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Chapter II: Best Man Blues

A year and a half later, Jess Mariano would look back on that day as a turning point in his life. It was the day he was acquainted with the pain of sacrifice. And it was the day he learned the meaning of love. His cold and distant exterior never left him, but deep down, he had become more compassionate. But of course, he wouldn't be the first guy to brag about his soft side.

Jess walked out of the bathroom, freshly bathed, as he buttoned up his shirt. The sweet aroma of pancakes and fried eggs led him straight to the kitchen, where his breakfast awaited him. Cecilia stood by the counter, pouring a cup of hot coffee when he entered.

"Good morning," she greeted.

"Hey," he replied, planting a soft kiss on her lips. "Early class today?"

"Yeah," she said, as they took their seat at the table. "Nine o'clock. And then I have a two thirty lecture."

"Until what time?"

"Around four thirty."

"So," he said, with a reluctant glance. "Do you want to me cook dinner or something?"

Cecilia laughed. "And run the risk of food poisoning? I don't think so!"

"Hey, that meatloaf surprise I made last week wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, and the surprise was that it tasted like cat food," she teased.

Jess sent her a playful glare. Though it was all in good humor, he knew wasn't a five-star chef. As he was finishing the last of his pancakes, he was suddenly aware of Cecilia's gaze upon him.

He glanced up. "What?"

Cecilia hesitated and then answered, "I got a phone call from Luke last night."

"Oh yeah?" Jess offhandedly shot back, as he pretended to skim over the newspaper. "How is good old Uncle Luke?"

"Jess," Cecilia contended. "You know his wedding is coming up next week, and he still needs a best man."

Taken aback, Jess sat up and stared at her defiantly. "And what am I supposed to do? Draft myself for the part? I don't think so."

Cecilia frowned. "Now you're just being ungrateful. Don't you think you owe it to him for having to put up with you when you were going through that whole James Dean phase of yours?"

Jess froze; he then sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He knew where this was going, and there was no way he was returning to that wretched town of lunatics.

"Besides, I think the timing is perfect, since we have a break next week," she continued.

When it was obvious that Jess wouldn't respond, Cecilia sighed. "C'mon, Jess," she urged. "It'll only be for a while. And don't you think it's about time I get to meet the infamous uncle of the guy that I've been dating for seven months now?"

"Why?" Jess scoffed. "Just so our love life can make it in headline news on the Stars Hollow Gazette?"

Cecilia frowned. "Jess–"

"No," he said resolutely. "I'm not going."

Cecilia pursed her lips, as she sent him a cold glare. Jess's stubbornness was something she came to accept about him. However, when it came to matters like this, his bull-headed self was intolerable. Without a word, she got up from the table and dumped her plate in the sink.

Before she could leave though, Jess quickly grabbed her arm. "Cecilia, don't be like this."

Jess's voice held an indistinct hint of unease that held Cecilia back. At length, she turned to him and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. If you really feel uncomfortable going back, I won't–"Jess placed his finger on her lips. "I'll go. But we're not staying there for more than three days."

"You sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Positive," he said, staring straight into her eyes.

Cecilia smiled, as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you. You won't regret it, I promise."

"Let's hope not," Jess muttered to himself, as he held her tightly in his arms.

It was another typical day in Stars Hollow, as the town was busy preparing for the upcoming Firefly Festival. The cool spring morning brought with it the promise of tender warmth, as the sun peeked from behind clouds. Meanwhile, streamers and lanterns were being set up around the gazebo, with Kirk diligently dictating the task force.

"Hey! You don't want to put that there!" Kirk yelled through his bullhorn. "That might be a fire hazard!"

From across the street, Lorelei Gilmore smiled as she observed the town's jack-of-all-trades. Stars Hollow certainly had a place in her heart as far as home was concerned. It was a place where she didn't need to hide behind a white-bred mask of wealth and prominence. Though there were often times of chaos, and though the residents had their share of insanity, Lorelei wholeheartedly felt a sense of belonging in the small town.

"So, how are those wedding plans coming?" Rory asked, as she observed Kirk as well.

"Oh, there coming," she replied with a smile. "Last night, Luke and I made the most important decision of all: which color napkins we were going to use."

"Glad to know your entire marital future depends on a napkin."

"Oh, trust me, it's a big step for us," explained Lorelei with a mock expression. "None of that filibustering crap that we had to go through when we had to pick out the cake, the place, my dress and his tie." She smiled, and draped her arm around her daughter. "And what about you? Has Logan gotten down on one knee yet and agree to be your escort?"

"No, not yet." Rory grinned. "He wants to secure a restraining order for Ms. Patty before he comes here again. Remember what happened last time?"

Lorelei and Rory both laughed at the humorous memory, as they entered Luke's Diner. The placed was packed as usual, and they were forced to take a seat at the counter. As they did so, Luke walked out of the storage room, and upon seeing Lorelei, bent over the counter and gave her a quick kiss.

"Hey," he said with a nod. He paused before asking, "So, are you planning to go to festival?"

"Why?" Lorelei teased. "Are you planning to ask me?"

Luke couldn't help but grin. Lorelei's sarcasm was one of the quirks he had come to love about her. After a while, Luke sighed and bluntly asked, "Do you want to go together or not?"

Lorelei smiled. "Would I ever pass up the chance to spend time with you, my darling Luke?"

"I'll take that as a yes. So, do you girls want the usual?"

"Yes, and make it snappy! I'm starving!" Lorelei exclaimed.

Luke shook his head in disapproval, and turned to leave. Once out he was out of earshot, Lorelei turned to Rory with a deliberate smirk.

"I love that man."

Rory just smiled, and glanced around the diner. The usual morning scent of toast and coffee circulated the building, as the drone of multiple conversations hummed in the background. Suddenly, much to Rory's surprise, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs from Luke's apartment. Within seconds, Jess appeared behind the counter.

Rory nearly fell out of her chair upon seeing him. "Jess?"

In turn, Jess froze as he met her gaze. Rory Gilmore, a perfect way to start out the morning. He had expected to see her, just not so soon. Jess swallowed hard before nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"Rory." He then turned to Lorelei and with a meek smile greeted, "Hi."

At first, Lorelei blinked in disbelief. "Well," she began. "The circus is back in town. Here for another showstopper, Jess?"

There was always something about this boy that reminded her of fingernails on a chalkboard. It seemed to Lorelei that wherever Jess was, trouble was never too far behind.

Jess just rolled his eyes, as Luke came back with their orders.

Catching the drift of the conversation, Luke quickly replied, "Actually, Jess agreed to be my best man."

Lorelei faltered. "Excuse me? You didn't mention that little detail last night when we were deliberating about napkins."

Before Luke could explain, Cecelia soon appeared behind the counter.

"Good morning, Luke," she greeted with a smile.

"Hey," Luke said. "Did you guys find everything okay last night?"

All the while, a bewildered Lorelei was frantically waving her hands in the air. Did she suddenly turn invisible or what?

"Uh, hello," she called. "It's bad luck for the bride to be out of touch with her own wedding plans."

Luke sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. Yesterday was just so hectic, and then these two showed up–"

With tension closing in, a restless Jess turned to Luke and said, "Cecelia and I are going out for a while. Do you need anything?"

Luke nodded. "Now that you mention it, could you stop by the warehouse and pick up some meat packages? Steve was supposed to drop them off today, but he can't make it."

"Okay," Jess agreed; he briefly glanced at Rory, who turned away grudgingly. "We won't be long."

Once Jess and Cecelia were out the door, Lorelei turned to Luke with firm resolve. "Okay, Luke, what's the story?"

"I told you, he finally agreed to be my best man. You know I've been trying to convince him for weeks to do this. "

Rory frowned at this. Nothing good ever came out of Jess's visits. His last visit – as she recalled – resulted in a sleepless night plagued with heartbreak and regret. Though she had convinced herself to move on, Jess had indeed left her with a sense of bitterness: a wound that forever left a scar in her heart.

Lorelei rolled her eyes. "I didn't think he'd actually agree. What made him change his mind?"

Luke shrugged. "Cecelia probably talked him into it. She's got a way with him; really sweet girl."

"You mean that girl that was just with him?"

"Yeah," Luke said as he cleared his throat. "That was his girlfriend."

At this note, Lorelei almost choked on her coffee, while Rory's expression shifted to subtle astonishment. A girlfriend? The possibility never dawned on Rory before, and yet, she never expected Jess to pine for her after all this time. Either way, the idea seemed to provoke long forgotten emotions. Whether these emotions included jealously or not was another story.

"A girlfriend?" Rory stuttered.

Luke nodded. "They've been going out for seven months now. I think they might actually be living together."

"Well, I'm utterly speechless," stated Lorelei, as she took a bite of her bagel.

Luke knew that Jess was certainly hit a sore spot with the Gilmore girls. Yet, in his nephew's defense, he countered, "Believe me, Jess isn't here to cause trouble."

"Sure," Lorelei exclaimed, sarcasm evident in her voice. "That's what they said about Mussolini."

"I don't know why I bother," Luke muttered as he left to resume with his work.

Lorelei just smiled, then turned to Rory and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Rory replied with a weak smile. "Just didn't expect to see him back here."

"Yes, well, Jess is the master of surprises."

Rory just nodded, as she took a sip of her coffee. Jess and Cecilia. Somehow, the thought of it made her stomach churn. For all she knew, Cecilia could just be another puppet in Jess's act to win over her heart. It surely wouldn't be the first time he's tried. And yet, was she really that shallow to think of Jess in that regard? In spite of herself, Rory pushed the thought aside, determined to not let her emotions get the best of her.