people saying that. "Can I get my Equals now?"/p
Luke threw him the box. "Don't you have somewhere to go or something to do?"/p
"Well, go find something then."/p
"I don't want to."/p
Luke sighed dejectedly. "Never mind then. Just drink your coffee and leave." /p
He glared at Kirk and went back behind the counter. /p
"You really should improve your atti-..." Kirk stopped talking when he saw the
look on Luke's face. "Bye!" Kirk ran out the door.bFebruary 2000, New York, NY, the same morning/p
Jess looked out the window as the bus left Port Authority. He wouldn't be back in New York
for a while. He would miss the city. But, hell, he wouldn't miss eating dinner alone every
night when Liz went out on another of her little dates. Or meeting any of those imbecilic
losers that she seemed to attract.iSo she thinks that we need a little time off from each other./i Jess smirked. iSmartest idea
she's had in a while. Star's Hollow was probably some dinky little town thrown together by a
bunch of outcasts
and weirdos. The very town that his mother grew up in. Whoopeee../p
He wondered what 'Uncle Luke' was like. Liz raved about him constantly. "Dependable Luke,"
She had said. In other words, boring Uncle Luke./p
Whatever, he didn't really care. He was going away from the stupid little craphole called
FDR High School and his 'mother' Liz. That's what mattered./p
That and the letter in his pocket that would buy him his way out of the east coast.bFebruary 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that afternoon../p
Luke leaned against the counter in the empty diner and wondered what his nephew was like. /p
He remembered a frowny, brown haired baby boy. He remembered jam hands and wails late at night
when he visited. Hopefully, the kid wasn't as sticky and whiny as he used to be. He didn't
want to wash jam off clothes and wipe tears./p
He honestly didn't know what he had been thinking when he had agreed to take Jess in.
What did he know about raising a kid? But Liz had begged and begged. Something about trouble
in school having to do with fire sprinklers./p
"He's not a bad kid.. he just has some issues," She had said./p
Don't we all? Luke had wanted to say. But this kid was family, and Luke was loyal to family.
How bad could it be?bMarch 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, weeks later/p
He hated this place. He loathed it. The stupid festivals. The stupid people. /p
There was nothing interesting in Star's Hollow. The place was a freakin' hole and
he needed to get out here. Before he shot something. Or someone./p
The bell on the diner door jingled as Taylor walked in. iAnd we have a winner../p
"Jess," Taylor acknowledged him, his eyes narrowing. "Where's your uncle?"/p
Lucky for him, somewhere where you're not... "Dunno."/p
"Well, do you know how I could find him?"/p
Taylor sighed and wagged a finger in Jess's face. "You better not be lying to me."/p
"Why would I?" Jess asked and put his book down on the counter. "I rather enjoy
watching you harangue Luke."/p
Taylor furrowed his brow. "You better watch it, you hoodlum. I'm on to you and your
little pranks."/p
"What pranks?" Jess asked innocently. "I haven't done anything in this stupid town.
Probably because.. there's nothing to do!"/p
The cardigan-clad man just frowned. "Boys like you don't know how to appreciate a sense of
community when they see it."/p
"Whatever." Jess shrugged and picked up his book. iThere's nothing to do in this goddamn
place./i He thought, pretending to read. He perked up. Maybe he could find something to do.bApril 2000, San Francisco, CA, weeks later/p
Rory yawned and rolled out of bed. She walked into the kitchen and found her
mom drinking coffee up./p
"Hey, sunshine," Lorelai said and smiled. "Guess what I found!?"/p
"Uh oh," Rory muttered./p
"Free passes to the local gym!" Lorelai announced giddily. "This will be fun! And we'll
both get hard bodies.."/p
"Mom," Rory said, rubbing her eyes. "Do you know what exactly goes on in a gym?"/p
"Women in tight clothing watch buff men in tight clothing?"/p
"Uh.. no, people sweat and lift heavy things," Rory explained. "Both activities,
I must mention, which you hate."/p
"Oh," Lorelai replied, crestfallen. "But they still wear tight clothing right?"/p
Rory sighed. "Yes."/p
"Score!,"Lorelai yelled. "That's all that matters."/p
Rory rolled her eyes. /p
"Besides, we get to go buy new gym clothes! It'll be fun!"/p
Rory had to laugh. "Okay, fine, fine, I give in."/p
"OOOo and we should get our hair done!"/p
"For the gym!?"bApril 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that same morning/p
"This is the last straw, Jess!" Luke yelled furiously. "Go upstairs!"/p
"Huh," Jess said, smirking. "Oh, I get it. We're playing a game. I'm supposed to guess
who you are, right?"/p
"I mean it, Jess," Luke fumed./p
"Mike Brady?"/p
"Get... upstairs."/p
"Mr. Cleaver?"/p
"Move your ass, mister," Luke yelled and pointed to the stairs./p
"I believe 'ass' just deleted Donna Reed from the list," Jess said, pretending to think.
He scratched his chin. "Unless of course, you were referring to the defintion pertaining to female
donkey."/p
"Jess, if you don't get your ass up those stairs in the count of three, I'm going to..."/p
"Going to what?" Jess asked, letting his defenses down. "Going to call Liz? OOoh, I'm
scared now. Maybe, this time, Liz will send me to Uncle Bill in Oklahoma."/p
Luke looked like he was going to explode. "Just.. go upstairs."/p
"Yeah, whatever," Jess said, furrowing his brow. "I'm outta here."/p
"Where are you going?!?!?"/p
Jess turned around and smirked. "Out." His hand on the door, Jess turned around one last
time to smirk before leaving the diner. And he was gone. /p
"Damn kid," Luke fumed under his breath. The patrons in diner stared at Luke as he angrily
adjusted his cap. "What are you looking at??!!" They all turned back at their food.bApril 2000, San Francisco, that same morning/p
"Lorelai!!! Phone!" Lorelai swung around the counter and took the phone from Charlize.
"Hello?" "Ms. Gilmore."/p
Uhhhh... iJohnson alert/i Lorelai gave Charlize a look of annoyance and covered
the mouthpiece. "I thought I told you to screen the phone calls??" She whispered to Charlize.
The girl shrugged and looked apologetic. "Sorry."/p
Lorelai sighed. "It's okay." Mrs. Johnson was rambling about something or another..../p
"I just wanted to tell you that I absolutely LOVED how the party was run and you'll
definitely be seeing me again.."/p
What? Did she just hear correctly? "Oh, I'm so glad you loved it, Mrs. Johnson. After all,
here at the Biltmore Hotel, we aim to please."/p
"And that ice sculpture! Absolutely beautiful. It was definitely my favorite part of the
decorations. I mean, I was reluctant at first, and a little miffed, I must add because
the napkins were a slightly lighter shade of blue than I had wanted, but the ice sculpture
was absolutely gorgeous..."/p
Lorelai smiled at Charlize and mouthed, "She loved the ice sculpture."/p
Charlize jumped up and down and clapped her hands./p
"And I wanted to invite you and the ice sculpture artist to go to some party that Mr.
Johnson got an invitation to," Mrs. Johnson continued. "Frederick and I were going to go
but then we got tickets to go to Bermuda...."/p
"Oh," Lorelai said. Party?/p
"I believe it's some bash thrown by Vogue... Fashion.. something or another.. actually,
I think it's the after party to an award show..," Mrs. Johnson continued./p
"Oh my gosh," Lorelai said, her eyes widening as realization set in. "Thank you so much!"
She waved an arm at Charlize. "That's great, I'd love to go."/p
"Yes, and take the artist of the sculpture with you.. whoever he or she is, they deserve it."
"Sure," Lorelai replied, nodding. /p
"I'll have Mr. Johnson's secretary call you tomorrow with details."
"Oh okay, thank you again."/p
"All right, Ms. Gilmore, we'll speak again."/p
"Goodbye!" Lorelai hung up and squealed. "Vogue!!"/p
"Huh?" Charlize asked. /p
Charlize gave her a look./p
"Awards!!!!" Lorelai clapped her hands again. "Well, actually the after-party..
but still! Oh my gosh. I have to go shopping!"/p
"Shopping?" Charlize's eyes lit up. "Why?"/p
"Oh my gosh, Charlize," Lorelai said. "I'm so sorry I ever doubted your friend's ice
sculptures! I want him! I mean, I need his name! I want him to do ice sculptures
for all my parties!"/p
Charlize stopped jumping up and down. "Oh.. my friend?"/p
"Yeah, plus, Mrs. Johnson invited him to the Vogue Fashion Awards afterparty!"/p
"Vogue Fashion Awards?" Charlize's mouth dropped open. "Whoa, Mrs. Johnson's in on the in
crowd..."/p
"Well, duh, silly," Lorelai said, lightly swatting Charlize's arm. "Mr. Johnson is the
CEO of Johnson & Johnson.."/p
"I know, but the man makes cotton balls.. I didn't think he would get invited to that kind of
stuff..," Charlize replied, shaking her head./p
"Yeah, so about your friend.. unless, if he's a guy, he probably doesn't want to go to a
fashion thing," Lorelai commented, thinking. "Hey, why don't you come with me instead?
Do you think he'll mind?"/p
Charlize shook her head vehemently. "Nah, he won't." Her eyes lit up. "I'd love to go!"/p
"Great!" Lorelai quipped.bApril 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that same morning/p
Whatever Jess thought and shrugged. He really didn't care where they would send him this time.
As long as he had some privacy, he would be able to stand it. But this stupid town.. /p
everyone was in everyone else's business. /p
Maybe if he could find one person to talk to, it would be liveable. But there wasn't anyone.
He got bored easily. That's why he had pulled the fire alarms. And it was worth it Jess thought
smugly and leaned against the brick wall in the alley. It was worth it to see Principal Dumbass
flipping out.../p
He couldn't help but wonder where Liz and Luke would decide to ship him off to. Maybe it would
be somewhere a bit cooler than Star's Hole. But he doubted it. iBetter not get my hopes up./i
If he had one thing from life, it was to not get your hopes up. 'Cause everything was a
disappointment. /p
He slipped his hands in his jacket pockets and felt something brush against his right hand.
He pulled out a tattered letter.iDear Jess,/p
You probably don't remember me. Your dad. I know I've never tried to contact you. I'll understand if you don't reply. All I'm asking for is a chance.
I live in San Francisco now. Maybe you'd like to come here sometime. Give me a call when you want to./i
He refolded the letter and pushed it deep into his pocket. San Francisco. /p
The letter was always in the back of his mind, and Jess had been masticating on the thought of
taking up his 'dad' on the offer. He could get the plane ticket and jet out of Star's Hollow.
Who would know? He highly doubted that Liz had talked to dear ol' dad in ages. He could go to
San Francisco, and find a job or something. He'd be home free. /p
Jess smirked and started to walk out of the alley towards the pay phones.bApril 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that same morning/p
"Um.. can I speak to James Mariano?" Jess mumbled, leaning against the glass of the
telephone booth./p
"This is he," The voice answered./p
"It's.. uh, Jess."/p
"Yeah," Jess answered, rolling his eyes. iWhat other son do you have?/p
"Hi, I was.. um.. wondering if your offer was still open."/p
"Yeah, yeah, of course," James replied. "I'll send you a ticket."/p
"Great," Jess replied, a bit too enthusiastically. "HOw long do you think it's gonna take?"/p
James smiled at his son's enthusiasm. "Couple days. I'll call you. Do you have a number...?"/p
"Yeah, yeah," Jess replied quickly and gave him the number on the pay phone. "I'm... uh.. only home from like
3 to 5 though... I have.. um.. work..."/p
"Oh okay, so that's like between 12 and 2 for me. I'll call you in a couple days, Jess. Thanks
for calling," James replied./p
"See ya then," Jess said./p
what I mean was that this is an alternative universe story. And it was a prologue./p
Thanks for reading! =)BBTW, this the updated, new and improved version of California Dreams...
I decided to fix the format of the story. Enjoy!bFebruary 2001, San Francisco, CA/b /p
"Okay, getting tired of this game now," Rory replied, irritated, and grabbed a
hot poptart from the toaster. "I'm late!"/p
"No!" Lorelai feigned shock. "Honey, you never told me you..." She covered her mouth with
a hand. "Who's the father?"/p
"Mooom!" This time, it was more of a groan of surrender than annoyance. /p
"Okay, sorry, sorry," Lorelai said. But she couldn't help but giggle. /p
"Today's the day of midterms, huh?"/p
"Yeah, a real party going on at Albert Einstein High school in lovely San Fran,"
Rory mumbled, nibbling on the toasted delicacy. "Spanish, Calculus, Chemistry, and
World History today."/p
"Exciting," Lorelai commented. "What would I give to be in your place?"
Lorelai cocked her head, thinking about the prospect. "Not coffee." /p
Rory made a sound that sounded something like strangled duck. /p
Lorelai looked thoughtful. "In fact, I'd probably give exactly the same thing
I give to the American Association for Plastic Engineers every year. Nada, senorita."
She smiled broadly./p
Rory sighed. Lorelai gave her a hug. "Good luck, babe." Lorelai kissed Rory on the cheek.
"I know you'll ace them!" /p
"Thanks." Rory attempted a smile. "I'll see you later?"/p
Lorelai nodded. "And afterwards, we can go chilling like a villan..."/p
"No more BET for you," Rory said, shaking her head. She pushed her chair back from the
table and stood up. "See you later, Mom."/p
"I'll be waiting with a bucket of coffee!" Lorelai paused. "Or chicken.." She was confused.
"Mmm..chicken..."bFebruary 2001, San Francisco, CA, that same day.../p
"No, no, no, no!" Lorelai yelled. "And finally...." She paused, as if she was thinking. "No!"/p
"But why not?" Charlize whined. "I don't see why an ice sculpture would ruin the party.."/p
"Because it's a 'June in January' party, not an Eskimo gathering at the ice factory."/p
"But it could be an ice sculpture of.. flowers."/p
"A hula girl?"/p
"A coffee cup?"/p
"A nice decorative fixture for my house, yes. For this party, no."/p
Charlize made a face. "Please, Lorelai! My friend.. uh, Smith, he's really, really good. I mean,
I'm talking high quality work here."/p
Lorelai sighed in defeat. "Fine, let me see a couple of Smith's works..
then maybe we can discuss it again."/p
Charlize's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Lorelai, you are the best! THE best!" Blowing kisses in the air, Charlize ran out of the lobby./p
"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai mumbled. The Johnsons are going to be annoyed when they found
a chunk of ice decorating the foyer of their beloved party room... Mrs. Johnson had planned
the party down to almost every single detail. The pattern of the napkins. The syrup that the
hotel cook would use in the parfait. Mrs. Johnson had even had the nerve to tell her what to
wear at the party. /p
"I'll try my best," Lorelai had replied, inwardly grimacing. She had almost
had an epileptic fit./p
Mr. Johnson wanted everything exactly the way Mrs. Johnson had planned it. Lorelai shuddered./p
Lorelai only hoped that this ice sculpture wouldn't throw them off balance. Maybe..
they would even like it. Hello? We are talking about the Johnsons here... Lorelai sighed.
They were the pickiest people she had ever seen...iBesides Emily Gilmore...iWhoa, whoa, whoa../i Lorelai shook her head. Where had that thought come out of?
Her mother? She hadn't seen Emily Gilmore in... Wow. Was it really 17 years?/p
The occasional Christmas card. A phone call on Rory's birthday. Seventeen years of
relative silence. /p
"Lorelai!!!" /p
A desperate cry from the kitchen brought Lorelai jumping to her feet. /p
As the kitchen door swung open, Lorelai glimpsed a burst of flames near the ovens. /p
She sighed, but smiled slightly. Just another day...bFebruary 2001, New York, NY, that same day.../p
"No." Jess glared at her. "I'm not going anywhere."/p
"Jess," Liz said and sighed. "Four suspensions in 3 months?"/p
"The last incident was an accident," Jess muttered. "It wasn't my fault."/p
"Then whose fault was it, Jess?" Liz put her hands on her hips. "Principal McClintock's?"/p
"Honestly?" Jess asked, raising a brow. "Yes, it was his fault."/p
"It was his fault that all the fire sprinklers went off in the girls' locker room after
softball practice?"/p
"The guy's a pedophile, I tell you," Jess replied and shrugged. "The man was dying to
see those girls running out of the locker room half naked."/p
"Jess!" Infuriated, Liz rubbed her temples. iUgh, and it doesn't make a great visual either./i
True or not, she didn't care about the principal's.. extracurricular activities. /p
"You're going. And that's final."/p
"No, I'm not going," Jess refuted. "And...." Jess paused for effect. "..that's final."/p
Liz wanted to scream. "Pack your stuff. Your bus comes at nine tomorrow morning." /p
She walked out of his room. /p
"Too bad I won't be here." Jess mumbled. He turned on his stereo and pumped
the volume up to the max. Shaking his head to the music, he searched under a
pile of clothes for his copy of Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon. Jess settled
down on his bed and opened the book. /p
For once, he couldn't concentrate. Sighing, he set the book down next to him and got
up from the bed. When had she started to act like his mother anyways? It's not like she
was around enough to do that. His fourth suspension and she wanted to be Mrs. Cleaver
to his Beaver. It's a little too late, Liz. I've already grown up. Jess smirked.
It was especially interesting how she was sending him away. Did she honestly believe
that sending him away to his uncle would fix the problem?iSomeone needs a subscription to Parent Magazine../p
He would find his way out of this. He always did./p
Someone pounded on the wall. "Turn that music off!"/p
Jess rolled his eyes but turned down the volume.iNew Yorkers are obnoxious.. but I can't live without them.bFebruary 2001, San Francisco, CA, that afternoon.../p
"Rory?" Lorelai looked up as her daughter walked into the hotel. Shoulders hunched. /p
Dragging her feet. She looked defeated. Beaten. Downcast. /p
"Honey! What happened?" /p
Rory now had a dumbfounded look on her face. "Mid.. terms...happened.."/p
Lorelai smiled sympathetically. "Let's go get you some coffee in the kitchen."
She put an arm around Rory's shoulders. "Or, at least, what's left of the kitchen."/p
Rory jerked awake at the sight of the black soot on the kitchen ceiling. /p
"What happened?" She sat down on one of the stools at the counter./p
"Carrot cake incident."Lorelai replied, pouring two cups of coffee. "It wasn't pretty. Even Peter Rabbit would have run at the frightening sight of
exploding carrots." She sighed and handed Rory a steaming mug. "Really,
I don't understand why there are no decent chefs in San Francisco." She shook her head and
took a gulp of the brown liquid. "Or, why the decent ones already have jobs."/p
Rory gave her a look. "Cause they're.. decent..?" /p
Lorelai thought for a second. "Could be that." She sat down next to Rory. /p
"Do chefs have to take midterms?" Rory asked, sipping her coffee. "Cause if they
don't.. I want to be a chef."/p
Lorelai gave her a look. "Tell me you're joking."/p
"Okay, I am," Rory replied, rolling her eyes. /p
Lorelai let out the breath she was holding. "Whew, for a second there, I thought you
were serious."/p
"Rory, come on, we Gilmores couldn't cook if they threatened to put
Richard Simmons in the Oval Office." Lorelai started to laughed
hysterically. "Richard... hahaha.. in the oval office?" She laughed again. "Sorry, the visual,
the visual!" She laughed again. "Can you imagine that as a TV movie?"/p
Rory gave her a look. "Teeheehee," Lorelai tittered and wiped the tears from her eyes.
She cleared her throat. "Anyways, that's also synonymous to your saying that you were
going to go work for Hugh."/p
"Grant?"Rory asked. "I liked him in Four Weddings and a Funeral."/p
"Why?" Rory asked, jokingly. "You don't think I have the body for Hugh?"/p
"Ugh, don't even say that," Lorelai replied and grimaced. "You and Hefner. Nasty picture."/p
"Your active imagination must be curbed," Rory replied calmly and took a gulp of her coffee./p
"Plus, you'd have to change your name to Bitsy or Bopsy or Biopsy.. whatever. Take your pick."/p
"Plus, how could I ever show my face in public ever again?" Lorelai asked melodramatically.
"My pride and joy, now Ms. December. I'd rather have you cooking in a kitchen, Bopsy."/p
Rory nodded. "I second that, Bitsy." She clinked her coffee mug with her mom's.bFebruary 2000, New York, NY, the next morning/p
"Je-...!" Liz stopped mid-yell as she entered the living room. "Jess?" /p
He stood at the front door. Two blue duffels lie on the floor next to him. /p
"Let's go. We're late," He said sharply. /p
"You're.. going?" Liz was surprised at his cooperation. She had expected to at
least drag him out of bed and pack his bags for him in between a flurry of angry words.
Jess sighed and picked up the bags. "Whatever. It's almost nine." He raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want me to miss the bus, do you? You'd be stuck with me for longer than you need
to be."/p
"Jess..," Liz started, but he was already out the apartment door. She bit her lip.
"Wait up!" She called out. bFebruary 2000, New York, NY, the next morning/p
The subway was relatively empty./p
"Aren't you late for work?" Jess suddenly asked her. /p
"Well, you are going for a while," Liz replied. She attempted a smile. /p
"I thought I would see you off."/p
Jess shrugged and looked out the window into the darkness. "You didn't have to."/p
She sighed. "Jess, I know we haven't been on the best terms..." For the last 17 years...
"I'm hoping that things will become better between us."/p
"Huh," Jess replied, his face twisting into a familiar smirk. "And sending me off to
the boonies will do that."/p
"No," Liz admitted. "But maybe we need a little time off from each other."/p
Jess looked away from her. "Whatever. It doesn't matter to me."/p
Liz sighed and sat back in the plastic orange seat. As the train stopped, Jess got up and picked up his duffels from the floor. "You need help?"
Liz asked as they left the subway station. /p
"No," Jess replied. Not from you./p
"Okay," Liz replied and they walked into the bus station in silence. bFebruary 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, the same morning/p
"When's your nephew coming, Luke?"/p
Luke looked up and glared at Kirk. "Why?"/p
"Just curious," Kirk replied. /p
"How did you know about my nephew?"/p
Kirk gave him a look. "We live in Star's Hollow."/p
"Right," Luke muttered and grunted. "Stupid townspeople have nothing better to do
than gossip.."/p
"Like that time you got a new flannel shirt. Patty told me about it. She said it was a slighter
redder version of the other one, the one you bought at Land's End." Kirk commented, stirring his
coffee./p
"You're scaring me," Luke deadpanned./p
Kirk shrugged. He was used to people saying that. "Can I get my Equals now?"/p
Luke threw him the box. "Don't you have somewhere to go or something to do?"/p
"Well, go find something then."/p
"I don't want to."/p
Luke sighed dejectedly. "Never mind then. Just drink your coffee and leave." /p
He glared at Kirk and went back behind the counter. /p
"You really should improve your atti-..." Kirk stopped talking when he saw the
look on Luke's face. "Bye!" Kirk ran out the door.bFebruary 2000, New York, NY, the same morning/p
Jess looked out the window as the bus left Port Authority. He wouldn't be back in New York
for a while. He would miss the city. But, hell, he wouldn't miss eating dinner alone every
night when Liz went out on another of her little dates. Or meeting any of those imbecilic
losers that she seemed to attract.iSo she thinks that we need a little time off from each other./i Jess smirked. iSmartest idea
she's had in a while. Star's Hollow was probably some dinky little town thrown together by a
bunch of outcasts
and weirdos. The very town that his mother grew up in. Whoopeee../p
He wondered what 'Uncle Luke' was like. Liz raved about him constantly. "Dependable Luke,"
She had said. In other words, boring Uncle Luke./p
Whatever, he didn't really care. He was going away from the stupid little craphole called
FDR High School and his 'mother' Liz. That's what mattered./p
That and the letter in his pocket that would buy him his way out of the east coast.bFebruary 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that afternoon../p
Luke leaned against the counter in the empty diner and wondered what his nephew was like. /p
He remembered a frowny, brown haired baby boy. He remembered jam hands and wails late at night
when he visited. Hopefully, the kid wasn't as sticky and whiny as he used to be. He didn't
want to wash jam off clothes and wipe tears./p
He honestly didn't know what he had been thinking when he had agreed to take Jess in.
What did he know about raising a kid? But Liz had begged and begged. Something about trouble
in school having to do with fire sprinklers./p
"He's not a bad kid.. he just has some issues," She had said./p
Don't we all? Luke had wanted to say. But this kid was family, and Luke was loyal to family.
How bad could it be?bMarch 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, weeks later/p
He hated this place. He loathed it. The stupid festivals. The stupid people. /p
There was nothing interesting in Star's Hollow. The place was a freakin' hole and
he needed to get out here. Before he shot something. Or someone./p
The bell on the diner door jingled as Taylor walked in. iAnd we have a winner../p
"Jess," Taylor acknowledged him, his eyes narrowing. "Where's your uncle?"/p
Lucky for him, somewhere where you're not... "Dunno."/p
"Well, do you know how I could find him?"/p
Taylor sighed and wagged a finger in Jess's face. "You better not be lying to me."/p
"Why would I?" Jess asked and put his book down on the counter. "I rather enjoy
watching you harangue Luke."/p
Taylor furrowed his brow. "You better watch it, you hoodlum. I'm on to you and your
little pranks."/p
"What pranks?" Jess asked innocently. "I haven't done anything in this stupid town.
Probably because.. there's nothing to do!"/p
The cardigan-clad man just frowned. "Boys like you don't know how to appreciate a sense of
community when they see it."/p
"Whatever." Jess shrugged and picked up his book. iThere's nothing to do in this goddamn
place./i He thought, pretending to read. He perked up. Maybe he could find something to do.bApril 2000, San Francisco, CA, weeks later/p
Rory yawned and rolled out of bed. She walked into the kitchen and found her
mom drinking coffee up./p
"Hey, sunshine," Lorelai said and smiled. "Guess what I found!?"/p
"Uh oh," Rory muttered./p
"Free passes to the local gym!" Lorelai announced giddily. "This will be fun! And we'll
both get hard bodies.."/p
"Mom," Rory said, rubbing her eyes. "Do you know what exactly goes on in a gym?"/p
"Women in tight clothing watch buff men in tight clothing?"/p
"Uh.. no, people sweat and lift heavy things," Rory explained. "Both activities,
I must mention, which you hate."/p
"Oh," Lorelai replied, crestfallen. "But they still wear tight clothing right?"/p
Rory sighed. "Yes."/p
"Score!,"Lorelai yelled. "That's all that matters."/p
Rory rolled her eyes. /p
"Besides, we get to go buy new gym clothes! It'll be fun!"/p
Rory had to laugh. "Okay, fine, fine, I give in."/p
"OOOo and we should get our hair done!"/p
"For the gym!?"bApril 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that same morning/p
"This is the last straw, Jess!" Luke yelled furiously. "Go upstairs!"/p
"Huh," Jess said, smirking. "Oh, I get it. We're playing a game. I'm supposed to guess
who you are, right?"/p
"I mean it, Jess," Luke fumed./p
"Mike Brady?"/p
"Get... upstairs."/p
"Mr. Cleaver?"/p
"Move your ass, mister," Luke yelled and pointed to the stairs./p
"I believe 'ass' just deleted Donna Reed from the list," Jess said, pretending to think.
He scratched his chin. "Unless of course, you were referring to the defintion pertaining to female
donkey."/p
"Jess, if you don't get your ass up those stairs in the count of three, I'm going to..."/p
"Going to what?" Jess asked, letting his defenses down. "Going to call Liz? OOoh, I'm
scared now. Maybe, this time, Liz will send me to Uncle Bill in Oklahoma."/p
Luke looked like he was going to explode. "Just.. go upstairs."/p
"Yeah, whatever," Jess said, furrowing his brow. "I'm outta here."/p
"Where are you going?!?!?"/p
Jess turned around and smirked. "Out." His hand on the door, Jess turned around one last
time to smirk before leaving the diner. And he was gone. /p
"Damn kid," Luke fumed under his breath. The patrons in diner stared at Luke as he angrily
adjusted his cap. "What are you looking at??!!" They all turned back at their food.bApril 2000, San Francisco, that same morning/p
"Lorelai!!! Phone!" Lorelai swung around the counter and took the phone from Charlize.
"Hello?" "Ms. Gilmore."/p
Uhhhh... iJohnson alert/i Lorelai gave Charlize a look of annoyance and covered
the mouthpiece. "I thought I told you to screen the phone calls??" She whispered to Charlize.
The girl shrugged and looked apologetic. "Sorry."/p
Lorelai sighed. "It's okay." Mrs. Johnson was rambling about something or another..../p
"I just wanted to tell you that I absolutely LOVED how the party was run and you'll
definitely be seeing me again.."/p
What? Did she just hear correctly? "Oh, I'm so glad you loved it, Mrs. Johnson. After all,
here at the Biltmore Hotel, we aim to please."/p
"And that ice sculpture! Absolutely beautiful. It was definitely my favorite part of the
decorations. I mean, I was reluctant at first, and a little miffed, I must add because
the napkins were a slightly lighter shade of blue than I had wanted, but the ice sculpture
was absolutely gorgeous..."/p
Lorelai smiled at Charlize and mouthed, "She loved the ice sculpture."/p
Charlize jumped up and down and clapped her hands./p
"And I wanted to invite you and the ice sculpture artist to go to some party that Mr.
Johnson got an invitation to," Mrs. Johnson continued. "Frederick and I were going to go
but then we got tickets to go to Bermuda...."/p
"Oh," Lorelai said. Party?/p
"I believe it's some bash thrown by Vogue... Fashion.. something or another.. actually,
I think it's the after party to an award show..," Mrs. Johnson continued./p
"Oh my gosh," Lorelai said, her eyes widening as realization set in. "Thank you so much!"
She waved an arm at Charlize. "That's great, I'd love to go."/p
"Yes, and take the artist of the sculpture with you.. whoever he or she is, they deserve it."
"Sure," Lorelai replied, nodding. /p
"I'll have Mr. Johnson's secretary call you tomorrow with details."
"Oh okay, thank you again."/p
"All right, Ms. Gilmore, we'll speak again."/p
"Goodbye!" Lorelai hung up and squealed. "Vogue!!"/p
"Huh?" Charlize asked. /p
Charlize gave her a look./p
"Awards!!!!" Lorelai clapped her hands again. "Well, actually the after-party..
but still! Oh my gosh. I have to go shopping!"/p
"Shopping?" Charlize's eyes lit up. "Why?"/p
"Oh my gosh, Charlize," Lorelai said. "I'm so sorry I ever doubted your friend's ice
sculptures! I want him! I mean, I need his name! I want him to do ice sculptures
for all my parties!"/p
Charlize stopped jumping up and down. "Oh.. my friend?"/p
"Yeah, plus, Mrs. Johnson invited him to the Vogue Fashion Awards afterparty!"/p
"Vogue Fashion Awards?" Charlize's mouth dropped open. "Whoa, Mrs. Johnson's in on the in
crowd..."/p
"Well, duh, silly," Lorelai said, lightly swatting Charlize's arm. "Mr. Johnson is the
CEO of Johnson & Johnson.."/p
"I know, but the man makes cotton balls.. I didn't think he would get invited to that kind of
stuff..," Charlize replied, shaking her head./p
"Yeah, so about your friend.. unless, if he's a guy, he probably doesn't want to go to a
fashion thing," Lorelai commented, thinking. "Hey, why don't you come with me instead?
Do you think he'll mind?"/p
Charlize shook her head vehemently. "Nah, he won't." Her eyes lit up. "I'd love to go!"/p
"Great!" Lorelai quipped.bApril 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that same morning/p
Whatever Jess thought and shrugged. He really didn't care where they would send him this time.
As long as he had some privacy, he would be able to stand it. But this stupid town.. /p
everyone was in everyone else's business. /p
Maybe if he could find one person to talk to, it would be liveable. But there wasn't anyone.
He got bored easily. That's why he had pulled the fire alarms. And it was worth it Jess thought
smugly and leaned against the brick wall in the alley. It was worth it to see Principal Dumbass
flipping out.../p
He couldn't help but wonder where Liz and Luke would decide to ship him off to. Maybe it would
be somewhere a bit cooler than Star's Hole. But he doubted it. iBetter not get my hopes up./i
If he had one thing from life, it was to not get your hopes up. 'Cause everything was a
disappointment. /p
He slipped his hands in his jacket pockets and felt something brush against his right hand.
He pulled out a tattered letter.iDear Jess,/p
You probably don't remember me. Your dad. I know I've never tried to contact you. I'll understand if you don't reply. All I'm asking for is a chance.
I live in San Francisco now. Maybe you'd like to come here sometime. Give me a call when you want to./i
He refolded the letter and pushed it deep into his pocket. San Francisco. /p
The letter was always in the back of his mind, and Jess had been masticating on the thought of
taking up his 'dad' on the offer. He could get the plane ticket and jet out of Star's Hollow.
Who would know? He highly doubted that Liz had talked to dear ol' dad in ages. He could go to
San Francisco, and find a job or something. He'd be home free. /p
Jess smirked and started to walk out of the alley towards the pay phones.bApril 2000, Star's Hollow, CT, that same morning/p
"Um.. can I speak to James Mariano?" Jess mumbled, leaning against the glass of the
telephone booth./p
"This is he," The voice answered./p
"It's.. uh, Jess."/p
"Yeah," Jess answered, rolling his eyes. iWhat other son do you have?/p
"Hi, I was.. um.. wondering if your offer was still open."/p
"Yeah, yeah, of course," James replied. "I'll send you a ticket."/p
"Great," Jess replied, a bit too enthusiastically. "HOw long do you think it's gonna take?"/p
James smiled at his son's enthusiasm. "Couple days. I'll call you. Do you have a number...?"/p
"Yeah, yeah," Jess replied quickly and gave him the number on the pay phone. "I'm... uh.. only home from like
3 to 5 though... I have.. um.. work..."/p
"Oh okay, so that's like between 12 and 2 for me. I'll call you in a couple days, Jess. Thanks
for calling," James replied./p
"See ya then," Jess said./p