Chapter 11 Notes: Some little vignettes of Thanksgiving in Stars Hollow. A reader has asked about a chapter that features Jess punishing Jeremy for some sort of misbehavior. I have a situation like that planned for this story, but it likely won't happen for another few chapters since the boys are still in the 'honeymoon' stage of the adoption process. Thank you for the feedback. And thanks to everyone who is reading, following and reviewing this story. I think I am more emotionally involved in this story than anything I've ever written before, and it's so great to have people to share it with. :)

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

"Hey! There are my boys!" Jeremy was leaning into the backseat, unfastening Winston's safety harness when he heard Luke's voice in the dark outside the car and smiled. When Jeremy had the harness off and the leash on, he backed out of the car with Winston in time to see Jess and Luke pulling apart from a hug, Luke smiling broadly, Jess looking tired from the drive. Winston trotted over to Luke, feet happy-dancing, tail wagging, happy as always to make a new friend. Jeremy wondered if Winston could already sense what a good person Luke was. "And who's this little guy?"

"That's Jeremy, Luke." Jess said. "C'mon, at least pretend like you remember the kid. Think about his self-esteem."

Luke laughed as he reached down to pet Winston. "I remember Jeremy, smart ass." Luke pet the dog on the head and stood back up. "C'mere, Jeremy, it's good to see you. I'm glad you came." Luke hooked a thumb in Jess' direction as he walked toward the boy. "So, you haven't gotten tired of living with this guy and his smart mouth yet?"

Jeremy smiled, and shook his head. "Not yet. I think I'm stuck with him at this point." Jeremy took a hesitant step forward, feeling shy at seeing Luke in person again even after all the texting, and let himself be pulled into a warm hug. For the second time in a week, Jeremy felt safe and very grateful.

"Jess, have I told you how much I like this kid?" Luke asked as he released Jeremy and turned back to his nephew.

"You may have mentioned it." Jess stood behind the car, Jeremy's backpack on his shoulder, his duffel bag and a reusable shopping bag of Winston's supplies in his hands, and slammed the trunk shut. "I think you just like having someone to gang up on me with."

Luke chuckled. "Well, that doesn't hurt. You guys want to go over to the square and give Winston a chance to go to the bathroom before we go in?"

Jess turned to Jeremy as they crossed the street toward the square. "That's Luke's super subtle way of telling you that your dog better not take a leak in his diner."

Jeremy's expression turned serious. "Winston's a really good dog. He doesn't have accidents or chew stuff or anything. He'll be on his best behavior while he's here. I promise."

Luke smiled and patted Jeremy on the shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be fine. But, one of you needs to carry that dog when you walk through the diner, at all times, and go straight through with him, no stopping and talking to anybody. You got that, Jess?"

"I got it. I'm pretty sure I can resist talking to anyone in this town, but thanks for the warning."

Luke chuckled. "So, what's new with you, Jeremy? How's school going?"

Jeremy smiled at the question, his eyes on Winston, watching the dog sniff the shrubs around the gazebo as he schooled his expression trying not to appear too excited. "School's good. I'm getting all A's."

"That's great, Jeremy. Congratulations! My nephew with a straight-A student for a kid. I never thought I'd see that." Luke smiled warmly at Jeremy.

Jeremy looked up at Jess. "Can I tell him now?"

"What? Tell me what?" Luke asked.

Jess laughed. "If you don't tell him after that lead-in, you'd be a pretty big tease. Yeah, go ahead."

Jeremy suddenly felt shy. This was a big deal to him, but maybe it wouldn't seem that important to Luke. "We have some news, and we wanted to tell you before we told anybody else." He raised his eyes to look at Luke. "Jess is adopting me."

"Really? Jess, you didn't tell me that!" Luke was smiling broadly now and Jeremy was glad that he understood what a big deal this was.

"We wanted to surprise you in person." Jess explained, shrugging the one shoulder not supporting a bag.

"You're adopting Jeremy. That's so great!"

"That sounds so one-sided." Jess said. "I like to think that we're adopting each other."

Luke laughed and Jeremy grinned. "This is such great news! This makes me so happy!" Luke put an arm around Jeremy's shoulders and pulled him to his side. "Welcome to the family, Jeremy. I'm so happy I get to officially be your great-uncle."

Jeremy could feel the grin on his face, so wide that his cheeks hurt. "I'm happy I get to be your great-nephew, too. Really happy."

Luke was only the third person they had told, and they had waited a while to tell anybody. Jeremy knew that Jess had brought up the idea of adoption too early. It had felt off to Jeremy at first. He hadn't been able to determine if Jess really wanted to adopt him or if he had offered because he thought he should. He couldn't speak for Jess, but Jeremy hadn't felt completely confident about the adoption until last Friday when they had had the conversation about moving to New York. Jeremy hadn't felt solid and secure in the decision until Jess told him that he loved him, and he had realized that he loved Jess, too. Telling people seemed safer after that. First they told Ms. Garcia, the social worker, during their monthly appointment this week. She had beamed at Jeremy and told him how proud she was of him for never giving up on what he wanted and how happy she was for both of them. Then, Jeremy had told Melissa. Their outing at the museum had gone well and Jeremy felt a strong connection to the girl. They had been texting regularly since Saturday, sometimes words, sometimes funny pictures, or meme's. They had had a 'study date' on Tuesday at her house. Jess had teasingly raised his eyebrows about a study date on the second to last day of school before a long weekend, and Jeremy had admitted to his foster father afterward that no real studying had taken place. Her mom had been travelling for work, and they had hung out in Melissa's living room, just the two of them, eating pizza and watching TV, and sitting closer on the couch that Jeremy had ever comfortably sat with a girl. He had made a reference to Jess and she had asked why he called his dad by his first name. He had self-consciously explained his situation then, ending with Jess wanting to adopt him. He knew he would miss Melissa when they moved, but he thought about how nice it would feel in New York when the adoption was final and he would be able to just say 'my dad' and not have to explain his situation to anyone. When she had walked him to the door, she had given him a shy goodnight kiss that he had replayed in his mind countless times in the not quite forty-eight hours since it happened. He felt his smile intensify at the memory.

Jeremy pulled his mind back to the present to take in what Luke was saying. "This is so great. Rory just had a little girl, and now my little boy has a little boy of his own. This is exciting stuff. This is a big year for our family." Jeremy smiled at how happy the news had made Luke. He could see where Jess got his infectious smile.

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Thursday morning, after taking Winston for a short walk, Jeremy and Jess had joined Luke in the diner to help with with the Thanksgiving prep. The diner was opening its doors at noon and serving a Thanksgiving menu for lunch and then closing at three so that they could have Thanksgiving dinner as a family at Luke and Lorelai's house. Jess had helped with the earlier prep and then gone out front to serve customers once the diner opened, and Jeremy was helping Luke in the kitchen, mostly chopping vegetables and peeling potatoes. There was a lot to do because so many dishes were involved, but there hadn't been that many customers so far. Jeremy had waited for Jess to leave the kitchen before broaching the subject that had been weighing on his mind. "Luke, I just, uh…..I want to tell you that I'm sorry for lying about the peanut allergy. It was stupid. I'm not even sure why I did it. And, I'm sorry."

Jeremy snuck a glance up at Luke to see the man smiling warmly at him. "It's ok, Jeremy. Really. Everyone's done something that they regret later. I appreciate the apology, but I'm not holding it against you, ok? It's water under the bridge."

Jeremy smiled, genuinely grateful. "Thank you. And thanks for everything you did when you thought I was allergic, like making the diner peanut-free and everything. I'm sorry you went to all that trouble for nothing."

"It's ok, Jeremy. And, it ended up not being for nothing. You don't have an allergy, but lots of kids do nowadays, and a few parents thanked me for the changes to the menu. And it really wasn't a big deal. I basically just took the PBJ sandwich off the menu and changed up the peanut dressing for one of the salads. And if it makes some of the families in town feel better about being able to bring their kids out to eat." Luke shrugged. "I felt like I should keep it that way. I, uh, I took the sign down for this weekend because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, but I normally keep it up."

"Oh." Jeremy didn't know what to say to that. He was glad Luke wasn't angry and holding it against him, but the diner being peanut-free going forward would serve as a constant awkward reminder of how stupid he'd been.

"So, don't worry about it, honestly, Jeremy. Just learn from it and don't lie the next time you're mad at Jess."

Jeremy nodded, eyes down, shamed at having his motivation for the lie called out. "I will." He realized how ambiguous that sounded and rushed to clarify. "I mean, I will learn from it, not that I will lie again. I won't lie to him again. I felt horrible about it for weeks."

Luke nodded. "Good boy." Jeremy was embarrassed at how much that phrase affected him, filling him with pride for owning up to his ridiculous and juvenile actions. Jeremy hoped that Jess had meant it when he said they could spend more time in Stars Hollow once they moved to New York. Jeremy liked Luke more than anyone he had met in a long time. Being around the man made Jeremy feel good in a way he couldn't really describe, like being wrapped in a comfortable blanket, safe and sound, believing everything was going to be ok.

"So, how come you stay open on the holiday like this anyway? It seems like so much extra work for you." Jeremy asked as he worked on peeling a potato. "And, it doesn't seem like that many people go out to eat on Thanksgiving. Aren't most people home with their families today?"

Luke was stirring a pot of gravy on the stove, while keeping an eye on his mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. "You're right. Most people are home with their families today. But, there are always some people who don't have families to be home with that like to come in. You know, so that they have someplace to go on Thanksgiving, and they're not home alone for the holiday."

Jeremy paused thinking about how that would have been him next year and who knows how many years after if he hadn't met Jess. He would have had no place to go for the holiday and probably would have spent it alone in his dorm room at college or at his transitional housing placement or wherever he had ended up. The idea still made him sad even though he had been rescued from that fate. He had lived for so long in fear of turning eighteen without a family. He felt himself choking up at how close he had come to having no one, and he did his best to compose himself before he spoke. "That's really nice of you. To think of people who have nowhere to go for the holiday like that."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm just a nice guy." Luke chuckled to himself as he stirred the cranberry sauce, and Jeremy smiled. It was such a Jess thing to say, that he was just a cool guy, or an understanding guy. Jeremy thought about how comforting it must feel for Jess and Luke to be able to see certain traits or behaviors mirrored in each other. He wondered if he would pick up on any of Jess or Luke's mannerisms. "And, I mean, I get it. I was in the same boat for a long time. My parents were both gone by the time I was twenty. I didn't have any family in my life until Jess came to live with me almost two decades later. I spent a lot of holidays alone. I know how hard that can be if it's not by choice."

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah. It can really suck." "I'm sorry about your parents."

"Thanks, Jeremy. It was a long time ago, but thank you."

"It never gets easier, though. Right? I understand that."

Luke nodded at Jeremy. "You're right. It never does. You never really get over the big losses."

"Nope." Jeremy agreed.

"I'm sorry about your parents, too." Luke was watching him intently now. "As much as I'm grateful to have you in our family now, I'm very sorry for what you had to go through, losing your parents so young. No kid should have to deal with that."

"Yeah, it definitely sucked. How did your mom die?" "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. It's none of my business."

"It's ok, Jeremy. I don't mind talking to you about her. She died of cancer. My dad, too. My mom died when I was eleven and my dad died when I was twenty. My dad was sick for years. It was rough."

"I'm sorry. That seems like a bad way to lose your parents." Jeremy finished the potato he was peeling and started on another one.

"I don't know if there are any good ways when you're still a kid."

"My dad killed my mom." Jeremy kept his eyes on his potato, but he could feel Luke's attention on him. "They were fighting. They fought a lot and he, I don't know, hit her or pushed her, I was in my room, I could hear them fighting, but I couldn't see them, and she fell down the stairs and broke her neck."

"I'm so sorry, Jeremy." Jeremy felt Luke's hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing.

Jeremy nodded. "Thanks. I don't think he meant to kill her. They argued a lot, but I can't remember it getting physical before that night. Then my dad went to prison. I only got to visit him once, maybe two years after he had gone in. It was horrible. I was pretty hysterical seeing him in there. I cried the whole time. Then, uh…..then he hung himself in his cell a week later." Jeremy could feel his eyes welling up, and he sniffled back a tear, wiped at one eye with the back of his hand.

Luke's grip on his shoulder felt firmer now, turning him to one side. Jeremy felt Luke's arms around him, wrapping him up in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Jeremy." Jeremy hugged back. He felt silent tears falling from his eyes, and was embarrassed at knowing they were landing on Luke's shirt. He knew he should pull away and go clean himself up in the bathroom, but he couldn't make himself do it.

"I got two more turkey plates and one veggie plate-" Jess stopped mid-sentence in the doorway to the kitchen, his face falling. "What happened?"

Jeremy pulled away from Luke, wiping his eyes and avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"Nothing happened." Luke said. "Some days are just harder than others, and holidays are usually some of the hardest."

Jess nodded, looking uncertain. "Are you ok, Jeremy?" Jeremy felt a surge of gratitude for the concern in his foster father's voice, for having these two people in his life now to make the tough days a little easier.

"Yeah, I'm ok, Jess." He smiled weakly. "Luke's right. I was just having a hard day, or a hard few minutes, I guess. I'm ok. I'm sorry."

Luke spoke first. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Jeremy."

"Jeremy, do you need a few minutes?" Jess asked hesitantly, looking back and forth from Jeremy to Luke. "Do you want to go take a walk or go upstairs and talk?"

"I'm fine, Jess. I want to stay here and help Luke. I'm good, really. I should probably go wash up though." Jeremy took his apron off and hung it on a hook on the wall. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Once the boy had left the kitchen, Jess turned to Luke. "Is he really ok? What triggered that?"

"I think he's ok now, Jess. I think the holidays just have him thinking about his parents. I get it. Holidays always do that to me, too. He wanted to talk about them, but then I think it was too much for him when he did. He'll be all right."

Jess nodded, his expression serious. "Do you think I should I go check on him?"

"I think we should just give him a minute. He said he'd be right back."

"Ok." Jess sighed. "You got that order right?"

Luke nodded. "Two turkey plates and one veg plate, coming right up."

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Jess was leaning one hip against the counter, scrolling through his phone out of boredom. He had enjoyed the initial lunch prep with Luke and Jeremy, working in the kitchen and spending time with his two favorite people. Luke never liked to make his staff work on the holiday, so Jess always lent a hand, and it had become a holiday tradition. Last year he had worked in the kitchen with Luke while Lorelai and April had worked the dining room, and Rory had been in London. This year, since Lorelai was home with Rory and the baby, Luke has asked for a volunteer to serve once the diner opened. Jess could tell that Jeremy wanted to stay and help Luke, so he had volunteered for dining room duty, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

Being kitchen help was one thing, but having to interact with the denizens of the Island of Misfit Toys was another thing entirely. Jess had already served Kirk and Lulu. He had made the mistake of asking how they were doing and received a lot more information about Kirk's mother's ailments and his latest failed business ventures than he wanted to. Now, he was staying safely by the counter, as far from their table as possible. As always when he interacted with them, he was left wondering what Lulu saw in Kirk. Babbette and Mory had been in as well, plus a few other groups of people that Jess didn't recognize, and several solo diners that Jess vaguely recognized, but couldn't have named. He was currently leaning on the counter thinking about Jeremy. The boy had seemed fine when he came out of the bathroom several minutes ago, but Jess didn't like that he had missed something. That Jeremy had been upset and gone to Luke to talk about it instead of him. He knew he was being childish, and was mentally berating himself for it when Rory walked in.

"Hey Jess!" He looked up as she walked over to the counter. "This takes me back. I feel like I just stepped into 2002. Me coming into the diner to pick up takeout for me and my mom, you standing behind the counter not even pretending to work."

Jess smiled and stood up, but didn't move from behind the counter to greet her. "Hey, Rory. How are you? How goes motherhood?"

"It's great, Jess. Great, but hard. And that's with my mom and Luke to help me. I don't know how people manage to take care of babies by themselves. Luke said you guys got in last night. Why didn't you stop by to meet Leelee?"

"Oh, we didn't get in until late. Luke said that you and the baby would probably already be in bed and we didn't want to bother you guys." He couldn't bring himself to call the baby Leelee, the same way he always worked around having to call his half-sister Doula. "I'm looking forward to meeting her today, though."

Rory smiled. "She's looking forward to meeting you guys, too."

"Oh, yeah?"

Rory nodded seriously. "Yep. Luke's already told her a lot about you." "Speaking of kids, how are things going with Jeremy?"

"Things are going great with Jeremy. I'm fostering the shit out of that kid." Jess smiled, aiming for effortless charm. He recognized that he was working to make her laugh and felt a little disappointed in himself for it.

Rory gave him the laugh he had been fishing for. "Well, that's something. Luke said you guys are moving to New York." Jess wondered how many times the words 'Luke said' would be spoken during this conversation. He felt a hint of the sadness he always got at how he'd let them drift apart over the years, but only the barest hint of the feeling this time, and he knew that was progress.

"We are. In January."

"Wow, that's a big change. They let you take foster kids out of state like that?"

"They do if you're adopting. Which I am. And he'll be eighteen in December, so his social worker was fine with it when I spoke to her." Jess still felt anxiety when he thought back to the conversation with Ms. Garcia earlier this week in which she had confirmed that Jeremy would no longer be eligible for financial assistance for college from the Department of Child and Family Services if he moved out of state with an adoptive parent. He thought about how Jeremy had looked up at him expectantly, asking him for confirmation that that was ok, and that he could still move with Jess. Jess had done his best to assure him that of course it was. That Jeremy was his to take care of now and they would figure out college somehow. Everything would be fine.

"You're adopting Jeremy? That's so great, Jess. Congratulations!"

"Thanks." There was a moment's pause, as Jess was surprised to realize that he didn't want to go into more details of his life with Jeremy with Rory. "So, did I hear you mention something about takeout?"

"Oh, yeah. My mom wanted me to come over and pick up two turkey plates and two slices of pumpkin pie to-go."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we all having Thanksgiving dinner at Lorelai's later?"

"We are indeed. But, right now we need Thanksgiving lunch to tide us over until Thanksgiving dinner. You know how it is."

"Ah, I forgot about the Gilmore feeding schedule." Jess slapped a palm against the counter as he started to walk away. "I'll go let the boss know he's got a VIP customer."

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Jess had wanted a few minutes alone with Jeremy before they went to the Gilmore house for dinner, so they had helped Luke load the food into his truck and then decided to walk over to the house to give Winston some outdoor time. Jess figured it was the least Lorelai and Rory could do to help Luke unload on the other end.

"So, did you have a good time with Luke?" Jess watched the dog amble along slowly as they made their way through the town square, stopping to sniff every few feet.

"Yeah, I did. He's a good guy."

"He has his moments."

Jeremy laughed. "I apologized to him, about the peanut stuff. I want you to know that."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. He was really nice about it, too. I just, uh, I guess I wanted to clear the air and make sure he knows that I know it was stupid."

"That was very mature of you. I'm sure he appreciated it."

"He seemed to." Jess heard a soft buzzing and watched Jeremy pull his phone out of his pants pocket and check the screen.

"Is that Melissa again?" Jess asked, going for nonchalance. Jeremy had been texting with Melissa a lot lately, but he hadn't told Jess very much about her.

"No, it's April. You got it, too. It's to you, me, Luke, Lorelai and Rory. She says Happy Thanksgiving from April and Spike and it's a picture of her with a cactus…" Jeremy looked closer at the phone. "With a Red Sox cap on it, I think. See?" He held his phone out to Jess, who smiled at the picture of April in shorts and a tee-shirt with Spike. "Who's Spike?"

"You're looking at him. Spike is the cactus in her grandmother's yard in New Mexico. She always includes him in her pictures when she's there for the holidays. She named him after Snoopy's brother, the one who lives all alone in the desert. She thinks the cactus is sad and lonely like him."

"Oh, that's funny." Jeremy replied, looking at the picture again, thumbs moving quickly as he typed out a response. "I wrote happy thanksgiving back." He looked up at Jess. "It was really….. generous of her to include me on a family text like that."

Jess huffed out a laugh. "You make it sound like she made a donation to the United Way. She included you because she likes you. It was a family text and you're part of the family. You're her…second cousin, maybe? Is that how that works?"

Jeremy tucked the phone back into his pocket with a shrug. "I'm not sure. I've never even had a regular cousin before."

"Ah, we'll have to look it up then." "So, are you feeling better now?" Jess spoke hesitantly. "Are you ok to go to dinner, because we don't have to if you aren't feeling up to it?"

Jeremy looked up at Jess, concern on his face. "I want to go. I'm ok. I want to see Lorelai and Rory. And meet Leelee."

"Ok. I was just checking."

"Is it going to be weird for me to meet everyone else?" Jeremy looked away from Jess, his eyes straight ahead, looking out at the square.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean your mom and…...everyone. You're ok with it, right? I mean, I know last time you didn't want me to meet your mom….."

"It's not that I didn't want you to meet her. It's just that Liz and her husband, are kind of….I guess thoughtless might be the right word. Or careless. Unconcerned with other people's feelings sums it up pretty well, too. And I didn't want them to say something to you that would offend you. They're the kind of people that don't think twice about asking inappropriate personal questions and I didn't want them asking you stuff about your past and making you feel uncomfortable. Or just saying something stupid to you about our situation." Jess paused. "I felt like things with us were still new and kind of uncertain the last time we were here, and I didn't want them upsetting you in any way."

"Oh." Jess watched his foster son nod his head as if processing the information. "Ok."

"So, please don't take anything they say too seriously, ok?" Jess knew he would do his best to run interference in every conversation between Liz and TJ and Jeremy, but he couldn't be by the boy's side every minute. "If I'm not around and they ask you something personal or make a stupid comment about me adopting you, you have every right to tell them that you don't want to talk about something. Ok?"

"Ok." Jeremy looked a little nervous now and Jess wondered if he had gone too far in cautioning the boy.

"Don't get me wrong, they're basically nice people. But, they can both be pretty out there and insensitive. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Jess watched Jeremy as he watched Winston, a small frown on his face. "No offense, but they don't sound like they're all that nice. Isn't TJ the guy that you said used to hit you before you moved in with Luke?"

"What? No. That wasn't TJ. That was a different husband of Liz's. She's had a lot of them. I think that marriage only ended up lasting a few months. I didn't meet TJ until I was an adult."

"Oh." Jeremy paused. "That's good to know." The boy started to smirk. "I thought I was going to have to give him the cold shoulder the whole time, or accidentally spill cranberry sauce in his lap as payback for being a jerk to you." The boy giggled, sounding younger than his years, and Jess' heart clenched the way it always did when he was reminded of what Jeremy's life had been like as small child. "Or put gravy on his chair so it looks like he pooped his pants after he sits on it."

Jess laughed. "Totally unnecessary, but I like knowing you've got my back."

Jeremy grinned. "It's like you told Luke. Adoption isn't one-sided. Being part of a family is a two-way street. We're a team, right? You, me and Winston."

Jess felt a comforting warmth spreading in his chest, and a need to physically connect with his kid. "Yes, we are, my friend. You, me, and this little furball. You're lucky I'm on your side, too." Jess slung an arm around the boys shoulders and shook him gently. "Otherwise, I'd rat you out to Luke for saying his gravy looks like shit." Jess smiled, proud of himself for eliciting the boy's laughter.

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Jeremy couldn't imagine a less likely candidate to be Jess' mom than Liz. The woman descended on them as soon as they stepped in the house, loud and dramatic, calling Jess her baby boy and laying her hands on both sides of his face. Jess had his hands full with Winston, having carried the dog the last three blocks after Winston had run out of steam, and had been unable to physically fend off his mother. Jeremy had tried not to laugh at Jess's discomfort as the man tried to twist out of her grasp, telling her to relax and give him a minute to put the dog down.

Once Liz considered Jess satisfactorily greeted, she moved on to Jeremy. "So, this is him." She said as she walked up to Jeremy. "This is the kid my kid picked to be his kid." She smiled intensely at Jeremy, but it only made him more uncomfortable. She seemed like the kind of person who would have no shame, and could easily embarrass another person without intending to. She reached her hands toward his face and Jeremy flinched slightly. Instead of laying them on his face like she had done to Jess, she reached around to the back of his skull, pulling his head down so that their foreheads touched and closed her eyes. Jeremy felt awkward having a stranger in his personal space like this, but he didn't want to pull away and risk offending Jess' mother. "Oh…" She spoke slowly. "I have a good feeling about you. I think the universe brought you and my son together for a reason. I really do-"

"Liz, what are you doing to him!" Jeremy heard Jess' voice, sharp and annoyed, and he gently broke free of Liz's hold to look at his foster father. Jess was a few feet away with a little girl of about ten. They were both crouched down and petting Winston, who was energized by the new people and was wagging his tail and rubbing the side of his face against the girl's jean clad leg.

"What? I'm just saying hello!" Liz laughed lightly as she defended herself, as if Jess were the one being inappropriate. "I can't say hello to my own grandson?"

"You can say hello without…..handling him so much." Jess' irritation was showing.

"Jess, lighten up! I was just trying to get a feel for his energy and get to know him. He's got very positive energy." She nodded sagely. "Very bright and clean. He could be a good influence on you. You could use some of that kind of energy in your life." She turned to address Jeremy. "Jess' energy is all twisted up and, honestly, a little dark. He gets that from his father. That man's energy, oh, I could tell you stories-"

"Liz, seriously." Jess was standing up now. "Jeremy doesn't want to hear stories about Jimmy, ok?"

"Jimmy? Who the hell wants to hear stories about that bum?" A heavyset man walked out of the kitchen, with a beer in one hand. He extended the other to Jess. "Jess, how you doing, kid!" His voice was playful. "You look puny. Did they cancel your gym membership on you or something? Liz, doesn't Jess look puny? What, you didn't pay your bill or something?"

"What, TJ?" Jess shook the man's hand, looking exasperated.

"That's good that you quit the gym, Jess!" Liz beamed at her son. "I feel like your energy became very repressed when you started putting on muscle. It's not natural to put on muscle like that."

"That's why I go au naturale." TJ declared, stretching out au naturale with extended emphasis on each syllable. "Just the muscle god gave me. No repressed energy here, right Lizzie?"

"I didn't quit the gym." Jeremy could hear the irritation in Jess' tone. "I haven't been making it there as often, but I really wouldn't say I'm puny. I've just been running more lately-" "And why am I defending myself to you, when was the last time you saw the inside of a gym?"

"Hey, be nice!" TJ was looking at Jeremy now, a smirk on his face, like they were sharing a joke. "I lift weights. I do bicep curls. See?" He slowly lifted his beer bottle, up and down to his mouth three times before laughing and taking a sip. "I just need a reward at the end of my workout." "So, how's it going there, Jason?"

"Jeremy!" Jess corrected with an eyeroll.

"Jeez, sorry! Hey, I was close." Jeremy couldn't tell if the man was inebriated or just an odd guy.

"I'm good. It's nice to meet you." Jeremy responded.

"He's better than good." Liz told her husband. "Nice clean energy, this one." She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "I'm hoping he rubs off on Jess."

"I don't know. That sounds like something that could get Jess arrested." TJ laughed loudly at his own joke, and Liz smacked him on the chest with the back of her hand, before joining in.

Jeremy looked over at his foster father standing behind them, the little girl standing now too, leaning against Jess' side as he rested one hand on her head. He shrugged at Jeremy and mouthed the word 'sorry', tilting his head toward Liz and TJ, and smiled. Jeremy returned it, feeling at ease for the first time since they had arrived at the Gilmore house.

"Hey Jeremy, I want you to meet my little sister." The girl looked at Jeremy, a shy smile and an oversized pair of glasses on her small face. "She doesn't talk much, but she's a really cool kid."

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Dinner had been nice, for Jeremy at least. He had savored every aspect of his first holiday with his new family. It had all felt amazingly normal. Jess, however, appeared to be in a constant state of low-grade agitation around Liz and TJ, even more so than he was around Lorelai. Jeremy felt for him, but he was kind of amused by it, too. Liz and TJ seemed harmless enough, really. Just a little odd. And they both seemed to care about Jess and were welcoming to Jeremy, in their own weird ways.

At one point during the meal, TJ had spilled gravy on his shirt while everyone was listening to Lorelai tell a story about something that had happened at the inn. Jess had met Jeremy's eye across the table and the boy could tell from the subtly wicked look on his foster father's face that he was holding back the same laugh as Jeremy. It felt incredible to be here with his new extended family, sharing an inside joke with his soon-to-be dad. This was the stuff of his childhood dreams. He felt overcome with gratitude. The day had started off a little rough for Jeremy, but he had no complaints about how it was turning out.