When the Bough Breaks - Chapter Seven
"You can map your life through your favorite movies, an no people's maps will be the same."
A.N. Once again thank you all for your reviews, they keep me entertained that's for sure, especially regarding the Lit/Rogan debate...and while we are on the topic I want to get this out there. Don't assume that whatever happens now, for example if Rory gets close to one or the other, that that's how the story is going to end. We still have a ways to go so don't go jumping to conclusions...if it starts out Lit it may very well end a Rogan or it could remain a Lit...so continue to make your cases cause I'm still debating with myself and review cause I love them! And I know you guys still have questions about the death of Rory's children, those are coming soon. And I think you guys will have another question at the end of this chapter but I promise they'll all be answered in their time. And here's a spoiler for the next chapter: it's Ellie centric and she's about to make her sister's life even harder then it is...
Once they reached Stars Hollow Rory informed Lane that she would rather go home, but had also promised that she'd stop by at some point in the coming week to visit. The drive from New York to Stars Hollow with her best friend had left Rory more energized then she'd felt in at least a week. When Lane pulls into the driveway both are shocked to see Jess sitting on the front porch and glancing up from a book to watch them pull in.
"So he really is back in town, emerged from the diner and everything," Lane comments, Rory had filled her in on her encounter with Jess. "You good?"
Rory nods, "no matter how embarrassed I am, I can face Jess. He's not so scary." She gives Lane a final smile to express her thanks before emerging from the car. "How long, exactly, have you been waiting on my porch?" Rory asks, as she approaches Jess closes his book and stands from his position on the top step.
"Started re-reading Catcher in the Rye and I'm 10 pages from the end," Jess responds holding his book up as an illustration.
"That long huh?" Rory asks lifting an eyebrow, "don't you have anything better to do?"
Jess shrugs, "I wanted to see how you were doing. You disappeared last night."
"Yeah," Rory responds as she unlocks the front door to let them both through. "I had dinner at Sookie's."
"I thought maybe you'd stayed there last night," Jess nods.
"I actually stayed the night in New York," Rory responds but instantly isn't sure why she'd offered up so much information.
"Oh," Jess nods, "Logan didn't bring you back."
"No," Rory shakes her head, "we're getting a divorce." Rory stops immensely aware how out there that comment must sound to Jess. "I mean...I didn't know if you knew." Great, now she just sounded like an idiot.
"Luke mentioned it," Jess responds and the two fall silent at the mention of him. Both spend nearly two minutes shifting uncomfortably before Jess clears his throat, "I was wondering if we could...uh...talk...about what you were planning on doing with the diner."
"Oh," Rory swallows, "sure. We can talk in the kitchen." She quickly clears the table of the casserole that Logan had heated up for her the other morning. When had that been? With a start Rory realizes that had only been less then 48 hours ago. Rory settles at the table and Jess follows suit, "so, what about the diner?" Rory asks clasping her fingers tightly in front of her.
"I know you have control of the diner," Jess begins, "I was wondering if you'd given any thought as to what you're going to do with it?"
Rory shrugs, "I really don't know, I can't sell it because it was Luke's...but I can't run it either."
"I could run it," Jess states quickly, as if afraid that he'll lose the nerve to ask her.
"You?" Rory questions, "but...I mean, you hated working in the diner in high school."
"Not as much as I made it seem," Jess seems more relaxed now that he's gotten the question out. "But the way I see it, you can't sell it or hire someone else to run it because if you did they'd be sure to screw it up. You know me nice to the customers or something."
"You want to run it?" Rory asks again, "you're sure?"
Jess nods, "I'm positive. It's not like I have to write in New York. Books can be written just as easily here as there. Hell, my publishing company isn't even in New York."
"Jess..."
"Listen, Rory if you don't like the idea just say that. It's just that...an idea."
"No," Rory shakes her head, "I do love the idea. I just don't want you to feel like you have to do this."
"So it's a deal then?" Jess asks not confirming or denying Rory's that he feels obligated to do this.
"Yeah, I guess we do."
"So," Jess asks, "I've got to ask the trite question, how are you doing?"
"Better," Rory responds, "I'm not saying that everything is sunshine and daisies. Far from it actually. But for the first time in a week I don't feel like shriveling up and dying. So I figure that's a step in the right direction."
"I would assume so," Jess nods.
"How are you doing?"
"Oh, you know."
Rory nods, she did know, "El's going to be glad to have you nearby all the time now."
Jess smiles, he and Ellie had always been close, "how's she doing?"
"I wouldn't know really, she's staying at Sookie's, she refuses to come back here with me and she says that she hates me."
"She doesn't really."
"No, I know."
"She's just upset."
"Rightfully so."
"Still hurts to hear the words, I'm sure."
"Yeah," Rory nods, "she's the only family I have right now." Rory sighs resting her chin on the palm of her hand.
"Well, you know if you want to get technically we're cousins, if that helps and I don't hate you," Jess offers.
Rory wrinkles her nose, "that offer's absolutely no comfort. Having sex with your cousin, step or otherwise, is way to incest-y for my taste."
"Hey we weren't related then," Jess points out quickly, "incest wasn't involved and I don't think..not that it is anyway because if I remember correctly we were dating long before Luke and Lorelai got together."
"Sure," Rory smirks, "and the whole sex thing was a full 24 hours before they got married...officially making us cousins. So, you know, we're cool." Rory bites her lip before stating, "I never got to apologize for what happened the next day..."
"You don't have to apologize Rory," Jess shakes his head, "you and I have never had good time. Hell, I wouldn't have expected us to have had perfect timing then either."
"I'm still sorry," Rory responds.
"I'm not, so you shouldn't be either." Jess allows the words to sink in before he stands up, "I should go."
Rory stands as well and suddenly at the thought of being alone like she'd told Lane she wanted to be Rory changes her mind, "you could stay. I mean, you don't have to go."
"What?" Jess looks surprised by her words.
"We could...watch a movie or something..." Rory suddenly felt like she was back in high school.
Jess shrugs, "if you want me to stay."
"I do," Rory assures quickly, "come on." She leads the way to the living room where Luke had built an entertainment center large enough to hold at least the most watched movies of the household. After rifling through the dvd's contained in the cabinets she holds up two DVD's, "you up for a Charlie and the Chocolate factory vs Willy Wonka marathon?"
"Yeah," Jess nods, "sounds good. But I want to run out and get something quick before we start, that cool?"
"What, Jess needs his security blanket to protect him from the scary Oompa Loompas?" Rory teases.
"Something like that, I'll be back in fifteen minutes," Jess promises before leaving the house.
In the fifteen minutes that it takes Jess to get back Rory has changed out of her dress, and into a pair of pajama pants and an old Yale shirt, and is settled on the couch with the first movie geared up to start. "Finally," Rory calls, "you know it's just cruel to keep a Gilmore from her movie!"
"I know," Jess responds, "but I figured you'd forgive me if I brought you food."
"Food," Rory turns around quickly at the word and is surprised to see Jess holding two bags, one from Doose's and the other from Al's Pancake world. "Jess..." Rory's eyes fill with tears at the gesture.
Jess immediately drops the bags, "maybe this wasn't a good idea."
"No, no," Rory wipes at her eyes, "it was. Please bring me the food."
Tentatively Jess picks up the bag and moves over to the couch setting them on the coffee table, "I didn't mean to upset you."
Rory shakes her head but tears still shimmer in her eyes, "it's not your fault. I was just thinking about how often I've done this with my mom and how I won't again."
Jess seems to be at a loss as to what to do, but eventually the writer in him finds the words, "it's okay to be sad about doing these things without your mom. But you know Lorelai she wouldn't have wanted you to pass up the chance to sit and eat Twinkies and Lo Mein all night."
Rory can't help but smile at the comment, "you're right, she'd never want to be the cause of that." After taking a minute to collect herself Rory asks, "so you said something about Twinkies?"
Jess leans forward and dumps out the bag from Doose's containing enough junk good to make even Lorelai proud, "and Al's features Chinese food this month."
"Great, I'm starving."
"You do look starving, is your freakish Gilmore metabolism speeding up in your old age?"
"No one to feed me," Rory shrugs with a smile, keeping her tone light as well.
"The kitchen cabinets are stocked full and the fridge is jammed with casseroles, so I'm not sure how that's possible."
"First of all," Rory begins, "casseroles are either way to healthy or completely gross so Gilmore's as a rule do not eat them. And secondly if you think I've learned to cook in my, as you call it, old age you'd be sorely mistaken."
"Well, Caesar and I are planning on opening the diner back up on Sunday, so you only have to scrap by for just a couple more days."
"You already talked to Caesar?" Rory asks as she unwraps a chocolate bar, "sounds like you were pretty confident that I'd say yes."
"Well, I figured you'd take pity on your poor starving writer cousin."
Rory crinkles her nose again at the term cousin, "I would hardly call you a starving writer. Unless I'm wrong, which I don't think I am, your last book was on the top ten list for best selling novels last year."
"I was ninth," Jess smirks.
"And so modest after all that." Rory laughs before stating, "I read it, twice. Jess it was amazing, I actually added some things to the margin that I'd love to go over with you sometime."
"Okay," Jess nods as he rips open a bag of twizzlers.
"But not now, because now we must start this movie," Rory pulls her feet up underneath her before pressing play on the remote in her hand.