Her slowing breath was providing unneeded heat to his bare shoulder, but he welcomed it. He wrapped his arms around her, trailing one hand down her arm that had landed slung across his chest. He wanted to say something, but there were truly no words—at least none that sprang to mind to tell her how he was feeling at this moment.
"I don't think I can move," she said quietly.
He lifted his head slightly, to look at her. She'd managed to prop her head up so her chin was resting on the top of his shoulder.
"Well, the important part was earlier. You should rest now," he smiled.
"Will, I," she seemed to have the same problem he was having.
"I know," he quieted her, kissing the top of her head.
"No, you don't," she tried again, wanting to get it out.
"I didn't think I'd ever," she paused before continuing. She knew the tears would probably come, and she hoped he let her get all the way through. "Every week, in my group, these women talk about how they can't stand for their boyfriends and husbands to touch them anymore. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to, not for a long time. I just want you to know, that I feel like you've given me something irreplaceable. I felt safe, but it was more than that."
He palmed her cheek, looking into her eyes solidly. His heart broke for her. She'd never talked about that before, though he'd certainly thought about it. It was why he'd been so surprised that she was seemingly ready for this now.
"I don't want you to think that I needed this—I was willing to wait," he started.
"I wanted this. You and us, and everything that means. I'm not going to let what that man did punish us. I want you to know that I'm not over this, there may be times that I can't--," she said, looking down. His arms were so toned, and they felt as strong around her as they appeared to be.
"It's okay," he assured her, tilting her chin upward gently with two fingers. "It's more than okay."
She smiled and nodded, leaning up to kiss his lips lightly. He exhaled and held her head to his chest after she pulled out of the kiss. He'd never felt more content in his entire life than he did right now, holding her to him.
&&&&
Lorelai came downstairs the next morning. She hadn't bothered with a robe, as she was on a specific mission: obtaining a large cup of coffee then back to bed for as long as she wanted. She had volunteered to work this evening at the Inn, so Michel could take off for some party he was dying to attend. She had the whole glorious morning to relax. This included eventually meeting her daughter for a late brunch at Luke's. Luke was still in the shower, not going in until around 9 this morning himself.
She got to the bottom of the stairs when she heard a key in her front door. She was startled for a moment, but didn't have the forethought to pull a blanket off the couch to cover up with. She was still in a rather revealing nightgown, and that fact was not lost on Jess as he stopped dead in his tracks after having opened the front door.
"Shit," he exclaimed, turning around quickly.
"Jess!" she yelped. "What . . . What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, came for Luke. I needed to talk to him."
"He's upstairs. Wait, wait there. I'll be back, with him and more clothing."
She moved quickly up the stairs and slipped into the bathroom. Luke was newly dressed and brushing his teeth when she appeared before him.
"Morning," he said, spitting a second later.
"Oh, morning. Lovely morning, isn't it?" she said in a strange tone of voice.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Jess is downstairs."
"Okay."
"Yeah, he's downstairs, where I just was. Dressed like this," she said, doing a Vanna White type flourish towards herself.
Luke's eyes got wider, and she wondered if they would stay in his eye sockets. "You—why would you go downstairs dressed like that?"
"Well, obviously to give Jess a free show!"
"Ella's here!"
"Trust me, Luke, I ain't got nothing she ain't seen before, well, maybe a glimpse of the future, but other than that," she rambled, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I hope Jess hasn't seen this before," Luke grunted.
"I didn't want to be the one to tell you," she joked.
He gave her a disapproving look. "I don't get your sense of humor some times," he lowered his voice.
"Hey, wanna know who's not happy about this?" she pointed all fingers at herself, "Yep, me! Go, put a memory charm on him!"
"A what?"
"God, didn't you read Harry Potter with the rest of the world?" she groaned.
"Is he still downstairs?" he asked, ignoring her.
"Yes, gauging his eyes out."
"Get dressed. I'll go down."
"Shoo, shoo," she said, pushing him out of the bathroom, and grabbing her robe off the back hook. "Why did you forsake me?" she asked the article of clothing before slipping it around her and securing it tightly.
&&&&
Luke came down the stairs, to find Jess staring at the front door.
"You okay?"
"Luke?"
"The one and only. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, uh, I was just," he started, then turned around slowly. "Oh, good."
Luke raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't see anything," he promised.
Luke smirked at his nephew's discomfort.
"Stop it."
"You hungry?"
"Sure."
"Great, come to the diner. I have to get going."
Jess sighed, knowing this meant he was going to be put to work. He nodded and followed his uncle out the door to his truck. Luke started it up, and Jess slid in beside him.
"What's up?"
"I just wanted to let you know, I have to run the kids up to Boston in a couple of days. We'll probably be gone most of the day, but we'll definitely be back for Christmas Eve."
"Jules seemed pretty insistent," Luke agreed.
"Yeah. I thought," he looked out the window for a beat, watching all the familiar landmarks that fell between the old Gilmore house and the town square as they passed by, "I was afraid they'd want to be with Erin. I'm still kind of freaked about it," he admitted.
"Those kids love you," Luke shook his head.
"I know, but she's their mother."
"It's not going to happen."
"Thanks."
Luke nodded, looking over at Jess. He wondered how much sleep he'd been getting. At least he could feed him and keep him busy. The rest of the ride to the diner was silent as the two men were lost in their own thoughts.
&&&&
Tristan kept smirking at her. She could feel his taunting gaze on her. She looked up from her plate, and narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"How come you never gave me the free show?"
"You told him?!"
"What? He's my husband, I have to tell him things!" Rory held up her hands in defense.
"Ohmygod!"
Jess came around with coffee refills. Lorelai plastered her hands to her face, the blush creeping up from her neck.
"So, how much did you see?" Tristan leaned back, looking up at Jess.
Jess paled a little. "Uh, nothing," he left the coffee pot and turned away quickly.
"Mom! What exactly were you wearing?"
"Hey, it's my house! Mine, and if I wanted to walk around naked, I could!" she protested.
"Were you?" Tristan was a little taken aback.
"NO!"
"Okay, enough of giving Mom a hard time," Rory announced.
"Thank you."
"But should my son or husband come over, in the future, I'd like to insist you be covered, at least from here to here," she motioned with her hands blocked off from her collar bone to her knees.
"Haha," Lorelai stuck her tongue out.
Tristan snickered again and put his arm around his wife.
"So, how was Ella this morning?"
"She was online, didn't want breakfast."
"Online?"
"I didn't pry, I'm not her mother," Lorelai sighed.
"No, you're her grandmother. Her grandmother who wanders around the house scantily clad," Rory began.
"GAH! Fine, she was on Yale's website."
Rory smiled, and dug back into her eggs. Jess refused to join them, saying he'd already eaten. Luke was too busy to really stop and chat, as the morning rush continued strong into the lunch rush. Being as such, Luke kept loudly reminding them that paying customers were waiting for seats. It was how the business worked; customers came in, ate, and left, making room for new customers. He was almost cracking them.
Until Will walked in. With Anna, seemingly surgically attached to him.
Catcalls ensued.
Even Jess, still a little traumatized, came over to the table.
"So, Son, anything you'd like to share with the group?"
"You guys done? I'm starved," he announced, unwavering.
More catcalls. Anna was blushing, and turned in further towards Will. His arm held strong at her waist, and he rubbed her back a little.
"So, little brother, where were you last night?"
"We did some Christmas shopping."
"Is that all you did?"
"I'm not dignifying that with a response," he said to his sister, as they stood still next to the now foodless table that Lorelai, Tristan, and Rory occupied.
"Man," Rory glared at him.
"So, are we going public here? 'Cause the 'can't keep your hands off each other' thing won't quell the rumors that the gossip mongers have already sent flying around town," Lorelai raised an eyebrow at the pair.
"We're together," Anna nodded, to which Rory and Lorelai squealed.
Jess slapped Will on the back. "You guys eating?"
"If we get a table," he said, pointedly at his mother.
"Fine, we're going, we're going," she said, getting up, allowing the two to sit. Others who'd been waiting for a table, groaned in frustration.
"Oh, can it," Jess muttered to the grumblers, moving back to get more coffee.
"Just do me a favor," Lorelai asked, wrapping her scarf around her neck.
"Yeah, Mom?"
"Tell Sookie. Like as soon as you get done eating. Don't let her find out from anyone else," she kissed her son's cheek, and put her hand on Anna's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.
&&&&
"What would you have done all these years without me?"
Tristan looked at Jess, and stopped throwing the tennis ball against the wall of Jess' room at the Inn. Jess had spent the morning and into the afternoon at the diner helping Luke out, before coming back.
"What?"
"You know, all these family events, what would have done to keep yourself sane without me around?"
Tristan laughed. "It'd been a lot less interesting, that's for sure."
Jess nodded.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I was thinking about when the kids were still in diapers and we used to take them out, to give the girls a break. Do you remember that?"
"I'm surprised any of us came back alive," Tristan nodded.
"Well, there were four of them, and two of us," Jess commented.
"Duct tape on those diapers that wouldn't adhere," Tristan snorted.
"Hey, it was the last of the diapers, and I had the tape in the car."
"I don't know if it scared me more that we had all four of them in high chairs at a bar, or that they had high chairs in that bar."
"Ella eating, like, four bowls of beer nuts?"
"She did charm the hell out of that bartender."
"They would have killed us if they found out."
"Rory knows."
"You told her?"
"I was foolishly honest with her," Tristan smirked. "I hoped she'd think it was funny."
"And you lived to tell about it."
"I did all diapers and laundry for a month," he laughed.
"Geez, glad I kept my mouth shut," Jess laughed. "Is that why she kept checking Jules' diapers?"
"For duct tape, yeah."
Jess nodded, and leaned back. "It was fun back then, wasn't it?"
"It's going to get better, Jess."
"I know. I was just thinking."
Tristan nodded. He looked at his long time friend and partner in crime. "All right. That's it. Get up. We're getting out of here."
Jess made no sound of protest. He could use some time to clear his head with someone that wouldn't let him beat himself up about this. They grabbed their coats and headed out to the car.
AN: I do have a few more things I want to get done here. It might be a smidge longer that I'd originally anticipated. I will definitely get back to Billy and Ella in the next chappie. And a few others we haven't heard from in a while, too.