Title: The Coffee is Always better at Lukes
Summary: A story about a regular week in Stars Hollow which includes sprained wrists, shattered doors, ditching school, I love yous, fist fights and more. Reoccurring characters include Rory, Jess, Luke, Lorelai, and Dean.
Rating: PG-13 just to be on the safe side, for mild language
Spoilers: not really, perhaps some of season 3
Disclaimer: Oh yeah, forgot about this, we don't own Gilmore Girls, the characters, the actors, the writers, or the town. They all belong to WB or Amy Sherman-Palladino or some other company that we are not at all affiliated with.
A/N: Trying to make up for lost time with this quick update. Oh and if you like the style of this story check out our other fic, "Another Round".
Previously on Gilmore Girls…
"Ah, yes," Rory said in agreement. "The whole 'this' thing." She said smirking..she still didn't understand what 'this' was.
Jess shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Yes 'this', as in Lorelai is going to kill me, if Luke doesn't do that first, and none of this would really make a difference except for the fact that I've gotten used to things the way they are, and in the past twenty four hours it all seems to have gotten way out of control. And you don't seem to have any suggestions on what to do either." he mock chided
"Oh, that...well may i remind you that you," She said poking his cheek with her pointer finger, "dug your own grave...and we should probably widen that grave so that i can fit too."
Jess felt as if his head was spinning, angry yelling replaced with laughter and playful banter, he shook his head trying to make sure he was caught up with everything. And realized Rory probably thought he was saying no to what she said. "Huh," Jess replied with his trademark phrase, "either that or maybe you could help me out of this hole in the ground."
Rory sighed. "I don't think that I can. I really don't know what to do about this...my mom is going to whip her chain saw out and Luke is going to chase you with a frying pan." Rory said seriously, not even joking a little. "I don't have any idea what to do."
"I know," he said quietly, "look, I'll handle my end, but are you going to be okay dealing with the wrath of Lorelai?"
"I, I uh, I don't know what to say even...I shoot...what about you?" Rory asked concerned. "Well, since we're doing this whole honest thing...uh...nevermind."
Jess cocked one eyebrow up, "what?" he asked wondering what she was going to say.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing..really." Rory said unconvincingly.
"Oh really?" he asked not buying it. But had a feeling he might not get whatever it was out of her. He felt a smile begin to tug at the corner of his lips and did his best to hide it. "see like I said, you're a bad liar. But I'll be okay, I think I can pull off a pretty realistic Mission: Impossible if worse comes to worse. I just want to make sure that you can handle Lorelai and her chain saw."
"I think I can," She said nodding, "Um...okay...I'll uh...well...fine...I'll tell you what i was going to tell you."
Jess stood there waiting patiently. "ok" he said giving her time to say whatever it was she was going to say.
"Well, I," Rory sighed, "I just don't want to lose you again." Rory said quickly.
Jess chewed on his top lip thoughtfully, "You're not going to lose me Rory, I'm not going anywhere." and to break some of the tension he added, "unless you were serious about Lorelai and the chain saw in which case then, well, huh." he paused for a second, "I guess I'd just have to come back and haunt you." he smirked at her.
"Yeah," Rory said smirking. "Well, what do we do now? Should we go back to the Diner?"
"Well that depends, do you think there is going to be a mob of angry townspeople with pitchforks and torches waiting for us?" he asked sarcastically while his mind pondered various scenarios of what they should do.
"Oh, yeah. I can see that...I bet Taylor is leading it." She said grinning.
"Luke would have to lead a rebellion against Taylor, seeing as how I think he has first dibs on running me out of town with a frying pan and all," Jess replied, "so to the diner then?" he asked making sure she was ready to go back.
Rory sighed before responding. "To the diner."
"to the diner," he repeated as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss and then put his arm around her waist and they began walking to the diner, "so the gameplan is, you hide Lorelai's chain saw and I beg for forgiveness?" he asked looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"But where would that leave Luke's frying pan?" She joked. "No, seriously, I would like to go first if thats okay." She said as they approached the door.
"Y'want me to wait out here?" he asked unsure if that's what she meant.
Rory laughed. "Oh, no. You're going in. I meant that I want to talk first."
"Darn, and I thought you were gonna let me off of this easy." he laughed, "ok, you talk first, I'll be standing behind you so no flying frying pans or chainsaws will hit me. ok?" he asked her. "So lead the way milady."
Rory opened the door and walked towards Luke and Lorelai, who happened to be in the same spot that they left them in. She clutched Jess' hand hardly before starting. "I know we have a lot of explaining to do. But please just let me talk without interrupting and then you can say whatever you want." Luke and Lorelai were silent. "Okay, uh, well alright we did lie about the accident and what Jess said was true, but it was a total accident. We would have told you that in the first place, and that was what he wanted to do, but I knew that you," She pointed at her mother, "Would blame it on him regardless, and I didn't want that to happen...last time something like this happened, he left town and you guys didn't talk to each for weeks. I was trying to prevent that. I'm sorry that we lied and I really hope that you'll consider what I've said before blaming anyone, because really it was no ones fault...and he should not have been falsely blamed..." She finished and squeezed his hand.
Lorelai gave Rory the we'll talk about this more in private look and then said, "so you've decided you want to go to law school?" Lorelai got up and approached Rory and Jess, she turned to Jess, "so you wanted to tell the truth," then she turned to Rory, "and you didn't want him too. How interesting." Lorelai scrutinized the two of them for a few more seconds. Then turned to Luke and said, "would you like to add anything before I pass out sentencing?"
Luke glared at Jess and then gruffly added, "You're cleaning up the store room and you're going to work extra hours for the next few weeks to pay for the glass you broke in the door. And Lorelai will decide when you get to spend time with Rory, if you get to spend time with Rory. Got it?" Luke growled as he muttered something about having to get the diner ready for the breakfast shift and headed back toward the kitchen to start cooking.
Lorelai went back and sat at the counter and stared at the two. "It's too early in the morning to make a rational decision. So let me just say I understand your reasons for lying, but you still lied sweets, you lied to your mother who I thought you knew you could tell anything to. And you," she said giving Jess the evil eye but then softening slightly, "you really wanted to tell me the truth?" she asked doubtful.
Rory answered for him. "Yes! He really did," Rory told her mother honestly, "And I'm really sorry that I lied...really. It was killing me, but i was trying to protect him."
Lorelai pondered what Rory said for a few seconds, "ok." she said simply making the two teenagers sweat this out a bit longer after she thought Rory and Jess were about to burst she said, "ok James Dean wannabe, you're off the hook this time, but you only get one mistake that I forgive and this ones yours so don't screw up again, or I will kill you. And mini-me, we'll have a long heart to heart later on about this," she eyed Jess then Rory, "oh and one of you can also buy me coffee and a danish." she added grinning at her ability to get a free breakfast.
Rory let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thanks mom," She said sincerely. She turned to Jess, "Would you like to buy breakfast for us?" She asked sweetly.
Lorelai laughed, "I taught you well young padawan." Just then the the cell phone went off, "hello," Lorelai answered, and caught Luke glaring at her from in the kitchen, she smiled at him and waved, "ok, I'll be right there Michel, bye." She turned to Rory and Jess, "you owe me breakfast tomorrow. I've gotta go in to work, something about a leaky pipe, bye sweets, c-ya later. Have a good day." and with that she grabbed the coffee cup Luke brought out and left the diner.
Rory glanced at Jess. "Well...that went pretty good, considering."
"You don't think it went too well, do you," Jess thought cocking one eyebrow up, "I mean it just seems to easy doesn't it?"
Rory frowned. She hadn't considered that. "So you don't think that that's all?"
Jess glanced toward the kitchen to make sure Luke wasn't eavesdropping, "I don't know," he looked at Rory, "you want to go upstairs to talk?" he asked glancing once more back toward the kitchen and then at the door as a few townspeople began to come into the diner.
"Yeah," She said nodding.
Jess led the way upstairs and once they got to the door he remembered he hadn't cleaned up the glass on the floor. "Careful," he told Rory as he navigated the way around the glass shards and shut the door behind them. "So," he looked around making sure the room was semi-neat, "was Lorelai abducted by aliens or something while we were gone. I mean let's be honest, she really hates me yet she let me off the hook." Jess knelt down and began to clean up the glass, "and I don't want you to be blamed for everything, which is what appears to be the case at the moment, I mean, c'mon Ror the wrist thing was entirely my fault."
"No it was not! It was an accident. The definition of an accident is an 'event occurring by chance or unintentionally' and that is what it was." Rory said as she bent down and started to help him with the glass.
Jess sighed, "Yeah it was an accident but I still feel awful about it and about the fact that from that look on Lorelai's face you haven't heard the last of this." Jess looked at her and realized she was helping with the glass, "you really don't need to help with that, this in fact was my fault."
"Why did you do it?" She asked softly as she continued to pick up pieces with her one hand.
Jess glanced up at her trying to figure out how to explain and decided maybe it was best to see what Rory was thinking first, "why does it matter?"
Rory sighed. "I, just..." She couldn't think of a way to say what she was thinking without offending him and decided on, 'thought it might be nice to know why my boyfriend broke the glass out of a door."
Jess was a bit worried about Rory's reaction to his outburst at Luke so did his best to explain semi-delicately."Because your boyfriend is an idiot," Jess replied, "and because at times he gets upset and forgets to control his strength while closing the door. But I mean c'mon why would anyone want to have a huge section of the door in glass anyway?"
"Okay, first off, you are NOT an idiot, second, why were you mad, and third, who puts glass in doors anyways." Rory said glancing at him hardly.