It certainly wasn't her first road trip. She and Rory used to take regular trips back when gas was pretty much the only luxury they could afford. Some of Lorelai's best music was played in the same jeep she was in now as she sought to make sure her offspring didn't become a country loving maniac. Musical talent aside, that was one thing she was sure she couldn't live with. The only difference now and then was that at night when pride kept her from B and B's, she could sleep in her jeep without a voice telling her over and over that she would die from exposure.

The trips also held an elusive feeling about them. It those minutes hours or days when she was behind the wheel, she was truly free. All she had to do was pick a direction and go in it as long as there was a road to go on, and sometimes she didn't even need that. Lorelai wasn't even sure of where she went after she got onto the highway, or where she was going once she took a random exit. She was just sure that she would know when she got there and figure the rest out when it came.

A few days later she found herself nearing a suburb of Philedelphia and decided to stop for a couple of days. It wasn't an enormous town by any means, but it was certainly bigger than Stars Hollow. Along the way she had stopped at a few inns and small towns, just walking the streets with a cup of coffee (always something that wouldn't remind her of the diner) and being a bystander to the rest of the world. She knew that if anyone bothered to look they could find her by the credit card transactions along her trip that provided her with food and sometimes shelter, but in the end she didn't care if people knew where she went, just as long as they didn't try to contact her while she was there.

Finally Lorelai cracked at the sight of a bookstore. She had resisted contacting Rory most of all because she was sure that she would be the most adament about getting the elder Gilmore back home, and being in the presence of something that her daughter cherished would help her feel connected to her, if only for a little while. It certainly wasn't an Andrew's bookstore, where a customer could go in and have the owner know where every item was almost without being asked. Rather it was part of a chain of stores, housing many volumes of many novels, and yet not rivaing some of the great libraries she had entered during school. Lorelai decided to go in and browse, maybe find something for herself and something for Rory when she got back. Her daughter always was a sucker for fully priced literature.

On the way inside she browsed the newest additions to the discount piles by the entrance and frowned at how most of them involved the word cooking; it was certainly a talent that she had no use for. Bright carpeting gave its own yellow bricked road feeling as she followed the path to the displays of new releases and editor's picks. Lorelai wasn't surprised at all when she saw The Subsect as one of the top reccomendations by readers. Despite all of the bad things that happened between her and Jess, Rory had been right when she had proclaimed that it was a damn good book, insisting that Lorelai have her own copy to read and eventually mock just because she knew the author.

Lorelai continued to browse for the next couple of hours, searching for something and nothing. Despite her plans, Rory was a hard person to shop for because it was hard to know what book in existance that she hadn't read (besides the sci fi section). She almost picked up something to do with the realm of fantasy as a joke but knew that in the end it would be mocked but not read, simply because Rory was a lover of classic and contemporary literature, and she had never felt the need to delve into a reality besides her own. Besides, the sheer number of Star Wars books overwhealmed her, causing her to stumble into an equally imposing Harry Potter display.

Lorelai skipped the science and arts literature section altogether when she saw a girl that reminded her of April enter it. Just the reminder of her Stars Hollow life was not something she was ready to deal with yet. Eyes lowered and pace brisk she wasn't paying attention to the floor ahead of her until she bumped into the obstacle, nearly sending her on her behind. Masculine hands stretching from a leather jacket steadied her until she looked up and felt like losing her balance again. "Well I'll be damned," she thought.

"Hi," the young man said awkwardly.

"Hello Jess."

He beat her to the punch with a quippy remark, something they both seemed to do when even slightly uncomfortable. "Where's the fire miss?"

"Oh you know I've just found that whole science and arts thing a little too overrated."

"I see," he replied. Jess pointed behind her, "Well for your convenience the fire exist is back that way. Be sure to walk and make sure you have all of your valuables, and for the love of Pete, don't be the one to start the stampede."

Lorelai half-laughed before scrunching up her face, "This is-"

"Strange I get you there." Jess shoved his hands in his pocket and opened his mouth. He then closed it as if he wasn't sure what to say next.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out, "You know don't you?"

"Yeah. . . I talk to Luke every couple of weeks on the phone and Rory called me yesterday."

"I hope Rory's doing okay. Next time she calls tell her I said hi will you?"

Jess seemed very surprised, "You're not talking to her?"

Lorelai sighed, "I just need some time before I get hit with all the questions."

Silence seemed to permeate the air until Jess cleared his throat. "Do you want to get some coffee? Maybe talk?"

"Jess. . "

"It doesn't have to be about that; it could be about anything that you want. At least let me have something to tell Rory when I talk to her other than I spotted you staking out a bookstore."


The place in itself had its own cafe in a corner overlooking the street. They both ordered coffees and sat down at a table by the windows. For a few minutes they both just sipped their cooling liquids and stared at their hands. Finally Lorelai spoke up, "So you wrote a book."

"I did."

"I liked it."

"Well it's not exactly the next great novel. I'm shocked you know about it or even read it."

Lorelai shrugged, "Well it came highly recommended. You should be proud, and I know Liz would be."

Jess laughed deeply, "She bought a copy for herself, TJ, and his entire family."

"TJ can read?"

"Trust me I was just as shocked as you," Jess remarked before taking another sip of his coffee. He looked up beneath his dark waves to see Lorelai gazing into the distance of the shopping center. "He misses you." He watched as she closed her eyes and took a heavy breath. "He won't say it, but when he told me that you had left. . . It wasn't good."

"Did he tell you why I left?"

"You know Luke; he'll tell you all the basic information but won't give any details until you pry them out with a crowbar. He said they were complicated reasons and left it at that. I'm assuming that it has something to do with April right?"

"I don't blame April. I can't. It's not like she picked who her parents were going to be. I just can't make that commitment to Luke as long as he can't trust me with what's going on in his life. He doesn't speak so I can't listen and it just ends up a downward spiral that I needed to be away from. I mean what do you think Jess? This girl is your half-cousin and do you know anything about her?"

Jess begrudgingly had to concede the point, "I know the things that Luke has told me but I haven't actually met her. I hear that she is quite the prodigy."

"But Luke has told you about her right?"

"Well he didn't exactly do that either. I brought it up with him and kind of forced the details out of him."

Lorelai frowned in confusion, "Who did you talk to that knew?"

The young man sighed, knowing that the news would not be easy to hear, "Luke told Liz and she told me. He wanted to say something to you I know that, but he just couldn't figure out the time or place. I know that he didn't want to add more news on your shoulders after you and Rory started talking again."

She leaned back in her chair and deflated even farther. "Unbelievable," she muttered.

"He was going to tell you soon."

Unshed tears came to her blue eyes, "Well he never did. I found out after practically everyone else in the town, and not from him. April told me herself in an inadvertant way, and Luke walked in at the moment when everything came crashing down. He didn't even try to explain really, he just apologized and promised to talk later, and that was weeks ago."

Jess sat back and inwardly groaned. "Man Luke really did mess this one up," he thought to himself.


I would like to write more but sadly I have school in the morning and I feel like I've been run over by an SUV. Thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter and I'm hoping for more reviews this time :)

Snow