Chapter Five

So at this point in the story, we are at Haunted Leg, where Rory and Lorelai have it out with Christopher, which is the second episode of season 3. I might skip a couple episodes, but ones with major confrontation between any characters will be included, even if it isn't completely canon. I am planning on writing Thanksgiving and the winter carnival. I'm also introducing a new original character, who won't play a big part, but she'll be important enough. Enjoy!

Rory and Lorelai were sitting in the diner eating breakfast. Jess would stop by and sit with them for a few minutes at a time, chatting lightly with Lorelai and Rory. Lorelai was shocked at how social and polite Jess was being. Maybe she was wrong about him. Watching her daughter and Jess interact was like a whole different world. They were talking about some book Lorelai had never heard of, and Jess was smiling and talking and laughing. It really made Lorelai rethink the way she had treated Jess. If you were nice to him with no hidden agenda, then he would be nice to you. He probably only treated Luke badly because he thought he was a burden on Luke. It really opened her eyes. She glanced at her watch, and tapped Rory on the shoulder. "I hate to interrupt, but you're going to miss your bus."

"Whoops." Rory and Jess stood. "I'll meet you here for dinner?" Rory asked, and waited until Lorelai nodded in confirmation.
"I'll walk you. Luke I'm going to school!" Jess shouted. Lorelai watched them leave with a small smile. She didn't notice someone else come through the door.

"Hey, Lorelai," Dean said. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"No, not at all." Lorelai smiled. "How are you doing?" She asked sympathetically.

"Not great. It's hard to see someone you love be with someone… else." Dean didn't say what he wanted to say, which was: be with someone who will hurt her.

"It'll get easier. And who knows, they could be together for a few weeks, or forever. It's Rory's choice."

"I know. I just can't shake this feeling that he's gonna hurt her." Dean muttered.

"Me too, but we have to trust Rory. She seems to think that Jess is great, and I trust her judgment."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. He stood up. "Lorelai?"
She looked up at Dean expectantly. "What?"
"Could you let me know if he does anything to Rory?"

"Sure, but you'd have to get in line." She smiled up at him. "It'll be okay, Dean. You two aren't over, I can feel it."

"Thanks, Lorelai."

"No problem, hun."

As Dean walked away, Lorelai did feel a little guilty. Jess seemed to make Rory happy, and isn't that all Lorelai wanted? She shook off the feeling. Rory wasn't happy when she talked with Dean behind her back when they were dating. What would she say when Lorelai told her that she spoke with her ex-boyfriend. Should I tell her? Lorelai thought. Nah, it'd just hurt her.

"Bye Jess," Rory said, giving him a small kiss. "I have a School Council meeting after school, but Mom and I should be at Luke's for dinner."

"You know, one might think you're only dating me for free food." Jess teased her.

"You got me. But I really do have to go." She said, climbing onto the bus. "Bye."
"Bye," Jess replied. He headed towards school, sighing inwardly. He really didn't want to go. But Rory was counting on him. He needed to do this. As he stepped into the hallway, he cringed. So many people. Yeah, he'd been there before, but now he knew he couldn't duck out during lunch. He needed to make an effort. He found his english class, and went in. He recognized a few people, fortunately no Dean yet (he didn't know if he was in this class), and he saw Lane, chatting with a few other kids. The bell rang, and the teacher stood in front of the class. Ms. Taylor, Jess recalled. She was young, with light blonde hair down to her shoulders. She had a cheery vibe that kinda made Jess want to run out of the classroom. "Alright class. Let's get started, yeah? Our Shakespeare unit starts today! We're starting to read Macbeth, so please take out your copies."
Jess raised his hand. "Ms. Taylor? I don't have one."

"That's alright, there's some extra copies on my desk." She pointed at her desk, and Jess grabbed one. "We'll be reading through Act One today, and then answering discussion questions-" she was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Sorry I'm late, Ms. Taylor." It was Bagboy.

"No problem, Dean. Sit down and take your copy of the book out. While you start reading Act One, I'll write the questions on the board. There are fourteen in total, so you should have enough time to finish them. You'll be answering questions for each Act, then write an essay about one of the topics I give you, ambition, power, et cetera. So, start reading!"

Jess rolled his eyes, and flipped open his book. He was wondering if being here was really worth it, but then a picture of Rory flashed through his mind, giving him the tiniest smile. Yeah, worth it. Then he got a tap on his shoulder.

"Surprised you're in class, Jess. Don't you have a relationship to screw up?" Dean's nasty voice came floating over his shoulder, and Jess winced.

"Leave me alone, Dean. I'm trying to read." Jess warned.

"Acting all high and mighty. Find the class okay, considering it's your first time in the school?" Dean taunted.

"Problem boys?" Ms. Taylor appeared swiftly by their sides.

"I'm trying to read, but Jess keeps talking to me Ms. Taylor." Dean said swiftly. Jess rolled his eyes.

"Hm, I'm afraid I heard the whole conversation. Keep it up Mr. Forester and I'll have to send you to the office. Read please." Ms. Taylor said sharply. Jess smirked. When the bell rang an hour later, Jess had just finished up his questions. From what he could tell from behind him, Dean had barely made it halfway through the Act. He was talking to his buddies the whole time, not caring how loud they were. The teacher had to shush them a couple of times, but was totally ineffectual. This might not be so bad… Jess thought. "Please read Act Two for tomorrow." Ms. Taylor called after her students.

When school and her meeting finished, Rory rushed out to the parking lot to avoid being ambushed by Paris. What she didn't expect to see was Jess, leaning against the door of his car, looking mildly alarmed as Madeline and Louise flirted with him. "Unbelievable." Rory whirled around to see Paris shaking her head. "They've attached themselves to another boy already."
"Actually Paris, that's my boyfriend." Rory explained.

"What happened to Prince Charming?" Paris asked, surprised.

"We broke up after we got back from Washington. I didn't love him anymore."

"Well, if you feel anything for this new guy, you might want to save him from Madeline and Louise."

"I'll get right on that. Bye Paris." Rory turned, and trotted towards Jess. When he noticed her, his face visibly melted into a mask of relief. "Hey girls. Jess." She gave him a kiss.

"What happened to Tall Dark and Dangerous?" Louise asked.

"We broke up," Rory replied uncomfortably.

"The new guy is hot. Great job Rory." Madeline congratulated her.

"Um, tha-" before Rory could finish her statement, Louise butted in.

"Does that mean he's on the market?"
"Um, I guess?" She said with uncertainty.

"We have to be going. Bye ladies." Jess cut in. He opened the door for Rory, and went around to the driver's side. He drove out of the parking lot, and Rory sighed.

"Thanks for the save," she said.

"No problem. As for me picking you up, I figured you wouldn't want to take the bus."
"That's sweet. I would kiss you if you weren't driving." Rory teased.

"I could pull over if you'd like," Jess said, concentrating on changing lanes.
"That won't be necessary. I'll just give you an extra long kiss when we get home. How was school?" Rory asked.

"Fine. Doing Shakespeare in English. We'll have to write an essay, which sounds so much fun!" Jess said with forced and sarcastic enthusiasm.

"What play is it?"

"Macbeth." Jess pulled onto the highway.

"We did that last year. I'm pretty sure we're doing Taming of the Shrew this year."
"If you've already done it, want to help with the essay?" Jess asked, glancing over at her, only joking a little.

"If you want help, I'd be happy to. I don't mind." Rory said.

"Only if you want to. I don't want you to do it if you don't want to. You're really busy at that fancy school, and I don't want to overload you."
"Are you kidding? I get to spend time with my boyfriend and write an essay? Sounds like a dream!" Rory laughed.

"It's a date," Jess said dryly.
Rory raised her eyebrow. "Speaking of dates, when are we going to go on our first date?"

"Tomorrow sound good?" Jess suggested.

"Friday Night Dinner, sorry. Maybe Saturday night?"

"I'll pick you up at seven." Jess said.

"Deal." They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride. They drove up to Luke's, and got out. Jess held the door to the diner open for Rory, and they went in. Jess immediately went behind the counter and poured Rory a cup of coffee. She thanked him with a kiss.

"Gross. Keep it out of the public area kiddo." Lorelai said. "Hey Jess." She turned back to her daughter. "How was school?" She thanked Jess with a nod, and waited for Rory's answer.

"Fine. You know Madeline and Louise?" Rory asked with a smile.

"Sure." Lorelai said, unsure of where her daughter was going with this.

"They think Jess is cute." Rory said, smiling so wide her face looked like it would split open.

"Jeez!" Jess growled. "That was the most important part of your day?"

"Uh huh. It made me very happy I'm dating you."

"You want something to eat?" Jess asked, trying valiantly to change the subject.

"Burger, fries. Scratch that. Cheese fries." Lorelai said.

"Burger and onion rings please." Rory said.

"Hey guys. Jess take care of you?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. Thanks Luke." Lorelai said.

"So, you guys are doing Friday dinner tomorrow?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Lorelai grumbled.

"I'm looking forward to it. I haven't seen Grandma and Grandpa since the wedding." Rory said.

"Speak for yourself kiddo," Lorelai nudged her.

They were sitting in the driveway, and Rory was trying to coax her mother out of the car. "I'm hungry, Mom. And it won't be that bad. My trip to Washington will probably dominate the conversation. Plus, inside, they have martinis."

"Fine. But we're not staying a minute past nine." Lorelai bargained.

"Deal. Let's go." The two girls traipsed up to the steps where the door was promptly flung open.

"You're late." Emily greeted. "Rory, wonderful to see you again. Come in, come in." She ushered them into the living room, and asked, "can I interest you two in a drink? Wine, martini for you Lorelai?"

"A martini would be great, Mom." Lorelai said.
"Rory, would you like a soda, or a glass of water?"

"I'll have a soda please, Grandma." Rory said.

"Richard!" Emily called as she made their drinks. "The girls are here!"
Richard came into the room, and took off his glasses. "Well, hello girls. Rory, how was Washington?"

*I don't own any of this dialogue, I mostly copied it word for word from the actual scene, and because it's really good I didn't feel the need to change anything* *and there'll be a lot of dialogue. Sorry if it's hard to follow*

Halfway through dinner, the doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" Emily wondered out loud. The maid answered the door bell, and suddenly a shaken Christopher appeared.

"Lorelai, I want to talk to you. Please."

"No Chris! If I haven't returned your calls, that's a pretty clear sign I don't want to talk to you." Lorelai stated, getting angry and agitated.

"Please, Lor, let me explain!" Chris pleaded.

Lorelai stood up, and made her way over to him. "Hey, there couldn't be a worse time for this conversation." She was trying very hard not to yell for Rory's sake, but seeing Christopher made it hard to keep her emotions in check. Somehow, seeing Christopher always made her emotions harder to conceal.

"Really? Because it seems to be the only time for this conversation." Christopher said harshly. He started to walk away from her, and Lorelai followed him. She always followed him.

"Look, go home okay? I promise I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Well, sure, I believe that." Christopher said sarcastically.

"Hey, I've never lied to you, there's no reason to doubt my word." They haven't raised their voices yet, but it was like a storm brewing.

"Really, forty-five unreturned phone calls isn't a reason?"
"No, it isn't." Lorelai defended herself.

"You shutting me out like this is wrong." Chris stated.

"I'm not discussing this with you here, in my mother's house," Lorelai said. She could feel her stomach turning, and it wasn't because of the duck.

"You don't get to dictate this, I need to talk to you, you won't call me back, I did what I had to do. And I'm sorry, but after all we've been through, especially over these last few months, you shutting me out is wrong. And you know what hits me the hardest, Lor?" Christopher snapped.
"Apparently it isn't the door, on your way out!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"You keeping Rory from me." Christopher said with a hurt look on his face.

"What?" Lorelai said, shocked.

"I never, ever thought you'd do that." He is still standing in front of the stairs, with the same look on his face.

"I'm not keeping Rory from you!" Lorelai was aghast.

"Oh, really? Then why hasn't she called me back, huh? I mean, no matter where you and I have been in our lives, my daughter has always called me back. Until now."

Rory could hear her parents arguing, and her grandparents were looking at her with sympathetic eyes. She was trying to block it out, but then she heard her name. And it made her mad. She stood abruptly, startling Richard and Emily. She stormed towards her mother and father, and said, "I didn't call you back because I didn't want to." She was keeping her voice controlled, but it still hit Christopher like ice. "Me. Mom had nothing to do with it."

"Okay, honey, calm down." Lorelai soothed.

"You promised me." Rory said. She steeled herself. She wasn't going to cry in front of her father. "You promised me at Sookie's wedding that this was going to work, that you were going to be there. You promised me!"

"Honey, please understand," Christopher started.

"No! I always understand! And I don't want to understand! I don't even really want to talk about this right now. I've got Mom, that's all I need. Go be somebody else's dad!" She pulled herself together.
"Don't say that," Christopher said pleadingly.

"I'm going upstairs. Call me when he's gone." She directed this statement at her mother, and disappeared up the stairs, with both of her parents watching.

Christopher turned back towards Lorelai with an angry look on his face. "She did not get there by herself."
"Hey, have you ever met your daughter? She could get anywhere by herself, she could get to the third dimension by herself! She was helping the crossing guard when she was four!"

"I'm going to talk to her." Chris turned away.

"No!" Lorelai grabbed his arm, and turned him to face her. "You're not! She wants to be alone, and cool off, respect that! I'll talk to her later!"

"You'll talk to her? Great, that makes me feel a whole lot better."
"Okay, you need to leave, right now!" Lorelai started walking towards the door.

"This isn't right! She needs her father!" Chris followed her.
And that's when Lorelai lost it.

"I know she needs her father, I've been telling her she needs her father! But she feels like her father bailed on her, and she's mad! And hurt, and I can't change that in three minutes!" Lorelai shouted.

"You think I like this situation?"
"Oh god!"
"Do you? I mean, after what you and I had going, and now-"
"Chris! Do you remember why we're here right now? What event in your life caused this very pleasant moment we're sharing?"
"That has nothing to do with this." Christopher defended.

"Oh, it- what? Chris, man! What do you want from me!?"
"I want to talk!"
"About what!?"

"I don't know, I just-" Chris took a deep breath. "I don't like how things are."

"But that's how they are!" Lorelai yelled.

"I didn't want things to turn out this way!" Chris shouted back.

"But they did turn out this way!"
"But I didn't want that!"

"Christopher! Is Sherrie still pregnant?"
"Of course she is!" He exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Are you still with her?"
"Yes!" Their voices were still loud, and Lorelai was sure that their daughter could hear them fighting.

"Are you going to marry her?"
"Yes!" Chris is winding down a little.

"Then honey, we are where we are." Lorelai snapped. "Accept it."
"I can't," Chris said. And this is where Lorelai really lost it.

"Don't you understand that I can't talk to you, because it hurts! Talking to you really hurts! Standing here right now is killing me okay!? Don't you understand that!?" Lorelai shouted.

"Christopher?" Emily's voice cut through the air thick with tension. "I think you'd better go now."
"Emily, I-" Chris started.
"Leave now." Emily said. Her voice made it clear that there was no room for argument. "Please."

Christopher sighed, and he knew that it was over. He moved around Lorelai, and exited the Gilmore house.

Lorelai said, "thank you, Mom."

Rory slammed her bedroom door, and collapsed on her bed. She covered her face with her hands. She hated fighting with her dad, but she knew that it would be very difficult to forgive him this time. When she was younger, it was always a crushing disappointment whenever he didn't show; and another feeling, of feeling like she wasn't good enough for her father. Her mom always made her feel better. She meant what she said downstairs; she had her mom, and that's all she needed. She needed to talk to someone, but she heard yelling downstairs, and knew that she still can't go back down. So she dialled the first number that popped into her head.

"Hey."
"Hi Jess." Rory said, relieved that he picked up the phone.

"What's up? Aren't you at dinner?"

"Yeah, but no dinner at the Gilmore residence happens without drama."
"Ah. How bad is it?" He asked her.

"Don't want to talk about it over the phone. I'll ask Mom if we can stop by after dinner."

"I'll be waiting," Jess said. They talked until it was time to go back down to dinner. Talking to Jess had always made her feel better, even when they weren't dating. It calmed her down, and made her feel better about the situation at hand.

"I have to go, Jess. I'll see you soon." Rory said regretfully.

"Bye Rory."

Reviews are always welcome! Sorry about the wait, but I have two pretty demanding classes, so I haven't been able to post. Hope it was worth the wait!