A/N: Nope, I'm not dead yet and yes Amanda, I've finally posted this one.
This story just fell through the cracks a bit, sorry 'bout that. This
chapter I'm gonna try to go a little more in detail with a few storylines
that I've neglected (I know, I've neglected the whole thing, but these
especially.)
Kari
Chapter 31
**********
He watched her face tense and her eyes roll as the couple said their good- byes at the door. A small, yet sympathetic, smile escaped him. Poor girl. She had convinced herself she was a cynic when all she really was, was envious. Even if she would never let herself in it, she wanted what they had.
"It's okay, you're allowed to be jealous Em.", he whispered into her ear.
Emma's stomach gave a lurch, much to her disapproval, at the slight tingle his breath had left on her ear. God, he shouldn't have done that. She didn't need that right now.
"No. I'm not.", she replied willfully, after returning her rebel stomach back to it's proper place. Travis sighed as she climbed out of the car and, with a false face, pulled Lana into the house.
"Can't say I didn't expect that.", he mumbled to himself, and cringed inwardly at the prospect of the inevitably uncomfortable silence that would come when Alex got back in the car.
*~*
"So, want anything Lan? We got ice cream, all sorts of junk food, coffee..." Emma scrambled about in the kitchen, ignoring the peculiar look Lana was throwing her.
"What's up with you?" she questioned with a concerned glance.
"Nothing is 'up' with me. You sure you don't want some ice cream? We got Moose Tracks." she evaded.
"You and Travis seem to be getting along a lot better."
Her mind froze in place for a second and her breath got a little stuck in her throat when Lana mentioned him. With trained discipline, Emma's wall of sarcasm shot right up.
"Weren't you too starry-eyed to notice that?" Emma countered. Undeterred and completely use to her comments, Lana continued to press the matter.
"Didn't you need to talk about something... more than likely someone?"
Emma glared at her, knowing she'd have to talk whether she liked it or not.
"Em, no one would blame you, I mean you'd have to be dead or blind not to..."
"Lan." she warned.
"Well talk then."
"It's just... I thought I had the guy pegged, you know? Egocentric, unfeeling trust fund baby and then he pulls this poor little rich boy act and... ugh... I should know better," Emma finally blurted out. That felt good. Now if only she could stop.
"I don't know, he's either actually human or damn good actor."
"Maybe Alex and you were wrong about him. He might be a nice guy once you..."
"No Lan, he's not a 'nice guy'. He's bitter, cynical, and as far as I can see, is making his way through most of the female population at Chilton." she interrupted, digging a spoon into the big carton of ice cream and plopping it into a bowl.
"Then why..."
"I don't know Lana, he's just..." Emma trailed off, rubbing her head as if the thought of him gave her a migraine and pushed the bowl toward Lana.
"... Someone you can't stop thinking about?" she supplied. Emma just glanced in her direction, then ate a large spoonful straight from the carton.
*
"So uh, you and Emma now?" Alex questioned, staring straight at the road, after a few moments of silence.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Al." Travis countered defensively, applying another disdained nickname.
"For the record, I don't like it."
"We're not in Utah, you can't have them both." he replied dryly. Alex rolled his eyes and said nothing for a while.
"She just doesn't seem like your type." Alex commented.
"Then you don't know me do you?" Travis deadpanned.
"Don't screw with her Travis, she'd kick your ass." he added the last part with a wry smile.
"And I'd mind?"
*~*
"It'll be called 'A Dickens of a Holiday'."
"Taylor get the hell out of my diner."
"But, Luke... it's once a year. The rest of the town..."
"I don't care about the rest of the town Taylor."
"You should be Scrooge in Miss Patty's play, you've nailed the attitude."
"Go away Taylor." Luke persisted. Taylor looked expectantly at Jess, seated, unfortunately, only a few seats away from the madness.
"Don't look at me, I'm with him on this one." Jess shrugged as Taylor's glance turned to glare.
"You are one 'Bah Humbug' away from a few visitors, Luke."
"As long as he can be tiny Tim." Luke deadpanned, nodding toward Jess.
"Don't give him any ideas." Jess peeked over his book.
Looking between the two of them, Taylor stormed out like a bull on a rampage. God help the person who stood in the way of that man.
Jess rolled his eyes and went back to reading a familiar favorite, Catcher in the Rye. Luke looked at him nervously, as if debating something in his head. Letting out a resigned sigh, he reluctantly sat in the seat across from his nephew.
"So... um... Jess..."
"Uh huh." he replied not looking up.
"I've...um...you've been... what's wrong with you?" Luke spit out ineptly.
"Ya really wanna open that door?" Jess retorted.
"I really should of asked you this before, but what are you doing here? I mean one minute I haven't heard from you in at least a year and the next you're back living above my diner. I don't get it."
"Did Lorelai put you up to this?" he glared, setting down his book.
"And what's with you and the phone lately?" Luke continued.
"She did, I knew it."
"Is it money problems?"
"No." he rolled his eyes.
"Drugs? Are you in trouble?...Are you sick? ... You don't have cancer do you? I told you cigarettes were bad for you! " Luke questioned rapidly, the mother hen in him breaking loose.
"God 'Uncle Luke', stop. It's nothing like that."
"Then it's something."
"Calm down or I'll have you committed." he rolled his eyes.
"Running from things doesn't help Jess, it just makes them worse."
"You think I don't know that? I've tried to fix things with her, it just didn't work." Jess responded indignantly.
"A her?"
"No a burly lumberjack named Bubba," Jess deadpanned, "Yes, a her. I screwed up and I've pissed her off more than I have Taylor."
"Whoa, that's an accomplishment."
"But it doesn't matter anymore, what's done is done."
"It can't be that bad."
"She has a kid Luke."
"You're kid." Luke said lowly, his face turning stern.
"Does it really make a difference?"
"The difference of a stroke for your dear 'ole uncle here."
"You being paralyzed might take some pressure off me."
"Jess."
"Ok, okay. It's not mine, happy?" Luke let out an audible sigh of relief, "She just knocks on my door one night with the kid and tells me, after a month, 'By the way, this is my son.' What was I supposed to do?"
"Say 'Hi nice to meet you.'?"
"I just kept waiting for him to say, 'Are you my new Daddy?', and I freaked and got up and came here the next morning."
"Did you even say goodbye?"
"I'm not exactly the best with good-byes Luke." said Jess dryly, rolling his eyes.
"Nice Jess."
Jess glared at his uncle. A guilt trip was really unnecessary at this point.
"Did you talk to her since?"
"She hung up on me."
"What'd you expect?"
"I'm just, not ready for that sort of thing, I'm not... Kids don't like me..."
"Then why did Lana and Alex cling onto your ankles every time you tried to leave?"
"I'm not ready for this Luke, you know me, I can't..." replied Jess in a nervous tone of obvious denial.
Luke shook his head, "It's your life, do what you want with it," Shrugging, he walked away.
Kari
Chapter 31
**********
He watched her face tense and her eyes roll as the couple said their good- byes at the door. A small, yet sympathetic, smile escaped him. Poor girl. She had convinced herself she was a cynic when all she really was, was envious. Even if she would never let herself in it, she wanted what they had.
"It's okay, you're allowed to be jealous Em.", he whispered into her ear.
Emma's stomach gave a lurch, much to her disapproval, at the slight tingle his breath had left on her ear. God, he shouldn't have done that. She didn't need that right now.
"No. I'm not.", she replied willfully, after returning her rebel stomach back to it's proper place. Travis sighed as she climbed out of the car and, with a false face, pulled Lana into the house.
"Can't say I didn't expect that.", he mumbled to himself, and cringed inwardly at the prospect of the inevitably uncomfortable silence that would come when Alex got back in the car.
*~*
"So, want anything Lan? We got ice cream, all sorts of junk food, coffee..." Emma scrambled about in the kitchen, ignoring the peculiar look Lana was throwing her.
"What's up with you?" she questioned with a concerned glance.
"Nothing is 'up' with me. You sure you don't want some ice cream? We got Moose Tracks." she evaded.
"You and Travis seem to be getting along a lot better."
Her mind froze in place for a second and her breath got a little stuck in her throat when Lana mentioned him. With trained discipline, Emma's wall of sarcasm shot right up.
"Weren't you too starry-eyed to notice that?" Emma countered. Undeterred and completely use to her comments, Lana continued to press the matter.
"Didn't you need to talk about something... more than likely someone?"
Emma glared at her, knowing she'd have to talk whether she liked it or not.
"Em, no one would blame you, I mean you'd have to be dead or blind not to..."
"Lan." she warned.
"Well talk then."
"It's just... I thought I had the guy pegged, you know? Egocentric, unfeeling trust fund baby and then he pulls this poor little rich boy act and... ugh... I should know better," Emma finally blurted out. That felt good. Now if only she could stop.
"I don't know, he's either actually human or damn good actor."
"Maybe Alex and you were wrong about him. He might be a nice guy once you..."
"No Lan, he's not a 'nice guy'. He's bitter, cynical, and as far as I can see, is making his way through most of the female population at Chilton." she interrupted, digging a spoon into the big carton of ice cream and plopping it into a bowl.
"Then why..."
"I don't know Lana, he's just..." Emma trailed off, rubbing her head as if the thought of him gave her a migraine and pushed the bowl toward Lana.
"... Someone you can't stop thinking about?" she supplied. Emma just glanced in her direction, then ate a large spoonful straight from the carton.
*
"So uh, you and Emma now?" Alex questioned, staring straight at the road, after a few moments of silence.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Al." Travis countered defensively, applying another disdained nickname.
"For the record, I don't like it."
"We're not in Utah, you can't have them both." he replied dryly. Alex rolled his eyes and said nothing for a while.
"She just doesn't seem like your type." Alex commented.
"Then you don't know me do you?" Travis deadpanned.
"Don't screw with her Travis, she'd kick your ass." he added the last part with a wry smile.
"And I'd mind?"
*~*
"It'll be called 'A Dickens of a Holiday'."
"Taylor get the hell out of my diner."
"But, Luke... it's once a year. The rest of the town..."
"I don't care about the rest of the town Taylor."
"You should be Scrooge in Miss Patty's play, you've nailed the attitude."
"Go away Taylor." Luke persisted. Taylor looked expectantly at Jess, seated, unfortunately, only a few seats away from the madness.
"Don't look at me, I'm with him on this one." Jess shrugged as Taylor's glance turned to glare.
"You are one 'Bah Humbug' away from a few visitors, Luke."
"As long as he can be tiny Tim." Luke deadpanned, nodding toward Jess.
"Don't give him any ideas." Jess peeked over his book.
Looking between the two of them, Taylor stormed out like a bull on a rampage. God help the person who stood in the way of that man.
Jess rolled his eyes and went back to reading a familiar favorite, Catcher in the Rye. Luke looked at him nervously, as if debating something in his head. Letting out a resigned sigh, he reluctantly sat in the seat across from his nephew.
"So... um... Jess..."
"Uh huh." he replied not looking up.
"I've...um...you've been... what's wrong with you?" Luke spit out ineptly.
"Ya really wanna open that door?" Jess retorted.
"I really should of asked you this before, but what are you doing here? I mean one minute I haven't heard from you in at least a year and the next you're back living above my diner. I don't get it."
"Did Lorelai put you up to this?" he glared, setting down his book.
"And what's with you and the phone lately?" Luke continued.
"She did, I knew it."
"Is it money problems?"
"No." he rolled his eyes.
"Drugs? Are you in trouble?...Are you sick? ... You don't have cancer do you? I told you cigarettes were bad for you! " Luke questioned rapidly, the mother hen in him breaking loose.
"God 'Uncle Luke', stop. It's nothing like that."
"Then it's something."
"Calm down or I'll have you committed." he rolled his eyes.
"Running from things doesn't help Jess, it just makes them worse."
"You think I don't know that? I've tried to fix things with her, it just didn't work." Jess responded indignantly.
"A her?"
"No a burly lumberjack named Bubba," Jess deadpanned, "Yes, a her. I screwed up and I've pissed her off more than I have Taylor."
"Whoa, that's an accomplishment."
"But it doesn't matter anymore, what's done is done."
"It can't be that bad."
"She has a kid Luke."
"You're kid." Luke said lowly, his face turning stern.
"Does it really make a difference?"
"The difference of a stroke for your dear 'ole uncle here."
"You being paralyzed might take some pressure off me."
"Jess."
"Ok, okay. It's not mine, happy?" Luke let out an audible sigh of relief, "She just knocks on my door one night with the kid and tells me, after a month, 'By the way, this is my son.' What was I supposed to do?"
"Say 'Hi nice to meet you.'?"
"I just kept waiting for him to say, 'Are you my new Daddy?', and I freaked and got up and came here the next morning."
"Did you even say goodbye?"
"I'm not exactly the best with good-byes Luke." said Jess dryly, rolling his eyes.
"Nice Jess."
Jess glared at his uncle. A guilt trip was really unnecessary at this point.
"Did you talk to her since?"
"She hung up on me."
"What'd you expect?"
"I'm just, not ready for that sort of thing, I'm not... Kids don't like me..."
"Then why did Lana and Alex cling onto your ankles every time you tried to leave?"
"I'm not ready for this Luke, you know me, I can't..." replied Jess in a nervous tone of obvious denial.
Luke shook his head, "It's your life, do what you want with it," Shrugging, he walked away.