A/N: Reviews are coming in slowly but surely. I was shocked when they actually started working this morning. Thank you soo much for your feedback!

iminlovewithaboynamedJESS: Thanks for your grammar input. I have issues with repetitiveness, I know. I'll try and work on that in the future.

Jess's OOC-ness: Like I said, this is my first GG fic, so yes; the characterization will be a little off sometimes. I apologize. I am trying. I adore Jess as a character, because I feel he has a ton of different levels, and he's fun to work with. If he comes off OOC, just know that I am trying my best. Thanks for your patience.

The Towel Scene: Is written, but I decided not to post it. I may, at some point, post it as a half-chapter.

*puts on a pair of cranky pants for a minute* Re: Jimmy's Momma: Just because Jimmy left Jess and Liz in the dust does not automatically mean that the rest of his family did. Sorry to those who don't find this realistic. This is, after all fiction.

Onto the Fic!!

Rory woke up to the smell of coffee brewing and smiled, but when she opened her eyes, she wasn't where she thought she'd be.

She sat up and looked around the apartment blearily. Then she remembered.

"Jess?"

"Jess is out right now," said a voice she didn't recognize.

Rory got to her feet and looked over to the small kitchen to see an older woman with dark, graying hair, sitting at the table. She reminded her a little of Jess. Her skin tone was the same as his, and she had the same color eyes. She was very short, and kind of skinny.

"Hi," Rory said slowly. "You must be Jess's grandmother. I'm-"

"Rory Gilmore," the older woman finished, getting to her feet and walking over. "He told me. And please, just call me Sofia. 'Jess's grandmother' makes me feel much too old."

Rory smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

Sofia nodded, and circled Rory, looking her up and down. "You're very skinny."

Rory looked down at herself. "Which is kind of a scientific miracle, considering how much I eat."

"How much do you eat?" Sofia asked. "Not enough. Come on. I'll make you breakfast."

"Oh! You don't have to," Rory replied. "I'm sure when Jess gets back- "

"Who knows when that boy will come back," Sofia interrupted. "Stupid boy."

Rory held back a snicker.

"Now sit. Would you like some coffee?"

Rory nodded vigorously. "Yes, please."

Sofia raised an amused eyebrow at her.

"I live off of the stuff," Rory told her guiltily.

Sofia smiled understandingly and poured her a cup.

****

Lorelei walked into the diner that morning alone. She sat down at the counter and sighed.

"Hey," Luke said. "Where's Rory?"

"New York."

Luke's eyes widened. "You let her go with Jess?"

Lorelei shrugged. "She wanted to. And he looked pretty crazed."

"My god!" Luke cried. "Who knows what will happen! How could you do that?!"

Lorelei sighed. "I don't know I just-" she was cut off by her cell phone.

Luke glared at her as she answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mom!"

"Rory! Hi! How are things, did you guys make it okay?"

"Yup," Rory replied. "Everything's fine. Jess stepped out, so I'm hanging out with his grandma."

"Well?" Luke asked anxiously.

Lorelei pulled the phone away from her mouth. "They're staying at a brothel," she whispered. "Rory's learning how to pole dance, and she says that Jess is really hot in bed."

Luke glared more harshly than before.

"Oh, my god, Mom, I wish you were here," Rory told her. "Sofia is showing me old photos. Jess was the cutest baby in the world. He dressed up as Batman for Halloween when he was three, and he had the most adorable scowl ever."

Lorelei gasped. "You have to bring some back! I wanna see Jess as Batman!"

"I'll see what I can do," Rory replied. "We should probably be back either tomorrow night, or Sunday morning."

"Oh, god, today's Friday, isn't it?" Lorelei said suddenly. "Oh, god, what am I supposed to tell your grandparents?"

"That Jess had an emergency and I had to go with him, for emotional support," Rory replied. "Which is the truth."

Lorelei sighed. "I suppose. Well, see if you can smuggle me some baby photos. Are you okay? Are they feeding you?"

"I'm great, Mom," Rory replied. "And yes, Sofia cooked me a ton of food, so I'm good."

"Okay, well, I'll see you when you get back. And tell Jess that if he doesn't bring you back in one piece, Luke and I are tag-teaming him."

"Will-do. Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Babe." She hung up and sighed. "Well. She's alive. And fed. And she has new embarrassing Jess material."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled about that."

"What's up with you today?" Lorelei asked, watching as he milled around the diner, filling people's coffee.

"What do you mean?"
"You seem kind of off," Lorelei replied. "I can't explain it. You seem like you're kind of... sad."

Luke shrugged and threw out a couple of dirty napkins.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"What is it?"

"Nicole wants a divorce, okay?" he snapped. "Jeez."

Lorelei stared at him, shocked. "Oh, man... Luke, I'm so sorry."

He shrugged.

"Are you okay?"

He shrugged again.

"Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head.

Lorelei sighed.

*****

"It was just a fight!"

"You knocked the guy's teeth out," Gloria replied. "You broke a bar stool over his head, and you kicked him in the nuts! In plain sight!"

"He deserved it!"

They were dragging Jamie along, his hands still cuffed behind his back. His blond hair was frazzled, and his tall frame was covered in dingy, wrinkled clothing.

Jess shook his head. "You never change, do you?"

Jamie rolled his eyes. "And you're the poster child for redemption, right?"

"At least I don't get drunk and start hitting people."

"Nah, you do that when you're sober," Gloria commented. She opened up the apartment door, and shoved Jamie inside. "Gramma! We're home!"

Sofia and Rory looked up from the couch. Rory looked at Jess and giggled.

Jess blinked. "What?"

Jamie leaned over and whispered to Gloria. "Who's the hot girl?"

Gloria elbowed him, and he heaved a little.

Rory's giggles turned into full-blown laughter and she put her face in her hands.

It was then that Jess saw the photo album in his grandmother's lap. His eye twitched. "Gramma..."

"Rory and I were just looking at some old pictures," Sofia smiled. "You were such a cute boy. I wanted her to see you before you mastered your glare."

His eye twitched again.

Rory smiled at him after she'd gotten her laughter under control. "You were so cute."

He glowered.

*****

"Hi, Mom."

"Lorelei, hello."

"Uhm... bad news," Lorelei said into her cell phone as she walked around the Dragonfly.

"Oh?"

"Rory won't be at dinner tonight."

"Oh? Why not?"

Lorelei sighed. "Jess had to go home late last night. Something about his best friend being in trouble, and she was really worried about him, so I told her she could go. So she's in New York, staying at his grandmother's house. And I'm really sorry, but it meant a lot to her to be able to go, and she's really sorry she's missing dinner, but this is important to her because it's important to him."

"You just... let her go to New York with him?" Emily asked. "Alone?"

"Yeah."

"What were you thinking?!" Emily cried. "Do you know how dangerous that is? And with that... Hoodlum-"

"Thug."

"Whatever!" Emily sighed. "Have you heard from her?"

"Yup," Lorelei nodded. "She called this morning. She's well-fed, and has naked baby photos of Jess."

Emily sighed. "I still can't believe you let her go."

"Why do I have to keep reminding people that she's eighteen?" Lorelei groaned. "She's pretty much an adult. She can make her own decisions."

"He'll get her into trouble," Emily warned. "He's that type."

"Jess doesn't have a type, Mom. Jess is just Jess. And I may not trust him all the way, but I know that he'll take care of her."

"How do you know, Lorelei?"

"Because He loves her."

"How do you know that, Lorelei?"

"Because he said so."

Emily sighed.

*****

"So... you're really hot."

Rory looked up from the photo album she and Sofia had been looking at to see Jamie. "Uhm... thank you?"

Jess glared. "Hey Jamie?"

"Yeah?"

"You remember when we were ten, and I did that experiment to see how many punches to the gut it would take to make you throw up?"

"Yeah."

"Don't make me do that again."

Sofia had gone for groceries, leaving the three to sit at the kitchen table. Gloria had taken pity on Jamie and uncuffed his hands. He had immediately gone over to greet Rory, and was shoved harshly by Jess.

Rory gave Jess a slightly horrified look. "You did that?"

Gloria nodded. "It was projectile, too."

Rory scrunched up her nose. "Ugh."

"It was actually kinda funny," Jess mused.

"You only say that because it landed on Leslie," Jamie replied.

"Who's Leslie?" Rory asked.

"Slut," Jess and Jamie chorused.

"They both dated her," Gloria explained. "She cheated on both of them."

"Wow," Rory looked to Jess. "She's your ex?"

Jess brooded. "Thank you, Gloria."

"You didn't tell her about Leslie?" Gloria asked.

His brooding became deeper.

"She's an idiot," Gloria told Rory. "She treated him terribly He started smoking because of her."

"I smoke because I want to," Jess bit.

"You smoke because she shoved a cigarette in your mouth," Gloria said, glaring at her cousin.

"I need a cigarette." Jess got up and walked out to the small balcony.

Rory turned in her chair and watched him light up.

"Don't worry about him," Gloria said. "He'll cool off."

Rory nodded, still watching him. "So... Leslie was..."

"First girlfriend," Jamie replied. "First fuck, too."

Gloria smacked Jamie. "Jesus! Stop talking!"

"She was!" Jamie defended.

Rory shifted a little. "Well... that's..."

"You didn't need to hear that," Gloria sympathized. "He's sorry."

"You guys fucking?" Jamie asked Rory.

"God, Jamie, shut up!" Gloria cried. "You don't have to answer that."

"I need air," Rory told them. She got up and walked out to the balcony to stand next to Jess.

"Drive you crazy, don't they?" Jess asked, blowing smoke out of his mouth.

Rory nodded. "A little. They kind of remind me of people back home... with bad language."

Jess nodded. "Don't worry about them."

They stood in silence.

"So... Leslie was..."

"A mistake... I regret every minute."

"Don't say that."

He shook his head, looking out off the balcony. "It's the truth."

"Did you love her?" Rory asked. She didn't sound angry, or worried. It was just a simple question.

He didn't answer at first. He just looked over the balcony.

"If you did... it's no big deal," she told him. "I loved Dean... I think."

Jess shook his head. "I don't know if I did or not." He stubbed out his cigarette and turned around, leaning his back against the balcony. "She didn't love me."

"How do you know?" Rory asked, looking at him.

He didn't reply or look at her.

She couldn't help smile again. "You were cute as a baby."

He glared at her. "Stop."

"You were Batman," Rory laughed.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head.