Defending Bjork
Chapter 3: Call Me Sydney
A/N: Hi All! Sorry for the extremely long delay in updating this fic. I got distracted over the holidays by my collaboration fic with CircleSky, and then I needed some serious recovery time from that whole hectic, whirlwind adventure. But I'm back with a new chapter of "Defending Bjork"! I also revised the first two chapters, and some changes were actually made, so feel free to reread and refresh your memory. I'm thinking of turning this fic into a longer story where I continue with another way things could have gone after "The Bracebridge Dinner." I need to know you guys want me to continue though, so please take a second or two and send me a review. Detailed reviews are loved immensely. *hint hint* Above all else, enjoy the story! That's what it's here for. ~Becka
Grinning to himself, Jess ran the toe of his black boot across the snowy ground, covering up the last of the incriminating shoeprints. In the future, when he and Rory decided to break Stars Hollow law, he'd have to make sure they stayed in one, relatively stationary place. They'd left a ridiculous number of tracks in their wake; it'd taken him a good ten to fifteen minutes to cover them up, and he was a professional. He slowly scanned the area for any last evidence. Finally satisfied, he headed back towards the Inn, walking backwards at first, so he could cover up the final footprints he was leaving.
As he strolled back through town, he suddenly found himself with the absurd urge to whistle. Shaking his head despairingly, he really had to wonder what this town was doing to him. If he didn't get out of here and back to civilization soon… A vision of him and Luke in matching, red-and-white, striped jogging suits flashed through his mind, and he grimaced. Before any more disturbing images of his potential future could manifest themselves, he distracted himself with ruminations on what book he should read next. Still undecided, he reached the Inn and opened the door. He still couldn't believe that no one in this town locked their doors. Granted, Stars Hollow wasn't New York City, but a little caution couldn't hurt anything. Then again, the town did have a nice little life-in-a-bubble thing going for it, and they weren't exactly ones to part with tradition.
A huge gust of chilly wind followed him in as he walked into the lobby, shutting the door quickly behind him. He hadn't realized how cold he was until he entered warmth. His fingers were practically frozen straight, his cheeks and ears were burning, and he felt like he wasn't bending his legs when he walked. He stopped for a moment and held his hands to his ears, thawing them instantly. Looks like he'd live.
He started to walk towards the staircase that led upstairs when he heard something. He paused, reflecting back on his earlier thoughts of small-town serial killers and cursing the residents of this godforsaken town for not locking their doors. As he listened, he heard a soft clang coming from the kitchen. He briefly considered ignoring it and letting the town get its own rude awakening, but his curiosity got the better of him. He followed the noise, removing his gloves along the way and shoving them into his coat pockets. As he approached the kitchen, the aroma of warming chocolate greeted him. Apparently, small-town serial killers like to bake?
He peeked into the kitchen and immediately smiled. Standing beside the stove, stirring a pot with a small, long-handled, wooden spoon was none other than Rory Gilmore. She was guiding the spoon in circles absent-mindedly and staring off into space, obviously deep in thought about something. He watched her for a moment, noticing that her cheeks were still slightly red from the cold. Her hair, which was usually perfectly combed, was slightly disheveled and tangled from the wind outside. She'd put her coat down on a stool beside the counter, stacking all of her winter accessories on top. One of her mittens had fallen to the floor.
"Shouldn't you be in bed, young lady?" his voice bellowed through the silence
He saw her body jerk in surprise, and she immediately whipped her head towards the door to see who'd caught her. As he saw her blue eyes filled with worry, he regretted that he hadn't made his presence known in a slightly more subtle way.
"Jess! You nearly scared me to death!"
"I can see that," he said as he approached her. "Sorry."
"It's okay. I should have been paying more attention. I guess I'm not very good at this whole 'sneaking around in the middle of the night' thing."
"You're doing all right for a novice. Pressing your luck though, aren't you?"
"I live on the edge," she retorted, throwing his earlier words back at him.
He smiled and moved to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Making hot chocolate."
"It's almost four in the morning."
"Which is why this isn't coffee."
"Point taken," Jess conceded, now standing beside her, leaning back against the counter. "But that still doesn't explain why you're making hot chocolate at four in the morning."
"I was cold."
"And?"
"My mom might be a little suspicious if the bed started vibrating."
"Ah."
"Yeah, I don't really want to explain to my groggy mother why I'm shivering like I just participated in an Arctic Expedition."
"Well, you could always just go with that angle."
Rory smiled and turned back to her stirring.
"So what is this? Swiss Miss?"
"Sookie's homemade specialty."
"Ah."
"Sometimes the bus from Chilton is freezing in the winter, so she keeps it around for me to have when I come here after school."
"The joys of public transportation."
"Exactly."
"So, do I get any?"
"Well…" Rory hedged, her eyes twinkling.
"C'mon, who just saved you from Taylor Doose, self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner?"
"You just wanted to commit the perfect crime. It had nothing to do with me."
"It didn't?"
"Nope."
"See if I ever aid and abet you again."
Rory grinned and switched off the heat on the stove. Then, she turned fully to face Jess. "Okay, you can have some— " Jess started to interject, but Rory stopped him. "On one condition…"
Jess smirked. "Which is?"
"Marshmallows. Find them."
"Oh, I'm Sherlock Holmes now?" he teased.
"I guess we'll see."
"Okay, fine," Jess answered, immediately moving around the kitchen and opening cupboard doors.
Taking occasional glances at his search out of the corner of her eye, Rory lifted the pan from the stove and began pouring the steaming liquid into the two mugs she'd put on the counter earlier.
"A-ha!" Jess said proudly. "White or colored?"
"Umm… well…"
"C'mon, Gilmore, this isn't life-or-death."
"That's what you think." She thought for a moment and then decided, "White. The pastels are too wild and crazy for someone who's trying to wind down."
Jess grabbed the bag of marshmallows and walked towards her. "You worry me sometimes."
"I didn't know you cared," she retorted.
"I'm not worried about you. It's obvious you're crazy. I'm worried about my safety when I'm around you. Here," he said, pouring a handful of marshmallows into her mug.
"That's all you've got?"
"More?"
"Yes please," she said sweetly.
Jess poured about 10 more marshmallows into her hot chocolate.
"More," she urged, waving her hand expectantly.
"Seriously?"
"Does this look like the face of a kidder?" she asked, pointing at her dead-serious expression.
"You act like your mother when you're sleep-deprived. There, is that enough?"
Rory looked into her mug, which was now chock-full of miniature marshmallows. Glancing up at him, she smiled. "For now."
Shaking his head, he poured a few marshmallows into his mug. "Hey, you already had two mugs out!"
"So you are Sherlock Holmes."
"You planned to give me some all along."
Rory shrugged noncommittally and sat on an empty stool, sipping her hot chocolate.
Jess took off his coat and sat beside her. "So, we're gonna be the walking dead tomorrow."
"Don't worry. After last night, no one is gonna be getting up before noon. We'll still get a good eight hours."
"You maybe. I'm in a room with Luke. The man puts early birds to shame."
"I bet he'll let you sleep."
"Yeah, maybe."
They sat in comfortable silence, both drinking their hot chocolate. After a while, Rory looked at him. "Do you think anyone will figure out that we wrecked Frosty?"
"Nah."
"You're sure?"
Jess glanced up at her. "You'll be free and clear, I promise."
"Are you suggesting you'd be my Sydney Carton, Jess Mariano?" Rory teased.
Jess studied her face for a second, and then he turned his attention to his mug. He wanted to say something, but he didn't quite know how or if he should. He sighed. "I can think of worse things to be," he said softly.
Rory didn't know what to say. She just watched him as he stared into his mug, casually running the fingers of his right hand along the handle. After a while, he looked back up at her, and their eyes met. Rory briefly held his gaze but then looked away. She sighed, not knowing what to do. Finally, Jess broke the silence.
"You done?"
"What?" Rory asked, looking at him in confusion.
"With your hot chocolate? Are you done?"
"Oh… yeah," Rory answered, glancing at her empty mug for confirmation.
"Here," Jess said, taking the mug from her hand and standing. As he moved to the sink, she followed him with her eyes. He rolled up his sleeves, turned on the water, and began rinsing them out.
"You don't have to do that," she stated, her voice coming out more timid that she'd planned.
He eyed her over his shoulder. "I don't mind. I'm used to it."
"Oh, right. The diner." She watched him for another moment and then walked over to where he stood. "Here, I'll dry."
"If you insist," he said, handing her a sparkling clean mug.
After they were done, she put the towel away, and he put the mugs and the marshmallows back in their respective cupboards. Then, they looked at each other awkwardly.
"I guess I should get to bed," Rory announced.
Jess smirked. "Déjà vu."
"Maybe this time I'll actually make it there."
"I think you just might."
Rory smiled at him as she gathered her things together. Then, she turned back to him. "Um… thanks for tonight. Helping us win the contest and everything. It was fun."
"You know, Rory," he pointed out. "Now that you've let your inner bad girl out, you're gonna have a hard time getting rid of her."
"I'm always up for a challenge."
"Challenges can be good," he agreed, looking her straight in the eyes.
The sudden conviction on his face jarred her, and she had a hard time looking away.
"Okay," she sighed reluctantly. "Goodnight, Jess."
"Night."
His eyes trailed her movements as she walked to the kitchen door and disappeared. Then, he moved to go to his own room, suddenly exhausted. As he walked, he noticed Rory's mitten on the floor. He was about to call after her but decided that wasn't the best idea. The last thing he wanted to do was blow her cover. Instead, he picked it up, placed it in his coat pocket, and headed to bed.
