Chapter 17 Notes: Jess deals with the fallout from the fire. Spring150, your review made me laugh out loud! :) I don't watch that show, but I did hear about the fire scene. My thinking here was that I wanted the boys to end up homeless as efficiently as possible. I briefly considered a natural disaster, like a superstorm sandy, but I felt like it would take too much time away from the rest of the plot and having grown up in New England, it always felt like the northeast part of the country's most common mode of destruction in the winter months was house fires. Thanks for all your great comments and reviews on the last chapter. :)

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

"C'mon, boy. I really need you to just get in the car now." Jess sighed. He picked up Winston and lifted the dog into the backseat of his Mazda and scooted onto the seat next to him, pulling the door closed behind him. Normally the dog would carefully climb in on his own, but right now he was reluctant to leave Jess's side. Jess understood. He felt rattled, too. He knew Winston was reading his energy and not finding anything safe or stable to cling onto. The dog pressed against Jess's side, pushing his long snout into Jess's face, sniffing. "It's ok, boy. It's going to be ok." Jess wrapped an arm around the dog, hugging him to his chest. Everything felt unreal and Jess wondered if he was in shock. Maybe he should have let that paramedic back at the fire take a look at him after all. It had seemed so ridiculous when the guy had suggested it. Jess hadn't been in the building, or anywhere near the fire. He had watched the building burn from across the street. He had watched flames climbing the four-story building like a living thing, crackling and buzzing like a swarm of angry bees as it engulfed the structure. He had watched firefighters break through windows, and tear through walls with axes as they chased the fire. It had all felt surreal. Like a scene from a movie, not something that should happen to someone like him on an otherwise normal Wednesday.

The fire had been put out. Jess's landlord, a man he had never met who lived somewhere in New England, had been notified. So had the property management company, who had sent a representative to the scene. Jess had learned that the fire department would need a couple of days to assess the damage. Then the insurance appraisers would need to get in. Jess was told he would be notified when, and if, the building was deemed safe for him to enter his apartment to retrieve any of his possessions. The firefighter who seemed to be in charge had offered to call the Red Cross for any of the tenants who needed an emergency motel voucher for the night. Jess had thought about taking him up on it until he was told that the motel the Red Cross partnered with didn't accept pets, so Winston would need to be left at a shelter for the night. Jess had declined, not just because of his promise to Jeremy, but because Winston was family and Jess wanted his family safe and with him. The firefighter had explained that someone had been cooking on the stove in the first floor apartment. It looked like a dish towel had ignited on the flame, starting a fast moving fire. The mother and son had fled the apartment without closing the apartment door behind them and the fire had progressed into the hallway and tore up the stairwell like it was a chimney, working its way inside the walls and into the other apartments. He had told Jess that it was a blessing that no one had been home at the time. That anyone trying to escape down the stairs likely would have ended up trapped in the stairwell with the fire. He had seen similar situations result in serious tragedy during his career.

Jess had started to feel wobbly after the firefighter walked away. He thought about how he had tried to convince Jeremy to stay home from school another day. And about how he had almost left Winston behind and gone for a run. He had felt sick at the thought of what could have happened. He had needed to sit down. He had thought about just sitting on the curb, but it was December and he and Winston had already been outside for too long at this point and he was cold. So cold. It wasn't lost on him how much colder the temperature felt now that he no longer had easy access to refuge from the elements. He had headed to his car, parked around the corner from his apartment.

Jess ran a hand down Winston's back, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture, though he couldn't say who he was trying to comfort more, the dog or himself. He needed to sit and assess the situation. There were things he had to take care of, and he didn't have a lot of time to waste. He needed to book a room for the night. And Jeremy would need clothes. Underwear and socks and a fresh shirt for school tomorrow, at the very least. And groceries. He should get a room with a mini-fridge, and a microwave if he could. He would need to get dog food, too. And dog bowls. And refills on Winston's heartworm medicine. And poop bags. And a bed for Winston to sleep in. Jess would need clothes for himself, too. And toiletries. Shit, how could he have forgotten toiletries. And laundry detergent. And something to sleep in. As his mental list grew, his head started spinning at everything he needed to do and how much it would all cost. He felt overwhelmed and light-headed. His mind was racing. He needed to get this list down in his phone and attack this in a systematic way. As he reached into his pocket for his phone, he took inventory of the possessions he had left. He had had his phone and wallet on him. That was something. And Jeremy had his laptop with him at school. Jess was grateful for that, now. He looked down at his outfit, wishing he had changed into a pair of good jeans before he had walked the dog as he realized that the only pants he now owned were a pair of ratty old sweats, not even his good running pants, but his pair of last resort.

Jess held his phone in his hand and dropped his head back onto the headrest, staring up at the dirty gray interior of his car's roof. He let himself cry quietly for a few minutes, knowing he would explode from frustration if he didn't let some of it out, and he didn't want to freak Winston out by screaming. He thought about everything he lost. His clothes, which weren't expensive, but had been carefully cultivated over the years to form a wardrobe that made him feel good about how he looked and comfortable with himself. The huge collection of books that had lined one wall of his living room. He likely wouldn't have read most of them again, but he had been collecting them since he was a teenager and he had better memories stored on that bookshelf that he had had with most people he had known in his life, especially his early life. He thought about the things that would be hard to replace because they had cost real money. The furniture. The big screen TV that he had saved up to buy a few years ago. All the good quality pots and pans that Luke had bought him for Christmas the year he had moved in with Charisse. And about the things that could never be replaced. The box of cards and notes and pictures he had accumulated, memories of the few people who had mattered to him over the course of his life. The watch Luke had given him for his twenty-first birthday that had belonged to his grandfather. The family picture that Jeremy had drawn that had still been hanging on the fridge. Jess knew the boy had done it as a kind of joke, that he could likely draw much better than the crude stick figures, but it had been part of their story of coming together as a family, and Jess had intended to keep it as a memento of their early days together.

Jess's mind went to Jeremy then, and everything the boy had lost. Jess remembered feeling so sorry for the kid when he had walked into his life with nothing but a half-full garbage bag of possessions. And, now the boy didn't even have that much. Jess felt sick at all Jeremy had lost, and at the idea of telling him about the fire. He had to think that this would put the kibosh on his chances of adopting Jeremy. He had no job. No home. No way to rent an apartment without a job to list on his rental application, and no way to get a job without an address to put on his job application. He was supposed to adopt Jeremy next Tuesday. The boy would turn eighteen the following Monday. At that point, Jeremy would be free to do what he wanted and no one could keep him from staying with Jess. Jess got that. But, he had this deep-down feeling that it wouldn't be the same. He would be letting Jeremy down by not delivering on what he had promised. He knew how much Jeremy had wanted to be adopted and he wanted so much to be able to do that for him. Several more tears leaked out of his eyes and streamed down his face.

Jess wiped his eyes and cheeks with the sleeves of his hoodie. He needed to get started on getting his life back together. He lifted his phone to start searching yelp for cheap motels, but without being conscious of making the decision, he found himself calling Luke instead.

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"Jess!" Jess felt a wave of guilt at how pleased and surprised Luke sounded to hear from him. "I'm glad you called. How're you doing, nephew?"

Jess had been sure he was finished crying. He would have waited to call otherwise. But, the sound of his uncle's voice welcoming his call coupled with the gratitude he felt at knowing that he had someone to lean on set him off again. He took a moment, not wanting to embarrass himself.

"Jess? Are you there?" Jess could hear the concern in Luke's voice and that got to him, too. Even though he had lost so much, he still had family to be thankful for. Someone who loved him and would do anything to help him. He thought about how different his life would be right now if he had never gotten to know Luke. He wondered about that alternate universe version of himself, and whether a crisis like this would have been too much for him to come back from on his own, pushing him solidly into homelessness. He sniffled, getting himself under control. "Are you ok, Jess?"

"Uh, yeah." Jess cleared his throat. He needed to get his shit together and act like a grown up. "I'm ok. I'm not great, but I'm ok. I uh…...I need to talk to you. Is now a good time?"

"Yeah, of course. Gimme one sec." Jess heard Luke call out to Cesar. And a moment later his uncle was back on the line. "Ok. I'm upstairs now. What's going on? Are you ok? Is Jeremy ok? Did something happen with the adoption? Oh, god, is it Winston? Did something happen to Winston? Did you have to put him down?"

"No. It's nothing like that." Jess pushed down the nauseous feeling he got at the thought of how close he had come to having something happen to Jeremy or Winston and kept going. "We're all fine. But, uh." Jess took a deep breath. "I really need you to not say I told you so right now, ok?"

"What are you talking about?" Jess could hear Luke's confusion. "Why would I say that? When have I ever said that to you about anything?"

Jess considered that. "I don't know. Maybe you haven't. But, this is big. I, uh, I lost my job last week."

"What? Jess, what happened? You loved that job! Chris and Matthew seriously fired you? After everything you've done for those guys?"

"They did. They didn't want to, but they did. Uh, when they put me up as a candidate for the position in New York, the company that bought Truncheon ran a background check on me and found out I didn't go to college, and they don't hire anyone without a college degree. They told Chris and Matthew to pick someone else to bring. So, they did. It wasn't their fault. They didn't have any other option."

"Oh, Jess. I'm so sorry to hear that." The genuine sadness in Luke's voice was palpable and Jess felt bad for even thinking that Luke would hold his obstinate refusal to get a degree against him in his current situation. It would have been kicking him while he was down, and that wasn't Luke's style. "So, what happens now? Are you staying in Philly? Are you doing ok for money? Do you guys need anything?"

Jess was feeling overwhelmed. He knew his uncle's concern was real, but he sometimes wished Luke didn't need to express that concern through stacked questions. He skipped over the money questions for now, knowing he was going to ask for something even bigger in a few minutes. "That was the plan. To stay in Philly and look for another job."

"I got to say, I was looking forward to having you guys a couple hours closer in New York."

"Well, today might be your lucky day, then."

"What are you talking about?"

"We might be moving even closer to you than New York."

"What? Have you already found another job?" Jess listened to Luke thinking things over. "Are you going to be in Hartford?" It was a logical guess of somewhere closer to Stars Hollow than New York, but still a big enough city that Jess could possibly have found a job, but the badly concealed excitement in Luke's voice tugged at Jess's heart, reminding him of Jeremy asking if they would follow Winston to Stars Hollow if they had to downsize apartments.

Jess felt an expanding sense of warmth in his chest, despite sitting in the backseat of a very cold car. He could feel a small smile spreading across his face. He felt like he was coming back to himself, putting distance between his real self and the tense, stressed out version that he had been since the day he lost his job. "You're warm!"

"Ummm….."

"But, we'll be even closer than Hartford."

Luke chuckled. "Jess, are you moving back home?"

Jess loved that Luke referred to the place he had only lived for two years as home. It would be as long as Luke lived there, and he liked that Luke got that. He wondered if Jeremy would ever feel the same about him. Or if he did already.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" In the midst of his crumbling life, Jess was still having a good moment. "I mean, if that's ok, that is."

Luke laughed. "Jess! Don't be ridiculous. Of course it's ok! It's more than ok! You guys are always welcome here. You know that. But, what brought this on? Did you get a job in this area?"

"Nope. I have no job. I have no prospects for a job. I have no college degree. And as of an hour ago, you can throw homeless on my resume as well."

Luke's voice was serious. "Homeless? Jess, what are you talking about? What happened to your apartment?"

"My apartment is no more. Winston and I just watched it burn down." It felt freeing to say all this stuff out loud. It felt good to be flippant about the worst situation he had ever found himself in in his entire adult life, as if every sarcastic comment was chipping away at the power that his current circumstances held over him.

"Oh, my god! Are you serious? Are you all right, Jess? What the hell happened?"

Jess filled Luke in on everything from the Liz clone downstairs who had started the fire and how close he had come to leaving Winston behind to watching the building burn and the firefighters telling them he'd be notified if he was allowed to reenter the building to get any of his things, but that most likely everything was going to be too damaged to save. He left out the part about trying to convince Jeremy to spend another day home on the couch with him. It felt too pathetic, too close to depression, to admit. And he wasn't sure he could face what could have happened to Jeremy without melting down.

"And, can I assume that you don't have renters insurance?" Luke asked gently, tentatively. Jess could tell from the sound of his voice that he was trying to ask the question without sending Jess over the edge.

"Why, yes you can, Luke. We had a policy that Charisse set up. I got a notice that it needed to be renewed a few months ago. But, being the pragmatic genius that I am, I opted to save the $114 a year we had been spending on it."

"Oh, Jess…"

"I'm so glad I have that extra $114 cushion now, let me tell you!" Jess feigned hardy enthusiasm.

"I'm really sorry to hear all this, Jess. You've had one hell of a go of it lately." They were both silent for a moment, reflecting on the state of Jess's life. "So, what's the plan now? Jeremy must have a few more weeks of school to finish out the semester, right?"

"Yep. He has the rest of this week and then a week and a half more. I figure we have to stay in town through that so he can take his finals and stuff. After I get off the phone, I'm going to start looking for cheap motels that allow dogs. I'm thinking we'll live the motel life until he's done with school, then head out to Stars Hollow after that. We can wait to celebrate his birthday and stuff then so we don't have to make the drive twice in one week." Jess purposely glossed over the adoption, not wanting Luke to ask about how his current situation would impact it. He was feeling pretty good and he didn't want to let his mind or the conversation go there. "And if you're really ok with us staying long term, I'm thinking Jeremy can take his final semester at your alma mater and mine, good ol' Stars Hollow High."

"Of course I'm ok with you guys staying long term! You can stay for as long as you want. I love having you guys here."

"You're sure, right?" Jess thought about how this would be the most time he had spent around Rory and Lorelai in over a decade, and even though things seemed to be going smoothly between them all at the moment, he didn't want to cause any problems for Luke with his presence.

Jess listened to Luke sigh. "Of course I'm sure, Jess. If you ask me that one more time, I'm only going to let Jeremy and Winston stay here and you're going to have to find a nice park bench to sleep on. Got it, my friend?"

"Ok, ok. I just want to make sure it's not going to cause any…...issues or anything for you."

"What issues? What are you talking about? Just avoid the vandalism and petty theft this time and we'll be fine." Luke laughed. "I'm not sure I can keep Taylor from running you out of town a second time."

"I'll do my best." He wasn't sure if Luke was playing dumb in not recognizing possible tensions between Jess and the Gilmores, or if he was just being Luke and assuming that everyone he loved would be able to get along and love each other.

"What does Jeremy think about moving out here? Is he upset about switching schools and leaving Melissa?"

"I haven't talked to him about it yet. He's still at school." Jess pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced at the time. "Or, he's at Melissa's now. He was going over there after school. But, he suggested moving to Stars Hollow last week as an option after I lost my job. He was pretty adorable about it, too. He tried to act all nonchalant like he was just throwing ideas out there, but I could tell he really wanted to do it. He likes you a lot. And for some reason I don't understand, he seems to like the rest of your family and your ridiculous little town, too."

"Huh. Really?" Jess heard how pleased with himself Luke was and it made him smile.

"I know. It's odd. I'm thinking of taking him to a doctor and having him tested for crazy."

Luke chuckled. "And he's ok with leaving Melissa?"

"He seems to be. He was ok with it to go to New York. He really likes her and when we talked about New York, he definitely seemed sad to be leaving her, but I think it's more important to him to be part of a family than to have a girlfriend. He was pretty mature about it actually. He pointed out that they would both be leaving for college in a few months. And how likely is it that he'd keep in touch with his high school girlfriend past that point anyway, right?"

"I don't know." Luke said, his voice teasing. "You still talk to your high school girlfriend."

"Only because you make me. And I don't have any plans to marry Melissa's mother, so that route really wasn't an option for him."

"I'm glad he's onboard with moving here. I really don't want a repeat of when you first moved to town." Luke laughed. "Although, it would definitely be fun to watch him give you all the same attitude that you gave me." "That would be pretty great."

Jess listened to his uncle laughing, not minding that it was at his expense. He felt invigorated from this conversation, less hopeless and alone. "Sorry to disappoint. I guess I'm just better at choosing my kids than you are."

"I don't know about that. I don't think I did too badly in the long run."

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Jess got off the call feeling better about everything other than the adoption. That still weighed on him. He hadn't felt up to dealing with it today, but he had set himself the deadline of calling the social worker by the end of the day tomorrow. He spent the rest of the day working on the things he could control. He texted Jeremy telling him to send him Melissa's address and let him know when he was ready to leave, no rush, but Jess was going to pick him up tonight. Jeremy had obediently texted back with an ok and the address, without questioning him. Jess was grateful for what an easy kid Jeremy was. He wanted to break the news in person, but he wasn't sure how he would have responded if Jeremy had texted back asking why he was getting picked up. Jess booked a room in a dog-friendly motel through the rest of the week. He checked in and dropped Winton off, leaving one of the coffee mugs provided in the room filled with water on the floor in lieu of a bowl. Then he headed to the Goodwill for a few very cheap and not too terrible long sleeve shirts and hoodies for himself and Jeremy. He also got himself a pair of jeans that were both cheap and terrible, but the best he could find. He told himself that now wasn't the time to be fussy. He wasn't picking out a new wardrobe. He just needed a few things to get him through the next few days. He couldn't find a halfway decent jacket for himself, but he figured he could just layer a couple of hoodies. Next he stopped at Target and stocked up on underwear, socks and tee-shirts for both of them, along with toiletries, laundry detergent, and sleep pants.

He felt momentarily overwhelmed at Target, the huge selection and sheer amount of product driving home the point that he had lost every single thing he owned. And how expensive it would be to rebuild his life. He tried to keep on task and not let the panic drag him under. He picked up dog food and supplies. He wouldn't make it to the vet today, but he checked the reminder on his phone and Winston wasn't due his heartworm pill for another two weeks anyway. He swung by the grocery store and loaded up on whatever was reasonably healthy, didn't require anything more than a microwave and could fit in the mini-fridge. Yogurt cups, prepared salads, fruit, a few cans of soup and chili, cereal and milk, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and one of jelly. He picked up some plastic utensils, paper plates, cups, bowls and napkins as well. The shopping trip was stressful. On one hand, the more he loaded into his cart, the more relief he felt that at least their immediate needs would be met. But, on the other, his panic was increasing with every dollar he was spending to meet them. He tried to channel the feeling he had had when he was talking to Luke. That he was safe and supported. That he wasn't alone. That everything was going to be ok. The mindset was more difficult to maintain on his own, but he fought to hold onto it.

He headed back to the motel to unload his purchases. He stocked the fridge, organized the plates, utensils and canned goods on the table, set out Winston's bowls and bed, and lined up all the toiletries on the bathroom counter. He wanted the bleak and shabby little room to feel as comfortable as possible when he brought Jeremy back from Melissa's. He fed and walked Winston, made himself a peanut butter sandwich, and settled in to wait for Jeremy's text. After a few minutes of laying on one of the beds dwelling on his situation and debating how he should break the news to Jeremy, Jess realized what he had forgotten to buy. A book. Any book. He couldn't remember the last time he had been without one. He hated reading on his phone. But, desperate times…...

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Jess pulled up in front of the house, double checking the address. This was it. Jess was grateful that Melissa lived in a good part of the city, on a block filled with houses instead of apartment buildings, which meant space to park. He wanted to talk to Jeremy before he took him back to the motel, but he preferred to not be driving so that he could give Jeremy his full attention, and hugs if he needed them. He texted Jeremy to let him know he was here, received a quick reply that he would be right down, and less than twenty seconds later he watched Jeremy emerge from Melissa's front door with a big smile on his face. Jess felt a pain so deep it felt physical at knowing that he was about to erase that smile. He took a steadying breath as he watched the boy jog up to the passenger door in the cold, grinning as he reached for the door handle. Jess was hit by a swell of emotion at what the outcome could have been if Jeremy had taken him up on his offer to spend another day home in front of the television.

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Jeremy's smile faded as soon as he got in the car. Even in the dark, he could see that something was seriously wrong. Jess looked more distraught than Jeremy had ever seen him. He looked like he was holding back tears. Jeremy's first thought was Winston. Then Luke. Jeremy had known something bad had been bound to happen. It was inevitable. Even with Jess losing his job, things had been going too smoothly. That wasn't how Jeremy's life went. He braced himself. "What's wrong?"

A small sad smile formed on Jess's face, but Jeremy could tell that even that was forced. "I have some shitty news, but I want you to know that everyone is ok. Winston. Luke. Everyone in Stars Hollow."

Jeremy let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "What is it? What happened?"

Jess let out a dry, humorless laugh. "This sounds so absurd, but here goes. Our apartment burned down today."

"What?" Jeremy couldn't process what Jess was saying. It felt like a joke, but he couldn't see what the punchline could possibly be. "Are you serious?"

"Well, I guess that's an exaggeration." Jess took a visibly shaky breath and ran a hand over the back of his neck as if he was working out a kink, but Jeremy recognized it as Jess's go-to move when he felt insecure. "It was still standing when Winston and I last saw it. But, there was a fire. It started on the first floor and went up the stairwell to the other floors. The whole building was pretty much on fire. It looked like shit after they put it out."

Jeremy leaned forward, studying Jess for damage, not knowing what exactly he was looking for. "But, you're ok? You and Winston? You guys got out in time?"

"We're ok. Winston is at the motel that we're going to be staying at. We weren't inside. We were out for a walk when it happened. I almost went for a run instead and left the little guy…. but he wanted to come. He was really persistent….."

Jess looked torn up over almost leaving Winston, and Jeremy couldn't bear it. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his foster father, squeezing him tightly enough to make up for the awkward positioning over the console between them. "I'm so glad you're ok. And that you took Winston with you." Jeremy thought about what could have happened today, and he felt a rush of gratitude that Jess hadn't been hurt. He held on tightly, feeling the solid weight of him in his arms, the proof that he was ok.

Jeremy felt Jess hug him back. His foster father's head moved against the side of his own as he nodded his agreement. "I'm just grateful you were in school. I'm really glad you didn't listen to me and stay home another day. I love you so much, Jeremy. I can't believe I…if you had been home…..." Jeremy listened to Jess's voice become thick with emotion before he trailed off. He heard his foster father sniffle once and Jeremy hugged him even harder.

"It's ok, Jess. We're all ok. I love you, too. I'm so glad you're all right. I don't know what I would do without you." After finally getting to have someone like Jess in his life, Jeremy didn't think he'd be able to handle losing him if something had happened. He didn't even want to think about that.

Jess pulled back first, wiping quickly at one eye, embarrassment clear on his face. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. I didn't mean to act like this. I thought I had my shit together better than this." Jess huffed out a small laugh. "I really didn't mean to cry and snot all over you."

Jeremy smiled, glad to see Jess acting more like himself. "You really didn't. But, hey, so what if you did? I've definitely cried and snotted all over you a few times. And you still love me, right?"

Jess was looking at Jeremy with a small smirk on his face. "That I do, my friend. But, it's different. You're the kid. I'm the dad. Those roles have very different job descriptions. Read the fine print."

It hit Jeremy then that Jess would never get to legally be his dad now. He had had doubts about whether the adoption would still go through after Jess lost his job, but he was pretty sure that being homeless clinched it. He supposed that was the bad thing that he had known was bound to happen. The fire hadn't hurt anyone he loved, but it had eviscerated his dream of being adopted once and for all. Jeremy knew he would likely spend his eighteenth birthday crying over the fact that he would technically be aging out of foster care without an official forever family, but right now, sitting here with Jess, it wasn't hard to believe that things could be ok anyway. No one got everything they wanted. And Jeremy had ended up with more than he had ever thought possible. He belonged to someone now, even if they would never be able to make it official, and that was huge.

Jeremy smirked. "You cried like one tear. It's not a big deal. I'm pretty sure our relationship can survive it."

Jess chuckled, before his expression turned serious. "I'm really sorry this happened, Jeremy. As soon as I get another job, I'm going to replace all your stuff. I promise."

"I don't care about my stuff being replaced." Jeremy felt a pang of grief at the thought of losing the shoe box in his closet. But, he didn't need to dump that on Jess when the guy already felt like shit. And Jeremy hadn't lied. He didn't care about any of the stuff that could be replaced. He had moved and parted with his personal possessions so many times in his life that he knew he could do it again if he needed to. "Do you think any of it is salvageable, or was everything burned up?"

"The firefighters said they need to secure the building and if they feel like it's safe, we might be able to go in and grab some of our stuff, if there's anything left that wasn't ruined by the fire or the water. They also said not to get our hopes up since we were on the top floor. I guess the odds of an apartment being safe enough to reenter go down the higher the floor."

Jeremy nodded, pushing down the emotions about the picture of his mom. He would let himself wallow in that grief later, when he was alone. All he could do now was hope for the best and wait to see what would happen. Sometimes things were like that. It was a lesson Jeremy had had to learn over and over. "So, are we going to live in a motel now?" Jeremy was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to rent a new apartment with no jobs between them.

"For now, yeah. I booked the cheapest place I could get that allowed dogs and wasn't in a completely sketchy neighborhood. I'm thinking, if this is ok with you that is, that we'll stay in Philly until you finish this semester and then we'll move to Stars Hollow and you can do your final semester of school there." Jess paused. "What do you think? Are you still ok with leaving your school and Melissa and everything?"

"I'm fine with switching schools. It sucks that I have to leave Melissa, but I get that we need to move. I'll miss her, but I'd miss you more if I stayed here to be with her." "And, I think I'll like living in Stars Hollow. And having your whole family around." "I've never had that and I think it could be really good."

Then Jess was cupping the back of Jeremy's neck, his palm warm and comforting against Jeremy's skin, which was still cold from being outdoors. "Thank you for being such a great kid." When he felt a gentle pressure on the back of his head, Jeremy tilted his chin down, in anticipation of the kiss that Jess dropped on the top off his head.

Jess smiled and squeezed Jeremy's shoulder before turning his attention to the road in front of him as he put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. He cleared his throat. "And, just so you know, I'm going to call Ms. Garcia tomorrow to see if this will affect the adoption. I'll keep you updated."

"Yeah, let me know what she says." Jeremy played along for Jess's sake, pretending he still believed the adoption might happen. He wondered if Jess was doing the same for him. If this was the worst things were going to get, it wasn't anything Jeremy couldn't handle. He took a deep breath and tried to convince himself that everything was still ok.