(For disclaimer, etc. - see 1.)

20. The Story of Us
Characters/Pairings: Luke, April, Jess
'Verse/Timeline: canon - post-revival
Date: December 2020

"If one more person asks me if I have any idea when this whole situation will be over, I swear I will actually scream. Do people really not understand that there are different types of doctor other than the medical kind?"

Jess found himself smirking and covered his face with his hand so that April wouldn't see. When she got into one of her rants like that, it was usually easier not to be seen finding her pain amusing. She was kind of scary when she got angry, though he never quite figured out where she got that from. It sure wasn't Luke.

"Speaking of," Jess muttered to himself. "Hey, Luke, you still with us?" he asked, tapping on his camera as if to literally poke his uncle and get his attention.

"I'm here," he grumbled, adjusting his cap. "I just wish that I wasn't. Not that I don't wanna see the two of you or talk to you," he said, waving his hand in a gesture that was probably meant to dismiss what he already said. "You know me and technology."

"Yes, Dad, we know," said April, visibly rolling her eyes. "How are you the only person that came through this year without knowing how to Zoom?"

"He's just special that way," said Jess before Luke had a chance to answer.

"You're both hilarious, you know that?" he deadpanned eventually. "You know, if I knew how to walk out on this conversation right now, I would."

"And miss the chance to spend even an hour of your Christmas Day with me and April?" Jess countered. "Not a chance. You pretend not to be the sentimental type, but we know better, right, April?"

"Oh, yeah," his cousin agreed wholeheartedly. "He'd be crying into his stuffing right now if we hadn't shown up."

"Ain't that the truth!" said Lorelai, her voice coming through clear long before her face appeared on camera, blocking out Luke's own. "Hey, kids. You doing okay?"

"I'm fine, Lorelai, how are you?" said April politely.

"Ah, you know, trying to keep your father from becoming an even bigger Mr Grumpy Pants than he already is," she said, heaving a huge over-the-top sigh. "Since this whole pandemic thing started, it's really a full-time job."

"Would you get out of here?" Luke urged her, literally trying to push her out of frame.

"Way to treat the wife, Uncle Luke," Jess told him, shaking his head. "Somebody's gonna take a rolling pin to the head later."

"Either that or the Christmas dinner is going in his lap." April giggled.

"Somebody wanna tell me again why I agreed to this stupid call?" asked Luke, looking just this side of actually mad.

"Because where would you be without the family catch-up for the Holidays?" Jess asked him, knowing that, despite all that had been said about Luke not being sentimental, when it came to him and to April, the guy was absolutely sappy as hell.

Luke sighed. "You know, it is good to see the two of you, even if you are miles away from me and from each other. I like knowing you're doing okay."

"Same here," said Jess sincerely.

"Yeah, me too," April threw in, smiling widely. "And hey, maybe next year we'll all be together in the Hollow again. That'd be cool, right?"

"Sure." Jess nodded. "You know, if you and your doctor buddies can come up with a cure and everything," he said, smirking into the lens.

April growled at him, but Luke was laughing. That was all Jess had been aiming for.