"Jess is here?" Lorelai's eyes widened as Rory sat down on her mother's office chair. Her sigh was taken as a reply, although the question was redundant as it is. Rory has already told her she saw Jess, and she responded in a manner maybe more shocked than her daughter's.
"Why is he here?" She kept asking, and Rory shrugged.
"For his uncle's wedding, maybe?" She suggested, her voice sounding tired. She really didn't want to get into this.
"No, I mean, why is he Ihere/I?
Rory leaned back. "I don't know."
Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "You don't think…" she started, and Rory had no choice but to ask, "What?"
"Do you think he's here to see you?'
Rory couldn't help but chuckle bitterly in reply. "No," She shook her head, "No. He has no reason to. Besides, how could he know I was here?"
Lorelai shrugged. "Because it's your mother's Inn, maybe?"
"I don't know." Rory looked down.
"What was he doing in my Inn, anyway?" Lorelai asked after a pause of silence, "Who let him in?"
Rory shrugged. "I guess… Luke…"
"Luke sent Jess to my Inn?" Lorelai burst into her daughter's words. Rory just sighed and buried her head in her hands.
Lorelai's features mellowed and her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry," she knelt next to her daughter, "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" She replied, her tone of voice cheating on her.
"I don't know." Lorelai said quietly, "I mean, it's…"
"Fine." Rory stated. "It's…fine. I can handle this."
"You sure?"
"Yes." Rory replied, knowing that somewhere inside of her, she knows that she's lying,
"You go take care of your wedding. Don't worry about me."
Lorelai remained in her knelt position for a few seconds more, stroking her daughter's hair as to show her concern but hide it on the same time. She got up and left, and Rory let out a heavy breath. Could she really handle this?
-
"You brought Jess here."
"Lorelai…"
"No! You brought Jess. Here!" She emphasized.
"He's family, Lorelai!" Luke defended himself.
"I don't care if his family, Luke, he hurt my daughter! He hurt the girl who's going to be Iyour/I daughter in a few days, don't you care?"
Luke turned around and sighed.
"Well?" Lorelai asked, annoyed, with her hands resting on her hips.
Luke turned back to face her. "He's my nephew, Lorelai. He lived here with me for two years. I don't care what he did and I don't care what he does now – he deserves to be here. He wants to be here, Lorelai, he's here! Don't you think this means something?"
"Yeah," she rolled her eyes, "That he's trying to get to Rory."
"Not everything is about Rory, Lorelai. Or about you!" He replied, raged. "Jess is here,
Jess is going to stay here and if you can't face it, that's just too damn bad!"
Lorelai said nothing, just picked up her coat. "I'm at the Inn. Don't call me." She announced and slammed the front door shut behind her.
-
"I'm calling off the wedding." Lorelai said while pacing back and forth in her office, as a panicked Rory tried to catch up with her. "You're not making any sense, mom." She cried, feeling helpless against her mother's sudden determination.
"I'm making perfect sense! He's never talked to me the way he did today. What does he think, that just because we're getting married he could badmouth me?"
"What did he talk to you about?" Rory tried to understand. And she did, the moment her mother froze in place, obviously trying to think something up. "Why, mom?"
"What?" She replied, her tone part defensive, part trying to sound clueless.
"You talked to him about Jess?"
"I had to!"
"No, you didn't! I told you I would handle this!"
"Yeah, Right." Lorelai muttered under her breath.
Rory frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"No, it's not nothing. What were you trying to say?"
"Look, Rory…" Lorelai draw a deep breath, "We both know that when it comes to Jess you don't always act logical."
Rory was taken aback by the comment. "When have I not acted logical around Jess?"
"Oh, let's see, my graduation? Sookie's wedding?"
"That was four years ago, mom! I was 17, I wasn't supposed to act logical!"
"You're Rory, your always logical."
"Oh, please, mom!" Rory said sternly. "Why won't you cut the bull and say what you're really bothered about."
"I'm not bothered about anything!" She crossed her arms.
"Your concerned that it might actually go well," Rory raised her voice, "Your concerned that I'll work things out with Jess and he'll be civil and nice to me and to Luke and even to you and that everything will be perfect! And that for once, you wouldn't be able to blame him!"
"Don't you dare use that tone on me!" Lorelai tried to raise her voice louder.
"Why? What will you do, call off our wedding?" Rory taunted, just before she left the room, leaving Lorelai to stare after her, furious but very much confused.
-
The door to the diner shut behind a still very raged Rory. It was almost empty, as only one elderly couple sat in one of the farther tables. She hopped on a stool and looked around impatiently. "Hello?" She leaned forward and called, but got no answer. "Who do I have to sleep with to get some coffee in here?" She muttered.
And then he came out through the curtain.