you're the sun



He had been a real asshole whole today. He admitted it. He would have to apologize, and maybe not count the quiz as a grade. That would hopefully cheer them up. He still couldn't believe the way he had acted towards them today. He never let his personal life get in the way of his work.

Of course, she just had to mess up his whole routine. It was so like her.

Jess knew that it wasn't really Rory's fault. The only one to blame was himself, but still, it cheered him up a bit.

Once home, he grabbed a beer from the fridge hoping it would cool him down. A cigarette would even be nice right now, but he had given them up ages ago.

When they had married actually.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Jess nursed his beer. He eyed the legal documents that were only inches away from him. It was now or never he supposed.

He slid them to his side and began flipping threw them, his jaw dropped as he did so.

She hadn't signed them yet!! What was she playing at? She had her lawyer write these up and she hadn't even fucking signed them yet?? Christ.

Jess stared at the blank line where her signature should be. He flipped through other pages, they were all blank.

She was all eager to get married, yet she hadn't even bother to put her signature on the papers yet. This was insane. But all in all, it made him feel ten times better. Once he signed the papers it would still not be official. It just wouldn't be so bad.

He reached for a pen on the table and went to sign the papers, but he couldn't force his hand to write his signature.

What was wrong with him? Just do it!!

But he couldn't. In a fit of rage he threw the pen across the room.

Jess sighed and leaned back in his chair, he was acting extremely childish. He didn't have to deal with this right now. He stood up defiantly and strode out of the room in search of something else.

He sat down in his study and began making up a list of books for Sara. Which of course had had forgotten to do over the weekend. But he would do it now.

As he wrote down some of the favorite books of his childhood another memory swept into his mind.

Why was he thinking of her so much lately?

Oh, yeah. Because of those damn papers.

*Flashback*

Jess sat at the kitchen table chewing the eraser of his well, bitten pencil.

Rory was only yards away washing the dishes from the meal they had just eaten. "Okay, how about 'The Handmaid's Tale'?" She suggested wiping off another sauce stained plate.

Jess grinned, "That could work. Interesting yet educational." He added it to his ever growing list. "'The Color Purple'?"

Rory nodded and said, "Yeah, but do they allow that book in public schools?."

"I'll have to ask." And Jess scratched that onto his list anyway.

"How about 'To Kill A Mockingbird', by Harper Lee? There would be a lot of points you could address in that one." Rory said as she towel dried a glass and replaced it in the cabinet.

"Great." Jess grinned as he scanned his list. "A few more months and we'll be able to get that washing machine."

"Ohhhh, if only." Rory settled herself next to Jess with a dreamy look on herself. "Hey, you did put 'Oliver Twist' down, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's at the top of the list."

"Good." Rory said affirmatively. "Can't forget that one."

"Nope." Jess sighed, "We only have two weeks left until school starts, I hope I get everything finished on time."

Rory rested her head on her hand and gazed at him, "You will, don't worry. You'll be fine. It's not like you haven't done this before."

Jess shrugged, "Yeah but that was with junior high kids at Saint Mary's, this year it's high schoolers. A whole different genre. They're supposed to be rather nasty."

Rory raised her eyebrows, "Sounds like someone I once knew."

"Hmm, who would that be?"

Rory's eyes twinkled, "A certain someone I used to date in high school." She shrugged.

"Was this guy handsome?"

"No, just troubled, I felt bad for him." Rory grinned wickedly.

"Dean always was a criminal."

Rory laughed and jabbed him in the chest, "No, you were!"

"Me? Never." Jess placed his hand over his heart dramatically.

Rory smiled, "I recall you being a troubled teenager who didn't give a damn about school."

Jess pretended to be astonished, "Did Rory just swear?"

"Hey, I can swear now. I've grown up." She swatted him lightly.

He caught her hand, "Well, so have I."

Rory pouted, "But I liked that juvenile delinquent who didn't care about anything or anyone but his books."

Jess kissed her knuckles, "I cared about you." He said seriously.

Rory smiled and leaned into him, "I love you."

Jess wrapped his arms around her, "I love you too."

They kissed there in the kitchen until they made their way to the bedroom.

*Present*



Jess grimaced and forced himself to concentrate on the list of books he was making for Sara Watson. But his mind couldn't help but wander back to Rory considering how almost every book he wrote down reminded him of her.

The phone rang beside him making him jump out of his seat.

It was Lane.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

"As well as to be expected."

"Have you signed them yet?"

"It's funny you brought that up Lane."

"Why's that?"

"Because I just took a look at them and it turns out that Rory hasn't even signed them herself yet."

He heard Lane draw her breath in sharply through the phone, "She- she hasn't?"

"No, she hasn't."

"I don't understand why she wouldn't."

"Neither do I."

"Unless . . ." Lane stopped abruptly.

"Unless what?" Jess asked hastily.

"No, that's not right." Lane said as though talking to herself. "Oh!" She said remembering something.

"What?"

"I called you because Rory said she was planning on coming to visit you this weekend."

"Visit me?"

"Yeah, to collect the papers."

"What? She doesn't trust me to send them?"

"Should she?"

"Yes."

"Well, I wouldn't"

"Thanks for all the support."

"No problem. Oh, by the way James's first baseball game of the year is Friday afternoon, he really wants you to come."

"Friday . . . Friday." Jess said trying to think of what he had going on, "Damn, I can't come on Friday, I have a conference meeting with the English Department."

"Oh." Lane said somewhat disappointed knowing that her son would be too.

"When's his next game?"

"Next Thursday."

"I'll be there I promise. And I'll call him Friday to see how it went."

"Alright, sounds good."

"How's Mellie doing in ballet?" Jess said using his nick name for Melanie.

"Great! She loves it. She's constantly twirling around the house." Lane laughed. "I think Kimmy is somewhat jealous."

"Of ballet? That doesn't sound like Kimmy."

"I know, that's why I was so surprised."

Jess heard a doorbell ring in the background.

"Oh, sugar! That's my mother, she's coming over for dinner. I really have to go."

"Okay, I'll call Friday night. And good luck."

"Thanks, I'm going to need it."

"See ya Lane."

"Bye."

So Rory was planning a visit this weekend? Jess was going to tell her just how he felt.



AN: More to come soon!! Review please.