Chapter 22 Notes: The boys arrive in Stars Hollow. Nothing too exciting happens. This chapter is really just a few small moments. Thanks to everyone who left me reviews on the last chapter, and for all the feedback and suggestions. I need to spend the next few days focusing on a paper I have due for grad school, so the next chapter might take a little extra time to get posted. I know I said this last time, too, but this time I'm serious! :) I probably should have been working on the paper instead of writing this chapter, but I couldn't get these scenes out of my head until I wrote them up! :)

I just heard from a reader (thank you TheDisneyOutsider!) that a notification didn't go out for this last chapter. I just deleted and re-posted the chapter, hoping to trigger a notification. Apologies if that caused any of you to receive a duplicate notification.

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

Jess pulled the Mazda into a parking spot across the street from the diner and turned the car off. It was just getting dark and the town square was illuminated in a warm glow. There were white holiday lights draped from tree branches like garland, running along the roof of the gazebo, and wrapped around the bases of street lamps. Oversized silver Christmas ball ornaments dangled gracefully from the trees. A giant Christmas tree stood in the middle of the square, lit with colorful lights and multi-colored ornaments. Happy looking couples and families were walking together, some hand in hand, some carrying coffee or hot chocolate, all bundled up for the New England winter with colorful scarves and mittens and knit hats. The whole look was simultaneously charmingly whimsical, and quintessentially Norman Rockwell. Jess saw the smile on Jeremy's face as the boy took in the scene from the passenger seat, and for the first time he could remember, Jess didn't feel like ridiculing Stars Hollow.

"This is so cool….." Jeremy said softly.

"Yeah, it is kinda nice." Jess agreed.

Jeremy kept his eyes focused out the window as he spoke. "It looks like a Christmas movie."

Jess laughed. "Let's give Winston a quick bathroom break after the drive and then take our stuff inside and say hi to Luke. After that, we can bring Winston back out for a walk to check out the square if you want. How does that sound?"

Jeremy turned to look at Jess, his expression serious and unsure. "That sounds great. You sure that's ok?" "I thought I was going to be stuck inside for a month."

Jess realized that they hadn't really gone over what being grounded was going to entail. He wasn't sure if it was right or wrong, but he knew as soon as he'd seen the smile on Jeremy's face, that he wasn't going to have the heart to exclude Jeremy from all the seasonal town festivities. He thought back to Matthew telling him that Stars Hollow was the cutest and safest place he had ever been, and he wanted Jeremy to get to have that feeling, too, and Christmas seemed the best time for it. Jess knew that Jeremy hadn't experienced a lot of safe and comfortable places in his life, and he didn't want to rob the kid of a good experience. But, he also didn't want to cave on Jeremy's punishment completely. "Well, you are, mostly. But, you're not grounded from walking Winston, since that's technically a chore, and he is your responsibility." Jess kept his voice firm, then quickly broke into a smile. "And, you're not grounded from hanging out with me. I'm pretty sure no one gets grounded from spending time with their parents. And that seems like way too severe of a punishment in your case considering how great I am to hang out with."

Jeremy nodded his head, grinning back. "You are pretty great to hang out with. I'll give you that much."

"Just don't let me catch you having fun with anyone else for the next month, without my express consent. Got it?"

Jeremy nodded, his smile getting bigger. "Got it. Thanks."

"And no phone. We're going to stick your phone in a drawer or something for the next month, not to be touched until late January."

Jeremy frowned at that, and Jess figured the boy was thinking about not being able to text Melissa. "Fine."

"All right, then. We should go in. Luke's really looking forward to seeing you two. Grab your dog and I'll get the bags out of the trunk." Jess turned to open his door.

"Hey, Jess?"

"Yeah?" Jess looked back toward Jeremy.

"Thanks for letting us move here. I know you didn't really want to, but I think it's going to be really good."

Jess watched the boy smile again. Despite his better instincts, it was hard not to think that Stars Hollow was going to be good when it was already making his kid this happy.

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Luke had met them at the door of the diner with hugs and greetings and whisked them upstairs, telling them that Winston couldn't be hanging around in the diner when it was as crowded as it was that evening. There had been an awkward moment when Luke had asked if they needed help getting the rest of their things from the car, and then looked crushed for them when Jess had said no, telling his uncle that what he saw, the backpack on Jeremy's shoulder and the four shopping bags he was carrying, was all there was. They were now standing in the upstairs hallway outside the apartment staring at the vast quantity of water that lined the outside wall. Some of the water was in gallon jugs and some was in 24 packs of bottled water, wrapped in plastic. Luke lifted the top pack of water bottles from the middle stack and placed it on the floor a few feet to the right of the stacks. "I want to show you guys something, but I just need to move this stuff out of the way first."

"Luke, let me help you with that." Jess put down the shopping bags of his and Jeremy's possessions and started to help Luke move the water to the new spot. Jeremy stood by with Winston, a confused expression on his face. Jess watched him make a hesitant move toward the water to help at one point, only to step back awkwardly when Luke almost backed into him and narrowly missed tripping on the dog. "Jeremy, can you just keep Winston out of the way for a minute?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry." Jeremy backed up and squatted down to keep Winston in place.

"I was out when the delivery came and Cesar brought these up for me." Luke said. "I told him not to put them on this side…."

"What's all this water up here for anyway?" Jess asked as they worked at clearing a spot against the wall. "Did you run out of space in the store room?"

"The store room?" Luke asked. "Oh, no, this is emergency water for you guys. Remember how I told you that that pipe burst in town a couple of winters back? It just froze and burst and messed up the whole system. The whole town was without running water for two days. I wanted to be ready in case something like that happens again. We already have a bunch at the house, but I wanted to make sure the three of you were covered, too."

Jess felt a warmth in his chest at the concern Luke had always shown for him and that he now showed for Jeremy and Winston as well. Jess had never been the kind of person to store emergency supplies, but now that he had a kid and dog to take care of he probably should have started. "And, just how bad an emergency are you planning for this winter? This is a lot of water."

"I know. I was going to get nine gallons for you guys. That's the standard guideline, one gallon per person per day for at least three days. I don't know what it is for dogs, but I was going to get three for Winston, too, to be safe. Then I got to thinking, there were other people in town who hadn't been prepared the last time and I ended up handing out a lot of water from the diner. And there's so much space up here in the hallway, that when I ordered the water for you guys, I figured I should stock up with extra while I was at it in case anyone else needs some during an emergency." Luke shoved the last two 24 packs of water to the side and stepped out of the way with a flourish. "Notice anything different, nephews?" He turned to face them with a smile.

"There's a door!" Jeremy noted, showing more enthusiasm for a new mystery door than Jess would have been able to summon at his age, even to humor someone he cared about.

"Yes, there is." Jess could tell Luke was proud of this new design change. "It's your new private entrance so you aren't bringing your dog through my diner all day long. Come, look." Luke pulled open the wooden door that matched the hallway paneling and slid the lock to pop the storm door open. Jess watched Jeremy peek his head out first and then took his turn. There was a small landing outside the door that led to wood stairs that descended half a flight before hitting another landing and switching back. "What do you guys think? I had Tom put in a landing halfway down so that the stairs wouldn't be too steep for Winston. There's a shovel and a bag of rock salt on the top landing for when it snows and gets icy."

"That's so cool." Jeremy said, before turning to the dog. "You see that, Winston? You get your own special staircase."

Jess felt a twinge of guilt at the expense Luke had gone through to house them. "Yeah, it's definitely pretty cool." He agreed. "It also must have been pretty expensive. I can repay you-"

"Jess, stop." Luke cut in as he closed and locked the door before turning back to Jess and Jeremy. "Don't worry about what it cost. This was for me as much as it was for you guys. After you stayed here with Winston at Thanksgiving, I had an issue with other customers trying to bring their pets into the diner, too. Well, mostly just Kirk, I guess. He kept trying to bring Petal in with him for breakfast and lunch. Not so much for dinner, because if he comes in for dinner, he's usually with Lulu, and she has a little more sense. But, anyway, I told him I couldn't have a pig running around my diner because of health codes. He got offended and accused me of nepotism and promoting an anti-pig agenda, which he had already been on me about anyway because I serve bacon, and he just learned last year that bacon comes from pigs. Anyway, long story short, he picketed the diner for a while, with crazy signs and everything. That guy just has too much time on his hands." Luke shrugged. "And, you know how things escalate around here. It wasn't good. So, I just figured having you guys use a separate door with Winston would be easier than dealing with Kirk again."

Jess nodded. "Ah, that makes sense."

"If you two are coming down without Winston, you're still welcome to come through the diner, of course, but Winston needs to come and go this way. Ok?"

Jeremy nodded obediently. "Ok."

"Got it. Winston uses the doggie door only." Jess agreed.

Luke smiled. "All right, on to the next surprise! I think you two will be more excited about this one. Go on in first, Jeremy. You can't miss it."

Jeremy smiled and opened the door to the apartment, walking in with Winston. "Oh, wow! This is so cool."

Jess followed Jeremy in, looking around curiously. Luke was right. They couldn't miss it. There was now a wall with an actual door, closing off the area that had once been Jess's bedroom and that Jeremy had slept in at Thanksgiving. It was indeed cool, and Jess let himself get a little excited. "Actual doors! Wow, Luke, I never thought I'd see the day."

"Well, only one door for now." Luke said. "TJ's coming back with the door for your room tomorrow, Jess."

"What made you finally cave?" Jess was curious. He had always found it odd that Luke had bought a whole other building to accommodate him when he lived here, had a whole remodel done, but still stopped short of closing off the bedrooms.

"Oh, I don't know. I just figured you guys would want your space. And, I mean, Jeremy's a teenage boy. I figured he'd want privacy."

"Huh. Interesting. I seem to remember another teenage boy living here, who also wanted his space and privacy, but I don't remember that getting him a door."

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, well, don't count your chickens, my friend." Luke's voice was teasing. "You still don't have a door. Give me a hard time and you might be outta luck this time around, too."

Luke and Jeremy made eye contact and both laughed. "Hmph." Jess feigned annoyance. "I can't say I'm a big fan of the ganging up like this."

Jess watched his still grinning son take off Winston's leash and harness, and then his own coat, and walk over to the closed bedroom. "Is it ok if I open it?"

"Of course, Jeremy!" Luke said. "Go ahead. It's your room. Make yourself at home."

Jess turned and wandered a few feet toward his room. Sure enough, there was a finished wall, with a door frame, but no door.

Jeremy opened his door and peeked inside. The boy turned back toward Jess and Luke. "This is so great! Thanks so much, Luke!"

"Wait, did you say TJ?" Jess turned to Luke, confused now that his mind had caught up to his ears.

"You're very welcome, Jeremy. I'm glad you like it."

"I love it! Thank you. It'll be so great to have my own room again. Jess snores really loud."

"Hey, now." Jess cautioned, with no real warning in his voice.

"Still?" Luke teased. "He did as a teenager, too, but I thought he'd outgrow it. He used to sound like a rusty lawnmower on its last legs."

Jeremy laughed at that, and Jess frowned. "TJ?" Jess repeated, impatiently.

"Huh?" Luke took his eyes off Jeremy and turned to Jess. "Oh, yeah. TJ put up the walls. I guess he was only able to get the one door the other day. I don't know. He said something vague about supplier issues, but I'm pretty sure he just went to Home Depot. I don't really ask questions anymore. I told him to put the one he had on Jeremy's room, and to do yours when he came back with another one."

"You trust him for stuff like this?" Jess asked, trying not to sound judgemental, just genuinely curious. He still remembered hearing about TJ knocking a huge hole into the side of Lorelai's bedroom.

Luke gave a noncommittal shrug. "He is a general contractor. And Liz's husband. He's also significantly cheaper than Tom." Luke chuckled. "I went with Tom's guys for the stairs because it felt like a safety issue, but these walls aren't load-bearing. So, I figured, what harm could he do, right?"

"I guess." Jess conceded.

"And it made him feel good. He heard you were moving back and he wanted to do something nice for you." Luke paused, his expression becoming serious. "You know, you could have told your mother that you were moving back. I think it hurt her feelings that she heard it from me."

Jess was accustomed to hearing this type of complaint from Luke. That he ignored his mother. Left her out of his life. Made her feel bad. Luke never seemed to really get why Jess treated him so much better than he treated Liz. But, he didn't like hearing it in front of Jeremy. He glanced at Jeremy, who had picked up their bags and set them on the kitchen table, starting to sort through the contents while he pretended he wasn't listening to Jess getting scolded like a small child. Jess had to bite back a nasty retort, that Liz deserved what she got from him, that she didn't exactly call him either, except when she wanted something from him, that she never really listened to anything he said. But, he had learned a long time ago that it was pointless. There were many things Jess loved and appreciated about Luke, but he could also recognize that Luke had a giant blindspot for his sister's failings as a parent and a person. Jess had found Luke's rose-colored view of Liz offensive until he had made the connection to himself, and realized that he was lucky that Luke had looked at him through the same forgiving glasses when he had lived here as a teenager and spent the better part of two years acting like an asshole. Luke had a generous nature and saw the best in the people he loved. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes it rankled more than others. "Noted." Jess nodded seriously, as though he cared about what Luke had just said and was tucking the criticism away for later.

Luke sighed, and it left Jess feeling like he was being ungrateful, which wasn't a feeling he enjoyed in regard to his uncle. "Ok, Luke. We'll go over and see her soon. All right?"

Luke smiled at Jess's concession, and Jess thought about how little it had always taken for Luke to be pleased with him. He hadn't really understood that before, but now he thought about his argument in the car with Jeremy and how easy it had been to forgive Jeremy's attitude once the boy had made a concession of his own by asking Jess if it was ok with him if he rode in the back with Winston. Jess started to understand how wanting peace with your child could be more important than winning an argument.

"Well, they'll all be over at our house on Friday night for Jeremy's birthday dinner. So, you'll get to see Liz then if you haven't made it over to their house yet."

Jess watched the subtle joy that moved across Jeremy's face at the mention of his birthday dinner, even as the boy focused on neatly refolding the clothes he had unpacked. "Hey, Jeremy. Did we leave Winston's bed in the car?" Jess had noticed it missing earlier, but figured they would just pick it up later when they took Winston out for a walk.

The boy looked up at Jess's voice and glanced around the apartment, a small frown on his face. "Yeah, sorry. I must have forgot to get it when I got Winston out of the backseat."

"No worries." Jess dug his keys out of his jacket pocket. "Would you mind running out to grab it now so that it will have time to warm up before Winston needs it for bed?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll go get it."

Jess tossed the keys to Jeremy, who caught them and pulled his coat back on. "Thanks, Jeremy."

Jess waited until he heard Jeremy on the stairs before he turned back to Luke. "I don't know if I've really said this yet, but thank you. For taking us in like this. For putting a roof over my head. Again. And, Jeremy's this time, too. For building stairs so that we can keep Winston with us. For thinking about our water consumption needs during an emergency." Jess tried to end with sarcasm, keeping his tone light, but the affected quality he heard in own voice told him he was failing. "For everything." He said more seriously. "This is the first time I've felt even remotely close to ok in almost a month. You have no idea how good it feels to be here right now."

Luke smiled warmly at him, and rested a hand on Jess's shoulder. "You don't need to thank me, Jess. You have no idea how good it feels to have you here."

Jess huffed out a shaky breath. "I don't know what I would have done, Luke. How I would have taken care of myself, nevermind Jeremy and Winston if I didn't have anyone-" Jess felt himself getting slightly and unexpectedly emotional. "I've never been in a such a bad spot before. A few more weeks at the motel would have killed my savings and we would have been sleeping in my car." The reality of that statement still frightened Jess. "I really don't know what I would have done…." Jess trailed off, wanting to stop before he embarrassed himself.

His uncle was smiling warmly at Jess. "I'm glad you're here, Jess. All three of you. I know you would have figured something out on your own if you didn't have me, but I'm glad you came home and let me help you. I love you so much, and I'm so glad you guys are here."

Jess nodded, looking down at the floor in front of him. He forced himself to look up and make eye contact. "Thank you. Seriously." He had sent Jeremy outside so that he could thank his uncle in private, but he hadn't expected to feel so overwhelmed by emotion. He felt Luke's other hand on his other shoulder and let himself be pulled into a hug. He felt Luke's hand cup the back of his head. He felt safe and taken care of for the first time in weeks and he wanted to linger in the feeling.

"You're welcome, Jess. Always."

Jess heard a soft knock on the door and pulled back quickly. Luke patted him on the side of the arm as he released him. "Come in." Jess called, hoping it wasn't Lorelai or Rory. He was really in an immediate-family-only type of mood right now.

The door opened slowly and Jeremy crept in quietly, carrying Winston's bed.

Luke smiled. "You don't need to knock, Jeremy. You live here now."

Jeremy smiled softly. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt or anything."

"You're not interrupting." Luke smiled at the boy. "I was just about to tell Jess that you guys are welcome to eat for free in the diner whenever you want. I also stocked the fridge and the cabinets up here for when you want to cook, and I got a bunch of snacks and stuff. So, you guys help yourself to anything you find."

"Thank you, Luke, but you didn't have to do that." Jess said. "I can actually still afford to feed my kid. For the moment, at least."

"I know." Luke said. "But, I couldn't help myself. I didn't want you to get here tonight and have to run out to the grocery store if you wanted stuff. And, I liked doing it. I like taking care of you guys." Luke huffed out a laugh. "And, I like shopping for healthy food for people I know will actually appreciate it. You should see some of the junk that Lorelai and Rory put on my grocery list every week. You have no idea how embarrassing grocery shopping can be until you've gone through the checkout line with a family-size box of Pop-Tarts and three or four different kinds of cookies."

"You actually buy that stuff for them?" Jess asked, raising one eyebrow in surprise at Luke's enabling of the Gilmores' junk food habit.

Luke chuckled. "What can I say? I like taking care of them, too. Plus, I make them dinner every night, so I know they're at least eating something decent every day."

"Wow, the Gilmores have finally dragged you over to the dark side." Jess said. "I never thought I'd see this happen."

Luke laughed, then his expression got serious, as though he had just realized something alarming. "Hey Jess, do you have a winter jacket in one of those bags?"

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After a quick dinner in the diner while Luke worked, Jess and Jeremy took Winston out for a leisurely walk in the square. Jess was wearing an old navy blue winter jacket of Luke's that his uncle had pulled out of the closet for him. Luke had worn it for skiing in his younger days and it fit Jess reasonably well. It wasn't something he would have been comfortable being seen in at this time last year, but how he dressed seemed less important now. It was warm enough that Jess didn't feel his body bracing itself against the cold, like he had on every other dog walk since the fire. Jess knew the stress of being back in Stars Hollow would catch up with him eventually, but tonight he just felt relieved. He and Jeremy were warm and safe. They had been able to keep Winston with them. They had a roof over their heads and rent-free access to a decently sized living space, with heat, their own rooms and a kitchen full of food. And, they had family support when they'd needed it. Overall, Jess was feeling grateful for what he had, and just very, very lucky.

"Jeremy, do you want a hot chocolate?" Jess had noticed Jeremy eyeing the cups that everyone else seemed to be carrying, but he knew the kid would never ask for anything.

"What?" Jeremy seemed startled by the question. "Oh, uh, that's ok. I don't need one. Thanks, though."

Jess sighed. This was right up there with apologizing for things that weren't his fault on Jess's mental list of things he wanted to beat out of Jeremy. Not literally, of course, but he definitely wanted to help Jeremy eradicate his belief that he should say no thank you to everything offered to him because he wasn't worth anyone else's effort or expense. "I know you don't need one. I don't know if anyone has ever needed a hot chocolate. I was asking if you want one."

Jeremy started to flush slightly, and Jess could already hear the boy's next word before it came out of his mouth. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Jeremy." Jess knew he needed to be patient and gentle with the boy. He also knew that they were making progress. Slow, sporadic progress. He sensed that Jeremy could tell when he was annoyed about this kind of stuff, and it only made the kid feel worse about himself, which was not something Jess ever wanted to do. He decided to rephrase the question. "I want a hot chocolate. April drags me into Taylor's shop every winter, and I always act like I don't want to go in, cause, well, Taylor. But, I can attest that even though he's a tyrannical egomaniac, the man makes a really good cup of hot chocolate. You'll be missing out if you don't try it. Do you want one?"

Jeremy was smiling shyly at the ground, and Jess could tell the boy still felt a little embarrassed about being called out for turning down something he had wanted. "Ok. Thanks. That sounds good."

"Ok. I'll run in and get them and you stay out here with Winston. Ok?"

Jeremy nodded, and Jess smiled at the boy before turning and heading to Taylor's.

As Jess waited in line in Taylor's shop, he glanced out the window and spotted Jeremy, not too far from where he left him. It looked like he was making friends. There were two girls that looked around Jeremy's age with him, one crouched down and playing with Winston and the other standing, talking to Jeremy, as they both watched her friend play with the dog. Huh. Jess had always heard that having a cute dog was good for attracting women, but he had yet to experience it himself with Winston. Jess got to the front of the line and placed his order, paying for the drinks and carrying them to the door, but pausing just before he went outside, unsure of how to proceed. He knew the girls would likely disperse as soon as he walked over and he kind of wanted to give Jeremy a few more minutes to establish his first connection to other kids his age in Stars Hollow. But, Jeremy was also grounded and wasn't supposed to be having fun with people who weren't Jess, or at least family. Jess waited a few more minutes, watching Jeremy chat with the girls, or the other way around really, since Jeremy seemed to be saying much less than the two girls. Not that they seemed to mind. They were both all smiles, as they talked and played with Winston. When Jess started to feel ridiculous for loitering inside Taylor's shop while he spied on a group of teenagers, he exited the building and walked over.

As he approached, he heard one of the girls extending an invitation to Jeremy, telling him that a bunch of their friends were heading over to the bowling alley in Woodbury to celebrate midterms being over, and that Jeremy should come, too. There were going to be lots of people there, and it would give Jeremy a chance to meet some of the other seniors before school started up again after New Years. Winston wagged his tail and trotted over to greet Jess, drawing the attention of Jeremy and both girls. Jess handed one cup to Jeremy and bent to give Winston a quick head scratch. He smiled at the girls. "Hi, I'm Jeremy's dad, Jess."

"Hi, I'm Sarah." The girl stuck out her hand and Jess shook it, impressed with how comfortable she seemed talking to adults. He hadn't been a friendly and willing hand shaker at their age. He remembered most of his interactions with adults in those days involving his hands jammed angrily into his pockets and a scowl on his face.

"I'm Autumn. It's nice to meet you." The girl who had been crouching down with Winston stood up and extended her hand, too.

"You too." Jess said, shaking her hand, and casting a quick side glance at Jeremy, conscious of not wanting to embarrass the boy. Jeremy had a goofy grin on his face and Jess was starting to feel guilty about what was about to happen.

"We were just telling your son that a bunch of us are meeting at the bowling alley tonight since it's the last day of the semester." Sarah said, stealing her own glance at Jeremy as she spoke. "Since Jeremy's new, he should come, too, so he can meet some people from school before classes start again."

"Oh, I can't….I uh, um-" Jeremy started. Jess didn't like watching him flounder.

"We actually have a family thing tonight." Jess cut in. "We were about to head out now. But, maybe Jeremy can join you guys another time." Jess realized he might be ruining the companionable night that he and Jeremy had been having, but Jeremy was grounded. If the kid wanted to be pissed about not being able to go bowling with some kids he barely knew, that was his prerogative. Jess would just point out that he should be grateful that he had even been allowed out and had been able to meet two of his new classmates to begin with. Jess kept his eyes on the girls, not eager to see the resentful look he was sure Jeremy was currently giving him. And, it's not like he had embarrassed Jeremy by telling the girls why he couldn't go bowling. He had lied for the kid. That should earn him a modicum of gratitude, at least.

"Bummer." Sarah said. She turned to Autumn. "Well, we should get going."

"Yeah." The girl gave Winston one last pet on the head. "Bye, Winston!" She looked up. "It was nice to meet you both."

"You, too." Jeremy said. "It was great meeting you guys." Jess waved the hand not holding his drink at the girls as he took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"We'll see you around, Jeremy. Welcome to Stars Hollow." Sarah smiled at Jeremy and the girls walked off together.

Jess turned to Jeremy, bracing himself for the annoyed or angry attitude he expected to find all over the boy's face. Instead, the dopey grin was still there, maybe slightly dimmed.

"They seemed nice." Jess said. He was being cautious, wondering what Jeremy was thinking.

"Yeah, they did." Jeremy didn't seem angry or resentful and Jess was confused and unsure how to approach the situation. "I think Winston is getting tired. Is it ok if we head back?" Jeremy took a careful sip of his hot chocolate. "And, thanks for this. You're right. It's really good."

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Later that night, Jeremy was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the shelves that held board games, looking at the selection. He was in his sleep pants and a sweatshirt, with Winston cuddled up next to him and Jess only half a room away sitting at the table with the laptop they were currently sharing. He felt cozy. And safe. He missed Melissa and he knew that without being able to text her for a month, they were likely to lose the connection they had. That was Jeremy's experience about how things worked. Once you were out of sight, people tended to move on and forget about you, especially if you were unable to stay on their radar by texting. But, he was still feeling good about the move to Stars Hollow. He loved having Jess in his life. Jess was his forever family of one, his forever person, and he would always love him and be grateful he had him. But, he was also curious about what it would be like to have a whole extended forever family nearby, with an aunt and uncle, grandparents and cousins.

Jeremy thought about how good it had felt when Jess had walked up to him while he was talking to Sarah and Autumn and introduced himself as his dad. Not his foster parent. Not his almost, but not yet adoptive father. Just his dad. With no further explanation needed. It had felt very natural and comfortable, but also magical in its surrealness at the same time. Stars Hollow seemed like the kind of place where things could be easy. Where Jeremy could start off at his new school as Jess's kid and no one would need a longer version of their relationship, unless Jeremy got close enough to someone to want to share it with them. The only thing Jeremy was still stuck on was his last name. He knew that the lawyer in Hartford that Jess had called about the adoption had said that she might not even hear back about a court date until after the holidays, meaning that his adoption might not happen until late January or even February. And he would start at Stars Hollow High School right after the New Year. He didn't want to start as Jeremy Cooper and then switch a month in to Jeremy Mariano. He knew that would raise a lot of questions with teachers and classmates and he didn't want to be the kid whose homelife raised questions. Not anymore. He wanted to be Jeremy Mariano, a normal teenager, with a normal family. He wanted to be able to introduce Jess as his dad without needing to explain their relationship or why they had different last names. He wanted to have the conversation tonight and be able to start using Mariano before he met too many more people and things started getting tricky. Jeremy glanced over at Jess. He wanted to gauge how busy he was. He didn't want to interrupt if Jess was job hunting.

"Hey, Jess." He called hesitantly.

"Hey, Jeremy." Jeremy smiled at the response, knowing it meant Jess was in a playful mood.

"Luke has Scrabble." Jeremy knew it was Jess's favorite board game, and he liked that they had played a few times in the old apartment. Jeremy could take or leave Scrabble on its own merits, but he liked the idea of having something that he and Jess did together, something that could kind of be their thing.

"Oh, yeah?" Jess was looking up from the computer now.

"Yeah." "Uh, am I allowed to play board games while I'm grounded?"

"Hmmm." Jess pretended to consider the question, and Jeremy got the impression that Jess was in a good frame of mind for the conversation he wanted to have. "You're allowed to play board games with me. Possibly even with Luke and the Gilmores. Definitely with Winston. You aren't allowed to meet a cute girl and play board games with her."

Jeremy laughed. "Ok. Do you want to play?"

Jess was already smiling and shutting down the computer. "Sure. If you're in the mood to get your ass kicked."

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Jess watched Jeremy add up his score. "...And a double word score makes it twenty-four! That's a good one!"

"Not bad." Jess agreed. "So, how are you liking Stars Hollow, so far?"

Jeremy smiled. "I like it. Definitely. Everyone seems nicer and, just, happier, than people in the city. Don't you think?"

Jess nodded thoughtfully. "I don't know. They could be. Or, it might just be the effect of the Christmas season. You know, goodwill toward your fellow man, and all that. This time of year always seems to make some people happier."

"Maybe, you're right." The boy paused for a minute as he dug four new tiles out of the bag. "Christmas always used to be the opposite for me. Like, I mostly felt alone and kind of sad, and because everyone is supposed to be so happy at Christmas, I would always feel even worse around the holidays than I did the rest of the year. Like the last two years, I got pretty depressed around Christmas, I guess because I was really lonely and I couldn't see that ever changing."

Jess felt a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to be supportive whenever Jeremy chose to talk about his life before Jess, but Jeremy's childhood wasn't easy to hear about. Jess had to repeatedly remind himself that Jeremy was ok now. He had a family and he was loved. "I'm really glad we found each other, Jeremy. I hate thinking about you on your own like that." Jess fiddled with the tiles in front of him, only half paying attention to his letters as he rearranged them in different orders, testing out words.

"It's so weird. It feels like a lifetime ago to me now….."

Jess smiled at that. It was good to hear. "I was a lot lonelier before I had you in my life, too, you know."

"But, you had Luke and everyone." Jeremy sounded like he was curious, not like he was trying to call Jess on his bullshit.

"I did." Jess agreed. "I know you didn't have any family, and I don't mean to imply that our situations were similar. I know I had it a lot easier than you did. But, I did have a part of my life that was just kind of…...empty, I guess. And, you filled that spot in a way no one else has before."

Jess glanced at the boy before he started laying out his word. Jeremy looked pleased and a little emotional and both reactions made Jess happy. Jess added up his score. "Thirty-six."

Jeremy was the score keeper, and he obediently recorded Jess's score and added it to his balance. "Good one."

"Thanks."

"Hey, Jess, can I ask you something?"

Jess stopped himself mid-reach in replacing his tiles and gave Jeremy his undivided attention. "Of course. You can always ask me anything."

Jeremy looked nervous. He glanced down at his own tiles, but Jess knew it was just an avoidance tactic. "What is it, Jeremy?"

"It's well…like, you know tonight, how I was talking to Sarah and Autumn when you came over?"

"I remember." Jess was immediately impressed. Jeremy did have a problem with what happened, but he had waited to discuss it calmly when they were alone instead of giving Jess attitude or dirty looks when it happened. It was a much more mature approach than Jess would have been capable of at Jeremy's age, and Jess was proud of him for handling the situation like an adult. He mentally prepared to stand his ground.

"Well, like, when you came up to us. I, uh, I just really liked that you introduced yourself as my dad like that."

Oh. Jess was caught off guard. "I liked that, too. I know it isn't official until the adoption, but it already feels right to me."

"Yeah, it feels right to me, too. And, uh, since I'm starting at a new school and meeting all new people, I want to start off just saying that, that you're my dad, without any other explanation. So, I'm glad you're ok with that, too."

"Jeremy, I'm ok with whatever you're comfortable with telling people or not telling people." Jess smiled warmly at his son.

"Thanks. Cause, uh, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you."

"Ok." Jess was curious.

Jeremy looked back down, focusing on his tiles to get himself started. "So, we haven't really talked about what would happen when you adopt me." Jeremy looked up and made hesitant eye contact. "With my name, I mean."

He was right. Jess felt like an idiot for never bringing this up. "You're right. We haven't. What would you like to happen? I'm open to whatever will make you happy."

Jeremy smiled. "I'm thinking, like, just to make it extra official and normal, I guess, that maybe I could change my last name to Mariano." Jess watched fear flicker briefly across the boy's features, and he felt a twinge of guilt that Jeremy thought there was a chance his request would be rejected.

Jess hadn't thought much about Jeremy's name. He assumed the boy was old enough that he would want to keep his own. Jess thought about how many annoying and offensive questions it had raised when he had been a child with a different last name than Liz. But, by the time he had been Jeremy's age, he wouldn't have wanted to change his name to Danes. He had thought about asking Jeremy about it once or twice, but he hadn't wanted Jeremy to interpret the question as pressure. He should have brought it up to gauge where Jeremy's head was, though. He could see that now.

"I would love to have you be a Mariano, Jeremy. But, only if you really want to. I don't want you to think you need to."

Jeremy smirked. "Jess, I don't think anyone's ever needed to be a Mariano. I'm telling you I want to be a Mariano."

Jess huffed out a laugh at the boy's moxie in repeating his words back to him. "Ok. Then, I want you to be a Mariano, too."

"Ok. And, do you think we could get my name changed now? Like before school starts? I want to start as a Mariano and not have to switch part-way through the semester."

Jess nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. We can google what we need to do, but I think changing your name is pretty straight-forward and you just need to fill out some paperwork at city hall."

"Thanks, Jess." Jess collected his new tiles and watched Jeremy smile as he moved his around, planning out his next word.

"I'm glad you asked about this." Jess said. "I hadn't given much thought to the name thing. But, I agree that it will definitely be nice to share a name."

"Yeah, it will." Jeremy looked up from his tray with a goofy grin on his face and it made Jess think about how he looked when he had been talking to the girls he met in the town square.

"So, were you into one of those girls?"

Jeremy looked confused. "What girls? Oh, you mean Sarah and Autumn?"

"Yeah. Why, did you meet any other girls today that I should know about?"

"No. But, why are you asking me that? We were just talking. And, it wouldn't matter anyway if I was."

"Why wouldn't it matter?" Jess thought about arriving in Stars Hollow at seventeen to find Rory already attached. He hadn't let that stop him. "Do they have boyfriends, or something?"

Jeremy laughed as he started laying out a word. "Yeah, or something. They're a couple."

Jess was surprised. "Really? They're a couple? How do you know that?"

Jeremy was looking at him like he thought Jess was slow. "Uh, maybe because Sarah introduced Autumn as her girlfriend. That was the tip-off for me. They've been together for almost two years."

"Huh." It hit Jess how different and more civilized Jeremy's generation was than his own. He hadn't gone to school with anyone who had been comfortable enough to be out and dating someone of the same gender in high school.

Jeremy laughed again.

"What's so funny?"

"Uh, maybe the expression on your face." Jeremy laughed again. "Melissa is so right about your generation. You guys are obsessed with sex, but you have all these weird hang-ups at the same time."

"I do not have weird hangups-" Jess started to defend himself, then feigned exasperation. "Oh, you know what, just add up your score!"

Jess watched Jeremy laugh as he tabulated his score. Jess knew his own grin probably looked pretty dopey right about now, too, but he couldn't help himself. He appreciated knowing that he hadn't embarrassed Jeremy in front of the girls he had met, that he had actually made Jeremy very happy just by introducing himself as his dad. But, what he loved most was knowing that Jeremy's happy, goofy grin had been for him.