WHAT IT IS: A sequel, to my other Trory, What Happens When. Now, I had no
intentions at all to do a sequel. However, you're getting one, because of
all the Jess/Dean/Rory angst currently on the show—it's stressing me out.
So, since I had decided that fluff was probably all I'd get out of a sequel
and fluff is what I need right now (it's either fluff or unbearable angst
coming out of me right now)—here's a sequel.
WHAT I OWN: Nada.
RATING: PG-13, just to be safe. It is fluff after all.
"What do you want, Jess?" came her biting response.
"I wanted to talk, to explain," he said simply.
"Funny. I distinctly remember giving you ample time to try to do that. You didn't want to. Explain why I should give you the chance now."
"I'm sorry. I just, I'm an idiot. I shouldn't even be doing this on the phone. Can I see you tomorrow?"
There was an extended silence. If he hadn't not heard a dial tone, he'd thought she had hung up on him. At long last, she finally did speak again. Honestly, he wouldn't have blamed her for hanging up.
"I don't know, Jess."
"Look, if you tell me to go away and never call you again, I wouldn't blame you. But I'm asking you to at least give me a chance to explain what has been going on."
"Fine. Will you be at work tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"No more avoidance, I promise." His voice sounded truthful and she let out another sigh. Against her better judgment, she agreed to meet with him.
"Fine, you can take me out to lunch. Somewhere expensive. The second I decide to leave, I do. That's the best offer I'm willing to make you."
He smiled. She was trying to be tough and let him know she meant business. While he understood her level of being pissed at him, he also liked how she was sticking up for herself.
"Sounds more than fair. Happy New Year."
"Yeah. You too."
With that, a dial tone met his ear. He sighed and made his way out to join the remnants of the party. A lot of people were taking off, and Luke had wandered into the kitchen to avoid the guests saying goodbye to Lorelai. He never was one for what he deemed unnecessary mushiness. He looked up in surprise to see Jess coming out of Will's room.
"Hey."
"Hey. I think I'm going to take off."
Luke nodded. "You going home tomorrow?"
"Yeah, early. There's some stuff I have to take care of that can't really wait."
Luke smiled at his nephew, and nodded. "Be careful. Give us a call when you get a chance."
"As always," Jess promised, heading out of the house.
Sookie and Jackson were in the back, talking with Lorelai when Luke came back out. Each had a sleeping child in their arms, ready to get them home.
"Looks like everyone had fun, huh?"
"Yeah. They were all sacked out in front of a video when we went upstairs. Will's still out on your bed."
"I'll bring all the trays and stuff back to the Inn tomorrow," Lorelai promised, kissing Sookie on the cheek and then patting Jackson on the back. She turned to see Luke standing there, smiling at her.
"Oh, admit it. You had fun."
"Never."
"Liar."
"Maybe a little. Mostly due to you," he admitted, kissing her lightly on the lips.
"Guess one of us should move Will to his room."
"I'll do it. You finish kicking everyone out."
"Geez, you're mean sometimes."
"Say goodnight to Rory and Tristan for me. Oh, and Jess left. He said thank you for getting his ass up here."
"Those were his exact words?"
"You get the gist. He was in Will's room, I think he called the girl in New York. What was her name?"
"Erin. Was he apologetic?"
"I didn't press my ear to the door. I just heard his voice, and he came out looking sort of relieved."
"I'd like to think I had something to do with that."
"With what?" Rory asked, coming up beside her mother.
"Your being so pretty," Lorelai answered, putting her arm around her daughter.
"Alright. Well, we're off to the Inn."
"Do you have to go home tomorrow?"
"Yes. There are these things called jobs. They give us money, it's how we eat."
"When's moving day?"
"January 10."
"You're seriously moving in the middle of January in New York?" Luke asked in disbelief.
"And you're helping," Rory smiled sweetly.
"It's a trap, man, don't look directly at either of them," Tristan whispered to Luke loudly.
Rory smacked Tristan's arm, and turned him towards the driveway. They headed off in the direction of the Inn for one last night at the Dragonfly.
"Well, the insanity is over," Luke breathed, turning to go inside to relocate his son.
"For a little while, anyway," Lorelai said softly, to no one in particular.
The next day, Jess had a meeting first thing in the morning. He spent all morning with his supervisor going over his progress of his current project, and had all afternoon blocked out with the writer he was working with. He was dreading lunch, not because he didn't want to see Erin, but because he knew there was going to be a lot of groveling. His life hadn't included a lot of him apologizing, to, well, anyone. He never asked, he just did. Even with Rory, the one girl that had gotten in, he was out for himself, against his better judgment. He just hoped he'd learned his lesson. And that he could take Rory's advice.
When lunch rolled around, he came up behind Erin's desk. She was the only girl in the place that didn't have flowers and pictures of cats all over their workspace. He really hated that sort of knick-knack crap. She had a few simple photos of what he knew to be her close friends. Her long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and she was as always in very professional looking clothes. He cleared his throat, but she still didn't move from her position, typing at her computer.
"Erin?"
She turned at the sound of his voice, partially unable not to respond to him, but partially scolding herself for not being angrier at the moment. The least she could do for herself was to not smile at him. She kept her face very calm, and looked into his eyes.
"Jess," she replied coolly.
"I'm ready whenever you're free."
"Fine. Just let me grab my coat."
They made their way down to the city streets, and he hailed a cab. She'd figured he wouldn't do as she asked, that he'd probably just take her to the same deli they normally grabbed lunch at. But he was evidently a little more determined than she'd gathered. He opened the door for her, allowing her to slide into the cab, and followed close behind her though careful to give her enough room. He gave the cabbie an address and settled back against the seat.
"Thanks for agreeing to speak with me," he reiterated as he turned to look at her.
"I always give second chances. But only second," she warned. He smiled at her, and nodded. She bit her lip in order not to smile at him, too. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant, and he again opened the door, holding it for her when they arrived. She let out a little smile as she walked past him, into a very nice restaurant.
"Jess, I only get an hour for lunch," she reminded.
"That won't be a problem, I promise," he assured her.
She furrowed her brow, and continued to follow him to the hostess station.
"Mariano, for two?"
"Ah, yes, right this way."
They were led to a table, which already had food out on it. She glanced sidelong at him, and he nodded, so they both sat down. Once the hostess was out of sight, she hissed across the table at him.
"Has someone already finished what they wanted of this?"
"I called ahead. I told them I'd have the most expensive thing on the menu and the most expensive champagne they had. For one, of course."
"What are you having?"
"Salad and water. I'm not well off," he smiled.
"Jess,"
"No, look. I was an idiot. We were dating, and it was going well. When you mentioned spending time with me over the holidays, it just, I--," he hesitated. This part was always the worst. He looked at her, hoping she'd help as Rory had. But he wasn't lucky enough for her to make this easy on him.
"I freaked a little."
"Why? I just asked, I wasn't going to force anything on you. I thought things with us were going well."
"I know."
"Then I don't understand. Do you not like me?"
"I do like you. A lot, in fact."
"Wow, you have great ways of showing that."
"I'm telling you, I freaked."
"Why?"
"Because I like you."
"Jess, you're talking in circles. Make something make sense, or I'll leave."
She stared at him, not wanting him to give her a reason to leave. She had really liked this guy, despite what her head was telling her she still did. They could have something. But not like this. She wasn't putting up with an emotionally shut off person.
"I've never had a serious girlfriend. Well, not one that I was able to keep. I've always ended things before they got serious, and I actually wanted to spend time with you over the holidays. I wanted you to meet my uncle and his family. I didn't mind coming home with you and meeting your family. To me, that indicates serious. And I'm afraid, because ... well, I'm afraid I might not be good at serious."
She looked at him, a little in shock. "Oh."
He searched her eyes, for more than her verbal reaction. He'd told her the truth, more truth than he'd ever uttered in his life to anyone, save his dad when he first got to California. Desperation seemed to work for him to get out his feelings.
"Jess, you're the most responsible person I know. You bust your ass at work and school, you take your cousin all the time, why are you afraid of romantic relationships?"
"Let's just say that the responsible thing is new to me. And I haven't had the best role models in the relationship department."
Erin nodded. He never did talk about his past. The only family she'd met was his cousin, and that was briefly. He was never available the days when he had Will.
"I am trying to get over that, though. I'd like to give it a try with you."
"I don't want to be some trial girl for the real thing."
"That's not what I want either," he smiled.
"I still hate you a little," she impressed upon him, through her cracking resolve, smiling at him.
"I know."
"I called you over and over—I felt so stupid, but I couldn't imagine why you were doing this."
"You shouldn't feel stupid, I was amazed you were still willing to talk to me. I just wasn't ready."
"What made you ready?"
"I had a chat with my conscience."
"I'd like to thank your conscience."
"You will. Her name is Rory," he explained, sitting back and starting to eat his salad.
Meanwhile not too far away in Manhattan, Tristan was going over case files when his cell phone rang. He noticed his wife's number and picked it up.
"Hey, miss me already?"
"I feel like crap. Actually, I feel like the stuff they find growing underneath crap."
"Wow, that's lovely. Are you okay?"
"I was at work, I was feeling tired and run down, and then all of a sudden I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. I was calling to see if you were okay. I think the clam dip at the party was off."
"Nope I'm fine. Where are you now?"
"I came home. My boss said I looked green and he can't stand to see people throw up, so I should go home."
"Nice. He'd do well here," Tristan laughed.
"I seriously don't understand how you look at dead bodies."
"Rory, they're dead. They aren't going to do anything to you."
"I'm feeling more nauseous."
"Go lie down. I'll make you some chicken soup for dinner. You'll feel better tomorrow."
"Yeah. I hope so. Love you."
"Love you too."
Tristan hung up, feeling bad that Rory had to leave work on her first day back. He knew she loved her job, and was one of those people that actually miss working when they're on vacation. Not that he didn't love his job, but vacations were always good. Shaking his head, he was snapped back to attention when his boss came in to talk to him.
WHAT I OWN: Nada.
RATING: PG-13, just to be safe. It is fluff after all.
"What do you want, Jess?" came her biting response.
"I wanted to talk, to explain," he said simply.
"Funny. I distinctly remember giving you ample time to try to do that. You didn't want to. Explain why I should give you the chance now."
"I'm sorry. I just, I'm an idiot. I shouldn't even be doing this on the phone. Can I see you tomorrow?"
There was an extended silence. If he hadn't not heard a dial tone, he'd thought she had hung up on him. At long last, she finally did speak again. Honestly, he wouldn't have blamed her for hanging up.
"I don't know, Jess."
"Look, if you tell me to go away and never call you again, I wouldn't blame you. But I'm asking you to at least give me a chance to explain what has been going on."
"Fine. Will you be at work tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"No more avoidance, I promise." His voice sounded truthful and she let out another sigh. Against her better judgment, she agreed to meet with him.
"Fine, you can take me out to lunch. Somewhere expensive. The second I decide to leave, I do. That's the best offer I'm willing to make you."
He smiled. She was trying to be tough and let him know she meant business. While he understood her level of being pissed at him, he also liked how she was sticking up for herself.
"Sounds more than fair. Happy New Year."
"Yeah. You too."
With that, a dial tone met his ear. He sighed and made his way out to join the remnants of the party. A lot of people were taking off, and Luke had wandered into the kitchen to avoid the guests saying goodbye to Lorelai. He never was one for what he deemed unnecessary mushiness. He looked up in surprise to see Jess coming out of Will's room.
"Hey."
"Hey. I think I'm going to take off."
Luke nodded. "You going home tomorrow?"
"Yeah, early. There's some stuff I have to take care of that can't really wait."
Luke smiled at his nephew, and nodded. "Be careful. Give us a call when you get a chance."
"As always," Jess promised, heading out of the house.
Sookie and Jackson were in the back, talking with Lorelai when Luke came back out. Each had a sleeping child in their arms, ready to get them home.
"Looks like everyone had fun, huh?"
"Yeah. They were all sacked out in front of a video when we went upstairs. Will's still out on your bed."
"I'll bring all the trays and stuff back to the Inn tomorrow," Lorelai promised, kissing Sookie on the cheek and then patting Jackson on the back. She turned to see Luke standing there, smiling at her.
"Oh, admit it. You had fun."
"Never."
"Liar."
"Maybe a little. Mostly due to you," he admitted, kissing her lightly on the lips.
"Guess one of us should move Will to his room."
"I'll do it. You finish kicking everyone out."
"Geez, you're mean sometimes."
"Say goodnight to Rory and Tristan for me. Oh, and Jess left. He said thank you for getting his ass up here."
"Those were his exact words?"
"You get the gist. He was in Will's room, I think he called the girl in New York. What was her name?"
"Erin. Was he apologetic?"
"I didn't press my ear to the door. I just heard his voice, and he came out looking sort of relieved."
"I'd like to think I had something to do with that."
"With what?" Rory asked, coming up beside her mother.
"Your being so pretty," Lorelai answered, putting her arm around her daughter.
"Alright. Well, we're off to the Inn."
"Do you have to go home tomorrow?"
"Yes. There are these things called jobs. They give us money, it's how we eat."
"When's moving day?"
"January 10."
"You're seriously moving in the middle of January in New York?" Luke asked in disbelief.
"And you're helping," Rory smiled sweetly.
"It's a trap, man, don't look directly at either of them," Tristan whispered to Luke loudly.
Rory smacked Tristan's arm, and turned him towards the driveway. They headed off in the direction of the Inn for one last night at the Dragonfly.
"Well, the insanity is over," Luke breathed, turning to go inside to relocate his son.
"For a little while, anyway," Lorelai said softly, to no one in particular.
The next day, Jess had a meeting first thing in the morning. He spent all morning with his supervisor going over his progress of his current project, and had all afternoon blocked out with the writer he was working with. He was dreading lunch, not because he didn't want to see Erin, but because he knew there was going to be a lot of groveling. His life hadn't included a lot of him apologizing, to, well, anyone. He never asked, he just did. Even with Rory, the one girl that had gotten in, he was out for himself, against his better judgment. He just hoped he'd learned his lesson. And that he could take Rory's advice.
When lunch rolled around, he came up behind Erin's desk. She was the only girl in the place that didn't have flowers and pictures of cats all over their workspace. He really hated that sort of knick-knack crap. She had a few simple photos of what he knew to be her close friends. Her long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and she was as always in very professional looking clothes. He cleared his throat, but she still didn't move from her position, typing at her computer.
"Erin?"
She turned at the sound of his voice, partially unable not to respond to him, but partially scolding herself for not being angrier at the moment. The least she could do for herself was to not smile at him. She kept her face very calm, and looked into his eyes.
"Jess," she replied coolly.
"I'm ready whenever you're free."
"Fine. Just let me grab my coat."
They made their way down to the city streets, and he hailed a cab. She'd figured he wouldn't do as she asked, that he'd probably just take her to the same deli they normally grabbed lunch at. But he was evidently a little more determined than she'd gathered. He opened the door for her, allowing her to slide into the cab, and followed close behind her though careful to give her enough room. He gave the cabbie an address and settled back against the seat.
"Thanks for agreeing to speak with me," he reiterated as he turned to look at her.
"I always give second chances. But only second," she warned. He smiled at her, and nodded. She bit her lip in order not to smile at him, too. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant, and he again opened the door, holding it for her when they arrived. She let out a little smile as she walked past him, into a very nice restaurant.
"Jess, I only get an hour for lunch," she reminded.
"That won't be a problem, I promise," he assured her.
She furrowed her brow, and continued to follow him to the hostess station.
"Mariano, for two?"
"Ah, yes, right this way."
They were led to a table, which already had food out on it. She glanced sidelong at him, and he nodded, so they both sat down. Once the hostess was out of sight, she hissed across the table at him.
"Has someone already finished what they wanted of this?"
"I called ahead. I told them I'd have the most expensive thing on the menu and the most expensive champagne they had. For one, of course."
"What are you having?"
"Salad and water. I'm not well off," he smiled.
"Jess,"
"No, look. I was an idiot. We were dating, and it was going well. When you mentioned spending time with me over the holidays, it just, I--," he hesitated. This part was always the worst. He looked at her, hoping she'd help as Rory had. But he wasn't lucky enough for her to make this easy on him.
"I freaked a little."
"Why? I just asked, I wasn't going to force anything on you. I thought things with us were going well."
"I know."
"Then I don't understand. Do you not like me?"
"I do like you. A lot, in fact."
"Wow, you have great ways of showing that."
"I'm telling you, I freaked."
"Why?"
"Because I like you."
"Jess, you're talking in circles. Make something make sense, or I'll leave."
She stared at him, not wanting him to give her a reason to leave. She had really liked this guy, despite what her head was telling her she still did. They could have something. But not like this. She wasn't putting up with an emotionally shut off person.
"I've never had a serious girlfriend. Well, not one that I was able to keep. I've always ended things before they got serious, and I actually wanted to spend time with you over the holidays. I wanted you to meet my uncle and his family. I didn't mind coming home with you and meeting your family. To me, that indicates serious. And I'm afraid, because ... well, I'm afraid I might not be good at serious."
She looked at him, a little in shock. "Oh."
He searched her eyes, for more than her verbal reaction. He'd told her the truth, more truth than he'd ever uttered in his life to anyone, save his dad when he first got to California. Desperation seemed to work for him to get out his feelings.
"Jess, you're the most responsible person I know. You bust your ass at work and school, you take your cousin all the time, why are you afraid of romantic relationships?"
"Let's just say that the responsible thing is new to me. And I haven't had the best role models in the relationship department."
Erin nodded. He never did talk about his past. The only family she'd met was his cousin, and that was briefly. He was never available the days when he had Will.
"I am trying to get over that, though. I'd like to give it a try with you."
"I don't want to be some trial girl for the real thing."
"That's not what I want either," he smiled.
"I still hate you a little," she impressed upon him, through her cracking resolve, smiling at him.
"I know."
"I called you over and over—I felt so stupid, but I couldn't imagine why you were doing this."
"You shouldn't feel stupid, I was amazed you were still willing to talk to me. I just wasn't ready."
"What made you ready?"
"I had a chat with my conscience."
"I'd like to thank your conscience."
"You will. Her name is Rory," he explained, sitting back and starting to eat his salad.
Meanwhile not too far away in Manhattan, Tristan was going over case files when his cell phone rang. He noticed his wife's number and picked it up.
"Hey, miss me already?"
"I feel like crap. Actually, I feel like the stuff they find growing underneath crap."
"Wow, that's lovely. Are you okay?"
"I was at work, I was feeling tired and run down, and then all of a sudden I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. I was calling to see if you were okay. I think the clam dip at the party was off."
"Nope I'm fine. Where are you now?"
"I came home. My boss said I looked green and he can't stand to see people throw up, so I should go home."
"Nice. He'd do well here," Tristan laughed.
"I seriously don't understand how you look at dead bodies."
"Rory, they're dead. They aren't going to do anything to you."
"I'm feeling more nauseous."
"Go lie down. I'll make you some chicken soup for dinner. You'll feel better tomorrow."
"Yeah. I hope so. Love you."
"Love you too."
Tristan hung up, feeling bad that Rory had to leave work on her first day back. He knew she loved her job, and was one of those people that actually miss working when they're on vacation. Not that he didn't love his job, but vacations were always good. Shaking his head, he was snapped back to attention when his boss came in to talk to him.