Its funny how ten years seems like such a long time when one is young, but as one gets older it doesn't seem like that long ago at all. Ten years ago is when I first felt the overwhelming connection to Jess that I've felt since that day and hopefully will always feel.

I don't really remember the day that Jess came to live with us, I only remember that one morning Luke left alone and the next day he came back with a little boy. That little boy was Jess. I remember liking Jess the moment I met him. He was very smart, he like to read, just like I did, even if he did criticize my literature choices.

Jess was from the outset a brother figure to me. He kept an eye on me when we were playing outside and especially after I started school when I was five I can't recall precisely when he took on that role but I can fully recall the day he finally fulfilled it for the first time.

Summer days are long and boring in Stars Hollow. Some mornings I would go to the Inn with my mom and other mornings I would go to the diner with Luke. Sometimes Jess would come too, but he was three years older than me so he often had things to do with his friends.

The morning in question was a diner morning. I never told Mom but I like diner mornings. I got to sit on the counter on a phone book and Luke would make me pancakes and milk. Usually he'd try and cook some fruit into the pancakes in some sort of smiley face, but I'd always eat around that. I hated fruit.

Luke was alone that morning except for his new short order cook Caesar and he didn't have any time to teach me chess or to play tic-tac-toe with me, so once I finished my book I got bored.

"Luke, I'm bored," I announced.

"Read your book, Sweetie. I'll have a break in a little while," Luke told me with a soft smile.

"I finished my book," I replied.

Luke looked around the diner, it was still packed. "You want to go into the square and watch Jess play ball? I'll come and get you after lunch."

I clapped my hands. "Yeah! Can I have some coffee?"

Luke hated Mom's coffee addiction and was determined to make sure I didn't inherit that bit of genetic material. So his strong, "No!" was not a surprise.

Luke lifted me off my stool and took my hand, "Caesar, I'm taking ten!" he called and led me to the green.

Jess and his friends were busy playing baseball in the center of town. No one was playing at the moment and Luke called out to Jess who was near the gazebo. "Jess! Bring it in!"

Jess jogged towards us his miniature blue baseball cap pulled over his eyes. "Huh," he said as he approached us.

I listened to Luke scold him for his noncommittal response and giggled. I like it when Jess got scolded instead of me. Luke cast a look at me for giggling so when Jess repeated his "huh" I bit my lip to keep from repeating the offense.

Luke put my hand in Jess' once he agreed to watch me. He told Luke I could watch them play. I didn't want to watch though. Jess never thought I could do what he did.

"I don't want to watch," I told him. "I want to play too."

Jess let out a long breath. "You can't play too, Rory. You're too little."

That made me mad. Jess thought that I couldn't do anything because I was a girl. When he wasn't saying that, he was saying I was too little.

"I'm not too little," I argued. "I'm six." I wiggled my hand out of his and used the thumb and my whole hand to illustrate.

Jess sighed again. "Rory, you hate sports."

I did. I didn't like running or sweating. It made me smell like a boy.

"Oh yeah," I agreed. Then I eyed the book in his back pocket. It was familiar. Jess had read it before. He liked it. He probably wouldn't let me read it but I ventured anyway. "Can I read your book?"

"What happened to your book from this morning?" Jess asked me and for a moment I was afraid he wouldn't let me read it.

Looking at my shoes I answered, "I finished it."

Jess reached into his back pocket and handed me the volume. "Of course you can read my book."

Jess led me to the big oak tree, the oldest tree in Stars Hollow and put his jacket on the grass so I could sit on it. "Here." He said something else but I didn't hear him. I was all ready worlds away.

The book was nice, but sad too. It was about an orphaned boy who no one really wanted. The story was a bit involved for a six year old, but I remember reading and rereading Jess' handwritten comments and the underline passages. It was like a window into his mind or something.

One character in particular reminded me of Jess, the Artful Dodger, who was so much a man in boy's body. I still didn't know the circumstances of Jess coming to live with us, but whatever they were, they had made Jess an adult long before his time.

I was so enamored with the story or the game that I was surprised when Alan Lowry appeared before me.

Alan was Taylor Doose's grandson. Taylor and Luke always had bad blood and Alan seemed to think it was his family duty to aggravate Jess and especially me. Now Alan was up to his tricks, he was in front of me and reaching down to snatch the book out of my hands.

He quickly achieved this goal and held the book over my head. I got up and shouted at him, "Give it back! It's Jess'!"

Alan mimicked me and started dancing around the ground trying to keep the book out of my reach. I couldn't help but think what an idiot he looked like, he looked like he was doing a bad imitation of Sly Stallone in that boxer movie.

Normally, I wouldn't care I'd just have Luke get the book back from Alan's dad later on, but this was Jess' book, it obviously meant something to him and I didn't want Alan to get his dirty paws on it, so I kept trying to get it away from him.

I leapt repeatedly for the book, but Alan kept moving it back out of my grasp. Finally he backed up while he moved and I tripped on a twig or a branch, I'm not sure what and fell hard on to the ground.

Pain shot through my knees and I felt the dirt and blood start to mix together. My lower lip quivered and I started to cry. I was looking up for Jess when I felt hands on me, hands that I didn't know and didn't like. Before I knew it or could fully react, Alan's hands were pulling up my denim skirt letting all of the boys on the field see my Barbie underpants.

Suddenly, maybe not so suddenly, Jess was there and I was free. The two of them rolled around on the ground. Jess was punching and smacking Alan around, yelling at him, words that were lost on me as I continued to cry. Alan was yelling at Jess trying to extricate himself, "Get off of me!" Alan cried.

I heard Jess respond to that comment, but I didn't understand what he said. I wanted them to stop fighting, I wanted to go back to the diner, I didn't want to stay there. I cried harder.

I didn't see how the fight ended, maybe it was when I called out for Jess, but suddenly the noise and shouting stopped and he was there gently running a hand through my hair to comfort me.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked gently.

"It doesn't hurt that much," I whispered. I just wanted to hide.

"I didn't ask how much it hurt silly," he said. "I asked where it hurt."

I buried her face in my shirt, my knees stung and I was embarrassed. "My knees."

Jess was quiet for a minute. I felt his hand stroke my ponytail up and down. I was soothed by that motion. Being in his arms, hiding my face from the world, made me feel safe. Jess made me feel safe.

"Rory, we have to let Uncle Luke look at them, okay Sweetie?" he asked me, his voice near my ear.

"My knees hurt," I mumbled. I didn't want to think how much it would hurt to walk to the diner. I remembered when my Mom hurt her ankle, Luke had carried her home. So I asked, "Can he come and get me?" I kept my face hidden.

"No, but how about I carry you to the diner? Would you like that?" he offered, tightening his arms around me.

I kept my face hidden and I nodded. "Put your arms around my neck and hold on."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and he carefully carried me to the diner. The whole way he talked gently to me, his voice soft and soothing promising that Uncle Luke would make it feel all better and apologizing for letting Alan get near me. He felt badly that I got hurt, only I was too shy and sad to tell him he was being silly.

When we got to the diner, Luke started yelling at Jess before he even noticed I was being carried in. He must have heard about the fight from Miss Patty or Taylor or someone.

"Jess, what do you think you're doing starting fights…" Luke stopped yelling at Jess when he saw me. Before I knew it I was being taken from the warmth of Jess' arms and being held tightly by Luke.

"What happened Baby?" he asked me with a gentle kiss.

"Alan happened," Jess told him for me. "I thought that he deserved a good ass kicking…sorry." Luke hated it when we swore.

I realized I better explain what happened before Luke yelled at Jess. "Alan took Jess' book while I was reading it. He called me names and he was mean and teasing me. Then I fell down and he showed everyone my panties."

Luke was not too happy with that answer, but it was the truth and he let up on Jess for fighting.

Luke bandaged my knees and gave both of us ice cream cones.

Jess stayed with me for the rest of the day. We ate lunch together and he taught me how to play Scrabble. Later, he held my hand and walked me home. He even helped me get ready for bed and tucked me in. That night when he said good night to me, I put my arms around his neck and gave him the tightest hug I could. I felt so bad about his book, I wanted to tell him. I hoped he would forgive me.

"I'm sorry Jess," I whispered.

"For what?" he asked.

"Because Alan took your book and because I messed up your game," I said feeling shy again.

"Alan's a jerk," he told me, again running his hand through my hair. That would become my favorite gesture. I hugged him again. "Anyway," he said, "I like sticking up for you. It's what big brother's do."

"Are you my big brother, Jess?" I asked him. I never thought of him as a brother, only someone who lived with me.

"Not technically, because we don't have the some mommy and daddy," he explained. "But I love you like a big brother, if that helps. And I'll always, always be there to protect you," he told me.

"You promise?" I asked him, sliding down under my comforter..

"I promise," he replied and turned out the light. Jess turned to leave. I wasn't sure if I should tell him what I had been thinking, Jess never said that word, nor did Luke, at least not to him, but I wanted to tell him how important he was so I decided to tell him. "I love you Jess."

"I love you, Rory," he replied. Little did I know those words were the beginning of something very beautiful.

Present Day

I felt lips touch the spot on my forehead above my hairline, "What are you thinking about?"

"That day when I was six and Alan Lowry…" I started to laugh.

"Yeah, I had to kick his ass, like what ten or twelve times over the years," Jess laughed.

"Well now I can use you to kick Tristan's ass," I sniffed.

"Point him out when we get downstairs," Jess said cracking his knuckles and stretching his arms.

I nodded and let out another laugh.

"What?" Jess asked.

"I was just thinking the two of us have had some battles over the years," I said.

"You still thinking about that thing before I left?" Jess sighed.

"No, I was thinking about the great book theft of '94," I told him.

Jess pulled me closer and let out a long sigh, "Ah, that battle."

A/N: Coming up next! And when you were ten.