Chapter 3: Sooner or Later

AN: may take longer to update now. So please R&R

The next morning when Rory woke up she regretted calling Jess the night before. She was going to see him. She had to see him.

At the same time Paige lay awake looking at the ceiling, thinking almost the same thing, she was finally going to meet her dad.

Luke was already at the diner, when he heard the bell above the door ring. He looked up from the counter when the chatter in the place went silent. He was shocked by what he saw "Jess" he said with a sigh he was not expecting to see Jess this early in his diner.

"Uncle Luke" Jess said with a smirk, he loved when Luke was in shocked. When he lived in Stars Hollow he would say crazy things about him and Rory, just to get a small laugh.

Jess walked over to the counter where Luke was standing. Luke asked "What are you doing here?" knowing what he was doing in Stars Hollow, but what about in his diner at 7:30 in the morning.

"I thought she would've told you guys, I am here to see my daughter." By 'she' he meant Rory but couldn't say her name without chocking up.

"I know you're here to see Rory's daughter, but why are you here in my diner at..." he looked at his watch "…at 7:35 in the morning, you know as well as anybody here they wont be here 'til 8:30, 9:00 at the least."

When Luke said 'Rory's daughter', he should just have punched Jess in the stomach, it would have been less pain. Jess just stood there and looked at Luke until the bell over the door rang and Lorelai came in running up to Luke yelling "coffee". Luke didn't move or say anything. "Hello" she said way to perky, and then followed her husbands gaze to Jess. She jumped backed because she was standing right next to him and didn't notice. "Oh my god! What are you doing here?" meaning the same thing Luke did.

To escape the awkwardness Jess mumbled, "I'm going to the bookstore" and walked out.

Lorelai just looked at Luke and he looked at Jess walked out, then she said "and the Prodigal Father returns… Again."

"Come on Paige, Grandma said to meet her at Luke's" Rory shouted with a smile as her daughter was glued to the bookstore window.

"Just a quick look please I need a new book, I don't have any with me." Paige yelled back at her mom with a pleading look that looked like the look Jess use to give Rory to when he wanted a book she was reading.

" Ok…5 minutes"

When they walked into the bookstore Paige was in heaven, she had the biggest smile on her face. Paige and Rory started to meander up and down the aisles when Paige stops to look at a book by one of her favorite authors Hemingway. Rory noticed the book she was holding and spat "ew… Hemingway… I still do not know your obsession with him."

"He is a great author, and his stories are classic… I don't know why you don't like him.

In the other part of the store Jess heard the whole argument. Right off the back he knew who it was and he walked over there.

Rory's and Paige's back were turned to him when he walked over to them. Then he said, "hey, at least she agrees with me."

Rory slowly turned around and looked at Jess "Jess…wha…what are you doing here?" she meant it as everyone else did.

"Will people stop asking me that" in his old 'I hate this world' tone that he had when he got to Stars Hollow the first time. Jess noticed Paige and small smile came across his face because she was in gulped in the book she had. Jess could tell that Paige was much like him and that it freaked Rory to no end that Paige would turn to be like him.

Rory tapped Paige on the shoulder before saying with a sigh "You wanted to meet him, well here he is."

"Rory, don't be like that" Jess said, as Paige looked up form her book and looked at him in shock by how much they look alike.

"Like what?" Rory said in a condescending tone, knowing what he meant.

"You know what I mean! You're mad that I'm here, you are also mad that Paige wanted to see me, and you are to smart to be able to play dum and you know it!" Starting to raise his voice, looking at Rory right in the eye, he saw her eyes swell up as she was fighting back the tears.

"I need some coffee" when Rory said this she turned around and walked out of the store.

Jess whispered to himself "Should I go after her?"

"I don't think you should, Lorelai and Luke are in there and it could get very ugly, give her some time" Paige said with a smile to herself not sure if he wanted her to hear what he just said.

When Paige said that it remained Jess of something Rory would say. She may have looked like him, but her heart was all Rory. "Come on lets go for a walk, I haven't been here in, well 10 years." He smiled at Paige as he headed for the door with Paige following close behind. Paige was short of happy to be spending time with her father, finally.

Rory rushed into the diner almost bursting into tears. She sits down on a stole with her hand on he head saying "Oh my god he is such an idiot, why can't I hate him more?"

As Luke poured some coffee into her cup not even bothering to ask if she wanted some. When he was done with the coffee Lorelai said to Rory in particular "So I am taking that you seen Jess."

Rory nodded "Paige and I ran into him in the bookstore, wait how did you know that he was here now?"

"Well he came into the diner earlier this morning" Luke said putting a doughnut down by Rory's coffee "were is Paige?" he asked curiously

"Oh no I left her back in the store, I should go get her." She stared to grab her doughnut and took a drink of her coffee

Then Lorelai said "hey don't worry this is Stars Hollow"

"Oh right, I guess that I am just not thinking straight"

Paige followed Jess to a bridge. Paige didn't even know that it was here, how many times she has been to Stars Hollow, and she hadn't been here.

By the look on Paige's face Jess new she hadn't been here, he understood why. A lot of things happen on that bridge and it was hard him to be there so it must have to be hard for Rory. "I am thinking that your mom never took you hear?"

"No… why?" Paige asked curiously

"Well, I am not surprised." Paige cocked her eyebrow wanting him to explain. "I'm not surprised because if she waited 13 years to tell you about me, then she might have never have brought or told you about here."

"Which brings me back to my original question, why?"

"Let me see" they both sit down on the dock "Hmm…Luke pushed me in over there the first time I moved here" Jess said as he pointed to a place on the dock.

"Wait, the 'first time' what does that mean?"

"Ya, Luke sent me back to New York after Rory and I got into a car accident." He said with a smile on his face.

"Ok, am I missing something? Why are you grinning like that?"

"Um, after I was sent back to New York your mom skipped school to come to see me, and at that time we weren't even dating."

"Mom would never let me skip school even if I wanted to" Paige said shifting a little were she sat "so what else happened here"

Jess laughed to himself "Well were we are sitting now your mom and I had our first date, sort of, she was still dating Dean at the time, do you know Dean?" Paige just nodded her head so that Jess could keep going. "There was this crazy town Bid-a-basket festival, and I out bid Dean just to make him mad, but by the end I was glad to spend time with her."

"Anything else?" Paige asked quietly thinking it must be hard to talk about these things but he is the one who brought up the subject.

"It is were we basically decided to date and were she told me she was pregnant." Jess after that stopped talking then Paige piped up

"I think we should be heading back mom is most likely a little clamed down now." They both stood up walking side by side back to the town square. Jess was being thankful for Paige not waiting to long to say that so that they wouldn't have to sit in awkward silence.

Jess and Paige were walking back toward Luke's talking about nothing specific when Dean came out of Doose's market. When he was looking toward the square and ran into Paige yet again "Oh sorry" he said then noticing whom he ran into "What are you doing here?" he said looking at Jess

"I am here because I wanted to see my daughter." Jess said in his matter-of-a-fact tone

"And Rory let you?"

"It was my decision to make" Paige said with a snotty attitude.

"Well that is too bad" Dean said as he stalked off

"Oh my god I hate him so much and now have two reasons to." Paige said to herself but Jess heard.

"You hate him too? What do you mean two reasons?" Jess asked

"Yesterday I ran into him and something were said between him and mom that's all" Paige said with a shrug.

"Like what?" really wanting to know

"Oh it was nothing, just something about me being a lot like you and mom got mad it was pretty ugly."

"Huh…well we should go find your mom." Jess said tying to avoid the topic they were talking about.

Paige and Jess walked into Luke's talking about their favorite books when they realized Rory, Lorelai, or Luke weren't there. They swiftly turned around and walked out to go to Lorelai and Luke's place.

When Jess and Paige got to Lorelai's house they were acting like they new each other forever, which in a way they kind of had.

Jess stopped when they got on to the door of the house. He just stood there and looked at the door and his feet.

Paige just looked at Jess with a look on his face of regret and sadness. "You know you are going to have to go in sooner or later, and it best be sooner rather then later!"

"You are way too much like your mother. How would take it if I never go in there?" He asked sheepishly joking.

"There is no way you or mom are getting around this" Paige said with a smirk on her face there is no way anyone in her family are getting around this anymore.

"I was afraid of that, can't I just do this tomorrow?"

"Oh my god, you are as bad as mom, you just need to…I don't know…get it done and over with!"

"What is there to get over with?" Jess asked with a questionable look in his eyes.

"Ok…let me rephrase that there are things I would like to know, that I want to know the full story of something and it will be easier to ask the both of you at the same time." Paige stated not looking at Jess.

After that Paige opened the door and walked in the house with Jess following close behind while yelling "Hey we are hear!"

"We who?" Rory yelled from the kitchen. As she walked into the foyer, her smile fell when she saw whom Paige was with.

"Me and… Jess" Paige said with a shaking voice. Looking at her mother.

"What?"