Title: Finding Family (Part 6)
Author: Sirius superpuppy88@aol.com
Rating: PG
Archived: July 31, 2002
Spoilers: None
Summary: Rory and Jess find that they are supposed to be together. Jess gets a visit from someone in New York, which leads to a very complicated week.
[FADE to the apartment above the diner.]
JESS: I know this is gonna be cramped for a while but, you can have the bed or we can roll out a sleeping bag on the floor. Which do you want?
CARLY: I'll take the floor. Thanks.
JESS: No problem. (Takes a green sleeping bag out of the closet and unrolls it on the floor by the window.) Here ya go. The bathroom's all yours to get in your pajamas.
CARLY: Thanks. (Leaves for the bathroom. JESS sighs and sits down on the bed. He takes the book that's sitting on his nightstand, turns on the lamp, and leans against the headboard. CARLY returns a minute later in purple pajamas.) There. Goodnight.
JESS: Goodnight.
[FADE to the alley behind Luke's diner the next day. CARLY and JESS are trying to teach RORY how to skateboard.]
RORY: Oh, oh my. Here I go. Ah! Too fast, cannot stop. Help! Jess!
JESS: (Runs after her and takes her hand to help her jump off.) You were going like one mile per hour.
RORY: It felt a lot faster.
JESS: Okay. You wanna go again? Remember to keep your footing. Front foot stays still.
RORY: Right, okay. Yeah.
JESS: Keep it a little slanted, that helps me.
RORY: Okay. (Brings the skateboard back to the top of the alley and puts her foot on the top. She kicks off and puts her back foot on. She balances with her hands as she glides.) Wee!
JESS: Whoo! Way to go!
RORY: (Jumps off when she gets to the bottom. She holds the top of the skateboard and leans on it.) Oh, I'm good. (The skateboard slips out from under her and she falls on the ground.) Ow. (Embarrassed as JESS and CARLY come running up to her.)
CARLY: Are you okay?
RORY: Yeah, I'm great. Haha.
CARLY: Okay, you wanna try turning?
RORY: Uh, yeah sure.
CARLY: Okay, there are two main ways to do it. If it's an easy turn you might just want to lean on the board the way you want to go. But if it's a sharp turn you want to lean on the back of the board so that the front pops up and then you can bring it down the direction you wanna go.
JESS: Let's try the leaning first. I don't want you to die.
RORY: Thanks. Leaning it is.
(JESS and CARLY help RORY with the basics of skateboarding for about another hour before they sit down to rest.)
RORY: This was fun, thanks.
CARLY: No problem.
RORY: Can you guys do any tricks?
CARLY: Jess can do lots. I'm still working on the easier ones.
RORY: Oh, can you show me?
JESS: I'll need a ramp for most of them but I can do some stationary ones. (JESS gets up and flips the board on the sidewalk.) Okay, this is an Ollie. (JESS does a trick where he jumps with the board and slams it back down again.) And this is a Nose Grab. (Does a trick where he jumps and grabs the top of his board before coming down again.) A Tail Grab is when you do that only you grab the back of your board instead of the front. Then a Kickflip is when you spin it one way and land on it after a full rotation. (JESS does this move.) Those are a few I can do on the ground. The rest I need a ramp for.
RORY: WOW! That's so cool!
JESS: Thanks. (Smiles.)
RORY: Well it's 4 o'clock. I have to go home and help my mom with the laundry. I'll see you guys in a while for dinner. Bye.
JESS: Bye. (Kisses her.)
CARLY: Hey, Jess, can we go to the music store?
JESS: Yeah, in a minute, but first I want to see what you can do.
CARLY: No, Jess. I'm really bad.
JESS: Don't be so modest. You were great when I left.
CARLY: Fine. (Does and Ollie, followed by a Tail Grab and a Kickflip.)
JESS: Wow. (Gives her a high five when she's done.) Good job. Let's go. (Puts his board on the ground and skates off. CARLY follows.)
CARLY: Coming!
[FADE to the music store.]
CARLY: Wow! They have everything!
JESS: Yeah, they do have a pretty good selection.
CARLY: New Found Glory! Yeah! I have to get this.
JESS: You're into the punk stuff now?
CARLY: Just some of it. I don't like Sum 41 and I only like some Blink182.
JESS: Cool. Now this is something I have to get. The Beatles Collection.
CARLY: Cool.
JESS: Yeah.
[FADE to outside the store.]
JESS: Where to now? Bookstore?
CARLY: No thanks, I have to look at your collection first, remember?
JESS: Oh, yeah. Okay. Well then, let's go home.
CARLY: Yeah. (JESS starts across the street.) Home. (CARLY follows him.)
[FADE to inside the diner.]
LUKE: Hey, you guys. There's some guy upstairs waiting for you.
CARLY: Oh my God. No.
JESS: What?
CARLY: It's.it's.
JESS: Hey, calm down. Let's go.
CARLY: After you.
[FADE to upstairs in the apartment.]
JESS: Hello?
MAN: Jess?
JESS: No, not you. Get out.
MAN: Come on Jess. It's been years since I've seen you. Give me a chance to talk to you.
JESS: No! I told you to get out.
MAN: Jess, I know you don't hold me in your best regards, but I've changed.
JESS: Impossible.
MAN: Jess, I'm your father.
JESS: Not much of one.
MAN: Just give me a chance to talk to you.
JESS: I'm leaving. Come on Carly.
(JESS and CARLY leave and run out of the diner.)
CARLY: Where are we going?
JESS: I don't know. Anywhere away from him.
CARLY: What do you think he wants?
JESS: I don't know. But I do know that whatever it is, I don't want anything to do with it.
CARLY: Yeah. (They both walk in silence for a while, thinking. After a while CARLY gets up the courage to speak.) Do you even want to know what he wants?
JESS: Not particularly.
(More silence.)
JESS: Hey, um, is it okay if I leave you with Lorelai for a while? I really need to talk to Rory.
CARLY: Yeah sure. But just to let you know this isn't New York. I'll be fine on my own. You could just drop me off at the bookstore.
JESS: Oh, okay. Well stay there till I come back for you okay?
CARLY: Yeah, sure. (JESS runs off to RORY's house.)
[FADE to JESS knocking on the door of the Gilmore house. LORELAI answers the door and sees JESS looking miserable and on the verge of tears.]
JESS: Hi, is Rory home? (JESS mumbled really fast.)
LORELAI: Uh, yeah, but she's in the shower. Is everything okay?
JESS: No. I really need to talk to her. Can you tell her to meet me?
LORELAI: Yeah, sure. Where?
JESS: She'll know.
LORELAI: Okay, bye Jess.
(JESS runs off and to the bridge. He sits on the edge for a few minutes and stares at the water, thoughts running through his mind. He soon finds himself crying. RORY shows up about ten minutes later.)
RORY: Hey Jess, what's up?
JESS: (Looks at her with sad eyes.)
RORY: Are you okay?
JESS: My dad came back.
RORY: Oh, wow. What did he want?
JESS: I don't know. I told him to leave before he could say anything. I don't want anything to do with him after he left Carly, Liz, and I.
RORY: He wasn't much of a father to you was he?
JESS: No, and he won't be now either so I don't see why he doesn't just leave Carly and I alone.
RORY: I don't really know what to say.
JESS: You don't have to say anything.
RORY: It's going to be all right. I know it will.
JESS: How?
RORY: Because I know you. And I know you will do the right thing.
JESS: What's the right thing?
RORY: That's up to you to decide.
JESS: I should talk to him shouldn't I?
RORY: I would. Just to see what he wants.
JESS: He said he changed. He told me to give him another chance. But I'm sure he's just going to be the same.
RORY: What have you got to lose?
JESS: Nothing.
RORY: Try and talk to him Jess. It couldn't hurt.
JESS: (Reluctantly.) Okay, I'll try. (Stands up and holds out his hand to RORY.)
RORY: (Stands up with his help and hugs him.) It's going to be fine.
JESS: Thanks. I'll see you in about half an hour for dinner, right?
RORY: Count on it.
JESS: Okay, bye.
RORY: Bye. (Kisses him on the cheek and lets him go.)
[FADE to JESS walking into the bookstore.]
CARLY: Hey, did you talk to Rory?
JESS: Yeah. She told me to try to talk to him.
CARLY: Smart girl.
JESS: Yeah. So stay here okay? I'm gonna talk to him alone and then I'll come back for you.
CARLY: Why can't I come?
JESS: I don't know why he's here, but it must be pretty bad. I don't want you to get hurt.
CARLY: Fine, but Jess, be nice okay? We only get one dad.
JESS: Yeah, okay.
[FADE to inside the diner where JESS and CARLY's dad is talking to LUKE at the counter. LUKE looks really mad.]
JESS: Okay Jonathan. You've got one last shot.
JONATHAN: I came back to get you and Carly. I want you guys to come live with me in Seattle.
LUKE: (To everyone else in the diner.) Okay, we are closing now. Out!
JESS: (To Jonathan.) You have got to be kidding me!
JONATHAN: No, I'm not. I want you to live with me. I want to get to know you. I want to love you.
JESS: No! There is no way in hell you are taking us away with you. You left us once. When you do something like that you don't exactly get a second chance. We had to come here because Liz's husband beat us. We are safe here. We like it here. We have friends here. You can't just come here when things are finally looking up for us and take us away!
JONATHAN: I'm sorry to do this to you. I know you like it here, but I bet you'll find that Seattle can be nice too.
JESS: I'm not a minor anymore. I don't have to go with you. I can live wherever I want.
JONATHAN: That is true. You are eighteen and you have that choice. Carly however, doesn't.
JESS: You can't take her! You haven't changed. You'll hurt her. You'll abuse her! If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to!
JONATHAN: She doesn't have a place to live. She has to come with me. I'm her father. The law will make her come with me.
JESS: No! (Looks frantically at LUKE.)
LUKE: I'm afraid I can't let you take her Jonathan. Carly does have a place to live. She is living with Jess and I upstairs. The law won't necessarily make her come with you if she doesn't want to. If someone else will take her in and gain custody of her then she doesn't have to go.
JONATHAN: Who on Earth would take custody of her? No one cares about her.
LUKE: I will. I love her. She's my niece. She can live with me until she graduates high school.
JONATHAN: You can't do that. I'm her father!
LUKE: You haven't been much of one.
JONATHAN: Jess can do whatever he wants, but Carly is coming with me.
LUKE: Not now she isn't. She will stay with me until I see you in court.
JONATHAN: I'll have my lawyers call you. (Hurries out of the diner fuming.)
JESS: You are actually going to adopt her?
LUKE: Yes.
JESS: Thank you Luke! (Crosses behind the diner and hugs LUKE fiercely. JESS is close to tears.) You have no idea what you just did for me. I'm gonna go get Carly and tell her what's going on.
[FADE to the bookstore.]
CARLY: Hey, what did Jonathan want?
JESS: Come on, take a walk with me.
CARLY: That bad?
JESS: Yeah.
[FADE to the bench at the gazebo where JESS and CARLY are sitting. JESS has explained that JONATHAN is planning on taking her away with him.]
JESS: I told him that I wouldn't let you go with him.
CARLY: What did he say?
JESS: He said that he is your father and that he can do what he wants with you. Then Luke hopped into the conversation and said that if it was against your wishes to go with him, and if you had somewhere else to stay, they could take the matter to court.
CARLY: Yeah, but I don't have anywhere else to go.
JESS: Yes, you do. Luke offered to get custody of you. He said that if you wanted to you would be able to stay here in Stars Hollow until you graduate from high school.
CARLY: Would you stay here too?
JESS: For next year at least. Then, if I get accepted to college I will go and do that, but next year I will still be here.
CARLY: How long do I have to think about this?
JESS: Before Jonathan stormed out he said that he was going to have his lawyers call Luke. A couple days I bet.
CARLY: Okay. (Sits there deep in thought for a few minutes.) I don't know what to do. I want to stay with you, but I don't even know Luke.
JESS: He's a great guy, really he is. And when school starts you can make lots of new friends. And you'll have me, and Rory, and Lorelai too.
CARLY: Okay.
JESS: Yes! Now, we have to go and tell Luke. (JESS hugs her.) I won't let him take you. I promise you that.
Author: Sirius superpuppy88@aol.com
Rating: PG
Archived: July 31, 2002
Spoilers: None
Summary: Rory and Jess find that they are supposed to be together. Jess gets a visit from someone in New York, which leads to a very complicated week.
[FADE to the apartment above the diner.]
JESS: I know this is gonna be cramped for a while but, you can have the bed or we can roll out a sleeping bag on the floor. Which do you want?
CARLY: I'll take the floor. Thanks.
JESS: No problem. (Takes a green sleeping bag out of the closet and unrolls it on the floor by the window.) Here ya go. The bathroom's all yours to get in your pajamas.
CARLY: Thanks. (Leaves for the bathroom. JESS sighs and sits down on the bed. He takes the book that's sitting on his nightstand, turns on the lamp, and leans against the headboard. CARLY returns a minute later in purple pajamas.) There. Goodnight.
JESS: Goodnight.
[FADE to the alley behind Luke's diner the next day. CARLY and JESS are trying to teach RORY how to skateboard.]
RORY: Oh, oh my. Here I go. Ah! Too fast, cannot stop. Help! Jess!
JESS: (Runs after her and takes her hand to help her jump off.) You were going like one mile per hour.
RORY: It felt a lot faster.
JESS: Okay. You wanna go again? Remember to keep your footing. Front foot stays still.
RORY: Right, okay. Yeah.
JESS: Keep it a little slanted, that helps me.
RORY: Okay. (Brings the skateboard back to the top of the alley and puts her foot on the top. She kicks off and puts her back foot on. She balances with her hands as she glides.) Wee!
JESS: Whoo! Way to go!
RORY: (Jumps off when she gets to the bottom. She holds the top of the skateboard and leans on it.) Oh, I'm good. (The skateboard slips out from under her and she falls on the ground.) Ow. (Embarrassed as JESS and CARLY come running up to her.)
CARLY: Are you okay?
RORY: Yeah, I'm great. Haha.
CARLY: Okay, you wanna try turning?
RORY: Uh, yeah sure.
CARLY: Okay, there are two main ways to do it. If it's an easy turn you might just want to lean on the board the way you want to go. But if it's a sharp turn you want to lean on the back of the board so that the front pops up and then you can bring it down the direction you wanna go.
JESS: Let's try the leaning first. I don't want you to die.
RORY: Thanks. Leaning it is.
(JESS and CARLY help RORY with the basics of skateboarding for about another hour before they sit down to rest.)
RORY: This was fun, thanks.
CARLY: No problem.
RORY: Can you guys do any tricks?
CARLY: Jess can do lots. I'm still working on the easier ones.
RORY: Oh, can you show me?
JESS: I'll need a ramp for most of them but I can do some stationary ones. (JESS gets up and flips the board on the sidewalk.) Okay, this is an Ollie. (JESS does a trick where he jumps with the board and slams it back down again.) And this is a Nose Grab. (Does a trick where he jumps and grabs the top of his board before coming down again.) A Tail Grab is when you do that only you grab the back of your board instead of the front. Then a Kickflip is when you spin it one way and land on it after a full rotation. (JESS does this move.) Those are a few I can do on the ground. The rest I need a ramp for.
RORY: WOW! That's so cool!
JESS: Thanks. (Smiles.)
RORY: Well it's 4 o'clock. I have to go home and help my mom with the laundry. I'll see you guys in a while for dinner. Bye.
JESS: Bye. (Kisses her.)
CARLY: Hey, Jess, can we go to the music store?
JESS: Yeah, in a minute, but first I want to see what you can do.
CARLY: No, Jess. I'm really bad.
JESS: Don't be so modest. You were great when I left.
CARLY: Fine. (Does and Ollie, followed by a Tail Grab and a Kickflip.)
JESS: Wow. (Gives her a high five when she's done.) Good job. Let's go. (Puts his board on the ground and skates off. CARLY follows.)
CARLY: Coming!
[FADE to the music store.]
CARLY: Wow! They have everything!
JESS: Yeah, they do have a pretty good selection.
CARLY: New Found Glory! Yeah! I have to get this.
JESS: You're into the punk stuff now?
CARLY: Just some of it. I don't like Sum 41 and I only like some Blink182.
JESS: Cool. Now this is something I have to get. The Beatles Collection.
CARLY: Cool.
JESS: Yeah.
[FADE to outside the store.]
JESS: Where to now? Bookstore?
CARLY: No thanks, I have to look at your collection first, remember?
JESS: Oh, yeah. Okay. Well then, let's go home.
CARLY: Yeah. (JESS starts across the street.) Home. (CARLY follows him.)
[FADE to inside the diner.]
LUKE: Hey, you guys. There's some guy upstairs waiting for you.
CARLY: Oh my God. No.
JESS: What?
CARLY: It's.it's.
JESS: Hey, calm down. Let's go.
CARLY: After you.
[FADE to upstairs in the apartment.]
JESS: Hello?
MAN: Jess?
JESS: No, not you. Get out.
MAN: Come on Jess. It's been years since I've seen you. Give me a chance to talk to you.
JESS: No! I told you to get out.
MAN: Jess, I know you don't hold me in your best regards, but I've changed.
JESS: Impossible.
MAN: Jess, I'm your father.
JESS: Not much of one.
MAN: Just give me a chance to talk to you.
JESS: I'm leaving. Come on Carly.
(JESS and CARLY leave and run out of the diner.)
CARLY: Where are we going?
JESS: I don't know. Anywhere away from him.
CARLY: What do you think he wants?
JESS: I don't know. But I do know that whatever it is, I don't want anything to do with it.
CARLY: Yeah. (They both walk in silence for a while, thinking. After a while CARLY gets up the courage to speak.) Do you even want to know what he wants?
JESS: Not particularly.
(More silence.)
JESS: Hey, um, is it okay if I leave you with Lorelai for a while? I really need to talk to Rory.
CARLY: Yeah sure. But just to let you know this isn't New York. I'll be fine on my own. You could just drop me off at the bookstore.
JESS: Oh, okay. Well stay there till I come back for you okay?
CARLY: Yeah, sure. (JESS runs off to RORY's house.)
[FADE to JESS knocking on the door of the Gilmore house. LORELAI answers the door and sees JESS looking miserable and on the verge of tears.]
JESS: Hi, is Rory home? (JESS mumbled really fast.)
LORELAI: Uh, yeah, but she's in the shower. Is everything okay?
JESS: No. I really need to talk to her. Can you tell her to meet me?
LORELAI: Yeah, sure. Where?
JESS: She'll know.
LORELAI: Okay, bye Jess.
(JESS runs off and to the bridge. He sits on the edge for a few minutes and stares at the water, thoughts running through his mind. He soon finds himself crying. RORY shows up about ten minutes later.)
RORY: Hey Jess, what's up?
JESS: (Looks at her with sad eyes.)
RORY: Are you okay?
JESS: My dad came back.
RORY: Oh, wow. What did he want?
JESS: I don't know. I told him to leave before he could say anything. I don't want anything to do with him after he left Carly, Liz, and I.
RORY: He wasn't much of a father to you was he?
JESS: No, and he won't be now either so I don't see why he doesn't just leave Carly and I alone.
RORY: I don't really know what to say.
JESS: You don't have to say anything.
RORY: It's going to be all right. I know it will.
JESS: How?
RORY: Because I know you. And I know you will do the right thing.
JESS: What's the right thing?
RORY: That's up to you to decide.
JESS: I should talk to him shouldn't I?
RORY: I would. Just to see what he wants.
JESS: He said he changed. He told me to give him another chance. But I'm sure he's just going to be the same.
RORY: What have you got to lose?
JESS: Nothing.
RORY: Try and talk to him Jess. It couldn't hurt.
JESS: (Reluctantly.) Okay, I'll try. (Stands up and holds out his hand to RORY.)
RORY: (Stands up with his help and hugs him.) It's going to be fine.
JESS: Thanks. I'll see you in about half an hour for dinner, right?
RORY: Count on it.
JESS: Okay, bye.
RORY: Bye. (Kisses him on the cheek and lets him go.)
[FADE to JESS walking into the bookstore.]
CARLY: Hey, did you talk to Rory?
JESS: Yeah. She told me to try to talk to him.
CARLY: Smart girl.
JESS: Yeah. So stay here okay? I'm gonna talk to him alone and then I'll come back for you.
CARLY: Why can't I come?
JESS: I don't know why he's here, but it must be pretty bad. I don't want you to get hurt.
CARLY: Fine, but Jess, be nice okay? We only get one dad.
JESS: Yeah, okay.
[FADE to inside the diner where JESS and CARLY's dad is talking to LUKE at the counter. LUKE looks really mad.]
JESS: Okay Jonathan. You've got one last shot.
JONATHAN: I came back to get you and Carly. I want you guys to come live with me in Seattle.
LUKE: (To everyone else in the diner.) Okay, we are closing now. Out!
JESS: (To Jonathan.) You have got to be kidding me!
JONATHAN: No, I'm not. I want you to live with me. I want to get to know you. I want to love you.
JESS: No! There is no way in hell you are taking us away with you. You left us once. When you do something like that you don't exactly get a second chance. We had to come here because Liz's husband beat us. We are safe here. We like it here. We have friends here. You can't just come here when things are finally looking up for us and take us away!
JONATHAN: I'm sorry to do this to you. I know you like it here, but I bet you'll find that Seattle can be nice too.
JESS: I'm not a minor anymore. I don't have to go with you. I can live wherever I want.
JONATHAN: That is true. You are eighteen and you have that choice. Carly however, doesn't.
JESS: You can't take her! You haven't changed. You'll hurt her. You'll abuse her! If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to!
JONATHAN: She doesn't have a place to live. She has to come with me. I'm her father. The law will make her come with me.
JESS: No! (Looks frantically at LUKE.)
LUKE: I'm afraid I can't let you take her Jonathan. Carly does have a place to live. She is living with Jess and I upstairs. The law won't necessarily make her come with you if she doesn't want to. If someone else will take her in and gain custody of her then she doesn't have to go.
JONATHAN: Who on Earth would take custody of her? No one cares about her.
LUKE: I will. I love her. She's my niece. She can live with me until she graduates high school.
JONATHAN: You can't do that. I'm her father!
LUKE: You haven't been much of one.
JONATHAN: Jess can do whatever he wants, but Carly is coming with me.
LUKE: Not now she isn't. She will stay with me until I see you in court.
JONATHAN: I'll have my lawyers call you. (Hurries out of the diner fuming.)
JESS: You are actually going to adopt her?
LUKE: Yes.
JESS: Thank you Luke! (Crosses behind the diner and hugs LUKE fiercely. JESS is close to tears.) You have no idea what you just did for me. I'm gonna go get Carly and tell her what's going on.
[FADE to the bookstore.]
CARLY: Hey, what did Jonathan want?
JESS: Come on, take a walk with me.
CARLY: That bad?
JESS: Yeah.
[FADE to the bench at the gazebo where JESS and CARLY are sitting. JESS has explained that JONATHAN is planning on taking her away with him.]
JESS: I told him that I wouldn't let you go with him.
CARLY: What did he say?
JESS: He said that he is your father and that he can do what he wants with you. Then Luke hopped into the conversation and said that if it was against your wishes to go with him, and if you had somewhere else to stay, they could take the matter to court.
CARLY: Yeah, but I don't have anywhere else to go.
JESS: Yes, you do. Luke offered to get custody of you. He said that if you wanted to you would be able to stay here in Stars Hollow until you graduate from high school.
CARLY: Would you stay here too?
JESS: For next year at least. Then, if I get accepted to college I will go and do that, but next year I will still be here.
CARLY: How long do I have to think about this?
JESS: Before Jonathan stormed out he said that he was going to have his lawyers call Luke. A couple days I bet.
CARLY: Okay. (Sits there deep in thought for a few minutes.) I don't know what to do. I want to stay with you, but I don't even know Luke.
JESS: He's a great guy, really he is. And when school starts you can make lots of new friends. And you'll have me, and Rory, and Lorelai too.
CARLY: Okay.
JESS: Yes! Now, we have to go and tell Luke. (JESS hugs her.) I won't let him take you. I promise you that.