A/N:
1. *Pulls on cranky pants yet again* Dearest Flamer: You're obviously a
Jess-hater. Now. The description of my story has the words "Jess" and
"Literati" in it. This should have been your first clue not to read it,
since you obviously don't like the premise and characters I'm working with.
So, instead of reading my stories, and sending me a nasty piece of
feedback, go read something you'll enjoy. Thanks. Don't come again.
2. Dean: He's known to fly off the handle when it comes to Jess. And if you've seen the episodes with the entire Dean vs. Jess nastiness, and have been reading these chapters (Thank you for reading!), you know that this has been building for a while. You'll also note that this is not the first time Dean has initiated the fisticuffs. He threw the first punch on the show, too. He's fed up. It doesn't matter whether you like Dean or not, he's just fucking fed up with Jess. And yes, Jess is a little schmuck, but that's why I love the character. He can be such a little dickhead like you wouldn't believe. Rory knows it, but I think that's also part of his appeal to her, as well.
3. Rory's reaction: I adore Rory. She's funny, and sweet, and if she were a real person, I'd wanna be her best friend. Unfortunately, in matters of the heart, she can be a little oblivious. In the show, she really doesn't seem to have any idea Dean still has feelings for her, and that applies here as well. She doesn't understand Dean, and to her, it really was just a rubber band.
Onto the fic!
Up the Down Staircase
Luke exited his bedroom after a particularly phone fight with Nicole over their divorce papers. He wasn't expecting anyone to be in the apartment, but he was wrong.
Lorelei was sitting on the couch, speaking calm words to Jess as he took deep, shaky breaths. He looked as if he were about to be sick, or fall asleep, or both.
It was so surreal. Like something out of a different dimension. The alarmed look on Jess's face, and the worried stare from Lorelei. She really was starting to like Jess. The Armageddon cometh.
He walked over to the couch and sat on Jess's other side. "What happened?"
"Dean walked in," Lorelei replied. "He and Rory are... or... were probably, knowing her, talking outside."
Luke nodded and turned to Jess. "You okay? You need to go to the hospital?"
He shook his head.
"Jess, you should lay down," Lorelei said gently.
He shook his head again. "I'm fine."
Luke and Lorelei gave each other a glance.
"Jess, come on," Luke said.
"I said I'm fine," Jess snapped, trying to be a little louder as he got to his feet.
Luke began to get a little mad. "You can't go around like-"
"Like what?" Jess growled. "I said I'm fine, what more do you want outta me?"
Lorelei watched them and sighed, thankful that she and Rory rarely had fights like these.
"I want you to take it easy!" Luke yelled fully. "Because you're not fine and your tough-guy act isn't fooling anyone!"
Jess rolled his eyes and headed for the door. "Screw this."
*****
Lily had followed Rory to the bridge in the park, and sat down next to her. The rain was still coming down steadily, but it wasn't harsh enough to pose a problem.
"What are you doing here?" Rory asked calmly.
Lily was surprised that the older girl wasn't crying. She looked like she should be.
She sat down next to Rory.
"Hey, Lily," Rory replied. "How come you've been following me?"
"You knew?"
Rory nodded. "You're not very stealthy."
Lily smirked. She liked this girl. "What happened between Jess and that guy?"
"They... Me... I guess," Rory replied uncomfortably. "Dean is my ex- boyfriend. He and Jess don't get along, and things got really bad last weekend."
"He really hurt Jess bad, didn't he?"
"It wasn't all Dean," Rory shook her head. "A lot of it was the accident... and Jess threw a few punches, too."
Lily nodded. "Don't hurt Jess or I'll have to break your fingers off."
Rory smiled at the girl. "You really care about him, don't you?"
Lily nodded. "He helped me out over the summer," she told the older girl. "There was this bunch of bullies who always picked on me and Jess beat 'em up. And he read with me, and let me borrow a bunch of his books."
"Wow," Rory said. "That was nice of him." It amazed her that Jess could be that nice.
"His birthday is in a few days," Lily went on. "I got him a book."
Rory blinked and stared. "His birthday... when?"
"Two days from now."
"He didn't tell me," Rory said, sounding slightly alarmed. "He didn't tell me. Why didn't he tell me? I have to... get him a present... and cake... and... It's in two days?"
Lily laughed a little. "He doesn't like to make a big deal out of it, or that's what he says."
"Well, that's tough," Rory replied indignantly. "I'm making a big deal. Two days?"
Lily giggled. "He was right, you're really silly."
"He talked about me?"
"Sometimes," the younger girl shrugged. "He missed you."
Rory nodded. "I missed him, too. I'm really happy that he's here."
"He's glad to be here, believe me," Lily replied. "He hated like California. He and Jimmy fought all the time."
Rory frowned. "That's rough. Hey, Lily, how come you came all the way out here? Why not just mail the present?"
She shrugged again. "I was bored."
Rory cracked a smile.
******
"Thanks for helping him, Lorelei."
They were standing awkwardly in the apartment.
Lorelei nodded. "He didn't look so hot. I thought I'd check on him."
"Well, once again, you saved the day," Luke told her. "Thanks again."
She nodded once more. "I'm gonna go downstairs and hope that my food is ready."
"Okay."
They stood staring at each other for a moment longer, before Lorelei finally pulled her gaze away and left.
Luke picked up the phone and dialed as the door shut behind Lorelei. "Nicole? Yeah, it's me, again. Listen, I don't care anymore. Whatever it was that we had joint ownership of, just keep it. It doesn't matter." With that, he hung up the phone.
*****
"What was that?"
Dean glanced across the table to Lindsay. "What was what?"
"You and Rory outside, what was that?" she asked, putting her menu down.
"It was nothing," he told her gruffly. "Just... nothing."
Lindsay gave a slow nod and picked her menu back up.
"You two ready?"
Dean looked up and glared at Jess.
Jess looked thoroughly nonplussed. "Look, I'd love to stand here and have a menacing glare contest with you all night, but I'm busy, or didn't you notice the other people at the other tables who are waiting for their orders to be taken? Now, either order, or get out."
Lindsay looked from one to the other, a little shocked, and a little frightened after what had gone on between them the weekend before.
Dean got to his feet and stormed to the exit.
"Have a nice evening! Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out!" He turned back to Lindsay, tapping his pencil on his order pad. "What'll it be?"
Lindsay watched as her husband stormed off into the night. "Actually, I'm not so hungry. I'm just gonna go... thank you..." she got up and grabbed her coat, and headed out after Dean, just as Dave was walking in the door.
Jess nodded to him. "Hey."
"Hey, Jess," Dave replied, shaking out some of the rain from his short hair. "Is Lane still here or did she spontaneously combust?"
"She's in back," Jess replied. "Have a seat, I'll get her."
Dave nodded as he watched Jess walk to the kitchen door.
"Hey, Lane! Your valium is here!"
She came shooting out of the kitchen, and Jess rolled his eyes and went back to work.
Lorelei watched him from her spot at the counter. He looked pale and a little shaky, but seemed to be doing much better than he had been. Still...
"Hey, Jess?"
"More coffee?"
"Yeah, but other than that... maybe you should just go upstairs and chill out for a while," Lorelei said.
"Nope."
"But-"
"Nope."
"Jess-"
He turned to her. "Why do you care anyways?"
Lorelei sighed. "Because... because Rory cares. And she'd be really sad if you passed out from... whatever it is that's wrong with you."
"Nothing's wrong with me."
"You couldn't breathe upstairs."
"Nothing's wrong with me."
Luke stormed down the stairs. "Jess!"
Jess rolled his eyes and groaned. "What?"
"Upstairs! Now!"
"I'm busy."
"I said now!"
"You can't order me around! I don't live here anymore!"
Luke glowered. "I pay you!"
Jess walked upstairs.
Luke walked after him a few paces. "And don't come back down here until nothing's wrong with you!"
Jess began to walk back down the stairs.
Luke glared menacingly and Jess walked back up the stairs.
2. Dean: He's known to fly off the handle when it comes to Jess. And if you've seen the episodes with the entire Dean vs. Jess nastiness, and have been reading these chapters (Thank you for reading!), you know that this has been building for a while. You'll also note that this is not the first time Dean has initiated the fisticuffs. He threw the first punch on the show, too. He's fed up. It doesn't matter whether you like Dean or not, he's just fucking fed up with Jess. And yes, Jess is a little schmuck, but that's why I love the character. He can be such a little dickhead like you wouldn't believe. Rory knows it, but I think that's also part of his appeal to her, as well.
3. Rory's reaction: I adore Rory. She's funny, and sweet, and if she were a real person, I'd wanna be her best friend. Unfortunately, in matters of the heart, she can be a little oblivious. In the show, she really doesn't seem to have any idea Dean still has feelings for her, and that applies here as well. She doesn't understand Dean, and to her, it really was just a rubber band.
Onto the fic!
Up the Down Staircase
Luke exited his bedroom after a particularly phone fight with Nicole over their divorce papers. He wasn't expecting anyone to be in the apartment, but he was wrong.
Lorelei was sitting on the couch, speaking calm words to Jess as he took deep, shaky breaths. He looked as if he were about to be sick, or fall asleep, or both.
It was so surreal. Like something out of a different dimension. The alarmed look on Jess's face, and the worried stare from Lorelei. She really was starting to like Jess. The Armageddon cometh.
He walked over to the couch and sat on Jess's other side. "What happened?"
"Dean walked in," Lorelei replied. "He and Rory are... or... were probably, knowing her, talking outside."
Luke nodded and turned to Jess. "You okay? You need to go to the hospital?"
He shook his head.
"Jess, you should lay down," Lorelei said gently.
He shook his head again. "I'm fine."
Luke and Lorelei gave each other a glance.
"Jess, come on," Luke said.
"I said I'm fine," Jess snapped, trying to be a little louder as he got to his feet.
Luke began to get a little mad. "You can't go around like-"
"Like what?" Jess growled. "I said I'm fine, what more do you want outta me?"
Lorelei watched them and sighed, thankful that she and Rory rarely had fights like these.
"I want you to take it easy!" Luke yelled fully. "Because you're not fine and your tough-guy act isn't fooling anyone!"
Jess rolled his eyes and headed for the door. "Screw this."
*****
Lily had followed Rory to the bridge in the park, and sat down next to her. The rain was still coming down steadily, but it wasn't harsh enough to pose a problem.
"What are you doing here?" Rory asked calmly.
Lily was surprised that the older girl wasn't crying. She looked like she should be.
She sat down next to Rory.
"Hey, Lily," Rory replied. "How come you've been following me?"
"You knew?"
Rory nodded. "You're not very stealthy."
Lily smirked. She liked this girl. "What happened between Jess and that guy?"
"They... Me... I guess," Rory replied uncomfortably. "Dean is my ex- boyfriend. He and Jess don't get along, and things got really bad last weekend."
"He really hurt Jess bad, didn't he?"
"It wasn't all Dean," Rory shook her head. "A lot of it was the accident... and Jess threw a few punches, too."
Lily nodded. "Don't hurt Jess or I'll have to break your fingers off."
Rory smiled at the girl. "You really care about him, don't you?"
Lily nodded. "He helped me out over the summer," she told the older girl. "There was this bunch of bullies who always picked on me and Jess beat 'em up. And he read with me, and let me borrow a bunch of his books."
"Wow," Rory said. "That was nice of him." It amazed her that Jess could be that nice.
"His birthday is in a few days," Lily went on. "I got him a book."
Rory blinked and stared. "His birthday... when?"
"Two days from now."
"He didn't tell me," Rory said, sounding slightly alarmed. "He didn't tell me. Why didn't he tell me? I have to... get him a present... and cake... and... It's in two days?"
Lily laughed a little. "He doesn't like to make a big deal out of it, or that's what he says."
"Well, that's tough," Rory replied indignantly. "I'm making a big deal. Two days?"
Lily giggled. "He was right, you're really silly."
"He talked about me?"
"Sometimes," the younger girl shrugged. "He missed you."
Rory nodded. "I missed him, too. I'm really happy that he's here."
"He's glad to be here, believe me," Lily replied. "He hated like California. He and Jimmy fought all the time."
Rory frowned. "That's rough. Hey, Lily, how come you came all the way out here? Why not just mail the present?"
She shrugged again. "I was bored."
Rory cracked a smile.
******
"Thanks for helping him, Lorelei."
They were standing awkwardly in the apartment.
Lorelei nodded. "He didn't look so hot. I thought I'd check on him."
"Well, once again, you saved the day," Luke told her. "Thanks again."
She nodded once more. "I'm gonna go downstairs and hope that my food is ready."
"Okay."
They stood staring at each other for a moment longer, before Lorelei finally pulled her gaze away and left.
Luke picked up the phone and dialed as the door shut behind Lorelei. "Nicole? Yeah, it's me, again. Listen, I don't care anymore. Whatever it was that we had joint ownership of, just keep it. It doesn't matter." With that, he hung up the phone.
*****
"What was that?"
Dean glanced across the table to Lindsay. "What was what?"
"You and Rory outside, what was that?" she asked, putting her menu down.
"It was nothing," he told her gruffly. "Just... nothing."
Lindsay gave a slow nod and picked her menu back up.
"You two ready?"
Dean looked up and glared at Jess.
Jess looked thoroughly nonplussed. "Look, I'd love to stand here and have a menacing glare contest with you all night, but I'm busy, or didn't you notice the other people at the other tables who are waiting for their orders to be taken? Now, either order, or get out."
Lindsay looked from one to the other, a little shocked, and a little frightened after what had gone on between them the weekend before.
Dean got to his feet and stormed to the exit.
"Have a nice evening! Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out!" He turned back to Lindsay, tapping his pencil on his order pad. "What'll it be?"
Lindsay watched as her husband stormed off into the night. "Actually, I'm not so hungry. I'm just gonna go... thank you..." she got up and grabbed her coat, and headed out after Dean, just as Dave was walking in the door.
Jess nodded to him. "Hey."
"Hey, Jess," Dave replied, shaking out some of the rain from his short hair. "Is Lane still here or did she spontaneously combust?"
"She's in back," Jess replied. "Have a seat, I'll get her."
Dave nodded as he watched Jess walk to the kitchen door.
"Hey, Lane! Your valium is here!"
She came shooting out of the kitchen, and Jess rolled his eyes and went back to work.
Lorelei watched him from her spot at the counter. He looked pale and a little shaky, but seemed to be doing much better than he had been. Still...
"Hey, Jess?"
"More coffee?"
"Yeah, but other than that... maybe you should just go upstairs and chill out for a while," Lorelei said.
"Nope."
"But-"
"Nope."
"Jess-"
He turned to her. "Why do you care anyways?"
Lorelei sighed. "Because... because Rory cares. And she'd be really sad if you passed out from... whatever it is that's wrong with you."
"Nothing's wrong with me."
"You couldn't breathe upstairs."
"Nothing's wrong with me."
Luke stormed down the stairs. "Jess!"
Jess rolled his eyes and groaned. "What?"
"Upstairs! Now!"
"I'm busy."
"I said now!"
"You can't order me around! I don't live here anymore!"
Luke glowered. "I pay you!"
Jess walked upstairs.
Luke walked after him a few paces. "And don't come back down here until nothing's wrong with you!"
Jess began to walk back down the stairs.
Luke glared menacingly and Jess walked back up the stairs.