"Mom! I'm going through your closet!"
"You have a closet! Full of clothes!"
"I went through it already!" Rory yelled back from her mother's bedroom. "I don't want to wear anything out of it!"
"Why not? It's just Jess! He's not gonna know the difference!"
"I wanna look nice! It's our one month!"
"You could wear a potato sack dress and a banana peel on your head, and he'd still fall all over himself!"
"I'm borrowing clothes!"
"Rory, will you get a move on? He's gonna be here any minute!"
*****
"Nice."
Shut up."
"No, I'm serious, you look good," Luke told him.
"Stop it, you're scaring me," Jess told his uncle from his room.
"What? I can't say nice things."
"When do you ever say nice things?"
He had a point.
"If Rory doesn't have a good time tonight, I'll kill you," Luke told him.
"That's the Luke I know and... know."
"You going, or not?"
Jess headed for the door of the apartment, a wrapped book in hand. "Bye."
"Be back before dawn or your toast," Luke told him.
Jess rolled his eyes and left.
******
She opened the door and there he was, standing there in his nicest pair of jeans, and a button-down gray shirt. In one hand was what looked to be a wrapped book, and in the other, which was outstretched, was a small bouquet of flowers.
"I brought flowers," he told her. "I don't even know if you like flowers, but I brought them anyways."
Rory smiled and took them. "Thank you. They're-" she stopped as she inspected them. "You got these from Babette's yard."
"No."
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well... yeah."
She gave him a wry smirk and shook her head. "Let me go put these in something." She retreated into the house, and he stepped in to stand in the front hall.
Lorelei came out. "Ah. Jess. Hi."
"Hi."
"Where are you guys going tonight?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
Lorelei nodded. "If she doesn't have fun tonight, I'll kill you."
He sighed. "I thought you were starting to tolerate me."
She laughed. "Silly boy, that doesn't mean I won't kill you."
He looked completely nonplused by this.
"Rory, hurry up before Jess's stony face sticks that way forever!"
"Rory, hurry up before I say something to your mother that you'll never forgive me for!"
Rory walked out, holding a wrapped package that looked nearly identical to the one Jess was holding. "Jeez, can't you guys ever get along?"
"No," they both replied.
*****
They walked down the street, away from Rory's house after being given the usual lecture by Lorelei.
Jess smirked and nudged her. "Happy anniversary."
She smiled and hooked her arm through his. "Happy wake-up-from-my- coma day."
He gave a quiet snort.
"It sure took you long enough," she told him. "Two weeks."
"Oh, well excuse me. I'm sorry I couldn't be a little more punctual, Ms. Gilmore."
She snickered. "So what are we doing?"
He shrugged. "Whatever you want."
"I don't know."
"Neither do I."
"We could... go stand on our heads in front of the diner and scare Luke," Rory offered.
"Tempting, but not very romantic or anniversary-like," Jess replied. "We could steal a car and drive cross-country."
"In one night?"
"You do have a point."
"We could conquer a small country," she offered.
"Huh... that's an idea. What would we name it?"
"Roryonia."
He laughed a little. "And you would be queen."
"Yes, yes I would," she smiled. "And you would be my manservant."
Jess blinked. "Your what?"
"Manservant."
"I didn't even get bumbling, brainless king," he mused.
"See, but you're not bumbling and brainless," Rory explained. "And the bumbling, brainless king never gets any love from the queen, while the manservant gets most of her attentions."
"Ah," Jess nodded. He smirked at her. "I can live with that."
She smiled and reached up and kissed him briefly. "So what are we doing?"
He shrugged, pulling her a little closer. "We don't have to do anything. We could just go sit."
She nodded. "Sitting works."
"Usual spot okay?"
She gave another nod, and they headed in the direction of their bridge.
*****
It had been a very short dinner.
Nicole wanted the divorce.
Luke couldn't say he hadn't seen it coming. They'd become very distant, ever since Jess had come back to town. In truth, maybe he'd been using his nephew as an excuse to spend less time with Nicole.
It had been a mistake, the marriage. He knew that now.
He just wished things could have turned out differently.
*****
They were lying on the bridge, her arm wrapped around him, looking up at the sky.
"Tell me something true," she said.
Jess gave her a quizzical look. "Like what?"
"Anything," she replied. "Just as long as it's the truth."
He nodded and looked back up at the sky. "You have just about the bluest eyes I've ever seen."
She smiled a little and turned red.
"They're like... how you read in descriptions in books," he went on. "'As blue as the summer sky' etcetera. Y'know?"
She giggled a little.
"Your turn," he said.
"Tell you something true?"
He nodded.
"You have a cute butt," she said quietly, burying her head in his chest.
He looked down at her oddly. "Cute... oh. That. With the towel." He cracked a smirk. "That was funny."
"You were naked," she squeaked.
He nodded. "Yup. It's known to happen occasionally."
She snickered. "More truth?"
He sighed and thought. "I hate green beans."
"Why?"
"Well, my mom always bought them canned, and they were slimy."
"Oh."
"Your turn," he said.
She sighed. "Like what?"
He looked down at her seriously. "Like... what did you dream the other night?"
She shifted a little, not looking him in the face. "Which night?"
"You know."
She sighed. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"You told your mom."
"Jess-"
"Whatever."
"You died."
He looked down at her oddly.
"You were dead," she repeated. "You were sitting up in that smashed up car all... dead... and then my mom and my dad were getting married. They were in wedding clothes and everything, and then my dad pulled out this gun and-"
She was cut off when he kissed her.
"What was that?" she asked after it ended.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time," he replied.
She snickered. "So, what'd you get me?" She looked toward one of the two wrapped books.
"How do you know it's for you?" he asked. "Maybe I bought that for someone else?"
"Like who? Luke? Dean?"
Jess rolled his eyes. "Open it."
She sat up and grabbed the book, tearing the paper open. She loved presents. It was something she'd picked up from her mom. Open a present as fast as you can, and to hell with pretty paper. Never mind that it was wrapped in what used to be a brown paper bag.
When she'd gotten it open she smiled. "It's a Bjork book."
Jess nodded and sat up. "It goes into details about most of her songs. Thought you'd like it."
"What's your review on it?" she asked.
"I didn't read it."
"Liar."
He smirked. "I liked it."
She smiled and picked up the unopened book. "Here." She handed it to him.
He sighed and opened the blue, shimmering paper carefully.
"Just rip it," she told him.
He smirked and continued to be careful with the wrapping, until he uncovered a leather-bound book. He looked it over. The cover read 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' "Where...?"
"My Grandpa's library," Rory told him. "First edition."
He looked up at her from the book. "Thanks."
She smiled as he leaned over and kissed her.
"You have a closet! Full of clothes!"
"I went through it already!" Rory yelled back from her mother's bedroom. "I don't want to wear anything out of it!"
"Why not? It's just Jess! He's not gonna know the difference!"
"I wanna look nice! It's our one month!"
"You could wear a potato sack dress and a banana peel on your head, and he'd still fall all over himself!"
"I'm borrowing clothes!"
"Rory, will you get a move on? He's gonna be here any minute!"
*****
"Nice."
Shut up."
"No, I'm serious, you look good," Luke told him.
"Stop it, you're scaring me," Jess told his uncle from his room.
"What? I can't say nice things."
"When do you ever say nice things?"
He had a point.
"If Rory doesn't have a good time tonight, I'll kill you," Luke told him.
"That's the Luke I know and... know."
"You going, or not?"
Jess headed for the door of the apartment, a wrapped book in hand. "Bye."
"Be back before dawn or your toast," Luke told him.
Jess rolled his eyes and left.
******
She opened the door and there he was, standing there in his nicest pair of jeans, and a button-down gray shirt. In one hand was what looked to be a wrapped book, and in the other, which was outstretched, was a small bouquet of flowers.
"I brought flowers," he told her. "I don't even know if you like flowers, but I brought them anyways."
Rory smiled and took them. "Thank you. They're-" she stopped as she inspected them. "You got these from Babette's yard."
"No."
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well... yeah."
She gave him a wry smirk and shook her head. "Let me go put these in something." She retreated into the house, and he stepped in to stand in the front hall.
Lorelei came out. "Ah. Jess. Hi."
"Hi."
"Where are you guys going tonight?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
Lorelei nodded. "If she doesn't have fun tonight, I'll kill you."
He sighed. "I thought you were starting to tolerate me."
She laughed. "Silly boy, that doesn't mean I won't kill you."
He looked completely nonplused by this.
"Rory, hurry up before Jess's stony face sticks that way forever!"
"Rory, hurry up before I say something to your mother that you'll never forgive me for!"
Rory walked out, holding a wrapped package that looked nearly identical to the one Jess was holding. "Jeez, can't you guys ever get along?"
"No," they both replied.
*****
They walked down the street, away from Rory's house after being given the usual lecture by Lorelei.
Jess smirked and nudged her. "Happy anniversary."
She smiled and hooked her arm through his. "Happy wake-up-from-my- coma day."
He gave a quiet snort.
"It sure took you long enough," she told him. "Two weeks."
"Oh, well excuse me. I'm sorry I couldn't be a little more punctual, Ms. Gilmore."
She snickered. "So what are we doing?"
He shrugged. "Whatever you want."
"I don't know."
"Neither do I."
"We could... go stand on our heads in front of the diner and scare Luke," Rory offered.
"Tempting, but not very romantic or anniversary-like," Jess replied. "We could steal a car and drive cross-country."
"In one night?"
"You do have a point."
"We could conquer a small country," she offered.
"Huh... that's an idea. What would we name it?"
"Roryonia."
He laughed a little. "And you would be queen."
"Yes, yes I would," she smiled. "And you would be my manservant."
Jess blinked. "Your what?"
"Manservant."
"I didn't even get bumbling, brainless king," he mused.
"See, but you're not bumbling and brainless," Rory explained. "And the bumbling, brainless king never gets any love from the queen, while the manservant gets most of her attentions."
"Ah," Jess nodded. He smirked at her. "I can live with that."
She smiled and reached up and kissed him briefly. "So what are we doing?"
He shrugged, pulling her a little closer. "We don't have to do anything. We could just go sit."
She nodded. "Sitting works."
"Usual spot okay?"
She gave another nod, and they headed in the direction of their bridge.
*****
It had been a very short dinner.
Nicole wanted the divorce.
Luke couldn't say he hadn't seen it coming. They'd become very distant, ever since Jess had come back to town. In truth, maybe he'd been using his nephew as an excuse to spend less time with Nicole.
It had been a mistake, the marriage. He knew that now.
He just wished things could have turned out differently.
*****
They were lying on the bridge, her arm wrapped around him, looking up at the sky.
"Tell me something true," she said.
Jess gave her a quizzical look. "Like what?"
"Anything," she replied. "Just as long as it's the truth."
He nodded and looked back up at the sky. "You have just about the bluest eyes I've ever seen."
She smiled a little and turned red.
"They're like... how you read in descriptions in books," he went on. "'As blue as the summer sky' etcetera. Y'know?"
She giggled a little.
"Your turn," he said.
"Tell you something true?"
He nodded.
"You have a cute butt," she said quietly, burying her head in his chest.
He looked down at her oddly. "Cute... oh. That. With the towel." He cracked a smirk. "That was funny."
"You were naked," she squeaked.
He nodded. "Yup. It's known to happen occasionally."
She snickered. "More truth?"
He sighed and thought. "I hate green beans."
"Why?"
"Well, my mom always bought them canned, and they were slimy."
"Oh."
"Your turn," he said.
She sighed. "Like what?"
He looked down at her seriously. "Like... what did you dream the other night?"
She shifted a little, not looking him in the face. "Which night?"
"You know."
She sighed. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"You told your mom."
"Jess-"
"Whatever."
"You died."
He looked down at her oddly.
"You were dead," she repeated. "You were sitting up in that smashed up car all... dead... and then my mom and my dad were getting married. They were in wedding clothes and everything, and then my dad pulled out this gun and-"
She was cut off when he kissed her.
"What was that?" she asked after it ended.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time," he replied.
She snickered. "So, what'd you get me?" She looked toward one of the two wrapped books.
"How do you know it's for you?" he asked. "Maybe I bought that for someone else?"
"Like who? Luke? Dean?"
Jess rolled his eyes. "Open it."
She sat up and grabbed the book, tearing the paper open. She loved presents. It was something she'd picked up from her mom. Open a present as fast as you can, and to hell with pretty paper. Never mind that it was wrapped in what used to be a brown paper bag.
When she'd gotten it open she smiled. "It's a Bjork book."
Jess nodded and sat up. "It goes into details about most of her songs. Thought you'd like it."
"What's your review on it?" she asked.
"I didn't read it."
"Liar."
He smirked. "I liked it."
She smiled and picked up the unopened book. "Here." She handed it to him.
He sighed and opened the blue, shimmering paper carefully.
"Just rip it," she told him.
He smirked and continued to be careful with the wrapping, until he uncovered a leather-bound book. He looked it over. The cover read 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' "Where...?"
"My Grandpa's library," Rory told him. "First edition."
He looked up at her from the book. "Thanks."
She smiled as he leaned over and kissed her.