A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews, it really means a lot!
** Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Gilmore Girls. If I were that all powerful then Jess would be staying put! So, in summation... Please don't sue me!**
Lorelai sat at the bus stop in Stars Hollow,
drinking coffee. The bus pulled up and she put the coffee down.
"Hey." Said Rory as she stepped of off the bus.
"Nice opener." Sighed Lorelai.
"Mom… I'm sorry."
"Good!" Lorelai snapped.
"I didn't mean to worry you." Sighed Rory, looking at the floor.
Lorelai laughed.
"How did you think you could avoid it?" She asked, amused by Rory's last
comment.
"I don't know…"
"You went to New York, alone, to see some guy you met online…" Said
Lorelai. It sounded just as insane to her outloud as it had the last 1000 times
she'd said it in her head.
"I had to. I needed to see him." Rory tried to explain herself, but she
really didn't have it in her to put in the effort.
"Him? Him who? I don't know who 'him' is. Lane says you've known
'him' for months, but you never mentioned 'him' to me!" Said
Lorelai, shaking her head.
"Fine, what do you want to know?" Asked Rory, crying again.
"Who is he, how old is he… I dunno, anything you'd expect me to want to
know about any other guy you wanted to spend time with." Sighed Lorelai.
"His name is Jess, he's 17. He lives in New York somewhere in or near
Manhattan." Said Rory, walking away.
"Ok, nice start. How did you meet him?" Asked Lorelai, catching up to her.
"We met in a chat room. We talked. We've been talking everyday for
months." Rory wiped her eyes as they walked.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because… I didn't want you to freak out and think he was some 30 year old
weirdo trying to lure me into something dangerous." Stated Rory.
Lorelai rolled her eyes and huffed.
"I so wouldn't have thought…" She started.
"Yes, yes you would. That's why you've been sitting at that bus stop since
Lane told you where I was."
"I haven't!" Protested Lorelai.
"Oh, really? Then what did you do?" Asked Rory, intrigued.
Lorelai hesitated. She didn't want to tell Rory the truth, but they seemed to
be doing a lot of sharing that morning.
"I drove… to the state line." She said, slightly embarrassed.
"Just once?" Rory asked, not surprised.
"Twice." Said Lorelai. "But hey, I have a right! You're my only child,
and you'd gone off to meet some strange guy in some big city!" She said
defensively.
"He's not some strange guy. Not to me. I was safe."
"You didn't know that though!" Sighed Lorelai, softening. "You
couldn't have known that sweetie. Anything could have happened to you. He
could have… He's older than you."
"By a few months!" Said Rory.
"Still… He's probably… more experienced than you."
"Yeah, he is. But… what does that have to do with anything?" Sighed Rory,
frustrated.
"Well… he might have… tried something." Said Lorelai.
"Oh god." Said Rory, closing her eyes and stopping.
"It's true hun, you didn't know for sure that he wouldn't."
"Yes I did." Said Rory. "I know he wouldn't have done anything because
he loves me." She cried.
"Rory…"
"And I love him, mom."
Lorelai was taken aback by the last thing her daughter said. Rory was in love,
and she didn't even know. She stepped forward and hugged her. Rory seemed
grateful and hugged her back tightly.
"So… why the tears?" Asked Lorelai gently, pulling back to look at
Rory's face.
"Because… He lives there…and I live here. So… we have to stay
friends."
"Friend's isn't so bad."
"No… it's not. But I don't want to just be his friend mom. I don't
think of him as a friend anymore. But I still have to treat him like one."
Lorelai hugged her again.
August 2001
Liz burst in through the apartment door.
"Jess?" She called.
Jess came out of his room and looked at his mother.
"There you are." She said, dropping her purse and keys on the table.
"Here I am?" He said. "You know where I am. Don't pretend you actually
looked." He rolled his eyes and sat on the couch.
"Don't smart mouth me! I've had enough of that from you lately." She
demanded.
"Wanna know what I've had enough of?" He sighed.
"Not really, no." She said, standing in front of him with her arms folded.
"Surprise, surprise." He muttered, picking up a book.
Liz snatched the book away from him and threw it on the table.
"Did you, or did you not try and buy beer from the 7/11 on the corner?" She
said.
He chuckled to himself and sat back on the couch a little.
"What's so funny? This is serious, Jess."
"I know. Seriously funny. You… acting like my mother. It's all very new
and, might I add, very entertaining."
"I told you stop with all that smart mouth crap." She said. "Now answer
the question."
"So what if I did? I'm just trying to keep up with you. Explore some of your
interests. Bond with my mom. Is that a crime?" He said sarcastically, getting
up and walking into the kitchen.
"Don't think you're getting away with this." She said, following him.
"Why are you suddenly so interested?" He asked.
"You're my son!"
"Since when?" He said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Since you got bored
when Sam or Dave or… Mike or whoever, dumped you yesterday?"
"Don't talk to me like that." She snapped. "I don't know what has
happened to you over the last few months, but it's going to stop, right
now."
Jess looked at her and shook his head. She had no idea. The only time he felt
like himself was when he was reading Rory's e-mails, or writing one to her.
The rest of the time all he felt was torment.
All he could see, think about and hear was her. It was driving him crazy.
"It's not going to stop." He said defiantly. "Trust me, it's not
stopping anytime soon."
"Yes it is." She demanded.
"You don't have a clue!" He yelled at her. "You come in here and spend 5
minutes lecturing me about one out of a million things I've done lately, and
you expect that to be the end of it?"
"I am your mother!"
"Very convincing. Keep practicing." He sighed, walking away.
"I give up." She said, throwing her hands in the air.
"Wow." He looked at his watch. "7 minutes. Better luck next time."
"There won't be a next time. I can't deal with this anymore."
"Anymore?" He asked, amused.
"I can't. I'm calling your uncle."
Jess rolled his eyes.
"Because he has so many kids, he'll know what to do?" He asked, thinking
she'd gone insane.
"No, but he might be able to knock some sense into that head of yours." She
said, picking up the phone.
"He won't come to New York, he hated it here last time he came."
"He's not coming here. You're going to stay with him." She said,
dialing.
"What? No! You can't do that!" He shouted.
"I can, and I am. I am your mother, and I will do as I see fit." She said,
placing the phone to her ear.
Jess shook his head in disbelief. He walked into his room and slammed the door
behind him.
