To my wonderfully charming reviewers:
emptyvoices-Firstly of all...I am glad you're taking the time to read this even though you don't watch Gilmore Girls. I hope I can explain the plot well enough as we go along...but if you get confused let me know. :) They are indeed staying at the same place. The Dragonfly is somewhat like a B and B, but not entirely.
Imshi-Glad you like, and I know Lisa isn't thirty-three. See, I wanted her to be closer in age to Lorelai, who's age definitely can't be altered without changing Rory's, which would change the plot line, so I just tweaked Lisa's. I didn't find it crucial to the storyline.
BregoBeauty-Thanks! I love them both too. That's why I wrote it. :) Glad to have another GG/RE fan. I liked the Lorelai/Lisa mixup because in a way they do look similar. Same height, kind of, same skin color, hair length, etc.
Seghen-I can't either, but it will probably be several chapters of more confusion until they do. :)
Shattereddemon-Glad you like my story. I like it too, haha. I hope you like the next chapters, thanks for you reviews!
Lisa awoke feeling slightly refreshed. She told herself as she dressed that she needed to stop dwelling on the past. She had no control over what had happened to her before, but she did have power over what would become of herself.
Perhaps she'd stay in Stars Hollow longer than she anticipated. The people were so nice, she could get a decent job here, eventually a nice house...she smiled happily as she pulled on a pair of pink flats to match her long white skirt and pink top. Finally, after pulling her hair into a ponytail and dabbing on some makeup to complete she left her room and skipped down to the lobby.
She wrinkled her nose as she discovered that today's breakfast was...eggs Benedict. Eggs of all sort had entirely lost their appeal after...
Lisa shook the thought from her head. Nope. Don't think about it. Go to Luke's Diner.
So she set off down the long, wide street, pulling her jacket tightly around her shoulders. She broke into a run, her teeth chattering and her toes numbing. Jesus, even a summer morning in Connecticut was cold.
When she finally threw open the door of the crowded diner she began to defrost. She noticed Lorelai, Rory, and a boy talking at a table. There was another chair, but she didn't want to disturb them. She scanned the room for an empty chair and finally sat down at the counter. Luke arrived shortly to take her order.
"Lisa, right?" he said gruffly. Lisa nodded quickly, slightly taken aback. "What'll it be?"
"Umm..." she quickly perused the menu. "Pancakes, thanks." He nodded shortly and ducked into the kitchen.
A second later she heard excited footsteps behind her and felt an arm on her shoulder.
"Hey, Lisa, come sit with us!" Lorelai demanded. Lisa laughed and shot a hesitant glance over the counter.
"Um, will he-" she inquired. Lorelai shrugged.
"Yeah, but don't worry, he'll just blame me," Lorelai beamed. "I'm the vampiress queen, remember? But its okay." She shot a seductive look at Luke's back. "I've got pull."
Lisa giggled and let Lorelai drag her to their table. Rory said a quiet hello and the boy looked at Lorelai.
"Oh, sorry. Dean, this is Lisa Reisert. She's from Miami. Lisa, this is Dean, Rory's hunk of burning love," Lorelai took a bite of her French toast. Lisa smiled, wondering where on Earth Lorelai got those witticisms.
"Mom," Rory muttered, embarrassed as she rightfully should be.
"So, Rory, are you in college?" Lisa changed the subject for Rory's sake.
"Yeah," Rory looked relieved. "Freshman year."
"She's a Yalie," Lorelai interjected, pretending to get misty-eyed, and then began singing. "To Yale, she is true!"
Dean choked on his coffee as Luke stalked over and glared at Lorelai.
"Did you move her?" he growled, as if Lisa were a sort of precious vase.
"Down, Kujo, save that for later," Lorelai said defensively in what Lisa deemed a sexual reference. Luke just scowled again and stormed away.
"So, listen," Lisa chewed her lip nervously and clutched her coffee. "I um...I was kind of looking for a job."
"Oh, ask Luke," Rory piped in cheerfully. "He's always looking for people."
"Well, I don't...have any food-service experience," Lisa said uncomfortably. "But I do, on the other hand, have roughly ten years of hotel service under my belt."
Lorelai got the hint. "Hm...well, unfortunately, we only have one position open and its only free because it's the worst."
"Night shift?" Lorelai nodded.
"I used to work it all the time back at the Lux," Lisa said eagerly. "I'd be happy to take the job!"
"Okay, then," Lorelai agreed, obviously relieved to have found an employee. "Can you start tomorrow?"
Lisa nodded. "Thanks so much. Once I start bringing in some income I can get a house of my own, or at least to rent."
"Oh my God, you'll have to meet Sookie," Lorelai insisted. "She makes the best raspberry-orange muffins in the world. I steal her from Jackson all the time."
Lisa froze. Her heart stopped. "J-Jackson?"
Lorelai shot Rory a perplexed look. "Yeah. Her husband?"
Lisa couldn't breathe. "Jackson...um..."
"Tall guy, kinda chubby, sweet face, grows vegetables?"
Lisa, calm down, she told herself. There are plenty of Jacksons. They aren't all assassins.
"Oh, yeah," Lisa forced a smile. "I'd love to meet him." That she would. Or just prove she wasn't paranoid.
"Come by tonight! We're getting together for dinner at my place." Lisa accepted the invitation and Lorelai began jotting down directions.
Breathe. Just breathe.
Jackson woke late and ate lunch at the Inn. As much as he would love to stay forever in this disgustingly cutsie To Kill A Mockingbird town, he had work to do.
This Luke character could be very helpful. It wasn't that he really needed a job, just getting one would help him blend in with the town, and plus a little extra money wouldn't hurt. Plus, this guy knew about the Mariano kid.
He entered the diner around two o'clock. It wasn't incredibly busy, just a few last luncheoners finishing up. Luke was standing behind the counter counting cash. Jackson waited politely until he finished and then spoke.
"Hey," he said, and scowled as he detected a lasting linger of rasp still left in his voice. Two years, and he still hadn't cleared it. Luke noticed it, too.
"Got a cold?" he said with a detection of a simper in his voice. Jackson shook his head coldly.
"No. Bitch stabbed me with a pen."
"Oh. Lucky you. In the trachea?" Luke winced sympathetically.
Jackson nodded. "Yup."
"Ex-girlfriend?"
Jackson paused. "Something like that."
"Anyone I know?"
Jackson frowned. "Jesus Christ, what's with the survey?"
"Sorry."
Jackson shook his head. "No, don't think you know her." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I came by to ask you two things."
"Shoot."
"One, I was talking to your...wife...I think she is, or something, and-"
"Girlfriend."
"Ahem. Yes. And anyway, she said you might have a...job opening," he said cautiously. Luke looked Jackson in his crystalline eyes.
"Yeah. Do you have any experience?"
"Yes." No. But he was a fast learner. "And I'm a good people person."
Luke snorted. "Sure you are."
"I am. You'd be a bit cranky too if you recently recovered from a pen wound, a high-heel shoe to the leg, and two gunshot wounds." Shit. He probably shouldn't have said that. But the chance of this small-town hick in a baseball cap knowing who he was slim to none anyway.
"Wow," Luke chuckled. "She got you bad."
Annoyance crept into Jackson's chest but he forced a cold, demeaning smile.
"So, yes or no?"
Luke sighed and thought for a moment. "Sure. I don't do interviews, but I already have one girl, Lane, working. She's in charge, don't bother her. First thing tomorrow, six am."
Jackson nodded. Early, but he'd get over it. "The next thing is, I'm looking for someone and since you seem to be a bit of a guru..."
"Who?"
"Jess Mariano."
Luke froze. Jackson shifted irritably. What was it about this kid that everybody hated? Oh wait. If the Company was looking to recruit him he had to be some twisted bastard anyway.
"Is he in trouble?" Luke's voice was low, angry. Dangerous. They should look into this guy, too. Jackson answered quickly.
"No, no, he's not. I was sent from down south by an organization who are very interested in his merits."
"What merits? He worked at Wal-Mart."
"Regardless. I know little about him other than that he's a good man for the job...and I need to find him."
"What does this company do?"
Jackson paused. "Uh...governmentoverthrowshighprofileassassinationstheusual," he said quickly.
"Excuse me?"
Jackson thought on his feet. "Publishing. We're a publishing company."
"That makes sense. All he ever does is read," Luke sighed. Jackson exhaled. Wow, talk about lucky. He'd made that up off the top of his head. "Well, I don't know what but what I do know you can't tell the Gilmores."
"The..."
"Lorelai and Rory."
"I see. Why not?" Jackson leaned in conspiratorially
"Bad blood. He dated Rory for a while and then broke her heart, so obviously Lorelai hates him, too."
"Oh. Well, you know where he is?"
"Yeah. He's in the next few towns over, Hartford. He's going through a phase where he thinks he's being a "non-conformist" but really he's just acting like the world's greatest asshole."
"Ok. Well, thanks," Jackson stood to leave.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Luke reminded him as Jackson nodded a quick goodbye and rapidly left the diner.
Rory sighed and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for the red light to turn. It had been a long day, and the night wouldn't likely be any better. Studying, studying, and more studying, followed by just a hint more of studying.
As she finally reached the New Haven city limits she clicked on the radio. Generally crappy music but she needed to hear the weather forecast for tomorrow. Dean asked her to go to the Founders Day Festival and she needed to figure out her outfit.
"...seventy five and sunny. And in news today..." Rory cursed. She'd missed it.
"...continues in search for the assassin who just two years ago collaborated on an attempt to kill Charles Keefe..."
Rory rolled her eyes and pulled the keys from the ignition as she stopped in front of her dorm. Just another news story.
She didn't realize just how much this news story could come to interfere with her life..
