Yay! My evil plan worked – I got uber amounts of reviews! Let's keep it up people, shall we? wink wink nudge nudge

lora: I know, I always thought Luke was older…but Liz didn't have Jess as a teenager, and I don't think Luke is that much older than Lorelai. Liz was more than likely in her very early twenties when she had Jess, which would make her in her late thirties or possibly early forties when she was on the show. And if Luke was older, that would put him in his early-to-mid forties, when Lorelai is still just about 35. That's about a ten year difference. Sorry, I'm kind of a math freak, and that whole thing made so much more sense in my head, but I figured that Luke isn't that old. Which would make him younger.

Emily: THAT'S OKAY I'M GLAD YOU LIKE MY WRITING!

rubberdukki: Why wouldn't Jess be listening to Metallica? He was a fan on the show, because he had the t-shirt that Luke hated.

tado: There's another short scene from Jess's book. Look down. OOOOH, italics!

Everyone: In my story, Jess never came back to Star's Hollow those two times. So he never told Rory he loved her, and never asked her to come with him. I have chosen to include some of those themes in the coming chapters. Hope you like! Also, I'm glad everyone seemed to like Jess's book. It was fun to write.

I hurried to get this chapter written and up because I felt bad leaving you guys hanging with Jess's note there. I hope you like! Now I must go rest as I am tired of typing and staring at the screen.

"As far as girls go, she was nothing special. Thin, a few inches shorter than me, blue eyes (pretty, but not every man swooned under their gaze), brown hair. Smart, funny, cute. She was special to me, but not everyone could see it.

Someone who couldn't appreciate how special she truly was, had just gotten lucky, was her boyfriend Dan. They didn't come much dimmer than him. Dim Dan. But she clutched onto him for stability and consistence. Her whole life revolved around stability and consistence. From the moment I saw her, I wanted to ruin her. I wanted to make her spontaneous, wild, and unpredictable.

As I got to know her, I wanted less and less to 'ruin' her, and just wanted to help her let loose. That changed into simply wanting to be with her, which ended in me being the changed one. Irony is a bitch.

Lana let Robert and myself into her house, and the two stayed in the doorway to flirt while I wandered around. There was a picture on the mantle of a nice looking girl. Bored, I picked it up. Not bad. Not my type, but not bad at all.

I walked into her room a few minutes later, as Lana led us into the kitchen. Her room was directly off the kitchen. That was a little weird. She was sitting at her computer, typing something for school. She turned around and smiled at me, and I felt welcomed for the first time in that town…"

Rory smiled as she read that passage. She'd long since finished the book, twice, but she returned to the pages she'd dog-eared many times. It was flattering, being mentioned in such a great book. And it was exhilarating, getting into his head like that. She looked at the doorway, remembering him swagger in that night. Their conversation replayed itself in her head. She remembered it perfectly. His book had left out the hooked-on-phonics comment. But other than that, it was accurate.

True to her word, she'd let Lorelai read one of Jess's books. NOT that one. She'd given her Bus Fare, a story about Mexican immigrants. Lorelai hadn't enjoyed it that much. Reading was not her forte.

The phone rang, and brought Rory out of her thoughts. She'd been staring at the window, remembering. "So do these open?" "Oh yea, you just have to unlatch them and then push,"…

"Hello?"

"It's mom, get down here now!"

"Where would here be?"

"Luke's, hurry!"

"What's going on?" Rory asked, looking for her shoes.

"Luke is about to THROTTLE Taylor!"

"Big Luke and Taylor, little Luke and Taylor, or a combination of the two?"

"Big! Run!" Rory hung up and ran out the door, eager to see what was going on. She raced down her street, stopping to wave to Babette.

"What's the rush, baby doll?" the blonde woman called after her.

"Luke. Taylor. Throttling!" she yelled, and when she looked over her shoulder a few seconds later, Babette was also running to Luke's.

Just as she reached the square, and saw the mob beginning to gather outside of Luke's, she saw someone sitting in the gazebo. Someone with dark hair, and it looked like they were reading. She slowed to a walk, staring at the person. Her eyes must be playing tricks on her…not call for a month, and then he shows up in Star's Hollow? Or Taylorsville, as she sometimes found herself referring to it as now. She stopped all together, and heard Babette exclaim "Oh my God!" in her raspy voice behind her.

He didn't look up. He appeared completely absorbed in whatever he was reading. But she was sure it was him now- there was no mistaking those sharp cheek bones, or that strong jaw. She took a deep breath, and began walking towards the gazebo. She got all the way there without him looking up. She hesitantly knocked on a wooden pillar in the supports, and he finally met her eye.

"Jess."

"Rory."

"Come here much?"

"Not really." A pregnant pause settled on them.

"You never called."

"I was scared to," he admitted. He closed the book and stood up.

"So…you're too scared to call me, but you have no qualms about traveling across the country to surprise me in my hometown?"

"When you said it was the same number, I figured you still lived here."

"Why are you here, Jess?" she asked, her mouth suddenly very dry.

"I'm insane?"

"Yes, you are. I can't believe you're actually here, standing there, with everyone just down the street at Luke's."

"I actually figured you'd be there too. The plan was to wait until people started leaving, and catch you on your way out. I didn't want to go to your house. Lorelai might catch me, and do something crazy."

"Well, she is Lorelai, so I'd say there's an excellent chance." There was silence again.

"Jess, you're killing me just standing there. What do you want?"

"What did you want when you stopped me leaving the hotel?"

"I don't know what I wanted, I wasn't thinking."

"Well, my reasoning is kind of along the same lines." She nodded, and nudged an imaginary spot on the wooden floor with her toe.

"What now?"

"I have no idea."

"Well, we're screwed then. Babette saw you, so in minutes the entire town will be out here, expecting us to be fucking in the gazebo." He raised his eyebrows. He'd never heard her speak crudely before.

"I see. We should go then." He anticipated her refusing him, but instead she shrugged.

"Probably yes. I don't want any more rumors flying around." He nodded, and they strolled off, subconsciously heading towards their bridge.

Elsewhere, Babette had stopped short of shouting out her news. Luke being held back by Dean and Kirk, as Taylor stood there looking distraught, held her attention for a few minutes.

"I will NEVER, ever tie up live animals outside my diner! You've gone off the deep end with this one, Taylor!"

Luke. That jogged her memory. Jess!

"Everyone, shut the hell up!" she screamed. The gathering of people in and outside the diner turned to look at her for a minute.

"This is all very entertaining, Luke and Taylor, but you're not gonna believe what I just saw! Jess, in the gazebo!" Astonished mumbling poured forth from the people, as Kirk let out a short scream.

"Babette, sweetie, tell us everything!" Patty exclaimed, pulling tiny Babette into the doorway of the diner. Even Luke and Taylor looked at her expectantly.

"I was just on my front porch, filling up my hummingbird feeder! And Rory goes running past, screaming about Luke and Taylor, so I drop the feeder and hightail it downtown! And Rory's ahead of me, but then she stops and is staring at the gazebo, and there he is! Sitting there like he owns the place! That's all I saw, I ran in here to tell you, and I just looked back and they're both GONE!"

Lorelai looked visibly shocked as everyone but Taylor, Dean, Luke, Patty, and herself departed, looking for the two. Taylor brushed himself off, and then followed them out.

"Lorealai, do you have any idea where they'd be?"

"Uh, no I don't actually." She laughed nervously. "But you could go check my house." Patty's eyes lit up, and she hustled out the door as fast as her bulk would allow. Lorelai, Luke, and Dean were the only ones left in the diner.

"So, he's back?" Dean asked, sounding bitter.

"Don't look at me. Lorelai, did Rory say anything to you?"

"No, she didn't. And I'm incredibly confused as to WHY he's here like this."

"Do you know where they are?" She sighed.

"Yea."

Rory and Jess were sitting on the bridge, legs dangling over the side, both quiet.

"So...how's California?"

"Sunny."

"I see. You're going to have to do some of the talking if you want to hold my attention, you know that?"

"I know."

"Good." They stared at each other. "Talk."

"What about?"

"I don't know. Is there anything that you've been dying to tell me for six years? Like why you left? I mean, I know I read it in your book, but I think I deserve to hear it straight from you."

"You read my book." A smile curved his lips upward, and she returned it.

"I did."

"Did you like it?"

"It was very accurate. And well written. And informative- I didn't know half that stuff about you."

"Did you have any problems with my portrayal of you or Star's Hollow?"

"You mean Taylorsville," she teased. He snorted good naturedly as she turned so she was facing him, and folded her legs Indian-style.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I'm not stopping you."

"Did you ever think I'd read it? I mean, even if we didn't meet, you're a pretty renowned author, and I would have recognized the plot sooner or later."

"I didn't think you'd read it."

"Ah. And if I had, what would the plan have been?"

"I wouldn't have known if you did read it."

"Okay, say I'm walking around in Andrew's store. Oh, look. J. M. Danes. He's a decent writer. I think I'll read this. I buy it. I take it home. I put it in my pile of books to read. A few weeks later, I get around to starting it. I distinctly hear your echoes, but think I'm imagining it. Then I get to the part where you steal my copy of Howl. A light bulb goes on over my head. I call your publisher, not hard because I have one too, and get your number. I call you and now you finish the story."

"That was very good presentation. Write many telegrams lately?"

"Jess, I'm serious," she laughed, hitting his arm lightly. He looked at the spot where her hand had touched him, and she felt self-conscious. What was she doing touching him? She needed to keep her wits about her. Touching Jess in any way, shape, or form was NOT the way to accomplish that.

"I don't know. If you had made the effort to reach me, I would have been polite at least." He stared hard into the depths of the lake while Rory watched him intently.

"All it would have taken was a few calls. You drove across the country."

"Actually, I took the bus." He looked back at her, hearing her laugh. It took a few minutes for her to compose herself.

"Were you really born on a bus?"