Hugs to Lydia!

The Orange Soda Will Get You Every Time Ch 6

It was a little after midnight by the time Jess made it to his apartment building. When he parked the car, he glanced over at Dan, who was sleeping soundly in the back seat, his jar of jam open with a spoon sticking out of it.

Jess smirked and got out. He hoisted Dan out of the back seat and then locked the car. They could do without the weekend's luggage until tomorrow. He took the elevator up to the seventh floor, and carried Dan into the apartment and to his room.

"Dad?"

"It's late," Jess said, as he pulled back the covers and set Dan down. "Go back to sleep." He pulled the blanket up over him and sat down.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Why did Mommy leave us?" Dan asked, squinting up.

Jess sighed and shrugged. "She wasn't very happy."

"With me?"

"No," Jess replied. "It wasn't you. She loved you...I think it was me."

"Why?"

"She just wasn't happy with me," Jess repeated. "But I bet she misses you."

"Really?" Dan asked.

Jess nodded and got up. "Go to sleep."

Dan nodded back and curled up. "G'night Dad. I love you."

Jess ran a hand through his son's here. "Me, too." He turned off the bedside lamp and walked out to the small living room. He plopped down on the couch and pressed the play button on the answering machine.

"Jess! Hey! It's Greggy at the paper. We need that review in by next week. Don't forget!"

Beeeeep.

"Hey, it's Luke. Dan left one of his socks here. Just letting you know. I'll keep it for the next time you're here. Hope you made it home okay."

Beeeeeep.

"Jess? Hey, Jess... Uhm... wow... this is so awkward..."

Jess leaned forward, brow furrowed.

"I'm in town and I thought... I miss Dan... and you... I want to see you... I need to see you... Just... I'll... come by... My number is..."

The message played on.

Jess sat back. "Dammit, Kathy."

"Dad! Dad, Dad, Dad!"

Jess groaned.

"Dad, wake up! You have to wake up and walk me to school and then you have to go to work and then you have to pick me up from school, and then you have to take me home and we have to have lunch and then you have to find me a babysitter, and then you have to get ready and then you have to go on your date, and then you have to marry Rory!"

Jess rolled over in bed the next morning and blinked up at his son. "What?!"

Dan smiled. "Morning!"

Jess blinked. "What time is it?"

"Six AM!"

"We don't get up for another hour," Jess moaned. "Go back to bed."

"I can't I'm too excited!" Dan cried. He got up off of Jess and started jumping on the bed.

"No," Jess ordered. He grabbed Dan by the feet, knocking him onto his butt. "We've talked about jumping on the bed."

"Get up! I want breakfast!"

"You want breakfast, please," Jess corrected. "And in an hour, I told you."

"I'm hungry!"

"Congratulations."

"Can I make breakfast?" Dan asked.

"Hell, no," Jess replied. He sat up and scratched his hair. "You're a menace to my sleep schedule."

Dan nodded. "Get up!" He threw himself at Jess, who positioned him over his shoulder and got out of bed to walk into the small kitchen.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Jess asked.

"Orange soda!"

"What do you want to eat?" Jess asked.

"Orange soda!"

"Huh. Imagine that," Jess muttered. "You want eggs?"

"No."

"You want pancakes?"

"No."

"You want orange soda?"

"Yes!"

"If I give you orange soda, will you eat cereal with it?"

"Yes!"

Jess nodded. "Progress. Thank god." He set Dan down at the kitchen table and began rummaging through the cabinets for cereal. "You want frosted flakes... cocoa puffs or trix?"

"Cocoa puffs!"

Jess sighed. "Cocoa puffs and orange soda... one wonders how it's possible you're not a Gilmore."

The phone rang, then, and Dan slid out of his chair. "I got it!" He picked up the phone from the living room. "Hello?" He smiled. "Hi, Rory!"

"Speaking of," Jess muttered. He rushed out into the living room and grabbed the phone. "Rory? It's six AM."

"I know," She replied. "I couldn't sleep."

"How'd you get my number?" Jess asked.

"You put it on the paper with your address," Rory replied.

"Dad, Dad," Dan pestered. He got up on the couch so he could be almost at eye level with his father. "Dad, ask her over for breakfast."

"She lives too far away, Dan," Jess replied. "She won't make it before you have to go to school."

Dan pouted. "I wanna see Rory."

"So do I," Jess replied. "You'll see her tonight."

Rory snickered. "You guys are a great comedy wake-up call."

"Thank you," Jess replied sarcastically. "We pride ourselves, really."

Dan hopped onto Jess's back. "Dad, Dad ask her if she likes orange soda!"

Jess rolled his eyes. "Jeez..."

"Tell Dan I like orange soda," Rory smiled.

"She says she does," Jess said over his shoulder.

"Really?!" Dan cried. "That's so cool! Dad you should marry Rory!"

Jess blinked. "That's the second time he's said that this morning."

"Were you and Kathy married?" Rory asked.

"No," Jess replied warily. "We were engaged, but she left before we were married... why?"

"Just wondering," Rory shrugged it off. "So! Tonight."

"Yeah," Jess nodded, dumping Dan on the couch. "Tonight. You're coming here?"

"I am," Rory nodded. "Is seven okay?"

"Seven is perfect," Jess said. "I need a sitter for Dan, though."

"I hope you don't mind," Rory told him. "I asked Lane and Dave..."

Jess nodded. "They're coming here?"

"Yeah," Rory said. "That's okay?"

"That's fine. Saves me the trouble." He turned to Dan. "You get new sitters tonight."

"Do they like ninjas?" Dan asked.

"I don't know," Jess shrugged. "He wants to know if Dave and Lane like ninjas?"

"Dave does," Rory replied. "I don't know about Lane."

"One out of two like ninjas," Jess told Dan.

Dan considered this. "Good enough."

Jess straightened his shirt and sighed. "How do I look?"

Dan wrinkled his nose. "You look weird."

Jess glanced back in the mirror in his bedroom. "It's the tie, isn't it?"

Dan nodded. "It sucks."

"Hey!" Jess snapped. "What have we said?"

Dan looked down guiltily. "Don't say sucks till I'm eight."

"That's right," Jess nodded. He undid his tie and pulled it off. "Better?"

Dan nodded. "Better."

The doorbell rang.

"Rory's here!" Dan cried. He got up off of Jess's bed and ran to the front door. "Who is it?!" he called.

"It's Rory."

He swung open the door. "Hi!"

"Hey, Dan," Rory smiled. Behind her, Lane and Dave were chattering away.

"It was in F."

"What do you know?" Dave teased. "You're a drummer."

"Guys," Rory interrupted. "This is Dan."

Lane smiled. "Hi, Dan. I'm Lane."

"I'm Dave," he glanced at Lane. "And it was in F."

"Bite me."

"Time, place and hardness," Dave replied quickly.

"Guys, five-year-old," Rory reminded. "Can we come in?"

Dan nodded and stepped aside, letting them in.

Jess stood waiting in the living room, pulling on his leather jacket. "Hey," he nodded to them.

Rory smiled and walked to him, giving him a quick kiss. "Hi."

"Don't I get one?" Dave complained.

Lane smirked. "Later."

Dave grinned.

Jess sighed. "Okay. Dan's in bed by eight. He's had dinner. Make sure he brushes his teeth, and if he asks for orange soda... just... give it to him."

Lane nodded. "Got it."

Jess picked Dan up. "Be good."

Dan nodded.

"You promise?"

Dan gave another nod.

Jess held out his pinky. "Swear."

They locked pinkies.

Jess sighed and put Dan down. "Okay. We're outta here."

Once Dan had warmed up to them a little, Lane and Dave turned out to be very fun babysitters.

Mostly because they'd forgotten about bedtime.

"This is Spinal Tap?"

Dan sipped his soda. "Seen it."

"Sid and Nancy?" Dave asked.

"Seen it," Dan replied.

Dave sighed and held up another movie. "Almost Famous?"

"That's Dad's favorite," Dan informed him.

Dave held up yet another movie. "Yellow Submarine."

Dan shook his head. "I haven't seen that one."

"Ding, ding, ding!" Dave cried. "We have a winner!"

Lane smiled and lifted Dan into her lap. "Let's get watching."

Dan smiled.

"That was an awful movie."

Rory smiled. "Yeah, but that Matt guy was kinda cute... who played him?"

Jess shrugged. "Don't know, don't care... he was a tool."

"Was not. He was adorable," Rory argued. "With his crooked smile and his cute hair."

Jess rolled his eyes.

"You're jealous," Rory said.

"Am not."

"Are so."

"You've been hanging around Dan too much," Jess told her.

Rory snickered as they stopped in front of Jess's apartment door.

"Last few minutes before my coach turns into a pumpkin and I become merely a dad once more," Jess smirked.

Rory smiled. "I better make the most of it, then."

Jess nodded, wrapping his arms around her.

Their lips touched just as a voice echoed through the hallway.

"Jess?"

He turned from Rory, an icy look taking the place of the warm one that had been there mere moments before. "Kathy."

She was of medium height with short, dirty blond hair. She wore casual jeans and a t-shirt.

Rory's eyes widened a little. "Kathy?"

"I left a message..." Kathy began.

"I got it," Jess nodded. "I was hoping you'd take the hint and stay away when I didn't return it."

Kathy looked down. "I wanted to see you."

Jess held his stare. "You've seen. Leave."

"I want to see Dan," Kathy told him.

"No," Jess replied.

"I deserve to see him," Kathy argued.

"Bullshit," Jess snapped.

The apartment door opened and Dan rushed out. "Dad!"

Jess gave him a glance. "Go inside."

Dan looked around. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Jess replied, still looking slightly upset. "Go to your room. It's late."

Kathy smiled at Dan. "Hi, Baby."

Dan inched behind Jess and clung to his leg.

"It's okay, Dan," Kathy went on. "It's Mommy."

Jess glared. "Kathy, leave."

"He's my son, too, Jess!"

Jess fumed. "You're scaring the kid!"

Rory stood back and bumped a little with Lane as she came out into the hall with Dave.

"You guys?" Dave asked.

"What?" Jess asked, turning to them.

"Where's Dan?" Lane asked.

"He's right-"Jess looked down.

No Dan.

"Oh, crap."