Lorelei woke up the next morning, rushing around, getting ready to
head to the inn, with her cell phone pressed to her ear.
"I'm so sorry, Jason," she said. "I know I haven't been good about being in touch. I've been... my daughter's boyfriend was in the hospital and the insanity of dealing with his parents, and his uncle is a good friend of mine... Luke... yes, the guy you tailgated, you're just going to have to come to terms with it." She rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. "No, lunch today would be great." She rushed into the living. "Chinese or- oh, god...there are two sleeping teenagers of the opposite gender on my couch...yes, clothes are securely on their bodies... That doesn't mean they didn't... I know I have to talk to Rory before..." she sighed. "Yeah. Okay. I'll see you at twelve-thirty. Bye." She hung up, still staring at the sleeping forms on her couch.
Rory woke first, opening her eyes slowly and sighing. She closed them again and cuddled into Jess, who shifted a little and threw an arm behind his head.
Lorelei sighed. "Rory," she whispered.
Rory mumbled something incoherent and buried her head in the crook of Jess's neck.
Lorelei sighed and bounced on her heels a little. "Rory," she hissed harshly.
Rory's eyes finally cracked open and looked up. "Mom?" she asked quietly.
Lorelei nodded. "Kitchen," she mouthed.
Rory nodded and did her best to untangle herself from Jess, who was still fast asleep. She stumbled a little and walked into the kitchen where her mother was looking more than a little agitated.
"What was that?"
"What?"
Lorelei pointed out to the couch. "That?"
"That's a who. And he's Jess."
"Rory..."
"We were reading, we fell asleep on the couch," Rory explained, rubbing her eyes. "Why? What do you think-" she stopped, realizing. "Mom."
Lorelei sighed guiltily. "I know, I know. I shouldn't think things like that, because you're Rory, and I know you wouldn't, but he's Jess! And he would."
Rory sighed and sat at the table. "Mom... I just woke up."
"I know. You woke up next to Jess."
She nodded. "Mom, it's okay, really. Nothing happened. We fell asleep."
"I know. But..." Lorelei sighed. "Just... you're at that age."
Rory looked confused. "What age?"
"That... college age! Where you... want... sex!"
"Mom!"
"Well?"
Rory sighed. "It hasn't been brought up in conversation."
"Yet."
Rory nodded. "Yet. He's still recovering. It's hard to think about when he's still kind of mangled."
Lorelei sighed. "Just... promise me you won't let him pressure you. And promise me you will do your best to keep me from becoming a grandmother too soon."
Rory nodded. "Promise on both counts. Stop freaking out. You need to go to work."
"I need coffee."
"So go get coffee, and then go to work."
Lorelei nodded and kissed Rory on the forehead. "I'm going to lunch with Jason today, but we can do dinner if you want."
Rory nodded. "Sounds good. Have a good day."
"You, too," Lorelei replied. "And no hanky-panky."
Rory nodded as her mother rushed out the door.
*****
"Guess where I found Rory and Jess this morning?"
Luke nearly dropped the mug of coffee he was bringing toward Lorelei. "If you say 'in a lewd position making sweet, sweet love,' I'm throwing you out."
"Asleep on my couch."
Luke breathed a sigh of relief, but stopped. "Naked asleep?"
"No, clothes on and discarded book asleep," Lorelei replied, taking a sip of coffee. "Mm. Luke, you're a god."
"So... did you just leave them there?"
"No, I woke Rory up," Lorelei replied. "I freaked out, too."
"Chances are you freaked out less than I would have," Luke said. "I probably would have thrown Jess out."
"But... Jess lives here."
"And?"
Lorelei shook her head and drank more coffee.
*****
"So? Was I right?"
Lorelei sighed as she picked at her lunch. "Yes, you were right. They fell asleep while they were reading."
Jason nodded. "Y'know, you can't be freaking out like this. She's eighteen."
"I know."
"She'll probably do it within the next four years, and if they're as serious as you've told me, it'll probably be with this boyfriend."
Lorelei nodded. "I know. I just... why can't she be four again? She hated boys when she was four."
Jason smirked and shook his head.
*****
Jess walked into the diner and began his normal chores for the day.
Luke stared.
"What?"
"You sleep with Rory last night?"
"Dammit," Jess grumbled. He'd been getting funny looks all morning. Gossip traveled to fast in this hell-hole. "Slept. Sleep. To sleep. To slumber. I could go get the dictionary from upstairs if you want the full technical definition of the term."
"Nothing went on?"
"If anything did go on, I wouldn't be telling you," Jess replied. "But since you're so intent on this, no, nothing went on." He sighed and took a seat for a minute.
Luke sighed. "Sorry."
"Whatever." He moved to get to his feet but stopped and winced.
"Jess?"
"It's fine. Ribs are just giving me a hard time."
Luke nodded and walked over to help his nephew, but Jess got up before he could.
*****
"So... you and Jess..."
Rory blinked at her best friend, who had been kicked out of Yale for spring break. "What?"
"Word on the straight..."
"Oh, my god!" Rory cried. "What- ugh... Mom talked to Luke in the diner this morning, didn't she?"
"That's what they're saying," Lane replied.
"We slept on the couch."
"Wow."
"No!" Rory sighed. "We fell asleep. On the couch."
"Oh," Lane replied, feeling slightly embarrassed. Whoops. "Whoops."
Rory gave another sigh.
*****
"Mariano!"
Again, the sound of Dean's voice rang loud and clear in Luke's diner. He sounded angry.
Jess rolled his eyes. "Another giant order, Bagboy?"
Dean walked up to the counter and got in Jess's face. "You're spreading rumors about Rory."
The devil on Jess's shoulder appeared at once. "Hit him!" it said. "Kick the crap out of him! Knock his teeth out!"
The angel on Jess's other shoulder (who looked suspiciously like Rory), wagged a finger. "Don't hit him. It's just a misunderstanding. He doesn't know what he's talking about."
He compromised.
"Luke?!"
"Yeah?!" Luke called from the back.
"Can you come up here for a second?"
Luke emerged, and raised an eyebrow at the two boys. "What's..."
"Luke, I'm gonna hit Dean."
Luke yanked Jess out of the way, but Jess still went for Dean. Luke was able to hold him back.
At that moment, Rory and Lorelei walked in, the former carrying a stack of books.
*****
"So he really thought that you were telling people that we slept together?"
They walked to the bridge and stat down.
Jess nodded. "Yup. Bagboy's an idiot."
Rory sighed, and they sat in silence for a while.
"Why didn't you hit him?" Rory asked.
"He's not worth screwing things up with you," Jess replied looking down at the water beneath them.
She smiled at him, and they sat in a little more silence.
"Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever think about...?"
He looked up at her to find her face quickly reddening and smirked a little. "Yeah," he told her. "Sometimes." Understatement. He couldn't count the times he'd thought about taking things farther with her.
She nodded and turned a darker shade of red. "Hmm."
"Do you?" he asked, staring at her intently.
She sat silent, and he waited.
Her face turned a darker shade of red and she kissed him lightly. "G'night, Jess." She got to her feet and walked off.
He looked down at the water again and smirked a little wider with a raised eyebrow. "Huh."
"I'm so sorry, Jason," she said. "I know I haven't been good about being in touch. I've been... my daughter's boyfriend was in the hospital and the insanity of dealing with his parents, and his uncle is a good friend of mine... Luke... yes, the guy you tailgated, you're just going to have to come to terms with it." She rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. "No, lunch today would be great." She rushed into the living. "Chinese or- oh, god...there are two sleeping teenagers of the opposite gender on my couch...yes, clothes are securely on their bodies... That doesn't mean they didn't... I know I have to talk to Rory before..." she sighed. "Yeah. Okay. I'll see you at twelve-thirty. Bye." She hung up, still staring at the sleeping forms on her couch.
Rory woke first, opening her eyes slowly and sighing. She closed them again and cuddled into Jess, who shifted a little and threw an arm behind his head.
Lorelei sighed. "Rory," she whispered.
Rory mumbled something incoherent and buried her head in the crook of Jess's neck.
Lorelei sighed and bounced on her heels a little. "Rory," she hissed harshly.
Rory's eyes finally cracked open and looked up. "Mom?" she asked quietly.
Lorelei nodded. "Kitchen," she mouthed.
Rory nodded and did her best to untangle herself from Jess, who was still fast asleep. She stumbled a little and walked into the kitchen where her mother was looking more than a little agitated.
"What was that?"
"What?"
Lorelei pointed out to the couch. "That?"
"That's a who. And he's Jess."
"Rory..."
"We were reading, we fell asleep on the couch," Rory explained, rubbing her eyes. "Why? What do you think-" she stopped, realizing. "Mom."
Lorelei sighed guiltily. "I know, I know. I shouldn't think things like that, because you're Rory, and I know you wouldn't, but he's Jess! And he would."
Rory sighed and sat at the table. "Mom... I just woke up."
"I know. You woke up next to Jess."
She nodded. "Mom, it's okay, really. Nothing happened. We fell asleep."
"I know. But..." Lorelei sighed. "Just... you're at that age."
Rory looked confused. "What age?"
"That... college age! Where you... want... sex!"
"Mom!"
"Well?"
Rory sighed. "It hasn't been brought up in conversation."
"Yet."
Rory nodded. "Yet. He's still recovering. It's hard to think about when he's still kind of mangled."
Lorelei sighed. "Just... promise me you won't let him pressure you. And promise me you will do your best to keep me from becoming a grandmother too soon."
Rory nodded. "Promise on both counts. Stop freaking out. You need to go to work."
"I need coffee."
"So go get coffee, and then go to work."
Lorelei nodded and kissed Rory on the forehead. "I'm going to lunch with Jason today, but we can do dinner if you want."
Rory nodded. "Sounds good. Have a good day."
"You, too," Lorelei replied. "And no hanky-panky."
Rory nodded as her mother rushed out the door.
*****
"Guess where I found Rory and Jess this morning?"
Luke nearly dropped the mug of coffee he was bringing toward Lorelei. "If you say 'in a lewd position making sweet, sweet love,' I'm throwing you out."
"Asleep on my couch."
Luke breathed a sigh of relief, but stopped. "Naked asleep?"
"No, clothes on and discarded book asleep," Lorelei replied, taking a sip of coffee. "Mm. Luke, you're a god."
"So... did you just leave them there?"
"No, I woke Rory up," Lorelei replied. "I freaked out, too."
"Chances are you freaked out less than I would have," Luke said. "I probably would have thrown Jess out."
"But... Jess lives here."
"And?"
Lorelei shook her head and drank more coffee.
*****
"So? Was I right?"
Lorelei sighed as she picked at her lunch. "Yes, you were right. They fell asleep while they were reading."
Jason nodded. "Y'know, you can't be freaking out like this. She's eighteen."
"I know."
"She'll probably do it within the next four years, and if they're as serious as you've told me, it'll probably be with this boyfriend."
Lorelei nodded. "I know. I just... why can't she be four again? She hated boys when she was four."
Jason smirked and shook his head.
*****
Jess walked into the diner and began his normal chores for the day.
Luke stared.
"What?"
"You sleep with Rory last night?"
"Dammit," Jess grumbled. He'd been getting funny looks all morning. Gossip traveled to fast in this hell-hole. "Slept. Sleep. To sleep. To slumber. I could go get the dictionary from upstairs if you want the full technical definition of the term."
"Nothing went on?"
"If anything did go on, I wouldn't be telling you," Jess replied. "But since you're so intent on this, no, nothing went on." He sighed and took a seat for a minute.
Luke sighed. "Sorry."
"Whatever." He moved to get to his feet but stopped and winced.
"Jess?"
"It's fine. Ribs are just giving me a hard time."
Luke nodded and walked over to help his nephew, but Jess got up before he could.
*****
"So... you and Jess..."
Rory blinked at her best friend, who had been kicked out of Yale for spring break. "What?"
"Word on the straight..."
"Oh, my god!" Rory cried. "What- ugh... Mom talked to Luke in the diner this morning, didn't she?"
"That's what they're saying," Lane replied.
"We slept on the couch."
"Wow."
"No!" Rory sighed. "We fell asleep. On the couch."
"Oh," Lane replied, feeling slightly embarrassed. Whoops. "Whoops."
Rory gave another sigh.
*****
"Mariano!"
Again, the sound of Dean's voice rang loud and clear in Luke's diner. He sounded angry.
Jess rolled his eyes. "Another giant order, Bagboy?"
Dean walked up to the counter and got in Jess's face. "You're spreading rumors about Rory."
The devil on Jess's shoulder appeared at once. "Hit him!" it said. "Kick the crap out of him! Knock his teeth out!"
The angel on Jess's other shoulder (who looked suspiciously like Rory), wagged a finger. "Don't hit him. It's just a misunderstanding. He doesn't know what he's talking about."
He compromised.
"Luke?!"
"Yeah?!" Luke called from the back.
"Can you come up here for a second?"
Luke emerged, and raised an eyebrow at the two boys. "What's..."
"Luke, I'm gonna hit Dean."
Luke yanked Jess out of the way, but Jess still went for Dean. Luke was able to hold him back.
At that moment, Rory and Lorelei walked in, the former carrying a stack of books.
*****
"So he really thought that you were telling people that we slept together?"
They walked to the bridge and stat down.
Jess nodded. "Yup. Bagboy's an idiot."
Rory sighed, and they sat in silence for a while.
"Why didn't you hit him?" Rory asked.
"He's not worth screwing things up with you," Jess replied looking down at the water beneath them.
She smiled at him, and they sat in a little more silence.
"Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever think about...?"
He looked up at her to find her face quickly reddening and smirked a little. "Yeah," he told her. "Sometimes." Understatement. He couldn't count the times he'd thought about taking things farther with her.
She nodded and turned a darker shade of red. "Hmm."
"Do you?" he asked, staring at her intently.
She sat silent, and he waited.
Her face turned a darker shade of red and she kissed him lightly. "G'night, Jess." She got to her feet and walked off.
He looked down at the water again and smirked a little wider with a raised eyebrow. "Huh."