PART 11
When Rory entered the living room, she immediatly recognized that myterious person that wanted to see her, even if the back was facing her: her father. She moved back.
Jess: Ror, what's wrong?
Christopher turned around.
Christopher: Hey Rory.
Rory (angry): What are you doing here?
Christopher: Rory, I came to talk, to you and your mother. Can you let me say what I have to say?
Jess: Who's that?
Rory: That's my father. You remember, I talked to you about him once.
Jess: Oh, yeah. Well I think this doesn't concerns me. I borrow you cell. Call me when it'll be over.
Rory: Alright. See you later, then.
Jess: Yeah, 'later.
They kissed briefly and Jess left.
Christopher: You have a new boyfriend?
Rory (cold): If you hadn't left, you would know. What did you want to tell us?
Christopher: Well, I'll go directly to the point. He I am. Not long after Sookie's wedding, Sherry lost the baby. When she was okay, her and I talked and we broke up. I came to tell you that I'm sorry and that if you want to, we start new.
Rory: It tookRory: It took you all this time before you told us?
Christopher: Rory, I had difficulties. Work took all my time.
Rory: Yeah, that's what they all say...
Lorelei: Rory!
Rory: Quoi? You think I'll act as if nothing never happened? He comes one day, tells he'll leave Sherry to be with us. Yay, dad and mom together! It took one phone call to make hope fall down. Only one.
Christopher: Rory, I didn't want to make the same mistake I did with you and your mother.
Rory: Rory: Yeah, well that mistake you did it all the same! You redid it when you left on Sookie's wedding day! You broke my mom's heart...as well as mine.
A few tears fell.
Rory:Rory: You can't come back after months of silence to ask us to take you back. You could have at least called us. But no!
Christopher: I told you Rory, my work was taking all my spare time.
Rory:Rory: I don't believe you!
Christopher: But that's the truth...
Lorelei: Rory, give him a chance.
Rory: This is a conspiration or what? You should be the first one to react the way I am!
A few more teas fell down then she took her coat and left.
Lorelei: Understand her, Chris. She really took bad the fact that you gave her fake hopes.
Christopher: I know Lor. But you, you give me a chance. I thought that Rory would be the first to forgive me, if I can say it like that, and you would be the one to be hard to convince. Apparently, I was wrong.
Lorelei: You don't know the Gilmores yet.
Christopher: I see that.
Lorelei: Give her a little time. With all that happened those last months, I totally understand her reaction.
Christopher: Something else happened?
Lorelei: Yeah.
Christopher: You can tell me more?
Lorelei: Non. I'll let that to Rory and Jess.
Christopher: Jess?
Lorelei: That's the one you saw earlier. Her new boyfriend. Give Rory a little while to digest this. Then she'll come back, don't worry.
Christopher: Ok, I'll believe you. What can we do, while we're waiting?
Lorelei: You hungry?
Christopher: A little bit, yeah.
Lorelei: Cool, it'll give me an occasion to try one of the recipes that are in that book.
She went to the kitchen with the book. Christopher followed her.
Christopher: Where does that book come from?
Outside, Rory was walking without any precise purpose. Her feet brought her to the bridge. She found Jess there reading. Jess, hearing someone coming, raised his head and his heart tightened when he saw that it was Rory, crying. He got up and hugged her tightly.
Jess: What happened?
Rory: He wants to start new. He'd broken up with Sherry months ago and that's only now that he tells us! That's his ''work'' that was stopping him.
Jess: What's his work?
Rory: No clue!
Jess: I see. You know, I think you should give your dad a chance...
Rory (letting go of him): You're all against me, or what?
Jess (taking her by the shoulders): Listen to me for a sec, ok? Let me explain.
Rory: Ok.
Jess: If really it was his work that was keeping him...at least he wanted to come back to you and your mom. If he hadn't loved you, he wouldn't be here trying to fix the mistakes he made. Why do you think I came back here, last summer? I came back for you, because I realized I loved you. If it hadn't been the case, I wouldn't be here trying to make you understand the situation.
Rory: Well, from that point of view...I didn't think about that. Thanks Jess.
Jess: What would be there for if it wasn't to give you advice or reason you?
Rory: Oh, you cook, and you're there too for some activities that happen in a bedroom...
Jess: Ok, ok, I got it! You wanna go see your father? To apologize?
Rory: I'll have to do it one day, anyway, so let's do it now!
They left, hand in hand, for the house. They arrived 10 minutes later.
Rory (coming in with Jess): Mom, dad? You there?
Lorelei: Kitchen!
Rory and Jess left their coat on the couch and went to the kitchen. Rory surprisingly found her mother in front of the stove, but she didn't say anything and turned to her father.
Rory: Can I talk to you?
Christopher: Of course.
Jess (thinking it was better to let them alone): Lorelei, can you come with me? I'd like to talk to you.
Lorelei (getting the message): Sure.
They both left for the living room.
Christopher: What did you want to tell me?
Rory: I'm sorry for earlier.
Christopher: That's nothing. I understand. You know, I thought your mother would have been the one hard to convince, but I saw that I was completely wrong.
Rory: Oh you know, sometimes wonder who between us is the mother and who is the daughter. But now, as for my apologies...
Christopher: Oh, sorry. Go on.
Rory: I hadn't thought about all the reasons for your coming back. I only based myself on the time you took to tell us. I should have thought about the fact that it was because you love us that you're here. If it hadn't been the case, you wouldn't even had tried to take mom back last summer.
Christopher: I knew you would understand.
Rory: Oh I had a little help, you know!
Christopher: From who?
Rory: From Jess. I lived something like that last summer. You remember when I got in a little accident with Jess?
Christopher: Ah, it was him!
Rory: Yeah. Well Luke sent him back to New York that night. He came back on Sookie's wedding day, just before the ceremony began. And he told that he came back, it was for only one thing...or only one person, instead. For me. That's when I understood it was the same thing for you.
Christopher: Did you know you're smart?
Rory: Thanks!
Christopher: And what about you talk to me a little about Jess? Now that I'm back, I have to know him.
Rory: I'll instead present him to you. What do you think?
Christopher: That's a good idea!
They went to the living room to join Lorelei and Jess. Rory sat down next to Jess and Christpher sat down on the first steps of the stairs.
Rory: So dad, this Jess Mariano. Jess, this is my father, Christopher Hayden. There isn't any greatest father than him.
Jess and Christopher got up and shook hands.
Jess: Nice to meet you, sir.
Christopher: Call me Christopher. Nice to meet you Jess. So...How long have you been together?
Rory: Huh...it's been 4 months, I think.
Jess: Yeah, something like that.
ChjksChristopher: Cool. Tell me...could you tell me what happened those last months? Lorelei told me a little about it but she said that she was letting you the big part of it.
Rory: Well, ok. So...you knew that Jess didn't have a really good reputation since he first came here. So the fact that I was dating him didn't help. Everybody, and when I say everybody, mom, Sookie and Luke are included. So everybody was despising us. On a town meeting, Jess and I told them all our feelings and we left. We went to New York.
Jess: We went to my mom's. Anyway, she was moving out to her boyfriend's, so she left us the appartment. She helped us a lot. Until recently, it was her that was paying the rent, and she was alson paying the groceries at the beginning. But we both found a little job and we're now completely independent from my mother. We recontacted Luke and Lorelei about 3 weeks ago.
Christopher: What made you decide to contact them?
Rory: Luke called us because mom...
Lorelei: Because I was good. Since Rory was gone, I was only existing. I wasn't living anymore. I was near the depression when she called me. Then Jess kind of reconciled with Luke. A week later, Jess was calling Luke to tell us that Rory and him were coming for Christmas.
Christopher: Wow...I was so not expecting that!
Lorelei: Oh! There something I really have to tell you, Rory. Before you arrived, Friday night, Luke and me we told the town that you were coming. And I made a speech, you remember? Well when I told them that Rory called me and that you still together, you'll never guess what crazy reasons they found to justify the fact that you were still together!
Rory: Rory: What did they say?
Lorelei: They said things like ''il might be beating her up'' and ''he forced into a gang and threatened her to kill her if she wasn't staying with him''.
Jess: Me? Doing that to Rory? I would rather die!
Lorelei: I know Jess, believe me.
Christopher: They're all crazy or what?
Lorelei: Oh, they always have reactions like that when it comes to Jess.
Jess: They only took in the wrong the little pranks I put. That's all.
Christopher: Ah, right. That's why you had a bad reputation.
Jess: Yeah. But there's only one person in this town that this bad reputation didn't stop. And this person is Rory.
Christopher (sarcastic): I should have known!
Lorelei: You hungry? I made dinner!
Rory: Really?
Lorelei: Yeah! With Luke's cooking book!
Rory: Oh, right. Can we order pizza, just in case?
Lorelei: Hey!
They all laughed and went to the kitchen to eat. The same night, as they were preparing to go to bed, Rory and Jess were discussing.
Rory: Hey, when will we tell my parents and Luke that we are engaged? It's weird to be saying ''my parents''...
Jess: I don't know, Ror. There is also your grandparents.
Rory: Yeah, you're right...Oh, I know. As for my grandparents and my parents, it could be on Friday night.
Jess: And why particularly on Friday?
Rory: Well my mother and I we have to go to dinner there every Friday night to give them back the money we borrowed for Chilton.
Jess: But you're not going to Chilton anymore.
Rory: I know. But they'll probably want to pay for college, so...what do you think of my idea?
Jess: That's not a bad idea. But Luke?
Rory: Well...I was thinking about going back to New York on Saturday, so we could tell him before we leave.
Jess: Huh...ok.
They got into bed.
Jess: So you're getting sick of Stars Hollow?
Rory: A little, yeah. Oh, we'll have to tell Lane too...I'll see her tomorrow.
Jess: Ok.
They got silent for a moment.
RRory: So good night Jess. I love you.
Jess: I love you too Rory. Good night.
Rory turned off the lamp.
Jess: Oh, there's something I wanted to tell you.
Rory: What is it?
Jess: Thank you.
Rory: For what?
Jess: For accepting my proposal. I now have the proof that you really love me.
Rory: You were doubting?
Jess: No! Don't think that. It's just...I happened that I sometimes wondered if you were staying with only because you didn't have anywhere to go.
Rory turned on the light and turned to Jess.
Rory: I'm staying with you because I love you, ok? If I hadn't loved you, I would have gone to my grandparents'.
Jess: Ah, yeah. I hadn't thought about them. Sorry for doubting Rory. I promise it will never happen again.
Rory: I hope so!
They smiled at each other, kissed during a moment and Rory re-turned off the light and they fell asleep not long after.