Chapter 13: Complications

"So Gellar," Louise said as the foursome sat at their usual table. She forked her salad and regarded her dirty-blonde friend levelly. "How's Jess in bed?"

While Madeline giggled and Rory choked on her soda, Paris shrugged and bit into her sandwich, unfazed. "I don't know what you're talking about, Grant."

Louise sighed. "I realize that playing dumb is one of your favorite defense mechanisms in the multitude of psychological armor that makes up your mind but please do not insult my intelligence by trying to dodge the obvious."

Paris rolled her eyes; she knew Louise taking psych as an elective would bite her in the ass one day. "Care to enlighten me on what it is you're trying to get me to say?"

Madeline decided to take over. "Well since you were MIA yesterday, we assumed that you and Jess had spent the day having lots and lots of sex."

Paris glared at Rory and the brunette quickly added, "I did not make that assumption."

Louise waved her hand in the air in a dismissive gesture. "That's only because she's trying to keep her own sex life with Tristan under wraps."

"Hey!" Rory protested.

"Well, it is true, isn't it?" The brunette frowned, mumbled something under her breath and Louise turned back to Paris. "So, how was it?"

"I'm not having sex with Jess," she replied, resigned to the fact that her best friends were gossip-mongers who wanted every single detail of her love life on record. "We just made out a little."

The other three girls grinned as she felt a blush spread across her face. The events from the day before were still fresh in her mind: the soft feel of his lips under hers, the shiver that ran through her everything his tongue swept into her mouth, the feel of his hair between her fingers. When they had finally pulled apart and straightened themselves out, Paris could hardly think past the fog that had settled in her brain and had spent the ride home, smiling like an idiot.

It was wonderful.

"Aw, Paris," Madeline sighed dreamily. "I'm so happy for you."

"I'm not getting married," she snapped back, even though inside, she was happy for herself as well. "It's nothing."

 "Believe me, when you're walking around school in a constant haze and blushing red at the slightest thought of him, it's never nothing." Rory replied knowingly and then pointed to Paris's neck. "Besides, hickeys don't lie."

Louise laughed and nodded. "Listen to Gilmore. She's been covered in hickeys ever since she permanently attached herself to Chilton's own version of Zack Morris. Not that I blame her. She does have excellent taste."

Instead of blushing, the brunette simply beamed. "Thank you."

"So does that mean you and Tristan are doing it?" Madeline asked bluntly.

"No," Rory answered quickly.

"But you're thinking about it?" Paris asked, intrigued. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Rory and Tristan were completely hot for each other. She'd seen them sneaking out of classrooms between periods, disheveled and happy. After yesterday, she wished Jess went to Chilton solely for the chance that they could enjoy stolen moments in abandoned classrooms as well. Suddenly the distance between Hartford and Stars Hollow seemed to expand.

"I am," Rory replied evenly, coloring a little. "He definitely is."

"Poor guy," Louise murmured sympathetically. "It must be very hard."

"Dirty!" Madeline giggled and ignoring the stares of their classmates, the girls dissolved into a fit of giggles.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"I told him to come home right after school let out," Liz complained to Luke, ringing her hands together as she glanced out of the diner, for signs of her son. It was almost ten o'clock and Jess hadn't showed up or even called. "Where the hell could he be?"

Luke put the coffee pot back in its place and heaved a sigh. "It's not the first time he's stayed out this long. It's the first time in a long time but you know how easy it is for kids to fall back into old habits."

"Don't patronize me, Lucas," she replied glaring at him.

"Look," he said edgily. "This is what he does when faced with authority, especially when the authority hasn't been around for more than the two years. He rebels. Something gets too tough and he bolts. It must run in the family."

Liz buried her face in her hands, ignoring his last comment. She lowered herself on the stool near the counter, giving her feet the rest they'd been begging for all day. "God, this is so fucked up."

"Yeah, well, parenting usually is."

"I'm trying Luke," she responded, resignedly. "I just don't know what to say to make him listen anymore."

Luke watched her wearily for a minute before crossing his arms over his chest. "How about the truth? You owe him that much."

Liz met his eyes and nodded slowly. "And what about you? What do I owe you?"

He shook his head, looked away, needlessly running a rag over the counter. "You don't owe me anything, Liz. You're family. I have to take care of you even if I don't like it."

"Always noble," she murmured, laughing a little. "Did that come from dad or mom? Both I guess. If they had lived, they'd be proud of you and disappointed in me."

"If they had lived, a lot would be different." Luke wiped his hands on his jeans and studied his sister's face. "You'd still have gone off with Jimmy, though. Never had your head on straight when it came to him, did you?"

Her smile was sad, full of regret. "You're probably right. But I'd still have Jess, wouldn't I? That's something to be happy about, isn't it?"

Before he could reply, the chimes pierced through the silence and they both looked up to see an apprehensive Lorelai Gilmore standing at the door. Luke stiffened and Liz shifted in her stool as she gave the other woman a lopsided smile.

"Is this is bad time?" she said, looking between the two siblings. "I saw the two of you in here and I wanted to talk and I thought maybe I could get a coffee. But now I'm sensing tension so maybe I should just go. And get a coffee to go?"

"Sure," Liz said as she slid off the stool when Luke didn't say a word. "Stay. Have coffee. Luke, fill 'er up."

Her brother glared at her but then turned to get a mug anyway. Lorelai smiled warily but walked over to the counter and rested her purse on the top. "How are you, Liz?"

"Going out of my mind," she admitted. "Jess was supposed to come home right after school." Lorelai furrowed her brows and then bit her lips as if debating something. "What?" Liz prodded.

"It's just that Rory said something about him being over at the Gellar mansion."

She cursed under her breath as Luke filled coffee for Lorelai, both of them avoiding eye contact. "I should have known."

Just then, the door swung open again and Jess walked in looking particularly pleased with himself. As he caught sight of the adults, his smile turned into a mocking scowl. "Well, isn't this uncomfortable."

Liz crossed her arms over her chest. "Where were you, Jess? I asked you to come home as soon as school let out."

Jess shrugged, jaw set determinedly. "I never said I would. And for future reference, this whole concerned parent thing is not really your shtick so maybe you should quit while you're ahead."

"Hey," Luke snapped at him before Liz could say anything. "Don't take that tone with her, Jess."

Betrayal flashed through his eye as he stared at his uncle before scoffing, "Whatever. I'm going upstairs."

"Like hell you are," Liz protested as she blocked his path to the stairwell. "You and I are going to have a serious talk, Jess Mariano. Without that humongous chip on your shoulder. Whether you like it or not. Do you understand me?"

"No I don't," he retorted, his anger so vividly sculpting his face, for a minute Liz was sure it was Jimmy standing in front of her rather than her son. "I never have. We've already had this argument before and I don't want to relive it."

Liz shook her head. "Well, that's tough."

Jess looked like he was going to punch something. Part of her worried that he wished it was her. "You ship me off to live in some crazy-ass town with an uncle I barely knew, you never called and you didn't care and now you come back and then act like some kind of mother? Well, here's a newsflash for you, Liz. I don't need you here. So just go back to Brooklyn and stay there. I'm just fine here in Hells Hollow. You conscience is clear."

This time, neither Liz nor Luke was fast enough to stop him from turning around and running out of the diner, slamming the door shut behind him. The diner was once again enveloped in silence as the three adults, stood awkwardly in the wake of teenage anger.

"I should go after him," Liz said finally, glancing at Luke.

"Liz," Lorelai said softly. "I think you should let him cool off."

Luke looked torn. "He might do something stupid."

"Then I'll go look for him." Brother and sister looked at her, aghast. She chuckled nervously. "Consider it my good deed act of the day. I have to make up for stealing a couple of towels from the Holiday Inn in Boston a couple of months ago."

Once she was gone, Liz looked at her brother wearily. "That went well."

Luke sighed, giving her a rare, encouraging smile. "It's an uphill battle, Elizabeth."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The reflection that he saw in the water next to him was not who he expected it to be. In fact, when she sat down next to him he was sure he had never been more surprised. He glanced sideways at her, to make sure that she was really there and then when she glanced back at him her, he sighed heavily.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied quickly, lifting his head to scan the woods. "What are you doing here?"

Lorelai shrugged, rubbed her hands over her the material of her jeans. "Don't know."

"Huh." Jess pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket and offered her one. She looked at him dubiously and before he had a chance to retract his hand, she reached over and pulled one out. His hand traveled back to his pocket and he pulled out a lighter, holding the flame in front of her. She leaned in; lit the cigarette. "I didn't know you smoked."

She exhaled and then sputtered a bit. "I don't. Now, I remember why."

He felt his lips curve into an involuntary smirk. As Lorelai stubbed out her cigarette, he lit his own and took his first drag. It was weird; cigarettes didn't have the same calming effect he remembered. Or maybe it was just because of the woman sitting beside him that his nerves were still frayed. He didn't think he could handle fighting with someone else tonight, which was bound to happen if Lorelai hung around too long.

"Are we supposed to talk or something?"

"It's a possibility." She folded her hands on her lap and looked at him expectedly. "I mean, I have ears and you have a mouth. A very rude mouth, especially where I am concerned, but I'll cut you some slack after what happened back there."

"I don't need your kindness," he scoffed, taking another drag of his cigarette.

"Look Jess," she started gently, ignoring his comment. "I know I'm not your girlfriend's mother anymore and that I'm not even your uncle's girlfriend and we don't have any ties now, but take it from someone who's been there – pushing people away, especially people who are trying to get back in…it never ends pretty."

Because he didn't want to hear it, especially not from her, he let out a breath and lifted the cigarette to his mouth again. "Well thanks for your infinite wisdom, Ms. Gilmore."

"Cut the crap, Jess," she stated, that infamous Lorelai temper present in her voice. He suppressed a wry grin; the cordiality hadn't lasted long. "I'm trying to help here."

He shrugged and looked out into the water. "I didn't ask you too. You came here in hopes of scoring some brownie points with Luke, to get back in his good graces or whatever hell kind of game you're playing with him…so don't make this about some Good Samaritan act."

She drew in a sharp breath and crossed her arms across her chest, her back straightening rigidly. "Wow. I can't even remember what compelled me to come here."

"Must be a lapse in sanity."

"You can't keep doing this forever, Jess," she said after a pause. "I mean, sure, you don't like me so it's okay to snap at me and insult me. I won't shed tears over it and I won't lose sleep over it."

"Good to know."

"Unfortunately my daughter has this unhealthy attachment to you," she plowed on, her voice rising a little. "She'll take your cruel words and she'll still try to push back and get to you. And so will Paris."

He knew it was true; hated her for reminding him. But mostly he just hated himself. "Don't Lorelai."

"Liz is trying," she continued, her voice softening a little. "She's trying to reach out to you and be a mother."

"The phrase 'too little, too late' comes to mind, along with a few profanities I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate," he stated, stubbing out the cigarette. No way was it going to relax him now. "And since when do you know anything about Liz Mariano?"

"I'm a mother, aren't I?" Lorelai teased lightly. "Besides, I talked to her."

"How comfy."

Lorelai snorted. "You're so much like her and you don't even know it."

"What?"

She arched a perfect eyebrow and grinned, probably because she knew that what she said next was going to upset him. "You and Liz. You're alike. You two hardly ever laugh and on that rare occasion that you do, the corners of your eyes crinkle. You both deliver every scathing remark in that dry, sarcastic tone. You have her eyes."

"I do not have her eyes!"

Lorelai's smile only widened and she shrugged. "Hey as much as I'd like to think that it is blatantly clear that Rory gets all her greatest qualities from me…there is a whole lot of Christopher in her. It's subtle but it's there. Give her another chance, kid. She is your mother."

Jess stared at his rippling reflection and sighed. "I know."