The Twists and Turns of Life

A/N: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed. It means so much to me that there are still people reading what I write.

~On a side note, I've decided that Jess is NOT Luke's nephew, nor does he have such, for the lack of a better word, carefree parents. So Liz and Jimmy don't exist, and I suppose that Luke doesn't exist either. I just want to focus on Rory, Jess, and Tristan.~

Disclaimer: I only own this fic and Maggie.

Chapter 11: Because We Do

"Jess?"

"Yes?" Jess' eyes remained on the book that was laying open on his lap, knowing that if he looked up, he would only see puppy eyes.

"I have a favor to ask."

He sighed, looking up at her. "Yes, Lori?"

She smiled at the name he had come to call her by in the past few days. "Well, I talked to Maggie and she said that she was fine with me staying, so, I was hoping that you would come to Hartford with me so that I could get some things."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

She shrugged then flopped down next to him on the sofa. "Company."

"Or…" he turned so that he was facing her completely, "you just don't want to tell them by yourself."

She rolled her eyes. "I can tell them by myself, but it still doesn't diminish the fact that I want you there with me," she softly revealed.

His eyes softened and he pulled her into a hug. "Of course, I'll come."

She smiled up at him and gave him a light kiss on the lips, not really noticing that she did. "We'll be leaving in a couple hours so meet me at Maggie's when you're ready!" she called over her shoulder as she walked out of his room.

Jess licked his lips slowly, still able to taste the lip gloss she had on.

* * *

They were here. The drive had tired her out, but that was not what was worrying her. The thought of coming back home only to leave again terrified her in a way, but she knew that she had to do it. If only she could find a way to tell her parents.

* * *

Lorelai's face broke out into a smile when she saw her daughter standing in front of the door. She quickly enveloped Rory in a hug.

"Hey, mom." She paused, enjoying feeling her mom in her arms again. "This is Jess," she motioned over to him, "Jess, this is my mom, Lorelai."

Lorelai smiled kindly at him as they shook hands. "Well, come in." Both teens were ushered into the house and the door was closed.

* * *

Rory looked around her room, taking in the contents of her room. Nothing changed everything was the way she had left it.

"So…that's Jess?"

Rory looked up from her suitcase to see her mom standing in the doorway. "Yep, that's him."

"He's seems nice."

Rory scrunched her eyebrows, not really seeing where she was going with this. "He is."

"He's downstairs talking to your dad, you know?" Lorelai moved into the room, sitting herself on the bed.

Rory shrugged. "I don't think that he minds."

There was a break, almost an awkward silence. "What are you doing?"

Rory stopped what she was doing…packing. She had intended to talk to both her parents at the same time, later. "Packing some clothes."

"Why?" Lorelai grew confused at Rory's sudden uneasiness.

Rory paused. "Because I'm not coming back."

"What?" Lorelai stood up and started to look around the room, as if looking for the hidden cameras.

"I have a life there," she explained, ignoring the question.

"You have a life here, too," Lorelai reasoned, not noticing the tears that had started to trail down her cheeks.

She sighed deeply. "Not one that I love." She paused, hating that she caused her mother to cry. "It hurts being here, and as much as I love you and dad, it doesn't get rid of the fact that I love it in Massachusetts. I'm better there than I am here."

There was a deafening silence. Rory started fidgeting with her fingers, not sure of what to say. Lorelai wiped away some tears than hurried out of the room. Rory ran after her. "Mom!"

She ran after her downstairs. "I refuse to let you go!" Lorelai ran past Chris and Jess over to the front door to lock it.

"You can't just lock me in, mom," she sighed, not having enough energy for her mother's childish ways.

"No, but I can try." She stood in front of the door, ready to push anyone back who dared try to get past her.

"What's going on?" Chris watched the exchange with confusion; Jess sat back on the couch silently, already aware of what Lorelai and Rory were talking about.

"Your daughter just told me that she's not staying."

"What?" Chris stared at his daughter in disbelief, hoping that Lorelai was in some sort of delirium. Rory looked away, which only confirmed what Lorelai had said. "You're leaving?"

Rory looked over at Jess, for help, for anything. As Jess was about to say something, Lorelai looked angrily over at him. "You! You're taking her away!"

Jess stood up, suddenly feeling the need to flee the room. "No!" Rory walked over to where he was and stood in front of him, as if trying to shield him, protect him from the accusations. "I'm leaving because I made the choice, not him."

Lorelai ignored her. "You just had to take our daughter away, didn't you?" She moved from her place by the door and started to run towards him. "I should hit-" Chris grabbed her and held her back as best he could.

Rory reached behind her and grabbed Jess' hand. "We're going to go say goodbye to my friends." She pulled him towards the door, despite Lorelai's yells of protest. "I'll come back later for my stuff." She shut the door behind them and fell into Jess' arms, trying her best not to cry.

"Come on." He gently ushered her over to the car and placed her in the passenger's seat and drove into town where they were supposed to meet the people she wanted to say goodbye to.

* * *

"We don't have to."

Rory stared up at him with appreciation in her eyes. "I know, but I want to." He smiled back at her and allowed her to lead him in the direction she wanted to go.

"Lori…" Rory looked back at him when she heard his voice.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"This is a coffee shop."

She smirked. "I know."

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were going to meet your friends."

"We are…this is just a pit stop."

"Lori…" he playfully warned.

"Jess…" she mimicked. "Come on, I need coffee," she whined.

He rolled his eyes at her addiction. "Fine…I'll be back in a minute."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked over to the bookshelves that were near the back. She ran her fingers lightly over the spines of the books, looking for one that would interest her. She smiled when she saw one and picked it up, flipping through the pages. She looked up briefly, her smile disappearing when she saw him. Tristan. It was like he knew she was there, too, because he looked up, catching her stare.

She was openly staring at him, they both knew it; she couldn't help but to. They held gazes for a while until someone had tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped, startled, and turned to see a very amused Jess. "Wow, didn't know that you would be that excited to see me."

She brought her hand up to her forehead, rubbing it slightly, while closing her eyes for a couple seconds. "Hey," she said, still able to feel Tristan's gaze on her.

"Are you alright?" he asked while handing over her coffee.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She grabbed the cup.

He looked past her shoulder and noticed the blonde staring intently at them. "Why do I get the feeling that you two know each other?"

She sighed, placed the book back in its rightful place, and walked out the door with Jess right behind her. "Because we do."

Next chapter should be out in a couple of days, but it might be wise to remember how lazy I am. It'll be out eventually though, I promise you that. And I will write in Lorelai and Chris in the next chapter or two, so Rory won't be leaving while in a fight with her parents. Please review, thanks!