Here We Stand - Chapter 4
"One Way"
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, or anything else mentioned.
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The night after the argument, Rory and Jess didn't speak to each other. It wasn't because either one of them was angry, but because they had no idea what to say. The next morning, when Jess woke up, he found a note from Rory telling him to take care of Lorel for the day, and that she had went shopping with her mother. In reading it, he sighed and fell back onto the bed. This was her way of figuring things out, by going out, away from him, and talking with someone. Lorelai to be more specific. 'At least she has someone she can do that with…' he thought. Then, almost as soon as he thought that, an idea ran through his mind. He rolled over and grabbed the phone.
"Hi, this is Jess Mariano and I'm looking for a one way to ticket to Venice Beach, California?"
"For when?" He thought a moment, "This weekend."
*~*
Jess had been on the phone for what seemed like forever now, and was beginning to get impatient. All he wanted was a plane ticket, one stupid, measly, plane ticket to Venice. He knew his father lived there, and he thought that maybe in going there he could figure some things out on his own that he wouldn't be able to in Stars Hollow. Maybe that's why he had been so depressed and angry lately, because being a father kept reminding him of how his own father had never been in his life. At least, that's why he hoped he had been so tense. He wanted to get to the bottom of it all, that way he could be the person he wanted to be and do the things he wanted to do. He didn't want to keep hurting Rory, so he decided to do this on his own. All he needed was some time to straighten things out, alone, and then he would be back to his old self.
"No, one way… Yes I'm sure… I don't care how much cheaper it is round trip; I'm only going one way... Listen lady, I don't want a round trip ticket… One way, you know what that means? ONE way!… Yes, thank you."
Jess and the lady exchanged the information needed, and then he hung up the phone. That was that, on Saturday, he was going to Venice. But for now, he had to go pick up his ticket at the airport. He got out of bed and quickly changed, wanting to pick up the ticket and do a few other things before Rory got home. He walked out of the bedroom and into Lorel's room, where she was sleeping quietly. He stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty and innocence.
"You're by far, the most perfect thing in Stars Hollow, do you know that?" He gently whispered while picking her up. He shifted her onto his shoulder and began to walk out of the room.
"You definatly take after your Mom. I just hope you don't get that same crazy coffee addiction," he continued while walking outside with her to the car, "How about this. You stay this perfect and quiet this whole trip, and then we'll go to the gazebo. Okay?" He smiled when he realized he was talking to a sleeping baby, and then gently placed her in her baby seat. He buckled her in and took one last look at her before shutting the door.
That was when he decided he was going to do this; he was going to try to make things work with Rory. But not for his sake, for Lorel's. He didn't want to be absent in her life like his father had, and so he made the decision to try harder. He just hoped she felt the same way…
*~*
Rory spent the day with Lorelai, telling her about the previous days events and going shopping. It helped Rory feel better, she always had someone to talk to when things were going wrong and today had been therapeutic for her. The two talked the whole day, beginning with Rory diminishing Lorelai's fears of what they had been recently arguing about, and ending with Rory thanking Lorelai for being there for her through everything. All in all, the day was a success and Rory felt much better going home, intent on making things right with Jess.
Lorelai pulled into Rory's driveway and they hugged while saying their goodbyes, Lorelai once more reminding Rory to call her if she needed anything. Rory nodded and waved goodbye while watching Lorelai leave, then turned to go inside.
"Hello?" She said while opening the door, looking around the house. She saw Jess sitting on the couch with Lorel wrapped tightly in his arms, the two of them asleep. Obviously they had a busy day, and from the looks of the extra blankets lying by the door, they had visited the gazebo to. She smiled, seeing the two people she loved the most in the world sleeping peacefully, and laid a blanket over them. Leaning down, she gently kissed Jess' lips, causing him to stir but not wake up. Next, she kissed Lorel's forehead… but noticed how hot it was. Quickly pulling her head back from Lorel's, she placed the back of her hand on her head and felt the heat once more.
Concerned, Rory went to pick Lorel up. But once she tried to pull her away from Jess, she began to whimper and Rory quickly put her back down, not wanting to wake Jess up. She decided she would check Lorel in the morning, and see if anything has changed. She walked into her bedroom and changed into her pajama's, happy with her decision that she was going to make things right with Jess and make more of an effort to be there for him and be nicer to him. Lying back in bed, she sighed a happy sigh before falling asleep.
*~* That Friday *~*
Things between her and Jess had been going better than planned, in fact, they were going incredible. He seemed like he had been putting in that extra effort just as much as she had been, and they hadn't argued in days. The only thing wrong now, was Lorel. Her fever hadn't gone down, and they had taken her to the doctors, who simply dismissed it as a bug and sent them home with children's Tylenol and ordered plenty of rest and fluids. But it had been almost a week now, and she still wasn't getting any better.
"Hey Jess?" Rory asked, walking out of Lorel's room.
"Hm?" He replied, peaking up from behind the refrigerator door.
"Do you think, maybe, something could be wrong with her?" Jess noticed her voice was a little shake, and shut the refrigerator door only to notice how worried she really was.
"Hey, don't say that," he said walking towards her, "there's nothing wrong with Lorel. She's just sick and your worried because she's never been like this before."
Rory nodded and leaned into Jess' body. God, his body. It was so comforting, so manly, so perfect. And did she mention comforting? Because it certainly was. Well, it was either that or his warm embrace. Either one she loved.
"But she's been this way for a while."
"She's sick, we're here taking care of her, she'll be fine."
Rory pulled out of the hug and looked up at Jess, "We're taking care of her? Your leaving tomorrow to see your Mom, how is that both of us?"
Jess winced at the reminder that he was leaving the next day… or was he wincing at the fact that he had lied to Rory so he could? He didn't want to think about it. Right now, his daughter was sick… but she would be fine. Even if something were to go wrong, he could get a ticket back to Connecticut in no time flat.
Rory noticed the wince.
"Hey, is something wrong?"
"No, I just… almost forgot I was leaving that's all." Jess quickly pulled away from Rory and walked back to the refrigerator, trying to avoid the conversation that was at hand.
"Hey, I'm going to go finish writing up that article for the paper tonight, Ok?"
Whew, she had dropped it.
"Alright Ror, I'll be in soon."
Rory walked into the bedroom and nestled into her side of the bed, reaching for her work briefcase. Once she had it, she opened it to find all her articles, neatly placed where she had put them last, in order from due the soonest, to due the latest. She had finished Yale, and while her goal was to be an over sea's correspondent, she had Lorel and the plans were changed all to quickly. She decided to take a local job, writing for the Hartford Advocate. She didn't mind, she had everything she wanted as it was and the job paid well. Searching through her briefcase, she noticed she didn't have anything to write with and opened her bedside drawer, looking for a pen or a pencil.
When she couldn't find one there, she leaned over to Jess' side of the bed, and opened his drawer. At first, she only searched with her hand and kept her eyes on a piece of the article she had been reading. But when she felt nothing, she shifted her eyes toward the drawer.
She stopped shuffling through his things when the paper caught her eye.
Southwest Airline Ticket
-One Way-
Departure: Hartford, Connecticut - 5:55am
Arrival: Los Angeles, California - 11:00am.
'One way?'
She couldn't breath.
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A/N - Here is where it's going to get very interesting! Oh boy, I really think you guys are going to like it! Please R&R so I know I'm not doing this for nothing… even though I know I'm not because my reviewers rock and they let me know why I'm doing it! Either way, the reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy :D Thanks guys!
"One Way"
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, or anything else mentioned.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The night after the argument, Rory and Jess didn't speak to each other. It wasn't because either one of them was angry, but because they had no idea what to say. The next morning, when Jess woke up, he found a note from Rory telling him to take care of Lorel for the day, and that she had went shopping with her mother. In reading it, he sighed and fell back onto the bed. This was her way of figuring things out, by going out, away from him, and talking with someone. Lorelai to be more specific. 'At least she has someone she can do that with…' he thought. Then, almost as soon as he thought that, an idea ran through his mind. He rolled over and grabbed the phone.
"Hi, this is Jess Mariano and I'm looking for a one way to ticket to Venice Beach, California?"
"For when?" He thought a moment, "This weekend."
*~*
Jess had been on the phone for what seemed like forever now, and was beginning to get impatient. All he wanted was a plane ticket, one stupid, measly, plane ticket to Venice. He knew his father lived there, and he thought that maybe in going there he could figure some things out on his own that he wouldn't be able to in Stars Hollow. Maybe that's why he had been so depressed and angry lately, because being a father kept reminding him of how his own father had never been in his life. At least, that's why he hoped he had been so tense. He wanted to get to the bottom of it all, that way he could be the person he wanted to be and do the things he wanted to do. He didn't want to keep hurting Rory, so he decided to do this on his own. All he needed was some time to straighten things out, alone, and then he would be back to his old self.
"No, one way… Yes I'm sure… I don't care how much cheaper it is round trip; I'm only going one way... Listen lady, I don't want a round trip ticket… One way, you know what that means? ONE way!… Yes, thank you."
Jess and the lady exchanged the information needed, and then he hung up the phone. That was that, on Saturday, he was going to Venice. But for now, he had to go pick up his ticket at the airport. He got out of bed and quickly changed, wanting to pick up the ticket and do a few other things before Rory got home. He walked out of the bedroom and into Lorel's room, where she was sleeping quietly. He stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty and innocence.
"You're by far, the most perfect thing in Stars Hollow, do you know that?" He gently whispered while picking her up. He shifted her onto his shoulder and began to walk out of the room.
"You definatly take after your Mom. I just hope you don't get that same crazy coffee addiction," he continued while walking outside with her to the car, "How about this. You stay this perfect and quiet this whole trip, and then we'll go to the gazebo. Okay?" He smiled when he realized he was talking to a sleeping baby, and then gently placed her in her baby seat. He buckled her in and took one last look at her before shutting the door.
That was when he decided he was going to do this; he was going to try to make things work with Rory. But not for his sake, for Lorel's. He didn't want to be absent in her life like his father had, and so he made the decision to try harder. He just hoped she felt the same way…
*~*
Rory spent the day with Lorelai, telling her about the previous days events and going shopping. It helped Rory feel better, she always had someone to talk to when things were going wrong and today had been therapeutic for her. The two talked the whole day, beginning with Rory diminishing Lorelai's fears of what they had been recently arguing about, and ending with Rory thanking Lorelai for being there for her through everything. All in all, the day was a success and Rory felt much better going home, intent on making things right with Jess.
Lorelai pulled into Rory's driveway and they hugged while saying their goodbyes, Lorelai once more reminding Rory to call her if she needed anything. Rory nodded and waved goodbye while watching Lorelai leave, then turned to go inside.
"Hello?" She said while opening the door, looking around the house. She saw Jess sitting on the couch with Lorel wrapped tightly in his arms, the two of them asleep. Obviously they had a busy day, and from the looks of the extra blankets lying by the door, they had visited the gazebo to. She smiled, seeing the two people she loved the most in the world sleeping peacefully, and laid a blanket over them. Leaning down, she gently kissed Jess' lips, causing him to stir but not wake up. Next, she kissed Lorel's forehead… but noticed how hot it was. Quickly pulling her head back from Lorel's, she placed the back of her hand on her head and felt the heat once more.
Concerned, Rory went to pick Lorel up. But once she tried to pull her away from Jess, she began to whimper and Rory quickly put her back down, not wanting to wake Jess up. She decided she would check Lorel in the morning, and see if anything has changed. She walked into her bedroom and changed into her pajama's, happy with her decision that she was going to make things right with Jess and make more of an effort to be there for him and be nicer to him. Lying back in bed, she sighed a happy sigh before falling asleep.
*~* That Friday *~*
Things between her and Jess had been going better than planned, in fact, they were going incredible. He seemed like he had been putting in that extra effort just as much as she had been, and they hadn't argued in days. The only thing wrong now, was Lorel. Her fever hadn't gone down, and they had taken her to the doctors, who simply dismissed it as a bug and sent them home with children's Tylenol and ordered plenty of rest and fluids. But it had been almost a week now, and she still wasn't getting any better.
"Hey Jess?" Rory asked, walking out of Lorel's room.
"Hm?" He replied, peaking up from behind the refrigerator door.
"Do you think, maybe, something could be wrong with her?" Jess noticed her voice was a little shake, and shut the refrigerator door only to notice how worried she really was.
"Hey, don't say that," he said walking towards her, "there's nothing wrong with Lorel. She's just sick and your worried because she's never been like this before."
Rory nodded and leaned into Jess' body. God, his body. It was so comforting, so manly, so perfect. And did she mention comforting? Because it certainly was. Well, it was either that or his warm embrace. Either one she loved.
"But she's been this way for a while."
"She's sick, we're here taking care of her, she'll be fine."
Rory pulled out of the hug and looked up at Jess, "We're taking care of her? Your leaving tomorrow to see your Mom, how is that both of us?"
Jess winced at the reminder that he was leaving the next day… or was he wincing at the fact that he had lied to Rory so he could? He didn't want to think about it. Right now, his daughter was sick… but she would be fine. Even if something were to go wrong, he could get a ticket back to Connecticut in no time flat.
Rory noticed the wince.
"Hey, is something wrong?"
"No, I just… almost forgot I was leaving that's all." Jess quickly pulled away from Rory and walked back to the refrigerator, trying to avoid the conversation that was at hand.
"Hey, I'm going to go finish writing up that article for the paper tonight, Ok?"
Whew, she had dropped it.
"Alright Ror, I'll be in soon."
Rory walked into the bedroom and nestled into her side of the bed, reaching for her work briefcase. Once she had it, she opened it to find all her articles, neatly placed where she had put them last, in order from due the soonest, to due the latest. She had finished Yale, and while her goal was to be an over sea's correspondent, she had Lorel and the plans were changed all to quickly. She decided to take a local job, writing for the Hartford Advocate. She didn't mind, she had everything she wanted as it was and the job paid well. Searching through her briefcase, she noticed she didn't have anything to write with and opened her bedside drawer, looking for a pen or a pencil.
When she couldn't find one there, she leaned over to Jess' side of the bed, and opened his drawer. At first, she only searched with her hand and kept her eyes on a piece of the article she had been reading. But when she felt nothing, she shifted her eyes toward the drawer.
She stopped shuffling through his things when the paper caught her eye.
Southwest Airline Ticket
-One Way-
Departure: Hartford, Connecticut - 5:55am
Arrival: Los Angeles, California - 11:00am.
'One way?'
She couldn't breath.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
A/N - Here is where it's going to get very interesting! Oh boy, I really think you guys are going to like it! Please R&R so I know I'm not doing this for nothing… even though I know I'm not because my reviewers rock and they let me know why I'm doing it! Either way, the reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy :D Thanks guys!
