Chapter 8 Notes: The boys are settling back into their lives in Philly after their weekend in Stars Hollows. They talk some things out. I hadn't meant to post again so quickly, but I can't seem to stop working on this story. Thanks, as always, to everyone who is still reading, following and reviewing! :)

Trigger Warning: Brief mention of past emotional abuse

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own obsession with Gilmore Girls

Jeremy sat through his last period physics class without really following the lecture. He had been distracted all day, thinking over the previous night's events. He was still stuck on Jess wanting to adopt him. Or, at least being willing to adopt him. Jeremy found himself feeling sensitive to the difference. The conversation hadn't gone the way he had always imagined it would when he finally found his forever family. Jess hadn't mentioned anything about loving him or wanting to be his dad. And Jeremy did realize that it was too early to call what they had love. He couldn't honestly say he loved Jess yet, either, but it had felt more like Jess had been offering to do him a favor. Which of course he was. A family was what Jeremy wanted more than anything, and he was grateful for the offer, no matter what Jess' motivation was for making it. And Jeremy knew that beggars couldn't be choosers, he had learned that lesson early, and he had no reservations about whether he wanted Jess to adopt him. He did. Jeremy was sensible enough to recognize a good thing when he saw it. Jess was a decent guy and Jeremy would gladly sign up for having him, along with Luke, April, Lorelai and Rory, as his family for the rest of his life. It was more than he ever thought he would have. But he couldn't shake the uncomfortable thought that Jess had only offered to adopt him because he was a nice guy who had felt backed into a corner when Jeremy had come unglued all over the side of the road. Jeremy wasn't sure it was fair to Jess, but he also wasn't sure he could afford to worry about that.

He still felt ashamed that he had broken down like he had. That Jess had now witnessed him crying twice in the short time they had been living together. And this last time had been bad, eclipsing his meltdown on the night he arrived at Jess' apartment in terms of magnitude and intensity. He hadn't cried like that since his mother died. He had gotten himself so wound up and scared. He had been so sure he had ruined things and that Jess wouldn't want him anymore after what he had done. He had seen his last chance to have a family crumbling. He cringed remembering how he had pleaded his case with the urgency of someone mentally unhinged, convinced that if he let Jess get a sentence out, the man would tell him that it just wasn't working out, wasn't the right fit, like so many foster parents had told him before. That he was a great kid, this just wasn't the right place for him. He had lost it and vomited a lifetime of fear and anxiety all over his foster father. And he was more mortified by that than by the lie. He knew the lie had made him look stupid and juvenile, but he felt that losing control like that made him look pathetic and weak, and that was worse.

The drive back to Philadelphia had felt much longer than the drive out, and the silence had felt awkward rather than companionable. After a few stilted attempts at conversation, mostly questions from Jess on whether Jeremy had had a good time in Stars Hollow and what his upcoming school week looked like in terms of tests or assignments, Jeremy had said he was tired and had asked if Jess minded if he took a nap. Jeremy thought he had detected a measure of relief in Jess' voice when he had told him to go for it, then quickly added that they still had some stuff to talk about, but they could do that tomorrow, when they were both fresh. Jeremy had spent the better part of the ride home facing the window, trying to sleep, but mostly retreating into his own head to think. The only thing Jeremy could think of that Jess might still want to discuss was his punishment. Jeremy knew he deserved some kind of negative consequence for lying to Jess for so long and causing him so much trouble. He accepted that. But, one thing that still bothered Jeremy was that they hadn't unpacked the trunk of the car when they had gotten back to Jess' apartment. Jess had carried in his duffel bag and the takeout containers and Jeremy had followed suit, shouldering his backpack and following Jess upstairs. The Petco bags of dog food, treats, and supplies including the two soft dog beds, one for Jeremy's bedroom and one for the living room, had remained in the trunk. Jeremy wanted to give Jess the benefit of the doubt that he had just forgotten about them. That maybe his off-the-cuff decision to adopt Jeremy had pushed thoughts of adopting Winston from his mind entirely. The other scarier possibility gnawed at Jeremy. That maybe Winston was out of the picture now and Jess had left the stuff in the trunk because it was going back to the store. Jeremy knew that even mostly nice people could sometimes dole out very cruel punishments when they were angry or felt slighted. He thought about the foster mother he had had around the time he turned eight, the one that had taken away his only picture of his mother for a week as punishment for disobeying her in front of a neighbor. He had spent every day of that week feeling alone and heartbroken and every night crying himself to sleep. He knew he didn't deserve a dog, or any kind of reward, right now, so he resolved to not say anything, to let Jess bring it up if they were still going to take Winston. And to just deal with it if they weren't.

But, the idea of Winston possibly being euthanized because of Jeremy stung. He felt miserable at the idea of Winston being put down instead of getting a forever family of his own. He could relate to Winston, living in an institutional setting with several caretakers, but no one who really loved him and would look out for him now when he needed it the most, and unwanted by adoptive families because he was older. He knew there was a good chance that he would have already teared up at the thought if he weren't sitting in the middle of class right now. He thought about how emotional he had become in the last few months, as his eighteenth birthday loomed just around the corner. He felt the constant stress of time running out on him and his life being on the verge of spiraling out of control. He remembered how even the smallest things had been able to trigger his anxiety or emotions during his last couples of months at the group home. He thought about a guy he had roomed with about a year ago. How Marcus had become increasingly aggressive leading up to turning eighteen, getting into fights at school and at the home, causing trouble with teachers and home staff, even getting arrested twice. Marcus' personality had changed drastically during that time and he had spent his last few weeks at the home being pissed off at everyone for the rotten hand he had been dealt. Jeremy understood it now. How the stress of aging out of the system on your own could take a toll on someone. It wasn't exactly bringing out the best in him either. He hadn't acted this irresponsibly or been this quick to tears in a long time.

The thing that gave him the most hope about Winston was that Jess had still packed his lunch this morning. When Jeremy had come out to the kitchen, dressed and ready for school, Jess had served him eggs and toast and had placed his lunch bag on the table next to him, like usual, telling him it was only pasta salad today because he hadn't hit the grocery store since before the weekend, but he would make sure to go that evening. Jeremy had felt a wave of shame and grief roll through him. He had told Jess that he could sign up for the free lunch program now if Jess wanted him to, since he didn't really have an allergy to worry about. Jess didn't need to make him lunch everyday if he no longer wanted to. Jeremy got it, and he'd be fine with the school lunches. Jess had sat down to breakfast with Jeremy, smiling as he dismissed the idea due to the poor quality food choices in school cafeterias. Jeremy, wanting to come clean and be fully transparent with his foster father, had explained that Michelle Obama had made the public schools serve healthier food, and how his last school had even had a salad bar. Jess had scoffed good naturedly, saying he had nothing but respect for Michelle and her husband, but was Michelle Obama going to know Jeremy's favorite kind of hummus to dip his veggies in, was Michelle Obama going to make sure there was a full serving of vegetarian sourced protein in each of Jeremy's lunches, was Michelle Obama going to draw smiley faces on Jeremy's napkins? That's right, Jess didn't think so. It had seemed impossible sitting at breakfast across from his grinning and obviously pleased with himself foster father to think that someone like Jess would go back on his word to take Winston in. Then Jeremy thought about how that same former foster mother who had taken away his mother's picture had also frequently made him chocolate pudding for dessert because she knew it was his favorite and how she had thrown him the one and only birthday party of his life when he turned eight. If there was one thing about people that Jeremy knew for sure, it was that they were complicated and unpredictable.

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Jess was walking home from work. Some days he hopped on a bus, turning his half hour walk into a ten minute ride, but today he wanted to clear his head. And he had ducked out early today, leaving the office around two o'clock so that he and Jeremy would have plenty of time to get over to the shelter before it closed at five. He knew this wasn't a big deal. Tons of people less responsible than him took care of dogs every day. He knew he would manage just fine. It just felt like his life was becoming more unrecognizable to him every day. He remembered how unencumbered he used to be. Thought back to how his life had been even just a year ago. Just him and Charisse, in their cozy one bedroom apartment, sleeping in on Sundays, spending lazy weekend days together, going out for brunch or shopping at the farmers market, hitting the gym or running whenever he wanted, and, his thinking vacillated on whether this made him selfish or independent, putting his own needs first. Now, he was living in a two bedroom apartment that he couldn't comfortably afford without Charisse, and he had a teenager who was dependent on him financially and emotionally. He had a living being in his life that he had made a lifelong commitment to the night before, and he was about to do the same with a second one today. It's not that he didn't want to adopt Jeremy, or Winston, it's just that right now all that change felt a little overwhelming.

Jess pulled his phone and ear buds out of his bag, connected them and hit the speed dial button for Luke before sliding the phone in his back pocket. He knew his uncle would have heard about the peanut situation by now from April and Jess felt like he owed Luke an explanation, or as much of one as he had. He hoped it wouldn't affect his uncle's relationship with Jeremy. Jess knew how much the boy had enjoyed spending time with his uncle and he didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around Luke over this.

Luke answered on the second ring. "So, I don't get it. Why would he lie about being allergic to peanuts?"

"Hello and good afternoon to you, too, Luke. It's good to hear your voice as well."

Jess heard Luke chuckle. "Sorry, Jess. I always enjoy hearing your voice. That should go without saying at this point."

"I take it April filled you in?"

"April and Lorelai both. And I have to say, I don't get it. Jeremy's a good kid. Why would he lie about that? You sure he actually lied and it wasn't just some kind of misunderstanding?"

"He definitely lied….what do you mean April and Lorelai both? What did Lorelai say about it?" Jess had assumed Lorelai had been oblivious to the whole situation.

"Just that she forgot about the allergy until she had already set out all the movie snacks. And that she didn't remember until Jeremy had already eaten an entire apple slice with peanut butter on it. She kind of figured that he didn't really have an allergy at that point, but she didn't say anything because she didn't want to embarrass him and make him uncomfortable. She said they were all having a good time and she didn't want to ruin it for him."

"Huh." April wasn't exactly close to Lorelai either, but she had always told Jess that Lorelai was a nicer person when Jess wasn't around, claiming that Jess and Lorelai made each other tense and less enjoyable to be around. He had never really believed her, but this gave him pause.

"But, I don't get it." Luke said again. "Why would he lie about that?"

"I don't really know. I've been thinking about it all day and all I can come up with is that he was mad at me. Or felt short-changed or disappointed, or something. It happened really early on. It was the day after the whole thing when he tried to sign himself up for school because I didn't wake up in time to take him. I remember even before the peanut conversation that he was kind of giving me attitude that day, like I could tell something was wrong, even though he wasn't admitting it. And, I don't know, but, I'm thinking he was angry at me and maybe wanted to get back at me."

"Ok. But, why a peanut allergy? It's such a random thing to lie about."

"I know. It is. All I can come up with is that I was making a peanut butter banana smoothie at the time. I was all excited about it, I mean I love that thing."

"I know you do."

"And I was telling him I'd been looking forward to it on my run, and I wanted to make him one, too. And maybe he saw that as a way to get me back, by not letting me have something I wanted?"

"That wasn't very nice."

"No, it wasn't, but I get it. I did some shitty things when I first got to Stars Hollow. I stole thirty-six dollars from the bridge fund at Doose's. Did I need that thirty-six dollars? No, I did not. I just saw it in the little jar at checkout and grabbed it. I think I was hurt and pissed about Liz sending me away and Stars Hollow being so lame, and I just wanted to lash out and make someone else feel hurt and pissed, too."

Luke was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, I mean, I guess when I think about it it's not so different from you stealing the bridge fund money or even that little elf statue from Babbette's lawn."

"I'm pretty sure it was a gnome. And, yeah, I didn't have a real reason for doing that stuff either except that I was an angry, stupid kid. And that Taylor sucked, of course. And that that gnome looked like a jerk and was asking for it."

Luke laughed softly. "So, you think Jeremy was just acting out cause he was upset? What did he say when you guys talked?"

"He didn't say much. I mean, he apologized. A lot. He seemed genuinely sorry. He got himself all worked up, crying and everything. But, he couldn't really explain why he had lied either. He knew it was crazy and made no sense, and he swore that he would never do it again. That he wouldn't lie to me now that he's gotten to know me. I still wish he had done something more like stealing a gnome. I mean, I have been on edge about this peanut thing for a month now. I'm constantly worried that I'm going to accidentally kill the kid by having traces of peanut on me from touching something at the office or shaking someone's hand or something after they've eaten a peanut. You have no idea what it's like to live with that kind of stress!"

Luke laughed. "Are you kidding?"

"Um, no." Jess answered sarcastically. "I know stealing was stupid, and probably made you question my moral character, but it wasn't exactly something that kept you up nights, worrying about me going into anaphylactic shock because someone ate a PBJ in my immediate vicinity. This is different."

"No, the stealing didn't keep me up at nights. I just saw that as you being a little punk." Luke's voice was serious. "But I definitely had my share of sleepless nights when you ran off to California and stayed gone for eight months without a word. I worried plenty about you, then, Jess. That something would happen to you and I would never even hear about it. That you could get mugged and murdered somewhere between here and there and I'd never see you again. I worried plenty."

Jess had called for advice, or maybe just to vent, not to end up feeling like shit about his past behavior.

"I'm sorry, Jess." Luke's voice was gentler now. "I shouldn't have brought that up."

Jess thought back to his conversation with Jeremy when they were working on his bedroom, how Jeremy had been appalled that Jess had never apologized for running away like he had. "It's ok, Luke. I know I never really apologized for putting you through that. And I want you to know that I am sorry. I was an ungrateful little shit back then, and I'm sorry. For the stealing, too, and my attitude, all of it."

Jess could practically hear Luke processing over the phone. "Thanks, Jess. I appreciate that. And, I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. I shouldn't have thrown it in your face just now. That wasn't right."

"It's ok, Luke." Jess turned onto the block his apartment was located on. "Well, I guess I should go. I'm almost home and Jeremy and I have a dog to adopt."

"All right. Thanks for calling. And good luck with everything, Jess. I know he did something stupid, but I really think Jeremy is a good kid."

"Yeah, he is."

"Hey, is he really a vegetarian or was that just to mess with you, too?"

Jess thought a moment. "Huh. That's a good question."

It wasn't until after Jess had hung up and was climbing the stairs to his apartment that he realized he hadn't told Luke about his plans to adopt Jeremy. The realization gave him a sinking feeling in his gut as it brought back the memory of Charisse berating him for not telling his family about their plans to foster, accusing him of having one foot out the door and not really being committed to going through with it. But, this was different. He knew it was. He was sure of it.

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Jeremy had only been home from school for a few minutes and was just setting himself up at the kitchen table with his homework when Jess let himself into the apartment, all smiles. "All right, Jeremy, you ready to go jailbreak our boy?" Jess was looking at him, then, his expression becoming serious. "Hey, are you ok?" Jeremy had been trying to prepare himself for the worst case scenario regarding Winston and he knew it must still be showing on his face. "You still want to do this, right? We don't have to take him if you've changed your mind?"

"What? No! I didn't change my mind. I still want him. I just didn't know…..uh, if we were still….." Jeremy had started to explain himself so that Jess wouldn't see him as not happy enough, or ungrateful, but he got stuck, not wanting to offend Jess with what he had been thinking.

Jess was frowning now, looking concerned and a little hurt. "Did you think I was going to go back on my word to get Winston?"

"Not necessarily. I just wasn't sure…...anymore…...because of what happened and everything…..."

"Because of the peanut stuff? You thought I was going to punish you for lying by letting the shelter kill the dog I already promised you that you could have? Seriously?" Jess was smiling again, but Jeremy could tell it was forced, that he had offended Jess, but the man was trying not to show it.

Jeremy wasn't sure what to say. Things like this were always awkward, explaining a world view that had been crafted from a childhood spent at the mercy of adults who weren't always that concerned with his feelings. He was never surprised by a broken promise, a thoughtless comment or being excluded from something. These weren't his only childhood memories, there had been caring people along the way, too, but these were things that had been imprinted upon him in his childhood often enough to leave a mark. And it was his experience that most people didn't understand the self-preservation instinct to always be prepared for disappointment, that it was him being prudent rather than cynical.

"I get that I'm not exactly Mike Brady, but c'mon, I'm not Joan Crawford either. Give me a little credit here." Jess' smile looked more natural now, like he was amused by the absurdity of the situation. Jess chuckled. "And, you have no idea who either of those people are, do you?"

Jeremy shook his head wordlessly.

Jess grinned. "Jeez, having a kid can really make a guy feel old."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you about Winston." Jeremy averted his eyes from his foster father.

"It's ok, Jeremy. You didn't. And please know that I'd never purposely do anything to hurt you, no matter what you've done. And, just so there's no confusion in the future, I view having someone you care about killed as falling squarely into the category of things that would hurt you, ok?"

When Jeremy looked back at Jess to nod his understanding, the man was smiling the open and warm smile that always made Jeremy smile back.

"Ok, I know we left all that stuff from Petco in the trunk last night, but I say we take the car to go get Winston first and unload it all when we get home, so we don't keep the little guy waiting. What do you think?"

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"So, I'm thinking that maybe we should stop volunteering at the shelter on Saturday mornings and keep taking Winston to the park instead. What do you think?" Jess asked. He watched his foster son as they walked down the sidewalk, Jeremy holding Winston's leash for a late evening walk. This had been a good decision. Jess was glad he had done it. Jeremy seemed more relaxed around Winston. And happier. The kid smiled more. But, after parting with a three hundred dollar 'suggested donation' at the shelter, and knowing that the shelter put down dogs who didn't get adopted and what a sensitive kid Jeremy was, Jess had decided they couldn't afford to go back. He didn't have the money or the space to rescue anyone else.

Jeremy nodded, his eyes following Winston, as the dog sniffed at the base of a skinny tree. "Yeah, that sounds good. I don't think Winston would appreciate it if we ditched him to go play with other dogs. Would you, buddy?" Jeremy's voice became more playful as he addressed the dog, who responded with a brief glance and quick tail wag, before returning to his sniffing.

"Ok. I'll call tomorrow and let them know." Jess was enjoying himself. It was a beautiful fall evening. The kind where the weather had cooled off enough to feel like a respite from the summer heat, but had not yet gotten so cold that it made him dread the coming winter. It was growing dark earlier, and walking around under the soft glow of the streetlights filled Jess with a feeling of warmth and gratitude for what he had in his new little family.

"So." Jess started. "I think we should talk about what happened this weekend, but after tonight, we don't ever need to bring it up again if you don't want to. Does that sound fair to you?"

Jeremy nodded slowly. "I guess so. Thanks for bringing me with you to visit your family, by the way. I really liked meeting them."

"It was my pleasure. They all liked meeting you, too. They're looking forward to seeing you at Thanksgiving."

Jeremy cringed. "Isn't it going to be weird now, though? I mean, they know I lied and everything, right? They probably aren't going to still want me around."

"I don't think that's true. I know you lied and I still want you around. I think they get that everyone does or says stupid stuff sometime. Trust me, they've all done their share of things they regret. They aren't going to hold it against you."

"Do they know already?" Jeremy kept his eyes locked on Winston, avoiding having to make eye contact with Jess.

"They do. And no one's mad at you, I promise. I spoke to Luke today and he was more worried about you than anything. He's not angry." Jess paused to give Jeremy a chance to respond if he wanted to. "I know you liked hanging out with him this weekend, and he really liked it, too. None of this has affected how he feels about you. I want you to know that. He's still very much looking forward to teaching you woodworking over Thanksgiving." While Luke hadn't specifically said that when Jess spoke to him, Jess trusted his uncle enough to know it was true.

"But, he turned his whole diner into a peanut free zone. He went to all that trouble for me….It couldn't not have pissed him off. God, it's so embarrassing!"

"It is, for sure." Jeremy looked at him in surprise and Jess chuckled. "Hey, I'm just saying, I can see it from your side and I get why you're embarrassed. I'm always embarrassed when I do stupid stuff, too." Jess shrugged. "But, then life goes on and you get over it. And the only people who know about this are my family, who are your family now, too, and they aren't going to hold it over your head. Trust me." "So, one thing I've been wondering about is why you went for the peanut butter in front of Lorelai and Rory. I mean, even if I hadn't walked in, you had to know they would notice. Does Lorelai just put together such a good apple and peanut butter combo that you couldn't control yourself?"

Jess watched Jeremy's pale skin color a light pink. "I didn't mean to. I didn't say anything when she set everything out. I figured she forgot and I would just eat other stuff and avoid the peanut butter. But, then I was getting really into Buffy, and picking at all the snacks, and I just grabbed it without thinking and I had already bitten into it before I realized what I was doing. When they didn't say anything I figured maybe Luke hadn't told them, and then I grabbed another one. I had forgotten how good peanut butter is." The boy added sheepishly.

Jess laughed. "It is pretty great. I'm looking forward to being able to make my smoothies again."

Jeremy's face got even redder as he looked at Jess. "I'm really sorry about your blender. It looked expensive."

"It was. But, don't worry about the blender. I can get a new one."

"I'll pay you back. I'll go out looking for a job again. I feel really bad about that."

Jess shook his head. "Please don't worry about it Jeremy. I care much more about you being able to let this go, than I do about the money. Ok? It was just a thing. It can be replaced."

Jeremy was quiet for moment, and Jess watched him, wondering what the boy was thinking. When he spoke again his voice was soft, like he was trying to talk without calling too much attention to his question. "How come you didn't say anything when you walked in? At Lorelai's. How come you didn't call me out on it? I know you were pissed. I could tell."

"I was definitely angry at first. And a little hurt that you had lied to me. But, I didn't want to embarrass you in front of everyone like that. I figured I'd wait until we got out of there and then we could talk about it, just us."

Jeremy nodded, his eyes following Winston. "Well, thanks. I appreciate that. I think I would have died of embarrassment if you had said something about it in front of them."

Jess laughed. "I'm pretty sure you would have lived through it. But, it seemed unnecessary." Jess paused to collect his thoughts. "They're my family and I trust them and care about them, especially Luke and April, but you're my family now, too. And I want you to have all of them, but I also see us as our own little family of two, or three now." Jess gestured toward Winston. "Like our own little family within our larger family. I want you to know that you can trust me and that it's ok for some things to just be between us, and that I'll never purposely embarrass you in front of other people or tell anyone your secrets."

Jess heard Jeremy sniffle and really hoped the kid wasn't going to start crying again.

"Thanks. And, uh, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about last night. I'm sorry that I keep crying. I'm not usually like this. I just feel like everything's been extra hard this year. And, like now, it's good. I really like it here with you, but I keep having these meltdowns and I can't seem to control it."

"Jeremy you never have to apologize to me for being emotional. I get it. And being a teenager is tough, even without everything you've been dealing with on your own. I can't imagine going through what you have. I thought my life was hard when I was your age, but then I think about what you've been through and I realize that I didn't know shit from hard."

"Did you cry back then? When your mom sent you away?"

"I cried sometimes, sure. But, I mostly got angry. I blamed everyone else for whatever I didn't have or what I didn't like about my life or myself. I got in fights, I stole things, I got in trouble at school, I gave everyone, including Luke, all kinds of attitude. I was pretty unpleasant to be around. Maybe it would have helped me if I had cried more and actually dealt with my own feelings. If I had to pick between the two, I'd rather have you be emotional than angry and violent. At least you're trying to deal with stuff and work through what you're feeling. I just hid from how I felt. What I did didn't get me anywhere."

Jeremy was studying Jess now, a thoughtful expression on his face. Jess was starting to feel uncomfortable and wanted to move the topic away from his own shortcomings. "Hey, so I was wondering, are you really a vegetarian? That wasn't part of the lie, too, was it? I mean, you seem serious about that, but I wanted to make sure."

Jeremy blushed again. "Um, I guess this is the first time I've ever really been a vegetarian for more than just a couple of weeks at a time. But, not because I didn't want to in the past. I just couldn't always do it without going hungry. You're the first person I've lived with who's let me have this much say about what I eat. I tried to be vegetarian at the last group home I was at, but it was hard. I could avoid eating meat, but there wasn't always enough other stuff, especially protein, to really get full on. I was always hungry and not even eating healthy most of the time. Like if I wanted to be vegetarian on burger night, I would be left eating just french fries and coleslaw. So, I never stuck with it for very long. No one else has ever helped me do it like you have. You're ok with it, right? If I want to keep being vegetarian? I can start helping more, though. I can cook a few nights a week or something like that, whatever you want."

Jess nodded. "It's fine if you want to be vegetarian, Jeremy. I don't want to put you to work in the kitchen when you're supposed to be studying, but we can definitely cook together more often if that's something you're interested in doing."

"Ok." Jeremy smiled at Jess. "Thanks. And thanks for being so cool about everything. I know I don't deserve how nice you're being to me about what I did, but, I really, really appreciate it. I want you to know that."

"Yeah, well, what can I say, I'm a pretty cool guy." Jess thought a moment, wanting Jeremy to know he was forgiven with no hard feelings, but knowing that he should express his displeasure with the boy's behavior before they completely moved on. "Just so you know, this was a one time free pass because I know you were stressed and dealing with a lot of shit that I can't even begin to really understand." Jess used his best stern voice. "But, that won't be a good enough excuse next time. I can assure you that I won't be so cool if anything like this ever happens again, Jeremy. I want to give you fair warning on that. If you ever lie to me again, about anything, Jeremy, so help me-."

"I won't! I swear! I'll never do anything like this again."

Jess was relieved to be interrupted. He hadn't really known where he was going with that threat, and he realized that Jeremy had probably saved him from a lot of awkward, verbal fumbling. What could he reasonably do to punish an almost eighteen-year old, anyway? Ground him until he's twenty-one? Send him to his room like a little kid? Jess knew that all he was likely to do if he ever caught Jeremy in another lie would be to express his anger and disappointment with the boy's behavior. And while he knew that made for a pretty lame threat, he felt like he needed to make sure Jeremy had cut him off before he got to possible punishments because of his own guilt and normal teenage embarrassment as opposed to fear over what he thought Jess might say. "Ok. I believe you. But, I need you to know that if it did happen again, I wouldn't take it so well. I'd be pretty angry and disappointed in you. Maybe I'd even raise my voice a little." Jess paused to let that sink in. "But I wouldn't get rid of you or stop caring about you. It's important to me that you know that. That I'm serious about the commitment we're making here and that nothing you can do will make me stop being your family. Ok?" That felt better, and Jess mentally patted himself on the back for pushing through that conversation.

"Ok." Jeremy nodded, his eyes forward, not looking at Jess, his voice soft and low. "Thanks."

They walked in silence for several minutes, but this time it felt companionable. "Your family is really nice."

"Yeah." Jess agreed. "They're not bad."

"Even Lorelai. I had fun with her. She's a nice person."

Jess looked at Jeremy, wondering where the kid was going with this. "Yeah, I know."

"You guys aren't close, though, huh? You don't seem to like her very much."

Jess debated about how honest to be with Jeremy, not wanting to taint the kid's relationship with someone who would technically be a part of his family now, but not wanting to lie to him either. "I like her just fine. We had some issues with each other when I was younger, but we're fine now."

"Huh." Jeremy's voice was skeptical.

"What?"

"Nothing." Jeremy was smirking slightly now. "You just have a different attitude when you're with her. I mean, you 'whatever'ed her and everything."

"I did not!" Jess tried to remember if he had. He didn't think so.

"Yeah, you did, about the Bop-It. You were all." Jeremy deepened his voice, turning it into an exaggeratedly grumpy growl. "Whatever, Lorelai."

Oh, that. "Yeah, well, Bop-It's stupid."

Jeremy laughed. "But, that was like basically the only rule you gave me when I got here. That I couldn't 'whatever' you. It was just funny seeing you do it to your aunt."

"I wouldn't exactly call Lorelai my aunt."

Jeremy was grinning now. "But, she's married to your uncle!"

"Stop." Jess kept his voice obviously playful, not wanting to do anything to make Jeremy uncomfortable enough to end this interaction.

"So, that makes her your Aunt Lorelai, doesn't it?"

Jess let his face register exaggerated displeasure at the reference. "Remind me to wash your mouth out with soap for that when I get you home."

Jess grinned as he watched Jeremy laughing, feeling like it was a good sign that the boy was actually giving him a hard time about something, that he was comfortable enough with Jess, trusted him enough, to do that now.

Jess pulled one of the green bags from Petco out of his pocket and held it out to his foster son. "Hey Jeremy, I think your dog just left you a present over there."