The Orange Soda Will Get You Every Time Part 9

After getting showered and changed at Luke's, Dan ran into the diner and up to the counter to his uncle. "Hi, Uncle Luke!"

Luke smirked. "Hey, Dan."

"C'I have orange soda?" Dan asked.

Jess walked up and sat down, pulling Dan onto his lap. "And the next word out of your mouth will be..."

"Please?"

Jess smirked. "And he wins the door prize."

"There's a door prize?" Dan asked.

"Nope," Jess replied.

Dan pouted, until Luke set a bottle of orange soda down in front of him. He smiled greedily and reached for it, trying to open it. His hands were too small.

Jess was about to open it, when Kathy swooped in and took the bottle.

"I got it, honey," she said.

Dan buried himself into Jess to hide from Kathy.

Jess blinked, wrapping an arm around Dan. "I wouldn't do that..."

Kathy ignored him, and opened the bottle. Orange soda sprayed all over her, and she yelped and jumped back. She was soaked.

Jess did his best to hold back an amused smirk and Dan giggled. Luke shook his head with a smug grin.

At that moment, Rory and Lorelai walked in. They caught sight of Kathy, and Rory snickered loudly.

"Someone forgot to open the bottle slowly," Lorelai commented with a smirk.

Kathy glared. "Very funny."

"It is, isn't it?" Rory smiled. She slid onto the stool next to Jess and leaned over and kissed him gently. "Hi."

He smirked and leaned in for another kiss. "Hi."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and sat next to Rory.

Kathy rolled her eyes and put the orange soda down in front of her son. "Here, Dan."

Dan hugged Jess tighter and hid into his leather jacket.

"Whoa, hey, there," Jess said, a little surprised. "It's okay."

Kathy smiled and sat on Jess's other side. "Dan... do you remember me?"

"You're the scary lady from last night," Dan said, still hiding in his father's jacket.

Kathy frowned, crestfallen. "I'm your mommy."

"Really?" Dan asked.

Kathy nodded and smiled again. "Really."

Dan looked up at her. "Why were you unhappy with Dad?"

Jess set his jaw and stared down at the counter in front of him.

"I..." Kathy sighed. "I thought I was unhappy...but I really missed you guys..."

Dan nodded a little.

Jess sighed and lifted Dan off of his lap. He got up and set Dan on the stool. "Goin' for a walk."

Dan moved to go after him, but Rory lifted him into her lap. "Leave him alone for a while," she said. "He'll be back."

Dan frowned and hugged Rory.

Kathy glared at Rory, and got up and stormed out of the diner.

Dan sniffled and wiped his eyes, and Rory hugged him.

"Jess!"

He shook his head. "Go away, Kathy."

"Not until you listen to me."

He turned to her. "You said everything you wanted to say last night! I told you already! We're over." He turned to walk away.

"I want Dan."

He turned to her, shocked and angry. "What?!"

Kathy stood her ground. "I want my son."

Jess shook his head. "No."

"He's my kid, too, Jess!" Kathy cried. "I deserve-"

"You don't!" Jess yelled. "You don't deserve anything! You've been in goddamn Tahiti and god knows where else for three years! You never wrote, or called, you just took off! So, no. No, Kathy, you don't deserve anything!"

Kathy gave him a desperate look. "I want to know my son. I want to know you again. I want us to be a family!"

"I already told you that I can't anymore!" Jess cried. "I... I don't love you, Kathy."

"Do you love Rory?" Kathy asked. "Is that it?"

Jess stayed silent.

"I'll fight you for Dan if I have to," Kathy told him, choking up a little.

Jess looked her in the eyes. "You'll lose."

Kathy glared through unshed tears and stormed away.

Jess trudged back into the diner an hour later. "Luke?"

Luke looked up. "Jess, hey."

Jess nodded. "Where's Dan?"

"Rory took him upstairs," Luke replied. "Go on up."

Jess gave another nod and headed up to the apartment, where Rory was reading to Dan on the couch.

"'Beware the Jabberwock, my son, the-'" Rory stopped reading, seeing Jess walk in. "Hi."

Dan looked up, too. "Dad!" He got up and rushed over to hug Jess's leg.

"Hey, Dan," Jess replied. He lifted him up and walked over to the couch to sit down next to Rory. "We gotta talk."

Rory got up, leaving the book behind. "I'll leave you two-"

"No," Jess protested. "Don't... go. I mean... uhm..." He gave her a look that obviously screamed 'Help!'

She slowly sat back down. "Okay."

Jess sighed. "Dan... uh... about...Kathy..."

"She said she's my mommy," Dan told them. "Is that true?"

"Yeah," Jess nodded. "Yeah. Kathy is your mommy."

Dan frowned. "Oh."

"She wants to get to know you better," Jess told him. "I'm not... really allowed to tell her no unless you say no. So... Do you want to get to know her and spend time with her?"

"Why didn't she want to know me before?" Dan asked curiously.

Jess shrugged. "I don't know."

"Oh... I don't know if I want to know her," Dan said quietly. "She scares me."

Jess nodded. "Why don't you think on it, okay?"

Dan nodded. "Okay."

Jess sighed and set him on his feet. "Why don't you get help Uncle Luke downstairs?"

"Okay," Dan replied. He walked to the door and left.

Jess and Rory sat in silence on the couch for a long moment.

"We should talk," Jess said softly.

"That's a new one coming from you," Rory joked.

He smirked. "I'm all growd up. Aren't you proud?"

She snickered.

"Listen," Jess sighed out awkwardly. "Uhm... what are we?"

Rory blinked. "Homo sapiens, the last I checked..."

Jess sighed. "I mean... are we...It's only been two dates... you said that last night..."

She leaned in and kissed him softly. "I like this," she told him. "This... whatever we're turning into. I want to see where it goes. I want it to turn into more."

He nodded a little and leaned in for another kiss.

Kathy walked back into the diner just Jess and Rory walked down from the apartment. They both looked a little on the scruffy side, and she could guess what they'd been up to.

"Kathy!" Jess called. "Good you're here."

She gave him a wary look. After their conversation earlier that morning, she knew to be careful. "What do you want?"

Jess sighed. "Rory and I want to go on our third date."

Kathy immediately saw green. Damn Rory Gilmore. "Uh-huh..."

"If Dan's okay with it, you can look after him until we get back," Jess said. "But only if Dan's okay with it... and you have to stay here in the diner."

Kathy glared. "You don't trust me."

Jess glared back. "I don't want him to get spooked."

"Fine," Kathy bit.

"Fine," Jess replied just as sourly. "Be here at seven-thirty."

"Fine," Kathy snapped.

"Good," Jess nodded with a harsh look.

She glared at the couple, and then stormed out with a flip of her hair.

Jess rolled his eyes. "Can't believe I used to sleep with her..." he muttered. "Where's Dan?"

Luke sighed. "Storeroom. Kirk told him there was hidden treasure back there and he won't stop looking."

Jess shook his head and walked into the storeroom.

There was Dan, climbing up the shelves.

"Dan, down."

"But Kirk said-"

"Down now."

Dan sighed and climbed down. "Hi."

Jess nodded and knelt down to him. "Listen... Rory and I are going on another date tonight."

Dan smiled. "Yeah?"

Jess nodded again. "Would it be okay if your mom looked after you tonight?"

The boy pursed his lips.

"You can say no," Jess told him. "I can ask Dean and Lindsay."

Dan looked down. "What should I call my mom when she's here?"

Jess sighed and pulled him into a hug.