Chapter 23 Notes: The boys are settling in in Stars Hollow and things are starting to get better. No major plot movement here. Thanks for all the reviews and I feedback. I love hearing from you guys.

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

Jess woke with a start. He had been in the middle of one of what he had started to call his stress dreams. This one involved the fire. In it, he had convinced Jeremy to stay home from school and the boy had been asleep on the couch with Winston when the fire broke out. Jess had returned from buying more soup and saltines to find the apartment ablaze, his family burning and dying inside as he stood powerless outside watching the flames tear through the building. This was only one variation. Another one involved a break in at the motel. Two men with guns, out of their mind from drugs and looking for money for another fix, Winston kicked across the room and Jeremy shot dead for moving to go to his injured dog. In another, Jess had no one to turn to when things got hard. Luke had died of cancer and left the apartment and diner to April, who Jess had had some sort of vague falling out with. After losing his job, DCFS removed Jeremy because Jess could no longer take care of him. After the fire, Jess and Winston ended up sleeping on the street. Then one morning Jess woke up to find Winston dead, himself totally alone. He often thought about the fact that he never saved the day in any of his dreams. He never rushed into the burning building and rescued Jeremy, or fought back against the gun wielding crack addicts. Even in his dreams, he was never the hero of his own story. He didn't think that could mean anything good about his current level of self-esteem.

"Hey, sleeping beauty!"

"Shit!" Jess jumped, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He turned to see TJ standing in the open doorway of his bedroom, smiling. "Christ, TJ! What the fuck are you doing? You scared the hell out of me!" Jess sat up in bed, trying to calm his body down.

The smile never left TJ's face as he shook his head reprovingly. "Wow, that's a lot of swearing for first thing in the morning! You talk like that in front of your kid, too?"

"No, I don't." Jess ran a hand through his hair. He always felt shaken after a stress dream. He really didn't need TJ in his face right now. "But, he doesn't sneak up on me and scare the crap out of me while I'm sleeping."

"I just came by to put up your door so you could have some privacy."

"Yeah? So, creepy old men can't sneak in here and watch me sleep?" Jess feigned enthusiasm. "Great idea!"

"Hey, I didn't exactly sneak. I knocked." TJ explained good-naturedly. "Your kid let me in. I stood here banging this door against the floor-" TJ illustrated by lifting the door that was just outside Jess's room a few inches from the floor and setting it back down with a loud thud. "For five minutes before you stirred at all. You sleep like the dead."

Jess sighed. "Well, I'm up now."

TJ grinned, and Jess felt instantly annoyed. He tamped down the feeling. TJ was here doing him a favor and they were likely going to be seeing a lot more of each other now that Jess was back in town. He needed to be nice and get along, if not for his own sake then for Luke and Jeremy's. "That's perfect timing. I was thinking maybe you can give me a hand with this door."

"Fine." Jess ran a hand across his face. "Let me just go to the bathroom first."

Jess started to pull back the covers to get up. "Whoa! Whoa! Hey, give a guy a little warning, there!" TJ turned his face to the side and closed his eyes, covering them with one hand.

"Jeez, TJ, I have on pants!" Jess was getting annoyed. He knew the way he had felt about Stars Hollow and his family the day before wouldn't last, but he hadn't expected his bubble to be burst so quickly and so rudely.

"Oh, yeah?" TJ separated two fingers and peeked through them at his step-son.

Jess was getting out of bed, wearing sleep pants and a long-sleeve tee shirt "Yes, TJ. I have a kid living with me. I have no door. And on top of that it's winter in New England. What part of that scenario made you jump to the conclusion that I'd be half-naked, sleeping pantless in some kind of Victorian nightgown like Ebenezer Scrooge?"

TJ dropped his hand. "I dunno. I sleep pantless regardless of the weather. Lizzie likes it better like that, so there's nothing in the way-"

Jess raised one hand palm out. "Please stop! I really don't need to hear about that." Jess approached the doorway, but TJ hadn't moved. "Excuse me, TJ."

The man made a show of dramatically stepping aside to let Jess through, with a slight bow and a flourish of one arm that looked to Jess like something he would have picked up on the Renaissance circuit. "You are excused." Jess rolled his eyes as he walked to the bathroom. He wasn't in the mood for this shit first thing in the morning.

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"Ok. I need you to come over here and hold this door up for me, kid." TJ said.

Jess had used the bathroom and washed his face and was feeling more alive. He looked around the apartment and saw Winston sleeping on the living room floor, but no Jeremy. Jess grabbed the door where TJ indicated and lifted it. "Hey, do you know where Jeremy is?"

"Yup. I sent him downstairs for breakfast." TJ had turned around and was crouched in front of his tool box, casually looking for something.

"He's not supposed to leave the apartment without telling me."

TJ didn't look up. "Yeah, he said something about that. He was all nervous about it. I told him it was fine. I never would have pegged you for being such a hardass with your kid."

"I'm not a hardass-"

"I mean, he's right downstairs, and it's not like he's five years old. And, Luke's down there and everything. How much trouble can he really get into?"

"TJ, if you aren't ready to do this, I'm putting this down." Jess gently lowered the door to rest on the floor. "It's heavy."

"I wouldn't have pictured you being so strict with your kid and everything. You did not get that from Lizzie, I can tell you that much. It must be Luke's influence. He seems like he would have been a hardass as a parent. Was he?"

Jess huffed out a laugh. "Are you serious? Not even close. And, I'm not being strict. Jeremy and I just have an…...understanding that he needs to talk to me before he goes out."

"Hey, he's not exactly out. He's still in the building. Plus, I said he could go, and I'm kind of like his grandfather, right?"

"Technically." Jess considered adding step-grandfather, but it felt too petty. He watched TJ pick something out of his tool box and hold it up to inspect more closely. It looked suspiciously like a fishing lure, and Jess wondered if the man had brought his tackle box instead of his tool box.

"And, Lizzie. She's his grandmother, right?"

"Of course, she is. What are you getting at?" Jess was losing his patience. TJ was only tolerable to Jess in very small increments and this one was starting to go on too long. Jess could count on one hand all the one-on-one conversations he had ever had with TJ, and he was starting to remember why he didn't make a habit of them.

TJ turned toward Jess, still crouched on the floor. "It's just. Well, Liz really wants to be Jeremy's grandma."

Jess sighed, trying not to let his exasperation show, but questioning whether this conversation was really worth getting a door. He had lived here for two years without one before, he was pretty sure he could live through it again. "I thought we just established that she is."

"Yeah, but she wants to be the real deal. She wants to bake him cookies and knit him sweaters and do all the regular grandma things with him."

"Does Liz even know how to knit a sweater?" Jess knew the disdain in his voice was rude, but he couldn't help himself.

"Hey, she's learning." Jess chafed at TJ's reproving tone, but didn't say anything because even he realized he was being unnecessarily mean. "And, she wants Jeremy to call her Grandma."

Jess sighed. "That's fine. What Jeremy calls Liz is between him and Liz. I have no problem with him calling her Grandma."

TJ had apparently found what he was looking for and stood up. "All right, lift it up again. I'm ready." Jess did as instructed, adjusting his positioning as TJ lined up the hinges. "I guess, the problem as I see it, is I don't think that's very realistic to think that Jeremy is going to be comfortable calling Liz Grandma when he hears you calling her Liz. You get what I mean?"

"TJ, with all due respect, my relationship with my mother is none of your business." Jess felt his annoyance turning to real irritation and he fought to keep it from becoming anger.

"I beg to differ, kid. A little this way." TJ pulled on the edge of the door to adjust the lineup of the hinges and Jess moved slightly to accommodate him. "Liz is my wife and what upsets her, upsets me."

"I'll let Jeremy know that I'm fine with him calling Liz Grandma. If he wants to. I'm not going to force him if he isn't comfortable doing it."

"Hey, of course, no one's talking about forcing the kid to do something he doesn't want to. He seems like a good kid. I'm sure he'd be willing to do it if he knows how much it matters to Liz."

"I said I'd talk to him. That's all I can do."

"You could also start calling Liz, oh, I don't know, maybe 'Mom.'"

"I said I'll talk to Jeremy. But, what I call Liz is between me and her." Jess was getting angry now, and he knew it was evident in his voice. "I haven't called her mom since I was fourteen. And, I had good reasons to stop. This isn't your business, TJ. You need to leave this alone."

"Whoa!" TJ pulled back from Jess dramatically. "What's with all the attitude? It was just a suggestion. I just thought, that, you know, it wouldn't be a hard thing to do and it would make her so happy."

"Leave it alone, TJ." Jess said, his voice calmer. "I get that you're looking out for Liz, but you need to stay out of this."

TJ crouched to fasten the bottom hinge. "She's a good mom now. To Doula."

"I never said she wasn't."

"And, she wants the chance to be a good mom to you, too. She's thinking, we're both thinking really, that having you back here, this is a good chance for us to get closer as a family. She knows that things weren't that great when you were a kid-"

"It wasn't 'things'... A more accurate statement would be that 'she' wasn't that great when I was a kid."

TJ nodded, his concentration on the hinge in front of him. "She knows that, too. She wants a second chance with you. She wants to be part of your real family."

"What are you talking about? She is part of my real family. She's my mother."

"Yeah, but the way she sees it, the way we both see it, is that you like Luke better than her. When you come to visit you always stay with him. And, I get it now, with your kid and dog and everything, you need more space. But, even when it was just you, you always stayed with Luke. We have a spare room at our place, too, but you never stayed with us. You'd spend all your time with Luke and give us one dinner or something if you were home for a long weekend. You treat us like we're your second class family. And, that hurts her. The first time you came back to Stars Hollow, after we bought the house, Lizzie fixed up the spare room like a guest room for you. She got a couch that pulled out into a bed. Bought a rug, and a lamp for the nightstand because she knew you liked to read in bed. She was sure that you would want to stay with her now that we had the space, but she was too nervous to ask you. She was very sad when you didn't."

Jess could feel that he was no longer supporting the door. It was hung. But, TJ didn't stop fiddling with the hinge and Jess didn't let go, knowing the conversation would only get worse if they were face to face. Jess thought about the weekend TJ was talking about. He remembered spending almost all of it with Luke, sleeping in his old room while Luke slept in his. He remembered Luke pressuring him to go by Liz's house and his twenty-one year-old self finally giving in on Sunday night, and passive aggressively showing no interest in the tour of the house that Liz had given him, out of spite toward the woman who never asked about his career or his life in Philadelphia. The idea of Liz prepping a guest room for him, but being too afraid to ask him to stay made him sadder than he would have expected, even as he reminded himself that Liz had been reaping what she had sown during his childhood. But, that had been twelve years ago. Things had changed. Jess had gotten over the bulk of his issues with Liz. He wasn't as spiteful now.

"She knows she messed some stuff up with you when you were a kid. But, she loves you and she wants to make it right. Or, as right as you can make something twenty or thirty years later. And, I know you don't like me very much, Jess. You've never hid that very well. And, if you want to spend more time with Liz, just the two of you, I'll give you guys space. I don't need to be around if you want it to just be you and Liz, and maybe Doula and Jeremy. I know how important this is to Liz, so I can do that, stay out of the way and everything, if that's what you want."

Jess couldn't keep up the charade of holding up the door. He let go and took a couple of steps back. He felt bad, and oblivious, like a thoughtless bully, unknowingly making Liz and TJ's lives harder. "I don't not like you, TJ."

TJ laughed and looked up at Jess. "I know I'm no Einstein, Jess, but you must think I'm even dumber than I thought if you expect me to believe that."

Jess didn't know what to say. He felt ashamed of his transparency. He hadn't realized he had been so obvious. He had thought he had come to tolerate TJ well over the years. He didn't exactly like the man, but he couldn't say he really disliked him anymore either. He was just TJ, Liz's weird husband. Jess honestly didn't give him all that much thought anymore.

"I'm sorry I put my hands on you at my bachelor party. It wasn't a good way to start things off with you."

"What?" Jess was caught off guard. He knew what TJ was talking about, but he hadn't thought of the incident in years. "Why are you bringing that up now?"

"In case an apology makes a difference. I've done some soul searching over the years about you, Jess, and that's what I always come back to as to when our relationship went bad before it even really started."

"It's fine. I haven't thought about that in ages. If I remember correctly, I was being a little shit that night, too."

"Yeah, you were, but that doesn't make what I did ok."

"It's fine, TJ. Really."

"I'm a pretty good husband to Lizzie."

"I know that. She's never, in my life, been clean for as long as she has since she's been with you. I know you two must be good together."

"And, I'm a good father to Doula. I think. Parenting is hard. You know that now, I guess. But, I'm as good as I can be at it."

Jess just nodded, not sure what to say to that.

"I know you're not that crazy about me, and I don't know if I can ever change that. But, I can tell you this much. If I'd been in Jimmy's shoes, way back when, I wouldn't have gone out for diapers and never come back. I would have done my best for you and your mom. That I know for sure."

Jess nodded, realizing that he believed him. TJ was a lot of things, but he wasn't a quitter. "I know you would have."

"Well." TJ got to his feet. "I think I covered everything I wanted to say to you." He picked up his toolbox. "Enjoy your door, kid." TJ smiled and patted Jess on the arm as he walked by.

"Thanks for doing this, by the way. Putting up the doors and the walls and stuff. I appreciate it." Jess folded his arms across his chest, suddenly feeling self-conscious and young, and wishing he wasn't still in his sleep clothes.

"No problem, Jess."

"See you guys tomorrow night for Jeremy's birthday dinner, right?"

"We wouldn't miss it. Lizzie got him this gift-" TJ stopped himself, smiling broadly. "Let's just say, you're going to really hate it." TJ laughed to himself and headed out the door.

Jess headed back to the bathroom to shower and think about the odd start to his day.

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The late-morning weekday lull was just settling in at the diner. The only customers remaining were finishing their meals at two tables by the window. Jeremy was perched on a stool refilling napkin dispensers, while Luke wiped down the counter. Jeremy hadn't been sure whether he should leave the apartment, but TJ had been so insistent. Jeremy figured that he and Jess must have had family stuff to discuss, so he had obeyed and come down to the diner, where Luke had welcomed him and assured him that Jess would be fine with it. Luke had also made him eggs and french toast for breakfast, which he had devoured at the counter while Luke worked, afterwards asking if there was anything he could do to help and being assigned the napkin job. TJ had walked out through the diner about fifteen minutes ago, and Jeremy wasn't sure if he should wait where he was, or if Jess would expect him to head back up now that TJ had left. Overall, Jeremy felt like he didn't question every small choice about what to do or say with Jess as much as he used to. He felt that he was at a place that he rarely reached with other people and certainly had never been at with any of his former foster parents. He was comfortable in a way he couldn't remember ever being before, secure in knowing that Jess loved him and that he was a part of Jess's family for good, and that nothing stupid he did or said was going to change that.

As horrible as that night in the motel room had been, when he had gone to New York with Melissa and come home at three a.m., he could see now that it had been a good thing for their relationship on some level. He had been petrified in the Uber back to the motel that night, worried that his behavior would have pushed his already stressed foster father over the edge. That Jess would realize he was more hassle than he was worth and get rid of him. When he didn't, well, Jeremy couldn't really explain how, but he could sense a seismic shift in their relationship. No one since his parents had ever kept loving him even when he had done something really bad before. And, Jess had. And, without realizing it at the time, Jeremy had come to feel safer with Jess. Sure, Jess had been scary mad, and Jeremy had gotten yelled at pretty intensely that night, and he was still grounded and not allowed to text Melissa, which sucked, but Jess had kept him and continued to love him. Jeremy had felt their family becoming more real as they were tested, first by Jess losing his job and then by the fire. Jess had kept Jeremy with him through all of it, even though Jeremy realized it would have been easier for Jess on his own. With no kid and no dog, he could have stayed with friends or rented a room in an apartment where someone needed a roommate. He could have bought himself more time to stay in Philadelphia and find another job there. But, he had kept Jeremy and Winston with him through everything. The night in the motel felt like one more test of their family bonds. A big one. Now, Jeremy felt comfortable that even his own stupid behavior wouldn't push Jess to give up on being his dad.

Jeremy didn't feel that he would be so worried about Jess's reaction to his leaving the apartment if it weren't for the mitigating circumstances of his being grounded. He didn't want to mess anything up there and make Jess think he was being disrespectful in any way. He had to admit, it had been nice sitting down in the diner and talking to Luke, though. And, in the end, Jeremy trusted Luke to talk Jess out of any anger he might have about Jeremy coming downstairs without talking to him. He trusted that Jess would listen to Luke even if he couldn't see Jeremy's side of things.

"So, Jeremy." Luke said as he tossed the rag under the counter and stood across the counter from Jeremy. "I've been thinking-" Luke stopped as Jess pushed back the curtain and walked into the diner. "Hey, Nephew." Luke turned and greeted him warmly.

"Hey, Luke." Jess's expression was neutral, and Jeremy couldn't tell whether the man was angry. He mostly looked tired. "Hey, Jeremy." Jess nodded toward the collection of napkin dispensers on the counter as he walked around and took a seat on the stool next to Jeremy's. "Luke putting you to work?"

Jeremy smiled, and reflexively held up the half full dispenser in his hand. "I offered to help."

"Funny, you should ask that, Jess." Luke said as he poured a cup of coffee and set it in front of Jess, who thanked him before taking a sip. "I was just about to tell Jeremy that Heather, you remember Heather, right, Jess?" Jess grunted noncommittally into his mug and Jeremy wasn't sure if that meant Jess didn't remember Heather or didn't like her. "Well, she put in her notice last week. She finished college last May and she was finally able to get a job in her field in Boston and she's moving in a few weeks. So, the only servers I have right now are Monica and Jenya, and they're both part-time because they're in college in Hartford, and myself, when Cesar is on the grill, obviously."

"Ok." Jess was watching Luke, his expression unreadable.

"Anyway, I was thinking. I would like to have another part-time server on staff, and I know you liked working here when you were a kid-"

"Luke, if you're offering me my old job back, I'm flattered, but I really feel like I should do a little more looking around before I totally give up on life and go back to waiting tables at my uncle's diner. No offense." Jeremy could hear the playful sarcasm in Jess's voice and he knew then that Jess wasn't mad.

"None taken, Nephew." Luke was smiling and Jeremy liked that Luke understood Jess's nature, that even when he sounded like a dick, he was sometimes just connecting with someone he cared about.

"And, I would never take money from you on top of everything else, but if you need extra help while you're waitstaff is in flux, I'd be happy to help you out for free." Jess said.

"Thanks, Jess. I'll keep you in mind. But, I gotta say, you're my second choice right now to fill the open server position." Luke shot a quick glance over at Jeremy, who had been eagerly listening to their exchange and wondering if Luke was going to suggest that he work for him. Jeremy focused on filling his napkin dispenser and trying not to look like he was expecting anything, in case he was misreading the situation. It wasn't like he had any experience working in a restaurant like Jess did. Luke turned his attention back to Jess. "I was going to offer Jeremy a job. If that's ok with you." Jeremy looked up to watch Jess's reaction. He knew they needed the money, but he wasn't sure what the rules were about working while he was grounded.

"Huh." Jess looked serious, as if mulling over something important and unexpected, but Jeremy could see through it. He knew Jess had seen the offer coming as he had, that maybe he and Luke had even discussed it already. "Do you really think Jeremy can fill my shoes as a server? If I recall correctly, customers loved my friendly charm and dry wit and many specifically requested to be seated in my section because of my sparkling personality. I'm just sayin. It's quite the legacy to live up to. I don't want the kid feeling pressured because I set the bar so high."

Jeremy could feel himself grinning, but wasn't sure if he should make his feelings known, since no one had actually asked his opinion yet.

Luke smirked. "If I recall correctly, you spent more time standing behind the counter reading a book than you did working, you gave customers so much attitude that some of my more sensitive regulars avoided the diner during your shifts, and I believe Kirk is still traumatized from the time you served him breakfast with the runny egg yolk touching the pancakes and refused to get him a new order when he complained." Luke moved his hands around to pantomine the eggs and the pancakes bumping into each other with an explosive effect and it made Jess smile.

Jeremy enjoyed watching their exchange, recognizing all the love and shared history that went into being able to jokingly insult someone in this way. Jess turned to him. "What do you think, Jeremy? Do you want to work for Luke?"

Jeremy knew his broad smile had already given away his answer. "I would love to." The boy turned toward Luke. "I don't have any experience. I tried to get a job in Philly, but no one would hire me without experience, so I couldn't get any. But, I really, really want a job. And, I promise, I'll work really hard and do whatever you say."

Luke smiled warmly at him, and Jeremy recognized it as the smile Jess often gave him. "That's good enough for me. But, just one thing." Luke's expression became serious, and he jabbed one index finger against the counter as he spoke. "This job doesn't interfere with your studying, got it? School has to come first."

"Huh. I probably should have thought to say that." Jess said, casual and unworried as he sipped his coffee. Luke smiled.

"Yes, of course." Jeremy said. "I won't let working here interfere with school. I promise."

"Don't worry, Luke." Jess said. "Jeremy's much smarter than I was. He's not going to throw away his future for a part-time job." Jeremy watched Jess sip his coffee with a heaviness in his heart. He knew Jess was joking, but he didn't like seeing Jess put himself down.

"Ok, then. I guess you're hired." Luke extended his hand with a smile and Jeremy shook it. "You can start with the dinner shift tonight if that's ok. Heather will be here, and she can train you."

Jeremy turned to Jess. "That's ok, right, Jess?"

"It's fine with me. But, be warned, my friend, Luke is a tyrant to work for. He'll pick on your clothes, not let you make out with your girlfriend while you're on the clock, and routinely be in flagrant violation of U.S. labor laws. But, other than that, have fun." Jess smiled with comically exaggerated brightness.

Jeremy could still feel himself grinning. "I think I can take it."

"Well, I'm excited that you're going to be working here, Jeremy. Some of the best bonding time I got with Jess when he was your age was when he was working here. Isn't that right, Jess?"

Jess shrugged. "Hey, one man's bonding is another's indentured servitude."

"Wise-ass." Luke laughed and smacked Jess on the shoulder with a menu as he walked past him to greet a couple that had just sat down at a table.

Jeremy turned to Jess. "Thanks for letting me work here."

"No problem. It's not like you can't use the money for college and stuff."

"Is it ok that I came down here? TJ told me to. He said he needed to talk to you alone."

"It's fine, Jeremy." Jess placed one hand on Jeremy's shoulder and was giving him the warm, everything's-ok smile that Jeremy knew meant he wasn't hiding his nervousness and anxiety as well as he thought he was.

"Thanks. I know I'm still grounded and everything, but TJ was pretty insistent…"

"It's ok, really." Jess returned his hand to the counter in front of him.

"Do, I, uh…" Jeremy looked around the diner and lowered his voice. "Do I need to go back upstairs now?"

Jess smiled and patted him on the leg. "I think you're good right here. Why don't you pass me some of those napkins, and I'll give you a hand?"

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Jess had gone out for a walk during Jeremy's first shift at the diner. He was a little jealous that Jeremy would be spending so much of his time with Luke instead of him, but he also thought that the time apart would be good for their relationship. They had been living on top of each other at the motel and he knew they would be spending a lot of time together in Stars Hollow, since neither of them had friends in town and Jeremy wasn't going to be allowed out to make any new ones for a while. And, of course, it was important for Jeremy to have a job, for his self-esteem and to save money for college. Jess knew that. But, he couldn't help thinking about what Luke had said about bonding with him when he had been a teenager. He remembered avoiding Luke as much as he could when he had first moved in, by going out most nights, even if it was just to sit on the bridge by himself, or escaping into a book when it was too cold or late to go out. But, he hadn't been able to get away from Luke in the diner, and Luke was right, that was where a lot of their bonding had happened in the early days of their relationship. Jess wasn't jealous of his uncle and his son bonding. He liked to think he wasn't that much of a selfish asshole, and he did want Jeremy to have a good relationship with all his relatives, and even if Liz and TJ were technically the boy's grandparents, Jess liked the idea of Luke being a grandpa type person for Jeremy. But this, working together, was a big thing, and Jess worried that he was going to be left out.

As so many of his walks had in the past, this one ended up at Stars Hollow Books. Jess walked in, grateful to get out of the cold, and saw Andrew behind the counter ringing up a sale for a woman with a little girl. Jess had always liked Andrew. He was one of the few adults in town who hadn't treated Jess like he was a juvenile delinquent when he had lived in Stars Hollow the first time around. Jess had attributed Andrew's accepting attitude toward him to their shared love of reading. Plus, after all these years and poor sales, he still stocked Jess's book, The Subsect, in his local writers section, which made Jess like him even more.

Jess walked by that display now. The Subsect was still in it's usual spot and Jess wondered if it was the same actual copy that he saw at least once a year when he returned to Stars Hollow. The book hadn't done well on the market and only the 500 original copies had ever been printed. It hurt somewhere deep inside to think about how hopeful his twenty-one year-old self had been when he finished that book and found someone willing to publish is. Jess briefly wondered how the novel would have fared in a reprint now if he had stayed on at Truncheon and the reprint had the backing of a marketing machine like Penguin Random House. But, there was no sense thinking about that now. He saw a few other books by writers from Hartford and surrounding towns. Some he had heard of on his own and some he recognized from stopping by this table in prior years. One new addition stood out, in the center of the display, hardcover bound in red, white and blue. Jess read the title. Leading Stars Hollow to Greatness: One man's story of courage and perseverance. "What the fuck….." Jess muttered under his breath.

"You found Taylor's memoir, didn't you?"

Jess looked up to see the customers gone and Andrew with his eyes down, counting out singles from the cash drawer. The man looked up with a small smile. "I've heard that same reaction a few times a day since I started stocking his book."

"I can see why." Jess was leafing through the book. "Wow. This reads like a how-to guide for dictators. Who's his target market, Duterte and Trump?" Jess skimmed some more. "Oh, my god, in chapter 3, he actually recommends that towns institute 'community shunning,' his words, for anyone who refuses to maintain their grass at the eye-pleasing height of one and a half inches." Jess looked up at Andrew, a look of joking alarm on his face. "Please tell me that Taylor's book hasn't sold more copies than mine. Even if it's not true, please tell me that anyway."

Andrew chuckled. "The only person who's bought Taylor's book so far has been Kirk. But, he bought a lot of copies for gifts, so I'm guessing it's going to be sitting on a lot of bookshelves in town come Christmas morning. Or providing kindling for fireplaces."

Jess chuckled. "Now, I've seen it all." Jess shut the book and flipped it over. "He self-publish?"

"What do you think?"

Jess huffed out a laugh. If he wasn't so broke, he would buy this as a Christmas gift for Luke, just to watch him get all annoyed when he opened it. But, his current situation lacked the budget for gag gifts. It hit him that Christmas was only a few days away and he had yet to buy gifts for anyone. He had gotten in the habit of visiting Stars Hollow in mid-December and then spending the actual holiday in Baltimore with Charisse's family and just mailing out presents for Luke, April and Doula, but he didn't know what was expected of him now that he would be seeing the Gilmores and Liz and TJ on Christmas eve and day. He needed to check with Luke. He at least wanted to pick up something for Leelee, so that he would have all the kids in the family covered. He would try to pick up something thoughtful and not too expensive for the Gilmores and Liz and TJ if he could. He didn't want to offend and figured it was better to be safe. He and Liz hadn't exchanged Christmas presents since he was a kid, but based on his conversation with TJ, he figured she would have something for him this year.

"I heard you're back in town and looking for work."

Jess could feel the smile fading from his face, as his employment concerns moved back to the forefront of his mind. "That I am."

"Well, I know you're overqualified for this, but my assistant manager, Harold, is retiring at the end of the year. Do you remember Harold?"

Jess smiled at the memory of the grumpy old man who had worked for Andrew since before Jess's first period of residency in Stars Hollow. "Of course, I do. The guy's been like a fixture here. He turned me on to P.G. Wodehouse when I was in town last year."

"Yeah, Harold loves a good British humorist." Andrew nodded. "He and his wife are retiring and heading down to South Carolina in January to be near their daughter and grandkids."

"Huh." Jess was having trouble picturing someone with Harold's sour disposition having a wife and children who actually wanted him around. "Well, good for Harold."

"Yep. And, I'm going to need to hire someone to replace him. I know it's not what you're probably looking for since it's sales instead of publishing…..and the pay wouldn't be what you're used to from working in the city, but it's full-time and it includes health insurance…."

"Are you serious?"

Andrew shrugged, and Jess could tell he had thrown him off, that Andrew was worried he might have offended him with the offer. "Luke said you were looking, and I know how much you read…Like I said, I know it's not what you're probably looking for, and I wouldn't expect you to stay until you retire, like Harold. I'll be long gone by then anyway-"

"Yes! Yes, I'm interested. I'm very interested!" Jess knew it was likely little more than minimum wage, but it had health insurance. That was something. The commute was negligible. He had no rent to cover at the moment. And it was a job. A start toward saving for college for Jeremy. He would likely need a second job, and maybe a third, but this was definitely a start. It was something to work with.

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After going over some details with Andrew, Jess was walking back to the diner reflecting on how easy things already felt in Stars Hollow. Two days ago he and Jeremy had been sharing a motel room in a bad neighborhood, where Jess had been struggling to feed and support them and bombarded with constant stress. And, now they were living in a decent apartment with their own bedroom doors, in a safe town, where he and Jeremy had been welcomed and each given a job thanks to family connections. Jess was grateful. So very grateful. He didn't want to work in a small town bookstore forever, but he wanted to do a good job while he was there. He already had ideas of how to increase foot traffic to the store, with author readings, discussion groups, and displays of local art. He felt like he had a good understanding of what worked from his days at Truncheon and he felt like he wanted to be more than just an adequate assistant manager. He wanted to add real value to Andrew's business to thank him for helping him out like this. He wanted Andrew to look back at the before and after of having hired Jess and see distinct improvement in sales. He wanted to feel worthy and competent again.

Jess's last thought as he lay in bed that night, after listening to Jeremy's stories of how much fun he had had at his first shift at the diner and telling him about the job he was offered at the bookstore, and thinking about how much better things had become in the short time they had been in town, had been about Rory. Jess wondered if this was how she had been sucked back into complacency in Stars Hollow, too. By its stealthful and easy charm.