Disclaimer:  I don't own anything but the story idea.

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I walked into Doose's a little while after she did. I couldn't believe that I was so stupid! I couldn't even look her in the eyes to talk to her.


"What is wrong with me?" I said to myself.

I walked around town, which looked exactly the same as it did when I left, needing to clear my head. After awhile I decided I needed to go talk to Luke.  I walked into the diner but didn't see Luke anywhere. Everything looked exactly the same here, too. The lunch crowed was in so it was pretty busy, Caesar was cooking as always but since Luke wasn't around he was also taking orders and busing all the tables. I walked through the diner and up the steps. Everyone was starring at me like I had just come back from the dead. I walked up to the apartment and knocked on the door.


"I'll be down in a minute, Caesar will take your order," I heard Luke say.


I knocked again.


"I said I'll be down in a minute!" I heard him yell, sounding like he was getting angry. 


I knocked one more time, finding this very amusing.


"What part of 'one minute' don't you understand?" he said as he opened the door.


"Jess," His face looked like Rory's when she saw me.


"Luke," I said.

He let me in and I looked around the apartment.  Everything was in the same place as when I left.  Even some of my stuff was still laying around, a few books and cd's.  I walked over to the couch and sat down across from Luke. He looked the same as he always did, flannel shirt, jeans, and of course his backwards baseball cap.


"So what are you doing here Jess?" he asked me.

"What, I can't come and visit my favorite Uncle?" I asked him.

"Jess," he said with a warning in his voice that he didn't want to play games. "Are you in trouble?"


"No I'm not in trouble," I told him

"Well I'm sorry I don't understand then! You leave here what a few month's ago, not telling me where you were going.  No phone calls to let me know you were ok and now all of a sudden you show up here, you must need something," he said.


"I want to come back," I said very softly.


"What?" he asked not hearing me.

"I said I want to come back!"

Luke took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.

"You want to come back," he said in disbelief.

"Yes," I said quiet again.

"Well, I don't know if I can do that again, Jess. We had a deal last time and you broke it," he said to me.


I didn't say anything for a minute and just stared at my hands.

"Well I'm sorry I wasted your time Luke," I told him as I started to get up.

"Wait." I paused for a minute "If I give you another chance I need a promise things will be a whole lot different. No staying out late and coming home at three in the morning, no smoking, no stealing, and you will work in the diner until close." He told me very seriously.  I just stood there in complete shock that he was actually going to let me stay.


"Do we have a deal?" he asked sticking his hand out.

"Yeah," I said as I shook his hand.

"Ok, well, your stuff is still in your room I didn't touch anything you can go put your things away and then come downstairs cause I need you help for dinner," He told me as he went back downstairs.

I went and put my stuff in my room and headed downstairs, too.  I hate to admit it but I'm actually glad to be back.