Chapter 3: What About Baby Jane?

Kate is sitting in Luke and Jess's apartment staring out the window with this blank look on her face as if to show that she's not really looking out the window but thinking about something sad. Jess walks up to her and sits down next to her.

"Hey, how's it going?" Jess asks his little sister.

"I'm okay, how are you?"

"Good, Katie-Kat are you sure you're fine?"

"No, Jess I'm terrible. I can't live without Will by my side every second, I'm just a helpless little girl, what ever shall I do now that I'm all alone." Kate says sarcastically. "Really Jess I'm good."

"So you are okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine; don't worry about me, not when something big is happening."

"What?"

"What, like you don't know, you and Rory. You and her have some anniversary coming up in a few days. Am I right?"

"Yeah it's five months."

"Today?"

"No, it's tomorrow."

"Oh well then what did you get her?"

"Nothing yet, I can't think of anything to get her."

"Oh, oh, I got it." She says bouncing up and down. "You remember that book I read last year seventeen times?" She says looking at him as if to say there you go.

"What? No, it's gotta be something she'll love. I mean I wanna get her something she'll remember forever."

"Sappy much. Are you going all soft on me big brother?"

"Na, you know I'd kill anyone who hurt's you. I just I don't know." He says as he stands up and turns away from Kate. "I guess I'm a little intimidated I've never done this before."

"What, bought an anniversary present?"

"Cared enough to get one." Jess says this a little weird.

"Well she likes books right, so get her one she doesn't have."

"No not a book, something bigger. I mean for their three month, her old boyfriend, Dean got her a car. Actually he built it for her, I then later crashed it but."

"Oh, so that's it."

"What is?"

"You wanna out do this Dean guy."

"What no."

"Yes you do, Jess you know how you like to say I can't lie to you, well it goes both ways. You can't lie to me either. You're threatened by this Dean guy and the only way you can be better than him is to get her a better gift."

"No I'm not threatened by Dean, I hate Dean. He's the one that hit you with his car you know."

"Yeah I know, Jess you like this girl, but you also know her pretty well so figure out what she likes and get her that."

"I've tried that everything seems so lame."

"Well you better think of something cause you're running out of time."

"I know. You're not helping."

"Well whatever you get her it can't be any worse than what you got me for my tenth birthday, you remember that."

"Hey, I still say you loved it."

"It was a shoelace, Jess. I did not love it."

"Hey I gave you twenty dollars later."

"Yeah that you stole from me."

"Well I was broke."

"You know what now that I think about it that was my shoelace too."

"Yeah it was, Will thought it would be funny." Jess says as a smile creeps across his face.

"See you had fun with Will, why can't you forgive him."

"He betrayed me, I told him to look after you not get you pregnant."

"Jess that's not fair, it wasn't just him it was me too."

"Yeah well we go way back."

"So do you and him."

"You're family I have to love you."

"You hate mom, and dad well you really hate him."

"I don't hate mom."

"And dad."

"I don't hate mom."

"See you don't have to love me, you just chose to. You can forgive Will too, it is okay you know."

"I know but I just I can't. I mean after everything that happened he just left."

"He stayed long enough, he needed to go home. He was here for a long time and you, me, us, we're good. It was time, there's nothing keeping him here now."

"What are you talking about there's you. He has a family here."

"No Jess I have a family here. Will has a life in New York, he had to go. I wouldn't let him stay."

"Kate, he says he loves you, but the first chance he gets he bales on you, I'm sorry but that sounds an awful lot like dad."

"Don't you ever compare Will and dad! You have no idea what's happening with him. Will's the strongest person I've ever met, and you will never insult him again."

"Kate, what's going on?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"Kate what's going on with Will?"

"Jess, I promised, I can't."

"Kate, tell me, what's wrong, you're scaring me. Is Andie okay?"

"I can't."

"Kate what's wrong with Andie?"

"She's, I mean she has something. I think a tumor. Jess she's terminal, Andie's gonna die."

"No sh-sh-she she can't be, she's. When did you know?"

"About eight hours, she didn't even tell Will until about a month ago, right before he came. She called yesterday to say she was getting real bad."

"How long has she known?"

"He said she's known about six months."

"Six months, and she never told anyone."

"Yeah I know Will is such a mess, and then everything with the baby. I just thought he should be with her now, you know cause she's dieing."

"Is it really the end, I mean isn't there something they can do?"

"She has, nothing is working, I can't not now, can we wait."

"Yeah sure." Jess hugs Kate as tears run down her face. The phone rings. "Hello……. Hey Will."

"Will?" Kate asks as she grabs the phone from Jess. "Hey, how is everything……. Hold on. Jess can you go."

"Yeah, um I'll be down stairs if you need me."

"K." Jess walks down to the diner where Rory and Lorelai are sitting at a table drinking coffee.

"Hey, Jess how is she?" Rory asks.

"Well I'm not sure, can we talk?"

"Yeah, mom I'll be right back." Rory and Jess walk out and sit on the curb. "What's up?"

"Will's mom has a tumor, that's why he went home. She's well she was more of a mom to me and Kate then our mom was, is. She, Andie's gonna die and Will I feel awful about yelling at him for leaving Kate yesterday. I wish I could go see her you know take Kate. I could tell Will I'm sorry, I bet seeing Kate would help him I think he's always liked her, and I wanna see Andie before she…" He trails off.

"You know, some how sorry doesn't seem like enough. I don't know what I'd do without my mom." She tells him as he puts his head in his hands.

"I don't know what to do, everything is changing I mean a month ago you didn't even know I had a sister and now. I feel like such a jerk. I was so mean to Will. I'm surprised Kate is even talking to me. I just wanna change it all, make it better you know."

"Then go."

"What? Rory…"

"You heard me." She interrupts him. "Take Kate and go to New York. Go see this Andie; you really need to do this so go."

"Rory I can't."

"Why not, look Jess you need to do this, Kate needs to do this, and it sounds like Will and Andie need you too." Jess looks up at her, his eyes widen.

"Come with me." He says almost smiling.

"Jess I can't go."

"No, Rory you can. C'mon Andie would love to see you and we can have our five month anniversary in New York. I can't go alone; Kate will be too much of a mess to be any kind of support, please come with me please."

"I can try."

"Okay, I'll go tell Kate."

The nextday Rory and Jess are packing everything up in Jess's car so they can drive to New York. Kate is walking out of Luke's with a small bag.

"Hey Jess you got some music or am I gonna have to find some?"

"Well you might wanna look for something else, just in case."

"Will do, Rory I'm really glad you're coming. Will said he liked you, he said you and your mom are really nice. He also said that you and Jess make a good couple and he was glad Jess found you. I think he'll be glad to see you in New York."

"Yeah and I know you'll love Andie." Jess adds.

"I'll be right back." Kate walks toward the music store when she hears someone say the name 'Dean'. She wants to meet him so she walks up to where she heard the name. Two guys are talking, one she knows as Taylor and the other's back is facing her, this guy is tall with dark hair. Just as she gets close enough to hear what they're saying the tall guy turns around. "Excuse me, are you Dean?" Kate asks him.

"Yeah, Why?" Dean asks her.

"Well I'm, um… I'm new here and I heard some people talking about you."

"Oh, you look kinda familiar, do I know you."

"No! I'm new like I said. I well heard about you and Jess…"

"I hate him." Dean interrupts.

"Oh really and why is that, what did he do to you that was so bad."

"Well he tried to hit me, he stole a lot of thing around town, he got Rory hurt and then just left and then he came back and ruined our relationship."

"Did you ever think that maybe your relationship was never as strong as you thought, and as for the running away part, maybe that's all he knows how to do cause that's what's happened to him." Kate almost yells "And maybe he only stole things cause he thought no one would miss them and he needed them."

"Miss why are you getting so mad about this?" Taylor asks

"And you, you are the rudest jerk on the planet. First you do nothing but make Luke's life a living hell and now you're starting in on Jess. What the hell is your problem with them? Just cause they aren't a carbon copy of you doesn't mean you can treat them like they're nothing." Kate complains loudly as people start to stare.

"I hardly think Luke is nothing." Taylor says as he tries to defend himself to the small, very angry girl.

"But Jess is, is that what you're saying?"

"Well I wouldn't phrase it that way but…"

"Oh my god, you're worse than I thought."

"Look, I don't think Taylor meant it that way." Dean says as he tries to brake up the two.

"Oh no he meant it just that way."

"Well maybe I did, maybe I think Jess is nothing. What would you do if I did?" Taylor says taunting her not knowing what's to come next. Just as he finished Kate pulls her fist back and hits Taylor right in the jaw. Taylor falls to the ground in surprise just as Jess and Rory run up to her side.

"Kate, what the hell, you hit Taylor." Jess says as shocked as everyone else but he has a smirk on his face.

"Why did you hit Taylor?" Rory asks.

"I-I-I I don't know it just happened, he called Jess nothing and I hit him." She says holding her hand out to Taylor who is still on the ground. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard." Jess turns around and sees Dean.

"Dean." He says clench his teeth.

"Um, we should go if we're gonna make it to New York today." Rory says as she pulls Jess away from Dean and walks toward the car. Kate runs after them.

"I can't believe you hit Taylor." Jess says now beaming. "That is so… something I'd do. You really are my sister aren't you?"

"I should hope so." Kate says as the three get in the car and drive off.

They enter New York late; they pull the car up to an old apartment building, get out of the car, and head up stairs to the second floor. Kate stops at a door; the number on the door is 212.

"This is Will and Andie's place." Kate tells Jess

"I know I've been here a million times." Jess says back

"I know, you know we don't have to go in."

"Yes we do. I spent all that money on gas for you you're going in, now."

"Okay." Kate says as she knocks on the door. Will answers the door.

"Hey, Kate and Jess and Rory, what are you guys doing here?" Will asks.

"We're here to see Andie." Kate tells him

"And you." Jess adds.

"Really you're here to see me Jess."

"Yeah man I'm sorry about Andie and you know what I said to you."

"It's okay, really."

"No I shouldn't of, but I did and I'm sorry. You're one of my oldest friends and I've always known you and my sister would be together one day. I shouldn't of taken it so hard. Sorry."

"Hey Jess stop apologizing and let him let us in." Kate tells her brother.

"Oh yeah com in, please."

Lorelai walks into Luke's and sits down as he comes over.

"Hey, how's it going now that you're all alone?"

"With Jess gone it's kinda the same since he's never really around but with Kate not here, I don't know I think I miss her."

"Wow, you must really like that niece of yours."

"Yeah, well she's just as smart as Rory and just as nice only she has this way of making me do things for her I would never do otherwise. I hate it so much, but the thing is, I miss her. Every time she leaves or I leave I miss her asking me to do the dumb thing. And I just miss her."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it's always been like that for as long as there's been a Kate I've done everything she's asked, same with Jess you know. The baby didn't change a thing though. They're still exactly the same. It's nice to see him getting along with someone like that. I can't wait to see what she makes him do with Janey, you know."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what she makes you do with Janey."

"Oh ha-ha, no wait, what will she make me do?"

"What's taking so long?" Will asks

"I don't know." Rory answers. Just then Jess comes out with a blank expression on his face.

"Is she okay, Jess is the baby okay?" Will asks Jess runs over to Rory and hugs her. He whispers something in her ear that makes her tear up.

"I can't believe it, everything's perfectly fine."

"Yeah, she can go home by the end of this week if everything's okay."

"Both of them are fine?"

"Yes, both Kate and Janey are fine." Everyone begins to cheer.

I know it's a little stupid but I always wanted someone to punch Taylor. Not so much of a cliffhanger here, too bad… more to come soon.