They stood in front of the apartment door the next Friday, looking
nice. Jess wore a white dress shirt and black slacks, and Rory's knee-
length purple skirt went well with the black blouse she wore. She held a
nice bouquet of flowers they'd picked up on the way back from Stars Hollow.
Telling Jess's grandmother was going to be like a walk on their bridge.
Jess knocked lightly. He still wasn't used to having to knock on his grandmother's door. In the past, he'd just walk in, plop himself on the couch and read a book, but he felt that he had to be more mature.
'Me. Mature. Right,' he thought to himself. 'That's the most plausible thing ever... god... even my inner monologue is sarcastic. What's wrong with me?'
The door opened, and it didn't surprise Jess at all to see his Cousin Gloria standing there. Her curly dark hair was up in a pony tail and she wore a short black skirt and a white tank top.
Rory snickered. "Wow. You guys could almost be twins."
Gloria snickered and hugged Rory as Jess rolled his eyes. "Hey."
Rory hugged the taller girl back and smiled. "Hey. How are you?"
"Great!" Gloria smiled. "Grandma's cooking. Come on in."
They followed her into the small apartment, where they found Sofia Mariano cooking up a storm in the kitchen area, and Jamie sat on the couch, watching television.
Rory walked up behind Sofia just as she was turning around and held out the flowers with a smile.
"Oh, Rory! You're here early," Sofia smiled. She took the flowers. "Thank you. You look very nice."
"Thank you, Sofia," Rory smiled. "You do, too."
"Where's that no-good grandson of mine?"
Jess stood leaning against the doorway. "Hi."
"Well, what are you just standing there for," Sofia said, playfully annoyed. "Get over here and say hello."
Jess nodded and walked forward. He was greeted not with a hug, but a tap to the back of the head. He flinched, and gave his grandmother an irritated and slightly hurt look.
"You don't call, and you don't write, you don't visit," Sofia complained. "And the only reason you came for dinner tonight is because of this." She lifted Rory's hand, and pointed to the small engagement ring. "I bet you visit her family often. Why not me?"
Jess gave her a bewildered looked. "Uhm..."
"Actually, Sofia," Rory cut in nervously. "We've both been really swamped... Jess is opening his book store, and he's got a new job at a magazine, and the paper has had me drowning in work... we haven't really had time to visit spur of the moment... but now that we're..." she turned a little red.
"Engaged?" Sofia offered.
Rory nodded. "Right... we're engaged, we're making time so that we can tell people... we want to start planning and-"
"Rory, you're rambling, Sweetheart," Sofia interrupted. She sighed. "I suppose it's alright..." She eyed the couple. "You're really getting married?"
"MARRIED?!"
Jess jumped nearly five feet in the air, and spun around to look at Gloria and Jamie, who were standing in the doorway.
Rory smiled. "Cat's out of the bag." She lifted her hand to show them her ring.
Gloria smiled and rushed forward to look. "Oh! It's so pretty!"
Sofia smiled at Jess and hugged him lightly.
He hugged back awkwardly with one arm and gave her a half smile.
"I knew you'd be fine," Sofia said softly, patting her grandson's cheek.
He sighed.
Jamie and Gloria were still looking at the ring.
"Nice," Jamie said. He looked to Jess. "Is it real?"
Jess rolled his eyes. "It better be," he muttered. He gave Jamie an odd stare. "Hey, Jamie."
"What, Jack-ass?"
Sofia took her spatula and swatted him with it. "Language!"
Jamie flinched, and looked back to Jess. "What?"
"Be my best man?"
Jamie rolled his eyes. "Yer gonna make me dress up?"
Jess nodded. "Yeah, but you get to plan the bachelor party."
Jamie smiled. "I'm in."
Rory turned to Gloria. "Wanna be a bride's maid?"
Gloria snickered and put an arm around her. "You have to ask?"
*****
"Oh, my god!"
Jess raised an eyebrow at his fiancé as he drove them back to their apartment after dinner.
"We have to go back to Stars Hollow."
He groaned. "We were just there this morning."
"I know, but I have to talk to my mom," Rory replied.
"Phone?" he asked her hopefully.
"No, this has to be done in person," Rory told him. "Please?"
He sighed. "It's a little late..."
She smiled. "Please?"
"Rory..."
Her smile grew wider and she leaned closer to him. "I'll make it up to you."
He glanced at her a little and smirked. "Well..."
"I promise."
"Promise?"
She nodded.
He shrugged and turned the car around.
*****
Rory walked into the house to find it eerily silent. Jess followed, and looked around in the near darkness.
"Hello?" Rory called. "Mom?" She looked at her watch. "It's only eleven-thirty..."
"Maybe she's out," Jess supplied.
She nodded and called out again. "Mom!!"
"Rory?" Lorelai came rushing down the stairs, pulling her bathrobe around her tightly. "What's going on? Why are you guys here?"
"I need to talk to you," Rory replied.
"Uhm... Rory, that's great but... Momma's a little busy right now."
"This is really important," Rory said. "Please?"
"Honey, can't this wait until tomorrow?" Lorelai pleaded.
"Lorelai?"
Jess blinked at the sound of his uncle's voice coming from up the stairs. He cringed. "That's why you're busy?"
Luke walked down the stairs, fully clothed but looking a little disheveled. "Jess?"
Jess blinked at his future mother-in-law and uncle. "I need a cigarette. I'll be outside."
"I thought you quit," Luke said.
"I did! I quit again yesterday! And then you came down the stairs, looking all... and I started getting all these... pictures. In my head. And now I need a cigarette." With that, he turned tail and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
The three of them watched him in silence.
Luke sighed. "I'm... gonna go back upstairs."
Both girls nodded.
Lorelai sighed. "What's up? Why did you drive all the way back here?" she asked Rory, still kind of confused.
"I'm a really awful best friend!" Rory replied.
"What?!"
"I never asked you if you would be my maid of honor!"
Lorelai gave her daughter a surprised look. "Oh."
"Yeah."
They stood in silence.
"So will you?" Rory asked.
"Of course I will!" Lorelai replied.
Rory sighed in relief. "Okay. Good." She hugged her mother.
Lorelai hugged back and laughed. "Y'know, you could have called."
"I know, I know, but I wanted to do it in person... I guess I should have called ahead to make sure you weren't busy, though huh?" Rory giggled.
"Might have been nice, but that's okay. It was worth it to see Jess's face."
"Mom!" Rory snickered.
Lorelai smiled. "I should get back upstairs before Luke starts getting cranky."
Rory nodded. "I should get to Jess before he gives himself lung cancer."
"He really needs to quit," Lorelai said.
Rory laughed. "He does about once a week, but he keeps running into things that anger him or freak him out enough to start back up. A couple of days ago, this secretary at the magazine made him so mad that he almost smoked two at once."
Lorelai laughed, but stopped. "Magazine?"
"Oh! You don't know!" Rory cried. "He got a column at Rolling Stone!"
"No way!"
"Yes!"
"You're marrying a Rolling Stone writer?!"
Rory nodded.
Lorelai gave a fake sniff and hugged Rory again. "I'm so proud. A 'Stone writer!"
Rory snickered.
*****
"Be nice."
Jess grumbled.
"I mean it Jess, they have the best of intentions," Rory said, as she led him up the walk to her grandparents' front door. "We just have to tell the politely, but firmly, that we want to do this on our own."
Jess grumbled again.
"Okay, you know what?" She said, turning to him. "You just... don't say anything, and I'll tell them politely but firmly. Okay?"
He shrugged.
Rory rang the doorbell and waited, looking nervous.
Jess smirked at her and took her hand. "Don't worry."
She offered him a smile, just as the door opened.
******
"You're absolutely certain."
Rory nodded. "We are... We really appreciate the offer, Grandpa, but... we really want this to be small, and intimate, and... wholly our thing."
"Are you sure your finances can handle it?" Emily asked, sitting down next to Richard. "Weddings are incredibly expensive."
"We know," Rory replied. "But we've got everything covered. Expense- wise, it's smooth sailing."
"Have you told your father about this yet?" Emily asked.
"That's where the white water rapids interrupt the smooth sailing, overturn the boat, and we drown," Rory fretted. "I still haven't gotten up the courage. It's been so long since I've spoken to him."
Richard sighed. "Well, you're going to have to tell him at some point. He is your father."
Rory nodded. "I know."
"Jess, have you told your family?" Emily asked.
He cleared his throat. "My father and my uncle know... I'm going to have to track down my mother..."
"Track down?" Richard asked.
"Don't know where she is," Jess replied.
"Your own mother?" Emily chastised.
He shrugged uncomfortably.
"They're not very close, Grandma," Rory defended gently. "And she and her husband move around a lot."
Richard sighed as they sat in silence for a moment. "I'd still like to do something for the two of you... Something to... welcome Jess to the family."
Jess almost rolled his eyes, but fought to keep himself under control.
"What about an engagement party?" Emily suggested.
"What a wonderful idea!" Richard smiled. He turned to his granddaughter. "What do you think?"
Rory smiled politely.
*****
"An engagement party?"
Rory sighed into the phone from her office that Monday. "I couldn't say no to them twice in one day."
"Why not?" Lorelai asked. "I have!"
"That's you," Rory replied. She sighed. "Hold on. I've got someone on the other line." She clicked her phone. "Hello?"
"Hey."
She smiled. "Hey. What's up?"
Jess sighed. "I just got my first interview."
"Oh!" Rory cried. "Oh! Who?!"
"Rock and Rolls latest super couple," Jess read from his memo.
Rory blinked. "Who?"
"Lane and Dave, Rory."
"What?!" Rory cried. "Lane and Dave are Rock and Rolls latest super couple?!" She laughed. "How did that happen?"
"No idea, but I'm apparently meeting them for lunch in two days," Jess replied. "I don't think they know I'm their interviewer yet... wanna come?"
Rory smiled.
Telling Jess's grandmother was going to be like a walk on their bridge.
Jess knocked lightly. He still wasn't used to having to knock on his grandmother's door. In the past, he'd just walk in, plop himself on the couch and read a book, but he felt that he had to be more mature.
'Me. Mature. Right,' he thought to himself. 'That's the most plausible thing ever... god... even my inner monologue is sarcastic. What's wrong with me?'
The door opened, and it didn't surprise Jess at all to see his Cousin Gloria standing there. Her curly dark hair was up in a pony tail and she wore a short black skirt and a white tank top.
Rory snickered. "Wow. You guys could almost be twins."
Gloria snickered and hugged Rory as Jess rolled his eyes. "Hey."
Rory hugged the taller girl back and smiled. "Hey. How are you?"
"Great!" Gloria smiled. "Grandma's cooking. Come on in."
They followed her into the small apartment, where they found Sofia Mariano cooking up a storm in the kitchen area, and Jamie sat on the couch, watching television.
Rory walked up behind Sofia just as she was turning around and held out the flowers with a smile.
"Oh, Rory! You're here early," Sofia smiled. She took the flowers. "Thank you. You look very nice."
"Thank you, Sofia," Rory smiled. "You do, too."
"Where's that no-good grandson of mine?"
Jess stood leaning against the doorway. "Hi."
"Well, what are you just standing there for," Sofia said, playfully annoyed. "Get over here and say hello."
Jess nodded and walked forward. He was greeted not with a hug, but a tap to the back of the head. He flinched, and gave his grandmother an irritated and slightly hurt look.
"You don't call, and you don't write, you don't visit," Sofia complained. "And the only reason you came for dinner tonight is because of this." She lifted Rory's hand, and pointed to the small engagement ring. "I bet you visit her family often. Why not me?"
Jess gave her a bewildered looked. "Uhm..."
"Actually, Sofia," Rory cut in nervously. "We've both been really swamped... Jess is opening his book store, and he's got a new job at a magazine, and the paper has had me drowning in work... we haven't really had time to visit spur of the moment... but now that we're..." she turned a little red.
"Engaged?" Sofia offered.
Rory nodded. "Right... we're engaged, we're making time so that we can tell people... we want to start planning and-"
"Rory, you're rambling, Sweetheart," Sofia interrupted. She sighed. "I suppose it's alright..." She eyed the couple. "You're really getting married?"
"MARRIED?!"
Jess jumped nearly five feet in the air, and spun around to look at Gloria and Jamie, who were standing in the doorway.
Rory smiled. "Cat's out of the bag." She lifted her hand to show them her ring.
Gloria smiled and rushed forward to look. "Oh! It's so pretty!"
Sofia smiled at Jess and hugged him lightly.
He hugged back awkwardly with one arm and gave her a half smile.
"I knew you'd be fine," Sofia said softly, patting her grandson's cheek.
He sighed.
Jamie and Gloria were still looking at the ring.
"Nice," Jamie said. He looked to Jess. "Is it real?"
Jess rolled his eyes. "It better be," he muttered. He gave Jamie an odd stare. "Hey, Jamie."
"What, Jack-ass?"
Sofia took her spatula and swatted him with it. "Language!"
Jamie flinched, and looked back to Jess. "What?"
"Be my best man?"
Jamie rolled his eyes. "Yer gonna make me dress up?"
Jess nodded. "Yeah, but you get to plan the bachelor party."
Jamie smiled. "I'm in."
Rory turned to Gloria. "Wanna be a bride's maid?"
Gloria snickered and put an arm around her. "You have to ask?"
*****
"Oh, my god!"
Jess raised an eyebrow at his fiancé as he drove them back to their apartment after dinner.
"We have to go back to Stars Hollow."
He groaned. "We were just there this morning."
"I know, but I have to talk to my mom," Rory replied.
"Phone?" he asked her hopefully.
"No, this has to be done in person," Rory told him. "Please?"
He sighed. "It's a little late..."
She smiled. "Please?"
"Rory..."
Her smile grew wider and she leaned closer to him. "I'll make it up to you."
He glanced at her a little and smirked. "Well..."
"I promise."
"Promise?"
She nodded.
He shrugged and turned the car around.
*****
Rory walked into the house to find it eerily silent. Jess followed, and looked around in the near darkness.
"Hello?" Rory called. "Mom?" She looked at her watch. "It's only eleven-thirty..."
"Maybe she's out," Jess supplied.
She nodded and called out again. "Mom!!"
"Rory?" Lorelai came rushing down the stairs, pulling her bathrobe around her tightly. "What's going on? Why are you guys here?"
"I need to talk to you," Rory replied.
"Uhm... Rory, that's great but... Momma's a little busy right now."
"This is really important," Rory said. "Please?"
"Honey, can't this wait until tomorrow?" Lorelai pleaded.
"Lorelai?"
Jess blinked at the sound of his uncle's voice coming from up the stairs. He cringed. "That's why you're busy?"
Luke walked down the stairs, fully clothed but looking a little disheveled. "Jess?"
Jess blinked at his future mother-in-law and uncle. "I need a cigarette. I'll be outside."
"I thought you quit," Luke said.
"I did! I quit again yesterday! And then you came down the stairs, looking all... and I started getting all these... pictures. In my head. And now I need a cigarette." With that, he turned tail and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
The three of them watched him in silence.
Luke sighed. "I'm... gonna go back upstairs."
Both girls nodded.
Lorelai sighed. "What's up? Why did you drive all the way back here?" she asked Rory, still kind of confused.
"I'm a really awful best friend!" Rory replied.
"What?!"
"I never asked you if you would be my maid of honor!"
Lorelai gave her daughter a surprised look. "Oh."
"Yeah."
They stood in silence.
"So will you?" Rory asked.
"Of course I will!" Lorelai replied.
Rory sighed in relief. "Okay. Good." She hugged her mother.
Lorelai hugged back and laughed. "Y'know, you could have called."
"I know, I know, but I wanted to do it in person... I guess I should have called ahead to make sure you weren't busy, though huh?" Rory giggled.
"Might have been nice, but that's okay. It was worth it to see Jess's face."
"Mom!" Rory snickered.
Lorelai smiled. "I should get back upstairs before Luke starts getting cranky."
Rory nodded. "I should get to Jess before he gives himself lung cancer."
"He really needs to quit," Lorelai said.
Rory laughed. "He does about once a week, but he keeps running into things that anger him or freak him out enough to start back up. A couple of days ago, this secretary at the magazine made him so mad that he almost smoked two at once."
Lorelai laughed, but stopped. "Magazine?"
"Oh! You don't know!" Rory cried. "He got a column at Rolling Stone!"
"No way!"
"Yes!"
"You're marrying a Rolling Stone writer?!"
Rory nodded.
Lorelai gave a fake sniff and hugged Rory again. "I'm so proud. A 'Stone writer!"
Rory snickered.
*****
"Be nice."
Jess grumbled.
"I mean it Jess, they have the best of intentions," Rory said, as she led him up the walk to her grandparents' front door. "We just have to tell the politely, but firmly, that we want to do this on our own."
Jess grumbled again.
"Okay, you know what?" She said, turning to him. "You just... don't say anything, and I'll tell them politely but firmly. Okay?"
He shrugged.
Rory rang the doorbell and waited, looking nervous.
Jess smirked at her and took her hand. "Don't worry."
She offered him a smile, just as the door opened.
******
"You're absolutely certain."
Rory nodded. "We are... We really appreciate the offer, Grandpa, but... we really want this to be small, and intimate, and... wholly our thing."
"Are you sure your finances can handle it?" Emily asked, sitting down next to Richard. "Weddings are incredibly expensive."
"We know," Rory replied. "But we've got everything covered. Expense- wise, it's smooth sailing."
"Have you told your father about this yet?" Emily asked.
"That's where the white water rapids interrupt the smooth sailing, overturn the boat, and we drown," Rory fretted. "I still haven't gotten up the courage. It's been so long since I've spoken to him."
Richard sighed. "Well, you're going to have to tell him at some point. He is your father."
Rory nodded. "I know."
"Jess, have you told your family?" Emily asked.
He cleared his throat. "My father and my uncle know... I'm going to have to track down my mother..."
"Track down?" Richard asked.
"Don't know where she is," Jess replied.
"Your own mother?" Emily chastised.
He shrugged uncomfortably.
"They're not very close, Grandma," Rory defended gently. "And she and her husband move around a lot."
Richard sighed as they sat in silence for a moment. "I'd still like to do something for the two of you... Something to... welcome Jess to the family."
Jess almost rolled his eyes, but fought to keep himself under control.
"What about an engagement party?" Emily suggested.
"What a wonderful idea!" Richard smiled. He turned to his granddaughter. "What do you think?"
Rory smiled politely.
*****
"An engagement party?"
Rory sighed into the phone from her office that Monday. "I couldn't say no to them twice in one day."
"Why not?" Lorelai asked. "I have!"
"That's you," Rory replied. She sighed. "Hold on. I've got someone on the other line." She clicked her phone. "Hello?"
"Hey."
She smiled. "Hey. What's up?"
Jess sighed. "I just got my first interview."
"Oh!" Rory cried. "Oh! Who?!"
"Rock and Rolls latest super couple," Jess read from his memo.
Rory blinked. "Who?"
"Lane and Dave, Rory."
"What?!" Rory cried. "Lane and Dave are Rock and Rolls latest super couple?!" She laughed. "How did that happen?"
"No idea, but I'm apparently meeting them for lunch in two days," Jess replied. "I don't think they know I'm their interviewer yet... wanna come?"
Rory smiled.