Pt 2: Start Spreadin' the News
Lorelei Gilmore had been having the strangest dream about an orange elephant on a boat with Jude Law, Al Paccino, and herself. All talking about refrigerators.
The boat started rocking and her daughter's voice boomed loudly above them.
"Mom, wake up!"
Lorelei, Al, Jude and the elephant all looked up. "God? Is that you?"
"Mom!!"
Lorelei shot up in bed to see her twenty-three-year-old daughter sitting there, looking awake and excited. "Rory? You're not god."
Rory raised an eyebrow. "Sure I am."
"Why are you waking me up?" Lorelei asked, looking at the clock on her nightstand. "Wow. It's late. What's up?"
Rory held up her hand. There was a ring around her finger.
"Oh. Pretty," Lorelei said, taking her hand to have a look. "Jess buy Crackerjacks?"
Rory turned on the bedside lamp, and Lorelei's eyes nearly popped out of her head the same way Rory's almost had upon seeing the ring.
"He..."
Rory nodded.
"You..."
She nodded again.
"AH!" Lorelei flung her arms around her daughter. "OH MY GOD!"
Rory laughed. "Mom, you're gonna wake the neighbors."
"I don't care!! My baby's getting married!" Lorelei cried. "How was it? Was it romantic? Did he get down on one knee?"
"Well... not exactly."
*****
Jess had walked all over town. He didn't want to be there when Rory told her mother. That woman was insane. There was no telling how she'd react to the news of their engagement.
Jess and Lorelei hadn't ever been close. In fact, Lorelei had really hated Jess when he and Rory had first gotten back together, but after the first year of their relationship had passed, Lorelei eased up. They'd called a truce for Rory's sake, and been as nice as they could be to each other. As time went on, Lorelei had taken to Jess a little more, and they were on good terms.
He walked up the Lorelei's front door and opened it softly, so as not to wake anyone, if Rory had decided to wait to tell her mother, and went to bed.
No such luck.
The moment he walked in the door, Lorelei had her arms around him and was hugging him.
She'd never hugged him before. Ever.
"Uhm... Lorelei?"
"I'm so happy for you guys!" Lorelei said excitedly. She let go of him and smiled. "If you chicken out at the alter, I'll kill you."
He sighed in relief at the familiar words. "Where's Rory?"
"Kitchen, making coffee."
Jess nodded and walked into the kitchen to find Rory standing by the coffee maker with her mug ready. He stood behind her and kissed the top of her head. "Hi."
"We need a date," she replied, watching the coffee maker do its thing.
"In what culture is that a greeting?" he asked with a smirk.
"I'm serious," she replied. "We need a date. And... food. And a place. And flowers. And clothes."
"We could elope," he shrugged.
She turned and looked at him as if he had three heads.
"Or not."
"You want to elope?" Rory asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Not really," Jess replied. "But do you expect to have a say in the wedding plans?"
Rory frowned.
"We could do it, y'know," Jess told her. "Plan a wedding."
"The best wedding," Rory agreed. "With a giant cake shaped like Crime and Punishment."
Jess smirked. "And the wedding invitations would quote Hemmingway."
"Rand."
They both glared at each other before saying "The Cure" at the same time, and smiling.
"And we'd serve pizza," Rory added.
"Yeah, because you're grandmother would go for that," Jess snorted.
"We wouldn't call it pizza," she told him. "We'd call it..."
"Pizza?"
She smiled. "Yeah."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"We have to tell people."
"No we don't," Rory replied. "They can figure it out. I'll just shove the ring in their faces and say 'look, look!'"
"Somehow, I don't think that would be effective."
She sighed. "We're going to have to go to Friday dinner."
"Aw, god," Jess moaned. "No."
"Jess, we have to."
"No we don't. You can tell them over the phone."
"No, I can't. You know I can't." She sighed. "I haven't been in months."
He nodded. "I know. I don't wanna go."
"Jess..."
"They put raisins in their salads," he said factually. "Raisins. They don't belong in salads. And it's a metaphor. I'm a raisin, Rory. And that house is a big... salad. And I don't belong there."
"You are not a raisin," Rory argued lightly. "I don't even like raisins."
"I'm not going."
"Fine. Then I'm not either."
"Fine."
"We'll just have to elope."
"That's fine."
"I did not just hear the word 'elope' come from your mouth, Rory," Lorelei said seriously from the doorway. "And if I did, I want you to take it back right now. Because there is no way in hell you are eloping. You are going to have the best wedding ever. Or else."
*****
They stood on the doorstep of the large house, dressed nicely. Rory looked nervous. Jess looked grumpy. And Lorelei looked slightly on the frantic side.
"Jess, stop slouching," Lorelei chided.
"No."
She rolled her eyes. "Button up the top button of your shirt."
"No."
The door opened and Emily Gilmore smiled politely. "Ah. Lorelei, Rory, Jess. Come in, dinner is ready."
"Hi, Mom," Lorelei said.
"Hi, Gramma," Rory added.
Emily smiled wider and hugged Rory. "Oh, you stay away too long. How is New York?"
Rory nodded. "Great." She smiled at Jess. "We're doing great."
Jess nodded with a stony look. "Hello, Mrs. Gilmore."
Emily returned to her polite smile. "Hello, Jess."
The trouped in, and Rory and Jess lagged behind a little.
Rory sighed. "Jess, why are you so grumpy?" she whispered.
"Because I'm a fucking raisin."
"You're not a raisin!" Rory cried. "You're a Jess! Now stop acting like a five-year-old! Please, I want to live through tonight. And don't say the f-word in front of my grandparents, or they won't like you."
"They already don't like me," Jess reminded. "I'm the hoodlum."
"But you're my hoodlum," Rory told him. "And we're getting married. So I'm going to be Mrs. Hoodlum, and they're just going to have to deal with it."
He stopped and stared at her, and she stared back. He kissed her briefly before walking into the dining.
She blinked and smiled, and followed him.
Lorelei Gilmore had been having the strangest dream about an orange elephant on a boat with Jude Law, Al Paccino, and herself. All talking about refrigerators.
The boat started rocking and her daughter's voice boomed loudly above them.
"Mom, wake up!"
Lorelei, Al, Jude and the elephant all looked up. "God? Is that you?"
"Mom!!"
Lorelei shot up in bed to see her twenty-three-year-old daughter sitting there, looking awake and excited. "Rory? You're not god."
Rory raised an eyebrow. "Sure I am."
"Why are you waking me up?" Lorelei asked, looking at the clock on her nightstand. "Wow. It's late. What's up?"
Rory held up her hand. There was a ring around her finger.
"Oh. Pretty," Lorelei said, taking her hand to have a look. "Jess buy Crackerjacks?"
Rory turned on the bedside lamp, and Lorelei's eyes nearly popped out of her head the same way Rory's almost had upon seeing the ring.
"He..."
Rory nodded.
"You..."
She nodded again.
"AH!" Lorelei flung her arms around her daughter. "OH MY GOD!"
Rory laughed. "Mom, you're gonna wake the neighbors."
"I don't care!! My baby's getting married!" Lorelei cried. "How was it? Was it romantic? Did he get down on one knee?"
"Well... not exactly."
*****
Jess had walked all over town. He didn't want to be there when Rory told her mother. That woman was insane. There was no telling how she'd react to the news of their engagement.
Jess and Lorelei hadn't ever been close. In fact, Lorelei had really hated Jess when he and Rory had first gotten back together, but after the first year of their relationship had passed, Lorelei eased up. They'd called a truce for Rory's sake, and been as nice as they could be to each other. As time went on, Lorelei had taken to Jess a little more, and they were on good terms.
He walked up the Lorelei's front door and opened it softly, so as not to wake anyone, if Rory had decided to wait to tell her mother, and went to bed.
No such luck.
The moment he walked in the door, Lorelei had her arms around him and was hugging him.
She'd never hugged him before. Ever.
"Uhm... Lorelei?"
"I'm so happy for you guys!" Lorelei said excitedly. She let go of him and smiled. "If you chicken out at the alter, I'll kill you."
He sighed in relief at the familiar words. "Where's Rory?"
"Kitchen, making coffee."
Jess nodded and walked into the kitchen to find Rory standing by the coffee maker with her mug ready. He stood behind her and kissed the top of her head. "Hi."
"We need a date," she replied, watching the coffee maker do its thing.
"In what culture is that a greeting?" he asked with a smirk.
"I'm serious," she replied. "We need a date. And... food. And a place. And flowers. And clothes."
"We could elope," he shrugged.
She turned and looked at him as if he had three heads.
"Or not."
"You want to elope?" Rory asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Not really," Jess replied. "But do you expect to have a say in the wedding plans?"
Rory frowned.
"We could do it, y'know," Jess told her. "Plan a wedding."
"The best wedding," Rory agreed. "With a giant cake shaped like Crime and Punishment."
Jess smirked. "And the wedding invitations would quote Hemmingway."
"Rand."
They both glared at each other before saying "The Cure" at the same time, and smiling.
"And we'd serve pizza," Rory added.
"Yeah, because you're grandmother would go for that," Jess snorted.
"We wouldn't call it pizza," she told him. "We'd call it..."
"Pizza?"
She smiled. "Yeah."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"We have to tell people."
"No we don't," Rory replied. "They can figure it out. I'll just shove the ring in their faces and say 'look, look!'"
"Somehow, I don't think that would be effective."
She sighed. "We're going to have to go to Friday dinner."
"Aw, god," Jess moaned. "No."
"Jess, we have to."
"No we don't. You can tell them over the phone."
"No, I can't. You know I can't." She sighed. "I haven't been in months."
He nodded. "I know. I don't wanna go."
"Jess..."
"They put raisins in their salads," he said factually. "Raisins. They don't belong in salads. And it's a metaphor. I'm a raisin, Rory. And that house is a big... salad. And I don't belong there."
"You are not a raisin," Rory argued lightly. "I don't even like raisins."
"I'm not going."
"Fine. Then I'm not either."
"Fine."
"We'll just have to elope."
"That's fine."
"I did not just hear the word 'elope' come from your mouth, Rory," Lorelei said seriously from the doorway. "And if I did, I want you to take it back right now. Because there is no way in hell you are eloping. You are going to have the best wedding ever. Or else."
*****
They stood on the doorstep of the large house, dressed nicely. Rory looked nervous. Jess looked grumpy. And Lorelei looked slightly on the frantic side.
"Jess, stop slouching," Lorelei chided.
"No."
She rolled her eyes. "Button up the top button of your shirt."
"No."
The door opened and Emily Gilmore smiled politely. "Ah. Lorelei, Rory, Jess. Come in, dinner is ready."
"Hi, Mom," Lorelei said.
"Hi, Gramma," Rory added.
Emily smiled wider and hugged Rory. "Oh, you stay away too long. How is New York?"
Rory nodded. "Great." She smiled at Jess. "We're doing great."
Jess nodded with a stony look. "Hello, Mrs. Gilmore."
Emily returned to her polite smile. "Hello, Jess."
The trouped in, and Rory and Jess lagged behind a little.
Rory sighed. "Jess, why are you so grumpy?" she whispered.
"Because I'm a fucking raisin."
"You're not a raisin!" Rory cried. "You're a Jess! Now stop acting like a five-year-old! Please, I want to live through tonight. And don't say the f-word in front of my grandparents, or they won't like you."
"They already don't like me," Jess reminded. "I'm the hoodlum."
"But you're my hoodlum," Rory told him. "And we're getting married. So I'm going to be Mrs. Hoodlum, and they're just going to have to deal with it."
He stopped and stared at her, and she stared back. He kissed her briefly before walking into the dining.
She blinked and smiled, and followed him.