A/N: sorry it took me so long to get up this chapter, but here it is, so please review.

Chapter 3

Lorelai glanced up as Rory and Jess made their way over to her and Luke.

"Hey sweets," Lorelai greeted. "Have fun?"

"Yeah. And look what I found." Rory handed her mother the bad she was holding.

Lorelai's face lit up. "Present?" she cried, peeking into the bag. "Ooh!"

She pulled a record out of the bag, glanced at it and squealed, then showed it to Luke.

"The Go-Gos," he read. He looked up at Lorelai. "You like them?"

"They were only my favorite group," she replied. "And, look, it's signed by Belinda and everything! This is great."

"Told you I'd find another one," Rory said, laughing as her mother gave her a hug.

"Thanks Ror, it's great," Lorelai repeated. She glanced at Jess. "Does your Mom have a record player?"

He shrugged. "Probably."

"I guess we should get going there soon. To Liz's, I mean," Luke declared.

"We're staying until Sunday?" Jess asked.

"Yeah."

"Well Liz doesn't have enough rooms. I think we should get a hotel room. Besides, I'm in no hurry to meet the husband-to-be."

Luke frowned. "The husband-to-be has a name, Jess."

"Which is?"

"Don't you know?"

"No. I didn't even know she had a new boyfriend." Jess shrugged.

Rory looked at him sympathetically. She had no idea what he was feeling right now. She knew he didn't want to be here, that much was obvious, but she wished he would just talk to her.

She didn't have a good feeling about this trip. Not at all.

* * * * *

"Do you need help with your bags, sir?"

Luke glanced over his shoulder at Rory, Jess, and Lorelai, then he turned back to the guy behind the front desk.

"We've got it, thanks."

"Very well." The guy handed Luke a key. "The key to your room, sir."

Luke took the key, grabbed his bad, and led the way to where their room was. He unlocked the door, and they all crammed in, looking around.

"There's two beds," Jess announced.

"Thanks, Jess. Now go count the towels," Luke said dryly.

Jess scowled. "Who's sleeping where?"

"Well, Rory and I will take this bed," Lorelai said, setting her bag onto the bed closest to the door, "and you guys can take that one."

"I'm not sleeping with you," Jess addressed Luke.

"Well you're sure as hell not sleeping with her!" Luke shot back, gesturing to Rory.

She blushed, and Lorelai smiled. "Well," she began, "if you don't like the bed, one of you can sleep in the car outside, and the other could sleep in here on the cold, hard floor..."

"Okay, okay." Luke glanced around. "Alright, we got coffee, we got a room, now we go to Liz's."

Everyone looked at Jess.

"Fine," he said. "Let's go see Liz."

Rory gave his hand a squeeze, and he flashed her a small smile.

They all piled back into the car and headed to Liz's apartment. They arrived not twenty minutes later.

"Call her," Lorelai suggested.

"Why me?" Jess demanded.

"Because you're the youngest."

"Rory is the youngest."

Lorelai gazed at him thoughtfully. "Because you're the shortest!" She grinned, looking pleased with herself.

"What? I am n--"

"Oh geez, I'll do it!" Luke exclaimed. He walked over to the intercom and called his sister.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, Liz. It's Luke. Can we come up?"

"Oh, sure. Come on up."

Luke motioned for them to go ahead of him. "Now was that so hard?"

"Hi!" Liz greeted as she opened the front door. She smiled at each of them in turn, her eyes stopping on Jess. "Hey Jess."

"Liz," he replied coldly, glancing down.

Rory nudged him, and he tensed.

"Congratulations," he muttered.

"Thanks, Jess," Liz said, surprised. She grinned at him. "I can't wait for you to meet him."

"Yeah. Me either."

"So who are your friends?" Liz smiled at Lorelai and Rory.

Luke cleared his throat. "This is Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory," he introduced.

"Oh, the famous Gilmore girls, we meet at last! I've heard so much about you," Liz gushed.

"You have," Lorelai said, turning to Luke. His face turned about ten different shades of red.

"I hear you love coffee..."

"Yes, I do..."

"Oh, make yourself at home. Would you like some coffee?"

Lorelai nodded eagerly, and everyone relocated to the kitchen.

"So," Liz started, pouring everyone coffee, "Rory. You go to Jess's school?"

"Um, no, actually. I go to Chilton. It's in Hartford," Rory answered. She stole a glance at Jess, and saw he was gritting his teeth, clutching the table with both hands until his knuckles turned white. He looked like he was about to either jump up or storm out of the room. Or both, she supposed.

"Really." Liz paused. "You'll have to excuse me, you are the first girl that Jess had brought home, and I don't know quite what to say or ask."

"Oh, that's okay," Rory assured her.

"I'd hardly call this home, Liz," Jess said vehemently. "And maybe there was a reason I didn't bring them home."

"Such as?" Liz demanded, her eyes narrowing slightly, and a warning tone in her voice.

"Such as the fact that I didn't think they need to see my mother passed out in the living room, or drunk, for that matter."

"Watch your tone--" Liz threatened, holding up a finger.

"Or you'll what?" Jess interrupted. "Send me away? Oh, too late," he added, fire in his eyes.

Liz's lower lip started to tremble, and tears formed in the corner of her eyes, as she saw the blind hatred in her son's eyes. "I didn't know what else to do, Jess," she told him. "You were impossible."

Rory, Lorelai, and Luke sat silently, uncomfortably, sipping their coffee.

"Lorelai, Rory, why don't we go into the living room," Luke suggested finally.

The Gilmore girls stood up quietly and followed Luke out of the kitchen. Rory shot Jess a pleading look as she passed by.

"We have guests," Liz snapped once the three were out of earshot. "I can't believe you are going to act like--"

"What, act like a what?"

Jess was just looking for something, anything, to use as an excuse to storm out of the room. To get away from his mother.

"Like a two year old!" Liz yelled in response, standing up so quickly that her chair fell over. "How dare you come into my apartment and treat me this way."

Jess laughed at her. "You told us to come here. What did you expect? Hugs and sing alongs?"

Liz took a deep breath. "You really do hate me, don't you?"

Jess didn't answer. He stood up and walked into the living room, where Luke and the girls had escaped to. And Liz just watched him go.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," Rory responded as Jess sank into the couch beside her. He rested an arm on the back of the couch behind her head, and she turned to stare at him.

"What?" Jess asked, catching her eye.

"I thought you promised you'd be good."

"Oops," he replied sarcastically.

"Jess, come on. Just get through this weekend."

"I'm trying."

"Without fighting."

"Easier said than done."

Rory turned to her mother. "Mom?"

"Hm?" Lorelai replied after a moment.

"Are you sleeping?"

"Am I talking to you?" Lorelai countered, opening her eyes.

"Well yeah, but--" Rory interrupted herself, "Is Luke asleep?"

Lorelai shifted her weight on the couch so she could see Luke. "Yup," she confirmed. "He's started to drool."

"Well wake him up! It's awkward enough without the peacemaker sleeping."

"So I'm the peacemaker now?" Luke asked, his eyes fluttering open.

"You're close enough," Rory replied.

"Yeah. And why not, I'm the troublemaker," Jess remarked.

"Can't we all just get along?" Lorelai sang.

Rory ignored her, turning back to Jess. "Well if you'd just be nice to the woman who gave birth to you, like you promised, you wouldn't be classified as a troublemaker."

He pulled her closer to where she was now leaning against him. "I'm sorry I brought you into all of this."

"Don't worry about it. You only did it because you thought that I wanted to come."

"But you didn't?"

"I did at the time," Rory told him.

Jess grinned. "Sorry," he said again, thought he didn't look very apologetic. He looked like he had 'I told you so' on the tip of his tongue. But, of course, it wasn't his style to point that out. He knew this would happen, though.

"Don't worry about it," Rory insisted.

Jess was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Everyone looked up.

"Hey, where's Liz?" Luke asked.

"I'll answer the door," Jess offered reluctantly, ignoring Luke's question. He stood up and went over to the door, flinging it open.

"Hey, you must be Jess!" the man standing there exclaimed, when he saw Jess. "I'm Gary."

"Uh, hey," Jess responded, walking back over to Rory.

"Where's your mother?" Gary asked.

"Right here, sweetie," Liz replied, walking into the room with a small smile on her face. "Have you met everyone?"

"Just Jess," Gary replied, looking around and noticing the other three guests for the first time.

"This is Jess's, uh, friend, Rory," Liz introduced, motioning with one hand. "And this is her mother, Lorelai Gilmore. And this--"

"Must be the famous brother, Luke," Gary finished. "Howdy, Luke!"

Jess snorted, and Luke tried to keep a straight face as Rory shoved Jess. Even Lorelai had to restrain herself from commenting on that one.

"Uh, hi."

"We're sure glad that y'all could make it up here," Gary told them.

"Where's his horse?" Lorelai asked Rory under her breath, and Rory's eyes widened as she tried not to laugh.

"Excuse me?" Gary asked, obviously thinking that she had been talking to him.

Lorelai didn't miss a beat. "I said 'The pleasure is ours'," she returned. He nodded, satisfied with her answer.

"Are y'all staying for supper? 'Cause I was gonna cook."

"Where did she find this guy?" Lorelai whispered to Rory, as Luke answered Gary, telling him they were staying.

"Maybe he fell off his horse, and she helped him get back on," Rory suggested as Gary, Liz, and Luke went into the kitchen.

Lorelai laughed. "Uh oh, grown-up time," she exclaimed, standing up. "I'll be back." She hurried after Luke.

Rory gave Jess a kiss, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Be nice, or I'm not going to do that again this whole weekend," Rory said.

"Is that a threat?" Jess teased.

"Maybe." Rory grinned.

They locked eyes, and Jess realized just how happy he was that she was there to help him through this weekend. It didn't seem so hard to bear with her by his side.

He kissed her again, then they both sat back, and Jess turned on the television. Rory leaned her head on his shoulder, and Jess couldn't help but think that this was the way things should always be.

A/N: so sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out, but I really got caught up in writing 'Feelings Resurfaced' and all, and I'm such a slacker when it comes to typing it all up, since I have my O-Town and fanfic sites to work on. [For links, check my bio page] Anyway, as usual, I wanted to get this out ASAP, so I didn't get a chance to PR it...or, I don't think I did, that is. I typed up most of this a week or so ago, so I might've PR it then, I dunno. Anyway, please review and I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner, though I haven't even started writing it yet.