Diclaimer: Don't own Gilmore Girls, never have never will….

The next morning Rory woke up early, she was excited to go the diner this morning; she had a made a new friend, a new friend who connected with her on levels that no one else could.

"Mom? ...Moooommm? … MOM! ...MOTHER!!" she yelled at her sleeping mother.

"What are you doing child? You do not address me mother, in fact you do not address me at all this early in the morning, go back to bed" she mumbled and turned back over in her bed.

"Get up, please?" she crawled onto the edge of the bed, "Let's go to Luke's"

"Why are you in such a hurry to go to Luke's? You do know how early it is don't you? I don't think I even know what it looks like outside this time of day, is the sun even up yet?"

" Yes the sun is up MOTHER" she emphasized the mother knowing just how much she hated it, "It is 10:30 is not that early and I want to go see Jess, you know Luke's nephew who just so happens to be my age and reads just as much as I do."

"Go without me I'll meet you there, I need more sleep" she closed her eyes and put a pillow over her head.

"Fine, I'll go without you, but if someone tries to kidnap me on my way there, I'm not going to put up a fight, I'm just going to let them take me and then hold it against you later, for the rest… of your life."

"Okay, just go away," Lorelai said already half way asleep. She heard Rory get up and make her way to the door, and then she shouted, "Don't think I'm paying any ransom for you!!"

Rory just laughed at her mom and left, she should have known better then to even attempt to wake up her mom, it was no use and she knew that.

She slowly made her way over to Luke's and sat down at the counter, Luke handed her coffee and shortly after Jess came over and sat next to her with his book in his hand. "Morning" she smiled at him.

"Morning" he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Want to get out of here?" she asked, maybe he wanted to talk about it.

He just nodded and followed her out the door.

They walked around town, Rory showed Jess all the hot spots for an eight year old, and then they slowly made there way down to the bridge, they went and sat down in the middle letting there feet hang over the edge.

"Are you okay?" Rory asked unsure if it was any of her business.

"I will be" Jess responded.

"You know, I know you just met me and all but if you need someone to talk to I'm here for you"

He looked at her with hope in his eyes, finally someone he could talk to, he never a real friend of his own that actually cared what was on his mind, "It's just my mom didn't want me"

"That's not true, I'm sure she wanted you, she just couldn't give you what you need, she wants you to be safe and have a good future"

"No, she didn't want me, she didn't tell me she was leaving me here, she said pack your things for an afternoon, and when we got here she told me to go into the diner and wait for her, that her brother owned it and she would be in in a minute, she never came in, she just left me there, didn't even have the courage to tell me I wouldn't see her again, I hate her, and I hope I never do see her again."

"Jess, you don't hate her, she's your mother, she was just afraid that you wouldn't leave her, its not that she didn't want you, she loves you and wants what's best for you" Rory felt sorry for him, she would die if her mom left her.

"You don't have to try and cheer me up, I'll get over it. I just don't want to think about it." He looked over at her.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Rory didn't know what to say to him, if he didn't want to talk about it she wasn't going to make him. She looked over at him and smiled, 'You have a book with you?"

"Always do, you?"

"Ditto" she replied.

They both sat there pulled out their books and started reading.

A book and friend, what more could a kid ask for?