Title: Eggs is Eggs
Author: Binx349
Fandom: Gilmore Girls
Pairing(s): Luke/Lorelai, Rory/Jess
Rating: PG
Summary: "Have you ever dreamt about rolling Kirk down a hill? Because that is now a reality for me. It's great for stress relief."
A/N: Eeep.I am a terrible person, and have been working on other things. offers update in penance
There will be one more chapter to story, and then I can start working with the next part of this little series. I have vague plans. Oh yes. :)
Part V:
It was lucky that the sun was shining as brightly as it was, because for once in his highly organised life Taylor didn't have a contingency plan. If it rained, they were going to be in serious trouble. The road had been cordoned off since the night before, cars had been towed, a large sign proclaiming the day's events was in the process of being hauled up a tree by Kirk, while Taylor kept a good distance watching the proceedings and yelling orders.
"That needs to be straight Kirk! Sloppiness reflects badly on us as a town." He was in his element. All Taylor really needed in life was a loudspeaker, cardigans in various hues, and a hapless side-kick like Kirk to do his bidding.
He bustled over to Bootsy and Joe, who were unsuccessfully trying to put up trestle tables along the side of the street. Both men were beneath the table, poking around at the underside.
"Are you sure this is the right way up?" a voice grouched from a position somewhere near the ground.
A second voice piped up, sounding more than a little confused, "No..."
"Turn that the other way… no, the other, 'other way'."
"There's another other way?"
"According the gospel of me? Yes."
"Are you mocking me again?"
"No."
"You are."
"Where would you get that idea?" Bootsy twisted something, inciting a squawk of pain from Joe.
"Don't do that."
"Just, give it here. Idiot."
Taylor cleared his throat loudly, to gain attention. Someone under the trestle jerked up so fast that there was a clank and a groan as his head hit the underside of the table. "Now boys, lets keep this civil. Young, impressionable minds and ears are present."
Ignoring the silence from the two he continued walking, making his way across the road over to Miss Patty who was busy corralling a group of very over-excitable Easter bunnies at the side of the road.
The leotards, tights and fluffy tails made one think of playboy bunnies. Miss Patty didn't seem to have any kind of problem with dressing twelve six-year olds in such attire however.
"Now girls, does everyone have their ears? Yes?" Patty waved her cigarette around and examined her dancers critically. "Mandy, where's your tail sweetie?"
"Patty, can we move them behind the track tape please?"
"You cannot rush ladies' preparations on a day like this Taylor. Don't you know anything?"
Taylor conveniently ignored her. Something else had stolen his attention away, at least for the moment anyway.
"Please, don't loiter near the finish line. It's going to make it impossible to differentiate positions!" Taylor turned to march towards another group of unsuspecting townsfolk waving frantically.
"The man is definitely on a mission today," Miss Patty murmured dismissively before making tracks to follow him. "Be right back ladies."
The jingling of the bells echoed through the empty diner. Since Luke had dismissed Lane the place had been like a ghost town. He quite liked it really, gave him time to do more menial tasks like paperwork and scraping grime off the grill.
Luke's head jerked up from his supply ledger at the interruption, he'd been expecting Lorelai trying to bring him round to the joys of Stars Hollow's latest group insanity. Instead he was met by the sight of Jess, complete with leather jacket and a rather ratty-looking backpack loitering in the doorway.
Jess simply nodded in greeting. Somehow words were never really needed when it came to Jess Mariano. "Someone isn't joining the fun I see," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
"Long time no see," Luke responded ironically. The week that had gone by since their last meeting could hardly be considered long, not even close.
"Small town attractions, what can I say?"
"Huh," Luke frowned. "Didn't think you even liked this place."
Jess shrugged, but his silence spoke volumes. He'd never liked this place, he barely tolerated it, and the only reason he ever even did that… "It has its high points," He finally added.
In his head Luke easily put two and two together. "She's probably out rolling," he supplied.
"Rolling?" Jess frowned incredulously. He probably had images of Rory actually rolling, and while that was quite an entertaining prospect, it didn't seem much like her. It involved a much larger amount of physical exertion than he was used to from either of the Gilmores.
Luke pointed at the large sign on the opposite side of the street. "Rolling."
"Right," Jess nodded. "I'll see you later then."
Luke smirked down at his ledger; there was something to be said for Jess' one-track-mind. He heard the bells jingle once more when Jess left, and looked up to see him swagger towards the gazebo skimming his gaze across the crowd, looking for one person in particular.
Lorelai doled out a courtesy greeting as she passed the refreshment stand. Mrs Kim was authoritatively watching her latest charge mix something in a large plastic tub and waving her hand in illustration. Apparently colourless lumpy gloop should only be stirred just so.
"Good morning Lorelai," Mrs Kim looked up from her tasks and gave a brief nod of greeting. "You look pasty. This will help."
Lorelai immediately began evasive manoeuvres. "I really don't--"
"Wholemeal gluten free rolls with tofu and bean. Straight from Tulsa, new supplier. Very quick." Mrs Kim thrust a roll into her hand, not waiting for a positive response. Lorelai knew she just shouldn't have got up this morning.
The questionable foodstuff was wrapped in a napkin adorned with what Lorelai assumed to be a biblical quote and a couple of artfully placed flowers. "Pretty," she commented.
"It is the Lords words. They are more than pretty, they are sacrosanct." Lorelai nodded, feeling that just agreeing was probably the best course of action.
"What is this?" Lorelai mumbled through a mouthful of sandwich, while examining the second half still in her hand in mild disgust.
"Mung bean. Must be soaked in vinegar 24 hour before cooked."
Lorelai swallowed her mouthful, with a grimace. "Isn't Mung a Chinese dynasty?"
"Ming."
"Oh."
Mrs Kim turned back to her bumper-size vat of goop with a cursory, "Eat up."
"Uh, huh..." Lorelai nodded, trying to soothe her, now churning, stomach. Then she walked away as fast as possible. Being forced to eat one of these was on a par with chowing down on pondweed - slimy and distinctly unpleasant. There was a reason she'd spent well over a decade feeding both Lane and Rory.
As soon as she was out of sight Lorelai made sure to dump the sandwich in the nearest trash can with a surreptitious glance around, just to make sure that she hadn't been witnessed. If that news got back to Mrs Kim, she'd never hear the end of it.
Lorelai brushed the crumbs off her hands, and scanned the crowds to see if she could find Rory and Lane. She caught sight of some unusual movement in the corner of her eye, and jerked her head round to get a better view.
A strange elliptical shape was moving jerkily along one of the side-streets. It took a couple more seconds of closer examination to realise that it was an Easter egg costume rolling along the street. Complete with Kirk inside. He was being followed, and occasionally pushed by the Banyan boys.
Lorelai's conscience told her she should probably go and help him out. God knows she'd had her own issues with the Banyan twins. Most memorably when they'd camped out in the gazebo and decided that it would be fun to throw mud balloons at innocent passers by. There wasn't enough coffee in the world to make up for the ruination of her favourite white shirt. She sighed in memory and headed over to them.
Rory flicked the page of her book over so deeply immersed in the world it created that she didn't even notice when Jess dropped onto the bench beside her, glancing over her shoulder at her reading material.
"Proust is way overrated."
She was so surprised at the proximity of the voice that she very nearly dropped the tome in her hands.
Rory automatically responded with, "He's better than Bukowski," then closed the book running her fingers along the spine. She looked to her left momentarily before returning her gaze to her book. Nope, she wasn't letting herself get drawn in by him again.
"Your reading habits have not changed a bit." Jess cocked his head to one side, watching her movements carefully.
"I'm very predictable," she muttered shifting uncomfortably.
There was a long silence, before Jess decided enough was enough. "So, what brings you out here? I thought you and Lorelai would be busy preparing for total domination."
"Lane went to get Zach. I'm waiting for them." Rory stumbled through her words as fast as possible, fingers clenching around the cover of the book until Jess removed it from her hands and placed it on the bench beside her. "Mom is probably plotting total domination though."
"You're uncomfortable."
Rory scoffed, "No."
"Rory, you won't look at me."
Tearing her eyes up from the ground she finally met his gaze. Yep, there was a reason she didn't look him in the eye.
She paused taking a deep breath, and staring at him. "See, looking at you. I can look at…"
Rory's words were cut off when Jess' warm fingers cupped her chin, and he dipped his mouth to meet hers.
She froze for a moment still not quite comprehending what was happening, and then arched towards him automatically deepening the kiss in moments. The whole situation felt so wrong and yet so ridiculously perfect all at the same time.
He was just as she remembered him, he could still make her skin tingle and send a blush swimming across her face. He could make her feel alive.
His hands had travelled from her face down her arms, and now his hands clasped hers in her lap… she hadn't even noticed. His thumb was brushing back and forth across the back of her hand in a soft arch.
And when did her fingers end up threaded into the hair at the back of his neck? It seemed so sudden. Her head was having a hard time keeping up with her actions. She hadn't felt so out of her depth in a very long time.
Rory broke off taking a deep shuddering breath, stood from the bench and took several quick steps backwards, out of range of his hold over her. It was like a magnetic field to a paperclip. It was undeniable attraction, pure and simple.
"Rebound," she burbled. Her mouth, that had been pressed to his mere moments before had difficulty even forming the words. She'd said essentially the same to him only a week before. Why had it been so much easier before?
It seemed to her that the longer she was in his presence, the more it affected her. The harder it was to walk away.
"I can't do this." She realised she probably should have stayed, tried to explain, to understand. Instead she turned and ran in the opposite direction.
"Rory!" Jess called after her. It was amazing. For a bright girl, she did have a little trouble getting her words out sometimes. Also, an amazing talent for just taking off like that. For someone who hated exercise, she sure knew how to run when the occasion called for it.
It wasn't the first time she'd run from him, and he was fairly sure it wouldn't be the last. It seemed to be Rory's coping mechanism, and strangely enough he didn't really have a problem with it. If it helped her sort things out in her head, so be it. Hopefully it would all turn out in his favour.
Jess picked up her book from the bench turning it over to read the blurb and skimming his fingers over the spine in the same way that Rory had done just minutes before. He smiled softly. She'd definitely want it back.
