Chapter One
The Artful Dodger
**************************************************
It doesn't mean I didn't try
I just never know why
It isn't cause I'm all alone
Baby you're not at home
And even though they don't show
The scars aren't so old
And when they go
They let you know
You can't put your arms around a memory
So don't try...
***********************************
As Rory walked up the front steps to the house in which the party was being held, she could feel the loud bass of the song they were playing inside vibrating through her body. She suddenly realized, seeing the mass of teenagers constantly moving, that she and Lane probably should have agreed on a meeting place, but moments after she stepped inside, Lane rushed to her side. She'd been waiting for her to arrive.
"Rory!" Lane squealed, relieved to see her face.
Rory smiled back at her. "Hey there, high school graduate. What's going on?"
"Huge news, lots to discuss," Lane said. She was rambling, a mile a minute. She took Rory's hand and started leading her around the outskirts of the crowd, saying, "We should go talk someplace quieter."
Confused, Rory followed her towards the back of the house. They went outside onto the back porch and sat on the stairs together, Lane's legs jittering with anxiety.
Rory chuckled a little. "What is going on? You're acting like a speed freak!" her chuckles faded a bit as she added with concern, "You didn't so any speed tonight, did you?"
Lane shook her head. "No, come on. I may admire that whole Andy Warhol scene, but I don't want to live it, no way." Lane took a deep breath.
"Well then what is it?" Rory asked. "You made it sound kind of like a life or death thing on the phone."
"It's Dave," Lane said.
Rory's stomach surged with worry. "Oh God, what happened?"
"No no," Lane assured her. "It's nothing bad." A grin crept across her lips as she added, "He's staying in Connecticut for college."
Rory's eyes widened. "He's staying here? I thought he was supposed to go to California."
"He was. But he decided he wants to stay around New England. For me." She giggled a little. "Well also because he'd be near New York, and New York has a far cooler music scene than California."
"Oh please," Rory said with a grin. "He's staying for you, Lane. Face it. He's infatuated with you." She continued with a sarcastic tone. "But you should watch out, make sure it doesn't start bordering on stalking. Cuz then that would be a little scary. And also criminal."
"Speaking of criminals," Lane began with a sarcastic smile, "How'd it go with Jess?"
Rory sighed, trying not to let her anxiety show. "It went fine. We said we'd see each other in two weeks, and there was talk of a pony. I can't remember why exactly there was a pony in the conversation now that I think of it, but the point is, there was." Rory eyes lit up with an excited smile as she remembered, "Oh! And Gypsy made Luke and Jess hug!"
"Awwww," Lane cooed. "They finally had their 7th heaven moment. Was it good?"
Rory nodded. "It was pretty entertaining." With nothing left to say, Rory's smile faded; she couldn't keep it up. She was never very good at keeping up façades.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Lane read her thoughts exactly. Rory gave up; she was a horrible liar.
"Yes, I'm worried!" she cried. She calmed herself a little with a long sigh. "He said he would call as soon as he got there. He left hours ago, he should be there by now, and he should have called. He should have left a message, at least."
Lane smiled a little. "Rory, don't take this the wrong way," she said cautiously, "but you're acting insane."
"But I'm sure you mean that in the nicest way possible, right?" Rory retorted, bitterly. She felt bad; she didn't mean to snap at Lane, she was just frustrated. Thankfully, Lane understood, and took it all with a grain of salt.
"Maybe there's traffic or something," Lane offered. "Rory, a million things could have happened to prevent him from getting there on time. Or maybe he's just wiped out and needs to sleep, and he'll call you tomorrow."
"He never sleeps," Rory argued. "I mean, yeah, occasionally, but generally, he's a night owl. He likes to lurk around, and it's easier to blend in when it's dark out. And he never-"
"Rory, chill out!!!" Lane commanded. "Just listen to how crazy you sound for a second."
Knowing she'd been defeated, Rory crossed her arms with a sigh. "You're right. I'm being that girl again."
"Which girl?"
"The one who goes all schizo the minute her boyfriend doesn't return her call."
Lane nodded. "Oh right. THAT girl."
"I don't like that girl," Rory said. "She's a little obsessive. And I think also kind of whiny."
"Hey," Lane comforted her, "You have every right to be that girl, what with all the stuff that's been going down lately. I mean one minute, everything with Jess is great, the next minute, you're broken up. Then you're back together, and two days later, he skips town." She paused, and offered Rory a warm smile. "Plus, I'll even put up with that girl for a while. At least until Jess calls."
Rory smiled. "Thanks."
Hearing the back door open, the two girls turned to see Dave sticking his head out the door with an apprehensive grin.
"Hey Rory," he said, before looking to Lane. "Am I interrupting something?"
Before Lane had a chance to tell him they were having girl talk, Rory told him it was no big deal. It was Lane's graduation party, she deserved to go off and have a good time with her boyfriend instead of listening to her friend whine. She sent Lane inside with Dave to dance, while she pulled out her copy of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" and began to read. However, the subject and depressing mood of the book didn't lift her spirits much. She was relieved to hear a familiar voice and footsteps approaching the porch.
"Hey stranger."
Rory smiled. "Hey Dean. Congratulations."
"Same to you. I would have come to your graduation the other day, but my mom wasn't too keen on my skipping school."
"Oh it's ok. I was a little heartbroken, but I think I'll eventually learn to forgive you," she joked with him. "Having fun?"
He shrugged. "Kind of. I dunno, keg parties aren't really my thing. You?"
She held up her book. "I got William Faulkner to keep me company, so I'm doing all right."
Sensing that she wasn't eager to get away from him, Dean took a seat on the porch steps, still facing her. "Where's Lane? Didn't you come here with her?"
"She's inside with Dave," Rory answered. "They've been pretty much inseparable since prom." She opened her mouth to ask if he was there with Lindsey, but quickly decided against it. Their new relationships were always a source of awkward tension. Besides, Rory was feeling way too anxious to bring up the subject of Jess just then. Instead, she opted for a much more vague question. "Why aren't you inside with everyone else?"
Dean sighed. "Lindsey's kind of upset with me right now, actually. I figured she'd need time to cool off before I go back and try to apologize."
Rory smiled a little. "Good tactics."
"What can I say? You taught me well," he chuckled. Rory giggled politely, but it wasn't long before both their eyes were directed at the ground, trying not to acknowledge the awkward silence. It seemed like an eternity before Dean finally spoke.
"I have a question for you," he stated.
"Well, ask away," Rory offered.
"It's going to make things really awkward."
"It's probably a little late for that," Rory chuckled.
Dean nodded, smiling. "True. But I mean more awkward."
"I didn't know that was possible," Rory joked.
"Well brace yourself," he said. He took a deep breath before asking meekly, "What's going on with you and Jess?"
Rory sighed. She had sensed that coming. "Well actually," she began, "It's kind of complicated..."
"I figured as much." He paused. "I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."
"No, that's ok," Rory assured him. "I mean, we're supposed to be friends, right? And friends should know what's going on in each others lives."
"Exactly," Dean agreed, enthusiastically. "I mean, I heard some stuff around school the past week or so, and it sort of made me worry."
"Really? What did you hear?"
Dean looked at the ground, almost petrified that the rumors he'd heard would be true. "I heard that he got you pregnant, and then he broke up with you, so Luke punched him, and then he skipped town." He looked up at her with a nervous smile. "Please tell me I'm not right?"
Rory laughed a little. "No, no, not really." She sighed, trying to decipher a way to explain the situation to him without telling him about the pregnancy scare. "Well the part about Luke punching him is true. But the rest is a little backwards."
Dean sighed with relief. "So you're not pregnant?"
"Nope. One hundred percent fetus-free."
Dean laughed. "Good."
"I did break up with him last week," she admitted, "But it was just a misunderstanding, so we're actually back together now."
"Then why isn't he here?"
Rory sighed. "He went to New York. Just for a little while; he'll be back in a couple weeks."
"Oh," Dean said, trying to hide his disappointment. But there was no point; it was no secret to either of them that Dean did not like Jess; especially as Rory's boyfriend. He let out a cautious laugh. "See? I told you it was gonna be awkward."
She smiled. "Well hey, at least now you don't think I'm pregnant anymore. I'm thinking that fact could earn this encounter a spot in the 'Success' column."
Dean nodded. "Good thinking." He paused a moment before standing. "I should go. Lindsey's probably wondering when I'm gonna find her and apologize already."
"Good luck with that," Rory offered.
Dean stood and headed for the door, but with his hand on the doorknob, he paused and turned back to her, barely able to look in her eyes.
"You're... happy with him. Right?"
Rory nodded. "Yeah. I am."
He smiled a little, as though finally satisfied. "Good," he said, opening the door and disappearing into the crowd of celebrating teenagers.
Rory headed home soon after that, seeing that Lane was far too engrossed in conversation with Dave to mind her absence much. Of course, as soon as she got home, she checked the messages again, in vain. He still hadn't called. She couldn't help worrying, but she told herself rationally that she had no legitimate reason to worry. With a sigh, she headed to her room and pulled out an old copy of Oliver Twist, the book that reminded her of him the most. She only flipped through it; she'd read it several times. This time she just looked at the notes scribbled in blue ink in the margins. She smiled to herself, noting how messy his handwriting was; and if he'd been anybody else but himself, she would have been angry with him for ruining her beautiful books with his messy disorganized notes. But because it was him, she didn't mind. She even liked it; just like she liked the way he turned her life upside down, and she couldn't get enough of it. Yes, the artful Dodger had driven her to insanity once again, and she loved him all the more for it.
*************************************************
"Oh God," Lorelai said, wrinkling her brow and setting her mug down on the counter. "Luke, this tastes awful."
He rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about? It's the same coffee I serve you everyday. Get a grip."
"No seriously," Lorelai said. "It's weak."
"It is not."
"Little kids could drink 3 or 4 cups of this and then lie down and take a nap, no problem."
"Oh come on."
"This, my friend, is water. It's coffee flavored water."
"I'm ignoring you now."
Lorelai wouldn't let it go at that, though.
"This stuff is weak like a 97 year old woman with two artificial hips."
Luke eyed the childish grin on her face. "You're really enjoying this aren't you?"
"It's what keeps me young, baby," she said, before continuing.
"It's weaker than KIRK."
"I resent that Lorelai," Kirk piped up from his seat in the corner.
"Sorry Kirk. Don't take it personal."
Kirk nodded at her. "I understand. No hard feelings." Kirk's eyes shifted from Lorelai to Luke. "And actually, she's right, Luke. It is a surprisingly weak batch this morning."
"Ha!" Lorelai cried, victorious. "See, I'm not crazy!"
"Kirk agreeing with you doesn't make you sane," Luke argued. "It just means your insanity is finally rubbing off on him."
Lorelai sighed. "Gee, you're grumpy this morning. What happened?"
"A crazy lady escaped from the nut house and started criticizing my coffee," he retorted.
"No no, that happens every morning. You're extra, super grumpy today." She paused in contemplation. "Oh don't tell me! You forgot to tape the Star Trek marathon they aired yesterday!"
"Alright, that's it," Luke said, agitated. "Don't make me get the sign."
Lorelai tried not to laugh at his threatening voice. "The sign? What is that supposed to mean?"
Luke sighed, trying to keep his temper. "You think this is funny, don't you?"
"No, no, not at all," Lorelai lied through her teeth. "I'm honestly very intimidated. Really, Luke, don't get the sign. ANYTHING but the sign." Despite her greatest efforts to stay serious, Luke sensed her sarcasm, and it wasn't helping to calm him down.
"Oh just forget it," Luke said, frustrated, avoiding her eyes.
Lorelai tried her best to make up for her comments. "No Luke, really, what is 'the sign'?"
He sighed. "It's one of those ones that says that I reserve the right to refuse service to any customer if I should see fit to do so."
Lorelai's jaw dropped. "You were gonna refuse me service?"
"I was thinking about it, yeah."
"Wow," Lorelai said, awed. "Low blow. What did I ever do to you, Luke?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Sorry, I'm just a little on edge. I'll make some stronger coffee." Avoiding her eyes, he turned and headed into the backroom for coffee beans. Abandoning her seat, Lorelai followed him into the storage room, concerned. At first she had found his odd behavior amusing, but now she was really beginning to think something was wrong. And she had a hunch as to what the problem was.
"It's Jess isn't it?"
At the sound of her voice, Luke froze. After a moment, he continued getting the coffee beans, as though unaffected by the words. "What are you talking about?"
"He didn't call Rory either," Lorelai said, seeing straight through his act of nonchalance. With a sigh, Luke gave up the façade.
"Well what am I supposed to do now? I mean, something could have happened to him; how would I know?"
"Well here's a solution, Einstein. You could, I dunno, maybe CALL HIM!"
Luke shook his head, obviously finding the idea ludicrous. "Please. He'd think I was worried about him or something."
"You ARE worried about him," Lorelai reminded him. "God, you really still haven't gotten the hang of this legal guardian thing yet, have you?"
Luke ignored the comment. "Why hasn't Rory called him?"
"Oh come on, get serious," Lorelai answered. "He'd think she was worried about him or something."
"But I just said--!!!"
"Luke come on. She's his girlfriend. You're his legal guardian; there are different rules for you. And one of them is that when he says he'll call, and 16 hours later, he hasn't, YOU CALL HIM." Luke didn't answer. "Come on, are you honestly that insecure that you don't want your own nephew to know that you worry about him?"
Luke shook his head. "I just don't want him to feel like I'm breathing down his neck or anything."
"Well considering he's in an entirely different state, it would be pretty difficult to breath down his neck, unless you're like, I dunno, some kind of superhero with super-strong breath... boy, that'd make for an interesting comic book, huh?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "Alright already. I'll call him after the lunch rush is over."
"In two and half hours?"
"It's then or never," he said, picking up another bag of coffee beans and heading back to the front room.
"Fine," Lorelai said. "Be a stubborn ox. But when some nurse from the middle-of-nowhere hospital calls you and tells you he was found in a ditch somewhere by the side of the road, bleeding to death, don't say I didn't warn you!"
***************************************************
I waited till I saw the sun
I don't know why I didn't come
I left you by the house of fun
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
When I saw the break of day
I wished that I could fly away
Instead of kneeling in the sand
Catching teardrops in my hand
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Out across the endless sea
I would die in ecstasy
But I'll be a bag of bones
Driving down the road along
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Something has to make you run
I don't know why I didn't come
I feel as empty as a drum
I don't know why I didn't come...
*************************************************
"You can't turn back now," he said to himself quietly.
He was finally there. Across the street from the apartment building he'd spent so much of his adolescence trying to avoid. Inside somewhere, his mother was probably making up his bed, preparing for his arrival. And his father was in there somewhere too. Jess tried to imagine what he would be doing in anticipation of his first meeting with his son. Would he be pacing the front room, anxiously? Wrapping some stupid little present to offer him? Asking Liz what Jess was like?
Jess sighed. Probably not, he thought, trying to be realistic. He was probably annoyed that Jess hadn't shown up last night when he'd said he would. He might have even left already. Jess knew he probably should have called the night before to let them know he was staying at a motel for the night, but he couldn't have brought himself to do it. He couldn't risk calling and having his father answer the phone. He didn't want to hear his father's voice for the first time over a cell phone.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Jess wished his father were upstairs, pacing, wrapping a stupid present, and asking Liz about his son. He wanted his father to want to know him. He wished his father had spent sleepless nights wondering what Jess looked like; what music he listened to, what books he read, what his friends were like. He hoped that his father regretted not being there to hear his first word or watch him take his first steps. And Jess knew that his father would never live up to Jess' unrealistic expectations. So as long as he could keep from meeting his father, he could keep at least a shred of hope alive.
And THAT is why he dreaded walking across the street to his old home. But thankfully, he was offered a distraction.
"I MUST be hallucinating," a voice said from behind him. Jess turned to see who the voice belonged to, and could hardly believe his eyes.
"Holy shit," Jess remarked with a smile on his face.
"Well if it isn't our very own rebel without a cause," said a petite redhead in combat boots.
"We were beginning to think we'd lost you to that place," added a leather jacket clad boy, whose arm was draped over the shoulders of the girl.
Their names were Nancy and Ben, and they were the best friends Jess had ever known in New York. They were really his kind of people; streetwise smart asses who loved to disrespect authority and cause trouble whenever they could. Of course, they didn't share all of his interests; neither Nancy nor Ben could understand Jess' bizarre infatuation with books. But either way, the three of them had been inseparable until Jess had been sent to Stars Hollow a year and a half ago.
"So how's small town life treatin' ya?" Nancy asked.
"Are they making you milk cows and ride horses bare back yet?" Ben piped in, chuckling.
Jess laughed. "No, actually, they just appointed me the official town shepherd," he joked.
"Shepherd?" Ben asked. "And what exactly does that mean?"
"He herds the shep," Nancy joked.
"The girl knows what she's talking about," Jess said, amused.
"Seriously, man," Ben said, "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"
"I'm just back for a couple weeks," Jess explained. "Gotta visit the parents."
"You don't have summer school?" Nancy asked.
Jess tried not to let his pride show. "Nah, I graduated."
"No shit!" Ben exclaimed.
"We should be so lucky," Nancy commented. "So why are you going back to that Stars Hollow place? Last time you cam back here you said you hated it."
Jess nodded. "Yeah, well. a year ago, I did."
Nancy laughed. "Oh how sweet! The small town life has charmed you. Now you're nothing more than a farm boy at heart."
Ben joined in the mockery. "I bet you just can't bear to be away from those farm animals for too long, can you?"
Jess chuckled a little. "Oh come on, guys, cut it out."
Ben stopped laughing, reading Jess like an open book. "It's a girl, isn't it?"
Jess rolled his eyes. This was much more embarrassment than he was prepared for.
"A girl?" Nancy asked. "Who, a milkmaid?"
"I knew it," Ben said with a smile. "It's a girl. She got to you, and she's keeping you rooted in that place."
"Gimme a break, man," Jess said, not sure how he was supposed to explain Rory to them. But thankfully, they wouldn't force him to.
"You explain later," Ben said. "But now, you should come with us over to Mars Records. They just got a copy of Sandanista on vinyl in mint condition, you gotta see it."
And so the three of them headed away from the apartment building, and Jess was grateful for the escape. He wasn't ready for his dream of his father to die just yet.
****************************************************************
A/N: Sorry that was kind of short and unresolved. End of the year school work is killing me. Updates will start coming more often in a couple weeks, probably. Ok, please review!!!! Hope you like what's coming soon...
~Emaline
The Artful Dodger
**************************************************
It doesn't mean I didn't try
I just never know why
It isn't cause I'm all alone
Baby you're not at home
And even though they don't show
The scars aren't so old
And when they go
They let you know
You can't put your arms around a memory
So don't try...
***********************************
As Rory walked up the front steps to the house in which the party was being held, she could feel the loud bass of the song they were playing inside vibrating through her body. She suddenly realized, seeing the mass of teenagers constantly moving, that she and Lane probably should have agreed on a meeting place, but moments after she stepped inside, Lane rushed to her side. She'd been waiting for her to arrive.
"Rory!" Lane squealed, relieved to see her face.
Rory smiled back at her. "Hey there, high school graduate. What's going on?"
"Huge news, lots to discuss," Lane said. She was rambling, a mile a minute. She took Rory's hand and started leading her around the outskirts of the crowd, saying, "We should go talk someplace quieter."
Confused, Rory followed her towards the back of the house. They went outside onto the back porch and sat on the stairs together, Lane's legs jittering with anxiety.
Rory chuckled a little. "What is going on? You're acting like a speed freak!" her chuckles faded a bit as she added with concern, "You didn't so any speed tonight, did you?"
Lane shook her head. "No, come on. I may admire that whole Andy Warhol scene, but I don't want to live it, no way." Lane took a deep breath.
"Well then what is it?" Rory asked. "You made it sound kind of like a life or death thing on the phone."
"It's Dave," Lane said.
Rory's stomach surged with worry. "Oh God, what happened?"
"No no," Lane assured her. "It's nothing bad." A grin crept across her lips as she added, "He's staying in Connecticut for college."
Rory's eyes widened. "He's staying here? I thought he was supposed to go to California."
"He was. But he decided he wants to stay around New England. For me." She giggled a little. "Well also because he'd be near New York, and New York has a far cooler music scene than California."
"Oh please," Rory said with a grin. "He's staying for you, Lane. Face it. He's infatuated with you." She continued with a sarcastic tone. "But you should watch out, make sure it doesn't start bordering on stalking. Cuz then that would be a little scary. And also criminal."
"Speaking of criminals," Lane began with a sarcastic smile, "How'd it go with Jess?"
Rory sighed, trying not to let her anxiety show. "It went fine. We said we'd see each other in two weeks, and there was talk of a pony. I can't remember why exactly there was a pony in the conversation now that I think of it, but the point is, there was." Rory eyes lit up with an excited smile as she remembered, "Oh! And Gypsy made Luke and Jess hug!"
"Awwww," Lane cooed. "They finally had their 7th heaven moment. Was it good?"
Rory nodded. "It was pretty entertaining." With nothing left to say, Rory's smile faded; she couldn't keep it up. She was never very good at keeping up façades.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Lane read her thoughts exactly. Rory gave up; she was a horrible liar.
"Yes, I'm worried!" she cried. She calmed herself a little with a long sigh. "He said he would call as soon as he got there. He left hours ago, he should be there by now, and he should have called. He should have left a message, at least."
Lane smiled a little. "Rory, don't take this the wrong way," she said cautiously, "but you're acting insane."
"But I'm sure you mean that in the nicest way possible, right?" Rory retorted, bitterly. She felt bad; she didn't mean to snap at Lane, she was just frustrated. Thankfully, Lane understood, and took it all with a grain of salt.
"Maybe there's traffic or something," Lane offered. "Rory, a million things could have happened to prevent him from getting there on time. Or maybe he's just wiped out and needs to sleep, and he'll call you tomorrow."
"He never sleeps," Rory argued. "I mean, yeah, occasionally, but generally, he's a night owl. He likes to lurk around, and it's easier to blend in when it's dark out. And he never-"
"Rory, chill out!!!" Lane commanded. "Just listen to how crazy you sound for a second."
Knowing she'd been defeated, Rory crossed her arms with a sigh. "You're right. I'm being that girl again."
"Which girl?"
"The one who goes all schizo the minute her boyfriend doesn't return her call."
Lane nodded. "Oh right. THAT girl."
"I don't like that girl," Rory said. "She's a little obsessive. And I think also kind of whiny."
"Hey," Lane comforted her, "You have every right to be that girl, what with all the stuff that's been going down lately. I mean one minute, everything with Jess is great, the next minute, you're broken up. Then you're back together, and two days later, he skips town." She paused, and offered Rory a warm smile. "Plus, I'll even put up with that girl for a while. At least until Jess calls."
Rory smiled. "Thanks."
Hearing the back door open, the two girls turned to see Dave sticking his head out the door with an apprehensive grin.
"Hey Rory," he said, before looking to Lane. "Am I interrupting something?"
Before Lane had a chance to tell him they were having girl talk, Rory told him it was no big deal. It was Lane's graduation party, she deserved to go off and have a good time with her boyfriend instead of listening to her friend whine. She sent Lane inside with Dave to dance, while she pulled out her copy of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" and began to read. However, the subject and depressing mood of the book didn't lift her spirits much. She was relieved to hear a familiar voice and footsteps approaching the porch.
"Hey stranger."
Rory smiled. "Hey Dean. Congratulations."
"Same to you. I would have come to your graduation the other day, but my mom wasn't too keen on my skipping school."
"Oh it's ok. I was a little heartbroken, but I think I'll eventually learn to forgive you," she joked with him. "Having fun?"
He shrugged. "Kind of. I dunno, keg parties aren't really my thing. You?"
She held up her book. "I got William Faulkner to keep me company, so I'm doing all right."
Sensing that she wasn't eager to get away from him, Dean took a seat on the porch steps, still facing her. "Where's Lane? Didn't you come here with her?"
"She's inside with Dave," Rory answered. "They've been pretty much inseparable since prom." She opened her mouth to ask if he was there with Lindsey, but quickly decided against it. Their new relationships were always a source of awkward tension. Besides, Rory was feeling way too anxious to bring up the subject of Jess just then. Instead, she opted for a much more vague question. "Why aren't you inside with everyone else?"
Dean sighed. "Lindsey's kind of upset with me right now, actually. I figured she'd need time to cool off before I go back and try to apologize."
Rory smiled a little. "Good tactics."
"What can I say? You taught me well," he chuckled. Rory giggled politely, but it wasn't long before both their eyes were directed at the ground, trying not to acknowledge the awkward silence. It seemed like an eternity before Dean finally spoke.
"I have a question for you," he stated.
"Well, ask away," Rory offered.
"It's going to make things really awkward."
"It's probably a little late for that," Rory chuckled.
Dean nodded, smiling. "True. But I mean more awkward."
"I didn't know that was possible," Rory joked.
"Well brace yourself," he said. He took a deep breath before asking meekly, "What's going on with you and Jess?"
Rory sighed. She had sensed that coming. "Well actually," she began, "It's kind of complicated..."
"I figured as much." He paused. "I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."
"No, that's ok," Rory assured him. "I mean, we're supposed to be friends, right? And friends should know what's going on in each others lives."
"Exactly," Dean agreed, enthusiastically. "I mean, I heard some stuff around school the past week or so, and it sort of made me worry."
"Really? What did you hear?"
Dean looked at the ground, almost petrified that the rumors he'd heard would be true. "I heard that he got you pregnant, and then he broke up with you, so Luke punched him, and then he skipped town." He looked up at her with a nervous smile. "Please tell me I'm not right?"
Rory laughed a little. "No, no, not really." She sighed, trying to decipher a way to explain the situation to him without telling him about the pregnancy scare. "Well the part about Luke punching him is true. But the rest is a little backwards."
Dean sighed with relief. "So you're not pregnant?"
"Nope. One hundred percent fetus-free."
Dean laughed. "Good."
"I did break up with him last week," she admitted, "But it was just a misunderstanding, so we're actually back together now."
"Then why isn't he here?"
Rory sighed. "He went to New York. Just for a little while; he'll be back in a couple weeks."
"Oh," Dean said, trying to hide his disappointment. But there was no point; it was no secret to either of them that Dean did not like Jess; especially as Rory's boyfriend. He let out a cautious laugh. "See? I told you it was gonna be awkward."
She smiled. "Well hey, at least now you don't think I'm pregnant anymore. I'm thinking that fact could earn this encounter a spot in the 'Success' column."
Dean nodded. "Good thinking." He paused a moment before standing. "I should go. Lindsey's probably wondering when I'm gonna find her and apologize already."
"Good luck with that," Rory offered.
Dean stood and headed for the door, but with his hand on the doorknob, he paused and turned back to her, barely able to look in her eyes.
"You're... happy with him. Right?"
Rory nodded. "Yeah. I am."
He smiled a little, as though finally satisfied. "Good," he said, opening the door and disappearing into the crowd of celebrating teenagers.
Rory headed home soon after that, seeing that Lane was far too engrossed in conversation with Dave to mind her absence much. Of course, as soon as she got home, she checked the messages again, in vain. He still hadn't called. She couldn't help worrying, but she told herself rationally that she had no legitimate reason to worry. With a sigh, she headed to her room and pulled out an old copy of Oliver Twist, the book that reminded her of him the most. She only flipped through it; she'd read it several times. This time she just looked at the notes scribbled in blue ink in the margins. She smiled to herself, noting how messy his handwriting was; and if he'd been anybody else but himself, she would have been angry with him for ruining her beautiful books with his messy disorganized notes. But because it was him, she didn't mind. She even liked it; just like she liked the way he turned her life upside down, and she couldn't get enough of it. Yes, the artful Dodger had driven her to insanity once again, and she loved him all the more for it.
*************************************************
"Oh God," Lorelai said, wrinkling her brow and setting her mug down on the counter. "Luke, this tastes awful."
He rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about? It's the same coffee I serve you everyday. Get a grip."
"No seriously," Lorelai said. "It's weak."
"It is not."
"Little kids could drink 3 or 4 cups of this and then lie down and take a nap, no problem."
"Oh come on."
"This, my friend, is water. It's coffee flavored water."
"I'm ignoring you now."
Lorelai wouldn't let it go at that, though.
"This stuff is weak like a 97 year old woman with two artificial hips."
Luke eyed the childish grin on her face. "You're really enjoying this aren't you?"
"It's what keeps me young, baby," she said, before continuing.
"It's weaker than KIRK."
"I resent that Lorelai," Kirk piped up from his seat in the corner.
"Sorry Kirk. Don't take it personal."
Kirk nodded at her. "I understand. No hard feelings." Kirk's eyes shifted from Lorelai to Luke. "And actually, she's right, Luke. It is a surprisingly weak batch this morning."
"Ha!" Lorelai cried, victorious. "See, I'm not crazy!"
"Kirk agreeing with you doesn't make you sane," Luke argued. "It just means your insanity is finally rubbing off on him."
Lorelai sighed. "Gee, you're grumpy this morning. What happened?"
"A crazy lady escaped from the nut house and started criticizing my coffee," he retorted.
"No no, that happens every morning. You're extra, super grumpy today." She paused in contemplation. "Oh don't tell me! You forgot to tape the Star Trek marathon they aired yesterday!"
"Alright, that's it," Luke said, agitated. "Don't make me get the sign."
Lorelai tried not to laugh at his threatening voice. "The sign? What is that supposed to mean?"
Luke sighed, trying to keep his temper. "You think this is funny, don't you?"
"No, no, not at all," Lorelai lied through her teeth. "I'm honestly very intimidated. Really, Luke, don't get the sign. ANYTHING but the sign." Despite her greatest efforts to stay serious, Luke sensed her sarcasm, and it wasn't helping to calm him down.
"Oh just forget it," Luke said, frustrated, avoiding her eyes.
Lorelai tried her best to make up for her comments. "No Luke, really, what is 'the sign'?"
He sighed. "It's one of those ones that says that I reserve the right to refuse service to any customer if I should see fit to do so."
Lorelai's jaw dropped. "You were gonna refuse me service?"
"I was thinking about it, yeah."
"Wow," Lorelai said, awed. "Low blow. What did I ever do to you, Luke?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Sorry, I'm just a little on edge. I'll make some stronger coffee." Avoiding her eyes, he turned and headed into the backroom for coffee beans. Abandoning her seat, Lorelai followed him into the storage room, concerned. At first she had found his odd behavior amusing, but now she was really beginning to think something was wrong. And she had a hunch as to what the problem was.
"It's Jess isn't it?"
At the sound of her voice, Luke froze. After a moment, he continued getting the coffee beans, as though unaffected by the words. "What are you talking about?"
"He didn't call Rory either," Lorelai said, seeing straight through his act of nonchalance. With a sigh, Luke gave up the façade.
"Well what am I supposed to do now? I mean, something could have happened to him; how would I know?"
"Well here's a solution, Einstein. You could, I dunno, maybe CALL HIM!"
Luke shook his head, obviously finding the idea ludicrous. "Please. He'd think I was worried about him or something."
"You ARE worried about him," Lorelai reminded him. "God, you really still haven't gotten the hang of this legal guardian thing yet, have you?"
Luke ignored the comment. "Why hasn't Rory called him?"
"Oh come on, get serious," Lorelai answered. "He'd think she was worried about him or something."
"But I just said--!!!"
"Luke come on. She's his girlfriend. You're his legal guardian; there are different rules for you. And one of them is that when he says he'll call, and 16 hours later, he hasn't, YOU CALL HIM." Luke didn't answer. "Come on, are you honestly that insecure that you don't want your own nephew to know that you worry about him?"
Luke shook his head. "I just don't want him to feel like I'm breathing down his neck or anything."
"Well considering he's in an entirely different state, it would be pretty difficult to breath down his neck, unless you're like, I dunno, some kind of superhero with super-strong breath... boy, that'd make for an interesting comic book, huh?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "Alright already. I'll call him after the lunch rush is over."
"In two and half hours?"
"It's then or never," he said, picking up another bag of coffee beans and heading back to the front room.
"Fine," Lorelai said. "Be a stubborn ox. But when some nurse from the middle-of-nowhere hospital calls you and tells you he was found in a ditch somewhere by the side of the road, bleeding to death, don't say I didn't warn you!"
***************************************************
I waited till I saw the sun
I don't know why I didn't come
I left you by the house of fun
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
When I saw the break of day
I wished that I could fly away
Instead of kneeling in the sand
Catching teardrops in my hand
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Out across the endless sea
I would die in ecstasy
But I'll be a bag of bones
Driving down the road along
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Something has to make you run
I don't know why I didn't come
I feel as empty as a drum
I don't know why I didn't come...
*************************************************
"You can't turn back now," he said to himself quietly.
He was finally there. Across the street from the apartment building he'd spent so much of his adolescence trying to avoid. Inside somewhere, his mother was probably making up his bed, preparing for his arrival. And his father was in there somewhere too. Jess tried to imagine what he would be doing in anticipation of his first meeting with his son. Would he be pacing the front room, anxiously? Wrapping some stupid little present to offer him? Asking Liz what Jess was like?
Jess sighed. Probably not, he thought, trying to be realistic. He was probably annoyed that Jess hadn't shown up last night when he'd said he would. He might have even left already. Jess knew he probably should have called the night before to let them know he was staying at a motel for the night, but he couldn't have brought himself to do it. He couldn't risk calling and having his father answer the phone. He didn't want to hear his father's voice for the first time over a cell phone.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Jess wished his father were upstairs, pacing, wrapping a stupid present, and asking Liz about his son. He wanted his father to want to know him. He wished his father had spent sleepless nights wondering what Jess looked like; what music he listened to, what books he read, what his friends were like. He hoped that his father regretted not being there to hear his first word or watch him take his first steps. And Jess knew that his father would never live up to Jess' unrealistic expectations. So as long as he could keep from meeting his father, he could keep at least a shred of hope alive.
And THAT is why he dreaded walking across the street to his old home. But thankfully, he was offered a distraction.
"I MUST be hallucinating," a voice said from behind him. Jess turned to see who the voice belonged to, and could hardly believe his eyes.
"Holy shit," Jess remarked with a smile on his face.
"Well if it isn't our very own rebel without a cause," said a petite redhead in combat boots.
"We were beginning to think we'd lost you to that place," added a leather jacket clad boy, whose arm was draped over the shoulders of the girl.
Their names were Nancy and Ben, and they were the best friends Jess had ever known in New York. They were really his kind of people; streetwise smart asses who loved to disrespect authority and cause trouble whenever they could. Of course, they didn't share all of his interests; neither Nancy nor Ben could understand Jess' bizarre infatuation with books. But either way, the three of them had been inseparable until Jess had been sent to Stars Hollow a year and a half ago.
"So how's small town life treatin' ya?" Nancy asked.
"Are they making you milk cows and ride horses bare back yet?" Ben piped in, chuckling.
Jess laughed. "No, actually, they just appointed me the official town shepherd," he joked.
"Shepherd?" Ben asked. "And what exactly does that mean?"
"He herds the shep," Nancy joked.
"The girl knows what she's talking about," Jess said, amused.
"Seriously, man," Ben said, "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"
"I'm just back for a couple weeks," Jess explained. "Gotta visit the parents."
"You don't have summer school?" Nancy asked.
Jess tried not to let his pride show. "Nah, I graduated."
"No shit!" Ben exclaimed.
"We should be so lucky," Nancy commented. "So why are you going back to that Stars Hollow place? Last time you cam back here you said you hated it."
Jess nodded. "Yeah, well. a year ago, I did."
Nancy laughed. "Oh how sweet! The small town life has charmed you. Now you're nothing more than a farm boy at heart."
Ben joined in the mockery. "I bet you just can't bear to be away from those farm animals for too long, can you?"
Jess chuckled a little. "Oh come on, guys, cut it out."
Ben stopped laughing, reading Jess like an open book. "It's a girl, isn't it?"
Jess rolled his eyes. This was much more embarrassment than he was prepared for.
"A girl?" Nancy asked. "Who, a milkmaid?"
"I knew it," Ben said with a smile. "It's a girl. She got to you, and she's keeping you rooted in that place."
"Gimme a break, man," Jess said, not sure how he was supposed to explain Rory to them. But thankfully, they wouldn't force him to.
"You explain later," Ben said. "But now, you should come with us over to Mars Records. They just got a copy of Sandanista on vinyl in mint condition, you gotta see it."
And so the three of them headed away from the apartment building, and Jess was grateful for the escape. He wasn't ready for his dream of his father to die just yet.
****************************************************************
A/N: Sorry that was kind of short and unresolved. End of the year school work is killing me. Updates will start coming more often in a couple weeks, probably. Ok, please review!!!! Hope you like what's coming soon...
~Emaline
