I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own it, I never have, I never will. Tough luck for me.

Spoilers: Not really, unless you haven't seen season 3.

Rating: PG-13 for some cussing here and there.

Pairing: Read and find out! :P

Summary: Rory is at Yale. Jess is in California. Rory is over Jess…or is she??? Jess is not over Rory. Please read and review. Thanks! :D

Author Notes: I am happy and sad to announce that this is the LAST CHAPTER!!!!!  You (yes you!!!!!  Right there!!!! The one who is to lazy to review!!!!!) Need to tell me if you want me to do a sequel to this or not.  I hope ya'll like this chapter…it's a hell of a long one.  It took up 22 pages in my notebook!!!! This is the longest chapter by far!!!! So please read and review!!!

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Jess is sitting in the back of a bus clutching his bag.  So here I am.  On a bus once again.  But this time I'm not running away.  Nope.  I'm going to face my fears.  Okay….actually I'm going to get my car…but if the chance opens up, I may or may not face my fears.  No.  I need to do this.  Talk to Rory, that is.  Maybe if I get my feelings out then I'll be able to move on.

But who am I kidding?  I don't know if I can move on.  I might even…no.  I won't even go there.  She might have felt that way about me though….until I blew it.  I am SUCH an idiot.

It's pretty late.  Maybe 11:00.  I've been traveling since early this morning.  I left Jimmy a note saying that I'd be back in a few days.

A loud voice interrupted his thoughts.  "We'll be arriving in Stars Hollow shortly," The bus drive announced to his one and only passenger.  Holy shit.  I would like nothing better than to stay on this bus….but I can't turn back now.

The bus crawled to a stop.  The driver pushed the 'door open' button and Jess, still holding his bag, slowly made his way to the front.  "Thanks," he mumbled before stepping off.  Well, I'm here.  It looks just like it did when I left it.  There are just so many good memories here.  Jess smiled.  Like Luke pushing me into the lake…or getting decked, or should I say pecked, by that stupid swan.  Good times…great stuff.

Jess looked around to make sure that no one was around.  Of course not.  They all go to sleep at 8:00.  He walked over to the shed and dug around in his pocket for a paperclip, which he proceeded to bend straight.  He stuck it into the lock and within seconds, he was standing in front of his car.  Uncle Luke must be stupider than I thought.  That was the easiest lock that I have ever picked.  It didn't even take any effort.  He opened the car door and laughed when he saw that the keys were in the ignition.  What kind of moron leaves the keys in the ignition?!

Jess started the car and backed out of the shed.  He drove about half a block when it made a loud grinding noise and jerked to a stop.  "Dammit!" He yelled as he pounded a fist on his steering wheel.  Why does this always happen to me!  And I'm in the middle of the road too.  Shit.  I'm gonna have to move it to the side.  He got out of the car and slammed the door.  He managed to get it to the side fairly easily. 

Jess heard a click and a bang but ignored it.  "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Luke yelled from his apartment window.

Jess looked up in surprise.  Shit that scared me.   "It's my car!" He yelled back.

Luke frowned, "How the he-…Liz!  Liz told you where it was?" He asked, although he was pretty sure of the answer already.

"What if she did?"

Luke sighed.  "Well fine.  Take it and go."

Jess didn't say anything.

"Why aren't you going?" Luke asked, confused.

"It won't go," Jess mumbled.

"What?" Luke asked, leaning his head out the window.  "Wait!  I'm coming down."  He threw on a t-shirt and hurried down the stairs.  He opened the door and stepped into the doorway.  "Now, why aren't you going?"

"I don't know….I think maybe the carburetor's busted," Jess answered as he fiddled with the door handle.

"That's great…so you're staying the night?"

"I guess so," Jess replied.

"Well…I've still got your bed upstairs…"

"No," Jess said cutting him off.  "I'll just sleep in my car," He said stubbornly.

"Oh, uh…are you sure?" Luke asked, trying to hide his worry.  "The snow just barely melted last week and it's still pretty cold out."

"I'll be fine," Jess assured him.

"Alright…do you want a blanket at least?" Luke questioned.

"No."

"Well…I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Luke said as he grabbed the door handle.

"Whatever."

Luke locked the door and went back to bed.  Hope he doesn't freeze.

Jess climbed into his car and lay down across the backseat.  He shivered and zipped up his jacket.

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Rory shut her book and looked at the clock.  11:30. I'm not even tired yet…mom's a party pooper.  Who goes to bed at 11:00 anyways?  Oh well.  It's so nice to be back in my old room with my old stuff.  Rory was staying the whole week in Stars Hollow so that she could hang out with her mom and Lane over spring break.

I think I'll go take a walk.  Rory put on a pair of pants but left her pajama top on.  She slipped on a pair of pants but left her pajama top on.  She put on her favorite pair of sneakers and walked out the back door.

She decided to let her legs lead her where they wanted to go.  She wound up at the bridge, but after a few minutes she realized that there were too many memories and pain there, so she continued on in the direction of the gazebo with her hands shoved in her pockets.

It is so cold out here.  I should have grabbed a sweatshirt, or jacket or something.  She was almost to the Diner when she stopped dead in her tracks.  Oh my gosh! That's, that's, that's.  NO.  There's no way.  HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN CALIFORNIA!!  Rory unconsciously brought her arms together and hugged herself.

She crossed the street and made way to his car.  She peered in the window and gasped when he saw him asleep in the backseat.  Why the hell is he here?  He's going to freeze to death.  I wonder if Luke knows that he's here.  Yeah.  He probably does.  Oh gosh.  What am I going to do?!  Rory brought her fingertips to her forehead and began to massage her temples.  She sighed deeply.  I can handle this.  I can handle this.  He's not here for me.  He's here for the car.  I probably won't even see him again…but I feel bad…it's freezing out here.  Rory's kindness took the best of her.  Maybe I could get him a blanket…it's the least I can do.

Rory quickly walked back to her house.  She opened the linen closet and began to search, and only stopped searching when she found the thickest blanket that they owned.  The only downside was that it was purple.  Oh well…at least it will keep him warm.

When she arrived back at his car, she became suddenly scared.  What if he wakes up?  What would he say?  Or more importantly what would I say?  No, no, no.  I am going to do this.   Rory slowly pulled the handle and the door opened noiselessly.  Rory sighed with relief.  She stood there a few minutes just watching him sleep, and tried to ignore the butterflies that were floating around in her stomach.  I must be hungry.

She unfolded the blanket and stuck her head in the car.  She inhaled and had to grab hold of the door when her knees went weak.  She smelt that smell…that Jess smell….Soap, cologne, and a slight trace of cigarettes.  Get control of yourself…I must be more tired then I thought.  She carefully dropped the blanket over him, starting with his feet and ending at his shoulders.  He didn't move a muscle.

Rory softly closed the door and went back to her room.  She put her pajama pants back on before crawling into bed.  She fell asleep thinking of Jess and how weird it was to see him.

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Jess awoke with a start after bumping his head on the roof.  "Damn!" He yelled, rubbing his head.  He stretched out and yawned.  I have the worst kink in my neck.  He looked down at the blanket and raised an eyebrow.  Luke must have been worried about me.  He smirked at the thought.   He didn't want me to freeze to death. 

His stomach growled and he realized that he hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday at lunch.  He folded that blanket neatly and shoved his wallet into his back pocket before entering the Diner.

He took a seat at the counter and sat the blanket down in front of him.

"Morning," Luke said, appearing in front of him.

"Hey, thanks for the blanket," Jess said as he held it out to him.

Luke frowned, "I didn't give you that."

Jess raised an eyebrow in confusion.  "You're kidding right?"

Luke shook his head.  "Where d'ya get it?"

"I woke up and it was there."

"Lying on top of you?" Luke asked.

Jess nodded.

"In your car?"

He nodded again.

"That's weird," Luke stated.

"Yeah….anyways, can I have a cup of orange juice and three blueberry muffins?"  Who the hell gave me that blanket?

"It's not free you know," Luke informed him.

"Oh no!" Jess exclaimed sarcastically, "I guess I won't ever be able to eat again because I couldn't possibly have any money!"

"Boy have I missed you," Luke said caustically as he poured his orange juice and put the muffins on a plate.

"How much does it cost?" Jess asked as he grabbed his wallet out of his pocket.

"Four dollars," Luke answered.

He threw the money onto the counter and began to eat.  How did I get that blanket?!? I wonder….no.  She's probably at Yale still.  But…it was purple!!!  Maybe it was the town troubadour.  You never know what he'll do….maybe he saw me and climbed into my car and shared the blanket with me.  Jess smirked.

He finished eating and walked over to the bookstore.  He was glad to find it empty.  He sat down in a corner, grabbed a book and started to read.  He had been there for about 20 minutes when he heard the door jingle, meaning that someone had entered.  He was so lost in his book that he didn't bother to look up until he saw a woman's foot out of the corner of his eye.  He slowly raised his head to see pants and then a shirt and then a head.  Standing in front of him was Rory Gilmore.

She glanced up and saw him.  Her eyes widened as they met each others gaze.  They both were at a loss of words.  Finally Jess snapped out of it and threw his book onto the shelf.  He stood up and said, "I'm leaving," and proceeded to walk quickly out the door.

He sighed heavily as he ambulated to his car.  He saw Kirk standing outside.  I really hate to do it but I couldn't possibly do it myself.

"Hey Kirk!" Jess yelled, "I hate to do this," He muttered under his breath.  "I'll pay you five dollars to help me push my car to Gypsy's," Jess said as he approached him.

Kirk eyed him before responding, "Make it fifteen."

Jess raised his eyebrows, "It's only two blocks away!"

"Actually its 2.25 blocks away," Kirk said matter-of-factly.

"Well excuse me," He said sarcastically, "But I am not paying you fifteen dollars….I'll find someone who will take five."  Jess turned and began to walk away.  Kirk followed him.

"Wait!" Kirk yelled as he hurried to catch him.  "What about ten dollars?"

Jess sighed.  "Okay fine…lets start pushing."

"What about the money?  I would like to receive it in advance," He saw Jess's expression and said quickly, "Or not."

Jess could hardly stand listening to Kirk as they pushed the car in the direction of Gypsy's.  He was shooting off facts about anything and everything.

"Did you know that a camel has three eyelids?"

"Huh," Jess said uninterested.

"Oh!  And a jackrabbit can travel more than 12 feet in one jump." Kirk said excitedly.

"Is that so?"

Kirk finally broke out of 'fact mode' and asked a question that startled Jess.

"Why are you here?"

Jess cleared his throat.  "Excuse me?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why are you back in Stars Hollow?" He asked again.

"To get my car."

"I don't believe you," Kirk stated.

"Well I don't give a damn what you believe," Jess informed him, "I don't give a damn about what anyone else thinks either.  I'm here to get my car and that's it."

They pushed the car the rest of the way in silence.  When they got there Jess threw the money at him and Kirk quickly walked away with a worried look on his face.  I hope this isn't drug money.

Gypsy came out of the garage and groaned when she saw Jess.  "What do you want?" She asked rudely.

"There's something wrong with it," He said pointing to the car, "Fix it."

She got on her roller and slid underneath the car.  She slid out shortly and told him that the carburetor needed to be replaced.

Jess sighed, "How quickly can you have it done?"

"Tonight," She answered.

"How much will it cost?"

She shrugged, "I dunno…maybe 90 bucks or so."

"Well hurry the hell up," He said before turning and walking away.  I can't wait to get out of this hell-hole.

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Rory is in Lane's room pacing back and forth.  Lane is sitting on her bed.

"So I walk into the bookstore and there he is!" Rory exclaimed.  She was telling Lane about Jess, but she didn't mention the whole blanket thing.  She was afraid that Lane might get the wrong idea and think that maybe instead of just trying to be nice that she had done it because she still had feelings for him…and since that was totally ridiculous she decided to leave it out.

"What did he say?" Lane asked excitedly.

"He said 'I'm leaving'! Can you believe that?!" Rory asked furiously.

"He's a coward," Lane stated.

"No, he's a jerk!  A…a….a….," She opened a thesaurus that was sitting on Lane's desk and began to search, "…Fool," She read, "An ass, an idiot, a jackass, a nincompoop, a ninny, an imbecile!" Rory ranted.

"Wow…who knew there was so many words in the thesaurus for a jerk!" Lane said stunned.

Rory rolled her eyes.  "Lane!" Rory cried out, "You're getting off topic!  He is back in my town!  He was in my bookstore!  He thinks that he can just barge back in…oh, I think not.  Not after leaving like he did!"

Lane stood up, grabbed Rory by the shoulders and led her to the bed.  "Sit!" She commanded and Rory sat.  Lane sat down next to her.  "Rory?" She asked glancing at her, "What is going on?"

Rory huffed.  "I told you what's going on!" Rory shouted.

Lane looked concerned.  She grabbed her friends arm.  "Rory…look at me."  Rory turned her head.  Lane continued, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

Rory's eyes widened.  "The only feeling that I have for him is hate!"

"Are you sure?" Lane asked doubtfully.

"Of course I am!  Who would know what I am feeling better than me?!" Rory yelled.  "I am OVER him!  I have a boyfriend, Brian, who I REALLY like!" 

Lane decided to drop it.  Although she wanted to, she still didn't believe Rory.  "Who's Brian?" 

"My boyfriend," Rory answered proudly, "We've been going out for 2 weeks."

"Good for you," Lane said sincerely.

They talked for a while longer before Rory went home.  Lane sat on her bed frowning.  I wish I could believe you Ror.  Lane sighed.  I really wish I could.

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Lorelai Gilmore came in the front door with a furious look on her face.  She slammed the door and hung her coat up on the coat-rack.

"Rory?  Are you home?" She yelled as she walked towards the living room.  "Oh, there you are."

"Hey," Rory noticed the look on her moms face.  "What's wrong?"

Lorelai sighed heavily.  "Okay, promise me that you're not going to freak out."

Rory frowned, "What happened?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes.  "That little hoodlum is back in town."

Lorelai waited for the screaming and yelling to start but instead, Rory said simply, "I know."

"You know!?  How could you know!  Did someone tell you?"

"No, I saw him," Rory responded.

Lorelai's eyes widened.  "You saw him!" She exclaimed.  "What did he say? ...And how come you didn't tell me?"

"He said, and I quote, 'I'm leaving.'  And I didn't tell you because I found it of little importance." Rory said calmly.

Lorelai raised and eyebrow is disgust.  "Well I just saw him at Gypsy's and I could hardly believe that it was him."

"Please tell me you didn't say anything," Rory pleaded.

"I didn't say anything," Lorelai answered honestly.  "Well, I've gotta go babe…I've got a….errand to run."

Rory looked at her unbelievingly.  "Okay," She finally said although she knew where exactly she was going and what she was going to do.

Lorelai grabbed her coat and purse and walked briskly out the door and over to Gypsy's.

"Jess!" She called as she approached him.

He looked up and sighed.  "What the hell do you want?"

"Why are you here?" She questioned.

He pointed to his car.  "What the hell does it look like?" He asked rudely.

"Hey!" She said pointing a finger at his face, "You drop the attitude now."

Jess remained silent.

"You better not go near her Jess, I'm warning you.  If you hurt her again, oh I swear…take your damn car and leave as fast as you can."

"I'm not here for Rory."

"She's moved on Jess.  She's over you, in fact, she has a boyfriend now,"  Lorelai informed him and thought that she saw his face fall, but it was hard to tell because his face instantly became stone-like again.  She grabbed twenty bucks out of her purse and threw it at Gypsy, "Get him the hell out of here," She told her and then turned on her heel and walked away.  Oh, I could kill that boy.

Jess sighed.  She has a boyfriend…maybe I shouldn't have come after all.

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Later that night

Jess walked slowly to is car.  He had just paid Gypsy the $95.  He sat down in the driver's seat and an envelope filled with money fell from the visor.  He smirked slightly.  Thanks Uncle Luke.  He looked to the left and noticed a hamburger stand.  I should grab a bite to eat before I leave.

He got out of the car and walked towards the line.  He stopped when he saw Rory.  They looked at each other for a few moments.

Oh no.  Oh no, no, no!  Rory finally broke the silence.  She couldn't deal with this.  "I get to leave first!" She yelled before turning and running.

Seeing her run sent a sharp pain to his stomach.  Gosh it hurts to see her run away from me.  Then he realized that that must have been how she felt every time that he ran away from her.  The realization hit him hard.  He turned and began running after her. He frowned.  god I'm sorry.  "Rory wait!  Stop!" He yelled. 

She turned in a different direction and continued running.  "No.  You don't get to walk away!" She yelled back.  Just stop chasing me and let me go back to my life and forget about you.

He picked up his pace, but was shocked to see her pick up hers too.  "Hold on!"

She kept running, arms flailing about.  "My town!  I leave!" She shrieked stupidly as she turned another direction and continued to run.

"I just wanna-where are you going?" He asked as he turned in the direction that she had.

"None of your business!"  Just leave me alone.

"We look like idiots," He informed her. 

"I don't care!" She responded as she gradually began to slow down, she was running out of energy.

"Stop running!" He yelled and stopped for a second to catch his breathe before continuing.  Oh Rory, I never meant to hurt you.

"Stop following!" She cried out as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Oh, come on!" He said as he caught up to her.

She tried to get past him but he blocked her way.  "Go away, I'm leaving."

"Rory, stop!"

"Why?" She asked as she gave up trying to get by him.

"Because I wanna talk to you," He answered before trying to catch his breath.

"About what?" She exclaimed, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

He pointed to the path that they had just come from.  "Where did you learn to run like that?" He asked, avoiding the question.  He exhaled slowly.  She looks so good.

Rory studied his face with her eyes and landed on his forehead.  She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes.  "You know, I have actually thought about this moment.  A lot.  What would Jess say to me if I ever saw him again?  I mean, he just took off, no explanation, no note, nothing.  I have imagined hundreds of different scenarios with a hundred great last parting lines, and I have to tell you that I am very curious to see which way this will go."

He sighed.  "Could we sit down?"

"No.  You wanted to talk, so talk.  What do you have to say to me?" She asked before averting her eyes from his face to her feet.

Oh god.  I think I love her.  He swallowed, inhaled deeply and exhaled while closing his eyes.  He opened them again before slowly saying, "I…love...you."

Rory's eyes flew up and looked into his.  Oh god.  He-he-he…She suddenly felt lightheaded and shaky.

He turned and walked towards his car.  Did I just..?  Oh god…I just told her…wow…well, I guess she deserved to know…I've never told anyone that before…and it felt so natural.  He started his car and drove away.  Good-bye Rory Gilmore.

She watched his car until it disappeared.  Her eyes filled with tears and she slowly sat down on the cement.  He's not supposed to say that.  She looked at the spot where he had been standing and replayed the scene over and over in her head.  She sighed heavily and hugged her knees to stop them from shaking.  She turned her head and stared down the road at the spot where his car had disappeared. 

She wiped her eyes as she continued to watch that spot, silently hoping that his car would come back down that road.  Her chin quivered as she opened her mouth and whispered softly, "I love you too."

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~THE END~

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A/N:  What do you think?!  Is it a good ending?  Should I do the sequel or not?  Please review and let me know! :D