Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls and am not affiliated with the show, the WB, or the actors.

-Chapter 10-

"It'll be fun." Jess promised almost a week later.

Rory shook her head firmly. "I don't do parties. I'm sorry, but I'm just not a party person.

"And I can respect that, but it will be fun. Good food, lots of people, and the music shouldn't suck too bad." He said, trying the persuade her.

"That's the best you got?"

Jess thought for a moment. "I'm going with you to your little shin-dig." He pointed out.

"You offered. Try again."

"Hmmm.I want to show off my new girlfriend. Won't everyone at Star's Hollow High be shocked to see that a nice, decent girl might actually like me?"

Rory looked hurt. "Decent? I'm just decent?"

"Just go with me. If you go and give it a try and still don't have fun, we'll leave."

"Promise?" She asked.

"Promise."

Rory sighed. "I'll probably regret this, but I'll go. But if I don't have fun, you will pay."

Jess laughed a little and kissed her. "Payback isn't always a bad thing." He whispered and kissed her again.

~*~*~

"It's only been what? A few weeks? And you're already bending over backwards to please him." Lorelei stated as she sifted through Rory's closet, searching for an outfit for her daughter to wear.

"Not even a few weeks." Lane pointed out. "I've been sneaking around with Dave longer than these two have been dating."

Rory groaned and turned in her desk chair to face them. "So what if we haven't been dating that long? I am not bending over backwards to please him, we are going to a party. And you're a fine one to talk Mom. You learned to fish for a guy you went on one date with."

"That's different."

"How so?"

Lorelei shrugged and thought for a minute. "I'm an adult." Before Rory could respond she left the room and came back a few minutes later with an outfit from her closet. "Here, try this on."

`````

"Pretty!" Lorelei exclaimed when Rory walked down the steps.

Rory frowned, and looked down at herself. "Are you sure I look alright?" She was wearing a pair of jeans and her mom's button up black blouse.

"Yeah," Lane assured her. "These parties are nothing like the one we went to in Hartford. Much much more casual."

"You sure you can't come?" Rory asked her friend yet again. "I haven't really talked to these people since I started at Chilton, much less hung out with them."

"I wish I could, but my mom thinks these parties are just an excuse for kids to get drunk and have sex."

"Most of them are." Lorelei said. "Trust me, I know from experience." Just then the doorbell rang and she grabbed Rory's hand before she could open it. "You're not going."

Rory looked at her mom, strangely. "What?"

"You heard what I said. These parties are just excuses for kids to go wild, what was I thinking when I said you could go."

"You were thinking that you could trust me and that I was smart enough to not go wild."

Lorelei stood up straight and nodded. "Oh, yeah. I remember now. I love you, be safe, and come home early. I want all the details."

`````

"I'm not having fun." Rory stated. "Let's go." She headed towards the door, but Jess's arm around her waist stopped her.

"We just got here." He pointed out. "You promised to try. You want something to drink?"

Rory looked at him a little panicked. "I.I don't drink. You, um, you know that."

Jess smiled at her. "I was thinking soda. Or maybe water. Unless you don't drink liquids at all."

"No, I drink liquids. I just." She trailed off. "It's just Lane and my mom were talking about how these parties were all about drinking and orgies and stuff."

"Rory, I didn't bring you here to get you drunk."

"I know that." She told him. "Water's fine."

"Ok," He nodded. "Be right back."

After he disappeared from sight she searched the partygoers for a familiar face. "Hey." Dean said coming up beside her.

"Hi." She replied looking up at him. "Where's Shane?"

He shrugged before answering. "Around."

"Shouldn't leave a girl like Shane alone. Never know what she might do."

Dean didn't look too worried. "If she cheats on me, well, I'll live."

"What is it with that girl?" Rory asked. "Doesn't she care that the guys she dates don't even like or care about her."

"I could ask you the same thing."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

Dean glanced over his shoulder as Jess approached. "Nothing." He replied and left.

"What was that about?" Jess asked, handing Rory her bottle of water.

"You mean Dean?" At his nod she shrugged. "He just implied that you don't care about me, just like you never cared about Shane."

"Still don't think he's a jerk?" He inquired.

Rory narrowed her eyes at him. "Jess, he's hurt and angry. Not that I blame him, but he will get over it. So try to be nice, ok?" Jess didn't look convinced. "For me?"

"For you." Jess agreed.

`````

"Let me guess. The house is just too quiet without Rory, right?" Luke asked as Lorelei plopped down at the counter and placed her chin in her hands.

"You have no idea." She told him. "Even Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory couldn't pep me up."

"Things must really be bad."

"They are." She agreed and sighed. "I thought coming here and bugging you would make me a happy person, but I can't even muster up the strength."

"I bet you could muster some up for coffee." He poured her a mug without her even asking for one.

She smiled and sat up straighter. "Oh Lukey! You do have a heart."

"Call me that again and I take the coffee back and you will never see it again." He threatened, his hand reaching for the cup.

"Mean!" She picked her coffee up and held it protectively against her.

"It was just a warning." When he turned his back on her, she set the cup back again.

"How did you manage before Jess?" She questioned, and then rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure how you manage with him, but still, how did you handle living alone? Rory goes out for a few hours and I can't stand it. What am I gonna do when she leaves for college?"

"Living alone isn't so bad." He told her, leaning forward against the counter. "You have more time to think."

"Ick! Trust me buddy, if you knew what went on up here," She pointed to her temple. "You would not want more time to think. Sometimes I confuse myself."

"I don't doubt that."

"I could always come and bug you more."

"Because you don't do that enough as it is."

Lorelei nodded. "Not nearly enough. I only come here twice a day. When Rory's gone, that number is going to double. At least."

"You could bother someone else. Someone new. Won't that be fun? Finding some new prey."

Lorelei pouted. "No one is as fun to torture as you, Lukey."

"That's it." He exclaimed. "I'm cutting you off."

"From what?"

"Coffee." He looked straight into her eyes when he said it.

"No!"

"Yes."

"You wouldn't."

"I just did." He held the pot out in front of her and when she reached for it, he snatched it back. "Apologize."

"Never!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"Then say goodbye to Mr. Coffee." He told her and put the pot under the counter. Lorelei stood up and went behind the counter. "Going somewhere?" He asked, stepping in front of her and blocking her path to the coffee.

"This is illegal, Luke."

"How so?"

"You're breaking an amendment. The one about cruel and unusual punishment."

Luke raised his eyebrows at her. "I don't think our founding fathers were talking about coffee when they wrote the Constitution."

"Oh you're one of those people." She crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Those people?" He questioned, dryly.

"Yeah, those people. The kind that interpret the law strictly." Looking over his shoulder at the coffee pot, she faked right and tried to get past him on the left side, but he grabbed her arms and turned her so she was against the counter. His face loomed just inches above hers, and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. Their eyes locked and for a minute, neither moved. But then Luke slowly lowered his face to hers. Just as his lips brushed softly over hers, the bell above the door jingled, announcing another presence in the diner. Quickly, they jerked apart. "Alex!" Lorelei exclaimed, brushing past Luke. "What are you doing here?"

"I stopped at your house first, but you weren't there. I figured here would be my best bet. Guess I was right." He glanced for Lorelei to Luke. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." She answered him quickly.

"Right." He nodded. "That looked like nothing to me."

Luke spoke up. "It was."

"Sorry, but I'm not feeling inclined to believe you." Alex told him.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?"

"Sure." He responded and let Lorelei lead him outside, glancing back at Luke only once.

`````

"You kissed Luke?" Rory exclaimed.

"It was just a little kiss." Lorelei defended herself.

"And Alex saw?"

"Walked right in on it."

Rory nodded. "I see." She smiled a little. "Even I didn't get caught."

"It's your fault you know."

"How so?" Rory asked, slightly bewildered.

Lorelei looked at her like it was obvious. "You're a bad influence on me. I mean, you cheated on Dean with Jess, so you started it. It's a cycle, a bad cycle that I wasn't strong enough to break."

"It's not as bad as the cycle you started."

"Which is?"

"Getting pregnant as an unwed teenager."

"Am I ever going to live that down?"

"I don't think so. You did have a child, who by the way, isn't going away any time soon."

"Glad to hear it." Lorelei told her and pulled her into a hug, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Glad to hear it."