(For disclaimer, etc. - see 1.)

14. Little Sister
Characters/Pairings: Jess & April
'Verse/Timeline: canon - post-series/pre-revival
Date: December 2011

"Hey, all I said was she did a good job growing up!"

"And all I said, Matthew," said Jess with a look, "was if you want to live to see New Years, you won't hit on my cousin."

To be fair, his friend did have his hands raised in mock surrender after that, and it wasn't as if Jess was really all that worried about April. Nerdy she may be, shy sometimes too, but she sure had learned how to defend herself against unwelcome male attention.

"Found something good to skim?" he asked as he approached her then.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Nope." Jess smirked terribly. "So, I'm guessing you're the scouting party?" he said then, watching April's expression as he explained what he meant. "Luke wants me to come to Stars Hollow for Christmas, but since I said no the past few years, he figures send the little cousin to smile sweetly and make it sound like I'll be letting everybody down - her included - if I don't show?"

"Wow. I swear you get more cynical every time I see you, cous."

"That's not a denial."

"Yes, well, I'm not a very good liar." April sighed, tossing the book she had been looking at back onto the table. "Look, I get why you don't want to come. You think Rory will be there and that's a whole can of worms nobody wants to open, but for whatever reason Dad wanted me to come here, I have one thing I did want to tell you. Rory won't be in Stars Hollow this Christmas. She has to go to Europe for some assignment or something and she won't be back until after New Years."

"Huh." Jess nodded. "Still not coming," he told her anyway, straightening up the display she had messed up in her absent browsing while she waited for him before.

"Stubbornness definitely runs in this family," April noted, watching him too closely. "Unfortunately for you, I have as much Danes DNA as you do and I can be just as stubborn. I can stand here all day if I have to, talking at you and bugging you until you cave and say you'll come home for Christmas."

Jess looked at her wide-eyed then. "Home? Seriously?"

"What else do you call the place the family members you care for most all live?"

He meant to argue that point with her, but the truth was, April was as smart and astute as she was stubborn. Maybe they were Danes traits too. Either way, she was right that she could probably just bug him until he agreed to what she was asking for, him spending Christmas in Stars Hollow with Luke, Lorelai, and herself.

Opening his mouth to concede, Jess didn't get the chance when April cut in again.

"Did your friend Matthew start drinking early this morning?" she asked, frowning across the room at the man in question. "Oh, okay, no. I know that look," she said, suddenly smiling. "He is still single, right?"

Jess shook his head firmly and stepped into April's line of sight.

"Okay, here's the deal, I'll come to Stars Hollow for Christmas this year, maybe even next year, but you never, ever agree to go on a date with anybody who works here."

April shifted her gaze from trying to see Matthew to meet Jess' deadly serious look.

"Fine," she agreed with a sigh and further eye-roll as they shook on their deal.

Of course, Jess would always wonder if she really did have any interest at all in dating Matthew, or if he ought to regret ever teaching her the inner workings of chess.