*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I
own is my imagination and the plot.
*A/N: Hey!!! Finally, the moment you have all been waiting for........the sequel is up! Finally you'll find out if Rory and Jess will continue their friendship or maybe become even more. This plot might have already been used, but I promise that I'll try to make it as original as possible. I have a few surprises up my sleeve and I'll pay extra attention to the lives of other characters. I have worked really hard on this story, so please tell me what you think of the first chapter. Is there some hope for it ? Thanks. :-)
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)
It was a beautiful summer day, graced with a pure, cloudless sky and the sweet lingering smell of flowers, when Jess Mariano stepped off the bus and into the crazy and chaotic, little town of Stars Hollow. As he threw a quick glance around the town, he noticed that absolutely nothing had changed in the year he had spend in Venice. It had also been exactly one year since Rory came to visit him in Venice Beach. Even though they promised each other friendship, they didn't keep in contact. Partly because of their new friendship. They both new that it would be hard to remain friends, because of the history they had shared. Besides they had tried being friends and look where that had lead them. But he knew that he couldn't put all the blame on their history and new friendship.
He knew that part of the reason, why they hadn't kept in contact, was his own fault. Part of it could be blamed on Jess' independence. After he left Stars Hollow, he decided to cut all the strings that had been attaching him to Stars Hollow. And yet he found himself back here. Things didn't work out with Jimmy. Sure he was a cool person, fun to hang with, but he hadn't exactly been the ideal father figure back when he left Jess and his mom and..........he still wasn't. Besides sometimes Jess felt like a complete stranger to him. Jimmy knew hardly anything about him and yet so much at the same time. But Jess wasn't sorry he went to Venice Beach. Cause in some ways it had been worth it. At least now he knew where he got his taste in music and that Jimmy was doing okay. He had started another life, with Sasha and her daughter Lily. Another reason why he felt like he didn't quite fit in there. They had their own family and even though Sasha told him over and over that there was enough room for him, he never really bought it. She was just being nice, but then again that was Sasha. And even though he had only known her for a year, she had already been a better mother to him than his real mom ever had been.
After Rory left, he had started to miss Stars Hollow. Of course he had missed it before, though he was too stubborn to admit it, but when he saw Rory again, she brought a piece of Stars Hollow with her. Just like the breeze in Venice would always bring a part of the ocean with it. He had even missed Luke. Luke was the one who took the role of his father and gave him a place to live when his mom decided that she didn't want him anymore. And Luke was the one who had cared about his grades and other stuff that seemed unimportant to him at first. Until he met Rory........... She was so into family and school, but unfortunately for her and Luke, it didn't rub off on him. He didn't care about that stuff. But then again he never had to care before, cause there was no one to care about or to listen to as they gave him never ending speeches about his grades. But maybe that would change. Maybe he had changed. He was 18 now and he liked to think that he grew up, but old habits died hard.
He saw the way people were looking at him, curious and mistrustful. He couldn't blame them. He wasn't the easiest person to deal with. Jess sighed as he slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, trying to avoid people's gazes. He was hoping for another chance. His third to be exact. He got his first when he just moved here from New York and his second came soon after, when he came back from New York..............for Rory. Did he come back for her this time ? He liked to believe he didn't, but in his heart he knew that she had been a big part of his decision to go back to Stars Hollow. He stepped on to the sidewalk and started to walk the familiar road to Luke's, the sun guiding his way.
*~*~*
As soon as Lorelai Gilmore pushed open the door of Luke's Diner, she loudly made her way over to the counter. Some people looked up and smiled, but most of them just continued eating their food. Lorelai dropped her new bag on the counter and sat down with a hopeful smile playing across her lips.
L: ''Coffee please.''
Luke turned around, baseball cap in place, and glared at her, not saying a word. Lorelai's smile turned into a pout as she pleadingly looked up at Luke.
L: ''Please Luke ?''
Luke: ''Give me a reason.''
L: ''What ?''
Luke: ''Give me one good reason why I should give you coffee ? Why should I let you pollute your body with it ?''
L: ''Cause you love me ?''
Lorelai sweetly smiled at him, but Luke just shook his head.
L: ''Cause I have to drive the long road to Hartford to pick up Rory and drinking coffee before I drive is a must. Cause if I don't, I'll get dizzy and my vision will get blurry and before I'll know it I'll be lying in a hospital bed, next to the other guy you deprived of his coffee. You wouldn't want that, now would you ?''
Luke sighed and poured her some coffee, still glaring at her with a disapproved look on his face. He handed her the cup.
L: ''Don't look at me like that Luke. You can't save everyone. Besides I have been drinking coffee for years, so it's a little late to safe me.''
Luke: ''Oh believe me, I know.''
Lorelai ignored his last comment and took a sip of her coffee.
Luke: ''So, Rory's spending summer break with you ?''
L: ''Yeah and I'm so excited. I can't wait to see her again. I really missed her.''
Luke: ''How can you miss her when you call each other every day and see each other almost every weekend ?''
L: ''Not every weekend. She spend four weekends at Christopher's.''
Luke: ''To see Georgia ?''
L: ''Yeah, to see Georgia or GG as Sherry calls her. Maybe she's even going to give Rory a nickname, you know ? Like RR. GG and RR, though it doesn't really have a nice ring to it. Oh shoot !''
Suddenly Lorelai jumped up.
L: ''I've gotta pick up Rory. Can you get me some coffee to go ?''
Luke: ''Yeah, sure.''
Luke quickly poured Lorelai some coffee and when he handed it to her, she was looking at him suspiciously.
L: ''What's with this ?''
Luke: ''This ?''
L: ''Yeah, this.''
Lorelai pointed at her cup of coffee.
L: ''You just giving it to me without arguing or telling me how much caffeine it'll take to kill me ?''
Luke: ''I though you had to pick up Rory ?''
L: ''Fine, but don't ever do that again.''
Luke: ''Why not ?''
L: ''Cause it throws me off. Ever since I moved here, my days have been the same. I get up, get coffee, go to work, have dinner and coffee here, get a coffee to go and go home.''
Luke: ''You're pathetic.''
L: ''Says the man who wears plaid every day.''
Lorelai shot Luke a look as she grabbed her bag.
L: ''We'll drop by as soon as we're back.''
Luke: ''You don't have to. I'm sure she wants to spend time with you and unpack.''
L: ''She will be spending time with me. Besides I'm sure she can't wait to get her hands on a decent cup of coffee.''
Luke rolled his eyes.
L: ''Just kidding Luke. You're more than our coffee supplier, you know that. She will be thrilled to see you. After all you're our magical coffee angel.''
Luke: ''Bye Lorelai.''
L: ''Bye angel.''
Lorelai smiled and headed for the door. She wanted to reach for the door, to open it, but before she could, it flew open.
L: ''Luke ! You have a magical door. It opens when you think about opening it. All you have to do is add a fortune teller and you're all set. Or a.............''
Lorelai stopped rambling as soon as she saw the person who obviously opened it.
L: ''Jess............''
J: ''Actually I'm a wizard. I come with the fortune teller.''
Lorelai didn't say anything and just looked at him. The guy that found a way into her daughter's life with his sarcastic ways and reading obsession. At first Lorelai didn't like Jess, she never really hated him, cause he was Luke's nephew after all, but she wasn't exactly thrilled when Rory and Jess started to hang out occasionally. But as Jess and Rory became friends, he proved to Lorelai that he could be trusted around Rory and that he would never hurt her.......intentionally. He may not have hurt Rory purposely, but at a few occasions he had, but Rory was one of the most understanding and forgiving people in the world, so she forgave and forgot. But when Jess moved to Venice Beach, Rory didn't forget. She even went to visit him and Lorelai, playing the role of the understanding mom, had let her. And Rory came back happier, ready to move on with her life, but Lorelai knew that Jess was never forgotten. She hated Jess for that, but on the other hand, she admired Jess for that.
L: ''Luke !''
Luke: ''There's no spirit in the door Lorelai.''
L: ''I think you should reconsider your comment ! I think it's evil.''
She said the last four words loud enough for Jess to hear it, but they didn't have any affect on him. Jess was used to Lorelai's comments.
Luke: ''What ?!''
Finally Luke looked up from what he was doing and noticed Jess.
Luke: ''Jess.........''
J: ''Where's my welcome home party uncle Luke ?''
Jess met Luke's gaze, amusement written in his eyes.
Lorelai looked from Jess to Luke and decided that she should leave them alone to talk and figure things out.
L: ''Luke, I've gotta go !''
Lorelai walked past Jess and headed for her car, her coffee cold and forgotten in her hand.
*~*~*
Jess still stood by the door with his duffel bag over his shoulder, waiting for Luke to make the next move. It was like a baseball game. You had three chances to hit the ball, he had already missed the first two and now he was swinging his bat and kicking the dirt, waiting patiently for the pitcher, being Luke, to throw him the ball. The only question was, would he hit it and make a home run or would he miss and strike out ? Finally Luke took action. He asked for Ceaser to take over and headed for the stairs, not looking over his shoulder to see if Jess would follow him. Jess knew that Luke had just thrown the ball, now all he had to do was swing his bat. Jess nodded at Ceaser and followed Luke up the stairs.
Luke was sitting at the small table, in the middle of the apartment, when Jess walked through the door. Jess didn't know what to say or how to explain the fact that he was here once again, asking for another chance. Jess closed the door behind him and dropped his duffel bag on the floor. He walked over to the table and sat down across from Luke, patiently waiting. Finally Luke looked at him, confusion visible in his eyes.
Luke: ''Why are you here ?''
J: ''I want another chance.''
The words seemed unreal to Luke. He wanted another chance ? Luke threw a sceptic glance in Jess' direction. To his surprise, Jess seemed to be sincere in his statement. Luke sighed.
Luke: ''Why ?''
Jess shrugged, pretending to be carefree.
J: ''Things didn't work out with Jimmy.''
Luke shook his head.
Luke: ''I should have known. Did he promise to take care of you ? Cause Jimmy was never good at keeping promises.''
J: ''No, it isn't Jimmy's fault. He actually cleaned up pretty nice.''
Luke searched Jess' eyes to see if he was lying, but there wasn't even a glimmer of untruth. Jess caught the disappointing that appeared on Luke's face like the shadow of a branch. And for a moment, the old Jess was trying to find his way up to the surface, ready to throw a remark Luke's way if he chose the wrong words. But Jess pushed this feeling aside. He knew that his sarcasm wouldn't be appreciated right now.
Luke: ''I'm sure he did.''
Jess sighed and ran his hands through his hair, wondering if he should be honest with Luke.
J: ''Venice just didn't feel like home to me.''
There he said it and it actually made Jess feel a little better by admitting it. Luke was surprised by Jess' comment, but didn't show it. He just nodded and got up. He knew where the boy was coming from. He had a rough childhood and Luke knew that his head was mostly filled with bad memories, but that would change in time.
Luke: ''You can stay.''
Luke started to head for the door, but stopped when he heard Jess' response.
J: ''Thanks Luke, I swear I won't screw things up this time.''
Luke nodded and went downstairs to work, a smile seeming almost unnatural on his face.
Jess was still sitting at the table, looking around the apartment. He saw that his things were untouched and smirked, pleased with himself. He got a cigarette out of his pocket with the intention of smoking it, but stopped. He changed his mind and put it back in his pocket. Old habits did die hard, but they could easily be changed. Jess got up and went downstairs to help Luke, promising himself that he would unpack later.
*~*~*
By the time Lorelai pulled into Yale's parking lot, she still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell Rory about Jess' return. She got out of the car and silently cursed Jess for showing up today.
R: ''Mom !''
Lorelai looked up and forced a smile on her face. Rory was running towards her, one of her bags dragging behind her. When Rory reached her, she threw her arms around her mom and the two girls hugged. Lorelai could see, Cinnamon C., casually making her way towards them with another one of Rory's bags. Well, her real name was Cameron, but because of her cinnamon colored skin, she changed her name into Cinnamon C. And everyone called her that, even some of the teachers.
L: ''Hey Cinnamon.''
Lorelai broke the hug and took the bag from Cinnamon.
C: ''Hey Lorelai, what's up ?''
L: ''Nothing much. How about you ?''
R: ''She has a new boyfriend. Hey mom, can I have your keys ?''
L: Sure sweets.''
Lorelai gave Rory the keys, so she could put her bags in the back-seat. Lorelai turned her attention back to Cinnamon.
L: ''I can't believe you have another boyfriend ?!''
Cinnamon practically changed boyfriends once a week. She didn't like commitment and always dumped the guy before things could get too serious. And even though every guy at Yale knew her reputation, they still handed her their numbers and asked her out. Lorelai couldn't blame them. She had to admit that Cinnamon was probably one of the most beautiful girls at Yale. Dazzling green eyes, perfect figure and brown hair with purple streaks that fitted her crazy personality perfectly. That was basically why Cinnamon was one of Rory's closest friends at Yale.
C: ''What can I say ? I get bored easy.''
Cinnamon smiled.
L: ''What's this new mystery man like ?''
Cinnamon shrugged.
C: ''Basically your typical player, but players gotta be played sometimes, right ?''
Lorelai laughed and nodded.
L: ''Amen to that girlfriend.''
Rory shook her head when she heard her mom's comment.
R: ''Mom, can we please go now ? I have been stuck here for almost a year.''
L: ''Poor baby.''
Rory rolled her eyes and waved at Cinnamon as she got in the car.
R: ''Bye Cameron.''
C: ''Bye, don't forget to call.''
Lorelai got in too, started the car and soon they were on their way back to Stars Hollow. Almost immediately Rory's pager went off and Lorelai silently cursed again. Damn pager. She was just going to tell Rory about Jess. Lorelai figured that there wasn't a perfect time to break this to her, so any time would do. And by any time she meant now, but of course there had to be another distraction.
Rory got her pager and pushed on one of the buttons. Moments later a message appeared on the small screen that read: Have a good time angel heart. xxx Billy ;-)
L: ''Who is it ?''
R: ''Billy.''
L: ''Billy huh ? What did he want ?''
R: ''Nothing much. He just wished me a good time.''
L: ''Is that what the message says ?''
R: ''Basically.''
L: ''That's a definite no. Read the message.''
R: ''Have you ever heard of privacy ?''
L: ''As a matter of fact I have. That's where you tell me everyhing, right ?''
R: ''You're unbelievable.''
L: ''And curious, now read.''
R: ''Fine, the message said, have a good time angel heart.''
L: ''And............?''
R: ''Kisses Billy.''
L: ''And.............?''
R: ''That's it.''
L: ''Are you sure ? Look again.''
Rory sighed.
R: ''How about I just show you the message.''
She held up her pager and Lorelai quickly read it.
L: ''Could there be a double meaning to the wink ?''
R: ''Gross !''
Lorelai smiled.
L: ''So, how are things going between you and Billy ?''
Lorelai decided that she would tell Rory the news later, she didn't wanna spoil the vibe they had going right now. Especially not when Rory was this happy. She was always happy when she talked about Billy. Billy Prescot had been her boyfriend for almost four months now. And they had been friends first, talk about déja vu.
*~*~*
R: ''Is that a traffic pad ?''
L: ''Yeah, Taylor decided that since almost every town had one we should too. But he forgot that there's no town as Stars Hollow, meaning that this is the smallest town in the world and that we don't need a traffic pad. I mean, cars in Stars Hollow don't speed.''
R: ''Did you discuss it in a town meeting ?''
L: ''Believe it or not we did.''
R: ''How did he get everyone to agree to the traffic pad ?''
L: ''The way he usually does. He brought it up at the end of the meeting, when everyone's tired, so everyone basically said yes to get Taylor of their backs.''
R: ''It is a nice traffic pad though.''
L: ''A nice traffic pad ? Sweets, all traffic pads look the same.''
R: ''Not this one, this one is higher than most traffic pads.''
L: ''Yeah, just to be safe with all the speeders we have here.''
Rory laughed.
R: ''So, are we going to Luke's ?''
Lorelai shook her head.
R: ''Why not ?''
L: ''Cause I just discovered that caffeine can really kill you.''
R: ''You mean, Luke was right all this time ?''
L: ''Apparently.''
R: ''Mom, what's wrong ?''
Lorelai took a deep breath and glanced at Rory.
L: ''Jess is back.''
Suddenly Rory's eyes were drenched with sadness and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, pressing them tight against her heart. It was as if she was trying to shield it from hearing Lorelai's news. Jess was back......... Those words kept repeating themselves over and over in her head. No matter from how many different angels she was looking at those words, she couldn't change their definition.
L: ''Rory, are you okay ?''
Rory nodded.
R: ''Let's go home.''
Without saying anything Lorelai drove past Luke's.
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) (Thanks to everyone who read 'I guess, you say' !)
*A/N: Hey!!! Finally, the moment you have all been waiting for........the sequel is up! Finally you'll find out if Rory and Jess will continue their friendship or maybe become even more. This plot might have already been used, but I promise that I'll try to make it as original as possible. I have a few surprises up my sleeve and I'll pay extra attention to the lives of other characters. I have worked really hard on this story, so please tell me what you think of the first chapter. Is there some hope for it ? Thanks. :-)
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)
It was a beautiful summer day, graced with a pure, cloudless sky and the sweet lingering smell of flowers, when Jess Mariano stepped off the bus and into the crazy and chaotic, little town of Stars Hollow. As he threw a quick glance around the town, he noticed that absolutely nothing had changed in the year he had spend in Venice. It had also been exactly one year since Rory came to visit him in Venice Beach. Even though they promised each other friendship, they didn't keep in contact. Partly because of their new friendship. They both new that it would be hard to remain friends, because of the history they had shared. Besides they had tried being friends and look where that had lead them. But he knew that he couldn't put all the blame on their history and new friendship.
He knew that part of the reason, why they hadn't kept in contact, was his own fault. Part of it could be blamed on Jess' independence. After he left Stars Hollow, he decided to cut all the strings that had been attaching him to Stars Hollow. And yet he found himself back here. Things didn't work out with Jimmy. Sure he was a cool person, fun to hang with, but he hadn't exactly been the ideal father figure back when he left Jess and his mom and..........he still wasn't. Besides sometimes Jess felt like a complete stranger to him. Jimmy knew hardly anything about him and yet so much at the same time. But Jess wasn't sorry he went to Venice Beach. Cause in some ways it had been worth it. At least now he knew where he got his taste in music and that Jimmy was doing okay. He had started another life, with Sasha and her daughter Lily. Another reason why he felt like he didn't quite fit in there. They had their own family and even though Sasha told him over and over that there was enough room for him, he never really bought it. She was just being nice, but then again that was Sasha. And even though he had only known her for a year, she had already been a better mother to him than his real mom ever had been.
After Rory left, he had started to miss Stars Hollow. Of course he had missed it before, though he was too stubborn to admit it, but when he saw Rory again, she brought a piece of Stars Hollow with her. Just like the breeze in Venice would always bring a part of the ocean with it. He had even missed Luke. Luke was the one who took the role of his father and gave him a place to live when his mom decided that she didn't want him anymore. And Luke was the one who had cared about his grades and other stuff that seemed unimportant to him at first. Until he met Rory........... She was so into family and school, but unfortunately for her and Luke, it didn't rub off on him. He didn't care about that stuff. But then again he never had to care before, cause there was no one to care about or to listen to as they gave him never ending speeches about his grades. But maybe that would change. Maybe he had changed. He was 18 now and he liked to think that he grew up, but old habits died hard.
He saw the way people were looking at him, curious and mistrustful. He couldn't blame them. He wasn't the easiest person to deal with. Jess sighed as he slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, trying to avoid people's gazes. He was hoping for another chance. His third to be exact. He got his first when he just moved here from New York and his second came soon after, when he came back from New York..............for Rory. Did he come back for her this time ? He liked to believe he didn't, but in his heart he knew that she had been a big part of his decision to go back to Stars Hollow. He stepped on to the sidewalk and started to walk the familiar road to Luke's, the sun guiding his way.
*~*~*
As soon as Lorelai Gilmore pushed open the door of Luke's Diner, she loudly made her way over to the counter. Some people looked up and smiled, but most of them just continued eating their food. Lorelai dropped her new bag on the counter and sat down with a hopeful smile playing across her lips.
L: ''Coffee please.''
Luke turned around, baseball cap in place, and glared at her, not saying a word. Lorelai's smile turned into a pout as she pleadingly looked up at Luke.
L: ''Please Luke ?''
Luke: ''Give me a reason.''
L: ''What ?''
Luke: ''Give me one good reason why I should give you coffee ? Why should I let you pollute your body with it ?''
L: ''Cause you love me ?''
Lorelai sweetly smiled at him, but Luke just shook his head.
L: ''Cause I have to drive the long road to Hartford to pick up Rory and drinking coffee before I drive is a must. Cause if I don't, I'll get dizzy and my vision will get blurry and before I'll know it I'll be lying in a hospital bed, next to the other guy you deprived of his coffee. You wouldn't want that, now would you ?''
Luke sighed and poured her some coffee, still glaring at her with a disapproved look on his face. He handed her the cup.
L: ''Don't look at me like that Luke. You can't save everyone. Besides I have been drinking coffee for years, so it's a little late to safe me.''
Luke: ''Oh believe me, I know.''
Lorelai ignored his last comment and took a sip of her coffee.
Luke: ''So, Rory's spending summer break with you ?''
L: ''Yeah and I'm so excited. I can't wait to see her again. I really missed her.''
Luke: ''How can you miss her when you call each other every day and see each other almost every weekend ?''
L: ''Not every weekend. She spend four weekends at Christopher's.''
Luke: ''To see Georgia ?''
L: ''Yeah, to see Georgia or GG as Sherry calls her. Maybe she's even going to give Rory a nickname, you know ? Like RR. GG and RR, though it doesn't really have a nice ring to it. Oh shoot !''
Suddenly Lorelai jumped up.
L: ''I've gotta pick up Rory. Can you get me some coffee to go ?''
Luke: ''Yeah, sure.''
Luke quickly poured Lorelai some coffee and when he handed it to her, she was looking at him suspiciously.
L: ''What's with this ?''
Luke: ''This ?''
L: ''Yeah, this.''
Lorelai pointed at her cup of coffee.
L: ''You just giving it to me without arguing or telling me how much caffeine it'll take to kill me ?''
Luke: ''I though you had to pick up Rory ?''
L: ''Fine, but don't ever do that again.''
Luke: ''Why not ?''
L: ''Cause it throws me off. Ever since I moved here, my days have been the same. I get up, get coffee, go to work, have dinner and coffee here, get a coffee to go and go home.''
Luke: ''You're pathetic.''
L: ''Says the man who wears plaid every day.''
Lorelai shot Luke a look as she grabbed her bag.
L: ''We'll drop by as soon as we're back.''
Luke: ''You don't have to. I'm sure she wants to spend time with you and unpack.''
L: ''She will be spending time with me. Besides I'm sure she can't wait to get her hands on a decent cup of coffee.''
Luke rolled his eyes.
L: ''Just kidding Luke. You're more than our coffee supplier, you know that. She will be thrilled to see you. After all you're our magical coffee angel.''
Luke: ''Bye Lorelai.''
L: ''Bye angel.''
Lorelai smiled and headed for the door. She wanted to reach for the door, to open it, but before she could, it flew open.
L: ''Luke ! You have a magical door. It opens when you think about opening it. All you have to do is add a fortune teller and you're all set. Or a.............''
Lorelai stopped rambling as soon as she saw the person who obviously opened it.
L: ''Jess............''
J: ''Actually I'm a wizard. I come with the fortune teller.''
Lorelai didn't say anything and just looked at him. The guy that found a way into her daughter's life with his sarcastic ways and reading obsession. At first Lorelai didn't like Jess, she never really hated him, cause he was Luke's nephew after all, but she wasn't exactly thrilled when Rory and Jess started to hang out occasionally. But as Jess and Rory became friends, he proved to Lorelai that he could be trusted around Rory and that he would never hurt her.......intentionally. He may not have hurt Rory purposely, but at a few occasions he had, but Rory was one of the most understanding and forgiving people in the world, so she forgave and forgot. But when Jess moved to Venice Beach, Rory didn't forget. She even went to visit him and Lorelai, playing the role of the understanding mom, had let her. And Rory came back happier, ready to move on with her life, but Lorelai knew that Jess was never forgotten. She hated Jess for that, but on the other hand, she admired Jess for that.
L: ''Luke !''
Luke: ''There's no spirit in the door Lorelai.''
L: ''I think you should reconsider your comment ! I think it's evil.''
She said the last four words loud enough for Jess to hear it, but they didn't have any affect on him. Jess was used to Lorelai's comments.
Luke: ''What ?!''
Finally Luke looked up from what he was doing and noticed Jess.
Luke: ''Jess.........''
J: ''Where's my welcome home party uncle Luke ?''
Jess met Luke's gaze, amusement written in his eyes.
Lorelai looked from Jess to Luke and decided that she should leave them alone to talk and figure things out.
L: ''Luke, I've gotta go !''
Lorelai walked past Jess and headed for her car, her coffee cold and forgotten in her hand.
*~*~*
Jess still stood by the door with his duffel bag over his shoulder, waiting for Luke to make the next move. It was like a baseball game. You had three chances to hit the ball, he had already missed the first two and now he was swinging his bat and kicking the dirt, waiting patiently for the pitcher, being Luke, to throw him the ball. The only question was, would he hit it and make a home run or would he miss and strike out ? Finally Luke took action. He asked for Ceaser to take over and headed for the stairs, not looking over his shoulder to see if Jess would follow him. Jess knew that Luke had just thrown the ball, now all he had to do was swing his bat. Jess nodded at Ceaser and followed Luke up the stairs.
Luke was sitting at the small table, in the middle of the apartment, when Jess walked through the door. Jess didn't know what to say or how to explain the fact that he was here once again, asking for another chance. Jess closed the door behind him and dropped his duffel bag on the floor. He walked over to the table and sat down across from Luke, patiently waiting. Finally Luke looked at him, confusion visible in his eyes.
Luke: ''Why are you here ?''
J: ''I want another chance.''
The words seemed unreal to Luke. He wanted another chance ? Luke threw a sceptic glance in Jess' direction. To his surprise, Jess seemed to be sincere in his statement. Luke sighed.
Luke: ''Why ?''
Jess shrugged, pretending to be carefree.
J: ''Things didn't work out with Jimmy.''
Luke shook his head.
Luke: ''I should have known. Did he promise to take care of you ? Cause Jimmy was never good at keeping promises.''
J: ''No, it isn't Jimmy's fault. He actually cleaned up pretty nice.''
Luke searched Jess' eyes to see if he was lying, but there wasn't even a glimmer of untruth. Jess caught the disappointing that appeared on Luke's face like the shadow of a branch. And for a moment, the old Jess was trying to find his way up to the surface, ready to throw a remark Luke's way if he chose the wrong words. But Jess pushed this feeling aside. He knew that his sarcasm wouldn't be appreciated right now.
Luke: ''I'm sure he did.''
Jess sighed and ran his hands through his hair, wondering if he should be honest with Luke.
J: ''Venice just didn't feel like home to me.''
There he said it and it actually made Jess feel a little better by admitting it. Luke was surprised by Jess' comment, but didn't show it. He just nodded and got up. He knew where the boy was coming from. He had a rough childhood and Luke knew that his head was mostly filled with bad memories, but that would change in time.
Luke: ''You can stay.''
Luke started to head for the door, but stopped when he heard Jess' response.
J: ''Thanks Luke, I swear I won't screw things up this time.''
Luke nodded and went downstairs to work, a smile seeming almost unnatural on his face.
Jess was still sitting at the table, looking around the apartment. He saw that his things were untouched and smirked, pleased with himself. He got a cigarette out of his pocket with the intention of smoking it, but stopped. He changed his mind and put it back in his pocket. Old habits did die hard, but they could easily be changed. Jess got up and went downstairs to help Luke, promising himself that he would unpack later.
*~*~*
By the time Lorelai pulled into Yale's parking lot, she still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell Rory about Jess' return. She got out of the car and silently cursed Jess for showing up today.
R: ''Mom !''
Lorelai looked up and forced a smile on her face. Rory was running towards her, one of her bags dragging behind her. When Rory reached her, she threw her arms around her mom and the two girls hugged. Lorelai could see, Cinnamon C., casually making her way towards them with another one of Rory's bags. Well, her real name was Cameron, but because of her cinnamon colored skin, she changed her name into Cinnamon C. And everyone called her that, even some of the teachers.
L: ''Hey Cinnamon.''
Lorelai broke the hug and took the bag from Cinnamon.
C: ''Hey Lorelai, what's up ?''
L: ''Nothing much. How about you ?''
R: ''She has a new boyfriend. Hey mom, can I have your keys ?''
L: Sure sweets.''
Lorelai gave Rory the keys, so she could put her bags in the back-seat. Lorelai turned her attention back to Cinnamon.
L: ''I can't believe you have another boyfriend ?!''
Cinnamon practically changed boyfriends once a week. She didn't like commitment and always dumped the guy before things could get too serious. And even though every guy at Yale knew her reputation, they still handed her their numbers and asked her out. Lorelai couldn't blame them. She had to admit that Cinnamon was probably one of the most beautiful girls at Yale. Dazzling green eyes, perfect figure and brown hair with purple streaks that fitted her crazy personality perfectly. That was basically why Cinnamon was one of Rory's closest friends at Yale.
C: ''What can I say ? I get bored easy.''
Cinnamon smiled.
L: ''What's this new mystery man like ?''
Cinnamon shrugged.
C: ''Basically your typical player, but players gotta be played sometimes, right ?''
Lorelai laughed and nodded.
L: ''Amen to that girlfriend.''
Rory shook her head when she heard her mom's comment.
R: ''Mom, can we please go now ? I have been stuck here for almost a year.''
L: ''Poor baby.''
Rory rolled her eyes and waved at Cinnamon as she got in the car.
R: ''Bye Cameron.''
C: ''Bye, don't forget to call.''
Lorelai got in too, started the car and soon they were on their way back to Stars Hollow. Almost immediately Rory's pager went off and Lorelai silently cursed again. Damn pager. She was just going to tell Rory about Jess. Lorelai figured that there wasn't a perfect time to break this to her, so any time would do. And by any time she meant now, but of course there had to be another distraction.
Rory got her pager and pushed on one of the buttons. Moments later a message appeared on the small screen that read: Have a good time angel heart. xxx Billy ;-)
L: ''Who is it ?''
R: ''Billy.''
L: ''Billy huh ? What did he want ?''
R: ''Nothing much. He just wished me a good time.''
L: ''Is that what the message says ?''
R: ''Basically.''
L: ''That's a definite no. Read the message.''
R: ''Have you ever heard of privacy ?''
L: ''As a matter of fact I have. That's where you tell me everyhing, right ?''
R: ''You're unbelievable.''
L: ''And curious, now read.''
R: ''Fine, the message said, have a good time angel heart.''
L: ''And............?''
R: ''Kisses Billy.''
L: ''And.............?''
R: ''That's it.''
L: ''Are you sure ? Look again.''
Rory sighed.
R: ''How about I just show you the message.''
She held up her pager and Lorelai quickly read it.
L: ''Could there be a double meaning to the wink ?''
R: ''Gross !''
Lorelai smiled.
L: ''So, how are things going between you and Billy ?''
Lorelai decided that she would tell Rory the news later, she didn't wanna spoil the vibe they had going right now. Especially not when Rory was this happy. She was always happy when she talked about Billy. Billy Prescot had been her boyfriend for almost four months now. And they had been friends first, talk about déja vu.
*~*~*
R: ''Is that a traffic pad ?''
L: ''Yeah, Taylor decided that since almost every town had one we should too. But he forgot that there's no town as Stars Hollow, meaning that this is the smallest town in the world and that we don't need a traffic pad. I mean, cars in Stars Hollow don't speed.''
R: ''Did you discuss it in a town meeting ?''
L: ''Believe it or not we did.''
R: ''How did he get everyone to agree to the traffic pad ?''
L: ''The way he usually does. He brought it up at the end of the meeting, when everyone's tired, so everyone basically said yes to get Taylor of their backs.''
R: ''It is a nice traffic pad though.''
L: ''A nice traffic pad ? Sweets, all traffic pads look the same.''
R: ''Not this one, this one is higher than most traffic pads.''
L: ''Yeah, just to be safe with all the speeders we have here.''
Rory laughed.
R: ''So, are we going to Luke's ?''
Lorelai shook her head.
R: ''Why not ?''
L: ''Cause I just discovered that caffeine can really kill you.''
R: ''You mean, Luke was right all this time ?''
L: ''Apparently.''
R: ''Mom, what's wrong ?''
Lorelai took a deep breath and glanced at Rory.
L: ''Jess is back.''
Suddenly Rory's eyes were drenched with sadness and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, pressing them tight against her heart. It was as if she was trying to shield it from hearing Lorelai's news. Jess was back......... Those words kept repeating themselves over and over in her head. No matter from how many different angels she was looking at those words, she couldn't change their definition.
L: ''Rory, are you okay ?''
Rory nodded.
R: ''Let's go home.''
Without saying anything Lorelai drove past Luke's.
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) (Thanks to everyone who read 'I guess, you say' !)
