Chapter Three

I hadn't intended to fall asleep. The artist in me thought it would it would be fitting to watch as the Connecticut housing and landscape gave way to that of New York's, but somewhere just outside of Stars Hollow I feel asleep. It wasn't a conscious decision, but somewhere in the mix of tears and the six feeling in my stomach I drifted into a solid sleep filled with flashes from my childhood. I wake up when the bus comes to a jolting stop at the bus depot in New York City, I'd missed my entranced into the city but I'm to groggy to care at this exact moment, I have other things to worry about. The wrestling with my duffel bag and the memories that are floating around in my head.

I make it off of the bus in one piece, although I didn't think it would happen, it's a pain in the ass to get a duffel bag through a thin aisle while you're only half conscious. The pre-dawn air is cool and it pulls me out of the last bit of sleep I was hanging on too, I'd saved up money for a cab but the address that's in my pocket leads to an apartment that isn't to far from the bus depot. I've been there and I know it's in walking distance, I'm going to need the money I have carefully saved up for the last year, no need to go blowing it on a needless taxi trip.

The trip takes longer then I expected it to, between me stumbling on the pavement because of lack of sleep and the heaviness of my bag...a heaviness that seems to grow with every street sign I pass that doesn't read the one I am looking for. Oh and did I mention I got lost? Yup, took a wrong turn and ended up having to ask a nice older Indian woman for directions, she sweetly gave them to me in broken English that I could hardly understand. I suppose I understood them well enough to get myself straightened out, but I had to double back about a mile.

I've always been a fairly active person, not sporty per se but I do enjoy running and swimming and occasionally some form of organized sports. But this, this walking a million miles from the bus station to the apartment building was sheer idiocy, but by the time I realize it I'm to close to actually get a taxi like I should have done in the first place. I envisioned this a million times, this walk from the bus station to the apartment building. Envisioned how I'd take in the whole city, everything I walked passed would be burned into my memory or I'd be snapping roll after roll of film.

So far to many things aren't going like I planned them and that makes me more nervous then I'd like to be. But before I even have time to dwell on this fact I've reached the apartment building and I thank whatever god there is in the heavens that I'm looking for an apartment on the first floor, no stairs to try to lug my bags up. Just a couple feet into the apartment building, it's a nice apartment, nothing fancy and it may be a little dirty but for the most part it's been kept up well.

I drop my bags in relief at apartment 4A and ring the doorbell, it's silent for several minutes and I realize that maybe showing up unexpectedly wasn't the best idea. What the hell am I going to do if he's not home? I can't lug all of my damn baggage around New York City. I could be back in Stars Hollow before Mom and Dad even notice that I've left, but before I even have the time to nix that idea I can hear swearing on the other side of the door mixed with the sound of a deadbolt being opened.

"Ah geez," are the first words I am greeted with in this brand new city that's part of my life, of the new me.

"What Jess, aren't you going to wish your favorite cousin a happy birthday?" I lean against the door jam smiling up at my cousin, the expression on his face is funnier then I thought it was going to be.

"No," Jess' response is simple as he shakes his head, he's taken in my bags right away.

"No, you're not going to wish me a happy birthday?"

"No, I'm not going to be any part of whatever crazy plan you've come up with." Jess states.

"Jess, come on, can't I at least come in?" I ask, "I'm tired, I've been on a busy forever."

"Your parents are going to kill me," Jess sighs but he moves out of the way to let me pass, "but you can't stay."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Jess asks as he busies himself in the kitchen, preparing coffee.

"I'm not doing anything to you Jess, I need a place to crash until I can get a job and my own apartment." I've dropped into a chair at his small kitchen table.

"They're going to blame me for this." Jess states as he pushes the coffee filter into the machine, "I'm not taking the blame for this Lucy. You have to go back to Stars Hollow."

"Jess...come on..." My tones whiny but I can't help it, I've hardly slept and I didn't anticipate Jess' reaction.

"You're still in high school, you can't just drop out."

"You did," I point out, "now you're a big shot writer."

"See," Jess points at me, "this is why I'm going to get blamed for this."

"So you're going to make me go back there?" I can't believe that Jess, the guy who was there the day I was born and has been for every big event since., isn't going to back me up. I'm on my feet before I even realize it, "you hated it there as much as I do. I can't believe you're doing this to me."

"What's going on?" Ingrid, Jess' wife of a year, wanders out in a pair of Jess' boxer shorts and a cami. "Lucy, what are you doing here?" Ingrid runs a hand through her dark hair, "did we know you were coming? Did I forget?" That statement was so Ingrid, she was an amazing artist and a great person, but if it's not the art piece she is working on she won't remember anything you've told her.

"No, we didn't know she was coming, Lucy's decided she's running away."

"I'm not running away," I defend myself, my eyes locking on Ingrid she was my best ally when it comes to convincing Jess to let me stay. "I'll call Mom and Dad and tell them that I'm here, I'm not running away..I'm 18..."

"Lucy..." Jess interrupts my words and earns a glare from me as a prize.

"Jess," with hands on my hips I probably look like a child, an angry child, but a child nonetheless.

"Just let Lucy stay, Jess," Ingrid rolls her eyes at her husband.

"Ing," Jess sighs and Ingrid and I share a smirk, it's obvious we're winning this battle. "Luke's gonna kill me."

"It's just for a little while, until I can find a job and an apartment."

"This is perfect," Ingrid yawns and then smiles, "Denise just quit and you have a deadline with the publisher. You don't have the time to go into the shop all the time and Jamie can't run it all of the time either, he's still in school you know."

"Ah geez," Jess runs a hand through his hair. I can't not laugh at Jess' action that so mirrors my father's, "this is not something to laugh about," Jess takes down two mugs from the cupboard and pours himself and Ing coffee. "Your dad is going to kill me."

"So you've pointed out," I nod as I move toward the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water.

"You have to call them."

I swallow hard, this was the part I wasn't looking forward too. I'm not sure how they're going to react, but I know enough to know that it's not going to be pretty.