A/N: I'm sorry if the formatting on this is wonky. Fanfic.net has been
hating my guts.
The phone at Luke's Diner rang and he picked it up on his way to bring an order to a table. He used his usual, almost-annoyed tone. "Luke's."
When he heard the voice on the other end, he almost dropped the plates he was carrying. "Jess?!"
The inhabitants of the diner looked up in shock.
Lorelei walked over to the counter across from Luke, and stared intently.
Luke nodded into the phone. "Yeah. You feelin..." He nodded again. "Yeah. Yeah!" He laughed a little. "Me, too, kid. Yeah, Lorelei's here." He turned to her. "Jess and Rory say hi."
She smiled and nodded.
"Oh, god, yes, we will," Luke said back to the phone laughing slightly. "Yeah, your mom is still in town. Any word on... give it time, you'll be outta there soon... Yeah! Yeah, I'll round up your mom and we'll be there as soon as we can. Yeah. No, don't worry about it. We'll be there soon. Yeah. Bye, Jess."
"So?" Lorelei asked.
Luke looked around at the inhabitants of the diner. "Everybody out! We're leaving!"
"They're on their way," Jess informed Rory, clicking the cell phone off and handing it to her.
She nodded. "We should talk," she said.
"We should," he nodded back.
"I love you."
He stared at her. "I... I love...love you, too," he said softly. "I should have told you I was leaving...nothing that was happening made sense. Nothing I did made sense."
"Damn right, it didn't," she agreed. "Why couldn't you just tell me you were leaving?"
"Because...I thought it would hurt you more," He confessed quietly.
"That's so stupid."
He nodded. "Yeah."
"So...what now?" she asked. "After you get better, what are you going to do?"
Jess shook his head. "I don't know."
"What happened with your dad?" Rory asked.
He shrugged. "Didn't work out."
Rory sighed. "What do you want to do?"
"Buy a shed and write fiction that confuses the masses, only to become famous in fifty years."
"Jess."
"I don't know," he told her. "I didn't know before all this happened."
"Do you wanna go back to school?"
"God, no."
"Do you wanna live in Star's Hollow?"
"Hell, no."
Rory frowned. "Do you..." she faltered for a moment."Do you want to be with me?"
He nodded, looking into her eye. "I do. Do you want to be with... with me?"
She nodded. "I do. But I'm scared that you'll run out on me again."
"I won't Rory. I won't do that to you again."
"You promise?"
"Promise."
"Swear."
He gave a brief nod. "I swear on Joe Strummer's grave."
She nodded and just looked at him. Into those big, brown eyes. "I didn't know if you'd ever wake up."
"You know me," he replied.
"You scared me."
"Good."
"Jerk."
"Yeah."
"This is gonna take work, you and I," she told him. "You owe me."
He nodded. "Anything you want."
"Anything? So if I wanted a pony..."
"You'd have a pony, but I might get arrested."
"Fair trade," she replied.
"Thanks."
She smiled and leaned in and kissed him.
He smiled as he responded.
"Aw, god!" cried a new voice. "Lips!"
Rory stopped kissing and whipped her head toward the door. She turned red as she gazed her mother, Luke, Liz and TJ. "Uh... hi... everybody..."
Luke glared. "Who left you two alone?! You're not supposed to be alone!"
Jess smirked. "Nice to see you, too, Uncle Luke. Glad you didn't worry."
The phone at Luke's Diner rang and he picked it up on his way to bring an order to a table. He used his usual, almost-annoyed tone. "Luke's."
When he heard the voice on the other end, he almost dropped the plates he was carrying. "Jess?!"
The inhabitants of the diner looked up in shock.
Lorelei walked over to the counter across from Luke, and stared intently.
Luke nodded into the phone. "Yeah. You feelin..." He nodded again. "Yeah. Yeah!" He laughed a little. "Me, too, kid. Yeah, Lorelei's here." He turned to her. "Jess and Rory say hi."
She smiled and nodded.
"Oh, god, yes, we will," Luke said back to the phone laughing slightly. "Yeah, your mom is still in town. Any word on... give it time, you'll be outta there soon... Yeah! Yeah, I'll round up your mom and we'll be there as soon as we can. Yeah. No, don't worry about it. We'll be there soon. Yeah. Bye, Jess."
"So?" Lorelei asked.
Luke looked around at the inhabitants of the diner. "Everybody out! We're leaving!"
"They're on their way," Jess informed Rory, clicking the cell phone off and handing it to her.
She nodded. "We should talk," she said.
"We should," he nodded back.
"I love you."
He stared at her. "I... I love...love you, too," he said softly. "I should have told you I was leaving...nothing that was happening made sense. Nothing I did made sense."
"Damn right, it didn't," she agreed. "Why couldn't you just tell me you were leaving?"
"Because...I thought it would hurt you more," He confessed quietly.
"That's so stupid."
He nodded. "Yeah."
"So...what now?" she asked. "After you get better, what are you going to do?"
Jess shook his head. "I don't know."
"What happened with your dad?" Rory asked.
He shrugged. "Didn't work out."
Rory sighed. "What do you want to do?"
"Buy a shed and write fiction that confuses the masses, only to become famous in fifty years."
"Jess."
"I don't know," he told her. "I didn't know before all this happened."
"Do you wanna go back to school?"
"God, no."
"Do you wanna live in Star's Hollow?"
"Hell, no."
Rory frowned. "Do you..." she faltered for a moment."Do you want to be with me?"
He nodded, looking into her eye. "I do. Do you want to be with... with me?"
She nodded. "I do. But I'm scared that you'll run out on me again."
"I won't Rory. I won't do that to you again."
"You promise?"
"Promise."
"Swear."
He gave a brief nod. "I swear on Joe Strummer's grave."
She nodded and just looked at him. Into those big, brown eyes. "I didn't know if you'd ever wake up."
"You know me," he replied.
"You scared me."
"Good."
"Jerk."
"Yeah."
"This is gonna take work, you and I," she told him. "You owe me."
He nodded. "Anything you want."
"Anything? So if I wanted a pony..."
"You'd have a pony, but I might get arrested."
"Fair trade," she replied.
"Thanks."
She smiled and leaned in and kissed him.
He smiled as he responded.
"Aw, god!" cried a new voice. "Lips!"
Rory stopped kissing and whipped her head toward the door. She turned red as she gazed her mother, Luke, Liz and TJ. "Uh... hi... everybody..."
Luke glared. "Who left you two alone?! You're not supposed to be alone!"
Jess smirked. "Nice to see you, too, Uncle Luke. Glad you didn't worry."