A/N: Hey, guys. Remember me? ;) Well, hopefully, more to the point, you remember this story! Now, despite the fact it is New Year, we left the Stars Hollow crowd in the run up to Thanksgiving. Are we ready? Okay! :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 21

"You know you should really tell him yourself. Liz, come on, you waited all this time and now-, No, you can't just-, Liz!"

Jess whistled low as he walked into the house, catching the tail-end of Luke's phone call from the hallway.

"That sounded like a fun conversation," he said with a look.

"Yeah, your mom and me don't always see eye-to-eye on everything," Luke grumbled, slamming the phone down into its cradle. "She was supposed to be coming to dinner with us before you go home for Thanksgiving in California, but apparently, something has come up, and... I don't know. She's Liz."

"Yeah, I'm getting that whole thing," said Jess, nodding his head.

Luke sighed and turned away. He hated this and Jess knew it. All the talk of his coming here to meet and get to know his mom, and Liz really wasn't holding up her end. Luke felt responsible, rightly or wrongly, which only proved what a good guy he was. Jess actually felt bad for him right now and decided to throw him a bone.

"You know it really doesn't matter to me, right?" he told him genuinely. "You and Lorelai, you're... you're great. You want to get to know me and be like family. If Liz doesn't, then she doesn't. I'm not gonna cry over it."

Luke sighed heavily.

"I'm glad you see how much Lorelai and I are trying to make you feel welcome, because we really are. Getting to know you is great, Jess, and I'm really glad we got this opportunity. I just wish your mother would make as much effort."

"Some people just aren't family people, I guess." Jess shrugged. "No big deal."

"But it is a big deal, Jess," Luke insisted. "Liz is your mother, she should be making more of an effort."

"Maybe. I mean, not maybe she's my mother, because that's your basic biology, but she's not... I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I have a family already. Back home in California, I have Jimmy and Sasha and Lilly. I know only one is blood, but you of all people know how much that doesn't always matter."

He was talking about Rory now, even though the fact of his uncle being her father-figure was still just a little awkward for Jess to mention yet. It was a good comparison to make. Luke looked at Rory and saw a daughter despite the fact there was no way he could be her father, just the same as Sasha and Lilly were mom and little sister in Jess' life. Sometimes you were lucky enough to be born into the family you're supposed to have, other times, you made your own as you went along. They both knew it was true, and Luke didn't even bother to try and deny it.

"You should have both," he said instead, his hand on Jess' shoulder. "I wanted you to have that family and this family."

"And I do," he promised him. "I have those guys there and you guys here. Liz is... whatever. No offence, I know she's your sister, but it's hard to miss what you never had. I came here to meet her, I did that. I'm not sure I was really expecting anything else where Liz is concerned."

Jess could see by the look on Luke's face that he hated knowing Jess had such low expectations of his own mother, but the truth couldn't be denied. Liz was a real flake. Luke was her brother and he loved her, but even he had to admit you couldn't trust her to do what she said she would do or stick to a plan or anything. She said she wanted to meet Jess and get to know him, but she made no real effort. She never had made an effort, and they could only allow her so much sympathy.

"I'm still sorry she's not trying harder."

"And I'm sorry we're not millionaires, but it is what it is," said Jess with a smirk. "Stop worrying so much, Uncle Luke," he teased him, "you'll give yourself a seizure or something."

"I gotta get back to fixing dinner," said Luke, smiling in spite of himself. "You wanna help? Lorelai and Rory had some errands to run so they won't be here for a while."

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Jess shrugged, following his uncle into the kitchen.

It would almost be weird to go home for Thanksgiving. Being here had started to feel oddly normal already. All the dates with Rory, the dinners here at the Crap Shack, time spent with Luke and Lorelai, getting to know the neighbours. It was all kind of okay actually. Despite Rory's ex getting a little Bruce Banner a while ago, so far, his threats had proved empty. Jess wasn't worried about Dean, not even a little bit, but strangely, he was a little thrown by how much it did worry him to go back to California for Thanksgiving. He just really didn't want to leave right now.

They told Luke and Lorelai they were going out after dinner, knowing it would sound like they were actually headed some place to see a movie or whatever. Jess didn't feel the need to correct them, and despite her usual insistence at being a real goody two shoes about those kinds of things, Rory hadn't said a word either. Not that the parent types would probably mind too much that they were hanging out in the diner apartment alone. They would probably assume they were watching a movie or talking books or something. Jess liked those activities well enough most of the time, but right now, he wouldn't trade what he was currently doing for anything. His vision and senses as a whole were all full of Rory. He was drowning in her, and he was more than okay with that. Unfortunately, just when he started getting a little further than second base, Rory backed off.

"Okay, need air," she said, looking more than a little flushed.

Jess didn't argue at all, it wouldn't be fair to her. After all, girls tended to like to move slower than guys at the best of times, and as previously noted, Rory had a tendency towards the whole good girl vibe. Not that he didn't love that about her, same as he loved everything else, but he was an eighteen-year-old guy and he really, really wanted her. Unfortunately, despite them being in love from pretty much the get-go, they really had only known each other a little over three months, and Rory had never gotten what she called 'serious' with anyone before.

"You wanna go home?" he asked, moving to sit next to her on the edge of the bed, hoping she said no.

"Really don't," she confessed, scooching closer and putting her head on his shoulder. "Spending time with mom and Luke is great, but being alone is nice too," she told him, fingers entwining with his own.

Simple, seemingly innocent touches escalated quickly, as they always seemed to the moment the two of them were alone. Jess seemed to have a compulsion about kissing her, an unquenchable thirst for her always, and mostly, Rory didn't seem to want to argue with that. At least not until they got very much horizontal, her body on top of his, and he maybe pushed his luck just a little.

"Mmm," she moaned, shifting away some. "You're a very bad influence," she told him, smiling anyway.

"Yes, that is me," he agreed, smirking as he reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

She rolled her body away and laid down beside him, apparently not eager to get away as much as to not get too close. Jess understood, even if it was kind of frustrating. He certainly didn't mean to sigh so audibly about it, but apparently it happened anyway.

"I'm sorry," said Rory, looking too guilty. "It's not that I don't want to, because you know I do, kind of, I just-"

"I get it," Jess promised her, meeting her eyes. "You're not ready yet, and that's okay."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true," he assured her, bringing the hand he had clasped in his up to his lips and kissing it.

He knew he was being sweet and charming, saying all the things she wanted to hear. The truth was he did mean it, it was okay that she wasn't ready and that he had to wait. Of course, it was getting harder and harder all the time, and yes, that pun was entirely intentional, he thought to himself. Better in moments like these, he had found, to change the subject to something that would definitely kill the romantic mood.

"So, I was thinking about Thanksgiving," he said, propping his head up on his free hand.

"Oh, yeah," Rory echoed, mirroring his position, "you get to see your family again soon. You must be so excited."

"You'd think so," Jess agreed. "I mean, I miss them, obviously, but... but I was thinking maybe I could hold off on the trip home until Christmas, maybe."

"Seriously?"

"It's a long way to go for basically one day," said Jess, shrugging a shoulder. "The break from school is longer at Christmas and... I don't know, I think maybe it makes more sense to be here." He smiled. "Besides, as much as it pains me to admit it, the plans you and your mom and Luke keep making in front of me, well, I'm a little jealous I might not be a part of them."

"You want to be a part of our plans?" asked Rory, teasing just a little.

Jess wasn't laughing when he replied; "I want to be part of all of your plans."

She reached to kiss him then, the momentum of her body hitting his making Jess roll back. Unfortunately, since they had moved over some after their last make out, he was a little closer to the edge than even he realised. They hit the floor in a pile of tangled limbs, Jess trying to make sure he took the impact more than Rory, though neither of them ended up looking too graceful. Doubtless they would have couple of choice bruises each by tomorrow.

"Ow," he said shortly.

"I second that," Rory agreed, moving off him as the two of them helped each other up, "but I'm so happy you're staying for Thanksgiving. That is, if you're sure."

"I'm sure," Jess promised her, nodding his head. "I don't know what Jimmy will say, not to mention Sash and Lil, but I guess I'll find out when I tell them tomorrow," he considered, checking his watch. "In the meantime...?"

Rory smiled at the look in his eye, reaching her arms up around his neck.

"Deep breath, and..."

Maybe getting only so far with Rory would be the death of Jess eventually, but he couldn't help thinking, it might just be a fine way to go.

It was the first time since arriving in Connecticut that Jess hadn't looked forward to calling home. He didn't exactly expect Jimmy to be mad about his not going back to California for Thanksgiving, but he might well be disappointed, and somehow, that would be worse. He deliberately called when he knew Lilly would be in school and Sasha was likely to be out too. Letting one person down easy, the one person who knew him best in the world, was probably easier than three at once, especially when one of them was a kid that adored him and missed him so much.

There was no doubt the news came as a surprise to Jimmy, but he didn't seem sad, or even terribly hurt. Maybe just a little disappointed, but Jess would probably have been offended if he wasn't actually.

"Jess, you know all we want is for you to be happy," his father promised him.

"I am," he told him definitely, "and you know I love you guys, and of course I want to be there, but... here isn't so bad."

The truth was that 'here' was actually pretty great. Jess never expected Stars Hollow to feel like home so fast or so easily, but it really did.

"So long as that's the real reason," said Jimmy then. "What I mean is, I don't want you not coming home because of the money or because you think we don't want you to."

"That's not why, I swear," Jess promised him. "If it's anything, I think it's... it's Luke," he admitted, knowing his uncle was a large part of the reason. "The guy feels so bad that Liz isn't making an effort. I just think if I stay for Thanksgiving and it really feels like a family thing, he won't beat himself up so much, you know?"

There was a pause before Jimmy answered again.

"You're a good kid, Jess," he told him, before correcting himself fast. "A good man. Sorry, buddy."

"Yeah, well," he replied, swallowing the emotion that rose thick in his throat. "I learnt from the best."

"Get out of here, before I throw up," Jimmy countered.

Jess laughed out loud at that, he couldn't help it. He and his father rarely did the mushy stuff, but sometimes, he supposed, it just couldn't be avoided, not when you loved someone that much.

"Tell Sasha and Lil that... that I said 'hi'," he told Jimmy then, falling short of the L word in that regard too.

"I'll tell them," his father promised, somehow sounding as if he understood the the real meaning of Jess' request anyway. "Take care of yourself, Jess."

"You too. Bye, Dad"

He hung up before Jimmy had a chance to react to the use of that name. Jess wasn't much for saying it, but in moments like that, he couldn't help himself. Maybe it was a reaction to his mom proving to be just as useless as Jimmy always suggested so far. Maybe it was just because no matter how much Jess was eighteen and practically a man now, as Jimmy had said, he still liked knowing that Dad was always there for him, no matter what, even when an entire country was stretched out between them.

To Be Continued...