Don't worry I am not going to Kill off Jess!

Chapter 3

Rory woke up early the next morning. She planned to go to Luke's. Rory first made her mom's bed. 'Perfect' she thought. She changed clothes, brushed her teeth and did other morning things before she left the house. She walked quickly trying not to look suspicious. She walked into Luke's with out a sound from that annoying bell. She had mastered that technique. She sat at the counter seat closest to the stairs and ordered pancakes. While the order was being transferred to the kitchen, Rory slipped behind the curtain and dashed up the stairs. One of the lights in the hall was out. Ironically it was the one in front of Luke's place. Rory inhaled deeply and tried the handle... locked. She played with her hair and glanced around. Would Jess lock the door if he were inside? She heard something fall to the ground. She looked down. A bobby pin. She leaned down to pick it up. Carefully she tried it in the lock... nothing. She took it out and looked at it again. There were rounded tips at the end. Silently she bit one off and inserted it into the key hole... Click! She slowly opened the door glad to see that Luke had fixed that awful creek. She took one step in the door and could tell there was no one there. Jess was gone and discarded all the evidence that he was there. She choked on a cry. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She knew she was cursed to love him forever. She locked the door from the inside and closed it then leaned against it and let the tears fly.

After fifteen minutes Rory wiped her face and decided to find some way to get out with out anyone noticing her. She looked down the hall and saw a door labeled 'Fire Escape'. She walked toward it. 'What about alarms?' She thought. She pondered a moment. There had been one grease fire in the diner. She and her mom were in Luke's apartment. It was Rory's twelfth birthday and Luke had a gift for her. When the smoke alarms went off Rory and her mother went out the fire escape. Everyone was okay, except the burger of course. She did not think the door made any noises. The smoke alarms were so loud it was hard to tell. She decided to try it anyway. If she went through quickly maybe the alarm would stop. Heart pounding, Rory opened the door, went through and shut it as fast as she could. No alarm. Rory was relieved. She held her heart and looked up at the sky, now panting. She started to walk down the stairs but was jerked back like a paddleball. Her coat was caught in the door. You may not know this but fire escapes only have handles on one side of the door. It was obviously not taken into perspective that a girl looking for her ex-boyfriend would try to leave undetected using the fire escape and get her coat stuck in the door. Rory had to leave. If anyone saw her she might be confused for a burglar. If she pulled the coat out it would rip. Rory took the coat off and left it they're hoping she could get it later. As she stomped down the stairs she felt a bit guilty because it was a $300.00 coat Logan bought for her, but she couldn't go back. Rory ran home. She dodged people left and right saying things like "Sorry!" Or "Excuse me." They would say back to her "Watch it." Or "HEY!" But she didn't care. She wanted to be home, Grandma's, Yale anywhere but Stars Hollow. Anywhere.

The taxi came to a stop. 'Here it is' Rory thought to herself. 'I should have called" her hands were shaking.

"That'll be 23.67," the cab driver said with half a sandwich in his mouth.

"What?" Rory had spaced out.

"I said 23.67."

"Oh right can you hang on a second." Rory didn't have enough. She grabbed her suit case and quickly

Walked to the door. She knocked. No answer. Oh no what if he wasn't home, and she couldn't pay the cab.

"Let's go!" The cabbie shouted out the window. He honked. She rang the doorbell three times.

Then she heard a muffled "I'm coming." The door swung open. "Rory, what a surprise."

"Hey um could you pay the cab. I kinda ran out on the plane."

"Sure," he walked over to his wallet and grabbed 60 bucks and paid the cab driver.

"Keep the change." He said with his arm around Rory. Rory felt she had no place to turn she couldn't think straight. She had to get away.

"So Dad how's Georgia?"

"She's doing fine. Don't you think I should be the one asking that question?" He laughed.

"It's kind of a long story," Rory tried.

"I've got time," Chris said stepping into the house. They walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Rory's dad turned the television off and looked at her

"So what's this whole thing about?"

"Okay so as you know, I'm dating Logan,"

"How could I forget," he said.

"Well, the other day Jess knocked on the door, and then I told him to come back later." Rory talked slowly. She wished she hadn't told her father it was a long story. She wasn't about to get into all the details.

"Okay keep going."

Rory burst into tears. She couldn't help it. She hoped that it would get her out of the whole story.

"And so he did and then I talked to him, and I guess I upset him because," Chris could half understand her but it was enough to know what she was saying, "he left and I don't know when he'll be back."

"Is this the same Jess that crashed your car?"

"Yes."

"So you came here?"

"Mom and Luke are on their honeymoon and I didn't want to bother them. I can't tell mom or she'll tell Luke and Luke will get mad and,"

"Rory slow down okay? Something tells me your mother doesn't know your here?"

"No. She can't know. I don't want her to."

"You have to tell her your here. I'll call her for you."

"Please, don't tell her why I'm here."

"I won't." He pulled her into a hug and gently kissed the top of her head.

"She's coming back today you know."

"Who?"

"My mother, she probably freaked out by now."

"I'll call her. The guestroom is up stairs second right." With out another word Rory walked upstairs and unpacked her things. The room was small. It had one full sized bed with a purple comforter and silk blue pillows. There was a television and that was about it. Rory took out her cell phone and the charger. The batteries had died making it impossible for her mother to call her.

Meanwhile the phone rang at Lorelai's house.

"Rory?" Lorelai answered. Her voice was shaky and she sounded worried.

"Hey Lorelai?" Chris said cheerfully.

"Chris, Rory's missing."

"I know..."

"You know? You can't possibly know! Formally single mother coming home from her honeymoon to find her only daughter, who she gave birth to at sixteen, missing for two hours and doesn't have her damn cell phone on. No you don't know."

"She's here."

Lorelai was silent.

"She's there. In California. With you?"

"Yes."

"Well what the hell is she doing there? I practically scream my head off at Logan I have Sookie and Luke running around town my mother. I don't even want to get into how she's acting right now."

"I can't tell you."

"Why in hell not?"

"She asked me not to believe me if I could I would but..."

"Chris so help me God if you do not tell me what my child is doing in California I will come there and strangle you with my bare hands you here me?"

"I know your upset but she asked me not to tell you."

"And what do you expect me to tell the cops huh?"

"The police are involved in this? Lorelai that's a little extreme, don't you think?"

"No! Two hours Chris! Do you not get the meaning of two hours?"

"Yes I get the meaning of two hours."

"Let me talk to Rory."

"My pleasure. RORY!" He shouted.

"Yes?" She called back.

"Your mother wants to talk to you!" He yelled again. Rory didn't respond. Five seconds he heard thump

Thump, thump. And then around the corner came Rory.

"Hello?" She said into the phone.

"What do you think your doing?"

"Mom it's kind of a long story."

"Oh, I got time!"

"Are you sure it's long distance and..."

"Oh yeah!" Lorelai covered the mouthpiece with her hand and told the police they could go.

"I just I got into a fight with Logan and I needed to cool off."

"That's not what he tells me!"

Rory was shocked. "You brought Logan into this?"

"And the cops too!"

"Mom, I'm sorry I didn't mean for it to get this hectic."

"Did you get into a fight with Rory?" She heard Lorelai say to Logan. Rory prayed he'd catch on.

"Uh...Yeah," he responded carefully.

"See mom I told you!"

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Lorelai said ignoring Rory's comment.

"I was afraid that she might have gone out and gotten herself killed. I didn't want to be responsible for that!"

"Oh," Lorelai knew they weren't telling the truth but how would she know Rory was thousands of miles away.

"I have to go," she said to Rory and hung up the phone.

"Logan," she said angrily, "I know your not telling me the truth. What happened while I was gone?"

"We got into a fight," he said innocently.

"Damn it Logan don't lie to me boy!" Lorelai raised her voice. She knew this was the only way she could get the information out of him.

"If your lying to me Logan I swear I will make your life a living hell."

"You really hate me don't you," he said looking her in the eye.

"More than you can imagine," she said coldly.

"If you don't tell me what you did to her I will bring my mother, the devil herself, into this, and you and I both know that when Emily Gilmore is in it you ain't gettin out!"

"Rory and I, I was, I was here with Rory and the doorbell rang. She answered it slammed the door in his face then opened it again."

"Who was it?"

"Dean," he lied. He looked at her and could saw flames in her eyes. She was like a dragon waiting to set his flesh on fire and feast off every bone in his body.

"It was some guy named Jess," he corrected.

"Jess," she growled.

"She seemed pretty upset when we had..." Lorelai glared at him she looked at him up and down.

"Made out. You know on the sofa," he tried to save himself.

"You had sex on my sofa!" She exploded at him, "What did my sofa ever do to you!"

"We made out on the sofa."

"Then where did you have sex?" Lorelai hissed.

"On your..." Logan didn't really give it away this time, "sofa."

"My God!" She grabbed her coat and was out the door. Logan was right behind her.

"Can I?"

"Yes!" She knew the question. She got into her Jeep and he got into his car and they drove away. Logan was close to hitting Lorelai's Jeep when he was backing out. She honked and swore and then he let her drie out first. Lorelai was going practically 50 mhp when she stopped at Luke's. She unlocked the door and stormed up stairs. Luke was waiting at the diner in case Rory called.

"Any news?"

"She's at Chris's house."

"Your...Her..."

"Her father's house in California."

"Wow. What...?"

"Jess came. He was looking for her."

"I'm gonna kill that kid."

"He's gone."

"How do you know?"

"Why would Rory be in California if he were here? She loves him."

"I know the number to his apartment," Luke said reaching for the phone.

"No."

"He made Rory fly all the way to California! Why not?"

"Because she doesn't know I know."

"Who told you?"

"Logan."

"The guy that we caught her with?"

"Yes." The two sat in silence.

"Don't say anything to Rory."

"I know." Lorlelai knew she couldn't say anything although she wanted to.

Rory spent a 3 day's at her dad's. Most of which he spent working. In the mean time Rory played with Georgia while her mother had a little time to herself.

"It was nice to see you again," her dad said. Rory hugged him.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye!" Rory waved then borded her plain. While she flew home she thought of the horrible lecture coming.

When Rory arrived she was greeted by a big hug from her mother.

"Hello Mrs. Danes," she said playfully.

"Hello Ms. Gilmore." The girls walked arm in arm to the Jeep.

"I have to go to Lorelai's and get some coffee." She joked. Rory was silent. She was surprised she wasn't being yelled at. She assumed she wasn't until later, in the privacy of their own home.

Lorelai and Rory walked into Luke's. They sat at the counter.

"I'll take two coffees and two doughnuts." Rory looked at her mother. She felt sick to her stomach. She wanted her to yell at her. To get it over with.

"Mom can I have your keys?"

"What are you gonna do? Go rob a liquor store?"

"No, just..." Rory snatched her mother's keys out of her purse and ran upstairs. She unlocked the door to Luke's apartment, ran to the bathroom and hurled everything into the toilet.