A/N: Thanks for the great reviews guys! I really can't tell you how much I love you guys for those. They're like pixie sticks highs to me, and that's saying something.
Someone commented in a review that they didn't really like that Rory was portrayed as needing to be saved. This was done on purpose, but not to show that Rory is in any way helpless. She's been pretty sheltered in Stars Hollow, and now she's new in New York. She hasn't really found her stability in the city yet, and it wouldn't make sense for her to instantly be able to handle herself. I wasn't in any way, trying to make Rory one of those stupid helpless girls who can't do anything without a guy. I hate that kind of thing. I hope that made sense. Thanks for your feedback though. I always like to know if my readers see my stories different than I think I wrote them. It gives me a chance to clarify.
**Disclaimer: I own a Discman, a shelf full of books, and this laptop. I don't own anything related to this show. And even if you do sue me, all you're getting is the Discman and the books because there's no way in hell you're getting my laptop.**
A Whole New World
by Angel Monroe
Chapter 3: Surprise Tour Guide
Rory groaned, rolling over and trying to go back to sleep, but she just couldn't. She had been having the most wonderful dream, but the moment she had opened her eyes, the finer parts of it had faded in her mind.
Cursing the sun for rising, she pulled back the covers and sat up on her air-mattress. Reluctantly, she dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a plain blue t-shirt. All she felt like doing today was lying back and reading. She had gotten enough social interaction the night before to last her a week or so.
Walking out into the living room, she saw that her aunt and John were already awake and dressed, sitting on the couch watching the morning news.
"Hey," she greeted them as she sat down on the floor in front of the couch.
"Good morning," they greeted her in unison.
"So what are you two up to today?" she asked them.
"I'm off to work in a few minutes," Grace answered.
"I'm showing you around town," John said.
She looked at him incredulously. "Do I have any say in the matter?" she asked.
"Nope," he smiled. "I'm dragging you with me."
"Whatever," she replied not even bothering to argue. "How long do I have to get ready?"
"Ten minutes," he replied not taking his eyes from the TV. "Mom's dropping us off in the park on her way to work."
"I'll be ready," she said getting up.
She went into the bathroom and washed her face. She had taken a shower the night before to get the smell of beer and cigarettes out of her hair, so she didn't need to take one. She stared at her reflection for a long moment, staring into her own eyes. She had always thought they were her best features, but now she couldn't see passed the sadness that lingered there.
Looking away, she took her brush and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. She didn't bother with makeup—who was she planning to impress anyway? After brushing her teeth well and taking one last look in the mirror, she went back into her room.
Rummaging through her backpack, she found what she was looking for: her favorite worn copy of Oliver Twist. She stuffed it in a purse and headed out to where John and Grace were waiting for her.
Ten minutes later, she and John were getting out of the car in Washington Square Park.
"You guys can take the subway back?" Grace asked out the window.
"Of course," John answered. "We'll be fine." With that, Grace drove away.
"You ready to see the city?" John asked.
"If you insist," Rory replied smiling a little. She really just wanted to sit down on one of the benches and read, but she knew that that wasn't likely to happen.
"Let's go," he said offering her his arm. She took it and together they walked down the street.
***Two hours later***
"Can we please stop for a little while?" Rory asked as they passed through Washington Square Park again.
"Fine," he replied stopping. "You can sit here for a while and I'm gonna check out this comic shop down the street. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"
"I'll be fine," she assured him patting the book in her bag.
"Okay," he said heading off across the square.
Rory took the book out of her bag, making herself comfortable on one of the benches. She opened it to her bookmark and instantly became enveloped in the story again. She had read it many times before, but she loved it all the same.
Five minutes later, she was so wrapped up in the book that she didn't notice the figure standing above her, watching her intently.
"You stole my bench," he said finally, pulling her out of her trance.
She looked up at him and smiled a little. "Jess," she said a little surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," he replied with an even tone, "last time I heard, this was a free state, a free country even."
"That's not what I meant," she said.
"I know," he said smirking. "I like to come out here to read, too." He held up a book.
Rory's smile widened. This was completely not what she expected from him, but at least she understood the 'bookworm' comment now. "You read a lot?" she asked him.
"Depends on your definition of a lot," he said avoiding the question. He had found that most girls around here found his addiction to literature dorky.
"Whatcha reading?" she asked, noting his aversion.
He held up a worn and heavily read Hemmingway novel.
"Hemmingway?" she scoffed. "I've read a lot of classics, but I've yet to get through a Hemmingway without falling asleep."
"You're kidding," he said disbelievingly, absently sitting down on the bench next to her. "He's one of the best novelists of his time."
"I'm more of a Jane Austin/Ayn Rand kinda girl," she said unconsciously leaning toward him as she spoke.
"Ayn Rand?" he smiled. "She's a nut."
"You've read her?" she asked a little amazed.
"Oh yeah," he replied, "and having read her work, I can honestly say that she's certifiable."
"You cannot be serious," Rory said incredulously. "I can't believe—"
"Well, well, well," John said behind them. "How is it that every time I leave you alone, you end up with this delinquent?"
She could tell that he was joking, so she decided to play along for a while. "I was just sitting here reading my book, and this guy started harassing me."
Jess's eyes widened a little. "I did nothing of the sort," he protested turning his gaze from one to the other. "I just came here to read and decided to say hello."
"And then you started harassing my little cousin?" John asked, trying really hard not to smile.
"No! I was just—"
"Breathe, Jess," Rory told him smiling. "He's just kidding."
Jess took a relieved breath. John was a big guy and had threatened to kick his ass for far less. "You had me worried there for a minute," he admitted. "Don't scare me like that."
"Just keeping you on your toes," John said patting him on the back.
"So," Rory cut in, "I see now why you call him bookworm, though I still maintain that Hemmingway doesn't agree with me."
"Give it another chance," Jess urged her. "It's not bad once you get passed the language."
"The language isn't really the problem," Rory said. "I just can't seem to get into the storyline."
John smiled at the two knowingly. He'd had no idea when he'd introduced them the night before that they'd be so compatible. 'Imagine,' he thought, 'someone who might actually find his obsession with books interesting.' Then an idea came to him.
"Hey," he broke into their conversation, "I called work while I was at the comic shop to see when I was working next. They said they could really use my help today. Jess, would you mind showing Rory around for awhile so I can get a few hours in? I'd owe you big, man."
"I don't want to be any trouble," Rory said timidly. "I could just take the subway back to the apartment."
"You think you could handle the subway yourself?" John asked skeptically.
"Well," she said a little unsure, "I'm sure I could manage."
"It's fine," Jess said. "I didn't really have anything planned for the day anyway."
"Are you sure?" she asked him.
"Really," he smiled inwardly at her squeamishness, "it's no trouble at all."
"So I'm gonna go to work," John said starting to walk away. "Oh," he turned back, "and what I said last night still stands."
Jess stifled a blush but couldn't hide his smirk. "Wouldn't dream of it," he assured him. He knew exactly what his friend was doing, but he chose to play dumb. A day with a book-loving, seemingly innocent but still beautiful girl wasn't the worst thing he could think of.
As John walk down the street, going to "work," Jess turned his attention to Rory.
"So what do you want to do?" he asked her.
She thought for a second. "Before we do anything, I need to get food in me," she replied. She hadn't eaten since she'd grabbed an apple on the way out of the house. She was used to having pancakes at Luke's around that time.
She felt a twinge of sadness, wishing she could see Luke again. She knew he missed her, and she missed him more than she would have thought possible. He was like a father to her, more so than her actual father in fact. She wished she could walk into the diner right that moment and see her mother there, begging him for a fifth cup of coffee. She would have given anything for that.
"You okay?" Jess's voice brought her out of her thoughts. He was looking at her with such worry in his eyes.
"I'm fine," she replied forcing a smile. "I was just thinking about my favorite place to eat back in my old town."
"Well," he said as they began to walk, "I know this place. It's not the Ritz, but it's pretty good."
"Okay," she smiled. She liked to have someone not pressuring her to talk about all the things she really didn't want to discuss. It took a lot of the stress off. "Whatcha doing there?" she asked him.
While they were walking, he had been toying with something in his hands.
"This?" he said holding a large painted gold coin as they kept walking. "It's nothing." Making a hand motion, he opened his fingers to show that it was gone.
'Interesting,' she thought. "Little tip," she said smiling a little. "If you ever want to speak to me again, don't pull that out of my ear."
"So I'm guessing the nose is off limits as well," he replied, his hand brushing hers as they walked.
"Any place you wouldn't normally find a coin," she said.
"Duly noted," he nodded his head. "But I must tell you, you really need to be more careful with your stuff."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well," he said taking something out of his pocket and held it up, "if I could lift this off of you that easily, you never know what a real pickpocket could do."
"My bracelet!" she said incredulously, snatching it out of his hand. "You stole my bracelet!" For a moment, she was going to put it back on her wrist, but then she thought of her and Dean's last goodbye and instead slipped it into her pocket.
"Nope, borrowed," he replied casually. "Just making a point. You need to watch out in this city."
"Duly noted," she said, a hint of irritation in her voice, but she understood. "But could you please check your klepto tendencies around me from now on?"
"Whatever you say," he replied.
He stopped abruptly and she looked at where they were. 'A hotdog stand?' she thought amused.
"Now I know it doesn't look like much," he said, "but it's really pretty good if you give it a chance."
"It's perfect," she replied smiling.
"I'll have one with everything," Jess told the vendor and turned to her, silently asking her what she wanted.
"Make that two," she said. 'What the hell,' she thought. 'I've eaten things that would surprise Ripley's; this couldn't hurt.'
She took the hotdog she was handed and reached into her pocket for money, but Jess waved it away. He took a ten out of his pocket and paid the man.
"You didn't have to," she told him. "I could have gotten it."
"I know," he replied taking his change, "but it's fine. This one's my treat."
"Thanks," she said sincerely.
"Don't mention it," he replied. They walked along the sidewalk in silence for a while, both eating their hotdogs.
"So," she said finally between bites, "what's your story?"
"Meaning?" he looked at her curiously.
"In a city like this," Rory looked around with a look of wonder, "where everything is so fast pace and complicated, and with friends who obviously don't share your love for literacy, how do you develop this passion for literature?"
Jess smiled a little at the way she said the word passion, but she didn't seem to notice. "I guess it was an escape," he replied honestly. "I've never had the picture perfect family, and reading helped me find a sense of normalcy."
"I'm sorry," Rory looked down at the ground. She didn't mean to bring up a bad subject.
"It's fine," Jess replied. "I don't try to hide it. It's not like I care what people think about anything."
Rory was silent for a while. She was thinking about her own family. She had grown up without a father, but she had always thought about the family she had as pretty close to perfect. Hell, the entire town was like family to her.
"I want to show you something," Jess said breaking through her thoughts.
"What is it?" her eyes lit up with curiosity.
"Come on," he grabbed her wrist lightly and pulled her with him down the street. Finally, he stopped in front of a shop with the lettering 'Jay's Books' on the door.
"What is this?" she asked him smiling.
"After you," he said holding the door open for her.
Rory walked through the door and was struck dumb by the sight in front of her. From the outside, the store looked small, but inside it was huge and spacious, extending to an upstairs and down into the basement. Floor to ceiling, she had never seen so many of her favorite books in one place. There was classic literature, mystery, romance, science fiction, and anything else she could possibly want. She had barely stepped foot in the shop and she instantly knew that she had found her new favorite place.
"You like?" Jess asked coming up behind her.
"I like," she replied, her eyes still wide with wonder. "How did you ever find this place?"
"I've been coming here for as long as I could read," he replied. "It's great isn't it?"
"Where should I start?" she was torn between classic lit and modern fantasy.
He smiled at the look on her face. He had brought other girls here, but none had really understood its draw. Rory was looking around as if she was a little kid at Christmas. He had never found a girl before who shared his love of books, and seeing her now like this made him happier than even he had expected.
"Wherever you want," he chuckled. "I'll be over in the classic lit section."
He headed over to his favorite section, calling a hello to Jay, a plump woman in her early forties and the proprietor of this lovely establishment. He ran his fingers lovingly over the worn volumes. He had always liked used books more than new. They seemed to hold a history, a story far beyond that written in its pages.
Picking up one of his most beloved paperbacks, he sat down in a comfortable armchair and started reading from where he had left off the last time he was here. The minutes and pages went quickly. Before he knew it, he was turning the last page, a feeling of satisfied contentment flowing through him. He looked up and around, having almost forgotten about the girl he had come with.
Rory sat in an armchair on the second floor, quietly reading a young adult fantasy/occult novel by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. She had always liked the girl's works, and she hadn't gotten to read this latest one yet. So absorbed in its pages, she didn't notice Jess watching from a few feet behind her.
She looked so peaceful, so content. He loved the way her eyes widened and focused as she hit the good parts of the story. He was reluctant to disturb her in this tranquil state, but he knew they should probably be getting back to meet John.
"Good book?" he asked her finally.
She smiled up at him. "Very," she replied.
He stared into her eyes for a few moments, wishing he could do that forever. She was so beautiful. 'Dammit!' he thought turning away a little embarrassed. 'This is John Patterson's cousin. I CAN'T go there. Sure, he did kinda set this up, but I really don't want to lose any body parts.'
"We should really get going," he told her offering a hand to help her up.
She took it gratefully and stood up, a little too close to him. They were so close, their faces only inches apart, that she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She was so tempted to close that distance, to press her lips against his, it almost hurt. She looked up into his chocolate eyes and found him looking at her almost curiously. She loved those eyes.
'What am I thinking!?' her mind screamed at her. 'I barely know this person! And Dean, I only broke up with Dean ten days ago. I can't just jump into something with a complete stranger.'
"Yeah," she said backing away a little. "John will probably be waiting for us."
She turned away from him, going to return the book to its place on the shelf. Jess ran his fingers through his hair, trying to quiet the beating of his heart in his chest. He had been so close to her, so close to kissing her. God, what was wrong with him? He had met this girl sixteen hours ago, and he was already thinking about kissing her?
Sure, he had done way more than kiss with girls he had known far less. Hell, he had made out with girls whose names he didn't even know. But this was different somehow. Not only because he had to worry about physical harm to his finer parts, but he felt like he shouldn't rush into anything with this girl. She was innocent, chaste; he didn't want to mess with that.
As she turned back to Jess, Rory felt her pager vibrate. Unclipping it from her pocket, she looked at the message left there.
Having fun? –John
She smiled, writing back, Lots, where are you?
Still stuck at work. Can Jess take you home?
Rory looked up at Jess. "John was wondering if you could take me home," she told him. "He's stuck at work."
"Sure," Jess said without hesitation.
Rory messaged John back, He said sure.
Good. I hope you guys aren't having TOO much fun. LOL.
Rory actually did laugh out loud. She looked up to see Jess giving her a strange and curious look. "It's nothing," she told him before messaging, Sooo not an issue.
Good, see you at home.
See you at home. She sent the message and put her pager away.
"Everything okay?" Jess asked.
"Yeah," she replied, "John just has a strange sense of humor."
"You don't have to tell me that," Jess smirked. "I've known him since forever."
Rory smiled at the thought of a younger John and Jess playing together. It was a nice picture.
"So," Jess said, "we should get going."
"Yeah," she said taking one last look around the place. "Thank you for bringing me here. It was wonderful."
"You're welcome," he said genuinely, and she saw a hint of a real smile on his lips.
With that, they walked out of the store and out onto the busy streets of Manhattan. They rode the subway back to within a block of the apartment, and Rory actually enjoyed it. She liked to watch the people hurrying around, like they would cease to exist if they didn't make it to their next appointment. She had always lived life a little slower and laid back than normal, so that kind of behavior intrigued her.
When the ride was over, she and Jess walked silently back to the door of the apartment. She had been trying to figure something out all day. He reminded her of someone, someone from one of her books. He had this sweet side to him that was obvious to her. Still, he seemed to have this wall around him, this protective bubble that didn't let people touch him. She had seen it when he was trading witticisms with John and his friends the night before and then again today when he was talking about his family. He had tried to brush it off, but she could see that it bugged him to talk about it. Plus the whole klepto thing that stuck out in her mind.
"Thanks for showing me around," she said smiling, "even though we spent most of the day reading in a bookstore, but that was fun too."
"Yeah, it was cool," he replied trying to sound casual. "Sorry again about the whole stealing your bracelet thing."
Then it hit her, her eyes widening a bit. "That's it!" she said aloud.
"What?" he looked confused and vaguely amused.
"That's who you remind me of!" she was practically jumping at the realization.
"What?" he was intrigued now.
"You are such a Dodger," she chuckled.
"Dodger?" he tried to figure out the reference, but it slipped his mind for the second.
"Figure it out," she said opening the door to let herself in.
Just before she closed the door, he called out, "Oliver Twist."
She poked her head out the door, a smile on her face. "See ya later."
"Bye," he said back, and stood there until the door closed and locked.
With a smile tracing his lips, he walked out of the apartment building and onto the streets of Manhattan, the city he had always called home. For once in his life, he felt as if there was something else out there besides petty theft and poker. For once, he saw more to the streets than dirt and hopelessness. For the first time, he walked away from a girl with the hope of seeing her again.