Chapter Two

Jess's mind was telling him he'd made a mistake. He'd never been so unsure of himself. He looked over at the sleeping 5-year old in the seat next to him, and his heart ached. Maybe he was doing the right thing, but in taking this child away from her mother, he wasn't sure he hadn't broken the law in a big way. Taking her out of the state probably wouldn't help his case much either. But as they drove away from the town, and the heavy air that was New York in the summer, he couldn't convince himself that he'd done anything wrong.

His heart started to race. They'd been on the road for a long time it seemed, and it was close to midnight. He could see a lighted sign in the near distance, and sighed, pulling the car onto the shoulder and stopping for a moment. Jess couldn't believe what he was about to do, but he wasn't sure there was another choice. He started the car again and pulled into the road, pushing the gas pedal down slowly but surely, until it was touching the floor. By the time he passed the sign reading "Welcome to Stars Hollow!" it seemed nothing more than a blur.

He slowed his driving as he came to the restaurant that was so familiar to him. His fingers rapped nervously on the steering wheel, and Lainey began to stir beside him. As her eyes opened slowly, and brightened, they seemed to glow in the darkness. They were a radiant green color, and he could recall the first time he caught sight of their innocence, a year and a half earlier.

19 months earlier

Jess's hands were tired. He'd been working all day, stocking shelves and working the register. He was the only one working in the small bookstore on that particular day. The owner, Griffith, was in the hospital, and it had been one of the busiest days he'd ever seen. He heard a crash in the back and wandered curiously towards the noise. The store was about to close, and he hadn't known anyone was still here.

As he got closer, he still saw nothing but a pile of books. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a movement and turned, meeting a pair of bright green eyes that were almost exactly level with his. He moved around the shelves that were between them, and his heart stopped. There stood a beautiful woman, blonde and thin with a nice body, and a small girl with equally blonde hair but even brighter eyes standing in front of him, covered in dirt and rain. The older of the two, despite her state of raggedness, flipped her hair behind her shoulders and extended her hand towards him.

"Darcy. This is my daughter, Lainey."

And so it began.

Present time

Jess smiled at the memory, his car stopped in front of the diner. That night had been one of the most amazing of his life. After he introduced himself, he and Darcy had gone out for coffee. He listened as she told her story of living on the street for three months, a widow with a four year old daughter. Her husband had been a police officer, killed during a drug bust.

At that time, Darcy had been clean and sober, but desperately in need of both a place to stay and a job. He let her stay with him, got her a job at the bookstore, and helped her find an apartment when she had enough money. Somewhere along the way, they had slipped into a relationship. It wasn't love, but it was comfortable and familiar, and the love Jess had for the little girl (who was now looking at him with frightened eyes) was stronger than anything he'd felt since his mother had held him as a child.

Jess unbuckled Lainey's seatbelt and his own, getting out of the car and letting her out of the passenger's side door. He held her hand as he went to the front of the diner, picked up the spare key, and unlocked the door. He led her inside and locked the door behind himself, slipping the key in his pocket. He turned on a few lights, and asked Lainey to wait downstairs while he went to talk to someone. She nodded obediently and watched him disappear behind the curtain at the back of the strange restaurant. She looked around, her bright eyes tired, and blinked.

Jess felt his stomach dropping as he approached his uncle's door. He knocked lightly at first, and got no response. He began to rap on the door loudly and heard a low grumble and heavy footsteps coming slowly closer. A light appeared under the door, and it swung open almost violently. Luke was standing in front of him in flannel pants and a t-shirt, his eyes wide. Jess smiled uneasily at him.

Over the last two years, he and Luke had remained on good terms. They'd talked on the phone about once a month. Two years earlier, when Rory slept with Dean, Luke had come to New York to tell him in person. Although he knew it would hurt Jess, he also thought it would help him move on. Jess had cried for a while, not bothering to hide his tears from Luke. They'd bonded in that week that Luke spent with him in New York.

A few months later, the owner of the bookstore Jess worked at died. He was a 31 year-old man with cancer that also served as Jess's best friend. Luke drove to New York again for the funeral and reading of the will. Everything had been left to Jess, the only one who had stuck by him throughout his disease. They talked, but Jess preferred to leave his personal life out of their conversations altogether.

Now, with Jess standing in front of him, a smile spread across Luke's face and he pulled Jess into a one-armed hug. It was awkward and tense, but comforting all the same. Luke stared at his nephew for a moment before Jess turned and walked downstairs, motioning for him to follow.

Luke followed him through the curtain, and spotted the little girl standing in the middle of the diner floor, barely taller than the tables, staring around her. She spotted them soon after they entered and ran to Jess, wrapping her arms around his leg from behind to hide herself from Luke's view. Jess took her hand and pulled her in front of him, holding her there gently, and broke the silence roughly.

"Luke, this is Lainey. Lain, this is my Uncle Luke."

Luke bent down, trying to hide the surprise in his eyes, and held out his hand for Lainey to shake. She held it gently, shyly, but shook it vigorously. A smile lit up her face, and the beauty in her small features struck him as flawless. She yawned and released Luke's hand. Jess picked her up and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I was hoping… if there's enough room…"

He trailed off.

"Yeah,"

Luke replied gruffly, nodding his head. He went upstairs and Jess followed. Jess tucked Lainey into his old bed and when he was sure she was asleep, they sat at the table and talked quietly.

"So… This is a surprise,"

Luke started. Jess merely nodded, not sure what to say.

"Lain… she's not… I mean, she's… how old is she?"

Jess knew what he was trying to ask.

"She's 5, and no, she's not mine."

Luke sighed, relieved but confused. His mind was racing, full of questions; questions that he would ask in the morning when Jess was fully rested, questions that would be answered willingly by Jess when the sun was up. But for now, they made an unspoken agreement to let it go for the night.

Jess's old sleeping bag was pulled out of the hall closet, and he found some clothes still in his room from when he'd lived there before. He'd left a lot of things in Stars Hollow, he noticed, as he glanced around his old room. There were posters, books, CD's, and a certain girl that was on his mind. He sighed, walking over to the bed. He kissed Lainey on the cheek, distracting himself from the memories of a brunette with the brightest blue eyes. Jess felt his throat closing, tears welling up.

She gave herself to Dean, he reminded himself, as he walked into the living room. He laid down in his sleeping bag on the uncomfortable floor. However, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

AN/ Wow this was difficult to write. I'm sorry it's been so long! Please review!!! Next chapter will have Rory. Maybe some LIT interaction even. And let me know if you liked the flashbacks, or if you want to know more about Darcy and Jess and their past. I love advice!!! So please give me some! I love you all!