When she woke up the next morning, he wasn't there.
Her initial reaction to this was to panic, but she quickly regained her composure and got up and dressed. When she walked out to the kitchen, she noticed that the clock on the stove read 6:15 am.
Sasha smiled at her as she bustled in. "Hey, Rory."
"Hey, Sasha, where's-?"
"He went for a walk," Sasha replied. "He shouldn't be too long. Your mom called this morning. She said your flight's at 2:40."
Rory nodded. "Thanks." She began to head for the bathroom.
"Hey, Rory?"
She turned back.
"I know it's not fair to you that Jess is staying," Sasha said seriously. "I know it sucks. I'm sorry."
Rory shrugged a little. "I think maybe he would have stayed even if you hadn't asked."
*****
Lorelei watched Luke as he leaned against the counter of the diner with the phone to his ear. "No, it's fine. You got your bases covered? Landlord knows? Connor knows?" He nodded. "Good... no. You do what you gotta do. Yeah. Yeah, I'll... Yeah. Okay. You be good. Oh, shut the hell up." With that, he hung up the phone and sighed as he went back to work.
"Jess?"
Luke nodded. "Jess. He's staying in Venice Beach."
"What?!" Lorelei asked. "Why? He can't stay! He has to be at this party tonight!"
"Sasha asked him to stay to help."
"For how long?" Lorelei asked.
Luke shrugged.
*****
He was kissing her passionately in the middle of the airport. If she wasn't so swept away by him, she would have been embarrassed due to all of the stares they were getting.
She wished he could come through the gate with her.
He pulled his lips from hers finally, and just stared at her.
If she had much less self-control, and was much more animalistic, she would have dragged him into a bathroom and taken him much like she had the night before.
They called her flight number with a few others that would be arriving shortly.
"Have a safe flight."
She nodded. "I'll call you when I get there."
He nodded back.
She started kissing him again, but pulled away quickly. "I have to go."
He nodded, but neither one moved.
"Okay," Rory said. "On the count of three we take two steps back from each other."
Jess nodded.
"One... two... three."
They both took two steps back, but their hands held onto each other.
Rory sighed and entwines her fingers with his. "Maybe we should have gotten here earlier..."
*****
Lorelei saw her daughter walk through the airport, and she waved. "Rory!"
Rory looked up and rushed over and hugged her. "Mom!"
"Ugh. I missed you! Don't you ever run off to California without tell me again!"
"I know. I'm sorry."
Lorelei pulled back, and looked her daughter up and down. "Let's see... no visible wounds. No missing teeth. Mental scarring?"
"None."
"Good. Virginity?"
Rory graced her mother with a wide-eyed stare and a red face.
"Oh...Oh... I was kidding..." Lorelei stammered. "Oh, my god. You did?"
Rory turned an even darker shade of red.
"Are you okay?"
Rory nodded.
"You... he used a... a... right?"
Rory nodded again.
Lorelei sighed. "Okay. Okay. You need... stuff. The pill and... stuff... we'll... uh... talk. And... stuff. Is he any good?"
"Mom!" Rory's skin was swiftly approaching a shade that was reminiscent of cherry Cool Aid.
"Sorry, sorry," Lorelei replied. She smirked a little and nudged her daughter slightly as they walked out of the airport. "Well?"
Rory couldn't help but smile and turn yet a darker shade of red.
*****
"Want anything?"
"A giant cheeseburger with the works, and fries and onion rings on the side, topped off with a large Coke."
Jess shook his head as he stood over his father's bed. "No can do, Jimmy."
They'd brought him home after filling out all the necessary paperwork and dealing with the doctors and nurses. Jess still hate hospitals with a fiery passion.
Jimmy sighed. "Damn. It's gonna be hell having you back here, isn't it?"
Jess smirked and shrugged.
"Hey," Jimmy said, shifting a little on his bed. "Listen, Sasha and I were talking, and... there are two things we want outta you this summer..."
Jess raised and eyebrow. "Oh?"
"We uh... we want you to get a job..."
Jess nodded. "Yeah. That's not the biggest shock in the world. I would have even if you didn't ask."
Jimmy nodded. "Jess, we uh... we want you to take classes and get your diploma."
Jess stared at his father, blinking occasionally. "Huh. No."
"Jess..."
"No."
"It would mean a lot to-"
"No."
"You either go to school, or you sleep in the kennel closet with the dogs."
Jess glared.
"You're a smart kid, Jess," Jimmy pleaded. "I've seen it. I saw it all last summer. Why waste that?"
"I hate school," Jess replied. "I hate it. Everything they make you read, I've either already read, or don't care to, and all the shit they teach you doesn't make any sense for me to learn. Where the hell am I gonna use any of that crap?!"
"I don't know, Jess," Jimmy snapped. "Somewhere. Jesus Christ, even I got my high school diploma."
"Okay. So I'm pathetic."
"Jess, you're going to school this summer. You're gonna get your high school diploma. After that, I don't care what the hell you do. But you gotta have something."
Jess glared and stormed out.
******
"Wow... you and Jess..."
Rory nodded as she sat across from Lane in her apartment. "Jess and I."
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"How was it?"
Rory turned red. "It..." she sighed. "It was amazing."
Lane laughed. "How many times?"
"Oh, my god! Lane!"
"What?!" the other girl cried. "It's a valid question!"
Rory shook her head.
"So?"
Rory held up three fingers.
"Whoa!" Lane cried. "You guys are like... bunnies! Literate bunnies!"
"Oh, my god."
"I mean... wow... Dave and I only did it once."
Rory's eyes widened at her best friend. "You and Dave? You and Dave? Why didn't you tell me?!"
"You were in California!" Lane cried. "Having sex with Jess!"
There was silence.
"So..." Rory said. "There's a chance that we could have been having sex at the exact same time."
More silence.
"That's kinda cool," Lane commented. "Yet, so, so very creepy."
Rory nodded in agreement.
*****
"She got home safe?"
Lorelei nodded as she watched Luke fill Kirk's coffee. "Yup."
Luke walked behind the counter and she turned to face him.
"She's okay?"
"Yup," Lorelei repeated. "She had sex."
Luke nodded and turned around to pull something off the shelf, seemingly not hearing her. "That's ni- ... She what?"
Lorelei nodded.
Luke was speechless.
"With Jess."
Luke cringed.
"She said it was good."
"Lorelei!"
Lane walked by with a couple of plates. "Three times," she whispered.
"OH MY GOD!" Luke yelled. "I... I have to go upstairs." He stalked up the stairs to the sound of Lorelei and Lane laughing.
Rory walked over and raised an eyebrow at her two best friends. "What's funny?"
Both whirled around, looking slightly guilty.
"Nothing," Lane replied quickly. "Nothing at all."
"Good... because I wouldn't want to walk in on either of you making fun of me... especially you, Lane... whom I now have the exact same dirt on that you have on me..."
Lane turned red.
Lorelei stared in shock. "You and Dave?"
Lane blinked. "I have to work." She rushed off with the plates.
Lorelei turned to Rory, who sat down. "Lane and Dave?"
Rory nodded. "Lane and Dave."
"Oh... that's so creepy."
"Oh, yeah," Rory replied. "Where's Luke?"
Luke rushed back down the stairs, saw Rory and almost ran back up the stairs.
"Uh... Luke?"
He whirled around. "Yeah... Rory... Hi, Rory. Rory, how are you? Do I have to kill Jess? Because when he comes back, I'm going to need him around here."
Rory's eyes widened and she turned to Lorelei. "You told him?!"
"It was a joke!" Lorelei cried. "I just wanted to make him feel uncomfortable."
"At my expense!"
"It was funny!"
Rory sighed. "Luke."
"Yeah?" He was turned around.
"You're not gonna be able to look me in the eye for a while, are you?"
"Nope."
"Can I have a job?"
Luke whirled around. "Huh?"
Lorelei stared at her daughter.
"I... I need a summer job," Rory confessed. "And I know you're shorthanded now that Jess is all the way... way... way..." She sighed as she thought about just how far it was. "Way out there... and I was wondering..."
Luke blinked. "Uh... Yeah. Yeah, of course. Sure. Stop by tomorrow and we'll work stuff out with hours and wages, okay?"
"Ah. No can do on tomorrow," Lorelei replied. "She's got a party to go to. And so do you, if I remember my invitation list correctly."
Luke sighed. "Yeah. Day after tomorrow then."
Rory smiled. "Thanks, Luke."
He nodded. "No problem."
*****
"So, how is it?"
Rory leaned over the balcony of her grandparent's house, looking out at the trees. "It's... well, it's very nice," she stated matter-of-factly into her cell phone.
"You hate it."
"It's too nice," Rory admitted. "And it's missing something."
"What?"
"You."
She could hear Jess smirk. "I'd convince you to climb out a window to go partying up in New York with me."
"Exactly!" Rory cried. "And I'd say no partying, because you scare me when you're drunk, and then we'd compromise and sit in the car and read the entire night."
He sighed. "We're becoming predictable."
"That's okay," Rory replied. "As long as we're predictable together."
"Yeah," he replied. "I'm sorry I'm not there."
"That's okay. Jamie's here. I'm pretty sure he spiked the punch. You should see my grandmother."
"Oh?"
"She's hitting on Dave."
Jess laughed maniacally. "Oh, that's just too good. Don't suppose I could get a picture of that?"
"Mom's got it covered."
"Good old Lorelei," Jess snickered.
"How's your dad?"
"Adjusting, still," Jess replied. "He's pretty depressed that he has to cut back his diet so much."
"Yeah, I'd probably die if I had to do that," Rory nodded. "Is Lily okay?"
"Yeah, she's much better now that Jimmy's back," he told her. "She's been waiting on him hand and foot."
"She's the good sibling," Rory joked.
"And I'm evil, I know, I know."
She laughed a little. "I like you that way, though. So that's okay."
She heard him smirk.
"Oh. So everybody thinks it's either incredibly funny or incredibly disturbing that you and I had sex."
Jess shook his head and shifted himself a little on his bed in Venice Beach. "I still can't believe you tell people."
Rory smiled. "Some people I didn't even have to tell."
"Yeah, other people told them."
"Nope. Paris? She knew on site."
"How?" Jess asked, sounding bewildered.
"I don't know," Rory replied, just as bewildered. "She just looked at me and went 'Oh my god! You had sex! Mary had sex!' I had to keep her outside until she overcame the shock."
Jess laughed a little. "God. Now I really want you."
"So get over here and take me, Dodger," she blurted out. She instantly turned red, even though no one except Jess heard her.
"I would, but Jimmy's calling me for something or other," Jess replied with a slightly bitter edge to his voice.
"Maybe tomorrow."
He nodded. "Maybe."
*****
Emily sighed as she watched her granddaughter talk on her cell phone through the balcony doors. "Lorelei, tell Rory to get in here. She's being very rude to her guests."
Lorelei sighed. "Let her have a few more minutes, Mom. It's important."
Her initial reaction to this was to panic, but she quickly regained her composure and got up and dressed. When she walked out to the kitchen, she noticed that the clock on the stove read 6:15 am.
Sasha smiled at her as she bustled in. "Hey, Rory."
"Hey, Sasha, where's-?"
"He went for a walk," Sasha replied. "He shouldn't be too long. Your mom called this morning. She said your flight's at 2:40."
Rory nodded. "Thanks." She began to head for the bathroom.
"Hey, Rory?"
She turned back.
"I know it's not fair to you that Jess is staying," Sasha said seriously. "I know it sucks. I'm sorry."
Rory shrugged a little. "I think maybe he would have stayed even if you hadn't asked."
*****
Lorelei watched Luke as he leaned against the counter of the diner with the phone to his ear. "No, it's fine. You got your bases covered? Landlord knows? Connor knows?" He nodded. "Good... no. You do what you gotta do. Yeah. Yeah, I'll... Yeah. Okay. You be good. Oh, shut the hell up." With that, he hung up the phone and sighed as he went back to work.
"Jess?"
Luke nodded. "Jess. He's staying in Venice Beach."
"What?!" Lorelei asked. "Why? He can't stay! He has to be at this party tonight!"
"Sasha asked him to stay to help."
"For how long?" Lorelei asked.
Luke shrugged.
*****
He was kissing her passionately in the middle of the airport. If she wasn't so swept away by him, she would have been embarrassed due to all of the stares they were getting.
She wished he could come through the gate with her.
He pulled his lips from hers finally, and just stared at her.
If she had much less self-control, and was much more animalistic, she would have dragged him into a bathroom and taken him much like she had the night before.
They called her flight number with a few others that would be arriving shortly.
"Have a safe flight."
She nodded. "I'll call you when I get there."
He nodded back.
She started kissing him again, but pulled away quickly. "I have to go."
He nodded, but neither one moved.
"Okay," Rory said. "On the count of three we take two steps back from each other."
Jess nodded.
"One... two... three."
They both took two steps back, but their hands held onto each other.
Rory sighed and entwines her fingers with his. "Maybe we should have gotten here earlier..."
*****
Lorelei saw her daughter walk through the airport, and she waved. "Rory!"
Rory looked up and rushed over and hugged her. "Mom!"
"Ugh. I missed you! Don't you ever run off to California without tell me again!"
"I know. I'm sorry."
Lorelei pulled back, and looked her daughter up and down. "Let's see... no visible wounds. No missing teeth. Mental scarring?"
"None."
"Good. Virginity?"
Rory graced her mother with a wide-eyed stare and a red face.
"Oh...Oh... I was kidding..." Lorelei stammered. "Oh, my god. You did?"
Rory turned an even darker shade of red.
"Are you okay?"
Rory nodded.
"You... he used a... a... right?"
Rory nodded again.
Lorelei sighed. "Okay. Okay. You need... stuff. The pill and... stuff... we'll... uh... talk. And... stuff. Is he any good?"
"Mom!" Rory's skin was swiftly approaching a shade that was reminiscent of cherry Cool Aid.
"Sorry, sorry," Lorelei replied. She smirked a little and nudged her daughter slightly as they walked out of the airport. "Well?"
Rory couldn't help but smile and turn yet a darker shade of red.
*****
"Want anything?"
"A giant cheeseburger with the works, and fries and onion rings on the side, topped off with a large Coke."
Jess shook his head as he stood over his father's bed. "No can do, Jimmy."
They'd brought him home after filling out all the necessary paperwork and dealing with the doctors and nurses. Jess still hate hospitals with a fiery passion.
Jimmy sighed. "Damn. It's gonna be hell having you back here, isn't it?"
Jess smirked and shrugged.
"Hey," Jimmy said, shifting a little on his bed. "Listen, Sasha and I were talking, and... there are two things we want outta you this summer..."
Jess raised and eyebrow. "Oh?"
"We uh... we want you to get a job..."
Jess nodded. "Yeah. That's not the biggest shock in the world. I would have even if you didn't ask."
Jimmy nodded. "Jess, we uh... we want you to take classes and get your diploma."
Jess stared at his father, blinking occasionally. "Huh. No."
"Jess..."
"No."
"It would mean a lot to-"
"No."
"You either go to school, or you sleep in the kennel closet with the dogs."
Jess glared.
"You're a smart kid, Jess," Jimmy pleaded. "I've seen it. I saw it all last summer. Why waste that?"
"I hate school," Jess replied. "I hate it. Everything they make you read, I've either already read, or don't care to, and all the shit they teach you doesn't make any sense for me to learn. Where the hell am I gonna use any of that crap?!"
"I don't know, Jess," Jimmy snapped. "Somewhere. Jesus Christ, even I got my high school diploma."
"Okay. So I'm pathetic."
"Jess, you're going to school this summer. You're gonna get your high school diploma. After that, I don't care what the hell you do. But you gotta have something."
Jess glared and stormed out.
******
"Wow... you and Jess..."
Rory nodded as she sat across from Lane in her apartment. "Jess and I."
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"How was it?"
Rory turned red. "It..." she sighed. "It was amazing."
Lane laughed. "How many times?"
"Oh, my god! Lane!"
"What?!" the other girl cried. "It's a valid question!"
Rory shook her head.
"So?"
Rory held up three fingers.
"Whoa!" Lane cried. "You guys are like... bunnies! Literate bunnies!"
"Oh, my god."
"I mean... wow... Dave and I only did it once."
Rory's eyes widened at her best friend. "You and Dave? You and Dave? Why didn't you tell me?!"
"You were in California!" Lane cried. "Having sex with Jess!"
There was silence.
"So..." Rory said. "There's a chance that we could have been having sex at the exact same time."
More silence.
"That's kinda cool," Lane commented. "Yet, so, so very creepy."
Rory nodded in agreement.
*****
"She got home safe?"
Lorelei nodded as she watched Luke fill Kirk's coffee. "Yup."
Luke walked behind the counter and she turned to face him.
"She's okay?"
"Yup," Lorelei repeated. "She had sex."
Luke nodded and turned around to pull something off the shelf, seemingly not hearing her. "That's ni- ... She what?"
Lorelei nodded.
Luke was speechless.
"With Jess."
Luke cringed.
"She said it was good."
"Lorelei!"
Lane walked by with a couple of plates. "Three times," she whispered.
"OH MY GOD!" Luke yelled. "I... I have to go upstairs." He stalked up the stairs to the sound of Lorelei and Lane laughing.
Rory walked over and raised an eyebrow at her two best friends. "What's funny?"
Both whirled around, looking slightly guilty.
"Nothing," Lane replied quickly. "Nothing at all."
"Good... because I wouldn't want to walk in on either of you making fun of me... especially you, Lane... whom I now have the exact same dirt on that you have on me..."
Lane turned red.
Lorelei stared in shock. "You and Dave?"
Lane blinked. "I have to work." She rushed off with the plates.
Lorelei turned to Rory, who sat down. "Lane and Dave?"
Rory nodded. "Lane and Dave."
"Oh... that's so creepy."
"Oh, yeah," Rory replied. "Where's Luke?"
Luke rushed back down the stairs, saw Rory and almost ran back up the stairs.
"Uh... Luke?"
He whirled around. "Yeah... Rory... Hi, Rory. Rory, how are you? Do I have to kill Jess? Because when he comes back, I'm going to need him around here."
Rory's eyes widened and she turned to Lorelei. "You told him?!"
"It was a joke!" Lorelei cried. "I just wanted to make him feel uncomfortable."
"At my expense!"
"It was funny!"
Rory sighed. "Luke."
"Yeah?" He was turned around.
"You're not gonna be able to look me in the eye for a while, are you?"
"Nope."
"Can I have a job?"
Luke whirled around. "Huh?"
Lorelei stared at her daughter.
"I... I need a summer job," Rory confessed. "And I know you're shorthanded now that Jess is all the way... way... way..." She sighed as she thought about just how far it was. "Way out there... and I was wondering..."
Luke blinked. "Uh... Yeah. Yeah, of course. Sure. Stop by tomorrow and we'll work stuff out with hours and wages, okay?"
"Ah. No can do on tomorrow," Lorelei replied. "She's got a party to go to. And so do you, if I remember my invitation list correctly."
Luke sighed. "Yeah. Day after tomorrow then."
Rory smiled. "Thanks, Luke."
He nodded. "No problem."
*****
"So, how is it?"
Rory leaned over the balcony of her grandparent's house, looking out at the trees. "It's... well, it's very nice," she stated matter-of-factly into her cell phone.
"You hate it."
"It's too nice," Rory admitted. "And it's missing something."
"What?"
"You."
She could hear Jess smirk. "I'd convince you to climb out a window to go partying up in New York with me."
"Exactly!" Rory cried. "And I'd say no partying, because you scare me when you're drunk, and then we'd compromise and sit in the car and read the entire night."
He sighed. "We're becoming predictable."
"That's okay," Rory replied. "As long as we're predictable together."
"Yeah," he replied. "I'm sorry I'm not there."
"That's okay. Jamie's here. I'm pretty sure he spiked the punch. You should see my grandmother."
"Oh?"
"She's hitting on Dave."
Jess laughed maniacally. "Oh, that's just too good. Don't suppose I could get a picture of that?"
"Mom's got it covered."
"Good old Lorelei," Jess snickered.
"How's your dad?"
"Adjusting, still," Jess replied. "He's pretty depressed that he has to cut back his diet so much."
"Yeah, I'd probably die if I had to do that," Rory nodded. "Is Lily okay?"
"Yeah, she's much better now that Jimmy's back," he told her. "She's been waiting on him hand and foot."
"She's the good sibling," Rory joked.
"And I'm evil, I know, I know."
She laughed a little. "I like you that way, though. So that's okay."
She heard him smirk.
"Oh. So everybody thinks it's either incredibly funny or incredibly disturbing that you and I had sex."
Jess shook his head and shifted himself a little on his bed in Venice Beach. "I still can't believe you tell people."
Rory smiled. "Some people I didn't even have to tell."
"Yeah, other people told them."
"Nope. Paris? She knew on site."
"How?" Jess asked, sounding bewildered.
"I don't know," Rory replied, just as bewildered. "She just looked at me and went 'Oh my god! You had sex! Mary had sex!' I had to keep her outside until she overcame the shock."
Jess laughed a little. "God. Now I really want you."
"So get over here and take me, Dodger," she blurted out. She instantly turned red, even though no one except Jess heard her.
"I would, but Jimmy's calling me for something or other," Jess replied with a slightly bitter edge to his voice.
"Maybe tomorrow."
He nodded. "Maybe."
*****
Emily sighed as she watched her granddaughter talk on her cell phone through the balcony doors. "Lorelei, tell Rory to get in here. She's being very rude to her guests."
Lorelei sighed. "Let her have a few more minutes, Mom. It's important."